Ruby

Our resident manga expert

Get to know more about Ruby's taste in books below:

More about me

1. Who are your auto buy authors?:

Ai Yazawa, I love her writing and illustrations.

Hirohiko Araki, peak fiction!

2. What's your favourite genres?:

Non-fiction specifically nature/travel writing.

Sci-fi, magical realism and shojo romance.

3. Do you judge a book by it's cover?:

Yes, probably too often. I can't help but go for a pretty book.

4. Your most anticipated release of 2024:

In the clear moonlit dusk volume 6.

5. How do you organize your personal bookshelves?:

Usually series in order, by size or colour coordinated.

6. What books are high on your TBR (to be read pile) this year?

My favourite book quote:

"I stand up, wipe the dirt off my jeans, and walk away. I know I'm not coming back."

Favourites of 2024 so far:

Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer

As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on "a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise" (Elizabeth Gilbert).

Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, a mother, and a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings-asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass-offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In a rich braid of reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument- that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.

Skip And Loafer Vol. 1, Misaki Takamatsu

The critically acclaimed romantic comedy about a country girl chasing her dreams in Tokyo!
Mitsumi is bound for high school in Tokyo! She's got book smarts, but this small-town girl is about to find out she's massively unprepared for the social norms of big city high schoolers.

TBR (want to read):

The Forest Wars, David Lindenmayer

Lifts the lid on destruction of native forests by government corporations and logging industry that is making bushfires worse, killing wildlife and costing taxpayers millions, for the sake of woodchips for export.

Since colonisation, Australia has been frantically logging our native forests as if our lives depended on it. Our lives do indeed depend on the forests - but on keeping them, not destroying them.

World-leading forest expert Professor David Lindenmayer uncovers the grim truth about what is happening in our tall eucalypt forests. Koalas, greater gliders, Leadbeater's possums and hundreds of other iconic animal and bird species are being killed in droves each year, driving many closer to extinction. Logging makes bushfires worse for decades after the chainsaws stop. Carbon emissions from the forestry industry are a major contributor to climate change. Native forest logging doesn't even provide much wood to build houses: it mostly goes to woodchips and pulp for paper and box liners. It's not even profitable: taxpayers are funding it everywhere.

Lindenmayer reveals an unholy alliance between state forestry, the timber industry and unions. Loggers routinely breach regulations, and industry intimidates anyone who questions what they are doing. Worse still, even where native forest logging is supposedly ending, efforts are being made to continue under a different guise.

The fact is that native forests are considerably more economically valuable left standing. If Australia stopped native forest logging, we could reach our 2030 carbon emission target of 43 per cent on this measure alone.

'In the face of all the lies and industry spin, an evidence-based account that's clear, humane, and trustworthy.'Tim Winton

Weyward, Emilia Hart

*As seen on BBC’s BETWEEN THE COVERS

* A #2 Times bestseller

* A New York Times bestseller
‘Humming with a sly, exhilarating magic’ BRIDGET COLLINS
‘A much-heralded epic’ OBSERVER
‘Empowering’ GLAMOUR

Three women, five centuries, one spellbinding story

In the present day, Kate flees a traumatic relationship to the Cumbrian cottage she inherited from her great-aunt; but the cottage hides secrets of its own.

In 1942, Violet rebels against her father’s ideas of a ‘proper young lady’ . . . until he takes matters into his own hands.

In 1619, Altha is on trial for witchcraft, implicated in the gruesome death of a local man.

Three women they tried to cage – but Weyward women belong to the wild. And they cannot be tamed…

Skip And Loafer Vol. 2, Misaki Takamatsu

No Guts, No Glory!
While Mitsumi adjusts to big city life, her cheerful and forthright personality brings joy to her classmates. Now that she's getting the hang of high school, her circle expands even further.

Skip And Loafer Vol. 3, Misaki Takamatsu

The critically acclaimed romantic comedy about a country girl chasing her dreams in Tokyo!
Excellent student Iwakura Mitsumi has always dreamt about leaving her small town, going to a prestigious university, and making positive change in the world. But she's so focused on reaching her goals that she's not prepared for the very different (and overwhelming) city life that awaits her in a Tokyo high school. Luckily, she makes fast friends with Shima Sousuke, a handsome classmate who's as laid-back as she is over-prepared. Can this naive country girl make it big in Tokyo with Sousuke by her side? This charming manga was nominated for the 2020 Manga Taisho Award and is sure to skip its way into your heart.

Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree

High fantasy, low stakes – with a double-shot of coffee.

After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream – for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can’t go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune’s shady underbelly could make it all too easy for Viv to take up the blade once more.

But the true reward of the uncharted path is the travellers you meet along the way. Whether bound by ancient magic, delicious pastries or a freshly brewed cup, they may become something deeper than Viv ever could have imagined.

