Gillian H
LightNews LightNews
gillyreads.com
Gillian H
@gillyreads.com
1.4K followers 230 following 150 posts
I like yelling about books.
Living on muwinina country
She/Her

https://www.gillyreads.com/links/
Posts Replies Media Videos
gillyreads.com
Sept StoryGraph wrapup
A info graphic titled “@gillyreads September 2025 monthly wrap-up”. Two coloured boxes across the top show the stats 8 books and 2,042 pages. There are three book covers showing first, middle and last read. These are Don’t Take Your Love To Town by Ruby Langford Ginibi, Besties: Work It Out by Kayla Miller, Jeffrey Canino and Kristina Luu and The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton. It states the average book length was 247 pages and average time to finish 4 days. A pie graph shows 88% fiction and 13% non-fiction. A bar graph shows the most read genre is graphic novel (4 books), followed by middle grade (4 books), romance (2 book), fantasy (2 book) and autobiography (1 book). Compared to August books down 62% and pages down 69%. There is a graph that shows how many pages were read each day in September. And a pie graph that shows 88% print and 13% digital
October 16, 2025 at 11:02 PM
gillyreads.com
Bit late but here’s my September reads (not pictured, ebook Drawn Together by Juliana Smith)
Stack of books on a wooden shelf, the books are The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton, Biting Back by Vivienne Cleven, Don’t Take Your Love To Town by Ruby Langford Ginibi, Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd, Besties: Work It Out by Kayla Miller, Jeffrey Canino and Kristina Luu, Miles Morales: Shock Waves by Jason Reynolds and Pablo Leon, and Miles Morales: Stranger Tides by Jason Reynolds and Pablo Leon
October 16, 2025 at 10:55 PM
gillyreads.com
Had a successful outing picking up an order from my local bookshop and a hold from the library. Reading my TBR is obviously going well….
Three books on a wooden table: Discipline by Randa Abdel-Fattah, Liar’s Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina and Translations by Jumaana Abdu
September 19, 2025 at 3:09 AM
gillyreads.com
StoryGraph monthly stats
A info graphic titled “@gillyreads August 2025 monthly wrap-up”. Two coloured boxes across the top show the stats 21 books and 6,511 pages. There are three book covers showing first, middle and last read. These are Brightest Wild by Tania Crampton-Larking, The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary, and Always Will Be by Mykaela Saunders. It states the average book length was 307 pages and average time to finish 16 days. A pie graph shows 90% fiction and 6% non-fiction. A bar graph shows the most read genre is romance (13 books), followed by contemporary(7 books), fantasy (6 book), comic (2 book). Compared to July books up 75% and pages up 49%. There is a graph that shows how many pages were read/listened to each day in July. And a pie graph that shows 95% print and 5% digital.
September 2, 2025 at 8:38 AM
gillyreads.com
My august reads (ebook Emergent Stratgey by adrienne maree brown not pictured)
A stack of books on a wooden shelf. At the side the edge of a wooden box is visible with a bookmark poking out the top. The books are: Brightest Wild by Tania Crampton-Larking Aboriginal Women By Degrees by MaryAnn Bin-Salik The Geographers’ Map to Romance by India Holton The Baby Dragon Cafe by A.T. Qureshi The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary The Switch by Beth O’Leary Set On You by Amy Lea A Rare Find by Joanna Lowell An Academic Affair by Jodie McAlister The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary Just Our Luck by Denise Williams The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton Spider-Ham: Great Power, No Responsibility by Steve Foxe Spider-Ham: Hollywood May-Ham! by Steve Foxe Dancing Home by Paul Collis Marrying Off Morgan McBride by Amy Barry The Way Past Winter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Always Will Be by Mykaela Saunders
September 2, 2025 at 8:35 AM
gillyreads.com
And here is my StoryGraph monthly wrap up
A info graphic titled “@gillyreads July 2025 monthly wrap-up”. Two coloured boxes across the top show the stats 12 books and 4,360 pages. There are three book covers showing first, middle and last read. These are The Burrow by Melanie Cheng, What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon, and Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean. It states the average book length was 344 pages and average time to finish 1 day. A pie graph shows 100% fiction. A bar graph shows the most read genre is romance (11 books), followed by historical (8 books), literary (1 book), contemporary (1 book). Compared to June books down 29% and pages down 25%. There is a graph that shows how many pages were read each day in July. And a pie graph that shows 83% print and 17% digital.
