Jorie's 19CATs for 2019

This is my first year participating in the Category Challenge which I think will work out nicely for me, as I already inked out which reading challenges I want to participate in throughout 2019 on my blog! Thereby, I'm going to use those as a guideline towards what my categories will become for this challenge. Almost as if this refers to a blueprint of what I hope will be the ultimate outcome of all my reading challenges throughout 2019!

I decided to attempt 19x categories and read 19x selections per category (or thereabouts) as best I can.

I'm hoping I did this right and will defer to advice from others who have done this more than once in case I need to modify something! So far, it seems like everyone is doing something similar to this outline.

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I've been a book blogger for 5x years (link to my landing page on Profile) which has been a fantastically evolving journey as both a writer whose moonlighting as a book blogger and as a reader whose deepened her love of reading. I have appreciated the entire journey of these past years - however, what I've been striving for is better balance in my reading life.

A bit of a backstory: prior to being a book blogger, I was experiencing a serious reader's rut where I could gather books but I never could focus on reading them - my shelves swelled with lovelies to read yet over a decade of :non-reading: was beyond disappointing. I did get the chance to seek out different genres, different styles of writing but what was contained in those stories was elusively out of reach. Shortly before I became a book blogger I started to break that rut by borrowing books through my local library - sorting out where I was as a reader 10x years forward and the differences between being a teenager (18) and being nearly twenty-ten (28). As a book blogger my bookish life has literally :exploded: in the mirth of discovering not only #newtomeauthors but new Indie Publishers and the chance to read authors from Canada, the UK, Europe and beyond. I might not have even found some of the smaller presses and publishers without being a book blogger as they don't always get as much traction (either online or in Indie book shoppes) - for those moments, I am especially grateful!

Now as I'm on the fringes of thirtyten, I'm about to reach a new chapter in my readerly life - I want to have a balance between reading my personal library shelves, borrowing (print and audiobook) from my local libraries and/or through ILL'ing (inter-library loan) whilst also reading the stories which populate my life as a book blogger (though what helped is I scaled back my commitments stating 3x years ago!) to fully reach the Renaissance of a reader who loves writing her own stories.

As I move into (2019) - I'll be reading a bit deeper into my personal literary wanderings - as two self-challenges were languishing on my blog whilst I uncovered my path as a book blogger (those who are on this path will understand that statement!) - those were my Classics Club List and my 70 Authors (of INSPY) Authors List - if I can knock a path out onto each of those throughout the year, I will be a wicked happy reader by New Year's Eve, 2019!

At the same time, I wanted to really strive to take-on reading challenges that appeal to me - which is why this Category Challenge suited me well. I am combining the outline I established on my own RALs (readalongs) and (Reading) Challenges page housed on my blog with the prompts/challenges associated with the (2019) Category Challenge - merging into a wicked #awesomesauce reading guide!!

Meanwhile - I'll also be getting back to the basics of being a writer this New Year, inking out a story and sorting out my writerly muse working in tandem with my obsessive passion for reading - as I tend to shoot for the cosmos when it comes to the amount of stories I hope to read each year. Whichever stories I read and whichever ones become my favourite beloved reads - the best part is the journey into them. I am thankful I found this group as I look forward to getting to know the readers who are curating their own categories of interest and seeing where their own readerly lives take them this (2019).

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As a compliment to my notes/updates on LT:

I will also be updating regularly on my blog on different days of interest - specifically for the bookish memes WWWednesdays, Library Loot, 10 Bookish Not Bookish Thoughts and The Sunday Post. I also am going to attempt to participate in Top Ten Tuesday a bit more frequently as well as a few other memes that seemed like a good fit for me as I would like to break-up the routine of only moving from one bookish review into another - I'm sure I'll be adding various RALs and readathons throughout the year as well. I already have several penciled into my Bookish Events for (2019) as these are annual events that happen each year.

Likewise, being a Joyful Tweeter who loves sharing her bookish updates in the twitterverse, it goes without saying there will be *threads and updates streaming into my feeds!

However which way you follow me - either strictly on this page and in the group or if you take a walkabout into my blog or my bookish tweets, thank you for your interest, your lovely encouragement and the supportive atmosphere of us all taking such lovely literary journeys!!

I am thankful to have found this group, as it feels like it was meant for those of us who geek out over our reading queues and love finding ways of tethering what we desire to read into proper lists of exploration!!

Also, outside of my (Backlogue of Reviews) category, everything else is strictly un-related to book blogging which I did on purpose as I wanted to flex my reading life into a more balanced approach to how I spend my readerly hours each year as I start to move into my sixth year as a book blogger.

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A quick note about why I choose to limit my initial wanderings to 19x in 2019:

I never know how many books I can read per month and I felt if I fell short or had some health issues arise (as technically (2018) was a beast of a year for me with personal health afflictions (outside of the fact I am migraineur), I thought it was best to place 'limits' on the categories. IF I were to read more than 19x per category, fantastic but if I could only reach that level of execution it was a future note to self that that is okay too!

Why this looks dearly analogue:

I decided to go lo-tech with this page - I have a lot of lovely content on my blog and Twitter feeds, but I decided to go old school here and have it feel more like a personal journal rather than a page populated with images, etc. I :love: what others are doing on their pages but for me, I wanted to dial down the images and just go for a streamline list of categories.

Category 1:

Classical Literature

PROJECT TBR // could amend if I find stories not my cuppa

1. The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (love the films)
2. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
3. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
4. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (technically I began it & never finished it)
5. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
6. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
7. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
8. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
9. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
10. The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell
11. High Rising by Angela Thirkell
12. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
13. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
14. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
15. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
16. Ringworld by Larry Niven
17. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa
18. Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King (loved the film)
19. Eleven Sundays by Alonna Shaw

I'd love to read at least 19x works of Classic Lit off my tCC (#theclassicsclub) List!
IF I could surpass that mark it would be lovely too, but if anything past 1x a year would be a milestone for me!

Category 2: Historical Fiction

My TBR thus far along,...

