Aussie Readers discussion

Welcome to the Autumn Challenge, with a beautiful picture from Bright in Victoria to get us into the mood!



1. International Women's Day - Australian events 1.3.13 - 30.3.13 - http://www.internationalwomensday.com... - Read a book about a strong female character either fiction or non-fiction.

Clean Up Australia Day - 3.3.13 - http://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/ -
2. REDUCE - Read a book from your TBR shelf
3. RECYCLE - Read any book from the library

4. The Ides of March - 15.3.13 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ides_of_... - In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by Brutus and 60 other co-conspirators. This meeting is famously dramatized in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned to "beware the Ides of March" - Read a book with a murder or assassination in the plot.

5. St. Patrick's Day - 17.3.13 - http://www.publicholidaysaustralia.co... - Celebrate with the Irish - Read a book written by an Irish author, set in Ireland or has an Irish character.



6. Australian Labour Day used to be called Eight Hours Day - read the interesting history here: http://alldownunder.com/oz-k/date/lab... - Choose a book whose main characters are working class people, e.g. construction, office or health workers, policemen or teachers. (Make sure you mention their occupation in the discussion thread)

7. Colours of Autumn - Choose a book which has red, gold, brown, orange or yellow in the title or whose cover is primarily an Autumn colour. (Post the cover in the discussion thread)

8. Easter - 29.3.13 - 1.4.13 - http://www.publicholidaysaustralia.co... - http://www.achievesuccess.com.au/east... - Read a book that YOU would associate with Easter...explain your connection when posting your book choice:)



9. Anzac Day - 25.4.13 - http://www.publicholidaysaustralia.co... - Read a book depicting the ANZACs or anything connected to war where our Australian and/or New Zealand troops took part.



10. Mothers Day - 12.5.13 - http://www.publicholidaysaustralia.co... - Read a book depicting mothers/grandmothers and family; with a special connection to Mothers/Grandmothers:)



And finally, for those of you who read quickly and want more......

11. & 12. Finish the challenge with at least two books from your TBR list - Just because you can!!

Some links to help with your searching!

http://www.goodreads.com/search?q=str...

http://www.goodreads.com/search?q=iri...

http://www.goodreads.com/search?q=eas...

http://www.booktopia.com.au/books-onl...

CURL UP AND ENJOY YOUR AUTUMN READING!!

Yaaayyyy. I bags this spot :)

OK - have my list :)


1. International Women's Day - Read a book about a strong female character
Changeless by Gail Carriger

Clean Up Australia Day:
2. REDUCE - Read a book from your TBR shelf
Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen

3. RECYCLE - Read any book from the library
Out of the Rain: Marriage Wanted\Laughter in the Rain by Debbie Macomber

4. The Ides of March - Read a book with a murder or assassination in the plot.
Meaner than Fiction by Lindy Cameron - lots of real murders in this book!

5. St. Patrick's Day - Read a book written by an Irish author, set in Ireland or has an Irish character.
The Irish Warrior by Kris Kennedy

6. Australian Labour Day - Choose a book whose main characters are working class people, e.g. construction, office or health workers, policemen or teachers.
Web of Deceit by Katherine Howell – Paramedics and Police

7. Colours of autumn - Choose a book which has red, gold, brown, orange or yellow in the title or whose cover is primarily an Autumn colour.
A Tall Man in a Low Land: Some Time Among the Belgians by Harry Pearson

8. Easter - Read a book that YOU would associate with Easter, explain your connection when posting your book choice
Pastors' Wives: A Novel by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen - because Easter is one of the busiest times in the church calendar, and Ministers/Pastors and congregations rely on the unrecognised hard work behind the scenes of the Pastor’s wives

9. Anzac Day - Read a book depicting the ANZACs or anything connected to war where our Australian and/or New Zealand troops took part.
Katarina by Kathryn Winter – set in WWII Europe where Australian troops served.


10. Mother’s Day - Read a book depicting mothers/grandmothers and family; with a special connection to Mothers/Grandmothers
The Mothers' Group by Fiona Higgins

11. & 12. Finish the challenge with at least two books from your TBR list - Just because you can!!

The Time of the Hunter's Moon by Victoria Holt

Manthropology: The Science of Why the Modern Male Is Not the Man He Used to Be by Peter Mcallister

This is the second time you've come in first off the block Sally!!! ;) Well done...I know you love the challenges...this one will make you think:)

Hmm... Perhaps I might have to see if I can find a few books to throw at this one Brenda. I shall have a shuffle through my TBR list.

