July 2020 Wrap Up

In July, I read twenty-two books, and have managed to complete my Australian Women Writer’s Challenge – which I am still going with, and my Book Bingo Challenge. All those posts are written and scheduled, as are several others for reviews and my isolation publicity series, which ends on the twenty-first of this month. I’ve been doing a lot of reading since lockdown and restrictions began, and it has allowed me to get on top of my review list finally. Below are my July numbers and reviews.

The Modern Mrs Darcy 11/12

AWW2020 – 78/25

Book Bingo – 12/12

The Nerd Daily Challenge 47/52

Dymocks Reading Challenge 23/25

Books and Bites Bingo 19/25

STFU Reading Challenge: 10/12

General Goal –130/165

July – 22

Book	Author	Challenge
Finding Eadie	Caroline Beecham	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Emma	Jane Austen	Reading Challenge, Book Bingo, Dymocks Reading Challenge
Beyond Belief	Dee White	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Evie and Pog: Party Perfect	Tania McCartney	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
The Wild Way Home	Sophie Kirtley	Reading Challenge
The Schoolmaster’s Daughter	Jackie French	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Kitty is Not a Cat: Teddy’s Bear	Jess Black	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Kitty is Not a Cat: Light’s Out	Jess Black	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
A Clue for Clara	Lian Tanner	AWWW2020, Reading Challenge
Starfell: Willow Moss and the Forgotten Tale	Dominique Valente	Reading Challenge
What Zola did on Tuesday	Melina Marchetta	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
The Battle of Book Week	Kate and Jol Temple	AWW2020, Reading Challenge
Monty’s Island: Beady Hold and the Yum-Yams	Emily Rodda	AWW2020, Reading Challenge
The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World’s Most Famous Museum	James Gardner	Reading Challenge, Books and Bites Bingo,
The Adventures of Princess Peony	Nette Hilton and Lucinda Gifford	AWW2020, Reading Challenge
Ella at Eden: The Secret Journal	Laura Sieveking	AWW2020, Reading Challenge
Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser	Kate Bailey	Reading Challenge
Toffle Towers: The Great River Race	Tim Harris and James Foley	Reading Challenge
The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome	Katrina Nannestad	AWW2020, Reading Challenge, The Nerd Daily, Books and Bites Bingo
Toffle Towers: Order in the Court	Tim Harris and James Foley	Reading Challenge
The ABC Book of Australian Poetry: A Treasure of poems for young people	Compiled by Libby Hathorn	Reading Challenge, STFU Reading Challenge
Max Booth, Future Sleuth: Chip Blip	Cameron Macintosh and Dave Atze	Reading Challenge

Reading Log

Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales – Walkley Book Award
Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
Pippa’s Island: Puppy Pandemonium by Belinda Murrell
Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr
The Nine Hundred: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz by Heather Dune McAdam
Josephine’s Garden by Stephanie Parkyn
The Soldier’s Curse by Meg and Tom Keneally (Monsarrat Series Book One)
Ella at Eden: New Girl by Laura Sieveking
The Binder of Doom: Speedah-Cheetah by Troy Cummins
The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (Ravenclaw Edition)
Shark Out of Water by Ace Landers
A Testament of Character (Rowland Sinclair #10) by Sulari Gentill
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan
Dragon Masters: Future of the Time Dragon by Tracey West
The Killing Streets: Uncovering Australia’s First Serial Murderer by Tanya Bretherton
Dolphin Island: A Daring Rescue by Catherine Hapka
The River Home by Hannah Richell
The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte
Radio National Fictions (various short stories on ABC Listen App)
Withering-by-Sea (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue) by Judith Rossell
Death in the Ladies’ Goddess Club by Julian Leatherdale
Hapless Hero Henrie by Petra James (House of Heroes)
The Story Puppy by Holly Webb
Trails of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting
The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valour by Ally Carter
The Republic of Birds by Jessica Miller
Captain Marvel Hero Storybook by Steve Behling
Esme’s Gift by Elizabeth Foster
Friday Barnes: Girl Detective by R.A. Spratt
The Last Firehawk: The Cloud Kingdom by Katrina Charman
Christmas in Paris (Miss Lily 3.5) by Jackie French
The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley
The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester
Museum Kittens: The Midnight Visitor by Holly Webb
Firewatcher Chronicles: Phoenix by Kelly Gardiner
The Lost Jewels by Kirsty Manning
The Girl She Was by Rebecca Freeborn
Ninjago: Back in Action by Tracey West
Layla and the Bots: Happy Paws by Vicky Fang
Friday Barnes: Under Suspicion by R.A. Spratt
Daring Delly: Going for Gold by Matthew Dellavedova and Zanni Louise
Aussie Kids: Meet Katie at the Beach by Rebecca Johnson and Lucia Masciullo
Aussie Kids: Meet Eve in the Outback by Raewyn Caisley and Karen Blair
The Besties Make A Splash by Felice Arena and Tom Jellett
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by JK Rowling/Newt Scamander
Liberation by Imogen Kealey
The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks
The Deceptions by Suzanne Leal
Puppy Diary: The Great Toy Rescue by Yvette Poshoglian
The Octopus and I by Erin Hortle
Friday Barnes: Big Trouble by R.A. Spratt
The Strangeworlds Travel Agency by L.D. Lapinski
The Inheritance of Secrets by Sonya Bates
Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire by Nat Amoore
Jane in Love by Rachel Givney
Persuasion by Jane Austen
The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley
The Unadoptables by Hana Tooke
Friday Barnes: No Rules by R.A. Spratt
Anzac Girl: The War Diaries of Alice-Ross King by Kate Simpson and Jess Racklyeft
Sherlock Bones and the Natural History Mystery by Renée Treml
Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr
Ribbit Rabbit Robot by Victoria MacKinlay and Sofya Karmazina
Nim at Sea by Wendy Orr
Rescue on Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr
The Complete Adventures on Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr
The Monstrous Devices by Damien Love
An Alice Girl by Tanya Heaslip
Daisy Runs Wild by Caz Goodwin and Ashley King
Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal by Anna Whateley
Her Perilous Mansion by Sean Williams
What Zola did on Monday by Melina Marchetta and illustrated by Deb Hudson
Henrie’s Hero Hunt (House of Heroes) by Petra Hunt
The Power of Positive Pranking by Nat Amoore
Edie’s Experiments: How to Make Friends by Charlotte Barkla
Alice-Miranda at School (10^th anniversary edition) by Jacqueline Harvey
Alice-Miranda in the Outback by Jacqueline Harvey
The Giant and the Sea by Trent Jamieson and Rovina Cai
Shoestring: The Boy Who Walks on Air by Julie Hunt and Dale Newman
Orla and the Serpent’s Curse by C.J. Halsam
A Treacherous Country by K.M. Kruimink
Elephant Me by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees
Eloise and the Bucket of Stars by Janeen Brian
Snow White and Rose Red: And Other Tales of Kind Young Women by Kate Forsyth and Lorena Carrington
Tashi: 25^th Anniversary Edition by Anna Fienberg, Barbara Fienberg and Kim Gamble
On A Barbarous Coast by Craig Cormick and Harold Ludwick
Elementals: Battle Born by Amie Kaufman
Lilies, Lies and Love (Miss Lily #4) by Jackie French
Kid Normal and the Final Five by Greg James and Chris Smith
Toffle Towers: Fully Booked by Tim Harris and James Foley
Monty’s Island: Scary Mary and the Stripey Spell by Emily Rodda and Lucinda Gifford
Wonderscape by Jennifer Bell
When Rain Turns to Snow by Jane Godwin
League of Llamas: Undercover Llama by Aleesah Darlison
League of Llamas: Rogue Llama by Aleesah Darlison
Kensy and Max: Freefall by Jacqueline Harvey
The Silk House by Kayte Nunn

