Barb’s Comments (group member since Dec 30, 2011)

Barb’s comments from the Crazy Challenge Connection group.

Congrats, Chaitra!

Finished

2026 REMEMBERING THEM, 2/1 – 1/31
30/30 COMPLETE

BOB EUCKER
🟩 Read a book with a main character who goes by a nickname; tell us the given name and the nickname
Murder with Collard Greens and Hot Sauce (Mahalia Watkins Soul Food #3), by A.L. Herbert, finished 2/6/26 ★★★.5
Mahalia goes by Halia

DICK BUTTON
🟩 Read a book with winter ice shown prominently on the cover; post the cover
The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey into Greenland’s Buried Past and Our Perilous Future, by Jon Gertner, finished 4/15/26 ★★★★


CLINT HILL
🟩 Read a book in which a speaking character is shot; using spoiler tags, tell us who
Murder on Gramercy Park (Gaslight #3), by Victoria Thompson, finished 3/15/26 ★★★★
(view spoiler)[ Edmund (hide spoiler)]

ROBERTA FLACK
🟩 Read a book by an author who has had multiple best-selling books; post a link to the author’s GR page and tell us the book titles
author William Kent Krueger – Mercy Falls (Cork O’Connor #5), finished 2/3/26 ★★★★
3 over 100,000 ratings (This Tender Land / Ordinary Grace / The River We Remember)

BORIS SPASSKY
🟩 Read a book set in a location beginning with a letter in ICELAND; tell us where
England : A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball (Dizzy Heights #2), by T.E. Kinsey, finished 2/20/26 ★★★★

GEORGE FOREMAN
🟩 Read a book in which the main character works in a food-related business; tell us the business
Macchiatos, Macarons and Malice (Cape Bay Café #9), by Harper Lin, finished 2/10/26 ★★★.5
Fran runs a café

BETTY WEBB
🟩 Read a book by an author with *two* sets of double consonants in their name; post a link to the author’s GR page
author Matt Brolly – The Crossing (Det. Insp. Louise Blackwell #1), finished 2/1/26 ★★★★

WINK MARTINDALE
🟩 Read a book by an author who writes under more than one name; post links to the GR pages for each name
author Maddie Day – Grilled for Murder (Country Store #2), finished 2/21/26 ★★★.5
apa as Edith Maxwell

POPE FRANCIS
🟩 Read a book with a major character who is a religious leader of some sort; tell us who and their position
The Leper’s Bell (Sister Fidelma #14), by Peter Tremayne, finished 3/10/26 ★★★★
Fidelma is a religieuse

RUTH BUZZI
🟩 Read book #6 from a series; tell us the series
Death Beside the Seaside (Lady Hardcastle #6), by T.E. Kinsey, finished 3/9/26 ★★★★

NGŨGĨ WA THIONG'O
🟩 Read a book with a character who is or has been in prison
George : Arthur & George, by Julian Barnes, finished 2/18/26 ★★★.5

YURI GRIGOROVICH
🟩 Read a book by an author whose first or last name begins with Y; post a link to the author’s GR page
author Grace York – Death at the Dog Show (Getaway Bay #4), finished 3/20/26 ★★★.5

LORETTA SWIT
🟩 Read a book whose main character works in a medical career; tell us the career
A Question of Honor (Bess Crawford #5), by Charles Todd, finished 4/22/26 ★★★★
Bess is a nurse

ANNE BURRELL
🟩 Read a book featuring one of your favorite characters; tell us who
Veronica : A Grave Robbery (Veronica Speedwell #9), by Deanna Raybourn, finished 2/9/26 ★★★★

FREDERICK SMITH
🟩 Read a book with between 1973 and 2022 ratings (inclusive); tell us how many
1999 ratings : Death at Castle Cove (Isle of Wight Killings #1), by Mary Grand, finished 3/14/26 ★★★.5

FELIX BAUMGARTNER
🟩 Read a book with a large expanse of sky shown prominently on the cover; post the cover
Under a Greek Sky, by Francesca Catlow, finished 3/30/26 ★★★.5


'PAPA JAKE' LARSON
🟩 Read a book you first learned about on social media; tell us where
Effigies (Faye Longchamp #3), by Mary Anna Evans, finished 2/24/26 ★★★★
Learned about this series from a GR friend

