Cheli's Olympian effort at the Category Challenge in 2016 Part II

I'm a bit behind but hoping that I can make a a strong finish and get the challenge completed!

Hi everyone, this is my 8th annual category challenge and this year believe it or not, I'm going to do about the same as last year but with a new theme.
This year my theme is the Greek Gods. Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series and several others, reminded of my early love of mythology so the Gods and Godesses of Olympus will lead me through my reading this year.

I'm going to be doing a 2,016 pager - 16 categories and each category needs to have 2,016 pages read. So chunksters will count more than lightweights. Audio books will count equvalent pages for regular books.
I want to try again to have at least 75% of the books I read come off my TBR pile - meaning the books had to be in my possession prior to 2016, either on my Nook, Kindle, MP3 for audio, or physical shelves unless that were ARCs or ER books which need to be read in a timely manner. (77% was my percentage as of November 1st.)

Now that everything has been explained, here are my categories for 2016:

I. Zeus - god of lightning, thunder, and the heavens - Anything goes!
II. Athena - Goddess of wisdom - Book based mysteries CATEGORY COMPLETED
III. POSEIDON - God of the sea and earthquakes COZIES SET BY THE SEA
IV. Aphrodite - Goddess of love and beauty - Favorite authors series CATEGORY COMPLETED
V. Hermes - God of commerce and travel - Foreign series
VI. Hestia - Goddess of the home and hearth - Crafts/Needlework
VII. Apollo - God of music, poetry, art, sun, light and knowledge - Classics
VIII. Eros - God of love, procreation & sexual desire - Romance series
IX. Astraea - The Star Maiden - a goddess of justice - Legal/police mysteries
X. Clio - Muse of History - HISTORIES 1920'S CATEGORY COMPLETED
XI. Dionysus - God of wine and pleasure - Wine and cheese mysteries
XII. Demeter - Goddess of the Harvest - Culinary Mysteries
XIII. Hephaestus - God of blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans - Home Improvements/Repair and B&Bs CATEGORY COMPLETED
XIV. Hebe - Goddess of youth - Young Adult series
XV. Eos - Goddess of the Dawn - Firsts in new series CATEGORY COMPLETED
XVI. Antheia - Goddess of gardens, flower - LILIES Ladies book group, ROOTS CATEGORY COMPLETED

I. Zeus - god of lightning, thunder, and the heavens - Anything goes!
Zeus was the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. He drew lots with his brothers, Poseidon and Hades, in order to decide who would succeed their father on the throne. Zeus won the draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods, as well as lord of the sky and rain. His weapon was a thunderbolt which he hurled at those who displeased or defied him, especially liars and oathbreakers.
Zeus, the presiding deity of the universe, ruler of the skies and the earth, was regarded by the Greeks as the god of all natural phenomena on the sky; the personification of the laws of nature; the ruler of the state; and finally, the father of gods and men.
Since Zeus is the head honcho on Olympus, he can handle just about anything. For those series that don't quite fit in the other categories, Zeus will be my catch all.

1. Monument to the Dead 256 pgs.
2. Guaranteed to Bleed 268 pgs.
3. Clouds in my Coffee 256 pgs.
4. The Way of the Wicked 477 pgs.
5. Murder of a Queen Bee 288 pgs.

Total pages = 1,545

Hope Street Church Mystery

✔★The Way of the Wicked
The Graves of the Guilty
The Root of All Evil

Antiques & Collectibles Mystery

★A Treacherous Trader %
A Devious Lot

Beaufort and Company Mystery

★Avenging Angels
Angel's Verdict
Angel Condemned

Robert Langdon

★Inferno

Museum Mysteries

✔★Monument to the Dead
★Razing the Dead
Privy to the Dead
Dead End Street

Country Club Murders

✔Guaranteed to Bleed
✔Clouds in my Coffee

II. Athena - Goddess of wisdom - Book based mysteries

Athena is the goddess of wisdom, arts and literature, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.
Wisdom comes from reading books so what better patron can the book based mysteries have than the Goddess of Literature - Athena?
I have ten series that are related to books and hopefully I'll be able to read more than the 2000+ pages needed to complete the category!

