2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

MOTHER EARTH
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2022

This challenge combines our quarterly theme, "Admiring the Natural World," with the yearly theme nomination of "Follow the Science, which tied for third place.

The 16 open prompts encourage you to read books about or related to both our natural world and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). You can read books in any genre you choose as long as it satisfies one of the conditions below. Also, you may repeat any prompt twice, but each book shall only be counted once within this challenge.

To sign up, post a comment in this thread to inform the challenge leader how many books you plan to read.

Topics
Read:
1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly.
2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM.
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna.
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change).
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation.
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)

Author
Read:
7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic.
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a farmer, gardener, or botanical illustrator).
9. A book by an environmental activist.

Main Characters
Read:
10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career.
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius).
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger).
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character.

Cover Art
Read:
14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover.
15. A book with a wild animal on its cover.
16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.

If you are new to our group and/or our group challenges, take a moment to check out the Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly Challenges - Start Here thread for more information on how our challenges are run.

Let's explore the natural world around us together!

Brittany will be leading this challenge. Thank you, Brittany!

Hello everyone! I am excited to see what STEM based books you all come up with. Looking for some wonderful recommendations.

To have your progress updated below, please post a comment that includes your original (sign-up) message number and your current progress, using the format below.
Example:
Update to msg 10: 2/5

Getting Started:
BookishlyWise 0/6
Brittany msg 340/4
Cosmic 0/2
Eldritch Reading Reindeer Welcomes 2022! 0/16
Erika 0/5
Jennifer 0/16
Laura Jane 0/10
mussolet 0/16
Nicole 0/5
Regina 0/8
Sharon 0/10
Tresdivas 0/8



Working on it:
Anu 3/6
Ashleigh 4/6
Brittany 5/7
Desiré 3/4
Greg 6/10
Margie 5/8
Robynne 3/5
Suzanne 3/16
Tracey 1/16

Completed:
Alison 10/10
Allie 8/8
Carmen 25/16
Debra Diggs 10/10
Kelly 4/4
Lynn 20/20
oshizu 14/12
Rika 16/16
Sarah 5/5
TerryJane 16/16

I'm aiming for 7
5/7
Topics
Read:
1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly.
2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM.
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna.
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change).
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation.
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)

Author
Read:
7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic.
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a farmer, gardener, or botanical illustrator).
9. A book by an environmental activist.

Main Characters
Read:
10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career.
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius). Math and fixing radios
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger). gardeners
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character. a Fox

Cover Art
Read:
14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover.
15. A book with a wild animal on its cover.
16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.

Hi Brittany. Please sign me up for 10 books.

10/10
Completed

Topics
Read:
✔ 1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly. - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
✔ 2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM. - The Dig Tree: The Story of Bravery, Insanity, and the Race to Discover Australia's Wild Frontier by Sarah Murgatroyd (William John Wills)
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna.
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change).
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation.
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)

Author
Read:
✔ 7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic. - An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
✔ 8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles such as a (gardener or botanical illustrator). - These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant
9. A book by an environmental activist.

Main Characters
Read:
✔ 10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career. - The Scorpion's Tail by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
✔ 11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius). - Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger).
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character.

Cover Art
Read:
✔ 14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover. - The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta von Trapp
✔ 15. A book with a wild animal on its cover. - Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
✔ 16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra. - Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer

Sign me up for 6 Books!!
Progress - # / 6

Topics
1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly. - The Grand Design
2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM. - The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change). - Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World
7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic - Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius). - Flesh and Blood
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature - Klara and the Sun

Your leading this challenge is very much appreciated, Brittany!
I've made 2022 Q1 my "official quarter" for non-fiction and science fiction, haha.

