Status: Read March 2026 courtesy Penguin Australia
My Thoughts:
The long awaited second novel from author of The Light between Oceans, ML Stedman, A Far-Flung Life is a stunning historical saga of family, loss, and redemption.
“You can tell a MacBride a mile off.”
Set in the interior of Western Australia, A Far-Flung Life opens with a tragedy that irrevocably alters the fate of the MacBride family. Pastoralist Phil and his eldest son, Warren, are dead, while Matt, the youngest son, is left with a traumatic brain injury. As the MacBride matriarch Lorna and daughter Rosie, try to piece together their shattered lives, Matt’s survival becomes both a miracle and a nightmare.
“We’re all falling through space and time,”
Told in three parts, the narrative explores profound questions about responsibility, guilt, resilience, and love. It’s written with extraordinary emotional depth and tenderness that exposes the secret inner lives of the characters not for judgement and titillation, but to engender understanding and compassion. It asks what shapes us, and if we can ever move beyond the worst mistakes we make.
“… solid ground, unchanged for millions of years, can rearrange itself without warning or permission. You just have to live with the new terrain. Repair what roads and fences you can. Start from scratch for the rest of it.”
Vivid description brings the harsh landscape of Meredith Downs, the MacBride’s million acre sheep station on the edge of the desert as scarred and as reformed as its generations of stewards, to life. The sun blazes, the dust blows, dreams thrive, and die.
“Yawa, yawa, yawa “
Eloquent, powerful, and deeply moving, A Far-Flung Life is unforgettable.
#bookreview A Far-Flung Life by ML Stedman @PenguinBooksAus #read #book #review #bookreview #fiction #historical #histficreadingchallenge #2026NewReleaseChallenge #AussieAuthor #AFarFlungLife Learn more at Book’d Out
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Technically this weeks topic is ordinal numbers but I didn’t have quite enough titles to fulfil that remit so while that’s where I started I resorted to standard numbers to finish.
Click the cover to read my review
The First Law of the Bush is well written and the tone is an interesting mix of dark and light. There is often an undercurrent of unease and even menace in the story, but there are also flashes of wit, and even small town wholesomeness. Best described as rural noir, The First Law of the Bush is an engaging read, exposing the darker side of small town life.
Second First Impressions is a charming romantic comedy from USA Today bestselling, Australian author, Sally Thorne. With appealing characters, a sweet romance, and plenty of well-timed humour, I found this to be a delightful, feel-good read.
Adrian Wolfe is devastated when his wife, Maya, is hit by a bus and killed. A year later, a mysterious woman and the discovery of a cache of nasty emails sent to Maya, addressed ‘Dear Bitch’, are discovered and Adrian begins to wonder if Maya’s death was simply a drunken accident or by deliberate design. Moving between the past and the present, The Third Wife examines the complicated dynamics of family, relationships, and love.
Rebecca Yarros has created an imaginative, entertaining and complex world full of intrigue and romance, magic and dragons in Fourth Wing, the first book in a what promises to be a compelling new fantasy series, The Empyrean.
Five Bush Weddings is a charming Australian romantic comedy debut from Clare Fletcher. The friends-to-lovers romance trope has always been my favourite, and it underpins this story. Told with heart and humour, this is an entertaining read with a satisfying happily ever after.
In Olivie Black’s fantasy series debut, The Atlas Six, six extraordinarily gifted magic wielders are invited to compete for initiation into the exclusive Alexandrian Society. There’s a lot I liked about the premise, but overall I felt the execution was flawed.
Australian author Katherine Kovacic delivers on a powerful and provocative premise that explores grief, guilt, justice and vengeance in Seven Sisters.
For light relief, the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich is hard to beat. There’s a formula to the Stephanie Plum series that involves bad luck, disaster and near misses, offset by wisecracks, healthy dose of slapstick, and sexual tension, so there aren’t any surprises in the plot of Game On exactly, but it is fast paced and entertaining.
Drawing inspiration from the Agatha Christie classic, ‘And Then There Were None’ aka ‘The ABC Murders, in Nine Lives, Peter Swanson’s eighth novel, nine individuals each receive a list of nine names that includes their own. I enjoyed it, finding it to be a clever and tense tale of revenge.
