MY READER'S BLOCK

Thursday, November 3, 2022

Mount TBR 2023: My Sign-Up

I'm gearing up for a twelfth climb up Mount TBR and another year of focusing on the books I've accumulated but still need to read (after months...years...of waiting). I've managed to plant my flag on Mount Olympus on Mars two years running now, but I'm going to keep my declared goal at Mount Everest. Any Martian books will just be a bonus.

1. The White Priory Murders by Carter Dickson [on TBR since at least 2011] (1/7/23)

2. Beauty Marks the Spot by Kelley Roos [on TBR since 2/9/21] (1/7/23)

3. The Becket Factor by Michael David Anthony [on TBR since 6/16/18] (1/9/23)

4. The Dante Game by Jane Langton [on TBR since 5/13/13] (1/13/23)

5. Swing Low, Swing Death by R. T. Campbell [on TBR since 12/18/18] (1/17/23)

6. The Angry Heart by Leslie Edgley [on TBR since 7/27/17] (1/21/23)

7. Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper [on TBR since 7/6/22] (1/23/23)

8. Mysterious Invitation by Bernice Bloom [on TBR since 12/25/21] (1/27/23)

9. The Crimson Clue by George Harmon Coxe [on TBR since 11/12/16] (1/30/23)

10. Wings Above the Diamantina by Arthur W. Upfield [on TBR since 9/28/12] (2/3/23)

11. Here Come the Dead by Robert Portner Koehler [on TBR since 5/31/16] (2/5/23)

12. Garden of Deadly Delights by Cynthia Manson (ed) [on TBR since 2/15/20] (2/7/23)

Pike's Peak!

13. Murder R.F.D. by Leslie Stephan [on TBR since 12/27/18] (2/9/23)

14. Bats in the Belfry by E.C.R. Lorac [on TBR since 11/17/20] (2/19/23)

15. Heart of the Sun by Pamela Sargent & George Zebrowski [on TBR since 1997] (2/19/23)

16. Phi Beta Murder by C. S. Challinor [on TBR since 6/27/11] (2/20/23)

17. The Fear Sign by Margery Allingham [on TBR since 3/5/11] (2/22/23)

18. It Walks by Night John Dickson Carr [on TBR since 10/4/18] (2/24/23)

19. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome [on TBR since at least 2011] (2/27/23)

20. The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie [on TBR since 9/28/13] (3/1/23)

21. Dead Wake by Erik Larson [on TBR since 6/7/18] (3/4/23)

22. Towards Zero by Agatha Christie [on TBR since at least 2011] (3/5/23)

23. The Black Cat Murders by Karen Baugh Menuhin [on TBR since 6/29/21] (3/7/23)

24. The Woman in the Picture by John August [on TBR since 7/15/21] (3/10/23)

Mount Blanc!!

25. Sidney Chambers & the Perils of the Night by James Runcie [on TBR since 4/7/19] (3/11/23)

26. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde [on TBR since 11/13/21] (3/14/23)

27. Dead, Mr. Mozart by Bernard Bastable [on TBR since 6/9/12]

28. Bony & the Kelly Gang by Arthur W. Upfield [on TBR since 10/6/16] (3/23/23)

29. Beyond by Theodore Sturgeon [on TBR since 11/17/20] (3/26/23)

30. The Genesis Secret by Tom Knox [on TBR since 8/5/11] (3/29/23)

31. Speakers of the Dead by J. Aaron Sanders [on TBR since 12/28/22] (4/1/23)

32. Gone West by Carola Dunn [on TBR since 10/2/15] (4/6/23)

33. Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas [on TBR since 2/11/14] (4/9/23)

34. Danger at the Drawbridge by Mildred A. Wirt [on TBR since 10/5/17] (4/10/23)

35. Nine--And Death Makes Ten by Carter Dickson [on TBR since 1/22/15] (4/11/23)

36. And So to Murder by Carter Dickson [on TBR since 10/12/12] (4/12/23)

Mt. Vancouver!!!

37. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott [on TBR since the 1980s] (4/14/23)

38. Inquest by Percival Wilde [on TBR since 7/1/18] (4/15/23)

39. Murder in Miniatures by Sam Merwin, Jr. [on TBR since 7/1/21] (4/15/23)

40. Death Demands an Audience by Helen Reilly [on TBR since 7/30/11] (4/17/23)

41. Silent Witness by Margaret Yorke [on TBR since 7/21/21] (4/22/23)

42. Pride of the Peacock by Victoria Holt [on TBR since 10/5/18] (4/23/23)

43. Packing My Library by Alberto Manguel [on TBR since 3/8/18] (4/26/23)

44. The Cave of Time by Edward Packard [on TBR since 1979] (4/26/23)

45. The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits by Mike Ashley, ed. [on TBR since 4/7/19] (4/30/23)

46. Jimmie Dale & the Blue Envelope Murder by Frank L. Packard [on TBR since 7/8/21] (5/1/23)

47. The Gentle Hangman by James M. Fox [on TBR since 6/1/18] (5/3/23)

48. The End of the Alphabet by C. S. Richardson [on TBR since 7/3/09] (5/7/23)

Mt. Ararat!!!!

49. Mystery of the Hidden Hand by Phyllis A. Whitney [on TBR since 10/3/19] (5/7/23)

50. Death Turns the Tables by John Dickson Carr [on TBR since 6/27/12] (5/9/23)

51. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley [on TBR since 2/26/22] (5/11/23)

52. The Four False Weapons by John Dickson Carr [on TBR since at least 2011] (5/12/23)

53. The Beauty Queen Killer by John Creasey [on TBR since 10/7/16] (5/14/23)

54. Tom O'Bedlam by Robert Silverberg [on TBR since early 1990s] (5/16/23)

55. Murder in Burgundy by Audrey Peterson [on TBR since 2/28/15] (5/17/23)

56. Line-Up by John Rhode (ed) [on TBR since 6/1/18] (5/22/23)

57. Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Oct 1965 [on TBR since 2019] (5/29/23)

58. Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke [on TBR since 10/6/20] (finished 5/26/23)

59. Murder Is Suggested by Frances & Richard Lockridge [on TBR since at least 2011] (6/1/23)

60. The Curriculum Murders by Marlis Day [on TBR since 6/15/13] (6/6/23)

Mt. Kilimanjaro!!!!!

61. Murder Is Pathological by P. M. Carlson [on TBR since 4/18/15] (6/7/23)

62. 52 Miles to Terror by Ruth Christoffer Carlsen & G. Robert Carlsen [on TBR since 6/1/19] (6/9/23)

63. And Be a Villain by Rex Stout [on TBR since 7/1/09] (6/9/23)

64. Death Among Friends & Other Detective Stories by Cyril Hare [on TBR since 10/6/16] (6/12/23)

65. Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine July 1958 by Ellery Queen, ed [on TBR since 2019] (6/16/23)

66. Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from a Little Golden Book by Diane Muldrow [on TBR since 1/7/22] (6/17/23)

67. 6 X H by Robert A. Heinlein [on TBR since 6/10/18] (6/19/23)

68. Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Feburay 1961 by Ellery Queen, ed [on TBR since 2019] (6/21/23)

69. Murder, London-New York by John Creasey [on TBR since 10/3/19] (6/22/23)

70. Inspector West Kicks Off by John Creasey [on TBR since 10/14/21] (6/23/23)

71. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton [on TBR since 12/15/11] (6/29/23)

72. The Figure in the Dusk by John Creasey [on TBR since 12/25/16] (7/2/23)

73. The Birthday Murder by Lange Lewis [on TBR since 10/4/09] (7/3/23)

74. The Frightened Pigeon by Richard Burke [on TBR since 7/7/22] (7/5/23)

75. I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay by Harlan Ellison & Isaac Asimov [on TBR since 11/14/09] (7/5/23)

El Toro!!!!!!

76. See Also Murder by Larry D. Sweazy [on TBR since 7/24/21] (7/7/23)

77. Slay Bells by Eunice Mays Boyd [on TBR since 9/6/22] (7/7/23)

78. Juggernaut by Alice Campbell [on TBR since 12/26/19] (7/11/23)

79. Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott [on TBR since 7/10/10] (7/16/23)

80. The Final Appointment by Marcia Blair [on TBR since 12/25/22] (7/16/23)

81. The Private Wound by Nicholas Blake [on TBR since 9/12/15] (7/25/23)

82. The Bell in the Fog by John Stephen Strange [on TBR since 10/7/16] (7/29/23)

83. The Body in the Cast by Katherine Hall Page [on TBR since 10/1/10] (8/1/23)

84. Ashes to Ashes by Emma Lathen [on TBR since 10/7/16] (8/3/23)

85. Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally [on TBR since 5/16/20] (8/6/23)

86. The Mystery of the Yellow Hands by Jake & Luke Thoene [on TBR since 6/15/19] (8/16/23)

87. Psycho by Robert Bloch [on TBR since 10/14/21] (8/18/23)

88. The World's Best One Hundred Detective Stories by Eugene Thwing (ed) [on TBR since 10/3/19] (8/26/23)

89. The Art of the Mystery Story by Howard Haycraft (ed) [on TBR since 11/15/14] (8/29/30)

90. Sparkling Cyanide {Remembered Death} by Agatha Christie [on TBR since 5/12/12] (8/31/23

91. Beverly Gray on a Treasure Hunt by Clair Blank [on TBR since 5/12/18] (8/31/23)

92. The Case Against Paul Raeburn by John Creasey [on TBR since 10/16/21] (9/1/23)

93. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler [on TBR since 11/16/17] (9/9/23)

94. Borkmann's Point by Häkan Nesser [on TBR since 12/28/13] (9/10/23)

95. The Covenant of the Crown by Howard Weinstein [on TBR since 12/25/81] (9/12/23)

96. Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie [on TBR since 7/18/09] (9/16/23)

97. Hemlock Hollow by Culley Holderfield [on TBR since 9/3/22] (9/19/23)

98. Who Is Simon Warwick? by Paticia Moyes [on TBR wince 9/8/11] (9/22/23)

99. Nemesis by Agatha Christie [on TBR since 6/22/18] (9/23/23)

100. The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman [on TBR since 12/31/23] (9/28/23)

Mount Everest!!!!!!! (Commitment Complete)

101. Depart This Life by E. X. Ferrars [on TBR since 7/26/14] (9/30/23)

102. Murder on the Purple Water by Frances Crane [on TBR since 12/17/20] (10/8/23)

103. While the Clock Ticked by Franklin W. Dixon [on TBR since 1979] (10/9/23)

104. What Happened at Hazelwood by Michael Innes [on TBR since at least 2011] (10/14/23)

105. Alfred Hitchcock's Ghostly Gallery by Alfred Hitchcock (as ed. by; Robert Arthur, actual ed.) [on TBR since 11/25/20] (10/16/23)

106. Hopjoy Was Here by Colin Watson [on TBR since 11/5/11] (10/17/23)

107. Death & Chicanery by Philip MacDonald [on TBR since 7/1/17] (10/19/23)

108. The Will of the Tribe by Arthur W. Upfield [on TBR since 10/4/18] (10/21/23)

109. Body Blow by Kenneth Hopkins [on TBR since 5/2/15] (10/22/23)

110. Secret of the Old Post Box by Dorothy Sterling [on TBR since 7/2/22] (10/22/23)

111. The War of the Worlds Murder by Max Allan Collins [on TBR since 7/30/22] (10/24/23)

112. The Floating Lady Murder by Daniel Stashower [on TBR since 9/13/19] (10/28/23)

113. Uncoffin'd Clay by Gladys Mitchell [on TBR since 2/1/19] (11/2/23)

114. Black Friday by Dave Goodis [on TBR since 12/27/18] (11/3/23)

115. The Red Death Murders by Jim Noy [on TBR since 12/31/22] (11/6/23)

116. Murder for Two by George Harmon Coxe [on TBR since 5/31/16] (11/9/23)

117. The Four Just Men by Edgar Wallace [on TBR since 2/1/18] (11/10/23)

118. Only the Good by Mary Collins [on TBR since 5/31/16] (11/12/23)

119. You'll Be the Death of Me by Miriam Lynch [on TBR since 12/25/22] (11/13/23)

120. Death of a Doll by Hilda Lawrence [on TBR since 10/17/15] (11/17/230

121. Vultures in the Sky by Todd Downing [on TBR since 6/1/21] (11/22/23)

122. The Professor Knits a Shroud by Wirt Van Arsdale [on TBR since 9/27/21] (11/26/23)

123. Murder in Mayfair by D. M. Quincy [on TBR since 2/26/22] (11/29/23)

124. The Toff & the Runaway Bride by John Creasey [on TBR since 12/25/16] (12/2/23)

125. The Mystery of the Silver Spider by Robert Arthur [on TBR since 3/18/22] (12/3/23)

126. Murder on Fifth Avenue by Michael Jahn [on TBR since 2/9/13] (12/6/23)

127. The Clue in the Jewel Box by Carolyn Keene [on 7/5/19--this edition; have owned a copy since 1979] (12/7/23)

128. Sound of Revelry by Octavus Roy Cohen [on TBR since 7/1/21] (12/10/23]

129. Blind Man's Bluff by Baynard Kendrick [on TBR since 4/25/20] (12/12/23--finished; review coming 12/16/23 for ROY Awards)

