Aussie Author Month

I can't believe we're in April already! This year is going so fast. But one good thing about it being April is that it's Aussie Author Month. Organised by Book Thingo, Fangbooks, and a Writer Goes on a Journey, it's all about supporting and promoting Aussie authors, as well as raising money for the Indigenous Literacy Project.

I've decided to take part because it sounds super-fun, and I've realised that I definitely don't read enough local authors. Unfortunately I didn't finish Stefan's Diaries in time to start with an Aussie book straight away (I've been mega-busy this week), but as soon as I'm done with that - hopefully this weekend - I'll be focusing on reading and reviewing only Aussie authors for the rest of the month. Here are the options I have lined up:

• The Nest by Paul Jennings.
• Ghost Child by Caroline Overington.
• Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.
• Not Meeting Mr Right by Anita Heiss.
• On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.
• My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin.

I don't know if I'll manage to squeeze them all into the month, but I'm going to give it a go. I've also decided to join the Aussie Author Challenge run by Booklover Book Reviews - the deadline for this is not until the end of the year, so whatever I don't read during the month I'll definitely get to at a later stage - and then some! I'm aiming for "True Blue" status - you have to read and review at least 12 Aussie books (from at least nine different authors) by the end of the year. I'm really excited about this - Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! (Sorry, that's the bogan in me coming out).