Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon

It's that time of year again, and time to sign up for the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon co-event! I am signing up at the Mistletoe Level and will read 4 books.  I probably won't participate in the readathon but I have been known to change my mind.

Dates: November 22, 2021 through January 6, 2022

Three ways to participate:

1. Challenge - Pick a level
2. Readathon - read as much (or as little) as you want
3. Participate in both!

Regarding the reading of Christmas books, for the readathon, you do not have to read only Christmas books. Please do try to read at least one though. 🎄

For the reading challenge, these must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, books about Christmas crafts, children's books (we even have a level for them!), etc.

Reading Challenge Levels:
--Candy Cane: read 1 book
--Mistletoe: read 2-4 books
--Christmas Tree: read 5 or 6 books, or more (this is the fanatic level!)

Additional levels:

--Fa La La La Films: watch a bunch or a few Christmas movies...it's up to you!
--Visions of Sugar Plums: read books with your children this season and share what you read

*the additional levels are optional, you still must complete one of the main reading levels above

2022 Cruisin' Through The Cozies Reading Challenge

I will be joining the 12th annual Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge! Once again, there are two challenge options - one is to read only sub-genres and the other is to read cozy mysteries of your choice. To find out exactly what a cozy mystery is, check out Cozy-Mystery.com. This site is dedicated to cozy mysteries and does a great job of defining them as well as giving a list of cozy mysteries. This challenge is NOT restricted to what is on their list, it's just to be used as a guideline in case you need some hints on what to read.

This year's cozy mystery reading challenge has two ways to participate and you can choose whichever suits you the best:

A) Read only cozy mysteries of your choice.  

OR

B) Read one book from these sub-genres:  culinary, animal related, craft related, paranormal, cozies based outside the U.S., career-based, holiday-based, travel mystery, historical mystery, and one of your choice (freebie).

You can join the challenge at these levels:

Level 1 (Snoop): read 10 books

Level 2 (Investigator):  read 20 books

Level 3 (Super Sleuth):  read 30 books

Level 4 (Sleuth Extraordinaire): read 40 books

The challenge runs the 2022 calendar year.  You do to choose your books in advance but if you do, you can change your list at any time.  The books can be in any format:  paper, audio, ebooks. Participants do not have to post a review.  I will be signing up at the Snoop level and will be reading cozies of my choice.

2022 Six Shooter Mystery Reading Challenge

I am excited to join the 2022 Six Shooter Mystery Reading Challenge.  I have never done this challenge before. Participants are to shoot (read) six mysteries by the same target (author). You get one notch on your gun for each target completed. You get bonus points for each additional notch beyond the first one. Unlike many reading challenges, just reading more books may not necessarily help your score. Scores are not based upon quantity, but rather efficient shooting in reaching your target(s). 

I am going to have to seriously think about what I am going to read. It may be hard for me to find 6 books by the same author. Having read so many mysteries I kind of know who I like to read.  However, I am going to need to find a new author because I am up to date on my favorite authors.  Suggestions are welcome!

2022 Creativity Reading Challenge

This is one of my favorite reading challenges even though I don't read that many arty books.  This challenge is about reading books on creativity, art, crafts, writing, film making, photography, cosmetology, DIY, cooking, music and any other topic that helps you live a more creative life. 

Challenge Guidelines

• Runs January 1 to December 31, 2022. 

• There won't be different levels. You may read as many books as you want.

• Books may be nonfiction, memoir, how-to, self help, coffee table books, instructional, picture books, and even fictional books if they are about people who are creative.

• You may include books of any format including traditional books, ebooks or audiobooks

• You may reread books. 

• Books may count towards other reading challenges in which you are participating.

2022 Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge

I am signing up again for the Calendar of Crime Challenge.  It was a fun challenge this year and I found a few new authors to read. The challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2022. All books should be read during this time period.  You can sign up at any time. All books must be mysteries. Humor, romance, supernatural elements (etc.) are all welcome, but the books must be mysteries/crime/detective novels first. Twelve books, one representing each month, are required for a complete challenge.

Books may only count for one month and one category, but they may count for other challenges.  If it could fulfill more than one category or month, then you are welcome to change it at any time prior to the final wrap-up. Books do not have to be read during the month for which they qualify. So, if you're feeling like a little "Christmas in July" (or May or...), then feel free to read your book for December whenever the mood strikes.

