The Long Distance Playlist by Tara Eglington
I have been so looking forward to this one coming out, and it is perfect timing for your last minute Christmas shopping! I think I'll be starting this one tomorrow.

Night Swimming by Steph Bowe
This is the only other book in my stack that I haven't read yet, and I think it's the swimming part that is giving me summer vibes? In any case, I have heard only good things about this so I'm looking forward to it.

What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume
This was one of my favourite books of last summer. It is set at the beach in the summer time, and it just felt so Australian without being cringey. It is body positive, and diverse, and I loved it. Check out my review here.

Untidy Towns by Kate O'Donnell
Untidy Towns is a book that I recommend all the time to people who think that they don't like young adult books. It is beautifully written and authentic and just lovely. I've got it on this list because even though it isn't necessarily set at summer (from memory) it deals with that transition out of school into the world, which gives it a kind of summer feeling to me. I have reviewed this one here.

If I Tell You by Alicia Tuckerman
Another story with a rural setting that I just loved for its authenticity. This one is about two girls who fall in love, in a small town where girls dating girls isn't really accepted. I can't remember if it is also set in the school holidays, but it gave me lounging by the local swimming pool feelings. My review of this one is here.

The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl - by Melissa Keil
This book is just an absolute delight. It is set around Christmas - I loved reading about a summer Christmas for a change - and focuses on a group of friends who have just finished high school, and are facing the changes that come with that.

I'd love to know if you've got any contemporary YA your summer reading list, and also if I've missed any excellent Christmas/summer #loveozya from mine!

xo Bron

The book itself is filled with beautiful artwork from a range of Marvel comics including The Avengers, Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, and loads more. The text gives behind the scenes information about the artwork and history of the characters, as well as Marvel as a company.

I think this would make a perfect gift for the comic book fan in your life!
Thanks so much to Scholastic for sending this one our way - comics are big in our house so this one was a huge hit!

xo Bron
***

Marvel Museum: The Story of the Comics 
Source: Kindly sent to me by Scholastic
Release: Dec 2019
Format: Hardcover, 86p

Ultimately, I feel like this book is about sharing the joy of Christmas, and it was definitely a magical read for me. If you're looking to add to your Christmas picture book collection I can't recommend it highly enough!

xo Bron

***
Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht, illustrated by Jarvis
Released Oct 2017 by Walker Books
Source: I impulse bought this one when I was shopping online (actually, it was when I was buying a copy of Animology, which featured in last night's post!) and it was recommended to me at the checkout!
Format: Hard cover picture book
Themes: Christmas, traditions

You can see the letters better on the frog here and the flamingo too. We have had so much fun trying to find all the letters in the pictures. We own Animology and Letters from Australia (both pictured in this post, and both kindly sent to us by the team at Walker Books), as well as having bought a couple ourselves - Letters from Melbourne and I am hoping Letters from New York will arrive in time for Christmas.

 Letters from Australia includes not just animals, but also famous landmarks and people  from around the country, like this Melbourne tram. I also love the rhyming text, and the way that the word is in the same font as in the picture.

Obviously we adore these books, and I can't thank Walker Books enough for sending those first two our way! Like I said above, we've bought Animology to give to A's teacher - we took it to school one day and it was a big hit. I give them a huge thumbs up and totally recommend putting them on your shopping list if you are still present shopping!

xo Bron

Oasis by Katya de Becerra
This is a YA mystery/thriller, out Jan 202 from Pan Macmillan.

Season of the Witch by Sarah Rees Brennan
I understand that this one is a prequel novel, inspired by the Netflix series. It is out now from Scholastic Australia.

Heart of the Moors by Holly Back
This novel is set between Disney's Maleficent and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. It is also out now from Scholastic Australia.

The Space We're In by Katya Balen, illustrated by Laura Carlin
This is a middlegrade-ish novel about two brothers, one of whom is autistic. I have had a quick flick through this one and I love the illustrations, and the fact that on some of the pages the text is set out differently to the typical left to right, top to bottom format. It's out now from Bloomsbury.

This is Happiness by Niall Williams
I love a coming of age novel, and I think this is just that. The synopsis tells me it's about protagonist Noel who lives in a small Irish community, which is also going through a coming of age, as electricity arrives for the first time. It is out now from Bloomsbury.

In the Clearing by J.P. Pomare
I had the pleasure of dropping a bunch of copies of In the Clearing around Canberra's public transport for Books on the Rail and Hachette Australia last week, and I am definitely looking forward to reading it myself soon. It is a psychological thriller, out in early January from Hachette.


So much excellent reading in my future! Are any of these on your TBR? Can you believe we're talking 2020 books already?

xo Bron

Obviously I read the book first. It is a relatively short novel, so I got through it in a single day. Honestly, I thought this was quite delightful! There are lots of things about it that are completely ridiculous, but in a fun way. I don't even know where to start with the plot, so here's what the Goodreads page says:


Ashley Davison, a graduate student in California, desperately wants to spend the holidays with her family in Seattle. Dashiell Sutherland, a former army intelligence officer, has a job interview in Seattle and must arrive by December 23. Though frantic to book a last-minute flight out of San Francisco, both are out of luck: Every flight is full, and there’s only one rental car available. Ashley and Dash reluctantly decide to share the car, but neither anticipates the wild ride ahead.

