The What’s In A Name challenge is an annual one that looks simpler than it was. To read a paltry 6 books across a whole year is nothing really but a couple of the categories proved a little difficult for me. Funnily enough I had no problems with titles containing the word evil or books with a life stage in the name (though it possibly says something about my damaged psyche that all my options incorporated ‘death’) but I ended up having to cheat a little with the last category I finished – a book with a size in the title. I don’t suppose ‘short’ is really a size but the book I had selected (containing the word Quarters) ended up soaking in the washing up water for about an hour and it hasn’t been the same since. All but one of the six books I read were rated 3 stars or above which means this was a good challenge, quality wise, as well as being a bit of fun (if you want to know without clicking on the review links Three Seconds was the book that did little for me).
- A book with a number in the title: Three Seconds by Anders Roslund & Börge Hellström
- A book with jewellery or a gem in the title: Diamonds for the Dead by Alan Orloff
- A book with a size in the title: A Short Cut to Paradise by Teresa Solana
- A book with travel or movement in the title: A Walk in the Dark by Gianrico Carofiglio
- A book with evil in the title: Evil Intent by Kate Charles
- A book with a life stage in the title: Kiss of Death by P D Martin
Anyway thanks to Beth Fish Reads for hosting the challenge and though I am not intending to participate in more than one challenge next year if I do find myself looking for a bit of a challenge I can see myself being tempted by the 2012 version of this challenge
Evil was the category that I struggled with the most!
Being a crime fiction junkie is good for some things Marg…evil appears with regularity…but it would have been nice to have a book about life or birth or something other than 17 different books about death to choose from
I finished this one early this year and did enjoy coming up with creative ways to fulfill the categories. I read “Three Seconds” and “Diamonds for the Dead” this year, too, and if I’m not mistaken I stole the “Diamonds” idea from you.
Like you, I’m scaling back on challenges next year or I’d do this one again.
I’ll consider it imitation rather than stealing Karen
The sincerest form of flattery.
Bernadette – Now I confess I didn’t take up this challenge, but I do like the creativity inherent in it. I admire the way you’ve taken on challenges but I completely understand why you’re cutting back….
Wonderful answers.
Here’s a quick response since I don’t have a blog:
Number: The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly
Size: The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
Travel: Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camillieri
Evil: Devil’s Star by Jo Nesbo or Blood of the Wicked by Leighton Gage
Life Stage: Mistress in the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
Gem: Did not read a book with a gem or jewel in the title but I’m expanding the category a bit to something that’s more valuable to me: The Poisoned Chocolate Case by Anthony Berkeley
Excellent answers Kathy and encouraging to know that you managed such diverse reading even without the motivation of officially signing up for the challenge – hopefully I can do the same next year. Oh and I agree – chocolate is far more precious than dusty old diamonds
I can more or less do this challenge from books read this year, if one is allowed money instead of jewels/gems and (like Kathy) the devil instead of “evil”:
Number: The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly
Size: Out of Range by C J Box
Movement: I’ll Walk Alone by Mary Higgins Clark (there, something useful came out of reading that book!)
Evil: Up Jumped the Devil by Blair S. Walker (counterpart: The Redeemed by M R Hall)
Life Stage: Proof of Life by Karen Campbell
Jewel: Sweet Money by Ernesto Mallo.
Thanks for the fun
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