2026 Reading Challenge discussion

A place to keep track of my reading challenges!

A - Z Challenge

Message 774

Challenge completed 9/8/2015!

26/26

A All the Light We Cannot See
B The Body in the Boudoir
C Case Histories
D Delicious! by Ruth Reichl
E Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
F Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
G The Girl on the Train
H Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
I The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
J Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
K Kilt Dead by Kaitlyn Dunnett
L Letter From Home by Carolyn Hart
M The Mother's Day Murder by Lee Harris
N The Noon God by Donna Carrick
O One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly
P Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
Q Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
R Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva
S The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
T The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
U Unlocking the Air and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin
V Vintage
W Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
X X by Sue Grafton
Y Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Z Zero Day by David Baldacci

I Spy Challenge

Message 822

25/25

Completed 7/25/2015!

1. Color - The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier
2. Number - Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
3. Things That Grow - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
4. Seasons - In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
5. First Name - Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
6. Places - Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
7. Body Part - Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass
8. Weapon - Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
9. Body of Water - The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
10. Form of Water - The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
11. Product of Fire - Desert Heat by J.A. Jance
12. Celestial Body - Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
13. Architecture - The Body in the Piazza
14. Senses - All the Light We Cannot See
15. Royal Title - Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
16. Family Member - The Mother's Day Murder by Lee Harris
17. Elements - Unlocking the Air and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin
18. Time of Day - The Noon God by Donna Carrick
19. Metal - Silver Shoes by Paul Miles Schneider
20. Emotion/Feeling - Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman
21. Animal/Insect - Crocodile on the Sandbank
22. Something to Read - Letter From Home by Carolyn Hart
23. Gender Identifier - The Girl on the Train
24. Paranormal Being - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
25. Occupation - The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

Mini Challenge - Tournament of Books Challenge

Message 257

I have read - 13

PLAYER LEVELS:
Rookie: 4 or fewer books/tasks
Off the bench: 5 to 8 books/tasks
Starter: 9 to 12 books/tasks
Ready for the Pros: 13+ books/tasks

68 Teams: Read one of the first 68 books on your Goodreads To Read list (sorted by oldest date added). Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman
The Big Dance: Read a book where the characters dance or attend a dance. Letter From Home by Carolyn Hart
One and Done: Read the last or most recent book in a series. - The Body in the Piazza
March Madness: Read a book where a character does something crazy or irrational.
Free Throw: Read a book of your choice. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
Fast Break: Read a thriller or suspense that is action-packed or fast-paced.
Shot Clock: Read a book where a character is shot.The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
Good Defense: Read a book where someone is wrongly accused or the main character is a lawyer. The Mother's Day Murder by Lee Harris
Rebound: Read a book where the main character is on the rebound from a bad relationship, divorce, job loss, etc. One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly
Three Point Shot: Read a book with a love triangle.
Sweet Sixteen: Read a book where the main character is a baker or that names a dessert in the title or pictured on the cover. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Elite Eight: Read a book with wealthy character(s).Crocodile on the Sandbank
Final Four: Read a book from a series with four (or fewer) books or read the 4th book in a series. Case Histories
Semi-Finalist: Read a book that was nominated for a mystery award (any year). In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Stand Alone: Read a stand-alone mystery or suspense that is NOT part of a series. The Girl on the Train
Number One: Read the first book in a series. Body Movers by Stephanie Bond

The Randomized List:

Message 257

Challenge Complete 10/3/2015!

10/10

04 - In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming3/25/2015
16 - Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson 4/2/2015
53 - The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus by Owen Gingerich 5/27/15
36 - The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 4/10/2015
07 - Gilead by Marilynne Robinson 7/3/2015
37 - The Ultimate Teen Book Guide by Daniel Hahn 5/8/2015
41 - Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter by Phoebe Damrosch 8/18/2015
17 - The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra 8/14/2015
48 - Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused by Mike Dash 7/24/2015
18 - My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

USA Reading Roadtrip!

