Play Book Tag discussion

Off we go for another year! A new year, a new set of reading challenges to track.

GR Challenge - 160 books

Links - Annual, Seasonal, Other

Annual
Agatha Christie
ATY
Compass
Dickensians!
Dragon Grand Tour
Dragon Next
Feminerdy
PBT Monthly Tags
Play Harder
Popsugar
RCC
Unofficial Trim

Seasonal (non-RCC)

Christmas in July DONE
Dragon Month DONE
Edgars - DONE
Fall Flurries
Fall Into Smut
May the 4th -DONE

Other

American-European pre-1900 Buddy Read Planning

Bleak House

Buddy Reads

Going Long

New Series Started 2025

Past/Present PBT TR Member Tracking

Tineye color tool: https://labs.tineye.com/color/

PBT Monthly Tags

January - Canada - Ten Lords A-Leaping
February - Science - A Lady's Formula for Love, Lessons in Chemistry
March - Thriller - Up Country, Witch King, Chip and Die, Cake on a Hot Tin Roof, The Lioness, Razor Girl, Murder at the Mena House, Scrublands, A Treacherous Curse, Flying Too High
April - Fun - Three Act Tragedy, Death of an Avid Reader, Sheepfarmer's Daughter, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, The Seven Dials Mystery, Murder at Morrington Hall
May - Strong Women - Death in Saratoga Springs, Wishful Drinking, Star Wars: Razor's Edge, Fatal Threat, Killing Trail, City of Lies
June - Summer - Truly, Madly, Sweetly, No Tan Lines, No Strings Attached, The Summer Country, Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons, One Summer in Paris, Little Tiny Teeth, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Come, Tell Me How You Live, Dead Dead Girls
July - speculative fiction - Ozland, The Best Bad Things, The Lovely Bones
August - Family Drama - Black Sun, Fevered Star, Mirrored Heavens, Murder in a Scottish Shire, Night Boat to Tangier, Murder in a Scottish Garden, The Uninvited Guests
September - around the world - The Holy Thief by William Ryan, Danger Close by Fiona Quinn, Safe In His Arms by Alexa Rivers, Death of a Red Heroine, A Walk in Wolf Wood, Beautiful Ruins, Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens, The Golden Scales
October - scifi-fantasy - A Natural History of Dragons, The Launch Party, Second Sight, Human Rites
November - British Literature - Towards Zero, Poison Oracle, Cat Among the Pigeons
December - Recommended

Popsugar Challenge 2025 - p. 2 #56

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Regular
📚1. A book about a POC experiencing joy and not trauma. Killing Trail - joy as new PO K-9 handler
📚2. A book you want to read based on the last sentence. My Favorite Scar
📚3. A book about space tourism - The Launch Party
📚4. A book with two or more books on the cover or "book" in the title. - Murder at Morrington Hall
📚5. A book with a snake on the cover or in the title Curses!
📚6. A book that fills your favorite prompt from the 2015 PS Reading Challenge Reykjavík: A Crime Story - #13 - set in different country - Iceland
📚7. A book about a cult - The Ambivalent Corpse - Nazis in South America and its Mercosur
📚8. A book under 250 pages Dead Beside The Thames
📚9. A book that features a character going through menopause. Little Tiny Teeth - Dolly, Mel's wife.
📚10. A book you got for free Paris for One and Other Stories - gift from friend
📚11. A book mentioned in another book - Cards on the Table in both The A.B.C. Murders and Death on the Nile
📚12. A book about a road trip. Up Country
📚13. A book rated less than three stars on Goodreads - The Uninvited Guests - 2.96 stars - I gave it 4 stars.
📚14. A book about a nontraditional education City of Lies by Victoria Thompson - grifter education
📚15. A book that an AI chatbot recommends based on your favorite book - Snobbery with Violence - from readow[dot]ai using A Curious Beginning and Rest You Merry
📚16. A book set in or around a body of water. The Odyssey
📚17. A book about a run club - Where They Last Saw Her
📚18. A book containing magical creatures that aren't dragons Witch King - demons, imps, witches, wind devils, wraithlings
📚19. A highly anticipated read of 2025 - The Murder of Thomas Cardwell
📚20. A book that fills a 2024 prompt you'd like to do over (or try out) - Ten Lords A-Leaping - #1 - 'leap' in title
📚21. A book where the main character is a politician - Star Wars: Razor's Edge - Princess Leia of course
📚22. A book about soccer - The Golden Scales
📚23. A book that is considered healing fiction - 'Twas the Knife Before Christmas - Christmas setting for a cozy Christmas murder mystery and a side of romance has long been healing fiction for me.
📚24. A book with a happily single woman protagonist - India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy
📚25. A book where the main character is an immigrant or refugee - Miss Desirable - MC is émigré in Regency London
📚26. A book where an adult character changes careers Lessons in Chemistry
📚27. A book set at a luxury resort. Murder at the Mena House
📚28. A book that features an unlikely friendship. The Bangalore Detectives Club - young educated bride befriends a cowherder and also a courtesan
📚29. A book about a food truck - Truly, Madly, Sweetly
📚30. A book that reminds you of your childhood Five Little Pigs - both use of nursery rhyme and I started reading Christie at a very young age.
📚31. A book where music plays an integral part of the storyline - Murder in the Bastille
32. A book about an overlooked woman in history George Sand
📚33. A book featuring an activity on your bucket list - The Lioness - go on African safari
📚34. A book written by an author who is neurodivergent - Christie was dyslexic
📚35. A book centering LGBTQ+ characters that isn't about coming out - The Shadow Cabinet
📚36. A book with silver on the cover or in the title - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
📚37. Two books with the same title (1) - Just in Time for Christmas
📚38. Two books with the same title (2) - Just in Time For Christmas : Tales of Romance
📚39. A classic you've never read. Mrs. Dalloway
📚40. A book about chosen family Labyrinth's Heart
Advanced Prompts
Easy
📚41. A book by the oldest author in your TBR pile. Sheepfarmer's Daughter - Elizabeth Moon is 80
📚42. A book with a title that starts with the letter Y You Send Me
📚43. A book that includes a nonverbal character - Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything 2 dogs: Miss Ruffles and Fred
📚44. A book you have always avoided reading - Killed by Clutter - it kept being skipped for years on TBR Trim lists even though a short cozy.
Medium
📚45. A book with a left-handed character. The Seven Dials Mystery - Jimmy Thesiger
📚46. A book where nature is the antagonist Scrublands - drought, heat
📚47. A book of interconnected short stories. The Thirteen Problems. Illustrated by Agatha Christie
Hard
📚48. A book that features a married couple who don't live together The Bombay Prince - Perveen legally separated from husband not divorced
📚49. A dystopian book with a happy ending - Ozland
📚50. A book that features a character with chronic pain - Double Play by Jill Shalvis - more than one - Pace, Tucker, Red
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THE 2025 ATY READING CHALLENGE - DONE 10/6/2025
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🪭1. A book with a cover that has an image of something that starts with A, T, or Y. T = Tower Bridge
🪭2. A prompt suggestion for this year that did not make the list - - matches month/season read - Mardi Gras - Cake on a Hot Tin Roof
🪭3. A book connected to something mentioned in the Do Re Mi song - 'Twas the Knife Before Christmas - reindeer including reindeer games at the Christmas Tree Farm such as Bling the Gingerbread and Blind Sledding
🪭4. A book set underground, under sea or in an underworld - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest - underworld - secret criminal government actions
🪭5. A book with a weird or intriguing title Why Mermaids Sing

🪭6. A book with a serpentine element on the cover - snake Curses!.
🪭7. A book by an author that uses 3 names Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer
🪭8. A collection of short stories or novellas, essays, poetry, or a mix of various brief writings. The Thirteen Problems. Illustratedby Agatha Christie
🪭9. A book that has been long-listed for the Tournament of Books in any year - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - 2023.

