**Summer Reading Challenge**

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Just finished my 2nd one of the challenge, No 10, 'Safe Haven' by Nicholas Sparks. Very light, entertaining, yet gripping in places. Going to start No. 6 (from my TBR list, a new release from Nov this year), 'Indulgence in Death' JD Robb..can't wait for this one!!

[Mandapanda]

Emily wrote: "Still haven't picked an Oprah one. I'll pick it later."

Emily if you don't care for Oprah's books just try to find one with an O in the title! That should improve your chances.:)

[[deleted user]]

I haven't picked one for the No.4 'Summer' yet. I am thinking of cheating and choosing a book I want to read for summer. :P

[[deleted user]]

I needed to stop being reminded of cricket each time I came in to Aussie Readers. :)

[Neko]

My Summer book arrived today :D It'll be my next book to read.

Gail- That's not a bad cheat I think ;)

[Cheryl]

4 - The Greengage Summer. Odd, didn't care for it much. But it was on Mt. TBR and now it's not, so I'm glad.

7 - The House of the Scorpion. Intense YA with an sf concept. Well-written, thoughtful (and also off Mt. TBR. :)

10 - The Dewey Decimal System of Love. Cute. Not overly clichéd or fluffy. A friend recently passed it on to me, so thanks to this challenge it didn't make it to Mt. TBR.

[Emma]

Ok finished my first book, Tuscan Rose.

Now to start Breaking Dawn. Am so dreading it but soon it will be over.

[Neko]

Just finished Everyone Worth Knowing again..second read through. Yeah, not as good as I first remembered but still better than Devil Wears Prada but then again I read DWP after I read EWK.

Still pondering over my review for eat,pray,love..hmm

[[deleted user]]

Have done my #2 A Canterbury Crime and (cute cosy kind of mystery with historical elements) #8 Holiday Grind (very Christmas-y - if you're a Northern Hemisphere dweller anyway - snow and cold and all of that). Now listening to my #6 Rolling Thunder: A John Ceepak Mystery and my next print book will be for the #1 category Lethal Factor

This is a good challenge for getting through my TBR :)

[Emily]

I've decided to give up on picking and Oprah book and am just putting Frankenstein in that category. Have to read it for school anyway. This will ensure it does get read.
Once I started looking for books with 'O's in the title, I could find nothing!!

[Deb]

I'm a bit late starting - just starting my first - Red Dog.

Funny, my "grand-pup" (stepson's pup) found the book first and ran round the house with it giving it back only after some serious chewing.

Will try to post a photo if I can work out how. She only chewed around the edges, so it almost looks like a marketing gimmick LOL.

[Emily]

Yay I finished one.
6. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead.
I stayed up until the early hours of the morning with this. SO amazing. Just how I wanted it to end.

[Janelle]

I've read 4 out of 10 so far, 2 of them were by Melina Marchetta & both got 5 stars!

[[deleted user]]

Yeah, she is going to have nothing left to read over Christmas at this rate.



I'm just jealous.

[Janelle]

I'm just getting ahead before school holidays start, then I will have 2 cherubs to fit reading around.

[[deleted user]]

Ahhhhh, my kids are old enough to know, that when I have time off I need 'me' time. I am so looking forward to the couple of weeks off I'm having over Christmas.

[Janelle]

Gail "cyborg" wrote: "Ahhhhh, my kids are old enough to know, that when I have time off I need 'me' time. I am so looking forward to the couple of weeks off I'm having over Christmas."

I hope you enjoy your holiday reading time.
My Hubby and I have a Boxing Day tradition, he watches the cricket, the kids play with their Christmas presents and I read a whole book - last year it was The Girl in Times Square. Hopefully Santa has a new book for me this year...

[Deb]

Janelle's tradition sounds like the perfect way to spend boxing day relaxing after the big day. Janelle, have you given Santa any hints on what you fancy settling down to read this year?

