Favourite Books of 2019

Hello Darling Readers!

  

Welcome to the end of 2019, and the close of a decade too. I was going to be *really* ambitious and try to do a ‘Top Ten Faves of the Decade’ list but then I realised … I started this blog in August 2009 and that’s ten-years exactly! Which just blows my mind. So if you want a running-list of my fave books of the last decade, you can literally just look at my ‘Favourite Books’ page. They’re all there.

So I’ve decided to stick to my traditional Fave Books of the Year round-up instead. With the proviso that I seriously didn’t read much this year.

Well.

That’s not 100% true.

I haven’t read lots of *published* books this year.

In my capacity as literary agent I’ve read a TON of manuscripts at various stages of completion (including my own, that I feel I’ve read about X50 times throughout all the editorial stages) and then I’ve also read quite a few soon-to-be-published books by way of advanced reader copies that I can’t talk about yet.

So.

I’ve read a lot, but it doesn’t *seem* like a lot when I compile them all together.

Regardless – here you go. My forever impartial and incomplete list of books I very much enjoyed this year.

·      Saga: Compendium by Brian K Vaughan, art by Fiona Staples – this one is a little bit of a cheat, since the Saga comic-book series began in 2012. The compendium is the compilation of issues #1 - #54 and comes in at a whopping 1328-pages. I bought it as a little (BIG) present to myself and it’s 100% worth it. Saga has fundamentally changed me this decade – it was really my first proper comic series I followed from first-release, and it certainly set the bar HIGH. It’s kind of … everything. A space-operatic Romeo & Juliet, interstellar commentary on love and war, family and cruelty and just – EPIC. I don’t have words except to say that if you haven’t already, READ IT!

·      Guts by Raina Telgemeier – Raina Telgemeier has gone from strength-to-strength and proof of that is in the one-million print-run that Guts got upon release this year. A print-run that Telgemeier easily cleared, such is her enormous popularity in the graphic novel realms and tween literature in particular. Guts is more of her tender and true brilliance about adolescence and gently brilliant.

·      With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo – Genuinely think that Acevedo is one of the best YA voices writing out of America today. She doesn’t sound like anyone else I can think of, and her prose is literally poetry and utterly electrifying.

·      Making Friends with Alice Dyson by Poppy Nwosu – I was asked to provide an endorsement quote for this book, because it was 1000% up my alley as a smart & steely Aussie YA romance. So this was my full quote about the book that I absolutely ADORED: Don't judge a book by its cover, and don't listen to the rumours about Teddy Taualai! ‘Making Friends with Alice Dyson’ is a sweet contemporary romance about growing up, growing apart, and getting to know someone before it's too late. A tender and true debut about the power of friendship and the trust it takes to really let someone see the real you. What an outstandingly lovely tale with solid heart; intimate and enchanting.

·      Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman - the background to this online comic based on a minor character from Oseman’s book ‘Solitaire’ is a really interesting one from a publishing standpoint. Oseman originally conceived of this as a Kickstarter-only project that then became so HUGE it got picked up by a major publisher (Hachette, over here in Oz) and has just recently had television rights sold! But all that aside ... it’s a bloody cute YA romance, telling the story of how Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson finally got together. I’m a little bit obsessed with it and can’t wait for Vol. 3 and the television series being on the way *eventually*

·      The Place on Dalhousie by Melina Marchetta – Probably my favourite book of 2019, from my favourite author of all time. It can be read as a sequel-of-sorts, to where many of the characters within first appeared; in 'Saving Francesca' as teenagers in 2003, and then again in 2010 with 'The Piper’s Son' as young adults. But 'Dalhousie' can also be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone for newcomers to Marchetta’s writing. I don’t think any characters have imprinted on me as much as this cast and watching them grow has been one of the lights of my reading life.

