DK Mok

This is the third book in the Legends & Lattes series, and like the previous two instalments, I enjoyed the descriptive prose, likeable characters, and threads of kindness. Baldree continues to do a great job with the audiobook narration, particularly in the more poignant moments. 2/2

The cover of an audiobook titled Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree. A stylised illustration of a log campfire bordered by decorative blue curlicues and leafy green tendrils. The vibe is high fantasy adventure.

Finished listening to Brigands & Breadknives by @travisbaldree.bsky.social. A warm, engaging, emotionally complex fantasy adventure. Baldree has a real skill for exploring questions of identity, messy friendships, and the connections that transform us. 1/2

💙📚🎧 #BookSky #Audiobook #Fantasy

How to see more ABC News stories in Google Search Google now lets you choose which publisher you want to see more of in your search results. Here's a step-by-step guide to ensuring the latest ABC News stories appear at the top of your feed.

If you use Google Search to look for news, you can now personalise your settings to see more results from sources you trust. ABC News Australia has a walkthrough in this article.

2025 Aurealis Awards Shortlist Announcement We congratulate the Aurealis Awards finalists for 2025! The 2025 Aurealis Awards, Australia’s premier speculative fiction award, attracted more than 775 entries across 14 categories, including reco…

Congrats to all the Aurealis Awards finalists, including @tansyrr.bsky.social @genni.bsky.social @trnapper.bsky.social @kaaronwarren.bsky.social @tanaudel.bsky.social @angelaslatter.bsky.social @mktighewrites.bsky.social @sljohnson.bsky.social @pamelajeffs.bsky.social @fearofemeralds.bsky.social!

Ornithorhynchology (PLATYPUSES) with Dr. Tahneal Hawke — alie ward Duck bills. Beaver tails. Underground lairs. Eggs. Milk. Venom? A platypus has it all. Scholar, conservationist, and Ornithorhynchologist Dr. Tahneal Hawke is here to run through the baffling anatomy ...

Great episode of @ologies.bsky.social about platypuses! Dr Tahneal Hawke discusses spurs, fur, conservation, and ways you can help (eg. report sightings; clean up rubbish near waterways, especially things like hair ties, rubber bands, fishing lines; join a local revegetation group.)

#Platypus

It reminded me a little of I Can Be All Three by Salima Alikhan and Noor Sofi, another fantastic picture book about embracing your rich, blended cultural identity. 3/3

Halls’ writing is sweet and lyrical, and Prabhat’s illustrations are deliciously vibrant, brimming with lychees, mangoes, hot chips, glittering oceans and magical bird-filled skies. 2/3

The cover of a children’s picture book titled Best of All: The Magical Mix That’s You by Smriti Halls and Chaaya Prabhat. A vibrant, joyful illustration of two children with dark hair standing on a green hill, surrounded by an abundance of luscious mangoes, cherries, roses, peacock feathers, birds and stars.

Enjoyed Best of All: The Magical Mix That’s You by @smritihallsauthor.bsky.social and Chaaya Prabhat. A joyful and affirming picture book celebrating families with blended heritage. A great book for kids still learning to embrace their complex cultural identity. 1/3

💙📚👍🏼 #BookSky #KidLit #Diverse 📚🌏

Text: 2025 Reflections Image: Two swans facing each other on a background of flowers and foliage.

Text: My Favourite Design: Conservation Library Image: A bookcase of antique books with nature titles.

Text: Your favourite design: Grandma's Garden Image: A floral pattern in pinks, purples, blues and oranges in a vintage 1960s style

Text: My highest placed Spoonflower Challenge Design - Bold Florals Challenge Poppies (Rainbow). Image: Brightly coloured poppy flowers with overlapping rainbow petals.

I want to say a big thank you to each and every one of you for sharing your words, sharing your art, supporting my art, choosing my art for your business or your home, and bringing beauty and kindness into the world.

Here are some reflections on my design and artmaking in 2025.

Puggle trouble prompts warning to watch out for baby echidnas With female echidnas seemingly creating burrows in random places at this time of the year, wildlife carers warn to keep an eye out for what might be disturbed while doing holiday work on your property...

For folks living near bushland, a reminder to be careful of random echidna burrows.

For everyone else, a link to a video of two puggles (baby echidnas) being looked after by wildlife carers.

