Chaitra’s Comments (group member since Apr 29, 2012)

Chaitra’s comments from the Crazy Challenge Connection group.

Thanks Jimena!

Andrea wrote: "Just Write: Creating Unforgettable Fiction and a Rewarding Writing Life by James Scott Bell 8/23/25
247 pages
J4"

J4 is a hit.

☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ wrote: "Next guess: B-8
Can't We Be Friends by Denny S. Bryce
Pages: 384
Read: 6/10/25"

B8 is a miss.

anger

Thanks Barb!

Thanks Barb!

Welcome to the challenge, Angel!

Meg wrote: "Chaitra wrote: "LOL, congrats, Meg! I just need a read date for Bidding for Trouble and I'll mark you as complete. :)"

Thanks, Chaitra! I added the date of 08/03."

Thank you, and congrats again!

Barb wrote: "Thanks for clarifying :)

Hope your trip goes better than Hubby's started off today - to make a long story short, a tree (thank goodness, a small one!) fell on his car while he was driving on the ..."

Yikes Barb, this sounds awful. I hope it's one of those times where our imagination is worse than what actually happened.

Welcome to the challenge, Angel!

I didn't bother to sign up to this either, but I've finished apparently.

A-Z Book Covers 2025

Duration: Jan 01, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025
Completed: 26/26

✔ A - Armor. Baudolino | Umberto Eco ★★★ (01/29/25)

✔ B - Beach. Fall of a Philanderer | Carola Dunn ★★★ (01/09/25)

✔ C - Candles. Lowcountry Boughs of Holly | Susan M. Boyer ★★★ (01/04/25)

✔ D - Dragon. The Lost Heir | Tui T. Sutherland ★★★ (01/07/25)

✔ E - Eggs. Hop 'Til You Drop | J.M. Griffin ★★★ (02/24/25)

✔ F - Flag Post. Aunt Bessie Enjoys | Diana Xarissa ★★★ (01/03/25)

✔ G - Gunshot. One of the Girls | Lucy Clarke ★★ (01/03/25)

✔ H - Hat. Murder on a Girls' Night Out | Anne George ★★★ (01/03/25)

✔ I - Ice Cream. Fatal Fudge Swirl | Meri Allen ★★★ (03/12/25)

✔ J - Josh. In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some | Josh Gad ★★★★ (02/10/25)

✔ K - Kitchen. Kale to the Queen | Nell Hampton ★★ (06/14/25)

✔ L - Living Room. Thread on Arrival | Lea Wait ★★ (01/04/25)

✔ M - Moon. Carpe Jugulum | Terry Pratchett ★★★★★ (01/11/25)

✔ N - Noodle Soup. Egg Drop Dead | Vivien Chien ★★★ (01/07/25)

✔ O - Owl. The Owl Killers | Karen Maitland ★★★ (01/06/25)

✔ P - Pizza. Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust | Mindy Quigley ★★★★ (01/11/25)

✔ Q - Queen. Queen Margot | Alexandre Dumas ★★ (06/06/25)

✔ R - Room. Death Waits in the Dark | Julia Buckley ★ (01/15/25)

✔ S - Staircase. The Raven Thief | Gigi Pandian ★★★ (01/01/25)

✔ T - Target. The Day of the Jackal | Frederick Forsyth ★★★★ (01/02/25)

✔ U - Umbrella. London Rain | Nicola Upson ★★ (01/10/25)

✔ V - Vegetables. Farm to Trouble | Amanda Flower ★ (02/01/25)

✔ W - Woman. You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist | Kari Ferrell ★★★ (01/10/25)

✔ X - X on the banister. Shot Through the Book | Eva Gates ★★★ (05/24/25)

✔ Y - Yarn. Murder at a Scottish Social | Traci Hall ★★★ (01/24/25)

✔ Z - Zelda. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald | Therese Anne Fowler ★ (04/30/25)


*** Completed (05/24/25) ***

I didn't bother to sign up to this one either, but I found a completed challenge for 2024.

A-Z Locations 2024

Duration: Jan 01, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
Completed: 26/26

✔ A - Austria. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands | Heather Fawcett ★★★ (01/24/24)
✔ B - Brinkley Court. Right Ho, Jeeves | P.G. Wodehouse ★★★★★ (02/11/24)
✔ C - Cornwall. Mistletoe and Murder | Carola Dunn ★★★ (01/01/24)
✔ D - Dark Asgard. Loki Modern Era Epic Collection: Journey Into Mystery | Kieron Gillen ★★★ (01/27/24)
✔ E - England. The Absolutist | John Boyne ★ (01/04/24)
✔ F - France. Dark Star | Alan Furst ★★★ (01/08/24)
✔ G - Georgia. Killing Floor | Lee Child ★ (02/08/24)
✔ H - Houston. A Wedding to Die For | Leann Sweeney ★★ (02/07/24)
✔ I - Ithaca. House of Odysseus | Claire North ★★★★ (01/13/24)
✔ J - Japan. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman | Haruki Murakami ★★★ (01/25/24)
✔ K - Kentucky. Let Me Die in His Footsteps | Lori Roy ★ (02/04/24)
✔ L - London. Dead Lions | Mick Herron ★★★★ (01/15/24)
✔ M - Mars. The Long Mars | Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter ★ (01/14/24)
✔ N - New York City. 10:04 | Ben Lerner ★ (01/21/24)
✔ O - Ohio. Murder Lo Mein | Vivien Chien ★★ (01/02/24)
✔ P - Perigord. The Dark Vineyard | Martin Walker ★★★ (01/03/24)
✔ Q - Quebec. Last Night in Montreal | Emily St. John Mandel ★★★★★ (06/29/24)
✔ R - Reno. Battleborn | Claire Vaye Watkins ★★ (01/09/24)
✔ S - San Benedetto. Chocolate à la Murder | Kirsten Weiss ★★★ (01/01/24)
✔ T - Tenochtitlan. You Dreamed of Empires | Álvaro Enrigue ★★★★★ (02/06/24)
✔ U - Ullevalsvein. The Devil's Star | Jo Nesbø ★ (01/28/24)
✔ V - Virginia. The Dog Across the Lake | Krista Davis ★★ (02/03/24)
✔ W - Waindell College. Pnin | Vladimir Nabokov ★★★★ (01/10/24)
✔ X - Texas. Thyme of Death | Susan Wittig Albert ★★★ (09/07/24)
✔ Y - Yarrow Glen. Curds of Prey | Korina Moss ★★★★ (06/01/24)
✔ Z - Czech Republic. HHhH | Laurent Binet ★★★★★ (08/11/24)

