Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Finished February, so I'm done!

FEBRUARY
Valentine’s Day
1. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page.
✅Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen

February birthdays: Toni Morrison
1. Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue
✅The Santa Klaus Murder

Winter sports: Ski jumping
1. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long
✅Pollyanna - Eleanor H. Porter (310p)

Leap year
1. Read a book that is part of a series and that has a series number that is a multiple of four (4, 8, 12 etc)
✅A Great Deliverance (Inspector Lynley #1) - Elizabeth George (The Inspector Lynley series has 20 books)

FEBRUARY

1. Valentine’s Day

2. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY :
We Were The Future: A Memoir of the Kibbutz by Yael Neeman

2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison

1. Read a book with a colour in the title :
The Greenhouse by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping

3. Read a book where the plot “jumps” about (a non-linear narrative as it’s normally called) :
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

4. Leap year

2. Read a book in which the numbers 2 and 9 appear in the number of pages :
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (219 pages)

1. Winter

1. Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in WINTER (you can use or ignore a, an or the)

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?- done


2. December birthdays: Ann Patchett

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine- done

3. Christmas

3. Read a book on one of the following Christmas reading lists:
🎁 Oprah magazine: 35 best Christmas books of all time -A Redbird Christmas
🎁 Bustle: 9 classic Christmas books for adults
🎁 Stylist: 50 best Christmas books

4. Winter sports: yukigassen

2. Read a book in a series that is at least 7 books long - A is for Alibi - done

JANUARY - 4/4

1. Happy New Year!


1. Read a book by an author who is new to you. - The Bookish Life of Nina Hill- done

2. January birthdays: A.A. Milne

1. Read a book by an author who is usually known by their initials (eg J.K. Rowling, J.D. Salinger, L.M. Montgomery) - The Mistletoe Murder And Other Stories - done

3. New Year Resolutions

3. Read a book that will help you keep one of your New Year resolutions OR if you don’t make resolutions then read a book related to one of the top ten New Years resolutions. Tell us what your resolution is when recording this task as completed. -Big Fat Lies -done

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh

1. Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND. - Midnight Sun - Alaska - done

FEBRUARY 4/4 Complete

1. Valentine’s Day

1. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page. -Can You Keep a Secret? - done

2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison

3. Read a book by Toni Morrison or another author who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Bluest Eye- done

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping

1. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long. -Still Alice


4. Leap year

2. Read a book in which the numbers 2 and 9 appear in the number of pages. -Still Life

COMPLETED!!

DECEMBER

1. Winter

✅1. Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in WINTER (you can use or ignore a, an or the) - Every Heart a Doorway

2. December birthdays: Ann Patchett

✅1. Read a book published between 1992 and 2019 (inclusive). Finding Jake

3. Christmas

✅3. Read a book on one of the following Christmas reading lists:
🎁 Oprah magazine: 35 best Christmas books of all time
🎁 Bustle: 9 classic Christmas books for adults
🎁 Stylist: 50 best Christmas books - The Christmas Train

4. Winter sports: yukigassen

✅1. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in YUKIGASSEN. - Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro


JANUARY

1. Happy New Year!

✅1. Read a book by an author who is new to you. - Through My Eyes

2. January birthdays: A.A. Milne

✅2. Read a book by an author who was born in a capital city (for this task, a capital city means the capital of a country rather than a state or province) - Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier - born in London, England

3. New Year Resolutions

✅2. Read a book that looks into the past (historical fiction, history, etc) or a book that looks into the future (science fiction, fantasy, etc). Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh

✅3. Read a book that appears on one of these lists of fast-paced books:
🛷 Bookbub: 16 fast-paced books to read in a day - The Wife Between Us
🛷 Business Insider: 25 fast-paced thrillers
🛷 Bustle: 11 fast-paced books

FEBRUARY

1. Valentine’s Day

✅1. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page. - Verity


2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison

✅1. Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue. - Sam's Letters to Jennifer

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping

✅1. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long. - Tell Me Three Things

4. Leap year

✅3. Read a book with a word from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Modern Major-General Song in the title or subtitle. (Words must be at least four letters long to count). - Never Have I Ever

