Books that I have previously read that I have re-visited as Audiobooks in 2020.

I don't really know whether I am counting these towards the number of books I have read this year or not, but I wanted to keep track of them somehow. These are not new books for me, but are ones I have read as actual books previously, sometimes many years ago in my childhood, and some more recently. As I have recently discovered the range of e-audiobooks available to borrow for free via BorrowBox or Libby apps through public libraries, I have been listening to audiobooks while doing other things about the house or on walks etc. As I have read these books previously I already know what is going to happen so it's not so critical if I intermittently zone out while concentrating on something else at hand. But it is nice to revisit some old books and to experience them as audiobooks.

January 2020

The Rosie Project - by Graeme Simsion - Bolinda audiobook read by Dan O'Grady. (Borrowbox)

February 2020

Burial Rites - by Hannah Kent - Bolinda audiobook read by Morven Christie. (Borrowbox)
Obernewtyn - by Isobelle Carmody - Bolinda audiobook read by the author.(Borrowbox)
Charlotte's Web - by E.B. White - Bolinda audiobook read by the author.(Borrowbox)

March 2020
Any Ordinary Day - by Leigh Sales, Bolinda audiobook read by the author. (Borrowbox)

Harry Potter et la Coupe de Feu - by J.K. Rowling, read in French by Bernard Giraudeau. (Libby)

Aussie Author Challenge 2019 Wrap-up and General Overview of Books I Read in 2019.

2019 was unfortunately not a year where I read prolifically. I started 16 books, and only finished reading 12 of them. One of my few reading goals this year was to seek out and read more books written by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers. Some of the best books I read last year were by Indigenous Australian writers, plus, as part of my efforts towards Reconciliation I think it's a good step to listen and learn from the perspectives and experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and also to consciously put my money where my intentions and thoughts are to show my support and buy books and other items from Indigenous authors, artists and businesses. Of the 16 books I started reading, 10 were by Australian authors, and of those at least 5 were by Aboriginal writers.

Looking back at the books I read this year, the ones that really made an impact on me were: 1. Too Much Lip - by Melissa Lucashenko, 2. The Old Lie - by Claire G Coleman and 3. Wolfe Island - by Lucy Treloar. I thoroughly recommend all 3 of these books. They are all beautifully written, powerful books that made me think and re-evaluate and contemplate life from different perspectives. Humans can really be so horrific and cruel to others, sometimes through ignorance but sometimes it's deliberate, yet others are so generous with their love, compassion and patience.

Aussie Author Challenge 2019 Books:
Dyschronia 9/10
Too Much Lip 10/10
The Old Lie 9/10
Wolfe Island 8/10
Taboo 8/10
The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf - have not finished yet
Australia Day - have not finished yet
The Rosie Result 8/10
Fusion 7/10
Wimmera 4/10

Of the 10 books I started reading as part of the 2019 Aussie Author Challenge, I did not finish 2 of them, but this is not a reflection of the quality of those books, I just did not have a lot of reading time or headspace for books last year for various reasons. I plan to pick up these two books again and finish them at some point: Australia Day - by Stan Grant (non-fiction by an Indigenous Australian Wiradjuri writer) and The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf - by Ambelin Kwaymullina (Young Adult Fantasy novel by an Indigenous Australian author from Western Australia). 
 
Apart from the books I read as part of the Aussie Author Challenge, other 6 books I started reading in 2019 were:

Other Books:
The Missing Lynx 9/10
Unsheltered 8/10
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running 9/10
About Grace 8-9/10
The Secret History - did not finish.
They Cannot Take the Sky - have not finished, but intend to pick up again in 2020.

I finished 4 out of these 6 books - I struggled to get into The Secret History by Donna Tartt as I found all the characters unlikable, so I am unsure that I will ever go back to finish reading it. They Cannot Take the Sky is a collection of stories written by people that Australia has locked up in immigration detention centres. I have actually only read a couple of pages from the book so far, but plan to make time to read it properly in 2020. It was lent to me by a friend, and the book is in good conditions, so I didn't want to shove it in my bag to read on public transport, and it wasn't the sort of book I felt like reading before going to sleep, but will make time to read it in the coming year.

I really loved The Missing Lynx written by a friend and ancient DNA colleague from my PhD days,  Ross Barnett. I also enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver's Unsheltered, and Haruki Murakami's contemplative memoir about his life and running various marathons. If you enjoy running I think you would also really connect with this book too. About Grace was good, but not to the 'must read' 10/10 category that I thought Anthony Doerr's All the Light You Cannot See was in.

I look forward to 2020 and hope it is a year with many more hours to read powerful and beautiful books. What were your favourite books of 2019? Who are your favourite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors?