Annual A-Z Authors Challenge 2020

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

You're welcome - I did wonder though ;)

[PattyMacDotComma]

Thank goodness for an X in his name! This is the third book in the much-loved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.
Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith, and it was just as enjoyable as I expected.
4★ My review of 'Morality'

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Well done Patty. I hadn't considered that x. I will remember it for the future though!

[PattyMacDotComma]

Phrynne wrote: "Well done Patty. I hadn't considered that x. I will remember it for the future though!"

He SAVED me, Phrynne!

[PattyMacDotComma]

H is for Hammer, Chris Hammer. Doesn't that sound like a book title? I enjoyed his second book, Silver another good Aussie mystery, set this time in a fictional town in my neck of the woods (or coast).
4★ Link to my 'Silver' review

[Nicola]

Two more reads done...
A- Obsidio / Amie Kaufman AA 5*
V- The Three Miss Allens / Victoria Purman 3*

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Nicola wrote: "Two more reads done...

Happy you five starred Obsidio:)

[Nicola]

Phrynne wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Two more reads done...

Happy you five starred Obsidio:)"

Loved the entire Trilogy! Only problem I found was lack of sleep as they were so hard to put down.. :)

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Nicola wrote: "Phrynne wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Two more reads done...

Happy you five starred Obsidio:)"

Loved the entire Trilogy! Only problem I found was lack of sleep as they were so hard to pu..."

I can identify with that:)

[Kim]

Finished my 13th of this Challenge with 'E':

Blast from the Past by Ben Elton

Rated 4* (9/10) - my review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Amanda]

I've completed this challenge

Annual A-Z Author Challenge
Duration: 1/1/20 - 31/12/20
26/26

A - Alyson Rudd - The First Time Lauren Pailing Died - 4*- 07/02/2020
B - Deborah Burrows - Ambulance Girls - AA - 4* - 14/01/2020
C - Julie Cotter - Portraits Destroyed: Power, Ego and the History's Vandals - AA - 3.5* - 04/01/2020
D - Daniel James Brown - The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride - 3.5* - 29/02/2020
E - Peter Everett - Corrupt Bodies: Death and Dirty Dealing in a London Morgue - 4* - 22/01/2020
F - Francine Toon - Pine - 3.5* - 04/03/2020
G - Emily Gunnis - The Lost Child - 18/01/2020 - 4.5*
H - Andrew Hutchinson - One - 3.5* - 01/03/2020
I - Isabel Allende - A Long Petal of the Sea - 4.5* - 04/02/2020
J - John Simons - Obaysch: A Hippopotamus in Victorian London - AA - 4* - 07/01/2020
K - Kitty Aldridge - A Trick I Learned from Dead Men - 17/01/2020 - 2.5*
L - Melissa Lucashenko - Too Much Lip - AA - 3.5* - 01/03/2020
M - Claire McGlasson - The Rapture - 4* - 30/01/2020
N - Alix Nathan - The Warlow Experiment 4* - 11/01/2020
O - Ryan O'Neill - Their Brilliant Careers: The Fantastic Lives of Sixteen Extraordinary Australian Writers - 3* - AA - 04/01/2020
P - Laura Purcell - Bone China - 3.5* - 11/02/2020
Q - Anthony Quinn - Eureka - 4* - 07/01/2020
R - Hallie Rubenhold - The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper - 4.5* - 17/03/2020
S - Sandi Toksvig - Between the Stops: The View of My Life from the Top of the Number 12 Bus - 05/04/2020 - 3.5* -
T - Trent Dalton - Boy Swallows Universe - AA - 4* - 21/02/2020
U - Emma Jane Unsworth - Adults - 2.5* - 19/03/2020
V - Vanessa McCausland - The Lost Summers of Driftwood - AA - 3.5* - 28/01/2020
W - Pip Williams - The Dictionary of Lost Words - AA - 4* - 18/05/2020
X - Peter Fox - Walking Towards Thunder: The true story of a whistleblowing cop who took on corruption and the Church - AA - 4.5* - 17/06/2020
Y - Greg Pyers - The Unfortunate Victim - AA - 4* - 18/01/2020
Z - Elizabeth Strout - Olive, Again - 3* - 28/03/2020

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Well done Amanda!!!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Congrats Amanda!!

[Nicola]

my Tenth for the challenge
E- The Yellow House / Emily O'Grady 3*

[Deb]

I finished the classic science fiction by Journey to the Center of the Earth

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

Crawling infinitesimally toward the end of the challenge.

[PattyMacDotComma]

S for a favourite author Sulari Gentill and another romp with Rowland and his mates in 1930s London. High society, politics, and Nazis - what a mix in Gentlemen Formerly Dressed. Loved it!
5★ Link to my 'Gentlemen' review

[Kim]

just finished my 14th of this Challenge so keeping a steady pace!

Would heartily recommend this one for anyone looking for something a bit different in setting - 1920s Mississippi paddle-steamers! - and some wonderfully lyrical writing.

