2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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Regina’s Reading Ramblings 2020
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2020 JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM
Duration: January 1 through December 31, 2020
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Inspired Amateur: 24 books -- four from each category
24/24 completed
WHO--4/4
1. An academic
2. An actor/actress
✅3. A professional is main sleuth Case Histories
4. In the medical field
5. A journalist/writer
6. An artist/photographer
✅7. A vicar/religious figure A Morbid Taste for Bones
8. A Watson narrator (first-person peripheral)
✅9. Librarian/bookstore owner/publisher Eight Perfect Murders
✅10. Lawyer/barrister/judge, etc. And Then There Were None
WHAT--5/4
1. Person's name in title
✅2. Number in title One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
3. Color in the title
4. An animal in the title
✅5. "Means of murder" in the title Sparkling Cyanide
6. Written by more than one author
7. Comic/humorous novel
✅8. Inverted mystery (howdunit) Malice
✅9. Includes letters, diary excerpts, or other correspondence The Crossing Places
✅10. Title with a literary allusion in it Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (William Blake, "Proverbs of Hell")
WHEN 4/4
1. During a recognized holiday
✅2. Set in Victorian era Things in Jars
3. Time/date, etc. in title
✅4. Timing of crime is crucial
5. During a weather event
6. Set during WWI or WWII (obvious wartime setting)
7. Set pre-1880
8. Set during trip, vacation, etc.
✅9. During a performance of any sort Death Of A Hollow Man
✅10. During a special event: birthday, village fete, etc. The Aosawa Murders
WHERE 4/4
1. At a country house
2. Set in a capital city
✅3. On an island Evil Under the Sun
4. At a school
✅5. Set in a small village The Vicious Vet
6. In a hospital/nursing home
7. Any country but US/UK
✅8. An outside location Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
9. At a theater/circus/other place of performance
✅10. In a locked room Borges and The Eternal Orangutans
HOW--4/4
1. Death by drowning
2. Crime involved fire/arson
3. Death on "wheels" (any vehicle used to murder)
4. Death by strangulation
5. Death by knife, dagger, etc.
6. Death by shooting
✅7. Death by blunt instrument Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley
✅ 8. Unusual murder method A Midsummer's Equation
✅9. At least two deaths by different means The Killings at Badger's Drift
✅10. Death by poison The Quiche of Death
WHY 4/4
✅1. It won an award of any sort The Dry
✅2. It made a "Best of" list A Dark-Adapted Eye
3. Author's first or last name begins with the same letter as yours Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
4. Author from your country
5. Out of your comfort zone
✅6. Author NOT from your country Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
7. A character has a job similar to yours
✅8. Read by fellow challenger Conviction
9. Because "Simon says" (see explanation below)
10. Book made into TV/film/play
Duration: January 1 through December 31, 2020
message 14
Inspired Amateur: 24 books -- four from each category
24/24 completed
WHO--4/4
1. An academic
2. An actor/actress
✅3. A professional is main sleuth Case Histories
4. In the medical field
5. A journalist/writer
6. An artist/photographer
✅7. A vicar/religious figure A Morbid Taste for Bones
8. A Watson narrator (first-person peripheral)
✅9. Librarian/bookstore owner/publisher Eight Perfect Murders
✅10. Lawyer/barrister/judge, etc. And Then There Were None
WHAT--5/4
1. Person's name in title
✅2. Number in title One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
3. Color in the title
4. An animal in the title
✅5. "Means of murder" in the title Sparkling Cyanide
6. Written by more than one author
7. Comic/humorous novel
✅8. Inverted mystery (howdunit) Malice
✅9. Includes letters, diary excerpts, or other correspondence The Crossing Places
✅10. Title with a literary allusion in it Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (William Blake, "Proverbs of Hell")
WHEN 4/4
1. During a recognized holiday
✅2. Set in Victorian era Things in Jars
3. Time/date, etc. in title
✅4. Timing of crime is crucial
5. During a weather event
6. Set during WWI or WWII (obvious wartime setting)
7. Set pre-1880
8. Set during trip, vacation, etc.
✅9. During a performance of any sort Death Of A Hollow Man
✅10. During a special event: birthday, village fete, etc. The Aosawa Murders
WHERE 4/4
1. At a country house
2. Set in a capital city
✅3. On an island Evil Under the Sun
4. At a school
✅5. Set in a small village The Vicious Vet
6. In a hospital/nursing home
7. Any country but US/UK
✅8. An outside location Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
9. At a theater/circus/other place of performance
✅10. In a locked room Borges and The Eternal Orangutans
HOW--4/4
1. Death by drowning
2. Crime involved fire/arson
3. Death on "wheels" (any vehicle used to murder)
4. Death by strangulation
5. Death by knife, dagger, etc.
6. Death by shooting
✅7. Death by blunt instrument Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley
✅ 8. Unusual murder method A Midsummer's Equation
✅9. At least two deaths by different means The Killings at Badger's Drift
✅10. Death by poison The Quiche of Death
WHY 4/4
✅1. It won an award of any sort The Dry
✅2. It made a "Best of" list A Dark-Adapted Eye
3. Author's first or last name begins with the same letter as yours Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
4. Author from your country
5. Out of your comfort zone
✅6. Author NOT from your country Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
7. A character has a job similar to yours
✅8. Read by fellow challenger Conviction
9. Because "Simon says" (see explanation below)
10. Book made into TV/film/play
GENRE JAMMIN’
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I'm in for all 20! I'll be reading Historical Fiction.
✅ 16/20 completed
Read a book that:
1. Is the first book in a series. Regeneration
✅2. Is authored by a person whose ethnicity differs from yours. Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen
✅3. Is longer than 500 pages. The Signature of All Things
✅4. Is shorter than 200 pages. West
✅5. Has been translated from another language into the language you are reading. Captain of the Sleepers (Translated from Spanish)
✅6. Has been adapted for a different media (film, TV, stage, video game, etc.). The Night Watch
✅7. Takes place in either a country you've never visited, or a different world. A True Novel--Japan
✅8. Takes place, primarily, in a capital city. Things in Jars
✅9. Takes place, mostly, in a rural community. The Jane Austen Society
✅10. Falls into your favorite sub-genre. Remarkable Creatures
✅11. Represents a sub-genre that you've never or rarely read. The Secret Guests--Alternative History
✅12. Has won a major book prize (GoodReads, Man Booker, Pulitzer, Hugo/Locus/Nebula, Edgar, etc.) Life After Life
13. Was written by an author who shares your birth month. Arthur & George
✅14. Includes the color of your birthstone in its cover art. Euphoria
15. Includes some form of correspondence, like snail mail or email. Miss Austen
✅16. A book with a great first line (PopSugar prompt #3) The People in the Trees
17. Was originally published in 1980 or earlier. The Jewel in the Crown
✅18. Has at least 500,000 ratings on GoodReads. Girl with a Pearl Earring
✅19. Is one of the favorite books in this genre of your friend or family member. For this prompt, ask around for recommendations. Hamnet
✅20. Wild-card: This is a create-your-own task. If you choose this, be sure to write your task down in your original post. (Written by one of your favorite authors) A God in Ruins
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I'm in for all 20! I'll be reading Historical Fiction.
