September was a wonderful month for reading – and I was grateful again for audiobooks, which helped me get through a few extra titles in a busy work month…
I would never have read Jacqueline Bublitz’s 
(47 of 52), except that it was a book club choice – but I’m glad I did. It’s about a crime, but it’s not a crime novel. It’s beautifully written, heartbreaking, intense, gripping and devastatingly true – no spoilers, but it says some important things about why there are so many dead girls. The two main characters are flawed and not always sympathetic, and yet my heart broke for both of them. It’s dark and not exactly comfortable reading, so I’m not necessarily recommending it, but it’s a book that will stay with you if you do…
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (48 of 52) has such an awesome premise – what if you got to live all the lives you might have had, had actually made the decisions you regret not making, or done the thing you always wish you had. It’s a sweet, moving, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, light read, and the audiobook, narrated by Carey Mulligan, is wonderful 💚📚
Manhattan Dreaming by Anita Heiss (49 of 52) was a sweet, fun, light-hearted read, with some laugh-out-loud moments, and depth as well. It’s a love letter to art, to artists, and to First Nations creatives worldwide, as well as to Canberra, Goulburn and New York, and to friendship, and discovering what you want in a relationship by going through what you *don’t*…
I started reading the paperback, bought when I saw Anita speak at the Sydney Writers Festival earlier this year, but switched to audiobook cos that’s the only way I’ve been managing to squeeze in much reading of late. And it’s narrated by my fave narrator, Tamala Shelton, which was a joy (and a stretch – lots of American accents, and several male voices too)… Just DON’T listen to the sample of the Paris Dreaming audiobook, the other in the series, as it has the BIGGEST spoiler for this book in the first minute 😭 It was the ending I’d hoped for, I just really wish I hadn’t known beforehand…
The Girl and the Witch’s Garden by Erin Bowman (50 of 52) is a sweet, magical MG book, about love, loss, family, friendship, secrets, betrayals, trials, tribulations, an enchanted garden, and a witch or two 🧙🏻♀️🌿💚 There are a few nods to Harry Potter, but it’s a lovely story, a fun mystery, the MC is refreshingly honest about her not-so-admirable moments, the growing friendships (and all the bittersweet challenges to them) are beautifully wrought, and it was suspenseful enough to make me stay up way too late to find out how it would all play out 💚📚💐🧙🏻♀️
The Australian Climate Change Book by Polly Marsden (51 of 52) is such a gorgeous book for kids, explaining climate change – what it is, what’s causing it, and what’s being done about it – in really simple, matter-of-fact ways, then ending with simple ways we can all make a difference. Gorgeously illustrated by Perth artist Chris Nixon, it’s a practical and wonderfully reassuring book for children, and awesome for adults too…
“An accessible and reassuring picture book that teaches children about the specific challenges of climate change for Australia, so they can be informed and make a difference. Australia is a unique and incredibly diverse natural environment, and we are oh-so-lucky to live here. Our country is home to a great number of amazing ecosystems. But things like fossil fuels, greenhouse gases and deforestation are creating imbalances in our ecosystems and causing climate change. Climate change leads to all sorts of crazy weather and damage to our natural environments and wildlife habitats. But it’s not too late to fix it! Even small steps can make a difference and you have the power to help…”
Polly and Chris also created the lovely The Bushfire Book together 🧡 xx
I love the Aussie STEM Stars books so much – it’s a wonderful series of middle grade books that explores the lives of our top scientists and inventors, from their school days and their career highs and lows, to their passions and inspirations, and their vital contributions today. From reptile biologist Georgia Ward-Fear and refugee surgical inventor Munjed Al Muderis, to bird and primate scientist Gisela Kaplan and inventor of spray-on skin Fiona Wood, with many more to come, it’s an inspiring, beautifully written collection of stories that read as adventure novels, but are even more inspiring because they’re true.
