Andrea’s Comments (group member since Sep 13, 2012)

Andrea’s comments from the Aussie Readers group.

Brenda wrote: "Andrea wrote: "For those who have read it, do you think Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect would work as a book set in the Northern Territory? Trying to get a feel for whether the ..."

Thanks Brenda

For those who have read it, do you think Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect would work as a book set in the Northern Territory? Trying to get a feel for whether the connection is strong enough, but I do have another alternative.

Annual Aussie Author Challenge 2024 - Everything is Australian
Duration: 1/1/24 - 31/12/24
Level: Easy
12/12

1. KANGAROO.
In South Australia there is a beautiful place called Kangaroo Island where you can see kangaroos on the beach.
** Read a book set near a beach or with a beach on the cover.
Vroom by the Sea by Peter Moore 3★ (06/05/24)

2. DINGO.
Australia may have some of the worst poisonous creatures in the world but our apex predator is a wild dog! There are lots of them to be found on Fraser Island in Queensland.
** Read a book set in Queensland
Outback by Patricia Wolf 4★ (10/03/24)

3. KOOKABURRA
When a flock of these birds start laughing it is hard not to laugh with them. They are the noisy relations of the Kingfisher family but they prefer to eat lizards to fish. The Kookaburra is one of the emblems for NSW.
** Read a book set in New South Wales
The Greater Good by Tim Ayliffe 3★ (17/1/24)

4. KOALA.
These cuddly creatures spend about eighteen hours per day asleep in their eucalyptus trees. Even though they may look like a teddy, Koalas are not bears!
** Read a book which has trees on the cover.
Gone to Ground by Bronwyn Hall 3.5★ (26/1/24)

5. COCKATOO
The Gang Gang Cockatoo is an emblem of the Australian Capital Territory, which is the home of our capital city, Canberra.
** Read a book set in Canberra or any of our state or territory capitals. (Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Darwin, Adelaide, Hobart)
Ordinary Gods and Monsters (Melbourne) by Chris Womersley 4★ (25/05/24)

6. QUOKKA
Found in Western Australia and called the happiest animal in the world because it has a smiley little face.
** Read a book which makes you smile.
Dyed and Buried by Livia Day 3.5★ (31/03/24)

7. PLATYPUS
This strange creature frequents freshwater rivers all around Australia. Sadly numbers are dwindling and we do not often see them.
** Read a book with some association to water or swimming.
Question 7 by Richard Flanagan 5★ (04/03/24)

8. POSSUM
Very cute but they can also be a big pest. The possum is the emblem for Victoria
** Read a book set in Victoria.
The Good Dog by Simon Rowell 4★ (21/1/24)

9. CROCODILE
There are saltwater crocodiles in the sea and freshwater ones in the rivers but mostly in the Northern Territory. If the sign beside the waterhole says No Swimming then don't swim.
** Read a book set in the Northern Territory
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (12/1/24) 4★

10. TASMANIAN DEVIL
As the name suggests this animal is found in Tasmania. Not sure why it acquired the name Devil but I suppose it isn't the prettiest furry friend you have ever seen.
** Read a book set in Tasmania
Infamy by Lenny Bartulin 4★ (15/07/24)

11. NUMBAT
One of our rarer creatures which lives in Western Australia.
** Read a book set in Western Australia
The River Mouth by Karen Herbert 2.5★ (24/04/24)

12. WOMBAT
A long, long time ago these furry chaps were the size of elephants. Can you imagine the size of their burrows? Today they are a much more reasonable size and the Hairy Nose Wombat is the emblem of South Australia.
** Read a book set in South Australia
The Three of Us by Kim Lock 3★ (21/03/24)

Brenda wrote: "I've won an Amazon AU gift card Andrea, and I've found out that the only way to have an AU account (and not get rid of the US account) is to use a different email address. So that's what I'll have ..."

Congrats! Where there’s a will there’s a way 🤗

Brenda wrote: "Does anyone know if I can have an Amazon US account and open an Amazon AU account with the same email address? That wasn't doable some time back but it may have changed and I can't find answers on ..."

