Grab a Book & Play Booktivity! discussion

New Year Resolutions Spell-out Challenge
Duration: Jan 1 thru Jan 31, 2020

The Top 10 most common resolutions are:
1. Exercise More
2. Lose Weight
3. Get Organized
4. Learn a new skill/hobby
5. Live Life to its Fullest
6. Save more money/spend less money
7. Quit Smoking
8. Spend more time with Family & Friends
9. Travel more
10. Read more

.....hummm...... interesting list, yep.
Spell -out one of the following word(s):

EXERCISE (8)
LOSE WEIGHT (10)
GET ORGANIZED (12)
NEW SKILL (8)
NEW HOBBY (8)
LIVE LIFE (8)
FAMILY (6)
FRIENDS (7)
SAVE MONEY (9)
QUIT SMOKING (11)
TRAVEL (6)
READ MORE (8)

Challenge Rules

• one book per letter
• books must be 100+ pages
• use first letter of the title (excluded A, An, or The)
• or use the first letter of Author's first or last name.
☆☆• LIST: book title, author's name, date read, rating is optional, pages read also optional.
☆☆- very important, these items must be listed or it will not be counted as completed.
*** in your post, tell us your resolution(s) for this new year. :D

Happy New Year !!!!

PARTICIPANTS
(Updated: 1/15/20)

☆☆Carol - GET ORGANIZED - 12/12 (COMPLETED)
☆☆Southwest Zippy - TRAVEL - 6/6 (COMPLETED)
Koren - NEW SKILL - 6/8
Book Concierge - NEW SKILL 4/8
☆☆Licha- Olivia - READ MORE 8/8 (COMPLETED)
☆☆Donna - LOSE WEIGHT - 10/10 (COMPLETED)
JennH - LIVE LIFE - 6/8
☆☆Olivermagnus - LOSE WEIGHT - 10/10 ((COMPLETED)
Marilyn - FAMILY - 4/6
☆☆Connie - LOSE WEIGHT - 10/10 (COMPLETED)
Diana S - NEW SKILL - 4/8

Even though I am overly organized and the only one I will REALLY do is "Read More"...I'll take the longest one for the challenge of it:)

12/12 - DONE-1/22/20
Good Girls Lie - J.T. Ellison - 1/6/20
Evil Games - Angela Marsons - 1/13/20
Thin Ice - Paige Shelton =1/2/20

O'Hannon, Padraig - Murder in County Tyrone - 1/4/20
Robert Bryndza - The Night Stalker -1/1/20
Girl in the Woods - Gregg Olsen - 1/7/20
Alanna Knight - The Seal King Murders -1/5/20
Nina Sadowsky - The Empty Bed -1/16/20
Iain Banks - The Crow Road -1/11/20
Z for Zachariah - Robert C. O'Brien - 1/14/20
Erica Spindler - The Other Girl - 1/22/20
Dead Woman Walking - Sharon Bolton -1/8/20

ALL DONE! 1/24/2020
Ok I am in. I need to get back in the swing of challenges/games again.
READ 6/6
T--Treasure Island Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson January 23, 2020 – Finished Reading
R--Road Ends Road Ends
by Mary Lawson January 24, 2020 – Finished Reading
A--Almost Home Almost Home
by Joan Bauer January 19, 2020 – Finished Reading
V--Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 by Albert Marrin January 21, 2020 – Finished Reading
E--Ellie's Story Ellie's Story
by W. Bruce Cameron January 22, 2020 – Finished Reading
L-The Last Cowboys: Closing the Open Range in Southeastern New Mexico, 1890s-1920s The Last Cowboys: Closing the Open Range in Southeastern New Mexico, 1890s-1920s by Connie Brooks January 2, 2020 – Finished Reading

I'm guessing #7 should be 'quit smoking' for 11 instead of quilt.

Happy New Year! My New Year's resolution is going to be #7, but for the challenge I am going to do # 3.

N
E-Elton John Me finished 1/4

W-Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture by Roseanne Welch finished 1/19


S-The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel finished 1/12

K-King, Jeanne Signed in Blood: The True Story of Two Women, a Sinister Plot, and Cold Blooded Murder finished 1/1

I-Irene Pence No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge finished 1/6

L-Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer by Chely Wright finished 1/24
L

New Year's Resolutions S*P*E*L*L Challenge
Begins: 01Jan20 / Ends:31Jan20


8 / 8 completed

✔ New Skill
N - Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn / Patsy ✔ - 01Feb20
E - Elsa Hart / Jade Dragon Mountain ✔ - 18Jan20
W - Would Like to Meet / Rachel Winters ✔ - 21Jan20
*
S - SAAVEDRA, Miguel de Cervantes / Don Quixote ✔ - 17Jan20
K - Kwei Quartey / Wife of the Gods ✔ - 30Jan20
I -Ike and Kay / James MacManus ✔ - 09Jan20
L - LONG, Kelly / Amish Christmas Kitchen ✔ - 14Jan20
L - Lab Girl / Hope Jahren ✔ - 25Jan20

.

