Aussie Readers discussion

2023 CHALLENGE PLANS & UPDATES
UNCORKED READERS
July to September
1. Panama: The Golden Horse: A Novel About Triumph and Tragedy Building the Panama Railroad by Juan David Morgan


October to December
1. Scotland

DECEMBER Aussie Readers Challenge
Featured author-Natasha Lester
Level: Easy
4/4 1/1 AA

TASKS

✅1. Read a book by an Australian author: When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson (AA) 31 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅2. Read a book where each title letter fits in ASTRID BRICARD: Black Ice by Mahmudul Haque* (Bangladesh) 21 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅3. Read a book where BOTH the author's initials can be found in MAYBELLINE: Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi* (Egypt) 26 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅4. Read a STANDALONE book: The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salústio* (Cabo Verde)* 2 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


ALL CHALLENGES
1. Panama: The Golden Horse: A Novel About Triumph and Tragedy Building the Panama Railroad by Juan David Morgan
2. Scotland

2023 AROUND the WORLD in 80 BOOKS
Read a book from 80 different countries/ disputed countries or territories

Rachel's Reading Around the World Books List
Rachel's "considering" Read Around the World TBR Shelf
Rachel's 2023 Frequent Flyer Challenge
Rachel's 2023 Translated Languages Challenge
100 Books by Women in Translation Challenge
Around the World in 1001 Books Challenge
50 Books by African Women that Everyone Should Read
Rachel's Read 60 African Countries Shelf

Read Around the World 2023
Done: 80/80
TBR 39/39 + 41 already read
✅1. Dominica**: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
✅2. Barbados: The Girl with the Hazel Eyes by Callie Browning
✅3. Indonesia: Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
✅4. Jordan: Into the Wadi by Michele Drouart
✅5. Azerbaijan**: Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
✅6. New Zealand: The Cloud Leopard's Daughter by Deborah Challinor
✅7. Brazil: The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
✅8. Iceland:* The Undesired by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
✅9. Spain: The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley
✅10. Côte d’Ivoire: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet

✅11. Comoros**: A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir
✅12. Belgium**: War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans
✅13. Moldova:** The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov (K)
✅14. Colombia:** Fish Soup by Margarita García Robayo
✅15. Greece: Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières (S or A) (audio)
✅16. Norway: Becoming Leidah by Michelle Grierson (S or K)
✅17. North Korea**: The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee (S or A) (audio)
✅18. American Samoa**: The Smell of the Moon by Lemanatele M. Kneubuhl*
✅19. Jamaica: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
✅20. Cameroon:** How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue (K)

✅21. Wales: The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros (Wales)
✅22. United Arab Emirates: The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi (S or A) (audio)
✅23. Fiji: A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao (B/K/A)
✅24. South Korea: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
✅25. Anguilla*: Blue Beans by Patricia J. Adams (K)
✅26. Bermuda**: The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Narrative by Mary Prince (K) or (S-audio)
✅27. Croatia: The Secret Cove in Croatia by Julie Caplin
✅28. Botswana: Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
✅29. Syria: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh*
✅30. South Africa: Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton or Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (A) (audio)

✅31. Cape Verde:** The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salústio (K)
✅32. Kenya: Unbowed by Wangari Maathai (S only) (audio)
✅33. Bangladesh: Black Ice by Mahmudul Haque
✅34. Guyana: The Secret Life of Winnie Cox by Sharon Maas (K)
✅35. Egypt: Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi
✅36. Palestine: Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
✅37. Sudan: The Translator by Leila Aboulela
✅38. Iraq: When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson
✅39. Mauritania:** The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk (K)


AFRICA:
1. Algeria
2. Benin**
3. Guinea*
4. Madagascar**
5. Morocco**
6. Nigeria
7. Sierra Leone

ASIA:
1. China
2. India
3. Japan
4. Malaysia
5. Singapore
6. Sri Lanka
7. Turkmenistan**
8. Vietnam

EUROPE
1. Belarus**
2. Denmark
3. England
4. Faroe Islands*
5. Finland
6. Ireland
7. Italy
8. Northern Ireland
9. Russia
10. Scotland
11. Sweden
12. Ukraine*

MIDDLE EAST
1. Bahrain**
2. Iran
3. Kuwait

CARIBBEAN
1. Puerto Rico

CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA:
1. Argentina
2. Costa Rica**

NORTHERN AMERICA
1. Canada
2. Greenland*
3. Mexico
4. USA

OCEANIA:
1. Australia
2. French Polynesia
3. Samoa
4. Antarctica

COUNTRIES/ TERRITORIES NOT READ:

A
Abkhazia: Sandro of Chegem by Fazil Iskander
Albania: Broken April by Ismail Kadare
Andorra: The Phaeton Report by Albert Salvadó
Angola: Transparent City by Ondjaki
Aruba: Delft Blues by Denis Henríquez
Ascension Island: Ascension: The Story of a South Atlantic Island by Duff Hart-Davis

B
Belize: Beka Lamb by Zee Edgell
Bhutan: Tales in Colour: And Other Stories by Kunzang Choden
Bonaire: Little Dutch Isle by Eleanor Joy McDonald
Brunei: The Fisherman King by Kathrina Mohd Daud
Bulgaria: Time of Parting by Anton Donchev
Burkina Faso: So Distant From My Life by Monique Ilboudo
Burundi: Small Country by Gaël Faye

C
Canary Islands: The Ravine (El Barranco) by Nivaria Tejera*
Cayman Islands: Pirates of Cayman by Marina Carter
Central African Republic: Co-wives, Co-widows by Adrienne Yabouza*
Chad: Told by Starlight in Chad by Joseph Brahim Seid
Chechnya: A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya by Anna Politkovskaya
Christmas Island
Cook Islands
Czechia (Czech Republic): The House on Prague Street by Hana Demetz

D
Djibouti
E
East Timor (Timor-Leste)
Easter Island
El Salvador: Bitter Grounds by Sandra Benítez
Equatorial Guinea: By Night the Mountain Burns by Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel
Ethiopia: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Estonia: Treading Air by Jaan Kross

F
Falkland Islands: Tierra del Fuego by Sylvia Iparraguirre (Brazilian author)
French Guiana

G
Galápagos Islands
Gabon: Mema by Daniel M. Mengara
Gambia: Reading the Ceiling by Dayo Forster
Georgia: One More Year by Sana Krasikov
Gibraltar
Grenada: Pynter Bender by Jacob Ross
Guadeloupe: The Bridge of Beyond by Simone Schwarz-Bart
Guam: Attitude 13 by Tanya Taimanglo
Guinea-Bissau: The Ultimate Tragedy by Abdulai Sila

H
Honduras: Don't Be Afraid, Gringo by Elvia Alvarado

I
Isle of Man
K
Kazakhstan: The Silent Steppe: The Memoir of a Kazakh Nomad Under Stalin by Mukhamet Shayakhmetov
Kosovo

L
Laos: Mother's Beloved: Stories from Laos by Outhine Bounyavong
Latvia:Soviet Milk by Nora Ikstena
Lesotho: Basali! Stories by and about Women in Lesotho by K. Limakatso Kendall
Liechtenstein
Lithuania: Tūla by Jurgis Kunčinas
Luxembourg

M
Macao
Macedonia
Madeira (Portugal)
Maldives: Dhon Hiyala aai Alifulhu by Abdoulla Sadiq
Mali: Amkoullel, the Fula Boy by Amadou Hampâté Bâ
Malta
Marshall Islands: Marshall Islands Legends and Stories by Daniel A. Kelin
Martinique
Mauritania: The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk
Mauritius: Silence of the Chagos: A Novel by Shenaz Patel
Mayotte
Micronesia: The Book of Luelen by Luelen Bernart
Monaco
Montenegro: Catherine the Great and the Small by Olja Knezevic
Monserrat
Mozambique: Sleepwalking Land by Mia Couto

N
Namibia: The Purple Violet of Oshaantu by Neshani Andreas
Nauru: Legends, traditions and tales of Nauru by Timothy Detudamo
Nepal
Nicaragua: Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand: A Novel of Adam and Eve by Gioconda Belli
Niger
Niue
Northern Mariana Islands

P
Palau
Panama: The Golden Horse: A Novel About Triumph and Tragedy Building the Panama Railroad by Juan David Morgan
Papua New Guinea: My mother calls me Yaltep by Ignatius Kilage OR My Walk to Equality: Essays, Stories and Poetry by Papua New Guinean Women by Rashmii Amoah Bell
Paraguay
Peru
Pitcairn

R
Reunion: Monsters and Revolutionaries: Colonial Family Romance and Métissage by Françoise Vergès

