Challenge Complete: Meet the Protagonist

Meet the ProtagonistReading Challenge 2014

Sponsored by Joanne @ Littlequeen Rules

January 1 - December 31 2014

Joanne stepped in to the challenge-hosting waters this year with her Meet the Protagonist Reading Challenge. I, being the challenge-junkie that I am, just had to join in.

• A woman who is a mother.
• A real life person who written into a fictional story.
• A person that changes forms.
• A person who is from a country different than the one you currently live in.
• A person who lived before WW1.
• A person who lives by a body of water.
• A person younger than 18.
• A character that is in a book series.

And here is my list of books read for the challenge:

1. Mother: Sinners & the Sea by Rebecca Kanner [Noah's wife--mother of Ham, Shem & Japeth] (5/21/14)
2. Real life person in fiction: The Poisoned Island by Lloyd Shepherd [Sir Joseph Banks, botanist; Robert Brown, botanist; Peter Heywood, member of the crew involved in the H.M.S. Bounty mutiny; and Aaron Graham, magistrate & counsel for Heywood's trial] (3/8/14)
3. Changing Forms: Undead & Unpopular by Mary Janice Davidson [vampires] (6/17/14)
4. International Person: Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell [Sweden] (1/5/14)
5. Pre-WWI: Whispers of Vivaldi by Beverle Grave Myers [18th C] (5/21/14)
6. By a Body of Water: Plain Sailing by Douglas Clark (6/11/14) AND The Corisican Caper by Peter Mayle (6/11/14)
7. Younger than 18: Dorothy Dixon & the Double Cousin by Dorothy Wayne (4/26/14)
8. Series Character: India Black & the Gentleman Thief by Carol K. Carr [India Black #4] (3/19/14)

 

Undead & Unpopular [...and Unbelievably Bad]

Let's start off with my short, to the point review over at Goodreads: "Rather than post what would probably come across as a rant (and possibly get my review deleted...), let me just say: This book is just incredibly not my thing. If this sort of thing is your thing, then more power to you and you'll probably love it. I just can't."

So...just as a reminder. This little ol' book blog was started as an online book journal for me--a place for me to record my thoughts about books. I'm about to go off full-tilt on this book. If you absolutely adore MaryJanice Davidson and her little band of "Undead and..." characters, then go directly to Goodreads (or some other book/review platform) and look for all the four- and five-star reviews. Do not pass through the review below. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. I'm not here to tick anyone off or step on anybody's toes. I deliberately did not post this on Goodreads--so I'm not looking to pick a fight with the author. I just need to get this out of my system....

Okay. I'll admit right here, upfront that paranormal anything isn't my usual reading fare. But after reading Gail Carriger's Soulless (and etc), I'm game to try any that come my way that sound promising and can be used for a challenge or three. Undead & Unpopular was such a one. And, yes, I realize that I entered this party in mid-stream (#5 in the Undead series)...but, honest-to-goodness I can't see that starting at the beginning would have helped. I don't particularly feel like I've missed anything because comments throughout give a fair idea of what has happened in previous books.  

The main problem: I do not care for any of the characters. Not one. They are flat and unsympathetic. And I especially do not care for Betsy Taylor--primary protagonist, Vampire Queen, and needless grump because she doesn't want to drink blood. I can't get up a lot of enthusiasm for a character whose primary response to anything and everything that happens to her is to drop the f-bomb. And repeatedly for emphasis in case you didn't catch when she said it the first time. 

And maybe it's just me, but I don't really see much of a plot here. I mean we spend a lot of time talking about the wedding she's planning with her Vampire King and fiance, Eric Sinclair. We watch her react to the news that her best friend has cancer (and rack up the highest total of f-bombs for a single scene). She has to meet with a delegation of powerful European vampires--one of whom winds up dead (re-dead? not sure how the undead becomes even more dead...but anyway). And there's a zombie. But even with all that going on....nothing really seems to happen. No plot movement. 

This was billed as a fun, delightful little bit of chick lit...witty and funny--a romantic comedy (which I'm totally claiming for a challenge because that's one of the reasons I read it....even if I couldn't find much evidence of wit, fun, or comedy lurking amongst the pages). I'm sorry, but I just didn't care for this at all--I don't know if it was the paranormal or the chick lit  portion that made it the more unpalatable, but either way, a most disappointing read. I gave it one star on Goodreads....but, honestly, I rounded it up.

