Chaitra’s
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(group member since Apr 29, 2012)
Chaitra’s
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from the Crazy Challenge Connection group.
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Welcome to the challenge, Frankie and Robin!
Congrats, Vickie!
Angel wrote: "Guess #17Suspect: Postal Worker (E.K.)
Cause of death: Beheading (Sword)
Location: The Secret Garden (R&D)
Hello, Universe - Erin Entrada Kelly - 5/20/25
[bookco..."
The murderer was not the postal worker.
Almost, Cats! I think you have the wrong book for the R in the Librarian (no R in Big Four or Agatha Christie). Do you have another book you can use?
Congrats, Richard, Barb, Frankie and Cats!
saint
Congrats, Amanda!
Great job, Connie!
LOL!
NEW CHALLENGE ALERT!!!We're bringing back our Sub-Genre Challenge this year. You get to choose your genres and sub-genres to read over the next year. Hopefully this will help you find your new favorite sub-genre!
2025 Sub-Genre ChallengeDuration: Jun 01, 2025 - May 31, 2026
Completed: 0/30+
Fantasy
Historical Period
Horror
Mystery
Non-Fiction
Science Fiction
Reserved for PARTICIPANTSThe link below will take you directly to your post.
♦♦ Finishers! ♦♦
Lali & Michelle ♦ (09/09/25)
♦♦♦♦
Amanda K
Amy
Bonita
Chaitra
Kathy
Mabeelle
Mary
Mary!
Olivermagnus
Robin
Vanessa
2025 Sub-Genre ChallengeDuration: June 1, 2025 – May 31, 2026
We all have our favorite genres, but have we really explored all the different sub-genres out there? Should you decide to accept our challenge, you’ll get a chance to do just that!
You get to choose your own books for this challenge, but within these parameters:
* You must read a minimum of 30 books over the course of the challenge.
* You will choose which genres and sub-genres you wish to read, but you must choose at least THREE DIFFERENT genres, and at least FOUR SUB-GENRES for each of those genres.
* You may only read ONE BOOK per sub-genre, so you will need to choose a minimum of 30 sub-genres in order to complete the challenge.
* You do not need to post your sub-genres now, but you DO need to choose your genres when you sign up for the challenge. That said, posting your sub-genres now could help someone else in making their selections too :)
How you distribute those sub-genres is up to you, as long as you have at least four sub-genres for each genre. You can choose three genres with ten sub-genres each; six genres with five sub-genres each; two genres with nine sub-genres each and three additional genres with four sub-genres each, or any other combination that adds up to 30 different sub-genres. Keep in mind that you need to read at least four sub-genres for each genre you choose.
There are lists all over the internet with genres and sub-genres, but they vary widely, so we’re going to leave this to your own judgment. If it’s a mystery book and you think it fits the hard-boiled sub-genre, then feel free to use it for that sub-genre.
CHALLENGE RULES - PLEASE READ!
See this thread for more detailed rules for CCC challenges.
❖ If you want to participate in a challenge, sign up by posting at least a partial list of the challenge requirements. This gives us a post to link you to, which you can use to update your books as the challenge progresses.
❖ Books must be at least 150 pages long (unless they are graphic novels, see below) and may only be used for one task in this challenge, but cross-challenge posting is encouraged.
❖ Graphic novels must be at least 300 pages long, but two books can be combined to make up the page count as long as they both meet the same criteria.
❖ For each book you read, please post a link to the title and mention the author and the date you finished reading it. If a challenge task gives several options, make it clear which option you’ve chosen. If the task calls for an item/color on the cover, include a link to the book cover.* If it’s not obvious from the book title or cover, be sure to explain how your book fits the task. If you don’t, you won’t get credit for completing that task.
❖ If you want the challenge moderator to verify those books as you post them, please copy/paste your update into a new message. If you do this while you still have the Edit window open, it will copy all of your formatting, etc. too. It will make it easier on the moderators if we won't have to scroll back through the entire thread looking for "message #15," or to follow links back to an original post.
❖ When you complete the challenge, please post your entire list as a new message to make it easier for everyone to see what you’ve read :) If you don’t repost your list, your name will not be added to the list of those who have completed the challenge.
❖ Rereads are allowed, as long as you read the entire book and not just skim the best portions! :)
* If you don’t know how to post a link to the book title, cover or author, see the instructions HERE.
Countries of the World #11: VietnamDuration: Jun 01, 2025 - Jun 30, 2025
Completed: 10/6+
✔ Country: Vietnam
🚩Read a book whose title starts with a letter in VIETNAM (ignore A, An and The or equivalent if not English).
