Reading and Reviewing Challenges - Nearly There!

Yeah I know you don't want to hear that we are now officially into the final quarter of 2013 - but we are. So I thought it was time for another update with my reading and reviewing challenges for  the year.Unlike last year where I found myself scrambling at the last minute and reading a large pile of books in the final weeks of 2012, I am happy to report that as at this time I am running ahead of schedule. Yay!

I have read 52 books (towards my target of 55) and reviewed 36 (target 40) for the Australian Women Writers Challenge. It will be nice to end at a more leisurely pace. I haven't quite decided on my last three books but as always I know I am spoilt for choice with what is out there. The reviews list for the year continues to grow and every time I look on there I discover at least one book I've never heard of. It is so nice to have an ever growing pile of books to choose from. You can check out the list of reviews at the AWW website: http://auswomenwriters.weebly.com/index.html

For the Great Aussie Reads challenge, I am at 60 books read with a target of 65 - so once again I am pretty close. You can check out the website at http://www.greataussiereads.com

Flashback

While book number two is taking longer than planned, I am happy to announce that I have released a mini volume of three short stories entitled Flashback. At this time it is only available as an Amazon e-book but I am looking to other formats in the coming months.

Amazon link: click HERE

Book Review No 36: Blood Secret by Jaye Ford

Rennie Carter had spent her whole life running from a violent past when she arrived in the sleepy town of Haven Bay. Initially planning to stay a short while (as always), she was not prepared for the possibility of falling in love with local man Max. Life with him is so good that finally Rennie puts down some roots and allows herself to live a "normal" life for a while.

Despite her contentment Rennie is always on her guard and her instincts smell trouble when she and Max are involved in a road rage incident one evening. When Max goes missing a mere few hours later Rennie feels her old fears rushing back to grab her by the throat. Fighting her own instincts to run, she sets out to find Max but in the process realises she is not the only one with skeletons in the closet.

Book Review No 35: How To Do A Liver Transplant by Kellee Slater

It is always interesting to read about people who grow up in the same town as you did, especially those who go on to do incredible things in their life. Brisbane surgeon Kellee Slater is one of those people.

Growing up in a very average family, Kellee did not dream of being a doctor from a young age. Initially planning to become a home economics teacher, it was only on the advice of her school guidance counselor that she even applied to study medicine at UQ - the day before her university preferences were due. From that moment on Kellee's destiny was to become first a doctor, then a surgeon and finally a highly specialised liver transplant surgeon.

Book Review No 34: No Place Like Home by Caroline Overington

Having read her previous books, I am used to Caroline Overington's unique yet highly effective story telling style - so it was no surprise that No Place Like Home was told through the voice of a middle aged man. And as always she totally nails the character - in this case a Catholic Priest (and police chaplain) named Father Paul Doherty.

Father Paul gets a call about a siege that is underway at Bondi's popular Surf City Shopping Centre. It is a very unusual situation - after all things like that rarely happen in laid back (and exclusive) Bondi. What is even odder is the instigator of the siege - a former Tanzanian refugee named Ali Khan - has made no demands and seems just as perplexed by the whole situation as the four hostages holed up with him in a lingerie shop.

Book Review No 33: Closed For Winter by Georgia Blain

Elise has lived most of her life in the shadow of her sister's disappearance from an Adelaide beach one hot summer's day. Although she was on the beach too, she did not see what happened to Frances. There are no clues, no evidence - just a gaping hole in the life of Elise and her mother, a hole that continues to haunt them both twenty years later.

Elise lives her life desperately blending into the shadows, careful not to be noticed or offer an opinion. She keeps a photo of herself and her sister taken that fateful summer and replays the day in her mind over and over. Her mother Dorothy has become obsessed with missing child stories, buying every newspaper available and cutting out any similar stories.

Book Review No 32: Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi

Originally known as Amanda Rogers, Portia de Rossi had her first major movie role in Sirens with Elle McPherson and Hugh Grant. A couple of years later she had her big break in Hollywood with a role in the top rating TV show Ally McBeal. Outwardly Portia was living the dream of any young aspiring actress, but behind the scenes she was in the savage grip of Anorexia Nervosa - an eating disorder that would dominate her life for many years to come.

Growing up in Geelong, Portia (then Amanda) had dreams of stardom and was driven to try modeling while still a teenager. Although she enjoyed a somewhat successful career, Portia was riddled with self doubt - an affliction that would continue to haunt her despite her star being on the rise. Portia's other "shameful secret" was the fact she was a lesbian - something she went to extraordinary lengths to hide from the Hollywood gossip columns.

Book Review No 31: Traces of Absence by Susan Holoubeck

Still struggling to come to terms with her father's sudden death, Dee's daughter Corrie decides to defer university and spend a year in Argentina. Although the pair have a fractured relationship at that time, Dee is encouraging of this plan. Having hosted an Argentinian exchange student whose family is willing to return the favour, she believes Corrie will not only be safe and but also have the space and distance to work through her grief. When Dee receives the news that Corrie has disappeared without a trace, she is devastated and horrified at what may lie ahead.

Book Review No 30: Hindsight by Melanie Casey

Although I have read a lot of crime fiction, I have never read a title in that genre that also included a paranormal element. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Melanie Casey's debut novel Hindsight, but it didn't take me long to realise it was a captivating story that kept me involved from start to finish.

Cass Lehman's terrifying gift which allows her to temporarily experience other people's deaths (if she is in the exact vicinity it happened) has kept her locked away at her family home for much of her adult life. Living in a small town she can negotiate her way to various safe areas but does not dare venture too far afield. Yet at the age of 28 she realises she wants to experience more of the world, no matter what the consequences.

Book Review No 29: After The Fall by Kylie Ladd

Kate and Cary and Cressida and Luke are two professional couples living in suburban Melbourne. They have become firm friends over time and often socialise together. Both are still childless and are caught up in the busy lifestyle of their careers with the occasional getaway for fun. But then something happens - Kate and Luke discover a mutual attraction that quickly flares into a full blown affair. And naturally, after that, nothing can ever be quite the same again.

This story is told in an alternating POV, which allows the reader to gain an insight of all four main characters. Also the chapters are almost like diary entries in that they are raw and honest comments and answers to the questions you as the reader want to know. This weaving between characters was done seamlessly and in such a way that did not impact on the flow of the story.