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The Master of EscapeDuration: March 1 - May 31, 2015
READ: 15/15
✔1. The man we all know as Harry Houdini was born Erich Weisz on March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary.
◈ Read a book set in Europe (tell us where) OR a book with an author or character named Erich/Eric (no other variations) OR a book published in March (of any year; tell us the year).
Buried - Kendra Elliot (pub March 2013) 3/17✔2. Fascinated with magic, he began performing and drew attention for his daring feats of escape. He first attracted notice as "Harry Handcuff Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and having to hold his breath inside a sealed milk can.
◈ Read a book with MAGIC or MAGICAL REALISM on its main Goodreads page OR a book whose main character works as a law enforcement officer OR a book in which a character somehow escapes from a place or situation (without spoiling anything, tell us what or where the escape is from).
Ritual Magic - Eileen Wilks 3/11✔3. Before gaining fame, he worked for free as a locksmith in order to gain a thorough knowledge of lock mechanisms.
◈ Read a book with a lock or key on the cover (post the cover) OR a book you got for free OR a book set in a location beginning with a letter in LOCK (tell us where).
So Damn Lucky - Deborah Coonts (Las Vegas) 3/8✔4. Houdini took his stage name from a magician's wife. From his earliest days, Weiss admired the French magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin. Robert-Houdin had been very popular and was considered a forerunner of the modern magician. Weiss took the stage name Houdini, adding the "i" at the end to indicate that he was "like Houdin". But the French magician's real name was Jean Eugene Robert; Houdin was the last name of his wife, which he had added to his own name. Harry Houdini unwittingly derived his stage name after the French magician's wife, and not the magician himself.
◈ Read a book in which a mentor plays an important role OR a book by an author with a hyphenated last name OR a book in which the main character is married.
Night Broken - Patricia Briggs 3/30✔5. Houdini falsely claimed he was born in America. Houdini claimed on several occasions to have been born in Appleton, Wisconsin, in the United States, and not Budapest, Hungary as his birth record indicates. It is likely that xenophobia immediately before and after World War I, led him to claim to be a native-born American.
◈ Read a book by an author who was born in and still lives in the United States OR a book set in Wisconsin OR a book in which a character lies about his/her background.
Gypsy Brothers Series-Books 1-7 - Lili St. Germain 3/12✔6. Always referring to each other as ‘Mr. Houdini’ and ‘Mrs. Houdini,’ Houdini married Wilhelmina Beatrice ‘Bess’ Rahner only two weeks after meeting her in 1893. For the duration of their marriage, she was always his onstage partner as well.
◈ Read a book with an 8 or 9 in its original year of publication (tell us the year) OR a book where the main character has a business partner OR a book with “MR.” or “MRS.” in its title.
Crimson - Jordan Summers (pub 2009) 3/16✔7. In 1909, six years after the Wright brothers proved human aviation possible, Houdini became extremely interested in airplanes and even believed that one day, when all of his magic was exposed and he was no longer a big deal in that field, people would remember him for his contributions to the world of aviation.
◈ Read a book which features a pair of brothers OR a book with a flying machine on the cover (post the cover) OR book #9 or higher in a series (tell us its position in the series).
Revenant - Larissa Ione 3/14✔8. Houdini produced and starred in movies. To a master showman seeking a wide audience, cinema provided an unequaled opportunity for fame. Houdini starred in several silent films before establishing his own studio. From there, he produced and starred in two silent films, before realizing that his efforts were not very profitable.
◈ Read a book set between 1895 and 1929 (silent film era) OR a book that has been made into a movie (tell us which movie) OR a biography or memoir about a movie or stage celebrity.
The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater (movie: The Raven Boys) 4/17✔9. He was an avid book collector who took hundreds of books with him when he was on tour; he willed over 5,000 books to the Library of Congress.
◈ Read a book with BOOK/S in the title (compound words are ok) OR a book in which a character travels a lot for work OR book with a 5 or 0 in its total number of pages (tell us how many pages).
The Recruit - Monica McCarty (405 pages) 3/27✔10. Houdini was interested in anything to do with death; he bought the first electric chair, Edgar Allan Poe’s desk, and performed many of his stunts on Death Row. He also developed an interest in murderers, especially John Wilkes Booth.
◈ Read a book in which a murder occurs OR a book by an author whose Goodreads link includes a middle name (not just a middle initial) OR a book with a piece of indoor furniture on the cover (post the cover).
Mind Fuck - Manna Francis 3/21✔11. In order to achieve his death-defying stunts, Houdini had to train himself to be both physically and mentally fit. He had an over-sized bath tub fitted into his house so that he could practice holding his breath (he could hold his breath for three minutes). He trained himself to be ambidextrous, making his left hand as able as his right. Determined to reach the peak of his profession, Houdini would practice card tricks over and over again without looking. As he sat down to talk with friends he would repeatedly untie knots with his feet.
◈ Read a book in which a character trains/practices to improve his/her skills OR a book with a predictable plot OR a book in which a character is known for his/her ability to mutli-task.
Angels' Flight - Nalini Singh (hero is a weapons master, trains daily) 3/23✔12. Though there are mixed reports as to the cause of Houdini's death, it is certain that he suffered from acute appendicitis. Whether his demise was caused by a McGill University student who was testing his will by punching him in the stomach (with permission) or by poison from a band of angry Spiritualists, it is unknown. What is known is that he died of peritonitis from a ruptured appendix.
◈ Read a book in which the main character is a student OR a book that has received mixed reviews OR a book in which a character is unexpectedly hospitalized.
Dr. Franklin's Island - Ann Halam 3/6✔13. Houdini died on October 31, 1926, in Detroit, Michigan. Over two thousand people attended his funeral and a fellow magician ceremoniously broke a wand, starting a tradition that still exists today.
◈ Read a book set in the fall (September, October or November) OR book #31 from your TBR list (sorted in whatever method you choose) OR a book in which a tradition of some sort is observed (tell us the tradition).
Think of a Number - John Verdon (November) 4/1✔14. Houdini and his wife are buried in different places. Houdini was Jewish and was buried in Queens, New York, in a large plot with an elaborate tombstone. His wife, who was a stagehand and often part of his act, survived him by almost 17 years and wished to be interred beside him. At her death, she was denied this wish. It is speculated that because she wasn't Jewish (she was Catholic), she was barred from being buried in the Jewish burial plot. Another speculation involves her surviving families' wishes; they felt it would put her at risk of not going to heaven because of her being buried with a Jew. Regardless of the reasoning, these two performers, who worked together for all of their married life, were interred in two different cemeteries, in two different counties in New York state.
◈ Read a book in which a character's faith is important to the plot OR a book in which a married couple is separated for some reason (temporarily or otherwise) OR a book with significant events occurring in two different cities (tell us which two cities).
The Book of Names - Jill Gregory 4/13✔15. Houdini's U.S. postage stamp contains a hidden image. Magic is the art of deception – everyone knows that a magician doesn't actually make anyone disappear; they just seem to. To honor Houdini's deceptive prowess, the U.S. Postal Service put a hidden image on their 2002 commemorative stamp. With a special viewing lens that could be obtained from the post office (no longer available), one could see the image of Houdini wrapped in chains.
◈ Read a book with a chain on the cover (post the cover) OR a book with a 2 somewhere in the Goodreads average rating (tell us the rating) OR a book written in letter or diary format.
If He's Wild - Hannah Howell (4.29 rating) 3/31CHALLENGE COMPLETE
O-P-I Minnie Mouse Challenge 1. Nothin’ Mousie ‘Bout It COMPLETE!
✔MOUSIE:The White Mountains - John Christopher 10/9/12
✔"M" in title: Move Heaven and Earth - Christina Dodd 6/22/12
✔Sparkly Pink: Shadow Fires - Catherine Spangler 8/24/12
✔First in Series: The Flame and the Shadow - Denise Rosetti 9/23/12
✔N: No Safe Place - JoAnn Ross 8/20
✔O: Outside In - Maria Snyder 10/12/12
✔T: Three Weeks To Say Goodbye - C.J. Box 8/10/12
✔H: The Huntress And The Sphinx - Ru Emerson 6/30/12
✔I: Into the Wild - Beth Ciotta 10/13/12
✔N: Nightfall - Ellen Connor 6/30/12
✔M: Mad Ship - Robin Hobb 7/31/12
✔O: Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game 10/27/12
✔U: Lisa Unger - Sliver of Truth 7/30/12
✔S: Sidney Ayers - Demons Prefer Blondes 8/14/12
✔I: Arnaldur Indridason - Voices 7/14/12
✔E: Endlessly - Kiersten White 10/14/12
✔B: Baby It's Cold Outside - Addison Fox 7/3/12
✔O: On Ice - David Ramus 12/10/12
✔U: Unchained - Sharon Ashwood 8/18/12
✔T: The Time Weaver - Shana Abe 8/6/12
✔I: Ice Cold - Tess Gerritsen 10/6/12
✔T: Terry Pratchett - The Color of Magic 8/21/12
2. I’m All Ears COMPLETE
✔body part on cover: Don't Look Down - Suzanne Enoch 8/16/12
✔blue or purple cover: Borrower of the Night - Elizabeth Peters 7/31/12
✔an “I” book: Inside Out - Maria Snyder 7/15/12
✔second book of a series: Changing the Game - Jaci Burton 7/18/12
✔I: Eowyn Ivey - The Snow Child 9/12/12
✔M: My Give a Damn's Busted - Carolyn Brown 7/29/12
✔A: Ascension - Sable Grace 8/4/12
✔L: Lover Reborn - J.R. Ward 6/20/12
✔L: Libba Bray - Going Bovine 7/7/12
✔E: Eve Silver - Sins of the Soul 9/2/12
✔A: Ascension - Felicity Heaton 8/29/12
✔R: Retribution - Sherrilyn Kenyon 8/23/12
✔S: Sing the Four Quarters - Tanya Huff 6/25/12
3. If You Moust, You Moust COMPLETE!
✔“Must” in title: The Man Must Marry - Janet Chapman 2/9/14
✔pink cover: Sweet Talk - Susan Mallery 7/8/12
✔# 1 or #5 from a list: Shadow Scale - Rachel Hartman 4/17/15
✔third book of a series: Hard To Handle - Lori Foster 10/21/12
✔I: I Don't Want to Kill You - Dan Wells 8/27/12
✔F: Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L. James 7/6/12
✔Y: You're So Vein - Christine Warren 7/4/12
✔O: Speaker for the Dead - Scott Card 2/13/13
✔U: Under The Knife - Tess Gerritsen 8/29/12
✔M: C.E. Murphy - Walking Dead 7/18/12
✔O: On Call In Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story - Cdr. Richard Jadick 2/27/13
✔U: The Unsung Hero - Suzanne Brockmann 8/30/12
✔S: Susan Krinard - Lord of Sin 7/25/12
✔T: Tanya Huff - Blood Lines 7/24/12
✔Y: You Kill Me - Alison Gaylin 8/5/12
✔O: Driven to Ink - Karen Olsen 3/24/13
✔U: (The Undying Heart) in Half Past Dead - Zoe Archer 9/14/12
✔M: George R.R. Martin - A Game of Thrones 7/19/12
✔O: On Stranger Tides - Tim Powers 4/5/13
✔U: Scrumptious - Amanda Usen 12/8/12
✔S: Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Braadbury 6/16/12
✔T: Beneath the Neon Moon - Theda Black 6/14/12
4. The Color of Minnie COMPLETE!
✔red dress on the cover: Everneath - Brodi Ashton 6/18/13
✔“red” in the title: Masque of the Red Death - Bethany Griffin 12/6/12
✔“M” author: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake - Sarah MacLean 9/9/12
✔fourth book in a series: Final Truth - Mariah Stewart 6/13/12
✔T: Twice Bitten - Chloe Niell 7/22/12
✔H: Heat Stroke - Rachel Caine 6/29/12
✔E: Eona - Alison Goodman 6/29/12
✔C: Jacquelyn Carey - Kushiel's Dart 6/14/12
✔O: Airborn - Kenneth Oppel 7/12/12
✔L: Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris 6/14/12
✔O: Pretty in Ink - Karen Olson 7/26/12
✔R: Ravenous - V.K. Forrest 6/26/12
✔O: One With the Darkness - Susan Squires 8/22/12
✔F: Finding Destiny - Jean Johnson 8/8/12
✔M: Fern Michaels - Weekend Warriors 7/7/12
✔I: Alexandra Ivy - Darkness Revealed 6/28/12
✔N: New York to Dallas - J.D. Robb 6/17/12
✔N: Never Too Hot - Bella Andre 6/26/12
✔I: Intrinsical - Lani Woodland 7/2/12
✔E: Eyes Of Crow - Jeri Smith-Ready 8/13/12
CHALLENGE COMPLETE
PEOPLE Magazine's 40th Anniversary Duration: December 1, 2014 - November 30, 2015
READ: 40/40
✔First issue 3/4/74 – Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow's Set to Star in Next Year's Big Movie, an Adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, with Robert Redford
* Read a book set in the 1930’s OR read a book marked “Classics” on the main genre page OR a book with two words in the title starting with the same letter.
Flirting with Forever - Gwyn Cready 12/13✔1/13/75 - Elvis Presley
Elvis the Pelvis Presley Turns the Big 4-0, but That Doesn't Mean He's All Shook Up
* Read a book where a musician or singer is the main character OR a book with birthday candles or a cake on the cover OR a book with “40” in the total # of pages (must be in that order, 04 does not work).
Devil Without a Cause - Terri Garey 12/14✔1/12/76 – Liza Minelli
As She Approaches 30, Life May Not Be a Cabaret, but Somebody Sure Forgot to Tell Liza Minnelli
* Read a book with the letter “Z” anywhere in the title or in the author’s name OR a book with a 3 in the original publication date.
Clean Sweep - Ilona Andrews 1/6✔1/10/77 – Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson
Barbra Streisand's A Star Is Born Didn't Fix Kris Kristofferson's Wagon—It Put Him on It
* Read a book whose author’s last name is at least 10 letters long OR a book with a movie star or an actor of some kind OR a book with a star on the cover.
Devil Bones - Kathy Reichs 1/21✔1/9/78 – John Travolta
Saturday Night Fever Costars Karen Gorney and John Travolta Spin into Stardom with the Disco Docudrama
* Read a book with a day of the week in the title OR a book with a night scene on the cover OR a book featuring a dancer.
If There Be Dragons - Kay Hooper 12/18✔1/8/79 – Christopher Reeve
It's His New-Found Stardom, Not Flying High as The Man of Steel, That Christopher Reeve Fears
* Read a book with a superhero somewhere in the story OR a book with a tall building on the cover OR a book whose title starts with “S.”
Scarlet - Jordan Summers 2/7✔1/21/80 – Steve Martin
With the Unexpected Success of His First Feature Film, Steve Martin Continues to Crack Up the Masses
* Read a book with “Humor” on the main genre page OR a book with a character or author named Steve (or any derivation—Steven, Stephen, but NOT Stephanie) or Martin (first or last name is OK).
Lucky Stiff - Deborah Coonts 2/16✔1/12/81 – Yoko Ono
Month After the Eulogies Ended, Yoko Ono Begins to Face the Pain of Life Without John Lennon
* Read a book with an Asian character OR a book with an interracial marriage OR a book with an author’s first or last name starting with “Y” or “O.”
Live to See Tomorrow - Iris Johansen 12/4✔2/1/82 – Patty Hearst
Patty Hearst Relives the Terror of Kidnapping and Brainwashing by the SLA
* Read a book where someone is kidnapped OR a book with a wealthy character or a book with the letters S-L-A found in the title (not necessarily in that order).
Cross My Heart - James Patterson 12/19✔1/17/83 – Dustin Hoffman
A New Family Life Has Dustin Hoffman Smiling, but Playing a Woman Has Made Him a Better—and Richer—Man”
* Read a book that has been made into a movie OR a book with consecutive double letters in the author’s name OR a book with a one-word title.
Just In Time - Addison Fox 12/8✔1/9/84 – Princess Caroline of Monaco
Princess Caroline of Monaco Rushes into Marriage with a Dashing Womanizer, Leaving her family subdued and European society titillated with Rumors of a Royal Pregnancy
* Read a book with a royal character OR a book set in Europe OR a book where a character cheats on a spouse.
The Crossing Places - Elly Griffiths 12/13✔2/11/85 – Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey Grapples with Cancer in a Grueling, Rewarding Episode
* Read a book with two women on the cover (show us the cover) OR a book with “AND” in the title OR a book with a character whose LAST name starts with C or L.
A Night Too Dark - Dana Stabenow (Jim Chopin) 12/9✔2/10/86 – Christa McAuliffe
Teacher Christa McAuliffe's Example Lives on After the Challenger Tragedy
* Read a book about space or the space program OR a book about a teacher OR a book where a man-made disaster occurs.
Rumor Has It - Jill Shalvis 12/14✔2/16/87 – Liberace
His Public Flamboyance Shrouded a Troubled Life
* Read a book with something sparkly on the cover OR a book where someone plays the piano OR a book with a flamboyant character.
Hidden Currents - Christine Feehan 2/21✔1/18/88 – Liz Taylor
Even a legend like Liz Taylor can pack on the pounds, but it took determination—and a few diet tips—to slim down
* Read a book about food (fiction or non-fiction, cookbooks are OK) OR a short book (between 150 and 200 pages) OR a book originally published in 1988.
Taken by the Cowboy - Julianne MacLean (200 pages) 12/28✔1/9/89 – Drew Barrymore
America’s favorite child actress fell off-camera into alcoholism and addiction, the curses of her venerable acting family, but now she’s fighting back
* Read a young adult book OR a book with a main character who is addicted to something OR a book where family is important.
Though Not Dead - Dana Stabenow 12/31✔1/15/90 – Pat Sajak
For Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak, the answer’s easy. Just Buy a vowel and say L-E-S-L-Y-B-R-O-W-N
* Read a book with a multi-color cover (at least 3 bright colors) OR a book that starts with a vowel (Do NOT include A, A, The) OR a book with a wheel or tire on the cover (show us the cover).
Uncorked - Lois Greiman 12/5✔1/28/91 – Operation Desert Storm
Operation Desert Storm Commences as White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater Declares, "The Liberation of Kuwait Has Begun."
* Read a book with a military theme OR a book set in a desert location OR a book having some connection to the U.S. White House.
Lie With Me - Stephanie Tyler 12/27✔1/27/92 – On the Cutting Edge (Plastic Surgery of the Stars)
Despite the Furor Over Breast Implants in Hollywood's Cult of Youth and Beauty, the Plastic Surgeon Remains High Priest
* Read a book with a knife on the cover OR a book with “Medicine” on the main genre page OR a book with a character who has surgery of some kind.
Written in My Own Heart's Blood - Diana Gabaldon (Claire is shot) 12/23✔1/25/93 – Hillary Clinton
She's Been a Sister, Lawyer, Wife, Activist and Mother and Now First Lady. Those Who Know Hillary Rodham Clinton Best Look at Her Spiritual Center
* Read a book where the first letter of the first word of the title is H, R, or C (exclude A, An, The) OR a book about politics OR a book set in Washington DC or Arkansas.
Hungry Like a Wolf - Christine Warren 12/17
continued...✔1/24/94 – Poisoned Ice/Nancy Kerrigan
A Frightening Attack Puts Two Top American Skaters on a Shocking Collision Course
* Read a book with a rivalry between two individuals OR a book with ice on the cover OR a book with a competitive athlete.
Ember's Kiss - Deborah Cooke (surfer) 12/12✔2/27/95 – The Vanishing President/Ronald Reagan
Overtaken by Alzhemer’s, Former President Ronald Reagan Joins Millions of Other Americans Struggling with the Disease That Devastates Families
* Read a book with a character who is a senior citizen OR with a doctor/nurse/midwife as a main character OR with a politician (from any country).
Thunder Moon - Lori Handeland 12/15✔1/29/96 – Serenely Single/Sally Field
After Years of Anxiety, Sally Field Knows What She Really, Really Likes: the Satisfaction of Being Alone
* Read a book with a single parent OR a stand-alone book.
Love Is All You Need - Lori Devoti 12/22✔1/27/97 – Local Hero
Christopher Reeve Returns to His Hometown with New Strength in His Body and a Dream in His Heart—to Walk Again
* Read a book with a character who has been injured in some way or a book set in a small town.
One Heart to Win - Johanna Lindsey 12/16✔1/12/98 – Say It Ain’t So!
After a Sidesplitting Nine-Year Run, Jerry Seinfeld Decides to End His Deliciously Silly Sitcom. 'Get Out!
* Read a book with 9 letters in the title OR a Series #9 book OR a book with a number in the title.
Nightbred - Lynn Viehl 12/2✔2/22/99 – Heaven Help Us!
Lifting Hearts, Saving Lives...the Touched by An Angel Cast Marvel at the Miracles Their Show Has Worked
* Read any type of paranormal book OR a book where the author’s first or last initial is found in the word ANGEL.
Biting Bad - Chloe Neill 12/5✔1/31/00 – In a Heartbeat
After Quintuple Bypass Surgery, David Letterman Joked with Nurses and Got a Call from Johnny Carson. But Will the Hard-Driving Host Be Able to Slow Down for Long?
* Read Book #5 of a series OR a book with a heart on the cover OR a book with a character who likes to tell jokes.
Optical Delusions in Deadwood - Ann Charles 1/1/15✔1/8/01 – Kilt by Association
Amid Tears, Tiaras and Scottish Tartan, Madonna and Guy Ritchie Baptize Baby Rocco and Tie the Knot
* Read a book with a one-word title OR a book set in Scotland OR a book with a wedding.
The Viper - Monica McCarty 12/29✔1/28/02 – Palace Rebellion
Prince Harry, 17, Gets Caught Drinking, Smoking Marijuana and Partying Hard; Prince Charles, Not Amused, Takes Action
* Read a book where a main character is under 18 years old OR a book set in England OR a book with some sort of party.
The Duke Is Mine - Eloisa James 12/26✔2/10/03 – Life After Dale
The Racing Legend's Widow, Teresa Earnhardt, Talks for the First Time About Her Loss
* Read a book with a car on the cover (show us the cover) OR a book dealing with grief/death/loss.
A Trouble of Fools - Linda Barnes 12/26✔2/23/04 – Learning Curves
She Has a New Movie, a Blockbuster New Love Life and at 29, Drew Barrymore Is Thinking About Having Kids. What Could She Be Missing? Oh, About 20 Lbs.
* Read a book where the main character is a parent OR a book set in California.
Carnal Sin - Allison Brennan 12/11✔1/17/05 – After the Tsunami: New Heroes New Hope
Out of the Growing Catastrophe—More Than 155,000 Dead, 5 Million Homeless—Emerge Remarkable Tales of Courage, Survival and Compassion
* Read a book marked “Adventure” or “Survival” on the main genre page OR a book with water on the cover or in the title.
Still Waters - Tami Hoag 12/23✔1/30/06 – New Baby, New Lives
Side by Side on the Activist Trail and in Sync as a Family, Expectant Parents Brad and Angelina Launch Their Next Phase—Together
* Read a romance book OR a book with a family who adopts.
Baby, I'm Yours - Susan Andersen 12/20✔1/29/07 – Home at Last
Ben Ownby Was Missing for Four Days, Shawn Hornbeck for More Than Four Years. Then, a Miracle: FBI Agents Found the Two Kidnapped Teens Alive in the Same Apartment. Why Were They Taken? And Why Hadn't Shawn Tried to Flee Their Abductor?
* Read a book marked “Crime” on the GR main genre page OR a book set in Missouri OR a book where someone is arrested or goes to/is in jail.
Street of the Five Moons - Elizabeth Peters 12/12✔2/4/08 – A Life Cut Short - Heath Ledger
He Had a Red-Hot Career and a Daughter He Adored. But at 28, the Actor Was Found Dead in His New York Apartment. How the Life of One of Hollywood's Brightest Young Stars Came Apart
* Read a book about someone in the entertainment business (real or fictional) OR a book set in New York OR a book with 2 or 8 in the # of pages.
Festive in Death - J.D. Robb 2/16✔1/26/09 – His Battle Gets Tougher
After a Setback in His Fight Against Pancreatic Cancer, Patrick Swayze Stays Strong—with Wife Lisa by His Side
* Read a book with a romantic dance scene OR a book with a character who becomes ill OR a book set in a hospital.
Revenant - Larissa Ione 3/14✔1/18/10 – New Year, New Kate!
Changing Her Look and Her Life, Reality Star Kate Gosselin Opens Up About Starting Over as a Single Mom and How She's Helping Her Kids Heal
* Read a book with multiple children in the plot of the story OR a book with a divorce OR a book with hair on the cover (show us the cover).
Shaedes of Gray - Amanda Bonilla 2/8✔1/24/11 – He’s Brought Us a New Beginning
In an Exclusive Interview and Photos, John Travolta and Kelly Preston Introduce Baby Benjamin, the Little Miracle Who Has Melted Their Hearts and Renewed Their Family's Spirit.
* Read a book with a baby important to the story OR a book with a main character or author named Ben, John, or Kelly. (other spellings are OK, but the names should sound the same).
A Shiver of Light - Laurell K. Hamilton 4/19✔1/23/12 - Murder at the Palace
The Shocking Discovery of a 17-Year-Old Girl's Body on the Queen's Beloved Sandringham Estate Rocks the Windsor Clan-While Police Race to Solve the Killing
* Read a murder mystery OR a book with a castle somewhere in the story.
Just Desserts - Mary Daheim 12/7✔2/11/13 – Tim McGraw
The Country Star Quit Drinking and Amped Up His Workouts. The Result? A Solid Marriage-and Solid Abs
* Read a book set in Tennessee OR a book with “Exercise” or “Health” on the GR main genre page OR a book with an author whose name starts with Mc or Mac.
Much Ado About Vampires - Katie MacAlister 2/15✔1/13/14 – We Lost Half Our Size!
How Did These Five People Lose a Total of 748 Lbs.? One Abandoned Candy Binges, Another Adopted Running, and All of Them Discovered Easy Ways to Stay Motivated
* Read a book with 7, 4, or 8 in the original publication date OR a book that you find inspirational.
Moloka'i - Alan Brennert 1/18CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Figures of SpeechDuration: January 1 - April 30, 2015
READ: 20/20
✔1. A Peck of Pickled Peppers: Alliteration - is the repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables of an English language phrase.
Read a book with a vegetable on the cover -or- read a book with three consecutive words in the title beginning the same letters -or- read a book with a collective noun in the title (name of animal).
Note: If choosing the cover option, post the cover.
Angels' Flight - Nalini Singh (flight of goshawks) 3/23✔2. Mad World! Mad Kings! Mad Composition!: Anaphora - is a rhetorical device that consists of repeating a sequence of words at the beginnings of neighboring clauses, thereby lending them emphasis.
Read a book marked humor -or- read a book that has a repeating word in the title -or- read a book whose author's first and last initial are in the word "KINGJOHNII".
Lucky Stiff - Deborah Coonts 2/16✔3. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times: Antithesis - is used when two opposites are introduced in the same sentence, for contrasting effect.
