One Catholic Life Blog

Mount TBR 2018

Books and Reading

Mount TBR 2018 Reading Challenge

The reading challenge sign-ups continue with Bev’s Mount TBR 2018 Challenge. This is her seventh year hosting this challenge that encourages readers to read the books that have been purchased over the years and never read. I have an embarrassing amount of books on my to-be-read shelf, so I am definitely participating in this challenge again. There are several levels to this challenge, each of which is represented by a different mountain: Pike’s Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your...

Monthly Keyword Challenge

Books and Reading

Monthly Keyword Reading Challenge 2018

Bev at My Reader’s Block is too good at coming up with tempting reading challenges. I can’t seem to keep from signing up for them. A new one for me for 2018 is the Monthly Keyword Challenge, which she is hosting for the first time. In this challenge, Your task is to read at least one book each month whose title includes one or more of the key words for that month. For instance, in January you might read Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon. See Bev’s...

Color Coded Challenge 2017

Books and Reading

Color Coded Reading Challenge 2018

The Color Coded Reading Challenge caught my attention last year and I find myself interested in it again this year. I’m not sure why, since it’s not easy to find books that match the color categories. My own personal rule for this challenge is not to use the covers of books to satisfy the categories, but only to use the titles of the books, which makes it even harder. I’m not sure how many years I’ll be able to do this using only books from my TBR pile,...

Charity Reading Challenge

Books and Reading

Charity Reading Challenge 2018

The Charity Reading Challenge, hosted by Becky at Becky’s Book Reviews, is a new challenge for me, and I’m excited to participate in it. Here’s how Becky explains it: Read for a good cause! Buy books at a charity shop, or, even a friends of the library book sale, or, donate a certain percentage of money for each book you read for the challenge. You can choose your own goal of how many books to read, what charity you’ll be donating money towards, how much money, etc. (For...

Back to the Classics 2018

Books and Reading

Back to the Classics Challenge 2018

I’m happy to be participating again in the Back to the Classics Challenge, hosted by Karen at Books and Chocolate. The idea of the challenge is to read six to twelve classics that fit predetermined categories. This year’s categories are a perfect fit for many of the books I’ve already got planned, so I’m going to go for all twelve. I think most of the categories speak for themselves, but there are a couple I want to mention. First, for the “classic that scares you” I’ve chosen The Violent...

European Reading Challenge 2018

Books and Reading

European Reading Challenge 2018

Gilion at Rose City Reader is hosting the European Reading Challenge again for 2018.  The “gist” of the challenge, according to Gilion, is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it’s supposed to be a tour....

Book Review / Books and Reading

Classics Club #16: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The house was a sepulcher, our fear and suffering lay buried in the ruins. There would be no resurrection. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a masterpiece of suspense that should not be missed by anyone who loves atmospheric settings, classic mysteries, or gorgeous prose. Ranked as the 9th greatest mystery novel of all time by the Mystery Writers of America, Rebecca entrances the reader with its lyrical sentences as the story slowly unfolds, picks up speed, and then builds into a page-turning climax. I enjoyed every sentence of this haunting...

Sherlock and Watson

Books and Reading

Follow the Clues Mystery Challenge 2018

One of the reading challenges that took the most planning last year was the Follow the Clues Mystery Challenge from Bev at My Reader’s Block. I’m still working on finishing this year’s challenge, but it was such fun to set up that I’ve decided to try it again for next year. As Bev describes the challenge, the goal is to follow a set of clues furnished by the mystery books you read to create a body of evidence to support a book court case. Each book clue should...

Book Review / Books and Reading

Alfred Hitchcock’s Hard Day at the Scaffold

Hard Day at the Scaffold is a solid collection of short stories edited by Alfred Hitchcock that I read over the course of a year for the Deal Me In Short Story Challenge. Hitchcock’s anthologies always feature darkly humorous stories with a generous dose of creepiness, and this one was no different. Though this collection had fewer memorable stories than others I’ve read, it was still enjoyable. My favorite was “One on a Desert Island” by Donald Westlake, the tragicomic story of what can happen to a man’s...

Advent Wreath

Spirituality

Resources for the Beginning of Advent

Advent is upon us, our annual invitation to living with hope and expectation. As we begin this sacred time of waiting and watching, here are some resources to help us in our preparations for Christmas: America Magazine offers An (Unconventional) Advent Playlist for those who like to wait until the actual Christmas season to play Christmas music. Busted Halo has updated their Advent in 2 Minutes video: Dynamic Catholic is once again offering their daily video mediations, The Best Advent Ever. And if you’re looking for a good...

Books and Reading

The 2018 Reading Challenge Season Has Begun

I had so much fun with my first year of reading challenges that I can’t wait for next year. I still have several challenges to finish for 2017, but I’m already planning for 2018. Last December I summarized all of my challenges in one post and tracked them all on one page. This year I still plan on tracking them on one page, but I’m going to write separate posts about each of the challenges, and right now I’m already up to nine challenges, not including the Les...

Books and Reading

Nonfiction November 2017 Week 5: New to My To-Be-Read List

This final week of Nonfiction November 2017 is hosted by Lory at The Emerald City Book Review who asks us to look back on the month: It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books! Which ones have made it onto your TBR? Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book! Looking back, not only has Nonfiction November 2017 given me several interesting book suggestions, but it has also motivated me to put more nonfiction on my reading list for 2018. I...