This month I read one of my favourite novels of the year – Morgan Is My Name – and bought my first special edition book (a reward for finishing and submitting my second oracle deck, lol), and read a wide range of genres, from MG and contemporary to fantasy, non-fiction, and a strange faery/folk tale. 

39 of 80 – Red Dust Running by Anita Heiss
My most-anticipated July read was Anita Heiss’s new audio-only novel Red Dust Running – it was due out July 1, and I refreshed my Audible account a few times that day until it finally downloaded (apparently audiobooks are released on US time…). I love that Anita’s contemporary romances are as much about friendship as love, and that her main characters are always a little flawed and occasionally frustrating, because it makes them so real and relatable, and that she includes inspiring artists and performers as well as culture, and that she manages to weave contemporary issues into the story without being didactic. I also love that there are always little pieces of Anita in her characters – Annabelle’s love of running in this book, and her practise of infusing trees with love and energy, and the importance of her women friends and the priority she places on friendship – and that while Anita is acclaimed for her award-winning historical novels (Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray and Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms are two of my favourite books), her non-fiction and her kids books, for many First Nations people, her contemporary romances were the first time they saw themselves in stories with a happy ending. The romances, relationships and infatuations in this story are fun, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, with depth and reflection, and some thought-provoking situations, and is set between Brisbane and rural Queensland. The audiobook is beautifully read by actor Shari Sebbens, one of the two narrators of Larissa Behrendt’s wonderful novel After Story.

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40 of 80 – The Doomed Prince and other variants
The Australian Fairy Tale Society’s July story was the Egyptian story The Doomed Prince (also known as The Prince and the Three Fates in Nora and Andrew Lang’s Anglicised version in The Brown Fairy Book, where the goddess Hathor and the Hathors become faeries). It’s about fate and destiny; whether prophecies come to pass by accident, or we make them happen by trying to prevent them; Egyptian deities; snakes, crocodiles and dogs; true love; thwarted plans; refugees; a reversal of the princess being rescued by the prince (as well as the traditional trope – they each get to save each other, which I love). It has threads of story also found in Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel, Donkeyskin, Iron John and many more faery tales, which is fascinating given its age – it was written on papyrus around 1500BCE. And perhaps most fascinating of all is the real-life mystery of how the story actually ends, because the papyrus it was written on (which is now in the British Museum) was damaged in an explosion, and the ending was destroyed! So we had a lot of fun coming up with the ending we thought it deserved, as well as researching the history of the story, and the papyrus, various contexts and so much more!

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41 of 80 – Curse of the Dragon Shadow: Shadow Dragon Saga Book 1 by Selina Fenech
Selina Fenech’s upcoming book Curse of the Dragon Shadow: Shadow Dragon Saga Book 1 is AWESOME! An epic dystopian fantasy, it has wonderful characters, non-stop adventure, lots of humour, and a compelling plot that means you have to keep turning the pages to find out what will happen next! It’s not out for a while yet though, so in the meantime, if you haven’t read Selina’s Beshadowed series, I highly recommend that! And in a few days her latest book A Wish of Ashes and Glass is out, and it’s a wonderful, magical, faery-tale-inspired story I also adored…

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42 of 80 – Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch
My favourite July read was Morgan Is My Name by debut Welsh author Sophie Keetch. Beautifully written, brilliantly plotted and full of magic, myth and legend, it’s the story of Morgan Le Fay, reclaimed. I hate that she is always portrayed as the villain, while the men who treated her so terribly are made out to be innocent heroes and victims of her dark sorcery, so I love that this book gives her back her agency and complexity, allows her to be powerful without having to be evil, and redresses some of the imbalances inflicted on her through hundreds of years of Christian men telling her story. Opening with her birth at Tintagel and her early years with her loving and in-love parents and two sisters, Morgan is woven deftly to life, multifaceted, clever, kind and compassionate, and struggling desperately against the injustices of how women were treated back then (there are so many infuriating examples!). A healer beginning to awaken to her own powers, she’s the only one to see through Merlin and Uther Pendragon’s magic and deception, and the chain of events triggered by her half-brother Arthur’s conception and birth, and I love her interactions with all three men. Even more I love how deeply she cares for her best friend and study mate Alys, how deeply she thirsts for knowledge and doggedly pursues it, how deeply she wants to help and to heal, and how deeply she falls in love, thwarted though that is thanks to her being a pawn in the high king’s power and strategy.
I’ve wandered through the ruins of Tintagel, hiked up the hill thought to be the site of Camelot and spent many wonderful weeks in the Isle of Avalon, so I loved going back there and walking alongside Morgan through this beautiful, enchanted countryside. But Sophie has made her Arthurian world spring so vividly to life that you don’t have to have been there physically to submerge yourself in Morgan’s world – although you may want to go on your own pilgrimage after you read it.
I fell in love with this story listening to the audiobook, bought the paperback so I can re-read it and revel in the gorgeous writing, then was tempted to buy my first special edition book (signed, hardcover, sprayed edges) as my reward for submitting my second oracle deck (any excuse, lol). And I will definitely re-read it. After reading The Mists of Avalon several times over the years, I was sad that I can never read it again – but this book is a worthy successor, and more than makes up for it. Spanning Morgan’s life through her childhood, first love, education at a nunnery and ill-fated marriage, it ends with her fleeing to Camelot to spend time with her newly met half-brother, and I can’t wait for book two of the trilogy – out in October, hooray! [ETA: It didn’t come out until August 2024] – to see how her life will continue to evolve, and her magic will continue to grow…

