My final read for the Aussie Author Challenge showed great potential. At first, I considered changing the book after I learned the author isn't Australian after all. But, he lives in Melbourne now. And, he's won the Ned Kelly Award which is for Australian Crime Writers, so I stuck with my choice. After all, it seemed like a new series to introduce myself to featuring Sean Duffy, a detective in Northern Ireland. The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty showed a lot of promise; unfortunately, it didn't grab me. Maybe, I'd just been reading too many thrillers in a row. But, this one just never drew me into the plot, and the characters never interested me enough into their stories. I did like that the unrest of Northern Ireland played such a role in the story. But, I confess my ignorance; maybe, I'm not knowledgeable enough for all the acronyms thrown around...I got too confused with all the talk about the IRA, RUC, FRU, SF, UCsomethin', etc. And, I didn't care for the ending. 2/5
This challenge introduced me to so many fantastic Australian authors, not only the ones I read, but the others I discovered in searching for books to read and reading others' reviews. Challenge favourites: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta, Stolen by Lucy Christopher, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak, and All That I Am by Anna Funder.
KANGAROOFemale authors:
– Read and review 12 titles written by Australian Authors of which at least 4 of those authors are female, at least 4 of those authors are male, and at least 4 of those authors are new to you;
– At least 6 fiction and at least 2 non-fiction, and at least 2 titles first published in 2014 or 2015.
Male authors:
Authors new to me:
Awesome job with the challenge. I totally have the same problem if I read the same genre for too long, they tend to all sound the same and it doesn't grab me as much.
ReplyDeleteI HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE FRIENDS WITH A KANGAROO!!! Dreams do come true.
ReplyDeleteI love that you finished this challenge and it exposed you to so many new authors. And I agree with Saving Francesca and Stolen---great books.
Meri is part kangroo, too! Not that she reads, just that she bounces and I'm pretty sure she was trying to box me the other day when we were playing. It was adorable and creepy at the same time.
ReplyDeleteGreat job! And now you've discovered some fun new authors!
ReplyDeletelook at you go!! i am loving following along and finding new to me aussie authors.
ReplyDeleteYay! Congrats on earning Kangaroo status and reaching your goal! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt sucks that your last book wasn't a win, but I guess they can't all be amazing.
Congratulations! That is so fantastic. Sorry the book did not turn out to be that great. I hate when that happens! All crime novels should be fantastic. :)
ReplyDeleteYep, McKinty winning a Ned Kelly means we've adopted him. Shame this last title didn't work for you though.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on completing the Aussie Author Challenge!! Erin, you've been a fantastic participant, covered lots of genre and I know I've certainly appreciated your take on these (who unlike most of us didn't grow up in Aus). I am so pleased you've enjoyed exploring the wealth of talented Aussie authors :)
Thank you so much for hosting. I've thoroughly enjoyed discovering authors that I didn't realize were Australian and authors new to me specifically because I participated in this challenge.
DeleteCongrats on being a kangaroo, HA! I've added several of these to my "to read" list, thanks!
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