Book: Lost & Found

Summary: At seven years old, Millie Bird realises that everything is dying around her. She wasn't to know that after she had recorded twenty-seven assorted creatures in her Book of Dead Things her dad would be a Dead Thing, too. Agatha Pantha is eighty-two and has not left her house since her husband died. She sits behind her front window, hidden by the curtains and ivy, and shouts at passers-by, roaring her anger at complete strangers. Until the day Agatha spies a young girl across the street. Karl the Touch Typist is eighty-seven when his son kisses him on the cheek before leaving him at the nursing home. As he watches his son leave, Karl has a moment of clarity. He escapes the home and takes off in search of something different. Three lost people needing to be found. But they don't know it yet. Millie, Agatha and Karl are about to break the rules and discover what living is all about. What I Thought: Loved it – really quirky. Reminded me a bit of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

Book: Bottlebrush Creek

Summary: Between managing a bustling beauty salon, hectic volunteer commitments and the lion's share of parenting two-year-old Claudia, Angie McIntyre barely has time to turn around. And with each passing month, she feels her relationship with fly-in, fly-out boyfriend Rob Jones slipping through her fingers. When Rob faces retrenchment, and the most fabulous fixer-upper comes onto the market, Angie knows this derelict weatherboard cottage will be the perfect project to draw their little family together. There's just one catch: the 200-acre property is right next door to Rob's parents in south-west Victoria. It doesn't take long for rising tensions to set a wedge between the hard-working couple. Angie and Rob have to find out the hard way whether their grand design will draw them closer together or be the very thing that tears them apart. What I Thought: Loved it – enjoying this author as books are set close to where I live.

Book: Shadows in the Dust

Summary: Jenna Montrose is on the run from the man who killed her father. Alone and always moving from town to town, Jenna trusts no one, not even the cops. She arrives in remote Smokey Creek, outback West Australia, where she takes a job as a jillaroo on a cattle station. Perhaps this time her archenemy won't be able to find her. Dan Simmonds has demons of his own to conquer, having spent two years in jail for a crime he didn't commit. He needs to keep this job as a jackaroo to re-build his reputation. But he can't seem to shake the protective instinct Jenna awakens, when he sees through her lies to her desperate vulnerability. She's so full of contradictions, he's not sure she's worth fighting for. When they become trapped together in the desert, Dan admits she provokes emotions he thought buried deep. Jenna is drawn to Dan's courageous heart and welcoming smile, but desperate not to reveal her secret, will she revert to her habit of running away when the murderer reappears? Or will she let him help her, and turn the hunter into the hunted? What I Thought: I enjoyed this one – new author for me.

Book: Death Run (Rich & Jade)

Summary: Twins Rich and Jade Chance are on vacation with their father, master spy John Chanceaor so they think. The British government actually sent their father to keep tabs on a Swiss banker who is trying to escape from the Tiger, a ruthless criminal. But the banker is captured and taken to a remote Scottish castleaalong with Rich Now itas up to Jade and her father to rescue them. Will they be able to stop the Tiger before Richas time runs out? What I Thought: Really loved this one. Off to find the next book in the series.

Book: July (Conspiracy 365)

Summary: The double key code still stumps Cal. He travels to a secluded convent to ask his great-aunt Millicent what she knows about the mystery. What I Thought: Awesome read. Bring on the next book.

Book: June (Conspiracy 365)

Summary: The stakes are raised when small-town cops hunt down Cal after his narrow escape in Uncle Bart's plane. What I thought: Loving this series. Looking forward to watching the TV series too.

Book: A New Ending

Summary: Digging for dinosaur bones in the Aussie outback gets complicated when a helicopter pilot with a heart of gold messes up Jo's plans. Joanna spends her days digging up dinosaur fossils in the Queensland outback, dreaming of one day leading her own excavation team. When she saves a kid from a runaway excavator, she has no idea she’ll be getting a golden ticket in the mail to attend a flash party on New Year’s Eve in Sydney’s glamourous harbour. A ticket for her ... plus one. She’s living in a tent. She doesn’t own a dress. She definitely doesn’t have a plus one. But somehow, at the stroke of midnight, she’s going to find herself with a happy new ending. What I thought: Loved this novella – bring on the next book.

