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1 - Book you picked because of the cover-- The Brief History of the Dead--Kevin Brockmeier

2- Book with an animal as a character-- Grief is the Thing with Feathers--Max Porter

-3- Travel memoir-- The Salt Path--Raynor Winn

4- A classic�� The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman--Laurence Sterne

5-Short Story Collection-- The Things They Carried-Tim O'Brien

6- Historical Fiction-- The Good Lord Bird--James McBride

7- Biography, memoir or autobiography-- Chasing History:--Carl Bernstein

8- A non fiction book-- All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake--Tiya Miles

9- A book with a city or country in the title-- Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories / Letting Go--Philip Roth

10- A book with a number or color in the title-- 18 Tiny Deaths: Modern Forensics--Bruce Goldfarb .

11- A genre you rarely or never read-- Hidden Sins--Selena Montgomery .

12- A book you already own-- Approach to Archaeology--Stuart Piggott

13- A health, diet, exercise, fitness & wellness book�� The One-Minute Workout-Martin Gibala

14- A book over 500 pages �� The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

15- A book under 125 pages- novella Goodbye, Columbus

16- Music, art, dance, theater, acting theme-- Vivian Maier Developed: Photographer Nanny--Ann Marks

17- An audio book. The Mountaintop

18- A book about nature NONE

19- sports related book One Life-Megan Rapinoe

20- Romance- .Hidden Sins--Selena Montgomery .

21- Politics-- The Premonition--Michael Lewis.

22- Legal or featuring the legal profession Anatomy of a Murder-Robert Traver

23- About business or economy Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic-John De GraafDavid Wann

24- Self- help�� The One-Minute Workout

25- religious or spirituality- The Colony-Sally Denton

26- Mystery or thriller-- Pray for Silence--Linda Castillo

27- Current events-- Living in a World That Can't Be Fixed:--Curtis White

28- About Science or math-- The Premonitions Bureau--Sam Knight

29- Humor-- The Grammarians--Cathleen Schine

30- Celebrity book club pick-- Firekeeper's Daughter--Angeline Boulley

31- History-- The Ravine: A Family, a Photograph, a Holocaust--Wendy Lower

32- YA book Firekeeper's Daughter

33- DIY, cooking, hobbies, craft book-- The Art of Papercraft: --Helen Hiebert

34- Travel-- Come, Tell Me How You Live--Agatha Christie Mallowan

35- computers / tech involved in the book- Upgrade-Blake Crouch

36- graphic novel-- Pretending Is Lying-Dominique Goblet

37- Literature - fiction�� Butcher's Crossing��John Williams

38- book about or set in outer space or astronauts�� Dead Space��Kali Wallace ]

39- A story set during a war-- The Things They Carried

40- bio of a U.S. President or leader of country you live in�� Lion in the White House��Aida D. Donald.

41- bio of President or leader of a country you don't live in- A Kim Jong-Il Production-Paul Fischer

42- Book you DNF but want to give another chance--- Approach to Archaeology

43- Book from the Banned Book list. (any year) -- The Outsiders--S.E. Hinton .

44- post apocalyptic story or dystopian novel-- Moon of the Crusted Snow--Waubgeshig Rice .

45- a book by a debut author-- The Maid--Nita Prose

46- A book published in 2022-- The Unfamiliar Garden

47- An award winning book-- The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu--Tom Lin

48- A Pulitzer prize winning book or Nobel prize winning author-- Voices from Chernobyl--Svetlana Alexievich

49- A beach read-- Haunted Ground--Erin Hart

50- Book with that has some illustrations, photos or maps-- All That She Carried]

51- book you've been meaning to read but never got around to it
Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic

52- book written in letters or diary- epistolary Letters to Camondo--Edmund de Waal

53- Book about racism-- White Fragility--Robin DiAngelo

54- True Crime-- Pirate Women 32202167--Laura Sook Duncombe

55- Famous author you never read-- The Bookshop

56- book by author you disagree with NONE

57- Historical fiction-- Clotel: or, The President's Daughter--William Wells Brown

58- Booker Prize winner-- The Sense of an Ending--Julian Barnes

59- Book about mental health The Stranger in the Woods--Michael Finkel

60-Horror-- The Book of Cold Cases--Simone St. James

61- book about philosophy- A Philosophy of Walking-Frédéric Gros

62- poetry-- Call Us What We Carry--Amanda Gorman

63- A book published in 1980-- The Outsiders .

64- A book published in 1970-- The Bookshop

65- A book published in 1960�� Butcher's Crossing��John Williams

66- A book published before 1960--[ book:The Shadow-Line|273524]--Joseph Conrad

67- A book published before 1900-- Clotel: or, The President's Daughter

68- A book about medicine or someone involved with medicine-- The Premonition--Michael Lewis.

69- A book about education or takes place in a school setting�� Reading with Patrick��Michelle Kuo ] .

70- A book set or about a country you would love to visit�� The Blackhouse��Peter May

71- A book set in the future-- The Perishing--Natashia Deón

72- A book originally published in a foreign language-- The Anomaly--Hervé Le Tellier

73- LBGTQ+ book or protagonist -- Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting--Clare Pooley

74- A play The Mountaintop--Katori Hall

75- celebrity memoir-- Crying in H Mart--Michelle Zauner

76- Book made into a movie/tv show-- The Bookshop

77- A book you think would be a challenging read for you- A Philosophy of Walking-Frédéric Gros

78- A book about a difficult topic Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic

79- Inspirational or motivational book-- The Faithful Gardener--Clarissa Pinkola Estés

80- Read a book set on or about one of the continents - Asia, Africa, N America, S America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. Extra credit if you read one from each continent. Ivory Vikings-Nancy Brown

81- A book recommended by someone from Book Nook Cafe-- Who is Mr Satoshi?--Jonathan Lee

82- A book by an author who has published at least 4 books-- The Bookshop--Penelope Fitzgerald

83- A book you want to read because of a book review you read. Letters to Camondo

84- A book that was recommended or mentioned in another book you read-- Clotel: or, The President's Daughter--William Wells Brown READ ABOUT IN Ted Widmer bk @ Van Buren

85- adventure or espionage-- All the Horses of Iceland--Sarah Tolmie

86- A Western-- The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu--Tom Lin

87- Read at least 22 books in 2022- February

88- Coming of age novel-- Long Division--Kiese Laymon .

89- A book from your TBR list-- Cahokiai--Timothy R. Pauketat

90- A book from the 100 books -- The Things They Carried

91- A book from Modern Library best 100 Fiction book -- Appointment in Samarra--John O'Hara

92- A book from Modern Library best 100 Non Fiction book -- The Journalist and the Murderer--Janet Malcolm

93- A book that takes place during a holiday-- The Healer--Antti Tuomainen

94- Read more books then you did in 2021 November 11/23

95- Read a book that was published before you were born-- The Case of the Velvet Claws--Erle Stanley Gardner

96- A book whose title begins with the letter B, N, or C-- Chasing History

97- Read a fiction and nonfiction book on the same topic- The Chessmen-Peter May & Ivory Vikings-Nancy Brown

98- Book set on a plane, train or cruise ship�� Cabin Fever��Jonathan Franklin & Michael Smith ]

99- A book you Buddy Read with someone-- The Bookshop

100- A book with either a cop, detective or doctor character in it. Gone for Good--Joanna Schaffhausen

When AliasReader wrote, "I'll select my books to read as I normally do. Then see if they fit any categories. If I get really close to completing the 100, then I may select a book to fit the task." (written here message #9-- /topic/show/...), i realized i can easily join in. Let's see how we do!

Based on your reading, I think you'll do fine.

Thanks, John. And right back at ya!

Glad you joined in, Deb. It will be fun to see how widely read we all are.

I agree. And think of all the new titles we'll learn. (Do not think of all the books added to our TBR!)

Nice eclectic challenge. No doubt you'll enjoy finding and reading the books that fit. Good luck Deborah. 😀

Thanks, Barbara. I think you called it perfectly--eclectic. No one should become bored or at a loss as to what to read next.

I updated my list to indicate what book i read. Here i'll quickly explain.

#26. Mystery/Thriller. Pray for Silence--Linda Castillo I think this series may be popular due to the angle of crimes being committed within Amish communities, with the police captain being a former Amish member. When i can see who dunnit & how it'll end, you know it's predictable. :-)

#29 Humor. The Grammarians--Cathleen Schine This is a humorous novel, apparently. I was caught up in the story about words so much that the humor seemed quite natural. Not gag after gag but amusing.

#31 History. The Ravine: A Family, a Photograph, a Holocaust Massacre Revealed--Wendy Lower. I listed this as history because it covered the exploration for data about a photo taken at one moment in a Ukrainian massacre. It is more than just history but, as it's short, i thought i'd share the title with others on this challenge, in case they wanted a short history book. I was impressed by all i learned in this one.