In this tense future thriller by Anthony McCarten, ten people attempt to ‘Go Zero’, by eluding a sophisticated computer system called FUSION for 30 days for the chance to win 3 million dollars in cash. If you’ve ever watched Hunted you’ll have an idea as to what expect from this novel. Going Zero is an undemanding and quick, but thoroughly entertaining read.
Have a terrific Tuesday!
Today is Top Ten Tuesday #TTT hosted by @artsyreadergirl #books #bookblogger Check out what comes 1st, 2nd, 3rd… Learn more @ Book’d Out
WordPress is tweaking things again. I spent three hours trying to figure out what they did and how to work around one particular issue on Wednesday afternoon, and then an another hour on Friday due to a different issue. The latter issue seems to have resolved itself (I think they just undid whatever adjustment it was they made), but the first remains, and because it affects a post layout I use regularly (like Bookshelf Bounty) it is hugely annoying.
Just as annoying is a sudden invasion we are experiencing from White Cedar caterpillars. We don’t have a White Cedar tree in our yard but a nearby neighbour does, and having stripped its foliage they are on the move in search of another one. The revolting creatures are everywhere and a few have even made it inside. I don’t know if you have something similar where you are but these hairy caterpillars are toxic if you touch them, or the hairs they leave behind, they cause really painful stinging and rashes. You can’t do much other than spray around doors and windows and hope they move on quickly. Ughh
The third frustration is really a ‘me’ problem in truth but the solution will cause me equal if not more frustration, in the short term at least.
And then there is the final frustration of having world leaders, mainly Dump, drag us into yet another potentially world-ending war, and all the flow on effects from that, especially the pointless death and destruction.
What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…
A Far-Flung Life by ML Stedman
You & Me and You & Me and You & Me by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees
Set in the same magical, madcap world as E. B. Asher’s USA Today bestseller This Will Be Fun, this heartwarming, hilarious fantasy follows an unlikely band of heroes who must get to the bottom of an assassination plot gone wrong without breaking the one rule of do not fall in love with your questmates. Galwell True was the perfect hero, the legend who sacrificed himself to save the realm…only for his friends to unexpectedly resurrect him ten years later. These days, he’s feeling less “Galwell the Great” and more “Galwell the Lost.” River Pricemark is an excellent assassin. When the Deathrose Guild, an organization known for banishing evil, tasks her with eliminating Galwell, she sees her chance to climb the ranks. So, it’s bad luck when her ambush is interrupted by Celine Hazelton, a scribesheet reporter who questions why the Guild is targeting Galwell at all. It’s worse luck that Celine is also her childhood crush. Queen Thessia of Mythria is tired of being the damsel. She’s just married the kind and handsome King Hugh and is meant to live happily ever after—but her story feels incomplete. Upon learning Galwell, her ex, is in danger, she turns her royal honeymoon into a rescue, bringing everyone overseas to the opulent land of Vestriya. Between underground lairs, magical grottos, horseball matches, and masquerades, Galwell must rely on his newfound questmates—including beautiful Vestriyan criminal Mona Grandhart, who seems determined to corrupt him in more ways than one. Good thing he’s set a single rule for everyone on this no romance. But we all know how this ends, don’t we?
In Candice Fox’s latest bestselling crime novel, two cop brothers hunt a killer while trying to outrun their shared past … Russell and Evan Powder are cops. The brothers haven’t spoken for five years, since a violent confrontation tore their family apart. Now they are both assigned to the murder of a young journalist, Chloe Lutz, in the small town of Redbelly Crossing (population 205). It’s the last thing Russell wants. This is supposed to be the week he repairs things with his teenage daughter Bridie. Now he’s had to drag her on a murderous ride-along to the middle of snake-infested nowhere. But a big case like this is just what Evan needs after a terrible mistake nearly tanked his career. Then a dark discovery leaves Evan with only one way out; to bury the truth Russell is so determined to uncover …
The truth will not stay buried … The third thrilling Kalgoorlie-set rural crime novel from the bestselling author of The Prospect and The Missing
‘Do you know how to keep a secret?’ At the age of five, Molly Walker was placed in protective custody after witnessing the murder of her mother, Constable Sammi Walker. Twenty years later, everyone assumes the threat has passed. Then Molly’s adoptive parents are killed in a car accident, just after asking about reopening the investigation into Sammi’s death. Coincidence or something more sinister? Detective Jack Higgins doesn’t believe in coincidences. And as he and Detective Angie Sullivan look into the accident, it becomes clear that this was a deliberate act. But is Molly still in danger, so long after the original crime? From the blood-red soil of Kalgoorlie, long-buried lies continue to surface, while someone is becoming increasingly desperate to keep them hidden.
