Wrap Up of the 2024 Clock Reading Challenge

2024 was the first year that I participated in this challenge. Initially I thought it would be easy to find a wide variety of books that met the challenge but that did not turn out to be true. Most of the books I read were OK but several I did not like at all. The best books were the last two that I read: Girl 11 and 12 Days of Mistletoe. 

One Day Gone - Luana Erhlich

Two Days in Caracas - Luana Erhlich

Three Weeks in Washington - Luana Erhlich

Four Days Missed - Luana Erhlich

Five Years in Yemen - Luana Erhlich

Six Days Spent - Luana Erhlich

Seven Up - Janet Evanovich

Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich

The Girl in Apartment 9 - A. J. Rivers 

The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware

Girl, 11 - Amy Suiter Clarke

Twelve Days of Mistletoe - Jen Atkinson

Favorite Book:  Girl, 11

Second Favorite Book:  12 Days of Mistletoe 

Least Favorite Book:  The Woman in Cabin 10

12 Days of Mistletoe

This novel was selected for the Clock Reading Challenge. I am glad that I completed the challenge but don't want to do it again. It was hard finding books with numbers in the titles and I didn't particularly like most of the books that I read. However, 12 Days of Mistletoe was a delightful story.

The publisher's summary:  

I, Bonnie Miller, am no troublemaker. I’m just an anxious girl trying to keep my emotional support pup in a no-pets apartment building. But my downstairs neighbor is determined to be my personal Grinch and get us both evicted.

Just when I think things can’t get any worse, Elliot Eaton offers me a deal I can’t refuse. Suddenly I’m playing girlfriend and giving mistletoe kisses to my sworn enemy, all to keep my home.

Who knew that breaking one little rule would lead to a fan-mistletoe-tastic holiday?

12 Days of Mistletoe is a closed door, laugh out loud, warm your wintery heart romcom. If you need a book with all the feels, some mistletoe kisses, and lots of holiday spirit, look no further!

I don't usually like romance novels but this one was super cute. It has all the ingredients of my beloved cozies with a meddling grandmother and one of the main characters, Bonnie, uses a service animal; A nice touch in my mind. The story is told in an alternating format, from Bonnie and Elliott's perspectives. The pace is fast and every chapter provides embarrassment for both of them.  

A little more detail concerning plot is in order. Elliott is planning on buying this apartment building from his grandmother and managing it by himself. Bonnie has lived in her apartment for three years and has broken the rule prohibiting dogs. Elliott wants to evict her but his grandmother won't hear of it. She likes Bonnie. Grandma thinks the two of them would make a great couple and gives Elliott an ultimatum: be at her house every day for 12 days with Bonnie or she will not sell him the building. Elliott offers Bonnie a deal: pretend to be his girlfriend for two weeks and he will pay her rent in the next month. She takes him up on the offer. 

Of course, they are attracted to each other but do their best to resist temptation. Their initial meeting was awful and each had built up a hatred for the other. Well, it wouldn't be a romcom if they did not become an item. And they lived happily ever after.

5 out of 5 stars.

Girl, 11

Girl, 11 is a heart-pounding thriller that is difficult to put down. It is a serial killer story where young teen girls are kidnapped and killed six days later. The main character is Elle Castillo, a retired child social worker who operates a true crime podcast called Justice Delayed. The book meets the requirements of the Clock Reading Challenge for November which I am furiously trying to finish. I loved the story so I will be looking for future novels written by the author Amy Suiter Clarke. Girl, 11 is her debut novel.

The publisher's summary:

Elle Castillo once trained as a social worker, supporting young victims of violent crime. Now she hosts a popular true crime podcast that focuses on cold cases of missing and abducted children.

After four seasons of successfully solving these cases in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, Elle decides to tackle her white whale: The Countdown Killer. Twenty years ago, TCK was terrorizing the community, kidnapping and ritualistically murdering three girls over seven days, each a year younger than the last. Then, after he took his eleven-year-old victim, the pattern—and the murders—abruptly stopped. No one has ever known why.

