A Special Extra Challenge (running for 6 months) - 1st April - 30 September 2020

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Trish wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Well done Trish!!! Lots of words and some great reads!"

Thank you Brenda, tried to remain positive in my word choice and really hope everyone has managed to stay safe, healthy and a..."

Positive is great as it sure is testing times!!

[Cherie]

Finished today - that was a good extra challenge :)

Spell-it-Out 6 monthly Challenge
Level: Medium
9/9

W - Wimmera by Mark Brandi AA 3 stars
A - Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman AA 4 stars
S - Star-Crossed by Minnie DarkeAA 3 stars
H - Hater by David Moody 3.5 stars

H - The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert 4 stars
A - All Aliens Like Burgers by Ruth Wheeler 3 stars
N - The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab 3.5 stars
D - The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman 3 stars
S - Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly 3 stars

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Cherie!

[Kylie H]

And on the day we in regional Victoria have some restrictions lifted, I complete this challenge! Thanks for the welcome distraction that this extra challenge has given me ☺

Spell-it-Out 6 monthly Challenge
Level: Medium
9/9

W - Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend 4★ AA
A - The Alchemist's Secret by Scott Mariani 4★
S - Silver by Chris Hammer 4★ AA
H - The Heiress of Linn Hagh by Karen Charlton 4★

H - He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly 3★
A - American Assassin by Vince Flynn 4★
N - The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza 4★
D - The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey 4★ AA
S - The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle by Sophie Green 4★ AA

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Kylie!!! I hope things continue to improve for you guys :)

[Kylie H]

Brenda wrote: "Well done Kylie!!! I hope things continue to improve for you guys :)"

Thanks Brenda, I am very grateful to be in regional Victoria as Melbourne are doing it a lot harder than us.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Yes regional Victoria is better off. We have family in Melbourne who are climbing the walls - along with everyone else! And we have family in rural Victoria who aren't much better, trying to work things out!! It's pretty traumatic for everyone I think...

[Jackmeister]

Challenge completed! 🥳
Finished last book, the last E of DISEASE.

E - Endgame by Daniel Cole ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Jackie!

[PattyMacDotComma]

E HEALTH UPDATES (one more to go!)

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"

[Mari]

Always good to finish a challenge. Thanks Brenda for organising this to help us through these strange times.

Spell-it-Out 6 monthly Challenge
Level: Medium
9/9
Completed - 14th September.

🧼 W - Weather by Jenny Offill 16/08 ★★★★
🧼 A - All That is Lost Between Us by Sara Foster *AA* 05/09 ★★★☆
🧼 S - Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie 13/05 ★★★
🧼 H - The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow 05/06 ★★★★★

🧼 H -Hidden Depths by Ann Cleeves 12/04 ★★★★
🧼 A - The Sisters' Song by Louise Allan *AA* 14/09 ★★★★★
🧼 N - The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant by Kayte Nunn *AA* 15/08 ★★★★
🧼 D - Death and the Harlot by Georgina Clarke 11/06 ★★★★☆
🧼 S - The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott 01/05 ★★★★★

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Great job Mari!!

[Sarah]

Two more words completed during the weekend's readathon - not far to go now!
Progress: 78/84 AA: 21/23

V: Still Life by Val McDermid (30/8) 4.5*
A: An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks (20/8) 4*
C: Conviction by Denise Mina (4/5) 5*
C: Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris AA (30/5) 5*
I: In the Cold Dark Ground by Stuart MacBride (13/9) 4.5*
N: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (27/5) 4*
E: The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths (22/7) 4*


P: Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a Home by Danielle Postel-Vinay (31/5) 4*
A: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (21/4) 4.5*
N: Knife by Jo Nesbø (31/8) 5*
I: Inspired by Murder by Audrey J. Cole (10/9) 2*
C: The Calling of the Grave by Simon Beckett (3/7) 4.5*

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Going exceptionally well Sarah!

[Sarah]

Brenda wrote: "Going exceptionally well Sarah!"

Thanks Brenda - only two I's left!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Sarah wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Going exceptionally well Sarah!"

Thanks Brenda - only two I's left!"