The Corsican Caper: Review

Billionaire Francis Reboul has a gorgeous coastal estate that is just perfect for hosting vacationing friends like private investigator Sam Levitt and his lovely lady Elena Morales--as well as hosting an auction benefit for the lovely city of Marseilles. But Reboul isn't the only one who thinks his estate is perfect. Oleg Vronsky, a Russian tycoon, has been cruising up and down the French coastline looking for the villa of his dreams. When his binoculars fill up with the wonders of Le Palais du Pharo, he knows he's found it. He immediately contacts his realtor and tells him he wants it. But Reboul isn't in the market to sell. At any price. 

Unfortunately, the man known as "The Barracuda" isn't used to taking no for an answer and he certainly doesn't intend to start now. Vronsky has contacts in the underworld and he isn't afraid to use them to put pressure on the current owner of his house. And, if it comes down to it, he's prepared to make Reboul disappear in order to create a vacancy. But Vronsky hasn't encountered Sam Levitt before. Nor has he tried any of his under hand tricks amongst the close-knit Corsican community. He's about to find out that neither Sam nor the Corsicans take kindly to his treatment of Francis Reboul.

But don't be misled...just because Sam and Elena are on guard against the machinations of the Russian baddies that doesn't mean this is a tough guy, shoot-em-up story. On the contrary, Sam and Elena swan about the countryside sampling restaurant fare and doing a bit of house-hunting of their own. In fact, despite the appearance of a private investigator and the involvement of underworld characters, this book fits firmly in the cozy genre. There's no blood, no gore....and finally, no murder. It's a story about a caper and how Sam manages to keep the evil mastermind from winning (that's no spoiler--surely you know the bad guy can't possibly win in a book that features such delights as velouté d'asperges and roast duck breast stuffed with green olives).

This was a fun little reading escape. Not quite my usual fare in the mystery genre...because, really, there's no mystery. You know who the bad guy is from page one. You're given his M.O. straight up, so you know what he's going to do. And it's no surprise when Sam foils his plans. But the writing is crisp and the characters engaging. A nice little outing.  ★★★

Plain Sailing: Review

Detective Superintendent George Masters and DCI Bill Green of Scotland Yard are off to a small seaside town near Durham expecting to enjoy a well-deserved holiday with their wives. But true to detective fiction standards (busman's holiday and all that)--after enjoying a few days of pure holiday they are called upon to investigate the sudden death of an Essex police colleague's son. This is more than just a murder of one of their own's own as it were. Masters and his team had worked closely with DCI Matthew Cleveland on a case the previous November...so this one is even more personal.

Cleveland's son James was at the seaside resort to take part in a week of sailboat racing and collapsed while more than two miles out to sea. The difficulty with the investigation is that James was poisoned--and with such a fast-acting agent that he must have swallowed or come in contact with it mere minutes before the collapse. The obvious suspect is the other man in the boat...the only one close enough to James during the relevant time period. But Masters and Green know better than to settle for obvious, especially when the obvious just doesn't seem to fit.

Their investigations lead them to an examination of the other members of the sailing circle and soon everyone on the team from assistants, Detective Sergeants Tippen and Berger, to their own wives are ferreting out motives for murder. But whose murder? And the question that remains even after the motive and intended victim are sorted is....how was the poison administered? Once Masters and Green figure that out all that remains is to set a trap to catch the poisoner.

Even twenty-six stories into the Masters and Green series, Douglas Clark manages to serve up a darn good police procedural. The focus this time, as mentioned, is on how. Not that the who and why are so very obvious--but the real puzzle at the end of the day is how was James Cleveland poisoned? He didn't eat or drink anything directly before the collapse and tests show that the poison was ingested. It takes some pretty careful observation on George Masters' part to find the solution. 

As I've mentioned before, I always enjoy the camaraderie and rapport of Masters' team. Even though younger member come and go (as they receive well-earned promotions), each new member fits in well without being a cookie-cutter underling just filling in a position. Each character is well-defined and brings something different to the mix. It was also nice to see the wives doing a bit of undercover work--even though Wanda Masters insists that she won't "spy" on these people. What Masters wants is her and Doris Green's impressions--just a general feel of the climate amongst the racing crown. And those impressions prove very useful as well. ★★★ and 3/4 stars

This fulfills the "Involves Water" square on the Silver Vintage Bingo card. (I'm zeroing in on my first Silver Bingo....)