✅ 16/20 completed
Read a book that:
1. Is the first book in a series. Regeneration
✅2. Is authored by a person whose ethnicity differs from yours. Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen
✅3. Is longer than 500 pages. The Signature of All Things
✅4. Is shorter than 200 pages. West
✅5. Has been translated from another language into the language you are reading. Captain of the Sleepers (Translated from Spanish)
✅6. Has been adapted for a different media (film, TV, stage, video game, etc.). The Night Watch
✅7. Takes place in either a country you've never visited, or a different world. A True Novel--Japan
✅8. Takes place, primarily, in a capital city. Things in Jars
✅9. Takes place, mostly, in a rural community. The Jane Austen Society
✅10. Falls into your favorite sub-genre. Remarkable Creatures
✅11. Represents a sub-genre that you've never or rarely read. The Secret Guests--Alternative History
✅12. Has won a major book prize (GoodReads, Man Booker, Pulitzer, Hugo/Locus/Nebula, Edgar, etc.) Life After Life
13. Was written by an author who shares your birth month. Arthur & George
✅14. Includes the color of your birthstone in its cover art. Euphoria
15. Includes some form of correspondence, like snail mail or email. Miss Austen
✅16. A book with a great first line (PopSugar prompt #3) The People in the Trees
17. Was originally published in 1980 or earlier. The Jewel in the Crown
✅18. Has at least 500,000 ratings on GoodReads. Girl with a Pearl Earring
✅19. Is one of the favorite books in this genre of your friend or family member. For this prompt, ask around for recommendations. Hamnet
✅20. Wild-card: This is a create-your-own task. If you choose this, be sure to write your task down in your original post. (Written by one of your favorite authors) A God in Ruins
CLEAR THE SHELVES
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Physical books 14/50
✅1. A True Novel
✅2. Medea
✅3. Things in Jars
✅4. Mrs. Dalloway's Party: A Short Story Sequence
✅5. Proust's Overcoat: The True Story of One Man's Passion for All Things Proust
✅6. The Brothers Karamazov
✅7. Captain of the Sleepers
✅8. Eden
✅9. Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I
✅10. Amongst Women
✅11. Night Waking
✅12. The Tidal Zone
✅13. A God in Ruins
✅14. The House in Paris
15. Arcadia
ebooks and audiobooks 10/10
✅1. Sweet Home
✅2. The Great Passage
✅3. The People in the Trees
✅4. The Fifth Season
✅5. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
✅6. Life After Life
✅7. The Signature of All Things
✅8.The Gathering
✅9. Mr. Loverman
✅10. The Return of the Soldier
message 25 22/60
Physical books 14/50
✅1. A True Novel
✅2. Medea
✅3. Things in Jars
✅4. Mrs. Dalloway's Party: A Short Story Sequence
✅5. Proust's Overcoat: The True Story of One Man's Passion for All Things Proust
✅6. The Brothers Karamazov
✅7. Captain of the Sleepers
✅8. Eden
✅9. Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I
✅10. Amongst Women
✅11. Night Waking
✅12. The Tidal Zone
✅13. A God in Ruins
✅14. The House in Paris
15. Arcadia
ebooks and audiobooks 10/10
✅1. Sweet Home
✅2. The Great Passage
✅3. The People in the Trees
✅4. The Fifth Season
✅5. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
✅6. Life After Life
✅7. The Signature of All Things
✅8.The Gathering
✅9. Mr. Loverman
✅10. The Return of the Soldier
ADVENTURERS CLUB
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20/20 completed
Exploration
1. Read a travelogue or travel guide.
✅2. Read a book featuring flânerie (description of exploring a city on foot) The Night Watch
✅3. Read a book in which geography, mapmaking, or maps play a central role.
The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World
✅4. Read a non-fiction work of history or a micro-history.
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
✅5. Read a work featuring an alternative history or time travel. Life After Life
Nature
✅✅6. Read a book that focuses on animals or is narrated by a non-human, terrestrial animal.
The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
✅ ✅7. Read a non-fiction book about flora (such as botany or gardening), or read a novel where a garden or gardening plays a central role.
The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession The Signature of All Things
✅ ✅8. Read a book with a plant or non-human animal on its cover. Wakenhyrst Appointment with Death
✅9. Read a book that focuses on a mineral or rock, or prominently features one on its cover. (fossils) Remarkable Creatures
✅10. Read a book that features climate change. We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
✅11. Read a book with a weather-related word in its title. The Fifth Season
Space, Science, and Technology
✅✅12. Read a book about our solar system, or a book set on another planet/world. All Systems Red Artificial Condition
13. Read a book about life in an extra-terrestrial colony.
✅✅14. Read a book about any science or a scientist (real or fictional), or authored by a scientist. The People in the Trees
Euphoria
✅15. Read a book authored by an engineer or has an engineer (any field) as its main character. Eden
✅16. Read a book touching on how information technology influences daily life. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
Society & Health
✅17. Read a memoir, biography, or autobiography. The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution
✅18. Read a book about a fine art or craft, or about someone (real or fictional) who is an artist, such as a painter, musician, or artisan. Girl with a Pearl Earring
19. Read a collection of essays.
20. Read a non-fiction book on a past or current social issue.
21. Read a book that features an individual who strives toward healthier living.
22. Read a book that describes a community’s efforts to improve its quality of life.
Bonus Adventures
✅23. Read a book about a real or fictional adventurer. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
24. Wild-card: Create your own "adventure" related to this challenge's themes.
If you choose this prompt, be sure to share your created adventure with us! (Read a book that includes a road trip) )
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20/20 completed
Exploration
1. Read a travelogue or travel guide.
✅2. Read a book featuring flânerie (description of exploring a city on foot) The Night Watch
✅3. Read a book in which geography, mapmaking, or maps play a central role.