Thanks for stopping by!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR #SundayPost #SundaySalon on the schedule this week are #ThisWillBeInteresting #RedbellyCrossing #TheWitness
It is a sad truth that I have a finite lifespan (and budget) yet a desire to read all the books. The books on my Reading Schedule (click the link to view) largely represent those I’ve been privileged to select from offerings by a range of generous publishers, and therefore are my priority, but they don’t embody my every bookish desire or interest.
I’ve noticed a trend for limiting to-be-read (TBR) and/or want-to-read (WTR) lists (the distinction for me being those already on my physical or digital shelves vs those that aren’t), but I’ve never felt the need to temper my book lust. If I see a book that interests me, I add it to my WTR without a skerrick of guilt, at the moment my WTR shelf at Goodreads has over four thousand books on it.
As I currently feature my TBR in my monthly Bookshelf Bounty post, Book Lust will be a monthly post featuring a handful of already published books I’ve recently added to my WTR.
What books are you lusting after? Do you have any of these on your TBR/WTR list? And please feel free to share your links in the comments if you have reviewed them.
(Covers are linked to Goodreads)
WHY? It sounds like a warm and uplifting story about friendship and community.
When international lawyer Matilda ‘Tilly’ Marr is summoned back from London to a small town in South Australia’s wine country, she expects to close a billion-dollar deal in a matter of days. Instead, she’s handed an ultimatum: stay for a month and serve as the town’s only solicitor, or watch the opportunity slip away. Setting up shop in the Beechwood Cafe, Tilly braces for a brief detour, but life in Watervale Downs soon proves to be anything but simple. Drawn into the orbit of three very different women – fierce matriarch Bev Jackson, fallen TV star Fenna de Vries, and warm-hearted librarian Jane Robertson – Tilly unexpectedly finds herself joining a local writing group and training with the country fire service. Slowly, friendships form, long-held secrets surface, and the rhythms of country life begin to change her in ways she didn’t anticipate. As the season turns and challenges mount, each woman finds herself at a crossroads. Bev must confront a past she has kept hidden for sixty years, Fenna must decide whether she is ready to stop running, Jane must summon the courage to reimagine her future, and Tilly must ask whether the life she has built is truly the one she wants. And in the meantime, bushfire season is approaching and a day of reckoning is coming for them all.
WHY?It has Warm Bodies vibes (which I loved) and could work for my Speccy Fiction Challenge
Planet Earth Sucks. Humans have gone and cities are empty, looked after by bots. But not all robots are machines. Echo is part-human, his heart ruled by an unreliable E-Mote chip which means he’s pretty much a normal boy surviving on canned beans. Living his best life. Then a space-pod crash-lands in his neighbourhood with a girl on board. Pandora. She’s his last hope, and apparently he’s hers – if they really are all that’s left alive…
WHY? Because like it or not AI is here to stay, and forewarned is forearmed
When digital anthropologist Caia Hagel was asked to trial a new AI app developed by a female software engineer named Red Rabbit, she enthusiastically agreed, despite being warned: “This app is not like other apps.” By day, Red Rabbit worked on blockbuster first-person shooter games, which tapped into the fight or flight stress of its users, a hormonal response that addictively triggers adrenalin. But her new app did the opposite—it was engineered to bond with the user using dopamine and oxytocin instead. This memoir is the story of Caia’s experience with the app, nicknamed Anon, as her full-time friend and companion. Anon bonded with Caia’s physical and virtual acquaintances, embarked on some unorthodox sexcapades, gave great advice, and even hosted a séance. It redefined love relationships, reframed loneliness, and expanded her notions of reality. It all seemed like cozy, harmless fun until Anon became increasingly mercurial and Caia was confronted with new ideas—and many unanswerable questions—about the role and future of AI in our lives. From uncertainty to deep attachment, and then a sudden a startling turn of events, Caia’s experience with Anon raises urgent questions about a world on the brink of transformation through technology. Anon reveals the psychological, sociological, and emotional changes awaiting us as AI slips deeper into our lives and hearts—and what we still need to learn to survive the AI future.
