You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Team two members are:

Janice
Nix
Almeta
Laura apenandzen
jaxnsmom
Vicki

Please check in and let us know how many books you might be able to complete. We need a captain who will keep us organized. Volunteers?

Link to the Toppler tasks and rules.

Spreadsheet - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

I'm going to commit to 3 at the moment. I will check the books I have already slated for June and perhaps I can double dip and complete more.

LEFTOVER STEW TOPPLER 2023

Noon Saturday, June 3rd, to noon Saturday, June 10th, ET.

REPORTING link
Stirring the Pot


POT STIRRERS Spreadsheet link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

NOTE: I was hoping to avoid endless scrolling by collapsing the yearly categories. And allow team members to open as they wish. Laura and I have been discussing this behind the scenes and have decided that for the moment all catagories will remain opem. Apparently the plus and minus signs at the left edge are not visible on some devices.

In addition, the visual of all categories open is helpful for the team to see where there is a gap that needs a volunteer to fill it!

Do not rely on the abbreviated tasks listed for your intial selection decision. The full rules for tasks are listed in Kristie's original post. (See link in above message #1)

To avoid endless scrolling, all categories are colapsed. To open any one of them, click on the plus sign (+) to the left of a category name. Out of courtesy, try to remember to colapse it again after you are finished, by clicking on the minus sign (-)

I can commit to the following:

Series: Book 1 - The Ruin

Chunksters: - Combine these two to make 500 pgs, if they connect with others'.
The Island of Missing Trees
The Sanctuary Sparrow
Connected by sparrows live/nest in trees

Movie Mania:
Task 6, Character is a nurse - The Nurse's Secret
(It will also fit World Museums task 3, Secret in the title).

Looks like I'm committing to 4 books and not 3.

Almeta, your Merrily Watkins books would also fit into the Series tasks.

Hello Team 2

I should only commit to two books.
1 from the audio list and 1 from the book/ebook list:

book/ebook
-De Niro's Game 288 pgs - Road Trip, 2-Headlights
-To Kill a Kingdom 344 pgs - Movie, 3-Retelling / Zodiac, 4-Prince character
-Future Home of the Living God 269 pgs - Survey Says, 1-name
-The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 189 pgs - Series #2 (my box set has them numbered in chronological order)
-Westside - 291 pgs - Museum, pub 2019 / Rpad Trip, set in New York
-The Bridges of Madison County - 201 pages - Zodiac, Meryl streep
-A Palace in the Old Village - 183 pgs, Zodiac -MC over 60
-The Darkest Minds - 488 pgs - Movie 1


~~
Audio books
-The Full Cupboard of Life - 198 pgs - Series #5/ Museum 1-Africa
-Westside - 291 pgs - Museum, pub 2019 / Rpad Trip, set in New York
-Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World - 516 pgs - A chunckster? could connect via romance genre.

I will try to find more.
I have some holds but not sure they would come in time.

Do we have any spreadsheet lovers on the team?

Janice wrote: "Almeta, your Merrily Watkins books would also fit into the Series tasks."

I am willing to change any category or book as is needed for the team. After all I am a POT STIRRER. :D

ETA: moved from message #3.
Hello POT STIRRERS!

I have six (6) CHUNKSTERS that I can read.
Then the six (6) ROAD TRIP ones
And three (3) more small to average sized books as needed.

Connected the Chunksters.
FANTASY
🎧 When a Moth Loved a Bee by Pepper Winters (Destini Chronicles 893 pages
🎧🎧 Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (Farseer Trilogy 580 pages
🎧🎧Fly Trap by Frances Hardinge (Fly by Night 584 pages

Connected the Chunksters
SERIES
MERRILY WATKINS by PHIL RICKMAN
🎧 Prayer of the Night Shepherd 630 pages
🎧 Lamp of the Wicked 576 pages
🎧 To Dream of the Dead 528 pages

ROAD TRIP
1 Read a book set in New York City.
🎧🎧Final Jeopardy Linda Fairstein 400 pages

ROAD TRIP
2 Read a book with headlights prominently on the cover.
🎧Mean Streets by Jim Butcher 342 pages

ROAD TRIP
3 Read a book with Bone(s)in the title.
🎧What My Bones Know: Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma 352 pages

ROAD TRIP
4 Read a book with a direction (north, east, south, west) in the title.
🎧The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman 361 pages

ROAD TRIP
5 Read a book originally published in 2011.
🎧 Bone House 352 pages
Published March 29, 2011

ROAD TRIP
6 Read a book with a main character or author name of Paul.
🎧The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay 272 pages

Hi y’all!

