CBRetriever's Challenges Thread - Comments welcome

[DivaDiane]

Congratulations!! And two months early! Amazing! I admire your ability to stay focused on the challenges.

[Michelle]

Esrahaddon was good!

[DivaDiane]

I really enjoyed Silver Metal Lover.

[CBRetriever]

Fantasy Vs SciFi Challenge = Fantasy filled out:

Shape Shifting
1. Change: Read a book with a character that changes shape or disguises themself
✔️The Air War by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason = because Esmail is a shapeshifter
2. Copy: Read a book with “shape” or “shift” in the title
The Shape of Dread by Marcia Muller
Reason = another mystery but Shape is in the title
replaced by
✔️The Shape of Things to Come by H.G. Wells
Reason = Shape is in the title

Romantasy
1. Love: Read a book where a romantic relationship is central to the plot
✔️Still the Sun by Charlie N. Holmberg|7801879]
Reason = blurb calls it the latest romantic fantasy adventure by Charlie N. Holmberg.
2. Pairing: Read a book with a couple on the cover
Scepters by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
replaced by
✔️The Bughouse Affair by Marcia Muller
Reason = required couple on cover and the strong presence of the fictional Sherlock Holmes in the book



Angels and Devils
1. Ying: Read a book where a character has wings and/or horns
✔️Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow
Reason = One main character has wings no matter how many times someone cuts them off
2. Yang: Read a book with a black and white cover
✔️Descending by C. Michelle Jefferies
Reason = defo B&W


Magical Object
1. Powerful: Read a book where a magical object is central to the plot
✔️The Eyes of Tamburah by Maria V. Snyder
Reason = the main character's services are enlisted to find The Eyes of Tamburah: legendary gemstones that bestow great magic on their wielder.
2. Thing: Read a book with the word “magic” in the title
✔️The Book of Magic by Gardner Dozois
Reason = anthology of Magic stories with Magic in the book title

Poisoner
1. Sick: Read a book where a poisoning is a significant plot point
✔️The Study of Fire by Maria V. Snyder
Reason = a main character is a food taster for poisons
2. Dangerous: Read a book with something poisonous on the cover
✔️Pomodoro!: A History of the Tomato in Italy by David Gentilcore
Reason = tomatoes were originally considered poisonous.

DnD Party
1.Characters: Read a book with a rogue, mage, fighter, and/or wizard (classic DnD characters)
✔️No Return by Zachary Jernigan
Reason = main characters = male martial artist, woman warrior, and two of the Royal Outbound Mages
2.Team: Read a book with 4 or more characters on cover or the word “party” in the title
✔️By Blood We Live by John Joseph Adams
Reason = more than 4 characters (I'm presuming from the separate stories) on the cover


Mythology
1.Story: Read a book with a mythological character or that is considered a retelling of a myth
✔️The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Reason = Achilles story retelling
2. Alpha-Omega: Read a book with any greek letter on the cover or the word “myth” in the title
✔️Myth in Malmö: The Tenth Inspector Anita Sundström Mystery by Torquil MacLeod
Reason = mystery book set in Sweden with Myth in the title

Undead
1. Alive?: Read a book with an undead character or a character that returns from the dead
✔️Soul Taken by Patricia Briggs
Reason = Vampire is an important character in this book - make that Vampires are
2. Dead: Read a book the word “dead” or “death” in the title
Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeerVandermeer, Jeff
Reason = Dead in the title
replaced by
✔️Dead And Gone by Dorothy Simpson
Reason = Dead in the title

Bestiary
1. Not a Pet: Read a book with a character that would be considered a beast
✔️Lyorn by Steven Brust
Reason = Loiosh, Vlad's familiar (not a pet) is a jherig (mini dragon/lizard with wings)
2. Risky: Read a book with any kind of beast on the cover
The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky
Reason = wolf on the cover
replaced by
✔️Miss Percy's Definitive Guide to the Restoration of Dragons by Quenby Olson
Reason = Dragon on the cover


