Bookcrossers discussion
Challenges
>
(Closed) The Monthly Challenge (Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2023)
The theme for January is "NEW."It can be the new book that you got for Christmas, a self-help book to create a new you, a book with new in the title - use your imagination. This year I will ask that everybody explains their book choice and why it fits the theme.
January - "NEW"I will be reading Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood.
I received a NEW copy of this book through ŷ Giveaways.
Finished on Jan. 20, 2023.
Highly recommended!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------
February - "Number"
I am currently reading 13 Gifts by Wendy Mass.
The number 13 is in the title.
Finished on Feb. 23, 2023.
-----------------------------------------------------------
March - "Travel"
Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe
You might only be travelling in a circle but you're still travelling!
LOL
Finished on April 2, 2023.
---------------------------------------------------------------
April - "Celebrate"
I will celebrate "World Veterinary Day" by reading
World Wild Vet by Evan Antin
Finished on April 30, 2023.
----------------------------------------------------------------
May - May I?
---------------------------------------------------------------
June - Sight
I Can See You by Karen Rose
Finished on October 4, 2023
---------------------------------------------------------------
July - "1001"
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Finished on July 7, 2023
--------------------------------------------------------------
August - Gonna Make You Sweat (Hot cover)
Jack & Jill by James Patterson - Cover shows the White House on fire.
Finished August 11, 2023
-------------------------------------------------------------------
September - 9th book
The Best American Travel Writing 2000 by Bill Bryson
Finished on September 24, 2023
--------------------------------------------------------------------
October - 6th book
One True Theory of Love by Laura Fitzgerald
Finished October 30, 2023
----------------------------------------------------------------
November - 19th book
Millionaire Wives Club by Tu-Shonda Whitaker
Finished November 16, 2023
----------------------------------------------------------------
December - 63rd book
That Old Ace in the Hole by Annie Proulx
Finished November 22, 2023
I'm in!January = New = Pebbles and the Biggest Number. Almost a five star book. I read a lot of kids' books, and this 2023 release is one of the better ones I've read in a while. Very STEM, fun, and cute. I even learned a few things!
February = Number = The Death of the Hat: A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects. Turned out to be lame. Theme disjointed, audience fit confused. I gave it three stars, only because it introduced me to some poems I really liked.
March = Travel = The Hobbit. Terrific! I still have no interest in LotR, but this smaller book is the gem that I remembered it to be, from when I loved it as a Jr. High student.
April = Celebrate = Coco: The Junior Novelization is almost as good as the movie. It's about so much more than the holiday, and the holiday is about so much more than celebration... a surprisingly rich story I recommend you share with the youngsters in your life.
Themed Monthly ChallengeJanuary = New
Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn Completed 1/8/2023
I received the novel through a First Reads ŷ giveaway and will be reading it. Finished 1/10/23 (Highly recommended!)
February = Number
Size 14 is not Fat Either by Meg Cabot
I received this book from a BCer a few years ago, and it's about time I read it. Finished 5/5/2023
March = Travel
The River by Gary Paulsen Finished 4/8/2023 (Brian has to travel down a winding river to save Derek, the man he was teaching survival skills to).
April= Celebrate
Easter at Dry Creek
May=Book with a Question for a Title
Who Killed My Daughter?
June=to see (vision word in title) still looking for one
July=1001 novel to be decided
August=Gonna Make You Sweat (Hot cover) to be decided
I failed miserably and never got past completing March's challenge. Congrats to everyone else.
