ANZAC Author Reading Challenge 2016

ANZAC Author Reading Challenge 2016



Welcome to the 2016 ANZAC challenge planning thread.
I decided to take the plunge and get it started as Jill hasn't posted for a few months….and because I didn't fare so well on last year's challenge I'm taking the 'bull by the horns' and nominating a small selection of writers for the first two months -
I was going to keep it to 4 writers but as I'm keen to nominate a fantasy writer and two less available NZ writers I felt it only fair to include alternative candidates.

Nov-Dec.
New Zealand: Maurice Gee, David Hair, Laurence Fearnley
Australia: Clive James, Nevil Shute, Charlotte Wood

Sep-Oct.
Australia: Christopher Koch, Thea Astley, Kate Morton
New Zealand: Fiona Farrell, Graham Lay, Kirsty Gunn

Jul-Aug.
Australia: David Malouf, Anna Funder, Morris West
New Zealand: Owen Marshall, Sarah Quigley, Bernard Beckett

May-Jun.
Australia: Garry Disher, Amy Witting, Alex Miller
New Zealand: Anthony McCarten, Juliet Marillier, C.K. Stead

March-April
New Zealand: Hamish Clayton, Sarah Laing, Paddy Richardson
Australia: Geraldine Brooks, Gail Jones, Patrick White

January-February
Australia: Thomas Kenneally, Kate Forsyth, Judith Armstrong
New Zealand: James McNeish, Ronald Hugh Morrieson, Jenny Pattrick

Last year's challenge thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/185091

Please continue to nominate writers either for one month or a two month spread, just keep in mind availability of their books:

Jan/Feb: http://www.librarything.com/topic/211011
Mar/Apr: http://www.librarything.com/topic/219627
May/Jun: http://www.librarything.com/topic/222478
Jul/Aug: http://www.librarything.com/topic/226042
Sep/Oct: http://www.librarything.com/topic/229741
Nov/Dec: http://www.librarything.com/topic/236955

YAY! Thanks for organising us.

OK... my great intentions are yet again on display! I have Daughters of Mars by Thomas Kenneally in a box, bought as soon as it published, and since my books are coming out of the storage boxes quickly now I should be able to track it down...

Thread for Jan/Feb is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/211011

I still need to update the first few posts but will get that down asap. Please continue to nominate writers for the other months.
I made a list last year:

NZ writers to consider:
James McNeish
Maurice Gee
Joy Cowley - written several well received adult novels though known mainly for her children's books and educational readers.
Fiona Farrell
Owen Marshall
Ronald Hugh Morrieson
C K Stead
Lloyd Jones
Laurence Fearnley
Vincent O'Sullivan
Kirsty Gunn
Anthony McCarten
Paula Morris

I'm less well versed in Australian writers so am listing writers whose books are in my to read pile -
Elliot Perlman
Derek Hansen
Frank Moorhouse
Garry Disher
Thomas Keneally
Christopher Koch
Alex Miller
Judith Armstrong

Hi Kerry, I have checked my TBR shelves and have 26 NZ authors and 13 Australian Authors. These include Thomas Keneally, Derek Hansen, Alex Miller and Ronald Hugh Morrieson. I presume you want different ones to last year, so here goes.
NZ Authors
Hamish Clayton
Judy Corbalis
Charlotte Grimshaw
David Hair
Stephanie Johnson
Sarah Laing
Tina Makereti
Owen Marshall
Sarah Quigley
Paddy Richardson
Peter Wells
Judith White

Australian Authors
Geraldine Brooks
Gail Jones
Toni Jordan
David Malouf
Nevil Shute
Patrick White
Joan London
Charlotte Wood
Susan Johnson

I think all of these authors should have books readily available.

>3 cushlareads: Hi Cushla - that's great. I thought Keneally would be a good choice, he's written so many and on so many interesting topics. I've put the thread up for JAn/Feb.

>5 HelenBaker: Helen, that's a great selection. I'll let you make the selections for Mar/Apr. I've come across most on your list, though have only read a few. I have Geraldine Brooks latest, and Gail Jones made a really memorable impact when she came for the Writers & Readers festival in Auckland a few years back.

I would certainly add Maurice Shadbolt for New Zealand writers and being a selfish reader of poetry Fleur Adcock.

Australians?

Tim Winton
Miles Franklin
Murray Bail
John Birmingham
Peter Carey
James Clavell
Anna Funder
Morris Gleitzmann
Kate Grenville
Shirley Hazzard
Clive James
Elizabeth Jolley
Gillian Mears
Peter Temple
Christos Tsiolkas
Peter Watt
Morris West

and where to put Ruth Park?

Hooray! The ANZAC challenge is back!

>7 PaulCranswick: We had Ruth Park on the list last year, but I loved her - happy to read more. :)

Excellent .... will come in when I can

Some ideas for some reading, not so well known but with a Fantasy bend
The Factory world
Downmind -(amazon link as can't find it here : http://www.amazon.com/DownMind-VO-Blum-ebook/dp/B00FFGOVC2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&am... )
Trucksong

check out steam press if these interest you: http://www.steampress.co.nz/index.html

I'm here and my star has been left. I will be primarily a lurker but I'm likely to participate here and there.
Thanks, Kerry, for setting it up!

