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2011 Combo Challenge


JulieKay

Would you like to have more than one book category per month ,and how many would you like ?  

18 members have voted

  1. 1. Would you like to have more than one book category per month ,and how many would you like ?

    • 2 different choices
      14
    • A new choice each week
      4


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Hi Folks :waving

 

Welcome to 2011,and a totally new type of "along" group !

:mdust:mdust:mdust

This is called a Combo Challenge,because it involves 2 hobbies, reading,and crochet .

 

Book Info(Click HERE):book

There is a book suggestion list above that isn't a mandatory list, more of a suggestion list .You can pick any category at any time, I just divided them into months, so there are 2 per month . You do not have to follow this list, you can use any type list you want.The goal is to promote reading

 

Crochet Info(Click HERE) :crocheting

Each month, we will choose one small crochet project . It may be something you already know how to do, or something you'd like to learn .

Judy (Judianne) will be in charge of posting the Crochet Project of the Month,and giving help/advice,etc to help you complete the project .

 

:mdust:mdust:mdust

If you want to be a part of the group,please post a note and I will add you to the participant list below.

Remember, to update or add your info,all you have to do is always come to post 1:

Click on your name,

then Edit ,

add your progress ,

save changes .

:mdust:mdust:mdust

Participants

Judy (judianne)

Julie(Juliekay)

TrishH (Baseballmom18)

Cindy(Gardener)

Dorothy (DorothysGirls)

Twinklesnow

Nicole(nicolep)

Linda(busy-bee-lmt)

Marisa(marpan79)

Joanne(imanurse55)

Marlene(tobybob)

Karen (Krakovianka)

Lisa(mommy2alex)

Jennifer(jenniferelyse74)

Christine(hypermama)

Janet(janetm)

Tammy(wiz3283)

Linda(dpasmom)

Tabitha(queenofcrochet)

Cheeria

Pauly (GrammyRoberts)

Wrennie

Apryl (dragonlady)

Mona(greyhoundgrandma)

Donna(ddc)

Bailey(bailey)

Alisa2

Lacey(Immafreek)

NiYa(Ankh)

Patty(desertcrocheter)

Valerie(luvtocrochet757)

Paula (crochet_gram)

Diane (solfyre)

Shana (shana0923)

Lorraine (scorpio59)

Aurora ( myblueangels)

April (apriltime)

Penny ( unicorn37757)

crochet321

AngelFairy (Brenda )

 

:mdust:mdust:mdust

One more request to add . Should you decide to take part, could you place a jar near your chair,and each book or project you complete, toss a quarter in your jar . :2c

 

Next December, when we wrap up this Challenge, we will collect all the quarters and donate them to one of our online charity groups so they can purchase more yarn .

 

 

 

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Books read:

Dec 2010:

Home for the Holidays and Where Angels Go, both by Debbie Macomber

Home in Time for Christmas by Heather Graham

January

1- Book made into a movie

2-Book set in another country

:yayBonus Book Authors

Isaac Asimov

Jack London

A A Milne

Edgar Allan Poe

Lewis Carroll

E M Forster

J D Salinger

 

 

 

February

1-Memoir

2-Classic

 

March

1-Person's name in the title Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb

2-Book ONE of a series Patterns of Murder series, Book One: Crewel World by Monica Ferris

 

April

1-Travel narrative

2-Flowers on the cover

 

May

1-Author starts with M

2-Any banned book

 

June

1-Any mystery The Poet by Michael Connelly

2-An author new to you that someone recommended

 

July

1-Childhood favorite

2-Book that has been on your list for a LONG time,and you never got around to it yet .

 

August

1-Biography of a famous person

2-Any book set during a War

 

September

1-Any book over 350 pages

2-A COLOR in the title

 

October

1-Scarey book

2-Edgar Allen Poe book

 

November

1-Short story collection

2-Make a recipe from a cookbook

 

December

1-Any Award-Winning book

2-Takes place out West --past or present

To Fetch a Thief by Spencer quinn (in California)

MISCELLANEOUS:

1-The Narrows by Michael Connelly

2-Dust and Shadow by Lindsay Faye

 

 

Crochet projects finished:

JANUARY: Two book bags made...one felted.

Made snowflake A, B

Feb.: made heart square AND heart bookmark

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Sign me up!

 

DEC:YEA! I'm already reading one that fits the description!:cheer It's "An Irish Country Christmas" by Patrick Taylor. Started 12-1 finished 12-9!!!!

"The Sooner the Better" by Debbie Macomber- fits the hero category!

"Return To Rose Cottage"-by Sherryl Woods-has a winter scene on the cover.

