Top Ten Tuesday: Aussie August 2025

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Non-bookish Freebie (The sky is the limit here. Make a top ten list on any topic of your choosing, bookish or not!)

When we have had this kind of theme before I have come up with something but this time I am going rogue. August is Aussie August 2025 on Instagram which is a chance to celebrate Australian authors. So this week I am going to share the last 10 books I have read by Aussie authors. To be transparent, I have read two books by Amanda Hampson so I only included one in my list! One of my goals for this year was to review all of the historical fiction and Aussie author books I read, and from this list I am pleased that I have reviewed all of them except for two. For one, the review will be up tomorrow and the other is the book I only finished a couple of days ago. I will be reviewing that one soon because it was so good!

The Whisky Widow by Karen Brooks - I am kicking myself that I have not previously read Karen Brooks. I own several of her books and now that I enjoyed this one so much I am going to have to move this one up the list!

One Hundred Years of Betty by Debra Oswald - This one featured a really interesting main character that I won't forget for a while! My review will be up tomorrow for this book!

Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - I find this author's books really relaxing! I have read a lot of them now! (My review)

Your Friend and Mine by Jessica Dettman - This one featured a fun almost treasure hunt like quest across London! (My review)

Eat Your Heart Out by Victoria Brownlee - A foodie romance set predominantly in the south of France? Yes please! (My review)

The Deadly Dispute by Amanda Hampson - I read all three books in this series this year and loved them all. Looking forward to the next one. (My review)

The Secrets of the Huon Wren by Claire van Ryn - I have read both of this author's books so far over the last couple of month. Really enjoyable. (My review)

The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary - This novel is set in Melbourne during the gold rush and features four women all connected with the brothels in an area called Little Lon. (My review)

The Girl from Normandy by Rachel Sweasey - WWII France is a setting I will always be attracted to! (My review)

Half-Truth by Nadia Mahjouri - This is a semi-autobiographical story about a woman who heads to Morocco with her young child to find her family. So good! (My review)

So there we have the last ten Aussie authors I have read in honour of #aussieaugust2025

Your Friend and Mine by Jessica Dettman

Do you have friendships in your past that were so important at the time, all consuming and yet they fizzled out either a bit or totally, leaving behind a shadow on your soul? I do. For me, the particular person is someone I was friends with nearly 40 years ago and she was my absolute best friend for maybe 3 years until we just weren't friends any more. I never really knew what happened, just that something had happened. 

When Margot was young, she had some friends but it wasn't until she met English backpacker Tess who started working at the same bar as her, that she met her friendship soulmate. Tess was vibrant, brave and outgoing, in many of the ways that Margot didn't see in herself. Together the girls worked, partied and dreamt of a future that included Margot coming to live in London.  Except, Margot didn't end up going to London. Instead she met a man named Johnny and together they built a life running a restaurant. Whilst Margot and Tess's friendship wasn't over, it was changed. And then Tess died.

Twenty years later, Margot receives an email from beyond the grave telling her of a legacy that she has left behind. Tess has correctly guessed that Margot is somewhat stifled in her current life, and that she never did take that trip to London. Margot's relationship with Johnny is complicated, bound together by obligations to their joint business and their Taylor Swift loving son, Augie.

Tess has left behind some money which will pay for flights and accommodation but there is one stipulation. Margot will need to collect a series of letters which will give her some instruction on what she will need to do once she is in London, almost like a beyond the grave treasure hunt map. If possible, she needs to undertake at least some of these quests with Leo, Tess's former step brother/friend, who Tess also seemed to know would be living less than his best life.

Armed with a series of letters from Tess, Margot and Leo traverse London, visiting many of the places that were important to Tess. However, the letters were more than just a set of instructions. Tess also reveals her deepest secrets to the only people she trusts. Suddenly, the facade of vibrancy that Tess wore so well when she was alive instead becomes the mask that she hid behind so that no one could see the hurt and damage.

This is such a clever idea for a story, and I really enjoyed the tasks that Tess set Margot and Leo. However, Tess was actually pretty judgemental about the lives that Margot and Leo chose to live, even if she was actually right about a lot of it. It wasn't surprising that Margot in particular was somewhat annoyed at Tess at times.

