Once Upon a Time X Sign-up

March 22, 2016Leave a comment

Spring has finally begun, which means it’s time for Carl’s annual Once Upon a Time reading event! The challenge runs from March 21 to June 21, and the basic goal is simple: read books that fit within the genres of fantasy, fairy tales, mythology, and/or folklore. You can also read short stories, watch movies and TV shows, and play video games that explore these genres. The challenge has several levels, so it’s easy to participate whether you’re planning to read 20 fantasy novels or just one. I’m hoping to read several books this spring that will qualify, but I’m only going to sign up for “The Journey,” which asks me to read at least one book. Some possibilities include: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater, The Storyteller and Her Sisters by Cheryl Mahoney, and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. As a bonus, I may also watch the 1999 version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in June, since it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it. If this challenge sounds exciting to you, be sure to sign up here! And if you’re already planning to participate, what will you be reading?

Vintage Mystery Bingo Wrap-up

January 1, 2016January 1, 20162 Comments

Vintage Challenge 2015 Since 2015 is now behind us, it’s time to say goodbye to the 2015 Vintage Mystery Bingo challenge at My Reader’s Block. I completed my goal of one straight-line Bingo by filling in the L column with the following books:

Book set in the entertainment world -> FREE SPACE -> Book set in England/U.S.: Dorothy L. Sayers, The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (set in London)
Book made into a movie/TV show: John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps (most famously adapted by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935)
Book with an amateur detective: Dorothy L. Sayers, Unnatural Death (featuring aristocratic sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey)
Man in the title: E.C. Bentley, Trent’s Last Case (protagonist is Philip Trent)
Academic mystery: T.H. White, Darkness at Pemberley (first section of the book involves a locked-room murder at Cambridge)
Involves a mode of transportation: Mavis Doriel Hay, Murder Underground (victim is strangled in a London Underground station)

And for a little bonus, I also read Cyril Hare’s An English Murder, which fits nicely in the “country house mystery” square.

Vintage Golden Card 2015

As always, this was a really fun challenge for me. I think the Sayers books and Trent’s Last Case were my favorite reads, but I didn’t really have any clunkers. If you participated in this challenge, did you read any of the same books? What were your favorite reads of the challenge?

Vintage Mystery Cover Scavenger Hunt Sign-up

November 13, 20152 Comments

So we’re alarmingly close to the end of 2015, which means it’s time to start looking at 2016 challenges! One of my perennial favorites is the vintage mystery challenge hosted by Bev at My Reader’s Block. For the past few years, the challenge has been a game of Bingo, but this year she’s switching things up: participants must complete a scavenger hunt by finding certain objects on the covers of their books. For more information (and the lists of items), check out the sign-up post! I’m going to do the Golden Age list, but I’ll probably only read the six-book minimum instead of a different book for every single item. Some options include:

Dorothy L. Sayers, The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
Georgette Heyer, No Wind of Blame
Nicholas Blake, A Question of Proof
Elizabeth Daly, Unexpected Night
John Bude, The Lake District Murder
Phoebe Atwood Taylor (writing as Alice Tilton), The Cut Direct

R.I.P. X Wrap-up

November 9, 20152 Comments

Art courtesy of Abigail Larson.

I’ve fallen so far behind on blogging (11 reviews behind, you guys!) that I forgot to do my wrap-up post for R.I.P. X! But better late than never, right? I ended up reading four books that fit within the challenge guidelines, thus completing Peril the First. Here’s what I read:

Dorothy L. Sayers, Unnatural Death
Deanna Raybourn, A Curious Beginning
Rainbow Rowell, Carry On
Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

I liked all the books, more or less, although A Curious Beginning was probably my least favorite (the heroine was far too modern). Six of Crows was my favorite for sheer entertainment value, and I also liked Carry On more than I was expecting to. Yet another fun year for this challenge, and I’m sure I’ll be participating again next year!

R.I.P. X Sign-up

August 31, 20152 Comments

Art courtesy of Abigail Larson.

It’s hard to believe, but this year marks the 10-year anniversary of Carl’s R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril challenge! This year, it’s being hosted by The Estella Society, but it’s still the same gothic, spooky, autumnal reading event we know and love! The idea behind this event is to read at least one book that fits within the following genres between September 1 and October 31:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.

I’m not a big horror reader, so I’m planning to focus on mysteries and dark fantasy for my R.I.P. reading. Possible books include A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn, A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire, Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers, and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. What are you going to read for R.I.P. X? Any great, atmospheric (but not too scary!) reads that I should try?

If you’re interested in joining R.I.P. X, click here for more info and to sign up!

Once Upon a Time IX Challenge Wrap-up

June 24, 2015June 23, 2015Leave a comment

Well, I forgot to mention that the Once Upon a Time IX event at Stainless Steel Droppings ended last Sunday, June 21! The challenge was to read at least one book within the genres of fantasy, fairy tales, mythology, and/or folklore. I committed to reading one book but actually read three:

I really enjoyed all of these books, but Uprooted is the standout — it will undoubtedly end up on my top 10 books of the year! I haven’t had a chance to write my review yet, but trust me: if you like fairytale-inspired fantasy with a kickass heroine and a slow-burning romance, you should definitely read this book!

If you participated in this challenge, what books did you read? Which were your favorite and least favorite? Did you discover any great new authors or books to recommend?

