2022 Reading Challenges Wrap-up

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In recent years, I've been reading fewer total books each year for various reasons. I hoped that I would be able to get my totals up in 2022, but there's no way I could have foreseen all the interruptions to "normal" I would experience over the year, and how that would impact my time and interest in reading. So although I didn't reach my goals, I made progress, and I will be doing the 2023 version of these challenges as well. Watch for that post coming up soon!

I attempted two specific challenges hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader:

For the 2022 European Reading Challenge participants tried to read books either set in Europe or by European authors. I decided to try the Four Star (Honeymooner) level participation. My goal was to read four books set in four different European countries, or by authors from four different countries. I did manage to read books representing at least four different countries, but in only three books:

1. A Brush With Shadows - Anna Lee Huber (United Kingdom)
2. A Rose For The Resistance - Angela K. Crouch (France)
3. The Master Craftsman - Kelli Stuart (Russia, Finland)

From Rose City Reader:

THE GIST: The idea is to read books set in European countries or books by European authors. The books can be of any genre - fiction, nonfiction, novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, whatever. You can participate at different levels, but each book must represent a different country - either written by an author from a different country or set in a different country, no two books from the same country. It's supposed to be a tour!

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The TBR 22 in '22 Challenge is meant to encourage us to read the books already on our shelves (including eReader shelves) and maybe make room for more! I thought this was a great idea, since I have a lot of books on shelves, in boxes, and in the library of my Kindle that I haven't read yet, despite all my good intentions. Many of them I'm quite willing to pass on to others, but I don't feel right about doing that if I haven't even tried to read them! So it seems like a good idea to read before I purge. Once again, who knew that I'd need to purge those shelves in a hurry in order to make a move! And thanks to my reduced reading time, I did focus on books that I was supposed to review rather than plowing through the ones I already had. I'm not sure how I'll manage this in 2023, unless I focus mostly on the books in my Kindle. But that's a goal I'll decide on in the next week or so. So, sadly, I reached only a fraction of the goal - just six books from the existing library:

1. High-Wire Heartbreak - Anna Schmidt
2. A Brush With Shadows - Anna Lee Huber
3. An Artless Demise - Anna Lee Huber
4. Pudd'nhead Wilson - Mark Twain
5. A Stroke of Malice - Anna Lee Huber
6. A Wicked Conceit - Anna Lee Huber

From Rose City Reader:

"TBR" counts as any book that was on your shelf prior to January 1, 2022. "Shelf" includes your ebook reader and audiobooks you own, but it doesn't include library books. This is a TBR challenge, so the goal is to read the books you own to make room for more books.

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Partway through the year, I added another specific challenge - The 52 Book Club's 2022 Reading Challenge. Since I started halfway through the year, I thought I might be able to complete about half the categories. Find out more about the 2022 Reading Challenge HERE. I didn't quite make it, completing 17 of the 52 prompts, but hopefully I can get a lot closer to 52 this coming year!

5. Pudd'nhead Wilson - Mark Twain (Chapters have titles)

7. Atomic Habits - James Clear (non-fiction bestseller)

11. The Bride of Blackfriars Lane - Michelle Griep (less than 2022 Goodreads ratings)

12. The Master Craftsman - Kelli Stuart (set on at least two continents)

15. A Promise Engraved - Liz Tolsma (A five-syllable title)

22. A Stroke of Malice - Anna Lee Huber (An unlikely detective)

23. Price of a Rose - Byrd Nash (author with an X, Y, or Z in their name)

25. A Wicked Conceit - Anna Lee Huber (a wealthy character)

26. An Artless Demise - Anna Lee Huber (has an author's note)

27. Mary - Shannon McNear (has a map)

33. A Rose For The Resistance - Angela K. Crouch (A bilingual character - protagonist Rosalind is French but also speaks English well, and works hard to learn German during the story)

37. Season Of My Enemy - Naomi Musch (set in a rural area)

41. Off The Chain - Janice Thompson (involves a second chance)

44. Lumberjacks and Ladies - novella collection (an anthology)

47. Beneath His Silence - Hannah Linder (Read during the month of November)

50. Recitatif - Toni Morrison (A person of color as the main character - the twist is . . . the reader is not told which of the two main characters is black and which is white)

52. The Heart of the Mountains - Pepper Basham (published in 2022)

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Scripture and a Snapshot - What Great Love

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

~John 3:16~

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

~I John 3:1-2~

Happy New Year!

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Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for December 30, 2022

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Eliza lifted her breakfast bell to ring, then let arm and soundless bell drop to her side. She felt a profound reluctance to disturb in any way the morning quiet. She had a conviction unreasoning, but deep, that the sound of her bell might be all that was needed to shatter tranquility, call up from out of the wood lot, or across the river side, John Morgan himself.

~from page 56 of The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West

A quintessential American heroine, Eliza Birdwell is a wonderful blend of would-be austerity, practicality, and gentle humor when it comes to keeping her faith and caring for her family and community. Her husband, Jess, shares Eliza's love of people and peaceful ways but, unlike Eliza, he displays a fondness for a fast horse and a lively tune. With their children, they must negotiate their way through the Civil War, a time that constantly confronts them and tests the strength of their beliefs. Whether it's a gift parcel arriving on their doorstep of Confederate soldiers approaching their land, the Birdwells embrace life with emotion, conviction, and a love for one another that seems to conquer all.