Book: Hurricane Gold (Young Bond)

Summary: As the sun blazes over the Caribbean island of Lagrimas Negras, its bloodthirsty ruler is watching and waiting. Criminals come here to hide, with blood on their hands and escape on their minds. On the mainland, in the quiet town of Tres Hermanas, ex-flying ace Jack Stone leaves his son and daughter in the company of James Bond. What I thought: This was a bit slow but certainly ramped up in the end. Really enjoyable.

Book: The Bush Telegraph

Summary: It's been more than ten years since Maddy Locke left Spinifex, the small outback town where she gave birth to her daughter, Bridget. Now she's back to prove she's got what it takes to run the medical centre and face the memories of that challenging time in her life. But everything's changed - the old pub is gone, her new colleagues aren't pleased to see her, and it's drier and hotter than ever. Station owner, Connor Fairhall, thought he'd left the drama behind in Sydney, but moving back to Spinifex with his rebellious son, Jayden, hasn't been the fresh start he'd envisioned. His brother, Kyle, is drinking too much and the only bright spot on the horizon is meeting Nurse Maddy, who's breathing new life into the weary town up the road, little by little. Can Maddy ignore the rumours about Connor and risk her heart again? Or will the bush telegraph spread along the wire fences and stand in the way of trust? What I Thought: A really enjoyable read – nice to revisit this town.

Book: The Life She Chooses

Summary: Following the loss of her husband and the devastating accusations surrounding his death, Kay Jackson has experienced the icy chill of alienation from the close-knit town of Granite Springs. Thrust into the position of personal assistant to a professor at the local university, Kay, who prefers to stay in the background away from the town gossips, is unsure how she will cope. When Nick Kerr’s wife leaves him for a younger man, the professor is left nursing a broken heart while struggling to adapt to life as a single parent of two teens. Reeling from the indignity of his wife’s actions, Nick has no intention of putting himself in such a vulnerable position again. However, as Kay and Nick’s professional relationship develops, they find themselves drawn to each other. As their friendship begins to morph into something more, Kay’s daughter arrives in town intent on controlling her mother’s life. The combined actions of Kay’s daughter and Nick’s children reinforces the many doubts the couple have on embarking on a new relationship. What I Thought: Another enjoyable read whilst camping.

Book: Holes

Summary: Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck going back generations, so he is not too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre. Nor is he very surprised when he is told that his daily labour at the camp is to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, and report anything that he finds in that hole. The warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and Stanley must dig up the truth. What I Thought: Odd and quirky. Interesting read.

Book: The Women's Pages

Summary: Sydney 1945 The war is over, the fight begins… The war is over and so are the jobs (and freedoms) of tens of thousands of Australian women. The armaments factories are making washing machines instead of bullets and war correspondent Tilly Galloway has hung up her uniform and been forced to work on the women's pages of her newspaper - the only job available to her - where she struggles to write advice on fashion and make-up. As Sydney swells with returning servicemen and the city bustles back to post-war life, Tilly finds her world is anything but normal. As she desperately waits for word of her prisoner-of-war husband, she begins to research stories about the lives of the underpaid and overworked women who live in her own city. Those whose war service has been overlooked; the freedom and independence of their war lives lost to them. Meanwhile Tilly's waterside worker father is on strike, and her best friend Mary is struggling to cope with the stranger her own husband has become since being liberated from Changi a broken man. As strikes rip the country apart and the news from abroad causes despair, matters build to a heart-rending crescendo. Tilly realises that for her the war may have ended, but the fight is just beginning... What I Thought: A fascinating read – not quite as good as her last couple of books but still really interesting.

2020 Books in review....

In 2020 I had an excellent reading year with 97 books read. By far and away my best ever. I'm putting it down to COVID which means I was home more and did more jigsaws (84)! So a quick breakdown: Non-fiction - 7 (mainly about rural stuff) Teen - 32 (So many good teen spy series - hooked) Rural Fiction/Romance - 37 (way less than normal) Crime - 14 (so many great Aussies authors - loving them) General Fiction - 7 (a few randoms - bookclub/scratchable poster) I did manage a few Bookclub books - but not many... Incredibly I listened to 62 audiobooks - generally while driving or re-finding my love of jigsaw puzzles. So 2021 is here and I will aim again for 52 books - fingers crossed I get there - just so many other competing demands :)

Book: Conspiracy 365 - May

Summary: Callum wakes up in a bare room, with stabbing pains in his neck. He comes to the horrifying discovery that his identity has been stolen and that he has been locked up in a psychiatric institution. What's even worse - he has lost his backpack! All the clues he needs to solve the mystery surrounding his family have disappeared at a stroke. Where the hell is he? Contact with the outside world is impossible. And nobody believes who he really is ... What I Thought: Another great read – ripper Aussie series.