S
Saba
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Eustatius
Saint Helen, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Saint Kitts and Nevis: Caribbean Chemistry: Tales from St. Kitts by Christopher Vanier
Saint Martin
Saint Maarten
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines: Spirits in the Dark by H. Nigel Thomas
San Marino
São Tomé and Principe
Senegal:
Seychelles: Voices: Short stories from the Seychelles Islands by Glynn Burridge
Slovakia: The Shop on Main Street by Ladislav Grosman
Slovenia: I Saw Her That Night by Drago Jančar
Solomon Islands
Somalia: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Sudan: Minaret by Leila Aboulela
Suriname: The Free Negress Elisabeth by Cynthia McLeod

T
Tajikistan: Hurramabad by Andrei Volos
Tibet
Tokelau
Togo
Tonga: Po Fananga: Folk tales of Tonga by Tupou Posesi Fanua
Tristan de Cuna
Turks and Caicos:
Tuvalu

U
Uruguay: The Tree of Red Stars by Tessa Bridal
Uzbekistan: The Devils' Dance by Hamid Ismailov

V
Vanuatu: Sista, Stanap Strong! A Vanuatu Women's Anthology by Mikaela Nyman

W
Wallis and Futuna: No Longer Captives of the Past: The story of a reconciliation on Erromango by Carol E. Mayer

COUNTRIES/ TERRITORIES I HAVE READ A BOOK FROM BUT NOT YET AN AUTHOR FROM:
Austria: The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth
Bahamas
Botswana: The Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales by Bessie Head*
Cambodia
Congo (Republic of): Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou*
Croatia: Girl at War by Sara Nović*
Cuba

Curaçao
Cyprus
Faroe Islands
Guatemala: Men of Maize by Miguel Ángel Asturias
Guernsey
Guinea: The Dark Child by Camara Laye

Kashmir
Mongolia: The Blue Sky by Galsan Tschinag*
Myanmar
New Caledonia

Norfolk Island
Qatar: The Girl Who Fell to Earth by Sophia Al-Maria*
Rwanda: The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya*
Saint Lucia
Syria
US Virgin Islands: How to Escape from a Leper Colony by Tiphanie Yanique*

AUSSIE READERS SUMMER CHALLENGE 2022-2023
Aussie Readers Summer Challenge
AUSSIE READERS AUTUMN CHALLENGE 2023
Autumn Aussie Readers Challenge
AUSSIE READERS WINTER CHALLENGE 2023
Winter Aussie Readers Challenge
AUSSIE READERS SPRING CHALLENGE 2023
Spring Aussie Readers Challenge
A to Z Aussie Readers Challenge
A to Z Aussie Readers Challenge-Follow the Clues

AUSSIE READERS JANUARY CHALLENGE-Louise Penny
January Aussie Authors Challenge
AUSSIE READERS FEBRUARY CHALLENGE-Kate Forsythe
February Aussie Authors Challenge
AUSSIE READERS MARCH CHALLENGE-Ian Rankin
March Aussie Authors Challenge
AUSSIE READERS APRIL CHALLENGE-Greg Barron
April Aussie Readers Challenge
AUSSIE READERS MAY CHALLENGE-Peter May
May Aussie Readers Challenge
AUSSIE READERS JUNE CHALLENGE-Fiona McIntosh
June Aussie Readers Challenge
AUSSIE READERS JULY CHALLENGE-Georgette Heyer
July Aussie Readers Challenge
AUSSIE READERS AUGUST CHALLENGE-Tricia Stringer
August Aussie Readers Challenge
AUSSIE READERS SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE-C.J.Sansom
September Aussie Readers Challenge

BOOKSHELF BUSTER
I need to make a little more headway in 2023 with these books hanging around collecting dust on my shelves...or move them on:

International authors:
1. Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill (Sierra Leone, Canadian author)
2. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang (Chinese author)
3. There, Where The Pepper Grows by Bem Le Hunte (Indian author)
4. The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh (Indian author)
5. The Drunken Forest by Gerald Durrell (set in Paraguay)
6. The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish author)
7. Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Spanish author)



Australian authors:
8. Notorious Australian Women by Kay Saunders
9. Heart Country by Kerry McGinnis
10. Jandamarra & the Bunuba Resistance: A True Australian Hero by Howard Pedersen and Banjo Woorunmurra



English authors:
11. A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
12. The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
13. The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell
14. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy



American authors:
15. Land Below the Wind by Agnes Newton Keith
16. Drawing on the Artist Within by Betty Edwards
17. The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
18. Why Men Fall Out of Love: What Every Woman Needs to Understand by Michael R. French

CLASSICS
And maybe try tick a few more off my classics list in 2023. I managed 5 in 2022:

1. The Iliad by Homer (Greek author)
2. The Odyssey by Homer
3. The Aeneid by Virgil (Roman/ Italian author)
4. The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish author)
5. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (French author)
✅6. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (Irish author)
7. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
8. 1984 by George Orwell (Indian/ British author)
9. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Russian author)

2023 ATY in 52 BOOKS
Rachel's ATY in 52 Books 2023 Challenge
and Rachel's ATY in 52 Books 2023 Challenge Part 2
52/52
✅1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y: The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
✅2. A book by an author you read in 2022: Frangipani by Célestine Hitiura Vaite (French Polynesia)
✅3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list: A book you wanted to read in 2022: Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird*
✅4. A book with an interracial relationship: In the Country of Others by Leïla Slimani (Morocco)
✅5. A book with 4 or more colours on the cover: The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (Japan)

✅6. A book where books are important: The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar (Iran)
✅7. A book with ONE of the five "W" question words in the title: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
✅8. An author's debut book: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
✅9. A book nominated for an award beginning with W: The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone)
✅10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities" (Posh): The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo

✅11. A book about a person/character with a disability: Salt and Skin by Eliza Henry-Jones (Scotland) 9 Mar 2023
✅12. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies: The Real Beatrix Potter by Nadia Cohen
✅13. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover: The Islands by Emily Brugman
✅14. A book with a con, deception, or fake: The Switch by Beth O'Leary
✅15. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America by Unknown* (Greenland)

✅16. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly
✅17. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
✅18. A book related to science: The Nature of Ice by Robyn Mundy
✅19. A book related to the arts: The Girl in the Painting by Renita D'Silva (India)
✅20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel: The Tale of Aypi by Ak Welsapar (Turkmenistan)

✅21. A book by an Asian diaspora author: Song of the Sun God by Shankari Chandran
✅22. A book with a faceless person on the cover: The Proxy Bride by Zoe Boccabella
✅23. A book with a body of water in the title: The River's Song by Suchen Christine Lim (Singapore)
✅24. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy: The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
✅25. A book with a tropical setting: A Woman Of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa (Puerto Rico)

✅26. A book related to pride: The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay by Julie Brooks
✅27. A book by an author from continental Europe: Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina* (Russia)
✅28. A book that is dark: Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq*(Canada)
✅29. A book that is light: The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People by Meik Wiking (Denmark)
✅30. A book related to a chess piece: Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko

✅31. A book found by inputting a favourite author on https://www.literature-map.com: The Chocolate Tin by Fiona McIntosh
✅32. A book set in a UNESCO City of Literature: Normal People by Sally Rooney (Ireland)
✅33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923: Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness by Robert Specht
✅34. A novella: The Children's Bach by Helen Garner
✅35. A book with a school subject in the title: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

✅36. A book that has been translated from another language: Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo
✅37. A book with the theme of returning home: The Bark Cutters
✅38. A book with the sun, moon, or stars on the cover: The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
✅39. A western: The Untold by Courtney Collins
✅40. A book with a full name in the title: The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland

✅41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
✅42. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or spectre: Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester* (Mexico)
✅43. A book that involves a murder: The Stranger by Albert Camus
✅44. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
✅45. A book whose author has published more than 7 books: Scarlet Lies by Lani Wendt Young* (Samoa)

✅46. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
✅47. A book related to a geometric shape: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman
✅48. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story: Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. by Jonathan Swift
✅49. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023: The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Vietnam)
✅50. A second book that fits your favourite prompt (translated): In the Company of Men by Véronique Tadjo (Guinea)
✅51. A book published in 2023: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
✅52. A book with an unusual or surprising title: The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird by Diane Connell

ULTIMATE POPSUGAR CHALLENGE 2023
Rachel's Ultimate Pop Sugar Challenge 2023

50/50
✅1. A book you meant to read in 2022: Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird* (Australia)
✅2. A book you bought from an independent bookstore: Frangipani by Célestine Hitiura Vaite (French Polynesia)
✅3. A book about a vacation: The Switch by Beth O'Leary
✅4. A book by a first-time author: The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
✅5 A book with mythical creatures: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

