HelenNZ feeling positive about achieving 75 again in 2012

Well 2011 has been my biggest reading year yet. Thanks to this challenge, I have managed 78. So i hope to repeat it this year with a major focus on the teetering shelves... Happy reading to all in 2012!

My new ticker for 75 in 2012is here



1. Traitor by Stephen Daisley
2. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
3. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
4. The House Guest by Barbara Anderson
5. Peony in Love by Lisa See
6. A Soldier's Tale by M.K. Joseph
7. Morrieson's Motel edited by Gordon McLauchlan
8. White Gardenia by Belinda Alexandra
9. All That I Am by Anna Funder
10. The Evening of the Holiday by Shirley Hazzard
11. The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright
12. For One More Day by Mitch Albom
13. The Larnachs by Owen Marshall
14. Mr Rosenblum's List by Natasha Solomons
15. Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville
16. Mandarin Summer by Fiona Kidman
17. Bull Fighting by Roddy Doyle
18. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
19. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
20. The Parihaka Woman by Witi Ihimaera
21. A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry
22. Ricochet Baby by Fiona Kidman
23. In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut
24. The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
25. The Book of Secrets by Fiona Kidman
26. Music from a Distant Room by Stephanie Johnson
27. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
28. The Hopeless Life of Charlie Summers by Paul Torday
29. Beloved by Toni Morrison
30. Goodbye Sarajevo by Atka Reid and Hana Schofield
31. Good Bones by Margaret Atwood
32. The Good Mother by Sue Miller
33. Gingerbread Husbands by Barbara Else
34. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
35. In a Fishbone Church by Catherine Chidgey
36. The Girl at the Lion D'Or by Sebastian Faulks
37. The Hut Builder by Laurence Fearnley
38. Native Speaker by Chang-rae Lee
39. The Trouble with Fire by Fiona Kidman
40. Rangatira by Paula Morris
41. Sons for the Return Home by Albert Wendt
42. Potiki by Patricia Grace
43. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
44. Sixty Lights by Gail Jones
45. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
46. The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman
47. In the Mood by Laura Bloom
48. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
49. The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Bernieres
50. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
51. Going West by Maurice Gee
52. Beyond this Place by A J Cronin
53. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
54. Run by Ann Patchett
55. Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
56. The Iron Mouth by Beryl Fletcher
57. Daughters-in-law by Joanna Trollope
58. Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park
59. Christened with Crosses by Eduard Kochergin
60. Autumn Laing by Alex Miller
61. Black Girl / White Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
62. The Miserables by Damien Wilkins
63. Landfall by Nevil Shute
64. Inside by Kenneth J Harvey
65. Animal People by Charlotte Wood
66. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
67. Spirit House by Mark Dapin
68. Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick
69. Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding
70. Traveller by Ron McLarty
71. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
72. Selected Stories Katherine Mansfield
73. Lost by Alice Lichtenstein
74. Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
75. The Olive Sisters by Amanda Hampson
76. The Open World by Stephanie Johnson
77. The Forrests by Emily Perkins

Welcome back!

Glad to see you back with us again, Helen!

Happy New Year Helen.

First book read and what a beauty! Traitor by Stephen Daisley. I have read this for the ANZLitLovers January read. A great start to the year. Now back to the shelves.

Hi Helen, well done on reaching 78 books last year.

Traitor looks like a really good read. It's been added to the TBR pile.

Hi Helen! I haven't started yet on Traitor, good to hear its a good read! Will have to finish my other book quickly, or I'll be behind on discussion. Again. :)

(Psst, I'm Tania on ANZLitLovers. Nice to find you here!)

Adding Traitor to the BlackHole. It looks very good! Thanks for the recommendation, Helen, and congratulations on your reading year getting off to a good start.

Helen,

You might want to check out this blog for AUS lit inspiration should you ever need it :

http://kimbofo.typepad.com/readingmatters/2012/01/my-australian-literature-tbr.h...

Thanks Alex. Some I have read, some are waiting on my TBR shelves. I actually read more Aussie fiction last year than any other genre as I belong to the online group ANZLitLovers. I hope to achieve a better balance with homegrown fiction this year, as I have many Kiwi titles languishing on my shelves.

#2 That Old Cape Magic. A fairly undemanding read. This is the first I have read by Richard Russo and going by the reviews probably not his best.

I have not read anything by Russo yet. I think I will start with something other than That Old Cape Magic.

>10 HelenBaker: as I have many Kiwi titles languishing on my shelves.

