ŷ������

ADVENT CALENDAR CHALLENGE
Duration: December 1 - December 31, 2023

The Advent Challenge is back for another year!

Many countries around the world use advent calendars or Christmas calendars to celebrate the month of December. For some people, the calendar has religious significance, but for others it's a secular, non-religious tradition.

For this challenge, there are two options:

A) Starting on Dec. 1 and ending on Dec. 24, read a short story (or poem or essay) every day. Use stories or poems from collections, magazines, or the internet - there's lot of good short fiction available for free from many publishers.

B) Starting on Dec. 1: Split a novel into 24 chunks and portion your reading so that you read the last chunk on Dec. 24. (Ideally the novel has 24 chapters to start with! But as long as you can manage to count out fairly even-sized chunks, it'll work.)

If you'd rather keep reading past the 24th, you're welcome to try for the whole month!

Thank you to Theresa who has offered to lead this challenge!

Hello, everyone and welcome to this year's Advent Challenge!

To join, please choose one of the options from message #1. Post a message that includes which option you have chosen and your goal.

When updating your progress please include your original (sign-up) message number along with your current progress.

Example: Message #6 updated. Progress: 3/24 days

If you decide to drop out of the challenge, please don't delete your original sign-up post. Simply post an update message to let me know. Thank you!



❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
Participants:

Andrea (#32) - 0/24
Ariail (#33) - 24/24 Completed
Beth (# 7) - 24/24 Completed
Brianna (#53) - 0/24
Brianne (# 13) - 0/24
Chalmation (# 9) - 24/24 Completed
Chrissie (# 21) - 27/27 Completed
Ciara (# 4) - 9/31
Courtney (#35) - 3/24
D.L. (# 5) - 3/24
Elizabeth (# 17) - 0/24
Gina (# 11) - 24/24 Completed
Jaida (# 22) - 0/24
JennH (# 14) - 24/24 Completed
Jennifer (# 18) - 24/24 Completed
Karin (# 29) - 25/25 Completed
Kendra (# 23) - 31/31 Completed
Klaus (# 27) - 0/24
Kristina (# 26) - 0/24
Lauri (#34) - 0/24
Laurie (# 8) - 24/24 Completed
Lina (# 6) - 24/24 Completed
Lisa (# 16) - 0/24
Nell (#55) - 6/24
Penelope (# 10) - 0/24
Sarah (# 28) - 31/31 Completed
Sheila (# 19) - 16/24
Suzanne (#37) - 0/24
SymphAdventures (#50) - 5/25
TerryJane (# 12) - 24/24 Completed
Theresa (# 3) - 24/24 Completed

STATS
Participants: 31
# Of Days Read 396
# Of Days Planned 772
Completed: 14

Updated through message #99

Progress: 24/24 days

Yay! I have decided what I'm using for this year's advent challenge. In 2021, I borrowed Chicken Soup for the Soul: Laughter Is the Best Medicine: 101 Feel Good Stories, from the local library.

The book itself is not available any longer, from the library. the audio version IS available on Hoopla. So, I am going to continue where I left off 2 years ago and listen to 24 more stories from the audio book.

My progress can be seen in the spoiler link.

(view spoiler)[

Chapter 4 - Happiness Ever Laughter
🕯��12/1: (25) My Wife Tried To Kill Me
🕯��12/2: (26) The Headlight
🕯��12/3: (27) King Solomon's Sheets
🕯��12/4: (28) Man Shall Not Live On Bread Alone
🕯��12/5: (29) The Invisible Chair
🕯��12/6: (30) First Anniversary
🕯��12/7: (31) A Soft Whisper In The Air
🕯��12/8: (32) Money Talks
Chapter 5 - Pets and Other Creatures
🕯��12/9: (33) Playing It By Ear
🕯��12/10: (34) No Good Deed
🕯��12/11: (35) Bitsy And The Pick Up Truck
🕯��12/12: (36) Guest Appearance
🕯��12/13: (37) The Tell Tale Meow
🕯��12/14: (38) Making A Good Impression
🕯��12/15: (39) Impressive
🕯��12/16: (40) Canine Confusion
🕯��12/17: (41) Wedding Night Blues
Chapter 6 - Mistaken Identity
🕯��12/18: (42) Best Foot Forward
🕯��12/19: (43) Intentional Coffee With An Unintentional Stranger
🕯��12/20: (44) Sweet Delusions
🕯��12/21: (45) Eddie
🕯��12/22: (46) The Ghost In The Monestery
🕯��12/23: (47) I Am Standing Here, Not Dead
🕯��12/24: (48) Down The Hatch

(hide spoiler)]

I am in! I am going for option #1, a short story everyday.

Progress: 9/31

I'm going to try to keep it going through the entire month, & I've already compiled my list & links (though I can't share the links here, obviously--it's against ŷ������ rules). They are all available to read for free online.

