For the purposes of the AWW challenge, ‘general fiction’ is defined as fiction set post mid 1900′s, which does not fit neatly into a specific literary genre or category. It usually excludes Young Adult titles, Short Story Collections, and literary fiction which are covered elsewhere, however there is some crossover..
In 2015 there were approximately 210 individual general fiction titles reviewed by participants of the challenge.
The Strays by Emily Bitto (10 reviews), Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans (10 reviews) The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood (9 reviews), The Maxwell Sisters by Loretta Hill (8 reviews), Missing You by Kylie Kaden (8 reviews) and Season of Shadow and Light by Jenn J McLeod (8 reviews) proved to be the most popular titles reviewed.
Books with lighter themes enjoyed by reviewers included Arkie’s Pilgrimage to the Next Big Thing by Lisa Walker, The Bit in Between by Claire Varley, She’s Having a Baby by Lauren Sams, Useful by Debra Oswald, Yes, Chef! by Lisa Joy, Confessions of a Once Fashionable Mum by Georgia Madden.
Fiction focusing on domestic drama like the following found an audience The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth, It Started with a Kiss by Lisa Heidke, The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna, Claiming Noah by Amanda Ortlepp, Whiskey and Charlie by Annabel Smith and The Lost Swimmer by Ann Turner
Rural fiction continues to prove popular and amongst the years releases are The Patterson Girls by Rachael Johns, Snowy River Man by Lizzy Chandler, Runaway Lies by Shannon Curtis, The Falls by Cathryn Hein, The Homestead Girls by Fiona McArthur and The Saddler Boys by Fiona Palmer
I extend congratulations to the following challenge participants who reviewed 15 or more titles in the general fiction category in 2015 (in no particular order)
CassieHamer @ Book Birdy
Brenda
Michelle-Beauty and Lace
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out
Monique @ Write Note Reviews
The diversity of general fiction in Australian literature written by women is evidenced by the wide range of titles read by the challenge participants. I have been able to showcase only a few in this post, and recommend you browse the list of general fiction reviews listed in our database and previous round-up posts, there will surely be something you are tempted to add to your reading list for the 2016 challenge, and each month through the year you can expect I will return to showcase more fabulous general fiction titles.
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Always interesting to see these roundups Shelleyrae. I was a little interested to see Bitto’s the strays here, though I guess the last quarter of it is contemporary. Just goes to show how tricky classification is! I think it’s been covered now until historical fiction, literary fiction, and general fiction! That should give it some healthy promotion!
I liked the way you divided into categories. I think it’s the domestic drama group that most interests me! Hmmm …
It’s interesting to see that books that have been promoted in a blog tour (like Wild Wood & The Patterson Girls) doing well in the AWW challenge. It makes the others seem even more impressive for garnering so many reviews.