Aussie Readers discussion

Join the Aussie Readers Summer Reading Challenge! You have to select books for at least five or up to the whole 10 of the challenge questions. Copy/paste the questions into a new 'comments' box and write the name of the books you've chosen.

Once you've read the book, edit your message and write 'finished' next to the book's name. The challenge starts on the 1st December 2010 and finishes the 28th February 2011. Good Luck!!

1. Celebrate Australia! Choose one book from our Aussie Readers group bookshelf from your preferred genre shelf)

2. Lighten the load! We’ve all been complaining about it. Those mountainous TBR shelves! Choose one book from your TBR list.

3. Choose a book that’s been made into (or referenced in) a movie, TV series or play. Find suggestions in these 카지노싸이트 Listopia lists or here in this list of

4. Choose a book with a word related to Summer in the title (e.g. Summer, heat, beach, holidays etc., I‘m sure you can think of many examples)

5. Oprah’s visiting Australia in December. Pick a book from one of the following two Oprah Book Lists: or . Can't stand Oprah's taste in Books? Then just choose a book with a title starting with the letter 'O'.

6. A few of our group members have just had a baby or are due any second! To help them celebrate choose a new release book from 2010 or 2011 to read. Check out the new ’New Releases Feature‘ from 카지노싸이트 for ideas.

7. Uh Oh!! It’s Schoolies week!!!! Lock up your kids and choose a YA novel to read or a book that features some teenage characters. Lists with YA books.

8. Ho Ho Ho! Santa’s on his way… Choose a book that has a Christmas/Winter theme or reference to Christmas/Winter/Cold/Ice/Snow in the Title, story or cover. Find some suggestions here.

9. Have you checked out the excellent ? Type in the name of a favourite author, choose the author closest to him/her and select one of their books to read.

10. It’s Valentine’s Day in February! Choose a book with a touch of Romance. You'll be sure to find one you like from these 카지노싸이트 Listopia lists. But feel free to interpret 'Romance' however you want. Could be romance, bromance, love of family or friends, love of a cause, country or even God. As long as it's a significant theme in the story it's OK.:)

Here's my list, although it'll probably change, depending on my mood when it's time to start reading Some of these are rereads but all of them will be new reviews.

1. Celebrate Australia! Scary Kisses (Anthology)
2. Lighten the load! Roses by Leila Meacham
3. Choose a book that’s been made into a movie, TV series or play - Last Ride by Denise Young
4. Choose a book with a word related to Summer in the title - TBC
5. Oprah’s list - The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender - FINISHED (review to follow)
6. New Release - Fall Girl by Toni Jordan
7. It’s Schoolies week! FINISHED ()
8. Ho Ho Ho! A Christmas Carol by Kathleen O'Reilly - FINISHED ()
9. Literature Map - (closest to Kathleen O'Reilly) REREAD FINISHED
10. Valentine’s Day - Poison Kissed by Erica Hayes FINISHED

Wow, that was quick Kat.

I was only going to go for 5 but I realise I should have plenty of time to read over Christmas.

I got a bit excited. :D The Oprah one stumped me a bit. I can't promise I'll actually finish the book.

I won't tell anyone. :D

1. Celebrate Australia! Choose one book from our Aussie Readers group bookshelf from your preferred genre shelf)
Childrens Bookshelf
http://www.africa-eu.com/book/show/14... The Shadow Thief
Adornetto, Alexandra

2. Lighten the load! We’ve all been complaining about it. Those mountainous TBR shelves! Choose one book from your TBR list.
The River King
author
Hoffman, Alice

3. Choose a book that’s been made into (or referenced in) a movie, TV series or play. Find suggestions in these 카지노싸이트 Listopia lists.

Shooting the Past
author
Poliakoff, Stephen
avg rating

4. Choose a book with a word related to Summer in the title (e.g. Summer, heat, beach, holidays etc., I‘m sure you can think of many examples)

5. Oprah’s visiting Australia in December. Pick a book from one of the following two Oprah Book Lists:
Complete List of Oprah‘s Book Club Books or ‘O’ Magazine’s Summer Reading List 2010 (20 books).

A Lesson Before Dying
by Ernest J. Gaines
The Reader
by Bernhard Schlink, Carol Brown Janeway (Translator)

6. A few of our group members have just had a baby or are due any second! To help them celebrate choose a book with the word ‘baby’ in the title or a picture of a baby on the cover.

