Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Element:Air
Mentor:Renee

Members:
Zara (CAPTAIN)
Renee (CO-CAPTAIN)
Michelle
Ange
Mollie
Mary HDLS
Storm
Srividya
Stacey
Lisa(Aussie Girl)

Reserved

Reserved

Countdown to start of challenge here

All our links
Post 35 list BOM/Buddy reads

Buddy/BOM spreadsheet

Self Updating spreadsheet

Read books thread

Members Tower Teams III read shelves
Zara
Renee
Michelle
Ange
Mollie
Mary HDLS
Storm
Srividya
Lisa(Aussie Girl)
Stacey

Points
For reading books
Books between 100 and 160 pages (100 pages or 25,000 words is the minimum) = 10 points
Books between 161 pages and 450 pages = 20 points
Books between 451 and 600 pages = 50 points
Books between 601 and 750 pages = 70 points
Books between 751 and 900 pages = 90 points
Books over 901 pages = 100 points

For BOM discussions
Writing a day's worth of discussion questions = 40 points
Participating in a BOM discussion = 30 points

For NBRC Buddy Reads = 30 points

Just for fun bingo challenge
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Hello. Can't wait to start.

I can delete this if one of the captains wants to reserve some posts at the beginning of the thread.

Hi Renee and Mary. Checking in and raring to go...

And just added my Shelf.

tower-teams-iii-soaring-eagles

Hi everybody. Am really excited to start as this is my first team challenge.

Hi Srividya, Welcome to the wonderful world of NBRC team Challenges. They are heaps of fun. Enjoy.

Thanks Lisa. Am really looking forward to it.

I'm going to move my "Hi" to this post and use my first one to put links to everything.

Hi Team! Looking forward to catching up with familiar "faces" and meeting new people. These team challenges are so much fun!


This is my first Tower Teams. I have been on both sides of a few of the other team challenges though.

A bit about me....I'm married with a 3 and a 5 year old. I work part time in a preschool (4 year olds). I live in Darwin in the Northern Territory in Australia (very hot and sweaty). I love reading (of course) and swing dancing.

So would our captains prefer that we not shelve books on our special shelf until we finish them? Cuz you know when I create a new shelf, I just want to start adding books right away.

I honestly don't know how my reading will go for this. I am going back to school in January and I don't know how that will affect my reading time. My plan is to get ahead before school starts. But with the holidays coming up it's hard to say how that will go.

Zara isn't here yet so I'm not sure how she wants to run things. I find it easier to track if only books that are marked read are on the shelf, one less thing to check.

Hi once again. :)

A little bit about me - I am from Pune in India and my city is currently lit up with all the festival lights of the season as we are celebrating Diwali here (festival of lights), which is the most important festival here in India.

I am married with a 7 year old daughter who shares my love for reading with me. I am currently a stay at home mom while handling website content management, especially social media content for local companies and businesses.

As I said earlier, this is my first team challenge, so please bear with me if I make any mistakes and please do guide me. Am really looking forward to getting to know all of you and having heaps of fun in this challenge.

I'm 44, single mother of a teenage daughter. I work full time for my Mother's metal manufacturing business. I've been on too many team challenges to count and was Captain of my round II team.

I'm going to feel guilty if I mark any books read before the challenge starts.

eta: I am not much of one for the buddy reads or the BOM etc.., Not because I don't like discussing books but because I like to read them at my own pace and don't like to plan too far ahead as my reading mood constantly changes. So I probably won't help much with getting points for those.

Hey Aussie, Mary and Z.

Hiya Ezi... Here we go again!

I'm 52, married mother of three, grandma of 1 gorgeous grandson, do admin and wages for our business and am full time carer for our adult son with Autism. Any spare time when I should be exercising I read and am addicted to Goodreads. Any genre of romance is my speciality although I do also enjoy historical fiction. Oh, and I live in Sydney, Australia.

PS - I just shelve read books and I haven't done any buddy reads or BOM in this group before although I have already lined one up with Nicole and Greta from The Water Sprites.

Let's have fun, everyone.

Hi Everyone!
I have invited all our members who haven't checked in yet to this thread.

