You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

February 2016 Challenge - Books by the Numbers

In honour of leap year with there being 29 days in February this year, I thought it fitting that we should do a challenge around numbers.

The challenge is to read a book with a number in the title.
- Only cardinal (1,2,3) or ordinal (first, second, third) numbers are allowed.
- Subtitles are excluded from this challenge.

General Rules:
1. The book may be in any format - hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook.
2. The book may be in any genre.
3. The book may NOT be combined with the Year Long Geocaching Challenge.
4. The book must be read between February 1 - 29, 2016 (based on your own time zone).
5. The challenge is for one book. You may read more books if you chose, but only the highest scoring book will apply.
6. The book must be 175 pages or more determined by the issue you read. If reading eBook or audiobook, page numbers will be determined by the issue that comes up first on a Goodreads search.

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Scoring:

Title: (subtitles excluded)

a. What was the number in your title? Score that number, but with a twist. Like numerology, you need to get that number down to a single digit. So if you read Catch-22, add 2+2 = 4. If you read 1984, score 1+9+8+4=22 then 2+2=4. In the case of ordinal numbers - First=1, Second= 2, etc.

b. Count 4 if the title has 4 words
c. Count 3 if the title has 3 words
d. Count 2 if the title has 2 words
e. Count 1 if the title has 1 word
Note: If the title contains a numberic word (ie 22, 1984), the number will constitute one word regardless of how many digits are in it.

Author:

a. Take the vowels in the author's last name and add them together, applying the numerology equivalent: a=1, e=5, i=9, 0=15, u=21. Then narrow the total to a single digit. If you read Stephen King, your score would be i=9. If you read John Irving, your score would be the total of two I's - 9+9=18 then 1+8=9.

b. Count 3 points if the author has 3 names
c. Count 2 points if there is more than one author (doesn't include narrators or translators)
d. Count 1 point if the author's name is listed with only one name (eg Plato)

Cover: (it must be the issue you are reading)

a. Count 5 points if there is a crowd of people on the cover
b. Count 4 points if there is seal such as the "Newberry Seal of Honour". I don't mean the animal.
c. Count 3 points if there is exactly 3 colours on the cover. No more, no less.
d. Count 2 points if there are two of something on the cover - two people, two animals (may be different kinds), two cups.
e. Count 1 point if the colour of the cover is predominantly blue (70%)

Pages:

a. 500 + pages = 5 points
b. 400-499 pages = 4 points
c. 300-399 pages = 3 points
d. 200 - 299 pages = 2 points
e. 175-199 pages = 1 point

Bonus points:

a. 3 points - in honour of Leap Year, count 3 points if part of the story is set in February. The month must be mentioned and not implied.

b. 3 points - in honour of National Bacon Day, count 3 points if there is a pig in the story, bacon is eaten, or someone whose name is Bacon (Kevin Bacon, Sir Nathanial Bacon, etc) is mentioned.

c. 3 points - in honour of Cow Milked While Flying in an Airplane Day, count 3 points if there is a cow, milk, or airplane in the story.

Oh!!! I just started Fahrenheit 451! I'll have to find another for February. Time to gopher a bit. :)

Off to gopher!

Well, no zero points in February then.

I love the scoring :D

And what? Cow Milked While Flying in an Airplane Day? I'm first off to google and then to gopher!

This was a quick gophering: I've settled for First Born of the Moon: And Other Stories, as I need a book of short stories for another challenge.

So many options this month! I already started narrowing it down - is it on my tbr? available at the library? do I already own it?... I will have to narrow it down more, but I'll probably wait until closer to when I'm ready to read to see what mood I'm in. I love when I can combine a challenge and a mood read!

I also have many options. I found three already by just looking at my paper books.

Janice, does the number actually have to be in the title as a number (1 or 2) or can it also be written (one or two)?

I'm reading One Kick I've been wanting to read Chelsea Cain

A quick gophering session for me too this time. I am going to read 44 Scotland Street.

Delitealex - One Kick is on my short list of books to read for this. I already own it.

I knew I was going to be out of town when my IRL book club discussed Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, so I didn't bother to read it. Maybe now is a good time to do so.

Maybe a better option is The Nine Pound Hammer.

I have a couple of books I own that would work for this challenge :) yes!!

206 Bones (if I don't read it for the geocaching challenge)
Second Glance

Oh nevermind my question, it was in a subtitle anyway.

I think I'll read 22 Brittannia Road, or maybe The Thirteenth Tale.

I think you will like The Thirteenth Tale, Peggy. Lisa and I did a buddy read last year.

Does it have to be the original title of the book or do translations count? I'm just asking, because I have a book at home with a number in its german title, but I just noticed that the english title is completely different and it doesn't contain a number

My first option is 39 Sixty.
If it doesn't work I could go with One for the Money or The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

The Stephanie plum series is awesome, Sandra!! If you go with that one, hope you love it :)

lol! I added the series for you, Stephanie! :)

Yes!!!! :)

Peggy wrote: "I also have many options. I found three already by just looking at my paper books.

Janice, does the number actually have to be in the title as a number (1 or 2) or can it also be written (one or ..."

Either will work.

Efflorescence wrote: "Does it have to be the original title of the book or do translations count? I'm just asking, because I have a book at home with a number in its german title, but I just noticed that the english tit..."

Yes translations count. The only thing that doesn't are subtitles.

I have 8 books that I currently own with numbers in the title, but could I want to read any of them for this challenge? No, I had to go buy another book to read because it kept coming up in my TBR list as I was gophering. No problem, though, I will be getting my SH fix for Feb with Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets: An Anthology of Holmesian Tales Across Time and Space. Can't wait to start!

