McKoala Days: Holiday hiatus!

We're dragging our weary bones on to a plane later this week, seeking sun and pleasure. Hoping to come back fully re-energised and raring to go with a fun-filled blog... I'm sure post-holiday koala brain will be much more entertaining than pre-holiday koala brain, which is as full of holes as a slice of gruyere.

The 2012 Koala Challenge

I think we'll call this column an 'example' of a typical month for a while...keep picking up the badges, though!

Keep writing, keep submitting and earn Koala Love Points! Report in at the end of every month and She Who Is Always Right will total your points and let you know which badge you may display on the side of your blog.

New victims always welcome - please let me know in the comment trail of the latest post. Full instructions for the 2012 challenge here!

Nine or more points:
Angie
Stevie
Pam
Rick (who's Rick? Ah well, he reported in)

Eight points:

Seven points:

Six points:
6 Iasa (it was 5.5, but I'm rounding her up out of amazement. I think it's an Iasa Record)

Five points:

Four points:

Sempra

Whirl (how'd he beat me?! That never happens!)

Three points:

3 McK

Two points

Mar

Sylvia

One point
Pete

"We were on a break..."

Jenna

JJdeGoblin

Retired from combat (and yet The Koala never forgets...)

Displease the Koala by neglecting your writing altogether and you may find yourself joining Sarah

on

KOALA SMACKDOWN

Displease the Koala even more and she may call in her slippery sidekick and put you on:

SUPER-SMACKDOWN!

Aniket
Robin

With thanks to JJ de Benedictis for the fantastic artwork (and her fine abilities with toenail pliers).

McK's Top Ten Books 2011

I lost count a while ago. But it's well over 100 now, and I suspect it will be somewhere between 150 and 200 by the end of the year.

1. Before I Die - Jenny Downham According to my library, technically this is YA, but I think it defies genre. I think I managed not to cry until about page 25, but after that...I. Did. Not. Stop. Crying. Until I got to the end two and a half hours later. I couldn't stop reading either. Absolutely amazing. Utterly transcendent.
2. Dark Matter - Anita Paver I have a strange weakness for historical Arctic expeditions and this one added in one of my other weaknesses...ghoulies and ghosties. Admirably tight writing as well. Highly recommended.
3. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson Wonderful portrait of English village life with all its petty biases, plus a sharper undercurrent of racism. A beautiful story of love in the older generation, and it's funny too! The best thing, though, and the element that really made this story sing for me, was the strength of characters.
4. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card Yes, I can't believe I hadn't read it before either. Isn't it good!
5. Room - Emma Donoghue Enchanting and utterly horrifying at the same time; an unforgettable read.
6. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins Ah, good old-fashioned adventure! Unputdownable.
7. Sixty Lights - Gail Jones Admirable, but oddly frustrating. Maybe a bit too 'surface literary' for my taste. Tells the story of a fascinating life, with some interesting motifs running through it, but personally I think I would have preferred a plainer style. That's just me though. And it makes the list.
8. The City in the Lake - Rachel Neumeir Just gorgeous!
9. The Harrowing - Alexandra Sokoloff A fairly traditional little horror tale that I zipped through in a couple of hours - gave me a few genuine chills.
10. The Good Mayor - Andrew Nicoll - Didn't really come to life for me until around half way through, but then it really did!

Total books read so far this year: 85

McK still wants to read...
Most of the Orange Prize shortlist
Most of the Booker Prize shortlist
The Bird Sisters - Rebecca Rasmussen

McK's Top Ten Books - The Rules
Rules? What rules? One rule only - if McK is not impressed or entertained, it doesn't go on the Top Ten list. Oh, OK, rule number two - books on the Top Ten list will move around depending on how much McK is impressed or entertained.

McKoala Days

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Holiday hiatus!

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The 2012 Koala Challenge

McK's Top Ten Books 2011

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