I don‘t think I gave this book the attention it deserves, because I had so much going on in my life.
There were 2 timelines in this book. One was set in Ancient China mostly involving an Emperor and the other was set in present day regarding Xiang who loses his job at the Chinese Consulate because he can‘t actually speak Mandarin (google translate will only get you so far!) 🤣
He then goes to work in a ghost city, which is a 24/7 film set. ⬇️

You win the lottery and you are RICH beyond your wildest dreams! So what do you do?……..you kidnap an Art student that you have become obsessed with!
This book was creepy and I loved the way it switched perspectives. Very original. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And some others that didn‘t make the cut for Australia‘s Radio National top 100 book countdown. I would also add the Harry Potter series, The Stand - Stephen King and I really loved recently All the Colours of the Dark. I didn‘t even go near Non Fiction!

Australia‘s Radio National top 100 books countdown. This was so hard! 🩷

I read this book in 1 day. 💚
A widower leaves his daughter to go off across America in search of large wild beasts after reading an article about ancient bones in the newspaper. 🤦🏼‍♀️ His journey is dangerous but his daughter is also in danger left behind. Throughout history men have the privilege of having choices that women don‘t. ‘You had so many ways of deciding which way to live your life. It made his head spin to think of them. ⬇️

This book was a pleasant surprise. I was totally swept up! When I wasn‘t reading it I was thinking about it and rearranging my life around it! I was sad when it finished. I was so invested in the story and the characters. All the characters had such depth. Also the twists and ending weren‘t ridiculous which is a pet peeve of mine with thrillers. The subject matter is dark but there is plenty of humour sprinkled throughout. Fabulous! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is described as a fantasy Sherlock Holmes and I think that fits it well. I didn‘t love this as much as most. I thought the world building was excellent but it lacked depth with the characters. @Eggbeater explains how I felt perfectly. ‘I could tell this book was written by a man. It was completely unemotional.‘ Ana the lead investigator wears a blindfold a lot of the time to heighten her senses and gets Din her apprentice to be her eyes. ⬇️

I have lots of friends who LOVE her books and have been encouraging me to try one. So I did. This is not for me.
⭐️

I remember hearing this story when it happened on Father‘s Day 2005, but couldn‘t remember the outcome of the trial. 3 boys killed when their father‘s car left the road and plunged into a dam. Unthinkable! I am not the only person visiting this book now. Dia Lipa is also reading it. This book irritated me not because of the writing (Helen can do no wrong) but because of the crime I think. There were so many inconsistencies with the evidence. 4⭐️

@MrsMalaprop and I were lucky enough to hear Tim who is one of my favourite authors speak about another of my favour authors Helen Garner last week. Both Australian legends! When it was finished we were all pinching ourselves that we had actually been in the room. We knew we had been a part of something rare and special. I LOVED this book. Winton writes dialogue better than most, so real, natural and so Australian. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#Ozfiction

This was our latest bookclub pick but we don‘t meet for another couple of weeks. It will be interesting to hear what others thought. I thought the idea of the sliding doors storyline of one boy being given 3 different names which then roll into 3 different lives was really interesting. The one common theme is domestic violence. I was actually less invested in the book as it went on. It ended up falling a bit flat. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a collection of stories about climate change and a virus that infects the earth. But these stories are all linked. The main theme is death, connection and hope. I really enjoyed all the different scenarios but my favourite was the fun park that was created for the sick kids to spend their last day with their families having fun. The perfect last day. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A small book with a big heart. 💚

Oh my this book was hilarious! Benjamin reflects on life as a Chinese Australian. Ben‘s Mum had me in stitches. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After @MrsMalaprop review I listened to this. What a fascinating family. The writer Suzanne Chick finds out in her 40‘s that her mother is a famous Australian author. This is the story of that journey. I then watched her daughter Gina Chick find out who her grandfather was on the Australian series Who do you think you are. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #oznonfiction

I am in the minority on this one. I found this underwhelming. I just didn‘t really connect with the story or characters. I am wondering if it was because I listened to it and didn‘t read it maybe? This seemed to be the consensus on Goodreads. The audio was not well received. I found myself wanting it to be finished so I could move on.

