Aussie Readers discussion

1: S. by Doug Dorst / J.J. Abrams
2: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: The Complete Series by Hayao Miyazaki
3: The Ace Of Skulls by Chris Wooding
4: The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding
5: Dust by Hugh Howey

I only gave 5 stars to 7 of the books I read last year, and I've already given 4 books 5 stars this year. So, am I getting more lenient as I get older, or am I choosing better??

My top 5 books read so far this year are my four 5 star reads (in no particular order):
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

- and a 4.5 star read:
The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Dark Path by David Schickler
The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
By Blood We Live by Glen Duncan

Unforgettable You Georgina Penney
Irrepressible You Georgina Penney
The Wedding Season Su Dharmapala
The Demonologist Not finished this yet - but I'm pretty sure it will make it. Andrew Pyper
Losing Kate Kylie Kaden

The Midnight Mayor by Kate Griffin
Sand Omnibus by Hugh Howey
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Not ranked:


Animosity by James Newman
The Dinner by Herman Koch
Needful Things by Stephen King
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
Bay's End by Edward Lorn

Mine are all fantasy and sci fi:

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
The Edge of the Woods by Ceinwen Langley
Chosen by Benedict Jacka
The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker

Marina wrote: "Mine are all fantasy and sci fi:

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
The Edge of the Woods by Ceinwen Langley
[b..."

We share a taste for books by Brandon Sanderson

The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Falling by Emma Kavanagh
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway

I've only read 4 books that I've given 5 stars too so far

I have been a little tougher on my ratings this year but I loved:

The Rosie Project
The Furies: A Novel called Amber Fury here
Me Before You
The Husband's Secret and
A Rose for the ANZAC Boys

My Top 5 so far this year


As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry
The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory
The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Phrynne wrote: "We share a taste for books by Brandon Sanderson."

Absolutely, Phrynne! He's one of my favourite authors. I'm reading a kids' book of his at the moment -- The Rithmatist and enjoying it very much.

In no particular order:

The Blue Mile by Kim Kelly
Ronan's Echo by Joanne van Os
Safe Harbour by Helene Young
Rocking Horse Hill by Cathryn Hein
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

Phrynne wrote: "The Midnight Mayor by Kate Griffin
Sand Omnibus by Hugh Howey
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by [author:Anthony M..."

Way of Kings is good, then? I've had it on my shelf for a year now, been on the fence about diving in. Ditto for the Mistborn trilogy.

I've been pretty mean with my 5 star ratings so far this year, but I've got quite a few 4s.

Top five reads so far this year (not in order):
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (5 stars)
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, and
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

So far (and not in any particular order):

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness
Mr Wigg by Inga Simpson
The Collected Works of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Liam wrote: "Way of Kings is good, then?..."

Good? No. Stupendous, awesome, amazing? Getting closer! If you like epic fantasy, it's got the lot -- brilliant worldbuilding, interesting political manouevring, cast of thousands -- but with key point of view characters you can really care about -- a plot with cool twists and turns. Great stuff.

Mistborn is good too, though on a smaller scale, but The Way of Kings is much better. Mistborn does have one big point in its favour, though -- it's finished. The Way of Kings series will be years in the finishing.

Marina wrote: "Liam wrote: "Way of Kings is good, then?..."

Good? No. Stupendous, awesome, amazing? Getting closer! If you like epic fantasy, it's got the lot -- brilliant worldbuilding, interesting political ma..."

I agree with every word :)

Top five in no particular order:

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
The Shadow of the Wind
Bel Canto
Welcome to Your New Life
The Book Thief

My Top Five would be:

The Street Sweeper
11/22/63
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Burial
Gone

I just realised that out of the 37 books I've read this year I only gave 5 stars to 3!!!

Elaine wrote: "My Top Five would be:

The Street Sweeper
11/22/63
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Burial
Gone

I j..."

Love your first 3 picks, Elaine! Haven't read the last 2, but maybe I need to...! (Or at least start the series which Gone is part of - it's on my list!)

I tossed up between The Burial and The Husband's Secret as one of my five Kathryn. Both of them were 4 star reads but I think The Burial was a deeper read and really well written.