My schedule is a bit up in the air right now, so I could read 1 or 2 or maybe more, depending.

Are we trying to complete all the tasks? Bc if we can, then that’ll affect what tasks I pick.

I have library books / audio books right now that could work for:

Series - 1, 2, 3, or 6+
#First Half Magic by Edward Eager, or Hit Man by Lawrence Block, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, or Death of a Gossip M.C. Beaton, The Thirteen Treasures Michelle Harrison
#Second: tentative> Tilly and the Lost Fairytales by Anna James or 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison or When the Crow's Away by Auralee Wallace
#3: Committed> Paragon Walk by Anne Perry or Maureen by Rachel Joyce
#4: tentative> Resurrection Row by Anne Perry or D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton or Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery or The Vows of Silence by hill-susan
#5 tentative> E is for Evidence (also set in California) by Sue Grafton or Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage by M.C. Beaton
#6 or later A Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith or This book is slotted elsewhere Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett


Survey says -

Geocaching -
Task 1: Set in Australia
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
(Also set on an island, Task 2)

Task 3: Australia, bird on the cover
The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert
(also 1st of a series)

Twisted trivia -
This book is slotted elsewhere Task 6: humor
by Terry Pratchett
(also 6 in series, also about witches, also fictional city, also could work for character over 60)

Museums -
Task 2: 2019 publication - by Hilary McKay

Task 5: Committed: fictional city - by Terry Pratchett (also humor, also witches, also #6 in series)

Zodiac -
Task 1: Committed: Mug on cover The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg

Task 3: Committed: Canadian author Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen

Could also work: Shady Hollow - 1st of a series, favorite genre, country of birth, fictional city

Vicki wrote: "Do we have any spreadsheet lovers on the team?"

Almeta, what do you think? Should we team up? I may have learned a few things, but I defer to the queen, as you’ve done a ton of Toppler spreadsheets. So let me know.

Laura wrote: "Vicki wrote: "Do we have any spreadsheet lovers on the team?"

Almeta, what do you think? Should we team up? I may have learned a few things, but I defer to the queen, as you’ve done a ton of Toppl..."

Okay, I can create one. I am taking you up on the offer to help though!

It will have to be late today or tomorrow. Getting ready to go to a picnic.

Almeta wrote: "Laura wrote: "Vicki wrote: "Do we have any spreadsheet lovers on the team?"

Almeta, what do you think? Should we team up? I may have learned a few things, but I defer to the queen, as you’ve done ..."

Sounds good!

Should we try and complete all the tasks or focus on possibly repeating set(s) of tasks instead?

Hey all! So excited for the Toppler, there's so much to do and so many nice options. I can commit to 3-4 books depending on the number of pages.

On top of my head, I have the following options immediately that I can think of but I am more than happy to find books that fit a task that we might need to complete:

Legends & Lattes - 2014: Series 1 / 2017: book in fave genre

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - 2017: Would you rather encounter a ghost, an alien, or neither? / 2020: Yay Task - The theme of the book is vampires

Wait for It- 2017: What is your favorite book?

People We Meet on Vacation - 2020: Geography based in California, 2017: book in fave genre

The House in the Cerulean Sea - 2021: Read a book set in a fictional or fantasy city

Seven Days in June - 2021: Read a book set in New York City

Yeah, a tag team of Laura & Almeta to keep up on the straight and narrow. Once Almeta has a spreadsheet up and running, we can assess what our strategy should be.

Hi all! Sorry to be late checking in. I'm going through my to read list to see what I have. Some of the tasks are really easy, some are going to require some work.

It looks like it's going to be a great toppler!

Laura wrote: "Hi y’all!

...Are we trying to complete all the tasks? Bc if we can, then that’ll affect what tasks I pick ..."