Fantastic Flora
1. Greenery: Read a book where plants can be considered a character (protagonist or antagonist) in the book
✔️Semiosis by Sue Burke
Reason = Intelligent plants
2. Anti-Human: Read a book with plants but no humans on the cover
✔️The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Reason = lots of plants on the cover but no humans


Magic Powers
1. Sorcerer: Read a book with a character that has any kind of magic
✔️Raven's Strike by Patricia Briggs
Reason = Raven Mage is main character
2. Magi: Read a book with any kind of magician on the cover
✔️Raven's Shadow by Patricia Briggs
Reason = Mage on front cover


Fairy Tales
1. Story: Read a book that is a collection of related stories
✔️Muse and Reverie by Charles de Lint
Reason = same setting and same author for all the stories in this collection
2. Fae: Read a book with fairies on the cover or “tales” in the title
✔️The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales by [author:Ellen Datlow|
Reason = Tales in the title

[CBRetriever]

Full Character Archetypes List

January Protagonist: Big Dumb Hero
1. Strong: Read a book with a character who possesses great physical strength
✔️Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Reason = Viv is big and strong
2. unBrianiac: Read a book with a character that is noted for their lack of intelligence
City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer
replaced by
✔️Beyond the Blue Moon by Simon R. Green
Reason = one of main characters, Tiffany, appears to be a bit of a simple soul (ditzy clueless teenage type)

January Antagonist: Monster
1. Huge: Read a book with a character that is extremely large
Seal of the Worm by Adrian Tchaikovsky
replaced by
✔️For the First Time, Again by Sylvain Neuvel
Reason = Saa is an 8 foot tall alien that looks human but has two hearts
2. Ugly: Read a book with a character that is noted for an unpleasant appearance
✔️Homeland - The Dark Elf Trilogy #1 of 3 by R.A. Salvatore
Reason = The Faceless man has an acid disfigured face

[CBRetriever]

✔️Neuromancer by William Gibson
✔️I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
✔️Doomsday Book by Connie Willis = I just purchased this book this year and this will be my first digital read of the book
✔️ Foundation by Isaac Asimov = ditto
✔️Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
✔️Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
✔️The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
✔️Semiosis by Sue Burke
✔️The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky
✔️Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
✔️The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
✔️The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
✔️Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes
The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter
✔️Ubik by Philip K. Dick
✔️Witch King by Martha Wells
✔️The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson
✔️To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
✔️[One Hundred Years of Solitude|320] by Gabriel García Márquez
✔️The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
✔️The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
✔️Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman


up to 22 total with 20 Read for the list now

[CBRetriever]

