Wrapping Up 2018: The Rest of the Challenges

2018 is FINALLY over! Well, almost, anyway. And since it's pretty unlikely I'll be doing a huge amount of reading over the next couple of days, I guess it's time to go ahead and wrap up the last few un-wrapped-up reading challenges I had going during the year. Here they are, in alphabetical order:

2018 Family Tree Reading Challenge

Host: Becky @ Becky's Book Reviews
Dates: January - December 2018
See my original post about the challenge HERE.

The goal of the challenge was to read a book from the birth year of each of your selected family members (at least three). I planned to read four books, corresponding to the birth years of my four cousins — 1949, 1950, 1952, and 1960 — but only managed two (1950 and 1960):

1. A Murder Is Announced (Miss Marple #5). Agatha Christie (pub. June 1950)
2. Give the Boys a Great Big Hand (87th Precinct #11). Ed McBain (pub. 1960) 

Even though I didn't make it to the finish line, it was still a fun challenge and I'm giving some thought to signing up for next year's version (see guidelines and sign-ups here). Thanks to Becky for hosting!

2018 Nonfiction Reading Challenge

Host: Katie @ Doing Dewey
Dates: January - December 2018
See my original post about the challenge HERE.

For this one, participants set their own goals. I hoped to read at least four books, but only managed two, and only reviewed one of those:

1. Balthus: Cats and Girls. Sabine Rewald (2013; art/art history; 176 pages)
2. Just Kids. Patti Smith (2010; memoir; 304 pages)

Another enjoyable challenge, even though (again) I didn't do as well as I'd have liked. Thanks so much to Katie for hosting. (She's hosting the Nonfiction Challenge again for 2019. Click HERE for guidelines and signups.)

2018 Picture Book Reading Challenge

Host: Becky @ Becky's Book Reviews

Dates: January - December 2018

See my original post about the challenge HERE.

The goal of the 2018 Picture Book Reading Challenge was "To have adults read more picture books," and there was a minimum of six books. I went with Becky's option to use her checklist for coming up with selections, and read these six books:

1. Checklist #10. Author beginning with E: Feathers for Lunch, by Lois Ehlert (1996; illus. by author)
2. Checklist #34. Title beginning with R: The Rabbit and the Shadow, by Mélanie Rutten (2013; illus. by author)
3. Checklist #40. Title or Author beginning with U: Umbrella, by Taro Yashima (1958; illus. by author)
4. Checklist #70. a book set in the past – fiction or nonfiction: The Gardener, by Sarah Stewart; illus. by David Small (fiction; set in 1930s, during the Great Depression)
5. Checklist #77. one word title: Golem, by David Wisniewski (1996; illus. by author)
6. Checklist #104. Picture book published in 2018: Outside My Window, by Linda Ashman; illus. by Jamey Christoph

I love reading children's lit, so this is always one of my favorite challenges. Thanks so much to Becky for hosting. She'll be hosting a new edition of the challenge in 2019 — click HERE for guidelines, checklists, and signups.

AND, I think that's it. Now it's time to get ready for all those brand new reading challenges out there. Hoping to do sooo much better next year. As usual.

Happy New Year, everyone! And Happy Reading in 2019!

2018 Monthly Key Word Challenge: The Wrap-Up

2018 Monthly Key Word Challenge

Host: Bev @ My Reader's Block
Dates: Throughout 2018
See my original post about the challenge HERE.

I loved this challenge!

The goal was to read at least one book each month, with a title that includes one or more of that month's key words, and I actually did manage to read a qualifying book every month. In fact, in May I read two! Somewhere along the line I stopped doing reviews, so in that respect I was sort of a failure. But I really enjoyed finding the books every month — and, of course reading the books (some more than others) — and I'm hugely grateful to Bev for hosting. Haven't decided about joining next year's challenge (click here for details and sign-ups), but I'm definitely considering it. Anyway, here's what I read:

List of Monthly Key Words:

My Reading List:

JANUARY:
• If Morning Ever Comes. Anne Tyler (See Review)