1. The Widows by Jess Montgomery
2. The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman
3. What the Dead Leave Behind by Rosemary Simpson
4. A Dangerous Duet by Karen Odden
5. The Spitfire Girls by Soraya M. Lane
6. Light Over London by Julia Kelly
7. American Princess by Stephanie Thornton
8. The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson
9. The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood
10. The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh
11. The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates
12. Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler
13. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton *time slip?
14. The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
15. The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig
16. A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn
17. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
18. Somerset by Leila Meacham
19. Roses by Leila Meacham

These 19x selections I want to read are over/beyond the ones I'll find on blog tours; specifically the ones I either have on my shelves already and/or will borrow through my local library. I'd love to see how many I can read outside of the first 19 too! A mixture of frontlist and backlist titles.

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The first 19x on this list are predominately the stories I wanted to borrow as I found them at my library during the past five years; however, a few of them are new releases coming in 2019. I'll definitely have this filling up rather quickly as I'm wicked addicted to #HistNov | #HistFic. (smiles with mirth)

As I take part in the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge each year - I truly want to see how many I can read / find on my own rather than strictly limiting myself to those I find as a book blogger. Should be interesting!

Category 3: INSPY Fiction

My TBR thus far,...

1. Sons of Blackbird Mountain by Joanne Bischof reviewed: 15MAR19
2. Heiress by Susan May Warren
3. When Love Calls by Lorna Seilstad
4. A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin
5. Beyond Justice by Cara Putman
6. The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen
7. Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner
8. Into the Free by Julie Cantrell
9. Living in Harmony by Mary Ellis
10. Fools Rush In (reread) & Swinging on a Star by Janice Thompson
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.

I will pull these 19x selections from my self-motivated list of 70 Authors for INSPY Lit on my blog which is a reading challenge I devised for myself to read more INSPY per year.

Category 4: BeatTheBackList challenge

JANUARY | #BackListReads
personal backlist = zero ; reviews for backlist titles = 6

1. Waltzing with the Earl by Catherine Tinley
2. The Rancher's Fake Fiancee by Amy Vastine
3. No Safe Place (#LoveINSPIRED Suspense) by Sherri Shackleford
4. The Stars May Rise and Fall by Estella Mirai
5. Lost in the Light (audiobook) by Mary Castillo
6. The Rancher's Homecoming by Anna J. Stewart

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FEBRUARY | #BackListReads
personal backlist = zero ; reviews for backlist titles = 3

7. The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen (part II) by Collins Hemingway
8. Silver Hollow by Jennifer Silverwood
9. Dominic's Ghosts by Michael Williams

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MARCH | #BackListReads
personal backlist = 5 ; reviews for backlist titles = 2

NOTE: the first five novels of the Seasons of Alaska series was read
due to my personal interest rather than by requirement for the review
of the sixth as I love reading series in order of sequence whenever I can

10. The Girl from Oto by Amy Maroney
11. The Certain Hope by E.C. Jackson
12. Mountains Apart by Carol Ross
13. A Case for Forgiveness by Carol Ross
14. A Family Like Hannah's by Carol Ross
15. If Not for a Bee by Carol Ross
16. Bachelor Remedy by Carol Ross

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APRIL | #BackListReads
personal backlist = ? ; reviews for backlist titles = ?

17. The Awakening (audiobook) by Maggie Lynch

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MAY | #BackListReads

6. The Queen of Water by Laura Resau (cross-counts) for AlphaKIT!

16.
17.
18.
19.

These are not stories I am reviewing but rather, stories from either my own shelves and/or at my local library - the stories I meant to read and simply never did. Although I'm doing different tiers of interest with my #BeatTheBackList challenge, these 19x are strictly 'outside' of being a blog tour hostess/reviewer.

// with the exception of JAN-APR wherein I wasn't able to read as many personal selections as I had previously planned.

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The reason I loved this reading challenge is because it gives you a chance to interact with other readers who love reading backlist stories and are not just focusing on newer releases. For me, its a chance to go 'back' in time a bit to either re-seek out the series I never finished (specifically: #MaryRussell, #AuntDimity and #LadyEmily) whilst moving through my backlogue, my INSPY challenge, my Classics Club List and my #EqualityInLit list of #nextreads which is now housed on LT.

I decided to cut the list into portions of monthly reads - thereby seeing how many I am reading and what inspired the choices as I read them.

// any title wasn't my cuppa

Category 5: Retelling Challenge

1. The Surface Breaks by Louise O' Neill The Little Mermaid
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.

Most likely these 19x will self-generate as I read my initial selections from #Mythothon (from Nov2018) and the new #Mythothon (in Sept 2019) however, if not, they will be selections I'm making based off the Retelling Challenge Bingo Card which means, in theory I'm shooting to read 45x stories.

Category 6: Pop Sugar Reading Challenge

1. A Book by Two Female Authors - the newest Heather Webb & Hazel Gaynor novel
2. A Book Set in Space -
3. A Book That Takes Place in Singular Day -
4. A Book Featuring an Extinct or Imaginary Creature - A Natural History of Dragons
5. A Re-telling of a Classic -
6. A Ghost Story - Lou's idea Paranormal Cosy Mystery OR The Secret of Magic; Ghost Hawk
7. A Cli-Fi Book -
8. An #ownvoices book - Written in the Stars
9. Read a Book during the Season its Set in -
a) Winter
b) Spring
c) Summer
d) Autumn
10. Favourite Prompt from a Past Pop Sugar Challenge - A Book Whose Main Character is a Different Ethnicity than You
a) The Great Wall of Lucy Wu
b) Girl in Translation
11. Two Books Which Share the Same Title: (1) The Shape of Us by Drew Davies (Bookouture)
12. Two Books Which Share the Same Title: (2) The Shape of Us by Lisa Ireland (Macmillan Australia)
13. A Book Set in an Abbey, Convent, Cloister, Vicarage or Monastery -
14. A Book About Someone with a Superpower -
15. A Book with Love in the Title - Love Hate and Other Filters
16. A Debut Novel - Chasing the Sun
17. A Book Published in 2019 -
18. A Book With a Question in the Title -
19. A Book whose Author's First & Last Name start with the same letter -

I'd love to complete more of the prompts for the Pop Sugar Challenge, but if I could get through 19x of them and enjoy the stories as I moved through the prompts that would be most ideal! Each year I've tried to do this challenge I've been distracted and/or unmotivated as the months' progressed so this is a good reminder to 'start somewhere' and not worry about the WHOLE list. I've written out the prompts I want to focus on for the first 19x and go from there after I've sought them out!!