I'm going to check your books and see if I can match myself to some of your "I"s ;)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Not the 2 star one though!!!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

I've finally finished :)

Spell-it-Out 6 monthly Challenge
Level: Hard
69/69

W What You've Done by J.A. Schneider 5★s 13/4/20
A Amethyst Pledge by Leonie Rogers 5★s 10/4/20 AA
S When He Finds You by Sadie Ryan 3.5★s 21/4/20
H A Horse Called Trouble by C.K. Volnek 5★s 26/4/20

H Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior 4★s 2/4/20
A Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver 5★s 7/4/20
N Constable On The Hill by Nicholas Rhea 4★s 3/4/20
D Damage Done by Susan Wilkins 4★s 18/4/20
S See You In September by Charity Norman 4★s 11/5/20



U The Secrets Mothers Keep by Jacquie Underdown 4★s 15/5/20 AA
P A Silent Death by Peter May 5★s 9/4/20
D The French Wife by Diney Costeloe 5★s 5/5/20
A When Grace Went Away by Meredith Appleyard 5★s 16/5/20 AA
T Torched by Kimberley Starr 4★s 19/5/20 AA
E Elsa Goody, Bushranger by Darry Fraser 5★s 14/5/20 AA
S Something to Talk About by Rachael Johns 4★s 17/4/20 AA



T The House on Boundary Street by Tea Cooper 4★s 23/6/20
H Brave Girl, Quiet Girl: A Novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde 5★s 18/5/20
R Red Dirt Country by Fleur McDonald 5★s 3/4/20 AA
E Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer 5★s 1/4/20
A The Forces' Sweethearts by Rosie Archer 5★s 20/4/20
T To Kill a Mocking Girl by Harper Kincaid 5★s 6/5/20



S The Sunken Road by Garry Disher 4★s 5/4/20 AA
A The Safe Place by Anna Downes 3★s 21/6/20 AA
F Find Her Alive by Lisa Regan 5★s 11/4/20
E Killer Takes All by Erica Spindler 5★s 19/4/20
T Mercy Street by Tess Evans 5★s 22/4/20 AA
Y Colombiano by Rusty Young 5★s 25/4/20 AA



H Her Last Words by Kim Kelly 5★s 3/7/20 AA
E Beware the Past by Joy Ellis 5★s 17/6/20
A An Alice Girl by Tanya Heaslip 5★s 12/5/20 AA
L Lockdown by Peter May 5★s 14/6/20
T Turn to Dust by Rachel Amphlett 5★s 8/7/20 AA
H Better Luck Next Time by Kate Hilton 3★s 29/6/20



N The Silk House by Kayte Nunn 5★s 21/6/20 AA
O The Chocolate Magic Café by Olivia Swift 5★s 6/7/20
N The McCalister Legacy by Nicole Hurley-Moore 4.5★s 7/8/20

E A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison 4★s 5/6/20
S The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan by Lisa Ireland 4.5★s 2/6/20 AA
S The Satapur Moonstone by Sujata Massey 4★s 15/6/20
E The Hidden Hand of Death by Lawrence J. Epstein 4★s 18/5/20
N Helix: Episode 7 by Nathan M. Farrugia 5★s 1/7/20 AA
T The Cake Maker’s Wish by Josephine Moon 5★s 10/6/20 AA
I Into the Darkest Day by Kate Hewitt 5★s 9/5/20
A The Goldminer's Sister by Alison Stuart 5★s 6/7/20 AA
L Prey by L.A. Larkin 5★s 10/5/20



T The Life She Finds by Maggie Christensen 5★s 5/6/20 AA
R When She Was Good by Michael Robotham 5★s 21/7/20 AA
A Worth the Wait by Annie Seaton 4★s 17/5/20 AA
N Nineteen Days by Kath Engebretson 5★s 6/8/20
S Deadman's Track by Sarah Barrie 5★s 5/7/20 AA
M A Murder at Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey 4★s 21/5/20
I Golden Poppies by Laila Ibrahim 5★s 16/7/20
S Stars Over the Southern Ocean by J.H. Fletcher 5★s 13/6/20 AA
S Breakfast at Bronzefield by Sophie Campbell 3★s 17/6/20
I Blueblood by Matthew Iden 4★s 20/5/20
O Out of the Silence: After the Crash by Eduardo Strauch Urioste 4★s 6/6/20
N Draekora by Lynette Noni 5★s 31/5/20 AA



