More than halfway through the year I discovered ‘reading challenges’ and completed all 17 I chose.  I’m being daring in 2013, imagining the good I can do starting right in January!  I’m joining more of these pleasant circles than ever.  Out of respect for non-book followers of my blog, I’m grouping about three together per post.  First up:  more outlets to tackle book series!

I was thrilled to stumble upon a pair, “Firsts” & “Seconds“, creatively thought of by a ‘Katy’.  But we haven’t heard from her and another fan, ‘Darlene’s Book Nook’, is keeping it available.  Part I invites exposure to numerous series at your chosen pace.  Book 1 of anything that continued, will do.  I’ll start as a ‘series lover‘ because I like to finish all the way through what I start.  If you multiply that by ten, that’s a lot of stories.

Series Novice:    05 that are first.
Series Lover:     10 that are first.
Series Expert:    20 that are first.
Series Fanatic:    30 that are first.

“Mystery At Black Rock Island”  Robert Sutherland  1983
“The Secret Of Terror Castle”  Robert Arthur  1964
“Dancing Feathers”  Christel Kleitsch  1985
“The Secret Adversary”  Agatha Christie  1922
“Rest You Merry”  Charlotte MacLeod  1978
“Night Of The Living Deed”  E.J. Copperman  2010
“Defending Angels”   Mary Stanton  2008
“Homicide In Hardcover”  Kate Carlisle  2009
“Mew Is For Murder”  Clea Simon  2005

10)  “Who Do Voodoo”   Rochelle Staab  2010
“The Secret Of The Old Clock”  Mildred A Wirt  1930
“Murder On The Canadian”  Eric Wilson  1976
“A Killer Read”   Erika Chase  2012
 “Jacob Two-Two Meets Hooded Fang”  Mordecai Richler  1975
“If Walls Could Talk”  Juliet Blackwell  2010
“Room With A Clue”  Kate Kingsbury  1993
“The Ghost & Mrs. McClure”  Alice Kimberly  2004
“Fer-De-Lance”  Rex Stout  1934
“Pretty Poison”  Joyce, Jim Lavene  2005

20)  “Death By Darjeeling”  Laura Childs  2001
“The Irish Cottage Murder”  Dicey Deere  1999
“Casting Spells”  Barbara Bretton  2008
“The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax”  Dorothy Gilman  1966
“Haunting Jordan”  P.J. Alderman  2009
“Borrower Of The Night”  Elizabeth Peters  1973
“The Tower Treasure”  Leslie McFarlane  1927
 

 ****  CHALLENGE CONQUERED!  ****

The match to this pair invites you to stick with series, sharing any volume II.  A great addendum I wish were in both, is an option to include the second time you’ve read any author.  It doesn’t have to be ‘book 2’ of anything and opens up titles that might not fit anywhere else, such as standalone novels.  This flexibility enables me to go higher.  I’ll reach for ‘a few more bites‘!

A Spoonful:  05 second in a series, or second time .
Few More Bites:  10 second in a series, or second time.
A Full Plate:  20 second in a series, or second time.
All You Can Eat:  30 second in a series, or second time.

“The Ghost Of Windy Hill”  Clyde Robert Bulla  1968
“If Books Could Kill”  Kate Carlisle  2010
“A Time To Be Brave”  Christel Kleitsch  1985
“The Luck Runs Out”  Charlotte MacLeod  1979
“The Secret Adversary”  Agatha Christie  1922
“Demons Are A Ghoul’s Best Friend”  Victoria Laurie  2008
“Jacob Two-Two & The Dinosaur”  Mordecai Richler  1987
“Vancouver Nightmare”  Eric Wilson  1978
“Forward, Shakespeare!”  Jean Little  2005
10)  “Green Apple Street Blues”  Ted Staunton  1987

“The Hidden Staircase”  Mildred A Wirt  1930
“The Loon Lake Murders”  Robert Sutherland  1987
“Do Not Disturb”  Kate Kingsbury  1994
“Angel’s Advocate”  Mary Stanton  2009
“Murder On The Links”  Agatha Christie  1923
“Copper Sunrise”  Bryan Buchan  1972
“The Secret”  Carol Beach York  1984
“Kilroy And The Gull”  Nathaniel Benchley  1977
“Charlotte’s Web”  E.B. White  1952
20)  “Read And Buried”  Erika Chase  2012
“The Sign Of Four”  Arthur Conan Doyle  1890
“Too Many Ghosts”  Paul Gallico  1959
“Haunting Jordan”  P.J. Alderman  2009
“Laced With Magic”  Barbara Bretton  2009
“The Irish Manor House Murder”  Dicey Deere  2000
 

****  CHALLENGE CONQUERED!  ****

 
Every three months, there’s a check-in to report progress and re-assess your goals.  Six series are a big order, if you factor in completing them, with innumberable quantities of books.  I’ll say ‘semi-serious‘.

All of these have been begun in 2013.
 

1)  “Dancing Feathers”  Christel Kleitsch  1985
“A Time To Be Brave”  Christel Kleitsch  1985

2)  “Jacob 2-2 Meets The Hooded Fang”  Mordecai Richler  1975
“Jacob Two-Two & The Dinosaur”  Mordecai Richler  1987

I was surprised to see these excellent Canadian children’s books aren’t one-off but a series.  I’m content to stop with what I own.

3)  “A Killer Read”  Erika Chase  2012
“Read And Buried”  Erika Chase  2012

The plot ideas and outcomes were plausible and very, very good.  Unfortunately the writing is weighed down by so much irrelevant detail;  you scarcely get to the mystery and they scarcely fit the genre at all.  I bore the tedium of the second novel to see if “TMI” (too much information) improved.  I won’t collect any more.

4)  “Casting Spells”  Barbara Bretton  2008
“Laced With Magic”  Barbara Bretton  2009
“Spun By Sorcery”  Barbara Bretton  2010
“Spells & Stitches”  Barbara Bretton  2011

This is the best series I have ever read and I worry that people get the wrong impression from the knitting cover.  It leans more towards fantasy that guys could enjoy!  I hope it continues from 2011.

5)  “In A Witch’s Wardrobe”  Juliet Blackwell  2012

This too has become a treasured series.  I’m been chomping at the bit to obtain Juliet’s latest installment.  I am a supporter of solely paper, physical books.  I’ll make sure to have it in 2014/
 

Could you imagine the vastness of Kate Kingsbury, Charlotte MacLeod, Agatha Christie, Rex Stout?  I lay out titles belonging to series, as I finish.  I will mix & match the keepers when they’re organized.