May #bookaweek catch-up – so many incredible reads, especially Claire G Coleman’s extraordinary debut novel Terra Nullius, and Elle McNicoll’s stunning Show Us Who You Are. The first is a heartbreaking, desperately moving and horrifying sci-fi novel, which made me equally sad and enraged – but convinced that *everyone* should read it. It’s beautiful, powerful writing, a gripping story, with awful truth woven into the fictional plot. The second is kinda sci-fi too, about 12-year-old autistic girl Cora, who has to find her voice and her strength, and use them both to make herself heard. It’s a powerful story of love, loss and grief, of friendship and self-acceptance, and the power of memory and the gift of authenticity. There are moments of sweetness and joy, and moments of sadness and pain, with a twisting plot and a shock or two that will keep you reading long into the night…

30 of 90 – The Space Between the Stars by Indira Naidoo
As we count down to the Sydney Writers Festival, I’m trying to read as many books by authors I’m going to see speak as I can. The Space Between the Stars: On Love, Loss, and the Magical Power of Nature to Heal by Indira Naidoo is a love letter to the power and beauty of nature, and its immense capacity to heal, comfort and inspire; a touching journey through grief and heartbreak to finding a way to continue after your world shatters; and a moving tribute to her beloved younger sister who died two years ago. It’s filled with wonderful memories of three close-knit sisters as they moved around the world together, of adventures through the streets and parks of Sydney with people who share with Indira their own love for nature and the elements, and the story of a special relationship with a beloved tree, which I am sure has had more visits since this book came out!

Is it possible to ever heal a tear in your universe?’
After her younger sister died suddenly, broadcaster Indira Naidoo’s world was shattered. Turning to her urban landscape for solace, Indira found herself drawn to a fig tree overlooking Sydney harbour. A connection began to build between the two – one with a fractured heart, the other a centurion offering quiet companionship while asking nothing in return. 
As Indira grappled with her heartbreak, an unnoticed universe of infinite beauty revealed itself: pale vanilla clouds pirouetting across the sky, resilient weeds pushing through cracks in the footpath, the magical biodiversity of tiny puddles. With the help of a posse of urban guides, she began to explore how nature – whatever bits of nature are within reach – can heal us during life’s darker chapters, whether nursing a broken heart or an anxious mind.
The Space Between the Stars is a heart-rending, at times funny, and uplifting tribute to love and our innate need to connect to the natural world, a celebration of the reassuring cycle of renewal that sustains and nourishes us all.

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31 of 90 – Welcome To Country by Marcia Langton
I’m off to see the awesome Professor Marcia Langton at the Sydney Writers Festival today, talking about her wonderful book Welcome to Country: A Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia. I’ve got the younger readers edition as well as the new edition of the older readers book, and they’re both brilliant, and so informative and rich and full. I’m so grateful to Marcia for sharing her wisdom with us all.

In this extensively updated edition, Marcia Langton offers a full range of Indigenous-owned or -operated tourism experiences across Australia, including an expanded directory with 250 new listings, illustrated maps, and photography by Wayne Quilliam.
Australia is home to the longest continuing culture on Earth, and Welcome to Country 2nd edition highlights myriad ways to engage and deepen our knowledge and appreciation of the First Peoples through travel. Everything from arts centres to tours is covered in this guide, and there are also fascinating insights into Indigenous cultures and histories, as well as etiquette for visitors.
This guide also addresses the events and issues facing Australia today, such as as Native Title, the Stolen Generations, the 2020 bushfires, the Black Lives Matter movement, and making a rightful place in the nation for the First Australians.
Welcome to Country was the first book of its kind, and this updated edition, brought together by a highly respected First Nations scholar and author, is a must-have for every Australian home. 

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32 of 90 – Terra Nullius by Claire G Coleman
I’m excited to listen to amazing writer Claire G Coleman at the Sydney Writers Festival today. I’ve been reading/listening to her extraordinary debut novel Terra Nullius, which is a heartbreaking, desperately moving and horrifying sci-fi novel, and it’s making me equally sad and enraged – but convinced that *everyone* should read it. It’s beautiful, powerful writing, a gripping story, with awful truth woven into the fictional plot. Short-listed for the Stella Prize and an Aurealis Award, Terra Nullius is thought-provoking and page-turning, with an inspired twist (don’t read reviews, as there will be spoilers!), and the audiobook is wonderful too.

Jacky was running. There was no thought in his head, only an intense drive to run. There was no sense he was getting anywhere, no plan, no destination, no future. All he had was a sense of what was behind, what he was running from. Jacky was running.
The Natives of the Colony are restless. The Settlers are eager to have a nation of peace, and to bring the savages into line. Families are torn apart, reeducation is enforced. This rich land will provide for all.
This is not Australia as we know it. This is not the Australia of our history. This Terra Nullius is something new, but all too familiar. An incredible debut from a striking new Australian Aboriginal voice.

‘A delightfully duplicitous noodle-bender that flips the script on the Indigenous Australian survival narrative.’ – Kirkus Reviews
‘Artfully combining elements of literary, historical, and speculative fiction, this allegorical novel is surprising and unforgettable.’ – Starred review, Publishers Weekly
‘The truth that lies at the heart of this novel is impossible to ignore.’ – Books+Publishing
‘A skilfully constructed pastiche of colonisation, resistance and apocalyptic chaos with parallels that sit unsettlingly close to home.’ – The Big Issue

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33 of 90 – Sorry Day by Coral Vass, illustrated by Dub Leffler
Today (May 26) is National Sorry Day, the perfect day to read the touching book Sorry Day by Coral Vass, gorgeously illustrated by Dub Leffler – although any day is a good one to read this.
National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the devastating mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as ‘The Stolen Generations’.
National Sorry Day is a day to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and our nation.

