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I've moved my list into this new topic. I liked the idea of a target list, discussed by some of the other members, so I've set myself a target list of authors, with the plan that I'll read one book from each author on the list. The list has 32 authors on it at the moment.

John wrote: "I've moved my list into this new topic. I liked the idea of a target list, discussed by some of the other members, so I've set myself a target list of authors, with the plan that I'll read one book..."

Excellent idea to pick authors and seek out books by them!

I've chosen a list of 50 Scottish authors, with the aim of reading one book per author, and I've included some non-fiction Scottish authors here as well. It seemed a great idea at the time, but now that I see it written down.....

Lin Anderson
Kate Atkinson
Chris Bamberry
Iain Banks
William Boyd
Christopher Brookmyre
George Mackay Brown
John Burnside
A.J. Cronin
Neil Davidson
Tom Devine
Anne Donovan
Michael Faber
Jenni Fagan
Janice Galloway
John Galt
Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Alasdair Gray
Neil Gunn
Archie Hind
Laura Hird
Robert Alan Jamieson
Robin Jenkins
James Kelman
A.L. Kennedy
Frank Kuppner
R.D. Laing
Eric Linklater
Compton Mackenzie
Alistair Maclean
Ken McLeod
Gavin Maxwell
Edwin Morgan
Edwin Muir
Maggie O'Farrell
Agnes Owens
John Prebble
James Robertson
J.K. Rowling
Kenneth Roy
Christopher Rush
Walter Scott
Ali Smith
Iain Chrichton Smith
Muriel Spark
Robert Louis Stevenson
Luke Sutherland
Alexander Trocchi
Louise Welsh
Gordon M Williams

That's quite a list!

Katrina wrote: "That's quite a list!"

I know....its starting to look daunting. When pulling it together I've tried to include a few authors that I've never read before (some - like Alexander Trocchi - I'd never heard of.) So I'm hoping that taking this approach makes me broaden my range of authors. Fortunately I've got quite a few of them in my ever-growing TBR pile.

Hi John, I think that's a great list you have there. I've read a number of them but there are some I haven't heard of - will look into them.
Good luck with your challenge!

Jim wrote: "Hi John, I think that's a great list you have there. I've read a number of them but there are some I haven't heard of - will look into them.
Good luck with your challenge!"

Thanks Jim. The list is unfortunately getting longer as I've added Val McDermid, Tom Leonard, Callum G Brown and William McIlvanney (and those four are about as diverse as the rest of the list!)

Great reference list of authors for all us other members, too. Thanks! Good luck with your reading challenge plans, John.

Good progress on the list so far - thanks largely to the fact that I "carried over" at least three books in progress from 2016.

Books finished so far are -
The Panopticon and The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan. (I really enjoyed both, but particularly The Panopticon.)

I also enjoyed two short-story collections from Ali Smith; The First Person and Other Stories and Public Library and Other Stories.

I started the year with a nice easy read - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J K Rowling.

Continuing the run of excellent Scottish female authors was The Outrun by Amy Liptrot.

Finally, carried over from 2016 was Oh Ye Had to Be Careful: Personal Recollections by Roslin Gunpowder Mill Factory Workers - an excellent local history collection from Ian MacDougall.

I'm currently reading Driftnet by Lin Anderson - another author who's new to me, and The History of Orkney Literature by Simon Hall.

And I'm finally almost finished Ivanhoe by Walter Scott - which I have been reading for many months!

John wrote: "Good progress on the list so far - thanks largely to the fact that I "carried over" at least three books in progress from 2016.

Books finished so far are -
The Panopticon and [boo..."

WOW! And it's still January!

I've finished Driftnet and Ivanhoe, and managed to squeeze in two short books by A J Cronin - Dr. Finlay's Casebook and Adventures Of A Black Bag. (Driftnet was so/so, I enjoyed Ivanhoe (in the way that you enjoy visiting an aged Aunt and feeling you've done your duty) and the A J Cronin books were pleasant enough reads - but a bit too sickly sweet for me.)

I'm now reading His Bloody Project, but I'm expecting February's total to be low as I've got a few non-fiction books on the go and they always take me a lot longer.) But so far I'm on-track to meet the challenge.

