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Annual Challenge 2021 - Read Around Australia


Is a very impressive novel and a penguin award winner of some kind. I thought the characterisation and the richness of the descriptive storytelling were great, I loved it's Perth setting.
I did not love the narration or the ending so much, but it was a really good novel in general.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

AUSSIE AUTHORS ONLY
Duration: 1st January - 31st December 2021
Level: Book Worm
24/24
VIC
WA
TAS
NSW
NT
ACT
QLD
SA

Elsewhere Girls by Emily Gale & Nova Weetman - it's aimed for young readers (10+) but it's a charming book about 2 girls who time travel and swap lives. One lives in contemporary times, the other is Fanny Durack - the famous Australian swimmer.
The Question of Love by Hugh Mackay - I have no idea why I reserved this at the library. It's not like I needed any more books set in NSW, but I am glad I did. It was a really interesting look at the vagaries of marriage.

I used it for a book set in QLD but a significant portion is set in NSW, so it's suitable for both states.


Ash Mountain Was kind of an accident, I have no idea why, in hindsight, but I was sure it was set in the ACT when I picked it up.
This is a fun challenge, for all my complaints ;)


It was heaps of fun!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


It was heaps of fun!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"
I also enjoyed this book. It was definitely a fun read.



Aussie Readers Annual Challenge 2021 - Read Around Australia - Australian Authors
Duration: 1st January - 31st December 2021
Level: Book Lover, i.e. 12 books, maximum of 2 per state/territory
Progress: 12/12
✔ 1. ACT: Six Minutes by Petronella McGovern 2.5★s
✔ 2. NSW: Dancing on Knives by Kate Forsyth 2.5★s
✔ 3. NSW: The Murrumbidgee Kid by Peter Yeldham 4★s
✔ 4. NT: The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club by Sophie Green 4★s
✔ 5. QLD: Three Parts Truth by Helen Goltz 4★s
✔ 6. QLD: Stone Sky Gold Mountain by Mirandi Riwoe 4★s
✔ 7. TAS: The Survivors by Jane Harper 4.5★s
✔ 8. TAS: The Bluffs by Kyle Perry 4.5★s
✔ 9. VIC: Colours of Gold by Kaye Dobbie 4★s
✔ 10. VIC: Currawalli Street by Christopher Morgan 4.5★s
✔ 11. WA: Honeybee by Craig Silvey 4.5★s
✔ 12. WA: The Woman Next Door by Liz Byrski 4.5★s













This brings me to 17/36 books read. Nearly at the halfway point.

Tassie Done


W. A. Done


Vic done


S.A.


Annual Challenge 2021 - Read Around Australia
AUSSIE AUTHORS ONLY
Duration: 1st January - 31st December 2021
Level:
12/12
1. NSW -
2. NSW -
3. VIC -
4. VIC -
5. SA -
6. TAS -
7. TAS -
8. NT -
9. ACT -
10. QLD -
11. QLD -
12. WA -














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


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"
I didn't realise until I started this challenge how skewed my reading is towards books set in NSW and VIC. It's not deliberate on my part. I have no idea why books set in NSW & VIC cross my path more than books set in other states.

I wonder if its because there are more books published that are set in Vic & NSW? It's a bit like reading books set in Aust and by Aust authors. I have to actively seek out Aust books, because the publishing industry produces more US & UK books. And why this group is so good 🙂
Em__Jay wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Oh dear! One more for Victoria, while ACT is languishing...
by Katherine Kovacic
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"
Ditto Em! And ACT is the hardest state to find!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"
Ditto Em! And ACT is the hardest state to find!


https://www.goodreads.com/rev..."
ACT is tricky. Maybe non-fiction is the best direction to explore as there is a lot of history happening there?


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"
I hear you! It has been a really interesting challenge for figuring out a state by state reading bias.


https://www.go..."
Maybe. I actually read several really good books set in the ACT in the last couple of years, like Six Minutes so I have a shortened list to start with.

Yes I know! And I totally get where you are coming from...
Brenda wrote: "Em__Jay wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Oh dear! One more for Victoria, while ACT is languishing...

https://www.goodreads.com/rev..."
ACT is tricky. Maybe non-fiction is the best direction to explore as there is a lot of history happening there?


