Reading Challenge Wrap-Up: 2019 Cloak and Dagger Challenge

Well, the New Year is right around the corner, and I really don't think I'll be doing much more reading before January arrives. So it's time to start wrapping up some of the reading challenges I signed up for in 2019. First up --

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

Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2019

For the 2019 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge I signed up for 16-25 books ("Detective" level), and though I was trying for 25, I only managed to read 16. Which means I did barely make it to Detective. Technically though, I really didn't complete the challenge because I only reviewed two of the books I read. Here's the list:

1. The Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin #1). M.C. Beaton (1992; cozy mystery) 
2. The Janus Stone (Ruth Galloway #2). Elly Griffiths (2010; mystery / cold case, forensics) 
3. Murder Theory (The Naturalist #3). Andrew Mayne (2019; thriller) 
4. The Stranger Diaries. Elly Griffiths (2018/2019; psychological suspense) 
5. Run Away. Harlan Coben (2019; thriller)
6. The Appleton Case (Markham Sisters #1). Diana Xarissa (2015; cozy mystery)
7. The Vicious Vet (Agatha Raisin #2). M.C. Beaton (1993; cozy mystery)
8. Little Darlings. Melanie Golding (2019; thriller) 
9. The Lady in the Lake. Laura Lippman (2019; historical mystery)
10. The Potted Gardener (Agatha Raisin #3). M.C. Beaton (1994; cozy mystery)
11. The Man in the White Linen Suit (Stewart Hoag #11). David Handler (2019; mystery)
12. Fake Like Me. Barbara Bourland (2019; mystery)
13. The Shape of Night. Tess Gerritsen (2019; romantic suspense)
14. We Were Killers Once (Brigid Quinn #4). Becky Masterman (2019; thriller) 
15. Sorry for the Dead (Josephine Tey #8). Nicola Upson (2019; historical mystery)
16. The Walkers of Dembley (Agatha Raisin #4). M.C. Beaton (1995; cozy mystery)

But even though I had mixed results, this was still one of my favorite challenges. Thanks so much to the hosts for organizing and keeping the challenge going all year.

2019 European Reading Challenge: Wrap-Up Post

Well, there's still almost a week of 2019 left, but I really don't think I'll be reading much of anything that would qualify for this challenge, so I'm wrapping things up.

The idea of the challenge was to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). I signed up to read four books, but only managed one: Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death, by M.C. Beaton (set in the UK).

Obviously, I was not much of a world traveler in 2019. A bit embarrassing, but I'm hoping to do much better in 2020, and I've already signed up for next year's challenge (you can do likewise here). Thanks so much to Gilion at Rose City Reader for hosting this one.

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XIV

I've been so out of it lately, I almost missed one of my favorite annual events!

The RIP (for Readers Imbibing Peril) reading event/challenge began September 1st and will run through the month of October. This is (sort of amazingly) the 14th year for RIP, and I believe I've participated (at least a little) in all but the first two editions.

RIP was the brainchild of Carl Anderson, over at his Stainless Steel Droppings blog (now dormant, I think), but was handed over to new hosts a couple of years back. This year it 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. And after the summer I've had, I really need some major renewing this year!

It also helps me find new books I might be interested in. I love reading all those lists and reviews.

Even though I'm getting a really late start, I'm still signing up at the Peril the First level (read four books), and I'll be 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 haven't really decided which books I intend to try to read, but I've got quite a few likely candidates. These are some new books that I'm eager to get to:

Imaginary Friend, by Stephen Chbosky
The Long Call, by Ann Cleeves
Old Bones, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
The Possession, by Michael Rutger
Pursuit, by Joyce Carol Oates 

And during the challenge, I'll be tracking my progress over on my challenge blog (HERE). Happy reading, everyone!

Summer Reading Events

I really should not be looking at new reading challenges, since I haven't been doing all that well with the ones I've already signed up for this year. But a few interesting challenges/events have shown up on my radar recently. Don't know if I'll be joining in, but these look like fun....

The Sci-Fi Summer Readathon is hosted by Michelle @ Seasons of Reading, and runs from June 1st (hey, that's today!) through the 14th. Two whole weeks of reading devoted to sci-fi or fantasy. Click here for guidelines and sign-ups.

20 Books of Summer, 2019 edition — hosted by Cathy @ 746Books — runs from June 3rd to September 3rd. This sounds like a great way to knock off some of those books you've been meaning to get to all year, but just haven't managed yet. And it doesn't have to be 20 books — could be 15 or even 10, and you can change your target list at any time. Click here to read all about it.

Then there's also a summer version of the COYER challenge — the COYER Summer Hunt, hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading is Better Than Real Life. The regular COYER challenges are usually a little more structured than I like, but this one is much looser, as Michelle says: "Normally you’re only allowed to read eBooks that were less than $5 for COYER, but since this is Summer Vacation you can read whatever you want!"

Summer COYER begins June 1st and runs until August 31st, and sign-ups will be open until Saturday, July 6th. Click here for more guidelines and sign-ups.

Back to the Classics Challenge 2019

Hosted by: Karen K @ Books and Chocolate
Dates: 1 January - 31 December, 2019

Click here for full guidelines and sign-ups.

I really thought I'd finished signing up for next year's reading challenges, but you know how it is.

This year I read almost nothing but whodunnits and thrillers. Nothing wrong with that, of course — but I'd like to read some of the classic lit I've always intended to read but just never got around to. So, here I go again....

