Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion
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The Local Tavern
Welcome to the world, Princess Lyra Fable Elspeth!! And congratulations to Queen Skye.
For the Emperor's New Nonsense quest, for 'Read a book where somebody goes bankrupt', does the bankruptcy have to happen during the course of the book, or can it have happened prior to the book's events?I found what is possibly my only option on my kindle where a character declares he is bankrupt, but until I read it I can't tell at what point the bankruptcy happened.
Slightly worried that the answer will make this an even harder prompt and send me back to the drawing board... ;)
In the welcome basket what does 5 potion tokens mean? I understand everything else, but for some reason I can't figure out what they are...
Charlotte wrote: "In the welcome basket what does 5 potion tokens mean? I understand everything else, but for some reason I can't figure out what they are..."You can exchange a potion token at Jack and Jill's Caravan Hill for a potion of your choice - there are some potions that can't be bought with potion tokens but you won't get to those until you work through the Halloween monsters, so don't worry about those for now. :)
Digging for Relief QuestAnnouncing that I have finally acquired my very own well - got a bit distracted from finishing but I have one at last!
Sarah wrote: "For the Emperor's New Nonsense quest, for 'Read a book where somebody goes bankrupt', does the bankruptcy have to happen during the course of the book, or can it have happened prior to the book's events? ... Slightly worried that the answer will make this an even harder prompt"No need to worry, Sarah! I’d say the bankruptcy should happen during the course of the book—or, if it takes place beforehand, the consequences of that bankruptcy should play a significant role in the story.
That said, to make the prompt a bit more approachable, it doesn’t have to be a formal legal bankruptcy. You can interpret it more broadly: someone losing all their money, struggling with debt, being unable to pay their mortgage, or facing major financial fallout like losing their home or car—all of those would count.
Sarah wrote: "Digging for Relief Quest
Announcing that I have finally acquired my very own well - got a bit distracted from finishing but I have one at last!"
Congratulations, Sarah, now go on and learn the Splash spell. Will make squashing/splashing fiery imps really easy.
Zuzana wrote: "Sarah wrote: "For the Emperor's New Nonsense quest, for 'Read a book where somebody goes bankrupt', does the bankruptcy have to happen during the course of the book, or can it have happened prior to the book's events? ... Slightly worried that the answer will make this an even harder prompt"No need to worry, Sarah! I’d say the bankruptcy should happen during the course of the book—or, if it takes place beforehand, the consequences of that bankruptcy should play a significant role in the story.
That said, to make the prompt a bit more approachable, it doesn’t have to be a formal legal bankruptcy. You can interpret it more broadly: someone losing all their money, struggling with debt, being unable to pay their mortgage, or facing major financial fallout like losing their home or car—all of those would count."
Thank you! I think it will work then, as it seems that it was a past bankruptcy - but one that gives the character a motive for murder and so makes them a suspect.
And very good news about not needing to be a formal legal bankruptcy. My backup plan was a historical fiction set in a debtor's prison - not quite meeting the modern terms of bankruptcy but it seemed to fit the spirit of the task.
The June Update is now live! A quick reminder: this is your last month to use any books read before 2025—they’ll expire on 7/1/25, so turn as many quests using these old books in June as you can.
And one more thing—today’s your final chance to congratulate Queen Skye on the arrival of her daughter, the radiant Princess Lyra. If you missed the royal birth announcement but still want the well-wisher’s reward, be sure to post your congratulations before midnight!
Because of the cut-off for old books approaching I plan another update sometime in June. So if you have bazillion old books and don't know what to do with them, don't panic (just yet), there will be a couple of new quests in a week or two.
Zuzana wrote: "Because of the cut-off for old books approaching I plan another update sometime in June. So if you have bazillion old books and don't know what to do with them, don't panic (just yet), there will b..."👍
Zuzana wrote: "Because of the cut-off for old books approaching I plan another update sometime in June. So if you have bazillion old books and don't know what to do with them, don't panic (just yet), there will b..."That's good to know! I have so so so many old books.
Sell me your war books!!! PLEASE! I am not a history or war person. I need:
TWO books about or set during different major wars or civil wars from before the 20th century, where the conflict is a central theme.
Basically just name your price! I'm rich lol. Gold? Potion Tokens? A Greater Poison Potion (10 damage every round!)? A book or two or three for your tasks? Pretty much whatever you want
Two new quests on the Notice Board! Enjoy!
