Saturday, 31 October 2020

November Reading Challenge Sign Up Post

As many of you are well aware, November is THE month for reading challenges, with FIVE that I know of vying for our attention.

Naturally, MY own challenge, AusReading Month gets top billing here, but I am keen to combine some of the other options, with my Australian books, if I can. 

This means being a little organised.

I'm one day early, but this will be my sign up/introduction post for all FIVE book events happening around the world in November. 

Tomorrow, the MASTERPOST for AusReading Month will go live with a linky for all your posts, reviews etc. The Masterpost will be set as the featured post on the right hand side of my blog, for those of you who use a computer or laptop, to make it easy to find throughout the month.

For AusReading Month I plan to finish and review: 

  • The Last Migration | Charlotte McConaghy (NSW on my bingo card)
  • Our Shadows | Gail Jones (WA or NSW or even VIC)
  • Stone Sky Gold Mountain | Mirandi Riwoe (QLD)
  • Elizabeth and Her German Garden | Elizabeth Von Armin (NSW or FREE)
  • Cockatoos | Brent of Bin Bin (aka Miles Franklin) (NSW)

My Australian non-fiction reads, that will double as options for Non-Fiction November are: 
  • Only Happiness Here | Gabrielle Carey (NSW)
  • Phosphorescence, On Awe, Wonder And Things That Sustain You When The World Goes Dark | Julia Baird (NSW)
  • The Golden Maze | Richard Fidler (FREE)
  • Writers on Writers: Josephine Rowe on Beverley Farmer (VIC)
  • Griffith Review 68: Getting On | various authors (FREE)

A couple of children's books are on my radar too:
  • Catvinkle and the Missing Tulips | Elliot Perlman
  • Landing With Wings | Trace Balla
  • The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst | Jaclyn Moriarty

I only have to find a book written by or in the ACT to complete two lines of the AusReading Month Bingo Card. I could reread one of my Marion Halligan books or jump in Paul Daley's Canberra? Other suggestions welcome, especially if it's a short story, essay or poet.

Non-Fiction November may be the inspiration I need to also finish these half-read books:
  • A Distant Mirror | Barbara Tuckman 
  • The Salt Path | Raynor Winn
  • Salt Fat Acid Heat | Samin Nostrat
  • White Fragility | Robin DiAngelo
  • Vesper Flights | Helen Macdonald
  • The Passenger: Japan | Europa Editions | various authors

For German Lit Month I plan to read: 
  • The Land of Green Plums | Herta Müller - a very slim book that has the benefit of also being a #ReadingtheNobels contender.

Margaret Atwood Reading Month with Naomi & Marci is the perfect opportunity to read my very slim copy of The Penelopiad. 

Novella in November has been revived by Cathy & Rebecca. A novella has a word count of 17,500 to 39,999 words. Cathy & Rebecca have added a 150 page guide to help with classification.
  • Elizabeth and Her German Garden | Elizabeth Von Armin (the latest Penguin edition comes in at 104 pages)
  • The Penelopiad | Margaret Atwood

Finally, many of you who follow my instagram account will know that November is also JACARANDA month in Australia. Sydney puts on an amazing display every year, for about 3-4 week, from the end of Oct to mid Nov.  Which leads me to my very own personal challenge for November.
  • I aim to take as many #iamreading pics with a jacaranda tree for backdrop as I can!
It has been a wet week, causing many of the blooms to drop early.
This is one of my favourite reading spots looking out over Mort Bay into Sydney Harbour.
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7 comments:

  1. Liz Dexter1/11/20

    I'm just doing Ausreadingmonth with my one book and then nonfiction November with the start and end of my TBR, so I salute your organisational skills and esp the overlaps.

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    Replies
    1. Brona1/11/20

      I do love making a list Liz. The follow through is not always guaranteed though :-)
      I hope you enjoy your Australian book choice.

      Delete
  2. Cathy746books2/11/20

    Thanks so much for the shout out Brona, I'm hoping to read The Peneliopiad too and combine some challenges! And I'll be joining in with Australia Literature Month for the first time!

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    Replies
    1. Brona2/11/20

      So glad to have you along for AusReading Month Cathy - Australian novellas will give you a great taste of what our authors can do.

      I also have Hagseed on my TBR that I would really like to get to, but I may have to save it for next year's MARM.

      Delete
  3. Naomi3/11/20

    Thanks for the shout-out, Brona!
    I tried to find an Australian novella to combine Novellas in November with AusReading Month, but didn't have any luck. Do you have any recommendations?

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    Replies
    1. Brona4/11/20

      I've gone down a rabbit hole trying to find a definitive list of Australian novellas! There is no such thing it would seem, so I am attempting to compile one (the things we do!)

      But Nick Earls has a few books that are classified as novellas, as does Helen Garner (The Children's Bach). The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough also fits this bill. David Malouf's An Imaginary Life is a novella about Ovid. The Cockatoos (now published by Text Classics) is a collection of novellas by Patrick White. I also read Springtime: A Ghost Story by Michelle de Kretser a few years ago.

      There are more and I will put together a bigger list some time this month (I hope!)

      Delete
  4. Mel u4/11/20

    You have motivated me to begin Reading though The Collected Short Stories of Shirley Hazzard .

    ReplyDelete

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