·      The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez –  this is a book that totally snuck up on me after I bought it randomly at Dymocks. It was romance with bite and a little bitterness, but also heat and heart and I found myself thinking about it for days after finishing …

·      Monuments by Will Kostakis – Monuments turns Sydney and school legend into mythology and magic. A rare alchemy of characters, pace and heart that Kostakis wields and weaves with epic results. A book about what lies dormant within all of us, until we are called to action and forced to reveal the hero within.

·      Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams – I’ve never read a more apt description than those calling this debut “Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Americanah” – it’s not always comfortable, is rather hilarious, wildly honest and painfully addictive. Believe all the hype – give it a read.

·      Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls – after Marchetta’s, this is probably my second favourite book of 2019. Even though parts of it WILDLY frustrated me, I adored it. There’s this quote I constantly think about from it; “The four of us began our last walk home, turning the day into anecdote even before it was over.” I loved it, I loved it, I loved it – I marked so many passages within because the way he captures aimless, suburban youth is just *sublime*!

·      Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks – one of the sweetest graphic novels I’ve ever read, about two teenage seasonal workers who are only best friends for the fall when they work at a pumpkin patch together. It manages to capture the unique communities you make when you’re a teen, and the transient nature of your self as you slot into various ‘personas’ but is also just an incredibly funny and adorable episode spanning one evening of adventure.

·      Fleabag: The Scriptures by Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Waller-Bridge is intimidatingly brilliant and reading this was both anxiety-inducing and *fabulously* fun. Described as; “The complete Fleabag. Every Word. Every Side-eye. Every Fox.” And, I mean ... *obviously* I paid especially close attention to the hot priest of season 2. Obvs.

·      The Bride Test by Helen Hoang – her second book marks Helen Hoang as one of the most exciting romance novelists to come out of the end of the decade.

·      Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – this book is *very* ‘Almost Famous’ meets 'A Star is Born' (the Gaga and Bradley one!) via ‘The Commitments’ by way of Fleetwood Mac’s story. I LOVED this book. It was like reading particularly salacious celebrity gossip but with depth and wonder, romance and heartache and I just can not recommend it enough.

·      The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary – Honestly, I need this quirky love story to be adapted into a rom-com movie (my request is for Riz Ahmed to play Leon) because my SOUL needs it! I haven’t fallen so hard for a book and its author since Rainbow Rowell’s 2011 debut ‘Attachments’ (which ‘The Flatshare’ gave me some vibes to in the best way, plus some Mhairi McFarlane feels - which you KNOW means a lot coming from me!) And, honestly, I haven't instantly re-read a book as soon as finishing since Sally Thorne's 'The Hating Game' - which is high-praise indeed!

·      This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield –  I feel like I rushed my reading of this, only because I wanted to *consume* it and I need to go back and re-read to fully appreciate and write a proper review. But I know enough to say – Wakefield gets better with each book, and this one BURNS it’s so good.

·      The Year We Fell From Space by A.S. King – It’s about Liberty Johansen whose family have all fallen out of each other’s orbit - her father moved out, her mother is happy about it and her sister won’t leave the house. And it’s up to Liberty to map these new constellations ... a beautiful and heart-tugging novel of family, growing up and growing apart. Of fractures and the fathomless universe within ourselves and others. It’s *stunning* - as all her books are.

·      A Constant Hum by Alice Bishop – A feast made from grief and completely, hauntingly, divine. ‘A Constant Hum’ by Alice Bishop is a Short Story Collection based on the aftermath of the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. It features a variation of viewpoints and Short Story forms - everything from minisagas to microfiction, and microstory (of only a few words) interspersed with flash fiction and longer form short stories too. The pace of them - longer and short form one after the other - makes it read like the waves and stages of grief. And sometimes we get the barest hint of an aspect of the tragedy, like it’s all we can handle of the whole. One line a character utters in a story hints at these fleeting moments: ‘It’s okay, Haze, sometimes things just disappear.’

·      Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean – Surprising no one, this second book from MacLean’s new ‘The Bareknuckle Bastards’ series is more brilliance; an absolute master-class in a new era of historical romance that is both feminist, progressive, and hot as all get-out!

