
AussieAggie is interested in reading...
1h

Witch Please (Fix-It Witches, #1)
Ann Aguirre
Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls in this adorable witchy rom-com with: ⢠A bisexual virgin baker with a curse ⢠A witch looking to avoid romantic entanglements ⢠And a chemistry between them that causes literal sparks Danica Waterhouse is a fully modern witchâdaughter, granddaughter, cousin, and co-owner of the Fix-It Witches, a magical tech repair shop. After a messy breakup that included way too much family âfeedback,â Danica made a pact with her cousin: theyâll keep their hearts protected and have fun, without involving any of the overly opinionated Waterhouse matriarchs. Danica is more than a little exhausted navigating a long-standing family feud where Gram thinks the only good mundane is a dead one and Danicaâs mother weaves floral crowns for anyone who crosses her path. Three blocks down from the Fix-It Witches, Titus Winnaker, owner of Sugar Daddyâs bakery, has family trouble of his own. After a tragic loss, all heâs got left is his sister, the bakery, and a lifetime of terrible luck in love. Sure, business is sweet, but he canât seem to shake the romantic curse thatâs left him past thirty and still a virgin. Heâs decided heâs doomed to be forever alone. Until he meets Danica Waterhouse. The sparks are instant, their attraction irresistible. For him, sheâs the one. To her, heâs a firebomb thrown in the middle of a family war. Can a modern witch find love with an old-fashioned mundane who refuses to settle for anything less than forever?

AussieAggie started reading...
2d

The Burning Witch 1 (The Burning Witch, #1)
Delemhach
A young woman navigates a web of politics, assassination attempts, and romance in the first book of a new series set in the world of the House Witch trilogy. Katarina Ashowan was not made for courtly life. Sure, her father is the famous house witch of Daxaria so she was raised among majestic castles, proper manners, and royal expectations. But Kat is also a mutated witch whose power aligns predominantly with fire. Sheâs more comfortable riding horses or learning to fight than she is making polite conversation and wearing fancy dresses. Which is why her upcoming assignmentâserving her best friend, Alina, the soon-to-be crowned Troivackian queenâis anything but ideal. Even worse, Kat is forced to make the long journey from Daxaria to Troivack with Alinaâs extremely irksome brother, Eric, the crown prince of Daxaria. Kat and the formerly missing prince are constantly at each otherâs throatsâuntil, that is, they begin to form an unexpected kinship . . . with perhaps something more flickering beneath the surface. Now Kat must contend with the strictures of Troivackian court, mysterious assassination attempts, and her unsettling new feelings for Eric, all as her fiery powers are becoming harder and harder to control.


AussieAggie finished a book
2d

The Princess of Potential (The House Witch, #4)
Delemhach
A headstrong princess finds herself entangled in intrigue, politics, magic, and love in this coming-of-age novel set in the world of the House Witch series. Itâs been twenty years since Finlay Ashowan, the fabled house witch of Daxaria, first cooked up supernatural hijinks in the castle at Austice. Since then, much has changed; the royal family now resides elsewhere, a tentative peace has been established with Troivack, and the crown princess, Alina, is ready to pick the perfect nobleman to be her husband. But Alinaâs quest for her ideal consort is proving rather difficult. For one, between her fatherâs nerves and her own health issues, relations within the family are tense at best. For another, Fin and his wife, Annika, have returned to the castle to celebrate Alinaâs momentous choice, bringing with them their fiery daughter, Katarina; mysterious son, Tamlin; and mischievous familiar, Krakenâall of whom have a penchant for finding trouble that somehow surpasses that of the house witch himself. And finally, the most politically promising suitor, the king of Troivack, is nothing less than completely intolerable. Now, Alina must manage filial expectations, flirtatious miscues, magical misadventures, and dangerous plots, all as she struggles to find her own place within her kingdomâand understand the blossoming desires of her own heart . . . Featuring a new generation of delightful characters as well as the trademark charm, humor, and fantasy that made readers fall in love with the House Witch series, The Princess of Potential is a captivating tale of courtly intrigue, slow-burn romance, and mystical adventure thatâs perfect for teens and adults alike. The charming spin-off of the hit romantic-fantasy series that has more than a million views on Royal Roadânow available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!

