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books

2021 Reading Challenge

January 2 2021 By melbournemamma 8 Comments

Attention book lovers! I’ve set myself a reading challenge for 2021 and I’d love for you to join me.

I know what it’s like to be a busy mum (ie not have much time for reading), so I’ll only include 12 books in the challenge. However, I’ll also include an additional six books for those of you who will have no problem smashing through 12 books in one year.

As a chronic migraine sufferer, I don’t read as many books as I’d like too but thanks to an almost six-month lockdown here in Melbourne (#bloodycovid), I actually managed to read 30 books in 2020.

I’m not sure how this year will pan out, but I’m aiming to read 25 books this year.

You can see how I went in my 2020 reading challenge here.

…

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Filed Under: Books, Lifestyle, Me Tagged With: books, reading

10 Books I Cannot Wait To Read in 2020

February 21 2020 By melbournemamma Leave a Comment

10 books i want to read in 2020

I’ve got a pile of books next to my bed that never seems to get any smaller AND a list of books a mile long on Goodreads that I’ve been meaning to read for a long time. I figure that if I make a commitment here to read some of these books, then I will do it. So, here are 10 books I cannot wait to read in 2020.

I’m hoping some of these books will count towards my 2020 Reading Challenge that I published last month. PS. It’s not too late to join the challenge, so check it out.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

A young girl loses both her parents in a tragic event, and is taken to live with her grandmother on a flower farm. Growing up, Alice learns the language of Australian native flowers as a way to say the things that are too hard to speak. But she also learns that there are secrets within secrets about her past. An unexpected betrayal leaves her reeling, and she escapes to try to make her own – sometimes painful – way through the world, and to find her story.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a story about stories: those we inherit, those we select to define us, and those we decide to hide. It is a novel about the secrets we keep and how they haunt us, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

Spanning twenty years, and set between sugar cane fields by the sea, a native Australian flower farm and a celestial crater in the central desert, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows the life of Alice as she discovers that the most powerful story she will ever possess is her own.

Available now from Amazon

The Light Between Oceans

the light between oceans book cover

A boat washes up on the shore of a remote lighthouse keeper’s island.
It holds a dead man – and a crying baby.
The only two islanders, Tom and his wife Izzy, are about to make a devastating decision.
They break the rules and follow their hearts.
What happens next will break yours.

Available now from Catch

I Am Pilgrim

i am pilgrim book cover

The astonishing story of one man’s breakneck race against time to save America from oblivion.

A YOUNG WOMAN MURDERED. All of her identifying characteristics dissolved by acid.

A FATHER PUBLICLY BEHEADED. Killed in the blistering heat of a Saudi Arabian public square.

A SYRIAN BIOTECH EXPERT FOUND EYELESS. Dumped in a Damascus junkyard.

SMOULDERING HUMAN REMAINS. Abandoned on a remote mountainside in Afghanistan.

PILGRIM. The codename for a man who doesn’t exist. A man who must return from obscurity. The only man who can uncover a flawless plot to commit an appalling crime against humanity.

Available now from Amazon

Burial Rites

burial rites book cover

In northern Iceland, 1829, Agnes Magnúsdóttir is condemned to death for her part in the brutal murder of two men. Agnes is sent to wait out the time leading to her execution on the farm of District Officer Jón Jónsson, his wife and their two daughters. Horrified to have a convicted murderess in their midst, the family avoids speaking with Agnes.

Only Tóti, the young assistant reverend appointed as Agnes’s spiritual guardian, is compelled to try to understand her, as he attempts to salvage her soul.

As the summer months fall away to winter and the hardships of rural life force the household to work side by side, Agnes’s ill-fated tale of longing and betrayal begins to emerge. And as the days to her execution draw closer, the question burns: did she or didn’t she?

Based on a true story, Burial Rites is a deeply moving novel about personal freedom: who we are seen to be versus who we believe ourselves to be, and the ways in which we will risk everything for love.

Available now from Amazon

The Kite Runner

the kite runner book cover

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, caught in the tragic sweep of history, The Kite Runner transports readers to Afghanistan at a tense and crucial moment of change and destruction.

A powerful story of friendship, it is also about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons–their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

Available now from Dymocks

Little Fires Everywhere

little fires everywhere book cover

Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother- who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town – and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at an unexpected and devastating cost…

Available now from Amazon.

The Secret Life of Bees

the secret life of bees book cover

Lily has grown up believing she accidentally killed her mother when she was four. She not only has her own memory of holding the gun, but her father’s account of the event. Now fourteen, she yearns for her mother, and for forgiveness. Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her father, she has only one friend: Rosaleen, a black servant whose sharp exterior hides a tender heart. South Carolina in the sixties is a place where segregation is still considered a cause worth fighting for. When racial tension explodes one summer afternoon, and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten, Lily is compelled to act.