Please sign me up for 12 books. I should be able to read 4 a month, right?
* * *

Mother Earth

Progress: 14/12

Topics (6)
Read:
✅1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly.
✔️Math: The Dispossessed (Mar)
✅2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM.
✔️Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life (Feb)
✅3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna.
✔️The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World
✅4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change).
✔️The Lathe of Heaven
🧡The Monkey Wrench Gang (Mar)
✅5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation.
✔️The History of Bees
✅6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)
✔️150 Best Cottage and Cabin Ideas (Feb)

Author (1)
Read:
✅7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic.
✔️Astronomer: The Postman (Feb)
🧡Botanist: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (Mar)
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a gardener or botanical illustrator).
🧡9. A book by an environmental activist. A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind (Mar)

Main Characters (5)
Read:
✅10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career.
✔️Medicine: Under the Knife
✔️Math: The Calculating Stars|33080122] (Feb)
✅11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches.
✔️Chemistry: Murder at Half Moon Gate (Jan)
✔️Chemistry: Murder at Kensington Palace (Feb)
✅12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger).
✔️Herbalist: The Raven in the Foregate
✅13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character. ✔️The Dalai Lama's Cat (Mar)

Cover Art (1)
Read:
✅14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover. ✔️The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Mar)
🧡15. A book with a wild animal on its cover. Flights
16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.

Sign me up for 8
Progress 8/8
Topics
✔️1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly. Origin Story: A Big History of Everything
✔️2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM. Her Hidden Genius
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna.
✔️4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change). Cloud Cuckoo Land
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation.
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)

Author
Read:
✔️7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic. Everything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap Into Radical Curiosity, and Solve Any Problem
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a farmer, gardener, or botanical illustrator).
9. A book by an environmental activist.

Main Characters
Read:
✔️10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career. Cruel & Unusual
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius).
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger).
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character.

Cover Art
Read:
✔️14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover.
✔️15. A book with a wild animal on its cover.
✔️16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.

Hola Brittany!
Count me in, please!

PROGRESS: 25/16

Topics
Read:
1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly. The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence✔
2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM.
My Family And Other Animals✔
Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World✔
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna. Happiness for Beginners✔
The Adventures of Captain Hatteras: The Extraordinary Journeys✔
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change). Una verdad incomoda: la crisis planetaria del calentamiento global y como afrontarla✔
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation. Walden✔
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.) Slow: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Hectic World✔

Author
Read:
7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic
All Creatures Great and Small (Vet) ✔
Stitching Snow (Maths teacher)✔
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles such as a (gardener or botanical illustrator).
Fork to Fork✔
A Garlic Testament: Seasons on a Small New Mexico Farm✔
9. A book by an environmental activist. Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect✔

Main Characters
Read:
10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career.
Cruel and Unusual (Chief Medical Examiner)✔
Getting Rid of Bradley (Physics teacher)✔
You, Me, and the Colors of Life (Maths and Physics teacher)✔
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius).
The Saturdays✔
Trouble in Mudbug ✔
Summer Breeze✔
A Curious Beginning✔
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger).
Blue Dahlia (Gardeners)✔
Spells and Scones (Hedgewitches)✔
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character. Shiloh✔

Cover Art
Read:
❎14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover.
❎15. A book with a wild animal on its cover.
❎16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.

Welcome everyone! Updated to here.

No problem Oshizu! It's my pleasure to help out

Put me down for 10 books for this challenge.

1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly
Forensics The Bone Collector
Einstienian physics: Earth Strike
Superluminal Physics: Mission of Honor
10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career. Anthropology Blasphemy
Nuclear Physics: Watchmen
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius). Born of Silence

6/10

Thanks for leading, Brittany. Please add me for 8 to start.

Progress: 5/8

Topics
1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly.
2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM.
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna. Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change). The High House
✔︎5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation. Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)

Author
✔︎7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic. The Prey of Gods (Tech - author is a systems analyst)
✔︎8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a farmer, gardener, or botanical illustrator). Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change (landscape designer)
✔︎9. A book by an environmental activist. Unbowed: A Memoir

Main Characters
10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career.
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius). The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
✔︎12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger). Orwell's Roses
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character. The Book of Chameleons

Cover Art
14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover. The Nation of Plants
15. A book with a wild animal on its cover. Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals
16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.