Again these are either from my own shelves or borrowed through libraries; not from blog tours/reviews.

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The next choices I'd love to work on filling:

20. A book about a hobby: Hobby Cosy Mystery!
21. A book inspired by myth | legend | folklore:
a) myth:
b) folklore:
c) legend:
22. A book set on University or College campus:
a) University:
b) College (ie. Junior/Community/Tech):
23: A book told from multiple POVs: Lou's selection Illuminae by Amie Kaufman or The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (*also for ScaredyCAT)
24. A book with "Salty", "Sweet", "Bitter" or "Spicy" in the title: Lou's selection The Sweetness at the bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
25. A book with a two-word title:
26. A book revolving around a puzzle | game:
a) game:
b) puzzle: Cosy Mystery?
27. An LitRPG book: Lou's selection Warcross by Marie Lu
28. A book with no chapters | nonconventional numbered chapters | unusual headings:
29. A book featuring an amateur detective:
30. A book with a plant on the cover | title:
a) cover:
b) title:

(*) suggestions by Lou foxesfairytale

Category 7: Library Love Challenge

1. Mountains Apart by Carol Ross
2. A Case for Forgiveness by Carol Ross
3. If Not for a Bee by Carol Ross
4. A Family Like Hannah's by Carol Ross
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.

Ideally this will go a lot further than 19x selections -- can't wait to see which stories I will be borrowing, purchase requesting to read and/or ILL'ing in 2019! *ILL = interlibrary loan

Category 8: 2019 New Release Challenge

1. Winning the Cowboy's Heart by Karen Rock
2. The Gift of the Seer by K.B. Laugheed
3. The Chef's Secret by Crystal King
4. His Honor, Her Family by Tara Randel
5. After the Rain by Brandy Bruce
6. Standing Up Against Hate by Mary Cronk Farrell
7. We Shall See the Sky Sparkling by Susana Aikin
8. Bridge to Burn by Rachel Amphlett
9. The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley
10. Carrying the Greek Tycoon's Baby by Jennifer Faye
11. The Parting Glass by Marie Guadagnino
12. Being A Witch (audiobook) by Sara Pascoe
13. A Lily in the Light by Kristin Fields
14. A Rancher to Remember by Karen Rock
15. In the Doctor's Arms by Carol Ross
16.
17.
18.
19.

This will be a combination of all the reading I'll be doing in 2019 - as a book blogger (ie. blog tours/reviews), as a reader and as someone trying to get through her own personal reading challenges in a New Year. A combination of print and audiobooks as well.

// any title wasn't my cuppa

Category 9: 2019 Audiobook Challenge

JANUARY selections:

(*) all from Overdrive across 3x libraries; on a break from Scribd
(*) most of these are 21 day loans; a few are 7 day loans (eek) and others are 14 day loans

1. Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt - reason? read & loved Deck the Hounds
2. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
3. Exoplanets by Michael Summers
4. The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone
5. First Degree by David Rosenfelt see above
6. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
7. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers prep for my co-hosted RAL
8. The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg
9. A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas my purchase request from last New Year's
10. Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
11. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers for my co-hosted RAL in JAN
12. As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber last book I'll read in 2018!

Late December/early January hold queue:

a) In Search of the Canary Tree by Lauren E. Oakes
b) Becoming by Michelle Obama (No.30 though nearly was No198 or No99!)
c) Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare
d) The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
e) Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
f) The Dead Zone by Stephen King
g) Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
h) The Merlot Murders by Ellen Crosby
i) Locked Rooms by Laurie R. King reading #MaryRussell by order of series not pub
j) The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King see above
k) Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon as I cheekily misplaced my OWN copy!
l) The Vanishing Man by Charles Finch still seeking the first story of this prequel

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JANUARY Wrap-up Notes:

which audiobooks did I finish and which were not my cuppa?

... to be continued

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I hoping to listen to 30x more audiobooks than I actually review in 2019; as I want to keep my Scribd membership as much as I have local libraries I can borrow either digital audiobooks and/or CD audiobooks from - ideally, it would be great to start listening to the bookmarks I've made at the libraries for titles which interest me the most!

Category 10: A Classic A Month 2019 Challenge selection
*secondary to my Classical Literature category as this is strictly 12x12

1. JANUARY - methinks this could be a SciFi or SpecLit selection
2. FEBRUARY
3. MARCH
4. APRIL
5. MAY
6. JUNE
7. JULY
8. AUGUST
9. SEPTEMBER
10. OCTOBER
11. NOVEMBER
12. DECEMBER

+13.
+14.
+15.
+16.
+17.
+18.
+19.

Most likely I'll be participating in the SPIN challenge through #theclassicsclub for these selections as well as other games for tCC members whilst pulling several stories off my tCC list which I might need to challenge myself to read. Should be interesting!

Added the (+) section in case I discover a Classical Author I want to continue reading during a particular month and/or I read the start of a Classical series and want to read a secondary choice within the same month.

Category 11: Backlogue Selections
*to reduce and hopefully erase my backlogue of reviews

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JANUARY // revised: 10.Jan.19

(Fiction)

1. The Saturday Girls by Elizabeth Woodcraft
2. Allie and Bea by Catherine Ryan Hyde
3. Messenger by Moonlight by Stephanie Grace Whitson
4. Trans-Continental: Girl in the Gears by E. Chris Garrison
5. A Lesson in Hope by Philip Gulley
6. A Nest of Vipers by Richard Storry, narrated by Jake Urry
7. The Tesla Gate by John D. Mimms
8. All Hallows at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray
9. As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber
10. The Merry Lives of Spinsters by Rebecca Connolly
11. The Lost Queen by Signe Pike
12. A Turn of Light by Julie E. Czerneda

(Non-Fiction)

13. The Robot in the Next Cubicle by Larry Boyer
14. Pull It Off by Julianna Zobrist
15. Get Weird Discover the Surprising Secret to Making A Difference by CJ Casciotta
16. You Are Enough by Mandy Hale
17. No Such Thing As Bad Weather by Linda Akeson McGurk

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FEBRUARY

18. The Last Letter by Kathleen Shoop
19. Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde
20. Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray

I have a larger backlogue than 19x but everyone has to start somewhere! I'll keep an increasing list once I get past the first 19x! All book bloggers/reviewers can relate to this one - between life, health and other bits that arise, we sometimes fall behind. I want to have a clean slate this coming year and reading one backlogue book at a time will accomplish that goal.

