It’s Monday! What are you reading? – 26/1/26

First seen over on Book’d Out, I’m going to try to do this post regularly, linking to It’s Monday! What are you reading? at BookDate.

Last week, I posted about the reading challenges I’m hoping to complete this year; see here for details.

I had a good reading week last week, I finished all the books/audiobooks I was reading when I posted last week, plus an extra audiobook.

The Mobster’s Mate by Kiki Clark (Audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐💫

Xerxes Ascendant (House Epsilon Duology #2) by Adelaide Blaike ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

In Spite of You by Patrick Lenton ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Free the Bears by Mary Hutton with Julie Miller (nonfiction) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This week I’m reading/listening to

Heart by Jesse H Reign (Audiobook) – I read this a few weeks ago and loved it⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ , and had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. The narrator is usually one I enjoy, but I’m not feeling it with this book. Maybe if I hadn’t read it, it might be different. I will continue with it, though.

The Holiday Disaster by Rye Cox (Audiobook) – I’m not feeling this one at all, luckily its only a short one.

Jingle Bells & Tentacle Spells by Chloe Archer – a light fun read

Lavender Hill (A Windamere Novel #1)by Alissa Callen (ARC) – I always enjoy this author’s books

The Librarians of Rue De Picardie by Janet Skeslien Charles – I’m reading this for another new bookclub I’m trying out next weekend.

I already have several books and audiobooks lined up for next week, so hopefully I can get these finished.

Did you read anything good last week? Are you reading anything good this week? I’d love to hear in the comments.

Until next week, happy reading.

2026 Reading Challenges

Wow, where has January gone? I realised I haven’t posted my challenges for the year. I’m only doing a few this year, most are on StoryGraph, the normal Goodreads Challenge and 2 hosted by Book’d Out.

I set my reading goal on Goodreads and StoryGraph at 150 books, I know I’ll go past this, but just in case…

On StoryGraph I’m also doing

Queer your year 2026, which has 16 prompts to try to complete.

Bookish.kir is running a 52 Prompt Challenge which I’m already enjoying I have already completed 5 prompts.

The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge, which has 10 genres to try to read this year. I have completed one of these so far.

The StoryGraph reads the world, which has 10 countries to try to read books from or about.

The next two are hosted by Book’d Out

The Nonfiction Reader Challenge – I’m going to do the Nonfiction Nipper Challenge which is reading 3 books from any 3 categories. There are severasl levels, so if reading nonfiction or increasing your reading in nonfiction is a goal, be sure to check it out.

The other is the 2026 Speccy Fiction Challenge – I’m going to try for Survey: Read & review 12 books, one for each category, because I have been reading more speculative fiction lately. I think this will be my easiest challenge.

I could keep adding challenges, but I can’t keep track of them, so at the moment I’ll leave it at this.

What challenges are you aiming for?

Until next time, happy reading

It’s Monday! What are you reading? – 19/1/26

First seen over on Book’d Out, I’m going to try to do this post regularly, linking to It’s Monday! What are you reading? at BookDate.

I’m still going strong with my book-buying ban. I have been very tempted to buy a couple of books that were on special on Kindle, but I stayed strong. I need to stop borrowing books from the library if I’m ever going to read the books on my shelf.

I finished my latest masterpiece, which is a picture of my furbaby, and it came up really well. It’s currently at the framers because I really loved this one.

I didn’t post last week; I was just too tired to get my laptop out. I’m feeling much the same today, but am making an effort. I’ll post photos of the previous fortnight’s reads too. I posted one review, I’m disappointed it wasn’t more, but one is better than none.

The Question of Us (Fisher & Church #2) by Jay Hogan

This Peanuts comic came up in my memories on FB, and I thought I’d share it here.

So, onto what I’ve been reading

I read

Xerxes Descendant (House Epsilon Duology #1) by Adeliade Blaike ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My review

Pilbara by Judy Nunn ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 I am trying out a new bookclub tonight, and this was the book they were reading. I already owned it, so it made me actually read it, not put it on the shelf to look pretty. I’ll let you know how the new bookclub is next week.

I listened to

Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was a good read, but not AS good as I was hoping for. I still enjoyed it and will keep my eye out for more by this author.

The next two I’ve read before but recently bought all the audiobooks, these were books 4 & 5 in the Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees series but I know there are more books coming in the series at some point.

