Abraham Verghese

Oh my goodness. I actually don't have words for this book. Brilliant on every level.

Shelley Read

Just finished 'Go As A River'. What a beautiful book. I felt like I was reading poetry, as story of shame, loss, motherhood, friendship, the healing power of nature and rising again. I loved every word.

Liane Moriarty

Tara Westover

Listened to 'Educated' on audiobook over the holidays. The true story of Tara Westover which feels like a story that couldn't possibly be true but it is. What a woman, what a story and what a writer.

Fredrik Backman

If you ever watched 'Friday Night Lights' the series this will give you the same feels. It's about a small town high school hockey team. So much heartbreak and heartwarming in one book.

Julia Baird

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. I think about it’s contents often. There are some really powerful life lessons on how to nurture our light within when the world is dark at times. It’s magical and poetic and I never want to forget what I’ve learned from this book.

Glennon Doyle

Glennon Doyle knows how to simply breakdown some seriously huge issues and serve you up something to think about.

Craig Silvey

An Australian classic for sure. Absolutely love this book.

Miranda Cowley Heller

I literally could not put this down. Had to know how it all turned out for the characters. I will miss them!

Gail Honeyman

This book broke my heart then put it back together. So so good.

Eddie Jaku

I don't know if I've ever been this moved by a piece of writing in all my life. If you haven't already, please read this book. It's a guide to life taught from Eddie's heartbreaking, unimaginable story. The lessons are cemented into my soul for all of time. Eddie believed that kindness is a superpower. I 100% agree. I'm so grateful this book was written for us all.

This book breaks down what could feel like complex strategies for business. Life and leadership into bitesize. Simple. Story lead advice.

I'll come back to these pages time and time again.

This one hooked me from start to finish. It's a story about family secrets and grief. It's dark, yet stunning. I thoroughly enjoyed every page.

Facisnating!

Whoosh! I don't think I was quite ready for this one!
What I expected was a story of coming into middle age. It was definitely that. But. What I didn't see coming was the depth of feelings and questions our protagonists had for where she was at. It's quite a confronting read. I was happy she found her freedom.

This is not my usual read but I was in the mood for something really different. It's probably the weirdest book I've ever read. It's wild. But all comes together in the end.

It's stories, within stories telling a story of grief and family.

It won't be for everyone, but I'm glad I went on the journey.

Flew through this one! It was paced and the plot had me guessing the whole way through. If you need a quick thriller to excite, this one is for you.

Finally got through the second book! It was all the drama and twists and turns I was hoping for. What an ending!
I'm going to give myself a break from fantasy for a minute and jump into a thriller. Will circle back to this series soon.

Oh my caldron... Does this make me a fantasy reader now?!
I really enjoyed this. Oh the draaaama!
Am I moving onto the second book? All of you told me it's even better than the first!

Oh my heart this book is absolutely beautiful. A story about the deep love and devotion of sisters.

This one got me good! How does a book equally make you feel hope and hopelessness all at once? This read is quite the emotional journey.

Watching Demon Copperhead's life unfold broke my heart. Get ready for a deep, dark, riveting, sad, uplifting and hopeful fiction story.

Another absolutely delightful read from Marian Keyes. It's fun to read (because Marian is hilarious) but it's also full of wisdom for life.

Whizzed through this one! Dolly Alderton might just be one of my favourite writers from reading this! An insanely relatable story of a breakup from both sides of the coin. It's heartfelt (and a little bit heartbreaking), but also very hilarious. A fine balance but brilliantly done. Loved it!

Highly recommend this read. It's heartbreaking, thought-provoking and full of heart.

I knew it! Confirming that what I am looking for is always in a book. What a sweet read. Huge life lessons for the characters in this book all found in the library. I loved it.

Where to even start with this book! Complete edge of your seat reading. I could hardly cope with the ending. Such in depth characters who are caught up in the troubles of their lives. I found myself worrying about them all day long. An intense but very worthwhile read.

