January
| National & International Days | Title |
|---|---|
| Australia Day, Australia. 26th January | Happy Valley by Patrick White Australian classic; Australian Nobel prize-winning author; set in Australia. |
| Republic Day, India. 26th January. | The far field : a novel, by Madhuri Vijay Set in India; Indian author. |
| Literary Awards | Title |
|---|---|
| Victorian Premier’s Literary Award | To Name Those Lost, Rohan Wilson 2014 Winner Victoria Premier’s Literary |
| Year-long Challenge: Twisted Trivia | Title |
|---|---|
| Two of the words in the title start with the letter M. | Meet Me at Lennon’s by Melanie Myers |
| The theme of the book is survival that does not involve war situations. | After the Flood by Kassandra Montag |
| The book is set in a small town. | Taking Tom Murray Home by Tim Slee |
| The book is set in Italy, India or Indonesia. | The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay |
| The theme is North American aboriginal people. | The Round House by Louise Erdrich |
| There is a wild animal on the cover. | The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle |
| Set in the 19th century | To Name Those Lost by Rohan Wilson |
| A book written by a Nobel Prize in Literature winner. | Happy Valley by Patrick White |
February
| National and International Days | Title |
|---|---|
| Waitingi Day, New Zealand 6th February | Died in the Wool by Ngaio Marsh Set in New Zealand; New Zealand author. |
| Estonia Independence Day 24th February | The Willow King : the birds of the muses, by Meelis Friedenthal Set in Estonia; Estonian author |
| Literary Awards | Title |
|---|---|
| Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Winner announced 29th February 2020 | The Death of Noah Glass by Gail Jones 2020 shortlist |
| Year-long Challenge: Twisted Trivia | Title |
|---|---|
| The cover has a key | The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield |
| The book is set between 1760 and 1820. | The Warlow Experiment by Alix Nathan |
| The book’s genre is time travel. | The Lost Girls by Jennifer Spence |
| The word “king” is in the title | The Willow King : the birds of the muses, by Meelis Friedenthal |
| Originally published 2018 | The Death of Noah Glass by Gail Jones |
| There is one or more sheep on the cover. | Died in the Wool by Ngaio Marsh |
| The book was translated from another language to English | A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende |
| First or second in a series | The End of the Ocean by Maja Lunde |
March
| National and International Days | Title |
|---|---|
| World Wildlife Day 3rd March. Celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. | Tiger by Polly Clark – about the Amur (Siberian tiger), of which there are only about 500 left in the wild. |
| International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 21st March | The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Hamid Mohsin One of the themes of the novel is race discrimination. |
| Ghana Independence Day 6th March | The Temporary Gentleman by Sebastian Barry The story is set partly in Ghana 1957. |
| Pakistan Republic Day 23rd March | The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid Mohsin Hamid is a British/Pakistani writer. The novel takes place partly in Pakistan, dealing with its cultural and political issues. |
| Literary Awards | Title |
|---|---|
| Indie Book Awards (Aus) | Salt Creek by Lucy Treloar Indie Book of the Year Debut Fiction 2016 |
| Year-long Challenge: Twisted Trivia | Title |
|---|---|
| The book has “tiger” in the title. | Tiger by Polly Clark |
| The book is set in New York | The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Hamid Mohsin |
| The cover has a woman wearing a hat. | The Temporary Gentleman by Sebastian Barry |
| The genre is Scandinavian mystery | Little Siberia by Antti Tuomainen. |
| A book by an Irish author, other than C. S. Lewis | The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan |
| The cover has a detailed feather on it. | Here We Are by Graham Swift |
| Setting is between 1900 and 1920 | House of Glass by Susan Fletcher |
| Other | Title |
|---|---|
| A known author. I’ve also read: “The Gathering” and “The Green Road”. | Actress by Anne Enright |
| Recommended to me | The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave |
April
| National and International Days | Title |
|---|---|
| St George’s Day, England. | To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf |
| Literary Awards | Title |
|---|---|
| The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction | The Shipping News, by E. Annie Proulx 1994 winner |
| Year-long Challenge: Twisted Trivia | Title |
|---|---|
| Set in one of the 4 Maritime Provinces of Canada (The Shipping News is set in Newfoundland/ Labrador). | The Shipping News, by E. Annie Proulx |
| Written by French author. | The Braid by Laetitia Colombani |
| Set in Iceland, or written by an Icelandic author. | The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson |
| Cover is 75% green. | Greenwood by Michael Christie |
| The genre of mythology. | Circe by Madeline Miller |
| A classic written by a woman. | To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf |
| Other | Title |
|---|---|
| Genre: Historical fiction | The Year Without Summer Guinevere Glasfurd |
| Known author; Australian historical fiction | True History of the Kelly Gang, Peter Carey |
| Australian history | Mrs Kelly by Grantlee Kieza |
May
| National and International Days | Title |
|---|---|
| Jordan Independence Day 25th May | Appointment With Death by Agatha Christie |
| Year-long Challenge: Twisted Trivia | Title |
|---|---|
| Author is a Mary, Edith or Sybil | The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing by Mary Paulson-Ellis |
| Mountains on the cover | The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin |
| The word “Orphan” is in the title or a significant character is an orphan | A Thousands Moons by Sebastian Barry |
| Flower other than orchid on cover | The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian |
| Other | Title |
|---|---|
| Recommended to me | Conjure Women by Atakora, Afia |
| Known author | The Dickens Boy by Tom Keneally |
June
| Literary Awards | Title |
|---|---|
| International Dublin Literary Award – 2020 awards postponed due to COVID-19 | Idaho by Emily Ruskovich – 2019 Winner – International Dublin Literary Award |
| Walter Scott Prize | The Redeemed by Tim Pears – 2020 Shortlist – Walter Scott Prize |
| Australian Book Industry Awards | Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham – 2020 Longlist – Australian Book Industry Awards |
| Year-long Challenge: Twisted Trivia | Title |
|---|---|
| Genre is thriller | The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel |
| Hand on the cover | The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau by Graeme Macrae Burnet |
| Horse on the cover | The Redeemed by Tim Pears |
| Other | Title |
|---|---|
| Recommended; Australian setting and author | A Treacherous Country by K.M. Kruimink |
| Known author | Gulliver’s Wife by Lauren Chater |
| Recommended | How Much of These Hills is Gold? by C. Pam Zhan |
July
| National and International Days | Title |
|---|---|
| Somalia 1 July | Crossbones by Nuruddin Farah |
| Year-long Challenge: Twisted Trivia | Title |
|---|---|
| The title is one word starts with the letter “D”. | Dreamland, Nancy Bilyeau |
| Book is part of a trilogy | Crossbones by Nuruddin Farah |
| Stormy seas | On the Java Ridge by Jock Serong |
| Originally published in French | After the Circus, by Patrick Modiano Translated by Mark Polizzotti |
| Other | Title |
|---|---|
| Recommended; Historical Fiction | Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor |
| Australian author; Historical Fiction | On a Barbarous Coast by Craig Cormick & Harold Ludwick |
| Recommended | The End of October, Lawrence Wright |
| Recommended; Historical Fiction | Tyll, Daniel Kehlmann Translated Ross Benjamin |
| Recommended | Eight Lives by Susan Hurley |
| Recommended | One Good Deed by David Baldacci |
August
| Title | For: |
|---|---|
| The Enchanted April, Elizabeth Von Arnim | YLTO: Setting is April, and the word “April” is in the title. |
| Fallen land : a novel, Taylor Brown | YLTO: The story is about the American Civil War. |
| The Death of Comrade President, Alain Mabanckou. Translated by Helen Stevenson | YLTO: Set in Africa/ African author |
| Astonish Me, Maggie Shipstead | YLTO: Theme is Dance |
| Quota, Jock Serong | YLTO: The title of the book starts with Q or Z. |
| Larchfield, Polly Clark | YLTO: Set in Scotland /a Scottish author. |
| Stone Sky Gold Mountain, Mirandi Riwoe. | Australian Historical Fiction |
| The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald | YLTO: Author’s name is Francis |
| One, Patrick Holland | YLTO: Large eye on cover |
September
| Title | For: |
|---|---|
| Dragon Teeth, Michael Crichton | YLTO: Theme is dinosaurs |
| The Last Migration, Charlotte McConaghy | Recommended to me. |
| Simon the Fiddler, Paulette Jiles | YLTO: The theme is the American Civil War. |
| Sisters, Daisy Johnson | Recommended to me. |
| The Days of Abandonment, Elena Ferrante | Known author |
| In the Country of Men, Hisham Matar | YLTO: The book was a prize winner in 2007 |
| The Burning Island, Jock Serong | Known author |
| Mammoth, Chris Flynn | YLTO: The book is written from an animal’s point of view. |
| A Room Made of Leaves : a novel / Kate Grenville. | Known author |
| The Sound of One Hand Clapping, Richard Flanagan | YLTO: Author’s name is Richard |
October
| Title | For: |
|---|---|
| The Survivors, Jane Harper | Known author |
| All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton | Known author |
| Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason | Recommended to me |
| A River With a City Problem, Margaret Cook | 2020 Finalist People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award |
| Abstainer, Ian McGuire | Known author |
| The Great Homecoming, Anna Kim | National Day, Republic of Korea 3rd October |
| I’m thinking of ending things / Iain Reid. | Recommended to me. |
| The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (No Glanceabook page) | YLTO: Middle grade fiction |
| The Brisbane Line / J.P. Powell. | Recommended to me. |
| Moonlite: The Tragic Love Story of Captain Moonlite and the Bloody End of the Bushrangers, Linnell, Garry. | Known author |
November
| Title | For: |
|---|---|
| The Wreck, Meg Keneally | Known author |
| One by One, Ruth Ware | Known author |
| Home Stretch, Graham Norton | 2020 shortlisted Popular Fiction Book of the Year Irish Book awards |
| Ship of Death : the tragedy of the ‘Emigrant’ / Jane Margaret Smith | Recommended to me. |
| The Mother Fault / Kate Mildenhall. | Recommended to me. |
| The Guest List / Lucy Foley. | Recommended to me. |
| Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys | Dominica Independence Day 3 November |
| Lucky’s, Andrew Pippos | Recommended to me. |
| Infinite Splendours, Sofie Laguna | Known author |
December
| Title: | For: |
|---|---|
| Leave the World Behind, Rumaan Alam | 2020 Finalist National Book Award for Fiction |
| The Map of Salt and Stars, Zeyn Joukhadar | YLTO December Challenge (the word “stars” in the title) |
| The Nowhere Child, Christian White | Known author |
| The Waiter, Matias Faldbakken Translated by Alice Menzies | Recommended to me. |
| Weather, Jenny Offill | Recommended to me. |
| The Foundling, Stacey Halls | Recommended to me. |
| Silence, Susan Allott | Recommended to me. |
| Jack, Marilynne Robinson | Known author. |
| We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson | Recommended to me. |
| The Tender Land, William Kent Krueger | Recommended to me. |