🪭10. A book about witches, goddesses or nuns. Mirrored Heavens - witches and goddesses
🪭11. A book set in a fictional location - Star Wars: Razor's Edge
🪭12. A book by an Irish author - Night Boat to Tangier
🪭13. A book involving a "group" with at least 4 members that's not a family. Reykjavík: A Crime Story - group of 5 life long school friends
🪭14. A science fiction or fantasy novel written by a woman Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon
🪭15. A book of secrets, lies, or deception. Labyrinth's Heart
🪭16. A book that fits a prompt from the 2016 ATY list - Killed by Clutter - #43 thing that goes bump in the night - one of MC is frightened repeatedly by noises at night
🪭17. A history or historical fiction book set prior to 1925 in 1894 Death in Saratoga Springs
🪭18. A book set primarily in nature. The Lioness - Serengeti

🪭19. A book with a cover that has a building or cityscape - Foreign Affairs - Parliament and Big Ben, London
🪭20. A book with an animal, vegetable (plant), or mineral in the title - Five Little Pigs
🪭21. A book connected in some way to any collective noun for animals - a team of oxen Double Play = about a baseball team
🪭22. A translated novel from Asia - The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi, translated by Deborah Boehm

🪭23. A book that involves art, music, dancing or acting Three Act Tragedy
🪭24. A book with a main character who is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, or a criminal - A Lady's Formula for Love - Brain is Violet, athlete is Arthur and we have a criminal and several basket cases as well. No princess though several members of the aristocracy
🪭25. A book with waves on the cover The Odyssey - greek wave border at bottom
🪭26. A book by an author with a common noun in their name - India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy - Carol K. Carr - word car and carol
🪭27. A book set in the winter City of Lies by Victoria Thompson - Novenber/December

🪭28. Two books with a pair of opposites in their titles: Book 1. Nothing
🪭29. Two books with a pair of opposites in their titles: Book 2 Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything
🪭30. A monster book The Lovely Bones
🪭31. A book with a coastal setting- Gulf Coast - No Tan Lines

🪭32. A mystery or true crime book. Third Girl
🪭33. A book by an author you enjoyed but haven't gotten around to reading again for some time Razor Girl - Carl Hiaasen
🪭34. A book title that could be a country song - Truly, Madly, Sweetly
🪭35. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists- Black Sun from 2020 list.

🪭36. A book with a common household object on the cover The Seven Dials Mystery - clock
🪭37. A book featuring adult friendships - The Ambivalent Corpse - new and old, good and bad
🪭38. Two books with a connection from different genres: Book 1 - Night of the Highland Dragon - isolated setting to protect mythical inhabitants
🪭39. Two books with a connection from different genres: Book 2 - Scandal's Bride - isolated setting to protect mystical inhabitants
🪭40. A book you'd consider a comfort read - Flying Too High

🪭41. A book that involves digging up the past Up Country
🪭42. A book set in a manor, mansion, or estate. Ten Lords A-Leaping
🪭43. A book whose title has ten or fewer letters Chip and Die
🪭44. A haunting book - Death of an Avid Reader

🪭45. A book by an author whose publishing career spans at least ten years = To Distraction - Stephanie Laurens has been publishing since 1992.
🪭46. A book related to one of the traditional full moon names Scrublands - many references to a 'Blood Moon'.
🪭47. A book relating to fire The Crescent Spy fire boats Civil War
🪭48. A book with a character dealing with death The Bombay Prince - on many levels including Zoroastrian funeral procedures.

🪭49. A book that deals with time travel, alternate universes, or alternate timelines The Summer Country alternate timelines 1812-16 and 1854
🪭50. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2024 or 2025 Lessons in Chemistry - from 2024
🪭51. A book published in 2025 - The Murder of Thomas Cardwell
🪭52. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover You Send Me

This list was suggested, voted on, and chosen by ATY group members.

THE ANNIVERSARY LIST
In honor of ATY's 10 year of reading challenges, we have put together an anniversary list made up of member-chosen prompts. Each prompt comes from that year's respective list and was chosen by the members of the group.

🪭2016: A book originally written in a language other than English. My Favorite Scar - Spanish
🪭2017: A book whose title doesn't contain the letter "E" Witch King
🪭2018: An author's debut book Murder at Morrington Hall
🪭2019: A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements - The Boric Acid Murder
🪭2020: A book with an emotion in the title The Most Boring Book Ever - boring = to be bored is an emotion
🪭2021: A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet - Wishful Drinking - W/Whiskey
🪭2022: A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name The Bangalore Detectives Club
🪭2023: A book whose author has published more than 7 books - Murder in the Bastille by Cara Black
🪭2024: A book that has been on your TBR for over a year - The Frangipani Tree Mystery - since 2020
🪭2025: A book involving a "group" with at least 4 members that's not a family - The Shadow Cabinet

(hide spoiler)]

Play Harder
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FIRST LIST - 12/19/2024 - 4/11/2025
🫖1. Read a Pulitzer Prize winner. Foreign Affairs - won in 1985
🫖2. A book with a predominantly RED cover. (At least 50%) - Ten Lords A-Leaping - 81.6%
🫖3. A book featuring a journey, trip, or quest - The Shadow Cabinet - Leonie to find brother and Hale, Ciara to find her past
🫖4. Read a book about Vietnam - Up Country
🫖5. Read a book that has been tagged dnf at least 1000x - Lessons in Chemistry - tagged dnf 3,418x
🫖6. A book that fits “hip, hippy or hipster". - Third Girl
🫖7. Read a book with a kitchen utensil in the title. eg: The Fork in the Road, A Knife in My Back - 'Twas the Knife Before Christmas
🫖8. Book with a bird on the cover. The Frangipani Tree Mystery
🫖9. A book related to or featuring the game of baseball Double Play
🫖10. Read a book that's won a prize. For example Pulitzer, Booker, etc. Witch King - Locus Award for Fantasy (2024)
🫖SWAP 11. Read a book that you think your mother would like. 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Microsoft. Read a book where a computer or computer-related technology plays a major role in the story. Chip and Die
🫖12. Read a book set during a war that's NOT WWII. The Crescent Spy - Civil War

SECOND LIST - 4/12/2025

🎪1. A book where the plot includes a circus or carnival - Murder in the Bastille
🎪2. Read a book published in the year you joined PBT - 2018 - You Send Me
🎪3. Read a book set in another time -- past or future - Death of an Avid Reader - 1925
🎪SWAP 4. A book where the title contains all the vowels (A, E, I, O, U) A book that won a Bram Stoker award. In 2002 The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - speculative fiction - 51x
🎪5. A dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel - Ozland
🎪6. Read a book whose author's first and last initials match your own. The Treasure Hunters Club
🎪7. Read a book you find on PBT's happy 15th birthday PBT shelf - The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley - Summer tag match 15x
🎪8. A book where a character makes or serves something chocolate - Death in Saratoga Springs by Charles O'Brien - no tag match - chocolate served quote - p. 47 - While Pamela served hot chocolate and buttered bread, Francesca asked, “Couldn’t the police have arrested the killer?”
🎪9. Give an author a second look - read a book from an author you didn't like - Arsenic and Old Cake by Jacklyn Brady
🎪10. The first book in a series you'd like to read. Sheepfarmer's Daughter - Deeds of Paksnarrian series
🎪11. A memoir by a chef or a food writer - Clementine in the Kitchen: Modern Library Foods by Samuel V. Chamberlain - Chamberlain wrote for Gourmet Magazine
🎪12. Read a book set in a National Park. Vanishing Edge - Sequoia, Yosemite, and Joshua Tree.

