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Book Review: Cockatoo Cove by Maya Linnell
I’ve talked here plenty of times about how much I enjoy Maya Linnell‘s writing – her rural romance novels are the perfect blend of sweet and serious, and come with such a feeling of familiarity and nostalgia that make them a perfect comfort read for me. So it probably comes as no surprise at all that I’ve been looking forward to her newest novel – Cockatoo Cove – hitting shelves today. The lovely team at Allen and Unwin kindly sent me an early copy, which I devoured in just a few sittings over the weekend, and I’m excited to share some of my thoughts. I’ve popped the blurb for Cockatoo Cove…
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New books to look out for… June 2025
June is looking like a wild good month for new books here in Australia – perfect timing as we hunker down and cosy up for winter. Here are three brand new Aussie novels hitting shelves in the first week of June that I’m super excited to read. Cockatoo Cove by Maya Linnell Maggie West has worked tirelessly to prove herself, establishing a successful cattle stud instead of following her father into the crayfishing industry, though it’s never enough to stop local speculation about her family’s holdings. And with her teenage daughter veering off the rails, she knows all too well that money doesn’t provide immunity against heartache or hardship. Since…
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Author chat: Summer reading & writing with Camille Booker
In January I had the pleasure of (virtually) chatting with a few Aussie writers about their summer reading and writing plans. Somehow the weeks have whizzed past without me sharing more than my first chat with lovely Laura Irvine, which you can see here. As we move into March and wave goodbye to the last of the warm weather (soon, I hope – we’re expecting mid-30s on the weekend!) I’m keen to hang on to the summer reading vibes and share more of these chats, starting tonight with Camille Booker who has a brand new novel, The Woman in the Waves out today! Check out our Q&A below and then…
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New books to look out for… The Woman in the Waves by Camille Booker
Early 2025 is the season of the mermaid in Aussie literature and one of the books I’m really looking forward to is Camille Booker’s The Woman in the Waves. Camille is a new to me author, and this novel just sounds so good. I love historical fiction, and the twist on this, along with that stunning cover, really jumped out at me! The Woman in the Waves is out in Australia in March from Hawkeye Books. More info here. Here’s the synopsis: There’s something sinister lurking in the waves… It’s 1921 in Widow’s Peak, a gloomy fishing village on the south coast of New South Wales. Nineteen-year-old Missy Green fills her days helping her…
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New books to look out for… The Crimson Road by A.G. Slatter
You might know that I adore A.G. Slatter’s writing, so it will come as no surprise that one of my most anticipated books for 2025 is her next gothic fantasy novel The Crimson Road, which comes out from Titan Books (New South Books here in Australia) in February. I touched a tiny bit on how excited I am about this one in my post about my favourite 2024 reads (Slatter’s new novel release last year, The Briar Book of the Dead made the list, natch). Here’s the synopsis from the publisher’s website: Violet Zennor has had a peculiar upbringing. Training as a fighter in underground arenas, honing her skills against…
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Author Chat: Summer reading & writing with Laura Irvine
One of the things I love about summer is the way that the longer days and lightened load of school and extra-curricular responsibilities lends itself to a slower pace and more time to sink into some of the books I’ve been hoarding during the year. I know I’m not alone in loving a good summer reading session, so I thought it might be fun to chat with some authors about their summer reading and writing plans. I reached out to a few writers and was delighted that they were keen to be included in a little summer series. Keep your eyes out for a new chatty author post every few…
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5-star favourites: My best reads of 2024
I had such a good reading year in 2024. I feel like I read across my favourite genres and managed to get a bit of a mix of new and backlist, as well as books for review and other random reads I was interested in. I also did a bit of re-reading, which is something I don’t always feel like I get to do. I’ve been tracking my reading this year on The Storygraph and today I wanted to share a little round up of my favourite books of 2024, the 13 titles that the Storygraph tells me I’ve given 5 star ratings. Check them out below, and please let…
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3 New Books for your Summer Reading List
I feel like 2024 has been such an incredible year for new book releases – I haven’t been able to keep up with all the amazing-looking titles I’ve wanted to read. It might be December but the new releases aren’t done with us yet – today I’m sharing three new books by Aussie writers coming out next week that I think will be PERFECT for summer reading. That Island Feeling by Karina May A week on Pearl Island is exactly the R&R that perpetual planner Andie Alcott needs. Except instead of sipping pina coladas by the beach, she’s busy throwing her freshly divorced bestie, Taylor, a girls’ trip to remember,…
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Review: The Last Illusion of Paige White by Vanessa McCausland
One of my favourite things about attending book festivals and events is the opportunity to be exposed to a whole bunch of writers and books that I might not necessarily have picked up otherwise, for no other reason than the fact that there are just so many new books coming out all the time. Every time I attend an event I invariably end up with entire backlists of work by new-to-me authors added to my to be read list. This was the case a little while ago when saw Vanessa McCausland on a panel at the Northern Beaches Readers Festival – the discussion was so fun and interesting that when…
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3 new books with MERMAID vibes to look forward to in 2025
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here. I love the serendipity of a few books popping onto my radar at the same time with something that makes them feel like they belong together, it always seems to me like a little sign from the universe. I got that little thrill recently after spotting (and adding to my TBR) a couple of books with mermaid vibes, all coming out early next year. Today I’m sharing a bit about each of these – and…