12/1 Queenie �� Alice Munro
12/2 The Devil in America �� Kai Ashante Wilson
12/3 Premium Harmony �� Stephen King
12/4 Exhalation �� Ted Chiang
12/5 To Build a Fire �� Jack London
12/6 Chechnya �� Anthony Marra
12/7 The Lottery �� Shirley Jackson
12/8 Kilifi Creek �� Lionel Shriver
12/9 The Cask of Amontillado �� Edgar Allan Poe
12/10 Any Way the Wind Blows �� Seanan McGuire
(view spoiler)[12/11 The City Born Great �� N.K. Jemisin
12/12 The Library of Babel �� Jorge Luis Borges
12/13 The Faery Handbag �� Kelly Link
12/14 Ghosts & Empties �� Lauren Groff
12/15 Girls, At Play �� Celeste Ng
12/16 The Dead �� James Joyce
12/17 Spider the Artist �� Nnedi Okorafor
12/18 St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised By Wolves �� Karen Russell
12/19 The Lady With the Little Dog �� Anton Chekov
12/20 And of Clay We are Created �� Isabel Allende
12/21 Broads �� Roxane Gay
12/22 A Good Man is Hard to Find �� Flannery O'Connor
12/23 With the Beatles �� Haruki Murakami
12/24 The Fruit of My Woman �� Han Kang
12/25 The Monkey's Paw �� W.W. Jacobs
12/26 Sweetness �� Toni Morrison
12/27 In the Penal Colony �� Franz Kafka
12/28 The Embassy of Cambodia �� Zadie Smith
12/29 A Bruise the Size & Shape of a Door Handle �� Daisy Johnson
12/30 The Daughters of the Moon �� Italo Calvino
12/31 The Water That Falls On You From Nowhere �� John Chu (hide spoiler)]

I will be reading Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods. It has exactly 24 chapters, so I'll read one each day. TY for running this challenge, Theresa :)

Progress: 3/24

1. Chapter 1: Pgs. 9-27 ��
2. Chapter 2: Pgs. 28-44 ��
3. Chapter 3. Pgs. 45-58 ��
4. Chapter 4. Pgs.

I have decided to go with option B, but to combine both something Christmas-y and a book that I have been wanting to read for a long time - which I think would be nice to break up into smaller parts: so, here starts my Advent Challenge with A Christmas Carol and Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men:

🎄 Advent Calendar Challenge - Monthly Challenge 🎄
Duration: December 1 - December 31, 2023

🎄 Progress: 24/24 🎄

Many countries around the world use advent calendars or Christmas calendars to celebrate the month of December. For some people, the calendar has religious significance, but for others it's a secular, non-religious tradition.

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
🎄 DAY 1: Stave One: Marley's Ghost 🎄
I am really enjoying this so far - I really like the descriptive language and the fact that the main character is so unlikable- but still, in the end of the stave, one kind of sympathizes with him (if only a little bit).

He stopped at the outer door to bestow the greetings of the season on the clerk, who, cold as he was, was warmer than Scrooge; for he returned them cordially.

�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★

🎄 DAY 2: Stave Two: The First of the Three Spirits 🎄
Facing (view spoiler)[ The Ghost of Christmas Past (hide spoiler)] who forces one to face ones past to learn from it seems like a very difficult thing...

Say that his power lies in words and looks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count 'em up: what then? The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.

Rating: ★★��.5

🎄 DAY 3: Stave Three: The Second of the Three Spirits 🎄
I will be going to a play of this book on Wednesday - and I am very much looking forward to how the actions in this stave will be portrayed.

It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustement of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistably contagious as laughter and good-humour.

Rating: ★★★★

🎄 DAY 4: Stave Four: The Last of the Spirits 🎄
This spirit takes the showing you 'what other people say about you behind your back' even a step further ...

Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown be, by an altered life!

�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★

🎄 DAY 5: Stave Five: The End of It 🎄
and: Christmas Books by G. K. Chesterton
If only everyone could be changed that fast to be/do better ... the world would be a better place!

Rating: ★★★★

OVERALL:
Well, overall I really enjoyed finally reading this book.
I went to a play of Christmas Carol on December 6th - which was also very well done and very enjoyable - especially right after reading the book!
Final Rating: ★★★★

Invisible Women - Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men - Caroline Criado Perez
🎄 DAY 6: Preface🎄
I will let the quotes speak for themselves:

When it comes to the lives of the other half of humanity, there is often nothing but silence.
And these silences are everywhere.
--------------------
Because when we say human, on the whole, we mean man.

Rating: ★★★★.5

🎄 DAY 7: Introduction: The Default Male🎄
This is such a powerful book already and it best speaks for itself.

The fact is that worth is a matter of opinion, and opinion is informed by culture. And if that culture is as male-biased as ours is, it can't help but be biased against women. By default.
-------------------------
Whitness and maleness are silent precisely because they do not need to be vocalised. Whiteness and maleness are implicit. They are unquestioned. They are the default.

Rating: ★★★★��

Part I: Daily Life
🎄 DAY 8: Chapter 1: Can Snow-Clearing Be Sexist🎄
In short: It can.

Rating: ★★★★.5

🎄 DAY 9: Chapter 2: Gender Neutral with Urinals 🎄
This is exactly the kind of chapter I needed whenever I had to wait in long lines to use the toilet (while debating with myself whether to just use the equal sized men's toilet instead)- or while I was annoyed by some man just urinating in the middle of the road.

This chapter is so upsetting though, honestly.
It is not only about public care facilities availability (and the consequences of there not being any), but also about safety in transport systems (or the lack thereof), public excerise/ leisure spaces like parks,...