42/51

1. Alabama - Looking for Alaska by John Green
2. Alaska - Fire And Ice by Dana Stabenow
3. Arizona - Desert Heat by J.A. Jance
4. Arkansas - Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
5. California - W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton
6. Colorado - Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
7. Connecticut - My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier
8. Delaware - The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
9. Florida - The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
10. Georgia - Body Movers by Stephanie Bond
11. Hawaii - Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
12. Idaho -
13. Illinois - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
14. Indiana - A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel
15. Iowa - Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
16. Kansas - Silver Shoes by Paul Miles Schneider
17. Kentucky -
18. Louisiana
19. Maine - Kilt Dead by Kaitlyn Dunnett
20. Maryland - The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler
21. Massachusetts - The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
22 Michigan - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
23. Minnesota - Gathering Prey by John Sandford
24. Mississippi - We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
25. Missouri - Every Last Secret: A Mystery by Linda Rodriguez
26. Montana - Death al Dente by Leslie Budewitz
27. Nebraska - Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
28. Nevada -
29. New Hampshire - Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett
30. New Jersey - Palisades Park by Alan Brennert
31. New Mexico - Prey for a Miracle by Aimée Thurlo
32. New York - The Body in the Boudoir by Katherine Hall Page
33. North Carolina - Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs
34. North Dakota - The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
35. Ohio - Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
36. Oklahoma - Letter From Home by Carolyn Hart
37. Oregon - The All You Can Dream Buffet by Barbara O'Neal
38. Pennsylvania - Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
39. Rhode Island - Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva
40. South Carolina - The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
41. South Dakota - Death Along the Spirit Road by C.M. Wendelboe
42. Tennessee - Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass
43. Texas - A Woman Of Independent Means by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
44. Utah - Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
45. Vermont - Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
46. Virginia - The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss by Krista Davis
47. Washington - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
48. West Virginia - Zero Day by David Baldacci
49. Wisconsin - Vintage by Susan Gloss
50. Wyoming - The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman
51. Washington, DC - My Name Is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

#READWOMEN
Duration: January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Message 425

Goal 20 New to me Authors

20/20
10/10 - Expanded Goal
8/10 - Second Expansion
38/40 - Total

1. Susan Gloss - Vintage
2. Kate Atkinson - Case Histories
3. Kate Morton - The Secret Keeper
4. Tess Gerritsen - The Surgeon
5. Elizabeth Peters - Crocodile on the Sandbank
6. Stephanie Bond - Body Movers
7. Donna Woolfolk Cross - Pope Joan
8. Julia Spencer-Fleming - In the Bleak Midwinter
9. Paula Hawkins - The Girl on the Train
10. Laurie Halse Anderson - Fever 1793
11. Jacqueline Woodson - Brown Girl Dreaming
12. Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife
13. Charlaine Harris - Shakespeare's Landlord
14. Jacqueline Winspear - Maisie Dobbs
15. Donna Carrick - The Noon God
16. Cristina Henriquez - The Book of Unknown Americans
17. Mary Daheim - Just Desserts
18. Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey - A Woman Of Independent Means
19. Cheryl Strayed - Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
20. Kaitlyn Dunnett - Kilt Dead

1. J.A. Jance - Desert Heat
2. Rainbow Rowell - Eleanor & Park
3. Miranda Beverly-Whittemore - Bittersweet
4. Amy Poehler - Yes Please
5. Jodi Picoult - The Storyteller
6. Lorna Barrett - Murder is Binding
7. Sandra Dallas - Tallgrass
8. Liane Moriarty - Big Little Lies
9. Dana Stabenow - Fire And Ice
10. Emily St. John Mandel - Station Eleven

1. Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
2. Louise Rennison - Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging
3. Harriet Scott Chessman - Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper
4. Leslie Budewitz - Death al Dente
5. Phoebe Damrosch - Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter
6. Barbara O'Neal - The All You Can Dream Buffet
7. Linda Rodriguez - Every Last Secret: A Mystery
8. Robin Oliveira - My Name Is Mary Sutter

2ND QUARTER CHALLENGE: SHARON'S SPRING CHALLENGE
Duration: April 1 - June 30, 2015

Goal 6 Books
10/6

1. Read a book about time travel. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

2. Read a book where a character makes an impetuous decision. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez

3. Read a book that takes place in the Spring. The Mother's Day Murder by Lee Harris

4. Read a book with water on the cover or that takes place on the water. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

5. Read a steampunk book.

6. Read a book that has been on your TBR list the longest. Just Desserts by Mary Daheim

7. Read a book that takes place at a college or during spring break.

8. Read a book where weather plays an important part to the plot. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

9. Read an old favorite or a book you have been putting off reading. Unlocking the Air and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin

10. Read a book of poetry or a book about a poet. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

11. Read a book that was released in 2015 or the newest book on your TBR list. Gathering Prey by John Sandford

12. Spring in his step If you walk with or have a spring in your step, you walk energetically in a way that shows you are feeling happy and confident. Read a book that has a character who exhibits these characteristics or an action genre book. Zero Day by David Baldacci

THE LISTOPIA CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1st 2015 - December 31st 2015

Message 215

15 Books Total 3 each from 5 lists

14/15

3 Books from Art and Artists in Fiction

1. The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier
2. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
3. Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper - Harriet Scott Chessman

3 Books from Best Historical Mystery

1. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
2. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
3. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

3 Books from Microhistory:Social Histories of Just One Thing

1. Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused by Mike Dash
2. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
3.

3 Books from Cozy Mystery Series

1. Body Movers by Stephanie Bond
2. In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
3. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris

3 Books from Epistolary Fiction

1. A Woman Of Independent Means by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
2. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
3. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

Pop Sugar Reading Challenge Challenge

Setting this a a two year goal for myself. Will include books read in 2015 and 2016.