·      Sick Bay by Nova Weetman – Nova is so good at writing interior-worlds of young people, and giving them the seriousness they're due. Young readers must feel so *seen* when they read her books, and that's both the hardest and most important thing. I love, love, loved this - gift it to every young person you know!

·      The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker – She really writes a sort of gothic-science horror, and insidious Dystopia to a degree - by plucking out one little thread from our humanity & very existence, to see how we unravel ... in this book it’s a question of: what if all young women in one small town went to sleep, and never woke up? Soooooooo delicious & insidious: just as ‘The Age of Miracles’ slowed the rotation of the Earth to see what cataclysmic repercussions it would have, in ‘The Dreamers’ it’s a slowing and succumbing in individuals and how everything gets upended.

·      The Last Widow ‘Will Trent #9’ by Karin Slaughter – I’ll only say that ‘The Last Widow’ is a book of the times. Slaughter has done her research – as always – but in doing so she’s looked into the dark-heart of the current American political and social climate, and it’s nor pretty. This book deals with Neo-Nazi’s, domestic terrorism and homebred militia. It’s honestly one of the most frightening scenarios and back-stories Slaughter has hit on in recently memory, for the very fact that it feels uncomfortably contemporary.

 

  

 

Blatant conflict-of-interest, but … these are books by authors I represent as agent that came out in 2019. I’m proud of each and every one of them, and I was going to do a little write-up of each (but, honestly, look up what I’ve said on social media constantly and gushingly and know it’s all true). But here’s why I’m truly proud of these books; they all feature brilliant female protagonists (both the fiction and non-fiction) and they’re largely about rejecting what society tells us to be and think, and instead going out and doing it your own way, on your own terms and to make yourself happy and the world a *modicum* better place. If that isn’t a brilliant wish going into 2020, I don’t know what is.

Favourite Books of 2018

Hello Darling Readers,

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – the end of it!

I was quite slack in 2018, with my review-writing. But I make no apologies. This was a big year, and a tough one in so many ways. A lot of my reading (and favourite reads in particular) reflect that. They got me through it – either by being a temporary balm from reality, or a raging chorus to resist it.

So here they are, in no particular order. The books, authors and illustrators I owe a great deal of ‘thanks’ to, for giving me reprieve and resistance to the often-chaotic horror of 2018.

Stay safe everyone, keep fighting – I’ll see you on the other side and ready for anything in 2019.

 *** 

·      Hello Stranger The Ravenels #4 by Lisa Kleypas: I skipped the first two books in ‘The Ravenels’ series, and tapped in with book 3 ‘Devil in Spring’ because of ‘Wallflowers’ crossover. And boy am I glad that I eventually got on this bandwagon because I am LOVING the series!

·      Wicked and the Wallflower The Bareknuckle Bastards #1 by Sarah MacLean: I described this as ‘upstairs/downstairs’ romance about a bootlegger and a proper lady who cross paths in Whitechapel and begin one of the best new historical-romance series of 2018. I can’t wait for more!

·      Burn Bright Alpha & Omega #5 by Patricia Briggs: after going a little cool on Brigg’s last few books in ‘Mercy Thompson’ and spin-off series, it was a relief to tap back in with this book that in many ways goes back to the urban fantasy mystery whodunit basics – as Anna and Charles hunt for whoever is stalking the pack’s wildling wolves in the Montana mountains. A solid paranormal and mystery offering!

·      Blakwork by Alison Whittaker: confession is that I don’t actually read much poetry, but I love Whittaker’s stuff. Both this new book from her, and her debut Lemons in the Chicken Wire are phenomenal. Blakwork is perhaps more lucid in themes and story, a bit like a stream of anger (rather than consciousness) reading it in 2018 was a necessity.

·      Normal People by Sally Rooney: So – look – I felt a little pressured into reading this because it seems to be the stand-out and knockout book of 2018. And while I went in sceptical, I actually found myself really enjoying this (surprisingly readable!) novel … but I also need to confess to not quite understanding ALL the fuss. It’s good. Is it magnificent? – I wouldn’t think so. But I do believe that readers who don’t often bother with reading youth literature and therefore narratives that feature young people navigating the complexities of their lives – will wrongly believe that Rooney is revelatory in exploring such themes … she’s a fine writer, to be sure. This was an enjoyable book. I don’t think it was groundbreaking though.

