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Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally's Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have…
My first update of the year was looking a tad woeful for a while but then I found a few Aussie YA on audio which bumped my numbers a little at the last minute. In the end I did three audio, one ebook, and one physical so that was exciting. The books I read were…
Published: 7 March 2023 Publisher: Orchard Books Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds Pages: 32 Format: Picture Book ★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars One day for no particular reason, nothing was going right. Absolutely positively, nothing was going right. So, I decided to go left... When things aren't going right -- sometimes we simply need to... go…
Published: 14 August 2014 (print)/14 August 2014 (audio) Publisher: Dutton/Books on Tape Pages: 339/8 hrs and 37 mins Narrator: Grace Experience Format: Audiobook Genre: Young Adult Romance ★ ★ – 2 Stars Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after…
Published: 04 June 2024 (print)/04 June 2024 (audio) Publisher: HarperCollins Australia/Bolinda Publishing Pages: 384/8 hrs and 56 mins Narrator: Claire Warrillow, Eva Seymour, George El Hindi, Jessica Stanley Format: Audiobook Genre: Domestic Thriller/Mystery ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars Complicated, driven, loving. Manipulative, irresistible, monstrous. Love or hate her, Harriet Osman is impossible to turn down.…
Published: 1 March 2022 Publisher: Union Square Kids Illustrator: Stephanie Laberis Pages: 32 Format: Picture Book ★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars A sweet, love-infused celebration of individuality and acceptance! Lovebird Lou adores life with his family and friends on the island they call home. But when he travels to the other side of the island…
Published: 1 June 2011 (print)/11 October 2011 (audio) Publisher: Usborne Publishing/Books on Tape Pages: 384/8 hrs and 59 mins Narrator: Shannon McManus Format: Audiobook Genre: Young Adult Romance ★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything…
I’m not sure how much I have mentioned it on the blog over the years but I have been a massive fan of the National Novel Writing Month for many years. After being introduced to in back at university I have been an active and enthusiastic participant since 2008 and I have looked forward to…
Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally's Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have…
Published: 21st March 2023 Publisher: Macmillan Illustrator: Rachel Gyan Pages: 32 Format: Picture Book ★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars Wombat liked her things just so. Everything had its place, and nothing was out of order. She couldn’t say the same about her neighbours. But that was their business, and Wombat didn’t concern herself with others’ business.…
Published: 12 March 2024 (print)/4 July 2023 (audio) Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia/Penguin Random House Australia Audio Pages: 240/3 hrs and 19 mins Narrator: R. A. Spratt Format: Audiobook Genre: Young Adult Contemporary ★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars Selby hates homework. She would rather watch TV – anything to escape the tedium of school, her…
Instead of posting a review, I thought I’d provide a list of books and authors you can read to help celebrate Trans Day of Visibility. There are a lot of trans authors, a lot of books about being trans and the trans experience, but also great fiction works that are written by trans authors in…
Published: 27 January 2015 (print)/8 May 2017 (audio) Publisher: Feiwel & Friends/Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd Pages: 272/5 hrs and 33 mins Narrator: Rebecca Soler Format: Audiobook Genre: Young Adult Fantasy ★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told. Mirror, mirror on…
Published: 7th September 2021 Publisher: Little Genius Books Illustrator: Thea Baker Pages: 32 Format: Picture Book ★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars Joffrey might have horns, a tail and a long neck, but his stripy fur is causing quite the stir. Everyone knows that giraffes have spots! But if Joffrey isn't a giraffe, what could he be?…
Published: 9 September 2005 (print)/11 October 2005 (audio) Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)/Listening Library Pages: 275/7 hrs and 3 mins Narrator: Cassandra Morris Format: Audiobook Genre: Fiction ★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvellous. It's quiet and peaceful. You can't get…
Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally's Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have…
Published: 07 Apr 2022 Publisher: Andersen Press Illustrator: Marianna Coppo Pages: 32 Format: Picture Book ★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars One day, Daddy Rat announces to his baby rats that he'll be taking them to the zoo . . . but only if they're good, which means no talking about poo! And yet, before the family…
Book Title: The Radiant King Series: Astral Kingdoms (#1) Author: David Dalglish Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215755502-the-radiant-king Release Date: 3/4/25 Star Rating: ★★★★★ Holy cow! What did I just read! Six immortal siblings. Five sworn to peace. One demands a throne. Radiance, the mysterious power of life and creation, is theirs to command. Death cannot claim them. For hundreds of years, the ever-living…
Book Title: Hemlock & Silver Series: Author: T. Kingfisher Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217388302-hemlock-silver Release Date: 8/19/25 Star Rating: ★★★★★ From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White” steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind. Healer Anja knows little of politics but much of poisons.…
