Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Some Quiz Answers!!


-Realizing that this list changes with time and mood, what are your top 5 books of all time? and anything by Dave Barry
-Do you celebrate Halloween? yes!!
-Best ever costume you have worn? hmm...I dunno.... One year my team at work dressed up as minions, and that was fun.
-Are you wearing one this year? Yes! My 5 year old will be Princess Peach, so I am Yoshi!
-Candy that you like the most that either doesn't make it to the trick-or-treaters, or gets "stolen" from your children's stash? Butterfingers and Crunch Bars
-Are you a sports fan? Playing or watching? Yes-- I grew up very close to the Buffalo Bills stadium and am a diehard fan.

I will hit my cap in this round--as mentioned, I'm on maternity leave. But I go back to work next Wednesday so we'll see how much I can get done in the rest of the rounds. About to start my final book for the spreadsheet!

It's a "U" book because I see we need more :)

I have been under the weather since Friday, so haven’t been reading much… sorry

Hey Everyone!!!

The mods have released three mini challenges for us to play with all at once. Lots to look for, and basically the rest of the challenge to get all the tasks done.

Take a look here (messages 5, 6, and 7-

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

The tracking spreadsheet will be updated sometime today with the new information.

OoooOooooOoooooh okay I love a mini challenge hehe

Just added 2 u books that i will finish in time

I stuck my completed book in the overflow on the spreadsheet because I didnt know what letter we should add it to.

Any open letter works! I'll move it over.

Do we have a strategy for the minis? Should we focus on one or just do them all together? I'm just asking because I know they can be done during the entire challenge, but if we finish one we can repeat if needed, but we can't bank.

There are a couple of ways we can do it.
We can go with first come/first served. Or, we can talk here about what our books will work for.
There should be/will be a spot on the tracking sheet to list other tasks your book can work for, so we should be able to juggle stuff if we need to.

We can repeat a task, but only after the other tasks have been completed for each mini.
If your book only fits one task, and your next book only fits the same task, then hopefully we will finish them all so it would be counted. But, the chance that a book will fit only one task is pretty slim.

Plus, there are all of those yummy bonus points for word in text. Any of you who have played My Restaurant Rocks will already start to twitch when you run across the word vinegar in a book you are reading, so just add the other words to your brain's trigger system, and you will be fine. teehee

Also, Google books and Amazon are good for looking up words. Since Google books often doesn't give page numbers, if you find "quilt" in a search, just use part of the phrase it is in, and put that on the ss.

I know when listening to audiobooks, I almost never keep track of what chapter I am currently listening to, so if I notice a task word, I will look it up later.

Hey team!!!

We have about a day and a half left in the round.

Namita, Jax, and Rachel, you have all reached your book cap for the round with books read and planned on the spreadsheet. So, if you decide to read something else beyond what you have planned, and it is longer than what you have on the sheet, then swap it out.
Or, save the last few pages to finish on the beginning of the next round.

You guys can check your book cap status on the Member Info tab on the spreadsheet.

By all means, start grabbing up spots on the next round tab, and start looking for books that fit the three mini challenges and the spell out- COWORKER FROM HELL.

Os and Es this time around!

Any questions about the mini tasks, shout out.

And Happy Thursday all! (If it is still Thursday where you are.)

Jenny wrote: "There are a couple of ways we can do it.
We can go with first come/first served. Or, we can talk here about what our books will work for.
There should be/will be a spot on the tracking sheet to li..."

Awesome thank you! If there is a place to put other bonus options for a book then it should be easy to track (maybe).

Also I have a random question that I probably should have asked before - for the spell it out CHARACTERS

If there is a character that is dead/doesn't talk, but is an important to the plot / he's mentioned literally in every chapter, does that count? (you can see I read a lot of mysteries hahahah). I haven't been counting them, BUT there is a nice O character in the book I'm looking at and I want to make sure to read it next week if it will count.

Rebecca wrote: "Also I have a random question that I probably should have asked before - for the spell it out CHARACTERS

If there is a character that is dead/doesn't talk, but is an important to the plot / he's m..."

