Aussie Readers discussion

You're almost done Sharon!!

I've completed the challenge for July I read
3. Miles Franklin Cloudstreet 2 ★
I struggled to finish this. I just found it dull and uninspiring
5a. Real Voices from the Sea 4 ★
This was about survival, achievements and people who made a contribution.
5b. Fake Long Lost 5 ★
8. Literature Map Wendy Corsi Staub - Kiss Her Goodbye - 3 ★
Good plot but I found this to be a bit shallow - it might explain why her YA novels are more popular.
9. Summery cover - Burning Lies 5 ★
10a Romance Love Me to Death 5 ★
Similar to Helene Youngstyle
12. TBR The Deadhouse 4 ★

Heather wrote: "I've completed the challenge for July I read
3. Miles Franklin Cloudstreet 2 ★
I struggled to finish this. I just found it dull and uninspiring
5a. Real ...

Well done Heather! Great job:) Love Me to Death sounds good...I was inspired to check it out by your reference to Helene Young

@Heather I agree with your view of Cloudstreet.

I have finished my twenty-fourth, my second 6. Winter, The Pillars of the Earth, with my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Up next is my second 8. Literature Map, Troubled Waters.

In other news, now that I'm back from Raleigh, it's time to prepare for my next trip on Thursday to Brisbane for a week.

Steve wrote: "I have finished my twenty-fourth, my second 6. Winter, The Pillars of the Earth, with my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Up next is my second 8. Literature Ma..."

Brisbane will be lovely Steve! Not quite so cold as where you currently are;)

Finished my #5. Real for this challenge:
Hannah by Raymond Clarke 3.5★s

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

Next up is 8. Lit Map: Nicole Alexander = Fiona McIntosh The French Promise by Fiona McIntosh

I have finished. My last book The Forever Queen is my literature map. I rated it 3* but it would have been higher if the second half was as interesting as the first half.

I need to take a break from reading for a while because I have a few busy weekends coming up.

Congratulations Kira! Great result:)

Brenda wrote: "Heather wrote: "I've completed the challenge for July I read
3. Miles Franklin Cloudstre[book:Love Is Murderet|343881] 2 ★
I struggled to finish this. I just found it dull and uninspiring
5a. Real ...

Well done..."

If you read Love Me to Death you might want to read Love Is Murder this is the Novella prequel but I only gave it 3 ★ it explains in a crime novel the characters of the series and Lucy's background - just not long enough for a thriller and no romance. Also I could not find this book released locally as an E-book not sure about Amazon - I had to use my overseas account.

Thanks Heather!

Finished my 12th #8 Literature Map: My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson 3.5★

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

Finished my 8th book for the challenge, Miles Franklin winner Careful, He Might Hear You: Text Classics by Sumner Locke Elliott 3★

My updated list.

1. Long Time TBR The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood July 2013

2. Aussie Author N/R Family Secrets by Liz Byrski

3. Miles Franklin Awards Prochownik's Dream by Alex Miller

5a). Non Fiction Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions by Prof.G.W. Bernard

5b). Fiction The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory

6. Winter theme The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

7. Library Book Landscape of Farewell by Alex Miller

8. Literature Map Philippa Gregory to Antonia Fraser and The Wives of Henry VIII

9. Summery cover Gone Fishing by Susan Duncan

10. Naughty a) The First Deadly Sin by Lawrence Sanders

10. Nice b) The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

11. Long suffering TBR Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield added in Sept 13

12. Long suffering TBR 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

Looking good Bette!

I finished my choice for 5(b) fiction Currawalli Street. I enjoyed this book, thought it had great potential,and the writing was beautiful,but it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

And now I've realised that there is only one month to go and I am not halfway yet! Panic stations.

Valerie wrote: "I finished my choice for 5(b) fiction Currawalli Street. I enjoyed this book, thought it had great potential,and the writing was beautiful,but it didn't quite hit the mark for me.
..."

Head down Valerie;)

I finished my YA read yesterday - Inkspell by Cornelia Funke. It's not as good as the first in the series - Inkheart (isn't it often the way?), but it finishes rather up in the air so I'll probably end up reading the third, Inkdeath, sometime to (hopefully) answer all the unanswered questions...

Meanwhile, I now have 6 books remaining for this challenge, so I'll have to get moving if I want to finish by the end of August!