✅6. A book about a forbidden romance: The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo (Nigeria)
✅7 A book with "Girl" in the title: The Girl in the Painting by Renita D'Silva (India)
✅8. A celebrity memoir: Spirit Rising: My Life, My Music by Angelique Kidjo (Benin)
✅9. A book with a color in the title: The Girl with the Hazel Eyes by Callie Browning (Barbados)
✅10. A romance with a fat lead: Scarlet Lies by Lani Wendt Young* (Samoa)

✅11. A book about or set in Hollywood: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
✅12. A book published in spring 2023: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
✅13 A book published the year you were born: Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
✅14 A modern retelling of a classic: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
✅15. A book with a song lyric as its title: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi* (Japan)

✅16. A book where the main character's name is in the title: The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland (Faroe Islands)
✅17. A book with a love triangle: The Nature of Ice by Robyn Mundy
✅18. A book that's been banned or challenged in any state in 2022: The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar
✅19. A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past challenge (author from Asia, Africa, or South America) In the Country of Others by Leïla Slimani (Morocco)
✅20. A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2023: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

✅21. A book set in the decade you were born: 1970s-Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq*(Canada)
✅22. A book with a queer lead: Salt and Skin by Eliza Henry-Jones
✅23. A book with a map: Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko
✅24. A book with a rabbit on the cover: The Real Beatrix Potter by Nadia Cohen
✅25. A book with just text on the cover: The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America by Unknown

✅26. The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list: The Pearl Thief by Noor Al Noaimi
✅27. A #BookTok recommendation: The Proxy Bride by Zoe Boccabella
✅28. A book you bought secondhand: The Bark Cutters by Nicole Alexander
✅29. A book your friend recommended: Normal People by Sally Rooney
✅30. A book that's on a celebrity book-club list: The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo

✅31. A book about a family: The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay by Julie Brooks
✅32. A book that comes out in the second half of 2023: The Money Club by Fiona Lowe
✅33. A book about an athlete/sport: Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness by Robert Specht
✅34. A historical-fiction book: Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina* (Russia)
✅35. A book about divorce: House of Thieves by Kaui Hart Hemmings* (Hawaii)

✅36. A book you think your best friend would like: The Tale of Aypi by Ak Welsapar (Turkmenistan)
✅37. A book you should have read in high school: The Stranger by Albert Camus
✅38. A book you read more than 10 years ago: Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. by Jonathan Swift
✅39. A book you wish you could read for the first time again: Song of the Sun God by Shankari Chandran (Sri Lanka)
✅40. A book by an author with the same initials as you: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland (AA)

✅41. A book written during NaNoWriMo: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman
✅42. A book based on a popular movie: Seacrow Island by Astrid Lindgren (Sweden)
✅43. A book that takes place entirely in one day: The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada (Argentina)
✅44. A book that was self-published: A Woman Of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa* (Puerto Rico)
✅45 A book that started out as fan fiction: The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

✅46. A book with a pet character: The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
✅47. A book about a holiday that's not Christmas: Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester (Mexico)
✅48. A book that features two languages: The Islands by Emily Brugman
✅49 The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
✅50. A book with alliteration in the title: The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People by Meik Wiking


Ultimate Pop Sugar Mini Challenge
Rachel's Ultimate Pop Sugar Mini-Challenge 2023
10/10
✅1. A book involving genetics and/or genealogy: The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay by Julie Brooks
✅2. The 23rd book on a list (your TBR list, for example): Fish Soup by Margarita García Robayo (Colombia)
✅3. A book with five words in the title: Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester
✅4. A book based on Norse mythology (connection: Vanadium is the 23rd element and was named for Vanadis aka Freya): The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland
✅5. A book about sheep or shepherds: The Bark Cutters by Nicole Alexander

✅6. A book with flames on the cover or in the title: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
✅7. A title that starts with W: A Woman Of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa* (Puerto Rico)
✅8. A book set on an island: Scarlet Lies by Lani Wendt Young
✅9. A book about or set in an ancient civilization: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
✅10. A book less than 230 pages long: The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America by Unknown

BOOK GIRLS BON VOYAGE CHALLENGE 2023
January
ARCTIC or ANTARCTIC:
✅Alaska: Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness by Robert Specht 22 Jan 2023⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut): Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq*(Canada) 2 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅Russia: Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina* (Russia) 9 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅Antarctica: The Nature of Ice by Robyn Mundy* (Antarctica) 27 Jan 2023⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅Denmark (Greenland): The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America by Unknown* (Greenland) 29 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review



February
WESTERN EUROPE:
✅Denmark: The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People by Meik Wiking* 6 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅England: The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary 19 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
The Switch by Beth O'Leary 21 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅Italy: The Proxy Bride by Zoe Boccabella (Italy) 11 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅Finland: The Islands by Emily Brugman 16 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


March
AFRICA:
✅Morocco: In the Country of Others by Leïla Slimani* (Morocco) 1 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅Nigeria: The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo* (Nigeria) 30 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


April
ISLANDS
✅French Polynesia:
✅Hawaii: House of Thieves by Kaui Hart Hemmings* (Hawaii) 5 April 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅Madagascar: Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo 11 May 2023 (Madagascar) ⭐⭐⭐ my review


May
EASTERN EUROPE
✅Ukraine: Otherland: A Journey With My Daughter by Maria Tumarkin* (Ukraine) 28 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


June
✅AUSTRALIA
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman 18 Jun 2023 AA ⭐⭐ my review
Elianne by Judy Nunn* AA 19 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
Rising Dust by Fleur McDonald* AA 26 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
The Children's Bach by Helen Garner* AA 27 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


July
SOUTHERN ASIA
✅Vietnam:
✅Singapore: The River's Song by Suchen Christine Lim* (Singapore) 7 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅Indonesia: Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto 26 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


August
NORTHERN ASIA
✅Hong Kong: The Cloud Leopard's Daughter by Deborah Challinor* (New Zealand and Hong Kong) 5 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐ my review


September
ON A MODE OF TRANSPORT

October
MIDDLE EAST:

November
NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA

December
SOUTH AMERICA
Colombia
French Guiana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay

UNCORKED READING CHALLENGE 2023
January to March:
✅1. Mermaids: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen (Nigeria) 7 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅2. Ships | Shipwrecks: The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America by Unknown* (Greenland) 29 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅3. Hawaii: House of Thieves by Kaui Hart Hemmings* (Hawaii) 5 April 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅4. Islands: Scarlet Lies by Lani Wendt Young* (Samoa) 5 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅5. Japanese Fantasy: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi* (Japan) 18 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅6. Costa Rica: Learn Costa Rican Spanish by Jose Pablo Sandoval Montero 31 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅7. Isolated Location: Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina* (Russia) 9 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅8. Made Into A Series Or Movie: The Stranger by Albert Camus* (Algeria) 31 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐ my review


April to June:
✅9. Wedding: The Tale of Aypi by Ak Welsapar* (Turkmenistan) 8 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅10. Hotels: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton (NZ author) 26 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅11. LGBT Graphic Novel: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet* (Côte d’Ivoire) 31 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅12. Kenya: Unbowed by Wangari Maathai* (Kenya) 15 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅13. 2023 New Release: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson 28 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅14. Unicorns: The Redgum River Retreat by Sandie Docker* 7 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)
✅15. Brazil: The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley (Brazil) 1 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅16. Oldest Book In TBR Pile: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot 18 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


July to September
✅17. Music: The River's Song by Suchen Christine Lim* (Singapore) 7 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅18. Canada: Becoming Leidah by Michelle Grierson (Norway) 1 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅19. New Zealand: The Cloud Leopard's Daughter by Deborah Challinor* (New Zealand and Hong Kong) 5 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐ my review
✅20. Animals: The Real Beatrix Potter by Nadia Cohen* 3 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅21. Middle-Aged Characters: The Money Club by Fiona Lowe* 11 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
22. Panama
✅23. Short & Sweet: Horror Novellas: The Undesired by Yrsa Sigurdardottir* (Iceland) 21 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅24. Takes Place In A Day: The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada* 5 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


October to December
✅25. Scotland: The Translator by Leila Aboulela 30 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅26. Ireland: The Roommate by Dervla McTiernan* (Ireland) 1 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅27. Beer: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson* (Jamaica) 10 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅28. Castles: The Shifting Fog by Kate Morton 1 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅29. About Maps: The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee* (North Korea) 3 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ my review
✅30. Monsters: The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi* 20 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅31. Ghosts: How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue* (Cameroon) 28 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅32. About Books: The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros* (Wales) 10 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

