**Spring Challenge - 1/9/16 - 30/11/16**

[Heather]

Finished by 5th of Rejuvenating
A - The Alienist by Caleb Carr 3 ★

[Connie]

Just finished Obsession in Death J D Robb

[Paget]

I finished my 6th book
Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

[Trevor]

Finished book four for the challenge, Love on the Jersey Shore by Richard Natale - 4★

G - The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier
A - All Note Long by Annabeth Albert - 4★
R - The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham
D - Funny Bone by Daniel W. Kelly
E - Fairyland by Sumner Locke Elliott - 3★
N - Love on the Jersey Shore by Richard Natale - 4★
E - Our Young Man by Edmund White - 4★
R - Work Boots and Tees by Jo Ramsey

[Stef]

The latest one I finished, G for was unfortunaely not Australian but apart from that would appeal to other readers here I think (I realise much of what I read is nerdy but this one was FUN).

I gave it 4 (and a half) stars and the following review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... off to the bookshop today to use my birthday voucher :)

[Janine]

I have finished my 13th - G of SPRING CLEANING
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf 4*

[Nicola]

a couple more down
B - The Blood of The Fifth Knight / E.M. Powell
L - The Lincoln Myth
O - One Little White Lie / Loretta Hill
S - The Secret Chord / Geraldine Brooks - audible
S - The Skeleton Road / Val McDermid
O - The October List / Jeffery Deaver
M - The Book Thief / Markus Zusak
I - The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime / Miles Harvey
N - Napoleon's Last Island / Thomas Keneally
G - The Girl on the Train / Paula Hawkins

[MichelleG]

Hi all, just a quick update :)

SPRING SPELL IT OUT CHALLENGE ~ Completed ~ 9/14

S - The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen
P - The Perfumer's Secret by Fiona McIntosh (AA)
R - The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
I - Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch
✔ N - Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix (AA). Rated: 3 stars
G - Gemina by Amie Kaufman (AA) *Released End October*

✔ C - Comfort Zone by Lindsay Tanner (AA). Rated: 2 stars
✔ L - The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. Rated: 3 stars
✔ E - Embrace by Jessica Shirvington (AA). Rated: 3 stars
✔ A - Across the Wall by Garth Nix (AA). Rated: 2 stars
✔ N - Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken. Rated: 4 stars
✔ I - In Certain Circles by Elizabeth Harrower (AA). Rated: 2 stars
✔ N - The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood. Rated: 5 stars
✔ G - Girl of Shadows by Deborah Challinor (AA). Rated: 5 stars

[Steve]

I have finished my fourth, I of HATCHLING, Inkspell, with my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Up next is H, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

[Heather]

Finished my 6th - T in Rejuvenating
Three Hours Late 4 ★

[Steve]

I just finished my fifth, the first H of HATCHLING, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, with my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Up next is is the second H, The Homestead Girls.

[Janine]

Challenge Complete
S - The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth(AA) 4*
P - Sunset Shadows by Bronwyn Parry(AA) 4*
R - The Art of Keeping Secrets by Rachael Johns(AA) 4*
I - Ironbark by Johanna Nicholls(AA) 4*
N - Spencerville by Nelson DeMille 3*
G - The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf 4*

C - The Wife's Tale by Christine Wells(AA) 3*
L - Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty(AA) 3*
E - Castle of Dreams by Elise McCune(AA) 4*
A - Southern Ruby by Belinda Alexandra(AA) 4*
N - Not Quite Nice by Celia Imrie 2*
I - Canal Dreams by Iain Banks 2*
N - The Great Plains by Nicole Alexander(AA) 4*
G - The Grazier's Wife by Barbara Hannay(AA) 4*

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Congrats Janine! Great job :)

[Nicola]

B S I and N in Blossoming
B - The Blood of The Fifth Knight / E.M. Powell
S - The Skeleton Road / Val McDermid
N - Napoleon's Last Island / Thomas Keneally
G - The Girl on the Train / Paula Hawkins

[Steve]

I finished my sixth, the second H of HATCHLING, The Homestead Girls, with my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Up next is A, The Assassin's Blade.

