Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

I am back from the dentist! Let me tell you, hanging out with the Red Pandas is much better than having a tooth filled. :P Updating the spreadsheet with your lovely books now. :)

Lory wrote: "Completion post!
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements The Disappearing Spoon And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean
394 pages (just missed the 400 mark!)."

Lory, did this book make it to your Wobble shelf? I don't see it on the spreadsheet.

"Now the dilemma, I gave darkfever which works for a lot. But also another that works for contemporary, historical fiction, and mystery. Its also 600+pages, so more points!"

When in doubt read what makes you happy! We'll fit it in somewhere and when you like what you're reading it goes faster. :D

hi welcome Ray! my boyfriend exclusively reads sci-fi and can't stand romance. I however will not touch a book unless it's got some romance in it (although I will read high action without romance). do you like hard science sci-fi or just anything sci-fi? wow guys! way to finish like 10 books today! I'm really trying to finish the 2.5 hours I have left of my audio book but I have a test Wednesday morning (bad timing)! I will try and get 2 more done by Thursday though =).

Tammie wrote: "I'll read
It's a classic...I think I read in high school.
Paperback is 102 pages"

That's a lovely choice - I think I read it in high school, too!

For future reference, books that count in more than one category give us more leeway when figuring out what books to put where. But fear not - no matter what we can put your book towards a bonus task, so even if it's not ideal placement we still get good points for it. :)

Whoops, now added to my wobble shelf!

Welcome to the team Ray

Lory wrote: "Sometimes I am generous with my stars. It was an easy to read non fiction book about science...relatively hard to find, plys it had some funny moments."
Have you read any Mary Roach? Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is wonderful!! Also Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal. :D

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Ray, your post got me thinking about the book I'm currently reading, Infomocracy, which is a debut sci-fi novel."

I love reading debut novels because they are usually really good. If you think about it, it's harder to get one's first novel published than subsequent novels, so the first is usually high quality. Thanks, I added it to my TBR list... though I don't tend to read books more than ~300 pgs much because I'm so immersed in the Novel RPG and want to finish quests faster. :)

Tori wrote: "hi welcome Ray! my boyfriend exclusively reads sci-fi and can't stand romance. I however will not touch a book unless it's got some romance in it (although I will read high action without romance). do you like hard science sci-fi or just anything sci-fi?"

My partner likes fantasy! He's got me to read a little Pratchett and a couple other things... sneaky dude, luring me in with Death who is hilarious (in the Disc World series). ;) I prefer hard sci-fi, because science is awesome!

Brianna wrote: "Welcome to the team Ray"
Thanks Brianna! Glad to be here. :)

Off to hopefully finish up my book now. I have a non-fiction queued up next too!

Welcome to the team, Ray :)

Finished

The Battle of the Labyrinth
28/6/16
361 pages
Fits many genres I think :)

Welcome to the team Ray! I compared our shelved books (cause I love doing that lol) and every book that we have in common is shelved as 'Read' for me and 'Nope' for you .hahaha. I love Romance so you could give me any book, Any, as long as it has romance and a happily ever after at the end I'll read it :) :)

Finished
My Brother's Keeper- by Alanea Alder
Read on 28th June.
224 pages.
E3 Fantasy/ B10 Humor

Sam wrote: "Finished
The Battle of the Labyrinth
28/6/16
361 pages
Fits many genres I think :)"

10 genres! Including contemporary and historical and classics. ;)

Ella wrote: "Finished
My Brother's Keeper- by Alanea Alder
Read on 28th June.
224 pages.
E3 Fantasy/ B10 Humor"

With the rate you're flying through this series I'm guessing it's good? ;)

Heist Society by Ally Carter
Pages: 337
Date read: 28/06/16
Read for: H2 (mystery), B7/A10 (contemporary), E7 (romance)

Woo-hoo, nice work Pragya!

Kazen wrote: "With the rate you're flying through this series I'm guessing it's good? ;) "

Hehe yeah I love the series! It mainly involves this extremely crazy, fun, evil, geeky, genius Meryn and each book after the first book brings together a new couple but Meryn continues to share the spot light. And they've all become like one big family (like joey chandler Monica phoebe Ross and Rachel) and every single character that comes in is awesome. If you need a funny, light, sweet, pick-me-up then you should definitely give this one a try (plus its quite short ). Meryn is extremely funny and cracked. She has all the big warriors wrapped around her finger yet they are terrified of the uncaffeinated version of her. :) :)
Here's a quote from the beginning of first book that won me over--> "You locked her in the trunk?!" "She was kicking me." Aiden protested. "She is human and half your size!" "You don't understand, she is a terrorist!"- Aiden's mom and Aiden

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Pages: 416
Date: June 28 2016
Category: Romance - E7 / Contemporary - B7, A10

I love/hated beautiful disaster. It was fun to read but like a train-wreck of a book.