The Trouble With Trying to Hook a Harbinger by Jennnifer Cody ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 my review

The Trouble With Trying to Bag a Blood Witch by Jennifer Cody ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My review

This week I am reading/Listening to

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (audiobook) – currently at 51%

Xerxes Ascendant (House Epsilon Duology #2) by Adelaide Blaike – currently at 74%

In Spite of You by Patrick Lenton – currently at 64%

Free the Bears by Mary Hutton with Julie Miller (nonfiction) – currently at 23%. I’m reading this for the Nonfiction Reader Challenge hosted by Book’d Out. I hope to have my post up about this challenge sometime this week.

I have no idea what I willl read next, maybe the bookclub book for the other bookclub I’m going to check out on the 1st February, we will see.

*Editing to say I will be reading Lavender Hill by Alissa Callen next as it’s out on the 28th January.

What have you been reading? What are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time, happy reading.

Audiobook Review: The Question of Us by Jay Hogan

The Question of Us (Fisher & Church #2) by Jay Hogan

4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

It was great to reconnect with Nick and Mads again and see what had been happening since their ordeal in The Meaning of You.

I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop further throughout this book. It is nice to see older MCs in stories who have baggage and lived experiences that affect their reactions and their relationships. These guys do a reasonable job of communication, but it could be better. I think they’ll work on that, especially after their latest troubles.

They land themselves and Gary in even more danger in their determination to save a young man they came across in book 1, who might be in trouble. There is so much going on, and I was as horrified as they were as they uncovered what was going on, putting their lives in danger because the bad guys were powerful and rich in their corrupt world. Some of their decisions (most of their choices) went way against a normal person’s better judgment and could have ended in complete disaster.

I really can’t wait to see what happens in the final book, The Promise of Forever.

The narrator, Gary Furlong, does another great job bringing the men and the story to life.

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About the book

The nightmare is over. Or so I keep telling myself. Bruised and battered, we’d narrowly escaped with our lives. I should be grateful. Grateful that my captors are in custody. Grateful that the chilling, roller-coaster of events, actually brought Nick and me closer. Grateful that we’ve finally taken a step toward something more than friendship. And I am, grateful.

But life isn’t simple.

Relationships need work.

And peace of mind is elusive in the face of unbearable guilt.

Because I’m the one who unraveled the puzzle. The one responsible for sending a young man back to a life he thought he’d escaped forever. Until I know he’s safe; until I’ve done everything I can to fix what happened, there will be no pretending I’ve done my bit. No leaving it up to the authorities. I can’t forget and move on. Not in my job. Not in my life. And certainly not in my fledgling romance with Nick Fisher who stormed into my heart with a truckload of his own issues.

The fate of a young man isn’t the only thing at stake. The quest for truth will push us to our limits. And the biggest question of all—do Nick and I have what it takes to survive the answers.

Author’s This story features discussion of the death of a spouse who is not a main character and references to domestic and sexual abuse. ‘The Question of Us’ is the second audiobook in a romantic suspense series following the same couple. There are no relationship cliffhangers.

It’s Monday! What are you reading? – 5/1/26

First seen over on Book’d Out, I’m going to try to do this post regularly, linking to It’s Monday! What are you reading? at BookDate.

I’m still going strong with my book-buying ban, but I am realising I will need to cancel KU at some point if I plan to make a dent in the books I already own. I did pick up a few free books last week, possibly a few more than a few, but since I didn’t pay for them, that’s ok.

Last week I was super tired so I listened to more than I read for most of the week, only catching up over the weekend.

The Shadows Beyond by TJ Rose (Audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Trouble With Trying to Love a Hellion by Jennifer Cody (Audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

Heart by Jesse H Reign (ARC) ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ RTC

The Ex in Xmas by Robin Knight ⭐⭐⭐⭐ more quirky fun in Mulligan’s Mill

Holiday Pines by Timothy Warren ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ I won a copy of this over Christmas break and absolutely enjoyed it.

This week I’m reading/listening to

Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray (Audiobook) I started two audiobooks last week that I just wasn’t getting on with, I gave them both around 2.5 hours of listening time each but ultimately sent them back to Borrowbox. This one finally arrived on Borrowbox this morning and I’m enjoying it so far.

Emerald Earth by Adam J Ridley, I’ve read this before but I haven’t read book 4 and felt I needed to reread the other three before I started on it.

Pilbara by Judy Nunn, I bought this for myself last year because I was going to see the author speak. Now I’m thinking of joining a new localish bookclub and this is their read for the 19th Jan.