Legends & Lattesby Travis Baldree is a cosy, heartwarming slice-of-life fantasy about found families and fresh starts – perfect for fans of TJ Klune, Katherine Addison and T. Kingfisher.

Ice Planet Barbarians, Ruby Dixon

The international publishing phenomenon Ice Planet Barbarians, now in a special print edition!

A "TikTok Made Me Buy It" title

Fall in love with the out-of-this-world romance between Georgie Carruthers, a human woman, and Vektal, an alien from another planet, in this expanded edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue--in print only!

You'd think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to me. And you'd be wrong. Because now the aliens are having ship trouble, and they've left their cargo of human women--including me--on an ice planet.We're not equipped for life in this desolate winter wasteland. Since I'm the unofficial leader, I head out into the snow to look for help.

I find help all right. A big blue horned alien introduces himself in a rather . . . startling way. Vektal says that I'm his mate, his chosen female--and that the reason his chest is purring is because of my presence. He'll help me and my people survive, but this poses a new problem.

If Vektal helps us survive, I'm not sure he's going to want to let me go.

Barbarian's Touch, Ruby Dixon

The next novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, an international publishing phenomenon-now in a special print edition with a bonus new epilogue!

Lila has never been more frightened in her life, but when Rokan appears, everything changes.

When I wake up on the ice planet, I'm scared of everything- This place is cold, silent, and the locals look more like blue devils than aliens. To make matters worse, one of the strangers decides I'm going to be his girlfriend and kidnaps me away from my sister. I'm completely and utterly alone. What's a girl to do?

Well, this girl escapes.

Of course, that means I go from the frying pan into the fire, and my situation gets even more dangerous. Just when I have no hope left, a new hero shows up. Sure, he's blue, horned, and has a tail. He's also fierce, protective, makes me purr...and thinks I'm perfect.

But is what we have real or just a mating instinct?

Snowglobe, Soyoung Park

A groundbreaking Korean YA thriller, for fans of Squid Game, Black Mirror and The Hunger Games.

Discover the groundbreaking Korean YA thriller, for fans of Squid Game, Black Mirror and The Hunger Games!

WHEN YOU'RE INSIDE, THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING . . .

Raised in a climate-ravaged, frozen world, every day is a struggle for survival for Chobahm. Her only solace comes in the form of twenty-four-hour reality television shows, streamed directly from Snowglobe - the climate-controlled domed city at the heart of her world, and the only warm place left on the planet.

The citizens of Snowglobe have everything- fame, fortune and, above all, safety from the frigid wasteland outside their walls. In exchange, their lives are broadcast to the less fortunate of their world, who watch eagerly, hoping for the chance to one day become an actor themselves and join their ranks.

Chobahm is one of the dreamers. But her life changes in an instant when she is visited by two strangers from Snowglobe, who deliver earth-shattering news- Goh Haeri, Snowglobe's biggest star has died - and because of Chobahm's striking resemblance to her, she's been chosen to take her place.

Given the chance of a lifetime, Chobahm agrees to enter Snowglobe and take on Haeri's identity. Within the domed city's walls, she will finally have the existence she's always dreamed of - but if life in Snowglobe is so great, why did Haeri seem so desperate to escape it? And when everyone around you is a performer, how can you ever know what is reality, and what is created for the audience . . . ?

Published in English for the first time from its original Korean, the critically-acclaimed Snowglobe is a page-turning thriller with twists around every corner.

In The Clear Moonlit Dusk 6, Mika Yamamori

"Prince" meets prince in this offbeat high school romance, where two picture-perfect teens must see past appearances to understand what being in love really means. Don't miss out on another unique offering from the author of Daytime Shooting Star, perfect for fans of Horimiya and Ouran High School Host Club.

Though the trial period is over, Yoi and Ichimura-sempai realize that navigating their new relationship will be no easy task. Their friend trip to Kobe reveals they still have a lot of work to do when it comes to being able to voice their own desires while being understanding of their partner's. Meanwhile, Yoi's fellow part-timer Ohji has something on his mind that he may not be able to hold in much longer...

Currently Reading:

Barbarian Mine

By Ruby Dixon

The fourth novel in the international publishing phenomenon the Ice Planet Barbarians series, now in a special print edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue!

Harlow receives the shock of her life when she wakes up to see Rukh, a stranger who has clearly been on his own his whole life, but she soon learns that there is much more to this gruff, barbaric alien than the savage he appears to be.

The ice planet has given me a second lease on life, so I'm thrilled to be here. Sure, there are no cheeseburgers, but I'm healthy and ready to be a productive member of the small tribe. What I didn't anticipate? That there'd be a savage stranger waiting nearby, watching me. And when he takes me captive, the unthinkable happens...I resonate to him.

Resonance means mating, and children...but I don't know if this guy's ever been around anyone before. He's truly a barbarian in all ways, and he has claimed me as his own.

So why is it that I crave his touch and hunger for more?