To claim a book, it must fit one of the categories for the month you wish to fulfill. Unless otherwise specified, the category is fulfilled within the actual story. for instance, if you are claiming the book for December and want to use "Christmas" as the category, then Christmas figure in some in the plot. Did someone poison the plum pudding? Did Great-Uncle Whozit invite all the family home for Christmas so he could tell them he plans to change his will?

The "wild card" book is exactly that. If July is your birth month (as mine is), then for category #9 you may read any mystery book you want. It does not have to connect with July in any way--other than a July baby chose it. The other eleven months, you must do the alternate category #9 if you want to fulfill that slot.

A wrap-up post/comment/email will be requested that should include a list of books read and what category they fulfilled. 

2022 Vintage Scattergories Reading Challenge

For the first time, I am joining the Vintage Mystery Scattergories Reading Challenge in 2022. Participants must read books that fulfill at least eight of the categories in a single vintage era and readers may complete all categories and both eras.  Readers are also welcome to be creative with the categories as long as you can make a good case for how your book fits.

The challenge runs from January 1, 2022 through December 31st, 2022. Any books read January 1 or later may count regardless of sign-up date. To complete the challenge you must read at least eight books that fulfill eight of the categories listed. All eight books must be from a single vintage era (see descriptions below). I am signing up for the Silver Era.

All books must be from the mystery category (crime fiction, detective fictions, espionage, etc.). The mystery/crime must be the primary feature of the book--ghost stories, romance, humor, etc. are all welcome as ingredients, but must not overshadow the mystery element. Each book may count for only one category within the challenge--but you are welcome to use books read for this challenge for other challenges as well.

For the purposes of the challenge, Golden Age mysteries must have been first published before 1960. Golden Age short story collections (whether published pre-1960 or not) are permissible provided all of the stories in the collection were originally written pre-1960. Please remember some of our Golden age authors wrote well after 1959--so keep an eye on the original publication date and count them appropriately. Silver Age mysteries may be first published from 1960-1989 (inclusive). Again, Silver Age short story collections published later than 1989 are permissible provided none of the stories are first published later than 1989.

If you have a blog please post about the challenge and a little about your commitment--if you're going for Silver or Gold...or perhaps both. Those without blogs may leave that blank or enter the url for a Goodreads or Library Thing list, etc.

Categories:

1. Colorful Crime: A book with a color or reference to color in the title

2. Murder by the Numbers: A book with a number or quantity in the title

3. Amateur Night: A book with a detective who is not a P.I.; Police Officer; or other official investigator (Nurse Keate, Father Brown, Miss Marple, etc.)

4. Leave It to the Professionals: A book featuring cops, private eyes, secret service, professional spies, etc.

5. Jolly Old England: A mystery set in the United Kingdom

6. Yankee Doodle Dandy: A mystery set in the United States

7. World Traveler: A mystery set in any country except the U.S. or U.K.

8. Dangerous Beasts: A book with an animal in the title

9. A Calendar of Crime: A mystery with a date/holiday/year/month/etc. in the title

10. Wicked Women: A book with a woman in the title--either by name (Mrs. McGinty's Dead) or by reference (The Case of the Vagabound Virgin)

11. Malicious Men: A book with a man in the title--either by name (Maigret & the Yellow Dog) or by reference (The Case of the Haunted Husband)

12. Murderous Methods: A book with a means of death in the title (The Noose, 5 Bullets, Deadly Nightshade, etc.)

13. Staging the Crime: A mystery set in the entertainment world (theatre, musical event, pageant, Hollywood, etc)

14. Scene of the Crime: A book with the location of the crime in the title (The Body in the Library, Murder at the Vicarage, etc)

15. Cops & Robbers: A book that features a theft rather than murder

16. Locked Rooms/Impossible Crimes: A locked-room or otherwise impossible crime mystery (locks not necessary).

17. First Impressions: Randomly select four books from your TBR pile. Read only the first line of each book and select one of them to read based on your first impression of the book.

18. Country House Criminals: A standard (or not-so-standard) Golden Age-style country house murder

19. Murder on the High Seas: A mystery involving water

20. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: A book with a mode of transportation in the title

21. Murder is Academic: A mystery involving a scholar, teacher, librarian, etc. OR set at a school, university, library, etc.

