In what has become an enjoyable annual ritual, I am happy to once again be signing up for the Australian Women Writer's Challenge for 2017. This year I hope to read 25 books by Australian women although I am not sure if I will have the time to review any.

Started in 2012, the AWW challenge has inspired hundreds of people to pledge to add books by female Australian authors to their reading lists and has inspired thousands of reviews. You can get further details at the Australian Women Writer's Website. Anybody can join the challenge, as a reader only or reader/reviewer.

You can read my reviews for previous years by scrolling down the sidebar.

Shannon Garner is in an elite but very special group - she is an altruistic surrogate, a woman who carried and gave birth to a baby for another couple without financial reward. Most people simply can't get their head around the idea that somebody would do such a thing, but after reading Labour Of Love I have come to better understand the whole process and gained a huge amount of respect for Shannon and her family.

Shannon and her husband already had two healthy children when they made the momentous decision for Shannon to be the surrogate for same sex couple Jon and Justin. They are an ordinary family in many respects, but Shannon had an out of the ordinary desire to help somebody else to create the family of their dreams. Following some further research, she is connected with Jon and Justin, who are desperate for a child of their own. From there it was a somewhat complex journey, to ensure all parties were aware of what they were undertaking, but never once did Shannon waver in her desire to be a surrogate.

Labour of Love is an eye opening read. Shannon writes with warmth and honesty as she takes the reader through the entire process - from meeting Jon and Justin, to preparing her body for the embryo to the implanted and the pregnancy itself - which was more challenging than her previous two. Beyond that though, Shannon also reveals the connection she and her family formed with Jon and Justin (and their extended families) and how she kept her emotions in check as she prepared for the birth of Elsie. Being a donor egg, Shannon has no biological connection to the baby she is carrying and this helps her to be able to hand Elsie over to her parents. Furthermore as she continues to be a part of Elsie's life, Shannon maintains a wonderful bond with the child who grew in her womb.

All in all this is a beautiful story, wonderfully told by Shannon herself. It is a story of love and hope and demonstrates that there are amazing, unselfish people in the world who do good deeds with no other agenda than to help others.

World War I is over and English woman Margaret is finally given clearance to sail to Australia to begin the new life she and her husband Frank planned during the dark days of War. Separated for nearly two years, Margaret is full of hope and anticipation, sure that the love she and Frank share will be enough to see them through any hardships that may arise. Sadly she did not foresee that Frank would not be waiting to meet her at the dock. After further investigation Margaret receives the news that Frank is married with a child. Shocked and devastated, Margaret decides against returning home to England and instead decides to create a new life for herself in Australia.

Being 1920 there are many social conventions that must be negotiated in order for Margaret to live freely as a single woman. Declaring herself to be a widow, she finds lodging and a job and embraces her new life in Sydney. Although outwardly happy, she struggles with the reality that she is still married and that Frank has betrayed her in the worst way possible. It is only when she receives a letter from Frank (via England) asking for a divorce that Margaret realises there has been a terrible mix up and that trying to sort it out is going to cause a lot of heartache.

I really enjoyed the historical aspect of The War Bride. I hadn't really heard about the ships full of war brides that arrived and it was a fascinating thing to learn about. Pamela Hart does a masterful job of transforming the reader to the streets of Sydney in that era - I saw and felt the sights and experiences Margaret undertook and appreciated the efforts the author took to create such authenticity. I particularly enjoyed reading about the pioneers of the surf lifesaving movement at Manly via Margaret's involvement with "surf shooting".

All in all The War Bride is a warm and engaging read with engaging characters and an interesting historical backdrop.

Surfacing is the third installment of Nene Davies' trilogy about the Richardson's, a Welsh family who created a new life for themselves in Australia. Having come the know the characters well in the first two books, it was great to see how their journey finished up in Surfacing.