Oh Deborah excellent suggestion, thank you! This one has been on my to-read list for ages. I will grab a copy of it from the library.
For those people who might still be looking for a WA book to read, I've just added GOLD! by Thomas Greenbank to our WA list.

I recently finished Chasing the McCubbin, by Sandi Scaunich. I loved that, and posted a review with five stars. That takes care of Victoria.
I'm currently reading The Last Free Man by Lewis Woolston. It's a collection of short stories set in WA, SA and NT. I'm enjoying it so far.
The Last Free Man and Other Stories
Chasing the McCubbin
Welcome Thomas, you're linked :) You can only use one book per state, so although The Last Free Man and Other Stories is set in 3 different states, you must decide which one to use it for.

Yeah, I guess I'll make that my NT book. I have Kal, by Judy Nunn on hold at my local library. That will be my WA read.
Cheers. Thomas.
PS: Thanks for adding GOLD! to the mix, by the way.

I just read The Beach Caves and it was mostly set in NSW but with a few significant parts set in Canberra. Would be great to count it for ACT!
That's okay Meg - I had one the same and used it for ACT. Seeing as there aren't zillions of ACT ones around like NSW!!

Great. Good to tick a hard one off by accident!


WA Fremantle That Was My home: voices from the Noongar camps in Fremantle and the western suburbs by Denise Cook Read 12/8. 5★ Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Both my WA books are non fiction history and I'm loving finding out about Perth's history, which we don't learn in school.
When I finish my Tassie book I hope to level up. Like everyone else, I have extra NSW & Vic
I have finally finished with my 3rd ACT one!
Annual Challenge 2021 - Read Around Australia
AUSSIE AUTHORS ONLY
Duration: 1st January - 31st December 2021
Level: Book Connoisseur
62/36+
Western Australia
a)Vengeance Blind by Anna Willett 5★s 31/1/21
b)PEST by Anna Willett 5★s 21/5/21
c)Dear Neighbour by Anna Willett 5★s 22/6/21
d)Retribution Ridge by Anna Willett 4★s 6/3/21
e)Something to Hide by Fleur McDonald 5★s 1/4/21
South Australia
a)The Wattle Seed Inn by Leonie Kelsall 5★s 2/7/21
b)The Missing Girl by Kerry McGinnis 5★s 3/7/21
c)Cabernet and Confessions by Daisy Linh 4★s 4/1/21
d)No Good Deed by Diane Hester 5★s 4/6/21
e)The Jam Queens by Josephine Moon 5★s 14/4/21
f)Claret and Clippers by Daisy Linh 4★s 13/7/21
g)Mark Of Guilt by Diane Hester 5★s 1/8/21
Victoria
a)The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions: The ultimate Miss Phryne Fisher collection by Kerry Greenwood 4★s 2/4/21
b)Stealing Time by Rebecca Bowyer 4★s 15/3/21
c)Magpie's Bend by Maya Linnell 5★s 25/5/21
d)Sargasso by Kathy George 4★s 27/1/21
e)Sunflower by Ingrid Laguna 5★s 8/2/21
f)How to Endo by Bridget Hustwaite 5★s 21/2/21
g)The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth 5★s 27/2/21
h)As Swallows Fly by L.P. McMahon 5★s 28/2/21
i)A Child of My Own by Vanessa Carnevale 5★s 2/3/21
j)A Winning Betrayal by Louise Guy 4★s 12/3/21
k)A Nanny Called Alice by Barbara Hannay 5★s 1/4/21
l)The Long Game by Simon Rowell 5★s 29/7/21
Tasmania
a)A Week to Remember by Esther Campion 5★s 15/2/21
b)The Monster of Her Age by Danielle Binks 2.5★s 24/7/21
c)The Long Con by Barry Weston 3.5★s 30/3/21
d)The Big Rort by Barry Weston 3.5★s 28/5/21
e)The Better Son by Katherine Johnson 5★s 22/3/21
f)The Last of the Apple Blossom by Mary-Lou Stephens 5★s 26/7/21
Northern Territory
a)Beyond Alice by Tanya Heaslip 5★s 2/5/21
b)Hidden Valley by Annie Seaton 5★s 5/4/21
c)Still by Matt Nable 4★s 18/5/21
Queensland
a)The Beekeeper's Secret by Josephine Moon 5★s 15/1/21
b)Emma by Fiona McArthur 4.5★s 2/2/21
c)The Emporium of Imagination by Tabitha Bird 5★s 24/3/21
