2024-04-23 05:42
Residing in USA, David Thorne is the Australian author behind the notorious Missing Missy and despite a scathing review of Look Evelyn Duck Dynasty Wiper Blades. We Should Get Them in 2020… Read More
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This is an Australian book blog containing book reviews, giveaways and author interviews.
2024-04-17 06:51
Translated by Sam Bett, The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Japanese author Keigo Higashino has an enticing premise. Three youths seek a place to lay low after carrying out a robbery… Read More
2024-04-15 06:12
I'm a huge fan of Irish comedian David O'Doherty, and on seeing he'd released a middle grade book for kids I was immediately reserving the print copy and audiobook from my library.When The S… Read More
2024-04-09 06:39
The Institute by Stephen King will be akin to coming home for readers familiar with SKs oeuvre. A band of kids working together. An injustice of sorts. A clear bad guy / bad guys situation… Read More
2024-04-05 04:15
* Copy courtesy Simon & Schuster *It's 1665 and Emilia Lennox heads to court to seek the favour of King Charles II after losing everything when her husband's lands and title were confisc… Read More
2024-03-27 06:20
Browsing the shelves of my local library, I came across an attractive hardback copy of Bizarre London - Discover the Capital's Secrets & Surprises by David Long. I was convinced to take… Read More
2024-03-22 06:16
Here's what I know for sure after reading this book. Robin Ince is extremely well read. Robin Ince knows a LOT about books. Robin Ince buys an extraordinary amount of books. Robin Ince is a… Read More
2024-03-19 05:05
I didn't plan on reading two time travel books back to back, yet found myself in this position when reading The Other Side of Night by Adam Hamdy straight after The Book of Doors by Gareth B… Read More
2024-03-11 04:48
* Copy courtesy of Penguin Random House *The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown has the potential to take out 'best cover design' for 2024 as determined here at Carpe Librum. Let's just take… Read More
2024-02-29 06:38
Pockets - An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close by Hannah Carlson was an interesting read. I listened to the audiobook read by Stephanie Cannon and while I have a passing and somew… Read More
2024-02-22 06:27
After a ripping introduction to the work of David Sedaris in 2021 via Calypso, his work has been hit and miss since then. Naked was a 2 star read, Me Talk Pretty One Day a 3 star read and Dr… Read More
2024-02-20 04:40
Two sisters live together in their family home in Nigeria. Korede and Ayoola. The older sister is a hardworking nurse in a hospital and her sibling is a killer. Ayoola is beautiful and manip… Read More
2024-02-17 06:14
The Madman's Library - The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History by Edward Brooke-Hitching is a weighty yet stunning hardback book bursting with glorious i… Read More
2024-02-15 05:57
If you love fairytales and historical fiction set in France, then The Bee and the Orange Tree by Melissa Ashley will interest you. Set in the salons of Paris and commencing in 1699 during th… Read More
2024-02-08 05:12
Vital Organs - A History of the World's Most Famous Body Parts by Suzie Edge has a nifty concept to pull in readers eager to discover the quirky stories behind 'history's most famous limbs… Read More
2024-01-31 04:46
* Copy courtesy of Scribe Publications *Opening with a disclosure about her fingernails, readers picking up The Pulling quickly discover that Australian author Adele Dumont is extending an i… Read More
2024-01-24 04:53
Magic Words - What to Say to Get Your Way by Jonah Berger was an interesting audiobook and the author's research promises to reveal 'how six types of words can increase your impact in every… Read More
2024-01-19 05:11
From one book with a creepy house at sunset on the cover to another, and this is my third visit to the Tradd Street series written by Karen White. Beginning with The House on Tradd Street (#… Read More
2024-01-16 05:16
* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *An author struggling to write her next bestseller receives a request from a famous billionaire in Malibu to ghost write his family's story. Our prota… Read More
2024-01-14 05:19
It's a new year and a fresh start for annual challenges and I'm signing up for two reading challenges this year. Non Fiction Reading Challenge 2024First up is the Non Fiction Reading Challen… Read More
2024-01-10 04:50
I didn't expect to close out my year of reading in 2023 with a book by Bill Bryson or a book about Christmas, yet both of these coalesced when I came across the irresistibly titled The Secre… Read More
2024-01-08 06:14
