Tag: historical fiction

#AussieAuthors2026, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, animals, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, challenges, check in post, Children's Literature, Disney Reading Challenge, historical fiction, history, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, The Nerd Daily, Young Adult

A Light on the Rocks by Helen Edwards

Ashleigh

Title: A Light on the Rocks Author: Helen Edwards Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Riveted Press Published: 28th January 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 224    Price: $17.99 Synopsis: In 1859, fourteen-year-old Daisy is travelling on the SS Admella from Adelaide to Melbourne, when the steamship is wrecked on a submerged reef near Cape Banks, in what became… Continue reading A Light on the Rocks by Helen Edwards

#AussieAuthors2025, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, Crime/Mystery, historical fiction, history, literary fiction, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, series

Black Silk and Sympathy by Deborah Challinor

Ashleigh

Title: Black Silk and Sympathy Author: Deborah Challinor Genre: Crime, Historical Crime Publisher: HarperCollins Australia Published: 3rd April 2024 Format: Paperback Pages: 384 Price: $32.99 Synopsis: A dazzling new series from bestselling historical fiction author Deborah Challinor, exploring the fascinating world of Victorian funeral customs and featuring Sydney's first female undertaker. 'Men have been undertakers… Continue reading Black Silk and Sympathy by Deborah Challinor

#AussieAuthors2025, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Blog Tour, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, CBCA, check in post, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, Jacqueline Harvey, Junior Fiction, Kate Temple, Larrikin House, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, mythology, non-fiction, Picture Books, Publishers, R.A. Spratt, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, Sci-Fi, series, short stories, Speculative fiction, The Girls Who Change the World, translated works, Verse novels, Wherewithal Way, Willa and Woof, Young Adult

Children’s and Young Adult Books Read in 2025

Ashleigh

In 2025, I read 198 children’s books, from picture books to middle grade books and young adult books. I covered every age range possible. I also have a separate post for young adult books. I covered a lot of different themes and ideas in this, as well as reading as diversely as possible. There seems… Continue reading Children’s and Young Adult Books Read in 2025

#AussieAuthors2025, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOzYA, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, check in post, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, literary fiction, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, Young Adult

Young Adult books read in 2025

Ashleigh

In 2025, I read 50 young adult books, mostly by Australian authors in all sorts of genres and styles, and who all had different identities. Some of these books probably crossed over with middle grade, but they’re here because they could also be enjoyed by a young adult audience, or in the case of the… Continue reading Young Adult books read in 2025

#AussieAuthors2025, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, Alice-Miranda, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, challenges, check in post, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, Jacqueline Harvey, Junior Fiction, Kate Temple, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, mythology, Nevermoor, non-fiction, Picture Books, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, Sci-Fi, series, short stories, Speculative fiction, spies, The Nerd Daily

Australian Authors Read

Ashleigh

Every year, I aim to focus by reading on Australian authors, because I see authors from the UK and the US get widely promoted, and I feel that a lot of Australian authors, unless they’re super popular, get overlooked. Particularly the kids and young adult authors. So in 2025 I read 239 Australian authors in… Continue reading Australian Authors Read

Anna James, biography, Blog Tour, 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, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, mythology, non-fiction, Picture Books, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, Sci-Fi, series, short stories, Speculative fiction, The Nerd Daily, Young Adult

Non-Australian Women read

Ashleigh

In 2025, I read 25 books by women who weren’t from Australia. These authors were, based on what I was able to get, what I was sent for review, or what I had on my shelves, European, British, and at least one from New Zealand, and a few from the USA. Some of these were… Continue reading Non-Australian Women read

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

Book Industry, Books, check in post, historical fiction, history, literary fiction, Publishers, Reading, Reviews

Cape Fever by Nadia Davids

Ashleigh

Title: Cape Fever Author: Nadia Davids Genre: Gothic, Historical Fiction Publisher: Simon and Schuster/Scribner UK Published: 30th December 2025 Format: Paperback Pages: 240 Price: $29.99 Synopsis: An exhilarating tale of twisted desire and the unexpected shape of revenge, for readers of The Safekeep‘I come highly recommended to Mrs Hattingh through sentences I tell her I cannot… Continue reading Cape Fever by Nadia Davids

#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