A Year in Books 2017

It's time to look back at another year in books. Happily I did a bit better with my reading in 2017 than I did in 2016.

In 2017 I read 17, 894 pages in 100 books. Not a bad effort. Up from the 11, 075 in 2016, but not at the dizzying heights of 2015 (20,061).

That 100 books in 2017 is no small coincidence. I had set my Goodreads target to 100 for the year, and for most of the year I was keeping up and on track but things unwound a little in the last few months of the year, and I had to make a concerted effort in late December to get to that magical 100. I did it with 50 minutes to spare! A close call indeed.

I wasn't particularly great at rating or reviewing books in 2017. Some of these I did give 5 stars at the time, some have just really stuck with me.

Scrappy Little Nobody. Anna Kendrick. Audio.

Florette. Anna Walker

The Remarkable Secret of Aurelie Bonhoffen. Deborah Abela. Audio

Maggot Moon. Sally Gardner. Audio. My Book of the Year. 

Don't Call Me Bear. Aaron Blabey

The Weight of a Human Heart. Ryan O'Neill

The Hidden Life of Trees. Peter Wohlleben. Audio

Tuck Everlasting. Natalie Babbitt

The Hate U Give. Angie Thomas

Burial Rites. Hannah Kent. Audio

Moonrise. Sarah Crossan

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls. Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

12 of my 100 reads were 5 stars.

5 Aussie books. 

4 Adult reads.

2 Picture Books. 

1 Verse Novel.

5 Audio Books. 

3 Nonfiction/memoir.

10 Female Authors.

3 Male Authors

9 New to Me Authors!

The Weight of a Human Heart had a big impact on my reading aspirations being the first short story collection that I've read in many a year. I have now amassed quite a number of short story collections (quite a number), I hope that more will be appearing in the best reads of 2018. 

Also interesting that 5 of my top 12 were audio books. I really have taken to them with gusto. I really loved all of those audio books. Maggot Moon was particularly stupendous of course, but the others are all fabulous. Burial Rites was magnificent and beautifully read, and it was wonderful to hear the Icelandic names and places pronounced rather than stumbling over them every time whilst reading. Noone could be more surprised than I was to actually listen to a celebrity memoir (it's not my thing) and then enjoying it so much. And The Hidden Life of Trees really changed how I view and think about trees. Did I even think about trees before? Not nearly as much. 

Rather incredibly I appear to have not read any Jackie French in 2017 so she can't make an appearance in this list. This is the first time that this has happened since lists began to be compiled. I shall have to rectify this terrible omission in 2018. 

Don't Call Me Bear

I do love the opportunity to read a new Aaron Blabey book. He has a particular, and sometimes peculiar point of view. Aaron Blabey's books are funny, and lots of fun too. 

Don't Call Me Bear is a simple book, told in lovely rhyme pointing out a fact that we all know- that koalas are not intact bears, even though they often get called koala bears. 

Warren is a rather angsty koala who doesn't like being called a bear. 

Picture Source

Don't Call Me Bear has a wonderful laconic, Australian tone. Highly recommended. 

Aaron Blabey is so prolific that it's really hard keeping up even though most of his books are picture books! I haven't read all of his books, but I do think that Thelma the Unicorn will likely remain my favourite.  (see my review)

I Need a Hug

I'm doing a really bad job of trying to read the CBCA nominated titles this year (see the Shortlist here). The winners are announced at midday today! And I haven't even managed to get through the picture books. C'est la vie I suppose.

I Need a Hug is a delightful picture book for the very youngest children, by the ever present Aaron Blabey, letting us know that everyone needs some kindness and affection sometimes. No matter how prickly

Picture Source

or slithery they are.

I Need a Hug was an Early Childhood Notable Book this year. Here is a terrific profile on Aaron Blabey, showing his cute little studio in the Blue Mountains which is full of music and musical inspiration.

Aaron feels lucky to have a job as a writer. "Our job is to make something out of nothing" and that what he does is simply "Me walking around thinking up stuff and then trying not get in the way of it". Rather incredibly his first book, Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley, was written on toilet paper (toilet paper that is now framed and on his wall)!

A Year in Books 2015

It's time to look back in awe at the best reading I did in 2015. Well, it's actually getting a little late for it, I know most everyone else has done their list, but I do enjoy this retrospection, and will enjoy looking back on it years from now too.

As usual I'm relying on the books I gave 5 stars to on Goodreads this year. I read 118 books in 2015. A fair effort but well short of the somewhat random 200 I set myself as a goal.


Withering-by-Sea. An exciting Victorian tale of mystery and adventure.

I am Juliet. Always good to have a Jackie French on my end of year list. 

