Thanks @thegreensofa for such a fabulous #aussiesecretsanta package! First of all, can we just talk about this wrapping paper? I‘m so in love with it I only unstuck one end and slid the gifts out. Maybe I can use it again!! Love the pen as I have a new planner lined up for January. Great looking books and bookmarks. 😍 You‘re awesome!! Thanks to @thegirlwiththelibrarybag for organising!
Happy early Christmas, Aussies! 🎄

#20best2020 in the order I read them. Thanks for tagging me @thegreensofa but you ruined my evening!! I was all set to read a new book that came today but just HAD to do this. 😛 This is both fiction and non- as it would take way too long to do both. Bear in mind there‘s still a month of 2020 reads to go. 📚

Want to play @Rissreads and @LapReader ?? Have fun!

My November reads. Loved most of them. Take Me Apart and White Fragility we‘re only ok and Bookishness was too academic. The rest were awesome!! What did you read in Nov?

#novemberwrapup #goodreads

I finally get to read Vivek Oji!! My brother bought it for my bday present last month but I‘ve been swamped with NetGalley reads and holiday prep. Just posted my first book blog tour stop today and two NG reviews. I‘m on a break!!!

Here‘s Mittens watching a visitor in our yard. 🦘

Last night‘s situation. About to happen again tonight even though it‘s super early. Didn‘t sleep well and I‘m cold!! 🥶

This book is slow-going, for some reason. I feel like I‘ve been reading it forever.

#bookandcat

Sent this out on Monday!! Normally swaps are a huge stress but I‘m hopeful I‘m ahead of schedule and my match doesn‘t have what I‘ve sent!!! Now to finish the quilt project underneath...

#aussiesecretsanta @thegirlwiththelibrarybag

A day late with the Halloween but here‘s my October reading wrap-up. Hope you all had a great Halloween!! 🎃

#octoberwrapup #wrapup

I took my bike and my book down to the trail along the inlet. How perfect to read Anne outside while listening to the water lap the shore? Until I realized I was bring eaten alive by mosquitoes!! Alas, not as idyllic as PEI or Green Gables.

#kindredspiritsbuddyread

I got a bit behind in the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead. My birthday, a new bike, and a baaad NetGalley ARC all contributed. But I‘ve been catching up! At least it‘s easy to do 3-4 chapters at once with Anne. She‘s calming my soul.
@BarbaraJean

Look what came in the mail today!!! I had to order from Amazon US since this doesn‘t come out in AU until Nov. I love this cover!! And especially love the spine!!!! Totally dorking out over here. Can‘t wait to read this!

#bookmail #newbook #booknerd

We finally have a Little Free Library in town!! Super cute and great selection. I left two and took two. Pic cut off the white whale on top. Perfect for the Ocean Beach section of town.

#littlefreelibrary

Here are my two old Anne books and a biography of L.M. Montgomery. I bought it for the gorgeous cover. Read it earlier this year and kinda bummed me out. She didn‘t have an easy life. Would rather think of her in Anne‘s world!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead
@BarbaraJean

“She‘s next door to a perfect heathen.”
😂😂😂

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #AnneofGreenGables @BarbaraJean

Day off!!! It‘s cold, my allergies stink, and I‘m still recovering from too much socialising. Perfect remedy right here!!!

Allergies win! I‘ve taken to my bed VERY early. Have two chapters to catch-up on for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead. I‘m enjoying this so much!! Thanks @BarbaraJean for organising. 🙂

I‘m book-nerding out and only Littens will understand without judging. My review was featured on my favourite author‘s Facebook page!! 😊This makes me so happy! 🤓🤓

#bookreview #cozymystery #booknerd

Just came out to read yesterday‘s and today‘s chapters for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead and the little fella was sleeping so cute!

Thank you @BarbaraJean for the awesome #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead!! I‘ve never done a buddy read before but I‘m in dire need of some Anne right now. Just finished chapter one after a loooong day at work. Looking forward to Friday night and chapter 2 tomorrow. I need a weekend!!!

Another amazing book by Ijeoma Oluo. It was as enlightening as it was infuritating. Oluo‘s combined clarity of thought and eloquence with which to voice it is a rare combination. I knew it would be well-reasoned and thoughtful but the level of research undertaken and presented was surprising. One reading is not enough. How lucky I feel to live in the Age of Oluo.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Seal Press for the ARC.

#Mediocre

Littens, I‘m SO happy to be home!!! Bookworms don‘t need to go away to escape. We have books! Mittens and I are homebodies. 😻

I‘m home! Cervantes to Denmark WA. Cool signs on the road, a hello Perth/goodbye Perth drive-by, and a very happy cat (and human)!!!

Listened to Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling.) Actually re-listening because the next in the series has just been published. I love to listen to this series because the narrator, Robert Glenister, is unbelievably good.

Today we drove from Coral Bay to Cervantes, about 10 hours. Went through Carnarvon, which has this dish commissioned in 1969 to help the US space program. Also saw this dry river and banana trees!.

I only read a little because I napped. Coral Bay was loud last night! Some sort of drunken party and it‘s not a big place so sound carries. Anyway, I‘m reading Mediocre by Ijeoma Oluo.

Tomorrow I‘ll be home!!!!!! 😻

What can I say that hasn‘t been said? This book was amazing. It was compelling from the first page. A unique plot that could have so easily failed if not written so brilliantly.

Unfortunately, I should not read plane crash books as I struggle with the 30-hour flight between here and mom! 6-7 hour flights I love. 30 hours in a tin can is way too much time to think of disasters. 😛

Last day away. Heading home tomorrow!!

Finished this today in campy. Was feeling sick-ish so read all day! Really liked this. Light and funny but actually tackles a serious cultural issue.

