Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Faction: LIGHT SIDE OF THE FORCE/REBELLION: Droids/Ships

Mentor: Sonia


• Sandy (Captain)
• Daphne (Co-Captain)
• Chris Davies
• Brandy Purdue
• Rebecca
• Trinia
• Darren Compton
• Daniela Zekotic
• Hannah Pluta
• Nanci Drum
• Sarah
• Pajtimi

K-2SO Spreadsheet
Status Spreadsheet

.

.

Sandy - tt-v
Daphne - tt2017
Chris - tower-team-5
Brandy - towers-shelf-1
Rebecca - tt5
Trinia - tower-team-5
Darren - tower
Daniela - tower_challenge
Hannah - tt-v
Nanci - tower-team-challenge
Sarah - ttv
Pajtimi -

Book of the Month

The Circle by Dave Eggers
Begins 5/2/17
The Circle thread


A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Start date: 5/12/17
A Gentleman in Moscow thread


Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Start date: 5/22/17
Strange the Dreamer thread

res

res

Countdown to the start of the challenge!


POINT SYSTEM:


For reading books
Books between 100 and 160 pages (100 pages or 25,000 words is the minimum) = 5 points
Books between 161 pages and 350 pages = 20 points
Books between 351 and 500 pages = 40 points
Books between 501 and 650 pages = 60 points
Books between 651 and 800 pages = 80 points
Books between 801 and 900 pages = 100 points
Books over 901 pages = 130 points

For current BOM (Book of the Month) discussions
Writing a day's worth of discussion questions = 40 points
Participating in a current BOM (participating in discussion) = 20 points
NOTE: We will accept one team member per book per team for writing a days DQs. If, by three days prior to the BOM starting, we don't have enough volunteers to write all DQs, then we will let more than one team member per team write questions. If we have more people than days sign up (prior to 3 days before start date) we will randomise the volunteers to determine those who can write DQs

RULES:

◈ Books must be started after the start date of the challenge to count towards the challenge

◈ Books must be />100 pages. NOTE: This number is lower than our other team challenges!
For page number questions, please check with your captain who can ask in the Captains group for verification.

◈ Audio books are allowed. (For page numbers, use the "default" GR book page numbers.)

◈ No graphic novels. (Sorry.)

◈ Boxed sets are not considered as "one book" and need to be shelved as separate books

◈ No little children's books less than 25,000 words.ArBookFind is a great site to double check. If in doubt, ask your captain.

◈ Any genre counts.

◈ Any book in any language will count, as long as it meets the criteria.

◈ "Re-reads" will be allowed, if it has been six months since you have read the book. This includes listening to the audio version, if you've already read the book.

◈ This challenge involves adding a special bookshelf to your personal
GRs bookshelves other than "read." You may choose a preexisting one.

◈ Please wait to be told to which Team you are assigned. It might take awhile; however,
you will be able to count the books you have read from the START date of the challenge.

◈ Once you actually join, please check-in with your team discussion thread by posting the name of your bookshelf.
Remember to add a HYPHEN between words for your bookshelf.

◈ Helpful Tip: Knowing about Sticky Shelves may help you put your assigned
bookshelf near the top of your dropdown box.

◈ With MOBILE DEVICES there have been major problems when trying to
add books. If that is all you have to access the Internet, or you don't know how to Cut & Paste
on it, then this challenge probably is NOT the right fit for you.

◈ Discussion threads will be in the regular NBRC group. (No secret groups allowed this time)

◈ You do NOT have to join the discussion, if you don't want to; communicating
via posting a book is good enough. Nevertheless, Your Team wants to know if you are
still participating. We understand Real Life gets in the way. However, please plan to
"check-in" in some manner at least once every week. If we don't hear from you for two weeks, you may be replaced with another team member

res

Hey Team!!!!

Can't wait to get to know you all. :)

Yay! We have a discussion thread ! Hi Daphne =)
Can't wait to get this party started !

Hi everyone - welcome to Team K-2SO!!! I'm really looking forward to this challenge - TT-IV was so much fun! And I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone (except Chris, 'cuz I already know her and she's an awesome teammate!)