Once Upon a Time IX Challenge Sign-up

March 20, 2015March 20, 2015Leave a comment

It’s officially the first day of spring, which means it’s time for Carl’s annual Once Upon a Time Challenge! The “rules” are simple: Read at least one book that fits within the genre of fantasy, fairy tales, mythology, or folklore. You can choose to read from all four genres or just one, short stories or novels, one book or 100. There’s even a “Quest on Screen” for people who want to watch movies and TV shows that fit within these genres!

Personally, though, I’m only committing to one book. I have Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier from the library, and I’m looking forward to reading it within the next few weeks. After that, I’ll just see what happens — although I suspect I may end up adding a few more books to my total. 🙂 Are you participating in this event? If so, what are you planning to read?

Jazz Age January Wrap-up

January 31, 20152 Comments

Wow, this first month of 2015 has just flown by! And with the end of the month comes the end of Jazz Age January, a challenge hosted by Books Speak Volumes in which participants were asked to read at least one book about or set during the 1920s. I only managed to read one book for this challenge — The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine — but I really enjoyed it! I also obtained a copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Flappers and Philosophers, which I unfortunately didn’t get around to reading. But maybe now I’ll save it for next year’s challenge! 🙂 Did you participate in Jazz Age January? If so, what did you read?

2014 Historical Fiction Challenge Wrap-up

January 2, 2015January 2, 2015Leave a comment

And finally, I completed the 2014 Historical Fiction Challenge at Historical Tapestry.

Participants were asked to read historical fiction from any subgenre: YA, romance, mystery, and fantasy were all fair game. I chose the Ancient History level, which set a goal of 25 books, and here’s what I read:

1. Mary Miley — The Impersonator
2. Julia Quinn — Just Like Heaven
3. Elizabeth Hay — Late Nights on Air
4. Alan Bradley — The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
5. Georgette Heyer — The Spanish Bride
6. Ellis Peters — The Raven in the Foregate
7. Elizabeth Blackwell — While Beauty Slept
8. Kathryn Miller Haines — The Girl Is Murder
9. Hannah March — The Complaint of the Dove
10. Kate Quinn — Mistress of Rome
11. Lauren Owen — The Quick
12. Ismail Kadare — Broken April
13. Sharon Kay Penman — The Sunne in Splendour
14. Juliet Marillier — Blade of Fortriu
15. Jessica Brockmole — Letters from Skye
16. Elizabeth Wein — Rose Under Fire
17. William Ritter — Jackaby
18. Robin LaFevers — Mortal Heart
19. Lauren Willig — That Summer
20. Caryl Brahms & S.J. Simon — No Bed for Bacon
21. Rhys Bowen — Naughty in Nice
22. Baroness Orczy — I Will Repay
23. Sara Gruen — Water for Elephants
24. Jennifer Robson — Somewhere in France
25. Carlos Ruiz Zafón — The Shadow of the Wind
26. Lauren Willig — The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla
27. Ashley Weaver — Murder at the Brightwell
28. Shusaku Endo — Silence
29. Roberto Ampuero — The Neruda Case
30. Diane Setterfield — Bellman & Black
31. Kate Lord Brown — The Beauty Chorus
32. Anthony Doerr — All the Light We Cannot See
33. Rose Lerner — In for a Penny
34. Charles Finch — The Laws of Murder
35. Rhys Bowen — The Twelve Clues of Christmas
36. Kate Ross — The Devil in Music

As always, check out my Review Index page for more info on any of these books. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, so it’s always fun to give myself an excuse to read it! 🙂

2014 Monthly Motifs Challenge Wrap-up

January 2, 2015Leave a comment

I also completed the 2014 Monthly Motifs challenge, in which participants were asked to read at least one book per month that corresponded with that month’s assigned theme.

Here’s what I read for each month, along with a short explanation of why it fits:

January (Around the World — a book set in, or by an author from, a country different than your own):
Julia Quinn — Just Like Heaven (U.K. – England)
Elizabeth Hay — Late Nights on Air (Canada)
D.E. Stevenson — The Two Mrs. Abbotts (U.K. – England)
Susanna Kearsley — The Shadowy Horses (U.K. – Scotland)

February (Award Winner):
Lois Lowry — The Giver (Newbery)

March (Fairytales or Fairy Creatures):
Elizabeth Blackwell — While Beauty Slept (Sleeping Beauty)

April (Short & Sweet — short stories or anthologies):
B.J. Novak — One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories

May (Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem):
Elizabeth Peters — Borrower of the Night
Michael Innes — Death at the President’s Lodging
William Ritter — Jackaby

June (A Long Journey):
J.R.R. Tolkien — The Hobbit

July (Assassins, Warriors, Rebels):
Richard Stark — The Hunter (Parker is a criminal and trained killer)
Baroness Orczy — I Will Repay (set during the French Revolution)
Chris Wooding — The Black Lung Captain (the crew of the Ketty Jay are rebels)

August (Alternate Reality):
Jo Walton — Farthing (England makes a separate peace with Hitler)

September (Book to Movie):
Philip K. Dick — Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (became the movie “Bladerunner”)

October (The Witching Hour — book with a witch in it):
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett — Good Omens (there are multiple witches in this one!)

November (Oldie but Goodie — a book published and/or set before the year 2000):
D.E. Stevenson — Mrs. Tim of the Regiment (published in the 1930s)

December (That’s a Wrap — finish a series or read the next book in a series):
Rhys Bowen — The Twelve Clues of Christmas (next book in the Royal Spyness series)
Kate Ross — The Devil in Music (last book in the Julian Kestrel series)

For more information on any of these books, check out my Review Index page. And if the challenge looks interesting to you, be sure to sign up for the 2015 version!

You Book Me All Night Long

Category: Challenges