Our Novel Escape discussion

Imagine you receive a box of books in the mail and they all fit into a certain theme. What is your theme and what books have you received? The box is as large as you would like but it contains at least 3 books. (If your books are 450 pages and up, the box can contain a minimum of 2 books). Themes are as varied as a person can create.

You may have up to THREE boxes of books at one time.

As you complete each box by reading ALL of the books inside, please make a note of when you finished them and share your rating, if you'd like. Please do this update in a new post so that we can see your progress. After you finish a box, you may create a new one and go from there (while still maintaining only three boxes at one time). This challenge has no ending date; it lasts as long as you desire.

Some Box of Books examples:
*Box of Baked Goods and Coffee/Picnic Basket Of Books -- Books that take place in a food industry or beverage industry, such as cozy mysteries that take place in a bakery or coffee shop; a character runs a bakery/coffee shop, etc.
*Beach Bag o'Books - Books that are "beach reads"; they take place during beachy weather or at a beach resort or where a beach plays a prominent role in the story.
*Doctor's Bag - Books that revolve around the medical field -- medical mysteries or romances about doctors, microhistories of a medical sort, psychology books, etc.
*Trunk of Treasures -- Anything you might consider to be a treasured read.
*The Mystery Box -- All kinds of mystery novels.
*Little Bit of Everything -- Any genres you choose.
*It Came From the TBR! -- Books that are ONLY from your TBR pile.
*Big Box of Books -- Books that are 450 pages and up, only.
*Barrel of Laughs -- Full of humorous books (Fiction and/or Non-fiction, can be a mix of both).
*Comfort in a Box -- Books that you feel are comfort reads.
*Reading in a Winter Wonderland -- Books that take place in the cold; during Winter; books that make you want to curl up by a warm fire as you read, etc.
AND SO ON! There are SO many ways people could go with this. These are just some themes I came up with; feel free to create your own or borrow from my ideas. There are many possibilities only limited by imaginations. Since this is imaginary mail, your books can be shipped to you in any sort of container, no postage required, no limits on size!

Reminder: Only three boxes going at a time! They can be from any genre, they can be a mix of genres as long as they all fit the theme of the box, they can be a mix of fiction and non-fiction. This is an imaginary box of books, simply for fun and making use of our imaginations, perhaps meeting some of our reading goals, in the process.

Example Box:
Teresa's Box o'Mystery
Contains: 3 Books
And Then There Were None - finished 1/1/14 *****
The Maltese Falcon
A is for Alibi

Participants and Their Boxes


*Zara's Box #1 - Came from TBR
*Teresa's Boxes
*Victoria's Box 1 - Box of Oates
*Zara's Box #2 - Zara's Miscellaneous Box of Books
*Lisa's Boxes
*Anne's Box #1 - Tantalizing Thrillers
*Angela's Box #1 - Gifts from GR Friends
*Vickie's Boxes
*Linda's Box #1 - Place/Setting Books
*Linda's Box #2 - Women & Work
*Lanelle's Boxes
*Janet's Box #1 - Bookcase Dusties

res for Listopia and other helpful sources

I'm in. There are at least three boxes here that are of interest to me. I'll start with the TBR one. thanks for this great challenge Teresa.

Box Name: Zara's It Came from my TBR (reminds me of the Christmas Carol "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear". lol)
Contains: 3 books (may be more when I finish working out the details).
Book Titles:
1. Girl A: The truth about the Rochdale sex ring by the victim who stopped them by Girl A (12/1/2014) ***
2. WHO KILLED CHANNEL 9? :The Death of Kerry Packer's Mighty TV Dream Machine by Gerald Stone (17/1/2014) ***
3. A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers (14/1/2014) ***

Finished this box - 17/1/2014

Teresa's Box #1
Box Name: Going Back in Time
Theme: Young Adult Contemporary Novels
Contains: 5 Books

1. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
2. The Dust of 100 Dogs
3. The Impossible Knife of Memory
4. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
5. Second Chance Summer

Box #2
Box Name: Beach Bag o'Books
Theme: Books for the Beach/Pool
(contains books I would read on the beach, at the pool, with a summer or beachy theme or location)
Contains:

1.
2.
3.