I will join the fun. 😃January - New: Beartown by Fredrik Backman - The first book in a NEW series that I received as a Christmas gift. *Finished 2/5/23*
February - Number: Population 485 - Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry. I bought this book because the story takes place in my home state of Wisconsin. Finished *2/13/23*
March - The Journal of Augustus Pelletier : The Lewis and Clark Expedition by Katheryn Lasky. I read this book about the journey to the to the Pacific Ocean as I set out on my own travels to the Pacific Ocean (Hawaii). Finished *3/5/23*
April - The Magic of Life by Michael Gershe, M.Ed AS a baby, Michael survived a fatal car crash that took the life of his mother. Experiencing grief, anger and depression of growing up without a mother, he decided to live life... to CELEBRATE his amazing life via helping others by creating an anti-drunk driving program using comedy and magic. Finished 4/7/23*
May - What's Not to Love? by Jonathan Ames Finished 5/28/23*
June - Vision of the Hunter by John Tempest Finished 6/12/23*
July - The Awakening and Selected Stories by Kate Chopin Finished 7/30/23*
August - The Long Run by Leo Furey A group of Newfoundland orphans decide to train for a marathon. Finished 8/24/2023*
September - Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris. (9th book on my shelf) Finished. 9/23/2023*
October - The Best Ghost Stories Ever by Christopher Krovatin Finished 10/17/2023*
November - Eternal Lover by J.R. Ward Finished: 11/22/2023*
December - Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips Finished: 12/23/2023*
Yes, joiningMy NEW book is Ghosts From The Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence. Nursery is a place for NEWborns and small babies.
I'm still reading this book (1/24). Slow reading month for me. I hope to finish by end of the month. Finished that.
My NUMBER book is The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley. I have finished that also.
My TRAVEL book is The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida. I have finished it.
My CELEBRATION book is Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson. I have finished it.
Haven't found a "May I?" book yet
To See or Not to See: I read Island of the Colorblind by Oliver Sacks
I'll join this one.January - New: Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam. It's a NEW copy, and I actually started to read it on the New Year's Eve.
February - Number: Station ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel.
March - Travel: I traveled in a sky ship to the Ice Continent in Brightstorm.
April - Celebrate: I read The Personal Librarian for the National Library Day.
May - May I? I read Tu redzēji?. A Norwegian YA book translated into Latvian.
June - See: Stroika with a London VIEW by William B. Foreignerski
July - 1001 list: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
August - Gonna Make You Sweat: The Stolen Coast by Dwyer Murphy
I'll join!January - New: A new book I got for Christmas: Revenge of the librarians /book/show/5...
February - Number: Tre menn til Vilma (Three men for Vilma) /book/show/5...
March - Travel: Reisen til jordens indre (Journey to the centre of the earth) /book/show/4... I have not read this Jules Verne classic before, so this seemed like a good opportunity :)
April - Celebrate: Menneskefluene by Hans Olav Lahlum /book/show/1... Takes place at Easter - also celebrating the peculiar Norwegian tradition of reading crime novels at Easter :)
May - May I?: Hvem er du? /book/show/4... A book about different personality types, based on a popular Norwegian TV documentary series.
June - To See Or Not To See: All The Light We Cannot See /book/show/1...
July - 1001: To Kill A Mockingbird /book/show/2... A good opportunity to finally read this modern classic!
August - Gonna Make You Sweat: Flammer, snø og stjerner (Flames, snow and stars) /book/show/6...
September - 60th Birthday Celebration - 9th book: Havet & Kjærligheten by Lars Elling /book/show/1...
October - 6th book
November - 19th book
December - 63rd book
Welcome to all who have joined me.February Challenge is Number.
Read a book with a number in the title.
(Posting this early so that everyone has time to look for a book that fits the challenge.)
March Challenge is Travel.Since we are Springing Forward in March, I thought Travel would be ideal. Think time travel, a thriller that moves from state to state or country to country, one of Bill Bryson's travel books, etc..
(Posting this early so that everyone has time to look for a book that fits the challenge.)
Deb wrote: "I will join the fun. 😃January - New: Beartown by Fredrik Backman - The first book in a NEW series that I received as a Christmas gift. *Finished 2/5/23*
February - Number: Population 485 - Meeti..."
How did I miss your mention of Michael Perry?! He is absolutely one of my very favorites and deserves to be more widely known!
Oh Cheryl! I just saw your comment. Pop. 485 is the first book of Perry's that I have read. It won't be the last! I drive by his hometown, every time we go to our cabin in Birchwood, WI. 😁
April Challenge is Celebrate.Read a book that corresponds with a Holiday on the list in the link below.
For March I'm reading The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, so yay for coincidences.April, Celebrate... hmm...
May Challenge is May I?The title must be in the form of a question.
Edwina wrote: "May Challenge is May I?The title must be in the form of a question."
Does it?
Back to the bookshelves...
Pretty sure I'm going to have to pass on this. I love the idea, but I've no titles on my 'to read asap' piles that qualify.
