What's In A Name Challenge 2016

Host: Charlie @ The Worm Hole

Dates: January - December 2016

See the challenge announcement/sign-up post HERE

I haven't participated in the What's In A Name challenge for a couple of years, but I'm signing up for the 2016 edition. It's always fun matching up books with categories, and it's going to allow me to read a few of the books that've been on my TBR pile for quite a few years now.

Although Charlie says it's preferred that books don't overlap with other challenges, she also says it's not a requirement. Which is good, because I'm pretty sure I'll be doing quite a bit of overlapping. This list is very likely to change during the year, but here's what I'm thinking about reading for each of the six categories:

1. A country in title: From Russia With Love, by Ian Fleming
2. An item of clothing: Death in a White Tie, by Ngaio Marsh 
3. An item of furniture: The Cabinet of Curiosities, by Preston & Child
4. A profession: The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy L. Sayers  
5. A month of the year: The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim 
6. A title with the word "tree" in it: Silver on the Tree, by Susan Cooper 

During the year, I'll be tracking my progress over on my challenge blog (HERE).

2016 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

Host: Bea's Book Nook

Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2016

See the announcement/sign-up post HERE

Another challenge I decided to pass up in 2015, and lived to regret it. The Finishing the Series Reading Challenge was originally hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates' Book Reviews, but is now being taken on by Bea @ Bea's Book Nook.

In the coming year, I'm hoping to read more of the books I already own; and I'd really like to finish up at least one or two of the many, many series I have going (many, many, MANY series). So this challenge is perfect for me. Another good thing: reviews, at least short ones, are a requirement -- and I have so much trouble getting reviews posted, maybe that will be the added incentive I need.

I'm being very conservative and signing up at Level 1 (Novice series reader: complete one series), and I'm not going to choose which series right away -- but it will likely be one of these:

• The Mrs. Malory mystery series, by Hazel Holt: 21 books in series / I have 4 to read
• The Flavia de Luce mystery series, by Alan Bradley: 7 books in series / I have 4 to read
• The Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series, by Dorothy L. Sayers: 15 books in series / I have 9 to read
• The Inspector Barnaby mystery series, by Caroline Graham: 7 books in series / I have 4 to read

During the year, I'll be tracking my progress and keeping my list of books read, over on my challenge blog (HERE).

2016 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

Host: Bev @ MY READER'S BLOCK

Dates: January 1 to December 31, 2016

For all the info and guidelines, see the announcement/sign-up post HERE.

I'm still dithering over which reading challenges I want to sign up for in 2016, but I already know I want to do this one. I didn't sign up for the 2015 edition. BIG mistake!

I have literally thousands of books on my various to-be-read shelves/piles/lists. You can take a look at some of them over at GoodReads (HERE), or Library Thing (HERE). In 2016, I really want to reduce the mountain at least a teensy bit and I'm hoping this challenge will help keep me on track.

To start off, I'm signing up at the Pike's Peak Level -- 12 books. But if all goes well, I'll be looking to upgrade as the year goes on. I'm not going to commit to an official list of books I'll read, but I have a fairly long unofficial list of possibilities, some of which might be:

• Afternoon Men, by Anthony Powell. I think this is the only one of Powell's novels I've never read.
• Three cozy mysteries by Hazel Holt: Mrs. Malory and a Death in the Family; Mrs. Malory and a Necessary End; Mrs. Malory and the Lilies That Fester. If I get those read, I'll be all caught up with the series. I think.
• Several books I've been trying to read for decades: Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte; Daisy Miller, by Henry James (one of those books I was supposed to read in school but never actually did); The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins; The Berlin Stories, by Christopher Isherwood.
• A few classic sci-fi novels, including: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick; Foundation, by Isaac Asimov; and Time and Again, by Clifford D. Simak.
• Silver on the Tree, by Susan Cooper. Last book in Cooper's The Dark Is Rising sequence; I really need to see how the Drew children manage to save the world from all those dark forces.

During the year, I'll be tracking my progress, and keeping all my lists over on my challenge blog (HERE).

Book Beginnings: The Myths That Stole Christmas

The Myths That Stole Christmas, by David Kyle Johnson (Humanist Press, November 2015). Subtitle: Seven Misconceptions That Hijacked the Holiday (and How We Can Take It Back). First lines of the book's Introduction:

What's Wrong with Christmas? 

The fact that you are willing to consider this question at all reveals something because the question is loaded -- it assumes that there is, in fact, something wrong with Christmas. So, if you formulated an answer, instead of objecting to the assumption, you are willing to break one of the harshest social taboos and admit that Christmas isn't perfect. Christmas is not a holiday during which everyone is always happy and nothing is ever wrong.

