Hey #AussieSecretSanta‘s I‘ve been a bit lax with checking in - my Nana passed out in the heat last week and ended up fracturing some neck vertebrae, things were pretty scary for a hot minute but have started to improve (although a neck brace for summer was not on her Christmas wish list) however my brain is still 🫠 (2025 has been traumatic)

How we all doing? Parcels starting to arrive? Mine arrived today and it does look super tempting 👀

If you take the library staff out of the library… the results is not going to be good.

If you are in Melbourne, there is a rally next weekend. If you are concerned about the general direction of this decision, there is a petition campaign being run by CPSU Victoria ⬇️

https://www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/hands-off-our-state-library?

This is an odd sort of book - from it‘s no frills cover to the transcript style that it‘s presented in.

I‘m not a true crime reader generally so I don‘t really have anything to compare this to. I think it‘s a bit lacking because it was initially conceived as a podcast and it has instead ended up as a book - but I found the discussion interesting as all the authors bring quite a lot of experience to the telling.

This book was a fascinating character study about someone who feels invisible in the world latching on to the life of a complete stranger and trying unsuccessfully and with mixed results to befriend them. Obviously it starts on shaky ground, and boy do things slowly but surely escalate.

Short, quirky and ultimately pretty unsettling.

That feeling when you wrap the presents, can‘t find the Christmas cards and then entirely forget to pick them up when you leave for work in the morning 🫣 (they were in a bag near the front door and everything)

#AussieSecretSanta - hopefully this will be coming to a post office tomorrow! And I know a couple are already in transit! Love that!

It‘s finally time to break this beauty out!

Day 1 was a book mail rubber postage stamp 😍 I‘m taking that to work with me (because that‘s my nearest stamp pad)

Thanks @LapReader - this was part of my #aussiesecretsanta gift from you ❤️

What is a power surge that knocks phones and internet out on a workday if not an opportunity to knock off early and go shopping?!

I took the opportunity to pop into my local indie bookstore and choose the books for my #aussiesecretsanta! And well, there was a shoe shop with a 25% sale on right next door 👀

Then a little salad haul from the green grocer and I‘m strolling home, happy that I‘m not navigating peak hour traffic!

I was super pumped to get a (digital) ARC for this and then promptly fell down into the depths of the dreaded reading slump and barely read anything for a month. This book helped me claw my way out of it.

I adored this, I love how CG puts sentences together,
I love gothic, I love botanical horror, I love reading the same book as my friend and texting unhinged theories… all in all just a good time!

I needed the shelf trophy, obviously 🤣

Today in libraryland, a kid felt compelled to infodump some “fun” facts from a history book that included that the hammer & sickle are a symbol known around the world AND that a picture of WW2 soldiers hanging out of train windows for last hugs was “weird and unsafe behaviour” at a loss for what to say, my reply was… well war isn‘t exactly safe either ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ & then friends, I bailed (the Christmas fiction display wasn‘t going to refill itself)

My Ariana Grande obsessed sister has been disappointed with me for at least a year because I didn‘t see Wicked in cinema… I said I‘d wait for the second one to come out… which is how I‘ve found myself at a double feature 🤭 who wants to go to bed early on a Sunday? Leaving the cinema at midnight is way more fun!

There‘s insta love and there‘s whatever the heck happened in this book. It‘s not a bad read, it‘s just needed to be a novel to allow for character development and depth because otherwise it‘s very Girl, WHAT are you doing?

👀

It was all pretty cute and less chaotic than I expected! The cake looked amazing but you could tell which guests it was for once it started to get cut up.

It was Teddy Bears Picnjc themed which is why the birthday girl is wearing a lovely gingham bow and Teddy bear ears.

It‘s stormy weather today and instead of getting cozy and settling down with a book, I‘m off to a teddy bears picnic themed birthday party for my neighbours dog…

The millennials dilemma : do I spend my evening listening to West End Girl or The Princess Knight (which takes its inspiration from Legally Blonde)

A hauntingly claustrophobic read with an unreliable protagonist who has been living alone in a secluded area after a pandemic sweeps the nation, causing eye contact to drive people to into mindless homicidal rages. And then one day, Riley meets a man in the woods - a new neighbour - and things start to unravel or maybe the unraveling simply speeds up?

This was a short and snappy read because one just simply needed to know what was happening!!

Matches have been sent out #AussieSecretSanta‘s - please let me know if something doesn‘t look right or if nothing has come through.