Box #3
Box Name: Finish That Series!
Theme: Books for Series I am Almost Finished Reading
Contains:
Set 1: Virgil Flowers
1. Bad Blood
2. Shock Wave
3. Mad River
4. Storm Front
5. Deadline (10/7/14)

Set 2: Cleo Coyle Coffeehouse
1. Decaffeinated Corpse
2. French Pressed
3. Espresso Shot
4. Holiday Grind
5. Roast Mortem
6. Murder by Mocha
7. A Brew to a Kill
8. Holiday Buzz
9. Billionaire Blend
10. Once Upon a Grind (December 2nd 2014)

Victoria's Box #1
Box Name: Box of Oates
Theme: Books by Joyce Carol Oates
Contains: 6 Books [0/6]

1. Zombie
2. A Widow's Story
3. The Gravedigger's Daughter
4. Carthage
5. Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
6. We Were the Mulvaneys

Box name: Zara's Miscellaneous Box of Books
Number of books completed: 27


1. Chicken Soup for the Mother and Daughter Soul: Stories to Warm the Heart and Honor the Relationship (Chicken Soup for the Soul May 3rd
2. The Goose Girl April 23rd
3. Light from Heaven April 23rd
4. The Veiled Kingdom April 13th
5. The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child Mar 28th
6. Days Before Dibley Mar 21st
7. The Mill on the Floss Mar 21st
8. A Wrinkle in Time Mar 18th
9. Where'd You Go, Bernadette Mar 15th
10. The Trumpet of the Swan Mar 14th
11. The Rosie Project Mar 6th
12. Pippi Longstocking Mar 6th
13. Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things Mar 6th
14. Sold Feb 28th
15. The Color Purple Feb 28th
16. The Happiest Refugee: A Memoir Feb 26th
17. The Year of Pleasures Feb 17th
18. Coping with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Feb 16th
19. An Unimaginable Act: Overcoming and Preventing Child Abuse Through Erin's Law Feb 15th
20. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time Feb 15th
21. The World's Weirdest Sports Feb 13th
22. The Giving Tree Feb 11th
23. Wife 22 Feb 11th
24. Eats, Shoots and Leaves 2007 (adult version) Feb 10th
25. How Not to Be a Perfect Mother Feb 4th
26. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! (children's version) Feb 3rd
27. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures Feb 1st

Welcome, Victoria! Love the name of your box!

(view spoiler)[

my first box will be:
*Reading in a Winter Wonderland -- Books that take place in the cold; during Winter; books that make you want to curl up by a warm fire as you read, etc. as i'm still the christmas theme mood:

6/6 read
updated :feb 2014

Holiday Grind by Cleo Coyle
Christmas on 4th Street by Susan Mallery
An O'Brien Family Christmas by Sherryl Woods
Marriage Under the Mistletoe by Helen Lacey
All I Want For Christmas...: Christmas Kisses\Baring It All\A Hot December Night by Lori Wilde
Red-Hot Santa by Tori Carrington

my 2nd box will be:
"romance dreams"--books with the romance genre:

10/10 READ
updated:july 2014

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas
The Newcomer by Robyn Carr
Amazing Gracie by The Newcomer by Sherryl Woods
Wicked All Day by Liz Carlyle
A Woman Scorned by Liz Carlyle
Orchard Valley Grooms: Valerie\Stephanie by Debbie Macomber
Do or Die by Suzanne Brockmann
In the Land of the Long White Cloud by Sarah Lark
A Madaris Bride for Christmas by Brenda Jackson
Honey Pie by Donna Kauffman

my 3rd box will be:
"who done its?: mystery/thrillers

15/15 goal READ
updated: may 2015

Death of Yesterday by M.C. Beaton
Rituals of the Season by Margaret Maron
Dead and Doggone by Susan Conant
Died In The Wool by Ngaio Marsh
Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay
Read It and Weep by Jenn McKinlay
Lucky Bastard by Deborah Coonts
Defending Angels by Mary Stanton
Angel's Advocate by Mary StantonMary Stanton
Dirty Work by Stuart Woods
Brownies and Broomsticks by Bailey Cates
Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer
Tough Customer by Sandra Brown
Legend of the Jade Dragon by Yasmine Galenorn
Justice by Faye Kellerman