39/50

1) A book with more than 500 pages - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
2) A classic romance
3) A book that became a movie Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
4) A book published this year Gathering Prey by John Sandford
5) A book with a number in the title Zero Day by David Baldacci
6) A book written by someone under 30
7) A book with non human characters The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
8) A funny book The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
9)A book by a female author Delicious! by Ruth Reichl
10) A mystery or thriller Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs
11) A book with a one word title Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman
12)A book of short stories Unlocking the Air and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin
13) A book set in a different country Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
14) A nonfiction book The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus by Owen Gingerich
15) A popular author's first book Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
16) A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton
17) A book a friend recommended Vintage by Susan Gloss
18) A Pulitzer Prize winning book All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
19) A book based on a true story Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
20) A book at the bottom of your to-read list One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly
21) A book your mom loves In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
22) A book that scares you The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
23)A book more than 100 years old
24) A book chosen based entirely on it's cover
25) A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't
26) A memoir Yes Please by Amy Poehler
27) A book you can finish in a day The Noon God by Donna Carrick
28) A book with antonyms in the title Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
29) A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit Death al Dente by Leslie Budewitz
30) A book that came out the year you were born My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier
31) A book with bad reviews Silver Shoes by Paul Miles Schneider
32) A trilogy
33) A book from your childhood
34) A book with a love triangle
35) A book set in the future Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
36) A book set in high school Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
37) A book with a color in the title The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier
38) A book that made you cry The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
39) A book with magic The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
40) A graphic novel
41) A book by an author you've never read before Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
42) A book you own but haven't read yet The Body in the Boudoir by Katherine Hall Page
43) A book that takes place in your hometown (or surrounding area) Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
44) A book that was originally written in a different language The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra
45) A book set during Christmas
46) A book by an author with your same initials
47) A play The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman
48) A banned book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
49) A book based on or turned into a TV show The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
50) A book you started but never finished

Cozy Mystery Serial Challenges

June - Sister Agatha Series by Aimée Thurlo

Prey for a Miracle by Aimée Thurlo
False Witness by Aimée Thurlo

July - Liam Campbell Series by Dana Stabenow

Fire And Ice by Dana Stabenow
So Sure Of Death by Dana Stabenow

August - Food Lover's Village by Leslie Budewitz

Death al Dente by Leslie Budewitz
Crime Rib by Leslie Budewitz

September - Skeet Bannion by Linda Rodriguez

Every Last Secret: A Mystery by Linda Rodriguez
Every Broken Trust: A Mystery by Linda Rodriguez

THIRD QUARTER CHALLENGE: CLEAR THE SHELVES
Duration: July 1 - September 30, 2015

Message 19

9/9

1. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
2. Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
3. Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused by Mike Dash
4. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
5. Angus, Thongs and Full-Fr[author:James Lincoln Collierontal Snogging|402013] by Louise Rennison
6. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
7. The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra
8. Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter by Phoebe Damrosch
9. My Brother Sam Is Dead by

THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTER CHALLENGE: GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS
Duration: July 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Message 13

4/5

1. Privy to the Dead by Sheila Connolly
2. The Body in the Birches by Katherine Hall Page
3. Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs
4. X by Sue Grafton
5.

THE TRAVEL CHALLENGE
Duration: August 1 - August 31, 2015

Message 21

Goal 20,000 miles traveled

31,960/20,000

Starting Point Chesapeake Beach, MD

First Book: Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
-Palmyra, NY (305 miles)
-Nauvoo, IL (794 miles)
-Salt Lake City, UT (1073 miles)
Total miles travel: 2,172

Second Book: Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper by Harriet Scott Chessman
-Paris, France (5,071)
Total miles traveled: 5,071

Third Book: Death al Dente by Leslie Budewitz
-Jewel Bay, MT {used Bigfork, MT as a substitute for the fictional Jewel Bay} (4,746)
Total miles traveled: 4,746

Fourth Book: The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra
- Milan, Italy (5,128)
Total miles traveled: 5,128

Fifth Book: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
- Spokane Indian Reservation (5,247)
Total miles traveled: 5,247

Sixth Book: Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter by Phoebe Damrosch
- New York, NY (2,207)
Total miles traveled: 2,207

Seventh Book: Crime Rib by Leslie Budewitz
-Jewel Bay, MT {used Bigfork, MT as a substitute for the fictional Jewel Bay} (2,020)
Total miles traveled: 2,020

Eighth Book: My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier
-Redding, CT (2,029)
Total miles traveled: 2,029

Ninth Book: We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
-Tupelo, MS (966)
-Memphis, TN (98)
Total miles traveled: 1,064

Tenth Book: The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman
-Laramie, WY (944)
Total miles traveled: 944

Eleventh Book: The All You Can Dream Buffet by Barbara O'Neal
-Dead Gulch, KS (407)
-McMinnville, OR (1,332)
-San Francisco, CA (515)
Total Miles Traveled: 2254