#45 Book by debut author. The Maid--Nita Prose. Nice novel about a woman who loves and is good at her job as a maid in a luxury NYC hotel. Socially awkward, she recently lost her grandmother and is trying to handle the world by herself now.

#62 Poetry. Call Us What We Carry--Amanda Gorman. Exploration of what has occurred in the world during Covid Confinement Years. Well written, of course, although for those who are not fans of poetry, i am sure the audio book of this would be entertaining.

#79 Inspirational/Motivational. The Faithful Gardener: A Wise Tale About That Which Can Never Die--Clarissa Pinkola Estés. This book is as much about storytelling as inspirational. It's the story of Estes's foster Uncle who came to the US after surviving the Holocaust. It's a story of regrowth, physical, emotional, spiritual.

I've read six books this year and managed to find a place for each of them. I should be able to do that, eh?

Congrats on getting started with very useful posts!

Nice start madrano. 👍

Thanks, ya'll. After getting off to such a slow start, i'm invigorated by the above post.

Well done, Deb !

Ah, thanks. It was just getting started that stymied me. I couldn't figure out how i would do this. Kinda fun fitting books into categories.

Another update.

32- YA book. Firekeeper's Daughter--Angeline Boulley. Drugs on a Native reservation, as well as in town, apparently linked to the deaths of teenagers. The teenage protagonist had a strong connection to her Native family and spirituality.

59- Book about mental health The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit--Michael Finkel. While i don't think most would consider this a book on mental health, i found that angle of hermits to be compelling. This is about a man who spent 26 years in the Maine woods without a shelter/tent/home. And about his life post-arrest.

74- A play AND 17- An audio book. The Mountaintop--Katori Hall. I listened to this one-act play about the final night of Martin Luther King, Jr. Initially i didn't like it but was impressed by the development. I'm not a fan of audio books, as of yet, so i added that number to the list, as well.

100- A book with either a cop, detective or doctor character in it.
Gone for Good--Joanna Schaffhausen. So-so mystery set in Chicago. A serial killer returns after a 20 year break. Why?

Well done, deb. You and John are just ripping through the tasks.
It will take me the year.

Great job so far! 👍

I'm lucky that many categories fit into my TBR pile, although I have purchased a few specifically for this challenge, Alias.

I hope they turn out to be good reads for you, John.

Alias Reader wrote: "Well done, deb. You and John are just ripping through the tasks.
It will take me the year."

I suspect i'm getting the easy ones finished first, as usual. Like John, i'm lucky in finding categories for what was already on my list. Later, it will be more challenging when things get specific.

madrano wrote: "Another update.

32- YA book. Firekeeper's Daughter--Angeline Boulley. Drugs on a Native reservation, as well as in town, apparently linked to the deaths of teena..."

Stranger in The Woods sounds very compelling!

Julie wrote: "madrano wrote: "Another update.

Stranger in The Woods sounds very compelling!..."

I've read this book. It's very good. The hermit regularly stole things from homes in the area and spooked out the community.

Yes, it is a story that was tough for me to put down. Readers realize how much had changed since he headed for the woods, which is something else. His adjustment is part of the book, but not details, as Christopher Knight didn't allow author Finkel in on too much.

I finished a twofer this evening. The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu is the Andrew Carnegie Award Winner for Fiction this year. Tom Lin created a different Western, featuring a Chinese-American assassin in the 1800s. His descriptions of the west--mountains, desert, weather and more were spot-on with exquisite use of words.

47- An award winning book and 86- A Western.

I'm glad the book not only checked off two boxes but it also was well written.

Contemporary westerns i've read in the last few years seem to be of this sort. There is a quality to the experiences and characters which is unusual. And the landscape descriptions are marvels in conveying scenery i'd be unable to capture in words.

Allow me to expand. Westerns as defined by GR are as much romance of the land as of the heart. /genres/west... The westerns to which i refer rarely have romance as a feature at all, it's just about surviving as best one is able. And a number of them call the works, "Re-imagined history" This seems to be another way of saying the main characters are not all white men but children and people of color. The following are examples from my TBR of recent westerns read:

How Much of These Hills Is Gold--C Pam Zhang. Sibling orphans, mining, gold rush, the old west with Chinese Americans and symbolism.

In the Distance--Hernan Diaz. More an immigrant story, about a man who lost contact with his brother and ends up in California, not New York.

And then the above. Oh, and, for me, Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West started it all.

Three more crossed off the list. I really enjoyed Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom--Carl Bernstein for its representation of Washington, D.C. in the early 60s, the story of his parents, but most especially for all he shared about learning the newsroom work.