I've just finished number 1 book on my list for the challenge Red Dog - Louis Bernieres. It was a very quick read, but a lovely collection of stories about a real dog who lived his life as an independent agent in WA, travelling around by hitching rides and choosing who to spend his time with. I'm going to move on to The Mary Smokes Boys - Patrick holland now. It seems like cheating to tick off challenge 1 with a short book like Red Dog (and I admit I've been looking forward to reading Mary Smokes Boys for a while).

[Jacinta]

Hello everyone, I thought I would give this challenge a go. I have picked ten books out but I suspect that by the time summer has finished I may only get five marked off as read. I have enjoyed the concept of actively picking out some titles based on some criteria and its an opportunity to try something different.

Now my books are ...

1. Celebrate Australia! A Fortunate Life Really I should have read this years ago.


2. Lighten the load! A book from my TBR list. Dragonfly in Amber I don't quite know why I am persisting with this series, maybe my subconscious is looking for some fluff.

3. Choose a book that’s been made into (or referenced in) a movie, TV series or play. The Kite Runner I haven't seen the movie so the book won't be spoiled.

4. Choose a book with a word related to Summer in the title. Monsoon Well since I live in the Tropics this is what describes our summer.

5. Pick a book from one of the following two Oprah Book Lists: Parrot and Olivier in America This was a compromise - I didn't think much of Oprah's list and so I went with the Australian author.

6. Choose a new release book from 2010 or 2011 to read. Check out the new ’New Releases Feature‘ from Goodreads for ideas. The Distant Hours. This one struck me as interesting.

7. Lock up your kids and choose a YA novel to read or a book that features some teenage characters. Lists with YA books. The Hunger Games .
This one caught my eye sometime during the year and I have been looking for an excuse to read it since.

8. Ho Ho Ho! Santa’s on his way… . The Christmas Chronicles: The Legend of Santa Claus. Santa - remember when you are coming to the Tropics that you should wear your cotton suit!!

9. Have you checked out the excellent Literature Map Website? George R R Martin is my current favourite author and I noticed on the map a lot of other "almost fave's" clustered around his name but I settled for someone new Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana.

10. It’s Valentine’s Day in February! Choose a book with a touch of Romance. Voyager . However if I find I can't stomach this this after Dragonfly in Amber then I reserve the right to find something else :)

Thanks for starting this, I will enjoy looking at what everyone else is reading too.

[Emily]

Just started my second book, Shall We Dance by Maggie Alderson.
So far it's alright. Not great but not horrible either.

[Maggie]

On to book 4. It will be Harlan Coben "Hold Tight". Just finished "City of Bones" and loved it, 5 stars from me.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Maggie wrote: "On to book 4. It will be Harlan Coben "Hold Tight". Just finished "City of Bones" and loved it, 5 stars from me."

Loved 'Hold Tight'..:)

[Neko]

Ooo yaaay! All my books arrived from BD yesterday. Heehe, I love gettign packages on Sunday..Great to see the AusPost ramping it up! Now what to read *feels bamboozled*

[[deleted user]]

Laura when in doubt, just close your eyes and do a random selection. :)

[[deleted user]]

Jacinta wrote: "Hello everyone, I thought I would give this challenge a go. I have picked ten books out but I suspect that by the time summer has finished I may only get five marked off as read. I have enjoyed t..."

Great selection Jacinta. I have to confess I read and enjoyed the Outlander series. Sometimes you need some fluff.

[Dee-Ann]

finished my first book on my list Eleven which was for challenge number 6, new release book due to the number of people having babies. The irony of this book is that after reading it, I would probably not recommend this book to people with a newborn, especially those who are going to get a friend to babysit!!! The book cover suggested that this book would be funny ... it was not funny at all, but it was till a good story.

[Maggie]

Brenda wrote: "Maggie wrote: "On to book 4. It will be Harlan Coben "Hold Tight". Just finished "City of Bones" and loved it, 5 stars from me."

Loved 'Hold Tight'..:)"

Mmmm.....not the best. Quick read, kept my attention, but his writing style is fairly ordinary. Good for a bit of amusement though, and there's nothing wrong with that. Good for a night when you cant sleep, or when it's pouring outside, or too too hot to do anything much.

