Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Option #3 - 2023 Determination Plus Challenge

Books 1-10. Pick 10 books any format you want that you'll been wanting to read. Could be off your own to be read mountains or library etc.
TBR: 1. The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva
TBR: 2. Rain Fall by Barry Eisler

The next 13 books is the "Plus" part of the challenge. Hope you enjoy and are able to find some great books that will fit in.

✔️ 11. A book set in a different country than you live in.
DONE: Exiles by Jane Harper

✔️ 12. Read a book by an Author that you never read before or one by a new debut author.
DONE: The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths

✔️ 13. A book that someone recommended to you.
DONE: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.

✔️ 14. A book that is a different genre than your normal type of read. (could be out of your comfort zone).
DONE: A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton.

✔️ 15 & 16. Two books from a series you haven't completed yet. (Everyone has that one or two books to still read to catch up in a series)
DONE: Reflecting the Sky by SJ Rozan
DONE: Winter and Night by SJ Rozan

✔️ 17. A book that comes out in 2023.
DONE: The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson .

18. A book that you meant to read in 2022 but never got around to it.

✔️ 19. A book that came out before you were born. (this one might be harder to do but we know you can handle it)
DONE The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler published in 1939!

20. A book that is done by more than one author (it can be a book of short stories by different authors, or one book that is one story with more than 1 author like Patterson or Evanovich and I'm sure there are others.
TBR: Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation

✔️21. A book that won an award.
DONE:Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manansala. Anthony and Agatha Award winner in 2022.

✔️ 22. One of the oldest to be read books on your unread mountain.
DONE: One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School by Scott Turow.

✔️23. A book set in multiple countries.
DONE: Cockroaches by Jo Nesbø. Starts in Norway but most of it takes place in Thailand.

Since I've never finished a DL you'd think I'd pick one of the shorter ones but I never do. I figured out in thinking about why, that I don't like being limited, and that the point for me isn't necessarily finishing the DL, but getting as far as I am able. It's fun to think about what I could read that meets the individual challenges, and to come back and check things off the list. Thanks, DJ!

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Since I've never finished a DL you'd think I'd pick one of the shorter ones but I never do. I figured out in thinking about why, that I don't like being limited, and that the point for me isn't nec..."

You are welcome and 2023 will be the year you complete it.

Carol: That is a good way to look at it and the way I think about it too. I do want to hit the goal of a number of books for the Goodreads challenge, and I don't mind going over that, but don't want to take the enjoyment out of reading each book in my own time.
For me the Determination challenge is a stretch goal and one that makes me a bit more deliberate in some of my choices, and maybe seek out some books I wouldn't have otherwise.

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Since I've never finished a DL you'd think I'd pick one of the shorter ones but I never do. I figured out in thinking about why, that I don't like being limited, and that the point for me isn't necessarily finishing the DL, but getting as far as I am able...."

Same thoughts it might not be front and center when I decide on what books to reading but it’s still on my mind if it would fit or not. I’m making the top section hardcovers off my hardcover off my big bookcase that I picked 20 books for so it’s kind of decided but figured if I get off bookcase I can fit bagged pbs or trade books. And really with my hardcover I really never grab one of those to read and there are ones I really want too. So they are a mix.

Ann wrote: "For me the Determination challenge is a stretch goal and one that makes me a bit more deliberate in some of my choices, and maybe seek out some books I wouldn't have otherwise. .."

Exactly!

I decided to re-read the Princess Merry Gentry series by Laurell K Hamilton and was determined to find a place for it on my DL. I guess a genre I don't usually read will suffice. I would call it fantasy and erotica--definitely not my typical read.

That would work.

Just read a couple in January that fit in to my DL without my planning it. Yay! I am looking forward to two in 2023: does it count if I was going to read them regardless, LOL?

Of course

Carol: I wonder about that sometimes too; near the end of the year I definitely include them! LOL

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Just read a couple in January that fit in to my DL without my planning it. Yay! I am looking forward to two in 2023: does it count if I was going to read them regardless, LOL?"