(hide spoiler)]

my 4th box will be:
"christmas starts now: christmas themed

When I Fall In Love Miranda Dickinson june 2015
This Year It Will Be Different, and other stories Maeve Binchy dec 2015

2/20 goal READ
updated: dec 2015

1/14-12/14

Jan 2014 4/4
Box 1 What A Novella Idea
1. Summers Crossing 1-26-14
2. Hana 1-30-14
3. Shadows 1-21-14
4. Winters Passage 1-26-14

Feb 2014 4/4
Box 2 I'm still standing alones
1. Breadcrumbs 2-1-14
2. Easy 2-4-14
3. Adoration of Jenna Fox 2-5-14
4. Bo at Ballard Creek 2-5-14

Feb 2014 4/4
Box 3 Young Adult
1. Shine 2-8-14
2. You Are My Only 2-14-14
3. Uglies 2-19-14
4. Evertrue 2-20-14

March 2014 17/17
Box 4 TBR
1. Fallout 3-1-14
2. Book of 1000 Days 3-3-14
3. I Could Chew on This 3-7-14
4. Saving Kabul Corner 3-7-14
5. Little House by Boston Bay 3-8-14
6. Seriously, Im Kidding 3-9-14
7. Onyx 3-13-14
8. Winter of Red Snow 3-14-14
9. The Great Trouble 3-15-14
10 Rush 3-16-14
11. Witch Song 3-17-14
12. Maybe One Day 3-18-14
13. Between 3-21-14
14. Halfblood 3-23-14
15. Copper Sun 3-26-14
16. Every Day After 3-28-14
17. Iron Witch 3-30-14

April 2014--Back in Black
4/
1. The Hallowed Ones 4-2-14
2. Nazi Hunters 4-10-14
3. 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare 4-14-14
4. This is What Happy Looks Like 4-17-14
5. Fracture 4-25-14

May-Box 6-Fantasy Island
0/5

Welcome, Lindy-Lane and Lisa! I love both of your box ideas.

I'm a little late, but here I go.

Box 1
Name: Ten Tantalizing Thrillers
Number of Books: 10
Progress: 3/10

*Denotes Goodread Author

1. The Eden Prophecy: A Thriller by *Graham Brown, Read: 1/31/2014
2. Exit Strategy by *Kelley Armstrong, Read: 2/3/2014
3. The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva
4. The Lions Of Lucerne by *Brad Thor
5. The English Girl by Daniel Silva
6. The Godfather by Mario Puzo
7. Unseen by *Karin Slaughter
8. Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn, Read: 2/12/2014
9. In the Woods by *Tana French
10. The Kill Artist by The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva

Angela's Box #1
Box Name : Gifts from Goodreads friends
Theme : recommended by a Goodreads friend or selected because of a compelling review someone wrote

1. A Trip to the Stars 4 Stars
2. The Giver 5 stars
3. Paris 4 stars
4. The Language of Flowers 4 stars

finished my 1st box and started my 2nd. original post #9.

I changed my second box of books as I realised that I wouldn't get the books read anytime soon. I've renamed the book as "Miscellaneous Box of Books". Is this OK Teresa? May I also list the books as I go?

