Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Reading Challenges 2014


Total books for the year

2011 - 156/150 completed
2012 - 104/100 completed
2013 - 134/100 completed
2014 - 206/100 completed

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Non-fiction 2014

Read at least 1 non-fiction book per month.

Jan - Altars: Bringing Sacred Shrines into Your Everyday Life by Denise Linn
Feb - Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
Mar - Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell; Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen
Apr - Dialogue by Gloria Kempton
May - Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress; Cold Steel by John J. Styers
Jun - Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
Jul - Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cat Did What? by Amy Newmark
Aug - Practical Prosperity Magick by Ellen Dugan
Sep - Madame Pele: True Encounters with Hawai'i's Fire Goddess by Rick Carroll
Oct - The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Nov - Walking on Eggshells: Discovering Strength and Courage Amid Chaos by Lyssa Chapman
Dec - Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K.M. Weiland; Outlining Your Novel Workbook by K.M. Weiland; Copyediting & Proofreading for Dummies by Suzanne Gilad

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Alphabet Titles & Character Names 2014

Alphabet Titles

Read one book with titles starting with each of the letters of the alphabet.

A - Altars: Bringing Sacred Shrines into Your Everyday Life by Denise Linn
B - Books, Cooks and Crooks by Lucy Arlington
C - Crimson Veil by Yasmine Galenorn
D - Disembodied Bones by C.L. Bevill
E - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter
F - Beltane Fires by Erzabet Bishop
G - The Good, the Bad and the Witchy by Heather Blake
H - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
I - Murder on Ice by Alina Adams
J - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
K - Living with Your Kids is Murder by Mike Befeler
L - Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
M - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
N - Night's End by Yasmine Galenorn
O - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
P - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
Q - Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling
R - The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
S - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
T - Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
U - The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
V - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
W - The Sheep Walker's Daughter by Sydney Avey
X - Xtabentum: A Novel of the Yucatan by Rosy & Carl Hugener
Y - You Slay Me by Katie MacAllister
Z - Zero Day by David Baldacci

Character Names

Read one book with a character whose first or last names begin with each letter of the alphabet.

A - Adelynn Parker - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
B - Barry Hickey - The Sink Trap by Christy Evans
C - Sam Cole - Zero Day by David Baldacci
D - Dorothy Martin - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
E - Ella Mae LeFaye - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
F - Freya Beauchamp - Diary of the White Witch by Melissa de la Cruz
G - Georg Roed - The Orange Girl by Jostein Gaarder
H - Hannah Swensen - Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
I - Ida Mae Simpson - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
J - Jade Calhoun - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
K - Kelly Whitecastle - Gem of a Ghost by Sue Ann Jaffarian
L - Miles Lord - The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
M - Menolly D'Artigo - Crimson Veil by Yasmine Galenorn
N - Nate Fisher - Living with Your Kids is Murder by Mike Befeler
O - Otto Brodie - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
P - Miss Peregrine - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Q - Timmy Quinn - The Hides by Kealan Patrick Burke
R - Precious Ramotswe - Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
S - Leonie Simoneaud - Disembodied Bones by C.L. Bevill
T - Tricia Miles - Chapter & Hearse by Lorna Barrett
U - Ulf - Mistress in the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
V - Valerie Moraga Carter - The Sheep Walker's Daughter by Sydney Avey
W - Win Morgan - The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
X - Xenia Trubin - Murder on Ice by Alina Adams
Y - Ysabeau de Clermont - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Z - Bernice Zwerg - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter

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Geography 2014

Around the USA

Read one book based in each of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