Read a book with a time word in the title (hour, minute, year etc.) -or- read a book with opposite words in the title -or- read a book with a GR rating either > 4.2 or < 3.2.
Magic Breaks - Ilona Andrews (4.55) 1/15✔4. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?: Apostrophe - occurs when a speaker breaks off from addressing the audience (e.g. in a play) and directs speech to an absent third party. Often it is a personified abstract quality or inanimate object.
Read a book with a bee or a rose on the cover -or- read a book which has a question word in the title (what, where, who, which, when or how) -or- read a play.
How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back - Diana Rowland 4/29✔5. Some kids who played games about Narnia got gradually balmier and balmier: Assonance - is the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences.
Read a book marked fantasy -or- read a book with a title which has rhyming words -or- read a book where a game is played.
Playing to WinPlaying to Win - Jaci Burton (football) 3/4
✔6. I flee who chases me, and chase who flees me: Chiasmus - is the figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures in order to make a larger point; that is, the clauses display inverted parallelism.
Read a book with a title that starts with a letter from the word "OVID" -or- read a book with an X in the title -or- read a book in which there is a chase scene in the plot.
Optical Delusions in Deadwood - Ann Charles 1/1✔7. You're not short, you're fun-sized: Euphemism - is a generally innocuous word or expression used in place of one that may be found offensive or suggest something unpleasant.
Read a short book (150-200 pages) -or- Read a book with an ISM word in the title -or- read a book from a genre or author you love.
Clean Sweep - Ilona Andrews (200 pages) 1/6✔8. My mom is going to kill me: Hyperbole - derived from Greek word meaning “over-casting” is a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.
Read a book marked Mystery -or- read a book with all the words in the title beginning with letters in "EXAGGERATION" (include A, An and The; minimum three words) -or- read a book where the main character has children.
Bombshell - Catherine Coulter 1/16✔9. Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room: Irony - is the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.
Read a book marked War or Humor -or- read a book whose author's first and last initials are in the word "ALANISMORISETTE" -or- read a book that has been made into a movie.
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins 1/19✔10. This is no small problem: Litotes - A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite.
Read a book with no, not, neither, nor or never in the title -or- read a book with 2 in the number of pages -or- read a book with a convoluted plot.
West of Want - Laura Kaye (222 pages) 3/21✔11. All the world's a stage: Metaphor - describes a subject by asserting that it is, on some point of comparison, the same as another otherwise unrelated object.
Read a book with a protagonist in show business -or- read a book where the title has a metaphor in it -or- read a book with 7 in the year it was first published.
Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch (2007) 1/11✔12. Pen is mightier than sword: Metonymy - is a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is called not by its own name but rather by the name of something associated in meaning with that thing or concept.
Read a book with an author protagonist -or- read a book with a title beginning with the letters in the word "METONYMY" (exclude A, An, The) -or- read a book with a type of knife or sword on the cover.
Master of Craving - Karen Tabke 1/29✔13. Chug, chug, chug. Puff, puff, puff. Ding-dong, ding-dong: Onomatopoeia - the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.
Read a book with a train on the cover or the title -or- read a book with a onomatopoeic word in the title (this list of words might help) -or- read a book whose author's first and last initials begin with letters in the word "ONOMATOPOEIA".
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters - Gordon Dahlquist 3/7✔14. (A smuggler) is the only honest thief: Oxymoron - is a figure of speech in which seemingly contradictory terms appear side by side.
Read a book with "One", "Only", "Sole" or "Lone" in the title (no variations allowed) -or- read a book in which opposites attract -or- read a book with a thief in the plot.
Son of No One - Sherrilyn Kenyon 3/9✔15. Deep down, you're really shallow: Paradox - is a statement that is self contradictory because it often contains two statements that are both true, but in general, cannot both be true at the same time.
Read a book with a pretty cover -or- read a book where the main character lies about something -or- read a book with a generic plot (something you've read a hundred times before).
Faithful Place - Tana French 3/4✔16. The dish ran away with the spoon: Personification - is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes.
Read a book with a kitchen implement on cover -or- read a book with a thinking/speaking animal or robot in the plot -or- read a children's book (that is still over 150 pages).
Blood of Tyrants - Naomi Novik (dragons speak) 1/24✔17. The life of a patient of hypertension is always at steak: Pun - is a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings.
Read a book set in a hospital either partially or completely -or- read a book with a punny title (check cozy mysteries!) -or- read a book with a food item on the cover.
A Bone to Pick - Charlaine Harris 1/11✔18. O my Luve’s like a red, red rose: Simile - is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things.
Read a book with a flower in the title, author's name or the cover -or- read a book with LIKE or AS in the title -or- read a book marked Romance.
Heart of the Wolf - Terry Spear 2/13✔19. All hands on deck!: Synecdoche - is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part.
Read a book with an exclamation mark in the title -or- read a book which has a synopsis or a quote(s) that begins each chapter -or- read a book set aboard a ship.
Captured by the Pirate Laird - Amy Jarecki 2/25✔20. "I have to have this operation. It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.": Understatement - is a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is.
Read a book marked young adult -or- read a series book -or- read a book where the protagonist is ill.
Daylighters - Rachel Caine 2/11CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Trip the Light FantasticDuration: February 1 - April 30, 2015
READ: 15/15
✔1. Read a historical story where a character would envision the future (time travel, clairvoyance, tarot cards, etc) OR read a contemporary story where history plays an important role in the modern storyline (historical facts, ghosts, etc).
Her Sky Cowboy - Beth Ciotta (time travel, historical) 2/13✔2. Read a book that includes a dancer or dance (gala, ball, maybe even a masque) of some kind OR read a book where the first letter of the book or the authors’ first or last name is found in the letters D-A-N-C-E (A and An are excluded, of course)
Wicked as She Wants - Delilah Dawson 2/6✔3. Read a book that Goodreads has categorized under “Humor” OR read a book where at least one character is quirky or eccentric or has a good sense of humor.
Lucky Stiff - Deborah Coonts 2/16✔4. Read a book by an author you’ve never read OR read one of the oldest books on your TBR shelf
Heart of the Wolf - Terry Spear 2/13The words “Trip The Light Fantastic” have been used in over 70 songs, so let’s see what great books we can read honoring them -
✔5. TRIP - Read a book where a character takes a vacation trip OR read a book where a character takes a trip (slip or fall) or gets injured
West of Want - Laura Kaye 3/21✔6. THE – Go ahead and use it (you know you want too). Read a book with the word “The” in the title
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters - Gordon Dahlquist 3/7✔7. LIGHT - Read a book where the cover is either light in color or where the sun is shining OR read a book that involves candles, gaslights, torchlights, campfire, etc.
The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones - Jack Wolf (set in 1751, used candles) 4/28✔8. FANTASTIC - Read a book with an overall rating of 4 or more stars on Goodreads OR read a book that you consider is a 5 star book using your personal rating system
Festive in Death - J.D. Robb 2/16The beginning of the song “Trip The Light Fantastic” by Chinastyle begins with a person who is in a great deal of emotional turmoil. Sadly, we’ve probably all experienced turmoil in our lives in one way or another.
✔9. Read a book with one of the following words in the title “Pain” “Fear” “Black” “Rain” “Dark” in the title (if you don’t find a book that grabs your interest using one of those five words, please choose a book where the title begins with one of the letters P-F-B-R-D) OR read a book where a character seems to be in a bad place in their life and wants to turn things around
Daylighters - Rachel Caine 2/11✔10. Read a book with a character who has a broken heart OR read a book where the cover includes an image of something to do with a storm (lightning, snow, gray clouds, funnel cloud, rain, fog, dismal). Please post the cover showing the storm.
So Damn Lucky - Deborah Coonts 3/8The writer of the song by Chinastyle used the word “hey” 21 times in the song. The word “woah” is used 8 times.
✔11. Read a book where a character is coming of age (this age number differs around the world, so the term coming of age is your prerogative to decide), OR read a book that includes a horse either on the cover or within the story. Please post the cover showing the horse.
Seraphina - Rachel Hartman 2/28✔12. Read a book where there is a field or hay on the cover OR read a book where a character is some type of farmer (stock cattle, fruits, vegetables, etc). Please post the cover (we like fields and hay).
Mind Fuck - Manna Francis 3/21We all wish for the clouds to clear when we are stressed, so in keeping with the song written by Chinastyle, let’s help this poor guy have a happy ending!
✔13. Read a book where love is in the air and there is a happily ever after OR read a book where a heart is healed and that person can now move forward with their life
Dark Skye - Kresley Cole 2/10✔14. Read a book with a character who is has an exceptional heart for giving or caring (doctor, nurse, adoptive parents, in the military, etc) OR read a book in which a character learns to be giving or caring
Revenant - Larissa Ione 3/14Music holds a special place in most hearts, but there is generally one song above all others that we hold in higher regard. This special song might bring us joy and happiness or it might bring tears to the surface because of memories that we’ve attached to it. Whatever the song, whatever the reason, read a book that you feel identifies with that song. This is a personal book quest; you do not need to share the song or the reason for your choice. If you choose to share, our arms are open to you and we will embrace your joy or your sorrow.
✔15. Read a book that reminds you of your own favorite personal song OR read a book where the cover reminds you of your own favorite personal song. Please post the cover if you choose this last option.
Playing to Win - Jaci Burton (Queen's We Are The Champions) 3/4CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Cruise the Panama CanalDuration: April 1 - June 30, 2015
READ: 10/10
✔1. The Panama Canal is a 48 mile long international waterway that allows ships to pass between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The $400 million dollar project began in 1909 and was completed in 1914. The official opening of the Panama Canal was held on August 15, 1914. The United States’ cargo ship, the SS Ancon, was the first to officially traverse the Panama Canal.
Read a book with a number in its title (one, 520 are ok; first, thirteenth are not) OR a book set outside of the country in which you live; tell us where you live and where the book is set OR a book set in the summer (June, July or August); tell us which month.
Archangel's Storm - Nalini Singh (set in India, I live in USA) 4/30
✔2. When the Canal was completed, the trip between the oceans was shortened by about 8000 miles compared to the previous journey around Cape Horn, on the southern tip of South America.
Read the shortest book on your TBR that is over 150 pages; tell us how many pages OR a book with an ocean or sea on its cover; post the cover OR a book set in South America.
The Dark Tide - Josh Lanyon (187 pages) 4/11
✔3. Though traffic continues to increase through the Canal, many military oil supertankers and military battleships and aircraft carriers cannot fit through the locks, which are 1000 feet long and 110 feet wide. There is a class of ship called Panamax that is built to the maximum capacity of the Panama Canal and its locks.
Read a book with a 1 or 0 in its total number of pages; tell us how many pages OR a book with a character who is or was in the military (any branch, any country, any era) OR a book with an X in its title or author’s name.
An Ex to Grind in Deadwood - Ann Charles 4/3
✔4. The lock system lifts a ship up 85 feet to the main elevation of the Panama Canal, then back down again. It has a total of six steps (three up, three down) for a ship’s passage. There is a series of lakes between the sets of locks, which are mostly used by ships waiting their turn to go through the locks.
Read a book that’s been on your TBR list for more than 6 months; tell us when you added it OR a book with an 8 or 5 in its original year of publication; tell us the year OR a book with a ship (not just a boat) on its cover; post the cover.
Death of a Pirate King - Josh Lanyon (pub 2008) 4/11
✔5. A lock has a very basic function – to raise or lower the level of water the ship encounters in order for it to pass into the next section of the canal. A ship enters a lock by traveling through a gate that is open to the ship’s existing water level. The gate then closes and the lock master (or controller) manipulates the lock’s mechanics to either let water out (which lowers the water level inside the lock) or to let water in (which raises the level of water inside the lock). Once the water inside the lock is at the desired level, the gate on the opposite side of the lock opens. The ship then leaves the lock and enters the next body of water.
Read a book in which a character is physically trapped in some way OR a book with a character who has some type of water-related career (plumber, ship’s captain, etc.) OR a book by an author whose first AND last initials can be found in LOCKMASTER.
Curtain - Agatha Christie 4/2
✔6. Water is not pumped into and out of the locks, but flows from the artificial lakes through culverts 18 feet in diameter. Electric towing locomotives, called "mules," pull ships by cable through the locks. Most ships require six of these mules, three on each side.
Read abook with a mammal larger than a dog (but NOT a human) of some sort on its cover (must be visible on the GR thumbnail); post the cover OR a book with a six-letter word in its title OR a book in which a character needs help getting from Point A to Point B.
The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones - Jack Wolf 4/28
✔7. It takes approximately fifteen hours to go through the Canal, from entrance to exit. About half the time is spent waiting due to traffic.
Read a book by an author who has had at least 15 full-length books published; tell us how many books OR a book that takes you longer to finish that you’d expected OR a book that you’ve been impatiently waiting to read.
The Search - Nora Roberts (528 distinct books) 4/9
✔8. The Panama Canal lies on the Isthmus of Panama which generally sits in an east-west direction in Panama. However, the location of the Panama canal is such that ships traveling through the canal from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean travel in a northwest direction while ships traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific head southeast!
Read a book with a direction (north, south, east, west, up or down) in its title OR a book with a map on its cover; post the cover OR a book in which a character travels more than 100 miles from his/her home.
South of Surrender - Laura Kaye 4/8
✔9. In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty which agreed to return 60% of the Canal Zone to Panama in 1979. The Canal and the remaining territory were returned to Panama on December 31,1999.
Read a book in which a character is an elected official; tell us which office OR a book #1, #7 or #9 in a series; tell us where it falls in the series OR a book whose title begins with a letter in PANAMACANAL (disregard A, An and The).
Wild Child - Molly O'Keefe (hero is the mayor) 4/26
✔10. In September, 2007, work began on a $5.2 billion project to expand the Panama Canal. Expected to be completed in late 2015, the Panama Canal expansion project will allow ships double the size of current Panamax to pass through the canal, dramatically increasing the amount of goods that can pass through the canal.
Read a book with a symbol of some sort in its title ($, !, ?, etc.) OR a book that you liked more than you thought you would OR a book that is over 300 pages long (double our usual minimum page requirement); tell us how many pages.
Shadow Scale - Rachel Hartman (608 pages) 4/17
CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Now We're Cookin'! Start Date: November 1, 2013
End Date: June 6, 2015
READ: 269/269
1. What is your favorite breakfast food? COMPLETE
P: Curfew - Phil Rickman 11/6/13
A: Affliction - Laurell K. Hamilton 11/9/13
N: Starfire Angels - Melanie Nilles 12/15/13
C: Cream Puff Murder - Joanne Fluke 11/29/13
A: Stranger - Zoe Archer 11/24/13
K: Time Untime - Sherrilyn Kenyon 11/10/13
E: Eternity Base - Bob Mayer 11/21/13
S: Breakup - Dana Stabenow 12/18/13
A: White Heat - Cherry Adair 11/2/13
N: No Quarter - Tanya Huff 1/5/14
D: Dead Beat - Jim Butcher 11/30/13
S: Dark Stranger - Susan Sizemore 2/5/14
A: Murder Suicide - Keith Ablow 1/3/14
U: Unplugged - Lois Greiman 1/9/14
S: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke 4/13/14
A: Degrees of Wrong - Anna Scarlett 1/4/14
G: Grimm End - S.T. Cameron 12/9/13
E: Seeing a Large Cat - Elizabeth Peters 11/23/13
2. What is the name of your favorite sit down restaurant? COMPLETE
R: With All My Soul - Rachel Vincent 12/4/13
U: Untold - Sarah Rees Brennan 2/13/14
B: Beyond the Night - Joss Ware 12/20/13
Y: A Year and a Day - Virginia Henley 11/3/13
T: Thankless in Death - J.D Robb 12/12/13
U: Unscrewed - Lois Greiman 2/17/14
E: The End of the World - Derek Landy 1/12/14
S: Son of the Shadows - Juliet Marillier 3/2/14
D: Death Bringer - Derek Landy 12/12/13
A: Swept Away by a Kiss - Katharine Ashe 2/28/14
Y: You're Next - Gregg Hurwitz 2/20/14
S: Suited - Jo Anderton 3/8/14
3. What is the name of your favorite fast food restaurant? COMPLETE
L: Labyrinth - Kat Richardson 11/29/13
O: One Rainy Night - Kathye Quick 1/10/14
N: Nature Of The Beast - Hannah Howell 1/8/14
G: W is for Wasted - Sue Grafton 2/8/14
J: The Janus Affair - Philippa Ballantine 1/31/14
O: One Hot Mess - Lois Greiman 4/17/14
H: Fifth Quarter - Tanya Huff 12/11/13
N: The Navigator - Clive Cussler 1/9/14
S: Strawberry Shortcake Murder - Joanne Fluke 3/20/14
I: Silencing Eve - Iris Johansen 11/16/13
L: The Line Between Here and Gone - Andrea Kane 12/6/13
V: Frostfire - Lynn Viehl 8/30/14
E: The Ape Who Guards the Balance - Elizabeth Peters 1/22/14
R: Break No Bones - Kathy Reichs 1/22/14
S: Primal Instincts - Susan Sizemore 3/24/14
4. What is your favorite sandwich? COMPLETE!
M: Mountain Echoes - C.E. Murphy 11/18/13
E: The Falcon at the Portal - Elizabeth Peters 2/18/14
D: My Life As a White Trash Zombie - Diana Rowland 12/6/13
I: Initiation - Ruth Kerce 12/5/13
T: Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes - Denise Grover Swank 12/14/13
E: Deadly Heat - Cynthia Eden 2/22/14
R: Hollow City - Ransom Riggs 2/20/14
R: Concealed in Death - J.D. Robb 3/19/14
A: How to Drive a Dragon Crazy - G.A. Aiken 1/7/14
N: Never Seduce a Scot - Maya Banks 1/10/14
E: Embrace the Night Eternal - Joss Ware 2/23/14
A: Ashes to Ashes - Tami Hoag 3/9/14
N: A Noble Sacrifice - Ciara Gold 3/28/14
V: The Vampire and the Virgin - Kerrelyn Sparks 4/29/14
E: He Shall Thunder in the Sky - Elizabeth Peters 3/29/14
G: The Hour of Dust and Ashes - Kelly Gay 2/16/14
G: Black Hole Sun - David Macinnis Gill 12/22/13
I: Seaborne - Katherine Irons 12/31/13
E: Real - Katy Evans 3/29/14
5. What is your favorite dinner entrée? COMPLETE
S: Shadows Before the Sun - Kelly Gay 3/29/14
H: Head Over Heels - Jill Shalvis 11/7/13
R: Retribution - Jilliane Hoffman 4/15/14
I: Reaver - Larissa Ione 1/5/14
M: Sleight of Hand - Phillip Margolin 12/27/13
P: Whitechapel Gods - S.M. Peters 11/11/13
S: Spectre - Phaedra Weldon 3/30/14
C: Cold Copper - Devon Monk 1/14/14
A: Atlantis Found - Clive Cussler 3/11/14
M: The Man Must Marry - Janet Chapman 2/9/14
P: The Far West - Patricia Wrede 11/9/13
I: Instant Attraction - Jill Shalvis 1/24/14
6. What is your favorite dessert? COMPLETE
C: Dreams of a Dark Warrior - Kresley Cole 1/16/14
H: The Hit - David Baldacci 12/23/13
E: Lord of the Silent - Elizabeth Peters 4/13/14
R: Rapture - Jacquelyn Frank 4/20/14
R: The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley 5/14/14
Y: Yours for the Taking - Robin Kaye 2/28/14
P: Wraith - Phaedra Weldon 12/27/13
I: Instant Gratification - Jill Shalvis 2/23/14
E: The Golden One - Elizabeth Peters 5/8/14
7. What is your favorite pasta dish? COMPLETE
S: Lucky in Love - Jill Shalvis 3/23/14
P: Partials - Dan Wells 1/27/14
A: All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire - Kerrelyn Sparks 3/14/14
G: The Darkest Secret - Gena Showalter 3/11/14
H: Hour Game - David Baldacci 1/30/14
E: Eat Prey Love - Kerrelyn Sparks 5/16/14
T: The Thief - Megan Whalen Turner 2/10/14
T: The Quartered Sea - Tanya Huff 2/13/14
I: Steel's Edge - Ilona Andrews 2/25/14
W: The Winter Sea - Susanna Kearsley 4/2/14
I: Instant Temptation - Jill Shalvis 3/26/14
T: Tiger's Voyage - Colleen Houck 3/23/14
H: Highlander Most Wanted - Maya Banks 2/7/14
S: The Stranger You Know - Andrea Kane 4/10/14
P: Four Blind Mice - James Patterson 3/16/14
I: Illusion - Sherrilyn Kenyon 5/23/14
C: Dark Storm - Christine Feehan 2/2/14
Y: You Belong to Me - Karen Rose 3/22/14
R: The Last Oracle - James Rollins 5/30/14
E: Extreme Exposure - Pamela Clare 5/28/14
D: The Kill Room - Jeffery Deaver 2/27/14
S: Blood Will Tell - Dana Stabenow 4/19/14
A: Murder of Crows - Anne Bishop 4/5/14
U: Unmanned - Lois Greiman 3/26/14
C: Dark Lycan - Christine Feehan 2/22/14
E: Ecstasy in Darkness - Gena Showalter 6/12/14
8. What is your favorite cookie? COMPLETE
D: Dark Wolf - Christine Feehan 3/4/14
O: Long, Lean and Lethal - Lorie O'Clare 4/27/14
U: Untraceable - S.R. Johannes 5/18/14
B: Big Bad Wolf - Christine Warren 3/16/14
L: Lizard World - Terry Richard Bazes 1/21/14
E: Children of the Storm - Elizabeth Peters 7/3/14
S: The Silent Girl - Tess Gerritsen 3/27/14
T: The Queen of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner 3/31/14
U: Unwind - Neal Shusterman 5/21/14
F: Finding the Lost - Shannon Butcher 12/29/13
F: Have Stakes, Will Travel - Faith Hunter 3/16/14
E: Guardian of the Horizon - Elizabeth Peters 7/31/14
D: Death's Rival - Faith Hunter 3/18/14
O: On the Hunt - anthology 6/26/14
R: Don't Tell - Karen Rose 6/6/14
E: The Serpent on the Crown - Elizabeth Peters 8/22/14
O: One More Bite - Jennifer Rardin 6/29/14
9. What is your favorite comfort food? COMPLETE
L: Lothaire - Kresley Cole 2/27/14
A: Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey 4/27/14
S: Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins 5/4/14
A: At Last - Jill Shalvis 4/29/14
G: Forbidden Highlander - Donna Grant 4/16/14
N: Not One Clue - Lois Greiman 5/10/14
A: Atlantis Betrayed - Alyssa Day 5/6/14
10. What is your favorite candy? COMPLETE
S: Seduce the Darkness - Gena Showalter 5/19/14
N: The 9th Girl - Tami Hoag 5/21/14
I: Darkness Unleashed - Alexandra Ivy 6/7/14
C: Chains of Ice - Christina Dodd 3/5/14
K: Kinslayer - Jay Kristoff 11/13/13
E: The Broken Hearts Club - Ethan Black 7/8/14
R: The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley 6/25/14
S: Hunter's Moon - Dana Stabenow 5/24/14
CCC personal folder11. What is your favorite fruit? COMPLETE
G: The Darkest Surrender - Gena Showalter 4/25/14
R: Spirit and Dust - Rosemary Clement-Moore 6/30/14
A: Renegade Most Wanted - Carol Arens 5/27/14
P: Prince Charming Doesn't Live Here - Christine Warren 4/13/14
E: Wife for Hire - Janet Evanovich 9/24/14
S: Forever and a Day - Jill Shalvis 5/25/14
12. What is your favorite veggie? COMPLETE
B: Backfire - Catherine Coulter 4/5/14
R: Chill - Stephanie Rowe 7/9/14
O: On the Prowl - Christine Warren 8/4/14
C: Chains of Fire - Christina Dodd 4/11/14
C: City of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare 4/23/14
O: Can't Buy Me Love - Molly O'Keefe 8/21/14
L: Lethal Legacy - Linda Fairstein 4/20/14
I: It Had to Be You - Jill Shalvis 6/8/14
13. What is your favorite meat/protein? COMPLETE
L: Loving A Lost Lord - Mary Jo Putney 5/11/14
O: Once in a Lifetime - Jill Shalvis 8/24/14
N: Never Less Than a Lady - Mary Jo Putney 6/4/14
D: The Demon You Know - Christine Warren 5/9/14
O: On the Way to the Wedding - Julia Quinn 9/25/14
N: Not Your Ordinary Faerie Tale - Christine Warren 6/9/14
B: Born To Darkness - Suzanne Brockmann 4/24/14
R: Back to You - Robin Kaye 7/14/14
O: Oceanborne - Katherine Irons 10/22/14
I: Magic Rises - Ilona Andrews 6/23/14
L: City of the Sun - David Levien 5/13/14
14. What is your favorite snack food? COMPLETE
C: Cross Country - James Patterson 4/29/14
H: Faceless Killers - Henning Mankell 3/19/14
I: I, Alex Cross - James Patterson 7/8/14
P: Pleasure - Jacquelyn Frank 4/21/14
S: Wicked Road to Hell - Juliana Stone 5/26/14
A: Angel Fire - L.A. Weatherly 6/13/14
N: Night Falls on the Wicked - Sharie Kohler 7/13/14
D: The Darkest Seduction - Gena Showalter 5/31/14
S: Wrong Side of Hell - Juliana Stone 5/26/14
A: Ashfall - Mike Mullen 6/21/14
L: Last Words - Mariah Stewart 5/20/14
S: Primal Cravings - Susan Sizemore 5/28/14
A: Vampire in Atlantis - Alyssa Day 6/28/14
C: Black Magic Woman - Christine Warren 5/8/14
O: Crazy Thing Called Love - Molly O'Keefe 11/26/14
N: Nowhere Near Respectable - Mary Jo Putney 7/31/14
Q: The Sum of All Kisses - Julia Quinn 6/29/14
U: Untamed Highlander - Donna Grant 6/18/14
E: Tomb of the Golden Bird - Elizabeth Peters 9/28/14
S: Sex and the Single Earl - Vanessa Kelly 6/20/14
O: One Heart to Win - Johanna Lindsey 12/16/14
15. What is your favorite non-alcoholic beverage? COMPLETE
B: Blood Trade - Faith Hunter 5/29/14
I: The Devil's Punchbowl - Greg Iles 8/3/14
R: Bite Marks - Jennifer Rardin 7/16/14
C: Wilder - Christina Dodd 5/22/14
H: Hounded - Kevin Hearne 4/28/14
B: Bound to a Warrior - Donna Fletcher 6/30/14
E: Evertrue - Brodi Ashton 9/29/14
E: Hidden - Kendra Elliot 10/23/14
R: His Carnal Need - Ruth Kerce 7/13/14
16. What is your favorite drink? COMPLETE
I: The Ice Princess - Camilla Läckberg 7/17/14
D: Wicked Highlander - Donna Grant 5/30/14
O: One Dance with a Duke - Tessa Dare 12/27/14
N: Nickeled-and-Dimed to Death - Denise Swanson 9/15/14
T: Tiger's Destiny - Colleen Houck 4/14/14
D: Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay 6/13/14
R: Beauty - Robin McKinley 7/22/14
I: Deadlock - Iris Johansen 10/30/14
N: Nightshine - Lynn Viehl 9/16/14
K: Kingdom of the Wicked - Derek Landy 1/20/14
17. What is the name of your favorite recipe to make – or to have someone make for you? COMPLETE
C: The Crafty Teddy - John Lamb 6/15/14
O: Optical Delusions in Deadwood - Ann Charles 1/1/15
R: The Big Dirt Nap - Rosemary Harris 8/17/14
N: Never Kiss a Stranger - Heather Grothaus 9/22/14
E: Everywhere She Turns - Debra Webb 11/3/14
D: XO - Jeffrey Deaver 6/26/14
B: Black Arts - Faith Hunter 6/19/14
E: The Grand Finale - Janet Evanovich 11/8/14
E: Billionaires Prefer Blondes - Suzanne Enoch 11/10/14
F: The Firebird - Susanna Kearsley 5/12/14
A: The Turtle-Girl from East Pukapuka - Cole Alpaugh 6/3/14
N: Whiskey Beach - Nora Roberts 10/8/14
D: Midnight Come Again - Dana Stabenow 6/19/14
C: Drive Me Wild - Christine Warren 7/11/14
A: Always On My Mind - Jill Shalvis 7/5/14
B: Proven Guilty - Jim Butcher 6/1/14
B: Fugitive - Cheryl Brooks 6/8/14
A: Heart of Atlantis - Alyssa Day 8/11/14
G: The Girl Next Door - Jack Ketchum 6/2/14
E: The Exiled Queen - Cinda Williams Chima 11/28/14
18. What is your favorite way to cook – stovetop, grilling, Crockpot, microwave, something else? COMPLETE
M: MacRieve - Kresley Cole 3/13/14
I: Live to See Tomorrow - Iris Johansen 12/4/14
C: Tongue In Chic - Christina Dodd 7/12/14
R: Redemption - Susannah Sandlin 8/24/14
O: Omega - Susannah Sandlin 3/24/15
W: The King- J.R. Ward 4/8/14
A: Are You Scared Yet? - Hunter Morgan 8/19/14
V: Dreamveil - Lynn Viehl 7/20/14
E: Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues - Diana Rowland 11/24/14
19. Who is the best cook that you know personally? COMPLETE
M: My Soul to Keep - Sharie Kohler 6/29/14
Y: Blood Past - Samantha Young 5/15/14
B: Between, Georgia - Joshilyn Jackson 7/5/14
R: Bitten in Two - Jennifer Rardin 8/31/14
O: Wild Child - Molly O'Keefe 4/26/15
T: The King of Attolia - Megan Walen Turner 6/10/14
H: Hostage - Kay Hooper 6/6/14
E: A River in the Sky - Elizabeth Peters 11/23/14
R: The Deadliest Bite - Jennifer Rardin 9/6/14
B: Blood Born - Linda Howard 7/27/14
O: Of Monsters and Madness - Jessica Verday 5/3/15
B: A Thief In A Kilt - Sandy Blair 8/9/14
20. What is your favorite cooking TV show? COMPLETE
I: If There Be Dragons - Kay Hooper 12/18/14
D: The Darkest Craving - Gena Showalter 6/27/14
O: One Sweet Ride - Jaci Burton 6/6/15
N: North of Need - Laura Kaye 10/24/14
T: The Golden Dragon - Tianna Xander 7/12/14
W: Whisper Kiss - Deborah Cooke 7/7/14
A: And One Last Thing ... - Molly Harper 8/27/14
T: Dire Needs - Stephanie Tyler 7/9/14
C: The Clockwork Teddy - John Lamb 7/7/14
H: Haven - Kay Hooper 5/20/14
T: Tall, Dark & Lonely - R.L. Mathewson 8/13/14
E: Dream a Little Dream - Susan Elizabeth Phillips 11/22/14
L: The False-Hearted Teddy - John J. Lamb 5/25/14
E: Ember's Kiss - Deborah Cooke 12/12/14
V: Vampire Mine - Kerrelyn Sparks 8/2/14
I: Clean Sweep - Ilona Andrews 1/6/15
S: Sparks Fly - Katie MacAlister 6/15/14
I: Magic Breaks - Ilona Andrews 1/15/15
O: Skybreaker - Kenneth Oppel 5/15/15
N: Nightborn - Lynn Viehl 10/31/14
CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Shrink That TBR - 2014 Duration: July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015
Read: 29/35
✔1. Read two books from series on your Goodreads TBR list that you have started and not finished. Books can be from the same series or from different series.
