Part 2 May 2026: Paper books - 4/10 📚 Wild Dark Shore @charlottemcconaghy A woman washes up on a remote island in the Antarctic where its caretaker and his three children are packing up to leave due to the danger weather conditions. Wow, this book really packed a punch with the atmospheric details of the island, historical detail (those poor penguins!!), a multitude of super cute animals as well as exploring the effects of isolation and climate change🤯 Mad Mable @sallyhepworth A story is about an 81 year old who was jailed for murder when she was 15. This was so different and yet so familiar. I loved the descriptions of Melbourne/Victoria, the stoic main character, and the mention of @aldiaustralia Special Buys (🤑) One of those reads that is easy yet leaves me pondering. The Wren, The Wren @thewrengirl Follows the lives of a mother and daughter through their interaction with others, particularly men. This piece was lyrical (the poems throughout this book make me want to learn poetry!) and there were some profound observations of human behaviour 🤯 A bit like Sally Rooney but more real. The Art of Spending Money @morganhousel This goes through why human spend money (and its not always to pay the bills...) then make suggestions on how to spend to get the most joy out of life. Useful for people who want to spend mindfully when times are tough🤑 That's a wrap for May 2026 ... now onto a winter fantasy binge in June #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #booklover

Part 1 May 2026: Audiobooks - 6/10 📚 📕The Myth of Normal @gabormatemd and @danielbmate Stories of how past experiences affect people physically as well as mentally, and the impacts these have on the individual, those around them and in some cases... the nation. This is an extention of Gabor Maté's 'The Body Says No' (one of my favourite non fiction books!) with more case studies and suggestions of how to overcome trauma - note that your psych/ therapist may have some unworked trauma too 📘Where the Light Gets In @bencrowe05 Based on his experience coaching some of Aussies' most beloved atheletes, Ben shares insights on how to shift your mindset and performance. This book came into my life when I needed to to hear the very practical tips on how to reframe the stories we tell ourselves. 📗The Wicked King and 📗The Queen of Nothing @blackholly My yearly re-read of the last two books in this series following Jude's journey to save Faerie from falling into the wrong hands, first the merfolk then her stepfather. I feel it everytime, Jude is unknowingly betrayed by her sister then by Cardan. So much so that the moment I finish Book 2, I'm onto Book 3 🤓 📔The Invisible Man by HG Wells A story is of a very angry man and showcases the potential effects (and sometimes paranoia) that come with lonliness. I was initially sad for the main character, but as the story wore on (and it did) the invisible man just got angrier, arrogant more murderous, and I just wanted him to stop. 📙The Time Machine by HG Wells (Yes, I'm working my way through the collection) A man builds a time machine, goes into the future where humans have tenticles (the author seems to have a penchant for creatures with tenticles in his stories), mocks the natives childlike wonder of the world, destroys a forest, allows a childlike creature to die and then blames someone else for it. Sound familiar? Stay tuned for Part 2! #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #bookstagram

Autumn colours 🍁 I've been distracted recently Staring off into space The colourful leaves all vying for my attention. Trying to get me to live in the outside world and not in my head. Somedays they succeeded. And so I made a Reel. Enjoy! #autumnvibes #autumnleaves #autumncolours #canberra #visitcanberra

April 26 Pt 2 - Paper and e-books 6/12 All the books I read this month had strong females characters #girlboss and I blubbered through quite a few 🥺🥹😭 📗 WHEN SLEEPING WOMEN WAKE @emmapeiyin - Set in Japanese occupied Hong Kong in the 1940s, this follows three women and the trials and triumphs they encounter. I could not put this down! All three women were so relatable and showed courage which I would hope to show if facing similar circumstance 🥹😭 📘 THE RESTLESS DOLLY MAUNDER by Kate Grenville - The biography of the author's grandmother. What a fierce entrepreneurial country lass with thr no nonsense attitude of women who grew up during the war #inspirational 🥺 📕 THE LUCKY SISTERS @rachaeljohnsisanauthor Adopted twins decide to seek out their birth mother as they approach their 50th birthday. The adult sibling relationship (arguments, never quite apologies and the love) was beautiful captured as well as KitKats, pizza and brownies 😭 📓 THE FOURTH DAUGHTER @lynliaobutler - A grandmother enlists her granddaughter's help to find her fourth daughter who was taken away from her during the Chinese occupation of Taiwan. Being a migrant, I could relate to the granddaughte's experience of going back to Taiwan, and I can't imagine what it's like to have a child taken away from you 😭😭 📗 WOMEN LIVING DELICIOUSLY @florencegiven A non-fiction book that explores why women are (hopefully were) raised to value their appearance over their dreams, and then goes onto provide options on how to live your best life. #empowering 📘 DUST @m_brisso When a reporter is killed in a dried up lake, the detectives start to unravel a mystery that involves truckies, sovereign citizens and politicians. I didn't blubber through this, just followed the twists and turns, however my heart did bleed when a single dad meets his demise (its not a spoiler!) 🥺 Being #aussieapril I'm pleased to say I met my four book goal! Happy May reading! #booklover

