At the start of the year, I pledged to read fifteen books across the year, and ended up reading one hundred, and reviewing about ninety-seven of those – as some were read for my job as a quiz writer and I didn’t get a chance to review them all.
Four Dead Queens
Zebra
Esther
The Talent Show
Maddie Bright
- Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner – Reviewed
- Vardaesia by Lynette Noni– Reviewed
- Saving You by Charlotte Nash – Reviewed
- Zelda Stitch Term Two: Too Much Witch by Nikki Greenberg – Reviewed
- 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne– Reviewed
- Beauty in Thorns by Kate Forsyth– Reviewed/Revisited post
- What Lies Beneath Us by Kirsty Ferguson – Reviewed
- The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble – Reviewed
- The House of Second Chances by Esther Campion – Reviewed
- The Orchardist’s Daughter by Karen Viggers – Reviewed
- The French Photographer by Natasha Lester – Reviewed and Q&A
- Kensy and Max: Undercover by Jacqueline Harvey – Reviewed
- The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer– Reviewed
- 52 Mondays by Anna Ciddor– Reviewed
- Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte– Reviewed
- Zebra and Other Stories by Debra Adelaide – Reviewed
- Esther by Jessica North – Reviewed
- Mermaid Holidays: The Talent Show by Delphine Davis and Adele K. Thomas – Reviewed
- The True Story of Maddie Bright by Mary-Rose MacColl – Reviewed
- Miss Franklin: How Miles Franklin’s Brilliant Career Began by Libby Hathorn – Reviewed
- Archibald, The Naughtiest Elf in the World Causes Trouble with the Easter Bunny by Skye Davidson – Reviewed
- The Artist’s Portrait by Julie Keys – Reviewed
- The Suicide Bride by Tanya Bretherton– Reviewed, Interview
- Deltora Quest: The Forest of Silence by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Children of the Dragon: Race for the Red Dragon by Rebecca Lim – Reviewed
- Deltora Quest: The Lake of Tears by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Deltora Quest: The City of Rats by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Alice to Prague by Tanya Heaslip– Reviewed
- Life Before by Carmel Reilly– Reviewed
- The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle by Sophie Green – Reviewed
- The Monster Who Wasn’t by T.C. Shelley – Reviewed
- The Lost Letters of Esther Durrant by Kayte Nunn – Reviewed
- Lintang and The Pirate Queen by Tamara Moss– Reviewed
- The Great Toy Rescue (Puppy Diaries #1) by Yvette Poshoglian – Work book, not reviewed
- As Happy as Here by Jane Godwin – Reviewed
- Women to the Front: The Extraordinary Australian Women Doctors of the Great War by Heather Sheard and Ruth Lee – Reviewed
- Deltora Quest: The Shifting Sands by Emily Rodda– Reviewed
- Deltora Quest: Dread Mountain by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Mermaid Holidays: The Magic Pearl by Delphine Davis and Adele K Thomas – Reviewed
- Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers– Reviewed
- Eco Warriors: Microbat Mayhem by Candice Lemon-Scott – Work book, not reviewed.
