Wrap-up of the Creativity Reading Challenge

I read 6 books for the Creativity Reading Challenge. They include the following:

• Painting Light with Colored Pencils

• Drawing Comics

• Drawing Birds with Colored Pencils

• Botanical Portraits with Colored Pencils

• The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook

• The Treasury of Crazy Quilt Stitches

Usually in a wrap-up post I pick my top books and least favorite book. With this group of books that is impossible. All of them were fabulous.  Probably the one I keep pulling from the bookshelf most often is the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook. It is like an encyclopedia for those who spin fiber into yarn. I seem to need the information contained within its pages more often than the others.

This was a successful challenge.  I am looking forward to participating in the challenge in 2020 with a few weaving books. I am a beginning weaver.  

Reading Challenges Gone Awry

I had a few hits and misses with my reading challenges.

I did not read anything for the Read it Again Sam Challenge or the Memoir Reading Challenge. However, I did purchase some books to read for them. No interest in them is my excuse.

I only read four books for the Christian Reading Challenge instead of the required 12 but I knew when I signed up that I probably wouldn't meet the challenge.

I did not get started with the Series Reading Challenge until November and thought it would be a miss. It has turned out well and I will post a wrap-up for that challenge in a few days.

These challenges will be eliminated from my challenge list next year. Hopefully I can find other challenges that peak my interest.

2020 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

I am rejoining this challenge next year. It has been my favorite reading challenge this past year but in order to not feel the need to push myself, I will sign up at the Medieval Level, which requires me to read 15 books. I know that I will most likely read many more but whenever I have a duty to do something, I no longer want to do it. For reverse psychology reasons I will keep my expectations low. 

What's In a Name 2020

I participated in this challenge the first couple of years it was held. I am coming back to the challenge next year.

The challenge runs the 2020 calendar year. Readers must choose 6 books with titles containing one of the following:

• an ampersand
• an antonym
• 4 letters or less
• a given/first name
• a reference to children
• one of the 4 natural elements, i.e., water, air, fire, earth

Books cannot overlap each other in more than one category. I think it might be difficult  to find a book for the ampersand category. As I write this post I can't recall any book with one in the title. 

2020 Library Love Reading Challenge

I am joining this challenge again next year.  The basic requirement is to read 12 books from your public library which is pretty easy for me.  At this point in 2019 I have read 29 books from the Chicago Public Library, well over the required 12. I have 3 more books on hold to be picked up in December on their publication date. However, I will join the challenge at the Thrifty Reader level which has a 24 book requirement. 

2020 Creativity Reading Challenge

I am joining this challenge next year.  I read five books for the 2019 challenge and am curious what books I will find to meet the challenge next year.  I am interested in weaving, spinning fiber, colored pencil drawing, tapestry, cooking and crochet.  I am fairly new to weaving so I expect that I will be looking at a few books on that subject.

Book of the Month: November

My best books for November include the Hildegard of Bingen duology The Greenest Branch and The Column of Burning Spices as well as Nancy Bilyeau's The Blue and Christine De Melo's Imposter. I could not pick just one book this month. I also considered adding 3 other historical mysteries to this selection: Anna Castle's Death by Disputation, The Widow's Guild and Publish and Perish. November was a great month for reading!

Two authors are new to me. P. K. Adam's wrote the Hildegard series and Christine De Melo wrote Imposter. De Melo has a few other books published that I can read but I will have to wait until 2020 to read the next story from Adams. It always feels good when you find a new author.

Let's see what December brings.