FEBRUARY:
• Miss Zukas and the Library Murders (Miss Zukas #1). Jo Dereske (See Review)

MARCH:
• Give the Boys a Great Big Hand (87th Precinct #11). Ed McBain (See Review)

APRIL:
• Time Out of Joint. Philip K. Dick (See Review)

MAY:
• At the Mountains of Madness. H.P. Lovecraft (See Review)
• Pale Horse, Pale Rider: Three Short Novels. Katherine Anne Porter (See Review)

JUNE:
• When You Reach Me. Rebecca Stead (See Review)

JULY:
• The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot #6). Agatha Christie (See Review)

AUGUST:
• The Dead House. Billy O'Callaghan (See Review)

SEPTEMBER:
• Call for the Dead (George Smiley #1). John le Carré (See Review)

OCTOBER:
• The Night She Died (Inspector Thanet #1). Dorothy Simpson

NOVEMBER:
• Broomsticks Over Flaxborough (Flaxborough Chronicles #7). Colin Watson

DECEMBER:
• The Red Book of Primrose House (Potting Shed Mystery #2). Marty Wingate

Wrapping Up 2018: Reading Challenges (Part 1)

I know December is just getting started, but it's such a busy month, I really don't know how much time I can expect to have for reading. So I'm going to go ahead and wrap up a few of the reading challenges I've had going in 2018. As usual, I didn't do as well as I'd hoped -- I did get some reading done but didn't get a lot of reviews written. I could go into all the reasons, but that would drain years from all our lives. So, without further ado....

1. 2018 European Reading Challenge.

This was hosted by Gilion @ Rose City Reader, and I signed up for a total of three books (the "Business Traveler" level). Here's what I read, with links to a couple of reviews:

1. United Kingdom: How to Be Human. Paula Cocozza
2. Ireland / Irish Author: The Dead House. Billy O'Callaghan
3. Italy: A Long Time Coming. Aaron Elkins (set in Milan)

If I had to choose a favorite from these three, I think it would be How to Be Human. A real surprise and not at all what I was expecting. Actually, all of the authors were new to me, and I enjoyed them all. That's one of the things I like about these reading challenges -- the little nudge they give me to try new things.


2. 2018 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

Hosted by Amy @ Passages to the Past. My goal was five books ("Victorian Reader"), and I managed to get six read, but didn't review them all. My list:

1. Holmes Entangled. Gordon McAlpine (2018; set in early 20th Century)
2. The Cottingley Secret. Hazel Gaynor (2017; set in early 20th Century)
3. Pale Horse, Pale Rider: Three Short Novels. Katherine Anne Porter (1939; pre-WWI setting)
4. When You Reach Me. Rebecca Stead (2009; set in 1970s) 
5. A Morbid Taste for Bones (Brother Cadfael #1). Ellis Peters (1977; set in Medieval Wales)
6. A Shadow on the Wall. Jonathan Aycliffe (2000; set in Victorian England)

Of the group, I'd probably pick A Shadow on the Wall as my favorite (nice and spooky), but I enjoyed all the others too. Hard to believe I've gone this long without reading one of the Brother Cadfael books, but now I've got another mystery series started.


3. 2018 Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

This annual challenge is hosted by Bev @ My Reader's Block. I signed up at the first level ("Pike's Peak") and wanted to read at least 12 books from my various must-read stacks and shelves. I did pretty well, and actually read 15 books, although I didn't get them all reviewed. What I read:

1. Five Children and It. E. Nesbit 
2. Just Kids. Patti Smith 
3. A Murder Is Announced (Miss Marple #5). Agatha Christie  
4. Vintage Murder (Roderick Alleyn #5). Ngaio Marsh 
5. Time Out of Joint. Philip K. Dick 
6. The Cottingley Secret. Hazel Gaynor 
7. The Quiet American. Graham Greene  
8. Pale Horse, Pale Rider: Three Short Novels. Katherine Anne Porter 
9. At the Mountains of Madness. H.P. Lovecraft 
10. When You Reach Me. Rebecca Stead 
11. The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot #6). Agatha Christie 
12. A Morbid Taste for Bones (Brother Cadfael #1). Ellis Peters 
13. The Night She Died (Inspector Thanet #1). Dorothy Simpson 
14. Last Bus to Woodstock (Inspector Morse #1). Colin Dexter 
15. Last Seen Wearing (Inspector Morse #2). Colin Dexter 

Some really good stuff there, and it would be hard to pick a favorite. I'm very happy the challenge gave me the push I needed to get back to the Inspector Thanet and Inspector Morse books, a couple of the mystery series I've read and enjoyed in the past.