22. Things That Go Bump in the Night: A book with something spooky, creepy, gothic in the title (The Skeleton in the Clock; Haunted Lady; The Bat; etc)

23. Repeat Offenders: A mystery featuring your favorite series detective or by your favorite author or reread an old favorite

24. The Butler Did It...Or Not: A mystery where the butler is the victim, the sleuth...(gasp) the criminal...or is just downright memorable for whatever reason.

25. A Mystery by Any Other Name: Any book that has been published under more than one title (Murder Is Easy--aka Easy to Kill [Christie]; Fog of Doubt--aka London Particular [Christianna Brand], etc.)

26. Dynamic Duos: A mystery featuring a detective team (Holmes & Watson; Pam & Jerry North; Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin, or a little-known team that you introduce to us)

27. Size Matters: A book with a size or measurement in the title (Death Has a Small Voice; The Big Four; The Weight of the Evidence; etc.)

28. Psychic Phenomena: A mystery featuring a seance, medium, hypnotism, or other psychic or "supernatural" characters/events

29. Book to Movie: A book that has appeared on screen (feature film or TV)

30. The Old Bailey: A courtroom drama mystery OR a mystery featuring a judge, lawyer, barrister, district attorney

31. Serial Killers: Books that were originally published in serial format (from the pulp era) OR a book that includes three or more deaths--all committed by the same person.

32. Killed in Translation: A work that originally appeared in another language and has been made available in English--original publication date determines Gold or Silver Age--OR if your native language is not English, then a work that originally appeared in English which you read in your native language.

33. History Mysteries: The bulk or focus of the mystery must take place at least 15 years prior to the date of publication. Flashback stories are fine as long as the modern events frame the story OR the historical events are absolutely vital to the present day story. Example: A Study in Scarlet by Sir Artur Conan Doyle.

34. International Detectives: A variation on "World Traveler"--but instead of the crime being set in another country, the detective is not from the U.S. or U.K.

35. Somebody Else's Crime: Read a book that someone else has already read for the challenge.

36. Genuine Fakes: Read a book by an author who wrote under a pseudonym (Josephine Tey [Elizabeth Mackintosh]; Nicholas Blake [Cecil Day Lewis]; etc.)

37. Hobbies Can Be Murder: A mystery that involves a hobby in some way: stamp, coin, book collecting, etc; knitting; birdwatching; hunting; etc.

38. Snatch & Grab: Read the first book you pick up off your shelf or TBR stack/s

39. I've Got You Covered: Pick a book to read based on the cover

40. Get Out of Jail Free: One per customer. You state what special category the book fits and it counts.

2022 Color Coded Reading Challenge

I am signing up again for the Color Coded Reading Challenge. It was a successful challenge for me this year as every book I read was from a new (to me) author. Nine books must be read with the various colors listed below in their titles or as a dominant color/image on their covers. 

1. Read book with "Blue" (or a shade of blue):

2. Read a book with "Red" (or a shade of red):

3. Read a book with "Yellow" (or a shade of yellow):

4. Read a book with "Green" (or a shade of green):

5. Read a book with "Brown" (or a shade of brown):

6. Read a book with "Black" (or a shade of black):

7. Read a book with "White" (or a shade of white):

8. Read a book with any other color:

9. Read a book a word/image that implies color (rainbow, polka dot, etc)

Master Wycliffe's Summons

Master Wycliffe's Summons is the 14th book in Mel Starr's series The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon. I have read most of them and they are fabulous. Starr writes tightly woven medieval mysteries that move fast. The death always occurs early in the story so that the rest of the novel can be about solving the crime.  In this particular installment of the series, a student at Queen's College Oxford, Richard Sabyn, has been found dead in bed. There was a lightening storm the night before and it appears that he may have been struck by the lightening.  However, Oxford Master John Wycliffe does not believe that the evidence shows a lightening strike and wants Singleton to look into the death. Singleton agrees with Wycliffe that it is possible to make it look as though Sabyn died from a lightening strike. 

I enjoyed the story but it was not as exciting as some of Starr's earlier books in the series. The pace was slow and the howdunnit didn't grab my attention. While the howdunnit was interesting I don't think the writing was well executed. Singleton spent alot of time trying to figure out how someone could collect enough urine, dove droppings and a small amount of charcoal to create the substance that killed Sabyn. I was eating dinner while I read the book and that urine section didn't set well with my tummy. I did find it interesting that the deceased was copying a gospel into English while John Wycliffe, who translated the Bible into English between 1382 and 1395, denied any knowledge of it. Our protagonist did not perform any surgeries but did gather herbs for several people to help ease the pain of the plague. 

