Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Mia wrote: "Btw: Is anybody here reading the eurovision BOM? Picked it up from the library today, and not quite sure if i'm smart enough to finish that one. It's an advanced read.... quoting Kant already in th..."

I read it last month, it was a weird book. It took me a while to get into the story, but in the end everything was connected and it ended up being interesting. It has some phrases and ideas that make you ponder for a bit.

I've got all 3 of this month's bom from the library so will be starting them when I finish An Echo in the Bone and being distracted by the maze.

Amy the book-bat wrote: "Mia wrote: "Btw: Is anybody here reading the eurovision BOM? Picked it up from the library today, and not quite sure if i'm smart enough to finish that one. It's an advanced read.... quoting Kant a..."

wall that makes sense! i'll try a bit more an see if i can get into it!

Mia wrote: "Btw: Is anybody here reading the eurovision BOM? Picked it up from the library today, and not quite sure if i'm smart enough to finish that one. It's an advanced read.... quoting Kant already in th..."

I'm reading it as well.

Haruki Murakami is quite an acquired taste imo. I've only read After Dark by him and could only digest it because it was short.

I've finished my trash and will read A Good Day for Chardonnay next. I picked it up because I need to read a book with a drink on the cover for another challenge I'm participating in with Kerri. I don't know what to expect of the book. It's been a while since I've read Darynda Jones. Hoping for the best !

I've read A Good Day for Chardonnay, I really liked it. It's pretty similar in style and humour to the Charley Davidson series, just with less of the supernatural stuff, so if you liked that series you should enjoy it

Audrey Jane wrote: "Haruki Murakami is quite an acquired taste imo. I've only read After Dark by him and could only digest it because it was short.

I've finished my trash and will read A Good Day f..."</i>

I've read [book:Kafka on the Shore by Murakami, and absolutely loved it. It's one of my favorite books. It's not the writing style that bothered me, it was the content of that specific book. It had that "men who hate women" vibe throughout. And i'm out of my "cool girl" phase, so i'm not into that 😂

@Alison: Yes, I did enjoy the Charley Davidson series. Looking forward to it now :)

@Mia: I see! I remember it took me a while to finish it. I actually own a paperback of Kafka on the Shore, I'm keeping it for when I'm in the mood for it.

The progress being done with the maze is phenomenal ! Can't keep up

Haven't read A Good Day for Chardonnay yet. I did like A Bad Day for Sunshine but not as much as the Charley Davidson series.

I have a copy of Kafka on the Shore as well; it's on my TBR for the next couple of months since it's a 600+ page book. Thoughts on Ishiguro? I read Klara and the Sun, and I didn't exactly love it...

Devann - please add Rosebud to your shelf.

Read a book with the word tree, leaf, branch or grass (plurals are acceptable) in the title

Direction: West (Odd Number of pages)

We're 4 books off finishing the maze! Any suggestions for this one would be welcome even if you aren't able to read it.

Insiyah wrote: "I have a copy of Kafka on the Shore as well; it's on my TBR for the next couple of months since it's a 600+ page book. Thoughts on Ishiguro? I read Klara and the Sun, and I didn't exactly love it..."

What I have read has been a bit on the weird side. I didn't mind the books I have read. I do want to read Klara and the Sun at some point. Kafka on the Shore was definitely strange, but I kind of liked it.

MAZE IS COMPLETE

Alison, you've been selected for DQs for The Witch's Heart on 19th June.

Signups for DQ volunteers for Ariadne (here) and Malibu Rising (here) are also open.

I enjoyed the 1st couple of Charley Davidson but haven’t read any of hers since.


Amy - did you get your tyre sorted?


I'm off to a friend's wedding this weekend so will be quieter than normal between now and Monday. Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Hello all-- I'm on the beach for much needed R&R. I'm getting a lot of reading done. It's glorious.

Read. Wade into water to cool off. Repeat. 🌊🏖️

Insiyah wrote: "I need to rant about how bad a book is, so feel free to skip/not read this.

I'm reading The Client, and wow. Just wow. You know the basic writing rule of "Show, not tell"? Well, thi..."

Grisham is definitely hit or miss for me. I love your book rant!

Denise wrote: "Hello all-- I'm on the beach for much needed R&R. I'm getting a lot of reading done. It's glorious.

Read. Wade into water to cool off. Repeat. 🌊🏖️"

Sounds like bliss! V jealous right now.

Insiyah wrote: "I need to rant about how bad a book is, so feel free to skip/not read this.

I'm reading The Client, and wow. Just wow. You know the basic writing rule of "Show, not tell"? Well, thi..."

Wow. This is an old book, which I have never read, but I watched the movie when I was like 15-16 and it was really good. Brad Renfro, Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones and Mary-Louise Parker star.

