The PolyWogg Reading Challenge was a small reading group on Facebook that I ran for three years.
Some of us read a lot, some read a little, some just want to see book recommendations from other people. To encourage trying new books, or just to read more in general, each month I named “books of the month” based on a category plus a couple of challenge books. There was also always “reader’s choice” to read whatever you want and share. I tried to vary the book choices, tracked people’s achievements, and awarded badges monthly to help reinforce the member’s efforts to “read more”.
At the end of 2020, I asked for feedback through a series of short polls of members, and they told me:
- Keep lots of choice –> First category will be “reader’s choice”;
- Simplify –> Second category will be a special focus of the month;
- Keep challenges –> Keeping, with challenge books or three books in total;
- Keep badges –> You get Level 5 (Orange) for 1 book of reader’s choice; Level 4 (Green) for one of the named books; Level 3 (Yellow) for 2 books of reader’s choice; Level 2 (Blue) for 2 books of which one is a named book; and Level 1 (Red) for a challenge book or three books in total.
In terms of categories, people showed preferences for some non-fiction, mystery, award winners, and best-sellers. There was less interest in classic, fantasy, adventure, alt-history, thriller, and sci-fi. People also showed preferences for Indigenous, travel or locations, and historical fiction, with less interest in gender, BLM, food, or holidays.
A suggestion to create a spreadsheet for people to enter their book titles was voted down, but I tried to keep the website list more up-to-date that year. Here’s the overview for the year:
Titles Read by the Members by Month
January
The three categories for January were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: Humour
Book 1: Any book by David Sedaris (Amanda G’s suggestion: When You Are Engulfed In Flames)
Book 2: Any book by Harlan Coben (My suggestion: Deal Breaker, the first in the Myron Bolitar series)
C. Challenge books
Book 1: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Book 2: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Results:
- Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben (PS, CG)
- Reconstructing Amelia” by Kimberly McCreight (TK)
- Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (VS)
- The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (VS)
- The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian (AR)
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (CG)
- The Last Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett (AR)
- Hit List by Laurell K Hamilton (LM)
- Kiss the Dead by Laurell K Hamilton (LM)
- A Shiver of Light by Laurell K Hamilton (LM)
- When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris (AH, CA)
- A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (CA, LM)
- The Body by Bill Bryson (CA)
- The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (CA)
- The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz (CA)
- A Curious Incident by Vicky Delaney (CA)
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley (CA)
- The Exile by Christina Baker Kline (CA)
- The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (CA)
- The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult (CA)
- All Together Now by Alan Doyle (CA)
- This is Not the End of Me by Dakshana Bascaramurty (CA)
- Right Side Up by Paul Wells (CA)
- One on One by Peter Mansbridge (CA)
- Extraordinary Canadians by Peter Mansbridge (CA)
- 44 Scotland St by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- Love over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- The World according to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- The Importance of Being 7 by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- Bertie Plays the Blues by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- Sunshine on Scotland St by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- Bertie’s Guide to Life and Mothers by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- The Revolving Door of Life by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- The Bertie Project by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- A Time of Love and Tartan by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- Peppermint Tea Chronicles by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- A Promise of Ankles by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- Murder in C Major by Susan Hoskin Frommer (CA)
- Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (JPM)
February
The three categories for February were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: Non-fiction
Book 1: Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser (suggested by Laura M)
Book 2: Any biography, self-help or other non-fiction title
C. Challenge books
Book 1: Galileo: And the Science Deniers by Mario Livio
Book 2: Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
Results:
- Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis by Izabella Wentz (AR)
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley (AR)
- The Hike by Drew Magary (TK)
- We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi (CG)
- One by One by Ruth Ware (AR)
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (AR)
- Five Second Rule by Mel Robbins (CA)
