General

This was my 6th year for the Gentle Spectrums challenge and I had a goal to read one book in each category. Any books read after that until the end of January 2020 were a bonus. I ended up with a great variety in the amount of books in each category, but I did make my goal of at least one in each category. Thanks to Carolyn for hosting!

LIMITLESS PALETTE ~ COLOURS!
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Fannie Flagg
A Light in Dark Places, Jennifer Graves
The Darling Dahlias and the Silver Dollar Bush (Darling Dahlias #5), Susan Wittig Albert
Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik
The Planet of Junior Brown, Virginia Hamilton
The Black Moon (Poldark Saga #5), Winston Graham
Throne of Jade (Temeraire #2), Naomi Novik
Black Powder War (Temeraire #3), Naomi Novik
Empire of Ivory (Temeraire #4), Naomi Novik
A Beautiful Blue Death (Charles Lenox #1), Charles Finch
Crucible of Gold (Temeraire #7), Naomi Novik
Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Raven Cycle #3), Maggie Stiefvater

CANADIAN Books by or about Canadians / Canada and closely-associated attributes. Books set here work great.
The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, Jim DeFede
The Celtic Riddle (Lara McClintoch #4), Lyn Hamilton
Justice Hall (Mary Russell #6), Laurie R. King

CONTINENTS Choose titles that mention continents, any books in or from continents other than yours, atlases, geography other than your continent.
Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha #1), Tomi Adeyemi
The Woman on the Orient Express, Lindsay Jayne Ashford
Wildflower Hill, Kimberley Freeman
A Question of Honor (Bess Crawford #5), Charles Todd
Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot #10), Agatha Christie
The Family Under the Bridge, Natalie Savage Carlson
Breaking Stalin’s Nose, Eugene Yelchin
The Golden One (Amelia Peabody #14), Elizabeth Peters
Children of the Storm (Amelia Peabody #15), Elizabeth Peters
Guardian of the Horizon (Amelia Peabody #16), Elizabeth Peters
Treacherous is the Night (Verity Kent #2), Anna Lee Huber
Blood of Tyrants (Temeraire #8), Naomi Novik
Homesick: My Own Story, Jean Fritz
Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa, Francis Kalnay

FASHION AND DECOR
A Pattern of Lies (Bess Crawford #7), Charles Todd

EDUCATIONAL Look for words associated with education. Or they can be instructional, whatever their titles: manuals, school readers….
Educated, Tara Westover

HOPE AND TRIUMPH!
Sinner (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #4), Maggie Stiefvater
Three Times Lucky (Mo & Dale Mysteries #1), Sheila Turnage
The Law of Finders Keepers (Mo & Dale Mysteries #4), Sheila Turnage
Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World, Ann Shen
Getting Near to Baby, Audrey Couloumbis
Full of Beans, Jennifer L. Holm
The Tyrant’s Tomb (The Trials of Apollo, #4), Rick Riordan

ANIMALS
The Eagle Catcher (Wind River Reservation #1), Margaret Coel
Wolf Hollow, Lauren Wolk
Dash, Kirby Larson
Hiss and Hers (Agatha Raisin #23), M.C. Beaton
Ginger Pye, Eleanor Estes
His Majesty’s Dragon (Temeraire #1), Naomi Novik
Dogsong, Gary Paulsen
The Four Swans (Poldark Saga #6), Winston Graham
The Fourteenth Goldfish (Fourteenth Goldfish #1), Jennifer L. Holm
The Serpent on the Crown (Amelia Peabody #17), Elizabeth Peters
Tomb of the Golden Bird (Amelia Peabody #18), Elizabeth Peters
The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse, Alexander McCall Smith
Victory of Eagles (Temeraire #5), Naomi Novik
Tongues of Serpents (Temeraire #6), Naomi Novik
League of Dragons (Temeraire #9), Naomi Novik
The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1), Maggie Stiefvater
The Raven King (Raven Cycle #4), Maggie Stiefvater
Some Like It Hawk (Meg Langslow #14), Donna Andrews
The Hen of the Baskervilles (Meg Langslow #15), Donna Andrews

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT Title associations, or books prominently featuring natural environments.
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic, Leigh Bardugo
The Shattered Tree (Bess Crawford #8), Charles Todd
He Shall Thunder in the Sky (Amelia Peabody #12), Elizabeth Peters
Beyond the Bright Sea, Lauren Wolk
The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway #1), Elly Griffiths
M.C. Higgins, the Great, Virginia Hamilton
Hello, Universe, Erin Entrada Kelly
Buried in a Bog (County Cork #1), Sheila Connolly
The House at Sea’s End (Ruth Galloway #3), Elly Griffiths
The Scorpio Races, Maggie Stiefvater
A River in the Sky (Amelia Peabody #19), Elizabeth Peters
Open Season (Joe Pickett #1), C.J. Box

