Wrap-Up of Nerd Reading Challenge for 2021

 Nerd Reading Challenge

I did most of the prompts for this challenge, missing four of them. 

https://www.thenerddaily.com/the-nerd-daily-2021-reading-challenge/

1.       An audiobook

2.       2020 Goodreads Choice Nominee

    The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Finished March 18 (Nominee in Historical Fiction)

3.       Gold on Cover

    The Brothers York by Thomas Penn. Finished March 5

4.       Two word title

    Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley. Finished January 16

5.       Author starting with E

     The Blondes by Emily Schultz. Finished January 4

6.       2021 Adaptation

    If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy. Finished June 11 (Adaptation of Cinderella)

7.       Part of a trilogy

    The Blackhouse by Peter May. Finished December 1

8.       NYT Bestseller

     What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan. Finished January 5

9.       An anthology

    The Usual Santas. Finished January 16

10.   Debut author

    The Push by Ashley Audrain. Finished January 22

11.   Released in April

    The Healing by Lynda Faye Schmidt. Finished April 27

12.   Protagonist starting with L

    Armadillo by William Boyd. Finished January 7

13.   Title starts with ‘G’ or ‘K’

    Gravity Is The Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty. Finished March 14

14.   Multiple perspectives

     Hearts of Stone by Simon Scarrow. Finished January 3

15.   Features travelling

    Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce. Finished January 10

16.   Standalone

    The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain. Finished January 20

17.   Written by a queer author

    Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett. Finished June 20

18.   Recommended on social media

19.   Set in winter

    Snow by John Banville. Finished February 4

20.   A quest

    Uncharted by Kim Brown Seely. Finished February 10

21.   Bought based on cover

    Season of Fury and Wonder by Sharon Butala. Finished March 28

22.   SFF or Mystery

    The Deadly Hours by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber and Christine Trent. Finished February 21

23.   A new author to you   

      Victory Colony, 1950 by Bhaswati Ghosh. Finished January 3

24.   Between 460-495 pages

    Twenty-One Wishes by Debbie Macomber. Finished February 9 (475 pages)

25.   Food on the cover

    Crazy Salad by Nora Ephron. Finished August 10

26.   Bookstore recommendation

    Crow by Amy Spurway. Finished October 28

27.   Same first initial as you

    Her Aussie Holiday by Stefanie London. Finished January 13

28.   Reviewed by Host in 2021

    Easy Crafts for the Insane by Kelly Williams Brown. Finished November 12

29.   Romance or YA

    The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke. Finished February 13

30.   Recommended by family

    The Dutch Wife by Eric McCormack. Finished June 13

31.   A Book you never finished

32.   A dash of royalty

    June by Gerbrand Bakker. Finished August 23

33.   Holiday event themed

34.   Author starting with N

    Midnight Cab by James W. Nichol. Finished February 18

35.   An emotion in title

    Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah. Finished July 9

36.   Released between 1991-2012

    The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman. Finished March 8 (2009)

37.   BIPOC author

    Nowhere Is a Place by Bernice McFadden. Finished February 2

38.   Set in the future

    Foe by Iain Reid. Finished March 6

39.   Flora or fauna on cover

    Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield. Finished February 5

40.   Released in 2020

    Shiver by Allie Reynolds. Finished April 18

41.   Body part in title

    Two White Queens and The One-Eyed Jack by Heidi Von Palleske. Finished May 12

42.   Written by two authors

    Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika and Maritza Moulite. Finished March 30

43.   A retelling

    New Boy by Tracy Chevalier. Finished August 4

44.   Indie author

    Proof I Was Here by Becky Blake. Finished April 2

45.   Purchased years ago

    Breathless by Nancy K. Miller (bought in 2014)

46.   Pink cover

    Molly of the Mall by Heidi L.M. Jacobs. Finished September 17

47.   Released in July

    The Dress in the Window by Sofia Grant (released in July 2017) Finished July 18

48.   Five word title

    The Dog Who Saved Me by Susan Wilson. Finished January 16

49.   Start a new series

    Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson. Finished April 4

50.   Protagonist starting with G

    The Widening Stain by W. Bolingbroke Johnson. Finished June 16

51.   A book gifted to you

    Childhood, Youth, Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen. Finished October 6

52.   Recommended by a friend

    The Night Gate by Peter May. Finished October 24

Wrap-Up of 52 Book Club 2021 Reading Challenge

 

Hosted at 52 Book Club https://www.the52book.club/challenges/2021-reading-challenge/

I did pretty good on this, but didn't complete all the categories. I also completed the March and July mini-challenges. 