- The New Rules for Aging Well by Dr. F. Lipman & Danielle Clare (CA)
- Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White (CA)
- They Said This Would be Fun by Eternity Martis (CA)
- Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall (CA)
- Solutions and other Problems by Ali Brosh
- Dolly Parton, Songteller by Dolly Parton (CA)
- Hashimoto’s Protocol by Izabella Wentz (CA)
- Hashimoto’s Food Pharmacology by Izabella Wentz (CA)
- Good Boy, My Life in 7 Dogs by Jennifer Finlay Boylan (CA)
- Remain Silent by Susan Steiner (CA)
- Tom Clancy: Shadow of the Dragon by Marc Cameron (CA)
- Human Remains by Miranda Li (CA)
- A Time for Mercy by John Grisham (CA)
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (CA)
- Homicide in Hard Cover by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- If Books Could Kill by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- Lies that Bind by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- Murder Undercover by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- Pages of Sin (e-novella) by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- One Book in the Grave by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- Peril in Paperback by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- Cookbook Conspiracy by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- The Book Stops Here by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- Ripped from the Pages by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- Books of a Feather by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- Once Upon a Spine by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- Buried in Books by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- The Book Supremacy by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- The Grim Reader by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- Becoming by Michelle Obama (LM)
- Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Carline Fraser (AH)
- Gutter Child by Jael Richardson (TK)
- The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis (TK)
- Foundation by Mercedes Lackey (LM)
- Swindle by Gordon Korman (LM)
March
The three categories for March were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: Mystery
Book 1: Any of the mysteries by Ian Rankin (good detective series) or Ben Aaronovtich (police with supernatural twist, both suggested by Paul M)
Book 2: Any mystery
C. Challenge books
Book 1: Arsène Lupin, The Gentleman Burglar by Maurice Leblanc
Book 2: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
Results:
- Arsene Lupin: Gentleman cambrioleur by Maurice Leblanc (CG)
- Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (AH, PS, LM)
- The Exploits of Arsene Lupin by Maurice Leblanc (AH)
- Social, Civil and Savvy by Laura VanArendonk Baugh (JM)
- Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris (AH)
- The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Agatha Christie (CG, LM, CA)
- Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (LM)
- Simplify by Jonathan Becker (CA)
- Unbelievable by Dr. John Shelby Spong (CA)
- Shame on Me by Tessa McWatt (CA)
- Lean Out by Lena Henley (CA)
- Dearly by Margaret Atwood (CA)
- A Catered Book Club Murder by Isis Crawford (CA)
- The Lost Boys by Faye Kellerman (CA)
- Serpentine by Jonathan Kellerman (CA)
- The Ancient Dead by Barbara Fradkin (CA)
- Cold as Ice by Allison Brennan (CA)
- The World that We Knew by Alice Hoffman (CA)
- If I Knew Then by Jann Arden (CA)
- How We Got Here: The 70’s by David Frum (CA)
- Dirty South by John Connolly (CA)
- The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (CA)
- How to Pronounce Knife by S. Thamogvonssa (CA)
- The 4% solution by Karma Brown (CA)
- The Morning and the Evening by Ken Follett (CA)
- The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (AH)
- The Hormone Reset Diet by Dr. Sara Gottfried (AR)
- Mistakes to Run With by Yasuko Thanh (TK)
- The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnely (TK)
- Death in an English Countryside by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Death in an English Cottage by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Death in an English Country Home by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Death in an Elegant City by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Menace at the Christmas Market by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Death in an English Garden by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Death at an English Wedding by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Cherry Ames x 16 (CA)
- The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg (AR)
April
The three categories for April were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: History
Book 1: Any book written before 1956
Book 2: Any book set before 1956
C. Challenge books
Book 1: A book written by Anne Perry, Diane Gabaldon, Dorothy L Sayers, Dianne Day or Dorothy Gilman
Book 2: Any in the Bandy Papers series by Donald Jack
Results:
- In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear (AR)
- The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (PS)
- The Strange Files of Fremont Jones by Dianne Day (PS)
- Mini Bike Hero by Claire Mackay (PS)
- The Greenglass Hotel by Kate Milford (PS)
- Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (CG)
- Literary Murder by Batya Git (AR)
- Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry (AH)
- The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (TK)
- The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (AR)
- Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch (CG)
- The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (TK)
- The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jemoff (AR)
- The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson (AH)
- No Time Like the Future by Michael J Fox (CA)
- What I Would Tell You by Julie Keon (CA)
- A Promised Land by Barack Obama (CA)
- How to Avoid a Climate Change Disaster by Bill Gates (CA)
- Can you Hear Me Now by Celia Ceaser-Chevannes (CA)
- Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell (CA)
- A Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (CA, TK)
- Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- This Time Next Year We Will Be Laughing by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- Hush-hush by Stuart Woods (CA)
- Double Jeopardy by Stuart Woods (CA)
- Five Little Indians by Michelle Good (CA)
- The Billionaire Murders by Kevin O’Donahue (CA)
- Not On My Watch by Alexandra Morton (CA)
- A Simple Murder by Linda Costillo (CA)
- An Orphan’s Guilt by Archer Mayor (CA)
- Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes by Karen Rose Smith (CA)
- Picture Perfect Frame by Lynn Calhoon (CA)
- Moving is Murder by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Staying Home is a Killer by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Getting Away is Deadly by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Magnolias, Moonlight, and Murder by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Mint Juleps, Mayhem, and Murder by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Mimosas, Mischief, and Murder by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Mistletoe, Merriment, and Murder by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Milkshakes, Mermaids, and Murder by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Marriage, Monsters-In-Law, and Murder by Sara Rosett (CA)
- Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch (CG, LM)
- A Sudden Fearful Death by Anne Perry (AR)
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (CG)
- Code Blues by Melissa Yi (CM)
- Dear Life by Rachel Clarke (CM)
- This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay (CM)
- The Chalet School and Robin by Caroline German (LM)
- Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon (LM)
May
The three categories for May were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: Geography
Book 1: Any book with a place in the title;
Book 2: Any book set on a continent (* or sub-continent) where you haven’t lived for at least 3 years; OR
Book 3: Any book by an author from a continent other than North America
C. Challenge books
Book 1: A book written by a native African author
Book 2: A book written by a native Asian author
Results:
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (AR)
- The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson (AR)
- The Piano Teacher by Janice Y K Lee (AR)
- Code Blues by Melissa Yi (CM)
- Dear Life by Rachel Clarke (CM, CA)
- This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay (CM)
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (AR)
- The Breakdown by BA Paris (TK)
- Through the Dark Wood: Finding Meaning In The Second Half of Life by James Hollis (TK)
- The Color of Our Sky by Amita Trasi (AR)
- Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- Messenger of the Truth by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Genoff (CA)
- The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Genoff (CA)
- The Diplomat’s Wife by Pam Genoff (CA)
- The Kommandant’s Girl by Pam Genoff (CA)
- The Ambassador’s Daughter by Pam Genoff (CA)
- Hidden Affair by Pam Genoff (CA)
- Mother’s Day, Muffins and Murder by Sara Rosett (CA)
- On Deadly Tides by Elizabeth Duncan (CA)
- Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle by Sarah Graves (CA)
- Death by Chocolate Frosted Donut by Sarah Graves (CA)
- Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown (CA)
- The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Myerson (CA)
- Ocean Prey by John Sandford (CA)
- The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (CA)
- Find You First by Linwood Barclay (CA)
- 21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act by Bob Joseph (CA)
- Equal to the Challenge, an Anthology of Women’s Experiences in WWII (CA)
- Secret War of WWII by National Geographic (CA)
- Canada by Mike Myers (TK)
- The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Marais (AR)
- The Light Through The Leaves by Glendy Vanderah (TK)
- The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry (PS)
- A Dangerous Mourning by Anne Perry (PS)
- Defend and Betray by Anne Perry (PS)
- A Sudden, Fearful Death by Anne Perry (PS)
- Sins of the Wolf by Anne Perry (PS)
- Cain His Brother by Anne Perry (PS)
- Weighed in the Balance by Anne Perry (PS)
- The Silent Cry by Anne Perry (PS)
- A Breach of Promise by Anne Perry (PS)
June
The three categories for June were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: Indigenous
Book 1: Any book written by an Indigenous AUTHOR
Book 2: Any book with an Indigenous CHARACTER
C. Challenge books
Book 1: Anything by Thomas King
Book 2: The Clay We Are Made Of by Susan M. Hill
