Currently Reading
- Loner by Georgina Young
Currently Listening To
- We Were Not Men by Campbell Mattinson
Top Picks for 2021
Book that left me speechless
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
This hit me with so many feelings. Wonder, awe, inspiration, sadness, joy. It left me breathless and curious and wanting to visit St Malo! What a masterpiece of storytelling and characterisation. A classic.
Book that surprised me
- The End of the World is Bigger than Love by Davina Bell
A unique and portentous story told in alternating POVs through the eyes of young twins learning to survive and understand love. Captivating and bittersweet.
Book that made me hurt
- Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
A brutal read but being exposed to the truth about flawed human life is necessary.
Book that transported me
- The Good People by Hannah Kent
This was such an immersive read, but a tough subject matter. The attention to detail was incredible.
Book aimed at young adults but I don’t care
- Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein
This was a taut, well-paced psychological thriller with a heart-pounding plot and wonderful characters. I couldn’t put it down.
Book I should have read a long time ago
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
This book was so rich and troubling that it hurt to turn the pages sometimes. The setting wasso well drawn you could feel the heat and wet and oppression of the jungle. The characters were supremely real with their flaws and quirks.
Book from the non-fiction shelf
- The Arsonist by Chloe Hooper
A recounting of the Black Saturday bushfire in my own region. Learning about the troubled mind of the man found guilty of lighting the fire and the devastation wrought on property and life was hard to read but ultimately rewarding.
Book that thrilled
- The Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
A taut thriller set in the humidity of Far North Queensland with characters that leapt off the page and a plot that kept me guessing. Looking forward to watching Troppo.
Book that won a major literary prize
- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Oh, Olive. What a woman. Obstreperous, prickly, outspoken, tall (!), wise, human. A book about the small things in life that become large.
Honourable mentions to Wolfe Creek by Lucy Treloar, The Last Painting of Sara De Vos, The Fossil Hunters by Tea Cooper, The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan, Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwymullina, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, The Dressmakers of Yarrandarah Prison by Meredith Jaffe and The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri.
Vicky Daddo: Writer 