Published: 9 January 2018 (print)/9 January 2018 (audio) Publisher: tor.com/Macmillan Audio Pages: 174/4 hrs and 11 mins Narrator: Michelle Dockrey Format: Audiobook Genre: Fantasy ★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars When Rini lands with a literal splash in the pond behind Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, the last thing she expects to find is…
Published: 24 March 2015 (print)/ 13 June 2017 (audio) Publisher: Macmillan Australia/Macmillan Audio Pages: 187/4 hrs and 4 mins Narrator: Seanan McGuire Format: Audiobook Genre: Fantasy ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for…
The time has come to announce the winner of my blogiversary giveaway! As always, thank you to everyone who entered, I am amazed at the response every year. I'm glad that I can still reach so many of you year after year and I love to reward you all for it. The winner was…
Published: 1 January 2021 Publisher: Albert Whitman Company Illustrator: Chris Case Pages: 32 Format: Picture Book ★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars This new book is a clever way to introduce young readers to non-binary and gender-fluid people. As Ms. Reeves' class produces a play about a farm, the entire class comes to understand about being…
Published: 1st July 2024 Publisher: Scholastic Australia Illustrator: Heath McKenzie Pages: 32 Format: Picture Book ★ ★ – 2 Stars Initially I thought this book was about going to visit a library and borrowing books, and it is, but it is told from the perspective of a single book. It’s a first person narration too which is…
Published: 1 April 2015 Publisher: Random House Australia Pages: 319 Format: Paperback Genre: Contemporary Young Adult ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars Declan seems to have it all: a family that loves him, friends he’s known for years, a beautiful girlfriend he would go to the ends of the earth for. But there’s something…
Published: 16 April 2024 (print)/16 April 2024 (audio) Publisher: Feiwel & Friends/Books on Tape Pages: 368/9 hrs and 28 mins Narrator: Nicky Enders, Angel Pean, Natalie Naudus, Tara Sands, Ann Zhao, Daisy Guevara, Elaine Wang, Rebecca Wang Format: Audiobook Genre: Young Adult Contemporary ★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars Sophie Chi is in her first…
Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally's Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have…
Two half dozens, the square root of 144, the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one, and a dirty dozen. Here we are again, twelve years deep when I still vividly recall being astounded at another blog doing ten years and being amazed they’d been at it that long. It was an…
Published: 1 November 2023 Publisher: Owlkid Books Illustrator: Carmen Mok Pages: 32 Format: Picture Book ★ ★ ★ –3 Stars One day, Emma the dog leaves the vet with a giant plastic lampshade on her head. It cuts off her corners, dulls her digging, and makes Garson the greyhound gawk. One thing is clear-the cone is not…
Looking back, I think the idea of my Aussie YA Challenge took hold right when I was supposed to be making my book bingo and the fear and uncertainty about trying something new was what I focused on and forgot to create my card. But now we’re a year on, and the regular New Year…
Published: 23nd June 2022 Publisher: Anderson Press Illustrator: Meg McLaren Pages: 32 Format: Picture Book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars Dot isn't like the other dogs: she doesn't like going out for walks, and she doesn't like going to the park. Her favorite thing is staying at home with her favorite toy and best…
Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally's Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that…
The Aussie YA Challenge is a challenge created by Amy at Lost in a Good Book as an attempt to read more Australian young adult novels. As part of my goals I am putting some determination (and public guilt and accountability) into my challenge and I am hoping to be a little better this year.…
The news broke a few days ago that Australian author Kaz Delaney had passed away. It’s taken a while for me to gather my thoughts because while I knew it was coming, it was still a shock. Kaz was a powerhouse in the Australian writing scene, she was an enthusiastic supporter of writers and readers,…
January always bring a rush of things to do. Suddenly everything is happening and it’s a mixture of wrapping up the previous year and setting the wheels in motion for the one that’s just begun. I have all the usual posts planned for January but I am starting off with my goals this time. I…
Well. I don’t know who lets me have these grand ideas but as we tick down the final hours or 2024 I managed to pull off some kind of miracle. The past few days I frantically tried to meet my (personally chosen and completely voluntary) goal of reading 12 #LoveOzYA books this year and I…
A few days ago as I went to write my book bingo wrap up I realised, despite announcing it to the world in January, I never actually ended up making it. Which is a shame because it is one of my favourite challenges, not only to do but to create. Who knows what happened to…
I am not an expert on John Marsden. I don't even have any authority to speak about his career or his books beyond a reader and fly by observer, there are plenty of articles and commentary coming out that are more knowledgeable than I. But I knew he was a staple in Australian YA and…
I am not an expert on John Marsden. I don't even have any authority to speak about his career or his books beyond a reader and fly by observer, there are plenty of articles and commentary coming out that are more knowledgeable than I. But I knew he was a staple in Australian YA and…