2020 Vintage Mystery Extravaganza Sign-Up

January 30, 2020Leave a comment

Well, the entire month of January has gotten away from me, so I’m just now signing up for the annual Vintage Mystery Challenge hosted by Bev @ My Reader’s Block! As usual, the goal is to read Golden Age (or Silver Age, or both) mysteries within the bounds of a specific theme. And this year’s theme is delightful — it’s based on the so-called Rules of Murder concocted by Ronald Knox and S.S. Van Dine! Participants are asked to read at least five books that involve the Rules in some way. Check out the challenge post to learn more and to sign up for the challenge!

2019 Vintage Mystery Challenge Wrap-Up

January 4, 2020January 4, 2020Leave a comment

2018 Vintage Mysteries

A new year means an all-new vintage mystery challenge! But before I can move on to 2020, I need to post my wrap-up for the 2019 “Just the Facts” vintage mystery challenge! Participants were asked to read at least six books, one from each category on the detective notebook.

Just the Facts Golden 2019

As you can see, I managed to read 12 books, two from each category! Here’s what I read for the challenge, with links to my reviews of each book:

1. Stuart Palmer, The Penguin Pool Murder (what: animal in the title)
2. Alan Melville, Death of Anton (where: theater/circus/place of performance)
3. Ngaio Marsh, Enter a Murderer (who: professional is main sleuth)
4. Raymond Postgate, Verdict of Twelve (how: death by poison)
5. Georgette Heyer, Duplicate Death (why: author not from my country)
6. John Bude, The Cornish Coast Murder (when: during a weather event)
7. Edward Grierson, The Second Man (who: lawyer/barrister/judge)
8. Leo Bruce, Dead Man’s Shoes (why: author’s last name starts with same initial as mine)
9. Francis Duncan, Murder Has a Motive (where: set in a small village)
10. Alice Tilton, The Cut Direct (what: comic/humorous novel)
11. Edmund Crispin, The Moving Toyshop (how: two deaths by different means)
12. J. Jefferson Farjeon, Mystery in White (when: during a recognized holiday)

Of these, I really enjoyed The Penguin Pool Murder, Enter a Murderer, The Second Man, and The Cut Direct. Least favorites were Dead Man’s Shoes, The Moving Toyshop, and Mystery in White. Looking forward to reading more vintage mysteries in the coming year!

2019 Vintage Mystery Challenge Sign-Up

January 4, 2019January 3, 2019Leave a comment

2018 Vintage Mysteries

The more things change, the more they stay the same: time for another Vintage Mystery Challenge at My Readers Block! As in last year’s challenge, the goal is to read at least 6 vintage mysteries that answer the questions “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how,” according to the various categories on the Detective Notebook.

just the facts golden 2019

As you can see, I’ve chosen the “gold” challenge, which means the mysteries must have been originally published before 1960. My goal will be to reach the “constable” level and read 6 books — one from each category — although I may read a few more! For more information on the challenge and to sign up, click here.

2018 Vintage Mystery Challenge Wrap-Up

January 3, 2019Leave a comment

2018 Vintage Mysteries

I’m a few days late with this post, but the end of 2018 means the end of the 2018 Vintage Mystery Challenge at My Readers Block. The goal of the challenge was to read at least 6 vintage mysteries (published before 1960) that answer the questions “Who,” “What,” “Where,” “When,” “Why,” and “How” Here’s what I read:

1. Ngaio Marsh, A Man Lay Dead — What (reference to a man in the title)
2. Lois Austen-Leigh, The Incredible Crime — Why (author I’ve never tried)
3. Elizabeth Daly, Unexpected Night — How (at least two deaths by different means)
4. Miles Burton, Death in the Tunnel — Where (mode of transportation)
5. Dorothy L. Sayers, Have His Carcase — Who (crime-solving duo)
6. Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep — Why (out of my comfort zone)
7. Francis Duncan, Murder for Christmas — When (set during a recognized holiday)

I enjoyed almost everything I read for this challenge, but the standouts were Death in the Tunnel (best plot), Have His Carcase (best character development), and Unexpected Night (best overall). My least favorite book of the challenge was The Incredible Crime. If you also participated in this challenge, what were your favorite (or least favorite) books?

2018-vintage-mysteries-gold-card-edited

It’s time for Readers Imbibing Peril!

September 1, 20184 Comments

Even though it will be summer for at least another month here, I’m SO ready for fall — that hint of chill in the air, the smell of the leaves, the jackets and scarves and cozy evenings curled up in blankets. And to get into the autumnal spirit, I’m signing up for RIP 13!

The “rule” is to read at least one book, between September 1 and October 31, that fits into at least one of the following genres: mystery, suspense, thriller, dark fantasy, gothic, horror, and supernatural. But the true goal is to have fun reading and share that fun with others!

With that in mind, here are some books I might read in the next two months that would qualify:

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (dark fantasy)
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (mystery)
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (mystery)

If you’re also doing this challenge, what are you planning to read? What are some of your favorite books from these genres? Or if dark and spooky reads aren’t your jam, what books get you in the mood for fall?

