Category: animals

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

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#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

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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

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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

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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

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Dymocks Reading Challenge 2025 Completed

Ashleigh

And just like that, another year of the Dymocks Reading Challenge is over. I managed to fill in each prompt for this one, and may have ummed and ahhed about the Gothic Ruins prompt, because I read a couple of books that seemed to fit it well. I did focus on Australian books and authors… Continue reading Dymocks Reading Challenge 2025 Completed

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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

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October 2025 Reading Round Up

Ashleigh

In October I read 18 books, covering picture books to young adult, with some poetry, mystery and time travel thrown in. It was an eclectic bunch of books this month, and most of them were Australian authors. I managed to review most, and have also been keeping on top of my review books as much… Continue reading October 2025 Reading Round Up

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This Is Us: Essential Australian Poems for Young People by Libby Hathorn and Jude Fell, illustrated by Tull Suwannakit

Ashleigh

Title: This Is Us: Essential Australian Poems for Young People Author: Libby Hathorn and Jude Fell, illustrated by Tull Suwannakit Genre: Poetry Publisher: NLA Publishing Published: 1st November 2025 Format: Hardcover Pages: 112 Price: $34.99 Synopsis: In this beautifully illustrated collection of poems, editors Judith Fell and Libby Hathorn have have gathered the voices of… Continue reading This Is Us: Essential Australian Poems for Young People by Libby Hathorn and Jude Fell, illustrated by Tull Suwannakit