Fugitives from justice and from Lily’s harsh and unyielding father, they follow a trail left by the woman who died ten years before. Finding sanctuary in the home of three beekeeping sisters, Lily starts a journey as much about her understanding of the world, as about the mystery surrounding her mother.

Available now from Dymocks.

Lenny’s Book of Everything

lennys book of everything book cover

Lenny, small and sharp, has a younger brother Davey who won’t stop growing – and at seven is as tall as a man. Raised by their mother, they have food and a roof over their heads, but not much else.

The bright spot every week is the arrival of the latest issue of the Burrell’s Build-It-at-Home Encyclopedia. Through the encyclopedia, Lenny and Davey experience the wonders of the world – beetles, birds, quasars, quartz – and dream about a life of freedom and adventure. But as Davey’s health deteriorates, Lenny realises that some wonders can’t be named.

A big-hearted novel about loving and letting go by an award-winning author.

Available now from Amazon

The Travelling Cat Chronicles

the travelling cat chronicles book cover

It’s not the journey that counts, but who’s at your side.

Nana is on a road trip, but he is not sure where he is going. All that matters is that he can sit beside his beloved owner Satoru in the front seat of his silver van. Satoru is keen to visit three old friends from his youth, though Nana doesn’t know why and Satoru won’t say.

Set against the backdrop of Japan’s changing seasons and narrated with a rare gentleness and humour, Nana’s story explores the wonder and thrill of life’s unexpected detours. It is about the value of friendship and solitude, and knowing when to give and when to take. TRAVELLING CAT has already demonstrated its power to move thousands of readers with a message of kindness and truth. It shows, above all, how acts of love, both great and small, can transform our lives.

Available now from Dymocks

You Are A Badass

you are a badass book cover

YOU ARE A BADASS IS THE self-help BOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO DESPERATELY WANT TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES BUT DON’T WANT TO GET BUSTED DOING IT.

In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, bestselling author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bitesized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word, helping you to: Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviours that stop you from getting what you want, Create a life you totally love. And create it NOW, Make some damn money already. The kind you’ve never made before.

By the end of You Are a Badass , you’ll understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can’t change, how to change what you don’t love, and how to use The Force to kick some serious ass.

Available now from Amazon.

Let me know if you’ve read any of these (*NO* spoilers please) or what’s on your 2020 #tbr pile/list.

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that if you decide to buy that item, I will earn a small commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.

Filed Under: Books, Shopping Tagged With: books, reading, shopping

2020 Reading Challenge

January 1 2020 By melbournemamma 4 Comments

2020 Reading Challenge

Calling all book lovers! I’ve set myself a reading challenge for 2020 and I’d love for you to join me.

I know what it’s like to be a busy mum (ie not have much time for reading), so I’ll only include 12 books in the challenge. However, I’ll include an additional six books for those of you who will have no problem smashing through 12 books in one year.

As a chronic migraine sufferer, I don’t get to read as often as I’d like too but I’m pretty happy that I managed to read 17 books throughout 2019. For this year, I’m aiming to read 20 books.

See how I went in my 2019 reading challenge here.

…

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: books, melbourne mamma, reading

2019 Reading Challenge

January 4 2019 By melbournemamma 31 Comments

Melbourne Mamma 2019 Reading Challenge

Calling all book lovers! I’m setting myself a 2019 reading challenge and I’d love for you to join me.

I set myself this same challenge last year and I didn’t quite get through the list as I  some of the books I read in my book club, didn’t meet any of the criteria that I had listed (didn’t plan that very well, did I?)

However, I did manage to read 14 books in 2018, which was a pretty good effort, considering I am a chronic migraine sufferer.

Anyway, this year I am determined to read all the books in the challenge as well as additional books in my book club.

I know what it’s like to be a busy mum (ie not have much time for reading), so I’ll only include 12 books in the challenge. However, I’ll include an additional six books for those of you who will have no problem smashing through 12 books in one year. …

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Filed Under: Books, Me Tagged With: books, for mammas, reading

2018 Reading Challenge

January 2 2018 By melbournemamma 2 Comments

Calling all book lovers! I’m setting myself a 2019 reading challenge and I’d love for you to join me.

Now, before we get started, I have a confession to make. I set myself this same challenge last year and I did not complete it. In fact, I did not even come close to completing it. My migraines were a little out of control last year and I started a new job (not great excuses, I know), so I only read six books all year and only three of them met the challenge criteria.

However, I recently started a book club – my first ever – and it has really rekindled my love of reading and the importance of making time to do the things I love.