Initial Thoughts:

One of my Early Reviewer wins from Library Thing; I was intrigued by the idea that someone would actually dare to criticize Christmas in today's cultural climate. Haven't officially started reading this one yet, and I actually have several other books I need to finish before the end of the year. But since we're in the midst of the holiday season now, I thought I might bump this one ahead in the line-up. The subject is decidedly controversial, of course; but I like to think I still have at least a partially open mind in such matters.

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

Reading Update

I really haven't been doing a huge amount of reading lately. Last week I had oral surgery, and since then I've been on pain meds of one sort or another. So when I'm not actually sleeping, my brain is so fuzzy it's hard to maintain focus on anything for more than a few minutes. The good news is that I'm beginning to have less pain, so I've been reducing the amount of medication and the fog seems to be lifting. The fact that I can actually put a blog post together is really a good sign, I think.

I did manage to finish one book last week. I read Elizabeth Berg's What We Keep in one day -- something that's very unusual for me. Will try to get a short review up very soon. 

This week -- if I can stay awake long enough -- I'm hoping to get back to the other books I've got going:

Crimson Shore, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

and

The Last September, by Nina de Gramont

In between naps, I've been engaging in one other bookish activity -- figuring out which new reading challenges I might want to sign up for in 2016. I've been keeping a list of likely (and a few unlikely) candidates (see the list here), but haven't made any final decisions yet. Probably won't until I've written some wrap-ups for my 2015 challenges. 

But right now .... I think it's time for another little nap.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. If you want to let the world know what you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link. It's also a great way to discover new books and new blogs.

Teaser Tuesdays: South of the Border, West of the Sun

This week my teaser lines come from Haruki Murakami's novel, South of the Border, West of the Sun (first published in 1992; translation by Philip Gabriel). This quote is from page 4 of the Kindle edition:

...I was an only child. I had an inferiority complex about it, as if there was something different about me, that what other people all had and took for granted I lacked.
I detested the term only child. Every time I heard it, I felt something was missing from me -- like I wasn't quite a complete human being.

I suppose this passage resonated with me because I'm an only child, too. I don't really think I'd say it gave me an inferiority complex, but the term did always sound a little accusatory. Sort of like: If you'd been a better kid, maybe your folks wouldn't have stopped with YOU.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm. If you'd like to read more teasers, or take part yourself, just head on over to her blog.

And please feel free to leave me a link to your Teaser Tuesday post in your comment here.

Book Beginnings: Crimson Shore

Crimson Shore, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, November 2015). First few lines:

When the doorbell chimed, Constance Greene stopped playing the Flemish virginal and the library fell silent and tense. She glanced in the direction of Special Agent A. X. L. Pendergast, sitting by a dying fire, wearing thin white gloves, having gone quite still while leafing through an illuminated manuscript, a glass of Amontillado half-finished on the side table. Constance recalled the last time someone rang the doorbell at 891 Riverside Drive -- the rarest of occurrences at the Pendergast mansion. The memory of that awful moment now hung in the room like a miasma.

Initial Thoughts:

Well, the Flemish virginal caught my attention right away. Who plays a Flemish virginal in the modern world? Who even knows what a Flemish virginal is? Also, that mention of Amontillado has me thinking there's bound to be a connection with Edgar Allan Poe somewhere along the line, and I love that. And then there's an illuminated manuscript, right? OK, they've definitely got me interested.

But I've read several of Preston/Child's "Pendergast" novels (this one is #15 in the series), and I've come to expect that sort of appealingly arcane detail. Also lots of action, convoluted plots, and a fascinating protagonist in Special Agent Pendergast. So I've been quite looking forward to getting started on this one. Of course, at just over 460 pages, it's a book I'm likely to be reading for quite a while.

So, what say you? Does this one sound like it's worth all that reading time?

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

Reading Challenges for 2016

December 30, 2015 - Further Update: For an up-to-date listing of challenges I've found, please see my "Challenges" page, by clicking on the CHALLENGES tab at the top of this blog. I won't be updating the list below after today. Thanks for visiting!

Update: This list was getting a little long and unmanageable, so I've put it on its own page. Click on this link: CHALLENGES, or on the Challenges TAB at the top of the blog.

OK, I should start by emphasizing that I'm not signing up for ALL of these!

This is just a list of reading challenges announced (or in some cases, planned though not yet announced) for 2016. My way of keeping track -- a master list, so to speak -- since I haven't really found any one website that seems to list all of them. I've included links to the announcement/sign-up pages, whenever possible.

Yes, it's that time of year again. Leaves are falling. Days are getting shorter. And gloomier.