The Missing by Tim Gautreaux

Rated it 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jackmeister]

Finished S and T

S - John Sandford with Bad Blood ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

T - L.H. Thomson with Quinn Goes West ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Deb]

Finished my 'S' with by Randolph Stow

I think this amazing Australian literature novel may be the best book I have read all year. It beats the hell out of many better known 'classics' that everyone has heard of.

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

[PattyMacDotComma]

O is for Olivia Hawker and One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow: A Novel. Historical fiction based on a true story. This is 1876 on the harsh American plains country of Northern Wyoming.
2.5★ LInk to my Blackbird review

[Nicola]

11th book read...
P- The Frozen Circle / Peter Watt 4*

[Kim]

Finished my latest read of this Challenge - 15 completed now:

P - Patrick Gale - The Facts of Life

My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Clare]

I also finished my P book - 17 read

P Burn by Patrick Ness Read 17/7. 5★

Fun Fact: Patrick Ness's 2nd book The Ask and the Answer was dedicated to Patrick Gale.

[PattyMacDotComma]

U John Updike. I just finished Rabbit, Run, the first book in what became a four-part series about a guy I didn't like at all. But the last two books won Pulitzer Prizes, so you know the writing was excellent!
4★ Link to my Rabbit Run review

[Kim]

Finished my 16th of this Challenge with the excellent crime novel:-

Kill the Father by Sandrone Dazieri

My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Deb]

I have two more for this challenge that I hope to complete in July, both Australian authors too:

My 'R' by Heather Rose

and by Ion L. Idriess

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Going well Deborah!!!

[Jazzy]

Finished!

Annual A-Z Author Challenge
Duration: 1/1/20 - 31/12/20

26/26

✅ A: Dante Alighieri - Inferno (1320)

✅ B: Enid Bagnold - The Chalk Garden (1956)

✅ C: Anton Chekhov - The Lady With the Little Dog and Other Stories, 1896-1904

✅ D: Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Notes from the Underground (1864)

✅ E: George Essex Evans - The Secret Key, and Other Verses (1906) AA

✅ F: Miles Franklin - My Brilliant Career (1901) AA

✅ G: Dan Greenburg - How to Be a Jewish Mother (1964)

✅ H: Frank Herbert - Dune (1965)

✅ I: Henrik Ibsen - A Doll's House (1879)

✅ J: Shirley Jackson - The Lottery (1948)

✅ K: Rudyard Kipling - Captains Courageous (1896)

✅ L: H.P. Lovecraft - The Beast in the Cave (1918)

✅ M: Theodor Mommsen - The History of Rome, Vol 1 (1854)

✅ N: Vladimir Nabokov - Spring in Fialta (1959)

✅ O: Kenzaburō Ōe - A Personal Matter (1964)

✅ P: Sully Prudhomme - Les Vaines Tendresses (1875)

✅ Q: Raymond Queneau - Exercises in Style (1947)

✅ R: Christina Rossetti - Goblin Market and Other Poems (1862)

✅ S: Nevil Shute - Trustee from the Toolroom (1960) AA

✅ T: Ethel Turner - The Family at Misrule (1895) AA

✅ U: Sigrid Undset - Jenny (1911)

✅ V: Paul von Heyse - The Dead Lake and Other Tales (Translated by Mary Wilson) (1870)

✅ W: Oscar Wilde - The Happy Prince (1888)

✅ X: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - The Little Prince (1943)

✅ Y: W.B. Yeats - Poems Selected by Seamus Heaney

✅ Z: Yevgeny Zamyatin - We (1921)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Jazzy!

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Great work Jazzy:)

[Alex]

Annual A-Z Author Challenge
Duration: 1/1/20 - 31/12/20
26/26

Excelling this year - and discovered a few gems / previously unknown to me authors in the process.

A Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch 27/1 4★
B Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley 20/2 4★
C The Cold Summer by Gianrico Carofiglio 19/1 5★
D The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan AA 22/1 4★
E The Villa in Italy by Elizabeth Edmondson 16/2 4★
F Under Occupation by Alan Furst 1/1 3.5★
G The Build Up by Phillip Gwynne AA 22/4 4★
H The Drop by Mick Herron 20/2 5★
I In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin 13/2 5★
J The Katharina Code: The Cold Case Quartet, Book 1 by Jørn Lier Horst 1/3 4★
K The One from the Other by Philip Kerr 6/1 3★
L Falling in Love by Donna Leon 2/4 4★
M The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty AA 7/1 4★
N Revenge by Nigel May 13/4 3★
O The Blood Strand by Chris Ould 25/5 4★
P Prussian Blue by Philip Kerr 17/4 4.5★
Q The Night Agent by Matthew Quirk 11/7 4★
R One to Watch by AA Rachel Amphlett 14/7 3★
S A Few Right Thinking Men by Sulari Gentill AA 24/3 3★
T Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler 23/2 4★
U From Cape Town with Love by Blair Underwood 6/8 4★
V Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic AA 11/2 3★
W True West by David Whish-Wilson AA 3/1 5★
X Wolf Pack by C.J. Box 21/4 3.5★
Y Red Strike: A Strike Back Novel (4) by Chris Ryan 5/3 3.5★
Z Dial P For Poison by Zara Keane 9/5 4★

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Well done Alex:)

[Alex]

Phrynne wrote: "Well done Alex:)"

Thanks. Enjoyed the journey.