Ray, I have these two. But they are already used. So they would need to be duplicated. The Vow on the Heron by Jean Plaidy - the Hundred Years' War
Mrs. Wickham by Sarah Page - the Napoleonic Wars
Zuzana wrote: "Ray, I have these two. But they are already used. So they would need to be duplicated. The Vow on the Heron by Jean Plaidy - the Hundred Years' War
Mrs. Wickham by ..."
I can dup them!! Whatcha want for payment?? :) :)
Ray (user2637) wrote: "I can dup them!! Whatcha want for payment?? :) :)"Ray, do you have a romance novel you can spare?
Zuzana wrote: "Ray (user2637) wrote: "I can dup them!! Whatcha want for payment?? :) :)"Ray, do you have a romance novel you can spare?"
Yeah, I can dup krampus hates christmas for you. Anything else?
Keeper of the Books ★ NBRC ★ wrote: "Two new quests on the Notice Board! Enjoy!"For Soup Part 3: Do the tree branches and phoenix feathers have to be fresh? It says "gather", but could it just mean supply/give/use?
Ray (user2637) wrote: "Keeper of the Books ★ NBRC ★ wrote: "Two new quests on the Notice Board! Enjoy!"For Soup Part 3: Do the tree branches and phoenix feathers have to be fresh? It says "gather", but could it just me..."
They don't spoil, so they can be taken from your supply. :)
But the soup itself spoils in 30 days, so beware of that!
Ray (user2637) wrote: "Yeah, I can dup krampus hates christmas for you. Anything else?"No, that would be quite enough. :) Thank you, Ray. Nice doing business with you.
Zuzana wrote: "Ray (user2637) wrote: "Yeah, I can dup krampus hates christmas for you. Anything else?"No, that would be quite enough. :) Thank you, Ray. Nice doing business with you."
You're my hero!
Zuzana wrote: "Ray (user2637) wrote: "Yeah, I can dup krampus hates christmas for you. Anything else?"No, that would be quite enough. :) Thank you, Ray. Nice doing business with you."
Oh, just to check. It's Napoleonic War from Mrs. Wickham and Hundred Years War for The Heron, right??
Ray (user2637) wrote: "Oh, just to check. It's Napoleonic War from Mrs. Wickham and Hundred Years War for The Heron, right??."Yup, that's right.
Quests shares.Twice Upon a Title (view spoiler)
The Theatre of War: A Play in Too Many Acts (view spoiler)
The Emperor’s New Nonsense (view spoiler)
I won't lie, Ray. While clever and within the rules, it made me a bit sad. You've somehow managed to both complete the tasks and go against the spirit of the first two challenges at the same time. It's my fault really, I should have worded the quests better. BTW You would make a good proof-reader of new quests, looking for the loopholes. Are you interested, Ray? I will adjust the wording for the twin quest so it's clear that the authors should be different people, eliminating series. And for the War Remembrance quest, I'll exclude NATO countries. Task no. 1 is there so people read outside their usual setting, learning about different cultures, humanizing people we are used to watching on TV screens only as "casualties" of far away conflicts.
People who turn in the quests before the wording change are in the clear. You have about an hour to do so.
I have a question on the new wording, Zuzana.2. The Scars of Civil War – Some wars are fought between nations, but others tear apart a country from within.
• Read a book by an author from or set in a country that has recently endured the devastation of civil war (e.g., Myanmar, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, Libya). NATO countries are excluded from this task. Recently means from 1990s till now.
I haven't checked all the countries listed (off the top of my head most of them seem to fit the 1990s-onwards requirement), just Nigeria as I had a book already allocated for that. Google tells me that the civil war was 1967-1970 in Nigeria, so does the new 1990s bit means it no longer counts? I'm a bit confused with it still in the list.
Thanks for any clarification you can give!
Oh, I meant Niger Delta conflict that is ongoing, Sarah. If I remember correctly, the examples I used were taken mostly from the 21st century conflicts. So Nigeria should still count.
Zuzana wrote: "I won't lie, Ray. While clever and within the rules, it made me a bit sad. You've somehow managed to both complete the tasks and go against the spirit of the first two challenges at the same time. ..."Yeah, sorry, but I'm absolutely notttt a war / current horrible state of the world / history / conflict book reader. *shrug* Too depressing! Sci-fi is my jam. And since I've done nearly literally all of the quests that are more than a year old and duplication potions are changing soon... so I had to get rid of the war quest somehow. :/ If it makes you feel any better, it did take a lot of research to figure out war timelines and sort through all my old books...