"On What Grounds"-A Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle- first in the series

"While My Pretty One Knits"-by Anne Canadeo

 

Jan:

"The Quick and the Thread"-Amanda Lee

"Skein of the Crime"-Maggie Sefton

"An Irish Country Doctor"-Patrick Taylor (Set in Ireland)

"Home For A Spell"-Madelyn Alt

"A Witch In Time"-Madelyn alt

"Secondhand Spirits"-Juliet Blackwell

"A Cast-Off Coven"-Juliet Blackwell

"Gone With the Wind"- Margeret Mitchell(book made into a movie)

Feb:

Larceny and Lace-Annette Blair

A Veiled Deception-Annette Blair

Spun By Sorcery-Barbara Bretton

Laced with Magic-Barbara Bretton

Always the Baker,Never the Bride-Sandra Bricker

 

 

 

 

PROJECTS-

JAN-Book Bag for kindle

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My challenge progress:

 

Books: :book

 

 

December Category Books

1-Any book that has the word December in the title, the word Christmas , snow, ice ,cold ,winter ,or even if the cover has a winter scene on it .

1.The Winter Murder by S.S. Van Dine

2.Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie

3-Any Mystery that is part of a series of mystery stories that has the same person in each one .

3. Arsene Lupin by Maurice LeBlanc

4. The Jacob Street Mystery by R. Austin Freeman

5. The Rubber Band by Rex Stout

6. What Mrs McGillicudy Saw by Agatha Christie

2-Dudley DoRight -Any book with a person who is a HERO in the story ,and does something to save someone, help someone ,or make things better in some way .

7. The Case if the Footloose Doll by Erle Stanley Gardner

8. The Case of the Sleepwalkers Niece by Erle Stanley Gardner

4-Any book that has a picture of a child on the cover, or in which the child is the main character .

9. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

 

 

January

1- Book made into a movie

1. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

2. The Mirror Cracked by Agatha Christie

3. Evil under the Sun by Agatha Christie

2-Book set in another country

4. The Mind of Mr J G Reeder by Edgar Wallace

5. Mr. J G Reeder Returns by Edgar Wallace

6. At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie

7. Gone Away by Hazel Holt

 

 

February

1-Memoir

1. Life with Father by Clarence Day

2. Life with Mother by Clarence Day

2-Classic

 

March

1-Person's name in the title

2-Book ONE of a series

 

April

1-Travel narrative

2-Flowers on the cover

 

May

1-Author starts with M

2-Any banned book

 

June

1-Any mystery

2-An author new to you that someone recommended

 

July

1-Childhood favorite

2-Book that has been on your list for a LONG time,and you never got around to it yet .

 

August

1-Biography of a famous person

2-Any book set during a War

Dangerous Days by Mary Roberts Rhinehart

 

September

1-Any book over 350 pages

2-A COLOR in the title

 

October

1-Scarey book

2-Edgar Allen Poe book

 

November

1-Short story collection

2-Make a recipe from a cookbook

 

December

1-Any Award-Winning book

2-Takes place out West --past or present

:yayBonus Book Authors

Isaac Asimov

Jack London

A A Milne

The Red House Mystery

Edgar Allan Poe

Lewis Carroll

E M Forster

J D Salinger

 

 

Projects::crocheting

 

January: 2 snowflakes

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I have 2 books picked out! Both areby Debbie Macomber. ( I got a free box of books they were both in it!!!) Love free books.

1. Christmas letters

2. Home for he Holidays

 

I finished both books yesterday. So I guess I need to find a new one.

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Below I have posted all the categories for the upcoming year 's worth of Challenge books . You have the option of trying to read a book from each one if you want. If not ,then read anything of your choosing .

The main goal is to encourage everyone to read,so as long as you do that, then your goal is accomplished .

** You don't have to stay within a certain month's categories . Anytime you read something that fits anyplace on the list, add it as you complete it .

 

Keep a tally of all your books read this year in your post listed on post one .Toss a coin in the jar for each one read .

 

*At year's end, we will send all the coins from our jars to a crochet charity .

 

Since the majority polled wants 2 categories a month, that is what is listed as of January . I'll leave the December list as is .

 

***Added category for each month -- :yay(This little guy denotes authors born in that month ,so if you read an author born in this month, it will be another added category for you to choose from --we will call it a Bonus Book)

 

Good luck,and have fun !

 

 

December Category Books

1-Any book that has the word December in the title, the word Christmas , snow, ice ,cold ,winter ,or even if the cover has a winter scene on it .

2-Dudley DoRight -Any book with a person who is a HERO in the story ,and does something to save someone, help someone ,or make things better in some way .

3-Any Mystery that is part of a series of mystery stories that has the same person in each one .

4-Any book that has a picture of a child on the cover, or in which the child is the main character .

 

January

1- Book made into a movie

2-Book set in another country

:yayBonus Book Authors

Isaac Asimov

Jack London

A A Milne

Edgar Allan Poe

Lewis Carroll

E M Forster

J D Salinger

 

 

 

February

1-Memoir

2-Classic

Bonus Book Authors

Russell Hoben

Charles Dickens

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Jules Verne

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

March

1-Person's name in the title

2-Book ONE of a series

Bonus Book Authors

Dr Seuss

Penelope Lively

Lois S.Lowery

Robert Frost

April

1-Travel narrative

2-Flowers on the cover

Bonus Book authors

Beverly Cleary

William Shakespeare

Barbara Corcoran

Patricia Reilly Giff

Jill Paton Walsh

May

1-Author starts with M

2-Any banned book

Bonus Book Authors

Richard adams

Farley Mowat

Francine Pascal

L. Frank Baum

Gary Paulsen

June

1-Any mystery

2-An author new to you that someone recommended

Bonus Book Authors

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Isabelle Holland

Pearl Buck

Helen Keller

July

1-Childhood favorite

2-Book that has been on your list for a LONG time,and you never got around to it yet .

