Aussie Readers discussion
Archive Personal Challenges 2016
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Kathryn's 2016 Reading List
Personal Challenge - Owned Books:Physical books
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5) The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez
6) Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener
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10) Tears of the Moon by Di Morrissey
11) Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie J. Davis
E-books
• iBooks:
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2) The Past and Other Lies by Maggie Joel
3) Transgression by Randy Ingermanson
4) Far Horizons by Katharine Swartz
5) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
6) The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
7) Freedom Fighter: One Man's Fight for One Free World by Majed El Shafie
8) The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan
9) A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
10) Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
11) Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
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• Kindle:
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2) A Dissection of Murder by Felicity Young
3) Georgiana Darcy's Diary: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continued by Anna Elliott
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6) The Gardener Who Could See by John Jetty
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8) The Amber Trail by M.J. Kelly
9) White Gold by Rachel Amphlett
Personal Challenge – New and Previously Read AuthorsThis part is very much a list of options, rather than definite reads I want to read this year – especially the previously read authors.
Various Aussie authors I have read before:
1) Joanne van Os
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3) Kate Grenville
4) Liane Moriarty
5) Elliot Perlman
6) Tony Park
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9) Belinda Alexandra
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11) Jo-Anne Berthelsen
12) Ian Acheson – as available
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15) Colleen McCullough
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Various previously unread Aussie authors:
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2) John Marsden
3) Geoffrey McGeachin
4) Karen Viggers
5) Inga Simpson
6) Caroline Overington - Can You Keep a Secret?
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9) Vicki Tyley
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12) Kim Kelly – The Blue Mile or Paper Daisies or This Red Earth
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14) Felicity Young – A Dissection of Murder
15) Helen Goltz -
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Various non-Aussie authors I have read before:
1) Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
2) Diane Chamberlain
3) Leah Fleming
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5) Anna Quindlen
6) Paul Torday
7) Ariana Franklin
8) Anne Tyler
9) Kate Atkinson
10) Stephen King
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12) Francine Rivers
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14) Barbara Kingsolver
15) Elizabeth von Arnim
16) Kristin Hannah
17) Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
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Various previously unread non-Aussie authors:
1) Jack London
2) Carol Rifka Brunt – Tell the Wolves I'm Home
3) Gerald Durrell - My Family and Other Animals
Personal Challenge – Books listed as potentials for challenges in other years but remaining unread:1) Lily's Leap by Téa Cooper
2) This Red Earth by Kim Kelly
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4) The War Diaries of Weary Dunlop by E.E. Dunlop
5) The Little Shadows by Marina Endicott
6) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
7) The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardner
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9) When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
10) Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
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12) Losing Kate by Kylie Kaden
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14) Bye Bye Baby by Fiona McIntosh
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17) The Spy by James Phelan
18) The Island House by Posie Graeme-Evans
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20) The Well by Elizabeth Jolley
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22) Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman
Personal Challenge – Christian fiction9/12
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2) ?Mark of the Lion Trilogy by Francine Rivers
3) ? The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers – re-read
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12) The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Caught by Neta Jackson
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Personal Challenge – New Releases6/7
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7) The Shadow Hour by Kate Riordan
Personal Challenge – Aussie Readers’ Top Authors of 20151)
2) Anthony Doerr (All the Light We Cannot See) – Brenda, MaryG2E, Carolyn
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4) Kate Atkinson (A God in Ruins) – Phrynne, Odette
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6) Barbara Trapido (Brother of the More Famous Jack) – Andrea
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8) Anne Tyler (A Spool of Blue Thread) – Odette
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12) Kim Kelly (Paper Daisies) - Brenda
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Yearly Challenge Popsugar Reading Challenge 2016 (2016 Reading Challenge Group)
Duration: 1 January, 2016 - 31 December, 2016
I am not doing all categories - I've currently decided on 25, but may increase this throughout the year.
