#AussieYAChallenge 2024 Wrap Up

31 Dec 2024 2 Comments

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

Well.

I don’t know who lets me have these grand ideas but as we tick down the final hours or 2024 I managed to pull off some kind of miracle. The past few days I frantically tried to meet my (personally chosen and completely voluntary) goal of reading 12 #LoveOzYA books this year and I have snuck in before the final strike of midnight. Yay!

Like most of my grand plans, I started off well, dipped in the middle, got angry at myself for my inability to maintain my plans despite the want and desire still being there, and then managing to stress out and make sure I met these (again, arbitrary, completely voluntary, self-inflicted, no consequence) goals.

It feels like an ongoing cop out, but I putting some blame on the fact there are so few Aussie YA books made into audiobooks. Even with the brief consideration of signing up for audible I couldn’t find any on there worth my time that I couldn’t get through the free library apps. The second blame lays entirely on the fact at somehow, in an entire year, I couldn’t make time to sit and read a single book and do nothing else? I felt like time was being wasted if I only read, I couldn’t read and do laundry, read and drive, read and walk the dog. That I think is one thing I will seriously have to work on next year because that doesn’t sound healthy if we study that too closely.

But enough lamenting, we’re here to celebrate the first annual Lost in a Good Book award for outstanding achievement in the field of reading challenges! I know readers like thebookmuse and jess64au on StoryGraph met their achievements which is amazing, especially considering I thought this was going to be a solo venture. I know a couple other people dropped off but I am still eternally grateful they were keen enough to give it a shot in the first place. I was a bit slack on the promotional aspect and I know I didn’t keep up with my tagging and reviewing but for a first year I am quietly pleased I pulled it off. Onto greater success next year!

I read some great Aussie YA this year. Two of which were set at university, and two were at the lower end with a 14 year old character and a 13 year old character. It was refreshing to see a different side of young life that wasn’t the mid teens which is often so prevalent. Some of the books I read have even made it onto my Top Five of 2024 list.

I read a lot of authors I hadn’t heard of, some that had been on my TBR list ages, and some lesser known books that were quietly waiting my discovery. The full list of what I read is below but I love that doing this challenge made me track down these books. Of course there are lists every year about new and upcoming books, the fantastic #LoveOzYA team promote new releases, themed books, and old favourites all the time. But having to discover Aussie YA on various library apps and diving right in because I have a goal to meet and it was available in a format I could handle honestly hasn’t been the worst way to read.

I also managed to complete a small related side quest and finished the Read 24 YA stories in 2024 Challenge on StoryGraph. Depressingly a lot easier without the Australian restriction in terms of audiobooks and in the end I exceeded that too (reading a couple series definitely helped I think), and I am most certainly going to challenge myself to that one again as well.

I plan to review these books if I haven’t posted them already, so look for those through the next few months. I am also keen to dive right back in 1st January and get a head start on next year’s challenge. I cannot wait to see what amazing stories I discover. I will be putting up a whole new 2025 Aussie YA Challenge post so keep an eye out for that if you’re keen to join but for now these are the books that I read for my Aussie YA Challenge this year!

Aussie YA Challenge – Garth Nix level

Hamlet is Not Ok by R. A. Spratt

Points of Departure by Emily O’Beirne

Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood

My Family and Other Suspects by Kate Emery

The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

The Pause by John Larkin

Untidy Towns by Kate O’Donnell

My Lovely Frankie by Judith Clarke

As Happy As Here by Jane Godwin

Josie Robs and Bank and Other Stories by Gabrielle Reid

Can’t Say it Went to Plan by Gabrielle Tozer

Aussie YA Challenge Update #1

14 May 2024 1 Comment

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

My reading challenge is off to a great start in that I have read four books so far in my twelve book plan for reading more Aussie YA books.

Now, it’s early in the year so there is still time for the progress to fall dramatically off a cliff. It’s a problem I have seen happen time and time again. The first four months I often hit the ground running and then life seems to pick up and suddenly a couple weeks go by and then it’s September.