THE 52 BOOK CLUB 2023
Rachel's 52 BOOK CLUB Challenge 2023
52/52
✅1. A book with a subtitle: The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Alexievich (Belarus)
✅2. Featuring an inheritance: The Misremembered Man by Christina McKenna
✅3. Title starting with the letter “G”: The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov (Moldova)
✅4. Title starting with the letter “H”: How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue (Cameroon)
✅5. Title starting with the letter “I”: Into the Wadi by Michele Drouart

✅6. Under 200 pages: The Smell of the Moon by Lemanatele M. Kneubuhl* (American Samoa)
✅7. City or country name: Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salústio (Cape Verde)
✅8. Dystopian Fiction: The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina
✅9. A book with a dedication: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
✅10. Takes place during the roaring twenties: The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

✅11. A book about secrets: Homecoming by Kate Morton (AA)
✅12. High Fantasy: The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi
✅13. Published posthumously: South Riding by Winifred Holtby
✅14. A survival story: The Untold by Courtney Collins
✅15. Set in Australia: Debesa: The Story of Frank and Katie Rodriguez by Cindy Solonec

✅16. Featuring one of the “seven deadly sins”: A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson
✅17. By a Caribbean author: Blue Beans by Patricia J. Adams
✅18. Set during a war other than WWI or WWII: Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder
✅19. Typographic cover: The River's Song by Suchen Christine Lim
✅20. A book about siblings: Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare

✅21. A second-hand book: War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans
✅22. A body-positive message: Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
✅23. An alliterative title: The Redgum River Retreat by Sandie Docker
✅24. Nordic Noir: The Undesired by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
✅25. A fashionable character: The Shifting Fog by Kate Morton

✅26. Has an epilogue: The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
✅27. Newbery Medal Winner/ Carnegie: The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros (Wales)
✅28. Includes a funeral: The Money Club by Fiona Lowe
✅29. Sends you down a rabbit hole: The Lake House
✅30. An author with a same name as you: Otherland: A Journey With My Daughter by Maria Tumarkin

✅31. Set in a workplace: Elianne by Judy Nunn
✅32. Published by Macmillan: The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley
✅33. A banned book: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
✅34. Featuring mythology: Becoming Leidah by Michelle Grierson
✅35. A book you meant to read last year: Fish Soup by Margarita García Robayo

✅36. Chapters have cliffhangers: The Secrets of Thistle Cottage by Kerry Barrett* (Scotland)
✅37. Written in present tense: A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir OR The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
✅38. An enemies-to-lovers plot: The Runes of Destiny by Christina Courtenay
✅39. The final book in a series: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet
✅40. Written by a comedian: Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

✅41. A character who is a refugee: The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee
✅42. Time in the title: Still glides the stream
✅43. A book “everyone” has read: Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières
✅44. A contemporary setting: Dial A for Aunties
✅45. First word in the book is “The”: The Cloud Leopard's Daughter

✅46. Script font on the spine: About A Girl, About A Pearl by Kristin Wiendenbach
✅47. Set in the city of Dublin: The Roommate by Dervla McTiernan
✅48. A book by Octavia E. Butler/ Black sci-fi author: The Disappearance of Ember Crow by Ambelin Kwaymullina
✅49. Books on the cover: The Library by Bella Osborne
✅50. Related to the word “Murder”: Rising Dust by Fleur McDonald
✅51. A book that doesn’t fit any of the other 51 prompts: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
✅52. Published in 2023: The Bookbinder by Pip Williams

BOOKLIST QUEEN 2023
52/52
✅1. Winter Read: The Undesired by Yrsa Sigurdardottir* (Iceland) 21 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅2. Goodreads Winner in 2022: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (South Korea) 15 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐ my review
✅3. By a Black Author: The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina* (Australia) 29 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅4. With More Than 500 Pages: The Shifting Fog by Kate Morton 1 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅5. Published in Your Birth Year: Ali and Nino by Kurban Said* (Azerbaijan) 1 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅6. Famous Author You’ve Avoided: Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières (Greece) 1 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅7. Character with a Disability: The Bookbinder by Pip Williams* (14 Jul 2023) ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅8. Fiction & Nonfiction Pairing: Debesa, the story of Frank and Katie Rodriguez by Cindy Solonec* 13 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)
✅9. Fiction & Nonfiction Pairing: Elianne by Judy Nunn* AA 19 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅10. By a Local Author: About A Girl, About A Pearl by Kristin Wiendenbach AA 2 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅11. A Western: The Untold by Courtney Collins* AA 4 Jul 2023⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅12. You Own But Haven’t Read: Into the Wadi by Michele Drouart (Jordan, Australian author) 30 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅13. Animal on the Cover: Rising Dust by Fleur McDonald* AA 26 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅14. Recommended by a Librarian: The Distant Hours by Kate Morton* 1 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)
✅15. Newbery Award Winner/ Carnegie: The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros* (Wales) 10 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ m

✅16. About Royalty: The Smell of the Moon by Lemanatele M. Kneubuhl* (American Samoa) 7 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅17. Written Before 1850: The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Narrative by Mary Prince* (Bermuda) 23 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅18. With Dual Timelines: The Secrets of Thistle Cottage by Kerry Barrett* (Scotland) 5 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅19. Dewey Decimal System: 300s The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov* (Moldova) 19 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐
✅20. Mother-Daughter Story: Otherland: A Journey With My Daughter by Maria Tumarkin* (Ukraine) 28 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅21. Empowering Read: How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue* (Cameroon) 28 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅22. World War I Book: War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans* (Belgium) 21 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅23. Domestic Thriller: The Money Club by Fiona Lowe* 11 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅24. 2023 New Release: Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder 18 Aug 2023 (AA) ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅25. Read with Jenna Book Club Pick: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson* (Jamaica) 10 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅26. A Book Everyone is Talking About: The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley (Brazil) 1 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅27. Book Becoming Movie in 2023: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
✅28. About Complicated Relationships: The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley (Spain) 26 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅29. Recommended on TikTok: Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto 26 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅30. An Audiobook: Still glides the stream by Nancy Cato

✅31. Set in the 1930s: Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare 12 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅32. Contemporary Fiction Bestseller: The Library by Bella Osborne 29 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅33. About Adoption: The Misremembered Man by Christina McKenna* (Northern Ireland) 22 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅34. Genre You Don’t Usually Read: Fish Soup by Margarita García Robayo* (Colombia) 25 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅35. Title Starts with “A”: A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir* (Comoros) 15 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅36. Set in South America: A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson (Brazil) 1 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅37. Detective Story: The Roommate by Dervla McTiernan* (Ireland) 1 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅38. About Power: The Runes of Destiny by Christina Courtenay* (Sweden) 8 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐ my review
✅39. 2022 Bestseller: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
✅40. By an Author You Love: The Lake House by Kate Morton 11 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)

✅41. With a Long Title: The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee* (North Korea) 3 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ my review
✅42. Five-Star Read: Homecoming by Kate Morton* (AA) 7 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅43. YA Historical Fiction: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet* (Côte d’Ivoire) 31 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅44. About Magic: Becoming Leidah by Michelle Grierson (Norway)
✅45. A Book That Makes You Happy: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers 4 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅46. Award Winning Nonfiction: The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Alexievich* (Belarus) 30 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅47. Modern Classic: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys* 2 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅48. Borrowed from a Friend: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
✅49. Red Cover: The Redgum River Retreat by Sandie Docker* 7 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐
✅50. Reread a Favourite: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot 18 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅51. Bottom of Your To-Read List: The Cloud Leopard's Daughter by Deborah Challinor* (New Zealand and Hong Kong) 5 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐
✅52. Holiday Romance: The Secret Cove in Croatia by Julie Caplin

Good luck Rachel!