Ray! Awesome, Well Ill peruse your bookshelf so I can pass some stuff my boyfriend's way!


Okay back to studying

It is a bit of a train wreck lol. Reminds me of a "teeny bopper" read. The author is a bit of a mediocre writer though, I'd have to agree with some of the reviews. But it did keep me reading so I can't say much I guess. Hehe

I remember not being able to put it down when I read it but being surprised that I was so drawn into the plot.

Finished
byJennifer L. Armentrout
Pgs: 343
Date: 6/28/2016
Genre:
Fantasy
YA
Paranormal
Romance

Driving a pal to a doc appt 50 miles away..so I'll catch up in the thread later. I am one of the few without an Internet connection in my pocket. Almost done with my book though--should finish today!

Ella wrote: "Welcome to the team Ray! I compared our shelved books (cause I love doing that lol) and every book that we have in common is shelved as 'Read' for me and 'Nope' for you .hahaha. I love Romance so y..."

Woot, wifi at the hospital! Yeah, Ella, I just can't read those books...too many bad things I've heard or too long or too fantasy, haha. :)

Countdown to end of Battleship

Okay guys - we got a lot of hits! This time around so we're going to concentrate solely on them. Any extra books will go towards bonus, no worries, but this is what we need to do to get all the points we earned:

New/Incomplete
We have to fill these tasks to get the points for each hit square (5) and for sinking ships (1-4).

Open primary slots listed below (details under the spoiler)

Read a book shelved as science fiction by at least 10 people - 4 slots open
Read a book shelved as fantasy by at least 10 people - 2 slots open
Read a book shelved as classics by at least 10 people - 2 slots open
Read a book shelved as contemporary by at least 10 people - 2 slots open
Read a book shelved as romance by at least 10 people - 2 slots open
Read a book shelved as mystery by at least 10 people - 2 slots open
Read a book shelved as historical by at least 10 people - 2 slots open
Read a book shelved as humor by at least 10 people - 2 slots open
(view spoiler)[D3 - HIT! - Read a book shelved as classics by at least 10 people
Book 1: Sam
Book 2:

D7 - HIT! - Read a book shelved as fantasy by at least 10 people
Book 1:
Book 2:

E7 - HIT! - Read a book shelved as romance by at least 10 people
Book 1:
Book 2:

H1 - HIT! - Read a book shelved as classics by at least 10 people
Book 1: Sam
Book 2:

H2 - HIT! - Read a book shelved as mystery by at least 10 people
Book 1:
Book 2:

D9 - HIT! - Read a book shelved as science fiction by at least 10 people
Book 1:
Book 2:

J4 - HIT! - Read a book shelved as historical by at least 10 people
Book 1:
Book 2:

A10 - HIT! - Read a book shelved as contemporary by at least 10 people
Book 1:
Book 2:

B10 - HIT! - Read a book shelved as humor by at least 10 people
Primary:
Book 2:

F10 - HIT! - Read a book shelved as science fiction by at least 10 people
Book 1:
Book 2:
(hide spoiler)]

Bonus
This is where any extra books will go - we'll find a place for it :)
(view spoiler)[

Each person can read one book for each square - so if you read five romances only one can be used for B1. You could use a second at A1, though. :D

The following genres can be read for bonus: (details below)
romance (x2)
mystery
horror
young adult (x3)
fantasy (x2)
non-fiction
science fiction
contemporary
chick lit
historical
paranormal

B1 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as romance by at least 10 people
Primary: Kazen, Pragya
Bonus (1/8 complete): Ella

E5 - HIT! - BONUS- Read a book shelved as mystery by at least 10 people
Primary: Tammie, Rose
Bonus (0/8):

H5 - HIT! - BONUS -Read a book shelved as horror by at least 10 people
Primary: Kate, Sam
Bonus (0/8):

I9 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as paranormal by at least 10 people
Primary: Ella, Annabeth
Bonus (0/8):

A3 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as young adult by at least 10 people
Primary: Sydney, Lori
Bonus (0/8):

D5 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as young adult by at least 10 people
Primary: Riah, Pragya
Bonus (0/8)

A1 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as romance by at least 10 people
Primary: Tammie, Tori
Bonus (0/8):

F5 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as non fiction by at least 10 people
Primary: Sam, Rose
Bonus (0/8):

A5 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as science fiction by at least 10 people
Primary: Brianna, Annabeth
Bonus (0/8):

F3 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as contemporary by at least 10 people
Primary: Rose, Tammie
Bonus (0/8):

A6 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as chick lit by at least 10 people
Primary: Ella, Lory
Bonus (0/8):

I10 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as fantasy by at least 10 people
Primary: Kate, Ella
Bonus (0/8):

J2 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as historical by at least 10 people
Primary: Sydney, Sam
Bonus (0/8):

G5 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as fantasy by at least 10 people
Primary: Margaret, Lory
Bonus (0/8):

I8 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as young adult by at least 10 people
Primary: Rose, Pragya
Bonus (0/8):

A4 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as science fiction by at least 10 people
Primary: Tori, Rose
Bonus (0/8):

C7 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as non fiction by at least 10 people
Primary: Riah, Lory
Bonus (0/8):

E3 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as fantasy by at least 10 people
Primary: Pragya, Ella
Bonus (0/8):

B7 - HIT! - BONUS - Read a book shelved as contemporary by at least 10 people
Primary: Kazen, Margaret
Bonus (0/8): (hide spoiler)]

Misses
In case of book emergency break glass click spoiler
(view spoiler)[B9 - miss - Read a book where the author's first name is one of the top 100 female/male names in Australia

C6 - miss - Read a book which has the main location (setting) as Canada

D2 - miss - Read a book written by two or more people under same name (example: Illona Andrews)

G7 - miss - Read a book which has the main location (setting) as the UK

J1 - miss - Read a book where author's first and last names have same initials
Book 1: Margaret
Book 2: Rose

E4 - miss- Read a book where the first word of the title is An

J9 - miss - Read a book where the author's first name is one of the top 100 female/male names in USA according to nameberry

C8 - miss - Read a book where all word in title have same number of letters (example: Gone Girl)

I2 - miss - Read a book that is book 5 in a series

E10 - miss - Read a book where sum of pages is even number (use read edition)

C3 - miss - Read a book which has the main location (setting) as Australia or New Zealand

C10 - miss - Read a book that is book 2 in a series

E8 - miss - Read a book whose author uses initials only (example: J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien)

F1 - miss - Read a book by an author who died in 2015-2016

G9 - miss - Read a book that is book 4 in a series

I3 - miss - Read a book with double letter in title (example Harry Potter and...)

J6 - miss - Read a book where sum of pages is odd number (use read edition)

F2 - miss - Read a book where the author's first name is one of the top 100 female/male names in Germany according to nameberry

G3 - miss - Read a book with a title with 6 or less letters

A8 - miss - Read a book where the first word of the title is The

A9 - miss - Read a book that is book 1 in a series

G1 - miss - Read a book where the first word of the title is A
(hide spoiler)]

Read like the wind! :)

Hey, so hopefully not a demanding request, but is there any way we can get an update on which positions need to be filled? I am likely to finish up The Kings Deception which works for contemporary, humor, and historical.

I am going to try to get another book finished, but I want to make sure to get all the hits filled. We get more points if those are done, right?

Just want to be helpful!

Lory - check the goal post on the previous page and look at the Red Panda spreadsheet listed on the first. We have several books that count for many categories so I'm not committing them right away. Also, books earn no points until paired, so some books on the Reserve Books page are waiting for a mate.

Multiple categories is good - that gives us the most leeway and helps make sure that all the puzzle pieces will fit. :)

It's six am here so I'll be updating the sheet once I have a shower and caffeine in my system :)

Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera
Read June 28
128 pages
contemporary

Hi Kazen!

Sorry to wake you! I am at the end of my work day, so I am procrastinating. I have looked at the spreadsheet, but as you say, some are in reserve, so I am having difficulty figuring out what is completed. (Seems very complicated, so I do not envy your task!) Like I said, just curious.

Lory, don't worry, it wasn't you who woke me - that's the cat's job. ;) I'll be putting the latest books in the spreadsheet now and updating the first post of this thread as I go. I'll do a better job of pointing out exactly what we need so you can read the most pointsy books possible, thanks so much for that!

Annabeth wrote: "Finished


The great hunt by robert jordan
Pages : 705
Date : 28 june 2016
Category : Fantasy"

Annabeth, is this book both on your wobble shelf and on your read shelf, with a read date? It's not showing up on the spreadsheet for some reason. :/

The good news is that once it does we'll get a ton of points - 700 pages, woah! :D

Riah wrote: "It is a bit of a train wreck lol. Reminds me of a "teeny bopper" read. The author is a bit of a mediocre writer though, I'd have to agree with some of the reviews. But it did keep me reading so I c..."

Sometimes I like reading a train wreck! Hehehe. Helps to know you're getting that going in, but it can be a fun ride.

We're in the homestretch!

The one genre we need more than any other right now is classics. Sam has read us two (yea Sam!) so we need two more by other people to fill out the category. (Don't worry Sam - King Lear is sure to fit in another category, read on!)

After that, books in the science fiction/fantasy realm would be very helpful. We need the most books for these tasks (six total) and having them in place would give us leeway to fit the rest of the books in other categories.

