Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa-Colored Book Spines
24 Festive Tasks: Door 22 – Kwanzaa, Task 2: Create a stack of books in the Kwanzaa color scheme using red, black and green and post your creation and post a photo (or post a photo of a shelfie where black, red and green predominate). When putting up my Christmas lights earlier today, it occurred […]
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Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile (Kenneth Branagh audio)
24 Festive Tasks: Door 22 – Kwanzaa, Book: Read a book written by an author of African, African American or Caribbean descent or a book set in Africa or the Caribbean, or whose cover is primarily red, green or black, or with crops of the earth or a native African animal on the cover (lion, […]
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Agatha Christie: A Caribbean Mystery
24 Festive Tasks: Door 21 – Kwanzaa, Book: Read a book set in Africa or the Caribbean, by an African, Caribbean, or African-American author, with a green, red, or black cover, or with crops of the earth or a native African animal on the cover (lion, giraffe, cheetah, etc.). Well, that’s it. I’m no longer […]
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Coffee and Pastries
24 Festive Tasks: Door 21 – Kwanzaa, Task 4 Cup of Unity is another Kwanzaa symbol. Either buy a friend a coffee / tea / etc. or start a small tab ($10 or less) at a local coffee shop and buy a coffee / tea for strangers behind you in line. There’s a colleague with […]
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My Favorite Books with Music as a Plot Element
24 Festive Tasks: Door 21 – Kwanzaa, Task 2: Music is an important part of a Kwanzaa celebration. Which is / are your favorite book(s) where music plays an important role in the plot? In no particular order, books (of all genres, except for artist biographies)* that I love where music plays an important […]
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24 Festive Tasks: Door 21 – Kwanzaa
Door 21: Kwanzaa Task 1: Share a shelfie or the picture of a stack of books or of an “object” (star, Christmas tree, etc.) created from books with red, black and green covers. Task 2: Music is an important part of a Kwanzaa celebration. Which is / are your favorite book(s) where music plays […]
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24 Festive Tasks: The Eight Final Holidays
The calendar’s eight final holidays and associated book tasks are: Door 17: Dec. 21 – Winter Solstice (Yule / Yaldā Night / Dongzhi / Soyal) Book: Read a book that takes place in December, with ice or snow on the cover, where all events take place in a single day or night, that revolves […]
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Visiting Africa: A Bucket List (of Sorts)
24 Festive Tasks: Door 21 – Kwanzaa, Task 3: Tell us: If you could travel to Africa (for those living on the African continent: to a part of Africa that you don’t know yet): Where would you want to go? Thinking about this task, I realize that quite a few African destinations are sitting on […]
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Colin Dexter: The Wench is Dead
24 Festive Tasks: Door 21 – Kwanzaa, Task 2: In Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, the “Finis Africae” is the hidden center of the labyrinth which constitutes the monastery’s library, protected by a number of intricate, misdirecting devices. Tell us: Where have you recently encountered clever misdirection or a labyrinthine plot in a book? […]
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Vegetable Dinner
24 Festive Tasks: Door 21 – Kwanzaa, Task 4: Have a meal involving vegetables (= crops) and / or corn, or another form of traditional Kwanzaa dinner. Recipe suggestions here: https://kwanzaaculinarians.com/ Boxing Day very-late-lunch-going-on-dinner (“linner”? “dunch”?) was orange duck with potatoes, mixed vegetables (several different kinds of carrots, green beans, peas, and cauliflower rosettes), […]
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Favorite Book Heroes and Their Nemeses
24 Festive Tasks: Door 21 – Kwanzaa, Task 1: “Africa” was originally the name of the Roman province originating from the North African empire of Carthage, which was mythologically founded by Queen Dido and blossomed into Ancient Rome’s only lasting opponent and nemesis (until it was finally conquered by Rome in the Punic Wars). So: […]
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Ken Bruen: The Guards
24 Festive Tasks: Door 21 – Kwanzaa, Book Ken Bruen’s Jack Taylor series has been on my radar ever since I watched the first episode of its TV adapatation, starring Iain Glen. The Guards provides as gut-punch an opener as is conceivable to the series; we see how and why Taylor is dismissed from the […]
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24 Festive Tasks: The Seven Final Holidays
As explained in this year’s Rules / Mode of Play post, we’re going to reveal the seven final holidays included in the card and the respective book tasks early on, so as to allow enough time to complete these books. The final holidays and book tasks are: Winter Solstice / Yuletide (December 21): Read any […]
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16 Tasks of the Festive Season: Final Tally
The Markers: Stack of Books: Books read Red Bows and Ribbons: Other Tasks completed Joker cards used: The Squares, Books and Other Tasks: Square 1: November 1st: All Saints Day / Día de los Muertos & Calan Gaeaf Book themes for Día de Muertos and All Saint’s Day: A book that […]
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16 Tasks of the Festive Season: Updates / Blackout
I’ve yet to read at least one book for some of the squares, but I’ve completed a minimum of either one book or one task for all of the squares, and in several cases, more. The Markers: Stack of Books: Books read Red Bows and Ribbons: Other Tasks completed […]
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Margery Allingham: Traitor’s Purse
16 Tasks of the Festive Season: Square 16 – Kwanzaa Headless Chicken Parade Part 2: Albert Campion* Well, I suppose that’s what I get for not checking a book’s online blurbs before reading it. I downoladed this book purely because it was available on Audible and it was one of Allingham’s Campion that I hadn’t […]
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16 Tasks of the Festive Season: Updates
I’ll be tracking my completed books, tasks, and points comprehensively here. The Markers: Stack of Books: Books read Red Bows and Ribbons: Other Tasks completed The Squares, Books and Other Tasks: Square 1: November 1st: All Saints Day / Día de los Muertos & Calan Gaeaf Book themes for Día de Muertos and […]
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The Festive Tasks in Calendar Form – December
Reblogged from: Murder by Death Posting this just in case anyone else finds it useful. November is here. Square 5: Book themes for Advent: Read a book with a wreath or with pines or fir trees on the cover –OR– Read the 4th book from a favorite series, or a book featuring 4 […]
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Introducing the 16 Tasks of the Festive Season!
Reblogged from: Murder by Death Themis-Athena’s Garden of Books and I have put together a little something to celebrate the festive season we hope you’ll like. Our goal was to represent as many of the festive holidays and traditions that happen at this time of year around the world as we reasonably could, and […]
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