How to Reap a Soul (and fail miserably) by April Kelley (ARC)

Tenderfoot by Toni Jordan, I started this last week but I haven’t read much further because I was just too tired and now Pilbara is taking more of my attention because it had a read by date.

Have you read any of these? Did you read anything good last week? Are you reading anything good this week? I’d love to hear in the comments.

Until next time, happy reading.

Six Degrees of Separation – January 2026

This is a monthly link-up hosted by KateW at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the other books on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain. The rules are:

Link the books together in any way you like.
Provide a link in your post to the meme at Books Are My Favourite and Best.
Share these rules in your post.
Paste the link to your post in the comments on Kate’s post and/or the Linky Tool on that post.
Invite your blog readers to join in and paste their links in the comments and/or the Linky Tool.
Share your post on Twitter using the #6Degrees hashtag.
Be nice! Visit and comment on other posts and/or retweet other #6Degrees posts

This month’s starting book is the last link oin our December #6Degrees post. I didn’t end up publishing Decembers post, but I had worked out the books for it and the last books would have been The Seachangers by Meredith Appleyard.

This is about Ruth, who moved from the city to the seaside country town of Cutlers Bay and opened a cafe and Hamish, who comes to Cutlers Bay when his father dies to settle the affairs and renovate the house to sell. This one is still on my reading pile.

The Vet from Snowy River by Stella Quinn is about Vera, who moves to a country town in the Snowy Mountains to open a cafe. This one is also still on my to read pile.

The Kookaburra Creek Cafe by Sandie Docker is about 3 different women who have arrived in the small town of Kookaburra Creek for one reason or another. Hattie is the first to arrive and opens a cafe. This is another one that has been on my reading pile for too long.

The Cafe by the Bridge by Lily Malone also features someone who moves home to the country town of Challk Hill to renovate his Nana’s house and open a cafe. I read this in 2019 and loved it, see my review.

Home to the Heart Country by Libby Iriks is about Beth, who moves to a small country town in WA after getting an unexpected inheritance. She has to live in the town for 12 months before she can sell the house, so in the meantime starts renovating it with the help of a local. I loved this book that I read late last year, see my review.

Another unexpected inherritance in found in the Misty Mountains of Far North Queensland in Second Chance Family by Barbara Hannay. This one is complicated because the inheritance is shared by 2 people who have lives elsewhere but can”t sell for 12 months. This is also on my reading pile.

And finally, Home Sweet Home by Mandy Magro (I had to sit on the floor and go through my books to find this final link. Zara receives and unexpected inheritance in Far North Queensland. Yet another book languishing on my bookshelves unread.

So, we have people moving to country towns all over Australia to open cafes, claim inheritances and do renovations. Sounds like an ideal life.

Next month (February 7, 2026), we are starting with a book that has apparently topped lots of 2025 ‘best of’ lists – Flashlight by Susan Choi. I personally have never heard of it.

Until next time, happy reading

My Top Reads of 2025 and reading checkin

2025 saw me reading and listening to 273 books, 105 of which were audiobooks, which I think has to be the most I’ve ever listened to. I’m finding plenty of time to listen with my 9 hours of commuting for work each week and then walking the dog time, and any other time that I’m not physically reading can usually find me listening to a book.

I always try to read plenty of Australian authors, and because I was part of the Australian Women Writers blog before it changed its focus, I still keep track of the books I read by Australian women each year. This year, I read 76 books in that category.

If you’d like to check out all the books I read this year, here is the link

I had two standout books this year

My book of the year was my 260th book, The Names by Florence Knapp. I wish I could reread it for the first time.

My other standout read was A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle, this was so beautifully written and I wrote so many quotes down as I was reading, which isn’t something I would usually do.

Both of these books I would happily reread.

I read a lot of good books this year; you’d certainly hope so with the amount I read. I’ll drop a few favourites in the pic below. A very mixed bunch in terms of genre. Fantasy, scifi, Middle grade fiction, romance, MM romance, Rural romance, Young adult & contemporary fiction.

I’m hopng for another year of good reads this year.

As for any challenges I set myself to do, I did finish a couple but didn’t get around to entering them on the goodreads challenge pages, just kept track in my notebook. This year I’m not going to do the goodreads ones, it’s too time consuming for my energy levels.

I have a couple of challenges I will do, which I’ll write up a post for later, and I bought myself a reading journal. I’m hoping I can at least make some notes in there for review books and books I’ve loved so I can come back to them to write up when my brain is braining.

How did you go with your reading in 2025? Any book/s you think I absolutely must add to my TBR list?