2025 TBR Cleanup Challenge

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet = ✔️The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
Reason =stars of the TV series made from this book walked the red carpet for the Emmys (won 6)
2. Suit Up = ✔️Saturation Point by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason = special suits required to survive in the Zone
3. All That Glitters = ✔️Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
Reason = fighting over a discovery of jewels
4. Let Your Hair Down = ✔️Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Reason = I could say it's because Bald (in the author's name) is the opposite of hair, but Viv needs to let her hair down and relax after being injured
5. Special Effects = ✔️I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Reason =won an Oscar for Visual Effects for the movie based on this book
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other = Finder Replaced by ✔️ Bone Dance by Emma Bull
Reason =main character is male or female depending on the people interacting with them
7. Strike a Pose = ✔️The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu
Reason = 12 figures on the cover striking poses
8. Bohemian = ✔️Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow
Reason = the main character is a middle-aged entrepreneur who moves to a bohemian neighborhood of Toronto.
9. Global Inspiration = Radicalized by Cory Doctorow
Reason = four science fiction novellas connected by social, technological, and economic visions of today and what America could be in the near, near future.
10. Dime a Dozen = ✔️Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason = disposable convicts are a dime a dozen
11. Slay = ✔️Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
Reason = slay = kill and they're killing gods in this book
12. Twelfth = ✔️Fledgling by Sharon Lee
Reason = couldn't find anything else with a 12 and it's the 12th book in the series plus it has the title of Fledgling (Theo Waitley, #1; Liaden Universe, #12) in my Goodreads listing
13. Cottagecore = ✔️The Green Man's War by Juliet E. McKenna
Reason = Main character is a proponent of cottagecore
14. Oh! the Horrors = ✔️Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes
Reason = If you're Clayton, and you fail with manipulating people who are alive you turn to killing them and manipulating their bodies
15. Punk vs Prep = ✔️Don't Hate the Player by Alexis Nedd
Reason = Goth pre-teen vs "regular" pre-teen
16. Organic vs Synthetic = ✔️Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason = Organic (human) vs Synthetic (robot or robots)
17. Modern vs Traditional = ✔️The Lost Cause by Cory Doctorow
Reason = Modern Youth against their MAGA elders
18. Avant-garde = Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson Replaced by ✔️The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Reason = comes up on several lists of avant-garde books
19. Bold Look = ✔️Dressed for Death by Donna Leon
Reason = corpse (male) is dressed in a rather bold red dress and shoes
20. Loungewear = ✔️Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
Reason = suggestion was made to go for a cozy book here and this looks to be one

[CBRetriever]

Fantasy Vs SciFi Challenge = SciFi filled out but none of the books here will count as I'm team Fantasy

Aliens =
1. Area 51: Read a book with an alien character
Becoming Alien by Rebecca Ore
Reason = alien character is central to the story
2. Starry Night: Read a book with at least one star on the cover
Barbarians of the Beyond by Matthew Hughes
Reason = lots of stars on the cover

Alt History =
1. Back in the Day: Read a book set 20+ years ago
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Reason = set in the 50s?
2. Historicity: Read a book with a time machine or historical figure on the cover
The Disfavored Hero by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
Reason = historical female samurai warrior

Clones =
1. DNA: Read a book with clones or twins in it
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
Reason = lots of mentions of clones in this one
2. Palindrome: Read a book with a mirrored cover (cover features a graphic that reads the same on both sides)
Green Darkness by Anya Seton
Reason = hard to find - seems people don't like to do mirrored covers


Dimensional Travel
1. AltDimension: Read a book set in more than 1 dimension
Max and the Multiverse by Zachry Wheeler
Reason = kid wakes up in a different universe every day
2. Portal: Read a book with any kind of portal on the cover
Recluce Tales: Stories from the World of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Reason = door (portal) on cover of bookAnnalee Newitz


Space Travel
1. The Black: Read a book set in outer space
Falling Dark by Tom Lloyd
Reason = spaceship crew finds abandoned ship
2. Nebula: Read a book with a space scene on the cover
Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
Reason = star and planets on cover


Terraforming
1. Oxygen: Read a book that features terraforming
The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
Reason = title says it all
2. Foliage: Read a book with any kind of flora on the cover
The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
Reason = tree on the cover


Biological Engineering
1. Lab: Read a book with a character that is a biologist and/or engineer
Taylor's Ark by Jody Lynn Nye
Reason = main character is a doctor who runs a lab
2. DNA: Read a book with a helix on the cover
Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress
Reason = helix on cover


LitRPG
1. Game: Read any book classified as LitRPG or a novelized version of a video game
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Reason = people playing a game or in the game
2. Console: Read a book with any gaming console or DND dice on the cover
Don't Hate the Player by Alexis Nedd
Reason = two players are using game controls on the cover


Big Data
1. Arithmetic: Read a book with an accountant or mathematician as a main character
Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
Reason = whole culture is based on mathematics - I didn't like book one, but own books 2 & 3, so this is a way to knock one off my TBR pile
2. Data: Read a book with numbers on the cover
Games to Keep the Dark Away by Marcia Muller
Reason = mystery with 17 reversed on the cover


