Barbara's Challenges & Reading Lists discussion

Famous Birthday Challenge
Duration: October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013

READ: 60/60

January COMPLETE
✔Oprah Winfrey – Devil's Food Cake Murder - Joanne Fluke (everyone trusts/talks to heroine) 11/19/12
✔Ellen DeGeneres – Love in a Nutshell - Janet Evanovich (very funny book) 1/3/13
✔Debbie Allen – In the Woods - Tana French (victim is a dancer set to go to special school before she was killed) 11/4
✔Rowan Atkinson – Good Omens - Neil Gaiman (set in England) 10/8/12
✔Muhammad Ali – Hard To Handle - Lori Foster (hero professional fighter) 10/21/12

February COMPLETE
✔Ashton Kutcher – The School - Ed Kelleher 12/17
✔Steve Irwin – Shadowfae - Erica Hayes (set in Australia) 11/3
✔Jennifer Love Hewitt – Would-Be Witch - Kimberly Frost (heroine's g-mom is ghost who helps her) 11/2
✔Drew Barrymore – The White Mountains - John Christopher (aliens) 10/9/12
✔Paris Hilton – Cold Magic - Kate Elliot (heroine makes a few friends on a road trip) 10/30/12

March COMPLETE
✔Pauley Perrette – 11th Hour - James Patterson (forensic analysis necessary to discover identity of skulls) 10/29/12
✔Diana Ross – Enchanted, Inc. - Shanna Swendson (stars on cover) 11/13/12
✔Peyton Manning – Mum's the Word - Kate Collins (Indiana) 12/23
✔Fabio – Something About You - Julie James 11/17/12
✔Bruce Willis – Pleasure of a Dark Prince - Kresley Cole (lots of action, series has 13 so far) 10/7/12

April COMPLETE
✔Susan Boyle – Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (hero surprises everyone with his bizarre actions) 10/10/12
✔Pope Benedict XVI – Ruthless Heart - Emma Lang (set in religious community) 10/17/12
✔John Gosselin - Germ - Robert Liparulo (villains are quadruplets) 11/14/12
✔Sarah Michelle Gellar – Hard Bitten - Chloe Neill (vampires) 10/8/12
✔Jet Li – Drink Deep - Chloe Neill (m.c. fights alot using martial arts) 10/28/12

May COMPLETE
✔Adele – Fifty Shades Darker - E.L. James (number in title) 10/5
✔Paul Bono Hewson – Charmed to Death - Shirley Damsgaard (m.c. attends protest) 10/28/12
✔Miranda Cosgrove – Shatterglass - Tamora Pierce 11/2/12
✔Corey Monteith – Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card (m.c. is genius and bullied) 10/27/12
✔Jewel – The Ape Who Guards the Balance - Elizabeth Peters (E & P in Pieces of You) 11/30/12

June COMPLETE
✔Michael J Fox – Haunting Desire - Erin Quinn (time travel) 10/27/12
✔Mary Kate & Ashley Olson – Never Been Witched - Annette Blair (hero is a twin, heroine a triplet) 11/16/12
✔Donald Trump – Simply Irresistible - Jill Shalvis (heroine gets fired) 10/18/12
✔Neil Patrick Harris – Down the Darkest Road - Tami Hoag (D in LegenDary) 10/25/12
✔Zoe Saldana – Into the Wild - Beth Ciotta (set in Ecuador) 10/13/12

July COMPLETE
✔Liv Tyler – Outside In - Maria Snyder (set in space) 10/12/12
✔Patrick Stewart – The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (sci-fi) 10/13/12
✔Alex Trebek – Master of Fire - Angela Knight (h/h are geniuses) 12/9/12
✔J K Rowling – Highland Scoundrel - Monica McCarty (written more than 7 books) 10/15/12
✔David Hasselhoff – Good Girl Seeks Bad Rider - Vonna Harper (bikini on cover) 11/1/12

August COMPLETE
✔Martha Stewart – On Ice - David Ramus (protag spends 1-1/2 years in jail) 12/10/12
✔Michael Jackson – The Third Gate - Lincoln Child (thriller) 12/5/12
✔Macaulay Culkin – A Night Like This - Julia Quinn (whole family goes on vaca in the country) 1/13/13
✔Whitney Houston – Ten Things I Love About You - Julia Quinn (love & you in title) 12/13/12
✔Barack Obama – Deep Black: Death Wave - Stephen Coonts (political thriller) 1/11/13