[Alex]

Jazzy wrote: "Finished!

Annual A-Z Author Challenge
Duration: 1/1/20 - 31/12/20

26/26

✅ A: Dante Alighieri - Inferno (1320)

✅ B: Enid Bagnold - [book:The Chalk ..."

The photos were a nice touch. Never thought of it. Well done.

[Jazzy]

Many thanks Brenda, Phrynne, and Alex!! ❤️☺️

Yes Alex, I always put in the authors for author challenges

And Well done to you too! x

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Alex!!

[Alex]

Brenda wrote: "Well done Alex!!"

Thanks. Same to you. Will have to start planning for next year now.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Yes we will - scary how fast it's coming!

[Nicola]

My 14th finished
K - Half Moon Lake / Kirsten Alexander 4*

[🌸Teresa🌸]

Author Challenge Completed :)

Annual A-Z Author Challenge
Duration: 1/1/20 - 31/12/20
26/26 Read
17/17 AA

A - Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood Read 8/3/20 3.5*
B - My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite Read 20/2/20 3*
C - Silver by Chris Hammer AA Read 5/3/20 4*
D - Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton AA Read 11/4/20 5*
E - The Shanghai Wife by Emma Harcourt AA Read 4/1/20 4.5*
F - Redemption Point by Candice Fox AA Read 25/1/20 5*
G - Wideacre by Philippa Gregory Read 8/1/20 5*
H - A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Read 14/3/20 5*
I - The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan by Lisa Ireland AA Read 16/7/20 3*
J - The Inn by James Patterson Read 15/2/20
K - Burial Rites by Hannah Kent AA Read 13/4/20 4.5*
L - Whisper by Lynette Noni Read 10/1/20 5*
M - Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris AA Read 20/3/20 5*
N - One Day by David Nicholls Read 19/2/20 4*
O - The Yellow House by Emily O'Grady AA Read 1/5/20 4*
P - The Dutch House by Ann Patchett Read 26/4/20 4*
Q - The Huntress by Kate QuinnRead 27/8/20 5*
R - Try Hard: Tales from the Life of a Needy Overachiever by Em Rusciano AA Read 12/4/20 3*
S - The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion AA Read 5/2/20 3*
T - The Hating Game by Sally Thorne AA Read 17/1/20 3*
U - The Secrets Mothers Keep Jacquie Underdown Read 20/7/20 5*
V - South to Barcelona: A New Life in Spain by Vernon Lacey Read 15/2/20 4*
W - The Nowhere Child by Christian White AA Read 18/1/20 5*
X - Riptides by Kirsten Alexander AA Read 17/4/20 4*
Y - The Last Paradise by Di Morrissey AA Read 24/2/20 3*
Z - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak AA Read 19/1/20 5*

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Teresa!!

[🌸Teresa🌸]

Thanks Brenda, it's nice feeling getting to finish some of these annual tasks :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

It certainly is!

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Great work Teresa

[Nicola]

15th completed
X – Capricornia / Xavier Herbert 4*

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Getting there Nicola :)

[PattyMacDotComma]

D I just read The Wonder by Emma Donoghue, It's a wonder what strange things people believed in old Ireland. (Not that we're any wiser today.)
3★ Link to my review of "The Wonder"

[Deb]

I have used Australian Malcolm Knox for my X, I do feel a bit like it is cheating, but I just could not find one beginning with X , though that might change

4*

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

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Not cheating but I know what you mean. I always try for that x at the start.

[Lorraine]

ALL FINISHED!!!!
I’ve had a blast, thanks for the invite 🙃

Annual A-Z Author Challenge
Duration: 1/1/20 - 31/12/20
26/26

A - Flawed by Cecelia Ahern ✅
B - The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza ✅
C - The Hollow Ones by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro ✅
D - Keystone by Dannika Dark ✅
E - Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep ✅
F - In Pieces by Sally Field ✅
G - Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman ✅
H - Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris AA ✅
I - Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews ✅
J - Haunted In Death by J.D. Robb ✅
K - Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman ✅
L - Her Mother's Grave by Lisa Regan ✅
M - Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham AA ✅
N - Eyes to See by Joseph Nassise ✅
O - Deadly Sacrifice by Stella Oni ✅
P - 19th Christmas by James Patterson and Candice Fox AA ✅
Q - Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong ✅
R - The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly AA ✅
S - The Owl Always Hunts At Night by Samuel Bjørk ✅
T - Bad Debts by Peter Temple AA ✅
U - The Whispering Hollows by Lisa Unger ✅
V - The Last Temptation by Val McDermid ✅
W - The Nowhere Child by Christian White AA ✅
X - The Inn by Candice Fox AA ✅
Y - Reunion by Frank Tayell ✅
Z - We Should All Be Feminists Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ✅

✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