- Maternal Instinct by Rebecca Bowyer – Reviewed
- The Blue Rose by Kate Forsyth– Reviewed
- Fled by Meg Keneally – Reviewed
- The Last Dingo Summer by Jackie French (Matilda Saga #8)– Reviewed
- The Silver Well by Kate Forsyth and Kim Wilkins– Reviewed
- Blood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood (Phryne Fisher #6)– Reviewed
- Deltora Quest: The Maze of the Beast by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Deltora Quest: The Valley of the Lost by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Deltora Quest: Return to Del by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Deltora Quest #1 by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Somewhere Around the Corner by Jackie French – Reviewed
- Alexander Altmann A10567 by Suzy Zail– Reviewed
- Where the Dead Go by Sarah Bailey– Reviewed
- Firewatcher #1: Brimstone by Kelly Gardiner – Reviewed
- The Burnt Country by Joy Rhoades– Reviewed
- The Book Ninja by Ali Berg and Michelle Klaus– Reviewed
- Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Mermaid Holidays #3: The Bake Off by Delphine Davis – Reviewed
- While You Were Reading by Ali Berg and Michelle Klaus – Reviewed
- The Unforgiving City by Maggie Joel – Reviewed
- Matters of the Heart by Fiona Palmer – Reviewed
- Mary Poppins She Wrote: The extraordinary life of Australian writer P.L. Travers by Valerie Wilson– Reviewed
- Kensy and Max: Out of Sight by Jacqueline Harvey – Reviewed
- The Lily and the Rose by Jackie French – Reviewed
- The Impossible Quest #1: Escape from Wolfhaven Castle by Kate Forsyth– Reviewed
- A Lighthouse in Time by Sandra Bennett – Reviewed
- 488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan– Reviewed
- There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett– Reviewed
- Rebel Women who Changed Australia by Susanna de Vries – Reviewed
- Whisper by Lynette Noni– Reviewed
- The Glimme by Emily Rodda-Reviewed
- The Orange Grove by Kate Murdoch – Reviewed
- Weapon by Lynette Noni – Reviewed
- Total Quack Up Again by Sally Rippin and Adrian Beck – Reviewed
- The Starthorn Tree by Kate Forsyth – Reviewed
- With Love from Miss Lily by Jackie French (short story) – Reviewed
- The Lily in the Snow by Jackie French – Reviewed
- Christmas Lilies by Jackie French – Reviewed
- The Wildkin’s Curse by Kate Forsyth – Reviewed
- The Starkin Crown by Kate Forsyth– Reviewed
- Clancy of the Overflow by Jackie French – Reviewed
- Wolves of the Witchwood (Impossible Quest #2) by Kate Forsyth– Reviewed
- The Beast of Blackmoor Bog (Impossible Quest #3) by Kate Forsyth – Reviewed
- The Drowned Kingdom (Impossible Quest #4) by Kate Forsyth– Reviewed
- Cavern of The Fear (Deltora Shadowlands #1) by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Battle of the Heroes (Impossible Quest #5) by Kate Forsyth – Reviewed
- Ella and Olivia: Reef Explorers by Yvette Poshoglian – Work book, not reviewed
- Pippa’s Island: The Beach Shack Café by Belinda Murrell– Reviewed
- Crossing the Lines by Sulari Gentill – Reviewed
- Gom’s Gold by S.L. Mills– Reviewed
- Pippa’s Island: Cub Reporters by Belinda Murrell– Reviewed
- Pippa’s Island: Kira Dreaming by Belinda Murrell– Reviewed
- Mermaid Holidays #4: The Reef Rescue by Delphine Davis and Adele K Thomas – Reviewed
- Ask Hercules Quick by Ursula Dubosarsky – quiz book, not reviewed
- Isle of Illusion (Deltora Quest: Shadowlands #2) by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- The Shadowlands (Deltora Quest Shadowlands #3) by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Deltora Quest Shadowlands Omnibus by Emily Rodda – Reviewed
- Pippa’s Island: Camp Castaway by Belinda Murrell – Reviewed
Title: Crossing the Lines
Sulari Gentill has stepped away from Rowland Sinclair here – yet as she also as the Young Adult Hero Trilogy, it is interesting and fun to see the different things she can do with her characters and how they each remain faithful to their own books and works. Here, she has cleverly explored the relationship between character and author, and the act of writing and where it can take the author – sometimes to places that the author least expects, as happens to Madeleine in this book.
