Ahhhh, Agatha Christie, I am definitely a fan working my way through the perpetual challenge over on 52 books. I have to admit in books Poirot is my least favorite of her detectives. I like him fine when he is on the screen. I have been listening to the Poirot's. The Sittingford Mystery is my current Christie with none of her famous characters. I can't remember whodidit so am looking forward to the ending. I am also reading A Different Kind of Evil by Andrew Wilson which is the second in a series which features Agath a Christie as a sleuth based on her life rather loosely. The first in the series had me torn, I didn't like much about it but finished it(retelling of her famous missing 10 days) and decided to try one more. So far I like this one but it's early..... I am almost done with Agatha Raison and the Dead Ringer. It's about Church Bell Ringer's and as I have spent hours and hours in bell towers with my kids I have been reading with an extremely critical eye. 😀 It could happen but it is an incredibly best case situation for the tower back story. Some of the things are improbable.......as in that tower must be huge for a small village. This series does feel fresher these days.....I think it may be back to the series i loved years ago. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36766790-agatha-raisin-and-the-dead-ringer?from_search=true My audiobook is the second in a series by Matt Goldman. I loved his first book (Gone to the Dust) and Broken Ice is enjoyable https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36692625-broken-ice but not as clever.

I have The Ruin on hold......it’s pretty popular. I really like Tana French and think you will like them. The first three in the series were great and I keep meaning to read the others. I finished the Guild Hunter book this morning and have already started the second one! I read enough to satisfy my burning curiosity and hopefully can leave it alone long enough to get some of Whodunitolgy Spelling done! I have Hecule Poirot all lined up....I just need to read the books!

@Robin MI have been having problems logging on also so glad to have an update! I ended up logging in with my email as opposed to mumto2 and was able to get in. No idea if it helped or was totally coincidental! I need to hunt for The Ruin, it sounds great. Did it take place in the North or in the Republic? Yes, I am working on my 10 EU list. I think you will get really hooked on The Historian soon. I think I have read it three times...... I ended adding some extra categories to my Goodreads Shelves just in case! 😉. I am worrying about category failure too!

I’m glad! The Preppy Handbook was fun and pretty much everyone in my pretty average public school read it and tried to emulate a bit of it. I graduated in 1981. We all wore pink and green if possible and wore those waterproof shoes similar to Welles which I gave up due to blisters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Official_Preppy_Handbook eta Girls in Calvin Klein jeans like Brooke Shields too!

Hugs! eta......The Preppy Handbook

Prayers

Glad to have you back! I think the space came with a recent update and I believe is happening on my iPad too. It is happening to me If that makes you feel better! 😉 I just finished my Murakami in book form. Really glad I switched as seeing the names was easier than hearing them. After Dark was my first book of the year. It was enjoyable with many odd things to ponder regarding the magical realism elements. I doubt I will ever figure out what was happening actually.😂 yes, I still really like Murakami....

Woot! The Times of India mentioning 52 books is so cool! Even my kids thought it was neat as I peeked at BaW when we were at a McD’s and shared. 😉 Glad you are enjoying The Benedict Option. Also glad to hear you liked the Ready Player One movie as we haven’t watched it yet but the kids and I loved the book. Hubby will probably enjoy the movie! I have been rereading Aaronovitch while waiting for Lies Sleeping. I think I am two people away on that hold. 😋. Looking forward to hearing if you enjoyed it. My initial read of the series was spread out by each book’s release and I have really enjoyed reading/listening to them close together as I seem to be learning things I missed or forgot.

I just wanted to say Welcome! to all the new faces joining us this year. @Mothersweets great job on the Brit Tripping! Until I started highlighting on my Kindle I was having a really hard time keeping track....I had sticky notes on all my devices but frequently nothing to write with! Highlighting is easier! 😂 My kids have no classes for the next couple of weeks and are keeping me really busy. I want my Murakami to be the first finish of the year and it’s an audiobook. I listen to audiobooks while I quilt and quilting is happening much. Not a whole lot of listening time so I may switch over to the kindle book which I already have checked out. I keep starting new books so it can be first and am actually reading: The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn which is the latest book in a favorite historical romance series. The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie. Part of my goal to read all the Christie’s in order and also one of my 10’s. Really enjoying it but no Poirot for this month’s detective in the spelling challenge. Oh well.......maybe I can fit the Peril at End House in before the end of January. Angel’s Blood by Nalini Singh is the first in the Guild Hunter series which both @melmichiganand Robin really like. So far it is really quite good. I am not normally a fan of angels as characters in my Urban Fantasy but these might just change my mind. This book will also be the first book in a possible 10 book chain. The next book in my stack is Cassandra Clark’s The Law of Angels.........