I will do 8.
0/8

WORKING ON IT:

COMPLETED:

Thank you

Put me down for 5 books please. Books listed below.

Thanks.

3/5

Topic - 1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly. - The Code Girls - The Girls from Atomic City - The Radium Girls

Topic - 2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM - The Discovery of Jeanne Baret

Author - 7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic. - Anything by Carl Sagan - Cosmos DONE 30 Jan 2022

MC - 10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career . - Bridgerton 5 - Eloise & Philip (To Sir Philip, with Love) DONE 25 Jan 2022

Cover - 14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover. - The Lost Apothecary - DONE 21 Feb 2022

Welcome everyone!

I will join for 4- one from each category is my goal

Sign me up for 5 books

5/5-COMPLETED

Topics
✅2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM-Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics(27/2/22)

✅6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc)-Tiny Victory Gardens: Growing Food Without a Yard(5/1/22)

Author
✅8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a farmer, gardener, or botanical illustrator)-Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture(17/2/22)

Cover Art
✅14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover- (15/3/22)

✅15. A books with a wild animal on its cover- (1/3/22)

Hi Brittany, what a wonderful challenge.
Pls sign me up for all 16.

MOTHER EARTH
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2022

This challenge combines our quarterly theme, "Admiring the Natural World," with the yearly theme nomination of "Follow the Science, which tied for third place.

The 16 open prompts encourage you to read books about or related to both our natural world and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). You can read books in any genre you choose as long as it satisfies one of the conditions below. Also, you may repeat any prompt twice, but each book shall only be counted once within this challenge.

Topics
1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly.
2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM.
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna.
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change).
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation.
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)

Author
7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic.
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a farmer, gardener, or botanical illustrator).
9. A book by an environmental activist.

Main Characters
10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career.
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius).
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger).
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character.

Cover Art
14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover.
15. A book with a wild animal on its cover.
16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.

I’m going for 4!

Goal: 3/4

MOTHER EARTH
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2022

This challenge combines our quarterly theme, "Admiring the Natural World," with the yearly theme nomination of "Follow the Science, which tied for third place.

The 16 open prompts encourage you to read books about or related to both our natural world and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). You can read books in any genre you choose as long as it satisfies one of the conditions below. Also, you may repeat any prompt twice, but each book shall only be counted once within this challenge.

To sign up, post a comment in this thread to inform the challenge leader how many books you plan to read.

Topics
Read:
1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly. 11/22/63 ✅
2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM.
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna.
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change).
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation. Migrations ✅
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)

Author
Read:
7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic.
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles such as a (gardener or botanical illustrator).
9. A book by an environmental activist.

Main Characters
Read:
10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career. Project Hail Mary
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius).
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger). Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character.

Cover Art
Read:
14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover. A History of Wild Places ✅
15. A book with a wild animal on its cover.
16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.

Updated Message 5 - Total books 6 now.

Sign me up for 10 please!

-redacted-

👩‍🔬 MOTHER EARTH - Q1 Quarterly Challenge
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2022
Progress: 16/16 -- COMPLETE

Topics
Read:
1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly.
👩‍🔬 The Sirens of Mars: Searching for Life on Another World
2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM.
👩‍🔬 18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna.
👩‍🔬 Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change).
👩‍🔬 When the Killing's Done
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation.
👩‍🔬 Extinction
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)
👩‍🔬 Tiny Houses: Beginners Guide

Author
Read:
7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic.
👩‍🔬 Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles such as a (gardener or botanical illustrator).
👩‍🔬 H is for Hawk
9. A book by an environmental activist.
👩‍🔬 False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet

Main Characters
Read:
10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career.
👩‍🔬 The Soulmate Equation
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius).
👩‍🔬 The Girl in His Shadow
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger).
👩‍🔬 The Guide
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character.
👩‍🔬 Dog on It

Cover Art
Read:
14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover.
👩‍🔬 Remember Me?
15. A book with a wild animal on its cover.
👩‍🔬 How Much of These Hills Is Gold
16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.
👩‍🔬 The Gathering

Welcome! Looking forward to seeing what everyone is reading

TerryJane you will have to let me know how Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting is!

Brittany wrote: "TerryJane you will have to let me know how Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting is!"

Will do! I've enjoyed all her fiction that I've read, so I have high hopes for her nonfiction.

Sign me up for 6 please!

---

Tracking

4/6

1. A STEM-related topic - Polaris Rising
2. A natural environment - The Actual Star
3. STEM career - Vox
4. Skilled in STEM branch - The Vanishing Half
5.
6.

I'm going to go for all 16!

Topics
Read:
1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly. The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women
2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM. Hidden Figures
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna. Where the Crawdads Sing
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change). Oryx and Crake
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.) The Big Tiny: A Built-It-Myself Memoir

Author
Read:
7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic. A Brief History of Time
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a farmer, gardener, or botanical illustrator). The Once and Future Witches
9. A book by an environmental activist. Winter of the Wolf

Main Characters
Read:
10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career. The Intangible ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius). The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger). The Guide
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character. Watership Down

Cover Art
Read:
14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover. The Vines
15. A book with a wild animal on its cover. Find Me
16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra. Migrations

Sign me up for 5
Goal 0/5

Welcome all and let the reading begin!

I'm in for 5!

Hello!

Please could you sign me up for 6 books?

Thank you.

Update to messagfe 11

1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly
Forensics: The Bone Collector

1/10

I’m in for 4!

I am in for 2
Topics
Read:
1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly.Solar Behavior: How Solar- and Geomagnetic Conditions shape Human History, the current Self- Destruction Attempt of the West and the new Golden Age

Solar History: The Connection of Solar Activity, War, Peace and the Human Mind in the 2nd Millennium


2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM.
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna.
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change).
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation.
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)

Author
Read:
7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic.
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a farmer, gardener, or botanical illustrator).
9. A book by an environmental activist.

Main Characters
Read:
10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career.
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius).
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger).
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character.

Cover Art
Read:
14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover.
15. A book with a wild animal on its cover.
16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.

16/16

Topics
Read:
1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly. - The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver 14/01 (view spoiler)[Lincoln Rhyme was once a brilliant criminologist, a genius in the field of forensics (hide spoiler)]
2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM. - Lab Girl by Hope Jahren 14/01(view spoiler)[Acclaimed scientist Hope Jahren has built three laboratories in which she’s studied trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. Her first book is a revelatory treatise on plant life—but it is also so much more.

Lab Girl is a book about work, love, and the mountains that can be moved when those two things come together. It is told through Jahren’s stories: about her childhood in rural Minnesota with an uncompromising mother and a father who encouraged hours of play in his classroom’s labs; about how she found a sanctuary in science, and learned to perform lab work done “with both the heart and the hands”; and about the inevitable disappointments, but also the triumphs and exhilarating discoveries, of scientific work.

Yet at the core of this book is the story of a relationship Jahren forged with a brilliant, wounded man named Bill, who becomes her lab partner and best friend. Their sometimes rogue adventures in science take them from the Midwest across the United States and back again, over the Atlantic to the ever-light skies of the North Pole and to tropical Hawaii, where she and her lab currently make their home. (hide spoiler)]
3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 15/01 (view spoiler)[For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.

