January CalendarCAT

No rules! Just choose a book that relates to a significant date on the calendar.

These are some of the significant dates in January and ideas about how they might be linked to reading. Of course, there are many others I haven't listed, feel free to choose a favourite January date.

1st: New Year's Day - anything new: exercise program, diet, job
1st: Polar Bear Swim Day - books set in cold regions, Scandinavian or Nordic mysteries
2nd: National Science Fiction Day - attention SciFi fans
4th: National Spaghetti Day - Italian settings or translations
5th: Twelfth Night - or Twelve Angry Men, or The Dirty Dozen
5th: National Bird Day - some ideas: Raven Black by Anne Cleeves or I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou
6th: Full Moon - a book too wacky to fit in any other CAT
7th: Julian Christmas - for all those Christmas books still waiting to be read
16th: Dragon Appreciation Day - for dragon lovers, fantasy fans
18th: Winnie the Pooh Day - children's books
21st: National Hugging Day - romance
21st: Tu BiShvat - an ecological awareness day
21st: Martin Luther King Jr Day - Civil rights, Black history
25th: Burns Night (Robert Burns' birthday) - everything Scottish
26th: Australia Day - everything Australian
27th: Family Literacy Day - books shared with family

January's flowers are: Carnation and Snowdrop symbolizing love, fascination and distinction. The carnation is the flower of Ohio and also known for the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig.

The two signs of the zodiac are Capricorn (January 1-19) symbolized by the mountain goat who can climb higher without losing footing, and Aquarius, represented by a carrier of a pitcher of water indicating generosity.

January's birthstone is the Garnet. It symbolizes peace, prosperity and good health.

All of these open up lots of reading options. Whatever you choose, have fun!

Don't forget to update the Wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2019_CalendarCAT

This is the list I'm considering for January's CalendarCAT:

Bloody January by Alan Parks
1st: Polar Bear Swim Day: The Snowman by Jo Nesbø or Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson
4th: National Spaghetti Day: Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri
25th: Burns Night: The Black Book by Ian Rankin

Planning on Hunting Party by Elizabeth Moon, and Deadhouse Landing by Ian C. Esslemont - Science Fiction Day!

I will most likely be reading So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish by Douglas Adams which works nicely for Science Fiction Day. Hoping to also finally get Nine Perfect Strangers from the library next month which would work for Australia Day.

I'm planning on reading January Thaw to get myself off to a good start in making sure I read plenty of plays and poetry this coming year!

That's a wonderfully wide range. Thank you Vivienne. I'll probably go with something Australian, perhaps Jane Harper's latest, The Lost Man.

Well on January 31, every one should read Manga, that is read from back to front, right?

My initial thoughts for this one are Eyrie by Tim Winton and Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delaney, two books which I bought on a trip to Australia.

I'm going to take a monthly approach to this Cat this year. I found that Jan is the National Tea Month so I'm going to read Oolong Dead by Laura Childs the next book in her Charleston tea shop mystery series.

Lots of great ideas here! Thanks! I will probably read something from the Pink Carnation series or a kids book.

On an initial read-through, the one that jumped out at me was birds, so I might go with that theme. I'll take another look, though, and see.

Looks like my top two choices for birds are:

Bird Watching for Dummies / Bill Thompson
Owls in the Family / Farley Mowat

>1 VivienneR: I love that illustrated calendar, Vivienne - lots of ideas on that! I am going to go with the New Year idea and read A New Day by Beryl Matthews and then an author with a January birthday with Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

Since January 1st is Public Domain Day, I’ll probably read something that is out of copyright. In the US, that means practically anything published before 1923.

If January 8th is National Bubble Bath day, does it count if I read the book in the tub?

How terrific is that! Your choices are all over the board (or should I say calendar). I love all those ideas.

>15 cyderry: Just don't get the book wet!

That's a gret introduction, Vivienne. I'm tempted by the Dragon Appreciation Day, having just bought A natural history of dragons...

You guys are awesome in finding books to read. I might join in this year just not sure I would finish the book in the same month.

I'm thinking about reading Wine and Punishment because it has a garnet colored cover,


The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla, the next in the Pink Carnation series for me, and of course, any book I want while I sit in a bubble bath (I do it quite often.)

I have had Dragon sitting on my shelves since the 1990's, so it would also fit for the TBRCAT. That s what I'm leaning towards at the moment. But with so many great options, I may change my mind.

>13 DeltaQueen50: & >17 MissWatson: Thank you.

