Faves of 2013

I had a great reading year in 2013. I discovered a bunch of new fave authors and fell in love with some surprising books. I think my reading taste is mostly the same but it has changed in two ways:

1. I give up on books that are not clicking with me far quicker than in the past. If I am not into it, I don't persevere, and I attempted and abandoned at least 50 books in 2013 (some of them I was over 50% into). This makes it hard for me to say exactly how many books I read last year as so many were returned to my library unfinished or still sit on my kindle half read. I do know I completed 100 fiction books :)

2. I am drawn to more cruise-y, relaxing books lately. This is (I am sure) in direct correlation with how many academic texts I am reading for uni. I am so mentally exhausted after study that I don't have the energy to invest in dense and complicated works. I really enjoyed some light fiction and found some new faves that I may not have loved as much in the past but they were perfect for me in 2013.

My picks are a mix of really amazing books, and also books that I just really enjoyed reading :)

Top Nine picks -- in no particular order

 The Vanishing Moment by Margaret Wild

Loved this so much. Margaret Wild is amazing and this book was really different and completely touching and I loved everything about it <3

 All The Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry

This was not at all what I expected ~ it's gorgeous and heart-breaking and lyrical and has this beautiful, stomach-hurting love story and page-turning mystery. I so highly recommend you check this book out.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I love all of Liane's work and this book was her most addictive, most page-turningly suspenseful yet. I can't wait to see this on the Big screen! Liane is a genius and, IMO, one of Australia's finest writers :)

 Paper Chains by Nicola Moriarty

Gorgeous and sad and serendipitous and completely absorbing. I loved this story and it's characters and it's message. I am so looking forward to more Nicola Moriarty ~ she's amazing and writes exactly the kind of books I love to curl up and read <3

 Haze by Paula Weston

I trust by now you all know how much I love this series -- I am a huge advocate for the Aussie YA, upper YA paranormal series. Shadows (book one) was a surprise love for me in 2012 and the best news is Haze amps it up and is even better. This was ridiculously good and ticked all my boxes (especially the swoon/crush aspect). I love these characters so much and I especially love that I have no idea where Weston plans to take her readers with this series.

 If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

I loved this book so much. Autumn is a gorgeous narrator and I stayed up past 2am to finish it off. This was a sleeper hit which made it all the more awesome. I am so hoping Laura Nowlin has more for us soon!

Swimming At Night by Lucy Clarke

(Also published as The Sea Sisters). I just loved so much about this UK debut. The travel and surfing and Australia and Bali and the twists and turns were compelling and absorbing. Can't wait for more.

 Wildlife by Fiona Wood

Fiona Wood is amazing and Wildlife is a funny, sad, captivating, hopeful and touching stand-out. Bonus: camping (one of my fave settings).

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

I've read all of Kate Morton's work and this one is easily my favourite yet. It took a little bit to get into the book but it was so completely worth it. This mystery is stunning and the review/twist is outstanding (I did not see it coming). I love how her stories haunt the reader long after the last page has been turned.






And some bonus recommendations (because I couldn't choose which book to award the tenth spot to)

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West -- for giving me a late-read-into-the-middle-of-the-night good time (light hearted and swoony!)

Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington -- for surprising me and sucking me in and delivering a truly captivating story with a lot of heart and depth.

The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn -- love this Aussie YA debut set in the Blue Mountains (my hometown :)). The plot is compelling and the characters felt real -- this is one for fans of Tomorrow, When the World Began.

Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil -- for all the smiles and good times. Such a lovable and fun read.

You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane A UK chick-lit novel that was just the right blend of fun and swoon and humour and heart.

Champion by Marie Lu -- for the brilliant ending and June and Day <3

Here's to another brilliant reading year in 2014!

Are any of my faves also faves of yours? 

(I just snuck this post in in January, haha. Winning!)

Can't wait for books of 2014

I love the feeling of looking forward to an upcoming book. For me, it's like the night before Christmas/countdown to Christmas feeling. That anticipation and excitement definitely heightens my whole reading experience.

Sadly, I am seriously out of the loop these days -- however I do have a small group of books that I am so incredibly looking forward to reading this year. Here's 9 of them (in no particular order):




Just Call My Name by Holly Goldberg Sloan
I seriously loved I'll Be There and news of the sequel has me so excited and expectant. I am planning on rereading I'll be There in the lead up. I have been wanting to reread I'll Be There for a while but I always force myself to hold out a tiny bit longer in the hope that I just may forget some of the story and have a first-time reading experience all over again. Does anyone else do this?