I actually read this a few months ago but just realised I never posted a review.
The man decides to shave his moustache off and see what his wife, friends and work colleagues say. They say nothing. Is it an elaborate prank on him or something more sinister? This book is a mind f**k! For the protagonist and for the reader! He questions everything and so do you. The ending is brutal! ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

This series is very cool, heartfelt and humorous. A robot with a conscience that doesn‘t want to murder people but just be left alone to watch its favourite TV shows. I think I will continue the journey by switching to the TV series as I think it‘s something I would enjoy visually and I‘ve heard it‘s been adapted very well. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

This was one of the first books that I added to my TBR list on Litsy after all the Litsy love and it didn‘t disappoint! What a devastatingly sad and cruel part of history. A generation of young men gone. What a tragedy, my heart breaks. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Garner‘s own words “This is a Nanna‘s book about footy.” I listened to it because I love hearing authors reading their own books especially if it‘s a memoir. I wasn‘t disappointed! She cracks me up as only an elderly person can with her observations of people and trends. Garner texts her grandson after he sends her an emoji “Is that a crying emoji or a laughing until you cry one?”
Her observations of Moustaches were hilarious and plenty! ⬇️

This is the sort of crime books I like. Decent writing and characters and not stupidly far fetched. I really enjoyed this. So much so that I will look out for more of Howard‘s books. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Latest bookclub book. Can‘t be bothered writing anymore 🤣. Next! ⭐️⭐️
🎧 #Ozfiction

These 4 novellas were fabulous! I loved the premise of 4 seperate stories of crime that were interconnected. Each one focuses on a different crime perspective, the enabler, the victim, the accomplice and the perpetrator. Very tough themes. And how good do these books look? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh my, this was bonkers in the best possible way! I had no idea where it was going or why! But who cares? It‘s hilarious, thoroughly entertaining! I hope when I am 92 I am this insightful! I have some friends and we always talk about living together when we are much older on an estate and this book is now the benchmark for that dream. How did I not know anything about Carrington previously? Her life, art and writings. What an extraordinary woman!

I gave this way too much time to get better.
Moving on………

Fantastic night out with @MrsMalaprop listening to Hannah Kent talk about her new book, a memoir. It‘s a quiet book detailing her Rotary trip to Iceland for a year at 18yrs old which helped her decide to pursue writing as a career seriously. It‘s also where Kent became obsessed with the execution of Agnes Magnusdottir, inspiring her book Burial rights, which she details in depth. I adored Burial Rights and I thoroughly enjoyed this. #OzNonfiction

This was a surprise! What a stunning little book about a family tragedy. A very sad story of loss and grief told from 4 different family member‘s perspectives and a rabbit during the COVID pandemic in 2020. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
My Saturday nights are now spent, beer in hand, watching my son on YouTube play cricket in the Netherlands. Technology is a wonderful thing sometimes. 🏏 ♥️
#OzFiction

I listened to this one. A group of people sign up to be put into ‘The wilderness‘ to escape the overpopulated, polluted cities. I found it interesting contemplating the various scenarios these participants found themselves in. What are you prepared to do to survive? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book made my brain hurt! I didn‘t understand all the nitty gritty logistics. Once I let go of this though I loved it! Odile lives in a valley that is fenced off. The valley to the west is 20 years in the past and the valley to the east is 20 years in the future. If you wish to visit the other valleys you must present your case and get permission. If you are successful then you can visit under guard and must follow strict rules. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 ⬇️

Love it when you read something and you can actually feel or relate to whats written. 💚

I really liked this book but didn‘t love it like I did Mayflies. The story was a train wreck that you can see coming but are unable to put a stop too. It definitely kept me reading but I do feel that some of the characters were cliches. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well this was a lovely surprise! I really enjoyed this magical fantasy book. It is fresh and complex and has multiple layers. It deals with many issues including racism, misogyny, colonisation, faith and morality. Very well done! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was brilliant!
The world has gone through ‘The change‘, a climate catastrophe that was caused by the older generation and the country has built an enormous concrete wall around its entirety, so there are no beaches left. The younger generation have never seen a beach or swam at one. The youth are drafted to spend 2 years on the wall defending it from ‘The others‘. If you fail to defend the wall you are put to sea as punishment. ⬇️

I didn‘t look into this book before I started it so I was a bit confused until I realised that it wasn‘t an actual true crime but written as one. It‘s a book within a book. I get what the author was trying to say, that we glamourise murder and can‘t look away. We also give the perpetrators more attention than the victims. Also a lot of journalists don‘t stick to the facts and take liberties. Unfortunately it‘s the world we live in at the moment.⬇️

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A good old fashioned murder mystery. A cast of many interesting suspects. I did pick the murderer early, but it had me flip flopping often! 3.5 ⭐️

