Category: Reviews

Book Industry, Books, Crime/Mystery, literary fiction, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Young Adult

Every Exquisite Thing by Laura Steven

Ashleigh

Title: Every Exquisite Thing Author: Laura Steven Genre: Thriller/YA Publisher: Farshore Books/Electric Monkey/Harper Collins Australia Published: 4th October 2023 Format: Paperback Pages: 352 Price: $19.99 Synopsis: A feminist YA horror-thriller-romance retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray by the TikTok sensation and author of The Society for Soulless Girls…Penny Paxton is the daughter of an… Continue reading Every Exquisite Thing by Laura Steven

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Completion of QBD Reading Challenge 2023

Ashleigh

I have completed the 2023 QBD Challenge. My last prompt was a funny memoir, which in some ways was hard to find, but I settled on Paul Jennings’ memoir, Untwisted, which was funny in parts, and I enjoyed the way he told the stories – with humour and empathy throughout. I reviewed twenty books for… Continue reading Completion of QBD Reading Challenge 2023

animals, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, series

The Puppets of Spelhorst: A Norendy Tale by Kate DiCamillo

Ashleigh

Title: The Puppets of Spelhorst: A Norendy Tale Author: Kate DiCamillo Genre: Fantasy Publisher: Walker Books Published: 18th October 2023 Format: Hardcover Pages: 160 Price: $24.99 Synopsis: From master storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes an original fairy tale, enchantingly illustrated, in which five puppets confront circumstances beyond their control with patience, cunning and high spirits.Once, there… Continue reading The Puppets of Spelhorst: A Norendy Tale by Kate DiCamillo

Book Industry, Books, Crime/Mystery, humour, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Young Adult

Murder on a School Night by Kate Weston

Ashleigh

Title: Murder on a School Night Author: Kate Weston Genre: Crime, Mystery Publisher: HarperCollins Australia/Electric Monkey Published: 6th July 2023 Format: Paperback Pages: 336 Price: $13.99 Synopsis: Sex Education meets A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder in this darkly hilarious YA murder mystery by Comedy Women in Print Prize and Carnegie Medal nominated author, Kate Weston. ‘Fiercely funny,… Continue reading Murder on a School Night by Kate Weston

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Completed: Dymocks Reading Challenge 2023

Ashleigh

This year, I took on the Dymocks Reading Challenge again. This time, we got our prompts season by season, which made it more challenging to plan what to read, but in the end, I managed to do it. The prompts were fairly flexible as well – there were ones anything could fit into and ones… Continue reading Completed: Dymocks Reading Challenge 2023

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Dymocks Spring Reading Challenge

Ashleigh

The final set of prompts for this year’s Dymock’s Reading Challenge for Spring are completed now too – a couple of them took me a while but I got there. One of the things I have liked about this challenge is how open to interpretation some prompts were, because a prompt will always have a… Continue reading Dymocks Spring Reading Challenge

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Rarity of Reviews of Australian Children’s Books

Ashleigh

I have ‘some more thoughts’ – this time, about the rarity of reviews of children’s books in mainstream media, magazines, and newspapers – the media that most people would consume or have access to. Whilst they may review books, it’s always adult books and often the very literary ones. And whilst any book coverage is… Continue reading Rarity of Reviews of Australian Children’s Books

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Alice-Miranda and the Christmas Mystery by Jacqueline Harvey

Ashleigh

Title: Alice-Miranda and the Christmas Mystery Author: Jacqueline Harvey Genre:  Mystery Publisher: Puffin Published: 10th October 2023  Format:  Paperback Pages: 432 Price:  $16.99 Synopsis: THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING SERIES!Join Alice-Miranda in a delightful Christmas adventure.Christmas is almost here, and Alice-Miranda and her closest friends are celebrating early at Highton Hall. But it’s not all gingerbread, parties… Continue reading Alice-Miranda and the Christmas Mystery by Jacqueline Harvey

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Guest Post, Natalie Bayley – Author of Bone Rites

Ashleigh

As part of Natalie's blog tour, she has written this post for me about her writing and research process for the novel to accompany the review. Thanks for the fascinating post, Natalie. Researching Historical Fiction: the Old, the Strange and the Downright Peculiar Most of my novels are set in the early or mid-twentieth century.… Continue reading Guest Post, Natalie Bayley – Author of Bone Rites

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Blog Tour: Bone Rites by Natalie Bayley

Ashleigh

Title: Bone Rites Author: Natalie Bayley Genre: Historical Fiction/Thriller Publisher: Aurora Metro Books Published: 31st October 2023 Format: Paperback Pages: 314 Price: $25.99 Synopsis: Winner of The Virginia Prize for Fiction Bone Rites is a dark, literary tale of love, loss and one woman's obsessive fight for justice and redemption within a ruthless world.  I… Continue reading Blog Tour: Bone Rites by Natalie Bayley