There were a lot of really fun pop culture references both from the late 90's up until now, particularly thanks to Augie's love of Taylor Swift. 

A few weeks ago, before I read the book, I attended an author event where Jessica Dettman and Sally Hepburn spoke about this book. Jessica also talked about her trip to the UK to visit some of the places, and do some of the activities that are mentioned in the book and she told some really fab stories.  I really enjoyed the conversation and came away really excited about reading it! 

Luckily for me, my excitement wasn't misplaced as this is another great read from Jessica Dettman. I found myself being moved in nearly to tears in one chapter and then laughing out loud in the next. It did also make me think, in particular about my friend, but also about the time that I spent living in the UK in the early 1990s. I have previously read another of her books which also had a similarly interesting premise and I am definitely keen to read more from her backlist in due course. 

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. I was very surprised to get a physical copy of this book from Allen and Unwin, so thanks to the publisher for the review copy. 

Rating 4/5

This week...

I'm reading

I feel like I am in a bit of a reading frenzy at the moment! This is mainly because I am trying to get ahead with my review reading and library due dates. I also need to take a look at my Big Books of Winter and read something off there because I am probably a book or two behind with that list!

So what did I read this week?

I absolutely devoured Eat Your Heart Out by Australian author Victoria Brownlee. I think this was a case of right book at the right time as I just couldn't put it down. It was a 5/5 read for me, and because it is set in France I reviewed it as part of Paris in July. 

On Tuesday night I went to an author event for Jessica Dettman whose latest book Your Friend and Mine was released at the beginning of July. I had a big of a gap in my reading so I read it. This one is set in London. I liked it and plan to review the book in the next couple of weeks.

I finally finished reading Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. I liked this book too and will read the next book in the series. I think this book suffered a little bit because I kept on putting it aside to read other things. 

When I was looking at my library due dates I was thinking I still had a couple of weeks to read The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson, but it is a big book at nearly 600 pages so I have started that one.

I wanted to get all my review posts done for next week so over the weekend I prioritised reading those books. The first one I read was A Place in the Sun by Jo Thomas. This was another great read from her, and it made me want lasagne so that is what we are having for dinner tonight.

Yesterday I read One Snowy Day by Shari Low. I have only started reading Shari Low this year and I really enjoyed her book.

I did go to another author event last week and I have two coming up this week that I am looking forward to. I went to hear Lucy Sussex talk at my local library about the book she co-wrote with Megan Brown called Outrageous Fortune. It is a non-fiction book about a woman called Mary Fortune who was the first Australian crime writer. She was extremely prolific and had a long running crime series, and yet has basically been lost to history. The irony of her being a crime writer was that her son was a career criminal! It was a fascinating talk.

I'm watching


I went to the movies last week to watch Jane Austen Wrecked My Life again. I first saw it and really enjoyed it earlier this year. I wanted to write about it for Paris in July and so when I saw that it was on at the cinemas again I jumped at the opportunity to watch it again. I really enjoyed it the second time around too. I wrote about it here.

I mentioned last week that I went to the movies to see a Japanese movie called Grand Maison Paris. When I was writing my post about it for Weekend Cooking, I realised that the movie was actually a spin-off from a Netflix TV series called Grand Maison Tokyo. It features a lot of the same characters and is about a couple of Japanese chefs who want to open a French restaurant in Tokyo with the aim of being awarded three Michelin stars. I started watching the series on the weekend.

I also finished watching Gary Barlow's Wine Tour of South Africa. Over the last few weeks I have watched this series and also the one he did in Australia. They are both very easy watching, feature some amazing food and wine and some beautiful scenery.




Life

I forgot to mention last week that we went to see a musical called Here You Come Again which features the song of Dolly Parton. It was a lot of fun, and I have been hearing a lot of her songs in my head ever since. 

On Saturday we went to the National Gallery of Victoria which is an art gallery and saw the French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston exhibition which is currently on. We then had afternoon tea in the Tea Rooms. It was a lovely outing and I will have a Paris in July post up about it on Thursday. 

We then followed that up by going to see an 80's band at a local pub. It's the first time we have been to this pub and I have to say it was so nice to be able to go out and then be home in 15 minutes. Normally, if we are in the city it is half an hour or more to get home. We will go back and see some other shows there in due course. 