When Elle follows up on a listener tip only to discover the man’s dead body, she feels at fault. Then, within days, a child is abducted—a young girl who seems to fit suspiciously into the sequence halted decades before. While media and law enforcement long ago concluded that TCK had suicided, Elle has never believed that. She’d hoped her investigation would lay that suspicion to rest—but instead, her podcast seems to be creating new victims . . .

The mystery is revealed and solved via information given by the guests on Elle's podcast as well as in narrative by Elle to friends and family. Most chapters begin with a transcript of a podcast. The rest of the chapter has Elle following up on leads that either she discovers or her assistant Tina Nguyen discovers. There are also chapters from Elle's perspective and TCK's perspective. I have never read an epistolary novel before. It was uncomfortable initially but I eventually became accustomed to the format. By the middle of the book I looked forward to reading the podcast transcripts as plenty of clues were contained in them. I am calling this an epistolary novel even though the definition is one where letters reveal the story. It seems to fit in my mind.

So who is Girl, 11? Eleanor Watson was 11 years old when she was abducted by TCK. She was the only victim to escape his clutches. After her escape there was a twenty year period where TCK stopped killing. Some people thought he was dead or in jail but Elle was convinced that he was still alive. She devoted the entire fifth season of her podcast into catching him. 

Elle is a strong female character. She is a favorite among local police officers for finding evidence on cold cases. On some cases she worked alongside them and was a frequent visitor at the police station. Elle is married to Martin who was formerly married to Elle's best friend Sash. Together Sash and Martin have a 10 year old daughter Natalie. Martin works at the medical examiner's office performing autopsies. Now we all know both of them are supposed to keep their cases confidential. We all also know that it probably doesn't happen that often. I think Elle and Martin make a great team and would be perfect for a series of their own. 

All in all this was a gripping read and I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Woman in Cabin 10

The Woman in Cabin 10 is my selection for October's Clock Reading Challenge entry. Yes, I am late reading and reviewing this one but I was traveling in Japan last month. The story is advertised as a gripping psychological thriller but I beg to differ.

The publisher's summary:

In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…

I really hated to feel I had to read the book in its entirety. The pace of the story was slow. If I remember correctly this author writes atmospheric mysteries. In this mystery sub-genre,  action takes second place to atmosphere. It definitely shows in this novel. I can see how it could be a nice psychological thriller if the pace was faster but gripping?  I don't think so. 

The main character, Lo, was too wretched to be able to conduct any investigation. She couldn't think straight because of lack of sleep and she was constantly drinking an alcoholic beverage. Experience tells me that there is no such thing as a lovable drunk so I could not like the protagonist. When a reader does not like the protagonist, it bodes a death knell for the book.

Sorry Ruth Ware. I just did not like this novel and cannot give it any rating.

The Girl in Apartment 9

I selected this book for the Clock Reading Challenge. In this challenge I need to read books with numbers 1 through 12 in the title. This book is the 20th book in the Emma Griffin FBI Mystery Series. There are 32 books in the series to date.

The publisher's summary:

There once was a girl. A beautiful girl with the world at her palms. But then the girl slowly and surely discovered, the world she once loved was nowhere to be found. Happiness and hope? That’s for fairy tales. There’s no prince charming to the rescue, no knight in shining armor. And for the Girl in Apartment 9? Well, her story is about to be told...

FBI Agent Emma Griffin has had to overcome many obstacles throughout her life to get to her happily ever-after. But somehow death and destruction always loomed over her shoulders. When she is asked by her neighbor Paul to find Sydney Parker, a girl that has gone missing from a nearby college, Emma jumps on the case. On the surface, Sydney seems like a high-achiever. A good student, a good daughter, and a girl that champions for mental health awareness. So, what could have possibly happened to cause her to vanish from her apartment? Did she leave on her own or was she taken?

I had some difficulty becoming interested in the story. I was expecting a thriller that would catch my interest from the start. However, this is a murder mystery. There is nothing wrong with that but because the most recent mysteries I have read were thrillers, I assumed this book would follow suit. It took me several chapters before becoming interested in the plot.

