Miscellaneous Monday: 2011 Aussie Author Challenge

I've been feeling as if my blog is a little aimless lately, so to remedy that I'm going to start doing a few personal memes to keep me on track. Miscellaneous Mondays is the meme where I can write about new books I've borrowed/bought or cool book related things I've stumbled upon. There will be other memes as the week goes by but that's another story for another day.

To kick off the first Misc Monday (as it will now be known because typing miscellaneous is a pain in the ass) I've decided that I don't read nearly enough books by Australian authors and I'm going to rectify that by participating in the 2011 Aussie Author Challenge hosted by Booklover Book Reviews.

The idea is to read and blog about Aussie books and share your reviews with other bloggers be they Australian or International. As an Aussie I will be participating in the True Blue category, which means I am going to have to read 12 books by at least 9 different authors! I've worked that out to be roughly 2.4 books a month. That seems doable....

So far the books I have chosen are:

1. Good Oil by Laura Buzo.
2. Graffitin Moon by Cath Crawley.
3. On The Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.
4. Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres.
5. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar.
6. Solace and Grief by Foz Meadows.
7. The Outcast by Patricia Bernard.
8. Wolfborn by Sue Bursztynski.
9. The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta.
10.My Big Birkett: The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly and Completely Lost It by Lisa Shanahan.
11. Madigan Mine by Kirstyn McDermott.
12. Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody.
This is all I can think of so far. The list might change depending on whether I enjoy the book. My policy of not forcing myself to read a book I don't like still stands. Wish I'd thought of doing this sooner because I could have included Thyla by Kate Gordon and Mercy and Exile by Rebecca Lim which would have knocked off three books!

Better go get reading!

*** THIS CHALLENGE HAS BEEN COMPLETE ***

Review: Thyla by Kate Gordon

The Story:

There are only four things that Tessa knows about herself. Her name. That she is strong. That she is brave. That she does not cry. Found in the Tasmanian bush with no memory and strange scars on her back, Tessa wants to remember who she is, but something tells her that the truth is terrifying.

Through the kindness of Connolly, the police woman who found her, Tessa is enrolled in a prestigious boarding school where mean girls stalk the halls by day and even meaner things stalk the night. Connolly's daughter Cat went missing while on a school bush walk and though Tessa doesn't remember why she's afraid, she feels that there is a connection between herself and Cat's disappearance and in solving one mystery, she may find out who she is.

My Thoughts:

I am having major love for books by Australian authors right now. Thyla is no exception. Set in my dream location, Thyla is the story of convicts, Tasmanian tigers, centuries old feuds and a menace that left me reeling. Written as a journal entry to Connolly, the novel paints a realistic yet fantastical picture of what life in Tasmania would have been like during convict times. The author was very creative in her mingling of Australian animals and modern fantasy and anything Aussie is a huge plus in my opinion.
           Tessa is both an innocent and wise narrator and I really felt for her being stuck at a strange school with no one to depend on but herself. This novel is quite short but the action never stops and I found myself ripping through the pages wanting to know more about Tessa's story. Overall, I loved this book and am eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Rating:

8.5/10

What the?/Cover your eyes: Spoiler Alert

 I have real respect for authors who can make a love interest work without the character being in the novel much. Perrin is the epitome of less is more. Looking forward to seeing how this relationship progresses in Vulpi. 

My Image of Tessa: 

I know the novel described Tessa as having blondish hair, but thanks again to the cover I couldn't get the image of Summer Glau out of my head. This is how I pictured Tessa the whole way through.

* Belated note: Kate Gordon is super cool and has a blog! Her ramblings can be found here Kate Gordon.