1.       Set in a school

    Tell Me Everything by Cambria Brockman. Finished February 17

2.       Featuring the legal profession

    Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory. Finished May 14

3.       A dual timeline

    The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams. Finished February 12

4.       An author that is deceased

    Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles. Finished March 16

5.       Published by Penguin

     Armadillo by William Body. Finished January 7

6.       A character with the same name as a male family member

    The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf. Finished April 2 (Ben)

7.       An author with only 1 published book

    The Push by Ashley Audrain. Finished January 22

8.       A book set in the 900’s of the Dewey Decimal System

    Uncharted by Kim Brown Seely, Finished February 10

9.       Set in a Mediterranean country

   Hearts of Stone by Simon Scarrow. Finished January 3

10.   Related to the word “fire”

    This Is The Night Our House Will Catch Fire by Nick Flynn. Finished September 3

11.   Book with discussion questions inside

    The Last Stargazers by Emily Levesque. Finished May 18

12.   Title starting with the letter D

    The Deadly Hours by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, and Christine Trent. Finished February 21

13.   Includes an exotic animal

    The Speed of Falling Objects by Nancy Richardson Fischer. Finished July 6

14.   Written by an author over 65 (when published)

    Snow by John Banville. Finished February 4

15.   A book mentioned in another book

16.   Set before the 17^th Century

    Swallow's Dance by Wendy Orr. Finished February 24

17.   A character “on the run”   

    Victory Colony, 1950 by Bhaswati Ghosh, finished January 3 (Refugee character)

18.   Author with a 9-letter last name

    What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan. Finished January 5

19.   Book with a deckled edge

20.   Made into a TV series

21.   Book by Kristin Hannah

    Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah. Finished July 9

22.   A family saga

    Nowhere Is a Place by Bernice McFadden. Finished February 2

23.   An ending that surprises you

    The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Finished March 18

24.   A book you think they should read in schools

    Dig by A.S. King. Finished February 25

25.   A book with multiple character POV

    The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke. Finished February 13

26.   An author of color

    Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson. Finished March 27

27.   First chapter ends on an odd page number

    Her Aussie Holiday by Stefanie London. Finished January 13

28.   Includes a historical event you know little about

    The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain. Finished January 20 (Pleiku in Vietnam War)

29.   Featuring the environment

    Outside, You Notice by Erin Alladin, illustrated by Andrea Blinick. Finished September 3

30.   Watch out for dragons!

31.   Shares a similar title to another book

    The Survivor by Gregg Hurwitz. Finished April 20

32.   A selfish character

    Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Finished January 28

33.   Featuring adoption

    Twenty-One Wishes by Debbie Macomber. Finished February 9

34.   A book you’d rate 5 stars

    Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield. Finished February 5

35.   Set in a country that starts with the letter “S”

    The Good Doctor by Damon Galgut. Finished March 17 (South Africa)

36.   A nameless narrator

    The Dutch Wife by Eric McCormack. Finished June 13

37.   An educational read

    Double-Running or Back-Stitch by Louisa F. Pesel. Finished May 6

38.   Recommended on BookBub

39.   An alternate history novel

    The Last Days of New Paris by China Mieville. Finished November 2

40.   Found vie #bookstagram

41.   An endorsement by a famous author on the cover

    Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley. Finished January 16 (endorsement by Harlan Coben)

42.   An epistolary

43.   A character with a pet cat

    Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane. Finished February 16

44.   Includes a garden

    The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman. Finished March 8

45.   A coming of age novel

    Float Plan by Trish Doller. Finished February 27

46.   Winner of the National Book Award – any year

    Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri (won 2020). Finished October 23

47.   A character with a disability

    Midnight Cab by James W. Nichol. Finished February 18

48.   A cover with a woman who is facing away

    Chances Are by Kellie Coates Gilbert. Finished March 25

49.   A flavour in the title

    Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller. Finished June 9

50.   A shoe on the cover

    Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson. Finished April 29

51.   Published in 2021

    Little Snow Landscape by Robert Walser. Finished May 26

52.   Re-do of one of the previous 51 categories from this 2021 challenge

    Redo of 48 "A cover with a woman who is facing away": The Woman in Red by Diana Giovinazzo. Finished April 22

March Mini-Challenges:

* one book set in Ireland

Finbar's Hotel by Dermot Bolger, Roddy Doyle, Anne Enright, Hugo Hamilton, Jennifer Johnston, Joseph O'Connor, and Colm Toibin. Finished March 31

* one book related to the word "lucky"

Just Their Luck by L.A. Donahoe. Finished March 29

May Mini-Challenges:

* one book published in spring (any year)

* one book with an author or character with a floral name

    Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory. Finished May 14

* one book with sunshine on the cover

    French Dirt by Richard Goodman. Finished May 30

July Mini-Challenges Theme: Throwback

2018 challenge: A book chosen solely by its cover

    The Poetry of Strangers by Brian Sonia-Wallace. Finished July 23
2019 challenge: An author who uses initials

    The Dilemma by B.A. Paris. Finished July 10
2020 challenge: Set in a country you’ve never visited before

    Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher. Finished July 27

October Mini-Challenges 

* Inspired by Sherlock Holmes

* A Plot Driven Story

    Parallel Lines by Steven Savile. Finished October 29

* Ghosts, Witches, and Pirates... Oh My!

    Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri. Finished October 23 (Ghost)

November Mini-Challenges

* A Character in the Same Age Group as You

    Talking to Girls about Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield. Finished November 17

* Recommended by a Stranger

    Easy Crafts for the Insane by Kelly Williams Brown. Finished November 12

* A Character Whose Religion You Know Little About

        

December Mini-Challenge

This month’s challenge is all about THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS! This is a popular holiday song that is stuffed with inspiration for your December reads.

