Book Discussion: More Reading Progress

I'd only completed two of my challenges when I made my Mid-Year Reading post in June. I also noted in that post that there were a few I still one or two books to complete. Well, now all but one of those are done. I'm still stuck on deciding on something to re-read, the last category left for Unabridged.

Here are the ones I have completed since June:

What's In a Name? 7/26

Needing a book set on a train for one of my summer reading challenges, I chose this one since it included a crime in the title. Not one I was looking forward to, but I got through it. This was the one category that I had the most trouble finding.

Color-Coded 7/29

Some colors get harder and harder to find each year. Though I intend to keep going on the one in the coming year :) I'm glad they allow shades of colors (such as "lime" for "green," "coffee" for "brown," "lemon" for "yellow," etc.). "Other color" was the one I had left. Every year, I wonder what my "other color" will be.

Alphabet Soup Titles 7/30

As I said in the post from June, I was stuck the most on U and X for both titles and authors. The author one I completed in early June, with U as the last one completed. I was stuck on X for the titles, and chose a title that contains the letter X, though it is not the first word. X was as difficult as ever. 

And there were some I completed that I did not mention in the June post. I don't remember how many spaces I had left on these up to that point.

My Reader's Journey 8/19

The UFO category was my least favorite on this one. I only read so much science fiction. But I needed cli-fi or solar punk book for another challenge, and UFO was the last one I nedeed for this one. So it all worked out.

Reader Haven 8/19

This was an unexpected finish. It was new to me in 2024, and had almost the same categories as that year. I'm now debating if I'm going to attempt this one in 2026, if it gets offered for then. 

Nonfiction 8/30

Trying to find a nonfiction book on islands was the one thin that was keeping from completing this one. I decided to look for a short one I could read quickly while at the  library (a short work as noted in this post).

On a side note, the book I chose for the UFO category was also for this August category. And I though I rarely do monthly challenges out of order, I included it for this one in September.  As I said, I only read so much sci-fi, so I decided to jump ahead on this one. I did the same for the August Decades category and the September category for NoveList. The decade in question was the 1970s and the September category was "Set in the decade you were born." I was worried about having to find another 70s set book. But I just noticed one of the library books I have out right now is set in the 70s. Do I double the requirement for September, or remove the previous book and use the one I have out now instead, I'm trying to decide.  This blogger said she never does the monthly ones in order. I like to decide what to read as I go along, so that usually means going in order for me. The categories above just happened to be a month apart.

More Stuff We Have Come To

 

13 Things About September

Colleen at The Thursday 13 holds a weekly blogging prompt where bloggers make a list of 13 things on Thursdays. The topic is for you to choose. The blog host doesn't have any official graphics to display on the Thursday 13 posts, so I decided to whip one up myself. 🙂 

Here are some fun facts about the month September. These were obtained from these links. Click to see more. 

1. September’s name comes from the Latin word septem, meaning “seven.” This month had originally been the seventh month of the early Roman calendar. 
2. September 11 is Patriot Day, held in honor and remembrance of those who died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
3. Out of all 12 months of the year, September is spelled with the most letters. It contains nine letters, and it happens to be the ninth month of the year. No other months have the same amount of letters as their number in the calendar year.
4. There are more pop and classic songs with “September” in the title than any other month.
5. The birthstone for September is the sapphire which is said to reduce inflammation, treat fever and act as a lucky charm for the person wearing it. It symbolizes intuition, clarity of thought, peacefulness, as well as loyalty and trust.
6. A little-known, but highly significant holiday falls in September. September 17th is Constitution Day, which marks the day that the U.S. Constitution was adopted.
7. September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
8. September has seen its share of major historic world events, including the 1666 Great Fire of London, the 1939 start of World War II, the 1945 declaration of victory over Japan, and the 2001 September 11 terror attacks. See some lesser-known events here.
9. The oft-forgotten medieval Christian holiday of Michaelmas celebrates the archangel St. Michael, a leader of heavenly armies and the protector against winter darkness. Held on September 29, the feast day marks the beginning of fall as the harvest season ends, according to the National Trust for Scotland. Medieval English traditions included giving daisies as presents, stealing your neighbor’s horse (just for a night) and eating a fattened goose to ensure prosperity through the winter season.
10. The fashion magazine Vogue's September issue is the publication's most important edition of the year. The semi-annual Fashion Week also occurs in September.
11. Notable individuals who were born in September include Amy Winehouse, Adam Sandler, Bruce Springsteen, Bill Murray, Freddie Mercury, Confucius, Queen Elizabeth, Sophia Loren, and Stephen King.
12. September is known as Harvest Month because it is the perfect time to gather crops in preparation for winter.
13. The first American newspaper, “Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestick,” was published in Boston on September 25th, 1690. However, it was shut down after its first issue due to the British authorities’ disagreement with its content.

And there's more. As usual, it was hard picking out just 13 for the list.

September Bookish Bingo

 Here is the new card for September. Note the new design.

My Books:

1. The Love Story of Missy Carmichael--Beth Morrey (7 squares): Not Finished Previous Month, Library Book, Physical Book, Book Club Read, Not in a Series, Flirty Banter, Coffee/Tea
2. Splat the Cat Audio Collection--Rob Scotton (1 square): Audiobook
3. Cats At Sea--Lisa Martin (2 squares): E-Book, Pirates
4. A Child's Garden of Verses--Robert Louis Stevenson (1 square): Plants on Cover
5. Holes--Louis Sachar (6 squares): In a Series, Conspiracy, Banned Book, Recommenced to You, Free Space, Orphan
6. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea--Axie Oh (3 squares): Demon, Villain Actually Good, Cross Worlds
7. True Biz--Sara Novic (1 square): Set in a School
8. Legacy of Secrets--Elizabeth Adler ( squares): Free Book, Shelf Love, Smoke on the Cover

Ginger Cat Appreciation Day

Welcome to September. Here is yet another day I did not know about. It's about ginger cats, also known as orange tabbies. They too, have their own day of appreciation.