I used to do proof-reading, editing, and fact-checking as a job, so yeah, I'm pretty good at it ;) I'll be happy to read over things and give feedback. Due to chronic illness though, I'm not always great with timely responses... sometimes migraines knock me out for 4+ days and I can't look at screens. So, if we can work around that, I'll happily be deputized. ;)
Zuzana wrote: "Oh, I meant Niger Delta conflict that is ongoing, Sarah. If I remember correctly, the examples I used were taken mostly from the 21st century conflicts. So Nigeria should still count."
Phew, thanks! I feel bad that I haven't even heard of that... I did read a book set during the Biafran war though, (long time ago) so my mind immediately went there and I got worried as I knew that was in the 60s.
Quest: Threads of the Rainbow TapestryI loved ALL of the books for this quest, but my favorite was probably The Case of the Missing Maid because first the MC breaks into a male dominated field, and then in the course of her investigation she makes a friend that opens the door to a whole underground world that is open and accepting and allows her to start to accept herself and realize that she is not alone.
Can I just double check, are the only ways to get salt and herbs from the quests (or doubled by the magic pumpkin)Spice Exchange (salt) and Picking Herbs (herbs)?
Also I have officially used up all my books read pre-2025! Phew. THANK YOU for all the amazing question options
Rebecca wrote: "Can I just double check, are the only ways to get salt and herbs from the quests (or doubled by the magic pumpkin)Spice Exchange (salt) and Picking Herbs (herbs)?"
They can also be purchased in Jack & Jill's Caravan Hill:
Culinary Shelf
• 5 Servings Salt - 10 gold
• 5 Servings Herbs - 10 gold
:)
Question... Can the Shadow of the Orb of Fire (for example) be used simultaneously with the Orb of Fire for a total of +6 for that one battle?
Ray (user2637) wrote: "Yeah, sorry, but I'm absolutely notttt a war / current horrible state of the world / history / conflict book reader. *shrug* Too depressing! Sci-fi is my jam. And since I've done nearly literally all of the quests that are more than a year old and duplication potions are changing soon... so I had to get rid of the war quest somehow. :/ If it makes you feel any better, it did take a lot of research to figure out war timelines and sort through all my old books..."I totally get it, Ray. And no worries, I promise I'm not upset! The war quest just happened to be one of the few that felt especially meaningful to me, a bit more poignant than the usual light-hearted, fun, or outright silly ones I tend to create.
TBH this was one of the reasons behind setting a cut-off for old books. The idea is to keep the quest list manageable and fresh, so folks can pick challenges that fit their reading tastes, stretch themselves if they want to, or simply skip what doesn’t appeal. Hopefully it’ll all feel a bit easier without the pressure of a huge backlog of past reads.
Ray (user2637) wrote: "I used to do proof-reading, editing, and fact-checking as a job, so yeah, I'm pretty good at it ;) I'll be happy to read over things and give feedback. Due to chronic illness though, I'm not always great with timely responses... sometimes migraines knock me out for 4+ days and I can't look at screens. So, if we can work around that, I'll happily be deputized. ;)"
I’m really sorry to hear about your chronic illness, Ray. I get headaches occasionally myself, but I’ve only had a handful of true migraines in my life and that was more than enough to know how brutal they are.
Thank you so much for offering to help with proofreading. I won’t bug you regularly, but I might send the occasional PM if I’m really stuck on something tricky or working on a particularly important quest. Absolutely no pressure to reply if you're not feeling up to it. Your health always comes first!
Ray (user2637) wrote: "Question... Can the Shadow of the Orb of Fire (for example) be used simultaneously with the Orb of Fire for a total of +6 for that one battle?"Absolutely, Ray. I believe people are using their Orbs permanently. So the Shadow of [Orb of...] will just be a one-time bonus to your usual stats. The fact that the Shadows are a one-battle thing shouldn't upset the battle mechanics (much). :)
Sarah wrote: "Phew, thanks! I feel bad that I haven't even heard of that... I did read a book set during the Biafran war though, (long time ago) so my mind immediately went there and I got worried as I knew that was in the 60s."No need to feel bad, Sarah, the Biafran war is the first that comes to mind in connection to Nigeria. So I totally get it.
