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Sally Murphy, Australian author

What I Read in June 2024

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I’m a little late with sharing my reading list for June – but, as they say, better late than never. Here’s what I read  last month.

Books for Children

    1. Poetry ComicsPoetry Comics, by Grant Snider (Chronicle Books, 2024). I fell in love with this book in the conference bookstore at the AFCC last month and, in spite of my luggage already overflowing, knew I had to own it.  A blend of image and work to make perfect little poems for children – and adults – to adore.
    2. Tree Tree, by Claire Saxby and Jess Racklyeft (Allen & Unwin, 2024). Oh wow! Full disclosure: Claire is a lovely friend of mine, but I don’t think that could have made me any more in love with this book. The ecosystem of a single tree, in poetic text and with sumptuous illustrations make this an absolute work of art.
    3. Seed to Sky: Life in the Daintree (Nature Storybooks)Seed to Sky: Life in the Daintree (Nature Storybooks), by Pamela Freeman & Liz Anelli (Walker Books, 2024). A perfect complement to Tree, this one traces the journey of a different tree (a Bull Kauri pine) from seed, to sapling, to towering tree. Just lovely.
    4. Let’s Chase Stars Together: Poems to Lose Yourself In, by Matt Goodfellow (Bloomsbury, 2022). I picked up this collection in a bookshop in London and am very glad I did. The poetry is aimed at middle grade graders, and covers tough topics, like family breakdown, domestic violence and loneliness, as well as happier ones that made me smile. It’s excellent.
    5. The Flying spring Onion, by Matthew Sweeney (Faber & Faber, 1992). I didn’t know Sweeney’s work, but an activity on a writing retreat last month used one of his poems, Fishbones Dreaming, led me to want to read more and I managed to find a copy of this book. A mix of nonsense, whimsy and curiosity.
    6. A Leaf Called GreafA Leaf Called Greaf, by Kelly Canby (Fremantle Press, 2024). This beautiful picture book made me cry – it is such a perfect depiction of grief, in its many forms, accessible for young children but also sure to touch adult hearts, as it did mine.
    7. AntarcticaAntarctica, by Moira Court (Fremantle Press, 2019). Another beautiful picture book with collage art bringing to life the diverse animal inhabitants of Antarctica.
    8. The Kindness ProjectThe Kindness Project, by Deborah Abela, Puffin Books, 2024). I’ve been anticipating this one for a while, knowing that Deborah Abela was working on a verse novel and being equally sure that it would be wonderful. It is!
    9. Watercress, by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chon (Neal Porter Books, 2021). I was lucky enough to meet Andrea Wang and hear her speak at last month’s AFCC in Singapore, and knew I needed to own this stunning picture book about belonging, and memories, and families.

 

Books for Young Adults

  1. Where the Heart Should Be, by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury, 2024).  Oh. This is brilliant. I knew it would be – Sarah Crossan is one of my favourite verse novelists. This time she is sharing a story of love, family, and hardship set in the midst of the potato famine in Ireland.  I picked this copy up in England, but am pleased to see it’s available in Australia.

Books for Adults

  1. Alphabetical: How Every Letter Tells a StoryAlphabetical: How Every Letter Tells a Story, by Michael Rosen (John Murray, 2013). Purchased at the Southbank second hand book market in London, because I can’t ever walk away from a Michael Rosen book. The history of the alphabet told with Rosen’s intelligence and humour. So many interesting tidbits and side quests.
  2. How to Avoid a Happy LifeHow to Avoid a Happy Life, by Julia Lawrinson (Fremantle Press, 2024). I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this one – I know Julia personally, and admire her for many reasons. Her honest, open voice, and ability to share some really torrid and almost stranger-than-fiction life events makes a really powerful read.
  3. A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD: Embrace Neurodiversity, Live Boldly, and Break Through BarriersA Radical Guide for Women with ADHD: Embrace Neurodiversity, Live Boldly, and Break Through Barriers, by Sari Solden & Michelle Frank (New Harbinger). Lots of useful tips for living with ADHD. I probably would have found it more useful if I had read it in hardcopy, because it had lots of exercises, which I couldn’t do while listening on the road.