#Puggles #Echidnas #Wildlife #Australia

The cover of an audiobook titled The Land Before Avocado: Journeys in a lost Australia by Richard Glover, Bestselling author of Flesh Wounds, Read by the Author, ABC Audio. A photo of a slice of toast on a green and yellow floral background.

Enjoyed listening to The Land Before Avocado: Journeys in a lost Australia by @richardglover1.bsky.social. An entertaining and fascinating look at life in the 1960s/70s vs now, nostalgia, and the lessons we can take from change. Highly recommended.

💙📚🎧 #BookSky #Audiobook #Australia

‘Fishing boat for energy’ will make hydrogen as it sails | CNN UK startup Drift Energy is building boats equipped with underwater turbines that will generate clean hydrogen.

Interesting concept: mobile wind turbines. Autonomous catamarans sailing across open ocean, collecting wind power, using seawater to create hydrogen and then returning to port to offload the hydrogen. Autonomous energy harvesting.

#Sustainability #CleanEnergy #Wind #Hydrogen

I also liked the dual language, visual glossary of Australian animals at the end. Artist Lisa Kennedy also illustrated Sea Country, Wilam: A Birrarung Story, Welcome to Country, and Respect. All worth checking out. 2/2

The cover of a children’s picture book titled Sky Country by Aunty Patsy Cameron and Lisa Kennedy. A lush, painted illustration of several figures with dark, curly hair, sitting on a stony, grey mountain with their backs to the viewer. They’re looking out at a vivid blue night sky glittering with stars.

Enjoyed Sky Country by Aunty Patsy Cameron and Lisa Kennedy. A beautiful picture book about the First Peoples of Trouwerner (TAS) and the story of their Ancestral Beings. Wondrous and epic with gorgeous illustrations. 1/2

💙📚👍🏼 #BookSky #KidLit #DiverseBooks 📚🌏

GenreCon 2026 – Aurealis Awards Presentation Night Book your spot on Humanitix - GenreCon 2026 – Aurealis Awards Presentation Night hosted by Queensland Writers Centre. Thomas Dixon Centre, 406 Montague Rd, West End QLD 4101, Australia. Saturday 21st ...

Tickets are now available to the Aurealis Awards ceremony!

The Aurealis Awards ceremony will celebrate the finalists and winners of the 2025 Aurealis Awards season, and is taking place as part of GenreCon.

events.humanitix.com/genrecon-202...

Two decades of capturing numbat antics on camera Lyn Alcock is known as the 'Numbat whisperer', spending hours every day observing and photographing the tiny, endangered marsupials, recording behaviours that have never been seen before.

Lovely article about numbat photography and conservation in Dryandra Woodland, WA. If you’d like to start the year with more numbats in your timeline, this article has some sweet moments captured by photographer Lyn Alcock.

#Numbats #Wildlife #Conservation #Australia

Dormant coal mine turns green electricity generator in world-first test A disused coal mine in Wollongong will be the first test site for a renewable energy company that lowers weights down old mine shafts to spin turbines and create electricity.

Another interesting article about old coal mines being converted into gravitational storage systems. Very cool to see several of these projects being tested in Australia.

#Sustainability #RenewableEnergy #NetZero

12 animal drawings by Pikaole from 2025. All are based by real-life animal species. 1 : Rein rat snake 2 : Kohaku koi 3 : Ruby-eyed tree frog 4 : Alligator gar 5 : Platypus 6 : Hooed crow 7 : Moon jellyfish 8 : Thresher shark 9 : Cubaris Isopod - pink panda 10 : Baby carrion crow 11 : Birginia opossum 12 : Pea puffer

🐍🐟🦈🪶🐸 #artsummary2025

The cover of a children’s picture book titled Popi’s All Souls Song by C.K. Malone, illustrated by Shelly Swann. A softly lit illustration of a girl in a coat and scarf holding hands with an older woman wearing a puffy coat. They’re facing each other with their eyes closed solemnly, standing in a quiet, snowy landscape dotted with trees and small, cosy houses.

Recently read Popi’s All Souls Song by C.K. Malone. A poignant book about grief and the importance of community and connection. @shellyswann.bsky.social’s illustrations are gorgeous – a much-needed hug for the soul. Heartache and comfort.

💙📚👍🏼 #BookSky #KidLit #Grief

GenreCon 2026 – Aurealis Awards Presentation Night Book your spot on Humanitix - GenreCon 2026 – Aurealis Awards Presentation Night hosted by Queensland Writers Centre. Thomas Dixon Centre, 406 Montague Rd, West End QLD 4101, Australia. Saturday 21st ...

