Christmas Trivia

 

Thursday 13: Reading for the Rest of the Year

I'm combining The Thursday 13 and Book Discussion Challenge this week.  I haven't done a Book Discussion post this month yet, and went to get at least one more this month and year, including a year-end post.

1. Trying to finish all the books I have out from the library before they close next week starting on Christmas Eve. Plan to read from home for the rest of the year/month.
2. Thank goodness for my Goodreads account. I took out a book this month that I didn't know I'd already read and didn't want to read again. This has happened more than once this year.
3. As you can see on my blog, I have been signing up for reading challenges for next year. There are few others I am waiting to see when they post.
4. I don't have a lot of holiday-themes books at home that I haven't read already, so it looks like the book I'm currently reading will be my last one for the Yuletide challenge.
5. Even though the challenges for next year have already been posted, the site hosting the Southern Literature and Books in Translation has been down for about a week now. As a result, I decided to call these challenges complete for this year, and am now debating about participating next year, if the site is still down then. 
6. Have several categories on the Feminist challenge (one I'm waiting to see posted for next year) that I have been unable to find books for. It looks like those will go uncompleted. I'd planned to complete as many categories as possible.
7. Same for the Cover Lovers challenge. Three categories remain empty, and I don't see any books in my stash at home that fit these categories, except one that fits the "Outdated technology" one, but don't yet know if will get to that one. The rest of time this month will tell.
8. I was sad last year when I found out that Pick Your Poison will be ending this year. It was always a fun one. I thus wanted to fill as many categories as I could. Some are still open, but these are more I don't yet know about getting to.
9. I have three monthly prompts left  to complete, two of which will be filled by the same book, one I have at home.
10. I'm debating on whether to join some of the challenges again. Reader Haven hasn't posted a new challenge yet, but I may skip that one. I've been doing that one for only two years, but the categories seemed repetitive each time.
11. Also unsure about this one again. It's already been posted, but I am unsure about some of the categories.
12. Deciding on whether to join some new-to-me challenges, since Pick your Poison will be ending. I've seen a few that look interesting.
13. Not sure how many more cozy mysteries, animal-themed books I will get in the less than two weeks left. Also, I have not read a book-to-movie since October, and have not read a memoir since last month. Not much on my personal stash fits any of these, except at some cozy mysteries. Again, it all depends on time.

I plan to rejoin both Thursday 13 and Book Blog Discussion next year. I found a new book blogger challenge while searching for challenges to add to the Facebook group that collects challenges (for which I am a moderator). I don't know about this one, as it calls for specific blogging categories, unlike the Discussion Challenge. But the two might just work well together. Just letting those interested know about this one. Still have to come to my decision.

How are all of your doing with your reading for the rest of this year? I've only planned a few reads for next month, as I like to choose as I go along. Have any of you already planned reading for at least the coming month?

Buzzword Challenge 2026

 Another I have been waiting for. Here is the announcement on YouTube.

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

A Contemporary Christmas? Part 2

Some old and new ones.

Christmas Music

This was how I felt when working retail many years ago.  I could not wait until I got home so I could take a break from haring all holiday tunes all day long. Though sometimes, I might put on my Twisted Christmas CDs by Bob Rivers, just for the humor.  I still have to endure this at stores that play Christmas music all day long, though, and I dread having to be in a store for very long. I was surprised earlier this month, though, to go into Safeway and not hear all holiday songs in a row in the time was in the store. And as someone who doesn't need to get a lot of presents, I've escaped having to listen to a lot of this music while shopping. 

At my current place of work, we listen to music on Youtube, and no big surprise, Our case mangers have been putting a lot of Christmas music videos, though yesterday I came in and heard Motown music playing instead. I was quite surprised by that! It was not until later that day that one of the case managers put on the holiday stuff. One reason I'm glad not to be working retail anymore.

Picture Prompt Book Bingo Challenge 2026

This is my third year doing this one. 

If you’re new to the Picture Prompt Bingo – it’s a loosey goosey reading challenge in which you match up the books that you’ve read with the pictures on the bingo card. The key thing being that you can be as creative in your interpretation of the picture as you like.

For example, for the plant being potted up in the bottom left corner, you might choose a book in which one of the characters is a gardener, or a story with a focus on biology or ecology; you may read something that has the word ‘plant’ or ‘flower’ in the title; or perhaps you’ll read a book about a character or group of people who are uprooted or resettled. As long as you’re happy with the connection you make between the book and the image, it’s all good.

