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Sally Murphy, Australian author

What I Read in February 2024

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It’s the last day of February and I’m getting in early to post what I read this past month.  I read 10 books, one more than January but, very unusually, the majority of these were for adults. I don’t think I remember another month when I read only one book for children.  This is mainly a reflection of being deep into research for a historical fiction project.

Here’s what I managed to finish this month:

Children’s Books

  1. Countdown to YesterdayCountdown to Yesterday, by Shirley Marr (Penguin, 2024).Full disclosure: I love Shirley Marr as a just t wonderful human being so it is unlikely I would ever say anything not-positive about one of her books. Fortunately, that is not likely to be a problem, as she is a superb writer. I was lucky enough to be at the launch of this book and of course then had to come home and gobble it up. A beautiful story of a boy struggling with the change caused by his parents’ divorce, his struggles to fit in at school and his obsession with going back in time.

Books for Adults

    1. How to ADHD: An Insider's Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It)How to ADHD: An Insider’s Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It), by Jessica McCabe (Rodale Books, 2024). This book isn’t out in Australia yet but, after hearing about it, I couldn’t wait, so listed to the audio version, which IS available. Then, when the Australian edition comes out (in March, I believe), I will be buying the hard copy and reading again. A really insightful guide into navigating the challenges of living with ADHD, from the creator of the Youtube channel of the same name, which has over 1.6 million subscribers – a testament to its value if, like me, you have ADHD.
    2. We Answered the Call, by Eileen (Reilly) Tucker (Eileen Tucker, 1991). I am deep in research for a historical fiction novel, and this has been a really useful read, but also is an interesting insight into the women who served in the Australian Women’s Army Service in World War 2.
    3. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart: The beautiful and inspiring international bestselling novel from a much-loved award-winning author, now a major TV series on Prime VideoThe Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, by Holly Ringland (Harper Collins, 2018). I picked this up from a little library shelf in my local shopping centre, ignoring my attempts to reduce the to-read pile I already have. Glad I did – this is a rich, compelling read that I couldn’t put down. I’ll be returning it to the little library too, in hopes someone else will get to love it, too.
    4. We Need Snowflakes: In defence of the sensitive, the angry and the offended. As featured on R4 Woman's HourWe Need Snowflakes: In defence of the sensitive, the angry and the offended, by Hannah Jewell (Coronet, 2022). Picked this up on the strength of the title and, while it wasn’t an easy read, it was a very insightful one, and I would love to see more right-minded people get the messages it contains, with its excellent exploration of whether cancel culture, political correctness and snowflakery are  really spiralling out of control.
    5. You'll Be Sorry!: How World War II Changed Women's LivesYou’ll Be Sorry!: How World War II Changed Women’s Lives, by Ann Howard (Big Sky, 2016). An interesting complement to We Answered the Call (above), similarly tracing the contribution of women to World War 11, especially in the AWAS. This one also traces their lives after the war, highlighting the challenges of the post war years for the women who served.
    6. The Other BridgetThe Other Bridget, by Rachael Johns (Penguin, 2023). I was lucky enough to go an see Rachael Johns in conversation with Anthea Hogdson when they visited Bunbury this month, and, of course bought the book on the spot. I found myself glued to the couch, reading it over a few nights. Set in Fremantle,  I could picture the streets and the places, and enjoyed the combination of romance, family, friendship and other plots. Good stuff.
    7. Bunbury Civilians in Wartime, by the Bunbury Oral History Group (Milligan House, 2001).  Another title read as a research WW2. This one is a fascinating look at what life was like in Bunbury, where I live, during the war years
    8. Love, Faith and Numbers, by Raihanaty A. Jalil (Raihanaty, 2022). I picked up this little volume in the bookstore at the Perth Writer’s Festival last week. I didn’t get to hear the author speak, as I could only attend a few sessions, but I really enjoyed this which is a series of short stories which also works as novelette, following the love life of a Muslim woman named Zakia. I really enjoyed both the story and the opportunity to challenge my Western perspectives on Muslim relationships, something the blurb encourages readers to do.
    9.  Innocents Abroad: The Story of British Child Evacuees in Australia, 1940-45, by Edward Stokes (Allen & Unwin, 1994). And yes, another read for research, although this one is tangential to the story I am researching. Fascinating, and thought provoking, to read the stories of of the child evacuees who were sent to Australia from Britain during WW2.

That brings my total for the year to 19, with lots more to come in 2024, a year not of fast reading, but of meaningful reading.