The answer to the chocolate question appears in a bolder font.

Remember to send parcels out by the 6th December so that they arrive in time for a Christmas Eve opening.

Now‘s a good time to spruce up your Litsy TBR in case your Santa needs some inspiration.

An early birthday present from a friend who lives on the other side of the world who did get a bit stressed that the Australian release date for this would arrive before the book did (funnily enough it arrived day of). Genuinely hilarious getting a text suggesting that I stay out of bookshops 🤣 This is one of my most anticipated books of the year.

🐻🥣

An important and timely read - devastating that she‘s no longer here to see the impact this book will have and to see the tide finally turn on a certain British royal.

She mentions being at the Louvre and being particularly moved by this sculpture, The Winged Victory of Samothrace (or Niké of Samothrace) and buying a smaller version from the gift shop for her study - a small moment of joy amongst a sea of pretty harrowing depositions.

Online shopping is getting a little out of control 🫣

I can totally build this by myself…

It‘s a dangerous business, reading the emails Blackwell‘s sends me… especially when the book that snags my attention doesn‘t even come up with a “notify me” option on Libby… WHAT IS A GIRL TO DO?
(Obviously in this instance I went right ahead and ordered it since this is a #bookmail post, the photo does not do the gold foil justice, I‘ll have to wait for the sun to try again)

My Nana turned 90 this week, and we are having a little party for her this weekend. I think she‘d like people to stop saying 90 in general 🤣 she doesn‘t like being the centre of attention and she‘s requested no speeches or presents… so I‘ve gone for her favourite black tea and a willingness to elbow my grandpa if he stands up to make a speech…

It's that time of the year again! If you are wanting some bookish festive fun and live in Australia - this is it!

Fill out the form : https://forms.gle/7SEQ42n4MnoKGCnN7

Form closes : 14th November 2025, with matches sent out soon after

Tagging previous #AussieSecretSanta‘s but new Aussie Secret Santas would be very welcome!

On one hand, 👏 to Maria V. Snyder for having a book still be in print and being available in mainstream bookstores, 20 years after it was first published…

But on the other hand…. Wtf have they done to the cover?

I‘m not a coffee drinker, I don‘t like the taste of hot coffee… but iced coffee is a slightly different story… even though there is a reasonably high chance of heart palpitations 😅 let‘s go Monday!!

I‘ve already read a couple of chapters of an ARC at my desk before switching over to some actual work (boring, I know) and some audiobook.

Lunch and then it‘s time for my customer facing desk shift - understaffed!!! 😜

The book slump I‘ve been on the verge of for months has finally got the better of me… none of my audiobook options appeal, I‘m part way through 13 books and feel little incentive to pick them back up (even though they are all books I was quite enjoying). I am not having a good time right now.

Ended up being a bit of a dull list, imo.
I‘ve read 7.

List : https://www.abc.net.au/listen/radionational/countdown/top100books

Trent Dalton‘s Boy Swallows Universe coming in at #1 made me laugh - I haven‘t read any of his books but I have been the recipient of a passionate anti-Dalton rant from a librarian AND I think of the phrase “he is the definitive novelist of Scott Morrison‘s Australia” every time he comes up.

I love the gentle way that K. O‘Neill‘s stories unfold. In this one, two people with very different outlooks on life, gradually become friends and help each other reach their full potential through kindness and acceptance. I mean - there is also a flying horse called Kestral…

I was going through my rather neglected emails and saw one from Reactor which said that Alix‘s forthcoming novel, The Everlasting, tied in with this stunning short story, which I first read in 2023 and has haunted me ever since - so obviously needed to reread it immediately. If you need me, I‘ll be staring thoughtfully at the nearest wall.

The chokehold that Miranda has on the Australian psyche is absolutely fascinating (no doubt in part due to Peter Weir‘s 1975 film adaptation) - this was a reread for me and I was amazed at how much of the story I‘d forgotten and how few pages we have with Miranda (and Marian), given the extent to which her absence haunts the narrative.

Continued below :

October 11th is Love Your Bookshop Day and I had a lovely day! I started with a 3 card tarot spread at Ramona Books in Northcote and met the lovely Toni Jordan who floating around giving out book recommendations, I added 2 new penguin titles to my collection so I could get my personal penguin, had the most delicious brunch and earl grey matcha, before heading off to visit Amplify Bookstore (near the Queen Vic Market).

