Hi folks! It’s Aussie April! Jaclyn from Six Minutes for Me and her mate Doris are once again hosting #aussieapril to encourage folks in the US to read Aussie books.

I LOVE THIS. We have so many great Aussie writers who don’t get the marketing push that US and UK writers get even in our own market. Reading home grown voices – especially diverse home grown voices is a wonderful thing to do both for yourself and for the writers, who are some of the many who are struggling during these trying time.

So anyway, as a celebration for the beginning of Aussie April, I thought I would cruise through and see what I have read so far this year that will tick off prompts for my Aussies Rule 2020 challenge. This will be a surprise for all of us because I tend to just read what I want and sort out challenges later. So far this year I have read 54 books, 27 of those by Aussie authors. Here we go.

4. A non fiction book by an Aussie author of colour.

This book is a must read if you’re a white Australian, particularly if you think of yourself as a feminist. Hamad discusses the way that white women in particular react to women of colour holding their places and opinions.

6. An Aussie romance.

This one is probably not technically a romance, but it’s as romance-y as I get.

7. A book from the 2020 Stella longlist.

I read a fair bit of the Stella longlist. These were all excellent. Not pictured is The Yield by Tara Lune Winch, which I loved (and have raved about at length elsewhere). It’s my pick for the win this year.

10. An Aussie book based as close as possible to where you gre up or where you live now.

I just finished listening to this one last night. The Prettiest Horse in the Glue Factory is an absolutely gutting memoir by comedian Corey White about his traumatic experience in the foster care system. White’s childhood was spent on the north side of Brissy not very far from where I grew up and live now.

12. Some Aussie Spec Fic.

I loved both The Trespassers and From Here on, Monsters SO MUCH. Both are such great reads, very smart with swathes of social commentary.

The Trespassers is about a boat full of refugees from England in the near future, fleeing to Australia from a pandemic which is wiping people out (sound familiar?). When the contagion ends up on board the ship the passengers have to endure terrible conditions and the fear that the Australian government will refuse them assistance or entry.

From Here on, Monsters is about a young woman who runs a second hand book store, who also takes a part time job working for an artist. The artist has taken on a commission from the Department of Immigration. This book is an examination of words and usage and how the government and the media uses certain words and language to frame different people in our society. Plus there are monsters. Please read this book!

14. A book long listed for the Miles Franklin.

This is lovely and I have raved about it elsewhere.

18. A book by a young Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person.

I have raved about Tara June Winch’s wonderful debut here.

22. An Aussie book published by a small press.

This is a lovely debut, although it took me a while to settle into McPhee-Brown’s writing style.

24. An Aussie book set in space.

I reread Illuminae while I was unwell in March. I love this series.

So 9 prompts I can tick off, which isn’t too bad for this time of the year. I am reading The Drover’s Wife by Leah Purcell at the moment which will tick off another prompt for me.

What are you planning on reading for Aussie April?

Cheers,