February is also done, so I've officially completed the WRC :)
For December and January click here

February:

1. Valentine’s Day
Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY: Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan

2. Toni Morrison's Birthday
Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue: The Nightingale

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping
Read a book that is at least 253 pages long: The Thirteenth Tale

4. Leap year
Read a book in which the numbers 2 and 9 appear in the number of pages Everything I Never Told You

Finished January:

1. Happy New Year!
1. Read a book by an author who is new to you.
Vicious by V.E. Schwab

2. January birthdays: A.A. Milne
1. Read a book by an author who is usually known by their initials (eg J.K. Rowling, J.D. Salinger, L.M. Montgomery)
Streets of Darkness by A.A. Dhand

3. New Year Resolutions
1. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title can be found in NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS (the title must be at least three words long for this option)
The Armored Saint by Myke Cole

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh
1. Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND.
The Likeness by Tana French - set in and around Dublin

and that's the whole Winter Challenge finished for me.

Completed January and February round 2, and that will be it for me this time! Looking forward to the next one.

JANUARY
1. Happy New Year!
✔ 2. Read a book from a genre that is new to you (you can use a sub-genre, eg urban fantasy, historical romance, etc if you already read books from most genres).
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (medical thriller)

2. January birthdays: A.A. Milne
✔ 2. Read a book by an author who was born in a capital city (for this task, a capital city means the capital of a country rather than a state or province)
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes (born in London)

3. New Year Resolutions
✔ 2. Read a book that looks into the past (historical fiction, history, etc) or a book that looks into the future (science fiction, fantasy, etc).
Followers by Megan Angelo (part of it takes place in 2051)

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh
✔ 2. Read a book in which a conflict between characters is a major part of the plot. Tell us what the conflict was (using spoiler tags if necessary) when recording the task as completed.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (it's a band, there's always conflict! But the main conflict is that the two lead singers have a love-hate relationship and disagree over the songs for their next album.)

FEBRUARY

1. Valentine’s Day
✔ 2. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY.
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts

2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison
✔ 3. Read a book by Toni Morrison or another author who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping
✔ 2. Read a book published in a year in which the Winter Olympics took place (1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
Milk Glass Moon by Adriana Trigiani (published in 2002)

4. Leap year
✔ 1. Read a book that is part of a series and that has a series umber that is a multiple of four (4, 8, 12 etc).
Home to Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani (4th of 4)

All complete!
December
✅1. Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in WINTER (you can use or ignore a, an or the) - The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
✅2. Read a book published between 1992 and 2019 (inclusive) - My Bodhi Tree by Zhang Xianliang (1994)
✅3. Read a book on one of the following Christmas reading lists: Oprah magazine: 35 best Christmas books of all time - Letters From Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien
✅4. Read a book set in a country where yukigassen is played - Best Short Stories Of Jack London (Canada)

January
✅1. Read a book by an author who is new to you - Dustfall by Michelle Johnston
✅2. 1. Read a book by an author who is usually known by their initials - A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
✅3. Read a book that looks into the past - Pure
by Andrew Miller
✅4. Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND - The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan (Ireland)

February
✅1. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY - The Parcel by Anosh Irani
✅2. Read a book with a colour in the title - When Red Is Black by Qiu Xiaolong
✅3. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long - Homesickness by Murray Bail (317 pp)
✅4. Read a book in which the numbers 2 and 9 appear in the number of pages - The Weekend by Charlotte Wood (259pp)

DECEMBER (4/4)

1. Winter
✅ 1. Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in WINTER (you can use or ignore a, an or the)
De niet verhoorde gebeden van Jacob de Zoet

2. December birthdays: Ann Patchett
✅ 1. Read a book published between 1992 and 2019 (inclusive).
Lake Silence

3. Christmas
✅ 3. Read a book on one of the following Christmas reading lists:
🎁 Oprah magazine: 35 best Christmas books of all time
🎁 Bustle: 9 classic Christmas books for adults
🎁 Stylist: 50 best Christmas books
The Gift