Your US challenge is a great idea! Looking forward to your posts about it! The Moonspinners was one of my all time favorites from my teenage years. One of my first adult books! I reread it when Dd was a young teen and still enjoyed it. 😀

It counts as long as part of it actually takes place in England. I went to Goodreads and read the description and I “think” it will start in London at Scotland Yard so perfect for that category. I hope you join us! I plan to record my visits but will not be following the order at all this year! I had problems with the order last year! Some books are set in imaginary England in a fictional little village or similar. Those books are considered wild cards and can be used for a county that you have no book for. Tip for Kindle book readers, when I encounter a location description when reading that will be useful in terms of county I highlight it. At the end of the book I can go back and record my locations from my highlights.

Oh Wow! We loved the Inheritance series. I had now idea there was a new book. Confession time, I still haven’t read the fourth.....when I bought it sibling arguments hit an all time high and I think I gave up. No excuses but it just required too much energy, it sits on a bookshelf in Dd’s room unread by me. I probably should reread them all because I have done a reread before each release except four because the first three were a problem too! So The Fork, The Witch and the Worm belongs where in the reading order? It’s a spin off from what I can tell......... Jude the Obscure was heavily considered as a group read here last summer and some of us did read it......I ended up with The Mayor of Casterbridge which I really enjoyed. Looking forward to hearing what you think of it! Seriously no worries about quantity. This group is all about enjoying our own reading journey and sharing ideas. I love the challenges now but did not go near one for the first 3 years I posted here beyond a couple of Robin’s occasional weekly challenges that fit what I already planned to read. Since I tend to read series books by choice the challenges push me into some new genres which I love. Currently reading far more Sci Fi and Fantasy than I ever imagined possible thanks to BaWers who post great reviews. My kids think I am pretty cool occasionally thanks to the Sci Fi (then they catch me with a Flufferton type book with a hilarious cover in their opinion). So for The Scavenger Hunt Challenge I have my words.......I decided to go with the first book of the New Year which is Murakami’s After Dark on audio so I checked a kindle copy out too and highlighted every tenth or so word on the tenth page. My words are seat, next, mind, soon, somebody, before, words, mean, right, table. My words could be more challenging but I think I am content as I think I will be able to complete this challenge without reading several books I dislike. 😂 I am getting ready to put my stack of current reads out on goodreads and it’s heathy. Some will be abandoned and others not finished for a month or two. So for my new friends there I know it’s obnoxious but it means I don’t forget to add books to the read pile in the end. Btw, I am MumtoTwo on Goodreads if anyone wants a friend. 🙂 Here is a link to my shelf of Brit Tripping ideas if anyone wants to explore it. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51042385?shelf=brit-tripping-ideas

Waving guys......I am out with the family and carrying the iPad so I needed to check in on the first day of our new reading year! Love the new category VC! @mom22es Tell you Dd she is extremely welcome and that I LOVE Louise Penny! Waiting for my hold to arrive on the latest. This morning I started listening to After Dark by Murakami. I try to read a Murakami in the first week or two each year......so far it is a classic. I should pull out the Murakami bingo card! @Mothersweets Glad you are on the mend! I’ll post more later. Happy New Year!

Many hugs!

I just sent a friend request @Melissa M 😀. I am MumtoTwo over on Goodreads. I am another who updates frequently. Being friends with other BaWer’s sometimes makes it easier to find the right book on Overdrive for me. I am highly visual an it is great to be able to spot the book by the cover! I still have the Brit Trip list going but changed the name of the shelf to Brit Trip ideas because it is ongoing now. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51042385?shelf=brit-tripping-ideas. It should still be sortable to all. If someone has a problem let me know!

