I‘ve been having a bit of a reading slump. I‘ve been going through my TBR shelf and visiting the library and have bailed on so many books I haven‘t bothered to record them. Yesterday I found this with the note I had written to myself. 😊. So I‘m reading it again. So far no memory. 🤷🏻‍♂️ . At least I don‘t think I‘ll be bailing. Just going to see if I can find when I did read it.

I‘m enjoying the Spring sunshine . Finished this book over the weekend. A gift . It was underwhelming. I enjoyed watching Jeremy on the telly when we visited mother in law in Scotland. Think that‘s where his talent lies.

An Op shop find. I knew of Elliot/ Ellen from the movie Juno so I jumped right into this book. As he says in the author‘s note “There are an infinite number of ways to be queer and trans ,and my story speaks to only one.”:
I‘m now going down a rabbit hole of finding his past movies etc. Right now watching The Umbrella Academy filmed during the time he made his transition. A book I might keep and read again sometime.

Surprised that I am the first to write a review of this book. I enjoyed it and read it in a day. Still thinking about it especially the way she ended it.
Her relationship with her mum , her love life ( some surprises there ) , loyalty , trust and betrayal.

I‘m fairly sure this is a reread for me. It would have been maybe 8 years ago that I read it so any memory of it long gone except the feeling that I had read it and enjoyed it. Main character is dead , all about her life , her family . Celeste Ng is great at writing about relationships. I had just watched the series of her other book Little fires Everywhere.

I got this because 7 or 8 years ago I read and loved her first book. This one , not at all. Bailed half way through.
Aussie boy gets dumped by girlfriend , flees to America with very little money. He has a visa for 90 days. I could not warm to young white boy, sniffing drugs and getting high and drunk. Slow moving story with lots of descriptions and long words I had to look up. Couldn‘t finish it.

A friend late for coffee. Held up by neighbour with all the news of our street. I call the woman The Newspaper of Egina St. Which lead me to thinking of above book. Thought I‘d read it again. It‘s a delight. Published in 1981 by our local press . This copy given to me in 1987 by partner at the start of our relationship. So has special place in my heart for many reasons. An Aussie classic for sure. ❤️

Lent to me by a friend , I finished this a few days ago. Needed time to think about it. It‘s set on an island and it lead me along and kept me reading with clues to something that had happened. A cast of characters , a family of dad and 3 kids and a mysterious young woman washed up. In the end I had to speed read , the suspense was getting at me and I needed to know the end. Her previous book recommended many time by friends , might give it a go.

A story of 3 generations and the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. I had to concentrate as it moves back and forth through times. Also the descriptions and language used are wonderful. Winding through the main story is the story of Paddy Hannon, the Irish immigrant who first discovered the gold where the town was formed.

An entertaining read. I‘m enjoying the main character Philomena , a police constable. Second in the series featuring her. Think I might be hooked.
Hope he writes more in his Evie Cormac series. I‘ve really enjoyed those too.

Bailed.

Just recently I‘ve been learning a lot about the Mitford family, the girls especially. What interesting entitled people. Decided to try one of Nancy‘s books. I enjoyed this light romantic story published first in 1945. She has written loosely about her own family and friends. Going to watch the series. Also I see her sequel to this book is also a tv series. I‘ll watch rather than read.

A gift. I picked this to read next as I needed a break from what I had been reading. Not a light read like I thought it would be. I love Poe and Tilly and this is only the 2nd in the series I have read. It is very dark and has more twists and turns than a mountain road. I only saw one coming and the end was for me ,a step too far, but I guess it was clever.🤷🏻‍♂️.

My second book by Elizabeth. This one I thought a lot about. She withdrew it from publishing in the 1970s when she also stopped writing then was persuaded to publish it in 2014 . She maintained she couldn‘t remember why .
I think she is very much in this book and that there was a Stephen in her life at the time. It‘s one of those books so well written that I had to concentrate and not read too fast.

Read an article in a weekend paper about her. Never heard of her before. Requested books from library and got two. This one was a bit of a tough read. Dysfunctional relationships. Excellent writing. First published in 1966. Long out of print until Text reprinted all her work in 2012 . Still being printed . An Australian author who should be remembered and read.