Mad Science
1. Scientist: Read a book with a scientist as a main character
Of Cinder and Bone by Kyoko M.
Reason = scientists bring a dragon to life then it's stolen
2. Gear: Read a book with anyone in a lab coat or lab beakers on the cover
House of Open Wounds by Adrian TchaikovskyTchaikovsky, Adrian
Reason = looks to be both a boiling beaker (bottle) and a lab coat on the cover


Artificial Intelligence
1. Intelligence: Read a book where AI is an important character or important to the plot
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
Reason = robots use AI
2. Robot: Read a book with a computer or code on the cover
Danged Black Thing by Eugen Bacon
Reason = computer in the background


Time Travel
1. Time Machine:Read a book where time travel is part of the plot
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Reason = time travel is the main theme of the book
2. Clock: Read a book with any kind of time keeping device on the cover
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
Reason = pocket watch on the cover

[CBRetriever]

would a mod please delete posts 1, 6, 7 & 8 to clear out last year's comments? Tyia

[CBRetriever]

January Protagonist: Big Dumb Hero
1. Strong: Read a book with a character who possesses great physical strength.
✔️Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Reason = Viv is big and strong
2. unBrianiac: Read a book with a character that is noted for their lack of intelligence.
✔️Beyond the Blue Moon by Simon R. Green
Reason = one main character appears to be a bit of a simple soul

January Antagonist: Monster
1. Huge: Read a book with a character that is extremely large.
✔️For the First Time, Again by Sylvain Neuvel
Reason = Saa is an 8 foot tall alien that looks human but has two hearts
2. Ugly: Read a book with a character that is noted for an unpleasant appearance.
✔️Homeland - The Dark Elf Trilogy #1 of 3 by R.A. Salvatore
Reason = The Faceless man has an acid disfigured face

[CBRetriever]

February Protagonist: Love Interest
1. Pretty: Read a book where a main character is known for their good looks
✔️Green Darkness by Anya Seton
Reason = Celia is considered very beautiful
2. Romance: Read a book with a romantic scene
✔️Spirits in the Wires by Charles de Lint
Reason = Nice romantic scene between Bojo & Holly

February Antagonist: Rival
1. Better Than You: Read a book where a main character has a rival
✔️Once in a Blue Moon by Simon R. Green
Reason = a romantic triangle between Catherine, Richard and Malcom
2. It’s Personal: Read a book where a character has a personal grievance that is significant to the plot
✔️The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
Reason = Tau is consumed by revenge for his father's death

[CBRetriever]

March Protagonist: Sidekick
1. 2nd Best: Read a book with a sidekick character or where the main character is only the 2nd best at something.
✔️Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason: Professor Arton Daghdev seems to be and feels like he is second best to Professor Ylse Rasmussen and Vertegio Keev

2. Helpful: Read a book where the ‘hero’ needs help accomplishing a goal.
✔️The Night House by Jo Nesbø
Reason: Harry Hole has to get together a team to help him with his goal

March Antagonist: Assistant to the Villain
1. Sidekick: Read a book with a character who is a sidekick or a character who has a sidekick.
✔️Neuromancer by William Gibson
Reason: Armitage is a sidekick/works for Wintermute
2. Not In Charge: Read a book where the main character is not the person in charge at their organization
✔️The Mongrel Mage by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Main character is working for lots of people and is most definitely not in charge of anything

[CBRetriever]

April Protagonist

April Protagonist: Mentor
1. Aged: Read a book with an older main character.
✔️The Violent Century by Lavie Tidhar
Reason: One of the main characters is named The Old Man and he is one
2. Teacher: Read a book where a main character formally learns (skills or book knowledge).
✔️Blitz by Daniel O'Malley
Reason = Lynette goes to Chequy School