THIRD LIST - 7/29/25

🐝1. Read a book related to the cold. Fevered Star - winter snow cold ice freezing setting and key to the plot.
🐝2. Read a book turned into a mini series - Dance Hall of the Dead - series Dark Winds
🐝3. Read a middle grade or young adult book written by an author first known for adult fiction or non-fiction books. A Walk in Wolf Wood by Mary Stewart
🐝4. Read a book that won the National Book Award - Three Junes
🐝5. Read a book set in Minnesota Where They Last Saw Her
🐝6. SWAP Read a book with a tag that starts with "social" (Sociology, society, social psychology, social sciences, social, social- justice, sociable, sociopath, social engineering, social commentary, etc.) Read a collection of any year's best short fiction or stories edited by a favorite author - The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024: S.A. Cosby Edits the Newest Entry in the Renowned and Popular Story Series, Dive into the Year's Best in ... and Suspense
🐝7. Read a book that's won an award (of any kind) Black Sun - 2024 Ignytes Award .
🐝8. Read a fiction or non-fiction book featuring the history of Europe - fiction - The Holy Thief by William Ryan
🐝9. Read a book with a title that begins with the first letter of your pet's name (or, if you don't have a pet, the name of a family member or friend's pet) - Mirrored Heavens - Misha, Millie, Muffin, and Miss Lola
🐝10. Read a book in which one of the main characters is in domestic service - The Uninvited Guests - cook/housekeeper
🐝11. A book on the Tournament of Books longlist (any year). Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter - 2013.
🐝12. A book tagged Literary fiction - Night Boat to Tangier - tagged 88x
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FOURTH LIST - 10/20/25

1. Read a story set on one of the Sugar Islands in the Caribbean pre-1920 - such as Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, more.
2. Read a book about a hometown or home state athlete SWAP Read a book that is a travel essay or memoir.
🏁3. Read a book about women's rights or women's suffrage - The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey - women's rights 1920s India
🏁4. A book about peace, love, or understanding - cultural and language understanding - Poison Oracle by Peter Dickinson
5. A book written by an author or artist of The Lost Generation
6. Read a book either published in or set in the Victorian period
7. Read a book with stripes on the cover
8. Read a book that matches the monthly tag from last year. For example, in January, reading a book tagged Historical Mystery.
🏁9. A retelling of myth, fable, fairy tale, folklore, or legend - The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty - Arabian Nights, Sinbad, Priates and myth and more
🏁10. A book set primarily in a house, apartment, or other residence - Towards Zero by Agatha Christie - Gull Cottage, a British seaside 'cottage' really a mansion
11. A book about a lost city or civilization (real or fictional)
🏁12. A book featuring an academic, scientific, or athletic rivalry - Braking Points by Tammy Kaehler - athletic - car racing and definitely a rivalry or three

Reserved - Play Harder or Compass

Compass Starts Jan 1, 2025. Ends Nov 26, 2025. First spin December 25

Pickerwheel [Anemoi or Four Winds Compass] used: https://pickerwheel.com/?id=3qcAP
Spins once a week on Wednesday. Must have read and reviewed book from prior spin.

Detour Passes: 3

Globe Trotting Amateur Detective Theresa

Starting point:New York City. Start with 3 detour tix

(view spoiler)[
Personal Goal: Solving crimes in every location* at every compass point spin received.

*Location is defined as specific (town) or broad (country) or in-between (state/province) as spin compass point dictates

Spin 1: NE - Iceland best for Crime Fiction.
Book/Author: Reykjavík: A Crime Story - Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdóttir
Finished: 1/11/25

Depart from Reykjavík, Iceland
Spin 2: SE - Bangalore, India
Book/Author: The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra
Finished: 1/21/25

Depart: Bangalore, IndiaMy Favorite Scar
Spin #3: SE - Singapore
Book/Author: The Frangipani Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu
Finished: 1/27/25

Depart: Singapore
Spin #4: SW - Argentina - roadtrip primarily in Misiones district.
Book/Author: My Favorite Scar Nicolás Ferraro
Finished: 2/11/25

Depart: Argentina
Spin #5: NE - Bombay, India
Book/Author: The Bombay Prince Sujata Massey
Finished: 2/26/25

Depart: Bombay, India
Spin #6: E - journey through Vietnam
Book/Author: Up Country by Nelson DeMille
Finished: 3/5/2025

Depart: Hanoi, Vietnam
Spin #7: W - Key West, FL
Book/Author: Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen
Finished: 3/18/25

Depart: Key West, FL.
Spin #8: E - Mena House, Giza, and Cairo, Egypt
Book/Author: Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer
Finished: 3/24/25

Depart: Mena House, Giza and Cairo, Egypt
Spin #9: SE - Melbourne, Australia
Book/Author: Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood
Finished: 3/31/25

Depart: Melbourne, Australia
Spin #10: W - Montevideo, Uruguay
Book/Author: The Ambivalent Corpse by Jerold Last
Finished: 4/6/2025

Depart: Montevideo, Uruguay
Spin#11: S - used a detour pass NE - Stockholm, Sweden
Book/Author: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
Finished: 4/23/25
Bonus: 1 detour ticket earned April mini - animal hornet on cover that lays eggs

Depart: Stockholm, Sweden
Spin#12: SE - Sri Lanka
Book/Author: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Finished: 5/20/25

Depart: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Spin#13: W - used free pass for SW - Barbados
Book/Author: The Summer Country by Lauren Willig
Finished: 6/11/25
Bonus: 1 detour ticket earned June mini - weddings and flag

Depart: Barbados
Spin#14: S waited a week new spin NW - Sequoia National Park, CA.
Book/Author: Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells
Finished: 6/21/25

Depart: Sequoia National Park, CA
Spin#15: N - Port Townsend, Washington Territory a/k/a Washington State
Title/Author: The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco
Finished: 7/7/25
Bonus: 1 detour ticket earned July mini - red in cover

Depart: Port Townsend, WA
Spin #16: W - used free pass - SE - Philadelphia, PA.
Book/Author: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Finished: 7/13/25

Depart: Philadelphia, PA
Spin #17: SW - New Orleans, LA
Book/Author: Arsenic and Old Cake by Jacklyn Brady
Finished: 7/20/25

Depart: New Orleans, LA
Spin #18 - S - Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
Book/Author: Curses! by Aaron Elkins
Finished: 7/28/25

Depart: Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
Spin #19 - NE - London & Kent, England
Book/Author: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie
Finished: 8/10/25

Depart: London, England
Spin #20 - N - Nairn, Scotland
Book/Author: Murder in a Scottish Shire by Traci Hall
Finished: 8/17/25

Depart: Nairn, Scotland
Spin #21 - E - Moscow, Russia
Book/Author: The Holy Thief by William Ryan
Finished: 9/4/25

Depart: Moscow, Russia
Spin #22 - SE - Shanghai, China
Book/Author: Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong
Finished: 9/16/25