3 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #10

Ken Follett's newest book Never was just published a few days ago and I cannot wait to have the time to read it. It is over 800 pages so I probably won't be able to read it until after Christmas or New Year's Day. Never is a little different from Follett's earlier books. It is an international political thriller, not his usual historical fiction story. The plot line involves a shrinking oasis in the Sahara Desert, a stolen U. S. Army drone, an uninhabited Japanese island, and another nation's secret stash of biological weapons. The characters who are fighting to prevent another world war include a young female intelligence officer, a spy working undercover with jihadists, a Chinese spymaster, and a female contender for the White House. This novel sounds like a Dan Silva book. I love Silva so I have high expectations for Never. Let's see how well. Follett can switch genres.

Wrap-Up of the 2021 What's in a Name Challenge

I read 6 books for the challenge:

One by One by Ruth Ware

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

White Ivy by Susie Yang

The Art Collector's Daughter by Derville Murphy

The Woman in a Green Dress by Tea Cooper

The Moonlight Child by Karen McQuestion

Favorite Book:  The Moonlight Child (my only 5 star rated book)

Second Favorite Book:  White Ivy (my only 4 star rated book)

Least Favorite Book:  The Woman in the Green Dress  (my lowest rated book with 2 stars)

I have been doing this challenge on and off for years and I love it. I wish that there were more categories but 6 has been the limit since the challenge began. Let's hope that it returns in 2022.  I haven't heard anything yet.

Wrap-Up of the 2021 Creativity Reading Challenge

The 2021 Creativity Reading Challenge did not require that a set number of books be read. I always read several books on art and crafts each year but not many of them. This year I read five books.  They are:

Sarawak Sketchbook by A. Kasim Abas

Amsterdam Sketchbook by Graham Byfield

Botany for the Artist by Sarah Simblet

Yellow by Michael Pasteaureau

Menorca Sketchbook by Graham Byfield

Favorite Book:  Sarawak Sketchbook

2nd Favorite Book:  Botany for the Artist

Least Favorite Book:  Yellow

The Challenge will be open in 2022 and I am going to sign up.  I hope some good arty books come out next year.

Wrap-Up of the 2021 Nonfiction Reader Challenge

I signed up to read six books for this year's nonfiction reading challenge. I read seven, which is more than I have read in the past 10 years. Non-fiction is not a genre I have ever read much of but I found that I really liked the books that I selected for the challenge.

The Queen's Marriage by Lady Colin Campbell

The Cartiers by Francesca Cartier Brickell

The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson

The Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

Yellow by Michael Pasteaureau

Dear Abigail by Diane Jacobs

Revolutionary Mothers by Carol Berlin

Favorite Book:  Empire of Pain

2nd Favorite Book:  Revolutionary Mothers

Least Favorite Book:  Yellow

I purchased an additional three books for the challenge but have not read them yet.  If the challenge is renewed in 2022 I will definitely join.  This was a successful challenge for me as every author was new to me.

The Flower Boat Girl

The Flower Boat Girl is the story of Shek Yang who rises from being sold into the sex trade as a young girl to becoming the most powerful female pirate known to sail the South China Sea. In 1801, Yang has finally bought her freedom but is soon kidnapped by a brutal pirate gang and forced to marry their leader.  She needs to be scrappy to survive her circumstances and she carves out a role against the resistance of powerful pirate leaders, including her husband's male concubine.  Eventually, Yang has to choose between power over the pirates and love.  The novel is based on a true story.

I rarely review a book that I did not finish but this one requires comment.  The author uses crude and course descriptions of Yang's sex acts with men. You know that a man wrote a book when this type of language is used. Women just don't use certain descriptions. I am surprised that the author chose a woman as his main character because it is hard for men to accurately write about women and vice versa. I made it to page 70. There was no explanation of how Yang got into various situations, just one nasty sex act after another. How is the reader to know what the story is about when you go from one rape to another?  The reader at least needs to know something about the main character other than she is being raped by many men over 70 pages. In those 70 pages she was still a sex slave, I presume. There is no way to tell from these pages where we are in the plot.

I am surprised that the book has had many good reviews, half of them from women. At a minimum I would call this novel soft core porn.  Skip it.  0 out of 5 stars.