Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Also if anyone wants to read Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews, it covers three tasks (fire on cover, HERA letters in title, character is poisoned) for the carnivorous horses the Mares!

i thought the rules said books could be started at any time during TT but must be *finished* after the 15th?

That's correct. Think Insiyah had a typo when she put July instead.

Sophie wrote: "That's correct. Think Insiyah had a typo when she put July instead."

Yes, it was a typo. My bad :I

Can I check what the rules are around collections of books? I was thinking about rereading a book as it fits a few of the tasks for one monster but it's no longer available as a standalone book, instead it's books 1 to 3 together. There are still listings for the individual books on Goodreads though. Can I just read the first book and use it or does it need to be the collection of three books?

You can just read the 1st. Please use the details for the default version.

Sophie wrote: "You can just read the 1st. Please use the details for the default version."

Fab thanks, I was pretty sure that's what I'd done before but thought it wise to check

I had to double check. Has been a while since it can up last.


Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. The wedding I was at had the tables named for fantasy novels (The Priory of the Orange Tree was mine). The music during the signing of the register was from the Lord of the rings soundtrack.

Sophie wrote: "I had to double check. Has been a while since it can up last.


Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. The wedding I was at had the tables named for fantasy novels ([book:The Priory of the Orange T..."

That sounds absolutely incredible.

Sophie wrote: "I had to double check. Has been a while since it can up last.


Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. The wedding I was at had the tables named for fantasy novels ([book:The Priory of the Orange T..."

That sounds like such a fun wedding!

I'm back! I was without power for 26+ hours thanks to some severe thunderstorms that rolled through last night. Not fun when the temps are in the 90's and there are no fans to help cool down (the AC has been busted for a while and I can't afford to replace the system right now). I didn't realize how hard it was to sleep without the fan running because not only was it too hot, it was also WAY too quiet. Anyway, I finally got the power back on. Hopefully it stays on!

I hope June gets better

Oh no! That heat (32c for UK people) is too hot to manage- I'm finding 26 here a bit too hot. Really hope the power stays on for you so you can get some respite from the heat and have the comforting hum of the fan back.

Shelves
We're noticing more people forgetting to put their read books on their TT shelf! Please can you make sure they are tagged.

Monsters
Hope you are all ready to start slaying monsters in a few hours!

Colchian Dragon (A)
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 (H)
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.


Mare of Diomedes (M)
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).

Stymphalian Birds (P)
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).

Typhon (T)
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

Hi, everyone! The book I'm reading now, Emerald Blaze, covers 4 of the 5 tasks for the Stymphalian Birds.

(392 pages, piano in the text, metal on the cover - a gun, and a hawk features in the first chapter)

:D

Edited to add: Don't forget, the book right before Emerald Blaze, Sapphire Flames, covers 3 of the Mare tasks (fire, poison, HERA) if anyone wants to read it!

Worth remembering if that monster comes up again! I'd need to read the 1st 3 before I can take it on.

To finishes the birds off we just need to find a book with a rating between 3 and 3.5.

I've read the Hidden Legacy series and I concur it's a great series!
I'm impatiently waiting to get my hands on the last book, Ruby Fever. It will be released just after this challenge ends I think.

Hi everyone! My life has been a crazy hectic recently so my reading has really taken a nose dive. I won't be able to commit to reading a certain number of books for the next weeks. I'm entering a busy season at work and don't see an end in sight :(. Are there any reserve players that can take my place? I don't mind staying on as a part of this team until a replacement is found. So sorry for the inconvenience!

Audrey Jane wrote: "I've read the Hidden Legacy series and I concur it's a great series!
I'm impatiently waiting to get my hands on the last book, Ruby Fever. It will be released just after this challenge ends I think."

I think it is out within a week of this finishing.

Navi wrote: "Hi everyone! My life has been a crazy hectic recently so my reading has really taken a nose dive. I won't be able to commit to reading a certain number of books for the next weeks. I'm entering a b..."

Oh I'm sorry to hear that Navi! I hope some of it is good busy and you aren't too stressed. Would you like to stay on the team with a lower number of books or I can look at the replacement list?

My first shorty for the mini is done. Wanted to check though, for the "contains a chase" task, how much of a chase does it need to be? Is it enough to have a sentence e.g. "they chased after her" or does it need to be more?

Thanks Alison!

I'm hoping that we can do the Harpies with 1 book work for that task and read a book featuring a thief- they seem v well matched. I would count your example for the task.

I have a book that fits the GR rating between 3 and 3.5 - The Russian Affair. I'll try to get done with it today.

Sophie wrote: "Thanks Alison!

I'm hoping that we can do the Harpies with 1 book work for that task and read a book featuring a thief- they seem v well matched. I would count your example for the task."