4. Winter sports: yukigassen
✅ 2. Read a book in a series that is at least 7 books long
De Grote Jacht

JANUARY (4/4)

1. Happy New Year!
1. Read a book by an author who is new to you.
✅ M.U.I.S.

2. January birthdays: A.A. Milne
✅ 1. Read a book by an author who is usually known by their initials (eg J.K. Rowling, J.D. Salinger, L.M. Montgomery)
Anne of Green Gables

3. New Year Resolutions
✅ 1. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title can be found in NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS (the title must be at leat three words long for this option)
Onheilsbode

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh
✅ 2. Read a book in which a conflict between characters is a major part of the plot. Tell us what the conflict was (using spoiler tags if necessary) when recording the task as completed.
The Secret Chapter (view spoiler)[the fae and dragons in this series are always in conflict (hide spoiler)]

FEBRUARY (4/4)

1. Valentine’s Day
✅ 2. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY.
Vrees

2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison
✅ 1. Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue.


3. Winter sports: Ski jumping
✅ 1. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long.
Slända i bärnsten

4. Leap year
✅ 2. Read a book in which the numbers 2 and 9 appear in the number of pages.
Lampje

Is there such a thing as reading too much? Or being too much of a challenge completionist?

Round Three:

DECEMBER
1. Winter
❄2. Read a book with snow, snowflakes or a snowman on the cover OR a book with a person wearing winter clothing (scarf, hat, warm coat etc) on the cover.
Lost December by Richard Paul Evans
2. December birthdays: Ann Patchett
❄3. Read a book that has won or been nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award or the Women’s Prize for Fiction
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
3. Christmas
❄2. Read a book that has one of the gifts referred to in The Twelve Days of Christmas shown on its cover
Peculiar Questions & Practical Answers by the New York Public Library (a calling bird)
4. Winter sports: yukigassen
❄3. Read a book set in a country where yukigassen is played (Japan, Armenia, Canada, China, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, or Slovakia).
Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese (Canada)

JANUARY
1. Happy New Year!
❄1. Read a book by an author who is new to you.
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
2. January birthdays: A.A. Milne
❄2. Read a book by an author who was born in a capital city (for this task, a capital city means the capital of a country rather than a state or province)
The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham (born in London)
3. New Year Resolutions
❄1. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title can be found in NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS (the title must be at leat three words long for this option)
It’s a Whole Spiel ed. by Locke & Silverman
4. Winter sports: bobsleigh
❄3. Read a book that appears on one of these lists of fast-paced books:
🛷 Bookbub: 16 fast-paced books to read in a day
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

FEBRUARY
1. Valentine’s Day
❄3. Read a book written in or set in the Medieval period (usually defined as the 5th to 15th centuries).
The Inferno by Dante Alighieri (tr. Hollander)
2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison
❄1. Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
3. Winter sports: Ski jumping
❄1. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long.
Brewed Awakening by Cleo Coyle
4. Leap year
❄1. Read a book that is part of a series and that has a series umber that is a multiple of four (4, 8, 12 etc).
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Was hoping to make it through a full 2 rounds for Feb, as I had been able to do for December and January, but work (sigh) got in the way.

February
Valentine's Day
a. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page Four to Score by Janet Evanovich
Toni Morrison
c. Read a book by Toni Morrison or another author who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (winner, 2017)
Ski Jumping
b. Read a book published in a year in which the Winter Olympics took place The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (pub. 2018)
Leap Year
a. Read a book that is part of a series and that has a series number that is a multiple of four Back Of Beyond by C.J. Box (book 1 of The Highway Quartet)

Winter Reading Challenge

FEBRUARY

1. Valentine’s Day
✅1. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page.


2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison

✅1. Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue.


