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Cozy Mysteries Mini-Challenges 2017:

Spring 2017 - message 18 (completed)
April 2017 - message 24
Summer 2017 - message 46 (completed)
August 2017 - message 25 (completed)
September 2017 - message 26
Fall 2017 - message 12 (completed)
December 2017 - message 15

The idea is to read one book set in each of the 50 US states plus the District of Columbia. This is not where the author is from, but where the book is set. There is no official timeline for this challenge. Just fill in as you read. At least half of your books must be mysteries, to keep with the theme of the group (although they need not necessarily be cozy).

BONUS Challenge: Read a book set in every state using ONLY mysteries.

STARTING: 2017

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona - Wedding Cake Crumble by Jenn McKinlay
Arkansas
California - Guilt by Association by Marcia Clark
Colorado - Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson
Connecticut - The Uninvited Corpse by Debra Sennefelder
Delaware - The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer
District of Columbia - The President's Shadow by Brad Meltzer
Florida - Down in Flames by Cheryl Hollon
Georgia - Murder in Her Stocking by G.A. McKevett
Hawaii
Idaho - Who Moved My Goat Cheese? by Lynn Cahoon
Illinois - The Big Chili by Julia Buckley
Indiana - Mum's the Word by Kate Collins
Iowa
Kansas - A Patchwork of Clues by Sally Goldenbaum
Kentucky - American Pharoah: The Untold Story of the Triple Crown Winner's Legendary Rise by Joe Drape*
Louisiana - Plantation Shudders by Ellen Byron
Maine - Twisted Threads by Lea Wait
Maryland
Massachusetts - Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse by Harper Lin
Michigan - The Lighthouse Keeper by Cynthia Ellingsen
Minnesota - Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Mississippi
Missouri - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain* and Little Boy Lost by J.D. Trafford
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada - Pumpkins in Paradise by Kathi Daley
New Hampshire
New Jersey - Unleashed by David Rosenfelt
New Mexico
New York - Blue Labyrinth by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
North Carolina - Code of Valor byLynette Eason
North Dakota
Ohio - Memory Man by David Baldacci
Oklahoma
Oregon - Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander
Pennsylvania - One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee - In the Dog House by V.M. Burns
Texas - Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins
Utah - To Helvetica and Back by Paige Shelton
Vermont
Virginia - Closer Than You Know by Brad Parks
Washington - Murder on Bainbridge Island by Dianne Harman
West Virginia
Wisconsin - On the Chopping Block by Jenny Kales
Wyoming - Death on the Range by Nikki Haverstock

* Not a mystery

2017 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

I will use this year as a benchmark for coming years. The goal this year is to read at least 12 books from the basic level plus 1 from the advanced.

BASIC LEVEL (40)

[ ] A book recommended by a librarian
[x] A book that's been on your TBR list for way too long - Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon
[ ] A book of letters
[x] An audiobook - Unleashed by David Rosenfelt
[ ] A book by a person of color

[ ] A book with one of the four seasons in the title
[x] A book that is a story within a story - The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
[x] A book with multiple authors * - Blue Labyrinth by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
[x] An espionage thriller - The President's Shadow by Brad Meltzer (audio 5/16/17)
[x] A book with a cat on the cover (Gee, this is a tough one for cozy mystery readers!) - Cat O' Nine Tales: And Other Stories by Jeffrey Archer (audio - finished 11/24/17)

[x] A book by an author who uses a pseudonym - A Batter of Life and Death by Ellie Alexander (also writes as Kate Dyer-Seeley) (finished 7/25/17)
[x] A bestseller from a genre you don't normally read The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov (science fiction) (audio - finished 9/12/17)
[x] A book by or about a person who has a disability Better Homes and Corpses by Kathleen Bridge (MC uses hearing aids) (finished 12/9/17)
[x] A book involving travel - Home by Harlan Coben
[ ] A book with a subtitle

[x] A book that's published in 2017 - The Lighthouse Keeper by Cynthia Ellingsen
[ ] A book involving a mythical creature
[x] A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile - Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt
[x] A book about food - Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson
[ ] A book with career advice

[ ] A book from a nonhuman perspective
[ ] A steampunk novel
[ ] A book with a red spine
[ ] A book set in the wilderness
[ ] A book you loved as a child

[x] A book by an author from a country you've never visited - Cometh the Hour by Jeffrey Archer
[x] A book with a title that's a character's name - Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton (Agatha Raisin is the MC)
[ ] A novel set during wartime
[ ] A book with an unreliable narrator
[ ] A book with pictures

[ ] A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you
[x] A book about an interesting woman - The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax by Dorothy Gilman
[ ] A book set in two different time periods
[ ] A book with a month or day of the week in the title
[ ] A book set in a hotel

[ ] A book written by someone you admire
[ ] A book that's becoming a movie in 2017
[x] A book set around a holiday other than Christmas - Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke (Fourth of July)
[x] The first book in a series you haven't read before - Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
[ ] A book you bought on a trip



ADVANCED (12)

[ ] A book recommended by an author you love
[ ] A bestseller from 2016
[ ] A book with a family member term in the title
[ ] A book that takes place over a character's life span
[ ] A book about an immigrant or refugee

[ ] A book from a genre/subgenre you've never heard of
[x] A book with an eccentric character - Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (FBI Agent Pendergast) (finished 7/25/17 - audio)
[ ] A book that's more than 800 pages
[x] A book you got from a used book sale - Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson
[ ] A book that's been mentioned in another book

[ ] A book about a difficult topic (open to your interpretation of "difficult")
[ ] A book based on mythology

Reading Challenges 2018

Winter 2018 - message 44 (complete)
A to Z Title 2018 - message 18
Summer 2018 - message ??
Twelve Towers Challenge - message 12
August 2018 Mini Challenge - message 42 (4/5 completed)

2018 Ultimate Challenge

Last year I completed 18 basic and 2 advanced tasks. This year I will try to do the same (or better).

Basic level (40)

[ ] A book made into a movie you’ve already seen
[ ] True Crime
[x] The next book in a series you started - Spiced and Iced by Jenny Kales (finished 2/4/18)
[x] A book involving a heist - Jeopardy in January by Camilla Chafer (victim is a jewel thief) (finished 4/22/18)
[ ] Nordic Noir

[ ] A novel based on a real person
[x] A book set in a country that fascinates you - The Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton (set in England) (audio - finished 1/22/18)
[ ] A book with a time of day in the title
[x] A book about a villain or antihero - No Man's Land by David Baldacci (Paul Rogers is an anti-hero/former villain) (audio - finished 2/25/18)
[ ] A book about death or grief

[ ] A book with your favorite color in the title
[x] A book with alliteration in the title - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (audio - finished 1/10/18)
[ ] A book about time travel
[x] A book with a weather element in the title - Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came by M.C. Beaton (audio - finished 9/6/18)
[x] A book set at Sea - Lethal Lobster by Hope Callaghan (finished 3/2/18)

[x] A book with an animal in the title - Who Moved My Goat Cheese? by Lynn Cahoon (audio - finished 3/18/18)
[ ] A book set on a different planet
[ ] A book with song lyrics in the title
[x] A book about or set on Halloween - A Deadly Brew by Lynn Cahoon (finished 10/8/18)
[x] A book with characters who are twins - Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben (MC is searching for answers in his twin brother's death) (audio - finished 1/11/18)


[ ] A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym
[ ] A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist
[ ] A book that is also a stage play or musical
[ ] A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you
[ ] A book about feminism

[ ] A book about mental health
[x] A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift - American Pharoah: The Untold Story of the Triple Crown Winner's Legendary Rise by Joe Drape (given to me by audible for free) (audio - finished 7/30/18)
[x] A book by two authors - The Cinderella Murder by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke (audio - finished 1/23/18)
[x] A book about or involving a sport - The Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton (involved a walking club) (audio - finished 2/23/18)
[ ] A book by a local author

[ ] A book mentioned in another book
[ ] A book from a celebrity book club
[ ] A childhood classic you’ve never read
[x] A book that’s published in 2018 - Closer Than You Know by Brad Parks (finished 3/15/18)
[ ] A past Goodread’s Choice Awards winner

[ ] A book set in the decade you were born
[x] a book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to - Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton (audio - finished 2/12/18)
[ ] A book with an ugly cover
[x] A book that involves a bookstore or library - Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany (MC runs a Sherlock Holmes themed bookstore/emporium) (finished 2/25/18)
[x] Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 Popsugar Reading Challenge - On the Chopping Block by Jenny Kales (2016 prompt 27 - a murder mystery) (finished 1/17/18)



Advanced (10)

[ ] A bestseller from the year you graduated high school
[ ] A cyberpunk book
[ ] A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place
[ ] A book tied to your ancestry
[x] A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title - Pumpkins in Paradise by Kathi Daley (audio - finished 7/5/18)

[ ] An allegory
[x] A book by an author with the same first or last name as you - Boiled Over by Barbara Ross (finished 8/28/18)
[ ] A microhistory
[x] A book about a problem facing society today - Look For Me by Lisa Gardner (broken foster care system) (finished 1/27/18)
[ ] A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

The Twelve Towers Challenge (see message 12)