Rebecca wrote: "Also I have officially used up all my books read pre-2025! Phew. THANK YOU for all the amazing quest options"
Great job, Rebecca. I'm so glad you enjoyed the new-ish quests. :) BTW The Case of the Missing Maid sounds interesting, I added it to my TBR. Thanks for the rec.
For those who still have a pile of unsused books I plan one last update before June is over. Either tomorrow or next weekend. So watch out for the Notice Board update.
Rebecca wrote: "Can I just double check, are the only ways to get salt and herbs from the quests (or doubled by the magic pumpkin)
Spice Exchange (salt) and Picking Herbs (herbs)?"
You can buy herbs and salt at Jack's Store. I plan to use them more as rewards in ordinary quests - but those will be one-time things.
I've just noticed something.Guys, to cook the Kindlecorn soup you need superfresh ingredients!
Quote: "!! Only super fresh books can be used for this quest. A super fresh book is one read within the month prior to completing the quest. !!!"
I will highlight the requirement in the text of the quest and maybe make more clear what it means. By the "quest", I meant Part 3 of the quest - I'll fix that. But it doesn't matter this month, because the quest was published in June.
EDIT: I added this to the Important Notes part: "• To cook the soup, you must use only superfresh ingredients—that is, books read within the past month. For example, if you're making the soup on July 15th, only books finished on or after June 15th will count." This should make it clear.
Also, don't forget that the soup spoils if nor eaten in 30 days after being cooked. So cook it only if you have a particular monster you want to kill in mind. And yeah, it affects your mercenary's skills in 1 battle only.
BTW, another note. For Spice exchange and Picking herbs you need to read 4 books [EDIT: Unless you own the Orb of Air], eventhough there are only 3 tasks - you have to complete one of the tasks twice. The wording has always been very clear about it - see bellow.
Quote: Spice exchange
Read 4 books each with at least one of the following qualifications: (Find Items Potion works for this quest.)
• 50% or more white cover
• Title begins with S, A, L or T
• The word salt (exactly) appears in the book text
Zuzana wrote: "I've just noticed something.Guys, to cook the Kindlecorn soup you need superfresh ingredients!
Quote: "!! Only super fresh books can be used for this quest. A super fresh book is one read within..."
For Salt/Herbs -
If you have the Orb of Air, you would only need 3 since it is Find Items eligible.
Edited: Here is one of Kelly's posts: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Cathy M. wrote: "For Salt/Herbs -If you have the Orb of Air, you would only need 3 since it is Find Items eligible.
Edited: Here is one of Kelly's posts:"
Thank you for pointing that out, Cathy—you’re absolutely right! So, if you have the Orb, you only need 3 books to complete those quests.
The Find Item Potion and the Orb of Air are two other game elements that still need some proper sorting. Sophie, Cat, and I actually discussed them as far back as five years ago. The only decision we reached was to limit their use to drop items, but nothing was ever officially announced. I’ve definitely been putting it off for the past six months.
If you have any ideas for clear, easy-to-follow rules that would make both the Find Item Potion and the Orb of Air useful—without being overpowered—I’d be very grateful!
This has always been a topic that has confused us all so I rarely use it. From my notes:
"Find Items Potion - Magically obtain half the items needed for a specific quest. (Note the use of this potion when turning in your quest. If an odd number of items is required, the potion rounds down the reward. Example: Requires 3 items, potion provides 1. Requires 4 items, potion provides 2.) Note that this cannot be used for quests that require a list of different things (e.g. do the 3 following tasks)."
- 1 - you can only use this potion on quests that specify "Find Items Eligible". Cannot be used on any other tasks/quests. All quests where it can be used are noted in the description of the quest.
- 2- to be used on ITEMS that are needed (ie Collect rat tails, goblin bones, gold, etc), not lists of tasks or books.
- 3- Exception to #2 are the Spice Exchange, Picking Herbs and You're All Nuts Repeatable quests where books are needed.
Orb of Air - For quests requiring 4 or more items, this reduces the amount of items needed for a quest by 1
- 1 - Pretty much the sister to the Find Items Potion. Instead of halving the items, it only deducts 1.
- 2 - It can ONLY be used on the same quests as Find Items Potions (ie Find items Eligible). So only on ITEMS, not tasks.
