I always carry a list, tucked into the case of my mobile phone, of books that will be my next purchases. It’s not that I’m ever desperate for something to read—far from it! One of the joys of acquiring books is that I always have a stack of interesting titles just waiting for when I finish the one I’m reading. Sometimes I’m well and truly ready to move on to something new; other times, it’s a wrench to emerge from a fictional world, and I need some time before choosing to enter another.
These are the latest additions to my list…
Rebecca Lim
Tiger Daughter
Allen & Unwin
$16.99
Yes, this one’s for young people (ages 11–14), which I’m not!, but I adore Rebecca’s writing and won’t be letting that stop me. Here’s the blurb:
What I feel most days is that nothing is ever going to change. That my life won’t even start, and that I’ll be stuck like this forever.
Wen Zhou is the daughter and only child of Chinese immigrants whose move to the lucky country has proven to be not so lucky. Wen and her friend, Henry Xiao—whose mum and dad are also struggling immigrants—both dream of escape from their unhappy circumstances, and form a plan to sit an entrance exam to a selective high school far from home. But when tragedy strikes, it will take all of Wen’s resilience and resourcefulness to get herself and Henry through the storm that follows.
Tiger Daughter is a novel that will grab hold of you and not let go.
Irma Gold
The Breaking
MidnightSun Publishing
$29.99
I’m looking forward to reading this debut novel from Irma Gold, who has previously published a short fiction collection and is widely published in journals. The Breaking, with themes of animal exploitation and female friendship, is due for release in March.
Hannah Bird has just arrived in Thailand. Disoriented and out of her depth, she meets Deven, a fierce and gutsy Australian expat who sweeps her into thrilling adventures rescuing elephants.
As they head deeper and deeper into the fraught world of elephant tourism, their lives become tangled in ways Hannah never imagined. But how far will they go to save a life?
Hannah is about to make a critical decision from which there will be no turning back, with shattering consequences.
The Breaking is an extraordinary debut. Sharply observed and richly vivid, it is an intensely moving story about the magnetic bond between two young women and the enduring cost of animal exploitation. It is at once devastating and exhilarating, and ultimately transformative.
What’s on your reading list?
looking up/looking down 
As you can tell from my front cover blurb, I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of The Breaking, and it has really stayed with me. It’s in many ways a brave book. I’ll be keen to see what you think, Amanda.
My own recent book buys include The Birdman’s Wife by Melissa Ashley (late to the party, I know!) and Books On Fire, an account of the destruction of famous libraries. And now I’m adding Bec Lim’s new one to my shopping list…
I’m SO pleased to hear that it has stayed with you, Angela! The best a writer can hope for.
Thank you for featuring it here, Amanda. I do hope you enjoy it 🙂
I knew it would be a great read when I read your blurb, Angela! I haven’t read either of those, so there’s another two for my list 🙂