New Year's Resolution S*P*E*L*L Challenge
Begins: 01Jan20/Ends: 31Jan20

Read more (books in Spanish)

R: Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan The Yearling (1/25/2020)
E: Emily Raymond and James Patterson Sophia, Princess Among Beasts (1/13/2020)
A: Angela Cervantes Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring (1/11/2020)
D: Drummond, India Blood Faerie (1/8/2020)

M: MacLean, Sarah Brazen and the Beast (1/4/2020)
O: Oppel, Kenneth Silverwing (1/26/2020)
R: Rigaud, Heather Lynn; Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star (1/19/2020)
E: Eddleman, Peggy Sky Jumpers (1/30/2020)

I'll try "Lose Weight". This will be the easiest way to accomplish that!
10 out of 10
Challenge Completed 28Jan20


✔L ~~ The Lost Night ~~ by Andrea Bartz ~~ 3.5 Stars ~~ 27Jan20


✔O ~~ O Pioneers! ~~ by Willa Cather ~~ 4 Stars ~~ 03Jan20

✔S ~~ Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir ~~ by Ruth Reichl ~~ 4 Stars ~~ 09Jan20

✔E ~~ Elie Weisel, author of ~~ Hostage ~~ 3 Stars ~~ 04Jan20



✔W ~~ White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America ~~ by Nancy Isenberg ~~ 5 Stars ~~ 14Jan20

✔E ~~ The Enemy Inside ~~ by Steve Martini ~~ 3.5 rounded up to 4 Stars ~~ 19Jan20

✔I ~~ Isaac Asimov, author of ~~ Foundation ~~ 4 Stars ~~ 08Jan20

✔G ~~ Gulliver's Travels ~~ by Jonathan Swift ~~ 3.5 Stars ~~ 26Jan20

✔H ~~ Horsley, Kevin, author of ~~ Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More and be More Productive ~~ 3.5 Stars ~~ 21Jan20

✔T ~~ Tricia Levenseller, author of ~~ Daughter of the Pirate King ~~ 4 Stars ~~ 28Jan20

New Year Resolutions Spell Out Challenge

✔L - Wildcard by Marie Lu 1/11/20
✔I - The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin 1/5/20
V
✔E - Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg 1/5/20

✔L - Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich 1/11/20
✔I - Thunderball by Ian Fleming 1/22/20
✔F - The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell 1/3/20
E

Koren wrote: "I'm guessing #7 should be 'quit smoking' for 11 instead of quilt."

Thanks Koren for catching my "oops" :D

New Year's Resolution S*P*E*L*L Challenge
January 1 - 31, 2020

10 of 10 Complete

L - LaVyrle Spencer - Morning Glory - 1/7/20
O - On What Grounds - Cleo Coyle - 1/2/20
S - Safe from the Sea - Peter Geye - 1/16/20
E - Evil Games - Angela Marsons - 1/13/20
W - Whiteout - Ken Follett - 1/26/20
E - Edgar Rice Burroughs - A Princess of Mars - 1/24/20
I - Isabella Alan - Murder, Served Simply - 1/4/20
G - George Orwell - 1984 - 1/3/20
H - Hamilton: The Revolution - Lin-Manuel Miranda - 1/23/20
T - This Tender Land - William Kent Krueger - 1/10/20

New Year's Resolution S*P*E*L*L Challenge
January 1 - 31, 2020

4 of 6 Complete

✔F--From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi Locke--1/25/20
A
✔M--Meacham, Jon, author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power--1/11/20
✔I--Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro--1/7/20
✔L--Larsen, Nella, author of Passing--1/9/20
Y

10/10 DONE!