130. John Dickson Carr: The Man Who Explained Miracles by Douglas G. Greene [on TBR since 5/14/20] (12/19/23)

131. The Mistletoe Murder & Other Stories by P. D. James [on TBR since 7/13/21] (12/20/23)

132. The Quest of the Missing Map by Carolyn Keene [this copy on TBR since 11/10/18; have had yellow spine edition since 1979] (12/22/23)

133. Murder Is a Collector's Item by Elizabeth Dean [on TBR since 10/4/13] (12/30/23)

134. The Secret in the Old Attic by Carolyn Keene [on TBR since 1977] (12/30/23)

135.

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

2023 Mount TBR Reading Challenge Sign-Up

January 2023 sees the start of the twelfth year for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge and, despite climbing like mad and conquering Mount Everest on the regular each year, I still have mountain ranges to climb. And miles of bookcases to read before I sleep (or something like that). I just can't resist a good old fashioned used bookstore (though they are become rarer and rarer) or the community Hoosier Hills Food Bank Book Sale which adds to the mountains as fast as I knock books off. And my mountain range seems to be just as vast as ever.

So, once again, I plan to concentrate on reading primarily from my own books in the coming year. In both 2021 and 2022 I actually planted a flag on Mount Olympus...but my declared goal will remain Mount Everest (I don't want to jinx myself). Please join me in knocking out some of those books that have been waiting for attention for weeks...months...even years.

Challenge Levels:

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancounver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 60 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro*: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s (*aka Cerro El Toro in South America)
Mt. Everest: Read 100 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Olympus (Mars): Read 150+ books from your TBR pile/s

The Rules:
*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. You are welcome to voyage further and conquer taller mountains after your commitment is met. All books from lower mountains carry over towards the next peak.

*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2023

*You may sign up at any time--no matter when you see this challenge. All qualifying books read after January 1st count.

*Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2023--items requested or ordered prior to January 1, may count even if they arrive in the new year. No library books~. If you're looking for a library book challenge or one that counts books on your non-owned TBR list, then please see Mount TBR's sister challenge: the Virtual Mount TBR Challenge.
~The ONLY exception to the library rule: If you own the book in any form and have a reason to check out a version from the library instead, then you may count it. For example--if you own a hard copy, but are planning on taking a trip where listening to the audio version would be a great way to knock out a book while you drive, then by all means check out the audio version and have a wonderful trip! Please check with me if you have questions.

*Rules for Rereads: Any reread may count, regardless of how long you've owned it, provided you have not counted it for a previous Mount TBR Challenge.

*Audiobooks and E-books may count provided they are yours prior to January 1. ARCs are also fine.

*You may count any "currently reading" book that you begin prior to January 1--provided you had 50% or more of the book left to finish when January 1 rolled around. I will trust you all on that. The only exception is if you have participated in Mount TBR in 2022 and were unable to finish the book in time for the final Check-in Post. Then--if you finish the book post-January 1, you may count it as your first step of the new challenge.

*You may count "Did Not Finish" books provided they meet your own standard for such things, you do not plan to ever finish it, and you move it off your mountain [give it away, sell it, remove from e-resources, etc.]. For example, my personal rule (unless it's a very short book) is to give it 100 pages. If I decide I just can't finish it and won't ever, then off the mountain it goes and I count it as a victory--the stack is smaller!

*No page limit--if it was published as a book, it counts. No single short stories--but collections of short stories do count.

*Books may be used to count for other challenges as well.

*Feel free to submit your list in advance or to tally them as you climb.

*A blog and reviews are not necessary to participate. If you have a blog, then please post about the challenge and link that post (not your home page) in the form below. My link provider has limited the number of link "parties" I can have open at a time--so I will be using Google forms for all my sign-up links this year. Non-bloggers may enter their names only without a blog link OR members of Goodreads are welcome to join the Goodreads group HERE.

