The Perks Of Being A Book Addict discussion

This is an optional mini challenge for our UNO players.

This challenge has two parts, Find your Valentine and Be my Valentine.

❤ Only books read February 14-28 will count for this challenge.
❤ Please note that books started before Feb-14 don't count for this mini-challenge
❤ The countdown to the start of this mini challenge is here
❤ The usual book length requirement for UNO apply
❤ Complete all tasks and your team gets a bonus 30 points
❤ Books used for this mini challenge do not need to be separate books for what you are claiming for your UNO hands
❤ It would be nice for you to post in your Valentine's team thread to let your valentine know what you are doing (but this is not compulsory).

❤ Captains, your spreadsheets will be updated in order for you to claim points

      ~~Find your valentine and read their books~~

Somewhere in the threads your team Valentine has hidden, so your first task is to find them.
(Please note, your Valentine is not the team name posted in your own thread.)

As a team:
❤ Read up to five books your valentine team has read this month for 10 points each
❤ Read up to ten books your valentine team has read in Feb or added in Feb of any year for 8 points each
❤ Read up to fifteen books your valentine team has read that was first published in Feb of any year for 5 points each

Bonus
❤ Read one book that was first published on the 14th of February of any year for 10 points

~~Read books that fit these valentine tasks for 5 points each~~

Each task can only be completed once.
There are 30 tasks to choose from and you can choose up to 15.

The most popular theory about Valentine’s Day origin is that Emperor Claudius II didn’t want Roman men to marry during wartime. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret weddings. For this, Valentine was jailed and executed. While in jail he wrote a note to the jailor’s daughter signing it “from your Valentine”. After St. Valentine was buried, Julia, the daughter of his jailor, planted an almond tree with pink blossoms near his grave. The almond tree today is a symbol of lasting friendship and love.

❤ Read a book where there is a secret wedding
❤ Read a book where a character is in jail
❤ Read a book where a character is named Julia

The earliest description of February 14 as an annual celebration of love appears in the Charter of the Court of Love. The charter, allegedly issued by Charles VI of France at Mantes-la-Jolie in 1400, describes lavish festivities to be attended by several members of the royal court, including a feast, amorous song and poetry competitions, jousting and dancing. Amid these festivities, the attending ladies would hear and rule on disputes from lovers. No other record of the court exists, and none of those named in the charter were present at Mantes except Charles's queen, Isabeau of Bavaria, who may well have imagined it all while waiting out a plague.

❤ Read a book where two characters fall in love
❤ Read a book where there is unrequited love
❤ Read a book where there is a first kiss

In China, Valentine's Day is called lovers' festival. The "Chinese Valentine's Day" is the Qixi Festival, celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It commemorates a day on which a legendary cow herder and weaving maid are allowed to be together. In Chinese culture, there is an older observance related to lovers, called "The Night of Sevens" According to the legend, the Cowherd star and the Weaver Maid star are normally separated by the Milky Way (silvery river) but are allowed to meet by crossing it on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese calendar.

❤ Read a book set in China
❤ Read a book first published on the 7th of any month
❤ Read a book first published in July of any year

Based on retail statistics, about 3 per cent of pet owners will give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets.

❤ Read a book where the main character has a pet
❤ Read a book with a 3 in the page count
❤ Read a book where someone gives a gift

If you’re single don’t despair. You can celebrate Singles Awareness Day (SAD) instead. It is meant as an alternative to Valentine’s Day, the holiday is for single people to celebrate or to commiserate in their single status.

❤ Read a book where the main character is, and remains, single
❤ Read a book where characters go on a date
❤ Read a book where the characters go to a dance

Or you could pop over to Finland where Valentine’s Day is called Ystävänpäivä, which translates into “Friend’s day”. It’s more about remembering your buddies than your loved ones.

❤ Read a book where there are a group of 3 or more friends
❤ Read a book where a new friendship is made
❤ Read a book by an author who is known to be a friend of another author (Google is great to find these. Some examples are: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare, Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, F. Scott Fitzgerald & Ernest Hemingway, or Beth Revis & Victoria Schwab)

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression “to wear your heart on your sleeve.”

❤ Read a book set in the Middle Ages (5th to the 15th century)
❤ Read a book with a young man as the main character
❤ Read a book with a young woman as the main character

Physicians of the 1800s commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.

❤ Read a book where a character is a nurse or a Doctor
❤ Read a book written in the 1800s
❤ Read a book with chocolate on the cover

Every Valentine’s Day, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.

❤ Read a book that contains a shakespeare quote
❤ Read a book where the character writes or receives a letter
❤ Read a book based in Italy

The most fantastic gift of love is the Taj Mahal in India. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial to his wife.