I'm sure you'll be able to find the appropriate books by the size of your TBR Lynxie;)

Ok, so a quick squizz and I came up with this list. Still a bit stumped on the ANZAC one...

1. Strong women: Tough Girl by Libby Heily ★★★

2. REDUCE - TBR shelf: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell ★★★

3. RECYCLE - the library: Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

4. Murder or assassination: The Ninth Orphan by James Morcan ★★★★

5. Luck O the Irish: A Thirty-Something Girl by L.M. Stull ★★★

6. Working Class: Next of Kin by Ann Somerville ★★★
Occupation: Policeman

7. Colours of Autumn: Forgotten Fox by Lena Horn

8. Easter: Advent by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Reason: Hunters are prevalent in the book, one must be a good hunter to get all the easter eggs!

9. Anzac Day: The Mine by John A. Heldt

10. Mothers Day: Partials by Dan Wells - not sure about this Mother connection, but unless I find something else this will probably be it.

11. TBR: Linked Through Time by Jessica Tornese

12. TBR: Monsieur by Emma Becker ★★

Wow Lynxie...how did you do THAT so quickly!!! Great list!

Quite a number of them were already at the top end of my TBR list, I just had a bit of a search and TA-DA - they fell into place quite nicely :D

Lynxie wrote: "Quite a number of them were already at the top end of my TBR list, I just had a bit of a search and TA-DA - they fell into place quite nicely :D"

I hope mine work as well when I get a chance to choose too Lynxie;)

1.Cleopatra: A Life
2.The War of the Worlds
3.To the Lighthouse
4.Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
5.The Picture of Dorian Gray
6.Singled Out: How Two Million Women Survived Without Men After the First World War
7.The Casual Vacancy
8.The Enchanted April
9.The ANZAC Book
10.Son of a Witch
11.So Much to Tell You
12. Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves

When you say Autumn, does that mean we have 3 months to complete the challenge?

Yes that'd be right Tonile. Starting from 1st March and goes through till the end of May :D

I would be completely unable to do this challenge if it was shorter!

1. Strong Women: Ru
2. Reduce: The Honey Month. Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
3. Reuse: Cry, the Beloved Country- read but nyr
4. Murder: Let the Right One In Review here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/94...
5. Irish: Angela's Ashes. Review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
6. Labour Day: Fahrenheit 451- Montag is a fireman. Does this one count?
7. Autumn: Small Shen. Review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
8. Easter: The Chocolate War - um... it's about chocolate?
9. ANZAC: Nancy Wake
10. Mother's Day: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother Review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
All of these except #9 were on my TBR list already, so yay! :)

Sounds good, I'll have to think about this for a few days.

Definitely in for this! Now to figure out what books to read :)

Great starter lists guys!! Well done...

I've added the dates above for confirmation:)

1. International Women's Day - TBC...
2.REDUCE - Graceling by Kristin Cashore
3. RECYCLE - TBC, will probably just pick something up
4. The Ides of March - Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie
5. St. Patrick's Day - TBC
6. Australian Labour Day - Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Main antagonist is a policeman...? Does this count?
7. Colours of Autumn - Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

8. Easter - 29.3.13 - 1.4.23 - TBC
9. Anzac Day - 25.4.13 - A Rose for the Anzac Boys by Jackie French
10. Mothers Day - 12.5.13 - TBC
11. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
12. Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers

Jojiwoji wrote: "1. International Women's Day - TBC...
2.REDUCE - Graceling by Kristin Cashore
3. RECYCLE - TBC, will probably just pick something up
4. The Ides of March - Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie
5..."

Good list! Yep, policeman counts:)

SOOOOOO in for this. Had a tough time finishing the Summer Challenge, but have kiddos in school and am ready to catch up with my reading!!!
Now for the fun part of.....the list!!!

Will post when I see which books make the final cut!

I know I'll definitely be reading The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest for the strong female character pick. Lisbeth Salander is bad ass. I'm getting excited seeing the first tentative lists going up but I'm too tired to plan my own today.

I'm the same Trina! Plus I have my grandson over today/tonight/tomorrow so my list won't get done for awhile!! But they are definitely looking good!

