You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

2023 annual challenge - Puzzle Me This

Aiming to read 30 books, thus completing badges 1 and 2.

Read:

Badge 1: 12 tasks, one from each puzzle

✔️ Puzzle 1, Task 9: The Armada Boy
✔️ Puzzle 2, Task 6: Smoke and Mirrors
✔️ Puzzle 3, Task 8: The Blood Card
✔️ Puzzle 4, Task 2: The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain
✔️ Puzzle 5, Task 9: The Cold Light of Mourning
✔️ Puzzle 6, Task 9: Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
✔️ Puzzle 7, Task 10: The Zig Zag Girl
✔️ Puzzle 8, Task 4: The Vanishing Box
✔️ Puzzle 9, Task 3: Magpie Murders
✔️ Puzzle 10, Task 6: The Locked Room
✔️ Puzzle 11, Task 6: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
✔️ Puzzle 12, Task 3: The Merchant's House

Badge 2: 18 tasks, completing two puzzles

Puzzle 5
✔️ 1. Read a book that is set in at least 3 different countries across the globe: And Brother It's Starting to Rain
✔️ 2. Read a book that contains the word - error, mistake, or perfect in the title. Nine Perfect Strangers
✔️ 3. Read a book that has at least one playing card on the cover. The Witness at the Wedding
✔️ 4. Read a book that is main page genre of young adult. Rumo und die Wunder im Dunkeln
✔️ 5. Read a book set in Denmark, or written by a Danish author. Hornet Flight
✔️ 6. Read a book where there is a volcano in the story or there is a volcano on the cover. The Bird Hotel
✔️ 7. Read a book that is set in the Himalayans: Die wundersame Reise einer finnischen Gebetsmühle
✔️ 8. Read a book with Child in the title or author's name is Child. The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption
9. Done for Badge #1
✔️ 10. Read a book with a road on the cover where the lanes can clearly be identified. All Shall Be Well

Puzzle 11
✔️ 1. Read a book that is numbered 7th in a series. The Bodies at Westgrave Hall
✔️ 2. Read a book from this list Jesters, Fools, and Tricksters The Lies of Locke Lamora
✔️ 3. Read a book set in the 16th century (1501-1600) Dark Entry
✔️ 4. Read a book that was/is a new release in 2023. The Last Remains
✔️ 5. Read a book where a significant character is an alien (may be angels/demons too). May not be a fantasy world. Space Team
6. Done for Badge #1
✔️ 7. Read a book set in Boston. The Last Happy Summer
✔️ 8. Read a book with a puppy or a dog on the cover. Heart of Barkness
✔️ 9. Read a book with "Cave" or "Bat" in the title. The Caves of San Pietro
✔️ 10. Read a book with a car on the cover. At least one wheel must be pictured. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Badge 3: 18 tasks, completing two puzzles

(... just in case I really get into this!)

Oh, you'll get hooked!

1. Badge 1, Book 1
2. Puzzle 10, Task 6
3. The Locked Room ★★★★
4. Listened to Audiobook, HC has 375 pages
5. Read a book where a significant character is a bachelor or bachelorette. The character must remain unmarried through the entire book.
6. Dr. Ruth Galloway is an unmarried mother throughout the book (and its predecessors).

🔅

1. Badge 1, Book 2
2. Puzzle 12, Task 3
3. The Merchant's House ★★★
4. Listened to Audiobook, HC has 375 pages
5. Read a book that has a pregnant character or a new born baby in it.
6. Both crimes in the book (a current one and another from the 1600s) circle around babies, the book describing four pregnant women and three babies.

_____________________________________________________
Note: The audio book edition I actually listened to (an old one, on cassettes!) is not listed yet on goodreads (I opened a request for adding it), so I will be updating the actual book id once "my" edition has been added.

🔆

1. Badge 1, Book 3
2. Puzzle 1, Task 9
3. The Armada Boy ★★★
4. Listened to Audiobook, HC has 224 pages
5. Read a book with a boat of any kind on the cover.
6. There is a boat of the cover - not the kind of boat one thinks of when hearing "Armada" but a small one.

