2021 What's in a Name Challenge

 

Hosted by: Andrea @ Carolina Book Nook
Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2021

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


Guidelines (from announcement post):

• The challenge runs from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021. You can sign up any time, but only count books that you read between those dates.
• Read a book in any format (hard copy, ebook, audio) with a title that fits into each category.
• Don’t use the same book for more than one category.
• Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed, it’s encouraged!
• You can choose your books as you go or make a list ahead of time.

Categories for 2021 (with links to review pages):

1. One/1 (example: One Second After; The 100)
2. Doubled word (ex: In a Dark, Dark Wood; Wolf by Wolf)
3. Reference to outer space (ex: The Fault in Our Stars)
4. Possessive noun (ex: The Zookeeper’s Wife)
5. Botanical word (ex: The Language of Flowers; The Sandalwood Tree)
6. Article of clothing (ex: Bossypants)

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

• Category 1: 1066 And All That, by W.C. Sellar & R.J. Yeatman, illus. by John Reynolds (1930)
  
• Category 2: Dead Dead Girls, by Nekesa Afia (2021) 
• Category 3: Tom Swift and the Visitor From Planet X (Tom Swift Jr. #17), by Victor Appleton II (1961; audiobook 2007)
• Category 4: Smilla's Sense of Snow, by Peter Høeg; trans. by Tiina Nunnally (1992) 
• Category 5: Oranges and Lemons (Bryant & May: Peculiar Crimes Unit #17), by Christopher Fowler (2020)
  
• Category 6: 

POSSIBILITIES:

● Category 1 (One/1 - word or numeral):


● Category 2 (Doubled word):

• Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. Tom Franklin
• Dead Dead Girls. Nekesa Afia 
• Three Times Time. Jack Matthews

 
● Category 3 (Reference to outer space):

• Full Wolf Moon (Jeremy Logan #5). Lincoln Child
• The Moonstone. Wilkie Collins 
• Number the Stars. Lois Lowry 
• Star Trap (Charles Paris #3). Simon Brett 

● Category 4 (Possessive noun):

• Monk's Hood (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #3). Ellis Peters
• Saint Peter's Fair (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #4). Ellis Peters 

● Category 5 (Botanical word):


● Category 6 (Article of Clothing):

• The Bluebonnet Betrayal (Potting Shed Mystery #5). Marty Wingate 
• The Case of the Moth-Eaten Mink (Perry Mason #39). Erle Stanley Gardner 
• The Case of the Singing Skirt (Perry Mason #60). Erle Stanley Gardner 
• Death in a White Tie (Inspector Roderick Alleyn #7). Ngaio Marsh 
• Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins #1). Walter Mosley 
• The Monkey's Raincoat (Elvis Cole #1). Robert Crais 
• Monk's Hood (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #3). Ellis Peters 
• The Quaint and Curious Quest of Johnny Longfoot, the Shoe King's Son. Catherine Besterman
• Red Mandarin Dress (Inspector Chen Cao #5). Qiu Xiaolong 
• The Scarlet Slipper Mystery (Nancy Drew #32). Carolyn Keene 

........

What's in a Name 2020 Challenge

Hosted by: Andrea @ Carolina Book Nook
Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2020

Guidelines (from announcement post):

• The challenge runs from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. You can sign up any time, but only count books that you read between those dates.
• Read a book in any format (hard copy, ebook, audio) with a title that fits into each category.
• Don’t use the same book for more than one category.
• Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed, it’s encouraged!
• You can choose your books as you go or make a list ahead of time.

Categories for 2020:

1. An ampersand – & (ex. Blanca & Roja, Rot & Ruin)
2. An antonym (ex. Big Little Lies, Wicked Saints)
3. 4 letters or less (ex. Feed, Vox)
4. A given/first name (ex. Tess of the Road, Flowers for Algernon)
5. Reference to children (ex. Baby Proof, Children of Blood and Bone)
6. One of the 4 natural elements – water, air, fire, earth (ex. The River at Night, The Name of the Wind)

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

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

• Category 1: Gin & Daggers (Murder, She Wrote #1). "Jessica Fletcher" and Donald Bain
• Category 2:
• Category 3: Snow (St. John Strafford #1). John Banville 
• Category 4: Ramona and Her Father (Ramona Quimby #4). Beverly Cleary
• Category 5:
• Category 6: The Happy Hollisters on a River Trip (Happy Hollisters #2). Jerry West 

