Wrap-Up of 52 Books in 52 Weeks for 2021 Reading Challenge

 52 Books in 52 Weeks Reading Challenge. Hosted here: http://www.read52booksin52weeks.com/

 This was my second year trying this challenge

1. Victory Colony, 1950 by Bhaswati Ghosh. Finished January 3 (Bingo and Alphabet)

2. Hearts of Stone by Simon Scarrow. Finished January 3 (Bingo and Alphabet)

3. The Blondes by Emily Schultz. Finished January 4 (Dusty)

4. What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan. Finished January 5 (Chunky)

5. Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce. Finished January 10 (Bingo and Alphabet)

6. Her Aussie Holiday by Stefanie London. Finished January 13 (Bingo)

7. Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley. Finished January 16 (Dusty)

8. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Finished January 28 (Bingo and Well Educated Mind)

9. Snow by John Banville. Finished February 4 (Bingo and Alphabet)

10. Improper Cross-Stitch by Haley Pierson-Cox. Finished February 6 (Bingo)

11. Twenty-One Wishes by Debbie Macomber. Finished February 9 (Alphabet)

12. Uncharted by Kim Brown Seely. Finished February 10 (Bingo)

13. The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams. Finished February 12 (Dusty)

14. Breathless by Nancy K. Miller. Finished February 14 (Dusty)

15. Tell Me Everything by Cambria Brockman. Finished February 17 (Bingo)

16. Midnight Cab by James W. Nichol. Finished February 18 (Dusty)

17. Swallow's Dance by Wendy Orr. Finished February 24 (Dusty)

18. The Brothers York by Thomas Penn. Finished March 5 (Chunky)

19. Foe by Iain Reid. Finished March 6 (Dusty)

20. Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles. Finished March 16 (Alphabet)

21. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Finished March 18 (Alphabet)

22. The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally. Finished March 21 (Chunky)

23. Chances Are by Kellie Coates Gilbert. Finished March 25 (Alphabet)

24. Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson. Finished March 27 (Alphabet)

25. Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika and Maritza Moulite. Finished March 30 (Alphabet)

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

27. Proof I Was Here by Becky Blake. Finished April 2 (Alphabet)

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

29. Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson. Finished April 4 (Bingo)

30. Everything at Last by Kimberly Lang. Finished April 7 (Alphabet)

31. Juliet's Answer by Glenn Dixon. Finished April 8 (Dusty)

32. The Blood Card by Elly Griffiths. Finished April 10 (Bingo)

33. Shiver by Allie Reynolds. Finished April 18 (Bingo)

34. The Survivor by Gregg Hurwitz. Finished April 20 (Bingo)

35. Double-Running or Back-Stitch by Louisa F. Pesel. Finished May 6 (Bingo)

36. The Last Stargazers by Emily Levesque. Finished May 18 (Bingo)

37. French Dirt by Richard Goodman. Finished May 30 (Dusty)

38. Heart of Palm by Laura Lee Smith. Finished June 5 (Alphabet)

39. Who Rescued Who by Victoria Schade. Finished June 8 (Alphabet)

40. The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine. Finished June 14 (Dusty)

41. The Little Teashop on Main by Jodi Thomas. Finished June 15 (Bingo)

42. The Widening Stain by W. Bolingbroke Johnson. Finished June 16 (Bingo)

43. The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child. Finished July 11 (Alphabet)

44. In the Kingdom of Men by Kim Barnes. Finished August 5 (Bingo)

45. The Wild Heavens by Sarah Louise Butler. Finished August 13 (Bingo)

46. The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper. Finished August 28 (Dusty)

47. Quakeland by Kathryn Miles. Finished August 29 (Dusty)

48. The Only Girl in the World by Maude Julien. Finished August 30 (Bingo)

49. Reset by Sarina Dahlan. Finished August 31 (Bingo)

50. Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena. Finished September 27 (Alphabet)

51. Cat Nap by Claire Donally. Finished October 9 (Alphabet)

52. The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie. Finished October 10 (Bingo)

53. A Mapmaker's Dream by James Cowan. Finished October 15 (Bingo)

54. The Last Days of New Paris by China Mieville. Finished November 2 (Bingo)

55. Autumn Brides by Kathryn Springer, Katie Ganshert, and Beth Vogt. Finished November 4 (Bingo)

56. Easy Crafts for the Insane by Kelly Williams Brown. Finished November 12 (Alphabet)

57. The Siege Winter by Arian Franklin and Samantha Norman. Finished November 15 (Bingo)

58. Talking to Girls about Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield. Finished November 17 (Dusty)

59. The Blackhouse by Peter May. Finished December 1 (Dusty)

60. Kapo by Aleksandar Tisma. Finished December 17 (Bingo and Alphabet)

The challenge has different parts you can participate with. I did the Bingo. Books here must be at least 100 pages. I completed one Bingo including the Bonus squares and 3 for the inner Bingo square, so pretty happy with that. 