Depart: Shanghai, China
Spin #23 - N - W used free pass - Zuni, New Mexico
Book/Author: Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
Finished: 9/20/25

Depart: Zuni, New Mexico
Spin #24 - N - NE used free pass - Black Forest, Germany
Book/Author: A Walk in Wolf Wood by Mary Stewart
Finished: 9/25/25
Bonus: Middle Grade fit around the world monthly tag - Black Forest, Germany - 1 free pass earned.
Passes still at 3

Depart: Black Forest, Germany
Spin #25 - E - Tokyo, Japan
Book/Author: The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi translated Deborah Boehm
Finished: 10/6/25

Depart: Tokyo, Japan
Spin #26 - SW - free pass for E - Duluth, Minnesota
Book/Author: Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie R. Rendon
Finished: 10/11/25

Depart: Duluth, Minnesota
Spin #27 - S - New Orleans, LA
Book/Author: Dirty South by Ace Atkins
Finished: 10/22/25
(hide spoiler)]

Depart: New Orleans, LA
Spin #28: E - United Arab Emirates
Book/Author: Poison Oracle by Peter Dickinson
Finished: 11/8/2025

Depart: United Arab Emirates
Spin #29: NE - use free pass to S - Salalah, Oman - journey includes Aden, Malabar Coast, Mogadishu, Socotra and back.
Book/Author: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
Finished: 11/16/25

Depart: Salalah, Oman
Spin #30: SW - use free pass to go E - Bombay, India
Book/Author: The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey
Finished: 11/25/25

Unofficial Trim 2025

PBT LOCATION - Mess #11.

⚜️1. Dear Money or One Summer in Paris- April - finished 6/20/25
2. Buried in a Book - October
⚜️3. Death of an Avid Reader February - finished 4/14/2025
4. Dreamland or The Courtyard November
5. The Lady in the Attic September
6. The Bastard of Istanbul * with Joy, Amy etc. December
7. The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna - August
⚜️8. Night Boat to Tangier or In at the Death - July - finished August 24, 2025
⚜️9. Forever or Paris for One and Other Stories - June - finished 6/13/25
⚜️10. A Scream in Soho - May - finished 5/29/25
⚜️11. The Ghosts of Belfast or Razor Girl - March - finished 3/14/25
⚜️12. Cake on a Hot Tin Roof - January - finished 3/14/25
All books on nightstand.
* = buddy read

Honorable Mentions:
Kinsey and Me
The French Executioner
The Last Days of Night
A Strangeness in My Mind
George Sand
⚱️Killed by Clutter finished 1/18/25
⚱️ Nothing finished 2/9/25
The Secret of Santa Vittoria

Skipped Alternates
The Ghosts of Belfast
Forever
Dear Money
In at the Death
The Courtyard

Dragon Grand Tour - Started November 2024. Ends December 31 2025
(view spoiler)[
Germany - Umberland
China - Throne of Jade
Scotland - Soulless: The Manga, Vol. 2
Italy - Soulless: The Manga, Vol. 3
France - Murder in the Sentier
Tanzania - Fossil: An African Wildlife Mystery
US - Sacramento CA - The 12 Kittens of Christmas
US - Newport RI - The Lost Summers of Newport
Iceland - Reykjavík: A Crime Story
England - Ten Lords A-Leaping
England - Why Mermaids Sing
India - The Bangalore Detectives Club
Singapore - The Frangipani Tree Mystery
Argentina - My Favorite Scar
England - A Lady's Formula for Love
USA - Southern California - Lessons in Chemistry
England - India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy
Bombay, India - The Bombay Prince
Vietnam - Up Country
US - Portland, OR - Chip and Die
US - New Orleans, LA - Cake on a Hot Tin Roof
Greece - The Odyssey
Tanzania - The Lioness
US - Key West, FL - Razor Girl
US - Santa Barbara, CA - Double Play by Jill Shalvis
Egypt - Giza and Cairo - Murder at the Mena House
Australia - New South Wales Scrublands - Scrublands
Australia - Melbourne - Flying Too High
US - New Orleans - The Crescent Spy
Uruguay - The Ambivalent Corpse
England - Foreign Affairs
England - Death of an Avid Reader
France, Paris - Murder in the Bastille
Stockholm, Sweden - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
England- The Seven Dials Mystery
England - Murder at Morrington Hall
US - Saratoga Springs, NY - Death in Saratoga Springs
US - Washington, D.C. - Fatal Threat
Sri Lanka - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Barbados - The Summer Country
Wales - Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons
France - One Summer in Paris
United States - Sequoia National Park in CA - Vanishing Edge
Amazon River - Iquitos Peru to Letitia, Colombia - Little Tiny Teeth
Syria - Come, Tell Me How You Live
Scotland - A Christmas Journey
Nova Scotia - The Treasure Hunters Club
Mexico - Curses!
Scotland - Murder in a Scottish Shire
Greece - My Brother Michael
Spain - Night Boat to Tangier
Russia - The Holy Thief by William Ryan
Kyrgyzstan - Danger Close by Fiona Quinn
New Zealand - Safe In His Arms by Alexa Rivers
China - Death of a Red Heroine
Germany - Black Forest - A Walk in Wolf Wood
Italy , Cinque Terre - Beautiful Ruins
Egypt - The Golden Scales
Japan - The Tattoo Murder Case
United Arab Emirates - Poison Oracle
(hide spoiler)]
Bahrain - Securing Caite
Oman - The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

DRAGON NEXT TRIM LIST 2025
Starts Jan 1.

1. Ruth Ware or next C.C. Benison Father Christmas - last?
2. China Trade or Next S.J. Rozan - Dec
⚰️3. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O by Sharyn McCrumb Or Miss Desirable by Grace Burrowes August - finished 7/24/25
4. Next Marlow by Robert Thorogood or next Fiona Davis
⚰️5. Next Periodic Table by Camille Minichino or Braking Points by Tammy Kaehler - Oct - finsihed Oct 24, 2025
6. Next by Dianne Freeman or Next Julie Anne Long
⚰️7. 🐲Dragon🐲-June Night of the Highland Dragon - finished 6/9/25, Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons - finished 6/17/25
8. Next Captain Lacey by Ashley Gardner
9. Dirty South by Ace Atkins - last Or Next by Christopher Lane - last?
⚰️10. A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn - March - finished 3/30/25
⚰️11. India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy - February - finished 2/22/25
12. Next by Sherry Thomas
⚰️13. Next by Victoria Thompson or Christmas mystery or romance in any series reading - How Snowball Stole Christmas - 3rd in series July - finished 7/8/25
⚰️14. Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sept - finished 9/28/25
⚰️15. Why Mermaids Sing by C.S. Harris January - finished 1/20/25
⚰️16. Fatal Threat by Marie Force May - finished 5/6/25
⚰️17. Next by Cara Black - Murder in the Bastille - April - finished 4/18/25
18. Next J.D. Robb or John Scalzi
⚰️19. The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey Nov - finished 11/25/25
20. Next Ilona Andrews or Ozland

Underline is switch up from June 2025.

