5 stars. Absolutely brilliant writing and thinking went into this book.
Chanel takes us through her journey displaying vulnerability, honesty, creativity, humour, kindness and courage. She teaches me that you don‘t need to have any of the requirements that society tells us we need, before we use our voices and be seen. Showing up as we are is enough.
I love this book.

This was incredibly unique and entertaining.
It was disturbing in a way that made me not want to look away.

Bless Coraline‘s cool head and brave heart. She‘s an inspiring protagonist, while still being entirely relatable.
Gaiman combines incredible fantasy with the real and very ordinary world.
He encapsulates perfectly what I remember it can be like, to be a child in an adult‘s world.
A book with a lot of morals hidden with the story which will keep you thinking after the final page.

Bruce Pascoe says about The Yield: ‘Take courage when you read this book. You will need it.‘ He is right. Through fiction, Winch faces us directly into the realities, hardships and hopes that face Australia‘s Indigenous people. Winch weaves the language of the Wiradjuri people throughout the novel, which ties the past to the present and brings hope to the future.

This story is a tribute to all the women throughout history that have been invisible, silenced, unnamed and voiceless.
Ana‘s ultimate prayer of her heart is to be a voice. The author‘s note explains that Ana is woman with her own quest following her longings in pursuit of the largeness inside herself.
This was a beautifully written book. From the first paragraph, which gave me goosebumps, to the last sentence, which brought tears to my eyes.

“All shall be well…. I don‘t mean that life won‘t bring you tragedy. I only mean that you will be well in spite of it. There‘s a place in you that is inviolate. You‘ll find your way there, when you need to. And you‘ll know then what I speak of.”

Alicia shares her journey of self awareness.
As the reader, I found it to be a really enlightening experience. There are an abundance of meaningful quotes and messages that I‘ll take and keep for myself, in support of my own journey.

Slow to start, it took a while before the plot got compelling. While you‘re waiting however, there‘s some wonderful descriptions of the natural environment where this tribe is based, as well as depictions of their tools, artefacts and a glimpse into their culture.

Oh my heart… 💔
I was torn between finishing this in one sitting and taking my time in order to absorb every single word.
What an exceptional person.

Everything about this memoir is gutsy. It‘s very honest and very vulnerable.
It‘s an epic journey taken in order to face trauma and find self acceptance. Silvia and the women she travels with are inspiring.

‘It‘s awe.
It‘s that sense of being both small and part of something so much bigger than our smallness.
Awe is the gateway drug to healing trauma through nature.
Awe must be experienced. And trauma isn‘t something you can scoop out with a spoon. It has a home in you, and in that home, it lives, often comfortably, sometimes quietly, but always ready to trash the place at a moment‘s notice.‘

This is a very special book. I was totally invested in White Fang‘s journey.

I am just beginning my journey of unlearning the messages that culture and society has told me about women. This was a good place to start. Like any self help book, not everything in it applies, but I was able to take away some key things for myself.

A unique and amusing book narrated by a 13,000 year-old extinct mammoth. It‘s a tale of this Mummut‘s journey combined with his musings on the bewildering world of humans.

Compelling but so sad. My favourite thing about this book was the descriptions of the love and friendship the characters feel for each other.

Great finish to this book! Although it did take me some time to get into the swing of it. That‘s no fault of the book, it‘s just been a busy month for me.
This book and it‘s prose is elegant, refined, witty and interesting - much like the gentleman it refers to.

A story about how anxiety feels and one woman‘s experience with it.
I read this one pretty quickly, but I‘m still not sure how I feel about it. I liked parts of it, but found other parts a bit tedious and frustrating.

This is a very special book. I loved it‘s premise of reintroducing wolves into the Scottish highlands to promote ecological diversity and health. There is a rewilding theme throughout, both of nature and self, which is very appealing and cleverly articulates the feelings of being connected with nature.
It covers domestic abuse themes in a very real way and contains a mystery. The mystery, if I‘m honest, I didn‘t need in order to love this book.

This is one of the most harrowing pieces on non-fiction I‘ve ever read. This book sheds light on the national emergency that is domestic abuse in Australia.
Throughly absorbing, comprehensive and informative, Jess Hill takes us though what abuse looks and feels like for both the victim and the perpetrator.
This was such a difficult but important read. I learned so much.

Cool intro explaining the Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm pseudonyms and the differing styles of each. I love Hobb and this was my first taste of Lindholm. Although short stories are not usually my thing, I enjoyed the stories and both writing styles and I‘m inspired to try more Lindholm soon.
The Hobb stories take us back into the RotE world, which I loved. Homecoming was my fav, as it gives a history in diary form of the founding of the Rain Wilds

True story about a couple who, after learning the husband is terminally ill, also lose their home and livelihood.
Instead of giving up, they decide to trek 630 miles along the Coastal Path, camping in the wild with extremely limited funds and supplies.
After a slow start, their story really grew on me. It‘s about finding liberation through letting go and embracing wilderness.
‘You‘ve felt the hand of nature. It won‘t leave you now; You‘re salted‘

Love this cover! Even though the previous owner must have used it as a coaster…. 😢
Such a charming adventure tale.
I can very much relate to Bilbo Baggins who, throughout the adventure and while discovering his strengths and generally being awesome, really just missed his quiet, comfortable, little home with the kettle singing on the stove and a full pantry. I get it, Bilbo.

For such a short, little story, this really packs a punch. I felt so many different things while reading it and really didn‘t want to put it down.
I loved Ariadne‘s narrative, which almost read like field notes at times, but was never dry. I Loved the dynamic of the crew, the descriptions of different planets and species, the methods by which they were undertaking their research and the whole concept behind this wonderful book.