Tickets are now available to the Aurealis Awards ceremony, taking place as part of GenreCon at the beautiful Thomas Dixon Centre, 406 Montague Road, West End, Brisbane on Saturday 21 Februry, 2026!

events.humanitix.com/genrecon-202...

Stunning snaps on show as Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners named An Australian photographer who took a unique shot of a skeletoniser caterpillar is among the winners.

Some striking photos from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Highlights include a slithery peppered moray eel, a storm of birds surrounding a fishing vessel, and rave-ready fluorescent pitcher plants.

📷 #Photography #Wildlife #Nature #Conservation

Youth crime drops in remote town as new space offers safety and a feed A Kimberley town is seeing a drop in youths wandering the streets and juvenile crime after the Night Place opened to give kids somewhere to go after dark.

Love this. The Night Place in Fitzroy Crossing gives kids a safe space to enjoy a hot meal, play basketball and Uno, hang out with friends, and access support services. This also reduces juvenile crime and increases local employment. Would be great to see more of these around.

#Youth #SocialSupport

Libraries in SA and Victoria among top 10 most beautiful in the world Adelaide's premier library has been recognised by the 1000 Libraries Awards as second most beautiful in the world, while Victoria has snagged seventh spot.

Two Aussie libraries made it into the top ten of the world’s most beautiful libraries, according to the “1000 Libraries” initiative. If there were a tour package dedicated to visiting the world’s most impressive libraries, I’d be very tempted.

#Libraries #Architecture

The cover of a children’s picture book titled Words Between Us by Angela Pham Krans and New York Times bestselling illustrator Dung Ho. A sweet illustration of a boy with short black hair facing an older Vietnamese woman, holding her hands warmly. They both look relaxed and happy, and they’re surrounded by picture cards featuring everyday objects and their English and Vietnamese words.

Enjoyed Words Between Us by @angelaphamkrans.bsky.social and Dung Ho. A lovely picture book about intergenerational connections. This tender story revolves around Felix and his Vietnamese grandma, and it’ll resonate with many readers who grew up in multigenerational households.

💙📚👍🏼 #BookSky #KidLit

Public art may do more than simply brighten our streets As murals pop up in laneways, one researcher asks how public art can play a role in improving public health.

Lovely article about how murals and street art can be physically and mentally therapeutic. Art can bring small moments of serenity, connection and healing during difficult times. I love the theme of public art reaching people in their everyday spaces.

#Art #Murals #Health

'Exceptional': Rat earns world record for sniffing out landmines in Cambodia Landmine-hunting rat Ronin has set a new world record by sniffing out more than 100 mines.

A landmine detection rat in Cambodia has set a record for most mines detected. Ronin, a giant African pouched rat, has helped humanitarian workers detect and remove over 100 mines, many of them buried near people’s homes.

#Humanitarian #Rat

The cover of a fantasy novel titled The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells. An epic fantasy illustration of a winged figure flying across a luminous, golden sky, over an expanse of rocky wilderness.

Enjoyed listening to The Cloud Roads by @marthawells.com, narrated by Chris Kipiniak. Filled with ancient lore, vanished civilisations, wondrous cities, and vivid, complex cultures, it reminded me of why I love fantasy worlds. Plus cool characters and sky islands!

💙📚🎧 #BookSky #Fantasy

ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025 winners The winning images in the world's biggest space photography competition have been revealed

Cool images from the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. Highlights include a smoky nebula, streaking comet, ethereal auroras, and an intense close up of the sun.

📷 #Space #Astronomy #Photography

A new life for empty offices: Growing kale and cucumbers In some cities, as many as one in four office spaces are vacant. Some start-ups are giving them a second life – as indoor farms growing crops as varied as kale, cucumber and herbs.

Interesting article about converting vacant offices into indoor farms. Apparently, office-to-farm conversions can be easier than office-to-housing ones. Plenty of challenges, but I like the idea of hyper-local micro-farms with minimal food miles.

#Sustainability #FoodSecurity #UrbanFarms

a minion from the movie despicable me is standing on a wooden floor with a red light on its head . ALT: a minion from the movie despicable me is standing on a wooden floor with a red light on its head .

Aurealis Awards entries close on November 30, 2025 - this is by necessity a couple of weeks earlier than in past years to facilitate our exciting Awards Ceremony at GenreCon on the weekend of 20-22nd February!

#AurealisAwards