1. Death Overdue 245 pgs.
2. Murder Under Cover 291 pgs.
3. A Bone to Picks 272 pages
4. The Cracked Spine 304 pages
5. Pages of Sin 84 pages
6. One Book in the Grave 280 pages
7. Murder in the Paperback Parlor 304 pages
8. A Most Curious Murder 336 pages

Page total = 2,116 CATEGORY COMPLETED

These are some of the candidates:
Raven's Nest Bookstore series

Mind over Murder%
A Sinister Sense
Trouble Vision
Extra Sensory Deception

A Book Collector Mystery

The Sayers Swindle
The Wolfe Widow

Booktown Mystery

★Chapter and Hearse%
Sentenced to Death
Murder on the Half Shelf
Title Wave

Ashton Corners Book Club Mysteries

★Read and Buried
Cover Story
Book Fair and Foul

Bibliophile Mystery

✔Murder Under Cover%
✔One Book in the Grave
★Peril in Paperback
✔Pages of Sin
A Cookbook Conspiracy
The Book Stops Here

Library Lover's Mystery

★On Borrowed Time
A Likely Story

Book Retreat Mystery

✔Murder in the Paperback Parlor
★Murder in the Secret Garden

Killer Librarian

✔Death Overdue

Novel Idea Mysteries

Every Trick in the Book
Books, Cooks, and Crooks
Played by the Book

Aurora Teagarden

✔A Bone to Pick
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse
The Julius House
Dead Over Heels

III. POSEIDON - God of the sea and earthquakes COZIES SET BY THE SEA

Poseidon is the god of the sea and protector of all aquatic features. Brother of Zeus and Hades, he drew lots with them to share the universe. He ended up becoming lord of the sea. He was widely worshipped by seamen. He married Amphitrite, one of the granddaughters of the Titan Oceanus.
Poseidon created the first horse. His weapon was a trident, with which he could make the earth shake, causing earthquakes, and shatter any object. He was second to Zeus in power amongst the gods. He was considered by Greeks to have a difficult quarrelsome personality.
Poseidon controls the realm of all water - seas, lake, rivers - so this category will have series that are set in an areas around water.

1. Beastly Things 296 pgs.
2. The Golden Egg 395 pgs.
3. By Its Cover 288 pgs.
4. Murder on Wheels 198 pgs.
5. Falling in Love 256 pgs.
6. Waters of Eternal Youth 256 pgs.
7. Tea Cups and Carnage 192 pgs.

total pages = 1,881

Books by the Bay

★Poisoned Prose
Lethal Letters
Writing All the Wrongs

Tourist Trap Mystery Series current

✔Murder on Wheels
✔Tea Cups and Carnage

Seaside Knitters Mystery

Patterns in the Sand
Moon Spinners
A Holiday Yarn
The Wedding Shawl
A Fatal Fleece

Guido Brunetti - VENICE Series current

✔Beastly Things%
✔The Golden Egg%
✔By Its Cover %
✔Falling in Love %
✔The Waters of Eternal Youth

IV. Aphrodite - Goddess of love and beauty - Favorite authors series
Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. Some accounts have her as the daughter of Zeus a minor goddess, Dione, but other accounts say that when Cronus flung Uranus's amputated limb into the sea she was born from the sea foam around it. She is universally known because there are so many mythological accounts of her and because she is the goddess of the most popular feeling of all time.

What can be more beautiful to a bibliophile than shiny new books from her favorite authors?

There are several author whose books I try to read as soon as I can get my hands on the latest release.
Sometimes, however, they get pushed back, I'll wait for the audio version, but these books WILL BE READ in 2016.
So this category is for my favorite authors' newest books in their series.

1. Mary's Christmas short story prequel to the Mary Russell 23 pgs.
2. Wedding Cake Murder 304 pgs.
3. Foreign Eclairs 280 pgs.
4. Devonshire Scream 279 pgs.
5. The Murder of Mary Russell 355 pgs.
6. Breach of Crust 304 pgs.
7. Marriage of Mary Russell 40 pgs.
8. Murder in the Secret Garden 262 pgs.
9. Send in the Clowns 246 pgs.

total pages = 2,094 CATEGORY COMPLETED

These are the 7 books for this category.