I'm Sandy and I'm from California. I'm divorced, no kids but I have fur babies (three of them.) I mainly read romance, although I'll read other stuff when needed for a challenge. I love doing group challenges. I do like to win, but I think it's more important that we all have fun and enjoy ourselves.

The main thing I'm going to ask of everyone is that you communicate. Real life intrudes on us all at one time or another, and if you can't finish a task or are going to be away for awhile, or even need to drop out of the challenge, please just let Daphne or I know. Otherwise we worry about you (since there isn't really another way to contact you.)

When you get a chance, please check in and tell us know about yourself, how many books a week you think you will be reading and anything else we need to know. THANKS!!!!

Hey my name is Daniela and I'm from Austria :)

Not sure yet how much I will be reading as University will be crazy the next 2 months. Really depends on the book.
But in May I do want to finish the A Song of Ice and Fire books, so will get more books done in June and July.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
My shelf

Hi my name is Darren and I from Coventry in England.

I am normally try to read a book a week. I read a mixture of fiction and non-fiction.

My shelf is at https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Hey Y'all!
My name is Trinia (yes, it's spelled correctly- said Tree-nah) I'm married with 3 teenage boys, a Great Dane and a Sheltie. We live in the great state of Texas, US (it's almost as great as the natives think it is). I'm originally a yankee from Buffalo, NY.

I listen to audiobooks mostly, and read when considered rude to have earplugs in. I typically get through 4-6 books a week. I read EVERYTHING ~ but prefer psychological thrillers, nothing like an audible gasp when reading a book!

I'm addicted to reading, reading challenges, google spreadsheets and of course Goodreads.

It's super to meet all of you =)

My Shelf = Trinia's Tower Shelf

Hey everyone!
My name is Rebecca, I'm divorced with 4 kiddos (3 teens and a tween). I live in Middle Tennessee, USA.
I read just about anything but mostly read historical fiction. I read between 2-5 books per week. Just depends on how much life gets in the way.

My shelf: ttv

Morning everyone (well, at least my time! :D)

Hi, I'm Chris and am in Wichita, KS. I have 2 grown daughters, 4 grandkids and two Boston Terriers, who are more spoiled than my kids.

I read 4-6 books a week (more if Sandy makes me), and my shelf is:
Chris' shelf

Looking forward to getting to know you all!

I'm Daphne and am co-captain this round. I think Sandy is going to awesome, so I'll probably feel useless most of the time in a great way!

My reading last year was crazy for me. I got through over 500 books, which is well beyond any other year of my life. I am not even close to that this year. Part of that is just because I don't have the extra time last year to read and listen, but also because I'm catching up on a lot of podcasts I put on the backburner the last couple years. I love grimdark and epic fantasy, classics (although I've read most of them at this point - even the complete works of Plutarch at least five times), history, and definitely science. Life is so short, and there is just so many interesting things to learn and discover.

I currently have 3 mongrels and a wolfdog. Only have 4 canines in my life is less than what I'm used to, so honestly, the house feels kind of empty. We are holding off on getting anymore until my older girl Mirza passes because she is happier than she's ever been in life since she bonded with my wolfdog, Tesla, and she is also very set in her ways, so I don't feel it's fair to bring another canine into the house to upset it.

I own a huge old house with my brother, my fiance (I call him that even though we've been together for 16 years), his GF (we are openly poly and always have been), and his daughter recently moved into our third floor apartment with her 2yro. We have it split into 3 apartments. Our house and lifestyle is super strange to most, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm a super gamer - like crazy gamer. Currently, I've been in Elder Scrolls Online for 3 years as my main game because I enjoy the pvp so much. My mom, brother, and myself also travel each year somewhere across the globe. We always travel in September, and generally it's for the whole month or close to it. My mom's current goal is the seven new ancient wonders of the world. We only have 3 left and are hitting one this year in Cambodia then the last two in Egypt and Jordan next year. THEN I get my dream vacation to Turkey to see a place I've wanted to visit for as long as I can remember.