>18 crazy4reading: Some members of the group don't stay with the month precisely, so feel free to read it when it's convenient.

>21 VivienneR: That is good to know. I will have to take a look when I am at home to see if I can find anything that fits. I'll also have to see what we are reading for my book club for January. It would be great if I could get that one to fit in somewhere.

I will be reading Under Capricorn (1937) by Helen De Guerry Simpson. It was made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1949, but I've never seen it. Under Capricorn is set in Australia (which is under the Tropic of Capricorn), so it's kind of a two-fer for January. This is a recent addition to TBR: my copy has a movie tie-in dust jacket.

>18 crazy4reading: I almost never read my CAT books in the assigned month :)

I'm following Vivienne's Burns Night lead and reading an Ian Rankin: his first play, Dark Road.

>23 NinieB: Wow, it literally just occurred to me that the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are named after Zodiac signs! *facepalm*

Ooooh, oooh. I've just noticed that in honour of spaghetti day Italian settings and translations count. My book club's book for January is The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

>21 VivienneR: >24 rabbitprincess: I sometimes do not get to my challenge book in the "right month". I never see anyone post after the assigned month so I assumed that everyone was reading along according to plan!

>27 beebeereads:, If I don't finish a book "on time", then I tend not to post in the thread. I might if I'm just a day or two late, but otherwise I only mention it on my thread. Definitely doesn't mean I'm always going according to plan, though, so you're not the only one!

>27 beebeereads: I usually do finish in the month, but there have been times where, if it's a library book, I can't get it on time. In those cases, I do come back and post (it just doesn't happen often, so might not be all that noticeable!).

I keep mine to the month though that means I don't do all the CATS every month and at the end of the year, I probably could go back and fill in.

>31 This-n-That: Welcome to the challenge! Glad you like the calendar. Bubble Bath day is indeed tempting. Unlike >15 cyderry: I'll have the bubbles without the book. Your reading choice sounds very interesting. I'll watch for your opinion.

>32 VivienneR: you could listen to an audiobook in the tub! Sometimes you have to think outside the box, or in this case, above the bubbles!

>33 cyderry: Good one! :))

>31 This-n-That: Public Domain Day? Hmm, I've got some early P G Wodehouse and quite a bit of 19th century literature on my TBR shelves.

I am reading Bridge of Clay by Marcus Zusak for Australia Day.

I would like to participate in this CAT, but I have been struggling to find a way to do it and have it fit in with my unplanning challenge. I think I have come up with a way. Each month my library has two displays in the adult room that's related somehow to the time of the year, such as for Women's History Month or Summer Reads. I am going to pick a book from that display or inspired by that display for my monthly read. My other alternative is to just go with a book off my TBR that matches the month somehow. For instance, I have a book called Ice that would match with January (although given the weather here the past week, maybe I should read it now--a foot of snow before Christmas in North Carolina is just completely unexpected, though).

>37 sturlington: That's a great idea to use the library displays for inspiration! :)

>37 sturlington: - What rabbitprincess said!

>37 sturlington: Great idea!

Just think, you have more snow than we do up here in the Canadian Rockies!

My plan is to read a TBR, Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle for Robert Burns birthday.

I'm going to go for Dragon Appreciation Day and National Science Fiction Day and choose fantasy and sci-fi: All Together Dead and Slan.

Donald Ray Pollock and John O'Hara, were both born in January. I'll be reading The Devil All the Time, and Ten North Frederick. I lucked up on Mr. Pollock, I was going to read the book anyway, then noticed his birthday is January 1st. I'm also going to try to squeeze in The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr..

I didn't really know what to make if this CAT, but now that I saw the first post I'm in love with it! No clue yet waht I'll pick, but the choices are endless! :)

>45 Chrischi_HH: I'm starting to think I don't need to choose anything for this CAT, just read what I want and then look for a way to make it fit.

>46 Robertgreaves: That sounds like a good idea. I might just do that.

another option for this CAT is say, 1st in a series for January, etc.

>46 Robertgreaves: That was also one idea I had, but looking at the month's options is so much fun that I'll do that first and then pick a book I'd like to read.

>48 majkia: That's a good one, thanks!

For National Bird Day, I am reading Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding. It has been on the shelf for awhile.

I could read Avenging the Owl by Melissa Hart which would bet me a two for. Owl for bird watching month and Hart for my name in print.

>51 Kristelh: Putting that one of my TBR list - sounds great!

This is my first Category Challenge, so this is from a newbie - is it okay if we take longer to read some of our selections for this category? I would love to read and post about these books per each day they are meant to be chattered about but I'm unsure if I can do that for all the ones I want to read - I will for the ones I can, but I just meant, can we use this as a TBR for the Month and whenever we're read and moved through the prompts that is okay? I wasn't sure if this was a challenge that had to be done per each day a prompt is given or if we can use it as a guide for our month's TBR? I am most likely making this harder than it actually is!! I did update my page to reflect my initial selections!!

>53 joriestory: As far as I have understood this CAT, I think we choose one book for the month from any of the days. That is what I have done anyway. So I chose an Australian book as 26th January is Australia Day.
No way could I get through one book for each day plus other reading!

>53 joriestory: For this challenge you can choose one or more books on the appropriate topic(s), what ever works for you, with the goal of reading it/them by month end. If you don't get finished, you can post them later. We don't want to pressure anyone, just do what works for you and enjoy the challenge.

>53 joriestory: Shhhh--don't tell anybody, probably for a majority of monthly books I read for these CATs, I finish them in (*gasp*) some other--usually later--month! Be as flexible as you want and enjoy your reading. The Challenges are to inspire you, not chain you.

>56 kac522: Me too! I almost never read CAT books in the assigned months. I use them more to help me narrow down the choices from my TBR, so I only do the challenges for which I own a book that fits.

>56 kac522: I agree! I have Kristin Lavransdatter for my SeriesCAT for January - pretty sure it will not be completed in that month!

>54 JayneCM: Oohh, so I was *overthinking!* this challenge!! lol I'm glad I wasn't too embarrassed to ask the Q!!

>55 clue: Bless you for explaining the finer points of the CalendarCAT!! I understand it a lot better now!

>56 kac522: I dare not breathe a word of what you've disclosed nor of the fact I might follow in your lead!

>57 rabbitprincess: I'm moving between the stories I own and the ones I want to borrow from the library so I can understand your method!!

------------------------

Thanks guys!! I truly appreciate the feedback!! I might do what you suggest and only read one (of a few) of the books which fit the categories for January *in!* the month itself whilst saving back the others for latter months. I really do love the flexibility of this Category Challenge (overall) and it is helping me dig deeper into what I want to explore / read which is the beauty of it!!

Definitely agree - not being locked into one interpretation of the prompts is the best blissitude! I just wanted to confirm in case I misunderstood!

>59 joriestory: Glad you got that cleared up, we wouldn't want to put unnecessary stress on your reading! Have fun!

So, how about for Spouse Day, I read The Bride Collector? Yes, it's about a serial killer, but brides are spouses, right??

Climbing in the Dolomites by Leone Sinigaglis. I was in the Dolomites in April. They are mountains in Northern Italy near where my grandparents lived before they came to America.

Sorry, this was a repeat.

My library has two displays for January: best books of 2018 and books we pretend to have read. I think I'm going to go with the first and pick a best of book to read for this month. I can of course pretend to have read books every day of the year. 😊

I have Memoirs of a Polar Bear by Yoko Tawada, so I am going to try to read it for this challenge. 1st: Polar Bear Swim Day

My book club read The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See this past year. It was a good book and Pu-erh tea plays a very important role in the story. 17th: Hot Tea day

26th - Australia Day. I spent a lovely day cuddled up with Nine Perfect Strangers and a warm blanket. Perfect way to start the new year!

>66 LittleTaiko: i love the cover of that book! Sounds like a good story too.

I'm sure I'll come up with a few more, but I'll definitely read Twelfth Night for, well, Twelfth Night (5 January)

I decided to read The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal from my library's best of 2018 list. There were quite a few books on their list I want to read, but most of them have multiple holds, so I doubt they'll come in for me this month.

For Asutralia Day I'm reading The Little Hotel, which is set in Switzerland, but written by the ex-pat Australian, Christina Stead.

Well I read a Nancy Drew book so I guess that would count for the Children's book. I read The Secret of Shady Glen by Carolyn Keene. Not sure if I will fit anything else into this month but I will try.

It occurs to me Peabody and Emerson are spouses so I am counting The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters.

(It also occurs to me that since January is National Book Month somewhere any book counts for this month.)

I wonder who decides on some of these totally random days!
Such as January 11 being 'National Step in the Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day' - according to . . . . ?!
And January 24 - Beer Can Appreciation Day. That must be an Aussie one!!
There are certainly some funny ones as well as the serious ones actually endorsed by the UN and other bodies.