Results:
- The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton (AH)
- River of London series Book 8 (LM)
- Up and Down by Terry Fallis (AR)
- Out of the Deep I Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming (AR)
- Vanishing Act by Thomas Perry (PS)
- Dance for the Dead by Thomas Perry (PS)
- Shadow Woman by Thomas Perry (PS)
- The Face-Changers by Thomas Perry (PS)
- Blood Money by Thomas Perrry (PS)
- Runner by Thomas Perry (PS)
- Poison Flower by Thomas Perry (PS)
- A String of Beads by Thomas Perry (PS)
- Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch (CG)
- We Are Perfectly Fine by Dr. Jillian Horton (CM)
- Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson (TK)
- The Orenda by Joseph Boyden (TK)
- Perfume by Patrick Suskind (AR)
- The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (AR)
- Uiesh Quelque part by Joséphine Bacon (CG)
- Breaking the Lore by Andy Redmith (CG)
- Violence Against Indigenous Women by Allison Hargreaves (CA)
- Call Me Indian by Fred Sasakamoose (CA)
- Indians on Vacaton by Thomas King (CA)
- Journey to Munich by Maisie Dobbs (CA)
- In This Grave Hour by Maisie Dobbs (CA)
- To Die But Once by Maisie Dobbs (CA)
- The American Agent by Maisie Dobbs (CA)
- The Consequences of Fear by Maisie Dobbs (CA)
- Spoils of the Dead by Dana Stabenow (CA)
- Twenty by James Grippando (CA)
- Almost Midnight by Paul Doiron (CA)
- A Matter of Life and Death by Philip Margolin (CA)
- The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff (CA)
- The Grasmere Grudge by Rebecca Tope (CA)
- The Patterdale Plot by Rebecca Tope (CA)
- Dark Sky by C J Box (CA)
- Autopsy of a Boring Wife by Marie Renee Lavoie (CA)
- Not Dark Yet by Peter Robinson (CA)
- Find Me Dead by Peter James (CA)
- Dead at First Sight by Peter James (CA)
- Left You Dead by Peter James (CA)
- Death in the Garden City by Jeanette Dam (CA)
- 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad (CA)
- Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Lethal Licorice by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Premeditated Peppermint by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Criminally Cocoa by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Toxic Toffee by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Botched Butterscotch by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Marshmallow Malice by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Candy Cane Crime by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Lemon Drop Death by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Matchmaking Can be Murder by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Courting Can Be a Killer by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Plain Death by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Plain Scandal by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Plain Disappearance by Amanda Flower (CA)
- Crafter Knits a Clue by Holly Quinn (CA)
- A Crafter Hooks a Killer by Holly Quinn (CA)
- A Crafter Quilts a Crime by Holly Quinn (CA)
- Peach Cobbler by Ann Gerard (CA)
- A Killer Cupcake by Fiona Grace (CA)
- Murderous Macaroons by Fiona Grace (CA)
- For Batter or Worse by Jenn McKinlay (CA)
- Deadly Ever After by Vicky Delaney as Eva Gates (CA)
- This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay (CA)
- Cleaning up your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf (CA)
- What Happened To You by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Perry (CA)
- Elizabeth and Margaret by Andrew Morton (CA)
- What Happened by Hilary Rodham Clinton (CA)
- MentalPause by Laura Jensens (CA)
- My Mother’s Daughter by Perdita Felicien (CA)
- Keep This, Toss That by Jamie Novak (CA)
- The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- God Save the Child by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Mortal Stakes by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Promised Land by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- The Judas Goat by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Looking for Rachel Wallace by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Early Autumn by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- A Savage Place by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Ceremony by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- The Widening Gyre by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Valediction by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- A Catskill Eagle by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Taming a Sea-Horse by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Pale Kings and Princes by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Crimson Joy by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Playmates by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Stardust by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Pastime by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Double Deuce by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Paper Doll by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Walking Shadow by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Thin Air by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Chance by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Small Vices by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Sudden Mischief by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Hugger Mugger by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Potshot by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell (TK)