Sophie wrote: "
Amy - did you get your tyre sorted?
"

Picking up a new one in about 3 hours. Going to cost $124 but at least I will have peace of mind.

Cars are so expensive! Life would be very hard without one but sometimes try to work out if there is a way.

JL wrote: "Insiyah wrote: "I need to rant about how bad a book is, so feel free to skip/not read this.

I'm reading The Client, and wow. Just wow. You know the basic writing rule of "Show, not ..."

Denise wrote: "Insiyah wrote: "I need to rant about how bad a book is, so feel free to skip/not read this.

I'm reading The Client, and wow. Just wow. You know the basic writing rule of "Show, not ..."

I'd read this book around 10+ years ago - I don't even know where I'd picked it up, and I remember loving it then. The plot is fun - an eleven year old outwitting smart adults is hilarious, and that's also why I had loved the Enola Holmes series, since in that one, it's fifteen years old Enola outwitting her smart, worldly brothers. So The Client had been on my TBR for a couple of years now, but I just couldn't get around to it. Maybe it's because I had a feeling I wouldn't like it anymore - I've moved past my thriller, mystery, legal drama phase.

The movie may be great, but I'm just not up to watching it. I have exactly one show that I'm tracking episodes of, and another couple that I can put on in the background as I do other things, and that's it. I've barely watched any movies this year at all.

Insiyah wrote: "

Alison, you've been selected for DQs for The Witch's Heart on 19th June.

Signups for DQ volunteers for Ariadne (here) and Malibu Rising (here) are also open."

Thanks for the heads up. I'm still waiting on my library copy to appear, it's been "in transit" for about 4 weeks now, so am probably going to end up buying a copy (any excuse to go to the bookshop 😉)

Alison wrote: "Insiyah wrote: "

Alison, you've been selected for DQs for The Witch's Heart on 19th June.

Signups for DQ volunteers for Ariadne (here) and Malibu Rising (here) are also open."

Thanks for the he..."

You're welcome :)

will there be any more challenges like the mini muse and maze this month?

There will be a mini challenge - details should be out soon :)

Colchian Dragon



Colchian Dragon has been seen on your lands, searching for a new and improved golden fleece. Maybe a platinum one? He's not the strongest monster around but still takes some effort to put down. Likes music and is distracted from finishing his tasks.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 200 and 299 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book from an unfinished series.
3.) Read a book with a musical instrument on the cover.
4.) Read a book with MPG Epic Fantasy.
5.) Read a book with a yellow cover (at least 50%).

Harpies



Groups of Harpies have been spotted on your lands, ruining outdoor feasts at every opportunity. Easy to defeat with the motivation to chase them far enough away, enjoy the cardio.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 100 and 125 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book that features a feast or banquet.
3.) Read a book that contains a chase (car chase, foot chase, etc).
4.) Read a book with a character who is royalty.
5.) Read a book that features a thief.

Mares of Diomedes



The Mares of Diomedes are galloping through your lands and nibbling on villagers as they go. They may require only moderate effort to defeat, but don't underestimate them. The Four Horsemen's horses give them wide berth.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 200 and 299 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book with fire on the cover.
3.) Read a book where a character gets poisoned (food poisoning is acceptable, does not have to be fatal).
4.) Read a book whose title contains all the letters of HERA.
5.) Read a book with a Goodreads rating between 3 and 3.5 (inclusive).

Typhon



Typhon aka the Father of Monsters has been spotted on your lands. Very hard to kill and not known for showing mercy.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 500 and 650 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book that mentions a volcano
3.) Read a book with lightning on the cover
4.) Read a book where the title contains all the letters in ZEUS
5.) Read a book where a MC is a father

Stymphalian Birds



Stymphalian Birds have been seen filling your orchards and causing delays in harvesting. They are hard to defeat because of their numbers. Music can soothe the savage beasts, may want to try metal bands.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 350 and 450 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book that is #6 in a series.
3.) Read a book with a musical instrument mentioned in the text.
4.) Read a book with something metal on the cover.
5.) Read a book that features a bird (bird shifter accepted).

I'm reading this now if we need a yellow cover.



I have several books going at the moment. I can work on the others and finish this on the plane ride back to reality.

Sophie wrote: "Cars are so expensive! Life would be very hard without one but sometimes try to work out if there is a way."

Sophie wrote: "Cars are so expensive! Life would be very hard without one but sometimes try to work out if there is a way."

Sadly, a car is a necessity here because most "local" is about 20 minutes away. There are a few things in my village, but for things like grocery, laundromat, etc. I have to drive. That is the worst part of being in a rural area.

In case it wasn't obvious, our new mini challenge has been announced! We're off to fight some monsters!

This one is just as a team. The twist is that we can use 1 book to cover multiple tasks for 1 momster (it might be possible to defeat a monster with 1 book!). Once we defeat a monster, the Muses (aka captains of other teams) will spin a wheel to see what is going to attack next.

