How are you going with your reading challenges so far this year? Are you beginning to sense a mid-year reading slump lurking around the corner?
Good news! The Australian Women Writers Challenge has something to help motivate you as autumn (very slowly) approaches.
We have designed two bingo cards for you to try to complete. If you are an avid AWW reader, please don’t feel restricted to only filling in one – you are welcome to fill in both!
To make it fair (and to provide a little more incentive), any book you have read and reviewed since January 2016 can be counted. If you are unable to fill in a whole card you are welcome to create your own mini-challenge and try for a line or two.
Most excitingly, thereย will be a prize draw for people who complete one (or two) cards. At the moment the prizes will only be for Australian residents but we are currently trying to source some international prizes for our overseas readers.
How to Enter
Write a wrap up post with links to your reviews andย leave a link toย it in the comments below. If you don’t have a blog you can link to your Goodreads (or similar) pages.
If you are stuck with what to do, you can have a look at a post I did for a similar reading challenge last year – click here. (Obviously, we’d prefer it if you didn’t failย any categories!)
If you would like a Word version of the cards to fill in with the titles as you go, please see the downloadable links below.
The final date for entries is 31 October 2016.
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AWW Bingo Card One Word version
AWW Bingo Card Two Word version
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About me: I live in the UK by way of Australia and blog at Orange Pekoe Reviews.ย Orange Pekoe was my preferred flavour of tea in Australia. It is like Lady Grey, only richer. Those with an interest in psychology probably have oodles to say about the factย that I am a hopeless coffee addict but have named my blog after a tea.
Haha, Kelly – I guessed your name related to the tea of course but didn’t know you were a coffee addict. Very sly I must say!
Anyhow, thanks for posting this. I’ll have to put my thinking cap on now!
When I started my blog in 2013 I felt a lot of pressure coming up with a name that I would be happy with for however long I kept the blog. Phew, luckily I still really like the name and think it suits me.
Surprisingly, you can’t easily get OP tea here in the UK – was it some nostalgia for Aussie winter nights that made me pick the name perhaps?
Anyway, I look forward to seeing what you decide is a perfect example of a ‘lost classic’. No pressure!
Haha, Kelly. I think I have the forgotten classic ready to go. I’ve been wanting to read it for a while. Now I just have to fit it into the schedule.
As for names, yes, I remember choosing my name. It’s right at the end of the alphabet which is probably not sensible if you want visibility, but since I’ve always been near the end anyhow, I’m used to that discrimination!
Despite being on a book-buying ban this year (never fear, I have a healthy stack of AWW authors in my TBR stack), I’ll do my darn best to work with what I have and complete these bingo cards!
I want to complete both bingo cards too! I have about 8 (plus three on-the-go, sort of) AWW books that I must read before buying any others. Of course, the occasional ebook doesn’t really count, does it?
Anyway, I have one hardback tome by Kate Morton I have moved house with two times that I really must read. (Why did I buy it in hardback?).
Look forward to your bingo cards!
I’m so excited about this!!
Me too! I need to find some time to sit down and fill out the cards based on my reading so far this year!
(I hope to finish both cards which at 18 books will be a record AWW year for me).
Hi Kelly, I would love to do both bingo cards as well. I have already read a few this year which would qualify and have many more chosen for my other personal challenges ๐
Do I do a wrap up when finished each book or when finished a card?
Great to hear you hope to do both cards too!
I think it might be easier to do a wrap up when you finish each card – it doesn’t have to be long, just a list of all the books and the category they meet. When you do your individual reviews you can mention that it is part of this challenge.
Of course, whatever is easiest for you works for us!
I managed all but two, one in each card. For some reason some of my links are not working?? But my reviews can be found under the book title on Goodreads.
#2016AWW Bingo Card One
Review links below:
– A book with a mystery … The Clairvoyant’s Glasses by Helen Goltz
Loved it! 5โ s
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show…
– A book by someone under thirty … The Mint Lawn by Gillian Mears * 3โ s
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1156692080?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
– A book thatโs more than 10 years old … Saving Francesca by Melina Marchett
Recommended YA 4โ s
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show…
– A book by an Indigenous author … Is That You Ruthie? by Ruth Hegarty 4โ s
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1604037318?book_show_action=false&
– Free square … Thin Blood by Vicki Tyley
For a debut novel this is fully deserving of 5โ s
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show…
– A bestseller … Fall by Candice Fox
Consistently great crime series 4โ s
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show…
– A book set in the outback … Spirits of the Ghan Judy Nunn
What a great read! 5โ s
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show…
– [x] A short story collection … Sisters by Drusilla Modjeska.
Didn’t get to this one.