1. Strong Female Character - Déjà Dead Kathy Reichs
2. Reduce - Jump! Jilly Cooper
3. Reuse - Dead Girl Sing Tony Cavanaugh
4. Murder - Bad: The True Story of Australia's Biggest Ever Murder Investigation Michael Duffy
5. Irish Author - Whitethorn Woods Maeve Binchy
6. Labour Day - Wicked! Jilly Cooper(Teachers)
7. Autumn Colours - Virgin Earth Philippa Gregory
8. Easter - After the Darkness Honey Brown(Easter = Long weekend holidays - The main Characters are returning from a weekend holiday)
9. ANZAC - The Promise Lesley Pearse(Set during WW1)
10. Mothers Day - Handle with Care Jodi Picoult
11. TBR - Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade Diana Gabaldon
12. TBR - The King's Concubine Anne O'Brien

Excellent list Zoey!

Brenda, I'm new to the challenge thing. And I'm a slow reader. Can we choose a few of the prompts or must it be all of them if we take up the challenge? I have no hope of reading a book per week now that holiday time is over!

May I also make some suggestions for people who haven't read these books for the strong women prompt - The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Housseini. And, of course, the Millennium Trilogy. (Sorry can't tag them in a comment on my iPhone tonight for some reason). Strong women is probably my favourite reading subject!

Natasha wrote: "Brenda, I'm new to the challenge thing. And I'm a slow reader. Can we choose a few of the prompts or must it be all of them if we take up the challenge? I have no hope of reading a book per week no..."

Thanks Natasha! You can read as many or as few as you like. Choose the categories you think you can manage, and if you get them done, you can add more as you go...it's up to you. The main thing is to enjoy both choosing your list, and then reading them:)

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson

Thanks for the recommendations...good luck:)

1. Strong female character - Web of Deceit by Katherine Howell (Det. Ella Marconi) ★★★★★

2. Reduce - Tiger Paw by Charles A. Cornell ★★★★★

3. Recycle - House for all Seasons by Jenn J. McLeod ★★★★

4. Murder or Assassination - The Orchid Murder: Untangling a Web of Unsolved Murders and Legal Malpractice by Christine Hunt ★★★

5. Irish (character) - Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb★★★★★

6. Working class character - The Black Echo by Michael Connelly (Detective Harry Bosch #1) ★★★★★

7. Colours of Autumn - A Thousand Pardons by Jonathan Dee ★★★★

8. Easter - Death by Chocolate by Julie Anne Lindsey (chocolate!) ★

9. Anzac War related - The Mine by John A. Heldt ★★★★

10. Mother's Day - Fractured by Dawn Barker ★★★★★

11. TBR - Mine To Avenge by Kerry Letheby ★★★★★

12. TBR - Dark Horse by Honey Brown ★★★★★

Oh great, thanks!! I'll have a think about them and do as many as I can

I know, isn't that great (that summer will finally be over!!)

Yay! I love looking through lists and picking out what I'm going to read.

1. Strong Female Character - Graceling by Kristin Cashore

2. Reduce - The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

3. Recycle - Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales by Tamora Pierce

4. The Ides of March (Murder) - The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley

5. St Patrick's Day - P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

6. Labour Day - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

7. Colours of Autumn - Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

8. Easter - Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (because, well, chocolate!)

9. Anzac Day - A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey

10. Mother's Day - The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (hope this one is OK, it was on a listopia list about mothers)

11. TBR - The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde

12. TBR - The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop

It's fun going through my (quite extensive and getting longer by the day) TBR list and seeing how many of them I can fit into the challenge!

@Kirsten, I'm glad to see a Tammy book on your list. I was going to add Battle Magic, but then remembered it wouldn't be released in the US till October, and here till late this year. :(

Tanvi wrote: "@Kirsten, I'm glad to see a Tammy book on your list. I was going to add Battle Magic, but then remembered it wouldn't be released in the US till October, and here till late this year. :("

I haven't read any of her work before, but I've heard good things and I'm looking forward to it! :D

Michael wrote: "Your not wrong there Kirsten. Thats were all mine come from. It is just triky trying to fill all the spots. :/"

Most of these came from my TBR list, but three were a few I had to go and find elsewhere.