Anything we finish from 9pm gmt on 15th June can be used regardless of when it was started

Amy the book-bat wrote: "Sophie wrote: "Cars are so expensive! Life would be very hard without one but sometimes try to work out if there is a way."

Sophie wrote: "Cars are so expensive! Life would be very hard without on..."

I grew up somewhere very similar. My mum used to drive us 10 minutes to get the bus for school. Bits of rural life were great but I was v happy when I learnt to drive and could afford to.

Everyone, please note that books finished before June 15th, 9pm GMT +1 cannot be used.

Countdown: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...

Insiyah wrote: "Everyone, please note that books finished before July 15th, 9pm GMT +1 cannot be used.

Countdown: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown......"

Darn... both books I finished today would have made some progress

I love this mini but I think it's going to be difficult to keep up with some teams. I may have a book that will cover off at least 2, probably more, of the harpy tasks.

I love this mini too but I’m really disappointed it seems like all books between 650-800 pages don’t count at all for ANY of the monsters :-(
That’s a bummer since most of my long ones fit in that category.

Such a creative mini challenge !! loving it. Makes me think a bit of the individual Novel RPG challenge :)

Kerri, I saw that some other monsters fit those pages if I'm not mistaken :) but no worries, we can still use your books for the other tasks (except for task 1) in order to defeat the monsters. Your book doesn't necessarily need to fit all 5 tasks (it just gives us a new monster and more points if it does ;)).

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "Mares of Diomedes



The Mares of Diomedes are galloping through your lands and nibbling on villagers as they go. They may require only moderate effort to defeat, but don't underestimate them. The ..."

This book fits all categories except all letters of HERA in the title. (Annoyingly, if it was ‘AND’ instead of ‘&’it would work for all 5. Grrr 😡

Audrey Jane wrote: "Such a creative mini challenge !! loving it. Makes me think a bit of the individual Novel RPG challenge :)

Kerri, I saw that some other monsters fit those pages if I'm not mistaken :) but no worri..."

I was looking at all the monsters and didn’t see any with pages 650-800 :/
But I also forgot they don’t have to fit all tasks like you said lol

Kerri, you're right, after I posted I realized there wasn't any 650-800 pages bracket task :)
Fire & Heist seems like a great option already! Knocking out a monster with only two books would be amazing as well. I will look what I have once I'm behind my laptop and will try to fill in where needed :)
I just came back from my first day at the dogschool and had so much fun :D

Hi team just checking in. I have been reading a long book so I just finished. I read Kulti by Mariana Zapata. If you love slow burn romances read anything by this author! Every book I read of hers is 5 stars, this one included. She is amazing.

Keri wrote: "I love this mini too but I’m really disappointed it seems like all books between 650-800 pages don’t count at all for ANY of the monsters :-(
That’s a bummer since most of my long ones fit in that ..."

There are a few monsters that need long books. Once we're done with these 5, we can request more.

Ah I hadn't noticed that nothing needed 650-800 pages, that's a pain. Mod creation oversight unfortunately.


Keri - I love that you've found something that works for 4 tasks already! Although if you were reading it would have to be the hardcover version or the page count is too long. Are you likely to read it for us?

Alison - I know what you mean about it being hard to keep up with some of the other teams. I'd actually much rather we had fun and were reading things we enjoyed. The points from the challenges are a bonus and are the equivalent of reading another 50 pages per task.

We've been trying to think how we can track this one - and I have borrowed this from one of the other teams (thanks!). If you have any suggestions or alternative ideas please say.



1. We can bank books, so any books started after May 15th and finished after the countdown timer for the start of this mini will count! If you're reading books not for a specific task, we're going to use a system to input that data.

I've copied the monster spreadsheet to our planning sheet. You'll see that the monsters are lettered A-U down the left side and tasks are numbered 1-5 along the top.

If you read a book that has 500-650 pages, MPG of music and a musical instrument on the cover (all Cerberus tasks) you can put A(1,3,4) into the task info on the planning spreadsheet. Ideally a book you read may look something like this A(1,3,4) C(2) G(5). Please use that format vs A1, A3, A4, C2, G5 because the brackets will make it very easy for us captains to see which books will give us the most tasks for a particular monster when it comes up.

2. Books can be used multiple times for the same monster. Our first monster is the Minotaur and we could read three books as follows:

Book 1: 800+ Pages, With a Map and a 4.0+ Rating (T1, T3, T5)
Book 2: The MC gets lost (T2)
Book 3: A character is bull-headed (T4)

But we can't use an 800+ page book (T1) that features twins (T7) to attack both the minotaur and the python.

3. We may well shuffle books, but once a monster has been submitted the books can't be moved.

If we get Minotaur, I know a book that fits all five tasks for it. Just saying. :)