Duration: 1st April – 30th April 2019
Number of books: 7
Hosted by:Crazy Challenge Connection

RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS
DURATION: APRIL 1 -30, 2019

April 12 is Russian Cosmonaut Day, and in keeping with our interest this year in space exploration, here is a challenge based on some of the notable Cosmonauts that made significant contributions to the field. 

YURI GAGARIN: Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin is the most famous cosmonaut of all time. While dogs and satellites had already ventured into space, Gagarin was the first human to do so. On April 12, 1961, the Vostok 1 spacecraft shot up to an altitude of nearly 188 miles. For the next 108 minutes, Gagarin orbited around the Earth traveling at 18,000 miles an hour. 
★ Read a book originally published in the 1960s; tell us the year OR a book whose title begins with Y; disregard A, An and The.

KONSTANTIN FEOKTISTOV: Born in 1926, Konstantin Feoktistov was the first civilian and first non-member of the Soviet Communist Party to travel into space. Voskhod 1, launched on October 12, 1964, was his only flight, but his impact on space technology was far from finished. He went on to lead a Soviet space design bureau and worked on the designs for two space stations, Salyut and Mir. The Feoktistov crater on the far side of the Moon is also named for him. 
★ Read a book with the moon shown prominently on the cover; post the cover OR a book with a main character who earns his/her living as a scientist; tell us the career. – The Turn by Kim Harrison (Trisk is a geneticist)

SERGEI KRIKALEV: Cosmonaut and mechanical engineer Sergei Krikalev has logged more time in outer space than any other person in history, a total of 803 days, 9 hours and 39 minutes over the course of six separate missions. One such mission saw him on board the Mir space station between May 1991 and March 1992, just as the Soviet Union was breaking up, a circumstance that led many to dub him “the last Citizen of the USSR.” He also has an asteroid named after him.
★ Read a book that is the last (or most recently published) book of a series; tell us the series OR a book with a 6 in its total page count; tell us how many pages. – Evolve edited by Nancy Kilpatrick (256 pp.)

ANDRIYAN NIKOLAYEV: Andriyan Nikolayev flew endurance record-setting missions aboard the Vostok 3 (solo) and Soyuz 9 spacecraft. The Vostok 3 spaceflight was launched on August 11, 1962, and lasted almost four days. Nikolayev orbited the Earth 64 times and became the first person to transmit a television broadcast live from space. On June 1, 1970, cosmonaut Vitali Sevastyanov accompanied Nikolayev on the Soyuz 9 mission. With a duration of 17 days and 17 hours, it broke the previous endurance flight record set by NASA’s 1965 Gemini 7 mission. During their time in space, both men conducted experiments, played chess with the on-ground control team, watched a World Cup soccer game, communicated with their families via television links, and even voted. 
★ Read a book in which a board game of some kind is played; tell us the game OR a book that is based on a television series or that spawned a television series; tell us the series.
NOTE: Television only, NOT a movie

VALERI POLYAKOV: Valeri Polyakov holds the record for the most continuous amount of time spent in space. He earned this distinction by logging over 14 consecutive months aboard the Mir space station, from January 1994 until March 1995. Polyakov’s stint aboard the Mir station proved that humans could maintain good physical and mental health during prolonged periods spent beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. His time in space provided us with vital information on how the human body reacts to environments with little to no gravity, findings that could prove useful for eventual manned missions to Mars.
★ Read a book with a human body (head to toe) shown prominently on the cover; post the cover OR a book with a main character whose first name begins with a letter in POLYAKOV; tell us the character. – Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne (Kyra)

GHERMAN TITOV: On August 6, 1961, 25-year-old Gherman Titov became the second man to travel into space, just four months after fellow cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s historic first mission. What’s more, he still holds the record as the youngest person in space. In total, Titov was amongst the stars for 25 hours and 18 minutes. During his voyage on board the Vostok 2 spacecraft, he ate lunch, took the first space snooze (which proved somewhat difficult in zero gravity because his arms kept flapping about) and recorded the first “out of this world” footage of Earth. 
★ Read a book that takes place in space OR a book by an author whose first and last initials can be found in GHERMANTITOV; post a link to the author’s GR page – High Stakes by Erin McCarthy

