Monday 21 October 2019

AusReadingMonth Bingo



It's that time of year again.
Time to start thinking about how many Australian books we can read before the end of November.

Given how many of my favourite reading events now seem to be congregating around this time of year, I will make joining in AusReadingMonth as easy as possible.

So let's pack our bags and travel this big, beautiful land by book.

Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays, travel guides, short stories, audio and children's book can transport us to every state, city and major town in Australia.

Our AusReadingMonth BINGO card will help us plan our journey around Australia. You can use the card throughout November or apply it retrospectively to your reading year. Whatever works best for you.


Flyby Night
If time is of the essence, one book from the BINGO card may be the prefect option for you.
A quick getaway is better than none!

Backpacker
With their compact swags, backpackers need to travel light.
If this is you, simply select one line (horizontal, vertical of even diagonal) on the BINGO card and read three books about our country.

Grey Nomad
If you have more time up your sleeve join the grey nomads in their self-contained campervans as you travel around this big, brown land of ours. 
With every crossroad on the map, there's a choice to be made; you cannot do it all, so select two lines on the BINGO card to be eligible for Grey Nomad status.

The Whole Hog
If you're feeling a little touched by the sun, then the Whole Hog may be for you.
Read NINE books this November from all of the 8 states and territories plus one freebie.
The FREEBIE can be any book by an Australian author or a book written by an overseas author but set entirely in Australia.

Uluru, Nov 2010

Time is of the essence for most of us, yet how many times do we find ourselves combining multiple reading events! If this is you, perhaps the following AusReadingMonth reading suggestions will help.

Many of the books below are essay collections or memoirs, perfect for your Non-Fiction November or Novellas in November lists.

Short Story Collections 

  • Ellen Van Neerven (Heat and Light) Indigenous author
  • Robert Dessaix (Twilight of Love, (and so forth), As I Was Saying) has some fabulous short stories collections featuring fiction, essays and articles. He has also studied and taught Russian Studies throughout his career. Some of his work could help you complete AusReadingMonth, Non Fiction November and Russian Lit Month.
  • Helen Garner (Stories: The Collected Short Fiction, Everywhere I Look, True Stories: The Collected Short Non-Fiction)
  • Robert Drewe (The Bodysurfers, The Bay of Contented Men, The Rip, The True Colour of the Sea)
  • Cate Kennedy (Like A House on Fire)
  • Tim Winton (Island Home, The Boy Behind the Curtain)
  • Henry Lawson
  • Lily Brett
  • David Malouf
  • Tara June Winch (After the Carnage)
  • Bruce Pascoe (Salt: Selected Stories and Essays)
  • The Best Australian Science Writing 2019
  • Quarterly Essay
  • Griffith Review
  • Meanjin
  • Overland
  • The Monthly

Poetry

  • Omar Sakr
  • Alison Whitaker
  • Les Murray
  • Judith Wright
  • John Kinsella
  • Dorothy Porter
  • David Malouf
  • Oodgeroo Noonuccal (aka as Kath Walker)
  • Clive James
  • Kate Lilley
  • Omar Musa
  • Australian Poetry Since 1788 edited by Geoffrey Lehmann & Robert Gray
  • Australian Poetry Review
  • Australian Poetry Journal

There are OODLES more to chose from, but I've focused on the authors and/or journals I've read, for now. For my fellow Aussie bloggers - can you recommend any other collections of essays, short stories or poets for our overseas friends?

What will you be reading during this year's AusReading Month?

18 comments:

  1. I'm in. I have the latest Charlotte Wood to read and then we'll just have to see.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm hoping to squeeze in Charlotte's latest book too. Glad to have you on board Bill!

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  2. Genius! I love it!

    I can add a few short story collections: Jennifer Down Pulse Points, Melanie Cheng Australia Day, Ryan O'Neill The Weight of a Human Heart.

    Now, if I can only make this comment post, I haven't had any luck in months it seems.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish the spammers had the same problems as the rest of you do trying to post comments on blogger! I moderate ALL my comments now as the spamming has got to ridiculous levels. I'm deleting dozens of moderated comments every single day.

      Thanks for persisting though and thanks for the extra suggestions.

      Delete
  3. I should be able to read one at least! I thought about a bingo line, but pretty much every book I have here that could count is NSW... ;-) Are you counting Coetzee as one of yours yet? He'd count for SA, I guess...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Coetzee is one of ours now :-) He became an Australian citizen in 2006.
      The free bingo generator is this weird beast though, I've tried to make on twice with the FREE option in the centre and each time it after i save it - it has moved!

      I will keep trying tonight!!

      Delete
    2. Success! The new BINGO card is available with the FREE square in the middle where it belongs!

      Delete
  4. I've got Jill Ker Conway's Road from Coorain and True North, which I guess puts me in one NSW box. Between this and Non-fiction November and German Lit Month I'm in trouble!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear you! There's also Margaret Atwood reading month happening with Naomi @Consumed by Ink.

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  5. Flynn of the Inland by Ion Idriess is a definite so far. 🙂

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  6. I think my comment posted!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm going for The Whole Hog!
    Books in ACT are a challenge to find...but
    I have all the time in the world...not running a 5K
    any time soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ACT is not easy but I found this post that makes a good start - https://the-riotact.com/books-set-in-canberras-own-backyard-how-many-have-you-read/239416
      One of the Rowland Sinclair books is partly set in Canberra too - http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com/2017/10/a-dangerous-language-by-sulari-gentill.html?m=1

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    2. There’s also a list on goodreads for books set in Canberra or the ACT.

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    3. Marion Halligan lives in the ACT and if you haven't read one of hers, Nancy, seek her out. Valley of Grace is set in France. She's probably our Grande Dame of literature here. Just check her out, she's great. There are many many others though. Karen Viggers is translated into French and has sold over four hundred thousand of books there. There's Nigel Featherstone, John Clanchy, Alan Gould, plus many more including poets. Geoff Page's verse novel The scarring is a great read.

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  8. Ooooh, was this always in November? Does it coincide with a national holiday of some sort? I would like to take part but am quite preoccupied by finishing my Shadow Giller prizelist reading for CanLit, as well as hosting MARM with Naomi.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I've been doing this since 2013 (with one year off). I originally picked Nov because one of the local radio stations, Triple J, hosts an Aus Music Month every year throughout Nov. This year's Aus Music Month details can be found here

      Delete

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