August 1, 2025 at 4:57 AM
gillyreads.com
Here’s my photo of July reads (minus 2ebooks). I didn’t manage to do individual posts on what I read this month but do have little reviews on StoryGraph
A stack of books on a wooden shelf. The books are: Daring and the Duke ~ Sarah MacLean Weather Girl ~ Rachel Lynn Solomon Earl Crush ~ Alexandra Vasti Ne’er Duke Well ~ Alexandra Vasti What Happens in Amsterdam ~ Rachel Lynn Solomon Bombshell ~ Sarah MacLean Heartbreaker ~ Sarah MacLean Knockout ~ Sarah MacLean Eat Your Heart Out ~ Victoria Brownlee The Burrow ~ Melanie Cheng
August 1, 2025 at 4:48 AM
gillyreads.com
And the storygraph wrap-up
A info graphic titled “@gillyreads June 2025 monthly wrap-up”. Two coloured boxes across the top show the stats 17 books and 5,849 pages. There are three book covers showing first, middle and last read. These are The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman, Mazin Grace by Dylan Coleman and The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochran. It states the average book length was 363 pages and average time to finish 3 days. A pie graph shows 94% fiction and 6% non-fiction. A bar graph shows the most read genre is romance (9 books), followed by contemporary (7 books), fantasy (2 books), historical (2 books) and mystery (2 books). Compared to May books down 6% and pages up 15%. There is a graph that shows how many pages were read/listened to each day in June. And a pie graph that shows 82% print, 12% digital and 6% audio.
July 1, 2025 at 5:57 AM
gillyreads.com
Final June reads, plus five ebooks not pictured
A stack of 12 books on a wooden shelf. The books are Broken Dreams by Bill Dodd, Blood by Tony Birch, Mazin Grace by Dylan Coleman, Washpool by Lisa Fuller, Silverborn by Jessica Townsend, Into The Fairy Realm by Samantha Ellen Bound, Aster’s Next Good Thing by Kate Gordon, Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston, The Perfect Find by Tia Williams, The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochran, Those Who Perish by Emma Viskic, and The Last Love Note by Emma Grey.
July 1, 2025 at 5:56 AM
gillyreads.com
Not sure I would have persisted with The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun if it wasn’t for book club. I found the tense very frustrating to read.
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The cover shows an illustration of a set with two spotlights meeting in the middle. In the background is a row of silhouettes of women. In the front are two people. A white man standing in a suit and one brown man casually dressed, with a headset and clipboard. The text reads “The Charm Offensive. Alison Cochrun.”
July 1, 2025 at 5:49 AM
gillyreads.com
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison was pretty fun.
A digital book cover. The background is half peach coloured and half pink. There is an illustration of a man and woman sitting together, the man has on headphones, the woman is listening on a phone. Behind them is a sign reading ‘on air.’ The text reads “First-Time Caller. B.K. Borison.”
July 1, 2025 at 5:47 AM
gillyreads.com
Washpool by Lisa Fuller is a vibrant and imaginative middle grade fantasy. Really hope she writes a series.
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The cover is pink with two Aboriginal girls looking to the side, with illustrated colourful leaves and flowers along the bottom. The text reads “Washpool. Lisa Fuller.” There is a black sticker in the top corner that says “black & write! fellowship writer”
July 1, 2025 at 3:21 AM
gillyreads.com
Sounds Like Love was excellent. Ashley Poston really gets what the best of the romance genre can achieve and then adds a weird twist. Love it.
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The book is bright pink and the cover is mostly taken up with white text that has yellow and navy blue drop shadows. It reads “Sounds Like Love.” Along the top reads the text “Ashley Poston.” Across the bottom is a silhouette of two people dancing, a stave with music notations wraps around them.
June 30, 2025 at 9:49 AM
gillyreads.com
Tony Birch’ debut novel, Blood, is incredible. Both the writing and the story he tells are utterly gripping.
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The book has an orange cover with a white circle in the centre. In the circle is a pattern of black lines with white dashes that look like a road. The text reads “First Nations Classics. Blood. Tony Birch. Introduction by Larissa Behrendt.”
June 30, 2025 at 9:45 AM
gillyreads.com
Bill Dodd’s memoir Broken Dreams was an interesting read, written in a matter of fact but warm voice.
