A Little Life update #18

What am I reading/watching/listening to/wearing/going?

Reading

• The Treasure House By Amy Matthews

Amy Matthews (who also writes historical romance as Amy Barry) is one of my favourite romance authors, and I was so delighted to be sent an ARC of her September-forthcoming new women’s fiction book;

BLURB:

Zoe Copeland and her daughter Florence need a new start. The only problem is, she can’t really afford one . . .

Opportunity calls in the form of a listing for a charming cottage that may just be in their price range. The catch? It’s a treasure house – filled to the brim with junk. The place is a certified disaster zone in the middle of a tiny seaside town Zoe’s never heard of, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Eleven-year-old Florence loves the old house full of knick-knacks and other people’s memories, but Zoe is daunted. It doesn’t help that her grouchy new neighbour, Jake, thinks she’s crazy for taking this on – though that doesn’t stop him from lending a hand, and it’s not long before Zoe can’t get the handsome man off her mind.

As they clear out the house, Zoe becomes increasingly intrigued by the woman who lived there before them. Who was Marly, and how did her beloved home end up in such disrepair? As she digs for more information, Zoe can’t help but draw parallels between herself and Marly . . . and just as Marly’s secrets are uncovered, Zoe’s past comes calling.

With her heart and her home on the line, can

I’ve started reading it and it’s amazing!

Watching

• Obsession movie

Yes, it’s perhaps the biggest little-horror-movie-that-could success story of 2026;

• Obsession Worldwide Box Office: Just Inches Away From Surpassing Alien: Romulus’

I really thoroughly enjoyed it, and I’ve been surprised that some of my favourite indie film critics were pretty lukewarm on it;

• Review: ‘Obsession’ Ain’t Half the Horror Movie It Thinks It Is

• What Is the Obsession with ‘Obsession’?

I do agree that TikTok made this movie “pop-off” in particular, but I genuinely think it has a very tricky plot that burrows deep;

After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.

But really it’s the performance of Inde Navarrette as the possessed Nikki that makes this movie such a stand-out and even if you’re “meh” on the plot, her performance is something to behold.

Listening

• The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan, Narrated by Imogen Church, and Rory Barnett

A devastating love story.
A bewitching twist on history.
A blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption.

In 1785, Professor Sebastian Grave receives the news he fears most: the Beast of Gévaudan has returned, and the French countryside runs red in its wake.

Sebastian knows the Beast. Twenty years ago, it nearly cost him his life to bring the monster down. Now, he has been recalled to the hunt by Antoine Avenel d'Ocerne, an estranged lover who shares a dark history with the Beast and a terrible secret with Sebastian. With the help of his indwelling demon, Sarmodel - who takes payment in living hearts - Sebastian must return to Gévaudan for a final reckoning, while the Beast is poised to plunge the continent into war.

In this dark retelling of the hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan, Cameron Sullivan tears the heart out of history. He lifts the veil on the hidden world behind our own and reimagines the story of Europe, from Imperial Rome to Saint Jehanne d'Arc and the first flickers of the French Revolution.

Oh my gosh, I ADORED this book! I am not big on High Fantasy most of the time, it takes a lot to pull me in and keep me hooked - but this on audiobook had me in its grip from the start.

Narrator Rory Barnett in particular is magnificent, and reminded me of actor Peter Lorre in his voice work!

This was just an intense, horrifying, epic with queer romance and death-defying twists and turns. And I am so happy to learn that Sullivan has signalled there will be an “indirect” sequel coming.

Wearing

• Paris Mode Sydney Hair Accessories Store

I just discovered this Oxford Street store (which also has an online site) specialising in making and selling hair accessories (jewellery too, but I love the hair-accessories). As a curly-haired girly, I am so picky about things like headbands; and this store have the best selection I’ve ever found!

My favourite is the ‘Alice Bands’ with a wave that let my curls still kink, and are not so tight they make my head hurt!

I love, love, love this store - it’s been my go-to when I need new hair accessories that work with my curls.

Going

• Shakespeare’s Books - Adelaide tour!

Yes! When you write a book called Shakespeare in the Orchard, I think it’s a given that you have to go and visit the only Shakespeare-named bookstore in Australia, which happens to be in Adelaide (and run by fellow author, Mike Lucas!)

I am so excited for this little trip, which will see me visiting local bookshops and schools too while I’m in town (and also getting to hang out with my Adelaide-based author, Margot McGovern too!)

If you know of an Adelaide school who’d also like me to pop in for a (free!) 45-minute book talk about Shakespeare in the Orchard on September 17 or 18 - details below, and reach out to becky@beckysliterary.com.au with expressions of interest!