The 2019 Back to the Classics Challenge is composed of twelve categories. I probably won’t plan to complete all twelve, but I think I should be able to manage six. And at the moment, I'm thinking I might choose from these:

1. 19th Century Classic - Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë

2. 20th Century Classic - Where Angels Fear to Tread, by E.M. Forster

3. Classic By a Female Author - Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell

4. Classic in Translation - Demian, by Hermann Hesse

5. Classic Comic Novel - The Code of the Woosters, by P.G. Wodehouse

6. Classic Tragic Novel - The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton

7. Very Long Classic - The Wings of the Dove, by Henry James

8. Classic Novella - The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka

9. Classic From the Americas (includes the Caribbean) - Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys

10. Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia) - The Grass Is Singing, by Doris Lessing (Africa)

11. Classic From a Place You've Lived - Horseman, Pass By, by Larry McMurtry (Texas)

12. Classic Play - Lady Windermere's Fan, by Oscar Wilde

But those plans are definitely subject to change, and I’ve got a long list of alternate choices over on my challenge blog. And that’s where I’ll track my progress during the year.

Print Only 2019 Reading Challenge

Hosted by: Tina @ As Told By Tina
Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2019

Click here for guidelines and sign-ups.

Goal of the challenge: To read as many physical books as you can. These can be books you’ve purchased, been sent, or borrowed. As long as it's a physical book, then it counts.

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I have thousands of print books in my house. Real, physical books. I love 'em. I'm addicted to them. Love the way they smell and the way the paper feels in my hand. But more and more I just don't read physical, printed books. In fact, this year only eight of the books I read were actual physical books — the major part of my reading was done on various e-readers.

Now, I don't think there's anything wrong with e-readers. In fact, I love them too. And I do believe I read much faster on them than I do when I'm reading paper books. But I don't want to abandon print for electronic, and that looks like where I'm headed.

So the Print Only Reading Challenge has come along at a really good time. I'm signing up at Level One ("Out of Print" / 1-10 books), but would really love to do a little better than that. During the year I'll be tracking my progress and keeping all my lists on my challenge blog (HERE).

2019 European Reading Challenge

Host: Rose City Reader
Dates: January 1, 2019 - January 31, 2020

Click HERE for guidelines and sign-ups.

Signing up for the 2019 European Reading Challenge, hosted by Gilion over at her Rose City Reader blog — always one of my favorite challenges. For 2019 I'm stretching just a teensy bit and signing up at the Four-Star Level ("Honeymooner") — four books. During the year, I'll be tracking my progress over on my challenge blog.

2019 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge

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

Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2019

Click here for all the guidelines and sign-ups.

Always one of my favorite challenges. So happy to see it back for next year.

For the 2018 challenge I signed up at the basic level ("Amateur Sleuth" / 5-15 books), and actually read a few more books than I thought I could manage. So in 2019 I'm signing up at the second level — "Detective" (16-25 books) — and hoping to get to 25 books that qualify.

I read a lot of mysteries — they're probably my favorite type of fiction. Even so, I'm such a slow reader, 25 books might be pushing it a little. But it's supposed to be a challenge, right?

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

2019 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

To sign up:
See the Challenge announcement/sign-up post HERE.

Host: Amy @ Passages to the Past
Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2019

Guidelines:

• Choose your level.
• Read any sub-genre of historical fiction (Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, etc.)
• You don't need a blog to participate.
• There will be a monthly link for reviews.

Levels:

1. 20th Century Reader - 2 books
2. Victorian Reader - 5 books
3. Renaissance Reader - 10 books
4. Medieval - 15 books
5. Ancient History - 25 books
6. Prehistoric - 50+ books

My goal: "Victorian Reader" (5 books).

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

2019 Picture Book Reading Challenge

See the Announcement/Sign-up post HERE.

Host: Becky @ Becky's Book Reviews

Dates: January - December 2019

Goal: "To have adults read more picture books.
To celebrate the fact that picture books are for everyone!"

Minimum number of books: Six

Option 1: Read six picture books of your choice.
Option 2: Read at least six books from one of the checklists on the announcement page.


I'll be signing up for Option 1, but hope to read more than six picture books. During the year I'll be tracking my progress and keeping all my lists over on my challenge blog (HERE).

2019 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

Host: Bev @ My Reader's Block
Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2019

Click HERE for guidelines and sign-ups.

My "must read" stack is getting way out of hand. Actually, it really is a little like a mountain of books. So once again, I'm signing up for Bev's Mount TBR Reading Challenge. I'll be going for the Pike's Peak level again (12 books), and hoping to do a little better than that.

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

Calendar of Crime Challenge (New for 2019!)

The year has really gotten away from me. All of a sudden it's time for all the new 2019 reading challenge announcements. How is that possible?

I've always loved the mystery-themed challenges that Bev over at My Reader's Block hosts every year, even though I don't always do so well with them. But this year she has a brand new one: the Calendar of Crime Challenge. It calls for reading a minimum of twelve books during the year — one for each month, with the book fulfilling one of several categories listed for that month. You can get a better idea of the challenge workings by reading the guidelines on the announcement page.

I'm thinking this challenge should help me knock a few more books off my ridiculously huge TBR stacks and lists. So even though I'm still working on my challenges for 2018, I'm signing up for this one right away. Besides, I love playing with those category lists! During the year I'll be tracking my progress over on my challenge blog (HERE).