September COMPLETE
✔Shaun White – Ice Cold - Tess Gerritsen (set in Winter in Wyoming) 10/6/12
✔Jeff Foxworthy – Waking Nightmare - Kylie Brant (set in Georgia) 11/9/12
✔Prince Harry – The Demon King - Cinda Williams Chima (heroine is princess) 10/25/12
✔Avril Lavigne – Endlessly - Kiersten White (heroine is 17 and in a complicated love triangle) 10/14/12
✔James Gandolfini – Secrets to the Grave - Tami Hoag (kidnapping and murder) 10/19/12

October COMPLETE
✔Hillary Rodham Clinton – Split Second - David Baldacci (secret service protecting presidential candidate) 11/6/12
✔Simon Cowell – The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater (heroine enters horse race) 10/2/12
✔Scott Bakula – Shadow Bound - Erin Kellison (hero is a scientist) 11/1/12
✔Susan Sarandon - Chalice of Roses - anthology (heroine is a nun) 11/13/12
✔Angela Lansbury – Slow Hands - Lauren Bach 11/7/12

November COMPLETE
✔David Schwimmer – Straight Talking - Jane Green (about girlfriends) 11/22/12
✔Dick Clark – Chasing Midnight - Susan Krinard (takes place in NYC) 11/24/12
✔Katherine Heigl – Wages of Sin - Jenna Maclaine (heroine loses both parents in carriage accident) 10/4/12
✔Bryan Adams – Chosen by a Horse - Susan Richards (about a horse) 11/10/12
✔Meg Ryan – Haunting Embrace - Erin Quinn 11/8/12

December COMPLETE
✔Bob Barker – The Viking - Margaret Moore (published 1993) 10/16/12
✔Criss Angel – Good Morning, Killer - April Smith (GMK in crissanGelMindfreaK) 11/1/12
✔Stephen Spielberg – The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis 11/5/12
✔Masi Oka – Horns - Joe Hill (hero compels people to tell secrets) 10/24/12
✔Tyra Banks – The Year of Living Scandalously - Julia London (heroine helps orphan) 12/20/12

CHALLENGE COMPLETE

School Challenge



Level: Doctorate Degree
Duration: September 12, 2012 - September 11, 2013

READ: 39/39

❀ Acting: Born To Be Wild - Catherine Coulter (heroine is an actress on a soap opera) 9/26

❀ African Studies The Ape Who Guards the Balance - Elizabeth Peters (set in Egypt) 11/30

❀ American History: The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey (Alaska) 9/12

❀ Art: Secrets to the Grave - Tami Hoag (victim was a painter) 10/19

❀ Archeology : Secret of the Mummy - Bjorn Street (set in Ancient Egypt) 9/22

❀ Asian History: Dragon in Chains - Daniel Fox (set in China) 9/17/12

❀ Astronomy: The Flame and the Shadow - Denise Rossetti (set in space) 9/23

❀ Australian History: First You Run - Roxanne St. Claire (hero is Australian) 9/13/12

❀ Business: Third Grave Dead Ahead - Darynda Jones (heroine owns her own PI business) 9/26

❀ Canadian History: The Calling - Kelley Armstrong (set in Canada) 1/11/13

❀ Chemistry: Wild Highland Magic - Kendra Leigh Castle (hero is a sorcerer) 9/30

❀ Computer Science: Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card (m.c. computer geek) 10/27

❀ Criminal Studies/ Criminology: Gone Tomorrow - Lee Child (m.c. stops a terrorist cell) 9/20

❀ Dance/Music: A Night Like This - Julia Quinn (heroine is a pianist) 1/13/13

❀ Drama: 25 Non Royalty Holiday Plays - M. Jagendorf (no listing on GR) 10/23

❀ Education: I read 20 Dr. Seuss books for another challenge 9/22

❀ European History: Haunting Warrior - Erin Quinn (set in Ireland) 9/29

❀ Food Science/Culinary Arts: Would-Be Witch - Kimberly Frost (heroine is a pastry chef) 11/2

❀ Foreign Languages: Ashes to Dust - Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (translated from Icelandic(?) to English) 1/22

❀ Graphic Design: Saga, Volume 1 - Brian Vaughan 11/22

❀ Health/ Physical Education/Fitness/ Sports Studies: Hard To Handle - Lori Foster (hero professional fighter) 10/21

❀ History: Beauty Tempts the Beast - Leslie Dicken (set in 1800s in England) 10/25

❀ History of British Isles: Firelight - Kristen Callihan (set in London) 9/24

❀ Indian History: Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese (set in Ethiopia but all the characters are Indian) 9/20

❀ Law Studies: Something About You - Julie James (heroine is an assistant US Attorney) 11/17

❀ Library Science: Celebrity in Death - J.D. Robb 11/28

❀ Literature: Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (classic) 10/10

❀ Mathematics: Zero Day- David Baldacci 9/28

❀ Medicinal Studies: Germ - Robert Liparulo (m.c. is a doctor) 11/14

❀ Military Science: Half Past Dead - Zoe Archer (hero was a SEAL) 9/14/12

❀ Mythology: Secret Life of a Vampire - Kerrelyn Sparks (Greek mythology is a large part of the plot) 9/21

❀ Oceanography/ Marine Science: Shoot to Thrill - Nina Bruhns (beach scene on the cover) 11/25

❀ Political Science: Mona Lisa Eclipsing - Sunny (heroine is a queen) 9/28

❀ Psychology/ Psychiatry: Waking Nightmare - Kylie Brant (cutting & bipolar) 11/9

❀ Religious Studies: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman (plot revolves around book of Revelations) 10/8

❀ Sociology: 11th Hour - James Patterson (4 main characters in a club) 10/29

❀ South American History: Pleasure of a Dark Prince - Kresley Cole (good portion takes place in the Amazon) 10/7

❀ Veterinary Science/ Zoology: Fair Game - Patricia Briggs (h/h are werewolves) 9/21

❀ Writing/Author: Heartland: A Novel - David Wiltse (new author) 9/16/12

CHALLENGE COMPLETE

Disney Movie Challenge

Duration: August 1, 2012 - January 31, 2013

Part 1: use TITLE
Read: 11/11

101 = One With the Darkness - Susan Squires 8/22
D: The Demon's Lexicon - Sarah Rees Brennan 8/2
A: Ascension - Sable Grace 8/4
L: The Last Unicorn - Peter Beagle 8/9
M: Moonburn - Alisa Sheckley 8/31
A: Ascension - Felicity Heaton 8/29
T: The Time Weaver - Shana Abe 8/6
I: I Don't Want to Kill You - Dan Wells 8/27
A: The Ape Who Guards the Balance - Elizabeth Peters 11/30
N: No Safe Place - JoAnn Ross 8/20
S: Sold to a Laird - Karen Ranney 8/11


Part II: use Main Character
READ: 18/18

oPongo: (Pia) - Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang - Katie MacAlister 9/4
oPerdita: (Poppy) - Wild Highland Magic - Kendra Leigh Castle 9/30
oCruella De Vil: (Christopher) - Deadly Décisions - Kathy Reichs 8/28
oRoger Radcliffe: (Rupert) - Host - Faith Hunter 8/8
oAnita Radcliffe: (Anita) - Kiss the Dead - Laurell K. Hamilton 8/8
oNanny: (Naphre) - Sins of the Soul - Eve Silver 9/2
oQueenie: (Queen Hatshepsut) - Secret of the Mummy - Bjorn Street 9/22
oLucy: (Lucy) - Demons Prefer Blondes - Sidney Ayers 8/14
oHorace Badum: (Honor) - The Time Weaver - Shana Abe 8/6
oColonel: (Cassandra) - Biting the Bullet - Jennifer Rardin 8/28
oCaptain: (Calpurnia) - Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake - Sarah MacLean 9/9
oSergeant Tibbs: (Sophie) - Welcome to Temptation - Jennifer Crusie 8/7
oRolly: (Rick) - Don't Look Down - Suzanne Enoch 8/16
oPatch: (Puck) - The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater 10/2
oPenny: (Polly) - The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis 11/5
oLucky: (Lealandra) - Ascension - Felicity Heaton 8/29
oCollie: (Cassandra) - Half Past Dead - Zoe Archer 9/14
oQuizmaster: (Quara) - Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card 2/13


Part III - use author name
READ: 15/15

K: Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson 8/3
A: The Time Weaver - Shana Abe 8/6
N: The Broken Kingdoms - N.K. Jemisin 9/8
I: The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey 9/12
N: Hard Bitten - Chloe Neill 10/8
E: Don't Look Down - Suzanne Enoch 8/16

K: Retribution - Sherrilyn Kenyon 8/23
R: Sold to a Laird - Karen Ranney 8/11
U: Scrumptious - Amanda Usen 12/8
N: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman 10/8
C: Welcome to Temptation - Jennifer Crusie 8/7
H: Host - Faith Hunter 8/8
I: The Convicts - Iain Lawrence 1/7
E: Sins of the Soul - Eve Silver 9/2
S: Unchained - Sharon Ashwood 8/18

CHALLENGE COMPLETE

It's Beginning to Sound a lot Like Christmas Challenge
Duration: November 15, 2012 - January 15, 2013

READ: 4/10

✽ Baby It's Cold Outside
Biting Cold - Chloe Neill

✽ Blue Christmas
The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley

✽ Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
✔Master of Fire - Angela Knight 12/9

✽ Do You Hear What I Hear
✔Ten Things I Love About You - Julia Quinn 12/13

✽ It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
✔Always Look Twice - Geralyn Dawson 12/18

✽ Mary, Did You Know
The Demon You Know - Christine Warren

✽ O Holy Night
Darker Than Night - Kim Lenox

✽ Silent Night
Silent Confessions - Julie Kenner

✽ What Child is This
Child of Fire - Harry Connolly

✽ White Christmas
✔White Elephant Dead - Carolyn Hart 2/3




4/10 done

Perpetual Music Relay

Barbara's 2012 PMR Playlist
1. Train - Hey Soul Sister (chosen on 5/23/12)
2. Train - Drive By(chosen on 8/1/12)
3. Jason Aldean - Crazytown - (chosen on 8/27/12)
4. Theory of a Deadman - Gentleman (chosen on 12/20/12)


Round 1
☁Hey Soul Sister - COMPLETE
♪ H: Faith Hunter - Mercy Blade 5/27/12
♪ E: Earl of Darkness - Alix Rickloff 5/26/12
♪ Y: Samantha Young - Blood Will Tell 5/28/12

♪ S: Ship of Magic - Robin Hobb 5/29/12
♪ O: Kenneth Oppel - Airborn 7/12/12
♪ U: Lisa Unger - Sliver of Truth 7/30/12
♪ L: Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris 6/14/12

♪ S: Sinful Magic - Jennifer Lyon 5/30/12
♪ I: Alexandra Ivy - Darkness Revealed 6/28/12
♪ S: Scorched - Sharon Ashwood 6/3/12
♪ T: Tiger Paw - Charles Cornell 6/7/12
♪ E: Janet Evanovich - Hero at Large 6/11/12
♪ R: Caris Roane - Ascension 6/9/12


Round 2
☁Drive By - COMPLETE
♪ D: The Demon's Lexicon - Sarah Rees Brennan 8/2/12
♪ R: Karen Ranney - Sold to a Laird 8/11/12
♪ I: I Don't Want to Kill You - Dan Wells 8/27/12
♪ V: V is for Vengeance - Sue Grafton 8/22/12
♪ E: Eyes Of Crow - Jeri Smith-Ready 8/13/12

♪ B: Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson 8/3/12
♪ Y: You Kill Me - Alison Gaylin 8/5/12


Round 3
☁ Crazytown - COMPLETE
♪ C: Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang - Katie MacAlister 9/4
♪ R: Jennifer Rardin - Biting the Bullet 8/28
♪ A: Ascension - Felicity Heaton 8/29
♪ Z: Zoe Archer - Half Past Dead 9/14
♪ Y: The Year of Living Scandalously - Julia London 12/20
♪ T: Thursday's Child - Sandra Brown 8/30
♪ O: Outside In - Maria Snyder 10/12
♪ W: David Wiltse - Heartland: A Novel 9/16
♪ N: Chloe Neill - Drink Deep 10/28


Round 4
☁ Gentleman - COMPLETE
♪ G: Into the Dark - Gena Showalter 12/31
♪ E: Shadows in the Darkness - Elaine Cunningham 12/26
♪ N: A Notorious Proposition - Adele Ashworth 12/21
♪ T: Them Bones - Carolyn Haines 12/30
♪ L: Love in a Nutshell - Janet Evanovich 1/3/13
♪ E: Blood Challenge - Eileen Wilks 1/6/13
♪ M: Mum's the Word - Kate Collins 12/23
♪ A: The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler 12/21
♪ N: Tempest Rising - Nicole Peeler 12/31