Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Laissez les bon temps rouler! It's Mardi Gras time!

This week, your Krewe is going to work together to collect beads for Mardi Gras. Each bead has a set of prompts that must be completed, as well as a required pendant that you can earn from reading and listening to books.

YOUR KREWE:
CAPTAIN: Sue
CAPTAIN: Kate
Tanu
Bec
Tamara
Joyce
Fee
Meg

PURPLE
- Earn one pendant
- A book with purple on the cover
- A book in which a character gets justice
- A book written by an author whose first or last initial is found in NOLA
- A book that is "spicy"
- A book whose main character's name starts with a letter in MARDI GRAS

GREEN
- Earn one pendant
- A book with green on the cover
- A book set in (or written in) the 18th century
- A book whose cover shows a source of light
- A book where the outdoors plays a significant role
- A book featuring a character who is overcoming a life or death struggle

GOLD
- Earn one pendant
- A book with gold on the cover
- A book set in France
- A book featuring a king or queen
- A book featuring someone who wins at something
- A book with a family drama

PINK
- Earn one pendant
- A book with pink on the cover
- A book that includes a dance or ball
- A book where someone goes to a hotel
- A book in which a character plays a musical instrument
- A love story

SILVER
- Earn one pendant
- A book with silver on the cover
- A book related to mythology
- A book whose cover has someone wearing jewelry
- A book in which a character cooks a meal
- A book with a character whose name starts with a letter in SILVER

BLACK
- Earn one pendant
- A book with black on the cover
- A book that has a food item on the cover
- A book where alcohol is featured
- A book whose main character breaks a law
- A book whose title begins with a letter in BLACK

BLUE
- Earn one pendant
- A book with blue on the cover
- A book set in the southern US
- A book where someone travels to another state/country
- A book with a body of water on cover
- A book whose author has a first or last name starting with a letter in BLUE

Your Team's Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
To learn more about Mardi Gras krewes, check out this page on the New Orleans krewes: https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/p...

Hello everyone! Very excited to be reading with you all.

Hi everyone, nice to be reading with you :)

Morning all - looking forward the week ahead! We are in a heatwave here (42 today and expecting similar conditions for most of the week) so I will be spending as much time as possible reading at home in the airconditioning!

Good Morning Team. I’m looking forward to this reading week with all of you

A big hi from Adelaide Australia! Hoping this will be a fun week! I have 3 books on the go currently, all with more than 100 pages to go so I'm going to check the prompts and see if they fit!

Well I certainly had a crash course in Mardi Gras customs last night. The first Saturday won’t be a great reading day for me but I should pick up after that.

Good morning! I'm currently reading three books and listening to an audiobook (all with more than 100 pages/100 minutes left). I'm going to plan my other books and see where they fit. I'm eager to participate in this readathon with everyone.

Morning, I'm a late addition to the team. It's already Saturday here in Australia but i haven't done any planning yet. Hopefully I'll sort out some options tonight.

Meg wrote: "Morning, I'm a late addition to the team. It's already Saturday here in Australia but i haven't done any planning yet. Hopefully I'll sort out some options tonight."

wow... its still friday at 5:47 in Atlanta ga... it always amazes me when i see comments like these... i feel late or something

Saturday morning just arrived here in Europe. For this weekend I have two books with a bit over a hundred pages left and I will start planning what I’ll be reading for the rest of the week. I’m in the mood for some cozy mystery or so. Nothing that’s too serious this week.

Hi team, congrats to Kate for being the first to complete a book! I have also just finished my first and coded it under Blue, with a body of water on the cover. I think about half of us are in Australia - I'm on the west coast in the hills above Perth. Hope you're all enjoying some reading time this weekend...

I planned on reading a lot today but got into my audio book so listened way more than I read! Finished my audiobook though so I'll see where it fits. And now I'm getting stuck into my kindle book.

I went straight off plan and read The Enchanted April because it was handy where I was babysitting. I've entered it for someone wearing jewellery on the cover.

Happy day one/two everyone! Exciting to see those page/audio minute counts going up. I'm currently reading Completely Normal and hoping to have it finished in a day or so, it fits a few different prompts.

I just finished . I've slotted it in for food on cover as there didn't seem to be any other books in the planning tab. It has a couple of lemons on the cover.

It's fun watching the books go up! Please give a shout if you have any trouble with the spreadsheet, which can be a bit overwhelming and confusing. I have moved some completed books out of the Plans sheet to avoid confusion about how many books can still be relevant to the prompts waiting to be filled. I'm confused about Caribbean Chemistry, which has been placed on the Green sheet but not on either the planning or completed lists. Did one of our Krewe read this one?

Caribbean Chemistry was me, sorry! In the process of reading it, but I obviously haven't put it in the right place.

Edit: Oops, must have missed it at first - found it!

I also just finished my first book and put it in for a book where someone gets justice.

Tanu wrote: "Caribbean Chemistry was me, sorry! In the process of reading it, but I obviously haven't put it in the right place.

Edit: Oops, must have missed it at first - found it!"

Okay - mystery solved! Thanks Tanu - happy reading!

Do people think Emily Henry books count as spicy? I'm getting to the end of Beach Read and wondering where to put it. There is some open-door sex but it's not exactly madras-level.

Edit: I just read the publishers’ blurb at the end of the book and they called it ‘smart and spicy’ so I guess that’s good enough.

