2025 Reading Challenge discussion

ATY 2023

0/52 books read

THE 2023 LIST
1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y - A Trick of the Light...takes place in Three Pines, a small town in Quebec
2. A book by an author you read in 2022 - A Dance with Dragons
3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list - A Court of Wings and Ruin (prompt: a science fiction or fantasy novel written by a woman)
4. A book with an interracial relationship - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover - Legends & Lattes

6. A book where books are important
7. A book with ONE of the five "W" question words in the title
8. An author's debut book
9. A book nominated for an award beginning with W

10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities"
11. A book about a person/character with a disability
12. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies
13. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover

14. A book with a con, deception, or fake
15. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 1
16. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 2
17. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 3

18. A book related to science
19. A book related to the arts
20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel
21. A book by an Asian diaspora author
22. A book with a faceless person on the cover

23. A book with a body of water in the title
24. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy
25. A book with a tropical setting
26. A book related to pride

27. A book by an author from continental Europe
28. A book that is dark
29. A book that is light
30. A book related to a chess piece
31. A book found by inputting a favorite author on https://www.literature-map.com

32. A book set in a UNESCO City of Literature
33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923
34. A novella
35. A book with a school subject in the title

36. A book that has been translated from another language
37. A book with the theme of returning home
38. A book with the sun, moon, or stars on the cover
39. A western

40. A book with a full name in the title
41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
42. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter
43. A book that involves a murder
44. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal

45. A book whose author has published more than 7 books
46. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe
47. A book related to a geometric shape
48. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story

49. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023
50. A second book that fits your favorite prompt
51. A book published in 2023
52. A book with an unusual or surprising title

Popsugar 2023

Magical Mystery Tour 2023
Original Message #20
**I am trying to "travel" around the world with this challenge this year :)**

22 /42 cases solved...as of 3/17/2023
Who: 3; What: 4; When: 3; Where: 3; How: 4; Why: 5...Bonus: 0
▪ Undercover Operative: 3 cases per category

WHO: 3/7
Solve cases featuring a main character (sleuth, perp, victim, or suspect) in one of the below fields.
1. Writer (author, journalist, etc.) - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (senior project being written about this murder case)
🔍 2. Domestic (maid, nanny, etc.) - The Frangipani Tree Mystery...Governess
🔍 3. Finance (accountant, banker, etc.) - Green Kills
4. Fashion (designer, model, etc.) - Killer Hair
5. Politician (mayor, senator, etc.) - A Beautiful Place to Die...involves apartheid in South Africa
6. Education (teacher, professor, etc.) - The Collaborator of Bethlehem...history teacher
🔍 7. Sports (coach, player, etc.) - Dead Cert..steeplechase jockey

WHAT: 4/7
What makes your case distinctive?
1. A significant weather event (flood, blizzard, etc.) - The Barrakee Mystery...killed during an electrical storm
🔍 2. A food or beverage in the title - Arsenic and Adobo
🔍 3. Second or third in a series ('23) - Tears of the Giraffe
4. A private investigator - The Missing American
🔍 5. A person's name in the title - Mycroft Holmes
6. A paranormal element - The London Séance Society
🔍 7. Related to a monthly theme (Which one?) - August theme of "art": A Trick of the Light

WHEN: 3 /7
When did the dastardly deed take place or get reported?
🔍 1. In winter - Hidden in Snow
2. In the 1900s -
3. During a holiday
🔍 4. In the A.M. hours (midnight to 11:59) - Tears of the Giraffe
5. During a group event (wedding, reunion, etc.) - Killers of a Certain Age...during a cruise to celebrate retirement
6. Reported (published) in the decade you were born
🔍7. Reported (published) in 2023 - The Blackhouse

WHERE: 3 /7
Where did the dastardly deed take place?
🔍 1. A national park or wilderness area The Ice Star...parts take place in the Northeast Greenland National Park
2. A vacation destination
3. A ship or boat - Killers of a Certain Age???
4. A university - For the Sake of Elena
🔍 5. A public venue (hotel, restaurant, airport, etc.) - The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown...took place in a museum
🔍6. On the road (commute, trip, etc.) - Mrs. Pollifax on Safari
7. A tropical climate - A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul

HOW: 4 /7
For this category, each means of murder must be distinctly different.
For example, pistols and rifles are both firearms; knives and daggers are too similar.
🔍 1. In Cold Pursuit: A Mystery from the Last Continent...altitude sickness
🔍 2. Elena Knows...hanging
🔍 3. Finding Nouf...drowning
🔍 4. Reliquary...mauling
5.
6.
7.