VALENTINA TERESHKOVA: Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to explore outer space on June 16, 1963, when she was launched from Russia’s secret station in Baikonur, in central Asia. Aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft, she orbited Earth 49 times, traveling a total of 1,250,000 miles in just under three days. The female cosmonaut program was disbanded in 1969, and Svetlana Savitskaya became only the second woman to travel into space in 1982, almost 20 years after Tereshkova. 
★ Read a book by a new-to-you FEMALE author OR the very first book you added to your GR want-to-read shelf that is still unread (or your own personal TBR list, for those who don’t keep a list on GR) – Circe by Madeline Miller

Duration: 1st April – 30th April 2019
Number of books: 6
Hosted by:My Vampire Book Obsession

1. Read a book with grass or flowers on the cover – Circe by Madeline Miller
2. Read a book with any type of tool on the cover – Enclave by Ann Aguirre (daggers)

3. Read a book set in the spring – Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle
4. Read a book published in April – Beluga Days by Nancy Lord

5. Read a book where a character does yard work, plants something or gardens
6. Read a book with a gnome or a fairy (fae) in it

Duration: 1st April – 30th April
Number of books: 6
Hosted by:My Vampire Book Obsession

Rules 
One book per task.
No minimum page count.
Complete at least two tasks to get the doll.

April
1. Read a book with pirates (sea or space). – The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
2. Read a book tagged ‘historical’. – The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence
3. Read a book set in Europe or The Caribbean. – The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
4. Read a book with an amusing character. – High Stakes by Erin McCarthy
5. Read a book with an adventurous plot. – Circe by Madeline Miller
6. Read a book that begins with a letter in WHY IS THE RUM GONE. – Evolve edited by Nancy Kilpatrick

Duration: 1st April – 30th April
Number of books: 10
Hosted by:My Vampire Book Obsession

Levels 
Class Clown- 1 ~ 3 books
Stand up comic – 4 ~ 6 books
Youtube comic- 7 ~ 10 books

1.Its national humor month! Read something funny!

2.National Library Week is the 7th to the 13th! Borrow a book from a library or friend. – Blood Work by Kim Harrison

3.April 4th is National Lie day! Read a book where someone lies. – Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan and Robert Venditti

4.April 19th is National Garlic day! Read a vampire book. – Evolve edited by Nancy Kilpatrick

5.The 23rd is Take a chance day! Read a new book series or this month muse. – High Stakes by Erin McCarthy

6.April 28th is National Kiss your mate day! Read a shifter book (or where someone kissed) – Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

7.It is the 4th month! Read the 4th book in a series or with the page number 4 – Burning Up by Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook (343 pp.)

8.It wear PJ days on the 16th! So read your favorite fluffy, campy, easy read writer. 

9.Since I’m obesses with Marvel and Avengers and End games come out on the 24th. Read a book with a book boyfriend (or full of smut) – The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

10.It’s the first full spring month. Read a book that has a colorful cover!

Duration: 21st March – 20th June 2019
Number of books: 10
Hosted by:Bookworm Bitches

Rules
~Books must be read during the selected time period.
~Post the date you finished the book.
~All books read for challenges can be used for more than one challenge.
~Books can be either Fiction or Non Fiction. Your choice.