This is something I am trying to avoid by aiming for the one a month approach. I have so many books to choose from the main thing I need to do is the reading part. Considering I still have the two books I wanted to read most sitting beside me unread while I have picked up other books instead. Mainly chosen instead for their audiobook ability which is a habit I am trying to break. Not that I want to stop listening to audiobooks, but I need to learn how to read books again. Retrain my brain and all that. Hopefully these YA books can do that when I have a goal to meet and no other choice of format.

The books I have read so far I have enjoyed. It’s a mixed bag, none of them were terrible, some were ok, while others were incredible and had a profound impact on me. Who says Aussie YA isn’t an incredible arena where the most amazing books come to play.

The list so far:

Can’t Say It Went to Plan by Gabrielle Tozer

This is the third Tozer book I have read. I wasn’t a huge fan of her other two but gave this one a go. It is much the same. It’s ok, it’s a bit boring, but I’m glad I gave her work another chance before realising her writing might not be for me. A multiple point of view story about schoolies week, being with friends and having adventures as you celebrate being free from school. There’s Toolies, romance, friendship drama. Everything that makes young life so chaotic all in once book as we follow different groups of friends celebrating their freedom.

As Happy as Here by Jane Godwin

This review went up recently which I recommend reading because I will gush about this book nonstop if given the chance. It is the lower end of YA, the characters are young and sweet and finding their feet in life. It is a stunning story, deceptively simple from the outside but manages to punch you right in the heart.

Untidy Towns by Kate O’Donnell

This one was a fun find, a few years old but manages to capture the small town big dreams idea and discovering what a teen wants to do with the unknown of her future. Combined with family expectations, her dreams, and her heart, it is a great exploration about being lost and trying to find who you are.

My Lovely Frankie by Judith Clarke

A beautiful and heartbreaking story about 1950s Australia and the institution for training new bishops. A story about love and friendship, about societal and family expectations as well as an exploration of the practice of indoctrinating children too young to know better into things they cannot possibly understand. It’s an incredible read and one that is full of love, hope, and heartbreak.

 

I am putting pressure on myself to read the two books I have so desperately wanted to read next on my list. One thankfully only from last year, but the other one I first found in 2016 and still haven’t managed to open the cover. I will make myself finish these two books one way or another. I know once I start it will be easier, but stopping part way also risks making it hard to start again. Fingers crossed all goes to plan.

I hope your own Aussie YA Challenge goals are going along swimmingly and you have discovered some amazing reads. 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.

As Happy As Here by Jane Godwin

30 Apr 2024 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Aussie YA Challenge, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , ,

Published: 23 July 2019Goodreads badge
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Pages: 273
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult
★   ★   ★   ★   ★ – 5 Stars

A beautiful coming-of-age story about three teenage girls from very different backgrounds who find themselves sharing a hospital ward, for fans of Kate DiCamillo and Fiona Wood

Three teenage girls from very different backgrounds find themselves sharing a hospital ward. When they witness a crime in the park below their window, they bond over trying to solve the crime and each one undergoes a profound change.

A beautiful coming-of-age story about identity, expectation, class, justice, society, fairness, and, above all, kindness.

I did not expect to still be thinking about this book weeks after I had finished it but it will not leave my mind. It isn’t even so much the story, but the characters Godwin has created are so impactful it’s hard not to remember them.

Godwin captures the three different personalities really well. Evie, Lucy, and Jemma overlap in some ways but at the same time their unique selves come through. Lucy is mature, having a lifetime of experience already at a young age, Evie is a young girl on the cusp of growing up and the world moving too fast for her, wanting to stay young but also foolishly lamenting not being older. Jemma is a chaotic force who is acting grown up but at the same time is even younger and more vulnerable than the others. Her strength is to bewilder and bullheadedly push on not worrying about what comes before.

