First I’d like to say hello and welcome all my followers and likers! Please feel free to come and join in the conversation and share your thoughts! 🙂
The other day I watched “The First Tuesday Book Club”. I’ve been wanting to watch it since it first came on television, several years ago, but for some reason or another I’ve missed every episode.
I watched this one online.
I found it really interesting to see what books had reached the Top 10, as voted by viewers all around Australia, all year long. I was most ashamed to note that out of the 10, I had actually only heard of 6, and I’ve not read any of them!
The ten were:
1 – Cloud Street by Tim Winton
2 – The Book Theif by Markus Zusak
3 – A Fortunate Life by A Facey
4 – The Harp in the South by Ruth Path
5 – The Power of One by Bryce Courtney
6 – Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
7 – The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsey
8 – The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
9 – The Secret River – Kate Grenville
10 – Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsey
The top 50 Australian Books are listed on the First Tuesday Club Website and I am embarrassed to say that I have read only one of those! So the task I’ve set myself is to read at least the Top 10, over the coming year. I headed to the library this morning, and a pleased to say that I came away with Cloud Street by Tim Winton, and have ordered Picnic at Hanging Rock.
The trouble is that at the library there are many many books ( 😛 ) – not just the few I want to read right now. And over the last few weeks I have seen many other books and authors to add to my reading list, some of which I found today, while browsing. So along with Tim Winton’s Cloud Street, I also brought home A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, How to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, A Gentleman of Leisure by P G Wodehouse, and A Cat, A Hat and a Piece of String by Joanne Harris.
I’ve already started A Cat, A Hat and a Piece of String and it is, of course, fantastic. A collection of short stories by Joanne Harris, her voice is so easily recognised and I feel a sense of joy as I delve again into her stories. It’s been such a long time (several months at least) since I’ve read anything of Joanne’s and I’ve no doubt I’ll finish this book in no time!
Have you read any (or all) of these books? What did you think? (No spoilers please!) 🙂
Heather Ewings 
Hi Heather! It’s a great idea to focus on reading some Aussie books. We probably all think we’ve read a lot more than we really have! I think I’ve only read Cloud Street, The Magic Pudding, and The Power of One, from that iist. I’ll have to check out the Top 50! I hope The Thorn Birds is on it, my favorite Aussie book!
I love Joanne Harris too, but haven’t seen her anthology before. Will check it out too.
I was thinking to start a reading list for next year b/c I really haven’t read so many books this year. Have been too busy writing. But it would be great to read 1 or 2 books a week consistently…
Hi Kelly! Yes, I was thinking i should at least have read these books. Some of them were quite a surprise to me – The Book Thief is one I’ve read about a few times recently, all on international blogs, so I never realised it was Australian.
Yes! I didn’t know The Book Thief was an Aussie one either. I’ve started a reading list for 2013 – will be adding lots of Aussie books to it as I go. I have The Secret Keeper on my kindle, so might read that next 🙂
The Secret Keeper is great Kelly! I’m sure you’ll like it! 😀
It seems to be the book everyone’s reading 🙂
I’m just finishing a YA romance, then I’ll start it.
The Book Thief is amazing, it’s one of my all-time favourites. Read it before the movie comes out.
Awesome! I’ll definitely do that! 🙂