I’m hosting an AUSSIE AUTHOR CHALLENGE – Sign-Up

Challenge starts 1 January 2010 and ends 31 December 2010
2 challenge levels – TOURIST and FAIR DINKUM!
TOURIST – Read and review 3 books by 3 different Australian authors
FAIR DINKUM – Read and review 8 books by Australian authors (a minimum of 5 different Australian authors)
RULES:
1. Write a challenge sign-up post on your blog. In that post provide a link to this original post acknowledging Booklover Book Reviews and put this Challenge Button on your sidebar, linking the button to my challenge post.
2. Add your name and the direct link to your AUSSIE AUTHOR CHALLENGE sign-up post in the Mister Linky list below.
3. Decide which Aussie authors you will read in 2010, although you can change your book titles or challenge level at anytime!
4. Each time you read and review a book as part of this challenge, share this with other challenge participants by adding a direct link to your book review to the list at this post AUSSIE AUTHOR CHALLENGE Book Reviews.
5. When you have completed the challenge, add a link to your completion post here: Completion Post List
Need help deciding which Aussie Authors are going to be on your list?
To get you started, Abebooks provides a great list of Australian Authors and book titles at this LINK. Authors include Peter Carey, David Malouf, Tim Winton, Markus Zusak, Peter Temple, Shane Maloney, Kerry Greenwood, Gregory David Roberts, Frank Moorhouse and Kate Grenville just to name but a few…
Each week or two for the next few months I’ll do an AUSSIE AUTHOR IN FOCUS post, providing information about these and other popular Australian authors, the books and series they’ve written and links to their homepages and book summaries.
Aussie Authors spotlighted so far:
Aussie Author in Focus – David Malouf
Aussie Author in Focus – Michelle De Kretser
CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS:
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Cheers and thanks for hosting it too. I’m glad it’s done so well and that you’re hosting it again next year. It’s a good challenge and there probably isn’t enough people out there reading as much Aussie fiction as they should be.
I am sneaking in just before 2010 expires to say I happened to have (almost) met the requirements of the challenge at Tourist level, having reviewed more than three books by Australian authors on my blog in 2010. I look forward to participating in the challenge for 2011.
Thanks for supporting Aussie authors,
Angela Savage
Mandy – I sure am hosting the Aussie Author Challenge again next year! In fact, in the next month or so I will be running a survey to find out what native Australian animal people would like on the 2011 badge for the challenge. Stay tuned!
I wish I'd seen this blog earlier. What a great idea. I have been looking for challenges for the Aussie Readers group on Goodreads but end of August is a bit late. Are you doing it again next year?
Mandy
How did I miss this for so long? I've just stumbled upon it through #teasertuesday (which I'm about to begin). Love reading Aussie books (of course) so this will be a snip to review 8 before the end of this challenge. Great to get Aussie books out there..:) Of course, I a Fair Dinkum!!!!
Welcome to the challenge Tony! Enthralled by your blog and reviews by the way…
Fair Dinkum all the way – and I have the Citizenship certificate to prove it ;)
I am interested in giving this a go. Its been a long time since I have read anything by an Australian Author, unless of course you count childrens author May Gibbs, who I have been reading her Classic Snugglepot & Cuddlepie to my daughter.
Off to the library tomorrow…..
Thanks for letting me know about that dead link JoV – probably happened in during my renovations…
I have read every single author spotlight in your link, but the one on David Malouf is not working properly.
I recently discovered Peter Carey, a 2 times Man Booker Prize winner, surely deserves a spotlight spot! There are so many great Aussie Authors I'm discovering. Tim Winton is one whose books I will read!
I thought I sign up since March? I was surprised my name was not up there!
Here goes, I'm officially signing up now. ;)
It is late in the day for me to be starting this challenge in June but I will commit to reading 3 more Aussie books this year. Currently reading an oldie by Ernistine Hill "My Love Must Wait" about Matthew Flinders. And I want to read Peter Carey as I am slightly ashamed to say I have not read any of his books.
Thanks for hosting this challenge :)
My first review: Innocents by Cathy Coote
I look forward to reading my selections! I've never participated in a Challenge before so I am excited to do so now!
What a great idea. :)
-Lydia
http://theliterarylollipop.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/my-pledge-to-the-aussie-author-challenge/
http://www.theliterarylollipop.wordpress.com
I posted a page with ALL current reading challenges. Let me know if you want me to add any other information to your challenge. I hope it brings even more readers to your challenge!
Reading Challenges.
Rachelle (Bibliobabe)
Not sure what I'll be reading yet – I tend not to plan ahead – but I have a YA steampunk novel staring at me from the shelf so I'll start by picking it up!
As a hopefully-one-day Aussie Author myself, I think it's great to have a focus on Australian books.
I'm in and linked up. I'm currently planning to read three books: two books of poetry and The Book Thief.
Just reviewed After the Fire, a Still Small Voice by Evie Wyld on my blog below. Check it out, a great Aussie read that reminds me of Tim Winton alot.
http://www.theblacksheepdances.blogspot.com
Welcome aboard Kiwicraig! I enjoy Tara Moss's novels too – looking forward to reading her latest actually…
If you don't mind, I might join in (even though I'm from the silver and black side of the Tasman). I have a fair few Aussie crime writers in my TBR pile in front of me, including Peter Corris, Barry Maitland, Tara Moss, and several others – so it will be a good excuse for me to get around to trying them all.
Finally got my post up. I've already read quite a bit of Aussie lit so I'm going to enjoy this challenge. Thank you.
Okay, I've joined and hope to be at Fair Dinkum level. Last year was a big Aussie year for me so this year should be fun too! I'm looking forward to finding more titles on this list as well as the five I have ready to go.
