September-October Reading Challenge Update

Hi. Readers! I wanted to do a quick update on my reading progress for the challenges. I did that thing I do where I got sucked into a series and didn't bother to come up for air. I did manage to add five books to the reading challenge beforehand, so that's progress, right?

The series I got sucked into was the remainder of the Starry Hollow Witches series by Annabel Chase. If you've been following me a while, this also happened with Chase's Spellbound series. I didn't do any reviews on these because the books are about 200 pages each, and I'd finish one and instantly start the next book at 1 am. This would also explain why I've been a complete zombie for October.  This series is good if you need a quick read or love a good paranormal cozy mystery. The main character is a sassy single mom from Jersey. She's, of course, caught in a love triangle with a Vamp and a Werewolf. There's a lot of literary references, including Harry Potter. If you read Spellbound, Emma and Daniel even make a cameo in one of the later Starry Hollow books. Annabel Chase's series is my latest guilty pleasure. I'm trying to stay away from the rest of them so I can actually accomplish the things.

Currently, now that I'm done binge-reading this series, I'm working on Broken Glass by Alexander Hartung. This should fulfill my Detective Novel selection. I'll likely have a review once I'm done for this too. I don't like not doing the reviews for books I read, but it's hard when I burn through series like I did with Starry Hollow.

So with the binge reading, I'm mostly caught up on the Goodreads Challenge. I'm at 31/50 books. I'm going to cut it close, but I might be able to hit my goal this year. Here's the update for the actual reading challenge. Stay tuned, it's about that time of the year where Tress and I start planning next years. I imagine that we'll keep the same format, but update/recycle some of the categories. We've had excellent feedback regarding the setup. If you're participating in the challenge, drop a comment about how you're doing, or what you'd like to see. I can't guarantee that suggestions will make it in, but I'm sure I'll look at them at least. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, check out the full challenge post here.

Level 1: Book of the Month Club

1. A book with a red cover – The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

2. Read a YA fiction novel –Paperglass by A.R. Ivanovich

3. A book under 300 pages – The River Witch by Helena Rookwood

4. A book you got for free – The Hagstone by Helena Rookwood

5. Reread the first book of a series you love –Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Links to the original review, no review for the reread)

6. Read a book that takes place during the summer – Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

7. A book whose title starts with the letter M – Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg

8. Read a romance novel – What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

9. A book that has been turned into a TV show or movie – Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

10. A book with a title done in alliteration (e.g. Pride and Prejudice) – Magic & Murder by Annabel Chase

11. A New York Times bestseller (past or present) – A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

12. Free space – pick any book!- Catch and Kill by J.D. Lassica

Level 2: Casual Reader Club

13. A book by John Grisham

14. Read a fantasy novel- Secondborn by Amy A. Bartol (no review)

15. A book with a color in the title

16. Reread a book you have recommended to someone else

17. Read a detective novel

18. A book with a number in the title- The Rule of One by Ashley and Leslie Saunders

19. Read a book about dragons

20. Read a book published by Penguin Random House- Hounded by Kevin Hearne

21. Read a book found on Project Gutenberg

22. A book about an artist (fictional or real)- The Blue Period by Luke Jerod Kummer

23. A book that was published in 1999

24. Free space – pick any book!- Death at the Workhouse by Emily Organ

Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club

25. Read the first book in a trilogy

26. Read the second book in the same trilogy

27. Read the third book in the same trilogy

28. Read a book recommended by a friend/on social media

29. A book about a librarian

30. A book about breaking a code or a treasure hunt

31. Read a book by Brandon Sanderson

32. Read a book that takes place in a large city- The Rule of Many by Ashley and Leslie Saunders

33. A book suggested by https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/

34. A book for under $3.00

35. A book with exactly three words in the title- Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

36. Free space – pick any book!- Magic and Mystery by Annabel Chase

Level 4: Speed-Reader Club

37. A book over 500 pages

38. A book about time travel

39. A book with a form of weather in the title

40. Read a book published in 1969

41. A book authored by a Catherine/Katherine or variant

42. A book by Anne Rice

43. A book from Time’s All-Time Top 100 Books list

44. Read a coming of age novel

45. A book involving mythology

46. Read a self-published book

47. A book with the word dream in the title

48. Free space – pick any book!

Level 5: Overachiever Club

49. Read a book on a banned book list

50. The most recent book in a series you haven’t finished- An Unwanted Guest by Emily Organ

51. A book that you judged by its cover (either positively or negatively)

52. A book that takes place in your home state

53. A book that takes place prior to 1965

54. Read a biography

55. Read a book you’ve previously abandoned

56. A book about a real or fictional politician- My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

57. A book set in Asia

58. A book with a tree or forest on the cover- Haven by A.R. Ivanovich

59. A book with the letter Z in the title

60. Free space – pick any book!