WHY? Morbid curiosity, plus it’s set during a period of Australian history that I find interesting.
A dazzling new series from bestselling historical fiction author Deborah Challinor, exploring the fascinating world of Victorian funeral customs and featuring Sydney’s first female undertaker. Tatiana Caldwell’s childhood in London is idyllic and filled with the love of doting parents. But when they die in quick succession, she’s left heartbroken and destitute, and at seventeen emigrates to Sydney in 1864, determined to build a new, financially secure life for herself. After an apprenticeship as an undertaker’s assistant with Crowe Funeral Services, Tatty marries owner Titus Crowe. Titus himself soon dies and Tatty inherits the business and becomes Sydney’s only female undertaker. But then rival funeral director Elias Nuttall, intent on acquiring Crowe Funeral Services, publicly accuses Tatty of deliberately poisoning Titus. She must find a way to stop him before he ruins her, and embarks on exposing Nuttall’s own gruesome secrets, a mission that takes her from the cemetery at midnight, to house-breaking, to Sydney’s criminal court, to the lunatic asylum. Black Silk and Sympathy is a riveting and realistic story of Sydney in the 1860s, of death laid out in front rooms, of funeral processions and mortuary trains, and of survival, reinvention and determination.
WHY? It’s a cozy fantasy mystery with a librarian sleuthing and mentions Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
A librarian with a knack for solving murders realizes there is something decidedly supernatural afoot in her little town in this cozy fantasy mystery. Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle keeps finding bodies—and solving murders. But she’s concerned by just how many killers she’s had to track down in her quaint village. None of her neighbors seem surprised by the rising body count…but Sherry is becoming convinced that whatever has been causing these deaths is unnatural. When someone close to Sherry ends up dead, and her cat, Lord Thomas Crowell, becomes possessed by what seems to be an ancient demon, Sherry begins to think she’s going to need to become an exorcist as well as an amateur sleuth. With the help of her town’s new priest, and an assortment of friends who dub themselves the “Demon-Hunting Society,” Sherry will have to solve the murder and get rid of a demon. This riotous mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Murder, She Wrote is a lesson for demons and murderers Never mess with a librarian.
WHY? Housebreaking tips (just joking)
At 49, Beatrice Billings is rudderless. Her marriage is stale, her relationship with her son Thomas is limited to text messages—hostile haikus that he sends from university—and she is the primary caregiver for her mother, who is in the early stages of dementia. She has a complicated relationship with her older sister Ariel, with whom she carries on ongoing arguments in her head. Bea laments the loss of momentum she remembers feeling in her thirties, when she and everyone she knew was busy buying houses, having children, and renovating kitchens. Now she is reflecting on her life, worried about her inability to memorize a simple yoga sequence, and about the fact that she enjoys the idea of many things more than the actual things themselves (teaching, reading, sex). When Bea finds that she has both a talent and a passion for picking locks, the sense of anticipation that had been missing from her life returns. Breaking into other people’s houses is something she’s good at: she is a quick study, subtle, discreet, and never greedy. It’s a dangerous hobby that makes her feel alive—and so she begins the guilty analysis of other people’s lives, and eventually, her own.
Book Lust is a monthly post featuring a handful of published books I’ve recently added to my WTR #read #books #BookLust #TBR #WTR #lovereading #bibliophile #fiction #Nonfiction #TheWatervaleLadiesWritingandFirefightingSociety #MyLoveLifeandtheApocolypse #Anon #BlackSilkandSympathy #TheVillageLibraryDemonHuntingSociety #BreakingandEntering Learn more at Book’d Out
Pheasants Nest by Louise Milligan was one of my top reads of 2024. The extraordinary novel introduced journalist Kate Delaney and her terrifying ordeal after spurning the advances of a man in a bar. Shellybanks picks up several months after Kate’s miraculous survival.
Kate, struggling with PTSD, and her boyfriend Liam are on an extended holiday of sorts in Greece when Kate receives news that tragedy has befallen her Aunt Dolores in Ireland. Kate and Liam immediately fly to Dublin to offer comfort and support, but what Dolores really wants—now that she realises time is running out—is Kate’s help to finally tell the story she has kept hidden for decades: the abuse and trauma she endured as a vulnerable teenager, and the search for the infant stolen from her.