I've decided to focus on the stories which interest me to read in January and then, I might break them down by genre | subject | theme | interest | etc as the months move forward. I simply want to get into the stories and make amends as a backlogued book blogger. One story at a time.

Category 12:

#NonFicReads19

I was seeking out a reading challenge strictly focused on Non-Fiction but I couldn't find one, until thankfully as the year is waning into the passage of a New Year, a blogger friend of mine announced she was hosting a Non-Fiction Reading Challenge for 2019!! Talk about feeling the last missing piece of your bookish life was being organised!

Specifically, I wanted to hold myself accountable for clearing out my backlogue of #NonFic books - where I could actively share my reviews with fellow Non-Fiction readers, as sadly I know more Fiction readers than I do Non-Fic (I read all stories but not every book blogger does) -- whilst at the same time I wanted to challenge myself to read more Non-Fiction overall. Either in print or on audiobook. Thereby, I want to organise this section by theme, subject and topic - whilst sorting out which of them will appeal to me each month to read.

My goal is not just to clear my slate of overdue reviews for Non-Fiction but to re-explore my new yearnings to read Creative Non-Fiction, thought-provoking memoirs, subjects/topics in the Sciences and my curiously curious self-educational wanderings within all realms of interest.

NOTE: I moved the original category from this spot in my list to the last category - making that particular category a two-part category rather than a singular one.

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to be continued,...

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planning bits:

Memoir | Autobiography:

(Part of my Backlogue)

River of Time by the Judds

(Outside of my Backlogue)

Never Have I Ever by Katie Heaney
& Would You Rather? by Katie Heaney (*) companion reads, duology memoirs

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Biography

(Outside my Backlogue)

Looking for Lorraine by Imani Perry

Personal Growth | Self Actualisation

Topics | Subjects in Christianity

Convicting Narratives | Tragedy | Self-Identity | Personal Loss

The Quantum Realms (ie. Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Physics, etc)

Topics in Upper Level Mathematics & Statistics

Ancient Philosophy & Ethics

Oceanography | Marine Biology

Spying on Whales by Nick Pyenson

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more to come!

Category 13:

SFF KIT

January: "Read an SFF you meant to read in 2018, but never started/completed" - hosted by fuzzi

I really ought to preface this by saying the following stories are part of my (Backlogue of Reviews) and are uniquely tied into my LT Category Challenge - outside of those specific titles, (ie. my whole backlogue itself not these titles here) everything else I'm planning to read is outside the scope of being a book blogger/reviewer.

A Turn of Light by Julie E. Czerneda - I've been wanting to read this for two solid years! I either picked the wrong time to start reading it and/or life consumed me to the point I couldn't transition properly into this wonderfully wicked world. I'm a HUGE fan of #theclanchronicles and this is my first time reading her Fantasy!

as well as the following (Science Fiction):

Trans-Continental Girl in the Gears via audiobook
Far Orbit Apogee
2016 Nebula Awards Showcase
The Tesla Gate via audiobook
The Robot in the Next Cubicle
Almost a Millennium

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February: "Colonization" hosted by majkia

March: "Mystery/police procedural/detective Science Fiction or Fantasy" hosted by owlie13

April: "Sword & Sorcery" hosted by Kristelh

May: "International Sci-Fi/Fantasy by Non-US/UK authors" hosted by whitewavedarling

June: "Road-trip" hosted by mathgirl40

July: "Space Opera" hosted by h-mb

August: "Alternate History" hosted by LisaMorr

September: "Series" hosted by Tanya-dogearedcopy

October: "Comedy" hosted by RobertGreaves

November: "Award Winners (Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy Award,...)" hosted by scaifea

December: "End-of-the-Year Wrap Up"

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Category 14:

2019 Category Challenge Group Reads

Either RandomCAT OR CalendarCAT

I decided to forego the group reads as I was looking over the selections again and I just wasn't feeling the stories/authors/prompts.

Blessed by advice from fellow Category Challengers, the books listed per prompts may or may not read during the calendar month their mentioned although I will be attempting to read between 1-3x of them per month, whilst juggling the rest of my queue to read! I might surprise myself and be able to consume more but I'm trying to keep this manageable! The best bit is finding new authors, new stories and in some cases new Non-Fiction to seek out!

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JANUARY prompts:

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 - Way Station by Clifford D. Simak
4th: National Spaghetti Day - Italian settings or translations
5th: Twelfth Night - Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray
5th: National Bird Day -
6th: Full Moon -
7th: Julian Christmas - Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany
16th: Dragon Appreciation Day - A Natural History of Dragons (Pop Sugar Challenge!)
18th: Winnie the Pooh Day - The Sixty-Eight Rooms (on audiobook) by Marianne Malone *re-read
21st: National Hugging Day - (a Romance novel) - Romancing the Duke (on audiobook) by Tessa Dare
21st: Tu BiShvat - an ecological awareness day - - The Water Will Come (on audiobook) by Jeff Goodell; Exoplanets (on audiobook) by Michael Summers; The Hidden Life of Trees (on audiobook) by Peter Wohlleben; The Cabaret of Plants (on audiobook) by Richard Mabey; In Search of the Canary Tree (on audiobook) by Lauren E. Oakes
21st: Martin Luther King Jr Day - Civil rights, Black history - Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
25th: Burns Night (Robert Burns' birthday) - everything Scottish
26th: Australia Day - everything Australian
27th: Family Literacy Day - books shared with family - some #LoveINSPIRED Suspense which I share a love with my Mum! If I could read some Elizabeth Goddard finally I think Mum would be ecstatic!

