Review: The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller

 I enjoy books set in isolated, freezing places which is why I requested The Land in Winter through Netgalley.

See my review of A Cold Season which was also a rich portrayal of character and a story I loved.

The Land in Winter is Literary fiction. It was shortlisted for the 2025 Book Prize, winner of the

2025 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and the 2025 Winston Graham Historical Prize for Fiction.

I did enjoy the story however I found it slow going and quite weird. I really struggled with it at times. I think Andrew Miller was going for weird and he succeeded on that level.

The Land in Winter is a character driven story about loneliness, depression and past trauma.

"December 1962: In a village deep in the English countryside, two neighboring couples begin the day. Local doctor Eric Parry commences his rounds in the village while his pregnant wife, Irene, wanders the rooms of their old house, mulling over the space that has grown between the two of them.


On the farm nearby lives Irene’s mirror witty but troubled Rita Simmons is also expecting. She spends her days trying on the idea of being a farmer’s wife, but her head still swims with images of a raucous past that her husband, Bill, prefers to forget."

I do find literary fiction hard going and this book was grave and depressing.

I am sure many other readers will love it. The Land in Winter currently has 2,334 5 star reviews and 4,537 4 star reviews on Goodreads.

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Europa Editions

Publication date: 11th November 2025

Genre: Literary Fiction / Historical Fiction

Pages: 268

Source: eCopy from the publisher via Netgalley

Review: The Road Trip by Tricia Stringer

The journey of a lifetime - what could go wrong? Everything. 

The Road Trip is another fun read from Australian author Tricia Stringer. It's a laugh-out-loud tragicomedy.

I love how Tricia Stringer can bring all the fun, tragedy, surprises and setbacks of a holiday trip to life on the page.

The Road Trip is armchair travel at its best. I could laugh, groan and follow along with Sharyn and Kathleen's dramas and mishaps without having to leave my seat.

Light and fun, this dual narrative story will have you hooked from the beginning.

 

Sharyn has her big 60th birthday coming up and she is sure her husband Barry will get it right this time. Sharyn is expecting a luxury overseas holiday. However Barry gets it wrong once again and surprises her with a new caravan and a planned trip through Australia from Adelaide to Broome.

What Sharon doesn't know is Barry's best friend Raymond and his sister Kathleen are also coming.

Sharyn is mortified. How will she tell her friends? Sharyn decides to fake it with lots of carefully positioned fun photos posted in the chat group. They will never know.

I love how Sharyn and Kathleen's friendship slowly developed and how both opened up and could see how changes in their life could be a good thing.

There are a couple of little mysteries running through the plot which are an added bonus to a thoroughly entertaining story.

With wonderful descriptions of the Aussie outback and the eclectic characters they meet along the way The Road Trip is an utterly entertaining read. The perfect way for me to experience a road trip. 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Publication date: 1st October 2025

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 480

RRP: $34.99AU (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

#theroadtrip #triciastringer #newrelease #ausbookbloggers #contemporaryfiction #bookreview #australianauthor 

Other books I've read by Tricia Stringer

TABLE FOR EIGHT

KEEPING UP APPEARANCES

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

BACK ON TRACK

HEAD FOR THE HILLS

Review: Nemesis by Patricia Wolf

 Nemesis is another tension-filled DS Walker thriller from Aussie expat Patricia Wolf. I thoroughly enjoyed the first three books and Nemesis did not disappoint.

Right from the opening pages Nemesis delivers a foreboding atmosphere.

The story moves from Canberra, Australia to Berlin and the fictional town of Mildersee , Germany. I loved all the visually descriptive scenes of Germany told through DS Walker's eyes.

Det Barbara Guerra features heavily in this book and it's good to be back with her and see how she and her sister Rita are coping after their ordeal in book 1, Outback.

The DS Walker series is much more immersive if read in order. Each book has a separate crime that is investigated and solved; however they also have a common plot concerning an outlaw bikie gang running through the four books.

I enjoy Wolf's style of writing with short, sharp sentences. It makes for a fast read.

Barbara is working on a case where a dead body is found adrift in a rowboat in an exclusive lakeside holiday area. The murder plot kept me intrigued and the more Barbara investigated the death the suspect list kept getting longer. A few well-placed red herrings made sure I was kept guessing all the way through.

DS Walker is in Berlin on an investigation of his own which also gives him time to meet up with Barbara and give them both the chance to work out their feelings for each other.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 29th July 2025

Series: DS Walker Thriller #4

Genre: crime / Thriller

Pages: 406

RRP: $32.99AU (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Reviews of other books in the series:

OUTBACK

PARADISE

OPAL

Review: Crimson Light, Polished Wood by Monica Raszewski

Crimson Light, Polished Wood is a poignant, literary fiction novel about love, acceptance, inheritance and the things we leave behind.

It explores all areas of inheritance, not only property, but the handing down of stories, culture, knowledge and the unintended inheritance of pain.

Leonora, a British teacher, has relocated to Melbourne and falls in love with Margaret, a fellow female teacher who three years later dies of cancer. While still grieving for Margaret, Leonora meets and befriends Anna, the Polish woman who lives next door.

Crimson Light, Polished Wood is narrated through various timelines, before and after Leonora's death.

Before: we are introduced to Leonora's story as she migrates from England and falls in love with Margaret, her pain over Margaret's death and the burgeoning friendship with Anna and her daughter Lydia.

Leonora's character was perfectly portrayed as the dour English woman who found it hard to open up to people. She was abrupt and withdrawn. I found her hard to like.

After: this takes place after Leonora's death and we follow Lydia as she cleans out Leonora's house. Lydia is eager to learn more about this enigmatic woman and as she sorts her belongings a picture of love, loss and a yearning for acceptance and understanding starts to evolve.

Monica Raszewski's sensitive and lyrical prose perfectly portray the mood of the book. However, as with most literary fiction, I found myself lost at times. Also I never do well with shifting timelines. The characters are complex and nuanced and I never quite got a hold on them. 

Even though I found Crimson Light, Polished Wood a hard read I still quite enjoyed it.

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Transit Lounge

Publication date: 1st August 2025

Genre: Literary Fiction

Pages: 224

RRP: $32.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Quikmark Media

Winner of a copy of Rumour has It Announced!!

 A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copy of Rumour Has It by Karly Lane.  The giveaway closed on the 10th January 2026 and the winner was randomly selected (using Wheelofnames) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........ 

The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

 

Thank you to Allen & Unwin who will sending out the prize. 

 

Please check under the Giveaway tab for more great giveaways!

 

Review: The Napoleon of Africa by Phil Smart

The Napoleon of Africa will be my giveaway book for March.

The Napoleon of Africa is set in the early 1800's after Napoleon's fall. A time when many military trained men had to seek a new career.

Royal Naval Commander Stephen Cowen, with his wife and three children, set sail for India and a new life. Their ship encounters a violent storm off the coast of East Africa and the three children, Nathaniel 16, Andrew 14 and Beatrice 12, are swept overboard in a longboat.

What follows is a riveting story of survival on a deserted beach and then discovery and welcoming into the Zulu tribe of Shaka as advisors to the king.

I really enjoyed how Phil Smart cleverly included the three children into the true story of Shaka and his rule of the Zulu nation.

The Napoleon of Africa is a truly engrossing story. Phil Smart's writing is immersive. He writes through lived experience having spent months in the African bush and this shows through in a plot that is filled with tension. I soon became invested, not only in the lives of the Cowen children, but also the Zulu tribesmen and women.

The story is narrated by multiple characters which gives a rounded view of how the plot is developing.

The majority of the story is with the Zulu tribe with tribal wars, witch doctors, spirits and superstitions. The children become a valuable commodity when Nathaniel introduces western warfare, from his experience in the Naval Academy, into the lives of the Zulu warriors.

Simmering through the story is the question of whether the children will ever be rescued and be reunited with their parents.

The Napoleon of Africa has it all; wild battle scenes, deception, betrayal and murder. The plot moves along at a steady pace.

The world of the Zulu's was beautifully described with the sparseness and serenity of the land set against the brutality of tribal warfare.

It took me a few pages to get into the author's writing style but I find this with every book I read where the author has their own distinct style.

I would recommend The Napoleon of Africa to readers of Wilbur Smith's novels or anyone who enjoys a good battle story or historical fiction set in Africa.

My rating 4 /5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Self Published

Publication date:  20th July 2025

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 368

RRP: $30.00AU (paperback)

Source: courtesy of the author

The book can be ordered directly from the author's website: 

https://philsmartauthor.com.au/

 

Review: Iluka by Cassie Stroud

 With Iluka Cassie Stroud has delivered a complex story of family, lies, long held secrets and reconciliation.

After the death of their grandfather, Helen , Sylvie and Brendan have come together at their grandparents coastal home to clean out and decide the next step with the house. The siblings were raised from a young age by their grandparents.

Helen’s teenage daughter Tegan is filming the clean out for a Uni project. The camera is always recording and captures the little actions that are often missed; a grimace, a glance, a shrug.
When letters from their mother, long after her supposed death, are uncovered the siblings start to re-evaluate the last 25 years.

Cassie Stroud’s characters are emotionally charged, nuanced and real. They bicker, run away, hurt each other and break down.

Iluka is narrated in four parts with a shift in perspective and time. I did struggle with this a little. I really enjoyed part one, getting to know the three siblings and how they fit with each other. Part two was Marguerite, the mother's story which I felt I already knew from the letters found and Helen's memories and I wasn't so invested in this. Part three was Iris, the grandmother's point of view which did clear up some misconceptions but I really wanted to get back to the siblings. Part four was back to the present and was a tidy closure to the novel.

Iluka is a powerful debut that explores the dynamics of family and is sure to be loved by contemporary fiction readers. 

My rating 3.5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐½

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Publication date: 28th January 2026

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 336

RRP: $32.99AU (trade paperback)

Source: ARC via HQ Insiders