At first they drive in silence, but forced into close quarters Ashley and Dash can’t help but open up. Not only do they find they have a lot in common, but there’s even a spark of romance in the air. Their feelings catch them off guard—never before has either been so excited about a first meeting. But the two are in for more twists and turns along the way as they rescue a lost puppy, run into petty thieves, and even get caught up in a case of mistaken identity. Though Ashley and Dash may never reach Seattle in time for Christmas, the season is still full of surprises—and their greatest wishes may yet come true.


Look, I don't even know what it was about this book that made me like it so much. It was sweet and funny, and had kind of a different twist to what you usually see in a cosy Christmas romance. It is quite a romp, and I just found myself smiling as I read it. Also, as an aside, the actual physical book itself is quite lovely - it is a little hardcover, with a very pretty picture on the front.

Onto the film then! I don't recall really having done a book and Hallmark movie comparison before, although I think there are one or two I have both read and watched, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Here's the summary of the movie, from the Hallmark website:

Based on a novel by Debbie Macomber, this yuletide movie tells the story of Ashley Harrison (Meghan Ory) and Dash Sutherland (Andrew Walker). She is a crafter based in San Francisco who is desperate to spend the holidays with her family in Seattle and Dash is also in a rush to get there. When Ashley inexplicably encounters a problem with her reservation at the airport ticket counter, she turns to Plan B and attempts to rent a car. But there’s just one vehicle left and Dash beats her to it. Reluctantly, Ashley takes him up on his offer to join him on the road trip. As the pair heads north, their adventures include car trouble, adopting a puppy and being secretly tailed by federal agents, who believe Ashley is up to no good. With a hint of romance gradually filling the air will these two fall in love or will their journey bring about an unexpected road bump to romance?

This movie had a few things going for it right from the start:
  - Andrew Walker is one of my favourite Hallmark actors
  - Meghan Ory plays one of the leads in Hallmark's tv series Chesapeake Shores, which I love.
  - There is knitting
  - And puppies

I actually kind of adored the film almost as much as the book! I thought that a few of the more unusual parts of the plot were less well dealt with in the film than the book, but I also loved that they were different enough that both were completely enjoyable - having read the book didn't take away from the movie at all. The movie was also very pretty - there were some lovely tree shots (like in the background of the promotional picture) and gorgeous decorations. I'd recommend either or both of these to anyone looking for a fun silly Christmassy romp (with puppies!)

xo Bron

***
Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber
Published 2015 by Ballantine Books
Source: I was lucky enough to find both the book and movie at my local library (if you're in Canberra get on it!)
Format: Hardcover, 256 pages

Tiddas - Anita Heiss
This is a beautiful book about women's friendship, which made me want to read everything ever written by Anita Heiss. I've loaned this to so many of my friends, and everyone loves it.

The Wailing Woman - Maria Lewis
If you've been in the same room as me at all over the past few weeks I have probably told you how fantastic this book is. I definitely want to read more urban fiction next year (including Maria Lewis's entire back list). My review is here.
Thanks to Hachette for sending me a copy.

The Saturday Portraits - Maxine Beneba Clarke
I'm only about a third of the way through Maxine Beneba Clarke's brand new book, but I love it already. I am a huge fan of her writing for both adults and children, and I'm planning to read her poetry next year.
Thanks to Hachette for sending me a copy.

The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle - Sophie Green
Sophie Green's first novel , The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club was an absolute favourite the year it come out, so I was delighted when this one arrived. I also saw Sophie at the Canberra Writers' Festival this year, which was wonderful. My review is here.
Thanks to Hachette for sending me a copy.

The Blue Rose - Kate Forsyth
I adored this one, and also loved having the chance to hear Kate Forsyth talk about it (honestly, if you ever have the chance to see Kate speak then do it! I saw her 3 times this year and could honestly listen to her talk about anything forever). My review is here.
Thanks to Penguin for sending me a copy.

The Place on Dalhousie - Melina Marchetta
Melina Marchetta is another auto-buy author for me, and this contemporary family drama was an absolute delight! I haven't read the previous two books about the group of friends at the centre of this story, but I'm definitely keen to now! Again, this was one where I had the opportunity to see the author speak about the book, and it was a wonderful experience. My review is here.

Gravity is the Thing - Jaclyn Moriarty
You might notice a pattern here - I have met Jaclyn Moriarty at a couple of events (mostly YA focused events, I  think) and she is just so lovely! I'm not quite sure how to describe the way her writing style makes me feel - it's just so natural and comfortable for me to read that I feel like the story is hugging me (is that weird?). This book was so quirky and lovely! My review is here.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy.


The Lost Man - Jane Harper
I think Jane Harper is an absolute master at writing stories set in Australia with so much authenticity that you really feel like you're there, and the setting becomes a character of its own. I think I might even like The Lost Man more than The Dry! My review is here.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy.

So, those are some of my favourite books by Australian women writers that I have read over the past two years or so. I do usually tag posts about books written by Australian women writers, so you can see them all here. I'd love to know if you have any recommendations that I should add to my TBR?

xo Bron