Pick-a-Shelf discussion

CiJ - ROUND 2:

12 Days of Aussie Christmas

Reading the number of books as per the song by EITHER the first letter of the title OR the initial of author's name (first OR last) according to the initial of animals (in bold below). You may ignore the 'A', 'An', 'The' at the beginning of titles to get to the first significant word.

1 Emu up a gum tree
2 pink Galahs
3 Jabirus
4 Sharks a-surfing
5 Kangaroos
6 Brolgas dancing
7 Numbats nagging
8 Dingos dancing
9 Crocs a-snoozing
10 Wombats washing
11 Lizards leaping
12 Possums playing

Note: we've made up our own version to avoid any repetition of initial between days

You may choose a Level of Participation:

EASY: Read 1 book per verse (total of 12 books)

MODERATE:
Odd - Read books for the odd days (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11; total of 36 books)
OR
Even - Read books for the even days (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12; total of 42 books)

HARD: Read them all (total of 78 books)

Example:

For 3 Jabirus, you'd be reading 3 books with J as initial of author name OR first letter of first word in title
E.K. Johnston - A Thousand Nights (A Thousand Nights #1)
J.G. Ballard - High-Rise
The Janson Directive (Paul Janson #1) by Robert Ludlum

Reminder: NO crossover of books between Rounds 1 & 2

Australian 12 Days of Christmas (Youtube vid)

Amy

Bea

Charity

Christy

Coralie

D.G.

Dionisia

Dree

Ed

Elvenn

Karen

Karin

Katherine

Klela

Lusie

Lyn (Readinghearts)

LynnB

Marie (UK)

Marina

Mickey

Rosemary

Sassafrass

Susan

Tien

reserved

I'll be going the easy route...but will keep track beyond that to see how close I get to the other levels. I'm sure the hard level is out of reach unless I use children's books. (I've been trying to read a lot of the books on the 1001 Children's Books You Should Read Before You Grow Up list in addition to all my other challenges.)
currently at:
✔Easy 12 of 12
Moderate Odd: 35 of 36
✔Moderate Even: 42 of 42
✔✔Hard: 78/78

✔✔1-E= Emu up a gum tree
completed book= Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman

✔✔2-G= pink Galahs
completed books=2
I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere by Anna Gavalda
The Haunted Tea-Cosey* by Edward Gorey

✔✔3-J=Jabirus
Completed (3)- The Autobiography of My Mother by Jamaica Kincaid
Age of Minority: Three Solo Plays by Jordan Tannahill
Stop Me If You've Heard This: A History and Philosophy of Jokes by Jim Holt

(possible books (2)- March II by John Lewis, Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther)

✔✔4-S= Sharks a-surfing-
Completed (4)-
The Fantasy Eaters: Stories From Fiji by Subramani
Memories of Altagracia by Salvador Garmendia
My Mother and I by Elizabeth Gertrude Stern
The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

(possible books(4): Stuck Rubber Baby, 1000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Shultz; Sister Wendy's 1000 Masterpieces; Memento Mori by Murial Spark)

✔5-K= Kangaroos
completed books-(5):
Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday: My Life with Brian by Kim Howard Johnson
Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring
Katie Morag Delivers the Mail* by Mairi Hedderwick
The View from Saturday* by E.L. Konigsburg
The Wolf's Chicken Stew* by Keiko Kasza


✔✔6-B= Brolgas dancing
Completed books-(6)- The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories by Carson McCullers
Oroonoko by Aphra Behn
The Viceroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin
Back by Henry Green
Edward II by Bertolt Brecht
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian



(possible books (2)- Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert; Brain-Switch by A.C. Curtis;; )

✔✔7-N= Numbats nagging
(Completed books(7)=
Meg and Mog * by Helen Nicoll
Fountain and Tomb by Naguib Mahfouz
Kokoro by Sōseki Natsume
Nadirs by Herta Müller
Not So Fast, Songololo* by Niki Daly
The Night Before Christmas* by Clement C. Moore
The Nose by Nikolai Gogol

✔✔8-D= Dingos dancing
Completed books-(8)-
Rameau's Nephew and First Satire by Denis Diderot)
Anacaona: Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490 by Edwidge Danticat
Dubai Tales by Mohammad al Murr
Drac and the Gremlin* by Allan Baillie
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
Doctor De Soto* by William Steig
A Bad Case of Stripes* by David Shannon
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

✔✔9-C= Crocs a-snoozing
Completed books-(9)-
The Frozen Deep by Wilkie Collins;
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
The Cardboard House by Martín Adán
The Voices of Marrakesh: A Record of a Visit by Elias Canetti
Chaka by Thomas Mofolo
Generations in Black and White: Photographs from the James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection by Carl Van Vechten
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares


(possible books(6)- Cannery Row; Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley; Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie; Curiosities of Literature by John Sutherland; The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad; )

✔✔10-W= Wombats washing-
Completed books(10)- The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe by Jane Wagner;
Summer by Edith Wharton;
The Wandmaker's Guidebook by Ed Masessa
Wittgenstein's Nephew by Thomas Bernhard
The White Steamship by Chingiz Aitmatov
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Memoirs by Tennessee Williams
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone by Tennessee Williams
The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West


(possible books(3)- World of the Short Story; Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West; The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells;

✔✔11-L= Lizards leaping
(completed books (11):
The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux;
Love's Work: A Reckoning with Life by Gillian Rose
The Giver* by Lois Lowry
Love You Forever* by Robert Munsch
Lend Me Your Wings by John Agard
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
Anastasia Krupnik* by Lois Lowry
Lost and Found* by Oliver Jeffers
The Devil by Leo Tolstoy
The Secret Lives of Princesses* by Philippe Lechermeier
Miwok* by Katie Lajiness

(possible books (4)-The Little Rascals, Lucia on Holiday; Lady Addle Remembers by Mary Dunn; Miwok by Katie Lajiness.

✔✔12-P= Possums playing-
Completed books (12)-
Prelude by Katherine Mansfield
The Keeping Quilt* by Patricia Polacco
Paradise for Sale: A Parable of Nature by Carl N. McDaniel
Potatoland and the Fable of Thunder and Lightning* by Nell Taylor
Palace of the Peacock by Wilson Harris
The Battle of Bubble and Squeak * by Philippa Pearce
The Complete Poems and Stories of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume I by Edgar Allan Poe
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
Pursuit of the House-boat by John Kendrick Bangs
Childhood by Patrick Chamoiseau
Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
The White Castle by Orhan Pamuk

*children's books

Christmas in July - Round 2 - Hard
My Christmas List | 1 |

53 / 78 books

✔ 1. Emu up a gum tree
An Echo Of Things To Come by James Islington[ 28-aug-2017] ★★★★

✔ 2. pink Galahs
1 Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews [7-aug-2017] ★★★★
2 Grit by Gillian French [19-aug-2017] ★★★

✔ 3. Jabirus
1 The Firm by John Grisham [31-jul-2017] ★★★★
2 Accidental Leigh by Melanie James [13-aug-2017] ★★
3 Redemption Road by John Hart [15-okt-2017] ★★★

✔ 4. Sharks a-surfing
1 Hunted by Meagan Spooner [14-aug-2017] ★★★★
2 Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George [7-aug-2017] ★★★★
3 It's In Her Blood by S.S. Roswell [30-okt-2017] ★★★
4 The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas [25-nov-2017] ★★★★

