I was lucky to receive and ARC of this from the author and publisher. A story of motherhood and midwifery in the 18th century, I can see it taking a place in the hearts of many readers. Out in Australia in April 2020.

A very interesting and informative book on the history, as well as a look at the modern-day art, of drag. I particularly loved the section on musical theatre, and learning about Tupperware drag queens. And the selection of interviews was enjoyably wide-ranging.

Library haul! Accompanied by a book bag my husband put in my stocking at Christmas.

In Australia, Booktopia is our largest online retailer of books. I had a real bucket list moment this week where I got to go into the Booktopia offices and sign 150 copies of my new book The Daughter of Victory Lights, as well as record a podcast. Book comes out in print in Australia tomorrow, and as an ebook in most English-speaking countries. So excited!

My summer reading stack has the prettiest group of spines!

MC Beaton‘s regency romances are some of my go-to books when I want something fun and light.

Here are the rest of the 42 books as mentioned in my previous post. So proud of how the writing community in Australia has banded together to try and raise funds to fight the bushfires! Check out the AuthorsForFireys hashtag on Twitter for loads of inspiring offers from authors, illustrators, editors, publishers and more. ❤️

Many of you are probably aware that Australia has been experiencing unprecedented bushfires and all the chaos that comes with it. On Twitter there is an Authors For Fireys auction, with all funds raised going to support our volunteer firefighters. I‘m running an auction on behalf of a group of authors who have donated 42 signed books (not all pictured). My Twitter is KerriNTurner - head on over if you‘d like to bid and help raise funds. Thanks! xo

Reading The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker got me dreaming of a summer getaway! It‘s a funny, charming, and very readable book, with an uneasy, melancholy edge running underneath. Whimsical touches and quotable one-liners come at just the right moments, so the heavy subjects dealt with never weigh the reader down too much.

I already own some individual Shakespeare plays, but when I saw this 1968 complete works I just had to have it!

Historical fiction at its best. The author has written about real-life Mary Bryant with sensitivity & respect; her strengths, flaws, determination, pragmatism, grief all comes alive on the page and you really feel as though you know this woman. I admire the deft touch with which the author fills in the gaps in between known history & cried more than once. A vivid, compelling & often heartbreaking depiction of the life of a truly remarkable woman.

Feel like Halloween is the perfect day for sharing this quote from Frankenstein, which is a book I utterly love.

I love when historical fiction introduces me to a topic I‘m not too familiar with, and love it even more when it does so via an entertaining, interesting and fully-realised story. All the characters are three-dimensional, with strengths and flaws that make them compelling and keep the reader guessing. A feminist story of women working within and against a system that didn‘t believe in them in the most dangerous and trying of times.

Picked up this fun and funny read on a whim. And even though it‘s aimed at kids, I learned all sorts of things I didn‘t know before! 😄

Read this book in one day! It‘s one of those family dramas where you can sympathise with every character and you just have to know how they‘re going to right all the wrongs. I loved seeing perspectives that aren‘t often sympathetically explored (such as women who don‘t want to have children). Glorious descriptions of Broome in Western Australia really made me want to travel there too!

My weekend book purchases: three Australian new releases.

Totally spent after the wild ride Daphne du Maurier‘s Rebecca took me on. After a slower-paced yet meticulously crafted first half, the second half was twist after turn, with grim revelations and suspense-filled moments that took me in directions I didn‘t expect. I can see why it‘s a favourite of so many, and it absolutely lived up to my high hopes after reading and loving My Cousin Rachel.

Totally spent after the wild ride Daphne du Maurier‘s Rebecca took me on. After a slower-paced yet meticulously crafted first half, the second half was twist after turn, with grim revelations and suspense-filled moments that took me in directions I didn‘t expect. I can see why it‘s a favourite of so many, and it absolutely lived up to my high hopes after reading and loving My Cousin Rachel.

Rainy days get me dreaming about all the places I want to visit one day. Especially if they have literary connections!

Yesterday was Father‘s Day in Australia, which got me thinking about some of my favourite fathers and father-figures in fiction. But then I got distracted reading and forgot to post 😄 So here it is now, a selection of literary dads and dad-figures to admire and love!
- Matthew Cuthbert
- Grandpa Joe
- Tom Builder
- Pop Larkin
- Jupiter North
- Arthur Weasley
- Tik Tok
Who would you add to the list?

I do love seeing my book in a stack of other fantastic books! 😍

I have a feeling many Littens will agree with this quote as much as I did!

Love and Other Battles tackles some very heavy subjects, but does so with a deft touch and characters that feel very real and sympathetic. Absolutely engrossing, I found this book hard to put down!

I really enjoy Marie Kondo‘s whole philosophy, and when I saw she had a manga book too I just had to buy it. It‘s super cute but also a great overview of all her techniques!