The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle by Pamela Rushby and Nellé May Pierce
Roxy and Jones: The Great Fairy Tale Cover Up by Angela Woolfe
Alexandra-Rose and Her Icy Cold Toes by Monique Mulligan and Kat Fox (Illustrator)
Meet Mia by the Jetty by Janeen Brian and Danny Snell
Meet Sam at the Mangrove Creek by Paul Seden and Brenton McKenna
Death by Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts by Kathryn Harkup
Edie’s Experiments: How to Be the Best by Charlotte Barkla
Finding Eadie by Caroline Beecham
Emma by Jane Auste
Beyond Belief by Dee White

Evie and Pog: Party Perfect by Tania McCartney
The Wild Way Home by Sophie Kirtley
The Schoolmaster’s Daughter by Jackie French
Kitty is Not a Cat: Teddy’s Bear by Jess Black
Kitty is Not a Cat: Lights Out by Jess Black
A Clue for Clara by Lian Tanner
Starfell: Willow Moss and the Forgotten Tale by Dominique Valente
What Zola did on Tuesday by Melina Marchetta
The Battle of Book Week (Yours Troolie, Alice Toolie) by Kate and Jol Temple

Monty’s Island: Beady Hold and the Yum-Yams by Emily Rodda
The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World’s Most Famous Museum by James Gardner
The Adventures of Princess Peony by Nette Hilton and Lucinda Gifford
Ella at Eden: The Secret Journal by Laura Sieveking
Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser by Kate Bailey
Toffle Towers: The Great River Race by Tim Harris and James Foley

The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome by Katrina Nannestad
Toffle Towers: Order in the Court by Tim Harris
The ABC Book of Australian Poetry compiled by Libby Hathorn

Max Booth, Future Sleuth: Chip Blip by Cameron Macintosh and Dave Atze
Lapse by Sarah Thornton
A Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna

Books and Bites Bingo

Set in Europe: Josephine’s Garden by Stephanie Parkyn

Debut Novel: The Soldier’s Curse by Meg and Tom Keneally (Monsarrat Series Book One)

Travel Memoir: The Strangeworlds Travel Agency by L.D. Lapinski

Published More than 100 Years Ago: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Written in the First Person: Pippa’s Island: Puppy Pandemonium by Belinda Murrell

Fairy Tale Collection: Snow White and Rose Red: And Other Tales of Kind Young Women by Kate Forsyth and Lorena Carrington

A Book with a door on the cover: The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valour by Ally Carter

Written by someone called Jane: Persuasion by Jane Austen

An Australian crime or thriller: A Testament of Character (Rowland Sinclair #10) by Sulari Gentill

Wherever you go:

Eco-themes: The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte

A Neil Gaiman book:

Short story collection: Radio National Fictions (various short stories on ABC Listen app

Published the year you were born:

Makes you blush: The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome by Katrina Nannestad

That book you keep putting off: The Louvre by James Gardiner

A book with lots of hype: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (Ravenclaw Edition)

Has “the girl” in the title: The Girl She Was by Rebecca Freeborn

A book with bad reviews: Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

Book to movie: Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

Scary: The Monstrous Devices by Damien Love

Someone you love’s fave book:

Made into a TV Series:

A title longer than five words: The Nine Hundred: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz by Heather Dune McAdam

Fave childhood book:

STFU Reading Society #AustLit Reading Challenge

Found on #BookstagramAustralia

The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan

An Australian classic

A book by an Indigenous Australian author

Meet Sam by the Mangrove Creek by Paul Seden and Brenton McKenna

A book about climate change [cli-fi or non-fiction]

Fiction: The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte, The Giant and the Sea by Trent Jamieson and Rovina Cai

Non-Fiction:

A book by an LGBTQ+ Australian author

Firewatcher Chronicles: Phoenix by Kelly Gardiner

A #LoveOzYA book

The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte

A memoir by an Australian woman

Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales

A poetry collection

The ABC Book of Australian Poetry compiled by Libby Hathorn

A 2020 Finalist for a State Premier’s Literary Prize

* Note: Not all states have a Premier’s Literary Prize / some are awarded biennially rather than yearly, so are not running in 2020.

* New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards – Shortlist announced March 2020 / Winners announced 27 April 2020 –

* The Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature – Shortlist out now / Winners announced 29 February 2020 –

* Victorian Premier’s Literary Award – Shortlist out now / Winners announced 30 January 2020 –

Bonus: Read a finalist [shortlisted book] from each of the State Premier’s prizes

A Book by a Territorian author – NT or ACT

Bonus: Read both an NT and ACT author

ACT: On A Barbarous Coast by Craig Cormick and Harold Ludwick

NT: An Alice Girl by Tanya Heaslip, Between Us by Claire Atkins

Read and watch a book to movie adaptation

Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr (21^st anniversary edition)

A book from across the ditch – A book by a New Zealand author

Josephine’s Garden by Stephanie Parkyn

THE MODERN MRS. DARCY

2020 Reading Challenge

a book published the decade you were born:

a debut novel: The Soldier’s Curse by Meg and Tom Keneally (Monsarrat Series Book One)

a book recommended by a source you trust: Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales – Amanda Barrett

a book by a local author: Pippa’s Island: Puppy Pandemonium by Belinda Murrell

a book outside your (genre) comfort zone: The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim – literary fiction

a book in translation: The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting

a book nominated for an award in 2020: Sherlock Bones and the Natural History Mystery by Renée Treml (Nominated for the 2020 Readings Children’s Prize)

a re-read: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (Ravenclaw Edition)

a classic you didn’t read in school: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

three books by the same author:

Friday Barnes: Girl Detective by R.A. Spratt
Friday Barnes: Under Suspicion by R.A. Spratt
Friday Barnes: Big Trouble by R.A. Spratt

The Nerd Daily 2020 Challenge

Author Starting with A: Shark Out of Water by Ace Landers
Female Author: The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan
Purchased on Holidays: Withering-by-Sea (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue) by Judith Rossell
2020 Film Adaptation: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Fantasy or SciFi: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (Ravenclaw Edition)
Recommended by Us: The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte
Under 200 pages: Ella at Eden: New Girl by Laura Sieveking
Six Word Title: The Binder of Doom: Speedah Cheetah by Troy Cummins, Death at the Ladies’ Goddess Club by Julian Leatherdale
Written by two authors: The Soldier’s Curse by Meg and Tom Keneally (Monsarrat Series Book One)
Mystery/thriller: A Testament of Character (Rowland Sinclair #10) by Sulari Gentill
Green Cover: The Soldier’s Curse by Meg and Tom Keneally (Monsarrat Series Book One)
Recommended by a friend: Any Ordinary Day be Leigh Sales
Set in the past: Josephine’s Garden by Stephanie Parkyn
2019 Goodreads Choice Winner:
A book you never finished: The Louvre by James Gardiner (Never finished in time to review for release date, managed to finish after)
Protagonist starting with H: The Soldier’s Curse by Meg and Tom Keneally, Hapless Hero Henrie by Petra James (House of Heroes)
Reread: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Non-fiction: The Nine Hundred: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz by Heather Dune McAdam
Released in February: Ella at Eden: New Girl by Laura Sieveking, The Binder of Doom: Speedah-Cheetah by Troy Cummins
Part of a duology: The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley
New York times best seller:
Recommended by family:
Over 500 pages:
An award-winning book: Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales – Walkley Book Award 2019
Orange cover: Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
Bookstore recommended: The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome by Katrina Nannestad
A number in the title: Alice-Miranda at School (10^th Anniversary Edition) by Jacqueline Harvey
An audiobook: Radio National Fictions (various short stories)
Debut author: The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim
Inspired my mythology/folklore: Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan, Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr,
A retelling: Jane in Love by Rachel Givney
A one-word title: Liberation by Imogen Kealey
Bought based on cover: Friday Barnes: Girl Detective by R.A. Spratt
Author that starts with M: What Zola did on Monday by Melina Marchetta and illustrated by Deb Hudson
Start a new series: Ella at Eden: New Girl by Laura Sieveking
A book released in 2019: The Last Firehawk: The Cloud Kingdom by Katrina Charman
Male author: Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan, Death in the Ladies’ Goddess Club by Julian Leatherdale
2020 TV Adaptation:
A book gifted to you: Captain Marvel Hero Storybook by Steve Behling
Author with a hyphenated name: Elephant Me by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees
Released in September: The Wild Way Home by Sophie Kirtley
Purchased years ago:
A standalone: The River Home by Hannah Richell
Author with the same initials:
Told from two perspectives: The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte
Romance or thriller: Liberation by Imogen Kealey, The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte
A protagonist starting with S: Withering-by-Sea (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue) by Judith Rossell (Stella Montgomery)
Two-word title: Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr, Esme’s Gift by Elizabeth Foster
Set in a foreign country: Josephine’s Garden by Stephanie Parkyn, The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan
Animal featured in cover: Dolphin Island: A Daring Rescue by Catherine Hapka
Written by your favourite author: The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester
Based or inspired by a true story: Museum Kittens: The Midnight Visitor by Holly Webb, The Lost Jewels by Kirsty Manning

Dymocks Reading Challenge

A book by an Australian author: Pippa’s Island: Puppy Pandemonium by Belinda Murrell
A book by an Indigenous author: On A Barbarous Coast by Craig Cormick and Harold Ludwick, Meet Sam by the Mangrove Creek by Paul Seden and Brenton McKenna
A book from our Top 101:
A book from our Kids’ Top 51: Withering-by-Sea (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue) by Judith Rossell, Friday Barnes: Girl Detective by R.A. Spratt
A Dymocks ‘Book of the Month’:
Re-read your favourite book of all time: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Ask a friend for a recommendation: Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales
A book featuring your favourite country: The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan (Ireland)
A book from your TBR pile: Josephine’s Garden by Stephanie Parkyn
An award-winning book: Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr – CBCA Honour Book, Prime Minister’s Literary Award 2017 – WINNER: 2017 Prime Minister’s Literary Award, Children’s Fiction
WINNER: 2018 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, Children’s Literature
HONOUR BOOK: CBCA Book of the Year, Younger Readers, 2017
A Mystery/Thriller: The Soldier’s Curse by Meg and Tom Keneally (Monsarrat Series Book One), A Testament of Character by Sulari Gentill
A memoir:
A book outside your usual genre: The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim
A book of short stories: Snow White and Rose Red: And Other Tales of Kind Young Women by Kate Forsyth and Lorena Carrington
A self-help/motivation: Elephant Me by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees
A fairytale/fable adaptation: Esme’s Gift by Elizabeth Foster
Book one in a fantasy series: Trials of Apollo – The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
A book that teaches you something new: The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester
A book with a red cover: Elementals: Battle Born by Amie Kaufman
A book with a colour in the title: Snow White and Rose Red: And Other Tales of Kind Young Women by Kate Forsyth and Lorena Carrington
A book you can read in a day: Pippa’s Island: Puppy Pandemonium by Belinda Murrell, Ella at Eden: New Girl by Laura Sieveking
A book about books: Jane in Love by Rachel Givney
A book that made you laugh: Puppy Diary: The Great Toy Rescue by Yvette Poshoglian, The Power of Positive Pranking by Nat Amoore
A book published this year: The Nine Hundred: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz by Heather Dune McAdam, The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte
A book you said you’ve read but haven’t: Emma by Jane Austen

