2023 November Reading Challenge

[Elizabeth]

In honor of turkeys, this month our reading challenge is to read a book about birds!

Here are some nonfiction suggestions:
Close to Birds: An Intimate Look at Our Feathered Friends
The Genius of Birds
Featherhood: A Memoir of Two Fathers and a Magpie
The Beginner's Guide to Photographing Birds: Essential Techniques for Hobbyists and Bird Lovers
Duck Walk: A Birder's Improbable Path to Hunting as Conservation
Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration
Embroidery Made Easy: Beautiful Birds: Easy techniques for learning to embroider a variety of colorful birds, including a cardinal, a barn owl, and a puffin
Around the World in 80 Birds

Here are a few fiction titles:
Sugar Birds
The Crane Husband
Into the Riverlands
A Season on the Wind
The Strange Bird: A Borne Story
The Raven
Black Feathers: Dark Avian Tales
Round Up the Usual PeacocksThe Lord God Bird

Here are a few kids book suggestions too:
Horrible Harry Goes Cuckoo
Falcon in the Glass
Extraordinary Birds
Wild Wings
The Republic of Birds
Birds
We Are Starlings: Inside the Mesmerizing Magic of a Murmuration
How Birds Sleep
Catching Flight: Soaring on the Wings of Birds
Duck for President

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Oooh a perfect time to read the next Donna Andrews. Those all have bird titles at least, lol.

[Elizabeth]

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "Oooh a perfect time to read the next Donna Andrews. Those all have bird titles at least, lol."

Love it!

[Deborah]

I am going to read The Trumpet of the Swan

Also if your looking for a fun short one Make Way for Ducklings was one of my favorite picture books growing up.

[Brittany]

I am going to read Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. Can't wait!

[Carolyn]

I am going to read Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. I am excited about reading this book.

[Debbie]

I had never heard of Donna Andrews. Looking at her list of titles, I'm enchanted. I will read the first one Murder with Peacocks.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Debbie wrote: "I had never heard of Donna Andrews. Looking at her list of titles, I'm enchanted. I will read the first one Murder with Peacocks."

They are HILARIOUS, Debbie. Like....problematic to read in public hilarious. 😂

[Stephanie]

Can this include metaphoric or symbolic birds, for example The Maltese Falcon or The Cuckoo's Calling?

[Greg]

I jumped on the bandwagon. I read Murder with Peacocks .

9/10 challenges complete for 2023!

[Em]

OK, I'm in too. Round Up the Usual Peacocks is the one I will read. Completed 11/14. Challenge met!

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I'm on We'll Always have Parrots, but I don't think the library has it.
Which is why I bought it of course, lol.

[Elizabeth]

Deborah wrote: "I am going to read The Trumpet of the Swan

Also if your looking for a fun short one Make Way for Ducklings was one of my favorite picture books growing up."

One of my favorite things to do when I visit Boston is to find the duck sculptures of this book in the park. Love that book!

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I'm probably going to have to check out most of the nonfiction suggestions for my 13-yr-old too.

[Elizabeth]

Stephanie wrote: "Can this include metaphoric or symbolic birds, for example The Maltese Falcon or The Cuckoo's Calling?"

Sure! We let you decide if a book fits the theme.

[Carolyn]

If I manage to save it until Wednesday, I will read The Serious Goose for this challenge. But if I read it before November starts, I will find something else.

[Darin]

I have a friend who loves the Donna Andrews series, but I’ve never tried one. And it sounds like possible fluff that I previously referred to. I’ll give Murder with Peacocks a go - thanks for the suggestion!

[Deborah]

Elizabeth wrote: "Deborah wrote: "I am going to read The Trumpet of the Swan

Also if your looking for a fun short one Make Way for Ducklings was one of my favorite picture books growing up..."

There's a statue? Cool! I am going to have to add that to my list of things to see.

[Elizabeth]

Deborah wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Deborah wrote: "I am going to read The Trumpet of the Swan

Also if your looking for a fun short one Make Way for Ducklings was one of my favorite pictur..."

Yes! Here's the wikipedia article for it, and a picture:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_Wa...

[Audrey]

Debbie wrote: "I had never heard of Donna Andrews. Looking at her list of titles, I'm enchanted. I will read the first one Murder with Peacocks."