1. Read a book with flowers on the cover – Circe by Madeline Miller

2. Spring brings new beginning to so many things: Read a new to you author – Laughing All the Way to the Mosque by Zarqa Nawaz

3. Spring is also the start of wedding season. Read a book about a wedding or bride to be.  – Weddings From Hell by Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith

4. Graduation Day: Read a book about someone going to school or graduating from school – Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle

5. Read a book you picked up because the cover looked good. – Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

6. Read that book you’ve owned forever. – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

7. Read a book that was recommended to you by a friend or family member – The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence (Mum)

8. Finish a book that you haven’t been able to finish – Burning Up by Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook

9. Read a book that EVERYONE has read except you. So read a book that is very popular that you haven’t had a chance to read yet. – The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

10. Reread a book you love. – The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Duration: 21st March – 20th June 2019
Number of books: 6
Hosted by:Crazy Challenge Connection

I was brought up in a place that used to be first a Portuguese and then a British colony, and we have a lot of holdover traditions from both. For Easter, I remember the 40 days of Lent preceding it, and mass said in Church on the day of. I’m not sure there was ever an egg hunt, that I learned after coming to the US. I’ve even participated in a few after my son was born. This challenge is basically a cross between an egg hunt and trivia about how Easter is celebrated around the world. (Very differently, apparently). Enjoy, and happy spring!

Read a book that fits one of the options for each item. But there’s a catch! You can’t reach the chocolate egg without having finished all five tasks that precede it, but you can read the five tasks within the set in any order. So this will be how you’d do the challenge:

Complete tasks 1-5 in any order.
Complete 6.
Complete 7-11 in any order.
Complete 12.
Complete 13-17 in any order.
Complete 18.

The Challenge

Begin. Choose a genre! You’ll be reading from this genre until you get to the first chocolate egg, so make sure to choose one broad enough.
Genre: Mythology

1. In Florence, locals celebrate a 350-year-old Easter tradition known as Scoppio del Carro, or “explosion of the cart.” An ornate cart packed with fireworks is led through the streets of the city by people in colorful 15th century costumes before stopping outside the Duomo. The Archbishop of Florence then lights a fuse during Easter mass that leads outside to the cart and sparks a lively fireworks display. The meaning behind the custom dates back to the First Crusade, and is meant to ensure a good harvest.
🥚 Read a book with any kind of vehicle on the cover (post the cover) -or- a book that contains the word “FIRE” in the title (compound words and variations are fine).

2. Children in Sweden dress up like witches and go begging for chocolate eggs in the streets with made-up faces and scarves around their heads, carrying bunches of willow twigs decorated with feathers. In some parts of Western Finland, people burn bonfires on Easter Sunday, a Nordic tradition stemming from the belief that the flames ward off witches who fly around on brooms between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
🥚 Read a book with witches in it -or- read a book in which characters fight something evil. – Circe by Madeline Miller

3. Don’t forget a fork if you’re in the southern French town of Haux on Easter Monday. Each year a giant omelet is served up in the town’s main square. The omelet uses more than 4,500 eggs and feeds up to 1,000 people. The story goes, when Napoleon and his army were traveling through the south of France, they stopped in a small town and ate omelets. Napoleon liked his so much that he ordered the townspeople to gather their eggs and make a giant omelet for his army the next day.
🥚 Read a book with food of any sort on the cover (post the cover) -or- read a book in which a character is a veteran (any branch of the armed forces, any era). – Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan (T.J., Magnus, etc.)

4. On the morning of Holy Saturday, traditional “pot throwing” takes place on the Greek island of Corfu. People throw pots, pans and other earthenware out of their windows, smashing them on the street. Some say the custom derives from the Venetians, who on New Year’s Day used to throw out all of their old items. Others believe the throwing of the pots welcomes spring, symbolizing the new crops that will be gathered in the new pots.
🥚 Read a book with something broken on the cover (post the cover) -or- read a book that ends a series (tell us the series). – Percy Jackson: The Ultimate Guide by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & the Olympians)

5. Easter is such a popular time for Norwegians to read crime novels that publishers actually come out with special “Easter thrillers” known as Paaskekrimmen. The tradition is said to have started in 1923 when a book publisher promoted its new crime novel on the front pages of newspapers. The ads resembled news so much that people didn’t know it was a publicity stunt.
🥚 Read a book in which a murder occurs -or- read a book whose author’s initials (middle counts if used) are in the word “PAASKEKRIMMEN”. – Hotel Valhalla by Rick Riordan (SOOOOOOO many murders)

You’ve reached a Chocolate Egg!
6. Reward yourself with a short book of your choice (150-250p, any genre). 