The Jemma she puts on to others is very different to the one you can see is the truth. It’s a loose comparison but she gave me Pippi Longstockings vibes: the neglected kid making up stories and being proud of how unbalanced her life was.

I understood Evie’s frustrations so well. I have been around people like Jemma before and it’s hard to fight against their confidence and their chaotic nature. Their lies and self-assuredness make it hard when you know things aren’t true or are unjust. Trying to find the voice or the energy to do the right thing, or to stop people believing the wrong things about you is hard.

You know Jemma is a lonely little girl, you know she is covering up hurt and trying to be flippant about it, but my god it makes it hard to feel sorry for her. You find yourself hating this poor twelve year old and the irritation and wanting to shake sense into her and tell her to stop acting like that is strong.

I enjoyed the adults in this story as well as the three girls. Their roles are so different, and yet they are also the same. With minimal words Godwin gives full depth to the adults in the girls’ lives. We know the kind of people Evie’s parents are, who Lucy’s dad is, and who the adults in Jemma’s life are. The comparison and the different approaches was a great contrast and even through Evie’s eyes it is a great example of how much kids see.

This is a powerful story about the lives different people have, especially young teens. Having Evie reflect on the differences without being judgemental is incredibly important. Her empathy is wonderful but Godwin never makes her perfect. She is young, learning, timid but wants to do what’s right. She is a wonderful character and a great narrator. That is where Godwin’s story is fantastic. You can have these feelings based on surface events but as the book progresses and we see more of the bond the three girls have, how their lives interact, how each conflict changes them, your own perspective changes with theirs.

For the most part it is a story about unlikely friends and a strange mystery outside the window like Rear Window for the modern age, but then in the final chapters it changes so suddenly it really shocks you. I was not expecting to be hit in the emotional face by the last part of this book but it works so well.

This book does break your heart a little. Even when you have theories and know snippets of information, confirmation and context is still a punch to the heart. Godwin does a great job sprinkling in the heartache.  I had to remind myself that this was not a true story, but even then it is so reminiscent of the real lives kids have out there it’s hard not to think how true these scenarios could be.

I honestly could talk about these characters forever. Godwin has cemented them in my heart and I will be grateful they are not real but at the same time mourn for them for always.

You can purchase As Happy As Here via the following

QBD | Booktopia

Dymocks |  Angus and Robinson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Introducing the Aussie YA Challenge

01 Feb 2024 6 Comments

by Amy in Aussie YA Challenge Tags: , , ,

The Aussie YA Challenge is a challenge created by Amy at Lost in a Good Book as an attempt to read more Australian young adult novels.

As I was writing my goals for the year I got the idea in my head of creating a challenge to help me read (and hopefully review) more Aussie YA. I almost decided against it but the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea of challenging myself this way. I’m not a stranger to Australian YA, I simply find I never read as much of it as I’d like. There are so many fabulous books out there and it always seems to be such a small portion of my reading list each year, despite me buying or borrowing it constantly. I found doing other reading challenges has helped improve my reading habits until I was picking up certain books naturally and I am hoping this one will do the same thing.

Like my Book Bingo and the former Australian Women Writers Challenge, the #AussieYAChallenge is a reading challenge you complete at your own pace throughout the year, or whenever you chose to start. The challenge itself won’t have regularly monthly check ins, but rather you self-monitor your own challenge and share your thoughts using the #AussieYAChallenge hashtag so that everyone participating can enjoy them.

I have taken some guidance from the style of the AWW Challenge and made different levels to strive for. I always went way over the recommended amounts, but I am starting out small and even if I pick the highest tier and go well beyond that’s not a bad thing, but also I haven’t set myself up to fail. Also if people would like to take on the challenge I want to make it as welcoming as possible.

If you are interested in what’s involved and looking for places to start finding books check out the #AussieYAChallenge page and join up.

I will be aiming for the Nix level, which is 12 books. That means I only need to read one book a month, and having already read one this year I am right on track. I am hoping I will read more but I am trying not to be too ambitious.