[Kim Marie]

Finishing the first book from my list The Emperor's Childrenhas been a trial. Perhaps my level of tolerance for navel gazing is low but I found the self absorbed characters boring and I can only hope that a brilliant cast of actors is chosen to make the movie a success.

[Neko]

Weee...I spent a good majority of the day finishing my 4th book :)

I read:
1.Nanny Piggins and the Runaway Lion

By R.A. Spratt

Now, to close my eyes and pick my 5th book!

[Luke]

Great idea. Here's mine:

1. Australian – Line of Sight
FINISHED - I'd like to quickly recommend this one, since the author is one of my lecturers. Very cool crime/based-on-a-true-story novel, set in sleepy old Perth.
2. To Read – We Have Always Lived in the Castle
3. Book into Movie – The Stand
4. Summer – The Beach
5. Oprah – As I Lay Dying
6. New Release – Full Dark, No Stars
7. YA – Treasure Island
8. Christmas – The Ice Storm
9. Lit Map – Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture
10. Romance – Pride and Prejudice

[Mandapanda]

Ljuke wrote: "Great idea. Here's mine:

1. Australian – Line of Sight
FINISHED - I'd like to quickly recommend this one, since the author is one of my lecturers. Very cool crime/based-on-a-true-s..."

Line of Sight looks really good Ljuke. I've put it in the group bookshelf. You should let the suthor know about goodreads. It's a good place for them to do some networking and maybe increase sales.:)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Have finished my 3rd book of the challenge..'Indulgence in Death' JD Robb..(No. 6). Thoroughly enjoyed it, as I do all of the 'in death' series.
Started 'To Kill a Mockingbird' from my TBR list, enjoying it so far.

[Neko]

I'm starting to read Yakuza Moon for my 5th book and I am really enjoying it. Not a big book either so I expect I'll finish it quicker than I'd like.

[Justine]

1. Celebrate Australia! Choose one book from our Aussie Readers group bookshelf from your preferred genre shelf)

2. Lighten the load! We’ve all been complaining about it. Those mountainous TBR shelves! Choose one book from your TBR list.

3. Choose a book that’s been made into (or referenced in) a movie, TV series or play. Find suggestions in these Goodreads Listopia lists or here in this list of recent and upcoming movies from books.

4. Choose a book with a word related to Summer in the title (e.g. Summer, heat, beach, holidays etc., I‘m sure you can think of many examples)
4.Death by bikini.

5. Oprah’s visiting Australia in December. Pick a book from one of the following two Oprah Book Lists: Complete List of Oprah‘s Book Club Books or ‘O’ Magazine’s Summer Reading List 2010 (20 books). Can't stand Oprah's taste in Books? Then just choose a book with a title starting with the letter 'O'.

6. A few of our group members have just had a baby or are due any second! To help them celebrate choose a new release book from 2010 or 2011 to read. Check out the new ’New Releases Feature‘ from Goodreads for ideas.

7. Uh Oh!! It’s Schoolies week!!!! Lock up your kids and choose a YA novel to read or a book that features some teenage characters. Lists with YA books.


8. Ho Ho Ho! Santa’s on his way… Choose a book that has a Christmas/Winter theme or reference to Christmas/Winter/Cold/Ice/Snow in the Title, story or cover. Find some suggestions here.

9. Have you checked out the excellent Literature Map Website? Type in the name of a favourite author, choose the author closest to him/her and select one of their books to read.

10. It’s Valentine’s Day in February! Choose a book with a touch of Romance. You'll be sure to find one you like from these Goodreads Listopia lists. But feel free to interpret 'Romance' however you want. Could be romance, bromance, love of family or friends, love of a cause, country or even God. As long as it's a significant theme in the story it's OK.:)

[Chloe]

1. Celebrate Australia! - Breath by Tim Winton
2. Lighten the Load! - The Aweful Posibilities
3. Choose a book that's been made into a movie, TV series or play. - Let the right one in
4. Title related to Summer - At Swim, Two Boys
5. Oprah's List - Freedom
6. New Release! TBA
7. Schoolie's Week! TBA
8. Ho Ho Ho! - TBA
9. Literature Map - TBA
10. Valentine's Day - TBA

Will update with rest of choices on weekend!