This is a book that I think is best read not knowing anything about the plot. However it did take me a while to get into it. Could see why someone would give up. Don‘t. Keep going. It may make you feel uncomfortable, keep going. For me it was well worth it. ❤️

When all your library holds come at once! Now to get started .

Published after her death this has a lovely Forward by her friend Charlotte Wood which I read before and after I had read the short stories. Insightful stories so very well written. Easy to see reflections of her own life in many of them. So sad that she didn‘t get to write more and enjoy a long life. ❤️

First book for August. Delightful. I‘ve always enjoyed her stories. It was perfect for this stormy weekend. An older woman finding herself and realising she has choices and it‘s never too late. ❤️❤️

This is a reprint of the 50th year . I rescued it from an op shop. When I was teaching I read these stories to my Year 1s. Rereading it now I think it would still appeal to young ones. I‘m going to try in on step granddaughter who is a little older but has a naughty little sister.

Lent to me by a friend. Delightful. A well written , eloquent love story. Actually a few love stories or maybe better , stories of love. Set in France and England. Took me a while to read but I did enjoy it.

Heard these two young women on the radio. One dealing with a physical “ broken” brain the other a mental “ broken “ brain. Chronicles their different experiences with lots of commentary on our medical system and how each is dealt with. Also how each is perceived by friends and family. The two women are friends and the book is illuminating and their friendship shines through.

Went to see these two this afternoon. Thank you @MrsMalaprop for alerting me to her coming. Wonderful. It was a wet cold day here in Perth. To sit and hear these two beautiful woman discuss Helen‘s book warmed my heart.

Love Little Golden Books . I have been collecting them from Op shops. This one is a new one. They seem to be publishing some very modern titles. Explains the meaning of the colours on the flag and how the flag came about.

For a long time I‘ve wanted to read one of his books. My partner, as an adult , went to visit her Year 2 teacher, Miss Boyd. Who told her about her nephew who had just had a book published. When she told me this story I wanted to read one of his books. This was a bit of a saga . Written in a journal form. Privileged white man . 1923 to 1991. Most of the time I didn‘t like him. Very well written making it a pleasure to read for the words alone.

This book was in the crime section of our library. A 2025 publication it does have a crime in it but it‘s certainly not central to the story. It‘s about relationships and follows a group of people over time. Set mainly in Ireland with London , Paris and Italy in the background. Only trouble I had was the Irish names. Only one I knew how to pronounce. Luckily with reading it doesn‘t matter. 😊. Enjoyed this read after a slow start.

Saw my grandson 17 yesterday and said his teacher was reading this with the class . Asked him about it and he said he had cried at the end. So thought I‘d give it a read. Certainly a story of it‘s time . A quick read for me. A classic for sure. Reading other reviews I found one by a teacher who said her junior boys cried at the end. I collect these Penguin editions so will add this one.

It‘s been a while since I enjoyed a book as much as I did this one. It‘s set me off researching other books. Watching Gina Chick on Who Do You Think You are and filling in the pieces not available to Suzanne when she wrote this book 30 years ago. How much we inherit and how much is environmental and then comes the choices we make. So interesting. Loved loved loved it.

An ex library book I got it not knowing it was short stories. I‘m not a fan of short stories. I was in my younger days. Anyway I gave this a go. The best story was the last one which was titled Australia Day. So that made me glad I had persevered and made it to the end. A story I feel is probably close to the authors heart.

Entertaining. A wee bit far fetched . Perfect for TV. Love Poe and Tilly. Would definitely read another in the same series.

This book will stay with me for a while. Knowing the authors background and that she died the year this was published made this a thoughtful read for me. A story about relationships, living and dying and more. I loved it. I‘ve read a couple of her books now and loved them all. A talent lost too soon.

Just finished this sitting in the precious winter sun. What a wonderful story. David tells us of his life in the 60s to Covid times. It seems to me a life well lived . The writing is beautiful. Set in England it also chronicles changing attitudes to gay people and dark skinned people. I heard the author on the radio and. Knew I wanted to read this book. I also loved his book The Line Of Beauty. Both ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Forgot to put this one on. I read it a while ago. I do enjoy his books. Such a prolific writer. His stories always have an unusual angle. This one the author has put himself in it. Peppered I think with facts from his own life. Making me wonder at times what was fact and what fiction.

