It was the surprise that couldn’t be kept under wraps. Plans were dropped for this … or they would have been if I’d made any.

Galaxy’s monthly book club would have another special guest in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nalini Singh, who jumped across the pond from New Zealand.

I managed to arrive before Nalini and learned that Sofia (Galaxy’s paranormal romance guru) had invited a reporter and photographer from the Daily Telegraph to meet Nalini.

While I was waiting for Nalini to arrive, I had a chat with the reporter, Julia, who will soon converse with (rather than interview) Charlaine Harris. (I asked what the difference was, and apparently a conversation is meant to be more comfortable, informal and less inherently interrogative than an interview.)

For research purposes, Julia has read the first 2 Southern Vampire Mystery books (which she enjoyed) but hasn’t read any other paranormals. Yet. (I’d like to think that might change as a result of her stories on Nalini as well as Charlaine.) (more)

I’m currently addressing some parcels I owe to winners of past book giveaways. I’m sorry they didn’t make it for Christmas, but I hope they’ll herald a great start to your reading year.

Photo credit: perfect gift 1 by lusi (stock.xchng)

Giveaway winners

Congratulations to Therese, who won a copy of Red Dust with entry on what she loves about celebrating an Aussie Christmas:

I love christmas in Australia because of the heat, getting together with family, hanging out with the neighbours, enjoying a wonderful baked dinner and then spending the afternoon playing games outside with everybody.

The result was pretty close because Wandergurl, Decadence and I all had different favourites! (more)

A Woman Scorned by Liz Carlyle

Despite its intriguing premise, this book is let down by a dull romance and a convoluted plot.

Liz Carlyle is one of my auto-buy authors, and I’m still in the process of reading her backlist. The blurb for A Woman Scorned intrigued me—the heroine, Jonet Rowland, Lady Mercer, sounds like one of those independent widows who have turned their backs on society’s rules, and the hero, Captain Cole Amherst, is the straightlaced gentleman who is undone by lust and love.

Sadly, the characters aren’t nearly so interesting.

Rumour has it that Jonet poisoned her husband, and her eccentric ways haven’t dispelled the rumours. Cole is sent by his uncle—Jonet’s brother-in-law and co-guardian of her children—to tutor Jonet’s two sons and determine if Jonet is an unfit mother. Cole isn’t so easily manipulated, but he senses something amiss in the Mercer household and, despite his misgivings, decides to do it. Jonet fears that her sons’ lives are in danger from the same person who murdered her husband, and she’s unwilling to trust a stranger, especially one sent by a brother-in-law who’d like nothing better than to get his hands on the children’s trust. (more)

Tallow by Karen Brooks (The Curse of the Bond Riders, Book 1)

As artisans, magic and prophecies meet politics and superstition, there’s enough to like in this new fantasy series set in Venice—but the first 200 pages are hit and miss.

I was prepared to be enchanted by Tallow. The title is the name of the book’s protagonist, a candlemaker’s apprentice whose candles have suddenly turned strange. Although perfectly shaped and crafted, as soon as Tallow’s candles are lit, ‘things would start to happen—intangible, eerie things.’ Like causing people to weep for no reason, or to feed cats, or to suffer from insomnia.

Tallow’s adoptive family consists of Pillar, the candlemaker, and his resentful mother, Quinn, whose response to Tallow’s unusual abilities is to try and beat it out of her. But we soon learn that there’s a deeper mystery behind Tallow’s presence. Why, for example, is she never allowed to look people in eye? And why must she pretend to be a boy?

When a stranger, a Bond Rider, comes looking for Tallow, (more)

Book Worm Bot by ittybittiesforyou (via Flickr)

Happy new year, everyone!

First of all, a reminder that our Desperate Duchesses giveaway ends next week. To enter, tell us what chess piece you’d be and why, post your answer as a comment to this post.

To kick off 2010, I thought I’d list the reading challenges that we’re joining this year. We’re paring down our challenge list because, as we found out last year, it can be stressful trying to keep track of them all!

So for 2010, I’m doing the Aussie Author Challenge and the Book Binge Challenge in April, if MaryP hosts it again. Wandergurl is doing the Year of the Historical Challenge. She also wants to read more steampunk novels.

I’m planning to host the Books Alive Challenge in September … and to do a better job of hosting it this year! (more)

On the Edge by Ilona Andrews (The Edge, Book 1)

There’s a reason we visit bricks and mortar bookshops, and at the top of the list is finding great books like this one.

