It’s Book Challenge by Erin time.

And I’m already more than one month in. Cleary, I’ve been remiss in posting. As my fifth grade teacher used to say, “Fifty lashes with a wet noodle.”

That done, here are the categories of the book challenge and my choices and comments so far:

• 5 points:  Freebie – Read a book that is at least 200 pages

A Trick of the Light/Penny

Finished. I returned to this series after an absence, partly because it was hard to keep all the books in order and figure out which one came next and which ones my library had in stock. Unlike many other detective series in which each book could stand alone, this is one series you need to read in order. Each of Penny’s books builds on the one before. And that relates to a great strength of this series: it is so much about the characters of this town and their complex psyches and interactions. I continue to be impressed by the author’s ability to make characters come alive. Recommended!

• 10 points: Read a book that’s first word of the title starts with the letter C

Circe/Miller

Finished. My brother passed this book along to me some time ago. Even though he and my mother gave this novel high praise, it sat on my shelf until I needed a book that started with the letter C. I just wasn’t sure I was interested in reading a novel of mythology. And I didn’t really engage with this book for the first 40 pages or so. But once Circe comes into her own and begins to direct her own life, I was fully enthralled. (Ha! Enthralled–inside joke. In case you don’t remember your Greek mythology, Circe is a witch.) I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it even if you’re not a mythology enthusiast.

• 10 points: Read a book published in 2020 or 2021; these two years have been tough on many of us, but let’s celebrate books that were introduced to us these years

The Rose Code/Quinn

Finished. I really enjoyed this novel of code breaking in England during World War II. The Rose Code follows three very different women who come together to work on top secret decoding of German messages. I really liked the author’s development of these three women and how they interact under the stresses of war time. The author uses a fragmented timeline to increase the sense of tension. And there is tension galore here culminating in an exciting climax. Highly recommended.

• 15 points: Read a book with the word one of the following words in the title: you, your, you’re, you’ll, you’ve, yourself

On the Street Where You Live/Clark

Finished. I remember really enjoying this author’s mysteries when I was in my twenties, and I also remembered that many of her titles contained the word “you,” so I decided she was a good place to start looking for this selection. (It can be a bit daunting sometimes to troll for titles based on categories or key words.) I looked forward to reading this one, but I was sorely disappointed for its lack of character development–especially after reading A Trick of the Light, which is so rich in that regard. Maybe some of Clark’s other books still measure up to my memory, but this one does not. Not recommended.

• 20 points: Read a book set on an island

Pretty as a Picture/Little

I’m about a third of the way into this book. So far, I like Pretty as a Picture a lot, especially as I’m a sucker for stream-of-consciousness inner dialogue with long, flowy, and sometimes wryly funny sentences.

• 20 points: Read a book from an indigenous or First Nations author

There There/Orange

Finished. I really liked the main storyline and the main characters. However, there were way too many minor point of view characters for me that I couldn’t keep straight and that diluted the story for me. And as someone who was born in Oakland, I had fun with all the landmarks the author describes.

• 25 points: Read a memoir, biography, or autobiography

Reasons to Stay Alive/Haig

If you were to send me into a bookstore with a gift card (don’t let me stop you!), the very last genre I would turn to is memoir or autobiography. Well, maybe military history would be below memoir. I’ve read some, of course, and even liked some or been engaged by some such as Inheritance by Dani Shapiro and Educated by Tara Westover and Identical Strangers by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein, but in general this genre is not for me. So for this selection, I decided to read a memoir by a fiction writer in the hopes that some writerly stuff would be contained within. I was right. In addition to detailing his bout with mind-numbing depression, Matt Haig talks about writing and reading and adds thoughts and quotes by other writers. Glad I chose and finished this one.

• 30 points: Read a book with one of these words in the title: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, or Joker

The Cardturner: a Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker/Sachar

I’m looking forward to reading this young adult novel by the author of Holes.

• 30 points: Read a book of poetry or a book written in verse.

The Poet X/Acevedo

I just started this one, but so far I am enjoying it. I’m listening to this on audio, and an added bonus is that the author, an eminent slam poet, is the narrator.

• 35 points:  Read a book by Jane Austen, inspired by Jane Austen or a Jane Austen re-telling

Jane Austen Society/Jenner

Finished. The beginning was slow, but after 50 pages or so, I was fully engaged and stayed up late to finish. Definitely lots of discussion of Austen novels and history among the characters, so Austen fans will find plenty of tidbits. The author lacks Austen’s quick wit, but nonetheless supplies numerous sweet love pairings.

So, those are the categories for Book Challenge by Erin 16 and my selections. I’ve now read slightly more than half of them. I should finish the rest by the end of the month, and then it’s on to the bonus round!