..........

I have a few more challenges I need to wrap up, but I'll save that for a later post. Thanks so much to all the hosts for keeping these going, and to all the other participants for giving me lots of great ideas about what to read next.

2018 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge: The Wrap-Up

The 2018 Cloak and Dagger Challenge was hosted by Stormi @ Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! and Barb @ Booker T's Farm. I signed up at the "Amateur Sleuth" level (5-15 books) and actually read 15 books that qualified for the challenge. Didn't manage to get them all reviewed, but that's not unusual for me — I'll still be trying to add a few more reviews before the end of the year.

Books I read for the challenge (with links to reviews):

1. Intruder in the Dark (Chief Inspector Littlejohn #43). George Bellairs (1966; police procedural)
2. A Murder Is Announced (Miss Marple #5). Agatha Christie (1950; mystery)
3. Vintage Murder (Roderick Alleyn #5). Ngaio Marsh (1937; police procedural)
4. My Sister's Bones. Nuala Ellwood (2017; psychological thriller)
5. Miss Zukas and the Library Murders (Miss Zukas #1). Jo Dereske (1994; cozy mystery, amateur sleuth)
6. Coffin, Scarcely Used (Flaxborough Mysteries #1). Colin Watson (1958; police procedural)
7. Holmes Entangled. Gordon McAlpine (2018; mystery; historical mystery)
8. Give the Boys a Great Big Hand (87th Precinct #11). Ed McBain (1960; police procedural)
9. Murder in the Meadow (DI Hillary Greene #7). Faith Martin (2008; police procedural; originally published as Beside a Narrow Stream)
10. Tailspin. Sandra Brown (2018; romantic suspense; thriller)
11. The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot #6). Agatha Christie (1928; mystery)
12. A Long Time Coming. Aaron Elkins (2018; mystery; art-related)
13. Last Song Sung (Cullen & Cobb #3). David A. Poulsen (2018; mystery; private investigator)
14. Call for the Dead (George Smiley #1). John le Carré (1961; mystery/espionage)
15. A Morbid Taste for Bones (Brother Cadfael #1). Ellis Peters (1977; mystery; historical mystery)

Of the fifteen, I think my favorite was probably A Murder Is Announced — I love Miss Marple!

Thanks so much to the challenge hosts. This is always one of my favorite challenges.

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XIII

It's that time of year. September is almost here, and with September comes one of my favorite traditions of autumn, the RIP (for Readers Imbibing Peril) reading event/challenge. This is the 13th year for RIP -- I think this will be my 10th year as a participant. The challenge begins September 1st and runs until (fittingly) Halloween on October 31st.

RIP was the brainchild of Carl Anderson, over at his Stainless Steel Droppings blog, and last year was handed over to new hosts. This year it's being hosted by Heather from My Capricious Life, and has its very own website, where you can read all about it and join up.

The purpose of the event is to read books that fall into any of the RIP categories:

Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Dark Fantasy, Gothic, Horror, Supernatural.

And the main goals are to HAVE FUN, and to share that fun with others. Pretty simple.

Actually, it's not that much of a challenge for me -- those are the genres I read most of the time. But RIP always manages to renew my reading spirits after they've started sagging during the summer. Also helps me find new books I might be interested in. I'll be signing up at the Peril the First level (read four books), and combining that with Peril on the Screen (and possibly Peril of the Short Story, too).

To find out about the various Peril levels, and to sign up, visit the challenge announcement page HERE. I don't really have a set list of books I intend to read, so I'll just see what I come up with. And I'll be tracking my progress over on my challenge blog (HERE).

Mount TBR Reading Challenge: Mountaineering Checkpoint No. 1

Hard to believe April is a whole week old now, but my calendar tells me that's true. Which means it's time for Check-in #1 in this year's Mount TBR Reading Challenge. I usually forget to do these check-ins, but for some reason this year my brain seems to be a little better oiled or something.

Let's see.... I signed up for the Pike's Peak level (Level 1), twelve books from my TBR pile/s; and so far, I've finished four books that qualify:

1. Five Children and It. E. Nesbit (pub. 1902; read in March) 
2. Just Kids. Patti Smith (pub. 2010; read in February) 
3. A Murder Is Announced (Miss Marple #5). Agatha Christie (pub. June 1950; read in January) 
4. Vintage Murder (Roderick Alleyn #5). Ngaio Marsh (pub. 1937; read in January) 

All of which have been on my shelves for quite a while; in fact, I think I've had my copy of Five Children and It since sometime back in the 1970s.

Bev had a few questions for us to think about answering. One about a favorite cover — and I have to admit, none of the covers on my books this time were really anything to cheer about. I guess if I had to choose one, it would be the cover of the paperback edition of the Patti Smith memoir Just Kids:

That's Patti with Robert Mapplethorpe back in about 1970. They made a very striking pair, didn't they?

And as for favorite characters.... Well, I think I'd (always) have to choose Miss Marple. She's always been one of my favorite fictional inventions, and she's at her Miss-Marple-est in A Murder Is Announced. But Inspector Roderick Alleyn, from the Ngaio Marsh mystery series, would run her a close second.

So, at this point I think I'm on track. If I continue with at least three or four books per quarter, I should do a little better than twelve books by the end of 2018. That's what I'm hoping, anyway. I know that would only make a very tiny dent in my ridiculously enormous TBR piles/lists. But for now, I'm still climbing the mountain. No falls, no set-backs, and no reason to be seeking shelter in a cave along the way. Yet.

There Be Madness Here! One More Sign-up

Host: Bev @ My Reader's Block
Dates: Throughout 2018 (sign-ups open until November 1, 2018)
Challenge Goal: Each month during 2018, read at least one book with a title that includes one or more of that month's key words (see the sign-up page for the monthly word lists).

Click HERE for guidelines and sign-ups.

There are soooo many reasons why I should NOT be looking around for more reading challenges to sign up for in 2018 – the main one being that I promised myself I wouldn't overdo it again this year. I've already got myself involved in ten other challenges, and I figured that was more than enough to keep me busy.

But it's really hard to pass up the Monthly Key Word Challenge. All those lovely lists of words to match up with books! I tried it last year and did pretty well for the first four or five months. Then the host blog (My Soul Called Life) disappeared, but even if it hadn't gone away I don't think I would have been able to finish the challenge. Too much real-life stuff going on. And I'm really not sure I'm likely to do any better this year, but I do love the idea of using Bev's word lists to guide some of my reading choices each month. And I'm hoping it will help me knock a few books off my ridiculously enormous TBR lists.

The plan is (in theory, at least), to make a list of possible reads for each month and then somehow choose at least one, as randomly as possible. (Is "randomly" a word?). For January, the key words were: white, ice, year, baby, hat, dance, top, road, if. And after spending quite a while combing through my physical library and my want-to-read list at GoodReads, I came up with a batch of possibilities for the month. It was surprisingly short:

• Death in a White Tie (Roderick Alleyn #7), by Ngaio Marsh
• The Road to Lichfield, by Penelope Lively
• Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, by Henry Farrell
• The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion

I thought about using a randomizer to choose my book, but with just four titles, that seemed a little like overkill. So I wrote each title on a slip of paper, put all the slips in a teacup, and pulled one out. And the winner was... The Road to Lichfield – which was actually the one I was intending to read anyway. Must be fate.

OK, now I should get reading. During the year, I'll be tracking my progress over on my challenge blog.