U Unwelcome Guests by Anna Willett 5★s 11/7/20 AA
N The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland 5★s 23/7/20 AA
C Finding Eadie by Caroline Beecham 5★s 2/7/20 AA
E Escape to the Art Cafe by Sue McDonagh 5★s 7/7/20
R Deviations From Paradise by Roy T. Humphreys 5★s 9/7/20 AA
T The Tuscan Contessa by Dinah Jefferies 5★s 20/7/20
A Safe by Jane A. Adams 5★s 30/6/20
I Songbird by Ingrid Laguna 5★s 24/7/20
N Graevale by Lynette Noni 5★s 17/8/20 AA
T Texas Outlaw by James Patterson 5★s 17/7/20
Y On Borrowed Crime: A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery by Kate Young 3.5★s 16/9/20

[Kim]

Finished my 5th of this Challenge:-

Foetal Attraction by Kathy Lette

Rated it 3* (7/10) - my review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Fantastic work Brenda!!!!!!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Thanks Phrynne :)

[TheMadHatter]

Finished today (First day of holidays :-)).

W What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (3.5 Stars)
A Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (3.5 Stars)
S The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (3 Stars)
H The Hating Game by Sally Thorne AA
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (5 Stars)

H Haze by Paula Weston AA
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (4 Stars)
AThe Angels' Share by J.R. Ward
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (3.5 Stars)
N The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (4 Stars)
D Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (4 Stars)
S Sweet Soul by Tillie Cole
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (3 Stars)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done MH!

[Jane]

Finished the K of OUTBREAK with:

Killing Season by Faye Kellerman 4*

That's me finished - 7 words and 57 books. Thanks for this extra challenge moderators!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Great job Jane!!!

[Jenny]

Finished

Spell-it-Out 6 monthly Challenge

Level: Hard
16 / 16

S The Secrets That Lie Within by Elisabeth Rose - 5 ★ -- 22/04/2020 --AA
O Once a Family by Tara Taylor Quinn -- 4 ★ -- 17 / 08 / 2020
C Charlotte Pass by Lee Christine -- 5★ - 25/04/2020 -- AA
I Inheritance of Secrets by Sonya Bates -- 4★ -- 13 / 09 / 2020
A The Amethyst Code by Erin Moira O'Hara - 5★ -- 20/04/2020 --AA
L Lawson's Bend by Nicole Hurley-Moore -- AA -- 4★ -- 21 / 03 / 2020

D Darkness for Light by Emma Viskic -- AA -- 5 ★ -- 05/04/2020
I In the Heat of the Night by Susanne Bellamy -- AA -- 4★ -- 31 / 07 / 2020
S Secrets At Wongan Creek by Juanita Kees -- AA -- 5 ★ -- 04/04/2020
T Taming Natasha by Nora Roberts -- 4★ -- 19 / 08 / 2020
A Angel Mage by Garth Nix -- 3★ -- 22 / 08 / 2020
N Nora by Diana Palmer -- 4 ★ -- 13 / 08 / 2020
C The Corpse at the Carnival by Grace York - AA - 5★ - 16/05/2020
I The Infirmary by L.J. Ross -- 5★ -- 15 / 07 / 2020
N No One Home by Tim Weaver -- 4★ -- 13 / 09 / 2020
G The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan -- AA -- 5★ -- 14/06/2020

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Jenny!

[Kim]

Finished this Challenge with:

The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley

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

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Kim!!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Kim wrote: "Finished this Challenge with:

The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley

Rated this one 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodread..."

Your review goes to the book's page too Kim...

[Kim]

Brenda wrote: "Well done Kim!!"

Many thanks Brenda - I've sorted the link to the review as well!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Thanks Kim :)

[PattyMacDotComma]

Finished up with a favourite for my last A from HEALTH UPDATES. Sulari Gentill is a favourite Aussie author, and her A Dangerous Language is a terrific historical fiction set in 1930s Australia, when fascists were in fashion and nobody wants to hear what Rowland Sinclair saw in Nazi Germany.
5★ Link to my Dangerous Language review

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Patty!

[Lee at ReadWriteWish]

Just finished this challenge. With The Women's Pages by Victoria Purman

Enjoyed the book a lot. 4 out of 5 My review here

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Lee!!

[Kahlia]

Done! (Though let's not talk about how often I changed my books in the early months as I tried to navigate library closures and shipping delays on books...). Thanks for an excellent challenge!