January's flowers are: Carnation and Snowdrop:

Re-reading: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

The two signs of the zodiac are Capricorn and Aquarius:

January's birthstone is the Garnet.

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FEBRUARY prompts:

Category 15:

SeriesCAT

January: pamelad - Series in translation
February: LibraryCin - YA/Children's
March: DeltaQueen50 - Series by a favorite author
April: clue - Series You've Been Meaning to Get Back To
May: sallylou61 - Newest book in a favorite series
June: MissWatson - Series that are definitely complete
July: LisaMorr - Genre: fantasy
August: EBT1002 - Series set in a country/region where you do not live
September: cyderry - Genre: Mystery (incl. culinary cozies with recipes, cozies by the sea)
October: LittleTaiko - Historical Series
November: majkia - Series with a female protagonist
December: The_Hibernator - Series that's new to you

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JANUARY: The Believer

I read the first novel in this series The Swimmer as a book blogger/reviewer, never had the chance to follow-up to see what came after that novel but loved the style in which it was written. This is the sequel and counts as a series in translation.

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JANUARY Wrap-Up:

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FEBRUARY: The Ruby Notebook

Re-reading the first in this series in JANUARY to continue in Feb! (smiles)

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FEBRUARY Wrap-Up

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Pre-planning the months:

MARCH: methinks Laurie R. King, or any number of authors I'll hopefully be reading by then

APRIL: (*) see March

MAY: (*) see above

// to be continued,....

Category 16:

BingoDOG

2019 BingoDOG Squares

Took me awhile to realise I could use this list as a way of reading through the #EqualityInLit selections on my personal challenge to read more books of #diverselit.

1. Book made into a movie | January ScaredyKIT might take care of this! // The Hundred-Foot Journey which I've seen and want to read in order to re-watch!

2. Main title has 6 or more words in it: King Peggy;

3. Title contains a homophone word (such as hair/hare, slay/sleigh, there/their/they’re):

Six Geese A-Slaying (on audiobook) by Donna Andrews; Between shades of Grey

4. Weather (title contains a weather word, or book involves/centers around a weather event):

Rules of Rain (on audiobook) by Leah Scheier; The dry grass of August (dry is a state of weather/climate); Whistling Past the Graveyard wind can whistle; Blackthorn Winter a season; The Golden Day adjective to describe a sunny day; The Queen of Water water = rain;

5. Book has an LT rating of 4.0 or more:

The Indigo Notebook my re-read of the list to resume the series thereafter

6. Book in translation | January SeriesCAT might take this one!

7. Prize-winning book

8. Children’s/YA book, or reread a childhood favorite

(will be on audiobook)

9. Graphic novel: (or #NonFic?):

Passing for Human by Liana Finck

10. Food-related title or topic:

Kitchen Chinese

11. Read a book bullet (meaning another LT member inspired you to read it)

12. Book mentioned in another book you have read

13. Animal on cover/in title/plays a significant role

Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes

14. Short stories or essays

15. Debut novel:

Glow

16. Book about/featuring siblings

One for the Murphys

17. Book with an artistic character

18. Fairy tale (classic or reworked)

Lost (a re-telling of Pan) by Constance Roberts

19. Author uses middle name or middle initial

Seeing Emily; Secret Daughter; Holding Up the Earth

20. Cover has at least two human figures

Calling Me Home

21. Part of a series

22. Alliterative title

Category 17:

AlphaKIT:

When I first decided to do this category I wasn't sure what to expect, then once I started working on the alphas per month, I noticed a bit of a pattern! This works with my own goal of reading backlist titles for #BeatTheBacklist! Whilst others will be newer finds and are also on my TBR - found til 31 December, 2018. I'm also pooling authors I've wanted to read and have compiled a list of #mustreads from interactions on Twitter.

I might avg. 2x a month, other months I might read more than the first 2x choices.

Jan: Q, A

A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander *a re-read
Queen of Water by Laura Resau

then:

American Panda by Gloria Chao *past purchase REQ
Beneath my Mother's Feet A & Q in author's name!

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Feb: K, O

King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels
A Deadly Affection by Cuyler Overholt

then:

Servant of the Crown by Melissa McShane (book one of The Crown OF Tremontane)
Impulse Spy by Carrie Ann Knox

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Mar: U, L

A Girl Like You by Michelle Cox
The Little French Guesthouse by Helen Pollard

then:

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

*missing U

Apr: B, M

A Knife in the Fog by Bradley Harper
Murder Most Welcome by Nicola Slade

then:

For the Most Beautiful by Emily Hauser
The Memory of Us by Camille di Maio

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May: H, V

The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman
Once More Unto the Breach by Megan Holloway *new for 2019, purchase REQ

then:

The Butterfly and the Violin by Kirsty Cambron

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Jun: J, D

The Dating Experiment by Elodia Strain
On A Cold Dark Sea by Elizabeth Blackwell

then:

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

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Jul: C, P

Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling
The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

then:

A Changed Agent by Tracey J. Lyons
The Hidden Places by Katherine Webb

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Aug: N, I

Daughters of the Night Sky by Aimie K. Runyan
The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

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Sep: F, W

The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer
The Wardrobe Mistress by Meghan Masterson

then:

Finding Home by Lauren Westwood
Flora's Secret by Anita Davison

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Oct: G, T

All the Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth J. Church
The Bloom Girls by Emily Cavanagh

then:

The Rules of Seeing by Joe Heap
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

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Nov: S, Y

The Path Keeper N.J. Simmonds *new for 2019, purchase REQ
Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey

then:

Southern Peach Pie and a Dead Guy by A. Gardner
The Star Thief by Lindsey Becker
Sharp The Woman Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion

*missing Y

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Dec: E, R

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

then:

Beyond The Rising Tide by Sarah Beard

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YEAR LONG Letters: X & Z

Marcelo in the real world author's middle name is X
Daughter of Xanadu

Category 18:

ScaredyKIT

Monthly Hosts and Themes:

January - sturlington - NPR 100 Best Horror Stories List or 100 Killer Thrillers List
February - mathgirl40 - The Corporeal Undead
March - LibraryCin - True Crime
April - DeltaQueen50 - Chills and Thrills with Modern Horror/Thrillers (2014 - 2019)
May - mstrust - Children's Horror (or Horrific Children)
June - virginiahomeschooler - Technothrillers
July - Vacation Month (read horror/thriller of your choice)
August - majkia - Gothic
September - The_Hibernator - Ghosts & Hauntings
October - KristelH - Monsters & Creatures
November - sturlington - Stephen King and Family
December - whitewavedarling - Small Press/Indie (or catch up on a previous category)

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JANUARY:

100 Best Horror Stories | since I am unsure which of these I'll enjoy reading and which might become not my cuppa (DNF) I'm giving myself a selection to walk amongst to see which ones resonate with me the best! I'm definitely a Cosy Horror girl (*term I coined) so it should be uniquely interesting! Some of these of course will help me read more Classics for #theclassicsclub as well! (a very good thing! as I'm practically a defunct member trying to re-inspire herself for five new years of reading Classics!)

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James;
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson*
The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons (could creep me out a bit too much though hoping its more Hitchcokian/psychological)
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (another #mustread I never read)
The Bone Key by Sarah Monette
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (a #mustread on my TBR)
The House with a Clock in its Walls (the film freaked me out a bit from the trailer, so of course I want to read the book!)

(*) A story I've been itching to read since I saw the film adaptation!

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NPR 100 Best Killer Thriller List

(see note above about why I have a larger TBR for JAN)

The stories I've already loved and read in the past are: The Hunt for Red October; Jurassic Park; The Andromeda Strain; and I won't say this was my favourite Grisham but I've read it: A Time to Kill.

I DNF'd these already: And Then There Were None as I was spoilt on Anna Lee Huber's This Side of Murder and I loved of course the latest Hiro Hattori novel by Susan Spann which is paying homage to the original: Trial on Mount Koya

There are several on this list I would NEVER read in my lifetime, a few others I've seen adaptations of such as "The Talented Mr Ripley", "The Bourne Identity", "The Hunt for Red October", "The Bone Collector", "Jurassic Park", "The Maltese Falcon", "Clear and Present Danger", "Cape Fear", "The Dead Zone: tv series", "Psycho", "Contact", "Primal Fear", "Goldfinger",... Others still are on my TBR, such as "Dracula" however, this one is a (future) buddy read with my Mum.

-- leaving the following:

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier counts twice as its on both lists!
The Dead Zone by Stephen King (loved the series!)
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith (heard of Hitchcock's film)

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JANUARY WRAP-UP:

*TBA

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Category 19:

Part I

Random Reads based on authors I've hosted on my blog but never had the chance to read their stories - meaning, I hosted a guest feature for them but hadn't had the pleasure of reading their book. I could have also spotlighted their novel or series; whichever way I blogged about their (book) or (series) they could end up on this CAT.

// *purchase REQ refers to stories I requested for purchase my library | ILL is interlibrary loan

--- (Year) will be when they were featured

=================================

1. Jacyln and the Beanstalk by Mary Ting *purchase REQ (2018)
2. A Jane Austen Daydream by Scott D. Southard (2014)
3. TBD by Sarah Lark (2014)
4. Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci (2014)
5. Lucas Mackenzie and the Midnight Ghost Show by Steve Bryant (2015)
6. The Perilous Journey of the Not So Innocuous Girl by Leigh Statham (2015)
7. Joshua and the Lightning Road by Donna Galanti (2015)
8. The Artisans by Julie Reece (2015)
9. Serpentine by Cindy Pon (2015)
10. Baker's Blues by Judith Ryan Hendricks (2015) *will be reading series in order
11. Fall of Poppies anthology of Historical Fiction novellas / shorts by HistNov authors (2015)
12. The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle (2015)
13. While I Was Waiting by Georgia Hill (2015)
14. A Mother's Secret by Renita D' Silva (2016)
15. Daughters of the Silk Road by Debbie Rix (2016)
16. Last Kiss Goodnight by Teresa Driscoll (2016)
17. A Gown of Thorns by Natalie Meg Evans (2016)
18. After the Lie by Kerry Fisher (2016)
19. Roma Amor by Sherrie Christie (2016)

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Extending from there and/or Alternatives:

20. Soulmated by Shaila Patel (2017)
21. Christmas at Bay Tree Cottage by Linn B. Halton (2017)
22. Christmas at the Little Knitting Box by Helen J. Rolfe (2017)
23. A Christmas Wish by Erin Green (2017)
24. The Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett (2017)
25. His Frontier Christmas Family by Regina Scott (2017)

// most likely the Christmas Reads would be saved for (November/December 2019).

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Part II

Readalongs and Readathons | various themes/stories | monthly rotation

1. JANUARY

A Closed and Common Orbit *co-hosting
Rosemary and Rue *co-hosting

2. FEBRUARY

Record of a Spaceborn Few *co-hosting

3. MARCH

Hamilton readathon

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4. JULY

Christian and Clean Fiction Reading Safari marathon

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5. AUGUST

Austen in August readathon

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6. SEPTEMBER

Mythothon, 2.0 readathon

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7. OCTOBER

Spooktastic Reads, 2.0 readathon

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8. NOVEMBER

#RRSciFiMonth | Sci Fi November readathon
#NovNov | Novella November
#NonFictNov | Non-Fiction November

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9. DECEMBER

#cloakanddaggerchristmas
#cozmas

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// I might have to trim some of these down per month or at least seek out 19x selections and write a post talking about which ones are the ones I want to read as time moves forward past the readathons/etc

NOTE: IF anyone has any bookish suggestions for any of the categories I'm attempting (esp ones with prompts) or per a specific type of literature selection, I welcome hearing your recs!! I know some of the prompts are going to become more daunting than others - esp for say 'Pop Sugar' and 'SFF KIT'!!

