Aussie Readers discussion
Archive Annual Challenges
>
Annual Aussie Authors Challenge 1/1/18 - 31/12/18
message 751:
by
Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen
(new)
Sep 20, 2018 11:19PM
Mod
reply
|
flag
My second Genre Sci/Fan in my second challenge2.
Dark is the Moon / Ian Irvineonly 2 to go to finish...
Was happily updating my Round 2 of the challenge which is just over half-way done, when I discovered my Round 1 challenge was short 1 male author! (I really struggle with the male authors for some reason)Can now happily say it has been rectified with the reading of
James Bradley latest addition to his Change trilogy - The Buried Ark
Now that's out of the way back on to round two :)
Nicola wrote: "My second Genre Sci/Fan in my second challenge2.
Dark is the Moon / Ian Irvineonly 2 to go to finish..."
Did you like it.. that series has been sitting on my shelf staring at me for a very long time but I'm trying not to start a new fantasy series til I knock over Wheel of Time
Mod
How annoying Shelly! Glad you discovered it in time :) And just quietly - I read far more female authors than male as well :)
I just read The Timeless Land by Eleanor Dark, which is now a classic of well-researched Australian historical fiction about the First Fleet, the soldiers, the convicts, and the local Indigenous people. 
4.5★ Link to my review
Okay, I'm tackling the guys now.. as that's where I have trouble finding good books.However, surprisingly I have knocked off two 5 star reads - but VERY different books I can tell you!
✔️Hangman by Jack Heath 5★REVIEW
✔️Fatherhood: Stories about being a dad by William McInnes 5★REVIEW
A 2018 release:Duelling Facebook groups! Not quite the “duelling banjos” of “Deliverance”, but women can get pretty nasty. Choose your weapons in
Those Other Women by Aussie Nicola Moriarty (yes, sister of Liane).
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Have now only got 4 to go, having completed my fifth of six from the Female Authors category, and 20/24 overall. :)Time Will Tell by Fiona McCallum Completed 20/09 - 4 stars. Another solid read by Fiona - not my favourite from her - but still a great read and follow up to Emily's journey. :)
Mod
Finished :)Level One
12/12
Male Authors
1. Australia's Most Murderous Prison: Behind the Walls of Goulburn Jail by James Phelps 4★
2. Trapped by Marcus Lee 2.5★
3. Timesplash by Graham Storrs 3.5★
Female Authors
1. At Home With the Templetons by Monica McInerney 3.5★
2. Crimson Lake by Candice Fox 5★
3. Evergreen Falls by Kimberley Freeman 3.5★
2018 New Releases
1. Bloodtree River by Sarah Barrie 5★
2. Redemption Point by Candice Fox 5★
3. Assassins Hunted by Rachel Amphlett 4★
Favourite Genre - Rural Romance
1. Outback Dreams by Rachael Johns 5★
2. Poppy's Dilemma by Karly Lane 4.5★
3. The House on Burra Burra Lane by Jennie Jones 3.5★
Mod
Three more to go after historical fiction The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I wasn't kidding about The Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly being my most anticipated new release of the year - this has been on my list since January! So excited to finally mark it off!
Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
FINISHED! Happy and relieved to have completed this challenge.Annual Aussie Author Challenge 2018
Level Two, i.e. 2 sets, 24 books
Progress: 24/24
Male Authors
✔ 1. City of Crows by Chris Womersley 4★s
✔ 2. First Person by Richard Flanagan 4★s
✔ 3. Certain Admissions: A Beach, a Body and a Lifetime of Secrets by Gideon Haigh 3★s
✔ 4. The Unbroken Line by Alex Hammond 2.5★s
✔ 5. Ash Island by Barry Maitland 4★s
✔ 6. The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith 5★s
Female Authors
✔ 1. Force of Nature by Jane Harper 4★s
✔ 2. At Home With the Templetons by Monica McInerney 4.5★s
✔ 3. The Lone Child by Anna George 5★s
✔ 4. Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett 5★s
✔ 5. The Household Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide 5★s
✔ 6. The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood 5★s
2018 New Releases
✔ 1. Child of Mine by Janita Cunnington (pub: 29/01/18) 3.5★s
✔ 2. Lovesome by Sally Seltmann (pub: 24/04/18) 3.5★s
✔ 3. The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan (pub: 01/03/18) 3★s
✔ 4. Little Gods by Jenny Ackland (pub: 01/04/18) 2★s
✔ 5. Bluebottle by Belinda Castles (pub: 01/03/2018) 4.5★s
✔ 6. 2028 by Ken Saunders (pub: 29/08/18) 4.5★s
Favourite Genre (Historical fiction)
✔ 1. Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks 5★s
✔ 2. The Unmourned by Meg Keneally and Thomas Keneally 5★s
✔ 3.Beyond the Orchard by Anna Romer 3★s
✔ 4. The Naturalist's Daughter by Tea Cooper 3.5★s
✔ 5. Coal Creek by Alex Miller 4.5★s
✔ 6. Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood 4★s
Mod
Brenda wrote: "Well done Mary! Great job :)"Thanks Brenda.
Phrynne wrote: "Great work Mary!"Thanks Phrynne. It was nice to finish the challenge with a book featuring your namesake, Phryne Fisher. I love those books, and also the TV series.
I'm calling this challenge done! Thanks mods, it was a good one. Lots of good books and lots of new authors for me to look out for!
Male Authors 9/9
✔ 1 African Sky by Tony Park 4★
✔ 2 Nevernight by Jay Kristoff 5★
✔ 3 The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong 4★
✔ 4 August Falling by Les Zig 4★
✔ 5 Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton 5★
✔ 6 Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty 4★
✔ 7. Little Lost Girl by Graham Wilson 3.5★
✔ 8. Scrublands by Chris Hammer 5★
✔ 9 The Other Wife by Michael Robotham 5★
Female Authors 9/9
✔ 1 The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend 5★
✔ 2 The Girl in Kellers Way by Megan Goldin 4★
✔ 3 Stars Across the Ocean by Kimberley Freeman 3.5★
✔ 4 Beyond Fear by Jaye Ford 4.5★
✔ 5 Sixty Seconds by Jesse Blackadder 4★
✔ 6 Cooper Bartholomew Is Dead by Rebecca James 4★
✔ 7 Demon Dei by L.J. Hayward 4★
✔ 8 An Accidental Murderer by Chris Taylor 3★
✔ 9. We See the Stars by Kate van Hooft 4★
New Release 9/9
✔ 1 The Secrets at Ocean's Edge by Kali Napier 4★
✔ 2 Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff 5★
✔ 3 Book of Colours by Robyn Cadwallader 5★
✔ 4 The Portrait of Molly Dean by Katherine Kovacic 4★
✔ 5 The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris 4.5★
✔ 6 The Rules of Backyard Croquet by Sunni Overend 3★
✔ 7 The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan 5★
✔ 8 Four Respectable Ladies Seek Part-time Husband by Barbara Toner 3.5★
✔ 9 Beneath the Mother Tree by D.M. Cameron 5★
Favourite Genre - Crime/Mystery 9/9
✔ 1 Present Darkness by Malla Nunn 5★
✔ 2 Marlborough Man by Alan Carter 4★
✔ 3 White Gold by Rachel Amphlett 3★
✔ 4 Under the Cold Bright Lights by Garry Disher 4★
✔ 5 The Ones You Trust by Caroline Overington 4★
✔ 6 Into the Night by Sarah Bailey 4★
✔ 7 The Accident on the A35 by Graeme Macrae Burnet 4★
✔ 8 Fatal Mistake by Karen M. Davis 4★
✔ 9 Redemption Point by Candice Fox 5★
Mod
Mod
Only 2 more to go! I am so impressed with the quality of the Aussie debuts I've read lately. The Nowhere Child by Christian White is another good read. What would you do if you were told you're really somebody else? 