I have A Killing of Innocents on my TBR too!

added #11 and #23. Got my international reads out of the way!

WTG. I need to work on my I really think I can use something I read for series prompt it just will not be a mystery. Also the Cummins book I’m reading I didn’t expect to get it yesterday thought family was going to take it away with them but they left it so I can read it first so have month of March to get it read in. Oh it’s a goodreads award winner from a past year. I need to work on top part too.

Carol. I used Exiles for #11 too, still looking for my two country entry.

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "added #11 and #23. Got my international reads out of the way!"

Woo-hoo! Added another; just finished The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, published in 1939, before I was born.

WTG carol.

I just popped in to see where I stood and realized I had two books I could add: Reflecting the Sky by SJ Rozan and The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson. Plus another I'm planning to read by multiple authors: Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation by John Freeman.

Getting there!!!

That's great. keep on going.

Finished #16, Winter and Night by SJ Rozan, and added a couple more TBRs to the list. Putting books in as TBRs helps me make sure to get to them!

Carol, a Rozan book is such a treat. Every word has purpose and her stories always expand in my head exponentially. :)

Ann wrote: "Carol, a Rozan book is such a treat. Every word has purpose and her stories always expand in my head exponentially. :)"

Ann, funny side story. I put off reading Reflecting the Sky for months (could have listed it as a book I meant to read last year) because I was sure I owned a copy but I couldn't find it. I finally got it from the library and read it. Guess what I found yesterday when I was looking at a stack of books on the chest of drawers in the spare room? And guess what else I noticed a copy of? Winter and Night. I had to laugh and shake my head. The good news is that's two more books to gift to the library.

I think that is one of those "natural laws", closely related to Murphey

BarryP wrote: "I think that is one of those "natural laws", closely related to Murphey"

You are so right!

Just added a book someone recommended to me: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.

Good you got that one. I think I’m going to figure out at some point what I want to still read for the bottom prompt ones that is one I’m think of asking either deb the director of the library or Bree who is in charge of something else there and she does a video of 4 or 5 books almost every week. Maybe ask one of them to recommend a book for me.

I went through some of my books today and picked out four that are candidates for the "oldest book in your tbr" category. I can't decide so I'm going to post them in the Choose for Me topic and see what people say.

This is fun! After my current audiobook I'm going to tackle another book I've listed as TBR.

With Christene's permission I purloined her check marks. SO much more satisfying to look at!!! Thanks, Christene!

Very fancy! Now I want check marks too!

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "With Christene's permission I purloined her check marks. SO much more satisfying to look at!!! Thanks, Christene!"

Interesting might have to do it too.

Woo-hoo! I'm moving right along here. Just finished my award-winner, Arsenic and Adobo, and have started the oldest in my TBR, One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School.

Wow Carol, and it's a multiple award winner at that!

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Woo-hoo! I'm moving right along here. Just finished my award-winner, Arsenic and Adobo, and have started the oldest in my TBR, [book:One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year ..."

You are doing great I need to get going on mine.

Checking in to see how I'm doing. I'm halfway through the list, which is pretty good for the beginning of June. Still reading One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School. When I finish that I will start on one of my 1-10 selections.

Hooray! Finished One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School by Scott Turow, one of the oldest in my TBR. Two more left in my Plus 23, and all in my first 10.

Yay Carol, a great count so far! I was eyeing One L on audible just a moment ago. I hope you liked it.

Ann wrote: "Yay Carol, a great count so far! I was eyeing One L on audible just a moment ago. I hope you liked it."

It was very good. A little too in-the-weeds at times about the content of the courses, but I bet anyone going through or who'd gone to Law School would be in heaven reading it. I could only wonder at someone who could go through first year law school AND take detailed enough notes that they could afterward write this book. And it looks like it was published a year or so later, so that means he was shopping it, editing and polishing it off while still in law school! Yikes-a-hooty as the used to say on the AOL M/T board LOL.