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Each month a weird, unusual, or odd news story will be featured. Your task will be to read a book associated with words pulled from the account. You choose how the book connects with the word.

No page limit. Re-reads and audio books are okay.
You can read as many or as few as you want.
You can read one of each or focus on two or three words.
Duration : January 1 - 31, 2018


Woman Stunned to Find Electric Bill Listed as $284 Billion

A Pennsylvania woman says she went online to check her electric bill and was stunned at the amount � more than $284 billion.

The Erie Times-News reports that Mary Horomanski said her eyes "just about popped out" of her head when she saw the amount. She suspected that her family had put up their Christmas lights wrong.

The silver lining was that she didn't have to pay the full amount until November 2018 � only a $28,156 minimum payment was due for December.

Horomanski's son contacted Penelac, her electric provider, who confirmed the error. Parent company First Energy said a decimal point was accidentally moved. Her new amount was quickly corrected to $284.46.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ERIE, Pa. � Dec 26, 2017

Words from the story:
Pennsylvania
woman
online
electric
stunned
billion
Mary
eyes
head
suspect
family
Christmas
silver
November
son
error
moved
new
quick
correct

Another awesome new challenge!

Thanks Lanelle!

My spot!

No page limit. Re-reads and audio books are okay.
You can read as many or as few as you want.
You can read one of each or focus on two or three words.
Duration : January 1 - 31, 2018


Woman Stunned to Find Electric Bill Listed as $284 Billion

(view spoiler)[A Pennsylvania woman says she went online to check her electric bill and was stunned at the amount � more than $284 billion.

The Erie Times-News reports that Mary Horomanski said her eyes "just about popped out" of her head when she saw the amount. She suspected that her family had put up their Christmas lights wrong.

The silver lining was that she didn't have to pay the full amount until November 2018 � only a $28,156 minimum payment was due for December.

Horomanski's son contacted Penelac, her electric provider, who confirmed the error. Parent company First Energy said a decimal point was accidentally moved. Her new amount was quickly corrected to $284.46.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ERIE, Pa. � Dec 26, 2017 (hide spoiler)]

Words from the story: FINISHED 6!
Pennsylvania
woman
online
electric
stunned
billion
Mary - name of character in the story - Crossing Borders - finished 1/9/2018
eyes
head - on the cover - Bonfires - finished 1/7/2018
suspect
family - one of the themes in the story - Fighting Instinct - finished 1/3/2018
Christmas - word is in the title - A Very Henry Christmas - finished 1/1/2018
silver
November - month book was published - Desperately Seeking Santa - finished 1/4/2018
son - main character(s) is(are) one - Arrows Through Archer - finished 1/5/2018
error
moved
new
quick
correct

Rissa wrote: "Another awesome new challenge!"

Thanks. (The news stories could get rather interesting :)

January ~ Ripped From the Headlines


READ: 8/10

Pennsylvania - takes place in PA
The Hike - Drew Magary 1/16

woman - on the cover
Seduced By Your Spell - Lois Greiman 1/20


Mary - in title
The White Mary - Kira Salak 1/18

head - on cover
When Darkness Ends - Alexandra Ivy 1/13


suspect - murder mystery
Murder on the Aloha Express - Sally J. Smith 1/11

Christmas - takes place during Christmas
A Very Levet Christmas - Alexandra Ivy 1/12

November - published in November 2017
The First Prophet - Kay Hooper 1/31

new - new author / debut
The Chimera - S.H. Magillian 1/18

January ~ Ripped From the Headlines

READ: 8/10

Pennsylvania
woman - woman villain Death by Coffee 1/4/18, 3 stars
online
electric
stunned - Joyland 1/8, I was stunned about the killer's identity!
billion
Mary
eyes - Sword of Darkness the magic can be seen through the eyes, read 1/18
head
suspect - Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore read 1/6, 5 stars (lots of suspects in this mystery)
family - Throttle dad and son are MCs read 1/1/18
Christmas - Mistletoe and Murder set at Christmas time, read 1/2/18
silver - Changes Amoracchius is a silver sword the MC has, read 1/7, 5 stars
November
son - City of Bones, Jace finds he's the son of an evil person
error
moved
new
quick
correct

