Australian Women Writers Challenge 2018 Completed Post  

 

This year I pledged to read fifteen books – which I had completed by at least March, if not earlier. I read a total of seventy-nine books and reviewed seventy-eight – one review is due to go live in January and as a result, also counts towards my 2019 challenge. One book from this year was read in 2017, but reviewed this year, and so counts towards both years, as discussed with other AWW participants. Of these books, the majority came out this year, with a few older ones, and some that were published in new editions, such as Mary Poppins.

 

 

I read a broad range from general fiction to kids, young adult, fantasy, crime, historical fiction, non-fiction and some that mixed genres eloquently to create stories that would find a diverse audience.

 

I read picture books, entire series and some books that were just one in a series that was continuing this year. One series had two books come out, and the final book comes out next year – as I wrote this post, my reviewer copy of this book arrived, and I am now torn between diving in or saving it for January and finishing everything else first.

 

Below is a list of the books I read and reviewed for the challenge this year,

1. The Sister’s Song by Louise Allan – Reviewed in 2018 but read in 2017.
2. The Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett – Reviewed
3. Rose Raventhorpe Investigates: Hounds and Hauntings by Janine Beacham – Reviewed
4. Four Respectable Ladies Seek Part-Time Husband by Barbara Toner – Reviewed
5. The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge by Kali Napier – Reviewed
6. The Endsister by Penni Russon – Reviewed
7. Graevale by Lynette Noni – reviewed
8. Eventual Poppy Day by Libby Hathorn – Reviewed
9. Olmec Obituary by LJM Owen -Reviewed
10. The Passengers by Eleanor Limprecht – Reviewed and Interviewed.
11. Miss Lily’s Lovely Ladies by Jackie French – Reviewed
12. Surf Rider’s Club #2: Bronte’s Big Sister Problem by Mary van Reyk – Reviewed
13. Before I Let You Go by Kelly Rimmer – reviewed
14. Skin in the Game: The Pleasure and Pain of Telling True Stories by Sonya Voumard – Reviewed
15. Mayan Mendacity by L.J.M. Owen – Reviewed
16. Grandpa, Me and Poetry by Sally Morgan – Reviewed
17. The Paris Seamstress by Natasha Lester – Reviewed
18. The Freedom Finders Series: Touch the Sun by Emily Conolan – Reviewed
19. The Book of Answers: The Ateban Cipher Book 2 by A.L. Tait – Reviewed
20. Little Gods by Jenny Ackland- Reviewed
21. I am Sasha by Anita Selzer – Reviewed
22. Thunderwith by Libby Hathorn – Reviewed
23. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris – Reviewed
24. Lovesome by Sally Seltmann – Reviewed
25. Egyptian Enigma by L.J.M. Owen – Reviewed
26. The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross – Reviewed
27. Eleanor’s Secret – Reviewed
28. Australia Day by Melanie Cheng – Reviewed
29. The Most Marvellous Spelling Bee Mystery by Deborah Abela – Reviewed
30. Miles Franklin: A Short Biography by Jill Roe – Reviewed
31. The Jady Lily by Kirsty Manning – Reviewed
32. The Book of Colours by Robyn Cadwallader – Reviewed
33. Burning Bridges and Other Hobbies by Kitty Flanagan – Reviewed
34. Bluebottle by Belinda Castles – Reviewed
35. The Upside of Over by J.D. Barrett – Reviewed and Interviewed
36. P is for Pearl by Eliza Henry Jones – Reviewed
37. Into the Night by Sarah Bailey – Reviewed
38. The Yellow House by Emily O’Grady – Reviewed
39. Ella and Olivia: A Wild Adventure by Yvette Poshoglian – Reviewed
40. Kensy and Max: Breaking News by Jacqueline Harvey – Reviewed
41. Swallow’s Dance by Wendy Orr – Reviewed
42. We See the Stars by Kate van Hooft – Reviewed.
43. The Far Back Country by Kate Lyons- Reviewed
44. Beneath the Mother Tree by D.M. Cameron – Reviewed
45. The Peacock Summer by Hannah Richell – Reviewed
46. The Desert Nurse by Pamela Hart – Reviewed
47. The Gypsy Crown by Kate Forsyth (Chain of Charms #1) – Reviewed
48. The Silver Horse by Kate Forsyth (Chain of Charms #2) – Reviewed
49. The Herb of Grace by Kate Forsyth (Chain of Charms #3) – Reviewed
50. The Cat’s Eye Shell by Kate Forsyth (Chain of Charms #4) – Reviewed
51. Children of the Dragon: Relic of The Blue Dragon by Rebecca Lim – Reviewed
52. The Legacy of Beauregarde by Rosa Fedele – Reviewed
53. The Lightning Bolt by Kate Forsyth (Chain of Charms #5) – Reviewed
54. The Botanist’s Daughter by Kayte Nunn – Reviewed
55. The Butterfly in Amber by Kate Forsyth (Chain of Charms #6) – Reviewed
56. When the Lights Go Out by Lili Wilkinson – Reviewed
57. Amazing Australian Women: Twelve Women Who Shaped History by Pamela Freeman and Sophie Beer – Reviewed
58. The Honourable Thief by Meaghan Wilson Anastasios – Reviewed
59. No Country Woman by Zoya Patel – Reviewed
60. The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty – Reviewed
61. Disappearing Act by Jacqueline Harvey (Kensy and Max #2) – Reviewed
62. Fairy Tales for Feisty Girls by Susannah McFarlane – Reviewed
63. The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton – Reviewed
64. Sisters and Brothers by Fiona Palmer – Reviewed
65. We Three Heroes by Lynette Noni – Reviewed
66. Archibald, the Naughtiest Elf in the World Goes to the Zoo by Skye Davidson, illustrated by Ágnes Rokiczky – Reviewed
67. Secrets Hidden Below by Sandra Bennett – Reviewed
68. What the Woods Keep by Katya de Becerra – Reviewed
69. The Cat with the Coloured Tail by Gillian Mears – Reviewed
70. Total Quack Up by Sally Rippin and Adrian Beck – Reviewed
71. Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend – Reviewed
72. Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee – Reviewed
73. The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars by Jaclyn Moriarty (Kingdoms and Empires #2) – Reviewed
74. Archibald, the Naughtiest Elf in the World Visits Santa by Skye Davidson, illustrated by Ágnes Rokiczky – Reviewed
76. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers – Reviewed
77. Clementine Rose and the Bake-Off Dilemma by Jacqueline Harvey – Reviewed
78. All the Tears in China by Sulari Gentill – Reviewed for 2019 (to be counted as part of 2019’s challenge as well)
79. Last Woman Hanged by Caroline Overington – Reviewed

 

During the course of the challenge, I completed the Chain of Charms series, and did four check in posts across the year, charting my progress every fifteen books – the way I do this may change next year but here are the four check in posts, where you can access all but one of the reviews, as that one is only going live in the new year. There are a handful of books I know I will be reading towards this and other challenges next year, as they have already landed with me as early copies for review, but typically go up on release day as per publicity instructions. My initial goal of fifteen blew out to seventy-nine – being conservative in my goal means I can plan some reads and any others that come across are a bonus – it also lessens the pressure on trying to find that many books given I get so many from publishers, and they’re not always Aussie authors, even though I do my best to make sure this is the focus of my blog.

 

Check in posts:

 

Check in #1

Check in #2

Check in #3

Check in #4

Check in #5

Signing off for the year, so Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year

 

The Book Muse