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January 2024 Reading Round Up

Well, one month of the year down, and I spent a lot of time reading – for reviewing, to catch up on my backlog of review books, as well as working on the Stella Prize Summer Challenge, and a few other things. Whilst the Stella Prize Summer Challenge is officially over – it only ran… Continue reading January 2024 Reading Round Up

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Smoke and Mirrors by Barry Jonsberg

Title: Smoke and Mirrors Author: Barry Jonsberg Genre: Contemporary Publisher: Allen and Unwin Published: 30th January 2024 Format: Paperback Pages: 272 Price: $19.99 Synopsis: Grace McKellon isn't a 'people person'. All she needs is her magic tricks and her wise-cracking grandmother - until a new friend comes along and promises to make her a social… Continue reading Smoke and Mirrors by Barry Jonsberg

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DANZ Children’s Book Awards 2024 Longlist

Introducing the very first longlist for the DANZ Children’s Book Awards for 2024! Check out the judge’s comments here! Diversity is more than just a label  Picture books Echo Written by Lisa Van Der Wielen and illustrated by Anne FarrellPublished by Lisa Van Der Wielen for HeartKids Australia​Be Careful, Xiao Xin!Written by Alice Pung and illustrated by Sher Rill NgPublished… Continue reading DANZ Children’s Book Awards 2024 Longlist

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Love, Just In by Natalie Murray

Title: Love, Just In Author: Natalie Murray Genre: Romantic Comedy Publisher: Allen and Unwin Published: 3rd January 2024 Format: Paperback Pages: 464 Price: $22.99 Synopsis: In the vein of Emily Henry's You and Me On Vacation, Love, Just In is a friends-to-lovers romance with just enough spice to heat up the summer. Sydney TV news reporter Josie Larsen… Continue reading Love, Just In by Natalie Murray

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Books Written by Australian Men

This year, I read thirty-seven books by Australian men, mostly by authors I was familiar with or that I knew I had enjoyed in the past. I also looked at reading books and authors – as always – that don’t get featured everywhere to spread the love around. Many books were fun reads, but there… Continue reading Books Written by Australian Men

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The Books I read that were Written by Women

In 2023, I read 173 books written by women across a range of genres and audiences and age groups, and many of these were review books or books that I reviewed throughout the year. I made the effort to be as diverse as possible – whether this was the story, the author, or the characters… Continue reading The Books I read that were Written by Women

#AussieAuthors2023, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, adventure, animals, Aussie authors, Australian literature, biography, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, challenges, check in post, Children's Literature, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, Garth Nix, historical fiction, history, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, non-fiction, Picture Books, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, Sci-Fi, series, short stories, Tim Harris

Books by Men Read in 2023

  Books by Men Read in 2023 One of the ways I like to explore my reading is seeing what ratio of male authors to female authors I have read. The past few years I have read more women authors than men, a goal that started when I participated in the Australian Women Writer’s challenge… Continue reading Books by Men Read in 2023

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Books by Non-Australian Women 2023

2023 was my year of aiming to read as many women as possible – and overall, to read as many unsung books as possible, because often these books are the ones that are the gems. I managed to read twenty-nine books by women who aren’t Australian, which went towards my goal of reading more women… Continue reading Books by Non-Australian Women 2023

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Wild Love by Kiera Lindsey

Title: Wild Love Author: Kiera Lindsey Genre: Biography/Autobiography Publisher: Allen and Unwin Published: 31st October 2023 Format: Paperback Pages: 464 Price: $36.99 Synopsis: Kiera Lindsey uncovers the life of the exuberant colonial painter Adelaide Ironside, from her childhood on the shores of Sydney harbour to the leading artistic circles of Europe where she was celebrated… Continue reading Wild Love by Kiera Lindsey

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December 2023 Reading Round Up

This month’s reading round up is coming to you early – I usually do this in the first week of the following month, but have chosen to do it earlier this month. In December I read 13 books, as some took me a little longer than others and I was trying to get through a… Continue reading December 2023 Reading Round Up