What I Read in April 2025

It’s the end of another month, and time to share what I’ve been reading. I got through 15 books this month, that total helped my continuing dive into the picture books of  Anthony Browne. I also read, as usual, a fairly eclectic mix, from graphic novels, to inspirational reads, to thrillers and more. Here’s what I got through:

Books for Young Readers If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility, selected by Irene Latham & Charles Water, illustrated by Olivia Sua (Candlewick, 2025). Really delighted to get my hands on a copy of this, as it’s published in the USA and took some tracking down.  A large format picture book anthology with a difference – every poem starts with the same word – ‘If’. Hairy Holes: Book 2, by Brenton E. McKenna (Magabla Books, 2025).  I was lucky enough to be at the launch of this book at the Scribblers Family Fun Day in Kalgoorlie.  Although it’s Book 2, and I’d not read Book 1, I was able to pick up and follow the story and was left wanting to get my hands on Book 3, which is yet to come. My Strange Shrinking Parents, by Zeno Sworder (Thames & Hudson, 2022). I was also lucky enough in Kalgoorlie and the Goldfields, to work alongside Zeno Sworder, who is so talented as author and illustrator, but also an all round wonderful, wise human. And this book, which one Picture Book of the Year in the CBCA Awards 2023, is breathtaking. My Dad, by Anthony Browne (Random House, 2000). Continuing the deep dive into Browne’s work begun last month, I read several more in April, including this funny, but also heart warming look at Dads. The Shape Game, by Anthony Browne (Doubleday, 2003). It was my quest to get a copy of this book that led to my deep dive into Browne’s works. This one is a partly autobiographical story about a family visiting an art gallery and the way it shaped the narrator’s life as an artist. Little Bones, by Sandy Bigna (UQP, 2025). What a stunning verse novel about loss, friendship and more. Silly Billy, by Anthony Browne (Walker Books, 2006). Another Browne book – this one about a boy who can’t stop worrying, until his grandmother introduces him to worry dolls. A lovely blend of family, wisdom and humour. My Mum, by Anthony Browne (Random House, 2005). And another Browne title, this one celebrating mums. Ernest the Elephant, by Anthony Browne (Walker, 2021). One of Browne’s more recent books, this one follows the story of a little elephant who gets lost in the jungle, and the unlikely help that comes his way. Piggybook, by Anthony Browne (Walker Books, 1996).  A humorous take on what happens when a mother (Mrs Piggott) finds herself being overworked and unappreciated by her husband and sons.Books for Young Adults Brontide, by Sue McPherson (Magabala Books, 2018).  I picked this up on a visit to Paperbird Books in Fremantle which has an excellent, well stocked, section for books authored by first nations authors.   The format of this one is a little unusual – it reads as if the author is interviewing real teens in the town she is visiting – and recording the  stories of the three boys.  This makes for a really accessible format, and takes us on a journey through some heart warming but also devastating moments. How to Survive 1985, by Tegan Bennett Daylight (Simon & Schuster, 2025). I bought this based just on the title – having survived 1985 when it was, in fact 1985 and I was in highschool. This is a timeslip story where Shannon and her three friends find themselves thrust back from 2025 to 1985, where they need to figure out why they are there and how to get home.Books for Adults The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay (Coronet, 2019).  This book was recommended to me by a friend, also called Sally, and she was so very right – this is just beautiful.  A series of mini-essays as Gay finds a daily moment of delight to write about, even in the midst of hard times. We Will Rest!: The Art of Escape, by Tricia Hersey (Little Brown, Spark, 2024). This is delightful little book to hold but that delight is nothing compared to the very important rejoinder of the book – REST. Hersey speaks directly to the reader reminding us that rest is a right, a responsibility, and an act of resistance. I’ll be rereading. The Hush, by Sara Foster (Harper Collins, 2021). I went to an event for Sara’s latest book (which I’ll read in May), but had to also buy t is one, which I’d been meaning to get for ages. Not a comfortable read, but a gripping thriller set in an undefined future where society is a tipping point and pregnant females are especially vulnerable.

That brings my total for the year to date to 43, with, of course, more to come.  I’d love to hear what books you’ve enjoyed lately.