Our Summer of Books

And what to expect from Mother Reader in 2025

Hello Mother Readers,

Autumn Equinox greetings to you all!

I hope I’ve found you in the midst of a cracking great book, at the climax of an exceptionally good read aloud or with a fresh stack of library books just waiting for you to get lost in.

As we say an official farewell to summer in the southern hemisphere, I thought I’d share with you my favourite reads of the last season.

It’s been a deliciously slow start to year, largely because I’ve been reading more than writing (sorry, not sorry) and embracing the joys of living a (mostly) analog life. This has included birthing my very own, real life book club - Mother Readers. I’ve drawn together a circle of women in my local community who love to read or who wanted to make more time in their life for reading. I have so much to tell you about this incredible experience, but that is all to come in time. First allow me to share with you everything I have in store for you this year.

What to expect from Mother Reader in 2025…

• Quarterly reading highlights from our family of bookworms in line with the seasonal solstices and equinoxes

• More Portrait of a Mother Reader pieces from word loving women around the world

• Themed reading lists for little and big people to dive deeper into areas of interest

• A handful of How To… posts, beginning with How to Start a Book Club and How to Raise Readers

For context, if you are new to Mother Reader, I’m

Stephanie Elizabeth

, a slow, simple, seasonal living home lover who nests on the Mornington Peninsula, Bunurong Country, at the bottom of mainland Australia with my musical husband and two wildlings (aged 6 and 4). I read every day (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot) but never a day passes without a book in my hands.

The Serviceberry

By Robin Wall Kimmerer

“In a gift economy, wealth is understood as having enough to share, and the practice for dealing with abundance is to give it away. In fact, status is determined not by how much one accumulates, but by how much one gives away. The currency in a gift economy is relationship, which is expressed as gratitude, as interdependence and the ongoing cycle of reciprocity. A gift economy nurtures the community bonds that enhance mutual well-being; the economic unit is “we” rather than “I”, as all flourishing is mutual.”

On the first day of 2025 I told my family we were all going to our local bookstore because I wanted to buy each of us a new book to kickstart a wonderful year of reading. This book was my gift to myself. I took my time wandering the shelves, in search of a book worthy of owning. I knew instinctually that this would be a treasure, a book I would turn to continually in years to come. I’d heard great things and this petit little gem holds a magnitude of wisdom. I devoured this book. It sang to me. And because it was mine I got to annotate it! A rare treat for a devout library lover.

As with any book, the happenings of my everyday life enhanced this read. As I read Robin’s poetic prose of gifts and abundance, we were up to our eyeballs in blood plums from our ever-giving orchard and were sharing them out with our family and friends, who in turn spread them amongst their friends and family. As we sent these purple jewels out into our community we were gifted back stories, recipes ideas and infinite gratitude. Our bellies and our hearts were full knowing that our produce had made someone’s breakfast that much sweeter, had brought back childhood memories, had inspired a new recipe. Everyone, everyone should read this book.

The first harvest from our plum summer

We Are What We Eat

By Alice Waters

“Once we understand the ways we are interconnected, to one another and to nature, a certain power is unleashed in us that naturally leads us to take responsibility for our lives, one another, and the world.”

Shout out to fellow Mother Reader

Rachel

for this recommendation, this is another delectable book to chew on. A celebration of a formidable woman and her powerful food manifesto. Alice is a pioneer of the SLOW (seasonal, local, organic, whole) food movement, a woman deeply rooted to her place and her work, the heart and soul of one of the best restaurants in the world, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. Having had the sheer delight of dining at Chez Panisse on our honeymoon 8 years ago, made this sentimental read even sweeter.