✔Foreign Eclairs
✔Wedding Cake Murder
✔Devonshire Scream
✔Breach of Crust
League of Dragons
Boar Island
✔The Murder of Mary Russell

V. Hermes - God of commerce and travel - Foreign series
Hermes is the messenger god and therefore has access to all areas of the earth and is often used by each of the gods to deliver not only messages to each other, but items as well. He is easily recognizable for the winged shoes and helmet that he wears and is often considered Zeus' favorite son.
Most of the books that I read are set in the USA but I am working on the European Challenge (visiting every European nation in a book) so some of the books that I read are set in Europe and with the GEOCAT, I may be traveling to other countries. HERMES will be my guide. Series that I have found set in Europe and other foreign nations, as well as other books set in foreign locales will be read for this category.

1. Blood on the Water 336 pages
2. Corridors of the Night 473 pages
3. Beautiful Pretender 320 pgs.
4. Picture Miss Seeton 170 pgs.
5. 44 Scotland Street 68 pgs.

total pages = 1,367

Dublin Murder Squad - IRELAND

★Broken Harbour
The Secret Place %

William Monk - England

✔Blood on the Water%
✔Corridors of the Night
Revenge in a Cold River

Amelia Peabody - EGYPT

The Mummy Case
Lion in the Valley

Irish Country - IRELAND

An Irish Country Christmas
An Irish Country Girl

Cotton Malone -

CHINA, GERMANY, ENGLAND

The Emperor's Tomb
The Devil's Gold
The Jefferson Key
The Tudor Plot
The King's Deception

Czech Republic

★The Columbus Affair

Bosnia

★Third Secret%

Vicky BLiss

Germany, Italy, Sweden, Egypt

★Street of the Five Moons%
★Silhouette in Scarlet%
Laughter of Dead Kings

The Borgia Mistress

VI. Hestia - Goddess of the home and hearth - Crafts/Needlework
Hestia was the goddess of the hearth, home, architecture, domesticity, family, and the state.
To me, the Needlework arts are the foundation of home and hearth, so Hestia rules here.
As a person who loves to cross stitch, knit, or crochet I love to read cozy mysteries that have a needlecraft background. However, my love of these cozies seems to be getting out of hand, so I've resolved to read more! Seems like the right solution to me!

1. Thread and Gone 304 pgs.
2. Dangling by a Thread 304 pgs.
3. Silence of the Lamps 352 pgs.
4. Crepe Factor 291 pgs.
5.

Page total = 1,251

Here are the candidates for the category:
Threadville Mystery

★Night of the Living Thread
Seven Threadly Sins

Southern Sewing Circle Mystery

★Deadly Notions
Dangerous Alterations
Reap What You Sew

Needlecraft Mysteries

Cutwork
Crewel Yule

Crochet Mystery

★You Better Knot Die
Behind the Seams
If Hooks Could Kill

Embroidery Mystery

★Thread on Arrival
Cross Stitch Before Dying
Thread End

Knitting Mystery

A Deadly Yarn
A Killer Stitch
Dyer Consequences

Mainely Needlepoint Mystery CURRENT

✔Thread and Gone
✔★Dangling by a Thread

VII. Apollo - God of music, poetry, art, sun, light and knowledge - Classics and the arts
God of music, arts, knowledge, healing, plague, prophecy, poetry, manly beauty, archery, and the sun. He is the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of Artemis. In sculpture, Apollo was depicted as a very handsome, beardless young man with long hair and an ideal physique. Since Apollo was the patron God of so many different things, I thought that he would be perfect since the Classics have such a wide range as well.
In 2015, I finished the series of books for the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and tried to work on the Scarlet Pimpernel series, but had to abandoned it because it was just the same old thing. I did read the Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales as well. So This year I was looking for something new. I'm not a big fan of the "Classics" so the list you see is pretty wide open and hopefully I will manage to get a few read in 2016. I have also thought of reading the Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes may get a re-read as well.

1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 528 pages
2. Show Time 228 pgs.
3. Peter Pan 147 pgs.
4. Paradise Lost 374 pgs.
5. Secret Adversary 223 pgs.
6. Great Gatsby 257 pgs.
7.

Total pgs = 1,757

So these are the books that are slated for this category:
Tommy and Tuppence

✔★The Secret Adversary
Partners in Crime
N or M?