RCC

Winter Bookopoly DONE

Spring Road Trip DONE

SCRABBLE! - DONE

Autumn Mystery Bingo DONE

Snow Queen

Historical Timeline Buddy Reads

Feminerdy

January - Labyrinth's Heart - finished 1/6/25
February - The Shadow Cabinet - finished - 2/4/25
March - Witch King - finished - 3/9/25
April - Embassytown - already read
May - Sheepfarmer's Daughter - finished 4/20/25
June - Fugitive Telemetry - finished 6/6/25
July - His Majesty's Dragon - already read
August - Black Sun - finished 8/3/25
September - The Goblin Emperor - finished 9/13/25
October - A Natural History of Dragons - finished 10/4/25
November - The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi - finished 11/16/25
December/January - Heavenly Tyrant

Agatha Christie - Characters & Career

🕵‍♀️ January - Five Little Pigs - artists - finished 1/19/25
🕵‍♀️February - The Thirteen Problems - authors - own - finished 2/17/25
🕵‍♀️March - Three Act Tragedy - Performers - finished 4/3/25
🕵‍♀️April - The Seven Dials Mystery - Butlers - finished 4/27/25
🕵‍♀️May - Cards on the Table - detectives - finished 5/24/25
🕵🏻‍♀️June - Crooked House - amateurs - finished 6/16/25
🕵🏻‍♀️July - Come, Tell Me How You Live - archeologists - NF as Mallowan - finished 6/26/25
🕵🏻‍♀️August - One, Two, Buckle My Shoe - medics - finished 8/8/25
🕵🏻‍♀️September - At Bertram's Hotel - religious figures - own - ***** favorite! Substitute The Pale Horse - finished 9/21/25
🕵🏻‍♀️October - Towards Zero - Lawyers - finished 11/4/25
🕵‍♀️November - Cat Among the Pigeons - finished 11/28/25
December - N or M? - military men - own ebook
Tommy Tuppence, or The Sittaford Mystery - readers vote

Other:
🕵‍♀️Third Girl - finished 2/1/25 - Nov 24 challenge read. Alternate artist in Jan 25
Ordeal by Innocence - own paperback
The Secret of Chimneys
Murder is Easy

Fall Flurries

October
🍂Braking Points - Petit Le Mans Endurance car race - 10/24/25
🍂Human Rites - witchy - 10/28/25
The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice
Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot
To Have and To Code
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
🍂Where They Last Saw Her - indigenous Native American and Autumn - 10/11/25
🍂Second Sight - gothic, fall, paranormal - 10/12/25

November
Read 2 or 3 short stories or novellas - aggregate about 300 pages - all set at Thanksgiving.
🦃Securing Caite - Military/SEAL romantic suspense - 11/9/25
🦃Apple Cider and Subterfuge - set in November and Apple Cider Festival - 11/28/25
🦃Turkeys and Thanksgiving - set at Thanksgiving - 11/29/25

December
Ace Atkins short story - Nick Travers Series - both
Library borrows
Nook library picks

May the 4th. DONE
(view spoiler)[
The Event Strikes Back

Planned reading:
Wishful Drinking - finished 5/3/25
Star Wars: Razor's Edge - finished 5/4/25
Han Solo's Revenge - save for 2026
(hide spoiler)]

Christmas In July DONE

(view spoiler)[

Link to PBT

How Snowball Stole Christmas - Dragon Next Trim - finished 7/9/25
Murder at the Christmas Carols - finished 7/14/25
A Christmas Journey - finished 7/8/25
Just in Time for Christmas by Carolyn Brown - finished 7/16/25
Just in Time For Christmas : Tales of Romance - finished 7/18/25
Scandal's Bride - finished 7/19/25

(hide spoiler)]

Edgars 2025. - DONE

(view spoiler)[

PBT Edgars

My Edgars 2025 Shelf

Best Novel
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
A Jewel in the Crown
My Favorite Scar - 2/11/25

(hide spoiler)]

Fall for Smut - September 1 - November 30. 2025

Link to PBT

Link to inaugural Fall Into Smut

Read:
Danger Close by Fiona Quinn
Safe In His Arms by Alexa Rivers
Targeted by Katie Reus
Quote from Beautiful Ruins
Second Sight by Amanda Quick
Securing Caite
Apple Cider and Subterfuge

Possibles:

Katie Ruggles
Marriage and Murder - Laurens
Miss Dauntless
Fatal Chaos
2nd J.D. Robb
4th Bridgerton
Roxanne St. Clair
Krentz/Quick
Studly Dogs
Ripped Bodice purchases
Kleypas Wallflowers

Going Long - 500+ pages - at least 1 book quarterly

For the rest of the year breaking my fat reads up into basic length categories:

plump - 500 to 700
chubby - 700 to 900
cause injury if dropped - 900+

I can knock off plump - 2 or 3 a quarter easy, chubby 1 a quarter, and cause injury if dropped - one every 6 months

Going Long 2025 - Reading Fat Books

1st Q
Labyrinth's Heart - 1/6/25 - 688 pages
The Shadow Cabinet - 2/4/25 - 528 pages
The Odyssey - Wilson Translation - 582 pages - APS start Feb 5, 2025 - finished on time Match 16, 2025 - Plump but Poetry so easy
Up Country - 880 pages - finished 3/5/2025

2nd Q
The Quincunx - 802 pages
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest - 566 pages - finished 4/23/25
Bleak House - 1037 pages

3rd Q
Bleak House - 1037 pages
The Quincunx - 802 pages
Mirrored Heavens - 598 pages - finished 8/6/25

4th Q
Bleak House - APS on Substack
Heavenly Tyrant - Feminerdy

Buddy Reads 2025

Evergreen

1. Bruno
2. Christmas In July DONE
3. Edgars DONE
4. Fall Into Smut!
5. Going Long - 500+ pages
6. Grumpy Monkey series - with Lyn
7. History - King William's War: The First Contest for North America, 1689–1697 - skipped
8. May the 4th - early Han Solo, Martha Wells authored, PS space tourism book, Wishful Drinking DONE

Specific Books - Carryover

(view spoiler)[

1. The Bastard of Istanbul - Trim
2. Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754 - 1766 - 2023 carryover
3. The Men Who Lost America - British Command during the Revolutionary War and the Preservation of the Empire - 2023
4. Anansi Boys - JD PT carryover
5. On the Come Up
6. The Golden Gate Edgars
7. The Lost Summers of Newport RCC - 12/27/24
8. The Ministry of Time debut BWF
9. Jacqueline in Paris - PBT and RCC

(hide spoiler)]

Specific Books - Newly Added 2025

1. King William's War: The First Contest for North America, 1689–1697 - JoAnne, Joy, Steven sounds too dry and can't source at reasonable price
2. The Lioness - Fran - finished 3/17/25
3. A Lady's Formula for Love - JD - finished 2/17/25
4. The Tainted Cup - Edgars
5. A Jewel in the Crown - Edgars
6. My Favorite Scar - Edgars - finished 2/11/25
6. Sylvia's Lovers - Dickensians! - 4/5 - 6/18/25 SKIPPED
7. Bleak House - RCC - 6/1 - 8/31 or longer
8. The Seven Dials Mystery - RCC - finished 4/27/25
9. Cards on the Table - RCC and AC finished 5/24/25
10. Black Woods Blue Sky - RCC -May June
11. Crooked House - June RCC - finished 6/16/25
12. Silk Route Adventure: On Horseback in the Heart of Asia - with Joy and BnB

WINTER BOOKOPOLY - 12/21/24 - 3/20/25 - DONE -at least 6 books or 2 full color sets, but can only have 1 white prompt.
(view spoiler)[
RCC Bookopoly Board and Rules
#11 comment
A single 6 sided die - Dice Roller - https://www.calculator.net/dice-rolle...

