2023 Challenge Progress Placeholder

[Cheryl]

Great!

I am now down to Crone and Deals with the Devil. It's interesting to participate in challenges and be encouraged to read more variety.

[Cheryl]

I am not bragging because some of my titles are a stretch, but I am done, got something good enough for all twelve. Thank you!

[Jalilah]

Cheryl wrote: "I am not bragging because some of my titles are a stretch, but I am done, got something good enough for all twelve. Thank you!"

Congratulations! The wonderful thing about this group is you can choose whatever works for you. No one is going to police you and tell you what you can and can not read!
I have 4 more; tricksters, crone, creating order out of chaos and a free spot

[Asaria]

Cheryl, congrats 🙂

[Ozsaur]

Cheryl, congrats on completing the challenge!

[Cheryl]

Thank you!
I appreciate this group.

[Margaret]

Cheryl wrote: "I am not bragging because some of my titles are a stretch, but I am done, got something good enough for all twelve. Thank you!"

Congrats!!!

[Margaret]

Now that the year is halfway over, how's everyone doing on their challenge?

I have at least one book for all the categories, but I'm aiming for two per category. That means I need one more for Crone, Celestial Lore, Plant Lore, Deals with the Devil, and Creating Order Out of Chaos.

I'm surprised I've read at least one for all the categories. I'm farther ahead than I thought.

[Andy]

Margaret wrote: "Now that the year is halfway over, how's everyone doing on their challenge?

I have at least one book for all the categories, but I'm aiming for two per category. That means I need one more for Cr..."

I am still short of a book for Trickster!
Otherwise I have covered all the other categories, some with 2 books. I also want two books per category - still a few to go! ;)

[Jalilah]

Margaret wrote: "Now that the year is halfway over, how's everyone doing on their challenge?

I have at least one book for all the categories, but I'm aiming for two per category. That means I need one more for Cr..."

I have 4 more; tricksters, crone, creating order out of chaos and a free spot

[Margaret]

Sounds like you're both on track to finish though!

[Jalilah]

Francesca wrote: "Question: can I still join in the challenge or is it too late now? Thank you!"

Of course! Also, if you feel you can’t finding everything you don’t have to do all the prompts. You can do less than 12 and many of us do more than 12

[Asaria]

Challenge is mostly for fun, you can choose whatever you like and think would fit the category. :).

[Rose]

I've got a lot for certain genres (plant-lore, shapeshifting, descent to the underworld), but still struggling on celestial lore and deals with the devil.

[Jalilah]

Francesca wrote: "Is it meant to be fiction only or can we mix genres?"

You can choose whatever suits the theme, fiction or non-fiction!

[Margaret]

I used to mix up fiction, nonfiction, poetry, myths, etc. I am in a fiction mood nowadays but it's great to mix it up too! :)

[Susan]

My placeholder of finished entries.
(I'm taking a light approach to this year's challenge, because I'm doing a lot of denser hist and lit reading.)

1. Descent into the underworld--Tam Lin and The Perilous Gard--two entries, since both are rereads
2. Witchcraft--Among Others
3. Tricksters--The Rumpelstiltskin Problem
4. Shapeshifting--Home From the Sea
5. Crone--The Sevenfold Spell
6. Quest--Our Hideous Progeny
7. Celestial Lore--Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary
8. Plant Lore--Flowerheart (not4me; DNF)
9 Deals with the Devil--Nocturne
10 Creating order out of chaos--Daemon Voices
11. Free spot--Fit for the Gods
12. Free spot--The Heroine with 1001 Faces

[Andy]

I finally have one for all categories! :)

[Jalilah]

Andy wrote: "I finally have one for all categories! :)"

Congratulations!

[Margaret]

Andy wrote: "I finally have one for all categories! :)"

Yay!

[Jamie]

Free spot: The Cursed Coven
Creating order out of chaos: The Sea Priestess
Free spot: Slewfoot
Shapeshifting: Anansi Boys
Plant Lore: Juniper and Thorn
Witchcraft: These Witches Don’t Burn
Descent into the underworld: White as Snow
Quest: A Spindle Splintered
Celestial Lore: Asteroid Goddesses
Tricksters: Trickster Makes This World
Deals with the Devil: Faust
Crone: The Manningtree Witches

[Margaret]

We have less than two months until the end of the year. How is everyone doing with the challenge?

I need one more book for Celestial Lore. I'm not sure what I'm reading there yet. I've read a few picture books that would match if I need to, but I'd rather pick a novel.

[Kelsey]

After not paying attention to this challenge all year, I decided to check in to see how many of the challenges I might have covered with books I've read this year, and found myself pleasantly surprised:

1. Descent into the underworld- The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
2. Witchcraft- The Path of Thorns
3. Tricksters
4. Shapeshifting- The Lilies of Dawn
5. Crone
6. Quest- Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods
7. Celestial Lore
8. Plant Lore
9. Deals with the Devil- Even Though I Knew the End
10. Creating order out of chaos- The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
11. Free spot- The Magician’s Daughter
12. Free spot- Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

So now I'm scratching my head to figure out if anything else I've read this year could count for the remaining four challenges, or if I've got anything for them it'd be easy to slip in before the year is out.