Ripped From the Headlines - Jan. 2018

DONE

woman
online--tech nerds No Regrets
electric "under my electric blanket" pg 184 Deep Fried and Pickled
stunned at employer's decision The Accused
eyes
head 1/1
suspect--serial killer Look Behind You
family torments victim and heroine The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan
silver - betrayal for money The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline 1/3
November Drizzled with Death 1/13
son Peanut Goes to School
error- spell gone wrong Beswitched
moved from North to South Chili to Die for
new pub 2018 Unbound
quick 32 pages No Comment: A (Reluctant) Interview with Geek Girl Lexi Carmichael
correct-an error and misconception Playing with Fire 1/13

I'm in.
Duration : January 1 - 31, 2018
words matched: 0/20

Pennsylvania (set in the USA)
woman (female author)
online (from gutenberg.org)
electric
stunned
billion
Mary (character in book)
eyes
head The Reader 1/9 (only a head on the cover)
suspect (a mystery)
family
Christmas
silver
November
son
error The Legend of the Hermit Master (book with typos)
moved Daylight 1/10 (mc moves Ireland)
new (never read before)
quick (read in 1 day)
correct

Love it!

January ~ Ripped From the Headlines
Duration: January 1 - 31, 2018
Completed: 19/19


Pennsylvania: Sparrow House by Karin Kaufman 4* 1/18 She married in Pennsylvania, but she currently lives in Lyons. loc. 2046 - 2047

woman: Bis In Den Tod=Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb 3* 1/2 female MC - Eve Dallas

online: Casual by Emma Pearce 3* 1/1 the MCs 'met' online - they were paired up by a dating app for one night stands :-)

electric: Wrong Question, Right Answer by Elle Casey 5* 1/7 It surges through me like an electric current, and I can’t understand why it’s not killing me but instead driving me forward. p 85 / loc. 1209
stunned High Desert Reflections by Kevin Miller 3* 1/19 Stunned, I looked back at the glowing mountain, loc. 180

billion: Risky Shot by Kathleen Brooks 5* 1/15 Mo is a very rich sheikh in line to the crown of an small island country near Dubai and the owner of the Desert Sun Farm racing stable in Kentucky (in another one of the books in this series is mentioned he's worth billions) & Dani is an heiress to an old family winery in Italy

Mary: The Yuletide Countess by Alicia Quigley 4* 1/10 “If you knew Miss Paley and her brother only a bit better, you might wonder less [...]. Her brother Viscount Wereham is as opposite her in personality as it is possible for a sibling to be. He is pedantic where she is witty, of average understanding where she is a scholar, and feels that men must have the ordering of women for their own sake, while she is a reader of the works of Mary Wollstonecraft.� loc. 286 - 290

eyes: Hey, Nobody's Perfect by Ann Herrick 4* 1/19 Keeley had the kind of eyes I wished I'd been born with. A lively light seemed to shine from his big brown eyes ringed with long, thick, dark lashes, which was totally unfair, him being a guy and all. p 38 / loc. 664

head: A Royal Christmas Gift by Luann McLane 3* 1/13 - heads only on cover & beeing a prince of a small island nation in the Carribean he's heading the government

suspect: Hey, Nobody's Perfect by Ann Herrick 4* 1/19 Leave it to a squad of perfectly nice females to vote Marcy as their leader. I suspected coercion, blackmail or extortion, one of those organized-crime type deals. To me, that was the only credible explanation. p 31 / loc. 515

family: Hide and Seek 4* 1/12 & Christmas Cover-Up 3* 1/14 books 1 & 2 of the book 2 of Family Reunions Series by Lynette Eason - all books in this series are centered around families and their issues as well as a kidnapping and family reunion after several years or decades

Christmas: Christmas at Copper Mountain by Jane Porter 5* 1/6 title & time setting of the book

silver: Dead Heat by Kathleen Brooks 5* 1/16 Cole’s silver eyes (Cole's the MC) p 31 / loc. 483