That's enough ramblin' from me. :)

I'm hoping to hit anywhere from 2-6 books a week. I'll probably be knocking out some of the larger books I've been sitting on since they don't tend to work well with other challenges, but TT is all about giving extra credit for the big ones. My shelf is tt2017

I'm Brandy. I live in Indiana. I have 3 kiddos, ages 14, 12, and 5. I read mostly fiction and fantasy but I have been doing more nonfiction lately. I drive a long way to and from work so I do a lot of audio books. My weekly goal is always 1 book but most weeks I get 2-4 or more. I gravitate toward the larger books. Less than 400 pages seems like a waste of time to me. I'm a big fan of epic fantasy. This is my first time doing this kind of challenge so I hope you all know what we're doing, lol!

Hello everyone! I'm Hannah. I'm married with one crazy rambunctious fur baby. I love reading anything and everything I can get my hands on. I love audiobooks while I'm working, I drive a lot for work. I read about 1 book per week but I strive for more. This is my second TT.

My shelf is https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Hello Brandy and Hannah! Nice to meet you both. :)

Can't wait to get started. I think we are gonna do great as a team. We seem to be a rather quiet team so far.

My shelf. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Hi team,
I'm Nanci from Virginia, USA.
I have participated in numerous challenges over the past few years, but never TT, so looking forward to it.
I am a retired school counselor/teacher and now enjoy getting to read a lot more than when I was working. At my best, I read 3-4 books a week, but my average is probably 1 per week. My favorite genre is historical fiction, but I also enjoy contemporary fiction, non-fiction, mysteries, and literary fiction. My husband and I have 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren. We are very fortunate as they all live within 15 minutes of us. We also have 4 grand dogs, so we get our dog fix with them. My shelf is https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

I haven't been getting notices about this thread like I usually do, so if there's something I need to do to change my notifications, please let me know. Looking forward to playing with all of you!

Happy Sunday everyone!!! How is everyone's weekend going? I've been alternating between getting caught up on real life and relaxing. I'm a tax preparer, and those of you in the US know our tax season just ended. The last couple of weeks are pretty crazy and then there are the stragglers in the days after. :D But now it's done and I can spend more time reading and my dogs are so happy they can get back to their regular walks and tennis ball throwing. I've got 3 quirky golden retrievers, each with their own unique personality.

We're missing a couple more players, so hopefully they'll check in soon.

@Nanci - at the bottom of this thread there is a spot to click on "Add to my Update Feed" and you can also edit the "Notify me when people comment in this group." If that doesn't work, try going to your profile and updating your settings there for NBRC. Hope that helps!!!

Glad you're done, Sandy - welcome back to real life :-)

Thanks, Sandy. Both of those boxes are checked at the bottom of the thread and I checked my settings for NBRC. I got emails from your last posts, so I think I'm all set.

My hat is off to you being a tax preparer. I can't even imagine having the mind for that!

We celebrated our 4 year old grandson's birthday today and had a blast. Bowling was a fun activity for a rainy day and now hoping to get some reading time.

Sorry for the late check in. Sarah here. This is not my first rodeo, I have done just about all the big teanm challenges here since I joined several years ago, but I am not recognizing any members on the team so far.

I have not been reading much lately, and haven't checked in with Goodreads, instead I have been planning and researching my summer vacations. I like historical fiction, contemporary fiction, psychological thrillers, non-fiction, and will do many others. I like reading Pulitzers and Mann Bookers. I like literary fiction and just good writing, plots, and character development.

I only read 1-2 books per week. My reading has slowed down this year. I am a mother of my six year old daughter, Lola. We have a tea cup Chihuahua that Lola loves and adores, the dog drives me crazy. Lola is my life. I love to take her traveling with me as much as I can afford and beginning of Summer we're headed to the Dominican Republic for two weeks. Then the very end of summer we're going to Hawaii for two weeks. And there went my tax return.

Looking forward to meeting you all. I have no idea how to set up a link to my shelf? It is ttv

Sarah, we went to Dominican Republic in January and loved it. Hope you have fun!

I am going to Punta Cana. Where did you go? Any recomendations?

So for this year I already have a pretty set list of books I am reading that fit two challenges - one is consisting of fifty categories such as read the newest book by an author you love or read a book that has a shipwreck. Right now I am reading my book with a flower in the title - . For my audiobook I am listening to right now I have . That one will count towards my has a color in the title.