ATY52 WINTER 2022-2023 CHALLENGE
36/12
ATY52 Winter 2022-2023 Challenge Link

DECEMBER
1. Winter
✅a. Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in WINTER: Wild Women: History's Female Rebels, Radicals & Revolutionaries by Pamela Robson* 16 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book with snow, snowflakes or a snowman on the cover OR a book with a person wearing winter clothing on the cover: Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness by Robert Specht 22 Jan 2023⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅c. Read a book that is between 89 and 128 pages long: The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America by Unknown* (Greenland) 29 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


2. December birthdays: Jane Austen
✅a. Read a book written by a female author: In the Country of Others by Leïla Slimani* (Morocco) 28 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a novel set in the 19th century: The Bark Cutters by Nicole Alexander (Australia) 5 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅c. Read a romance novel: The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary 19 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


3. The Holidays
✅a. Read a book related to a holiday that happens in December: You Need to Know by Nicola Moriarty* (Australia) 3 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book that has one of the gifts referred to in The Twelve Days of Christmas shown on its cover: The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland (Faroe Islands, Australian author) 11 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅c. Read a book that features a family gathering: Scarlet Lies by Lani Wendt Young* (Samoa) 5 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


4. Winter sports: yukigassen
✅a. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in YUKIGASSEN: Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina* (Russia) 9 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book in a series that is at least 7 books long: The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb 24 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅c. Read a book set in a country where yukigassen is played (Japan, Armenia, Canada, China, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, or Slovakia): Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Japan) 15 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


JANUARY
1. Happy New Year!
✅a. Read a book by an author who is new to you: Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko* 15 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book from a genre/ subgenre that is new to you: The Islands by Emily Brugman 16 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅c. Read a book in which all the words in the title have the same number of letters: The Proxy Bride by Zoe Boccabella (Italy) 11 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


2. January birthdays: Haruki Murakami
✅a. Read a book set in Japan: The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (Japan) 14 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book that features a cat in some way: The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht* (Serbia) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅c. Read a magical realism novel: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel* 26 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


3. New Year Resolutions
✅a. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title can be found in NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS:A Woman Of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa*(Puerto Rico) 25 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book that looks into the past (historical fiction, history, etc) or a book that looks into the future (science fiction, fantasy, etc): Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi* (Japan) 18 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅c. Read a book that will help you keep one of your New Year resolutions: Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird* (Australia) 2 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


4. Winter sports: bobsleigh
✅a. Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND: My Tidda, My Sister: Stories of Strength and Resilience from Australia's First Women by Marlee Silva* (Australia) 13 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book in which a conflict between characters is a major part of the plot: Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz* (Egypt) 29 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (controlling father)
✅c. Read a book that is fast-paced: Odin's Game by Tim Hodkinson (Iceland/ Ireland) 20 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


FEBRUARY
1. Valentine’s Day
✅a. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page: Christmas at Coorah Creek by Janet Gover 24 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
✅b. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY: Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq*(Canada) 2 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅c. Read a book written in or set in the Medieval period (usually defined as the 5th to 15th centuries): Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen (Nigeria) 7 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


2. February birthdays: Laura Ingalls Wilder
✅a. Read a book set in the American midwest: Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (Native American) 22 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Nature of Ice by Robyn Mundy
✅c. Read a coming of age story: Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen (Bolivian author) 1 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


3. Winter sports: Ski jumping
✅a. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long: The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes* (Ecuador) 30 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book published in a year in which the Winter Olympics took place: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland* (Australia) 12 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅c. Read a book where the plot “jumps” about (a non-linear narrative as it’s normally called): The Blind Earthworm in the Labyrinth by Veeraporn Nitiprapha* (Thailand) 25 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


4. The Shortest Month of the Year
✅a. Read a literary fiction novel: The Stranger by Albert Camus* (Algeria) 31 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book that features a ghost: Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester (Mexico) 17 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅c. Read a book that starts with a letter in the word SHORT: The Switch by Beth O'Leary 21 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

PLAY BOOK TAG
January tag: FOOD
January Book Tag
1. Scarlet Lies by Lani Wendt Young* (Samoa) 5 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

February Book Tag: ENGLAND
1. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary 19 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
2. The Switch by Beth O'Leary 21 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


March Book Tag: JAPAN
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi


April Book Tag: FRIENDSHIP
House of Thieves by Kaui Hart Hemmings
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah


May: INDIGENOUS
The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina


June: IMMIGRATION
The Girl in the Painting by Renita D'Silva
Elianne by Judy Nunn


July: ADVENTURE
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
The Untold by Courtney Collins


August: MORAL DILEMMA
Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
Still glides the stream
Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare
The Undesired by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson
The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton


September: LITERARY FICTION
A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir


October: WINTER
Becoming Leidah


November: DRAGONS
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
The Battle Drum


December: HOLIDAY
Black Ice by Mahmudul Haque
PBT 15 CANDLES CHALLENGE
0/15 (150pgs HC)
PBT 15 Candles

Good Luck Rachel - you've got a massive reading year planned. Hope you find some excellent books!

Carolyn wrote: "Good Luck Rachel - you've got a massive reading year planned. Hope you find some excellent books!"
Haha yes! Hopefully there will be books that tick off a few things simultaneously :-)

Good luck Rachel. I’m in awe of your organisation skills.

Good luck!

Veronica ⭐️ wrote: "Good luck Rachel. I’m in awe of your organisation skills."
Haha it just comes of being a super geek!

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS MAGIC SQUARE BINGO
Rachel's 2023 ATW80 Magic Squares Bingo
25/25
A1) Translated from India Regional language: Black Ice by Mahmudul Haque* (Bangladesh) 21 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅A2) Set on an island: The Islands by Emily Brugman
✅A3) Has character that shares your profession: Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. by Jonathan Swift
✅A4) Tropical setting: A Woman Of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa* (Puerto Rico)
✅A5) BTBA award winner or nominee: Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo (Madagascar)


✅B1) Fire, flood or hurricane: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
✅B2) Dream vacation: The Switch by Beth O'Leary
✅B3) TBR book completion: Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird
✅B4) Central or South American author: Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester (Mexico) 17 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅B5) BIPOC author: Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko


✅C1) Set in a Nordic country: The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People by Meik Wiking
✅C2) Set in hotels, inns, guesthouses etc: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
✅C3) An African classic: The Stranger by Albert Camus
✅C4) Nonfiction history: The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Alexievich* (Belarus) 30 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅C5) LBGTQ character: The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay by Julie Brooks* (Australia) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅D1) Published in the year you were born: Ali and Nino by Kurban Said (Azerbaijan) 1 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅D2) 2 books set in adjacent countries:Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq*(Canada) 2 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review & The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America by Unknown (Greenland)
✅D3) Planes trains & automobiles: Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina* (Russia) 9 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅D4) Polar setting: The Nature of Ice by Robyn Mundy* (Antarctica) 27 Jan 2023⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅D5) Fewer than 1,000 Goodreads ratings: The Bark Cutters by Nicole Alexander


✅E1) Pacific Islander author: Scarlet Lies by Lani Wendt Young* (Samoa) 5 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅E2) History mystery set before 1900: The Secrets of Thistle Cottage by Kerry Barrett
✅E3) Fairytale or folklore: Skin of the Sea
✅E4) Set during a war: The Proxy Bride by Zoe Boccabella
✅E5) More than 500 pages: The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland

Wow Rachel, I like your style! 🤗

Andrea wrote: "Wow Rachel, I like your style! 🤗"
It's like a jigsaw puzzle: trying to find a book that is an Around the World read that fits as many prompts from the other challenges as possible! Has lead me to read some very interesting and unusual things :-)

Rachel's PLAY BOOK TAG 15 CANDLES
15/15
PBT 15 Candles
✅1. Read a book that fits our very first tag: historical fiction: Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina* (Russia) 9 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅2. Read a book that represents or relates to any event that occurred (or occurs) in February (Valentines Day): These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman 18 Jun 2023 AA ⭐⭐ my review


✅3. Read a 5 star book from any of our administrators (past or present) "read" shelf. Administrators include: Ladyslott, LibraryCin, Annapi, JoLene, BooknBlues, Nicole R, Kristal and Anita.
Nicole R: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Normal People by Sally Rooney* (Ireland) 8 Apr 2023⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅4. Read a book from any of our 15 years of Top 10 selections.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 20 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅5. Read a book that fits the tag of India.
The Girl in the Painting by Renita D'Silva* (India) 11 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅6. Read a book that fits the tag of mystery: The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay by Julie Brooks* (Australia) 6 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅7. Read one our own top 100 non-fiction books of all time.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot 18 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅8. Read one our own top 100 fictional books of all time.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...
Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières (Greece) 1 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅9. Read a book that fits EITHER the last tag we read at Shelfari (2010) or the first tag we read at Goodreads (World War II):
The Proxy Bride by Zoe Boccabella (Italy) 11 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅10. Read a book in Amy's honor that somehow relates to her (either it is on her shelf, or highlights something you know about her personally, or her geography, or her profession). https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1... Indicate how you selected the book with your review.
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto 26 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅11. Read a book that was a buddy read here on PBT that you have not read before. Link to the buddy read thread along with your review.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅12. A book that has been read for Fall Flurries or Trim the TBR on the PBT bookshelf: https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo* (Malaysia) 15 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅13. Read a book that is tagged with survival or survivor: Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness by Robert Specht 22 Jan 2023⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅14. Read a book from your favourite tag of all the tags you've personally read with PBT (England): The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary 19 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅15. Read a book that was published the year YOU turned 15: A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson (Brazil) 1 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

