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Sally Murphy, Australian author

What I Read in November 2024

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Hard to believe it is December already, but my calendar says so, so I guess it’s true. And, as always, a new month means time to post what I read last month. A bit of an eclectic mix – eight books in all. Here’s what they were:

Books for Children

  1. TweetTweet, by Morris Gleitzman (Penguin, 2024). I was lucky enough to be on the same festival line up as Morris Gleitzman at the Scribblers Festival, and of course had to buy his latest book at the festival bookstore.  A fun story even while also dealing with big issues around  human impact on the environment, as well as grief and loss.
  2. Encyclopedia Brown Carries On, by Donald J. Sobol (Scholastic, 1980). One of the many books from my to-read cupboard which were rescued from a discard trolley years ago. I’m gradually getting through them. Can imagine young readers trying to solve the mysteries along with the main character.
  3. The Best Train Set Ever, by Pat Hutchins (Bodley Head, 1979). And another from the discard trolley. I loved Pat Hutchins’  Titch books but hadn’t come across this little offering which includes three sweet family stories.
  4. Too Many Babies, by Rose Impey & Shoo Rayner (Orchard Books, 1993). A third from the discard trolley (I do seem to read them in batches) featuring a family of tenrecs (Madagascan shrews), as their parents battle to raise their very large littler of babies.
  5. Blabber MouthBlabber Mouth, by Morris Gleitzman (Pan Macmillan, 1992). Also a book I rescued from somewhere a while back and had in my to-read pile, this caught my eye because I’d been reading Tweet (above) and thought it was time I read this older Gleitzman. He has a knack for mixing humour with difficult concepts.

Books for Young Adults

  1. My Family and Other SuspectsMy Family and Other Suspects, by Kate Emery (Allen & Unwin, 2024). A witty, entertaining murder mystery set in the WA’s Southwest.  Ruth, the narrator, is obsessed with murder mysteries, but she doesn’t expect to have one to solve at the family holiday house – but when her step Grandmother dies suddenly, the whole family becomes suspects.

Books for Adults

  1. It All Makes Sense Now: Embrace Your ADHD Brain to Live a Creative and Colorful LifeIt All Makes Sense Now: Embrace Your ADHD Brain to Live a Creative and Colorful Life, by Meredith Carder (Hay House, 2024). I came across this one in  a bookshop and am glad I did, because it’s one of the best books on ADHD I’ve read – very accessible, good examples and some helpful strategies.
  2. Selected Verse, by Colin Thiele (Rigby, 1970).  I didn’t actually read all of this in November – I have been reading a few poems at a time for several months. I know Thiele best as an author for young people, but this poetry is definitely for adults, dealing with a range of topics from the everyday to the truly confronting.

 

That brings my total for the year so far to 108. Hoping for a little extra reading time in December as my work year is winding down a little. Currently reading two books – fiction on audio and nonfiction in hard copy, so off to a good start.  I’m also hoping to get through more from my to-read cupboard, to free up some storage space.

What are you reading?

What I Read in October 2024

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It’s a new month which means I’m sharing what I read in the old month. In October I managed 10 books, with half being new purchases and the other half from my to-read pile which I had hoped to reduce significantly in 2024.  It is a wee bit smaller, but with two months to go, I know I won’t be getting that extra shelf back any time soon. So many books so little time! But what a lovely problem to have – too many books. Is that even a thing?

Anyway, here’s what I did manage to finish in October.

Books for Children

  1. Hester Hitchins and the Falling StarsHester Hitchins and the Falling Stars, by Catherine Norton (Angus & Robertson, 2024).  One look at the cover of this delightful hardcover offering and I knew I had to buy it. And I wasn’t disappointed – an adventurous story of girl-power set in England in 1866 and following the adventures of Hester Hitchins as she tries to take up a place at a Nautical navigation Academy usually only open to boys.
  2. Mouse and His Dog: A Dogtown BookMouse and His Dog: A Dogtown Book, by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko, illustrated by Wallace West (Welbeck, 2024). I hadn’t read the previous Dogtown book, but this one sat alone pretty comfortably. Set in a dog shelter and told from the perspective of a mouse called Mouse who is determined to help the dogs who, it seems, may never find homes of their own.  Really cute.
  3. The Long WalkThe Long Walk, by Kerry Greenwood (Hachette, 2004). This one has been in my to-read pile for quite a while after I bought it from a library discard trolley. Set during the Great Depression, and against the backdrop of the building of the Great Ocean Road, it is the story of Isa Wyatt who, left alone with her three younger siblings, sets off  on a journey from Melbourne to Apollo Bay, looking for their father.
  4. Heroes of the Secret UndergroundHeroes of the Secret Underground, by Susanne Gervay (Angus & Robertson, 2021). More historical fiction – this one a time slip between Sydney in the year 2000 and Budapest in 1944, during the German occupation of Hungary. As such it deals with some really challenging times, but does so in a way with which young people can connect.
  5. Leo and Ralph Leo and Ralph by Peter Carnavas (UQP, 2024). It’s a Peter Carnavas book so I knew before I opened it that I would love it. About imaginary friends, real friends and being true to both.
  6. Hey, Kid, by Rita Golden Gelman, illustrated by Carol Nicklaus (Franklin Watts, 1977). Another from my to-read pile. This caught my eye on a library discard trolley ages ago, and has lived in my to-read pile ever since – even though it is a quick read.  It’s quirky – and, if Google is to be believed, a bit of a collectible, selling on Abe Books  for $32 US.  Maybe I should sell my copy?
  7. The King and the SeaThe King and the Sea, by Heinz Janisch & Wolf Erlbruch (Gecko Press, 2015). Another quirky offering from my to-read pile. 21 extremely short stories about a little king – some funny, some to leave you thinking. I loved it.