Number in the title: Victory Colony, 1950 by Bhaswati Ghosh. Finished January 3

Alpha Males and Strong Heroines: Hearts of Stone by Simon Scarrow. Finished January 3

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

Your Choice: Her Aussie Holiday by Stefanie London. Finished January 13

Different Century: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Finished January 28

Detective: Snow by John Banville. Finished February 4

Cunning Capers: Improper Cross-Stitch by Haley Pierson-Cox. Finished February 6

Come Sail Away: Uncharted by Kim Brown Seely. Finished February 10

Antihero: Tell Me Everything by Cambria Brockman. Finished February 17

Silence: The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf. Finished April 2

Translated: Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson. Finished April 4

Illusion: The Blood Card by Elly Griffiths. Finished April 10

Ice or Snow Bound: Shiver by Allie Reynolds. Finished April 18

On the Run: The Survivor by Gregg Hurwitz. Finished April 20

This is the Way: Double-Running or Back-Stitch by Louisa F. Pesel. Finished May 6

Out of This World: The Last Stargazers by Emily Levesque. Finished May 18

Cosy: The Little Teashop on Main by Jodi Thomas. Finished June 15

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

Different Culture: In the Kingdom of Men by Kim Barnes. Finished on August 5

Fantasy Creatures: The Wild Heavens by Sarah Louise Butler. Finished on August 13

Cloistered Life: The Only Girl in the World by Maude Julien. Finished on August 30

Utopian: Reset by Sarina Dahlan. Finished on August 31

Gods and Goddesses: The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie. Finished on October 10

Maps: The Mapmaker's Dream by James Cowan. Finished on October 15

Alternate Reality: The Last Days of New Paris by China Mieville. Finished on November 2

Flufferton: Autumn Brides by Kathryn Springer, Katie Ganshert, and Beth Vogt. Finished on November 4

Amnesia: The Siege Winter by Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman. Finished on November 15

Hide in Place: Kapo by Aleksandar Tisma. Finished on December 17

The Well Educated Mind portion will help me tackle some of those classic titles on my shelves. The goal was to read 3 books in one of the categories. I only read one.

Category: Fiction

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Finished January 28

Alphabet Soup

Since I'm planning a different challenge related to the alphabet for book titles, I decided to do the location version of this challenge. I missed five letters for that.

A  Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena. Finished September 27 (Ambar)

B  Proof I Was Here by Becky Blake. Finished April 2 (Barcelona, Spain)

C  Victory Colony, 1950 by Bhaswati Ghosh, Finished January 3 (Calcutta)

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

E The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Finished March 18 (Elkins Park, PA)

F Who Rescued Who by Victoria Schade. Finished June 8 (Fargrove, England)

G Little Big Love by Katy Regan. Finished July 7 (Grimsby)

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

I  Snow by John Banville. Finished February 4 (Ireland)

J

K Cat Nap by Claire Donally. Finished October 9 (Kittery Harbor, Maine)

L  Hearts of Stone by Simon Scarrow. Finished January 3 (Lefkas)

M Everything at Last by Kimberly Lang. Finished April 7 (Magnolia Beach, Alabama)

N Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce. Finished January 10 (New Caledonia)

O Easy Crafts for the Insane by Kelly Williams Brown. Finished November 12 (Oregon)

P Chances Are by Kellie Coates Gilbert. Finished March 25 (Pacific Bay, Oregon)

Q

R

S  Twenty-One Wishes by Debbie Macomber. Finished February 9 (Seattle)

T The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child. Finished July 11 (Tennessee)

U Heart of Palm by Laura Lee Smith. Finished June 5 (Utina, Florida)

V Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson. Finished March 27 (Virginia)

W Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles. Finished March 16 (Wyvern's Cross)

X

Y Kapo by Aleksandar Tisma. Finished December 17 (Yugoslavia)

Z

Dusty and Chunky

I'm going to skip the not buying books as I participate in some book subscriptions, but I will do the Dusty and the Chunky portions. Here are the levels: 