❤ Read a book based in India
❤ Read a book where a husband gives his wife a present
❤ Read a book where there is a character who is an Emperor

The countdown to the start of this mini challenge is here

Remember: You find your valentine by finding a quote related to your team on another team's thread.

So, for example, Team Kate Daniels would be looking for a quote related to Kate Daniels books or Ilona Andrews (the author)

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Can we ask mini challenge questions here or do I post in the main Q and A thread?

Venecia wrote: "Can we ask mini challenge questions here or do I post in the main Q and A thread?"

You can ask them here. :)

Thanks.
1. For the books that our Valentine team has read. Does that mean anything on their read shelf? So I can pick a member of that team and see what is on their read shelf and select from that using the February date criteria?
2. Does Added mean on their read shelf but using the added date as some people do not have a read by date on their books?
3. Does the bonus book in part 1 have to be read by the Valentine team or can it be any book that meets the criteria.

What do we do if a team member has their profile set to private?

Does books we read for the mini-challenge count towards our overall challenge?

Kadi wrote: "Does books we read for the mini-challenge count towards our overall challenge?"

❤ Books used for this mini challenge do not need to be separate books for what you are claiming for your UNO hands

Q: does the book to read published on 2/14 of any year need to be on our valentines shelf?
Q: if a book has been published many times, does the 2/14 pub date have to be the 1st/original date it was pub?

Venecia wrote: "Thanks.
2. Does Added mean on their read shelf but using the added date as some people do not have a read by date on their books?

3. Does the bonus book in part 1 have to be read by the Valentine team or can it be any book that meets the criteria."

I was hoping it meant added to any of their shelves- tbr, read, etc.,..

And again, hoping it means Any book, because it's slim pickings if it has to come from their shelves...

Q: Do these tasks have a specific order they need to be completed? Can we get points for for the bonus w/out having all the other components of "Find Your Valentine" completed? Can we get points for "Be My Valentine" without having all the books read for "Find Your Valentine"?

Q: Can 1 book count for both part 1 and part 2? So, we read a book that our valentine team has read this month but it also contains a secret wedding. Count for both?

Venecia wrote: "Thanks.
1. For the books that our Valentine team has read. Does that mean anything on their read shelf? So I can pick a member of that team and see what is on their read shelf and select from that using the February date criteria?
2. Does Added mean on their read shelf but using the added date as some people do not have a read by date on their books?
3. Does the bonus book in part 1 have to be read by the Valentine team or can it be any book that meets the criteria."

1. Yes, anything on their read shelf is in play - provided the books fits the rest of the criteria.
2. Edited - can be on any shelf (not just read) provided "added" date is in Feb of any year
3. Any book, it doesn't need to be connected to your valentine team.

Natalie wrote: "What do we do if a team member has their profile set to private?"


You can either send them a friend request or choose another member of the team.

Tammie wrote: "Q: does the book to read published on 2/14 of any year need to be on our valentines shelf?
Q: if a book has been published many times, does the 2/14 pub date have to be the 1st/original date it was..."

No, any book originally published 2/14 counts for the bonus (provided the rest of the uno rules are covered)
You need the original publication date.

Jessica wrote: "Q: Do these tasks have a specific order they need to be completed? Can we get points for for the bonus w/out having all the other components of "Find Your Valentine" completed? Can we get points fo..."

You can do the tasks in any order you like. You can skip some as well but still get points for all tasks/books read and completed. The same goes for the 2/14 bonus.
It's only the 30p completion bonus that you won't get if you don't finish all tasks.

No. You need different books for all the tasks. But if 2 team members read the same book you can use it twice (since it's two books).

One last one. Do the Books for Part 2 need to be on the Valentine's Team shelves? I think No but just want to verify. Thanks.

Venecia wrote: "One last one. Do the Books for Part 2 need to be on the Valentine's Team shelves? I think No but just want to verify. Thanks."

No you are free to choose any book that fits the task :)

UNO Pixie wrote: "Venecia wrote: "One last one. Do the Books for Part 2 need to be on the Valentine's Team shelves? I think No but just want to verify. Thanks."

No you are free to choose any book that fits the task :)"

Thanks again, now to scour some shelves :-)

Happy hunting ;)

I know this is a long shot but thought I'd ask anyways...

Are series substitutions allowed? Say our Valentine has read #6 in a series but we are only on #3, or vice versa?

For the character who is an Emperor task do they need to have that exact title or would similar titles work e.g. Sultan, King etc?

Also on the character is in jail, does it have to be an actual jail or would being a prisoner count and is there a time period i.e. whole book, chapter, majority of book?