Completed 24/25
1. A book based on a fairy tale – The Beast's Garden by Kate Forsyth - 4.5★
2. A National Book Award winner – All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld - 2.5★ – Miles Franklin Award winner 2014
3. A YA bestseller – Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight - 3.5★
4. A book you haven't read since high school – When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
5. A book set in your home state – Dead Girl Sing by Tony Cavanaugh - 3.5★
6. A book translated to English - Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky - 3★
7. A romance set in the future – Disruption by Jessica Shirvington - 3.5★
8. A book set in Europe - Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein - 5★
9. A book that's under 150 pages – Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl by Matthew Reilly - 3★
10. A New York Times bestseller – Be Careful What You Wish For by Jeffrey Archer - 4★
11. A book that's becoming a movie this year – N/A
12. A book recommended by someone you just met – N/A
13. A self-improvement book – N/A
14. A book you can finish in a day - Theodore Boone by John Grisham - 4★
15. A book written by a celebrity - ?Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale by David Duchovny
16. A political memoir – N/A
17. A book at least 100 years older than you - ?Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
18. A book that's more than 600 pages - The Claimant by Janette Turner Hospital - 4★
19. A book from Oprah's Book Club - ?The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett or Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
20. A science-fiction novel –
21. A book recommended by a family member - News From Thrush Green by Miss Read - 3★
22. A graphic novel – N/A
23. A book that is published in 2016 - The Light on the Water by Olga Lorenzo - 3★
24. A book with a protagonist that has your occupation – anyone know of any books with a dietitian as the main character? Hmmm, not likely.
If I get desperate, I may just go with The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (I’m often suggesting people add herbs and spices to their cooking!) or Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach (since I’m always asking lots of questions about patients’ alimentary canals!)
I have just read Who We Were by Lucy Neave with the main character working as a medical scientist which is what I used to do many years ago, so if I get really desperate (time-wise), I'll count that one for this category.
25. A book that takes place during summer - As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry - 3.5★
26. A book and its prequel – N/A - perhaps Roger Ascham and The King's Lost Girl and The Tournament
27. A murder mystery - Nefarious Doings - 2.5★
28. A book written by a comedian – Oh Dear Silvia by Dawn French - 3★
29. A dystopian novel – Red Queen by Honey Brown - 3★
30. A book with a blue cover - After Darkness by Christine Piper - 4★
31. A book of poetry – N/A
32. The first book you see in a bookstore – N/A
33. A classic from the 20th century – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
34. A book from the library - The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman - 3★
35. An autobiography -
36. A book about a road trip - The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes - 4★
37. A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with - I'm not as familiar with the culture of the Australian Aboriginals as I could be - My Place by Sally Morgan - 4★
38. A satirical book – N/A
39. A book that takes place on an island - The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey - 4★
40. A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy – this was definitely an enjoyable read - A Dublin Student Doctor by Patrick Taylor - 5★
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GR keyboard tips&_lt;s> and &_lt;/s> - remove _ to show what to type to strike out (replace s with b, i and u for bold, italics and underline)
♥ - to type a heart – ♥
★ - to type a full star – ★
☆ - to type a blank star – ☆
Getting organised for next year.. Love it Kathryn!
Veronica wrote: "Getting organised for next year.. Love it Kathryn!"The sad thing is that I started this list months ago... And there's a good chance that before 2016 is halfway over, I'll be starting 2017's list...!
Kathryn wrote: "and if I manage several new releases this year I'll be doing well! ..."That part's important Kathryn, as I discovered recently! I loaded my reading way too heavily towards others' recommendations this year and then found I had nothing to vote for in the Goodreads Choice Awards.
Andrea wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "and if I manage several new releases this year I'll be doing well! ..."That part's important Kathryn, as I discovered recently! I loaded my reading way too heavily towards others'..."
Yes, but I don't really care that much about the GR Choice Awards - they don't mean that much anyway, as far as I'm concerned - people don't stop reading the books just because they were published last year!! Or at least, I don't. In fact, I mostly prefer to let the hype die down over new books, although it's nice to read some new releases occasionally.
Have included my list of Aussie Readers top reads for 2015. Will have to change some, as they are in a series and I am yet to read the first in the series!
Mod
1) Helen Goltz (The Fourth Reich - #3 in the Mitchell Parker series) – Michael
2) Anthony Doerr ......
Spirits of the Ghan from me too Kathryn - absolutely loved it! One of my best for this year:)
Congratulations on your fabulous organisational skills. I'm impressed! And wish you luck - and enjoyment:)
Such a good idea Kathryn to list the books/authors you really want to read. It's so easy to get distracted during the year!