April Antagonist: Wicked Stepparent
1. Not My Child: Read a book where a character raises a child that is not theirs by birth.
✔️Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian
Rabbit is a girl child being raised by Old Tom
2. Envy: Read a book where jealousy is important to the plot.
✔️Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Reason: Jack was jealous of Ralph's leadership role and this colored the struggle to win control of the "tribe"

[CBRetriever]

May Bonus

May Protagonist: Friendly Creature
1. Pet: Read a book where the main character is a pet or has a pet.
✔️Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons by Quenby Olson
Reason = Fitz = a "pet" dragon
2. Companion: Read a book with an animal that is friendly toward the main characters.
✔️The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa
Reason = The cat helps the main character save books = unusual friendship

May Antagonist: Mother Nature
1. Weather: Read a book where a weather event is significant to the plot.
✔️Tooth and Claw by Craig Johnson
Reason = big storm in Alaska traps main characters and wrecks their plane - add in a 14 foot polar bear and it's horrendous
2. You’re Edible Here: Read a book where the main characters encounter a hostile environment
✔️Saturation Point by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason = planet is a killer and the main character is being sent back to it

Note: The Weather prompt book could be used for the You're Edible Here prompt as people do get eaten. This book is kinda a modern day take on The Terror by Dan Simmons

[CBRetriever]

Objects of Power

Charged Jewelry

1. Jewels: Read a book where a piece of jewelry is important to the plot.
✔️Briarheart by Mercedes Lackey
Reason = a magical amulet allows instantaneous travel to rescue the princess. This doesn't appear until near the end of the book, and it's a gold rose made of gold and the baby princess' hair

2. Pretty: Read a book with something sparkly on the cover.
✔️Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
Reason = looks like fireworks exploding on cover

[CBRetriever]

June Protagonist: Strong Female.
1. Girl: Read a book where the main character is female.
The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis Replaced by ✔️Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason: Main character is a woman

2. Stamina: Read a book where a character can sustain a prolonged physical or mental effort.
✔️The Daughters' War by Christopher Buehlman
Long prolonged war

June Antagonist: Sociopath.
1. No Empathy: Read a book where a character struggles to understand other people or doesn’t care about other people.
✔️Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason: main character is a robot with no feelings and struggles to understand both humans (kills their owner) and other robots

2. Manipulative: Read a book with a manipulative character.
✔️Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes
Reason: If you're Clayton, and you fail with manipulating people who are alive you turn to killing them and manipulating their bodies

[CBRetriever]

Summer Bonus - June 20th - September 22nd - Fantasy Settings

Pseudo-Medieval
1. Feudal Government- Read a book where the ruling government is any kind of feudal system or the book’s main character possesses a noble title.
✔️The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
Reason = loosely based on the period of Moorish conquest of Spain with three conflicting entities in a feudal setting
2. Enchanted Forest- Read a book where a forest is a significant setting (even better, but not required, if that forest is magical).
✔️The Waking of Angantyr by Marie Brennan
Reason = significant parts of the story are set in forests and there's a witch in one of them

Expansive Empire
1. Colonial Acquisition- Read a book where a government has acquired another political entity through force.
✔️War Master's Gate by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason = Wasps conquering the rest of the world
2. Resistance Forces- Read a book where an organized (but less powerful) force actively tries to thwart the ‘lawful’ government.
✔️The City of Zirdai by Maria V. Snyder
Reason = Continuation of a revolt to free an underground city

Magical City
1. Urban Fantasy- Read any book classified as urban fantasy.
✔️Mulengro by Charles de Lint
Reason = from one of the masters/creators of urban fantasy
2. Underground Magic- Read a book where magic exists, but most people are not aware of its existence.
✔️The Painted Boy by Charles de Lint
Reason = main character has magic but as it's set in modern America, most people are not aware that he has it

[CBRetriever]