7. Uh Oh!! It’s Schoolies week!!!! Lock up your kids and choose a YA novel to read or a book that features some teenage characters. Lists with YA books.

Missing Sisters
by Gregory Maguire

8. Ho Ho Ho! Santa’s on his way… Choose a book that has a Christmas theme or reference to Christmas in the Title, story or cover. Find some suggestions here.

Moominland Midwinter (Moomin Books)
by Tove Jansson

The First Noel: A Christmas Carousel
by Jan Pienkowski

9. Have you checked out the excellent Literature Map Website? Type in the name of a favourite author, choose the author closest to him/her and select one of their books to read.
Alice Hoffman
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett


10. It’s Valentine’s Day in February! Choose a book with a touch of Romance. You'll be sure to find one you like from these 카지노싸이트 Listopia lists.

1. Celebrate Australia - The Accidental Wedding
2. TBR - Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love
3. Movie/TV - Let the Right One In
4. Summer theme - Embers
5. Oprah - Words That Matter
6. New Release - Archangel's Consort (Feb 2011)
7. YA - Burnt Snow
8. Xmas theme - Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night (that's a re-read for me)
9. Literature Map - Dreams of a Dark Warrior (via Gena Showalter - Feb 2011)
10. Romance - When Beauty Tamed the Beast

FYI (for anyone who noticed)
I changed the initial wording of Question #6 because it was too difficult and restrictive. It used to say 'find a book with the word baby in the title' but it's changed to find a 'new release'.

It's so hard to choose, halfway through choosing my books...

Amber wrote: "It's so hard to choose, halfway through choosing my books..."

Take as much time as you need. You have several months to complete the challenge so you could even write up your list in February!!

1. Celebrate Australia - The Death of Bunny Munro
2. Lighten the load - It's Not the Winning That Counts: The Most Inspiring Moments of Sporting Chivalry
3. Book turned film - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
4. Title related to summer - On the Beach
5. Oprah's Book Club - TBC
6. New Release - Kraken
7. YA title - TBC
8. Ho Ho Ho - I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas
9. Literature Map - Terminal World (Alastair Reynolds via Peter F. Hamilton)
10. Valentine’s Day - TBC

Mandy wrote: "1. Fall Girl
5. Words That Matter"

I wanted to choose the same book for #5 but it wasn't in my library. Looking forward to your review of that one!

And yay, we have a book in common!

Kat at Book Thingo wrote: "Mandy wrote: "1. Fall Girl
5. Words That Matter"

I wanted to choose the same book for #5 but it wasn't in my library. Looking forward to your review of that one!

An..."

Fall Girl's been at the top of my Aussie TBR list for a while... So many good reviews! I chose Words that Matter because it's a collection of quotes (which I love - I have so many on my GR profile!) and I thought it would be quick and easy to read.:)

Yeah, that's why I was interested in it, too. :D I might see if my library will order it in.

Ben wrote: "8. Ho Ho Ho - I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas
9. Literature Map - Terminal World (Alastair Reynolds via Peter F. Hamilton)..."

LOL! I have a secret addiction to Zombie stories. That one looks great and is definitely going on my TBR shelf. You'll love Alistair Reynolds - much better than Peter F. Hamilton in my (very biased) opinion!

oooh... is overlapping allowed?

What do you mean by overlapping Emma?

1. Celebrate Australia! Choose one book from our Aussie Readers group bookshelf from your preferred genre shelf)
THE PLANTATION-DI MORRISSEY...finished, loved it.

2. Lighten the load! We’ve all been complaining about it. Those mountainous TBR shelves! Choose one book from your TBR list.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - HARPER LEE...FINISHED, THOROUGHLY ENJOYED....

3. Choose a book that’s been made into (or referenced in) a movie, TV series or play. Find suggestions in these 카지노싸이트 Listopia lists.
CHOCOLAT - JOANNE HARRIS (finished-loved it, light easy to read entertainment, with enough to keep you intrigued!

4. Choose a book with a word related to Summer in the title (e.g. Summer, heat, beach, holidays etc., I‘m sure you can think of many examples)
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS - SARA GRUEN - FINISHED, LOVED IT!!

5. Oprah’s visiting Australia in December. Pick a book from one of the following two Oprah Book Lists:
Complete List of Oprah‘s Book Club Books or ‘O’ Magazine’s Summer Reading List 2010 (20 books).
WHAT IS LEFT THE DAUGHTER - HOWARD NORMAN - finished, disappointing book, but glad I finished it!