From Robin’s OP......copied and pasted a couple of times so hopefully it works. Please tell us about the highlights of your reading year: During your travels did you have time to stop and smell the flowers with our Blossom Bookology challenge or explore a plethora of mysteries with 52 Books Bingo? I had a great time spelling my way through the flowers!🙂. I also did the Detective bingo extension which tied into Brit Tripping really well. Did you stay on the detective bus, join the rebel bus or hang around with Bertram Wooster? Dectective Bus! Did you remain earthbound or take off for worlds unknown? I read at least 7 Sci-fi books! This is an area I am trying to grow into so I am pretty happy about this. Did you reach your reading goal or did you decide to just meander about and follow rabbit trails and end up getting lost in the enjoyment of reading? Waving my hand as I lost track halfway through the year. I completed my challenges so am really pleased. I managed to complete my challenges but I wandered all over and was rarely in the Brit Trip County I belonged in each week! Where did your armchair travels take you? Which countries and time periods did you journey through? Mainly to England..... apparently 200 of my books were at least partially set in England! I also read 15 books in translation so I went a few other places too. I went to Japan 5 times with Murakami! Some Chinese Sci Fi and some assorted Nordic Noir. A few Asian Detectives....... Which books stayed with you the longest? One book I am grateful to have read is What Made Maddy Run which was recommended by a BaWer. It is the story of a college athlete’s suicide, trying to answer why? Part of the why appeared to be the pressures of social media. Shortly after I read it a friend’s Dd attempted suicide. Her mother was struggling to figure out some of the whys.....the pressure of an online world seemed to figure heavily in both girl’s depression. I was grateful to be a bit prepared to talk to the mom.....I also sent her the book, she said it was helpful. Did you set any aside to read again at some point and savor the story all over again? Actually one of my goals is returning to a reading life where I reread beloved series frequently. I think I forgot the pleasure that can be found with old friends. I am currently rereading Patricia Brigg’s fantasy series and Rivers of London. I am sure I will read CS Harris and the wonderful St. Cyr again!  Did you discover any new to you authors or genres? I fell in love with CJ Sansom’s books this year although I read the first in the series previously. I also discovered Cassandra Clarke and Ariana Franklin.❤️. Obviously historical mysteries were favorites this year. I think I became more comfortable with Sci Fi. Which is exciting because my daughter has moved away from many of our shared mystery books and is spending what little book time she has to read with Sci Fi. I missed our book talks and am glad to share books again.  Which books intrigued or entertained, made you laugh, cry, dance or sing? I loved listening to Agatha Christie’s and Dorothy Sayers this year. Having them read made me love books I thought I disliked. 😂 I still can’t believe I actually enjoyed The Big Four by Christie. Share your favorite titles, covers, quotes and of course, your reading lists. Woman in White was great! 😉. I have already mentioned many of the favorites and Goodreads is not willing to sort my 5 stars for me tonight. I think this was the year of the audiobook for me.....I finished 74 of them! I loved Brit Tripping and want to thank Amy and Robin for making it possible. It was so much fun! One of my 2018 highlights!

Waving...I have missed your posts! I just checked the first Guild Hunter out on Overdrive. I have planned to read these for years thanks to BaW and never get around to it. I also discovered that I already own the first Elizabeth Hunter......it sounds really familiar but since I bought it in 2018 I doubt it is the book I have very vague memories of. I moved it into the stack.....😀

Congratulations!

I signed up to do a Chronological Bible in a year after seeing Marbel’s post. It’s something I have always wanted to do and the daily emails (which provide the reading if you are OK with NIV) seem easy to use. I have always looked at the emails for the daily and read my ESV, and slowly quit the one year when I don’t have WiFi for a few weeks. Since I should have WiFi most days I plan to try it again chronological. I own a beautiful chronilogical but it must weigh 10 pounds....that does hinder using it daily for me. If anyone wants a link here it is. https://www.oneyearbibleblog.com/2018/12/december-27th-one-year-bible-readings.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+oneyearbibleblog%2FMoJZ+(One+Year+Bible+Blog)

Want to add Dd did get a comparable score on the SAT Practice for chemistry to her actual CLEP. Both were low 700 or 70’s...... Cleps are not easier just more accessible. We did use them as year ends after we figured out how much easier they were for us to access but I used College texts as the basis for most coursework so it was perfect for them. Our drive living overseas was two hours for any exam, being able to test outside of high traffic hours was a blessing. We did take them for credit and the scores do appear on the transcripts for their AS in parenthesis. So they did not disappear but we did claim them. 😉

FWIW, we did a whole lot of CLEP exams which have been revised very recently, I believe. I will share my memories of Chem and French....... The chemistry CLEP has a very low pass rate.....memory says like 10% at the time my Dd did it. My daughter did pass with a high score but she needed to, as she did need the college credit. She studied way above her basic course to do all the items in the syllabus ...... she basically covered Chem 1 and 2 from a University Coursera class. Ds decided to do General Science for his CLEP after watching Dd. She also did the French. The scoring appeared similar to us ( 3 years ago ) on most CLEP exams and SAT Subjects. One was on a 800 scale the other 80. If my kids received a 700 on a SAT they were close to a 70 on CLEP. We had similar scores on 5 different exams I think so most likely the norm. French was a bit different, she received a 730 on the SAT and a week later received a 63 on the CLEP. A fairly large difference, the CLEP score was worth 2 years of French at a University so all that was needed but I wouldn’t class it as easier. Also there in almost no study material for the French CLEP.