That brings my total for the year to 70 books. Here’s to loads more reads in the second half of the year. 

What I Read in February 2023

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February is  over so it’s time to share my reading for the month. A shorter month, and a super busy one, but I read 11 books in amongst that busyness – some on audio on some long drives but most in hard copy.  My favourite? A verse novel – Grace Notes by Karen Comer.

Here’s what else I read:

Children’s Books
      1. Cop and RobberCop and Robber by Tristan Bancks (Puffin, 2022).  For middle grade readers, this is part action adventure, and part moral dilemma. Nash has to balance his love and loyalty to his dad, who wants Nash to help him commit a robbery, and his mum, who is a local cop.
      2. Waiting for the StorksWaiting for the Storks, by Katrina Nannestad (ABC Books, 2022). I would read a shopping list written by Katrina! She has very quickly become of my favourite writers, even though her books have the capacity to break my heart. The story  of Zofia, a Polish girl taken by German soldiers because of her blonde hair and blue eyes. Challenging, because it is set during WW2, but still just beautiful.
      3. Bad Grammar: A School for GentlemenBad Grammar: A School for Gentlemen, by Nathan Luff Being a wordsmith, I first thought this would be a book about language (lol) but quickly realised it was about that other kind of grammar – a school. Marcus is packed off to a school for bad boys – or misfits. And he’s not happy about it. A fun adventure.
Books for Young Adults
    1. Grace NotesGrace Notes, by Karen Comer (Lothian, 2023). Verse novels are my favourite kind of novels – narrative  wrapped up in poetry is a perfect means to covey a vast range of themes and emotions. So as soon as I hear about this one I raced off and bought it – and wasn’t disappointed.  The dual stories of Grace, a violinist whose parents don’t approve of her goal to be a professional musician, and Crux, who wants to be a street artist but has promised his Dad he’ll wait till he’s finished school. When Crux paints a mural of Grace, they meet, and together they navigate their parental pressures, as well as the unfolding Covid 19 pandemic.  Moving and beautifully told.
Books for Adults
      1. Why Does It Still Hurt?: how the power of knowledge can overcome chronic painWhy Does It Still Hurt?: how the power of knowledge can overcome chronic pain, by Paul Biegler (Scribe, 2022). I found this a useful insight into chronic pain, its causes and the connection between our brain and pain in the rest of our body. I’m on a bit of a quest for such information this year, so you might see quite a few health type books popping up in my monthly reads.
      2. The Beekeeper of Aleppo: The heartbreaking tale that everyone's talking aboutThe Beekeeper of Aleppo , by Christy Lefteri (Bonnier, 2020). Wow. I have been meaning to get around to this book for a very long time.  Glad I finally did. You should read it too.
      3. A Grief ObservedA Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis. I can’t remember who recommended this book to me, but it’s been there waiting to be read for some time, and now I’ve read it.  Didn’t love it, but interesting to learn about Lewis’s experience of grief.
      4. DraculaDracula: Popular Penguins, by Bram Stoker. I listened tot he Audible version of this classic, which I hadn’t read before. Really interesting story telling. I love how it is woven.
      5. Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for YouDivergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed for You, by Jenara Nerenberg(Harper One, 2021). Oh gosh I felt so very seen reading this book. The title says it all – this is a book all about neurodivergence, especially in women, and I learnt a lot.
      6. Looking for Eden, by Caroline Overington (Audible original). this was a fairly easy listen – an audio-only book with some mystery, some family issues and twists and turns.
      7. Miss Potter: The NovelMiss Potter: The Novel, by Richard Maltby (F. Warne & Co, 2006). What is special about this book is that I found it! On a bench in the local park. AND it was left there deliberately – as a Book Crossing Book. I have always always wanted to find a Book Crossing Book and, now that I’ve found and read one, I will leave it somewhere else, very soon – and leave some other books places too. I love Bookcrossing!