6. A few of our group members have just had a baby or are due any second! To help them celebrate choose a new release book from 2010 or 2011 to read. Check out the new ’New Releases Feature‘ from 카지노싸이트.
INDULGENCE IN DEATH - J D ROBB (NOV 2010)Finished, another great 'in death' mystery by Robb

7. Uh Oh!! It’s Schoolies week!!!! Lock up your kids and choose a YA novel to read or a book that features some teenage characters. Lists with YA books.
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - MARK HADDON - FINISHED, ENJOYED!

8. Ho Ho Ho! Santa’s on his way… Choose a book that has a Christmas/Winter theme or reference to Christmas/Winter/Cold/Ice/Snow in the Title, story or cover. Find some suggestions here.
CHILL FACTOR - SANDRA BROWN - FINISHED, GREAT READ!


9. Have you checked out the excellent Literature Map Website? Type in the name of a favourite author, choose the author closest to him/her and select one of their books to read.
VIRALS - KATHY REICHS..(finished..loved it!)

10. It’s Valentine’s Day in February! Choose a book with a touch of Romance. You'll be sure to find one you like from these 카지노싸이트 Listopia lists.
SAFE HAVEN - NICHOLAS SPARKS - finished...light, entertaining, yet gripping at times...

Okay this is going to by a work-in-progress.

1. Celebrate Australia! The Book Thief by Markus Kuzak (cause someone has just offered to loan it to me. :) Great book ★★★★★ Beautiful
2. Lighten the load! Kafka on the Shore I have had this on my TBR forever and would really love to read it. Read, I gave it ★★★★★
3. Choose a book that’s been made into a movie, TV series or play - To Kill a Mockingbird
4. Choose a book with a word related to Summer in the title - TBA
5. Oprah’s list - The Pillars of the Earth Thanks to Deb. I enjoyed this but it really pulled the parashoot out on me completing the challenge. ★★★★:D
6. New Release - That Deadman Dance by Kim Scott - Read ★★★★
7. It’s Schoolies week! The Thief Read-it ★★★★★ Beautiful

8. Ho Ho Ho! A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - read a lot of Dickens but not this one, I needed an excuse. ★★★★ A must read for everyone!
9. Literature Map Website - Typed in Barbara Kingsolver and it came up with Sue Monk Kidd The Secret Life of Bees. ★★★ This didn't come anywhere near Barbara Kingsolver.
10. Choose a book with a touch of Romance. - Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls

Gail "cyborg" wrote: "What do you mean by overlapping Emma?"

Ah I don't know if that's the official Book Challenge term for it or not but I mean, can a book count for two or more categories? ;)

Ha, I think thats called cheating, but as long as you have at least five books we'll let you get away with it. Or if you can't manage five wellllll, there really aren't any hard and fast rules.

OK, thanks, it's just some challeneges I've seen thay say it's ok, I wasn't sure for this one.

Just for example, I (shamefully) have Breaking Dawn on my To Read shelf so that could count as both the To Read category as well as YA.

Breaking Dawn is also a romance. So it could fit into 3 categories.

Heres mine;
1. Celebrate Australia! - Shall We Dance? by Maggie Alderson
2. Lighten the load! - 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
3. Choose a book that’s been made into a movie, TV series or play - Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
4. Choose a book with a word related to Summer in the title - The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
5. Oprah’s list - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
6. New Release - Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
7. It’s Schoolies week! - City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
8. Ho Ho Ho! - The Third Day the Frost by John Marsden
9. Literature Map - Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce(closest to Christopher Paolini)
10. Valentine’s Day - The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Haha, no I know it probably doesn't really matter! I've never done a reading challenge before but I realised a lot of the books I was planning to read soon may fit in quite nicely anyway with a couple extra categories to make it more interesting ;)

(I'm really not looking forward to Breaking Dawn but alas I finish things once I start them, including the Twilight series, so I figure the more categories I can fit it into the more motivation I have to finish it!)

Emma wrote: "OK, thanks, it's just some challeneges I've seen thay say it's ok, I wasn't sure for this one.

Just for example, I (shamefully) have Breaking Dawn on my To Read shelf so that could count as both..."

No Probs Emma! As long as you read 5 new books in total you can double them up in some of the categories if you like.:)

Ok thanks for clarifying ;) I shall have a think and then post my proposed list soon!