2018 Picture Book Reading Challenge

Host: Becky @ Becky's Book Reviews
Dates: January - December 2018

Click HERE for announcement/sign-up post.

I shouldn't try to kid myself. I know I'm gonna be reading picture books this year -- so why not make it official? I did pretty good on Becky's 2017 Picture Book Challenge, and certainly enjoyed reading all the books. For 2018, I think I'm going to go with the checklist option (see below), and just try to read as many books as possible. During the year, I'll be tracking my progress over on my challenge blog (HERE), but I'll also try to remember to update the list on this post.

_1. Title beginning with A
_2. Author beginning with A
_3. Title beginning with B
_4. Author beginning with B
_5. Title beginning with C
_6. Author beginning with C
_7. Title beginning with D
_8. Author beginning with D
_9. Title beginning with E
_10. Author beginning with E
_11. Title beginning with F
_12. Author beginning with F
_13. Title beginning with G
_14. Author beginning with G
_15. Title beginning with H
_16. Author beginning with H
_17. Title beginning with I
_18. Author beginning with I
_19. Title beginning with J
_20. Author beginning with J
_21. Title beginning with K
_22. Author beginning with K
_23. Title beginning with L
_24. Author beginning with L
_25. Title beginning with M
_26. Author beginning with M
_27. Title beginning with N
_28. Author beginning with N
_29. Title beginning with O
_30. Author beginning with O
_31. Title beginning with P
_32. Author beginning with P
_33. Title or Author beginning with Q
_34. Title beginning with R
_35. Author beginning with R
_36. Title beginning with S
_37. Author beginning with S
_38. Title beginning with T
_39. Author beginning with T
_40. Title or Author beginning with U
_41. Title or Author beginning with V or W
_42. Title or Author beginning with X or “Ex”
_43. Title beginning with Y
_44. Author beginning with Y
_45. Title or Author beginning with Z
_46. An alphabet book
_47. A counting book
_48. A color word in the title
_49. A number word in the title
_50. Concept book of your choice— picture book
_51. Concept book of your choice — board book
_52. bedtime book —board book
_53. bedtime book — picture book
_54. book that rhymes —picture book
_55. book that rhymes — early reader OR board book
_56. holiday of your choice — board book or early reader
_57. holiday of your choice — picture book
_58. wordless picture book
_59. new to you author
_60. new to you illustrator
_61. favorite author
_62. favorite illustrator
_63. free choice
_64. fairy or folk tale adaptation
_65. fairy or folk tale traditional
_66. a title with the word “first” in it
_67. a book set in the state you live
_68. a book set in a place you’d like to visit
_69. a book set in an imaginary place
_70. a book set in the past — fiction or nonfiction
_71. a book set in the present
_72. picture book for older readers — fiction
_73. picture book for older readers — nonfiction
_74. early reader — fiction
_75. early reader — nonfiction
_76. picture book with photographs
_77. one word title
_78. long title (four or more words)
_79. oversized book
_80. tiny book
_81. a book about playing (hide and seek, tag, or peekaboo, etc.)
_82. a book about school
_83. a book about hobbies (art, dance, music, crafts, sports)
_84. a title that is a question
_85. a title that is an exclamation
_86. an award winner or an honor book
_87. a collection (of poems OR stories)
_88. a book with animals (fiction)
_89. a book with animals (nonfiction)
_90. a book about books or reading
_91. a book celebrating family
_92. first book in a series
_93. any book in a series
_94. book with an adventure or misadventure
_95. a book about a pet
_96. A title with the word “yes” or “no” in it
_97. A title with the word “big” or “little” in it
_98. a classic published before 1968
_99. a book you think should be considered a classic
_100. Out of print
_101. Library book
_102. Impulse Pick
_ 103. Board book published in 2018
_ 104. Picture book published in 2018

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2018

Host: Bev @ My Reader's Block
Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2018

Click HERE for guidelines and sign-ups.

I'm trying to be a little more selective about the reading challenges I sign up for next year. During the past year, I think I spent more time working on the bookkeeping for all my challenges than I did actually reading. Not good.