'You're a pretty girl, what do you expect?'
----------------------
When planners fail to account for gender, public spaces become male spaces by default.
----------------------
... if public spaces are truly to be for everyone, we have to start accounting for the lives of the other half of the world.
----------------------
In short, designing the female half of the world out of our public spaces is not a matter of resources. It's a matter of priorities, and, currently, whether unthinkingly or not, we just aren't prioritising women. This is manifestly unjust, and economically illiterate. Women have an equal right to public resources: we must stop excluding them by design.

Rating: ★★★★��

Part II: The Workplace
🎄 DAY 10: Chapter 3: The Long Friday🎄
24 October 1975 in Iceland - or: 'The Long Friday', as it became known - was a day where Icelandic women decided to go on strike - and 'not do a lick of work'. 'No paid work, but also no cooking, no cleaning, no child care' - to let the men of Iceland see how they coped without the invisible work women did every day to keep the country moving.

Globally, 75% of unpaid work is done by women....
---------------------------
Which raises the question: is women's unpaid work under valued because we don't see it - or is ir invisible because we don't value it?

�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★

🎄 DAY 11: Chapter 4: The Myth of Meritocracy🎄
Rising solely based on your merits - or not?!

The fact that meritocracy is a myth is not a popular one.
--------------------
Or is it just that these words are not as gender neutral as they appear? Think of a genius. Chances are, you pictured a man.

�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★

🎄 DAY 12: Chapter 5: The Henry Higgins Effect🎄
The fact that we keep calling women's heart attack symptoms 'atypical' (just because they aren't typical in men) has always bothered me a lot. This chapter was all about the 'standard' being based on young, white men (in all kinds of fields, e.g. work place related).

Instead, we continue to rely on data from studies done on men as if they apply to women. Specifically, Caucasian men aged twenty-five to thirty, who weigh 70 kg. This is 'Referance Man' and his superpower is being able to represent humanity as a whole. Of course, he does not.
-------------------------
This is unsurprising in a world where what is male is seen as universal and what is female is seen as 'atypical'.

Rating: ★★★★.5

🎄 DAY 13: Chapter 6: Being worth less than a shoe🎄

Women have always worked. They have worked unpaid, underpaid, underappreciated, and invisibly, but they have always worked. But the modern workplace does not work for women.

�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★.5

Part III: Design
🎄 DAY 14: Chapter 7: The Plough Hypothesis🎄
I never knew cooking on a traditional stove equals 100 cigarettes per day. That is horrifying.
�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★

🎄 DAY 15: Chapter 8: One size-fits-men🎄
Algorithms we don't really understand - but which will influence (and already do influence) big parts of our lives - being trained on male-biased data is really fear-inducing...
�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★��

Part IV: Going to the Doctor
🎄 DAY 16: Chapter 10: The Drugs Don't Work🎄
This is definitely something I feel should have been discussed in medical school.

Women are dying, and the medical world is complicit. It needs to wake up.

�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★��

🎄 DAY 17: Chapter 11: Yentl Syndrome🎄

...as 'Yentl syndrome', which describes the phenomenon whereby women are misdiagnosed and and poorly treated unless their symtoms or diseases conform to that of men. Sometimes, Yentl syndrome can prove fatal.

�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★��

Part V: Public Life
🎄 DAY 18: Chapter 12: A costless resource to exploit🎄

In fact, the best job.creation programme could simply be the introduction of universal childcare in every country in the world.

�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★

🎄 DAY 19: Chapter 13: From Purse to Wallet🎄
GDP completely excluding unpaid care work is just ... crazy. �鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★

🎄 DAY 20: Chapter 14: Women's Rights Are Human Rights🎄
It has always bothered me so much that we judge women and men by such different standards.

What all of this means on a grander scale is that democracy is not a level playing field: it is biased against women.

�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★.5

Part VI: When it goes wrong
🎄 DAY 21: Chapter 15: Who will rebuild?🎄
�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★

🎄 DAY 22: Chapter 16: It's not the disaster that kills you🎄

Perhaps sex-segregation needs to extend beyond sanitation facilities, and perhaps no male staff should be in positions of power over vulnerable women.

�鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★.5

🎄 DAY 23: Afterword🎄

🎄 DAY 24: Acknowledgements/Endnotes🎄

OVERALL: I really think it's books like this that should be read and discussed in school. Instead of reading only books by white, old men... (again widening the gender data gap, instead of working on closing it).
Final �鲹�پ��Բ�:★★★★.5

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Lovely challenge! Will do both options, 24 days each.