POSSIBILITIES:

● Category 1 (ampersand):

Arthur & George. Julian Barnes
Bellman & Black. Diane Setterfield
Daisy Jones & The Six. Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers Book. Arlene Croce
Gin & Daggers (Murder, She Wrote #1). "Jessica Fletcher" and Donald Bain
The Waters & The Wild. DeSales Harrison

● Category 2 (antonym):

The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft. Claire Tomalin
Night and Day. Virginia Woolf
Old New York (Four Novellas). Edith Wharton
Short Letter, Long Farewell. Peter Handke

● Category 3 (four letters or less):

Ax (87th Precinct #18). Ed McBain
Dust (Richard Jury #21). Martha Grimes
Hoot. Carl Hiaasen
Ubik. Philip K. Dick
Utz. Bruce Chatwin

● Category 4 (given/first name):

Caddie Woodlawn. Carol Ryrie Brink
Hitty, Her First Hundred Years. Rachel Field
Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontë
Queen Lucia. E.F. Benson
Ramona and Her Father (Ramona Quimby #4). Beverly Cleary
The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn (Inspector Morse #3). Colin Dexter
What Maisie Knew. Henry James

● Category 5 (reference to children):

The Children. Edith Wharton
The Children’s Book. A.S. Byatt
The Children of Green Knowe. Lucy M. Boston
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Ransom Riggs
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Henry Farrell
Wise Children. Angela Carter

● Category 6 (one of the four elements):

The Book of Air and Shadows. Michael Gruber
Loon Lake. E.L. Doctorow
The Night Ocean. Paul La Farge
The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Neil Gaiman
On the Banks of Plum Creek (Little House #4). Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Sea. John Banville
The Sea of Grass. Conrad Richter
The Sea, the Sea. Iris Murdoch
Seaview House. Elizabeth Fair
Wide Sargasso Sea. Jean Rhys
The Wind in the Willows. Kenneth Grahame
Wolf Lake (Dave Gurney #5). John Verdon

........

What's In A Name 2017

Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2017
Host: Charlie @ The Worm Hole

Rules / Guidelines:

• Choose one book from each of the following categories:

• A number in numbers
• A building
• A title which has an ‘X’ somewhere in it
• A compass direction
• An item/items of cutlery
• A title in which at least two words share the same first letter – alliteration!

• Books can be any format (print, audio, ebook).
• It’s preferred but not required that books don't overlap other challenges.
• Books cannot overlap categories.
• Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed, it’s encouraged!
• A preliminary list of books isn't required, you can choose them as you go.
• You don’t have to read your chosen books in any particular order.


● See my original post about the challenge HERE.
● See the challenge announcement/sign-up post HERE.
● See the challenge Gateway post for linking reviews HERE.


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

1. A title with number in numbers (not written out): 
2. A title with a building: The Body in the Library, by Agatha Christie 
3. A title with an "x" somewhere in it: Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
4. A title with a compass direction: 
5. A title with an item(s) of cutlery: Our Spoons Came from Woolworths. Barbara Comyns 
6. A title with alliteration: As Good As Gone, by Larry Watson (linked to review page 2/06/2017)

Some Possibilities:

• Category 1 - A number in numbers
  101 Dalmatians. Dodie Smith (1956)
  4:50 From Paddington (Miss Marple #8). Agatha Christie (1957)
  Badenheim 1939. Aharon Appelfeld (1978)
  BUtterfield 8. John O'Hara (1935)
  Montana 1948. Larry Watson (1993) 


• Category 2 - A building
  The Barnum Museum. Steven Millhauser (1990)
  The Body in the Library. Agatha Christie (1942)
  The Enchanted Castle. E. Nesbit (1907)
  Grief Cottage. Gail Godwin (2017)
  Heartbreak Hotel. Jonathan Kellerman (2017)
  The House of Paper. Carlos Maria Dominguez (2002)
  The Inn at the Edge of the World. Alice Thomas Ellis (1990)
  Miss Zukas and the Library Murders (Miss Zukas #1). Jo Dereske (1994)
  The Post Office Girl. Stefan Zweig (1982)
  Rose Cottage. Mary Stewart (1997)
  A Writer's House in Wales. Jan Morris (2002)