*** Completed (09/07/24) ***

Apparently I never bothered to sign up two years in a row, but I found a finished 2024 challenge in my word document.

A-Z Male Characters 2024

Duration: Jan 01, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
Completed: 26/26

✔ A - Alex. Mistletoe and Murder | Carola Dunn ★★★ (01/01/24)
✔ B - Bruno. The Dark Vineyard | Martin Walker ★★★ (01/03/24)
✔ C - Clay. The Dragonet Prophecy | Tui T. Sutherland ★★★ (01/16/24)
✔ D - Diego. I, Juan de Pareja | Elizabeth Borton de Treviño ★★ (01/27/24)
✔ E - Elzar. The Fallen Star | Claudia Gray ★ (01/23/24)
✔ F - Fred. Bloody Acquisitions | Drew Hayes ★★★★ (02/08/24)
✔ G - Gabriel. A Peculiar Combination | Ashley Weaver ★★★★ (01/30/24)
✔ H - Harry. The Devil's Star | Jo Nesbø ★ (01/28/24)
✔ I - Ikaris/Ike Harris. Eternals by Jack Kirby: The Complete Collection | Jack Kirby ★★★ (03/17/24)
✔ J - Jason. Chocolate à la Murder | Kirsten Weiss ★★★ (01/01/24)
✔ K - Kern. Void Star | Zachary Mason ★★★ (01/29/24)
✔ L - Linden. The Bees | Laline Paull ★ (01/11/24)
✔ M - Marc. Moon Knight by Lemire & Smallwood | Jeff Lemire & Greg Smallwood ★★★★★ (01/28/24)
✔ N - Nils. Dead West | Matt Goldman ★★★ (02/03/24)
✔ O - Orestes. House of Odysseus | Claire North ★★★★ (01/13/24)
✔ P - Pnin. Pnin | Vladimir Nabokov ★★★★ (01/10/24)
✔ Q - Quinn. Last Writes | Laura Levine ★★★ (06/12/24)
✔ R - River. Dead Lions | Mick Herron ★★★★ (01/15/24)
✔ S - Satya. America for Beginners | Leah Franqui ★ (01/15/24)
✔ T - Tristan. The Absolutist | John Boyne ★ (01/04/24)
✔ U - Usagi. Usagi Yojimbo Saga, Vol. 1 | Stan Sakai ★★★★★ (03/20/24)
✔ V - Valentine. The Gods of Gotham | Lyndsay Faye ★★★ (01/22/24)
✔ W - Willis. The Long Mars | Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter ★ (01/14/24)
✔ X - Charles Xavier. X-Men Epic Collection, Vol. 9: The Brood Saga | Chris Claremont ★★ (03/19/24)
✔ Y - Yoshiteru Terada. Confessions | Kanae Minato ★★ (10/07/24)
✔ Z - Zack. The Crossroads | Chris Grabenstein ★★★ (03/13/24)

*** Completed (10/07/24) ***

◆ 25 Audiobooks
- Double Cross | Beth McMullen ★★★★ (05/17/24)
- Sudden Death | David Rosenfelt ★★★ (05/23/24)
- A Mourning Wedding | Carola Dunn ★★★★ (06/09/24)
- Of Spice and Men | Sarah Fox ★★ (06/16/24)
- Fortune Hunter | Jana Deleon ★★★★ (07/02/24)

- Annie John | Jamaica Kincaid ★★ (07/06/24)
- Thread Herrings | Lea Wait ★★ (07/09/24)
- In the Market for Murder | T.E. Kinsey ★★★★ (07/10/24)
- Winter Counts | David Heska Wanbli Weiden ★★ (07/11/24)
- Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void | Mary Roach ★★★★ (07/11/24)

- The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language | Mark Forsyth ★★★ (07/13/24)
- Lost Hours | Paige Shelton ★★★★ (07/15/24)
- All My Puny Sorrows | Miriam Toews ★★ (07/19/24)
- Count Zero | William Gibson ★★★ (07/26/24)
- Other Minds | Peter Godfrey-Smith ★★★ (08/03/24)

- The Colossus of New York: A City in 13 Parts | Colson Whitehead ★★ (08/04/24)
- All the Pretty Horses | Cormac McCarthy ★★★ (08/05/24)
- All Hallows | Christopher Golden ★ (08/06/24)
- Checking Out Crime | Laurie Cass ★★★★ (08/07/24)
- Do Not Say We Have Nothing | Madeleine Thien ★★★★ (08/08/24)

- HHhH | Laurent Binet ★★★★★ (08/11/24)
- Comic Sans Murder | Paige Shelton ★★★ (08/12/24)
- Anagrams | Lorrie Moore ★★ (08/13/24)
- Dark Matter | Blake Crouch ★ (09/03/24)
- Now You See It | Carol J. Perry ★ (09/03/24)