I'm a lurker also but I hope to read some of these authors. I ordered a couple of used books through Amazon Predicament by Ronald Hugh Morrieson and In Touch With Grace by Jenny Pattrick. Our library doesn't carry these NZ authors.

Added this thread to the group wiki here: http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/Groups:75Booksin2016#Group_Reads

Thanks so much, we were a bit late out the starting gate.

>6 avatiakh:
Okay. This was a tough choice. For March and April, I will nominate
NZ authors
Hamish Clayton
Sarah Laing
Paddy Richardson

The Australians
Geraldine Brooks
Gail Jones
Patrick White

That's a good selection, though I'm presuming you meant for Mar/Apr.
I've been having a look at May/Jun.
Australia:
Garry Disher
Amy Witting
Alex Miller

New Zealand
Anthony McCarten
Juliet Marillier
C.K. Stead

Good for you for starting this up Kerry! I'll definitely do my best to participate with authors already on my tbr. As such, I will give a listen to Napoleon's Last Island, which as Suzanne did such a good job of convincing me was unmissable that I rushed to spend one of my precious Audible credits on it.

I also LOVED Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth, which made my Best of 2015 list, and have both The Beast's Garden and The Wild Girl in the listening stacks, one, or both of which I'll have to give a listen to between now and February.

As for suggestions, looking at my TBR and wishlisted books available at the library, here are some nominations. Sorry in advance for having so many more Australian names than NZ ones, and also for nominating authors that were already chosen last year:

Oz:
Geraldine Brooks
Peter Carey - even if he was featured last year; he's rather prolific
Bryce Courtenay - amazing storyteller!
John Flanagan
Kate Grenville
Fergus Hume
Gail Jones
David Malouf
Kate Morton
Gregory David Roberts
Michael Robotham
Kerry Greenwood - same deal as with P.C.
Markus Zusak

NZ
Bernard Beckett
Katherine Mansfield - want to read more by her
Ngaio Marsh
Sarah Quigley

Ok, I've hummed and haa-ed and checked availability and rechecked for balance, gender and the recommendations from above and have roadmapped the rest of the year.

Jul/Aug
Australia:
David Malouf
Anna Funder
Morris West

NZ:
Owen Marshall
Sarah Quigley
Bernard Beckett

Sep/Oct
Australia:
Christopher Koch
Thea Astley
Kate Morton

NZ:
Fiona Farrell
Graeme Lay
Kirsty Gunn

Nov/Dec
Australia:
Clive James
Nevil Shute
Charlotte Wood

NZ:
Maurice Gee
David Hair
Laurence Fearnley

>15 avatiakh: Oops sorry. Yes I meant Mar/April. That's a great looking schedule for the year.

I am loving that it's in two month segments as well. Feels so much more manageable. :)

>18 HelenBaker: Thanks. I added a couple I hadn't really considered at first, Thea Astleyas she has lots of books available on kindle and Graeme Lay, his Captain Cook trilogy has been very successful and is also available on amazon.com.

>19 nittnut: Jenn, my mistake last year was leaving my challenge reading to the last week of the month or just battling too many library books. And then The man who loved children really did do me in as far as the challenge went. It took me about 3 months to finish up.

Are these authors set in stone for the rest of the challenge year, then? Including (post 14) for March/Apr (as clarified in post 15). And (post 15) for May/June, even though it says Apr/May? And as listed in post 17 for the rest of the year? Just wanted to check before I add to my spreadsheet.

Yes, sorry I followed on from Helen there but have now corrected my post #15. I took everyone's suggestions on board and then sorted through so we have a fair selection set up till the end of the year. I hope you can find some of these authors at your library.

Thanks! That let me get my spreadsheet sorted out. Still not finished choosing books, though!

I've got The Daughters of Mars from the library for the Australia representative. For New Zealand, I am starting with The Denniston Rose, mostly because we are headed to the South Island next week and it was recommended as a good look at the life of mining families on the West coast (thanks Megan - ireadthereforeiam).

I'm feeling pretty awesome and ahead of the game for now, which is good because school just started and things are busier.
I liked both the books I chose >24 nittnut: and will probably read other things by both authors. Now I have to figure out the rest...

Jenn - there's a thread for Jan/Feb: http://www.librarything.com/topic/211011

Australia's Stella Prize 2016 longlist has been announced:
The Women’s Pages by Debra Adelaide
The Other Side of the World by Stephanie Bishop
Panthers and the Museum of Fire by Jen Craig
Six Bedrooms by Tegan Bennett Daylight
Hope Farm by Peggy Frew
A Few Days in the Country: And Other Stories by Elizabeth Harrower
A Guide to Berlin by Gail Jones
The World Without Us by Mireille Juchau
A Short History of Richard Kline by Amanda Lohrey
Anchor Point by Alice Robinson
The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood
Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger by Fiona Wright

The Stella Prize celebrates Australian women’s contribution to literature.

The online book group which I belong to ANZ LitLovers, is reading two of these this year The Other Side of the World and The Natural Way of Things. They are happy to have new members and I am currently the lone Kiwi voice if anyone is interested.

The March/April thread is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/219627

The May/Jun thread is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/222478

The Jul/Aug thread is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/226042

The Sep/Oct thread is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/229741

The Nov/Dec thread is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/236955

The 2017 ANZAC challenge has been launched - http://www.librarything.com/topic/244630