Merry Christmas everyone!
My wonderful secret book Santa was @CarolynM who has spoilt me with wonderful gifts. My books are Happy Hour, Monsignor Quixote and Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone…so lots of reading pleasure ahead.
Have a lovely day wherever you are!
#AussieSecretSanta #Christmas

The present opening was amazing…one thoughtful gift after another…3 wonderful books..none that I have read.a beautiful bookish calendar, a fun reindeer drink mixer, soap and hand cream, reindeer socks, a lovely lens cloth and chocolates and shortbreads!!!!
Carolyn thank you for this….the books…they all look so good!
Hope everyone has a lovely day.
#AussieSecretSanta @CarolynM @LeeRHarry @thegirlwiththelibrarybag @MrsMalaprop @Rissreads @LapReader

This gift is going out today for #AussieSecretSanta . Fingers crossed it gets there by Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas to my recipient!!! and all the other girls.
Thanks Carolyn for organising @CarolynM @MrsMalaprop @LapReader @Jhullie @thegirlwiththelibrarybag @LeeRHarry @Teresereading @Rissreads

My Top 10 for 2024!
Top reads were War and Peace and Demon Copperhead. After that in no particular order were some favourite authors …John Boyne, Charlotte Wood and Robbie Arnott…some new to me authors and books…Slow Horses, James and Tokyo Express and another wonderful Tolstoy Ivan Ilych, and Richard Osmans latest crime thriller! All so good…❤️📚

Turns out I‘m a philobiblist!! Who knew? You probably are too 😊 Enjoying Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent and learning lots of new words as well!!

My pile of recently read books!! First Slow Horses by Mick Herron…I love a spy thriller. This one..the first in the series introduces us to the spooks from Slough House..I will definitely read the next book! One of my favourites Tokyo Express…A clever twisty Japanese crime novel. The Big Sleep.. my first Raymond Chandler..fab! Stone Yard Devotional..a quiet book that will stick with you and Evie Wyld and Kate Atkinson always worth reading!

Such an engaging read..half way through and loving James by Percival Everett. A retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told by Jim an escaped slave. Lovely writing, funny and compassionate!
#americanliterature #historicalfiction #literature

My reading time has been consumed reading War and Peace for the past few months. Wonderful book. It‘s proof we just keep making the same mistakes about war century after century!
#historical #literary #fiction #classics

Each year I try to read a huge classic..a masterpiece! This year it‘s War and Peace, and I‘m only 200 pages in and reading about war which is not usually something I enjoy. But I love Tolstoys writing. I love learning about Russian history. I‘m alternating reading and sewing my latest project❤️
#chunkster #literature #classics #tolstoy

I‘ve been missing in action! My excuse.. a wonderful overseas holiday and spending lots of time in my garden. My reading high lights have been John Boyne and John Le Carre. I have just started War and Peace as I promised myself I would read it this year. Hope your all getting some reading time😊
#holidayreading #literature #crime #classics

I‘m late to the party with this….but this book is fantastic. I don‘t think I‘ll ever forget Demon Copperhead. It‘s touched on so many devastating social issues but remained uplifting!
Brilliant writing ❤️
#literature #social issues #fivestars

Dear Sharni these gifts are so thoughtful! @thegirlwiththelibrarybag
I‘m late posting because I worked Christmas and then my Litsy app wouldn‘t load!
These books look fantastic…I love art, and discovering new authors, and of course historical fiction!! The print and brass blooms are lovely ❤️ I hope everyone had a lovely day!!
@MrsMalaprop @Rissreads @CarolynM @LeeRHarry @kathy88 @Jhullie @Lizpixie @LapReader @Teresereading
#AussieSecretSanta

Some of my favourite reads this year!
Some classics by Arthur Conan Doyle, Daphne Du Maurier and Willa Cather…a lot of wonderful Irish stories and some homegrown fiction and non fiction. It‘s hard to pick one favourite…
#favouritebooks2023 #bestbooks