Option A
🎄 December 1
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
🎄 December 2
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
🎄 December 3
Santa Responds: He's Had Enough...and He's Writing Back! by Santa Claus
🎄 December 4
Compliments of the Season by O. Henry
🎄 December 5
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #7) by Arthur Conan Doyle
🎄 December 6
Miss Santa Claus of the Pullman by Annie Fellows Johnston
🎄 December 7
E is for Evidence (Kinsey Milhone, #5) by Sue Grafton
🎄 December 8
Bloody Christmas (Dublin Trilogy, 1.5) by Caimh McDonnell
🎄 December 9
“To Mrs K____, On Her Sending Me an English Christmas Plum-Cake at Paris�� by Helen Maria Williams
(view spoiler)[
What crowding thoughts around me wake,
What marvels in a Christmas-cake!
Ah say, what strange enchantment dwells
Enclosed within its odorous cells?
Is there no small magician bound
Encrusted in its snowy round?
For magic surely lurks in this,
A cake that tells of vanished bliss;
A cake that conjures up to view
The early scenes, when life was new;
When memory knew no sorrows past,
And hope believed in joys that last! ��
Mysterious cake, whose folds contain
Life’s calendar of bliss and pain;
That speaks of friends for ever fled,
And wakes the tears I love to shed.
Oft shall I breathe her cherished name
From whose fair hand the offering came:
For she recalls the artless smile
Of nymphs that deck my native isle;
Of beauty that we love to trace,
Allied with tender, modest grace;
Of those who, while abroad they roam,
Retain each charm that gladdens home,
And whose dear friendships can impart
A Christmas banquet for the heart!
(hide spoiler)]
🎄 December 10
“In the Bleak Midwinter�� by Christina Rossetti
(view spoiler)[
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
(hide spoiler)]
🎄 December 11
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas by Russell Hoban
🎄 December 12
The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay, ch. 1-6
🎄 December 13
The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay, ch. 7-12
🎄 December 14
The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay, ch. 13-18
🎄 December 15
The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay, ch. 19-end
🎄 December 16
“The Santaland Diaries�� from Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
🎄 December 17
Nobody's Story by Charles Dickens
🎄 December 18
“Season’s Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!�� from Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
🎄 December 19
“Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol�� from Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
🎄 December 20
“Based Upon a True Story�� from Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
🎄 December 21
In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story by David McCullough
🎄 December 22
How Santa Claus Came to Simpson's Bar by Bret Harte
🎄December 23
“Christmas Means Giving�� from Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
🎄 December 24
“The Cow and the Turkey�� from Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

Option B
Dickens Advent Reader (includes A Christmas Carol [pp. 13-176] and The Life of Our Lord [pp. 181-270])
🎄 December 1
pp. 13-17, 181-185
🎄 December 2
pp. 18-25, 186-188
🎄 December 3
pp. 26-30, 189-192
🎄 December 4
pp. 31-36, 193-196
🎄 December 5
pp. 37-42, 197-199
🎄 December 6
pp. 43-50, 200-202
🎄 December 7
pp. 51-57, 203-206
🎄 December 8
pp. 58-64, 207-210
🎄 December 9
pp. 65-70, 211-214
🎄 December 10
pp. 71-76, 215-218
🎄 December 11
pp. 77-85, 219-222
🎄 December 12
pp. 86-91, 223-226
🎄 December 13
pp. 92-99, 227-230
🎄December 14
pp. 100-107, 231-234
🎄December 15
pp. 108-113, 235-238
🎄 December 16
pp. 114-119, 239-241
🎄 December 17
pp. 120-125, 242-245
🎄 December 18
pp. 125-131, 246-248
🎄 December 19
pp. 132-138, 249-252
🎄 December 20
pp. 139-146, 253-255
🎄 December 21
pp. 147-153, 256-258
🎄 December 22
pp. 154-161, 259-261
🎄 December 23
pp. 162-167, 262-264
🎄 December 24
pp. 168-176, 265-270

COMPLETED - ADVENT CALENDAR CHALLENGE - Option B

24/24 days read

Book Read: All the Lonely People

I choose Option B.


I'll be reading The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King

24/24
Challenge complete

Option B. I will read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and will divide the 110 pages in my copy into the 24 days.
If I should finish it too soon I have other Dickens Christmas stories to read.
Probably not in the spirit of the challenge but I have read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens for the many many times and thoroughly enjoyed it. Read it slowly and mostly out loud. have not had time to complete another Christmas story.

I'm going for option B. Unfortunately, I don't have any books with 24 or 48 chapters, so I'm going to split the book into pages.

I'm going to read Luck in the Shadows. It has 471 pages on my ebook reader and so I will read about 19 pages per day.

Progress: 24/24

1. page 1 - 19 ��
2. page 20 - 37 ��
3. page 38 - 56 ��
4. page 57 - 74 ��
5. page 75 - 93 ��
6. page 94 - 113 ��
7. page 114 - 133 ��
8. page 134 - 154 ��
9. page 155 - 174 ��
10. page 175 - 194 ��
11. page 195 - 214 ��
12. page 215 - 234 ��
13. page 235 - 253 ��
14. page 254 - 272 ��
15. page 273 - 292 ��
16. page 293 - 312 ��
17. page 313 - 331 ��
18. page 332 - 351 ��
19. page 352 - 371 ��
20. page 372 - 391 ��
21. page 392 - 411 ��
22. page 412 - 431 ��
23. page 432 - 451 ��
24. page 452 - 471 ��

🕯�� ADVENT CALENDAR CHALLENGE - Monthly Challenge
Duration: December 1 - December 31, 2023
Progress: 24/24 -- COMPLETE

I will read a combination of holiday novels, novellas and short stories.

🕯�� 1. Santa 365: A Chet and Bernie Mystery eShort Story
🕯�� 2. Meals on Wheels (from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 1/13
🕯�� 3. The Long Black Veil from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 2/13
🕯�� 4. What Would They Say in Birmingham? from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 3/13
🕯�� 5. The Progress of Deglutition from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 4/13
🕯�� 6. The Telephone Man from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 5/13
🕯�� 7. Miss Wigglesworth's Bull from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 6/13
🕯�� 8. Bus Ride from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 7/13
🕯�� 9. Return to Sender from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 8/13
🕯�� 10. Lonesome Without You from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 9/13
🕯�� 11. Once Upon a Wardrobe part 1/2
🕯�� 12. Once Upon a Wardrobe part 2/2
🕯�� 13. The Garden from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 10/13
🕯�� 14. Nothing With Strings from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 11/13
🕯�� 15. The Green Bus from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 12/13
🕯�� 16. Almost Gone from Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories 13/13
🕯�� 17. Small Things Like These part 1/2
🕯�� 18. Small Things Like These part 2/2
🕯�� 19. The Christmas Box
🕯�� 20. Christmas at Holiday House 1/5
🕯�� 21. Christmas at Holiday House 2/5
🕯�� 22. Christmas at Holiday House 3/5
🕯�� 23. Christmas at Holiday House 4/5
🕯�� 24. Christmas at Holiday House 5/5

I’ll join for option A!

I’ll primarily be pulling from the Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe!

🎄Progress: 2/24🎄

ADVENT CALENDAR CHALLENGE
Duration: December 1 - December 31, 2023

I'm going with Option A.

24/24

A) Starting on Dec. 1 and ending on Dec. 24, read a short story (or poem or essay) every day. Use stories or poems from collections, magazines, or the internet - there's lot of good short fiction available for free from many publishers.

12/1 - Slot Machine Fever Dreams by Chris Bohjalian
12/2 - Sixty-One Seconds by Jeffery Deaver
12/3 - The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman
12/4 - Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory by Martha Wells
12/5 - Can You Feel This? by Julie Orringer
12/6 - The Case of the Missing Lady by Agatha Christie
12/7 - The House at Shiraz: A Parker Pyne Short Story by Agatha Christie
12/8 - The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger: A Short Story by Agatha Christie
12/9 - The Manhood of Edward Robinson: Mysteries by Agatha Christie
12/10 - The Affair of the Pink Pearl: A Short Story by Agatha Christie
12/11 - The Affair of the Pink Pearl: A Short Story by Agatha Christie
12/12 - The Case of the Discontented Soldier - a Parker Pyne Short Story by Agatha Christie
12/13 - The Love Detectives: A Short Story by Agatha Christie
12/14 - Zenith Man by Jennifer Haigh
12/15 - The Coming of Mr. Quin - a Harley Quin Short Story by Agatha Christie
12/16 - Just a Girl by Alyssa Cole
12/17 - A Perfect Plan by Jeffery Deaver
12/18 - The Red Signal by Agatha Christie
12/19 - Shell Game by Rumaan Alam
12/20 - Resting Scrooge Face by Meghan Quinn
12/21 - Uncharted Waters by Sally Hepworth
12/22 - Stockholm by Catherine Steadman
12/23 - The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
12/24 - 'Twas the Night Before Christmas: or Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore

A BIG welcome to you all. The participant list is updated to here.

Good Luck!

Edited to say, I will update the participant list again throughout the day/night. If you notice any errors, please let me know.

Hello, hello :)
I am going for option A, a short story everyday. Not sure, what yet but crossing everything in my body that I find something that can keep my ADHD brain focused on the task at hand :D

This sounds like such a fun challenge to pack up my troubles in a old kit bag, and smile, smile, smile. I think I will join Terry Jane and do a combination of short stories/novellas with longer books divided into even chunks as needed to fill in the gap.

12/1/23:
12/2/23:
12/3/23:
12/4/23:
12/5/23:
12/6/23:
12/7/23:
12/8/23:
12/9/23:
12/10/23:
12/11/23:
12/12/23:
12/13/23:
12/14/23:
12/15/23:
12/16/23:
12/17/23:
12/18/23:
12/19/23:
12/20/23:
12/21/23:
12/22/23:
12/23/23:
12/24/23:
12/25/23:
12/26/23:
12/27/23:
12/28/23:
12/29/23:
12/30/23:
12/31/23:

I would like to join this challenge as I work through Woodland Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland. I've started it, but it is a collection of very short stories, and I am going to savor it through December by reading one each day. I am reading up to the point that it will leave me 24 stories in December to complete the book.

24/24 days/stories completed

Completed stories:
12/1 Herme the Hunter
12/2 The Vixen and the Oak
12/3 The Boar of Eskdale
12/4 The Man and the Nightingale
12/5Perceval
12/6 The Green Lady
12/7 The Giant with Seven Heads
12/8 Tamlane
12/9 The Woodman and the Axe
12/10 The Swallowed Court
12/11 Pixy-Led
12/12 The Hound of the Hill
12/13 Diarmund and Grainne
12/14 Jack and the Green Man
12/15 The Flight of Birds
12/16 Auld Cruivie
12/17 Three Wishes
12/18 The Gurt Vurm of Shervage Wood
12/19 Jeanie the Bogle
12/20 The Green Woman of One Tree Hill
12/21 The Tree's Revenge
12/22 The First Crop
12/23 The Woodland Under the Sea
12/24 The White Hind of Hope

All done! Merry Christmas everyone.

Sheila from eastern NC signing on. I think I’m going to start on Hercule Poirot: the Complete Short Stories. /book/show/5.... There are more than 24, but I can make a good start on the collection.

Hi Sheila, I have read a significant amount of Agatha Christie. However, I have never had much luck with reading her Hercule Poirot series. Would the short story collection you mentioned be a good place to start, or would you recommend reading them in order?

Finished: 2023/12/21

I'm going with Option B and continue the Hunger Games trilogy from last year as Catching Fire has 27 chapters as well.

Progress: 27/27 ��

01.12. - Chapter 1
02.12. - Chapter 2 & 3
04.12. - Chapter 4
05.12. - Chapter 5 & 6
06.12. - Chapter 7
07.12. - Chapter 8
08.12. - Chapter 9 & 10
11.12. - Chapter 11 & 12
12.12. - Chapter 13 & 14
13.12. - Chapter 15 & 16
14.12. - Chapter 17 & 18
19.12. - Chapter 19 & 20
20.12. - Chapter 21 & 22
21.12. - Chapter 23 - 27

Hi, I'll sign up for option A - a short story every day(ish).

12 / 24

(view spoiler)[
1. Sea Prayer (1) ��
2-5. Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth (4) ��
6. Ankle Snatcher (1) ��
7. In Bloom (1) ��
8-11. Bad Dolls (4) ��
12. The Grownup (1) ��
13. Helpmeet (1)
14-18. Daddy (5)
19. A Visit: A Ghost Story for Christmas (1)
20. Small Things Like These (1)
21. The Beauty (1)
22. The Fall of the House of Usher (1)
23. The Black Cat (1)
24. Galatea (1)
(hide spoiler)]

Yayy, this is so perfect! I'll join you all for option A and work on my growing TBR of children's books -- everything is either from the public library or the Libro.fm educators' ALC program.

Update: I've decided to keep going through the end of the month to finish up my TBR of middle-grade books.
Done!


�� Day 31 /31
(view spoiler)[
Day 1
🎨 Dasher Can't Wait for Christmas
Day 2
🎨 Something, Someday
📚 The Golden Bull
Day 3
🎨 Kicks in the Sky
📚 Hans Christian Andersen Lives Next Door
Day 4
🎨 Never Give Up: Dr. Kati Karikó and the Race for the Future of Vaccines
📚 Breadcrumbs
Day 5
🎨 I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon
📚 Garlic and the Vampire
Day 6
🎨 Buster Gets Back on Track
📚 Hamlet is Not OK
Day 7
🎨 Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King
Day 8
🎨 The Walk
📚 Skeletons Don't Play Tubas
Day 9
🎨 Homegrown
📚 The Usual Suspects
Day 10
🎨 The Fish of Small Wishes
Day 11
🎨 Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior
Day 12
🎨 Moving the Millers' Minnie Moore Mine Mansion: A True Story
📚 Just Be You: Ask Questions, Set Intentions, Be Your Special Self, and More
Day 13
🎨 Threads: Zlata’s Ukrainian Shirt
📚 Frogs (A Day in the Life): What Do Frogs, Toads, and Tadpoles Get Up to All Day?
Day 14
🎨 Love, Violet
📚 Nura and the Immortal Palace
Day 15
🎨 Mama's Sleeping Scarf
Day 16
🎨 Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year
Day 17
🎨 A Bowl Full of Peace: A True Story
Day 18
🎨 Me and the Boss: A Story About Mending and Love
Day 19
🎨 The Fox Wish
📚 Brother's Keeper
Day 20
🎨 My Life Beyond Depression: A Mayo Clinic Patient Story
📚 Mercy Watson is Missing!
Day 21
🎨 Skeletina and the Greedy Tooth Fairy
📚 How Do You Live?
Day 22
🎨 Remember
📚 The Cat Who Saved Books
Day 23
🎨 Together for Kwanzaa
📚 Spy School Goes North
Day 24
🎨 The Lunar New Year Surprise
📚 Just Roll with It
Day 25
🎨 Thank You, Mama
📚 Sylvia & Aki
Day 26
📚 Elska
Day 27
📚 The Puppets of Spelhorst
Day 28
📚 Frizzy
Day 29
📚 Kin: Rooted in Hope
Day 30
📚 Only Only Marisol Rainey
Day 31
📚 Time to Roll
(hide spoiler)]


📚 Chapter books: 22 /15


📚 Chapter book TBR
cleared!

🎨 Picture books: 25 /24


🎨 Picture book TBR - cleared!

I'm in for 24 days.
I've broken Little Women into chunks for each day.
🕯��

₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡�����₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡�����₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡�����₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊₊˚｡⋆❆⋆

The participant list continues to grow. Happy to have all of you here!

₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡�����₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡�����₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡�����₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊₊⋆❆⋆₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡�����

ADVENT CHALLENGE
December 01 - December 31, 2023
Progress: 0/24

I'll be going with Option B - I've been trying to make my way through Alexander Hamilton for ages and I think marking it up into 24 chunks will make it easier. The book is 731 pages, so I'm dividing it evenly into chunks of 31 pages/day, except the final day which is slightly less.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
1. 0 - 31 pages
2. 31 - 62 pages
3. 62 - 93 pages
4. 93 - 124 pages
5. 124 - 155 pages
6. 155 - 186 pages
7. 186 - 217 pages
8. 217 - 248 pages
9. 248 - 279 pages
10. 279 - 310 pages
11. 310 - 341 pages
12. 341 - 372 pages
13. 372 - 403 pages
14. 403 - 434 pages
15. 434 - 465 pages
16. 465 - 496 pages
17. 496 - 527 pages
18. 527 - 558 pages
19. 558 - 589 pages
20. 589 - 620 pages
21. 620 - 651 pages
22. 651 - 682 pages
23. 682 - 713 pages
24. 713 - 731 pages

I’ll go with option A. Our Strangers written by Lydia Davis. Have read 39% of it. Maybe when it turns to December I’ll be finishing at 50%. I’ll cut it in chunks when the time comes. Thanks!

