Paula’s Comments (group member since Aug 11, 2017)

Paula’s comments from the The Lost Challenges group.

A-Z Locations 2018

START DATE: 1st January 2018
DURATION: 1 year
PROGRESS: 23/26
DATE COMPLETED:

A. Alaska: The Word for Woman is Wilderness - Abi Andrews (29/01/18)
B. Baghdad (Iraq): The Beekeeper of Sinjar - Dunya Mikhail (30/07/18)
C. Cardigan (Wales): Song Castle - Luke Waterson (09/05/18)
D. Dublin (Ireland): Orchid & the Wasp - Caoilinn Hughes (05/06/18)
E. Estoril (Portugal): Estoril - Dejan Tiago-Stanković (08/02/18)
F. Finland: The Library of Ice - Nancy Campbell (24/07/18)
G. Gilead (USA): Freedom: Vintage Minis - Margaret Atwood (24/04/18)
H. Haiti: Ayiti - Roxane Gay (09/04/18)
I. Ishmaelia: (East Africa): Scoop - Evelyn Waugh (21/05/18)
J. Jutland (Denmark): The Second Winter - Craig Larsen (24/02/18)
K. Katha (Myanmar): Burmese Days - George Orwell (13/02/18)
L. Lucerne (Switzerland): The End of Loneliness - Benedict Wells (21/03/18)
M. Manchester (England): Walking Wounded - Sheila Llewellyn (03/01/18)
N. New York (USA): Asymmetry - Lisa Halliday (09/01/18)
O. Oxgodby (England): A Month in the Country - J.L. Carr (03/02/18)
P. Paris (France): The Great Believers - Rebecca Makkai (15/06/18)
Q. Queensland (Australia): Home Is Nearby - Magdalena McGuire (26/08/18)
R. Romania: Bottled Goods - Sophie van Llewyn (23/06/18)
S. Silkeborg (Denmark): Meet Me at the Museum - Anne Youngson (18/04/18)
T. Tower Hamlets (England): Turn a Blind Eye - Vicky Newham (10/03/18)
U
V. Village, The (England): The Only Story - Julian Barnes (17/02/18)
W. Washington DC (USA): White Houses - Amy Bloom (13/04/18)
X
Y. York (England): Lost For Words - Stephanie Butland (16/03/18)
Z

Please include me again!

A-Z Book Titles 2018

START DATE: 1st January 2018
DURATION: 1 year
PROGRESS: 19/26
DATE COMPLETED:

List:

A - Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday (09/01/18)
B - Burmese Days by George Orwell (13/02/18)
C - Cake Tree in the Ruins, The by Akiyuki Nosaka (16/09/18)
D - Disbanded Kingdom by Polis Loizou (13/07/18)
E - Estoril by Dejan Tiago-Stanković (08/02/18)
F - Freedom: Vintage Minis by Margaret Atwood (24/04/18)
G - Great Polar Bear by Carolyn Lesser (25/02/18)
H - Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (14/01/18)
I - In Search of Lost Books by Giorgio van Straten (01/05/18)
J - Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams by Sylvia Plath (22/04/18)
K
L - Little Book of Feminist Saints, The by Julia Pierpont (04/03/18)
M - Month in the Country, A by J.L. Carr (03/02/18)
N
O - Only Story, The by Julian Barnes (17/02/18)
P - Private Language? a Dip Into Welsh Literature by Marion Eames (22/06/18)
Q
R
S - Second Winter, The by Craig Larsen (24/02/18)
T - Turn a Blind Eye by Vicky Newham (10/03/18)
U - Untouched House, An by Willem Frederik Hermans (27/08/18)
V
W - Walking Wounded by Sheila Llewellyn (03/01/18)
X
Y - Year of Magical Thinking, The by Joan Didion (21/11/18)
Z

JoAnne wrote: "A-Z Locations! WOOHOO!"

Brilliant! Thank you, JoAnne.

JoAnne wrote: "WOOHOO Paula!"

Thank you, JoAnne. I had struggled with the Q for a while, but eventually discovered (and loved) the short novel, Ru by Kim Thúy, which is partly set in Quebec. Just got there before the end of the year!

