#AussieAuthors2025, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, adventure, animals, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Blog Tour, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, challenges, check in post, Children's Literature, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, Indigenous authors, Junior Fiction, Larrikin House, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, mythology, non-fiction, Picture Books, plays, poetry, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, Sci-Fi, series, short stories, Speculative fiction, Verse novels, Young Adult

Total Men

So, in 2025, I read 44 books by men from around the world, with a focus on lesser-known Australian men. Yes, they get their own post because it’s much easier to split things up when you’ve read over 200 books, and make separate posts for things so people can find what they want in these… Continue reading Total Men

#AussieAuthors2025, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, adventure, animals, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, biography, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, challenges, check in post, Children's Literature, classics, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, Indigenous authors, Jackie French, Jane Austen, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, non-fiction, Picture Books, poetry, Publishers, R.A. Spratt, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, Sci-Fi, series, short stories, Speculative fiction, spies, The Girls Who Change the World, The Nerd Daily, Young Adult

Readings Book Bingo Completed-ish

 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

#AussieAuthors2025, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Blog Tour, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, challenges, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Elston-Fright, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, Indigenous authors, Jacqueline Harvey, Jane Austen, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, middle grade, Nevermoor, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, Sci-Fi, series, short stories, Speculative fiction, The Nerd Daily, Wherewithal Way, Young Adult

Book Bingo found on LinkedIn

In July, I found another book bingo, and downloaded the card. It was shared by Rebecca Fung from Giulia Ralton, a library and literacy teacher. She explains the purpose behind a book bingo challenge here. Fingers crossed all these links work, and apologies if they don’t.  I’m always interested to see what reading challenges do,… Continue reading Book Bingo found on LinkedIn

#AussieAuthors2025, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, Indigenous authors, Junior Fiction, non-fiction, Picture Books, Reading, Reviews

giwang by Belinda Bridge, illustrated by Peta-Joy Williams

Title: giwang Author: Belinda Bridge, illustrated by Peta-Joy Williams Genre: Language and learning Publisher: Aboriginal Studies Press Published: 1st November 2025 Format: Paperback Pages: 32 Price: $24.99 Synopsis: The dry central western region of New South Wales is Wiradjuri Country. Here, the landscape slips from one weather cycle into another as hot, dry and windy… Continue reading giwang by Belinda Bridge, illustrated by Peta-Joy Williams

#AussieAuthors2025, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Awards, Book Industry, Books, Indigenous authors, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, middle grade, Picture Books, Publishers, Reading

Wilderness Awards  2025

The 2025 Karajia and Environment Award Winners, stories that connect kids to Country and nature have been announced. They were announced at 11am on the 11th of October on Love Your Bookshop Day, which is also the start of Nature Books Week. These awards celebrate authors and illustrators who have written and created stories to… Continue reading Wilderness Awards  2025

#AussieAuthors2025, adventure, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, Picture Books, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, The Nerd Daily

Earth Speak: Boodjar Wangkiny by Sean McCann, illustrated by Jade Goodwin

Title: Earth Speak: Boodjar Wangkiny Author: Sean McCann, illustrated by Jade Goodwin Genre: Fiction Publisher: Allen and Unwin Published: 3rd June 2025 Format: Hardcover Pages: 32 Price: $26.99 Synopsis: A joyful story celebrating the natural world, the sharing of culture through Noongar language and the awe that comes from seeing, hearing and feeling how elemental… Continue reading Earth Speak: Boodjar Wangkiny by Sean McCann, illustrated by Jade Goodwin

#AussieAuthors2025, adventure, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, Indigenous authors, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, Picture Books, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic

Naynay and the Mermaid by Tasma Walton, illustrated by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis

Title: Naynay and the Mermaid Author: Tasma Walton, illustrated by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis Genre: Fantasy Publisher: Scholastic Australia Published: 1st October 2025 Format: Hardcover Pages: 24 Price: $19.99 Synopsis: 'With long tendrils of seagrass for hair, her body is blue green like the sea, and her tail sparkles with iridescent scales ...' Naynay and her family… Continue reading Naynay and the Mermaid by Tasma Walton, illustrated by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis

#AussieAuthors2025, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, Indigenous authors, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, Picture Books, Publishers, Reading, Reviews

How Big Is Love? by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler, illustrated by Jade Goodwin

Title: How Big Is Love? Author: Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler, illustrated by Jade Goodwin Genre: Fiction Publisher: Hachette/Lothian Published: 26th August 2025 Format: Hardcover Pages: 32 Price: $24.99 Synopsis: The love between two family members takes us on a journey from their small backyard, across Country, to the end of time - because sometimes… Continue reading How Big Is Love? by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler, illustrated by Jade Goodwin

#AussieAuthors2025, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, A.L. Tait, adventure, animals, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, biography, Blog Tour, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, challenges, check in post, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, humour, Indigenous authors, Jane Austen, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, middle grade, Nevermoor, Picture Books, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, series, Speculative fiction, Young Adult

Book Grocer Book Bingo Completed

In 2025, one of the book bingo challenges came from a bookshop I follow online called The Book Grocer. I moved a few things around, and made some changes to use some books that I felt were better suited to the prompts. This was one of my reading challenges for the year, and I am… Continue reading Book Grocer Book Bingo Completed

#AussieAuthors2025, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, A.L. Tait, adventure, animals, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, biography, Blog Tour, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, CBCA, challenges, check in post, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, Friday Barnes, historical fiction, history, humour, Indigenous authors, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, mythology, Natasha Lester, non-fiction, Picture Books, plays, poetry, Publishers, R.A. Spratt, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, Sci-Fi, series, The Nerd Daily, Young Adult

July 2025 Reading Round Up

In July, I read 22 books, and am keeping on track with maintaining reading mostly Australian authors, and reading as diversely as I can between what I have already and what I am being sent for review. I’m also focused on certain styles and genres, so there might be some that are, say, translated, that… Continue reading July 2025 Reading Round Up