1. Strong Female Character The Girl in the Hard Hat by Loretta Hill
2. Reduce Stella Makes Good by Lisa Heidke
3. Recycle The Amber Amulet by Craig Silvey
4. Ides of March (Murder) The Black Box by Michael Connelly
5. St Patrick's Day (Irish) The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes
6. Labour Day (Factory Worker) The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
7. Colours of Autumn Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell
8. Easter Chocolat by Joanne Harris
9. ANZAC (NZ WWI) White Feathers. Deborah Challinor by Deborah Challinor
10. Mother's Day Summer Island by Kristin Hannah
11. TBR The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas
12. TBR Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

Love when its time for a new AR challenge! Brenda - I hope you like The Black Dahlia, I thought it was great.

Here's my list at the moment:
1. Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
2. Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard
3. Raylan by Elmore Leonard
4. Luther: The Calling by Neil Cross
5. TBC
6. TBC
7. The Cold Commands by Richard K. Morgan
8. The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah by Marc Maron
9. Kokoda by Peter FitzSimons
10. TBC
11. The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe
12. The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe

@Kirsten T&OL probably isn't the best one to start with, then, only because one or two of the stories (A Dragon's Tale and Nawat) need knowledge of her other works and the collection is pretty varied in quality. Wild Magic or First Test are the ones I always rec to beginners. Alanna: The First Adventure is good, too. Her Circle books are amazing and vastly underrated, but not everyone likes them, since they're for younger readers.

Of course, if you still want to read T&OL, go for it! :)

Tanvi wrote: "@Kirsten T&OL probably isn't the best one to start with, then, only because one or two of the stories (A Dragon's Tale and Nawat) need knowledge of her other works and the collection is pretty vari..."

OK, might have to rethink that one then... I'll have to look and see what my library has.

Rightio - that's my list completed... I updated my first post. We shall see how I go :D

Thanks Brenda for posting your list, The Mine seemed interesting.

Michael wrote: "That will be great Brenda as im getting sick of these 30 plus degree days. Rain were are you? :("

No rain yet Michael, and believe it or not, we need it! It's supposed to start tomorrow afternoon, and rain all week though:) As long as it doesn't flood!

Ben wrote: "Love when its time for a new AR challenge! Brenda - I hope you like The Black Dahlia, I thought it was great.

Here's my list at the moment:
1. Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
2. Riding the Rap b..."

I hope so too Ben, I'll be reading it soon:)

Lynxie wrote: "Rightio - that's my list completed... I updated my first post. We shall see how I go :D

Thanks Brenda for posting your list, The Mine seemed interesting."

I actually won this one Lynxie, and I'm very ashamed to say it was July last year:( But I'm glad I could fit it into this challenge:)

Absolutely wonderful lists here by everyone who has posted! Great choices, and great to look through:)

I'm going to attempt this as my first challenge, and I'm going to attempt to write in bold too! (Hope that worked!)

1. Strong Women My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

2. Reduce The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

3. Recycle Man and Boy by Tony Parsons

4. Ides of March (murder) Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

5. St Patrick's Day Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

6. Labour Day Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck occupation labourer/ranch hand

7. Colour of Autumn Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

8. Easter Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl I know it's a children's book but he's one of my fave authors, I can't believe I've never actually read this before, and Easter & chocolate go beautifully together. It's also one my son and I can read together!

9. ANZAC Day at this stage I'm thinking of reading The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally but might switch this one
11 march - changing this one to Two Brothers: A Novel by Ben Elton - I know it's a long bow but it was set during WW2, which Australian troops did take part in


10. Mother's Day The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

I won't get anywhere near 11 & 12, so won't be unrealistic in selecting books for those!

Great list Natasha:)

Left Neglected ...is this the one?

Bingo Brenda!
Thanks Michael.
Oh I forgot to say that Of Mice and Men - the occupation is labouring/ranch hand

Natasha wrote: "Bingo Brenda!
Thanks Michael.
Oh I forgot to say that Of Mice and Men - the occupation is labouring/ranch hand"

If you edit your post above, you can put the correct cover there...just put this ISBN when you search... 9780857202673 ... it will go straight to the bottom of your post, so just cut and paste it to the correct place. Plus you can add your occupation too:)

Ok thanks Brenda, I'll attempt it when I can wrestle my son off playing minecraft on the laptop, lol

Let me know if you have any trouble:)

Brenda wrote:

If you edit your post above, you can put the correct cover there...j..."

Brenda wrote: "Let me know if you have any trouble:)"

Yay! It worked! Thank you Brenda! You're the best! I owe you a drink ;)

Well done Natasha! It looks great!! I'll hold you to that drink;) lol