·      Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, and Annie Barrows is one of my favourite books which is why I picked this one up by AJ Pearce and also loved it! There’s a little romance in here, a lot of comedy, and overall a really gorgeous friendship between women who get on during the wartime and find their voice amidst the London rubble.

·      How Do You Like Me Now? By Holly Bourne: this was my first Bourne novel and after reading it, I went out and pretty much bought her entire YA backlist. That’s how good this adult offering from her was.

·      An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris: first book in this new Western Paranormal series ‘Gunnie Rose’ by one of my all-time faves. This book is both so hard to describe (Russia! Gun-runners! Wild West! Altered US timeline!) all I can suggest is you dive right in and give yourself over to it…

·      The Witch Who Courted Death by Maria Lewis: one of the best urban fantasy writers this side of the equator, if you’re unfamiliar with Maria Lewis I’d highly recommend jumping in with this book (Witches! Kissing! Magic!)

·      Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty: Look, it’s Liane and I love Liane Moriarty. This book from her was a SUPERB offering of irony, satire and an examination of the ‘health and wellness’ toxic culture amid suburban, middle-class rot … and it was funny!

·      Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews: Finale in the ‘Kate Daniels’ serises, so I won’t say anything except … I am willing to be patient for a Julie-focused story next.

·      To Kill a Mockingbird: A Graphic Novel by Fred Fordham (Adapter/Illustrator), Harper Lee: when this was first announced I had the reaction of “weird, but I’ll give it a go.” Well I gave it a go and LOVE this graphic novel so, so much! Fred Fordham has done a remarkable job of boiling down the essentials of this beloved and heartbreaking story, and elevating them with illustration.

·      The Peacock Detectives by Carly Nugent: I want exactly 100% more of this type of clever and compelling middle-grade in the Australian marketplace, thanks!

·      Black Cockatoo by Carl Merrison, Hakea Hustler: This is a 62-page vignette that I think was so evocative and brilliantly lean. I think this would be a great addition in any primary-school classroom for grades 5 & 6!

·      Everything I've Never Said by Samantha Wheeler: if you or a young person in your life absolutely adored the 2010 novel Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper then Samantha Wheeler’s is the book for you!

·      Limelight by Solli Raphael: How are we not talking more about this young powerhouse of a slam-poet?! He’s a Kate Tempest in the making and this book is essential reading.

·      The Orchard Underground by Mat Larkin: along with The Peacock Detectives – these books are further proof that Aussie Middle-Grade is growing and thriving to an exceptional degree.

·      The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo: a most deserving winner in the US of the National Book Award, and look out for the Printz Award I am sure is coming. This book really is exceptional. A once-in-a-lifetime YA offering. The way people talk about Sally Rooney’s Normal People is actually how they should be lauding Acevedo and this book because it’s a reckoning. “The world is almost peaceful when you stop trying to understand it.”

·      I Am Out With Lanterns by Emily Gale: Considering that this is a loose sequel to her 2016 book 'The Other Side of Summer' (which I also thought was bloody wonderful) it's pretty spectacular that Emily manages to raise the bar yet again with her eloquence and understanding of young people navigating grief, friendship, heartache, and adventure.

·      White Night by Ellie Marney: unsurprising because Ellie is one of my favourite authors. ‘White Night’ is a twisty, heated, and beautifully complicated YA contemporary offering … read it!

·      Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson: I get emotional when I think or talk about this book. It’s one of the most heartbreakingly perfect responses to the current American political and societal climate, and a tragically tender glimpse into the ways that young people will be dealing with the ramifications and wounds for years to come …

·      Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough: Have you seen the movie ‘The Hairy Bird’? If not – go watch it immediately. And read this book too. You’re welcome.