Let me see what Ive got languishing.....
The Bone People (on the list for this year) Keri Hulme
Owen Marshall Selected Stories Owen Marshall
The Chain by Edith Campion
En Route Frank Sargeson
Tributary Rae Varcoe
Glottis, a New Writing Journal
Kalik Jack Lasenby (which Im selling at my next garage sale!)
The Mesmerist Barbara Ewing (a gift, to be disposed of as above!)

Not too bad really, what have you got languishing?

Oh Lord, I think as I head to the shelves with pen and paper! I had no idea how many...

The Trespass by Barbara Ewing
The blue by Mary McCallum
Golden Deeds by Catherine Chidgey
*In a Fishbone Church by Catherine Chidgey
Lunch with a Soldier by Derek Hansen
The Shag Incident by Stephanie Johnson
*Music From a Distant Room by Stephanie Johnson
Belief by Stephanie Johnson
Eating Peacocks by Barbara Else
The Fainter by Damien Wilkins
*The Miserables by Damien Wilkins
The House at Karamu by Beryl Fletcher
The Silicon Tongue by Beryl Fletcher
*The Iron Mouth by Beryl Fletcher
Iridescence Peter Wells
*The Hut Builder by Laurence Fearnley
*The House Guest by Barbara Anderson
*The Swing Around by Barbara Anderson
The Peacocks by Barbara Anderson
*Morrieson's Motel edited by Gordon McLauchlan
Strangers and Journeys by Maurice Shadbolt
Their Faces Were Shining by Tim Wilson
The Best of Owen Marshall's Short Stories
Harlequin Rex by Owen Marshall
Watch of Gryphons by Owen Marshall
*The Larnachs by Owen Marshall
When Gravity Snaps by Owen Marshall
Mr Allbones' Ferrets by Fiona Farrell
The Story of a New Zealand River by Jane Mander
*A Soldier's Tale by M.K. Joseph
Meg by Maurice Gee
Sole Survivor by Maurice Gee
*Going West by Maurice Gee
God Boy by Ian Cross
*Potiki byPatricia Grace
Slow Water by Annamarie Jagose
Opportunity by Charlotte Grimshaw
Wulf by Hamish Clayton
The Kindness of Your Love by Linda Olsson
The Best of New Zealand Fiction Vol.3 edited by Fiona Kidman
NZ Short Stories edited by C.K. Stead
The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King
*The Party at Siena by Jill Jamieson

43 in total and I am contemplating visiting a local secondhand store that is about to close and check that they haven't any titles I want to read. On the up side, I am pleased that approximately a fifth of my unread books are NZ titles and am glad I have created this list. Where I have several books by the same author on my TBR shelves, I have decided that I need to at least read one of each this year.
As my goal is 50 off the shelves, I will make a point of 10 being out of this list. so watch this space! Have you read any of these?
* Denotes when they have been read.

At last #3. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I thought I would use this holiday period to remove one weighty book off the shelf.

Megan check out my list of NZ titles unread. I started to read The House Guest by Barbara Anderson last night.

Looking forward to hearing what you thought about Wolf Hall? Weighty indeed! I have to say I much preferred A Change of Climate and Eight Months on Ghazzah Street to Wolf Hall. But I am plucking up courage to start A Place of Greater Safety!

Hi Helen, I have written a short review of Wolf Hall. It took some perseverance. I have A Change of Climate on my TBR shelves, so I am glad to hear it is a good read. I see you have just read Brixton Beach, another one I hope to read this year as she is one of my favourite writers.

Hi Helen,
So sorry its been so long between visits, I almost lost you there for a second! I have not read any on your list. Shame on me. I have got Owen Marshall/s collected short stories to read and would like to read Kings history of NZ someday, but have barely heard of your authors (apart from Maurice Gee and the ones I mentioned).
You have got your reading cut out for you this year. :)

Helen, that is an impressive list. I've got a couple of the titles but have not read any which is very bad of me.

Hi Helen, I've got Traitor wishlisted now. I'm not sure I've read any NZ lit so will be coming back for more recommendations.

Hi Helen, waving as I pass through. Trying to catch up on threads which isn't always easy.

Hi Helen - I've read about four on your list and a few of the other writers but not those particular books of theirs. I loved Wulf and Potiki. The blue was very good and I read A soldier's tale so many years ago I barely remember it. Annamarie Jagose was one of my daughter's university lecturers and we were both keen to read her Slow Water which won the Montana Award but still haven't got round to it. God Boy is on my list for this year and I'm keen to read something by Derek Hansen too.

That makes me feel old I remember reading God boy for school ........ funny thing we did get to read a lot of good nz authors....

I have just finished A Soldier's Tale. I had forgotten what a great book this is. That is 2 read off my NZ list, I am tempted to read another...

>25 roundballnz: I remember God Boy (from school?) too.

God Boy had a huge impact on me when I read it in the late sixties and I am almost apprehensive about picking it up again. But one day...

A much better reading month this month both in quality and quantity. I have been concentrating on the books on my shelves but the upcoming Auckland Readers and Writers Festival could lead me astray as I attempt to preread many of the visiting authors books.
I have made a start with Fiona Kidman and Roddy Doyle, but next, I am being sidetracked by a friend's book. I like to read and return borrowed books asap. This will be a change for me, an American title, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman.

Would love to get to more of Auckland Readers festival stuff - but having next week off means the likelihood is very faint ..... theme the breaks

being kept busy as all my favourite Authors are currently releasing new books .....

Hi Helen, finally found your thread and have you starred. Hope all is well for you in 2012!
Traitor looks like an excellent read.

Well I am finally one third of the way to my goal, which means I am two weeks behind.
I have had a spendthrift weekend at the Writers and Readers festival. Wonderful experience and added another 14 new books to the shelves. But no regrets. My reading recently has focussed on the authors at this event, so now I can dive back into those books accumulating dust on the shelves. I did make some lovely discoveries though, especially Sebastian Barry and our own Stephanie Johnson. I can't wait to read Jesmyn Ward and Charlotte Wood as well...

I have just noted that 10 of the 26 books I have read this year are NZ authors. I am much happier with that balance as this site is a perfect place to promote our Kiwi writers.

That's a healthy proportion of NZ authors. Looking at your list, I'm guessing that most of the ones I've not heard of are the Kiwi writers. I see you really enjoyed the Stephanie Johnson - who else would you recommend?

Hi again Jenny. At message 14 on this page I listed my unread NZ titles in January... Erhmm it has grown somewhat mainly as a result of attending the Auckland Readers and Writers Festival in Auckland last month and buying from a local dealer who specialises in NZ aithors. Who would I recommend? Where to start! The asterisked ones on the list I have already read this year and I would especially recommend both Traitor by Stephen Daisley and A Soldier's Tale by M.K. Joseph. These have a World War I theme.
For an introduction to NZ Maori, Witi Ihimaera is excellent, my favourite being Bulibasha which he told me is being made into a movie. Maurice Gee has a huge list of wonderful titles, In My Father's Den, also made the big screen. Owen Marshall is excellent and I loved his recent book The Larnachs and I must not leave out Lloyd Jones who was shortlisted for the ManBooker for Mister Pip.
From the women's perspective - I loved Elizabeth Knox's Vintner's Luck although I believe the movie was poor. Also Dame Fiona Kidman, The Captive Wife is a marvellous historical novel, then there is The Sound of Butterflies by Rachel King, As the Earth Turn's Silver by Alison Wong and Linda Olsson writes beautifully too. I could name more but...
Let me know what you think if you try some.

Back on target for my goal after a good reading month. I note that I have already read 7/10 of my New Zealand titles off my TBR shelves and another 6 acquired this year, so almost a third of this years reading has been New Zealand books. The most recent being, The Hut Builder by Laurence Fearnley which won NZ Post Book Award in 2011.

Well I have just finished reading two of this years books shortlisted for NZ Post Book Award and I remain unconvinced that these are the best books written last year. Two of them are short story collections and how you compare those with a novel I don't know. Should there be a separate category for short stories or was there a dearth of good fiction produced in 2011. I would like to know the longlist and whether The Larnachs by OwenMarshall and The Conductor by Sarah Quigley were on it, although the latter would probably be eliminated because it was set in Russia.
Rangitira by Paula Morris was beautifully presented and the story premise an interesting piece of NZ history, but I am not sure she pulled it off. Maybe my week was too busy to fully appreciate it.

Hi, Helen! I haven't run across you in a while. I always wonder about book awards. For everyone who likes a book, it seems there are a dozen who don't. Too subjective. Let me make up my own mind!

Goal achieved for the year! I am especially pleased that not only have I read 11 NZ titles off my shelves I have also read another 10 new in the door. A satisfying 21 NZ titles in all this year of the 76 in total. Time to contemplate next years reading goals.

Helen - well done for making it across the 75 divide and with so many NZ titles too. Hope to see more of you in 2013 - Happy New Year.