THE ARTS Fine arts, photography, music, film-making, poetry. Key words in titles, or books about these.
The Blood Card (Magic Men #3), Elly Griffiths
An Artless Demise (Lady Darby #7), Anna Lee Huber
American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee, Karen Abbott
Johnny Cash: The Life, Robert Hilburn
Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng
The Painted Queen (Amelia Peabody #20), Elizabeth Peters
The Vanishing Box, (Magic Men #4), Elly Griffiths
King of Shadows, Susan Cooper
Scandal in Skibbereen (County Cork #2), Sheila Connelly
I, Juan de Pareja, Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
Now You See Them (Magic Men #5), Elly Griffiths
The Zig Zag Girl (Magic Men #1), Elly Griffiths

TOYS OR HOBBIES
The Darling Dahlias and the Texas Star (Darling Dahlias #4), Susan Wittig Albert
The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover (Darling Dahlias #7), Susan Wittig Albert
Doll Bones, Holly Black
The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel, Alyssa Palombo
Roller Girl, Victoria Jamieson
The Double Cross (Someday Quilts #3), Clare O’Donohue

HEALTHFULNESS! Happy feelings, drink, food, exercise, medicine, energy: you decide!
Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, Kate Clifford Larson
If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period, Gennifer Choldenko
The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
Out of my Mind, Sharon M. Draper
The Third Mushroom, Jennifer L. Holm (Fourteenth Goldfish #2)
Dead Man’s Bones (China Bayles #13), Susan Wittig Albert
Eggs on Ice (Cackleberry Club, #8), Laura Childs

I had a great year with this challenge. Thanks to Julie of SmilingShelves for hosting. I joined at the lowest level: L’Engle: 15 – 29 points, and each book you read is worth points.

• 3 points for a Newbery Medal Winner
• 2 points for a Newbery Honor Book
• 1 point for a Caldecott Book (Both Medal winners and Honor books are worth a point.)

I’ve done this challenge other years and made this same level, but this year I went up two levels and achieved the Avi: 45 – 59 points by reading a total of 47 points!

2-Wolf Hollow, Lauren Wolk
2-Three Times Lucky (Mo & Dale Mysteries #1), Sheila Turnage
3-The Crossover, Kwame Alexander
2-The Family Under the Bridge, Natalie Savage Carlson
2-Getting Near to Baby, Audrey Couloumbis
2-One Came Home, Amy Timberlake
2-Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds
3-M.C. Higgins, the Great, Virginia Hamilton
2-The Winter Room, Gary Paulsen
2-Breaking Stalin’s Nose, Eugene Yelchin
3-Ginger Pye, Eleanor Estes
2-The Planet of Junior Brown, Virginia Hamilton
2-Doll Bones, Holly Black
2-Dogsong, Gary Paulsen
3-Hello, Universe, Erin Entrada Kelly
2-Bomb: The Race to Build-and Steal-the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, Steve Sheinkin
2-Roller Girl, Victoria Jamieson
2-Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Beverly Cleary
2-Homesick: My Own Story, Jean Fritz
2-Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa, Francis Kalnay
3-I, Juan de Pareja, Elizabeth Barton de Trevino

I’ve done this challenge in the past, but taken off a few years, so have decided to return to the fun. Read 1 book that fits the motif for that month. Simple, right? The chart above lists the motifs. I’ll pick as I go along.

Both patterns are by Bag Lady Creations, the Collegiate Strip Quilt and the kit is from the Fabric Mill in Orem. The BYU quilt on the left was actually finished last December. I made a strip and a patchwork version and let Mark choose which one he wanted for Christmas in 2017. He chose the patchwork, so the strip quilt went in my stash for future gift giving. During the year I decided to make two more and give them for gifts to my siblings for Christmas 2018. You’ll notice that one is not like the other, as one of my brothers has become a die-hard Utah fan.

I used BYU Minky on the backs of the BYU quilts, and Utah Minky on that quilt. It is very soft and cuddly but makes a mess of lint when cutting and sewing. I had the two new ones both quilted at Utah Valley Quilting using their own design of a block BYU with footballs and a block UTAH with footballs. They were very well-received by my family members. My Utah brother said it was the best Christmas gift ever!