*Anthologies which contain more than one full-length book may count for the number of books included in the edition--provided that you read all books included AND that the books were published individually at some point. For instance, I own a large number of 3-in-1 Detective Book Club editions. Those three books count as three separate entries on Mount TBR. Occasionally, publishers put together editions of "previously unpublished works." Those editions would only count as one entry since those works have not been published separately at any time.

*If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #MountTBR2023.

* As I have in the past, I will have a headquarters link in the left hand side-bar which will offer links to this original post, monthly review links, and the final wrap-up. I will update it at the beginning of the new year The Headquarters will also have a link to a list of our climbing crew with their commitments.

Happy climbing!

2023 Virtual Mount TBR Challenge Sign-Up

We're ready for another year of the Virtual Mount TBR Reading Challenge. This challenge, a sister site to the Mount TBR Challenge is for folks who have a long "wish-list" of TBRs and who would like a chance to tackle those mountains. The strategy and general set-up is the same as for the regular Mount TBR--but you don't own the books. Heard about a great book from a friend, took note of the title, and then never got around to reading it? Saw a book online that you thought sounded intriguing but you keep putting off ordering it up from the library? You borrowed a book from somebody and need an extra push to read it and return it? This is the place for you!

Challenge levels:
Mount Rum Doodle: Read 12 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Crumpit: Read 24 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Munch: Read 36 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
White Plume Mountain: Read 48 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Stormness Head: Read 60 books from you Virtual TBR/Wish List Library
Mount Mindolluin: Read 75 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Seleya: Read 100 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Olympus: Read 150+ books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library

In keeping with the virtual nature of the challenge, all mountains are fictional (reference in comments below). How many do you recognize? The only one shared by both TBR challenges is Olympus--both fictional and on Mars. However, since I don't know actual heights, I have arbitrarily assigned levels.

The Rules:
~This challenge is only for books you do not own. They may be borrowed from the library, a friend, found on a free e-book site (like Project Gutenberg), or anywhere else that allows you to temporarily "checkout" the book. Also--unlike Mount TBR--there is no date limit on your wish list. If you see a book that strikes your fancy after January 1 and want to grab it from the library, etc. then go for it.

~Once you choose your challenge level you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find you are on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are welcome to upgrade. All books counted for lower mountains carry over towards the new peak.

~Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2023. You may count any "currently reading" book that you begin prior to January 1--provided you have 50% or more of the book to finish when January 1 rolled around. Exception: if you participated in the 2022 Virtual Mount TBR and did not finish a book in time to count it towards that challenge, then you may count it as your first step of 2023 regardless of how much you had left to read.

~Rereads may count if you have not yet counted it for a Virtual Mount TBR Challenge.

~You may count "Did Not Finish" books provided they meet your own standard for such things; you do not plan to ever finish it; and you move it off your virtual mountain.

~Books may be used for other challenges as well.

~A blog and reviews are not necessary to participate. If you have a blog then please post a challenge sign-up and link that post (not your home page) in the form below. Non-bloggers may skip that question on the form, provide a link to another media site for tracking--OR, if you are a member of Goodreads, it may be more practical join the challenge there. Feel free to sign up HERE if that's where you want to participate.

~The headquarters link in the left-hand side-bar will be fully updated at the beginning of January.

~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #VirtualMountTBR2023.

2023 Color Coded & Read It Again Sam Challenge Sign-Ups

There continues to be a lot of love out there for both the Color Coded and Read It Again, Sam Challenges. Since I don't monitor these quite as closely as my other challenges and my linky provided limits the number of linky "parties" I can provide, I am setting these up on the same sign-up and headquarters sites again this year. The Headquarters with review links and wrap-up links will be updated on the sidebar at the beginning of the year. Here are the challenge descriptions and sign-up links:

Color Coded Reading Challenge

Once again the categories will be more open--the color may either be named in the title or it may appear as the dominant color for the cover of the book. For "implies color" the image implying color should dominate the cover--for instance a large rainbow, a field of flowers, or the image of a painter. Get ready for a rainbow of reading in 2023.

General Rules:

~Challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2023 and any book read after January 1 may count regardless of when you sign up. You may sign-up any time.