Dusty Books

 

Safe in the Harbor - 2 Books

Sail on Sweet Sister - 4 Books

Life in the Dark Water  - 6 Books

Beyond the Sea  - 8 Books

The Voyage  - 10 Books or more

Chunky Books - Come Sail Away 

The Tide is High  - 2 books

Down to the Water Line  - 4 books

Big Boat  - 6 books

 Big Ship Sailing  - 8 books

Mother Ocean  - 10 books or more

I went for The Voyage level for the Dusty portion, and the Down to the Water Line level for the Chunky portion. Chunky here consists of at least 500 pages. I completed the Dusty, but not the Chunky portion.

Dusty

1. The Blondes by Emily Schultz. Finished January 4 (Added to TBR list in 2012)

2. Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley. Finished January 16 (Added to TBR list in 2014)

3. The Secret Life of Violet Grant. Finished February 12 (Added to TBR list in August 2018)

4. Breathless by Nancy K. Miller. Finished February 14 (Added to TBR list in July 2014)

5. Midnight Cab by James W. Nichol. Finished February 18 (Added to TBR list in 2010)

6. Swallow's Dance by Wendy Orr. Finished February 24 (Added to TBR list in December 2018)

7. Foe by Iain Reid. Finished March 6 (Added to TBR list in August 2018)

8. Juliet's Answer by Glenn Dixon. Finished April 8 (Added to TBR list in March 2017)

9. French Dirt by Richard Goodman. Finished May 30 (Added to TBR in February 2018)

10. The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine. Finished June 14 (Added to TBR in June 2013)

11. The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper. Finished August 28 (Added to TBR in January 2018)

12. Quakeland by Kathryn Miles. Finished August 29 (Added to TBR in January 2018)

13. Talking to Girls about Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield. (Added to TBR in 2011)

14. The Blackhouse by Peter May. Finished December 1 (Added to TBR in 2014)

Chunky

1. What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan. Finished January 5 (518 pages)

2. The Brothers York by Thomas Penn. Finished March 5 (660 pages)

3. The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally. Finished March 21 (520 pages)

Wrap-Up of European Reading Challenge 2021

European Reading Challenge. 2021

Hosted here: https://www.rosecityreader.com/p/2021-european-reading-challenge.html

I completed this one again successfully

Going for 5 star.

1.  Hearts of Stone by Simon Scarrow. Finished January 3 (Greece)

2.  What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan. Finished January 5 (England)

3.  Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Finished January 28 (France) 

4.  Snow by John Banville. Finished February 4 (Ireland)

5.  Proof I Was Here by Becky Blake. Finished April 2 (Spain)

6.  Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson. Finished April 4 (Sweden)

7. June by Gerbrand Bakker. Finished August 23 (Netherlands)

8. Childhood, Youth, Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen. Finished October 6 (Denmark)

9. The Basel Killings by Hansjorg Schneider. Finished November 20 (Switzerland)

10. Keep Saying Their Names by Simon Stranger. Finished December 8 (Norway)

11. Kapo by Aleksandar by Aleksandar Tisma. Finished December 17 (Bosnia)

Wrap-Up of Books in Translation Reading Challenge 2021

 Books in Translation Reading Challenge

Hosted here: https://introvertedreader.com/books-translation-2021/

I went for the Linguist Level of a minimum of 10 books, and completed it successfully.

1.  Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Finished January 28 (translated from French)

2.  Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson. Finished April 4 (translated from French)

3.  Little Snow Landscape by Robert Walser. Finished May 26 (translated from German)

4.  June by Gerbrand Bakker. Finished August 23 (translated from Dutch)

5.  Crossing the City by Michel Tremblay. Finished August 24 (translated from French)

6.  The Only Girl in the World by Maude Julien. Finished August 30 (translated from French)

7.  If Only... by Mies van Hout. Finished September 4 (translated from Dutch)

8.  Childhood, Youth, Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen. Finished October 6 (translated from Danish)

9.  The Book Collectors by Delphine Minoui. Finished October 16 (translated from French)

10.  Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri. Finished October 23 (translated from Japanese)

11. The Basel Killings by Hansjorg Schneider. Finished November 20 (translated from German)

12. Keep Saying Their Names by Simon Stranger. Finished December 8 (translated from Norwegian)

13. Kapo by Aleksandar Tisma. Finished December 17 (translated from Serbo-Croatian)

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.