*** Completed (09/14/25) ***

◆ 20 books originally published prior to the year 2010
- 2002. Mistletoe and Murder | Carola Dunn ★★★ (01/01/24)
- 1957. Pnin | Vladimir Nabokov ★★★★ (01/10/24)
- 2005. Bury the Lead | David Rosenfelt ★★★ (01/24/24)
- 2006. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman | Haruki Murakami ★★★ (01/25/24)
- 1887. A Study in Scarlet | Arthur Conan Doyle ★★ (01/29/24)

- 1890. The Sign of Four | Arthur Conan Doyle ★ (01/29/24)
- 1972. An Unsuitable Job For A Woman | P.D. James ★ (01/31/24)
- 2008. A Royal Pain | Rhys Bowen ★★★ (02/09/24)
- 1925. Carry On Jeeves | P.G. Wodehouse ★★★★★ (02/11/24)
- 1934. Right Ho, Jeeves | P.G. Wodehouse ★★★★★ (02/11/24)

- 2005. Dearly Depotted | Kate Collins ★★★ (03/12/24)
- 2008. The Crossroads | Chris Grabenstein ★★★ (03/13/24)
- 1978. Eternals by Jack Kirby: The Complete Collection | Jack Kirby ★★★ (03/17/24)
- 1952. Excellent Women | Barbara Pym ★★★★ (05/09/24)
- 1984. Essential X-Men, Vol. 4 | Chris Claremont ★★★ (05/09/24)

- 2005. Ptolemy's Gate | Jonathan Stroud ★★★★★ (05/19/24)
- 2009. Half Broke Horses | Jeannette Walls ★ (05/31/24)
- 1975. Islands | Marta Randall ★★ (06/07/24)
- 2006. In the Time of Love: A Modern Arabic Novel | Naguib Mahfouz ★★ (07/18/24)
- 2006. Gallatin Canyon | Thomas McGuane ★★★ (07/22/24)

◆ 21 books by authors whose first or last initial is a vowel (A, E, I, O, U)
- I, Juan de Pareja | Elizabeth Borton de Treviño ★★ (01/27/24)
- Murders and Metaphors | Amanda Flower ★★ (02/18/24)
- Murder in the Crypt | Irina Shapiro ★★★ (02/19/24)
- Murder Flies the Coop | Jessica Ellicott ★★★★ (02/24/24)
- Dear Miss Kopp | Amy Stewart ★★★★ (04/25/24)

- Natural History | Andrea Barrett ★★★ (05/15/24)
- The Stranger in the Library | Eva Gates ★★★★ (06/06/24)
- The Rocky Road to Ruin | Meri Allen ★★★★ (06/17/24)
- Last Night in Montreal | Emily St. John Mandel ★★★★★ (06/29/24)
- Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities | Amy Stewart ★★★ (07/14/24)

- Murder in the Mews | Agatha Christie ★★★ (07/23/24)
- Fishing for Trouble | Elizabeth Logan ★★★ (08/03/24)
- All My Mother's Lovers | Ilana Masad ★★ (08/04/24)
- All We Buried | Elena Taylor ★★★ (08/06/24)
- Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency | Douglas Adams ★★★ (08/10/24)

- The Body in the Bookstore | Ellie Alexander ★★★ (08/11/24)
- Speaker for the Dead | Orson Scott Card ★ (08/22/24)
- Pageboy | Elliot Page ★★★ (08/31/24)
- Children of Memory | Adrian Tchaikovsky ★★★★ (09/01/24)
- Erasure | Percival Everett ★★★★ (09/05/24)

- Thyme of Death | Susan Wittig Albert ★★★ (09/07/24)

◆ 22 books that are NOT part of a series
- The Bees | Laline Paull ★ (01/11/24)
- Void Star | Zachary Mason ★★★ (01/29/24)
- Yes, I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All in Trouble | Judy Gold ★★ (02/01/24)
- Let Us Descend | Jesmyn Ward ★★★ (02/03/24)
- Let Me Die in His Footsteps | Lori Roy ★ (02/04/24)
- You Dreamed of Empires | Álvaro Enrigue ★★★★★ (02/06/24)
- Fight No More: Stories | Lydia Millet ★★ (02/10/24)
- Un Lun Dun | China Miéville ★★★★★ (02/14/24)
- Kind One | Laird Hunt ★★ (02/15/24)
- Indian Burial Ground | Nick Medina ★★ (05/13/24)
- These Fleeting Shadows | Kate Alice Marshall ★★★★ (05/19/24)
- Rules for Vanishing | Kate Alice Marshall ★★★★ (05/25/24)
- Our Last Echoes | Kate Alice Marshall ★★★ (05/29/24)
- The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club | Helen Simonson ★★★ (05/31/24)
- Sour Heart | Jenny Zhang ★ (06/16/24)
- Everything's Eventual | Stephen King ★★★★ (06/28/24)
- The Last Murder at the End of the World | Stuart Turton ★★★ (06/29/24)
- The Book of Goose | Yiyun Li ★ (07/04/24)
- Sparks Like Stars | Nadia Hashimi ★★ (07/04/24)
- Work Like Any Other | Virginia Reeves ★ (07/05/24)
- Twenty Grand and Other Tales of Love and Money | Rebecca Curtis ★★ (07/07/24)
- Breakfast of Champions | Kurt Vonnegut Jr. ★★★ (07/12/24)

◆ 23 new releases (books published less than six months before you read them)
- Pub. Jan 09, 2024. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known | Seanan McGuire ★★★★ (01/18/24)
- Pub. Jan 16, 2024. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands | Heather Fawcett ★★★ (01/24/24)
- Pub. Jan 02, 2024. The Dog Across the Lake | Krista Davis ★★ (02/03/24)
- Pub. Jan 09, 2024. Poor Deer | Claire Oshetsky ★★★ (02/05/24)
- Pub. Jan 16, 2024. The Woman on the Ledge | Ruth Mancini ★★ (02/12/24)

