2021 Books in Review

In 2021 I had an excellent reading year with 87 books read. There was more time at home due to COVID so I also managed 54 jigsaws (well down on 2020)!So a quick breakdown: Non-fiction - 6 (mainly about rural stuff) Teen - 25 (So many good teen spy series - hooked. Finished the Conspiracy 365 series which was excellent) Rural Fiction/Romance - 46 (Absolutley loved these again) General Fiction - 10 (a few randoms - bookclub/crime mainly. I listened to 47 audiobooks - generally while driving or re-finding my love of jigsaw puzzles but well down on 2020. So 2022 is here and I will aim again for 52 books - fingers crossed I get there. Before I go my stand out reads.... I LOVED Sanctuary by Judy Nunn - incredible book. And I read the first 3 books in the Matilda Saga by Jackie French - what an incredible series! Happy reading! (Also I think I'm going to switch to Good Reads to record 2022 - might do summary on Facebook)!

Book: Matilda Next Door

Summary: Aussie farm girl Matilda Moore kicks off her dream trip to London by flat-sitting for her childhood friend. But London is daunting, crowded and noisy, and that’s before Tilly finds a baby on the doorstep. There’s a note attached: “Henry, if you’re reading this, please know the worst has happened.” Probability expert Henry Church has finally returned home to Wirralong, Australia to see his grandparents when he gets a phone call from Tilly that breaks every statistical analysis. The probability of him being the father is marginal. Plus, he knows nothing about caring for a baby. Emotions and socializing are even bigger mysteries. He begs Tilly for help—can she cut her holiday short and bring the baby to Wirralong? Tilly will do almost anything for her childhood best friend, but falling in love with him and his motherless baby is an emphatic no. Out of the question. Or is it? What I Thought: A lovely enjoyable read.

Book: Road to Gundagai

Summary: Blue Laurence has escaped the prison of her aunt's mansion to join the Magnifico Family Circus, a travelling troupe that brings glamour and laughter to country towns gripped by the Depression. Blue hides her crippled legs and scars behind the sparkle of a mermaid's costume; but she's not the only member of the circus hiding a dark secret. the unquenchable Madame Zlosky creates as well as foresees futures. The bearded lady is a young man with laughing eyes. A headless skeleton dangles in the House of Horrors. And somewhere a murderer is waiting ... to strike again. This third book in the Waltz for Matilda saga is set in 1932, at the height of the Depression. Miss Matilda is still running Drinkwater Station, but has put aside her own tragedy to help those suffering in tough economic times and Joey, from the Girl from Snowy River, uses his new medical skills to solve a mystery. What I Thought: I was skeptical that this could be as good as the forst 2 with the circus as the theme but boy was I wrong - yet again such a magical magical story. Amazing series so far.

Book: Elsa Goody Bushranger

Summary: 1896 Robe, South Australia When Elsa Goody's father and brother George die in quick succession she and her sister Rosie are in trouble. Pursued by an unpleasant suitor with dubious motivation, Elsa leaves for Victoria on the hunt for a fortune in gold coins that her brother has hidden. If Elsa can find it she will be able to save Rosie and herself from married slavery. Their quest leads them on a cross-country journey to find the last man who saw her brother alive, Ezekiel Jones. But Elsa is not the only one looking for buried treasure. She and Rosie are beset by bushrangers and in the confusion Elsa is accused of being an accomplice. Luckily not everyone believes that Elsa is a criminal. When she finally catches up with Ezekiel, it's clear that for him she can do no wrong. But with everyone chasing her and bloody violence on the horizon, life is becoming increasingly complicated. Will she and Rosie ever manage to solve the mystery, find the gold and free themselves from a dark future? What I Thought: Enjoyable but not my fav of hers. I wanted more bushranger stuff!