Third in a series. Delightful. I love remembering earlier times when tea ladies reigned supreme. This is set in the early 60s. Very Aussie. With unions , the waterside workers, shepherds pie, mini skirts, shared housing, hippies, and much more. When a pot of tea and a biscuit was the going thing. No coffee in sight.
A light fluffy read.

Escapist reading for me. I like the main character Joe . I‘ve read a few about him now. This was an ok book but I didn‘t like the ending at all.

It took me a while to read this because I wanted to savour the beautiful writing , story telling and wisdom of Niall Williams. A wonderful story of life , love and happiness . The narrator was a joy to “ listen “ to.
This is one book I think I could listen to as an audio book.
A tale of a time in Ireland when things were simple but technology in the form of electricity was spreading .
A look at one small village . Insightful. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Very interesting. I had no idea who she was even though in the 70s I had been a member of WEL , the Women‘s Electoral Lobby which she had founded. I would have loved to have met her and to have heard her speak. A fascinating woman. Strong in her opinions and true to her values. Talking about sex long before it was “ proper “ to do so. Judith Brett has done a great job. Very well researched.

A local publisher and author. Very new. Thanks @CarolynM . I was able to get it from library. I found the style of writing different but enjoyable. There was not a lot of emotion , very matter of fact. Making the read even more enjoyable was the walk down memory lane for me with situations and places I knew from the 70s and onward.
A champion for gay and trans rights. The law has come a long way thanks to people like Andrea. ❤️🌈

I was not going to read this, however coffee friends raved on and on about it and one handed me a copy. Took me a while to get into it and must admit I skipped read a lot. Author must be smiling. A very timely novel. Interesting ending. A quick read especially if you read like me. 😊.

2 Aussie authors. Tagged book going free as a throw out from local library. The other published last year $1 in an op shop. Could not believe it @MrsMalaprop . On to my TBR shelf they go. Also got to see some of the Sydney Writer‘s Festival on the big screen at our State Library. Helen Garner, Ian Rankin and Anna Funder.

A very old book. First published in 1916, this one 1960. It caught my eye because I had to read it in high school and all I can remember is that I hated it. Reading it now I can understand why my teenage self didn‘t like. It is a spy thriller set in WW1 . I‘m glad I reread it. Looking back I realise we had a very British based curriculum.
By the way this old book smells great.😊❤️.

All the way through this book it seemed familiar . I checked and I hadn‘t read it before. Then it dawned on me it‘s on one of the streaming services. Well worth a watch. Also a good read. I‘m a bit of a fan of his character Joe OLoughlin.

A reread of the book that prompted my visit to Iceland in 2017. A truly magical place. This books tells the story of the last execution in Iceland. It has taken on new meaning for me after finishing her latest book Always Home , Always Homesick. Both wonderful reads. I don‘t keep many books these days but these books are definitely keepers.

Loved this read. I could relate to much of the way she feels. It also bought back memories of my visit to Iceland. A magical place and a highlight of all my travelling. This prompted me to reread Burial Rites. The book that prompted me to visit Iceland in 2017.

Right book at the right time. Op shop find. Could not believe it. The illustrations are delightful and the words wonderful. For all people and all ages. Not just the kids. ❤️❤️

Excellent. She keeps getting better with this series.

Another short listed book for the Stella. The writing is exquisite and I had to really concentrate in places. It dragged somewhat for me at times. But has got me really thinking after I read the authors note.

My GP has recently moved to a different practice so I get to visit a suburb which has one of the best independent book shops in my opinion. I get to browse books , walk around and have lovely coffee and chocolates. Plus see my wonderful GP. Looking forward to reading this book. Loved his latest.

A small book haul. Two are fresh off the press and I couldn't find listed here yet. Other two going cheap at local bookshop. So looking forward to the Hannah Kent book. ❤️

A short Aussie novel. Short listed for the Stella award.Set during the lockdown it looks at the lives of 4 family member and a rabbit. Insightful, it deals with love,grief,and emotions that make up everyday life. Beautiful writing.