Challenges 2016

I'm signing up again for the same challenges as last year:

Australian Women Writers
Eclectic Reader
Aussie Author
Goodreads - 52 books

I'll set up a page for each challenge, as before.  Fortunately I can use books for more than one challenge, though I hope not to have to do that a lot.

I have pages for  the first three challenges, and all books are counted in the Goodreads challenge so I didn't do a separate page.

Aussie Author Challenge

Another reading Challenge!  I've decided to register for the Aussie Author Challenge at the Wallaby level.  This commits me to

– Read and review 3 titles written by Australian authors, of which at least 1 of those authors are female, at least 1 of those authors are male, and at least 1 of those authors are new to you;
– Fiction or non-fiction, any genre.

The reading part won't be a problem, but the reviewing might be the challenging part.  I expect they will be quite short but helpful, I hope.

Now to go and sign up.

It's Been Quite a While

It's been quite a while since I posted here, things have been happening that got in the way of doing much on my computer but didn't stop reading.

This week I've read two very interesting books, Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parkes League, and Go Set a Watchman.  It was quite coincidental that I read them together, but it was a happy coincidence.

Miss Hazel is set in Mississippi at the start of the civil rights movement, and tells the stories of Hazel and Vida, who come together when Hazel starts drinking, crashes her car, is sent by her husband to what would now be called rehab, then requires care.  Her husband hires Vida, a black woman, to provide the care, and the two begin their journey.  They initially loathe each other, but come to share experiences and see things in a different light.  It's a very good read, specially if you like stories about developing relationships at crucial times in history.

And I thought that Go Set A Watchman is really worth reading.  Jean Louise Finch comes home to Maycomb from New York for a holiday, and while she is there she discovers that her father, Atticus, is really a person with some flaws, rather than the perfect human being she has always believed him to be.  

After these two, the big question is what to read next??

Just to show my sporting interest

I've already read one excellent book on cricket this year, Cricket as I See It, by Allan Border, and have just finished another which is just as good.

For anyone who is interested in cricket in Australia, I highly recommend reading Whitewash to Whitewash, by Daniel Brettig, the story of Australian cricket from 2007 to 2014.  This was a time of great change and Brettig tells us all about it.  He is a cricket journalist for ESPNcricinfo and uses all his journalistic abilities in this book. 

Catching up

I've been reading some books for the Eclectic Reader challenge, which I am enjoying very much again this year.  I like getting out of my comfort zone sometimes.

So far, I have read PI Crime (which is definitely well inside my comfort zone), non-fiction book about sport (also comfortable), micro-history (not very unusual but not very common either), and epistolary fiction (not really a first but not a frequent style).

I have some plans for most of the other categories, but haven't really worked out anything for Featuring Diversity yet.  What a pity I read Beloved a few years ago, that would be perfect.  No doubt I'll find something else.

2015 Challenges

I'm doing the same challenges as last year, unless I come across another one, of course.

Goodreads Challenge - 55 books
Australian Women Writers - 10 books
Eclectic Reader - one book from each of 12 categories (details on the Eclectic Reader  page)

I'll keep track of the Australian Women Writers and Eclectic Reader on their respective pages, with an occasional update here of everything.

Challenges Completed!

I made it!  I took up three reading challenges this year, and have completed them all with a little time to spare.

Goodreads Challenge - I set a targe of 50 books this year, and am currently at 59 completed, so that's well and truly achieved.  And of course will be added to before 31 December.

Australian Women Writers Challenge - 6 books to read, and 12 completed, with the chance of 1 or 2 more before 1 January.

Eclectic Reader Challenge - completed with the anthology Epic:  Legends of Fantasy. 

Bring on 2015, I'll definitely do these again.

Many thanks to Shelleyrae for hosting the Eclectic Reader this year, and I see there is a new challenge for 2015.  Time to start planning!