Finished listening Horrorstör and used it for the " A book whose main character's name starts with a letter in MARDI GRAS" prompt. We completed the Purple set of prompts. I don't know how to use a pendant. Now I'll be back to reading.

Great job so far everyone!! I thought I'd start compiling a little list of prompts that have 0 planned/completed, in case anyone is looking for inspiration -- please don't feel you have to read for these, right now just BOOKS are helpful.

* A book set in (or written in) the 18th century
* A book featuring a king or queen
* A book with silver on the cover
* A book related to mythology

I've finished News of the World and added it for Southern USA meaning we only need one more book for a blue bead.

I have a copy of Jane Austen's Love and Freindship: And Other Early Works all of which were written in the 1790s so I can cover the c18th prompt.

I can read The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories for the king or queen prompt. I think the Raven King appears in one story.

Well done team! I'm not as fast as others but am making good headway on A Shadow at the Door :)

Tanu wrote: "Well done team! I'm not as fast as others but am making good headway on A Shadow at the Door :)"
What do you think so far? I have this on kindle to read....

I just completed a book and added one of our pendants to BLUE. Two beads so far! Amazing work everyone.

Bec wrote: "Tanu wrote: "Well done team! I'm not as fast as others but am making good headway on A Shadow at the Door :)"
What do you think so far? I have this on kindle to read...."

I'm normally not a thriller fan (I like police procedurals), but I'm really enjoying this. Even more than her previous book.

I am deep into my very long (34+ hrs) audiobook The Running Grave - it's so compelling I am listening to it at every available opportunity, but for a bit of light relief have also been reading a very gentle Chinese book of short stories, which I should finish tonight. I will be busier tomorrow with grandkids over, so not as much opportunity for reading/listening.

Tanu wrote: "I'm normally not a thriller fan (I like police procedurals), but I'm really enjoying this. Even more than her previous book. ......"

Great to hear!!

Not so much reading/listening for me yesterday as it was my husbands birthday. So around work I went out for lunch with him and then family dinner. Plugging away at my book and audiobook though.

I've finished The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories. Later today, I'll finish a book related to mythology MITOLOGIA: As Melhores Histórias.

Finally finished a book! Working my way through Tracking North by Kerry McGinnis which I'm hoping to finish off for pink on the cover or the focus on the outdoors prompts.

I finished The Secret Ingredient last night and have put it for book where a character cooks a meal. Cooking played a large role in this book.

Today I'll offer a list of prompts with 0-1 planned books, just in case anyone's looking for ideas on what to read next, but of course we also need pendants so any books are fantastic.

* A book set in (or written in) the 18th century
* A book with gold on the cover
* A book featuring someone who wins at something
* A book with pink on the cover
* A book that includes a dance or ball
* A book where someone goes to a hotel
* A book in which a character plays a musical instrument
* A love story
* A book with silver on the cover
* A book related to mythology

Kate, I've slotted in Tracking North for a pink cover.

I have finished The Running Grave (phew!) and coded it as a book featuring someone who wins at something

Not much of a reading day for me yesterday but I finished Love and Freindship: And Other Early Works this morning for the 18th century prompt. Tamara has covered mythology.

Not sure where to go next. I imagined the ‘silver on the cover’ prompt intended some sort of guilding but I only have shiny print in gold. I do have a book with a silver shoe on the cover. Does that seem good enough?

Joyce wrote: "Not much of a reading day for me yesterday but I finished Love and Freindship: And Other Early Works this morning for the 18th century prompt. Tamara has covered mythology.

Not sure..."

I would say go for it Joyce, but there is also a prompt with gold on the cover for your shiny gold print!

I've finished Anna Karenina for the "dance or ball" prompt. I'm reading The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music for the "character plays a musical instrument" prompt. Now I am wondering if this book works for that prompt. What do you think?

Tamara wrote: "I've finished Anna Karenina for the "dance or ball" prompt. I'm reading The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music for the "character plays a musical instrument" promp..."

Yes this definitely fits - he talks about playing in some of the stories

I've just finished Malibu rising, but not sure where to put it

Meg wrote: "I've just finished Malibu rising, but not sure where to put it"

I'd say it works for the outdoors being important plus my copy has pink on the cover.

I've finished A Cup of Jo which means that we only need one more book for each of the silver and black beads.

Not a great book but it fills the ATY cosy mystery prompt. It will be a while before I read another one of those.

I'll go for a gold on the cover next.

I've just finished You Belong Here - lucky it was short because I would have dnf if not for Readathon. Have coded it as green on the cover. Fantastic team effort Krewe!

I should have Keepsake completed shortly can use it to fill either 'a book where the outdoors plays a significant role' or 'a love story'.

If we're going for a pendant of each colour, pink is the most in need. Doing so well, team!

I finished Tell No One and slotted it in for characters name in SILVER. Elizabeth is the character who is presumed dead.
That's Silver finished!

I finished The Atlas Six. I marked it as completed in the planning tab but I think it doesn’t fit into any of the remaining tasks. Maybe title starts with a letter in BLACK if we don’t count the THE. If not we can save it if we’re going for a second round for some beads.

I also just finished I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death. I started a second purple pendant because it didn't fit anything that was left. Feel free to move it around though

Fee wrote: "I finished The Atlas Six. I marked it as completed in the planning tab but I think it doesn’t fit into any of the remaining tasks. Maybe title starts with a letter in BLACK if we do..."
I think you can count it Fee, but have posed the question to Emily - will wait for her response