What’s In A Name – 2016

Doing this one again.  Sign up at The Wormhole's Blog.

The basics

The challenge runs from January to December. During this time you choose a book to read from each of the following categories (examples of books you could choose are in brackets – I’ve included some from other languages, and translations most definitely count!):

• A country (try not to use ‘Africa’!) Suggestions: Daphne Du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn, Xiaolu Guo’s I Am China, Martin Wagner’s Deutschland)
• An item of clothing (Su Dharmapala’s Saree, Ann Brashare’s The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants, Javier Moro’s El Sari Rojo; Pierre Lemaitre’s Vestido De Novia)
• An item of furniture (Marghanita Laski’s The Victorian Chaise-Longue; C S Lewis’s The Silver Chair; Goslash;hril Gabrielsen’s The Looking-Glass Sisters)
• A profession (Adriana Trigiani’s The Shoemaker’s Wife; Mikhail Elizarov’s The Librarian)
• A month of the year (Elizabeth Von Arnim’s The Enchanted April; Rhoda Baxter’s Doctor January)
• A title with the word ‘tree’ in it (Ai Mi’s Under The Hawthorn Tree; Elle Newmark’s The Sandalwood Tree)

Remember the titles I’ve given here are only examples, you can by all means use them if you want to but it’s not necessary. There are plenty of other books that will fit the categories and you may have

some in mind already or even some on your shelves you can read.

Extra information

• Books can be any format (print, audio, ebook).
• It’s preferred that the books don’t overlap with other challenges, but not a requirement at all.
• Books cannot overlap categories (for instance my example of Black Swan Rising for ‘an animal’ could be used for the ‘colour’ category or ‘animal’ category, but not both).
• Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed, it’s encouraged!
• You don’t have to make your list of books beforehand, you can choose them as you go.
• You don’t have to read your chosen books in any particular order.

Here is what I am reading for this one:

Country:  Murder in Little Italy--Victoria Thompson

Item of Clothing:  The Funeral Dress--Susan Gregg Gilmore

Item of Furniture:  Bed Rest--Sarah Bilston

A Profession:  The Pilot's Wife--Anita Shreve

A Month of the Year:  Enchanted August--Brenda Bowen

A Title with the Word ‘tree’ in it:  The Education of Little Tree--Forrest Carter

Completed on March 1

What An Animal IX Reading Challenge 2016

Socrates book Reviews also hosts the What an Animal Reading Challenge.  I'll be doing this one again, too. I will be trying for Level 3.

Welcome to the 2016 What an Animal Reading Challenge IX. I began hosting this challenge in 2010, when I took it over from Kristi at Passion for the Page. I love reading books that feature animals and am going to host this one again. I hope you will join me.



The challenge will begin on January 1st. Read on for more details...

The rules are really simple...

1. Read at least 6 books that have any of the following requirements:


a. there is an animal in the title of the book

b. there is an animal on the cover of the book

c. an animal plays a major role in the book

d. a main character is (or turns into) an animal (define that however you'd like).

Level 1 - Read at least 6 books

Level 2 - Read 7-12

Level 3 - Read 13-20 

Level 4 - Read 21 or more

2. The animal can be any type of animal (real or fictitious)--dog, cat, monkey, wolf, snake, insect, hedgehog, aardvark...dragon, mermaid, centaur, vampire, werewolf...you get the idea...


3. Challenge runs from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016. That’s a full year to read at least 6 books. 


4. Books can be fiction or nonfiction.

5. You may make a list of books at the beginning of the challenge or you can just list them as you find them.


6. Book titles may be swapped out at anytime (assuming you made a list to begin with).


7. Crossovers with other challenges are permitted and encouraged.


8. You don't have to have a blog or write a review, but you can if you want to.
 If you don't have a blog, just post in the comment section that you'd like to join. You can post your books in there. Or you can sign up by joining my group on Goodreads for this challenge by clicking here.

9. Books can be in any format of your choice (print, audio, ebooks)

Here is what I am reading:

1. White Cat--Holly Black
2. A Dog's Life--Ann M. Martin
3. The Metamorphosis--Franz Kafka
4. It's Raining Pigs and Noodles--Jack Prelutsky
5. Hiss of Death--Rita Mae Brown
6. Werewolves of New Idria--John Chadwell
7. Six of Crows--Leigh Bardugo
8. Hyperbole and a Half--Allie Brosh
9. Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So-Perfect Pet Sitter--Rachel Renee Russell
10. Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail--James Hovarth
11. Yoda: The Story of a Cat and His Kittens--Beth Stern
12. Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups--Tadgh Bentley
13. What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night--Refe and Susan Tuma
14. The Summer of the Swans--Betsy Byars
15. King of the Wind--Marguerite Henry
16. Memoirs of a Goldfish--Devin Scillian
17. The Gates--John Connolly
18. Blood and Chocolate--Annette Curtis Klause
19. Five Black Cats--Patricia Hegarty
20. Turkey Trouble--Wendi Silvano
21. Wolf Dreamer of the Longest Night Moon--Elayne Silva-Reyna
22. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time--Mark Haddon
23. The Christmas Puppy--Roberta Grovel Intrater