Sounds fun. Now will we all be competing for the library's copies??

[Debbie]

Audrey wrote: "Sounds fun. Now will we all be competing for the library's copies?? "

There are several of her titles available, ebook, audio book, print copies. As long as all of us aren't reading the same title, we should be OK. Fingers crossed!

[Carolyn]

For the first time in a while, I actually completed the challenge. I read The Serious Goose which has been hanging around on my TBR for 3 years. Glad I finally got to it. We'll see what other bird related books come this month.

[Elizabeth]

Carolyn wrote: "For the first time in a while, I actually completed the challenge. I read The Serious Goose ..."

And on day one, even!

[Audrey]

Oh, The Goose Girl would count, from one of our local authors.

[Sarah]

I put The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America's Bird and The Genius of Birds on my list for this challenge.

[Deborah]

Audrey wrote: "Oh, The Goose Girl would count, from one of our local authors."

This is one on my favorite books! I did read it recently though, so I probably should read something else for the prompt.

[Darin]

I finished listening to "Murder with Peacocks," by Donna Andrews. I liked it - it had an almost "cozy mystery" vibe for me, but not too cozy. I'll keep going with this series. Especially if it's on audio - very easy to listen to.

[Audrey]

Darin wrote: "I finished listening to "Murder with Peacocks," by Donna Andrews. I liked it - it had an almost "cozy mystery" vibe for me, but not too cozy. I'll keep going with this series. Especially if it's on..."

You probably got it right after me; I finished a few days ago. It was cute but not too cozy.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

The library has only been able to get some of them on audio unfortunately.

[Teresa]

I read Woodpeckers by Patrick Perish. It's a children's science book.
Woodpeckers tap to communicate with each other. They eat poison ivy berries.

[Debbie]

Darin wrote: "I finished listening to "Murder with Peacocks," by Donna Andrews. I liked it - it had an almost "cozy mystery" vibe for me, but not too cozy. I'll keep going with this series. Especially if it's on..."

I tried listening to it but found the reader's voice grating. Maybe I'll try reading the ebook instead, but not for this challenge. I've moved to a bird-themed Poirot tale, Cat Among the Pigeons by AgathaChristie. I remember the David Suchet version of the book in the Poirot series, but not who dun it!

[Carolyn]

As a bonus, I read/listened to The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. There is a crow who is a character in the story.

[Audrey]

Debbie wrote: "Darin wrote: "I finished listening to "Murder with Peacocks," by Donna Andrews. I liked it - it had an almost "cozy mystery" vibe for me, but not too cozy. I'll keep going with this series. Especia..."

It was a very odd narrator! The dialogue was fine, but the narration sounded like a male Munchkin. You can tell it's an older audiobook.

[Brittany]

I finished reading Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim last night. Now I can't wait to pick up the sequel!

[Debbie]

I finished Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie. The narrator was Hugh Fraser, the actor who played Hastings against David Suchet's Poirot.

[Linda]

I read The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell This was a fun non-fiction read about the author and the penguin he rescued.
I gave it 5 stars.

[Elizabeth]

Happy Saturday after Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

If you've completed the challenge, make sure you say so in the comments. That way, you'll be entered into the prize drawing to win a free book!

[Debbie]

I'm looking forward to December's Challenge. Will one of my standard December re-reads apply or do I get to experience a new title? Oooooh! Shivers of excitement!

[Elizabeth]

Debbie wrote: "I'm looking forward to December's Challenge. Will one of my standard December re-reads apply or do I get to experience a new title? Oooooh! Shivers of excitement!"

I'm not sure, probably a new title. I'll be posting the next challenge on Monday!

[Audrey]

I did read Murder with Peacocks.

[Deborah]

I just finished The Trumpet of the Swan.

[Carolyn]

I just finished Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. This book was amazing. I would not have read this if not for this prompt, but I am so glad that I did. This is a new favorite.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

So far the closest I've gotten is Saturdays at Sea, which features griffins....which are sort of part bird?
lol
We'll have to see if I manage something before tomorrow night.

[Elizabeth]

Em is our prize drawing winner for November’s reading challenge for reading Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews.

Congratulations!

[Debbie]

Hooray Em!

[Audrey]

Yay!