Books for Young Adults

  1. Happiness QuestThe Happiness Quest, by Richard Yaxley (Scholastic, 2018). Another from my to-read pile, and glad I finally got to it. As Tillie tries to understand why she is sad, her counsellor suggests she try to find out what happiness is – leading to a lot of realisations not just about herself, but also about her family and friends.

 

Books for Adults

  1. How to Not Work Forever: Start Investing and Build a Life You LoveHow to Not Work Forever: Start Investing and Build a Life You Love, by Natasha Etschmann & Ana Kresina (Wiley, 2024). Not my usual type of read, but that’s the point, I think. A really clear guide to the how and why of investment. Inspired me to make some changes to my finances.
  2. A Girls' Guide to Winning the War: The most heartwarming, uplifting novel of courage and friendship in WW2A Girls’ Guide to Winning the War, Annie Lyons (Honeysett Books, 2024). I’ve spent much of this year delving into the role of women in WW2, so I couldn’t not read this novel, set in London where librarian Peggy Sparks joins the wat workforce for the Ministry of Information. A pleasing blend of history, friendship and romance.

 

That brings my total for the year to a respectable 100 books read.  Happy with that. What have you been reading?

What I Read in September 2024

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September has come and gone, and I managed to read 9 books. I’m not reading at pace these days, but I am enjoying what I read, which is key.  Here’s what I read.

Books for Young Readers

    1. The War that Saved My LifeThe War that Saved My Life, by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley (Puffin, 2016). I listened to the audio version of this one and couldn’t stop listening when I got out of the car – which is always a sign that a book has drawn me right in. Set in WW2, the story follows Ada, a girl whose very difficult life in London is replaced by a life of hope and healing when she joins other London children sent to the country for safety.
    2. The War I Finally WonThe War I Finally Won, by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley (Text Publishing, 2017) And, since I had already fallen in love with young Ada, I had to read the sequel straight away. Really satisfying.
    3. The Sky in Silver LaceThe Sky in Silver Lace, by Robin Klein (Text Classics, 2017). This is the third book of a trilogy, the other two of which I read a year or so ago, with this one sitting in my to-read pile till now. I love robin Klein’s writing, and this is no exception – a poignant slice of life of the Melling sisters, struggling against poverty as they move to the city in the late 1940s.

 

Books for Young Adults

  1. One Night One Night, by Margaret Wild (Allen & Unwin, 2003). Being one of the first verse novels I ever read, I love to keep going back and rereading this one – the first time in a few years, and still really powerful.

 

Books for Adults

  1. The Ghosts of Roebuck Bay, by Ian W. Shaw (Pan Macmillan, 2014) . I have spent much of this year delving into WW2 history, and this was part of that exploration, telling the story of the bombing of Broome in 1942, a tragedy I knew only a little about.
  2. Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing LifeSometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life, by Terry Brooks (Ballantine Books, 2003). I picked this up second hand in London earlier this year, and finally got round to reading it.  An excellent blend of memoir and writing advice.
  3. Iris is More than Okay, by Natalie Cooper (Audible,2024). Every now and then a contemporary romance is what I need, and this one, recommended to me by Audible, fitted the bill.  I thought it was going to be predictable and, being a romance, there was some of that, but there was also a twist I didn’t see coming.
  4. How to Keep House While Drowning: A gentle approach to cleaning and organisingHow to Keep House While Drowning: A gentle approach to cleaning and organising, by KC Davis (Cornerstone Press, 2022). Not sure why it took me so long to read this – I bought it after hearing the author on a podcast – I can’t even remember which one – and falling in love with her attitude. Key takeaway, for me: having a messy house is not a moral failing.
  5. Best Wishes: The funny new book from the bestselling, much loved and eternally hopeful author of The Land Before Avocado and Flesh WoundsBest Wishes, by Richard Glover (ABC Books, 2023). I really enjoyed this one – witty in some places, serious in others, as Glover makes, and explains, a series of wishes to make the world a less annoying place – from banning pre-ripped jeans, to wanting the ‘debate’ over climate change to end.