I'm changing my challenge slightly; for reasons that are fairly obvious I've decided to read all J K Rowling's books this year.

John wrote: "I'm changing my challenge slightly; for reasons that are fairly obvious I've decided to read all J K Rowling's books this year."

You certainly set the bar high, John!

Finished His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet and Circle of Light: The Catholic Church in Orkney Since 1560 by Alison Gray.

I think I'll now turn to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for some light relief.

Finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and finished the excellent The White Bird Passes by Jessie Kesson. I can see me reading a few more of her books this year, and I'm tempted by her biography - Jessie Kesson: Writing Her Life by Isobel Murray.

John wrote: "Finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and finished the excellent The White Bird Passes by Jessie Kesson. I can see me reading a few more of he..."

I read The White Bird Passes, really liked it!

I've completed The Beast by Sharman MacDonald and The Glister by John Burnside, two authors I hadn't read before. (Although I think I'd previously read some of John Burnside's poetry.) I can imagine reading some more from John Burnside later in the year.

I've got a couple of books I want to finish before starting on The Silver Darlings, so I might be a few days late in starting the group read.

John wrote: "I've completed The Beast by Sharman MacDonald and The Glister by John Burnside, two authors I hadn't read before. (Although I think I'd previously read some of John B..."

Thats okay, Some people might not even have their books yet!

I was lucky enough to get a copy from the library.

Other commitments have kept me away from the list, and from reading, for a few months (I can't believe that I haven't posted an update since February). I'm hoping to catch up a bit now but I'm going to really struggle to hit the 50-book challenge. Books I've read since my last update are -
The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Summer of Independence: Stories from a nation in the making by Andrew Redmond Barr
To the Edge of the Sea: Schooldays of a Crofter's Child by Christina Hall
Dr. Lachlan Grant of Ballachulish, His Life and Times by Dr. Roderick Macleod
Thirty Years of Rain by Neil Williamson
Seventy Times Seven by John Gordon Sinclair
Belonging by Willa Muir
Victorian Scenes by William Robb, Solicitor of Keith
The History of Orkney Literature by Simon Hall

I'm currently enjoying a book of short stories from Douglas Dunn, who I'm more used to as a poet.

John wrote: "Other commitments have kept me away from the list, and from reading, for a few months (I can't believe that I haven't posted an update since February). I'm hoping to catch up a bit now but I'm goin..."
A couple in there I'd love to read! To the Edge of the Sea and Dr. Lachlan Grant. The Willa Muir book sounds good too!

I've just finished reading The Bagpiping People: Selected Short Stories by Douglas Dunn. I bought this in a charity shop a week ago in St Andrews, partly because of the co-incidence that Dunn, though retired, is still an honorary professor at St Andrews.
Like most people I think of Douglas Dunn primarily as a poet, and I think this book (published this year) is only his second collection of short stories. It was a joy to read - mainly from the pleasure and serenity derived from reading someone who writes so beautifully. I'm off now to scour my bookshelves as I'm sure I'll have his other collection of short stories waiting patiently for me somewhere.

Added to the read pile are
Old Glasgow Shops;
Blood Whispers by John Gordon Sinclair;
Townhead in the 70s;
Fragile Islands: Journey Through the Outer Hebrides;
Glimmer of Cold Brine: A Scottish Sea Anthology;
and Lunderston Tales by Robin Jenkins.

I'm feeling a bit more confident now about achieving the minimum number (36) for the Shetland category.

Also feeling a bit guilty about posting so infrequently this year - the group feels a lot quieter than we were last year. I'm tempted to suggest that we are all a bit down because of external factors (Trump in US, Brexit in UK) but Peggy might slap my wrist for introducing politics!

Well, that might be the case :( But still a good effort by you and I am sure you get your 36. What an impressive number!

John wrote: "Added to the read pile are
Old Glasgow Shops;
Blood Whispers by John Gordon Sinclair;
Townhead in the 70s;
[book:Fragile Islands:..."

LOL! I might :) We seemed more talkative the first half of the year but have quieted down this second half.

The world is a mess, but Melanie is right your book list is impressive!
I only read 9 this year so far :(

Yes, what a year, John! Bring on 2018! Melanie suggested a few ideas for next year, we’re thinking more group reads so that might liven it up? We could have an ideas/inspiration thread too..?

Group reads are good - I'd be happy to join in.

I also find (as I get older sadly) that I drift into my comfort zones of authors/topics/genres I know I like. Being in this group has led to me reading, and enjoying, books I might not otherwise have read. But previously I've also benefited from challenges such as interested group members being paired-up and each picking a book that we think our partner (based on our review of their profile and book lists for example) might find interesting, and probably not have read. We then each have to read within a set timeframe- and provide feedback on - the book our partner has assigned to us. (I'm nervous about getting paired with you Melanie - having just looked at the totals you've achieved in the last few years reading challenges; your yearly figures are amazing. Congratulations!)

I knew you’d bring life to this group, Ellen! Looking forward to next year.

I've just finished The Fahrenheit Twins, an excellent collection of short stories by Michel Faber.

Just finished two more -
The Cutting Room by Louise Welsh.
1917 Walls Come Tumbling Down. by Richie Venton.

By my reckoning, that brings my total for the year so far to 39, and I'm hoping that by the end of the year I might hit 45.

Since my last update I've completed -
The Noise of a Fly by Douglas Dunn. His first collection in 16 years has been worth waiting for, and as a result I also read -
Secret Villages and Europa's Lover, both by Douglas Dunn.

I also finished the excellent Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson.

I've now read -
Home Ground, edited by Louise Welsh
A Spell for Green Corn by George Mackay Brown
Look Up Glasgow by Adrian Searle
A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton
Easy Kill by Lin Anderson
Burning Elvis by John Burnside
Glasgow Smells by Michael Meighan
The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau by Graeme Macrae Burnet

I think that now takes me past the 50 book target for Shetland - just in time! I've got some in progress, so I'll probably add a couple before the end of the challenge.

Congratulations! I enjoy looking at your list for reading recommendations.

An impressive list John - I’ve just finished The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau and really enjoyed it. I had heard bad reviews but I thought it was psychologically interesting. Did you enjoy it? I’ll look at your list for inspiration for next year, some good diverse choices...

I thoroughly enjoyed The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau, so much so that I think the follow-up - The Accident on the A35 - might be one of the first books I read for the 2018 challenge. The portrayal of the thought processes of Manfred was well done, but I really liked the character of Georges Gorski.

The great thing about this group is that it gets you reading a wider range of authors than you might normally; this year I've read for the first time Graeme Macrae Burnet, Amy Liptrot, John Gordon Sinclair, the fabulous Jenni Fagan, and the superb Jessie Kesson. I've enjoyed them all, plus - whisper it - I even read and thoroughly enjoyed a Hamish Macbeth Christmas book!)
I can think of only one major dislike this year; I'm struggling to finish a book by Alexander Trocchi which can only be described as badly-written porn.
The Read Scotland challenge has definitely added to my reading enjoyment this year, and I've looking forward to more of the same in 2018.

I've now finished -
Portrait of Orkney by George Mackay Brown,
Helen and Desire by Alexander Trocchi,
Black Widow by Christopher Brookmyre,
The Quarry by Iain Banks

I'm trying to finish Dr Lachlan Grant of Ballachulish, 1871-1945 edited by Annie Tindley, my second read about Dr Grant this year. I think that will be my last for this year's challenge (although I've still got a couple more to read to reach my GR 2018 challenge total).

My final two books in this year's challenge are -

Barbarians by Douglas Dunn,
Dr Lachlan Grant of Ballachulish, 1871-1945 by Annie Tindley

I think these take my total for the year to 56. Although these make up the majority of my total reading for the year, its never felt restricted; I've really enjoyed the variety.

I don't know about everybody else, but I tend to comfort-read (as well as comfort-eat!) at Christmas so its time to pull some old favourites from the shelves for the next couple of weeks.

I hope everyone in the group enjoys a peaceful and happy holiday season, however you celebrate it.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Comfort eating is a must! As is mince pies for breakfast. Merry Christmas John :)

John wrote: "My final two books in this year's challenge are -

Barbarians by Douglas Dunn,
Dr Lachlan Grant of Ballachulish, 1871-1945 by [author:Annie Tindley|58..."

Merry Christmas and very well done :)