Alabama - Murder on a Bad Hair Day by Anne George
Alaska - Dead in the Water by Dana Stabenow
Arizona - Dance of the Winnebagos by Ann Charles
Arkansas - Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
California - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
Colorado - Living with Your Kids is Murder by Mike Befeler
Connecticut - A Clue for the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall
Delaware - Hawkes Harbor by S.E. Hinton
District of Columbia - Roses Are Red by James Patterson
Florida - Murder Buys a T-Shirt by Christy Fifield
Georgia - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
Hawai'i - The Knowing by L.J. Charles
Idaho - The Memory Keeper by Lisa Stowe
Illinois - Loose Ends by Terri Reid
Indiana - The Money Bird by Sheila Webster Boneham
Iowa - Antiques Roadkill by Barbara Allan
Kansas - Murder Gone A-Rye by Nancy J. Parra
Kentucky - Death of a Winter Shaker by Deborah Woodworth
Louisiana - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
Maine - The Girl in the Lighthouse by Roxane Tepfer Sanford
Maryland - On the Nickel by Maggie Toussaint
Massachusetts - The Good, the Bad and the Witchy by Heather Blake
Michigan - The Chocolate Cat Caper by JoAnna Carl
Minnesota - Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Mississippi - Out of Circulation by Miranda James
Missouri - In Plain Sight by Lorena McClendon
Montana - The Bluejay Shaman by Lise McClendon
Nebraska - Dying to Decorate by Cyndy Salzmann
Nevada - The Missing Ink by Karen E. Olsen
New Hampshire - Chapter & Hearse by Lorna Barrett
New Jersey - Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich
New Mexico - Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
New York - Diary of the White Witch by Melissa de la Cruz
North Carolina - Books, Cooks and Crooks by Lucy Arlington
North Dakota - Family Matters by Joel Rosenberg
Ohio - The Hides by Kealan Patrick Burke
Oklahoma - Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart
Oregon - The Sink Trap by Christy Evans
Pennsylvania - Gem of a Ghost by Sue Ann Jaffarian
Rhode Island - The Ghost in the Dead Man's Library by Alice Kimberly
South Carolina - Petals in The Wind by V.C. Andrews
South Dakota - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
Tennessee - Eggs in A Casket by Laura Childs
Texas - Disembodied Bones by C.L. Bevill
Utah - Skeleton Picnic by Michael Norman
Vermont - A Murderous Glaze by Melissa Glazer
Virginia - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Washington - Crimson Veil by Yasmine Galenorn
West Virginia - Zero Day by David Baldacci
Wisconsin - Bean There, Done That by Sandra Balzo
Wyoming - Death Without Company by Craig Johnson

Around the World

Read one book set in each of the 13 regions.

US/Canada - 
Central America/Mexico/Caribbean - Xtabentum: A Novel of the Yucatan by Rosy & Carl Hugener
South America - Peru - Deadly Deception by Susan Polonus Mucha
British Isles/Ireland - Scotland - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
Polar Regions/Scandinavia - Norway - The Orange Girl by Jostein Gaarder
Western Europe - Euskadi - The Sheep Walker's Daughter by Sydney Avey
Eastern Europe - Russia - The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
Middle East/North Africa - Israel - The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva
Sub-Saharan Africa - Botswana - Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
East Asia - China - The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
South Asia - Afghanistan - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Australia/Oceania - Australia - The Purrfect Plan by Angela Castle
Islands/Bodies of Water - Orkney Islands, Scotland - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter

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Seasons 2013-2014

Read one book with words in the title or the first letters of the authors' names that begin with the letters of each season.

Dec 22 - Mar 19
W - A Witch Before Dying by Heather Blake
I - Identity by Ted Dekker
N - Ghost Night by Heather Graham
T - Trouble in Mudbug by Jana DeLeon
E - Eyes Wide Open by Ted Dekker
R - Retirement Homes are Murder by Mike Befeler

Mar 20 - Jun 20
S - The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
P - Skeleton Picnic by Michael Norman
R - Murder Gone A-Rye by Nancy J. Parra
I - Murder on Ice by Alina Adams
N - Xtabentum: A Novel of the Yucatan by Rosy & Carl Hugener
G - The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Jun 21 - Sep 22
S - Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
U - The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
M - A Murderous Glaze by Melissa Glazer
M - Shifter Made by Jennifer Ashley
E - Steeped in Evil by Laura Childs
R - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Sep 23 - Dec 20
A - Watership Down by Richard Adams
U - Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie
T - The Gold of Thrace by Aileen G. Baron
U - Unfinished Portrait by Mary Westmacott
M - Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart
N - On the Nickel by Maggie Toussaint

F - Family Matters by Joel Rosenberg
A - Antiques Roadkill by Barbara Allan
L - Loose Ends by Terri Reid
L - Still Life by Louise Penny

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Cozy Mystery Themes 2014


Read one book in each theme.

1. British - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter
2. Historical/Period (prior 1940) - The Vanishing Thief by Kate Parker
3. Animals - The Money Bird by Sheila Webster Boneham
4. Culinary - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
5. Paranormal - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
6. Vacation/Exotic Locations - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter
7. Holidays - Valentine Murder by Leslie Meier
8. Hobbies - Booked to Die by John Dunning
9. Professions - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
10. Senior Sleuths - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
11. Humorous - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
12. Romance - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

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Non-Cozy Mystery Themes 2014

Read one book in each theme.

1. Goodreads' Crime Shelf - Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbott
2. Masters of Murder - Roses Are Red by James Patterson
3. Watching the Detectives - Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
4. Outside the Law - Mistress in the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
5. From Page to Screen - The Green Mile by Stephen King
6. Serial Killers/New Series - Zero Day by David Baldacci
7. International Intrigue - Deadly Deception by Susan Polonus Mucha
8. Famous Detectives - The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

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Read and Donate 2014

Read and donate at least one book per month.  

Jan - 22
Feb - 1
Mar - 15
Apr - 5
May - 3
Jun - 2
Jul - 2
Aug - 3
Sep - 7
Oct - 0
Nov - 0
Dec - 5

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