Thank you

We've had questions about:

Read a book your valentine team has read in Feb or added in Feb of any year

To give more flexibility, we will allow the book to be on any shelf (not just the read shelf) provided the "added" date is in Feb of any year

Nichole wrote: "I know this is a long shot but thought I'd ask anyways...

Are series substitutions allowed? Say our Valentine has read #6 in a series but we are only on #3, or vice versa?"

No, sorry
;)

Alison wrote: "For the character who is an Emperor task do they need to have that exact title or would similar titles work e.g. Sultan, King etc?

Also on the character is in jail, does it have to be an actual ja..."

Emperor needs to fit the definition of:
"An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm"
We're ok with title variations provided the meaning is the same

Character in jail, we want an actual jail cell. Time frame doesn't matter

UNO Pixie wrote: "Nichole wrote: "I know this is a long shot but thought I'd ask anyways...

Are series substitutions allowed? Say our Valentine has read #6 in a series but we are only on #3, or vice versa?"

No, sorry..."

I didn't think so :)

But the other ruling about added to any shelf makes me happy!

Thanks!!

:)

Is it ok to use books from the shelves of someone who was a member of your Valentine Team but went missing and has been replaced?

Alison wrote: "Is it ok to use books from the shelves of someone who was a member of your Valentine Team but went missing and has been replaced?"

No, sorry. Only current members
Edited - I should clarify, if a previous member read a book before being replaced which is on the team's spreadsheet than that book can be read for the first part of Part 1. (I think all of our MIA members went missing before reading anything, but I thought I'd clarify just in case I'm wrong)

Thanks Karen. It looks like they were only replaced last night so unfortunately some of the team have already started reading books from their shelf for task 2 of part 1. We'll need to try and make them fit elsewhere.

There are a couple of books they finished this month on the team spreadsheet so we can still use them thankfully.

The last person I replaced had read no books for UNO, and she was replaced before the mini challenge began. Maybe double check the info?
(We haven't replaced anyone since it began)

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "The last person I replaced had read no books for UNO, and she was replaced before the mini challenge began. Maybe double check the info?
(We haven't replaced anyone since it began)"

Sorry Karen, I'm clearly losing the plot :) . I checked their team spreadsheet earlier and would swear there were books listed for that member but just checked again and they've gone (possibly they hadn't actually been read but were on the sheet).

For
❤ Read a book by an author who is known to be a friend of another author

What do you need? Are pictures posted on an author's website enough?

Ora wrote: "For
❤ Read a book by an author who is known to be a friend of another author

What do you need? Are pictures posted on an author's website enough?"
Further to this, if they are married to a fellow author do they count as "friends"?

Kirsten wrote: "Ora wrote: "For
❤ Read a book by an author who is known to be a friend of another author

What do you need? Are pictures posted on an author's website enough?"
Further to this, if they are married..."

Good question! I'm going to read One Fell Sweep, which is written by a husband/wife team. Would that work?

Also, if a book has a Shakespeare quote at the beginning, just before the story starts, can we use it for that task? Book in question is Naked in Death.

Ora wrote: "For
❤ Read a book by an author who is known to be a friend of another author

What do you need? Are pictures posted on an author's website enough?"

That's fine.
There is usually some kind of blog post from an author, or a dedication in a book, or even other bloggers commenting on their friendship

Kirsten wrote: "Ora wrote: "For
❤ Read a book by an author who is known to be a friend of another author

What do you need? Are pictures posted on an author's website enough?"
Further to this, if they are married..."

I think if they are married then that would be a different task (i.e. "Read a book where the author is married to another author"). We are more looking at a friendship here, so I would say no to the marriage

Laura wrote: "Good question! I'm going to read One Fell Sweep, which is written by a husband/wife team. Would that work? ..."

Not for that reason, but Ilona Gordon has a famous author friend.....

Laura wrote: "Also, if a book has a Shakespeare quote at the beginning, just before the story starts, can we use it for that task? Book in question is Naked in Death."

yes

I am starting a book for the mini-challenge that fits the "read a book your Valentine team has read this month." So I went perusing their team spreadsheet and picked a book. When I was reading the book's main page on GR to get an idea of what cards it would fill, I noticed it said "ages 10 and up," so I went to AR Bookfind. It is listed as reading for middle grades, and is not 25,000 words long. BUT, it is over 100 pages.

So my question is, am I still able to read it for the Valentine mini-challenge? I'm thinking no, but I wanted to double check.

For "Read a book where there is a character who is an Emperor" can it be an empress?

I think it would be nice if you let your valentine Team know, Laura ;)

I will, Christina. :)

Natalie wrote: "For "Read a book where there is a character who is an Emperor" can it be an empress?"

Yes, provided she is the one ruling the Empire (i.e. So the definition isn't changing, just the gender)