We are traveling again, and this is my first opportunity for a literature-adjacent blog post.
This was our fourth visit to Sydney, and we’ve already done just about every excursion available within the city (yes, we’ve climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge). We were in town for a day and a half, and on the first (half) day we did The Rocks Pub Crawl for the third time—because, of course, it’s primarily an historical learning experience.
For our full day we decided to take the 9-hour excursion to the Blue Mountains because I’d heard and read so much about them. After a 1¾-hour bus ride, we visited Echo Point to photograph The Three Sisters, then went to Scenic World. All that was great, but the best part was the stop for shopping in Leura on the return trip.
Just about everyone else went for the cafés, but I saw the book store across the street and went straight for it. Inside, I asked about Jane Harper because I’ve missed her last book or two and wanted to get an authentic Australian copy of her latest. The helpful clerk took me to the section labeled “Australian Crime” and found it for me. Then another woman asked, “If I’ve read all of Jane Harper’s books and loved them, what other author should I read?” The clerk said, “Jane Caro. Here’s her most recent novel.” And I said, “Give me one of those, too, please.”
Julian Barnes isn’t Australian, I know, but I’d read about his recent novel. And there it was, on the table right inside the door. I wanted to read it. And it’s short, just under 200 pages, which is such a perfect length for a vacation read. And it’s small enough to fit into my suitcase for the trip home. And it contained this cute bookmark. And, well, you know how it goes.
All you Australians were right about the Blue Mountains. They are beautiful, and I was glad to see them. But what I’ll remember most is these three new books that I got in the beautiful book store in Leura.
© 2026 by Mary Daniels Brown
A successful trip!
Yes–so far!
Great!
This post made me smile, because every “we’ll just grab a coffee” stop turns into “I found a bookshop and blacked out” for me too. Leura was a perfect choice, and I love that the clerk went straight to the “Australian Crime” shelf and solved your Jane Harper gap in 10 seconds. Jane Caro as the follow-up rec is intriguing, and that little Megalong Books bookmark is peak souvenir. If you end up wanting more Harper-adjacent vibes after these, Chris Hammer and Garry Disher tend to scratch the same smart, atmospheric itch. Will you report back on which of the three wins the trip?
Thanks for reading and commenting, John! And thanks for the author suggestions. I’ll be sure to check out their works. We are in Malaysia right now, and I haven’t cracked any of those three books yet. I’m still trying to catch up with all the blogging I told myself I’d do during this trip. I may not get to those books until after we get home in early May. But I’m definitely looking forward to all 3 of them. Thanks for visiting Notes in the Margin.