It's that time of year again, in which I look back over all of the books I've reviewed in 2025 to choose ten stand-outs. This year, I was delighted that five of these picks, a full 50 percent, come from the Aussie Book Challenge I set myself. It is solid proof that to me, our national literature holds up against the rest of the world's. The other thing I noticed is that tales set around the time of the Second World War or just after also made a strong showing on this year's list.
Without further ado, here they are.
1) Stone Yard Devotional
The setting is an abbey in the remote Australian bush where fruitful reflection flows naturally from the pen of the main character, who chooses to remain anonymous. Sudden epiphanies come in the form of a horrific mouse plague and a face from her past. And all through the story, we're invited to take a step back and ponder the significance of our own reactions. (My review is here.)
2) Wuthering Heights
This is a re-read but deserves its place up here. It isn't the intensity of Heathcliff's relationship with Catherine that plays on my mind, but the devastatingly sneaky way in which he unleashes his spleen on the children of the generation that wronged him. Heathcliff's total focus and secrecy would be admirable if it was channeled differently. (I wrote a couple of discussion posts in which I delve deep. They begin here.)
3) Small Bomb at Dimperley.
This one is an awesome post WW2 story with a hodgepodge manor house as unstable as the positions of the landed gentry who try to hold it together. It's all about having to improvise new solutions for a totally new era, with the bonus of a sudden, satisfying romance that undoubtedly wouldn't have happened in any other time period. (My review is here.)
4) Dark Quartet
Lynne Reid Banks' 1973 biography of the Bronte siblings deserves a spot for her sheer zeal of research, and how she manages to slide around between the headspaces of all four, placing herself in each of their shoes. I'd challenge any fan to read this without wanting to travel straight to Haworth where it all happened. (My review is here.)
5) The Melendy Quartet
I'm cramming four books into one here, because it's impossible to choose a series favourite. Elizabeth Enright uses a perfect balance of sensory detail and droll family interaction to engage us with Mona, Rush, Randy, and Oliver. Technically this expands my list to 13 rather than 10. Consider it a cheat if you will, but if I gave each of these books the space they deserve, my list would be dominated by the Melendys as they so thoroughly deserve. (My string of reviews begins here with The Saturdays.)
6) Agatha Christie - An Autobiography
The queen of crime takes us on a fascinating trip through the twentieth century and across the world as she tells her own personal story. Her stubborn enjoyment of life never wavers throughout two world wars and a messed-up first marriage. Nothing dims her sparkle for long, her sense of humor is second to none, and I came to the end resolved to be an 'acceptor' and 'enjoyer' in the way she sets forth. (My review is here.)
7) Playing Beatie Bow
I suspect nostalgia evoked by holidays to Sydney and memories of living in the 80s comes into play for me here. I was an Aussie teen during the same 'modern' time period as the heroine, Abigail. It's a fun time travel adventure back to the Victorian era too. Ruth Park stirs together romance, mystery and a bitter-sweet twist. This novel also helped make Year 9 English one of my favorite subjects back in the day. (My review is here.)
8) Pennies for Hitler
This evokes an innocent child's experience of WW2 in a most awesome way, when my own parents were young like the hero, Georg. Through this boy's eyes we get authentic snapshots of the war in three countries; Germany, England, and Australia. I'm in awe of Jackie French's sensitive depth of detail while keeping the story moving. And the cognitive dissonance and imposter syndrome her young protagonist grapples with all by himself is staggering! (My review is here.)
9) The Dickens Boy
Young Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens, aka Plorn, lived such a full and eventful life in the Land Downunder, but few people really know about him. The fact that he was a 19th century nepo-baby who couldn't shake off his father's mantle even down the bottom of the world stirs our sympathy for him. I'm certain Tom Keneally stuck to facts to thresh out this story, because it's so fascinating he wouldn't need to deviate. (My review is here.)
10) Evan and Darcy
It's a modern, gender-reversed Pride and Prejudice set in the Aussie bush. Need I say more. This is a very clever story that kept me smiling early on this year. (My review is here.)
So there we have them, done and dusted for yet another year. I do hope you'll keep following this blog in 2026. Meanwhile, I wish you a very merry Christmas with plenty of time to read.
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