Reading Life
TBRs, wrap-ups, lists and previews
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Five books I’d love to read in February
Rose Red by Sarah Biggerstaff Rose Red refigures the Snow White narrative as a feminist, coming-of-age fantasy about courage, self-discovery, and fighting for what matters most. The second daughter of the king, Rose is used to being in the background, despite being a gifted witch. But when her elder sister, Lily, suddenly disappears, Rose is forced to step up and confront dark truths about her family, discovering how little she really knows about those closest to her. This book caught my attention when i saw Sarah speaking on a panel at Conflux last year and was super grateful when Sarah sent me a copy. Rose Red is out now and you can find…
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Three new books to look out for by writers appearing at the Canberra Writers Festival
We’re deep in October now (how is it the 18th already?) which means the weather is warming up, the pollen count is high, and it’s Canberra Writers Festival season! The program this year is incredible – I’ve had such a hard time narrowing down the session I want to see (I think on Sunday there are literally twice as many sessions I’d love to see than I actually physically can be at unless we discover cloning in the next week). October/November is also a busy time for new releases, and there are three books in particular that I’m looking forward to getting my hands (and eyeballs) on by writers appearing…
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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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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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New books to look out for… Prince of Fortune by Lisa Tirreno
I love Australian YA novels and the start of a new year always feels exciting because there are so many new releases just waiting to hit the shelves and get into our eyeballs. One of the first #LoveOzYA titles I’ve got my eye on in 2025 is Lisa Tirreno‘s debut novel Prince of Fortune, a romantic fantasy that has been described as Red, White & Royal Blue meets A Darker Shade of Magic. Here’s the synopsis: Shy Prince Edmund will be a great king one day—it has been Seen again and again. With rare magic giving him dominion over his country’s plants and weather, Edmund feels a great deal of pressure to…
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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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Books I’m buying for kids this year
I’m sure it’s no surprise to hear that a good portion of the gifts I buy each year are books. This year I’m buying for two specific groups of kids – the just turned 10 to almost 11-year-old girls, and the fairly newly independently reading boys. I thought I’d share a couple of the titles I’ve picked out for them. For 10ish yr old girls: – The Audition by Maddie Ziegler My daughter has been watching Dance Moms and is going to love this:Twelve-year-old Harper McCoy has danced practically since she could walk, and she is making her mark as one of the top dancers at her studio. Until her…
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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…
