It's grand isn't it when new releases hit the bookshelves? They are all so shiny and new, with spines uncracked and secrets yet to be divulged. And so it is with August. There seems to be a whole heap of new titles to browse through, select from, and read. My new release shortlist had two young adult books at its top but I have just finished both of them, so my August Reading To Do list is looking imminently achievable. And what's more, both books were brilliant debuts by two Australian writers. If the quality continues throughout my list, I am in for a great month of reading.

Fiona Wood's plunge into young adult fiction Six Impossible Things is quite simply, fabulous. Fourteen year old Dan Cereille (Surreal) is having a hard time of it - changing schools, moving houses, needing to get a job for the first time, his parents breaking up, not talking to his dad, and, of course, his 'unattainable' next door neighbour, Estelle. Snappy, savvy and lightheartedly moving, Six Impossible Things is a great read for anyone over the age of 10. I personally loved the way the subcultures in the school yard are described (especially 'the brackets' (no) (yes) (no way)), the laugh-out-loud irony around wedding cakes, and Howard the quiet philosopher of a dog.

Leanne Hall's This is Shyness is a completely different kettle of fish - or should I say suburb. Set in a suburb where the sun doesn't rise and sugar pumped gangs of Kidds roam, This is Shyness is the story of one dark night in which Wildgirl meets Wolfboy and they share pieces (emotionally) of themselves. It reminded me of some nights I've had, nights where the rest of the world feels separate and negligible, remote from the bubble of the party, the adventure, the drive, that I have been on. This is Shyness captures all the hopes and dreams of those nights, where the conversations ebb and flow, and confidences and intimacy are shared, as the time passes. It is a dazzlingly good read.