#aussiesecretsanta
It‘s arrived! How exciting. Thank you in anticipation Sally @Freespirit 😁🙏💕. Bring on Christmas Eve. @CarolynM

Australian author Helen Garner is a must-read for me. She‘s an octogenarian and this is her first book in a while. She says she wrote it about her youngest grandson‘s U16 football team as a way to connect with him “before he turns into a man and I die”. As a mum of boys obsessed with AFL myself (whilst I have minimal interest 😬), there was a lot for me to relate to.

I want to be Helen Garner when I‘m 80. Here she is talking about running after a football and “chucking” it to the umpire, along with her characteristic anachronistic commentary (in this instance body-shaming 🤦🏻‍♀️). The kind of stuff that gets her in trouble. I don‘t want to be like her in that way, but physically and mentally, to be able to ‘run‘ and ‘chuck‘ and write books in her 80s! Wow!

Hannah is 25. This is her second book in 18 months. I learnt a lot from her first book Bite Back and I wasn‘t sure I‘d learn anything new from her second, being the worldly wise 53yo that I am 👵😆. I‘m pleased to say that I was wrong. She is so bloody clever! I highly recommend this, particularly to any budding feminists in your life. @Rissreads and I saw her live show on Monday night here in Perth, which was the first show of her national tour.

It‘s my wedding anniversary today. 17 years 💕🎉🍾. Love that this is what my husband got me. The latest book by one of my absolute faves, Tim Winton. #ozfiction

Radical empathy. What a book. Exceptionally propulsive, brilliant and devastating. Bravo 👏🥹🙏

Finished reading this great #ozfiction when I should be packing up my house to move.

#shelfie We‘re moving house and I‘m so sad about leaving my beautiful book shelves behind. We had these made for us, to take up the entire wall in our lounge room. We don‘t have shelves ready to move them into, so the books will sit in boxes for a while…
My husband and I are trying to cull, but it‘s tough. I know you feel me. 🥺📚📦

Someone put this ARC in my Little Street Library. It‘s set in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was pretty good and provided an excellent palate cleanse for me 😁🙏. #ozfiction

Talk about a #mustreadauthor. Had to go grab this latest Lucy Barton, where Strout brings a bunch of characters, including cranky 90yo Olive, together. Let‘s hope it‘s not the last 📚🤞🏼💕.

How good is Elizabeth Strout? 💕#currentlyreading

Craig Silvey is a local (Perth Western Australian) author. I‘ve read all of his books and this is his latest, a children‘s book that has just been made into a movie that I‘m going to see this weekend. If anyone is looking for Australian fiction recommendations my favourites written by Silvey are Jasper Jones and Rhubarb. #ozfiction

Read for book club. Sped-read by me yesterday 😬. Liked by most in my club. A reasonably page-turning story of Murano glass makers in Venice, commencing in the 1400s. A time-warping device takes the reader through time to the present day.

Oomph! That packed a punch 🤛. I think the epigraph says it all.

“After a certain distance every step we take in life we find the ice growing thinner below our feet, and all around us and behind us we see our contemporaries going through.” Robert Louis Stevenson

Reminiscent of Bonfire of the Vanities. Epic read 👏.

A question about the tagged book featured in an awesome Book Nerd Quiz I attended with my book club pals last night. It was so fun & we came third 🥉.
A bunch of young, gorgeous librarians on the adjacent table won. There is hope for the future book nerds! 🙏😆🤓.
*Our club‘s been meeting monthly since 1997 ❤️📚

Learnt some things (neuroendocrine system) and was reminded of some other things (HRT research & the U-shaped happiness curve). All helpful contributions to my arsenal of information, enabling me to stay focused on living my best life, through menopause and beyond ℹ️ 🧠.

Sure am looking forward to this chapter 🤗😂

I have read and learnt a lot about menopause over the past few years. Lisa Mosconi is one of my important sources. Menopause can have
“…an array of well over thirty different symptoms..”
I sure did not know that a few years ago. At 53 now and being perimenopausal I reckon I‘ve experienced a few of them that I previously had no awareness were linked to the dramatic fluctuations then drop of estrogen.
#currentlyreading

Australian Aboriginal man and academic Tony Birch is an exceptional short story writer. He writes from the perspective of the down-trodden and marginalised with skill and empathy. Absolutely love his work. #ozfiction ❤️🖤💛

What a disturbing, sad little book 😳. The cold, simple style contributed to the atmosphere. Cannot say that I enjoyed it, but I was affected by it. Creepy.

Decided it was time to read this novel set in 90s Ireland about the Troubles that‘s been sitting on my #tbr shelf. People may know that O‘Brien died recently at 93. I traversed Ireland from Dublin to Northern Ireland & back again in 1992 with my then boyfriend who was from Derry. I recall the people, places, stories, army presence & on one occasion having our car strip-searched. This quiet, menacing, masterfully written novel made me work. 🙏❤️

*When your book kinda matches the floor at your hairdressers*
When I saw Evie Wyld had a new book out, I raced out to buy it, having read The Bass Rock and All The Birds Singing, which were 👌.
Set in Australia and London this book explores how each generation is molded by the one before it in overt and subtle ways. Grief, abuse, love, self harm and even the Stolen Generation and a ghost feature in this affecting gem of a novel. Bravo 👏

This was my first Lisa See. It was chosen for my book club this month.
It took me a while to get into this Korean story of female friendship, tragedy and the amazing haenyeo, diving women. I was reminded a little of Pachinko (although Pachinko was better IMO).
From about halfway I started to engage with the book and characters, particularly the protagonist Young-Sook.
Looking forward to discussing it at boob club on Monday.

TW for child sexual abuse.

Thanks @Jeg for passing this one on. I am so glad to have read it. Grace stood up to her high school teacher who sexually abused her and in doing so stood up for victims everywhere. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused. What a vile man. And what a woman Grace is 💪❤️. Can‘t wait to see what she does next. (She did just come first in an ultra marathon - phew!).

This is my 7th Patchett, and I have loved all but one of them (State of Wonder). This one read a bit like an Anne Tyler, another favourite author.
An accident is the catalyst for a story of grief, love and separated family. The novel takes place over 24 hours, with Ann embodying each character at different times to develop the story. Bravo 👏😭❤️

Psychological flexibility 🧠🙌

Did a quick skim read of this today, because I‘ve recommended it to my husband & he‘s currently reading it.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a widely-used cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), & this book kind of started it all for Russ Harris.
I‘ve done his online introductory course & found it a useful approach in my work & life.
I find his style a little irritating, but it‘s good stuff 👍.
Be present. Open up. Do what matters.

A soft pick. Just finished reading the debut #ozfiction by Sri Lankin-Australian author Ayesha Inoon. I learnt some things and look forward to our book club discussion tomorrow night. I appreciated the opportunity to step into the shoes of someone emigrating to Australia. It was just a little clunkily done IMO.

#currentlyreading #ozfiction #WTF 🤷🏻‍♀️

‘Wow‘ seems vastly inadequate to describe this novel, but I guess that‘s why I‘m a reader not a writer 😆. I don‘t even know how I came to have this book on my radar, but I‘m so glad. I can‘t say much about it without spoiling it for those who‘ve yet to have the pleasure. I wish I‘d slowed down a bit at the beginning to appreciate the setting of the scene and descriptions of Bill‘s art. Complex. Beautifully written. Magnificent 😍👏🙏

Just finished a road trip with my husband and 15yo son. We listened to this, one of my favourite teenage reads. Our son really liked it & now we‘re trying to source the movie ❤️🙏💯.

I chose Circe for Bookclub a couple of years ago, and am now glad to have read this, Miller‘s first novel.
Whilst a ‘pick‘ I did not love it. The characters felt a bit flat and I was not particularly emotionally invested. An interesting take the relationship between Patroclus & Achilles.

@DebinHawaii #5joysfriday
It‘s Saturday morning in wintery Western Australia, but I have some weekly joys to share:
1. Watching this cormorant find the only patch of sun to dry itself.
2. Waking up to this double rainbow 🌈🌈.
3. Celebrating the start of two weeks holiday with my husband, & my promotion. I‘m a ‘Senior School Psychologist‘ 😁.
4. This sunrise 🌅😍.
5. Plasma donation number 6 for 2024 💛💪.