So that brings my total for the year to 23. I’m not aiming for a specific total this year, but suspect the number will be highish at this rate.  What have you been reading.

What I Read in September

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September has flown past, but I did manage some reading – 11 books in total.  I read some beauties, mostly the children’s books, but also some really grim reads for adults which left me wondering  about the terrible things people are capable of.   Not a great way to start my reading update, but rest assured that grimness does not mean bad writing.

Anyway, here’s what I read.

Books for Children

  1. Little Tales of  Hedgehog and Goat, by Paula Green, illustrated by Kimberly Andrews (Puffin, 2022). This was just a delightful way to start my reading for the month. Look at the cover and you will get a feel for just what a whimsical, happy book this is.
  2. All Four Quarters of the Moon, by Shirley Marr (Puffin Books, 2022).  I loved this gorgeous tale of change, family and friendship. Peijing and her family move to Australia from Singapore – and it seems everything is different. Possibly the most different thing of all is that her beloved Ah Ma seems to be forgetting who she is. Even though there are some difficult topics explored – including a subplot involving childhood neglect – they are handled deftly.

3. How to Be a Wonder Hunter, by Josh Langley (Big Sky, 2022). Josh is a friend and a wonderful person, so I was delighted to pop in and see him and buy a copy of this little book at a recent local event.  It’s a gorgeous book about being curious and creative, and open to discovering wonders.

4. The Travelling Bookshop: Mim and the Woeful Wedding, by Katrina Nannestad. Oh how enchanting! I already loved Katrina Nannestad’s work, but hadn’t read her junior fiction – but lucky me got to meet Katrina at the recent Scribblers Festival and then celebrated by buying this book.  Mim, her brother and father and assorted animals travel the world in a magical bookshop which decides where it is needed. In this instalment they arrive at a Greek island where a wedding is about to take place – but Mim is sure that the bride and groom are not going to be happy.

5. The Last Bear, by Hannah Gold (Harper Collins, 2021).  The cover is divine and the book is too. The story of a lonely child who finds herself living with only her mother on a remote island in the Arctic, where she befriends a lost polar bear. It’s beautiful.

6. The Good Bye Year, by Emily Gale (Text, 2022).  This is the story of Harper, who finds that her final, year of primary school is not at all what she imagined it might be. There are just too many changes: her friends become school leaders and seem to busy for her, her parents head off overseas for work, leaving her with a grandmother she barely knows, and a pandemic hits. But worst of all – Harper is being haunted by a mysterious ghost.

Books for Young Adults

  1. All the Best Liars, by Amelia Kahaney (Walker, 2022).  I really enjoyed this psychological thriller – which I must confess I didn’t expect. Cleverly woven so that you get to know the three teens who grew up close but are no longer so, before you start to discover what went wrong, and the terrible consequences.

Books for Adults

  1. The Brink, by Holden Sheppard (Text Publishing, 2022).  Wow! What a ride this book took me on. A group of school leavers head off on their leavers week – but have to change plans and end up on a remote island, where things unravel. A really compelling read, with a thought-provoking insight into masculinity, sexuality, and peer dynamics.

2. Batavia, by Peter Fitzsimons (Random House, 2012). I think a mistake reading this one.  I knew a bit about the history of the Batavia, shipwrecked off the coast of Geraldton in the 1600s, so after I visited Geraldton I decided to read the story. My mistake was forgetting what a grim, blood curdling horrid piece of history it is. The book is well written, but the details of what happened after the ship was wrecked are just horrible. This is not fiction, so every death, at the hands of other survivors, the treatment of the women and children, and more,  based on the truth, is just terrible. Maybe I read it at the wrong time. I do believe we need to know about bad history so that we can work to change it – I guess my upset was that I am not sure humanity has moved on far enough.

3. Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence, by Doris Pilkington Garimara and Nugi Garimara (UQP, 2002). After reading Batavia, I decided my next book would be happier. And this one was, in places. This is the book which inspired the film of the same name – and is the true story of three girls stolen from their family and taken south to be educated at Moore river. They famously escaped and walked all the way home by following the rabbit proof fence. What a wonderful story of courage, family, and determination. Sadly, it is also a reminder of the terrible treatment of the  stolen generation, and a reminder of the impacts white Australians have had on the traditional owners of this country. So, while I am glad I read this I was left again saddened by what happened – and how little has changed really.

4. The Hitchhiker, by Gabriel Bergmoser  (Audible Australia, 2022). In my quest to stop reading things that made me so sad about humanity I opened a free audiobook from Audible. Oops. This was a psychological thriller  which featured a lot of horrible acts committed by a psychopath. Cleverly told, but I finished my month determined to read more happier books in October.

 

That brings my total for the year to 128 books for the year and, as I said, also brings me a determination to do more uplifting reading in October. Not sure how I’ll go – but, spoiler alert, I have started October with a romance novel.

 

March Reads

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Time for  reflection on my reading for the month past, and I am happy to report that I did indeed get some reading done. My tallies in January and February were abysmal – so low I was a little embarrassed to report them – but I turned this around in March and managed to finish 14 books.  I’m pleased with this, and also pleased with the big range of books that have filled my life – from quirky board books, to dark, but beautiful, novels.  Here’s what I read:

Books for Children

  1. Travels of an Extraordinary Hamster, by Astrid Desbordes and Pauline Martin (Gecko Press, 2015). A funny chapter book/graphic novel told entirely through illustrations and speech bubbles. Hamster is selfish, and yet somehow endearing and his adventures will entertain young readers.
  2. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume (Bodley Head, 1979). I love Judy Blume, and picked this book up in a second hand shop a while ago.  The adventures of Peter, a fourth-grader whose biggest trouble in life is his little brother, Fudge.
  3. Interned, by Pamela Rushby (Walker Books, 2022). Wonderful historical fiction set in and around the internment camps in rural Australian in WW1. Some tough subject matter, told with compassion and a gentle touch.
  4. Everything You Want to See, by Kyle Hughes-Odgers (Fremantle Press, 2022). This is such a cute little offering, in board book format with rhyming text and whimsical illustrations, showing young readers the things they want to see.  Sure to be a firm favourite with my grandies.
  5. Wombat Can’t Sing, by Katie Stewart (Fremantle Press, 2022). A lovely picture book text about knowing one’s own strengths, and not trying to please everyone. As you can see from the cover, Wombat is  gorgeously wrought.
  6. The Last Light Horse, by Dianne Wolfer, illustrated by Brian Simmonds (Fremantle Press, 2022). The fourth and final instalment in the breathtaking Light series, this historical picture book focusses on the story of Sandy, the one light horse who was returned to Australia.
  7. Answers to Brut, by Gillian Rubinstein (Omnibus/Puffin, 1998). An op-shop find. and a Rubinstein book I hadn’t heard of. When Kel finds Caspian’s bull terrier, Brut, he decides to borrow him for a little while. It isn’t right, but he has no idea just what adventure it will create for him, and for Caspian, when Brut goes missing and they have to try to rescue him.
  8. The Echidna Near My Place, By Sue Whiting & Cate James (Walker Books, 2022). This adorable picture book made me smile even before I opened it. Look at the gorgeous cover!  And the author is one of my amazing author  friends, so I knew it would be good. Combines the story of a child and her Nana and their encounters with a local echidna, with facts about echidnas, in a satisfying blend – with stunning illustrations by a new-to-me illustrator.
  9. The Wearing of the Green, by Claire Saxby (Walker Books, 2022). Another book by one of my closest author-buddies. Of course it is hard to be unbiased when you love the authors as much as I love Claire and Sue, but I do what I can. And Claire’s way with bringing historical fiction to life is wonderful. The story of an Irish orphan and her life in colonial Victoria. I was very late to bed the night I read this – I had to finish it before I could sleep.