Things in Nature Merely Grow | Yiyun Li ★★★ (06/21/25)
Stats
✔ Capital: Hanoi
🚩Read a book whose author's first and last initials are in the word HANOI (letters can only be used as many times as they appear in the word).
Kale to the Queen | Nell Hampton ★★ (06/14/25)
✔ Population: 96,208,984 (2019 census)
🚩Read a book whose total number of pages contain at least 2 of the numbers in the population (tell us the page count).
Heart: A History | Sandeep Jauhar ★★★★ (06/04/25)
269 pages.
✔ Area: 127,932.95 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).
Consider Phlebas | Iain M. Banks ★★★★ (06/01/25)
Pub. 1987
Trivia
✔ 1. Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pig
🚩Read a book which makes you happy.
Death on a Summer’s Day | Benedict Brown ★★★★ (06/12/25)
✔ 2. Water Puppetry
🚩Read a book in which an important character is a performance artist (the more exotic the better but actors will work; tell us who and what they do).
Murder at Brighton Beach | Lee Strauss ★★★ (06/02/25)
Poppy Kerslake, actress.
✔ 3. Hanoi’s Old Quarter
🚩Read a book that’s merely a blip in your reading journey (something with a basic plot that you forget just as soon as you read it).
The House at Sea's End | Elly Griffiths ★★ (06/11/25)
✔ 4. Son Doong Cave
🚩Read a book where a discovery of some magnitude is made (tell us what is discovered).
Revan | Drew Karpyshyn ★★ (06/03/25)
Nathema and its significance.
✔ 5. Non La
🚩Read a book whose cover shows multiple leaves (post the cover).
Baker's Coven | Nancy Warren ★★★ (06/17/25)
✔ 6. Hanoi Hilton
🚩Read a book in which an important character spends or has spent time in prison for whatever reason (tell us who and why).
How to Seal Your Own Fate | Kristen Perrin ★★★ (06/02/25)
Peony, for vandalizing an expensive car.
*** Completed (06/21/25) ***
Reserved for PARTICIPANTSThe link below will take you directly to your post.
♦♦ Finishers! ♦♦
Angel🚩(06/08/25)
Lali & Michelle🚩(06/08/25)
Jimena 🚩(06/14/25)
Robin 🚩(06/16/25)
Joann 🚩(06/20/25)
Chaitra 🚩(06/21/25)
Patrizia 🚩(06/22/25)
Mary! 🚩(06/29/25)
♦♦♦♦
Amanda K
Frankie
Meg
Olivermagnus
Ruth
Countries of the World #11: VietnamDuration: Jun 01, 2025 - Jun 30, 2025
To finish, you will have to complete a total of six tasks, choosing at least four of the tasks from the Trivia section of the challenge. You do not have to choose the tasks beforehand; you can fill in as you go. You may choose to do all 10 tasks if you wish also. Happy reading!
VIETNAM
a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, sharing borders with China to the north, and Laos and Cambodia to the west.
🚩Read a book whose title starts with a letter in VIETNAM (ignore A, An and The or equivalent if not English).
Stats
- Capital: Hanoi
🚩Read a book whose author's first and last initials are in the word HANOI (letters can only be used as many times as they appear in the word).
- Population: 96,208,984 (2019 census)
🚩Read a book whose total number of pages contain at least 2 of the numbers in the population (tell us the page count).
- Area: 127,932.95 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).
Trivia
1. Vietnamese Pot-bellied pig or Lon I or I pig is an endangered traditional Vietnamese breed of small domestic pig. The I is uniformly black and has short legs and a low-hanging belly, from which the name derives. It is reared for meat and is slow growing. The I was depicted in the traditional Dong Ho paintings as a symbol of happiness, satiety and wealth.
🚩Read a book in which an important character has a non-traditional pet (tell us what the pet is) -or- read a book which makes you happy.
2. Rice farmers working in the red river delta conceived the artform of water puppetry over 1,000 years ago. At performances in modern water puppet theaters, puppeteers stand waist deep in water behind a screen and operate the puppets on large rods to give the impression that the puppets are moving across the water. In the past, water puppetry skills were passed on from father to son, fearing that daughters would give away secrets when they married out of the village.
🚩Read a book in which an important character is a performance artist (the more exotic the better but actors will work; tell us who and what they do) -or- read a book in which the main character is male (even if there is another main character in the story, they need to be male as well).