Sign me up for 31 books

31/31-COMPLETED

✅Day 1) The Red Pony (1/12/23)
✅Day 2) Puppy Love (2/12/23)
✅Day 3) Murder Queen High (3/12/23)
✅Day 4) Purple, Green and Yellow (4/12/23)
✅Day 5) A Dark Love Story (5/12/23)
✅Day 6) Giving an Inch (6/12/23)
✅Day 7) Where the Wild Things Are (7/12/23)
✅Day 8) We Should All Be Feminists (8/12/23)
✅Day 9) The Overcoat (9/12/23)
✅Day 10) The Strange Library (10/12/23)
✅Day 11) The Tale of Peter Rabbit (11/12/23)
✅Day 12) Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (12/12/23)
✅Day 13) The Hour of the Star (13/12/23)
✅Day 14) So Long a Letter (14/12/23)
✅Day 15) Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination (15/12/23)
✅Day 16) If You're Not Yet Like Me (16/12/23)
✅Day 17) Love and Freindship (17/12/23)
✅Day 18) The Sleeper and the Spindle (18/12/23)
✅Day 19) Medea (19/12/23)
✅Day 20) Galatea (20/12/23)
✅Day 21) The Bookstore Sisters (21/12/23)
✅Day 22) Foster (22/12/23)
✅Day 23) The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country (23/12/23)
✅Day 24) The Witch of the North Pole (24/12/23)
✅Day 25) Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? (25/12/23)
✅Day 26) Miss Marple's Final Cases (26/12/23)
✅Day 27) Letters from Father Christmas (27/12/23)
✅Day 28) Archie's Girls Betty & Veronica #303 (28/12/23)
✅Day 29) Archie's Girls Betty & Veronica #304 (29/12/23)
✅Day 30) Archie's Girls Betty & Veronica #305 (30/12/23)
✅Day 31) Archie's Girls Betty & Veronica #306 (31/12/23)

Count me in ! I'll go for Option B
Starting on Dec. 1: Split a novel into 24 chunks and portion your reading so that you read the last chunk on Dec. 24.

Progress: 2/2

#1 -The Host @ 24/24 days COMPLETE
#2- The Bourne Ultimatum @ 25/25 days=COMPLETE

1. The Host, 624 pages = 26 p/day
0-26 pages-dec 1
26-52 pages-dec 2
52-78 pages-dec 3
78-104 pages-dec 4
104-130 pages-dec 5
130-156 pages-dec 6
156-182 pages-dec 7
182-208 pages-dec 8
208-234 pages-dec 9
234-260 pages-dec 10
260-286 pages-dec 11
286-312 pages-dec 12
312-338 pages-dec 13
338-364 pages-dec 14
364-390 pages-dec 15
390-416 pages-dec 16
416-442 pages-dec 17
442-468 pages- dec 18
468-494 pages- dec 19
494-520 pages- dec 20
520-546 pages- dec 21
546-572 pages- dec 22
572-598 pages -dec 23
598-624 pages-dec 24

2. The Bourne Ultimatum, 725 pages = 29 p/day
0-29 pages-dec 1
29-58 pages-dec 2
58-87 pages-dec 3
87-116 pages-dec 4
116-145 pages-dec 5
145-174 pages-dec 6
174-203 pages-dec 7
203-232 page-dec 8
232-261 pages-dec 9
261-290 pages-dec 10
290-319 pages-dec 11
319-348 pages-dec 12
348-377 pages-dec 13
377-406 pages-dec 14
406-435 pages-dec 15
435-464 pages-dec 16
464-493 pages- dec 17
493-522 pages- dec 18
522-551 pages- dec 19
551-580 pages- dec 20
580-609 pages-dec 21
609-638 pages-dec 22
638-667 pages-dec 23
667-696 pages-dec 24
696-725 pages-dec 25

Four more participants have joined, since my last post.
A BIG welcome to you all!
If any of you notice any errors, I'd be happy to make corrections.

I hope you enjoy all of your December reads! December is just over 3 hours away, for me. So, here we go!

Dear Theresa, I hope you have the best December ever in your reading experience. You are appreciated for all your hard work.

It's like to join, please. I'll choose option B and read The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang.

December Advent Calendar:

Message #32 updated. Progress: 15/24 days

December 1st - 3rd: 46 pages

December 1: Chapter 1 - 26 pages
December 2: Chapter 2 - 12 pages
December 3: Chapter 2 & 3 - 8 pages

December 4th - 10th: 208 pages

December 4: Chapter 3 & 4 - 38 pages
December 5: Chapter 5 - 20 pages
December 6: Chapter 6 - 26 pages
December 7: Chapter 7 & 8 & 9 - 67 pages
December 8: Chapter 9 - 18 pages
December 9: Chapter 10 - 6 pages
December 10: Chapter 10 & 11 - 33 pages

December 11th - 17th: 94 pages

December 11: Chapter 12 & 13 - 25 pages
December 12: Chapter 13 - 15 pages
December 13: did not read
December 14: Chapter 14 - 28 pages
December 15: Chapter 15 - 12 pages
December 16: Chapter 15 & 16 & 17 - 14 pages
December 17: Chapter 18 and 19

December 18th - 24th: ## pages

(view spoiler)[
December 18: Chapter 20
December 19: Chapter 21
December 20: Chapter 22
December 21: Chapter 23
December 22: Chapter 24
December 23: Chapter 25
December 24: Chapter 26
(hide spoiler)]

Total Pages Read: ##

I am going to use this challenge for my opportunity to read Rose Quartz: Poems. There are 52 poems in the book so I am going to do 2 every day until day 23 and 24 and increase it to 3 poems.