The Bridge From me To You by Lisa Schroeder
I love Lisa Schroeder. She is an auto-buy author for me -- one of the ones where I don't even need to read the blurb before getting pumped. This one sounds like Scroeder will work her usual heartache-hope-delicious magic.

Scandal by Sarah Ockler
I have all of Ocklers books and am stoked with her prolific publishing (pretty much one book a year). I am expectant for this one even though the blurb doesn't sound like my usual kind of contemporary I know anything Ockler writes is gold so I am sold on this one.

Faking Normal by Courtney Stevens
I love to get excited over debuts. Zero expectatoins and all the hopes of discovering a new author. I love this cover and, while the premise may sound ordinary, I just have a feeling it is going to be pretty special.

On The Fence and Split Second by Kasie West
Another contemporary YA from Kasie West. The Distance Between Us (her 2013 contemporary) was fun and flirty and relaxing and swoony and so perfectly matched my reading mood that I have the best reading memories of it. Ridiculously excited for this one. (Also very much looking forward to Pivot Point's sequel, Split Second)

Shimmer by Paula Weston
Gaby. Rafe. I miss you guys and I have been dying for more since Haze. Also, this cover is my fave in the series so far. Can't wait to hold it in my hands :)

Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty
oh.my.gosh. It's *finally* almost here. The next Jaclyn Moriarty. This is why I know 2014 is going to be a great year :) (I am actually rereading A Corner of White right now)

A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke
I loved Lucy Clarke's debut last year (Swimming At Night/The Sea Sisters) and I am so so hoping that I will love her sophomore novel just as much and a have a brand new fave author to follow. Really hopeful and expectant for this one <3






Last year, about HALF of my fave reads were books I had never heard, stumbled upon randomly, new-to-me authors and books where I had zero expectation. This gives me so much hope for all the unknown-to-me books out there that will be new favourites by the end of the year -- alongside the ones in this post (I have high hopes that most these books will be faves for me).

Are you looking forward to any of these books? 

What couple of books are you most looking forward to reading this year?

And Hello! It's been quiet around here for a while as I took a break over summer holidays (which were truly glorious). Looking forward to catching up with everyone again (any of my readers still out there? haha...)

Tomorrow I'll be posting my fave reads of 2013 (slightly late, but tbh, it's never too late to talk about fave books ;) )

x Nomes

All The Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years later, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by her friends and family.

Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to her childhood friend, Lucas. He is the boy who has owned her heart for as long as she can remember - even if he doesn′t know it.

But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose - to continue living in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

Told in a voice that is achingly raw and intimate, this remarkably original novel will haunt and stay with you. It will fill you with Judith′s passion and longing, and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last one.

I didn't really know what to expect from Julie Berry's debut. the blurb is a little bit elusive (in fact, I got the impression 'aliens?' -- close encounters, etc, haha). I may not even have picked this one up if the lovely publicist hadn't sent me a copy. Which would have been nearly criminal as this book soared to the top of my favourite reads this year. 

It's written in 2nd person POV -- which has a mildly intoxicating, lilting vibe to it. The prose is gorgeous. At first, everything felt a little off kilter. I liken it a fraction to the experience of reading Jellicoe Rd: 'what's going on here?' tangled up with 'oh! I am really liking this beautiful prose and intriguing opening'. I was captured from the beginning and as the story wove around me I became deeper invested and more impressed. Until I pretty much just fell in love with everything about this book. 

It was the first book in a long time that gave me those delicious physical pangs in the gut ~ pangs of anxiety and hope and ache and just the right amount of swoon. There's heartache and sorrow and mystery and so many unexpected events. The characters felt so real and brave and lonely and they squirrelled their way deep in my heart. 

The story itself is not about aliens. or anything supernatural and freaky. It is set in an unspecified era that feels primitive-ish colonial America ~ small town/settlement vibe. 

It shifts between past and present, both timelines equally engaging. 

Judith is amazing. The love story is genuine. The swoons are not cheaply won -- and when they come they are all the more powerful for it :)

Everything is unpredictable. Things are genuinely freaky in parts - dark and yet somehow there's always hope. Sorrowful yet a promise of something good waiting somewhere on the horizon. 

I really truly cannot commend this book enough. It is definitely one to be experienced first hand -- and then shared with friends. I can't wait to revisit it already. Julie Berry is an amazing new talent that I think every YA lover should be checking out. 

Forgive me if my review is a chaotic rambling of thoughts. And definitely find yourself a copy of this book to try -- even if you're dubious like I was. And when you do -- may you love it just as much as I do x Nomes

I gave this 5 stars! I have only given SIX books 5 stars this year (out of 99 books read...)