2017 was the first year I took part in the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge, and it was the sixth year it has been running. Keen to read more Australian Women Writers and raise the profile of our wonderfully talented female authors, I signed up in early January 2017, as a way to keep myself occupied whilst building my blog, and to read more local literature. To start, I initially made a list of books I wanted to read, including The Beast’s Garden (a re-read that I never got to), anything new from Lynette Noni and Sulari Gentill, a couple of books I had obtained over Christmas, and A Waltz for Matilda by Jackie French. This list was my base, and from there, within the first month, I had completed my goal with the entirety of The Matilda Saga by Jackie French, and several review books that weren’t quite my style, but that I passed on to those who did enjoy them. From there, many of the books I read were review books from publishers, all genres, growing my list substantially, so I had more than doubled my initial goal by April of the year – perhaps even tripled it by then. So I kept reading, devouring fantasy, historical fiction and crime as my favourite genres for the year.
Title: A Dangerous Language
how the dangerous language that Rowland and his friends opposed in 1934 from Fascists and the conservatives of the time is repeating itself today. The feelings of powerlessness that the ordinary people had against those in politics and with influence that can encourage this dangerous language Rowland dislikes are felt through Milt and Clyde throughout the novel, and in particular Clyde during a boat cruise from Fremantle to Melbourne, where they must ensure Egon gets to Melbourne safely, and in Traveller’s Class, Rowland is able to get Egon as far as possible on his trip. The social class contrast between Rowland and his friends appears even more so in this book, where class and politics have become crucial to the evolution of the plot and characters at the stage of the series. The history of this turbulent period is woven into the plot and is sometimes the motive behind the crime, such as in A Dangerous Language. I also enjoy the inclusion of historical figures and people throughout that had an impact on history – this gives the stories an authenticity to them that is both exciting and informative at the same time.
Over the course of seventy years, the Matilda Saga tells the story of women’s rights, of wars – The Boer War, World War One, World War Two and Vietnam by book five The Ghost by the Billabong, which I am currently reading, those left behind on the home front, and the 
innocents whose lives are turned upside down. It tells of the inter-war period between World War One and The Great Depression, and how orphaned teenagers like Flinty McAlpine raised families, after injuring her back, and how Blue escaped a prison-like home to find her family, and how Nancy went to Malaya to get her sister-in-law home, and found herself trapped in a prisoner of war camp by the Japanese on a small island off Malaya. The most recent books focus on Jed Kelly, and as I’ve just started book five, I’m still getting to know her and her story, but she comes to Drinkwater – Matilda’s property – and the characters that link all the books together – to find out who her great-grandfather is. Jackie French weaves history and imagination together to create this world and those who worked behind the scenes and brings the forgotten stories to light – the women, the orphans, the Indigenous Australians whose voices are clear in these books. Each book can be read alone, however, reading them in order has helped me see all the connections and links.
Another Australian author I enjoy is Kate Forsyth. Her historical fiction stories also place the female character in the centre. My favourite is The Beast’s Garden, set in World War Two Germany, where Ava works to subvert Nazi power, whilst married to a Nazi, one whom she loves but at the same time fears, unsure of what he will do should he find out about her Jewish friends and their resistance, or her work against the Nazis. The power of a subversive voice not often heard in literature is what gave The Beast’s Garden it’s heart and power: we saw the impact of the Nazi regime through Ava’s eyes. What it did to her family, her friends, and what having a Spanish mother did to her, how it affected her as she lived with typically Aryan sisters. Even though this doesn’t tell the story of an Australian character, it is definitely one of my favourites.
r family is hiding. The book delves int
o various prejudices in the community at the time of war, and how they felt towards each other. As I read this, I had the question in the back of my mind: Did societal expectations drive the behaviour of some? The book dealt with the history nicely, and again, used voices not often heard in the history books to tell those experiences – perhaps something the history books need more of to have a rounded understanding of the war as a whole, even on the home front. Using silenced voices like Heiss, Forsyth and French have done makes the story more powerful, gives it more impact.
throughout the series. Poor Rowly has been shot, stabbed, beaten, and in a car accident, and has come through it all. He is an Australian gentleman. It is another fabulous series by a great Australian author.