I tend to do most of the BOM if I can get the book and if not enough people volunteer to do questions the other mods and I will do them - so maybe some extra points there.

I'm a bit cheeky too, so because I usually read a few books at the same time, I'm planning to finish them after the 8th. That way I can get a couple of weeks head start on some longer books ;)

HELLO! I'm Storm, and I'm going to be your resident Crazy Person >D Fear Me.

Nah XP But I AM Participating in NaNoWriMo in November (that's National Novel Writing Month, if your curious. It's actually world-wide but World Novel Writing Month just dosn't have the same ring.) so I might not be very chatty until December. I'll try to check in, I promis, But Nano Tends to Eat my Soul every year XD So someone might have to give me a few nudges (read, thwacks about the head with a balloon) to remind me to check in here from time to time. ^^;

As for My shelf, IT'S ALIIIIIIIIVE! *evil cackle a-la Frankenstien* it's titled soaring eagles 2014 and I'll only be adding books to it as I start or finish them. No lists pre-designed for me.

I also tend to have multiple books going at once. So it'll look like I'm behind for a bit and then that I read several books in 1 day. Because I'll do "clean-up" days where I just finish up as many as I can.

Hi Guys, so excited to meet my fellow soaring eagles!

My shelf is called nbrc_team_reads

Renee wrote: "Hi Everyone!
I have invited all our members who haven't checked in yet to this thread.

I tend to do most of the BOM if I can get the book and if not enough people volunteer to do questions the ot..."

I like the way you think Renee ( says she who has been cheekily planning to do the same thing)

Welcome Michelle and Storm.

And I like chatting... a lot.

Good morning everyone :)

I love chatting too :):)

And I also read multiple books simultaneously and have already planned/started a few chunksters that have been going on. Planning on finishing them to match the challenge start dates, so taking it slow.

I have already requested to join the Crime and Punishment BR, which I had already started reading but can move at a pace along with the others. One question though - do we have to read the BR books according to a fixed schedule or can we read it at our pace and simply join the discussions when it happens? Am confused here..

I don't mind participating in the BOMs either, provided I have the book with me or can get it easily. I will check into this and let you know.

I am an erratic reader as in I have no fixed genres or books that I read and tend to read the books that catch my fancy... The next two months are such that I have to finish most of my pending chunksters (700 pages and more), so I might seem slow as I tend to switch between books, depending on mood..but I will finish those and I see that more pages mean more points :P :P

MY shelf name is Tower Teams III Soaring Eagles

@Storm - That's simply great. I have been looking at NaNoWriMo for a long time and have been getting mailers about it but haven't got the courage yet to participate. I don't write that much but the writer group that I was a part of at one point in time still sends me these details!

Hope you have loads of fun :)

Oops one more thing before I leave for now.. I might not check in very often till the 4th of November. My husband's coming back after two months and we also have a festival here in India, so we are having some nice family time together. Won't be getting much reading done now but he leaves on the 4th again for his work and after that I am all yours. :) :)

Sorry for the deluge of posts.. just remembered it :)

Srividya wrote: "@Storm - That's simply great. I have been looking at NaNoWriMo for a long time and have been getting mailers about it but haven't got the courage yet to participate. I don't write that much but the..."

NaNo is great fun, you should totally give it a try, Srividya! I'm still working out my ideas ^^; This is going to be an interesting November. XD This is my... 10th year, I think? Haven't won once but every November, I'm back ready for the challenge. >D

It's like that BIG Yearly holiday to me now, the one that's like 'IT'S ALMOST TIME!!!!' XD All the people all over the world getting ideas together and working out story ideas, it's a Creative High. :D

I always think I should but chicken out at the last minute.. As I said I am not a creative writer as such but love doodling with words..maybe next year. :D

And I can imagine the frenzy and fun... Enjoy! :D :D

Srividya wrote: "I always think I should but chicken out at the last minute.. As I said I am not a creative writer as such but love doodling with words..maybe next year. :D

And I can imagine the frenzy and fun... ..."