3. Winter sports: Ski jumping


✅3. Read a book where the plot “jumps” about (a non-linear narrative as it’s normally called). These lists might be useful as inspiration but your book doesn’t have to appear on one to work for this task:

This book jumps back and forth between 2016 and 2051

4. Leap year

✅2. Read a book in which the numbers 2 and 9 appear in the number of pages.
294 Pages

1. Happy New Year!
1. Read a book by an author who is new to you.
— The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

2. January birthdays: A.A. Milne
1. Read a book by an author who is usually known by their initials
— The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drew’s

3. New Year Resolutions
2. Read a book that looks into the past (historical fiction, history, etc) or a book that looks into the future (science fiction, fantasy, etc).
— The Terror by Dan Simmons

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh
1. Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND.
— The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie


1. Valentine’s Day
1. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page.
— Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison
1. Read a book...with a cover that is mostly blue.
— Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping
Read a book that is at least 253 pages long.
— The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

4. Leap year
1. Read a book that is part of a series and that has a series umber that is a multiple of four (4, 8, 12 etc).
— Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski

Here's January done and dusted.

JANUARY
1. Happy New Year!
Happy 2020! Here’s to a great year of reading. Around the world people will be welcoming the new year while watching fireworks displays, drinking champagne and singing Auld Lang Syne.
1. Read a book by an author who is new to you.
Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon - 3.5★

2. January birthdays: A.A. Milne
A.A. Milne was born in London in 18 January 1882. He is most famous for his Winnie the Pooh books which are among the most popular children’s books ever published and have been translated into numerous languages, including Latin!
2. Read a book by an author who was born in a capital city (for this task, a capital city means the capital of a country rather than a state or province)
At Home in Thrush Green by Miss Read (born in London) - 3★

3. New Year Resolutions
2. Read a book that looks into the past (historical fiction, history, etc) or a book that looks into the future (science fiction, fantasy, etc).
HF - Swimming Home by Mary-Rose MacColl - 4★

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh
Bobsleighing originated in the Swiss town of St Moritz in the 19th century.
3. Read a book that appears on one of these lists of fast-paced books:
🛷 Bookbub: 16 fast-paced books to read in a day
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - 4★

Whether I finish February is down to the wire - I'm only 20% of the way through my last book, with only a day to go... I might be finishing it on March 1st...

DECEMBER--COMPLETED!

1. Winter
-Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in WINTER (you can use or ignore a, an or the)--The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason / winteR
-Read a book with snow, snowflakes or a snowman on the cover OR a book with a person wearing winter clothing on the cover--The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman / Lyra is dressed for cold
-Read a book that is between 89 and 128 pages long--The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans / 125 pages

2. December birthdays: Ann Patchett
-Read a book published between 1992 and 2019 (inclusive)--You're on an Airplane: A Self-Mythologizing Memoir by Parker Posey / published 2018

3. Christmas
-Read a book that has one of the gifts referred to in The Twelve Days of Christmas shown on its cover--The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White / Swan on cover

4. Winter sports: yukigassen
Read a book in a series that is at least 7 books long--The Far Side of the Dollar by Ross Macdonald / #12 of 18 in series

1.// 2. 3. 4.

JANUARY--COMPLETED!

1. Happy New Year!
-Read a book by an author who is new to you--In the Belly of the Beast: Letters From Prison / I have never read anything by Jack Henry Abbott, nor by anyone serving such a long prison sentence.
-Read a book in which all the words in the title have the same number of letters--Tiger, Tiger / Bit of a cheat but each word does have 5 letters

2. January birthdays: A.A. Milne
-Read a book by an author who was born in a capital city--How to Train Your Dragon/Cressida Cowell was born in London
-Read a book that has been translated into Latin--Where the Wild Things Are/We were allowed to read the English, right?

3. New Year Resolutions
-Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title can be found in NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS--Reasons to Live / new year ReasoLuTions
-Read a book that looks into the past (historical fiction, history, etc) or a book that looks into the future (science fiction, fantasy, etc)--Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman / Forward, backward, this book goes every whichway

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh
-Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND--Mage's Apprentice / Set in New york
-Read a book in which a conflict between characters is a major part of the plot. Tell us what the conflict was (using spoiler tags if necessary) when recording the task as completed--Educated by Tara Westover / Beyond the earliest parts of the book, Tara is chafing to free herself from her father's influence and rules, as well as from her brother Shawn's issues. Part 2 especially is endless head-banging.

1. / 2. / 3. / 4. /

FEBRUARY--COMPLETED!