The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World
✅4. Read a non-fiction work of history or a micro-history.
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
✅5. Read a work featuring an alternative history or time travel. Life After Life
Nature
✅✅6. Read a book that focuses on animals or is narrated by a non-human, terrestrial animal.
The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
✅ ✅7. Read a non-fiction book about flora (such as botany or gardening), or read a novel where a garden or gardening plays a central role.
The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession The Signature of All Things
✅ ✅8. Read a book with a plant or non-human animal on its cover. Wakenhyrst Appointment with Death
✅9. Read a book that focuses on a mineral or rock, or prominently features one on its cover. (fossils) Remarkable Creatures
✅10. Read a book that features climate change. We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
✅11. Read a book with a weather-related word in its title. The Fifth Season
Space, Science, and Technology
✅✅12. Read a book about our solar system, or a book set on another planet/world. All Systems Red Artificial Condition
13. Read a book about life in an extra-terrestrial colony.
✅✅14. Read a book about any science or a scientist (real or fictional), or authored by a scientist. The People in the Trees
Euphoria
✅15. Read a book authored by an engineer or has an engineer (any field) as its main character. Eden
✅16. Read a book touching on how information technology influences daily life. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
Society & Health
✅17. Read a memoir, biography, or autobiography. The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution
✅18. Read a book about a fine art or craft, or about someone (real or fictional) who is an artist, such as a painter, musician, or artisan. Girl with a Pearl Earring
19. Read a collection of essays.
20. Read a non-fiction book on a past or current social issue.
21. Read a book that features an individual who strives toward healthier living.
22. Read a book that describes a community’s efforts to improve its quality of life.
Bonus Adventures
✅23. Read a book about a real or fictional adventurer. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
24. Wild-card: Create your own "adventure" related to this challenge's themes.
If you choose this prompt, be sure to share your created adventure with us! (Read a book that includes a road trip) )
FIND YOUR FLIGHT
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33/40 completed
Flight 1: Phrasebook--In Translation 11
✅A True Novel—Japanese
✅Medea—German
✅A Midsummer's Equation—Japanese
✅ The Aosawa Murders—Japanese
✅Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead—Polish
✅Malice--Japanese
✅The Great Passage—Japanese
✅Borges and The Eternal Orangutans—Portuguese
✅Captain of the Sleepers--Spanish
✅The Brothers Karamazov—Russian
✅I Called Him Necktie
Flight 2: City Guide--London 3
✅The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
✅The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
✅The Night Watch
Flight 3: Connecting Flights—Empire and Immigration 12
✅A Passage to India
✅They Called Us Enemy
✅The People in the Trees
✅West
✅The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
✅The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
✅Euphoria
✅Mr. Loverman
✅Women Talking
✅The Poisonwood Bible
✅The River
✅Breakfast With The Nikolides
Flight 4: Flights of Imagination 7
✅Eden
✅The Fifth Season
✅Life After Life
✅All Systems Red
✅Artificial Condition
✅Hamnet
✅Piranesi
Arcadia
message 5
33/40 completed
Flight 1: Phrasebook--In Translation 11
✅A True Novel—Japanese
✅Medea—German
✅A Midsummer's Equation—Japanese
✅ The Aosawa Murders—Japanese
✅Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead—Polish
✅Malice--Japanese
✅The Great Passage—Japanese
✅Borges and The Eternal Orangutans—Portuguese
✅Captain of the Sleepers--Spanish
✅The Brothers Karamazov—Russian
✅I Called Him Necktie
Flight 2: City Guide--London 3
✅The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
✅The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
✅The Night Watch
Flight 3: Connecting Flights—Empire and Immigration 12
✅A Passage to India
✅They Called Us Enemy
✅The People in the Trees
✅West
✅The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
✅The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
✅Euphoria
✅Mr. Loverman
✅Women Talking
✅The Poisonwood Bible
✅The River
✅Breakfast With The Nikolides
Flight 4: Flights of Imagination 7
✅Eden
✅The Fifth Season
✅Life After Life
✅All Systems Red
✅Artificial Condition
✅Hamnet
✅Piranesi
Arcadia
QUARTER 1: MYTHS AND LEGENDS
MYTHS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2020
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12/12 completed
✅1. Read a book set in Italy, or a book with a character that starts out on a fresh beginning. The Quiche of Death
2. Read a book set in China, or a book featuring a character full of grace and virtue.
3. Read a book set in Scotland, or a book featuring a character that does work that is unseen.
✅4. Read a book set in Japan, or a book with a pure-hearted character. A Midsummer's Equation
✅5. Read a book based on a Greek tragedy or a book featuring a short-sighted character. Medea
6. Read a book from Southeast Asia, or a book featuring a character who dies from a broken heart.
✅7. Read a book set in the Nordic countries, or a book about a captured child. Things in Jars
✅8. Read a book about medieval Europe, or a book featuring a character who flies. A Morbid Taste for Bones
9. Read a book set in Oceania, or a book featuring an important weather event.
✅10. Read a book set in the Caribbean, or a book featuring a malevolent character. Captain of the Sleepers
✅11. Read a book that features a Native American protagonist or a forest setting. The People in the Trees
✅12. Read a book set in Africa or one in which one or more insects play a conspicuous (but not necessarily major) role. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
✅13. Read a book set in South America or about any type of metamorphosis. Borges and The Eternal Orangutans
✅14. Read a book with a green cover, a book set in Ireland, or about a character who experiences very good luck. Sweet Home
15. Read a book that features a mermaid or takes place at sea.
16. Read a book in which dreaming or dreams play a central role, or a book which features horses.
✅17. Read a book about rebirth, or a book that features fire. Life After Life
18. Read a book about foxes or read a manga.
✅19. Read a book set in Russia or a book featuring a witch. The Brothers Karamazov
20. Read a book set in Western Asia or that takes place in a desert region.
MEET US AT THE BOOKSHOP
Duration: January 1 to March 31, 2020
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15/10 completed
✅1. Mystery, puzzle The Aosawa Murders
✅2. Nonfiction, memoir The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
✅3. Classics, Retellings Medea
✅4. Sequential art, Graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy
✅5. Mystery, cozy The Quiche of Death
✅6. Historical fiction A True Novel
✅7. Classics, Colonial fiction A Passage to India
✅8. Nonfiction, microhistory The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
✅9. Historical, paranormal Things in Jars
✅10. Short story collection Sweet Home
✅11. Fantasy The Fifth Season
✅12. Mystery, Literary Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
✅13. Science Fiction Eden
✅14. Historical fiction, Western West
✅15. BONUS (bookstore owner). Eight Perfect Murders
MYTHS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2020
message 8
12/12 completed
✅1. Read a book set in Italy, or a book with a character that starts out on a fresh beginning. The Quiche of Death