- The Law of the Dead by Tess Collins (AR)
- Know Your Rites (Inspector Paris) (CG)
- Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King (AH)
- Room for One More by Monique Polak (AH)
- From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle (CGo)
- Second Chances by Kerry Gladue (CGo)
- The Clay We Are Made Of by Susan M. Hill (CGo)
- The Marrow Thieves by Cherrie Dimaline (CG)
- Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin (AR)
- The Kingdom of Back by xxx (PM)
July
The three categories for July were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: Canada
Book 1: Any book set in Canada
Book 2: Any book by a Canadian author
C. Challenge books
Book 1: Any book nominated for the ScotiaBank Giller Prize
Book 2: Any book nominated for the Governor General’s Award
Results:
- The Marrow Thieves by Cherrie Dimaline (CG, JM)
- Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin (AR)
- Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch (LM)
- False Value by Ben Aaronovitch (LM)
- The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch (LM)
- What Abigail Did Last Summer by Ben Aaronovitch (LM)
- Tales from the Folly by Ben Aaaronovitch (LM)
- The Love Season by Elin Hilderbrand (AR, CA)
- Indians on Vacation (CA)
- Pull of the Stars (CA)
- Five Little Indians (CA)
- How to Pronounce Knife (CA)
- A Boring Wife Settles the Score by Marie-Renee Lavoie (CA)
- Dreadful Water by Thomas King (CA)
- The Red Power Murders by Thomas King (CA)
- Cold Skies by Thomas King (CA)
- A Matter of Malice by Thomas King (CA)
- Obsidian by Thomas King (CA)
- The White Plague by Frank Herbert (TK)
- The Race by Richard North Patterson (AR)
- The Answer Is by Alex Trebek (AH)
- 50 States, 5000 Ideas by Joe Yogerst (CA)
- How to Outline A Cozy Mystery by Sara Rossett (CA)
- Thirteen Things Mentally Strong Women Don’t Do by Amy Morin (CA)
- The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (CM)
- The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (TK, CA)
- Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch (CG)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part I (CG)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part II (CG)
- The Final Judgement by Richard North Patterson (AR)
- The Stonecutter by Camille Lackberg (AR)
- Jackpot by Stuart Woods (CA)
- Someone To Watch Over Me by Ace Atkins (CA)
- The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser (CA)
- One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak (CA)
- That Summer by Jennifer Weiner (CA)
- Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty by Lauren Weisberger (CA)
- Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear (CA)
- The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (CA)
- Fallen by Linda Costello (CA)
- The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristen Hammel (CA)
- Tell No Lies by Allison Brennan (CA)
- The Hunt by Allison Brennan (CA)
- The Prey by Allison Brennan (CA)
- The Kill by Allison Brennan (CA)
- The Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson Dargatz (CA)
- Turtle Valley by Gail Anderson Dargatz (CA)
- The Stalker by Gail Anderson Dargatz (CA)
- The Devil You Know by Elizabeth deMariaff (CA)
- Land Beyond the Sea by Kevin Major (CA)
- One for the Rock by Kevin Major (CA)
- Two for the Tablelands by Kevin Major (CA)
- The Stepsisters by Susan Mallery (CA)
- Between Sisters (CA)
- Home Again (CA)
- The Things We Do for Love (CA)
- The Winter Garden (CA)
- Comfort and Joy (CA)
- The Home Front (CA)
- Summer Island (CA)
- Night Road (CA)
- The Great Alone (CA)
- The Nightingale (CA)
- At Mystic Lake (CA)
- The Albatross by Terry Fallis (TK)
- The Bourne Evolution by Brian Freeman (AH)
- Back Story by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Bad Business by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Chasing the Bear by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Cold Service by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Death in Paradise by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- High Profile by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Hundred-Dollar Baby by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Night and Day by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Night Passage by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Now and Then by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Painted Ladies by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- The Professional by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Rough Weather by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- School Days by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Sea Change by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Silent Night by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Sixkill by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Split Image by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Stone Cold by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Trouble in Paradise by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Widow’s Walk by Robert B. Parker (PS)
- Code Name Cassandra by Meg Cabot (PS)
- Haunted by Meg Cabot (PS)
- Reunion by Meg Cabot (PS)
