Category: adventure

adventure, animals, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, challenges, check in post, Children's Literature, classics, Cressida Cowell, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, humour, Jane Austen, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, mythology, non-fiction, Picture Books, poetry, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, series, Speculative fiction, spies, The Nerd Daily, translated works, Young Adult

Non-Australian authors read

Ashleigh

Because my focus is on Australian books, reading books by authors outside of Australia has often consisted of those from the UK, the US or translated from European languages. So I only read 33 books by authors outside Australia. This has often happened based on what is available in the Australian market as well. I… Continue reading Non-Australian authors read

#AussieAuthors2025, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOzYA, A.L. Tait, adventure, animals, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Blog Tour, Book bingo, Book Industry, CBCA, challenges, check in post, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, humour, Indigenous authors, Jackie French, Jacqueline Harvey, literary fiction, memoir, mythology, non-fiction, plays, poetry, Publishers, R.A. Spratt, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, Sci-Fi, series, Speculative fiction, spies, The Girls Who Change the World, Young Adult

#AussieYAChallenge 2025 Completed

Ashleigh

And that’s a wrap on this year’s #AussieYAChallenge. 45 books read, and all the prompts marked off. Some of the books I read probably also crossed over into children’s and middle grade for various reasons, which I aimed to explain in the reviews. And I did my best to read as diversely as possible, as… Continue reading #AussieYAChallenge 2025 Completed

#AussieAuthors2025, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, A.L. Tait, adventure, animals, Anna James, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, biography, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, CBCA, challenges, check in post, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, Friday Barnes, historical fiction, history, humour, Indigenous authors, Jacqueline Harvey, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, mythology, Nevermoor, non-fiction, Picture Books, Publishers, R.A. Spratt, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, series, The Nerd Daily, Wherewithal Way, Young Adult

My Favourite Books of 2025

Ashleigh

I haven’t done this for a while, because whenever I see posts about people’s top ten reads of the year, I never know what to put on mine. Somehow, I always end up with more than ten, or not quite ten, or I’ll have read a series during the year, and have enjoyed all of… Continue reading My Favourite Books of 2025

#AussieAuthors2025, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, adventure, animals, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, biography, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, challenges, check in post, Children's Literature, classics, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, Indigenous authors, Jackie French, Jane Austen, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, non-fiction, Picture Books, poetry, Publishers, R.A. Spratt, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, Sci-Fi, series, short stories, Speculative fiction, spies, The Girls Who Change the World, The Nerd Daily, Young Adult

Readings Book Bingo Completed-ish

Ashleigh

 One final challenge I took part in this year was the Readings book bingo. I managed to tick every prompt apart from the cookbook prompt off, which probably had more to do with time than anything else. 2024 Prize Winner:  A Gift from the Birds by Caroline Stills (Text Prize 2024) A debut author: Earth… Continue reading Readings Book Bingo Completed-ish

#AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, adventure, Alice-Miranda, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, challenges, check in post, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, humour, Jacqueline Harvey, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, series

Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead by Jacqueline Harvey

Ashleigh

Title: Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead Author: Jacqueline Harvey Genre: Fiction Publisher: Puffin Published: 7th May 2019, first published 2011 Format: Paperback Pages: 304 Price: $1699 Synopsis: The tiny girl has TWO schools to save in this awfully lovely adventure. The tiny girl has TWO schools to save in this awfully lovely adventure. Alice-Miranda is thrilled… Continue reading Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead by Jacqueline Harvey

#AussieAuthors2025, #LoveOZMG, adventure, animals, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, Fantasy, humour, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, series

The Travelling Bookshop: Mim and the Mother Muddle by Katrina Nannestad

Ashleigh

Title: The Travelling Bookshop: Mim and the Mother Muddle Author: Katrina Nannestad Genre: Fiction Publisher: HarperCollins Australia Published: 5th March 2025 Format: Paperback Pages: 240                Price: $16.99 Synopsis: The right book might just change your life ... Mim Cohen roams the world in a travelling bookshop, with her dad and brother and a horse called… Continue reading The Travelling Bookshop: Mim and the Mother Muddle by Katrina Nannestad

adventure, animals, Book Industry, Books, check in post, Children's Literature, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, literary fiction, middle grade, mythology, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic

Dawn of the Dragons by Mari Mancusi

Ashleigh

Title: Dawn of the Dragons Author: Mari Mancusi Genre: Fantasy Publisher: Scholastic Australia Published: 1st December 2025 Format: Paperback Pages: 320 Price: $19.99 Synopsis: The dragons are coming ... are you prepared? This thrilling, dystopian adventure story is perfect for fans of Wings of Fire and Impossible Creatures. Lucas isn't having the best summer. While… Continue reading Dawn of the Dragons by Mari Mancusi

#AussieAuthors2025, #LoveOZMG, adventure, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews

The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe by Karen Foxlee

Ashleigh

Title: The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe Author: Karen Foxlee Genre: Fantasy Publisher: Allen and Unwin Published: 18th November 2025 Format: Hardback Pages: 400 Price: $24.99 Synopsis: An inventive and playful fantasy-adventure about an abandoned girl, a friendly ogress and a terrible curse from the multi-award-winning and bestselling author of Dragon Skin and Lenny's Book of Everything. 'A… Continue reading The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe by Karen Foxlee

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Dymocks Volume 3 2025 Completed

Ashleigh

And that’s the third volume completed! I found the prompts in this one easy to fill. They had a good balance of being open and specific, and I had a few options for some whilst others I took a good guess at where they would fit. I chose a translated book for the Branching Out… Continue reading Dymocks Volume 3 2025 Completed

adventure, Books, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, humour, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews

The Official Agatha Christie After School Detectives Club: 50 Mystery Puzzles for Children by Agatha Christie Ltd, Dr Gareth Moore, Laura Jayne Ayres

Ashleigh

Title: The Official Agatha Christie After School Detectives Club: 50 Mystery Puzzles for Children Author: Agatha Christie Ltd, Dr Gareth Moore, Laura Jayne Ayres Genre: Crime, puzzle Publisher: Hachette Australia Published: 28th October 2025 Format: Paperback Pages: 154 Price: $26.99 Synopsis: Bringing the thrilling and mysterious world of Agatha Christie to a new generation of… Continue reading The Official Agatha Christie After School Detectives Club: 50 Mystery Puzzles for Children by Agatha Christie Ltd, Dr Gareth Moore, Laura Jayne Ayres