1. Choose your difficulty
   This month the number of reads are up to you! You may pick anywhere from 3-12 books to complete this challenge.
   As I am very busy this month, I will stay with 3

2. Each book must be somehow inspired by or connected to the song The 12 Days of Christmas.
   Get creative! The song could relate to the book title, theme, setting, characters, or even the author! Holiday or not, murder mystery or romance or non-fiction, 12 short Christmas stories, a themed series… The possibilities with this one are nearly endless!

** Note: While this is a “12 Days of Christmas” mini-challenge, the books you pick don’t have to be holiday themed. We recognize that not everyone participates in this holiday. The verses to this song are open to wide interpretation and you should be able to complete this challenge using non-seasonal reads too.

The Undertow

Finished December 29

The Undertow by Jo Baker

This historical fiction novel follows four generations of one family, the Hastings, over time. The first generation's story begins in 1914 as William is about to leave for the navy and service in World War I. He is married, but very young, and promises to send postcards to his wife as his ship stops in different ports. 

The second generation is his son Billy, who starts his first job as a grocery delivery boy, and develops into a champion track cyclist. He too serves in a war, as part of the D-Day landings of World War II. 

The third generation has Billy's son Will, who fights for his own bodily autonomy and career choice, as he deals with a physical handicap, and a difficult relationship with his father. Will becomes a professor at Oxford University, but his home life isn't without difficulty.

Will's daughter Billie is the fourth generation, and she too fights for her own choice for her future, becoming an artist in present-day London, and grappling with her relationships with both her father and grandfather. 

This was an interesting look at family dynamics as each generation finds its own way, and struggles against the expectations of the previous one. Each has their own challenges with some internal and others external. 

My 2021 Book Pledge and a Roundup of Reading in 2021

 My Book Pledge 

I joined again for 2021, pledging to read 175 books.
I read 176 books in 2020 and earned 16 badges


For 2021 I read 187 books, fulfilling my pledge.

Here are my badges

     

Sadly, this site discontinued at the end of 2021, and wasn't being supported as strongly before then. I will miss it. I liked the visual aspect of it, the way that the shelves appeared and showed the covers. I also liked the badges. 

Here is a breakdown of the reading in various ways

Audience

Adult         166

Teen              7

Child           14

Genre (some books cross multiple genres)

Fiction                                                 154

    Mystery/Suspense/Thriller               42

    Historical Fiction                              41

    Romance                                           38

    Science Fiction                                   3

    Fantasy                                             13

    Horror                                                 1

    Short Stories                                       6

43 books were part of a series

Nonfiction                                         33

    Poetry                                              3

    Essays                                              3

    History                                             3

    Biography/Memoir                         12

    Science                                            6

    Arts / Crafts                                     6

Author Gender

Male                                                      45

Female                                                132

Both (multiple authors)                        10

Translations    13

Languages

French                5

German              2 

Dutch                 2 

Danish                1

Japanese             1

Norwegian          1

Serbo-Croatian   1

Format

Paper               175

ebook                11

eAudio                1

Setting (some books have multiple, some don't have one)

Canada                    26

United States           80 

Europe                     75

Asia                         12

Africa                        7

Latin America          11

Australasia                6

Otherworld                3

Source

My collection         149    of which 123 left to go to new homes after I read them.

Library                     27

Borrowed                   3

Temporary                 8

January Reviews for 15th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge

 Here is where you add your reviews for books read in January.

Please add comments after adding your review(s).

Letters Across the Sea

Finished December 24 

Letters Across the Sea by Genevieve Graham

This historical fiction novel takes place from the early 1930s until after World War II and revolves around two characters. Molly Ryan is the daughter of a police officer in Toronto, and her best friend is a Jewish girl the same age, Hannah Dreyfus. Both have older brothers who play league baseball. As the 1930s brought increasing prejudice against Jews, Molly is dismayed to see this appear in her own neighbourhood and among people she knows. 

Molly has been working in a local grocery store to help her family, but as the Depression worsens, she loses that job, and struggles to find another. She also grows more determined to follow her heart by taking journalism classes with the aim of becoming a reporter someday. 

Hannah is involved with a young man, and as the racial prejudice grows the girls drift apart. Her brother Max also has a goal, to become a doctor. Quotas for Jews in the program mean that he doesn't get into the University of Toronto, but he does get into a medical school and, just as he is finishing the war starts, and he enlists as a medic. 

At first, he is stationed in North America, but as things escalate in Europe and the British want a presence in Hong Kong, some Canadian soldiers are sent there. They have little combat training and don't know the small group of islands well, and are sitting ducks when the Japanese attack with more force than predicted shortly after Pearl Harbor. 

As Max tries to protect his fellow soldiers, and struggles to survive himself, Molly tries to follow what is happening in the Far East, and bring attention to it in her role as a reporter. 

This is a story that highlights a lesser known part of WWII, and the Canadians that served there. It also brings to light the racial prejudice of the time, and how media influences what people think.

A very interesting read.