- Pub. Feb 06, 2024. The Tainted Cup | Robert Jackson Bennett ★★★★★ (02/24/24)
- Pub. Feb 13, 2024. What Feasts at Night | T. Kingfisher ★★ (03/09/24)
- Pub. Feb 13, 2024. The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles | Malka Ann Older ★★★★ (03/11/24)
- Pub. Apr 02, 2024. A Short Walk Through a Wide World | Douglas Westerbeke ★★★ (04/29/24)
- Pub. Apr 11, 2024. Close to Death | Anthony Horowitz ★★★ (05/04/24)

- Pub. Jan 23, 2024. The Bullet Swallower | Elizabeth Gonzalez James ★★ (05/05/24)
- Pub. Apr 02, 2024. The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony | Annabelle Tometich ★★★★★ (05/10/24)
- Pub. May 07, 2024. Long Island | Colm Tóibín ★ (06/01/24)
- Pub. Jun 11, 2024. Assassins Anonymous | Rob Hart ★★★ (07/08/24)
- Pub. Feb 06, 2024. Fur Love or Money | Sofie Ryan ★★★★ (07/09/24)

- Pub. Jul 02, 2024. The God of the Woods | Liz Moore ★★★★ (08/01/24)
- Pub. Jul 09, 2024. We Are Experiencing a Slight Delay: Tips, Tales, Travels | Gary Janetti ★★ (08/11/24)
- Pub. Jul 09, 2024. State of Paradise | Laura van den Berg ★★★★ (08/12/24)
- Pub. Aug 06, 2024. Between a Flock and a Hard Place | Donna Andrews ★★★★★ (08/13/24)
- Pub. Aug 06, 2024. The Mercy of Gods | James S.A. Corey ★★ (08/20/24)

- Pub. Aug 06, 2024. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins | P. Djèlí Clark ★★★★ (08/24/24)
- Pub. Jul 09, 2024. Our Kind of Game | Johanna Copeland ★★ (08/26/24)
- Pub. Aug 06, 2024. House of Bone and Rain | Gabino Iglesias ★★ (09/01/24)

◆ 24 books that are part of a series but NOT #1
- Noodle Shop #3. Murder Lo Mein | Vivien Chien ★★ (01/02/24)
- Kate Hamilton #3. The Art of Betrayal | Connie Berry ★★★ (01/08/24)
- Songs of Penelope #2. House of Odysseus | Claire North ★★★★ (01/13/24)
- Naomi Cottle #2. The Butterfly Girl | Rene Denfeld ★★ (01/17/24)
- Book of the Ancestors #3. Holy Sister | Mark Lawrence ★★★★ (01/26/24)
- Lane Winslow #4. It Begins In Betrayal | Iona Whishaw ★★★★ (01/30/24)
- Nils Shapiro #4. Dead West | Matt Goldman ★★★ (02/03/24)
- Coffee Lover's Mystery #3. Live and Let Grind | Tara Lush ★★ (02/04/24)
- Daisy Dalrymple #12. Die Laughing | Carola Dunn ★★★ (02/06/24)
- Yellow Rose #2. A Wedding to Die For | Leann Sweeney ★★ (02/07/24)
- Fred the Undead Accountant #3. Bloody Acquisitions | Drew Hayes ★★★★ (02/08/24)
- Sherlock Holmes Bookshop #2. Body on Baker Street | Vicki Delany ★★ (02/08/24)
- Scottish Bookshop #3. Lost Books and Old Bones | Paige Shelton ★★★ (02/10/24)
- Ernest Cunningham #2. Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect | Benjamin Stevenson ★★★★ (02/12/24)
- Miss Fortune #7. Hurricane Force | Jana Deleon ★★★★ (02/13/24)
- City Spies #5. Mission Manhattan | James Ponti ★★★★ (02/26/24)
- Diana Flowers #2. Delphiniums and Deception | Ruby Loren ★★★ (02/27/24)
- Cackleberry Club #5. Eggs in a Casket | Laura Childs ★★ (03/11/24)
- Ginger Gold #8. Murder at the Boat Club | Lee Strauss ★★★★ (03/14/24)
- Witch City #11. See Something | Carol J. Perry ★★ (03/24/24)
- Ginger Gold #9. Murder on Eaton Square | Lee Strauss ★★★ (04/21/24)
- Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls #2. Power Play | Beth McMullen ★★★★ (05/03/24)
- Flora Trilogy #2. Flora's Dare | Ysabeau S. Wilce ★★★ (07/18/24)
- Mr. Lemoncello #4. Mr. Lemoncello's All-Star Breakout Game | Chris Grabenstein ★★ (07/22/24)

◆ 14 books with one-word titles; all words count
- Battleborn | Claire Vaye Watkins ★★ (01/09/24)
- Mercury | Amy Jo Burns ★★ (02/02/24)
- Babel | R.F. Kuang ★★★ (05/02/24)
- Julia | Sandra Newman ★★ (05/17/24)
- Gulp | Mary Roach ★★★ (06/17/24)

- Stiff | Mary Roach ★★★★ (06/30/24)
- Thunderstruck | Erik Larson ★★ (07/06/24)
- Dinosaurs | Lydia Millet ★★★ (07/09/24)
- Uranium | Tom Zoellner ★★★★ (07/10/24)
- Vida | Patricia Engel ★★★ (07/14/24)

- Reputations | Juan Gabriel Vásquez ★★ (07/15/24)
- Joan | Katherine J. Chen ★★ (07/24/24)
- Firestorm | Nevada Barr ★★★ (07/26/24)
- Waterland | Graham Swift ★★ (08/01/24)