This past months reading pleasure❤️
Favourite‘s were Frenchman‘s Creek by Daphne de Maurier, Willa Cather‘s Death Comes to the Bishop, another brilliant novella by Claire Keegan and a beautiful memoir of childhood by Alan Garner that made me want to write my own childhood history. So many wonderful writers!!!
I‘m not ready to post my 2023 favourites yet as I still have 3 weeks reading time to go 🤣
#wonderfulbooks #literature #history #memoir

#AussieSecretSanta gift ready to post to ……
Merry Christmas everyone 🎄😘
Thanks so much to Sharni for organising our gift swap 🎁❤️
Even though I haven‘t been on Litsy a lot lately I love reading your reading recommendations and snippets of your lives❤️
@thegirlwiththelibrarybag @MrsMalaprop @Rissreads @Jhullie @Lizpixie @LapReader @Teresereading @CarolynM @LeeRHarry @kathy88

Resurrection is Tolstoys final novel. It‘s a glimpse of Russian life…a dark and dreary look at the legal system, incarceration, the divide between rich and poor. This explains for me why the Russian revolution happened!!
I loved it..his writing will be with me for a while!
Something light…Piorot and some short stories by AMS!
And my son‘s beautiful wedding to his soul mate last weekend..and me dancing with mine 🤣
#tolstoy #literature

Wow it‘s been so long since I visited Litsy. I‘ve been reading some wonderful books..two of my favourite authors John Boyne 5 🌟and Geraldine Brooks 4🌟. Also I loved Shy by Max Port and The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry. Missing from my picture is Wifedom by Anna Funder and Jaguar by Sarah Holland-Batt, both 5 🌟 reads for me.
Hope you‘ve been getting some reading time!!
#fiction #literature #greatbooks

Our coffee table is a reflection of us…a love of BOOKS 📚…a love of our farm with books on vegetable gardening, soil, bees, permaculture and bush foods. A love of walking..lots of wonderful walks in our local area..an eagerness to learn more about the indigenous voice to parliament and a new novel by Kate Atkinson.
Happy reading!!
I‘m hoping for a yes vote🇦🇺

Here are my favourite reads for the year so far❤️
There seems to be a theme…two wonderful Irish writers Claire Keegan and Sebastian Barry with stories of Irish life, two tales of the American frontier by Willa Cather and Carol Shields, two fantasy novels with strong messages by Robbie Arnott and Salman Rushdie and a wonderful non-fiction with stories of Australian native animals in our suburban backyards!
#literature #fiction #nonfiction

Just finished the final book by Willa Cather in her Great Plains Trilogy. I love these stories of the early immigrants and their harsh environment. Such lovely writing ❤️ Thanks to @CarolynM
Next another recommendation, and so far it‘s lovely. Japanese books always seem to have a quirky cat in them!!
#fiction #americanliterature #japanesefiction

Some great reading as we do a short road trip through areas west of us. I love Clare Keegans writing. Foster is another wonderful novella by her. I‘m now enjoying Willa Cather‘s 3rd story in her Great Plains Trilogy. I‘ve loved them all!
It‘s a beautiful time to travel watching the leaves change colour, the big clear skies full of stars and the ancient mountains🧡
#booksandtravel #literarure #nswaustralia

This is actually a really lovely book. Written around three young people who‘s lives intertwine as they build computer games…(I‘ve never played a computer game..I know it sounds ridiculous)…but it didn‘t matter..I loved the main characters, and the storyline. An unexpected ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#fiction #readingandknitting

Lovely early morning on my verandah with a cup of tea and my book! It‘s only 7 and the mist is sitting in the valley🏡I‘m really enjoying Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.
Have a lovely Sunday. Hopefully you‘ll get some reading in🤞🏼
#autumnmorning #readinginthesun

🪴My most healthy habit is having a good work-life balance and spending lots of time reading, gardening and sewing💚
🍰My most unhealthy habit is a love of cake and bread!
📚I love historical or literary fiction the best
Thanks for the tag @Eggs
#WondrousWednesday
Happy reading everyone

Wow another brilliant Irish author..
Tom Kettle a retired policeman is asked to assist in a case against a catholic priest, accused of multiple cases of child abuse. Tom and his wife are both survivors of abuse. There‘s so much grief and love in this book and it‘s beautifully written. One that will stay with me I‘m sure!!
#irishfiction #literature #enduringlove ❤️📕