2023 was an excellent reading year overall, and I read a total of 76 books with (weirdly) the same amount of 5 star reads as last year, with 19 books earning a 5 star rating. In previous yea… Read More
2024-01-02 04:28
I finally read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and I'm sad to say it was a disappointing experience. Esther Greenwood is a 19 year old student from Boston and the first half of this slim modern… Read More
2023-12-29 04:08
I love participating in the Non Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by fellow Aussie book blogger Shelleyrae at Book'd Out and this year I signed up for the Nonfiction Nibbler level o… Read More
2023-12-22 04:28
* Copy courtesy of Scribe Publications *I've always been fascinated by language, accents and linguistic diversity. I have an Australian accent and my favourite accents to listen to are the K… Read More
2023-12-20 04:49
* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *After reading Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See earlier this year and identifying it as a real contender for my Top 5 list, I was lucky enough t… Read More
2023-12-17 05:49
At the beginning of the year I signed up for the Renaissance Reader level of the 2023 Historical Fiction Challenge which required me to read 10 historical fiction books. As a comparison, las… Read More
2023-12-15 05:15
* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *Australian author Jack Heath is back in the charts and on my reading schedule with Kill Your Husbands this month. Heath is known for writing gritty and… Read More
2023-12-11 05:17
In 2007 I read Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott and remember being impressed with the knowledge imparted and trying to absorb and implement as many of the key points as I could into my da… Read More
2023-12-06 03:50
* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is an historical fiction novel set in Maine in 1789 inspired by the life of Martha Ballard. Martha was an 18th centu… Read More
2023-11-30 05:03
* Copy courtesy of Scribe Publications *Retro Sydney 1950 - 2000 by Nathan Mete is a collection of photographs that invites the reader to step back in time and tap into their nostalgia and s… Read More
2023-11-27 05:28
The Turn of Midnight by Minette Walters was published in 2019 and follows straight on from the events in The Last Hours, published in 2017. I received this book from a generous bookish frien… Read More
2023-11-21 04:44
* Copy courtesy of Text Publishing *In Corners of Melbourne - The Great Orange-Peel Panic and Other Stories from the Streets, Australian author Robyn Annear takes us through some of the inte… Read More
2023-11-17 05:44
* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan *The Armour of Light by Ken Follett is a 700+ page novel, but if you're concerned it'll be a slow burn or you'll have to suffer through a slow start, fear no… Read More
2023-11-08 05:30
Peter Faulding has had a stellar career, and in What Lies Beneath - My Life as a Forensic Search and Rescue Expert I was looking forward to reading all about it. Why the one star rating? I'l… Read More
2023-11-05 05:27
Maps are such a big part of our lives, I'm surprised I haven't read into the topic before now. I'm old enough to remember planning a journey with a road atlas or referring to handwritten dir… Read More
2023-10-30 05:27
Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway last week to win a signed copy of Bone Rites by Australian author Natalie Bayley. All entrants correctly guessed the name of Natalie's guest post A… Read More
2023-10-28 06:24
Our health has changed dramatically over the centuries, and in This Mortal Coil - A History of Death by Andrew Doig, the author explores the main causes of death we face today (heart disease… Read More
2023-10-26 05:19
IntroWelcome to Australian author and new pen friend Natalie Bayley. As part of the blog tour for Bone Rites, Natalie is going to share some interesting facts about the Edwardian period. Sti… Read More
2023-10-24 04:31
* Copy courtesy of Penguin Books Australia * Ernie's back after the events in the last book (Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone) and following on from his subsequent publishing su… Read More
2023-10-19 04:21
* Copy courtesy of the author *IntroNatalie Bayley is a talented UK born Australian author residing in Sydney and it's a pleasure to be part of the digital blog tour celebrating the release… Read More
2023-10-11 04:57
* Copy thanks to Hachette Australia *Sophie Blackall is back from her award winning picture book Farmhouse, with her new release If I Was a Horse.You might remember Farmhouse was based on th… Read More
2023-10-05 05:10
I had so much fun putting together and publishing my post 8 Books on My TBR with Birds on the Cover earlier in the year, I decided to do another one.