I am also doing an A-Z challenge by authors first name.

That's cool Sarah. The great thing about Tower Teams is that it will fit into any other challenge you may be playing. Just read what you want, and get points for the team!

Sarah wrote: "I am going to Punta Cana. Where did you go? Any recomendations?"

We were in Punta Cana too. We stayed at Iberostar, which is an adult only all-inclusive. It was beautiful. It is at the very end of beach as you walk along the beach. If you're traveling with your daughter, they have the family Iberostar right next door. We went there for some activities and the gym is located on the property. They have a nice playground and numerous pools. They also have a stage with performances at night that are family friendly. It's also located right on the beach. There are little villas where you can stay...looks like there are a couple of different types to choose from. Iberostar is pricier than others, but the food and service is very good. There was another resort nearby that had a water park on the beach for the kids, but I don't recall the name.

Sarah wrote: "So for this year I already have a pretty set list of books I am reading that fit two challenges - one is consisting of fifty categories such as read the newest book by an author you love or read a ..."

I read La Rose, Sarah. I was torn between 3 and 4 stars. It's worth reading and I love Erdrich, but it just wasn't my favorite. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Nanci wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I am going to Punta Cana. Where did you go? Any recomendations?"

We were in Punta Cana too. We stayed at Iberostar, which is an adult only all-inclusive. It was beautiful. It is at t..."
BEACH!

I read Sara Donati's I gave it 5 stars - If you like Historical Fiction (Gilded Age - New York) it was very good! Interesting women's issues and a good mystery.

Chris wrote: "Nanci wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I am going to Punta Cana. Where did you go? Any recomendations?"

We were in Punta Cana too. We stayed at Iberostar, which is an adult only all-inclusive. It was beautif..."

Sounds awesome, Chris. Right up my alley. I'm adding it to my TBR.

So far we are only missing one member to check in, and then our whole team will be assembled and ready to go when the challenge starts in a few days. Looking forward to seeing what everyone reads over the next several weeks.

I'm spending my time this week reading The Falconer for book club, and catching up on all my currently reading books. Today I'm binge watching 13 Reasons Why. I hope everyone has a great week!

I'm reading Wilbur Smith's Courtney Series - about a British colonial family in South Africa. Just finished the first book: . Really good!

The other day I finished The Hard Truth About Sunshine. It was soooo goood!!! It wasn't what I was expecting from this author, whose sports romances I love - it was so different.

I just finished . It's a debut novel and let me tell you this woman can write! It's historical fiction centered around a young girl's experience living in Croatia, when civil war breaks out across Yugoslavia. Excellent!

Sounds like a number of us have read some good books recently. I love when that happens!

Just to be clear with this challenge, as I get confused lol

We read as many books as possible and just tell each other about them?

Daniela wrote: "Just to be clear with this challenge, as I get confused lol

We read as many books as possible and just tell each other about them?"

Hi Daniela
We'll get a list of goals/tasks and we get points and a new task as we complete them. The points are based on how many pages the book has. We also get points for team members participating in Book of the Month discussions. Our goal is to get as many points as possible as quickly as possible.

I'll put out more info on strategy and BOM stuff later today.

Hey Team

One of the ways we can earn points is to participate in the BOM discussions. Extra points can be earned by writing a day's worth of discussion questions (usually 5-7 questions). Check out the announced BOM's to see if any of the books appeal. If you want to write questions, just post a note in the appropriate thread including what team you are on. The first one available for this challenge is The Circle starting on 5/2. For this book only, you can start but not finish until after the starting day/time of the challenge.

Books of the Month

Darn , read that one already...

Sandy and team,
Just to let you know, I will be traveling in Spain and Portugal for most of the month of May. I will still be reading, but will be on my iPad for posting on the thread and checking in and it may be sporadic depending on my Wi-Fi access. Just didn't want you to think that I've gone MIA in May. We leave May 8, so I should be able to be present for the kick off at least.

I've been meaning to read The Circle. I'll at least participate in the discussion. But I can also do discussion questions too. I'll go post in that thread so we get points!

Thanks, Hannah! I'm on overload right now with some other team competitions, so I appreciate you taking it on for us.