- 3- Same exceptions as Find Items Potions - Spice Exchange, Picking Herbs and You're All Nuts Repeatable quests.
General rule is if a quest is Find Items Eligible, can use the Find Items Potion and/or Orb of Air. If it is NOT listed in the description of the quest, then you cannot use it.
If both is used on the same quest, general rule is to apply the Orb of Air first and then apply the Find Items Potion.
Can't really think of anything else. Not sure if this helps but if there are questions, it's easier to answer then try to come up with something off top of my head!
The Emperor’s New Nonsense1. The Invisible Fabric Test -
• Race theme - Dear Martin
• Ownership of books are banned (and books are re-written by Library) - Ink and Bone
• Optional: NF book about censorship, book banning, or propaganda - N/A
2. The Academy of Illusions -
• Book set in a university - Ninth House
• Book that teaches you something meaningful - Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I'd Known About Menopause - (view spoiler)
• Optional: NF book about education, teaching, learning, intellectual freedom, or even a practical skill - N/A
3. The Parade of Delusion -
• Deception plays a central role - Genuine Fraud
• King makes disastrously bad decisions - A Game of Thrones
• Optional: NF book about leadership, politics, the psychology of crowds, or how to avoid walking naked into a crisis - N/A
4. The Silenced Child -
• MC is punished by someone in power (teacher) for speaking the truth - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Legal battle for justice - The Confession
• Optional: NF book about whistleblowers, free speech, justice, or judicial system - N/A
5. The Emperor’s Purse -
• MC is bankrupt - There's No Coming Back from This
• MC is con artist - The Lies of Locke Lamora
• Optional: NF book about economic crises, corruption, grift, or other crime - N/A
6. Chronicle The Truth - so that others may benefit from your hard-won wisdom.
• Share your reading list in the Local Tavern thread once you’re done. - DONE w/this post
Bonus: Read The Emperor's New Clothes (never read that before! Was quite funny!)
Total 11 Exp
Twice Upon a TitleTwin books:
1A - Chaos by J.M. Madden
1B - Chaos by C. Gockel
2A - Faking It by K. Bromberg
2B - Faking It by Diane Alberts
3A - Omega by S.M. Reine
3B - Omega by Charlene Hartnady
Threads of the Rainbow TapestryThere are actually 2 that I loved but everyone loved The House in the Cerulean Sea so that's no surprise. The other, Blind Faith, was not so clear cut. One of the MCs didn't make it easy. It's a story about a blind man who lost his beloved guide dog and is afraid to let in his new one (Brady). He's immature and cantankerous, which is the opposite of the other MC, a vet who is responsible for checking on Brady and so lovely. There was a lot of growth in the characters and the secondary characters (including Brady!) were so great. It was a sweet romance that touched my heart. It had all the feels - angst, laughs, anger, tears, and happiness. Even just talking about it makes me want to re-read it. And I can now say that I too have a smiling golden retriever (who really was the star)!
Cathy M. wrote: "This has always been a topic that has confused us all so I rarely use it. From my notes:
"Find Items Potion - Magically obtain half the items needed for a specific quest. (Note the use of this p..."
Thank you, Cathy. This helps a lot. :) Any ideas how to simplify or modify this? Anybody?
Cathy, I think you should count your points for the Emperor's quest again. I believe you should get much more than 11 XP.
Zuzana wrote: "Cathy M. wrote: "This has always been a topic that has confused us all so I rarely use it. From my notes:
"Find Items Potion - Magically obtain half the items needed for a specific quest. (Note ..."
Yes you are right, thank you! Should be 21 Exp - 2 Exp for each book + 1 Exp for reading Emperor's New Clothes. I don't read a lot of NF books so I'm passing on them.
To simplify:Find Items Potions & Orb of Air can ONLY be used for quests marked as "Find Items Eligible", for ITEMS tasks (ie Collect rat tails, goblin bones, gold, etc). Find Items Potion halves the items needed, and Orb of Air deducts 1 item.
The only exception to this are the Spice Exchange, Picking Herbs and You're All Nuts Repeatable quests, where it will reduce the number of books needed.
Nothing But Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
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My fave of this bunch of 2023 GR Choice nominees was definitely Assistant to the Villain. I thought it was a humorous and fun read. I loved Evie's optimism and Trystan's broodiness, and then the changes they went thru. But it did feel a little YA, which would've been ok if that's how it was marketed, but I still enjoyed the cuteness of it.