 

Books for Adults

 

  1. The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle. Continuing my listening of the audio collection, read by Stephen Fry. It’s been months since I started listening to the complete works, and I still have more to go, but I’m not sick of it yet.
  2. The Gallerist, by Michael Levitt (Fremantle Press, 2022). Set in Perth, this is part mystery, part later-life romance, set in Australia’s art world, with the main character a gallerist who sets out to investigate the provenance of a painting.
  3. After Darkness, by Christine Piper (Allen & Unwin, 2014). It wasn’t deliberate that I read two books about internees this month (see Interned, above), but it was interesting to see two stories, one from young people’s perspectives and one from an adult one. Tomakazu is a Japanese doctor who is interned in South Australia during WW2, but we also follow this backstory, gradually learning of his past in Japan. Well woven.
  4. The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle. My second Sherlock for the month. Still three more go to have read The Definitive Collection. It’s a marathon, but I’m still enjoying it.
  5.  The Silence of Water, by Sharron Booth (Fremantle Press, 2022). Not an easy read in places, because of its subject matter, but absorbing and beautifully written. A fictionalised story of a real man, Edwin Salt, a convict sent to Western Australia for the brutal murder of his wife and, importantly, the story of the impact of his actions on that wife, Mary Ann, and three generations of Salt’s family.

This brings my total for the year to 24. Still a way to go to reach my goal of 153 for the year – but there is indeed a lot of the year to go. Onwards and upwards.

 

What have you been reading?

What I Read in July

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I’m not sure where I found time to get through 16 books this crazy busy month, especially given only two were audiobooks. But when you have a good book on the go, you steal moments to read. So much goodness this month, and this brings to 97 books for the year.

Books for Children

  1. Swallow’s Dance, by Wendy Orr (Allen & Unwin, 2018).  I’m not sure why I hadn’t read Orr’s Bronze age books before, but having read Dragonfly Song in June, I searched out this one, too. I love the way she brings this period alive through strong girl characters overcoming big adversity.
  2. Everywhere Blue, by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz. Look at the amazing cover of this verse novel. Just stunning. And the book itself is excellent, too. The story of a family fractured by the disappearance of a son, and his sister particularly trying to make sense of everything.
  3. The Treehouse Joke Book 2, by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton (Pan, 2021). Yes, i really did sit down and read a joke book for children cover to cover and yes I got quite a few laughs. This was sent to me as a review copy and was just the right thing to find in in TBR pile one wet miserable day.
  4. Mel and Shell, by Julia Lawrinson (Fremantle Press, 2021). Another review copy – this one isn’t out until September and I have been resisting reading it too early, but  the cover kept calling to me. Set in the 70s, with ABBA, horses, school camps, WAY79 (if you grew up in WA in the 70s you’ll know what this is) and Lawrinson’s typical deft touch with blending fun and issues including family, friendship and more. Love it!
  5. Bella and the Voyaging House, by Meg McKinlay (Fremantle Press, 2021).  And yes, another review copy. Always a pleasure to read Meg McKinlay’s writing. She is one of Australia’s finest writers for young people. This is a sequel to Bell and the Wandering House, but could also be read as a stand alone. Whimsy, adventure and loveliness. McKinlay also blogged at Aussiereviews this month about where her ideas come from.
  6. The Twilight Ghost, by Colin Thiele (Puffin, 2004). I picked this one up from a library discard sale a while ago. Part of the now defunct (and much-missed) Aussie Chomps series, and written by one our most loved authors, this ghost story adventure is set in rural Australia.
  7. When Days Tilt, by Karen Ginnane (Penguin, 2021).  Ooooh. I was very excited to get to read this, having waited impatiently for its release. I went to university with the author, and was excited to reconnect with her via twitter and realise she had her first book coming out. Anyway, that’s a bit beside the point because even if I didn’t know Karen, i would have adored this book. A fantasy set in Victorian London and an alternate world, where the city of Donlon is familiar yet very different.  It is beautifully crafted, and I’m now eagerly awaiting its sequel.

