Cozy Mysteries discussion

I am planning on several challenges this year. I don't know how well I'll do. But we'll see.

I plan on participating in the 2016 Ultimate Challenge. (Maybe I'll have better luck doing 40 books than 52.)

I also plan on reading 75,000 pages this year as well as total book count of 225 books.

I also want to read at least 30 classics (over 50 years old) and 30 books found on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list.

I have put down a goal of 25 books for the GCAC-2016 challenge, since I think I can better my achievement of only 14 last year.

I also have a goal of reading at least 12 NEW RELEASES this year. It seems every year I haven't read hardly any of the nominees for the Goodreads Choice Awards.

In addition to the standard A-Z Challenge and Color Challenge, I will also do a US States Challenge and a UN Member States (I made that one up) Challenge.

Good luck with the challenges. I like that you want to read classics.

Good luck, Kristin! You're far more ambitious with the classics than I am, as my goal is only 10-12.

I started adding books from the 1001 books list (although I'm not sure I had the right list of 1001 books) and I hope to make some progress through it as well as the other ## Books lists I've added shelves for.

The Gilmour Girls one seems the most interesting, even though I never watched the show. It has a big variety of books.

I'm interested by the GCAC-2016 challenge. I tried to do that one last year, but I still ended up with so few books that were actually nominated but it helps me read some new releases as I go.

The A-Z Challenge

Titles

(A) - The Alchemist
(B) - Brotherhood in Death
(C) - Citadel
(D) - Dark Corners
(E) - Emma: A Modern Retelling
(F) - For Love or Vengeance
(G) - Galaxy Games: The Challengers
(H) - The Heretic
(I) - The Italian Boy: A Tale of Murder and Body Snatching in 1830s London
(J) - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
(K) - The Killing Floor
(L) - Looking Good Dead
(M) - Murder Fir Christmas
(N) - No Turning Back
(O)
(P) - Phantom Instinct
(Q) - Quarter Share
(R) - Royal Blood
(S) - The Sound of Glass
(T) - Tales of Cynings Volume I
(U) - The Unquiet Bones
(V) - VOID
(W) - World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
(X)
(Y) - The Yard by Alex Grecian
(Z)

Authors

(A) - Martin Amis
(B) - Max Brooks
(C) - Paulo Coelho
(D) - Jude Deveraux
(E)
(F) - Greg R. Fishbone
(G) - Meg Gardiner
(H) - Georgette Heyer
(I)
(J) - Peter James
(K) - Cameron W. Kobes
(L) - Joyce Lavene
(M) - Susan May
(N) - Barbara Nadel
(O) - Joseph O'Neill
(P) - Caridad Piñeiro
(Q)
(R) - Ruth Rendell
(S) - Tiffany Snow
(T) - Barbara W. Tuchman
(U)
(V) - Joan D. Vinge
(W) - Karen White
(X)
(Y) - Nicola Yoon
(Z)

The COLOR Challenge

BLUE

GREEN

RED

BLACK

WHITE

YELLOW

PINK

PURPLE

ORANGE

GRAY (or is it GREY?)

BROWN

COLORFUL

US STATES Challenge:

ALABAMA - Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
ALASKA
ARIZONA
ARKANSAS
CALIFORNIA - Phantom Instinct by Meg Gardiner
COLORADO
CONNECTICUT - Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
DELAWARE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - Devil's Gate by Clive Cussler
FLORIDA - Woof at the Door by Laura Morrigan
GEORGIA
HAWAII - Everything, Everything
IDAHO
ILLINOIS - Bloody Mary by J.A. Konrath
INDIANA - No Turning Back by Tiffany Snow
IOWA - Stillness by Eldon Farrell
KANSAS
KENTUCKY
LOUISIANA - Take the Monkey and Run by Laura Morrigan
MAINE
MARYLAND
MASSACHUSETTS - Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage by Edith B. Gelles
MICHIGAN - Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes
MINNESOTA - A Heritage of Stars by Clifford D. Simak
MISSISSIPPI
MISSOURI
MONTANA
NEBRASKA
NEVADA - Galaxy Games: The Challengers by Greg R. Fishbone
NEW HAMPSHIRE - Poseidon’s Children by Michael West
NEW JERSEY
NEW MEXICO - Contact by Carl Sagan
NEW YORK - For Love or Vengeance by Caridad Piñeiro
NORTH CAROLINA
NORTH DAKOTA
OHIO - Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
OKLAHOMA
OREGON
PENNSYLVANIA - A Spy Came Home by H.N. Wake
RHODE ISLAND
SOUTH CAROLINA - The Sound of Glass by Karen White
SOUTH DAKOTA - Logan's Run by William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson
TENNESSEE - Murder Fir Christmas by Joyce Lavene
TEXAS
UTAH
VERMONT
VIRGINIA - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm
WASHINGTON - Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber
WEST VIRGINIA
WISCONSIN - Working Stiff by Annelise Ryan
WYOMING

The 2016 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

32/41

1. A book based on a fairy tale
Tales of Cynings Volume I by Cameron W. Kobes
2. A National Book Award winner
The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman
3. A YA bestseller
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
4. A book you haven't read since high school
5. A book set in your home state
Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber
6. A book translated to English
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
7. A romance set in the future
Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
8. A book set in Europe
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
9. A book under 150 pages
Logan's Run by William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson
10. A New York Times bestseller
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
11. A book that's becoming a movie this year
12. A book recommended by someone you just met
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
13. A self-improvement book
14. A book you can finish in a day
Galaxy Games: The Challengers by Greg R. Fishbone
15. A book written by a celebrity
Contact by Carl Sagan
16. A political memoir
17. A book at least 100 years older than you
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
18. A book that's more than 600 pages
Citadel by Kate Mosse
19. A book from Oprah's Book Club
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
20. A science-fiction novel
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm
21. A book recommended by a family member
The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry
22. A graphic novel
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
23. A book that is published in 2016
Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb
24. A book with a protagonist who has your occupation
25. A book that takes place during Summer
Emma: A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith
26. A book and its prequel
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
27. A murder mystery
Murder Fir Christmas by Joyce Lavene
28. A book written by a comedian
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
29. A dystopian novel
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
30. A book with a blue cover
The Frozen Sky by Jeff Carlson
31. A book of poetry
32. The first book you see in a bookstore
33. A classic from the 20th century
Martin Eden by Jack London
34. A book from the library
Dark Corners by Ruth Rendell
35. An autobiography
36. A book about a road trip
37. A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with
The Sound of Glass by Karen White
38. A satirical book
Money: A Suicide Note by Martin Amis
39. A book that takes place on an island
Penguin Island by Anatole France
40. A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy
Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen

UN Member States Challenge

Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada - City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China - The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Costa Rica
Côte D'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France - Citadel by Kate Mosse
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Ireland
Israel - The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks
Italy - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Jamaica - Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Japan - Galaxy Games: The Challengers by Greg R. Fishbone
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
South Korea (Republic of Korea)
Moldova, Republic of
Romania - Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen
Russian Federation - Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone - Devil's Gate by Clive Cussler
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South ‎Sudan
Spain - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden - The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Switzerland - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Thailand
Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey - Belshazzar's Daughter by Barbara Nadel
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - Dark Corners by Ruth Rendell
Tanzania, United Republic of
United States of America
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Viet Nam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

1001 Books To Read Before You Die Challenge

Goal: 16/30

Money: A Suicide Note by Martin Amis
Martin Eden by Jack London
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Contact by Carl Sagan
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
A Dance to the Music of Time: 1st Movement by Anthony Powell
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Under the Net by Iris Murdoch
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

GCAC-2016 Challenge

Goal: 13/25

The Shadows by J.R. Ward
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb
The Sound of Glass by Karen White
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime: Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-Minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper! by Ree Drummond
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Classics challenge -- over 50 years old

19/30

Martin Eden by Jack London
Penguin Island by Anatole France
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
A Dance to the Music of Time: 1st Movement by Anthony Powell
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
Under the Net by Iris Murdoch
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Pilgrimage: The Book of the People by Zenna Henderson
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
The Shambler from the Stars by Robert Bloch
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Double Sin & Other Stories by Agatha Christie, 1940

Julie Austin wrote: "Double Sin & Other Stories by Agatha Christie, 1940"

??

