It's almost time (55 minutes to go!) for the Semi-Charmed Winter 2015 Book Challenge.
Here is my preliminary list. As you can see, I'm quite undecided about one or two categories. I'm also a little worried that I appear to have favoured books that are somewhat on the long side. But we shall see how I go, I suppose. All suggestions and comments are welcome!
5 points: Read a book that has between 100 and 200 pages.
Peter Pan by J M Barrie (176 pages) or The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (150 pages)
10 points: Read a debut book by any author. (The book does not have to be a 2015 debut.)
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (400 pages)
10 points: Read a book that does not take place in your current country of residence.
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (392 pages)
10 points: Read a book that someone else has already used for the challenge. — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher Kristen @ See You in a Porridge. [Edited to add: The book must be at least 200 pages long.]
I'm hoping someone else reads The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (386 pages)
15 points: Read a book published under a pseudonym (e.g. Robert Galbraith, Sara Poole, J.D. Robb, Franklin W. Dixon, Mark Twain, etc.). — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher Megan M.
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (455 pages)
15 points: Read a book with “boy,” “girl,” “man” or “woman” in the title (or the plural of these words).
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne (224 pages)
15 points: Read a book with a one-word title (e.g. Attachments, Americanah, Uglies, Wild, etc.).
Room by Emma Donoghue (321 pages)
20 points: Read a book with a person's first and last name in the title (e.g. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle).
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (608 pages)
20 points: Read a food-themed book. — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher Jamie @ Whatever I Think Of!
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (240 pages)
20 points: Read a book with a verb in the title. (For any grammar nerds out there, I mean “verb” in the most general sense, so gerunds count. For non-grammar-inclined people, just use any book that appears to have a verb in the title!)
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (320 pages)
30 points: Read two books with the same title (by different authors). — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher bevchen @ Confuzzledom. [Edited to add: The titles must be the SAME save for alternate spellings. For example, The Alchemist and Alchemist would be two different titles and would not work for the challenge, but The Alchemist and The Alchemyst would work.]
TBC - I'm considering The Lake House by Kate Morton (400 pages) and Helen Phifer (400 pages) or The Innocent by Harlan Coben (503 pages) and Ian McEwan (226 pages) or The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (704 pages) and Rachel Bohlen (317 pages)
30 points: Read a nonfiction book and a fiction book about the same subject (e.g. a biography and historical fiction novel about the same person; two books about a specific war or event; a nonfiction book about autism and a novel with a character who has autism, etc. The possibilities are endless!). [Edited to add: This one is very broad! Just have fun with it!]
Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich (236 pages) and All That is Solid Melts Into Air by Darragh McKeon (464 pages)
