Sarah’s Comments (group member since Jul 18, 2019)

Sarah’s comments from the Aussie Readers group.

Dear Librarians,

This is one that's been bugging me for a while, as I've been re-reading Ian Rankin's Rebus series via audiobook. My favourite of the available narrators is James MacPherson, of Taggart fame. However, all the links seem to lead to an American history author named James MacPherson/James McPherson. Is there a way to add James MacPherson (narrator) as a distinct (and searchable) "author"?

This is a list of audiobooks he's narrated, according to an independent source: https://www.storytel.com/tv/narrators...

Thanks,

Sarah

Sandra wrote: "Done.

This looks like a really lovely book, Sarah."

Thank you, Sandra! I believe it's a relatively posh guidebook from Stratford-upon-Avon, and as my daughter's currently studying Shakespeare in English I thought it would be a good source. The pictures are lovely and there's a lot of interesting background information.

Books 91-100

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune (30/9) 3.5*
Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent (1/10) 4.5*
Strip Jack by Ian Rankin (3/10) 4*
Darkness on the Fens by Joy Ellis (8/10) 4.5*
Martha Moxley Murder on Mischief Night by Michel Suárez (9/10) 1*
The Science of Menopause: Understand Your Body, Make the Right Choices by Dr Philippa Kaye (10/10) 5*
Spider's Web by Agatha Christie and Charles Osborne (10/10) 4*
The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North (13/10) 4.5*
The Stolen by Vikki Petraitis AA (14/10) 5*
A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam Kay (15/10) 4*

And another one! (I've obviously picked a few doozies...)

This is the book I purchased:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Which seems to be the same book as these two listings with 0 reviews:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... (Spanish edition)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... (Japanese edition)

Could you please add/combine/merge the two above editions into the primary listing when you have an opportunity?

Thanks!

Hello Librarians,

I've just purchased this edition second hand, and have noticed an anomaly with the Goodreads listing. The book is in fact 191 pages, not 1990 (although it was published in 1990!).

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

If one of you could correct this when you have a minute, that would be great!

Thank you.

Sandra wrote: "We can't use Biblio for info or covers, due to copyright.

I found the cover on Abebooks, being owned by amazon, we're allowed to use that source.

Done."

Thank you so much, Sandra - I'll remember that detail for next time! (although it's unusual to find a book not stocked by Amazon)

Hello Librarians,

Could one of you please add this image:

https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net...

to the record for Collected Poems by Margaret Scott, which currently doesn't have a cover image.

The image above is from Biblio . com . au, as Amazon don't currently list the title, and I can confirm that it matches the edition I have out on loan from the library.

Thank you!

Brenda wrote: "Great work Sarah!!"

Thank you Brenda!

Brenda wrote: "You go girl! Let me know when you're done and I'll tick you off :) Thank you for the last part of your statement..."

Ha ha ... thanks Brenda!

Thanks Brenda and Phrynne!

Phrynne wrote: "Well done Sarah!"

Thanks Phrynne!

I'm in a reviewing frenzy as I have a whole lot of books due back at the library this week! Here are the first few:

Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn review here
Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger review here
An Ethical Guide To Murder by Jenny Morris review here

I'm finished! Took me a while to snag that last one...

August Featured Author - Christian White
Duration: 1/8/25 - 31/8/25
Level: Easy
Progress: 4/4 AA: 1/4

Part 1: TASKS

1. Christian was born and raised on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria
Read a book set in Australia
Whisky Valley by Joan Sauers> AA (18/8) 4*

2. His debut novel, The Nowhere Child, published in 2018, won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript.
Read an author's debut novel OR
An Ethical Guide To Murder by Jenny Morris (14/9) 3* (author has previously published non-fiction titles)

3. Christian had an eclectic range of ‘day jobs’ before he was able to write full-time, including food-cart driver on a golf course and video editor for an adult film company.
Read a book where the first letter of each title word fits into ADULT FILM COMPANY (minimum 2 word title)
The Favourites by Layne Fargo (25/8) 5*

4. He has a passion for true crime podcasts, Stephen King and anything to do with Bigfoot.
Read a mystery/thriller/horror novel
Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie (10/8) (re-read) 4*

Just checking in - I finished my first two authors, Chris Hammer and Elly Griffiths on time, but still have a few books to finish for my third, Garry Disher. I'd really like to complete the challenge, and will ensure that I don't double-count any of the books in the Spring Challenge.

I'm all finished, too! Thanks Phrynne and Brenda for another great alphabetical challenge.