Vickie's Box #1
Name: Food, Glorious Food (and Desserts)
Number of Books: 4
Progress: 4/4
1. The All You Can Dream Buffet - Barbara O'Neal - **** - 3/30/14
2. The Union Street Bakery - Mary Ellen Taylor - **** - 3/17/14
3. The Lost Art of Mixing - Erica Bauermeister - **** - 3/14/14
4. The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe - Mary Simses - **** - 3/28/14


Vickie's Box #2
Name: A,B,C...Easy as 1,2,3...Finishing up an A-Z Book Challenge
Number of Books: 6
Progress: 6/6
1. Astor Place Vintage - Stephanie Lehmann - ** - 4/6/14
2. Eternal Rider - Larissa Ione - ** - 4/30/14
3. Juliet - Anne Fortier - ** - 4/27/14
4. The King - J.R. Ward - ** 5/11/14
5. The Queen of the Big Time - Adriana Trigiani - ** - 4/13/14
6. Styxx - Sherrilyn Kenyon - **** - 3/31/14
7. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald - Therese Anne Fowler - **** - 5/6/14

Vickie's Box #3
Name: Always the Bridesmaid...Never the Bride (#2 Book in a Series)
Number of Books: 4
Progress: 4/4

1. Certain Girls - Jennifer Weiner - ** - 5/17/14
2. Sweet Expectations - Mary Ellen Taylor - **** - 5/20/14
3. Trace of Fever - Lori Foster - **** - 5/24/14
4. Mercy - Julie Garwood - **** - 5/29/14

Vickie's Box #4
Name: But How Do You Get a Book onto That Thing? (My Dad's Confusion on How to Download an Audiobook onto an iPad/iPod/iPhone)
Number of Books: 5
Progress: 5/5

1. My Bluegrass Baby- Molly Harper - *****-5/12/14
2. Bet Me - Jennifer Crusie - **** - 5/22/14
3. How to Bake a Perfect Life - Barbara O'Neal = **** - 6/5/14
4. Rhythm and Bluegrass- Molly Harper - ****-5/16/14
5. And One Last Thing ... - Molly Harper - ***** -5/27/14

Vickie's Box #5
Name: No Such Thing As "Too Many Shoes"! (Books about shoes and/or shoes on the cover)
Number of Books: 6
Progress: 6/6

1. Brava, Valentine - Adriana Trigiani - **** - 6/1/14
2. The Supreme Macaroni Company - Adriana Trigiani - *** - 6/6/14
3. The Shoemaker's Wife - Adriana Trigiani - ***** - 7/7/14
4. The Wildwater Walking Club - Claire Cook - **** - 6/10/14
5. Spring Fever - Mary Kay Andrews - **** - 7/4/14
6. Ladies of the Lake - Haywood Smith - ** - 7/22/14

Vickie's Box #6
Name: A Lovely Box of Chocolates Never Hurt Anybody (Titles relating to chocolate)
Number of Books: 4
Progress: 4/4

1. Bittersweet - Sarah Ockler - **** - 6/29/14
2. Godiva - Nicole Galland - * - 6/17/14
3. The Chocolate Rose - Laura Florand - *** - 6/31/14
4. The Chocolate Heart - Laura Florand - ** - 6/27/14

Vickie's Box #7
Name: Ooh, La La! (Setting in Paris)
Number of Books: 4
Progress: 4/4

1. Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet - Stephanie Cowell - ** - 8/3/14
2. The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris - Jenny Colgan-****-8/14/14
3. Secrets of Paris - Luanne Rice- **** - 8/18/14
4. 13 rue Thérèse - Michele Blondel - * - 8/20/14

Vickie's Box #8
Name: Wasn't Roy G. Biv in Our High School Class? (Books with covers from the rainbow spectrum)
Number of Books: 7
Progress: 6/7

1. Red - By Private Invitation - Stephanie Julian - *** - 8/22/14
2. Orange - Ladies' Night - Mary Kay Andrews - *** - 10/1/14
3. Yellow - Stealing Mona Lisa: A Mystery - Carson Morton - **** - 9/20/14
4. Green - The Color of Tea - Hannah Tunnicliffe - ***** - 8/26/14
5. Blue - The Shadow Year - Hannah Richell - ***** - 9/23/13
6. Indigo - Barefoot Season - Susan Mallery - **** - 9/1/14
7. Violet - Evening Stars - Susan Mallery - *** - 9/9/14

Yes, Zara, that's fine and of course you may list the books as you go. :) We'll just pretend they were all individually wrapped (who doesn't love presents to open??) so you didn't know the titles until they were revealed to you.

Finished my 1st box . Planning a 2nd to post .

Congrats, Angela!

Thanks , Teresa. ! I'm thinking about my next one !

Angela Always Reading wrote: "Finished my 1st box . Planning a 2nd to post ."

Congratulations! I loved the entire Giver series.

I'm loving it too , Vicki. Just read Gathering Blue and am reading the next two as buddy reads on another group for Apr & May . I can't believe I didn't read these sooner .

I make a box of place or setting books:
1. Milk of Birds--Africa
2. London--England
3. The Auschwitz Escape--Germany
4. I Have Always Loved You--France
5. State of Wonder--South America

make a box of place or setting books:
1. Milk of Birds--Africa--finiahed
2. London--England
3. The Auschwitz Escape--Germany
4. I Have Always Loved You--France
5. State of Wonder--South America

I have to change 4 since the library doesn't have it. I will change it for another Paris book so I will read The Lost Wife

make a box of place or setting books:
1. Milk of Birds--Africa--finished
2. London--England
3. The Auschwitz Escape--Germany
4. The Lost Wife--Poland
5. State of Wonder--South America

I am waiting for the Auschwitz book almost finished with the Lost Wife. Have London. Already made my next box will post it when I finish the next two books.

Linda, glad you decided to join the challenge!

As I finish my last couple of books: Auschwitz Escape and State of Wonder
I am listing my next box of books:

Women and Work
1. Midwifes Legacy
2. The Dressmaker
3. The House Girl—Servant
4. The Painted Girl—Ballet
5. The Reluctant Queen

I plan on reading a couple of trilogies. I might as well box them up and send them to myself :)
I promise that my next 'box' will be larger and more varied.

Box of Brian Rowe books
Happy Birthday to Me - 5/1/14 ***
Happy Birthday to Me Again - 5/2/14 ***
Happy Birthday to You - 5/4/14 ***

Box of M J Putney Books
Dark Mirror - 6/14/14 ***
Dark Passage - 6/19/14 ***
Dark Destiny - 6/24/14 ***

Box of 'Just' Books
Just Patty - 5/12/14 ***
Just a Memory - 5/15/14 ***
Just One Wish - 5/18/14 ***
Just In Time - 6/3/14 ***
Just Perfect - 6/17/14 ***
Just Impossible - 6/19/14 ***
Just Down the Road - 5/28/14 ***
Just Jane in the Middle of Nowhere - 5/27/14 ***

(Interesting note about that last book. I picked it up free on Amazon a couple of years ago. On Amazon, its title is 'Just Jane in the Middle of Nowhere'. Here on Goodreads, the 'Just' is left off.)

Box of Stephenie Meyer books
The Host - 5/31/14 ****
Twilight - 6/2/14 ****
New Moon - 6/18/14 ****
Eclipse - 6/23/14 ****
Breaking Dawn - 6/30/14 ****

Congrats on finishing the settings box, Linda. Love the name & theme of your new one.

Welcome, Lanelle! No worries on the variety or sizes of your boxes. This is just a fun challenge, no pressure!

I just discovered that between when I finished my last box and now I've read 27 books!! I didn't realise I had read so many. Perhaps it's time to start another box. LOL

This looks like fun! Would I be able to join this challenge?

Of course! Anyone may join at anytime, as long as it's enough time to finish your box before December 31, 2014.

LOL, Zara! Yes, start another box, hehe!

Janet's Box Of Bookcase Dusties (Top Shelf)
Number of Books: 6
Progress: 3/6

1. And the Mountains Echoed
2. We Are Water 7/17/14 *****
3. Just One Evil Act 6/30/14 ****
4. House Rules 5/30/14 ****
5. The Promise 6/19/14 ***
6. Easy

Starting my 3rd box, Always the Bridesmaid...Never the Bride (#2 Book in a Series).

Welcome, Janet!

Love the box names, Janet & Vickie!

*NOTE*!!

I'm going to change a rule for this. Instead of being forced to finish one box before moving onto another, I'm going to make it so that you may have THREE boxes going at once. No more than three at a time, please! That way you will at least stay focused on getting some of the boxes progressed, rather than building up a bunch of boxes lying around getting dusty, hehe.

Zara wrote: "Box name: Zara's Miscellaneous Box of Books
Number of books: 10


1. [book:Chicken Soup for the Mother and Daughter Soul: Stories to Warm the Heart and Honor the Relationship (Chicken Soup for the ..."

That is one heavy box, Zara! LOL

Lindy-Lane wrote: "my first box will be:
*Reading in a Winter Wonderland -- Books that take place in the cold; during Winter; books that make you want to curl up by a warm fire as you read, etc. as i'm still the chri..."

Great job on finishing box 1, Lindy and great progress on box 2! Love the themes, too.

Lisa wrote: "1/14-12/14

Jan 2014 4/4
Box 1 What A Novella Idea
1. Summers Crossing 1-26-14
2. Hana 1-30-14
3. Shadows 1-21-14
4. Winters Passage 1-26-14

Feb 2014 4/4
Box 2 I'm still standing alones
1. Breadcr..."

Wonderful progress, Lisa!! Lots of boxes finished!

Anne (Booklady) wrote: "I'm a little late, but here I go.

Box 1
Name: Ten Tantalizing Thrillers
Number of Books: 10
Progress: 3/10

*Denotes Goodread Author

1. The Eden Prophecy: A Thriller by *[author..."

How are you doing on your boxes, Anne?

*NOTE*!!

I'm going to change a rule for this. Instead of being forced to finish one box before moving onto another, I'm going to make it so that you may have THREE boxes going at once. No more than three at a time, please! That way you will at least stay focused on getting some of the boxes progressed, rather than building up a bunch of boxes lying around getting dusty, hehe.

Also: I've updated the Participants List with links to everyone's boxes! Please don't forget to post an update when you complete a box so we can all cheer you on in your progress.

ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "*NOTE*!!

I'm going to change a rule for this. Instead of being forced to finish one box before moving onto another, I'm going to make it so that you may have THREE boxes going at once. No more tha..."

Yay! I LOVE the new rule. I have a couple of boxes that I would like to work on. I'll post them soon.

I already posted my Women & Work which I haven't started as I am reading 4 books at present. I am posted my second box I made a list of other boxes I'll add as I finished with these, or get close to fnishing.

Women and Work
1. Midwifes Legacy
2. The Dressmaker
3. The House Girl—Servant
4. The Painted Girl—Ballet
5. The Reluctant Queen

Non-Fiction
1. Jim Henson Bio
2. Why Read Moby Dick
3. Unsinkable—Debbie Reynolds Bio
4. Bunker Hill
5. Cry of the Kalahari

Thanks Teresa for the change of rule. For someone like me this rule is great as I have so many books on the go at any one time. LOL

I started another box based on my dad's confusion about downloading audiobooks onto an iPod:

How to you get a book onto that thing? (Audiobooks)

Started a new box about my favorite things: No Such Thing As "Too Many Shoes"! (Books about shoes and/or shoes on the cover).

I have a question. I listen to audiobooks in the car and when I walk. Can I just continue to add those to my audiobook box instead of making a new box? I guess that would be like continuing to add money to a Starbucks gift card instead of buying a new one? LOL!

Vickie's Box #6
Name: A Lovely Box of Chocolates Never Hurt Anybody (Titles relating to chocolate)

1. Midwives Legacy--reading
2. The Dressmaker finished this one
3. The House Girl—Servant
4. The Painted Girl—Ballet
5. The Reluctant Queen--finished

In honor of summer I put together a picnic basket of books while I wait for books from my last box. All these books are related to FOOD.
1. Color of Tea
2. Guernsey literary & Potato Peel Society
3. Extra Virgin
4. My Life in France-Julia Child
5. Delicious!
6. Stones for Bread