But one of my goals for 2018 is to read more of the books I already own and to try to get to some of those titles I've been intending to read for decades. So I'm signing up for Bev's Mount TBR Challenge. I'll be going for Pike's Peak (12 books) -- I'd really like to do better than that, but twelve sounds like a fairly realistic figure to aim for.

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

2018 European Reading Challenge

Host: Rose City Reader
Dates: January 1, 2018 - January 31, 2019

Click HERE for guidelines and sign-ups.

Another of my favorite challenges. I didn't do so well with the 2017 edition, so I'm scaling back a bit for 2018 -- signing up at the Three Star ("Business Traveler") level, which means I'll be committing to three books. During the year, I'll be tracking my progress over on my challenge blog.

2018 Nonfiction Reading Challenge

Host: Doing Dewey
Dates: January - December 2018

Click HERE for guidelines and sign-ups.

I used to read quite a lot of nonfiction, but haven't really read much in recent years. I'd like to remedy that, and this challenge is perfect for me -- no set numbers or categories to read. I'm not going to commit to any definite number of books, but I'd like to try for at least four or five.

Some I'm hoping to read in 2018:

• Blue Nights. Joan Didion (autobiography/memoir)
• Books. Larry McMurtry (memoir)
• Just Kids. Patti Smith (memoir) 
• The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws. Margaret Drabble (autobiography/memoir)
• South and West: From a Notebook. Joan Didion (essays, notes)
• The Year of Magical Thinking. Joan Didion (autobio/memoir)

And I have a longer list of possibilities over on my challenge blog, where I'll be tracking my progress.

2018 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Host: Amy @ Passages to the Past 

Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2018

Click HERE for guidelines and sign-ups.

My Goal: "Victorian Reader" (5 books)

I usually read quite a bit of historical fiction, and this is always one of my favorite challenges. Didn't really do all that well with it this year, but I'm hoping for better results in 2018. During the year, I'll be tracking my progress over on my challenge blog.

2018 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge

Hosted by: Stormi @ Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!
 and Barb @ Booker T's Farm

Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2018

Click here for all the guidelines and sign-ups.

I'm just getting over the flu. It's been mean and nasty, and it's hanging around much longer than I had hoped. And I assume it's clouding my judgment — which, I'm pretty sure is why I'm thinking about signing up for reading challenges when I've still got Christmas stuff to do.

And as I've said before, I did such a poor job with my 2017 challenges, I suppose I really shouldn't be signing up for any at all in 2018. But I really do want to try to get more reading done next year (this year will be my lowest number of books read in recent memory), and I think the reading challenges do help me keep that goal in mind.

I just need to find the right challenges.

And the Cloak and Dagger Challenge is really pretty perfect for me. I did the challenge in 2015 and didn't have any trouble meeting my goal. I consume an awful lot of mysteries and thrillers anyway, so it's not exactly a stretch — but I think that's OK. If it keeps me turning pages, it's what I need.

I'm signing up at the Amateur Sleuth level (5-15 books), but of course hope to do a little better than that. And during the year, I'll be tracking my progress over on my challenge blog (My Reading Challenges).

Family Tree Reading Challenge

I did such a dismal job on all my reading challenges during 2017 that I really have no business thinking about challenges for 2018. But you know how it is — with all those shiny new challenges being rolled out right now, there's no way I can just ignore them.

And the Family Tree Reading Challenge, hosted by Becky @ Becky's Book Reviews, is (I think) new this year (at least new to me) and pleasingly different. The goal of the challenge is to read books from the birth years of your family members — at least three books, and at least three family members (you can include yourself in the mix). You can read more about the challenge over on the announcement page.

So what will I read? Well, on my mother's side of the family, I have four cousins, born in 1949, 1950, 1952 and 1960. On my father's side, I have thirteen cousins, so I'm going with Mom's branch of the tree. That means I'll be reading at least one book from each of those four years. I haven't settled on specific books yet, but I've got a list of some possibilities over on my challenge blog, and that's where I'll be tracking my progress.