Congratulations to authors Melissa Lucashenko and Tony Birch, both of whom I love, and Lenny Bartulin, who I haven't read yet, for making the shortlist for the Historical Novel Society Australasia's 2024 ARA Historical Novel Prize. It's so hard to choose between Women & Children and Edenglassie, because I loved them both, and hope many
This month was full of faery tales, monster myths reimagined, and the new book from one of Australian literature’s national treasures... 17 - Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes I loved Stone Blind by English writer, broadcaster, classicist, comedian and “rock star mythologist” Natalie Haynes. She brings Greek myth’s so-called monster Medusa to vibrant, brilliant, beautiful
This month was full of faery tales, monster myths reimagined, and the new book from one of Australian literature’s national treasures... 11 - At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber Heather Webber’s At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities is such an enchanting, moving, heart-breaking but heart-healing book. The fifth of her stand-alone magical
I read so many incredible books last year – 80 that I reviewed, plus a few I forgot to mention – and it’s almost impossible to narrow down the ones I loved most. But here are some of my very-very favourite. All up, 23 of the 37 books I whittled it down to were by
Hello! I’m sending love and joy to you, and magical summer solstice blessings, and wishes for a wonderful festive season and an enchanted, enchanting new year. As the summer solstice dawned, I started pondering the year almost gone and worrying that I hadn’t achieved much – but it turns out I was more productive than
This month I read two awesome books by two favourite authors, Heather Webber and Selina Fenech, some important Australian classics and a moving collection of short stories, took a chance on a new author, and loved a queer contemportary romance and a fascinating historical fiction... 46 of 80 - The Lights of Sugarberry Cove by
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.
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
May is the Sydney Writers Festival, so I tried to read as many books by authors who I would see there before it started, then I began reading some of the fellow authors who would be signing at the Ballgowns and Books Event in June... 23 of 80 - The Matchmaker by Saman Shad I’m
I only managed to read four books in April, but I loved them all. Three were by awesome Australian authors, and the fourth was by a US favourite. 19 of 80 - Not Meeting Mr Right by Anita Heiss Congratulations to Anita Heiss on her relaunched rom-com Not Meeting Mr Right – last night’s Brisbane
My March reads included lots of faery tale research, and two wonderful novels - The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Aussie author Holly Ringland and South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber - plus a surprisingly charming rom-com. 14 of 80 - The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland Holly Ringland’s
February was a busy reading month, with a huge range of genres, from historical fiction to magical realism to hard hitting truth disguised as fiction to a charming kids book by a talented First Nations author and artist, and everything in between. 07 of 80 - Tin Man by Sarah Winman Sarah Winman’s third novel Tin
Hello, and brightest blessings to you as we dance through the seasons into autumn in the southern hemisphere, and spring in the north. It’s February 2023, and I haven’t written a blog or a newsletter in a very long time, oops! I won’t bore you with the details, but I do have exciting news! The
January was full of wonderful books, many with a faery tale bent. I became obsessed with faery tale author Helena Nyblom after reading Holly Ringland’s The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, and tracked down a few of her out-of-print collections of magical stories. I also loved the enchanting The Emporium of Imagination, by Aussie author
Another year of the Book-A-Week challenge has passed, and I read 90+ books - 52 of them by Australian authors, and one of them 1200 pages long! There were so many beautiful, touching, empowering, inspiring, thought-provoking stories, proving just how magical books are. They teach us, encourage us, inspire us, entertain us, transport us to
December was a big book month - Juz and I have been celebrating the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod (Yule book flood) since we met. I especially loved The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland, The Book Witch by Melanie Karsak and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. And I
How awesome is the beautiful Icelandic tradition of gifting people books on Christmas Eve, then staying up all night drinking tea, eating chocolate and reading?! Known as the Jolabokaflod, the Yule Book Flood, it’s the perfect festive tradition, and I’m so grateful to my sweet hubby, who has been sharing this ritual with me since
November brought another book by two of my favourite authors, Shankari Chandran and her incredible novel Son of the Sun God, and Heather Webber’s magical realism novel In the Middle of Hickory Lane. I also loved Yvonne Weldon's heartbreaking Sixty-Seven Days. 74 of 90 - Come Together by Isaiah Firebrace, illustrated by Jaelyn Biumaiwai Happy
I read ten awesome books in October, helped a little by cardiac rehab and recovery time. I loved Midnight At the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber so much I bought her next three audiobooks - and listened to another one in November, and bought all the paperbacks too, so I could read them again in
I’m okay, I promise, but last Monday I had a heart attack. ( PSA to all my women friends – it didn’t feel all dramatic and serious like on tv, my chest just hurt, and my arm was a bit sore, so I popped in to the nearby medical centre on my way to work