I’m not sure why you’d need to Brenda. I have a US account, and order stuff from the AU site all the time (same account). The only thing I haven’t done is try to buy Kindle books from the AU site. But maybe that’s exactly what you are wanting to do?

It does have an impact on my Prime Reading library, but very minor.

But the way things are with availability of Kindle books on the US site lately, I’m planning to switch over as soon as I’ve finished reading a borrowed book (apparently my library will be cleared as part of the transition, but it’s only 10 books, so I’ll just write down the titles and re-borrow them later)

Annual Challenge 2024 - A-Z "Real Life" Locations
Duration: 1/1/24 - 31/12/24
19/26

A - Algiers - A Bookshop In Algiers by Kaouther Adimi 3★ (17/1/24)
B - Barranquilla - The Waves Take You Home by María Alejandra Barrios Vélez
C - Cote d'Ivoire - The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan 2★ (28/1/24)
D - Democratic Republic of the Congo - Gone to Ground by Bronwyn Hall AA 3.5★ (26/1/24)
E - East Germany Stasiland by Anna Funder AA 5★ (15/04/24)
F - Fiji - A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao AA 3.5★ (31/03/24)
G - Gawler, SA The Three of Us by Kim Lock AA 3★ (21/03/24)
H - Hobart Dyed and Buried by Livia Day AA 3.5★ (31/03/24)
I - Iran Daughters of Smoke and Fire by Ava Homa 2★ (02/08/24)
J - Java - The Birdwoman's Palate by Laksmi Pamuntjak 3★ (23/11/24)
K - Kerala The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 4.5★ (12/07/24)
L - Liguria - The Villa in Italy by Elizabeth Edmondson
M - Melbourne Ordinary Gods and Monsters by Chris Womersley AA 4★ (25/05/24)
N - Naples My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
O - Oman - The Zanzibar Wife by Deborah Rodriguez 2★ (10/02/24)
P - Poland Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk 3.5★ (1/12/24)
Q - Queensland Outback by Patricia Wolf AA 4★ (10/03/24)
R - Reykjavik - Names for the Sea by Sarah Moss 4★ (20/08/24)
S - Sepik River, PNG - Euphoria by Lily King
T - Toronto - Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
U - Uttar Pradesh - Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup
V - Victoria The Good Dog by Simon Rowell AA 4★ (21/1/24)
W - Western Australia The River Mouth by Karen Herbert AA 2.5★ (24/04/24)
X - Texas - News of the World by Paulette Jiles 4★ (26/09/24)
Y - York - The Chocolate Tin by Fiona McIntosh AA 3★ (11/08/24)
Z - Zimbabwe Little Stones by Elizabeth Kuiper AA

Trawling through my 2023 reads I've found 18 pairs, so I'm claiming a win for HARD! Who would've thought?! Some of them were even on my original list haha

Male author/Female author
Headcase by Jack Heath 4★ (10/1/23)
Say It Again in a Nice Voice by Meg Mason 3★ (20/11/23)

Stand alone/part of a series
Barren Grounds by B. Michael Radburn 2★ (21/6/23)
The Tilt by Chris Hammer 3.5★ (2/6/23)

Historical fiction/Current day
The Settlement by Jock Serong 3★ (6/12/23)
Wild Card by Simon Rowell 4★ (3/5/23)

Set in country/set in city
The Caretaker by Gabriel Bergmoser 3★ (24/7/23)
Home Before Night by J.P. Pomare 4★ (24/11/23)

Set in your home country/set away from home country
The Call by Christian White 4★ (4/11/23)
Last One to Leave by Benjamin Stevenson 2★ (20/11/23)

Plain cover/ beautiful cover
Smokehouse by Melissa Manning 4.5★ (29/6/23)
One Illumined Thread by Sally Colin-James 3★ (11/2/23)

Young characters/mature age characters
Kill Your Brother by Jack Heath 3★ (26/1/23)
Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith 5★ (9/6/23)

