Monthly Motif 2019

2019 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge

Click on the link for full details. For this challenge, each month is assigned a motif or theme. Your task is to read one book per month that fits in with the assigned motifs…I've listed my tentative choices below.

JANUARY – New to You Author
Read a book by an author whose writing you’ve never read before.
The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W. E. Bowman (1/3/19)

FEBRUARY – Cover Love
Yes. We’re giving you permission to judge a book by its cover and read a book with a cover that really caught your eye.
A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary & Vincent Price (2/13/19) [Any book with Vincent Price on the cover is going to catch my eye...]

MARCH – Royalty, Kingdoms, Empires, Governments
Read a book in which the character is involved in a ruling or governing body in some way.
Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal (3/23/19)

APRIL – Crack the Case
Read a mystery, detective story, true crime, cozy mystery, or book involving a puzzle to solve.
A Knife in the Back by Bill Crider (4/2/19)

MAY – One Sitting Reads
Read something that is short enough you could get through it in one sitting- try a graphic novel, comic book, short story, essay, or short collection of poetry.
Scooby Doo Vol 1. #30: Spring-Heeled Jack written by Terrance Griep (5/19/19)

JUNE – Diversify Your Reading
Read a book with a character (or written by an author) of a race, religion, or sexual orientation other than your own or read about a culture you want to learn more about.
Mystery of the Emerald Buddha by Betty Cavanna [culture of Thailand/Buddhism] (6/29/19)

JULY – Through The Years
Read a book involving time travel, a book with a ‘time’ setting such as The Great Gatsby (20s), read a historical fiction/nonfiction, or choose a book published in your birth year.
A Passage to India by E. M. Forster (set during British Imperial rule) [7/21/19]

AUGUST – Mode of Transportation
Read a book where the mode of transportation plays a role in the story
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (8/2/19) [lack of transportation off the island is the real problem....]

SEPTEMBER – Animal, Number, Color, Name
One of those things needs to be in the title of the book you choose 
Black Aura by John Sladek (9/9/19)
The Case of the Ill-Gotten Goat by Claudia Bishop (9/14/19)
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (9/16/19)

OCTOBER – Tricks and Trades
Read a book set in a theater, an amusement park, a circus, or a book involving magic, illusions, or characters with special powers.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (10/15/19)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (10/16/19)

NOVEMBER – Seasons, Elements, and Weather
Embrace a winter wonderland setting, pick a beach read, or read about a natural disaster. As long as a season, element, or the weather plays a key role in the story or is part of the title, it counts. (ex. Little Fires Everywhere, The Snow Child, On The Island)
Dead Water by Ngaio Marsh (11/9/19)

DECEMBER – Last Chance
Finally read that one book that you’ve been meaning to get to all year long.
The Bells of Old Bailey by Dorothy Bowers (12/22/19) [I actually meant to read this last year as part of my Birth Year Challenge--using my mom's birth year--and didn't get to it. So I added it to the challenge again this year...and finally go to it!]