Challenge completed on December 15

Cruisin' Thru The Cozies Reading Challenge 2016

Once again I am doing the Cruisin' Thru the Cozies Challenge at Socrates' Book Reviews.  I'll be going for Level 4.

Welcome to the sixth annual Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge! Six years later and I'm still loving those cozies! I hope you'll join me in this challenge.

To find out exactly what a cozy mystery is, check out Cozy-Mystery.com. This site is dedicated to cozy mysteries and does a great job of defining them as well as giving a list of cozy mysteries. This challenge is NOT restricted to what is on their list, it's just to be used as a guideline in case you need some hints on what to read.

So, here are the rules...

1. Choose the level you wish to participate:

Level 1 - Snoop - Read at least 6 books

Level 2 - Investigator - Read 7-12 books

Level 3 - Super Sleuth - Read 13-20 books

Level 4 - Sleuth Extraordinaire - Read 21 or more books

2. The challenge runs from January 1, 2016 and ends December 31, 2016.

3. You don't have to choose your books in advance. If you do, you can change your list at any time during the year. Books can overlap with other challenges.

4. Books can be in any format - paper, audio, ebooks...it all counts!

5. You don't have to post a review, but I'm sure others would love to know about the books you are reading and may even want to add it to their reading lists. 

NOTE: If you don't have a blog and want to participate, that's fine. You don't have to have a blog, just post in the comments section as you finish books. If you belong to a site like Goodreads and review the books there, that's fine too. Just leave us the link.  I also have a group for this challenge on Goodreads and you can sign up by clicking here.

6. If you do have a blog, take the button above, put it on your blog and post about the challenge. Then add your name to Mr. Linky below. Please use the link of your challenge post, not the link to your home page.

7. I'm going to have one link for signing up, one link for completed reviews and one link for your wrap up posts. I won't be having a monthly link, just one for all reviews read for this challenge.

Here is what I am reading:

1. Murder of a Bookstore Babe--Denise Swanson
2. Moon Spinners--Sally Goldenbaum
3. Murder in Little Italy--Victoria Thompson
4. Hiss of Death--Rita Mae Brown
5. X--Sue Grafton
6. Glazed Murder--Jessica Beck
7. A Crazy Little Thing Called Death--Nancy Martin
8. Hooked on Murder--Betty Hechtman
9. Dead Men Don't Crochet--Betty Hechtman
10. A Cold Day for Murder--Dana Stabenow
11. Cross Bones--Kathy Reichs
12. Bones to Ashes--Kathy Reichs
13. Savannah Breeze--Mary Kay Andrews
14. A Sheetcake Named Desire--Jacklyn Brady
15. The 5th Horseman--James Patterson
16. The 6th Target--James Patterson
17. 7th Heaven--James Patterson
18. The 8th Confession--James Patterson
19. A Rose From the Dead--Kate Collins
20. The 9th Judgment--James Patterson
21. Murder in Merino--Sally Goldenbaum
22. Tricky Twenty-Two--Janet Evanovich
23. Double Fudge Brownie Murder--Joanne Fluke
24. The PMS Murder--Laura Levine
25. 10th Anniversary--James Patterson
26. It Takes a Witch--Heather Blake
27. An Uninvited Ghost--E.J. Copperman
28. Purl Up and Die--Maggie Sefton
29. 11th Hour--James Patterson
30. Margarita Nights--Phyllis Stallman
31. A Wee Christmas Homicide--Kaitlyn Dunnett
32. The Queene's Christmas--Karen Harper
33. Pampered to Death--Laura Levine

Challenge completed on December 28

Foodies Read 2016

One of my favorite reading challenges is now up for next year.  The Foodies Reading Challenge has moved to a new host for 2016,  Heather at Based on A True Story.

Do you love reading books about food?  Do you want to find more recommendations of books to read and to sing the praises of books that you’ve loved?

You’re in the right place.  Starting in January 2016, I’ll be taking over Foodie Reads.

We will still have a challenge levels and for those of us who don’t like to plan that much there will be an a la carte option.

Want to challenge yourself?  Pick a level below.