What I Read in April 2023

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Oh dear! A whole month has gone past since I last found time to post here. Just as well I do a monthly reading round up – it at least makes it hard to go any longer without posting. April has been busy, so I was surprised to realise I still managed  to read 13 books. From picture books, to graphic novels to long form historical fiction, with some classics thrown in, it was an eclectic mix as always. Here’s what I read this month:

Books for Children

        1. Cloudspotting, by Samantha Tidy & Susannah Crispe (Windy Hollow, 2023). I love  a bit of cloud spotting myself – whether its just contemplating the beauty of a cloudy sky or spotting shapes in the clouds.  So I was delighted to be asked to launch this picture book in WA. When my copy arrived I discovered that while it is indeed about the loveliness of watching clouds, it is also about family, and father-daughter outings and more, as the young protagonist accompanies her father on a early-morning crabbing trip.
        2. Friendly Bee and FriendsFriendly Bee and Friends, by Sean E. Avery (Walker Books, 2023). I lvoed this little graphic novel which follows the adventures of Friendly Bee, who wants to be freinds with every bug he meets – including Angry Wasp, Slightly Peckish Caterpillar and even Enormous Hairy Spider, intent on drinking Bee up.  Lots of humour and silliness, but a so some gentle messages about friendship and getting along.
        3. Little JiangLittle Jiang, by Shirley Marr, illustrated by Katy Jiang (Fremantle Press, 2020). I love Shirley Marr’s writing (and Shirley Marr, who is a lovely friend) but had somehow  not read this one, until now. An exciting, heart warming and quirky tale of how Mei Ling, who is born able to see ghosts and seems to be followed by misfortune, manages to save not just her family’s restaurant, but her whole town.
        4. The Machine GunnersThe Machine Gunners, by Robert Westall (Puffin, 1975). I have read this classic many times. I think I probably first read it in high school, and then taught it in my early years of teaching.  Now I have a copy that, somehow, came to me  having previously been for sale in a second hand bookshop in Cork, Ireland. How did I end up with it? I honestly don’t know, but  I do love a well travelled book.  All that aside, this was in my to-read cupboard and will now go back on my keepers shelves – I am not ready to part with it, because I know I’ll read it again.
        5. When I'm BigWhen I’m Big, by Karen Blair (Penguin, 2023). I always love a new Karen Blair picture book – but I was especially excited to get my hands on this one because I won a little piece of the original art, won at an auction at the CBCA WA Annual Night With Our Stars. The book is a gorgeous interpretation of the mixed feelings of a sibling waiting the arrival of a new baby – with fears about being ‘big’ and what that might mean. Gorgeous!

Books for Young Adults

  1. Libby Lawrence is Good at PretendingLibby Lawrence is Good at Pretending, by Jodi McAlister (Wakefield Press, 2022).  I enjoyed this book for older teens. Nineteen year old Libby navigates first  sexual encounters, university life and the challenge of trying to figure out how to be herself rather than trying to pretend to be who she thinks she should be.
  2. Invisibly GraceInvisibly Grace, by Avery McDougall (FortySouth, 2022). I bought this one, along with Libby Lawrence, soon after the CBCA Notables list for 2023 was announced. I love that these lists not only profile good quality books, but also remind readers such as myself of what they might have missed.  This one deals with the subject of invisible illnesses, with Grace Turing suffering an undiagnosed chronic illness but determined not to be known as the Sick Girl at the new school she is starting at.

Books for Adults

    1. No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming SufferingNo Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering, by Thich Naht Hahn. I listened  audiobook version of this little book about the reality of suffering as part of being human, and the use of mindfulness and meditation to face and transform suffering. The author is a well known Buddhist monk and the lessons and insights were useful reminders of the importance of mindfulness.
    2. Frankenstein Frankenstein , by Mary Shelley. Another audiobook listened to in the car. I find this a great way of reading or rereading classic books that I might otherwise not find time for. This particular classic is one I’d not read before, so it was interesting to read the story and get to know the original story which has been reinterpreted a lot of times.
    3. The Happiness Jar, by Samantha Tidy (Storytorch, 2023). I read this as a precursor to launching it, with the author, in WA this month.  This is a book that covers a lot of territory – the jar, filled with memories of things that made its owner (Rachel( happy, is found by her mother(Beth) amongst her possessions after she dies. The story traces the journeys of  Beth and of her son Matthew, as they try to fulfil Rachel’s wishes – for  them each to take half her ashes on journeys that Rachel has planned. Matthew must travel to a remote Kimberley community, and Beth to India. For each the journey is confronting as they overcome their owns pasts and their grief at losing Rachel.  Themes including  the generational impacts of the Vietnam war on returned soldiers and their families, grief, religion and cystic fibrosis are all worked together into a satisfying whole.
    4. Redhead by the Side of the Road: From the bestselling author of French BraidRedhead by the Side of the Road, by Anne Tyler (Penguin, 2020). I have bene trying my hand at capturing and releasing BookCrossing books, and when I saw this one had been released at a Little Street Library not too far from home, I went  there especially to collect it.  Then, true to form, it sat in my to-read pile for a while before I finally got to it. It wasn’t a long read – I read it in one day, and while it wasn’t high-action, I enjoyed it. Micah is a man who is very set in his ways and doesn’t see much point in changing. But when a teenager who claims Micah is his father turns up at his doorstep, Micah starts to realise his life is perhaps not going as well as he thinks.
    5. The Blackout, by  Ruth McIver (Audible Original, 2023). This thriller was a free download from  Audible, and filled a couple of car trips. Narrated by three characters, each read my a different voice, which makes listening easy, though being about some pretty yucky murders, ‘easy’ is maybe not the best word choice.
    6. The Bookbinder of JerichoThe Bookbinder of Jericho, by Pip Williams (Affirm Press, 2023). My favourite book in the last couple of years was The Dictionary of Lost Words, so when I heard there was a companion book, I had to read it – and I wasn’t disappointed. I was lucky enough to go a long to a high tea where Pip Williams spoke,  and the depth of her knowledge, research and passion was obvious, as it is on the pages. Set, like Dictionary, in Oxford against the backdrop of WW1 and in the publishing world, this is fascinating. The main character, Peggy, is a bookbinder, working at Oxford Press but dreaming of being able to enrol at the university and be part of telling the stories. With appearances by some of the characters from Dictionary, it has made me want to go back and read that – and it is lovely that, as companion books, they can be read independently and in either order.