I have never been involved with a 'reading challenege' or a book club before so sounds like fun!!

1. Cloudstreet
2. The Virgin's Lover
3. Memoirs of a Geisha
4. Di Morrissey - The Island
5. Love in the Time of Cholera
6. Burned
7. Torment
8. TBA - hmm don't know what to read here!
9. Everyone Worth Knowing - apparently similar to Jodi Picoult
10. PS, I Love You

Do we update our progress on these books?

Christine wrote: "I have never been involved with a 'reading challenege' or a book club before so sounds like fun!!
1. Cloudstreet
2. The Virgin's Lover
3. [book:Memoirs of a Geisha|..."

That looks like a great list Christine. Yes whenever you finish a book, return to your original message, click on 'edit' (bottom right of the msg) and type 'finished' next to the book that's done.

If you want to express an opinion about your books or the challenge, feel free to write about that as well.

Sometimes when I'm looking for a book with a particular word in the title I go to the large online bookstores and type that word and do a booksearch. You can also do a key word search in your library catalogue. It's surprising what you find that way!:)

1.Nanny Piggins and the Runaway Lion

By R.A. Spratt FINISHED!!

2. Yakuza Moon

By Shoko TendoFINISHED

3. Potato Factory

By Bryce Courtnay Couldn't get into it enough

4. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood

By Ann Brashares FINISHED

5. Father of the Rain

By Lily King
Honestly, wasn't expecting to find anything that tickled my fancy from O's reading list..So I'll wait and see if this is good or not.FINISHED

6. Enforcer

By Caesar Campbell w/Donna Campbell FINISHED

7. Nanny Piggins and the Runaway Lion
Nanny Piggins and the Runaway Lion
R.A. SpratFINISHED

8. 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets & Gelatos

by Alex Barker
We just got an icecream maker..so it's perfect timing...lol FINISHED

9. Everyone Worth Knowing

by Lauren Weisberger FINISHED

10. Romance- eat,pray, love

by Elizabeth GilbertFINISHED


AHHH..Lovely..It's turned out that most of my books I was looking to read very soon actually fit on this list! :) Few I've just placed on order as well

1. Celebrate Australia!

'DEADLY!' by Paul Jennings and Morris Gleitzman
(I have fond childhood memories of WICKED!)

2. Lighten the load!

'We' by Yevgeny Zamyatin
(I've been meaning to read this in contrast of '1984' and 'Brave New World' for quite some time)

3. Choose a book that’s been made into (or references) a movie, TV series or play!

'The King in Yellow' by Robert W. Chambers
(I'm being a little bit cheeky here :3)

4. Choose a book with a word related to Summer in the title!

'The Beach' by Alex Garland
(The only book I own that I could find to fits this category)

5. Oprah’s list!

'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy
(I'll probably hate McCarthy's writing style)

6. New Release!
???

7. It’s Schoolies week!

'The Thief of Always' by Clive Barker

8. Ho Ho Ho!

'Let the Right One in' by John Ajvide Lindqvist
(I understand it's pretty snowy in Stockholm)

9. Literature Map!

'King Rat' or 'The Scar' or 'Kraken' by China Mieville
(He was close to Jeff Vandermeer & I recently ordered all his works of fiction)

10. Valentine’s Day!

'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov
(Again I'm being a little bit cheeky ;3)

Laura wrote: "I've a question...Are you allowed to re-read books? I've a few that fit into this list and have been thinking of revisiting the series?"

Absolutely Laura. I'm doing one re-read myself. I think as long as it's not too many it's fine.:)

I'll try for at least 5 of these....

1. Celebrate Australia! Red Dog– Loius de Berniere or Mary Smokes Boys - Patrick Holland (if I can find a copy) BOTH FINISHED

2. Lighten the load! The Sound of One Hand Clapping - Richard Flanagan (it's been lurking for a long time)

3. Choose a book that’s been made into (or referenced in) a movie, TV series or play. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey

4. Choose a book with a word related to Summer The Sea - John Banville

5. Oprah’s visiting Australia in December. The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett

6. A few of our group members have just had a baby or are due any second! Tar Baby - Toni Morrison

7. Uh Oh!! It’s Schoolies week!!!! Uglies - Scott Westerfield

8. Ho Ho Ho! Santa’s on his way The Snow Leopard - Peter Mathiessen

9. Literature Map (cool!) The Secret River - Kate Grenville STARTED

10. It’s Valentine’s Day in February! The Thorn Birds - Colleen McCulloch

You are brilliant Deb. I have been looking for an excuse to get The Pillars of the Earth up the order on my reading list. For some reason I haven't been able to open the Oprah link, you have saved me looking.