We are definately trying to complete all tasks within a category.
(Chunkster, Series, World Heritage, et al)

I don't know if we have the fortitude to complete all tasks in the Toppler. BUT I ALWAYS ask my teammates to try!☺

Laura wrote: "Should we try and complete all the tasks or focus on possibly repeating set(s) of tasks instead?"

Would LOVE to complete ALL tasks, but I suspect it will seem easier to repeat a certain category.

I agree, Almeta, but thought it would be good to bring it up now & get it settled :D Thx for your input.

In that case.....I wonder if it would make sense to maybe try and do the series challenge more than once. Idk about you ladies, but I always have tons of stuff that can work for series, and if it's past #6, you still get points.

Could be really easy to cycle through those. I have a couple of MG series that I've been dipping in and out of, I could go back to page one and motor through something like that faster than something written for adults.

Nistha wrote: "Hey all! So excited for the Toppler, there's so much to do and so many nice options. I can commit to 3-4 books depending on the number of pages.

On top of my head, I have the following options ..."

It is nice to meet you Nix, i don't think I have seen you around before now.

I am adding your books to the spreadsheet as tentetive reads. (I know that you can't read them all in a week.) Once everyone has "weighed in" on their possiblities, we can fine tune what ieveryone NEEDS to be read.

BTW your book Seven Days in June,set in New York City, is in year 2022 not 2021.

We can aim for doing them all, and see how far we get. I could forfeit the two chunksters because Almeta already has that category nailed. I'll wait for the spreadsheet to see what's available.

Janice wrote: "Yeah, a tag team of Laura & Almeta to keep up on the straight and narrow. Once Almeta has a spreadsheet up and running, we can assess what our strategy should be."

IT'S UP!!! i HOPE IT'S RUNNING.

POT STIRRERS Spreadsheet link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

See message #3 for a little NOTE on maneuvering.

jaxnsmom wrote: "Hi all! Sorry to be late checking in. I'm going through my to read list to see what I have. Some of the tasks are really easy, some are going to require some work.

It looks like it's going to be a..."

So glad to see you again Jax!

Almeta wrote: "


LEFTOVER STEW TOPPLER 2023



Noon Saturday, June 3rd, to noon Saturday, June 10th, ET.

POT STIRRERS Spreadsheet link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/......"

NOTE: To avoid endless scrolling, all categories are colapsed. To open any one of them, click on the plus sign (+) to the left of a category name. Out of courtesy, try to remember to colapse it again after you are finished, by clicking on the minus sign (-)

Thanks for doing this, Almeta, looks great!

I don't seem to be able to get the detail lines when I click the + sign to the left of each category - I thought it was just the tablet, but it's happening on PC too *clenched teeth emoji*

I meant to say Hi to jaxnsmom too. It's great to see you posting, and that you're on our team. Yay!

Laura wrote: "I don't seem to be able to get the detail lines when I click the + sign to the left of each category - I thought it was just the tablet, but it's happening on PC too: "

It's not opening for me either.

@ Laura abd Janice

Laura wrote: "....I don't seem to be able to get the detail lines when I click the + sign to the left of each category - I thought it was just the tablet, but it's happening on PC too *clenched teeth emoji*.."

Janice wrote: "...It's not opening for me either.."

Investigating! @#@!

Will you both try again? Please

@Janice and Vicki

Do you want to withdraw your chunster books and place them in a differet year?

You could also remove them altogether and find a way to add to other yearly categories.

If you wish to keep them as a Chunkster, we need to ask other members to find an over 500 page book or two books that total over 500 pages to complete the yearly category.

Almeta wrote: "@ Laura abd Janice

Laura wrote: "....I don't seem to be able to get the detail lines when I click the + sign to the left of each category - I thought it was just the tablet, but it's happening on ..."

Hi Almeta - Now I'm seeing them all opened up, except Road Trip, which I guess you left closed, bc you'll be doing those tasks?

I'm still not able to click the - or + signs to collapse or expand each category, but I can see all of the tasks except Road Trip now.

Laura wrote: "Almeta wrote: "@ Laura abd Janice

Laura wrote: "....I don't seem to be able to get the detail lines when I click the + sign to the left of each category - I thought it was just the tablet, but it'..."