WHY: 5 /7
What motivated you to choose a particular case?
🔍 1. A favorite mystery author or series - Murder at the Vicarage...Agatha Christie
2. A favorite mystery subgenre
🔍 3. A Goodreads listopia (Which one?) - Devil-Devil...from the Best Multicultural Mysteries Listopia
🔍 4. A literary prize winner for crime fiction (Which one?) - The Expats...2013 Edgar Award for best first novel
🔍 5. A celebrity book club pick (Which one?) - Firekeeper's Daughter...Reese's YA Book Club
6. A cold case (among your TBRs for over a year)
🔍 7. Average Goodreads rating of 4 stars or above - Thirty-Three Teeth...4.01 rating

BONUS CASES: 0/8
Would you like to track down fugitives around the globe? To earn the rank of Interpol Fugitive Investigation Specialist, first complete all 42 standard cases above, then solve a crime committed in each of the eight inhabited regions of the world.
1. Africa
2. Asia
3. Europe
4. Oceania
5. Caribbean
6. North America
7. Central America
8. South America

* * *

RANKS
When you post a progress update, include your case counts for each category. (See post #2 for format.) The Bonus Rank can only be earned after achieving the rank of Chief of Detectives.
▪ Neighborhood Snoop: Less than 1 case per category
▪ Gumshoe: 1 case per category
▪ Crime Scene Investigator: 2 cases per category
▪ Undercover Operative: 3 cases per category
▪ Forensic Analyst: 4 cases per category
▪ Special Agent in Charge: 5 cases per category
▪ Assistant Chief of Detectives: 6 cases per category
▪ Chief of Detectives: 7 cases per category
▪ BONUS - Interpol Fugitive Investigation Specialist: 7 cases per category + 8 bonus cases

BIBLIOPOLY
Duration: January 1 - December 31, 2023
Original Message #43

19/40 books read...as of 2/14/2023
🚢 16-20: Strong

BIBLIOPOLY PROMPTS

1. Go: Read a book set on two or more continents - Holiday Romance
✔️ 2. Purple: Read a book with a wheelbarrow, garden tool or plant on the cover or in the title -
3. Community Chest: Participate in one of our Group Reads. (Which month and book?)
✔️ 4. Purple: Read a translated book originally written in a language other than your native tongue - Hidden in Snow (translated from Swedish)
✔️ 5. Tax: Read a book with money on the cover or in the title - Green Kills
6. Reading Railroad: Read a book from a celebrity book club list, (Reese Witherspoon) -
Firekeeper's Daughter
Where the Crawdads Sing
7. Blue: Read a book with any type of hat or headwear on the cover or in the title - Lovelight Farms
8. Chance: Read a book from your TBR shelf within the ten highest or lowest number of ratings.
✔️ 9. Blue: Read a book with a character whose sexual orientation is different from your own - A Marvellous Light
✔️ 10. Blue: Read a book with any shade of blue on the cover or in the title - In Cold Pursuit: A Mystery from the Last Continent
11. In Jail: Read a banned or challenged book.
12. Pink: Read a book with any type of dog on the cover or in the title.
✔️ 13. Electric Company: Read a book with a light source on the cover - A Trick of the Light
✔️ 14. Pink: Read a book with an author or character whose nationality or birth country is different from your own - When the Ground Is Hard
✔️ 15. Pink: Read a book with any shade of pink on the cover or in the title -
16. Pennsylvania Railroad: Read a book published under an author’s pen name - The Silkworm (Robert Galbraith is the pen name of JK Rowland)
17. Orange: Read a book with a ship or boat on the cover, or involving water travel.
18. Community Chest: Participate in one of our Readathons. (Which readathon? List one book you read for it.)
✔️ 19. Orange: Read a book with an author or character whose religious or spiritual beliefs are different from your own - Finding Nouf
20. Orange: Read a book with any shade of orange on the cover or in the title.
21. Free Parking: Read a book of your choice. Anything goes!
22. Red: Read a book with a car, truck or bus on the cover, or involving a road trip.
✔️ 23. Chance: Read a book from your TBR shelf among the ten oldest or newest additions - The Ice Star (newest addition)
24. Red: Read a book with an author or character whose race or ethnicity is different from your own.
✔️ 25. Red: Read a book with any shade of red on the cover or in the title -
26. B&O Railroad: Read a book with an author or title beginning with B or O. (Author’s first or last name; title’s first main word. Omit the, and, of, etc.) - A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul
27. Yellow: Read a book with a boot or shoe on the cover, or involving foot travel -
✔️ 28. Yellow: Read a book with an author or character who has a physical disability or impairment, an emotional or mental disorder, or a neurodivergent condition - Elena Knows
✔️ 29. Water Works: Read a book with any form of water on the cover - A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea
✔️ 30. Yellow: Read a book with any shade of yellow on the cover or in the title -
31. Go to Jail: Read a crime fiction or true crime book.
32. Green: Read a book with a thimble, sewing or craft implement on the cover or in the title.
✔️ 33. Green: Read a book with an author or character whose gender is different from your own - The State Counsellor: A Fandorin Mystery
✔️ 34. Community Chest: Participate in one of our Buddy Reads or TBR Twins. (Which activity? What book did you and your twin/buddies read?) - A Court of Wings and Ruin...January 2023 Buddy Read
✔️ 35. Green: Read a book with any shade of green on the cover or in the title -
36. Shortline Railroad: Read a book under 200 pages long.
37. Chance: Read a book from your TBR shelf within the ten highest or lowest average star rating.
✔️ 38. Dark Blue: Read a book with any type of cat on the cover or in the title - ...there is a lion on the cover of my audible version
✔️ 39. Luxury Tax: Read a book with a gemstone or precious metal on the cover or in the title -
40. Dark Blue: Read a book that won an award. (Which one?)

