You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

I'm in for this one. What is really funny is that I was contemplating NOT doing a challenge this year and working my way through my TBR stacks alphabetically - lol lol lol! Then I saw this challenge, and decided it was exactly what I need! Thanks for coming up with this.

It's telepathy. :)

1. Badge 1, Book 1
2. List 1, Task V- Villainy
3. Link - Murder in the Book Lover's Loft
4. Paperback, 305p.
5. Read a book with a villain.
6. In addition to a murderer, this book has another character who is an author who takes people's painful and grief-stricken tragedies and puts them into his books so as to make the innocent people look bad and himself to make money from their tragedies - definitely villainous behavior!

1. Badge 1, Book 2
2. List 1, Task G - Ghosts
3. Link - The Ghost Goes to the Dogs
4. Paperback, 302p.
5. Read about about ghosts.
6. A main character in this book is a ghost who helps the other main character solve mysteries.

Great to see you've got a good start.

1. Badge 1, Book 3
2. List 1, Task H - History
3. A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder
4. Paperback, 313p.
5. Read a book related to History.
6. This book is a historical mystery but has elements that occurred, one of which was this one, as quoted by the author: "Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich and Sophie, Countess de Tory did visit London in November 1899. That visit was the inspiration for this story."

1. Badge 1, Book 4
2. List 1, Task B - Books
3. The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
4. Hardback, 403p.
5. Read a book about books.
6. This book is an excellent history of bookshops and booksellers in the United States, and therefore deals with many, many books.

1. Badge 1, Book 5
2. List 1, Task N - Nature
3. Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird
4. Paperback, 232p.
5. Read a book about Nature.
6. This important book is about the vulture, a much misunderstood and undervalued bird, but one that is necessary to the health and well-being of our ecosystems.

1. Badge 1, Book 6
2. List 1, Task R - Religion
3. Dinner with Buddha
4. Paperback, 344p.
5. Read a book about Religion.
6. This book is the story of a spiritual leader, seemingly a Buddhist, who leads another man on a journey of searching for the meaning in his life. He includes not only aspects of Buddhism, but also Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Native American religions, and more.

1. Badge 1, Book 7
2. List 1, Task L - Love
3. How to Find Love in a Bookshop
4. Hardback, 340
5. Read a book about Love.
6. This book is about love of several different kinds.

1. Badge 1, Book 8
2. List 1, Task F - Fantasy
3. The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf
4. Paperback, 336p.
5. Read a book of fantasy.
6. This is definite fantasy involving werewolves and humans falling in love.

1. Badge 1, Book 9
2. List 1, Task D- Dogs
3. Murder at the Lemonberry Tea
4. Paperback, 368p.
5. Read a book with dogs.
6. This book has several dogs, but one of them, Wellington, seems to be a somewhat main character, as he has a large part in the plot which involves protecting his owner and helping to find a murderer, among other things.

1. Badge 1, Book 10
2. List 1, Task M - Mythology
3. The Sea of Monsters
4. Hardback, 279p.
5. Read a book about mythology.
6. This book has many mythological characters in it, and the main character is the son of Poseidon.

1. Badge 1 Book 11
2. List 1, Task - True Crime
3.The Art of the Con: The Most Notorious Fakes, Frauds, and Forgeries in the Art World
4. Hardback, 264 p.
5. Read a book about true crime.
6. This book tells the stories of many art fakes, frauds, forgeries, and the people who committed them.

1. Badge 1, Book 12
2. List 1, Task C- Children
3.The Sherlock Society
4. Hardback, 339p.
5. Read a book involving children.
6. In this book, four middle-school children decide to form a detective 'agency' to try to earn money during the summer, because they don't want to mow lawns or babysit like normal kids. The mother of two of them vetoes the idea but they still get into an adventurous situation involving some criminals.

1. Badge 1, Book 13
2. List 1, Task W - Women
3. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
4. Paperback, 358p.
5. Read a book about women.
6. This book is about 4 women who formed a forever-friendship, the Ya-Yas, as young girls, which has lasted through their adulthood. The story is told through the eyes of one of their daughters, who has had many problems with her mother, both while growing up and as an adult and who has been rescued many times by the other Ya-Yas.