Short-Order Cook: 1 to 3 books
Pastry Chef: 4 to 8 books
Sous-Chef: 9 to 13 books
Chef de Cuisine: 14 to 18
Cordon-Bleu Chef: More than 19

Don’t like to plan?  Choose the a la carte option and let us know when you read a book about food.

What counts as a food book?  Any genre – fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, etc.  If food is a major part of the plot then it counts!

Each month I’ll have a new page for book reviews that you post.  You can find the page for the month linked here and on the blog’s right sidebar.  Each month will feature some posts from the last month.  Posts will be pinned to Pinterest and publicized on Twitter to get the word out.  Along the way there may be giveaways for participants.

 I'm signing up for the highest level as always. I know I can get that many. Here are my books:

1. The School of Essential Ingredients--Erica Bauermeister
2. Kitchen Princess Omnibus Volume 1--Natsumi Ando
3. It's Raining Pigs and Noodles--Jack Prelutsky
4. Glazed Murder--Jessica Beck
5. Hooked on Murder--Betty Hechtman
6. Dead Men Don't Crochet--Betty Hechtman
7. Garlic and Sapphires--Ruth Reichl
8. The Coincidence of Coconut Cake--Amy E. Reichert
9. Until There Was You--Kristan Higgins
10. Afterburn/Aftershock--Sylvia Day
11. Savannah Breeze--Mary Kay Andrews
12. A Sheetcake Named Desire--Jacklyn Brady
13. Such a Pretty Fat--Jen Lancaster
14. The Girl Who Chased the Moon--Sarah Addison Allen
15. Double Fudge Brownie Murder--Joanne Fluke
16. The Night Before Thanksgiving--Natasha Wing
17. Turkey Trouble--Wendi Silvano
18. The Penalty Box--Deirdre Martin
19. Gingerbread Christmas--Jan Brett
20. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto--Michael Pollan
21. Margarita Nights--Phyllis Stallman

Challenge completed on December 6

Do You Have Ringxiety?

There is something that I just learned this week that has apparently been happening since the last decade.

Something called "ringxiety."  Do you have it?  Don't know if you have it? Don't know what it is?  Neither did I until two days ago.  You may have had it without knowing it or even knowing what it is.

For the last week or so I kept thinking my cell phone was ringing or vibrating (I tend to keep it on vibrate most of the time), but it actually wasn't doing so at all.  What I actually heard was noises coming from my mobile home park neighbors's houses, yards or cars, and leaves rustling in the wind,  among other noises. Why I thought this was phone ringing I didn't know, as none of my ringtones sound like these things! I thought I must be going crazy along with my frequent tendencies of anxiety and depression (been on Prozac for three months now).  But then I wondered if this happens to others. As I went to my psychiatrist appointment this past Thursday, I brought this up and was told that this is what is called "ringxiety." My psychiatrist even said he does it with his phone.  I'd never heard that word until then, so naturally I Googled it at home later that day.  I got the following from Wikipedia:

Phantom vibration syndrome or phantom ringing is the perception that one's mobile phone isvibrating or ringing, when in fact the telephone is not doing so. Other terms for this concept includeringxiety (a portmanteau of ring and anxiety) and fauxcellarm (a play on "false alarm").^[1]

Phantom ringing may be experienced while taking a shower, watching television, or using a noisy device. Humans are particularly sensitive to auditory tones between 1,000 and 6,000 hertz, and basic mobile phone ringers often fall within this range.^[1] Phantom vibrations develop after carrying a cell phone set to use vibrating alerts.^[2] Researcher Michelle Drouin found that almost 9 of 10 undergraduates at her college experienced phantom vibrations.^[3] .....

Further searching lead me to various links dated as far back as 2006 on this subject.  Even though I was never aware of it till now, it shouldn't come as surprise that it's been happening that long, since cell phones have become a part of life for everyone.  It appears to be one of those things you may have known about but didn't know what it is called.  Or you never knew about it until recently as I did.  

Along with Phantom Vibration Syndrome, "ringxiety" and "fauxcellarm," another term I learned for this sort of occurrence is hypovibrochondria:

Again, I only just found this out this past week, but it's been happening for sometime now. It's possible, even likely, that if you haven't had it now, you may have it someday as cell phones increasingly become part of everyone's everyday life.  But now you know you're not alone.  

Mental Illness Advocacy (MIA) Reading Challenge

I did a mental illness awareness reading challenge this year. I'd looked forward to it, but the blog hosting it was deleted sometime this year.  I then saw this similar challenge and decided to sign up for this one.  They said you can join any time, but I'm planning to start next year so I can finish the challenges I'm still working on for the current year. To see more details and to sign up, click here at Opinions of a Wolf.

I will try to get to 12 books.  I've been going through depression treatment, so I need to participate in this challenge.

