Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

PASS THE PARCEL - Round 21
THEME - ☕ Coffee 🫘


Start date - FRIDAY 15 September
Sign up - now through to SUNDAY 10 September 4pm US EST
Teams assigned by 10 September after sign ups close
Last theme call - 17 November 1 December


If you sign up for this challenge, you must be prepared to:
* Read roughly one book each week
* Follow the format for the selection and completion posts.
* Post your selection book BEFORE the next theme is called, or you will be eliminated
* Technically be able to put links to other threads/bookshelves/lists, and insert book links and book covers in your posts. (These are not difficult but you MUST be able to do these links; they don't have to look pretty, but they do need to go to the intended location).


PLEASE READ THE RULES OF THE CHALLENGE CAREFULLY.

IF YOU HAVEN'T POSTED EACH WEEK WITHIN THE TIMELINES ABOVE AND YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY TOLD TEAM-MATES OR A MODERATOR - no questions - YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM YOUR TEAM and the challenge.


FURTHER, if you have dropped out of this challenge without explanation in the past or have been removed for lack of attendance, and you sign up and wish to play again, I will be PMing you...

This does not include those players who have PMd me or their Captain and dropped out due to real-life issues... We all understand that sometimes life throws curve-balls that mean you can't continue playing with us 🧡

This is a team challenge to encourage members to meet new friends and find new books.



PLEASE READ EVERY LINE OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS

I will be referring members back to this post if you ask me something already outlined here.


For this challenge we will have teams of roughly 6 players. The group will have a team captain who will track the completion of books for their team and remind their fellow team-members about compliance to the rules. Teams will be allocated before the reading starts. This will be done randomly.


Members signing up need to be prepared TO READ APPROXIMATELY ONE BOOK EACH WEEK.


Each week a theme will be randomly selected from the list posted in msg 4. This theme will be posted in the Discussion/Q&A thread between 3pm and 6pm US EST each Friday. (Feel free to prompt me if I forget :)

PLEASE NOTE THE TIMES for the theme announcements. I cannot guarantee I will post by the 3pm mark since that is 6am for me.


Each member in the group has the following options:

1. Read a book that matches the theme (the parcel)

OR

2. Select a book from the 'READ' list of a team-mate that they read in the last 6 months AND that the team-mate rated at least 3 stars. (This essentially passing on a recommendation.)
If the book is in a series but does not match where you are up to, you may read another book from that same series.

OR

3. 'Pass' on reading a book that week.


BUT each team member can only select option #3 once each 5 (five) weeks. AND each team may only have ONE person 'passing' for the round each week. It is up to the team as to how they manage a 'pass'. (Yes - this means that one or two team-mates per group can't claim a pass in a 5 week block.)

Each team member must post their selection (option 1, 2 or 3) in the week that the theme is announced. Please follow the format provided in msg 3. You can only change your book selection in its posting week. So choose carefully.

Each team member must return to their team thread and post a short review of the book that they read. This review should be enough to indicate that the member DID read the book. A couple of sentences is sufficient. "I liked it" is not.

Key information is required in both the selection and completion posts. Please ensure that you and your team-mates follow the format set out in msg 3 below. You and your Captain cannot claim to have completed your book until the post holds all the required information.


This challenge will run for 11 weeks. The winning team is the one that completes the challenge first; they win bragging rights :)

No-one can use the 'pass' option in the last week of the challenge.


Rules:
* Each team member MUST post their selection book into their team thread each week or they will be removed from the challenge. It isn't fair on your team-mates if you are not committed to participant each week.
* You MUST post your selection book in the week of the announced category. If you miss selecting your book (or pass) in that week, you will be removed from the challenge. The only exception is if you have contacted your team, team captain or one of the Mods with a valid reason. The decision to not remove you is solely up to the moderator running the game.
* You can only change your nominated theme book in the week that the theme is announced. You CANNOT change your book once a new theme is announced.
* '5 weeks' will be counted in blocks of five, with a new count starting in week 6.
* No-one can use the 'pass' option in the last week of the challenge.
* To qualify for a theme, the book's eligibility must meet the rules for the theme as posted each week (eg tagged, in the précis, MPG or found on an official list as contained in the theme announcement). Refer to the Q&A thread for more clarification on this rule.
* You can change your nominated book only during the week that it's theme is called.
* Books must be at least 100 pages in length.
* Anthologies and bundled books are fine, but you must read the full set.
* You must quote the page numbers for your selected book each week. Please quote the goodreads page numbers (any edition of the book is fine).
* The 'series' rule for Option 2 only applies to Option 2. The same book can be used under option 2 for multiple weeks so long as that book remains within the 6 month timeframe.


Important!!! If a team member falls behind by more than 2 books, they WILL be removed from the challenge. The team who loses that member will continue with the lower number of team-mates. This rule is to ensure that ALL participants are committed to their team and the challenge.

