June was a good reading month, with four books by Australian authors and another four from around the globe. I especially loved Like A Curse by wonderful Scottish writer Elle McNicoll and The Gift of Life by Queenslander Josephine Moon, and Wiradyuri author Anita Heiss’s new children’s book Bidhi Galang…

31 of 80 – Magical Midlife Madness by KF Breene
In the lead up to the awesome Ballgowns and Books Event, I read some authors who are also signing at it. Magical Midlife Madness by KF Breene was so much fun. Instead of a teenage chosen one, it centres on Jessie, an unlikely but wonderful 40-year-old woman who’s totally over looking after everyone else at her own expense. Relieved when her husband wants a divorce, happy (in a nice way) that her son has crossed the country to go to college, she’s more than ready to focus on herself for once. But this is no relaxing do-over – stuck for somewhere to live, and determined not to move back in with her parents, she takes up the offer to be caretaker of a house she once visited, and loved, as a child. It’s only for a short time, til she gets back on her feet, and how hard could it be? Um, yeah, about that. The house is enchanted, and comes complete with some old and grumpy, apparently-hopeless-but-possibly-magical, staff. And a world of not-possible mages, shifters, gargoyles and vampires ready to do battle with her if she accepts her position and the magic that comes with it. But Jessie’s not willing to put herself out, or put up with any crap, any more. Sick of being ignored, overlooked and disregarded, she’s determined to raise her voice until she’s heard. To wear what she wants and do what she wants – to be her true self at last. And that may or may not include a magical house, magical powers, and a magical shifter romance. Can she really be bothered? It’s funny and action-packed, with a great cast of snarky, hilarious and intriguing characters, and more books in the series if you want to continue.

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32 of 80 – Bidhi Galing by Anita Heiss
Anita Heiss’s powerful, haunting historical novel Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) was one of my favourite books of 2021. Her new children’s book Bidhi Galing tells the same story for younger people, and it’s just as beautiful, and just as important.

Bidhi Galing (Big Rain) celebrates the Wiradyuri heroes of the Great Flood of Gundagai in 1852, told through the eyes of a young girl who is rescued from the raging floodwaters by her father. Anita Heiss’s powerful text, accompanied by Samantha Campbell’s evocative illustrations, is a gift of Wiradyuri culture, knowledge and language, sharing a resonant message for our times.

Anita has written more than twenty books, spanning historical fiction, contemporary romance, middle grade novels, non-fiction and more, but this is her first children’s book. Told from the perspective of young Wagadhaany, who lives near the banks of the mighty Marrambidya Bila, it shares the lives of a Wiradyuri community in the mid-1800s, the notions of respect, love, family and spirit that imbue their culture, the devastating impact of colonisation, and the incredible generosity of the Wiradyuri men who risked their own lives to save the invaders during the Great Flood of Gundagai in 1852.
Inspired by learning her own Wiradyuri language and history, and written in consultation with her elders and senior cultural advisors, Anita’s book is a wonderful, deeply moving story that all kids (and adults!) should read, and will love. There’s a glossary to learn the Wiradyuri words included, as well as a link to hear Anita read the story herself.
It’s vibrantly illustrated by artist Samantha Campbell, who worked on Anita’s MG book Koori Princess, as well as Aunty’s Wedding by Miranda Tapsall and Joshua Tyler, and Freedom Day by Rosie Smiler and Thomas Mayo. Highly recommended!

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33 of 80 – Wild Apples by Minnie Darke
I really liked Minnie Darke’s books The Lost Love Song, With Love from Wish & Co and Star-Crossed, so I was excited that the Audible book this month is her brand-new release Wild Apples. Set in the heart of Tasmanian apple country, it’s a contemporary rural romance about family dramas, small town values, guilt, loss and second chances. I did occasionally roll my eyes at the main character, who didn’t grow much despite all the things she learned about herself and her situation, and there were a few times I wondered why the love interest still bothered, but I loved the exploration of the pieces of ourselves that we lose as we grow up, and how important it is to rediscover and nurture our wild self. Well narrated by Danielle Cormack, it ended a little abruptly, but was a light and lovely listen. Minnie is the pen name of Danielle Wood, who also writes literary fiction and faery tales.

