January scraps #2
More bits and bobs from my summer reading, plus some things to look forward to in 2025.
2025 Reading Goals (not as scary as it sounds)
Those first few days and weeks of the year are coming to an end. Things seem less hazy once we’ve moved on from the post-Christmas comedown. People are heading back to work. Term one is just around the corner (sorry for the reminder). I think this is a really worthwhile time to start thinking (in a calm and unpressured way) about what your year of reading will look like, and set a few goals.
I’m not talking about numbers or pages or any kinds of serious stats, or not necessarily, anyway. I personally like to set a Reading Challenge on Goodreads, but it’s not for everyone. Instead, I encourage you (and the young people in your life) to think more broadly about your reading and what you want to get out of the books you pick up in 2025.
Do you want to read more diversely? Do an author deep-dive on someone with a good back catalogue that you’ve been meaning to read for years? Be more brave in your choices or tackle new genres? Support local authors? Join a book club, or visit your local library more often? Read for at least ten minutes every day? Abandon books more quickly and feel less pressure to stick to something you’re not enjoying?
You may even like to play along with something official like this Dymocks Reading Challenge, or buddy up with a friend to cheerlead for each other.
Whatever your reading goal is, declare it! In a journal, or on social media, or just out loud to yourself when you’re driving somewhere alone.
And then if you need some help making it happen, message me or comment below. As paid subscribers, you are eligible for personalised reading recommendations, and I’d love to help you find the right book to bring your 2025 reading goals to life!
My own reading goals are in the general fields of: enforcing a blanket ban on my phone before bed, reading more translated works, being better at taking recommendations from friends (and read at least one recommended book a month), and completely embracing no-guilt reading.
There. I’ve said them to you so now I have to stick to them. Accountability is key! (As is setting realistic and meaningful goals that you actually want to stick to.)
New Aussie YA books coming soon
Last year I lamented how quiet things have been on the Australian young adult front, but in better news, there are a few much-anticipated titles coming early this year that I am looking forward to:
The Worst Perfect Moment by Shivaun Plozza: 1 January
Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, tender and edgy, this inventive romance asks what it means to be truly happy.
Darkest Night, Brightest Star by Barry Jonsberg: 4 March
A life-affirming novel about fractured families, tough talk, masculinity, finding friendship and overturning expectations from an internationally acclaimed, bestselling Australian author.
Sunny At the End of the World by Steph Bowe: 4 March
In 2018, seventeen-year-old Sunny and Toby are on the run after zombies have destroyed most of the adults in their world. Cut to 2034 when Sunny is being held in an underground facility. What happened? Was it aliens, a conspiracy, a simulation, biological terrorism, a totalitarian takeover? And who can infiltrate the facility and release the surviving prisoners? The tables will be turned more than once in this thrilling and thought-provoking novel.
Wandering Wild by Lynette Noni: 29 April
Bestselling Australian author Lynette Noni turns her hand to contemporary romance in this swoony survival story, perfect for readers wanting a high stakes lost-in-the-wilderness adventure brimming with tension-filled romance.
(And two that are technically adult books but look like they may appeal to readers of young adult:)
The Knowing by Madeleine Ryan: 4 February
From the author of A Room Called Earth, a brilliant new novel about the mess that comes before salvation. The Knowing is a day in the life of a woman who goes to work as usual while dreaming of more.
Past & Parallel Lives by Kaya Ortiz: 1 March
Time. Memory. Mirror. Past & Parallel Lives is a rippling reflection on being alien, queer, and other. These poems yearn for home and belonging after migration, religion, and coming out. Kaya Ortiz’s award-winning debut shines with authenticity – this is a courageous departure from a past life, towards a queer future and a poetic return to self.
(And also! A new non-fiction book that looks perfect for your professional development reading if you work with teenagers:)
Creating Schools: Where Students and Teachers Want To Be by Michael Lawrence and Dr. Fabio D’Agostin: 1 March
A reminder that while we argue about reading and instruction styles, the teaching profession is being strangled, and students (and teachers!) in record numbers are feeling alienated from education. The implications of this play out in crime, violence and an inestimable cost to society.
Overheard at the library
Young girl: "But I want to see what happens with the crayons!”
(She’s holding a copy of The Brand-New, Never-Used, Perfect Crayons by Leanne Hatch.)
Parent: "You’re too old for that one. Go look at the chapter books."
(My daughter and I borrow the book instead, and I go home feeling sad for the girl who just wants to read a picture book and, I believe, should be allowed to, no matter how old she is…)
Coming of age
This week I’ve been reading Coming of Age: How Adolescence Shapes Us by Lucy Foulkes—a comprehensive exploration of the teenage experience which blends research with personal narratives.
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