The Anomaly-Hervé Le Tellier tells the world's reaction to the fact the exact same Paris to NYC flight land twice, 160 days apart. It is similar to the tv show Manifest but with more postulating arising about the science, philosophy and governmental responses. I liked it but didn't love it, except for the ending. :-)

You're really racking these up barely a month into the challenge!

Well done, deb !

My reading has slowed to a halt due watching the Olympics and also the Jeopardy college shows this week. I need to get back to reading !

Thanks, John & Alias. I'm reading plenty, particularly now that the Olympics are on tv. The NBC coverage of the Games hasn't even been mediocre for me. Repeating events during Prime Time when we've watched it during the day has really stopped me from watching altogether.

Ultimately, i've noticed that this year, i'm opting to read rather than watch tv. This is a boon for my reading but saddens me, as i like our favorite programs and am becoming impatient in waiting for new shows.

Didn't i mention NOT complaining somewhere on BNC today? Hmmm.

madrano wrote: "Didn't i mention NOT complaining somewhere on BNC today? Hmmm..."

What fun is that ? LOL

Alias the Grouchy.

:-)

Four categories removed with three books, as follows:

6-Historical Fiction--The Good Lord Bird--James McBride. And what a historical fiction it was! Unlike most HFs i've read this one was set in Kansas & Virginia with abolitionist John Brown's fervent mission to free the slaves as the focus. This is seen through the eyes of a 12 year old "freed" slave, which is what makes it different. Great use of expressions.

12- A book you already own & 42- Book you DNF but want to give another chance--Approach to Archaeology--Stuart Piggott. I bought this in '17 while in the UK. I was indifferent to it but began while crossing the ocean, not to be resumed until last week. I just couldn't believe how good it was, after that beginning. Indeed, i pretty much went back to read the first two chapters which, indeed, were not very good. The author, imo, should have placed the last chapter as the first, grounding readers in some basics.

95- Read a book that was published before you were born--The Case of the Velvet Claws--Erle Stanley Gardner. This is the first Perry Mason mystery and set the characters up rather well. It was first published in 1933 but republished subsequent times afterward. My copy was from 1976.

You're moving right along! I recall having read several of the Perry Mason books in my distant youth; they were fun reads.

In thinking about a DNF re-try, the one I have in mind seems like yours where the toughest traction was earlier on.

John and Deb, you both are doing really well. Once the Olympics and the Jeopardy Challenge shows are over, I will have to step up my reading game.

Today while on the treadmill I was thinking of the book challenge. Since I record multiple books that fit a single category when I read them, I realized I will be able to look back at the end of the year and really see what genre of books I really read. Sometimes I think I never read (fill in the blank) but looking over my hardcover journal I am often surprised.

I found this to be true with the presidential challenge. Looking at my list I see I've read multiple books on a handful of presidents and zero on others.

And yes, I am a book nerd and love our group here, so I think about it while walking on the treadmill. LOL

Alias the book nerd.

John, i suppose that is a reason we leave some books only partially read. This was the slenderest of the ones i've stalled on with the intent to try again. I suspect i'll have more later this year.

Alias, the Book Nerd, i delight in learning you thought of reading whilst on the treadmill. While i'm almost always in the middle of some book or two, i find myself thinking more about books thanks to this challenge. This rather surprises me for some reason.

My DNF is 600 pages, so I'm going to pick up where I left off: Brazil: Life, Blood and Soul.

Since you guys are so into things presidential, I'm going to mention Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation's Leaders, where the author makes a point of specifically including the lesser-covered individuals.

John wrote: "My DNF is 600 pages, so I'm going to pick up where I left off: Brazil: Life, Blood and Soul.


Wow ! 600 pages.

My problem is I know I will have to start from the beginning as I won't remember what I read year or years ago.

Currently on GR I have a few books that are listed as currently reading but are my DNF's that I do want to continue.

Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 by Madeleine K. Albright This book is excellent. It was by subway read book. When the pandemic hit I stopped reading it. I read it on my phone not Kindle. Since it about WWII, I am thinking of paring it with a fiction book about WWII to satisfy
97- Read a fiction and nonfiction book on the same topic
As this may be a difficult category for me to check off.

Others books I have that I may read for DNF (some I just ran out of library time and had to return) Some of these may also fit more than one category.

Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment - Robert Wright

The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation-- Thich Nhat Hanh

The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun--Gretchen Rubin

Life on Earth-David Attenborough

John wrote: I'm going to mention Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation's Leaders, where the author makes a point of specifically including the lesser-covered individuals"

Thanks, John. I will check it out.