But amidst all the gloom, there's a bright spot: new reading challenges are being announced for next year! And since I'm something of a R.C. "junkie," I'm already checking things out, thinking about which ones I can pass up, and which ones look just too tempting.

So far, these are all the 2016 challenges I've found. If you know of any others that sound interesting, leave me a comment about it and I'll take a look. For now, I'm just listing reading challenges/events -- no read-a-thons, blog hops or author tours, since I don't usually take part in those.

I've put this list over on my challenge blog too, and will try to keep it up to date in one place or the other. At least for a while.

At least that's the plan.

The List

(In roughly alphabetical order,

with links to announcement posts/pages.)

The 12 Month Classics Challenge 

Host: Lois Johnson @ You, Me, and a Cup of Tea

100+ Book Challenge 2016

Host: Freda @ Freda's Voice

2016 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

Host: Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

Ancient Greek Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Keely @ We Walked Outside and Saw the Stars

Anne of Green Gables Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Purple Ink Studios

2016 Anne Rice Reading Challenge

Host: Lianne @ The Towering Pile

Around the World Reading Challenge 2016

Host: All About Books

2016 Audiobook Challenge

Co-Hosts: Jennifer @ The Book Nympho

& Melanie @ Hot Listens

Aussie Author Challenge 2016

Host: Booklover Book Reviews

The Backlist Books Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Bekka @ Pretty Deadly Reviews

Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Karen K @ Books and Chocolate

The Bad Boys of Romance Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Shari @ Delighted Reader

Banned Books Challenge 2016

Host: Buckling Bookshelves

2016 Blogger Shame Review Challenge 

Host: Herding Cats & Burning Soup @ The Herd Presents

2016 Book Blog Discussion Challenge
Co-Hosts: Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
& Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight

2016 Bookish Resolutions Challenge
Co-Hosts: Michelle @ Because Reading
& Laura @ trips down imagination road

Books in Translation Reading Challenge 2016
Host: Jen @ The Introverted Reader

Book to Movie Challenge 2016
Host: ebookclassics

2016 B.Y.O.B. Reading Challenge
Host: Mary @ Literary Distractions

9th Canadian Book Challenge
Host: The Book Mine Set
This challenge runs from July 2015 to July 2016,
but you can sign up at any time.


-- No Button --
2016 Challenge Challenge
Host: The Novel Orange

Charity Reading Challenge
Host: Becky's Book Reviews

2016 Classics Challenge
Host: Stacey @ prettybooks

2016 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge
Host: Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!

Clean Out Your E-Reader (COYER) / Back to Basics Challenge
Host: Michelle @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life
(This is a three-month challenge, December-March.)

2016 Color Coded Challenge 

Host: Bev @ My Reader's Block

Contemporary Romance 2016 Reading Challenge

Co-Hosts: Jess @ Gone With the Words / Danielle @ Love At First Page

2016 Crafty Cozy Challenge

Host: Books Are Life - Vita Libri

Craving For Cozies Challenge 2016

Host: Escape Into a Good Book With Dollycas

Cruisin' Through the Cozies Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Yvonne @ Socrates' Book Reviews

Deal Me In 2016 Short Story Challenge

Host: Bibliophilopolis

2016 Debut Author Reading Challenge

Host: Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl

Diverse Reads 2016 Book Challenge

Co-Hosts: Mishma @ Chasing Faerytales

and Shelly @ Read.Sleep.Repeat

2016 Dystopia Reading Challenge

Co-Hosts: Tracy @ Cornerfolds / Claudia @ My Soul Called Life

2016 E-book Reading Challenge
Host: Annette's Book Spot

2016 Eclectic Reader Challenge
Host: Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

Edwardian (Bingo) Reading Challenge

Host: Becky's Book Reviews

2016 European Reading Challenge

Host: Rose City Reader

2016 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

Host: Bea's Book Nook

Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2016

Co-Hosts: Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books & Rachel @ Hello, Chelly

Foodies Read 2016

Host: Heather @ Based On A True Story

French Bingo Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Words and Peace

Full House Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Kathryn T @ The Book Date

Goodreads Awards Challenge 2016

Host: Amber @ Books of Amber

Graphic Novels & Manga Challenge 2016 (9th Annual)

Host: Nicola @ Graphic Novels & Manga Challenge Blog

2016 Hard Core Re-Reading Challenge 

Host: Lois Johnson @ You, Me, and a Cup of Tea

2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Host: Passages to the Past

2016 Horror Reading Challenge

Co-Hosts: Tracy @ Cornerfolds / Stormi @ Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!

2016 I Love Libraries Reading Challenge

Host: Bea's Book Nook

2016 I Love Picture Books Reading Challenge

Host: Bea's Book Nook

2016 "It's New to Me" Series Starter Challenge

Host: Lisa Loves Literature

LGBTQIA Books Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Alexia @ Pretty Deadly Reviews

Literary Loners Reading Challenge 2016 

Host: Jamie Ghione @ Whatever I Think Of!

