Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Sammy wrote: "I'm guessing William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope and the rest of the series won't count, being written to mimic Shakespeare's play format and all...

Absolutely bril..."

If the wordcount can be verified, they could work.

I know I've seen them in challenges before, but the page count and thus the word count might have been lower for those, so I'm not sure.

Worst case I can also pick up Night Study for another Z... I'd rather not read it just yet but just in case we can't come up with something else, I'm prepared.

Oh, good point! I still need to read Dawn Study, so that's definitely an option if my retellings book doesn't have a fitting letter.

I want to read Beauty and it says there's an O character somewhere in there, but I'm not entirely trusting the character listing on GR because it is enormous.

One of the books I'm currently reading has retelling tag. I just need to check for letters as I've been searching so far different ones. Luckily there is small character list at the start of the book :)


As for Z, I can go with my 'quidditch weapon' - croatian author with pen name Zagorka :P It's been over 6 months since quidditch so rereads work ☺

Eldarwen wrote: "If the wordcount can be verified, they could work.

I know I've seen them in challenges before, but the page count and thus the word count might have been lower for those, so I'm not sure.."

Just checked and they're only 30k *sob*

Speaking of Beauty... There's Beauty By Sheri S. Tepper as well. Not a bad book, actually!

Sammy wrote: "I can get my hands on a copy of Death Comes to Pemberley. 330 pages, P author. Will be able to read a chunkier one alongside."

Oh, man. That book was torture for me. If I didn't pick it for a challenge, it might ended up as dnf. But after few chapters I discovered there is bbc series (which should have been obvious as that was also book cover *facepalm*). So... I watched series and then reading went smoother :)

Sammy wrote: "Eldarwen wrote: "If the wordcount can be verified, they could work.

I know I've seen them in challenges before, but the page count and thus the word count might have been lower for those, so I'm ..."

Shame!

But figured it'd be something like that with a 100 page minimum word count.

❀Tea❀ wrote: "Sammy wrote: "I can get my hands on a copy of Death Comes to Pemberley. 330 pages, P author. Will be able to read a chunkier one alongside."

Oh, man. That book was torture for me. ..."

Eek. well I shall cross my fingers and hope for the best. If I can't get into it in the first 50 pages, I'll switch to Tepper instead, lol.

❀Tea❀ wrote: "(which should have been obvious as that was also book cover *facepalm*)"

Hehe...

Right, off to go finish my current book. Don't think I'll have time after that to read & finish the other one I was planning for this week, but can definitely squeeze in the audio of Madame Bovary, as I have a few hours of mindless manual work to do the next three days, and it's good for B & G! :)

I might also pick up Hyde to sneak-read at work, but not sure yet. I'd prefer something a little shorter for work but I've also been meaning to read this one for a while now.

Sammy wrote: "Hehe...

Right, off to go finish my current book. Don't think I'll have time after that to read & finish the other one I was planning for this week, but can definitely squeeze in the audio of [book..."

A book I didn't enjoy (though it really is an interesting story, especially for the time it was written) but who saved my French oral exam for the finals haha.

Eldarwen wrote: "❀Tea❀ wrote: "(which should have been obvious as that was also book cover *facepalm*)"

"

At least I made you laugh :)


Ok - retellings
my current read The Diabolical Miss Hyde (per character 'list' at the start) works for T for sure. i can hold it for next round :)
I can also read Sense & Sensibility - T & A for sure

I have plenty of JA retelling/spinoffs so I can search for more. I've checked those I've read (and liked) but can't see workable letters

I know I had some other retellings but need to find them first as I don't have them tagged as such in calibre (maybe I need to refigure my database :P)

Eldarwen wrote: "A book I didn't enjoy (though it really is an interesting story, especially for the time it was written) but who saved my French oral exam for the finals haha"

Hehe... For my french exams, I read The Three Musketeers in French. Don't actually remember any of it, but I do know I passed! lol.

As for JA retellings, I believe Longbourn wasn't bad. Read it a few years ago, but don't have the book any more...

Sammy wrote: "As for JA retellings, I believe Longbourn wasn't bad. Read it a few years ago, but don't have the book any more..."