2. Read a book set in China, or a book featuring a character full of grace and virtue.
3. Read a book set in Scotland, or a book featuring a character that does work that is unseen.
✅4. Read a book set in Japan, or a book with a pure-hearted character. A Midsummer's Equation
✅5. Read a book based on a Greek tragedy or a book featuring a short-sighted character. Medea
6. Read a book from Southeast Asia, or a book featuring a character who dies from a broken heart.
✅7. Read a book set in the Nordic countries, or a book about a captured child. Things in Jars
✅8. Read a book about medieval Europe, or a book featuring a character who flies. A Morbid Taste for Bones
9. Read a book set in Oceania, or a book featuring an important weather event.
✅10. Read a book set in the Caribbean, or a book featuring a malevolent character. Captain of the Sleepers
✅11. Read a book that features a Native American protagonist or a forest setting. The People in the Trees
✅12. Read a book set in Africa or one in which one or more insects play a conspicuous (but not necessarily major) role. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
✅13. Read a book set in South America or about any type of metamorphosis. Borges and The Eternal Orangutans
✅14. Read a book with a green cover, a book set in Ireland, or about a character who experiences very good luck. Sweet Home
15. Read a book that features a mermaid or takes place at sea.
16. Read a book in which dreaming or dreams play a central role, or a book which features horses.
✅17. Read a book about rebirth, or a book that features fire. Life After Life
18. Read a book about foxes or read a manga.
✅19. Read a book set in Russia or a book featuring a witch. The Brothers Karamazov
20. Read a book set in Western Asia or that takes place in a desert region.
MEET US AT THE BOOKSHOP
Duration: January 1 to March 31, 2020
message 4
15/10 completed
✅1. Mystery, puzzle The Aosawa Murders
✅2. Nonfiction, memoir The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
✅3. Classics, Retellings Medea
✅4. Sequential art, Graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy
✅5. Mystery, cozy The Quiche of Death
✅6. Historical fiction A True Novel
✅7. Classics, Colonial fiction A Passage to India
✅8. Nonfiction, microhistory The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
✅9. Historical, paranormal Things in Jars
✅10. Short story collection Sweet Home
✅11. Fantasy The Fifth Season
✅12. Mystery, Literary Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
✅13. Science Fiction Eden
✅14. Historical fiction, Western West
✅15. BONUS (bookstore owner). Eight Perfect Murders
QUARTER 2: INSPIRATION AND ESCAPE
PINSPIRATION
Duration: April 1 to June 30, 2020
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17/18
BOARD: Travel
📌Pin: Into the Great Unknown
✅The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
✅The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
✅Euphoria
BOARD: Nature
📌Pin: The Struggle is Real (Man For and Against Nature)
✅We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
✅Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
📌Pin: The Botany of Desire (Plants and Those Who Love Them)
✅The Signature of All Things
✅The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession
BOARD: Science
📌Pin: 19th Century Science
✅The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World
✅The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution
BOARD: Historical Events
📌Pin: History of England in Fact and Fiction
✅Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I
✅The Night Watch
A God in Ruins
BOARD: Award Winners
📌Pin: Award Winning Authors (not necessarily for the book chosen)
✅Caroline Graham-Death Of A Hollow Man
✅John McGahern- Amongst Women
✅Kate Atkinson -Case Histories
✅Anne Enright-The Gathering
✅Sarah Moss-The Tidal Zone
✅Sarah Moss-Night Waking
Julian Barnes-The Man in the Red Coat
Creativity Island Escape
message 4
10/10
Inspiration
✅1. Only your imagination limits you. Read about someone who is engaged in a creative profession (such as art, music, writing, film/TV production, and scientific R&D). Girl with a Pearl Earring
2. Read adventurously. Read a book out of your comfort zone (a new genre, topic, author, and so forth). The End of Policing
✅✅3. Dare to dream. Read fiction or non-fiction that is set in a place you've always dreamed of visiting. The Tidal Zone The Gathering
✅4. Focus on goals, not obstacles. Read a book about overcoming adversity. The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
5. Dream big; do bigger. Read a book with an author or a protagonist who is an activist. Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches
6. Seize the day. Read a book that features a zero-to-hero protagonist.
7. If it rains on your parade, dance in it. Read a cli-fi novel or a book with an important weather event.
8. Never let a stumble be the end of your journey. Read a book about someone who's mentally or cognitively challenged.
✅9. We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Read a book involving the theme of sustainable living. We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
10. A cup of positivi-tea is like having a bath on the inside. Read a book with a pun in its title.
Escape
1. Houdini. Read a book about someone who escapes confinement or seeks freedom.
✅2. Take a break from life. Read a book that involves a hobby or pastime. Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
3. Don't fence me in. Read a western or a book involving prison.
4. Hegira: a flight or escape to safety. Read about a migrant, a refugee, or an asylum-seeker.
✅5. Not all who wander are lost. Read a book about a wandering or lost person or with a title including "wander," "lost," or related words. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
6. Virtual living. Read a book in the fantasy or science fiction genre.
✅✅7. We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. Read a travelogue or a book that takes place on multiple continents. The Signature of All Things Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
8. Take the money and run. Read a book about a successful heist or a (guilty or innocent) fugitive.
✅9. It is always fair sailing, when you escape evil. Read a book with a title or cover art that's related to sailing, ships, the ocean, or evil. The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World