1st Roll: 3
Book: Labyrinth's Heart
Prompt: Two Word Title
Date Read: 1/6/25
Rating: 5 stars

2nd Roll: 5
Book: Nothing
Prompt: white cover
Date Read: 2/9/25
Rating: 3 stars

3rd Roll: 4
Book: A Lady's Formula for Love
Prompt: book recommended by someone not my age - by Tien who is younger
Date Read: 2/17/25
Rating: 3 stars

4th Roll: 4 - failed
Book:
Prompt: Non-Fiction Book
Date Read:
Rating

Only Read 3
🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭🧭

Titles - 1

Colors - 1

Recommendations - 1
(hide spoiler)]

Spring Road Trip -DONE
(view spoiler)[
RCC Link

You have won several free spring vacations! Follow the travel itinerary and select books that fit the prompts. You will read six books in the challenge.

🚗Day Trip🚗
You have one day to travel by car to a nearby favorite spot. Read a book of any genre about your home state/province/municipality/city.

🚢5 Day Getaway🚂
You won a ticket to travel by boat or train for a five-day getaway.
Travel to an adjacent country and read a non-fiction or historical fiction book about that country.

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧2 Week Trip👨‍👨‍👧‍👧
It's time for your annual vacation, and you'll visit a friend or family member who lives far away. Read one of your friend or family member's favorite book.

🏰4 Week Trip🏰
You are traveling four weeks back in time! You will read a book about the Stone Age, Pre-Columbian America, Antiquity China, Feudal Japan, the Middle Ages, the Age of Discovery, the Renaissance, or the Victorian era.

🌎6 Week Trip🌍
What is your dream trip? Where would you travel? Read an award-winning book about one of the places you'd visit.

Time Period
March 20-June 20, 2025

Trip 1: 🌎6 week trip🌎 - to Mena House in Giza near Cairo, Egypt
Book: Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer - won 2021 Agatha Award
Date Read: 3/24/25
Rating: 4 stars

Trip 2: 🌎6 Week Trip🌍 - to Australia
Book: Scrublands by Chris Hammer won the CWA New Blood Dagger in 2019.
Date Read: 3/25/25
Rating: 5 stars

Trip 3: 🏰4 Week Trip🏰 - Victorian England 1888
Book: A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn
Date Read: 3/30/25
Rating: 5 stars

Trip 4: 🌎6 Week Trip🌍- to London
Book: Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie - won Pulitizer Prize in 1985
Date Read: 4/11/2025
Rating: 3.5 stars

Trip 5: 🌎6 Week Trip🌍 9- to Stockholm, Sweden
Book: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson - won the Glass key award 2008 - nordic crime fiction award
Date Read: 4/23/25
Rating: 5 stars

Trip 6: 🚗Day Trip🚗 - to Saratoga Springs, NY
Book: Death in Saratoga Springs by Charles O'Brien
Date Read: 5/2/25
Rating: 3.5 stars

Trip 7: 👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 2 Week Trip👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 - Visit my friend Sue - read her favorite Studly Dog series
Book: Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima
Date Read: 5/10/25
Rating: 4 stars

Trip 8: 🌎6 Week Trip🌍 - to Colombo, Sri Lanka - the Booker Prize in 2022
Book: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Date Read: 5/20/25
Rating: 3.5 stars

Trip 9: 🚗Day Trip🚗 - to North Shore, Long Island, NY
Book: You Send Me by Jeannie Moon
Date Read: 6/1/25
Rating: 3 stars

Trip 10: 🚗Day Trip🚗 - to Hoboken, NJ - just across the Hudson River from Manhattan
Book: Truly, Madly, Sweetly by Kira Archer
Date Read: 6/2/25
Rating: 2.5 stars

Trip 11 🚢5 Day Getaway🚂 - to Barbados
Book: The Summer Country by Lauren Willig - HF
Date Read: 6/11/25
Rating: 4.5 stars

(hide spoiler)]

Dickensians!

Buddy Read - Gaskill's Sylvia's Lovers - April 5 - June 18, 2025 - skipped

2022 Bleak House Discussion Start

RCC Historical Timeline Buddy Read by Decade

Starts April 1, 2025 with 1900s. Books prepicked. I plan to read instead historical crime fiction with one or two exceptions. Will only plan the first couple.


*already read

April - 1900s - The Personal Librarian* + Murder at Morrington Hall 1905 - finished 4/28/25
May - 1910s - Lone Women + City of Lies - November 1917 - finished 5/11/25
June - 1920s - Mrs. Dalloway finished 6/16/25 + Dead Dead Girls finished 6/28/25
July - 1930s - A Long Petal of the Sea + Come, Tell Me How You Live - finished 6/29/25
August - 1940s -We Were the Lucky Ones + Clementine in the Kitchen: Modern Library Foods - finished 7/28/25, also My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart - finished 8/18/25 - events from 1944 and end of German occupation during WWII inform the time setting.
September - 1950s -The House of Eve - My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart - finished 8/18/25
October - 1960s - The Berry Pickers - Beautiful Ruins - starts in 1962 - 9/25
November - 1970s - The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store - library. Also Daisy Jones & The Six - Nook. SKIPPED
December - 1980s - Brotherless Night
January - 1990s - The Sea Elephants
February - 2000s - What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez
March - 2010s - Small Great Things - kindle
April - 2020s - The Sentence

SCRABBLE! - June 20 to Sept. 22 DONE

RCC Link

(view spoiler)[
Read one book for each letter.
Use the first letter of the first word of the book's title (do NOT count A, An or The), or the first or last initial of the author to complete each letter, or you can use the first or last initial of the main character.
For those hard letters, - Q, X, Y, Z - the letter just needs to be in the word.
EXTRA - Make a word from your letters and read one book based on that word using the same criteria as above.

Name: Theresa
Letters: R C J M G W Y

R: MC - Alma Rosales
Book: The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco
Date Read: 7/7/25
Rating: 4 stars

C: Author First Name
Book:The Boric Acid Murder by Camille Minichino
Date Read: 7/4/25
Rating: 3 stars

J: Title
Book: Just in Time for Christmas by Carolyn Brown
Date Read: 7/16/15
Rating: 3 stars

M: Author last name and main character name
Book: Come, Tell Me How You Live by Agatha Christie Mallowan
Date Read: 6/26/25
Rating: 5 stars

G: main character name Gideon
Book: Little Tiny Teeth by Aaron Elkins
Date Read: 6/21/25
Rating: 3.5 stars

W: Author first name
Book: Ozland by Wendy Spinale
Date Read: 7/5/25
Rating: 3.5 stars

Y: Author's Name
Book: A Navy SEAL for Christmas by Zoe York
Date Read: 7/15/25
Rating: 4 stars

Word: MY
Book: My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart
Date Read: 8/18/25
Rating: 4.5 Stars
(hide spoiler)]

Autumn Mystery Bingo - 9/22/25 - 12/20/25 - DONE

RCC Link
(view spoiler)[
All standard Bingo lines plus 4 corners



1st BINGO! - 4 corners

BINGO Placement: Agatha Christie scifi retelling of And Then There Were None
Book: The Launch Party by Lauren A. Forry
Date Read: 10/8/25
Rating: 4 stars

BINGO Placement: victim is poisoned
Book: Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens by Andrea Penrose
Date Read: 9/28/25
Rating: 5 stars

BINGO Placement: Author of Color
Book: The Golden Scales by Parker Bilal
Date Read: 10/1/25
Rating: 4 stars

BINGO Placement: Noir
Book: Dirty South by Ace Atkins
Date Read: 10/22/25
Rating: 3 stars