Whispers of Vivaldi: Review

Whispers of Vivaldi is the latest mystery in a series by Beverle Graves Myers. Her Tito Amato books are set in 18th century Venice with a hero who has been a singing sensation in the operatic world. Unfortunately, an accident has ruined his beautiful singing voice but his retirement from center stage affords him the opportunity to play a role behind the scenes.  His friend Maestro Torani asks Tito to help him find a way to renew the flagging interest in the San Marco opera house's musical offerings. Tito is hard-pressed to find something to bring back the patrons who have abandoned them for a rival opera house.

A chance meeting brings a new, untried opera to Tito's attention and he must convince not only Maestro Torani, but also their wealthy patron that a story about a Duke who exchanges places with a huntsman and gives up his comforts to seek solace in the life of a country man has story and music enough to enchant the masses. The score is beautiful and the story has twists and surprises--and most mysterious of all, it is rumored to be the work of Vivaldi himself. 

Tito manages to convince those necessary and when he also manages to bring in Angeletto, the current male soprano singing star, to sing the lead it seems that all is falling in place. But mysteries continue to surround the production and the plot takes a dangerous turn when Maestro Torani becomes the target of various accidents and finally...murder. More murders follow and Tito must rely on his old friend Messer Andre Grande (the chief constable) as well as his own talents as a detective to unravel the plot behind the deaths before he becomes a final victim..

This is a decent mystery.  Great historical setting and interesting characters. Ideal for historical mystery fans. An entertaining read for the bulk of the story, although I must admit that I found my attention wandering now and then (I'm not as into opera as I thought I might be). And my Golden Age preferences make me want a fairly-clued mystery. There is, as others have noted, a twist ending...but I just didn't feel like it was adequately clued for the reader to have detected the culprit based on evidence given throughout. There is one big clue that might lead you there...but I didn't pick up on any real evidence for motive or other supporting clues. ★★★

Sinners & the Sea: Virtual Tour & Review

Synopsis:

The young heroine in Sinners and the Sea is destined for greatness. Known only as “wife” in the Bible and cursed with a birthmark that many think is the brand of a demon, this unnamed woman lives anew through Rebecca Kanner. The author gives this virtuous woman the perfect voice to make one of the Old Testament’s stories come alive like never before.
Desperate to keep her safe, the woman’s father gives her to the righteous Noah, who weds her and takes her to the town of Sorum, a haven for outcasts. Alone in her new life, Noah’s wife gives him three sons. But living in this wicked and perverse town with an aloof husband who speaks more to God than to her takes its toll. She tries to make friends with the violent and dissolute people of Sorum while raising a brood that, despite its pious upbringing, develops some sinful tendencies of its own. While Noah carries out the Lord’s commands, she tries to hide her mark and her shame as she weathers the scorn and taunts of the townspeople.
But these trials are nothing compared to what awaits her after God tells her husband that a flood is coming—and that Noah and his family must build an ark so that they alone can repopulate the world. As the floodwaters draw near, she grows in courage and honor, and when the water finally recedes, she emerges whole, displaying once and for all the indomitable strength of women. Drawing on the biblical narrative and Jewish mythology, Sinners and the Sea is a beauti­fully written account of the antediluvian world told in cinematic detail.

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My Take:  Sinners and the Sea is a compelling story about many things--many more things than just a retelling of Noah and the Ark.  Because, honestly, this isn't  simply the Biblical story that you might have grown up with...and it doesn't matter that it's not. At its heart, Sinners and the Sea is about identity-- what it is about us that makes us who we are and carries us where we need to go. Noah's wife, who remains unnamed until the final page of the novel, struggles with the fact that she has no name of her own save those that tie her to others (daughter, Noah's wife, mother, grandmother) and wonders "If Noah and my sons die...who will I be?" Her story, her journey, is all about discovering who she really is regardless of what others call her. Her story shows us that while we may see imperfections, disabilities, or disfigurements as obstacles, perhaps it is those very things that allows us to be who we ought to be, to go where we ought to go, and take others with us.

Beautifully written. Kanner evokes Biblical times with realistic touches and is utterly convincing in recounting the horror with which our unnamed heroine watches humanity pulled down by the mighty waters. Her characters are well-drawn and completely believable...although not always likeable. But, then, not all people are likeable. She effectively represents the good and the bad in all humanity--even the righteous who are spared the flood.  ★★★★ and 1/2 stars.

[Disclaimer: My review policy is posted on my blog, but just to reiterate....The book was offered to me for impartial review and I have received no payment of any kind. All comments are entirely my own honest opinion.]