·      The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller: a young girl tries to make sense of her scientist mother’s sudden plunge into depression. Funny, eloquent, smart and true.

·      Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll (Illustrations): What a year for the graphic novel edition of the groundbreaking 1999 novel by Anderson to come out. A truly remarkable and cutting rendering.

·      Boys Will Be Boys: An exploration of power, patriarchy and the toxic bonds of mateship by Clementine Ford: Essential reading. Should really be handed out at birth.

·      The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire by Chloe Hooper: this is a master class in true crime from Hooper, who previously floored me with ‘The Tall Man’. I could not put ‘The Arsonist’ down, I was utterly entranced and found it one of the most disturbing, harmonising and thoughtful reads of my year.

·      Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump by Dan Pfeiffer: this was ‘The West Wing’ meets ‘Pod Save America’. If one of both of those things are your bag, then you’ll adore this as much as I did.

·      I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara: This book nearly broke me. Both because it haunted and scared the crap out of me, and for the story of McNamara – who died before it was finished, but this book and her dogged determination in the case radically helped lead to Joseph James DeAngelo’s arrest this year. It’s all too much – this story, the story behind the story, the tragedies upon tragedies … but all that remains is this amazing example of authorship and deft storytelling and investigating. Truly remarkable.

·      Eggshell Skull: A memoir about standing up, speaking out and fighting back by Bri Lee: some books feels like products of their time, and that’s certainly ‘Eggshell Skull’ for the many ways that 2018 hurt and healed. This book is so multifaceted and important, I adored it.

·      Elizabeth Macarthur: A Life at the Edge of theWorld by Michelle Scott Tucker: historical biographies are SO not my thing normally, but Michelle Scott Tucker’s writing is so compelling and this story is so unbelievable and addictive … I stayed up well into the night with this one, and I have already re-read it once this year. I hold it now as an absolute favourite book of mine, of all time. Thank you, Michelle.

·      You Daughters of Freedom: The Australians Who Won the Vote and Inspired the World by Clare Wright: This book is a revelation. A marvel. The weight (both literal and in messaging) is sublime.

·      Becoming by Michelle Obama: imagine my shock when a book I bought to piss of Trump (his sold 1.1 million copies in 32 years, ‘Becoming’ had sold 1.4 million in ONE WEEK!) but lo and behold it’s actually an incredible memoir, beautifully written and a rousing call for working women the world over.

-->

·      Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of '80s and '90s Teen Fiction by Gabrielle Moss: Rest-assured, I will do a lengthier review of this, but for now let me say … this was my catnip. An examination of the impact that (American) young adult literature had on teenagers the world over, and on societies that so often discount the things that matter the most, and shape teenage girls. Amazing.

Favourite Books of 2017

Hello Darling Readers,

It’s that time of year again – looking back on the books that accompanied me on the journey this year. And, truth be told, 2017 has been a rollercoaster. A real doozy.

Donald Trump and all that that entails has been ludicrous and dangerous, mostly. #MeToo probably best encapsulates the lowest-lows and triumphant (fight-back) highs of the year. Australia is still spitting all over the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers, and we spent millions of dollars deciding people’s worth by straw-poll … we won, but at what cost?

‘Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOzYA Anthology’ released this year, and it has been my honour to go round talking about this book and the supportive movement behind it. The cherry on top has undoubtedly been when the Anthology was voted for in the ABC Book Club’s finale episode as a reader-favourite, landing at No. 3 on the ‘Five of the Best’ list! I cannot even begin to thank you all enough for the #LoveOzYA love you’ve shown us!

And, personally, I became an Auntie this year! He’s only been here for a few weeks, but already I’m thinking of the bigger picture – and how I’m so lucky to be working as a literary agent now, and someone who will have a little bit of a say in the books Harrison and his generation will be reading. Maybe. Hopefully. And how I really don’t want to disappoint them, and I want to ensure they all have a book to recognise themselves in.