2nd BINGO! - Middle Verticle

Bingo Placement: Female Sleuth
Book: Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie R. Rendon
Date Read: 10/12/25
Rating: 4 stars

BINGO Placement: more than one victim
Book: Braking Points by Tammy Kaehler
Date Read: 10/25/25
Rating: 4 stars

BINGO Placement: FREE
Book: The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024 editted by S.A. Cosby
Date Read: 10/9/25
Rating: 5 stars

BINGO Placement: set on a wealthy estate
Book: Poison Oracle by Peter Dickinson
Date Read: 11/9/25
Rating: 4 stars

BINGO Placement: classic mystery
Book: Towards Zero by Agatha Christie
Date Read: 11/6/25
Rating: 4 stars

3rd Bingo! Verticle - 2nd from left

BINGO Placement: Cozy Mystery
Book: Turkeys and Thanksgiving by Leena Clover
Date Read: 11/29/25
Rating: 3 stars

BINGO Placement: Historical Mystery
Book: The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey
Date Read: 11/25/25
Rating: 5 stars

BINGO Placement: Thriller
Book: Securing Caite by Susan Stoker
Date Read: 11/10/25
Rating: 3 stars

BINGO Placement: Set in England
Book: Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie
Date Read: 11/28/25
Rating: 3 stars

BINGO Placement: Locked Room Mystery
Book: The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi
Date Read: 10/7/25
Rating: 4 stars



BINGO Placement:
Book:
Date Read:
Rating:

🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍


Bonus: Within the BINGO board are several clues to a book read in RCC this year. What's the book? One of the Agatha Christies - Crooked House - Author AC, cozy mystery, more than one murder, villain dies at end, wealthy estate, set in England, female criminal, poison, amateur detective.

Read Options:

🔎Second Sight by Amanda Quick - paranormal, historical, England, villain dies.
Death Overdue - cozy
The Lady in the Attic
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna
China Trade
The Sittaford Mystery
N or M?
Buried in a Book - cozy


🔎The Tattoo Murder Case - AOC, locked room, police procedural, post wwii, poisoned, classic, female criminal - 10/6
🔎Securing Caite - thriller
🔎Turkeys and Thanksgiving - cozy, female sleuth, amateur sleuth - 11/29/25
🔎Cat Among the Pigeons christie, cozy, female villain, older detective, classic, more than one victim, POst WWII, England, Adapted - 11/28/25
🔎The Mistress of Bhatia House - historical, wealthy estate, AOC, female sleuth, victim poisoned - 11/25
🔎Poison Oracle - victim is poisoned, more than one victim, amateur detective, set on a wealthy estate
🔎Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens - historical, England, victim poisoned, more than one victim, villains die - 9/28
🔎Towards Zero - AC, older detective, cozy, female sleuth, classic, in a mansion, England, post wwii- 11/4
🔎Braking Points - female sleuth, thriller, victim by poison - 10/25
🔎The Golden Scales - AOC, thriller, more than 1 victim 10/1
🔎The Launch Party - locked room, female sleuth, Agatha Christie - 10/8
🔎Where They Last Saw Her - female sleuth, AOC, more than one victim, thriller
🔎Dirty South by Ace Atkins - thriller, noir, amateur detective
🔎,The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024: S.A. Cosby Edits the Newest Entry in the Renowned and Popular Story Series, Dive into the Year's Best in ... and Suspense- free -

(hide spoiler)]

PBT Member Tracking Links

Theresa's Reading Adventures 2025

2024 Theresa Purges her TBR

2023 Tumbling TBR Towers

2022 Tumbles Through Her TBR

2021 Tilts at her TBR

2020 Theresa Attacks her TBR Towers

2019 Theresa's Challenges

Journey Through Proust 2019

Journey Through Proust, Part Deux - 2020

2020 Theresa Reads Master & Margarita

DRAGON MONTH - JUNE - DONE

(view spoiler)[
Cover, title/author, character, in the wild

Book/Challenges
No Strings Attached - monthly tag
Night of the Highland Dragon - dragon next trim, ATY 25 - a monster
The Summer Country - monthly, ATY 25 - alternate timeline, dragon in the wild, The Compass
Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons - monthly, Next Dragon Trim, Dragon Grand Tour
One Summer in Paris - monthly, Dragon in the Wild, Dragon Grand Tour
Vanishing Edge - Dragon Grand Tour, The Compass, Play Harder
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - In the Wild, Monthly tag, Play Harder

(hide spoiler)]

❄️SNOW QUEEN 2025❄️

Sheri!

Part from Amazon - shipped 11/28


November 7-14: sign ups.

November 16: - Pairings announced based on random generator results.

Dec 1-7: Please send out the gift to your partner this week!

Icelandic Crime Fiction

Triggered by reading Reykjavík: A Crime Story and its portrait of the city in 1986 and the island of Viday in its harbor.

Definitely need to read more set in the country and thus revealing much about the country.

https://panoramaglasslodge.com/your-c...

Seems all very noir which is fine but a few cozies would be nice. Will have to search. Must be some!

New series started 2025 and liked

Ovidia Yu - Crown Colony (Singapore 1936)
Harini Nagendra - The Bangalore Detectives Club - (Bangalore, India 1920s)
Jacqueline Frost - Christmas Tree Farm Mystery
Elizabeth Everett = Lady Scientist series - 2 different ones.
Arlene Sachitano - 2 series - 1 more in Harley Spring and a lengthy quilt shop one called Loose Threads
Nelson DeMille - mostly stand alones - read first Paul Brenner
Jill Shalvis - Pacific heat
Chris Hammer - Stella and Lyndy - 1905 New Forest
Elizabeth Moon epic military fantasy
Frances Brody
Charles O'Brien - historical NY gaslight and Paris - French Revolution and Reign of Terror
National Parks - Claire Kells
Alan Bradley - Flavia
Izzie Harper - Little Wootonville
Edwardian series by Marion Chesney/M.C. Beaton
William Ryan - Moscow CID Kozolov
Qiu Xiaolong - Shanghai 1990s
Parker Bilal - Makana series
Akimitsu Takagi

Traci Hall - Scottish Shire
Jeannie Moon - Compass Cove

Christie's Third Girl

One of last Poirots, and one of very last Christie's published during her lifetime - 1966.

Poirot is openly perceived and even to some degree old - 'too old' as said by the young woman who comes to him, interrupting his breakfast, seeking help because she might have murdered someone. But soonhe proves he isnot of course.

At beginning there is a reference to old memories forgotten but coming back - chapter 11 - “Oh yes, that often happens, I assure you. I know something of the psychology. So when she learns that you are coming home, that you and she will be reunited, many memories that she has pushed aside and not thought of for years return. this is a theme she makes cemtral in the penultimate Poirot published in 1972 Elephants Can Remember.

Structure here was fun - you spend much time inside Poirot's thinking process as he searches for the pattern sorts all the pieces, looking for thefinal 'picture', the full pattern.

I actually figured this one out to just about the last detail, even to Poirot putting his romantic side into play. Loved Ariadne Oliver and her efforts at 'tailing'.

It also has a feel for London in the late 60s - Mod culture - boys with long tresses, brocade jackets, velvet or leather pants or unkempt looking. Girls with long limp hair. And drugs.

A Lady's Formula for Love

Buddy read with JD

Sinumbra Lamps - in the foyer of Violet, Lady Greyville's home.

https://itoldya420.getarchive.net/amp...

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...

