Duration: 1st March – 31st March 2020
Number of books: 6
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

Happy St. Patrick’s Day or Paddy’s Day as we say!! Instead of doing something about leprechauns or parades I wanted to show you another side of our culture. Ireland is an agriculture-focused country so we have loads of lovely farmers and some of them get together every year to create a charity calendar. Here are some of the highlights from over the years. The calendar is available here if you’re interested 😉

Duration
March 1st – 31st

Rules
Complete at least 2 tasks to earn the heart
All genres welcome
No minimum page count
Rereads welcome
Must use a different book for each task

🐑 Read a book with a couple kissing on the cover
-OR-
🐑 Read a book with nipples showing on the cover

🐑 Read a book with grass on the cover
-OR-
🐑 Read a book with an animal on the cover
Cleaving by Julie Powell

🐑 Read a book with a cute cover
-OR-
🐑 Read a book set on a farm or ranch
Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

🐑 Read a book with a building on the cover
-OR-
🐑 Read a book with a green cover
Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs

🐑 Read a book set in Ireland
-OR-
🐑 Read a book with an Irish character
PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

🐑 Read a book where a character reads a book
-OR-
🐑 Read a book you were lucky enough to be gifted
An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn

Duration: 1st March – 31st March 2020
Number of books: 3
Hosted by: Bookworm Bitches

There are 3 tasks, you only need to read three books to finish this challenge. Or pick one task and read 3 books for that one task.

March- Growth
1. Grow your exposure – Read a genre or format you wouldn’t normally pick up (could be an audiobook, graphic novel, manga, paperback, borrowed book or a genre you don’t normally read). – Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman (not my typical style or genre)
2. Grow your experiences – Read a book where the Main Character (can be protagonist or antagonist) undergoes a drastic change – can be growing up, moving to a new location, new job, becomes magical, becomes not magical, etc. – Cleaving by Julie Powell
3. Grow your food – Read a book with plants or animals on the cover. – 9 from the Nine Worlds by Rick Riordan

Duration: 1st March – 31st March 2020
Number of books: 7
Hosted by: Crazy Challenge Connection

7/7

1. Banshee: In Irish folklore, a banshee is a spirit in the form of a wailing woman who appears to family members to foretell the death of one of their own. This term came to English from the Old Irish term ben side meaning “woman of the fairy mound.” In this context, a mound is the raised earth over a grave.
🍀 Read a book written by a woman OR read a book in which a death occurs OR read a book with a gravestone or cemetery on its cover; post the cover. – Cleaving by Julie Powell

2. Abhartach: This truly terrifying dwarf is a cruel tyrant whose magical powers allow him to rise from the grave and wreak havoc as an undead being. He must be killed and then buried upside down to subdue his powers. In alternate iterations of the abhartach myth, this creature drinks the blood of his subjects. Some academics believe that this monster inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which in turn has influenced the modern-day concept of vampires.
🍀 Read a book with a character you consider cruel; briefly tell us why OR read a book with a vampire, or vampires in it OR read a book with anything shown upside down on its cover; post the cover. – Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (the ending of the book. Just. Wow. The ending.

3. Cluricaun: The cluricaun (or cluricaune) is an Irish elf, or perhaps a fairy, in the form of a tiny old man. He exists in a state of perpetual drunkenness and loves to play practical jokes. In his work Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, W. B. Yeats writes: “Some suppose he is merely the Leprechaun on a spree.”
🍀 Read a book where an older man (65+ years) is part of the plot OR read a book where a lot of drinking is done OR read a book by an author whose first and last initial are in PRACTICAL JOKE. – Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman

4. Far Darrig: The far darrig (or fear dearg) is a small creature who always wears a red coat and cap. In Irish, his name appropriately translates to “red man.” Thought to be associated with nightmares, this practical joker of a monster delights in stealing babies and leaving changelings in their place. According to folklore, a changeling is an ugly, stupid or strange child left by fairies in place of a pretty, charming child.
🍀 Read a book with a primarily red cover; post the cover OR read a book in which a child is born OR read a book whose title has changed since its original publication; tell us the original name. – When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

5. Fear Gorta: Fear gorta literally means “man of hunger” in Irish. This supernatural being roams the earth in the form of an emaciated man during times of famine. He begs for food and bestows good fortune on those who help him. Fear gorta can also refer to a weedy grass that, when stepped on, is believed to make men unnaturally hungry.
🍀 Read a book marked “Foodie Fiction” or “Food,” OR read a book with an expanse of grass on its cover; post the cover OR read a book in which a character always seems to be hungry; tell us who. – Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