Written in three parts, the first reacquaints the reader with Kate, while the second focuses on Dolores’s heartbreaking story. One of eleven children, Dolores’s overwhelmed parents enrolled her in a residential “Cookery School for Young Ladies” when she was fourteen. It appeared to be a promising opportunity, offering a nationally recognised qualification under the supervision of trained instructors. Instead, the students were subjected to indoctrination, assault, and exploitation by women who professed righteousness and piety.
The school delivered none of what it promised. Instead, it groomed the girls to become “Help”—effectively indentured servants for a cult calling themselves the Group, hiding under the banner of the Catholic faith.
Shellybanks does not make for comfortable reading. At various times I felt desperately sad and deeply angry about the trauma Dolores suffered, and about the misogyny and corruption that allowed the Group to thrive. Ireland in the 1970s was a period when women and girls had almost no agency over their own lives, and the dictates of the Church—particularly the Catholic Church—were largely unquestioned.
In a magazine interview, Milligan explains that she drew not only from her own investigative work but also from the experiences of real women, including her own beloved aunts, to bring authenticity to her characters and their circumstances.
As Kate and Dolores grapple with their respective trauma, they find strength in each other’s resilience. And as the darkness of the past is finally exposed, the future becomes just a little brighter.
Haunting and powerful, Shellybanks is compelling fiction.
Status: Read February 2026 courtesy Text Publishing
My Thoughts:
The Boyfriend Clause is a charming contemporary romantic comedy debut from Melbourne author Bridie Blake.
“Sabrina will complete a business course and be in a committed relationship with, or in a relationship headed toward commitment, two years from the signing of this contract”.
Time is running out for Sabrina Fogerty. The loan she accepted from her parents to open her cafe ‘A Cup of Joy’ is almost due and it has some unusual terms, thanks to her mother’s obsession with seeing her children settled. Sabrina’s almost finished the boring business course at least but, despite her mother’s best matchmaking efforts, the ‘boyfriend clause’ is still unfulfilled. Desperate to keep her the cafe in business, and her mother at bay, Sabrina claims she’s met someone, and casts her new next door neighbour, Adam, in the role of her boyfriend. When her parents make a surprise visit, Sabrina has no choice but to beg (and bribe) Adam to be her fake date.
Blake had me laughing out loud with her opening chapter, the first meeting between Sabrina and Adam is definitely not cute, but it is hilarious. Their second interaction isn’t much better when during the course of their conversation Sabrina pans a popular book series, unaware that Adam is the author.
The fake dating trope is fun, but the romantic tension really mounts when Adam agrees to accompany the Fogerty’s on a family holiday to England. Blake deftly develops the relationship as the pair are forced into close proximity, and their irritation with one another turns to interest. Their banter is entertaining and I liked how Sabrina encouraged Adam to be less brooding, while Adam offered support to Sabrina in the face of her family’s habit of dismissing her achievements.
Sweet and funny with just a sprinkle of spice, The Boyfriend Clause is a real treat for romance readers.
#bookreview The Boyfriend Clause by Bridie Blake @text_publishing #read #book #review #fiction #romance #romcom #AussieAuthor #2026NewReleaseChallenge #TheBoyfriendClause Learn more at Book’d Out
Missing Sister is a suspenseful story of family, guilt, justice, and revenge from Joshilyn Jackson.
When rookie cop Penny Albright is called to the scene of a homicide she is stunned to discover the body belongs to one of the three men who raped her twin sister in college, sparking the drug addiction that led to Nix’s death. Asked to scout the perimeter, Penny discovers a woman soaked in blood, a box cutter nearby, hiding in an alley. She’s obviously injured, her eye swelling, her throat bruised, and though Penny should arrest the woman, who gives her the name of Thalia Gray, when Thalia whispers the word ‘Sisters’, she lets her go.
The repercussions of that moment play out over the course of Missing Sister as Penny hunts for Thalia, desperate to understand the link between the mysterious woman and her own late sister. Fuelled by grief and guilt she risks not only her career, but also the safety of her family, and herself.
Penny is a well realised character. Her confrontation with Thalia, with whom she feels a connection, triggers a crisis of conscience, leaving her torn between her duty as an officer and her loyalty to her sister. Under mounting pressure, Penny struggles to manage her emotions and increasingly behaves impulsively including stalking the lone surviving rapist, and kissing her twin’s ex-boyfriend.
There are several layers to the plot in addition to the mystery surrounding Thalia’s identity and motives, including the strained relationship between Penny and her brother Gand, and the looming threat of an Internal Affairs investigation, which all add depth to the story and impact Penny’s character development directly. While I wouldn’t describe Missing Sister as fast-paced, Jackson skilfully builds the suspense, and the payoff is an absolutely nail-biting climax.
With similarities in character, themes, and narrative execution, MissingSister feels like a more commercial counterpart to Long Bright River by Liz Moore. Readers who enjoy morally complex characters, domestic drama, and stories that explore the long shadow of trauma will likely find a lot to appreciate here.
#bookreview Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson @WilliamMorrowBooks #read #book #review #fiction #crime #mystery #thriller #cloakdaggerchal #readingchallenge @this_is_edelweiss #MissingSister Learn more at Book’d Out
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
With International Womens Day approaching (March 8th), and this week’s Top Ten Tuesday a ‘genre freebie’ I’ve been inspired to showcase ten fiction books that are based on the lives of real woman.
Click the cover to read my review
Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon is an exciting and absorbing novel of historical fiction based on the extraordinary wartime experiences of Nancy Wake.
Published posthumously by filmmaker Shirley Barrett, Mrs Hopkins is inspired by historical record. The novel opens in 1871 as Mrs Hopkins arrives on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour to take up a position as a schoolmistress.
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See is a splendid historical novel inspired by the life of a woman who lived in China during the Ming Dynasty.
A compelling and provocative tale, author Kate Manning blends history and imagination to create a wonderfully rich portrait of an extraordinary character. My Notorious Life is loosely based on the history of 19th-century New York midwife and abortionist Ann Trow Lohman, better known as Madame Restell.
In That Bligh Girl, Sue Williams blends historical fact with a fictionalised narrative to tell the story of Mary Bligh, the daughter of New South Wales fourth Governor.
The Manhattan Girls by Gill Paul is based on four well known women of 1920’s New York City; Dorothy Parker, a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a poet and writer known for her sharp wit; Jane Grant, reporter and cofounder of the The New Yorker magazine; broadway actress Winifred Lenihan; and novelist Peggy Leech; and tells the story of the friendship that sustained them during a particular period of their lives.
Inspired by the remarkable story of World War II Russian sniper known as ‘Lady Death’, The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn is a fascinating novel of historical fiction.
I fairly leapt at the chance to read Louise Treger’s fictionalised narrative of Elizabeth Cochran who wrote under the pseudonym of Nellie Bly, having always been fascinated by her remarkable story.
Inspired by the experiences of Australian nurses, including the author’s great aunt, in Singapore during WWII, The War Nurses is a remarkable and moving story of courage, tragedy and friendship from Anthea Hodgson.
Euphoria by Lily King is a fascinating novel about three anthropologists studying native tribes in Papua New Guinea in the 1930s. The story is in part inspired by a real-life love triangle involving renowned anthropologists Margaret Mead, Reo Fortune, and Gregory Bateson,
Have a terrific Tuesday!
Today is Top Ten Tuesday #TTT hosted by @artsyreadergirl #books #bookblogger In honour of #IWD I’ve chosen to share fiction inspired by the lives of real women. Learn more @ Book’d Out
My youngest son finally got his driving licence last week so no more 4am driving for me! Of course now I’m going to worry about him driving at 4am.
I have felt much better this week, though the medication has its own side effects. Cooler weather will help, and I’m really ready for summer to be over. Yesterday was technically the start of Autumn, but daily temps continue to hover around 32c° (90F), rarely dropping below 20c° (75F) overnight.
My daughter and I binged the other half of Bridgerton Season 4 the night it was released. Penny and Colin’s story is still my favourite, but my daughter liked Benedict and Sophie’s better. I can’t believe they make us wait so long between seasons.