Note that if discussion of suicide is a trigger for you then you will want to skip reading this book. The story focuses on depression, anxiety and other mental health problems with a plot that has a character leading young adults to kill themselves. I didn't particularly care for this aspect of the novel but wasn't bothered by it either. The heroine, Emma Griffin, had several cases to resolve. She only dealt with one case, the Emperor's case, wherein Emma realized that the students who were missing had actually committed suicide.

The negativity surrounding the issue of suicide pretty much kept me from enjoying the story. The plot was well developed with an appropriate number of twists and turns. However, this novel did not interest me much.

3 out of 5 stars.

Hard Eight

Hard Eight is the 8th book in the Stephanie Plum comedic mystery series. Author Janet Evanovich just published #31 so this is a lengthy series. In fact, Evanovich has stated that the series will never end. I selected this book for the Clock Reading Challenge. The Challenge Rules require a number from 1 through 12 to be in the title.

With this installment of the series Stephanie is  asked by her parents' next-door neighbor, Mabel Markowitz, to find her granddaughter, Evelyn and great-granddaughter, Annie, who have disappeared. During a messy divorce with her ex-husband, Steven Soter, Evelyn was forced to post a child custody bond, and Mabel used her house as collateral. If Evelyn is not found, then the bond company will foreclose on her house, and the money will be forfeited to Steven. Mabel asks for Stephanie's help, since as a bounty hunter she is the closest thing Mabel knows to aaa detective. Stephanie is unable to refuse, even though she is not a private investigator.

The plot was light on action but heavy on the comedy. I found it difficult to maintain interest in the story because there were so many funny statements. I prefer a tight mystery that has no fluff and Evanovich is all fluff. I am not sure whether I will read more of the series for the Clock Reading Challenge or not. I might go back to one of Luana Ehrlich's series. Neither of these authors excite me much but they're the only authors I have found with numbers in their titles.

2 out of 5 stars.

Seven Up

I selected this book for the Clock Reading Challenge. The Challenge Rules require a number from 1 through 12 in the title. The book is 7th out of 31 in the author's Stephanie Plum series. It was published in 2002. 

The publisher's summary:

Semiretired mob guy Eddie DeCooch is caught trafficking contraband cigarettes through Trenton, New Jersey. When DeCooch fails to show for a court appearance, bond enforcement agent Stephanie Plum is assigned the task of finding him and dragging his decrepit ass back to jail. Not such an easy job, it turns out, since DeCooch has learned a lot of tricks over the years and isn't afraid to use his gun. He's already shot Loretta Ricci, an innocent old lady, and left her for worm food in his shed. He wouldn't mind shooting Stephanie next.

Likeable losers (and Steph's former high school classmates) Walter "MoonMan" Dunphy and Dougie "The Dealer" Kruper have inadvertently become involved with DeCooch. They've gotten sucked into an operation that is much more than simple cigarette smuggling and holds risks far greater than anyone could have imagined.

When Dougie disappears, Steph goes into search mode. When Mooner disappears, she calls in the heavy artillery and asks master bounty hunter Ranger for help. Ranger's price for the job? One night with Stephanie, dusk to dawn. Not information she wants to share with her sometime live-in roommate, vice cop Joe Morelli,

A typical dilemma in the world of Plum.

And on the homefront, Stephanie's "perfect" sister, Valerie, has decided to move back to Trenton, bringing her two kids from hell with her. Grandma Mazur is asking questions about being a lesbian, and Bob, the bulimic dog, is eating everything in sight--including the furniture.

What struck me the most about the book was all of the slang terms that the author used that I have not heard since the 1960s. The author uses "rat fink" and "fatso" in several places. I remember saying to friends mockingly "you're a dirty rat fink." It was a phrase used by comedians of the 1960s and kids were frequently saying this on the playground. The author, Janet Evanovich, must be the same age as I am. People from other eras would not know these words.  The plot itself was light on action but heavy on the comedy. I found it difficult to maintain interest in the story because there were so many funny statements. The resolution of the mystery of the death of Loretta Ricci and the disappearance of DeCooch took a long time to solve. Our protagonist Stephanie Plum spent more time saying her zingers than doing her job.