1. Badge 1, Book 14
2. List 1, Task P - Pirates
3. Daughter of the Pirate King
4. Kindle book, 313 p.
5. Read a book about pirates.
6. This book is all about pirates: the main character is the daughter of a pirate king, and she is kidnapped by a rival band of vicious pirates and has to secretly search for a treasure map on their boat and then try to escape to take the map back to her father. She also has her own boat and her own band of pirates, so every character in this book is a pirate.

One to go! We're tied. I also have one to go.

Here is my #15. Woo-hoo!

1. Badge 1, Book 15
2. List 1, Task S - Survival
3. A Rocky Mountain Christmas
4. Paperback, 363p.
5. Read a book about survival.
6. In this Old West story, a group of robbers try to hold up a train, but cause a very bad avalanche that covers the train in hundreds of feet of snow, then take over the dining car and kill any passenger or crew who tries to get food. Under the mountain of snow, the passengers have to try to keep from freezing and starving, and they have to try to stay alive (and not provoke the bad guys to shoot them!) until help can come - which could be weeks. Definitely a survival story (also a page-turner!)

Congrats on finishing Badge 1. What list are you going to work on next?

I'm going to do List 2, Titles. I have enough stockpiled books, I could probably do that one several times! Lol

I could too. If I finish that badge, the next will be female authors. I was going to combine and just do one author, but when gophering, I realized it wasn't going to be problematic to do them separately - female & male.

Janice wrote: "I could too. If I finish that badge, the next will be female authors. I was going to combine and just do one author, but when gophering, I realized it wasn't going to be problematic to do them sepa..."

Same here. I am doing Authors next after Titles, too, and haven't decided whether to do male or female first. I like both, but I think I tend to read more females than males, so I am almost thinking of doing males first and 'saving the best for last' (not really last, but you know what I mean.) I have too many books to combine into one list, and one of my purposes in doing this challenge is to get through some of my endless stacks. I just recently re-organized my books and I am afraid to tell you how big my TBR list really is, but they are in order on my shelves and in my tubs. ! I have them all on a spreadsheet, so I know the number, but wow! My husband keeps teasing me that I have decades of books --- not really.

1. Badge 2, Book 1
2. List 2, Letter A
3. Affair of the Blood Stained Egg Cosy by James Anderson
4. Paperback, 256p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with A.
6. This book starts with the word Affair.

Quick question, Janice. Are to we to read the books in actual alphabetical order , book A, book B, book C, etc. or can we mix up the letters until we get them all? I think it is the latter because I've been checking other people's lists and they seem to be mixing them up, but I just want to be sure.

You can mix them up.

I keep saying I have more books (and fabric) to last my lifetime. I'll have things to do in my retirement.

1. Badge 2, Book 2
2. List 2 - Titles - Letter R
3.Romancing the Duke
4. Paperback, 370p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with R.
6. This title starts with the word Romancing.

Lol, Janice, I get the fabric thing, and I am guilty of that, too, Fabric, and a whole ton of yarn just waiting to be crocheted into something- when I can stop reading. Oh, and I am retired, and the stacks just don't seem to be going down anyway, so don't get your hopes up - lol.

Janice wrote: "You can mix them up.

I keep saying I have more books (and fabric) to last my lifetime. I'll have things to do in my retirement."

I need to go to Walmart and buy a storage container for yarn. The one I have is now too small.

I started a challenge that for every book I read in 2025, I would crochet a granny square in the colours of the book's cover. I'm already behind. I have 8 to do. My excuse? I was waiting for an order of yarn to come in. Maybe I'll tackle a couple of squares while I listen to my audiobook today.

That is a great idea. I probably have 7 or 8 tubs of yarn, but I have had to take a break from crocheting because after I made 17 afghans last year, I had nerve problems in my right arm. My doctor told me put my crochet hooks away for a while, with a laugh because she didn't believe I could do it. Of course, I am dying to get back to it because I have such a great yarn stash!