- Ninth Key by Meg Cabot (PS)
- Proposal by Meg Cabot (PS)
- Remembrance by Meg Cabot (PS)
- Safe House by Meg Cabot (PS)
- Twilight by Meg Cabot (PS)
- When Lightning Strikes by Meg Cabot (PS)
- Missing You by Meg Cabot (PS)
- Lullaby by Ace Atkins (PS)
- Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline (PS)
- Sprinting Through No Man’s Land by Adin Dobkin (PS)
- The Lost Files: Six’s Legacy by Pittacus Lore (PS)
- The Lost Files: Nine’s Legacy by Pittacus Lore (PS)
- The Lost Files: The Fallen Legacies by Pittacus Lore (PS)
August
The three categories for August were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: Awards
Book 1: Any book that won National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize, or Man Booker Award;
Book 2: Any mystery book that won an Agatha, Shamus, Macavity, Edgar or a Hammett;
C. Challenge books
Book 1: Any book on the BBC Greatest British Novels list or Guardian’s 100 Best Novels Written in English or Time Magazine’s All-Time 100 Novels;
Book 2: Any book on “Abe Book’s list of top 100 Fiction Books to read in a lifetime” or Radcliffe Publishing’s 100 Greatest Novels;
Results:
- We Are All Perfectly Fine by Jill Hunter (CA)
- Nice Racism by Robin DiAngelo (CA)
- A Really Good Brown Girl by Marilyn Dumont (CA)
- Premonition by Michael Lewis (CA)
- How To Write A Series by Sarah Rosset (CA)
- Ozisms by Cy Tymony (CA)
- Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things by Mel Lumsden (CA)
- Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (CA)
- Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell (CA)
- Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand (CA)
- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (CA)
- Beach Read by Emily Henry (CA)
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover (CA)
- Her Last Breath by Hilary Davidson (CA)
- Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt (CA)
- A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson (CA)
- Dark August by Katie Tallio (CA)
- The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff (CA)
- Hid From Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming (CA)
- Deeper Fear by Allison Brennan (CA)
- The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard Morais (CA)
- Up and Down by Terry Fallis (CA)
- The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis (CA)
- Kuespian by Naomi Fontaine (CA)
- The Break by Katherena Vernette (CA)
- The Race by Richard North Patterson (CA)
- Final Judgement by Richard North Patterson (CA)
- Conviction by Richard North Patterson (CA)
- Dark Lady by Richard North Patterson (CA)
- The Lasko Tangent by Richard North Patterson (CA)
- Beyond a Reasonable Donut by Ginger Bolton (CA)
- A Perilous Cake Pop by Fiona Grace (CA)
- Flipped for Murder by Maddie Day (CA)
- Candy Slain Murder by Maddie Day (CA)
- Nacho Average Murder by Maddie Day (CA)
- Strangled Eggs and Ham by Maddie Day (CA)
- Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah (CA)
- Distant Shores by Kristin Hannah (CA)
- True Colours by Kristin Hannah (CA)
- Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah (CA)
- Fly Away by Kristin Hannah (CA)
- The Gilded Cage by Camilla Lackberg (AR)
- The Shape of Snakes by Minette Walters (AR)
- The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult (AR)
- Think of a Number by John Verdon (AR)
- The Secret Orphan by Glynis Peters (AH)
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (TK)
- Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (TK)
- The Lies of Lock Lamora (TK)
- The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (CM)
- The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch (CG)
- Tales from the Folly by Ben Aaronovitch (CG)
September
The three categories for September were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: Science Fiction or Fantasy
Book 1: Any sci-fi book that was made into a movie
Book 2: Any fantasy book that is part of a series where there are MORE than three books in the world
C. Challenge books
Book 1: Anything from Star Wars series (canon or expanded series)
Book 2: Anything from Star Trek series (canon or expanded series)
Book 3: Anything sci-fi or fantasy from Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett
Results:
- Educated by Tara Westover (LM)
- Always Looking From The Other Side by Jacob Horton (AH)
- The Glass of Time by Michael Cox (AR)
- Half Spent Was the Night by Ami McKay (AR)
- Destiny Awakened by C.J. Cooke (PS)
- The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly (AR)
- Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer (AR)
- The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (CM)
- Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (CG)
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (TK)
- A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (TK)
- Dear Canada, These Are My Words by Ruby Slipperjack (CA)
- One Good Story, That One by Thomas King (CA)
- The Border by Natasha Donaldson (CA)
- Betty by David Robertson (CA)
- One Native Life by Richard Wigmore (CA)
- Indian Horse by Richard Wigmore (CA)
- Dream Wheels by Richard Wigmore (CA)
- Medicine Walk by Richard Wigmore (CA)
- Starlight by Richard Wigmore (CA)
- Murder in a Teacup by Vicky Delaney (CA)
- Ice and Stone by Marcia Mueller (CA)
- Winter Wives by Linden MacIntyre (CA)
- My Remarkable Life by Katherine Johnson (CA)
- The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny (CA)