3. Around 3 PM and 7 PM every day, a train goes through the narrow streets in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. The usually bustling street goes into quick action – clothes air drying minutes earlier are carried inside, kids likewise, bikes are pulled to the side of the road just before the train speeds past, with a couple of feet clearance at most on each side. In some places it’s only inches. The street’s residents resume their activities as soon as the train has passed. The street is dubbed Train Street by the tourists who flock to see it.
🚩Read a book whose cover shows a train and/or railroad tracks (post the cover) -or- read a book that’s merely a blip in your reading journey (something with a basic plot that you forget just as soon as you read it).
4. Son Doong Cave in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, is the world's largest natural cave. Son Doong Cave has an internal, fast-flowing subterranean river and the largest cross-section of any cave, worldwide, believed to be twice that of the next-largest passage. The entrance to Son Doong Cave was found in 1991 by a local man named Ho Khanh, while searching for agarwood, a valuable timber. He didn’t investigate further, but later, he mentioned his discovery in passing to two members of the British Cave Research Association (BCRA), who were exploring in the local area. They asked him to attempt to rediscover the entrance, which he eventually managed to do in 2008, and in 2009, he led an expedition from the BCRA to the entrance.
🚩Read a book where a discovery of some magnitude is made (tell us what is discovered) -or- read a book whose author’s initials are HK.
5. Non La (leaf hat) is a type of Vietnamese headwear used to shield the face from the sun and rain. It is a common name for many types of hats in Vietnam, but now it is mainly used to refer to cones with pointed tips. The hats have been worn since ancient times to protect the wearer from the sunshine and rain of Vietnam's tropical monsoon climate. Non La are typically woven with different types of leaves such as palm leaves, straw, bamboo, pandan leaves etc.
🚩Read a book whose cover shows multiple leaves (post the cover) -or- read a physical book (either your own or from the library) that is showing visible wear and tear.
6. Something that most people think of when Vietnam is mentioned is the Vietnam War – a conflict that saw North Vietnam and the Viet Cong fight South Vietnam and its ally, the United States. The war began in 1965 and ended when US forces withdrew in 1973 and defined an era. An artifact of the War is the Hoa Lo Prison, which opened in 1886 when Vietnam was a French colonial outpost. The Vietnamese called it Hoa Lo – fiery furnace – to signify the prison’s hellish treatment of its prisoners. To the US prisoners of war during the Vietnam War, the prison came to be known as Hanoi Hilton.
🚩Read a book in which an important character spends or has spent time in prison for whatever reason (tell us who and why) -or- read a book in which a character or place has a sobriquet (like Hanoi Hilton for the prison; tell us who or where and their sobriquet).
CHALLENGE RULES - PLEASE READ!
See this thread for more detailed rules for CCC challenges.
❖ If you want to participate in a challenge, sign up by posting at least a partial list of the challenge requirements. This gives us a post to link you to, which you can use to update your books as the challenge progresses.
❖ Books must be at least 150 pages long (unless they are graphic novels, see below) and may only be used for one task in this challenge, but cross-challenge posting is encouraged.
❖ Graphic novels must be at least 300 pages long, but two books can be combined to make up the page count as long as they both meet the same criteria.
❖ For each book you read, please post a link to the title and mention the author and the date you finished reading it. If a challenge task gives several options, make it clear which option you’ve chosen. If the task calls for an item/color on the cover, include a link to the book cover.* If it’s not obvious from the book title or cover, be sure to explain how your book fits the task. If you don’t, you won’t get credit for completing that task.
❖ If you want the challenge moderator to verify those books as you post them, please copy/paste your update into a new message. If you do this while you still have the Edit window open, it will copy all of your formatting, etc. too. It will make it easier on the moderators if we won't have to scroll back through the entire thread looking for "message #15," or to follow links back to an original post.
❖ When you complete the challenge, please post your entire list as a new message to make it easier for everyone to see what you’ve read :) If you don’t repost your list, your name will not be added to the list of those who have completed the challenge.
❖ Rereads are allowed, as long as you read the entire book and not just skim the best portions! :)
* If you don’t know how to post a link to the book title, cover or author, see the instructions HERE.
NEW CHALLENGE ALERT!!!This month we're offering a scavenger challenge based on hot and cold facts - honoring the weather. Join here!
Hot & ColdDuration: Jun 01, 2025 - Nov 30, 2025
Completed: 24/24
✔ 1. The Ring of Fire
🔥Read a book whose cover shows a ring-shape (post the cover).
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language | Mark Forsyth ★★★★★ (06/27/25)
✔ 2. The last ice age
❄️Read a book whose cover shows a snowy/icy landscape (post the cover).
A Cold, Cold World | Elena Taylor ★★★ (06/15/25)
✔ 3. Lava
🔥Read a book set in a country that ends with -land (tell us where your book is set).