These resolutions are tough (and appropriate for me). I really need to lose weight, but if I can't manage that, I can still travel:

L Lamott , Anne. Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace 1/26/20
O On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service. Rhys Bowen. 1/6/20
S Sins of the Fathers by J.A. Jance. 1/20/20
E Enger, Leif. Virgil Wander. 5 stars. 1/29/20

W Whitehead, Colson. The Underground Railroad 1/13/20
E Erickson , Laura. The Bird Watching Answer Book: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Birds in Your Backyard and Beyond. 1/18/20
I Inside Inside Out & Back Again 1/26/20
G Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper. The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son On Life, Love, and Loss 1/3/20
H Herding Herding Cats 1/17/20
T Things We Cannot Say. The Things We Cannot Say Kelly Rimmer. 4 stars. 1/28/20

OR
6/6 alternate DONE

Thanhha Th Lai. Inside Out & Back Again 5 stars. 1/26/20
R Rhys Bowen. On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service. 1/6/20
A Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt. The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son On Life, Love, and Loss 1/3/20
V Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster. Svetlana Alexievich. 1/11/20
E Enger, Leif. Virgil Wander. 1/29/20
L Lamott , Anne. Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace 1/26/20

January spell-out Challenge
Books Read: 4/8

Spell-out: NEW SKILL

Noel Street by Richard Paul Evans (1/3/20) ☆☆☆☆
E
Winspear, Jacqueline - A Dangerous Place (1/20/20) ☆☆☆☆

S
K
Ivy and Bean Make the Rules by Annie Barrows (1/20/20) 144 pp. 3.5 ☆☆☆
L
Leslie Meier's Yule Log Murder (1/9/20) ☆☆☆

My resolution is to try and cross stitch every day. Even though it's not a new hobby, I chose that to spell out because it fit best.
(completed 3/8)

N
Elizabeth George's A Place of Hiding 4 stars 1/15/2020
When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall 3 stars 1/6/2020

H
Of Love and Evil by Anne Rice 2 stars 1/9/2020
B
B
Y

~~~ Completed ~~~

New Year's Resolution S*P*E*L*L Challenge
January 1 - 31, 2020

10 of 10 Complete

L - LaVyrle Spencer - Morning Glory - 1/7/20
O - On What Grounds - Cleo Coyle - 1/2/20
S - Safe from the Sea - Peter Geye - 1/16/20
E - Evil Games - Angela Marsons - 1/13/20
W - Whiteout - Ken Follett - 1/26/20
E - Edgar Rice Burroughs - A Princess of Mars - 1/24/20
I - Isabella Alan - Murder, Served Simply - 1/4/20
G - George Orwell - 1984 - 1/3/20
H - Hamilton: The Revolution - Lin-Manuel Miranda - 1/23/20
T - This Tender Land - William Kent Krueger - 1/10/20

Olivermagnus wrote: "~~~ Completed ~~~

New Year's Resolution S*P*E*L*L Challenge
January 1 - 31, 2020

10 of 10 Complete

L - LaVyrle Spencer - Morning Glory - 1/7/20
O - [book:On What Gro..."



Nice! Me too! Let's hope we can also succeed in our resolutions! :-)

SouthWestZippy wrote: "ALL DONE! 1/24/2020
Ok I am in. I need to get back in the swing of challenges/games again.
READ 3/6
T--Treasure Island
R--Road Ends
A--Almost Home
V-..."

Nice! Happy trails!

Carol wrote: "Even though I am overly organized and the only one I will REALLY do is "Read More"...I'll take the longest one for the challenge of it:)

12/12 - DONE-1/22/20
Good Girls Lie - J.T. ..."

Great job, Carol!

Challenge completed

Challenge completed, by the way.

SouthWestZippy wrote: "ALL DONE! 1/24/2020
Ok I am in. I need to get back in the swing of challenges/games again.
READ 3/6
T--Treasure Island
R--Road Ends
A--Almost Home
V-..."

That's wonderful! I can count them completed when you list the authors & dates read. :D

Connie wrote: "Challenge completed, by the way."

So glad to see that you read Inside Out & Back Again and enjoyed it. It was a 5-star read for me as well. I keep trying to promote it to people who are resisting "poetry" books.

Diana S wrote: "SouthWestZippy wrote: "ALL DONE! 1/24/2020
Ok I am in. I need to get back in the swing of challenges/games again.
READ 3/6
T--Treasure Island
R--Road Ends
A--[book:A..."

I fixed it.

Update Message # 7 - Challenge Completed - 01Feb20

Book Concierge wrote: "Connie wrote: "Challenge completed, by the way."

So glad to see that you read Inside Out & Back Again and enjoyed it. It was a 5-star read for me as well. I keep trying to promote i..."


Agreed. Definitely a 5-star and the poetry shouldn't scare anyone away! It has made me more open to other poetry too.