The last of the Giver quartet - great young-adult literature, although not only for young adults - I enjoyed it too! I was constantly making links to the Handmaid‘s Tale with the Birthmothers and the grim production line of newborns. I was grateful for the happy ending.

The tale of the charismatic Jack Charles‘ life. This was eye opening to me, teaching me a bit more of the history of our nation and the trauma suffered by the stolen generation - he was jailed as a teenager simply for seeking out other aboriginal people and discovering that he was not an orphan (as he had been told by every authority in his life). To hear it read in his own compelling voice was an added bonus.

I‘ve read these out of order - this is the first of the series and my favourite so far - I‘ve only got one more to go. The world that Jonas lives in is so bleak, but the choices that have been made which have lead his community to their reality have so many warnings that seem relevant to our lives. Great ending!

Funny and lighthearted - a quick and easy read and now I follow her on Instagram for more daily doses of her great down to earth recreations of ridiculous celebrity poses.

The plot was predictable and the dialogue a bit clunky at times but it was a super easy read with nice scenery and an optimistic ending - perfect for reading in bed with a cold when I was not up for any challenging material.

I was looking forward to this one, hoping it would continue on from the abrupt ending of Gathering Blue, which it did. But... I still wanted more... this was a very quick read and the evil that was being caused in the Village never got fully explained and I wanted more depth and detail.

It only covers a few years but offers an insight into another era as he writes about when he emigrated to England in the sixties but had not yet started studying at Cambridge. Good to learn a little bit more about this cultural icon of Australia - although it seems his professional life was entirely lived in England!

I loved this world and following the journey of Kira the orphan girl as she discovers her special talents - if anything I was sad when it ended because I wanted more details. It was very enjoyable but there were hints of a cruel and dark element to the community which wasn‘t fully exposed. Perhaps in the next book? The audio book was so well read - it was a pleasure to listen to!

The second of three in this cosmic trilogy. I loved the descriptions and imagination of the world of Venus with its floating islands and bubble trees. There is a lot of philosophising with religious overtones which, although never subtle, definitely became more heavy handed by the end of the book.

I really enjoyed the descriptions and found myself visualising the landscapes and the different species from the other world - Malacandra. I thought the main character Ransom was likeable and was happy to follow his philosophical ramblings and I‘m looking forward to reading the second book in this trilogy.

I couldn‘t get over the amount of time devoted purely to directions! Ten steps to the left, then up fifteen steps, ten steps down the corridor etc...
The plot felt formulaic and predictable. Reacher seems like a stereotype of a macho-hero and I‘m guessing he is as stolid and stoic in every single book. Is that part of the appeal for this best-selling character? It was ok, but it didn‘t keep me guessing and I won‘t be keen for the next instalment.

I enjoyed this easy read - loaned to me by my fourteen year old niece who has read it twice in the past few weeks. It definitely felt like a teen drama with all the angsty relationship issues but the futuristic tech inventions kept me engaged and got me through to the finish.

After an initial adjustment I came to love the writing style of this book where mid-event the perspective constantly and unpredictably flits between the three main characters and created what felt like a ‘surround sound‘ stream of consciousness.