See Ya, Simon. Powerful Kiwi storytelling. 

Redwall. It really surprised me that I liked this book so much. It still does. 

The Man Who Loved Boxes. A beautiful picture book about the father son bond. 

Brock. An extraordinarily powerful book about badgers and many other things. 

Pardon My French. A fabulous little book that taught me so much

Sister Madge's Book of Nuns. Doug MacLeod is hilarious. 

Protected. Claire Zorn is going from strength to strength. 

Mister Monday. I finally got to read, well listen to, Garth Nix, and he's brilliant. 

The Impossible Knife of Memory. More Laurie Halse Anderson brilliance. 

Fattypuffs and Thinifers. Perfect French Quirkiness. 

The Running Man. My book of the year. 

Risk. A great page turning YA cautionary tale. 

Thelma the Unicorn. Picture book perfection from Aaron Blabey. 

Ash Road. An Australian classic, still fresh today. 

The Witches. Roald Dahl, the master.

The Girl on the Train. It's so nice to get caught up in a thriller from time to time.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Totally lives up to the hype. 

The Lucy Family Alphabet. Is it possible that I love Judith just that little bit more now?

Coco Chanel. A fabulous illustrated biography of fashion's most famous designer. 

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. A fabulous near Dickensian story with added wolves. 

22 out of the 118 books earnt themselves 5 stars. That's a pretty good hit rate.

12 Aussie Books

3 Picture Books

3 Nonfiction/Memoir

2 Paris Books

3 Audio Books

6 1001 Books

9 Female Authors

13 Male Authors

14 New to Me Authors

I hope 2016 is another great reading year. No reason to think it won't be...

Thelma The Unicorn

Aaron Blabey is everywhere at the moment. He released at least seven books that I know of last year alone, and there are more on the way. It would almost be too much, if they weren't all fabulous. Thelma the Unicorn is especially fabulous.

Thelma is really a shaggy pony, but she dreams of being glamorous and special.

She doesn't want to be outdone by pretty fillies in the field, she dreams of being a unicorn.

Thelma felt a little sad.
In fact, she felt forlorn.
You see, she wished with all her heart
to be a unicorn. 

And in a miracle of transformation just a carrot and truck full of paint and glitter later- Thelma is a unicorn.

But being a glamorous, sparkly unicorn is not all it's cracked up to be. What with continual stalking by fans and papparazi Thelma can't get a minutes peace.

Younger children may not notice the strong message of self-acceptance, the references to celebrity culture and chasing fame, but parents sure will in this cautionary, be-careful-what-you-wish-for tale.

My copy recommends Thelma for primary school age children. Which is rather bizarre- Thelma is perfect for preschool kids as a read out loud book and kids need to hear her message from a very early age.

You can see Aaron give an enthusiastic reading of Thelma here.

Pig the Fibber

Last year we had the sensational Pig the Pug, a very fun book about a very naughty pug called Pig. (See my review). This year Pig is back, being naughtier than ever. And poor Trevor is copping the brunt of it again. Pig likes to do naughty things and then lie about it and blame Trevor.

Of course Pig learns that lying is naughty in the end, but in the meanwhile there is lots of pug naughtiness and even some pug fart jokes.

Sadly my photo doesn't capture the full
malevolence of the cloud of green fug

Wonderful rhyme make Pig the Fibber a perfect read aloud book.

Aaron Blabey is one of the big names of Aussie picture books. Somehow he has managed to publish seven books this year! 7. I can't keep up.

This week I've fallen in love with another pug too. Loca lives in Belfast, and has a particular problem with running. So funny, you can't watch her just once.

AusReading Month 2015 at Brona's Books

The Brothers Quibble

I do enjoy Aaron Blabey's work and try to keep up, but somehow I missed The Brothers Quibble when it was released last year. It was only when I read the very fun Pig the Pug also last year (see my review) that I saw The Brothers Quibble was chosen to be the book for National Simultaneous Storytime 2015 (11am May 27) that I sought it out.

The Brothers Quibble is a very clever book about sibling rivalry. From the dedication onwards it is fabulous.

For those who had sharing thrust upon them. 

Spalding Quibble is an only child. Living the life of an only child.

Until the inevitable, awful thing happens.

Spalding reacts in a rather typical first child way. 

The Brothers Quibble is a great journey into sibling rivalry, and what families must do to get along. It is particularly clever, and you notice it is even more clever every time you pick it up.

Kingston Library have uploaded a Virtual Storytime version of The Brothers Quibble.

And SBS have made a French translation available!

Check out the NSS website and The Book Chook for a great range of resources for activities.