This time, I've recently notic… Read More
2023-10-02 05:33
I was in the mood for a gothic historical fiction novel set on the coast when I picked up The Widow of Pale Harbour by Hester Fox recently. It's 1846, and Gabriel Stone is looking for a sea… Read More
2023-09-29 08:04
Today I'm celebrating my biggest Carpe Librum milestone yet! (Drum roll)I've just reached 2 Million Page Views!In 2021 I reached 1.5M views and was ecstatic to continue enjoying an average o… Read More
2023-09-22 06:11
Don't Hang Up by Benjamin Stevenson is an Audible Original available for free with my membership at the moment. Coming in at just over 3 hours in duration, this is a fast-paced Australian do… Read More
2023-09-20 05:19
I totally fell in love with the creative process behind the embroidered cover design for Miss Austen by Gill Hornby after watching this video created by Chloe Giordano. I've been stitching … Read More
2023-09-18 05:48
The Book of the Raven - Corvids in Art & Legend by Caroline Roberts and Angus Hyland is a beautiful collection of artwork, poetry and short chapters about corvids and ravens in art and l… Read More
2023-09-15 06:17
The Boy Under the Table by Australian author Nicole Trope is about Tina, a homeless young girl living on the streets of Sydney's red light district, King's Cross. Tina's struggle to survive… Read More
2023-09-12 05:10
I thoroughly enjoyed this young adult fantasy novel and it may even be a Top 5 contender for 2023. Published in 1968, The Last Unicorn by American author Peter S. Beagle has become a modern… Read More
2023-09-07 05:26
* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *Mia Jacob was raised in a puritanical cult known as the Community in Massachusetts where contact with the outside world is non existent and books are… Read More
2023-09-05 06:22
My path to this book began with an unsolicited copy of The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer earlier this year. Unfamiliar with his work, I came across some very funny skits on Would I Lie To… Read More
2023-09-03 06:24
A quick check tells me Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper was published in 2008, added to my virtual TBR pile back in 2016, and it has taken me until now to finally get around to requesting… Read More
2023-09-01 05:43
August was Women In Translation (WIT) month and this year marks the tenth year of the project designed to encourage more readers to pick up books written and translated by women. I don't alw… Read More
2023-08-30 04:47
After dipping my toe back into the true crime pool again recently, I've roused an old curiosity regarding how people can become capable of hurting others emotionally, psychologically and in… Read More
2023-08-22 05:35
This Victorian historical crime novel is based on the true story of young Harriet Monckton, who was murdered in Kent in 1843. Harriet was 23 years old and was found poisoned in the privy beh… Read More
2023-08-16 06:15
Walcha (pronounced like polka) is a small town in NSW, located half way between Sydney and Brisbane with a population of approximately 2,475 people. In 2017, Natasha Darcy murdered her partn… Read More
2023-08-14 06:11
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill has many layers, some of which I'm still untangling while trying to write this review. This mystery novel contains a book within a book and so many… Read More
2023-08-11 05:55
* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *Discovering The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware was a reading highlight of 2019 and the book made it onto my Top 5 Books of 2019 list. I'… Read More
2023-08-07 05:37
This audiobook was a sheer delight! With a smooth and uniquely distinctive voice, author and puzzler A.J. Jacobs takes us on a tour of puzzles and the people who love them in The Puzzler - O… Read More
2023-08-02 06:15
"The circus arrives without warning." The opening lines of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern draw the reader into a whole new world, where magic is real and those with the gift disguise t… Read More
2023-07-31 06:48
A few years ago, I adored reading Snail Mail: Rediscovering the Art and Craft of Handmade Correspondence by Michelle Mackintosh so much that it made my Top 5 Books of 2015 list. Snail Mail i… Read More
2023-07-27 13:45
I was in the mood for another engaging audiobook experience like Gory Details by Erika Engelhaupt recently, when I picked up Bizarre - The Most Peculiar Cases of Human Behavior and What They… Read More
2023-07-25 07:28
Published in 1992, Doomsday Book by Connie Willis is now considered a modern science fiction classic. I'm not usually a fan of time travel novels, however the premise for Doomsday Book is me… Read More
2023-07-22 06:41
The Dirt on Clean - An Unsanitized History by Katherine Ashenburg takes us through our delightfully dirty and grubby past, as we meander through the ages taking stock of attitudes to dirt an… Read More
2023-07-17 07:21
Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway last week to win a copy of children's book The Skull - A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen. All but one entrant correctly identified the brave… Read More
2023-07-15 06:09
I came across this book, Almost Lost Arts - Traditional Crafts and the Artisans Keeping Them Alive by Emily Freidenrich by chance when looking through my library's catalogue for something co… Read More
2023-07-12 06:07
* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *I've never read a book set in China during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and I'm not into women's literature, so when this book arrived in my mailbox… Read More
2023-07-07 04:33
IntroIt's winter here in Australia and the perfect time to snuggle in with a good book to read, or win free stuff! For those who want to do both, I'm warming my hands by the heater as I brin… Read More
2023-07-06 07:22
* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan *I first came across the Do Nothing Man from Japan in a BBC documentary called The Japanese man who gets paid to 'do nothing'. I was fascinated by the short… Read More
2023-06-30 05:51
* Copy courtesy of Transit Lounge *Sporting one of the best cover designs of the year so far, The Terrible Event by David Cohen is a collection of short stories promising 'death, destruction… Read More
2023-06-28 12:56
I've recently noticed a trend in my to be read (TBR) pile, and it's the sheer number of books with birds on the cover. I don't know whether I have an unconscious bias towards books with bird… Read More