Oh goodie! I just downloaded .

I'm slightly confused at a few scoring items, I'll wait until someone posts to see how they do each category.

I've finished my only number in title last year which was The Thirteenth Tale, Time to find something else.

@ Janice

Would A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing fit the challenge?

Cherie wrote: "I have 8 books that I currently own with numbers in the title, but could I want to read any of them for this challenge? No, I had to go buy another book to read because it kept coming up in my TBR ..."

Gee, why am I surprised that you picked that book over all others? LOL!

Cherie's choice of book reminded me of something - when counting words in your title, a hyphenated word will count as one word. In Cherie's case, if the number was digits, it would be 221 (one word), but because each number is written out - two hundred and twenty-one, it will be 4 words including the "and", but not 5 because one is hyphenated.

Make sense?

Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Oh goodie! I just downloaded .

I'm slightly confused at a few scoring items, I'll wait until someone posts to ..."

What is confusing you, Anne? If it's confusing you, it might be confusing others and this is the best time to get it straightened out.

Anna wrote: "@ Janice

Would A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing fit the challenge?"

I don't see a number in that title. Sorry.

So I've decided on Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - it catches my eye every time I take a trip through my TBR, so this is the perfect opportunity to read it.

BTW, Cherie, your books sounds Ahhmazing!

Janice wrote: "Anna wrote: "@ Janice

Would A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing fit the challenge?"

I don't see a number in that title. Sorry."

Really? a half isn't a number? it's 1 over 2. that's a number.

However, I think the challenge maybe specifies cardinal numbers. That means no fractions or decimals.

But yes, "a half" is a number, just not a number that fits this challenge I think.

Janice - the example of how you scored the number for my book title is what I assumed for the hyphenated word twenty-one. I think I understand about the word count your way, but to be sure:

If my book title were One Thousand Souls. It would be 2 words because "one thousand" is a number. Right?

"44 Scotland Street" would be 3 words. Right?

Janice wrote: "Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Oh goodie! I just downloaded .

I'm slightly confused at a few scoring items, I'll wait..."

Hi Janice,

I'm probably dense, but on
a. What was the number in your title? Score that number, but with a twist. Like numerology, you need to get that number down to a single digit. So if you read Catch-22, add 2+2 = 4. If you read 1984, score 1+9+8+4=22 then 2+2=4. In the case of ordinal numbers - First=1, Second= 2, etc., my choice 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi would score 1 + 3 = 4 Is that 4 points?

Author Mitchell Zuckoff U 21 + O 15 = 36 = 3 + 6 = 9 is that 9 Points? Also, the cover says Mitchell Zuckoff with the Annex security team. I saw the special where 3 of the surviving team members were talking about the book as well as the film. How do I count the number of authors?

And I assume that 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi is considered 2 words?

The cover to me looks like green, with some yellow, and a little black on it?

Off to gopher now.

I think it is time for me to read Fahrenheit 451

So i guess (from reading your msg30) that you're not counting "half" as a number (as in 0.5)? Or are we just using whole numbers? I have a couple books with half in the title. Also, can a number be hypenated as in The Three-Body Problem? How about zero/none?

I am surprised at how many options I have. I'm going to list them here so I don't nee to gopher again. Some of them I was planning on reading for the geocache challenge but we'll see.

The Three-Body Problem
1st to Die
A Thousand Splendid Suns
The Three
I Am Number Four
The Fifth Elephant
Seven Years in Tibet
The Twelve (a bit long)
The Extra Ordinary Life of Frank Derrick, Age 81
20th Century Ghosts
Fahrenheit 451
Patient Zero

So I guess Five Quarters of the Orange wouldn't work ? I'll keep searching for a different book.

CFDeeDee wrote: "So I guess Five Quarters of the Orange wouldn't work ? I'll keep searching for a different book."

Yes it would work CFDeeDee - it does have the number five/5 in the title!

Ooh, thought fractions don't count ! I guess I'll give another visit to the book store some time tomorrow.

CFDeeDee wrote: "Ooh, thought fractions don't count ! I guess I'll give another visit to the book store some time tomorrow."

Fractions may not count (I'm waiting for Janice to confirm this) but the word Five is still there so you would just leave the Quarter bit off when it comes to scoring.

While the five quarters is a fraction, you could ignore the word quarters and just go for a straight number five.

That's what I would do.

Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Oh goodie! I just downloaded .

I'm slightly confused at a few scoring items, I'll wait until someone posts to ..."

A great read, Anne.

I'm thinking Thirty-Three Teeth

Lets wait and see what would Janice say about this.

Not to complicate things, but if words, such as none, are allowed, then would words such as dozen count? None and dozen aren't actually numbers, but we know that they represent a number. If yes, then do we use the number representation (0 or 12) for scoring purposes?

Is my understanding that Janice meant cardinals (1, 2, 3, etc) and ordinals (first, second, third, etc.) numbers only, but we'll need to wait for her.

That was my understanding too, Sandra.

Sandra wrote: "Is my understanding that Janice meant cardinals (1, 2, 3, etc) and ordinals (first, second, third, etc.) numbers only, but we'll need to wait for her."

Yes, that's it exactly. I try to keep things simple, but you all seem to want complex things.

Cherie wrote: "Janice - the example of how you scored the number for my book title is what I assumed for the hyphenated word twenty-one. I think I understand about the word count your way, but to be sure:

If my ..."

Yes, correct.