While it has been many years since I read one of Evanovich's books, I don't remember them being funny. Reviews that I have read of her works all state that she writes funny cozy mysteries. Perhaps this is why I stopped reading her series. I am rating the. book 3 stars out of 5.

Six Days Spent

I selected this book for the Clock Reading Challenge.  For this challenge I need to pick books with the numbers 1 through 12 in the title.  I am supposed to impose the book cover onto a clock face where the corresponding numbers are placed.  When I figure that out, I will post an image.

Six Days Spent is the 6th installment of Luana Ehrlich's Mylas Grey mystery series. The story opens when private investigator Mylas Grey gets a call from the wife of a high-profile Pentagon official. He assumes that it’s about their appointment with him to discuss a possible stalker. It’s not. It’s about her husband who has just been murdered. Mylas agrees to investigate the murder. When Mylas discovers that he has two viable suspects, he’s forced to spend several days piecing together the evidence to unmask the real killer. Installment 6 of the Mylas Grey Mystery Series is a clean, faith-filled mystery, filled with unforeseen decisions, intriguing suspects, and romance.

During the first half of 2024 I have read 12 of Erhlich's novels. They come from 2 different series. To say that I need a break is an understatement. It has been difficult to write reviews because I cannot come up with anything new to talk about. Yes, I enjoyed them but they all seem so similar. Next month I will begin reading a few of Janet Evanovich's novels for the clock challenge.

Six Days Spent has a simple plot. There are no huge surprises or plot twists. Character development is prominent. We see Mylas and his girlfriend Whitney moving toward a further commitment. We see as well how Mylas leans on God on a daily basis and waits to hear from Him on what he should do in any given situation. 

This was a short but sweet story.  I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars.

Five Years in Yemen

This book is the fifth installment of the Titus Ray Thriller Series by Luana Ehrlich. In this novel Titus Ray is tasked with bringing back to the USA from Yemen a rogue CIA operative. Titus must determine whether he is a traitor or a patriot.

The publisher's summary:

After Titus accepts an assignment to bring rogue CIA contractor Jacob Levin back to the States, he learns the operation has been put on hold pending Presidential approval. That’s fine with him. He’s looking forward to spending time in Oklahoma with his fiancée, Nikki Saxon.

But then, his boss needs a favor.

After that, everything changes.

It begins in Springfield, Missouri . . .
Where he interviews a former CIA employee about the missing Jacob Levin.

It continues in Detroit, Michigan . . .
Where he and Nikki spend Thanksgiving with his relatives.

It leads to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia . . .
Where he encounters a killer.

It ends in Somahi, Yemen . . .
Where he finally discovers the truth.

Along the way, he’s forced to deal with issues about his personal life, confront questions about his past, and make decisions about his future. Can he trust God for the answers? Will Nikki agree with his decision? How will he handle the outcome?

Overall this was a great spy thriller. It's a little different from most as this series is a Christian fiction series. There is no foul language, gore, or sex. There is violence but it is not gruesome. I have always thought it odd that Titus tries to live a Christian life but his job requires him to kill people. His faith is put to the test on several occasions, though, and I was intrigued with his thought process. I have been reading the series in order for the Clock Reading Challenge and have just one more book in the series to read before I switch to a different series. There are 5 more books in this series but I need a break.

Our Titus has had a lot of character growth over the years and he is now engaged to be married. In this installment of the series we see him spending more time on his relationships than on his job as a CIA spy. I prefer the spy aspect of his life more but at least there was enough spy craft in the plot to satisfy me.

4 out of 5 stars.

Four Steps Missed

Here is another entry for me in the Clock Reading Challenge. In this 4th installment of the Titus Ray thriller series our CIA spy is sent to Israel in order to determine if the U. S. Deputy Director of Operations (DDO) made a deal with Israel to allow them to tell their assets in Iran that they were working for the CIA.  The Israelis made a number of Iranians believe that they were ultimately working for the CIA. The plan was made because MOSSAD had a hard time finding assets. The Israelis are known to use intelligence that they gather in order to carry out assassinations. However, it is illegal for the U. S. government to assassinate foreign leaders. The U. S. Inspector General had an active investigation into the DDO. Titus Ray and his cohort Ben Mitchell were given the assignment to find evidence against the DDO. Titus had another reason for traveling to Israel. He needs a grandmother to consent to his and his wife Nikki's adoption of their foster child who they have been raising since her CIA father died in an operation one year earlier.

The plot moved fairly quickly and I was able to read the book in one sitting. I was somewhat surprised that the title has more to do with the adoption than a CIA operation. The four steps missed concern steps that should have been made before Titus would be allowed to adopt. For instance, verification of the grandmother's mental health is one of the items that should have been made in writing. Grandma was in a mental health facility in Israel after the death of her daughter. If you have read any title in the series then you know that our spy Titus is a new Christian. Consequently, there is no foul language or sex inside the pages of these books. They are all clean thrillers. 

I loved the story and am rating the book 5 out of 5 stars.

Three Weeks in Washington

In this third installment of Luana Ehrlick's Titus Ray Thriller series, American spy Titus Ray has uncovered a Hezbollah plot to attack the nation's capitol with chemical weapons. I have been reading the series for the Clock Reading Challenge which requires books to have a number in the title. Ehrlich has several series with numbers in the title and I am in the process of reading two of them.  Both are fantastic thriller series.

The publisher's summary:

Encountering a Shooter . . .

CIA intelligence operative, Titus Ray, arrives in Washington, D.C. on the day a terrorist enters the Washington Navy Yard and murders five people. Convinced the incident is connected to a Hezbollah plot to use chemical weapons on an American city, Titus jeopardizes his own career to interrogate the killer and learn the truth.

Exposing a General . . .

After the shooter reveals the identity of an Iranian deep-cover operative living in Washington, D.C., Titus embarks on an intelligence operation spanning two continents and exposing an Iranian general obsessed with destroying America. 

Engaging an Enemy . . .

As time runs out, Titus engages the enemy in a treacherous game of cat and mouse to save the lives of thousands and defeat the terrorists. Can his faith sustain him as he faces his greatest challenge yet? Is he willing to lose Nikki to save his country? 

What People Are Saying About Titus Ray Thrillers:

“The characters are very well-developed and believable. I enjoyed the way the author described Titus Ray's internal struggles and character flaws creating a very authentic main character. The story was action-packed and one is left wondering how the author could be so knowledgeable of the CIA and the work of their covert operatives.”

I finished reading the book quickly because it was hard to put down.  The plot moves from one intense situation into another. I am learning alot about how the U. S. intelligence community functions from reading this series. I wonder, though, if working as a spook is as action packed as the author's novels indicate. The main character, Titus Ray, is a practicing Christian.  In these stories, he shares his faith in a realistic way but his faith does not have a prominent role in the novels. We read about it here and there. Concerning the chemical weapon threat, it felt like I was living through the anthrax poisonings of a few years ago. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Two Days in Caracas

The Clock Reading Challenge is a fairly new challenge for me. You need to find book titles with numbers 1 through 12 in them and then add a photo of the book cover to its corresponding clock number. I picked Two Days in Caracas for the challenge this month. I have read several other books by Luana Ehrlich and enjoyed them. Thus, I will be reading books for this challenge from several of Ehrlich's series.

The publisher's summary:

Titus faces a threat he never imagined.

Can he capture Ahmed Al-Amin before it's too late?

Confronting a new operative . . .

When veteran CIA operative Titus Ray arrives in San José, Costa Rica, and meets fresh-faced Ben Mitchell, a hot-tempered new operative with barely any experience in the field, he has a choice to make--ignore him or take him under his wing.

Facing an old demon . . .

In the middle of an active, ongoing operation, Titus is suddenly called back to the States where he must deal with the failures from his past and make decisions about his future with Detective Nikki Saxon.

Opposing a present danger . . .

In an effort to stop Hezbollah assassin, Ahmed Al-Amin, from murdering a high-profile government official, Titus travels to Caracas, Venezuela, where he learns the assassin is but one piece of a complicated international plot to deliver chemical weapons to some of America's most dangerous enemies.

Facing the truth . . .

Titus risks everything, including his future with Nikki, to capture Ahmed, but is it enough? Can his newfound faith sustain him when everything about his operation goes sideways?

