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

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

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My Favourite Books of 2025

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

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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

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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

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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

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Dymocks Reading Challenge 2025 Completed

And just like that, another year of the Dymocks Reading Challenge is over. I managed to fill in each prompt for this one, and may have ummed and ahhed about the Gothic Ruins prompt, because I read a couple of books that seemed to fit it well. I did focus on Australian books and authors… Continue reading Dymocks Reading Challenge 2025 Completed

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October 2025 Reading Round Up

In October I read 18 books, covering picture books to young adult, with some poetry, mystery and time travel thrown in. It was an eclectic bunch of books this month, and most of them were Australian authors. I managed to review most, and have also been keeping on top of my review books as much… Continue reading October 2025 Reading Round Up

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The Friendship Book by Zanni Louise, illustrated by Nicky Johnston

Title: The Friendship Book Author: Zanni Louise, illustrated by Nicky Johnston Genre: Fiction Publisher: Walker Books Australia Published: 1st November 2025 Format: Hardcover Pages: 32 Price: $24.99 Synopsis: A joyful look at the friendships we make and how to nurture them from award-winning author Zanni Louise and illustrator Nicky JohnstonFriends can come from anywhere! From school,… Continue reading The Friendship Book by Zanni Louise, illustrated by Nicky Johnston

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Being Indy by Zoe Gaetjens, illustrated by Estee Sarsfield

Title: Being Indy Author: Zoe Gaetjens, illustrated by Estee Sarsfield Genre: Fiction Publisher: WestWords/WestWords Children's Published: 1st October 2025 Format: Hardcover Pages: 40 Price: $29.95 Synopsis: There was no finer place to live than on the Mountain. Folks came from everywhere wanting to live there – including Indy. But the mountain was ruled by Percival,… Continue reading Being Indy by Zoe Gaetjens, illustrated by Estee Sarsfield

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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