– A book published this year … The Soldier’s Wife by Pamela Hart
Recommended 4โ s
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show…
#2016AWW Bingo Card Two
Review links below:
– A book set in your fav. town or city …… The Precipice by Virginia Duigan
Good writing 4โ s
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1571223027
– A forgotten classic …… Of a Boy by Sonya Hartnett
Brilliant writing by Sonya Hartnett and wonderfully sensitive narration by Humphrey Bower. 5โ s
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show…
– A book you heard about online …The Butterfly Enigma by Lorraine Campbell
What a great start to my reading year…
Absolutely loved it! 5โ s
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1463621380
– A funny book …The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham.. Dark humour… https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1412078057?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1 3.5โ s
– FREE SQUARE …. The Twisted Knot by J.M. Peace
I will certainly be looking for more from this author. 4โ s
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1654945829
– A book by someone of a different ethnicity to you ….. Winter Journey by Diane Armstrong
This book was brilliant on every level! 5โ s
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show…
-The first book by a favourite author … The Soldier’s Curse by Meg Keneally
Highly recommended.. loved it! 5โ s
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show…
– A book with poems … # A Secret Sydney by Kristine Valenzuela https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1040427082?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
-[x] A book of non-fiction … # Long Bay by Eleanor Limprecht.
Didn’t get to this one
What a great effort, Julie! I’ll see if I can sort out the problem with the links and edit them for you. Hope you’re interested in playing again next year.
Thanks for taking the time to include all the links. I’ll take a look at your Goodreads page.
I’ve been meaning to do a bingo challenge for ages but have been too lazy to organise one myself, so this challenge within a challenge is perfect for me!I’m really looking forward to seeing what books I read will fit the cards. I’m doing both since I read a fair bit that qualifies for the challenge and given that previous books read this year for the challenge can be counted towards it as well.
I look forward to seeing the books you pick for both cards. I plan to do both cards too but I wonder if I’ll get to the end and be left with one category that’s hard to fill!
Hi Kelly, Thanks for this challenge. I think I’ve completed card number one. My round up post is here: https://memoryanddistance.wordpress.com/2016/10/24/congratulations-gail-jones/
Hope you’re well.
Congratulations, Christy! Great to read how many books you’ve read and reviewed for the challenge, and also congratulations on being shortlisted for the Colin Roderick prize.
Congratulations from me too Christy! I’ve been thinking about your novella a lot the past week or so with the Calais Jungle in the news so much.
I was wondering how people were going. I just checked my card the other day BUT haven’t quite worked out properly which one to do and whether I’ll quite make it!
Congrats too on the shortlisting.
Hi Christy, I’m so chuffed you’ve completed this! There’s been a big rush at the end and I feel like I’ve missed a bit of this excitement as I’m only just catching up on it now!
I’m *almost* there!
https://elizabethlhuede.com/2016/10/26/aww-bingo-progress-report/
Hi Elizabeth, as you know I’ve been AWOL the last week and have come back to a lot of excitement about the Bingo challenge! I am reading through all the messages in order and I look forward to seeing if you get there in the end ๐
Thanks, Kelly, Only a few more short stories and I’ll have completed Card 1. I still need one more for Card 2. The first book by a favourite author has me stumped. Nothing on my own shelves, nothing in the library and I’m fast running out of time. You have the advantage of being in a different time zone!
Phew! Although I don’t know if those extra 9 hrs will help me now…
I totally forgot about bingo, it’s been such a big year. I also haven’t loaded all my reviews, I guess that will be another mid-December job.
Looking at the cards I think I failed at Bingo quite majorly but am happy to say that I did get my 50 books read. ๐
Thanks for commenting, Michelle. I should have sent out an earlier reminder! Congratulations on getting your 50 books read and I hope you’ll find the time to link the reviews. We’re celebrating 5 years next month and I’d love to think the challenge will continue to grow.
Yes, I meant to do it in my September Round-up but forgot! Next year, if we do it, we must remind people a little more
Super guilty here!! ๐ถ
I hope the Bingo challenge will continue next year too Elizabeth. Thanks for doing all the hosting this last week. I owe you a hot/cold beverage ๐
My pleasure, Kelly. You’ve had a lot on your plate! I don’t know if you received my email, but I initially thought the Bingo challenge had till the end of November. That’s why I sent a reminder to interested parties only last week. Hope to be better organised next year. ๐
50 books is really impressive! You’re allowed to let the Bingo slide this year ๐
I completely forgot about Bingo too – oops! I have completed my main challenge of twelve books, but I’m still going. I’ll do a round up post soon. Next year I’ll save a copy of the Bingo cards and put it in my diary so I remember to complete it.
Thanks for commenting, Kira. That’s a great idea about saving the cards. Just trying to finish has made me pick up a book from the library that I’ve been meaning to read and hadn’t got around to (an author under 30). Congratulations on finishing your challenge. Hope you’ve linked all your reviews so far.
Look forward to it. Thanks for remembering. I still think I’m one book short but will have a more critical look over my AWW titles to see if I can complete at least one card ๐
My attempt at #2016AWW Bingo Card One
A book with a mystery:Sarah Kanake’s ‘Sing Fox to Me’. Here’s a link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1592594211
A book by someone under thirty: Michelle Payne’s ‘Life as I know it’ written with John Harms. Here’s a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1608800395 (I hope this book qualifies. Michelle Payne is 31 now, but was only 30 when the book was published).