COMPLETED!

A-Z of LOCATIONS

START DATE: 1/1/17
DURATION: One Year
PROGRESS: 26/26
DATE COMPLETED: 14/07/17 ✔

A. Azores: Shooting Stars are the Flying Fish of the Night - Lynn Michell (09/10/17)
B. Bessapara: The Power - Naomi Alderman (17/06/17)
C. Camberwell (London): The Paying Guests - Sarah Waters (21/04/17)
D. Dresden (Germany): Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (10/06/17)
E. Essex (England): The Turn of the Screw - Henry James (18/10/17)
F. France: Flaubert's Parrot - Julian Barnes (13/07/17)
G. Galapagos Islands: Archipelago - Monique Roffey (28/03/17)
H. Helsinki (Finland): Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words - Boel Westin (27/02/17)
I. Iceland: Burial Rites - Hannah Kent (30/01/17)
J. Judea (Israel): Quarantine - Jim Crace (09/08/17)
K. Krompachy (Slovakia): The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris (26/10/17)
L. London: Noonday - Pat Barker (04/06/17)
M. Munich: Address Unknown - Kathrine Kressmann Taylor (28/05/17)
N. New York: Close to the Knives - David Wojnarowicz (22/03/17)
O. Orkney Islands (Scotland): The Outrun - Amy Liptrot (25/06/17)
P. Paris: Les Enfants Terribles - Jean Cocteau (08/07/17)
Q. Quebec (Canada): Ru - Kim Thúy (14/12/17)
R. Ravensbruck (Germany) If This is a Woman - Sarah Helm (24/01/17)
S. Seoul (South Korea): The Vegetarian - Han Kang (31/07/17)
T. Turkey: Madonna in a Fur Coat - Sabahattin Ali (10/01/17)
U. Utah (USA): A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (05/11/17)
V. Venice: Death in Venice by Thomas Mann (21/08/17)
W. Warwick (England): Outside of a Dog - Rick Gekoski (05/07/17)
X. Xingu (Brazil): Xingu by Edith Wharton (13/07/17)
Y. Yorkshire (England): Dracula - Bram Stoker (21/07/17)
Z. Zennor (England) - Zennor in Darkness - Helen Dunmore (27/09/17)

JoAnne: "We will be posting 2018 challenges at the end of the month."

Great. Can't wait! :-)

Well done, Debbie!

JoAnne wrote: "WOOHOO Your first earned badge!!"

Thank you, JoAnne!

CHALLENGE COMPLETED!

A-Z Book Titles

START DATE: 1st January 2017
DURATION: 1 year
PROGRESS: 26/26
DATE COMPLETED: 2nd December 2017

A- Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor (28th May)
B- Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (30th January)
C- Close to the Knives by David Wojnarowicz (22nd March)
D- Dracula by Bram Stoker (21st July)
E- Enfants Terribles, Les by Jean Cocteau (8th July)
F- Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes (13th July)
G- Good-Bye to All That by Robert Graves (11th March)
H- Hons and Rebels by Jessica Mitford (8th February)
I- If This Is a Woman by Sarah Helm (24th January)
J- Journey Out Returning by William Fell-Holden (21st November)
K- Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (27th November)
L- Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (7th October)
M- Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali (10th January)
N- Noonday by Pat Barker (4th June)
O- Outrun, The by Amy Liptrot (25th June)
P- Paying Guests, The by Sarah Waters (21st April)
Q- Quarantine by Jim Crace (9th August)
R- Reader on the 6.27, The by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent (21st September)
S- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (10th June)
T- Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words by Boel Westin (27th February)
U- Unrivalled Transcendence of Willem J. Gyle, The by J.D. Dixon (2nd December)
V- Vegetarian, The by Han Kang (31st July)
W-Written Lives by Javier Marías (6th May)
X- Xingu by Edith Wharton (13th July)
Y- Yellow Wall-Paper, The by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (28th July)
Z- Zennor in Darkness by Helen Dunmore (27th September)

Many thanks, JoAnne!