 

Books for Young Adults

  1. Echo in the Memory, by Cameron Nunn (Walker Books, 2021). Another from my review pile. Dual narratives – of a convict boy sent to work as a shepherd on a  remote property, and a contemporary teen sent live on  he same property with his grandparents after a family tragedy. Not always easy reading – it deals with some heavy topics, including suicide, family breakdown, the treatment of Aboriginal people by early settlers and more – but well done.

Books for Adults

  1. Her Last Holiday, by C.L. Taylor (Avon, 2021). Was given this by a friend and read it in two evenings. A well woven suspense story with the mystery of a disappearance at a self help retreat.
  2. Locust Summer, by David Allan-Petale (Fremantle Press, 2021). I enjoyed this one from my review pile – read over two evenings. I always love books set in Western Australia, because they take me places I’ve been. this one is set in the Wheatbelt, so felt very familiar.  A story of a family’s final harvest as they prepare to sell up, and face their pasts and their altered future.  David Allan-Petale also guest blogged over at Aussiereviews this month.
  3. The Other Side of Beautiful, by Kim Lock (Harper Collins, 2021).  Funny and heartwarming, and at times sad, I really enjoyed this road trip story. When Mercy blain’s house burns down it is not the worst thing happening in her life – and soon she is on the road, in a hastily bought van, travelling across the middle of the continent. I enjoyed this.
  4. Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray, by Anita Heiss (Simon & Schuster, 2021). My read of the month! This is beautiful, heartbreaking, and important. The story of Wagadhaany, forced to leave her family behind as an unpaid domestic to settler landowners. Her heart is broken by the knowledge she might never return to her country and her family and, while she finds love and friendship, her longing to go home is constant. Such a privilege to read  and to grow more understanding of something which is a terrible, unforgiveable,  part of Australia’s history – the treatment of our first peoples as slaves, the degradation of their land and so much more.

Non Fiction

  1. Working Class Boy, by Jimmy Barnes (Harper Collins, 2017).  . Have always loved Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes’ music, but probably wouldn’t have listened to or read this if I listened to this one if it didn’t show up on my  Audible account as one of their monthly  free downloads. I’m glad I did though – having Jimmy read/recount the story made the listening experience. And the story paints a really vivid picture of his childhood and youth, as well as giving an insight into life in Elizabeth and Adelaide.  I suspect I will end up buying the sequel, which deals with his adult life.

What have you been reading?

What I Read in June

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Another month down and we are halfway through 2021. Time flies! That means it’s time to take stock of what I read in June. I can report that after struggling to read in May, in June I got back on track and read 14 books, though some were picture books (I only include picture books in my total if it’s the first time I’ve read them, and if I take the time to really examine them). Some good ones here, but I think my favourite was Poems That Do not Sleep, because I am still thinking about it, long after I put it down. Isn’t that what poetry is supposed to do?

