2018 Reading Challenges

Cruising Thru The Cozies

Going for
'Investigator'

20/20 books

1) One from culinary (anything dealing with food): Say No Moor by Maddy Hunter
2) One from animal related: Murder at the Grand Raj Palace by Vaseem Khan (elephant)
3) One from craft related: Dead In A Flash by Brynn Bonner (genealogy scrapbooks)
4) One from Paranormal: The Hostess with the Ghostess by E.J. Copperman (ghosts)
5) One from outside the US: The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra (India) by Vaseem Khan
6) One career-based cozy: The Missing Guests of the Magic Grove Hotel by David Casarett (Nurse Ethicist)
7) One holiday based: The Grave's A Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley
8) One travel mystery: G'Day To Die by Maddy Hunter
9) One historical mystery: Death Comes to the Fair by Catherine Llloyd (1817)
10) One is your choice! (freebie!): Murder In An English Village by Jessica Ellicott
Now read 10 more books of your choice:
11) A Murder For The Books by Victoria Gilbert
12) Murder On The Half Shelf by Lorna Barrett
13) Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison
14) Grace To The Finish by Julie Hyzy
15) Death In The Stars by Frances Brody
16) Hula Done It? by Maddy Hunter
17) Death Come In Through The Kitchen by Teresa Dovalpage
18) The Chocolate Bunny Brouhaha by JoAnna Carl
19) The Purloined Puzzle by Parnell Hall
20) Hide and Sneak by G.A. McKevett

A - Z Challenge

25/26 books

A-List by D.P. Lyle
Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
Date With Malice by Julia Chapman
Evidence of Things Seen by Elizabeth Daly
Fiction Can Be Murder by Becky Clark
Gin and Panic by Maia Chance
Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich
It's Your Party, Die If You Want To by Vickie Fee
Just Clause by Lorna Barrett
Killer Librarian by Mary Lou Kirwin
Lies She Told by Cate Holahan
Muffin To Fear by Victoria Hamilton
Norway To Hide by Maddy Hunter
Of Murder and Men by Lynn Cahoon
Plain Confession by Emma Miller
Quick On The Draw by Susan Moody
Room For Doubt by Nancy Cole Silverman
Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams
Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson
Untidy Murder by Frances and Richard Lockridge
Verdict of Twelve by Raymond Postgate
Woof At The Door by Laura Morrigan
X 
Yuletide Homicide by Jennifer Hesse
Zoo Day (Brief Cases) by Jim Butcher

REPORTER CHALLENGE:

Going for the Pulitzer

30/30 

Who? What? Where? When? How?

Why? – because it’s fun to read!

Cub reporter: 5 books (1 from each category)

Columnist:   10 books (2 from each category)

News Anchor: 15 books (3 from each category)

Editor: 20 books (4 from each category)

Newspaper Mogul: 25 books (5 from each category)

BONUS CATEGORY: Pulitzer Prize Winner (Newspaper Mogul plus Bonus Category) = 30 books

WHO 5/5

Protagonist is a religious person (priest, nun, cleric, minister, deacon, etc) Beyond Absolution by Cora Harrison (Reverend Mother)

Victim is in the medical profession (doctor, nurse, EMT, hospital staff, etc.) The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes (retired nurse)

A Main Character is a dead person (ghost, skeleton, vampire, zombie…anybody who is dead) Ghost On The Case by Carolyn Hart (ghost)

Victim is a John Doe (identity of victim is not known immediately) Three Strikes, You're Dead by Elena Hartwell

Not your typical protagonist (deaf, blind, wheelchair-bound, ADHD, Aspergers, etc.) The Question of the Absentee Father by E.J. Copperman & Jeff Cohen (Aspergers)

WHAT 5/5

Animal in the title The Otter of Death by Betty Webb

Title is at least 5 words The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan

Color in the title Dressed for Death in Burgundy by Susan C. Shea

A Cold Case (crime investigated is over 10 years old) Death Overdue by Allison Brook

Time in the Title (minute, week, clock, year, hour, etc) The Twilight Wife by A.J. Banner

WHERE 5/5

Set in a Southern town The Black Cat Sees His Shadow by Kay Finch (Texas)

Set in a mansion or hotel A Devious Death by Alyssa Maxwell (mansion)

Set in a state beginning with the letter ‘I’ Dead In The Water by Denise Swanson (Illinois)

Set in Europe (anywhere but England) Murderous Mistral by Cay Rademacher (France)

Out of Town (protagonist is not in his/her hometown) Gone Gull by Donna Andrews

WHEN 5/5

Set during a competition (Olympics, ballroom dancing, cooking contest, rodeo, etc.) Pre-Meditated Murder by Tracy Webb (sand castle contest)

Centers around a celebration (holiday, birthday, wedding, etc.) The Body In The Casket by Katherine Hall Page (birthday)

Set in the 1800’s Death Comes to London by Catherine Lloyd

Set during bad weather (blizzard, hurricane, tornado, tsunami, etc.) Murder At Midnight by C.S. Challinor (storm)

Set during summer Booked for Trouble by Eva Gates

HOW 5/5

(Method of Murder)

Poison is murder weapon Two Heads Are Deader Than One by Elena Hartwell

Knife/stabbing is murder weapon Death In The Stacks by Jenn McKinlay

Gun/shooting is murder weapon What You Want To See by Kristen Lepionka

Drowning The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche by M.L. Longworth

Rope/strangulation is murder weapon Murder Go Round by Carol J. Perry

BONUS CATEGORY 5/5

WHO - Protagonist has a connection to newspaper industry (newspaper owner, reporter, reviewer, contributor, etc. (This is a Reporter’s Challenge after all!) Turkey Trot Murder by Leslie Meier (reporter)

WHAT – Your name (first, middle or last) is the same as the author’s name (1^st or last) or protagonist’s name (1^st or last) Nicknames acceptable (ex: if your name is Elizabeth and protagonist’s name is Bessie – that counts, and if spelled differently ex: Isabel & Izabelle – that counts, etc) A WHISPER OF BONES by Ellen Hart

WHERE – “Locked Room” mystery (not necessarily a room, as long as the scene is contained) Death of a Bachelorette by Laura Levine (an island)

WHEN – Book set pre 1800 Murder at Fontainebleau by Amanda Carmack (1561)

HOW - At least 3 different people killed by 3 different means, all in one story Too Big To Die by Sue Ann Jaffarian (shot/heart attack/drug overdose)

Rules:  For this challenge – Each book can only be used once (If it fits more than 1 category – choose one – as it can only be used in 1 of the categories)

The bonus round is just an added challenge to kick it up a notch!

The challenge runs from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018.

You don’t have to choose your books in advance.  If you do, you can change your list at any time during the year.

Books can be in any format – paper, ebooks, audio…

 Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

Most of all—have fun!