[Chloe]

1. Celebrate Australia! - Breath by Tim Winton
2. Lighten the Load! - The Aweful Posibilities
3. Choose a book that's been made into a movie, TV series or play. - Let the right one in
4. Title related to Summer - At Swim, Two Boys
5. Oprah's List - Freedom
6. New Release! TBA
7. Schoolie's Week! TBA
8. Ho Ho Ho! - TBA
9. Literature Map - TBA
10. Valentine's Day - TBA

Will update with rest of choices on weekend!

[Chloe]

1. Celebrate Australia! - Breath by Tim Winton
2. Lighten the Load! - The Aweful Posibilities
3. Choose a book that's been made into a movie, TV series or play. - Let the right one in
4. Title related to Summer - At Swim, Two Boys
5. Oprah's List - Freedom
6. New Release! TBA
7. Schoolie's Week! TBA
8. Ho Ho Ho! - TBA
9. Literature Map - TBA
10. Valentine's Day - TBA

Will update with rest of choices on weekend!

[Emily]

Haha. Funny Carmel.
Just finished my second book (im so behind everyone else!). Shall We Dance by Maggie Alderton.
It was slow at the start but I enjoyed it at the end. I did guess the ending around halfway through but that didn't make it any less enjoyable.

[[deleted user]]

You aren't behind by that much, I still haven't finished my first book yet. Fortunately there aren't any prizes for the most books read or the person who finishes their list first. Or I don't think there is.

[Neko]

I'll take the wooden spoon please, mine is all burnt!

I have to make myself read otherwise I'll keep putting off and then Feb will be here already..lol I'm aiming to have atleast 8 of the books read.

[Jacinta]

I am flying to Sydney tomorrow from Cairns (and back on Sunday after rockin' it out with Bon Jovi) so I am trying an Audible Book for the first time to while away the inflight hours. I am going to listen to The Hunger Gamesand while I still feel that listening to a book is cheating a bit I am looking forward to the new experience.

Have a great weekend everyone

Jacinta

[Cheryl]

Finished three more. I Saw Esau: The Schoolchild's Pocket Book wasn't as good as I hoped. To Kill a Mockingbird was quite different on re-read, but then the first time I read it was decades ago, for school. The Wanderer was better than I hoped - but that's my bad because I've enjoyed everything else I've read by Sharon Creech so I should have known this would be good, too.

[[deleted user]]

Shoot, I have almost finished my first book and some of you are almost finished the challenge.

::need to come up with a 'cunning plan' to distract the forerunners::

[Amber]

I've only read two books on my list, I gotten sidetracked reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward, lucky for me I got until February to finish this challenge. :)

[Neko]

This book is so enjoyable! I'm just reading it slowly otherwise I'll read it all in a day :(

[[deleted user]]

I think I spend too much time chatting in here rather than reading. :P

[Neko]

*Bans Gail from posting here* Shhoooo and go read! :P Hehehehe

[[deleted user]]

Ohhhh, but, but, Laura...

[Mish]

Amber wrote: "I've only read two books on my list, I gotten sidetracked reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward, lucky for me I got until February to finish this challenge. :)"

Amber, the BDB series are wonderful…very dark, sexy novels. I’ve read them all so far, waiting patiently for her next one in the series ‘Love Unleashed’.

Have you just started the series Amber?

[Amber]

Michelle wrote: "Amber wrote: "I've only read two books on my list, I gotten sidetracked reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward, lucky for me I got until February to finish this challenge. :)"

..."

Michelle, I've not long started Lover Eternal. I'm glad I've just started reading them as now I won't have such a long wait for Lover Unleashed. :) they've definitely gotten me hooked :)