1. Frostfire - Lynn Viehl (Kyndred #3) 8/30
2. A Soul So Wicked - Sharie Kohler (Moonchasers #7) 9/6
✔2. Read two books from your TBR list that you own – print books only please!
1. A Deeper Sleep - Dana Stabenow 9/18
2. The Guardian - Margaret Mallory 9/27
✔3. Read two books from your TBR list that will help with two different, difficult challenges. (Like an ABC challenge for which you still need Q, U, & X)
1. White Wedding - Ursula Sinclair (A-Z author "U") 8/11
2. Zuri's Zargonnii Warrior - C.L. Scholey (A-Z title "Z") 7/26
✔4. Read three books from your TBR list that are by new-to-you authors.
1. The Broken Hearts Club - Ethan Black 7/8
2. Caring Is Creepy - David Zimmerman 7/10
3. The Ice Princess - Camilla Läckberg 7/17
✔5. Read one book from your TBR list that a friend, co-worker or family member has recommended to you.
1. Letters from Skye: A Novel - Jessica Brockmole (GRs friend)
✔6. Open your TBR list and sort by date added. Make a note of the number of books on your to-read list. Divide that number in half (if you come up with a fraction, round up), and read the book that corresponds to that number.
1. The Mists of Time - Susan Sizemore (#2875) 6/9
7. Set your TBR list to show 75 books per page, and sort by Date Added, newest to oldest. Read two books from the first page of that list.
✔1. His Carnal Need - Ruth Kerce (#67 Dec 27, 2013) 7/13
2. 84, Charing Cross Road - Helena Hanff (#66 Jan 1, 2014) (2015)
✔8. Set your TBR list to show 20 books per page, and sort by Date Added, oldest to newest. Read one book from the last page (or last two pages, if you last page has less than five books).
1. Children of the Storm - Elizabeth Peters (#4 June 1, 2014) 7/3
9. Set your TBR list to show 30 books per page, and sort by author, A-Z. Read one book from the first page of that list.
1. Denial - Keith Ablow (#9)
✔10. Set your TBR list to show 40 books per page, and sort by author, Z-A. Read one book from the first page of that list.
1. The Golden Dragon - Tianna Xander (#23) 7/12
✔11. Set your TBR list to show 50 books per page, and sort by number of pages, shortest to longest. (If Goodreads does not list the number of pages for some of your books, you can use the page count found elsewhere – the author’s or publisher’s website, B&N, amazon, etc.) Read two books from the first page of that list.
1. Nordic Fairies - Saga Berg (44 pages) 5/30
2. NightDrake - Lara Adrian (54 pages) 5/30
✔12. Set your Goodreads TBR list to show 100 books per page. Sort by publication date, newest to oldest. Read two books from the first page of that list.
1. The Collector - Nora Roberts (April 15, 2014) 5/13
2. Evertrue - Brodi Ashton (Jan 21, 2014) 9/29
✔13. Set your TBR to show 75 books per page, and sort by average rating, high to low. Read two books from the first page of that list.
1. Last Stand of Dead Men - Derek Landy (4.63) 3/16
2. Styxx - Sherrilyn Kenyon (4.59) 9/12
✔14. Set your Goodreads TBR list to show 100 books per page and sort by cover. Read two books from the first page of that list AND two books from the last page of that list. ((All in 2015))
1. [First] Shadowglass - Erica Hayes (#21) 5/18
2. [First] Master of Craving - Karen Tabke (#36) 1/29
3. [Last] Unlucky 1395] - James Patterson (#5713) 5/17
4. [Last] Notorious - Allison Brennan (#5748) 6/9
15. Set your Goodreads TBR list to show 50 books per page, then choose Random in the Sort menu. Read two books from the first page of that list AND two books from the last page.
1. [First] Simply Magic - Mary Balogh (#13) (2015)
✔2. [First] Clean Sweep - Ilona Andrews (#15) 1/6
3. [Last] Blood Rights - Kristen Painter (#1) (in 2014)
✔4. [Last] Darkest Highlander - Donna Grant (#15) 8/20
✔16. Set your TBR list to show 30 books per page, and sort by title, A-Z. Read one book from the first page of that list.
1. 77 Shadow Street - Dean Koontz (#28) 1/9
✔17. Set your TBR list to show 40 books per page, and sort by title, Z-A. Read one book from the first page of that list. (This could help with those X, Y and Z books!)
1. Written in My Own Heart's Blood - Diana Gabaldon (#30) 12/23
18. Read any three books from your TBR list that were on your list when this challenge began and are still hanging around :)
1.
2.
3.
From Sea to Shining Sea - MassachusettsDuration: May 1 - June 30, 2015
READ: 10/10
✔1. The sixth state of the United States is Massachusetts, being admitted to statehood on Feb 6, 1788. The name Massachusetts comes from the language of the Algonquian Indians of the Massachusetts Bay area; translated roughly as "at or about the great hill." Boston is its capital city. Massachusetts goes by the nickname of Bay State.
✒ Read a book set near an ocean -or- read a book with a word in the title that rhymes with Hill -or- read a book with an author name (first, last or middle) with two (or more) sets of consecutive double letters (like JuliaNNa BaGGoTT, JiLL A ESSbaum or TeRRy PratcheTT).
Baby - J.K. aCCiNNi 5/3✔2. Massachusetts is bordered by New Hampshire and Vermont in the north, Connecticut and Rhode Island in the south, New York in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. Its motto is "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty". Massachusetts has three official state colors, thanks to a third grade civics project: blue, green and cranberry.
✒ Read a book whose author initials are MA, NH, VT, RI, CT or NY -or- read a book with a duel (with swords) in it -or- read a book with a mostly blue, green or cranberry colored cover; post the cover.
Games Creatures Play - Charlaine Harris 5/2✔3. The state bird of Massachusetts is the Black Capped Chickadee, the state tree the American Elm and the state flower is the Mayflower. The state dessert is Boston Cream Pie. Massachusetts is the 44th state in terms of landmass, 14th in terms of population. It is the 5th richest state in the country.
✒ Read a book that you think is dark in subject matter; tell us why -or- read a book with two of the numbers 1, 4 or 5 in the total number of pages -or- read a book where the first letters of all words in the title are in BOSTONCREAMPIE; 3 words minimum, all words count.
Dinner with a Vampire - Abigail Gibbs (549 pages) 5/10✔4. Massachusetts is the birthplace of no less than 4 US presidents. The 2nd US president John Adams, the 6th John Quincy Adams, the 35th US president John F. Kennedy, and the 41st president George H. W. Bush all hail from here. Poet/Writers Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne are also Bay Staters. Actors Leonard Nimoy and Matt Damon were also born in Massachusetts.
✒ Read a book marked Politics on its GR main page -or- read a book whose author's first or last name have 3 letters -or- read a book set in space.
Dawn's Early Light - Pip Ballantine 6/18✔5. The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, on December 16, 1773. The demonstrators, some disguised as American Indians, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company, in defiance of the Tea Act of May 10, 1773. They boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into Boston Harbor, ruining the tea. The British government responded harshly and the episode escalated into the American Revolution. The Tea Party was the culmination of a resistance movement throughout British America against the Tea Act, which had been passed by the British Parliament in 1773. Colonists objected to the Tea Act because they believed that it violated their rights as Englishmen to "No taxation without representation," that is, be taxed only by their own elected representatives and not by a British parliament in which they were not represented.
✒ Read a book with tea items on the cover -or- read a book which has a battle in it -or- read a book set in any country that was or is a colony of Britain.
Of Monsters and Madness - Jessica Verday (Pennsylvania) 5/3✔6. Patriots' Day is a civic holiday celebrated in Massachusetts (and Maine and Wisconsin) commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolution on Apr 19, 1775. Since 1969, it has been observed on the third Monday in April, providing a three-day long weekend in Massachusetts and in Maine, which until the mid-19th century was part of Massachusetts. The biggest celebration of Patriots' Day is the Boston Marathon, which has been run every Patriots' Day since April 19, 1897 to mark the then-recently established holiday, with the race linking the Athenian and American struggles for liberty.
✒ Read a book that was first published in an April of any year -or- read a book where a character runs (as an exercise routine or profession, not just to catch a bus) -or- read a book written by an author born in Maine, Massachusetts or Wisconsin.
The Collector - Nora Roberts (pub April 2014) 5/13✔7. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, most of them women. Despite being generally known as the Salem witch trials, the preliminary hearings in 1692 were conducted in several towns in the Province of Massachusetts Bay: Salem Village (now Danvers), Salem Town, Ipswich and Andover. The most infamous trials were conducted by the Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692 in Salem Town. The episode is one of the nation's most notorious cases of mass hysteria, and has been used in political rhetoric and popular literature as a vivid cautionary tale about the dangers of isolationism, religious extremism, false accusations and lapses in due process.
✒ Read a book with a witch or wise-woman in it -or- read a book set in a period when witch hunting was legal ( for the purpose of this task, from 1401 to 1799) -or- read a book which has a courtroom scene in it.
Texas Gothic - Rosemary Clement-Moore 5/9✔8. Massachusetts is home to the first subway system in US (Boston, 1897); the first college established in America (Harvard, 1636); the American industrial revolution (Lowell), the first public park in US (Boston Common, 1634). The creation of Cape Cod National Seashore marked the first time the federal government purchased land for a park.
✒ Read a book set mostly in a college -or- read a book set in a city of US that has a subway system (use this list) -or- read a book where a fish appears in the title or the cover; post the cover. The Lobster Kings, Gould's Book of Fish, Salmon Fishing in Yemen are all acceptable titles.
Asylum - Madeleine Roux 5/5✔9. The birth control pill was invented in Clark University of Worcester, Charles Goodyear vulcanized rubber for the first time in 1839 in Woburn, and Elias Howe of Boston invented the sewing machine in 1845. William Hill Brown published The Power of Sympathy in Worcester in 1789. An imitation of Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther it is regarded as the first American novel.
✒ Read a book where a birth is prevented (either by abortion or by preventative methods) -or- read a book with a vehicle on the cover; post the cover -or- read a book that seems derived from another book.
Rev It Up - Julie Ann Walker 6/16✔10. In Massachusetts, shooting ranges may not set up targets to resemble human beings. No gorilla is allowed in the back seat of any car. At a wake, mourners may eat no more than three sandwiches. And it is illegal to sell ducks, chickens or rabbits that have been dyed a different color.
✒ Read a book where a gun of some kind is used -or- read a book with a monkey or ape in it -or- read a book in which the main character has dyed hair, or clothes.
Armageddon Cometh- J.K. Accinni 5/7CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Eating Our Way Across the USA Duration: February 1 - July 31, 2015
READ: 25/25
✔1. In Boston, make sure to have some of the thick and creamy “chowdah” filled with potatoes and plump clams. Wash it down with a Samuel Adams beer. There was a real Samuel Adams who owned a brewery in the 1870’s, but it was the Koch family who brought the beer into prominence. Dessert, of course, is Boston Cream Pie, which isn’t really a pie, but cake filled with a creamy custard. American-French chef M. Sanzian created this confection for the Parker House Hotel in Boston. ★Read a book with a cream-colored cover OR read a book with an author or character named “Samuel,” “Adams,” or “Koch” OR read a book that takes place in Boston.
Flesh and Blood - Patricia Cornwell 4/10✔2. Buffalo Hot Wings: These spicy and tangy chicken wings were created in Buffalo, New York at the Anchor Bar and Restaurant in 1964. Today, these wings’ sauce can range from sweet honey BBQ to atomic suicidal hot! Traditionally served with celery and blue cheese dressing. ★Read a book with an anchor on the cover OR a book that takes place anywhere in New York OR read a book whose total page count contains “64.”
Festive in Death - J.D. Robb 2/16✔3. New York City is THE place to get a great bagel, a great pizza, or great deli food. Visit Katz’s Deli and you’ll be at the scene of Meg Ryan’s faked orgasm from “When Harry met Sally.” From the famous Waldorf Hotel comes the Waldorf salad: apples, celery, and walnuts dressed in mayonnaise and put atop a bed of greens. ★Read a book with a circular object on the cover OR read a book that takes place in NYC OR read a book with a “steamy” scene.
Archangel's Consort - Nalini Singh 2/17✔4. Yo! Get your Philly Cheesesteak sandwich in Rocky’s home town. The cheesesteak is made of thinly sliced beef and melted cheese on a long bun. Competition among sandwich shops is fierce with the top two competitors being situated across the street from each other – Geno’s Steaks and Pat’s King of Steaks. ★Read a book with at least two characters who are rivals or competitors OR read a book with an author named Geno or Pat (no variations) OR a book that takes place anywhere in Pennsylvania.
West of Want - Laura Kaye 3/21✔5. If you haven’t had Maryland crab cakes, you haven’t really had crab cakes. This waterfront city on the Chesapeake Bay loves a good crab dish. What makes a good crab cake is a topic of heated debate. Jumbo lump crab mixed with a bit of mayo is a given, but each recipe is different with its seasonings. ★Read a book with a crab on its cover OR read a book with a red cover OR read a book that takes place in Maryland.
Antiques Flee Market - Barbara Allan 2/4✔6. Famous in Washington, D.C., the half-smoke might appear to be a simple hot dog. Instead, it’s a half-pork, half-beef jumbo dog, smoked to perfection and served with herbs, onions and chili sauce. Even President Obama has been known to take time out of his busy schedule to visit the best half-smoke joints in the city. ★Read a book cover which shows only half of anything OR read a book about politics OR read a book that takes place in Washington, D.C.
Better Off Dead in Deadwood - Ann Charles (half a body) 3/9✔7. Chicago is my kind of town! Make sure to buy some of the famous creamy, chocolately Frango Mints sold since 1918 at Marshall Field’s department store (Now Macy’s). Another must have is the Chicago-style dog: all-beef franks in a poppy seed bun with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, tomato wedges, dill-pickle spear, pickled sport-peppers and celery salt. Absolutely NO ketchup! I know you’re full, but you still have to try the original “deep-dish” pizza at Pizzeria Uno. Butter and cornmeal make the delicious crust that can support the 2-inch high stack of ingredients. ★Read a book with a mint green cover OR a book whose cover shows any item piled high with stuff OR read a book that takes place in Chicago.
You Can't Hide - Karen Rose 2/7✔8. You say casserole, I say hotdish! Minneapolis denizens love their hotdishes, which usually contain a starch, a meat, and a canned or frozen vegetable; everything is held together with canned soup. The ultimate, hands down favorite “hotdish” is the Tater Tot hot dish. ★Read a book with “HOT” or “DISH” in the title (words should be distinct words) OR read a book that takes place anywhere in Minnesota OR read a book whose author’s first and last initials can be found in TATER TOT.
Candy Cane Murder - Joanna Fluke 2/26✔9. A pasty (rhymes with nasty) is a small meat pie originally common to Cornwall and the British Isles. When the Cornish came to the copper mines of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, they brought with them a lot of mining knowledge as well as their pasties. As other nationalities settled the UP, pasty rivalry occurred with each group contributing something in the way of seasoning and other ingredients. All groups agreed that pasties must contain two things, potatoes and onions. ★Read a book with any type of pie on the cover OR read a book you find comforting OR read a book that takes place anywhere in Michigan.
He's So Fine - Jill Shalvis 6/20✔10. Wisconsinites love their cheese and Milwaukee’s fried cheese curds are a testament to how far they’ll go to consume cheese at every possible opportunity. The curds are a byproduct of the cheese-making process and they are considered a local delicacy. Deep-fried cheese curds are often found at carnivals and fairs, local restaurants and bars, as well as a few chain restaurants of local origin, such as Culver's. ★Read a book in which a carnival or fair takes place OR read a book with a yellow or orange cover OR read a book that takes place anywhere in Wisconsin.
A Shiver of Light - Laurell K. Hamilton 4/19✔11. Skyline Chili: A Cincinnati must have! Founded in 1949 by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambrinides, Skyline Chili is named for the view of Cincinnati's skyline that Lambrinides could see from his first restaurant. Skyline chili is a very “thin” chili that is poured over spaghetti noodles. You can choose to have a 3-way (Chili, spaghetti, and cheese), a 4-way (add beans or onions) or a 5-way (everything!). Whether you grew up in Cincinnati, or are an out of town convert, this is a “love it / hate it” kind of food. ★Read a book that is the 3rd, 4th, or th book in a series OR read a book whose cover shows a city skyline OR read a book that takes place anywhere in Ohio.
The Saint - Monica McCarty 2/28✔12. Kentucky Hot Brown: A KHB is an open-faced turkey sandwich on Texas toast with bacon, tomatoes, and a cream sauce. Developed in the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky for a late night snack, it remains a staple menu item. ★Read a book that takes place primarily in a hotel, inn, B&B, etc. OR read a book with a brown cover OR read a book that takes place anywhere in Kentucky.
So Damn Lucky - Deborah Coonts (casino/hotel) 3/8✔13. Few places scream “barbecue” quite like Memphis, where citizens take pride in having the best recipes for Southern favorites like ribs or barbecued chicken. Barbecuing refers to a technique of cooking that involves cooking meat for long periods of time at low temperatures with smoke from a wood fire. Memphis barbecue is one of the oldest styles for preparing barbecue and relies on pork ribs or pork shoulder. ★Read a book whose title starts with “B” or “Q” (exclude a, an, the) OR read a book with smoke on its cover OR read a book that takes place anywhere in Tennessee.
Buried - Kendra Elliot 3/17✔14. Asheville, North Carolina has become a hot spot for updated Southern favorites and fusion eats that combine Carolina seafood with Spanish and/or North African flair. Have the bluefish and rice croquettes with charred tomato mojo sauce. Or, have the western Carolina-style BBQ which is pulled pork-shoulder served in a thick tomato sauce. ★Read a book with a fusion of genres (a book you could classify with at least two genres) OR a book with a tomato red cover OR a book that takes place anywhere in North Carolina.
Her Sky Cowboy - Beth Ciotta (steampunk,romance,time travel) 2/13✔15. If you’re in Miami, besides delicious seafood, check out the Cuban eats in “Little Havana.” The vaca frita is a shredded beef dish or try the traditional Cuban sandwich of sweet ham, roast pork, and swiss cheese. Top off dinner with a Cuban coffee – a very strong espresso with LOTS of sugar. ★Read a book that takes place along an ocean coastline OR read a book with a character whose first name starts with a letter in VACA FRITA OR read a book with a very strong or very sweet character.
Water Bound - Christine Feehan (California coastline) 2/16
continued...✔16. New Orleans is a veritable smorgasboard of great food. Stop by the Café du Monde for beignets and chicory coffee, and then stroll into the French Market for a huge selection of hot sauces, Cajun spices, and sweet treats such as pecan-studded praline candies. Cajun cooking begins with the “holy trinity” of green pepper, onion, and celery and then mixes French cooking with bayou ingredients. Try the gumbo or the crawfish ettouffe. ★Read a book whose cover shows any kind of sweet treat or hot beverage OR read the third book in a series OR read a book that takes place in New Orleans.
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse - Diana Rowland 2/25✔17. Tacos have long been a staple of Mexican cuisine, and thanks to their proximity to the border, those culinary delights have made their way north, in a big way. Austin’s taco craze is fueled by more than just the food itself: Food trucks have become a way of life there, servicing students, tourists and the late-late-night dining crowd. If you thought a meal on wheels couldn’t compete with normal restaurant fare, try an Austin taco. ★Read a book with a food cart, food truck or diner on its cover OR read a book with any type of wheel on its cover OR read a book that takes place in Texas.
Wicked as She Wants - Delilah Dawson 2/6✔18. Although it’s possible that toasted ravioli has its roots in Sicily, it is most popularly believed to have been invented in “The Hill,” an Italian neighborhood in St. Louis. Legend has it that a chef accidentally dropped ravioli into a deep-fryer. It is generally served with marinara sauce and cheese sprinkled lightly on top, and may or may not contain meat. ★Read a book whose setting is an ethnic neighborhood OR read a book with an Italian character OR read a book that takes place anywhere in Missouri.
Playing to Win - Jaci Burton 3/4✔19. Chislic, named from the Russian “shashlik,” meaning simply “cubed meat,” has been a staple dish in Sioux Falls, S.D. since the 1870s. The preparation is simple: cubes of meat (beef, mutton or venison) are cooked in a deep fryer, seasoned with garlic and then served for consumption with toothpicks instead of cutlery. ★Read a book with any square object on the cover OR read a book that takes place in the 1800’s OR read a book that takes place anywhere in South Dakota.
Dead Case in Deadwood - Ann Charles 2/8✔20. The Rat Pack had several hang outs in Las Vegas and made this the city of big steaks and cocktails. The original pack was Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. Along with your 2”-high steak try the Mango Bellini served at the Belagio hotel or perhaps you’d rather try a Tiki Bandit from Frankie’s Tiki Hut. ★Read a book with any type of alcoholic beverage on the cover OR read a book with a character named Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter or Joey (reasonable variations accepted) OR read a book that takes place in Vegas.
Lucky Stiff - Deborah Coonts 2/16✔21. The humble Denver Omelet is known across America with ingredients of diced ham, onions and green bell peppers, topped with cheese and served with hash browns. Its exact origin is in dispute; some claim it was initially a sandwich invented by Western pioneers, with its bread removed once it became more popular in Denver as a breakfast meal than a sandwich, while others claim its origin is French. ★Read a book with a French character OR read a book that takes place in pioneering days OR read a book that takes place anywhere in Colorado.
Curtain - Agatha Christie (m.c. is French) 4/2✔22. San Francisco started America’s Fresh Food Movement. Walk along the Embarcadero to the Ferry Building Market to find some of the region’s best producers: Acme Bread, Cowgirl Creamery Cheeses, Hog Island Oysters, Frog Hollow Farm Preserves, Blue Bottle Coffee, and Recchiuti Chocolates. Don’t leave the city without having a “Mission-Style” burrito, which contains Spanish rice, beans, salsa, avocado, cheese, sour cream and grilled chicken or beef or BBQ pork wrapped in a large flour tortilla. ★Read a book where the first letter of every word in the title (exclude a, an, the – 3 word minimum) can be found in one of the market producers (tell us who you chose) OR read a book with a “fresh” plot or idea OR read a book that takes place in San Francisco.
Shaedes of Gray - Amanda Bonilla (S,O & G in cOwGirl Creamery CheeSes) 2/8✔23. If you have a sweet tooth, head to Portland, Oregon. This city is seriously crazy about donuts! Voodoo Donuts offers maple bacon and Cap’n Crunch donuts. Their signature donut is the voodoo doll donut filled with a blood-red raspberry jelly, complete with a pretzel-stick stake. The city also hosts 50 craft beer breweries and is famous for its pinot noirs from grapes harvested in the Willamette Valley. ★Read a book with any type of donut-shaped item on the cover OR read a book with a “5” or a “0” in the original publication date OR a book that takes place anywhere in Oregon.
