Thank you for visiting my site. I’m very happy to be participating in the Australia Day Book Giveaway Blog Hop for 2016, the brainchild of Shelleyrae at Book’d Out – and it’s come at a very exciting time for me as I’m just days away from the official Australian launch date of my fourth novel, All That is Lost Between Us. I have only just received my very first box of books hot off the press, and one of them could be yours! To be one of the first to read my new novel, all you have to do is leave a comment here – a ‘hello’ will get you into the draw, but I’d love you to give me a book recommendation too!
When you have entered my giveaway, please visit the Book’d Out Australia Day Book Giveaway page, and check out all the awesome authors, publishers and bloggers who are taking part. There are over 30 chances to win some fantastic Aussie books!
TERMS & CONDITIONS: This giveaway is open to Australian residents only. The winner will be selected at random after entries close at midnight on 27 January and the winning name will be posted here and notified the following day (28 Jan).col-md-2
I have been telling you about all the books I have loved this year, but the most loved book in our house by far is the 65-Storey Treehouse (and the others in the series) – read umpteen times by our 6yo and taken everywhere with us. (My 2yo takes The Green Sheep by Mem Fox.) I get such a kick out of watching them fall in love with books and stories – I think it was The Faraway Tree for me at a similar age.col-md-2
One of the joys of my studies this year has been coming across so many brilliant books that might otherwise be out of my usual reading range. Australian author Claire Zorn’s YA book The Sky So Heavy is one of these. Fin is just a regular kid at school, getting by in class and trying to suss out how to get the hottest girl in school to notice him. Then missiles are detonated thousands of miles away, and a nuclear winter descends on Australia. Fin’s father and stepmother go out and never come back, leaving Fin and his brother to try to cope as their world slowly disintegrates around them. Never mind the teenagers, I loved it! If you’re still looking for Christmas gifts for the younger generation, Claire also has a new book, The Protected.col-md-2
A few months ago I listened to Carl Honore discuss ‘the slow movement’. He is a great speaker – and as with all those wise motivational people around us, he wasn’t so much telling us things we didn’t know but reminding us to take time to listen to our inner voice and reflect on our approach to modern life. I am always amazed by how my productivity and contentment increases when I slow down – although this year slowness has been a real challenge at times. I am looking forward to reading his books, and introducing more slow strategies into my life!col-md-2
My Book of the Year: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
And here’s a teaser as to what it’s all about:
