Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges (Formerly GXO) discussion

JANUARY Key Words:

+ Last, Kingdom, Girl, Dark, When, Winter, Light, Window +

--- Comment below with ---
(1) The name and author of the book you're reading for the challenge,
(2) CHALLENGE COMPLETE if you've finished reading the book.
(3) Did you like the book? What did you love (or not love) about it?! Let's help each other find great books to read!

Comment here or share your reads on social media with the hashtag #monthlykeywordgxo

The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos

January: Last, Kingdom, Girl, Dark, When, Winter, Light, Widow

I'll be reading Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin by Megan Rosenbloom.

I love a good quirky non-fiction book and I've been curious about this subject after seeing one of these items discussed on Mysteries at the Museum, so I hope it is both informative and entertaining.

CHALLENGE COMPLETE 1/5/22

This was a very interesting read and even included the book I had seen on TV. I didn't know the term "anthropodermic bibliophegy" before this but now it has been burned into my brain!

The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O'Neill CHALLENGE COMPLETE

Winter Run by Robert Ashcom

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré

Dragons of Winter Night by Margaret Weis

I'll be reading Darker Than Any Shadow by Tina Whittle for the word DARK

Challenge completed 01/13/2022.

I'll be reading Chinese Girl in the Ghetto by Ying Ma for the word GIRL. It has been on my Kindle, unread, for several years. Time to read it!

I'm planning on reading Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

The Last House On The Street by Diane Chamberlain was already on my Netgalley TBR list. Finished and it is a REALLY good book set partly during the summer of 1965 just before the Voting Rights Act was signed.

I'll be reading Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

I’ll be reading The Last Child by John Hart.

January: Last, Kingdom, Girl, DARK, When, Winter, Light, Widow

I'm reading Dark Witch by Nora Roberts. Excited to start the trilogy and all my reading challenges for 2022.

January: Last, Kingdom, Girl, Dark, When, Winter, Light, Widow

I'm reading The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy. Hope that counts! ("Girl")

CHALLENGE COMPLETE 1/7/22

A really good one. Gave me insight to women's challenges in the past. Has a different brand of humor compared to the first book, though I can see why other readers may prefer Monty to Felicity.

I also got the novella a few days ago, so I'll be reading that some other day.

I’m reading Winter’s Tale by Mark Halprin.

I'll be reading The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman.

Challenge complete - The Last Bookshop in London.

I’m reading “A Flicker in the Dark” by Stacy Willingham.

January: Last, Kingdom, Girl, Dark, When, Winter, Light, Widow

Winter's Kiss Beth Andrews 1/4/22
Bewitching Winter Serenity Woods 1/7/22
When We Fall J.H. Croix 1/31/22

Challenge Complete
Out of the three, I enjoyed Bewitching Winter the best.

(1) The Last Bookshop in London, by Madeline Martin

(2) CHALLENGE COMPLETE

(3) I really enjoyed this book! I read in less than two days. I almost never choose historical fiction, but my daughter highly recommended the book to me. Grace was such a selfless person, she touched the hearts of ever one she came in contact with. She was brave, strong, and determined - that is why I liked this book so much.

January:
Last, Kingdom, Girl, Dark, When, Winter, Light, Widow

I chose to read
The Girl Who Lived by Christopher Greyson

CHALLENGE COMPLETE 9/1/2022

Daniel wrote: "
January:
Last, Kingdom, Girl, Dark, When, Winter, Light, Widow

I'll be reading [book:Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin|504034..."

This looks so intriguing!!

Challenge Complete!
I ended up reading The Last of the Mohicans instead. I’ve wanted to read it for a while because I love the movie. I will say that they are very different. The plot is good, but I didn’t feel a connection with any of the characters like I did with the movie. Maybe it was the language and vocabulary that got me bogged down to where I couldn’t connect. I gave it 4 stars for that reason.

Key Word: When
Title: When All Is Said
Author: Anne Griffin
Challenge Complete!
A beautiful story that gradually unfolds as 84 year old Maurice Hannigan reflects on his life and raises five toasts to the people who have meant the most to him. We see parts of Maurice's life as he toasts each person. I loved his feisty and unique voice and compelling personality. An emotional read that really touched my heart.

Completed January!
I traveled to the Ukraine in this one. The keyword in my title was "letzte" (last) It was fantastic. Baba Dunjas letzte Liebe (also available in English) is about the old folks returning to their villages in the contaminated zone around Chernobyl. The book was both thought-provoking, funny, and heart-warming. I loved it!

Wintersong by S. Jae Jones
CHALLENGE COMPLETE!
It was a decent book. I liked the plot of it, and it was a very unique spin on the Goblin King. The ending was bittersweet (which I enjoyed). There were some events during the last third of the book that were confusing and could have been explained better. It was an easy and good read overall.

Keyword: Last - challenge complete
The Last Astronaut by David Wellington - a sci-fi read that I have no problem recommending.

Challenge Complete!
Word: Girl
Title: Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

This is the 7th and latest book in the Wayward Children series. It's not my favorite book of the series, but I really enjoyed it. I think the Worlds the author comes up with are so imaginative - and although this book took place (mostly) in the "human" World, I enjoyed the glimpses into where the children had been.

“The Lost Girls of Paris”
by Pam Jenoff

CHALLENGE COMPLETE!

Loved this book. It had multiple plots but it wasn’t confusing. Everything tied together in the end. Beautiful love story, beautiful story of friendships, and amazing, strong, independent women.

I read Traveling Light by Max Lucado for January. Challenge completed 1/16/22.

JANUARY Key Words:

+ Last, Kingdom, Girl, Dark, When, Winter, Light, Window +

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

CHALLENGE COMPLETE 1/21/22

This book was meh for me. The first half was good but by the second half I started losing interest. 🌟🌟/5

Simone wrote: "Completed January!
I traveled to the Ukraine in this one. The keyword in my title was "letzte" (last) It was fantastic. Baba Dunjas letzte Liebe (also available in English) is about..."

Wonderful way to use the key words!

I’ll be reading Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: a Graphic History of Women’s Fight for Their Rights. I hope that counts for girl (women). I found this late and had to go with something I was planning to finish in the next 7 days! :)

EDITED: COMPLETED THIS WEEKEND. I give it 3/5 stars, only because it felt so broad and like it was too much information crammed into this book. I would have liked more in-depth information about fewer things.

Challenge complete!
Word: Last
Book: The Last Child by John Hart
This one surprised me, had much more depth that I was expecting. A good surprise, will be looking to more from this author.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am reading When the river sleeps by Easterine Kire.

1) When Strivings Cease by Ruth Chou Simons

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

2) Challenge Complete (WHEN)

3) I read this book as a companion to an online Bible Study. It was enlightening, and I am now reading to watch the study videos.

Dark Dreams: The Story of Stephen King by Nancy Whitelaw

Challenge Complete: Dark

Here's my review of the book that I posted on Goodreads:

Stephen King is an author that I've seen some of his movies, but never read any of his books. I have a few of his books that I want to eventually read, but just haven't mustered up the courage yet. However, after reading this biography of him, I find myself more excited to actually read some of his works. I loved being able to get somewhat of an inside look into his mind and life and how he created his stories.

Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England, by Thomas Penn. I am attempting the additional challenge of reading from my own collection of unread/unfinished books. I am hoping that by the end of the year, there will be 12 books less in the "I must get around to reading that one day" shelf.

I read One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. I had already read, and loved, Red White and Royal Blue so I was excited to read this. I ended up really enjoying it although I did feel like it had a couple too many filler scenes in the middle that didn't really forward the plot much.

So far this month:
The Breaking Light by Heather Hansen
Her Last Breath by Hillary Davis
Where Good Girls Go to Die by Holly Renee
Where Bad girls Go To Fall by Holly Renee

Lou Hamilton's Brave New Girl

Challenge completed in January. "The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O'Neill.

Challenge complete- I took a bit of the synonym approach for Winter. I selected Dachshund Through the Snow by Rosie A Point. It's a cute cozy book that introduces a series involving a dog walker.

my review can be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Challenge complete - The Last Flight. Loved it!

My January word is Girl. My book is The girl who drank the moon by Kelly Barnhill. I am realizing that I like reading middle grade genre. A great book is a great book regardless of the age group is targeting.

My January key word is girl. The book is The third Girl by Agatha Christie. Ok people is Agatha.