Below are some of the books that I certainly saw myself in this year – and appreciated having in my life. But it has been a tough one, and honestly – some days or weeks I didn’t feel like delving into a book, or working on a review. Sometimes it was just too hard, with all that was going on. And I gave myself permission to have recreational-reading ruts (because of course, the other part of this is I’m now reading a lot more in my working life).

I also eased up on myself for not reading ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING that was new and fresh from *this* year. And I’m glad. Because I got to (finally) discover for myself, the wonders of Toni Jordan – and I absolutely inhaled her backlist. Ditto the sheer delight of Georgette Heyer. And I found a new middle grade favourite in 2008 book 'My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park' by Steve Kluger. Part of this was also remembering that I love my local library, and the solace it brings – the books it gifts me.  

I also pushed my reading boundaries this year – by reading some non-fiction (which I *never* normally do!) and absolutely falling in fascinated love with three of them. I’m also slowly getting into audiobooks (that aren’t just re-reads of my old favourites) and I found a whole new level of enjoyment, to memoir in particular.

So – yes – overall maybe I didn’t read quite as many books this year (manuscripts are a whole other story) but I gravitated, I think as we all do, to the ones I needed to read this year, to help me on my way. And I thank them for finding me.

… of course – part of my finding them was thanks to bookshops. Whether they were my steadfast locals (hello Farrells, Robinsons & Readings!) or the ones I stumbled across (like the *incredible* international bookshop at Denpasar airport!) – I am forever thinking of this quote from Adam Gopnik, in an essay of his, titled; ‘When a Bookstore Closes, an Argument Ends.’

At a minor level, once a bookstore is gone we lose the particular opportunities for adjacency it offers, determined by something other than an algorithm. It is rarely the book you came to seek, but the book next to that book, which changes your mind and heart.

So without further ado – here is a brief list of the books next to that book, which ended up being good friends to me in 2017.

Enjoy!

****

'The Good Daughter' by Karin Slaughter

Slaughter is my favourite crime-writer, and this latest stand-alone from her may even be pretty high up on my list of All Time Favourite Crime Novels. A heart-hurting slice of Georgia dark, from a crime-writer who has managed to pivot into family drama with such fine characterisations, that I find myself in awe of an author I already considered a favourite. I will only say that I’d have liked more courtroom drama – but I’ll quietly hope we get more, should this book prove to be the first in a series …

'Beautiful Messy Love' by Tess Woods

I absolutely adored this book, and gobbled it up in two days. I was actually surprised that I connected so viscerally with both couples and their stories – especially because one romance, between med-student Lily and the very tricky coupling with a grieving ex-husband Toby, sounds absolutely shocking in theory … but on the page, Woods teased this couple out with so much heat and sensuality, it was hard not to fall for them and root for them, even as all their biggest problems and obstacles were still painfully obvious. It’s romance that packs a punch, tender and thoughtful with a fantastic hot-streak. Tess Woods has now leapt to my auto-buy list, and I cannot wait to read more from her!

‘Devil in Spring’ The Ravenels #3 by Lisa Kleypas

Pandora is most definitely a throwback to Kleypas’s archetype ‘Wallflowers’ heroines – the shy but brilliant young lady with quirks and secrets. Her background is both tragic and admirable, and it’s easy to see why Gabriel is fascinated enough to warrant getting to know her better, only to fall in love with her … And Gabriel takes after his father as one of Kleypas’s better rakes. He’s thoughtful and kind, secretly feeling the pressure of his family and title and in need of someone like Pandora to keep him on his toes. It does feel really, really good to be back in the reading groove with Kleypas, who is one of those authors I come to rely on for a once-a-year release and guaranteed good read. And ‘Devil in Spring’ was a good way to get back in the groove.

‘Trust’ by Kylie Scott

Sexy and smart, very gritty and ... did I mention, sexy? It explores trauma, body-positivity, social classes ... and the central romance is strong and complex. Kylie Scott described it as: 'The Duff' meets 'Die Hard.' Sort of. Less Nakatomi Plaza and more mini-mart. I LOVED it!

