Hello from snowy prairie Canada! In this post, I am going to renew a reading group I enjoy very much, “First Reads” and leap into two that are new. I update in one spot, so come back and see how I fulfill these fun themes.
This angle is useful. It is like the ‘new author’ group but that hostess was too busy to visited blogs, or answer comments. After three years, that fell flat. Participants of my groups are guests. I cherish their comments and acquainting them. I was thrilled to find Debdatta’s group last year and love her level ranges. This year in particular, I am breezing through new authors upon my shelves, like the wind. I’ve owned single and great names for years, unopened. I am endeavouring, with success already, to read their first novels; so I don’t collect whole suites without knowing I like them.
I achieved 65 books in 2014, so I am going to aim for at least level “Expert” this year!
Amateur Choose 1 – 25 New Authors
Lover Choose 26 – 50 New Authors
Expert Choose 51 – 75 New Authors
Fanatic Choose 76+ New Authors.
(1) “Tempest In The Tea Leaves” Kari Lee Townsend 2011
(2) “The Cat, The Quilt, And The Corpse” Leann Sweeney 2009
(3) “Larceny And Old Lace” Tamar Myers 1996
(4) “The Christie Curse” Victoria Abbott 2013
(5) “A Novena For Murder” Sister Carol Anne O’Marie 1984
(6) “Cats Know Best” Lesley Anne Ivory, Colin Eisler 1988
(7) “Mystery Of The Piper’s Ghost” Zillah K. MacDonald 1954
(8) “Death Of A Literary Widow” Robert Barnard 1979
(9) “The Lost Steps” Alejo Carpentier 1953
(10) “The Half-A-Moon Inn” Paul Fleischman 1980
(11) “Astrology For Cats” Traudl & Walter Reiner 1991
(12) “Marshy Winter” Ed Golin, Jerry Maryniuk 1993
(13) “The Riddle Of The Lonely House” Augusta Huiell Seaman 1935
(14) “Body Of Intution” Claire Daniels 2002
(15) “House Of Dark Shadows” Robert Liparulo 2008
(16) “Selected Poems: The Vision Tree” Phyllis Webb 1982
(17) “Tom’s Midnight Garden” Philippa Pearce 1958
(18) “The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe” Penelope Lively 1973
(19) “Stars Near & Far” Robin Dexter 1996
(20) “Shadows At The Fair” Lea Wait 2002
(21) “Whose Body?” Dorothy L. Sayers 1923
(22) “Greystones” Antonia Lamb 1966
(23) “Aesop’s Fables” George Fyler Townsend 1846
(24) “You Can’t Do That In Canada!” Bev Spencer 2000
(25) “Crazy Canadian Trivia” Pat Hancock 2000
(26) “Canadian Disasters” René Schmidt 2006
(27) “Dinosaur Hunters: Uncovering The Hidden Remains Of Canada’s Ancient Giants” Lisa Murphy-Lamb 2003
(28) “Wish Upon A Unicorn” Vicki Blum 1999
(29) “The Setting Lake Sun” J.R. Léveillé 2001
(30) “Sonnets From The Portuguese” Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1850
(31) “The Street” Mordecai Richler 1969
(32) “Lament For A Lounge Lizard” Mary Jane Maffini 2003
(33) “Through The Door” Jodi McIsaac 2012
(34) “The Summer Tree” Guy Gavriel Kay 1984
(35) “Canadian Hauntings” Michael Norman, Beth Scott 1994
(36) “Rescue Dogs: Crime & Rescue Canines In The Canadian Rockies” Dale Portman 2003
(37) “Weird British Columbia Places” Michelle Simms 2006
(38) “Ben The Bear & The Honeysuckle Tree” Jay Conley 2000
(39) “A Promise Is A Promise” Michael Kusugak 1988
(40) “Earth Witch” Anne Cameron 1982
(41) “White Horses And Shooting Stars” David Greer, Chum McLeod 1994
(42) “Aurore Of The Yukon” Keith Halliday 2006
(43) “The Klondike Gold Rush: Photographs From 1896-1899” Graham Wilson 1997
(44) “Gold Digger” Vicki Delany 2009
(45) “Deadly Appearances” Gail Bowen 1990
(46) “The Castle In The Attic” Elizabeth Winthrop 1985
(47) “Watcher In The Woods” Robert Liparulo 2008
(48) “Time For Bed” Mem Fox, Jane Dyer 1993
(49) “The Snail’s Spell” Joanne Ryder, Lynne Cherry 1982
(50) “Does It Float?” Lisa Ann Marsoli, Adam Devaney 2005
(51) “Too Many Secrets” Betty Ren Wright 1997
(52) “The New House Villain” Margaret Mahey 1987
(53) “Christopher Robin Leads An Expotition” Alan Alexander Milne 1926
(54) “Dear Mr. Blueberry” Simon James 1991
(55) “The Life Story Of The Butterfly” Jilly MacLeod, Joanne Cowne 1996
(56) “Haunted Harbours, Ghost Stories Of Old Nova Scotia” Steve Vernon 2006
(57) “Bluenose Ghosts” Dr. Helen Creighton 1957
(58) “The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings” Carolyn Sherwin Bailey 1931