Janice wrote: "I need to go to Walmart and buy a storage container for yarn. The one I have is now too small.

I started a challenge that for every book I read in 2025, I would crochet a granny square in the col..."

Oh, I almost forgot what I am supposed to be doing here - lol.

1. Badge 2, Book 3
2. List 2, Letter T
3. Tears of Pearl
4. Hardback, 306p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with T.
6. The first word in this title is Tears.

My arthritis flared up in the joint at the base of my thumb, so it makes it rather painful to crochet. The weird thing is that my thumb will feel better after doing a block. I remember my mom telling me to massage and work that thumb. (it started when I was a teenager).

I totally get that. The nerve in my arm does not bother me at all while I am crocheting - it is just afterwards that it has a tremor. It is so weird!

Janice wrote: "My arthritis flared up in the joint at the base of my thumb, so it makes it rather painful to crochet. The weird thing is that my thumb will feel better after doing a block. I remember my mom telli..."

1. Badge 2, Book 4
2. List 2 - Titles - Letter V
3. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
4. Paperback, 338p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with V.
6. This book title starts with Vera.

1. Badge 2, Book 5
2. List 2, Titles - Letter C
3. Coming in Hot
4. Kindle - 345p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with C.
6. This title starts with the word Coming.

1. Badge 2, Book 6
2. List 2 - Titles - Letter M
3. Murder In The Oval Office - An Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery
4. Hardback, 180p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with the letter M.
6. This title starts with the word 'Murder'.

1. Badge 2, Book 7
2. List 2 - Titles - Letter B
3. Bread Over Troubled Water
4. Paperback - 304p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with B
6. This title starts with the word 'Bread.'

1. Badge 2, Book 8
2. List 2 - Titles - Letter S
3. A Stranger in Mayfair
4. Hardback, 308p.
5.Read a book whose title starts with S.
6. This title starts with the word 'Stranger'.

1. Badge 2, Book 9
2. List 2 - Titles - Letter W
3. Well Met
4. Paperback, 319p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with W.
6. This book title starts with the word Well.

1. Badge2, Book 10
2. List 2 - Titles - Letter N
3. A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder
4. Paperback, 314p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with N.
6. This book starts with the word Newlywed.

1. Badge 2, Book 11
2. List 2 - Titles - Letter G
3. Goodnight Nobody
4. Hardback, 384p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with G.
6. This book starts with the word 'Goodbye'.

1. Badge 2, Book 12
2. List 2, Titles - Letter L
3. The Life Impossible
4. Hardback, 324p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with L.
6. This book title starts with the word 'Life'.

1. Badge 2, Book 13
2. List 2, Titles - Letter K
3. Killing Time
4. Hardback 239p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with K.
6. This book title starts with the word 'Killing'.

1. Badge 2, Book 14
2. List 2 - Titles - Letter Q
3. A Quiche Before Dying
4. Paperback, 292 p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with Q.
6. This book title starts with the word 'Quiche'.

You're leaving me in the dust. I just finished book 9.

Lol, Janice. I just happen to have some reading time between visits from relatives, so I am trying to take advantage of it! Relatives are coming to visit again the beginning of April, and I won't have reading time while they are here. I love them dearly, but do miss my reading time!

Janice wrote: "You're leaving me in the dust. I just finished book 9."

1. Badge 2, Book 15
2. List 2 - Titles - Letter D
3. Death of a Smuggler
4. Hardback, 240p.
5. Read a book whose title begins with D.
6. This title begins with the word 'Death'.

1. Badge 2, Book 16
2. List 2- Titles - Letter O
3. Old Scores
4. Hardback, 215p.
5. Read a book whose title starts with O.
6. This book title starts with the word 'Old'.

So maybe I have a slight chance I'll catch up?

Definitely! When my company starts arriving on April 3, the reading will certainly slow down. When I get to play with my 7-month-old great-nephew, the books don't stand a chance - lol!' I am hoping to get through this badge first, though. Don't know if I will make it, though.

Janice wrote: "So maybe I have a slight chance I'll catch up?"