Ahhh where to start with this book?! Firstly it’s a long and detailed read, so strap in. This book is going down as one of my top 5 favourite books. Donna Tartt has delivered a masterpiece. I’ve never been so vividly transported to each and every scene and feeling as in this read. Our protagonist Theo, loses his mother suddenly as a teenager and his entire life is in tension from that moment on. I had no idea where or how this book was going to land and it kept me wanting to dive deeper and read on with every twist it presented. Theo certainly got caught up in many worlds he could never have predicted. I felt uneasy and deep empathy for him as I watched his life unfold in the pages, yet I had full faith that he was going to survive it all somehow, which he does, in ways you don’t see coming. Honestly, I didn’t want this book to end. I enjoyed every page and even went back to read some of them again, it felt like poetry.

Unputdownable. A little bit dark, a lot of tension and a whole lot of 'what kind of chaos is going to happen next?!'. Loved it.

I loved Julia's book 'Phosphorescence', so I wanted to dive into her thoughts again with her new book, Bright Shining. It's about grace. A tough topic to tackle, because it is so hard to define, and equally hard to give sometimes. Julia shares stories of her own life and others on their experiences with grace.

A story of how heroic sisters survived WW11 and helped others to do the same.

I sobbed my way through this one.

If you are into edge of your seat spy thriller novels this one is for you. It’s a big read but it’s fast paced so hang in there!

Consider this series the Gossip Girl for books! It’s fun to read and I've lost many hours of sleep wrapped up in Magnolia’s Universe.

Magnolia Parks (Magnolia Parks Universe #1)

Daisy Haites (Magnolia Parks Universe #2)

Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home (Magnolia Parks Universe #3)

Dasiy Haites: The Great Undoing (Magnolia Parks Universe #4)

This memoir sees the writer gripped by grief turn to the Pacific Coast Hiking Trail for her healing. It’s an honest, raw and courageous story. Cheryl Strayed is a beautiful writer and captures her deep feelings in every page.

I had to put myself back into my body after this thriller!! Page turner. It's creepy and dark in the very best way. The audiobook version is brilliantly done too.

Star!

Omg. Another absolutely brilliant read from Trent Dalton. A dark, creative, deep, heartfelt, confronting and beautiful book about a girl with no name on the run to find who she truly is. I already want to read it again. Trent's writing is genious. Like no other.

Just got done reading this. It's not what I would normally go for (sci-fi). But I loved it. Think: social media meets aliens then watches how humanity deals with a remarkable thing.

Just finished this. Can Meryl Streep read every Audible Book from here on out please?! My ear holes are very happy. A beautiful story about a mother telling her life story to her children. Loved it.

Loved every page. A story of the unbreakable bond of family even when the individuals seem broken themselves. Wowza. What a read.

OMG. I get it now. What a book. I was so deeply invested into these characters lives. Embarrassed I haven't read this classic earlier.. but better late than never right??

Finished this in two days. Literally could not stop.

Thought provoking and unputdownable.

It's been a while since I have read a non-fiction book. I made an exception for this one. James Clear gives practical advice on setting up systems to make tiny changes that can revolutionise your life. This book is a bit of a game changer.

A story of sisterhood, love, loss, family and human survival.

Finished! Whipped through this second chance at love story. I'll miss these characters.

I'm the last person in the history of people who read books to read this so I'm glad I now know. This one gave me some sadness and heaviness but Sally Rooney is a beautiful writer. I couldn't put it down.

Whizzed through this one. I needed to know how this romance ended! Fun read.

Finally got through this one... Life was getting in the way of book consumption... but I'm back! Worth a read for sure. It's about friendship, love and loss. Oh and computer games.

This one had an unexpected ending... like every good murder mystery novel should!

Ok wow. Too many people told me about this book for me not to listen. An Australian murder mystery story that I couldn't stop till I knew who did it.

Just finished listening to Lessons in Chemistry. Summed up best by this quote from author Bonnie Garmus. Elizabeth Zott (protagonist) is 'unwilling to dumb herself down for society's convenience'. I flew through this one.

