Australian Competitions Club

To celebrate our upcoming birthday, Good Reading is giving away prizes every day in July.

We kick off on 1 July and you only have one day to enter each competition.

Visit online every day in July for your chance to win.

DAY 1:  Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

COMPETITION STARTS: 1 JUL 2025
COMPETITION ENDS: 2 JUL 2025

ONE ENTRY PER PERSON.

https://goodreadingmagazine.snapforms.com.au/form/july-birthday-comp-01-dont-let-him-in

Terms And Conditions Of Entry
1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 1 July 2025 to 2 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 2: The Pearl of Tagai Town

COMPETITION STARTS: 2 JUL 2025
COMPETITION ENDS: 3 JUL 2025

A sweeping, heart-warming and ultimately triumphant story of the life of a young Torres Strait Islander woman from Tagai Town, a shantytown on the northeastern coast of Australia, in the decades before, during and after World War II.
Growing up in the 1930s, Pearl strives for a place in the wider world, battling deep-seated prejudices. When she rescues a white shopkeeper trapped under a fallen beam, a bond forms between the two women, and Pearl becomes the first Ailan woman, Islander woman, to work front-of-shop in the nearby white town. Not everyone is happy, of course, least of all the affronted white customers. But Pearl is quietly determined. Her budding romance with the bank manager’s son, though, must always be kept secret for her to retain her position and for the security of Tagai Town. Like Ama Rose says, ‘We leave them koles, white people, alone and they leave us alone!’
When war arrives and Teddy suddenly enlists in the army, Pearl faces a cruel punishment. But her quest to recover the child she had with Teddy reveals much more than she’d bargained for.

Lenora Thaker’s debut novel, The Pearl of Tagai Town, brings a fresh angle to Australian historical fiction with a First Nations wartime love story.

When is this book set?

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-02-the-pearl-of-tagai-town/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 2 July 2025 to 3 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

JULY BIRTHDAY COMP 03 – Best Left Buried

COMPETITION STARTS: 3 JUL 2025
COMPETITION ENDS: 4 JUL 2025

ONE ENTRY PER PERSON.

Matt Latham. Foreign correspondent and part-time spy for Australia’s Secret Intelligence Service. A flawed anti-hero with a heart of gold, plagued by a self-destructive impulse to expose lies and corruption – at any cost.
1986: In the jungles of Nicaragua, a tiny village is the target of a deadly attack by US-backed Contra forces.

022: Matt Latham flies to Dallas to ghostwrite the memoir of his friend, former ambassador Bryant Callahan – on track to become Texas’ next US Senator. But he soon begins to mistrust the man he once revered. Latham’s research uncovers long-hidden connections between Callahan and the CIA; and, just as worryingly, the dysfunctional relationship between the powerful diplomat and his wife Aleja, a former Miss Cuba, 23 years his junior, is impossible to ignore.
An orphan, adopted as a child, Aleja consoles herself with dreams of finding her birth family. Now, she makes a desperate plea for Latham’s help in tracing her origins. He agrees to travel to Havana on her behalf, unaware that his search for answers will unlock a Pandora’s box of politically sensitive secrets – and raise a ghost from his own past. Before long, Latham is on the run for his life.
Meanwhile, in Mexico City, Luis Escobedo prepares to travel to America. A name in the news has triggered a memory – and with it a thirst for revenge.
What did Latham discover at the Cuban orphanage? Why is a foreign intelligence service intent on keeping it a secret? Who is Luis Escobedo? And is any of this related to events in Nicaragua decades ago?
In this edge-of-your-seat political thriller, Matt Latham finds himself navigating a labyrinth of tragic events. Ultimately, he must confront the morality of his own choices and ask himself the question: are some secrets best left buried?

What is the name of the ghostwriter in this book? Answer: Matt Latham

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-03-best-left-buried/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 3 July 2025 to 4 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

Day 4: Never Flinch by Stephen King

COMPETITION STARTS: 4 JUL 2025
COMPETITION ENDS: 5 JUL 2025

ONE ENTRY PER PERSON.