(59) “The Easter Story” Heather Amery, Norman Young 1998
(60) “Secrets & Mysteries Of The World” Sylvia Browne 2005
(61) “Micawber” John Lithgow, C.F. Payne 2002
(62) “Paddington At The Station” Michael Bond 1976
(63) “Murder Buys A T-Shirt” Christy Fifield 2012
(64) “Jonah And A Very Big Fish” Sunny Griffin, Yacoba 1994
(65) “Lost Treasures: True Stories Of Discovery” Larry Verstraete 2006
(66) “Artifacts” Mary Anna Evans 2003
(67) “The Haunting Of Maddie Prue” Alfred Silver 2000
(68) “Night Gardening” E.L. Swann 1999
(69) “Ghost House” Paul Kropp 2003
(70) “The Four Musicians” Brothers Grimm 1819
(71) “Heidi” Johanna Spyri, D Marwood 1881
(72) “Haunted Pets” Allan Zullo 1995
(73) “The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything” Linda Williams, Megan Lloyd 1986
(74) “Usborne True Stories, Ghosts” Paul Dowswell 2008
(75) “Girl Sleuth, Nancy Drew & The Women Who Created Her” Melanie Rehak 2005
(76) “Bambi Gets Lost” Arthur G. Miller 1941
(77) “The Art Of Robert Bateman” Ramsay Derry 1981
(78) “A Killer Plot” Ellery Adams 2010
(79) “The Joy Of Cats” Jo Kittinger 1999
(80) “The House On Tradd Street” Karen White 2008
(81) “The Haunting Of Maddy Clare” Simone St. James 2012
(82) “The Tale Of Halcyon Crane” Wendy Webb 2010
(83) “Mouse’s First Christmas” Lauren Thompson, Buket Erdogan 1999
(84) “Yummiest Love” Lisa McCourt, Laura J. Bryant 2009
(85) “The Mystery Of The Stone Tiger” Carolyn Keene 1963
(86) “Christmas On Top Of The World” Tim Coffey 2003
(87) “The House Without A Christmas Tree” Gail Rock 1974
(88) “The Cat Who Loved Christmas” Caren Schnur Neile 2000
(89) “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) 1957
(90) “Der Stall Von Bethlehem” Jenny Tulip 1993
(91) “The Black Dudley Murder” Margery Allingham 1929
(92) “Clifford’s Animal Sounds” Norman Bridwell 1991
(93) “No One Writes To The Colonel” Gabriel García Márquez 1961
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I spotted this featurette a little while ago and am glad, because it is as flexible as all get go. Also, I cherish anyone who considers cats precious. Our dear, young Lovey passed away to our disbelief; exactly six months ago (July 31, 2014). Here’s to you, our energetic boy!
Anna’s idea will be wonderfully relaxing and rewarding to accommodate. It doesn’t merely entail our first time with authors. It could be our first time with a genre, or the head volume of a series; even if it’s by an oldie. I won’t choose a level yet and shall look forward to what I have in that library you see above, that qualifies. Seventy-two happens to be a good number for me!
My total is: 16 oddballs here + the 93 above = 109! I topped the board! :)
Level 1— 06 new to you
Level 2— 12 new to you
Level 3— 24 new to you
Level 4— 36 new to you
Level 5— 48 new to you
Level 6— 72 new to you
Level 7 100+ new to you
“Fool’s Gold” Juliet Blackwell 2013
“Unsung Heroes Of The Royal Canadian Air Force” Cynthia J. Faryon 2003
“Aesop’s Fables” George Fyler Townsend 1846
“The Unmasking Of ‘Ksan” Eric Wilson 1986
“A Hill For Looking” Martha Brooks 1982
“Animal Heroes” Karleen Bradford 1995
“This Land Of Ours” P.J. Peters 1972
“Look For Me By Moonlight” Mary Downing Hahn 1995
“Danse Macabre” Stephen King 1981
“Guide To Fiction Writing” Phyllis A. Whitney 1982
“A Haunting Is Brewing” Juliet Blackwell 2014
“When A Cobbler Ruled The King” Augusta Huiell Seaman 1911
“The Boarded-Up House” Augusta Huiell Seaman 1915
“Six Darn Cows” Margaret Laurence, Ann Blades 1979
“The Night Of Four-Hundred Rabbits” Elizabeth Peters 1971
(16) “Waiting For Willa” Dorothy Eden 1970
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This is a fun idea. It took a long while to search birthdates but now all I do is read twelve books, which check-off the month of an author’s birthday. I finish nine times that many each year. Speaking of “full”, “fill”, “ample”, and “birthday”; this cake picture is a delight! Hats off to this hostess for creativity. When I have finished a review, see the link here, or in my alphabetized menu atop this blog. I’m unable to get comments through ‘Blogspot’. I hope she turns off ‘verification’.
