2011 Combo Challenge

[Gardener]

Welcome Alisa2.

Good night everyone!

[ImmaFreek]

I will color the titles that I have finished reading

 

 

time to go through my book shelf.

 

Lacey

 

Books

Dec - The Best Friend by R.L. Stine (Christmas themed cover)

Katie.Com by Katie Tarbox (Hero theme )

The Wildflowers "Misty by V.C. Andrews (Myst. w/ character

in mult. books)

New Mothers Guide to Breastfeeding by the AAP (child on cover)

Jan - Book made into a movie - TommyKnockers by Stephen King,

The Shining by Stephen King

2-Book set in another country - Shivas Fire by Susane Fishe Staples; Almost Innocent by Jane Feather ( Currently Reading)

Feb - 1-Memoir - Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Driving with Dead People : A Memoir by Monica Halloway

2-Classic ????????????????????

Mar -1-Person's name in the title - Stargirl by Jerri Spenelli

2-Book ONE of a series -Is the Age of the Antichrist,Martyrdom, Rapture and the Millennial Kingdom Coming? (book 1 of 2) by Rev. Paul C. Jong

Apr - 1-Travel narrative - ??????????????????????????????????????

2-flowers on the cover - Less of a Stranger by Nora Roberts

The Maiden and the Warrior by Jacqueline Navin

May - 1-Author starts with M - Bible Code II by Michael Drosnin

2-Any banned book - Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger ,

Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews,

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck ( Library in STL, Mo ordered its copies to be burned for vulgar use of words)

Jun - 1-Any mystery ??????????????????????????

2=An author new to you that someone recommended - The Deadliest Strain by Jan Coffey , The Loving Dead by Amelia BeamerNOT WORTH READING -5 STARS

Jul - 1-Childhood favorite ???????????????????

2-Book that has been on your list for a LONG time,and you never got around to it yet . The Silent Cradle by Margaret Cuthbert, The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks

Aug - 1-Biography of a famous person ????????????????????

2-Any book set during a War - Heaven and H*** by John Jakes; World War Z by Max Brooks ( Currently Reading)

Sep - 1-Michener book ???????????????????????

2-A COLOR in the title - The Color Purple by

Oct - 1-Scarey book - ???????????????????????

2-Edgar Allen Poe book - The Tell Tale Heart and other Writings by EA Poe

Nov -1-Short story collection The Complete Series of the Wizzard of OZ (24 books)

2-Make a recipe from a cookbook ????????????????????????

Dec - 1-Any Award-Winning book ????????????????????

2-Takes place out West --past or present ????????????????

 

Bonus Books (added as they are read)

1. One Day at HorrorLand by RL Stine

2. Welcome to Dead House by RL Stine

3. Monster Blood by RL Stine

4. Life in the FAT Lane by Cherrie Bennet

5. Go Ask Alice

6. Say Cheese and Die By RL Stine

7. Say Cheese and Die Again by RL Stine ( Currently Reading)

8. Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West ( Currently Reading)

9. Almost Innocent by Jane Feather

10. Under the Watsons Porch

Devil Came to St Louis (CR) - Very dissapointing, NO Stars, couldnt even finish the book

11. Lets Get Invisible by RL Stine

 

Projects

Jan - 3 book purses made, 1 Pigtail hat made, 1 ninja Turtle hat (Complete)

Feb -1 tote-purse complete (pic 1, the reddish-brown looks kinda purple in the pic. darn lighting)

Mar - Joined Lapghan for the LCCC, Started making squares and Joining a second Lapghan for the LCCC

Apr - Working on afghans for Seniors home

May - Finished 2 Baby Cardigans

Jun - Working on magic ball afghan,

Jul -

Aug -

Sep -

Oct -

Nov -

Dec -

 

[BaseballMom18]

Good evening! Thanks for the well wishes-my back feels much better, just stiff when I have to go from sitting to standing. Got the house decorated for the most part today:cheer Finished my book for this month's challenge-probably finish at least two more before the month is over. Hi to the newcomers!

 

Getting ready to eat dinner- New York steaks and acorn squash! Just finished a Caramel Brulee Latte-so I'll probably never get to sleep and I have to work at 6:00 a.m.!

 

Hope everybody has a great night!

[hypermama]

Christine

Yea, I have some of the same questions. I am probably a lot older than you ,and I'd guess most kids my age read them ,and I think we turned out pretty good for the most part ,and if we didn't ,I highly doubt the Grimm Brothers are to blame .

Now there are so many violent video games, songs ,and even some tv shows that are too graphic for my taste ( and we don't have cable). I'm sure cable has some shows that are much worse .

I DO believe that exposing kids to extremely violent movies at a young age will definitely affect them .It seems like maybe it kills the innocence they have .

I have yet to find a fairy tale that would damage a kid . They enjoy them ,and it develops their imagination .

 

Just my opinion. I'm sure everyone else has one too,and we all have different guidelines we follow when raising our families .

 

I'm 33. my brother and I spent summers at my grandparents house (small, miniscule mining town Montana) we were the only people under 15 in the entire town. we did a LOT of reading. all the classic fairy tales and novels.

[hypermama]

no reading or 'hooking today. we had a family birthday party to go to, just got home. zzzzzzzzz.......

 

I too read war and peace - fascinating novel.

 

my absolute favorite novel is The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I've read it a dozen times or so.

[Krakovianka]

Karen - thanks for the recommendation. I had never heard of Molly Hughes. I poked around and found used ones on Amazon very cheaply. I've ordered the first three in a trilogy and the fourth as a stand alone. I love reading about that period.

 

I needed to come in to work early today, so I get off early tonight - more crochet time!

 

LOL...I went looking for the one you recommended, too, but it wasn't available for the Kindle, so I had to back-burner it.

 

I have a new book to read (Island of the World by Michael O'brian) which was my first Kindle gift. Someone wrote and told me she wanted to gift me the book, paid for it (US price, even!), and then Amazon notified me, and I downloaded it. I can't wait to read it, but I haven't even looked at the first page because I've been so busy.

[JulieKay]

Welcome to Lisa and Lacey !

 

Glad to have you along with us . You are both listed on post one ,with your own clickable page .

Lacey -- I see you already have yours organized -- I like the cute little smiley guys you have for each category !

[JulieKay]

Christine

I am a Dumas fan too, but havent read 3 Musketeers. I liked Count of Monte Cristo .

Wow, was it a good story !

[JulieKay]

A good Sunday Morning ladies !

Well,we woke up to a rain/freezing rain mix,so it looks like I won't be leaving the yard today. I will drive on anything but ice . Too scarey .

 

I added a poll this morning,to be run for 3 days ,just to get a feel for you all on the reading portion of this. It's hard to guage how many book categories per month to offer ,since I don't know how fast each person reads . I don't want to bog you down with too many,or make you feel you have to read them all. But again, we do have some readers who are really going to town on their books ,so I don't want them to get bored with only one book choice per month .

 

After all ,this IS a Challenge,right ?

 

I also thought it might be neat ,when you list your books read ,if you'd rate them on some type of scale,say from 1-5 gold stars, 5 being absolute best ,1 being something you wouldnt recommend to anyone else .

 

A big welcome again to all the new people we have had join,and our welcome mat is still out ,if you happen to be out there reading the posts, but haven't yet joined up .

 

I'll keep an eye out on our poll,then announce what the winner was,and add more categories if wanted .

 

I hope you all have a good day today .

[imanurse55]

Good morning and Welcome Lacey- love how you organized your list already!!! I liked it so much, I copied and pasted it onto my clickable link- just changed up the colors- to blue for books and purple for projects!!! Thanks!

 

Trish- A girl after my own heart- love me some Starbucks! I haven't had the Caramel Brulee Latte- my favorite is Gingerbread Spice Latte or Pumpkin Spice Latte. I'll have to give the Caramel one a try. Hope you have a good day at work.

 

Christine- I have never read The Three Muskateers and will need to add that to my Nook collection (I'm hoping for a B&N gift card for Christmas). Just read some reviews on it- sounds good.

 

Karen- That book sounds very intriguing!

[JulieKay]

I thought we could play a little game today . You can participate if you want,but don't have to .

 

Let's start out with BOOK TITLES ,listed alphabetically . You can drop one in,then let someone else add the next,then you can add another if you want .

 

I'll go first :

A --- All Over But the Shoutin' (Rick Bragg)

[imanurse55]

B- Beloved by Toni Morrison

[imanurse55]

Julie- I answered the poll- Realistically I probably won't get more than 1 or 2 books read per month- so I answered 2 choices. As much as I love to read, my reading time is mostly before bed- Now if that darn ole "paradise" didn't get in the way!!!

 

(For those who don't me, I refer to work as "paradise" if only to make it sound much more pleasant)

[judianne]

C Centennial by Michener

[Wrennie]

Who does that book series with the alphabet? K is for killer is one, is it Susan Grafton? I don know what her d title is. Alphabetical order games always make me think of her books.

D.......

D D is for Deadbeat, Susan Grafton (its listed in the cover!)

I answered the poll too. I said one a week, not for me so much, but...

I took this challenge to another forum I go on and did a book challenge. 2 of the ladies that want to play each said they read a book in about 2 days.So one a month is nothing for them. For me one a month is about right.

[Krakovianka]

E - Emma, by Jane Austen

 

I've read The Three Musketeers, and also Count of Monte Cristo, and Monte Cristo definitely gets my vote--incredibly story. There are tons of sequels to Three Musketeers, and my dh has read most of them.

[marpan79]

E The Exiles at Home by Hilary McKay

 

I've never read this although it sounds interesting

 

I opted for 2 choices in the poll. That only covers categories, not 2 books...so that won't feel like too much for those of us who don't have a whole lot of time to read. And for those who are finishing books every other day, they can still read several books within the category for the month, maybe alternate between the 2 so they don't end up reading 10 books back to back in the same category. That would get tiresome I'd think

[imanurse55]

F- Fear of Flying- by Erica Jong

[JulieKay]

G ---Great Expectations

 

 

Thanks for the votes and comments-- I'll check back in after bit to see what the majority vote is leaning towards !

[ImmaFreek]

H - How I Got My Shrunken Head, How to Kill a Monster, How I Learned to Fly, Headless Halloween, Horrors of the Black Ring, Hocus-Pocus Horror, Help! We Have Strange Powers!, Heads, You Lose,

 

All by R.L. Stine

[imanurse55]

I- Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen

[ImmaFreek]

Thanks for the warm welcome, I think this CAL/Contest is just what Ive been needing Im always looking for an excuse to read, now I have one

 

I voted for a new choice each week , that way even for the people who only read one or 2 a month, they have more of a selection or choice if they cant or dont have time a certian week

 

Oh, as if you couldnt already tell, I LOVE R.L. Stine

[ImmaFreek]

J - Jekyll and Heidi, by R.L. Stine

 

Journey of a Soul by John-Roger

 

Jesting Pilate - by Aldous Huxley

[busy-bee-lmt]

K ~ Kane and Able by Jeffrey Archer.

Hi, everyone. This is shaping up to be a fantastic group. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone. I'm Linda T and I'm a live-in companion/care giver for a lady who has had 3 major strokes. Kim is two years younger than I am and I talk about her a lot. Her husband is John. I care for Kim whenever John is away from home. She's a sweet lady. I count myself lucky, because I'd go nuts if I couldn't talk or write or communicate with anything but gestures and facial expressions like Kim has to. I love to read and do handwork. I've been crocheting and knitting since I was about 9 years old when my grandmother taught me to crochet and my mother taught me to knit. I've been quilting for about 2 years now. My next door neighbor, Rosie, has been teaching me and we do lots of things together, so you'll probably hear about her, too.

[JulieKay]

Killing Mr. Watson ( I think the author's last name is Matthiessen ) I read this many years ago .

 

Ladies,

I think we have some big readers in the house !

 

Wow, Lacey ,you are quite knowledgeable on books ! I think I have a few of the Stine books upstairs for my grandson . He is really smart in school, but he hates it ( I think he'd rather play ),so he is a good reader,but only read required things for school. I got those for him hoping he'd read them,because he loves the movies, but so far, no luck .

 

Also,take a gander at Tammy's list already . I need to get my buns on the move here. I'm supposed to be leading this,and you guys are leaving me in the dust !

 

To stick up for myself a bit, I DID finish the true crime book I was reading,so now I can concentrate fully on this month's book . I'm not one of the lucky people who are able to read many books at a time .

 

 

I THINK ,maybe I will go ahead and list one category per week, since we have all different reading rates in here . Some don't have as much time to read,due to other commitments, while others are speedy readers and can read a lot ,so let's just try it this way :

 

I'll drop in 4 categories per month .

 

No one is required to read all of them ,or ANY of them . As long as you READ, that is really what this is about .

 

Each book read, don't forget your quarters ,nickels, whatever you want to use ,one for each book read. This goes towards a crochet charity at the end of 2011 .

 

If you can keep a steady pace,maybe you can complete one of each of the Category Books .

 

If you complete all 4 Category Books,add 25 points to your Challenge total .

 

I hope I'm explaining this right ,so here is a quick rundown again,compacted into a more understandable version .(*hopefully)

 

For the Reading Challenge :

*At the beginning of each month, I wil list 4 categories of books to choose from .

 

*You can choose any number of Category Books to read .

 

*If none of the categories sound interesting to you,read any other book you want .

 

*Keep your Coin Jar handy,and for each book read, place a coin in your jar. I will let you decide on the coin value you can afford .This money will be collected at year's end(2011),to donate to a crochet charity to buy supplies.

 

*Along with the coins, we will also have our Challenge Points .

These will be earned by getting quiz points for little trivia games I'll drop in now and then ,

 

any other extra tidbit I may toss in for a particular month,

 

and if you are able to read one book from each Category in that month, you get 25 bonus points added to your Challenge Points .

 

I will try to come up with something at year's end for the Challenge Point Winner that has to do with reading .

 

So what could be better ? You can read, make money for a charity,and possibly win a prize !

 

Any questions,feel free to ask . I know what I'm talking about ,but sometimes I'm as clear as mud to others !