- Bone Code by Kathy Reichs (CA)
- Marilla Before Anne by Louise Micholos (CA)
- The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier (CA)
- The Push by Ashley Audrain (CA)
- Biscuits and Slashed Browns by Maddie Day (CA)
- When the Grits Hit the Fan by Maddie Day (CA)
- Death Over Easy by Maddie Day (CA)
- Grilled for Murder by Maddie Day (CA)
- Booktown by Lorna Barrett (CA)
- Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett (CA)
- Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett (CA)
- Not the Killing Type by Lorna Barrett (CA)
- Book Clubbed by Lorna Barrett (CA)
- Title Wave by Lorna Barrett (CA)
- A Just Clause by Lorna Barrett (CA)
- Poisoned Pages by Lorna Barrett (CA)
- The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg (CA)
- The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg (CA)
- The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg (CA)
- The Stranger by Camilla Lackberg (CA)
- The Hidden Child by Camilla Lackberg (CA)
- The Drowning by Camilla Lackberg (CA)
- Poles Apart by Terry Fallis by Camilla Lackberg (CA)
- The High Road by Camilla Lackberg (CA)
- Women of the Pandemic by Lauren McKeon (CA)
- Talk Money To Me by Kelley Keehn (CA)
- Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (LM)
- Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey (LM)
- White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey (LM)
- Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey (LM)
- Sandman by Anne McCaffrey (LM)
October
The three categories for October were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: Women
Book 1: A book by a female author from your To Be Read pile
Book 2: A book of inspiration for women
Book 3: A book with a female lead
C. Challenge books
Book 1: A book that is/was the debut novel by a female author
Book 2: A book by a female author published under a male pseudonym
Results:
- Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica (TK)
- The Witch Elm by Tana French (TK)
- Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel (TK)
- Why Him, Why Her by Helen Fisher (TK)
- Harbinger by David Mack (CG) ** September
- All Systems Red by Martha Wells (CG) ** September
- Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor (CG)
- Et si c’était ça le bonheur by Francine Ruel (CG)
- A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor (CG)
- Anatomy of Love by Helen E Fischer (AR)
- Daughter of Australia by Harmony Verna (AR)
- The Year of Fob by Michelle Redmond (AR)
- The Break by Katherena Vermette (KE)
- Good Omens by Neil Gaiman (KE)
- Notorious D.O.C. by Melissa Ye (CM)
- Terminally Ill by Melissa Ye (CM)
- Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (LM)
- Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez (AH)
- The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon (CA)
- 7 Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon (CA)
- Scone of Contention by Lucy Burdette (CA)
- No Grater Crime by Maddie Day (CA)
- One for the Hooks by Betty Hetchman (CA)
- Little Black Book by Kate Carlisle (CA)
- Buried Angels by Camilla Lackenberg (CA)
- The Ice Child by Camilla Lackenberg (CA)
- The Girl in the Woods by Camilla Lackenberg (CA)
- For Joshua by Richard Wagamese (CA)
- One Story One Song by Richard Wagamese (CA)
- The Next Sure Thing by Richard Wagamese (CA)
- Keeper’n’Me by Richard Wagamese (CA)
- Sufferance by Thomas King (CA)
- Life in the City of Dirty Water by Clayton Thomas Muller (CA)
- Black Water by David Robertson (CA)
- Unreconciled by Jesse Wente (CA)
- The Strangers by Katerena Vermette (CA)
- Stone’s Throw by Mike Diluca (CA)
- Denial by Beverly McLauchlin (CA)
- Masked Man by Archie Mayor (CA)
- The Sixth Wedding by Elin Hildebrand (CA)
- Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (CA)
- Brave New World by Adolf Huxley (CA)
- An Embarassment of Critches by Mark Critch (CA)
- All Over the Map by Ron James (CA)
- Off the Record by Peter Mansbridge (CA)
- Canadian Courage by Linda Pruessen (CA)
- Barbarian Lost by Alexandre Trudeau (CA)
- Over the Boards by Haley Wickenheiser (CA)
November
The three categories for November were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: Best sellers in 2021
- 10 from current New York Times fiction list
- Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty — Missing mother, siblings suspect father
- The Jailhouse Lawyer by James Patterson and Nancy Allen — Lawyer in crowded Alabama jail
- Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead — Furniture salesman with new clientele
- Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune — Seven days to live
- Billy Summers by Stephen King — Killer for hire seeks redemption
- Enemy at the Gates by Kyle Mills — US President doesn’t trust hunt for traitor
- Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney — Group of 4 dealing with change
- Bewilderment by Richard Powers — Single father considers treatment for son
- Daughter of the Morning Star by Craig Johnson — Part of long series, high school basketball player is threatened
- A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins — Murdered man, three women are suspects
- Top 10 from books on New York Times list this year with the most weeks
- 133w Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens — Girl raised in nature
- 50w The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett — Twin black girls run away, lead different lives