JANUARY 1, 1879 – Augusta Huiell Seaman
FEBRUARY 15, 1885 – Zillah K. MacDonald
MARCH 13, 1951 – Alfred Silver
APRIL 2, 1931 – Howard Engel
MAY 30, 1964 – Karen White
JUNE 20, 1913 – Lilian Jackson Braun
JULY 15, 1944 – Martha Brooks
AUGUST 6, 1944 – Lyn Hamilton
SEPTEMBER 9, 1903 – Phyllis A. Whitney
OCTOBER 20, 1908 – Wylly Folk St. John
NOVEMBER 12, 1922 – Charlotte MacLeod
DECEMBER 9, 1937 – Mary Downing Hahn
“The Boarded-Up House” Augusta Huiell Seaman 1915
“Mystery Of The Piper’s Ghost” Zillah K. MacDonald 1954
“The Haunting Of Maddie Prue” Alfred Silver 2000
“Murder Sees The Light” Howard Engel 1984
“The House On Tradd Street” Karen White 2008
“The Cat Who Played Brahms” Lilian Jackson Braun 1987
“A Hill For Looking” Martha Brooks 1982
“The African Quest” Lyn Hamilton 2000
“Guide To Fiction Writing” Phyllis A. Whitney 1982
“The Mystery Of The Other Girl” Wylly Folk St. John 1978
“The Palace Guard” Charlotte MacLeod 1981
“Look For Me By Moonlight” Mary Downing Hahn 1995
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The hostess of this creative theme is flexible. Her concept is that a book release covers each year of a decade we choose. Becky doesn’t mind repeats if we’re scrounging. With those 10 we select, we make-up our preferred genre with it. I see myself choosing a suite of novels in “Mystery” for the 1970s and perhaps “Paranormal” in the 2000s or 2010s. I like this idea, although a link button would bypass the dreaded “Blogspot” comment issues. This post will have updates when I work them out.
Wow! Make that eight categories! That means eighty books fit this tricky game: books I have already read! I did not strategize. I elected this year to read what I wished and see how it panned out. I fared very well, without planning. Happy new year 2016 from Carolyn, in central Canada!
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INTERNATIONAL MYSTERY OF THE 1970s
“Waiting For Willa” Dorothy Eden 1970 (Stockholm, Sweden)
“The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax” Dorothy Gilman 1970 (Turkey)
“The Night Of Four-Hundred Rabbits” Elizabeth Peters 1971 (México)
“The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe” Penelope Lively 1973 (England)
“The Mystery Book Mystery” Wylly Folk St. John 1976 (U.S.A.)
“The Witch Lady Mystery” Carol Beach York 1976 (U.S.A.)
“The Mystery Of The Other Girl” Wylly Folk St. John 1978 (U.S.A.)
“Death Of A Literary Widow” Robert Barnard 1979 (England)
“The Lost Treasure Of Casa Loma” Eric Wilson 1979 (Canada)
“When Midnight Comes” Carol Beach York 1979 (U.S.A.)
