Twelve fave reads of 2023, 3 smashing new titles and 1 Christmas giveaway!
I'm packing in as much as possible in this final newsletter. What were my favourites reads of 2023? My annual Success Audit. Plus crime, Paris and a cultish thriller to tide you over the summer...
Well hello, lovely,
Here we are—the end of the year. Only two weeks left of school for my youngest. Hubby’s company has compulsory annual leave over Christmas/ New Year and I take the same time off to hang out with the family, swim, eat leftovers and recharge the batteries. This year, I’m also taking a social media holiday. No posting and no scrolling. Eek! I’ll report back on that one :-)
Luckily, I have my Christmas reading pile. It’s split 50/50 between research books for the current WIP and books I’ve been saving up for the break. Top of that list is the winner of the 2023 Women’s Prize for fiction, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I’ve had this book for ages but it’s thick and that equals holiday read so I can truly dedicate some couch time to it :-) Also on that pile is Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton. I’m expecting all the feels, as they say, because Dalton knows how to tug on the heart strings! Last, but by no means least, is another book that’s been calling to me for ages — Matrix by Lauren Groff.
In writing news, the manuscript is done. Woohoo! It’s currently in the metaphorical drawer until I return to work in January. Then I’ll roll up my sleeves for the edits. I love editing. I’m already filled with ideas to make the characters more layered, the story tighter and the themes sing.
Meanwhile, I’ve collated my favourite reads of the year and pulled together my annual Success Audit. It’s short but sweet. To round the year off, I’ve reviewed three books that should definitely end up on your TBR for the summer. And, of course, my final 2023 giveaway.
Let’s go!
2023’s Divine Dozen Reads
I shared 31 books with you in 2023. If I add that number to the ones I reviewed in New Voices Down Under, that adds up to 54 books reviewed. And that doesn’t include the ones I read and didn’t review or those DNFs (did not finish.) But which ones are my favourites?
By definition, these are the stories that have stayed with me after the last page is turned. Months later, I find my thoughts returning to these stories. To me, that is the mark of a great book. Not the hype, not the sales figures, not the name of the author but stories that have heart and dig into the human condition — funny, dark or thoughtful. I really tried to limit this to ten but, well, I just couldn’t. And I didn’t include the debut books I reviewed in NVDU because every debut author deserves a shout out. No favourites there!
2023 Success Audit
I admit, when I get to this time of year, I’m thinking less about my successes but how exhausted I am as I try to focus on crawling over the 2023 finish line in one piece! But, the practice of gratitude is an important way of acknowledging that you have done some good in the world, be it the big wide world or the microcosm that is your community and family and hopefully, oneself. It’s time to take stock. Let’s see how I go.
1. Miss M past her driving test — I know it’s really her success but there were more than a hundred hours spent behind the wheel to get her there. And we both agreed that driving lessons make for wonderful mother/daughter bonding time. I didn’t get to do this with my eldest because I was heavily pregnant with Miss M and that duty/honour went to my mother and her partner. So this makes it extra special.
2. On a similar note, Miss M did the HSC this year. We weren’t always confident this would actually happen, which makes me doubly proud of her for getting through a tough couple of years. Whatever the result are, she did it. In supporting roles, my husband and I were cheering her on from the sidelines. School is done!
3. I wrote two books! One that might never see the light of day and another one I sincerely hope my publisher adores when she first gets to read it in early 2024. (Although, she said she’s super excited to read it, so yay!) It’s been an important lesson in processing disappointment. Life is not smooth sailing, it’s a roller-coaster! (Did I just mix my metaphors, I believe I did!) The lesson is that you have to hang in there. It’s an important reminder that publishing, like all life really, is about persistence and a smattering of good luck.
4. Unbelievably (to me, I mean), you voted The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison into the Better Reading Top 100 two years in a row. It means a lot because it means the book keeps living and reaching new readers. As a writer, I don’t truly exist without my readers, so thank YOU!
5. And speaking of readers, I was so grateful to do live events in 2023. From libraries in Goulburn, Wollongong and Batemans Bay as well as here at my local festival, StoryFest. I loved meeting each and every single one of you.
6. Art classes have proven to be such fun (mostly—let’s not talk about charcoal!) It’s been a lovely way to spend two hours each week with gorgeous people working on our craft. I threw myself into art classes as a way to expand my creativity. I hated art at school but with both a father and a daughter who demonstrate such talent, I was kind of hoping some of it might have rubbed off on me. Good, bad or indifferent, I’m learning a lot about creative practice. There are so many crossover points between the visual arts and writing. I’m finding both are feeding off each other. Not to mention that I now have a new passion—art supplies $$$
What about you? I hope there’s been multitude of blessings to count and a smidge of good fortune to brighten your days.
Books to Love
Kill Your Husbands by Jack Heath
First things first, the set up for this book is so-o-o good. Three couples, friends since high school, decided to go away for a weekend. A luxury house, off grid, with nothing more to do than commune with nature, eat amazing food and drink great wine in the hot tub. On the first night, someone jokes about this being the perfect opportunity to swap partners. It quickly morphs into reality.
The deal is that the three women will each go into one of the three bedrooms. The lights will stay off, there is to be no talking, and the men will dress in identical outfits. They too will choose a room at random and have sex with the woman they find there. The only problem is, that when the lights come back on, one of them men is found dead in the hot tub. None of the women will admit to being his partner — because they don’t know, or wont’ say? By the end of the weekend, he won’t be the only man dead. In fact, only one person will walk out alive.