>73 JayneCM: it would be called tinnie appreciation day! Top twenty tinnies 2018

>74 pamelad: LOL! We can get a couple of those here, like Juice Train, but I will have to try and find the bacon one for my hubby - he would love it! Maybe next time I am in Adelaide.

I really enjoyed The Black Book by Ian Rankin read for Burn's Night, January 25.

An early Rankin but he never fails to delight. There was so much I loved about this one including the emergence of both DS Siobhan Clarke and Big Ger Cafferty as major characters. I smiled every time he mentioned DI Flower by his nickname "Little Weed" obviously named for the little weed who grows between two flowerpots housing "Bill and Ben, Flowerpot Men", an old television program for toddlers. That should keep Flower from getting too uppity. And I discovered I have at least three things in common with Rebus, a disdain for Elvis, a love of The Stones, and we both come from places named Dundonald - his part of Cardenden in Fife, mine in Northern Ireland. Love that!

Funny, I finished my bird book today, right on National Bird Day!

Bird Watching for Dummies / Bill Thompson III
4 stars

Another one of the “For Dummies” books, this one focuses on bird watching. It not only goes through ways to help you learn how to ID birds (what to watch for, listen for, etc.), but also ways to make your yard more bird-friendly (feeders, shelter, water… also gardening – what types of trees, shrubs, flowers, etc), keeping lists, sketching, what to look for in binoculars, field guides, and more.

I always enjoy these books – there is usually some humour thrown in, though this one had maybe less than some of the others I’ve read. This one was published in 1997, though, so a bit outdated, as he mentions organizations with their mailing addresses, rather than a website, for instance; there was one chapter that included Internet and email resources, but CD-ROMs are also mentioned. Other than that, though, I thought there was a lot of good information here. Oh, I’ve seen comments about the colour photos, but my edition didn’t have that (maybe that was just in the 1st edition?).

In honour of Australia Day I am reading The Queen’s Colonial by Peter Watt and The Lost Man by Jane Harper. The Lost Man is excellent so far.

>78 Roro8: Good to hear about The Lost Man Jane Harper is coming to Houston next month. My book club is making a field trip to go see her. We will read the book later in the year. We loved The Dry.

ETA: If I don't get to my Polar Bear book, I'm going to count The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg. Author's name for run it up the flag pole, Jan 2nd and also birds were part of the main characters story line, Jan 5th national bird day.

>79 luvamystery65: You will love Jane Harper! I didn't know she was doing an overseas tour.

I read Christina Stead's The Little Hotel for Australia Day. Now planning to read a few more of her books.

>78 Roro8: I loved The Dry by Jane Harper then was really disappointed with Force of Nature. Now I'm looking forward to The Lost Man when I'm sure she'll be back on form.

>82 VivienneR:, I liked Force of Nature, but not as much as The Dry. The Dry really captured the essence of country Australia, which was much less evident in Force of Nature. The Lost Man is not part of the series, but a stand alone I think. It is set in extremely rural Australia, and comes across as very authentic to me.

I have finished two books that fit for this month. Snow White and Other Stories by The Brothers Grimm, Jacob Grimm was born in January. Also, for Twelfth Night, The Council of Twelve by Oliver Potzsch. This one also takes place starting in late January moving into early February. I'm also working on Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb for dragon appreciation day.

I have completed A New Day by Beryl Matthews, the "new" in the title picking up the idea of a "new" year. A pleasant read, but not one that is memorable in any way.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston fits this theme as the author had a January birthday.

>83 Roro8: Yes, I thought Force of Nature could have been anywhere. I didn't get the Australian atmosphere while reading it. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll add The Lost Man to my watch list.

I really enjoyed The Fine Colour of Rust by P.A. O'Reilly. That was one that gave me the impression of a very dry Australia.

>87 VivienneR: Being an Aussie, I agree. The Dry definitely got across a true Australian atmosphere. And rural suicide is a huge deal here.

>87 VivienneR:, I have finished The Lost Man now. I think it is on par or maybe even a bit better than The Dry.

>89 Roro8: Terrific! It's going on my list.

Finished January Thaw by William Roos--full review written.

So far for January;
1. The Book of Veganish by Kathy Freston. I got this for Christmas and I've been cooking meals out of it most days since the New Year so while it is not a new diet, it is a new cookbook for this year. Lots of Beans,Soups, Oatmeal in the book.
2. SciFi: The Three-body Problem by Cixin Liu.