_______________________________________
Note: Sadly, the cover of the Audible edition has not been uploaded to goodreads yet - I have an open request for it in the Librarians Group...
This is from amazon:

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1. Badge 1, Book 4
2. Puzzle 6, Task 9
3. Beyond the Wand ★★★★
4. Listened to Audiobook, HC has 288 pages
5. Read a book where the title is in a script font on the cover.
6. See image above or this one from audible:

🔆

1. Badge 1, Book 5
2. Puzzle 9, Task 3
3. Magpie Murders ★★★
4. Listened to Audiobook, HC has 477 pages
5. Read a book whose cover is 75 % dark red.
6. See image above - Tineye has it at 90.9 % red.

🔆

1. Badge 1, Book 6
2. Puzzle 4, Task 3
3. The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain ★★★★
4. Listened to Audiobook, HC has 380 pages
5. Read a book with one or more of the following barnyard animals on the cover - Chickens, Cattle, Sheep, Ducks, Goats, or Pigs.
6. See sheep in the image above - or this, bigger one:

Nice one Kabrada! Wouldn't you know it, that's the only Bryson book my library doesn't carry 😲

Aww, that's bad. It is really enjoyable.

I noticed I am halfway through the first badge, yay! And I started on yet another mystery series that will hopefully fit for the remaining tasks, or at least several of them.

Actually I've also read 6 books read so yeah for us!!! Not too shabby before January ends ;-)

You're doing great, Kabrada! Such an interesting name you have. I wonder if there's a meaning.

🔆

Thank you!
Pragya, my name here is actually made up from the first few letters of my first and last name and my hometown. I have been using it (or the shorter version "Kabra" without the "da" for the town) around the internet for more than 20 years now.

1. Badge 1, Book 7
2. Puzzle 7, Task 10
3. The Zig Zag Girl ★★★
4. Listened to Audiobook, HC has 328 pages
5. Read a book where the author writes under a pseudonym. State the author's name and pseudonym.
6. "Elly Griffiths" is the pseudonym of Domenica de Rosa.

Kabrada wrote: "Thank you!
Pragya, my name here is actually made up from the first few letters of my first and last name and my hometown. I have been using it (or the shorter version "Kabra" without the "da" for t..."

Oh wow, that's smart!

A small rant (not to be taken too seriously - I just need to vent for a bit...)

- I am currently listening to the audio book of Smoke and Mirrors. The book has been published with four different covers, two of which feature a top hat:



Mine doesn't.

- The book is part of a crime/mystery series set in the 1950's-1960's with the main characters being a police inspector and his friend, a stage magician. All the book titles have a "magical" or illusionist connection.
Guess what? The series is not listed in the Jesters, Fools, and Tricksters list...

Ah, well, it will fit somewhere.

Kabrada wrote: "A small rant (not to be taken too seriously - I just need to vent for a bit...)

- I am currently listening to the audio book of Smoke and Mirrors. The book has been published with ..."

Hate when that happens, Kabrada. I have been wanting to read The Garden of Evening Mists but can't seem to fit it anywhere.

Isn't "evening" a measure of time?

Apparently not, sigh.

That is tricky, then. I see you already did puzzle 2, where it would have fit as task 4 (high rating).

Oh I didn't see that one! I would make it work for Badge 2 then. I really appreciate your help, Kabrada. Thanks so much. I hope you can find a way to fit in yours as well.

Kabrada wrote: "A small rant (not to be taken too seriously - I just need to vent for a bit...)

- I am currently listening to the audio book of Smoke and Mirrors. The book has been published with ..."

Perhaps for Badge 2, Puzzle 1, Task 2, historical fiction set in England?
Puzzle 9, Task 7, British Author
Puzzle 7, Task 10, Psuedonym
12, #10, published in 2015

Probably would have to wait till Badge 2.