Do you have edit access now? I changed to everyone edits.

I deliberately did not post your tentative books, so that you can use them to test the workig of the spreadsheet.

Almeta wrote: "@Janice and Vicki

Do you want to withdraw your chunster books and place them in a differet year?

You could also remove them altogether and find a way to add to other yearly categories.

If you wi..."

I will withdraw Aristotle and Dante. I am in the mood for The Full Cupboard of Life

Vicki wrote: "....I will withdraw Aristotle and Dante. I am in the mood for The Full Cupboard of Life...."

Yep, makes sense to me!☺

We are missing a line in the spreadsheet for the geocache, Rainbow on the cover.

Also we only need to read 3 books to complete the chunckster year. I know we can do it twice, just wanted to point that out in case it was a confusion.

Vicki wrote: "We are missing a line in the spreadsheet for the geocache, Rainbow on the cover. ..."

Ooops! Fixed.

Thanks for letting me know.

Almeta wrote: "Nistha wrote: "Hey all! So excited for the Toppler, there's so much to do and so many nice options. I can commit to 3-4 books depending on the number of pages.

On top of my head, I have the follo..."

Thanks a lot for adding my reads, the spreadsheet looks great :)

Yes, this is my first YLTO team toppler, I have been active in GR only from around the beginning of the year or so.

I will commit to 3 books if one of them is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as I am sure I can read that on top of whatever other two.

I am adding these books to my potential. (I will edit them in up above.)

Westside - 291 pgs - Museum, pub 2019 / Rpad Trip, set in New York
The Bridges of Madison County - 201 pages - Zodiac, Meryl streep
A Palace in the Old Village - 183 pgs, Zodiac -MC over 60
The Darkest Minds - 488 pgs - Movie 1

Also if we need books 3 and 4 in the series I could keep going with Narnia; I have a box set.

Almeta wrote: "Laura wrote: "Almeta wrote: "@ Laura abd Janice

Laura wrote: "....I don't seem to be able to get the detail lines when I click the + sign to the left of each category - I thought it was just the t..."

Thank you! Yes, I have access now. I need to shut down the PC for the night, but hope to take a better look in the AM - thx for all your work, Almeta!

Vicki wrote: "Almeta wrote: "@Janice and Vicki

Do you want to withdraw your chunster books and place them in a differet year?

You could also remove them altogether and find a way to add to other yearly categor..."

That's my favorite series, Vicki - Enjoy!

Nistha wrote: "Almeta wrote: "Nistha wrote: "Hey all! So excited for the Toppler, there's so much to do and so many nice options. I can commit to 3-4 books depending on the number of pages.

On top of my head, I..."

Welcome! Have fun, Nistha - hopefully 1st of many Topplers for you!

Looks as though SURVEY SAYS task "Read a book
about your favorite sport or one of the characters plays that sport.

Anyonr able to commit to that one?

jaxnsmom has volunteered for this one!

Almeta wrote: "@Janice and Vicki

Do you want to withdraw your chunster books and place them in a differet year?

You could also remove them altogether and find a way to add to other yearly categories.

If you wi..."

Yes, I do. I'll do a bit more googling and see what else I can find. I don't think either one of them would fit anywhere else.

WORLD'S MUSEUM and MOVIE MANIA also look like good categories for team member commitments.

Almeta wrote: "@ Laura abd Janice

Laura wrote: "....I don't seem to be able to get the detail lines when I click the + sign to the left of each category - I thought it was just the tablet, but it's happening on ..."

It works for me now. Thanks Almeta.

The Sanctuary Sparrow is book 7 in the Brother Cadfael series. Please scrap The Island of Missing Trees altogether. I'll find something else.

ETA, something looks off on the spreadsheet. It has a slot for series 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10. Then they are all listed again. 1,2,3,4,5,6 or higher. Were you planning on us completing 2 sets of series books?

I'm sorry to post run-on messages like this. Sanctuary Sparrow would fit 2016 - Bird on the cover. 7


Please slot there.

And you can slot The Island of Missing Trees in the same category, set on an island. It's set on Cyprus.

Janice wrote: "And you can slot The Island of Missing Trees in the same category, set on an island. It's set on Cyprus."

Good work getting them both to fit after all!