AUSSIE AUTHORS SUMMER CHALLENGE 2022-2023

Aussie Readers Summer Challenge
16/16 6/4AA

TITLE:
✅E-Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel* (Mexico) 26 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅M-Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko* 15 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
✅I-In the Country of Others by Leïla Slimani* (Morocco) 28 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅L-Pachinko by Min Jin Lee* (South Korea) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅Y-You Need to Know by Nicola Moriarty 3 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
✅S-My Tidda, My Sister: Stories of Strength and Resilience from Australia's First Women by Marlee Silva 13 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review AA


✅Q-Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq*(Canada) 2 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅U-The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America by Unknown* (Greenland) 29 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅E-The Islands by Emily Brugman 16 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
✅S-The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes* (Ecuador) 30 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅T-The Blind Earthworm in the Labyrinth by Veeraporn Nitiprapha* (Thailand) 25 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


OBJECT:
✅B-Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird* 2 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
✅E-Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester (Mexico) 17 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅A-Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (Native American) 22 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅C-Christmas at Coorah Creek by Janet Gover 24 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
✅H-Odin's Game by Tim Hodkinson (Iceland/ Ireland) 20 Dec 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

AUSSIE READERS AUTUMN CHALLENGE 2023
Autumn Aussie Readers Challenge
13/13. 7/5AA

J-The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay by Julie Brooks* 6 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
O-The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo* (Nigeria) 30 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
A-The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar* (Iran) 17 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
N-Normal People by Sally Rooney* (Ireland) 8 Apr 2023⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
N-Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo 11 May 2023 (Madagascar) ⭐⭐⭐ my review
E-Salt and Skin by Eliza Henry-Jones (Scotland) 9 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review AA


C-Song of the Sun God by Shankari Chandran (Sri Lanka) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
A-The Tale of Aypi by Ak Welsapar* (Turkmenistan) 8 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
R-The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly 24 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
O-Otherland: A Journey With My Daughter by Maria Tumarkin* (Ukraine) 28 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
L-Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 20 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
Y-The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina* (Australia) 29 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
N-The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo* (Malaysia) 15 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

AUSSIE READERS WINTER CHALLENGE 2023
Duration: 1/6/23 - 31/8/23
Level: Easy->Hard
12/12 4/4 AA

✅1a. Read a book which is 1st in a series: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton (NZ author) 26 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book by an author you have never read before: The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Alexievich* (Belarus) 30 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅2a. Read a book which is 2nd in a series: The Runes of Destiny by Christina Courtenay* (Sweden) 8 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book which has a two word title: Rising Dust by Fleur McDonald* AA 26 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅3a. Read a book which is 3rd in a series: Still glides the stream by Nancy Cato* (AA) 3 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read the third book on your TBR: The Girl with the Hazel Eyes by Callie Browning* (Barbados) 16 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅4a. Read a book which is 4th in a series: The Cloud Leopard's Daughter by Deborah Challinor* (AA) 5 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book which was published in April: The Girl in the Painting by Renita D'Silva* (India) 11 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


✅5a. Read a book which is 5th in a series: The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley (Spain) 26 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book which a Goodreads friend gave five stars: Elianne by Judy Nunn* 19 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA


✅6a. Read a book which is 6th in a series: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet* (Côte d’Ivoire) 31 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅b. Read a book which is set in winter: The Undesired by Yrsa Sigurdardottir* (Iceland) 21 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

AUSSIE AUTHORS SPRING CHALLENGE
Spring Aussie Readers Challenge
Level: Easy
Progress: 7/7. 2/2 AA
TASKS

#1. Your favourite genre (historical fiction) The Redgum River Retreat by Sandie Docker* 7 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)

#2. Written by one of your favourite authors: The Distant Hours by Kate Morton* 1 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)

#3. Your favourite colour cover: Becoming Leidah by Michelle Grierson (Norway) 1 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

#4. Your favourite place as the main setting: The Secrets of Thistle Cottage by Kerry Barrett* (Scotland) 5 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

#5. Takes place during your favourite time period: The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Narrative by Mary Prince* (Bermuda) 23 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

#6. Takes place during your favourite season: Blue Beans by Patricia J. Adams* (Anguilla) 23 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

#7. Recommended by a favourite blog, friend, or podcast: The Lake House by Kate Morton 11 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)

JANUARY 2023 Aussie Authors Challenge: Louise Penny
Level: Hard
11/11 AA 4/4
TASKS

✅1. Read a prize winning book by any author: Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird* 2 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review AA

✅2. Read a debut novel: Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq*(Canada) 2 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅3. Read a book translated from another language: The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America by Unknown* (Greenland) 29 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅4. Read a book which has been made into a movie or TV show: The Stranger by Albert Camus* (Algeria) 31 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐ my review


SPELL OUT
✅M-Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko* 15 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
✅Y-Scarlet Lies by Lani Wendt Young* (Samoa) 5 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅S-The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland (Faroe Islands) 11 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
✅T-Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness by Robert Specht 22 Jan 2023⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅E-Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester (Mexico) 17 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅R-The Nature of Ice by Robyn Mundy* (Antarctica) 27 Jan 2023⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
✅Y-Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina* (Russia) 9 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

FEBRUARY Aussie Authors Challenge-Kate Forsythe
Level: Hard
9/9 4/4AA
TASKS

✅1. Read a book which has a 4 AND a 0 in the page count: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland* 12 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA

✅2. Read an Historical novel: The Proxy Bride by Zoe Boccabella (Italy) 11 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅3. Read a book set in Australia: The Bark Cutters by Nicole Alexander (Australia) 5 Jan 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅4. Read a children's/YA book Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen (Nigeria) 7 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


SPELL OUT
✅T-Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi* (Japan) 18 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅A-The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (Japan) 14 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅L-The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People by Meik Wiking* 6 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅E-The Islands by Emily Brugman 16 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅S-The Switch by Beth O'Leary 21 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

MARCH Aussie Authors Challenge: Ian Rankin
Level: Hard
8/8. 4/4 AA

TASKS

✅1. Read a book set in Scotland: Salt and Skin by Eliza Henry-Jones
9 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)

✅2. Read a book which has been made into a film or TV show: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 20 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅3. Read a book which has the letters S I R in the title: The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay by Julie Brooks* 6 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)

✅4. Read a book by an author who writes under more than one name: Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. by Jonathan Swift (Irish author) 2 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


SPELL OUT
✅J-Learn Costa Rican Spanish by Jose Pablo Sandoval Montero* (Costa Rica) 31 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅A-The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar* (Iran) 17 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (Iran) AA
✅C-The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo* (Nigeria) 30 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅K-The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly 24 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA

APRIL Aussie Readers Challenge-Greg Barron
Level: Hard
10/10 4/4AA

TASKS
✅1. Read a book by an Australian author: Frangipani by Célestine Hitiura Vaite (French Polynesia) 19 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅2. Read a book where the first letters of each title word is spelt in Stories of Oz Publishing: The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali* (Iran) 2 April 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅3. Read a book which has at least TWO of 2.0.1.6 in the page count: House of Thieves by Kaui Hart Hemmings* (Hawaii) 5 April 2023 256pgs ⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅4. Read a book with a strong female lead: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson 28 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


SPELL OUT
✅A-The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina* (Australia) 29 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅W-The Tale of Aypi by Ak Welsapar* (Turkmenistan) 8 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅A-The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah (Kuwait) 14 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅R-Normal People by Sally Rooney* (Ireland) 8 Apr 2023⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅D-The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird by Diane Connell 16 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅S-Song of the Sun God by Shankari Chandran (Sri Lanka) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA

MAY Aussie Readers May Challenge-Peter May
Level: Hard
7/7. 4/4 AA

TASKS

✅1.Read a book with the number 3 in the page count or publication year: Otherland: A Journey With My Daughter by Maria Tumarkin* (Ukraine) 28 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA

✅2. Read a book which has been translated from another language: Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo 11 May 2023 (Madagascar) ⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅3. Read a book set in the country where you live or were born: Best of Aussie Slang by John Blackman* 1 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA

✅4. Read a book where either the author or the main character has a Z in their name: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (China) 3 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review AA


SPELL IT OUT
✅M-The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna* (Sierra Leone) 28 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅A-About A Girl, About A Pearl by Kristin Wiendenbach AA 2 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅Y-The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo* (Malaysia) 15 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