2023-06-20 05:59
* Copy courtesy of Harper Collins *In Becoming Mrs Mulberry by Jackie French, the reader meets Agnes in 1924 at the Mulberry estate known as Wombat Hills, in the Blue Mountains of New South… Read More
2023-06-13 05:58
I've only recently discovered the work of David Mitchell, and I don't mean the novelist who wrote Cloud Atlas. In fact, the author comments on just how often the two are confused, well not b… Read More
2023-06-08 05:45
I did it! It took me 10 weeks, but I finally read The Brothers Grimm 101 Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. I read the original Snow White and Sleeping Beauty tales and more besides. Ho… Read More
2023-06-06 05:31
* Copy courtesy of Hachette *An historical fiction novel inspired by the Voynich manuscript? Yes please! For those needing a refresher, the Voynich manuscript is a handwritten book on vellum… Read More
2023-05-31 05:48
* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *I read The Farm by Tom Rob Smith in 2014 and I can still remember the gasp I made when I realised the predicament the main character was in. In 2014… Read More
2023-05-26 05:39
I've read two five star novels by Maggie O'Farrell now (Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait) and I finally made time to dip a toe into her back catalogue. I'd previously worried that I Am, I Am… Read More
2023-05-23 05:22
My exploration of colour continues, and this time I'm back with Black - The History of a Color by Michel Pastoureau. A hefty hard cover with beautiful artwork inside, this massive tome took… Read More
2023-05-22 15:06
Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway last week to win 1 of 3 copies of Drowning by T.J. Newman. Before she was a bestselling author, T.J. Newman was a flight attendant and fortunately… Read More
2023-05-19 05:25
* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *This was a real surprise. The Satsuma Complex arrived in my mailbox unsolicited, and despite attending the Melbourne Comedy Festival each year, and h… Read More
2023-05-15 05:31
According to the blurb for Patch Work - A Life Amongst Clothes, author Claire Wilcox has been employed as a curator for the Victoria and Albert Museum for most of her working career. Since v… Read More
2023-05-12 05:41
IntroI'm teaming up with Simon & Schuster today to offer Carpe Librum readers in Australia the chance to WIN 1 of 3 copies of Drowning by T.J. Newman valued at $32.99AUD each. Author T.J… Read More
2023-05-11 06:17
The Archive of Alternate Endings by Lindsey Drager is quite unlike any book I've read before. The story of Hansel and Gretel is told at 75 year intervals between the years 1378 - 2365 to coi… Read More
2023-05-09 06:37
* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia *Death of a Bookseller takes place in a Walthamstow bookshop in London called Spines and is told by two employees of the shop, Roach and Laura. These tw… Read More
2023-05-06 06:06
* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *Australian Hugh Mackay is a psychologist and social researcher and he knows what makes us tick. Literally! Hugh Mackay is known for studying attitudes a… Read More
2023-05-02 05:31
I'm a sucker for titles like this, and I was drawn to read Personal Effects - What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living by Robert A. Jensen in order to find out what Je… Read More
2023-04-28 05:50
* Copy courtesy of Harper Collins *One Illumined Thread by Sally Colin-James is an historical fiction novel about the lives of three women linked across three very different timelines. In He… Read More
2023-04-24 08:16
Reading Storm in a Teacup - The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski is akin to dipping your toe into the world of physics and thankfully Czerski provides a steady hand for the layperso… Read More
2023-04-18 06:02
* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia *Like many of you, I've been working hard to improve my physical health and wellbeing for years, and this book has come at just the right time. In Built… Read More
2023-04-11 07:43
* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *Homecoming by Kate Morton is one of my most highly anticipated releases for 2023. This distinctly Australian historical fiction novel starts strong with… Read More
2023-03-28 02:34
* Copy courtesy of Bloomsbury *I've always been interested in shoes, and as each year passes I find an increasing interest in history and social history in particular. Fortunately, these int… Read More
2023-03-15 05:03
* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan *In January 2022 I attended the Doll House: Miniature Worlds of Wonder exhibition at Como House in Melbourne which featured over 40 dollhouses from the 1890s… Read More
2023-03-08 04:38
Apologies are complex. A well-worded apology can soothe hurt feelings, save a failing relationship or repair one, while a bad apology can exacerbate the situation or end up causing further i… Read More
2023-03-05 05:32
I was on holiday recently and put the word out to see if there were any fellow Aussie reviewers who'd like to do a buddy read for The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It's always fu… Read More
2023-03-03 13:07
My first impression after reading On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King, is just how hard the author has worked to get where he is today. Many readers know Stephen King was rais… Read More
2023-02-27 04:45
I didn't get on with Moby Dick at University. I was far more interested in reading The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett at the time and found Herman Melville's writing to be inaccessible… Read More
2023-02-23 05:57
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow is a young adult urban fantasy novel about adventure, stories, portals, travel and change. I knew I was going to be in safe hands very ear… Read More
2023-02-08 05:44
I enjoyed The Remains of the Day, the story of an ageing butler reminiscing about serving Lord Darlington between WWI and WWII, while Klara and the Sun was an interesting… Read More
2023-02-06 07:47
Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway last week to win 1 of 2 signed copies of Confluence by Gemma Chilton. It's true, Gemma is from Southern Tasmania and everyone answered correctly. E… Read More
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