This is such a wonderful book. I love Robbie Arnott‘s writing. This has a fantasy element but a major theme is the destruction of the natural world. It is a modern day fable, beautifully written. A 5 star read for me!
#fiction #australianfiction #mustread #fable

Easter trip to Sydney! Some book buying of course…walking in the Botanical gardens and laneways and tea drinking in a knitting themed Tea Shop ❤️📚📕
#dymocks #abbeys #sydneybookshops

Two very quick reads..3 ⭐️ for each! Definitely not literature - but enjoyable🤔and both rate high on Goodreads.
Hope your into a good book at the moment!

Our coffee table reading pile has some serious Australian political commentary on it at the moment!!
Bulldozed by Niki Savva- if you didn‘t dislike and distrust our last PM you will after reading this!!🤬
On Reckoning -sexual assault rage and survival by a journalist I admire
Barrenjoey Road - historical crime that still resonates,
and some wonderfully perceptive political cartoons taken from our newspapers ❤️
#australianpolitics

Thanks for the tag @Eggs 😘
Mmm top 5 personal values…integrity, empathy, kindness, hardworking, honesty ❤️
What I most admire in others…someone who cares about the planet, enjoys life to the fullest and reads books ❤️❤️
Happy reading 😊
#WondrousWednesday

I just finished The Marriage Portrait. I thought it was great but could have benefited from some editing. I loved the first and the last 100 pages but thought the middle was slow. The story of Duchess Lucrezia is fascinating, all the more because it‘s based on real events. Maggie O‘Farrell is a marvellous writer!
I‘m also reading about The Balkans( fingers crossed my next OS trip) and PIP a wonderful local magazine about veggie gardening ❤️

I loved Lincoln in the Bardo but this book of short stories just didn‘t capture me. The writing is good but I found the stories a bit confusing.
I‘m going to read another writer I love now Maggie OFarrell ❤️
#fiction #literature #ilovereading ❤️

Perfect day..gardening, reading, coffee..sewing!!
I can‘t believe I haven‘t read anything by Alex Miller before..his writing is beautiful ❤️ An incident on a trip abroad changes everything..with a hint of the gothic.
With my Christmas voucher from my local independent bookshop I have The Marriage Portrait and Liberation Day next up ❤️📚
#literature #fiction #australianfiction

Lovely start to my reading year!
A book of friendship, love and dreams.
Oh and wonderful illustrations
Suitable for everyone of every age😊
Happy New Year xxx

Thanks for the tag @Eggs for #wondrouswednesday
Photo taken of me in my vegetable patch this week with Ollie and Reggie❤️ I love growing fresh produce!!
My New Year plans will be an early night then a beach walk with the pups. This photo was taken today at our local doggy beach with Archie in the lead 🐶
#wondrouswednesday

Hoping to squeeze in one last book for the year and I will have reached my challenge of 40 books 📚 I‘ve read some wonderful books this year..thanks to Litsy recommendations and the ABC Bookclub on Facebook. I‘m so grateful for books and bookish friendships 😊
#litsy #ABCbookclub #readinglove #fiction #ozfiction

I have finally had a chance to post about my beautiful Christmas swap gift from Julie @Jhullie . Thank you so much Julie. I‘m excited to receive The Silent Companions! The book decoration is adorable and already on my tree. I love the book marks and the book you made to hold the chocolates is amazing❤️ Such a thoughtful gift 💝
Thanks again to @thegirlwiththelibrarybag 😘 and Merry Christmas to everyone
#aussiesecretsanta

This years top 12 for me. All wonderful books❤️ Limberlost by Robbie Arnott took my top spot..but I loved the wonderful Irish writing of John Boyne, Audrey Magee and Claire Keegan. Also some wonderful Australian authors of crime and Steven Carroll‘s Eliot Quartet !
Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and you get a book or two under the tree! 🎄🎅❤️
#top12books #favourites