That brings my total for the year to 45 books. I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading. Talk soon!

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.

 

What I Read in December

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It’s the last day of the month, so time to look at what I read in December. And, of course, since it’s also the last day of the year, to look back over the whole year.

First, I managed 10 books in the busyness of December.

Books for Children

  1. Backyard Beasties, by Helen Milroy (Fremantle Press, 2022). I received this as a review copy from the publisher, and was delighted when I opened the package, having loved the first two Backyard book, Backyard Birds and Backyard Bugs. Like the others, the simple rhyming text is a pleasure to read aloud and the illustrations are rich. A mixture of native and domestic beasts are found – including a dog, a gecko and a possum.
  2. Lion is That You? by Moira Court (Fremantle Press, 2022). And another review copy, again looking for animals. In this case, the reader is taken on a hunt to see if there are really lions in the Australian bush, a nod to various legends that escaped big cats have survived in the bush. Instead, there are range of Australian animals to spot – a kangaroo, a quenda, a dugite and more. I’m looking forward to sharing this one with my grandies, who do love animal books, and rhyme.
  3. The Song of Lewis Carmichael, by Sofie Laguna, illustrated by Marc McBride (Allen & Uniwn, 2021). A lovely adventure story. Matthew is timid and his parents worry about him. A lot.  But in a magical adventure lead by a crow named Lewis Carmichael, Matthew journeys to the North Pole, learning a lot about his own strength along the way.
  4. A Glasshouse of Stars, by Shirley Marr (Puffin Books, 2021). This is a simply beautiful book, in spite of – or perhaps because of – dealing with some difficult events. Meixing is a young girl dealing with tragedy, change and displacement, living in a New House in the New Land, and a combination of inexplicable magic and her own courage help her to navigate a way.
  5.  The Chime Seekers, by Ross Montgomery (Walker Books, 2021). Yanni is really unimpressed with his baby sister, and the way her presence has changed his life. But when an evil faerie steals her on Halloween, he realises how important she is – and only he and his cousin Amy can save her.

Books for Adults

  1. The Sign of Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle (Audible). The second book featuring Sherlock Holmes and continuing my listening to the collection, read by the inimitable Stephen Fry.
  2. Cold Coast, by Robyn Mundy (Ultimo Press, 2021). I love Robyn Mundy’s writing and she has made stories set amongst the wildest, coldest parts of the world a specialty – reflective of her love of these places. this one is set in Norway, in remote Svalbard and a fictionalised account of Wanny Woldstad, who in 1932 wintered as a trapper. The beauty of the natural world, the perils of humans living there, and the realities of trapping and hunting are woven together in this exquisite novel.
  3. Only Birds Above, by Portland Jones (Fremantle Press, 2022). This one is a review copy, so not out until; 2022. Historical fiction, one of my favourite genres, and exploring the generational impact of war, set in both WW1 and WW2, with a father fighting for the 10th Light Horse and a son a prisoner of war in Sumatra. Not a happy story, but well drawn.
  4. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle (Audible). The third book in the definite collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. I look forward to working my way through the remainder in 2022.

Poetry

  1. Vociferate, by Emily Sun (Fremantle Press, 2021). This took me a little while to get through because, like the best poetry collections, it needed to be savoured, so I dipped into it over several weeks. Lots to ponder and  consider, with its exploration of belonging and identity.

 

 

 

 

So, these ten bring me to a total for 2021 of 153, including my many loves – picture books, children’s books, poetry, fiction, nonfiction.

 

I have seen lots of friends posting their favourite reads for the year on their blogs or on social media, but can’t bring myself to do this, because I know I will miss something. Every book I finish offers something special.  But one thing I really enjoyed this year was rediscovering some of my old childhood favourites and also working through some of the eclectic offerings that my to-read pile, which dates back years, has afforded.

 

For 2022, I am not yet decided if I will keep posting this monthly list. I like that it keeps track of my reading, and offers a chance to share my thoughts. But there are other ways of doing this, and today I have downloaded an app called Story Graph, which I will experiment with in January before deciding whether to do that instead of blogging, or to do both, or to just keep up with the monthly blog.

 

In the meantime, Happy Yew Year to you. I hope 2021 has offered you some reading joy, and that 2022 offers even more.

sallymurphy.com.au