◆ 15 books set in a country other than your own
- France. The Dark Vineyard | Martin Walker ★★★ (01/03/24)
- France. The Art of Betrayal | Connie Berry ★★★ (01/08/24)
- England. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels | Janice Hallett ★★★★ (02/16/24)
- Netherlands. Death in Delft | Graham Brack ★★★ (02/16/24)
- Japan. Usagi Yojimbo Saga, Vol. 1 | Stan Sakai ★★★★★ (03/20/24)

- China. The Fox Wife | Yangsze Choo ★★★★ (03/29/24)
- Greece. Fire from Heaven | Mary Renault ★★ (04/19/24)
- Iceland. Last Rituals | Yrsa Sigurdardottir ★★ (04/23/24)
- Singapore. Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials | Ovidia Yu ★★★★ (05/18/24)
- Canada. I Cheerfully Refuse | Leif Enger ★★★★ (05/22/24)

- China. Daughters of Shandong | Eve J. Chung ★★★ (05/27/24)
- Italy. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies | Catherine Mack ★★ (05/29/24)
- Egypt. Lyrics Alley | Leila Aboulela ★★ (05/30/24)
- Malaysia. The Garden of Evening Mists | Tan Twan Eng ★ (06/14/24)
- South Korea. The Vegetarian | Han Kang ★★★ (06/16/24)

◆ 16 books with covers that are predominantly (more than 50%) your favorite color: Black
- Dead Lions | Mick Herron ★★★★ (01/15/24)
- The Familiar | Leigh Bardugo ★★ (05/12/24)
- Night of the Living Rez | Morgan Talty ★★★★ (05/14/24)
- The Deep Sky | Yume Kitasei ★ (05/19/24)
- The Black Cauldron | Lloyd Alexander ★★★★ (05/22/24)

- The Warm Hands of Ghosts | Katherine Arden ★★★ (05/27/24)
- The Narrow | Kate Alice Marshall ★★ (05/28/24)
- The Dark Is Rising | Susan Cooper ★★★★ (06/05/24)
- Phantom Orbit | David Ignatius ★★ (06/05/24)
- Ill Wind | Nevada Barr ★★★ (06/12/24)

- The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth | Zoë Schlanger ★★★★ (06/18/24)
- My Calamity Jane | Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows ★ (07/16/24)
- The Shining | Stephen King ★★★ (07/20/24)
- Greenwitch | Susan Cooper ★★★★ (08/02/24)
- To Catch a Storm | Mindy Mejia ★★★ (08/03/24)

- Incidents Around the House | Josh Malerman ★ (08/08/24)



◆ 17 books with an average Goodreads rating of 3.75 or higher
- 3.86. Beneath the Bonfire | Nickolas Butler ★★★★ (01/06/24)
- 4.33. The Whispering Skull | Jonathan Stroud ★ (03/02/24)
- 4.06. Murder on Mulberry Bend | Victoria Thompson ★★★ (03/25/24)
- 3.99. Wandering Stars | Tommy Orange ★★★★ (03/30/24)
- 4.01. Grief Is for People | Sloane Crosley ★★★★★ (04/06/24)

- 4.02. Murder Outside the Lines | Krista Davis ★★★ (04/12/24)
- 4.15. Gone with the Whisker | Laurie Cass ★★★★ (04/15/24)
- 4.05. Essential X-Men, Vol. 3 | Chris Claremont ★★★ (04/24/24)
- 3.85. Anita de Monte Laughs Last | Xóchitl González ★★ (05/09/24)
- 4.12. In the Distance | Hernan Diaz ★★★★ (05/17/24)

- 4.48. The Diva Goes Overboard | Krista Davis ★★★★ (05/31/24)
- 4.04. Curds of Prey | Korina Moss ★★★★ (06/01/24)
- 4.19. Clouds in My Coffee | Julie Mulhern ★ (06/02/24)
- 3.88. Last Writes | Laura Levine ★★★ (06/12/24)
- 4.00. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Lewis Carroll ★★ (06/14/24)

- 4.08. Out of Circulation | Miranda James ★★ (07/01/24)
- 3.98. We Others: New and Selected Stories | Steven Millhauser ★★ (08/02/24)

◆ 18 books that are #1 in a series
- Chronicles of Prydain #1. The Book of Three | Lloyd Alexander ★★★★ (01/06/24)
- Wings of Fire #1. The Dragonet Prophecy | Tui T. Sutherland ★★★ (01/16/24)
- Abby McCree #1. Death by Committee | Alexis Morgan ★ (01/17/24)
- Timothy Wilde #1. The Gods of Gotham | Lyndsay Faye ★★★ (01/22/24)
- Electra McDonnell #1. A Peculiar Combination | Ashley Weaver ★★★★ (01/30/24)

- Lady Hardcastle #1. A Quiet Life in the Country | T.E. Kinsey ★★★★ (02/25/24)
- Apollo Murders #1. The Apollo Murders | Chris Hadfield ★★★ (03/13/24)
- Lily Adler #1. The Body in the Garden | Katharine Schellman ★★★ (03/15/24)
- Lakeside Library #1. Murder at the Lakeside Library | Holly Danvers ★★ (03/22/24)
- Dee & Lao #1. The Murder of Mr. Ma | John Shen Yen Nee & S J Rozan ★★ (04/20/24)

- Perveen Mistry #1. The Widows of Malabar Hill | Sujata Massey ★★ (04/28/24)
- Moon #1. Moon of the Crusted Snow | Waubgeshig Rice ★★ (05/12/24)
- Hayley Powell #1. Death of a Kitchen Diva | Lee Hollis ★ (05/14/24)
- California Bookshop #1. Murder by the Seashore | Samara Yew ★★ (05/17/24)
- Lacey Flint #1. Now You See Me | Sharon J. Bolton ★★ (05/18/24)