Great, I guess it works for 4 of the 5 tasks. I was really hoping there was a thief in there that I'd forgotten about but unfortunately not. I may read on in the series in the hope that one appears at some point. They're mostly short books, with royalty and lots of sword fights, battles etc so who knows I may get lucky

I’m almost done with Emerald Blaze. 70% or so. Hoping to finish by tomorrow

I finished it! Skipped my chores and sat down and blazed through it! (Get it, blazed?! LOL)

How bad is it that I completely forgot I'd read the first three books in the Hidden Legacies series? I don't think it was too long ago but I remember literally nothing that happened in them :)

I should really be starting the BOM anyway if I'm going to have a hope of writing DQ's on Sunday. I've just finished Fugitive Telemetry (it was a library book I needed to read so feel free not to use as it's pretty short) so hopefully that leaves me pretty free and clear

Navi - you need to add FantasticLand to your shelf.

Alison wrote: "Sophie wrote: "Thanks Alison!

I'm hoping that we can do the Harpies with 1 book work for that task and read a book featuring a thief- they seem v well matched. I would count your example for the t..."

Sounds like they are ideal for some of the monsters!

Steven wrote: "I finished it! Skipped my chores and sat down and blazed through it! (Get it, blazed?! LOL)"

I hope it was a gem of a book.

Alison wrote: "How bad is it that I completely forgot I'd read the first three books in the Hidden Legacies series? I don't think it was too long ago but I remember literally nothing that happened in them :)

I s..."

I've made a start on the audio of Witch's Heart. It isn't too bad a read. I've decided to pass on The Master and Margarita, I can't get any enthusiasm to start it so going to pick up other things instead.

Colchian Dragon (T) 3/5
1.) Read a book between 200 and 299 pages (inclusive). Y
2.) Read a book from an unfinished series. Y
3.) Read a book with a musical instrument on the cover. Y
4.) Read a book with MPG Epic Fantasy. Y
5.) Read a book with a yellow cover (at least 50%). ?


Harpies (H) 4/5
1.) Read a book between 100 and 125 pages (inclusive). Y
2.) Read a book that features a feast or banquet. Y
3.) Read a book that contains a chase (car chase, foot chase, etc). Y
4.) Read a book with a character who is royalty. Y
5.) Read a book that features a thief.


Mare of Diomedes (M) 2/5
1.) Read a book between 200 and 299 pages (inclusive). Y
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. Y
5.) Read a book with a Goodreads rating between 3 and 3.5 (inclusive).

Stymphalian Birds (P) 5/5
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).

Typhon (A) 1/5
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 Y

The book I'm about to finish has a thief, but I wouldn't say they are necessarily featured as a thief. The woman who was murdered was killed because she stole a prized chicken and the chicken's owner killed her. There were some lobster traps being poached but I don't know if that would count.

same book also has "fig" in the text, which may be harder to find than a thief... page 49 "She'd made a point of taking the kids to museums and introducing them to great art, with or without fig leaves."

I might hold on to that one as it covers 3 tasks for another monster and the fig task. I think thieves are frequent enough that one should appear soon (in fiction not reality please universe)

Since the stymphalian birds have been defeated, another monster has come to call.

Cerberus



Cerberus has decided to take a jaunty run through your lands before returning to the underworld. He's very hard to defeat, don't let those 6 puppy dog eyes fool you. May want to bring some milk bones and tennis balls.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 500 and 650 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book where a funerary celebration/service takes place.
3.) Read a book with MPG Music.
4.) Read a book with a musical instrument on the cover.
5.) Read a book that is #3 in a series.

Flying home today. I'll try to look at all the stuff I've read and see what categories they fit.

Thanks Denise! Hope you have a smooth journey back.


It's been hotter than normal here for the last few days, which would be lovely if I didn't have work and could laze with a book by a pool. Dreams for future times...

Sophie wrote: "Thanks Denise! Hope you have a smooth journey back.


It's been hotter than normal here for the last few days, which would be lovely if I didn't have work and could laze with a book by a pool. Drea..."


It is still in the 90's here. Too hot to do much of anything. And we are out and about in town today (FINALLY getting that laundry done! LOL). It is only supposed to be in the 80's over the weekend, still hot but much more tolerable. Wish we had a pool, I would love to go for a swim in the evenings.

It was 97 the day we went to Disney. Miserably hot. It was still fun, but we would've done more if it had been 10-15 degrees cooler.

Denise wrote: "It was 97 the day we went to Disney. Miserably hot. It was still fun, but we would've done more if it had been 10-15 degrees cooler."

I used to live in Savannah, GA and it was unbearably hot in the summer. Often upper 90's into the 100's. I don't miss that. I do miss the normally mild winters, though. Ohio can get to be so bitterly cold at times. I used to figure it was a good 10-15 degrees warmer in Savannah than in Dayton in the summer and depending on the day, up to 40 degrees warmer in the winter. I would love a trip to the beach at Tybee Island, but that isn't in the cards at the moment.