Set over the ocean (Tasmania)/set on the mainland
Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett 3.5★ (21/2/23)
In the Quiet by Eliza Henry-Jones 3.5★ (15/6/23)

Set in Southern Australia/set in Northern Australia
Final Act by Sarah Bailey 3★ (10/1/23)
Looking for Eden by Caroline Overington 3.5★ (12/2/23)

Bright cover/ plain cover
A Kind of Magic by Anna Spargo-Ryan 3★ (4/1/23)
Invented Lives by Andrea Goldsmith 5★ (16/2/23)

Single word title/many words
Peace by Garry Disher 4.5★ (3/11/23)
The House of Now and Then by Jo Dixon 4★ (13/4/23)

New release (2023)/ older release
Fed to Red Birds by Rijn Collins 4★ (26/5/23)
Stalin's Wine Cellar by John Baker 4★ (4/6/23)

Fiction/ non fiction
Marlborough Man by Alan Carter 4★ (12/9/23)
Don’t Buy Fruit & Veg Without Me! by Thanh Truong 4★ (24/11/23)

Short (over 125 pages)/long
The Conversion by Amanda Lohrey 4★ (5/10/23)
The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams 4.5★ (27/3/23)

Cover mostly black/ mostly white
Apartment 303 by Kelli Hawkins 3★ (21/6/23)
Untethered by Ayesha Inoon 3.5★ (18/8/23)

Historical mystery/present day mystery
The Unearthed by Lenny Bartulin 5★ (4/7/23)
The Fancies by Kim Lock 3.5★ (3/4/23)

One person on cover/two people on cover
The Long Game by Simon Rowell 4★ (18/4/23)
The Orphans by Fiona McIntosh 4★ (10/8/23)

Ebook/physical book
Vendetta by Sarah Barrie 3.5★ (18/11/23)
Kill Your Husbands by Jack Heath 4★ (28/10/23)

I had a few issues with Jock Serong's The Settlement, but overall I thought it was a good read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The latest Minds Shine Bright anthology, Storm: Minds Shine Bright (edited by AA Amanda Scotney) is the product of the first Seasons competition.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I was surprised to see this morning that Jack Heath’s new thriller Kill Your Husbands is available as part of my free content on Audible. I’ve already read the paperback, but this audiobook has an incredible ensemble cast of narrators, so I might be tempted to go again!

Carolyn wrote: "Challenge Completed!

Annual Aussie Author Challenge 2023 - Opposites Attract
Duration: 1/1/23 - 31/12/23
Level: Hard 18 Opposites
All Aussie authors
Read: 36/ 36 books..."

Congrats Carolyn - lots of high star reads there!

Crime on the Fens was an excellent start to the DI Nikki Galena series by Joy Ellis. I'm in!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Odette wrote: "It is an AU account.
There are so many books not available.
I am thinking now that there may be a problem with the Amazon.au site."

You might be right - that sounds very odd!

Odette wrote: "What is happening with amazon kindle books written by Australian authors. I was looking up some Australian books to read for a challenge and found quite a large number are no longer available to pu..."

Is your account US or AU? I still have a US account but have been considering finally switching over for this very reason. Not just Australian authors, but quite a lot of books simply aren't available to me any more. The rationale for keeping my account in US was the larger range of books, but it no longer holds true.

Death at the Dog Show by Peter Boland, the 3rd in his Charity Shop Detectives series, is another good, cosy read. (No dogs are harmed in this book)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

In case anyone was wondering about Don’t Buy Fruit & Veg Without Me!: Life-changing lowdown on how to choose, prep and cook with amazing produce by AA Thanh Truong, here's my brief review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Congratulations everyone who has finished so far! I love reading through the lists and seeing what everyone read for the more difficult letters.

Cool Water by Myfanwy Jones (contemporary fiction) due to be published 28 Feb 2024.

Here's my review of Vendetta by AA Sarah Barrie, number 3 in the Lexi Winter series.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I’m not sure if anyone else is reading Peter Boland’s Charity Shop Detectives series, but #3 is Read Now. It’s called DEATH AT THE DOG SHOW