‘Breath of Fire’ (Kingmaker Chronicles, #2) by Amanda Bouchet

I have been meaning to get my thoughts down about this series (first book was 2016’s ‘A Promise of Fire’) but then I just end up delving into the books, having a rollicking good time, and being unable to come up with anything except OMG I LOVE IT! I have been recommending these books to friends though, and will continue to do so. It’s fantasy-paranormal and very romance-heavy and just flat-out brilliant. Seriously – this series if up there with Patricia Briggs’ ‘Mercy Thompson’ and Ilona Andrews’ ‘Kate Daniels’ for me.

‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ by George Saunders

This was so very deserving of the Man Booker win. Totally. I already loved George Saunders, but this book almost made me fear him  … so sharply brilliant and intimidating is this book; it honestly felt like a turning-point in modern literature to read this masterpiece.

‘Fence’ #1 by C.S. Pacat, illustrated by Johanna the Mad

It’s the first instalment in a young adult comic-book series by Australian author Pacat, about the competitive world of high school fencing and featuring an M/M romance. This could have almost been too decadently good to be properly enjoyed, but honestly – it’s downright fabulous and fun. I cannot wait for more!

‘The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue’ by Mackenzi Lee

As I read this book, I swear, all I could hear was the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's 'Marie Antoinette' movie - in particular, New Order's 'Age of Consent' song. Something about this book just had that cavorting, saucy & sumptuous feel to it ... This is 100%, hands-down a favourite YA book of 2017 and a new favourite in general for me. It was SUPERB. Brilliant romance, mystery, genuinely *fun* historical fiction that managed to feel thoroughly modern and subversive even as it's so deeply immersed in the historic period. Must, must, must-read. I cannot wait for ‘The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy’ coming in 2018.

‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ by Gail Honeyman

Very rarely does the adult-literary hype machine work on me, and compel me to go out and buy a buzzed-about book to read … but in the case of Honeyman’s debut, I’m glad I succumbed. It’s intricate and warm, there’s a little romance and a lot of heart and it’s an all-round FEEL GOOD, thoughtful read.

‘Tash Hearts Tolstoy’ by Kathryn Ormsbee

First of all – I adore this cover. I know lots of people *hated* it with a fiery passion, but it honestly made me laugh AND – sit up and take notice. And I’m glad I judged by that cover, because this one packed a wallop. Mental health, LGBT rep, cancer … there were so many ways that Ormsbee could have potentially overdone it with this book – but she wrote something so tender and true, honest and funny. It was honestly just a fantastic coming-of-age read for me.

‘The Hate U Give’ by Angie Thomas

I loved getting my heart broken/mind opened by this book. All the praise it received this year was entirely earned, and cannot be underplayed - this really is one of the "Must Read Books of 2017" ... heck, it might even be one of the most important YA books of this decade. And it was my great honour to participate in a Melbourne Writers Festival event with Angie Thomas this year, and discover she’s as kind in person and so utterly deserving all the success.

'The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women' by Kate Moore

This is my favourite book of 2017, I’ve decided. Hands down. ‘The Radium Girls’ was an important book for me to read – a story I am so grateful to now know about. But it is not a story that ends in 1938 (and not just because to this day the women’s bodies are projecting radioactivity from their graves). Rather – it’s a testimony to ongoing battles; to hold big businesses accountable (not give them bigger tax-breaks) and to never put profit before people. The legacy of these women is one of speaking truth to power. Which they did – with their dying breaths.

‘No Way! Okay, Fine.’ by Brodie Lancaster

This was a cathartic, compulsive and capricious read - I was laughing one minute, then welling up the next. It's a love-letter to pop-culture, a thrilling ode to the "little things" that matter, and the stories that raise us. And a smartly observant look at how the osmosis of story and consumption creates our communities. I loved it. Utterly, thoroughly LOVED it!

‘No Limits’ by Ellie Marney

This is modern Australia for so many growing up on the periphery right now, picked apart with exquisite and smart insight from one of Australia's best crime and YA writers. A novel of bruising empathy and excitable romance - with so much potential for a subversive new crime series, I'm practically salivating just thinking of the possibilities.

‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ by Maurene Goo

A young adult romance with a focus on the young protagonist’s obsession with Korean “K” dramas, and a storyline that becomes just as outlandish as those she relishes watching? Yes. Yes please.

‘The Woman Who Fooled The World: Belle Gibson's Cancer Con’ by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano

‘The Woman Who Fooled The World’ is an attempt by the two journalists who first broke the story to wade through all the horseshit – and what they’ve come up with is a deeply fascinating and infuriating examination of not just one woman’s deception, but a confluence of users and abusers who have a lot to answer for. They examine rising social media alongside misinformation and – yes – “fake news”. They dig deep but still find little information on the woman herself, who remains a bit of an enigma for the journalists throughout … what saves the book from being a frustrating half-take though, is their spreading the blame (/horseshit) around and laying it at the feet of an industry that has conflated “health” and “beauty”, the rise of Insta-celebrities as snake oil salesmen, and profit over common sense. They also lay a hefty load of blame at their own door – on a new landscape of journalism that’s more interested in getting clicks than checking facts, and being first instead of being right.

‘MoralPanic 101: Equality, Acceptance and the Safe Schools Scandal (Quarterly Essay#67)’ by Benjamin Law

I will warn that this is a powerful read. If you’re like me and this all hits very close to home, it’ll definitely make you cry. But, look – the final chapter is called ‘The Kids Are All Right’. Because they are, and will be. Because no matter the outcome of this marriage equality survey, or the hate-filled propaganda of those who fear change … it’s already here – in the young queer kids Benjamin Law speaks to, and the communities who are supporting and striving to understand them, instill respect for them.

'How Not To Be A Boy' by Robert Webb

I learnt a lot about Webb that I didn’t know, but has actually given new dimension to his writing and comedy for me – and actually, the creative process generally. Extraordinary to know the heartache and bullshit he went through, to be the kind of man he is today – who can confidently say that society’s male constructs are codswallop.

‘Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances’ by Courtney Milan Author, Alyssa Cole, and Rose Lerner

This has been a year in which I read some really, truly bad Hamilton-inspired novels (*cough* Alex & Eliza *cough*) but ‘Hamilton's Battalion’ made up for all the bad by being really, ridiculously good. Hamilton and Co. don’t really appear except as guest-stars, because it’s very much more about “love in the time of Hamilton” – but if the musical got you interested in the American Revolutionary War as a setting and time-period, then THIS is the romance book for you.

‘Seven Stones to Stand or Fall’ by Diana Gabaldon

I love that the ‘Outlander’ TV show is going from strength to strength, and I am waiting OH SO PATIENTLY for No. 9 ‘Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone’ – but in the meantime, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of ‘Outlander’ short-stories. Some have appeared in other Anthology publications, but my favorite was one written specifically for this collection. “A Fugitive Green” is all about how Harold Grey (Lord John’s elder brother) came to meet his wife, Minnie – and it is SO. HOT. and sad and lovely and just this story alone, made the entire book worthwhile for me.

‘The Harper Effect’ by Taryn Bashford

This is the #LoveOzYA debut from Bashford, and I was so looking forward to reading a YA! Tennis! Romance! … I am so glad it 1000% fulfilled all my expectations. I have always thought the world of competitive tennis is a great one to set a YA series (and I did enjoy one from 2013, by Jennifer Iacopelli), but Bashford’s takes it to a whole other level. It’s a little bit 2004 movie ‘Wimbledon’ meets the writing sensibilities of Liz Tigelaar.

'Ballad for a Mad Girl' by Vikki Wakefield

Vikki Wakefield is one of the most creative and daring authors writing for young adults today. Ballad for a Mad Girl is an Aussie YA Gothic tale that smartly uses the supernatural to explore the depths of grief and growing up, and the pain to be found in both. This is a caring and keening novel, creepy but tender and wholly marvellous.