Have you heard about NaNo Rebels? That might suit you next year if you decide to give it a go. They're the ones who do series of poems, short stories, memoirs, things like that. I think a few even write scripts for movies or comics/graphic novels/tv shows, so whatever kind of writing you do you should be able to find a nitch in Nano to participate in your chosen kind of writings. :3

No Storm, I haven't heard about NaNo Rebels. Always thought it was one big writer symposium kind of thing and it always scared me!

Will definitely give this one a try next year. Thanks a ton for the information and the encouragement. :)

I have a nanimo inspired challenge. I'll post it when I get home.

Home...Posted...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Oooh! Looks like fun, Renee! :D

List of BRs/BOMs (particularly for those in the group who can't read/access the google doc s/sheet)

November BRs :
The Silmarillion - 1st November - Srividya
The Gunslinger - 3rd November - Ange
A Man Called Ove - 5th November - Zara
The Cold Dish - 8th November - Mary HDLS
Whiskey Beach - 10th November - Mary HDLS, Lisa (Aussie Girl), Stacey
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - 10th November - Storm
Johnny Cash: The Life - 10th November - Mary
Crime and Punishment - 12th November - Srividya
Sophie's World - 15th November - Zara
The Map of Time - 15th November - Zara, Mary HDLS, Lisa
Ugly Love (TBR) - 15th November - Renee
Red Seas Under Red Skies - 15th November - Srividya
The Eye of the World
Outlander - 17th November - Stacey, Ange - 21st November - Michelle, Mollie
The Paper Magician - 22nd November - Renee
The Bell Jar - 23rd November - Lisa
The Darkest Touch (TBR) - 25th November - Lisa
Shift - 27th November - Renee
Vision in White (Bride Quartet Series) - 28th November - Srividya

December BRs :
The Bronze Horseman - 1st December - Lisa
The Name of the Rose - 6th December - Michelle, Srividya
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics - 7th December - Srividya
Lord of the Fading Lands - 10th December - Lisa
Still Alice - 16th December - Renee
The Lord of the Rings - 18th December - Srividya
Of Human Bondage - 20th December - Srividya
Howards End - 20th December - Srividya
Revenant - 20th December - Lisa
The Blade Itself - 27th December - Srividya
Captivated by You - 27th December - Renee

January 2015 BRs :
Full Throttle - 1st January 2015 - Lisa
The Woman in White - 1st January 2015 - Mary HDLS
Atonement - 1st January - Zara
Fantasy Lover (Dark Hunters) - 1st January 2015 - Mary HDLS
Night Pleasures - 1st January 2015 - Srividya
Mudbound - 2nd January - Srividya
The Rosie Effect - 7th January - Zara, Srividya
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - 8th January 2015 - Michelle, Srividya
Burned - 20th January 2015 - Lisa
Bound by Flames - 27th January 2015 - Lisa

Start Date TBA BRs :
The Glass Magician - TBA - Renee
Dark Lover (TBR) - TBA - Srividya
Sticks & Stones - start date TBA - Srividya
The Lost Hero - TBA - Storm, ?Zara (depends on when it will be read)

Miscellaneous :
The Book of Life - continuation from August 2014 - Lisa
The King's Curse - 15th October - Lisa (Aussie Girl)


BR listings/discussions HERE
The Back Room BRs listing HERE

BOMs :
The Knife of Never Letting Go - 22nd November - Zara, Renee, Michelle
The Crossing Places - 12th November - Renee
The Lies of Locke Lamora - 2nd November - Renee, Storm, Ange

BOM listings/discussions HERE
Old BRs/BOMs listing (s/sheet as provided by the Mods of NBRC) HERE

Hello everyone. I'm excited to begin. I also absolutely love Eagles. My favourite Eagle is the Wedge-Tailed Eagle. So it's really great to be on this team.

A bit about me:
I'm married (23 years now) and 45 years of age. I have two children, a boy 21 years old and a girl 16 years old. I live in sunny Western Australia (it's starting to warm up a little now). My husband and I homeschool our daughter and have done for the past 4 years. We also love hosting exchange students/volunteers. I have participated in all of the tower teams reading challenges and have been captain in each one. These challenges are so much great fun. Now to some 'house keeping'.

