For the third year in a row, I will read books for the March Mystery Madness read-along which was created by booktubers Lizzy Faye Loves Books and Troi Towel and is co-hosted by them along with many other equally fantastic booktubers. Below are the prompts which all correspond to the number five because this is the fifth anniversary of the read-along.
→ Read the 5th book in a series
→ Read a book with 5 or more words in the title
→ Read a book with a page count divisible by 5
→ Read a book with the number 5 or Fifth in title
→ Read a book first published in a year divisible by 5
→ Read a book published in May of any year
→ Since the 5 year anniversary gift is wood, read a book with something made of wood on the cover.
Honestly? I’m skipping the prompts this year. Too much math is involved. 😜 At a minimum, all one needs to do is read five books in March that fall in to any mystery genre/sub-genre. I can count that high and here are the books I have chosen:
1. The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith. This is ACTUALLY the fifth book in the Ladies Number One Detective series, it has five words in the title, AND it has a wooden cupboard on the cover. *mic drop*
2. Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie – I’m always down to read something from the Queen of Crime.
3. The Minotaur by Ruth Rendell – This book has been floating around my house for years. It’s gonna get read.
4. Sunburn by Laura Lippman – I’m going to check this one out from the library. I know nothing about it, I’ve enjoyed her books in the past and this was on the Tournament of Books longlist in 2019.
5. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz – Should be a fun and quick read. Horowitz wrote for T.V. before authoring mystery novels and I think he has the formula down pat.
Hi Ruthiella, thanks for alerting us to this March Mystery Challenge. You have a good list here. I'm going to take the challenge but skip the prompts and what's great is two of the books I will choose are already on my Back to the Classics Challenge: Murder on the Orient Express and the Leveanworth Case.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Kathy! I love it when I can double up on challenges! I hope you enjoy your reading. I liked Murder on the Orient Express (but I have a fondness for Christie). I will have to check out Leveanworth Case. :D
DeleteI hadn't seen about this one, but I don't pay too much attention to booktube things, so it's not too surprising.
ReplyDeleteMy immediate thought was to find things that would fit the prompts...what can I say? Nerd! Did you know that Wikipedia has a list of when every Erle Stanley Gardner novel came out, including the month? Very useful for this!
Enjoy!
Thanks for the comment reese! Booktube is fun to watch/listen to, but it does cut into my reading time! Thanks for the tip on Erle Stanley Gardner and the nerd alert! :D
DeleteI liked the first two prompts, but they quickly got a lot more complicated. Too complicated for me! I can see why you're skipping them. :) Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Lark! Yes, I can get behind the first two prompts (nailed them both with one book!) but I don't want to bother with page counts or publication dates...too much work for my feeble brain!
DeleteHi Ruthiella,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you will have much fun with this one. I wonder: It just so happens that I've recently been reading the 5th book in the Maisie Dobbs series. Do I go for broke and participate? I hesitate, because I'm out of step with my reading, although I do have goals for March. Are you somehow not on my Blog Roll? I have to fix that pronto. I don't know how that happened. Looking forward to finding out how your March turns out!
Thanks for the comment Judith! If you like mysteries, this is a great way to knock a few of them out. I will be sure to blog about my successes in this event.
ReplyDeleteI hope your reading mojo comes back pronto. :D
How did I miss this post? I do find the prompt too complicated for me, but love the authors you've chosen! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment jenclair! Since the goal is just to read mysteries in March, I think it is fine to toss the prompts out the window this year! :D
DeleteThose are pretty bizarre prompts! I would’ve ignored them myself. Even though Oct is my official mystery month, I’ve been indulging lately myself. I always enjoy Alexander McCall Smith’s books—I don’t think I got to Full Cupboard, but I’m sure it will be a treat to read. Say hi to Precious for me :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Jane! I will pass your greetings on to Mma Ramotswe. :D I do wish she really existed, she is so wonderful. Every month is a good month to read a mystery, for sure. It is definitely the genre that I gravitate toward the most.
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