This year was my first year participating in the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge. I really enjoyed being pushed a bit out of my comfort zone as I explored the books on offer.]
My goal for this year was to read 12 books by Australian women, including two by indigneous authors and two by LGBTI* authors. I read 15 books, and two by indigenous authors. I didn’t meet my third goal, onlyl reading one book by an LGBTI* author (that I know of). This is because I left it right until the end to get to those two authors, and the second, Letters to the End of Love by Yvette Walker, was just not for me, and I ended up not finishing it.
I will do a better job on the diversity front next year!
Even though I didn’t quite reach my goals, here’s a list of the books I did read and review. The links go to my GoodReads reviews, which then link back to this blog. You can read them in either place.
Lucid Dreaming by Cassandra Page – 4 stars, fantasy
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville – 5 stars, historical fiction
Mirrorfall (Require: Cookie #1) by Grace McDermott – 2.5 stars, sci-fi/fantasy
Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil – 3.5 stars, contemporary YA
Captive Prince (Captive Prince #1) by C. S. Pacat – 2 stars, m/m romance/fantasy
Viral by Helen Fitzgerald – 3 stars, thriller
The Fictional Woman by Tara Moss – 3 stars, memoir/social commentary
Isla’s Inheritance (Isla’s Inheritance #1) by Cassandra Page – 3 stars, YA urban fantasy
Paper Daisies by Kim Kelly – 3 stars, historical fiction
The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf (The Tribe #1) by Ambelin Kwaymullin – 3.5 stars, YA dystopian
Am I Black Enough For You? by Anita Heiss – 4 stars, memoir
Tallow (Curse of the Bond Riders #1) by Karen Brooks – 3.5 stars, YA historical fantasy
Votive (Curse of the Bond Riders #2) by Karen Brooks – 3 stars, YA historical fantasy
The Birdman’s Wife by Melissa Ashley – 3.5 stars, historical fiction
Heat and Light by Elle van Neerven – 3.5 stars, literary fiction
As you can see, there was a lot I enjoyed, though maybe not much that completely blew me away. Next year, I plan to set the same goals and hoepfully I’ll find some real favourites!
A Keyboard and an Open Mind 