Black Buns Scottish - linked originally as Twelfth Night or Three Kings Cake, sine the Reformation when Christmas outlawed in Scotland, now used on hogmanay.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black...

Recipe - https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/reci...

Crime Fiction set in India

Delhi -https://crimereads.com/new-delhi-crim...

Murder at Jaipur

Death in Kashmir M.M. Kaye

The Thirteen Problems Agatha Christie



https://therealchrisparkle.com/2017/0...

https://www.agathachristie.com/news/2...

Embassytown

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/bo...

Interview with author - there are many online.

https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/...

Crime Fiction set in Tasmania

https://crimereads.com/tasmania-crime...

https://egretia.com/2024/04/03/tasman...

https://glli-us.org/2023/04/08/tasman...

https://blairdenholm.com/2020/12/30/t...

A Treacherous Curse

Veronica's hat worn with her black astrakhan coat.


P. 200 - ...buttoning on my black astrakhan coat. My spirits were even more buoyed by the addition of a new hat—a fetching beaver top hat embellished with a cluster of lush red velvet roses and a length of black veiling tucked atop the rolled brim.

Astrakhan fur - Tightly curled, black fur obtained from the fleece of young or stillborn lambs of Karakul sheep native to the Lake Kara Kul region of Uzbekistan. The highly valued karakul lamb pelt is removed shortly after birth.

During Victorian times, fur coats came into fashion among the wealthy and upper class. Interestingly, astrakhan fur coats came back into style again during the 1960s, before the anti-fur movements started.

Karakul sheep are native to central Asia - Uzbekistan for example.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HBIClnq...

For some reason I noted Veronica's clothing here more than in the first 2. She wears trousers - calling to mind of course George Sand

Bleak House Buddy Read - June - August 2025

https://www.mimimatthews.com/2015/04/...

https://drpress.org/ojs/index.php/EHS...

http://www.lpbr.net/2008/04/bleak-hou...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarndyc...

Crime Fiction Set in Uruguay

https://crimereads.com/the-crime-fict...

From Sharla:

I can offer some clues:
Cosecha Roja (Red Harvest named for an early Dashiell Hammett story) is the crime fiction line of the Uruguayan publishing house Estuario Editora.
https://estuarioeditora.com/coleccion...
There you will see many offerings, but I don't know if any are translated into English.
In that group, you will see Gabriel Sosa. You might try to find his "Los Hombres de Piedra Negra" (The Men from Black Rock), the last in a trilogy.
Here is a link to some commentary on it:
https://ladiaria.com.uy/libros/articu...
In my experience, crime fiction from the Rio Platense region is written mostly by journalists whose writing style tends to just the facts, ma'am. James Lee Burke is safe.

Crime Fiction set in Falklands, Southern tip of South America - Puenta Arenas, Tierra del Fuego, Southern Chile and Argentina, also Antarctica

Falklands
Little Black Lies

Author Sharon J. Bolton generally

Latin America - https://crimefictionlover.com/2015/04...

Antarctica
https://crimereads.com/research-stati...

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

Some articles related to Booker award and author interviews:

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booke...

https://thebookerprizes.com/media-cen...

https://thebookerprizes.com/media-cen... -reading guide

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booke...

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booke...

Cards on the Table - Mrs. Ariadne Oliver

Mrs. Oliver books - https://www.agathachristie.com/news/2...

https://cjcjcountdownjohnschristiejou...

Zoe Wanamaker in BBC adaptation in AC's Poirot series.

https://www.agathachristie.com/charac...

https://www.judypenzsheluk.com/2022/0...

https://ahsweetmystery.com/2024/10/21...

Hat paint -

https://clothesinbooks.blogspot.com/2...

https://images.app.goo.gl/evVBKqaAY3Y...

https://www.reddit.com/r/agathachrist...

Agatha Christie - General

https://ahsweetmystery.com/2016/07/05...

Reading Bleak House


Reading Schedule

Here is our reading schedule based on around 325 pages* per month:

JUNE
Sections I through VI, chapters 1 through 19. That is 315 pages.

JULY
Sections VII through XIII , chapters 20 through 42. That is 354 pages.

AUGUST
Sections XIV through XX, chapters 43 through 67. That is 321 pages pages.

The End. All intros etc. are voluntary whenever you want.

*pages based on numbering in Penguin Classic 2003 edition.

JUNE

Old Hall - per wikipedia

The Hall's most famous use as a court is in the start of Charles Dickens' Bleak House, which opens with "London. Michaelmas Term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln's Inn Hall".[33] It is now used for examinations, lectures, social functions[34] and can be hired for private events.[35] In 2010 the Hall was refurbished and its Crypt was improved and made more accessible by the installation of a staircase from the outside.

https://eventvenues.lincolnsinn.org.u...


Pervasive dirty fog as metaphor for Chancery.

Use of word 'suitor' for plaintiff.

R. JULY

R AUGUST

Crooked House by Agatha Christie

Aristide Leonides is from Smyrna, coming to England when he was 24. Book published in 1949, set contemporary so 1948 when written. Says he was Greek coming from Smyrna - and that would have been around 1885 based on age etc. Smyrna is modern day Izmir, Turkiye. It was rulled by the Ottomans(Turks) in 1880s - likely was also when Leonides born - in the 1840s. Now the population was about equal Turks vs. Greeks back then - Turks slightly ahead - as the history shows it was back and forth from Ancient Times, and even had Roman's ruling for some time (this is clear in Turkish history - and most of the beautiful sculpture throughout the Roman Empire came from a quarry and sculpture center in Turkey - Aphrodisia near Pammukele and the hot springs.

It makes sense that as a young Greek looking to be rich, he would have left Smyrna and Ottoman rule. But I question if he was as Greek as Christie suggests - surely there was intermingling, especially during times of conflict.

It's interesting to me that Christie still used 'Smyrna' as the name was changed to Izmir when it was rebuilt after the Greek last effort to seize control of the city and its important port failed and the city all but burned to the ground in 1922. It's very modern except for one small section called the Greek quarter which is pre-1922 architecture.

Early on, in Ch.4 or thereabouts, Taverner references the 1st (and only?) Mrs. Leonides as squire's daughter and an MFH = Master of Fox Hounds. ETA: there was a 1st Mrs. L who died.

A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry

This really is a journey on more than one level. There's the personal journeys of expiation (medieval concept for redemption rather than punishment or imprisonment) for 2 of the characters but also the physical journey to and across Scotland in the early winter days of December 1852. That Scotland journey was a path that I for the most part followewed in 1976 - in June, on paved roads and in cars, but still through a wild and beautiful country.

The journey in the book, in order starting and ending with London:

London
Edinburgh
Inverness
Muir of Ord
then on to Balluchulish on west coast via:
Inverness
Loch Ness
Fort Augustus
Fort William
Balluchulish.
From their they travel through Glencloe, across the Rannoch Moor to Glen Orchy.

From there they return to England via
Tyndrum
Crianlarich
Loch Lomond
Glasgow where they caught train to London.

My trip skipped Fort Augustus in favor of a side trip to the Isle of Skye but we came backto Fort William and from there through Glencoe (where we saw a bagpiper in the heath), south along Loch Lomond across Glasgow and we continued our hitchhiking down to Oxford where my travel companion was going to visit friends and I caught the train to London and my return by train and ferry to Paris to catch my flight home.

But I can still remember that trip upand across Scotland and down again, and the descriptions of the austere and beautiful harsh landscape in the book brought it all back vividly.