I read Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary J. McLeod. MacLeod was a District Nurse on a Hebridean island during the 1970s and recounts her experiences where life is hard and stoicism is common.

I read Good-bye, Christopher Robin for Winnie-the-Pooh Day

In honor of National Tea Month, I've read Oolong Dead by Laura Childs about a sleuth who owns a tea shop in Charleston, SC.

Finished Prose and Cons while I was soaking in the tub - maybe not on National Bubble Bath Day but still counting it!

My first pick for this month didn't work out, so I went back to the library and picked a book from the display, "New Year, Who Dis?" which was all self-improvement. I got Remodelista: The Organized Home and I've found it to be very helpful with giving me new ideas for how to reorganize and store my things, mostly reusing stuff I already had. And also inspiring for trying to wean myself off plastics.

Ended up reading two science fiction books which works for National Science Fiction Day - So Long, And Thanks For All the Fish by Douglas Adams and The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett. Both quite enjoyable.

Finished The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla a Pink Carnation series book, the flower of January..

I just finished Under Capricorn by Helen De Guerry Simpson, made into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock, which I plan to watch soon. A slow start but then engrossing. Set in Sydney, Australia, in 1831-1832, its focus is the relationship between Samson Flusky, an emancipist, and his wife Lady Henrietta Flusky, daughter of a Irish earl, who is succumbing to alcoholism when 20-year-old Charles Adare, who knew Lady Hattie in Ireland, comes into their lives. Four stars.

I finished Slan yesterday for National Science Fiction Day.

For the 1st, Polar Bear Swim Day, I read The Healer by Antti Tuomainen. Set in the near future, this is a novel with an alarmingly believable backdrop. As Helsinki suffers the consequences of climate change its people are moving further north to in an effort to escape the worst conditions. Social services are almost non-existant and crime is rampant leaving Tapani Lehtinen no option but to conduct his own search for his missing wife, Johanna. A darkly atmospheric mystery novel.

For Dragon Appreciation Day, I finished The empire of ashes, last book in the Draconis Memoria series. Far too much war and weapons-building, and the story sizzles out abruptly without a proper conclusion, imho.

Today (Australia Day) I finished Pink Flannel by Ruth Park, an Australian author. I loved, loved, loved this book. It is the mid 1920s in the small town of Te Kano on the North Island of New Zealand. Jenny Hood, 8, lives with her four young aunts ages 17 to 23, the Misses Admiral. She narrates (as an adult) the story of about a year in her life, when she becomes friends with Pou, an elderly Maori magician and survivor of the Maori wars; when Auntie Louisa is in love with a young man who raises pigs; when Jenny goes to stay with her Aunt Fedora who sees f-a-i-r-i-e-s and her grandfather, who terrorizes the family; when Jenny humiliates herself by pretending that an aviator is her father. The story is hilarious, sweet, sad, happy. Five stars.

Another Aussie read for me, which I actually took with me to the Noosa River while enjoying Australia Day - The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty.

I was inspired by this CAT to finally read Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston. Unlike many slave narratives which focus on gaining freedom, Cudjo's story also describes his life in Africa and how he came to be a slave (captured and sold by a neighboring tribe).

I finished one more - All Together Dead, which fits as a fantasy selection for Appreciate a Dragon Day.

For this category I am using Jan 31st Backwards day to begin my reread of all The Cat Who series by Lilian Jackson Braun. Book 1 happens to be The Cat Who Read Backwards

COMPLETED Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke (Science Fiction Day)

I managed to finish more books for this month than I was expecting:
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb for dragon appreciation day
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith, the author's birthday
The Binti Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor for Sci Fi Day
And I've been working on, but won't finish:
The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead for Australia Day.

For Hot Tea Month I read Plum Tea Crazy by Laura Childs. This is the 19th book in the series and I have enjoyed them all.

Theodosia and Drayton become embroiled in the murder of a banker and after a few missteps are able to solve the crime. I think for me this series is much more about the setting than the mystery. The tea shop and southern charm keep me coming back for more and wishing I lived in South Carolina.

Finished A Rogue's Life, a short novella by Wilkie Collins, who was a January baby--born January 8, 1824.

Thank you all for participating with such zeal in the first month of CalendarCAT. I enjoyed reading about the wide range of books you chose, which has added considerably to my wishlist.

I read Fever Season where the main character is Benjamin January.