#AussieYAChallenge 2025 Wrap Up

31 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in Aussie YA Challenge, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Over the course of the two years I have done challenge I have read 24 Aussie YA books. Which is a pretty good bump considering my #LoveOzYA reading had dropped off in recent years. I am still blaming the minimal amount of Aussie YA in audio, but I also have two bookcases choccas with Aussie titles I could pick up at any time so it’s not entirely the fault of the publishing industry.

I was worried I had maybe fallen by the wayside after my September update, but given the new titles on my final list I am pretty pleased with how I’ve ended up. Despite planning on reading 12 books a year I never actually planned the twelve. I was happy if it went over, I was picking stuff up willy nilly, not keeping track of numbers. It’s quite serendipitous that I landed on 12. I get to meet my Nix level reading goal without rushing to make up numbers at the eleventh hour which is a bonus.

Some of my absolute favourites were Impossible Music by Sean Williams and Because of You by Pip Harry. Both these stories took me into a world I knew about but not intimately and seeing the experiences of these characters was beautiful and heartbreaking, not to mention powerful. This is why I love Aussie YA, with such short stories we can really pack an emotional punch and make incredibly memorable stories.

Other choices were some I had been eying off at the library for months before finally picking them up. Tobias Madden knocking it out of the park with fun and interesting stories, and unexpected surprises with new author Clayton Zane Comber, not to mention Shivaun Plozza killing it once again.

Another reason I started this challenge wasn’t only to tick off a list, but to finally pick up the authors I’ve been wanting to read for years. It’s all well and good to say I want to read that, or it’s on my TBR list (700+ strong so what hope do I really have), but now I can actually follow through and share our great authors with everyone and maybe spread a bit of that #LoveOzYA love.

I am keen to see what new books I read next year, some old hopefully, some new definitely. The Aussie YA book world is filled with so many different stories and experiences it is a joy to pick up and fall into that unique Australian voice that makes our books so beloved.

If you participated alongside me I hope your challenge went as successful as you wanted and I hope you join me again with the challenge next year!

 

The final list:

All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

 Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza

 Because of You by Pip Harry

Wrong Answers Only by Tobias Madden

 100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze by Clayton Zane Comber

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay

Impossible Music by Sean Williams

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

Flip by Rebecca Fraser

The Day the Bridge Fell by Coral Vass

Here’s the Thing by Emily O’Beirne

2025 Book Bingo Wrap Up

30 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in Book Bingo Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What I’ve enjoyed with my Book Bingo cards of late is reading whatever books through the year and come December seeing what I can put into my card, then trying to find something to read to fill in the final few boxes if there are any left. I think this time a few choices could be a bit stronger, and of course, one year this will backfire miserably, but for now we’re safe.

With 150+ books at my disposal to choose from I only managed to not fill in two. But the year is not finished yet, I could maybe do it, but I think we’ll call it and aim better next year. I’ll add that in as a new rule, what isn’t completed one year must be on the next year’s card. I vaguely recall that happening in the very beginning but all it resulted in is a lot of empty poetry boxes before I learnt my lesson.

Last year I was going to move more into fantasy, but I’ve not really gone the fantasy route instead there’s a lot of contemporary, my push to at least try a few romances, and of course my rereads were always fun. My diverse reads are getting better and I have found some amazing Aussie YA through my challenge and through the #LoveOzYA tag and website. Though, having said that, the point of the bingo card is to read widely so maybe I need to add poetry and fantasy back on and read more outside the norm.

I am keen to get into a new bingo card. I will say I am going to up my short story and anthology reads, I did have one, technically, but I also needed a Shakespeare spot filled and as it was a Shakespeare anthology it was a toss up which slot it should satisfy. Maybe in the final days of the year I can get through a Shakespeare adaptation and balance out the boxes. But for now, this is my list and I will link up to the reviews when they come out.

 

Debut Author: All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

From Own Shelf: Rocking Horse Hill by Cathryn Hein

Romance: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Chosen for the Cover: Flubby Will NOT Go To Sleep by J. E. Morris

Non-Fiction: A Night to Remember by Walter Lord

Aro/Ace Character: The Trouble by Daria Defore

Historical: The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor

Picked Up by Chance: The Bad Mother’s Book Club by Keris Stainton

New author: Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose

Lesbian: Say A Little Prayer by Jenna Voris

Non Human Main Character: The Duck Never Blinks by Alex Latimer

Free Choice: The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson

Different Culture: Impossible Music by Sean Williams

Fairytale: The Beast Within by Serena Valentino

On TBR Pile: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

CBCA Book: How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox

Published This Year:  The View From the Balcony by Janette Paul

Shakespeare Retelling: That Way Madness Lies by Dahlia Adler

Number in the Title: 100 Remarkable feats of Xander by Clayton Zane Comber

Own Voices: Green by Alex Gino

#LoveOZYA: Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza

Reread A Series: Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde

TV/Movie Adaptation: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

 

#AussieYAChallenge Update

30 Apr 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in Aussie YA Challenge, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

My first update of the year was looking a tad woeful for a while but then I found a few Aussie YA on audio which bumped my numbers a little at the last minute. In the end I did three audio, one ebook, and one physical so that was exciting. The books I read were pretty awesome, all unique, and had that wonderful Australian feel to them.

I’d forgotten how convenient it can be to have an ebook too. It’s really no less convenient to have an audio except you don’t need to worry about headphones or being able to hear the narrator if you’re in a loud area. Granted the reading ones took a long time, but it really helped me savour the story, and I looked forward to coming back to the story when I had a chance to keep reading.

One fun thing about this challenge is it’s making me try any Aussie YA that I come across because it fits my criteria. Which may not be the best approach, and the book still has to sound ok, but I am taking chances on stuff because is a #LoveOzYA title or the author is Australian. I definitely found some beautiful reads this way so far.

The list so far:

All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

 Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza

 Because of You by Pip Harry

Wrong Answers Only by Tobias Madden

 100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze by Clayton Zane Comber

 

Because of You by Pip Henry was a gorgeous story of a young girl experiencing homelessness and the school girl who volunteers at a shelter she visits.

Tin Heart is an emotional story about a transplant recipient who wants to show her thanks but risks crossing a dangerous barrier of the no contact rule from her donor family.

All I Ever Wanted follows Mim who is living in the suburbs with a criminal family and a need to escape.

Wrong Answers Only was one I’d looked forward to for months and I’m glad it paid off. A story of taking chances and being brave, about expectations and the battles against your body, your mind, and letting go.

100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze had a great voice and was another story about being brave, taking chances, and discovering how small decisions can change your whole life.

Like all books not every one of these were perfect, amazing, or to my exact taste, but I am still glad I read them. I got to see these stories of characters in different situations and experiences. This is what I love about Australian YA, we have these big bold stories, often in very short compact books that are about the teenage experience but aren’t confined to the playground or classroom dynamics.

I already have a few titles in my TBR list and I certainly have a massive stack of physical books piled up at home so I look forward to seeing what the next update brings.

I hope your own Aussie YA Challenge goals are going well and you have discovered some amazing reads yourself. Feel free to shout out in the comments some you have read so far, or even those you are looking forward to reading. If you’re interested in signing up it’s not to late, head over to my info page and declare your goal on social media, your website, or in the comments of this years post.