JUNE Aussie Authors Challenge-Fiona McIntosh
Level: Hard
9/9 4/4 AA

TASKS
✅1. Read a book in one of the genres historical fiction, fantasy, crime: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman 18 Jun 2023 AA ⭐⭐ my review

✅2. Read a book set in Australia by an Australian author: Rising Dust by Fleur McDonald* AA 26 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅3. Read a book which has a lone female on the cover: The Chocolate Tin by Fiona McIntosh AA 13 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

✅4. Read a book with at least TWO of 2.0.1.4 in the page count: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers 4 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review 160pgs



SPELL OUT
✅C-The Children's Bach by Helen Garner* AA 27 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅R-The Girl in the Painting by Renita D'Silva* (India) 11 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅I-The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton (NZ author) 26 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅M-The Misremembered Man by Christina McKenna* (Northern Ireland) 22 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅E-Elianne by Judy Nunn* AA 19 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

JULY Featured Author Challenge- Georgette Heyer
Duration: 1/7/23 - 31/7/23
Level: hard (4A)
10/10 4/4 AA
July Aussie Readers Challenge

TASKS:
✅1. Read a romance or a detective novel: The Bookbinder by Pip Williams* (14 Jul 2023) ⭐⭐⭐ my review AA

✅2. Read a book set in Africa or Greece: Spirit Rising: My Life, My Music by Angelique Kidjo* (Benin) 15 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅3. Read a book with a fascinating female MC: The Untold by Courtney Collins* 4 Jul 2023⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA

✅4. Read a book where the year of publication ends in either 11 or 20: The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai* (Vietnam) 3 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


SPELL IT OUT
✅A-The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada* (Argentina) 5 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅F-The Money Club by Fiona Lowe* 11 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
✅R-The River's Song by Suchen Christine Lim* (Singapore) 7 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅I-Into the Wadi by Michele Drouart (Jordan) 30 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review AA
✅C-The Real Beatrix Potter by Nadia Cohen* 3 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅A-Seacrow Island by Astrid Lindgren* (Sweden) 9 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

AUGUST Aussie Readers Featured Author - Tricia Stringer
Duration: 1/8/23 - 31/8/23
Level: Hard
9/9 4/4AA
August Aussie Readers Challenge
TASKS

✅1. Read a book in one of the genres contemporary, rural romance or historical fiction: Homecoming by Kate Morton* (AA) 7 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅2. Read a book by an Australian author: Still glides the stream by Nancy Cato* (AA) 3 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐ my review

✅3. Read a book about books: Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder 18 Aug 2023 (AA) ⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅4. Read a book where the MC travels somewhere: The Cloud Leopard's Daughter by Deborah Challinor* (AA) 5 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐ my review (Taiwan)


SPELL OUT
✅R-The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley (Brazil) 1 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅U-The Undesired by Yrsa Sigurdardottir* (Iceland) 21 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅R-Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys* (Dominica) 2 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅A-Ali and Nino by Kurban Said (Azerbaijan) 1 Aug 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅L-The Library by Bella Osborne 29 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

SEPTEMBER Aussie Authors Challenge
September Aussie Readers Challenge
September Featured Author - C.J. Sansom
Duration: 1/9/23 - 30/9/23
Level: Hard
10/10 4/4AA

TASKS

✅1. Read a book with the genre of Historical Fiction: The Secrets of Thistle Cottage by Kerry Barrett* (Scotland) 5 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅2. Read a book with a character who is literary in some way (writer, librarian etc.): The Distant Hours by Kate Morton* 1 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)

✅3. Read a book with the number 7 in the page count or publication date: The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov* (Moldova) 19 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐ my review

✅4. Read a book set in a European country: War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans* (Belgium) 21 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


SPELL OUT
✅M-The Lake House by Kate Morton 11 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)
✅A-A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir* (Comoros) 15 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅D-Debesa, the story of Frank and Katie Rodriguez by Cindy Solonec* 13 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)
✅R-Fish Soup by Margarita García Robayo* (Colombia) 25 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅I-A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson (Brazil) 1 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅D-The Redgum River Retreat by Sandie Docker* 7 Sep 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)

OCTOBER Aussie Readers challenge-Chris Hammer
Level: Hard
9/9 4/4 AA
TASKS

✅1. Read a book by an Australian author: Dressed by Iris by Mary-Anne O'Connor (AA) 26 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

✅2. Read a book where AGE can be spelled in your title: Becoming Leidah by Michelle Grierson (Norway) 1 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅3. Read a book which has received or been shortlisted for an award (show award): Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson* (Jamaica) 10 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review (GR Debut 2022)

✅4. Read a book which involves a family, including children: The Disappearance of Ember Crow by Ambelin Kwaymullina 7 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (AA)


SPELL OUT
✅C-Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières (Greece) 1 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅H-South Riding by Winifred Holtby 19 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅R-The Roommate by Dervla McTiernan (AA) 30 Oct 2023⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅I-How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue 28 Oct 2023 (Cameroon) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅S-The Shifting Fog by Kate Morton 1 Oct 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (AA)

NOVEMBER Featured Author - P.J. Tracy
Duration: 1/11/23 - 30/11/23
Level: Easy
4/4 1/1 AA

TASKS

✅1. Read a book which has won an award: The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros* (Wales) 10 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅2. Read a book by an American author: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (South Korea) 15 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐ my review

✅3. Read a book from a series: The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi (United Arab Emirates)* 20 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅4. Read a mystery or thriller of your choice: A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao* 21 Nov 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

December Aussie Authors Challenge

Wanderlust Capital of the Month Challenge
Micronesia's Capital: Palikir
January 2023
Level: Explorer

1. Nan Madol
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in NAN MADOL: Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko* 15 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


2. Kepirohi Falls
✱ Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in SWIM: Scarlet Lies by Lani Wendt Young* (Samoa) 5 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


3. Ant Atoll
✱ Read a book set on a relatively small island: The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland (Faroe Islands/ Tasmania) 11 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


4. Pilen Seleur Eel Pools
✱ Read a book with a sea creature on the cover: Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird* (Australia) 2 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my reviewOR


5. Sokehs Rock
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in SOKEHS ROCK: Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness by Robert Specht 22 Jan 2023⭐⭐⭐ my review


6. What's cooking in Micronesia?
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in WHAT'S COOKING: Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq* (Canada) 2 Jan 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

Wanderlust Capital of the Month Challenge
Guyana’s Capital: Georgetown
February 2023
Level: Explorer
Attractions & Tasks: 6/6

1. Cathedrals of Georgetown
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in CATHEDRALS OF GEORGETOWN:The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (Japan) 14 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


2. Guyana Botanical Gardens and Zoo
✱ Read a book set in a tropical location: In the Country of Others by Leïla Slimani* (Morocco) 28 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


3. Georgetown Lighthouse
✱ Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in RIVER: The Islands by Emily Brugman 16 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


4. El Dorado Rum Distillery
✱ Read a book set in a country where sugarcane is grown: A Woman Of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa* (Puerto Rico) 25 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


5. Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology
✱ Read a book with a page count that includes TWO of the following numbers: 1, 9, 7, 4: The Bark Cutters by Nicole Alexander (Australia) 5 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review (479 pages)


6. Guyana Markets
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in GUYANA MARKETS: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi* (Japan) 18 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

Wanderlust's Capital of the Month Challenge
Tunisia's Capital: Tunis
March 2023
Level: Explorer
Tasks and Attractions: 2/6
Wanderlust Capital Challenge

1. The Medina
✱ Read a book tagged HISTORICAL on its GR Homepage OR
✱ Read a book with 6, 9, or 8 in its total page count: Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. by Jonathan Swift (Irish author) 2 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in THE MEDINA.


2. Ville Nouvelle
✱ Read a book with a title that includes all the letters in NEW (any order) OR
✱ Read a book that mentions an architectural style (i.e. gothic, art deco, colonial, etc) in its text: The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo* (Nigeria) 30 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review OR
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in VILLE NOUVELLE.


3. Bardo National Museum
✱ Read a series book #2 OR
✱ Read a book with an MC whose first name starts with a letter in MOSAIC: The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay by Julie Brooks* 6 Mar 2023 (Australia) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (Molly)
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in BARDO NATIONAL MUSEUM.


4. La Goulette
✱ Read a book set in a seaside location: Salt and Skin by Eliza Henry-Jones (Scotland-Orkney Islands) 9 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✱ Read a book where the MC eats seafood (share text) OR
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in LA GOULETTE.