Miss Marple

★The Murder at the Vicarage
★The Body in the Library
The Moving Finger
A Murder Is Announced
They Do It with Mirrors
A Pocket Full of Rye
4.50 from Paddington
The Mirror Crack'd
A Caribbean Mystery
At Bertram's Hotel
Nemesis
Sleeping Murder

Sherlock Holmes

★A Study in Scarlet
The Sign of Four
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
The Valley of Fear
His Last Bow
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes
The Complete Sherlock Holmes

✔★Great Gatsby%
Treasure Island%
Charlotte's Web
Les Miserables
★Secret Garden%
Grapes of Wrath
✔A Tree Grows in Brooklyn%
Moby Dick
★Fellowship of the Rings%
Persuasion
The Pillars of the Earth%
Book Thief%
Aesops Fables
Robinson Crusoe%
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde%
Emma
The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales%
Scarlet Letter%
Little Dorrit%
✔Peter Pan%
The Phantom of the Opera
✔★Paradise Lost%
Middlemarch%
David Copperfield%
Gulliver's Travels%
Prince and the Pauper %
Jungle Books%

VIII. Eros - God of love, procreation & sexual desire - Romance series
I still need to get a bit of romance in my life so here is the category that will be ruled by the winged cherub, Eros.

1. Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue 448 pgs.
2. The Earl's Betrothal 280 pgs.
3. June 400 pgs.
4. In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster 448 pgs.
5.

Total pages = 1,576

The candidates are :
Silk Merchants Daughters

★Lucianna%
Serena

Cynster Sisters

✔Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue
✔★In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster
★The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae
★And Then She Fell %
The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh

Survivor's Club

Only Enchanting
Only a Promise%
Only a Kiss
Only Beloved

The Wedding Planner
★The Lady Risks All%

IX. Astraea - The Star Maiden - a goddess of justice - Legal/police mysteries
Astraea was the ancient goddess of holy law who held the scales of justice that weighed the claims of opposing parties in disputes. Her key quality is balance. In Greek myth, she was generally said to be the daughter of Zeus and the goddess Themis, who was also an embodiment of the principle of justice. Compared to her mother, Astraea was seen to have a quality of purity and innocence. She was also called the Star Maiden.
She balanced a soul against her feather of truth in her scales of justice. In Greece, Astraea determined if departed souls could go to the Elysian Fields and eternal bliss, or be consigned to the Underworld for later redemption. She was closely identified with Dike, the Greek goddess of justice, and with Nemesis, the goddess of rightful indignation and due enactment.
No mystery lover can ignore the police procedurals so Astraea will judge the mysteries that surround Police, lawyers, insurance, reporters and government.

1. Killer Look 400 pgs.
2. Ordinary Grace 300 pgs.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Total Pgs = 700

Here are some of the series and candidates this year:
Cork O'Connor

★Boundary Waters
Purgatory Ridge
Blood Hollow
Mercy Falls

Barbara Hollaway

★For the Defense
★Defense for the Devil
No Defense
Desperate Measures

Walt Fleming

Killer View
Killer Summer
In Harm's Way

Cormoran Strike

★Cuckoo's Calling%
★The Silkworm%

Jenkins and Burns Mystery

Deadly Readings%
Deadly Getaway%
Marked By Fate

Nichelle Clarke Headlines in Heels Mystery

★Buried Leads%
Small Town Spin
Devil in the Deadline
Cover Shot

X. Clio - Muse of History - HISTORIES - 1920'S, Great Depression, start of New Deal
The Nine Muses were Greek goddesses who ruled over the arts and sciences and offered inspiration in those subjects. They were the daughters of Zeus, lord of all gods, and Mnemosyne, who represented memory. History was named Clio in the ancient years, because it refers to “kleos” the Greek word for the heroic acts. Clio, sometimes referred to as "the Proclaimer", is often represented with an open scroll of parchment scroll or a set of tablets.

This year I am continuing my trip through American history. The Roarings Twenties, the Great Depression, and the beginnings of the New Deal are on the schedule.
I also hope to finish Presidents Coolidge, Hoover, and start FDR.