The big news in my world is that I finally got a job and I start next week, which is why I am trying to cram so many books and write the reviews for them this week. When I decided to resign from my last job I did so deliberately choosing to take some time off. However, it has taken a bit longer than I would necessarily have liked to get another job! I am definitely relieved and I am really looking forward to the new role


Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Historical Fiction Novels Set in France
Paris in July: Eat Your Heart Out by Victoria Brownlee
Paris in July: Jane Austen Wrecked my Life

Paris in July: The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
Weekend Cooking/Paris in July: Grande Maison Paris
Bestsellers Around the World: France



I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date and Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz

Top Ten Tuesday: You already own that book!

 

 

 

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme Bookish Superpowers I Wish I Had (e.g. never accidentally buying the same book twice, every book I buy would be automatically signed/personally dedicated by the author, the ability to read faster, etc.) (Submitted by Cathy @WhatCathyReadNext)

My list takes one of those suggestions and twists it just a bit. Fortunately, whenever I try to book that I already own, Kindle very gently reminds  me that I already own it! My list this week is therefore the books I have tried to buy more than one!

The Enchanted Garden Cafe by Abigail Drake - I have actually read this book, but that doesn't stop me from attempting to buy it again! (my review)

The Recipes for Love by Anni Rose - Food and romance. What isn't to love. And what's better than 1 book. Well a box set obviously!

The Other Side of Beautiful by Kim Lock - I think I first bought this after seeing Kim Lock at a reader retreat last year.

The Right Place by Carla Caruso - From memory this is another foodie book. I just read the blurb again and it does sound good!

The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson - I saw this book around the place last year and bought it, and then attempted to buy it again.

Champagne for Breakfast by Maggie Christensen - I have read many, many Maggie Christensen books, but not this one! Yet.

Elizabeth's Star by Rhonda Forrest - This is partially set in New Guinea in WWII, which is a very unusual setting! 

This Has Been Absolutely Lovely by Jessica Dettmann - I read Without Further Ado last year and loved it, so now I need to read her backlist at some point.

 

The Irish Cottage by Juliet Gauvin - Maybe I should read this book soon given that Reading Ireland hosted by Cathy at 746 Books is about to start.

A Rogue of One's Own by Evie Dunmore - I can't even remember the last time I read a historical romance, and yet I still keep on trying to buy this one!

Top Ten Tuesday: Best of 2023

 

 

 

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Favourite Books of 2023.

I read four books that I rated 5/5 stars and they were 

The Lost Daughters of Ukraine by Erin Littekin - I hadn't read any WWII fiction set in the Ukraine before (my review)

The Book Binders of Jericho by Pip Williams - I went to hear Pip Williams speak at Melbourne Writers Festival this year which prompted me to read this book. I still need to read Dictionary of Lost Words, hopefully before I go see the play in a couple of months.

Dreaming in French by Vanessa McCausland - I loved this book so much! Haunting and evocative. (my review)

The Little Paris Toyshop by Lauren Westwood - I read this as part of a blog tour and I was blown away by it! (my review)

In exciting news, I have already read my first 5 star read for 2024!!

Here are just some of the books I rated 4.5/5 in 2023

The War Nurse by Anthea Hodgson - I was lucky enough to hear Anthea Hodgson talk about this book at the book club retreat I went to earlier this year.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - I was a bit late to the party on this one, but I loved it. I just finished watching the TV adaptation too. (My review)

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - I expect to see this on quite a few lists this week!

The Martian by Andy Weir - After watching bits of the movie approximately 2,735,478 times I finally got around to reading/listening to this book. And it was good!!

The Last Train from Paris by Juliet Greenwood - I really need to read more of this author's books now. (my review)

Without Further Ado by Jessica Dettmann - When I read this book I felt like I really need to go and watch the Emma Thompson/Kenneth Brannagh version of Much Ado About Nothing. I still must do that!

This list is a bit of a mix of Australian and non-Australian authors, books I read for fun and for blog tours, some I reviewed and some I didn't and different genres!

Are any of these books on your list this week?

This week....

 I'm reading

I don't often read much when I am on holidays, but over the last week I did manage to get some reading done. I finished reading Without Further Ado by Jessica Dettman which I loved! This was such a good read!