1. Valentine’s Day
-Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page--Tweet Cute by Emma Lord / listed first
-Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY--Good Wives by Louisa Alcott / vaLentine's dAy; plus I started reading on Feb.14

2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison
-Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue--The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes / see cover below
-Read a book by Toni Morrison or another author who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature--Beloved by Toni Morrison / Read in January, but close enough

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping
-Read a book that is at least 253 pages long--The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman / 326 pages
-Read a book published in a year in which the Winter Olympics took place--Bookmarks Are People Too! by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver / 2014
-Read a book where the plot “jumps” about--The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand / multiple timelines for the mystery and the history and viewpoints needed to understand

4. Leap year
-Read a book with a word from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Modern Major-General Song in the title or subtitle--The Caedmon Poetry Collection:A Century of Poets Reading Their Work by Gertrude Stein, William Carlos Williams, Dylan Thomas, T.S. Eliot, and 25 or so others

1. / 2. /( ) 3. / / 4.

Finished up last week. Looking forward to the next one!

DECEMBER ✔

1. Winter ✔

Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in WINTER
Trust Exercise

2. December birthdays: Ann Patchett ✔

Read a book by Ann Patchett or another author named Ann or a close variation
Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett

3. Christmas ✔

Read a book on one of the following Christmas reading lists:
🎁 Oprah magazine: 35 best Christmas books of all time
Royal Holiday

4. Winter sports: yukigassen ✔

Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in YUKIGASSEN.
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

JANUARY✔

1. Happy New Year! ✔

Read a book by an author who is new to you.
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

2. January birthdays: A.A. Milne ✔

Read a book by an author who was born in a capital city
The Girl from the Metropol Hotel: Growing Up in Communist Russia by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya who was born in Moscow, Russia

3. New Year Resolutions ✔

Read a book that looks into the past or a book that looks into the future.
Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh ✔

Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND.
Purple Hibiscus set in Nigeria.

FEBRUARY ✔

1. Valentine’s Day ✔

Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY.
Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende

2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison ✔

Read a book by Toni Morrison or another author who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping ✔

Read a book that is at least 253 pages long.
The Family Next Door

4. Leap year ✔

Read a book in which the numbers 2 and 9 appear in the number of pages.
Troubling a Star 296 pages

I finished the challenge and Jan and Feb a second time.

December 4/4
1. Winter
a. Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in WINTER
The Intuitionist

2. Ann Patchett
b. Read a book by Ann Patchett or another author named Ann or a close variation
Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett

3. Christmas
b. Read a book that has one of the gifts referred to in The Twelve Days of Christmas shown on its cover
A House in the Sky (birds, I'm sure they're calling)

4. Yukigassen
a. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in YUKIGASSEN
The Little French Bistro by Nina George

January
1. Happy New Year!
a. Read a book by an author who is new to you
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean

2. A.A. Milne
b. Read a book by an author who was born in a capital city
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants (London, England)

3. New Year Resolutions
a. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title can be found in NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
Sing, Unburied, Sing

4. Bobsleigh
a. Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND
Manhattan Beach (New York)

February
1. Valentine's Day
b. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY.
Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

2. Toni Morrison
c. Read a book by Toni Morrison or another author who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

X 3. Ski Jumping
a. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long.
The Leavers (338 p)

4. Leap Year
b. Read a book in which the numbers 2 and 9 appear in the number of pages
The Roanoke Girls (279 p)


Round 2:
January
1. Happy New Year!
c. Read a book in which all the words in the title have the same number of letters
The Nix

2. A.A. Milne
a. Read a book by an author who is usually known by their initials
The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

3. New Year Resolutions
b. Read a book that looks into the past or a book that looks into the future
The Forgotten Garden

4. Bobsleigh
b. Read a book in which a conflict between characters is a major part of the plot. Tell us what the conflict was (using spoiler tags if necessary) when recording the task as completed
A Moonless, Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa (slaves vs. not, conservative vs. liberal Muslims, kidnappers vs. kidnappees vs. people's opinions of both, rebels vs. the people)

February
1. Valentine's Day
a. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page
This Is How You Lose Her

2. Toni Morrison
a. Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue
Go Set a Watchman (blue cover)

3. Ski Jumping
b. Read a book published in a year in which the Winter Olympics took place
Euphoria (2014)

4. Leap Year
c. Read a book with a word from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Modern Major-General Song in the title or subtitle
From Sand and Ash (from)

Forgot to post last night!