When the Buckeye City Police Department receives a disturbing letter from a person threatening to ‘kill thirteen innocents and one guilty’ in ‘an act of atonement for the needless death of an innocent man’, Detective Izzy Jaynes has no idea what to think. Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhinged act of retribution? As the investigation unfolds, Izzy realises that the letter writer is deadly serious, and she turns to her friend Holly Gibney for help.
Meanwhile, controversial and outspoken women’s rights activist Kate McKay is embarking on a multi-state lecture tour, drawing packed venues of both fans and detractors. Someone who vehemently opposes Kate’s message of female empowerment is targeting her and disrupting her events. At first, no one is hurt, but the stalker is growing bolder, and Holly is hired to be Kate’s bodyguard – a challenging task with a headstrong employer and a determined adversary driven by wrath and his belief in his own righteousness.
Featuring a riveting cast of characters both old and new, including world-famous gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, these twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion – a feat of storytelling only Stephen King could pull off.
Thrilling, wildly fun and outrageously engrossing, Never Flinch is one of King’s richest and most propulsive novels.

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-04-never-flinch/

In the anonymous letter sent to Detective Izzy, how many people are threatened? ANSWER: 14

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 4 July 2025 to 5 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 05 – A Dance of Lies

COMPETITION STARTS: 5 JUL 2025
COMPETITION ENDS: 6 JUL 2025

Vasalie Moran was once a dancer in King Illian’s court – until he framed her for murder. Barely surviving her two years in the dungeons, she’s suddenly called to face her King. He offers her a deal: become his spy at the month-long royal Gathering and he’ll grant her freedom.

As Illian’s orders grow bloody and dangerous, forcing her to harm and betray those around her, Vasalie discovers the monster she serves may be aligned with a bigger monster – one far closer to home. With her world threatened, Vasalie enlists the help of Illian’s brother and greatest adversary, the King of the East.
As the rivalry between brothers escalates with Vasalie caught in the middle, the truth of her past comes to light. If she wants to survive, she must decide who to trust, who to fight for, and how much of her soul she’s willing to damn in the process

What is Vasalie's last name? ANSWER: Moran

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-05-a-dance-of-lies/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 5 July 2025 to 6 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 06 – The Good Losers by Meg Bignell

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-06-the-good-losers/

COMPETITION STARTS: 6 JUL 2025
COMPETITION ENDS: 7 JUL 2025

Callie March is fascinated by human absurdity, including the habits of the upper class. So when she pushes her screen-addicted teenage son to join a local rowing club, she is thrilled to discover a whole new world of odd behaviours, irrational obsessions and riverside rooting. Thrust into a support crew and a very silly uniform, Callie has inadvertently volunteered for a season of pre-dawn parenting, endless fundraising, and pandering to insufferable xxxs. But she also finds friendship, intrigue and lust, while her son might just find love.
Callie is torn between enchantment and repulsion, until a trail of corruption and scandal leads to deep suspicion. There’s something fishy in the rowing shed, and Callie is determined to find out what lurks behind the closed doors of this sports club. In doing so, she will rock the boat – or better still, capsize it altogether.
This novel is set in northern Tasmania. It contains profundity, profanity, heart-ache, bum chafe, terrible winners and very good losers.

What club does Callie's teenage son join? ANSWER: A rowing club

Terms & Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 6 July 2025 to 7 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 07 – The Forsaken by Matt Rogers.

An assassin and a troubled young woman become unlikely allies when they land themselves in a deadly chase that could destroy their lives… even if they survive. The first book in a blockbuster thriller series from Matt Rogers, million copy bestseller and ‘the most successful writer you’ve never heard of’ (The Story).
For ten years, Logan Booth served as a contract killer for the CIA – he just never knew it. In the twilight of his career, Logan learns he has been a vessel for furthering government interests, not a rogue hitman for a band of vigilantes. The revelation destroys him and, adrift in forced retirement, he spirals into a pit of self-loathing.

But when Jorge Romero – an investigative reporter and Logan’s oldest friend – is brutally and inexplicably murdered, Logan allows his fury to deliver him from despair.

With an ally in Alice Mason, a homeless witness with a target on her back, Logan goes to war. Against whom, he isn’t sure, but he knows powerful forces are at work behind the scenes. After all, Jorge was set to publish an op-ed on drug deaths and political inaction that would make an enemy of the mayor of New York.

What is the name of the witness. ANSWER: Alice Mason

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-07-the-forsaken/

Terms And Conditions:


1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 7 July 2025 to 8 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 08 – $50 QBD Gift Voucher


COMPETITION STARTS: 8 JUL 2025
COMPETITION ENDS: 9 JUL 2025

To enter, tell us what book is at the top of your ‘To Be Read’ list.

