Aussie Readers discussion
Book Related Banter
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Doesn't fit? Book related? Then put it here!
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Alex wrote: "I blame AA Alan Carter. I have read several of the Philip (Cato) Kwong series featuring the WA detective who likes the cryptic crossword. Stuck last week waiting for an appointment and for once wit..."I’ll have to look into these books. My late Mum was very smart and mastered the Sydney Morning Herald cryptic crosswords. She did say she never got David Astle’s clues so it depended very much on who was compiling the puzzle. I admire those who take to these naturally.
Alex wrote: "I blame AA Alan Carter. I have read several of the Philip (Cato) Kwong series featuring the WA detective who likes the cryptic crossword. Stuck last week waiting for an appointment and for once wit..."I have never been able to get my head around cryptic crosswords, my Dad and I refer to them as 'craptic' crosswords!
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Thanks everyone. I suppose it's a case of "when the pupil is ready, the teacher appears". I like to get my head around something new every once in a while. Be warned! They are addictive.
Diana wrote: "Looking for second hand bookshop recommendations- preferably with online catalogue. I’m looking for a book that has had very mixed reviews.
The Missing Sister
It’s on EBay but I r..."
Booko.com.au is great, Diana. I have used it scores of times.. finds you the cheapest online price, used and second hand. It doesn't take into consideration Big W and Target though. Good luck
I’m a fan of the Jane Wheel mysteries by Sharon Fiffer. Jane is a vintage picker and Bakelite collector who solves mysteries. There hasn’t been any recent books but I was chuffed to find Sharon and her husband Steve (also a writer) have set up a project inviting people to write short pieces about an item of significance to them. I’ve gone down a rabbit hole reading these and have also found a number of books to add to my TBR pile. I’m also considering submitting a piece. I’d encourage others to consider submitting too.
Here’s the link for you to enjoy.
https://www.storied-stuff.com/
Looking for advice. Every year I buy my US friend Bonnie a couple of Australian books for her birthday. In the past I’ve sent Honeybee, Boy Swallows Universe, The Women in Black, Swords and Crowns and Rings plus a few others I can’t remember off the top of my head. This year I’m at a loss for ideas. Bonnie’s favourite authors are John Grisham and Jasper Fforde. She also regularly reads Newbery Medal winners which are middle grade fiction. Bonnie does not like Nicholas Sparks, literary fiction or cozies. Anyone got any suggestions?
Diana wrote: "Looking for advice. Every year I buy my US friend Bonnie a couple of Australian books for her birthday. In the past I’ve sent Honeybee, Boy Swallows Universe,..."Diana, have you thought about Garry Disher, Chris Hammer or Sarah Bailey? All super-reliable. I’ve just started reading The Housemate today, and I’m finding it hard to put down!
Diana wrote: "Looking for advice. Every year I buy my US friend Bonnie a couple of Australian books for her birthday. In the past I’ve sent Honeybee, Boy Swallows Universe, ..."How about [author:Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project?
And if you pop over to the Aussie Readers group, you can see a whole bookshelf of stuff.https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...
Oh yesThe Rosie Project and The Housemate sound great. Thanks.ETA- I ordered these two for Bonnie
Horse by Geraldine Brooks Bonnie is a huge horse lover and came and stayed with me so she could go to the Melbourne Cup. She also has another Geraldine Brooks on her Want to Read list.
Foreign Correspondence: A Pen Pal's Journey from Down Under to All Over by Geraldine Brooks This is one I have enjoyed.
Sad to hear Joan Lingard has passed awayI can remember reading her books in the 70's - Kevin and Saide
in Northern Ireland. Left quite an impression.
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Does anyone else really wish that Goodreads incorporated a spell-checker? I swear that my fingers work faster than my brain when I'm "in the zone" writing a review or comment...
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Brenda wrote: "Yes!! And now that I've lost "word" that had auto spell check, I'm the same Sarah!"The changes to MS Office have been an absolute pain, haven't they? We subscribe to Office, so can still access Word, but gosh it's a rigmarole to open a new document compared to how it used to be. I also miss PC-based Outlook - MS Mail isn't a patch on it for organising emails into folders etc.
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Brenda wrote: "They're the same everywhere - my reasoning - why change something that isn't broken! And they make it harder and harder to use (except for the young like my grandson!)"I'm not too old but I am officially at an age where I'm jealous of how easy young people adapt to new technology haha
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I agree entirely - it's very handy having a 12-year-old in the house, who seems to be able to fix everything for me! (occasional eyeroll while doing so...)
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I've always loved reading books with maps, and it has been ages since I have found one. Any suggestions much appreciated! Any genre except horror or romance.
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Brenda wrote: "I often find maps in my books but I couldn't tell you which books now Kerri. I know some James Patterson have maps at the start, but probably only the more recent... Sorry I'm not much help!"No worries, maybe someone else will have some suggestions
Kerri_M wrote: "I've always loved reading books with maps, and it has been ages since I have found one. Any suggestions much appreciated! Any genre except horror or romance."Ah, Listopia!
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A map always gets an extra half star from me. Most recent (with a map) was
(might not be to your taste) and I recall some of Donna Leon's Brunetti series (set in Venice) did. My last read, also set in Venice, could have used one but it was an ebook. I will check with Listopia myself.
Received an email today advising me about forthcoming book sales which also contained some words of wisdom which should provide comfort to us all:-"Thinking you have to read all the unread books on your shelves before buying new ones is like thinking a wine connoisseur should drink everything in their cellar before buying any new bottles. Some books just need a bit of shelf-time before they (and you) are ready.
Books never expire. Owning books that you have not yet read is a perpetual opportunity to read them whenever you want." !!!!!
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Kim wrote: "Received an email today advising me about forthcoming book sales which also contained some words of wisdom which should provide comfort to us all:-"Thinking you have to read all the unread books ..."
Puurfect words 📚📚📚 🤗
Kim wrote: "Received an email today advising me about forthcoming book sales which also contained some words of wisdom which should provide comfort to us all:-"Thinking you have to read all the unread books ..."
Love this!!
Are any other Aussie Readers also participating in the Dymocks 2023 reading challenge? (This year, it's changed format to become a set of seasonal 8-book challenges) If so, you're welcome to join me in the group I've set up - where I'm hanging out with all my friends 😂! (the challenge's primary social interface is facebook).https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Sarah wrote: "Are any other Aussie Readers also participating in the Dymocks 2023 reading challenge? (This year, it's changed format to become a set of seasonal 8-book challenges) If so, you're welcome to join m..."I usually give it a go but I've gone off challenges a bit! Good luck with it :)
Krystal wrote: "I usually give it a go but I've gone off challenges a bit! Good luck with it :)"Thanks Krystal! I'm detecting a bit of challenge-fatigue amongst virtually all the social media groups, to be honest. Popsugar seems to be just one long whinge-fest this year - mostly people not approving of other people's interpretation of prompts or choice of book(s) - (but I like the prompts better than the 2022 ones, so will probably still give it a go!).
I've added new Lists for Winners of the Ned Kelly and ABIA Literary awards - the vast majority are AA Aussie Authors. If anyone has a few minutes to go and vote for a few favourites, it will organise the lists into something approaching popularity order, rather than reverse chronological, which is what they are at the moment! It's fascinating to see which titles have stood the test of time to become classics!ABIA Award Winners
Ned Kelly Award Winners (crime fiction / true crime)
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Sharah wrote: "I voted :-)"Thanks Sharah!
Brenda wrote: "Is it a structured challenge Sarah?"Yes, in past years it's been a list of 26 varied but reasonably general (i.e. easy to fill with books you actually want to read!) prompts, but this year they're mixing it up by setting an 8-book "Summer Reading Challenge", and will presumably follow up with further seasonal challenges as the year rolls on. The prompts are:
1. A Beach Read
2. A motivational book
3. A book with a tropical setting
4. A book with water on the cover
5. An award-winning book (hence my addition of Australian awards lists to Goodreads listopia)
6. A love story
7. A guilty pleasure read
8. A book recommended on #BookTok
So, a fair bit of cross-over with other challenges and a couple of months to do it.
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Sarah wrote: "Krystal wrote: "I usually give it a go but I've gone off challenges a bit! Good luck with it :)"Thanks Krystal! I'm detecting a bit of challenge-fatigue amongst virtually all the social media gro..."
Challenge fatigue is real!
This year I am doing no challenges and reduced my Goodreads one substantially. I’ll read less but hopefully enjoy more.
Diana wrote: "Challenge fatigue is real!This year I am doing no challenges and reduced my Goodreads one substantially. I’ll read less but hopefully enjoy more."
I think that's a very worthy goal, Diana, and very similar to my own for this year. I'm still signing up for the challenges, but am going to opt for "Easy" rather than "Hard" level and not be too concerned about finishing every single annual challenge.
Diana wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Krystal wrote: "I usually give it a go but I've gone off challenges a bit! Good luck with it :)"Thanks Krystal! I'm detecting a bit of challenge-fatigue amongst virtually all the so..."
Yeah my real goal is just to get through all the old books that have been lingering on my TBR too long. But definitely hit challenge fatigue last year and still haven't recovered haha
Could someone please advice the correct thread in this group for finding the title of a recent Australian novel I have forgotten though I can recall many of the details.
Lesley wrote: "Could someone please advice the correct thread in this group for finding the title of a recent Australian novel I have forgotten though I can recall many of the details."Try this one Lesley. Good luck!
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Aussie Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Sisters Under the Rising Sun (other topics)The Tattooist of Auschwitz (other topics)
Sisters Under the Rising Sun (other topics)
Last Survivor (other topics)
Last Survivor (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Heather Morris (other topics)Tea Cooper (other topics)
Alison Stuart (other topics)
Ann Cleeves (other topics)
Sarah Barrie (other topics)
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Uh oh! There are far worse vices, Alex. I’ve been thinking about starting that series, maybe on audio.