- 35w American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins — Bookstore owner meets drug lord
- 24w Anxious People by Fredrik Backman — Bank robbery, hostages, and missing robber
- 22w The Return by Nicholas Sparks — Navy doctor in love
- 20w If It Bleeds by Stephen King — Four novellas
- 19w A Time for Mercy by John Grisham — Teenager accused of killing deputy sheriff
- 16w Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir — Astronaut with no memory
- 16w Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid — Summer party of famous siblings
- 13w The President’s Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Patterson — Abducted daughter
- Top 10 from Amazon so far in 2021
- American Marxism by Mark Levin — Non-fiction, hard-core US conservatism
- Atomic Habits by James Clear — Self-help (habits)
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz — Self-help (thinking)
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk — Self-help (trauma)
- The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah — Fiction, set in Great Depression
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig — Fiction, semi-fantasy about life choices (the life you lived, the life you didn’t)
- It Ends With Us by Collect Hoover — Fiction, romance for workaholic
- The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave — Fiction, mystery of missing husband
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene — Self-help-ish
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki — Self-help (finances)
C. Challenge books
Book 1: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab — Immortality with a catch
Book 2: The Guest List by Lucy Foley — Island wedding turns deadly
Results:
- A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron (AR, CA)
- To Cut A Long Story Short by Jeffrey Archer (AR)
- Stockholm Syndrome by Melissa Ye (CM)
- A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor (CGa)
- The Midnight Library by Crystal Gomes (CGo)
- The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (CGo)
- Milkman by Anna Burns (JM)
- Heads You Win by Jeffrey Archer (AH)
- The Cold Dish (Longmire) (LM)
- Book 2 (Longmire) (LM)
- A Closed andCommon Orbit by Becky Chambers (TK)
- Indian Horse (TK)
- The Sandman Act II (TK)
- GoTell the Bees that I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon (CA)
- Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney (CA)
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria Schwaab (CA, PS)
- The Devil to Pay by Barbara Fradkin (CA)
- An Image in the Lake by Gail Bowen (CA)
- Lightening Strike by William Kent Kreuger (CA)
- The Dark Hours by Michael Connelley (CA)
- Better Off Dead by Lee and Andrew Childs (CA)
- State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton (CA)
- The Lincoln Highway by Amer Towles (CA)
- Silverview by John LeCarre (CA)
- Best in Snow by David Rosenfelt (CA)
- Operation Angus by Terry Fallis (CA)
- Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler (CA)
- Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler (CA)
- A Slipping Down Life by Anne Tyler (CA)
- What Comes From Spirit by Richard Wagamere (CA)
- Ragged Company by Richard Wagamere (CA)
- Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares (CA)
- A Perfect Plan by Jeffrey Deaver (CA)
- Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez (CA)
December
The three categories for December were:
A. Reader’s choice – any book
B. Category: Classics
Book 1: Any book published before 1900
Book 2: Any book on Time Magazine’s All-Time Best 100 Novels
Book 3: Any book on BBC’s 100 Greatest British Novels
C. Challenge books
Book 1: Any book from Project Gutenberg
Book 2: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Book 3: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Results:
- Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott (AR)
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (AR)
- A Tail Throught Time by Jodi Taylor (CG)
- And Then There Were None (CG, CA)
- No Time Like the Past by Jodi Taylor (CG)
- The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson (KE)
- Brain Wave by Poul Anderson (TK)
- Aces by Craig Alanson (TK)
- Critical Role: Vox Machina – Kith and Kin (TK)
- I am Mine by Eddie Veder (TK)
- Heaven’s River by Dennis E Taylor (TK)
- The Chrysalids by John Wyndham (TK)
- Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (CM)
- Erase and Rewind by Meghan Bell (AH)
- How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa (AH)
- Middlemarch by George Elliot (CA)
- Persuasion by Jane Austen (CA)
- Bees by Diane Gabaldon (CA)
- Game On: Tempting 28 by Janet Evanovich (CA)
- The Wish by Nicholas Sparks (CA)
- The Judges List by John Grisham (CA)
- Heads You Win by Jeffrey Archer (CA)
- The Joy and Light Bus Company by Alexander McCall Smith (CA)
- Monogamy by Sue Miller (CA)
- Three for Trinity by Kevin Major (CA)
- The Long Call by Ann Cleeves (CA)
- Probably Ruby by Lisa Bird-Wilson (CA)
- Bearskin Diary by Carol Daniels (CA)
- Happily This Christmas by Susan Mallery (CA)
- Thunder Island by Meryl Sawyer (CA)
- Inherit the Sun by Maxwell Grant (CA)
- No One Wins Alone by Mark Messier (CA)
- Broken Circle by Theodore Fontaine (CA)
- Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have by Tatania Schlossberg (CA)
- Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown (CA)