• Category 3 - A"x" somewhere in title
  Expedition to Earth. Arthur C. Clarke (1953)
  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Douglas Adams (1979)
  I Am Madame X. Gioia Diliberto (2003)
  An Imaginative Experience. Mary Wesley (1994)
  Murder on the Orient Express. Agatha Christie (1934)
  The Red Box (Nero Wolfe #4). Rex Stout (1937)
  Six Days of the Condor. James Grady (1974)
  Unexplained Laughter. Alice Thomas Ellis (1985) 


• Category 4 - A compass direction
  East Side Story. Louis Auchincloss (2004)
  Gently North-West. Alan Hunter (1967)
  Northanger Abbey. Jane Austen (1817)
  North By Northwest. Ernest Lehman (1959)
  The Westing Game. Ellen Raskin (1978) 


• Category 5 - An item (or items) of cutlery
  The Knife Thrower and Other Stories. Steven Millhauser (1998)
  Miss Chopsticks. Xinran (2007)
  Our Spoons Came from Woolworths. Barbara Comyns (1950)
  The Silver Spoon (Forsyte Chronicles #5). John Galsworthy (1926)
  The Smiler With the Knife (Nigel Strangeways #5). Nicholas Blake (1939)
  A Twist of the Knife (Brigid Quinn #3). Becky Masterman (2017)


• Category 6 - Title with alliteration
  Candle for a Corpse (Mitchell & Markby #8). Ann Granger (1995)
  Death and the Dancing Footman (Roderick Alleyn #11). Ngaio Marsh (1941)
  Ella Enchanted. Gail Carson Levine (1997)
  Farewell to Fairacre. 'Miss Read' (1993)
  Fellowship of Fear (Gideon Oliver #1). Aaron Elkins (1982)
  Flowers for His Funeral (Mitchell & Markby #7). Ann Granger (1994)
  Holy Terror in the Hebrides (Dorothy Martin #3). Jeanne M. Dams (1997)
  Murder in Mesopotamia. Agatha Christie (1936)
  Mystery Mile (Albert Campion #2). Margery Allingham (1930)
  Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Jeanette Winterson (1985)
  Pawing Through the Past (Mrs. Murphy #8). Rita Mae Brown (2000)
  The Penguin Pool Murder. Stuart Palmer (1931)
  The Silent Speaker (Nero Wolfe #11). Rex Stout (1946)
  The Summer of the Swans. Betsy Byars (1970)
  Trouble in the Town Hall (Dorothy Martin #2). Jeanne M. Dams (1996)

What's In A Name Reading Challenge 2016

Link to sign-up post

Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2016
Host: Charlie @ The Worm Hole

● See my original post about the challenge HERE.
● See my wrap-up post HERE.
● See the challenge announcement/sign-up post HERE.
● See the challenge Gateway post for linking reviews HERE.


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

• A country: 
• An item of clothing: 
• An item of furniture: The Clocks (Hercule Poirot #34). Agatha Christie 
• A profession: Dreaming Spies. Laurie R. King
• A month of the year: The Last September. Nina de Gramont [note to self: linked to review page 7/14/2016]
• Title with the word "tree" in it: 

Other Possibilities:

• Category 1 - A country
  The China Governess. Margery Allingham
  Death in Kenya. M.M. Kaye
  England Made Me. Graham Greene
  From Russia With Love. Ian Fleming
  Little Egypt. Lesley Glaister 


• Category 2 - An item of clothing
  Death in a White Tie. Ngaio Marsh
  The Dutch Shoe Mystery. Ellery Queen
  The Green Hat. Michael Arlen
  The Roman Hat Mystery. Ellery Queen
  The Spanish Cape Mystery. Ellery Queen


• Category 3 - An item of furniture
  The Cabinet of Curiosities. Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
  The Clocks. Agatha Christie
  Isabel's Bed. Elinor Lipman
  Separate Beds. Elizabeth Buchan
  They Do It with Mirrors. Agatha Christie


• Category 4 - A profession
  The Nine Tailors. Dorothy L. Sayers
  The Watchmaker of Filigree Street. Natasha Pulley


• Category 5 - A month of the year
  August Folly. Angela Thirkell
  The Enchanted April. Elizabeth von Arnim
  July and August. Nancy Clark
  Three Junes. Julia Glass
  The Violets of March. Sarah Jio


• Category 6 - Title with the word "tree" in it
  Gently in Trees. Alan Hunter
  The Grail Tree. Jonathan Gash
  The King in the Tree: Three Novellas. Steven Millhauser
  Silver on the Tree. Susan Cooper
  The Wizard in the Tree. Lloyd Alexander