1. The Wright Brothers 585 pgs.
2. Foolproof: Why Safety Can Be Dangerous and How Danger Makes Us Safe 277 pgs.
3. The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl 340 pgs.
4. Chesapeake Rumrunners of the Roaring Twenties 170 pgs.
5. Coolidge 1,007 pages

Page total = 2,379
CATEGORY COMPLETED

The candidates for this category are:

✔Coolidge
✔The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
✔Chesapeake rumrunners of the Roaring Twenties
Bootleg : murder, moonshine, and the lawless years of Prohibition
Six days in October : the stock market crash of 1929
Herbert Hoover
Age of Roosevelt
The man he became : how FDR defied polio to win the presidency
The forgotten man : a new history of the Great Depression

XI. Dionysus - God of wine and pleasure - Wine and cheese mysteries

Dionysus was the god of fertility and wine, later considered a patron of the arts. He created wine and spread the art of viticulture. He had a dual nature; on one hand, he brought joy and divine ecstasy; or he would bring brutal and blinding rage, thus reflecting the dual nature of wine.
What's wine without cheese - so wine and cheese are ruled by Dionysus.

1. Treachery in Bordeaux 144 pgs.
2. For Cheddar or Worse 290 pages
3. The Champagne Conspiracy 336 pgs.
4. Silenced by Syrah 241 pgs.
5.

Total Pgs = 1,011

So these are the books for this category:

Cheese Shop Mysteries

✔For Cheddar or Worse

CYPRESS COVE MYSTERY Series

Ripe for Murder

Wine Lover's Mysteries

★Silenced By Syrah
★A Vintage Murder
★Corked By Cabernet %
A Toast to Murder
A Perfectly Purloined Pinot
A Killer Margarita

Spirit of the Soul Wine Shop Mystery

★Wine Astray%
Toxic Attack
Up in Smoke

XII. Demeter - Goddess of the Harvest - Culinary Mysteries
Greek Goddess of Agriculture, Fertility, Sacred Law and the Harvest. Demeter is the goddess of the harvest and presides over grains and the fertility of the earth. Therefore, Demeter rules over the category that features all things food!
Anyone who knows me knows that I love food! So it's only naturally that I would love books that share delicious recipes at the end of fun mysteries. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I have found an awful lot of books that fall into this category. (too bad I couldn't find a God/Goddess who ruled over desserts! I COULD HAVE SPLIT THIS IN TWO!)

1. The Diva Haunts the House 304 pgs.
2. The Diva Digs Up the Dirt 270 pgs.
3. Foreign Eclairs 281 pgs.
4. Bowled Over 247 pgs.
5. Rosalia's Bittersweet Pastry Shop 304 pgs.
6. Freezer I'll Shoot 253 pgs.

total pgs. = 1,659

Here are the candidates for this category:

Memphis Barbeque Mystery

Hickory Smoked Homicide
Rubbed Out

Donut Shop Mystery series

★Sinister Sprinkles
Evil Eclairs
Tragic Toppings

Food Lover's Village series

Crime Rib
Butter Off Dead

Coffeehouse Mysteries

★French Pressed%
Espresso Shot
Holiday Grind

Domestic Diva

✔The Diva Haunts the House
✔The Diva Digs Up the Dirt
★The Diva Frosts a Cupcake

Vintage Kitchen Mysteries

✔Bowled Over
✔★Freezer I'll Shoot
No Mallets Intended%

Merry Muffin Mystery

Muffin But Murder

Cupcake Mystery

★Going, Going, Ganache%
Sugar and Iced
Dark Chocolate Demise

Supper Club Mystery

Stiffs and Swine
The Battered Body
Black Beans & Vice

Fresh Baked Mysteries

★Murder By The Slice%
The Christmas Cookie Killer
Killer Crab Cakes

MAHALIA WATKINS SOUL FOOD MYSTERY

Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles
Murder with Macaroni and Cheese

XIII. Hephaestus - God of blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans - Home Improvements/Repair and B&Bs
Hephaestus was the Greek god of blacksmiths, sculptors, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes; thus, he is symbolised with a hammer, an anvil and a pair of tongs. According to Homer's epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, he was the son of Zeus and Hera. However, Hesiod informs us that Hera bore Hephaestus alone. According to an account, after Hephaestus was born, Hera threw him from Olympus because he was crippled; he fell into the ocean and was raised by Thetis and Eurynome. Another myth has it that he once tried to protect his mother from Zeus' advances and as a result, the father of the Gods flung him down from Olympus, which caused his physical disability; he fell on the island of Lemnos where he became a master craftsman. He was later accepted back to Olympus, and became the craftsman of the gods, creating majestic armors, shields and weapons.
Since Hephaestus was a master craftsman, the books for this category are related to crafts, home improvements, B&Bs.