Okay just finished The Knife of Never Letting Go and suffice to say it has to be somewhere in my top 5 for the year.

God it's so hard, 14 of the 20 books I've read so far this year have been 4-5 stars.

There are some excellent books listed here. Great to see :)

1. Pegasus to Paradise byMichael Tappenden
2. Empty Places byMartin Roy Hill
3. Ronan's Echo byJoanne van Os
4. Dear Diary... The New Martinsville Murders; A Murderous Thriller byDennis Lively
5. One is Come byC.H. MacLean

Liam wrote: "Okay just finished The Knife of Never Letting Go and suffice to say it has to be somewhere in my top 5 for the year. ..."

You've got to love a book whose first line is "The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got nothing much to say"!

Marina wrote: "Liam wrote: "Okay just finished The Knife of Never Letting Go and suffice to say it has to be somewhere in my top 5 for the year. ..."

You've got to love a book whose first line is ..."

I preferred the Disreputable Dog in Abhorsen.

Marina wrote: "Liam wrote: "Okay just finished The Knife of Never Letting Go and suffice to say it has to be somewhere in my top 5 for the year. ..."

You've got to love a book whose first line is ..."

Leaving, Todd? Todd! Can't leave, Todd!?

Only 5!!!! It's like asking me which child to save from certain death!

I will ponder over my 'children' and get back with a list ;)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
Fractured by Dawn Barker
Safe Harbour by Helene Young
Ronan's Echo by Joanne van Os

Has anyone else decided on their top 5 books for January to June yet?

I'm hanging off for another week just in case the best book of The year is still to come. :)

My problem is narrowing it down to only 5 :)

I know Sally, it's almost impossible isn't it!!

In no particular order.

Cicada by Moira McKinnon
Poppy's Dilemma by Karly Lane
Safe Harbour by Helene Young
The Grass Castle by Karen Viggers
The Memory Child by Steena Holmes

I might have to update my list once June ends....

Only have three so far for 5 stars:

Saree by Su Dharmapala
Being Jade by Kate Belle
The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in Life by Robin S. Sharma

Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
Mr Wigg by Inga Simpson
Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn
Wool Omnibus (well, I would like to say the whole Silo trilogy) by Hugh Howey
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

Lethal Sky by Greg Barron
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Possession by A.S. Byatt
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

I have had 16 x 5 star reads so narrowing down is a bit hard - but here's my list:

The Last Shot by Michael Adams

Someone Like You by Victoria Purman

Frontier Incursion by Leonie Rogers

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

Outback Blaze by Rachael Johns

Red Wolf by Jennifer Dance

My deep apologies to the other 5 Star reads that dipped out due to limintations - I love you all dearly!!!

You snuck in an extra one there Sally...good on you;) Some great reads too!

Haha Sally a sneaky 6. It's like picking a favourite child. We love all of them!

This thread is ensuring that our TBR lists are nicely fattened up by Christmas!

Me Before You
The Rosie Project
What Alice Forgot
The Weight of Silence
Finding Claire Fletcher
The Book of Secrets
Sorry I followed Sally's lead :)

No Michael. We'd just give seven!

Sally and Kerri , such rebels :)

Marianne wrote: "Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
Mr Wigg by Inga Simpson
Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn

Marianne, you've reminded me that I forgot to include Norwegian by Night in my list. Maybe I can do a Sally and add a sixth book :)

Michael wrote: "We do Veronica. Imagine what we will all be like trying to come up with a top five at the end of the year."

FIVE!!!! I was hoping 10 - 2x6months =10 (and I could sneak 12 in as no one noticed the extra one in my top 5 - snigger!)

Kerri wrote: "Me Before You
The Rosie Project
What Alice Forgot [bookcover:What Alice Forg..."

LOL - that's right blame me :)

Sally906 wrote: "Michael wrote: "We do Veronica. Imagine what we will all be like trying to come up with a top five at the end of the year."

FIVE!!!! I was hoping 10 - 2x6months =10 (and I could sneak 12 in as no..."

Oh yes we did!!!!!

Sally906 wrote: "Kerri wrote: "Me Before You

I wanted to put more, I've read lots of good books so far this year, I found it really hard just choosing those 6. Anyway Sally there's safety in numbers.