AussieAggie unpaused...
4d

The Princess of Potential (The House Witch, #4)
Delemhach
A headstrong princess finds herself entangled in intrigue, politics, magic, and love in this coming-of-age novel set in the world of the House Witch series. Itâs been twenty years since Finlay Ashowan, the fabled house witch of Daxaria, first cooked up supernatural hijinks in the castle at Austice. Since then, much has changed; the royal family now resides elsewhere, a tentative peace has been established with Troivack, and the crown princess, Alina, is ready to pick the perfect nobleman to be her husband. But Alinaâs quest for her ideal consort is proving rather difficult. For one, between her fatherâs nerves and her own health issues, relations within the family are tense at best. For another, Fin and his wife, Annika, have returned to the castle to celebrate Alinaâs momentous choice, bringing with them their fiery daughter, Katarina; mysterious son, Tamlin; and mischievous familiar, Krakenâall of whom have a penchant for finding trouble that somehow surpasses that of the house witch himself. And finally, the most politically promising suitor, the king of Troivack, is nothing less than completely intolerable. Now, Alina must manage filial expectations, flirtatious miscues, magical misadventures, and dangerous plots, all as she struggles to find her own place within her kingdomâand understand the blossoming desires of her own heart . . . Featuring a new generation of delightful characters as well as the trademark charm, humor, and fantasy that made readers fall in love with the House Witch series, The Princess of Potential is a captivating tale of courtly intrigue, slow-burn romance, and mystical adventure thatâs perfect for teens and adults alike. The charming spin-off of the hit romantic-fantasy series that has more than a million views on Royal Roadânow available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!

AussieAggie finished a book
4d

The House Witch 3 (The House Witch, #3)
Delemhach
House witch Finlay Ashowan is pulled out of the kitchenâand into the fireâas war, family, and love collide in the third book of this fantasy romance series. Having somehow convinced Lady Annika Jenoure to marry him, all Finlay Ashowan wants to do is settle down, cook some good meals, and enjoy a quiet life in Daxaria. But fate has different plans. Finâs father, Aidan Helmer, fire witch and servant of King Matthias of Troivack, has arrived in the kingdom with devastating news: Annikaâs brother Charles has been taken prisoner, and the only way his life will be spared is if Annika or Fin goes to plead his case. Given that an attack from Troivack is imminent, thereâs no way some trickery isnât involved in this plot. Now itâs up to Fin, with the help of his family, friends, and wily kitten familiar, Kraken, to attempt a daring mission of rescue and espionage. But heâll need to move quicklyâbecause if he canât find a way to fend off his father and keep Daxaria safe, all his dreams might go up in flames. With twists and turns around every corner, The House Witch 3 brilliantly continues this irresistible new series, replete with romance, magic, courtly intrigue, mystery, and humor.

AussieAggie commented...
4d
I recently read guard in the garden, which is quite a sweet cosy fantasy story. But the MC is a soldier who gets injured in the opening scene and is left needing a cane and not being able to be a soldier how he was, and he has to learn that there is more to his life than being a soldier, etc, he also deals with PTSD (although not called that because its a fantasy world). (Spoiler he does get "better" at the end, but it is after he learns to accept and love himself despite the injury)
hello! just as the title says, i'm currently seeking out fiction books where characters (main or side) become disabled during the course of the story. there's a lot of great lists with disabled rep (many of which i have bookmarked!), but it seems like the majority of disability rep features characters who are disabled before the story begins. i love these narratives, too, but there's something about seeing a character become disabled and learning to accommodate that disability that i find comforting. i'm open to recs in any genre (though not memoirs at this moment) but i'm very much hoping to find some scifi, fantasy and horror (especially apocalyptic). thank you in advance for all recs!! đ

AussieAggie commented...
5d
My pet peeve with accents as an Australian is Strong american (or regional, but they are usually American) accents in fantasy stories set in another world or time. Particularly in future sci-fi, where all of humanity now speaks the same language, and/or there are human languages and alien languages. Like what do you mean all of humanity sounds like they're off a Midwest ranch?
Hi PBs, and Happy Labor Day if your country celebrates it today :)
I have a huge pet peeve about bad accents in audiobooks, so much so that I made this whole list about it.
I especially hate bad accents in non-fiction audiobooks, because they usually mean the narrator is reading an actual person's words in a way that feels like a mockery of how that person would talk!
I've been paying more attention to this and I've developed a theory: I think a non-fiction audiobook is less likely to have a bad accent if the author is also the narrator! My theory is that because the author actually spoke to most if not all of the people they're quoting in their book, they would be much more embarrassed to sound like they're mocking that person.
Do you agree? I'm hoping that my fellow non-fiction audiobook aficionados will help me out by keeping their ears peeled for how author-narrators handle the voices of the people they spoke to for their book.
And as always, this thread and my list are a safe space to vent about bad narrators doing embarrassing voices!