As I understand it, Badge 2 asks for the completion of two sets of puzzles, e.g. puzzles 1 and 4, doing all the tasks of those two puzzles that weren't done for Badge 1; 18 tasks/books altogether. My current choice would be puzzles 4, 9, and/or 11, because those seem the ones best doable from my to-read list.

As my current book ist part of a series, I cannot use it for Badge 2 anyway, as I need to finish Badge 1 first and have planned on reading further books in the series for that.
For Badge 1, I still need to read books for tasks 2, 3, 5, 8, and 11.

But we'll see, maybe a fireman will turn up as a main character. Or a flight attendant, an alien, a volcano or a letter. Or maybe someone is protecting someone. There still are possibilites!

Oh no sorry. I hardly finish even Badge 1 most years so didn't even look at Badge 2 rules that they were different!

I love your optimism. Hoping one of those turns up. Fingers crossed!

I am not sure about how far I will get (itis my first time participating), so I am focussing on Badge 1 and then take it from there. There have been years where I read 100+ books and others where I did not manage 10...

The MC of Hostage is a flight attendant if that's any help. It might fit for the protecting task as it is a mother worried for her childs safety but you'd need to check that with Janice - she's tricky!

Kabrada wrote: "I am not sure about how far I will get (itis my first time participating), so I am focussing on Badge 1 and then take it from there. There have been years where I read 100+ books and others where I..."

I have books lined up for badge 2 but at the moment. I will do a few books for 3 but I doubt that I'll finish it.

🔆

1. Badge 1, Book 8
2. Puzzle 2, Task 6
3. Smoke and Mirrors ★★★★
4. Listened to Audiobook, HC has 338 pages
5. Read a book with a Christmas theme.
6. The story happens in November/December with a Pantomime production being one of the key settings and the final chapter happening on Christmas Eve. The book does have "Christmas" as a listed genre on the MBP.

🔆

1. Badge 1, Book 9
2. Puzzle 3, Task 8
3. The Blood Card ★★★★
4. Listened to Audiobook, HC has 384 pages
5. Read a book that is the third or ninth book in a series.
6. The Blood Card ist #3 of the Brighton Mysteries.

1. Badge 1, Book 10
2. Puzzle 5, Task 9
3. The Cold Light of Mourning ★★
4. Read the ebook, HC has 277 pages
5. Read a book where the main character is a businessman or businesswoman.
6. The lead character, Penny Brannigan, is running a nail salon.

🔆

1. Badge 1, Book 11
2. Puzzle 8, Task 4
3. The Vanishing Box ★★★★
4. Listened to Audiobook, HC has 384 pages
5. Read a book where a letter has a significant role. IE letters back and forth, found letters are significant to story.
6. The first murder victim is a young girl who lives in a guest house where some of the variety performers are also lodging. Soon after, two more people are killed, both involved in the show and thus the investigation focusses there - until two letters come into play and lead the investigators onto the right track.

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1. Badge 1, Book 12
2. Puzzle 11, Task 6
3. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay ★★★
4. Read the ebook, HC has 293 pages.
5. Read a book that is tagged as "play".
6. The book is tagged both as "plays" and as "play".

🔆

Congrats on earning the first badge. :)

Well done Kabrada!

Thank you both!

1. Badge 2, Book 1
2. Puzzle 5, Task 1
3. And Brother It's Starting to Rain ★★★★★
4. Read the ebook, 382 pages
5. Read a book that is set in at least 3 different countries across the globe.
6. The book starts off in Singapore and Thailand, then the action switches to Hong Kong and finally is concluded in the U.S., specifically in Washington, D.C.

1. Badge 2, Book 2
2. Puzzle 5, Task 7
3. Die wundersame Reise einer finnischen Gebetsmühle ★★
4. Read the ebook, the German Kindle edition has 224 pages
5. Read a book that is set in the Himalayans (India, Pakistan, China, Bhutan, Nepal)
6. The two Finnish protagonists go on a tour that leads them from India to Beijing, from there by train to Lhasa in Tibet and then on foot back to India.