Reading Challenges 2017

With the clock counting down ever nearer towards the year new, it is time for me to reflect on how well I did with the two reading challenges I participated in, hosted by Bev Hankins at My Reader’s Block.

The first of these was a new one to me: Follow the Clues Mystery Challenge (instructions to be found via link). I went for the hardest level of linking 12 books in a row and by the end of January I had reached a chain of 19. Instead of doing the sensible thing and patting myself on the back for a job well done, I decided to see how long I could keep going … and by the end of the year I reached the grand total of a chain of 168 books.

Thankfully having kept a record of my monthly chains (and how each month joins on from the previous) in my Book of the Month posts, I do not need to present my chain in full. Below are the posts charting my links between January and November:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

And these are this month’s links:

It was interesting taking part in this challenge, coming up with links, sometimes between books which were quite radically different from one another. It was surprising to find books sharing similar character names, when the names in question are like Perdita, Marchmont and Sigismund. At other times I had to turn the authors themselves for the links such as writers sharing the same year or month of birth/death and in one case two writers who both experienced breast cancer.

The second challenge I participated in was the Vintage Scavenger Hunt Mystery, which I have participated in before. This year I managed to complete all of the Gold card categories and 53 of the Silver card categories, making a grand total of 128 categories completed, which is a personal best for me. Though I am somewhat a victim of my own success as Bev requires blog participates to post a summary of the categories they completed, which of course means I have a long list to do. To make it slightly more entertaining I have added the odd picture here and there of my pets enjoying the festive holidays.

1. Full Skeleton: Voyage into Violence by Lockridge
2. Shadowy or Ghostly Figure: Tenant for Death by Hare
3. Written Document: Death and Letters by Daly
4. Knife: Look Your Last by Strange
5. Body of Water: The Widow’s Cruise by Blake
6. Any Piece of Furniture: The Body on Page One by Ames
7. Bottle/Glass for Drinking: Two Bottles of Relish by Lord Dunsany
8. Statue: The Piccadilly Murder by Berkeley
9. Bird: Vulture in the Sky by Downing
10. Chandelier/ Candle etc.: The Layton Court Mystery by Berkeley
11. Boat: Murder in Trinidad by Vandercook
12. Broken Object: Murder is a Collector’s Item by Dean
13. Painting/ Photograph: The Spinster’s Secret by Gilbert
14. Nurse: The Patient in Room 18 by Eberhart
15. Telephone: With a Bare Bodkin by Hare
16. Suit of Armour: A Blunt Instrument by Heyer
17. Jewellery of Any Sort: Latter End by Wentworth
18. Curtain/s: The Hanging Captain by Wade
19. Castle or Ruins: Death on Tiptoe by Ashby
20. Hat: The Canvas Dagger by Reilly
21. Cigarette or Pipe: Master of the Day of Judgement by Perutz
22. Blonde (woman or man): The Case of the Platinum Blonde by Bush
23. Blue Object: Scarweather by Rolls
24. Fog/Mist: The Valley of Fear by Doyle
25. Musical Instrument: Overture to Death by Marsh
26. Skeletal Hand or Skull: Death Points the Finger by Levinrew
27. Train: Murder Has Motive by Duncan
28. Spooky House/Mansion: The Trouble at Turkey Hill by Knight
29. Revolver: The Adventuress by Reeve
30. Any Other Weapon: Here Comes the Chopper by Mitchell
31. Bottle of Poison: A Puzzle in Poison by Berkeley
32. Clock/Timepiece: The Haunted Lady by Rinehart
33. Dog: Dumb Witness by Christie
34. Any Other Animal: The Waikiki Widow by Sheridan
35. Car/Truck: Rumble Murders by Eliot
36. Carriage/Wagon: Serpents in Eden, ed. By Edwards
37. Bloodstains: Death in High Heels by Brand
38. Staircase: Some Must Watch by White
39. Doctor: The Dutch Shoe Mystery by Queen
40. Typewriter: Murder in Pastiche by Mainwaring
41. Flower/s: Suddenly at his Residence by Brand
42. Glove: Long arm of the Law, ed. By Edwards
43. Door: The Danger Within by Gilbert
44. Graveyard: Crime at Diana’s Pool by White Church
45. Magnifying Glass: No Tears for Hilda by Graves
46. Playing Cards: Casino For Sale (1938) by Brahms and Simon
47. Red Head (woman or Man): Murder, Maestro, Please by Ames
48. Red Object: My True Love Lies by Offord
49. Suitcase/Briefcase: The Murdered Banker  by De Angelis
50. Spider or Spiderweb: Golden Spiders by Stout
51. Rope/ Hangman’s Noose: Dr Priestley Investigates by Rhode
52. Blunt Instrument: Cold Blood by Bruce
53. Damsel in Distress: Arrest the Bishop by Peck
54. Hand Holding Weapon: The Lyttleton Case by Morris
55. Dead Body: The Case of the Perjured Parrot by Gardner
56. Food: Exit a Star by Knight (carrot advert on back cover)
57. Library or a Book: Cats Don’t Need Coffins by Olsen (back cover)
58. Cat: Smallbone Deceased by Gilbert
59. Map or Chart: Death from a Top Hat by Rawson
60. Plane: Death in the Clouds by Christie
61. Holiday Decoration: And Four To Go by Stout
62. Newspaper: Murder in Moscow by Graves
63. Policeman: Enter Sir John by Dane and Simpson
64. Building (Other Than A House): Was it Murder? by Hilton
65. Camera: The Camera Clue by Coxe
66. Performer: No Mourning for the Matador by Ames
67. Snow/Snowy Scene: Dark Days by Conway
68. Tree: Family Matters by Rolls
69. Tombstone: The Eames-Erskine Case by Fielding
70. Moon: They Came To Baghdad by Christie
71. Flashlight: Death Walks in Eastrepps by Beeding
72. Brunette (Man or Woman): Death in Berlin by Kaye
73. Green Object: Continental Crimes ed. By Edwards
74. Mask: X v. Rex by Macdonald
75. Butler/Maid/Servant: The House of the Arrow by Mason (Spine image)