- Holiday Cozy #1. Four Leaf Felony | Tonya Kappes ★ (05/18/24)
- Murder on Location #1. Death in the English Countryside | Sara Rosett ★★★ (05/20/24)
- Kamogawa Food Detectives #1. The Kamogawa Food Detectives | Hisashi Kashiwai ★★ (05/22/24)

◆ 19 books whose titles start with A, An or The
- The Fallen Star | Claudia Gray ★ (01/23/24)
- The Morningside | Téa Obreht ★★★★★ (04/10/24)
- The Bad Ones | Melissa Albert ★★★ (05/06/24)
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Arthur Conan Doyle ★★★ (05/15/24)
- The Center of Everything | Laura Moriarty ★★★ (06/04/24)

- The Death of Lucy Kyte | Nicola Upson ★★★ (06/12/24)
- The Hurtwood Village Murders | Benedict Brown ★★★★ (07/07/24)
- The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper | Hallie Rubenhold ★★★★ (07/14/24)
- The Whistling Season | Ivan Doig ★★★★★ (07/19/24)
- The Queen of Poisons | Robert Thorogood ★★ (07/21/24)

- The Beekeeper's Apprentice | Laurie R. King ★ (07/21/24)
- The Nursing Home Murder | Ngaio Marsh ★★★ (07/25/24)
- The Ring of Solomon | Jonathan Stroud ★★★★ (08/14/24)
- The Last Dragonslayer | Jasper Fforde ★★★ (08/23/24)
- The Loch Ness Papers | Paige Shelton ★★ (08/26/24)

- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay | Michael Chabon ★★ (08/28/24)
- A Witch Before Dying | Heather Blake ★★★ (08/31/24)
- A Wee Murder in My Shop | Fran Stewart ★★★ (09/02/24)
- The Girl from the Well | Rin Chupeco ★★★ (09/10/24)

Finished finally.

1-2-3 Challenge, Take 3

Duration: Jan 01, 2024 - ?
Completed: 25/25

◆ 1 Book that has been recommended by a friend / family member / co-worker
- Husband. Children of Time | Adrian Tchaikovsky ★★★★ (03/28/24)

◆ 2 Books from a genre you rarely read: Sport
- Figure Skating. Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out | Gracie Gold ★★★ (03/08/24)
- Ice Hockey. Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts | Julian Rubinstein ★★ (09/14/25)

◆ 3 Books by an author who uses initials instead of a first and middle name
- Murder in the Corn Maze | G.A. McKevett ★★★ (04/09/24)
- The March | E.L. Doctorow ★★★★ (04/09/24)
- The Gathering | C.J. Tudor ★★★ (05/14/24)

◆ 4 Books with less than 1000 ratings on Goodreads
- 635. Chocolate à la Murder | Kirsten Weiss ★★★ (01/01/24)
- 214. Planetary Book Two | Warren Ellis ★★★★ (01/18/24)
- 256. X-Men Classic: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1 | Chris Claremont ★★ (04/17/24)
- 31. X-Men Classic: The Complete Collection, Vol. 2 | Chris Claremont ★★ (04/18/24)

◆ 5 Books by one of your favorite authors: Terry Pratchett
- The Long Mars | Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter ★ (01/14/24)
- Jingo | Terry Pratchett ★★★★★ (07/29/24)
- The Last Continent | Terry Pratchett ★★★★ (07/31/24)
- Carpe Jugulum | Terry Pratchett ★★★★★ (01/12/25)
- The Fifth Elephant | Terry Pratchett ★★★★★ (05/28/25)

◆ 6 Books in your favorite genre - Cozy Mystery
- No Parm No Foul | Linda Reilly ★★ (07/05/24)
- Six Feet Deep Dish | Mindy Quigley ★★★★ (08/02/24)
- Murder Can Frost Your Doughnut | Rose Pressey ★★ (08/04/24)
- Murder on Marble Row | Victoria Thompson ★★★ (08/29/24)
- Scorched Eggs | Laura Childs ★★ (09/07/24)

- Biscuits and Slashed Browns | Maddie Day ★★★ (09/13/24)

◆ 7 Books that were free
- Loki Modern Era Epic Collection: Journey Into Mystery | Kieron Gillen ★★★ (01/27/24)
- 504 pages. Eternals | Neil Gaiman ★★★ (03/18/24) + Marvel 1602 | Neil Gaiman ★★★★ (04/11/24)
- “You Just Need to Lose Weight”: And 19 Other Myths About Fat People | Aubrey Gordon ★★★★ (08/30/24)
- Read on Arrival | Nora Page ★★★ (09/02/24)
- Dolores Claiborne | Stephen King ★★★★★ (09/04/24)

- Death at Morning House | Maureen Johnson ★★★★ (09/08/24)
- Tunnel of Bones | Victoria Schwab ★★★ (09/09/24)

◆ 8 Books of my choice
- Moon Knight by Lemire & Smallwood | Jeff Lemire & Greg Smallwood ★★★★★ (01/28/24)
- 336 pages. X-Men: Season One | Dennis Hopeless ★★★ (04/11/24) + X-Men: First Class - Band of Brothers | Jeff Parker ★★★ (04/12/24)
- 320 pages. X-Men: First Class - The Wonder Years | Jeff Parker ★★★ (04/12/24) + X-Men: Magneto Testament | Greg Pak ★★★★ (04/13/24)
- New Mutants Epic Collection, Vol. 1: Renewal | Chris Claremont ★★ (05/14/24)
- Bridge of Souls | Victoria Schwab ★★★★ (09/09/24)

- Silence of the Grave | Arnaldur Indriðason ★★ (09/11/24)
- The Spoiled Heart | Sunjeev Sahota ★★ (09/13/24)
- The Goose Girl | Shannon Hale ★★ (09/13/24)

