Historical Mystery Lovers discussion
2023 - Settings Challenge
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Dawn's 2023 Historical Mystery Setting Challenge
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My Books Completed:- Ancient Egypt - Murder in the Place of Anubis by Lynda S. Robinson, February 18 - April 18, 2023
- Ancient Greece - The Pericles Commission by Gary Corby, January 1 - January 30, 2023
- Roman Empire - The Germanicus Mosaic by Rosemary Rowe, July 2 - August 1, 2023
- Early Japan
- Shogunate Japan
- Medieval England - The Unquiet Bones by Mel Starr, February 2 - February 25, 2023
- Medieval Europe - The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, September 4 - December 2, 2023
- Tudor / Stuart England - The Players' Boy Is Dead by Leonard Tourney, April 24 - June 19, 2023
- 16th-17th Century Europe
- Georgian England
- Regency England
- Victorian England - The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O by Neal Stephenson, January 1 - February 18, 2023
- Edwardian England
- Colonial America
- Antebellum America
- American Civil War
- Gilded Age America - Mr. Wong Rights a Wrong by Louisa Locke, December 30 - December 31, 2023
- British Empire (any century, countries other than England) - The Lair of the White Fox by Peter Tremayne, April 9 - April 23, 3023
- Pre 19th Century Asia (excluding the British Empire)
- 19th Century Europe
- Early 20th Century - Some Can See by J.R. Erickson, January 21 - February 2, 2023
Book Information Summary:A. Level:
B. Category Chosen:
C. Book Read:
D. Date Read:
E. Comments:
Book 1:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: Ancient Greece
C. Book Read:
The Pericles Commission by Gary CorbyD. Date Read: January 1 - January 30, 2023
E. Comments: This series has been on my list for a long time. I am so glad I finally got to start reading the series. I really enjoyed it!
Book 2:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: Early 20th Century
C. Book Read:
Some Can See by J.R. EricksonD. Date Read: January 21 - February 2, 2023
E. Comments: This was a first in a series for me. It fulfilled my library's challenge of a book involving Michigan. This story takes place in the 1930s and 1950s in Michigan. I really enjoyed it!
Book 3:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: Victorian England
C. Book Read:
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal StephensonD. Date Read: January 1 - February 18, 2023
E. Comments: Ugh! This was not my type of book. I love time travel, but I feel like they could have accomplished the plot line in about two thirds of the pages. In addition, the majority of the book is journals, instant messaging, etc. which really doesn't work for me.
Book 4:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: Medieval England
C. Book Read:
The Unquiet Bones by Mel StarrD. Date Read: February 2 - February 25, 2023
E. Comments: I loved this book. I can honestly say that this is one of my new favorite authors. I love medieval mysteries and this one is just like wrapping up in a warm blanket!
Book 5:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: Ancient Egypt
C. Book Read:
Murder in the Place of Anubis by Lynda S. RobinsonD. Date Read: February 18 - April 18, 2023
E. Comments: This book was okay but it did not pull me in as much as I wanted.
Book 6:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: British Empire (any century, countries other than England)
C. Book Read:
The Lair of the White Fox by Peter TremayneD. Date Read: April 9 - April 23, 2023
E. Comments: I love this author. This was a short book to accomplish another challenge, so there wasn't a lot to it. It was also a prequel so it didn't follow the normal characters that I normally read about in this series. I liked the book, but it wasn't my favorite.
Book 7:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: Tudor - Stuart England
C. Book Read:
The Players Boy Is Dead by Leonard TourneyD. Date Read: April 24 - June 19, 2023
E. Comments: This story was good but not my favorite. There were some twists that I didn't see coming. I will continue with this series.
Book 8:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: Roman Empire
C. Book Read:
The Germanicus Mosaic by Rosemary RoweD. Date Read: July 2 - August 1, 2023
E. Comments: This was a slow book for me. I love the time period but really struggled with the pace.
Book 9:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: Medieval Europe
C. Book Read:
The Name of the Rose by Umberto EcoD. Date Read: September 4 - December 2, 2023
E. Comments: Ugh! I wanted to enjoy this book and yet I just hated it! I didn't like that it constantly had large passages in Latin and other languages, but never told you what it said. There were several long conversations about different monk orders I had never heard of but didn't understand better after pages of discussion. I am sad because I like the time period and really wanted to read a book that I enjoyed about a library in the medieval era.
Dawn wrote: "Book 9:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: Medieval Europe
C. Book Read:
The Name of the Rose by Umberto EcoD. Date Read: September 4..."
So sorry! I read that soon after it came out and loved it. I always planned to reread it and now I think I may be happy to just remember it fondly.
Book 10:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: Gilded Age America
C. Book Read:
Mr. Wong Rights A Wrong by Louisa LockeD. Date Read: December 30 - December 31, 2023
E. Comments: This was a nice short story to end out my year.
End of Year Summary:I finished 10 historical mystery books in 10 categories. I finished a few additional books in historical mystery categories I had already completed so I did not include them in my count. In total, I finished 64 books for 2023.
Dawn wrote: "Book 10:A. Level: Level 1 Bachelor of History
B. Category Chosen: Gilded Age America
C. Book Read:
Mr. Wong Rights A Wrong by Louisa LockeD. Date Read..."
I used that one too and really enjoyed it. I would have read a full novel.
Congratulations on capping off your year with a good read!
Mod
I finished 10 historical mystery books in 10 categories. I finished a few additional books in historical mystery categories I had already completed so I did not include them i..."
That is excellent Dawn. Well done!
Historical Mystery Lovers
Books mentioned in this topic
Mr. Wong Rights a Wrong (other topics)Mr. Wong Rights a Wrong (other topics)
The Name of the Rose (other topics)
The Name of the Rose (other topics)
The Germanicus Mosaic (other topics)
More...
Duration: January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023
The purpose of this challenge is to broaden our reading horizons to include mysteries written in historical settings that are both familiar and new.
GENERAL RULES:
Participants may join at any time during the challenge.
1) Definition of historical mystery for this challenge: Any book whose central plot involves a crime of any type (murder, robbery, fraud, etc.) and takes place at any point that is at least 50 years in the past. This includes works set in a time period that is historical from the author’s perspective (for example, The Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters) as well as books written in the past from our perspective and set during the author’s lifetime (for example, Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie).
*** Please note: A thriller focusing on espionage does not work for the challenge. A historical mystery must contain a crime that is investigated.
2) Setting is determined as 50% of the book taking place in the required time or place.
3) Categories can be completed in any order
4) Re-reads and audiobooks are acceptable
5) All books begun on January 1st count toward the challenge
6) Create a personal thread in the challenge folder to keep track of your books.
LEVELS & CATEGORIES:
Each participant should choose a level and complete the number of categories for that level.
LEVELS:
Level #1: Bachelor of History - 3 to 10 books in at least 3 categories
Level #2: Master of History - 10 to 15 books in at least 5 categories
Level #3: Doctor of History - 15 to 20 books in at least 10 categories
Level #4: History with Honors - 20+ books in all categories
CATEGORIES:
- Ancient Egypt
- Ancient Greece
- Roman Empire
- Early Japan
- Shogunate Japan
- Medieval England
- Medieval Europe
- Tudor / Stuart England
- 16th-17th Century Europe
- Georgian England
- Regency England
- Victorian England
- Edwardian England
- Colonial America
- Antebellum America
- American Civil War
- Gilded Age America
- British Empire (any century, countries other than England)
- Pre 19th Century Asia (excluding the British Empire)
- 19th Century Europe
- Early 20th Century