Bonus Book Authors

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Robert Heinlein

James Silverstein

Beatrix Potter

August

1-Biography of a famous person

2-Any book set during a War

Bonus Book Authors

James Baldwin

Marjorie Rawlings

Gene Stratton Porter

Ogden Nash

September

1-Any book over 350 pages

2-A COLOR in the title

Bonus Book Authors

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Phyllis Whitney

Roald Dahl

James Fenimore Cooper

October

1-Scarey book

2-Edgar Allen Poe book

Bonus Book Authors

Louise Fitzhugh

Thor Heyerdahl

Oscar Wilde

November

1-Short story collection

2-Make a recipe from a cookbook

Bonus Book Authors

Bram Stoker

R L Stevenson

December

1-Any Award-Winning book

2-Takes place out West --past or present

Bonus Book Authors

James Thurber

Emily Dickinson

George MacDonald

Good luck !!!:) Count your coins ~~~

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My Book List

:mdust:mdust:mdust:mdust:mdust

:sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar

:book

December

1-Winter Theme

 

2-Dudley DoRight -Any book with a HERO in the story

Crooked Letter,Crooked Letter (3)

3-Any Mystery that is part of a series of mystery stories that has the same person in each one .

 

4-Any book that has a picture of a child on the cover, or in which the child is the main character

.A Crime of Magnitude :Murder of Little Annie(4)

January

1- Book made into a movie

Water for Elephants(5)

2-Book set in another country

 

February

1-Memoir

Driving with Dead People (5)

2-Classic

 

March

1-Person's name in the title

Perfection to a Fault:A SMALL Murder in Ossipee ,NH (3)

(Victim and killer's last name was SMALL)

2-Book ONE of a series

 

April

1-Travel narrative

Way Off The Road :

discovering the peculiar charms of small town America(5)

2-Flowers on the cover

 

May

1-Author starts with M

Echoes of a Haunting-Revisited (Miller,Clara)(3)

2-Any banned book

 

June

1-Any mystery

And Then There Were None (3)

2=An author new to you that someone recommended

 

July

1-Childhood favorite

2-Book that has been on your list for a LONG time,and you never got around to it yet .

 

August

1-Biography of a famous person

True Compass (Edward Kennedy)(5)

2-Any book set during a War

Unbroken- A WW II Story of Survival,Resilience & Redemption

(5)

September

1-Book over 350 pages

The Prize Winner of Defiance,Ohio (351 pgs) :D

(5)

2-A COLOR in the title

 

October

1-Scarey book

The Wind Cries Mary (4)

2-Edgar Allen Poe book

 

November

1-Short story collection

2-Make a recipe from a cookbook

 

December

1-Any Award-Winning book

The Glass Castle (4)

(* Won -The Christopher Award ,Books for a Better Life ,NY Times Notable ,3 yrs on the NY times bestseller list )

 

2-Takes place out West --past or present

 

 

:badideaGrab Bag :shrug

Completed -Don't fit a category .

:blink

In the Still of the Night -Ann Rule (4)

Two Murders & a Haunting(2)

No Regrets (2)

Stalking Mary (3)

A Season of Darkness (2)

Twisted Faith (4)

TigerTiger (5)

The Fates Will Find Their Way(3)

Unsolved Crimes -RD ) (3)

Love her to Death (2)

The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (5)

One Foot in Eden (5)

The Help (4)

More Than You Know (5)

Haunted House Album (3)

 

Count your coins ~~~

:2c

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I am not seeing the link to the first pattern... is it not up yet?

No link for a week or so...it's a January project, anyway, but wanted to give people notice if they didn't have what they needed for the project.

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I'm in! I'd better be, since it's my patterns we'll be crocheting in January. :lol :lol :lol

December crocheting: Designing the January snowflakes and making two full sets , one of them using size 30 thread with a size 14 steel crochet hook.

December 2010 Category Books

1-Any book that has the word December in the title, the word Christmas , snow, ice ,cold ,winter ,or even if the cover has a winter scene on it: Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear. (Starts on a glacier in northern Europe. 5 stars - hard to put down and a rather scary take on possible past and future human development.)

Snow Fire by Norah Hess. (3.5 stars - well written romance novel.)

People of the Nightland by W. Micheal Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear. (Ice and Glaciers on the cover. 4.5 stars - an excellent recreation of what life might have been like during the last ice age.)

2-Dudley DoRight -Any book with a person who is a HERO in the story ,and does something to save someone, help someone ,or make things better in some way: When Seducing A Duke by Kathryn Smith. (Greyden Kane, Duke of Ryeton = hero. 3.5 stars - a well written romance novel.)