But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures. (hide spoiler)]
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change). - Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer 15/01
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation. - Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk 16/01
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.) - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver 19/01

Author
Read:
7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic. - A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking 20/01
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a farmer, gardener, or botanical illustrator). - Murder for Neptune's Trident by Victoria L.K. Williams 21/01 - (view spoiler)[Victoria and her husband live in South Florida and own a landscape garden service. (hide spoiler)]
9. A book by an environmental activist. - The Man with the Compound Eyes by Wu Ming-Yi 21/01(view spoiler)[Writer, painter, designer, photographer, literary professor, butterfly scholar, environmental activist, traveler and blogger rolled into one, Wu Ming-Yi is very much a modern Renaissance Man (hide spoiler)]

Main Characters
Read:
10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career. - Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers 22/01 - (view spoiler)[With her newly completed PhD in astronomy in hand, twenty-eight-year-old Grace Porter goes on a girls’ trip to Vegas to celebrate. (hide spoiler)]
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius). - The Last Refuge by Chris Knopf 23/01 - (view spoiler)[Burned-out, busted up and cynical, the ex-engineer, ex-professional boxer, ex-loving father and husband finds himself uncovering secrets no one could have imagined, least of all Sam himself. (hide spoiler)]
12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger).The White Garden: A Novel of Virginia Woolf by Stephanie Barron 23/01(view spoiler)[Six decades after Virginia Woolf’s death, landscape designer Jo Bellamy has come to Sissinghurst Castle for two reasons: to study the celebrated White Garden created by Woolf’s lover Vita Sackville-West and to recover from the terrible wound of her grandfather’s unexplained suicide (hide spoiler)]
13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character. - Cats on the Prowl: Book One by Nancy C. Davis 24/01

Cover Art
Read:
14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover. - Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen 08/01
15. A book with a wild animal on its cover. - Tiger - Dancing with the Tiger by Lili Wright 25/01
16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra. - Forest - A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham 26/01

Update to Message #7
Progress 1/8
Cover Art
14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover.

If still possible, I'd love to sign up, for 16 titles. I'm already reading for #5, Wildlife Conservation, The Kaiju Preservation Society, lots of Science.

MOTHER EARTH
January 1 - March 31, 2022

The 16 open prompts encourage you to read books about or related to both our natural world and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). You can read books in any genre you choose as long as it satisfies one of the conditions below. Also, you may repeat any prompt twice, but each book shall only be counted once within this challenge.

12/12 as of February 6!
Goal raised to 16
16/16 as of February 21!
Goal raised to 20
20/20 as of March 15! DONE!!

Topics
🐧1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly.
Murder on Black Swan Lane (Wrexford & Sloane #1) by Andrea Penrose
Wrexford is an expert chemist and the crime centered around chemical research advances.
January 7 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐧 Murder at Kensington Palace (Wrexford & Sloane #3) by Andrea Penrose
January 13 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wrexford is an expert chemist and the crime centered around chemical research advances related to electricity created from chemical reactions.

🐧2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM.
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson
January 30 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🐧3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna.
The Right Attitude to Rain (Isabel Dalhousie #3) by Alexander McCall Smith
Much talk about the climate on a specific island and the downpours it receives, as well as "Brother Fox" who lives in the garden.
January 21 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐧 Back Bay (Peter Fallon #1) by William Martin
Development and gentrification greatly altered the topography and local environment of the Back Bay area.
February 27 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change).

5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation.
Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey

🐧6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)
The House Without A Key (Charlie Chan #1) by Earl Derr Biggers
Biggs emphasized the more laid-back lifestyle of Hawaii at the time.
January 20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author
7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic.

8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a farmer, gardener, or botanical illustrator).

9. A book by an environmental activist.
The Right To Be Cold: One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet by Sheila Watt-Cloutier

Main Characters
🐧10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career.
*Get a Life, Chloe Brown (Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert
Chloe is a web designer. (Technology)
February 21 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐧 The Truth (Lionboy #3) by Zizou Corder
Both Aneba and Magdelen are scientists.
March 11 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🐧11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius).
Murder at Half Moon Gate (Wrexford & Sloane #2) by Andrea Penrose
Wrex is an expert chemist!
January 9 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐧 (Wrexford & Sloane #4) by Andrea Penrose
March 9 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🐧12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger).
The Careful Use of Compliments (Isabel Dalhousie #4) by Alexander McCall Smith
Isabel's garden and Brother Fox!
January 29 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐧 The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Raoul Vitale
March 15 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🐧13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character.
The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide
Chibi!
February 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐧 The Black Stallion Returns (Black Stallion #2) by Walter Farley
January 31 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cover Art
🐧14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover.
Violets Are Blue (Alex Cross #7) by James Patterson
January 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐧 People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
January 12 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🐧15. A book with a wild animal on its cover.
Lionboy (Lionboy #1) by Zizou Corder
February 6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐧 The Big Bad Wolf (Alex Cross #9) by James Patterson
February 17 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🐧16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.
Four Blind Mice (Alex Cross #8) by James Patterson
forest
January 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐧 Day of Infamy by Walter Lord
aquatic
January 16 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Possibilities...
I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett

Bluebird, Bluebird (Highway 59 #1) by Attica Locke

Raybearer (Raybearer #1) by Jordan Ifueko

Granta 148: Summer Fiction edited by Sigrid Rausing

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

The Chase (Lionboy #2) by Zizou Corder

I'm Fine and Neither Are You by Camille Pagán

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt by John Berendt

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

London Bridges (Alex Cross #10) by James Patterson

Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson

Daddy-Long-Legs (Daddy-Long-Legs #1) by Jean Webster

Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Update #19

1/4 done!

1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly. 11/22/63 ✅

Update to message 11.

11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius).

Born of Silence

2/10

Message 17 Updated

Progress: 1/5

Update to message #7
progress 2/8
Topics
4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change). Cloud Cuckoo Land

Update to message #4: 1/10

I would love to join in this quarterly challenge and read 10 books!

MOTHER EARTH
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2022
This challenge combines our quarterly theme, "Admiring the Natural World," with the yearly theme nomination of "Follow the Science, which tied for third place.

The 16 open prompts encourage you to read books about or related to both our natural world and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

10/10 books read...**Challenge Complete**

Topics
Read:
√ 1. A book about any STEM-related topic, interpreted broadly - Murder at Half Moon Gate
√ 2. A memoir, biography, or auto-biography about someone in STEM. - Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life...this book is about David Starr Jordan, an ichthyologist in the late 1800's-early 1900's
√ 3. A book about the natural environment, including its flora or fauna - Perfume: The Story of a Murderer...it is a descriptive book about the science of making perfume using plants, etc in the 1700's + follows a murderer.
√ 4. A book about environmental activism or a cli-fi (fiction about climate change) - Cold Wind...involves moving to sustainable energy sources and the impact doing that has)
5. A book about nature (or wildlife) conservation.
6. A book about slow living (gardening, tiny houses, etc.)

Author
Read:
√ 7. A book by someone who works in a STEM career, whether or not the book is about a STEM topic - Murder at Half Moon Gate
8. A book by a non-scientist who works with nature's cycles (such as a farmer, gardener, or botanical illustrator).
9. A book by an environmental activist.

Main Characters
Read:
√ 10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career - Written in My Own Heart's Blood...Claire is a physician
11. A book in which the main character is skilled in one of STEM's branches (like a teenage math genius).
√ 12. A book about a non-scientist who appreciates harmony with nature (such as a gardener or park ranger) - Nowhere To Run...Joe Pickett is a game warden
√ 13. A book with a non-human animal (wild or domesticated) as a main character - H is for Hawk...Mabel is a goshawk and her training and the subject of falconry is what this book is about (along with what TH White wrote about his training of his goshawk, Gos).

Cover Art
Read:
√ 14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover -
√ 15. A book with a wild animal on its cover -
√ 16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra -

Update message 36 - 1/12

Cover Art
Read:
14. A book with a plant or tree on its cover. - Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen 08/01

Msg 22

Sorry, but I’m going to drop out of this one. My reading moods are taking me in a different direction.

Update to message 11:

10. A book in which the main character works in a STEM career.
Anthropology Blasphemy

3/10

Updated to here

Welcome everyone! Also excellent job to those of you that have already read a book or two for this challenge!

Update to Message 7
Progress 3/8
Cover Art
16. A book depicting a unique biome on its cover: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.