Death on a Summer’s Day | Benedict Brown ★★★★ (06/12/25)
England.
✔ 4. Meteorites
❄️Read a non-fiction science book (bonus for astronomy books that mention meteorites) -and- read a book whose cover shows only one object against a light background.
The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming | David Wallace-Wells ★★ (06/11/25)
✔ 5. Chili Pepper
🔥Read a book you’d consider hot for whatever reason (tell us why).
How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir | Molly Jong-Fast ★★★ (06/30/25)
Current bestseller.
✔ 6. Snow Cones
❄️Read a book with a dessert on the cover (post the cover).
Baker's Coven | Nancy Warren ★★★ (06/17/25)
✔ 7. Venus
🔥Read a book set in outer space.
Consider Phlebas | Iain M. Banks ★★★★ (06/01/25)
✔ 8. Mars
❄️Read a book which is set in cold weather.
Endling | Maria Reva ★★★★★ (06/29/25)
Ukraine during the winter.
✔ 9. Fire tornadoes
🔥Read a book set in a state in tornado alley (for the purpose of this task, use only: Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. Tell us where your book is set).
Brownsville: Stories | Oscar Cásares ★★★★ (06/24/25)
Texas.
✔ 10. Thundersnow
❄️Read a book whose title contains a compound word.
Under the Midnight Sun | Keigo Higashino ★★★★ (06/05/25)
✔ 11. Secret Pool
🔥Read a book in which the location of something is a secret the characters need to find (like a secret lair, someone’s hideout etc., tell us how your book fits, use spoilers if needed).
The Dark Tower | Stephen King ★★★★★ (06/10/25)
A portal to open up access to other universes.
✔ 12. Icehotel
❄️Read a book set mostly in a hotel/inn/b&b.
Murder at Brighton Beach | Lee Strauss ★★★ (06/02/25)
✔ 13. Oriental fire-bellied toads
🔥Read a book in which the main character defends themselves against an attacker successfully.
Path of Destruction | Drew Karpyshyn ★★ (06/08/25)
Des, several times.
✔ 14. Wood frogs
❄️Read a book with a predominantly brown cover (post the cover).
Bran New Death | Victoria Hamilton ★★★ (07/02/25)
✔ 15. Solar egg frying contest
🔥Read a book in which a speaking character is a professional cook (tell us who).
Kale to the Queen | Nell Hampton ★★ (06/14/25)
Carrie.
✔ 16. Popsicle
❄️Read a book whose main character is a parent.
Revan | Drew Karpyshyn ★★ (06/03/25)
Revan.
✔ 17. Lightning
🔥Read book #6 of a series (tell us the series).
Joe Country | Mick Herron ★★★★ (08/04/25)
Slough House #6.
✔ 18. Bergy bits
❄️Read a book whose author’s first and last initials are found in BERGY BITS.
The House at Sea's End | Elly Griffiths ★★ (06/11/25)
✔ 19. Hottest temperature
🔥Read a book whose page count contains 2 of the numbers: 1, 3, 4 (tell us the page count).
The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming | David Wallace-Wells ★★ (06/11/25)
310 pages.
✔ 20. Lowest temperature
❄️Read a book first published in the 1980s (tell us when the book was published).
Of Love and Shadows | Isabel Allende ★ (06/23/25)
1984.
✔ 21. Walking on hot coals
🔥Read a book whose cover shows feet (animal paws are fine; but chair legs are not; post the cover).
How to Seal Your Own Fate | Kristen Perrin ★★★ (06/02/25)
✔ 22. Brain freeze
❄️Read a book in which a speaking character practices medicine (tell us who and what they do).
Heart: A History | Sandeep Jauhar ★★★★ (06/04/25)
Sandeep Jauhar is a cardiologist.
✔ 23. The Sahara
🔥Read a book set in Africa (tell us where your book is set).
Half of a Yellow Sun | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ★★ (07/14/25)
Nigeria.
✔ 24. Antarctica
❄️Read a book in which no snow falls.
Queen Margot | Alexandre Dumas ★★ (06/06/25)
*** Completed (08/04/25) ***
Reserved for PARTICIPANTSThe link below will take you directly to your post.
♦♦ Finishers ♦♦
Chaitra🔥(08/04/25)
Lali & Michelle ❄️(08/07/25)
Barb🔥(09/02/25)
Joann ❄️(09/04/25)
Angel🔥(09/11/25)
♦♦♦♦
Amanda K
Frankie
Jimena
Meg
Olivermagnus
Robin
Ruth
Vanessa