✔ 5. Kangaroos
1 The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu [1-aug-2017] ★★★
2 Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips [2-aug-2017] ★★★
3 The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley [11-sep-2017] ★★★
4 Scandalous by Karen Robards [12-sep-2017] ★★★
5 You're Not Allowed to Die by Kip Terrington [24-sep-2017] ★★★

✔ 6. Brolgas dancing
1 Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris [20-aug-2017] ★★★★
2 The Bird and the Sword [2-dec-2017] ★★★★
3 The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey [24-aug-2017] ★★★
4 Bourne [29-oct-2017] ★★★★
5 All the Ugly and Wonderful Things] by Bryn Greenwood [1-nov-2017] ★★★
6 Along Came Jones by Victoria Bernadine [26-nov-2017] ★★★★

7. Numbats nagging
1 Oogcontact by Ruth Newman [14-aug-2017] ★★★★
2 Private Scandals by Nora Roberts [8-sep-2017] ★★★★
3 One Day by David Nicholls [4-sep-2017] ★★★
4 Deadly Thyme by R.L. Nolen [21-oct-2017] ★★★
5 The Obsession by Nora Roberts[16-dec-2017] ★★★★
6
7

✔ 8. Dingos dancing
1 My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier [30-jul-2017] ★★★
2 The Secret by the Lake by Louise Douglas ★★★★
3 Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka [1-aug-2017] ★★★★
4 Just Three Dates by David Burnett [23-aug-2017] ★★★★
5 The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier [27-okt-2017] ★★★★
6 Deluge by Lisa Tawn Bergren[29-oct-2017] ★★★★
7 The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James [14-nov-2017] ★★★
8 Recipes for Melissa by Teresa Driscoll [24-nov-2017] ★★★★

✔ 9. Crocs a-snoozing
1 Reunited by Colleen Houck [9-aug-2017] ★★★
2 City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare [17-aug-2017] ★★★★
3 Full Wolf Moon by Lincoln Child [24-aug-2017] ★★★★
4 Death Sworn by Leah Cypess [29-aug-2017] ★★★
5 Death Marked by Leah Cypess [30-aug-2017] ★★★
6 The Third Twin by C.J. Omololu [28-sep-2017] ★★★★
7 A Knight to Remember by Cynthia Luhrs [30-sept-2017] ★★★
8 Successor's Promise by Trudi Canavan [2-oct-2017] ★★★★
9 Cascade by Lisa Tawn Bergren [29-oct-2017] ★★★★

10. Wombats washing
1 Love Walked Right In by Pam Weaver [4-aug-2017] ★★★
2 The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata [18-aug-2017] ★★★★★
3 Dark Lover by J.R. Ward [11-oct-2017] ★★★
4 Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren [27-oct-2017] ★★★★
5 Winning the Wallflower by Eloisa James [31-oct-2017] ★★
6 Winterglass by Benjanun Sriduangkaew [12-nov-2017] ★★
7 Covent Garden in the Snow by Jules Wake [16-nov-2017] ★★★★
8 Where's My Hero? by Lisa Kleypas[7-dec-2017] ★★★
9
10

11. Lizards leaping
1 Tripwire by Lee Child [15-aug-2017] ★★★★
2 The Accident by Linwood Barclay [11-aug-2017] ★★★★
3 Love Her Madly by M. Elizabeth Lee
4 History by C.L. Lynch
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

12. Possums playing
1 Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson[29-jul-2017] ★★★★
2 The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

I'm going with the easy level :)

Reading the number of books as per the song by EITHER the first letter of the title OR the initial of author's name (first OR last) according to the initial of animals (in bold below). You may ignore the 'A', 'An', 'The' at the beginning of titles to get to the first significant word.

Personal note: I will ignore the articles at the beginning of the titles in all languages (e.g. in Italian I'll ignore "Gli", "I", "Le", "Il", "Lo", "La"; in German "Der", "Die", "Das").

1 Emu up a gum tree - The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (read 27/08)
2 pink Galahs - Animal Farm by George Orwell (read 10/10)
3 Jabirus - La sposa birmana by Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay (read 11/08)
4 Sharks a-surfing - La viaggiatrice by Karla Suárez (read 05/08)
5 Kangaroos - From a Buick 8 by Stephen King (read 25/09)
6 Brolgas dancing - The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum by Heinrich Böll (read 01/08)
7 Numbats nagging - Petersburg Tales by Nikolai Gogol (read 19/10)
8 Dingos dancing - Desert Flower (read 31/07)
9 Crocs a-snoozing - The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie (read 13/08)
10 Wombats washing - Transit by Abdourahman A. Waberi (read 06/09)
11 Lizards leaping - Lucernario (read 01/09)
12 Possums playing - The Vampyre; A Tale by John William Polidori (read 20/12)

12/12

COMPLETED!

Hi Tien, I don't understand how you calculated the number of books you have to read for moderate and hard.

This is what I understand of the challenge: There are 12 letters. If you read 3 books for each letter (title, first name, last name) you'd read 36 books. This is what I'd like to read, but i don't think that's one of the options...

How did you get the other numbers? I don't understand what we have to read for hard/moderate.

Here's my list easy for now and maybe expanded to hard as I complete other challenges:

1 Emu up a gum tree - Middlemarch by George Eliot - Read 1/12/2018
2 pink Galahs - Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift - Read 1/21/2018
3 Jabirus - A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Read 10/12/2017
4 Sharks a-surfing - Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella Read 1/24/2018
5 Kangaroos - On the Road by Jack Kerouac Read 10/23/2017
6 Brolgas dancing - Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Evelyn Waugh
7 Numbats nagging - Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock
8 Dingos dancing - Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Read 8/9/2017
9 Crocs a-snoozing - Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady by Samuel Richardson
10 Wombats washing - The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson
11 Lizards leaping - Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières Read 11/21/2017
12 Possums playing - The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey Read 8/18/2017

Lusie wrote: "Hi Tien, I don't understand how you calculated the number of books you have to read for moderate and hard.

This is what I understand of the challenge: There are 12 letters. If you read 3 books for..."

Lusie I think for the odd/even numbers if you do numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 - you read 2 books for # 2; 4 books for #4, etc.

Same for the hard 1 book for #1, 2 books for #2...12 books for #12.

12 Days of Aussie Christmas

LEVEL: Hard 78/78 completed

✔︎1 Emu up a gum tree COMPLETED
Even the Score 7/29/17

✔︎2 pink Galahs COMPLETED
Guarding His Obsession 8/8/17
Truly Madly Yours by Rachel Gibson 9/3/17

✔︎3 Jabirus COMPLETED
Origin in Death by J.D. Robb 9/8/17
Memory in Death by J.D. Robb 9/20/17
Haunted in Death by J.D. Robb 9/27/17

✔︎4 Sharks a-surfing COMPLETED
Sugar Rush 7/28/17
Scoring Wilder 8/6/17
Sweet Little Lies 8/12/17
Tease by Sophie Jordan 9/4/17

✔︎5 Kangaroos COMPLETED
The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan 8/10/17
Egomaniac by Vi Keeland 8/17/17
Grave Memory by Kalayna Price 9/10/17
The Game Plan by Kristen Callihan 10/7/17
Kulti 11/15/17


✔︎6 Brolgas dancing COMPLETED
Breathless In Love 8/4/17
Bittersweet 8/6/17
Room for More by Beth Ehemann 8/29/17
The Excoms by Brett Battles 9/28/17
Steadfast by Sarina Bowen 10/12/17
Us by Sarina Bowen 10/22/17