@marbelGlad you had fun Brit Tripping! I am looking forward to reading your list. 🤗 Last night I completed The Cross, the third in the Kristin Lavransdatter series. I found the last parts of the trilogy very bittersweet. Really glad that I finished and know the whole story. The most exciting part is this means my Bingo card has been completed! Here is my list: B Written or Set in the 14th Century....Hangman Blind by Cassandra Clark Art...The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva Microhistory...The Monopolists by Mary Pilon Mystery...Haunted Ground by Erin Hart Cozy...Styx and Stones by Carola Dunn I Music..... Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon Book to Movie....Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie ( I saw the movie too! ❤️) Written or set in the 15th Century....The Virgin Widow by Anna O’Brien Translated .....Wind/Pinball by Murakami Philosophical......Sophie’s World (Wish I had used this book for home ed) N Biography or Memoir...Adrift by Tammi Oldham Ashcraft Feminist Author....Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton Free Space......Lake Silence by Anne Bishop Nobel Prize Winner....Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy by Sigrid Undset Written or set in the 16th Century... To Ruin a Queen by Fiona Buckley G Foodie Book.....Sourdough by Robin Sloan Fantasy....Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter Science Fiction....The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu Written or Set in the 17th Century .... A Column of Fire by Ken Follett Comic or Graphic Novel.....Mercy Thompson’s Homecoming by Patricia Briggs O Crime....I’ll be gone on the Dark by Michell McNamera Written or set in the 18th Century....Anatomy of Murder by Imogene Robertson Self Help......What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death......Kate Fagon Indie Author....The Late Greats by Nick Quantrill Cartography......Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear The Bonus Mystery Book Squares.... I loved these😋 Top of the Card Author with my initials...Second Life by SJ Watson Amateur Detective.....A Grave is a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley Ancient Civilization .....The Ionia Sanction by Gary Corban Elephant on the Cover...The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan New to me author......Test of Wills by Charles Todd Bottom of Card Strange or Unusual...The Square of Revenge by Peter Aspe Red Shoe on the Cover....With Vic’s you get Eggroll by Diane Vallere A Ghost in the House....Aunt Dimity Beats the Developer by Nancy Atherton Character with Disability.....Dark Fire by CJ Sansom Number in Title....Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich Left side Size in the Title.....ADeath in the Small Hours by Charles Finch First Person POV....The Mysterious Affair ar Styles by Agatha Christie Crime other than Murder....Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer Silk Road....Song of the Silk Road by Mingmei Yip Right Side Set on an Island.....Unnatural Selection by Aaron Elkins Involves time travel.....Man in the Empty Suit by Sean Ferrell Color in Title...Cambridge Blue by Alison Bruce Female Judge...High Country Fall by Margaret Maron

@Penguin Yeah, on all those books in Danish! What an accomplishment. @Teaching3bears you have a great list with far more challenging books than most of mine. It really isn’t the number it is the enjoyment. I read a whole lot of cozy mysteries and historical romances which make my numbers soar.

Lucky you! I just peeked at the series and they look good.

First, remember I like most books by Murakami quite a bit so I may not be a great judge. The only one I wasn’t that fond of was Wind Up Bird Chronicle and much of that was disappointment that it wasn’t more like 1Q84 which I loved. Kafka is somehow his classic with AP Lit classes reading it etc. so obviously it is filled with the odd that he is known for 😉 It’s a good story, pretty long as I remember, with one scene that cat lovers ( possibly you......I can’t remember how many cats you have) seem to find upsetting. I love animals but wasn’t that upset because for me it was an alternate universe if that makes sense. Probably the second best Murakami. I know you own this one so perhaps you should give it a go........ That being said Killing Commendatore might be third on my list. I liked it a whole lot. I liked the main character.......a portrait artist in the midst of a failed marriage. He is a good person and I think his general likability carries the book along well through the strangeness. Also it has closure......Murakami books lack closure generally and I liked the ending. Not many cats but it had wells.......... If you are going to start the new year with a Murakami I will join you. I have After DarK marked to read next........ 🙂 I was browsing through new books in Overdrive earlier today and checked out a distopian called Severence by Ling Ma https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36348525-severance. It looks intriguing and will fit in with my categories. I have actually gotten quite a bit of reading done today alternating between KL The Cross and a fun Miranda James cozy titles Six Cats Slayin.....Christmas themed.