#bookwormonvacation

Took a Can-Am buggie tour through the dunes and onto the beach for a snorkel. I picked this up at reception‘s take-one-leave-one shelf. Love it so far!

#bookwormonvacation

Of course I saved Beach Read for the beach!!

#coffeeandcurrentlyreading #beachread #bookwormonvacation

Another home run in the Library Lovers series.

Read in the car on the way to Coral Bay, WA. 🇦🇺
#cozymysteries

We‘re on the road! Finished listening to 1984 and read most of tagged. Saved the last bit for the hotel tonight. Missing my cat but his house sitter has arrived so going to try and enjoy my holiday now.

Some scenes of the day. The canola is so much more beautiful in person.

#aussieroadtrip #readinginthecar

Vacation starts tomorrow!! I‘m only excited because I‘ve been denying myself this TBR selection until we leave. Two days of driving so should be plenty of reading time!! And napping. 😛 Audiobooks are for both of us but I‘ll prob just listen to the two on my phone. 📚

#readinginthecar #beachbooks

About 25 years ago, I stumbled on a diary of Anne Morrow Lindbergh‘s in the library of the retirement village where I was weeekend receptionist. I discovered that she attended the college I was attending at that time. My fascination with the Lindbergh baby kidnapping probably began there. However, I never really read about it. What a great book to start with!!! I tracked down all of Mrs. Lindbergh‘s published diaries years ago, pictured here.

This book has it all; love, hate, sin, redemption, tragedy, and even some joy. Emily leaves London to interview Lucky, a former restaurant franchiser, for a New Yorker article. Lucky's tale unfolds in flashbacks and forwards, finally unraveling the story of his life. The characters are well-developed and intertwined in a clever way. This is a great addition to Australian literary fiction.

#NetGalley #review #Luckys #PanMacmillanAustralia

Ugh! Trying to post reviews of every book I read until the end of the year but have to keep adding them to Litsy because they‘re ARCs. I‘ll do it tomorrow. In the meantime, here‘s a pic of a little whoopsie that happened this afternoon. Mittens was thrilled ...until the broom came out!

#litsymademedoit This is not my genre but I bought the book! At least now I‘m ready for vacation in a week. 📚

Morning off! Too bad it‘s still so cold. 🥶

#coffeeandcurrentlyreading #netgalley

I wanted this so bad from NetGalley but couldn‘t get it. Got it now!

Any time there‘s a cast of characters at the beginning of a book, I worry. If I can‘t keep them straight through the narrative, it‘s not a great book! This one took forever to get through. It plods. But had such a great premise!

#netgalley #arc #arcreview #bookstagram

Are you on Bookstagram? I want to follow all Littens so put your BG handle here and I‘ll make sure I‘m following.

Happy Spring, Aussies!! 🌸

#bookstagram

*AUGUST WRAP-UP*

Here are the 12 books I read this month. Thanks to Goodreads, for the perfect summary photo! Except Litsy cut it off. 🙁

There are 7 ARCs, 1 for book club, and 4 hyped. I liked all of these books and even loved a few!

What was your favorite book in August?

I think mine was Ninth House. Loved so many, though!!

#monthlywrapup #goodreadschallenge2020 #arcreview

What are your favourite books from childhood? One of mine is The Snowy Day. And my teddy bear had been with me for nearly 50 years. He‘s very special!

#childrensbooks #feelingnostalgic

For a short, simply written YA book, Taking Root really captured my imagination. I read it straight through this afternoon. It won‘t win any literature awards but it‘s sweet and enjoyable. The characters are endearing. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

#NetGalley #TakingRoot

Tara, whose name means Star in English, is an Indian woman caught between the expectations of family and society and her desire to find her own happiness in the world. It's fascinating to learn about Indian culture and see how it conflicts with the American lifestyle and values. One can see why a woman from India would be torn between the two worlds.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. #PurpleLotus

Saturday morning in my library!

#weekendreading #saturday #donotdisturb

A short memoir by a man who was a homeless teen in LA. He has a lot of drive, determination, and dreams. His humor and confidence help him survive, but also make this a great read. He's also brutally honest and not afraid to look bad at times. A great read!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

#arc #review #bookstagrammer

Honestly! Is this allowed?? Of course, he immediately knocked my water bottle cover onto the floor. Cats. 🙄
😻😻

#shelfie

What are your favourite bookish accessories?

A quilting friend made me this Book Lending Record. Love it! I used it today, as a matter of fact. 📚❤️

#booklove #librariansoflitsy #booknerd #cozymystery #librarylove

Awesome! So glad I saw all you Littens reading it. 🙂

What other fantasy do you recommend for a newbie??

I‘ve posted a review on my blog, as per my challenge, but I don‘t see me continuing with that.
https://bookwormdownunder.blogspot.com

📷: Courtesy of an IG filter. Having fun with those!

#fantasy #ninthhouse #review #litsyrecommends

So close to finishing last night but I couldn‘t keep my eyes open any longer. And now I have to go to work!! 😭 Until tonight, book.

📷: Instagram filter. Cool!

#bookstagramnewbie
#readinginbed

Mittens may doubt my resolve but I‘m going to restart my blog and challenge myself to post reviews for every book I read for the rest of 2020. Hold me accountable! And mock me when I fail...

https://bookwormdownunder.blogspot.com

#2020challenge

Hi all! Just FYI that I changed my Litsy name from ReadingDownUnder to @BookwormDownUnder just in case you think I left. I am maybe starting a Bookstagram account and that‘s the name that was available so I want them the same. 😘

@LapReader @Rissreads @LeeRHarry @JennyM @CarolynM @LuckyDuck

This is so not my genre but so many Littens posted about it, I bought a copy. Have to say, I‘m loving it! Thanks for the unintended recommendation!!

#litsyrecommends