1. A teacup and saucer:  
2. A set of weighing scales:  
3. A moth:
4. A hand holding some fanned out playing cards:
5. A hot air balloon:
6. An acorn:
7. A human eye:
8. A cooking pot hanging over a campfire:
9. A griffin:
10. A large, old key:
11. A hand holding a threaded needle:
12. An octopus:
13. A plant being repotted:
14. A skull and crossbones:
15. A decorative water fountain:
16. A pinch-clip purse: 

A Contemporary Christmas?

 Some old and new ones.

Cheap Christmas

 An old favorite and some new ones I discovered this week.

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge

 One I did for the first time this year. I liked this idea and will be in again.

The rules of the challenge are the same as last year's. Here how it will work:

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026.

2. Since this isn't a competition and we're just playing for fun, not prizes or even acclaim, books of any length count (as long as they fit one of the prompts). All genres and formats are allowed. 

3. Don't overthink or stress out about the prompts. If a book fits-ish a prompt, that's totally fine, but a book should only be used once (unless you're going rogue and just doing things your own way). I'm all about being flexible and laidback!

4. 50 prompts can be overwhelming, so let's break it down:

Level One: 1-10 books

Level Two: 11-20 books

Level Three: 21-30 books

Level Four: 31-40 books

Level Five: 41-50 books

Read a book with a cover that includes:

1.  a scene you would like to step into for a day
2.  the word "house" or "home" in the title
3. your favorite food or drink 
4. a subtitle
5. a chalkboard
6. an animal that is often ridden by humans (horse, mule, camel, etc.)
7. a mythical creature (unicorn, dragon, centaur, etc.)
8. someone holding food or a drink in their hand(s)
9. a compound word in the title or author's name (the compound word needs to be made up of two real words, but the resulting word does not have to be a real word, like buttermore, Shellman, etc.)
10. someone in a uniform of some kind
11. the author's picture on the front cover
12. something a chef might use (apron, toque, spatula, pots and pans, etc.)
13. the name of a flower in the title or author's name
14. an adverb in the title
15. a car's headlights shining in the darkness
16. ice in some form ("ice" in the title, ice cubes, frozen pond/rink, glaciers, etc.)
17. a timepiece
18. a palindrome in the title or author's name
19. the name of a bird in the title
20. a title that does not include the words "and" or "the"
21. a bridge
22. a title word or author's name you don't know how to pronounce correctly
23.  a mug or teacup
24. a bell of some kind (doorbell, jingle bells, cowbell, etc.)
25. something you might see in a house of worship (stained glass windows, scriptures, cross, menorah, priest, etc.)
26. something you associate with pirates (Jolly Roger, eyepatch, parrot, etc.)
27. someone with facial hair
28. an adjective that is often used to describe the weather (stormy, sunny, windy, cloudy, etc. in the title or author's name 
29. a watercraft
30. something you might use for a home improvement project (tools, paint, nails, etc.)
31. someone reading 
32. a word from the military alphabet in the title (https://militaryalphabet.net/)
33. at least one person using a medical or mobility device (wheelchair, cane, hearing aids, insulin pump, etc.)
34. an honorific in the title or author's name (Miss, Mrs., Doctor., Your Highness, etc.)
35. a telephone (rotary or cell) or a telephone booth
36. someone who is barefoot
37. an alliterative title (A Christmas Carol, Legacy of Lies, Forever Friends, etc.)
38. punctuation of some sort in the title
39. somewhere you could happily sit and read all day
40. an X, Y, or Z in the author's name
41. an umbrella
42. a computer
43. a title or cover art with the name of a road or street (Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah, The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark, etc.)
44. minimal cover art/design
45. someone with red hair
46. one of the weapons from the board game Clue (candlestick, dagger/knife, lead pipe, rope, revolver/pistol, wrench)
47. one or more balloons
48. a creepy old house or building
49. someone with painted fingernails or toenails
50. a noun in the author's name (Amanda Flower, Cherie Priest, Stephen King, etc.)

More Holiday Fun--Thursday 13

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. 🙂   

It just keeps coming!

 

2026 Books in Translation Reading Challenge

 Once again joining this one, getting as many books as possible.

Rules

• You can read a book that’s been translated from any language into the language of your choosing. The challenge is not limited to translations to or from English.
• You can read any genre
• You can read books meant for any age group
• Crossovers with other challenges are fine
• Any format that you choose is also acceptable
• The challenge will run from January 1 through December 31, 2026
• A blog is not required for participation; you can also link to reviews on other sites such as GoodReads, Instagram, etc.
• Sign up anytime throughout the year
• I’ve tried to keep this simple but if you have any questions, reach out in the comments, via social media (links in my sidebar), or my contact form.
• Most importantly, have fun!

Levels

Beginner: Read 1-3 books in translation
Conversationalist: 4-6 books
Bilingual: 7-9 books
Linguist: 10+ books

My Books:

1.