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34 of 80 – The Gift of Life by Josephine Moon
I loved Josephine Moon’s first book The Tea Chest when it came out many years ago, have loved many since (The Chocolate Promise and The Beekeeper’s Secret are also wonderful), and also have a few on my shelf waiting patiently for me to pick them up. So when I got covid, it seemed like the perfect time to dive in. The Gift of Life is a heart-warming story with a mystery to untangle, dark secrets to reveal, flawed characters in tough situations, and the magic of friendship, the releasing of guilt and being true to yourself. Gabby is a heart transplant recipient who’s opened a coffee shop and roasting house in Melbourne, and Kristal is the grieving widow who didn’t want to donate her husband’s organs. When she accidentally discovers Gabby is the recipient, she visits the café seeking answers, and triggers confusing memories that leave Gabby feeling haunted. Together they must find the answers that will bring them both peace, and hope that not all their secrets are revealed along the way. It was perhaps a little weird reading about a heart transplant patient while stressing that covid was going to weaken mine further (thanks scad!), but it’s a lovely, fascinating, tender-hearted book, filled with the soothing warmth of coffee, food and family, and I’ll definitely read another one of Josephine’s soon.

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35 of 80 – Like A Curse by Elle McNicoll 
Elle McNicoll is one of my favourite authors. I adored her debut middle grade book A Kind of Spark, fell in love with her next (slightly sci-fi) one, Show Us Who You Are, and loved the enchanting Like A Charm too, where neurodivergent tween Ramya Knox discovered she’s a witch who can see through the glamour of magical creatures – revealing that the Edinburgh she lives in is secretly peopled with vampires, trolls, sprites, hulders, sirens, dryads and kelpies. And not all of them are friendly.
The sequel Like A Curse is just as good, full of magic and danger and adventure, and with one of my favourite first lines ever: “Evil arrived in the city with a beautiful voice and a golden key around her neck.”
Now thirteen, Ramya has been sent to Loch Ness to stay with her aunt Opal so she can practice her magic and learn how to use her powers. But when Edinburgh is taken over by a cruel siren, the last thing she wants to do is hide away in the country while her friends are in danger and the adults aren’t doing anything to help, so she begins sneaking out at night with her cousin Marley and finding magical ways to join the fight. She’ll happily risk her own life to rescue her gentle vampire friend, protect the Hidden Folk she’s come to care about, and save a sweet dryad girl and her druid. As thrilling as it is heart-warming, Like A Curse is a grand adventure, full of danger and daring, spells and enchantment, magical mishaps, plot twists and betrayals, and a wonderful reveal about what the Loch Ness “monster” really is. Like all of Elle’s beautiful books, Like A Curse celebrates individuality and difference – all her main characters are neurodivergent, as she is – and the importance of friendship, found family, forgiveness, and discovering who you truly are.

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36 of 80 – Highland Raven by Melanie Karsak
I love Melanie Karsak’s original faery tales, and now I adore her historical fantasy too. Highland Raven, book one in the Celtic Blood series, is set in the eleventh century, and is full of magic, murder, dark goddesses, friendship, witches, ravens, ill-fated love affairs and violent kings, and cleverly entwined Shakespeare quotes that made me want to re-read Macbeth. The flawed heroine – who has many names, including Cerridwen – is complicated, passionate and endearing, and her struggle with the way women were treated back then is harrowing but certainly character building. A complete story, I liked it so much I quickly bought the second of the four in this gripping series.

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37 of 80 – Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
I saw Jessica Au speak at last year’s Sydney Writers Festival (because she did an event with Larissa Behrendt, an author I love), so I really wanted to like her novella Cold Enough for Snow. I didn’t, but she’s been nominated for many awards and won several, so lots of people do.

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38 of 80 – Coming Home by Kennedy Ryan
My final #JuneRead was a sweet second-chance romance novella, Coming Home, by American author Kennedy Ryan. College friends Toure and Niomi are smart, successful and ambitious journalists who created amazingly fulfilling lives for themselves, but never quite forgot what might have been if they’d had the courage to confess how they felt about each other before fate tore them apart. Two decades later, an invitation to their alma mater’s homecoming celebrations gives them another chance – if they’re brave enough to reveal their hearts, and question what’s really important to them. The whole US college thing went a little over my head, but it was a sweet, compelling story, with great characters and a satisfying happily ever after.