ALAN BERGMAN
🟩 Read a book by an author who has won the same award more than once; tell us the award and the year; post a link to the author’s GR page
author Margaret Maron – Slow Dollar (Deborah Knott #9), by Margaret Maron, finished 4/8/26 ★★★★
Won the Agatha Award in 2011 and 2015

OZZY OSBOURNE
🟩 Read a book whose title contains a color name, intact and standing alone
The Apothecary ROSE (Owen Archer #1), by Candace Robb, finished 2/5/26 ★★★.5

DAME STELLA RIMINGTON
🟩 Read a book with a major character who works for an organization best known as an acronym (FBI, ATF, CIA); tell us the organization
SIS : On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service (Her Royal Spyness #11), by Rhys Bowen, finished 4/20/26 ★★★★

JAMES LOVELL
🟩 Read a book set in space; if applicable, tell us where
From a Certain Point of View (Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View #1), by Elizabeth Schaefer, editor, finished 4/16/26 ★★★★

PAIGE GRECO
🟩 Read a book with a bicycle shown prominently on the cover; post the cover
Strangeways to Oldham (Belchester Chronicles #1), by Andrea Frazer, finished 4/5/26 ★★★


GIORGIO ARMANI
🟩 Read a book with what might be called a minimalist cover; post the cover
Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, by Lisa Genova, finished 2/13/26 ★★★★


ROBERT REDFORD
🟩 Read a book by an author whose first and last initials are the same; post a link to the author’s GR page
author Marcia Muller – The Shape of Dread (Sharon McCone #9), finished 2/22/26 ★★★★

JANE GOODALL
🟩 Read a book with a common zoo animal shown prominently on the cover; post the cover (bonus points for a primate)
elephants : Offstage in Nuala (Inspector de Silva #3), by Harriet Steel, finished 2/10/26 ★★★★


JAMES WATSON
🟩 Read a book with a major character works in some sort of science field; tell us who and the career
Make No Bones (Gideon Oliver #7), by Aaron Elkins, finished 2/16/26 ★★★★
Gideon is a forensic anthropologist

MARTIN PARR
🟩 Read a book with a vividly-colored cover; post the cover
Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block, by Jesse Q. Sutanto, finished 3/11/26 ★★★.5


ROB REINER
🟩 Read a book in which a murder occurs
Murder Takes the Stage (Phyllida Bright #4), by Colleen Cambridge, finished 2/27/26 ★★★★

BETTY REID SOSKIN
🟩 Read one of the first 20 books you added to your TBR; tell us when you added it
added 7-14-13 : A Fine and Bitter Snow (Kate Shugak #12), by Dana Stabenow, finished 2/19/26 ★★★★

PETER ARNETT
🟩 Read a book with a major character who was in the military (any country, any branch); tell us who and the branch
Open Carry (Arliss Cutter #1), by Marc Cameron, finished 2/7/26 ★★★★
Arliss was in the Army, fought in the Middle East

Finished

APRIL SPELL, 4/1 - 4/30

B = The Bordeaux Book Club, by Gillian Harvey, finished 4/4/26 ★★★.5
A = author Ashley-Ruth Bernier – The Bush Tea Murder, finished 4/1/26 ★★★.5
S = Slow Dollar (Deborah Knott #9), by Margaret Maron, finished 4/8/26 ★★★★
E = author Ellen Crosby – The Sauvignon Secret (Wine Country #6), finished 4/6/26 ★★★.5
B = author Barbara Hambly – Graveyard Dust (Benjamin January #3), finished 4/5/26 ★★★★
A = author Andrea Frazer – Strangeways to Oldham (Belchester Chronicles #1), finished 4/5/26 ★★★
L = author Erik Larson – The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, finished 4/18/26 ★★★★
L = author Lucy Connelly – An American in Scotland (Scottish Isle #1), finished 4/22/26 ★★★★


R = author Rex Stout – Some Buried Caesar (Nero Wolfe #6), finished 4/19/26 ★★★★
A = author Josi Avari – Sunny Side Up (Aloha Chicken #6), finished 4/13/26 ★★★★
D = Dungeons and Danger (Ravensea Castle #2), by Elizabeth Penney, finished 4/17/26 ★★★★
I = The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey into Greenland’s Buried Past and Our Perilous Future, by Jon Gertner, finished 4/15/26 ★★★★
O = On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service (Her Royal Spyness #11), by Rhys Bowen, finished 4/20/26 ★★★★

You've been working on this for quite a while, so I wanted to be sure you understand that the "closed to new sign-ups" we just added to the challenge thread does *not mean those who are still working on it. Feel free to do as many rounds as you'd like :)

Welcome to the challenge, Tess! You'll need to keep track of your post so you can find it when you want to update your progress, as GR doesn't allow us to edit someone else's post and we haven't seen Sam around the group for quite some time.

