Heading to the post office today 📖🎄🎅🏻
#aussiesecretsanta

Do you have a book you always read at Christmas?
This is mine, a cute story which gives me Christmas feelings every year.

Got my second home grown book box and it‘s another winner! I can‘t wait to get stuck into this book, it looks amazing.
The chocolate and chips were delicious, the book bag is already in use and those stickers are finding homes all over my house.

About to start this after attending her stand-up event in Brisbane, and buying a signed copy.

It was my Litsyversary this week - 7 years!

This book was hard to read, the fear of what could happen, the anxiety that living with that fear causes, and the tragic outcome that seemed so inevitable are all such difficult subjects. This was written with empathy and such realism that I felt embroiled in the story and part of the ultimate finale. A brilliantly written book which pays homage to all those who have survived domestic abuse, and sadly to those who haven‘t.

I got my first Book Box today. I was curious as to what it would be like as I used to get the Bookish Box from the US and I wanted to try a home grown Aussie version. Lots of goodies inside, including Shhh I‘m Reading socks, a Reader tote which is super thick and good quality, some confectionery, a cute notebook and a few tea varieties, including a can of peach ice tea, some stickers and bookmarks. Worth the $90? Very close I‘d say.

A great read, atmospheric and gripping. I had an on again off again Readathon but this was the highlight for me.

Is so totally relate to this. I‘m not in many photos when my children were young.

I wanted a thriller, full of suspense and intrigue… it didn‘t live up to that for me.

December‘s reads. A definite Christmas theme. I had no tree or decorations due to packing up the house to move but I got my Christmas fill with books and films.

He‘s a hacker, what‘s he going to do? Turn us off and on again?
Brilliant adaptation of a great mystery book on Netflix! If your eyes are tired of reading all those Christmas gift books give it a go. Most have binged it in one day! 🙋‍♀️

Thank you so much @Lizpixie for my gorgeous gifts. I feel so spoilt. The mug is great, and the books look so good I want to dive right in. I love the bookmark and the notebook is so pretty. I have resisted the chocolate until the craziness has finished and I can settle down with a relaxing cuppa.
Thank you @thegirlwiththelibrarybag for organizing again.
Merry Christmas everyone 🎄🎁📕❤️

Trying to pack over Christmas means no tree this year. No wreath or garland, not a bauble in sight. My new rental has a formal lounge, or as I like to call it, a library! Gimme books Santa!

EDIT: POSTED - Should arrive Friday.
The last item finally arrived so I am off to the Post Office.
#aussiesecretsanta

Had me guessing until around the middle when I had the ‘ahah‘ moment. A mother‘s love is boundless but I was inwardly shouting at her right from her first decision! A good story but ultimately not quite believable for me. I enjoyed it though and hoped desperately that it would all work out for her.

I haven‘t been around much this year, I was rear ended in February which wrote off my beloved Swift, burgled in July and lost ALL my jewelry, my house (renting for 10 years) was sold which now means I am hunting for a new home and life has just been awful. Thank goodness for books!

Getting ready for my 24 hours of words and calories.

May‘s finished books. Some audio, some paperbacks
📒💛📗💚📕❤️

I have to admit to being intrigued by the whole urbex thing. I love photos of derelict and abandoned buildings so that aspect hooked me. I generally enjoy the works of this author and this was no exception.

I found the subject matter very confronting. Child abuse is a hard subject to digest but apart from that, the story was quite compelling. Just too tough for me to read about.

A clever and painful exploration of the trauma and loneliness involved with the witness protection program. Lots of edge of your seat moments and the despair of when it goes wrong makes this a brilliant read.

And we‘re off! Have been for an hour and a half actually. 📙🧡📗💚📕❤️📘💙

A nice little cosy mystery, set in a bookshop. How perfect is that for us bibliophiles. There was one twist which I admit caught me out but other than that it was a lovely adventure in a somewhat predictable formula.

A victim killed by a hit and run driver who, witnesses say, looked just like him? A premise guaranteed to catch my interest. There were many side roads and dead ends in this story but it all unraveled nicely in the end. I enjoyed the backstory of the main character as it gave insight into her responses and attitudes to the fraternity system. Top marks from me.

I love everything about this book, the dual timelines, the characters, that haunting picnic by the river, and of course, the mystery. Ahh, the mystery. I thought I had it figured out so many times but I was wrong…mostly.