Australian Women Writers Challenge – 25

Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales – Walkley Book Award
Pippa’s Island: Puppy Pandemonium by Belinda Murrell
Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr
Josephine’s Garden by Stephanie Parkyn
The Soldier’s Curse by Meg and Tom Keneally (Monsarrat Series Book One)
Ella at Eden: New Girl by Laura Sieveking
A Testament of Character (Rowland Sinclair #10) by Sulari Gentill
The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan
The Killing Streets: Uncovering Australia’s First Serial Murderer by Tanya Bretherton
The River Home by Hannah Richell
The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte
Withering-by-Sea (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue) by Judith Rossell
Hapless Hero Henrie by Petra James (House of Heroes)
The Republic of Birds by Jessica Miller
Esme’s Gift by Elizabeth Foster
Friday Barnes: Girl Detective by R.A. Spratt
Christmas in Paris (Miss Lily 3.5) by Jackie French
The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester
Firewatcher Chronicles: Phoenix by Kelly Gardiner
The Lost Jewels by Kirsty Manning
The Girl She Was by Rebecca Freeborn
Friday Barnes: Under Suspicion by R.A. Spratt
Aussie Kids: Meet Katie at the Beach by Rebecca Johnson and Lucia Masciullo
Aussie Kids: Meet Eve in the Outback by Raewyn Caisley and Karen Blair
The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks
The Deceptions by Suzanne Leal
Puppy Diary: The Great Toy Rescue by Yvette Poshoglian
The Octopus and I by Erin Hortle
Friday Barnes: Big Trouble by R.A. Spratt
The Inheritance of Secrets by Sonya Bates
Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire by Nat Amoore
Jane in Love by Rachel Givney
Friday Barnes: No Rules by R.A. Spratt
Anzac Girl: The War Diaries of Alice Ross-King by Kate Simpson and Jess Racklyeft
Sherlock Bones and the Natural History Mystery by Renée Treml (Nominated for the 2020 Readings Children’s Prize)
Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr
Ribbit Rabbit Robot by Victoria MacKinlay and Sofya Karmazina
Nim at Sea by Wendy Orr
Rescue on Nim’s Island
The Complete Adventures on Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr
An Alice Girl by Tanya Heaslip
Daisy Runs Wild by Caz Goodwin and Ashley King
Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal by Anna Whateley
What Zola did on Monday by Melina Marchetta and illustrated by Deb Hudson
Henrie’s Hero Hunt (House of Heroes) by Petra Hunt
The Power of Positive Pranking by Nat Amoore
Edie’s Experiments: How to Make Friends by Charlotte Barkla
Alice-Miranda at School (10^th Anniversary Edition) by Jacqueline Harvey
Alice-Miranda in the Outback by Jacqueline Harvey
Shoestring: The Boy Who Walks on Air by Julie Hunt and Dale Newman
Eloise and the Bucket of Stars by Janeen Brian
A Treacherous Country by K.M. Kruimink
Snow White and Rose Red: And Other Tales of Kind Young Women by Kate Forsyth and Lorena Carrington
Tashi: 25^th Anniversary Edition by Anna Fienberg, Barbara Fienberg and Kim Gamble
Elementals: Battle Born by Amie Kaufman
Lilies, Lies and Love (Miss Lily #4) Lilies by Jackie French
Monty’s Island: Scary Mary and the Stripey Spell by Emily Rodda and Lucinda Gifford
When Rain Turns to Snow by Jane Godwin
League of Llamas: Undercover Llama by Aleesah Darlison
League of Llamas: Rogue Llama by Aleesah Darlison
Kensy and Max: Freefall by Jacqueline Harvey
The Silk House by Kayte Nunn
The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle by Pamela Rushby and Nellé May Pierce
Alexandra-Rose and Her Icy Cold Toes by Monique Mulligan and Kate Fox (Illustrator)
Meet Mia by the Jetty by Janeen Brian and Danny Snell
Edie’s Experiments: How to Be the Best by Charlotte Barkla
Finding Eadie by Caroline Beecham
Beyond Belief by Dee White
Evie and Pog: Party Perfect by Tania McCartney
The Schoolmaster’s Daughter by Jackie French
Kitty is Not a Cat: Teddy’s Bear by Jess Black
Kitty is Not a Cat: Light’s Out by Jess Black
A Clue for Clara by Lian Tanner
What Zola did on Tuesday by Melina Marchetta
The Battle of Book Week (Yours Troolie, Alice Toolie) by Kate and Jol Temple
Monty’s Island: Beady Hold and the Yum-Yams by Emily Rodda
The Adventures of Princess Peony by Nette Hilton and Lucinda Gifford
Ella at Eden: The Secret Journal by Laura Sieveking
The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome by Katrina Nannestad
Lapse by Sarah Thornton
A Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna

Book Bingo – BINGO

Themes of culture – The Republic of Birds by Jessica Miller

Themes of inequality – The Nine Hundred: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz by Heather Dune McAdam

Themes of Crime and Justice – A Testament of Character (Rowland Sinclair #10) by Sulari Gentill

Themes of politics and power – The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte

About the environment – The Giant and the Sea by Trent Jamieson and Rovina Cai

Prize winning book – Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales – Walkley Book Award

Friendship, family and love – Pippa’s Island: Puppy Pandemonium by Belinda Murrell

Coming of age – Ella at Eden: New Girl by Laura Sieveking

Set in a time of war – The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester

Set in a place you dream of visiting – The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan (Ireland)

Set in an era you’d love to travel back in time to – Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr (Minoan Times)

A classic you’ve never read before – Emma by Jane Austen

The Schoolmaster’s Daughter by Jackie French

schoolmaster's daughter Title: The Schoolmaster’s Daughter
Author: Jackie French
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
Published: 18th May 2020
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Price: $17.99
Synopsis: Drawing on her own family history, this is a story from Jackie French about education in Colonial Australia – and how women once had to fight for their right to it.
January 1901
Sharks circle a stranded ship as a young girl and her family stagger from the waves …
Rescued by a Pacific Islander boy named Jamie, Hannah’s family begin a new life in Port Harris, which at first seems a paradise for the schoolmaster’s daughter. But local fortunes are built on slavery and the whip.
As the new Federal Parliament passes the law that will force Pacific Islanders from their homes, Hannah and her mother risk everything to run a secret school, while Hannah and Jamie must fight for their rights to education and equality. Can friendship and love win against prejudice and power?
Inspired by real events, this powerful new novel brings to life the bravery and battles of the past and gives us courage for the challenges of today.

~*~

As Australia becomes a nation, Hannah Ferndale and her family move to northern NSW town, Port Harris, where sugar cane farms are run using labour from Pacific Islanders, who are kept in slavery-like conditions. Hannah and her family are shipwrecked as they arrive at Port Harris, and are rescued Jamie, a young Pacific Islander boy, before they begin their new life, with Papa as the new schoolmaster.

Hannah longs to learn more than what she has been taught – and is ready for the next stage of her schooling. Yet as she attends school, she discovers that she is only there to help him teach the Infants kids to read and count, and write, and assist with her mother’s role in teaching music and sewing. When her mother starts teaching Hannah and Jamie secretly after he’s denied a place at the school, Hannah starts to learn more about the world than what she has experienced, as Jamie and his mother tell Hannah and her mother about their lives and the lives of the Islanders on the plantations. Their secret school is interrupted by a family emergency, and Hannah and Jamie try to continue, but she soon must return to her life teaching small children with no hope of moving forward beyond marriage.