3-Any Mystery that is part of a series of mystery stories that has the same person in each one: Hands Up, Miss Seeton by Hamilton Crane. (5 stars - a wonderful British mystery featuring Miss Seeton, a retired art teacher, on retainer to Scotland Yard, and a catalyst to catastrophe for any criminals who happen to be in her vicinity. A wonderful and funny read.)

5-Other books: Fallen Idols by J.F. Freedman. (5 stars - well written with more twists and turns than most mysteries. Lots of skeletons in the closets and lies upon lies upon more lies by those trying to keep them hidden/expose them.)

The Children of shiny Mountain by David Dvorkin. (2.5 stars - an interesting story told in a very boring manner.)

 

January 2011:

2 sets of snowflakes using gold and silver metallic wrapped Knit-Cro-Sheen size 20 thread with a size 7 steel crochet hook. (Plus two extra snowflakes that were variations on one this month's patterns.)

1-Book made into a movie: The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas. (5 stars ~ a favorite that I've read many times. Much better than the movie. Only the last scene in the movie really comes close to being as good as the book.)

2-Book set in another country: The Inheritance by Joan Johnston. (4 stars - a well written romance novel set mainly in England amongst the nobility where legitimacy is very important in inheritance issues and the class system is alive and very much maintained.)

3-Other Books: The Blessing by Jude Deveraux. (5 stars - a wonderful story with well developed characters and lots of twists and turns. It has a lot to say about relationships and how we judge others. Far more than just a romance novel.)

The Enchanted Land by Jude Deveraux. (5 stars ~ another great story, this one set in New Mexico and California at the time of the Gold Rush.)

The Artifact by W. Michael Gear. (4 stars ~ It's a good book, but starts off really slow because of all the character developement in the first 60 or so pages. Then it finally takes off and moves right along. It's science fiction, set in the distant future, but with lots of the same bickering and politics between nations that we have now, just painted on a bigger canvas.)

 

February 2011:

Crochet: Heart bookmark times 2

1-Memoir: Out of this World: A Woman's Life among the Amish by Mary Swander. A marvelous story that will make you cry tears of laughter and of sorrow. Beautifully written and hard to put down. At least 5 stars or more.

2-Classic: The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. 3 stars. A sad book on the whole with lots of misunderstandings leading to lots of unhappiness for many of the main characters. It didn't put me to sleep but it would have been easy to put down and not pick back up again. It's more or less a biography of one man and those who are close to him.

3-Other: Sons of Fortune by Jeffrey Archer. 5 stars! A wonderful book! The main characters are in multiple election races through out the book and end up running against each other in the final race. The ending was totally unexpected and you don't find out who the winner is until the very last sentence.

Forever and Always by Jude Deveraux. 5 stars. A wonderful read, great characters and a story line that leaves you guessing right up until the end. And with some delightful ghosts are some of the main characters just for added spice. It was really hard to put down. I devoured it in just two days.

 

March 2011:

1-Person's name in the title: Miss Seeton Undercover by Hamilton Crane. 5 stars. One of the many books in my collection of books saved to be read and reread. Miss Seeton has been compaired to Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. She views herself as a very ordinary retired art teacher, but criminals should beware. If Miss Seeton gets involved they are sure to trip themselves up. Frequently with a great deal of mayhem to police and non-police vehicles.

2-Book ONE of a series: Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. 5 stars. A wonderful look at what determines sapience in a species. A wonderful book.

3-Other: Cuckoo's Egg by C.J. Cherryh. 4 stars. A well-written book that is unsettling and somewhat disturbing. What will we do when/if we discover that we are not the only race of intelligent life in the universe? Are we really ready to answer that question? Will we do better than the Shonunin? Worse? As well?

The Other Human Race by H. Beam Piper and the sequel to Little Fuzzy. 5 stars. Equally good and a logical followup to the first book.

Fortune by Erica Spindler. 4 stars, because I don't really like murder/horror/mystery books and didn't realize how dark and twisted this was going to turn out to be. It is really well written. The ending wasn't what I expected, but I couldn't NOT finish it. I HAD to see what happened. Probably 5 stars for those who like this genre. It gave me goosebumps.

Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue. 5 stars. An engrossing tale of mortals, faerie, mixed breed children. Love and intrigue mixed in a story that was very hard to put down.

 

April 2011:

1-Travel narrative: I think I'm going to use Iron Lace by Emilie Richards as my travel book. 5 stars. It's not a typical journey, but it is about a young black journalist who is hired to write the memoirs of a rich elderly white woman and in the process learns of his own heritage, which is a mixture of white and black, and finds his future, too. It's a very compelling book and hard to put down.

The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel. 5 stars. I devoured this book of 757 pages in under 2 1/2 days. Very well written continuation of her series that starts with Clan of the Cave Bears. Beautiful descriptions of the many painted caves, based on those found in Europe, and continues to be an exquisite portrayal of what life could have been like in the glacial age. An intriguing and captivating book that was very hard to put down.