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-08-50-qbd-gift-voucher/

Terms & Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 8 July 2025 to 9 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 09 – The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-09-the-haunting-of-mr-and-mrs-stevenson/

The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson is a gothic delight. It tells the story of Robert Louis Stevenson’s friendship with the charming Eugene Chantrelle and the murder mystery that contributed to Robert’s need to create a novel focused on the dualistic nature of the psyche.

From a seance with the Shelleys at Boscombe Manor to a haunted wardrobe made by an infamous Scottish criminal, the novel is underscored by the story of two writers very much in love. Fanny and Robert were married in 1880, when she was forty and he was twenty-nine. An American who divorced her philandering husband to marry Robert, she was already the mother of children, a self-supporting writer, and with intelligence and wit very much the rock in their relationship.

Brilliantly told in Fanny’s voice, this atmospheric novel is both the story of an unconventional literary relationship and a page-turning mystery that reveals the truth about the people, objects and events that inspired Stevenson to write The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Which famous author is featured in this book? ANSWER: Robert Louis Stevenson

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 9 July 2025 to 10 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 10: The Lady, the Tiger, and the Girl Who Loved Death

For readers of Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus and Helen Oyeyemi’s Mr Fox. A dark fantasy tale infused with mystery and threat from the award-winning author whose work has been described by Paul Tremblay as ‘intelligent, dark, wildly inventive’.

Sara Sidorova lies dying. As she hovers between life and death, she receives a visitation from Amba, the tiger god who will devour creation if he is released from the chains that bind him. Amba gives Sara Sidorova an extraordinary gift: a glimpse into the future. Years later, her granddaughter Irenda will grow up in a wartorn country where survival means obedience. When a devastating attack robs her of her mother, she travels to Hrana City. There, her grandmother agrees to teach her the ultimate secret: how to tame death. But it won’t be easy…

In the circus that offers her first taste of power, Irenda will have to tame another tiger if she is to survive. Amongst the magicians, the strongmen and the contortionists, she will start down a dangerous road, to carry out a revenge decades in the making…and bring justice into the world for herself and for her family. Rich with glamour and strangeness, brutality and deceit and the dark magic of the circus, this haunting fable will chill your bones and make your heart ache.

What is the name of the tiger god in this book? ANSWER: Amba


https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-10-the-lady-the-tiger-and-the-girl-who-loved-death/

Terms And Conditions:
1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 10 July 2025 to 11 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 11: The Neighbours

COMPETITION STARTS: 11 JUL 2025
COMPETITION ENDS: 12 JUL 2025

You’re almost certain your daughter didn’t kill the neighbour. But what if she did?
Richard Wellington is one of the country’s most recognised doctors. A morning TV regular, surgeon to the elite, and scandal-proof despite a malpractice case that should have ruined him.
But when his body is found sprawled in a harborside park on a sweltering Sydney morning, the facade shatters. His murder dominates the headlines, and the normally quiet cul-de-sac he called home becomes a media circus, seething with speculation and unease.
For Liv Elliot, none of that matters – except for one detail: her daughter, Gracie, was at the park that morning. As the investigation heats up and dark secrets about Richard begin to surface, Liv takes steps to shield her daughter from the storm – steps that could destroy them both if the truth comes out.

What is the name of Liv's daughter in this book? ANSWER: Gracie

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-11-the-neighbours/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 11 July 2025 to 12 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 12 – Notes on Infinity

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-12-notes-on-infinity/


COMPETITION STARTS: 12 JUL 2025
COMPETITION ENDS: 13 JUL 2025
ONE ENTRY PER PERSON.

Normal People meets The Dropout with a dash of Tomorrow x3 in this epic love story of two young Harvard students with a shared dream who are drawn into the vortex of American start-up culture.
When Zoe and Jack meet in a chemistry classroom in Harvard, they couldn’t be more different: she’s the daughter of a renowned MIT professor, he’s escaping an upbringing steeped in poverty – but they are immediately drawn to one another.
Neither knows it yet, but in two years’ time, they will have dropped out of college and become business partners in a billion-dollar company that promises longer life. But as they become wrapped up in a maelstrom of insatiable ambition, greed and ultimately deceit, their love for each other will be tested to its very limit…
 
Which US college do Zoe and Jack attend? ANSWER: Harvard

Terms & Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 12 July 2025 to 13 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 13: June in the Garden

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-13-june-in-the-garden/

June can name every flower species. She finds it much harder to cultivate an understanding of people.