◆ 9 books with punctuation of some sort in the title
- 10:04 | Ben Lerner ★ (01/21/24)
- Whose Body? | Dorothy L. Sayers ★★★ (02/02/24)
- X-Men Epic Collection, Vol. 9: The Brood Saga | Chris Claremont ★★ (03/19/24)
- Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race | Chris Grabenstein ★★ (03/21/24)
- Started Early, Took My Dog | Kate Atkinson ★★ (04/03/24)

- Essential X-Men, Vol. 1 | Chris Claremont ★★★★ (04/14/24)
- Essential X-Men, Vol. 2 | Chris Claremont ★★★★ (04/19/24)
- Princess Elizabeth's Spy | Susan Elia MacNeal ★ (05/21/24)
- 'Til Death | Carol J. Perry ★★ (05/24/24)

◆10 books with more than 10,000 ratings on Goodreads
- 19,384 ratings. The Absolutist | John Boyne ★ (01/04/24)
- 314,630 ratings. Killing Floor | Lee Child ★ (02/08/24)
- 42,859 ratings. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter | Brandon Sanderson ★★★★ (02/29/24)
- 10,920 ratings. The Bedlam Stacks | Natasha Pulley ★★ (03/24/24)
- 15,926 ratings. The Yard | Alex Grecian ★★ (03/27/24)

- 24,717 ratings. Prince of Fire | Daniel Silva ★★★ (04/01/24)
- 66,707 ratings. The Mystery Guest | Nita Prose ★★ (04/02/24)
- 73,201 ratings. If Cats Disappeared from the World | Genki Kawamura ★★ (05/11/24)
- 115,588 ratings. Prince of Thorns | Mark Lawrence ★★★ (06/03/24)
- 22,894 ratings. The Library of the Unwritten | A.J. Hackwith ★★★★ (06/11/24)

◆ 11 Non-fiction books
- The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World | Patrik Svensson ★★★ (01/18/24)
- Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World | Naomi Klein ★★★★★ (02/09/24)
- Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine | Uché Blackstock ★★★★★ (02/25/24)
- How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi: Collected Quirks of Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math from Nerd Nite | Chris Balakrishnan & Matt Wasowski ★★★ (03/10/24)
- The Unit: My Life Fighting Terrorists as One of America's Most Secret Military Operatives | Adam Gamal ★★★ (03/14/24)

- Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters | Brian Klaas ★★★ (04/21/24)
- Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley | Brent Underwood ★★★★ (04/21/24)
- Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder | Salman Rushdie ★★★★ (04/30/24)
- Nuclear War: A Scenario | Annie Jacobsen ★★★★★ (05/10/24)
- What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds | Jennifer Ackerman ★★★★ (05/20/24)

- Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World | Theresa MacPhail ★★★★ (06/09/24)

◆ 12 books by new-to-you authors
- America for Beginners | Leah Franqui ★ (01/15/24)
- The Memory Theater | Karin Tidbeck ★★★★ (02/17/24)
- Off Kilter | Hannah Reed ★★ (02/27/24)
- How to Solve Your Own Murder | Kristen Perrin ★★★★ (04/04/24)
- Instruments of Darkness | Imogen Robertson ★★ (04/05/24)

- The American Daughters | Maurice Carlos Ruffin ★★★★ (04/06/24)
- Murder at Everham Hall | Benedict Brown ★★★ (04/07/24)
- 336 pages. X-Men: First Class - Tomorrow's Brightest | Jeff Parker ★★★ (04/11/24) + X-Men: First Class - Mutant Mayhem | Jeff Parker ★★★ (04/12/24)
- Murder Book | Thomas Perry ★★ (04/17/24)
- Age of Myth | Michael J. Sullivan ★★★★ (06/30/24)

- The Fishermen | Chigozie Obioma ★★ (07/01/24)
- Urchin of the Riding Stars | M.I. McAllister ★★★★ (07/03/24)

◆ 13 books that are more than 450 pages long
- 480 pages. Nona the Ninth | Tamsyn Muir ★★★★★ (01/20/24)
- 522 pages. The Devil's Star | Jo Nesbø ★ (01/28/24)
- 640 pages. The Book of Love | Kelly Link ★★ (02/29/24)
- 576 pages. The Reformatory | Tananarive Due ★★★★★ (03/01/24)
- 464 pages. Table for Two | Amor Towles ★★ (04/26/24)

- 720 pages. Menewood | Nicola Griffith ★★ (05/08/24)
- 608 pages. The Venetian Betrayal | Steve Berry ★★ (05/25/24)
- 565 pages. The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War | Erik Larson ★★★ (06/03/24)
- 496 pages. Firekeeper’s Daughter | Angeline Boulley ★ (06/10/24)
- 465 pages. The Last Sword Maker | Brian Nelson ★★★ (06/13/24)

- 597 pages. Children of Ruin | Adrian Tchaikovsky ★★★★★ (06/15/24)
- 502 pages. You Like It Darker | Stephen King ★★★ (07/03/24)
- 496 pages. Presumed Innocent | Scott Turow ★★ (07/08/24)

Finished.

September 2025 Scavenger Challenge

Duration: Sep 01, 2025 - Sep 30, 2025
Completed: 7/7

✔ 1. Vitamins
💊 Read a short story collection or anthology.
The Ones That Got Away | Stephen Graham Jones ★★★ (09/01/25)

✔ 2. Vitamin C
💊 Read a book with a main character whose name starts with 'C', and tell us the name.
The Essex Serpent | Sarah Perry ★★★ (09/09/25)
Cora.