AussieAggie TBR'd a book
5d

As You Wake, Break the Shell
Becky Chambers
Life on Fortune is hard. The atmosphere is poisonous, the planet hardly fit for life. For years the colonists have struggled, forbidden from returning to the Mothership until they develop the technology of spaceflight for themselves. Cora suffers from a rare condition, brought about by her contact with the alien animal she pilots, quarrying vital water for the colony. Signy is the only person who can save her - but to do so, she must break the rules that govern their lives, and risk her livelihood and the other colonists who rely on her for survival. But, as Cora and Signy meet, grow, and fall in love, they begin to yearn for more than mere survival . . .

AussieAggie commented...
5d
I think mine is A psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers.
It has a beautiful message about living your life is enough and you dont have to acheive mountains and leave a long lasting impression. And as ADHD anxiety filled high achiever at the end of uni, and moving into my career, I think this was really important, like I have some pretty big things id like to try and tackle as part of my career, but if they dont happen, that's OK too, and my life is just as valuable and worth living happily if I dont do all those things
What book(s) inspired you, or had a role in catalyzing you, to make a big life change? Whether that be embracing a part of your identity, validating an experience that allowed you to share it with others for the first time, led you to studying something in university or going into a particular career, that made you realize that something was possible and that you wanted it đ
Here are some of mine:
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (2015): my name change to Violet is partially due to the character in this book. It meant a lot to me when I read it at 15. It also illustrated to me the impact of suicide loss on loved ones and helped me see why I could not make permanent choices while experiencing SI as a young mentally ill traumatized person.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999): made me appreciate the importance of asking for help.
Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation by Eli Clare (1999) and Sins Invalidâs Skin Tooth & Bone a Disability Justice Primer (2019): read for a disability studies course my freshman year of university and knew I was going to be studying Critical Disability Studies.
Tender Points by Amy Berkowitz (2015): made me realize that I had fibromyalgia and helped me ask the right questions to my doctor to get the care I need.
I Have The Right To by Chessy Prout & Jenn Abelson (2018) and If My Body Could Speak by Blythe Baird (2019): made me feel very seen as a survivor and feminist and made me a better activist and advocate.
The Turnaway Study by Diana Greene Foster (2020), You or Someone You Love: Reflections from an Abortion Doula by Hannah Matthews (2023) and Liberating Abortion: Claiming Our History, Sharing Our Stories, and Building the Reproductive Future We Deserve byRenee Bracey Sherman & Regina Mahone (2024): helped cement my certainty that I want to work in the field of sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price (2022): helped adult me understand my neurodivergence so much better and the ways I was failed as a child because I was gendered as a girl. I recommended it to my mom (who had similar experiences to me) and it brought us closer.

AussieAggie commented...
5d
It's sci-fi rather than fantasy (but not hard core sci fi) but Becky Chambers, A long way to a small angry planet is my favourite book, it does have a slight sapphic story line, but its pretty minimal and there is much more focus on the friendships and story.
Hey y'all, I was hoping for some recommendations. I just tried a book that I quickly put down because it was fantasy with a romance. I am getting tired of fantasy books being always either male centered and if not there always has to have a romance. I want a fantasy that woman/nonbinary etc centered, without romance. If you have any recommendations, I would forever be grateful!

AussieAggie started reading...
5d

As You Wake, Break the Shell
Becky Chambers
Life on Fortune is hard. The atmosphere is poisonous, the planet hardly fit for life. For years the colonists have struggled, forbidden from returning to the Mothership until they develop the technology of spaceflight for themselves. Cora suffers from a rare condition, brought about by her contact with the alien animal she pilots, quarrying vital water for the colony. Signy is the only person who can save her - but to do so, she must break the rules that govern their lives, and risk her livelihood and the other colonists who rely on her for survival. But, as Cora and Signy meet, grow, and fall in love, they begin to yearn for more than mere survival . . .

AussieAggie TBR'd a book
6d

Cold Clay
Juneau Black
The second book in the "Shady Hollow" series, in which some long-buried secrets come to light, throwing suspicion on a beloved local denizen. It's autumn in Shady Hollow, and residents are looking forward to harvest feasts. But then a rabbit discovers a grisly crop: the bones of a moose. Soon, the owner of Joe's Mug is dragged out of the coffeeshop and questioned by the police about the night his wife walked out of his life--and Shady Hollow--forever. It seems like an open-and-shut case, but dogged reporter Vera Vixen doesn't believe gentle Joe is a killer. She'll do anything to prove his innocence... even if it means digging into secrets her neighbors would rather leave buried.