6. Sluagh: The sluagh (or slua) are ghosts of sinners, who, unwelcome in heaven or hell, must haunt the realm of the living. Some souls were designated as sinners because they’d never been baptized; others earned their sinner status through evil and corrupt behavior in their lifetimes. From the Irish word meaning “crowd,” the sluagh were thought to move through the sky in flocks, collecting the souls of the dying.
🍀 Read a book with a plural word in its title OR read a book with any type of ghost in it OR read a book with three or more similar items on its cover; post the cover. – Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs

7. Ellén Trechend: The Cath Maige Mucrama is a story written in Middle Irish dating from the 8th or 9th century. In this tale, the ellén trechend, a horrifying three-headed monster, emerges from a cave on a rampage of destruction. Though translators agree that the ellén trechend has three heads, they disagree on what genus of monster it is. Some interpret it to be a bird or a vulture. Others believe the ellén trechend to be a fire-breathing dragon-like creature. Either way, you can rest easy; the beast was eventually slain.
🍀 Read a book that is third in a series; tell us the series name OR read a book with a “3” in its original year of publication; tell us the original date OR read a book where the first letter of each title word may be found in “ELLEN TRECHEND;” a,an,the DO count, 3 word minimum. – An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (The Bridgertons #3)

Duration: 1st March – 31st March 2020
Number of books: 6
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

Rules:
One book per task.
No minimum page count.

1. Read a book with a mythological creature in the story. – The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein (vampires)
2. Read a book that has at least 3 books published to date. – An Offer from a Gentleman by Juila Quinn (9 books in the series published)
3. Read a book tagged Fantasy. – 9 from the Nine Worlds by Rick Riordan
4. Read a book where the MC is Fae. – Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
5. Read a book set in Ireland or with an Irish character. – PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
6. Read a book with a colorful cover. – That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

Duration: 1st March – 31st March 2020
Number of books: 10
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

☘ How It Works
Ten books each month is a lot, so there will be 5 different levels. Pick which level you want to do and that’s how many items you will need to check off.

☘ Levels:
Transitional – 2 books
Fledgling – 4 books
Vampire – 6 books
Master – 8 books
Vampire King or Queen – 10 books

☘ March is Irish American month – read a book set in Ireland, with an Irish (or Irish American) character, or with a kilt on the cover. (shhhh… It can be a Scottish kilt, we won’t tell!) – PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

☘ March 3rd is “I Want You to be Happy Day” – So read any book that makes you happy! – Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

☘ March 6th is “National Frozen Food Day” – read a book with food or something frozen on the cover, or a book that gives you “chills” – Cleaving by Julie Powell

☘ March 8th is “Be Nasty Day” – read a book that you consider “nasty” (good nasty, bad nasty, so bad it’s good nasty – your interpretation!) – Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman (the topic covered is seriously terrifying. And nasty)

☘ March 12th is “Plant a Flower Day” – read a book with a flower on the cover, or a book where a character plants something or works in a garden. – Mum’s the Word by Kate Collins

☘ This year in March we have a Friday the 13th! Choose a superstitious task:
❧ Many buildings don’t have a 13th floor – read a book with a tall building on the cover.
❧ It’s bad luck to have 13 people at the table – read a book with a table on the cover.
❧ A ship’s captain would not go out to sea with a crew of 12, as including the captain, that made 13 people – read a book with a ship or boat on the cover
To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn

☘ The Ides of March is the first day of the Roman New Year. It also marks the first day of spring in the Roman calendar. Read a book set in the springtime, a book about Rome, or a book where someone gets stabbed. Et tu, Brute? – It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn

☘ March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day – a day which honors Saint Patrick, the missionary who brought Christianity to the Irish people in the 400’s AD. In America, it’s mostly a day to claim an Irish heritage you may or may not be entitled to and to drink a lot of green beer. Celebrate by reading a book with a green cover, or a book where a character drinks beer. Bonus points if you read a book featuring green beer, Guinness beer, or people celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. – Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs

☘ March 20th is “Proposal Day” – read a book where a character proposes, where a main character is engaged, or with a ring on the cover. – An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn

☘ March 29th is “Festival of Smoke and Mirrors Day.” Smoke and Mirrors Day is a day of illusions – read a book with smoke and/or mirrors on the cover, or a book where something is not as it appears to be. – Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

☘☘☘ BONUS: March 1st is my son Julian’s birthday! ☘☘☘
Read a book with a title starting with a letter in JULIAN – Inferno by Dante Alighieri