Don’t forget to choose a different genre for the next set!

7. On Good Friday the Pope commemorates the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) at the Colosseum. A huge cross with burning torches illuminates the sky as the 14 Stations of the Cross are described in several languages. Mass is celebrated on the evening of Holy Saturday, and on Easter Sunday, thousands of visitors congregate in St. Peter’s Square to await the Pope’s blessing from the church’s balcony, known as Urbi et Orbi (To the City and to the World).
🥚 Read a book with the words CITY or WORLD in its title/subtitle (compound words are fine) -or- read a book whose main characters are not from your country (I mean, you could read a book set in your country, but with immigrant main characters, for example. Tell us how your book fits).

8. Pouring water on one another is a Polish Easter tradition called Śmigus-dyngus. On Easter Monday, boys try to drench other people with buckets of water, squirt guns or anything they can get their hands on. Legend says girls who get soaked will marry within the year. The refreshing tradition has its origins in the baptism of Polish Prince Mieszko on Easter Monday in 966 AD.
🥚 Read a book with water on the cover (post the cover) -or- read a book in which a marriage takes place.

9. In Bulgaria, people don’t hide their eggs – they have egg fights – and whoever comes out of the game with an unbroken egg is the winner and assumed to be the most successful member of the family in the coming year. In another tradition, the oldest woman in the family rubs the faces of the children with the first red egg she has colored, symbolizing her wish that they have rosy cheeks, health and strength.
🥚 Read a book with a mostly red cover (post the cover) -or- read a book which is a winner of a Goodreads Choice award (tell us the year and category). 

10. In Jerusalem, Christians celebrate Good Friday by walking the same path Jesus did on the day he was nailed to the cross. Taking note of his pain that fateful day, some of those who participate carry a cross with them in remembrance. On Easter Sunday, many pilgrims attend a church service at Garden Tomb, the area Jesus was believed to have been buried.
🥚 Read a book in which a main character suffers a great deal of pain -or- read a book with an X somewhere in the title or the author’s name. 

11. In Prizzi, Sicily, the Abballu del diavolo, a representation of devils from locals wearing terrifying masks of zinc and dressed in red robes, is celebrated on Easter morning. Those dressed in costume pester as many “souls” as they can (which really means making them pay for drinks) before the afternoon when the Virgin Mary and the risen Christ save the day by sending the devils away with angels.
🥚 Read a book which has something that terrifies you -or- read a book that is practically everywhere pestering you to read it (you’ve seen this book on blogs, discussed by friends, on bestseller lists etc.)

You’ve reached a Chocolate Egg!
12. Reward yourself with a guilty pleasure book of any genre.

Don’t forget to choose a different genre for the next set!

13. In 1991, Rabbit-Free Australia launched a campaign to replace the Easter bunny with the Easter bilby, or rabbit-eared bandicoot. In Australia, rabbits are widely considered pests for destroying crops and land. Companies now make chocolate bilbies for Easter, with proceeds benefiting the endangered animals.
🥚 Read a book with an animal on the cover (any animal, bonus for the ones Australia considers pests, post the cover) -or- read a book set on an island.

14. Christianity in Indonesia was brought here by Portuguese missionaries, and statues from this time are carried through the streets. Young men consider it an honor to be chosen to play Jesus and be tied to the cross in various locations.
🥚 Read a book set in Asia (tell us where) -or- read a book in which a main character is entrusted with a noble task (tell us how the book fits).

15. In Haiti, Holy Week is marked by colorful parades and traditional “rara” music played on bamboo trumpets, maracas, drums, and even coffee cans. The holiday is a mixture of Catholic and Voodoo traditions. Voodoo believers make an annual pilgrimage to the village of Souvenance and make animal offerings to the spirits. 
🥚 Read a book in which music plays a role -or- read a book whose cover is multi-colored (post the cover).

