I‘m not sure which part I found the most charming/entertaining - a witch who traps princesses in towers for the art of it, a princess who eventually realises that violence is the answer and a bottom of the garden fairy with a penchant for science, tactics and explosives. This was my first Tamsyn Muir - and I loved how this unfolded so I suspect - not my last.

This book was beautiful - at its centre is the Chibineko Kitchen which specialises in remembrance meals. I can‘t seem to get enough of gentle, interconnected stories and this one was a driven by people dealing with the recent loss of loved ones and grappling with what to do, how to carry on without them.

I might not have gotten to experience the absolute delight that this story is (also genuine anxiety when Greta walked determinedly into danger) if the audiobook had the same cover as the bland paperback version that I turned my nose up at a year or so ago.

It‘s a glorious blending of several fairytales - most prominently Hansel & Gretal and Snow White & Rose Red. And it‘s one of those books that could have been written, just for me.

I feel this in my soul

Until there was uproar about the feature disappearing, I wasn‘t aware that you could transfer “via usb” kindle titles onto your computer… but since I love a challenge - I decided to transfer my kindle library before the cut off date - because in this era of extreme book bans, I would indeed be unhappy if my kindle library suddenly disappeared.

5 and a half audiobooks and 3154 titles later - I am done! And headed for bed!

“Angry women raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves.”

I loved this tale of friendship, loyalty and betrayal told through the lens of female rage. Women who refuse to be broken by circumstance - one sold into service by a poverty stricken family and the other a beloved princess trapped in a political marriage with a hostile court. Unlikely friends and allies - their story is both inspiring and deeply sad.

In 1973, Maurice & Maralyn set off for the adventure of a lifetime- having sold everything they have to finance a yacht that they plan to sail from England to New Zealand - at first all is grand but one morning, they wake to find that a whale has struck the yacht and it‘s going down. With no radio, and a boxful of flares that fail - things seem grim - and yet after 118 days, they are rescued.

Continued ⬇️ 🐋 🐢

Laughing forever at Brie saving herself (and the world) by giving a very detailed rundown on the intricacies of the omegaverse to an increasingly scandalised being bent on world domination.

I‘ve only got one more full length book to go in this series - and that feels a little sad.

Reread. I‘m on a mission to finish series that I‘ve started - and I‘ve been listening to the main books on audio and I just knew that Alexis the sword had more backstory… so here I am - having a lovely time reacquainting myself with the lore. Hopefully Lucca & Ruby appear in the main books at some point.

Funniest damaged book story ever! Kid threw the book into the washing machine… he looked maybe 4 years old but came up to the desk (with parent) to apologise. Sometimes it‘s hard to keep a straight face 🤭 the cover was all that remained.

Lauren Graham is just one of those actresses who I can‘t help feeling fond of (I watched Gilmore Girls at a formative age) and while I‘m forever saying I‘m not much of a NF/memoir/essay reader… it‘s almost the end of February and I‘ve read 3 books by Lauren Graham…

Works brilliantly as an audio book as it‘s read by Lauren herself.

I don‘t even know where to begin to start with this book - there is unhinged and then one really big step up the ladder is this book.

Listened to most of this book like 😦🤭🫢

Loved it. No notes.

It‘s the first book chat for the year - it‘s staff led (and I‘m staff) and I‘m feeling a little nervous! I know it‘s going to be fine… people have always shown up… and I‘ve never forgotten the plot of the book I‘m talking about (I tend to wing book chats and hope for the best, I don‘t prepare notes 🫣 I did read the books)

I had confused this with the Empress of Salt & Fortune - but a happy mistake as I found this absolutely hilarious. It starts with a brawl in a coffee house ending with the waitress, a nun of the order of the pure 🌕 reflected in water tracking down a group of bandits & angrily asking to join them on their travels. Trouble is never far behind - I did get a little lost in the names (there is a handful of bandits to keep track of) in the audiobook.

My return trip to Kyoto and the Kamogawa Diner was a delight! I‘m a vegetarian but all of the dishes are described so mouthwateringly. Cosy in all the right ways! I love how Nagare & Koishi work together as food detectives - they have a beautiful father-daughter dynamic.

I saw Isobelle Carmody last night and she‘s just so charming… but most importantly she confirmed that she‘s almost finished writing Darkbane (there was cheering!) I had started this awhile ago but it got buried in a little landslide of half read books but I‘m feeling inspired… so hopefully I‘ll get back to it soon.

Dedication reads : To Sharni, guard your precious dreams.

Adam and Mercy get married and leave for their honeymoon AND manage to have a few carefree days before otterkin and an ancient river monster ruin their fun. Mercy learns some unexpected things about her father and Native American heritage.

I really enjoyed this one. No one getting kidnapped was a nice change of pace…

👀

Almost forgot this was on my #netgalley shelf… which would have been bad since I‘m trying to raise my feedback ratio and letting this expire would not have helped me to achieve that goal…

🐈‍⬛ 📦

This book!!!! My high school self buried the emotional trauma of the ending and my adult self is considering reburying it.

John Marsden had such an ability to capture teenagers (some of the language is a bit dated - I‘m still chuckling at fair dinkum) - the highs and lows of being young and figuring stuff out.

I‘ll be thinking about Trace & Mandy for awhile.

Buddy read with @Rissreadswithcats - hope I didn‘t leave you too many messages 😅

The result I expected but still 😭

Went to see the Scottish play last night at the Botanic Gardens. Took my book because my friends are incapable of arriving on time.

All hail the Cheese Queen! While this absolutely did test the limits of me not giggling while listening to this at work… I had an absolute blast rereading this (as part of my plan to actually finish a series I‘ve started)

After reading this (taken from Garth Nix‘s website) I have no idea how I pronounce Sabriel… and it‘s freaking me out a little bit 🫣😬

One of my favourite Aussie bands with a plea not to move to Melbourne (the place I‘ve lived almost my entire life, awkward).

I‘ve just noticed that they are coming to Melbourne in May but sadly I have conflicting theatre tickets 🫣 (I did see them last year when they toured with Lime Cordial so I‘m going to be brave about it)

https://youtu.be/24tCRxpsTpg?si=Z7joRAlIPXuzx1j0

lowkey the music video works as a tourism campaign for Brisbane

You just don‘t see FAIR DINKUM in print very often 🤣 my mum says it sometimes but I wouldn‘t say it‘s still in super common usage…

Anyway, it made me laugh. Maybe I should just commit and read 90s Australian teen fiction for 2025.

I loved this!!!

The Appalachian setting, the clash of past and present and how everything comes together. I‘m so keen to get my hands on the companion novel and find out what else the sisters get up to.

I stayed late at work to finish off the audiobook - I was on the edge of my seat!!

My not a real bookclub chose Sabriel for February and I‘m having the best time rereading!

It‘s almost 11pm… it shouldn‘t still be this hot ?

(It‘s currently 84°F with the day time top temperature of 103°F)

On the upside, guess I don‘t need to water the plants on my balcony anymore… (since it‘s raining)

The second one was available on Libby and the weather is so hot atm that it‘s not like I was going to sleep anyway 🤷🏻‍♀️

This one picks up where the first left off - unmasking the villain of the first book… but is she actually a villain? An interesting twist, especially when read in a time with DEI initiatives being pushed back and groups of people villainised (this book was published mid 2024). It‘s very MG - everything works out in the end.

Featuring not one but TWO references to my beloved Jessica Fletcher & Murder, She Wrote - it‘s just a cozy good time with a murder in a bookstore in the quaint coastal town of Pirate‘s Cove with motives galore.

Throw in the beginnings of a romance between bookstore owner and new in town, Ellery Page with the gruff police chief, Jack Carson (only once Ellery has cleared himself as a possible suspect OF COURSE) & I‘m ready for another!

A second MSW reference! Be still my heart! 😍

I‘m not much of a NF reader so… these stats will probably not be repeated 🤣

Love that digital/audio/print have somehow managed to be perfectly balanced (a happy accident)

I really want to work on bringing up my page count (I want pie pieces in the 300-499 & 500+ range) but it was a great month for graphic novels.

(I smushed 2 slides of stats together to get the ones I‘m most interested in into one square)

Ahh! This was cute! Not quite what I was expecting coming from what I‘d seen on insta - but a lovely story aimed at a middle grade audience.

I‘ve never been this excited to read a work of NF before! But I really enjoyed the Anthropocene Reviewed and I still watch the occasional Vlog Brothers video - so I‘m acquainted with John‘s musings on all things TB. It‘s unreasonable to wish for an international book tour… and yet I saw this on IG and felt a bit envious!

I love Sarah Scribbles - and I don‘t think that‘s ever going to change… it‘s the millennial humour that makes me chuckle! A gift to have spent a decade watching Sarah hone her craft - I especially enjoyed her essays in the back about her journey into adulthood and her experiences as an comic artist in a male dominated field (and how that‘s changed over the years).

🤣

The struggle is real

Couldn‘t believe my eyes when I saw this on the new book display - I thought it‘d be reserved! I‘m happy to be the first reader 🤩

Choosing a book on the strength of its cover doesn‘t always yield the best results… this was lovely but it was missing something. I love an interconnected story, and I loved the underlying message of hope - but the mind laundry itself didn‘t spark joy for me.

My curly hair claimed another brush

I don‘t read many memoirs (and my reason for reading this one was mainly to fill a book chain challenge prompt) but I had a delightful time listening to Lauren look back on her acting career - it‘s really just a highlight reel of what went well and it‘s told in such an upbeat, breezy manner that it feels like a friend telling her favourite anecdotes over coffee.

A murder she wrote / Angela Lansbury mention! Consider me charmed!

Two students returning from long medical absences are thrown together in a special class designed to help them catch up/reintegrate back into school life. One is adjusting to life with type 1 diabetes, the other to life after what would have been a fatal car accident if vampirism didn‘t run in the family.

It‘s often very sweet, but I think portrays teenage anxieties pretty realistically.

I spotted this in an op shop and instant memories of the tv show and its theme song!!!

I wish Aussie shows from the 90s were a little bit more accessible - like sure I can stream Round The Twist but I want to experience Lift Off, Silversun, Ocean Girl and Cybergirl again… genuinely no one was doing it like Australian kids shows in the 90s.

(Silversun came out in 2004 and I walked home extra fast to make sure I‘d see the whole episode)

This book was meant to find me - it literally landed in my hands while I was filling in at branch I don‘t usually work at. It demanded that I read it immediately & it absolutely held me in a chokehold until I finished it.

It‘s not perfect, it doesn‘t end with a neatly tied bow. It manages to be deeply weird & uncomfortable but the fever dream, gothic fairytale elements were absolutely for me (but not for everyone as the reviews are super mixed)

I was so excited to see some HMC representation in this “test your knowledge” quiz in Good Reading… but perplexed that they dropped the Jones out of her name…

Quizzed my library colleagues and they collectively mostly didn‘t know the answers 😅

A patron came in to pay for a destroyed library book (it had suffered significant water damage) with a comment that she‘d pay for it, if I insisted 😐

She paid for the book, I gave the book back to her and she was like 🤨 and I explained that it was too damaged to remain in the collection so she could take it or I could dispose of it. She took it AND THEN asked if the library bought books from Amazon because “it‘d be cheaper” 🤡 like no??

I do stir the pot when I‘m bored 🤷🏻‍♀️