Silver Card

1. Shadowy or Ghostly Figure: Evidence of Things by Daly
2. Written Document: Enter Murderers by Slesar
3. Knife: Death by Request by John
4. Body of Water: Foreign Bodies ed. By Edwards
5. Any Piece of Furniture: Murder on the Blackboard by Palmer
6. Bottle/Glass for Drinking: The Black Coat by Little
7. Bird: Keep it quiet by Hull
8. Boat: Too Much Water by Hamilton
9. Broken Object: The Willow Pattern by Gulik
10. Painting/ Photograph: Murder in the Mews by Reilly
11. Nurse: Locked Doors by Rinehart
12. Jewellery of Any Sort: A Taste of the Unexpected by Dahl
13. Hat: Mr Priestley’s Problem by Berkeley
14. Cigarette or Pipe: The Ingenious Mr Stone by Player
15. Blonde (woman or man): The Man in the Tricorn Hat by Ames
16. Blue Object: Seven Dead by Farjeon
17. Skeletal Hand or Skull: Ye Olde Book of Locked Room Conundrums ed. By JJ
18. Train: Somebody at the Door by Postgate
19. Spooky House/Mansion: Blood Upon the Snow by Lawrence
20. Revolver: Death Takes a Wife by Gilbert
21. Any Other Weapon: Vanishing Point by Wentworth
22. Bottle of Poison: The Case of the Late Pig by Allingham
23. Clock/Timepiece: Crime Gentlemen Please by Ames
24. Any Other Animal: A Dying Fall by Wade
25. Car/Truck: The Power House by Buchan
26. Carriage/Wagon: Death of a Commuter by Bruce
27. Bloodstains: Family Skeleton by Disney
28. Staircase: Sleeping Murder by Christie
29. Flower/s: Death at the Dog by Cannan
30. Glove: Duet of Death by Lawrence
31. Door: Landscape with Corpse by Ames
32. Red Head (woman or Man): Four Days Wonder by Milne
33. Red Object: Anonymous Footsteps by O’Connor
34. Suitcase/Briefcase: The Shapes of Sleep by Priestley
35. Blunt Instrument: Murder in the WPA by Williams
36. Damsel in Distress: Riddle of a Lady by Gilbert
37. Dead Body: The Sleeping Car Murder by Japrisot
38. Food: Heir Presumptive by Wade
39. Library or a Book: The Weight of the Evidence by Innes (Back cover)
40. Cat: The Judge is Reversed by Lockridge
41. Holiday Decoration: Dancing Death by Bush
42. Newspaper: I’ll Grind Their Bones by Roscoe
43. Policeman: Police at the Funeral by Allingham
44. Building (Other Than A House): The End of the Web by Sims
45. Performer: A Bullet for the Ballet by Brahms and Simon
46. Snow/Snowy Scene: Portrait of a Murderer by Meredith
47. Tree: Case for Sergeant Beef by Bruce
48. Tombstone: The White Alley by Wells
49. Moon: The Hours Before Dawn by Fremlin
50. Flashlight: Still Waters by Lorac
51. Brunette (Man or Woman): The Rynox Mystery by Macdonald
52. Green Object: Crime Out of Mind by Ames
53. Mask: The Black Iris by Little

Next year I have just joined up for the one challenge: Just the Facts Ma’am, participating at Gold and Silver levels.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have my end of the year blog post ready, so stay tuned…