[Jenn]

My next book is Nothing to Lose by Lee Child

[Dree]

Finished my 4th The Remains of the Day - 3.5★



N - ✔ The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster 3★

E - ✔ The Executioner's Song - Norman Mailer 3.5★

W - White Noise by Don DeLillo - currently reading

B - The Bees by Laline Paull

O - ✔ The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien 4★

R - ✔ The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 3.5★

N - The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (AA)

[Trevor]

Finished book five for the challenge - Work Boots and Tees by Jo Ramsey - 3.5★

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

G - The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier
A - All Note Long by Annabeth Albert - 4★
R - The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham
D - Funny Bone by Daniel W. Kelly
E - Fairyland by Sumner Locke Elliott - 3★
N - Love on the Jersey Shore by Richard Natale - 4★
E - Our Young Man by Edmund White - 4★
R - Work Boots and Tees by Jo Ramsey - 3.5★

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

I just have 2 left to go but I believe Up Country is a very long one:)

C Conspiracy in Death by J.D. Robb5 stars

L Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward4 stars

O Off the Grid by P.J. Tracy5 stars

U Up Country by Nelson DeMille

D A Donation of Murder by Felicity Young AA

L The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke. AA - 5 stars

E Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman AA - 4 stars

S Shattered by Kevin Hearne 5 stars

S Shatter by Michael Robotham AA5 stars

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

You're both looking good there Trevor and Phrynne!

[Trevor]

A good day for reading, finished book six for the challenge - One of the Boys: A Novel by Daniel Magariel - 4★

This was a great read, my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

G - The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier
A - All Note Long by Annabeth Albert - 4★
R - The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham
D - One of the Boys: A Novel by Daniel Magariel - 4★
E - Fairyland by Sumner Locke Elliott - 3★
N - Love on the Jersey Shore by Richard Natale - 4★
E - Our Young Man by Edmund White - 4★
R - Work Boots and Tees by Jo Ramsey - 3.5★

[Trevor]

Another good day for reading, finished book seven for the challenge -The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier - 3★

G - The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier - 3★
A - All Note Long by Annabeth Albert - 4★
R - The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham
D - One of the Boys: A Novel by Daniel Magariel - 4★
E - Fairyland by Sumner Locke Elliott - 3★
N - Love on the Jersey Shore by Richard Natale - 4★
E - Our Young Man by Edmund White - 4★
R - Work Boots and Tees by Jo Ramsey - 3.5★

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

One to go Trevor :) Well done!

[Trevor]

Brenda wrote: "One to go Trevor :) Well done!"

And I've been reading my last one The Dressmaker for about a week, so should be finished in a few days. I've really enjoyed this challenge, as I've chosen some good books, and no ones that I haven't enjoyed.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

That makes it extra good doesn't it :) You have about 6 weeks until the Summer challenge starts too!

[Niamh]

Finished book 5 of the first 6 - I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. I give it 3.5★
Been a bit slower than I would have liked just because uni is crazy hectic, but hopefully I can get back into the swing of reading

[Chris]

Challenge complete. Finished my last book last night. I enjoyed all my reads for this challenge. Thank you Brenda.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Congratulations Christina :) And almost finished Niamh! Well done :)

[PattyMacDotComma]

This is G from fraGrant.
I just loved this one! 5★ for The Fly Strip

It's still available on NetGalley till the end of October if anyone's a NG reader.

Very funny, touching story of a 17-year-old boy dealing with family tragedy while still maintaining a funny, sarcastic sense of humour. Not necessarily just YA.

I liked it better than The Catcher in the Rye.

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

[Steve]

Last night, I finished my seventh, A from HATCHLING, The Assassin's Blade, with my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Up next is L, Lilith.

[Stef]

N- Nightwood finished

And interesting book, quite difficult to get my head around.

My poor attempt at a review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Stef wrote: "N- Nightwood finished

And interesting book, quite difficult to get my head around.

My poor attempt at a review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"

Not a poor attempt at all! An excellent review:)

[Trevor]

Last book in the challenge finished, The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham, which I loved and gave 4★'s

G - The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier - 3★
A - All Note Long by Annabeth Albert - 4★
R - The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham - 4★
D - One of the Boys: A Novel by Daniel Magariel - 4★
E - Fairyland by Sumner Locke Elliott - 3★
N - Love on the Jersey Shore by Richard Natale - 4★
E - Our Young Man by Edmund White - 4★
R - Work Boots and Tees by Jo Ramsey - 3.5★

Thanks again to the moderators for another really enjoyable challenge. Now to pick the next book to read from my very large TBR pile.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Congratulations Trevor! Some "free" reading before the next challenge starts :) Always a bonus!

[Jenn]

Just finished Now and Then 4 stars.

Only have 1 book left for this challenge...