June Challenge is To see or not to see.Read a book with a sight word in the title.
See, seen, saw, vision, peer, gaze, watch, look, etc.
Ooh, neat. I bet I have something for that, given that the words would support themes I'm interested in.
Cheryl wrote: "Pretty sure I'm going to have to pass on this. I love the idea, but I've no titles on my 'to read asap' piles that qualify."Well, I went to some Little Free Libraries and brought home too many books. One is How do you make an elephant float? and other delicious riddles. Quick to read, because dated and for kids and not very good riddles, but it counts!
For June I read Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, for MG kids and the people who parent/ educate/ serve them. Ten very short slightly interconnected stories about a couple of dozen middle school kids. By the multi-award winning Jason Reynolds
Late to the party, but I will join in.I don't think I will do very well. I have only finished five books this year, one which I started in February last year, another one is only six pages long, but GoodReads still counts it as a book.
I can shoehorn a couple of my completed books into a couple of the themes so far. Let me know if that would be of interest.
CavyNomes wrote: "Late to the party, but I will join in.I don't think I will do very well. I have only finished five books this year, one which I started in February last year, another one is only six pages long, b..."
So glad to have you join us.
What matters is that you have fun with the challenges.
Happy Reading!
I'm definitely curious what you've been able to make time for, and how you can make some of them fit the challenges!
Cheryl wrote: "I'm definitely curious what you've been able to make time for, and how you can make some of them fit the challenges!"Alrighty then, here goes!
January - New
(Can't make anything fit this theme)
February - Number
"Without Trace: The Last Voyages of Eight Ships" by John Harris.
It's a non-fiction about various missing ships, some where the mysteries were solved, and some where we will never really know for sure what happened. This is the one I started in February last year, and only recently finished. I liked this book.
March - Travel
"Adrift" by Tami Oldham Ashcraft.
Another non-fiction, this one about a couple who were sailing from Tahiti to San Diego when their boat was hit by a storm. The boat was badly damaged, and the man was lost overboard. The woman was able to get the boat 1,500-miles (2,400 kms) to safety, without an engine or proper sails. I did not like this book.
April - Celebrate
I picked 2nd April - International Children’s Book Day.
"True Crimes and How They Were Solved" by Anita Larsen.
It's a juvenile title about crime and forensics, and I actually finished this one in April! This book was okay.
May - May I?
(Can't make anything fit this theme)
June - To See Or Not To See
(Can't make anything fit this theme)
I'm looking forward to the July theme. Hopefully I can finish a book in the timeframe.
CavyNomes, those are some interesting titles! Too bad you didn't like Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea; it sounds like something I'd like to recommend to my mother (a big fan of Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage).Hmm. Most of the 1001 that I'm interested in I have read, or at least dnf'd. I could easily cheat and reread A Christmas Carol or Animal Farm again. Or I could reread a children's book I don't remember because it was half a century ago, Pippi Longstocking.
But then, Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. and The Count of Monte Cristo are on my list, so now would be a good time to try them.
Oh, but I see that Cannery Row is on the list, and I think I'm supposed to be reading that for another group....
Options! Exciting!
Cheryl wrote: "Oops, wrong Adrift. The one you meant is Adrift: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea."Yep.
The other one by Steve Callahan is on my TBR list.
It's quite the list, lots to choose from.
I've got TBRs, "currently" reading, and abandoned titles on there.
Giving serious thought to doing one of the Jane Austen titles, though I do find Austen's books very dense.
Ok, I woke up in the middle of the night last night and read Pippi Longstocking. It brought back memories; I must've read it more than once back then. I do remember that I played Annika in a classroom play... not a hard role; I wish that I could remember who played Pippi. I absolutely agree it belongs on the 1001 list.Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. is shorter than thought; I should be able to read that also.
I have started my book for this months challenge.I have chosen Persuasion.
Also, I noticed you guys seem to be editing one comment as you go rather than multiple comments. Can someone please advise the correct etiquette for this thread? I wish to conform, haha.
CavyNomes wrote: "I have started my book for this months challenge.I have chosen Persuasion.
Also, I noticed you guys seem to be editing one comment as you go rather than multiple comments. Can someone..."