CANADIAN & AMERICAN MYSTERY OF THE 1980s
“The Half-A-Moon Inn” Paul Fleischman 1980
“The Palace Guard” Charlotte MacLeod 1981 *Canadian*
“Murder On Location” Howard Engel 1982 *Canadian*
“Murder Sees The Light” Howard Engel 1984 *Canadian*
“A Novena For Murder” Sister Carol Anne O’Marie 1984
“Shattered Silk” Barbara Michaels 1986
“Advent Of Dying” Sister Carol Anne O’Marie 1986
“The Unmasking Of ‘Ksan” Eric Wilson 1986 *Canadian*
“The Corpse In Oozak’s Pond” Charlotte MacLeod 1987 *Canadian*
“The Cat Who Played Brahms” Lilian Jackson Braun 1987
FANTASY OF THE 1980s
“The Wishing Tree” Ruth Chew 1980
“The Snail’s Spell” Joanne Ryder, Lynne Cherry 1982
“The Summer Tree” Guy Gavriel Kay 1984
“Witchery Hill” Welwyn Wilton Katz 1984
“The Castle In The Attic” Elizabeth Winthrop 1985
“The Evening Walk” Joanne Ryder, Julie Durrell 1985
“The Wandering Fire” Guy Gavriel Kay 1986
“The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything” Linda Williams, Megan Lloyd 1986
“The New House Villain” Margaret Mahey 1987
“A Promise Is A Promise” Michael Kusugak 1988
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE OF THE 1990s
“Clifford’s Animal Sounds” Norman Bridwell 1991
“Dear Mr. Blueberry” Simon James 1991
“Hide And Sneak” Michael Kusugak 1992
“Marshy Winter” Ed Golin, Jerry Maryniuk 1993
“Time For Bed” Mem Fox, Jane Dyer 1993
“Jonah And A Very Big Fish” Sunny Griffin, Yacoba 1994
“Jacob Two-Two’s First Spy Case” Mordecai Richler 1995
“Too Many Secrets” Betty Ren Wright 1997
“Mouse’s First Christmas” Lauren Thompson, Buket Erdogan 1999
“Wish Upon A Unicorn” Vicki Blum 1999
NON-FICTION OF THE 1990s
“Der Stall Von Bethlehem” Jenny Tulip 1993
“Canadian Hauntings” Michael Norman, Beth Scott 1994
“White Horses And Shooting Stars” David Greer, Chum McLeod 1994
“Animal Heroes” Karleen Bradford 1995
“Haunted Pets” Allan Zullo 1995
“Stars Near & Far” Robin Dexter 1996
“The Life Story Of The Butterfly” Jilly MacLeod, Joanne Cowne 1996
“The Klondike Gold Rush: Photographs From 1896-1899” Graham Wilson 1997
“The Easter Story” Heather Amery, Norman Young 1998
“The Joy Of Cats” Jo Kittinger 1999
NON-FICTION OF THE 2000s
“Crazy Canadian Trivia” Pat Hancock 2000
“Unsung Heroes Of The Royal Canadian Air Force” Cynthia J. Faryon 2003
“Dinosaur Hunters: Uncovering The Hidden Remains Of Canada’s Ancient Giants” Lisa Murphy-Lamb 2003
“Rescue Dogs: Crime & Rescue Canines In The Canadian Rockies” Dale Portman 2003
“Secrets & Mysteries Of The World” Sylvia Browne 2005
“Girl Sleuth, Nancy Drew & The Women Who Created Her” Melanie Rehak 2005
“Weird British Columbia Places” Michelle Simms 2006
“Canadian Disasters” René Schmidt 2006
“Lost Treasures: True Stories Of Discovery” Larry Verstraete 2006
“Usborne True Stories, Ghosts” Paul Dowswell 2008
MYSTERY OF THE 2000s
“Aunt Dimity Beats The Devil” Nancy T. Atherton 2000
“The African Quest” Lyn Hamilton 2000
“Body Of Intution” Claire Daniels 2002
“Lament For A Lounge Lizard” Mary Jane Maffini 2003
“The Chardonnay Charade” Ellen Crosby 2006
“Fruit Of The Poisoned Tree” Joyce Lavene 2006
“Too Hot To Handle” Mary Jane Maffini 2007
“The House On Tradd Street” Karen White 2008
“Watcher In The Woods” Robert Liparulo 2008
“The Cat, The Quilt, And The Corpse” Leann Sweeney 2009
PARANORMAL OF THE 2010s!
“The Tale Of Halcyon Crane” Wendy Webb 2010
“Tempest In The Tea Leaves” Kari Lee Townsend 2011
“Charmed” Barbara Bretton 2011
“The Haunting Of Maddy Clare” Simone St. James 2012
“Murder Buys A T-Shirt” Christy Fifield 2012
“Fool’s Gold” Juliet Blackwell 2013
“Dyeing Wishes” Molly MacRae 2013
“A Vision In Velvet” Juliet Blackwell 2014
“A Haunting Is Brewing” Juliet Blackwell 2014
“Spinning In Her Grave” Molly MacRae 2014
First, welcome to the challenge :) I am not strict about having every single year represented. As long as ten books are read per decade, then that completes the challenge. I’ve updated the original challenge post to answer a few of your questions.
Hi Becky! It’s great to have your comment! I’m excited about your concept because I love being challenged a little. I’ll see if I can hit every year of a decade but know you’re cool, if a few are repeated. I reach for the top but I’m happy there’s a net. :)
Great job completing the Birthday Month challenge! I enjoyed reading your reviews. :)
youmeandacupofteablog.blogspot.com
Thank you so much, Lois! For this kind visit, along with the generous $10.00 Canadian gift certificate! Oh my goodness, I was excited to tell my fiancé about it. If ‘blogspot’ permits, I will do the respect of a comment at your post announcing winners. :) God bless you!