Rose Drayton lives with her 2 much younger brothers in the ‘Edge’, a world between worlds: the ‘Broken’ or normal everyday earth; and the ‘Weird’, a supernatural kind of place not unlike faerie. She possesses a power normally reserved for bluebloods of the Weird, and that power has been both a blessing and a pain in the arse. Mostly a pain in the arse.

One day, this hot, kick-arse blueblood named Declan shows up at her doorstep, ostensibly to marry her so they can breed children who have her power. He also has a few secrets (of course), and he knows more than what he says (of course). Then the baddie shows up in town, trying to do away with Rose’s brothers. Rose now has to get together with Declan and save them and the whole town from whatever the baddie really wants.

At the risk of sounding like a male skateboarding preteen who reads Alex Rider novels (good books!) I have to say this is a really cool book. (more)

Brainchild of Marg from Reading Adventures and Kailana from The Written World

Yes, I’m late for my Advent Tour post. The good news is … everything here is FREE! Plus…

BOOK GIVEAWAY: Read on for a chance to win a copy of Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James. The contest ends midnight on Wednesday, January 6 AEST.

But first, something for the 2009 Blog Advent Tour, the brainchild of Marg from Reading Adventures and Kailana from The Written World. (Yes, even though it’s now Boxing Day.)

Last year, I posted links to a bunch of free stories online because hey, what’s an Advent calendar without free stuff? So in keeping with tradition, I asked tweeples and ARRA members for links to free stories online. Here they are for your holiday reading pleasure. (Thanks to everyone who sent me links!)

Free stories by Australian authors

Hellcursed by Erica Hayes – A prequel to Shadowfae, one of my favourite debut novels for 2009 (more)

Red Dust by Fleur McDonald

BOOK GIVEAWAY: Read on for a chance to win a signed copy of Red Dust. The contest ends midnight on Wednesday, December 23 AEST.

Fleur McDonald’s debut novel evokes the rugged beauty of the Australian outback through the eyes of a strong protagonist, but this might not be enough for genre readers.

If there’s one type of contemporary romance I’d like to see more of, it’s the good old outback romance. I don’t mean generic romances set in the outback where the hero is a land baron with money to spare. I mean romances set in the harsh landscape of rural Australia, where people struggle against the vagaries of nature, and where I can feel the hot dust on my tongue as I read the story.

If there’s one thing Red Dust does well, it’s capturing the beauty and roughness of outback Australia.

When Gemma Sinclair’s husband dies in a plane crash, she takes on the task of managing Billbinya, their 100,000-hectare sheep station. Although she’s managing to stay afloat (more)

Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume edited by Jennifer O'Connell

Are You There God? It’s Me … Wandergurl

Growing up in the 80s and 90s, Judy Blume was a staple read for me. I had all her books (except, strangely, the Fudge series) and would read them over and over again. Just As Long As We’re Together was a particular favourite of mine, and it was next to my bed so that if I had a nightmare I could turn the light on and read it to feel better and get back to bed. While some of the books were a little bit dated even then (for example, sanitary pads no longer had belts…) the essential themes and relationships in the book endured. There were still bullies, fights with your best friend, growing up facing issues around race, body image, boys, parents, school work … these were the things that Judy Blume knew so well.

I grew up in a tiny country in Southeast Asia with a population the size of Australia. Back then we didn’t get a lot of young adult books or children’s books, and Judy Blume was one (more)

BOOK GIVEAWAY: Read on for a chance to win a free copy of Night’s Cold Kiss. The contest ends midnight on Sunday, December 20 AEST.

What happens when an Aurealis Award finalist comes to visit our local bookshop? We take over the paranormal romance aisle, of course! And yes, there were Tim Tams involved.

Decadence, the early bird

This was not your traditional book signing, with a long line of people waiting, the publisher’s reps asking for the name you want to personalise your books and standing ready to take your photo with the author. Thursday night’s book signing with Tracey O’Hara took place during one of Galaxy’s book club meetings, so there was a row of chairs down each side of the paranormal aisle, ending in a table of refreshments. I was a book club virgin, so I didn’t know what to expect from the evening.

Sofia introduced me to Tracey (who was standing in the new releases section, at the back, with a female relative and her father) before the meeting started (more)