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

Sarah’s comments from the Aussie Readers group.

I'm in! My calculations tell me I have 4000+ pages to read in December, so I'm aiming to get a quarter of those done over the challenge weekend!

Veronica ⭐️ wrote: "That's a wonderful idea Sarah. Aldi had a book themed advent calendar that I bought for the grandchildren. It has a tiny book to unwrap each day."

Oooh... that sounds cool! I haven't seen it (we don't have Aldi in Tassie).

Brenda wrote: "Great job Sarah!"

Thanks Brenda - I'm going to attempt all AA if you do this one again in 2020!

FINISHED my first Book Bingo, and loved it - thanks mods!
Progress: 35/35 books (15/15 AA)

#1 Down COMPLETED!
On Bestseller List: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (29/10) 5*
Received an Award: Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton AA (16/11) 5*
Female MC: Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson (5/10) 5*
Set in Australia: Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox AA (2/9) 4*
Child on Cover: Cloudstreet by Tim Winton AA (20/10) 4*


#3 Down COMPLETED!
Male MC: The Pedant In The Kitchen by Julian Barnes (30/9) 4*
Male Author: Silver by Chris Hammer AA (8/11) 3.5*
One Word Title: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (5/11) 4*
Novella (125pp+): The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (24/10) 3*
Female Author: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (22/9) 4*


#4 Down COMPLETED!
Aussie Author: Six Minutes by Petronella McGovern AA (2/11) 4*
Red Cover: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty AA (24/10) 4*
Published in 2016: Old Scores by David Whish-Wilson AA (27/11) 3.5*
Set in another country: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (20/10) 4*
Beach on Cover: Where the Dead Go by Sarah Bailey AA (7/9) 4*


#5 Down COMPLETED!
Suspense/Crime: Crucifixion Creek by Barry Maitland AA (3/11) 5*
On TBR longer than 2 years: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (25/11) 4*
Favourite Genre: Redemption Point by Candice Fox AA (7/10) 4*
Love that Cover: Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster (4/11) 4*
Paranormal: The Power by Naomi Alderman (18/9) 5*


#1 Across COMPLETED!
On Bestseller List: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (turns out it's currently well within the top 100 in Australia) (17/10) 4*
Dog on Cover: A Week without Tuesday by Angelica Banks AA (15/9) 5*
Male MC: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (11/10) 5*
Aussie Author: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion AA (18/9) 4*
Suspense / Crime: The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (30/10) 4*


#3 Across COMPLETED!
Female MC: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (7/10) 5*
Over 500 pages: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (my edition has 550 pages) AA (26/9) 4*
One Word Title: Frankissstein: A Love Story by Jeanette Winterson (11/10) 4*
Published in 2016: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (20/9) 5*
Favourite Genre: The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone by Felicity McLean AA (8/9) 4*


#4 Across COMPLETED!
Set in Australia: The Slipping Place by Joanna Baker AA (15/9) 4*
Historical Fiction: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (12/10) 4*
Novella: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote (30/9) 4*
Set in another country: How the Dead Speak by Val McDermid (2/9) 4*
Love that cover: Tell Me You're Mine: The chilling international bestseller by Elisabeth Noreback (22/9) 4*

FINISHED! Thank you mods for another great challenge!
Progress: 26/26 AA: 19/19

A - Any Ordinary Day: Blindsides, Resilience and What Happens After the Worst Day of Your Life by Leigh Sales AA (28/1) 5*
B - The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape AA (3/7) 5*
C - Crimson Lake by Candice Fox AA (8/9) 4*
D - Devastation Road by Joanna Baker AA (2/5) 4*
E - Eggshell Skull: A Memoir About Standing Up, Speaking Out and Fighting Back by Bri Lee AA (5/4) 5*
F - Flames by Robbie Arnott AA (2/3) 5*
G - Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox AA (2/9) 4*
H - How the Dead Speak by Val McDermid (2/9) 4*
I - In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming (23/3) 4*
J - The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn (13/6) 4*
K - The Killing by David Hewson (9/1) 4*
L - The Land Before Avocado by Richard Glover AA (19/3) 5*
M - My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (4/7) 4*
N - Normal People by Sally Rooney (21/3) 3*
O - Old Scores by David Whish-Wilson AA (27/11) 3.5*
P - The Power by Naomi Alderman (18/9) 5*
Q - I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson AA (25/8) 3*
R - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion AA (18/9) 4*
S - The Slipping Place by Joanna Baker AA (15/9) 4*
T - The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer AA (25/5) 5*
U - Unmaking a Murder: The Mysterious Death of Anna-Jane Cheney by Graham Archer AA (22/4) 4*
V - The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone by Felicity McLean AA (8/9) 4*
W - Where the Dead Go by Sarah Bailey AA (7/9) 4*
X - Crucifixion Creek by Barry Maitland AA (3/11) 5*
Y - A Week without Tuesday by Angelica Banks AA (15/9) 5*
Z - The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris AA (27/4) 5*

