Reading Challenge: September
Hello there fellow bookish gals, guys and otherwise. You have stumbled upon September's reporting Chat Post for our 2020 Reading Challenge. If you are interested in what the challenge is all about (there are prizes to be won) click HERE to read the introductory post.
This months theme is Awesome Anthologies.
To report your months reads comment below, answering the questions.
Reporting questions:
1) What book did you pick for this month’s read?
2) Did you enjoy it?
3) What rating would you give it out of five?
4) Was there anything in your book that touched you /resonated with you in some way?
5) What was your favourite part of the book?
6) Who would you recommend read this book?
7) Try to sum up the book in one sentence.
We look forward to finding out what you've all been reading.
Next Months theme is Mental Health.
Next Months theme is Mental Health.
Riven by Bronwyn Eley
Author: Bronwyn Eley
Publisher: Talem Press, Writer's Edit
Release Date: August 13th, 2020
Add to Goodreads
Kaylan's life as she knew it is over. Again.
Hunted by the guards of Edriast and their ruthless captain, Kaylan is forced to flee into a world she’s never seen, armed with a power she never wanted. With her brother Elias by her side, she escapes to the distant city of Stynos, where rumour has it a possible ally is waiting… An ally who might help Kaylan control the violent magic that’s become her burden to bear.
But Kaylan can’t hide forever – not from the forces that surround her, or from the darkness inside herself. Rebel leader Bellamy seeks her help to destroy a regime; Captain Thorn pursues her with a vengeance; and as her power grows, her inner demons begin to seep through the cracks… Kaylan may be strong, but is she strong enough to resist the Relic?
Review
Riven is the second instalment in Bronwyn Eley’s The Relic Trilogy and the story picks up directly where Relic stopped. While Relic was a slow build, in Riven you are immediately thrown into the action, building upon the last part of the previous book that was full of twists and surprises.
Riven manages to avoid a lot of the issues second books in a trilogy face. It builds really well on the foundation set out in Relic, it’s action-packed, progresses the plot in ways that provide a satisfying story within the book and introduces some interesting new characters.
There’s a lot to love in this book, but my favourite thing (as in Relic) is the way Bronwyn Eley writes her characters. People call this series a dark fantasy - a description which fits - but so many of the characters are actually wholesome. I particularly appreciate the complexity developed in each character and the way she builds individual relationships between them all in differing ways Also that friendship is a focus in the story and the way this plays into how Kaylan grapples with the effects of the relic.
Riven is more action-oriented than Relic, but the strong focus on the characters remains. I particularly liked gradually learning more and more about the relic and I am really interested to see how its role plays out in the final book.
I also really enjoyed the returning of Kaylan’s strength throughout the story; in great contrast to her deterioration during Relic. Even as her strength returns she doesn’t hallucinate in the same ways, and the relic’s influence is still a major element of the story, though in a different way. Kaylan is still struggling to determine the best way forward, and I thought this tension between wanting to do the right thing, not being certain exactly how, and the pull of the relic was really well written.
I liked the ending a lot. It was a bit less of a cliff hanger than Relic, which is good as the release date for the third book hasn’t been announced yet. I am still very excited to find out how it will all work out.
Bronwyn Eley is clearly honing her writing throughout this series. Riven includes everything interesting and attractive to readers of the first book but is even better.
You can find Gilly at Gilly Reads or on Instagram, Twitter or Goodreads
Reading Challenge: August
Hello there fellow bookish gals, guys and otherwise. You have stumbled upon August's reporting Chat Post for our 2020 Reading Challenge. There is still time to catch up. If you are interested in what the challenge is all about (there are prizes to be won) click HERE to read the introductory post.
This months theme is Tropes-ahoy.
To report your months reads comment below, answering the questions.
Reporting questions:
1) What book did you pick for this month’s read?
2) Did you enjoy it?
3) What rating would you give it out of five?
4) Was there anything in your book that touched you /resonated with you in some way?
5) What was your favourite part of the book?
6) Who would you recommend read this book?
7) Try to sum up the book in one sentence.
We look forward to finding out what you've all been reading.
Next Months theme is Awesome Anthologies.
Next Months theme is Awesome Anthologies.