Just the Facts, Ma’am: 2018 Vintage Mystery Challenge Sign-Up

January 1, 20184 Comments

New year, new vintage mystery challenge at My Reader’s Block! This year there’s a new format: the books we read must answer the questions “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how,” based on the detective notebooks provided. As you can see, I’ll be using the Golden Age notebook, which is for mysteries published before 1960.

2018 Vintage Mysteries Gold Card

I’m signing up for the minimum commitment of six books, one for each question. But if I read more, maybe I’ll level up! If you’re participating in this challenge, what book(s) are you most looking forward to? I’m most excited to read Lois Austen-Leigh’s The Incredible Crime — the author is a descendant of Jane Austen!

2017 Vintage Mystery Challenge Wrap-Up

December 31, 2017December 31, 2017Leave a comment

I’m sneaking in one more post before the end of the year to wrap up my Vintage Mystery Cover Scavenger Hunt challenge, hosted by Bev at My Reader’s Block. The goal was to read at least six vintage mysteries published before 1960 (for the gold level, which is the one I participated in) and to find one of the following objects on each book’s cover:

2017-vintage

Here are the books I read and the objects I found:

Death of My Aunt Five Red Herrings, The
Lady Molly of Scotland Yard Penhallow
Z Murders, The Case for Three Detectives

1. C.H.B. Kitchin, Death of My Aunt (1929) – curtains
2. Dorothy L. Sayers, The Five Red Herrings (1931) – painting
3. Baroness Orczy, Lady Molly of Scotland Yard (1910) – hat
4. Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon, A Bullet in the Ballet (1937) – performer
5. Georgette Heyer, Penhallow (1942) – bottle/glass for drinking
6. J. Jefferson Farjeon, The Z Murders (1932) – train
7. Leo Bruce, Case for Three Detectives (1936) – dead body

My favorite read for this challenge was Case for Three Detectives, a spot-on parody of three of the most famous detectives of Golden Age fiction! My least favorite was Penhallow, which is relentlessly depressing and also not a good mystery. But overall, I liked what I read for this challenge and look forward to participating in the 2018 vintage mystery challenge as well!

2016 Vintage Mystery Challenge Wrap-up

January 1, 20172 Comments

Happy New Year, everyone! I’m so excited to get started on the 2017 Vintage Mystery Scavenger Hunt, but before I do that, I should probably post my 2016 wrap-up! Here’s what I read for the 2016 challenge, along with the items I “found” for the scavenger hunt:

1. Georgette Heyer, No Wind of Blame – cigarette
2. Alan Melville, Quick Curtain – performer
3. Dorothy L. Sayers, Strong Poison – bottle of poison
4. Christopher St. John Sprigg, Death of an Airman – plane
5. Alice Tilton, Beginning with a Bash – blunt instrument
6. Georgette Heyer, Envious Casca – brunette

No Wind of Blame Quick Curtain Strong Poison
Death of an Airman beginning-with-a-bash envious-casca

If you also participated in this challenge, don’t forget to add your wrap-up post here!

Vintage Mystery Scavenger Hunt 2017 Sign-up

December 19, 2016December 18, 2016Leave a comment

It’s that time of year again — time to sign up for next year’s challenges! I don’t want to overcommit myself, especially because 2016 was a pretty slow reading year for me, but of course I have to do Bev’s Vintage Mystery Challenge again! Just like last year, the challenge is a scavenger hunt: participants are asked to read at least six vintage mystery novels, and the cover of each book must contain an item on the scavenger hunt list.

2017-vintage

As you can see, I’m signing up for the Golden Age challenge (books published before 1960). Click here to learn more about the challenge and to sign up!

R.I.P. XI Sign-Up

September 15, 20162 Comments

I’m pretty late to the party, but autumn is FINALLY on the horizon, which means it’s time for the annual R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril challenge at Stainless Steel Droppings! The challenge simply asks participants to read at least one book that fits within one or more of the following genres:

Mystery
Suspense
Thriller
Gothic
Horror
Dark Fantasy

The challenge has several tiers depending on how much you feel like reading, and there are also options to watch movies or play games (video or tabletop) that fit into the challenge genres! Personally, I’m going to tackle Peril the First and attempt to read four books.

rip-11-peril-the-1st

I’ve already read one mystery in September, The Darkness Knows by Cheryl Honigford (review to come). Other potential reads include Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. I may also attempt Peril on the Screen by finally checking out “Stranger Things”!

Are you participating in this challenge? If so, what are you planning to read? If not, what kinds of books and movies get you in the mood for Halloween?

You Book Me All Night Long

Category: Challenges

2019 Vintage Mystery Challenge Wrap-Up

2018 Vintage Mystery Challenge Wrap-Up

It’s time for Readers Imbibing Peril!

2017 Vintage Mystery Challenge Wrap-Up

2016 Vintage Mystery Challenge Wrap-up