Jeanette Winterson doesn't use inverted commas for speech in her 2019 release, Frankissstein: A Love Story, either. I quite enjoyed the book, but found the lack of speech marks made it more challenging to read (and not in a good way!).
This goodreads reviewer has made a list of other books that have jettisoned speech punctuation: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Sixth BINGO completed - one book to go!
Progress: 34/35 books (14/15 AA)

#5 Down COMPLETED!
Suspense/Crime: Crucifixion Creek by Barry Maitland AA (3/11) 5*
On TBR longer than 2 years: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (25/11) 4*
Favourite Genre: Redemption Point by Candice Fox AA (7/10) 4*
Love that Cover: Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster (4/11) 4*
Paranormal: The Power by Naomi Alderman (18/9) 5*

Clare wrote: "I would like to join. How do I make a book cover pic big?

Hi Clare, that took me a while to work out, too! If you click on the (some html is okay) link above the comment box, you get a drop-down list of useful actions. To insert a larger image, you need to
enter the following command, but with "<" and ">" at either end:

img src="https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/..."
(not using the height and width options gives you the large-sized image others have used)

P.S. Thanks for the book pointer - I love Jeanette Winterson, but hadn't realised she'd written a Christmas book - adding it to my list now!

This is my list of 25 books which I've wrapped (using last year's left over and discarded papers) to open (one a day) in the lead up to Christmas. It includes several old favourites, and a few new titles as well. I won't necessarily read them all end to end, but I like having a selection of seasonally-themed books (which spend the rest of the year in a box hidden away) to get me into the spirit!

1 December: Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie
2 December: The Mistletoe Murder And Other Stories by P.D. James
3 December: First Dog On The Moon’s The Story of The Christmas Story by First Dog on the Moon
4 December: The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
5 December: A Christmas Secret by Anne Perry
6 December: A Family Christmas by Caroline Kennedy
7 December: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
8 December: A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
9 December: The Truth About Christmas by Philip Ardagh
10 December: Scarpetta's Winter Table by Patricia Cornwell
11 December: Christmas is Murder by Val McDermid
12 December: A Child's Christmas In Wales by Dylan Thomas
13 December: My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins
14 December: Santa Claus by Reginald Nettel
15 December: Il tuo primo libro di Natale by Natale Larus
16 December: Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
17 December: Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron
18 December: The Greatest Christmas Tales & Poems in One Volume (Illustrated): A Christmas Carol, The Gift of the Magi, Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, The Heavenly ... Mouse King, The Wonderful Life of Christ… by various authors
19 December: The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story by Gloria Houston
20 December: The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
21 December: Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay
22 December: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie
23 December: Round About the Christmas Tree: A Miscellany of Festive Stories by Becky Brown
24 December: The Gifts of the Magi: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh by Carolyn Vaughan
25 December: A new Christmas book!

This is my list of 25 books which I've wrapped (using last year's left over and discarded papers) for my daughter to open (one a day) in the lead up to Christmas.

1 December: The Lump of Coal by Lemony Snicket
2 December: The Legend of Old Befana by Tomie dePaola
3 December: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
4 December: Santa is Coming to Tasmania by Steve Smallman
5 December: The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet Ahlberg
6 December: Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers by Lynley Dodd
7 December: The Animals' Christmas Eve by Gale Wiersum and The Christmas Story by Jane Werner Watson (both Little Golden Books)
8 December: Richard Scarry's Best Christmas Book Ever! by Richard Scarry
9 December: Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne
10 December: Horrible Christmas by Terry Deary
11 December: Holiday Princess by Meg Cabot
12 December: Santa Bear by Igloo Books
13 December: Queen Victoria's Christmas by Jackie French
14 December: The Nutcracker by Susanna Davidson
15 December: Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs
16 December: Mog's Christmas by Judith Kerr
17 December: Christmas in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
18 December: The Christmas Unicorn by Anna Currey
19 December: Sage Cookson's Christmas Ghost by Sally Murphy
20 December: Father Christmas Goes on Holiday by Raymond Briggs
21 December: Cops And Robbers by Janet Ahlberg
22 December: A Book of Christmas by Tasha Tudor
23 December: The Classic Tale of the Velveteen Rabbit: Or, How Toys Became Real by Margery Williams Bianco
24 December: The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
25 December: A new Christmas book!

Brenda wrote: "What a great idea Sarah! I love it!!"

Thanks Brenda! Not my own idea - I found it on Pinterest:
Book Advent

Kerri_M wrote: "I am going to suggest that to my niece for her kids, they love reading and I think they would love this!"

Hi Kerri, I do the same thing for my daughter, and she loves it! We have an ever-increasing collection of Christmas-themed books, which are kept in a box the rest of the year. Every year, I add a few new ones with more sophisticated content (she's now 10), but she always enjoys a few old favourites, like Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers and Father Christmas Goes on Holiday! I'll post this year's list(s) to Personal Challenges, if you're interested.

