Thursday, November 2, 2017

Vintage Mystery Challenge 2018: Just the Facts, Ma'am


In the 2018 edition of the Vintage Mystery Challenge, participants will be playing detective. The objective will be to answer the all important questions of Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why to complete cases in either the Golden or Silver Mystery Eras (or, for the more adventurous, both). See the Detective Notebooks below.

Rules
* All books must be from the mystery category (crime fiction, detective fiction, espionage, etc.). The mystery/crime must be the primary feature of the book--ghost stories, paranormal, romance, humor, etc are all welcome as ingredients, but must not be the primary category under which these books would be labeled at the library or bookstore. 

*For the purposes of this challenge, the Golden Age Vintage Mysteries must have been first published before 1960. Golden Age short story collections (whether published pre-1960 or not) are permissible if they fit the categories and provided all of the stories included in the collection were originally written pre-1960.  Please remember that some of our Golden Age Vintage authors wrote well after 1959--so keep an eye on the original publication date and apply them to the appropriate card.  Silver Age Vintage Mysteries may be first published any time from 1960 to 1989 (inclusive).  Again, Silver Age short story collections published later than 1989 are permissible as long as they fit the categories and include no stories first published later than 1989.  Yes, I admit my dates are arbitrary and may not exactly meet standard definitions of Golden or Silver Age.  

*To complete the challenge and to be eligible for the participation prize drawing at the end of the year, participants must earn the rank of Constable (see levels below) which is the equivalent of six of books read from a single Vintage Mystery Era. If you choose to do both eras, you must use separate notebooks. You may not, for example, answer three golden age questions and three silver age questions to claim the minimum six.
 
*Challenge runs from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. All books should be read during this time period. Sign up any time between now and November 1, 2018.  Any books read from January 1 on may count regardless of your sign-up date. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge and a little bit about your commitment—if you’re going Silver or Gold…or maybe both. Then sign up via the linky below. And please make the url link to your Challenge post and not your home page. (Links that do not follow this rule will be removed.) If you do not have a blog, links to an online list (Goodreads, Library Thing, etc.) devoted to this challenge are also acceptable OR you may comment below to indicate your sign up.


*For the "Who" category, the who may be the sleuth, victim, or other quite prominent character. It should not be a minor character who only shows up once or twice in the book and isn't really crucial to the plot.

* An example for the item "Timing of the crime is crucial" might be that X murders Y before their 21st birthday to prevent them from inheriting. Or X knocks off Great-Uncle Y to prevent him from changing his will. Just be prepared to explain what the crucial element is.


*For the "Made a best of list" item, the "best of list" can be a well-known list from a journal or newspaper, from Goodreads, or even from a fellow blogger. Please reference the list you have used.

*For "Has Been on your TBR List" that simply means that it must be a book you already owned prior to 1/1/18 OR that you have had on your "To Be Read List" (whether owned or not). It should not be a book that you were not aware of prior to the beginning of the year. 

*No double-counting within the challenge. If a book qualifies for more than one question, you may only use it to check off one item on your detective notebook. You are welcome to change the item claimed at any time prior to submitting it for prizes. 


*Books read for this challenge may be used for other challenges as well.

*Reviews are encouraged, but they are not necessary to participate. If you do not have a blog, post to the comments below that you intend to join and then post again at the end-of-year wrap-up site when you have completed your challenge (include a list of books read, categories you have completed, and how to find images of covers).

*The Headquarters link which appears on my sidebar will be updated for 2018 once the new year begins. You can go there for review links and information. 


Challenge Levels
     Constable: 6 books -- one from each category
     Detective Sergeant: 12 books -- two from each category
     Inspector: 18 books -- three from each category
     Chief Inspector: 24 books -- four from each category
     Superintendent: 30 books -- five from each category
     Chief Superintendent: 36 books -- six from each category
     Deputy Chief Constable: 42 books -- seven from each category
     Chief Constable: 48 books -- all eight books from each category
     


*PRIZES! 
1. Challengers who complete the minimum six books from a single era will be eligible for a drawing at the end of the year for a book from the prize list.  
2. Challengers who complete 12 or more books (either from the same era or six from each era) will also be entered in a separate drawing--for another chance to win, again for their choice of a book from the prize list. 

In addition:
There will be periodic check-in posts and drawings. I will choose specific items ahead of time and keep them in reserve for check-in drawings. Those who have already used those items to answer questions will be eligible for bonus prizes.

Please keep track of your progress and be prepared to submit a final wrap-up post or comment at the end of the year. Please DO NOT submit completion notifications prior to the posting of the Wrap-Up Link. Thank you. 


[I would like to give credit for inspiration for this version of the Vintage Mystery Challenge to Ellie who developed the Reporter's Reading Challenge. The 2018 edition is now on GoodReads and if you're interested in the style of challenge, I have linked to it. For those of you who would like a challenge that doesn't separate time periods, Ellie's challenge may be perfect for you.]

Pre-1960
click image to enlarge


1960-1989 (inclusive)
click image to enlarge



 Enter your links below.





13 comments:

Becky said...

So excited!

Bev Hankins said...

Yay, Becky, you're the first!

Anonymous said...

Looks like a good variation, Bev -- count me in, and thanks as always!

LuAnn @ BackPorchervations said...

You are SO creative, Bev!

Bookhound said...

Looks brilliant, Bev. Am going to give it a go. Just one question - in the Who category, can this be a character or an author? Sorry if that seems obvious!

Bev Hankins said...

Margaret: I had planned that the Who would be a central character--sleuth, victim, or other prominent character.

Bookhound said...

Thanks Bev. Thought I might have got the wrong end of the stick. Happy sleuthing!

LuAnn @ BackPorchervations said...

Going to give it another go, w/Constable level and books tentatively picked out.

Gilion at Rose City Reader said...

I love the new twist! I'll be back with my sign up post soon.

Michelle Stockard Miller said...

Decided to go with this one. Finally completed my 2018 challenges post! Thanks for hosting!

Rick Mills said...

I'm in! Sounds like great fun!

neer said...

Playing constable this year. Thanks for hosting it year after year, Bev.

Rick Mills said...

Progress! I am up to 11 of my initial goal of 12 (Detective Sergeant), so I just upped my goal to 18 (Inspector level)! http://rickschallenges.blogspot.com/