I've read that one too. It was ok. If I remember right mc's name is Polly so that could work

Judy wrote: "I also plan on finally picking up The Book Thief which would be a Z out of the way :-)"

Prepare tissues, you'll need them. :)

❀Tea❀ wrote: "Judy wrote: "I also plan on finally picking up The Book Thief which would be a Z out of the way :-)"

Prepare tissues, you'll need them. :)"

Meh, it's overrated. And far too hyped for the writing style - but I am in the minority for this one.

I can see how it would demand tissues in certain places though.

Sammy wrote: "As for JA retellings, I believe Longbourn wasn't bad. Read it a few years ago, but don't have the book any more..."

I quite enjoyed Pride - I thought it was a quite different and refreshing take on Pride & Prejudice! (Also: it has a Z! More than one, actually!)

Eldarwen wrote: "❀Tea❀ wrote: "Judy wrote: "I also plan on finally picking up The Book Thief which would be a Z out of the way :-)"

Prepare tissues, you'll need them. :)"

Meh, it's overrated. And far too hyped for the writing style - but I am in the minority for this one.

I can see how it would demand tissues in certain places though."

I am suuuuuper skeptical! I generally don't like WW2 historical fiction & usually avoid it... I've also heard wildly different opinions on this in RL - my mom dnf'd it (she feels similar to me when it comes to WW2 books) but my best friend loves it (but is also not huge on WW2 stuff).

I'm honestly not expecting much, though I did love I Am the Messenger way back when I first read that.

Eldarwen wrote: "❀Tea❀ wrote: "Judy wrote: "I also plan on finally picking up The Book Thief which would be a Z out of the way :-)"

Prepare tissues, you'll need them. :)"

Meh, it's overrated. And far too hyped fo..."

I remember thinking it was a bit pretentious. Not bad, just with delusions of greatness, lol.

Judy wrote: "I am suuuuuper skeptical! I generally don't like WW2 historical fiction & usually avoid it...."

I have to admit I've been like that since I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I felt like such a heel for not liking it, but it was just so very badly written. So I'm extra careful reading books on the subject now, as feeling a book about the holocaust is crap feels disrespectful somehow, lol.

Sammy wrote: "I have to admit I've been like that since I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I felt like such a heel for not liking it, but it was just so very badly written. So I'm extra careful reading books on the subject now, as feeling a book about the holocaust is crap feels disrespectful somehow, lol."

SAME! This is also the book that ruined WW2 fiction for me (plus the full year we spent discussing the war in school). One of the worst books I ever read, I absolutely hated it.

Judy wrote: "Sammy wrote: "I have to admit I've been like that since I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I felt like such a heel for not liking it, but it was just so very badly written. So I'm extra careful..."

Just be glad it was only a year... I spent the majority of my childhood in the Netherlands, and it was nothing but WW2. Then moved back to Scotland, and got another year of it there, but what they taught was so different, I wondered if they were actually talking about the same war, lol.

Eldarwen wrote: "Aaaaaand? What did you think of the book, Lisa?"

I liked it... but probably because I just watched the TV show with David Tennant and Michael Sheen who just fitted the characters perfectly. Although quirky and a bit irreverent there was a lot of sense between the pages of the book although I'm sure it bothered some people. So 4 stars from me.

That one year was just history class - all the other subjects obviously talked about all the time too and idek how much time we spent on war poetry & short stories in German class... anyway, I really hope The Book Thief won't be too much of a drag 😂

I'm doing DQs for Good Omens :) And should fall before the end of next week, so should count for the challenge.

Completion post

Title: Shadow Study
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Pages: 407
Date read: 31/7/19
Genre: yes (57 people)
Letters:
B - character Bain Bloodgood
I - character Irys Jewelrose
G - character Gerik

Completion post

Title: Mistress Of The Empire
Author: Raymond E. Feist
Date read: 31/07/2019
Pages: 860
Letters:

E - Series title - Empire trilogy
I - Incomo - character

Genre: Yes!

Completion post

Title: Evenfall: Volume 2
Author: Ais & Santino Hassell
Date: 31.7.19
Pages: 344

Letters:
B - Boyd (ch)
E - title
I - In the Company of Shadows - series


Tag: adventure

just grabbed my copy of The Broken God off the shelf, and it has 862 pages! Woot! lol.

Tried looking it up, but I think the entry in GR has the wrong page count... It should be this one: The Broken God, but 480 pages would make it seriously abridged, lol. Mine is also Harper Collins, 1993, but has 862 pages. and the text is pretty small too!