November: The First Lady of Three Rivers Ranch by Liz Isaacson 5* 1/12 He’d been choosing topics and sticking to them for the past several months, and today marked the beginning of November. loc 2170

son: Just Before Midnight by M.K. Gilroy 5* 1/5 Donny Regina's son gets into pretty much trouble - Regina is one of the MCs whose path cross in the night before Christmas - if you wish I can provide a quote as well ;-)

error: Spiraled by Kendra Elliot 5* 1/3 She snorted, immediately seeing the error in her thinking. p 127 / loc. 1798

moved: Wünsche werden wahr=All I Want For Christmas book 3 of Weihnachten mit Nora Roberts by Nora Roberts 4* 1/17 lit. translation: Christmas with Nora Roberts - female MC moved recently to town - if you wish I can provide a (translated) quote as well :-)

new: The New Year's Bride by Kit Morgan 5* 1/17 title :-)

quick: Her Secret Agent by Lynette Eason 4* 1/4 part of the fast fiction series and with 50 pages a quick read :-)

correct: Targeted by Kendra Elliot 5* 1/10 (this word appear 11 times in this exact form in this book - alone twice on page 250) “That’s correct,� said Ava. “We believe the other officers were incapacitated with the blow of a baseball bat or something similar. It appears the blow to your husband wasn’t as strong. I suspect he spotted or heard the killer and managed to deflect the full impact.� “Which is why he was shot and the others weren’t.� �Correct.� p 250 / loc. 3525 - 3528

January ~ Ripped From the Headlines
Duration: January 1 - 31, 2018
Completed: 0

Finished! See message 2! :)

The Challenge Factory
Ripped From the Headlines - Jan. 2018
Duration: January 1 - 31, 2018

Progress: 7 out of 1+

Each month a weird, unusual, or odd news story will be featured. Your task will be to read a book associated with words pulled from the account. You choose how the book connects with the word.

No page limit. Re-reads and audio books are okay.
You can read as many or as few as you want.
You can read one of each or focus on two or three words.

Woman Stunned to Find Electric Bill Listed as $284 Billion

A Pennsylvania woman says she went online to check her electric bill and was stunned at the amount � more than $284 billion. The Erie Times-News reports that Mary Horomanski said her eyes "just about popped out" of her head when she saw the amount. She suspected that her family had put up their Christmas lights wrong. The silver lining was that she didn't have to pay the full amount until November 2018 � only a $28,156 minimum payment was due for December. Horomanski's son contacted Penelac, her electric provider, who confirmed the error. Parent company First Energy said a decimal point was accidentally moved. Her new amount was quickly corrected to $284.46.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ERIE, Pa. � Dec 26, 2017

Words from the story:
Pennsylvania: I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons by Kevin Hart - - 1/3/2018 - 400 Pages - Takes place in Pennsylvania
Woman: Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu - - 1/4/2018 - 202 Pages - Woman on Cover

online
electric
stunned
billion
Mary
eyes
head

Suspect: X by Ilyasah Shabazz - *** - 1/9/2018 - 348 Pages - Got in trouble with the law
Family: Big Rock by Lauren Blakely - - 1/4/2018 - 247 Pages - Lies for Family
Christmas: Passing by Nella Larsen - **** - 1/17/2018 - 160 Pages - Set over Christmas

silver
November

Son: Love Bites by Lynsay Sands - **** - 1/18/2018 - 373 Pages - MC is a Son

error
moved
new

Quick: The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham - *** - 1/8/2018 - 296 Pages - Looking for Quick Money

correct

Ripped From the Headlines - Jan 2018
Begins: 01Jan18 / Ends: 31Jan18

13 completed

Note: I alphabetized the list for my own convenience.

Words from the story:
billion

Christmas - Set at Christmas - Starry Night: A Christmas Novel � � 04Jan18

correct - Elizabeth ALWAYS behaves correctly - Pride and Prejudice � � 15Jan18

electric - Electric generating plant is major setting for The Longest Night � - 25Jan18

error - Too many to count in The Midnight Watch: A Novel of the Titanic and the Californian � - 22Jan18

eyes

family - Commonwealth � � 12Jan18

head - Neurological disease in Inside the O'Briens � � 19Jan18

Mary - author - Mary Roach / Packing for Mars � - 26Jan18

moved - They move from Cuba to New York - Our House in the Last World � - 03Jan18

new - New to me author - Heidi W. Durrow / The Girl Who Fell from the Sky � � 01Jan18

November

online

Pennsylvania

quick - I finished it in 24 hours - Letters for Emily � � 14Jan18

silver

son

stunned - How I feel after reading this - Cotton � � 13Jan18

suspect - Many suspects in these murders - Killers of the Flower Moon � � 08Jan18

woman - About women - Hidden Figures � � 18Jan18

That was so fun I'm looking forward to see what you come up with next month :-)