I’d love to know if other people are doing this challenge with me, I’d also love any recommendations if you’ve recently read something amazing. I plan to have a few check in points through the year where I can see how well I have gone so feel free to share your achievements and pick up some new titles to devour.

I hope this challenge helps promote the great Aussie YA we have in this country and I will no doubt discover some real hidden gems on this journey.

 

Royals by Tegan Bennett Daylight

02 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Audiobook, Australian Women Writers, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: 3 May 2023 (print)/2 May 2023 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Simon Schuster Australia/Simon and Schuster Australia Audio
Pages: 280/6 hrs and 18 mins
Narrator: Shabana Azeez
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult
★   ★   ★   ★   ★ – 5 Stars

What happens when a group of teenagers is stranded indefinitely in a shopping centre, alone? With all the stuff they could possibly want … and a baby? Is it paradise – or hell?

With no phones and no internet, Shannon and her fellow prisoners are completely disconnected from the outside world… and their online lives. It’s hard to say whether they’ll be driven to delinquency, or – even worse – forced to make friends irl. Will the limitless bubble tea, Maccas, high-end trainers and tech equipment be enough to keep the six teens safe and happy until they can find a way out, or is this all the start of something more sinister?

Acclaimed author Tegan Bennett Daylight’s first novel for young adults reconceives Lord of the Flies for Gen Z, and in a suspenseful, character-driven and enthralling story, reveals that surviving in isolation just might bring us closer together.

I do love books like this where something is happening and the regular world has shifted somehow. The teens trapped alone somewhere is not a new concept, but I absolutely adore the way Bennett Daylight has constructed this. The mystery of the outside, the mystery of what’s happening inside, it’s a fascinating premise and one that has been executed beautifully. Azeez does a wonderful job as narrator for the audiobook. Shannon’s voice comes to live and immerses you deep in the story from the beginning.

Being locked inside a shopping centre unsupervised is probably a lot of people’s dreams and while I think Bennett Daylight would have done a fantastic job with any variation, I love the creativity of this story. I don’t get where the Lord of the Flies reference from the blurb come from aside from kids being alone to fend for themselves. There are better comparisons inside the story itself where the characters discuss their situation and cycle through everything from The Breakfast Club to The Hunger Games to The Truman Show.

The length of time and the activities the group does is filtered through the whole story, and while there is obvious linear progression, there are also moments where time becomes an unknown entity. The way the characters work with and around the shops and the food court, the interactions between each character and the activities they do is engaging and interesting to read. I really loved the unexpected revelations and I loved the snippets of information mentioned early on that leaves the reader wondering while the story or character has moved on.

Information about Shannon is gradually revealed and it never felt forced or out of place. Bennett Daylight is great at using the environment and the events of the story to add information and does so for each character is clever ways. As a narrator Shannon is an engaging voice making this book an easy read. Bennett Daylight has done a brilliant job giving her a voice that feel young and inexperienced while also projecting the wisdom of youth, reminding the reader they aren’t as shallow and selfish many think them to be.

I genuinely loved these characters by the end. I loved their friendship, their lives, and their relationship. I loved the found family and the community they established. I don’t want a sequel because this book is perfect by itself, but I do want to know what happens next. I also now imagine it happening again. No spoilers (despite by absolute burning desire), but I do want to know if it’s happened before or if it will happen again.

This is a fun, easy read that does what it says on the tin; it navigates the experience of teenagers living in an all access, no worries shopping centre. Bennett Daylight beautifully covers some main problems that may arise, but at the same time she offers enough issues that the characters still have to have some responsibility.

As much as I am dying to discuss the ending, I shan’t. I will say however I was very impressed with Bennett Daylight’s approach. For all my theories through the story, the ones that changed and shifted with each new little bit of information, I really loved where it settled. It was a mixture of satisfaction as well as keeping some of the mystery.

You can purchase Royals via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Dymocks

Wordery | Angus and Robinson

 Fishpond | Amazon Aust | Audible

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