How fun is that? Jack Heath backs up this premise with terrific writing and a score of twists and turns. Who is the stranger spotted amongst the trees. Why is there a hole in the roof? And why has the cleaner dumped of all the garbage in the bush rather than dispose of it properly? But what makes Kill Your Husbands is the great characterisations. None of these people are particularly likeable. They all have hidden agendas. Poor Senior Constable Kiara Liu has the job of unraveling all of this on top of trying to figure out why a local man died as a result of a hit and run that nobody saw and nobody admitted to. Kill Your Husbands hits the sweet spot for lazy holiday afternoons. It’s so gripping, I had to stay up until 1am to figure out the who and the why. No wonder Jack Heath is an award-wining writer. This is clever stuff.
Scroll down to Freebies to win a copy of Kill Your Husbands
The Paris Cooking School by Sophie Beaumont
Australians Gabi and Kate are in Paris to attend a month-long course at Sylvie’s famous Paris Cooking School. Gabi is running away from her success as an artist because she doesn’t want anyone to find out she is suffering crippling creative block. Is she really just a one-hit wonder? Kate’s seemingly happy life imploded when she found out her husband had betrayed her in the most cliched of ways. A trip to Paris promises a chance to reinvent herself and heal her wounds. And Sylvie is facing her own challenges. Someone seems intent on sabotaging her successful business and her relationship with Claude is going nowhere. April in Paris is a season of transformation. Each of these women will have to face unpleasant truths and forge new paths and find their ways back to happiness.
The Paris Cooking School is a wonderful confection of Paris, delectable food, love and second chances. Sophie Beaumont, herself bilingual, brings Paris alive and her characters are so relatable. Beaumont weaves her story around them and wraps up the reader with it. This book is a wonderful piece of escapism with its vivid depictions of everyday life in possibly one of the most romantic cities in the world. Which is lovely but not as lovely as having a great story to hang it off. Entertaining and charming, The Paris Cooking School is a delight from beginning to end.
Deep in the Forest by Erina Reddan
Charli Trenthan’s life in Stone Lake hasn’t been the same since her mother died in a hit and run. Then came the fire that burnt down several homes and it was only by sheer lack of compelling evidence that she got away without being charged. Now, most of the locals refuse to talk to her and she’s never felt so alone. Her escape plan is to take a sabbatical under a master book binder in Venice. A change of scenery and working on her craft might be the antidote to grief and loss.
Except, she receives an urgent message from The Sanctuary, a closed community that is renowned for the success of its drug rehabilitation program, New Leaf. On top of that, she discovers a dead newborn frozen in the ice of the lake. Sectors of the town are looking for someone to blame and Charli is the obvious choice. Now she must find a way through the Sanctuary’s walls of secrecy to find the truth and save the people trapped within.
Deep in the Forest is a thriller that will have you guessing the whole way through. There’s an almost gothic element to the novel with Charli living in her grandmother’s forbidding and luxurious house, the deep forest of the title with its pack of wild dogs and the austere impenetrable walls of The Sanctuary itself. Reddan explores the nature of the human need to belong and to make sense of the world, the attraction of cults and the nigh on impossibility of ever leaving. This is about power on every level — be it physical, sexual or mind games. Using Charli as a pretty unreliable narrator only adds to the growing suspense and Reddan cleverly peels back the layers of Charli’s life the further she gets in understanding the true machinations of The Sanctuary. Interestingly, Reddan drew on her own experience growing up on a closed community to write Deep in the Forest. Perhaps that’s what gives it such chilling authenticity.
Giveaways Galore!
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the Australian publishers who have supported A Cuppa With Meredith in 2023. Getting books into readers’ hands is what it’s all about. In the book world, word of mouth is gold. Thank you too for playing along, sharing your comments and your reviews on socials. You’d probably be amazed at what a difference it makes.
In our final giveaway of 2023, I am thrilled that I have **two** copies of Kill Your Husbands for some lucky readers to win. Thank you so much to the team at Allen and Unwin!!
For your chance to win, all you have to do is send me a reply email with the answer to this incredibly tricky question.
What is the name of the detective tasked with finding the murderer?
The fine print: Giveaways are currently only open to subscribers and you must reside within Australia to be eligible to win (postage!) The winners will be picked at random and will be emailed on Wednesday 20 December 2023. Good luck!
Events
A quick shout out to the budding writers amongst you. Courtesy of the South Coast Writers Centre, I’ll be running a half-day workshop on Saturday 27th January 2024.
Essential Ingredients for great Fiction
Whether you prefer to start with a blank page and see where the story takes you or like to nut it all out before you write a word, a Story Map is an essential element in crafting a story that grabs readers and immerses them in your world. This workshop will explore the essential ingredients in creating great stories and editing your work to make your story shine.
From plot to character, themes and dialogue, you will come to grips with the key elements of successful storytelling.
Curious to know more? Bookings and full details here
The end of the cup
Well, my friend, my cup is empty. Thank you so much for hanging out with me in 2023. Just a reminder that I am changing the dates for future editions of A Cuppa With Meredith. In 2024, I’ll still be doing a newsletter every two months but it will run from 5 February instead of 5 January. Simply put, I need a break over the summer so I have plenty of energy for what promises to be an exciting year ahead.
I wish you and your loved ones a safe and joyful summer. It’s been a big year on so many accounts and not all of it pretty. Resilience is all well and good but life’s tough. It’s an important reminder to count our blessings and be kind to ourselves and those who surround us.
In the meantime, you can check out updates on events at www.meredithjaffe.com or you will always find me chatting be cranky with me if you find me chatting on socials on either Instagram or Facebook @meredithjaffeauthor because I promised I was taking a break. But up until 21 December, feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line. I love hearing from you!
Keep well,