10. To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around it. Read a horror/thriller book.
PINSPIRATION
Duration: April 1 to June 30, 2020
message 3
17/18
BOARD: Travel
📌Pin: Into the Great Unknown
✅The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
✅The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
✅Euphoria
BOARD: Nature
📌Pin: The Struggle is Real (Man For and Against Nature)
✅We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
✅Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
📌Pin: The Botany of Desire (Plants and Those Who Love Them)
✅The Signature of All Things
✅The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession
BOARD: Science
📌Pin: 19th Century Science
✅The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World
✅The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution
BOARD: Historical Events
📌Pin: History of England in Fact and Fiction
✅Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I
✅The Night Watch
A God in Ruins
BOARD: Award Winners
📌Pin: Award Winning Authors (not necessarily for the book chosen)
✅Caroline Graham-Death Of A Hollow Man
✅John McGahern- Amongst Women
✅Kate Atkinson -Case Histories
✅Anne Enright-The Gathering
✅Sarah Moss-The Tidal Zone
✅Sarah Moss-Night Waking
Julian Barnes-The Man in the Red Coat
Creativity Island Escape
message 4
10/10
Inspiration
✅1. Only your imagination limits you. Read about someone who is engaged in a creative profession (such as art, music, writing, film/TV production, and scientific R&D). Girl with a Pearl Earring
2. Read adventurously. Read a book out of your comfort zone (a new genre, topic, author, and so forth). The End of Policing
✅✅3. Dare to dream. Read fiction or non-fiction that is set in a place you've always dreamed of visiting. The Tidal Zone The Gathering
✅4. Focus on goals, not obstacles. Read a book about overcoming adversity. The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
5. Dream big; do bigger. Read a book with an author or a protagonist who is an activist. Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches
6. Seize the day. Read a book that features a zero-to-hero protagonist.
7. If it rains on your parade, dance in it. Read a cli-fi novel or a book with an important weather event.
8. Never let a stumble be the end of your journey. Read a book about someone who's mentally or cognitively challenged.
✅9. We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Read a book involving the theme of sustainable living. We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
10. A cup of positivi-tea is like having a bath on the inside. Read a book with a pun in its title.
Escape
1. Houdini. Read a book about someone who escapes confinement or seeks freedom.
✅2. Take a break from life. Read a book that involves a hobby or pastime. Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
3. Don't fence me in. Read a western or a book involving prison.
4. Hegira: a flight or escape to safety. Read about a migrant, a refugee, or an asylum-seeker.
✅5. Not all who wander are lost. Read a book about a wandering or lost person or with a title including "wander," "lost," or related words. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
6. Virtual living. Read a book in the fantasy or science fiction genre.
✅✅7. We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. Read a travelogue or a book that takes place on multiple continents. The Signature of All Things Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
8. Take the money and run. Read a book about a successful heist or a (guilty or innocent) fugitive.
✅9. It is always fair sailing, when you escape evil. Read a book with a title or cover art that's related to sailing, ships, the ocean, or evil. The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World
10. To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around it. Read a horror/thriller book.
QUARTER 3: Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, & Fables
—————————————————————————————————-
Monthly Themes
July: Space
August: Music
September: Wildlife
Women of the World
This challenge encourages you to read books in any genre that are authored by women and set in different parts of the globe. The author need not be be a native of the country which is the book's primary setting. Alternative histories and futuristic settings qualify, but not imaginary countries/worlds.
You may choose to read multiple books in a single region or spread your books across different regions. Multiple books set in the same country are allowed; however, to promote cultural diversity, however, you may only count 2 books set in the country where you live. Feel free to read multiple books set in the same region but a different country from where you live.
If you are uncertain about the geographic affiliation of a particular country, please refer to the United Nations geoscheme
Based on that geoscheme, we are using the five regions below:
🌍 Africa (Northern, Eastern, Middle, Southern, Western Africa)
🌏 Asia (Central, Eastern, Southeastern, Southern, Western Asia)
🌍 Europe (Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western Europe)
🌎 Americas (Caribbbean and Central/North/South America)
🌏 Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Melansia, Micronesia, Polynesia)
3/12
Possibilities:
🌍 Africa (Northern, Eastern, Middle, Southern, Western Africa)
Egypt: Death on the Nile
Nigeria: Purple Hibiscus
Nigeria: Half of a Yellow Sun
🌏 Asia (Central, Eastern, Southeastern, Southern, Western Asia)
Oman: Celestial Bodies
✅India: A Burning
India: Latitudes of Longing
South Korea: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
Vietnam: The Mountains Sing
🌍 Europe (Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western Europe)
✅England: The Jane Austen Society
✅England: A God in Ruins
England: Emma
England: A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
England: Wolf Hall
England: Bring Up the Bodies
England: Blood & Sugar
England: Pride and Prejudice
England: The Years
UK: Signs for Lost Children
UK: Bodies of Light
France: Seeking Whom He May Devour
France: The House in Paris
France: Don't Tell Alfred
Poland: Flights
Netherlands: The Miniaturist
Ireland: The Pull of the Stars
Ireland: The Glorious Heresies
Northern Ireland: No Bones
Spain: Learning to Talk to Plants
🌎 Americas (Caribbean and Central/North/South America)
Brazil: State of Wonder
Cuba: Dancing to "Almendra": A Novel
Mexico: The Story of My Teeth
Puerto Rico: The Taste of Sugar
✅US: Death in Her Hands
US: At the Edge of the Orchard
Antigua: Annie John
🌏 Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia)
Australia: Sealed
ONCE UPON A TIME
Progress: 2/12
Possibilities:
Red Riding Hood
✅Red: A God in Ruins (red cover)
✅Red: All Systems Red
Red: My Name Is Red
Red: Blood & Sugar (red cover)
Wolf: Wolf Hall
Wolf: Seeking Whom He May Devour
✅House in the woods: Death in Her Hands
Grandmother: Wyrd Sisters (Granny Weatherwax)
"What big teeth you have!": The Story of My Teeth
Alice in Wonderland
Portal fantasy: Arcadia
Retelling: Un Lun Dun
Rabbit: Rabbit Cake
"Off with her head!": Bring Up the Bodies
Snow White
Snow: Snow
Snow: Smilla's Sense of Snow
White: White Noise
White: White Teeth
Apple: At the Edge of the Orchard
Enchantment: The Enchantress of Florence
Rose Red: The Name of the Rose
—————————————————————————————————-
Monthly Themes
July: Space
August: Music
September: Wildlife
Women of the World
This challenge encourages you to read books in any genre that are authored by women and set in different parts of the globe. The author need not be be a native of the country which is the book's primary setting. Alternative histories and futuristic settings qualify, but not imaginary countries/worlds.
You may choose to read multiple books in a single region or spread your books across different regions. Multiple books set in the same country are allowed; however, to promote cultural diversity, however, you may only count 2 books set in the country where you live. Feel free to read multiple books set in the same region but a different country from where you live.