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MONTHLY Notes/Wrap-Ups

JANUARY TBR:

-- A Closed And Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (RAL) REQ
-- Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (RAL) REQ
-- A Turn of Light by Julie E. Czerneda (SFFKit)
-- A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander (re-read/AlphaKit) REQ
-- Queen of Water by Laura Resau (AlphaKit) REQ
-- American Panda by Gloria Chao (AlphaKit) REQ
-- The Believer by Joakim Zander (SeriesCAT) REQ
-- Allie and Bea by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Backlogue Reviews)
-- Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Backlogue Reviews)
-- The Last Letter by Kathleen Shoop (Backlogue Reviews)
-- Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray (Calendar Challenge)
-- Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith (Calendar Challenge) REQ
-- Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Viki Delany (Calendar Challenge)(Cosy Mystery Book Club) REQ
-- A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (Pop Sugar Challenge)(CalendarCAT) REQ
-- Romancing the Duke (on audiobook) (CalendarCAT) REQ
= 16
& -- (Selections from ScaredyCAT) | will be doing a #25PagePreview post about these on my blog
- The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (print / audio) REQ
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (print / audio) REQ (*) hold queue No7
- The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons REQ
- The Woman in Black by Susan Hill REQ
- The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs REQ
- Rebecca (on audiobook) REQ (*) hold queue No7
- The Dead Zone (on audiobook) REQ (*) hold queue No3
- Strangers on the Train (on audiobook) REQ
- The Woman in White (on audiobook) REQ

(*) also ALL of these count towards (#BeatTheBackList)

(*) The ones which were my purchase REQs at the library: Queen of Water and American Panda

January Wrap-Up Notes:

/// coming soon.

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February TBR:

Looks like a lot! I am looking forward to following along with your choices!

Wow--that's a lot of reading! Good luck!

JayneCM
@tess_schoolmarm

You know, at first I thought this was the *most!* daunting group to join, then mathgirl40 explained it to me and would you believe I think its just geeky enough for me to sort out! lol I really fell into a rhythm tonight inking out the categories/options - going back through to see if I can do some pre-planning tonight -- especially for the ones that start in January as that month is coming up on us quickly!

I've been a book blogger for five years - loving every minute of it - however, because I hosted a heap of blog tours or accepted books for review, I sort of found my personal reading life placed *on hold!* - loads of lovelies from the library and/or other random finds (esp in the twitterverse) went unread. I also have loads on my own shelves in my personal library I've not had the joy of reading - for 2019, I wanted to make some radical changes. I'm trying to host less but read more if that makes sense? I wanted to spend the New Year really just going wild with my reading life - moving through genres and themes, seeking out different authors and getting a better idea of what I want to read as a *reader* outside of my bookish life being explored through a book blogger's journey.

Thanks for your interest in my literary wanderings! I'll look for your lists, too!

I'll be blogging my journey on this *thread but also updating via my blog - hope to see you as the year moves along!

>24 joriestory: I am a book geek who loves lists, categories and alphabetical order. So this and the 1001 Books is right up my alley! I just have to remember to make time to actually do the reading, not just have fun with the planning and list making!

Wow! Look at you go!

Awesome setup! Welcome aboard! You've definitely got the hang of this ;)

Glad you decided to join the group and give it a go! I see, from the planning that you're doing, that you'll fit very well into this group. :)

Welcome from me too :)

Adding my hello and welcome -- you've got an impressive list going! I look forward to seeing what you read in 2019. :)

Looks like 2019 will be a very busy reading year for you, good luck with your challenge. :)

Welcome! You have a very well thought out list. Hope you have lots of reading fun in 2019!

>26 majkia: -- Thanks heaps! I was feeling quite miserable with my cold overnight and the only distraction I could think of was to work on some of these categories so I could get a better feel for what I wanted to be reading; turnt out to be rather cathartic!

>27 rabbitprincess: -- OOh, this is too kind! I was nearly worried I hadn't mastered the art of these lists but decided to take the plunge and see where it led me!

>28 mathgirl40: -- I think you're keenly right about that! I've been slowly moving through everyone's lists as they populate and its like finding a group who *gets each other* so very well! I was just surprised I could organise this into the list it was meant to be so quickly!

>29 Jackie_K: -- And, Hallo to you, too! It is nice to feel welcome here!

>30 christina_reads: -- As do I!! I am wicked excited to get started *reading!* these lovelies now!! Especially as I really pulled a lot of the authors I found via Twitter into my AlphaKIT and want to pull in even more for #BeatTheBackList and/or the Pop Sugar Challenge; so far, its inking into a wicked good reading year!

>31 DeltaQueen50: -- Ooh, I dearly hope so! The past few years were personally adverse, it would be delish to spend a year consumed by stories and my journey into literature!!

>32 LittleTaiko: -- Bless you for your encouraging words! The same is returnt to you!

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Truly filled with joy finding all your lovely messages and notes today! Thank you for giving a girl with a beastly cold such wonderful encouraging thoughts & notes to read! I am now off to see if you've started planning out your lists and seeing if we share any mutual interests in genre/author/stories!! Here's to all of us who are planning our bookish wanderings and leaving a bit of mystery too about where those stories & prompts shall be leading us!

Hello and welcome! I am always impressed by people who do all those lists and organising. Good luck with your challenge!

Wow - what an impressive set-up! Looks like lots of good reading is ahead for you! I've always been impressed with people who do the PopSugar challenge - it seems pretty daunting to me, but maybe one of these years...

Welcome to the group! Looks like you have your reading all planned out!

You have listed some wonderful books. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is one of my favourite books. I own both the printed and audiobook version and the narration by Bernadette Dunn is awesome but not available on Scribd :(

>34 MissWatson: Thanks for your lovely observation and comment! I feel like this is a going to be a good year for me as a reader. I just found some audiobooks available to borrow from my library tonight which is brilliant as I want to listen to more of those throughout the year!

>35 LisaMorr: I agree with you! The Pop Sugar Challenge was a BIG #epicfail for me in the past; somehow this year feels like it was tailored to my own readerly curiosities and I have a good feeling about the prompts! We shall see!!