Looks like my name has been removed. My birthday is 6th August. 😊 Oh, hang on! Edited to say that I seem to be on this other list, so I'm not sure now!

Thanks, Caroline! :-)

:} Sharon {; wrote: "Welcome Paula! I also love lists!"

Thank you, Sharon. So pleased to meet you!

A-Z Challenges > 2017 A-Z Locations

"Goal: Read 26 books, each one with a setting that begins with a different letter of the alphabet. You may use the names of countries, states, counties, cities or towns. Fictional settings are allowed. "

START DATE: 1st January 2017
DURATION: One Year
PROGRESS: 26/26
DATE COMPLETED: 14th December 2017 ✔

A. Azores: Shooting Stars are the Flying Fish of the Night - Lynn Michell (09/10/17)
B. Bessapara: The Power - Naomi Alderman (17/06/17)
C. Camberwell (London): The Paying Guests - Sarah Waters (21/04/17)
D. Dresden (Germany): Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (10/06/17)
E. Essex (England): The Turn of the Screw - Henry James (18/10/17)
F. France: Flaubert's Parrot - Julian Barnes (13/07/17)
G. Galapagos Islands: Archipelago - Monique Roffey (28/03/17)
H. Helsinki (Finland): Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words - Boel Westin (27/02/17)
I. Iceland: Burial Rites - Hannah Kent (30/01/17)
J. Judea (Israel): Quarantine - Jim Crace (09/08/17)
K. Krompachy (Slovakia): The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris (26/10/17)
L. London: Noonday - Pat Barker (04/06/17)
M. Munich: Address Unknown - Kathrine Kressmann Taylor (28/05/17)
N. New York: Close to the Knives - David Wojnarowicz (22/03/17)
O. Orkney Islands (Scotland): The Outrun - Amy Liptrot (25/06/17)
P. Paris: Les Enfants Terribles - Jean Cocteau (08/07/17)
Q. Quebec (Canada): Ru - Kim Thúy (14/12/17)
R. Ravensbruck (Germany) If This is a Woman - Sarah Helm (24/01/17)
S. Seoul (South Korea): The Vegetarian - Han Kang (31/07/17)
T. Turkey: Madonna in a Fur Coat - Sabahattin Ali (10/01/17)
U. Utah (USA): A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (05/11/17)
V. Venice: Death in Venice by Thomas Mann (21/08/17)
W. Warwick (England): Outside of a Dog - Rick Gekoski (05/07/17)
X. Xingu (Brazil): Xingu by Edith Wharton (13/07/17)
Y. Yorkshire (England): Dracula - Bram Stoker (21/07/17)
Z. Zennor (England) - Zennor in Darkness - Helen Dunmore (27/09/17)

A-Z of LOCATIONS

START DATE: 1/1/17
DURATION: One Year
PROGRESS: 26/26
DATE COMPLETED: 14/07/17 ✔

A. Azores: Shooting Stars are the Flying Fish of the Night - Lynn Michell (09/10/17)
B. Bessapara: The Power - Naomi Alderman (17/06/17)
C. Camberwell (London): The Paying Guests - Sarah Waters (21/04/17)
D. Dresden (Germany): Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (10/06/17)
E. Essex (England): The Turn of the Screw - Henry James (18/10/17)
F. France: Flaubert's Parrot - Julian Barnes (13/07/17)
G. Galapagos Islands: Archipelago - Monique Roffey (28/03/17)
H. Helsinki (Finland): Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words - Boel Westin (27/02/17)
I. Iceland: Burial Rites - Hannah Kent (30/01/17)
J. Judea (Israel): Quarantine - Jim Crace (09/08/17)
K. Krompachy (Slovakia): The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris (26/10/17)
L. London: Noonday - Pat Barker (04/06/17)
M. Munich: Address Unknown - Kathrine Kressmann Taylor (28/05/17)
N. New York: Close to the Knives - David Wojnarowicz (22/03/17)
O. Orkney Islands (Scotland): The Outrun - Amy Liptrot (25/06/17)
P. Paris: Les Enfants Terribles - Jean Cocteau (08/07/17)
Q. Quebec (Canada): Ru - Kim Thúy (14/12/17)
R. Ravensbruck (Germany) If This is a Woman - Sarah Helm (24/01/17)
S. Seoul (South Korea): The Vegetarian - Han Kang (31/07/17)
T. Turkey: Madonna in a Fur Coat - Sabahattin Ali (10/01/17)
U. Utah (USA): A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (05/11/17)
V. Venice: Death in Venice by Thomas Mann (21/08/17)
W. Warwick (England): Outside of a Dog - Rick Gekoski (05/07/17)
X. Xingu (Brazil): Xingu by Edith Wharton (13/07/17)
Y. Yorkshire (England): Dracula - Bram Stoker (21/07/17)
Z. Zennor (England) - Zennor in Darkness - Helen Dunmore (27/09/17)