There was a hum of excitement.
Flags flickered in the breeze as Maggie’s heart danced with delight.
‘This is a very special day!’ her mother said.
Maggie holds tight to her mother as they await the long anticipated apology to show a willingness to reconcile the past for future generations. In the excitement of the crowd Maggie loses touch of her mother’s hand as is lost. 
In a time ‘long ago and not so long ago’ children were taken from their parents, their ‘sorrow echoing across the land’.
As the Prime Minister’s speech unfolds Maggie is reunited with her mother. But the faces and memories of the stolen generation are all around them.
Two stories entwine in this captivating retelling of the momentous day when the then Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, acknowledged the sorrows of past and said ‘Sorry’ to the generation of children who were taken from their homes.

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34 of 90 – Ming & Flo Fight For the Future by Jackie French
This is a fun read about a modern-day girl who doesn’t understand why there are so few women in her school history books – so she goes back in time to prove that girls can change the world. In this first book in the series, Ming Qong ends up in drought-stricken outback Australia circa 1898, and is shocked by how brutal life is, but impressed by how courageously women are fighting for the right to vote. Based on real-life women like Louisa Lawson – writer, newspaper publisher, poet, feminist and founder of the Suffragist Society, but sadly known best by some as Henry Lawson’s mother – it’s an inspiring story about refusing to be limited by the expectations of society… I must admit I do feel a little uncomfortable knowing that some authors would be cancelled for cultural appropriation if they based a series on a Chinese-Vietnamese main character, but maybe this one can add to the conversation and bring some nuance to the discussion…

35 of 90 – Poo Spew and Other Gross Things That Animals Do by Romane Cristescu and Nic Gill, illustrated by Rachel Tribout
For the current issue of Explorers magazine, I interviewed conservation dog handler Nic Gill and ecologist and detection dog program director Dr Romane Cristescu about their conservation roles, their canine partners in preservation, as well as their new book Poo, Spew and Other Gross Things Animals Do, which is gorgeously illustrated by Rachel Tribout. It’s a hilarious book, as well as a truly fascinating one.
Did you know:
* Llama poo helps clean the dirty water from mines.
* Elephant poo is used to make paper! (Not the pages of our magazine though, don’t worry!)
* Whale poo removes carbon from the atmosphere – thank you whales!
* In some countries, cow poo is used in fires for cooking and warmth.
* Bat poo contains saltpetre, an ingredient in gun powder, fireworks and incense sticks.
This book is for kids – and grown-ups – who aren’t afraid to get a bit grubby in their search for exciting animal adventures…

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36 of 90 – It’s A Wonderful World by Jess French
With a mix of gorgeous illustrations and bright photos, this book shows us the world in all its beauty and wonder. There are incredible facts about plants, animals, water and soil, processes like pollination, biodiversity, migration, evolution and extinction. There is sadness – so many plants and animals have been pushed to the brink – but it also offers practical ways to take action to save it, and makes us care enough to do them. It’s a love letter to nature and the planet – and a call to action to help it survive.
It’s a Wonderful World: How to Protect the Planet and Change the Future by Jess French, illustrated by Aleesha Nandhra, is such a lovely book. With a mix of gorgeous illustrations and bright photos, it shows us the world in all its beauty and wonder. There are incredible facts about plants, animals, water and soil, processes like pollination, biodiversity, migration, evolution and, sadly, extinction. There are heartbreaking bits – so many plants and animals have been pushed to the brink – but it also offers practical ways we can all take action to save it, and makes us care enough to do them. It’s a love letter to nature and the planet – and a call to action for all of us to help it survive.

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37 of 90 – Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll
“Grief is just love asking for more time.”
💜 Scottish writer Elle McNicoll’s incredible novel Show Us Who You Are has made her one of my favourite authors. It’s the most beautiful, extraordinary book – and I almost didn’t read it. I loved Elle’s debut, A Kind of Spark, about a young autistic girl living in a Scottish village, who discovers the history of the wise women burned as witches in her town, and determines to honour their memory. And I adored her new book Like A Charm, with its witches and fae, sirens and secrets, books and betrayal, all set in an Edinburgh with a hidden magical side. But her second novel Show Us Who You Are sounded a bit too sci-fi for me (weird I know), but I’m sooo glad I gave it a shot. The story centres on Cora, a twelve-year-old autistic girl, and her growing friendship with Adrien, a boy with ADHD, as well as her excitement over a mysterious new technology developed by Adrien’s dad’s company. The Pomegranate Institute is using AI to recreate real people in hologram form, with the aim of giving people immortality and providing comfort for those who are grieving. The fact that she lost her mother makes Cora susceptible to the idea, and when they ask if they can interview her to help them create more realistic neurodivergent holograms, she’s flattered and believes she can actually do some good. But as Cora learns more, she uncovers dark and dangerous secrets that challenge all she holds dear, and she has to find her voice and her strength, and use them both to make herself heard. It’s a powerful story of love, loss and grief, of friendship and self-acceptance, and the power of memory and the gift of authenticity. There are moments of sweetness and joy, and moments of sadness and pain, with a twisting plot and a shock or two that will keep you reading long into the night… I can’t wait for Elle’s next book!