All the Truth That's In me on goodreads

Check out these gorgeous foreign editions. 

US edition

UK edition

German edition

So many thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of this book!

Hate is Such a Strong Word by Sarah Ayoub

I hate being invisible.

I hate that I still can′t fight my own battles.

I hate that I can′t keep up with the demands of high school.

Sophie Kazzi is in Year 12 at an all-Lebanese, all-Catholic school where she is invisible, uncool and bored out of her brain. While she′s grown up surrounded by Lebanese friends, Lebanese neighbours and Lebanese shops, she knows there′s more to life than Samboosik and Baklawa, and she desperately wants to find it.

Unfortunately, her father has antiquated ideas about women, curfews and the Lebanese ′way′. Bad news for Sophie, who was hoping to spend Year 12 fitting in and having fun - not babysitting her four younger siblings, or studying for final exams that will land her in an Accounting course she has no interest in.

Just when it looks like Sophie′s year couldn′t get any more complicated, Shehadie Goldsmith arrives at school. With an Australian father and a Lebanese mother, he′s even more of a misfit than Sophie. And with his arrogant, questioning attitude, he also has a way of getting under her skin...

But when simmering cultural tensions erupt in violence, Sophie must make a choice that will threaten her family, friends and the cultural ties that have protected her all her life.

Are her hates and complaints worth it? Or will she let go ... and somehow find her place?

Sarah Ayoub is a stand-out new Aussie YA talent with her debut Hate is Such a Strong Word.  

The teenagers in this book are smart and articulate and brave and honest and ache-y. Full of hope yet enticingly tentative -- sometimes things seem more muddled than clear. I love when teenagers are portrayed this way -- even more so here as they had this genuine vibe that made them relate-able and fun and true and 100% compelling.  

Also, how open and gorgeously conflicted is Sophie in this quote (I really love her):

'I'm stoked that my barriers are finally coming down and I'm getting the chance to do something different. But something still gnaws at me, undermining my happiness  As I lie awake in bed that night it hits me: I'm seventeen years old and fighting for my freedom, but I've let my aunty do more of the fighting for me. How can I expect to stop being invisible if I'm not brave enough yo make myself heard? (p.65)

This book has such an Aussie vibe, which is testament to Ayoub's talent as she writes about being Lebanese in Australia, with a rich sense of Lebanese community flush against (and mingled up with) Australian culture. Nothing is as simple as it seems. I love books that do this well (Think Looking For Alibrandi and Randa Abdel-Fattah's work) and Ayoub is right up with that calibre. While the issue of identity and family and belonging are obvious themes that emerge, I don't want to focus on that as I want to highlight just how much of a touching and effortlessly enjoyable book this is. It raises some great topics, wonderfully articulated, but mostly I just really enjoyed being in Sophie's world. Seeing Australia through her eyes. She is a delightful and strong narrator, with loveable flaws. The thing I loved most about this was the voice, which made it an effortlessly enjoyable read, and it's the voice that makes me excited for more of Ayoub's work. 

Everyone gets excited when a fresh Aussie YA talent turns up on the scene -- and this is a book you should all be checking out -- and be sure to keep an eye out for future works by Ayoub. I am certain she is only just getting started as a stand-out Aussie author. This book was just gorgeous, smiley and brave.

Hate is Such a Strong Word @ goodreads
Hate is Such a Strong Word @ HarperCollins
Sarah Ayoub's website

Thanks to HarperCollins for my review copy <3

Hello! and coming up...

It's been so quiet on here while I have been studying my masters at uni ~ but! semester's finished! It's summer holidays! And I am very much looking forward to spending my free time with some really good books :)

Speaking of good books...

Here's a few I have read lately and I plan to have some reviews (or mini raves) up in the next week.

Loved all three of these (one chick lit, one Aussie and one historical-ish). The Margaret Wild one? My gosh, she is just brilliant and I am still gob-smacked. I love her terribly so.

I've missed you all and am also looking forward to seeing what you've been doing on your blogs -- and I love this time of year when everyone posts about the best books, etc -- looking forward to finding some gems.

x Nomes

(super short and sweet post to get things back in the swing ;) )

Currently Reading and Watching...

1. Currently reading:

I *finally* got my copy in the mail today. So excited for this book. I loved Sales previous two books - she is one of my fave contemp YA authors and I have a feeling this will be worth the wait. 

2. Last book I finished

I read Kristan Higgins latest on my kindle (thanks netgalley!) -- it was relaxing and trademark Higgins (though not my fave -- that still stays with The Best Man)

Sarah Ayoub's Aussie YA debut is the last physical book I finished. It was compulsively readable and Ayoub has a fantastic voice for teens. Review to come :)

3. Next book I want to read

I have a review copy of All The Truth That is in me and I have heard the best of things although I am still not sure what to expect - the blurb is intriguing and unusual.

My husband recently finished Ultraviolet and really liked it (he also kept commenting that the main character reminded him of me, haha, so now I am doubly intrigued) -- I feel bad it has been sitting on my shelf ignored by me for so long. Planning to get to it these holidays. 

4. Last book I bought

Picked this one up on release day. My kids have been counting down for this one. Andy Griffiths is a genius - love his stuff <3 

5. Last book I was given

!!!!!!!!!

One of my good friends surprised me with a signed copy of On The Jellicoe Road. *So* excited to have it, it looks gorgeous on my shelf nestled against my other Melina Marchettas. It is one of my all-time most ever favourite books and I know I'll treasure this copy forever :) I need to plan a reread soon <3

6. Currently watching

The third (and final) season. I have been saving this up for over a year now (such will power!) and finally have rewarded myself (I am in desperate need of some mid-semester relaxation). Trying to ration out the episodes, but I'll see how that goes, haha. I am not showing much restraint so far. I am going to miss this series. 

7. Just finished watching

I saved this one up for ages as well and my husband and I got through it in 4 very awesome days. I definitely loved the series more as it went on and it was just hitting it's stride when the season finished... :(

Sorry it's been so quiet around here. It's probably going to stay sleepy for a while longer. I miss you guys and have been stalking your blogs in my bloglovin' app.

I would LOVE to know:

What's the best book you've read lately?

What's a fave TV show that I should watch when my post Veronica Mars blues set in (can be an oder show, I am not very well-watched)?

The First Third by Will Kostakis

Life is made up of three parts: in the first third, you're embarrassed by your family; in the second, you make a family of your own; and in the end, you just embarrass the family you've made.

That's how Billy's grandmother explains it, anyway. She's given him her bucket list (cue embarrassment), and now, it's his job to glue their family back together.

No pressure or anything.

Fixing his family's not going to be easy and Billy's not ready for change. But as he soon discovers, the first third has to end some time. And then what?

It's a Greek tragedy waiting to happen.

Melina Marchetta blurbs Will Kostakis' sophomore novel: 'The relationships in this novel are gems. Funny dialogue, wonderful characters, a story told with so much heart.'

I love this blurb as it nails the essence of this book. I came away from it thinking 'what an incredibly heartfelt book.' Here's what Kostakis says on his site about The First Third:

The First Third is out now. It started out as a kernel of an idea: what if my grandmother gave me her bucket list to complete? And from that, out grew this novel about what it means to be a grandson, a son and yourself.

It’s a more personal novel than I expected to write… It’s not about me, but there’s a lot of me in there.

And it’s definitely a lot of fun. (from Will Kostakis' site)

I love the premise of this book. Having said that, it got off to a really slow start. I felt a smidgen lost in the first 20% -- if it wasn't for the grin-worthy humour and enjoying meeting the characters I'm not sure I would have been hooked enough to keep going. But I am glad I did. I love how all the threads and characters started coming together and the last 20% was just deliciously addictive and smiley and completely worthwhile. Some of the plot threads were predictable (in an appealing way - I wanted to see them play out like that) but others left me wondering where they would go and there were a few surprises. 

As Kostakis' says in the blurb above, it feels like a personal novel. In between the funny narration and Greek comedy/drama/tragedy, a lot of the insights and relationships felt like the truth. Bill was so earnest and sensitive and hopeful and you can feel him just wanting things to work out while bumbling around and often making more of a mess of things. Underneath his bravado and humour was a really relateable teenage guy and I know Bill will resound with many Aussie teens. 

The First Third was a breezy and fun read - it was easy to keep the pages turning. The humour in it highlighted the heart. Also, it was such boy humour - I think the humour Bill expressed towards his family (often the butt of his inner jokes) came from a place of love and teenage awkwardness/embarrassment and was not at all intended to put people down or to be taken too seriously. 

The awesome Greek family vibe was one of my favourite aspects of the book. It definitely made me feel like I was transported to another culture in much the same way Marchetta's Looking For Alibrandi had me all Italian for the duration of the book. Will Kostakis has a fantastic voice for Aussie teenagers and I can only imagine his future work will go from strength to strength -- looking forward to more of his work. 

The First third @ Penguin
Read an extract
Will Kostakis' website
The First Third @ goodreads

Thanks so much to Penguin Australia for my review copy