Maths whiz and YouTube sensation Eddie Woo’s book – Eddie Woo: Superstar Maths Teacher by Rebecca Lim (52 of 52) – is incredibly inspiring, which is why we have a double-page interview with him in Australian Geographic Explorers magazine, out tomorrow! From being bullied every day of primary school – and not even liking maths! – Eddie worked incredibly hard through high school, university, then in his own classroom as a maths teacher, developing his special skill of explaining complex things in simple terms, and turning maths into an enjoyable subject that finally makes sense to millions of kids around the world. Voted one of the top 10 teachers in the world, thanks to the maths classes he uploads to YouTube – something that happened by accident, but led to 1.3 million eager subscribers – he’s also written three maths books and hosted a tv show. But beyond the stats and achievements, there’s a beautifully moving story of love and loss, of family and friendship, of overcoming devastating racist bullying, and painful shyness, and of the events that shaped his life and changed his career path to something he never imagined, but is clearly born to do. It’s a story that shows you can transform your life at any time, and you don’t need to have it all figured out when you’re young, a powerful message for young people in this stress-filled age.
💚🌿📚 Australia has some of the tallest, oldest, fattest and most unusual trees in the world, which feed animals, offer homes to them, and have adapted to become resistant to drought, fire and flood. And the sweet Book of Australian Trees by Inga Simpson (53 of 52) is a loving guide to 16 of our wonderful natives, sharing their growth patterns, histories, idiosyncrasies, where they grow, and what eats their leaves, seeds, fruits and flowers. European forests are so familiar to all of us through books and movies, but while ours may not be quite as green, they have their own wild magic.
It’s beautifully illustrated by WA artist Alicia Rogerson – check out her gorgeous prints and books at www.aliciarogerson.com/shop – although I wish there was a little more detail of the whole of each tree. But this is a gorgeous addition to any bookshelf, a love song to Australian trees, and I definitely want to read some of Inga’s adult books now…
Chris Humfrey’s Awesome Australian Animals (54 of 52) is a fascinating, hilarious, clever and fun book about 15 of our wonderful wild creatures, from the adorable koala and flying fox to the kooky kookaburra and the kinda-gross giant burrowing cockroach. Packed with great photos, info-rich illos and just as much light-hearted info as serious, it’s a great reference and guidebook for kids by zoologist, conservationist, animal sanctuary owner and TV presenter Chris. Sales support the Starlight Children’s Foundation, and it includes QR codes to unlock 45 minutes of additional videos.
Our September faery tale for the Australian Fairy Tale Society was The Magic Mirror (55 of 52), a story from Africa, collected by Nora and Andrew Lang. It’s fascinating just how far back these stories go! (And also, frustrating that to this day Andrew Lang is known around the world as the author of the best-selling Coloured Fairy Books – but it was his wife Nora who did it ALL. He even admits as much in the intro to some of them, yet his name remains on the cover, sigh…) Today was online, as we’re still in lockdown – but the beauty of that is that we get to chat to book lovers from all over the country – and even the world 💚🧚🏼♀️
The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs in Nature (56 of 52) by author and illustrator Sami Bayly was deservedly long-listed for the Indie Book Awards. In nature, most species stick to their own kind, but there are some very unlikely combos that have evolved to exist together – and who couldn’t survive without each other. From the sea turtle who’s kept clean by the fish who swim alongside eating the parasites that bug him, and thus getting a feed, to the glossy black cockatoo and the she-oak tree it eats from, in turn spreading the seeds far and wide so the tree survives too; and the fig tree wasp and the Moreton Bay fig tree it lives within in a symbiotic relationship, to the brown-throated three-toed sloth and the sloth moth, who have a… unique… relationship! Exploring 60 of the world’s most peculiar pairs, this wonderful book is a deep dive into nature and the world of mutualism, commensalism and parasitism, and the bizarre relationships of these plants and animals, and how these species rely on each other for their survival. Written and illustrated by amazing Aussie artist Sami Bayly, who also created the fascinating Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals and Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals, this is a gorgeous hardcover book you’ll treasure forever… You can check out her books, prints, greeting cards, colouring book and teachers resources at her website, www.samibayly.com/shop
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