Mental Illness Advocacy (MIA) Reading Challenge

About the Challenge:
I started the Mental Illness Advocacy (MIA) Reading Challenge in December 2010 in an effort to raise awareness, knowledge, and acceptance of mental illness.  Reading, both fiction and nonfiction, is an excellent way to broaden one’s horizons and expose one to new ideas and ways of thinking and being.  Many reading challenges already existed in the book blogging community to address racism, sexism, and homophobia, but I could not find any to address the stigma faced by those suffering from mental illness.  In spite of mental illnesses being recognized by the scientific community as diseases just like physical ones, many still think those suffering from one are at fault for their own suffering.  I hope reading and reviewing books featuring characters struggling to deal with mental illness, whether their own or another person’s, will help remove the stigma faced on a daily basis by those with a mental illness.  They already have to struggle with an illness; they shouldn’t have to face a stigma too.

Please note that this is the original MIA Reading Challenge. For the years 2010-2014 there were no other reading challenges addressing mental illness.

What books count?Any book, fiction or nonfiction, that is either about mental illness or features characters or real people with a mental illness counts for the challenge.  However, the book must not demonize people with mental illnesses.

So, for example, the movie Fatal Attraction, which features a character with Borderline Personality Disorder, would not count since she is demonized in the movie.  However, Girl Interrupted, which also features a character with Borderline Personality Disorder, would count since that character is presented as a three-dimensional person with good and bad traits.

Challenge Levels:

Acquainted–4 books
Aware–8 books
Advocate–12 books

Here is what I'll be reading:

1. Prozac Nation--Elizabeth Wurtzel
2. It's Kind of a Funny Story--Ned Vizzini
3. Room--Emma Donoghue
4. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance--Robert M. Pirsig
5. The Prince of Tides--Pat Conroy
6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest--Ken Kesey
7. The Yellow Wall-Paper and Other Writings--Charlotte Perkins Gilman
8. Sellevision--Augusten Burroughs
9. Persepolis 2--Marjane Satrapi
10. Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me--Ellen Forney
11. Hyperbole and a Half--Allie Brosh
12. Veronika Decides to Die--Paulo Coelho
13. Loud in the House of Myself--Stacy Pershall
14. The 6th Target--James Patterson
15. The Housekeeper and the Professor--Yoko Ogawa
16. Summerland--Elin Hilderbrand
17. Fly Away--Kristin Hannah
18. The Summer of the Swans--Betsy Byars
19. Looking for Alaska--John Green
20. The Bell Jar--Sylvia Plath
21. The Catcher in the Rye--J.D. Salinger
22. All the Lovely Bad Ones--Mary Downing Hahn
23. Ghost Boy--Martin Pistorius
24. Think of a Number--John Verdon
25. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer--Michelle Hodkin
26. I Was Here--Gayle Forman
27. Leave Me--Gayle Forman
28. In the Still of the Night--Ann Rule
29. Another Brooklyn--Jacqueline Woodson
30. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time--Mark Haddon

Challenge completed on December 1

2016 Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge!

The Romantic Suspense Challenge, previously hosted by the Book Vixen, has been picked up by Shooting Start Reviews at this link.   I'll be doing it.

2016 Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge!

Welcome to the 2016 Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge! 

The Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge was originally created and hosted by Brianna at The Book Vixen and is now hosted by Shooting Stars Reviews.

If you enjoy reading suspense, but with romance and some mystery as well, then this is the challenge for you! 

The rules are simple, and the more the merrier! Good luck everyone! 

Reading Challenge Details:

• Runs January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016 (books read prior to 1/1/2016 do not count towards the challenge). You can join anytime before 06/01/2016!
• The goal is to read as many romantic suspense novels as you’d like. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. You can move up a level as often as you’d like but no moving down. Remember, the idea is to challenge yourself.
• Books can be any format! 
• Novellas that are 100 pages in length (give or take), as well as full-length novels, will count for this reading challenge.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• To join the challenge, grab the 2016 Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge button below and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, LibraryThing, BookLikes, etc., so as long as you have a dedicated shelf for the 2016 Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge and your profile is not private. The point of linking up is to have a place where people can see what you’re reading.

Here is what I am reading:

1. Devil's Prize--Kat Martin
2. Queen's Own Fool--Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris
3. The Husband's Secret--Liane Moriarty
4. The Lake House--Kate Morton
5. Say You Love Me--Johanna Lindsey
6. Summerland--Elin Hilderbrand
7. Tricky Twenty-Two--Janet Evanovich
8. 10th Anniversary--James Patterson
9. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer--Michelle Hodkin
10. Six Years--Harlan Coben

Challenge completed on November 14