New Releases Challenge: 12 books

Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb
Tales of Cynings Volume I by Cameron W. Kobes
VOID by David M. Staniforth
The Beast by J.R. Ward
The Girl from Summer Hill by Jude Deveraux
Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas
The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone
City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong
Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower
Seers of Verde: The Legend Fulfilled by M.L. Williams
Make Me Love You by Johanna Lindsey
Daring In a Blue Dress by Katie MacAlister
Apprentice in Death by J.D. Robb
Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber
Stillness by Eldon Farrell
Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox by Carol Burnett
Take the Monkey and Run by Laura Morrigan
Remanence by Jennifer Foehner Wells

Ding! Ding! 25 books read this year!

Halfway through the A-Z and Color challenges!

I'm 75% done with the A-Z and Color Challenges!

Status:

Color - 81%
Alphabet - 77%
Popsugar Ultimate Challenge - 66%
New Releases - 50%
75,000 pages - 37%
US States - 33%
GCAC-2016 - 32%
Classics - 27%
1001 Books - 23%
UN Member States - 12%

Status:

Pages: 34,359/75,000
Books: 94/225

Classics: 12/30
1001 Books: 11/30
New Releases: 8/12
GCAC-2016 Challenge: 9/25
Alphabet Challenge: 41/52
Color Challenge: 30/36
US States Challenge: 18/51
UN Member States Challenge: 13/93
Read Your Age Challenge (NEW!): 26/51
Popsugar Ultimate Challenge: 29/41
A Good Thriller Challenge: 23/25
Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge: 30/52

Just realized there are some challenge I haven't added to this list.

I just discovered the Read Your Age challenge. The "A Good Thriller" challenge is from the A Good Thriller group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

And I only recently discovered the Around the Year in 52 Books challenge. It's similar to the Popsugar Challenge, but the members of the group decide on the different prompts in the challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Read Your Age Challenge:

Goal: 28/51

1966: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
1967: Logan's Run by William F. Nolan
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976: Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm
1977: A Heritage of Stars by Clifford D. Simak
1978
1979
1980: The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge
1981
1982
1983
1984: Money: A Suicide Note by Martin Amis
1985: Contact by Carl Sagan
1986
1987
1988: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
1989
1990: The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry
1991
1992
1993
1994: Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin
1995
1996
1997: The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr
1998: Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
1999: Belshazzar's Daughter by Barbara Nadel
2000: After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
2001: The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
2002
2003
2004: The Italian Boy: A Tale of Murder and Body Snatching in 1830s London by Sarah Wise
2005: Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
2006: Looking Good Dead by Peter James
2007: Virgin River by Robyn Carr
2008: The Unquiet Bones by Melvin R. Starr
2009: Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage by Edith B. Gelles
2010: The Frozen Sky by Jeff Carlson
2011: Galaxy Games: The Challengers by Greg R. Fishbone
2012: Poseidon’s Children by Michael West
2013: For Love or Vengeance by Caridad Piñeiro
2014: Phantom Instinct by Meg Gardiner
2015: Deadly Messengers by Susan May
2016: Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb

A Good Thriller Challenge

Goal: 23/25

1. Color: Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton
2. Number: First Activation by Darren Wearmouth
3. Things That Grow: Murder Fir Christmas by Joyce Lavene
4. Seasons: The Girl from Summer Hill by Jude Deveraux
5. First Name: Martin Eden by Jack London
6. Places: Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
7. Body Part: The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry
8. Weapon: The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman
9. Body of Water: Virgin River by Robyn Carr
10. Form of Water: The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge
11. Product of Fire
12. Celestial Body: Galaxy Games: The Challengers by Greg R. Fishbone
13. Architecture: Citadel by Kate Mosse
14. Senses: The Sound of Glass by Karen White
15. Royal Title: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
16. Family Member: Belshazzar's Daughter by Barbara Nadel
17. Elements: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
18. Time of Day: Night of the Crabs by Guy N. Smith
19. Metal
20. Emotion/Feeling: For Love or Vengeance by Caridad Piñeiro
21. Animal/Insect: Penguin Island by Anatole France
22. Something to Read: Money: A Suicide Note by Martin Amis
23. Gender Identifier: The Italian Boy: A Tale of Murder and Body Snatching in 1830s London by Sarah Wise
24. Paranormal Being: Phantom Instinct by Meg Gardiner
25. Occupation: The Marine Next Door by Julie Miller

Around the Year in 52 Books

Goal: 38/52

1. A book you meant to read in 2015 but didn't: Red Rising by Pierce Brown
2. A book set in a different continent: Dark Corners by Ruth Rendell
3. A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2015 (winner or nominated): The Sound of Glass by Karen White
4. A book by an author you discovered in 2015: Murder Fir Christmas by Joyce Lavene
5. A book with a title beginning with the 1st letter of your name: The Killing Floor by Peter Turnbull
6. The highest rated on your TBR
7. A book about books
Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower
8. A classic book with less than 200 pages: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
9. A book that was mentioned in another book
10. A book by author you feel you should have read by now: Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber
11. A book from the Rory Gilmore challenge: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
12. A childhood classic
13. Reader's Choice: Christmas Stories by Diana Secker Tesdell
14. A book with one of the five W’s -or H in the title (Who/What/Where/When/Why/How): Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm
15. A book set in the past (more than 100 years ago): The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry
16. A book from the Top 100 mystery novels
17. A book with a beautiful cover: Fluency by Jennifer Foehner Wells
18. A book on a summer/beach reading list
19. A non-fiction book: Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage by Edith B. Gelles
20. A book with a first name in the title: Martin Eden by Jack London
21. A book from the Goodreads Recommendations page
22. The first book in a new to you series: The Unquiet Bones by Melvin R. Starr
23. The next book in a series you are reading: Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
24. A "between the numbers" book of a series (0.5, 1,5, 2.5, etc.)
Odd Thomas: You Are Destined To Be Together Forever (Odd Thomas #0.5) by Dean Koontz
25. A book whose main character is in a profession that interests you: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
26. A book everyone is talking about
27. A book with a beautiful title
28. A biography, autobiography, or memoir: In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox by Carol Burnett
29. A book by author who writes under more than one name: Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb
30. A fairytale from a culture other than your own
31. A work of young adult fiction: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
32. A historical fiction book: Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen
33. The 16th book on your TBR
34. A book about mental illness: Deadly Messengers by Susan May
35. An award winning book: The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge
36. An identity book
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
37. A book that you have seen the movie of but haven't read: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
38. A book about an anti-hero: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
39. A previous suggestion that did not make it into the list (a book set on another planet): The Frozen Sky by Jeff Carlson
40. A novella from your favorite genre
41. A book about a major world event: The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman
42. A Top 100 fantasy novel
43. A book about a thing that goes bump in the night: Night of the Crabs by Guy N. Smith
44. A book you're embarrassed to read in public: For Love or Vengeance by Caridad Piñeiro
45. A book related to a hobby or passion you have
46, A crime story: Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin
47. A book with a type of food/drink in the title: Bloody Mary by J.A. Konrath
48. A dystopia: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
49. A book with a great opening line
50. A book written in a language other than English: Penguin Island by Anatole France
51. A short story from a well-known author: "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" from After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
52. A book published in 2016: The Beast by J.R. Ward

Finished my goal of 12 new releases read this year!!