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About the Author

Sinners and the Sea is Rebecca Kanner’s debut novel. Rebecca is a Twin Cities native and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from Washington University in St. Louis. Her writing has won an Associated Writing Programs Award, a Loft mentorship Award and a 2012/2013 Minnesota State Arts Board Grant. Her personal essay, “Safety,” is listed as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2011. Her stories have been published in numerous journals including The Kenyon Review and The
Cincinnati Review.

You can learn more about Rebecca, and find links to selected stories and essays, at www.rebeccakanner.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Remaining Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Friday, May 23
Review at Seaside Book Corner
Tuesday, May 27
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Thursday, May 29
Review at bookworm2bookworm’s Blog

Dorothy Dixon & the Double Cousin: Review

Dorothy Dixon is just your typical girl sleuth--you know, the kind of girl who can fly planes, pilot motor boats, throw a knife with deadly accuracy, and take the place of an almost-identical twin cousin at the drop of a hat (without ever having met the cousin before and, therefore, without having the first clue how said cousin behaves in day-to-day situations). Dorothy is a mere sixteen years old, but by the time Dorothy Dixon and the Double Cousin takes place, she already has three mysteries under her belt and the local Secret Service agent trusts her enough to take her into his confidence over top secret plans for a super spiffy, super dangerous formula for a brand new explosive.

Dorothy's cousin Janet Johnson is in deep trouble with her daddy and the secret organization he belongs to. Janet sleepwalks and she managed to sleepwalk herself into a room where the organization was going to hold its top-secret meeting. She awakens behind a screen and hopes that she won't be discovered...but, of course, she is and the members find it hard to believe that the girl didn't overhear all their nefarious plans. Enter Dorothy....she bumps into Janet's finance (who mistakes her for Janet....just how well does he know his girl, anyway?) and finds out that Janet has been locked in her room until the organization can figure out whether she really was still sleepwalking or whether she overheard everything and is a threat to their plans. Howard is afraid that Janet is in danger and Dorothy promises to help him rescue her.

She enlists the advice of her beau Bill Bolton (who, by the way, is the star of his own mystery/adventure series) as well as the local Secret Service agent who they both happen to be chums with. It winds up that the organization in question is already on the agent's radar and he enlists Dorothy's help in rounding up these crooks who have their eye on Doctor Winn's newest invention "Winnite"--a dangerous, explosive gas that must not fall into the wrong hands. 

The group manages to slip Dorothy into Janet's room where she has all of about 15 minutes to study her cousin (under stressful circumstances) while they exchange clothes and Janet sneaks out the window into Howard's loving arms. It's now up to Dorothy to pull the wool over Janet's father's eyes (as well as the gang members) as she's virtually kidnapped and hustled off to a house in the country where the two leading crooks have their eye on Dr. Winn and his precious formula. The rest of the story consists of the butler/incognito secret service man warning Dorothy not to drink the lemonade, giving her instructions on how to copy the formula before the crooks can get their hands on it, and the secret service agent/butler getting conked on the head by the female half of the crooked duo so Dorothy can be the heroine who saves the day.  Much adventurous hi-jinks ensue and it all ends well...as readers of these Girl Super Sleuth adventures know it will.

This was a fun, quick read and I'm sure I would have devoured it (and the other three books in the series) right along with the Nancy Drew books had I discovered it when I was younger. It was pleasant to settle back and enjoy a girl's adventure story from yesteryear. No deep mysteries here--no complicated plot.  Just good, clean fun.  ★★★

This novel by Dorothy Wayne (1933) fulfills the "Crime Other than Murder" [theft/kidnapping] square on the Golden Vintage Bingo card.

 

India Black & the Gentleman Thief: Review

If one must chase villains, one should do so in style. (p. 247)

India Black is at it again in India Black & the Gentleman Thief...rounding up the bad guys with style and flair. She and French have barely recovered from their latest adventure--saving London from bomb-happy anarchists--when danger comes knocking. Literally. Just as India is trying to worm information out of French about her ancestry, a messenger arrives at the door with an envelope from one of her customers. Colonel Francis Mayhew wants her to hold the missive until he comes to collect it. Opening other people's mail is by no means taboo when one hasn't volunteered for the job of postmistress and India promptly slits the envelope open--only to find an ordinary shipping bill. As she and French ponder the meaning behind it, another knock brings a different sort of messenger--in the guise of three burly thugs who beat up our intrepid heroes and make off with the bill of lading.

Of course, our Madam of Espionage isn't about to take that lying down...well at least not once she's recovered from the trouncing...and she and French head out to track down Mayhew and find out why he deposited such a dangerous document at Lotus House. Unfortunately, the Colonel is in no condition to explain anything. Someone has reached him first and sent him out of this world in the most horrible way possible. India and French will follow a trail that leads from the dockyards of London to the War Office and armaments supply to a lonely farmhouse in the countryside where an arms trafficker lurks. Along the way, India discovers that she has an acquaintance with one of the chief suspects...an acquaintanceship she'd rather not confess to French.

As if India's life is not complicated enough, the Dowager Marchioness of Tullibardine shows up with enough boxes and trunks to stay for months and creates general havoc in Lotus House--from running off anti-Scottish customers to allowing her dogs the run of the house (and have puppies while they're at it). The only redeeming factor is that the Marchioness is finally willing to tell India what she knows about her background. But what is India to do with the information? If she can just find time between hunting down blood-thirsty killers, escaping a nasty death at the bottom of the ocean, and tracking down arms dealers, then she might give it some thought.

This is a whirlwind of a book. The story moves at full throttle and keeps the reader on the edge of her seat waiting to see what will happen next--whether it's the next step in the mystery plot or where the relationship between India and French is headed or what India plans to do about the hereditary information she gets from the Marchioness. There is a lot going on and Carol K. Carr handles it all superbly. The India Black series is wonderful and just keeps getting better. If you love a good adventure mystery set in Victorian times with a bit of romance for flavor and haven't started reading these yet, then what's keeping you? Five stars!

The Poisoned Island: Review

Set in Regency England, The Poisoned Island weaves stories from two voyages to Tahiti (Otaheite to the British at this time) with a tale of what happens when the H.M.S. Solander returned from that second trip. The first voyage in 1769 brings British sailors to the beautiful island paradise--with gorgeous plant life and lovely women. It is a place where magic and myth still have great influence. When the sailors head back to England, they leave behind disease and a war amongst the Tahitians. Over 40 years later, the Solander makes the journey to the island at the request of Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist in charge of the King's Gardens at Kew.  The Solander carries a crew of botanists as well as the usual sailors--a crew charged with bringing back hundreds of exotic plants from Tahiti to enhance the royal gardens. Exotic plants aren't the only things that the Solander brings back to England.  There is also a terrible secret...a secret that someone is willing kill to possess.

The Solander returns to England with her hold full of botanical treasures and in less than a week six members of her crew are dead--some have been strangled and some have had their throats cut, but they all died with the most unsettling, beatific smile on their faces. Thames River Police Constable Charles Horton is called upon by the Thames River Magistrate to investigate the murders. He will have to unravel a botanical mystery involving a pungent, rapidly-growing tree from Tahiti before all the pieces fall into place.

Lloyd Shepherd has done an excellent job of historical world-building--weaving authentic historical figures and events into a fictional tale of incredible believability. No--Sir Joseph Banks did not order such a botanical journey, but if he had....  And the underlying reason for the voyage and the secret that made it necessary makes for a very nice twist to the mystery. Charles Horton is an excellent investigator in a world before a truly organized police force.  He is feeling his way through detective work--possibly forging ground in evidence gathering and witness questioning beforehand historically, but that's okay.  I've already suspended my belief to accept Tahitian magic. Lloyd has also given Horton the perfect spouse to support him in his investigations.  She is stronger than he suspects and, in this particular novel, has an interest in botany herself that can be of great help to him.

It is a mark of how good Shepherd's novel is that the present tense telling of most of the story didn't keep me from enjoying it. I've noted in other reviews how present tense really doesn't work for me.  Generally speaking, it annoys me enough that I'm too busy thinking about how annoyed I am to ever settle down into the world the author has created. Shepherd's story is gripping and his narrative so compelling that while I was aware of the present tense (I think I always will be), it didn't overwhelm my sense of enjoyment.  Four stars.


(Although The Poisoned Island was originally released in Great Britan, it is a new [January 2014] US release and, as such, I'm counting it as a new release for Book Bingo.)

Faceless Killers: Review

So...Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell is the first in the Kurt Wallender series.  It all starts with a rather horrific crime at a rather remote farm on a cold night in Sweden.  An elderly man is beaten and stabbed with enough wounds that he could have died from any of them.  His wife is left for dead--nearly strangled to death with a noose around her neck.  Wallender hopes that the neighbors have raised the alarm in time to save Maria Lovgren and that she will be able to help identify the killer/s.  Unfortunately, Maria wakes just once before she dies and manages to whisper only the word "Foreign" before she's gone.