Right from the get go, Isobel is familiar, yet different. Tragedy has rocked her life and she is still very much treading water - functioning on a physical level but still emotionally at sea. With her children grown and gone Isobel is struggling to re-discover herself and her place in the world and is questioning if her adopted home of Australia is where she really wants to be.

As with the first two books of the series, Surfacing delivers well developed characters and a plausible storyline that most of us would be able to relate to. There is plenty of drama and many scenes that will have you reaching for the tissues. But on the flip side there is also a realistic exploration of several issues, such as depression, and a lovely sense of healing and hope.

Surfacing rounds out the Distance trilogy nicely with satisfying wrap ups for each of the characters and no loose ends to leave the reader hanging. I look forward to reading more of Nene's books in the future.

When news of a murder hits the headlines, the public sit up and take notice. Or so you would assume. Apparently this is not the case for murdered sex workers, however. Invisible Women tells the stories of these women. While their occupation may be seen as unsavoury by society in general, this should not mean that we are any less horrified by their violent deaths - yet it seems that we are.

Society generally perceives sex workers as nameless and faceless. We do not consider that these women are somebody's daughter, sister, aunt or mother and that their deaths involve the same kind of pain and loss as any murdered family member or friend. Invisible Women gives a voice to these women whose plight has been silenced by a lack of reporting, which then results in a lack of the kind of outrage that any murder should evoke.

Invisible Women challenged my thinking on this subject. Reading each of the stories brought home that remaining silent about this unpleasant topic allows killers to remain at large because we are not demanding that they be brought to justice. If murder is murder, why should it matter what the victims's occupation is? With the recent focus on stopping violence against women, this book serves to remind us that there is still a very long way to go to make this idea a reality.

Although a sad and confronting read, Invisible Women is compelling and very thought provoking. Well done to the authors for honouring the memory of the numerous victims within its pages.

I will freely admit I am not remotely interested in horse racing, but having heard snippets of Michelle Payne's story after she won The Melbourne Cup, I was very interested in reading Life As I Know It. The youngest of eleven children, Michelle was just six months old when her mother was tragically killed in a car accident. Yet with the love of her large family, she speaks of a happy childhood and an early start in the business of horse racing.

The Payne family is a true facing family, with their father making his living as trainer. All the children were involved in the care of the horses, learning the ropes as soon as they were old enough to undertake the myriad of tasks involved. Along with her next in age brother Stevie, who has Down Syndrome, Michelle spent her early years in and around the stables, but it wasn't all work. There was plenty of time for play too and Michelle speaks fondly of her childhood, even though an outside observer might see it as unusual or even tough upbringing.

The right build for a jockey, Michelle's determination for success saw her achieve many goals along the road to Melbourne Cup glory. Her story is an interesting window into the racing industry and you understand that jockeys must truly love the sport and the horses they ride as the lifestyle is not an easy one. From the constant need to keep her weight down to the ever present danger of serious race falls, Michelle battled through extraordinary obstacles to achieve her dream. What I found the most horrifying was the injuries she has suffered over the years, including many serious head knocks. The fact that she came back so many times from extensive injuries and continued to ride is quite amazing.

What I liked most about this book was the upbeat and positive tone. Some could look at Michelle's life and consider her unlucky to have lost her mother so young and a sister not too many years later. Yet she does not dwell on these tragedies, focusing instead on going forward in life and celebrating the experience of life in a large family. Her love and respect for her brother Stevie is inspiring and her general outlook on life proves that attitude really is everything.

Some midwives support and advocate for home birth, others prefer the hospital environment, but the one thing they all have in common is the absolute desire to help women have a positive, nurturing birthing experience.

Aussie Midwives is a wonderful collection of stories about different midwives written by successful fiction author and midwife Fiona McArthur. Although the daughter of a midwife and thus fairly familiar with what birthing entails, I am still in awe of these women (and men) who undertake such a huge responsibility on a daily basis. It was wonderful to read something that celebrates this ancient profession and to know that so many dedicated and passionate professionals continue to undertake this special job.