T Taking Tom Murray Home by Tim Slee AA ★★★ (14/8)
O Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales AA ★★★★ (1/4)
I It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood AA ★★★ (12/5)
L The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold AA ★★ (19/6)
E Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans AA ★★★★ (17/5)
T Temeraire by Naomi Novik ★★★★ (26/5)

P Please Don't Hug Me by Kay Kerr AA ★★★★ (11/7)
A Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff AA ★★★ (5/5)
P Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee ★★★ (29/8)
E Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee AA ★★★ (28/7)
R Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko ★★★★ (26/7)

W What I Like About You byMarisa Kanter ★★★ (28/4)
A All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ★★ (23/8)
S Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys ★★★ (23/4)
H The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark ★★★★ (6/9)

H The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune ★★★★★ (14/6)
A Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler ★★★★ (25/7)
N The Ninth Sorceress by Bonnie Wynne AA ★★★ (27/9)
D The Daughter of Victory Lights by Kerri Turner AA ★★★★ (20/5)
S Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell ★★★ (21/4)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Great work Kahlia! Even with all the changes :)

[Jacm]

DONE! Finished my last book just in time ;)

Burn by Patrick Ness A solid Dragon loving 3.5 ★ Initial thoughts here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Level: Hard
16/16

W: Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir4★
E: The Merry Devils by Edward Marston3★
L: Just an Ordinary Family by Fiona Lowe AA3★
L: The Lake House by Kate Morton AA 3★
N: Burn by Patrick Ness 3.5★
E: Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout3.5★
S: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas 3★
S: Salt Creek by Lucy Treloar3★



R: A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville AA3★
E: Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas3★
C: Circe by Madeline Miller 2★
O: Becoming by Michelle Obama 3.5 ★
V: The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice5★
E: The Queen's Head by Edward Marston 3★
R: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid 3.5★
Y: Your Own Kind of Girl by Clare Bowditch AA 5★

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Great work Jacm!!

[Odette]

I have recently regained my reading mojo after being in a slump for a while.

For this challenge completed one word 'safety' and managed to read 17/32 books.

S: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday - 4★
A: Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman - 4★ AA
F: The Family Tree by Sheri S. Tepper - 4★
E: Emerald Springs by Fleur McDonald - 3.5★ AA
T: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - 5★
Y: You Don't Know Me by Sara Foster - 4★ AA



S: The Snowdonia Killings by Simon McCleave - 4★
H: Hell to Pay by Rachel Amphlett AA
U: Undara by Annie Seaton - 4.5★ AA
T: A Time to Run by J.M. Peace AA
D: Death in Delft by Graham Brack - 4★
O: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
W: We That Are Left by Lisa Bigelow AA
N: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult - 4★



T: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
R: Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty AA
A: Abandon by Blake Crouch
N: The Nowhere Child by Christian White - 5★ AA
S: Small Mercies by Richard Anderson - 4★ AA
M: Midwife in the Jungle by Fiona McArthur - 3.5★ AA
I: In Silence by Erica Spindler - 4★
S: The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson - 4★
S: The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan - 4★
I: The Insulted and Humiliated by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
O: The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin - 3★
N: The Naturalist by Andrew Mayne

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Sorry to hear Odette, but glad you have it back!! Will you continue with these until you've finished?

[Odette]

Thanks, Brenda. I had too much time! Now that I am back to normal activities, find that I enjoy reading more.
As the challenge is due to finish, perhaps I could transfer some of the unread books to a word that fits in the new 6 monthly challenge.
'Schwellanangst' seems to cover of number of the titles

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

No problem - go for it in the new one :) Glad you're more settled now... it's been a year to forget, hasn't it!

[Odette]

It sure has!

[Valerie]

Thank you for the challenge. I managed 5 of 6 planned.

Spell-it-Out 6 monthly Challenge
Level: Easy
5/6

A Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 3★

C All The Green Year by Don Charlwood AA 4★

T The Lower River by Paul Theroux 3★

I A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah 4★

V La Vie en mieux by Anna Gavalda

E The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich 3★

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Valerie!

[Sarah]

Just reporting back that Part 2 of my challenge is complete, with only one book outstanding from Part 1 - fingers crossed I'll be finished within a week of the deadline! ✌
Progress: 83/84 AA: 21/21

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Congratulations Sarah!

[Sarah]

In all the ups and downs of October, I forgot to report back that I did actually wrap up this challenge, only 8 days late. Looking over my lists, there are some great books that I've really enjoyed over the past six months, and I'm no longer feeling like such a biblio-slacker.

Progress: 84/84 AA: 21/21
PART 1
PART 2