I'm in the process of setting up the spreadsheet for keeping track of our group's wonderful efforts in reading and winning this challenge.

As to the placing of books on your shelf, I think only adding them when you've either started or finished them makes Renee's and my job that much easier. If you have any other questions please just ask and we'll help as much as we can.

I personally like buddy reads over BOMs although I have been known to do both. I find the buddy reads help me stay focussed in my reading. I too can have many books on the go at once (up to 12 sometimes!).

Zara, I think some of the more spreadsheet savvy mods are trying to put together a spreadsheet template for all the captains to use so it is easier to update. We are hoping to get something that will auto update to a master.

Hi Captain Zara, so four Aussies on this team? Awesome.

Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "Hi Captain Zara, so four Aussies on this team? Awesome."

I agree it's awesome having four Aussies here.

I have cousins in Perth. One was just here for a visit and left Monday.

I have a door-stopper trilogy checked out from the library that I plan to start soon. Each book is over 600 pages. It'll probably take me a long time to finish them. With really long books like that I tend to take breaks to read shorter books.

Going to try and only finish 20 pointers before the start date and save the higher ones for after. I will start the 1st door stopper before hand.

Oooh, what's the trilogy, Mary:HDLS?

Night Angel by Brent Weeks. I started it a couple of years ago but put it down. Primarily because it was this thick paperback that wasn't practical to carry around. But my library just got them in ebook. I was hoping I could remember where I left off but I think I have to start book 1 all over again. At this point I get through books much faster when I have them in ebook or audio.

The Way of Shadows

*waves*

Hey everyone, looking forward to this challenge. Im going to finish off the book im reading now and then start the fifth GoT book, the last one took me a month to finish so getting a head start on that. I always read more than one book at a time though so will try to contribute something every week.

Hi Ange! *waves back*

Ange and Mary, once you have your Tower Teams bookshelf set up, can you let me know what it's called and I'll add the link to message 4.

Good morning everyone :) Hope you all are doing great :)

Am still high on the festive fever that has picked up here since last evening. Its really beautiful here, especially in the evenings and nights, with all homes lit up beautifully and all the people decked up in their finery and with smiles on their faces. This is the time of the year when we forget all our woes and just enjoy, almost become childlike in our enthusiasm and simply enjoy. Am going to bask in it for a few days, so reading is going to become secondary :)

Also just wanted to inform the captain and co-captain and others that I have signed up for 3 BRs till now. Well two have already been approved and am waiting for approval on the third one. Am listing the BRs that I joined for here.

BRs Joined/planned

1. Crime and Punishment - Starting November 12th

2. The Name of the Rose - Starting December 6th

3. Mudbound -- still tentative, might start in January, not sure!

I thought this will earn us some brownie points in BRs - I hope I am right! :)

PS - Will disappear from tomorrow till the 5th of November. Will try to check in as I can but not sure as my husband will be home after a really long time, so planning on some good family time :)

Srividya wrote: "Am still high on the festive fever that has picked up here since last evening. Its really beautiful here, especially in the evenings and nights, with all homes lit up beautifully and all the people decked up in their finery and with smiles on their faces. This is the time of the year when we forget all our woes and just enjoy, almost become childlike in our enthusiasm and simply enjoy. Am going to bask in it for a few days, so reading is going to become secondary :).."

That sounds amazing, Srividya! I wish we had more festivals here.
Is the Festival of Colors pretty common where you are? I've seen pictures of smiling people covered in colored power and always wished that I could see it for myself. Absolutely gorgeous.

Yes Amanda, it is amazing. And yes we also have the festival of colors, which is usually in March. And its lots of fun! I truly enjoy that festival, despite the fact that we look like colored monkeys for days after that :)

You should come to India some time to experience it. There is so much of bonhomie and fun around these festivals that it is absolutely infectious.

I set up a thread for Mudbound. I didn't put a date on it as that hadn't been decided then.

That sounds amazing Srividya. Enjoy and have a great re-union with your husband . Mine works away 3-4 days each week too.

I've signed up for two buddy reads, and . Looks like we're making a very good start.