Australian Women Writers Challenge (Design: Book’dout – Shelleyrae)
I am not a blogger who takes part in challenges, until, that is, this year when Elizabeth Lhuede set up her Australian Women Writers 2012 Challenge. It didn’t take me long to break my non-challenge rule, because this challenge focuses on my two main reading passions: Australian Literature and Women Writers. This was the challenge for me!
And so I signed up for the top level: Franklin-fantastic. This required me to read 10 books and review (at some depth) at least 4 Of them. I decided that I would also attempt the criss-crossing Genre Challenge of Dabbler which required me to read “more than one genre”. I can’t pretend that I actively pursued the “top” Genre Challenge of Devoted Eclectic which required reading “as many genres as you can read”.
This week I posted my 10th review and became the 30th person to complete the challenge (at least, my name is the 30th on the Completed section of the challenge page). I will continue – of course – to read Australian women writers and will add those reviews to the Review section of the challenge page, but in the interests of formal closure, here are my 10 books (with links to the individual reviews):
- Francesca Rendle-Short’s Bite my tongue (Fictional memoir)
- Dorothy Porter’s On passion (Essay)
- Gillian Mears’ Foal’s bread (Literary fiction)
- Anna Krien’s Us and them: On the importance of animals (Essay)
- Merlinda Bobis’ Fish-hair woman (Literary fiction)
- Deborah Robertson’s Sweet old world (Literary fiction)
- Susan Johnson’s Life in seven mistakes (Literary fiction)
- Catherine McNamara’s The divorced lady’s companion to living in Italy (Mature woman’s chicklit)
- Elizabeth Harrower’s The watch tower (Australian classic)
- Jeanine Leane’s Purple threads (Indigenous Australian literary fiction)
See! More than one genre, but I’d be cheeky to claim Devoted Eclectic. I hope, however, that Elizabeth (a true devoted eclectic) is happy. I certainly thank her for this great initiative. It’s been fun and has certainly attracted a lot of interest. If you haven’t taken part, there’s time yet: Australian Women Writers 2012 Challenge.
Whispering Gums 
Congratulations on completing the challenge, Sue. Your contribution has been much appreciated. What a great list of books! I’m so glad you’ll continue reading and reviewing, and adding your links to the challenge page.
Is there a chance you’ll read some YA fiction? I just found a review of a book described as Literary/YA, Jessica Au’s Cargo, and wondered if it might interest you. There there was another mentioned on today’s AWW blog, a YA Sci-Fi Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by a Perth indigenous author Ambelin Kwaymullina ~ but perhaps that’s *too* eclectic for you?
Thanks Elizabeth … it’s a pleasure being part of it (even if you are cheeky about my lack of eclecticism!). I’m not really into YA now — I read a little when my kids were teens — though that Jessica Au title sounds interesting. I think The book thief was probably marketed as Literary/YA and I loved that. Right now though I’m flat chat with books lined up — a few men and a South African woman, along with a couple of Aussie women. (Currenlty reading Brenda Niall’s biography, True north, which I’ll add to the challenge when I’ve finished it.)
I love the idea of a challenge, but would I be reliable? It seems I often read from the same family of writers – it would probably be good to be pushed beyond methinks. How lovely to be on your list!
Ah, Catherine, that’s why I don’t usually do challenges. I wouldn’t be reliable so what would be the point? I’m glad to have you on my list … it was a fun read and it helped my eclecticism!
Congratulations, Sue!
My NY Resolution this year was *not* to do any challenges this year and (so far) I’ve stuck to it! (Not like the other one, which was to stop buying books till I’ve cleared some space on my library shelves LOL.)
Lisa, that “so far” tempts me to ask: could we perhaps persuade you to join up to the AWW challenge after all? There’s still plenty of time. You could count the AWW books you’ve already reviewed this year toward the challenge. The advantage would be they’d be entered on the AWW website for anyone who comes looking.
I’d be very glad of your contribution. I’ve been checking out the reviews according to genre, and the reviews of popular fiction and fantasy vastly outnumber those of literary fiction.
*chuckle* Get thee behind me Satan!
No, seriously, Elizabeth, I used to enjoy challenges but they became a burden to me and they interfered with long term goals like reading all the MF winners and the Nobels etc so I made a conscious decision not to join any this year. My reading is my hobby not something I want to have committments to, especially not this year when I am under so much pressure at work.
But, please, feel free to add links and brief extracts from any of my reviews to your database, you’re most welcome to do that:)
Ah Lisa … I did notice you weren’t doing challenges this year. The thing is that this one really isn’t a challenge given what you and I read … which is why I decided to join in. It was a no-brainer (not the challenge, Elizabeth, which is a very brainy one, just my decision!) because I knew I’d complete it without trying.
Well done on completing the challenge!
Thanks Marg … It was a good’un.
Congrats on finishing the challenge and thanks for all the wonderful reviews. A few of those titles got added to my TBR list 🙂
Thanks Stefanie. I don’t think I want to know the length of your TBR.
You are a reading MACHINE. A machine. But a pretty machine.
Hmmm … I think not, on both counts (though perhaps I might be prettier than some machines.) But thanks!
Congratulations Sue on completing the challenge!
Thanks Shelleyrae … it’s a good challenge, eh?