I think Julie read that book and liked it. It's on my TBR, i see. Eclectic US history facts in one book. Yes.

My of my DNFs are from the library, so the Piggott book was unusual for me. Not only are the DNFs i want to continue reading from the library, i found them in libraries in other places we lived, so am having trouble locating them to check out. Then the question becomes whether i want to invest in purchasing books i abandoned once already. Examples include the following:

Harlem Renaissance, wherein Nathan Irvin Huggins writes about this period of time but also looks at it with a perspective on the rest of the country as well.

The Mind of the Middle Ages: An Historical Survey--Frederick B. Artz. This was a thoughtful look at the years which used to be called "The Dark Age".

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness has Michelle Alexander looking at the numbers of blacks incarcerated vs whites for the same crime, even the same places. And much more.

Actually, the last one is available in eBook form, i just haven't picked it up again. There are more but looking them up saddens me. :-(

madrano wrote: "My of my DNFs are from the library, so the Piggott book was unusual for me. Not only are the DNFs i want to continue reading from the library, i found them in libraries in other places we lived, so..."

It's only February, you have all year to maybe find a used copy, audio or eBook.

True, although i've been looking for that Harlem book since 2010, where i ran out of time when i was living in my daughter's apartment in Queens. It was strange that i haven't found it, as it was quite informative and considered some previously unfamiliar considerations about that Renaissance.

I haven't given up, i hasten to add. And i've already marked off the DNF challenge. :-) Still...

Maybe at some point your library will do interlibrary loans again.

I'm hoping!

I just added more to my completed list, with thanks particularly to those who joined us in the Buddy Read.

#64 (A book published in 1970), 55 (Famous author you never read), 76 (Book made into a movie/tv show), 82 (A book by an author who has published at least 4 books) and 99 (Read with others). The Bookshop--Penelope Fitzgerald. I liked the nature of the book and felt Fitzgerald is an untapped gem for me. I'll be reading more from her this year!

#89 (A book from your TBR list) Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi--Timothy R. Pauketat, which is about archaeological uncovering and suppositions from the southern Illinois ancient site. I used Post-Its as markers for quotes/info i wanted to save. The edge of the book now looks crammed with pink, as a result. Now to go back & highlight.

#93 (A book that takes place during a holiday), in this case Christmas and not in a good way. The Healer--Antti Tuomainen is a mystery set over the holidays in Helsinki. But it is almost a drowned city, as the water on the coasts are rising. The main character's wife is missing and we learn about the way society has altered as a result. Interesting.

#52 (book written in letters or diary- epistolary) and 83 (A book you want to read because of a book review you read)--Letters to Camondo--Edmund de Waal. A wonderful book about the establishment of a museum in Paris and the tragedy behind it. It is so much more than that and i thank PattyMac for writing about it.

Wow - congrats on knocking off all those categories this month!

Excellent deb !

One question. Why do you use post-its first then go back and highlight? Why not just highlight?

<<< Alias....curious minds and all that jazz. :)

Good question. The truth is, i didn't expect to need so many post-its originally. When i made it halfway though the book, i realized i would get lost in the forest of pink tabs. So, my plan is to highlight most but keep the post-its for the real points that i originally wanted.

Thanks for the encouragement, John & Alias. Feeling good about all this!

Three more books, five categories.

#71. A book set in the future--The Perishing--Natashia Deón. While only part of the book is set in the future, i still felt that was key to understanding what was happening in the rest of the book.

#57. Historical fiction, #67. A book published before 1900 and # 84. A book that was recommended or mentioned in another book you read--Clotel: or, The President's Daughter--William Wells Brown. I first heard about this 1853 book in Martin Van Buren--Ted Widmer, when i learned that Van Buren's Vice President, Richard Mentor Johnson, had a daughter who was his from an African American woman, his slave. Johnson gave her his name and publicly acknowledged she was his daughter. In discussing this, Widmer, mentioned this work of historical fiction, based on the offspring of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings.

#75. Celebrity memoir-- Crying in H Mart--Michelle Zauner. I hesitate to add this here because i am not familiar with Zauner, her music, nor her band, Japanese Breakfast. Yet, i'm not one for celebrity memoirs, so this could well be the only one i read this year & want "credit". :-)

Nice going! Partly in the future sounds fine to me, as we're not being sticklers here; I'm reading a book where the category I'd like to use is honestly secondary to the story.