Best of 2020, January's fresh fiction, laughs and thrills

Happy new reading year booklovers! I hope this edition finds you safe and well... and perhaps, like me, recovering from indulging in a little too much chocolate during the festive season? Today we reflect on the best of 2020, look forward to this month's sparkling new releases, and I review a thrilling contemporary crime mystery released in December plus an award-winning title by one of my favourite comedians...

Best Books of 2020: My favourite reads of the year

What a year, huh? For me, one of the best things about 2020 was the books I read. While below average on quantity, I did read quite diversely. Plus, the quality of the titles on my 2020 reading pile was very high, with four (4) novels earning my typically elusive 5-star rating. Join me in celebrating my Best Books of 2020 by Genre.

New Book Releases 2021: January’s fresh fiction

My top picks of January's new books. Fantastic new fiction including locked-room and psychological thrillers, literary mysteries, historical drama, fantasy and save-the-world sci-fi. How many these will be earning a spot on your reading pile?

White Throat by Sarah Thornton, Review: Relentless intensity

Here I was thinking Alan Carter’s Nick Chester was going to be the most pig-headed and stubborn crime lead I’d read all year, but Sarah Thornton has trumped him with her 'White Throat' leading lady. Clementine Jones is a woman who goes with her gut, much like J M Green’s Stella Hardy, and she would give Emma Viskic’s Caleb Zelic a run for his money when it comes to being reckless with her own safety, and at times the law.

488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan, Review: Sage humour

Regular readers will know self-help books just are not my thing…. they never have been. But, I very much enjoyed Kitty Flanagan’s somewhat tongue-in-cheek response to this publishing juggernaut. It started out as a five-minute segment on ABC TV show 'The Weekly' and then took on a life of its own.

Aussie Author Reading Challenge 2021

The Aussie Author Reading Challenge 2021 homepage is live and recording sign-ups for our 12th year! These days quality Australian literature can be found in all good bookstores around the world, so readers from all over the globe are invited to participate. What better way to satisfy that pent-up wanderlust from the comfort (and safety) of your reading chair. Marianne (aka Cloggie Downunder) has already linked-up her first review for the year!

Find out more >>

AUSSIE BOOKLOVERS may be interested in the Students Need School Libraries campaign. Right now they are seeking NSW residents to support their NSW Legislative Assembly’s ‘ePetition.

4 reading challenge levels
WALLABY, WALLAROO, KANGAROO & EMU
Find out more at the challenge homepage.

DOOM CREEK by Alan Carter - Jo @ Booklover Book Reviews
THE LAST TRUEHART by Darry Fraser - Denise Newton
HIDEOUT by Jack Heath - Tracey @ Carpe Librum
HITLER'S BROTHEL by Steve Matthews - Jennifer @ Tasmanian Bibliophile
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY by Amie Kaufman - Cloggie Downunder
WHEN THE APRICOTS BLOOM by Gina Wilkinson - Jennifer @ Tasmanian Bibliophile
WHITE THROAT by Sarah Thornton - Jo @ Booklover Book Reviews
SHATTER by Michael Robotham - Avid Series Reader
WHEN THE APRICOTS BLOOM by Gina Wilkinson - Cloggie Downunder
MONTANA by Fiona McArthur - Veronica @ The Burgeoning Bookshelf
SMART OVENS FOR LONELY PEOPLE by Elizabeth Tan - Jennifer @ Tasmanian Bibliophile
THE LIVING SEA OF WAKING DREAMS by Richard Flanagan - Jennifer @ Tasmanian Bibliophile
HONOUR AND OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN by Helen Garner - Kathryn @ Kathryn's Inbox
SEARCHING FOR CHARLOTTE by Kate Forsyth & Belinda Murrell - Denise Newton
MY BEST FRIEND'S MURDER by Polly Phillips - Cloggie Downunder
A CHRISTMAS RETURN by Anne Perry - Avid Series Reader
A CHRISTMAS REVELATION by Anne Perry - Avid Series Reader
SHELTER by Catherine Jinks - Jennifer @ Tasmanian Bibliophile
THE FIFTH SEASON by Philip Salom - Jennifer @ Tasmanian Bibliophile
KITCHEN SINK DRAMA by Paul Connolly - Cloggie Downunder
488 RULES FOR LIFE by Kitty Flanagan - Jo @ Booklover Book Reviews

Challenge participants linked up 540 reviews of books by Aussie Authors in 2020.

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