If you are uncertain about the geographic affiliation of a particular country, please refer to the United Nations geoscheme
Based on that geoscheme, we are using the five regions below:
🌍 Africa (Northern, Eastern, Middle, Southern, Western Africa)
🌏 Asia (Central, Eastern, Southeastern, Southern, Western Asia)
🌍 Europe (Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western Europe)
🌎 Americas (Caribbbean and Central/North/South America)
🌏 Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Melansia, Micronesia, Polynesia)
3/12
Possibilities:
🌍 Africa (Northern, Eastern, Middle, Southern, Western Africa)
Egypt: Death on the Nile
Nigeria: Purple Hibiscus
Nigeria: Half of a Yellow Sun
🌏 Asia (Central, Eastern, Southeastern, Southern, Western Asia)
Oman: Celestial Bodies
✅India: A Burning
India: Latitudes of Longing
South Korea: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
Vietnam: The Mountains Sing
🌍 Europe (Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western Europe)
✅England: The Jane Austen Society
✅England: A God in Ruins
England: Emma
England: A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
England: Wolf Hall
England: Bring Up the Bodies
England: Blood & Sugar
England: Pride and Prejudice
England: The Years
UK: Signs for Lost Children
UK: Bodies of Light
France: Seeking Whom He May Devour
France: The House in Paris
France: Don't Tell Alfred
Poland: Flights
Netherlands: The Miniaturist
Ireland: The Pull of the Stars
Ireland: The Glorious Heresies
Northern Ireland: No Bones
Spain: Learning to Talk to Plants
🌎 Americas (Caribbean and Central/North/South America)
Brazil: State of Wonder
Cuba: Dancing to "Almendra": A Novel
Mexico: The Story of My Teeth
Puerto Rico: The Taste of Sugar
✅US: Death in Her Hands
US: At the Edge of the Orchard
Antigua: Annie John
🌏 Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia)
Australia: Sealed
ONCE UPON A TIME
Progress: 2/12
Possibilities:
Red Riding Hood
✅Red: A God in Ruins (red cover)
✅Red: All Systems Red
Red: My Name Is Red
Red: Blood & Sugar (red cover)
Wolf: Wolf Hall
Wolf: Seeking Whom He May Devour
✅House in the woods: Death in Her Hands
Grandmother: Wyrd Sisters (Granny Weatherwax)
"What big teeth you have!": The Story of My Teeth
Alice in Wonderland
Portal fantasy: Arcadia
Retelling: Un Lun Dun
Rabbit: Rabbit Cake
"Off with her head!": Bring Up the Bodies
Snow White
Snow: Snow
Snow: Smilla's Sense of Snow
White: White Noise
White: White Teeth
Apple: At the Edge of the Orchard
Enchantment: The Enchantress of Florence
Rose Red: The Name of the Rose
QUARTER 4: Culture & Storytelling
————————————————————————————————-
Monthly Themes
October: Enchanted
November: Zodiac
December: Home
————————————————————————————————-
Monthly Themes
October: Enchanted
November: Zodiac
December: Home
KIND OF A BIG DEAL
message 7
6/10 over 500 pages
✅1. A True Novel
✅2. The Brothers Karamazov
✅3. Life After Life
✅4. The Signature of All Things
✅5. Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
✅6. The Night Watch
12/10 under 200 pages
✅1. Medea
✅2. Mrs. Dalloway's Party: A Short Story Sequence
✅3. Proust's Overcoat: The True Story of One Man's Passion for All Things Proust
✅4. Borges and The Eternal Orangutans
✅5. The Vicious Vet
✅6. Captain of the Sleepers
✅7. A Room with a View
✅8. West
✅9. Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
✅10. Amongst Women
✅11. All Systems Red
✅12. Artificial Condition
message 7
6/10 over 500 pages
✅1. A True Novel
✅2. The Brothers Karamazov
✅3. Life After Life
✅4. The Signature of All Things
✅5. Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
✅6. The Night Watch
12/10 under 200 pages
✅1. Medea
✅2. Mrs. Dalloway's Party: A Short Story Sequence
✅3. Proust's Overcoat: The True Story of One Man's Passion for All Things Proust
✅4. Borges and The Eternal Orangutans
✅5. The Vicious Vet
✅6. Captain of the Sleepers
✅7. A Room with a View
✅8. West
✅9. Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
✅10. Amongst Women
✅11. All Systems Red
✅12. Artificial Condition
TBR JAR
message 25
12 Random books from my Goodreads TBR.
12/12 completed
✅1. They Called Us Enemy
✅2. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
✅3. West
✅4. Remarkable Creatures
✅5. Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen
✅6. Eight Perfect Murders
✅7. We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
✅8. The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession
✅9. Girl with a Pearl Earring
✅10. Euphoria
✅11. Death in Her Hands
✅12. Women Talking
message 25
12 Random books from my Goodreads TBR.
12/12 completed
✅1. They Called Us Enemy
✅2. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
✅3. West
✅4. Remarkable Creatures
✅5. Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen
✅6. Eight Perfect Murders
✅7. We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
✅8. The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession
✅9. Girl with a Pearl Earring
✅10. Euphoria
✅11. Death in Her Hands
✅12. Women Talking
Possible TBR
2020 JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM
Duration: January 1 through December 31, 2020
message 14
(view spoiler)
GENRE JAMMIN’
message 5
(view spoiler)
ADVENTURERS CLUB
message 9
(view spoiler)
2020 JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM
Duration: January 1 through December 31, 2020
message 14
(view spoiler)
GENRE JAMMIN’
message 5
(view spoiler)
ADVENTURERS CLUB
message 9
(view spoiler)
Monthly Challenges--Quarter 1
(view spoiler)
March
WE PUT A SPELL ON YOU
message 9
Progress: 4/4
✅R - Remarkable Creatures
✅O - One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
✅S - Sparkling Cyanide
✅E - Eight Perfect Murders
EARTH LAUGHS IN FLOWERS
Duration: March 1 through March 31, 2020
message 5
Progress: 4/4
✅1. Bloom of Youth: read a YA or coming-of-age novel Life After Life
✅2. The Bloom is Off the Rose (something that is no longer new & fresh): read a book written or set in the decade of your birth or a book with the theme of aging The People in the Trees
✅6. Algae Bloom (rapid growth of algae that causes discoloration in the water): read a story about the sea, a lake, the beach, or a book about the health of our aquatic and coastal regions Remarkable Creatures
✅7. Bloomin’ ‘eck: read a story in which characters speak a different language, dialect, or slang than your own A Morbid Taste for Bones (Some characters speak Welsh)
(view spoiler)
March
WE PUT A SPELL ON YOU
message 9
Progress: 4/4
✅R - Remarkable Creatures
✅O - One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
✅S - Sparkling Cyanide
✅E - Eight Perfect Murders
EARTH LAUGHS IN FLOWERS
Duration: March 1 through March 31, 2020
message 5
Progress: 4/4
✅1. Bloom of Youth: read a YA or coming-of-age novel Life After Life
✅2. The Bloom is Off the Rose (something that is no longer new & fresh): read a book written or set in the decade of your birth or a book with the theme of aging The People in the Trees
✅6. Algae Bloom (rapid growth of algae that causes discoloration in the water): read a story about the sea, a lake, the beach, or a book about the health of our aquatic and coastal regions Remarkable Creatures
✅7. Bloomin’ ‘eck: read a story in which characters speak a different language, dialect, or slang than your own A Morbid Taste for Bones (Some characters speak Welsh)
Monthly Challenges--Quarter 2
(view spoiler)
MAY
Come Sail Away With Me
4/4
✅1. Read a book with a blue cover ( more than 50 % blue ) Case Histories
2. Read a book with a green cover ( more than 50% green)
3. Read a book with an ocean name in the title ( Pacific, Indian, Altlantic, Southern, Artic)
4. Read a book in which characters swim in the ocean
5. Read a book where characters escape on the ocean
6. Read a book where characters survive the ocean
✅7. Read a book with the word "tide" in the text Euphoria
8. Read a book with the letters "water " in the title
✅9. Read a book with the letters "plastic" in the title
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
✅10. Read a book in which the word "pollution" can be found in the text Night Waking
SHIVER ME TIMBERS!