As new laws are debated, and as Hannah has to attend to her duties as a good girl and live in a world she longs to change for the good for everyone. The country has been federated, and new laws about women’s suffrage and the status of Pacific Islanders on the farms up north. The Schoolmaster’s Daughter is based on Jackie’s own family history, which she explains in her author’s notes at the back. This makes the story so powerful – it is from the heart, and from a family, whose history and people have inspired many stories, and many novels, all of which are compelling in so many ways, and have a genuine, unique, and authentic voice that sings and shines through the words, characters and narrative.

AWW2020 It is an ode to a new country, grappling with their identity and their people in 1901, themes that are still relevant today in 2020, as some issues still need to be resolved – such as racism. At the same time, it is a celebration of reading, words, education and poetry – something that unites Jamie and Hannah in Eliza’s absence, and they connect them in a way that society cannot understand or fathom. The words that they shared created a world beyond what they knew and showed how they each saw exploring the world – for Jamie, it was the ability to physically explore. Hannah was happy to explore via the page – both are valid – exploring the world and travelling the world can be done in both ways. During these times of the pandemic, most of us are travelling across the world, through time and into other worlds via the page. Reading in Hannah and Jamie’s world opens this door, and the door to better lives, to lives they long for and have so far only dreamed about.

I read this book in about two days – it was one where I just had to find out what was going to happen next, and how Hannah was going to achieve her goals. Jackie French books always teach me something new, and this book was no exception. It presented a world that we may not be familiar with and issues that feel distant but are not. It is a fantastic piece of historical fiction that I will

June 2020 Wrap Up

The Modern Mrs Darcy 11/12

AWW2020 – 67/25

Book Bingo – 12/12

The Nerd Daily Challenge 45/52

Dymocks Reading Challenge 23/25

Books and Bites Bingo 15/25

STFU Reading Challenge: 9/12

General Goal –110/165

In June, I managed to read eighteen books in total, fourteen by Australian authors, and all but one of those were Australian women authors. Fifteen of the eighteen were by women authors from Australia and the United Kingdom, and my reading crossed all kinds of genres and audiences this month as I work towards my yearly reading goals.

Towards the end of the month, I participated in an Emma versus Pride and Prejudice read-along with some blogger friends – it seemed several of us went with Emma- perhaps because we had not read it yet and had already read Pride and Prejudice – and two of us found we could use it for a classics book bingo square.

I’m moving slowly through my stacks of books to read, and will hopefully be on top of all of them soon.

June – 18

Book	Author	Challenge
Elementals: Battle Born	Amie Kaufman	Reading Challenge, AWW2020, Dymocks Reading Challenge
Lilies, Lies and Love	Jackie French	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Kid Normal and the Final Five	Greg James and Chris Smith	Reading Challenge
Toffle Towers: Fully Booked	Tim Harris and James Foley	Reading Challenge
Monty’s Island: Scary Mary and the Stripey Spell	Emily Rodda and Lucinda Gifford	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Wonderscape	Jennifer Bell	Reading Challenge
When Rain Turns to Snow	Jane Godwin	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
League of Llamas: Undercover Llama	Aleesah Darlison	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
League of Llamas: Rogue Llama	Aleesah Darlison	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Kensy and Max: Freefall	Jacqueline Harvey	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
The Silk House	Kayte Nunn	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle	Pamela Rushby and Nellé May Pierce	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Roxy and Jones: The Great Fairy Tale Cover Up	Angela Woolfe	Reading Challenge
Alexandra-Rose and Her Icy Cold Toes by	Monique Mulligan and Kate Fox (Illustrator)	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Meet Mia by the Jetty	Janeen Brian and Danny Snell	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Meet Sam at the Mangrove Creek	Paul Seden and Brenton McKenna	Reading Challenge, STFU Reading Challenge, Dymocks Reading Challenge
Death by Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts	Kathryn Harkup	Reading Challenge
Edie’s Experiments: How to Be the Best	Charlotte Barkla	Reading Challenge, AWW2020

Lilies, Lies and Love (Miss Lily #4) by Jackie French

Miss Lily 4 Title: Lilies, Lies and Love (Miss Lily #4)

Author: Jackie French

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Published: 23^rd March 2020

Format: Paperback

Pages: 336

Price: $29.99

Synopsis: As the King of England wavers between duty and love, Sophie knows that she must choose duty.

The year is 1936 and the new King Edward VIII wishes to marry American divorcee, and suspected German agent, Wallis Simpson. Top-secret documents that the king must read and sign are being neglected for weeks, and some are even turning up in Berlin.

And as Germany grows its military might with many thousands of new fighter planes every year, Britain and its empire are under increasing threat.

Can Miss Lily’s most successful protege, Sophie Vaile, the Countess of Shillings, seduce the new king, prevent his marriage to Wallis Simpson, and turn him from fascism?

And if a man can sacrifice his life for his country, should a woman hesitate to sacrifice her honour?

Based on new correspondence found in German archives, Lilies, Love and Lies is a work of fiction.

Or is it?

In the fourth title in the Miss Lily series, Jackie French explores one of the most controversial events in history that saw the unthinkable happen when a king chose love over duty.

~*~

The last few books in the Miss Lily series have been slowly building up to and hinting at what is to come during the 1930s and 1940s, with the Great Depression, Nazi Germany and World War Two. Sophie and her children, Danny and Rose, have been living with Lily, Violette and Violette’s parents at Thuringa, when they hear of King Edward the VIII’s plans to marry Wallis Simpson, and concerns about Nazi influences coming into the royal family, and infiltrating Britain – had this happened, things could have been very different for those groups that Hitler targeted – these are still groups that face oppression today, sometimes more in more subtle ways. James Lorrimer shows up, and Sophie and her family travel to Britain.

Sophie is tasked with seducing David to prevent his marriage to Wallis Simpson and change his mind about fascism – and we all know how David’s story ends, even without this fictional intervention. What follows is an intriguing story of honour and a king who wanted to marry for love, not duty. Jackie French has yet again melded fictional characters with real ones, taking lesser known history, and hidden documents to create a believable story, where we know the historical outcomes, yet uncovering how things potentially got to that point is as exciting and intriguing as everything else going on in the book.