You don’t need to know anything about Alice or her restaurant though to gain so much from this book. This is her food philosophy distilled from 50+ years in hospitality. She outlines everything that is wrong with our ‘fast food culture’ and all we stand to gain collectively by simply changing what’s on our plates. Like The Serviceberry, this book speaks what is etched on my heart. I relate deeply to Alice’s sentiments and vision, her anger and her bewilderment. Having spent the majority of my own working life in hospitality, currently working in one of the best restaurants in Australia, I too long for systemic change in the way we eat, farm, shop, cook and feed ourselves. This book is a blueprint. It lays it all on the table.

Pride & Prejudice

By Jane Austen, illustrated by Alice Pattullo

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

I'm having an Austen year.

It all began in January. I turned to my bookshelf and felt drawn to reach for my illustrated copy of Pride and Prejudice. (Side note, I adore an illustrated classic!) Unawares of the auspiciousness of this year to Austen fans across the globe, I fell completely, head over heels, back in love with the Bennett family and I honestly cannot recall reading another book in recent history that brought me that much joy and rapture. I gave it three hearts in my notebook. Three! I’ve never given three hearts to any book. One has always been enough to signify my love and gratitude, but this re-read warranted an outpouring. Not long after I closed the cover and clutched it to my chest whispering words of eternal devotion, Grandmother Reader emailed me a link to an article, which alluded to 2025 being the 250th year since Austen’s birth. Well, my plan was formed then and there. I would read all of her novels over the course of the year to come and revel in all things Austen. After reconnecting with Elizabeth, shortly after Anne became my treasured companion. The acquaintance of Emma I hope to make next, and that of Fanny, Elinor and Catherine I shall seek in due course. That her stories, her heroines, live on and continue to delight, inspire and comfort us, is worth celebrating in my books.

Do you have a favourite Jane?

The Mirror & The Light

by Hilary Mantel

Technically, I read half of this book in 2024, as part of

Simon Haisell

’s year long slow read along of the Cromwell Trilogy. I loved Wolf Hall, it was one of the best I read last year. Similarly, I was taken by Bring Up the Bodies, but fell off the wagon part way through this epic, final book. At the time I got distracted by others in my stack and once I fell behind the reading schedule, I put it to the side. It sat on my bedside for a good few months, slowly gathering dust, before I shelved it alongside the other two on our main bookcase. Oh well, I told myself, I gave it a good crack. And I forgot about it.

Until January. Oh January, what an exceptionally good reading month you were. I had just finished Pride & Prejudice and was waiting for Persuasion to come in at the library. I was in that liminal state of being between books but I wanted to keep reading really good literature. I turned to the bookshelf and there was The Mirror & The Light and I was hungry for it again. I picked up where I had left off, once again immersed in 16th century England and the downfall and ultimate demise of Crumb. It was brilliant but I felt the loss, the end. In hindsight perhaps I’d subconsciously paused reading The Mirror & The Light because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, wanting to extend my time with Thomas Cromwell, with the late Hilary Mantel herself. This trilogy deserves all the accolades and praise it has been bestowed. If you’ve ever thought about tackling them, I cannot recommend joining Simon’s year long slow read enough. It’s like having a kindly history professor hold your hand and walk you through each scene, each chapter. Mantel’s magic is illuminated with Simon as guide. Find him at

Footnotes and Tangents

here on Substack.

Still Life

by Sarah Winman

This was the first official Mother Readers book club selection and it still lingers with me. Florence, Italy throughout a lifetime of the 20th century as told by a ragtag collection of eccentric characters who pull one another towards salvation. This is one for the art lovers. For those who love to be swept away to foreign lands and connect deeply with characters over a number of decades. It will make you laugh out loud, it will make you cry. A beautiful, lingering read.

My still life painting inspired by Still Life the book

Frog & Toad, The Complete Collection

By Arnold Lobel

“I am happy. I am very happy. This morning when I woke up I felt good because the sun was shining. I felt good because I was a frog. And I felt good because I have you as a friend.”

We have read a few Frog & Toad tales over the years, so when I saw this anthology at our local bookstore I knew my son would love it! These sweet short stories of the simple lives of two amphibian friends make the perfect read aloud for your littlest listeners. They are a delight to the young at heart as well.

