Book Loving Kiwis discussion

Yay for the summer! Hopefully it will provide us with more time to read, read, read...
Please suggest books for our January group reads below. Like always, I will receive suggestions up until 15 December. A poll will then be created and will run from 16-20 December. Books will be announced on 21 December.
Challenge 1: NZ
Challenge 2: Around the World - Nominate books from/set in any countries beginning with the letter 'U'.
Young Adult Challenge: Do we want one book a month or to go back to one every two months for this challenge?
Feel free to nominate one or two books for each challenge.
Happy reading!

FYI - Countries beginning with 'U'
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Uruguay
Uzbekistan

I am going to nominate Short fat chick to marathon runner by Kerre Woodham, Gareth Brown for the NZ Challenge. I am running my first ever half marathon in Febrauary and need some inspiration. Last month I attended a ladies evening where Kerre was the MC. What a hoot! I hope she can make training for my half a humerous and enjoyable experience.

I'd like to nominate Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer for the country challenge - it is set in the Ukraine.

Uganda...
Child of Dandelions
First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria: How a Peace Corps Poster Boy Won My Heart and a Third World Adventure Changed My Life

That one sounds intriguing, Angie.

Get those nominations in. I'll be making the poll on Thursday night. We need some good holiday reading.

For the Young Adult Challenge, I nominate Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. I'm also going to put my hand up for the Young Adult book returning to a challenge over two months (Jan/Feb).

3 books a month is definitely too much for me during term time, and even now I'm probably going to skip Jasper Jones this month, even tho it looks great, because I'd like to read some books of my own choice!
I'm wondering if we spread the whole 3 books over 2 months, or possibly alternate - a NZ book every month, maybe even switching between a new one recommended by the author and... er... whatever the opposite of that is, and also alternating between the YA and the country challenge. ugh, I seem to have 2 ideas mixed in together there...!

I think I get what you mean - in a nutshell, we don't have enough time to read all the challenge books and still have time for the other books we want to read! I think it is a great idea to spread the challenges over two months.
How about...?
Odd months: Around the World and Young Adult challenges set (to be read over two months e.g. Jan/Feb)
Even months: NZ challenge set(to be read over two months e.g. Feb/Mar)
Let me know what you think.

I'm going to nominate a couple of other Children/Young Adult books I think sound good. These are the group reads for another group I belong to, so the idea is that I could kill two birds with one stone!
King Matt the First and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Angie wrote: "I think I get what you mean - in a nutshell, we don't have enough time to read all the challenge books and still have time for the other books we want to read! I think it is a great idea to spread ..."

Spreading books over 2 months works for me. I haven't actually had time to read AT ALL for over a month because I've been hard at work with my editor on my own book, due for release next month. (At last!!!!!)
Even when I do have more time, a book a month is about all I can manage with work/children etc.
Hopefully over Christmas I will have more time for reading.

How about 'August' by Bernard Beckett for NZ and YA. Or 'The Half Life of Ryan Davis' by me for NZ and YA. For around the world perhaps Going Bovine by Libba Bray from USA

Polls are now open for the Around the World Challenge and the Young Adult Challenge (both for January and February). I will leave these open until 23 December. Please vote.

It is 23 Dec and the polls close today. Have you voted? If not, please do. We currently have a three-way tie for the Around the World Challenge! Even if you don't plan to take up the challenge, have your say anyway :)