The books that fall in this category are:

1. Shards of Murder 216 pgs.
2. Cracked to Death 320 pgs.
3. Murder at the Mansion 192 pgs.
4. Gilt by Association 320 pgs.
5. Drape Expectations 352 pgs.
6. A Story to Kill 320 pgs.
7. Engaged in Death 304 pgs.

Total pgs = 2,024 CATEGORY COMPLETED

These series books are candidates for this category:
Clay and Crime Mysteries

The Cracked Pot
A Fatal Slip

Scrapbooking Mysteries

★Postcards from the Dead

Gray Whale Inn Mystery

★Murder Most Maine
Berried to the Hilt
Brush with Death

Home Repair is Homicide Mysteries

Triple Witch%
Wicked Fix%
Repair to Her Grave %

Redwood Inn Mystery SERIES CURRENT

✔Murder at the Mansion

Foreclosed%
Craft Corner

String of Lies
Paper-Thin Alibi

Webb's Glass Shop Mystery SERIES CURRENT

✔Shards of Murder
✔Cracked to Death

Fixer-Upper Mystery

★A High-End Finish
This Old Homicide
Crowned and Moldering

Caprice De Luca Mystery

✔★Gilt by Association
✔★Drape Expectations
✔★Silence of the Lamps
Shards of Wrath

XIV. Hebe - Goddess of youth - Young Adult series
Hēbē in ancient Greek religion, is the goddess of youth. She is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Hebe was the cupbearer for the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus, serving their nectar and ambrosia, until she was married to Heracles. Hebe was supposed to have the power to give eternal youth, and in art is typically seen with her father in the guise of an eagle, often offering a cup to him. This depiction is seen in classical engraved gems as well as later art and seems to relate to a belief that the eagle (like the phoenix) had the ability to renew itself to a youthful state.
I have been finding great young Adult series every since I started with Harry Potter.
Take my advice and don't deny yourself a great read because it's categorized as Young Adult.

1. The Black Circle 176 pgs.
2. In Too Deep 206 pgs.
3. Viper's Nest 192 pgs.
4. Black Reckoning 424 pgs.
5. Queen of the Tearling 643 pgs.

Total pages = 1,641

Here are the candidates for this category:

Hunger Games

★Catching Fire%
MockingJay

Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery

Ghost A la Mode

Emerald Atlas Trilogy

✔Black Reckoning% SERIES COMPLETED

39 Clues

✔The Black Circle%
✔In Too Deep%
✔The Viper's Nest
Emperor's Nest
Storm Warning

Princess

Princess and the Snowbird%
Princess and the Horse

Heroes of Olympus

The Crown of Ptolemy

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

The Sword of Summer
The Hammer of Thor

Trials of Apollo

The Hidden Oracle

His Dark Materials

★The Golden Compass%
The Subtle Knife
The Amber Spyglass
Lyra's Oxford

Magician

The Magicians

XV. Eos - Goddess of the Dawn - Firsts in new series
Eos is the goddess of the Dawn and who better to represent the start of a new series.
The dawn goddess Eos was almost always described with rosy fingers or rosy forearms as she opened the gates of heaven for the Sun to rise.
It never fails that even if I plan not to start any new series that I will do it anyway, so this category is for the start of new series.