~Read nine books in the following categories:

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue in the title/on the cover.

2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red in the title/on the cover.

3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow in the title/on the cover.

4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green in the title/on the cover.

5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown in the title/on the cover.

6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black in the title/on the cover.

7. A book with "White" or any shade of White in the title/on the cover.

8. A book with any other color in the title/on the cover (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, etc).

9. A book with a word/image that implies color in the title/on the cover (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Shadow, Paint, Ink, etc).

~Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

~To Sign Up please fill in the form below. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge on your site and enter the url link. You may also enter a link to a Goodreads or Library Thing list, Instagram, etc. If you can't use the form for any reason, you may also sign up by commenting below.

~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #ColorCoded2023.

~At the beginning of the new year, I will put up posts for review links for each color category and the sidebar image will be updated to the new challenge links.

Read It Again, Sam

For those of you who love to revisit old friends in the book world, I present another round with Sam at the piano for all your reading music needs. While not quite as popular as the Color Coded Challenge, this one still has its devotees.

Rules:
~Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31. 2023.

~Levels:

Déjà vu: Reread 4 books

Feeling Nostalgic: Reread 8 books

A Trip Down Memory Lane: Reread 12 books

Living in the Past: Reread 16 books

Just Give Me a Time Machine Already...: 24+ books

~Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're lost in a nostalgic haze and want to tackle a higher level, then you are welcome to upgrade. You cannot change down, however.
~Any book read after January 2023 will count no matter when you sign up.
~Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #ReadItAgain2023.

~~To Sign Up for either or both please fill in the form below. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge/s on your site and enter the url link. You may also enter a link to a Goodreads or Library Thing list, Instagram, etc.
~No blog or social media site or can't use the form for any reason? No problem! Post a comment below to announce your entry into the challenge/s and when you have completed just post a comment on the most current review site with a list of your books.
~Please use the Headquarters Page (updated link coming in January) to post review links and a final wrap-up post and/or comments. [Reviews are not required--but we'd love to see what you think about the books you've read if you do review.]

2023 Reading by the Numbers Challenge Sign-Up

This will be the second year for the Reading by the Numbers Challenge on My Reader's Block. Over the years various blogs have sponsored reading challenges that were all about tracking how many books you read. But those that I participated in are no longer active, so I have decided to create my own. This is the reading challenge at its most basic--just track everything you read. Anything counts--graphic novels or comic books, hard copy, e-books, audio novels, etc. If it is a book, it counts. Books with numbers in the title are not required. I merely used those above as a play on the challenge name. And, although the covers shown in the challenge image are all mysteries, you may read from any and all genres that interest you.

~Challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2023.

~No pre-set challenge levels. You decide on your personal goal.

~May be used concurrently with other "number" reading challenges (such as the Goodreads Challenge) or with any other challenge.

~A blog and reviews of the books are not required to participate, but if you have a blog, please post your sign-up for the challenge and link the post in the form below. You are also welcome to link up other media sites where you log process (Instagram; Goodreads; etc.).

~As with my other challenges, I will update the Headquarters link in the left sidebar of the blog at the beginning of the year.

~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #ReadingByNumbers2023.

Calendar of Crime 2023 Sign-Up

photo credit: Ellery Queen's Calendar of
Crime (Signet edition)

Ready for another year of mysterious months and dangerous days? I'm pleased to sponsor the 2023 edition of the Calendar of Crime. Just a reminder that this mystery-based challenge allows readers to include any mystery regardless of publication date. If it falls in a mystery category (crime fiction/detective novel/police procedural/suspense/thriller/spy & espionage/hard-boiled/cozy/etc.), then it counts and it does not matter if it was published in 1893 or 2023.

A larger version of the spreadsheet may be found HERE. Click on the 2023 tab at bottom.

The Rules
~Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2023. All books should be read during this time period. Sign up at any time. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge. Then sign up via the form below and please make the url link to your challenge post and not your home page. If you don't have a blog, links to an online list (Goodreads, Library Thing, etc.) devoted to this challenge are acceptable OR you may skip that question.

~All books must be mysteries. Humor, romance, supernatural elements (etc.) are all welcome, but the books must be mysteries/crime/detective novels first.

~Twelve books, one representing each month, are required for a complete challenge.