Kathryn wrote: "I finished my YA read yesterday - Inkspell by Cornelia Funke. It's not as good as the first in the series - Inkheart (isn't it often the way?), but it fini..."

Good luck Kathryn:) You can do it!!

I 'm thinking I might need to double up my tbrs with the August challenge if I'm going to finish. I picked two rather big books and still have the non fiction to read (always a slower read for me).

Good luck to you too Carolyn....

Now I'm curious - how many books have you all got left to read in this challenge? One month - 4 weeks - 31 days!

Brenda wrote: "Now I'm curious - how many books have you all got left to read in this challenge? One month - 4 weeks - 31 days!"

I need to average a book every 5 days - I don't like it put that way!! One of my books is over 500 pages. I wonder if I can juggle my list around at all to cut a book out...

Kathryn wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Now I'm curious - how many books have you all got left to read in this challenge? One month - 4 weeks - 31 days!"

I need to average a book every 5 days - I don't like it put that wa..."

I'd say you need to swap to one with less pages Kathryn:)

Yes - that was my thinking!! I also wondered if any of the books I read in June and July that I wasn't already using for this challenge could take the place of any I haven't yet read, but couldn't make that work. I could have replaced the TBR I still have to finish with one of them, but I'm halfway through my choice for that any way - and I've picked a book with 200 less pages than my original 500+ choice for my 10b "Nice" read!! Hopefully that will help!

Kathryn wrote: "Yes - that was my thinking!! I also wondered if any of the books I read in June and July that I wasn't already using for this challenge could take the place of any I haven't yet read, but couldn't ..."

What about the TBR you're reading now, could you slot it in somewhere else and then use a June or July for the TBR?

Brenda wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Yes - that was my thinking!! I also wondered if any of the books I read in June and July that I wasn't already using for this challenge could take the place of any I haven't yet rea..."

Yes - I can swap my current read for the NF read which I've already read and then use my former NF read for my long-time TBR! And then use one of the others for my TBR...

So my revamped list looks like this:

1a. Buddy Reads - Choose an AR friend who has similar tastes to you, pick a book and read it together…
With Elaine – The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith - 3.5 stars
With Katrina – A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - 4.5 stars

And I will also do 1b (time permitting!)
1b. Choose a book which has been on your TBR for a very long time - and finally get it READ!
Changed to Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle by Fiona, Countess of Carnarvon - 3 stars
Will read Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer if time permits.

2. Choose a New Release by an Aussie author which is published in June, July or August 2014
Hoping to read Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty if my library gets it in time and I get a copy in time to finish!!

3. Read any one of the Miles Franklin winners from previous years
All That I Am by Anna Funder

4. Choose a Young Adult book to read
Inkspell by Cornelia Funke - 3 stars

5. Real and Fake - (a) Read a Non-Fiction PLUS (b) a Fiction book (any choices)
a) Singled Out: How Two Million Women Survived Without Men After the First World War by Virginia Nicholson
b) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - 4.5 stars

6. A cover depicting Winter or has a Winter word in the title
The Sins of the Father – Jeffrey Archer - 4 stars

7. BORROW a book from the library or a friend, or read an ebook - no purchases for this one! It MUST be an Aussie author as well:)
Far Horizon by Tony Park - 4 stars

8. Choose a favourite author, head to the Literature Map and pick the closest!
Diane Setterfield → Geraldine Brooks - March - 3.5 stars


9. A book written by an Aussie author showing a warm, summery cover
Will probably be My Brother-But-One by T.M. Clark

10. Naughty and Nice
Naughty - Joyland by Stephen King - 3.5 stars
Nice – changed to Blessings by Anna Quindlen
Will read The Captain's Daughter by Leah Fleming if time permits.

11. Lower the long suffering TBR -
Farther Afield by Miss Read - 3 stars

12. Lower the still long suffering TBR -
Thornwood House by Anna Romer - 4 stars

This means I now have 5 books to go so it seems a little more manageable!

Kathryn wrote: "So my revamped list looks like this:

1a. Buddy Reads - Choose an AR friend who has similar tastes to you, pick a book and read it together…
With Elaine – The Cuckoo's Calling by [..."

Looks really good Kathryn!

Thanks, Brenda. And thanks for your suggestion - made me look a bit harder at my list!

Kathryn wrote: "Thanks, Brenda. And thanks for your suggestion - made me look a bit harder at my list!"