5. Ancient Carthage
✱ Read a book with a title that starts with a letter in RUINS (ignore A, An or The) OR
✱ Read a book set in ancient times (before 500 AD - tell us when it was set) OR
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in ANCIENT CARTHAGE.

6. Sidi Bou Said
✱ Read a book with a primarily blue and white cover (post cover) OR
✱ Read a book with a character that is an artist/painter (tell us who) OR
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in SIDI BOU SAID: The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar

ATY 52 Spring Challenge 2023
ATY52 Spring Challenge
March 1-May 31, 2023
12/12

1. Phrase contains BOTH letters of the author's name (ignore middle initial)
2. Phrase contains the first letter of the title
3. Phrase is exemplified on the cover (your interpretation)

The Phrases:
1. springtime: The Spider King's Daughter
2. bloom: Frangipani by Célestine Hitiura Vaite
3. sun shining: The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay
4. baby animals: Song of the Sun God by Shankari Chandran
5. eggs: Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World.
6. tulips: The Tale of Aypi

7. jellybeans: The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
8. rainstorm: Salt and Skin by Eliza Henry-Jones
9. sprout: The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
10. warming: Normal People by Sally Rooney
11. spring break: Lessons in Chemistry
12. raincoat: The Rat Catcher: A Love Story

Wanderlust Capital of the Month Challenge-Vatican City
Wanderlust Capital Challenge April
April 2023
6/6

1. St. Peter's Square and Basilica
✱ Read a series book #4 OR
✱ Read a book with a title that includes all the letters in DOME (any order) OR
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in ST. PETER'S SQUARE AND BASILICA: Song of the Sun God by Shankari Chandran (Sri Lanka) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


2. Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museums)
✱ Read a book with an MC who is an artist or works for a museum (tell us where) OR
✱ Read a long book (more than 400 pages; share number of pages) OR
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in MUSEI VATICANI: The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah (Kuwait) 14 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


3. Vatican Apostolic Library
✱ Read a book where a library is important to the plot (tell us how) OR
✱ Read a book by a prolific author who has written at least 8 books (please include the author's GR link) OR
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in VATICAN APOSTOLIC LIBRARY: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson 28 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


4. Giardini Vaticani (Vatican Gardens)
✱ Read a book that was meditative or inspirational (tell us why) OR
✱ Read a book with a title that starts with a letter in LEONINE WALLS (ignore A, An or The): The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali* (Iran) 2 April 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in GIARDINI VATICANI.


5. Pontifical Swiss Guard
✱ Read a book with a character who is or was a soldier: House of Thieves by Kaui Hart Hemmings* (Hawaii) 5 April 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review (the grandfather)
✱ Read a book with a male MC who is between 18 and 30 years old (tell how how old) OR
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in PONTIFICAL SWISS GUARD:


6. Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano
✱ Read a book set in Italy (bonus if set in Rome or Vatican City) OR
✱ Read a book with a heavily decorated or colored cover (post cover) OR
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in BASILICA OF SAN GIOVANNI IN LATERANO: Normal People by Sally Rooney* (Ireland) 8 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

Rachel’s MENA 2023 Challenge
12/12
MENA 2023
✅1. a book, fiction or non-fiction book about the Palestine conflict: Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa (Palestine) 28 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅2. a book, fiction or non-fiction based on or about MENA history: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh (Syria) 1 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅3. a book, fiction or non-fiction about Empowering women: The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah (Kuwait) 14 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅4. a book, fiction or non fiction. written by an author from Iraq: When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson (AA) 31 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅5. book, fiction or non-fiction, by an author from Al Sham (Lebanon, Jordan, Syria): Into the Wadi by Michele Drouart (Jordan, Australian author) 30 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅6. A book, fiction or non-fiction, by an author from The Arabian Peninsula- (Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates): The Pearl Thief by Noor Al Noaimi* (Bahrain) 14 Jul 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

✅7. a book, fiction or non-fiction, by an author from The Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania): In the Country of Others by Leïla Slimani* 28 Feb 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅8. a book, fiction or non-fiction, by an author from Egypt: Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi* (Egypt) 26 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅9. a book, fiction or non-fiction, by a Turkish author: The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali* (Iran) 2 April 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅10. a book, fiction or non-fiction by an Iranian author: The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar* (Iran) 17 Mar 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅11. a book, fiction or non-fiction by an author from Sudan and the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea): The Translator by Leila Aboulela (Sudan) 30 Dec 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review
✅12. a book, fiction or non-fiction by an author from the "Stan" countries or Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan) and Afghanistan or Pakistan: The Tale of Aypi by Ak Welsapar* (Turkmenistan) 8 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

Wanderlust Capital of the Month Challenge
Thailand's Capital: Bangkok
May 1, 2023 - May 31, 2023
6/6

1. Grand Palace Compound
✱ Read a book with a cover that is more than 50% green Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson 28 Apr 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


2. More Temples
✱ Read a book that deals with medicine or healing in some way: The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo* (Malaysia) 15 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review (two doctors as characters)


3. Chai Phraya River
✱ Read a book where the MC travels by water somewhere (creates a flood from river): She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (China) 3 Jun 2023 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


4. Jim Thompson House & Museum
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in JIM THOMPSON HOUSE: Otherland: A Journey With My Daughter by Maria Tumarkin* (Ukraine) 28 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review


5. Bangkok Neighborhoods
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in BANGKOK NEIGHBORHOODS: Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo 11 May 2023 (Madagascar) ⭐⭐⭐ my review


6. Street Food & Market
✱ Read a book whose author’s first & last initial is found in STREET FOOD & MARKET: The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna* (Sierra Leone) 28 May 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

A - Z Aussie Readers Challenge - Follow the Clues!
Duration: 1/1/2023 – 31/12/2023
Progress: 25/26. 7/4 AA
A to Z Aussie Readers Challenge-Follow the Clues

✅A - Read a book by an AUTHOR new to you: Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina 9 Jan 2023 4*
✅B - Read a book which you BOUGHT: Into the Wadi by Michele Drouart (AA) 30 Jul 2023 4*
✅C - Read a book with CLOUDS on the cover: The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada 5 Jul 2023 4*

✅D - Read a book which has DARK themes: Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq 2 Jan 2023 3.5*
✅E - Read a book you've been EAGER to read: The Girl with the Hazel Eyes by Callie Browning 16 Jul 2023 4*
✅F - Read a book which is FIRST in a series: Scarlet Lies by Lani Wendt Young 5 Jan 2023 3*
✅G- Read a book which was a GIFT: About A Girl, About A Pearl by Kristin Wiendenbach (AA) 2 Jul 2023 4*
✅H - Read a HISTORICAL book (can be fiction or non-fiction): The River's Song by Suchen Christine Lim 7 Jul 2023 5*
✅I - Read a book about an INTERESTING woman: The Library by Bella Osborne 29 Jul 2023 3.5*
✅J - Read a book where someone is in or has been in JAIL: The Untold by Courtney Collins (AA) 4 Jul 2023 4*
✅K - Read a book with a KNIFE on the cover: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton 26 Jun 2023 2*

✅L - Read a book where the title is written in LOWER case: Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko (AA) 15 Jan 2023 4.5*

✅M - Read a book which has a MOON on the cover: The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo 15 May 2023 4*

✅N - Read a book with a NUMBER in the title: The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley 1 Aug 2023 3.5*
✅O - Read a book with a ONE word title: Elianne by Judy Nunn (AA) 19 Jun 2023 4*
P - Read a book with a PARAMEDIC in the text (quote text and page/% number)
✅Q - Read a book which is a QUICK read - under 200 pages: In the Company of Men by Véronique Tadjo 160 pages 28 Jun 2023 4.5*
✅R - Read a book which you would RECOMMEND to your friends: Homecoming by Kate Morton (AA) 7 Aug 2023 5*
✅S - Read a book with a minimum of four S's in the title: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys 2 Aug 2023 4*
✅T - Read a book which has a TEACHER in the text: Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness by Robert Specht 22 Jan 2023 3*
✅U - Read a book with an UGLY cover (in your opinion): Frangipani by Célestine Hitiura Vaite (AA) 19 Apr 2023 5*

✅V - Read a book with a VETERINARIAN character: The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley (Spain) 26 Aug 2023 3.5*
✅W - Read a book with a WINDOW on the cover: The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird by Diane Connell 16 Apr 2023 4.5*

✅X - Read a book which has an X anywhere on the cover: The Proxy Bride by Zoe Boccabella (AA) 11 Feb 2023 4*

✅Y - Read a book which has a YELLOW title: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen 7 Feb 2023 3.5*

✅Z - Read a book with ZANY characters: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift 2 Mar 2023 3*