I have no idea what the etiquette is :D
but I edit my first post as I read because it's easier for me to keep track that way.
CavyNomes wrote: "I have started my book for this months challenge.I have chosen Persuasion.
Also, I noticed you guys seem to be editing one comment as you go rather than multiple comments. Can someone..."
I find it easier to keep track of what I've read by keeping all of my books together by editing my post, but you can list your books in whatever way you'd like to.
yes, it's easier to edit one's own postBut please continue to make new comments, for those of us who use email for notifications. Otherwise I, for one, completely forget about the thread.
August Challenge is Gonna Make You SweatRead a book with a Hot cover.
Think sun, beach, bodice ripper, island, etc..
I think my best theme match is probably Blaze: The Forensics of Fire Though the cover art on my edition has a lot more flame and a lot less charcoal than the sample below.
In the words of a well-known professor: "Fire indeed hot."
Btw, if someone wants to participate but doesn't have time for a full book, try the Caldecott winner Hot Dog.
I'm catching up with this challenge - reading To Kill the Mockingbird for July and actually two books with hot covers for August - The Stolen Coast and The Guncle.
My pick didn't work for me. I'll have to check what else I've got. Although, I did get it off my to-read shelf and I'm ready to send it out to the world, so that's part of a win!
Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories, teens in love, counts on several levels, and is adorable to boot!
August - Gonna Make You Sweat: I found this month's challenge a bit, well, challenging. But then I saw this Swedish Christmas themed romcom - not a bodice ripper exactly, but with flames (from a bakery oven) in the title. Mostly it's about sourdough actually. Although there is a pretty steamy lussekatt-baking scene :DFlammer, snø og stjerner (Flames, snow and stars) by Heléne Holmström /book/show/6...
Fun! Christmas in August!I can't wait to find out what the September theme is. I'm clearing my piles to focus on books I own this month.
September Challenge - 60 (Happy Birthday To Me.)Go to the bookcase nearest to your left hand.
Count left to right, pull the 9th book.
Same bookcase, starting from where you pulled the 9th book, count forward pull the 6th book.
Same bookcase, counting forward, pull the 19th book.
Same bookcase, starting on the top shelf, pull the 63rd book.
My Birthday present to all of you is the last 4 books to read before the end of the year. You may read one per month or read them all in September. However you want to do it is fine.
Happy Reading and thanks to all who played along.
(BTW: 9-6-1963 is my DOB, hence the numbers.)
Hey, I'm 60, too. We're officially senior citizens now and qualify for the discounts! Happy Birthday next week!So, what's going to happen for me for the challenge is I'm going to read the ones on small bedroom shelf, about a dozen, mostly middle-grade novels, so, easy. Then I'm going to (re)read the complete Animorphs series. Again, easy; they're short. Those were my plans anyway, and they fit the requirement, so, yay! Thanks!
CavyNomes' book listJanuary - New
.
February - Number
Without Trace: The Last Voyages of Eight Ships
March - Travel
Adrift: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea
April - Celebrate
True Crimes and How They Were Solved
May - May I?
.
June - To See Or Not To See
.
July - 1001
Persuasion
August - Gonna Make You Sweat
Blaze: The Forensics of Fire
September - 60th Birthday Celebration - 9th book
Until the Sea Shall Free Them: Life, Death, And Survival In The Merchant Marine
October - 6th
Deep Field: Dispatches from the Frontlines of Aid Relief, from Pakistan to Kazan, the Punjab to the Pacific
November - 19th book
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families
December - 63rd book
Stalking Claremont: Inside the Hunt for a Serial Killer
Bookcrossers
Books mentioned in this topic
Blaze: The Forensics of Fire (other topics)Without Trace: The Last Voyages of Eight Ships (other topics)
Persuasion (other topics)
True Crimes and How They Were Solved (other topics)
Stalking Claremont: Inside the Hunt for a Serial Killer (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jason Reynolds (other topics)Michael Perry (other topics)
Post below if you would like to join in the fun.
January - New
February - Number
March - Travel
April - Celebrate
May - May I?
June - To See Or Not To See
July - 1001
August - Gonna Make You Sweat
September - 60th Birthday Celebration - 9th book
October - 6th book
November - 19th book
December - 63rd book