You're very welcome :)

I have seven to go :( and since my new release doesn't come out until the 27th I have Buckley's of finishing this challenge, but will give it my best shot!
31 divided by 7 = hmm not likely

Valerie wrote: "I have seven to go :( and since my new release doesn't come out until the 27th I have Buckley's of finishing this challenge, but will give it my best shot!
31 divided by 7 = hmm not likely"

That's alright Valerie, do your best:) Then you might be able to adapt your left-overs to the Spring Challenge:)

Have just finished a No.10 Nice
The Maiden and the Unicorn / Isolde Martyn
Not a bad listen but was over 15 hours long!

I still have two to go...

3. Miles Franklin White Earth
9. Australian summer Barracuda

Read so far:

1. TBR Crime and Punishment read 27 June, 4 stars
(2. new release; won't do as I have too many books already!)
4. YA 1984 read 10 June, 3 stars
5a. fake The Commandant read 4 July, 3 stars
5b. real Hazel's Journey read 21 July, 3 stars.
6. winter Frankenstein read 24 July, 4 stars
7. national tree day Mateship With Birds read 2 June, 2 stars
8. literature map Drylands read 28 July, 2 stars
10a. naughty Beneath the Darkening Sky read 31 July, 3 stars
10b. nice Sense and Sensibility read 25 June, 3 stars
11. TBR The Color Purple read 6 June, 3 stars
12. TBR Emma read 10 July, 3 stars

Completed 1b: The Handmaid's Tale 5★

A quick read overnight and I've finished my first YA read
Z for Zachariah / Robert C. O'Brien
nice well written post apocalyptic teenage novel

Finished my 13th #9 - Warm Summery Cover - Aussie author: Simmering Season by Jenn J. McLeod 5★

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

Only 2 to go :)

Great review Sharon:)

Thanks Brenda :)

Finished #8 Literature map Lee Child - Daniel Silva The English Assassin. Loved it! 4★
review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm going to change the last three books for this challenge - the non-fiction book and the two tbrs. I had chosen three hefty paperbacks (from my long term tbrs) but since I mostly only read paperbacks in bed these days (30 min per night if I'm lucky) and my kindle the rest of the time, I was never going to get through them.

So I've down-sized to something more manageable:

5. Non Fiction:When Fraser Met Billy by Louise Booth
11. tbr Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
12. tbr a crime novel from my kindle

Finally finished my long term TBR! Was a good read and interesting:
Chronicles of the Tudor Queens / David Loades

Have finished #8. Lit Map: Nicole Alexander = Fiona McIntosh
The French Promise 4★s
This is the sequel to The Lavender Keeper

Review to follow shortly...

Next up is another buddy read with Carolyn, Blood Born by Kathryn Fox

Have finished #5 Non Fiction: When Fraser Met Billy by Louise Booth 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A gorgeous story about an autistic boy and the amazing bond he has with his cat.

A question re the Miles Franklin Winner choice, does the book have to be the winner or can it be the author and/or book?
Eg; I have tentatively chosen The Lost Life by Steven Carroll and find that this book didn't win the MFA but one of this author's other books did.

This was a second "possible" choice for my challenge so I can always choose the other if need be.. Just that I already have this one.

Carolyn wrote: "Have finished #5 Non Fiction: When Fraser Met Billy by Louise Booth 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A gorgeous s..."

This sounds really good Carolyn...and food for thought too! Great review.

Julie, I take it to be any of the winning Miles Franklin books not a book by a winning author. I Have to confess I am struggling with this one myself as I have read quite a few of of the winners already and the ones that are left are ones that really don't appeal. Still I have 4 weeks to come up with something - will probably be the current winner book All the Birds Singing] by Evie Wyld as I need to read it for a group discussion in November

☼♄Jülie wrote: "A question re the Miles Franklin Winner choice, does the book have to be the winner or can it be the author and/or book?
Eg; I have tentatively chosen The Lost Life by [author:Steven..."

No sorry Julie, Sally is correct. It must be a winner :)

Sally906 wrote: "Julie, I take it to be any of the winning Miles Franklin books not a book by a winning author. I Have to confess I am struggling with this one myself as I have read quite a few of of the winners al..."

Thanks Sally, All the Birds, Singing was my other choice but just wanted more options..lol.

All good, thanks Brenda :)