Heart of the Wolf - Terry Spear 2/13✔24. Seattle offers a Pacific bounty of fresh seafood. Try the sockeye-salmon crostini with oysters, clams, or crab. A visit to the Pike Place Market is a must for farm fresh, locally sourced, artisanal and specialty foods. Oh yeah, there’s a little coffee company that started here – Starbucks! ★Read a book that takes place along the western coastline of the United States OR read a book featuring a seafood business of some kind (restaurant, fishing company, cannery) OR read a book that takes place in Seattle.
Much Ado About Vampires - Katie MacAlister (California) 2/15✔25. For the freshest pineapple and tropical fruits, visit the Saturday Farmers Market in Honolulu. Afterwards have the “Hawaiian” plate lunch consisting of rice, macaroni salad, and some kind of protein. The tiki bar is classic Honolulu and not to be missed! Have a Mai Tai (they are VERY stiff) with fresh fish and shrimp. ★Read a book whose title contains T I K I in its title (the letters do not have to be together, nor do they have to be in order) OR read a book with a yellow cover OR read a book that takes place in Hawaii.
Spider Bones - Kathy Reichs 3/22CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Sum It UpRound 1 Start Date: May 1, 2015
Total Points: 91/91
1st in Series
[Species Intervention 01]Baby - J.K. Accinni 5/3
[Of Monsters and Madness 01]Of Monsters and Madness - Jessica Verday 5/3
[Asylum 01]Asylum - Madeleine Roux 5/5
[Shades of London 01]The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson 5/8
[Goodnight Family 01]Texas Gothic - Rosemary Clement-Moore 5/9
[Dark Heroine 01]Dinner with a Vampire - Abigail Gibbs 5/10
[Gilded Legacy 01]Bees in the Butterfly Garden - Maureen Lang 5/17
[Ripple Creek Werewolf 01]Beneath a Rising Moon - Keri Arthur 5/22
2nd in Series
[Cat Who...02]The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern - Lilian Jackson Braun 5/2
[Species Intervention 02]Echo - J.K. Accinni 5/5
[Asylum 02]Sanctum - Madeleine Roux 5/7
[Ruth Galloway 02]The Janus Stone - Elly Griffiths 5/10
[Matt Cruse 02]Skybreaker - Kenneth Oppel 5/15
[Shadowfae Chronicles 02]Shadowglass - Erica Hayes 5/18
[Ripple Creek Werewolf 02]Beneath a Darkening Moon - Keri Arthur 5/23
3rd in Series
[Species Intervention 03]Armageddon Cometh- J.K. Accinni 5/7
4th in Series
[Seven Realms 04]The Crimson Crown - Cinda Williams Chima 5/22
5th in Series
[Play By Play 05]Thrown by a Curve - Jaci Burton 6/3
6th in Series
[Chronicles of Nick 06]Instinct - Sherrilyn Kenyon 5/11
[Charley Davidson 06]Sixth Grave on the Edge - Darynda Jones 5/13
[Mortal Instruments 06]City of Heavenly Fire - Cassandra Clare 5/17
7th in Series
[Charley Davidson 07]Seventh Grave and No Body - Darynda Jones 5/28
9th in Series
[Midnight Breed 09]Deeper Than Midnight - Lara Adrian 6/2
10th in Series
[Midnight Breed 10]Darker After Midnight - Lara Adrian 6/4
13th in Series
[Women's Murder Club 13]Unlucky 13 - James Patterson 5/17
CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Read the Book Before the Movie Comes Out! Duration: January 1 - June 30, 2015
READ: 49/50
The Tasks: Part 1
✔1. Black Mass - Based on the book by Dick Lehr. The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.
Read a book with a color in the title -or- read a book set in Massachusetts.
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse - Diana Rowland 2/25
✔2. A Book of Common Prayer - Based on the book by Joan Didion. The story of two American women whose lives cross in a fictional Central American country on the verge of revolution.
Read a book whose main protagonists are two members of the same sex -or- read a book where the protagonist is in a country not their own, for any reason.
Wicked as She Wants - Delilah Dawson 2/6
✔3. Brooklyn - Based on the book by Colm Toibin. In 1950s Ireland and New York, young Ellis Lacey has to choose between two men and two countries.
Read a book with a place name in the title -or- read a book set in Ireland.
Last Stand of Dead Men - Derek Landy 3/16
✔4. Carol - Based on the book "The Price of Salt" by Patricia Highsmith. Set in 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman.
Read a book marked Glbt on the GR main page -or- read a book with a woman on the cover.
Magic Breaks - Ilona Andrews 1/15✔5. Child 44 - Based on the book by Tom Rob Smith. Set in Stalin-era Soviet Union, a disgraced MGB agent is dispatched to investigate a series of child murders -- a case that begins to connect with the very top of party leadership.
Read book #1 of a mystery series -or- read a book whose author's first name has three letters.
Archer's Voice - Mia Sheridan 1/6
✔6. The Choice - Based on the book by Nicholas Sparks. Travis and Gabby first meet as neighbors in a small coastal town and wind up in a relationship that is tested by life's most defining events.
Read a book with a dog on the cover -or- read a book where the main protagonist is faced with a choice about something important (choice of take-out doesn't count!).
Antiques Flee Market - Barbara Allan 2/4✔7. The Danish Girl - Based on the book by David Ebershoff. Inspired by the true story of Danish painter Einar Wegener and his California-born wife, this tender portrait of a marriage asks: What do you do when someone you love wants to change?
Read a book based on a true story -or- read a book set in a Scandinavian country.
Burial Rites - Hannah Kent 5/20✔8. Dark Places - Based on the book by Gillian Flynn. A woman who survived the brutal killing of her family as a child is forced to confront the events of that day by a secret society obsessed with solving notorious crimes.
Read a book with a black cover -or- read a book where the main character belongs to some kind of group that meets regularly.
Note: If you choose the cover option, please post the cover.
Asylum - Madeleine Roux 5/5✔9. The Dressmaker - Based on the book by Rosalie Ham. A glamorous woman returns to her small town in rural Australia. With her sewing machine and haute couture style, she transforms the women and exacts sweet revenge on those who did her wrong.
Read a book where the main character works with cloth -or- read a book whose title begins with a letter in "KATE" (A, An, The do not count).
Archangel's Consort - Nalini Singh 2/17
✔10. The Driftless Area - Based on the book by Tom Drury. A bartender comes back to his hometown after his parents die, and finds himself in a dangerous situation involving a mysterious woman and a violent criminal.
Read a book with a 7 in the total number of pages -or- read a book in which the word "LESS" appears intact in the title.
The Gray Wolf Throne - Cinda Williams Chima (517 pages) 3/28
✔11. The Family Fang - Based on the book by Kevin Wilson. A brother and sister return to their family home in search of their world famous parents who have disappeared.
Read a book marked Humor on the GR main page -or- read a book with a dysfunctional family central to the plot.
A Tale Of Two Dragons - G.A. Aiken 2/2
✔12. Far From the Madding Crowd - Based on the book by Thomas Hardy. A beautiful young woman maintains relationships with three very different men.
Read a book that has a main protagonist go through more than one relationship -or- read a book with an author or main character called Thomas.
It Happened One Wedding - Julie James 6/27
(heroine is actively seeking a mate while dating someone)
✔13. Fifty Shades of Grey - Based on the book by E. L. James. Literature student Anastasia Steele's life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey.
Read a book that has more than 500,000 ratings on GR -or- read a book with one (and only one) item of clothing on the cover.
Note: If you choose the cover option, please post the cover.
The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkein 2/26
✔14. High-Rise - Based on the book by J. G. Ballard. Life for the residents of a tower block begins to run out of control.
Read a book with a tall building on the cover -or- read a book with an author whose initials are JG, GJ, GB, BG, JB or BJ.
The Book of Names - Jill Gregory 4/13
✔15. A Hologram for the King - Based on the book by Dave Eggers. A failed American businessman looks to recoup his losses by traveling to Saudi Arabia and selling his idea to a wealthy monarch.
Read a book with a royal character in the story -or- read a book with a main character who is a failure.
Seraphina - Rachel Hartman (hero is a prince) 2/28
✔16. In the Heart of the Sea - Based on the book by Nathaniel Philbrick. Based on the 1820 event, a whaling ship is preyed upon by a sperm whale, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days, thousands of miles from home.
Read a book set aboard a ship -or- read a book marked Survival on the GR main page.
Captured by the Pirate Laird - Amy Jarecki 2/25
✔17. Inferno - Based on the book by Dan Brown. After waking up at a hospital room in Venice, in a amnesic state, Robert Langdon finds himself the target of a manhunt.
Read a book with fire on the cover -or- read a book set in Italy.
Her Sky Cowboy - Beth Ciotta 2/13
✔18. Insurgent - Based on the book by Veronica Roth. Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart.
Read a book with a one-word title -or- read book #2 in a young adult series.
Scarlet - Jordan Summers 2/7
✔19. Into the Forest - Based on the book by Jean Hegland. In the not too distant future, two young women who live in a remote ancient forest discover the world around them is on the brink of an apocalypse. Informed only by rumor, they fight intruders, disease, loneliness & starvation.
Read a book with a main character whose first name begins with an E -or- read a book where the main protagonist has a sister who is also important to the story.
The Horse Goddess - Morgan Llywelyn (heroine is named Epona) 1/4
✔20. The Jungle Book - Based on the book by Rudyard Kipling. An orphan boy is raised in the jungle with the help of a pack of wolves, a bear, and a black panther.
Read a book with a wild animal on the cover -or- read a book set in India, but written by a non-Indian author.
Note: If you choose the cover option, please post the cover.
Hunger Untamed - Pamela Palmer (cougar) 7/9✔21. The Light Between Oceans - Based on the book by M. L. Stedman. A lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from an adrift row-boat.
Read a book with a lighthouse on the cover -or- read a book where a baby is important to the plot.
Revenant - Larissa Ione 3/14
✔22. Live By Night - Based on the book by Dennis Lehane. A story set in the Prohibition Era and centered around a group of individuals and their dealings in the world of organized crime.
Read a book set in the 1920s -or- read a book with an anti-hero main character.
Mind Fuck - Manna Francis 3/21
✔23. London Fields - Based on the book by Martin Amis. Clairvoyant femme fatale Nicola Six has been living with a dark premonition of her impending death by murder. She begins a tangled love affair with three uniquely different men: one of whom she knows will be her murderer.
Read a book with a six in the year first published -or- read a book which appears on any edition of the 1001 Books Before You Die (post the edition).
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters - Gordon Dahlquist (2006) 3/7
✔24. The Longest Ride - Based on the book by Nicholas Sparks. The lives of a young couple intertwine with a much older man as he reflects back on a lost love while he's trapped in an automobile crash.
Read a book with an automobile accident in the story -or- read a book whose author has published more than 15 full-length books.
Festive in Death - J.D. Robb 2/16
✔25. Love, Rosie - Based on the book by Cecelia Ahern. Rosie and Alex have been best friends since they were 5, so they couldn't possibly be right for one another...or could they? When it comes to love, life and making the right choices, these two are their own worst enemies.
Read a book whose title has changed for whatever reason since publication -or- read a book where letters are important to the story.
Think of a Number - John Verdon (killer writes letters to his victims) 4/1
The Tasks: Part 2✔26. Macbeth - Based on the play by William Shakespeare. Spurred on by an eerie prophecy of the power he could gain if he were King, Macbeth, an army general, murders Duncan, the King of Scotland, and takes the throne. However, his guilt, and that of his wife, may prove to be their undoing.
Read a play -or- read a book with blood or roses on the cover.
Note: If you choose the cover option, please post the cover.
Dinner with a Vampire - Abigail Gibbs 5/10✔27. The Martian - Based on the book by Andy Weir. An astronaut, stranded on Mars, struggles to survive.
Read a book set mostly in a place other than Earth (fantasy worlds count) -or- read a book with a protagonist who could be described as a geek.
Light My Fire - G.A. Aiken 1/5
✔28. Me Before You - Based on the book by Jojo Moyes.
Read a book with a protagonist who is seriously ill or injured -or- read a book that makes you cry.
Moloka'i - Alan Brennert 1/18
✔29. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Based on the book by Ransom Riggs. A teenager finds himself transported back in time, when visiting the island where his grandfather grew up. He must help protect a group of orphans with peculiar talents from creatures out to destroy them.
Read a book that has Time Travel on its main page -or- read a book whose author's first and last name begin with the same letter.
Absolution - Susannah Sandlin 2/5
✔30. Mockingjay Part II - Based on the book "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins. After being symbolized as the 'Mockingjay' Katniss Everdeen and District 13 engage in an all-out revolution against the autocratic Capitol.
Read the last book of a finished series -or- read a book with a strong female protagonist.
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins 1/19
✔31. A Monster Calls - Based on the book by Patrick Ness. A boy seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mom's terminal illness.
Read a book you consider spooky -or- read a book with a black, white and gray cover (only black, gray and white!).
77 Shadow Street - Dean Koontz 1/9
✔32. Mortdecai - Based on the book "Don't Point That Thing At Me" by Kyril Bonfiglioli. Art dealer Charles Mortdecai searches for a stolen painting that's reportedly linked to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.
Read a book with a British protagonist -or- read a book where the main character has a manservant.
Sapphires Are an Earl's Best Friend - Shana Galen 3/1
✔33. The 9th Life of Louis Drax - Based on the book by Liz Jensen. A psychologist who begins working with a young boy who has suffered a near-fatal fall finds himself drawn into a mystery that tests the boundaries of fantasy and reality.
Read a book with a number in the title -or- read a book with a psychologist important to the plot.
206 Bones - Kathy Reichs 2/14
✔34. Pan - Based on the book "Peter Pan" by J. M. Barrie. The story of an orphan who is spirited away to the magical Neverland. There, he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny -- to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.
Read a classic -or- read a book with an orphan main character.
The Monstrumologist - Rick Yancey 1/8
35. Paper Towns - Based on the book by John Green. A teenager embarks on a miraculous journey to find a friend who has gone missing.
Read a book whose main character's first name begins with a Q -or- read a book with a color in the author's name.
✔36. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Based on the book by Seth Grahame-Smith. Jane Austen's classic tale of the tangled relationships between lovers from different social classes in 19th century England is faced with a new challenge -- an army of undead zombies.
Read a book based on the works of Jane Austen (Austen's own works count) -or- read a book with some undead character in it.
Broken Soul - Faith Hunter (vampires) 1/3
✔37. The Revenant - Based on the book by Michael Punke. In the 1820s, a frontiersman, Hugh Glass, sets out on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling.
Read a book marked "Western" in its main GR page -or- read a book set in the 1800s.
The Mad, Bad Duke - Jennifer Ashley (1820) 3/31
✔38. Room - Based on the book by Emma Donoghue. A young boy is raised within the confines of a small shed.
Read a book set mostly within a house -or- read a book with a child narrator (anyone under 12 counts).
The Fall - Bethany Griffin 5/10
✔39. Scorch Trials - Based on the book by James Dashner. The Gladers have escaped the Maze, but now they face a new set of challenges on the open roads of a world ravaged by solar flares and disease.
Read a book set over a fortnight or less -or- read a book marked Dystopia on its main GR page.
Saints Astray - Jacqueline Carey 4/16
✔40. The Secret in Their Eyes - Based on the book by Eduardo Sacheri. A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later.
Read a book set in South America -or- read a book where the main protagonist is a detective (a cop or a PI, both work).
Bombshell - Catherine Coulter 1/16
✔41. The Secret Scripture - Based on the book by Sebastian Barry. A woman keeps a diary of her extended stay at a mental hospital.
Read a book where someone has a mental illness of some sort -or- read a book with the word "SECRET" in the title (plural ok, no other variations).
Water Bound - Christine Feehan (heroine is autistic) 2/16
✔42. Seventh Son - Based on the book "The Spook's Apprentice" by Joseph Delaney. Young Thomas is apprenticed to the local Spook to learn to fight evil spirits. His first great challenge comes when the powerful Mother Malkin escapes her confinement while the Spook is away.
Read a book where the main character is an apprentice to someone -or- read a book with a relationship word in the title (son, daughter, wife etc).
The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones - Jack Wolf 4/28
✔43. Silence - Based on the book by Shusaku Endo. In the seventeenth century, two Jesuit priests face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity.
Read a book set in Japan -or- read a historical fiction.
Blood of Tyrants - Naomi Novik 1/24
✔44. Suite Francaise - Based on the book by Irene Nemirovsky. During the early years of German occupation of France, romance blooms between Lucile Angellier, a French villager and Bruno von Falk, a German soldier.
Read a book set during World War II -or- read a book with an adult romance.
Heart of the Wolf - Terry Spear 2/13
✔45. True Story - Based on the book by Michael Finkel. A drama centered around the relationship between journalist Michael Finkel and Christian Longo, an FBI Most Wanted List murderer who for years lived outside the U.S. under Finkel's name.
Read a book whose main character uses an alias-or- read a book with an unreliable narrator.
Hidden Currents - Christine Feehan (heroine is undercover) 2/21
✔46. Truth - Based on the book "Truth and Duty" by Mary Mapes. A behind-the-scenes look at news anchor Dan Rather during his final days at C.B.S. News when he broadcast a damaging report about how President Bush relied on privilege and family connections to avoid fighting in the Vietnam War.
Read a book first published during the Vietnam war (1955-1975) -or- read a book with a journalist main character.
Buried - Kendra Elliot 3/17
✔47. Victor Frankenstein - Based on the book by Mary Shelley.
Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in "IGOR" -or- read a book that has been adapted into movies multiple times.
Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch 1/11
✔48. A Walk in the Woods - Based on the book by Bill Bryson. After spending two decades in England, Bill Bryson returns to the U.S., where he decides the best way to connect with his homeland is to hike the Appalachian Trail with one of his oldest friends.
Read a book set in a state through which the Appalachian trail passes (Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine) -or- read a book where the main character comes back to the place they were born.
Devil Bones - Kathy Reichs (North Carolina) 1/21
✔49. The World Made Straight - Based on the book by Ron Rash. In a rural Appalachian community haunted by the legacy of a Civil War massacre, a rebellious young man struggles to escape the violence that would bind him to the past.
Read a book marked "Southern" on its main GR page -or- read a book from the list of https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/...
Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt 6/11
✔50. Z For Zachariah - Based on the book by Robert C. O'Brien. In the wake of a disaster that wipes out most of civilization, two men and a young woman find themselves in an emotionally charged love triangle as the last known survivors.
Read a book with a Z anywhere in the title -or- read a book with a love triangle in the plot.
Zoo - James Patterson 3/5
Music 101Duration: June 1 - November 30, 2015
READ: 30/30
✔A CAPPELLA = one or more vocalists performing without an accompaniment
♫ Read a book with a foreign word in its title OR read an author’s debut book. Post the GR link to the author’s works, sorted by publication date
Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt 6/11✔ALTO = typically, a female voice of low range, also called contralto
♫ Read a book with a main character whose first initial begins with a letter in ALTO (tell us the name) OR a book with a 4-letter title OR an audio book narrated by a woman (tell us the narrator)
Bones Are Forever - Kathy Reichs (Barbara Rosenblatt) 6/9✔BARITONE = the most common range of male voice pitched between the tenor and bass
♫ Read a half-step book (disregard the usual 150-page minimum for this) OR read a book which you end up giving a 1/2 star rating
Darkhouse - Karina Halle (2 stars) 6/6✔BASS = the lowest of the voices and the lowest part of the harmony
♫ Sort your TBR list by date added, oldest to newest. Read one of the first 50 books on the list
Dragonquest - Anne McCaffrey 7/17✔CHORD = three or four notes played simultaneously in harmony
♫ Read book #3 or #4 in a series OR a book featuring a family of three or four people
Thrill Ride - Julie Ann Walker (Black Knights #4) 7/11✔CLEF = a symbol at the beginning of the staff defining the pitch of the notes found in that particular staff
♫ Read a book with a character who sings (not necessarily professionally, but sings in the car or the shower, etc.) OR a book with a musical symbol or instrument on the cover (MUST be clearly visible in the GR thumbnail; post the cover)
Big Sky Summer - Linda Lael Miller (heroine is a country music star) 8/4✔CODA = the end, tail, or closing section of a song
♫ Read a book that finishes a challenge other than this one; tell us the challenge OR a book by an author whose LAST initial can be found in CODA
Dawn's Early Light - Pip Ballantine (From Sea to Shing Sea: Massachusetts) 6/18✔DESCANT = an independent treble melody usually sung or played above a basic melody
♫ Read a book with mostly female characters (male characters must be insignificant to the main plot) OR a book where the main character is a parent
Big Sky Mountain - Linda Lael Miller 6/30✔DUET = a piece of music written for two vocalists or instrumentalists
♫ Read a book with two, and only two, main characters (tell us their names) OR a book with only TWO people on the cover; no more, no less (must be visible in the GR thumbnail; post the book cover)
Never Love a Highlander - Maya Banks 6/6✔ENCORE = a piece of music played at the end of a recital responding to the audience's enthusiastic reaction to the performance, usually shown by continuous applause
♫ Read a book by an author whose work you have read once (and only once) before OR a book whose title starts with a letter in ENCORE (ALL WORDS COUNT!)
Exposed - Alex Kava 6/24✔FERMATA = to hold a tone or rest held beyond the written value at the discretion of the performer
♫ Read a book whose plot/theme sticks with you well after you’ve finished the book; tell us why OR a book you own and will be holding on to
Archangel's Shadows - Nalini Singh 8/2✔FLAT = a symbol placed in front of a note to indicate lowering that note by one half step
♫ Read a book that came highly recommended but that didn’t quite live up to your expectations OR a book whose Goodreads rating is less than 4.0 (tell us the rating)
Rock Chick Rescue - Kristen Ashley 8/15✔KEY SIGNATURE = the flats and sharps at the beginning of each staff line indicating the key of music the piece is to be played
♫ Read a book with a clear and straightforward plot OR a book with a key or lock on the cover (MUST be clearly visible in the GR thumbnail; post the cover)
The Archived - Victoria Schwab 6/21✔MEASURE (or BAR) = the unit of measure where the beats on the lines of the staff are divided up into two, three, four beats to a measure/bar
♫ Read a book with a unit of measure intact in its title, author first or last name or series name (inch, yard, mile, quart, etc.) OR a character who works in a bar or restaurant
Nauti Temptress - Lora Leigh (heroine is a waitress) 8/12✔MELODY = the “tune” of a composition; the part you might whistle
♫ Read a book from your comfort zone
It Happened One Wedding - Julie James 6/27✔NATURAL = a symbol in sheet music that returns a note to its original pitch after it has been augmented or diminished (by a sharp or a flat, respectively)
♫ Read a book with a nature scene on the cover (MUST be clearly visible in the GR thumbnail; post the cover) OR a book with a character who has a specific talent, such as sports or music (tell us what talent)
Thrown by a Curve - Jaci Burton (professional baseball player) 6/3✔OCTAVE = eight full tones above the key note where the scale begins and ends
♫ Read a book with an 8-letter word in its title OR a book by an author with an 8-letter first or last name
Deeper Than Midnight - Lara Adrian (midnight=8) 6/2✔QUARTET = a set of four musicians who perform a composition written for four parts
♫ Read a book of short stories OR a book written by four (and only four) different authors (must be ONE story; tell us all four authors)
The Assassin's Blade - Sarah Maas (5 short stories) 8/2✔REFRAIN = a repeating phrase that is played at the end of each verse in the song
♫ Read a book with a quotation or poem at the start of each chapter OR a book with two or more words in the title that start with the same letter
Beauty and the Blacksmith - Tessa Dare 7/6✔REST = an interval of silence in a piece of music, marked by a symbol indicating the length of the pause
♫ Read a book by an author whose work you haven’t read for at least 18 months (tell us when you last read this author's work) OR a book by author who has died (tell us when)
Notorious - Allison Brennan (last read June 2010) 6/9✔RHYTHM = the time element in music which is determined by accent and/or duration of tones
♫ Read a book with a time piece = watch, clock, sundial = on its cover (MUST be clearly visible in the GR thumbnail; post the cover) OR a book with a character who is a dancer or a musician other than a singer
Murder Past Due - Miranda James (clock in upper left corner) 6/10✔SCALE = successive notes of a key or mode either ascending or descending
♫ Read a book with at least two successive numbers in its total number of pages (238, 341, 456 all work; 219 does not; tell us how many pages) OR the next book in a series you've already started. (You cannot start a new series for this task.)
Darker After Midnight - Lara Adrian (563 pages) 6/4✔SHARP = a symbol placed in front of a note to indicate raising that note by one half step
♫ Read a book with some sort of sharp object on its cover (MUST be clearly visible in the GR thumbnail; post the cover) OR a book whose Goodreads rating is 4.0 or higher (tell us the rating)
Hungry for You - Lynsay Sands (4.26) 6/7✔SOLO = a composition for a single voice or instrument
♫ Read a stand-alone book OR a book whose title or author's first or last name starts with O
Starclimber - Kenneth Oppel 6/23✔SOPRANO = the highest of the singing voices
♫ Read a book that you’ve added to your TBR list in the past three months (tell us when you added it) OR a book is set in the location that is high (such as a mountaintop or a city with a *high* elevation; tell us where)
Trail of Kisses - Merry Farmer (added 7/20/15) 7/5✔STAFF = five horizontal parallel lines and the spaces between them on which musical notation is written
♫ Read a book with at least two horizontal lines on its cover (MUST be clearly visible in the GR thumbnail; post the cover) OR a book where people must work together to solve a problem
Archangel's Legion - Nalini Singh 6/19✔TEMPO = generally, the speed of music
♫ Read a book that is fast-paced (one that gets your heart pumping and that you can’t put down) OR read a book that relaxes you with a calm, soothing plot
He's So Fine - Jill Shalvis 6/20✔TENOR = a range of voice that is between the bass and the alto
♫ Read a book by an author whose FIRST name could be used by a man or a woman (Chris, Terry, Shawn, etc.) OR a book that is part of a series, but neither the first not the last book (tell us where it falls in the series)
Dark Tort - Diane Mott Davidson (#13 of 17) 6/1✔TRILL = a rapid alternation between notes that are a half tone or whole tone apart
♫ Read a book by an author whose books you keep coming back to OR a book with consecutive double letters in the title
Forgotten Sins - Rebecca Zanetti 6/7✔UNISON = two or more voices or instruments playing the same note simultaneously
♫ Read a book with a title that is identical to the title of another book on your TBR list (post links to BOTH book titles) OR read a book where the author shares the same LAST name with another author on your TBR list (post links to both names)
Revenant - Phaedra Weldon 7/13
Revenant - Larissa Ione 3/14
CHALLENGE COMPLETE
From Sea to Shining Sea - MarylandDuration: July 1 - August 31, 2015
READ 9/10
✔1. The seventh state, Maryland, was admitted to statehood on Apr 28, 1788. It was named to honor Henrietta Maria, the wife of England's king Charles I. Its capital city is Annapolis. Maryland is bordered by Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east.