This is so unique and I am excited!

Lauri’s Spot!
Advent Calendar Challenge
Option B
This book contains 3 separate stories & technically has 25 chapters including a prologue and epilogue��

The Amish Christmas Candle
Kelly Long

Fri 12/1: Prologue & Chapter 1 (pages 1 - 21)
Sat 12/2: Chapter 2 (pages 22 - 25)
Sun 12/3:

I love this challenge, what a wonderful idea!

I’m going to go with option A and read different poetry and short stories, depending on my mood, and what I feel like I need for the day.

12/1 Christmas Bells - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Update to Message #12: 1/24

2023 & 2024 Reading Challenge
December - Advent Challenge
Duration: December 1 - December 31, 2023

Progress: 7 out of 24

The Advent Challenge is back for another year!

Many countries around the world use advent calendars or Christmas calendars to celebrate the month of December. For some people, the calendar has religious significance, but for others it's a secular, non-religious tradition.

For this challenge, there are two options:

A) Starting on Dec. 1 and ending on Dec. 24, read a short story (or poem or essay) every day. Use stories or poems from collections, magazines, or the internet - there's lot of good short fiction available for free from many publishers.

December 1: Under the Christmas Tree by Robyn Carr - - 2/5/2024 - 93 Pages
December 2: The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin - - 2/17/2024 - 120 Pages
December 3: The Queen by Kiera Cass - *** - 2/26/2024 - 72 Pages
December 4: The Prince by Kiera Cass - *** - 2/27/2024 - 64 Pages
December 5: No Man's Land by Kirsten Beyer - *** - 2/29/2024 - 2 Pages
December 6: Everyday Charisma: Techniques for Mass Appeal, Charm, and Becoming a Social Powerhouse by Patrick King - *** - 4/10/2024 - 84 Pages
December 7: Nice Girls Don’t Sign a Lease Without a Wedding Ring by Molly Harper - - 4/23/2024 - 9 Pages
December 8
December 9
December 10
December 11
December 12
December 13
December 14
December 15
December 16
December 17
December 18
December 19
December 20
December 21
December 22
December 23
December 24
December 25
December 26
December 27
December 28
December 29
December 30
December 31

Update to message #21 - 3/27

In response to Ellizabeth, I am on my 3rd Hercule Poirot short story on this challenge, and I am enjoying M. Poirot quite a lot in short portions. The complete short stories are available on audible, and I enjoy the accents and the narrators. Give them a try!

I’m starting option B as well with The Mists of Avalon which has been in my tbr list for years. There are 4 books within the book, so I will divide each one every week and try to get through it.

Updated message #9

3/24

Dear Sheila Knotts, Thank you for your response and recommendation. I will start with Agatha Christie's short stories featuring Hercule Poirot, and see if this time I can appreciate his character. Maybe I won't get so frustrated and annoyed with him in short doses. Have a fun and productive December reading month.

Update to message #35

3/31 so far

Option A

12/1 Christmas Bells - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
12/2 Hope is the thing with feathers - Emily Dickinson
12/3 We Rise - Amanda Gorman

3/24 complete - ty!!

Update to Message #12 : 4/24

Update to message #11
Progress: 4/24

Update to msg. #23:
Progress: 4/24

update to message #4
progress: 5/31

Update message #21 - 6/27

I set this for myself and got very excited to see this challenge posted. Aiming to complete 25 days of short mystery and horror Christmas/Festive stories.

1 The Christmas Bell by L. A. Detwiler 3/5
2 A Chaparral Christmas Gift by O. Henry 3/5
3 A Wreath for Marley by Max Allen Collins 4/5
4 A Letter from a Christmas Cannibal by Rick Wood5/5
5 A Present for Santa Sahib by H.R. Keating 4/5
6 Secret Santa for the Sadistic by Rick Wood 3/5
7 Sleigh Spells by Bella Falls 3/5
8 The Proof in the Pudding by Peter Lovesey 4/5
9 The Snowball Burglery by H. C. Bailey 4/5
10 The Trinity Cat by Ellis Peters 5/5
11 Christmas Cracker by Kit Power 4/5
12 Boxing Unclever by Robert Barnard 4/5
13 Track Santa Parts 1, 2 & 3 by Rick Wood 5/5
14 In the Bleak Midwinter by Daniel Marc Chant 3/5
15 More than Flesh and Blood by Susan Moody 4/5
16 And All Through the House by Ed McBain 3.5/5
17 Underneath the Mistletoe Last Night by Mark Billingham 4/5
18 Christmas Party by Rex Stout 1/5
19 A Scandal in Winter by Gillian Linscott 5/5
20 The Night Before Christmas by Matt Shaw 2.5/5
21 Yule Regret it by Charlotte Bond 5/5
22 Gold, Frankincense and Murder by Catherine Aird 2/5
23 The Price of Light by Ellis Peters 4/5
24 Death on Christmas Eve by Stanley Ellin 3/5
25