Death of the Fifth Sun by Robert Somerlott is the story of Cortes' conquering of the Aztecs in Mexico. It's a very good historical novel. 4.5 stars. The characters are vividly real. All the political intriques on both sides are fascinating.

2-Flowers on the cover: Texas! Sage by Sandra Brown. 3.5 stars. This is a romance novel. It was well written but way too predictable. I had all the major plot twists figured out when I was barely into it. There were a few surprising twists, but not enough to really count against the predictableness of the overall plot.

3 - Other: Morning, Noon, and Night by Sidney Sheldon was made into a movie, which I saw a long time ago, but the book is better. 5 stars. There are lots of things in the book that weren't in the movie, and at times it's utterly spell-binding. It's about the children of a multibillionaire and what they inherit when he dies.

Leviathan by David L. Golemon is another of those books that is very hard to put down once you get about one page into it. :lol It is the story of a family of geniuses who are way ahead of their time scientifically and about the damage we are doing to our oceans and world with pollution. It makes you think, in addition to being a good story.

Fire Ice by Clive Cussler. 4 stars. Kurt Austin is the lead character in this one. His larger than life characters get old after a while, but the story line in this one is good and since I haven't read a lot of the Kurt Austin ones I enjoyed it. This one follows up on some Russian history, which I enjoyed.

Only Love by Erich Segal, the author of Love Story. 6 stars. Totally different from the first book, but a wonderful story from beginning to end. I cried at the ending. Beautifully crafted.

 

May 2011:

1-Author starts with M: Captured by the Highlander by Julianne MacLean is a historical novel and a romance. Based on real characters and times it brings the period to life and paints a very good tale at the same time. 5 stars.

Captured by the Highlander by Julianne MacLean. This book follows up on one of the main characters in Claimed by the Highlander and developes more of the theme of the times following the Scottish uprising that sought to put the Stuarts back on the throne in Scotland. A well written book with lots of unexpected twists and turns. 5 stars.

2-Any banned book: In looking for a banned book to read I came across Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor. It won a Pulitzer prize and based it on 40 years of reading and research on the Civil War. It is fiction but based on truth. It is a huge book but spell-binding. I read it in 10 days. The people in it come across as real people. I chose it in part because one of my great-grandfathers spent time in Andersonville and spoke of eating cockroaches for food while there. (I know. Ugh! But if you are starving you'll eat anything.) It is a book that treats the war and the horrors of war in a very down-to-earth manner. We see its impact on the soldier of both sides, on the civilians on the edges and in the midst of it, on those with power and those with none, on the cruel and on the gentle. It is a book well worth reading. 5+ stars.

3-Other: The Farseer: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. It's an excellent book all about kingdoms and courts and all the intrigues that go with them. 4.5 stars.

The Farseer: Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb. 5 stars. It's one I've read before, but it's been so long ago that I didn't remember any of it. A wonderful read. Now I have to find the next one. :lol

Triplets by Mollie Gregory. It's a novel that revolves around a talented trio and their struggles growing up and becoming individuals as adults. It has more twists and turns and plot switches than any book I've read in quite a while. In many ways it's a very sad story. Parts of, lots of, it hit way too close to home for me, which made it hard to read at times and makes it very difficult for me to rate objectively.

Death of a Glutton by M.C. Beaton. The cover says "Her table manners were a crime. But she didn't deserve to die...." Her table manners are atrocious and her personality isn't much better. This is a short, fast-paced book and a fun read. I didn't have a clue as to who did the dirty deed. Nor why. 4.5 stars.

Death of a Hussy by M.C. Beaton. Another quick read. And again I didn't have a CLUE as to WHO the murderer was or WHY the two that got murdered got murdered. Didn't even come CLOSE. And the only person I had ruled out as the murderer ended up dead, which really threw me for a loop. I could NOT come up with any kind of an explanation at all for that death. The first one I had a guess as to why, even if it wasn't the right why. There was an attempt on another person that failed, which also left me clueless. I have to give it 5 stars.

The Broken Crown, The Sun sword: Book One by Michelle West. Definately 5 stars. Very hard to put down. Can't wait to pick up the next one and see where this goes. The characters are beautifully crafted and the there are plots within plots within plots.

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. I'm pretty sure I've read it before, but didn't remember much of anything about it. A good, fast read. 5 stars.

The Mask of Atreus by A. J. Hartley. Definitely 5 stars. A mystery and thriller combined. I had a hunch about some of it, but missed by a mile on other parts of it. A very good read.

 

June 2011:

1-Any mystery: I've finished two more by M.C. Beaton: Death of a Gossip and Death of a Prankster. Both were quick reads and I had no clue as to who did in the gossip. But I figured out both the who and why in the prankster murders. Whee!!!! I've only got one more of those at the moment still to read. They are very, very good and I highly recommend them to anyone who likes mysteries. 5 stars both.