Book: Cross My Heart

Summary: Tessa De Santis's child-free marriage in inner-city Sydney is ordered and comfortable, and she likes it that way. When tragedy strikes and her childhood friend Skye Whittaker dies, Tess is bound to honour a promise to become foster-mother to Skye's ten-year-old daughter, Grace, throwing her life upside down. Leaving her husband and work-driven life behind, Tess travels to an isolated property where the realities of her friend's life - and death - hit hard. The idyllic landscape and an unexpected form of therapy ease her fears, and her relationship with Grace begins to blossom. But a secret from her earlier life with Skye refuses to remain hidden, and Tess is forced into a decision that will either right the wrongs of the past, or completely destroy her future. What I Thought: This was a good read. Definitely a little deeper than most stuff I’ve read lately.

Book: Theodore Boone - The Scandal

Summary: Theodore Boone, courtroom hero and the only kid lawyer in town, is facing a tough week at school with his exams. But things take a turn for the worse when a huge scandal is revealed - by none other than his best friend, April. And when April makes a decision that Theodore advises against, the scandal suddenly blows up and is all over the news. Their futures are on the line and April's running scared. Can Theodore find a way to reverse the damage and save several lives from ruin? What I Thought: I enjoy these books. Less Theo action here than normal though but I did enjoy still.

Book: Red Dust Dreaming

Summary: Elizabeth Langtree’s has her life in order – safe, organised, planned. Sure, she has her troubles, but they are nothing she can’t handle. Then everything is turned upside down when her family send her to Australia to collect her orphaned nephew. It all seemed so simple in New York, but Australia is nothing like she expected, and she soon falls under the spell of the Outback – the station, the lifestyle, and the seriously sexy owner who has been caring for Luke since the death of his mother. Elizabeth soon discovers that what seemed simple a world away is anything but, and her duty is at odds with the dictates of her heart. She must choose, knowing that a mistake will not only cost her everything, but destroy the future of a devastated little boy. What I Thought: I liked this – new author. Easy read.

Book: Jenna

Summary: Jenna Matthews is a city girl, no question. Despite a childhood spent in the Outback, she's committed to her fast-paced life and the competitive world of corporate law. When her best friend asks her to be bridesmaid, Jenna finds herself in Wirralong and wildly attracted to the best man. A fling? Why not? Dangerously sexy Sam Twist runs his vast family sheep property and is as keen as Jenna to keep their relationship at fling status. Then the authorities turn up on his door step and Jenna jumps in to help despite Sam’s protests. She soon learns that after years of drought, there are others in the district who need her skills. Her dilemma? Spending too much time around Sam is perilous. He could rob a girl of her heart. What I Thought: A nice quick rural read – thoroughly enjoyed.

Book: Fledgling (Jason Steed)

Summary: Jason Steed is looking for a place to call home. He finds what he's looking for in the Sea Cadets—an elite group of British youngsters being groomed for lifelong service in the military. But when a routine training exercise goes awry, Jason finds himself in the middle of a secret mission. The future of the world hangs in the balance...and Jason might be the only one who can save it. What I Thought: Absolutely loved this. Another teen spy series to add to my list!

Book: Where the Dead Go

Summary: A fifteen-year-old girl has gone missing after a party in the middle of the night. The following morning her boyfriend is found brutally murdered in his home. Was the girl responsible for the murder, or is she also a victim of the killer? But who would want two teenagers dead? The aftermath of a personal tragedy finds police detective Gemma Woodstock in the coastal town of Fairhaven with her son Ben in tow. She has begged to be part of a murder investigation so she can bury herself in work rather than taking the time to grieve and figure out how to handle the next stage of her life - she now has serious family responsibilities she can no longer avoid. But Gemma also has ghosts she must lay to rest. Gemma searches for answers, while navigating her son's grief and trying to overcome the hostility of her new colleagues. As the mystery deepens and old tensions and secrets come to light, Gemma is increasingly haunted by a similar missing persons case she worked on not long before. A case that ended in tragedy and made her question her instincts as a cop. Can she trust herself again? What I Thought: Enjoyed this – not quite as good as the first few in the series but still a great read.