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This was my school bookclub pick. It is written by a psychiatrist and the author of The Rosie project. It reads a bit like non fiction. I found it very engaging and interesting. 3.5 ⭐️

This book was delightful! Oh to be young and silly again and have your whole life ahead of you! And who doesn‘t want to live in a castle with an eccentric family surrounded by nature?!?!?!? I found a lot of this book to be amusing but especially the shenanigans on the train! Hilarious! 💙💙💙💙💙

Loved this, but wonder if I would have loved it more if I‘d read Huckleberry Finn? Percival is now a must read author for me.
Story‘s like this are so important!
“Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else‘s shoes for a while”.
Let‘s see if this book ends up being banned in America as part of its plan of action to ignore and erase its unpleasant black history. I just can‘t understand this way of thinking! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love stories about the Berlin Wall and this was another fascinating addition. 29 people escaped from East to West Berlin in 1962 and it was documented and funded by the American news broadcaster NBC. ‘The tunnel‘ won 3 Emmy awards.
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#Monthlynonfiction @julieclair

3 siblings are placed into foster care. Their biological father is a narcissist, who only sees the world as it pertains to him and sees his children as property. Their mother is severely mentally unstable and both of them are Christian fanatics. The children win the lottery when they are placed in the home of the Blaine‘s who are total opposites. They are hard working publicans, Australian bogans, rough around the edges, but with hearts of gold ⬇️

Latest book club pick. 🩸🩸🩸🩸 🎧
I cannot understand how she got away with this for so long?!?!? Did she start out actually believing or hoping her idea would work or did she know from the beginning that it would never work? I find it fascinating the kinds of people who can be so brazen with their lies and how they manage to fool intelligent people. Ego is definitely a dirty word. Greed is another.
#MonthlyNonfiction2025 @ julieclair (Jan) ⬇️

This book made me catch my breath more than once whilst reading it. I felt like the author was tapped into my thoughts and feelings about life, aging, menopause, family etc Many passages sent me back into the delight and despair of motherhood with small and grownup children. The smell of small children, of the beach and ocean. Many passages resonated with me so strongly that I shared them with friends. Newman is now a must read author for me. ⬇️

I couldn‘t wait for my physical copy to arrive in the mail so I listened to this in one day. I follow him on Instagram and plan to listen to some of his podcasts about ADHD this year. It was great, I got a lot from it (except where he was talking about entrepreneurs). I would recommend this. Lots of good advice. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#LitsyAtoZ Letter P @Texreader
#MonthlyNonfiction2025 @julieclair (Jan)

Latest school bookclub book. I listened to it. I picked the killer out at the beginning. A soft pick. #LitsyAtoZ Letter W @Texreader

A haunted hotel with giant topiary animals that come alive, sensational! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read somewhere about the similarities in the character Jack and King. Alcoholic, writer, teacher, young family etc. I couldn‘t stand Jack. What a man baby, always playing the victim and he was just plain mean!
Time to finally watch the film, I‘m sure I will be disappointed!
#Bookchain2025 New book different genre @TheAromaofBooks
#LitsyAtoZ letter K @Texreader

#Bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
I really enjoyed this and found myself yearning for my youth also in the 80‘s. The music, the fashion, life without phones and freedom to roam around the bush and neighbourhoods. I also remember that feeling of dread at trying to avoid certain kids who were mean and relentless.
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#LitsyAtoZ @Texreader Letter D

Latest bookclub pick.I listened to this. Just a light and cozy read. Very predictable but I‘m still a sucker for a happy ending. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
#Ozfixtion
#LitsyAtoZ Letter L @Texreader

I just realised I didn‘t post my review of this book that I read last September whilst in Egypt. I know I really enjoyed it but I can‘t think of much to say about it now. That‘s the problem when too much time passes and too many more books! I will say that I think the author had too much to say about women‘s vaginas. He is obsessed with them. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I‘m no longer just Rissreads, I‘m now Rissreadswithcats! I‘ve had to change my username because I want to have the same name across all my reading accounts - StoryGraph and Goodreads. 🐈‍⬛ 🐈 🐈 ♥️

This book had me ugly crying but with happiness at the end. I borrowed it from the school library where I work. Such an important book for children to show them empathy and respect for the animal world. It‘s heartbreaking because a lot of it is true.
🦍 🦍🦍🦍🦍

#BookChain2025 “A” or “The” in the title @TheAromaofBooks

#LitzyAtoZ Letter A @Texreader