Death of a Charming Man by M. C. Beaton. 5 stars. I came closer to figuring this one out in that I had it narrowed down to 3 possible suspects and 3 to 5 possible motives. Not all that close after all. :lol

2-An author new to you that someone recommended:

3-Other: The Farseer: Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb. A very good book and a very good wrapping up of the Farseer Trilogy. I did not anticipate where this was going and it kept surprising me with its twists and turns that didn't make sense at the time, but were so very logical in retrospect. 5 stars.

Dragons Wild by Robert Asprin. 4.5 stars. It's the first of a new series by him and it's fun, but also doing a lot of setting up the characters for following books. It's based on the idea that dragons still exist and live amongst us, but are unrecognized by mere humans since they look just like us most of the time. :lol The main character has just been informed that he's an almost purebred dragon whose secondary characteristics should be putting in an appearance soon. They do. With some very interesting results on occasion. :lol

The Tawny Man: Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb. 5+ stars. I did something I haven't done in a long time with this one. I stayed up until 4:30 in the morning to finish it. There was just NO place to stop in the last 200 pages until the last 20 and at that point there was no point in not finishing it. Wonderful book. It picks up the same main characters in the Farseer Trilogy but 15 years after the end of that series. I shed some tears at the end of this one.

I finished the book What They Didn't Teach You About the Civil War by Mike Wright. I found it in the history section and the title intrigued me. It's very well researched and includes lots and lots of quotes from letters written by those who lived through it. It has lots of information on things other than names, dates, and places of battles. It's written with humor, but has lots and lots of information in it about the people involved at home and at the frontlines. I had never heard of the Bread Riot in Richmond, for example. One of the generals in the cavalry had boils on his rear end so bad that he could barely sit his horse. Another was such a bad rider that sentries thought he was drunk. 5 stars.

 

July 2011:

1-Childhood favorite:

2-Book that has been on your list for a LONG time,and you never got around to it yet .

3-Other: The Tawny Man: Book 2: Golden Fool by Robin Hobb. Another good book in the series with several very unexpected twists in it. I hadn't planned to tackle the third in the series quite yet, but can't stand the suspense of where things were left in this one so it's on to the next immediately. :lol 5 stars.

The Tawny Man: Book 3: Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb. The last in that trilogy an excellent book, but about twice as long as the previous two, but a great read and another winner for Robin Hobb. 5 stars.

 

August 2011:

1-Biography of a famous person:

2-Any book set during a War: The Shining Court The Sun Sword: Book Three by Michelle West. 740 pages of intricately woven plot and characters. It helped a lot that I went straight from Book 2 to Book 3. I didn't have to rediscover the characters. It got a bit bogged down when Jewel was in The Warlord's sanctuary and on the Winter Road, but other than that was very good. I give this one 4 stars. Now on to Book 4, Sea of Sorrows.

Sea of Sorrows The Sun Sword: Book Four by Michelle West. Yet another set of characters in this complex cast was developed in this book as their world gets closer and closer to all out war between good and evil. Lots and lots of unexpected twists and turns in this book. 4.5 stars. Reading them one after the other is definitely the way to go with this series. I don't have to relearn the characters this way and the story really has so many twist and turns and interactions between the various factions that I don't feel overdosed.

 

September 2011:

1-Any book over 350 pages: The Riven Shield The Sun Sword: Book Five by Michelle West. 5 stars for this one. It moves! Very hard to put down. I stayed up later than I should a lot of nights just because there was no place to stop reading, no breaks in the action.

The Sun Sword The Sun Sword: Book 6 by Michelle West. It was wonderful and managed to pull all the different threads together and brought the series to a very good conclusion. 5 stars.

2-A COLOR in the title:

3-Other: The Shack by William P. Young. Wow! It took me less than 3 days to read. It's heart wrenching in so many different ways and very uplifting, too. Definitely 5 stars. I'm now reading it for a second time and going more slowly so I can stop and ponder the deeply spiritual messages contained in the second half of the book. There is a LOT to think about in this book. I highly recommend it to anyone, especially if your faith in God has taken a beating lately.

 

October 2011:

1-Scarey book: Hooked on Murder by Betty Hechtman is a crochet mystery. And I enjoyed it a whole lot. I had several suspects for "who done it" and none of them were right and one of them ended up dead. The killer was someone I didn't suspect at all. It centers around a group of crocheters of assorted skill levels making an afghan of squares for a charity. I think I'll leave it at that. 4 stars.

Imager by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. is science fiction/fantasy. I've read a few of his previous books, but far from all of them. This one really took my fancy and I'd give it 4.5 stars. Since it's the first in a series, I'll be on the lookout for the next one. It takes place in an alternate universe and is very involved in politics and skulduggery between parties and countries and people with special skills some common is our world and some not. The main character almost ends up dead way too many times for his comfort or mine.

2-Edgar Allen Poe book:

3-Other: I'd have to say that Jude Deveraux is my author of the month so far. I've just read 4 of them, spending no longer than 2 days per book. Always is a wonderful ghost story. Velvet Song is set amid the highland clans of the 1500's with enough twists and turns for anyone to enjoy. The Temptress is set in Washington Territory and you aren't sure who's going to end up with whom until the final pages. The Mulberry Tree is a mystery with more twists and turns and unexpected revelations than most. 5 stars to them all.