Open Ended Challenges > Whatever the Weather (2.0)

This challenge may take some considerable time to complete!

Start Date: August 2017
End Date: Who knows!

Whatever the Weather 3

RAINBOW

"Spell out the colours of the rainbow AND read one book for each colour with a cover that is at least 50% that colour."

Red:
R:
E: End of Loneliness, The - Benedict Wells (21/03/18)
D:

Red cover: A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (05/11/17)

Orange:
O:
R:
A: Assassin's Cloak, The - Irene Taylor (02/04/18)
N:
G: Great Believers, The - Rebecca Makkai (15/06/18)
E: Edible Woman, The - Margaret Atwood (11/11/19)

Orange cover: Stories: The Collected Short Fiction - Helen Garner (20/12/17)

Yellow:
Y: Year of Magical Thinking, The - Joan Didion (21/11/18)
E:
L: Little Book of Feminist Saints, The - Julia Pierpont (04/03/18)
L: Lost For Words - Stephanie Butland (16/03/18)
O:
W: White Houses - Amy Bloom (13/04/18)

Yellow cover: Matilda - Roald Dahl (19/10/18)

Green:
G: Green Almonds: Letters from Palestine - Anaële Hermans (04/09/18)
R:
E:
E:
N:

Green cover: A Chill in the Air: An Italian War Diary 1939-1940 - Iris Origo (30/10/17)

Blue:
B: Burmese Days - George Orwell (13/02/18)
L: Literature of Wales, The - D.R. Johnston (01/06/18)
U:
E:

Blue cover: Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore - Matthew J. Sullivan (22/10/17)

Indigo:
I:
N:
D:
I:
G: Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The - Mary Ann Shaffer (05/02/19)
O:

Violet:
V:
I:
O:
L: Little Prince, The - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (07/07/18)
E:
T:

Whatever the Weather 2

WEATHER

"Just like with the seasons, spell out the weather words below AND read one book for each word with a picture on the cover or word in the title related to that word."

Cloud:
C: Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (14/09/17)
L: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (07/10/17)
O: Obsession With Butterflies, An by Sharman Apt Russell (17/09/17)
U:
D: Death in Venice - Thomas Mann (21/08/17)

Fog:
F: Freedom: Vintage Minis - Margaret Atwood (24/04/18)
O: Only Story, The - Julian Barnes (17/02/18)
G: Great Polar Bear - Carolyn Lesser (25/02/18)

Lightning
L: Love - Hanne Ørstavik (28/11/17)
I: Invitation to a Bonfire - Adrienne Celt (21/08/18)
G: George Orwell: A Life in Letters - George Orwell (02/03/18)
H: House of Fiction - Phyllis Richardson (04/11/17)
T: Turn a Blind Eye - Vicky Newham (10/03/18)
N: Nail, A Rose, A - Madeleine Bourdouxhe (12/07/19)
I: Intimate Ties: Two Novellas - Robert Musil (24/01/19)
N:
G: Ghost Wall - Sarah Moss (06/06/18)

Rain:
R: Reasons to be Cheerful - Nina Stibbe (26/06/19)
A: Aphra Behn: A Secret Life - Janet Todd (26/11/17)
I: Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer (09/06/19)
N:

