Saturday, November 17, 2012

Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge 2013: Scattergories

This is the first challenge I have joined for 2013. I am taking part in the Canadian Reading Challenge which runs from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013, but this is the first one starting in the new year. The challenge is hosted by Bev at My Reader's Block. I participated in the 2012 challenge and dipped back into my vintage mysteries for some of my reading.


The challenge sign-up link is here.
  1. The challenge runs from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013.
  2. Mystery novels for the challenge must have been originally written before 1960. Short story collections are permissible if all stories fit those guidelines. 
  3. Bev has named a large number of Vintage Categories. The goal is to read books from at least eight of the categories. The categories are listed at the sign-up post. More catergories may be added so I will not list all of them here. 
  4. Once you have met the 8 book minimum, you may repeat any category (except the last one, Get Out of Jail Free) any number of times to reach the 16+ level. 
  5. There are more rules and explanations. See the sign-up post for further information.
 
Vintage Categories that will work for me: 

Murder by the Numbers: a book with a number, quantity in the title 
Leave It to the Professionals: a book featuring cops, private eyes, secret service, professional spies, etc. 
World Traveler: one mystery set in any country except the US or Britain 
Amateur Night: a book with a "detective" who is not a P.I.; Police Officer; Official Investigator (Nurse Keate, Father Brown, Miss Marple, etc.)
Jolly Old England: one mystery set in Britain 
Locked Rooms: a locked-room mystery 
Country House Criminals: a standard (or not-so-standard) Golden Age country house murder 
Murder Is Academic: a mystery involving a scholar, teacher, librarian, etc.  OR set at a school, university, library, etc. 
Repeat Offenders: a mystery featuring your favorite series detective or by your favorite author (the books/authors you'd read over and over again) OR reread an old favorite   
A Mystery By Any Other Name: any book that has been published under more than one title (Murder Is Easy--aka Easy to Kill [Christie]; Fog of Doubt--aka London Particular [Christianna Brand], etc.) 
Dynamic Duos: a mystery featuring a detective team--Holmes & Watson, Pam & Jerry North, Wolfe & Goodwin, or....a little-known team that you introduce to us. 
Get Out of Jail Free: This is a freebie category.  One per customer. 

My goal is to read 16 books that fit these categories in 2013.

And here is my list:

Scene of the CrimeMurder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
Yankee Doodle Dandy: The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
Jolly Old England: Crooked House by Agatha Christie
Get Out of Jail Free (cross-genre, sci-fi and mystery)The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
Serial Killers: The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
Dangerous Beasts: The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers
World Traveler: Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

1 comment:

Bev Hankins said...

Oooh. Like your choices! Can't wait to see what books you pick to fit the categories.