[Andy]

I still want to read Loki for trickster, otherwise I am done (keeping the ones I couldn' t fit for next year! ;) )

[Jalilah]

Margaret wrote: "We have less than two months until the end of the year. How is everyone doing with the challenge?

I need one more book for Celestial Lore. I'm not sure what I'm reading there yet. I've read a few..."

I finished all 12 spots but wanted to read more books, so added 4 more. I have 2 more before I finish

I read Daughter of the Moon Goddess for the Celestial Lore prompt. That was one of the more difficult ones to find books for!

[Margaret]

I have one for every spot, but wanted to read 2 for every one. I think I figured out what I'm reading for Celestial Lore—Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods. I need to read a cookbook for Book Riot's Read Harder challenge, and I think I can knock both this one Book Riot's out with Chinese Menu. It's not exactly a cookbook, but it does contain some recipes, and I'm pretty sure it has some celestial lore folktales and myths in it.

[Hannah]

I'm having trouble finding something I want to read for the "Crone" prompt - anyone have any suggestions? Otherwise I've got every prompt covered (to my own surprise haha)!

[Hannah]

I just found the thread of suggestions - nevermind!

[Margaret]

Hannah wrote: "I just found the thread of suggestions - nevermind!"

:)

[Jalilah]

Finished! Originally my goal was 2 books in each category but I ended up reading 3 for deals with the devil and only one each for Celestial lore and Underworld!

[Margaret]

Jalilah wrote: "Finished! Originally my goal was 2 books in each category but I ended up reading 3 for deals with the devil and only one each for Celestial lore and Underworld!"

Yay!

I did two for each category, some had a lot more.

What was everyone's favorite books read for this year's challenge?

[Andy]

Margaret wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "Finished! Originally my goal was 2 books in each category but I ended up reading 3 for deals with the devil and only one each for Celestial lore and Underworld!"

Yay!

What was everyone's favorite books read for this year's challenge?"

I was also planning two for each category, but have not read Loki for the trickster category... I have read 3 for others.

There were so many books I loved, it's hard to choose!!! Here are the best ones I've read for the challenge...

Shapeshifting:
Little Thieves
Longshadow

Celestial Lore:
The Starless Sea

Creating order out of chaos:
The Empire of Gold
The Golden Enclaves

12. Free spot (Friends are the family you choose):
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Divine Rivals

What abou you?

[Asaria]

I haven't read anything only for one category (celestial lore).

This year I think my most enjoyable books read strictly for the challenge were either comics, or had strong ties with Slavic lore. Familiarity won this round, I guess.

[Rose]

I read some really excellent novels and non-fiction for this challenge, but was pleased particularly by including poetry which meant I read the excellent Underworld Lit Srikanth Reddy and Notes from the Underworld Vik Shirley, both highly recommended.

[Jalilah]

Margaret wrote: "What was everyone's favorite books read for this year's challenge."

This year I read a lot of great books! I had to look back at my ratings to see which ones I would count as favourites.
I had 3 books I’d given 5 stars. For me 5 stars means I loved so much I didn’t feel like reading anything else for a few days afterwards.
In the order I read them in they were:
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
Inanna byEmily H. Wilson
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

Almost all the other books I read I gave 4 stars to, except The Angel's Game which was 3

[Margaret]

Rose wrote: "I read some really excellent novels and non-fiction for this challenge, but was pleased particularly by including poetry which meant I read the excellent Underworld Lit Srikanth Red..."

Those look interesting!

Jalilah wrote: "Margaret wrote: "What was everyone's favorite books read for this year's challenge."

This year I read a lot of great books! I had to look back at my ratings to see which ones I would count as favo..."

I need to read Inanna and Remnant Population!

Andy wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "Finished! Originally my goal was 2 books in each category but I ended up reading 3 for deals with the devil and only one each for Celestial lore and Underworld!"

Y..."

I loved several of those, too! Guess I should read Little Thieves and Longshadow?

[Margaret]

Okay, it's hard for me to pick. Here are my 4.5-5 star books.

-White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link
-Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
-The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry
-Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life by Emma Steinkellner
-Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods by Grace Lin

[Susan]

My favorite fic (not including re-reads) is a tie between a classic fantasist and a stunning debut--
Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary (which I read 1.5 times, as I went back and restarted once I realized I was missing the clues Pamela Dean always includes)
and
Our Hideous Progeny, which weaves the Frankenstein story into the Victorian fascination with anthropology (plus elements of feminism and classism)

My non-fic fave (already read a number of the essays twice)--
Daemon Voices

And a special award for LPP (laughs per page)--
The Rumpelstiltskin Problem