I started and finished reading The Little Venice Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin. I will have a review in the next couple of weeks but let me just say that I think this is the best book I have read by her yet!

My next book is going to be The Forgotten Palace by Alexandra Walsh.

I also finished listening to The Martian! I am so glad that I chose to finally read this book. You may recall that this was something I chose to read for my read-on-a-theme bookclub. We met on Saturday and there was an interesting mix of books. 

Next month we are going to read the same book which is the new book from Pip Williams who wrote The Dictionary of Lost Words. Her new book is called The Bookbinders of Jericho. The plan is that we will all read this and then hopefully a few of us will go to the Melbourne Writers Festival to hear her speak in May. We'll see how it goes!

I have started a new audiobook which is Sweet Talk by Cara Bastone. So far, this is an enjoyable listen. I particularly enjoy when the male narrator, Chris Brinkley, is narrating. He has a lovely voice! My main reason for listening to this now was that it says that this is leaving Audible soon so I need to really commit  to listening to this during this week. I didn't realise that it is the second book in a connected series which is a bit of a pain but oh well.

I'm watching

It's only a three and a bit hour flight to New Zealand, it is just long enough to watch a movie. On the way to Christchurch the screens didn't appear to be working particularly well so it wasn't possible, but on the way back the screens were fine. I started to watch The Menu on the plane but it didn't feel like a plane movie  (too intense and need to watch on a bigger screen) so I watched George Clooney and Julia Roberts instead in Ticket to Paradise. It wasn't terrible.

The same could be said of Two Tickets to Greece which I saw on Saturday. This is one of the current French Film Festival films. It is about two old friends who go travelling in Greece. One is very uptight and conservative, and one is not! 

Life

The highlight of last couple of days of our trip was definitely visiting Milford Sound. This is a place that has been on my list of places to visit for years. It's not the easiest place to get to. It's a 4 hour drive there and back and then we were on the boat for a couple of hours. It was, however, totally worth it! What a place.

We did have a bit of an odd situation when we were coming home. We were sitting in the departure lounge, and we could see the bags still being loaded, boarding had started and then we got a text message saying our flight was cancelled! Perhaps someone pressed the wrong button? When we got on board, it turned out that we needed to make a previously unscheduled stop in Christchurch to refuel. When I got back to Melbourne I checked my phone and had another text message from the airline saying that they were trying to contact us to rebook us so that we could get home! I am not sure who knew what was going on but it clearly wasn't everyone!

On Saturday night, we went to see British comedian Rob Brydon's A Night of Songs and Laughter tour. It was a good night without being a great night. It felt a bit like an old fashioned form of entertainment. It was ostensibly a light hearted look at his life through story and song, with a few impressions along the way. All the songs were pretty old, and so were some of the jokes!

Max

I think he was pleased to see us when we got home! He had been outside all day so maybe it was coming inside that he was excited by!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Kiwi Authors

Weekend Cooking: What We Ate on Holidays - NZ Edition

Best Sellers Around the World: New Zealand

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

This Week...

I'm reading

I started reading Without Further Ado by Jessica Dettman on the plane and so far I love it. It is smart and funny and it has made me want to rewatch the Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson version of Much Ado About Nothing. I hope I can find it somewhere to watch! I have booked in to go to a library event to hear Jessica Dettman talk. I am very much looking forward to it now!

I also finished reading Hopeful Hearts at Cornish Cove by Kim Nash. I will have a review of that one in the next couple of weeks.

I am still listening to The Martian and really enjoying it. I think it is really helping me that I have watched the movie so many times because otherwise the science might be too much.

I'm watching

Nothing much really!

Life

On Tuesday night I went to see Jon Stevens, Cyndi Lauper and Rod Stewart in concert. I wasn't intending to go but then there were cheap tickets so I changed my mind, and it was a really great show! I thoroughly enjoyed all three acts. Jon Stevens is always great and when Cyndi Lauper hit the big notes - oh my goodness! And then Rod Stewart was awesome too.

We flew to Christchurch in New Zealand on Friday and have spent the weekend at the SailGP! What an experience to see those boats doing speeds of around 80kms, racing against each other! The weather has been perfect for sailing, the event well organised and the city is buzzing!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Autumn TBR

Weekend Cooking: The Kitchen Front

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date