I know what it’s like to be a busy mum (ie not have much time for reading), so I’ll only include 12 books in the challenge. However, I’ll include an additional six books for those of you who will have no problem smashing through 12 books in one year. …

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Filed Under: Books, Me Tagged With: books, for mammas, reading

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Tracey  {Melbourne Mamma}
I actually finished this book over a month ago and I actually finished this book over a month ago and it still haunts me. ⁣⁣
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It’s definitely not a book for the faint hearted and I found I could only read about 100 pages at a time (it’s 700+ pages) before I’d need a break.⁣
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I wasn’t sure if I was even going to make it to the end but I quickly became invested in the characters and was glad that I did because even though this is an incredibly sad and heartbreaking story, it’s also a story of extraordinary friendships and love.⁣⁣
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My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣.5⁣⁣
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“A Little Life is an immensely powerful and heartbreaking novel of brotherly love and the limits of human endurance.⁣⁣
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When four graduates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity. ⁣⁣
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Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he'll not only be unable to overcome - but that will define his life forever.”⁣⁣
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📚📚 Join my Reading Challenge via the link in my bio 📚⁣⁣⁣📚⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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#alittlelife #alittlelifebook #melbournemammabooklove #mmreadingchallenge2021 ⁣#melbournemamma⁣ ⁣
Just in case you didn’t already know 😉 #supe Just in case you didn’t already know 😉

#superprofesh #thebest #justsoyaknow #best
Just a “little” bit cold and windy here in Mel Just a “little” bit cold and windy here in Melbourne today 🌧❄️💨 and definitely not the best weather for a wedding 👰🏻🤵🏼‍♂️ but it sure was wonderful to catch-up with the family and have us all together again for the first time since before the pandemic 💖⁣
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My face hurts from laughing so much 😆⁣
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#melbournelife #sundayvibes #sundayfunday #melbourneweather #family #wedding #melbourne #polkadots #windyaf
It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ⁣
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His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.⁣
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Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle today, age 99. ⁣
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Our hearts are with the Queen and her family.⁣
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📷 @theroyalfamily
I always worry that when I read the second book in I always worry that when I read the second book in a series that I’m not going to enjoy it as much as the first but boy was I wrong with this one. ⁣
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This book is bloody fabulous and I actually think I loved it more than I loved “Beartown” (which was fantastic!!! - see my post last month).⁣
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This beautifully written story has it all; strength, love, family, grief, loyalty, courage and loss. ⁣
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You’ve done it again @backmansk and I cannot wait to read the next one #impatientlywaiting ⁣
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My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣
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“Can a broken town survive a second tragedy?⁣
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By the time the last goal is scored, someone in Beartown will be dead . . .⁣
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Us Against You is the story of two towns, two teams and what it means to believe in something bigger than yourself. It's about how people come together - sometimes in anger, often in sorrow, but also through love. And how, when we stand together, we can bring a town back to life.”⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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📚📚 Join my Reading Challenge via the link in my bio 📚⁣⁣⁣📚⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
#usagainstyou #beartown #fredrikbackman #melbournemammabooklove #mmreadingchallenge2021 ⁣#melbournemamma⁣ ⁣
Potato cakes are one of my favourite foods 🤤, s Potato cakes are one of my favourite foods 🤤, so every year when the fabulous folks at @hunkydoryfish are donating $1 from every potato cake sold to the @rchmelbourne (Royal Children’s Hospital) @goodfridayappeal, you know I’m gonna be there supporting that 🏨👶🏼👧🏻🧒🏻⁣
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All Hunky Dory stores are open today (check individual stores for remaining Easter weekend hours), so get down there and stuff your face!!! 😁🥔⁣
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#notsponsoredjusthungry #potatocakes #goodfriday #rch #hunkydory #goodfridayappeal #royalchildrenshospitalmelbourne #melbourne #melbournelife
The easiest (& yummiest) brownies I’ve ever made The easiest (& yummiest) brownies I’ve ever made 🍫👩🏻‍🍳⁣
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Can’t take all the credit for these though, as I bought a DIY brownie kit from the @greatoceanrdchocolaterie⁣
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This one is the Triple Choc with Salted Caramel Macadamia 🤤⁣
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Less than 5 minutes to prepare and only needed to add eggs and butter. Everything else comes in the kit.⁣
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#brownies #chocolatebrownies #shoplocalmelbourne #melbournelife #chocolate
How is it already Easter next week 😳⁣⁣
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Am I the only one who feels like this year is flying by?⁣
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#easteriscoming #easterdecor #easter #easter2021 #easter ⁣⁣
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So great to be back in the cinema and catch up wit So great to be back in the cinema and catch up with Peter and all his friends at a special preview screening on Peter Rabbit 2 🐰🥕⁣
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This one is laugh out loud funny, so make sure you add it to your must see list.⁣
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In cinemas from this Thursday 🍿⁣
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#peterrabbit2 #melbournekids #familyfun #familymovienight #peterrabbit
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