Sophie is caught between duty to her family, and Shillings, and duty to her country and empire – and at this stage in history, Australia would still stand alongside Britain in the war as part of the empire and fight a common enemy. It is also a love story – love of family, love of country and finding out you can love again once you’ve lost someone. It is the combination of all these elements at the hand of Jackie French, and the integration of history that make this a powerful novel. Every character has a purpose. Every moment has its place, and every heart-breaking, and worry-ridden moment is dealt with using sympathy and empathy, in short chapters that reveal so much between the lines of what is said, and what is not said. What this series explores – the taboos, beliefs and what was common for the times yet that the main characters question in their own way whilst having to maintain a certain face of respectability in their public lives – at a time when it was dangerous to go against the status quo. The characters and those close to them understand this and use this knowledge to play the long game and politics. As Miss Lily taught her proteges – the men they deal with will tell a woman anything because they do not think a woman will think much of it. Across the series, Miss Lily, Sophie and all the Lovely Ladies have used this advice to subvert how they operate in society – even though they are underestimated and not seen as a threat – in many ways, they are. If not violently like Violette, then subversively like Sophie – though not always successful, the espionage techniques used show the wider role women have played in war and politics beyond what the history books show. To do this, Jackie French has done immense amounts of research to put these untold stories together. Her books teach us so much about history that is left out of lessons and official history books, or official records that are hidden. This means we can learn more, and sometimes, when done this way, opens up many avenues for enquiry as we are not limited by the facts put in textbooks.

There are a few moments where I had my heart in my mouth, pleading for the inevitable not to happen, especially in the latter chapters of the book. It was something that was shocking and had to be processed – one of the most devastating moments of the book that showed just how brutal the Nazi regime was before it started carting people off to camps and gas chambers in the forties for the Final Solution.

This book left me with a few questions: Is it possible this really happened? That Edward VIII’s hand was forced? And what would the implications have been if he’d remained king throughout World War Two? We’ll never know these answers, but things might have ended up very differently for Britain and world history. We cannot change history – it has happened and we are where we are, yet we can still learn the history that wasn’t taught in class, and question what we learned – all it takes is a special series like this by an author like Jackie who is quite the genius when it comes to putting these stories together.

I love this series, and I am eager for the next one – to see what will happen, how will things have changed – and how will the impending war change Sophie and her children?

Another wonderful book from one of the best Australian authors!

March 2020 Round Up

March was a strange month – it started out as normal as could be, though we knew about the coronavirus, and then a few weeks into March, everything changed, and by the end of it, they had changed again with strict social distancing rules. Despite this, I got a lot of reading done. My stats are:

20 books read overall
11 read for the Australian Women Writers Challenge
8 for the Nerd Daily Challenge
1 for the Dymocks Reading Challenge
1 for the STFU Reading Challenge
1 for Book Bingo
1 for Books and Bites Bingo

Overall stats so far:

The Modern Mrs Darcy 9/12
AWW2020 -26/25
Book Bingo – 10/12
The Nerd Daily Challenge 40/52
Dymocks Reading Challenge 12/25
STFU Reading Society 5/12
Books and Bites Bingo 11/25
General Goal – 51/165

Most of these books have been reviewed on my blog.

March – 20

Book	Author	Challenge
Esme’s Gift	Elizabeth Foster	AWW2020, Reading Challenge, The Nerd Daily, Dymocks Reading Challenge
Friday Barnes: Girl Detective	R.A. Spratt	AWW2020, Dymocks Reading Challenge, The Nerd Daily, Reading Challenge
The Last Firehawk: The Cloud Kingdom	Katrina Charman	The Nerd Daily, Reading Challenge
Christmas in Paris (Miss Lily 3.5)	Jackie French	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
The Lost Future of Pepperharrow	Natasha Pulley	The Nerd Daily, Reading Challenge
The Paris Secret	Natasha Lester	The Nerd Daily, Reading Challenge, Book Bingo, AWW2020
Museum Kittens: The Midnight Visitor	Holly Webb	The Nerd Daily, Reading Challenge
Firewatcher Chronicles: Phoenix	Kelly Gardiner	Reading Challenge, AWW2020, STFU Reading Challenge
The Lost Jewels	Kirsty Manning	The Nerd Daily, Reading Challenge, AWW2020
The Girl She Was	Rebecca Freeborn	Reading Challenge, AWW2020, Books and Bites Bingo
Ninjago: Back in Action	Tracey West	Reading Challenge,
Layla and the Bots: Happy Paws	Vicky Fang	Reading Challenge
Friday Barnes: Under Suspicion	R.A. Spratt	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Daring Delly: Going for Gold	Matthew Dellavedova and Zanni Louise	Reading Challenge,
Aussie Kids: Meet Katie at the Beach	Rebecca Johnson and Lucia Masciullo	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
Aussie Kids: Meet Eve in the Outback	Raewyn Caisley and Karen Blair	Reading Challenge, AWW2020
The Besties Make A Splash	Felice Arena and Tom Jellett	Reading Challenge
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them	JK Rowling/Newt Scamander	Reading Challenge
Liberation	Imogen Kealey	The Nerd Daily, Reading Challenge
The Year the Maps Changed	Danielle Binks	Reading Challenge, AWW2020

Onto April and hopefully lots of reading during these trying times.

Christmas in Paris (Miss Lily #3.5) by Jackie French

Title: Christmas in Paris (Miss Lily #3.5)
Author: Jackie French
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 18th November 2019
Format: eBook
Pages: 104
Price: $14.99
Synopsis: Paris, Christmas Eve, 1933
For once it was an accident. Violette did not mean to kill St Nicholas. But there he was, with blood on the cobblestones, and a family waiting for the Christmas Eve miracle that would never come. And her own family expecting her to eat Christmas goose tomorrow at Shillings Hall in England.
Violette Jones had led a life of melodrama since being born in the middle of a war to an espionage agent. But even she had never had to face a bloodied St Nicholas, and somehow conjure three miracles for Christmas.
Another story for the many fans of the Miss Lily series.
~*~

Each year, a few months after the main Miss Lily book comes out, Jackie French releases a short story – a Christmas story about the characters that takes place in between the main books. Christmas in Paris takes place in 1933 in between book three – The Lily in the Snow, which ends in 1929 as the Great Depression begins and book four – Lilies, Lies and Love – which is out in the next few months and will pick up the story in 1936, around the time Edward VIII abdicates to marry Wallis Simpson. In Christmas in Paris, Violette, the orphan from book three, is the focal character, and when she stumbles across a dead Santa Claus, and a worried American, she must call on her family – Sophie, Miss Lily and her parents – to help her solve the mystery.