16. Bermudians celebrate Good Friday by flying home-made kites, and eating codfish cakes and hot cross buns. The tradition is said to have begun when a local teacher from the British Army had difficulty explaining Christ’s ascension to Heaven to his Sunday school class. He made a kite, traditionally shaped like a cross, to illustrate the Ascension. 
🥚 Read a book with a large expanse of sky on the cover (post the cover) -or- read a book whose title starts with a letter in “BERMUDA” (ignore a, an, and the). 

17. In Brazil, residents make an effigy (or multiple effigies) of Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, and burn it in a central location. Sometimes, people make the effigy explode with fireworks. And many times politicians involved in scandals become Judas.
🥚 Read a book in which a betrayal occurs -or- read a book that makes you want to punch something (since we certainly don’t want to burn books. tell us why the book made you angry!)

You’ve finished! A chocolate bonanza greets you!
18. Read a new book (released this year) that you’ve been eagerly anticipating (tell us why!).

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

Collect a Cosplay Cutie each month by completing at least 2 tasks out of a set of 6.
A new set of tasks with a new doll will be posted each month.

The dolls you collect will be in your Vampire Heart thread. Don’t have a thread? You can still do the challenge if you want 🙂

Rules 
One book per task.
No minimum page count.
Complete at least two tasks to get the doll.

March 
1. Read a book with vampires. – Dead End Dating by Kimberly Raye
2. Read a book with black on the cover.
3. Read a book that begins with a letter in MARCH. – The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance edited by Trisha Telep
4. Read a book with two people (beings) on the cover. – Masques by Patricia Briggs
5. Read a book that you discovered in the last four months. – Mad Hatters and March Hares edited by Ellen Datlow
6. Read a book with a character you think is delicious. – Weddings From Hell by Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith

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

March Monthly Challenge… 



Duration:
Starts: March 1st
Ends: March 31st

How It Works:
Ten books each month is a lot, so there will be 5 different levels. So 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

Tasks 

1. Read a book with a title, series name, or author that begins with any letter in MARCH – The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance edited by Trisha Telep

2. I’m not drunk, you’re drunk: 
Read a book where a character likes to party – Dead End Dating by Kimberly Raye

3. I didn’t see you there occifer *hiccup*:
Read a steamy book with a police officer in it OR read a book in which the love interest likes to use handcuffs.

4. Find a leprechaun and steal his pot of gold:
Read a book that is set around paranormal creatures/people – Masques by Patricia Briggs

5. Go on a treasure hunt
Read a book that is set around a game of any kind

6. Go skipping through a field in search of a 4 leaf clover
Read a book that has been sitting on your TBR list the longest – The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

7. Prepare your corned beef and cabbage
Read a book where food is scarce OR read a book where a character over indulges (on anything) – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

8. Line up for the Parade!
Read a book where costumes are involved – Mad Hatters and March Hares edited by Ellen Datlow

9. Fight, Fight, Fight!!!!
Read a book where there are some epic brawls 

10. Wear your finest and move festive kilts
Read a book that has green on the cover or spine – The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

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

Welcome to the to Carnival!!!

Rules
Complete at least 2 tasks to earn the heart
All genres welcome
No minimum page count

♠ Read a book with purple or yellow on the cover – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
♠ Read a book set in Louisiana

♠ Read a book with a French character
♠ Read a book with a religious holiday/character in the story – The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

♠ Read a book that mentions food a lot – Through the Tiger’s Eye by Kerrie O’Connor
♠ Read a book you think is a treat – Masques by Patricia Briggs

Duration: 1st March – 31st March
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. Thank you Lori for help with the ideas!

March

1. Read a book involving a musician or songwriter – The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (the witch with her enchantments)
2. Read a book that became a musical – Mad Hatters and March Hares edited by Ellen Datlow (Alice in Wonderland was a musical movie)
3. Read a book with your favorite music as background noise (this a freebie and can be any book). – The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank