1178 ratings | 166 reviews | avg rating:3.98

Joshua’s Year In Books

Joshua’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Joshua’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Joshua Donellan’s Followers (83)

Joshua’s Bookshelves

to-read (964)
currently-reading (5)
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australian (117)
biography (31)
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Paula Phillips

10,685 books | 4,989 friends

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778 books | 458 friends

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3,572 books | 2,475 friends

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869 books | 58 friends

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Joshua Donellan

Goodreads Author

Born

in Melbourne, Australia

October 23

Website

http://www.jmdonellan.com

Twitter

jmdonellan

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Humor, Mystery/thriller

Influences

Murakami, Gaiman, Atwood, Rushdie, Adams, Robbins, Slap bass solos, to ...more

Member Since

April 2011

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J M Donellan is an author, poet, musician, and teacher. He was almost devoured by a tiger in the jungles of Malaysia, nearly died of a lung collapse in the Nepalese Himalayas, fended off a pack of rabid dogs with a guitar in the mountains of India and was sexually harassed by a half-naked man whilst standing next to Oscar Wilde's grave in Paris.

He is the author of Rumors of Her Death, Killing Adonis, 19 1/2 Spells Disguised as Poems, several works of theatre, occasional work on video games, and some highly lauded bathroom graffiti. He has performed at the Sydney Opera House, the 2018 Commonwealth games, and some very prestigious basements.

He has won and been nominated for numerous awards but he won’t list them here because no one likes a b ...more

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Combine Editions
Joshua Donellan’s books

Average rating: 3.88 · 407 ratings · 142 reviews · 12 distinct works

	Killing Adonis by J.M. Donellan, Joshua Donellan (Goodreads Author) 3.47 avg rating — 188 ratings — published 2014 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rumors of Her Death by J.M. Donellan, Joshua Donellan (Goodreads Author) 3.68 avg rating — 98 ratings — published 2023 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Zeb and the Great Ruckus 4.49 avg rating — 35 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Beginner's Guide to Dying in India by J.M. Donellan, Joshua Donellan (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 33 ratings — published 2009 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	100 Stories for Queensland by Jodi Cleghorn (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Kate Eltham, Joshua Donellan (Goodreads Author) 4.89 avg rating — 27 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Eighty Nine by Jodi Cleghorn (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Rebecca L. Dobbie, Laura Eno (Goodreads Author) 4.26 avg rating — 23 ratings — published 2011 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	From Stage Door Shadows by Jodi Cleghorn (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Jessica Bell (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Andrew J. McKiernan (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.71 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lenore's Last Funeral by J.M. Donellan, Joshua Donellan (Goodreads Author) 3.63 avg rating — 16 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stendhal Syndrome by J.M. Donellan, Joshua Donellan (Goodreads Author) 4.71 avg rating — 7 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	19½ Spells Disguised as Poems by Joshua Donellan (Goodreads Author), Holly Eastwood (Illustrator) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Joshua Donellan's Blog: JM Donellan's substack

Agony, apostasy, and the coke machine

blue and white pepsi cola vending machine

Photo by Nik A. on Unsplash

Much of my childhood was spent stepping over convulsing bodies to ask my mum for change for the coke machine. She usually flipped me a few coins and said we’d leave as soon as Jenny or John or whoever had finished ecstatically convulsing. I’d tiptoe past the writhing, glossolalic bodies on the floor and obtain a cold sugary beverage to offer me reprieve from the blis

Joshua is Currently Reading

Joshua Donellan is currently reading

Ghost Cities

by Siang Lu

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 18, 2025 03:38PM

Joshua Donellan is currently reading

My Year Of Living Vulnerably

by Rick Morton (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 08, 2025 03:50PM

Joshua Donellan is currently reading

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers

by Caroline Fraser

bookshelves: non-fiction, crime, research-dupe, currently-reading

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Sep 01, 2025 09:25PM

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Joshua’s Recent Updates

Joshua Donellan rated a book really liked it The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir by Neko Case	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 18, 2025 07:10PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Harder I Fight the More I Love You by Neko Case. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Harder I Fight the More I Love You by Neko Case <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joshua Donellan is currently reading Ghost Cities by Siang Lu	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 18, 2025 03:38PM · like
Joshua Donellan wants to read Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 16, 2025 11:28PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Replaceable You by Mary Roach. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Replaceable You by Mary Roach <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joshua Donellan wants to read The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science (The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science #1) by Kate McKinnon	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 16, 2025 02:13PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joshua Donellan wants to read All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 11, 2025 01:42PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joshua Donellan wants to read The Satsuma Complex (Gary Thorn, #1) by Bob Mortimer	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Joshua Donellan rated a book really liked it The Echoes by Evie Wyld (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Joshua Donellan finished reading The One Thing You Need to Know: 21 Key Scientific Concepts of the 21st Century by Marcus Chown	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 01, 2025 09:39PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Chown. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Chown <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joshua Donellan rated a book really liked it Empires by Nick Earls	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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More of Joshua's books…

Quotes by Joshua Donellan (?)

“I had an aunt named 'abnormal Shauna' once. But she passed away in an unfortunate cliff-top interpretative dance and fireworks accident.”
― Joshua Donellan, Zeb and the Great Ruckus

tags: humor, humorous, humour, humourous

3 likes

“...we've already had one horrible thing happen today, which means that if you think about it the odds of anything else horrible happening again in the next few hours should now be quite low.”
― Joshua Donellan, Zeb and the Great Ruckus

tags: humor, humour

2 likes

“...food was at least three million per cent more delicious when you ate it immediately after thinking you were going to die.”
― Joshua Donellan, Zeb and the Great Ruckus

tags: humor, humorous, humour, humourous

1 likes

See all Joshua Donellan's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Aussie Readers: National Bookshop Day	7	34	Aug 01, 2015 01:35AM
Goodreads Librari...: Goodreads Author profiles needing merging BY GR STAFF pt. 12	1026	885	Dec 03, 2015 12:45AM
Goodreads Librari...: please combine or redirect author entry	3	17	Aug 16, 2023 08:37PM

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Joshua’s Quotes

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”
― Mary Oliver

tags: poetry

9235 likes

“You'll hit gold more often if you simply try out a lot of things.”
― Ira Glass

1539 likes

“I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

tags: love

5275 likes

“You can't lie to your soul.”
― Irvine Welsh, Porno

tags: honesty, introspection

2239 likes

“Clocks and calendars don’t work in Night Vale. Time itself doesn’t work.”
― Joseph Fink, Welcome to Night Vale

36 likes

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