Rainbow:
R:
A: Asymmetry - Lisa Halliday (09/01/18)
I: In the Dream House - Carmen Maria Machado (21/11/19)
N:
B: Ballad of Reading Gaol, The - Oscar Wilde (30/08/17)
O: Orchid & the Wasp - Caoilinn Hughes (05/06/18)
W: Water That Falls on You from Nowhere, The - John Chu (26/12/17)

Snow:
S: Second Winter, The - (24/02/18)
N:
O:
W: Word for Woman is Wilderness, The - Abi Andrews (29/01/18)

Snow cover: A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (04/12/17)


Storm:
S: Sylvia Pankhurst: The Rebellious Suffragette - Shirley Harrison (29/03/18)
T: Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson (14/11/18)
O:
R:
M: Metamorphosis, The - Franz Kafka (29/09/17)

Storm cover: Where the World Ends - Geraldine McCaughrean (31/08/18)

Sun:
S: Suffragette - David Roberts (03/04/18)
U:
N:

Sun cover: Quarantine - Jim Crace (09/08/17)

Thunder:
T: Testaments, The - Margaret Atwood (16/09/19)
H: Her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado (14/01/18)
U:
N:
D: Disbanded Kingdom - Polis Loizou (13/07/18)
E: Estoril - Dejan Tiago-Stanković (08/02/18)
R:

Wind:
W: Walking Wounded - Sheila Llewellyn (03/01/18)
I:
N:
D: Doggerland - Ben Smith (05/12/18)

Wind title: The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (11/12/18)

Well, why the heck not?

Whatever the Weather 1
Start Date: August 2017
Completed: November 2018
Duration: Open Ended


SEASONS

"Spell out the seasons using your book titles (a, an and the can be ignored) and authors first or last names AND read one book for each season that either has a picture on the cover or a word in the title related to that season."

Autumn: ✔
A: Awakening, The - Kate Chopin (03/09/17)
U: Unrivalled Transcendence of Willem J. Gyle, The - J.D. Dixon (02/12/17)
T: Turn of the Screw, The - Henry James (18/10/17)
U: Untouched House, An - Willem Frederik Hermans (27/08/18)
M: Moments Of Truth - Lorna Sage (13/08/17)
N: Nourishment - Gerard Woodward (30/08/17)

Autumn cover: Autumn - Ali Smith (10/09/18)

Spring: ✔
S: Shooting Stars are the Flying Fish of the Night - Lynn Michell (09/10/17)
P: Private Language? a Dip Into Welsh Literature - Marion Eames (22/06/18)
R: Reader on the 6.27, The - Jean-Paul Didierlaurent (21/09/17)
I: In Search of Nice Americans - Geoff Steward (18/11/17)
N: Nightmare Abbey - Thomas Love Peacock (15/09/17)
G: Grimm's Fairy Stories - Jacob Grimm (24/10/17)

Spring cover: Zennor in Darkness - Helen Dunmore (27/09/17)

Summer: ✔
S: Search of Mary Shelley, In - Fiona Sampson (12/11/17)
U: Unhappiness of Being a Single Man, The - Franz Kafka (28/11/18)
M: My Own Story - Emmeline Pankhurst (01/09/17)
M: Me Again: Uncollected Writings of Stevie Smith - Stevie Smith (06/09/17)
E: End of the Affair, The - Graham Greene (24/08/17)
R: Ru - Kim Thúy (14/12/17)

Summer cover: A Month in the Country - J.L. Carr (03/02/18)

Winter: ✔
W: Written on the Body - Jeanette Winterson (16/08/17)
I: In Search of Lost Books - Giorgio van Straten (01/05/18)
N: Novel On Yellow Paper - Stevie Smith (16/10/17)
T: Tattooist of Auschwitz, The - Heather Morris (26/10/17)
E: Extraordinary Life of A A Milne, The - Nadia Cohen (11/12/17)
R: Reservoir Tapes, The - Jon McGregor (24/12/17)

Winter cover: Hortense and the Shadow - Natalia O'Hara (15/11/17)

Thank you! :-)