Tribal Lores Tour
Walker Books together with the #AusYABloggers are celebrating the release of Tribal Lores by Australian author Archimede Fusillo. On the tour you'll find Australian Reviewers and Instagrammers sharing their thoughts.
About The Book
Written by Archimede Fusillo
Published by Walker Books Australia
Add to Goodreads
A moving and explosive tale about what happens when tradition and the need to belong collide.
Frankie Rescio is struggling with the death of his sister. Next door, Lochie Marsh is about to have his world invaded by his estranged, pregnant half-sister and her layabout boyfriend. Despite tensions simmering just below the surface for both boys and their families, they form a bond that connects their different worlds. Until tribal lores threaten to bring everything crashing down.
Tribal Lores explores the fundamental things about growing up that never change: the desire to fit in and be accepted by one’s peers, the intrinsic urge to belong.
Tour Schedule
Saturday 1st August
Sunday 2nd August
Monday 3rd August
Tuesday 4th August
Wednesday 5th August
About The Author
Archimede Fusillo has had nine YA novels published both in Australia and overseas. His novels have won both critical and reader acclaim, with The Dons winning Book of the Year in 2001. He has won many prestigious awards, including the Alan Marshall Award, the Henry Savery Award and the Mary Grant Bruce Award, and is the recipient of an International Literature Fellowship – which itself was awarded the Sanciolo Literature Award. He has also written several textbooks on writing, has lectured all over Australia and overseas and has also been the judge of the Victorian Premiers Award and the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book Awards. Find out more at archimedefusillo.com.
Reading Challenge: July
Hello there fellow bookish gals, guys and otherwise. You have stumbled upon July's reporting Chat Post for our 2020 Reading Challenge. There is still plenty of time to catch up. If you are interested in what the challenge is all about (there are prizes to be won) click HERE to read the introductory post.
This months theme is Indigenous Voices.
To report your months reads comment below, answering the questions.
Reporting questions:
1) What book did you pick for this month’s read?
2) Did you enjoy it?
3) What rating would you give it out of five?
4) Was there anything in your book that touched you /resonated with you in some way?
5) What was your favourite part of the book?
6) Who would you recommend read this book?
7) Try to sum up the book in one sentence.
We look forward to finding out what you've all been reading.
Next Months theme is Tropes-ahoy.
Next Months theme is Tropes-ahoy.
The Theory of Hummingbirds Tour!
UQP together with the #AusYABloggers are celebrating the release of The Theory of Hummingbirds by Australian author Michelle Kadarusman. On the tour you'll find Australian Reviewers and Instagrammers sharing their thoughts.
About The Book
Written by Michelle Kadarusman
Published by UQP
Add to Goodreads
Alba has been best friends with Levi since forever. They’re both obsessed with hummingbirds and spend their lunchtimes hiding out in the school library.
Alba normally doesn’t mind that Levi’s got a science theory on just about everything. But when he becomes convinced the school librarian has discovered a wormhole in her office, Alba thinks maybe he’s gone too far.
Then there’s Cleo. That’s what Alba calls her left foot, which was twisted in the wrong direction at birth and has been strapped in a brace for most of Alba’s life. With the final cast about to come off, Alba is set on running in her first cross-country race. But what if Levi doesn’t believe she can do it?
Alba’s only ever wanted to be ‘normal’, so why does it feel like she’s losing more than Cleo and a pair of crutches?
Tour Schedule
1st June
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2nd June
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3rd June
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4th June
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5th June
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About The Author
Children’s author Michelle Kadarusman grew up in Melbourne, Australia, and has also lived many years throughout Indonesia and in Canada. Her children’s novels have been nominated for various awards and honours including the Canadian Governor General's Award, USBBY Outstanding International Book List, the Freeman Book Award and the Malka Penn Book Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature. Her work is published internationally and has been translated to Spanish and Turkish.
Where you can find michelle
Reading Challenge: June
Hello there fellow bookish gals, guys and otherwise. You have stumbled upon June's reporting Chat Post for our 2020 Reading Challenge. There is still plenty of time to catch up. If you are interested in what the challenge is all about (there are prizes to be won) click HERE to read the introductory post.
This months theme is Coming Out.
To report your months reads comment below, answering the questions.
Reporting questions:
1) What book did you pick for this month’s read?
2) Did you enjoy it?
3) What rating would you give it out of five?