Books for Kids

  1. Our Home, Our Heartbeat, by Briggs, with illustrations by Kate Moon & Rachel Sarra. (Hardie Grant, 2020). How wonderful to come across this picture book adaption of Briggs’ song The Children Came Back. A celebration of Aboriginal legends from history, sport, music and more. A must have for every classroom and home.
  2.  Dragonfly Song, by Wendy Orr (Allen & Unwin, 2016).  I love Wendy Orr’s writing, so am not sure why it has taken me so long to get to this one, but I am really glad I finally picked it up. A mythic story set in the Bronze Age, with action,  twists and turns and featuring a resilient main character, Aissa.
  3. Common Wealth, by Gregg Dreise (Scholastic, 2021).
  4. Hello and Welcome, by Gregg Dreise (Penguin, 2021)
  5. My Culture and Me, by Gregg Dreise (Penguin, 2019) You might notice a theme emerging in my picture book reads this month. I went looking for the voices of  more First Nations poets because I felt there was a gap in my reading, and perhaps in publishing, too. I was heartened to find three books by Dreise, as well as the Briggs book above. Each very different, and all books that I will be sharing  with my  education students and recommending widely. 
  6.  Paws, by Kate Foster (Walker Books, 2021). A  charming story of friendship, dogs and coping with change. Max, the main character, lives with autism, and is trying to navigate the challenges of his final year of primary school, and his desire to make friends.
  7. Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows , by Denis Knight & Cristy Burne (Lothian, 2021).  This is the first in a series, and i am already looking forward to the second. Wednesday Weeks isn’t super keen on being a sorcerer’s apprentice but when her grandpa (the sorcerer) is kidnapped. Wednesday has to find a way to rescue him, along with the help of her best friend Alfie. Lots of magic and a satisfying mix of science too.
  8. A Boat of Stars, edited by Margaret Connolly & Natalie Jane Prior (ABC Books, 2018). Not my first read of this beautiful anthology, and I have dipped in and out of it many times,  but a great pleasure to take the time to reread from cover to cover. The world needs more beautiful poetry books – and Australia needs more such books produced by Australian creators.

Books for Young Adults

  1. The Gathering, by Isobelle Carmody (Puffin Books, 1993). I had read this last year, after picking it up in an op shop, but somehow it went back into my to be read pile, and so I read it again. This is a gripping young adult story, about how Nat, and a group of other seemingly misfit teens find the way to tackle the dark force which is taking over their school and their town.
  2. We Were Wolves, by Jason Cockcroft. I have to confess to not enjoying this one, which says nothing about the quality of the writing and more about the events of the book. It was grim at the start, grim in the middle and grim at the end. Although there were glimmers of hope, I wasn’t sure the boy (he didn’t even have a  name) was left any better off.

Books for Adults

  1. The Little Boat on Trusting Lane, by Mel Hall (Fremantle Press, 2021). The author of this one guest blogged on Aussiereviews earlier this month, inspiring me to pick up a read the book. I really enjoyed this book, though it’s hard to explain – it’s a gentle satire about religion, and new aged healing, and coping with pain. And, if you know Fremantle, the settings will resonate with you, as they did for me.
  2. The Emporium of Imagination, by Tabitha Bird. I raced off to buy this when I read an article about it in the paper in May, then had to wait a while to read it, because I was in the midst of grief and wondered if a book about grief was the best thing for me.  I needn’t have worried – yes, this book has its sadness, but it also uplifting and even in places humorous. I loved it.
  3. The Night Village, by Zoe Deleuil (Fremantle Press, 2021). From my review pile (and actually not released until August), I enjoyed this, reading it over two evenings. Dealing with the realties of early motherhood – the birth experience, the impact of sleeplessness, the isolation and so on, against the backdrop of an air of threat/mystery.

Non Fiction Books

  1. The Way of Integrity, by Martha Beck (Audible). I found this one through a recommendation on Audible, and really enjoyed the messages of this book, as well as the easy to listen to narration, by the author. Clear messages about being true to yourself – ie living in integrity – if you want to be truly happy.

Poetry

  1. Poems That Do not Sleep, by Hassan Al Nawwab (Fremantle Press, 2021). I picked this one late one evening from my to read pile, and then couldn’t go to bed until I had read  every poem. Easy to read, in their accessibility, but sometimes hard to digest because they deal with such real, difficult experiences. The poet is a former Iraqi soldier and refugee. the title should have been enough hint to me of their challenge, but I am very glad I read them, and will do so again.

 

That brings my total to the year to 81. Not bad when I consider just how busy I really am. What have you been reading lately? I’d love to hear.

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