Until next time, happy reading

It’s Monday! What are you reading? – 29/12/25

First seen over on Book’d Out, I’m going to try to do this post regularly, linking to It’s Monday! What are you reading? at BookDate.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas or a good break if you don’t celebrate Christmas. I had a good day. I had pancakes at my niece’s house with my other niece and nephews, which was lovely. Then I went to my Mum’s for lunch with my sister and her family, then back to my niece’s to catch up with more family, so it was a busy and enjoyable day.

I got one book for Christmas, The Lightning Ridge Ladies by Fiona McArthur, always a favourite author of mine. Did you get any good books for Christmas?

I’m still going strong on my book-buying ban, putting the money aside into my e-account every time I don’t buy one I really want to buy. I’m up to nearly $80 in 2 months. I probably should get rid of KU in the new year, so that I read some of the books I own and don’t keep reading new ones, but I’ll see how I feel.

I’ve had a great reading/listening week and finished off a couple of books that have been half-finished for a while, and a few ARCs whose reviews I’ll be writing up this week.

I think I forgot to show you all my reading nook now it’s all set up, the rug finally arrived, and it’s very cosy.

Last week I read/listened to

The Question of Us (Fisher & Church #2) by Jay Hogan (Audiobook ARC)⭐⭐⭐⭐ this was book 2 in the Fisher & Church series and picks up not long after that novel finishes. There is a lot happening as they pursue the bad guys from book 1 and move there relationship forward. I’m looking forward to book 3 when it comes out. RTC

A Boy Called Lovesong by Robin Knight (Audibook)⭐⭐⭐⭐ I read A Boy Called Rainbow and loved it. While this is a completely separate novel, I wish I’d read it rather than listened to it because I feel I didn’t quite get the emotional connection I’m used to in Robin’s work, and wonder if this would have made a difference.

At First Irritation: The Unwilling Adventures of Harlow & Fox (Book 1) by Shelby Rhodes (Audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐. I met Shelby at GLO and againat RARE back in September and October. She is a lovely person and a lot of fun to chat to. Her books are full of quirky characters and over-the-top craziness, and this book was a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to reading/listening to the rest of the series.

Prince of Nightmare by Hannah Penfold ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hannah is a local author I met at a book event last year and I bought this then, it’s a spin off of her duology The Crimson Scar and The Sapphire Crown, but can be read as a standalone read, I do wish I’d read the duology first because I felt I was missing a lot of background. I’ve been dipping in and out of this book for months and decided it was time to pick it up properly and finish it, I’m glad I did and look forward to reading the duology next

Singapore Sapphire (Harriet Gordon #1) by A.M Stuart – this was a reread that I originally read in 2019, and I’ve been wanting to read the rest of the Harriet Gordon series, so a reread was in order before I could do that. My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Also, I am looking forward to meeting Alison when she comes to Perth in May for Wild Out West.

Just a Little Joy (Just a Little #4) by Kerry Kilpatrick (ARC) I really enjoyed this sweet daddy/little romance ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I’m going to go back and read the first 3 books in the Just a Little series as the characters from those are all in this one.

Zero Pucks Given (Arctic Titans of Northwood U #9) by Hayden Hall (ARC) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ another sweet, spicy read in this series. RTC

Growing Up in Flames by Zach Jones (ARC) This book came out nearly 4 years ago, and I’m ashamed to say it’s taken me until now to read it. A Young Adult novel, it was a very dark read and quite bleak. There was a little bit of sunlight at the end for one of the characters. I’m not sure I really enjoyed it, even though I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. ⭐⭐⭐💫

This week I’m reading/listening to

Robbie (Confessions #1) by Ella Frank. This is a re-reread, the first 4 books in the Confessions series are ones I consider my comfort reads, and I’ve read them all several times. I had some credit on Audible and thought I’d grab the first 2, but I’m not enjoying the audiobook as much as I’d hoped, and I can see myself reading more than I listen to this one. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Champagne War by Fiona McIntosh (Audiobook). This is the first in the Vineyards of War series, and even though I have the book, I was browsing my to-read list in Borrowbox and decided I’d listen to the audiobook because it’ll be a while before I get to reading it otherwise. I’m a big fan of Fiona McIntosh’s work, so I’m sure to enjoy this one.

Tenderfoot by Toni Jordan, I picked this because the cover screamed read me! Isn’t it gorgeous? Then I saw it was in the top 2025 reads of my friend Theresa from Theresa Smith Writes, and I’m now sure I’ll like it for more than just the cover.