Every possible human emotion was felt while reading this. RIP Matthew.

Just finished this. I think it's summed up best by it's co-author. 'We are all flawed, complicated, wounded dreamers; we have more in common with one another than we don't. Sometimes making the world a better place just involves creating space for the people who are already in it.' - Jodi Picoult

This broke me in half, still in recovery. A story of an Irish family who suffers trauma and loss but find a way through by the deep love they hold for each other, so beautifully written. I read this book and also audiobooked it too. It was read by an Irishman, I love the accent so much (my Dad is Irish) so it felt nostalgic and close to my heart. Trigger warning for anyone who has lost someone close.

Loved it! Sally Hepworth is doing Australia proud with her talent.

The book is meant to explore - for myself, and hopefully for it's readers, too-questions of who we are, what we cherish, and how we see those who are different from ourselves. - From Janne Ramos author notes.

Mission acomplished Joanne! Had me asking myself all the questions. This ones a goodie guys.

I'm so late to the party in reading Little Fires Everywhere. I did no research before jumping into this one - I didn't even read the blurb so I had no idea where this story was headed - I trusted the hype around this book and it turns out, the hype can be trusted! A page turner for sure.

Had to see how it started with Atlas and Lily. Hoovered (pardon the pun) through this. If you loved 'It Ends With Us' you can't not read this. It wouldn't be right.

This read made me want to be a better parent, partner and human.

Gahhh! I'm finding it hard to put into words how I feel about this book. It's a fictional story about mental illness that's told with heart and hilarity and leaves you feeling hopeful. I'm still unpicking the details after finishing it last night. Beautifully written Meg Mason.

Wow, this book. A story of childhood, heartbreaking life lessons and finding home. It's full of adventure and hope and talks about big topics like race, spirituality and family through the eyes of children. It's beautiful writing. Gave me Huckleberry Finn vibes. If you're wanting a book with plenty of substance-this one is it.

Just when I thought I couldn't love Larry Emdur more, he goes ahead and writes Happy As! This book had me in fits of laughter, sobbing with sorrow and feeling all the feels I could possibly feel. Larry captures the light of his childhood and the love for his family with the peerfect essence. His is humble, hilarious and has the biggest heart there is. Trust me on this, read this book!

Just finished this! A story of sisterhood, loyalty and love. It's based on a true story about the horseback librarians of Kentucky who change a small town with their passion for kindness, humanity and love of books. I loved every page.

Another book devoured. I borrowed these words from 'Good Reads' to help explain the basis of the book. This one hit me hard. From Good Reads: Looking well beyond the issue of race. The vanishing half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people feel pulled to sometimes live as something other than their origins.

I churned through this! A psychological thriller about a couple who appear to 'have it all'. With the help of a therapist (who is an interesting character on her own) they learn a multitude of secrets about each other that see it all come crashing down. More twists and turns than a waterslide! Hold onto your hats for this one.

This one had me awake till the wee hours this morning. Page turner!

Inhaled this! Such a a good read.

This one broke me. Wow. Important subject matter. A book of truth, bravery and hope.

Just finished Crazy Rich Asians. Loved it! Very funny and easy to read. Now all I want to do is eat!

Devoured in 2 days.

This was a journey! But one I'm glad I went on.

A masterpiece!

Whizzed through this one! An easy read. Great if you feel like something lighter but a good story line with heart.

Whizzed through this. Read if you like twisted page turners!

I read this at the beginning of the year and I have to say it's one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. My heart broke for the characters and I was so invested in where they would all end up. Read this one for sure!!

I think the author sums up this book best. 'It's a story about learning to see each and every human being in the same way as we see ourselves.' It's confronting, in the very vest way. I loved it.

Just over here living my best rainy afternoon. Foot massage, book reading life.

A brilliant read. It gave me a creepy weird feeling all the way till the end... but in a good way where I just had to power through the pages to see what happens!