d)Mia by Fiona McArthur 4★s 6/1/21
e)The Life She Creates by Maggie Christensen 5★s 12/1/21
f)The Codebreakers by Alli Sinclair 5★s 25/2/21
g)The Life She Regrets by Maggie Christensen 5★s 16/3/21
h)Time Will Tell by Rhonda Forrest 5★s 3/4/21
i)The Perfect Family by Jacquie Underdown 5★s 17/5/21
New South Wales
a)All We Dream by Pamela Cook 5★s 9/1/21
b)Crackenback by Lee Christine 5★s 24/1/21
c)Snowy Mountains Daughter by Alissa Callen 5★s 20/1/21
d)Dark Justice by Catherine Lee 5★s 21/6/21
e)Elizabeth & Elizabeth by Sue Williams 4★s 11/1/21
f)The Truth & Addy Loest by Kim Kelly 4★s 19/1/21
g)Starting from Scratch by Penelope Janu 5★s 2/1/21
h)Shelter by Catherine Jinks 3★s 1/1/21
i)The Reach by B. Michael Radburn 5★s 18/1/21
k)The Second Son by Loraine Peck 4★s 25/1/21
l)In the Heat of the Night by Susanne Bellamy 4★s 7/2/21
m)And Then There Were 9 by C.A. Larmer 5★s 18/2/21
n)Bring Him Home by Nicole Trope 5★s 27/3/21
o)From Where I Fell by Susan Johnson 2★s 31/3/21
p)Sisters of Freedom by Mary-Anne O'Connor 5★s 6/4/21
q)Lovebirds by Amanda Hampson 5★s 5/5/21
r)The Vet from Snowy River by Stella Quinn 5★s 3/6/21
Australian Capital Territory
a)Hanged Man in the Garden by Marion Halligan 2★s 20/8/21
b)The Life She Dreams by Maggie Christensen 5★s 14/7/21
c)Dead Letters by Michael Brissenden 4★s 28/6/21
Annual Challenge 2021 - Read Around Australia
AUSSIE AUTHORS ONLY
Duration: 1st January - 31st December 2021
Level: Book Connoisseur
62/36+
Western Australia
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e)
South Australia
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b)
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Victoria
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Tasmania
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f)
Northern Territory
a)
b)
c)
Queensland
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d)
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New South Wales
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b)
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Australian Capital Territory
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I've now added Arcadia, by Di Morrissey, to my read list. I didn't enjoy it all that much. A bit too sweet for me and it made me feel like I was attending an ecology lecture. I did post a review(three stars)
Currently reading Boy Swallows Universe. It took several pages to grab me but I'm really into it now. Trent Dalton is a great writer with a very unique voice. It's definitely not one for the faint-hearted!
Thomas wrote: "Thomas wrote: "I came into this thread a bit late, but I'll see what I can do to catch up. Being an author first and foremost my biggest challenge is finding time to read as much as I'd like. I alw..."
Thomas, to link your books, click on 'add book/author' in the top right hand corner and follow the prompts. It makes it easier for us to click on your link and check out the book :) Thanks!
Thomas, to link your books, click on 'add book/author' in the top right hand corner and follow the prompts. It makes it easier for us to click on your link and check out the book :) Thanks!
Books mentioned in this topic
Home to the Outback (other topics)Force of Nature (other topics)
Wild Place (other topics)
The Dry (other topics)
The Younger Wife (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Christian White (other topics)Louise Guy (other topics)
Sally Hepworth (other topics)
Nicole Flockton (other topics)
Mirandi Riwoe (other topics)
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A great book! So glad I came across this author. Problem is, now I want more of the same instead of moving on to another state....
review; https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...