Karen wrote: "Barb wrote: "Congrats, Karen! In the future, though, please post links to your book titles. Thanks!"

My links are all at Message #44 - I guess I lost them when I copy/pasted. I didn't even notice!..."

If you copy the info *while you have the Edit window open*, it will copy all of your links and formatting. Otherwise, you only get plain text.

Congrats, Jonquil!

Congrats, OM!

Agnieszka wrote: "Would any of those not work for you?"

Nope, they're all fine, especially since X is such a hard letter to work with :)

Congrats, John!

Finished

APRIL SCAVENGER : APRIL FOOLS’ DAY, 4/1 – 4/30
10/7+ COMPLETE

1. 🔸 Read a book whose author's first and last initial are found in THOMAS EDISON; post a link to the author's GR page
author Susan Wittig Albert – Blood Orange (China Bayles #24), finished 4/14/26 ★★★★

2. 🔸Read a book with a predominantly black and white cover; post cover
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, by Erik Larson, finished 4/18/26 ★★★★


3. 🔸 Read a book with a subtitle
The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey into Greenland’s Buried Past and Our Perilous Future, by Jon Gertner, finished 4/15/26 ★★★★

4. 🔸 Read a book whose cover shows something glowing in the night sky; show cover
From a Certain Point of View (Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View #1), by Elizabeth Schaefer, editor, finished 4/16/26 ★★★★


5. 🔸Read a "little" book with between 150 and 225 pages; give page count
192 pages : Strangeways to Oldham (Belchester Chronicles #1), by Andrea Frazer, finished 4/5/26 ★★★

6. 🔸 Read a book with over 8,400 ratings; tell the number of ratings
47,790 ratings : Every Note Played, by Lisa Genova, finished 4/12/26 ★★★★

7. 🔸 Read a book where a parent gives advice; tell what advice he/she gives
Chilled to the Cone (Bakeshop #12), by Ellie Alexander, finished 4/7/26 ★★★★
Helen tells Jules to do what her heart feels is right

8. 🔸 Read a book with double consonants in the title, such as those found in "caRRot"
Slow DoLLar (Deborah Knott #9), by Margaret Maron, finished 4/8/26 ★★★★

9. 🔸 Read a book with a directional word in the title (e.g. West, up, left, right, over, under)
Sunny Side UP (Aloha Chicken #6), by Josi Avari, finished 4/13/26 ★★★★

10. 🔸 Read a book whose location begins with a letter in PANDA; tell location
Arizona : Paradise Lost (Joanna Brady #9), by J.A. Jance, finished 4/2/26 ★★★★

I can take D U D E with Murder at Ardith Hall

Next : G O L D

I didn't realize I had so many outstanding combos!

O I T N : Something’s Knot Kosher (Quilting #4), by Mary Marks, finished 3/18/26 ★★★★

G R A N : Crashing Heat (Nikki Heat #10), by Richard Castle, finished 3/29/26 ★★★★

P E R I : Paradise Lost (Joanna Brady #9), by J.A. Jance, finished 4/2/26 ★★★★

I N T A : The Sauvignon Secret (Wine Country #6), by Ellen Crosby, finished 4/6/26 ★★★.5

G N O A : Blood Orange (China Bayles #24), by Susan Wittig Albert, finished 4/14/26 ★★★★

E T T W : The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey into Greenland’s Buried Past and Our Perilous Future, by Jon Gertner, finished 4/15/26 ★★★★

MAY AUTHOR TBR BUSTER

1. John Gaspard
2. Ali Brandon
3. Lee Strauss
4. Martin Walker
5. Jennifer Ryan
6. Matt Haig

Hmmm... on my list of potential reads for May:

Appealing covers for May

May blahs
Dark, weird, and even weirder

Marie-Anne wrote: "Suzanne, Please create a thread for me. Thank you."

Suzanne isn't one of our group mods, so it's not her 'job' to do this. Chaitra created a thread for you shortly after you asked to join the challenge. You can find it here.

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Suzanne. If you want me to delete these two posts, let me know :)

Congrats, Chaitra!

I'll take W I E N with West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express

Next : G I R L