I picked this up off my huge TBR because so many people recommended it. I can see why! Thoroughly enjoyed this atmospheric tale of abandonment, survival, nature, and possible murder. Paired nicely with a bottle of wine I chose purely based on how much I liked the kitschy retro label.

What a brilliant book! Gritty, mesmerising, dark, touching, disturbing, fascinating, feminist. I can‘t wait to see what she writes next.

One of my best book finds recently was this stack of vintage Georgette Heyer books at a book fair. Loving making my way through them now!

It turns out that being a first time author can be rather overwhelming and stressful - something had to give, and I dropped off Litsy for a while. But I‘ve missed chatting books with everyone! So I‘m back with a post very close to my heart - a cover reveal of my second book, The Daughter of Victory Lights.
Looking forward to sharing some of the fantastic things I‘ve read while I‘ve been away, and seeing what you‘ve all been up to. ❤️

I did a podcast with Better Reading all about my book (tagged). My first podcast ever, I was a little nervous but had a lot of fun too. Best of all, I‘m not cringing over the sound of my own voice! 😄

For St Patrick‘s Day, here‘s a stack of books from Irish authors! I‘ve read the bottom two, but the top three are still on my TBR.

This non-fiction book was so eye-opening! I have a new appreciation and respect for stunt people, the women in particular. At times the history is frustrating, at others you find yourself cheering. I‘ll never look at movies the same way again!

I went to the library today! Which should I read first? I‘m thinking the tagged book...

Found the most gorgeous hardcover edition of Jane Eyre on the weekend and just had to buy it. Photo doesn‘t do it justice - the pages are edged in gold and the flowers and leaves are embossed. Exquisite!

It‘s true! I imagined becoming a published author, and here I am. 😊

I thought this book would take me some time to get through because of the size, but I read it in no time at all. It‘s so gripping it‘s hard to put down! I know some people have said they didn‘t like the chapters set post-WW2, but I don‘t think the story could have been done justice without them - there would simply be too many open ends. As it is, we get a fully-rounded story that leaves you breathless but satisfied.

I wasn‘t sure if this one was going to live up to the hype, but in the end it really worked for me. Clear, no-nonsense advice delivered in a sharp and humorous way. It‘s kind of like having a session of really good therapy. I think it works much better as an audiobook (for me anyway) as the writing style is sort of conversational and I‘m not sure the humour would translate as well in print. I‘m going to revisit this one from time to time!

On the weekend I went to the book launch for the lovely Aussie author Cassie Hamer‘s debut book, After the Party. Thought this photo, taken right as the launch party was winding up, was perfect for the book and it‘s themes!

Another delightful Georgette Heyer romance. It was fun and clever that the romance took place between a couple who were already married because you don‘t see that too often in the genre. A few good laughs and a sweet ending which left me happy.

So glad my Litsy app is working again! This quote I was going to share on Valentine‘s Day, because it‘s from one of the most romantic books I‘ve read.

Wuthering Heights is my favourite book, and even though I already own a gorgeous vintage copy, I had to buy this edition as soon as I saw it. Who could pass up a cover this beautiful?

Last week I enjoyed a brief working holiday at a little rented beach house. Is it just me who loves hanging out in front of the bookshelves of strangers? It‘s like getting a peek into their personalities!

Bunheads is one of my favourite ballet books, and this quote really stands out to me.

I‘ve been super quiet on Litsy lately, but with good reason - I was celebrating the release and launch of my debut novel! On shelves in Australia and New Zealand now, with ebooks available in USA. Further countries hopefully coming soon!

This was another fun, fast read from Jane Fallon, whose books I always look forward to. She had me turning those pages, eager to keep reading, even when I was frustrated with the main character for being a bit obtuse/slow to figure things out. Finished it in one day.

This quote, taken from Ken Follett‘s The Pillars of the Earth, pretty much sums up how I‘m feeling on the eve of my debut book being released...

It‘s been many years since I last read Jane Eyre, so when I saw the audiobook on BorrowBox I snapped it up for a listen. Thandie Newton is a wonderful narrator!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Easy to escape into, it was full of family drama and refreshingly complicated characters. Read it in two sittings!

I‘ve gotten behind my Litsying because I‘m mid-structural-edits on my second book AND my debut book comes out in Australian stores next week. Crazy times! To keep me sane, husband bought me this rose gold pen (a ‘get through the editing‘ gift). Then I found the pocket-sized dictionary and thesaurus at a book swap. Perfect timing!

Look what arrived today! It‘s the first time I‘ve seen the finished book in person, and I‘m not going to lie, I reacted like this: 😭😭😭.
So many years of work have gone into this, and there was so much fear and doubt I‘d never see this day. It‘s a dream come true.

I got hit by a nasty stomach virus yesterday, but on the bright side I had On the Same Page to cheer me up. That, and copious amounts of camomile tea, got me through the day!