✒ Read a book with a royal main character -or- read one of the 10 oldest books in your TBR, either sorted by date added or by publication date -or- read a book with an author or main character named Mary or Maria (no variations!).
High Noon - Nora Roberts (added Apr 2009) 8/22✔2. According to some historians, Gen. George Washington bestowed the name “Old Line State” and thereby associated Maryland with its regular line troops, the Maryland Line, who served courageously in many Revolutionary War battles. Maryland also goes by the name "Free State". Maryland has four state colors derived from the state flag: red, white, black and gold. The state motto comes from the Calvert family, the founders of the Maryland colony, "fatti maschii, parole femine", which translates as "manly (strong) deeds, womanly (gentle) words".
✒ Read a book with an important war veteran character -or- read a book with at least two of the following colors on its cover: red, black, white, gold (post the cover, it MUST be visible on GR thumbnail) -or- read a book that you think would appeal significantly to either men or women (not both).
Dark Hunger - Sarah Reinke (hero is a wounded veteran) 8/15✔3. The state flower of Maryland is the Black Eyed Susan, state bird the Baltimore Oriole, and state tree is the White Oak. The state crustacean is the Maryland Blue Crab, which the state is famous for. It is 19th in terms of population and 42nd in terms of area. It is also the richest state in America, with 11% of its households earning more than $200,000.
✒ Read a book with either a color, a body part or a woman's name in the title -or- read a book with the first and last initials of the author appearing in the word "ORIOLE" -or- read a book with a very rich character.
Fifty Shades of Alice Through the Looking Glass - Melinda DuChamp 7/10✔4. Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat, was born in Baltimore. Other famous Marylanders authors James M. Cain and Leon Uris; abolitionists Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman and composer Philip Glass. John Wilkes Booth, actor and Lincoln assassin, was also born in Maryland.
✒ Read a book with a character who is a prodigy in any field -or- read a book that mentions abolition or civil rights -or- read a book with an assassin character.
The Assassin's Blade - Sarah Maas 7/18✔5. Maryland was a border state in the American Civil War, in that it was a slave state that did not declare secession from the Union. There was popular support for the Confederacy in Baltimore, Southern Maryland, and the Eastern Shore, the latter two areas with numerous slave-holders and slaves. Baltimore was strongly tied to the cotton trade and related businesses of the South. The Maryland Legislature rejected secession in the spring of 1861, though it refused to reopen rail links with the North. It requested that Union troops be removed from Maryland. The state legislature did not want to secede, but it also did not want to aid in killing southern neighbors in order to force them back into the Union.
✒ Read a book set on a plantation (does not have to be cotton) -or- read a book set in a famously neutral territory (like Switzerland or any of the third world countries or even Maryland) -or- read a book with a train or tracks on the cover (post the cover).
Bring on the Night - Jeri Smith-Ready (set in Maryland) 8/21✔6. Union troops had to go through Maryland to reach the national capital at Washington, D.C. Had Maryland also joined the Confederacy, Washington, D.C. would have been surrounded. To protect the national capital Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, and imprisoned without charges or trials one sitting U.S. Congressman as well the mayor, police chief, entire Board of Police, and the city council of Baltimore. On September 17, 1861, the day the legislature reconvened, federal troops arrested without charge twenty-seven state legislators (one-third of the Maryland General Assembly). Because a large part of the legislature was now imprisoned, the session was canceled and representatives did not considered any additional anti-war measures. The official state song, "Maryland, My Maryland", was written to attack Lincoln's action in blocking pro-Confederate elements.
✒ Read a book published in September of any year -or- read a book where a plea or appeal is ignored for any reason (mention the situation) -or- read a book which has political prisoners relevant to the plot.
Hostage to Pleasure - Nalini Singh (Sept 2008) 7/247. The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is considered a masterpiece and one of the finest 19th century buildings in the world. The basilica is the first cathedral in the United States. Baltimore represents the first Roman Catholic diocese.
✒ Read a book with a Catholic priest or nun character -or- read a book with a domed roof or pillars on the cover (post the cover) -or- read a book dealing with the art world.
✔8. On the morning of August 10, 1813, residents of Saint Michaels, having been forewarned of a British attack, hoisted lanterns to the masts of ships and in the tops of the trees. The height of light caused cannons to overshoot the town. This first known blackout was effective; only one house was struck and is now known as the "Cannonball House." The town has been known as the town that fooled the British since this historic event.
✒ Read a book with a predominantly black cover (post the cover) -or read a book with some sort of weapon used in the book -or- read a book where the first letter of all words of the title are found in CANNONBALL. (All words count, 3 words minimum).
Revenant - Phaedra Weldon (swords) 7/13✔9. America's national anthem was written by Francis Scott Key, a Maryland lawyer. It is believed Key wrote the anthem on September 14, 1814 while watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. Since May 30th, 1949 the United States flag has flown continuously over the monument marking the site of Francis Scott Key's birthplace.
✒ Read a book with verse in it -or- read a book with flag or a word rhyming with flag in the title (plurals ok, no other variations) -or- read a book with a lawyer main character.
Deadly Offerings - Alexa Grace 8/9✔10. In Baltimore, it is illegal to take a lion to the movies, or to sell chicks or ducklings to minors within 1 week of Easter Sunday. It is illegal to spit on city sidewalks. You may, however, spit on the roads. It is a misdemeanor to swear from a vehicle in Rockville.
✒ Read a book with a wild animal mentioned in it (should be an actual wild animal, not a person referred to as such) -or- read a book with a road or sidewalk on the cover (post the cover) -or- read a book with profanity in it.
Rock Chick Rescue - Kristen Ashley (heroine says the "F" word alot) 8/15
Travelling the World From My Comfy Chair ChallengeCompleted: 58/200
AFRICA
10/54
Algeria - Capture My Heart - Bobbi Smith 8/30/13
Botswana - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith 5/18/13
Egypt - Crocodile on the Sandbank - Elizabeth Peters 4/4/13
Madagascar - Hot Ice - Nora Roberts 1/16/13
Morocco - The Pleasure of Your Kiss - Teresa Medeiros 3/26/13
Nigeria - Cross Country - James Patterson 4/29/14
Sierra Leone - Last Man Standing - Cindy Gerard 8/5/13
South Africa - Wake Up Dead: A Thriller - Roger Smith 12/22/12
South Sudan - The Third Gate - Lincoln Child 12/5/12
Zimbabwee - A Falcon Flies - Wilbur Smith 3/31/13
ASIA
15/45
Afghanistan - Bahrain - Bangladesh - Bhutan - Brunei -
Cambodia - The Map of Lost Memories: A Novel - Kim Fay 7/30/13
China - The Mao Case - Qiu Xiaolong 5/21/13
India - Tiger's Quest - Colleen Houck 5/4/13
Iraq - On Call In Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story - Cdr. Richard Jadick 2/27/13
Japan - Stormdancer - Jay Kristoff 2/13/13
Mongolia - Warrior - Zoe Archer 4/11/13
Nepal - Into Thin Air:Mt. Everest Disaster - Jon Krakauer 1/13/13
Qatar - Florence of Arabia - Christopher Buckley 5/15/13
Russian Federation - Zugzwang - Ronan Bennett 1/31/13
Syria - Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled - Dorothy Gilman 9/2/13
Tajikistan - Deep Black: Death Wave - Stephen Coonts 1/11/13
Thailand - Eat Prey Love - Kerrelyn Sparks 5/16/14
Tibet - The Skull Mantra - Eliot Pattison 6/14/13
Turkey - Behemoth - Scott Westerfield 2/8/13
EUROPE
20/50
Albania - The Lion's Daughter - Loretta Chase 5/7/13
Austria - Leviathan - Scott Westerfield 1/16/13
Bulgaria - Angelopolis - Danielle Trussoni 4/18/13
Cyprus - Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist - M.C. Beaton 2/5/13
Finland - Snow Angels - James Thompson 5/7/13
France - Citadel - Kate Mosse 7/16/13
Georgia - Magic Rises - Ilona Andrews 6/23/14
Greece - Bitten to Death - Jennifer Rardin 4/27/13
Greenland - Lethal Rider - Larissa Ione 3/22/13
Hungary - The Darkest Lie - Gena Showalter 12/2/12
Iceland - Ashes to Dust - Yrsa Sigurðardóttir 1/22/13
Ireland - Mortal Coil - Derek Landy 3/29/13
Italy - The Monster of Florence - Douglas Preston 1/18/13
Monaco - Guilty Wives - James Patterson 2/25/13
Netherlands - The Folly of the World - Jesse Bullington 5/13/13
Poland - Briar Rose - Jane Yolen 7/6/13
Portugal - The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey - Trenton Lee Stewart 7/26/13
Romania - Dark Wolf - Christine Feehan 3/4/14
Spain - Sleeping Arrangements - Madeleine Wickham 5/29/13
Sweden - The Postcard Killers - James Patterson 4/28/13
Switzerland - This Dark Endeavour - Kenneth Oppel 6/26/13
UK - The Chief - Monica McCarty 12/7/12
NORTH AMERICA
6/25
Anguilla - A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time - Melinda Blanchard 1/29/13
Bahamas - On Stranger Tides - Tim Powers 4/5/13
Canada - Sins of the Flesh - Eve Silver 1/9/13
Guatemala - Grave Secrets - Kathy Reichs 10/8/13
United States - Monkeewrench - P.J. Tracy (Minnesota) 1/19/13
Virgin Islands - Sea Hunter - Paul Garrison 2/16/13
OCEANIA
4/16
Australia - Magic Lessons - Justine Larbalestier 1/24/13
Cook Islands - Blue Latitudes - Tony Horwitz 2/25/13
New Zealand - Aunt Dimity Down Under - Nancy Atherton 3/7/13
Tahiti - Mutiny on the Bounty - John Boyne 8/20/13
SOUTH AMERICA
2/12
Argentina - Atlantis Found - Clive Cussler 3/11/14
Brazil - River of Eden - Glenna McReynolds 8/29/13
Peru - In Golden Blood - Stephen Woodworth 2/6/13
ANTARCTICA
1/1
Antarctica - Kim Stanley Robinson 3/13/13
Our Furry (And Feathered) Friends Duration: June 1, 2014 - June 12, 2016
READ: 372/372
CATS: COMPLETE
Persian (view spoiler)
Maine coon (view spoiler)
American shorthair (view spoiler)
Ragdoll (view spoiler)
Russian blue (view spoiler)
DOGS: COMPLETE
Dachshund (view spoiler)
Yorkshire terrier (view spoiler)
Beagle (view spoiler)
Golden retriever (view spoiler)
German shepherd (view spoiler)
FISH: COMPLETE!
Goldfish (view spoiler)
Guppy (view spoiler)
Angel fish (view spoiler)
Mollies (view spoiler)
Swordtail (view spoiler)
BIRDS: COMPLETE!Parrot (view spoiler)
Canary (view spoiler)
Falcon (view spoiler)
Finch (view spoiler)
Pigeon (view spoiler)
MAMMALS: COMPLETE!
Rabbit (view spoiler)
Guinea pig (view spoiler)
Hamster (view spoiler)
Gerbil (view spoiler)
Mouse (view spoiler)
RODENTS: COMPLETE!
Rat (view spoiler)
Ferret (view spoiler)
Squirrel (view spoiler)
Chinchilla (view spoiler)
Hedgehog (view spoiler)
REPTILES / AMPHIBIANS / ARACHNIDS: COMPLETE!
Chameleon (view spoiler)
Gecko (view spoiler)
Snake (view spoiler)
Turtle (view spoiler)
Tarantula (view spoiler)
OUTDOOR PETS:
Horse (view spoiler)
Burro (view spoiler)
Goat (view spoiler)
Llama (view spoiler)
Pot-bellied pig (view spoiler)
EXOTIC PETS:
Two-toed sloth (view spoiler)
Alligators (view spoiler)
Kinkajou (view spoiler)
Striped polecats (view spoiler)
Bennett's wallaby (view spoiler)
CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Small, Medium or Large ChallengeDuration: December 1, 2014 - ?
READ: 43/75
1. Award winners. Make sure to state the award it won and the year.
1. [ pages]
2. [415 pages] Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (Voya Perfect Ten - 2010) 1/19/15
3. [467 pages] Seraphina - Rachel Hartman (William C. Morris YA Debut Award (2013)) 2/28/15
2. Books which have been nominated for an award. It does not need to be the same award as (1). Make sure to state the award and the year it was nominated.
1. [ pages]
2. [ pages]
3. [604 pages] Last Stand of Dead Men - Derek Landy (CBI Book of the Year 2014) 3/16
✔3. Books which are part of a series - they don’t all need to be from the same series.
1. [219 pages] A Trouble of Fools - Linda Barnes 12/26/14
2. [448 pages] Carnal Sin - Allison Brennan (Seven Deadly Sins 02) 12/11/14
3. [558 pages] Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch (Gentleman Bastards 02) 1/11/15
4. Non-fiction books
1. [ pages]
2. [ pages]
3. [ pages]
✔5. Books first published before 2000.
1. [216 pages] Curtain - Agatha Christie (1973)4/2
2. [288 pages] If There Be Dragons - Kay Hooper (1984) 12/18/14
3. [480 pages] The Horse Goddess - Morgan Llywelyn (1982) 1/4/15
✔6. Books first published after 2000.
1. [232 pages] Antiques Flee Market - Barbara Allan (2008) 2/4/15
2. [384 pages] One Heart to Win - Johanna Lindsey (2013) 12/16/14
3. [480 pages] Water Bound - Christine Feehan (2010) 2/16/15
7. Books which have been recommended to you, either via GR or some other way.
1. [ pages]
2. [264 pages] Mind Fuck - Manna Francis 3/21
3. [613 pages] The Map of Time - Felix Palma 4/18
✔8. Books which have an overall rating on Goodreads of 4.00 or greater
1. [222 pages] West of Want - Laura Kaye (4.09) 3/21
2. [352 pages] Thunder Moon - Lori Handeland (4.02) 12/15/14
3. [499 pages] You Can't Hide - Karen Rose (4.26) 2/7/15
✔9. Books written by a male author
1. [232 pages] Fatal Shadows - Josh Lanyon 4/6
2. [365 pages] The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkein 2/26/15
3. [544 pages] Cross My Heart - James Patterson 12/19/14
✔10. Books written by a female author
1. [174 pages] A Tale Of Two Dragons - G.A. Aiken 2/2/15
2. [432 pages] Blood of Tyrants - Naomi Novik 1/24/15
3. [608 pages] Shadow Scale - Rachel Hartman 4/17
11. Anthologies, or books with several stories or books in it.
1. [ pages]
2. [388 pages] Candy Cane Murder - Joanna Fluke 2/26/15
3. [ pages]
✔12. Books from the same genre ~ MYSTERY
1. [232 pages] The Hell You Say - Josh Lanyon 4/9
2. [369 pages] Flesh and Blood - Patricia Cornwell 4/10
3. [509 pages] Shut Your Eyes Tight - John Verdon 4/12
13. Books which have been made into a movie or TV series
1. [ pages]
2. [310 pages] Devil Bones - Kathy Reichs 1/21/15
3. [ pages]
✔14. Books with titles starting with “The”
1. [187 pages] The Dark Tide - Josh Lanyon 4/11
2. [320 pages] The Crossing Places - Elly Griffiths 12/13/14
3. [454 pages] The Monstrumologist - Rick Yancey 1/8/15
✔15. Books with a part or all of a human being on the cover. Make sure to post the cover.
1. [248 pages] Death of a Pirate King - Josh Lanyon 4/11
2. [384 pages] Baby, I'm Yours - Susan Andersen 12/20/14
3. [474 pages] See How She Dies - Lisa Jackson 4/22
16. Books with titles starting with the first letter of your name. You can use either your first name or your surname.
1. [ pages]
2. [350 pages] Biting Bad - Chloe Neill 12/5/14
3. [488 pages] The Search - Nora Roberts 4/9
17. Books by the same author - Kathy Reichs
1. [ pages]
2. [310 pages] Bones to Ashes - Kathy Reichs 12/31/14
3. [ pages]
18. Books set in a country other than where you live, (I live USA)
1. [ pages]
2. [384 pages] One Dance with a Duke - Tessa Dare (England) 12/27/14
3. [ pages]
19. Books by authors who come from the country in which you were born or the country in which you now live.
1. [ pages]
2. [ pages]
3. [ pages]
20. Books which are about or a set during a war. You can choose any war throughout history. Imaginary wars are fine. They don't need to be the same war. Please state which war is relevant to each book.
1. [ pages]
2. [381 pages] The Viper - Monica McCarty (war for Scotland's sovereignty) 12/29/14
3. [825 pages] Written in My Own Heart's Blood - Diana Gabaldon (American Revolutionary War) 12/23/14
21. Books by authors who are still living.
1. [200 pages] Taken by the Cowboy - Julianne MacLean 12/28/14
2. [ pages]
3. [ pages]
22. Books by authors who have now died
1. [ pages]
2. [ pages]
3. [ pages]
23. Books with single word titles
1. [ pages]
2. [400 pages] Bombshell - Catherine Coulter 1/16/15
3. [ pages]
24. Books which have a subtitle
1. [ pages]
2. [ pages]
3. [ pages]
✔25. Books from your TBR pile
1. [250 pages] Maiden Rock - Mary Logue 12/28/14
2. [371 pages] Master of Craving - Karen Tabke 1/29/15
3. [760 pages]The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters - Gordon Dahlquist 3/7/15
The Rainbow ConnectionDuration: April 1 - September 30, 2015
READ: 23/24
✔1. Read a book whose cover shows any light source (natural or manmade) OR read a book with a body of water on the cover OR read book #42 on your TBR.
Fire And Ice - Dana Stabenow 4/3✔2. Read a book with a bright, colorful cover OR read book #7 in a series OR read a book whose title contains three or more of the letters R,O,Y,G,B,I,V (letters may be in any order; please specify which letters you've used).
Death of a Pirate King - Josh Lanyon 4/11✔3. Read a book pertaining to music OR read a book with any type of celestial body on the cover OR read a book whose title contains a weekday.
Beneath a Rising Moon - Keri Arthur 5/22✔4. Read the second book published by any author OR read a book whose title has any type of directional word in it (i.e. forward, sideways, east, etc.) OR read a book with a red cover.
South of Surrender - Laura Kaye 4/8✔5. Read a book featuring twin characters OR read a book with two (and only two) identical objects on the cover OR read a book whose page count contains a “2.”
Cruel Beauty - Rosamund Hodge 4/19✔6. Read a book featuring a circular item on the cover (circle should be ~25% of the cover) OR read a book with a clearly visible horizon on the cover OR read a book whose cover shows a tall building or any type of flying machine.
The Truth of All Things - Kieran Shields 4/57. Read a book where the first letter of each title word may be found in SUPERNUMERARY (3 word minimum) OR read a book whose cover shows any type of stacked items OR read a book whose cover shows several similar small items (i.e. raindrops, polka dots).
✔8. Read a book whose cover shows a reflection (i.e. surface of lake reflects trees, mirror image) OR read a book with any type of arched item on the cover OR read a book whose title contains either the word “ABOVE” or “BELOW.”
Pinned for Murder - Elizabeth Lynn Casey (mirror on cover) 6/29✔9. Read a book with a red cover (75%) OR read a book whose author’s first and last initials may be found in MONOCHROME OR read a book whose title contains a word that indicates one (i.e. ONE, SINGLE, ONLY).
Flesh and Blood - Patricia Cornwell 4/10✔10. Read a book whose cover shows a full moon OR a book in which some kind of waterfall is mentioned (tell us how) OR read a book featuring a photographer.
Charmed by His Love - Janet Chapman 4/21(it wasn't a vertical waterfall like the one in Spellbound Falls), p179
✔11. Read a book whose cover shows fog or great cloudiness OR read a book that takes place near a lake OR read a book whose cover colors are soft and muted.
The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson 5/8✔12. Read a book about classical mythology OR read a book in which a flood occurs OR read a book featuring any of the arts (i.e. music, dance, paintings, etc.)
The Collector - Nora Roberts (hero is a painter) 5/13✔13. Read a book that takes place in Ireland or has an Irish character OR read a book with a gold colored cover OR read a book where something is hidden (a real, physical object).
Dark Witch - Nora Roberts 8/8✔14. Read a book that deals with any social issue (tell us what it is) OR read a book that is marked LGBT OR read a book that takes place in South Africa.
Saints Astray - Jacqueline Carey 4/16✔15. Read a self-help book OR read a book where a character practices yoga or meditation OR read a book you find relaxing.
Shadow Scale - Rachel Hartman (m.c. meditates daily) 4/17✔16. Read a book with a character who desires making a significant life change OR read a book with an author or main character named Judy or Dorothy (no variations!) OR read a book whose title contains the word “DREAM(S).”
Seduce Me in Dreams - Jacquelyn Frank 4/25✔17. Read a book with a green cover or with a frog on the cover OR read a book in which a character longs or hopes for something (tell us what) OR read #74 on your TBR list.
The Search - Nora Roberts 4/9And now, you guessed it, you’re going to make your very own rainbow. You will read a total of seven books, one book whose cover matches each band of the rainbow.
✔18) Red ~ Thrill Ride - Julie Ann Walker 7/11
✔19) Orange ~ The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern - Lilian Jackson Braun 5/2
✔20) Yellow ~ Instinct - Sherrilyn Kenyon 5/11
✔21) Green ~ Dark Heir - Faith Hunter 7/4
✔22) Blue ~ Crossfire - Joann Ross 9/4
✔23) Indigo ~ Taken by Midnight - Lara Adrian 5/30
✔24) Violet ~ Alone - Kendra Elliot 8/2
Sesame Street MuppetsDuration: May 1 - October 31, 2015
READ: 25/25
✔1. Big Bird
§ Read a book with a predominantly yellow cover (post the cover) OR a book with an 8 or 2 in its total number of pages (tell us how many pages) OR a book with a bear character.
Instinct - Sherrilyn Kenyon 5/11✔2. Elmo
§ Read a book written in the third person point of view OR a book with a character who is the parent of a young child (under 10 years old) OR a book from a series started by one author but continued by another (tell us both authors’ names).
Big Sky Mountain - Linda Lael Miller (child is 4) 6/30✔3. Who doesn’t recognize the lovable blue Cookie Monster?
§ Read a book with COOKIE or COOKIES in the title or on the cover (post the cover!) OR a book with Classic on its main GR page OR a book by an author named Frank, David or Dave.
Ubik - Phillip Dick 8/9✔4. Grover
§ Read a book with something cute on the cover (post the cover!) OR a book first published in 1971 OR a book with a main character who likes to help others.
Dragonquest - Anne McCaffrey 7/17✔5. Everyone knows that green, grouchy Oscar
§ Read a book with the word LOVE in its title (no variations!) OR book #7 or higher in a series (tell us its series position) OR a book with a perpetually cranky character.
Unlucky 13 - James Patterson (#13 in Women's Murder Club series) 5/17 ✔6. Mr. Snuffleupagus
§ Read a book by an author whose first AND last initials can be found in ALOYSIUS OR a book with at least one scene set in a cave OR a book with a character named Jerry, Michael/Mike or Martin/Marty.
Deadly Offerings - Alexa Grace (hero is Michael) 8/9✔7. Ernie
§ Read a book with a character who is accused of being a troublemaker OR a book with a bath/shower scene OR a book with a yellow object on its cover (MUST be visible in the GR thumbnail; post the cover).
Nauti Temptress - Lora Leigh 8/12✔8. Bert
§ Read a book with a character who has a serious collection of some sort (tell us what s/he collects) OR a book whose title begins with a letter in BERT (disregard A, An and The) OR a book with a character who is a student.
Asylum- Madeleine Roux 5/5✔9. Kermit
§ Read a book with a character who has a very large family OR a book set in or first published in the 1950s (tell us the year) OR a book with a main character whose first initial can be found in KERMIT (tell us the character's name)
The Collector - Nora Roberts (hero has 13 siblings) 5/13✔10. Glamorous Miss Piggy
§ Read a book first published in 2002 OR a book with a predominantly pink cover (post the cover) OR a book with a character who is a prima donna/diva.
Ecstasy Untamed - Pamela Palmer 7/28✔11. Count von Count
§ Read a book with a number in the title (three, 50 are ok; first, twentieth are not) OR a book with at least one vampire in the story OR a book with a predominantly black cover (post the cover).
Dinner with a Vampire - Abigail Gibbs 5/10✔12. Prairie Dawn
§ Read a book with a character who is an author, writer or journalist OR a book with a 1, 7 or 9 in its total number of pages (tell us how many pages) OR a book with a word in its title that rhymes with FRAN or BRILL.
Hard Evidence - Pamela Clare 7/23✔13. Murray
§ Read a book with a predominantly orange cover (post the cover) OR a book with a character who works in a medical field (doctor, nurse, paramedic, etc.) OR a book with a word beginning with M in its title.
The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern - Lilian Jackson Braun 5/2✔14. The Two-Headed Monster
§ Read a book by an author named Richard/Rich/Rick, Peter/Pete, Jerry, David/Dave or Joey/Joe OR a book in which two or more characters cooperate on a significant plot point OR a book with two (and only two) identical items (same size, shape, color) on the cover (must be visible in the GR thumbnail; post the cover).
Bees in the Butterfly Garden - Maureen Lang (H/h conspire on a con) 5/17✔15. Irvine
§ Read a book with a female character who is known by a traditionally masculine name (Melanie and Mel, for example) OR a book by an author who uses a middle initial (initial ONLY, not a full middle name; Laurel K. Hamilton works, Orson Scott Card does not) OR a book in which a baby is born to one of the main characters.
Heir of Fire - Sarah J. Maas 9/13✔16. Don Music
§ Read a book in which music is important to the plot OR a book with only human characters OR a book with a character who never seems to get things right.
Burial Rites - Hannah Kent 5/20✔17. Roosevelt Franklin
§ Read a book with at least two rhyming words in its title OR a book with a character who is an athlete OR a book with a single body part occupying at least 50% of the cover (post the cover).
Texas Gothic - Rosemary Clement-Moore 5/9✔18. Frazzle
§ Read a book with a character whose intentions are misunderstood OR a book from a series with more than 7 books (tell us how many books in the series) OR a book with a 3 or 7 in its total number of pages (tell us how many pages)
Darker After Midnight - Lara Adrian (#1, 13 so far) 6/4✔19. Granny Bird
§ Read a book with a character who is a grandparent OR a book with eyeglasses on the cover (must be visible in the GR thumbnail; post the cover) OR a book by one of your favorite authors.
Sixth Grave on the Edge - Darynda Jones 5/13✔20. Oscar’s girlfriend, Grundgetta
§ Read a book with a cover that is predominantly green (post the cover) OR a book with ROMANCE on its main GR page OR a book with some sort of creepy crawly on the cover (must be visible in the GR thumbnail; post the cover).
Big Sky River - Linda Lael Miller 7/10✔21. Sherlock Hemlock
§ Read a book set in the United Kingdom (tell us where) OR a book in which a main character is a detective OR a book with any four-letter word in its title.
The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson (London) 5/8✔22. The Honkers
§ Read a book that is an anthology of short stories OR a book with a multi-colored cover (at least three different, distinct colors; post the cover) OR a book with a character who doesn’t speak much at all.
Games Creatures Play - Charlaine Harris 5/2✔23. Telly Monster
§ Read a book whose main character goes by a nickname rather than his/her given name (tell us both names) OR a book with a cover that is predominantly pink or purple (post the cover) OR a book with a character who worries more than most people.
Seventh Grave and No Body - Darynda Jones 5/28✔24. Bad Bart
§ Read a book told primarily from the villain’s point of view OR a book with WESTERN on its main GR page OR a book set in the 1800s.
Of Monsters and Madness - Jessica Verday 5/3✔25. Herry Monster
§ Read a book with a cover that is predominantly blue (post the cover) OR a book by an author with a 5-letter name (first or last) OR a book with a character who has a beard or a mustache.
The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters 5/6CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Summer Christmas Reindeer ChallengeDuration: July 1 - September 30, 2015
READ: 14/15
✔1 - Dasher – Read a book that involves cousins OR read a book with an overweight character OR read a book that has 2 publication dates listed on Goodreads. Please give us both publication dates.
Dark Witch - Nora Roberts 8/82 - Dancer – Read a book that includes a dancer OR read a book where a dance or concert takes place.
✔3 - Prancer – Read a book where a character is illegitimate or adopted OR read a stand-alone book OR read a book where the ending caught you by surprise.
Revenant - Phaedra Weldon 7/13✔4 - Vixen – Read a book with a female character who is a vixen (harlot, tart, hussy, etc) OR read a book where the first letter of the authors’ first or last name is found in V-I-X-E-N.
Better Read Than Dead - Victoria Laurie 8/29✔5 - Comet – Read a book that has Sci-Fi on its main Goodreads page OR read a book that includes a housekeeper OR read a book with lightning or a comet on the cover. Please show the cover if choosing the cover option.
HIDE Omnibus - Jax Spenser 7/6✔6 - Cupid – Read a book with a “Happily Ever After” OR read a book that includes Valentine’s Day OR read a book that was published in February.
Hunger Untamed - Pamela Palmer (Feb 2011) 7/9✔7 - Donner – Read a book that has a loud noise (thunder, party, unexpected thud, etc) OR read a book that includes a Dad.
Big Sky River - Linda Lael Miller 7/10✔8 - Blitzen – Read a book that includes a family gathering OR read a book that includes a barn or stable OR read a book where a sport takes place (professional competing sport or just for fun sport). Please tell us the sport.
Quarterback Draw - Jaci Burton (football & baseball) 8/25✔9 - Rudolph – Read a book with a shiny item on the cover OR read a book that is historical or classic (fiction or non-fiction) in nature OR read a book where a character is bullied or intimidated. Please show the cover if choosing the cover option.
Trail of Kisses - Merry Farmer (1863) 7/5✔10 - Olive – (“all of” the other reindeer) - Read a book where the book cover is mostly green OR read a book that includes a recipe OR where drinks are ordered. Please show the cover if choosing the cover option.
Dark Heir - Faith Hunter 7/4✔11 - Max – (we can’t leave out the beloved little pup from “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” just because he was from another holiday cartoon) - Read a book where at least one 3-letter word is in the title (exclude “The” and “And”) OR read a book with a dog in the story OR a book where a character is pretending to be someone or something that they aren’t.
Then Came You - Jill Shalvis 7/29✔12 - Santa Claus – read a book with a cover that is mostly red and white in color OR read a book where a character has a beard OR read a book that you received as a gift or recommendation. Please show the cover if choosing the cover option.
Nauti Temptress - Lora Leigh 8/12✔13 - Abominable Snow Monster – Read a book with a character who can be viewed as a (real or imagined) monster by some, but really has a good heart OR read a book with only white text on the cover. Please show the cover if choosing the cover option.
Uprooted - Naomi Novik (beauty & the beast) 7/26✔14 - Yukon Cornelius – Read a book that takes place (or partially takes place) in Alaska or Canada OR read a book where the author’s first or last name has 9 letters or combined, has 9 letters.
Kiss of the Betrayer - Boone Brux 7/8✔15 - Hermey, The Dentist – Read a book with a doctor or dentist OR read a book with a small boy OR read a book with a character that didn’t feel like s(he) didn’t fit in.
Bonds of Justice - Nalini Singh (psychic) 9/28
1-2-3 ChallengeDuration: April 1, 2013 - ???
READ: 199/210
① Read ONE book that has more than 500 pages. COMPLETE!
◈ A Storm of Swords - George R.R. Martin (1177 pages) 4/25/13
② Read TWO books that you’ve attempted before but gave up on. COMPLETE!
◈ Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clark 4/1/14
◈ The Host - Stephanie Meyer 11/30/14
③ Read THREE books from the CCC bookshelf. COMPLETE!
The book must have been on the bookshelf before you started reading it, and it cannot be a book YOU added :)
◈ Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye - Victoria Laurie 5/24/13
◈ Gunmetal Magic - Ilona Andrews 10/25/13
◈ The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman 7/26/13
④ Read FOUR books that make you laugh. COMPLETE!
◈ The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf - Molly Harper 8/3/13
◈ Little Shop of Homicide - Denise Swanson 10/22/13
◈ Blood Rites - Jim Butcher 10/29/13
◈ My Life As a White Trash Zombie - Diana Rowland 12/6/13
⑤ Read FIVE books by your favorite author – Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb COMPLETE!
◈ The Next Always - Nora Roberts 4/9/13
◈ Calculated in Death - J.D. Robb 4/22/13
◈ Chasing Fire - Nora Roberts 8/21/13
◈ The Perfect Hope - Nora Roberts 9/21/13
◈ Thankless in Death - J.D Robb 12/12/13
⑥ Read SIX books written in first person point of view.COMPLETE!
◈ Unearthly - Cynthia Hand 4/4/13
◈ Mutiny on the Bounty - John Boyne 8/20/13
◈ Z for Zachariah - Robert O'Brien 9/9/13
◈ Out of Breath - Rebecca Donovan 9/14/13
◈ The Sisters Brothers - Patrick deWitt 9/28/13
◈ Secondhand Spirits - Juliet Blackwell 10/10/13
⑦ Read SEVEN books by debut authors – publishing his/her first book since this challenge began (4/1/13).
◈ Cruel Beauty - Rosamund Hodge (Jan 28, 2014) 4/19/15
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⑧ Read EIGHT books set in a country other than your own. COMPLETE!
Be sure to tell us what country each book is set in and where you live. (U.S.)
◈ Born to Bite - Lindsay Sands (Canada) 4/13/13
◈ The Curse of the Pharaohs - Elizabeth Peters (Egypt) 4/26/13
◈ Bitten to Death - Jennifer Rardin (Greece) 4/27/13
◈ The Postcard Killers - James Patterson (Sweden) 4/28/13
◈ Rogue's Challenge - Jo Barrett (Scotland) 4/29/13
◈ Silk Dreams - Diana Groe (Turkey) 6/17/13
◈ The Deeds of the Disturber - Elizabeth Peters (England) 7/25
◈ The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey - Trenton Lee Stewart (Portugal/Netherlands) 7/26
⑨ Read NINE books with one-word titles. COMPLETE!
◈ Warrior - Zoe Archer 4/11/13
◈ Devilish - Maureen Johnson 4/14/13
◈ Angelopolis - Danielle Trussoni 4/18/13
◈ Payback - Fern Michaels 6/16/13
◈ Whiplash - Catherine Coulter 6/20/13
◈ Enchantment - Orson Scott Card 7/29/13
◈ Scoundrel - Zoe Archer 8/18/13
◈ Unwanted - Kristina Ohlsson 8/21/13
◈ Rebel - Zoe Archer 9/8/13
⑩ Read TEN books that are #1 in a series. COMPLETE!
◈ Crocodile on the Sandbank - Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody) 4/4/13
◈ Daughter of the Forest - Juliet Marillier (Sevenwaters) 4/21/13
◈ The Ylem - Tatiana Vila (Ylem Trilogy) 4/29/13
◈ When the Lion Feeds - Wilbur Smith (Courtneys) 5/10/13
◈ Snow Angels - James Thompson (Inspector Kari Vaara) 5/7/13
◈ Pleasure and Purpose - Megan Hart (Order of Solace) 5/27/13
◈ Deadly Fear - Cynthia Eden (Deadly) 5/29/13
◈ Boyfriend from Hell - Jamie Quaid (Saturn's Daughter) 7/29/13
◈ A Taste of Sin - Connie Mason (Sin Trilogy) 8/9/13
◈ A Hoe Lot of Trouble - Heather Webber (A Nina Quinn Mystery) 10/30/13
⑪ Read ELEVEN books by new-to-you authors. COMPLETE!◈ No Mercy - Lori Armstrong 4/19/13
◈ Pushing Up Daisies - Rosemary Harris 5/19/13
◈ White Tiger - Kylie Chan 5/23/13
◈ Blood Ties - Pamela Freeman 5/26/13
◈ Odalisque - Fiona McIntosh 5/30/13
◈ Hot Head - Damon Suede 7/11/13
◈ Delirium - Lauren Oliver 7/13/13
◈ The Rook - Daniel O'Malley 7/24/13
◈ The Map of Lost Memories: A Novel - Kim Fay 7/30/13
◈ Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith 8/4/13
◈ Frog King, The: A Love Story - Adam Davies 8/11/13
⑫ Read TWELVE books from CCC group members’ bookshelves – mix and match as you wish. COMPLETE!
Be sure to tell us the group member and the shelf for each book.
◈ Biting Cold - Chloe Neill (Zanhoria, shelf=Eye Roll Inducing) 4/23/13
◈ Demon Hunts - C.E. Murphy (Amy Lover of Books, shelf=TBR) 6/28/13
◈ Undercover - Lauren Dane (Sherri, shelf=read_2010) 7/7/13
◈ Over the Edge - Suzanne Brockmann (Christa, ebooks-owned) 7/31/13
◈ Slow Heat - Jill Shalvis (Amanda, ntbr) 7/31/13
◈ Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare (Tien, kobo) 8/2/13
◈ Unspoken - Sarah Rees Brennan (Alley, to read) 8/8/13
◈ Aunt Dimity's Death - Nancy Atherton (Southpaw285,tlc-series-r-us) 9/8/13
◈ Emissary - Fiona McIntosh (Tien, Australian author) 9/11/13
◈ Sizzle - Julie Garwood (Bree, 2009 suspense) 9/29/13
◈ Death Magic - Eileen Wilks (AndaM, Eileen Wilks) 9/30/13
◈ Healing the Highlander - Melissa Mayhue (Gwendolyn, procrastination-contamination) 10/7/13
⑬ Read THIRTEEN books that have been recommended by a friend / family member / co-worker -- NOT a magazine/newspaper, etc.
Be sure to tell us who recommended the book.
◈ Fruits Basket, Volume 01 - Natsuki Takaya (GRs friend) 8/11/13
◈ The Terror - Dan Simmons (my dad) 10/23/13
◈ Lizard World - Terry Richard Bazes (GRs friend) 1/21/14
◈ Letters from Skye: A Novel - Jessica Brockmole (GRs friend) 10/30/14
◈ Moloka'i - Alan Brennert (GRs group) 1/18/15
◈ Mind Fuck - Manna Francis (GR recommendation) 3/21/15
◈ The Map of Time - Felix Palma (GR recommendation) 4/18/15
◈ Bees in the Butterfly Garden - Maureen Lang (father) 5/17/15
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⑭ Read FOURTEEN books with covers that are predominantly (more than 50%) your favorite color. PURPLE COMPLETE!
Be sure to tell us your favorite color. You MUST post the book cover!
◈ Under Your Spell - Lois Greiman 7/3/13
◈ Naked Edge - Pamela Clare 8/3/13
◈ Temptation Rising - A.C. Arthur 10/31/13
◈ Unplugged - Lois Greiman 1/9/13
◈ Instant Gratification - Jill Shalvis 2/23/14
◈ Loving A Lost Lord - Mary Jo Putney 5/11/14
◈ Vampire in Atlantis - Alyssa Day 6/28/14
◈ Styxx - Sherrilyn Kenyon 9/12/14
◈ Fifth Grave Past the Light - Darynda Jones 9/23/14
◈ Much Ado About Marriage - Karen Hawkins 11/7/14
◈ Biting Bad - Chloe Neill 12/5/14
◈ Ember's Kiss - Deborah Cooke 12/12/14
◈ You Can't Hide - Karen Rose 2/7/15
◈ Festive in Death - J.D. Robb 2/16/15
⑮ Read FIFTEEN books of your choice. COMPLETE!
◈ Voice Of Crow - Jeri Smith-Ready 4/8/13
◈ The Chocolate Frog Frame-Up - JoAnna Carl 7/27/13
◈ Black Friday - Alex Kava 7/27/13
◈ A Brisket, a Casket - Delia Rosen 8/13/13
◈ The Snake, the Crocodile & the Dog - Elizabeth Peters 8/13/13
◈ The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler 8/16/13
◈ Kill Me Again - Maggie Shayne 8/16/13
◈ Kiss Me, Kill Me - Maggie Shayne 9/13/13
◈ Ink Flamingos - Karen Olson 9/17/13
◈ Scarlet Nights - Jude Deveraux 9/20/13
◈ Bitter Blood - Rachel Caine 9/23/13
◈ 12th of Never - James Patterson 9/26/13
◈ Red Phoenix - Kylie Chan 9/26/13
◈ Damn Him to Hell - Jamie Quaid 9/28/13
◈ Spirit Dances - C.E. Murphy 9/29/13
⑯ Read SIXTEEN books that are part of a series. COMPLETE!
Be sure to tell us what series each book is from, and where it ranks in the series (2nd, 3rd, 10th, whatever).
◈ Shadows in the Starlight - Elaine Cunningham (Changeling #2) 4/2/13
◈ Dare to Die - Carolyn Hart (Death on Demand #19) 4/6/13
◈ U is for Undertow - Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #21) 4/13/13
◈ Branded by Fire - Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling #6) 4/27/13
◈ Bookplate Special - Lorna Barrett (Booktown Mystery #3) 5/4/13
◈ Chopping Spree - Diane Mott Davidson (Goldy Bear mystery #11) 5/5/13
◈ N Is For Noose - Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #14) 5/8/13
◈ Iceberg - Clive Cussler (Dirk Pitt #3) 5/28/13
◈ Tin Swift - Devon Monk (Age of Steam #2) 5/31/13
◈ Lion in the Valley - Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody #4) 6/11/13
◈ M Is for Malice - Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #13) 6/24/13
◈ Dawn in Eclipse Bay - Jayne Ann Krentz (Eclipse Bay Trilogy #2) 7/3/13
◈ With Red Hands - Stephen Woodworth (Violets #3) 7/9/13
◈ Fatal Voyage - Kathy Reichs (Temperance Brennan #4) 7/15/13
◈ Citadel - Kate Mosse (Languedoc #3) 7/16/13
◈ The Immortal Fire - Anne Ursu (Cronus Chronicles #3) 7/20/13
⑰ Read SEVENTEEN books published in 2011, 2012 or 2013. COMPLETE!
Be sure to tell us what year each book was published.
◈ Rogue Rider - Larissa Ione (2012) 4/6/13
◈ Frost Burned - Patricia Briggs (2013) 4/16/13
◈ Phoenix Rising - Philippa Ballantine (2011) 5/2/13
◈ Reason to Breathe - Rebecca Donovan (2011) 5/5/13
◈ On Dublin Street - Samantha Young (2012) 6/14/13
◈ Deeply Odd - Dean Koontz (2013) 6/17/13
◈ Dark Mirror - Mary Jo Putney (2011) 6/25/13
◈ This Dark Endeavour - Kenneth Oppel (2011) 6/26/13
◈ Sleep No More - Iris Johansen (2012) 7/21/13
◈ Last Man Standing - Cindy Gerard (2012) 8/5/13
◈ Taking Eve - Iris Johansen (2013) 8/10/13
◈ The Temptation of Your Touch - Teresa Medeiros (2013) 8/11/13
◈ Barely Breathing - Rebecca Donovan (2012) 8/12/13
◈ The Ugly Duchess - Eloisa James (2012) 8/13/13
◈ Hunting Eve - Iris Johansen (2013) 9/14/13
◈ Written in Red - Anne Bishop (2013) 9/16/13
◈ Dark Moon - Rebecca York (2011) 9/17/13
⑱ Read EIGHTEEN books that are stand-alones. COMPLETE◈ On Stranger Tides - Tim Powers 4/5/13
◈ Small as an Elephant - Jennifer Richard Jacobson 5/9/13
◈ Defending Jacob - William Landay 5/11/13
◈ Florence of Arabia - Christopher Buckley 5/15/13
◈ Sleeping Arrangements - Madeleine Wickham 5/29/13
◈ Shadow Woman - Linda Howard 6/4/13
◈ Hannah's Dream - Diane Hammond 6/15/13
◈ Six Seconds - Rick Mofina 6/29/13
◈ Meet Me in Venice - Elizabeth Adler 7/4/13
◈ Unencumbered - Dennis Glawe 7/5/13
◈ NOS4A2 - Joe Hill 7/18/13
◈ Ugly Beautiful - Seanpaul Thomas 10/1/13
◈ Blood Lies - Daniel Kalla 10/3/13
◈ No Way Back - Andrew Gross 10/19/13
◈ Curfew - Phil Rickman 11/6/13
◈ Whitechapel Gods - S.M. Peters 11/11/13
◈ Sleight of Hand - Phillip Margolin 12/27/13
◈ One Rainy Night - Kathye Quick 1/10/13
⑲ Read NINETEEN books whose titles start with A, An or The. COMPLETE
◈ The Return of Black Douglas - Elaine Coffman 4/7/13
◈ The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan 4/30/13
◈ The Girl Who Disappeared Twice - Andrea Kane 5/3/13
◈ The Lion's Daughter - Loretta Chase 5/7/13
◈ The Folly of the World - Jesse Bullington 5/13/13
◈ The Mummy Case - Elizabeth Peters 5/14/13
◈ The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart 5/14/13
◈ The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith 5/18/13
◈ The Mao Case - Qiu Xiaolong 5/21/13
◈ The Innocent - David Baldacci 5/21/13
◈ The Rosary Girls - Richard Montanari 5/26/13
◈ A Feast for Crows - George R.R. Martin 6/13/13
◈ The Skull Mantra - Eliot Pattison 6/14/13
◈ The Rising - Kelley Armstrong 6/23/13
◈ The Friday Society - Adrienne Kress 7/4/13
◈ The Darkest Edge of Dawn - Kelly Gay 7/5/13
◈ A Cold-Blooded Business - Dana Stabenow 7/8/13
◈ The Paris Vendetta - Steve Berry 7/8/13
◈ A Highlander's Homecoming - Melissa Mayhue 7/10/13
⑳ Read TWENTY books in your favorite genre – choose just ONE genre. COMPLETE!
Be sure to tell us which genre you chose. PARANORMAL
◈ Tiger's Quest - Colleen Houck (shifter) 5/4/13
◈ Girl of Nightmares - Kendare Blake (ghost hunter) 5/8/13
◈ Forever - Maggie Stiefvater (werewolf) 5/11/13
◈ Crown of Crystal Flame - C.L. Wilson (shifter) 5/17/13
◈ Beautiful Redemption - Kami Garcia (demon) 5/19/13
◈ Inferno - Sherrilyn Kenyon (demon/god) 5/27/13
◈ Lover At Last - J.R. Ward (vampire) 6/4/13
◈ Lion's Heat - Lora Leigh (shifter) 6/7/13
◈ Before I Wake - Rachel Vincent (demon) 6/9/13
◈ Everneath - Brodi Ashton (immortals) 6/18/13
◈ The Guardian - Sherrilyn Kenyon (immortals) 6/18/13
◈ Everbound - Brodi Ashton (immortals) 6/25/13
◈ Magic's Child - Justine Larbalestier (magic) 6/27/13
◈ Valley of Dust - Karoleen Vry Brucks (vampires) 6/29/13
◈ Dragon Unmasked - Kathleen Nance (magic) 6/30/13
◈ Scales And A Tail - Stormy Glenn (shifter) 6/30/13
◈ Black Dawn - Rachel Caine (vampire) 7/2/13
◈ Coyote's Mate - Lora Leigh (shifter) 7/14/13
◈ Shades of Midnight - Lara Adrian (vampires) 7/17/13
◈ Winter Kiss - Deborah Cooke (dragon shifter) 8/14/13
From Sea to Shining Sea - South CarolinaDuration: September 1 - October 31, 2015
READ: 7/10
✔1. The eighth state to be admitted to the United States was South Carolina, and it did so on May 23, 1788. Carolina was named to honor Charles IX of France and then Charles I and Charles II of England. Carolina is rooted in Latin and comes from the word Carolinus, translated as "Charles." Columbia is South Carolina's capital city. It is also called the Palmetto State after its state tree.
✒ Read a book with a main character or author called Charles (it may be the first name or last name, but no variations) -or- read a book with 23 intact in the number of its pages -or- read a book where the letters P, A, L, M appear in the title of a book (need not be in order).
Street Game - Christine Feehan (423 pages) 9/14✔2. South Carolina is bordered to the north and north east by North Carolina. The Savannah River formes a natural border with Georgia in the south and west, and the Atlantic Ocean in south east. Its motto is "Dum Spiro, spero", which is "While I breathe, I hope" in Latin.
✒ Read a book mostly set in a location on the banks of a river (river or location can be fictional, but do mention the river and the location) -or- read a book with an optimistic character -or- read a book where the female main character has a sister.
Chained by Night - Larissa Ione (twins) 9/193. The state bird of South Carolina is the Carolina Wren, the state tree the Sabal Palm and the state flower is the Yellow Jessamine. Its song is Carolina, by Henry Timrod and Anne C. Burgess. The South Carolinian Shag Dance is its state dance. South Carolina is 40th state in terms of landmass, 24th in terms of population. It is the 42nd in terms of income.
✒ Read a book by a 'WR' author, that is, an author whose first or last name starts with an intact WR (example, Kim Wright, Richard Wright, Wren Emerson, etc.) -or- read a second book in a completed trilogy -or- read a book with a 75% yellow cover (post the cover).
✔4. Asked by the Revolutionary Council of Safety in the fall of 1775 to design a flag for the use of South Carolina troops, Col. William Moultrie chose a blue which matched the color of their uniforms and a crescent which reproduced the silver emblem worn on the front of their caps. The palmetto tree was added later to represent Moultrie's heroic defense of the palmetto-log fort on Sullivan's Island against the attack of the British fleet on June 28, 1776. The logs were so spongy that they did not break, but rather absorbed the bombardment. Reportedly, cannonballs even bounced off the walls of the fort.
✒ Read a book with a single, prominent tree on the cover (post the cover) -or- read a book with the description of a battle in it -or- read a book that is set in the 1700s.
The Prince of Frogs - Annaliese Evans (1750) 9/21✔5. The Civil War began in South Carolina. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to declare its secession from the Union. The first shots of the Civil War (January 9, 1861) were fired in Charleston by its Citadel cadets upon a civilian merchant ship, the Star of the West, bringing supplies to the beleaguered Federal garrison at Fort Sumter. The April 1861 bombardment of Fort Sumter by South Carolina forces under the command of General Beauregard—the Confederacy did not yet have a functioning army—is commonly taken as the beginning of the war.
✒ Read a book with a one-word title that begins with a letter in CIVILWAR (a, an and the do count) -or- read the first book of an author (according to GR publication dates) -or- read a book with the words STAR or WEST appearing intact in either the title or the author's name.
Virgin - Cheryl Brooks 9/25✔6. Sherman's 1865 march through the Carolinas resulted in the burning of Columbia and numerous other towns. The destruction his troops wrought upon South Carolina was even worse than in Georgia, because many of his men bore a particular grudge against the state and its citizens, who they blamed for starting the war. On February 21, 1865, with the Confederate forces finally evacuated from Charleston, the black 54th Massachusetts Regiment marched through the city. At a ceremony at which the U.S. flag was once again raised over Fort Sumter, former fort commander Robert Anderson was joined on the platform by two men: African American Union hero Robert Smalls and the son of Denmark Vesey.
✒ Read a book with a flag on the cover (post the cover) -or- read a book where a fire ruins something -or- read a book whose title contains a word that can be made from the letters in "ROBERTDENMARK". (the word should be 3 letters or more).
Tall, Dark & Heartless - R.L. Mathewson (DARK) 9/297. The 7th US President Andrew Jackson was born in South Carolina (or more accurately, in one of the Carolinas, as the border between the North and the South was then unmarked, and he was born somewhere close to the border). South Carolina is the state with the lowest percentage of women in state legislature. In 2012 the state only had 10% women in its legislature, while the national average is 23.7%. The first US Senator that was ever elected by a write-in vote was South Carolina's Strom Thurmond on Nov 2, 1954 with 139,106 write-in votes.
✒ Read a book where the notable characters are mostly male -or- read a book that was a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee or winner (mention the year and the category) -or- read a historical book which is set in a location that is now in a separate state or country (California before ceding to the US, Pakistan before it became a separate country, Yugoslavia etc.)
8. Angel Oak on John's Island is thought to be the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi River. It’s believed to be more than 1,500 years old. Georgia might be the peach state, but South Carolina produces more peaches than anywhere in the country, except California. Every few years, the town of Irmo has a sighting of some kind of water monster that inhabits Lake Murray. The monster first 'surfaced' in 1973 when residents of Irmo and Ballentine saw a cousin of the Loch Ness Monster. It was described in The Independent News in 1980 as "a cross between a snake and something prehistoric."
✒ Read an old book from your TBR (for the purpose of this task choose one of the first 60 books on your GR to-read list) -or- read a book with a water creature (real or imaginary) on the cover or title -or- read a book where someone says "Peachy Keen".
✔9. There are no major professional sports teams in South Carolina. However, the first game of golf played in the U.S. took place in Charleston. The state itself has more than 300 public golf courses. One of the more colorful sporting events of South Carolina is the is the Hell Hole Gator Trot 10k, colloquially called the Redneck Run, run as part of the Hell Hole Swamp Festival (which also includes tobacco spitting contests, arm wrestling and so on).
✒ Read a book with an unconventional game played in it (tell us the game) -or- read a book with a predominantly grass green cover (post the cover) -or- read a book where the main character is not at all athletic.
Heir of Fire - Sarah Maas 9/13✔10. In South Carolina, a person must be eighteen years old to play a pinball machine. Horses may not be kept in bathtubs. And it is a capital offense to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide. In Hilton Head, South Carolina, it is illegal to store trash in your vehicle due to rat problems.
✒ Read a book with a horse or a bathtub on the cover (post the cover) -or- read a book where a suicide is attempted and foiled -or- read a book where rats are mentioned.
Magic Shifts - Ilona Andrews 10/9
Beam Me UpDuration: October 1 - December 31, 2015
READ: 14/14
✔1. As early as 1964, Gene Roddenberry drafted a proposal for the science fiction series that would become Star Trek.
☄ Read a book with "western" or "classic/s" on its main GR page OR a book with stars on its cover (must be visible in the GR thumbnail!); post the book cover OR a book by an author whose LAST name begins with a letter in GENE
Big Sky Wedding - Linda Lael Miller (western) 11/8
✔2. Star Trek has been a cult phenomenon for decades and the franchise spans a wide range of spin-offs including games, figurines, novels, toys, and comics.
☄ Read a book that has been made into a movie or a TV show that has lasted at least one full season; tell us the movie or show title OR a book from a series that has spanned at least 10 years (in publication dates); tell us when the series started and ended OR a book translated from one language into another; tell us which languages
Dexter in the Dark - Jeff Lindsay (TV Show = Dexter) 10/23
✔3. Star Trek is noted for its influence on the world outside of science fiction.
☄ Read a book in which an invention (real or fictional) is introduced; tell us the invention OR a book with "science fiction" on its main GR page OR a book with a map or globe on its cover (must be visible in the GR thumbnail); post the cover
Flames of Arousal - Ruth Kerce 11/1
✔4. The show is noted for its progressive civil rights stances as well.
☄ Read a book with a multiracial "cast" OR a book that addresses one of the social issues mentioned above; tell us which issue OR a book set in the 1960s.
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma - Trenton Lee Stewart 10/24
✔5. The Star Trek series has won 31 Emmy Awards. The eleventh Star Trek film won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Makeup, the franchise's first Academy Award.
☄ Read a book that has won an award; tell us the award and the year OR a book with "31," intact, in its total number of pages OR a book with a character who wears make-up as part of his/her job (actor, clown, etc.)
Days of Blood & Starlight - Laini Taylor (DABWAHA Romance Tournament for Best Novel with Romantic Elements) 10/13
THE TELEVISION SERIES
STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES
✔6. Dubbed TOS (The Original Series) by fans, it debuted in the US on September 8, 1966, with an episode named "The Man Trap," and ran for only three years.
☄ Read a book originally published in 1966 or in September of any year (tell us which year) OR a book with MAN in its title (compound words are ok) OR a book #1 of any series (tell us the series).
The Ghost Hunter - Lori Brighton (The Hunter #1) 10/19
✔STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
7. TNG takes place about a century after The Original Series. The show premiered in 1987, and ran for seven seasons.
☄ Read a book featuring a character who is bald OR the book on your TBR with the highest rating (tell us the rating and the date you chose the book) OR a book from a completed series that has at least 7 books (tell us how many books)
Night Forbidden - Joss Ware (hero is bald) 10/14
✔STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
8. DSN takes place during the last years and the immediate post-years of The Next Generation and aired for seven seasons, debuting in January 1993.
☄ Read a book with a number in its title (two, 5 are ok; 1st, third are not) OR the last book written by an author before his/her death OR a book set in a country other than where you live (tell us where you live and where the book is set)
Luscious - Amanda Usen (Italy, I live in US) 10/2
✔STAR TREK: VOYAGER
9. Voyager takes place at about the same time period as Deep Space Nine and the years following that show's end.
☄ Read a book by an author who is currently writing at least two different series (tell us both series names) OR a book whose title begins with V or U (disregard A, An or The) OR a book set in the 1990s.
Magic Shifts - Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels, Hidden Legacy, Innkeeper Chronicles) 10/9
✔STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE
10. Airing from 2001 to 2005, Enterprise takes place in the 2150s, some 90 years after the events of Zefram Cochrane's first warp flight.
☄ Read a book that is a prequel to an already-published book/series OR a non-fiction book about some kind of "first" OR a book originally published between 2001 and 2005 (inclusive); tell us when it was published
Fingersmith - Sarah Waters (pub 2002) 10/8
THE MOVIES
✔11. The first six films continue the adventures of the cast of The Original Series.
☄ Read book #6 of any series (tell us the series) OR a book with dystopia or war on its main GR page OR a book with revenge as a primary part of the plot.
Meanwhile, Back in Deadwood - Ann Charles (Deadwood #6) 10/18
✔12. The seventh film, Generations was designed as a transition from that cast to The Next Generation television series.
☄ Read a book that has a subtitle in its GR link OR a book featuring at least two generations of the same family OR a book with time travel on its main GR page.
The Reawakened - Jeri Smith-Ready (children/parents/grand parents) 11/8
✔13. The next three films, 8–10, focused completely on the Next Generation cast.
☄ Read a book with a cube on its cover (must be visible in the GR thumbnail); post the cover OR a book with a royal character (king, queen, prince, princess, lord or lady) OR a book in which a takeover of some sort is attempted.
Queen of Shadows - Sarah J. Maas 10/27
✔14. The eleventh and twelfth films take place in an alternate timeline from the rest of the franchise with a new cast playing the original series characters. Leonard Nimoy, playing an elderly Spock, provides a physical link to the original timeline. The next film in the franchise is due to be released in July 2016.
☄ Read a book in which a character's friends stand in for his/her family OR a book in which a parent dies when a child is young OR a book with a powered flying machine on its cover (must be visible in the GR thumbnail); post the cover
Butterfly - Kathryn Harvey 10/17
CHALLENGE COMPLETE
What's My Line? Duration: August 1, 2015 - January 31, 2016
READ: 30/30
✔1. Snap! Crackle! Pop! (1930’s) – Kellogg’s Rice Krispies
* Read a book originally published in the 1930’s OR a book with some form of punctuation in the title OR a book where a word in the title is intentionally misspelled (like krispies).
Nauti Temptress - Lora Leigh 8/12✔2. When you care enough to send the very best (1934) – Hallmark
* Read a book about a writer OR a book whose author’s first AND last initials are found in HALLMARK OR a book that has more than 100,000 Goodreads ratings.
Big Sky Summer - Linda Lael Miller 8/4✔3. They’re gr-r-r-eat! (1950’s) – Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
* Read a book with any animal on the cover, in the title, or as a prominent feature of the story (show us the cover).
Still the One - Jill Shalvis 8/13✔4. Melts in your mouth, not in your hands (1954) – M&M
* Read a book with a mouth or hands on the cover (show us the cover) OR a book whose title has the word AND in it.
Chain of Illusions - Boone Brux 8/7✔5. Everybody doesn’t like something…but nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee (1956) - Sara Lee
* Read a book with a proper name in the title (doesn’t have to be a girl’s name, it can be a city or a company, etc.) OR a book with some sort of sweet dessert on the cover (show us the cover).
Dexter in the Dark - Jeff Lindsay 10/23✔6. Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids (1959) - Trix cereal
* Read a book with a bowl of something on the cover (show us the cover) OR a young adult book OR a book with the letter “X” somewhere in the title.
The Will of the Empress - Tamora Pierce 8/5✔7. Sorry Charlie! Star Kist doesn’t want tuna with good taste, Star Kist wants tuna that tastes good. (1961) - Starkist Tuna
* Read a book with water (where you could fish) on the cover (show us the cover) OR a book with a negative word in the title (No, don’t, doesn’t, can’t, won’t, etc.)
The Forgotten Room - Lincoln Child (Atlantic ocean on cover) 9/25✔8. How ’bout a nice Hawaiian Punch? Sure! (1962) - Hawaiian Punch
* Read a book where a fight occurs OR where the character has a dangerous job OR a book set in Hawaii.
Days of Blood & Starlight - Laini Taylor 10/13✔9. They’re magically delicious! (1963) - Lucky Charms cereal
* Read a book set in Ireland or with an Irish character OR a book with “Magic” OR "Magical Realism" on the main GR genre page.
Dark Witch - Nora Roberts 8/8✔10. Let your fingers do the walking (1964) – Yellow Pages
* Read a book with a bright yellow cover OR a book with someone on the cover who is walking (show us the covers) OR a book about books.
Caught Read-Handed - Terrie Farley Moran 8/3✔11. Our repairmen are the loneliest guys in town (1967) - Maytag
* Read a book with a lone man on the cover OR a book whose title starts with a letter in MAYTAG.
Deadly Offerings - Alexa Grace 8/9✔12. L’eggo my Eggo (1968) - Eggo Toaster Waffles
* Read a book with rhyming words in the title OR a book with double letters somewhere in the author’s first or last name.
Book Clubbed - Lorna Barrett 8/8✔13. Calgon, take me away (1970’s) - Calgon Bath Products
* Read a book that relaxes you OR a book from your favorite genre (tell us the genre).
Archangel's Shadows - Nalini Singh (paranormal) 8/2✔14. The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat (1970’s) - ABC’s Wide World of Sports
* Read a book with sports or a game (must be a real game, not a mind game or manipulation) in the story (tell us what sport or what game) OR a book whose <>author’s LAST name starts with A, B, C, W, or S.
Dead in the Water - Stuart Woods 8/1✔15. It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature! (1971) - Chiffon Margarine
* Read a book with “Nature” on the main GR genre page OR a book with a word in the title representing a female relative (mother, aunt, sister, etc.).
Aunt Dimity Goes West - Nancy Atherton 11/3✔16. Have it your way (1973) – Burger King
* Read a book with a 4-word title (all words count) OR a book with a royal character of some kind in the story.
Heir of Fire - Sarah Maas (heroine is a queen) 9/13✔17. Plop Plop….. Fizz Fizz….. Oh what a relief it is! (1978) - Alka Seltzer
* Read a book with 2 words next to each other in the title that start with the same letter (excluding A, An, The) OR a book with a character whose FIRST name starts with P, F, or Z.
Twice Tempted by a Rogue - Tessa Dare 8/19✔18. Be all that you can be (1980’s) - US Army promo ad
* Read a book with a military character (any service, any era) OR read a book set in the United States (tell us where).
Dark Hunger - Sarah Reinke (wounded vet) 8/15✔19. Wow, I coulda had a V-8 (1980’s) - V-8 Vegetable Juice
* Read a book whose title or author starts with V or a book with a vegetable on the cover (show us the cover).
Better Read Than Dead - Victoria Laurie 8/29✔20. Betcha can’t eat just one (1981) – Lay’s Potato Chips
* Read a book with a number in the title OR a book with a 1, 9, 8, or 1 in the total number of pages (tell us how many pages).
Crown of Midnight - Sarah Maas (418 pages) 8/16✔21. Where’s the beef? (1984) – Wendy’s
* Read a book whose title is in the form of a question OR a book with a character with red hair OR a book with a main character or author whose name is Wendy.
Forever - Jacquelyn Frank 9/23✔22. Every kiss begins with Kay (1985) – Kay Jewelers
* Read a book whose title starts with “K” OR a book with something sparkly on the cover (show us the cover).
Kiss of Snow - Nalini Singh 11/13✔23. Just do it (1988) – Nike
* Read a book with an athlete OR a book with sneakers or shoes on the cover (show us the cover).
Quarterback Draw - Jaci Burton (football player) 8/25✔24. It keeps going, and going, and going… (1989) – Energizer Batteries
* Read a book that is 500+ pages OR a book with a “Z” somewhere in the title.
Blaze of Memory - Nalini Singh 8/31✔25. I’ve fallen and I can’t get up (1990) – LifeCall
* Read a book with a main character who is 60+ years of age OR a book where the author’s first OR last initial is in LIFECALL.
Beauty and the Bounty Hunter - Lori Austin 8/23✔26. The quicker picker-upper (1991) – Bounty
* Read a book with a one-word title OR a book with a comparative adjective in the title (quicker, faster, better).
Hero - Cheryl Brooks 8/29✔27. Got milk? (1993) – California Milk Processor Board
* Read a book with a beverage on the cover (show us the cover) OR a book whose title starts with a letter in the word MILK.
Rock Chick Rescue - Kristen Ashley (margarita) 8/15✔28. Taste the Rainbow (1994) – Skittles
* Read a book with some sort of curved arc on the cover (show us the cover) OR a book originally published in 1994.
Simply Magic - Mary Balogh 11/12✔29. Think outside the bun (1998) – Taco Bell
* Read a book with a Hispanic character or by a Hispanic author OR a book with an outdoor scene on the cover (show us the cover).
Still the One - Jill Shalvis 8/13✔30. Can you hear me now? (2002) - Verizon Wireless
* Read a book with an ear on the cover (show us the cover) OR a book with all words in the title being no more than 4 letters each (two-word minimum).
If He's Daring - Hannah Howell 8/9CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Scrabble Anyone?Duration: January 1, 2015 - ??
Round 4: E, I, S, U, D, M, H
E: The Duke Is Mine - Eloisa James 12/26
I: Clean Sweep - Ilona Andrews 1/6
S: Though Not Dead - Dana Stabenow 12/31
U: Up to Me - M. Leighton 3/12
D: The Dragon Legion Collection - Deborah Cooke 12/29
M: The Viper - Monica McCarty 12/29
H: Still Waters - Tami Hoag 12/23
Round 5: I, O, R, T, T, G, Q(u)
I: If He's Sinful - Hannah Howell 3/20
O: Omega - Susannah Sandlin 3/24
R: Spider Bones - Kathy Reichs 3/22
T: Throne of Glass - Sarah Maas 4/4
T: The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones - Jack Wolf 4/28
G: The Gray Wolf Throne - Cinda Williams Chima 3/28
Qu: Quarterback Draw - Jaci Burton 8/25
Round 6: E, E, A, I, O, N, K
E: Warrior's Curse - Alexa Egan 9/15
E: The Prince of Frogs - Annaliese Evans 9/21
A: The Arrow - Monica McCarty 9/21
I: If He's Noble - Hannah Howell 9/17
O: Obsidian - Jennifer Armentrout 9/2
N: Archangel's Enigma - Nalini Singh 9/8
K: Bones Never Lie - Kathy Reichs 9/3
Round 7: I, O, J, E, N, Y, C
I: Magic Shifts - Ilona Andrews 10/9
O: Obsession in Death - J.D. Robb 10/8
J: Forever - Jacquelyn Frank 9/23
E: Envy - J.R. Ward 10/31
N: Bonds of Justice - Nalini Singh 9/28
Y: Temping Is Hell - Cathy Yardley 11/21
C: Crave - J.R. Ward 9/27
Crossword Puzzle ChallengeDuration: September 1 - November 31, 2015
READ: 11/12
✔1. A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or a rectangular grid of white and black shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. The shaded squares are used to separate the words or phrases. ✎Read a book whose cover is black and white only OR read a book whose cover contains multiple squares and/or rectangles OR read a mystery that is solved through clues. Remember to post the book cover for options 1 and 2.
Obsession in Death - J.D. Robb 10/8✔2. Puzzles (those printed in North American newspapers or magazines) are generally one of several standard sizes. For example, many weekday puzzles are 15×15 squares, while weekend puzzles may be 21×21, 23×23, or 25×25. Each answer is usually required to contain at least three letters. Shaded squares are traditionally limited to about one-sixth of the design. ✎Read a book with a total page count that includes “15,” “21,” “23,” or “25” intact (i.e. 159 or 415 would work for “15,” but 511 would not) OR read a book whose title’s shortest word is 3 letters long OR read book #6 on your TBR. Remember to include the page count if using that option.
Fever-Hot Dreams - Jaci Burton/Sherri King/Samantha Winston (256 pages) 10/10✔3. On December 21, 1913, Arthur Wynne, a journalist from Liverpool, England, published a "word-cross" puzzle in the New York World that looks loosely like standard puzzles today. This puzzle is frequently cited as the first crossword puzzle, and Wynne as the inventor. Later, the name of the puzzle was changed to "crossword.” ✎Read a book that features a journalist or reporter OR read a book that takes place in England OR read a book in which the first letter of every word in the title may be found in CROSSWORD (discount “a,” “an,” “the” / 2 word minimum).
Fingersmith - Sarah Waters 10/84. Margaret Farrar, the first crossword editor of The New York Times (from 1942 to 1969), is credited with the creation of most of the rules that guide modern crossword design. She also instituted the idea of having the puzzles become more difficult as the week went on –the Monday puzzles are the easiest and the puzzles get harder until Saturday. The larger Sunday puzzle is approximately the same level of difficulty as a weekday-size Thursday puzzle. ✎Read a book by an author whose first name is Margaret (any of the nicknames are fine as well – i.e. Maggie, Peggy, Marge etc.) OR read a book whose title contains a day of the week OR read a book about someone who performs a historic first of some kind. Remember to tell us what the historic first is.
✔5. Will Shortz is probably the name most often associated with crossword puzzles. He graduated from Indiana University in 1974 and is the only person known to hold a college degree in enigmatology (the study of puzzles). Shortz achieved this feat by designing his own curriculum through IU’s Individualized Major Program. He has been the editor for the NYT crossword puzzle since 1993. ✎Read any book about crossword puzzles OR read a book that takes place in Indiana OR read any book that takes place in academia.
Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell (takes place in a high school) 11/22✔6. Will Shortz has also been the puzzle master on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday since the program was started in 1987. He has made several television appearances ranging from talk shows to The Simpsons. Shortz provided the puzzle clues which The Riddler (Jim Carrey) leaves for Batman (Val Kilmer) in the film Batman Forever. ✎Read a book that features radio, television, or movies in a significant way (Tell us how!) OR read a book from which a film is based OR read a book featuring two enemies (Tell us who! The enemies do not have to be famous – the pair could be a husband and wife going through a messy divorce, etc).
Sealed with a Curse - Cecy Robson (enemy vampire & werewolf fighting over the same girl) 10/22✔7. Wordplay (2006) is a documentary about Will Shortz and his loyal fan base. The documentary features various famous fans of his puzzles such as Bill Clinton, Ken Burns, Jon Stewart, Daniel Okrent, the Indigo Girls and Mike Mussina. On Will’s 50th birthday, he received a personal message from former president Bill Clinton. ✎Read a book featuring a celebrity OR read a book that features a protagonist in his/her 50’s OR read a book whose author’s first name is Will, Bill, Ken, Jon, Daniel, Amy, Emily, or Mike (reasonable variations of spelling or name derivatives accepted).
Speaking in Bones - Kathy Reichs 10/30✔8. In his tenure as crossword editor of the New York Times, Shortz said that his favorite crossword of all time is the Election Day crossword for November 5, 1996, designed by Jeremiah Farrell. It had two correct solutions with the same set of clues, one saying that the "Lead story in tomorrow's newspaper (!)" would be "BOB DOLE ELECTED," and the other correct solution saying "CLINTON ELECTED.” ✎Read a book by one of your favorite authors OR read the second book in a series OR read a book which features an election of some kind (does not have to be national; it could be as simple as the election of Homecoming King).
Luscious - Amanda Usen (sexy chefs #2) 10/2✔9. Will Shortz is the founder of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (1978), and has served as its director since that time. This is the nation's oldest and largest crossword competition. Solvers tackle eight original crosswords created and edited specially for this event. Scoring is based on accuracy and speed, with a grand prize of $5,000. ✎Read a book published in 1978 OR read a book in which a competition of some kind takes place (Tell us about the competition!) OR read a book with more than 5,000 GoodReads ratings.
Days of Blood & Starlight - Laini Taylor (67,732 ratings) 10/13✔10. Dan Feyer won the 2014 tournament making the win his fifth year in a row and tying Tyler Hinman's record of consecutive wins. Dan and Tyler are both from San Francisco, CA and have had quite the rivalry going for the last few years. ✎Read a book that is fifth in a series OR read a book with a 5 in its publication year (remember to tell us the year) OR read a book that takes place in San Francisco.
The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy - Julia Quinn (Jan 2015) 10/11✔11. Shortz is the author or editor of more than 100 books and owns over 20,000 puzzle books and magazines dating back to 1545, reportedly the world's largest private library on the subject. Shortz is a member of the National Puzzlers' League and is currently the league historian. ✎Read a book featuring an author OR read a book that takes place primarily in a library or archives of some kind OR read a history book.
Tempted At Midnight - Jacquie D'Alessandro (heroine just wrote her first book) 11/19✔12. The creating of crosswords is called cruciverbalism among its practitioners, who are referred to as cruciverbalists, from the Latin for cross and word. A tradition in puzzle design is that the grid should have 180-degree rotational (also known as "radial") symmetry, so that its pattern appears the same if the paper is turned upside down. ✎Read a book about someone who designs and/or constructs things OR read a book whose cover shows a symmetry of some kind – i.e. a reflection in a body of water (Tell us what the symmetry is!) OR read a book whose author initials may be found in CRUCIVERBALISM.
X Marks the Scot - Victoria Roberts 10/23
From Sea to Shining Sea - New HampshireDuration: November 1 - December 31, 2015
READ: 8/10
1. Even though New Hampshire is technically the 9th state of the United States, ratifying the constitution on June 21, 1788; it was the first state to declare independence from England. It did so a full six months before the Declaration of Independance was signed. New Hampshire was named for England's Hampshire, by Captain John Mason. Concord is its capital city. It goes by the nickname of Granite State, because of the abundance of that rock in the state.
✒ Read a book published in a year that has two 8s in it (1988, 1878 etc.) -or- read a book by an author whose initials are J.M. (MJ doesn't work!) -or- read a book with a rock or stone on the cover; post the cover, stone or rock must be visible in the GR thumbnail.
✔2. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Its motto is "Live Free or Die", from a toast written by General John Stark, New Hampshire's most famous soldier of the American Revolutionary War, on July 31, 1809. The full text of his toast is, "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils."
✒ Read a book set in Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine or Canada -or- read a book that appears on any of the Goodreads popular list; mention which list -or- read a book in which a death occurs.
Dead Head - Rosemary Harris 11/6✔3. The purple finch is the state bird, the purple lilac the state flower, and the white birch the state tree of New Hampshire. The white tailed deer is the state animal and beryl is the state mineral. The official song of New Hampshire is "Old New Hampshire". New Hampshire is the 5th smallest state in size and the 9th smallest in population. It stands 7th highest in terms of median household income.
✒ Read a book with a predominantly purple cover; post the cover -or- read a book with two opposite words in its title and/or subtitle -or- read one of the smallest books in your TBR that is still greater than 150 pages; mention the number of pages.
In the Air Tonight - Stephanie Tyler 11/5✔4. The highest wind speed recorded at ground level is at Mt. Washington, on April 12, 1934. The winds were three times as fast as those in most hurricanes. The Mount Washington auto road at Great Glen is New Hampshire's oldest manmade tourist attraction. The very first motorized ascent of the Mount Washington auto road was by Feelan O. Stanley, of Stanley Steamer fame, in 1899.
✒ Read a book with a synonym of wind (or wind itself) in the title -or- read a book with a motorized land vehicle on the cover; post the cover -or- read a book whose title starts with an S (A, An and The DO count!).
Stuck on You - Patti Berg 11/1✔5. The granite profile "Old Man of the Mountain" is one of the most famous natural landmarks in the state. It was a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains, that appeared to be the jagged profile of a face when viewed from the north. The rock formation was 1,200 feet above Profile Lake, and measured 40 feet tall and 25 feet wide. The first recorded mention of the Old Man was in 1805. It collapsed on May 3, 2003. The profile has been New Hampshire's state emblem since 1945. It was put on the state's license plate, state route signs, and on the back of New Hampshire's Statehood Quarter, which is popularly promoted as the only US coin with a profile on both sides.
✒ Read a book with a scene on or near a cliff in it -or- read a book with a protagonist who is old (>60 years) -or- read a book with any of the following on the cover: coin, license plate or a road sign; post the cover. Object must be visible on the GR thumbnail.
The Emperor's Tomb - Steve Berry 11/236. New Hampshire is the only state that ever played host at the formal conclusion of a foreign war. In 1905, Portsmouth was the scene of the treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War, which was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea. After the defeat of the Russian Army and Navy, both sides accepted the offer of American president, Theodore Roosevelt, to mediate; meetings were held in Portsmouth, leading to the treaty being signed.
✒ Read a book with a Russian or Japanese character -or- read a book by an author called Nicholas or Theodore (may be first, middle or last names; reasonable variations are acceptable) -or- read a book set in the early 20th century (for the purpose of this task, 1901-1920).
✔7. In 1833 the first free public library in the United States was established in Peterborough. New Hampshire adopted the first legal lottery in the twentieth century United States in 1963. Cannon Aerial Tramway is the first aerial passenger tramway in North America. It was built in 1938 at Franconia Notch. On December 30, 1828, about 400 mill girls walked out of the Dover Cotton Factory enacting the first women's strike in the United States. The Dover mill girls were forced to give in when the mill owners immediately began advertising for replacement workers.
✒ Read a book with an important scene set in a library -or- Go to random.org. Using the true random generator on the right, generate a random number between 0 (min) & 9 (max). Read a book whose position on your TBR contains that number; mention the position -or- read a book with a woman protagonist you consider strong.
Kiss of Snow - Nalini Singh 11/13✔8. Daniel Webster was a politician and statesman, born at Franklin in 1782. He was known in his day as a mighty orator, a reputation preserved in the Stephen Vincent Benet story The Devil and Daniel Webster, in which he beats the original lawyer, Lucifer, in a contract case over a man's soul.
✒ Read a fiction book with a real life character in it -or- read a book that can be termed a courtroom drama -or- read a book in which Satan or Lucifer (or some evil equivalent) makes an appearance.
Krampus: The Yule Lord - Brom 11/18✔9. Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States was born in New Hampshire. Alan Shepard, the first American to travel to space, was also born in New Hampshire. Sarah Josepha Hale author and journalist who wrote the poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb" in 1830 is from Newport, New Hampshire.
✒ Read a book where a protagonist is a slaveholder or does not support abolition -or- read a book that is set in space -or- read a book with a 4 (or more) letter word from Mary Had a Little Lamb in the title. Mention the word.
Flames of Arousal - Ruth Kerce 11/1✔10. In New Hampshire, you may not tap your feet, nod your head, or in any way keep time to the music in a tavern, restaurant, or cafe. You cannot sell the clothes you are wearing to pay off a gambling debt. Also in New Hampshire, on Sundays citizens may not relieve themselves while looking up.
✒ Read a book dealing with music in some fashion -or- read a book with clothes prominently displayed on the cover; post the cover -or- read a book where a main character owns or works in a restaurant, cafe or tavern (nothing else!).
It's in His Kiss - Jill Shalvis 11/10
Crazy Spell -it-out-Genre Challenge - Round TwoDuration: April 18, 2014 - ??