Australian Gothic has been on my mind (I‘m currently reading Picnic at Hanging Rock & Honeyeater) and I‘ve just come across the term Tasmanian Gothic (and laughed because I know they don‘t like associating with the main land)

Have you read any? Or anything gothic about where you live?

https://reactormag.com/six-stories-for-fans-of-beautiful-australian-gothic/

The casting announcement for the movie was so funny that it pushed this up to the top of my reading pile… and I had a great time. I should read more contemporary romances was my main takeaway.

The premise for this one wasn‘t as strong out the gate as her previous novels but the second half redeems it - and I was HOOKED - I‘ve been in such a reading slump of late and this managed to get me to read my Sunday away!

Love it when Murder, She Wrote gets mentioned 🥰

While slightly overlong at almost 500 pages this was a lot of fun! I‘m looking forward to reading the sequels at some point.

I was so excited to read this, I was basically sold just for it being part of Penguin‘s Weird Fiction imprint and Algernon Blackwood‘s (isn‘t that just such an authors name?) Wikipedia page made for interesting reading.

The book itself is essentially a collection of John Silence‘s case notes. Anyway, I wanted to love occult Sherlock Holmes but I lowkey hated it and was mostly bored throughout.

I was so happy to be able to repurchase my very first Kip & Co sheet - after 6 years of being in high rotation, my foot went right through it (nothing like having to remake your bed after you‘d already gotten cosy) ANYWAY, they also have a collaboration with Margaret Preston (sadly no love for double beds) but I couldn‘t resist this pattern on a silk pillowcase (and well, free shipping 😉)

Nana DNFed this library book telling me that the first few chapters just had awful people in it. She seemed most upset that there were jewel thieves on board. PROFESSIONAL ONES. 🤣 Did not know that she felt so strongly about people who steal jewels for a living. Anyway, she said she couldn‘t recommend it to anyone but lowkey I kind of want to read it now, she was just so 😩 about JEWEL THIEVES!! Who steal jewels professionally. 💎🚫

I‘m not in the right frame of mind for this book BUT I loved this quote

If you take the story on its own merits, you are left with some uncomfortable questions for the Postman - even though he is not painted as the villain of the story.

If you take the story with the understanding that it the words for / explaining a ballet - it‘s still a strange little thing BUT I see the vision and think it would actually be kind of cool.

I was scrolling through my camera roll and came across this GEM from lockdown 2020 when I had to work from home - and had the surreal experience of accepting book deliveries into my tiny apartment 🤣 I‘d accession and catalogue them, then load them up in tote bags, shove them into the boot of my car, ready for when I had my next library click and collect shift. Truly a time that feels like a fever dream…

I took @julesG ‘s suggestion of OIL before attempting to peel (THANK YOU!!!) AND aside from my Nana defaulting to EMU when I said I needed oil (she‘s hard of hearing, we got to olive eventually 🤭😳) it went pretty well, not painless but I didn‘t lose a layer of skin! I‘m probably still going to wrap my wrist when I‘m working but I think it‘s just about there…

I found an Animorphs book in the wild (an op shop) and it was only a $1 - I knew going on a side mission between physio and work would be a good idea (I wanted the veggie pies from the deli and to see the newly renovated indie bookshop - fitting in an op shop was an added bonus)

Back to the physio today and got taped again… something tells me that the white adhesive tape is not going to relinquish my skin gently when the time comes comes to remove it 😩

On the positive side, I washed my hair before the appointment so at least showering in the morning is going to be more straightforward.

Things I did instead of reading this evening :

- failed at deciding on a new show to watch
- vibed to a “top hits of 2006” playlist
- bought 2 dresses that I‘d been thinking about
- dusted and decluttered my bed side table
- bought tickets to the jousting this weekend
- continued to wonder where some of my misplaced objects are
- looked guiltily at the pile of library books I probably won‘t get around to reading

Sometimes I remember to provide context before I text something unhinged

TBD if she is in fact, here for the brain rot

How do you even review a book like this? Part of me feels that the less you know going in, the better. The title acts as a trigger warning, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor a couple of times because things did get, for lack of a better word, psychotic.

It caught my eye at the book store and the quirky chapter headings sold me completely (my favourite being "XXVI. Is Fraught with Some Danger, but for Whom, the Reader Must Determine.")

The way I was SURPRISED that this happened in England and NOT Australia 🤣

https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/unfair-dismissal-boss-dickhead/

Did not pack my pockets very well this morning and have left home without my AirPods 😫