PLEASE NOTE - I will not remove, nor accept retirement from, any players in the last two weeks of the challenge. This will mean that the team cannot win if their players are MIA in the last two weeks.

IMPORTANT:
In the last week of the challenge, Option 2 will be altered. Book selections under option 2 will have to be taken from a different team's members' bookshelves. I will allocate the teams out on posting the final theme (week 11).

For example (and this allocation will be randomly done on the day of the last theme call)
Option 2 for Team 1 must come from the bookshelves of Team 4.


******

For those of you who didn't play this growing up, a 'parcel' is passed from one person to another. ...When setting this game up, a prize (or 'gift') is wrapped in a large number of layers of wrapping paper. Smaller prizes may be placed between some or all other layers of wrapping.

During the game, music is played as the parcel is passed around. Whoever is holding the parcel when the music stops removes one layer of wrapping and claims any prize found under that layer. The music is then restarted and the game continues until every layer is removed and the main prize claimed.

This is the RRRC version of the game with a few more options and rules than we may remember from our childhood ;)

Key selection and completion post information. You must have ALL elements in your book posts.


For selection post Option 1 you must have:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
How the book qualifies - please note which qualifying bookshelf/list you are using or the tags that justifies that it works.
If the theme is based off the bookcover, post the cover. If there is a letter count in the title, publication date etc, please note these details.

For selection post Option 2 you must have:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
Name of the team-member, their star rating, the date they read the book.

For selection post Option 3 you must have:
Week #
PASS


For the completion post you must have:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Rating (1-5)
Review


Please DO NOT CHAT in these selection/completion posts. It needs to be super clear.

If you 'waffle' about your decided book - please REPOST your selection once you decide. DO NOT go back and edit your waffling post.

IF YOU NEED TO CORRECT A POST FOR MISSING INFORMATION or because the didn't qualify etc, please REPOST this inforamtion in a NEW post. I don't want to have to keep going backwards in the thread.

Pass The Parcel - Round 21
☕COFFEE 🫘

Lately I have needed good doses of this beverage to keep me on track and functioning, and I thought "well, I think this has legs for a challenge" - so here we are. From a challenge on sleep (Round 20) to its antithesis 🤣


1. Coffee
Due to its caffeine content, coffee has a stimulating impact on humans.
Read a book that has an MPG Action, Thriller or Suspense.

2. Coffee has the highest sales of any hot drink in the World
Read a book with a wealthy MC.
Must be stated in the precis, list or tagged.

3. Earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking as the modern beverage appears in 15th Century
Read an historical romance.
Must have MPG Historical

4. The two most commonly grown coffee bean types are C. arabica and C. robusta
Read a book written by two authors (or more)

5. Coffee is a significant agricultural crop for many countries
Read a book with an MC who is a farmer
Best Gay Cowboys
A book from one of the 'MM Blue Collar 20xx" lists - EG MM Blue Collar Books 2021
Farmers in Romance
Buzzed: Bee Keeping in Romance
Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy

6. Green coffee beans must be roasted prior to consumption, which is when they turn brown
Read a book with green and brown on the cover.

7. Brewing coffee - Optimal coffee extraction occurs between 91 and 96 °C
Read a book published in the years 2016 - 2019 inclusive.

8. Espresso - for the serious/straight coffee drinker, and unadulterated
Read a book from one of the following lists:
Hero & Heroine Both Virgin
The Gut Wrenchers
Starchy Hero Gets Un-Starched
Clean Romances with Witty Worthwhile Women
Taking the Veil - Heroine in Convent or Disguised in Habit
Gay Romance Going to the Chapel
Gay Romance with a Straight Hero

9. Caffe Americano
Book set in the Americas - South or North.

10. Long Black - Double espresso with twice the water
Read a book longer than 300 pages.

11. Flat White - a barista coffee originating from Australia or NZ (as usual, we both claim it ;)
Read a book written by an Australian or New Zealand author.

12. Latte Art - the decorative surface pattern on Flat Whites or Lattes
Read a book with a drawn cover.

13. Cappuccino - coffee on steamed milk with chocolate/cinnamon powder
Read a book from one of the following lists:
Interracial Romance
Interracial Historical Romance
Interracial & Multicultural MM Romances
Interracial & Multicultural MMF Romances
Human Alien MF Erotica
Gay Interspecies Romance
Romance & SciFi with Interesting Mating Rituals From Other Humanoid Species

14. Iced Coffee
Read a book with an icy MC or one who needs a Chill Pill from one of the following lists:
Fatal Chill Romantic Suspense
Defiant Beauties & Infuriating Controlling Beasts
Blades of Glory Ice Skaters/Hockey Players
Best Lesbian Ice Queens
Book by one of the following authors who write ice hockey romance:
Sarina Bowen
Eden Finley
Rachel Reid
Avon Gale
RJ Scott
A.E. Wasp

15. Irish Coffee - adding whiskey to coffee
Read a book with an MC who is British (includes Irish)
From the precis or tagged/shelved

16. Instant Coffee - for when you are away from civilisation
Read a book set in the wilderness or in a remote location, or where at least one MC sleeps in a tent.
Must be noted in the precis or tagged remote, wilderness, camping

17. Per capita, Europe has the highest coffee drinking nations
Read a book set in Europe (mainland plus British Isles)

Sign Ups

If you are happy to be Captain, please let me know in your sign up post.