1. The Deep End 245 pgs.
2. Six Strokes Under 565 pgs.
3. The Body under the Bridge 320 pgs.
4. Spying in High Heels 246 pgs.
5. Crime and Poetry 368 pgs.
6. And Only to Deceive 336 pages

Total pages = 2,080 CATEGORY COMPLETED

Here are candidates that I already own:
✔And Only to Deceive %
Murder on the Côte d'Azure %
Sex and Salmonella %
✔Six Strokes Under %
Too Close to Home %
Murphy's Law%
Deadly Blessings%
Beauty to Die For%
The Alexander Cipher%
Dolled up for Murder%
Larceny and Old Lace%
✔The Deep End

XVI. Antheia - Goddess of gardens, flower - LILIES Ladies book group, ROOTS
Flowers are connected to my reading in several ways : my Ladies Book Group is called the LILIES, here at LT those of us that are trying to clear our bookshelves have a group called ROOTS, and several of my series are flower related. So I thought that I would dedicate one whole category to the goddess of Flowers.
My Book group selections will also be recorded in this category.

1. Husband's Secret 573 pgs. LILIES BOOK CLUB.
2. Our Souls at Night 192 pages LILIES BOOK CLUB
3. Garden Intrigue 448 pgs.
4. Killer in High Heels 260 pgs. LILIES BOOK CLUB
5. All the Light We Cannot See 771 pgs. LILIES BOOK CLUB

Total pages = 2,244 CATEGORY COMPLETED

Categories possibilities are:
Flower Shop

Sleeping With Anemone
Dirty Rotten Tendrils
Night of the Living Dandelion

China Bayles Herbal Mysteries

Witches' Bane
Hangman's Root

Pink Carnation

✔Garden Intrigue%
The Passion of the Purple Plumeria %
The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla
The Lure of the Moonflower

BINGO CARDS WILL GO HERE.





Less than 200 pages - Our Souls at Night 192 pages
About an Airplane flight - Wright Brothers
Debut book - Deep End Julie Mulhern
Random CAT - February - Guaranteed to Bleed
Food is important - Wedding Cake Murder
Published before you were born - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
In Translation - Treachery in Bordeaux
Features a Theater - Show Time
Survival Story - All the Light We Cannot See
About a writer - A Most Curious Murder
One word title - June
Adventure - The Secret Adversary

I needed to move on for the final push of 2016. I've selected the books that I want for each of the categories that I still need to finish. Now the trick is to find the time and READ!

These are the 25 books that should get read in the remaining days of 2016:

Inferno
Shades of Wrath
Fudging the books
Night of the Living Thread
✔Crepe Factor
You Better Knot Die
Knit Fast, Die Young
Thread on Arrival
Great Gatsby
Secret Garden
✔Secret Adversary
Secret Affair
Secret Mistress
Malice Prepense
Cuckoo's Calling
Boar Island
A Vintage Murder
Ripe for Murder
Entangled
Crushed
Savor
Going, Going, Ganache
✔Freezer I'll Shoot
League of Dragons

If any time is leftover, I have these ARCs that will have priority:

Herbert Hoover in the White House
Deadly Dog Days
Death Among the Doilies
A Treacherous Trader
The Murder of a Queen Bee
The Lonely Teddy Bear

Looks like I have a bunch of "Secrets" to read!

>19 cyderry: Looks like you have some good reading ahead of you! I really liked The Secret Adversary, and I desperately need to finish the Temeraire series (next up for me is Blood of Tyrants). Good luck with the rest of your challenge!

Enjoy the rest of your challenge, Cheli. I am going to be reading The Great Gatsby next month so I will be very interested in your thoughts on this one.

Challenge Book# 81


TITLE: In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster ★★★½ by Stephanie Laurens
DATE READ: October 4 - October 12
Series/ Progress: Cynster Sisters 2/3
Book type: Audiobook
Category: Eros - God of love, procreation & sexual desire - Romance series

The mysterious Scottish Laird is at again and has Eliza Cynster abducted from her sister's engagement party at her brother's home. Realizing that she is in the same predicament that her sister had faced, Eliza, trying to stay calm, endeavors to formulate a plan to seek help.

When the carriage is slowed by narrowness of the road, Eliza sees a familiar face and cries out even though her words can't be heard. The other rider continues on and reflects on what the saw and realizes that the frightened woman was Eliza Cynster. Carefully backtracking, Sir Jeremy Carling devises a plan to rescue and return Eliza to her family, but the captors have other ideas and their pursuit is constant and unrelenting.

I enjoyed the story and the romance evolution, the Cynster always are a great story

Good luck with the final push!

Backing up to the last ones on your last thread, thanks for the reminder about that Lea Wait needlepoint series. I read the first one, and I intended to read later installments, but it somehow dropped off my radar. I guess it got lost in my massive wish list. I'm going to see if it's available at the library. Maybe I can check it out soon! I might try the first one in the Country Club series to see if I like it or not, if I can get my hands on it from the library.

Happy new thread and god luck with the pushing. :)

I'm terribly behind on my reviews so I'm going to write short, quick ones.

Challenge Book# 82

Silence of the Lamps by Karen Rose Smith
A Caprice De Luca Mystery 5/6
October 11 - October 12

This is such a fun series with a mixture of a large family that supports each other, a heroine who works hard at her staging business but also takes in shelter animals, and manages to solve a murder here and there. Love how he antiques were worked into this cozy!

Challenge Book# 83

Paradise Lost by John Milton
September 9 - October 22

I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting myself into, but this telling of the creation and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise was entertaining even though the writing was a bit different from what I am used to.
I found it amusing that according to Milton Sin and Death were the offspring of Satan and that Chaos' consort is Night with Confusion and Discord along for the ride.

The manner of using words as names for creatures was very inventive.
Rarely, do I like Classics this old, but this one worked for me.

>26 cyderry: The Silence of the Lamps made me laugh out loud! Sounds like a fun read.

Challenge Book# 84

Crepe Factor by Laura Childs
Scrapbooking Mystery 14/14
October 3 - October 26

I love the books by Laura Childs and this one is always fun especially when it is set and released just before Halloween.

Carmela always seems to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and this tale is no different when she and Ava are around when first Martin Lash has a vicious argument with Quigg Brevard and then appears a little later murdered by a chef's fork. Quigg prevails upon Carmela to find out what happened since he appears as the prime suspect.

She and Ava dig into the background of the victim and eventually are placed into a dangerous situation that leads to the proper solution.
Great Story!

Challenge Book# 85

Freezer I'll Shoot by Victoria Hamilton
October 15 - October 31

Jaymie is trying to get the family cabin repaired in time for a get together but plumbing problems aren't the only issues that keep popping up in her backyard on Heartbreak Island.
Her boyfriend's family are in town and are causing disruptions with Jaymie's family but the murder on the island seems to be a bigger issue.

Trying to keep everyone calm while writing her first vintage cookbook newspaper column keeps not just Jaymie but the reader guessing unil the end.

recipes and fun galore.

Challenge Book# 86

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
Tommy and Tuppence 1/5
November 2 - November 6

I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie - both Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot but had never read her Tommy and Tuppence series.

Even though this series is set back in the earlier part of the 20th century, it was still entertaining and the characters were totally what you expect from Dame Agatha Christie.

I am glad that I finally started this classic series and look forward to getting to know these characters as well as Christie's others.

Challenge Book# 87

44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
November 6 - November 14

I've tried reading other books by this author and didn't like them. Thought it was worth a try for a different series as well as it being a book for book club.
No better results - I didn't like the writing style - choppy and seemingly flying around with no direction or plot. The characters didn't interest me - they were whiny and self-centered. I gave it 68 pages and 8 days of my reading and finally said no more.

Challenge Book# 88

The Great Gatsby ★★½ by F. Scott Fitzgerald

November 15 - November 18

I had heard so much hype about how great this book was, and to be honest I was thoroughly disappointed.
I don't have a good track record with Classic literature and this one wasn't any better IMHO.
The characters were too 2 dimensional ad the story really didn't go anywhere. I figured out what was going to happen long before the end and the ending was to say the least, anti-climatic.

Challenge Book# 89

The Murder of a Queen Bee (A Henny Penny Farmette Mystery) by Meera Lester
Henny Penny Farmette Mystery 2/2
November 14 - November 27

This is a funny cozy series with a retired policewoman as the main character who still gets caught up in police work while trying to keep her little farm running smoothly.
There are nice little tidbits about farm life and beekeeping especially that make this a light-hearted cozy mystery to sit back and enjoy.

Oh! Your thread is so beautiful! Too bad you didn't like The Great Gatsby. I didn't dislike it, but I don't get the rage about it.

Have a wonderful Christmas, Cheli!