✔︎7 Numbats nagging COMPLETED
Never Been Kissed 9/14/17
Nuts 10/22/17
Royally Bad by Nora Flite 11/11/17
The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak 12/14/17
Neanderthal Marries Human 12/17/17
Desert Warrior by Nalini Singh 12/20/17
All I Want For Christmas by Nora Roberts 12/21/17

✔︎8 Dingos dancing COMPLETED
Dirty Billionaire 9/3/17
Through His Eyes by Deborah Camp 9/30/17
Drunk Dial 10/14/17
Darkhouse 10/29/17
Dear Bridget, I Want You 11/4/17
The Trouble with Twelfth Grave by Darynda Jones 11/17/17
Bared to You by Sylvia Day 12/5/17
Dirty Pleasures 12/15/17

✔︎9 Crocs a-snoozing COMPLETED
Model Soldier by Cat Johnson 8/13/17
Cooper 8/25/17
Connected 9/1/17
Rusty Nailed by Alice Clayton 9/13/17
The Catch 10/8/17
Caught Up in Us 11/10/17
Change of Hart 11/22/17
Hart to Heart by M.E. Carter 11/23/17
Changing Course 12/6/17

✔︎10 Wombats washing COMPLETED
The Wright Brother 8/7/17
Womanizer 9/4/17
Worth the Trouble 9/21/17
White Hot 10/17/17
Wildest Dreams 11/20/17
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me 12/11/17
Wait 12/13/17
The Wright Boss 12/16/17
The Wright Mistake 12/18/17
When I Need You 12/20/17

✔︎11 Lizards leaping COMPLETED
Sacrifice by Adriana Locke 9/23/17
The Only One by Lauren Blakely 9/29/17
Lucas 10/1/17
The Hot One by Lauren Blakely 10/10/17
The Knocked up Plan by Lauren Blakely 10/15/17
Locke 11/7/17
Beautiful Bitch by Christina Lauren 11/17/17
Becoming Mrs. Lockwood by K.I. Lynn 11/30/17
Off the Record by K.A. Linde 11/24/17
Swear by Adriana Locke 12/7/17
Croc and the Fox by Eve Langlais 12/9/17

✔︎12 Possums playing COMPLETE
Playboy Pilot 8/20/17
The Player 9/9/17
Attraction by Penny Reid 10/6/17
Heat by Penny Reid 10/13/17
Practice Makes Perfect 10/21/17
Mister Moneybags by Penelope Ward 10/25/17
Grave Visions by Kalayna Price 10/29/17
The Proposition 11/22/17
The Pact 12/1/17
Breaking Point by Pamela Clare 12/19/17
Skin Deep by Pamela Clare 12/19/17
Christmas at Copper Mountain by Jane Porter 12/21/17

Lusie, I think the number determines the books...so 1 Emu = 1 E book, 2 Galahs = 2 G books, etc. See if that works for the numbers.

Although I would like to do a harder level, I think my reading amount right now would demand the easy level - one book per verse. I am focusing on title for my picks.

√1 Emu up a gum tree: Every Heart a Doorway Read 8/15/17
√2 pink Galahs: The Good Luck of Right Now Read 9/7/17
√3 Jabirus: Just One Look Read 1/28/18
√4 Sharks a-surfing: Stealing Mona Lisa Read 9/20/17
√5 Kangaroos: Kisscut Read 8/12/17
√6 Brolgas dancing: Blood Music Read 4/3/18
√7 Numbats nagging: Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Read 1/3/18
√8 Dingos dancing: Damage Control Read 10/2/17
√9 Crocs a-snoozing: Celestial Chess Read 11/3/17
√10 Wombats washing: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail Read 10/1/17
√11 Lizards leaping: La's Orchestra Saves the World Read 8/22/17
√12 Possums playing: The Partly Cloudy Patriot Read 8/17/17

Charity and Bea, that makes sense! Thanks!
But if you have to read in example 4 books, can you do a mix of first name, last name and title?

Lusie wrote: "Charity and Bea, that makes sense! Thanks!
But if you have to read in example 4 books, can you do a mix of first name, last name and title?"

Yes. Any of those three things works.

Since I'm so far behind on round one, I'm opting for Easy for this one.

CiJ - ROUND 2:

12 Days of Aussie Christmas

Reading the number of books as per the song by EITHER the first letter of the title OR the initial of author's name (first OR last) according to the initial of animals (in bold below). You may ignore the 'A', 'An', 'The' at the beginning of titles to get to the first significant word.

1 Emu up a gum tree - E
2 pink Galahs - G
3 Jabirus - J
4 Sharks a-surfing - S
5 Kangaroos - K
6 Brolgas dancing - B
7 Numbats nagging - N
8 Dingos dancing - D
9 Crocs a-snoozing - C
10 Wombats washing - W
11 Lizards leaping - L
12 Possums playing - P

Going to go for hard:

✔1 E:
Exposed - completed 10/23/17

✔2 G:
1 - I Know a Secret by Tess Gerritsen - completed 11/3/17
2 - Girl in the Blue Coat - completed 8/25/17

3 J:
1 - These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly - completed 2/10/18
2 - The Burning Soul - completed 12/6/17
3 - The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler-Olsen

4 S:
1 - The Speed of Light - completed 11/21/17
2 - The Serpent King - completed 9/17/17
3 - Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon
4 - You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero - completed 10/12/17

5 K:
1 - The Killing Lessons - completed 11/11/17
2 - The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
3 - Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
4 - The Freedom Broker by K.J. Howe- completed 1/15/18
5 - Joyland by Stephen King - completed 1/20/18

6 B:
1 - Bad Things Happen completed 1/17/18
2 - Bang
3 - Marathon by Brian Freeman - completed 8/13/17
4 - Holding On by A.C. Bextor - completed on 10/27/17
5 - Bright Line Eating: The Science of Living Happy, Thin Free 11/2/17
6 - Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life - completed 10/4/17

7 N:
1 - The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin - completed 2/1/18
2 - The Troop by Nick Cutter - completed 11/8/17
3 - The Thirst by Jo Nesbø - completed 8/31/17
4 - Just Life by Neil Abramson - completed 8/20/17
5 - Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel - completed on 11/22/17
6 - Not a Sound - completed on 10/28/17
7 - Sit! Stay! Speak! by Annie England Noblin

8 D:
1 - Dragon Teeth - completed 8/26/17
2 - The Dry Grass of August - completed 8/5/17
3 - Don't You Cry - completed 8/27/17
4 - Deep Freeze - completed 1/10/18
5 - Down to the Wire - completed 12/29/17
6 - The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney - completed on 9/8/17
7 - The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne - completed 11/30/17
8 - Distress Signals

9 C:
First four by Charlie Higson:
1 - The Sacrifice - completed 8/19/17
2 - The Fallen - completed 9/7/17
3 - The Hunted - completed 9/17/17
4 - The End - completed 10/1/17
5 - Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly - completed 12/31/17
6 - A Column of Fire - completed 2/5/18
7 - I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka - completed on 12/29/17
8 - The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey - completed 8/28/17
9 - Collared

✔10 W:
1 - Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker - completed 11/12/17
2 - The Force by Don Winslow - completed 9/30/17
3 - The Astonishing Thing by Sandi Ward - completed 2/4/18
4 - The Wrath of Angels - completed 2/2/18
5 - Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate - completed 11/27/17
6 - Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward - completed 12/27/17
7 - The Warlord Wants Forever - completed 10/29/17
8 - The Wrath and the Dawn - completed 11/30/17
9 - Sister of Mine by Sabra Waldfogel - completed on 11/3/17
10 - The Beach Trees by Karen White - completed on 12/24/17

11 L:
1 - Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane - completed 8/23/17
2 - The Library at Mount Char
3 - Blood of My Blood by Barry Lyga - completed 11/4/17
4 - The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman - completed 11/7/17
5 - Far From True by Linwood Barclay
6 - The Late Show - completed 11/14/17
7 - The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz - completed 11/21/17
8 - The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve López
9 - The Lost Ones - completed 12/14/17
10 - Love and Other Consolation Prizes
11 - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

12 P:
1 - Katie Up and Down the Hall: The True Story of How One Dog Turned Five Neighbors into a Family by Glenn Plaskin
2 - The Old Man by Thomas Perry - completed 12/2/17
3 - Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough - completed 10/3/17
4 - In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
5 - March Violets by Philip Kerr
6 - By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
7 - Plus One - completed 11/30/17
8 - Play Dirty
9 - The People vs. Alex Cross - completed 1/29/18
10 - Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips -completed 12/20/17
11 - The Breakdown by B.A. Paris
12 - Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - completed 2/11/18

We've been traveling and I have gotten far behind on everything!
Think I'll go with "easy" for now -- may change that later.

--Updated to "Moderate - odds"
COMPLETED 16 DEC 2017

ROUND 2:

12 Days of Aussie Christmas

Reading the number of books as per the song by EITHER the first letter of the title OR the initial of author's name (first OR last) according to the initial of animals (in bold below). You may ignore the 'A', 'An', 'The' at the beginning of titles to get to the first significant word.

✔ 1 Emu up a gum tree
Amy Engel, The Roanoke Girls, read 8 Oct 2017

✔ 3 Jabirus
Jack Finney, About Time: 12 Short Stories, read 6 Aug 2017
J.A. Jance, Man Overboard, read 20 Aug 2017
Janette Oke, Where Courage Calls, read 16 Sept 2017

✔ 5 Kangaroos
Faye Kellerman, Bone Box, 14 Aug 2017
Stephen P. Kiernan, The Baker's Secret, read 20 Oct 2017
Kristina McMorris, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, read 22 Oct 2017
Clinton Kelly, I Hate Everyone, Except You, read 29 Oct 2017
Kate Carlisle, Eaves of Destruction read 3 Dec 2017

✔ 7 Numbats nagging
New Boy by Tracy Chevalier, read 5 Sept 2017
The Nearness of You by Dorothy Garlock, read 6 Sept 2017
Jo Nesbø, The Thirst, read 20 Sept 2017
Nicole Curtis, Better Than New: How Saving Old Homes Saved Me, read 11 Dec 2017
Needles and Pearls by Gil McNeil, read 14 Dec 2017
Nathan Dylan Goodwin, Hiding the Past, read 15 Dec 2017
The Noel Diary by Richard Paul Evans, read 16 Dec 2017

✔9 Crocs a-snoozing
The Color of Fear by Marcia Muller, read 18 Aug 2017
Richard Chizmar and Stephen King, Gwendy's Button Box, read 6 Sept 2017
Class Mom by Laurie Gelman, read 16 Oct 2017
Peg Cochran, Sowed to Death, read 21 Oct 2017
The Camelot Caper by Elizabeth Peters, read 25 Oct 2017
Ann Cleeves, Raven Black, read 2 Nov 2017
Linda Castillo, Gone Missing, read 21 Nov 2017
Caitriona Lally, Eggshells, read 26 Nov 2017
Martha Conway, The Underground River, read 8 Dec 2017

✔ 11 Lizards leaping
Laura Resau, The Queen of Water, read 12 Aug 2017
The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore, read 4 Sept 2017
Joselin Linder, The Family Gene:, read 9 Sept 2017
Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford, read 17 Sept 2017
The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking, read 22 Sept 2017
Anne Lamott, Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy, read 24 Sept 2017
Lucy Grealy, Autobiography of a Face, read 25 Sept 2017
The Love Ceiling by Jean Davies Okimoto, read 3 Oct 2017
Love in a Time of Hate by Hanna Schott, read 6 Oct 2017
Louisa May Alcott, The Inheritance, read 14 Oct 2017
Louise Penny, Glass Houses, read 28 Oct 2017

Question: Do we need to individually complete Round 1 before going on or can we work on both at the same time (as long as we don't claim one book on both)?

So, we all know that the chances of me reading 78 books between now and Christmas is pretty slim, so I'm going to go the easy route and just do one per letter. I would really love to do the full amount, but I know that I would never complete it.

1 Emu up a gum tree - E -
2 pink Galahs - G -
3 Jabirus - J -
4 Sharks a-surfing - S -
5 Kangaroos - K -
6 Brolgas dancing - B -
7 Numbats nagging - N -
8 Dingos dancing - D -
9 Crocs a-snoozing - C -
10 Wombats washing - W -
11 Lizards leaping - L -
12 Possums playing - P -

LynnB wrote: "Question: Do we need to individually complete Round 1 before going on or can we work on both at the same time (as long as we don't claim one book on both)?"

Lynn, I think Tien said somewhere that we can work on both at the same time. I hope this is correct, because that's what I'm doing, lol!

Marina wrote: "LynnB wrote: "Question: Do we need to individually complete Round 1 before going on or can we work on both at the same time (as long as we don't claim one book on both)?"

Lynn, I think Tien said s..."

Tien wrote this in message 186 of the round 1 thread:

"You can continue reading for Round 1 or abandon it, as you like.

You can read for both Rounds simultaneously."

CiJ - ROUND 2:
12 Days of Aussie Christmas -
Easy: 12/12

Reading the number of books as per the song by EITHER the first letter of the title OR the initial of author's name (first OR last) according to the initial of animals (in bold below). You may ignore the 'A', 'An', 'The' at the beginning of titles to get to the first significant word.

1 Emu: Eternal Hunter by Cynthia Eden - 10/28 ★★★
2 Galahs - Anything You Can Do by R.S. Grey - 9/5 ★★★
3 Jabirus - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - 9/3 ★★★
4 Sharks - Shades of Midnight by Lara Adrian - 9/10 ★★★
5 Kangaroos - My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella - 9/14 ★★★★★
6 Brolgas - Big Shot by Carly Phillips - 9/2 ★★½
7 Numbats - Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron - 8/15 ★★★★
8 Dingos - Moonstruck by Lauren Dane - 9/11 ★★
9 Crocs - Unearthly by Cynthia Hand - 8/26 ★★★★½
10 Wombats - Wild Cat ~ Shifters Unbound #3 - 9/30 ★★★½
11 Lizards - Never Go Back by Lee Child - 9/24 ★★★★
12 Possums - Truth or Beard by Penny Reid - 8/10 ★★★

Thanks, Marina and Amy! Glad we can overlap the rounds.

CiJ - ROUND 2: 12 Days of Aussie Christmas
FINISHED 24 April 2018

Reading the number of books as per the song by EITHER the first letter of the title OR the initial of author's name (first OR last) according to the initial of animals (in bold below). You may ignore the 'A', 'An', 'The' at the beginning of titles to get to the first significant word.