>36 lkernagh: Yes and no. I like to have a bit of an inkling of what I'm going to read each year/month, but I love to leave 'breathing space' for random selections and unexpected reads. This though is a great way for me to be personally organised and outlining what I hope to accomplish this year with a bit of fun thrown in for good measure with the categories/challenges/etc.

>37 Zozette: I wonder if I can find We Have Always Lived in the Castle at my library on audiobook? I had to let go of Scribd at the moment but want to re-script in the New Year, thus I'm relying on my libraries in the interim. Just found it and did a purchase request for it! Thanks for the suggestion - the version is with this narrator, too so perhaps I shall find it accepted!

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Truly appreciate everyone whose been coming by and checking out what I'm planning to read! I've been adding some updates tonight and will continue to tweak this leading into January. I need to get current with what everyone else is posting!! To make it easier on me, I've decided to star everyone's individual *thread to be able to see when you guys are posting new content!! Similar to a 'blogroll' which is purrfect!

Good luck with your challenges! Happy New Year!

Sounds like you're in a good place for starting the new reading year!

Welcome to the challenge and good luck!

Thank you for the New Year's wishes - my updates are going to be a bit delayed, as the virus I've been battling through since December is wrecking my New Year's -- I am reading at a much slower pace, but I'm thankful I can start reading again. I'm hoping to make my first UPDATES this forthcoming weekend - say, Sunday, the 13th? As I want to write a post talking about how my New Year started off on wrong footing (ie. the virus) and how the stories are pulling me through. Hope everyone else is having a good beginning,...

You can find what I'm posting this week on my blog by travelling through the link in my Profile - the landing page has links to my current posts in the right sidebar. Outside of that, I'm keeping my spirits focused on the positive despite the wrecking ball effect of being rather ill.

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In lieu of well wishes, drop notes about your #mustreads thus far and I'll see if there are a few that might interest me to read, too! I'll be making my rounds to your lists this weekend, too!

So glad you are feeling better! That is when I know I am REALLY sick, if I cannot even open a book.

I don't think I have had any must reads yet. Although I did enjoy Q & A. It was a quick read and I liked the construction. It is the book on which the movie Slumdog Millionaire is based.

Look forward to hearing what you have been reading.

Glad to hear you're feeling better and most importantly that you're reading again!

So far my must-read is With the End in Mind, by Kathryn Mannix, which was on the Wellcome Book Prize list last year. I'm reading it from the library but will need to buy my own copy.

My must-read of the year so far is Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George. It's a YA retelling of Much Ado about Nothing set in the 1920s, and if you're at all interested in the premise, I highly recommend it!

My first must-read of the year is Chernobyl Prayer by Nobel prize winner Svetlana Alexievich; it chronicles the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the words of those most affected by it.

>47 LisaMorr: That's on my wishlist. Did you know we're doing a group read in February of her Second Hand Time?

>48 Jackie_K: I must've missed that - I'll see about getting a copy and try to join in!

Oyyy vie. What a month JANUARY became for me -- I'm still sorting it all out. I had a long hard recovery from that virus, despite feeling I was on the mend earlier in the month. Two migraines and an early onset of Winter allergies later, you could consider January was a 'wash' of a month for me and my reading goals. I am re-grouping this February as despite most of my best efforts, I failed miserably at reading even half of what interested me to read. I took a lot of time offline and had to shrink away from books for most of the hours left in the month as I just couldn't read that much in print; I opted instead to make better headway into finishing "Jane Eyre" - which was a pure delight as I fancy the narrator's spin on the tale (Amanda Root).

I'll be updating this page over the weekend -- I also unhauled a lot of books from my libraries, as I'm going to seek out audiobook copies first and yield to a print if an audio copy isn't available. Either through my libraries and/or through Scribd as blessedly I have my script back to that particular service. Hence why I am loving "Jane Eyre".

I did start to add more reviews to my LT as I decided to start cross-posting reviews from my blog this New Year; not all of them, but the ones I felt were my favourite reads, best finds and the stories which still leave a lingering of memory for having read them. I'm sure it will take me quite awhile to get those uploaded but I at least made a start. Extending out of this, I'm looking forward to adding my reviews to the stories I'm reading for the Category Challenge as well. Just hoping February is a better month for me overall as honestly nothing gets me down faster than having to deal with a health issue.

I'm looking forward to scoping out your book recs and seeing what I'll be reading this February. Here's to a 'second attempt' at beginning the Category Challenge!

PS: I truly did try to attempt too much too fast this year,... *le sigh*

I'm sorry to hear January was such a rotten month health-wise! Good work "unhauling" -- what a great word! Hope you continue to get better and that February is a great reading month :)

Hope you are feeling better!

Feel better soon!

Hope you'll be feeling better and more able to take on your planned reading in February.

Hope you're on the mend!

>51 rabbitprincess: Ooh I'm so thankful you liked my word #unhauling as I really just came up with it on the fly and it suited the situation so very well! I might have to use it again when it applies! (smiles)

>52 Tess_W:, >53 Jackie_K:, >54 VivienneR:, >55 LisaMorr: -- if you can believe it took me til last week to open a book again without any leftover issues and this week, I'm starting to navigate how to sort out my Category Challenge List - as I want to update what I did read in January + February, whilst inking out a new plan for *March* which at this point will be a better foot forward with this challenge.

Meanwhile, I also found a new cookbook to help with migraines as it was on a blog tour and I'm excited over finding the recipe site that goes hand-in-hand with it. The book is The Migraine Relief Plan

I've been reading new stories for the past week and posting regularly on my blog as a result; two were misses for me but I hoped what I shared about the stories might tip another reader to find them for their own readerly tastes or interests.

I can't wait to update this list -- as I'm finally feeling like I am transitioning into a better state of wellness; even though Spring is round the corner, I'm still hopeful the next months will be kinder to me than last year.

I truly thank everyone whose been checking in with me... recovery takes time.

>56 joriestory: I sure feel sorry for anyone suffering from migraines. I had them for years. When I retired I moved from Vancouver Island to the interior of British Columbia and the migraines ceased. So I'm not sure if it was the location or the job causing them, probably both contributed. I wish you well.

>56 joriestory: Great to see you back and that you're reading again!