Stories & Shout Outs #6

I'm just coming back in from the wilderness of a three day migraine headache binge.

I'm still not really with it or up to doing much.

My final hundred pages or so of The Fortunes of Richard Mahony are languishing, waiting for a headache free period to enjoy the home run stretch of this amazing Australian chunky classic.

Thankfully I started this post last week....

A BIG thank you and hurrah to all my fellow #AusReadingMonth readers during November.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how you responded to Australian books and authors. I loved your enthusiasm, curiosity and interpretations.

Any tips or suggestions for next years AusReadingMonth are always welcome.

Note to self - I do NOT need to post a review or piece every single day during November! I confess I feel rather exhausted - it may have been a contributing factor in the migraine madness of this week!

Also a big thank you to the girls who host Non Fiction November - I love this annual chance to immerse myself in the NF world and get lots of great ideas to tide me over until next November. (Although I have now also spotted Katie @Doing Dewey's Non-Fiction Friday meme to keep me motivated during the rest of the year.)

On to other blogging related matters:

I've often wondered why blogger folk rave so much about Goodreads. I use it a bit to keep track of what I'm reading, but I'm not super diligent about it.

When I'm participating in a readalong, I keep track of pages read and occasionally I spot a new book via someone else's feed that I save for later.

But last week I was very pleasantly surprised to find another use for Goodreads.

Thomas @Mytwostotinki sent me a book recommendation.

The Tortoises is a Holocaust story. Thomas has written a brilliant review and it is sooooo my kind of book.

It not only hones in on my Holocaust obsession, but it ticks all my women writer's boxes as well as my love of fictionalised bio's.

I was really touched that somewhere out there in blogger land, someone I've never met, but have only ever bumped into on his blog or mine, remembered that I have an obsession with Holocaust literature and thought to send me a recommendation.

Since this recommendation, I have taken the time to explore Goodreads a little more. I'm adding favourite quotes as I read them and I'm trying to be a little more interactive with comments. I've also wasted a lot of time adding the Australian book cover edition to many of the titles!

I hope to see you and your seasonal reading choices on #XmasinSummer #XmasinWinter

Happy Reading and Happy Blogging