Duration: May 1 to May 31, 2020
6/4
✅1. A book with any ocean-related word in its title (Ocean, Sea, Tide, Wave, etc.) The Tidal Zone
✅2. A book showing the sea, a beach, or a coastline on its cover The Gathering
✅✅3. A book that takes place on an island, along the coast, at sea, or in a beach town. Euphoria Night Waking Case Histories Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley
4. A book about a seafaring life form, such as an oyster diver, fisherman, mermaid, pirate, whale, or seagull.
JUNE: Singing in the Rain
1. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me by Elton John: “All my pictures seem to fade to black and white.” Read a book with a black and white cover or a book that has been made into a movie.
2. Against the Wind by Bob Seger: “It seems like yesterday, but it was long ago.” Read a book written before 1980 (the year this song came out) or a book featuring a windy event. Ethan Frome
3. It’s Raining Men by The Weather Girls: “Hallelujah, it’s raining men.” Read a book with a male protagonist written by a female author. A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
4. Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland: “Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, there’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.” Read a fantasy or fairy tale retelling or book set in an alternate reality.
✅5. Riders on the Storm by The Doors: “There’s a killer on the road.” Read a true crime book or any book that features some sort of crime. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
6. Shelter from the Storm by Bob Dylan: “I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.” Read a book about exploring the unknown, a horror novel, or a book with a paranormal theme.
✅7. The Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler: “Did you ever know that you’re my hero.” Read a book written by or about someone you admire, with a heroic protagonist, or by one of your favorite authors. The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution
8. Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen: “You’re thinking that maybe we ain’t that young anymore.” Read a book you loved when you were young or a book written by an author over fifty.
Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym--published when Pym was 64.
9. Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves: “I’m walking on sunshine and don’t it feel good.” Read a book that makes you feel good or a book from your favorite genre.
✅10.Hurricane by Neil Young: “That perfect feeling when time just slips.” Read a book set in either the past or the future or a book that features time travel. The Night Watch
(view spoiler)
MAY
Come Sail Away With Me
4/4
✅1. Read a book with a blue cover ( more than 50 % blue ) Case Histories
2. Read a book with a green cover ( more than 50% green)
3. Read a book with an ocean name in the title ( Pacific, Indian, Altlantic, Southern, Artic)
4. Read a book in which characters swim in the ocean
5. Read a book where characters escape on the ocean
6. Read a book where characters survive the ocean
✅7. Read a book with the word "tide" in the text Euphoria
8. Read a book with the letters "water " in the title
✅9. Read a book with the letters "plastic" in the title
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
✅10. Read a book in which the word "pollution" can be found in the text Night Waking
SHIVER ME TIMBERS!
Duration: May 1 to May 31, 2020
6/4
✅1. A book with any ocean-related word in its title (Ocean, Sea, Tide, Wave, etc.) The Tidal Zone
✅2. A book showing the sea, a beach, or a coastline on its cover The Gathering
✅✅3. A book that takes place on an island, along the coast, at sea, or in a beach town. Euphoria Night Waking Case Histories Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley
4. A book about a seafaring life form, such as an oyster diver, fisherman, mermaid, pirate, whale, or seagull.
JUNE: Singing in the Rain
1. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me by Elton John: “All my pictures seem to fade to black and white.” Read a book with a black and white cover or a book that has been made into a movie.
2. Against the Wind by Bob Seger: “It seems like yesterday, but it was long ago.” Read a book written before 1980 (the year this song came out) or a book featuring a windy event. Ethan Frome
3. It’s Raining Men by The Weather Girls: “Hallelujah, it’s raining men.” Read a book with a male protagonist written by a female author. A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
4. Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland: “Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, there’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.” Read a fantasy or fairy tale retelling or book set in an alternate reality.
✅5. Riders on the Storm by The Doors: “There’s a killer on the road.” Read a true crime book or any book that features some sort of crime. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
6. Shelter from the Storm by Bob Dylan: “I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.” Read a book about exploring the unknown, a horror novel, or a book with a paranormal theme.
✅7. The Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler: “Did you ever know that you’re my hero.” Read a book written by or about someone you admire, with a heroic protagonist, or by one of your favorite authors. The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution
8. Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen: “You’re thinking that maybe we ain’t that young anymore.” Read a book you loved when you were young or a book written by an author over fifty.
Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym--published when Pym was 64.
9. Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves: “I’m walking on sunshine and don’t it feel good.” Read a book that makes you feel good or a book from your favorite genre.
✅10.Hurricane by Neil Young: “That perfect feeling when time just slips.” Read a book set in either the past or the future or a book that features time travel. The Night Watch
Monthly Challenges--Quarter 3
JULY
The Solar System
Progress: 4/5
✅1. SUN-Read a book with a red, yellow or orange cover or a book involving heat or fire.
✅2. MERCURY-Read a book where a main character is known for their small stature or a book with less than 150 pages. All Systems Red
3. VENUS-Read a book about sisters or a book outside your comfort zone.
4. EARTH-Read a book that is the third in a series or has three words in the title.
State of Wonder
✅5. MARS-Read a book about war or a book set in Italy.
