This one is called the My Kind of Mystery challenge and is being hosted by Riedel Fascination.
Mystery needs no murder! Hidden passageways, ancient places, eerie phenomenon… “Dan Brown” meets Nancy Atherton! Gothic greats of the 1960s-1980s, modern releases. I am launching a reading challenge that welcomes the lot: tutorials, mystery author biographies, fiction… Any form of mystery and its authors fit my all-encompassing theme.
The categories are:
Any demographic
Non-adult must be published by 1990 or earlier.
Limitless length.
A short story, compilations; bring them to the table!
Reviews wanted.
A link to Goodreads, Book Depository… just to show you finished. One line is fine.
Catch your breath: we launch February 1st, 2014 – February 28th, 2015!
OK, well I've decided to go for the category 'Secret Messages' which is to read 5 to 10 books. A few books I've searched out that fit the challenge:
Touch Not the Cat - Mary Stewart
The Mystery of the Sea - Bram Stoker
The River of Adventure - Enid Blyton (YA)
The Rendezvous and other stories - Daphne du Maurier
Not After Midnight - Daphne du Maurier
Agatha Christie An Autobiography - Agatha Christie
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters
The Riddle of the Sands - Erskine Childers
Aoife's Chariot - Katherine Pathak
The Talisman Ring - Georgette Heyer
Whispers in the Sand - Barbara Erskine
Hopefully I will read a few of these... the plan is for this challenge to help me get a few more books off my tbr mountain in fact. But I'm also sure other books will be added to the list as I go along.
Books actually read:
1. The Talisman Ring - Georgette Heyer
2. A Moment of Silence - Anna Dean
3. Touch Not the Cat - Mary Stewart
17 comments:
Cath, I'm thrilled you're in! Welcome! It brightens my day that you've made a post so enthusiastic and warm. Thank you. We shall be reading Daphne, Agatha, and likely Mary in common; even if different works.
I *wish* there were more with the joy of mystery in itself, without a need for crimes. I can think of: Alfred Hitchcock & The Three Investigators, Nancy Drew, Lyn Hamilton, Rebecca Hale. Should you add those ghost stories of which you're fond (anything spiritual at all); you'll find you fulfilled my "Ethereal" theme too!
Warmly, Carolyn.
http://cmriedel.wordpress.com/riedel-reading-themes/
I have actually joined some challenges for 2014 myself! I hadn't in 2013 and it wasn't fun... so, back on the challenge bandwagon.
What fun...I'm totally useless at challenges so won't kid myself about this one :o)
I have actually read 5 of the books on your list ...and enjoyed them all!
well at least I've read 2 of the books on your list! The Woman in White and the Little Stranger.
Have fun with this one... I know you will :o)
Carolyn: I really thought Daphne, Mary and Agatha fit the bill for this challenge so I'm delighted you agree. Look forward to seeing what you read. I'm very tempted by several of Daphne's (apart from those I listed) such as Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel. Have you tried her, Myself When Young, autobiography? It's gorgeous.
I'll look into the books and authors you mentioned. And yes, I'll definitely be reading something supernatural... The Mystery of the Sea already fits that bill but M.R. James would be perfect too.
Kelly: I thought I wouldn't do any next year, then realised that was not the way to get books off my tbr pile! LOL
Val: Really pleased to hear five of these books are good. :-)
Pat: And I seem to recall you liked those two as well? The Woman in White anyway. The Dead Secret would have been perfect for this if I hadn't already read it this year. LOL
Thanks, Sis.
And have you seen this?
http://readingusafiction.blogspot.com.au
You've been doing this on your own for a while, but here's a challenge!
Maybe I'll join this too!
You have some good books on your list. As you know I've just read The Rendezvous and other stories - absolutely great book, which I loved - definitely some eerie stories in this book. I'll be writing a bit more about it on my blog.
I've read a few more on your list (5 actually) and you have some treats in store. AC's autobiography took me months to read but it's fascinating.
I like that this challenge goes from Feb 1 2014 - end of Feb 2014. A couple of extra months to catch up. But I overchallenged myself in 2013, so cutting down this year.
Nan: Thanks for the link. Interesting, but I have to say that I think it would be beyond me to read 51 state books in a year!
Margaret: I like this one because I have enough books on my tbr pile (I think) to do it without buying any. It's quite a coincidence about the Rendezvous book... you reading it now when I've just taken it out for this challenge. I think I probably have got some treats in store.
Tracy: Yes, it's nice because there won't be a mad rush at Christmas to finish it if I haven't alreay, there are two extra months when it's much quieter. I like that.
You are the best at these challenges, Cath, and your list is good. I may dip into a few myself.
I'd quite like to read the Christie biog. Fascinating woman!
Thanks, Penny, but I don't always complete them. LOL
Nicola: I gather she was a fascinating woman. I read a lot of her books in my teens and will probably reread a few this year.
Doing this one too Cath! Going to go for Hidden Doorways.
Pleased to hear that, Peggy. I think it's all going to be a lot of fun.
Hmm, this one sounds interesting, Cath. I'm thinking about it. A mystery challenge! Just mysteries! I could do that.....lol YOu have some good choices there, it was fun to see a Blyton adventure story on it! I loved those as a child. I just picked up a Daphne du Maurier short story book too.....Enjoy the challenge, I look forward to your posts and reviews.
Susan: You can read anything to do with mysteries and include crime or whatever you like. I just thought it would be fun to read pure mysteries with no dead bodies for this one.
I love the Adventure series by Enid Blyton and have a couple of them that I've never read. I thought this was a good opportunity to read one.
I was unaware of a Daphne Du Maurier autobiography and am interested, since you speak of it highly. I own a few of her stories, short and long and should like to acquaint her words first.
I hope more of your friends join us. It feels like 2014 is well underway but with my February starting dates, everyone really has the whole year to jump in.
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