July Bonus

July Protagonist: Orphan
1. Child: Read a book where a main character is a child.
✔️The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
Reason = main character starts out as a child of eight and both parents are killed
2. Parentless: Read a book where a main character doesn’t know their parent or a parent dies in the story.
✔️Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
Reason = main character goes on a search for her birth mother

July Antagonist: Racist
1. Racism: Read a book where racism is significant to the plot.
✔️Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan
Reason = people from the skyscrapers look down upon the fathomfolk (lower class citizens of various races)
2. Aryan Looks: Read a book where a group of characters are expected to display a uniform trait or dress in identical uniforms.
✔️Midshipman's Hope by David Feintuch
Reason = rigid military ship based on british ship hierarchies and uniforms

[CBRetriever]

Objects of Power

Powerful Weapon

1. Wow: Read a book with a legendary weapon (A weapon of myth, sung of in songs and spoken of in whispers. Old, powerful, and possessing a name).
✔️The King of Koraha by Maria V. Snyder
Reason: the Eyes of Tamburah in the eye sockets of Shyla go to aid the King against a dread enemy. These are the eyes of a long dead king that can work magic

2. Ouch: Read a book with someone injured or dead on the cover.
✔️Trophies and Dead Things by Marcia Muller
Reason: Skull on the cover = a dead person somewhere and as this is a mystery novel, I'd expect dead people

[CBRetriever]

August Bonus
August Protagonist: Dynamic Leader

1. In Charge: Read a book where the main character serves in any kind of leadership role.
✔️Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi
Reason = main character is expected to take over and become head of the family and lead
2. Fan Club: Read a book where a character has a substantial fandom.
✔️Cannonbridge by Jonathan Barnes
Reason = a character that shouldn't exist with a huge fan club

August Antagonist: Gang-Boss

1. Illegal Trade: Read a book where illegal trade is important to the plot.
✔️Pirate Utopia by Bruce Sterling
Reason = Anarcho-Syndicalist Union, full of free love, art, poetry, high-ideals, and most of all, Rebellion. They even called themselves Pirates! Lots of trade disruptions
2. Recruiter: Read a book where the antagonist successfully recruits more minions.
✔️The Deaths of Tao by Wesley Chu
Reason = the Genjix are always trying to recruit more supports to help defeat the Prophus - the Genjix method will mean the destruction of the human race.

[CBRetriever]

September Bonus
September Protagonist: Pollyanna

1. Optimistic: Read a book where a character presents as extremely optimistic.
✔️Taylor's Ark by Jody Lynn Nye
Reason = Shona is very optimistic she can find the solution to curing an epidemic
2. Hopebringer: Read a book where a character receives hope after giving up.
✔️Falling Dark by Tom Lloyd
Reason = Crew of a ship returning from failed mission discovers ship that could make them rich beyond their wildest dreams

September Antagonist: Mad Scientist

1. Dangerous Creation: Read a book where a scientist creates something dangerous.
✔️Of Cinder and Bone by Kyoko M.
Reason = Scientists recreate the dragons of old which could ravage the Earth
2. Unintended Consequences: Read a book where a choice or action has unexpected, negative consequences.
✔️Medicine Show by Jody Lynn Nye
Reason = the entourage lands on a planet on which a longevity experiment has gone spectacularly wrong, producing results exactly the opposite of what was intended, which the experimenters are trying their best to hide

[CBRetriever]

Objects of Power

Chekhov's Gun

1. Foreshadowing: Read a book where an object in the beginning of the book foreshadows something significant that happens at the end of the book.
Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon
Reason = this book has two: the model kit and the fruitcakes given to the main character near the beginning both turn out to be very useful by the end, though neither in the way that's hinted at during the various times they are mentioned. The model kit contains the makings of a communications beacon and the largest of the three fruitcakes holds a small fortune in diamonds and a letter.

2. Armory: Read a book with any kind of gun on the cover.
The Bronze Skies by Catherine Asaro
Reason = Guns on the cover