A book that’s more than 10 years old: Vicki Hastrich’s ‘Swimming with the Jellyfish’. Here’s a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1491530730
A book by an Indigenous author: Ruth Hegarty’s ‘Is that you, Ruthie?’. Here’s a link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1637472736
Free Square: Alison Alexander’s ‘Corruption and Skullduggery’ about Edward Lord, Maria Riseley and Hobart in the early nineteenth century. Here’s a link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1601983503
A bestseller:Rosalie Ham’s ‘The Dressmaker’. Here’s a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1490239317
A book set in the outback: Mary Durack’s ‘To Be Heirs Forever’. Here’s a link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1638379832
A short story collection: Carmel Bird’s collection of short stories: ‘The Essential Bird’. Here’s a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1616479269
A book published this year: Gillian Polack’s ‘The Wizardry of Jewish Women’. Here’s a link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1746965736
Great going, Jennifer! I’m not sure I’ve read all your reviews this year – though I very much enjoy them when I do – so I look forward to catching up on these.
An update to my list. A book by someone under thirty: Miles Franklin’s ‘My Brilliant Career’ She was 21 or 22 when she self-published this book in 1901. I’ve recently reread this book, but not (yet) written a review.
Fantastic, thanks, Jennifer.
I love My Brilliant Career. I read it this year and was really surprised at how contemporary the voice of Sybylla is. It’s a shame it’s overlooked in schools so much these days as I think it would still have a lot to offer.
Great Jennifer … love your selections. I have one of yours in my list, but in a different spot! I’ll be linking it here tomorrow!
That’s a great list! I’ve only read The Dressmaker (which I loved). Sing Fox to Me is high on my tbr pile.
Thanks Elizabeth, I would definitely consider doing this again next year ๐ I love Australian authors so it’s an enjoyable challenge for me. Not sure how I will fare because moving house and building again has/will be an added challenge…but I still need to read! ๐
Good luck with the moving and building, Julie. And yes! You still need to read.๐๐ผ๐
‘House stuff’ has what has kept me quiet in the blog sphere the last few months but I always come back to Aussie authors too. I love the whole AWW challenge and it was one of the reasons I took on my blog rather heartily in the beginning. ๐
My attempt at #2016AWW Bingo Card Two:
A book set in your favourite town or city: Mainly set in colonial Hobart:
Judy Nunn’s ‘Tiger Men’. Here’s a link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1674748400
A forgotten classic:
Mary Durack’s ‘To Be Heirs Forever’. Here’s a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1638379832
and a second forgotten classic:
Betty Jeffrey’s ‘White Coolies’. Here’s a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1671079185
A book you heard about online:
Jennifer Livett’s ‘Wild Island’. Here’s a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1772746854
A funny book:
Annette Freeman’s ‘The Bright Side of Life’. Here’s a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1596901557
Free square:
L.J.M. Owen’s ‘Olmec Obituary’. Here’s a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1553207520
A book by someone of a different ethnicity to you:
Lizzie Marrkilyi Ellis’s ‘ Pictures from my Memory’. Here’s a link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1701538216
The first book by a favourite author:
Leigh Redhead’s ‘Peepshow’. Here’s a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1609900324
A book with poems:
โSkin Paintingโ by Elizabeth Hodgson. Iโve read these poems recently, but have not yet attempted to write a review.
and another:
โJudith Wright: Collected Poems 1942-1985โ by Judith A. Wright
A collection of favourite Judith Wright poems. Some I first read in high school over forty years ago, others read for the first time much more recently. I love much of Judith Wrightโs poetry: they are part inspiration, part reminder, part comfort read. Iโve not attempted to write a review.
A book of non-fiction:
Alison Alexander’s ‘A Wealth of Women’. Here’s a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1536641802
Challenge completed Card #1 See my completion post here https://whisperinggums.com/2016/10/30/aww-bingo-2016-challenge-completed/
I know putting it together. Nearly finished Card #2 but some sticking blocks!
That’s an impressive first card! I remember reading most of the reviews over the year. I still have to put mine together but with about 30 hours left I think I can manage ๐
Bingo! Finished both cards with just two hours to spare. Thanks for the fun, Kelly. ๐
https://elizabethlhuede.com/2016/10/26/aww-bingo-updated-finished/
Congratulations Elizabeth! ๐
Thanks, Julie! It was a rush at the end, but worth the effort.
http://luvviesmusings.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/aww2016-bingo-challenge.html
Thanks for playing, Alex. We hoped all our bingo titles might be books by Australian women, but it’s good to see what you’ve been reading.
Thanks for the challenge. Here is my response –
https://theaustralianlegend.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/aww-bingo-2016/
Thanks for playing, Bill. I’m glad to see you thought highly of Sylvia Martin’s book. It’s one I intend to read.
Phew only just made it, filled one card with mostly mini-reviews.
https://kalinapier.wordpress.com/2016/11/01/australian-women-writers-bingo-challenge-2016/
Thanks for playing, Kali! Now to check out your books…