I'd really appreciate that bit of extra help from anyone who is happy to take on this fairly minor role :D

Grinders (Captains)
MountainKat
KarenH
Lisa
Jamie
Carmen TBT
Maggie
KathyD
LaurLa
Mamacita / Shelby
Bailey

Frothers
Jill
Diane D
Danielle
Michaele
Navi
bamaace83
Jane
Christene Paula
Emeli
Sally906
Mariana
Tracy O
Hazel
Roger
Sassafrass
Iliana
Vi
Milly
Avigail
One Sentence Audio
Ariel
Liza
Geri
UC beppy
Aiswrya
Nikki TSBD
Maddie
Laura#
Jessica
Em#
Shan A
MN Lisa
Laks
Kat
Shandrea
Christy
Danielle GS
Grace
Heather
Aoife#
JL
Van
Shelby#
Breann
ForTheLoveofBrishen
Nicole
Darkness

Teams Allocated

Team 1
🫘MountainKat
Aoife
Michaele
Aiswrya
MN Lisa
Christy

Team 2
🫘KarenH
Breann
Liza
Maddie
Christene Paula
Laks

Team 3
🫘Bailey
Iliana
Sassafrass
Sally906
Hazel

Team 4
🫘Jamie
Jill
Navi
Darkness
UC beppy
Danielle Gypsy Soul

Team 5
🫘Carmen
Shandrea
Van
One Sentence Audio
Jessica

Team 6
🫘Lisa
Roger
Diane D
Shan A
JL
Mariana

Team 7
🫘LaurLa
Avigail
ForTheLoveofBrishen
Vi
Em
bamaace83

Team 8
🫘Mamacita
Shelby
Emeli
Tracy O
Grace
Danielle


Team 9
🫘Maggie
Ariel
Nicole
Kat
Nikki TSBD


Team 10
🫘KathyD
Milly
Heather
Geri
Laura
Jane

As you read through this round's themes, please think of adding books that qualify to our lists in the theme post. This will help everyone with their selections :D

This thread is now open for sign-ups!

I'm in (First one, I feel special, lol)
Forgot to add no to captaining

Jill wrote: "I'm in (First one, I feel special, lol)"

You ARE!! Regardless of position ❤️

I'm in. No to captain this go around.

I'm in! No to captain.

I'm in, can't captain though.

I'm in! (Yay, I get to play!!) Happy to captain. 😊

I’d love to sign up!😊

I'm in, and happy to be captain (even though I'm not a coffee drinker)!

I'm in please and no to captain.

The categories for this round of PtP have been posted in msg 4 :)

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

I can captain

I'm in but not captain

Sign me up and no to captain thanks

Im in no to captain

I’m in - no to the role of Captain.

I'm in, no to captain

I’d like to play!

I’m in, happy to be captain

Sign me up, no on the captain

I’m in as a regular player.

I'm in, no to captain

I'm in, as a regular player.

im in (not captain)

I'm in, can captain if needed (I've never done it before)

I want to participate (Not a Captain)

I would like to participate. Not a captain type.

I'm in (no to captain - unless needed).

I’m in. No to captain.

Sign me up! No captain.

I’m in.

I’m in! Quick question - outside of the list tasks, I wouldn’t have to read an MPG romance book, correct?

I”m in. No to captain

I'm in, no captain please!

I'm in. I'd rather not captain, as this is only my 2nd time playing, but if you're desperate, I might be persuaded.

I’m in! Captain unless needed

I’m on board! Not able to captain as this is my first time participating and I’m a bit overwhelmed with the rules as it is! 😳

I want to play.
I prefer not to officially captain, but I will help track. But if you are short on ppl and need another captain, I can. I just don’t know what I’m doing yet lol

Jessica wrote: "I’m on board! Not able to captain as this is my first time participating and I’m a bit overwhelmed with the rules as it is! 😳"

Don’t be overwhelmed - they are not that onerous at all - once you get assigned to a team they will help you 😀👍

I'm in. Regular player

Aiswrya wrote: "I’m in! Quick question - outside of the list tasks, I wouldn’t have to read an MPG romance book, correct?"

From the Q&A :)

Q: Does the book have to be a romance?
A: No, but it does have to be a novel. Textbooks will not count. Biographies and autobiographies are OK.

I'm in. No to captain. Will be gone until about Sept 17th, but will be consistent after that.

Add me please. No to captain

I’m in please. No captain