My goal is to finally finish The Book of Cold Cases. Everytime I pick it up, I either get interrupted or I am tired and can't read more than a chapter or two before the words start dancing around the page and I have to stop. I only have about 100 pages to go. Fingers crossed I can make some progress!
I was trying to read it when at the laundromat today (I FINALLY got that laundry done! YAY!) and some lady kept talking to me. I did get a lead on a possible job at the women's correctional facility across the river. Might be worth a look.
I did pick up Master and Margarita today and I also have the audio downloaded, so hopefully I can get through that one this week too.

Anyone reading The Witch's Heart - I've narrowed down all the tasks it works for, so just copy paste that for further use (it's a lot of tasks).

For our current tasks it works for:
Harpies:
features a feast or banquet
character is royalty
features a thief

Mares:
Title contains all the letters of HERA

Cerberus:
funerary celebration/service takes place

Amy the book-bat wrote: "I used to live in Savannah, GA and it was unbearably hot in the summer. Often upper 90's into the 100's. ..."

Sophie wrote: "It's been hotter than normal here for the last few days, which would be lovely if I didn't have work and could laze with a book by a pool. Drea..."

I see you all saying 90 is hot, but it's 102 F here, and summer is just beginning. I love Dubai, but I absolutely cannot stand the heat and the humidity. Temperatures in summer go up to 122 F.

Insiyah wrote: "Amy the book-bat wrote: "I used to live in Savannah, GA and it was unbearably hot in the summer. Often upper 90's into the 100's. ..."

Sophie wrote: "It's been hotter than normal here for the last..."

Oh my! I think we'll see 100 this week, but no way would I function well if it was 122. Every time we hit 100, I think it's time to move. 🥵

Insiyah wrote: "Amy the book-bat wrote: "I used to live in Savannah, GA and it was unbearably hot in the summer. Often upper 90's into the 100's. ..."

Sophie wrote: "It's been hotter than normal here for the last..."

I'm not built for hot temperatures... 122 would probably kill me! The heat index has been 100-110 this week... I'm afraid to think what it would be on a 122 degree day.

Ok so UK hot is dramatically different from the temperatures you are all talking about! We've had 1 day at 86 so far this summer. I don't understand how you manage to work and function when it stays hotter than this for long. Though I suspect places having airconditioning and avoid outside is part of it.

Sophie wrote: "Ok so UK hot is dramatically different from the temperatures you are all talking about! We've had 1 day at 86 so far this summer. I don't understand how you manage to work and function when it stay..."

I wish my air conditioning worked! I make do with drinking lots of iced tea (I know, not common and sometimes frowned upon in the UK and Canada), and fans on high speed. Definitely staying inside as much as possible, out of the sun. Trying to make cold foods for meals when possible. I made a pasta salad a couple days ago that turned out rather well. I used a bottle of Buffalo Wild Wings (do you have this restaurant in the UK?) garlic & Parmesan sauce, some canned chicken and a big box of macaroni. I will definitely make it again.

Sheesh... I ramble on too much... LOL

Sophie wrote: "Ok so UK hot is dramatically different from the temperatures you are all talking about! We've had 1 day at 86 so far this summer. I don't understand how you manage to work and function when it stay..."

Amy the book-bat wrote: "I'm not built for hot temperatures... 122 would probably kill me! The heat index has been 100-110 this week... I'm afraid to think what it would..."

When it gets this hot we go from home to car to indoor space with AC. You can't live without ACs here. Outdoor spaces only after sunset, or get out of the sun as quickly as you can.

I had a team building event yesterday. We went to the seaside and got on a speedboat (think zodiac) which was awesome :) The weather was really warm though and there was no AC on the packed train :\
I will be glad when this Spanish heatwave is over. It's 37°C here and at my sister's place 41°C ! And that's pretty unusual for France and for the month of June. ACs and fans are something I associate with the US or Asia, in europe it's slowly starting to come up but in many places and homes you don't have ACs or fans. I've just put blankets on the windows and closed all the shutters haha

Wishing you all a lovely weekend ! (I will be waiting inside for the storm to hit and the temperature to drop ;))

I'm also reading The Witch's Heart and I'm enjoying for the moment. I will answer the questions this evening and update the ss when I'm behind my laptop.

Audrey Jane wrote: "I had a team building event yesterday. We went to the seaside and got on a speedboat (think zodiac) which was awesome :) The weather was really warm though and there was no AC on the packed train :..."

You don't usually need ACs in Europe because the weather doesn't reach the point where you need one (for the most part). The air itself is hot and humid, and the dust gets bad when the windows are open for any length of time. On the other hand, I've never needed my jacket in winter months - it's been hanging in my closet for four years now simply collecting dust.