Heart by Jesse H Reign (ARC) I always enjoy Jesse’s writing so I was pleased to get an ARC of this novel, which comes out early January.

I’m sure I’ll finish Tenderfoot and Heart before next week, and I’ll have to pick something else from my overflowing pile. The question will be, what?

Did you read any good books last week? Are you reading anything good this week? I’d love to hear in the comments.

Until next time, which will be 2026! So, HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎉🎊, and happy reading.

It’s Monday! What are you reading? – 22/12/25

First seen over on Book’d Out, I’m going to try to do this post regularly, linking to It’s Monday! What are you reading? at BookDate.

It’s been a few weeks since I posted, I’ve been super tired and haven’t had the brain energy to post.

I’ve completed two paintings since I last posted, I’m very happy with both.

I’ve been walking in the national park a few mornings a week with a couple of friends, this morning they cancelled so my dog got a run on the beach instead, which she loved.

I’ve read/listened to 260 books this year with just over a week to go. And yesterday I finished my best book of the year. I plowed through it in a day and a half, barely getting any house stuff done yesterday because all I wanted to be doing was reading.

Last week I read/listened to

The Promise by Piper Scott (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐✨

Vengeance by Beck Grey (ARC) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

Tentacles are coming to Town by KC Carmine (ARC) ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

This Might Hurt by Riley Nash (Audiobook ARC) ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ My review

Her Buried Bones by Fiona Tarr ⭐⭐⭐✨ I didn’t like the narrator, if I continue with the rest of the series I will read them.

The Names by Florence Knapp ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is my book of the year. I wish I could read it again for the first time. My review

This week I’m reading/listening to

Prince of Nightmares by Hannah Penfold – I’ve been reading this in bits and pieces for a while, but I’d like to finish it before the end of the year, so I’ve picked it up properly, currently at 30%

Growing Up In Flames by Zach Jones, this is a long overdue ARC, I’m currently at 60%

The Question of Us by Jay Hogan (Audiobook ARC) currently at 55%

Zero Pucks Given by Hayden Hall (ARC) currently at 6%

Did you read anything good last week? Are you reading anything good this week? I’d love to hear in the comments.

Until next time, happy reading and if you celebrate Christmas have a good one.

New Release Book Review: Vengence by Beck Grey

This was really something very different for Beck Grey, but since I love their work, I was more than happy to go with the change in genre.

First up, I really appreciated the glossary being at the beginning of the book; reading through it made the characters and the world-building easier to follow, and the author has done a great job of building the world of Amagi. Being at the beginning also made it easier for me to flip back if I needed to and still find my furthest read page; saying that, I didn’t feel the need to skip back once I started.

I really enjoyed being drawn into the world of Amagi, and its magic system and political intrigue. There were some pretty brutal moments when our hero takes out the bad guys, but they deserved it!

Zayd and Nico made a great couple, and I loved how they became a team by the end of the book. Nico really changed everything for Zayd, not the least his aversion to becoming emotionally entangled with another person, and I enjoyed seeing this change as feelings became involved that he was unable to fight. Nico being able to accept Zayd for who he was and what he did (assassin) made it easier for Zayd to let down his walls.

This was a fast-paced read, and I hope in the next book we get more of Zayd and Nico’s story and see how things are evolving in Amagi.

Add to Goodreads

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Preorder from Amazon

About the book

They say the Shabah doesn’t exist.

They’re wrong.

I know because I was one of them—an assassin trained to kill without question and then vanish without a trace. Five years ago, on a mission with my closest friend, Kas, the unthinkable happened. We were ambushed by one of our own. I still see Kas’s blood on my hands and the confusion in his eyes as he died. Like a coward, I ran.

Now I’m back.

Amagi hasn’t changed. Same powerful Guilds, same rot beneath the surface. But I’m not the same man who fled. I’ve spent five years planning—waiting for the right moment to strike. I’ll figure out who was responsible, and every name on that list will pay. Slowly. Painfully. They took my brother-in-arms. They took my peace. I’ll take everything from them in return.

The Shabah think they buried their secret. They believe I’m gone.

They’re about to learn that ghosts don’t always stay dead.

Vengeance is an LGBTQ+ fantasy romance featuring a morally gray assassin sworn to avenge the past, a charming merchant unaware of the secrets in his own, and the dangerous connection that binds them. It’s a standalone introduction to the Amagi Chronicles universe.