✔ 1 Emu up a gum tree - E
1. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, 13 Sept 17

✔ 2 pink Galahs - G
1. A Good Man Is Hard To Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor, 26 Aug 17
2. The Collegians by Gerald Griffin, 28 Nov 17

✔ 3 Jabirus - J
1. Gillespie and I by Jane Harris, 5 Sept 17
2. The Jackal’s House by Anna Butler, 14 Nov 17
3. So Many Ways To Begin by Jon McGregor, 5 Sep 17

✔ 4 Sharks a-surfing - S
1. Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami, finished 15 Aug 17
2. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn, 4 Sep 17
3. Ever Fallen in Love by Zoe Strachan, 2 Dec 17
4. The Swarm by Frank Schätzing, 5 Dec 17

✔ 5 Kangaroos - K
1. How To Run Your Home Without Help by Kay Smallshaw, 17 Aug 17
2. 11.22.63 by Stephen King, 22 Sept 17
3. The Joy of Half a Cookie by Jean Kristeller, 3 Nov 17
4. The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim, 23 Sep 17
5. Maximum Willpower: How to Master the New Science of Self-Control by Kelly McGonigal, 30 Dec 17

✔ 6 Brolgas dancing - B
1. Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks, finished 4 Aug 17
2. The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen, finished 11 Aug 17
3. The Sea by John Banville, finished 7 Sept 17
4. Foxglove Copse by Alex Beecroft, finished 2 Oct 17
5. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, finished 9 Nov 17
6. The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose by Alice Munro, 30 Nov 17

✔ 7 Numbats nagging - N
1. Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss, finished 22 Aug 17
2. Stardust by Neil Gaiman, finished 28 Aug 17
3. Not Dressed Like That, You Don't! by Yvonne Coppard, 19 Oct 17
4. The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 20 Dec 17
5. The Necessary Deaths by David C. Dawson, 3 Jan 18
6. Never Binge Again by Glenn Livingston, 14 Apr 18
7. Nemesis by Agatha Christie, 24 Apr 18

✔ 8 Dingos dancing - D
1. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson, finished 30 July 17
2. Delicacy by David Foenkinos, finished 27 Sep 17
3. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth, finished 16 Nov 17
4. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe, finished 29 Nov 17
5. The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan, finished 25 Dec 17
6. The Dead Shall be Raised and Murder of a Quack by George Bellairs, 2 Feb 18
7. Homer & Langley by E.L. Doctorow, 9 Feb 18
8. Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow, 23 Feb 18

✔ 9 Crocs a-snoozing - C
1. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Macker, 10 Aug 17
2. In the Heart of the Country by J.M. Coetzee, 3 Sep 17
3. Capital Crimes by various authors, 3 Oct 17
4. The New House by Lettice Cooper, finished 4 Oct 17
5. Conversations with Spirits by E.O. Higgins, 18 Oct 17
6. The Cross by Sigrid Undset, 1 Nov 17
7. Call to Arms by various authors, 5 Nov 17
8. Children of the Night by various authors, 7 Nov 17
9. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, 25 Nov 17

✔ 10 Wombats washing - W
1. Hetty Dorval by Ethel Wilson, finished 2 Aug 17
2. They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple, finished 8 Aug 17
3. The Wreath by Sigrid Undset, finished 31 Aug 17
4. Because of the Lockwoods by Dorothy Whipple, finished 31 Aug 17
5. The Wife by Sigrid Undset, finished 15 Sept 17
6. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, finished 17 Sept 17
7. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, finished 25 Sept 17
8. Walkabout by James Vance Marshall, finished 6 Nov 17
9. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson, finished 3 Dec 17
10. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, finished 8 Dec 17

✔ 11 Lizards leaping - L
1. Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, finished 6 Aug 17
2. To Bed With Grand Music by Marghanita Laski, finished 12 Aug 17
3. A London Family Between The Wars by Molly Hughes, finished 13 Aug 17
4. Living To Tell The Tale by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 15 Oct 17
5. Finding Home by Garrett Leigh, 21 Oct 17
6. Making Conversation by Christine Longford, 30 Oct 17
7. Tracks by Louise Erdrich, 5 Dec 17
8. Junkyard Heart by Garrett Leigh, 15 Dec 17
9. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, 28 Dec 17
10. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty, 5 Jan 18
11. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich, 7 Feb 18

✔ 12 Possums playing - P
1. The Gabriel Set-Up by Peter O'Donnell, 2 Sep 17
2. Pereira Maintains by Antonio Tabucchi, 4 Sep 17
3. A Pound of Cure by Matthew Weiner, 26 Sep 17
4. A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale, 18 Oct 17
5. The Sterkarm Handshake by Susan Price, 20 Nov 17
6. The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind, 8 Dec 17
7. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, 17 Dec 17
8. Portrait of a Murderer by Anne Meredith, 23 Dec 17
9. Thin Air by Michelle Paver, 8 Jan 18
10. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett, 9 Jan 18
11. Agent Bayne by Jordan Castillo Price, 16 Jan 18
12. Mort by Terry Pratchett, 21 Jan 18

Easy level for me...

12 Days of Aussie Christmas! ~~~> FINISHED!

1 Emu up a gum tree El Evangelio según Van Hutten (19/11/2017) ✔
2 Pink Galahs - The Gods Themselves (10/09/2017) ✔
3 Jabirus - Noches en Fitzrovia by Julian Maclaren-Ross (19/11/2017) ✔
4 Sharks a-surfing - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (15/09/2017) ✔
5 Kangaroos - Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino (20/12/2017) ✔
6 Brolgas dancing Botchan (13/12/2017) ✔
7 Numbats nagging How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs If You Ever Want to Get Published by Sandra Newman (12/12/2017) ✔
8 Dingos dancing - Dearly Devoted Dexter (7/11/2017) ✔
9 Crocs a-snoozing - Confusión de sentimientos (Confusion) (26/08/2017) ✔
10 Wombats washing - The Scorpion God: Three Short Novels by William Golding (19/11/2017) ✔
11 Lizards leaping - Gehenna by Lewis Gannett (29/09/2017) ✔
12 Possums playing - The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre by John William Polidori (18/10/2017) ✔

I will mull this over and be back with my plan, but am marking my spot right here as I listen to this Aussie version of 12 day of christmas (my favourite is still on particular homeschool one, but this one is fun--not as fun as Six White Boomers, though, which ranks up there with that homeschool 12 days song).

Thinking of taking the easy route for now.

1 Emu up a gum tree
Earth Girl by Janet Edwards August 14

2 pink Galahs
i. The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi October 3

3 Jabirus
i. Julia Stuart for The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise August 21
ii. Janet Edwards Earth and Fire: An Earth Girl Novella
iii. Janet Edwards Earth Star

4 Sharks a-surfing
i. The Shakespeare Riots: Revenge, Drama, and Death in Nineteenth-Century America August 13
ii. Muriel Spark for The Abbess of Crewe
iii. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley for Frankenstein
iv. Zadie Smith for White Teeth December 16

5 Kangaroos
i. Katie Ganshert for Life After October 23

6 Brolgas dancing
i. The Bone Seeker August 3,
ii. The Body Electric by Beth Revis Aug 25
iii. Broken Harbour by Tana French
iv. Becky Chambers for A Closed and Common Orbit October 28
v. Anita Brookner for Fraud November 3



7 Numbats nagging
i. Nicola Yoon for The Sun Is Also a Star finished a few days before US Thanksgiving in NOVEMBER
ii. Nicola Yoon for Everything, Everything December 22

8 Dingos dancing
i. Dinner with Edward: A Story of an Unexpected Friendship Aug 18
ii. Donna Andrews for Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos August 23
iii. Daniel Defoe for Robinson Crusoe October 25
iv. for Denver Moore Same Kind of Different as Me please note that this is the story of two men and cowritten with a writer. " Same Kind of Different as Me
by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, Lynn Vincent "

9 Crocs a-snoozing
i. Bill Crider for Red, White, and Blue Murder Aug 8
ii. Bill Crider for Half in Love with Artful Death Aug 9
iii. Ernest Cline for Armada December 20

10 Wombats washing
i. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running August 12
ii. William Shakespeare for Cymbaline: November 6

11 Lizards leaping -
i. Lock In Aug 5
ii. Laura Hillenbrand for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption August 15
iii. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers August 20
iv. Lisa Harris Missing August 27


12 Possums playing
i. The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews August 22
ii. Poppy Done to Death by Charlaine Harris August 24
iii. Pursued by Lisa Harris September 9
iv. Persuasion by Jane Austen September 17
v. Peter Carey for Oscar and Lucinda
vi. Patricia Bradley for Justice Delayed October 11

Bea wrote: " I am focusing on title for my picks."

You just decided to that (focus on title) for your own sake, right? OR are you thinking we have to pick one of the 3 options and stick with that? I was assuming that, even with the Easy level, we could mix and match.

Susan wrote: "Bea wrote: " I am focusing on title for my picks."

You just decided to that (focus on title) for your own sake, right? OR are you thinking we have to pick one of the 3 options and stick with that?..."

I thought we could mix and match...I hope Tien agrees we can do that.

Bugger it I am going hard, if I fail oh well, if I succeed lots of lovely space on my book cases needing to be filled up :-)

CiJ - ROUND 2:

12 Days of Aussie Christmas

Reading the number of books as per the song by EITHER the first letter of the title OR the initial of author's name (first OR last) according to the initial of animals (in bold below). You may ignore the 'A', 'An', 'The' at the beginning of titles to get to the first significant word.

1 Emu up a gum tree
2 pink Galahs
3 Jabirus
4 Sharks a-surfing
5 Kangaroos
6 Brolgas dancing
7 Numbats nagging
8 Dingos dancing
9 Crocs a-snoozing
10 Wombats washing
11 Lizards leaping
12 Possums playing


HARD: Read them all (total of 78 books)

1. E (Completed)
Everywoman: One Woman’s Truth About Speaking the Truth - read 30/10/2017

2. G (Completed)
Uncle Dysfunctional by A.A. Gill - read 03/08/2017
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI - read 22/11/2017

3. J (Completed)
A Portrait of an Idiot as a Young Man: Part memoir, part explanation as to why men are so rubbish by Jon Holmes - read 05/08/2017
Josiah the Great: The True Story of the Man Who Would Be King - read 19/08/2017
Samaritans by Jonathan Lynn - read 13/08/2017

4. S (Completed)
The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star - read 09/08/2017
The Sayers Swindle - read 24/09/2017
How to be Champion: My Autobiography by Sarah Millican - read 09/10/2017
The Forgotten Holocaust by Scott Mariani - read 27/10/2017

5. K (Completed)
The Raven's Head by Karen Maitland - read 08/09/2017
Killer City - read 16/11/2017
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - read 07/12/2017
The Greatest Story Ever Told...So Far by Lawrence M. Krauss - read 22/12/2017
Caesar's Last Breath: The Epic Story of The Air Around Us by Sam Kean - read 24/12/2017

6. B (Completed)
Only Dead on the Inside: A Parent's Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse by James Breakwell - read 04/11/2017
The Black Prince - read 10/10/2017
Jaggy Splinters by Christopher Brookmyre - read 19/10/2017
The Booby Trap and other Bits and Boobs - read 07/11/2017
The Blood Gospel - read 19/11/2017
Going On The Turn by Danny Baker - read 23/11/2017


7. N (3/7)
The Usual Sacrifices by Yvonne Navarro - read 17/09/2017
The Nemesis Program by Scott Mariani - read 17/10/2017
Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman - read 04/12/2017


8. D (Completed)
Snake Oil And Other Preoccupations by John Diamond - read 12/08/2017
How to Survive a Plague: The Story of How Activists and Scientists Tamed AIDS by David France - read 03/09/2017
Adventures of a Young Naturalist: The Zoo Quest Expeditions by David Attenborough - read 29/09/2017
Dave Barry in Cyberspace - read 13/09/2017
Awkward Situations for Men by Danny Wallace - read 04/11/2017
Origin by Dan Brown - read 28/11/2017
Dreamcatcher - read 12/12/2017
Dolly - read 19/12/2017


9. C (Completed)
The Rat Catchers' Olympics by Colin Cotterill - 15/09/2017
Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie - read 23/09/2017
A Court of Thorns and Roses - read 17/08/2017
Carpe Jugulum - read 22/08/2017
Attack of the 50 Ft. Women: How Gender Equality Can Save The World! by Catherine Mayer - read 12/11/2017
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes - read 15/11/2017
A Christmas Cornucopia - read 10/12/2017
Human Universe by Brian Cox - read 18/12/2017
The Real Peaky Blinders: Billy Kimber, the Birmingham Gang and the Racecourse Wars of the 1920s by Carl Chinn - read 23/12/2017

10. W (5/10)
Hamlet by William Shakespeare - read 30/08/2017
Join Me by Danny Wallace - read 13/08/2017
The Wolfe Widow - read 30/09/2017
Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped - read 16/08/2017
The War on Women - read 21/11/2017

11. L (5/11)
Lessons I've Learned - read 27/08/2017
Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell - read 01/10/2017
Look Back in Hunger - read 14/11/2017
"Live from Cape Canaveral": Covering the Space Race, from Sputnik to Today - read 19/11/2017
The Anatomy Murders: Being the True and Spectacular History of Edinburgh's Notorious Burke and Hare and of the Man of Science Who Abetted Them in the Commission of Their Most Heinous Crimes by Lisa Rosner - read 29/11/2017

12. P (4/12)
Printer's Devil Court - read 01/10/2017
Percy Jackson's Greek Gods - read 28/11/2017
Parsnips, Buttered: How to win at modern life, one email at a time - read 01/12/2017
Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston - read 12/12/2017

Books read 54/78

Definitely mix & match to your heart's desire or rather however other reading challenges dictated your reading ;p

I haven't finished Round 1 but that doesn't stop me from attempting Hard :p

COMPLETED at 12/07

1 Emu up a gum tree (COMPLETED)
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy -Read 08/31

2 pink Galahs (COMPLETED)
Forbidden Fruit (Corinna Chapman #5) by Kerry Greenwood -Read 08/22
The Quiet American by Graham Greene -Read 08/30

3 Jabirus (COMPLETED)
Such is Life by Joseph Furphy -Read 08/25
One of Our Thursdays is Missing (Thursday Next #6) by Jasper Fforde -Read 08/28
Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death (The Grantchester Mysteries #1) by James Runcie -Read 09/20

4 Sharks a-surfing (COMPLETED)
Heart of Fire:One Girl's Extraordinary Journey from Child Soldier to Soul Singer by Senait G. Mehari -Read 08/02
The Frozen Rabbi by Steve Stern -Read 08/10
The Amateurs (The Amateurs #1) by Sara Shepard -Read 08/26
The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe by Mary Simses -Read 09/09

5 Kangaroos (COMPLETED)
Tell the Truth (Detective Ella Marconi #8) by Katherine Howell -Read 08/03
The Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee -Read 08/10
And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini -Read 08/24
The Far Side of the Sun by Kate Furnivall -Read 09/06
The Vintner's Luck (Vintner's Luck #1) by Elizabeth Knox -Read 09/12

6 Brolgas dancing (COMPLETED)
The Barrier by Shankari Chandran -Read 08/19
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes -Read 09/09
Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton -Read 09/26
Black by Fleur Ferris -Read 09/26
The Spy of Venice (William Shakespeare Thriller #1) by Benet Brandreth -Read 10/03
Beauty in Thorns by Kate Forsyth -Read 10/10

7 Numbats nagging (COMPLETED)
Named of the Dragon by Susanna Kearsley -Read 08/01
A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri -Read 08/31
Mount Pleasant by Patrice Nganang -Read 09/19
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman -Read 10/10
Forbidden Love: A Harrowing True Story of Love and Revenge in Jordan by Norma Khouri -Read 10/20
An Expert in Murder (Josephine Tey #1) by Nicola Upson -Read 11/15
Draekora (The Medoran Chronicles #3) by Lynette Noni -Read 12/06

8 Dingos dancing (COMPLETED)
Denny Day: The Life and Times of Australia's Greatest Lawman by Terry Smyth -Read 08/18
The Dust Diaries by Owen Sheers -Read 08/19
The Empty Chair (Lincoln Rhyme #3) by Jeffery Deaver -Read 08/29
Disruption (Disruption #1) by Jessica Shirvington -Read 10/15
Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens -Read 10/18
Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story by Diane Setterfield -Read 10/19
The Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing #1) by R. Scott Bakker -Read 10/28
Damage (Jefferson Hinkley #1) by Felix Francis -Read 10/30

9 Crocs a-snoozing (COMPLETED)
Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor by Clinton Romesha -Read 08/11
Fifty Fifty (Detective Harriet Blue #2) by Candice Fox & James Patterson -Read 08/12
Chronicle in Stone by Ismail Kadare -Read 08/25
The Mermaid's Daughter by Ann Claycomb -Read 08/29
Eating Lolly by Corrie Hosking -Read 09/06
The Anchoress by Robyn Cadwallader -Read 09/07
Crimes of the Father by Tom Keneally -Read 10/08
The art of the engine driver by Steven Carroll -Read 10/11
A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia Gray -Read 11/09

10 Wombats washing (COMPLETED)
The Council of Justice (The Four Just Men #2) by Edgar Wallace -Read 07/30
White Horse (White Horse #1) by Alex Adams -Read 08/04
Take Three Girls by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell, Fiona Wood -Read 09/22
Wreck by Fleur Ferris -Read 09/25
The Trophy Taker (Detective Johnny Mann #1) by Lee Weeks -Read 10/01
54 by Wu Ming -Read 10/17
The Way of the Traitor (Sano Ichiro #3) by Laura Joh Rowland -Read 10/21
Blueback by Tim Winton -Read 11/3
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester -Read 11/05
Worldshaker (Worldshaker #1) by Richard Harland -Read 11/24

11 Lizards leaping (COMPLETED)
Lovesong by Alex Miller -Read 08/09
Little Daughter: A Memoir of Survival in Burma and the West by Zoya Phan -Read 08/17
Endure (Defy #3) by Sara B. Larson -Read 08/21
The Next Together (The Next Together #1) by Lauren James -Read 09/06
Gone Missing (Kate Burkholder #4) by Linda Castillo -Read 09/23
Redemption (The Twins of Saranthium #3) by Lara Morgan -Read 10/29
The Next Accident (Quincy & Rainie #3) by Lisa Gardner -Read 11/05
A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne -Read 11/06
Lady Bridget in the Never-Never Land by Rosa Praed -Read 11/17
Shards of Honor (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication) #1) by Lois McMaster Bujold -Read 11/19
The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross -Read 11/23
Leap of Faith by Fiona McCallum

12 Possums playing (COMPLETED)
Gotta Love This Country! by Peter FitzSimons -Read 08/16
Purge by Sofi Oksanen -Read 09/14
The Castle of Wolfenbach by Eliza Parsons -Read 09/17
Mayhem (Dr. Thomas Bond #1) by Sarah Pinborough -Read 09/23
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay -Read 10/03
Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy -Read 10/04
Persuasion by Jane Austen -Read 10/28
The Perfect Couple by Lexi Landsman -Read 11/01
Pushing Up Daisies: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (Agatha Raisin #27) by M.C. Beaton -Read 11/09
Ruin & Rule (Pure Corruption MC #1) by Pepper Winters -Read 11/27
Puberty Blues by Kathy Lette & Gabrielle Carey -Read 12/02
Pieces of Sky by Trinity Doyle -Read 12/7

I will be attempting hard because I like a challenge to be a challenge!

1 Emu up a gum tree 1/1
A Very Dutiful Daughter by Elizabeth Mansfield Read August 19

2 pink Galahs 2/2
Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household Read August 26
Boneland by Alan Garner Read Oct 17

3 Jabirus 3/3
The Tailor of Panama by John le Carré Read Sept 17
Huntingtower by John Buchan Read August 23
Half a War by Joe Abercrombie Read Nov 9

4 Sharks a-surfing 4/4
A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar Read August 17
The Evening of the Holiday Read August 24
My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout Read September 8
The Secret in Their Eyes by Eduardo Sacheri Read Oct 12

5 Kangaroos 5/5
11/22/63 by Stephen King Read Sept 21
Tricked by Kevin Hearne Read Oct 14
The House of the Stag by Kage Baker Read Nov 18
Valour and Vanity by Mary Robinette Kowal Read Nov 20
The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley Read Dec 12

6 Brolgas dancing 6/6
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson Read August 9
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley Read August 5
Inversions by Iain M. Banks Read Oct 17
Baba Dunja's Last Love by Alina Bronsky Read September 3
The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch Read Sept 15
The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks Read Oct 1

7 Numbats nagging 7/7
Madselin by Norah Lofts Read August 17
Oswald Bastable and Others by E. Nesbit Read September 4
Sugar Street by Naguib Mahfouz Read october 29
New Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko Read Nov 18
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin Read Dec 6
Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik Read Dec 9
After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress Read Dec 9

8 Dingos dancing 8/8
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Read August 7
Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey Read August 7
Marry Me by Dan Rhodes Read August 6
Slade House by David Mitchell Read Sept 10
An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham Read Nov 5
The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan Read Nov 28
Professor Andersen's Night by Dag Solstad Read Nov 29
Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson Read Dec 10

9 Crocs a-snoozing 9/9
Beasts by John Crowley Read August 7
The trumpet in the dust by Constance Holme Read Sept 20
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo Read Oct 3
The Causal Angel by Hannu Rajaniemi Read Oct 3
Conclave by Robert Harris Read Oct 4
Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger Read Oct 13
Conference At Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons read Oct 23
Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey Read Nov 6
Inheritor by C.J. Cherryh Read Nov 19

10 Wombats washing 10/10
White Sand Volume 1 by Brandon Sanderson Read August 13
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson Read August 24
As the Earth Turns Silver by Alison Wong Read September 4
The Selwood Boys: Maintain the Mischief by Tony Wilson Read Oct 2
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters Read Oct 9
A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear Read Oct 10
Why Mermaids Sing by C.S. Harris Read Oct 24
The Waters Rising by Sheri S. Tepper Read Nov 18
The Waves by Virginia Woolf Read Nov 28
The Ice is Coming by Patricia Wrightson Read August 29

11 Lizards leaping 11/11
The Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn Read August 19
Leapfrog and Other Stories by Guillermo Rosales read August 20
Esther by Norah Lofts Read August 26
Last Words from Montmartre by Qiu Miaojin Read August 26
Days of Ignorance by Laila Aljohani Read Sept 20
Lioness by Katherine Scholes Read Sept 23
Last First Snow by Max Gladstone Read Sept 29
The Graveyard of the Hesperides by Lindsey Davis Read October
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty Read Nov 8
The Changeling by Victor LaValle Read Nov 24
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence Read Dec 17

12 Possums playing 12/12
In the Wake by Per Petterson Read August 5
What Darkness Was by Inka Parei Read August 5
The Prestige by Christopher Priest Read September 8
Ganymede by Cherie Priest Read Sept 12
Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds Read Sept 16
Pagan's Vows by Catherine Jinks Read Oct 5
The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett Read Nov 1
The Painted Queen by Elizabeth Peters Read Nov 10
Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte Read Nov 14
Snow by Orhan Pamuk Read Nov 16
The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton Read Nov 23
The Public Image by Muriel Spark Read Dec 3

78/78 completed on December 17

Coralie wrote: "I will be attempting hard because I like a challenge to be a challenge!"

Ouch! Hardcore! lol

Susan wrote: "Bea wrote: " I am focusing on title for my picks."

You just decided to that (focus on title) for your own sake, right? OR are you thinking we have to pick one of the 3 options and stick with that?..."

Yes, it was my attempt at making it more focused for myself. Mix and match is the rule.

I've changed my mind. I'm going for hard :)

Lusie wrote: "I've changed my mind. I'm going for hard :)"

Woot! Go, Lusie! :D

I'm assuming we don't have to make a hard choice.... that we can strive for the easy route first and then see if we can get the other levels after that. That's my plan.

Definitely, Ed, you can always level up or down, up to you...

And... I know you're going through some list for children's books? You're welcome to include them here, there's no conditions on genre/page numbers etc. Just as long as they're books & you can link them up in your thread :)

Tien wrote: "Definitely, Ed, you can always level up or down, up to you...

And... I know you're going through some list for children's books? You're welcome to include them here, there's no conditions on genr..."

Thanks Tien, Yes...being able to use the children's books should permit me to get at least close to completing the hard way...even though most of my books will be adult books.

Round 2: 12 Days of Aussie Christmas

1 Emu up a gum tree
Effie 15/9/17

2 pink Galahs
Grimalkin the Witch Assassin 17/8/17

3 Jabirus
The Spook's Blood 6/9/17

4 Sharks a-surfing
Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure at the Abbey Grange 12/9/17

5 Kangaroos
My Love Story!!, Vol. 9 18/8/17

6 Brolgas dancing
Chameleon 11/9/17

7 Numbats nagging
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 5: Like I'm The Only Squirrel In The World (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl 4/9/17

8 Dingos dancing
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 12/9/17

9 Crocs a-snoozing
Camp Half-Blood Confidential 5/9/17

10 Wombats washing
I Had a Black Dog: His Name Was Depression 20/8/17

11 Lizards leaping
Coto's Captive 16/9/17

12 Possums playing
Taming The Black Dog 14/9/17

Round 2: 12 Days of Aussie Christmas
EASY (for now) 12 books

1 Emu up a gum tree
Enigma Variations
2 pink Galahs
The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America by George Packer OR Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon
3 Jabirus
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock
4 Sharks a-surfing
Saga, Vol. 4
5 Kangaroos
The Known World
6 Brolgas dancing
Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age by Kevin G. Boyle
7 Numbats nagging
Out by Natsuo Kirino OR Quicksand by Nella Larsen
8 Dingos dancing
Room by Emma Donoghue
9 Crocs a-snoozing
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
10 Wombats washing
Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
11 Lizards leaping
Little Women
12 Possums playing
Play It as It Lays OR The Passage

I said easy, but I'm adding any books that fit for now so that if I want to switch to medium or hard I won't have to go back and look up books I didn't add.

Karin wrote: "I said easy, but I'm adding any books that fit for now so that if I want to switch to medium or hard I won't have to go back and look up books I didn't add."

That's fine, Karin.

I'll choose easy at this stage - hopefully I can ramp it up a bit later! :)


✔ 1) Emu - 45 + 47 Stella Street And Everything That Happened by Elizabeth Honey ★★
✔ 2) Galahs - The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly ★★★1/2
✔ 3) Jabirus - Eating Animals by Johnathon Safran Foer ★★★1/2
✔ 4) Sharks - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon ★★★★
✔ 5) Kangaroos - Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro ★★★

6) Brolgas - The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

✔ 7) Numbats - A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness ★★★★★
✔ 8) Dingos - Dracula by Bram Stoker ★★★
✔ 9) Crocs - For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus C Clarke ★★★★
✔ 10) Wombats - The Martian by Andy Weir ★★★1/2
✔ 11) Lizards - The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch ★★★1/2
✔ 12) Possums - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick ★★★

Easy-12 books
1 Emu up a gum tree-E
2 pink Galahs-p orG
3 Jabirus-J
4 Sharks a-surfing-S-
5 Kangaroos-K
6 Brolgas dancing-B
7 Numbats nagging-N
8 Dingos dancing-D
9 Crocs a-snoozing-C
10 Wombats washing-W
11 Lizards leaping-L
12 Possums playing-P

1) The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry 09/03/17
2)I'll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchairby Patrick Gray 8/4/17
3)Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 09/17/17
4) Station Elevenby Emily St. John Mandel 8/16/17
5) Angel Falls- Kristin Hannah
6)The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne Completed 09/20/17
7)Nunbats Nagging-His Majesty's Dragonby Naomi Novik 8/25/17
8)Dingos Dancing- Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor 12/10/17
9)I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
10)Wombats Washing-Before We Were Yoursby Lisa Wingate 12/18/17
11)Before I Fallby Lauren Oliver
12)Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult 09/26/17

Completed 1/21/18

I think I'll go for the easy level and see if I can go up from there!

1 Emu up a gum tree - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (read 9/5/17)
2 pink Galahs - Pillole di carta e celluloide: Libri e film per curare la propria mente by Ferdinando Galassi (read 9/10/17)
3 Jabirus - Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsey (read 11/26/17)
4 Sharks a-surfing - Stoner by John Williams (read 12/4/17)
5 Kangaroos - Gerald's Game by Stephen King (read 9/16/17)
6 Brolgas dancing - Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen Ambrose (read 11/24/2017)
7 Numbats nagging - Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (read 10/8/17)
8 Dingos dancing - The Living Wood: Saint Helena and the Emperor Constantine by Louis De Wohl (read 8/28/17)
9 Crocs a-snoozing - Chocolat by Joanne Harris (read 9/8/17)
10 Wombats washing - My Mortal Enemy by Willa Cather (read 9/3/17)
11 Lizards leaping - Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin (read 9/2/17)
12 Possums playing - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith (read 9/30/17)

12/12

Welcome, Elena! Good luck :)

Tien wrote: "Welcome, Elena! Good luck :)"

Thank you!!!

If we read more than one book by the same author, can we use that author more than once for the same letter? eg Janet Edwards. I used one book of hers for E for the title, then so far I have 2 books of hers for J using Janet, but thought I'd ask since I have at least one more book by her where I could do that. Is this kosher if it's for different books?