 

That brings my total for the year to date to 90.  What have you been reading?

What I Read in August 2024

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Being Bookmonth, August is always a busy month, so I’m not surprised to report that I read only 7 books last  month. Still, they were an excellent mix of books, and seven is so much better than none.  Here’s what I got through.

Books for Children

  1. The Little Street Library, by Amy Adeney, illustrated by Erin Maclean (Affirm Press, 2024). I love little street libraries, and am delighted there is a picturebook celebrating them and the way they can build communities.
  2. Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, by Patrick Ness  (Walker Books, 2024). I received an advance copy of this, which meant I read it ahead of its release, which is coming up in September. As quirky as one would expect from Patrick Ness, younger readers will love the animal characters.
  3. BrilliANT, by Rosi Ngwenya ,illustrated by Sandy Flett (RivetedPress,2024). Oh wow! I heard the author of this boo interviewed on Your Kids Next Read podcast and had to go out and buy the book straight away. Such a geniously simple concept – a whole story told using only 14 words, all ending in ANT – and, of course, about an ant. It makes me giggle, but also wonder at the cleverness.
  4. The Apprentice Witnesser, by Bren MacDibble (Allen & Unwin, 2024) . the most perfect dedication I ever read – ‘To all gentle hearts with deep hopes for a kinder world. Stay true.’ – leads into an equally perfect book, following the journey of Bastienne, apprentice Witnesser of Miracles, and her quest to find family and belonging in a post-apocalyptic world where women  are in the majority and must rebuild.
  5.  Sky Country, by Aunty Patsy Cameron & Lisa Kennedy(Magabala Books,2024). A stunning picture book set in Trouwerner (Tasmania) and showing a journey of  children with their grandmother as they visit a mountain and she shares the story of their Ancestral Beings.  The visual imagery is  beautiful, as is the accessible story showing the handing down of knowledge between generations.

Books for Young Adults

  1. Two Can Play That Game, by Leanne Yong (Allen & Unwin, 2023) . Easy to see why this was shortlisted in this year’s CBCA Book of the Year Awards – you don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy the tension between Sam Khoo, who wants nothing more than to be an Indie Game Maker, in spite of her parents’ hope she will go to university, and Jay Chua, who is standing in the way of her dreams.  The fact that their Asian families think their connection could be a courtship, there’s no way either teen is going there.  Or is there?

 

Books for Adults

  1. The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, by Mark Lawrence (Harper Collins, 2023) . I listened to the audio version of this which, at 22 hours play time, was a pretty long read. Fantasy, set in a world which has been severely impacted by war and time, and based in and around a magical, mysterious library which houses a copy of every book ever written. Two parallel narratives – of a girl who becomes a trainee librarian, and a young man who has bene trapped living in the library all of his life – make for lots of interesting twists and turns.

 

That brings my total to the year to 81. I’m thinking I  might manage to get to 100 for the year, considerable lower than last year’s total – but that was something I planned. I was keen this year to worry less about getting through a certain number and more about enjoying the reading journey – and that’s definitely happening.

 

What I Read in July 2024

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It’s a new month which means time to share what I read in July. A very low total of four books finished, which doesn’t surprise me because I have returned to my full time academic role and been doing a lot of reading for the teaching semester which I’m not counting here.  Still, now that semester is underway I look forward to grabbing a few more opportunities to read the fun stuff in August.  Here’s the four I read in July.

Books for Young Adults

  1. The Left-Handed Booksellers of LondonThe Left-Handed Booksellers of London, by Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin, 2020). I am not sure why it took me so long to read this – I love Garth Nix’s way with words, and this took me into a magical version of London with action aplenty.
  2. JinxJinx, by Margaret Wild (Allen & Unwin, 2001). Not the first time I have read this book, and won’t be the last either – this is the first verse novel I ever read and led to my fascination with the form and, of course, to me then writing them myself.

Books for Adults

  1. Don’t Hang Up, by Benjamin Stevenson (Audible Original).  I quite enjoyed this quick read, available only as an audiobook., and listened to it on one trip up and back to Perth. A  midnight to dawn dj gets a call from a caller who threatens to kill a hostage if the dj hangs up.
  2. Secret Fleets: Fremantle's World War II Submarine BaseSecret Fleets: Fremantle’s World War II Submarine Base, by Lynne Cairns (Western Australian Museum, 2011). I bought this several months ago, because it overlaps with the research I’ve been doing  for my current WIP, set during World War 11 in WA. Really interesting to learn about the submarines based in Fremantle during the war.

 

That brings my total to for the year to date to 74. I’d love to hear what you’re reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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. 

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