PLAYER LEVELS
🌿 1-5: Beginner
🎩 6-10: Average
🐶 11-15: Good
🚢 16-20: Strong
🚗 21-25: Expert
👢 26-30: Advanced
🧵 31-35: Master
🐱 36-40: Grand Master

TO BOLDLY GO
January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023
Original Message #33

This year we are boldly traveling the world through books!

The instructions for this challenge are simple: read as many books as you can set in as many different countries as you can AND/OR books by authors from as many different countries as you can. You may count up to 2 books per country for this challenge.

I am combining some of this challenge with the Magical Mystery Tour to travel the world this year!

24 / 30 books read...as of 3/17/2023

Countries Visited:

Africa: 4/58
🧳 Zambia: Mrs. Pollifax on Safari
🧳 Eswatini (Swaziland): When the Ground Is Hard
🧳 Saudi Arabia: Finding Nouf
--Ghana: The Missing American
--Cairo, Egypt: Crocodile on the Sandbank
🧳 Botswana: Tears of the Giraffe
--South Africa: A Beautiful Place to Die

Americas: 5/55
🧳 Quebec, Canada (North America): A Trick of the Light
🧳 Haiti (North America...Caribbean): Krik? Krak!
🧳 Trinidad and Tobago (North America...part of the Caribbean Islands): Mycroft Holmes
🧳 United States (North America)...New York City: Reliquary
--Columbia, South America: Chronicle of a Death Foretold
--Bolivia, South America: The Puma Years
🧳 Argentina, South America: Elena Knows

Asia: 6/51
🧳 Israel (Western Asia): Green Kills (author is from Israel)
🧳 North Korea: A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea
🧳 India: The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown
🧳 Singapore: The Frangipani Tree Mystery
--Bali, Indonesia (Southeast Asia): A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul
🧳 Saudia Arabia: Finding Nouf
--Sri Lanka: Trouble in Nuala
--Iraq (Western Asia): Murder in Mesopotamia
--Palestine: The Collaborator of Bethlehem
--Tibet, China: The Skull Mantra
🧳 Laos, Cambodia: Thirty-Three Teeth

Europe: 6/53
🧳 Luxembourg: The Expats
🧳 Scotland (Outer Hebrides): The Blackhouse
🧳 Russia: The State Counsellor: A Fandorin Mystery
🧳Sweden: Hidden in Snow
🧳 England: Murder at the Vicarage
🧳 Greenland: The Ice Star

Antarctica & Oceania: 3/32
🧳 Antarctica: In Cold Pursuit: A Mystery from the Last Continent
🧳 Soloman Islands: Devil-Devil
--Australia: The Barrakee Mystery
🧳 Tahiti (Papeete): South Sea Tales
--New Guinea: Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II

Best of luck with all your reading challenges in 2023 :)

Lisa wrote: "Best of luck with all your reading challenges in 2023 :)"

Thank You, Lisa! The same to You! 😊

Q1 Challenge
FOR ALL HUMANKIND
January 1, 2023-March 31, 2023
Original message # 70

4 /8 books read...as of 1/11/2023

1. 1902 - Le Voyage dans la Lune, the first space movie: Read a book set in the 20th century or a book involving movies.

2. 1961 - Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space: Read a book featuring a competitive race or a book involving Russian history

3. 1963 - Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space: Read a book with a female character breaking barriers or a book about gender issues - The Ice Star...first female patroller on the Sirius Sledge Patrol in Greenland

4. 1966 - first full-earth photo from moon's orbit: Read a book with the earth on the cover or a book featuring photography

✔️ 5. 1969 - first person on the moon: Read a book about an explorer or a book with the moon on the cover

6. 1976 - Viking I is first to successfully land on Mars: Read a book featuring travel or a book with a ship on the cover - Mrs. Pollifax on Safari

7. 1980 - Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez, first person of color in space: Read a book about fighting racism or a book written by a BIPOC author

8. 1984 - Bruce McCandless, first untethered space walk: Read a book where a character is alone or book about a person who ventures into the unknown

9. 1990 - Hubble, first space telescope: Read a book about the stars and planets or a science fiction book

✔️ 10. 2000 - first international space station crew: Read a book where people from different nations work together or a book written by an author from a country different from where you are from - Hidden in Snow...the author is Swedish

✔️ 11. 2001 - Dennis Tito, first space tourist: Read a book set during a vacation or a book about someone with a lot of money - Green Kills

12. 2003 - first marriage in space: Read a book featuring a wedding or a book about marriage

✔️b13. 2015 - first successful Pluto mission: Read a book with a dog on the cover or a book set far away from where you live - In Cold Pursuit: A Mystery from the Last Continent...set in Antarctica

14. 2021 - first helicopter on Mars: Read a book featuring air travel or a book with a red cover -

15. 2022 - DART, first man-made intentional asteroid impact to change asteroid's motion in space: Read a book featuring a crash of some kind or a book where a character changes course.