Aussie Author Challenge 2014 Showing 1,001-1,050 of 1,146

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Nicola, you're going great!

[Carolyn]

I've read my second classic for this challenge.
Cosmo Cosmolino: Text Classics by Helen Garner 3★.
I can't say I enjoyed it. Although the writing was great, the stories were all depressing and I think it was probably too literary for me (I'm still not really sure what happened at the end). I think I'd better stick with contemporary fiction (although The Women In Black was great).

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

[Deb]

GOLD CHALLENGE COMPLETED!!!! YAY!! Now I can read overseas authors, even though I am mainly Aussies these days anyway.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Congratulations Deb! Well done:)

[Sally906]

Deb wrote: "GOLD CHALLENGE COMPLETED!!!! YAY!! Now I can read overseas authors, even though I am mainly Aussies these days anyway."

Congratulations Deb :)

[Deb]

Brenda wrote: "Congratulations Deb! Well done:)"

Thanks it was fun!!

[Deb]

Sally906 wrote: "Deb wrote: "GOLD CHALLENGE COMPLETED!!!! YAY!! Now I can read overseas authors, even though I am mainly Aussies these days anyway."

Congratulations Deb :)"

Thanks Sally, now to get to my 2014 Challenge total of 55 for the year.

[Leonie]

And now Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly

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

[Leonie]

And Ambassador: Seeing Red by Patty Jansen

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

[Belinda]

I only have 2 to go to complete the Bronze Challenge (slow and steady...). I have completed my Historical Fiction The Tournament and a classic The Magic Pudding. So just have 2 from my favourite genre to read and I'm done. Yay!

[Dale]

Good for you Belinda

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Belinda wrote: "I only have 2 to go to complete the Bronze Challenge (slow and steady...). I have completed my Historical Fiction The Tournament and a classic The Magic Pudding. So j..."

Doing well Belinda:)

[Sally906]

Belinda wrote: "I only have 2 to go to complete the Bronze Challenge (slow and steady...). I have completed my Historical Fiction The Tournament and a classic The Magic Pudding. So j..."

That reminds me. I want to get The Magic Pudding and The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie for my grandsons for Christmas. One is 7 and the other is 4.

You're doing well with your challenge.

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Sally906 wrote: "Belinda wrote: "I only have 2 to go to complete the Bronze Challenge (slow and steady...). I have completed my Historical Fiction The Tournament and a classic [book:The Magic Puddin..."

Wonderful gifts Sally :D

[Elaine]

Finished another for this challenge which is going painfully slow. The Jerilderie Letter . Five stars.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

You have plenty of time Elaine!!

[Chris]

Historical Fiction completed: All That I Am 3★

[Nicola]

Another few done - only 3 to make the 36...
Debut novel
Burial Rites / Hannah Kent
New Releases
Family Secrets / Liz Byrski
Lethal Sky / Greg Barron
Fantasy
Kiss of the Goblin Prince / Shona Husk
All good reads....

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Nicola wrote: "Another few done - only 3 to make the 36...
Debut novel
Burial Rites / Hannah Kent
New Releases
..."

Well done Nicola!!

[Kathryn]

Nicola wrote: "Another few done - only 3 to make the 36...
Debut novel
Burial Rites / Hannah Kent
New Releases
..."

I'm the same - think I'm at about 33 or 34 - and I started out by saying I'd go for the bronze level! At the moment my list has about 42 books on it!! But whether I'll actually make it through all of them is up for debate!! But I've certainly discovered some good Aussie authors along the way!

[Nicola]

Kathryn wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Another few done - only 3 to make the 36...
Debut novel
Burial Rites / Hannah Kent
New Releases
[bookcover:Family Se..."

Same! And books I would never normally find have been great as well...

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Sounds like our object has been met girls:)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Rachel wrote: "With apologies - I've been really bad at providing updates here! Here are the links to my reviews for Michael Robotham's "Life or Death" (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Charlo..."

Rachel there's nothing showing at your review for Iron Junction??

[Leonie]

Two more books left on my challenge list - those for "1 x classic" and "1 x historical fiction" but I keep getting distracted by all the other Australian authors I've been discovering this year!

Isn't it great? :)

[Sally]

I've finished my eighth book for the challenge and my second 2014 New Release - Deeper Water by Jessie Cole. I was very pleasantly surprised - I gave it 4★s, although it should really be 4.5. Highly recommended. I'll be looking out for more books by this author.

[Sally906]

Sally wrote: "I've finished my eighth book for the challenge and my second 2014 New Release - Deeper Water by Jessie Cole. I was very pleasantly surprised - I gave it 4★s, althou..."

I wish we could do half stars as well. I really enjoyed Deeper Water to

[Leonie]

Here's my eighth book for the challenge too!