4) Was there anything in your book that touched you /resonated with you in some way?
5) What was your favourite part of the book?
6) Who would you recommend read this book?
7) Try to sum up the book in one sentence.
We look forward to finding out what you've all been reading.
Next Months theme is Indigenous Voices.
Next Months theme is Indigenous Voices.
Review: As Fast As I Can by Penny Tangey'
Published in Australia on the 31st March by UQP Books
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction
Page Count: 248
Brooklyn's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
View on Goodreads
Sypnosis from UQP Books:
Brooklyn's thoughts:One girl. One dream. A few hurdles.Ten-year-old Vivian is determined to win a medal at the Olympic Games one day. Problem is, she hasn’t found a sport she’s any good at yet. But everyone says if you work hard enough you can achieve anything, right? So when Vivian discovers she has a talent for cross country running, finally, her Olympic dream might actually come true.But then a family illness is uncovered and all of Vivian’s plans begin to unravel. Can she keep her dream alive? Or will she be stopped in her tracks?A funny, heartfelt novel about resilience, acceptance and dreaming big.
As Fast As I Can by Penny Tangey is honestly just such a beautiful, heart wrenching and completely at the same time, an uplifting and inspiring read! I absolutely loved every moment and was invested in Vivian's story right from the get go. I completely admired her fierce passion for running, honestly I just feel like she inspired me not to ever give up! Vivian is a ten year old girl who dreams of nothing more than competing in the Olympics, her love for running is completely unlike anything else, running is her life source! I think that As Fast As I Can will not only resonate with anyone who's enthusiastic and passionate about any sort of sports or running, but also anyone who has such a dream for something that ignites their life force. I'm very much not a sporty person myself so I couldn't exactly relate to Vivian's enthusiasm about running, but that didn't stop me from cheering so much throughout this book, honestly I just wanted her to fulfill her dreams! I absolutely adored the family dynamic in this book too! Vivian's Mother is unwell with a condition that makes her faint intermittently, something that could be potentially hereditary, passed down to Vivian and her brother Noah. I love how much Vivian's parents supported her absolutely love for running and I feel like they only stepped in when it was absolutely necessary, when revelations about Vivian's health are made! Noah, whilst sometimes would claim to Vivian that not everything is about her Olympic goals, I felt that the two absolutely did care for one another and I thoroughly enjoyed how much their sibling bond developed throughout! Friendship was such an endearing aspect throughout this book, too. Olivia, Vivian's best friend and Vivian herself had a buddy name, Olivian, which I just thought was the sweetest thing! Both of them always had a shared passion and dream to compete in the Olympics together one day and although Olivia gallops ahead in running drills, it just fills Vivian's fire even more with knowing that she wants to be an Olympic athlete even more and be the best in Australia. However, as she becomes more determined in her goal, cracks begin to show in Olivia's character, as she decides that maybe an Olympic dream for her is exactly that and not realistic for her, well, let's just say it makes for a heated debate when Olivia and Vivian are paired on opposing teams for a discussion as to why or why not the Olympics should be cancelled. Everything in As Fast As I Can is completely honestly portrayed, making for a wholly believable reading experience! One of the many reasons I adore Middle Grade Fiction so much is because it's always so refreshing and enjoyable to read and As Fast As I Can is definitely no exception. I loved how fast paced and addictive it was, being immersed in ten year old Vivian's life and passion for becoming an Olympic athlete was. Her narrative was just completely fresh and innocent and I'll definitely think back fondly towards Vivian's story and encourage everyone to pick it up because it'll definitely give you an added boost of motivation when you're feeling discouraged about anything!
Happy Reading,
Brooklyn.
You can find Brooklyn via her bookish blog, Brooklyn the bookworm and over on Bookstagram.
Author information:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Penny Tangey writes humorous books for young people. Penny studied Arts/Science at Melbourne University majoring in Chemistry and Indonesian. While at university Penny performed
stand-up comedy, including in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Penny now works as a researcher for television quiz shows Hard Quiz and The Chase, but is still terrible at trivia.
Penny's latest book As fast As I Can, is her fourth book published by University of Queensland Press. Her three previous novels being; Loving Richard Feynman, Clara in Washington,
and Stay Well Soon.
FOLLOW THE TOUR HERE
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