After her mother’s unexpected death, June sets out to find her father, whom she knows only from an old photograph. When she arrives at his door, he panics and turns her away. With nowhere to go, she secretly moves into his yellow garden shed. But when her father’s twelve-year-old son discovers her, June must decide whether to stay or run.
This joyful and humorous debut novel is also a thoughtful celebration of difference. Readers will fall in love with June, as she searches for the two things she is missing—a family and a garden. June in the Garden lets us see things afresh.
 
To enter, tell us what two things June is missing. ANSWER: A family & a garden

Terms And Conditions:
1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 13 July 2025 to 14 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 14 – Aftertaste

A food story to binge. A ghost story to devour. A love story to savour.
When dead-end dishwasher Kostya discovers the ability to summon spirits through the food he cooks, he embarks on a journey to open a New York City restaurant that serves closure – something he’s craved for as long as he can remember.
There are just three problems:
1. Kostya has some ghosts of his own.
2. His advancing menu of spirit cuisine is threatening the stability of the Afterlife itself.
3. He’s falling in love with Maura, a party psychic with her own secret connection to the Afterlife – who also happens to be the one person who knows he must be stopped.

A bittersweet cocktail of humour and heart, Aftertaste is an imaginative odyssey through food and love, life and death: the things that sustain us, connect us, transport us, and remind us who we are.

To enter, tell us where this book is set? Answer: New York

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-14-aftertaste/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 14 July 2025 to 15 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 15 – Fulvia

In the  dying days of the Roman republic, a remarkable woman steps out of the shadows and beyond the boundaries imposed on her sex, driven by an unstoppable ambition. Kaarina Parker’s stunning debut novel, told in the compelling voice of this brilliant woman from history, brings Fulvia and the society in which she lived vividly to life.
Born into a wealthy but unimportant family, Fulvia is raised in the peace of the Etruscan countryside but longs for a life of excitement and influence. When her father dies and her inheritance is threatened, she makes her way to the city of Rome to secure her future.
Motivated by both passion and opportunism, Fulvia marries Clodius, a hedonistic young senator. They are perfect partners – risk takers, scornful of convention and eager for change. Although Clodius is heir to a leading aristocratic family, he has spent his life criticising the rules of his class and championing the common people. As a wife and mother, Fulvia fulfils her role in a society that denies women any influence outside the home – but she is also a ruthless political strategist, intent on seeing her husband rise through the ranks of Rome’s governing body, the senate. And, through him, wielding her own authority.
But Rome is a dangerous place, and power can become notoriety overnight. Fulvia soon learns just how high the stakes really are, and that her ambitions may come at a terrible cost.

To enter, tell us the name of Fulvia's husband in Rome. Answer: Clodius
 
https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-15-fulvia/

Terms And Conditions
1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 15 July 2025 to 16 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

Day 16: The Occupation

In the autumn of 1949, two women convene in the parlour of a Melbourne hotel. Tess is married and childless. Mary, unwed and pregnant. Surrendering to the unimaginable, Mary agrees to a life-altering pact: she will give her child to Tess.
One year earlier, Mary stands on the deck of an Australian naval ship, awaiting arrival in the ruined Japanese city of Kure. There, thousands of Australians have established an occupation of the Hiroshima prefecture.
As she settles into her new life, Mary finds carefree expats touring the countryside, hosting picnics and even throwing parties, all while the war-ravaged locals try to rebuild their lives.

When she meets Sully, an Australian journalist, Mary’s idealised notion of the occupation crumbles. Confronted by moral ambiguity on such a grand scale, she becomes reckless. Returning home may seem the answer, but even there, echoes of the occupation linger.

To enter, tell us the year this book is set? Answer: 1949

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-16-the-occupation/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 16 July 2025 to 17 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 17 – $50 QBD Gift Voucher

To enter, tell us the book you most want to buy with this voucher?

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-17-50-qbd-gift-voucher/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 17 July 2025 to 18 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 18 – The Favourite

A story of three grown sisters, whose father – in a moment of crisis – accidentally lets slip that he has a favourite, from the author of New York Times bestseller Amazing Grace Adams.

Alex, Eva and Nancy. Three grown-up sisters; each wonderful and messy in their own individual ways. And loved equally by their parents, Vivienne and Patrick.
Or so they thought . . . Until on their annual family holiday, Patrick accidentally lets slip that he has a favourite daughter – causing other long-buried secrets to come to light.
Set over a single week, but examining the highs and lows that define a family over the decades, The Favourite is a story about rivalries and long-held resentments, about loss and grief and blame – and, above all, about love.

To enter, name one of the sisters

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-18-the-favourite/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 18 July 2025 to 19 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 19 - The Empress Murders

A razor-sharp, mind-bendingly clever whodunnit from award-winning playwright and actor, Toby Schmitz.
Everyone is in peril. Everyone is a suspect.
It’s 1925 and the Empress of Australia is making her regular Atlantic crossing, New York-bound, with a full manifest of passengers.
When a dead body is uncovered onboard, it is up to Inspector Archie Daniels to find the killer. But solving one murder quickly turns into solving two, then three, and it becomes clear that Daniels must act fast to avoid an all-souls-lost-level calamity. No one, from the horrendously wealthy and entitled first-class passengers to what they would consider the dregs of empire below deck, is safe. And no one can get off.

The Empress Murders is a razor-sharp, mind-bendingly clever novel that is both a witty, bloodthirsty whodunnit and an excoriating look at the excesses of the British Empire, just as the sun begins to set on it.

To enter, tell us where the Empress of Australia is headed. ANSWER: New York

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-19-the-empress-murders/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 19 July 2025 to 20 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 20 - Whistle

Evil has a one track mind…

Celebrated children’s author and illustrator Annie Blunt has had a dreadful year. Her husband was killed in a tragic accident, then one of her children’s books ignited a major scandal. Desperate for a fresh start, she moves with her young son Charlie to a charming small town in upstate New York where they can begin to heal.
But Annie’s year is about to get worse.
Bored and lonely in their isolated new surroundings, Charlie is thrilled when he finds a forgotten train set in a locked shed in the grounds of their new house. While Annie is pleased to see Charlie happy, there’s something unsettling about his new toy. Strange sounds wake Annie in the night – she’s sure she can hear a train in the middle of the night, although there isn’t an active line for miles. And then bizarre things start happening in the neighbourhood. But even stranger, Annie can’t seem to stop drawing a disturbing new character that has no place in a children’s book…
Grief plays tricks on the mind, but Annie is beginning to think she’s walked out of one nightmare straight into another, only this one is far more terrifying…

Question: To enter, tell us what toy Charlie finds in the shed. ANSWER: Train set

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-20-whistle/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 20 July 2025 to 21 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 21 – The Island of Last Things

Camille is a keeper at the last zoo in the world, on Alcatraz Island. Reserved around humans, she is happy to spend her days caring for chimpanzees and tree frogs, and a magnificent, restless jaguar, while outside nature crumbles. Resistance groups and brutal cartels are fighting to shape the world’s future, but Camille is safe within her routines.
Then a new zookeeper, Sailor, arrives. Glamorous and reckless, she seems to see something in Camille that no one has before. When Sailor whispers about a secret sanctuary where wild animals roam free, Camille begins to imagine a new kind of life, with Sailor by her side.
Sailor has a plan, and she wants Camille to be a part of it. Which means Camille must decide if she’s ready to risk everything for the promise of a better world.
Propulsive and fiercely hopeful, with a heart-stopping final twist, The Island of Last Things is an elegy for a disappearing world, and a gorgeous vision for the future.
 
To enter, tell us where the zoo is? ANSWER: Alcatraz Island

https://goodreadingmagazine.snapforms.com.au/form/july-birthday-comp-21-the-island-of-last-things

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 21 July 2025 to 22 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 22 – Say You’ll Remember Me

There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes-all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an [Censored] wrong…
. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date-possibly the best in living history-Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.
Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life-and even a love-worth remembering.

To enter, name one of the main characters

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-22-say-youll-remember-me/


Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 22 July 2025 to 23 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 23: To the Moon

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-23-to-the-moon/

The bestselling South Korean phenomenon, To the Moon is a bittersweet tale of wealth and class, female friendship, and the promise of the future when good fortune seems to be just around the corner.
In Seoul, three young women meet while working mundane desk jobs at a confectionary manufacturer. They become fast friends, taking their conversations out of the group chat as they bond over their ‘average’ employee report cards, the incompetence of their male team leader and a mutual longing for financial freedom amid mediocre raises.
Eun-sang, the eldest of the group, is always looking for ways to earn extra money, but faces trouble at work after she opens a mini mart at her desk.

Jisong, the youngest, dreams of a perfect romance with her Taiwanese boyfriend and spends her low salary on trips to Taipei.

Meanwhile, Dahae searches endlessly for a better apartment – albeit one she can actually afford.
One day over lunch, Eun-sang announces a plan to make enough money to quit her job, by investing her life’s savings in cryptocurrency. What’s more, she thinks the others should join her. All they need to do, she says, is hold on tight and wait for the price to skyrocket . . . to the moon. But as the market begins to fluctuate and spiral out of their control, the fate of their friendships – and their futures – soon hangs in the balance.

To enter, tell us what Jisong spends her money on? Answer: trips to Taipei

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 23 July 2025 to 24 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 24 - Not Quite Dead Yet.

The outstanding adult thriller debut from the multimillion-copy-bestselling author of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.

Twenty-seven years old, she’s back living with her parents, waiting for her life to begin. She’ll do it later, she always says. Her parents have their doubts.
Until, on the night of Halloween, Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder.
She suffers a catastrophic brain injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, she’ll suffer a deadly aneurysm.
Jet never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her ex-best friend turned sister-in-law, her former boyfriend.
She may only have seven days – if she even makes it that long – but Jet is absolutely determined to finally prove her doubters wrong.

Jet is going to solve her own murder.
 

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-24-not-quite-dead-yet/

Terms And Conditions

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 24 July 2025 to 25 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

Day 25: Dead Ends

All-round chaos merchant Nell Jenkins has returned to her small hometown to fulfil family duties for the mother and brother she’s barely seen since she escaped as a teen. But her homecoming isn’t the triumph it should be. She has nothing to show for her time in Sydney but a string of failed relationships and an ongoing HR complaint against her ex-girlfriend, now former boss.
Settling right back into old habits, Nell finds herself sparking a relationship with her dead best friend’s brother Mick, as well as the newly arrived (and equally unreliable) Katya, who’s working for the once-famous TV psychic Petronella Bush. Driven by her lust for Katya, an empty bank account and the need to come to terms with two life-defining deaths from her past, Nell is drawn deep into Petronella’s charismatic web.
Dead Ends is a beguiling, big-hearted portrait of love and loss, and the bad decisions we make in their wake.

All-round chaos merchant Nell Jenkins has returned to her small hometown to fulfil family duties for the mother and brother she’s barely seen since she escaped as a teen. But her homecoming isn’t the triumph it should be. She has nothing to show for her time in Sydney but a string of failed relationships and an ongoing HR complaint against her ex-girlfriend, now former boss.

Settling right back into old habits, Nell finds herself sparking a relationship with her dead best friend’s brother Mick, as well as the newly arrived (and equally unreliable) Katya, who’s working for the once-famous TV psychic Petronella Bush. Driven by her lust for Katya, an empty bank account and the need to come to terms with two life-defining deaths from her past, Nell is drawn deep into Petronella’s charismatic web.

Dead Ends is a beguiling, big-hearted portrait of love and loss, and the bad decisions we make in their wake.

To enter, tell us the name of the TV psychic in the book? ANSWER: Petronella Bush

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-25-dead-ends/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 25 July 2025 to 26 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 26 – $50 QBD Gift Voucher

Valued at $50.00

To enter, tell us a book you want to buy with this voucher.

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-26-50-qbd-gift-voucher/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 26 July 2025 to 27 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 27: The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation

Inspired by Robert Macfarlane and curated by Jennie Orchard, an anthology of essays about the joys of giving books to children and young people, from some of the world’s most beloved writers.
Remember the books that shaped your childhood, sparked your imagination, and ignited a lifelong love of reading? In The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation, some of the world’s most beloved authors share their own transformative reading experiences — the books and stories that set them on the path of becoming the readers and writers they are today.
Following the success of its first edition, The Gifts of Reading, this heartwarming collection of essays is a testament to the enduring power of books. By exploring the stories that shaped them, our authors provide a powerful guide to fostering a love of reading in the children and young people in your life.
With contributions from Tristan Bancks, William Boyd, Shankari Chandran, Horatio Clare, Nicola Davies, Imtiaz Dharker, Ursula Dubosarsky, Maisie Fieschi, Pico Iyer, Wayne Karlin, Colum McCann, JohnMichael McCann, Ann Morgan, Sir Michael Morpurgo, Dina Nayeri, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, Matt Ottley, Alice Pung, Diana Reid, Nilanjana Roy, Nikesh Shukla, Nardi Simpson, Madeleine Thien, John Wood, and Thelma Young Lutunatabua, and an afterword by Julia Eccleshare.