January ~ Ripped From the Headlines
Duration: January 1 - 31, 2018
Completed: 19/19


Pennsylvania: Sparrow House by Karin Kaufman 4* 1/18 She married in Pennsylvania, but she currently lives in Lyons. loc. 2046 - 2047

woman: Bis In Den Tod=Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb 3* 1/2 female MC - Eve Dallas

online: Casual by Emma Pearce 3* 1/1 the MCs 'met' online - they were paired up by a dating app for one night stands :-)

electric: Wrong Question, Right Answer by Elle Casey 5* 1/7 It surges through me like an electric current, and I can’t understand why it’s not killing me but instead driving me forward. p 85 / loc. 1209
stunned High Desert Reflections by Kevin Miller 3* 1/19 Stunned, I looked back at the glowing mountain, loc. 180

billion: Risky Shot by Kathleen Brooks 5* 1/15 Mo is a very rich sheikh in line to the crown of an small island country near Dubai and the owner of the Desert Sun Farm racing stable in Kentucky (in another one of the books in this series is mentioned he's worth billions) & Dani is an heiress to an old family winery in Italy

Mary: The Yuletide Countess by Alicia Quigley 4* 1/10 “If you knew Miss Paley and her brother only a bit better, you might wonder less [...]. Her brother Viscount Wereham is as opposite her in personality as it is possible for a sibling to be. He is pedantic where she is witty, of average understanding where she is a scholar, and feels that men must have the ordering of women for their own sake, while she is a reader of the works of Mary Wollstonecraft.� loc. 286 - 290

eyes: Hey, Nobody's Perfect by Ann Herrick 4* 1/19 Keeley had the kind of eyes I wished I'd been born with. A lively light seemed to shine from his big brown eyes ringed with long, thick, dark lashes, which was totally unfair, him being a guy and all. p 38 / loc. 664

head: A Royal Christmas Gift by Luann McLane 3* 1/13 - heads only on cover & beeing a prince of a small island nation in the Carribean he's heading the government

suspect: Hey, Nobody's Perfect by Ann Herrick 4* 1/19 Leave it to a squad of perfectly nice females to vote Marcy as their leader. I suspected coercion, blackmail or extortion, one of those organized-crime type deals. To me, that was the only credible explanation. p 31 / loc. 515

family: Hide and Seek 4* 1/12 & Christmas Cover-Up 3* 1/14 books 1 & 2 of the book 2 of Family Reunions Series by Lynette Eason - all books in this series are centered around families and their issues as well as a kidnapping and family reunion after several years or decades

Christmas: Christmas at Copper Mountain by Jane Porter 5* 1/6 title & time setting of the book

silver: Dead Heat by Kathleen Brooks 5* 1/16 Cole’s silver eyes (Cole's the MC) p 31 / loc. 483

November: The First Lady of Three Rivers Ranch by Liz Isaacson 5* 1/12 He’d been choosing topics and sticking to them for the past several months, and today marked the beginning of November. loc 2170

son: Just Before Midnight by M.K. Gilroy 5* 1/5 Donny Regina's son gets into pretty much trouble - Regina is one of the MCs whose path cross in the night before Christmas - if you wish I can provide a quote as well ;-)

error: Spiraled by Kendra Elliot 5* 1/3 She snorted, immediately seeing the error in her thinking. p 127 / loc. 1798

moved: Wünsche werden wahr=All I Want For Christmas book 3 of Weihnachten mit Nora Roberts by Nora Roberts 4* 1/17 lit. translation: Christmas with Nora Roberts - female MC moved recently to town - if you wish I can provide a (translated) quote as well :-)

new: The New Year's Bride by Kit Morgan 5* 1/17 title :-)

quick: Her Secret Agent by Lynette Eason 4* 1/4 part of the fast fiction series and with 50 pages a quick read :-)

correct: Targeted by Kendra Elliot 5* 1/10 (this word appear 11 times in this exact form in this book - alone twice on page 250) “That’s correct,� said Ava. “We believe the other officers were incapacitated with the blow of a baseball bat or something similar. It appears the blow to your husband wasn’t as strong. I suspect he spotted or heard the killer and managed to deflect the full impact.� “Which is why he was shot and the others weren’t.� �Correct.� p 250 / loc. 3525 - 3528

UPDATE Message # 12

Completed 13 tasks.