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43 of 80 – Being Jimmy Baxter by Fiona Lloyd
Congratulations to wonderful author Fiona Lloyd on the release of her debut middle grade novel Being Jimmy Baxter. I read an earlier version a while ago, but it’s officially out today, so I had to read it again! It’s such a beautiful, touching story, full of real-life issues told with compassion and sensitivity, and interspersed with heart-warming characters and lots of humour. I laughed and cried, and fell in love with Jimmy as he tries to deal with his mum’s depression, the unspoken shadow of his father’s violence, a new school, and trying to earn money to buy food and somehow survive in a new town, all while dealing with the local bully and a mum who can’t get out of bed. But it’s all handled so deftly that it’s the sense of hope, resilience and joy, and the magic of friendship, that stays with you

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44 of 80 – Summer In Provence by Lucy Coleman
Lucy Coleman’s Summer In Provence was a random Audible pick (amusing now that I’ve noticed how many artist characters I have in my own books!), and I really enjoyed it. When scared-of-flying Fern wins a million pounds and her hubby of seven years wants to go backpacking for a year, he manages to convince her they should take a year out from their marriage, and she ends up reluctantly volunteering to help out at an artist retreat in the south of France while he heads off to Thailand, Mexico and Outback Australia (the Down Under references were a little over-the-top, but fortunately there weren’t many of them). Full of adventure, self-discovery, family drama and cool retreat guests who transform the way Fern sees herself, it was sweet and heart-warming, and I loved that the whole way through I wasn’t sure which way Fern would go. (I also loved her choice, but I’m not sure everyone would – I think the end of The Rise of Skywalker is perfect, ha ha!) 

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45 of 80 – This Book Thinks Ya Deadly by Corey Tutt
I’m loving Corey Tutt’s new release This Book Thinks Ya Deadly! A Celebration of Blak Excellence, which profiles 80 incredible First Nations musicians, artists, writers, actors, teachers, scientists, athletes, activists, journalists and more – including authors Anita Heiss, Tony Birch, Larissa Behrendt and Thomas Mayo, musicians Archie Roach, Barkaa, Briggs and Thelma Plum, academics Professor Marcia Langton, Dr Amy Thunig and Dr Terri Janke, sporting stars Cathy Freeman, Ash Barty and Joe Williams – and so many more, all wonderfully illustrated by Molly Hunt. The beautiful thing is that Corey doesn’t just write about each person’s incredible achievements, but also includes how and why they inspire him, like the footballer who has had a profound impact on mental health, particularly for boys and men, the singers who helped him connect with culture and become his best self, the author who encouraged him while he was writing his last book (The First Scientists) and has been a huge supporter of his organisation DeadlyScience (which provides science resources to remote communities and encourages First Nations kids to participate in STEM subjects), and the incredible health worker Corey knew when they were both at uni, who is making a huge difference for people in remote communities. Each profile is engaging and inspiring, and I was happy to see so many people I admire featured, as well as learn about so many more incredible artists, activists and others doing deadly and excellent things. I also love that Corey could easily do a second volume – it’s wonderful that so many First Nations people are making such a difference in the world. (And although Corey’s not officially profiled, as an associate professor who last year received the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to Indigenous STEM education, he definitely qualifies!)