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The book has a grey-brown cover with a white circle in the centre. In the circle is a pattern of red Akubra hats. The text reads “First Nations Classics. Broken Dreams. Bill Dodd. Introduction by Gayle Kennedy.”
June 30, 2025 at 9:44 AM
gillyreads.com
Silverborn was everything I didn’t know I wanted it to be. Totally forgive Jess Townsend for making us wait 5 years between books.
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The book cover has an illustration of a dragon breathing fire above a city street. The sky is dar blue. Fireworks are in the background. Standing on the street is a girl with dark hair, wearing a black coat over a red dress. She is loving fiercely up at the dragon. The text reads “Jessica Townsend. Silverborn. The Mystery of Morrigan Crow. The fourth book in the Nevermoor series.”
June 30, 2025 at 9:41 AM
gillyreads.com
As usual, Emma Visick wrote a compelling mystery with richly complex characters but I didn’t like Those Who Perish as much as the rest of the series.
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The cover is a photo of a cloudy sky, with birds flying along the bottom. The text reads “Emma Viskic. Those Who Perish.”
June 26, 2025 at 4:22 AM
gillyreads.com
Mazing Grace by Dylan Coleman is a beautifully written book with very effective use of child protagonist as narrator.
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The book has a purple cover with a white circle in the centre. In the circle is a pattern of orange butterflies. The text reads “First Nations Classics. Mazin Grace. Dylan Coleman. Introduction by Claire G Coleman.”
June 26, 2025 at 4:18 AM
gillyreads.com
In The Last Love Note, Amy Grey writes a very moving portrayal grief but the romance was a bit meh.
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The cover is an illustration of a pink sky with a hint of green. Along the bottom is a black silhouette of a car with suitcases strapped to the top, driving over a bridge. The text reads “The Last Love Note. Emma Grey.”
June 26, 2025 at 4:15 AM
gillyreads.com
I love how Tia Williams writes but The Perfect Find just didn’t work for me.
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The cover is yellow, and has a photo of a black woman looking at a bridge. Her back is to the reader. The text reads “Tia Williams. The Perfect Find.”
June 26, 2025 at 4:10 AM
gillyreads.com
The Faerie Realm is a fantastic concusion to the Seven Wherewithal Way series by Samantha Ellen Bound. Highly rate if you enjoy middle grade fantasy
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The cover is purple, with silver text and a circle in the middle. On either side of the circle is an illustrated person. One side is an adult in a red robe, the other is a younger girl. They are looking at each other. The circle is silver and show an outline of a ramshackle looking house with a garden. The text along the top reads “Seven Wherewithal Way.” Smaller text around the circle reads “into the faerie realm” and the text below reads “Samantha Ellen Bound”
June 26, 2025 at 4:04 AM
gillyreads.com
Kate Gordon’s writing is so tender and makes your heart ache. Aster’s Next Right Thing is no exception. A lovely end to one of my favourite children’s series.
A hand holding a book in front of a white wall. The cover is varying shades of blue with an illustrated silhouette of a tree with an adult swinging a baby into the air while an older child stands a little apart. The text reads “Aster’s Next, Good Thing. Kate Gordon.”
June 26, 2025 at 3:58 AM
gillyreads.com
I didn’t realise that This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan was the second book in a series, but I still quite enjoyed it.
A digital book cover. It shows a black woman with natural hair, looking over her shoulder. The background is fades from pink into yellow. The bottom counter shows some pink flowers, around which are some orange line illustrations of flowers and butterflies. The text reads “Kennedy Ryan. This Could Be Us.”
June 19, 2025 at 12:31 AM
gillyreads.com
I thought Book Lovers was pretty good. Since her good books were written first, it seems clear that Emily Henry has completely lost any capacity at pace by publishing every year.
A digital book cover. The background illustration which shows the sun peaking out from behind some mountains. The sky is yellow, there is water in the front, with two boats. Each boat has a person, one with a man rowing and the other with a woman reading. The text reads “Book Lovers. Emily Henry.”
June 19, 2025 at 12:30 AM
gillyreads.com
Really did not enjoy Happy Place. Definitely the worst Emily Henry book.
A digital book cover. The background illustration shows a couple sitting on a pontoon in a body of water. Two other people are jumping into the water. The sky is pink, and along the waterline there are bushes and a building. The text reads “Happy Place. Emily Henry.”
June 19, 2025 at 12:28 AM