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Haven't done this for a few years, looking forward to it!
I've chosen option B.

Theme

Culinary (anything dealing with food: restaurants, baked goods, etc.)
Curds of Prey by Korina Moss (cheese shop), review
Macarons Can Be Murder by Rose Betancourt (French pastry shop), review

Animal related (cats, dogs, birds, etc.)
Birder, She Wrote by Donna Andrews (hummingbirds), review
Hiss Me Deadly by Miranda James (Maine Coon cat), review

Craft related (any kind of hobbies - knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, etc.)
Seams Deadly by Maggie Bailey (sewing), review
Killer Hooks by Betty Hechtman (crocheting), review

Paranormal (witches, vampires, etc.)
The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library by Alice Kimberly (ghost), review
The Ghost and the Femme Fatale by Alice Kimberly (ghost), review

Cozy mysteries based outside the US (example: Belinda Lawrence series (British))
The Body in the Back Garden by Mark Waddell (Canada), review
Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy (Dublin, Ireland), review

Career-based cozy mystery (housekeeping, wedding planner, etc.)
A Cat in Wolf's Clothing by Lydia Adamson (pet sitter), review
Primer and Punishment by Diane Kelly (house flipper), review

Holiday based (set during any holiday - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentines, etc.)
Mischief Nights are Murder by Libby Klein (Halloween), review
Christmas Mittens Murder by Lee Hollis (Christmas), review

Travel mystery (character could be on a cruise, touring another area, etc.)
Hidden Beneath by Barbara Ross (Julia visits Chipmunk Island in Busman's Harbor), review
Snow Place for Murder by Diane Kelly (MC owns a lodge in the mountains of North Carolina), review

Historical mystery (any mystery not set in the present)
Death Comes to Santa Fe by Amanda Allen, set in the 1920's, review
The Ghost and the Bogus Bookseller by Alice Kimberly, go back in time to New York City in the late 1940's, review

Choice! (freebie!)
No Small Murder by Lena Gregory, review
The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion by Alice Kimberly, review

Choice

1. The Ghost Goes to the Dogs by Alice Kimberly, review
2. Read to Death at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers, review
3. Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley, review
4. Give Fudge a Chance by Nancy CoCo, review
5. On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry, review
6. Till Death Do Us Port by Kate Lansing, review
7. Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett, review
8. Dirty Rotten Tendrils by Kate Collins, review
9. Peg and Rose Stir Up Trouble by Laurien Berenson, review
10. Murder Off the Books by Tamara Berry, review
11. Rehearsed to Death by Frank Anthony Polito, review
12. Death of a Clam Digger by Lee Hollis, review
13. The Diva Takes the Cake by Krista Davis, review
14. Lemon Curd Killer by Laura Childs, review
15. All That Glitters Isn't Old by Gabby Allan, review
16. Death by a Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue, review
17. Murder by the Seashore by Samara Yew, review
18. Murder Uncorked by Maddie Day, review
19. Overdue or Die by Allison Brook, review
20. Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childs, review

Welcome to the challenge! Hope you read many great books in 2023!

I love the way you post! Thank you for links to your reviews. I've read your take on books I've read and added some TBRs for one I haven't.

Karen wrote: "I love the way you post! Thank you for links to your reviews. I've read your take on books I've read and added some TBRs for one I haven't."

Thanks! I seem to have stalled, nothing I've read lately fits the themes I have left :)

Lena wrote: "Thanks! I seem to have stalled, nothing I've read lately fits the themes I have left :)"

That's why I go for the easier "read what I want" version (A) and see where they fall. I note their "B" categories, but have only hit the mark once (last year, in fact!) in all the year's they've done two versions.

The challenge started out as a read X. It changed to a "read X in these categories" one year. I didn't join that year because I knew I wouldn't hit the goals (don't usually read historicals, for example). The following year it became an either-or and I joined doing the read-what-I-want version. I started noting the "Bs," but usually fell short in one or two categories. We'll see how things go this year, but I'm pretty sure the "Bs" won't hit.

Looks like the only two you're missing are one each in craft-related and historical. With the liberal definition of "historical " (thank the reading gods!) and the prevalence of crafting mysteries, that shouldn't be too hard. Though most cozies are "timeless," I wound up hitting the "historical" category last year with two books from Friday Night Mystery Club, which is specifically set in the late 1980's. (It's weird to think of my lifetime as "historical.")

