Vintage Mystery Bingo 2014

Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2014
Hosted by: Bev @ My Readers Block

Guidelines (quoted from the challenge announcement page):

• "Challenge runs from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Sign up any time between now and November 30, 2014. Any books read from January 1 on may count regardless of your sign-up date.... If you decide to go for broke and try to score on both cards, you only need sign up once--pick a card, any card for your link."
• "All books must be from the mystery category (crime fiction, detective fiction, espionage, etc.). The mystery/crime must be the primary feature of the book--ghost stories, paranormal, romance, humor, etc are all welcome as ingredients, but must not be the primary category under which these books would be labeled at the library or bookstore."
• "Challengers may play either the Silver Age or Golden Age Card—or both. For the purposes of this challenge, the Golden Age Vintage Mysteries must have been first published before 1960. Golden Age short story collections (whether published pre-1960 or not) are permissible provided all of the stories included in the collection were originally written pre-1960. . . . Silver Age Vintage Mysteries may be first published any time from 1960 to 1989 (inclusive). Again, Silver Age short story collections published later than 1989 are permissible as long as they feature stories first published during the declared Silver Age years and include no stories first published later than 1989."
• "One Free Space per card—you may use your Free Space to cover any spot on the board. The Free Space book must fulfill one of the categories from the card, but it may fulfill ANY space you like—even a category you have already fulfilled. For example…if you are having trouble finding a book to meet the 'mode of transportation' category, but you really need that space to complete a BINGO then you may read a book that meets any other category on the board and use your Free Space to claim the 'mode of transportation' space."
• "No double-counting. A book may not count for both the original category (say, 'Woman in the Title') and as the Free Space to replace 'mode of transportation.' A second 'Woman in the Title' would need to be read to complete the Free Space and replace 'mode of transportation'."
• "BINGOS may be claimed by completing all spaces in a row--horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. You may also claim a 'Four Corner' BINGO by reading a book for each of the four corners plus two more spaces—any two. A valid BINGO must have six complete spaces."
• Book may crossover with other challenges.
• Reviews are not required.

✷ I'm going to start with the Gold Edition card (mysteries published before 1960), and try to complete one whole line (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally - haven't decided which yet).  Then if I can complete that one I might go for the Silver as well - that would be a total of 12 books, and I definitely have that many want-to-read mysteries on my shelves.

Update 1/10/2014:  At the moment, I'm thinking I'll start by trying to complete a vertical line, using the second column ("O").  This plan could change.
Update 7/21/2014: Plan has changed. I'm pretty sure I'll be doing the four-corner-plus-two plan.

● See my original post about the challenge HERE.
● See my wrap-up post HERE.
● See the challenge announcement/sign-up page HERE.

~ Review link-up pages: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
~ See the page for wrap-up links HERE.  



MY READING LIST (books I've read, with links to reviews):

1. Corner 1 - Read one book with a color in the title: ???
2. Corner 2 - One book with an animal in the title: ???
3. Corner 3 - One book set in the entertainment world: ???
4. Corner 4 - One book set in the U.S.: The High Window by Raymond Chandler, pub. 1942
5. Plus One - One mystery that involves water: The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler, pub. 1943
6. Plus Two: - One book by an author you've read before:  ???