ETA: amazon lists it as 824 pages.

ETA again: I've switched to the kindle edition, which is still 40 pages less than mine, but over the 800. Happy to take a picture of the final page if needed, lol.

I can't get the Wi-fi to work on my iPad at the hotel, so can't do any proper posts. Finished Starboard secrets, can you grab the details from my shelf? Works for G, char Gary.

Any specific letter we are in need of? :)

Sammy wrote: "I'm doing DQs for Good Omens :) And should fall before the end of next week, so should count for the challenge."

Great Sammy! I've finished and ready for DQ's.

COMPLETION POST



kindle 364 pages
GENRE : Yes, Adventure 4 people
Letters - Characters
B - Kat Boleyn
E - Bevan Ellsworth
G - Paul Gibson

Sammy wrote: "Judy wrote: "I am suuuuuper skeptical! I generally don't like WW2 historical fiction & usually avoid it...."

I have to admit I've been like that since I read [book:The Boy in the Striped Pajamas|3..."

Oh yes, the writing was not all that great. But I read it after the movie, and that packed quite a punch. Especially the ending.

Sammy wrote: "I'm doing DQs for Good Omens :) And should fall before the end of next week, so should count for the challenge."

Yay!

Camilla wrote: "I can't get the Wi-fi to work on my iPad at the hotel, so can't do any proper posts. Finished Starboard secrets, can you grab the details from my shelf? Works for G, char Gary."

That works, no worries!

Thanks for letting us know, Camilla :-)

❀Tea❀ wrote: "Any specific letter we are in need of? :)"

Another E might be good, thanks! :-)

Completion Post

Book: Dry by Neal Shusterman

Date Read: 31st July
Pages: 399 - by decree of the mods changed to 401
Top Shelf: yes
Letters:
G - character: Garrett Morrow

Participated in the DQs, and they have all been added to the spreadsheet already, apart the last set, which I'll go answer now.

Completions post:

Title: The Hammer of Thor
Author: Rick Riordan
Date read: 1 August
Pages: 474
Letters:
B- character: Blitzen
I- character: Inge
G- character: Gellir

Genre: Y

Completion post:

Title: Birthday
Author: Meredith Russo
Date read: 1/8/19
Pages: 300 (another frustrating one...)
Letters:
B - title
E - character Eric
G - character Morgan Gardner

I'll pick up Foolish Hearts now cause I finally got my own copy today & it's one of my favorite books & somehow my brain is convinced I can finish this before tomorrow's deadline (even though I have a whole bunch of things to do...)

(Cue the fear right before picking up a book I call a favorite after having read it only once.... what if I don't like it as much the second time around????)

Bulla!
Greetings from Fiji.😉
I’m sorry I’m not going to finish my second adventure book this week (the invaders). I still have heaps left and I can’t really read while the kids are in the pool (terrible problem I know lol). I will finish the takeover BOM today though.

As for retellings... ouch. It’s really not a genre for me and I don’t have anything with me that would fit. I’ll be back home Tuesday and can check then what I have available if we need another

COMPLETION POST

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
2 August
337 pages

BOM participation but on the app and can’t link atm

B: Ben
I: Jake Irving
G: Aggie Granderson

Soooo... I do think I can actually finish Foolish Hearts today for E, I & G.... or I could finish it tomorrow for O, P, A & Z. What do you think?

(This would also mean I'm not finishing a fourth book this week but will have at least 5 next week)

As per usual:

COUNTDOWN

for the end of week 7 / start of week 8.

Week 8 will be the last week of this challenge! (Hence the craziness of the chipmunks.) Enjoy :-)

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "COMPLETION POST

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
2 August
337 pages

BOM participation but on the app and can’t link atm "


No worries, I'll go on the hunt :-) ETA: Kristel already did :-)

I just find the difference in page numbers incredible! My paperback edition is almost 200 pages more! o.O

Judy wrote: "Soooo... I do think I can actually finish Foolish Hearts today for E, I & G.... or I could finish it tomorrow for O, P, A & Z. What do you think?

(This would also mean I'm not fini..."

If you can finish it for this week, please go for it!

We're currently low on points for this week so a few more books completed would be good :-)

Thanks!

Ok, I'll give it my best shot!