Yes, great resource lists for us to visit too Katheryn ;)
Thanks, Brenda, Carolyn and Julie. Brenda, Spirits of the Ghan wasn't on your top 5 list, was it? Or did I somehow miss it? No - I just checked - it was on your top 5 Aussie list - didn't make it into your general top 5 list! That's one of the ones I may not read exactly, but I do want to read another Judy Nunn after reading Elianne this year. If I can get Spirits of the Ghan, I'll read it, but if it's hard to get, I'll read whatever I can lay my hands on!And if my lists help anyone else, please feel free to use any books or general ideas/concepts, of course! Your Aussie author list that you did as a personal challenge for 2015 is a pretty good resource, too, Julie!!
And Julie and Carolyn, I've saved your Aussie author lists from 2014 - I used parts of them to get reading ideas for this year and for next year's list!
You're very welcome to copy any of my lists Kathryn. I've discovered so many great Aussie authors and books since joining this site :)
Kathryn wrote: "And Julie and Carolyn, I've saved your Aussie author lists from 2014 - I used parts of them to get reading ideas for this year and for next year's list!"Oh that's good to hear that they have been useful Kathryn :)
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Brenda wrote: "I kept my two lists separate Kathryn..no Aussie authors on my international list."Oh, I see - I used the top 5 2015 list as an overall top 5 including Aussie authors if they were up there with the international ones, and I hadn't twigged that you had no Aussies in your list! I've included your Aussie ones now!
Mod
I've added the Popsugar Reading Challenge to my list. It's a yearly challenge, and there are some categories that hold no interest for me, and as I don't want to add things to my TBR just to fulfil a challenge, I won't be doing those categories.
I'm loving seeing all the different Aussie Readers' personal challenges popping up, and I'm loving what I'm currently reading to finish off this year, but I'm itching to start next year's!! Bring on New Year's Day!!
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Brenda wrote: "LOL! It'll be here fast enough Kathryn!"I know!! As will Dec 31, 2016!! And then I'll be champing at the bit to start 2017's challenges!
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Wow what a list (just caught up sorry....).But i must make a case for Mark of the Lion Trilogy series by Francine Rivers. I loved them and am sure you will too :)
But a lot of great books and authors there!! Good luck!
Thanks, Katrina. I think I've read at least the first and maybe the second in the series but would like to reread them, and finish the series off!
My Popsugar Reading Challenge is forging ahead with 6/25 categories completed.Links to my reviews for all the books that I've read and reviewed so far off my reading list (including but not limited to the Popsugar Reading Challenge):
My review for Emma by Alexander McCall Smith - 3★
My review for Theodore Boone by John Grisham - 4★
My review for The Claimant by Janette Turner Hospital - 4★
My review for Nefarious Doings by Ilsa Evans - 2.5★
My review for After Darkness by Christine Piper - 4★
My review for The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman - 3★
Brenda wrote: "Emma doesn't go to a review Kathryn:)You're doing well:)"
The link works when I click on it, Brenda...
And thanks - am enjoying this year's reading!
Mod
Brenda wrote: "Oh dear, so it does! I must have clicked on the title by mistake! Time for bed I think..."Sleep tight!
Kathryn wrote: "My Popsugar Reading Challenge is forging ahead with 6/25 categories completed.Links to my reviews for all the books that I've read and reviewed so far off my reading list (including but not limit..."
You are definitely off to a great start Kathryn. At this rate you'll have most of them read by half way through the year, even less time, and can maybe add books for the other categories too. Although I guess you have other books from other challenges you want to read too.
Elaine wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "My Popsugar Reading Challenge is forging ahead with 6/25 categories completed.Links to my reviews for all the books that I've read and reviewed so far off my reading list (includi..."
Yes, but the last few books seem to take the longest! I had about 2 or 3 books remaining on a book bingo last year and it took me months to get those ones read!! And as you say, I'm already over-subscribed with what I want to read this year!
Mod
Sleep tight!"
Thanks:) I did!