✔ 3. Source
💊 Read a book with food on the cover, please post the cover.
Pie Hard | Kirsten Weiss ★★★ (09/05/25)


✔ 4. Vitamin D
💊 Read a book with a word in the title beginning with a D.
Some Danger Involved | Will Thomas ★★★ (09/01/25)

✔ 5. 13 Vitamins
💊 Read a book with a 1 and a 3 in the number of pages.
Sour Grapes | G.A. McKevett ★★★ (09/16/25)
311 pages.

✔ 6. Vitamins A, D, E, and K
💊 Read a book with a speaking character`s name starting with A, D, E, or K, -and- read a book that spans months, years, or even decades.
Flashlight | Susan Choi ★★★ (09/01/25)
One of the main characters is an Anne & the book spans decades.

✔ 7. Water-Soluble Vitamins
💊 Read a light book, your interpretation, tell us why.
Out of the Dust | Karen Hesse ★★★ (09/02/25)
Written in free verse and short.

*** Completed (09/16/25) ***

Finished.

Countries of the World #14: Paraguay

Duration: Sep 01, 2025 – Sep 30, 2025
Completed: 10/6+

✔ Country: Paraguay
🚩Read a book whose title starts with a letter in PARAGUAY (ignore A, An and The or equivalent if not English).
Pie Hard | Kirsten Weiss ★★★ (09/05/25)

Stats

✔ Capital: Asuncion
🚩Read a book whose author's first and last initials are in the word ASUNCION (letters can only be used as many times as they appear in the word).
A Short History of the World According to Sheep | Sally Coulthard ★★ (09/03/25)

✔ Population: 6,109,903 (2022 census)
🚩Read a book whose total number of pages contain at least 2 of the numbers in the population (tell us the page count).
Some Danger Involved | Will Thomas ★★★ (09/01/25)
290 pages.

✔ Area: 157,048 sq mi
🚩Read a book whose year it was first published has at least 2 of the numbers in the area (tell us the year published).
The Ones That Got Away | Stephen Graham Jones ★★★ (09/01/25)
Pub. 2010

Trivia

✔ 1. Paraguayan Bottle Dance
🚩Read a book whose cover shows several similar objects placed one on top of the other (post the cover).
Fat Cat At Large | Janet Cantrell ★ (09/16/25)

Dessert bars.

✔ 2. Guarani
🚩Listen to an audiobook by your favorite narrator (tell us the narrator).
Undeading Bells | Drew Hayes ★★★★★ (09/02/25)
Kirby Heybourne.

✔ 3. Itaipu Dam
🚩Read a book that is set on both sides of an international border (tell us the countries involved; the book needn’t be evenly divided, just one important scene set across the border is fine).
Flashlight | Susan Choi ★★★ (09/01/25)
South Korea/North Korea, Japan/North Korea, China/North Korea.

✔ 4. Bare-throated Bellbird
🚩Read a book in which an important character is learning something that takes a lot of practice (a student attending school or college works; tell us what they are learning).
Out of the Dust | Karen Hesse ★★★ (09/02/25)
Billie Jo, piano.

✔ 5. Mate
🚩Read a book in which tea or coffee is extensively discussed for whatever reason (tell us how your book fits).
Bones in the Begonias | Dale Mayer ★★★ (09/10/25)
Doreen doesn’t know how to make coffee and there’s a little too much discussion about how to make a good cup.

✔ 6. Doorbells
🚩Read a book that makes you clap your hands (because you liked it, or maybe you’re just happy it’s done; tell us why).
Triggerfish Twist | Tim Dorsey ★★★★ (09/09/25)
It’s madcap fun.

*** Completed (09/16/25) ***

Finished.

August 2025 Scavenger Challenge - Summer Cleaning

Duration: Aug 01, 2025 - Aug 31, 2025
Completed: 10/7+


✔ 1. Papers
🗑️Read a book with paper of some kind on the cover (post the cover).
All That Consumes Us | Erica Waters ★★ (08/06/25)

Added Apr 2023.

✔ 2. Knickknacks
🗑️Read a book that you picked mainly because of the cover (post the cover).
I'll Be Right Here | Amy Bloom ★★ (08/03/25)


✔ 3. Expired Medicines
🗑️Read a book in which someone is sick enough to need medication (tell us who).
Joe Country | Mick Herron ★★★★ (08/04/25)
Jackson, added Dec 2022.

✔ 4. Old Clothes
🗑️Read a book with unworn clothes shown on the cover (post the cover).
Damsel in a Dress | Kirsten Weiss ★★★ (09/16/25)

Added Oct 2021.

✔ 5. Ice Cream Maker
🗑️Read a book with a dessert shown on the cover (bonus for ice cream, post the cover).
No Good Tea Goes Unpunished | Bree Baker ★★★ (08/03/25)

Added Apr 2020.

✔ 6. Plates and Mugs
🗑️Read a book with a cat on the cover (bonus for a tuxedo cat, post the cover).
The Cat of the Baskervilles | Vicki Delany ★★★ (08/12/25)

Added Aug 2019.

✔ 7. Mystery Cables
🗑️Read a book marked Mystery on the main page.
The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy | Heather Blake ★★★ (08/01/25)
Added Jan 2017.

✔ 8. Hobbies
🗑️Read a book in which the main character has a hobby (tell us what their hobby is).
Nacho Average Murder | Maddie Day ★★★ (08/24/25)
Robbie does crosswords and bikes. Added Aug 2019.

✔ 9. Users Manuals
🗑️Read a book that's easy to read (tell us why).
Spook Street | Mick Herron ★★★★★ (08/03/25)
Insanely readable. Added Dec 2022.

✔ 10. Son’s Art
🗑️Read a book that tugs at your heart.
Hour of the Bees | Lindsay Eagar ★★ (08/13/25)
The relationship between granddaughter and grandfather. Added Jul 2021.

*** Completed (09/16/25) ***