~To claim a book, it must fit one of the categories for the month you wish to fulfill. Unless otherwise specified, the category is fulfilled within the actual story. for instance, if you are claiming the book for December and want to use "Christmas" as the category, then Christmas figure in some in the plot. Did someone poison the plum pudding? Did Great-Uncle Whozit invite all the family home for Christmas so he could tell them he plans to change his will?

~The "wild card" book is exactly that. If July is your birth month (as mine is), then for category #9 you may read any mystery book you want. It does not have to connect with July in any way--other than a July baby chose it. The other eleven months, you must do the alternate category #9 if you want to fulfill that slot.

~Chinese Zodiac: Animal must be important to the book in some way. Examples: animal name appears in title (stand-alone, not part of another word); animal itself is important to the story; animal appears on cover; important character is associated with the animal (nickname--for instance, owns one as a pet, etc.) OR book may have been published in a year that corresponds to the Zodiac year.

~Books may only count for one month and one category, but they may count for other challenges (such as my Vintage Scattergories Challenge). If it could fulfill more than one category or month, then you are welcome to change it at any time prior to the final wrap-up.

~Books do not have to be read during the month for which they qualify. So--if you're feeling like a little "Christmas in July" (or May or...), then feel free to read your book for December whenever the mood strikes.

~A wrap-up post/comment/email will be requested that should include a list of books read and what category they fulfilled. [Example: January: The House of Sudden Sleep by John Hawk (original pub date January 1930)]

~The headquarters link in the left-hand sidebar will be updated in January for 2023 for easy access to this original challenge post, monthly review link-ups, and the final wrap-up. The final wrap-up link will not go live until the end of 2023, so please save your notification until that time.

~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #CalendarOfCrime2023.

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

The Old Dark House

The Old Dark House (aka Benighted; 1927) by J. B. Priestley

Philip and Margaret Waverton and Philip's friend Roger Penderel are driving through the mountains of Wales when a tremendous storm which brings on torrential flooding washes away the road before them. They make a desperate plunge through the waters towards a lighted house and...hopefully...refuge. They find themselves at an old, crumbling mansion which belongs to the Femm family--a strange bunch from Horace Femm who seems oddly frightened of his own home to his sister Rebecca, a ranting religious fanatic, to the voiceless, brutish servant Morgan who is apparently a dangerous devil when drunk. Unseen in the rooms above is Sir Roderick Femm, lord of the manor but unable to leave his bed.

As the travelers and their reluctant hosts sit down to a cold supper two more stranded motorists arrive. Sir William Porterhouse and Miss Gladys Du Cane, a young chorus girl. They are all determined to make the best of the situation and after dinner they drink and play the Truth Game to keep their minds off the raging storm. Little do they know that there is another unseen resident in the mansion...one more dangerous than the rushing waters that have washed away their only hope of escape.

This really wasn't my cup of tea (or gin...since that seems to be the drink of choice at the Femm residence). I'd previously read Priestley's Salt Is Leaving--which actually had a mystery to solve and a detective to solve it--and thought it pretty good. In that mystery, I found an entertaining story by an author with a flair for characters and dialogue. I can't say that he was in evidence here. Most of the characters are pretty dismal and he manages to kill off the one character I though interesting and was actually rooting for. I get what Priestley was doing--he was trying to show how characters change under unknown pressures and he really did a good job of getting us into the heads of these characters. The trouble is we really don't want to be inside these characters' heads. At least I don't.

I was hoping for another entertaining mystery, but there is very little mystery here and too much talk. I will give Priestley props for characterization (I suppose it's not his fault I don't like them) and atmosphere. But the mystery is non-existent and there isn't much to be said for the resolution. When I started this review I meant to give the book two and a half stars...I've talked myself out of the extra half. ★★

First line: Margaret was saying something, but he couldn't hear a word.

Last line: "Yes," he whispered, "fast asleep."

*********************

Deaths = 5 (two natural; one blown up; two fell from height)

October Pick of the Month

It's that time again...time to choose October's mystery star and take a peak at the reading statistics. October wound up being a down month for me. Not sure why--after all, with 31 days, it had even more month to read in. I only managed 14 books. All but two of the books had a mystery flair. We'll take a look at the star ratings in a moment, but before we hand out the shiny prize/s, let's take a look at the stats.