DECEMBER

1. Winter

2. Read a book with snow, snowflakes or a snowman on the cover OR a book with a person wearing winter clothing (scarf, hat, warm coat etc) on the cover. - An Unwanted Guest

2. December birthdays: Ann Patchett

1. Read a book published between 1992 and 2019 (inclusive). - Slayer, published in 2019

3. Christmas

2. Read a book that has one of the gifts referred to in The Twelve Days of Christmas shown on its cover (ignore the numbers - eg a book with a gold ring works, you don’t need a book with five gold rings!) - Flame in the Mist. Is it too much of a stretch to count a phoenix as a bird (as in the "calling birds")?

4. Winter sports: yukigassen

3. Read a book set in a country where yukigassen is played (Japan, Armenia, Canada, China, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, or Slovakia). - Confessions, set in Japan

JANUARY

1. Happy New Year!

1. Read a book by an author who is new to you. - Just What Kind of Mother Are You?

2. January birthdays: A.A. Milne

2. Read a book by an author who was born in a capital city (for this task, a capital city means the capital of a country rather than a state or province) - The Perfect Nanny. The author is from Rabat, which is the capital of Morocco

3. New Year Resolutions

1. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title can be found in NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS (the title must be at leat three words long for this option) - The Winter Sister

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh

2. Read a book in which a conflict between characters is a major part of the plot. Tell us what the conflict was (using spoiler tags if necessary) when recording the task as completed. - From Twinkle, with Love. The main character is upset with her best friend for becoming popular and ditching her.

FEBRUARY

1. Valentine’s Day

2. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY. - Strange the Dreamer

2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison

1. Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue. - Love From A to Z, which has a blue cover

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping

1. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long. - Quarantine: A Love Story, 336 pages.

4. Leap year

1. Read a book that is part of a series and that has a series number that is a multiple of four (4, 8, 12 etc). - Five ​Dark Fates, fourth book in the Three Dark Crowns series

Challenge completed! Actually completed my final February reads back during Feb, but only getting a chance to post this now.

DECEMBER
1. Winter
Read a book with snow, snowflakes or a snowman on the cover OR a book with a person wearing winter clothing (scarf, hat, warm coat etc) on the cover.


2. December birthdays: Ann Patchett
Read a book by Ann Patchett or another author named Ann or a close variation (eg Anne, Anna, Annie etc)
Murder at Catmmando Mountain by Anna Celeste Burke

3. Christmas
Read a book on one of the following Christmas reading lists:
🎁 Oprah magazine: 35 best Christmas books of all time
🎁 Bustle: 9 classic Christmas books for adults
🎁 Stylist: 50 best Christmas books
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie

4. Winter sports: yukigassen
Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in YUKIGASSEN.
-Alexia Gordon

JANUARY
1. Happy New Year!
Lucifer's Daughter-Kel Carpenter

2. January birthdays: A.A. MilneRead a book by an author who is usually known by their initials (eg J.K. Rowling, J.D. Salinger, L.M. Montgomery)
Vampire Detective Midnight-JC Andrijeski

3. New Year Resolutions
Read a book that looks into the past (historical fiction, history, etc) or a book that looks into the future (science fiction, fantasy, etc).
Junkyard Cats-Faith Hunter-Future

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh
Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND.
Midnight Riot-Ben Aaronovitch - London

FEBRUARY

1. Valentine’s Day
Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page.
An Assembly Such as This - Pamela Aidan

2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison
Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue.
Deep Pink-Sarah A. Hoyt

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping
Read a book that is at least 253 pages long.
Vampire Detective Midnight-J.C. Andrijeski - 388pgs

4. Leap year
Read a book with a word from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Modern Major-General Song in the title or subtitle. (Words must be at least four letters long to count).
Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World-Michael Pollan