Karen wrote: "Lena wrote: "Thanks! I seem to have stalled, nothing I've read lately fits the themes I have left :)"

That's why I go for the easier "read what I want" version (A) and see where they fall. I note..."

Yes, crafts are usually an easy theme (this is probably the first time I’ve not finished that category first!) I also don’t usually read many historical cozies so that’s always my last one (or paranormal). I probably should just do the other challenge option but I feel like this one is more motivating. With this challenge it encourages me to try new series that I wouldn’t otherwise read. Or prompts me to revisit series that I haven’t read for a while.

Lena wrote: "With this challenge it encourages me to try new series that I wouldn’t otherwise read. Or prompts me to revisit series that I haven’t read for a while."

That's the reason I'd contemplate doing the "B" version. The problem, however. comes in finding a new-to-me series with multiple entries to read -- which, chances are, I'd read to catch up the series. Even if it's only three to five books, they're all in the same category or freebies. I also find I'd be chasing categories to the detriment of reading new entries in favorite series or catching up series I read because they wouldn't fit the holes in my list. Doing "A" and tracking B means that when I hit my main goal, I can see how close I am with B and if it's not too many maybe try reading what I need to in order to hit both goals.

Guess it depends on how much time I have once I hit the 40 minimum reads and what's on my list of "get-tos." Last year, I lucked out in the end starting a new-to-me series that happened to be set in New Zealand (and was craft-based). I didn't get to them until late December. Without them, I would have fallen short of the B goal. Even then, I had to find two craft-related books.

Yes! That's something that's been a bit frustrating to me over the last few years. I've started a LOT of new series and there are series I really like that I never seem to find time to read, like Scumble River and the Diva series. Back before I started doing these challenges I would find a series I liked and binge read it and I don't do that anymore. On the other hand it's fun to read with others and find new favorites. I have forced myself to limit the challenges I do in attempt to get back to my ever-growing TBR but some are too tempting!

Ooh... I like Scumble River, though I've only read a couple. I have read her Scumble spin-off series, Chef-To-Go, but my favorite is her Devereaux's Dime-Store series. I love Devereaux Sinclair (and the other characters).

It sounds like you do several challenges. I admire that. I met someone on the boards who does six or seven challenges, including the Pop Sugar one. I look at that each year and just say no...

Thankfully, this is the only challenge I do, though I may pick up a special challenge tossed out by the group(s) (like March Madness) if it looks interesting and doable and I've read some of the monthly reads, too. I have a hard enough time with this let alone adding others. I like the challenge of the "B" version of this -- and admire those who go for it -- but I like reading what I want when I want to much to tie myself down. It's bad enough when I'm on a romance binge (as I am now!) that I know I need to read 40(+) cozies.

It doesn't stop me from picking up new things if they're recommended or catch my eye. I add TBRs from lists in this challenge and the cozy groups I follow. But, I know myself too well... If I start a new-to-me series, I tend to binge ALL available to be caught up as soon as I can. A friend gifted me Mary Daheim's The Alpine Legacy years ago. I didn't realize it was a series until I was a few chapters in. The day I finished it, I hit used book stores to get the first 11 books (and the few that came after) and read them all until I was up to date. It's my reading OCD. :o)

I hate reading out of order so now even if book three is what catches my eye, I'll read one and two if I can get my hands on them before reading three -- even to the point of holding off on three for a couple of months if I have to. In the county I live, one can get library cards for different cities' library systems. I remember going to three cities for books in the same series because my main library didn't have the entire series to date and I didn't want to wait for inter-library loans. I admit I'm a reading weirdo. (It's a lot easier now with the e-library.)

The fun for me is reading what I want only to find it also fits the goals of both challenges. Most of the time it doesn't, but I'm back the next year to try again.

I also prefer reading in order but since I started using NetGalley I've read several series out of order. In some series that works better than in others. Most series have story arcs like a romantic relationship or a little side mystery that builds over multiple books. If I read them out of order it kind of feels like everyone's making inside jokes that I'm not a part of.

I use library apps to check out ebooks and audiobooks all the time! Our library updates their collection pretty frequently which means they get rid of books quickly and back in the day it was impossible to find the whole series, especially if it was an older one or a longer running series. Now with ebooks it's much easier to get older books. I do prefer actual books but I don't mind doing other formats.

I'm glad to hear you like Swanson's other series. I have several books in the other series but haven't read them yet. Definitely looking forward to them!