Word that foreigners may be involved is leaked to the news agencies and soon Wallender and his fellow officers have another problem on their hands.  There is already unrest due to the number of refugees and foreign nationals seeking asylum in Sweden. The news that foreigners may be responsible for such a vicious crime brings out the Neo-Nazi wackos and even the just plain old Sven citizen who sees a threat to his family's safety.  An unidentified man begins calling Wallender to tell him that there will be retribution on the refugees if the police don't solve the crime by a certain deadline...the pressure is mounting.

Then the case seems to break wide open.  A man comes forward with information about Johannes Lovgren's secret life--involving black market horses supplied to the Germans during the war and a mistress that no one else knew about.  Wallender and his men set to work to discover whether this murder has deep roots in a rather murky past.

Spoilers ahead.  Just warning you now.
 
Wallender is so depressing in this one.  I don't remember him being that depressing in One Step Behind (which I loved, btw).  Of course, in Faceless Killers, Wallender's wife has just recently left.  And yet....A new Assistant Prosecutor comes to town.  Wallender is all "A new prosecutor.  I don't want to work with her.  Where's my old buddy?  I want him.  I...Wait a minute.  She's hot.  I love her.  I'm going to tell my wife I'm in love with another woman."  And he makes a pass at her after seeing her twice. And she's married...but that doesn't seem to phase him.  Got a few problems much, Wallender?

This is also just a depressing book.  A brutal, seemingly senseless murder of an elderly couple.  Which turns mid-way into a somewhat interesting brutal murder when it looks like it may have been a revenge killing with roots in the husband's secret life.  But then it winds up really being a brutal, senseless murder....and we are left with Wallender to wonder why these horrible men put the noose around the wife's neck.  Very unsatisfying.

The storyline and the description of police work is fair.  The dialogue is a bit stilted in places--but it's hard to say how much of that is inherent to Mankell's writing style and how much is due to translation.  But it does make for difficult going at times.  If I didn't know how good these stories become by #7, I wouldn't read any more by Mankell.  As it is, I'm now going to be reading them in order so I can see the progress and how long it takes for Wallender to become a more interesting character and for Mankell to become a more interesting and accomplished writer.  Two and a half stars--rounded to three on GoodReads.

Challenges Met: Outdo Yourself, Mount TBR Challenge, Around the World, Bookish TBR, 1001 Books Before You Die, Meet the Protagonist, Monthly Motif, Century of Books, Men in Uniform, Adam's TBR Challenge, Million Pages, How Many Books, My Kind of Mystery, 100 Plus Challenge, Book Bingo, Literary Exploration, A-Z Reading Challenge, European Reading Challenge, A-Z Mystery Author Challenge

Meet the Protagonist Challenge

Meet the ProtagonistReading Challenge 2014

Sponsored by Joanne @ Littlequeen Rules

January 1 - December 31 2014

What is a protagonist? The leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.

To join in, just click the link above.

The Protagonist Categories:

• A woman who is a mother.
• A real life person who written into a fictional story.
• A person that changes forms.
• A person who is from a country different than the one you currently live in.
• A person who lived before WW1.
• A person who lives by a body of water.
• A person younger than 18.
• A character that is in a book series.

Here's my tentative list--I may adjust as other challenges shape up:

1. Mother: Sinners & the Sea by Rebecca Kanner [Noah's wife--mother of Ham, Shem & Japeth] (5/21/14)
2. Real life person in fiction: The Poisoned Island by Lloyd Shepherd [Sir Joseph Banks, botanist; Robert Brown, botanist; Peter Heywood, member of the crew involved in the H.M.S. Bounty mutiny; and Aaron Graham, magistrate & counsel for Heywood's trial] (3/8/14)
3. Changing Forms: Undead & Unpopular by Mary Janice Davidson (6/17/14)
4. International Person: Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell [Sweden] (1/5/14)
5. Pre-WWI: Whispers of Vivaldi by Beverle Grave Myers [18th C] (5/21/14)
6. By a Body of Water: Plain Sailing by Douglas Clark (6/11/14) AND The Corisican Caper by Peter Mayle (6/11/14)
7. Younger than 18: Dorothy Dixon & the Double Cousin by Dorothy Wayne (4/26/14)
8. Series Character: India Black & the Gentleman Thief by Carol K. Carr [India Black #4] (3/19/14)