I loved The Secret River by the way. What author did you put in to the map to get Kate Grenville to come up? :)

Mandy wrote: "Join the Aussie Readers Summer Reading Challenge! You have to select books for at least five or up to the whole 10 of the challenge questions. Copy/paste the questions into a new 'comments' box and..."

Mandy, do you have any issue if I overlap one book on my list from a different group reading challenge??

Amber wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Join the Aussie Readers Summer Reading Challenge! You have to select books for at least five or up to the whole 10 of the challenge questions. Copy/paste the questions into a new 'com..."

Not at all. I've done that plenty of times!:)

Oh good, that's making my list a little easier to make :)

Gail "cyborg" wrote: "You are brilliant Deb. I have been looking for an excuse to get The Pillars of the Earth up the order on my reading list. For some reason I haven't been able to open the Oprah link, you..."

Thanks Gail, it was fun putting the list together. I put Tim Winton into the lit map to get Kate Grenville, I haven't tried her books before, but have thought about it so a happy pick (and maybe I'll add to my Xmas wishlist).
Adding the Thorn Birds made me smile, I read it last when I was a love lorn teenager!

Mandy wrote: "Laura wrote: "I've a question...Are you allowed to re-read books? I've a few that fit into this list and have been thinking of revisiting the series?"

Absolutely Laura. I'm doing one re-read mys..."
Nifty! I've placed down 2 that I want to reread :)

I'm going to try to do the whole challenge from my TBR which is absolutely out of control. I may swap some of these out over the next three months but here's what I'm planning to read

1. I just bought Lethal Factor by Gabrielle Lord on sale, why not read it fast?
2. Any other book on my TBR (there are about 200) I ended up reading Brian Kavanagh's A Canterbury Crime
3. Robert Harris' The Ghost was released as a movie this year which I didn't see because I hadn't yet read the book
4. I'm not a fan of summer and neither is my TBR apparently but I do have The Body on the Beach
5. I really don't care for Oprah so will skip this one (though I see I could use it as an opportunity to finally finish The Pillars of the Earth)
6. I have been itching to listen to Rolling Thunder: A John Ceepak Mystery
7. A hard one, I don't read YA and there are not a lot of teenagers in crime fiction but I believe the protagonist's 2 adopted teenage daughters feature heavily in Tom Rob Smith's The Secret Speech
8. I am a bit of a scrooge but Cleo Coyle's Holiday Grind will fit the bill
9. I entered the name Elly Griffiths and as she's a relatively new author with only 2 books published there weren't many other names but one that did appear was Michael Connelly and I have The Overlook in my TBR
10. Hmmmm I doubt I'll find something for this one as I don't have a romantic bone in my body but perhaps Ariana Franklin's The Serpent's Tale will count as its predecessor did have a romantic thread I seem to remember.

Bernadette wrote: "I'm going to try to do the whole challenge from my TBR which is absolutely out of control. I may swap some of these out over the next three months but here's what I'm planning to read..."

Great idea to do it all from your TBR!

Bernadette wrote: "I'm going to try to do the whole challenge from my TBR which is absolutely out of control."
That's exactly what I did too..Great way to get them ticked off :D I only added in 3 new books which made me rather happy from out of the 10.

OK I'll work out what books I'll choose and let you know

Here's my list - a little light on in terms of content but it's the holidays! Plus there's a few there from my TBR list that I now have an incentive to finish. Can't wait. Enjoy your holiday reading everyone!

1. Celebrate Australia!
'Belly Dancing for Beginners' by LIz Byrski FINISHED 18/1/2011

2. Lighten the load! TBR list.
'The Lies we Told'FINISHED 26?/12/2010 (DATE TBC - CAN'T REMEMBER BUT IT WAS JUST AFTER CHRISTMAS!)

3. Choose a book that’s been made into (or referenced in) a movie, TV series or play.
'The Devil Wears Prada' FINISHED 18/12/2010.

4. choose a YA novel to read or a book that features some teenage characters.
'Twilight'.
I want to see what all the fuss is about!
FINISHED 2X/1/2011. LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT. AM HOOKED.