ROUND TWO
READ: 137/137
Mystery (must be all mysteries)
M: Middle of Nowhere - Ridley Pearson 9/11
Y: You Can't Hide - Karen Rose 2/7
S: Slay It with Flowers - Kate Collins 8/9
T: A Taint In The Blood - Dana Stabenow 8/10
E: The Golden One - Elizabeth Peters 5/8
R: The Big Dirt Nap - Rosemary Harris 8/17
Y: Your Next Breath - Iris Johansen 12/10
Cozy
C: City of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare 4/23
O: Long, Lean and Lethal - Lorie O'Clare 4/27
Z: Caring Is Creepy - David Zimmerman 7/10
Y: Blood Past - Samantha Young 5/15
Amateur sleuth
A: Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey 4/27
M: The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley 5/14
A: At Last - Jill Shalvis 4/29
T: The Turtle-Girl from East Pukapuka - Cole Alpaugh 6/3
E: Eat Prey Love - Kerrelyn Sparks 5/16
U: White Wedding - Ursula Sinclair 8/11
R: Rapture - Jacquelyn Frank 4/20
S: The Vampire and the Virgin - Kerrelyn Sparks 4/29
L: Lethal Legacy - Linda Fairstein 4/20
E: Guardian of the Horizon - Elizabeth Peters 7/31
U: Uncorked - Lois Greiman 12/5
T: The Thirteenth House - Sharon Shinn 8/7
H: Hounded - Kevin Hearne 4/28
Professional sleuth
P: Pleasure - Jacquelyn Frank 4/21
R: Don't Tell - Karen Rose 6/6
O: On the Prowl - Christine Warren 8/4
F: The Firebird - Susanna Kearsley 5/12
E: The Serpent on the Crown - Elizabeth Peters 8/22
S: Blood Will Tell - Dana Stabenow 4/19
S: Born To Darkness - Suzanne Brockmann 4/24
I: Darkness Unleashed - Alexandra Ivy 6/7
O: Can't Buy Me Love - Molly O'Keefe 8/21
N: Not One Clue - Lois Greiman 5/10
A: Atlantis Betrayed - Alyssa Day 5/6
L: Loving A Lost Lord - Mary Jo Putney 5/11
S: Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins 5/4
L: City of the Sun - David Levien 5/13
E: Wife for Hire - Janet Evanovich 9/24
U: Up to Me - M. Leighton 3/12
T: Dire Needs - Stephanie Tyler 7/9
H: Hostage - Kay Hooper 6/6
Police Procedural
P: Cross Country - James Patterson 4/29
O: One More Bite - Jennifer Rardin 6/29
L: The Clockwork Teddy - John Lamb 7/7
I: It Had to Be You - Jill Shalvis 6/8
C: Black Magic Woman - Christine Warren 5/8
E: The Broken Hearts Club - Ethan Black 7/8
P: Proven Guilty - Jim Butcher 6/1
R: Chill - Stephanie Rowe 7/9
O: On the Hunt - anthology 6/26
C: The Demon You Know - Christine Warren 5/9
E: Tomb of the Golden Bird - Elizabeth Peters 9/28
D: The Darkest Surrender - Gena Showalter 4/25
U: Untamed Highlander - Donna Grant 6/18
R: The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley 6/25
A: Vampire in Atlantis - Alyssa Day 6/28
L: Lucky in Love - Carolyn Brown 7/22
Legal/medical
L: The Crafty Teddy - John Lamb 6/15
E: Evertrue - Brodi Ashton 9/29
G: The Girl Next Door - Jack Ketchum 6/2
A: Ashfall - Mike Mullen 6/21
L: Last Breath - Mariah Stewart 6/16
M: The King of Attolia - Megan Walen Turner6/10
E: Ecstasy in Darkness - Gena Showalter 6/12
D: The Girl Most Likely To... - Susan Donovan 6/14
I: Magic Rises - Ilona Andrews 6/23
C: Fugitive - Cheryl Brooks 6/8
A: Angel Fire - L.A. Weatherly 6/13
L: Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay 6/13
(cont)Suspense
S: Sex and the Single Earl - Vanessa Kelly 6/20
U: Unmade - Sarah Rees Brennan 3/25
S: The Sum of All Kisses - Julia Quinn 6/29
P: Cross Fire - James Patterson 8/5
E: Hidden - Kendra Elliot 10/23
N: Never Less Than a Lady - Mary Jo Putney 6/4
S: The Seductive Impostor - Janet Chapman 7/20
E: Everywhere She Turns - Debra Webb 11/3
Romantic Suspense
R: Spirit and Dust - Rosemary Clement-Moore 6/30
O: Once in a Lifetime - Jill Shalvis 8/24
M: Sparks Fly - Katie MacAlister 6/15
A: Always On My Mind - Jill Shalvis 7/5
N: Not Your Ordinary Faerie Tale - Christine Warren 6/9
T: A Thief In A Kilt - Sandy Blair 8/9
I: I, Alex Cross - James Patterson 7/8
C: Whisper Kiss - Deborah Cooke 7/7
S: Shaman Rises - C.E. Murphy 7/23
U: Unbinding - Eileen Wilks 6/14
S: Shadow Highlander - Donna Grant 7/29
P: Playing Easy to Get - Sherrilyn Kenyon 9/22
E: The Grand Finale - Janet Evanovich 11/8
N: Night Falls on the Wicked - Sharie Kohler 7/13
S: Dark Taste of Rapture - Gena Showalter 7/19
E: Billionaires Prefer Blondes - Suzanne Enoch 11/10
Historical
H: Black Arts - Faith Hunter 6/19
I: The Ice Princess - Camilla Läckberg 7/17
S: Zuri's Zargonnii Warrior - C.L. Scholey 7/26
T: Tongue In Chic - Christina Dodd 7/12
O: On the Way to the Wedding - Julia Quinn 9/25
R: Back to You - Robin Kaye 7/14
I: The Devil's Punchbowl - Greg Iles 8/3
C: Drive Me Wild - Christine Warren 7/11
A: Heart of Atlantis - Alyssa Day 8/11
L: Loved By a Warrior - Donna Fletcher 7/26
Mixed Genre
M: Midnight Come Again - Dana Stabenow 6/19
I: Deadlock - Iris Johansen 10/30
X: XO - Jeffrey Deaver 6/26
E: Children of the Storm - Elizabeth Peters 7/3
D: The Darkest Craving - Gena Showalter 6/27
G: A Grave Denied - Dana Stabenow 7/2
E: Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues - Diana Rowland 11/24
N: Nowhere Near Respectable - Mary Jo Putney 7/31
R: His Carnal Need - Ruth Kerce 7/13
E: The Exiled Queen - Cinda Williams Chima 11/28
Private Eye
P: Power Play - Catherine Coulter 9/29
R: Bite Marks - Jennifer Rardin 7/16
I: Oceanborne - Katherine Irons 10/22
V: Dreamveil - Lynn Viehl 7/20
A: Are You Scared Yet? - Hunter Morgan 8/19
T: Tall, Dark & Lonely - R.L. Mathewson 8/13
E: A River in the Sky - Elizabeth Peters 11/23
E: Dream a Little Dream - Susan Elizabeth Phillips 11/22
Y: Shades of Blood - Samantha Young 9/20
E: Street of the Five Moons - Elizabeth Peters 12/12
Noir
N: No Longer a Gentleman - Mary Jo Putney 8/30
O: Crazy Thing Called Love - Molly O'Keefe 11/26
I: Live to See Tomorrow - Iris Johansen 12/4
R: Beauty - Robin McKinley 7/22
Crime
C: Feel the Heat - Cindy Gerard 8/16
R: Redemption - Susannah Sandlin 8/24
I: If There Be Dragons - Kay Hooper 12/18
M: My Soul to Keep - Sharie Kohler 6/29
E: Ember's Kiss - Deborah Cooke 12/12
Caper
C: Darkfire Kiss - Deborah Cooke 8/29
A: And One Last Thing ... - Molly Harper 8/27
P: Kill Alex Cross - James Patterson 9/24
E: The Crossing Places - Elly Griffiths 12/13
R: Bitten in Two - Jennifer Rardin 8/31
CHALLENGE COMPLETE
GAME: YAHTZEEStart Date: May 1, 2015
READ: 65/65
TOP HALF OF SCORE CARD
✔1s:
Read three books that are #1 in a series OR three books with a 1 in the title (one or 1 works, first does not; NO compound words!) OR three books with a 1 in the total number of pages (tell us how many pages in each book)
1. Dinner with a Vampire - Abigail Gibbs 5/10
2. Baby - J.K. Accinni 5/3
3. The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson 5/8
** AND **
Read two books of your choice
1. The Winter People - Jennifer McMahon 5/3
2. Texas Gothic - Rosemary Clement-Moore 5/9
✔2s:
Read three books that are #2 in a series OR three books with a 2 in the title (two or 2 works, second does not; NO compound words!)OR three books with a 2 in the total number of pages (tell us how many pages in each book)
1. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern - Lilian Jackson Braun 5/2
2. Echo - J.K. Accinni 5/5
3. The Janus Stone - Elly Griffiths 5/10
** AND **
Read two books of your choice
1. The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters 5/6
2. Beware the Wild - Natalie Parker 5/4
✔3s:
Read three books that are #3 in a series OR three books with a 3 in the title (three or 3 works, third does not; NO compound words!)ORthree books with a 3 in the original publication date (tell us the year each book was published)
1. Asylum - Madeleine Roux (2013) 5/5
2. Burial Rites - Hannah Kent (2013) 5/20
3. Beneath a Rising Moon - Keri Arthur (2013) 5/22
** AND **
Read two books of your choice
1. The Collector - Nora Roberts 5/13
2. Shadowglass - Erica Hayes 5/18
✔4s:
Read three books that are #4 in a series OR three books with a 4 in the title (four or 4 works, fourth does not; NO compound words!)OR three books with a 4 in the original publication date (tell us the year each book was published)
1. The Fall - Bethany Griffin (2014) 5/10
2. Games Creatures Play - Charlaine Harris (2014) 5/2
3. Of Monsters and Madness - Jessica Verday (2014) 5/3
** AND **
Read two books of your choice
1. Sanctum - Madeleine Roux 5/7
2. Armageddon Cometh- J.K. Accinni 5/7
✔5s:
Read three books that are #5 in a series OR three books with a 5 in the title (five or 5 works, fifth does not; NO compound words!) OR three books with a 5 in the original publication date (tell us the year each book was published)
1. Instinct - Sherrilyn Kenyon (2015) 5/11
2. Skybreaker - Kenneth Oppel (2005) 5/15
3. HIDE Omnibus - Jax Spenser (2015) 7/6
** AND **
Read two books of your choice
1. The Crimson Crown - Cinda Williams Chima 5/22
2. The Dying of the Light - Derek Landy 5/25
✔6s:
Read three books that are #6 in a series OR three books with a 6 in the title (six or 6 works, sixth does not; NO compound words!) OR three books with a 6 in the total number of pages (tell us how many pages in each book)
1. Sixth Grave on the Edge - Darynda Jones 5/13
2. City of Heavenly Fire - Cassandra Clare 5/17
3.One Sweet Ride - Jaci Burton 6/6
** AND **
Read two books of your choice
1. In Rides Trouble - Julie Ann Walker 5/26
2. Seventh Grave and No Body - Darynda Jones 5/27
BOTTOM HALF OF SCORE CARD
✔3 of a kind:
Read three books by the same author (using the same name) OR three books from the same series (tell us which series) OR three books set in the same US state (tell us the state)
1. The Witness - Nora Roberts 7/25
2. Dark Witch - Nora Roberts 8/8
3. High Noon - Nora Roberts 8/22
** AND **
Read two books of your choice
1. Deadtown - Nancy Holzner 8/11
2. Nauti Temptress - Lora Leigh 8/12
✔4 of a kind:
Read four books originally published in the same year (tell us the year) OR four books set in the same country, other than the US (tell us the country) OR four books whose author’s LAST names begin with the same letter
1. The Diamond Conspiracy - Pip Ballantine 7/18
2. Chain of Illusions - Boone Brux 8/7
3. Book Clubbed - Lorna Barrett 8/8
4. Hero - Cheryl Brooks 8/29
** AND **
Read one book of your choice
1. Voracious - V.K. Forrest 7/19
✔Full house:
Read three books by the same author (using the same name) OR three books originally published in the same year (tell us the year) OR three books whose titles begin with the same letter (do NOT count A, An or The)
1. Dragonquest - Anne McCaffrey 7/17
2. Demon's Curse - Alexa Egan 7/30
3. Dead in the Water - Stuart Woods 8/1
** AND **
Read two books whose author initials (first and last only) are identical (must be different authors) OR two books from the same series (tell us the series) OR two books with the same color on the cover; must be the same shade of your chosen color! (post the bookcovers)
1. Embrace the Highland Warrior - Anita Clenney (Conner Clan #2) 7/21
2. Heart of a Highland Warrior - Anita Clenney (Connor Clan #3) 8/27
✔Small straight:
Read one book of your choice
1. Uprooted - Naomi Novik 7/26
** AND **
Read four books whose author’s LAST names begin with consecutive letters in the alphabet (A, B, C and D, for example) OR four consecutive books from the same series (tell us the series) OR books originally published in four consecutive years (tell us the years) OR four books whose titles begin with consecutive letters of the alphabet (do NOT count A, An or The)OR four consecutive books from the same series (tell us the series) OR books originally published in four consecutive years (tell us the years)
1. [2010] Wild Fire - Christine Feehan 7/15
2. [2011] Daughter of Smoke & Bone - Laini Taylor 7/22
3. [2012] Warrior Reborn - Melissa Mayhue 7/20
4. [2013] Big Sky Summer - Linda Lael Miller 8/4
✔Large straight:
Read five books whose author’s LAST names begin with consecutive letters in the alphabet OR five consecutive books from the same series (tell us the series) OR books originally published in five consecutive years OR five books whose titles begin with consecutive letters of the alphabet (do NOT count A, An or The)
NOTE: You must choose a different option than the one you used for the Small Straight.
1. [Psy Changeling 7] Blaze of Memory - Nalini Singh 8/31
2. [Psy Changeling 8] Bonds of Justice - Nalini Singh 9/28
3. [Psy Changeling 9] Play of Passion - Nalini Singh 10/28
4. [Psy Changeling 10] Kiss of Snow - Nalini Singh 10/13
5. [Psy Changeling 11] Heart of Obsidian - Nalini Singh 12/24
✔Yahtzee:
Read five books originally published in the same year OR 5 books set in the same state/province; country does NOT count for this one! (tell us the state/province) OR five books with a character in the same profession (tell us the profession).
NOTE: The profession must match EXACTLY -- a chef and a baker are NOT the same profession, nor are a high school teacher and a college professor!
1. [2014] Archangel's Shadows - Nalini Singh 8/2
2. [2014] If He's Daring - Hannah Howell 8/9
3. [2014] Then Came You - Jill Shalvis 7/29
4. [2014] The Assassin's Blade - Sarah Maas 7/18
5. [2014] The Darkest Touch - Gena Showalter 7/12
✔Chance:
Read any 5 books of your choice
1. Ecstasy Untamed - Pamela Palmer 7/28
2. Forbidden - Jacquelyn Frank 7/31
3. Alone - Kendra Elliot 8/2
4. The Will of the Empress - Tamora Pierce 8/5
5. Deadly Offerings - Alexa Grace 8/9
CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Saturday Morning Cartoons Duration: July 1 - December 31 2015
READ: 23/25
1. BUGS BUNNY - Read a book with a gray object occupying at least 25% of its cover; post the cover OR a book whose title is a question
✔2. DAFFY DUCK - Read book #3 in a series OR a book with a daffy or despicable character.
Fifty Shades of Alice Through the Looking Glass - Melinda DuChamp 7/10✔3. DROOPY - Read a book with an intelligent dog in the story (must be essential to the story in some way, not just a pet) OR a book with a character who does his/her job in a slow, methodical manner.
The Highlander Next Door - Janet Chapman (psychic cop dog who understands Gaelic) 12/2✔4. ELMER FUDD - Read a book whose main character’s first name begins with E or F OR a book that has been translated from the language in which it was originally written (tell us its original language AND the language it’s been translated into)
The Diamond Conspiracy - Pip Ballantine (Eliza) 7/18✔5. FOGHORN LEGHORN - Read a book set in Virginia OR a book with some kind of bird in its title or on its cover (must be visible in the GR thumbnail); post the cover
Embrace the Highland Warrior - Anita Clenney (mostly in Virginia but also in Scotland) 7/21✔6. THE FLINTSTONES - Read a book involving best friends OR a book with 6 or 9 in the year it was originally published; tell us the year
Hard Evidence - Pamela Clare (pub 2006) 7/23✔7. HECKLE & JECKLE - Read a book with at least two rhyming words in its title OR a book whose cover that is at least 75% black; post the cover
Better Read Than Dead - Victoria Laurie 8/29✔8. HUCKLEBERRY HOUND - Read a book with a hat or a bow tie on its cover (must be visible in the GR thumbnail); post the cover OR a book that has won an award; tell us the award and the year it won
Big Sky Summer - Linda Lael Miller 8/4✔9. THE JETSONS - Read a book set at least 50 years in the future OR a book with a 2, 6 or 0 in its total number of pages
Dragon Down Under - Angela Castle (286 pages) 7/7✔10. JONNY QUEST - Read a book with a Q somewhere in its title or author’s name OR a book with a character who is a scientist.
Hostage to Pleasure - Nalini Singh 7/24✔11. MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN - Read a book with TIME TRAVEL on its main GR page OR a book in which a character has been adopted
Heart of a Highland Warrior - Anita Clenney 8/27✔12. PEPE LE PEW - Read a book with ROMANCE on its main GR page or a book with a French character or a book set in France.
Can't Hurry Love - Molly O'Keefe 7/27✔13. POPEYE THE SAILOR - Read a book with a vegetable in its title or on its cover (must be visible in the GR thumbnail); post the cover OR a book featuring a character in the military (any branch, any country, any era).
The Escape - David Baldacci(Army CID Investigator) 8/21✔14. PORKY PIG - Read a book with at least two words in its title that begin with the same letter OR a book with a character who is quiet and shy throughout the book.
Beauty and the Blacksmith - Tessa Dare 7/6✔15. QUICK DRAW McGRAW - Read a book whose main character is in law enforcement OR a book set in the American Old West (1865-1900); tell us the year
Trail of Kisses - Merry Farmer (1863) 7/5✔16. ROCKY & BULLWINKLE - Read a book set in a cold climate OR a book whose title is a pun.
Trouble in Spades - Heather Webber 9/6✔17. SNAGGLEPUSS - Read a book whose cover is at least 50% pink; post the cover OR a book whose title begins with a letter in SNAGGLEPUSS (A, An and The DO count!!)
Ecstasy Untamed - Pamela Palmer 7/28✔18. TENNESSSEE TUXEDO & CHUMLEY - Read a book in which a character works with animals OR a book with a cover that is entirely black and white (only the author name or title in another color will be allowed); post the cover
Then Came You - Jill Shalvis (heroine is a vet) 7/29✔19. TOM & JERRY - Read a book with a 7 in its original year of publication; tell us the year OR a book between 150-200 pages long.
High Noon - Nora Roberts (pub 2007) 8/22✔20. TOP CAT - Read a book by an author whose uses an initial instead of a first name (e.g., P.D. James, F. Scott Fitzgerald) OR a book with a lazy but clever main character.
Voracious - V.K. Forrest 7/1921. TWEETY - Read a book whose cover is at least 50% yellow; post the cover OR a book in which a character lives with a grandparent instead of his/her parent/s.
✔22. UNDERDOG - Read a book with a character who has at least one superpower; tell us what it is OR a book by an author whose first AND last initials can be found in UNDERDOG.
Dark Witch - Nora Roberts 8/8✔23. WILE E. COYOTE & THE ROADRUNNER - Read a book with a character whose plans fail over and over again OR a book whose title contains at least one word with consecutive double letters (mEEp, nEEdle)
Kiss of the Betrayer - Boone Brux 7/8✔24. YOGI BEAR & BOO BOO - Read a book with a smarter than average character OR a book in which a theft is crucial to the plot.
Obsession in Death - J.D. Robb 10/8✔25. YOSEMITE SAM - Read a book with a character who is called by a nickname rather than his/her given name; tell us both names OR a book with WESTERN on its main GR page.
Rock Chick Rescue - Kristen Ashley (Henrietta Louise, called Jet) 8/15
Pick A Theme Challenge 2014Duration: September 1, 2014 to August 31, 2015
Theme: Mystery
READ: 24/24
C: Wanna Get Lucky? - Deborah Coonts 9/17
R: Middle of Nowhere - Ridley Pearson 9/11
A: The Alexandria Link - Steve Berry 10/25
Z: Zoo - James Patterson 3/5
Y: You Can't Hide - Karen Rose 2/7
C: Power Play - Catherine Coulter 9/29
H: What Angels Fear - C.S. Harris 10/15
A: The Ghost and Mrs. McClure - Alice Kimberly 10/29
L: Love You More - Lisa Gardner 12/24
L: Maiden Rock - Mary Logue 12/28
E: Hidden - Kendra Elliot 10/23
N: Nickeled-and-Dimed to Death - Denise Swanson 9/15
G: Uncorked - Lois Greiman 12/5
E: Everywhere She Turns - Debra Webb 11/3
C: The Crossing Places - Elly Griffiths 12/13
O: Optical Delusions in Deadwood - Ann Charles 1/1
N: Nearly Departed in Deadwood - Ann Charles 11/9
N: The Butterfly Farm - Diane Noble 11/25
E: Street of the Five Moons - Elizabeth Peters 12/12
C: Cross My Heart - James Patterson 12/19
T: Tomb of the Golden Bird - Elizabeth Peters 9/28
I: Iron House - John Hart 4/7
O: Odd Interlude - Dean Koontz 2/13
N: A Night Too Dark - Dana Stabenow 12/9
CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Barbara's Challenges & Reading Lists
Books mentioned in this topic
One in a Million (other topics)Pleasure Island (other topics)
Obsession in Death (other topics)
Envy (other topics)
Odd Interlude (other topics)
More...
READ: 10/10
✔1. Connecticut is the fifth state of the United States, entering it on Jan 9, 1788. Its name is derived from the Mohegan word, quonehtacut, meaning "the long tidal river". Its capital city is Hartford.
✒ Read a book with a Q somewhere in the title or author's name -or- read a book set in a river town -or- read a book with a 5 in its year of first publishing.
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters - Gordon Dahlquist 3/7
✔2. Connecticut was designated the “Constitution State” by the General Assembly in 1959. As early as the 19th Century, John Fiske, a popular historian from Connecticut, made the claim that the Fundamental Orders of 1638/39 (framed by the planters of Connecticut) were the first written constitution in history. Connecticut has also been known as the “Nutmeg State”, the “Provisions State”, and the “Land of Steady Habits”.
✒ Read a book with a character who can be called organized -or- read a book with a spice name in the title -or- read a book where a place is just being settled (settling another planet works).
Think of a Number - John Verdon (very organized killer) 4/1
✔3. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. The state motto is "Qui transtulit sustinet" (He who transplanted still sustains), and the state song is "Yankee Doodle".
✒ Read a book by an author who was born in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts or New York -or- read a book where God(s) and faith is important -or- read a book where the first letters of all words in the title appear in "YANKEEDOODLE" (two words minimum, ignore A, An and The).
The Book of Names - Jill Gregory 4/13
✔4. The Connecticut state bird is the American Robin, state tree the White (Charter) Oak, and the state flower is the Mountain Laurel. The state animal is the Sperm Whale. Its state flag consists of a white baroque shield with three grapevines (each bearing three bunches of purple grapes) on a field of azure blue. The banner below the shield holds the state motto.
✒ Read a book with a white, blue or purple cover (color should be at least 50%) -or- read a book where a sea creature (real or fictional) is part of the story -or- read a book set in the baroque era (for the purpose of this task, 1600-1725).
Dr. Franklin's Island - Ann Halam (manta ray) 3/6
✔5. Connecticut is the 3rd smallest state in terms of area, larger than only Delaware and Rhode Island. It is however the 30th most populous in the country. It is the 4th richest state in the country, with a median household income of $67, 276, helped by the financial institutions that call it their home. But it is also one of the worst states in terms of income inequality between residents.
✒ Read a book that is the third largest out of an author's books (in terms of page count, mention the page count) -or- read a book about business or set in a business world -or- read a book which shows the discrepancy between rich and poor people (this needn't be the whole plot).
Sunrise with a Notorious Lord - Alexandria Hawkins 3/8
✔6. New Haven, Connecticut is home to the Yale University. Founded in 1701 as the "Collegiate School" by a group of Congregationalist ministers and chartered by the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. In 1718, the school was renamed "Yale College" in recognition of a gift from Elihu Yale, a governor of the British East India Company. Established to train Connecticut ministers in theology and sacred languages, by 1777 the school's curriculum began to incorporate humanities and sciences. During the 19th century Yale gradually incorporated graduate and professional instruction, awarding the first Ph.D. in the United States in 1861 and organizing as a university in 1887.
✒ Read a book set in academia -or- read a book with the letters Y, A, L, E appear in the title, in any order -or- read a book where any two of the the numbers 0, 1, 6, 7 and 8 appear in the total number of pages, in any order.
Angels' Flight - Nalini Singh (368 pages) 3/23
✔7. Mary Kies, of South Killingly was the first woman to receive a U.S. patent on May 15th, 1809 for a method of weaving straw with silk. On January 28, 1878, 21 venturous citizens of New Haven became the world's first subscribers to telephone exchange service. The first telephone book ever issued contained only fifty names. The New Haven District Telephone Company published it in New Haven in February 1878. In 1974 Connecticut elected as governor Democrat Ella T. Grasso, who became the first woman in any state to be elected governor in her own right.
✒ Read a book where a main protagonist works with cloth -or- read a book with a woman protagonist who is not helpless -or- read a book where telephoning is important to the plot.
So Damn Lucky - Deborah Coonts 3/8
✔8. The Scoville Memorial Library is the United States' oldest public library. The library collection began in 1771, when Richard Smith, owner of a local blast furnace, used community contributions to buy 200 books in London. Patrons could borrow and return books on the third Monday of every third month. Fees were collected for damages, the most common being "greasing" by wax dripped from the candles by which the patrons read. On April 9, 1810, a Salisbury town meeting voted to authorize the purchase of more books for the Scoville Memorial Library collection, making the library the first publicly supported free town library in the United States.
✒ Read a book with a book(s) on the cover -or- read a book where a character reads by candlelight -or- read a book with a character who is a librarian (the character must speak or otherwise contribute!)
Throne of Glass - Sarah Maas 4/4
✔9. Connecticut is the birthplace of the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, who served from 2001-2009. Other famous Connecticut residents include actresses Katharine Hepburn and Glenn Close; authors Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Stephanie Meyer and Suzanne Collins; financier and philanthropist J. P. Morgan; and showman P. T. Barnum.
✒ Read a book where the opening line starts with the letter W (mention the opening line) -or- read a book whose author or main character goes by initials instead of a first name -or- read a classic or a best-selling book.
Ritual Magic - Eileen Wilks 3/11
✔10. In Connecticut, in order for a pickle to officially be considered a pickle, it must bounce. It is unlawful in Devon to walk backwards after sunset and in Hartford, you must not educate dogs. In Waterbury, it is illegal for any beautician to hum, sing or whistle when working on a customer. And in New Britain, it is illegal for fire trucks to exceed 25mph, even when going to a fire.
✒ Read a book that shows a person in motion on the cover (the person must be visible on the GR thumbnail) -or- read a book in which music is important to the plot -or- read a book with an intelligent dog in the story (the intelligence of the dog must be shown in some fashion, like having it solve a crime or saving a child from drowning).
The Search - Nora Roberts (search & rescue dog) 4/9
CHALLENGE COMPLETE