November 2011:

1-Short story collection

2-Make a recipe from a cookbook

3-Other: Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. Excellent book and the first of a trilogy. I've already started on the next one. 5 stars

Have now completed 3 of the Ugly but Warm hats. All are Christmas presents.

4-Crocheted Items: 2 Ugly but warm hats

December 2011:

1-Any Award-Winning book

2-Takes place out West --past or present

3-Other: Imager's Challenge: Book Two of the Imager Portfolio by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Another excellent read. I read the first one several months ago and just picked up two and three about a week ago. Haven't started the third one yet. 5 stars.

4-Crocheted Items: 1 Ugly but warm hat

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I'm in....I'm anxious to see what you ladies come up with :think

 

Books

 

Pre-challenge book that I was midway through at the start was:

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson - 3rd of a trilogy and all were great :sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar (As a side note, the 1st starts slow, but stick to it and it grabs you around chapter 5 ish :D)

 

December:

Mistletoe Magic containing 3 short stories: :sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar

.....A Christmas Romance by Betty Neels

.....Outback Christmas by Margaret Way

.....Sarah's First Christmas by Rebecca Winters

 

 

January:

Another country: Weekend in Paris by Robyn Sisman - Light read, not a bad book although ending was somewhat abrupt:sstar :sstar 1/2 :sstar:lol

Another country: Honeymoon for One by Beth Orsoff - Easy and light read I'd classify as a comical who-done-it book :sstar :sstar :sstar :sstar

 

February:

Classic: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (in progress)

 

March:

The Bride's Baby by Liz Fielding :sstar:sstar:sstar

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie :sstar :sstar :sstar :sstar

Murder A La Mode by GA McKevett :sstar :sstar :sstar It was cute and I enjoyed it, probably wouldn't read it again though :though

 

April:

Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman (in progress)

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Projects

 

January:

Snowflakes - finished 2/3

Book bag

 

February:

Heart Square - 2 made

Bookmark

 

March:

Bib - 0 made

Shrug - 0 made

 

April:

Beach Bag

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I'm in! I'd better be, since it's my patterns we'll be crocheting in January. :lol :lol :lol

:rofl:rofl

Hmm, I'm going to try this out for January and see how I like it.

You don't have to participate every month, either...or do both every month.

Myself and some others I won't name need structure:lol:lol:lol:lol

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Books :book

Dec -Evergreen-A Christmas Tale by Richard Taylor- a very nice short inspirational story!

Dudley DoRight -Any book with a person who is a HERO in the story ,and does something to save someone, help someone ,or make things better in some way .

The Confession by John Grisham:sstar :sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar EXCELLENT!!!

Jan - Book made into a movie- Mystic River by Dennis Lehane-:sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar

2-Book set in another country- Agatha Christie-And then there were None aka Ten Little Indians- :sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar

February

1-Memoir

2-Classic

 

March

1-Person's name in the title

2-Book ONE of a series The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber- I loved it!!!

 

April

1-Travel narrative

2-Flowers on the cover

 

May

1-Author starts with M-Code Blue by Richard Mabry-:sstar :sstar:sstara medical mystery

2-Any banned book

 

June

1-Any mystery- Protector by Laurel Dewey:sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar

2-An author new to you that someone recommended The Help by Kathryn Stockett:sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar:sstar Recommended by my brother and SIL and it didn't disapoint

 

July

1-Childhood favorite

2-Book that has been on your list for a LONG time,and you never got around to it yet .

 

August

1-Biography of a famous person

2-Any book set during a War

 

September

1-Any book over 350 pages -Hostile Intent by Michael Walsh-

2-A COLOR in the title-

 

October

1-Scarey book Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen :tup

2-Edgar Allen Poe book

 

November

1-Short story collection

2-Make a recipe from a cookbook

 

December

1-Any Award-Winning book

2-Takes place out West --past or present Deadly Sanctuary by Sylvia Nobel- a mystery that takes place in Arizona-

:badideaGrab Bag :shrug

Completed -Don't fit a category .

:blink

 

Projects :crocheting

Jan - Snowflake B- not like the pattern- but it is unique!

Feb - Shrug for DD, 9patch blanket for step grandchild (not on the list, but what I made)

Mar - Modification of 9 patch blanket for grandson to be

Apr -RR for grandson

May -SBT's

Jun - SBT's

Jul -

Aug -

Sep -

Oct -

Nov -

Dec -

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I'm in!

 

Books I've read to Maya this summer.

 

Farmer Dale's Red Pickup Truck

Estelle Takes A Bath

Ladybug Girl

Always & Forever

The Wriggly, Wriggly Baby

To Root to Root to Parachute

How Much Can A Bare Bear Bare?

Under Over by the Clover

A Mink, A Fink, A Skating Rink

The Flower Alphabet Book

Library Mouse

Sugar Cookies

Pitch & Throw, Grasp & Know

A Book of Sleep

Grandma's Feather Bed (It came with a CD and we played it over and over. She loved it!)