S Sugar Rush by Sawyer Bennett 4 stars
P Purple Roads by Fleur McDonald 4 stars
R Runaway Lies by Shannon Curtis 5 stars
I Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine 5 stars
N Nothing to Lose by Lee Child 4 stars
G Grave Memory by Kalayna Price 4 stars

C Crimson Dawn by Fleur McDonald 4 stars
L Love at First Roar by Celia Kyle 4 stars
E Emerald Springs by Fleur McDonald 4 stars
A All Roar and No Bite by Celia Kyle 4 stars
N Now and Then by Brenda Rothert 4 stars
I Indigo Storm by Fleur McDonald 4 stars
N No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It by Celia Kyle 5 stars
GGrave Visions by Kalayna Price

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

You're doing really well Jennifer!

[Heather]

Finished my 7th of Rejuvenating
I - Irène 5 ★ not as good as Alex but maybe because reading Alex first was a bit of a plot killer. After reading this I now have a bunch of other books to read.

[Sally906]

OK - well at the half way mark I'm not doing too badly - here is where I am at - only 4 to go:


B - Body Wave by R.V. Doon - 2★s
I - Imprudence by Gail Carriger - 4★s
R - Playing with Fire by Sharon Robards - Aussie Author
D - Death Wore Brown Shorts by Audrey Claire - 3★s
S - Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - 4★s

G - Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet
R - Frontier Defiant by Leonie Rogers - Aussie Author - 5★s
A - The Art of Keeping Secrets by Rachael Johns - Aussie Author
S - Bound by Vanda Symon
S - September by Rosamunde Pilcher - 3★s

[Niamh]

Finished my 6th, meaning that I have finished the challenge I initially set myself at the start of September! The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness, which I give 4★

Now to see if I can do another word for this challenge in the next 40 days or so :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Sally906 wrote: "OK - well at the half way mark I'm not doing too badly - here is where I am at - only 4 to go:


B - Body Wave by R.V. Doon - 2★s
I - Imprudence by ..."

You're doing well Sally!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Niamh wrote: "Finished my 6th, meaning that I have finished the challenge I initially set myself at the start of September! The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness, which I ..."

Congrats Niamh! Good job :) Don't pick too big a word will you...exams and all ;)

[Niamh]

Brenda wrote: "Niamh wrote: "Finished my 6th, meaning that I have finished the challenge I initially set myself at the start of September! The Rest of Us Just Live Here by [author:Patrick Ness|370..."

I haven't Brenda, it's another 6-letter word - FLOWER

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Good luck and happy reading!

[Nicola]

another one down...
BLOSSOMING
B - The Blood of The Fifth Knight / E.M. Powell
L - The Lincoln Myth
O - One Little White Lie / Loretta Hill
S - The Secret Chord / Geraldine Brooks
S - The Skeleton Road / Val McDermid
O - The October List / Jeffery Deaver
M - The Book Thief / Markus Zusak
I - The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime / Miles Harvey
N - Napoleon's Last Island / Thomas Keneally
G - The Girl on the Train / Paula Hawkins

I also have 150 pages left of the Book Thief which I am really struggling with... Will try to finish it over the weekend....

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Really? I loved The Book Thief Nicola! A shame you're not enjoying it as much...

[PattyMacDotComma]

The second R of my spring word, FRAGRANT is Aussie author Nicole Alexander's Aussie outback novel River Run.

SO nice to read a story of a family of graziers (shortly after WW2) written by someone who knows what she's talking about and speaks the language.

It's a HOT January in 1951 with shearing, romance, intrigue, guns, and lots of food, which is a necessary part of rural life. It's hard work!

My review: 4 ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Heather]

Finished my 8th of Rejuvenating

N - The Secrets in Silence by Nicole Trope 4★

[Dree]

Finished my 5th - White Noise - not very impressed! Next is Narrow road... hope that fares better



N - ✔ The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster 3★
E - ✔ The Executioner's Song - Norman Mailer 3.5★
W - ✔ White Noise by Don DeLillo 1.5★

B - The Bees by Laline Paull

O - ✔ The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien 4★
R - ✔ The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 3.5★

N - The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (AA)

[Stef]

P of SPRING CLEANING Pieces of Ease and Grace by Aussies (in fact by Adelaideans and I have met two of them)

I gave it 4 stars and a very biased review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Now I only have to do E, I, N and G. which makes the whole thing begin to look manageable ;)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Dree wrote: "Finished my 5th - White Noise - not very impressed! Next is Narrow road... hope that fares better



N - ✔ The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster 3★
E - ✔ [book:The Execut..."

Good luck with that one Dree!