Annual 2025 Challenge A-Z Titles
Duration: 1/1/25 - 31/12/25
Progress: 26/26 AA: 16/26 (min 6)

A: Aphrodite's Breath by Susan Johnson AA (9/6) 4*
B: Broke Road by Matthew Spencer AA (28/6) 5*
C: Catherine Wheel by Liz Evans AA (26/1) 4*
D: Dead Again by Sandi Wallace AA (26/7) 5*
E: An Ethical Guide To Murder by Jenny Morris (14/9) 3*
F: Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister (20/7) 5*
G: Gunnawah by Ronni Salt AA (22/3) 5*
H: The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel (27/3) 5*
I: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (15/2) 5*
J: Just Murdered by Katherine Kovacic AA (30/6) 5*
K: The Kill List by Nadine Matheson (28/1) 5*
L: Lyrebird by Jane Caro AA (7/6) 5*
M: Mrs Sidhu’s Dead and Scone by Suk Pannu (12/1) 4.5*
N: New Year's Eve by Sarah Todman AA (20/4) 5*
O: One Dark Night by Hannah Richell AA (13/4) 5*
P: Prime Cut by Alan Carter AA (25/1) 5*
Q: The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict (12/5) 4.5*
R: The Rush by Michelle Prak AA (24/2) 4*
S: Seven Sisters by Katherine Kovacic AA (8/7) 5*
T: Tell Me Why by Sandi Wallace AA (6/6) 4*
U: The Unquiet Grave by Dervla McTiernan AA (6/5) 4.5*
V: Vanish by Shelley Burr (23/5) 4.5*
W: With Winter Comes Darkness by Robbi Neal AA (30/1) 4.5*
X: The Examiner by Janice Hallett (23/3) 5*
Y: You Are Here by David Nicholls (27/2) 4*
Z: The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths (28/2) 4*

Sign me up please, Brenda!

October Featured Author - Kelly Rimmer
Duration: 1/10/25 - 31/10/25
Level: Hard
Progress: 10/10 AA: 4/4 (min 4)

Part 1: TASKS

1. Kelly was born and brought up in Sydney, NSW, Australia. When she was in kindergarten, she told her dad she'd be an author one day, so it's fair to say her published books represent a lifelong dream.
Read a book by an Australian author
On a Bright Hillside in Paradise by Annette Higgs AA (16/10) 4.5*

2. Kelly's latest standalone novel, The Midnight Estate, was published in Australia on 30th July, 2025.
Read a book where the first letter of each title word fits into "THE MIDNIGHT ESTATE" (minimum 2 word title)
The Great Divide by L.J.M. Owen AA (24/10) 4*

3. Kelly is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, including The Secret Daughter and The Things We Cannot Say. She has sold more than one million books, and her novels have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Read a book set in the USA
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (26/10) 4* (Baltimore)

4. Kelly lives in the Central West of New South Wales with her family and fantastically naughty dogs, Sully and Basil.
Read a book with a dog on the cover
The Stolen by Vikki Petraitis AA (14/10) 5*

BONUS: Read a book by Kelly Rimmer
The Midnight Estate by Kelly Rimmer AA (used in Spell-it-Out)



Part 2: SPELL-IT-OUT

R: The Midnight Estate by Kelly Rimmer AA (6/11) 4.5* (Author's Name)
O: Spider's Web by Agatha Christie and Charles Osborne (10/10) 4* (Author's Name)
M: Martha Moxley Murder on Mischief Night by Michel Suárez (9/10) 1* (Title / Author's Name)
A: Spring by Ali Smith (22/10) 4.5*
N: The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North (13/10) 4.5* (Author's Name)
C: The Countdown Killer by Sam Holland (18/10) 5* (Title)
E: Darkness on the Fens by Joy Ellis (8/10) 4.5* (Author's Name)

Checking in with my weekend totals... Thanks Brenda for helping me re-ignite my season's reading!

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger: p.60 - p.395 (end) = 335 pages

An Ethical Guide To Murder by Jenny Morris: whole book = 400 pages

Fire on the Fens by Joy Ellis: 80% of 326p = 261 pages

GRAND TOTAL: 996 (so close to cracking the 1000!)

Books 81-90

High Wire by Candice Fox AA (14/8) 5*
Whisky Valley by Joan Sauers AA (18/8) 4*
The Favourites by Layne Fargo (25/8) 5*
Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn (10/9) 4.5*
Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger (13/9) 4*
An Ethical Guide To Murder by Jenny Morris (14/9) 3*
Fire on the Fens by Joy Ellis (17/9) 5*
Bony and the Mouse: Journey to the Hangman by Arthur W. Upfield AA (20/9) 4*
Asylum by Jack Adams AA (25/9) 4*
The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli (29/9) 5*

Readathon? I'm in!

Unfortunately it's a busy weekend for me, with my daughter's 16th birthday and classical ballet exams (OMG! OMG!). But I'll do my best!

Phrynne wrote: "I think it would be wasted on me. I enjoy walking at my own pace and listening to an audiobook without interruptions from people who want to talk. I would very much enjoy the coffee shop and chat a..."

I'm with you, Phrynne!