A God in Ruins
✅6. JUPITER-Read a book with more than 500 pages or a book you've been drawn to recently. Death in Her Hands
7. SATURN-Read a book containing a ring of some kind or a fast paced book.
8. URANUS-Read a book that is set in a cold/snowy/icy place or set mostly during winter.
9. NEPTUNE-Read a book with a shade of blue in the title or an unread book that has been on your shelf for more than 2 years.
✅10. PLUTO-Read a book about a character missing out or being excluded from something or a book that is the last in a series.
The Jane Austen Society
JULY
The Solar System
Progress: 4/5
✅1. SUN-Read a book with a red, yellow or orange cover or a book involving heat or fire.
✅2. MERCURY-Read a book where a main character is known for their small stature or a book with less than 150 pages. All Systems Red
3. VENUS-Read a book about sisters or a book outside your comfort zone.
4. EARTH-Read a book that is the third in a series or has three words in the title.
State of Wonder
✅5. MARS-Read a book about war or a book set in Italy.
A God in Ruins
✅6. JUPITER-Read a book with more than 500 pages or a book you've been drawn to recently. Death in Her Hands
7. SATURN-Read a book containing a ring of some kind or a fast paced book.
8. URANUS-Read a book that is set in a cold/snowy/icy place or set mostly during winter.
9. NEPTUNE-Read a book with a shade of blue in the title or an unread book that has been on your shelf for more than 2 years.
✅10. PLUTO-Read a book about a character missing out or being excluded from something or a book that is the last in a series.
The Jane Austen Society
Yay! Your member's corner popped up in my Notifications just now. I'd been hoping to bookmark it but have been too lazy to search through the many Member's Corner threads!I have perused your book selection and feel inspired! :D
Regina, did you take the day off work today?Stopping by to wish you a very, merry birthday!
Edited to add: Ilona (our most awesome mod) shares your birthday and asks that I convey to you her birthday wishes.
GOODREADS CHALLENGE 49/100
Quarter 1 Reads
January
Books completed: 12
1. A Midsummer's Equation
2. The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
3. Medea
4. A Passage to India
5. The Aosawa Murders
6. The Quiche of Death
7. They Called Us Enemy
8. A True Novel
9. Mrs. Dalloway's Party: A Short Story Sequence
10. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
11. Sweet Home
12. Things in Jars
February
Books completed: 12
13. Proust's Overcoat: The True Story of One Man's Passion for All Things Proust
14. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
15. Malice
16. The Great Passage
17. Borges and The Eternal Orangutans
18. The Vicious Vet
19. Captain of the Sleepers
20. And Then There Were None
21. The Killings at Badger's Drift
22. A Room with a View
23. Eden
24. The Brothers Karamazov
March
Books completed: 11
25. The People in the Trees
26. The Fifth Season
27. A Morbid Taste for Bones
28. Life After Life
29. Sparkling Cyanide
30. West
31. Remarkable Creatures
32. Flu: The Story Of The Great Influenza Pandemic Of 1918 And The Search For The Virus That Caused It
33. Eight Perfect Murders
34. Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen
35. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Quarter 1 Reads
January
Books completed: 12
1. A Midsummer's Equation
2. The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
3. Medea
4. A Passage to India
5. The Aosawa Murders
6. The Quiche of Death
7. They Called Us Enemy
8. A True Novel
9. Mrs. Dalloway's Party: A Short Story Sequence
10. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
11. Sweet Home
12. Things in Jars
February
Books completed: 12
13. Proust's Overcoat: The True Story of One Man's Passion for All Things Proust
14. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
15. Malice
16. The Great Passage
17. Borges and The Eternal Orangutans
18. The Vicious Vet
19. Captain of the Sleepers
20. And Then There Were None
21. The Killings at Badger's Drift
22. A Room with a View
23. Eden
24. The Brothers Karamazov
March
Books completed: 11
25. The People in the Trees
26. The Fifth Season
27. A Morbid Taste for Bones
28. Life After Life
29. Sparkling Cyanide
30. West
31. Remarkable Creatures
32. Flu: The Story Of The Great Influenza Pandemic Of 1918 And The Search For The Virus That Caused It
33. Eight Perfect Murders
34. Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen
35. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
GOODREADS CHALLENGE 59/100
Quarter 2 reads
April
Books completed: 13
36. The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
37. The Signature of All Things
38. The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World
39. Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
40. Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I
41. Persuasion
42. We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
43. Evil Under the Sun
44. Death Of A Hollow Man
45. Girl with a Pearl Earring
46. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
47. The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession
48. Amongst Women
May
Books completed: 8
49. Euphoria
50. Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
51. Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley
52. Case Histories
53. Night Waking
54. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
55. The Tidal Zone
56. The Gathering
June
Books completed: 3
57. The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution
58. The Night Watch
59. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
Quarter 2 reads
April
Books completed: 13
36. The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
37. The Signature of All Things
38. The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World
39. Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
40. Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I
41. Persuasion
42. We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
43. Evil Under the Sun
44. Death Of A Hollow Man
45. Girl with a Pearl Earring
46. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
47. The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession
48. Amongst Women
May
Books completed: 8
49. Euphoria
50. Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
51. Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley
52. Case Histories
53. Night Waking
54. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
55. The Tidal Zone
56. The Gathering
June
Books completed: 3
57. The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution
58. The Night Watch
59. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
GOODREADS CHALLENGE: 69/100
Quarter 3 Reads
July
Books completed: 10
60. Death in Her Hands
61. A God in Ruins
62. The Jane Austen Society
63. A Burning
64. All Systems Red
65. Artificial Condition
66. Conviction
67. Mr. Loverman
68. Women Talking
69. Emma
Quarter 3 Reads
July
Books completed: 10
60. Death in Her Hands
61. A God in Ruins
62. The Jane Austen Society
63. A Burning
64. All Systems Red
65. Artificial Condition
66. Conviction
67. Mr. Loverman
68. Women Talking
69. Emma
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Jewel in the Crown (other topics)I Called Him Necktie (other topics)
Women Talking (other topics)
The Poisonwood Bible (other topics)
The River (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Donna Leon (other topics)Barbara Pym (other topics)
Kate Atkinson (other topics)
Julian Barnes (other topics)
Sarah Moss (other topics)
More...
Goodreads Challenge 35/100
Pages read: 10719
Adventurers Club
Clear the Shelves
Find Your Flight
Genre Jammin’
Just the Facts, Ma’am
Kind of a Big Deal
TBR Jar
Let’s Turn Pages