By the numbers, we need 20 books to fill out all of our hits. We have 12 in reserve, waiting for pairs or best placement. That means we need at least 8 books by Friday. I know we can do it - read on!!

Please welcome a new player for your team Karin!

Hi everyone!! So excited to join this challenge - I'm guessing I have a bit to catch up on. Any specific place you need me to start?

Huzzah, so happy to have you Karin! :D I have to go off to work soon but I'll get you situated in the spreadsheet as soon as I get back. Lots of links on the first page of this thread but don't stress about reading the whole thing - the most important info is here under the pictures. :) Welcome, welcome!

Karin wrote: "Hi everyone!! So excited to join this challenge - I'm guessing I have a bit to catch up on. Any specific place you need me to start?"

Read what pleases you! If it happens to be one of the genres listed in the goal post (or pointed out in the update post) on this page all the better. ;)

eta: And just so you know - this part of the challenge ends Friday, there's a countdown clock in the goal post. No books will carry over to the next event, so plan accordingly. :)

Karin, good news! Your last two books, Confess and Mortom, were completed during the Wobble timeframe so we can use them towards Battleship, huzzah! Go ahead and add them to your wobble shelf :)

Welcome to Red Pandas, Karin! I'm Kate, and it's a pleasure to meet you!

I would definitely finish The Road which would count as Sci-Fi. Hopefully I'll finish it today! *crosses fingers*

Kazen wrote: "Karin, good news! Your last two books, Confess and Mortom, were completed during the Wobble timeframe so we can use them towards Battleship, huzzah! Go ahead and add them to your wobble shelf :)"

Oh good! I've added both to my Wobble shelf.

So for a more formal introduction...I'm Karin and I live in the US (Connecticut). Married, working full time with two dogs and a cat (no kids - well those are my kids). Now that summer is here, my husband and I love to go camping and outdoor concerts.

I'll read pretty much anything, but favorite genres are mysteries/thrillers and historical fiction. Not a huge fan of non-fiction, but I am reading one now that is pretty good.

Looking forward to participating and getting to know everyone better!

I don't think I'll be able to finish a Classic genre by Friday (not my favorite genre), but I will try my best on Science Fiction/Fantasy.

Finished

Animal Farm
Classic!
It's only 102 pages, but I needed a short read.
Do we know what we have left?...we're getting close to the end.
Thanks

I will definitely finish The Search
by end of day tomorrow...have book on tape and 7 hours of drive time.
338 pages
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Romance, Contemporary

So I went to the hospital and they were all like, "Interpreter? That was cancelled." GRAH. But I'm here now and have more time to read, yea!

Tammie wrote: "Finished

Animal Farm
Classic!"

This ended up being awesome genre-wise - it works for all of them except two! Yup, 48 people shelved it as non-fiction (what), 45 as horror, 21 as romance... crazy, but it counts! Hehe.

Welcome to the team, Karin. I'm Sam.

Kazen, I finishing another fantasy. Not the longest possible, just about 388 pages (i think), but will be done today or tomorrow. I'll leave King Lear for the next challenge then!

Sam, that sounds like a plan! Feel free to read King Lear if you want, though (you said it was for school?) - your other classic books have lots and lots of categories, so they would still be used in other places. :)

Cool! Now back to books. My best friend always says that I 'eat' books because I read too much...

Sam wrote: "Cool! Now back to books. My best friend always says that I 'eat' books because I read too much..."

I don't know about this friend. It sounds like a healthy diet to me. :D

Tori wrote: "Ray! Awesome, Well Ill peruse your bookshelf so I can pass some stuff my boyfriend's way!"

Sweet. Let me know if he likes anything from there -- I like to hear opinions on my fav books. For example, Karsyn (the NRBC mod) tried to read Ender's Game, which I've loved since jr high school, and she couldn't even finish it! The people were too mean to Ender (for her).


Kazen wrote: "Also, books earn no points until paired, so some books on the Reserve Books page are waiting for a mate."

I was thinking about this today and wondering if we should pair up for reading now? Like, find someone else to read the same genre? Maybe I'm overcomplicating it....


Karin wrote: "Hi everyone!! So excited to join this challenge - I'm guessing I have a bit to catch up on. Any specific place you need me to start?"

Hi Karin! I'm another newbie Red Panda; just got added here yesterday. :) Welcome!

Ray (user2637) wrote: "I was thinking about this today and wondering if we should pair up for reading now? Like, find someone else to read the same genre? Maybe I'm overcomplicating it...."

If each book only had one genre that would make sense, but many books count in four, five, even eight+ genres. If you look at the Reserve Books page of the spreadsheet you can see that some books are tentatively set for a particular spot (dark purple), but many could work in several different places. By not locking in books now we keep our options open and will be able to complete the 20 book spread with the minimum 20 books... at least if things go according to plan.

...clear as mud? ;)