Thanks for the challenge!
Amy
http://www.theblacksheepdances.blogspot.com
What the hell, I can do two aussie author challenges at once can't I?
I will aim for the Fair Dinkum level of 8 books for this challenge and for my own I am aiming for the Bloody Oath level of 12 books.
Just thought I would let you know, each second tuesday i write about a great author, and tomorrow I will be writing about Australian author Richard Flanagan. Hope you can check it out.
Thanks for hosting this fantastic challenge. I've joined at the Fair Dinkum level and I'm looking forward to everyone's reviews.
Hello,
Yesterday I started a challenge on my blog called the Aussie Author Challenge – then one of my readers sent me a link to your challenge which is almost exactly the same, but has different levels.
Its nice to come across someone with the same reading goal as me – my goal this year was to read more books by australian authors.
I have never started a challenge before so I will stick with mine even if im the only person but I will definitely keep coming back to check this out. I am glad I found your blog!!
Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention Carin! I am so pleased that Australia Post has recognised some of the authors that have been so successful domestically over an extended period in a stamp collection Australian Legends of the Written Word: Peter Carey, David Malouf, Colleen McCullough, Bryce Courtenay, Thomas Keneally and Tim Winton. So often it's sports stars that are honoured, good to see more of the arts being acknowledged for a change. Each will have their own dedicated post in my Aussie Author in Focus Series.
Did you see this in today's Shelf Awareness:
http://news.shelf-awareness.com/ar/theshelf/2010-01-22/putting_the_stamp_on_aussie_lit.html
Looks like 12 Australian authors are on a series on stamps called "Australian Legends of the Written Word". Pretty cool!
I wasn't going to do any more challenges, but I can't help myself! Besides I love Aussie Authors.
I've chosen to do the Tourist level, but might go up to Fair Dinkum if I get my other reading done by a certain time.
Im joining! I'll give the fair dinkim challenge a go, but i reserve the right to flick it down to tourist… I'll be focusing on paranormal romance, urban fantasy and fantasy… but will mix it up if i need to LOL
Mine will be at http://bookbitesoz.blogspot.com
I'm going to join in at the Tourist level. Does anyone know if Marcus Zusak has anything new coming out soon? I'm a high school librarian and love his work along with many other Aussies!
Congratulations on getting this Challenge up and running, I think it's a great idea. There's no shortage of great Aussie authors, but if you're stuck for ideas, you can visit ANZLL Books You Must Read for a list of terrific books, many with reviews on my ANZ LitLovers blog. See http://anzlitlovers.wordpress.com/the-anzlitlovers-list-of-books-you-must-read/
All the best
Lisa Hill
ANZ LitLovers, Melbourne Australia
And don't forget that Australia has some of the world's best speculative fiction writers, ranging from adult to children's literature. Just to name a few: Greg Egan, Trudi Canavan, Karen Miller, Sean Williams, Garth Nix, Sara Douglass, Jennifer Fallon, Shaun Tan, Ian Irvine,Kate Forsyth, Jackie French, Marianne DePierres, Justine Larlbastier …and I have barely started.
I'm in! I love Australian authors and I will be starting off with the Tourist level, but hopefully I will be motivated enough to upgrade to the Fair Dinkum level.
I look forward to participating in this challenge. I am aiming for the Fair Dinkum level, too. My brother has been telling me to try reading some Tim Winton so I plan to take this as an opportunity to take him up on the recommendation.
I am also currently reading a great anthology at the moment of Australian speculative fiction called Dreaming Again. I won't include it for this challenge but if anyone is interested look out for my review of it in, say, around a week tops. =)
I'm in for the Fair Dinkum challenge, with a focus on romance authors. Should be fun!
Ok I'm in! Can't wait to see what everyone is reading :-)
Welcome everyone, and Happy New Year!
We have our first review on the Aussie Author Challenge Book Review List! Kerrie has reviewed Peter Temple's TRUTH. Add the links to your reviews of books completed under this challenge to that list also.
Carin – In response to your question about Ben Rice, I think he's British. I had a quick look on Wikipedia and he was born in Britain and was named on Granta's list of Best of Young British Novelists (2003).
I'll be posting the first of my AUSSIE AUTHOR IN FOCUS series later today…
I am in for Fair Dinkum. I do have a question about a book on my own list – Pobby and Dingan by Ben Rice. Does this book count? It takes place in NSW, but the (very brief) author bio says the author lives in London. But I don't know any more about him so he might well be from Australia. I'm thinking he must be to know so much about the Opal mining industry, but I'd like to double-check. Does anyone know about Ben Rice? Thanks!
I'm in – I'll try for FAIR DINKUM level but will be restricting my choices to crime fiction. I have included the button on MYSTERIES IN PARADISE home page as well as on Smik's Reviews
I'm in too – I have no luck putting images in my side bar (it's a wordpress thing) but I have got a permanent page with this challenge featured prominently. Looking forward to reading more Aussie authors and hearing about everyone else's Aussie reads too.
I'm joining the challenge too! I think it would be un-Australian not to ;-)
Thanks for commenting on my blog…you're the first Aussie I've come across since starting my blog (but I'm sure there are heaps of us out there)!
I'll post this great reading challenge in my sidebar. I plan on reading something by Markus Zusak, Geraldine Brooks, and possibly Kate Grenville. Thanks for hosting this awesome Aussie challenge.
I am forever lamenting that I don't read enough Aussie authors. Every year I intend to do better. This challenge might actually help me do that!
Will do a sign up post asap.
Ok I will be the first to join your Challenge-I am a big fan of Marcus Zusak and Geraldine Brooks-I look forward to learning about some other Australian authors-I have posted reviews already on four books on Australian Authors on my blog