What's in a Name 6

**Challenge complete.  See my wrap-up post HERE.**

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2013
Hosted by: Beth Fish Reads

What it's all about -- Between January 1 and December 31, 2013, participants will read one book in each of the following Categories:

1. A book with up or down (or equivalent) in the title
2. A book with something you'd find in your kitchen in the title
3. A book with a party or celebration in the title
4. A book with fire (or equivalent) in the title
5. A book with an emotion in the title
6. A book with lost or found (or equivalent) in the title

Guidelines (quoted from Challenge announcement page):

• Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book). 
• Books may overlap other challenges. 
• Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category. 
• Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged. 
• You do not have to make a list of books before hand. 
• You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order. 

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my challenge wrap-up post here. 
See the challenge announcement/sign-up page here.
See the gateway to review link-ups here.

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

• Category #1: Evil Under the Sun. Agatha Christie
• Category #2: Death By a HoneyBee. Abigail Keam
• Category #3: The Shooting Party. Isabel Colegate
• Category #4: The Heat of the Sun. David Rain (See Review)
• Category #5: The Happy Hollisters. Jerry West (See Review)
• Category #6: The Lost Symbol. Dan Brown (See Review)

What's in a Name 5

 

***Challenge Completed***

 
Hosted by: Beth Fish Reads
Dates: 1 January to 31 December, 2012

The idea of the challenge is to read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title
2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title
4. A book with a type of house in the title
5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title
6. A book with something you'd find on a calendar in the title

Other Guidelines (quoted from the challenge announcement page):

• Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
• Books may overlap other challenges.
• Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
• Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
• You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
• You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement/sign-up page here.
See the Gateway to Challenge Links here.
See my Challenge Wrap-up post here.

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

Category 1: Tyrannosaur Canyon. Douglas Preston (See Review)
Category 2: A Fall of Moondust. Arthur C. Clarke (See Review)
Category 3: Spiderweb. Penelope Lively (See Review)
Category 4: The Solitary House. Lynn Shepherd (Review to come)
Category 5: The Key: A Miss Silver Mystery. Patricia Wentworth (Review to come)
Category 6: A Month in the Country. J.L. Carr (See Review)

POSSIBLE CHOICES:

Category 1:
~ She Walks These Hills. Sharyn McCrumb
~ Tyrannosaur Canyon. Douglas Preston

Category 2:
~ The Evening Star. Larry McMurtry
~ A Fall of Moondust. Arthur C. Clarke
~ The Moonstone. Wilkie Collins
~ A Patchwork Planet. Anne Tyler
~ Ring Around the Sun. Clifford D. Simak

Category 4:
~ Iron House. John Hart
~ Rose Cottage. Mary Stewart

Category 5:
~ Books: A Memoir. Larry McMurtry
~ The Children's Book. A.S. Byatt
~ The Glass Key. Dashiell Hammett
~ The Key: A Miss Silver Mystery. Patricia Wentworth

Category 6:
~ 11/22/63. Stephen King
~ The Man Who Was Thursday. G.K. Chesterton
~ A Month in the Country. J.L. Carr
~ The September Society. Charles Finch
~ Three Junes. Julia Glass

What's in a Name 4 Challenge (2011)

**Challenge completed.**

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2011
Hosted by: Beth Fish Reads

Guidelines:

• Read six books; one book in each of the following categories:
  
  1. A book with a number in the title
  2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title
  3. A book with a size in the title
  4. A book with travel or movement in the title
  5. A book with evil in the title
  6. A book with a life stage in the title
  
  
• Books may be any format (audio, print, e-book).
• Overlapping with other challenges is permitted.
• Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
• Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
• A preliminary list of books is not required.
• You can read through the categories in any order.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

Had a lot of fun with this one, even though I didn't get many reviews written.

MY READING LIST:

1. Category 1: The Man in Lower Ten. Mary Roberts Rinehart (See review)
   
2. Category 2: Cynthia's Attic: The Missing Locket. Mary Cunningham
   
3. Category 3: Malice in Miniature. Jeanne M. Dams
   
4. Category 4: Along Came a Spider. James Patterson (See review)
   
5. Category 5: Whisker of Evil. Rita Mae Brown
   
6. Category 6: Bad Boy. Peter Robinson