Total Books Read: 14
Total Pages: 2,853
Average Rating: 3.45 stars
Top Rating: 4 stars
Percentage by Female Authors: 36%

Percentage by Male Authors: 64%

Percentage by both Female & Male Authors: 0%

Percentage by US Authors: 57%
Percentage by non-US/non-British Authors: 7%
Percentage Mystery: 86%

Percentage Fiction: 100%
Percentage written 2000+: 0%
Percentage of Rereads: 21%
Percentage Read for Challenges: 100% {It's easy to have every book count for a challenge when you sign up for as many as I do.}
Number of Challenges fulfilled so far: 23 (72%)

Mysteries Read:

The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy by Robert Arthur (4 stars)

End of Chapter by Nicholas Blake (3 stars)

The Widow's Cruise by Nicholas Blake (3.25 stars)

The Worm of Death by Nicholas Blake (2.75 stars)

The Witches' Bridge by Barbee Oliver Carleton (4 stars)

The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie (4 stars)

The Curse of the Fleers by Basil Cooper (4 stars)

Welcome Death by Glyn Daniel (3.5 stars)

To Spite Her Face by Hildegarde Dolson (3.5 stars)

Challenge for Three by David Garth (3.75 stars)

The Ghost in the Gallery by Carolyn Keene (3 stars)

Susanna, Don't You Cry! by Mary Plum (3.5 stars)

As you can see, I'm still chasing that elusive five-star winner for a new-to-me mystery. Only two months left to see if we can find the run-away favorite for the 2022 P.O.M. grand prize. I've had five-star winners in previous months, but the mysteries were rereads and the new-to-me books were not mysteries. October's best books all garnered four stars. The Pale Horse was a reread (and Dame Agatha just won last month), so it will stay on the bench. The three remaining contestants, The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy, The Witches' Bridge, and The Curse of the Fleers are all particularly appropriate nominees for the Halloween season--in fact, all three appeared in October's Friday Fright Night posts for Curtis's seasonal feature. All three have creepy goings-on that need explaining. All three were very good. This is going to be a very tough call for the judges....

There is a great deal of gothic atmosphere in The Curse of the Fleers. Fog seems to roll in on cue and the eerie nights make a perfect backdrop against which the Creeping Man can make his appearances. It's no wonder that Sir John feels like he's losing his grip on reality. The manor house has all sorts of hidden and spooky places--from the catacombs with hidden chambers to the tower where the dovecote is kept to the weird animal menagerie and the haunting cries and growls of orangutans and tigers. And the ancient curse gives a nod to Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles while creating a version of its own. However, as creepy and atmospheric as the book may be, there is a solid mystery here with clues to be had for the sharp-eyed and quick-witted reader. I found my way to the why of the matter, but lost sight of the who. A very good historical mystery.

The Witches's Bridge is set in Massachusetts where young Dan Pride has returned to live with his uncle after his parents die in a plane crash. Carleton does an excellent job with atmosphere and uses a Pride family witch legend to full advantage. It may be the middle of summer, but the foggy marshland, eerie nights in the country, storms rolling in, and the spooky music near the bridge all work to make this a very appropriate book to read during the month of Halloween. We get all the trappings for a spooky story--a witch's ghost, creepy music, an ancient curse (uttered by the original "witch"), a large, ugly black dog, and an unexplained death. But the mystery revolves around what happened to Dan's grandfather Daniel Pride's briefcase on a similar foggy evening. A briefcase that's rumored to have a large amount of money in it.

And finally, we have the Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy by Robert Arthur. The boys take on the case of Ra-Okron, an Egyptian mummy that whispers to Professor Yarborough, a friend of Alfred Hitchcock's. There are all sorts of mysterious goings-on, from the ancient Egyptian mutterings to statues that topple all by themselves to huge marble balls that tumble down hillsides (apparently unaided) to the reincarnation of Ra-Okron in the likeness of his favorite cat to the god Annubis appearing and stealing the mummy. The Investigators have quite an adventure dealing with all those spooky events.This was an excellent Three Investigators mystery. Jupiter does a nice bit of deduction figuring out how the mummy whispers. That's the most ingenious part of the plot. And the adventures the boys have on their way to the solution are engaging and action-packed and just right for the target age group.

The judges have gone into a huddle...was that a coin I saw flip in the air? Surely not...okay, here comes the envelope...and the winner with great atmosphere and a nice bit of detective work on the part of the youthful investigator is....