Wanna share some joy @Rissreads @Jeg ?

Finally getting into this. It‘s been on my radar since I joined Litsy many years ago, when it seemed that everyone on Litsy was reading it. I found this well-read copy in my Little Street Library. Bonus 🙌. #currentlyreading

Bloody hell he‘s good. A sequel to Brooklyn which I read years ago. The narrative style seems so simple and almost impersonal, but Tóibín is masterful at drawing characters and setting up dilemmas. What will the characters do? ???‍♀️?

How pretty is this cover? 😍 It belies the content within. I love Gail Jones. Her writing is beautiful, and I was reminded this week that she is Western Australian. Quality #ozfiction

Mini book haul. Untethered is my book club read for this month & I‘ve had Run on my wishlist for years. 🙏

I love Anne Tyler‘s books so very much. Thanks @Jeg for passing this one on for me to read. 🙏❤️

I love Lohrey‘s gentle, meandering style. A retired lawyer contemplates the conversion of a church in the Australian countryside. Loose ends not all tied up, but an enjoyable, satisfying read. #ozfiction

Bumped this one up my #tbr due to all the rave reviews and the intriguing conceit. What a hilarious, upsetting, entertaining and devastating read it was. Bravo 👏.

📚📚📚
Hard relate James. Hard relate. #currentlyreading
📚📚📚

#currentlyreading Slaves James and Luke are talking to/about a white man about whisky.

Just starting this much anticipated read. Didn‘t expect it to be so hilarious 😂.

Two unputdownable books in a row? Feeling lucky, appreciative & hopeful🍀🙏😁.

Wow 😮. Great debut #ozfiction. Dark themes written about with humour. Can‘t wait to see what my book club thinks, because some of it was a bit edgy and out there, and we are old ladies 🤣.

Chose this for my Bookclub to read. Can. Not. Put. It. Down. I feel a weekend of neglecting my family coming on, if I don‘t finish it before then. Why am I the first person on Litsy to read this? Where for art thou Australian Littens? #currentlyreading #ozfiction

I heard this novel being reviewed glowingly on an Australian radio book show and added it to my long #tbr list. Written in 2011, but set mainly in the 1920s & 30s, it is a beautifully written, rural family saga about horse jumping. It felt a little Grapes of Wrath to me 🤔. I thoroughly appreciated (rather than enjoyed) this harrowing, affecting #ozfiction.

#5joysfriday @DebinHawaii
5 things that bought me joy today:
1. This photo of my little reading room, which gets the best light.
2. We are in Autumn or Djeran, as the first people of this area, Boorloo/Perth call it. Djeran is 1 of 6 Noongar seasons & it‘s my favourite.
3. These plants, a cyclamen & bromeliad 😍😍😍.
4. Had another nice visit with my mum, who has dementia, today. 🥰
5. Takeaway Japanese teriyaki chicken for dinner tonight 🤤🙏

A Bildungsroman beauty 😍. Thanks goes once again to @Rissreads for making me buy it 🤣. I‘m not sure why this classic passed me by up ‘til now 🤔. Wonderful 🥰

Well, that wasn‘t boring! 😧 It probably shouldn‘t surprise me that Bri Lee‘s foray into fiction is full-on.
Two ambitious young things on opposite sides of the globe get it on amidst the New York art scene.
Contemporary ethical issues abound as do evocative sex scenes. Lee did some things well and other things quite clunkily. The ending was disappointing.
A wild ride & all I can say is… strap yourself in! #ozfiction

Starting on this one today. Went to see Bri speak about her debut novel last night. I have read two of her non-fiction books. Eggshell Skull is my favourite. #currentlyreading #ozfiction

I am #currentlyreading this little book that has sat on my TBR shelves for many years. I think I was loaned it (oops) by someone when I did my country school psychology placement in the 90s. Has anyone heard of the author or her short stories?

She wrote this memoir in her early 40s, which seems too young to be feeling so tired. Although it was 1939 and no doubt women‘s lives were very different then…🤔