5.Choose a book that has reference to Christmas/Winter/Cold/Ice/Snow in the Title, story or cover.
'Smilla's feeling for snow'. COULDN'T GET INTO IT, SO AM CHANGING TOPICS.

FEBRUARY 14 VALENTINES DAY ETC / ROMANCE.
Ok, so I'm going to now read 'PS I love you' by Cecelia Ahearn.

Samantha wrote: "'Smilla's feeling for snow'..."

That's a great book! I read it several years ago but I still remember how much I enjoyed it.:)

Mandy wrote: "Samantha wrote: "'Smilla's feeling for snow'..."

That's a great book! I read it several years ago but I still remember how much I enjoyed it.:)

"

Thanks Mandy. I remember seeing a movie preview about 10 years ago and never saw the movie nor read the book. I saw it on a friend's book shelf and am looking forward to it :)

1. Celebrate Australia - - Finished (5 stars)
2. Lighten the load - - Finished (4 stars)
3. Choose a book that’s been made into a movie, TV series or play - - Finished (3&1/2 stars)
4. Title related to summer - - Finished (4 stars)
5. Oprah’s list - (See Below)
6. New Release - - Currently reading
7. It’s Schoolies week - - Finished (5 stars)
8. Ho Ho Ho - - Finished, read the Christmas story to my kids through advent :)
9. Literature Map - I typed in Audrey Niffenegger and chose - Finished (5 stars)
10. Valentine’s Day - - Finished - (4 stars)

Thanks Mandy, just the push I need to get through my TBR list :)

Edited to add...
5. Oprah’s list - - Currently Reading

Okay here it goes....

5/10 Completed

1. Celebrate Australia! Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing
2. Lighten the Load! Blindsighted
3. Choose a book that's been made into a movie, TV series or play. Pride and Prejudice
4. Title related to Summer! After Summer
5. Oprah's List - The Pillars of the Earth
6. New Release! Last Sacrifice
7. Schoolie's Week! City of Ashes
8. Ho Ho Ho! - TBA
9. Literature Map - Playing Dead via Lisa Gardner
10. Valentine's Day - The Lucky One

OK, here are the books I have chosen. Not sure if I'll get through all 10 categories, but we will see (only because I have so many other books I'm dying to read right now):
1. Celebrate Australia = "Monsoon" by Di Morrisey (havent read anything by her before)FINALLY FINISHED IT
2. Lighten the load = "A Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls (FINISHED very quickly - highly recommended. Interesting writing style given the horrible story).
3. Movie = "Coma" by Robin Cook, (FINISHED - disliked this one, very very dated)
4. Summer title = "The greengage Summer" by Rumer Godden (FINISHED 3 STARS see review)
5. Oprah - no, sorry just cant do it. But a book beginning with 'O' will be "One pair of feet" by Monica Dickens(FINISHED disappointing, dated).
6. New release = "Unbearable Lightness" by Portia de Rossi (FINISHED, 5 STARS)
7. YA = "The hunger games" or "City of Bones" or both (FINISHED "The City of Bones". Fantastic, highly recommend it. Cant wait to find the second in this series. ALso READ The Hunger Games, very interesting)
8. Christmas = "The Velveteen Rabbit" READ (also read The Polar Express)
9. Literature map Demille took me to Harlan Coben so it will be "Hold Tight" (FINISHED only ok)
10. Romance = "Just listen" by Sarah Dessen FINISHED 31/1
Some of these books cross a number of categories but I'm planning to just count each as one.

PS have just read books chosen by other people, and some of them sound good. I have read a few (Pillars of Earth, Lovely Bones, Animal Farm, 3rd day the frost, memoirs of a geisha, eat pray love etc etc) but I plan to check out a few unknown to me.

This is a great challenge! Something to hopefully start off a big year of reading for me :D My picks:

1. Celebrate Australia - Death Most Definite
2. TBR - On the Other Hand, Death
3. Movie/TV - PS, I Love You
4. Summer - The Last Summer
5. Oprah - The Passage or The Reader
6. New release - The Blood Countess
7. YA - Vampire Academy
8. Xmas/Winter theme - Little Women
9. Literature Map (via Charlaine Harris) - Storm Front
10. Roamnce - Dear John

Question for you Mandy...do we have to start with No 1, and continue to No. 10? Or can we read them all over the place, as the library finds and gives them to us? :)