AWW2020 Violette’s story is mostly told in the latest Miss Lily novel yet hinted at here. She has certainly changed a lot since we last met her, and she is growing nicely as a character and will I feel become one who will be important in the later books and will help Sophie. However, Sophie is in the background of this story as Violette manages to pull together three miracles to bring Christmas to those who are not having a good time. Violette still has that spark she had when we first met her, yet she seems to have put it to good use for those who are now her family, and for what is to come in the next book. Whilst it might not set up for the main novels, each of these books will still add to the series for avid Miss Lily fans, and they are amongst some of the only eBooks I read – alongside any for work, as I find shorter works easier to read on screen than longer works. And let’s face it – it’s Jackie French and her books are always ones I will read, or even listen to if I had the chance. Thank you for these books Jackie, the Christmas ones and all your books. I’ve been a reader of them for over twenty years, since year seven when I first read Somewhere Around the Corner – and I still have my original copy.

The mystery of the dead Santa Claus, replacing him and pulling off an event that will appeal to Americans and Parisians drives this short story, and is perfect to fill the wait in between each main Miss Lily novel, though a couple of them go back in time, much like some of the Miss Lily books go back and forth as needed. Each can be read alone, yet they work better as a series. In my mind they work best when read like this – though the eBook short stories are optional and not crucial to understanding the rest of the series:

1. Miss Lily’s Lovely Ladies (1902 to 1919)
2.With Love from Miss Lily (Christmas 1918 – Miss Lily #1.5 Short Story)
3. The Lily and the Rose (1919 – 1926)
4. Christmas Lilies (Christmas 1914 – Miss Lily #2.5 Short Story)
5. The Lily in the Snow (1929/1920s)
6. Christmas in Paris (Christmas 1933 – Miss Lily 3.5 short story) – this review
7. Lilies, Lies and Love (1936-) – yet to be released

I’ve read all that are out and have loved them all. I am keen for the next one. When reading historical fiction like this, I often find myself caught between knowing what is to come and hoping none of the characters are hurt, yet at the same time, hoping that what is dreaded does not come to pass, though it inevitably does. These books give women a voice in these histories, allowing them to speak about what they did and to highlight that much more went on during the wars and interwar period than the history books tell us. Jackie French has brought history to life, and in this book, has given people a moment of hope in a dark time in history – even if only for a day at Christmas.

CBCA Notables 2020

CBCA200205_NOTABLEBOOKS-WEBSITEBANNER

Every year, the Children’s Book Council of Australia chooses to award children’s books in the category a variety of honours and awards, including the Notable Books, Honour Books, and Book of the Year. Celebrating children’s books in Australia since 1946, the CBCA is a good award that gives attention to books for younger readers that might not always get the coverage that adult books do or highlight authors who may not be as well known. There are several past CBCA books I have read – I’d have to dig through all my books and reviews to find them all, but no doubt they have all won or been honoured because they are wonderful books and the Notables this year seem to have a diverse range of plots and authors for readers to explore. This post outlines the award, the categories and the Notable books that the judges will be choosing from this year. Having read some of them, I know it will be a tough call with so many good books out there.

Below are the key dates in the award announcements for 2020:

Announcement Dates:
Notables – announced the last Tuesday in February at 7pm AEDT
Short List – announced the last Tuesday in March at 12 noon AEDT
Winners and Honours – announced the third Friday in August at 12 noon AEST
The advocacy role played by the CBCA promotes the literary experience for children and assures the scope and vitality of Australian children’s books. The annual CBCA Book of the Year Awards affirm the quality of some of Australia’s most creative people and provide a boost to their capacity to devote time to their craft.
Established with the first awards in 1946, the annual CBCA Book of the Year Awards aim to:
• promote quality literature for young Australians;
• support and encourage a wide range of Australian writers and illustrators of children’s books and;
• celebrate contributions to Australian children’s literature.
Here are the award categories:
CATEGORIES
There are six categories in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards.
• CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers
• CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers
• CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood
• CBCA Picture Book of the Year
• Eve Pownall Award
• CBCA Award for New Illustrator (previously the Crichton Award for New Illustrators administered by the CBCA Victorian Branch)

View the complete list of notables here: https://www.cbca.org.au/notables-2020

The Notable Books I have read are:

Four Dead Queens

The Honeyman and The Hunter by Neil Grant
Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
As Happy As Here by Jane Goodwin
Hapless Hero Henrie by Petra James
The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble
The Glimme by Emily Rodda

The Notables I hope to read are:

Angel Mage by Garth Nix
Pirate Boy of Sydney Town by Jackie French
The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne by Katrina Nannestad
The Secrets of Magnolia Moon by Edwina Wyatt, Illustrated by Katherine Quinn
Sick Bay by Nova Weetman

I’m sure there are others on the list that will interest me, but I shall have to do some investigations into the books to make my final decision. Some I already have and will be working my way through them. Bren MacDibble’s book is also on the Readings Children’s books short prize, and I am hoping to read each book on there and review it, and write about the prize in another post.

Bookish Podcasts

In the last year, I’ve discovered podcasts, and the ones I mainly listen to revolve around books, history and popular culture. Because podcasts are generally short – usually no longer than an hour for the ones I listen to, I find them great to pop on whilst working or writing and just listen to them in the background and absorb the information in them. Podcasts cover just about every topic you could ever imagine, but in this post I am focusing on the bookish ones I listen to most days and weeks.

The Book Show

the book show

The Book Show is an ABC RN podcast, of a radio show hosted by Claire Nichols. The show airs live on Monday at ten in the morning, and repeated at nine p.m. on Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons at two p.m. Claire interviews authors from Australia and around the world and conducts in-depth conversations with them about the book and how they wrote it, what influenced them and lets the interview flow, so there are some very interesting discussions with authors I know and many I do not know. I listen via podcast on the ABC listen app, and the website if you’d like to access the show through there.

The Bookshelf

the bookshelf

Another ABC RN Show, hosted by Cassie McCullagh and Kate Evans, where they review the latest fiction books from Australia and around the world. Sister programme to The Book Show, Cassie and Kate sometimes feature snippets of The Book Show on their show, and at times, interview authors, and record from writer’s festivals from around Australia and in other places at times. It airs Fridays at eleven in the morning, and is repeated on Monday at eleven at night, and Sunday afternoons at three. As with the Book Show, I listen via the ABC listen app as a podcast. The website also has it if you prefer to access the show here.

Good Reading Magazine Podcast

In this podcast, various Good Reading employees interview Australian authors (so far) about their books, writing and what inspires them. Their very first interview was with Sulari Gentill, and many of my favourite authors have been interviewed. This is one I am still listening to the backlog of as I write this post in fact, and it can be accessed via a podcast app, such as the Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud or via the Good Reading Website. Like with many of the interviews, some episodes are more interesting than others, but it is nice to listen to all of them, as sometimes there are gems in there and lots of random trivia to store away.