Literary Pickers Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Sophia Rose @ Delighted Reader

Mental Illness Advocacy Reading Challenge

Host: Opinions of a Wolf

2016 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge

Host: My Soul Called Life

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2016 

Host: Bev @ My Reader's Block

2016 Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge

Host: Emily @ Falling For YA

2016 Netgalley Reading Challenge

Host: Ariel @ Fictively

Newbery Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Julie @ Smiling Shelves

2016 New Release Challenge

Hosts: Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Book Views 

& Stormi @ Books, Movies, Reviews Oh My! 

2016 New To You Reading Challenge 

Host: Herding Cats & Burning Soup @ The Herd Presents

New Year's Resolution Reading Challenge

Host: Joy's Book Blog

(This is a two-month reading event.)

2016 Non-Fiction Reading Challenge

Host: Lady Knight Reads

Oldie But a Goodie Romance Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Renee @ Addicted to Romance

Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2016
Host: Corinne Rodrigues

Out Of This World Reading Challenge 2016
Host: Addicted to Romance

2016 Pages Read Challenge
Host: Brittany Strickland @ The Crafty Engineer's Bookshelf

2016 Pick Your Genre Reading Challenge 

Host: Herding Cats & Burning Soup @ The Herd Presents 

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Host: Robin @ My Two Blessings

2016 Reading Assignment Challenge

Co-Hosts: Berls @ Fantasy Is More Fun / Michelle @ Because Reading

2016 Reading Bites Reading Challenge

Host: Hippies Read Too

Reading England 2016

Host: Behold the Stars

Reading New England 2016 Challenge

Host: The Emerald City Book Review

Reading the Bible As Literature Event 2016

Host: Roof Beam Reader

Read It Again, Sam 2016

Host: Bev @ My Reader's Block

2016 Read My Books Challenge

Host: Maren @ The Worn Bookmark

Read My Own Damn Books

Host: Estella's Revenge

Read the Books You Buy Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Kathryn T @ The Book Date

Re-Read Challenge 2016

Host: Belle of the Literati

2016 Re-Read Challenge

Host: Tea & Titles

Retelling Challenge 2016

Host: Mel @ The Daily Prophecy

Retellings Reading Challenge 2016 

Host: Jo @ Once Upon a Bookcase 

Review Writing Challenge 2016

Host: Shari @ Delighted Reader 

Rock My TBR 2016

Host: Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler

2016 Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge 

Host: Shooting Stars Reviews
(formerly hosted by The Book Vixen) 

Royal Challenge 2016

Host: Adriana @ She's Got Books On Her Mind

2016 Sci-Fi Experience

Host: Stainless Steel Droppings

A Series A Month Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Danielle @ Love at First Page

2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge

Host: Sandy Farmer @ Somewhere Only We Know

The Series That Never Ends Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Shari @ Delighted Reader

Shelf Love Challenge 2016

Host: Second Run Reviews

2016 Southern Reading Challenge

Host: Jen @ The Introverted Reader

Spooks, Howls and Fangs Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Addicted to Romance

2016 Steampunk Reading Challenge

Co-Hosts: Stephanie @ In Wonderland

& Katrina @ Bookish Things and More

TBR Challenge 2016

Host: Wendy @ The Misadventures of Super Librarian

2016 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Host: Bookish Lifestyle

TBR Triple Dog Dare 2016

Host: James Reads Books

Title Fight Reading Challenge 2016

Host: The Bookshelf Gargoyle

The Tudor Reading Challenge 2016

Host: Bridgett @ The Blessed Book Nut

2016 Victorian Bingo Reading Challenge

Host: Becky's Book Reviews 

2016 Victorian Reading Challenge

Host: Sarah Coller @ Belle's Library 

Vintage Mystery Cover Scavenger Hunt 2016 

Host: Bev @ My Reader's Block

What An Animal Reading Challenge (IX) 2016
Host: Yvonne @ Socrates' Book Reviews

What's in a Name Reading Challenge 2016
Host: Charlie @ The Worm Hole

2016 Winning At Reading Challenge
Host: Bea's Book Nook

Winter Reading Challenge
Host: Reading Every Season

2016 Women Challenge
Host: Peek a Book

Women's Classic Literature Event

Host: The Classics Club

Women's Fiction Reading Challenge 2016
Host: Kathryn T @ The Book Date

World at War Reading Challenge

Host: Becky's Book Reviews 

2016 You Read How Many Books? Challenge
Host: Brittany Strickland @ The Crafty Engineer's Bookshelf