It’s the last day of December which means a wrap up of my reading for the month. I read 8 books, a number which surprised me because I spent lots of time with family this month, and also napped more, so still managing 8 books. was not a bad achievement. Here’s what I read.

Books for Children

1. 1. The Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss. I’ve been enjoying listening to children’s classics through Audible – until I reached this one. I am sorry to report that,  while I knew my old favourites would be dated, and therefore would hold some values that just don’t hold up to contemporary life, this is the first one where I struggled to keep listening.  The idea of a family being shipwrecked and then having a survival adventure should allow me to overcome some of my concerns – but it didn’t. I won’t list them all here, but the attitudes to women and to ‘savages’ (who don’t even appear in the book) as well as mindless violence against animals (as opposed to hunting for survival)  mean that I wouldn’t recommend this book to a younger reader without a lot of room to discuss and interrogate.  This article is a critique of the film version, but still covers some of the same concerns I had.

  2. Raggedy Ann Stories and Raggedy Andy Stories, by Johnny Gruelle (Audible). Another audio book of a classic, and much more enjoyable. Toys that come alive and have adventures is a far cry from the above, though, being written over a century ago, there are some aspects that are outdated.

3.  Mr Dumby’s Duck, by Colin Thiele, illustrated by Mark Wilson. Written by one of Australia’s best loved authors, and published in the same year he died, this is a cute little story about a man and his much-loved duck – who also proves very handy as a guard-duck. I rediscovered this one as I rearranged my bookshelves, and am glad.

4. Accidentally Kelly Street, by Briony Stewart with lyrics by Tim O’Connor (Affirm Press, 2022). I have been very excited about this picture book for a long time – knowing that Briony was working on it, and having adored this song since it was released. But I did not predict just how amazingly she has interpreted the song, depicting a family making a new start in Kelly Street. You have to see it for real to see why it took my breath away. Go and buy it, and share and discuss it.

5. Sea Horse, by Bruce Pascoe (Magabala Books, 2015). This was my last read for the year and a good one to finish on. I have been consciously working to ensure I read more books by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, our first nations people, both to educate myself and to ensure I have a really diverse collection to share.  This is the story  of Jack, who, on a camping trip with his family, spots a sunken boat under the water, beginning an adventure with mystery and excitement.

Books for Adults

1. 1. Tell Me Lies, by J. P Pomare (audible, 2022)  This is the second book of this author I have listened to. Psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns.

2. To Teach: The Journey, in Comics by William Ayers and Ryan Alexander-Tanner (Teachers College Press, 2010). This was a gift from my boss – very appropriate given that we both work in the School of Education. Possibly the best book I’ve seen for teachers, and student-teachers – and it’s a comic! Just such a wonderful way to explore the highs and lows of teaching, but, more importantly, the importance of imaginative teaching. Love it!

3. The Wrong Sister, by Fiona Palmer (Hachette, 2022). I picked this one up purely because of the tile – having four sisters, the title tickled my fancy. Not my usual kind of read  but a good December read, with an exploration of family, trauma and romance, set in Western Australia’s north.

This brings my total for the year to 169, which is 16 more than 2021. On reflection, while I am happy with this total, my goal for 2023 will be not to read more, but to ensure I really enjoy reading – because I set myself a numerical goal, I did find myself sometimes feeling guilty if I did not get through ‘enough’ books, and had to remind myself that it wasn’t a race. So, we shall see how I go in 2023. I do have an enormous to read pile, and so many books I want to  read – so I may still reach a big number. But I am going to also give myself permission to put a book aside if I’m not enjoying it, or to read slowly  to really savour a good one.