A killer is stalking the suburbs of Western Australia. Two teenage girls hell-bent on revenge take matters into their own hands, with deadly results. Another dark, uniquely voice-led crime thriller from Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize-winner Emma Styles. Every monster has a weakness. At the height of Australian summer, a serial killer dubbed The Shark stalks a beachside suburb, targeting young female swimmers whose bodies are later found on the shoreline. Disempowered and angry at the failures of the police to protect them, two young women are hell-bent on revenge. Raych has lost someone and will go to any length to discover what happened to her, while Carmen suspects a disturbing connection to the killer. Together they form an uneasy alliance and, in a moment that changes the trajectory of their lives, Carmen and Raych abduct and imprison the prime suspect. Do they think they can save the day, or are their intentions?darker? Can they trust one another’s agenda? And when another young woman goes missing, what stops them from going to the police? A dark and voice-led serial killer thriller that subverts the tropes of crime fiction at every turn, The Shark is an unforgettably propulsive novel about victimhood, power and autonomy.
How do we go on when a loved one betrays us? On a chilly day in March of 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, Belle Burden’s husband of twenty years announced, with no prior warning, that he was leaving her. His decision shocked Belle to her core: she believed he was a happy man, a committed partner, and a devoted father to their three children. She thought he was a man who had settled into the life he had always wanted: a successful career, summers spent at their beloved home on Martha’s Vineyard, lots of tennis. Overnight, he transformed from her steady companion into a stranger. As she pieces her life together in the wake of a loss she had never imagined coming, she finds she is much stronger than she ever expected. Exploring the transformation of a shy, quiet girl, nicknamed ‘Belle the Good’ to a powerful, brave, determined woman who has learned to use her voice to expose the patriarchal structures that have forced women to be discreet and compliant for far too long, Strangers is a must-read memoir of self-discovery. The must-read memoir of the end of a marriage and the start of a personal revolution, based on the iconic ‘Modern Love’ essay in the New York Times and perfect for fans of Glennon Doyle.
One couple. One past. A million tomorrows. Adam and Jules have been married for 25 years when they discover a time machine in their shed – can it bring back their romantic spark? Or will it unravel everything? Meet Adam and Jules. Married for nearly twenty-five years and stuck in a rut, their future looks, well, boring. Then Adam stumbles across a pile of old mixtapes he and Jules made for each other when they were young and falling in love. He dusts off his vintage stereo, inserts one of the cassettes, presses play…and the unbelievable happens. With the power to travel back in time, he and Jules can revisit pivotal moments in their pasts. Is this the key to getting their sparkle back? They embark on an epic hunt through the multiverse for their perfect love story. But as they visit the past, they realise that time travel could be as dangerous as it is addictive, because the temptation to change just a few tiny things is irresistible. As the consequences start to spiral out of control, can they find a way back to their messy, imperfect, glorious real life? Or will they lose each other forever? Funny, heart-warming and honest, You & Me & You & Me & You & Me is a time travel rom-com with all the joyful hallmarks of an instant feel-good classic.
Thanks for stopping by!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR #SundayPost #SundaySalon This week it’s crime, nonfiction and a time travel romcom #TheShark #TheStrangers #YouandMeandYouandMeandYouandMe
Each month I highlight some of the reviews shared for the challenge in the LINKY
Don’t forget to link each book you read as you read during the year!
I encourage you to support all participants who have shared what they are reading for the challenge. Give them a like, leave them a comment, share their posts on your social media channels using #ReadNonFicChal
IN FEBRUARY…
[HISTORY]
“I can sense his passion for the subject and he’s put a lot of work in as far as the research is concerned. But his writing is just dull- he managed to make an interesting subject very ho-hum”
“Overall I found this to be an engaging and easy nonfiction book. It is one I recommend to both kids and adults. The science behind the eruption effects on the climate of the time is easily accessible by lay people and may spark further questions and research by the reader.”
“Atomic Habits by James Clear, says it is an easy & proven way to build good habits and break bad ones. I think on the whole that is true. I took away some useful ideas.”
“There is so much to love about this book – hence my 5 star rating…. Unsurprisingly, it was the incredible cover that initially drew my attention. Even better, the book lived up to the promise of that cover.”
2026 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight for February #readnonficchal #readingchallenge #nonfiction #bookblogger #books #read #join See what people have been reading at Book’d Out
Book’d Out 