Three weeks into 2016 and I think it's time to update and review my reading. I could wait for the month to be up, but I feel like doing it now!Completed so far:
My owned books -
Physical books 1/11
ibooks 0/13
Kindle 1/8
New and Previously Read Authors -
Previously read Aussies 0/18
New Aussies 3/19
Previously read non-Aussies 0/20
New non-Aussies 0/3
Previous unread challenge books 0/21
Christian fiction 1/6
New releases 0/4
Aussie Readers' 2015 Top Authors 2/13
Popsugar Reading Challenge 7/25
OK, so I'm doing OK with my physical books, my Kindle books (I need to read some ibooks!), my new Aussie authors I wanted to read (my favourite authors need some work), my Christian fiction and my Aussie Readers' 2015 Top Authors. My Popsugar Reading Challenge is blazing along. I definitely need to work on my ibooks, previously read authors I want to read more of and books listed for previous challenges that I still haven't read. It's a good thing there's still 11 months, 1 week and a few days to go this year!!
Updated to the end of February. GR tells me there are 305 days and 19 hours until the end of 2016...!!Completed so far:
My owned books -
Physical books 1/11
ibooks 1/13
Kindle 2/8
New and Previously Read Authors -
Previously read Aussies 1/18
New Aussies 4/19
Previously read non-Aussies 3/20
New non-Aussies 0/3
Previous unread challenge books 1/21
Christian fiction 1/6
New releases 0/4
Aussie Readers' 2015 Top Authors 2/13
Popsugar Reading Challenge 14/25
I've updated my challenges and reads for March.My top 3 genres for the year so far have been:
Historical fiction (35%)
Crime/mystery (20%)
Contemporary (12%)
No surprises there!
The top 3 nationalities where my authors come from are:
UK (41%)
Australia (35%), and
US (21%)
No surprises there either! I think I need to broaden my horizons...
And I've read more than twice as many female authors as male authors. Also no surprise!
Currently I'm at:
My owned books -
Physical books 1/11
ibooks 2/13
Kindle 2/9
New and Previously Read Authors -
Previously read Aussies 1/18
New Aussies 6/19
Previously read non-Aussies 4/20
New non-Aussies 0/3
Previous unread challenge books 3/21
Christian fiction 3/7
New releases 0/4
Aussie Readers' 2015 Top Authors 3/13
Popsugar Reading Challenge 18/25
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Thanks, Brenda! Yes - I'm surprised how quickly I'm getting through that one without even really trying!
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Just realised I haven't posted my reviews since mid-January! So...here we go!January
My review for Who We Were by Lucy Neave - 2★
My review for Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein - 5★
My review for The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey - 4★
My review for Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky - 3★
My review for Red Queen by Honey Brown - 3★
My review for The Yada Yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson - 4★
My review for Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl by Matthew Reilly - 3★
February reviewsMy review for A Dublin Student Doctor by Patrick Taylor - 5★
My review for As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry - 3.5★
My review for Mr Rosenblum's List, or, Friendly Guidance for the Aspiring Englishman by Natasha Solomons - 2.5★
My review for News From Thrush Green by Miss Read - 3★
My review for Dominion by C.J. Sansom - 4.5★
My review for Oh Dear Silvia by Dawn French - 3★
March reviewsMy review for The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down by Neta Jackson - 4★
My review for My Place by Sally Morgan - 4★
My review for Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight - 3.5★
My review for The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes - 4★
My review for Wings of Fear by Helene Young - 3★
My review for Song of Redemption by Lynn Austin - 4★
My review for Sunset Ridge by Nicole Alexander - 3★
My review for Disruption by Jessica Shirvington - 3.5★
Brenda wrote: "It's a pretty diverse list of books, so a lot would fit I guess:)"Yes - there are some on there I suspect I won't be doing, hence why I started with 25 as my goal, but I'm surprised at some of the categories I have ticked off. Might need to increase my goal to 30...
Aussie Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
The Shadow Hour (other topics)Duet (other topics)
So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore (other topics)
Rain Music (other topics)
Spirits of the Ghan (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kate Riordan (other topics)Wayne Jacobsen (other topics)
Karen Kingsbury (other topics)
Kimberley Freeman (other topics)
Di Morrissey (other topics)
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Plus I'd like to make sure I continue to include some Christian fiction in my reading, and if I manage several new releases this year I'll be doing well!