4.5★ Link to my review
One more to go! This one was a favourite genre, historical fiction. By golly, I'm glad I didn't live in old Ireland, but a lot of my ancestors did. The Good People were anything but good fairies in Hannah Kent's excellent novel.
4★ Link to my review
Finished my first annual challenge for the year with a book published this year:Whitsunday Dawn by Annie Seaton 5*
A wonderful story in Annie Seaton's trademark eco-romance genre. It was lovely to meet her last week in an author talk at a local library.
Mod
Yippee! Last one done! (2018 book)
Caroline Overington is an award-winning investigative journalist, so I knew I'd enjoy her story of a celebrity's missing toddler. The Ones You Trust reveals the ins and outs of publicity vs police.
4★Link to my review
Mod
Brenda wrote: "Well done Patty!":)
OMG.. it's been a while (life got in the way) but I have achieved a major milestone - well it was for me anyway!This book has been my nemesis for a decade.
Someone did the unthinkable and made it our latest book club book.
But I've done it.. I've finally finished it and ticked it off the list!
SHANTARAM!
Sorry, but I don't ever want to see you and your 1000+ pages again!
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Now to get on with the TBR list I am incredibly behind on!
Mod
Shelly wrote: "OMG.. it's been a while (life got in the way) but I have achieved a major milestone - well it was for me anyway!This book has been my nemesis for a decade.
Someone did the unthinkable and made i..."
Well done!!
I don't think I ever formally registered for this challenge, but as the year progressed I realised I had books for every category. My reading has now slowed down as the end of the year starts to loom so I am going to call time. Managed the following:Male authors:
Marlborough Man - Alan Carter Marlborough Man
***Foe - J M Coetzee Foe
**1/2Truth - Peter Temple Truth
*****Red Earth - Tony Park Red Earth
****Selection Day - Aravind Adiga Selection Day
****Lunch with the Stationmaster - Derek Hansen Lunch With The Stationmaster
****Female Authors:
The Museum of Words - Georgia Blain The Museum of Words: a memoir of language, writing, and mortality
***The Choke - Sophie Laguna The Choke
**1/2The Dark Lake - Sarah Bailey The Dark Lake
*****Rain Birds - Harriet McKnight Rain Birds
**1/2Storyland - Catherine McKinnon Storyland
**White Gold - Rachael Amphlett White Gold
****New in 2018:
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart - Holly Ringland The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
***The Ruin - Dervla McTiernan The Ruin
****The Shepherds Hut - Time Winton The Shepherd's Hut
Captive - Tony Park Captive
*****The Shanghai Wife - Emma Harcourt The Shanghai Wife
***Scrublands - Chris Hammer Scrublands
*****Favourite Genre: Lots of favourites so I settled on stories based on real people/events/ or family history
Deception - Michael Meehan Deception
****The Fabulous Flying Mrs Miller - Carol Baxter The Fabulous Flying Mrs Miller
****Miss Muriel Matters - Robin Wainwright Miss Muriel Matters: The Australian Actress Who Became One of London's Most Famous Suffragists
***The Year of Living Dangerously - Christopher Koch The Year of Living Dangerously
*****The Ship that never was - Adam Courtney The Ship that Never Was: The Greatest Escape Story Of Australian Colonial History
*****A letter from Paris - Louisa Deasey A Letter from Paris: a true story of hidden art, lost romance, and family reclaimed
****
Mod
I've been reading things other than my annual challenge list for a while (including several great Aussie authors), but have just finished reading Shipwrecks: Australia's Greatest Maritime Disasters by Evan McHugh, which I have substituted for Swallowed by the Sea: The Story of Australia's Shipwrecks as I found that one more difficult to obtain. I hope that's OK.McHugh's book was a great introduction to some of the most memorable of our shipwrecks. It included excerpts from ship's logs, sailor's journals, news and court reports of the time, as well as a lively description and analysis by the author. Also some interesting illustrations. I found it very readable and it really gave me a feel for our coastline and its dangers.
