ANZ LitLovers LitBlog

I see from Jane’s post at Beyond Eden Rock, that it’s time to play a particular game:

“Take the first line of each month’s post over the past year and see what it tells you about your blogging year.”

It’s an idea that started with The Indextrious Reader a few years ago and it really is an interesting way to look back at a year.

So, let’s see what happens…

JANUARY

2017: ANZ LitLovers stats

I got this idea from Annabookbel, who does a very comprehensive series called Year in Review which made me wonder what I could discover with the data that I had.

FEBRUARY

Pereira Maintains, by Antonio Tabucchi, translated by Patrick Creagh

Pereira Maintains was a fortuitous find on the New Books shelf at the library, and it was not until I visited Goodreads when drafting this review that I discovered it was one of the 1001 books I’m supposed to read before setting off for The Great Library in the Sky.

MARCH

Gwen, a Novel, by Goldie Goldbloom

Just recently, a dear friend of mine said to me that Jews always travel with the Holocaust in their suitcase, which is why, I think, I understand what Goldie Goldbloom is trying to do in her most recent novel, Gwen.

APRIL

Debut Mondays: new fiction from H C Gildfind

This month I am pleased to introduce debut author H.C. Gildfind who lives in Melbourne and has been published in Australia and overseas.

MAY

Coming up in June: ANZ LitLovers with Shokoofeh Azar at the Williamstown Literary Festival

I’ve been busy, busy, busy over the last twenty-four hours and now I can tell you why: I’m going to be interviewing Shokoofeh Azar at the Williamstown Festival on Sunday 17th of June.

JUNE

Announcing 2018 Indigenous Literature Week at ANZ LitLovers

ANZ LitLovers will again be hosting Indigenous Literature Week in July to coincide with NAIDOC Week here in Australia. (8 to 15 July).

JULY

What the Light Reveals, by Mick McCoy

I had mostly great reading while on holiday on Norfolk Island, and I’ve got a few reviews to catch up on but I’m going to start with this one because it’s such an interesting book.

AUGUST

1939: The Last Season, by Anne de Courcy

Yes, I’m having a bit of a binge on books from the B-C shelf, but I’m a bit bemused about whyever I bought this one with my hard-earned dollar.

SEPTEMBER

Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

Time to read another title from 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die…

OCTOBER

Songwoman, by Ilka Tampke

Songwoman, Ilka Tampke’s second novel, is the sequel to her remarkably successful novel Skin which has had international rights sold in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the US, UK and Vietnam.

NOVEMBER

Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood

The stars aligned nicely when it was time for another title from 1001 Books and news came my way of a Margaret Atwood Reading Month at Consumed by Ink.

DECEMBER

Six Degrees of Separation: From Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, to …

O what a lovely starter book for #6Degrees this month, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol tra-la-la-la la, la-la-la!

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So, what does this tell us about my blog?

• I pillage ideas from other bloggers and join in the occasional meme or reading week;
• I read books by both men and women and also in translation;
• I make desultory efforts to read books recommended by 1001 Books;
• I mainly read fiction, mostly but not only Australian;
• There are so many books on my shelves that sometimes I can’t fit in any more, but even so, I still borrow from the library;
• I ran a little project to give exposure to debut authors (but it fizzled out)
• I run an annual project to shine a light on Indigenous authors (and it hasn’t fizzled out)
• The Williamstown Lit Festival kindly asked me to do a session this year; and
• I like reading when I’m on holidays.