It was nice to catch up with Claire and Jamie again 💕

A bit of a slow start, I took some time to get into this and get my head around it, but it was ultimately intriguing.

I know I should be reading something from my TBR, but I‘m currently re-reading these 2.
MOBY in preparation for Bees, as I need a refresher on what‘s happened.
Assassin‘s Apprentice just cos I want to. I finished the RotE series a few months ago and I just miss the characters. Robin Hobb is amazing. I‘m loving the re-read, it‘s so good picking up on all the little intricacies now that I know the characters well and what‘s to become of them.

There‘s a LOT going on in this 600+ page novel. It‘s set in the past, present and future and told from 5 different perspectives. It incorporates several genres and themes.
I found the first 1/3 a bit slow, but the rest I finished relatively quickly.
The characters and times were interconnected by the love of an Ancient Greek myth and the impact that the story has on their lives, despite the different circumstances of their time.

A nice little distraction, which I needed at the moment.

A lovely novel about love, loss, grief, representation and the importance and power of words.
Beautifully written with interesting characters. It‘s protagonist, Esme is intelligent, curious and quietly elegant as she finds her voice and a way to make a meaningful contribution in her own way. I really enjoyed this.

A fun fantasy novel! The character development was excellent. There were a few characters that were amazing. I loved Attis so much, he was awesome.
However, I didn‘t really buy into the magic system. There were lots of really cool magical elements - such as the library and lots of other fun, quirky things, but the rules around how the magic system itself worked, felt a little tedious to me.

Yep…. Horror is NOT my genre. I know this, but I had to buy it and give it a try, as this copy had such a superb cover.
I put off reading it and it took me a lot longer than is normal for me to get through.
The first 3/4 dragged for me, but it redeemed itself in the end. It had a very dramatic conclusion.
I hated Jack (a lot), even before the s**t hit the fan. What a dick.

A powerful, stop-and-make-you-think story about what the culture of a club or place is, and the effect this can have on its individuals.
‘Culture is as much about what we encourage as what we permit.‘

I feel like I read this at the right time for me.
It‘s always good to be reminded about what‘s important in life and making time to notice and seek awe, wonder and joy.
I lost a bit of interest towards the end, but I loved the majority of this book.

This was lovely. The pace was probably a little slower than what I was in the mood for, but it‘s written beautifully. A book about the love of wild places and wild creatures set in the beautiful and untamed wilderness of Alaska.
Fairy tale magic meets the harsh reality of survival.

Becky Chambers is so good at world building!
This novel follows the daily lives of the humans in the Exodus Fleet. The first Exodus Fleet left Earth when it was no longer habitable. Centuries later, their descendants make choices to leave for alien cities or stay in the carefully regulated environment of the ship. Over time, some stay and some go.
What does humanity mean to people who have never seen Earth and have always lived in the stars……..

This has been on my TBR for ages, and I‘m glad I finally got to it. I found the first half really compelling, but lost a bit of enthusiasm for reading it towards end. It‘s told from a straight-forward, third person perspective, which is great for conveying a lot of information, but I didn‘t really feel an attachment to the characters.

This was charming. Who wouldn‘t love an adventure into the land of faerie.
It took me a little while to get into it, but I just needed to be patient, because it all linked up beautifully.

An eloquent and gripping narrative giving us a harrowing and shocking glimpse inside the Australian legal system related to sexual crimes.
Bri Lee‘s courage and determination in the face of so much injustice is both an inspiration to victims and a message to perpetrators.

A quiet, thoughtful novel about the ebbs and flows of a life.

I picked this up because I wanted something light, and that is what I got.

An epic conclusion to an epic series.
853 pages in this book and I could not tear myself from it. I have ignored both family and sleep for the duration of time it‘s taken me for me to read it.
I‘m trying to tell myself that I‘m not sad that it‘s over, because I know one day I‘ll read the whole series over again and get even more joy from the re-read.
This series was such an amazing journey. These characters will stay with me for a lifetime.

This was pure agony in the most wonderful way. Fitz spends most of this book feeling miserable and frustrated. So consequently, so did I. Thanks Robin Hobb 😜
Come on, Fitz! Go get em already!
Next up is the last book in the series. I‘m not sure I‘m emotionally strong enough to handle whatever is coming. But I can‘t look away. So onward we go!

“I tried not to be surly and resentful. It was difficult.”

🤦‍♀️ Oh, Fitz. How I love you. Even though you‘re such a miserable bastard 😆

Talk about tension! My stomach was in knots all through this book! Stayed up until 1am to finish it and I‘ll be picking up the next in the series first thing in the morning. A few new characters introduced in this one and as always, they were so well written. It was great to see Fitz again, even if he does keep F‘ing everything up! This time we see him from a different perspective and in a different phase of his life, which is really interesting.

Epic and satisfying conclusion to The Rain Wild Chronicles. Full pelt adventure from start to finish.
Now to start the last trilogy and see what Fitz has been up to….

Robin Hobb writes characters so well that I can sincerely say that I hope Hest gets eaten by a dragon in the next book. Preferably by Relpda, Sedric‘s dragon. That would do nicely, thanks 😆

Excited to begin

This book captures the imagination so much so, that I found myself actually dreaming of dragons and the Rain Wilds.
I usually try to only read 1 Robin Hobb per month, in order to get to all the other books on my TBR. But lately, every time I finish one I find myself picking up the next one in the series. The others will just have to wait, I‘m fully immersed in this world and I don‘t want to leave!

The synopsis on the back of this book says it‘s about a love triangle. But the way it‘s written makes it about so much more than that and elevates it into a book about friendship, love, community, faith, secrets, regret, choices and the flow on effect of grief.
The writing was so compelling, I was hooked right from the start.