To enter, name a contributor to this anthology.

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday

Terms And Conditions
1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 27 July 2025 to 28 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 28: SILVERCLOAK

An addictive new fantasy series set in a world where magic is fuelled by pleasure and pain, in which an obsessive detective infiltrates a brutal gang of dark mages – knowing that one wrong move will get her killed.

Two decades ago, the Bloodmoons ruthlessly murdered Saffron’s parents, destroying her idyllic childhood. Hellbent on revenge, she lied her way into the elite Silvercloak Academy of detectives with a single goal: find a way to bring the Bloodmoons to justice.
But on the eve of her graduation, her deception is expose, and she’s given only one option: go undercover and tear the Bloodmoons down from the inside.

Descending into a world where pleasure and pain are the most powerful currencies, Saff must commit some truly heinous deeds to keep her cover – and her life. Not only are there rival gangs and sinister smuggling rings to contend with, there’s also her growing feelings for the kingpin’s tortured son, and curious prophecy foretelling his death at Saff’s hand.

With each day testing her loyalties further, Saff’s web of lies becomes harder to spin. And when one false step could destroy everything and everyone she’s ever loved…the mage who dedicated her life to vengeance might just have to die for it.

To enter, tell us the main character's name? ANSWER: Saffron

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-28-silvercloak/

Terms And Conditions:
1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 28 July 2025 to 29 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 29: A Beautiful Family

In the past we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother’s preference. This year was different …
As the summer holiday stretches ahead, with her older sister more interested in boys, her mother disappearing on long walks and her father, beer in hand, watching the cricket, the youngest in the family often finds herself alone.
At the beach, she meets Kahu, a 12-year-old boy who tells her a tragic story about a little girl who disappeared a couple of years ago, presumed drowned. Suddenly, the summer has purpose—they will find the missing girl and become local heroes.
Between dips in the ocean, afternoon barbecues and lazy sunbaking, their detective work brings to the surface shocking discoveries and dark secrets, even about her own beautiful family …
Jennifer Trevelyan magnificently captures the confusion and frustration of childhood, the fraught but unshakeable bond between sisters, and the dangers that lurk in the white lies we tell—especially about the people we love most.

To enter, tell us how old Kahu is? ANSWER: 12 years-old

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-29-a-beautiful-family/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 29 July 2025 to 30 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 30: Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow

In the magical city of Nevermoor, long-buried secrets are coming to light, and Morrigan Crow’s life is about to turn upside down . . .
When Morrigan is invited into Nevermoor’s wealthy Silver District, she discovers a world of extravagance and a family mystery she’s eager to unravel. She could never imagine where it will lead: a white wedding, a golden dragon and a red pool of blood.
Embroiled in suspicion and danger, Morrigan leaps headfirst into a murder investigation, while also grappling with her ever-growing Wundersmith powers. And although her friends are there to help, she fears that could change if they learn she’s keeping a terrible secret of her own.
As shadowy forces awaken in Nevermoor, can Morrigan find a killer and solve the mystery in her own past . . . before the clock strikes midnight?
 
To enter, tell us where Morrigan is invited at the start of the book? Answer: Silver District

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-30-silverborn-the-mystery-of-morrigan-crow/


Terms And Conditions

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 30 July 2025 to 31 July 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.

DAY 31 – The Tradwife’s Secret

Madison March is the perfect wife, with the perfect family and the perfect life.
She spends her days baking sourdough and picking vegetables from the garden while watching her children play in the fields surrounding her Montana homestead. Dinner is always on the table for her husband, and they end their days sitting on the porch, watching the sun go down.
It’s a life anyone would dream of. And it’s all a lie.

To enter, tell us Madison's last name. ANSWER: March

https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/july-birthday-comp-31-the-tradwifes-secret/

Terms And Conditions:

1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 31 July 2025 to 01 August 2025. 2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible. 3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in July 2025 will win the book. 5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail. 6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in July 2025.