Dinosaur Dig, Dinosaur Rescue, Dinosaur Pirates and Dinosaur Zoom

By Penny Dale

Have a dinosaurs and vehicle loving wee one? You can’t beat these picture books. Simple storylines, epic illustrations. These are on constant rotation in our home.

The Little Chefs

By Rosemary Wells

A cute collection of three short tales of tiny chefs who come on call to rescue any kitchen dilemma.

Aesop’s Fables

Retold by Marie Stuart and Audrey Dale, Illustrated by Robert Ayton

There are countless editions of these classic fables around, and we happened to pick up this vintage Ladybird first edition at the op shop. My youngest appreciated the vivid illustrations whilst my daughter and I enjoyed discussing and dissecting each short story’s moral.

The Little Books of the Little Brontës

By Sara O’Leary and Briony May Smith

This one caught my eye at the library and it’s my pick for the best picture book we’ve read so far this year. This is a delightful introduction to the Brontë family and the joy of creating and sharing stories. Includes a timeline of each of the siblings lives and the works they went on to publish, as well as instructions on how kids can create their own little books. This book brought tears to my eyes as I read it aloud and it completely captivated my daughter. As a precaution, illness and death do feature, but overall hope outshines despair.

Katie and the Starry Night

By James Mayhew

Mayhew’s books are treasured in our family, particularly the Ella Bella Ballerina series. When it comes to introducing small children to art, the Katie series is magnificent. We booked tickets to see Van Gogh at the Lume exhibition and in preparation I borrowed a stack of children’s books about Vincent’s life and work from the library. There are plenty of great non-fiction books, but if I could choose just one to inspire interest, this would be it.

The Children of the Cherry Tree Farm

By Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton’s presence is a constant in our home, but I hadn’t heard of Cherry Tree Farm until a friend asked if we had read it. When I told her I didn’t know of it, she insisted we borrow her copy and that we would love it. That we did! Dare I say, this may be my favourite Blyton book I’ve read. I am now on the hunt for our own illustrated vintage copy, including the sequels - The Children at Willow Farm and More Adventures on Willow Farm.

On the Banks of Plum Creek

By Laura Ingalls Wilder

We continue to make our way slowly through the Little House series and this was as enjoyable a read as all that have come before it.

Eight Princesses and a Magic Mirror

By Natasha Farrant and Lydia Corry

We loved Farrant and Corry’s first collaborative chapter book, The Girl who talked to Trees so naturally we sought out and equally loved Eight Princesses.

And that’s a wrap!

So far this year, I’ve read 6 novels and 9 non-fiction books alone, plus 4 chapter books, 1 treasury and approximately 100 picture books aloud. Excluding picture books, that’s 20 books of note over the last 12 weeks.

I would love to hear all about the books that have stolen your heart thus far in 2025, what you are currently reading and what you’ve got sitting in your stack you can’t wait to read next…

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A little sidenote…

I intentionally choose not to link directly to websites to purchase recommended titles. I am an avid library lover, secondhand op shopper and local, independent, book store supporter. If any of these books speak to you, I encourage you to seek them out via these three places.

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If you are keen to share your own reading habits, rhythms and book recommendations via the Portrait of Mother Reader series, I’d love to hear from you. I have six incredible portraits in the pipeline but the more mother readers, the merrier!

In the meantime, you can escape into the reading lives of these booking loving mamas:

Portrait of a Mother Reader - Stephanie, Australia

Portrait of a Mother Reader - Laura, Australia

Portrait of a Mother Reader - Jenna, UK

Portrait of a Mother Reader - Jo, Australia

Portrait of a Mother Reader - Catherine, UK

Portrait of a Mother Reader - Susie, USA

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Off I go to bed now with Christy Lefteri’s The Beekeeper of Aleppo…