Cherie (Myst) wrote: "Initial book My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins"

What a gorgeous cover!

I'm going to attempt hard, but I have backup plans for 9- and 7-letter alternatives if it's looking dicey...
Progress: 11/11, AA: 3/3

Initial Book: Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron (3/12) 4*


Spell-it-Out: SILHOUETTE
S: Sweet Poison, Why Sugar Makes Us Fat by David Gillespie AA (15/12) 5*
I: Cemetery Road by Greg Iles (15/12) 4*
L: The Lost Girls by Jennifer Spence AA (5/12) 3.5*
H: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (30/12) 4*
O: 1984 by George Orwell (10/12) 5*
U: The Death of Lucy Kyte by Nicola Upson (13/12) 4*
E: Disaster's Children by Emma Sloley AA (19/12) 3*
T: Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay (24/12) 4*
T: To The Lions by Holly Watt (2/12) 4*
E: Tales of Mystery and Horror: Vol.I by Edgar Allan Poe (8/12) 3.5*

Do we have a read-a-thon coming up soon, too?

I also got "all rounder" - a combination of Involved Reader, Exacting Reader and Eclectic Reader. Like you, Jen, I think I'd have been more on the serial end a year or more ago. Joining goodreads and taking part in several of the Aussie Readers challenges, in addition to the Popsugar and Pingel Sisters' Annual Challenges, has definitely made me a wider reader - I've discovered (or re-discovered) genres and authors I might not otherwise have happened upon. Onward and upward!

Excellent! Now to dig out my stash of Christmas-themed books! (I wrap them with the left-over wrapping in January and number them 1-25 for a book-a-day during December. It's a bookish equivalent to an Advent Calendar which gets me into the Christmas (literary) spirit!

FINISHED!
Level: Easy; Progress: 14/14

2 x Yellow
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton (20/10) 4*
Six Minutes by Petronella McGovern (3/11) 3.5*


2 x Green
Devastation Road by Joanna Baker 4*
The Land Before Avocado by Richard Glover 5*


2 x Blue
Beyond the Rock by Janelle McCulloch 3*
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer 5*


2 x Purple
Two Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman 4*
A Week without Tuesday by Angelica Banks 5* (just barely made it, on 50.9% purple!)


2 x Orange
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion 4* (I listened to the audiobook, which is distinctly orange rather than red, like the book)
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox 4*


2 x Red
Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare 4* (NZ author, but lives in Melbourne)
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (25/10) 4*


2 x Pink (joining Marianne #9 on this, as my colourful offerings are so rare this year!)
Eggshell Skull: A Memoir About Standing Up, Speaking Out and Fighting Back by Bri Lee 5*
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton 5*

FINISHED!
Level: Busy, Progress: 24/24
1. Contemporary:
The World Was Whole by Fiona Wright 4*
Any Ordinary Day: What Happens After the Worst Day of Your Life? by Leigh Sales 5*
2. Historical Fiction
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer 5*
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris 5* (although based on a true story, it's a fictionalised account, rather than biography)
3. Non Fiction
The Barefoot Investor: The Only Money Guide You'll Ever Need by Scott Pape 5*
I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson 2.5*
4. Children's Fiction
A Week without Tuesday by Angelica Banks 5*
Two Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman (26/9) 4*
5. Crime (I'm interpreting this as True Crime)
Tamam Shud: The Somerton Man Mystery by Kerry Greenwood 3.5*
Unmaking a Murder: The Mysterious Death of Anna-Jane Cheney by Graham Archer 4*
6. Mystery
The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan 4*
Eight Lives by Susan Hurley 4*
7. Young Adult
Devastation Road by Joanna Baker 4*
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (26/9) 4*
8. Chick-Lit / Women's Fiction
The Sparkle Pages by Meg Bignell 4*
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (25/10) 4*
9. Award Winner / Nominee
Flames by Robbie Arnott 5* (Shortlisted for the Guardian's 2019 "Not the Booker" Prize)
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton (ABIA Book of the Year winner) 5*
10. Thriller / Suspense
Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare 4*
Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox 5*
11. Humour
The Land Before Avocado by Richard Glover 4*
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion 4*
12. Memoir/Biography
Beyond the Rock by Janelle McCulloch 3*
Eggshell Skull: A Memoir About Standing Up, Speaking Out and Fighting Back by Bri Lee 5*

Fifth row completed! Two rows and two books left...
Progress: 33/35 books (14/15 AA)

#1 Down COMPLETED!
On Bestseller List: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (29/10) 5*
Received an Award: Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton AA (16/11) 5*
Female MC: Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson (5/10) 5*
Set in Australia: Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox AA (2/9) 4*
Child on Cover: Cloudstreet by Tim Winton AA (20/10) 4*