A great story of family ties and the love that binds you even through adversity. An entirely unsatisfying ending for me but the rest of the story was so good that I can overlook that.

A quick read which unraveled at a pleasing pace. Slightly predictable but a tense story that culminated in a satisfying, clashing finale.

I didn‘t enjoy reading this story. I suppose that times have changed since it was written and the whole stranger danger campaign has made us more conservative in welcoming people into our homes. I just couldn‘t empathize with the main characters at all and was silently shouting at them to get him out of their house throughout the book. I was expecting more of a creepy tale, it didn‘t live up to that at all.

A somewhat involved story with so many twists and turns I could hardly keep up. It started well with character development and backgrounds set, and as the tale got underway I was swept away by the intrigue.

Every parent‘s nightmare, it gripped me from the start. I couldn‘t put it down.

It started off well with intrigue and a spooky feel but quickly deteriorated into a more common police procedural, with the paranormal aspect completely absent.

Another good read from the indomitable pen of K L Slater. This one kind of lost me a bit at the end but otherwise it was very enjoyable, fast paced and lots of red herrings.

An enjoyable read with a couple of twists, a few false trails and a quite unexpected ending.

Beginning with the tragic loss of a child and the following death of her mother, the story moves on to another woman giving birth at the same time as the mother‘s body is brought to the hospital. From such a sad beginning the book moves on to the possibilities of reincarnation and a mystery which needs to be solved. A solid short read/listen.

Slow to get started I almost gave up but gradually I warmed to the characters and began to enjoy the story. The flower explanations at the start of each chapter are a lovely touch.

I found it very well written and the narrator (Harry himself) was superb. Lots of things I didn‘t know, and quite a few insights into Royal protocol. I‘m not sure how much the truth was blurred or twisted but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Made me laugh 😂

A sweet little story about love during the war which tried to be a mystery but didn‘t quite make it. It was obvious to the reader what was going on from the beginning and the “secret” was really just something no one had thought to mention. It all tied up nearly in a nice little bow at the end though.

This was the kind of book that I kept reading, hoping that something worthwhile was going to happen. Sadly it didn‘t. I got to the end and thought what a waste of my time. It had promise, and at the start I was quite invested but the more it dragged on without any major revelations the less interested I became. Seriously, if I won that amount of money I would tell and help my family and friends, the whole book would be about excitement and fun!

Wow! This was such a compelling read. I read the bulk of it in one day. It is so well written I could feel the fear of opening my eyes. I found myself holding my breath, trying to listen with Malorie in the boat. Far, far better than the film.

A brilliant story with a slightly paranormal twist which I loved. I enjoy books involving moving to new towns and starting over, and this one was exceptional. The old crimes restarting 20 years later aspect was intriguing and I enjoyed how the whole story unraveled to its riveting conclusion. A great new author (for me) to watch.

This one pulled me in right from the beginning, a missing student in the past when girls dabbled in witchcraft, the slow-witted gardener devoted to his job, and the grown women now dealing with a reunion and the consequences of their actions all those years ago. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the story and the actions of the grown women, culminating in the big reveal at the end. Totally enjoyed it.

Massive thank you to @thegirlwiththelibrarybag for this lovely surprise gift. There was no need to do this and I am overwhelmed with your generosity.

A great read from start to finish. The characters were excellently portrayed and the story flowed with ease. There was just enough intrigue to keep my senses tingling and a few shocks along the way.

A cutesy Christmas story with the obligatory romantic interlude thrown in. I enjoyed it because of the season, it‘s a sweet story about rivalry and commitment based on the festive decorating required in December.

A seasonal cost mystery set in the awesomely named town of Mistletoe. This is the second in the series and I haven‘t read the first one but that didn‘t matter. The characters and backstories were covered so I didn‘t flounder, wondering what was going on. A good read for the festive season.

My #AussieSecretSanta arrived yay!
Thank you so much @LapReader it is fabulous. I can‘t wait to get stuck in to those books. And special thank you from my grandson who will look adorable in those pants.
Thanks also to @thegirlwiththelibrarybag for organizing such a fun event.

I only got 1. Waiting for my #AussieSecretSanta parcel to improve that number 😁

A good old fashioned ‘enemies to lovers‘ story which was short and fun. Christmas isn‘t really important to the story but it added some atmosphere.