Emily Paull

The Windy Season Sam Carmody Allen and Unwin, 2016 (I own a copy courtesy of the publisher) When Elliot Darling goes missing from a small West Coast fishing town named Stark, his family face a long and uncertain wait to find out what happened to him.  Only his brother, Paul, seems to go on searching for Elliot, and this search sees Paul move to Stark.  There, he takes on work as a deckhand on his cousin's fishing boat, alongside a philosophical German named Michael.  The town itself is in decline, with families who have depended on fishing to make their livelihoods for generations now facing smaller and smaller hauls each time they go out.  At the pub each night, Paul is faced with surly, sometimes frightening men, hardened by the life in Stark.  This is a world where methamphetamine, bar fights and biker gangs are not out of the question...  Paul's coming of age against this backdrop is a plot worthy of early Tim Winton, but is written with a hopeful t...

July was an interesting reading month, one which saw me exploring different genres and formats.  I managed to read nine books in total, four of which were library books and one of which was an e-audiobook which I checked out using the Borrowbox program through my local library.  I was planning to make another video this month, but I just haven't felt up to it, so I figured it's best to get on with this wrap up and move on.   The Things I Didn't Say by Kylie Fornasier This #LoveOzYA title is about a young woman named Piper, who struggles with a condition called selective mutism.  This means that she finds it impossible to speak to anyone other than her family and closest friends.  After a big fight with her best friend Cassie, Piper changes schools and has to deal with being the 'weird' new girl.  She attracts the attention of charming golden-boy, West, and the two form a connection- all without Piper being able to say a word to him.  I enj...