While the book is a spy thriller, it is also Christian fiction. In prior reviews of Ehrlich's books I was critical for the Christian side not being mentioned in the plot until the ending. Christian fiction should include spirituality throughout the entire story. In Two Days in Caracas Ehrlich gets it right. We read about Titus Ray's faith struggles from beginning to end. It made perfect sense to include this part of Titus's personality in the story. Also, because this is Christian fiction there is no foul language, immoral conduct or details on how a character was tortured. I read alot of spy thrillers and didn't miss any of it.

I had some personal issues with whether Titus Ray should have a job as a spy given his faith. He regularly kills people for his country. Is this an appropriate job for a Christian? I have read in newspapers over the years that men who work for the CIA are a religious bunch. I can't believe that it's an OK job for them. I was quite uncomfortable when Titus prayed for success before an operation wherein he was going to snatch a terrorist that might involve killing him. I don't see God as taking sides so this felt unseemly.

The story was entertaining. It's unique plot and fast pacing made it  hard to put down. The only difference between this type of spy thriller versus the traditional genre is that this one does not have cliffhangers or any suspense between the chapters. Some folks will be turned off by this but I felt that it was charming.  We still have an interesting plot and characters that are well-developed.

5 out of 5 stars.

One Day Gone

One Day Gone is the first book in the Mylas Grey Mystery Series by Luana Ehrlich. She also writes the Titus Ray Mystery Series and I read several books in that series last year. This month I needed to find a book with the number one in the title for the Clock Reading Challenge and One Day Gone was my pick. It is a gripping page turner that had me hooked from the first page. 

The publisher's summary:

Mylas Grey is a private investigator but don’t call him a private detective. That title belongs to his father—not to him. Mylas is the Chief Investigator for Senator Davis Allen, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. His job is to do background investigations for the President’s judicial nominees, and that’s the only kind of investigation he’s interested in doing.

But then Lizzie, the Senator’s daughter, goes missing from her campus apartment. And suddenly, just like that, Mylas finds himself back in his hometown of Columbia, Missouri, investigating her disappearance as if he were a run-of-the-mill private detective. Lizzie has a reputation for doing the unexpected, and she could have just left town for a few days without telling anyone. On the other hand, she could have done something stupid and gotten herself into serious trouble.

When Mylas meets a beautiful photographer at his brother’s church, and she offers to help him find Lizzie, he finds himself getting a little distracted from the investigation—well, maybe more than a little distracted. As Mylas is forced to spend time in his hometown, he begins to question his career choice, his rejection of Christianity, and his failed personal relationships.

Solving the mystery of Lizzie’s disappearance isn’t easy. It gets even more complicated when Mylas learns Lizzie was researching an article for her campus newspaper about a judge with a secret past. Is the judge connected to Lizzie’s disappearance? Did Lizzie’s boyfriend play a role? What about Lizzie’s roommate?

I loved this story! As I mentioned above, I was hooked from the first page. The story is more than a suspense novel. It is also Christian fiction which I was not expecting. It began as any other suspense thriller would. More than halfway into the story Mylas meets a woman he likes at his brother’s church and this is the point where faith issues become prominent. After Lizzy is found, the remaining two chapters are devoted to Mylas' faith journey. The blending of the mystery and faith seemed awkward because there was no mention of faith until the story was moving along at a fairly fast pace. It was surprising that the plot included it. The mystery of  Lizzy's whereabouts as well as what she was up to was a wild ride and made the book worth reading. 

4 out of 5 stars.

The Clock Reading Challenge

This morning I first learned about the Clock Reading Challenge and would love to participate. The challenge was started by Jo Linsdell in 2021 and she continues to host the challenge. The goal is to read books with the numbers one to twelve in their titles.

The Challenge Rules

1)     The officially hashtag for the event: #ClockReadingChallenge

2)     Read 12 books in 12 months, each with a number from one to twelve in the title to make up a clock face.

3)     If you'd like to plan out the books you want to read for the challenge in advance here's a template you can use for your TBR:

The idea is for your clock to look like this:  

4)     To sign up just post a comment in the challenge post.