April 2026 Part 1 Audiobooks 6/12📚 When my eyes hurt from too much compter time, I turn to audiobooks... 👑 The Cruel Prince @blackholly - My annual re-read about a smart girl who grows up in Faerie and wants to become a knight. Court politics emotional trauma and tricksey people 😍 👑 A Different Kind of Power @jacindaardern - The former NZ PM shares her story on being an empathetic leader. As an empathetic person (I cry when I see old people on TV cry...) I found it very inspirational and empowering 💪🏼 📝 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey - Goes through 7 habits to help people become more effective in their lives. I love that this book started off with focusing on the mindset and is still so relevant 30 years later 🤑 Start Thinking Rich @drbradklontz and @brambilabong - A finance book that first starts with questioning your mindset about money and then goes on to provide way to increase your wealth. I could relate to the two authors who came from poor backgrounds so I found this book incredibly useful 👨‍🦱 The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde - A man whose stays young while a painting of him ages and depicts the blackness of his soul. Aside from Oscar Wilde's astute observations on society (that, 120+ years later, are still relevant), I found this book extremely disturbing and the portrayal if young women demeaning - the older women were respected at least. 🌚 The First Men In the Moon by HG Wells - written in the 1890s - two men travel to the moon and find themselves inside and captured by aliens. Putting everything aside about what we know of travelling into space and the surface of the moon, this book is a suspenseful read though raises issues of colonisation, which again, I found disturbing. Part 2 coming soon... #booksbooksbooks #reading #audiobooks #books #audible

These three musicals made me question long held beliefs... Phantom of the Opera 🎶🎭 This has been my favourite musical for decades. I fell in love with the music before knowing the plot and let's face it, the plot is... a bit dated. I think of myself as a #feminist, but the main female character, Christine, has a choice between 1/ The Phantom, who expects her to be forever grateful for helping her become successful and 2/ Raoul who dismisses her fears and also puts her life in danger to capture the Phantom. I can't decide if she chose the lesser of two evils, but if only she had a choice... @operaaustralia @sydneyoperahouse &Juliet✒️🥳 ...What if Juliet didn't kill herself and decided her own fate? A girl having choices 🤯 It not only has music by @maxmartinmusic (think @backstreetboys anf @britneyspears) but also has the message of #girlpower 🥳 It makes me realise that my tastes in musicals now reflects my tastes in books 🤓 @freeraintheatre @theqqueanbeyan Gutenberg! 📚🧢 An hilarious, fictionalised tale of the man who invented the printing press so the Bible could become accessible to all. With only two extremely talented actors and an accompanying pianist, this really brought home the power of words and the influence writers have in the world @hayestheatreco_official #phantomoftheopera #&juliet #gutenbergmusical

Part 2 March 26 - 6/12 books aka audiobooks consumed(?) Audiobooks help me consume genres I struggle with reading such as non-fiction, history, and sci-fi. Or if I have insomnia. 🎧 Writing for emotional impact by Karl Iglesias. How to write emotional driven screenplays for the reader (the person who assesses if screenplays are viable). A lot of useful tips with references to timeless movies which use these techniques. And it has a super useful pitching template 😍 🎧 What everybody is saying @joenavarro_official A former FBI agent goes through how sections of the body show what a person is thinking. The accompanying PDF with pictures waa super useful. I'll be watching 👀 🎧Fluke by Brian Klaas. A very thorough coverage of historical, religious and scientific theories in flukes. Fascinating and very thorough 🤓 🎧 Tell No One @harlancoben. A doctor, whose wife died over 10 years ago starts receiving emails from her. Aside from tbe twistiness of this story, I loved the 2000s tech references 📧 🎧 Odyssey by Stephen Fry. An General trying to get home to his wife and son, making enemies and babies along the way. Stephen Fry tells this story in an accessible and delightful way. However nothing can make me like the main character or his friends. 🎧 The War of the Worlds by HG Wells. When London is invaded by aliens in 1898 (before hollywood post apocalyptic movies were a thing). Given when this was written, it is still such an engaging and suspenseful story. That's all for March! Let me know if you've read any of the 12 books I mentioned or if there's a book you'd like me to review 🤓 #reading #books #bookreview #iloveread #readinggoals

Part 1 March 2026 - 6/12 books read I broke my reading record with 12 books this month. A combination of finishing off audio/ books from prior months, shorter reads and just finding books I couldn't put down! Without further ado... 💥 A Lesson In Chemistry @bonnie_garmus_author - A female scientist and single mother in the 1950s USA tries to make ends meet and defy gender norms. I hate chemistry, I hate point of view changing every other paragraph, I hate cliches and coincidences in stories, yet I loved this book! 😍😍 💥At the Foot Of the Cherry Tree @alliparkerwriter - Set between 1945 - 1952 in Japan and Australia, based on the true story of an Australian solider who marries a Japanese woman and changes Australian policy to be able to bring his wife home. Again, I hate war time romances, but this was so beautifully written, pulled on my heartstrings and honestly I have to admire anyone who can change policies in any country. #respect 💥Get Signed @lucindahalpern - What literary agents look for in queries letters. This had so many practical exercises to make me think about my manuscript from a marketable perspective amd sample query letters to envy. #querylettergold 💥Universality @wordsbynatasha - A 2025 Booker Longlisted story about a man living in a commune bludgeoned with a gold bar. I sniggered at all the accurate observations of human behaviour through the incredible nuanced characters. A very clever book. 💥The Price of Honey @lianemoriarty_official - A short story set in the future where AI is used from driverless cars, to fulfilling relationships and everything in between. This needed to be longer! There was so much there and I was only getting settled into the story when in ended. #moreplease 💥 After I Do @tjenkinsreid - When a husband and wife decide to spend a year apart to see if it can fix their marriage. Aside from the main character having a lot of qualities of a few of my close friends 👀, this delves into the complexities of romantic relationships. A light and deep read. Those were the paper and e-books for the month! Part 2 will be posted as soon! #books #reading