After this only two to go. I've finally started reading Patrick White's A Fringe of Leaves and then on to Joan London's Gilgamesh. I promised myself I would finally read a Patrick White novel this year! I have a month to go.
Mod
Trish L wrote: "I don't think I ever formally registered for this challenge, but as the year progressed I realised I had books for every category. My reading has now slowed down as the end of the year starts to lo..."I enjoyed Adam Courtenay's The Ship That Never Was too. A rollicking truly-life adventure.
I've been very slack about updating my challenge in the thread here throughout the year, although I have been reading. So much so, that I upgraded to level 3 and then to a non-existent level 4 which I'm just over 2 books from finishing.My current read is The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton and that will finish off my favourite genre (historical fiction) group, just 2 male authors to go (unless I swap the two men from my favourite genre into the male author group and read another couple of historical fiction...). Although I think I'm almost a bit HF-ed out - if next year's challenge includes an element of favourite genre, I think my favourite genre has changed to crime/mystery!! I'm loving The Clockmaker's Daughter, though.
My list has certainly changed from the beginning of the year!
Male authors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Possibly another Matthew Reilly...
12. Possibly a Michael Robotham...
Female authors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
New releases
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Favourite genre - Historical fiction
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12. The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton
Finished my last book - The Path of the Lost by Beau Kondos which was from my favourite genre, Fantasy.
Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And my COMPLETED Challenge:
Level One
12/12
Male Authors
1.
2.
3.
Female Authors
1.
2.
3.
2018 New Releases
1.
2.
3.
Favourite Genre - Fantasy
1.
2.
3.
Mod
Doing exceptionally well Kathryn!!
Mod
Here's my revie..."
Congratulations Krystal!
Brenda wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "I've been very slack about updating my challenge in the thread here throughout the year, although I have been reading. So much so, that I upgraded to level 3 and then to a non-exist..."Thanks, Brenda!
9 down, 3 to go:-Male Authors
1. His Father's Son by Tony Black - FINISHED - 4* (8.5/10)
2. Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas
3. Eyrie by Tim Winton - FINISHED - 4* (8.5/10)
Female Authors
1. The Boy Under the Table by Nicole Trope
2. Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears - FINISHED - 4* (9/10)
3. The Game You Played by Anni Taylor - FINISHED - 4* (9/10)
2018 New Releases
1. Force of Nature by Jane Harper - FINISHED 5* (10/10)
2. A Long Way From Home by Peter Carey - FINISHED 3* (7/10)
3. The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth - FINISHED 4* (8.5/10)
Favourite Genre - Crime Thrillers
1. The Broken Shore by Peter Temple - FINISHED - 4* (9/10)
2. Gunshot Road by Adrian Hyland
3. Fatal Liaison by Vicki Tyley - FINISHED - 4* (9/10)
Some great reads in this selection - it's been good fun!
Mod
This has turned into a great source of inspiration for finding books you haven't read by Australian authors!
Only one book to go in this one. Updated my original post with the extra entries, as I ended up doing a double.Didn't think I was going to get all the 2018 publications, but thanks to Dec group read, I should get there!
PS - I know the Mods are always looking for new interesting ways to challenge us, but this was such a good one, I wouldn't mind if you repeated it in 2019!
Mod
Might have to be 2020 Kerri - 2019 are chosen already :) So glad it was popular with most though!
Recently finished my 10th & 11th out of 12 for this Challenge:-Gunshot Road by Adrian Hyland
The Boy Under the Table by Nicole Trope
Both great reads - my reviews are here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Aussie Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
A Fringe of Leaves (other topics)Gilgamesh: A Novel (other topics)
The Dry (other topics)
Taboo (other topics)
A Fringe of Leaves (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Michelle Scott Tucker (other topics)Evan McHugh (other topics)
Joan London (other topics)
Jane Harper (other topics)
Kim Scott (other topics)
More...