Jessamyn's first novel and a classic tale of the American Midwest, The Friendly Persuasion will charm generations of readers, as it has in the past, for years to come.

 

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.

*Find a snippet, short and sweet.

*Post it, and share in the Linky.

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Near the banks of the Muscatatuck where once the woods had stretched, dark row on row, and where the fox grapes and wild mint still flourished, Jess Birdwell, an Irish Quaker, built his white clapboard house. Here he lacked for very little. 

~From the beginning of The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

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First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.

*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.

*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

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It's been several years since I participated in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer, but I've decided to try to include it in my Friday Fun posts again.  

This Week's Question: In 2022, how many books did you read?

My Answer: I remember when I used to read at least 50 books in a year. For whatever reason, I no longer have that kind of time, or I spend my time doing things other than reading. This year I read twenty-two books. I'm hoping to do more in 2023, but I'm still deciding which reading challenges to participate in.

Book Blogger Hop

 ©2008-2022 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

Recent Reads - A Wicked Conceit

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A Wicked Conceit by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera and Gage are trying to enjoy some reprieve from solving mysteries as they await the birth of their first child. But a scandalous novel and a play based on it have taken Edinburgh by storm, and unfortunately the subject matter leads to gossip and speculation about Kiera herself. Despite their efforts to ignore the tittle-tattle and let it run its course, they are compelled to try to find the mysterious author when Bonnie Brock Kincaid steps in. The novel is about Bonnie Brock, spreading rumors and half-truths about his criminal enterprises and his true parentage, and hinting that he is actually the father of Kiera's child.

Bonnie Brock comes to the Gages and demands that they find the author or he will, and he leaves the threat of what he will do hanging. In an effort to stop a rumored sequel from being published, the Gages visit the publisher and follow several leads. Things take a turn when the publisher is found murdered in his office, and the Gages are among the suspects.

Against a backdrop of family drama between Kiera and her sister Alana, and revealed family secrets, Kiera and Gage are in a race against time to find the author and figure out his motivation before Bonnie Brock can take his own revenge. When a breakthrough in the case finally comes, it may be too late, as Kiera and Gage are unprepared for the final attack, and Kiera is dangerously close to her delivery date.

By the same author: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts; A Grave Matter, A Study in Death, A Pressing Engagement, This Side of Murder, As Death Draws Near, A Brush With Shadows, Treacherous Is The Night, An Artless Demise, Secrets in the Mist, Penny for Your Secrets, A Stroke of Malice, A Pretty Deceit

This book features a wealthy character (#25) for The 52 Book Club's 2022 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub2022

©2008-2022 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Monthly Bookshelf Review - December 2022

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

I didn't do a lot of reading during December, but I think I picked up a bit of momentum again. It's almost time to summarize my 2022 Reading Challenges (I didn't complete nearly as much as I'd wanted to) and decide what my reading goals will be for 2023. Coming soon! Here's what I worked on during this holiday month:

December's Books Completed and Reviewed

Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder - Ella poses as a governess in an attempt to find proof of Lord Sedgewick's guilt in her sister's death, but instead finds that things are not as she'd assumed, and perhaps her accusations are unfounded. (Read my full review HERE)

A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera and Gage must identify a body, determine motive, and find a killer while at a Twelfth Night house party, and navigate complicated family dynamics at the same time. (Read my full review HERE)

During December I started reading:

A Wicked Conceit by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera and Gage become entangled in another murder case thanks to a mysterious author who casts them in a scandalous light 

The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West - I was determined to read this collection of short stories even though I wasn't teaching it in Lit class, and I finally got started.

Coming Up in January!

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber

A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber

   

What I'm Highlighting . . . since Five Minute Friday is on a holiday break, I decided to finally wrap up a couple of prompts from a series early in the year that seemed timely now. Unexpected Changes is the first of these three posts that will finally complete my 28 Days of Coping With Change series. Long story!

On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Friday Fun posts - The Friday 56 and First Lines

What I'm Reading - December 12, 2022

And on HS Coffee Break:

I Spy posts (#100 and year-end Collections)

Five Minute Friday posts

Unexpected Changes

Share Four Somethings - December 2022

High School Writing Tip Sheets - Creating Characters in Fiction

Currently . . . December 7, 2022

November Photo Album

This post will be linked at the December 2022 Monthly Wrap-Up Round-up Link-up and Giveaway hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction; and at the weekly reading list meme hosted at Book Date.

 

©2008-2022 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scripture and a Snapshot - He Shall Be Their Peace (Christmas Eve)

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.

~Micah 5:2-5a~

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

~Hebrews 13:20-21~

Amen. Praying that you will know this wonderful peace as you worship the Prince of Peace and celebrate his coming.

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Scripture and a Snapshot - Love Each Other (Advent: Love)

 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what was said through the prophet: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "god with us"). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

~Matthew 1:18-25~

"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit - fruit that will last - and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other."

~John 15:4-5, 9-17~

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