I‘ve just finished The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O‘Farrell. Another wonderful story with twists and turns. I did get confused at times as it‘s told from the perspective of Esme, her sister and her grand niece. Esme was put in an institution at the age of 16 and didn‘t leave till 60 years later. I won‘t say too much incase you read it!!
Next The Colony..and soon I‘ll post my top 10 for 2022😊
#fiction #greatreads #summerreading

#AussieSecretSanta
My gift is finally in the post🎁📮 Sorry I‘m late
I have also received my gift today… thank you so much to my SecretSanta😘
Thank you again to @thegirlwiththelibrarybag for organising
Merry Christmas to this wonderful group of readers
@MrsMalaprop @Rissreads @Jhullie @Lizpixie @LapReader @Teresereading @Flingogal @CarolynM

This last week has seen the sunflowers bloom in my garden as summer begins and the beach beckons!! I‘m reading Esme Lennox which I haven‘t found as engaging as Hamnet was, but I‘m only half way through. Hope your getting some reading done during this busy time!
#sunflowers #fiction #literature

5⭐️‘s from me for Limberlost by Robbie Arnott..such beautiful writing…really a simple story of living on an Apple Farm in Tasmania, surrounded by old growth forests and river estuaries. A coming of age story with gentle references to colonial dispossession and environmental degradation.
I‘m sitting by the roof top pool overlooking Brisbane to start my next book…back to work later in the week so I‘m making the most of the last days of holiday😊

Travel haul…so far..spending a week in Brisbane,Australia. Living on a farm I love my city visits❤️A week of culture including bookshops, galleries, some stage shows and The Brisbane Symphony Orchestra on Sunday..😊
#travelhaul #literature #brisbane

My indoor reading spot as the mozzies are starting to bite outside!
Another great mystery from Jane Harper… I enjoy going to the country towns she writes of and hearing the stories, each told from a different perspective.
I have also read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, another book of place.. the deep jungle of the Congo..and now onto the next book by Richard Osman. I‘ve loved his other books 👍🏼
#crime #mystery

I‘ve been so busy that I have been absent on Litsy but still reading lots🤗
I‘m reading Exiles the latest novel by Jane Harper which is great!!
I‘ve read -Here We Are ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love Graham Swift
Untimely Death ⭐️⭐️⭐️ A new author to me
The Evening of the Holiday⭐️⭐️⭐️ Shirley Hazzard
Give Unto Others ⭐️⭐️⭐️ my first Doona Leon novel!
I‘ve got a few weeks off work now so hoping to do lots of reading 🤞🏼Hope your all well and reading lots 😘

New book and new knitting project! Loving this book so far😊 I needed something a bit lighter after The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison. Wonderful writing but very sad!
#knittingproject #craftandbooks

Grand Days by Frank Moorhouse is wonderful. It‘s a chunkster but it kept my interest. Set in Geneva in the 1920‘s, telling the story of Edith Campbell Berry who starts her career at the League of Nations. Edith is wonderful ..naive yet sophisticated, loyal, brave and wise for her years. She‘s also playful and very modern!! Some of the issues she deals with women still deal with today!!

On to The Bluest Eye..
@CarolynM loved it❤️

Next on my list is Grand Days in honour of Frank Moorhouse who recently died. An Australian must read… some say a masterpiece…it‘s been one I should have read years ago! It‘s a chunkster @ 700 pages😊
#australianclassic #fiction #literature

Cool winter days = lots of reading ❤️
Dirt Town ( Dirt Creek in USA🤷‍♀️) is really good 👍🏼 A slow burn small town Murder mystery told from several view points. The writing is excellent and I didn‘t want to put it down!!!
Paper Palace also a good read.. relationships, family drama mistakes..also well written.. also hard to put down!
I‘m getting nothing else done🙃
#fiction #murdermystery #drama

This is a solid crime thriller. Four friends visiting a remote island and only 3 return. For me it was the setting that resonated….Iceland. A perfect place for a murder..isolated and beautiful. My last overseas holiday before Covid hit was to Iceland in 2019. Such a wonderful destination!! Oh how I miss travel😍
#iceland #crime #thriller