I only signed up for two year-long reading challenges at the beginning of 2018 – What’s in a Name? and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. With three days of the year remaining, I am still reading books that could count towards the Historical Fiction challenge, but I have now completed the What’s in a Name? challenge.
The challenge was hosted by Charlie of The Worm Hole and the idea was to read six books, each with a title including one of the following words:
– The word ‘the’ used twice
– A fruit or vegetable
– A shape
– A title that begins with Z
– A nationality
– A season
Here are the six books I read, with links to my reviews.
The word ‘the’ used twice:
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
A fruit or vegetable:
Blackberry and Wild Rose by Sonia Velton
A shape:
Bleeding Heart Square by Andrew Taylor
A title beginning with Z:
Zennor in Darkness by Helen Dunmore
A nationality:
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
A season:
The Winter Prince by Cheryl Sawyer
Did anyone else take part in this challenge too?
Have you read any of these books?
She Reads Novels 
I’m starting to feel tired that there are so many challenges. I would like to do a few more than I do (almost none), but they are hard to fit in.
I used to sign up for lots of challenges, but now I only do one or two a year. I prefer to have more freedom in my reading choices now.
Yes.
I enjoyed Bleeding Heart Square. I like to be more relaxed about my reading choices so tend not to do challenges as such, apart from trying to read more classics.
When I first started blogging I used to sign up for lots of challenges but found it too stressful and restrictive trying to keep up with them all. Now I just choose one or two, as well as the Classics Club.
Looks like you found some awesome reads for this challenge. Congrats on finishing it! I didn’t do any reading challenges this past year…I kind of needed a break from them…but I’m planning on doing one or two in 2019. Maybe even this one if Charlie hosts it again because it’s always a fun one. 🙂
Thanks! Good luck with any challenges you decide to do in 2019. 🙂
Great picks for your challenge. I am just going to be my usual recalcitrant self and create my own challenges for 2019. I already have one: a book a month written by an author from another country and translated into English. My list already has 24 books on it so…
I think creating your own challenges is a great idea. I don’t read enough translations, so I should probably try reading more in 2019.
I loved Bleeding Heart Square; definitely my favourite Andrew Taylor.
Yes, Bleeding Heart Square is a good one, although I think my favourite Andrew Taylor is The American Boy.
I’m just so impressed you actually found a book beginning with Z! 😀
My original choice was going to be Zofloya by Charlotte Dacre, a 19th century Gothic novel, but I haven’t been in the right mood to read it all year so I was relieved when I remembered Zennor in Darkness!
I would like to read the first two books and The Japanese Lover. I know you didn’t fancy the latter that much but I’m slowly reading Allende’s body of work, so I’ll eventually get there.
I was disappointed with The Japanese Lover, but I will still try another of Allende’s books and am hoping I’ll enjoy it more.
Helen, I haven’t read any of these books, but I did take part in this challenge too and I have just finished by the skin of my teeth… Although I have cheated a little for the last category as I really, really struggled to find a book with a ‘season’ in. Hopefully I will have my round-up post up soon.
Congratulations on finishing the challenge! I didn’t have a problem finding a ‘season’ book but I struggled with the ‘fruit or vegetable’ one.
I never heard of this challenge, but it seems… somewhat arbitrary, if you ask me. Still, brava for finishing it!
It is arbitrary, I suppose, but it does make you search for books that you might not otherwise have read.