Words and Nerds

words and nerds

I came to this one quite late – after it had been going for about two years, and spent a lot of time binge listening to it and now have one or two to catch up on, as with many of my podcasts, so I use my days where I don’t go anywhere to listen to as many episodes as I can. In this one, Dani Vee interviews authors from Australia, and sometimes overseas, who write for a myriad of age groups and in all genres, which makes it very interesting and she has interviewed some of my favourite authors and I think those are my favourite episodes. Some she has even had on more than once! Dani’s podcast can be accessed via the linked website, or via a podcast app such as Apple Podcasts.

Middle Grade Mavens

Middle grade books are a genre I enjoy reading, reviewing and close to the genre I work in as an educational quiz writer. I am yet to start listening to it, but their website says they interview key stakeholders in the industry, and it can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts or Google Podcasts, or on the website. I look forward to hearing from Julie Anne Grusso and Pamela Ueckerman in the coming weeks as I get into listening to this podcast.

These are the five main bookish podcasts I listen to, and all are suitable for what they do. I’m looking forward to exploring Middle Grade Mavens, and hope you find something you like in these recommendations.

Save up to 30% off Hot Pre-order titles

Pop Sugar Challenge Wrap Up 2019

In 2019 I also participated in the Pop Sugar Challenge. I missed out on completing this by one, mainly because time just ran out and I never got to it. Below is my list of categories that I completed. I am thinking of trying a different one this year, as I feel the categories are getting too specific and I may struggle to find books to fit some of them, if not many, and whilst it is meant to help expand my reading, I’d be too worried about finding something to enjoy the process. So all of these have been read, and many reviewed in 2019.

Pop Sugar Challenge

A book becoming a movie in 2019: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
A book that makes you nostalgic: The Lost Magician by Piers Torday
A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction): Best Foot Forward by Adam Hills
A book you think should be turned into a movie: Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling – 20th Anniversary House Editions
A book with a plant in the title or on the cover: Bella Donna: Coven Road by Ruth Symes, Eliza Rose by Lucy Worsley
A reread of a favourite book: Beauty in Thorns by Kate Forsyth
A book about a hobby: The Bad Mother’s Book Club by Keris Stanton
A book you meant to read in 2018: Eliza Rose by Lucy Worsley
A book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the title: Poppy Field by Michael Morpurgo, Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover: 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne, The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore: Mermaid Holidays: The Magic Pearl by Delphine Davis and Adele K Thomas
A book published posthumously: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
A retelling of a classic: Enola Holmes: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (Enola Holmes #3) by Nancy Springer
A book with a question in the title: Is It Night or Day? by Fern Schumer Chapman
A book set on college or university campus: Marvel Rising: Squirrel Girl and Ms Marvel by Devin Grayson, Ryan North and Willow Wilson
A book about someone with a superpower: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Volume One: Squirrel Power by Ryan North
A book told from multiple POVs: Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
A book set in space: Captain Marvel: Higher, Faster, Further by Kelly Sue DeConnick
A book by two female authors: The Silver Well by Kate Forsyth and Kim Wilkins, While You Were Reading by Ali Berg and Michelle Klaus
A book with SALTY, SWEET, BITTER, or SPICY in the title: Australia’s Sweetheart by Michael Adams
A book set in Scandinavia: The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt och Dag
A book that takes place in a single day: Archibald, The Naughtiest Elf in the World Causes Trouble with the Easter Bunny by Skye Davidson
A debut novel: What Lies Beneath Us by Kirsty Ferguson
A book that’s published in 2019: Vardaesia by Lynette Noni
A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature: Dragon Masters: Treasure of the Gold Dragon by Tracey West
A book recommended by a celebrity you admire: Split edited by Lee Kofman – recommended by Myf Warhurst
A book with LOVE in the title: With Love from Miss Lily by Jackie French (short story)
A book featuring an amateur detective: All the Tears in China by Sulari Gentill
A book about a family: The House of Second Chances by Esther Campion
A book by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America: Children of the Dragon: Race for the Red Dragon by Rebecca Lim
A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title: The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames
A book that includes a wedding: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, A Dream of Italy by Nicky Pellegrino
A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter: Mermaid Holidays: The Talent Show by Delphine Davis and Adele K. Thomas, The True Story of Maddie Bright by Mary-Rose MacColl, Explorer’s Academy: Nebula Secret by Trudi Trueit
A ghost story: The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
A book with a two-word title: Saving You by Charlotte Nash
A novel based on a true story: The Familiars by Stacey Halls – The Pendle Witches
A book revolving around a puzzle or game: Deltora Quest #1 by Emily Rodda
Your favourite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge:

2016 – A book based on a fairy tale: The Blue Rose by Kate Forsyth – based on Chinese fairy tale, The Blue Rose

2017 – A steampunk book: The Book of Dust Volume 2: The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman

Prompt:

Advanced

A “cli-fi” (climate fiction) book: The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble, Daughter of Bad Times by Rohan Wilson
A “choose-your-own-adventure” book: Choose Your Own Adventure #2: Journey Under the Sea by R.A. Montgomery
An “own voices” book: Children of the Dragon: Race for the Red Dragon by Rebecca Lim
Read a book during the season it is set in: Archibald, The Naughtiest Elf in the World Causes Trouble with the Easter Bunny by Skye Davidson (Easter Season), The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle by Sophie Green (parts are set during Autumn), While You Were Reading by Ali Berg and Michelle Klaus (Winter), The Unforgiving City by Maggie Joel (Winter)
A LitRPG book:
A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters: Kensy and Max: Undercover by Jacqueline Harvey (Ciphers used to give the chapter headings)
Two books that share the same title: Deltora Quest: The Forest of Silence by Emily Rodda
Two books that share the same title: Deltora Quest: The Lake of Tears by Emily Rodda
A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom: Aladdin and the Arabian Nights – Open Sesame
A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

2019 Australian Women Writer’s Challenge Completed,

At the start of the year, I pledged to read fifteen books across the year, and ended up reading one hundred, and reviewing about ninety-seven of those – as some were read for my job as a quiz writer and I didn’t get a chance to review them all.

NJ1828-ETP-Archibald-Santa-book-cover-300x240

x99-percent-mine.jpg.pagespeed.ic.eft0zzx-3g

What-Lies-Beneath-Us-Cover-sample-copy-197x300

Of the one hundred, it is hard to choose a favourite, however one highlight was meeting the author of the Ella and Olivia books, and the Puppy Diaries books, Yvette Poshoglian, and getting to read and review a book I edited earlier this year. I read quite broadly, in various genres, as well as kids, young adult and adult books.

Four Dead Queens

Zebra

Esther

I completed the Matilda Saga this year – and hope to reread the entire series back to back soon. It was a journey of one hundred years of the people of Gibber’s Creek, and has to be one of the most well written and well-researched series I’ve ever read. Below is my list, and linked reviews.