Stanley Goes Fishing

The Moonstruck Piglets

Good Night God

My Heart Is Like A Zoo

Favorite Folk Songs

Tumford The Terrible

Boo to You!

The Story Tree

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Thanks to all who have signed up so far. We have plenty more space for others,and it isnt due to officially kick off til Jan 1st,so there's plenty of time yet .

 

I have everyone's names linked now,so you can click on your name and it'll take you to your own page to keep track of what you are doing in each of the categories .

 

We'll try to make it as fun as possible !:)

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December 2010 Category Books

1-Winter/Christmas Theme books

A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card (Dec 2010)

2-A book with a hero

3-book in a mystery series with the same character

4-book with a child as main character

January

1- Book made into a movie

2-Book set in another country

Island of the World by Michael O'Brien (Jan 2011)

:yayBonus Book Authors

Isaac Asimov

Jack London

A A Milne

Edgar Allan Poe

Lewis Carroll

E M Forster

J D Salinger

 

 

 

February

1-Memoir

Howard's End is on the Landing by Susan Hill (Jan 2011)

2-Classic

 

Bonus Book Authors

Russell Hoben

Charles Dickens

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Jules Verne

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

March

1-Person's name in the title

Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card (January 2011)

2-Book ONE of a series

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (Dec 2010)

April

1-Travel narrative

2-Flowers on the cover

 

May

1-Author starts with M

2-Any banned book

 

June

1-Any mystery

2-An author new to you that someone recommended

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (February 2011)

 

July

1-Childhood favorite

2-Book that has been on your list for a LONG time,and you never got around to it yet .

 

August

1-Biography of a famous person

2-Any book set during a War

 

September

1-Any book over 350 pages

The Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher (582 pages) (January 2011)

2-A COLOR in the title

 

October

1-Scarey book

2-Edgar Allen Poe book

 

November

1-Short story collection

2-Make a recipe from a cookbook

 

December

1-Any Award-Winning book

Blindness by Jose Saramago (Nobel Prize for Literature, 1998) (Dec 2010)

2-Takes place out West --past or present

The Girl From Montana by Grace Livingston Hill (Dec 2010)

 

Extra Reads:

 

The Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card (December 2010)

No Name, by Wilkie Collins (audio book) (February 2011)

The Shape of Snakes by Minette Walters (February 2011)

Jill the Reckless by P.G. Wodehouse (audio book) (February 2011)

Sanditon by Jane Austen and Another Lady (February 2011)

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Hi Karen

Sure, the book will count. It's well worth it to read a book to a child .We will have pretty simple rules here ,so no worries on the books you choose .

It'll be great to have you along with us .

I'll put your name on post one,and make this post clickable to you,so you can come back in and add your progree here on your first post .

I'm hoping that will be the easiest way for everyone to keep track of what they complete .

It'll be nice getting to know you !

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I agree with Julie- the more the merrier!!!

 

Hi Karen- I've admired your work and it'll be great to get to know you better!!!

 

Found a book on my Nook- The Stories Behind the Best-Loved Christmas Songs by Ace Collins- adding it to my page now-

 

Have a great day everyone!

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Hi Joanne

Yep, it looks fine -- I see your update when I click on your name .The post also shows up here . Did you post it here too ?

It doesnt matter at all if you did . We can post here like we normally do in our house group. I made the name posts so each person could more easily update their lists -- books read, projects finished .

I thought it'd be so much simpler for everyone if we could click on our name and keep track of our prgress all in one spot,rather than it being acattered throughouts hundreds and thousands of messages over the course of a year .

So, you can post in 2 ways . Feel free to post here if you just wanna talk, if you want to ask about a pattern,talk about a book, or anything else you want to post about ,it's totally fine .

The name posts on page one are so you can constantly go in and update what you are completing in each category . The good thing about it is also that you can Edit it at any point, to change the list of achievements throughout the year .

 

So, yep, you did okey-dokey !

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Count me in too!

 

I haven't been reading as much as I'd like to and hopefully this will give me that little kick in the butt to do so.

 

I'm excited to see what our first project is. I've been crocheting for years but pretty much just stick to basic stitches and patterns so I look forward to learn some new stuff with you ladies. :clap

 

Lisa

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Good morning everyone, I've started my December book, and updated my progress post. I will most likely finish the book today, (I'm reading it on my ipod, and it's charging as I type), and then impatiently wait for the January project to be posted. (what am I saying? I don't need a new project...I need some ooomph to finish all the projects that I have started already! :devil)

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Good morning!!:)

 

Good morning everyone, I've started my December book, and updated my progress post. I will most likely finish the book today, (I'm reading it on my ipod, and it's charging as I type), and then impatiently wait for the January project to be posted. (what am I saying? I don't need a new project...I need some ooomph to finish all the projects that I have started already! :devil)

Don't worry - these will be small or a bit bigger -- no huge projects. Itll be good for those times we all want a change of pace:hook

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