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

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

[Kathryn]

I just realised that finishing The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John for one of my classics on the weekend (fun read - 3.5 stars) meant that I reached the gold level of the challenge! But I'm not finished yet, as I still have 6 books by Aussie authors that I want to read this year. Somehow my challenge just grew and grew!!

Some of my recent standout Aussie reads have been:
Whatever You Do, Don't Run: My Adventures As A Botswana Safari Guide by Peter Allison - 5 stars
Far Horizon by Tony Park - 4 stars
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - 4.5 stars
The House of Memories by Monica McInerney - 4.5 stars

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Kathryn wrote: "I just realised that finishing The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John for one of my classics on the weekend (fun read - 3.5 stars) meant that I reached the gold lev..."

Well done Kathryn! Fantastic result and some great reads there :)

[Kathryn]

Brenda wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "I just realised that finishing The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John for one of my classics on the weekend (fun read - 3.5 stars) meant that I reac..."

Thanks, Brenda - and out of 36 books, I've only had 2 that I've rated less than 3 stars, so I figure that's not bad going!

[Kathryn]

Loving the structure of this challenge!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Kathryn wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "I just realised that finishing The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John for one of my classics on the weekend (fun read - 3.5 stars) me..."

No that's excellent. Makes for a fair amount of enjoyable reading :) Glad you enjoyed the structure too :)

[Dale]

Kathryn wrote: "I just realised that finishing The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John for one of my classics on the weekend (fun read - 3.5 stars) meant that I reached the gold lev..."
Some good reads there Kathryn. well done!

[Kathryn]

Dale wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "I just realised that finishing The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John for one of my classics on the weekend (fun read - 3.5 stars) meant that I reac..."

Thanks, Dale! We have some great Aussie authors!

[Dale]

Too true!

[Nicola]

Have just finished my last New Release, which leaves me just 2 books to complete Gold...
Fireborn / Keri Arthur

[Sally906]

Nicola wrote: "Have just finished my last New Release, which leaves me just 2 books to complete Gold...
Fireborn / Keri Arthur"


and 3 months to do it :)

[Sally]

I've finished my ninth book for the challenge, my second by a female author, The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead. This book was a revelation to me, a 5★ read that went straight on my favourites shelf. The language, the characters, the atmosphere were all superb, and the ending was a real zinger! The funny thing is, I LOATHED the title character, Sam, as a self-obsessed, self-righteous, conceited hypocrite! It's been a long time since I've hated a character so vehemently, but that in itself makes the book excellent for me. I don't care if I love or hate a character, as long as the book has made me FEEL some kind of strong emotion, and this one certainly did that! Thanks to the challenge for encouraging me to read it, I probably wouldn't have got round to it for many more years otherwise. I highly recommend this book as a classic about the ultimate dysfunctional family!

[Sally]

I finished my tenth book for the challenge, my classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock, last night. A strange but interesting little book, 4★s.

Now I'm off to read The Narrow Road to the Deep North (my second favourite genre book).

[Sally]

Er, that is, second book for my favourite genre category, not my 'second favourite genre', LOL!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Sally wrote: "Er, that is, second book for my favourite genre category, not my 'second favourite genre', LOL!"

Haha!!! Thanks for clarifying Sally;)

[Chris]

Finished my Classic for this challenge: They're a Weird Mob 4★

[Chris]

Also completed my 2 2014 new releases: Big Little Lies and Hello from the Gillespies. 5 ★ for both

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Christina wrote: "Also completed my 2 2014 new releases: Big Little Lies and Hello from the Gillespies. 5 ★ for both"

Oh good. I have both here waiting to be read.

[Sally]

I finished my 11th book for the challenge last night - Favourite Genre (literary fiction), The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan. It was utterly exquisite and devastating, 5★s.

[Nicola]

Finished my last classic
Picnic At Hanging Rock / Joan Lindsay
Only 1 genre (crime) left now...

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Finished my last book for this challenge. All done at Bronze level:)

Female authors:
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty 4 stars
Havenstar by Glenda Larke 4 stars

Male authors:
Sabriel by Garth Nix 4 stars
Suspect by Michael Robotham 4 stars

Debut novel:
Thin Blood by Vicki Tyley 5 stars

2014 new releases:
Deserving Death by Katherine Howell 5 stars
Present Darkness by Malla Nunn 5 stars

Classic:
Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park 4 stars

Fantasy:
The Witches of Eileanan by Kate Forsyth 4 stars

HF:
Ronan's Echo by Joanne van Os 4 stars

Favourite genre:
Cold Grave by Kathryn Fox 4 stars
Siren by Tara Moss 3 stars

[Sally906]

Whoo hoo - well done!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Congratulations Phrynne! Great effort:)

[Kathryn]

Phrynne wrote: "Finished my last book for this challenge. All done at Bronze level:)

Female authors:
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty 4 stars
Havenstar by..."

Wow, Phrynne - 11/12 books 4 stars or above!! Some great reading there! Well done!