That is fine. Dead important characters count. A character that is mentioned once, like a bus driver that opened to door for the mc, and then disappears from the book, and does nothing to move the plot forward is too much of a stretch.

Jenny wrote: "Hey team!!!

We have about a day and a half left in the round.

Namita, Jax, and Rachel, you have all reached your book cap for the round with books read and planned on the spreadsheet. So, if you ..."

Thanks Jenny.

Jenny, would reading for the mini challenge affect the number of books I read or the mini falls in Round 2.

The mini books will count toward your cap in Round 2. So, you will start over at 0 books in round 2 and can read a total of 8 books....each book can be used for both the spell out and a mini task.

(I know I'm not, Jenny, but we often share a brain....)

Thanks, brain sharer! I was lost in a fantasy land where there is a sentient, talking crab. And other weird buts. I think I might have to stop it for now as there are virtually no names that are helpful for this round. I kept hoping for a needed letter, but alas.

I finished my last book for round - The Widowmaker - last night. I don’t have access to the sheet right now as I’m running around with kids’s sports if someone wants to mark it?

Done, Rebecca!

Are the mini challenges open now? Or when were they fair game for finished books?

Lindsay♫SingerOfStories♫ wrote: "Are the mini challenges open now? Or when were they fair game for finished books?"

The Mini's start with Round 2 - so in about 4 1/2 hours.

We are on to round two!!!!

Anyone read anything brilliant in the first round?
Looking forward to starting anything special?

hi friends! sorry for being a bit MIA! Why did I think there would be a ton of downtime between wrangling a toddler and organizing an 8 person trip

Jenny wrote: "

We are on to round two!!!!

Anyone read anything brilliant in the first round?
Looking forward to starting anything special?"

I just finished The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev which was one of the strangest books I've read this year. Techno-fiction dystopia if that is a thing this would be on the poster for it.

Also my library hold for Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering came in. I really really enjoyed it. The intro talks about what they got right and wrong in the Tipping Point and how we talk about some of the ideas presented in there differently now.

I'm looking for a good book with a gun or cleaver on the cover for a different challenge if anyone has a recommendation?

I can think of several books with knives on the cover, and an ax, but cleavers? I am drawing a blank.

However, two books I liked a lot with guns on them are-
and

For cleaver, maybe look at cozy mysteries with chefs in them?

Jenny wrote: "

We are on to round two!!!!

Anyone read anything brilliant in the first round?
Looking forward to starting anything special?"

My favorites from round 1 were The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson and The Tattooist of Auschwitz

I feel like I'm struggling to find things that work with the mini challenges--maybe I'm just overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options. This is my first challenge with NBRC so I've not seen something quite like this before. I'm hoping something will jump out at me while I'm reading that I can earn us some extra points with though!

There are a lot, but most of them are pretty easy.
I have been planning books by first seeing if it contains a bonus word, and then seeing if it fits the mini that goes with that word.

Don't forget cover colors. We can use pretty much any color for that part of the gardening list if it is the color of a flower.

Another question - for fiction books with recipes included....do those count for the food words?

Also, for something like "the main character needs to know how to handle a budget" - does it need to explicitly say that, or can we assume - like someone who owns their own business needs to be able to do this.

The recipe question was asked in the captains thread I think. If I remember correctly, if the recipe is incorporated into the story, then yes. If it is an add on at the end of the book, no.

I will double check that tonight when I have time to look.

As to the other, if the business owner mentions doing the books, or paying bills or placing orders, or something like that, I would think that is fine.

I just saw that The Mysterious Affair at Styles is one of the BOM for this month which is AMAZING because it was published over 100 years ago (hello points)....and its SO good. One of my favorites.

I'm so sorry I haven't been around much this week, it has been a doozy!!!
I have a bunch of books to filter tasks and bonus words for this weekend before I add them to the spreadsheet.

Everyone having a good week? Did any of you do fun Halloween stuff? I barely saw any costumes. I got home from work late, so the trick or treaters had mainly already been by my neighborhood. And, now I have candy. Too much candy. I almost didn't buy any. Can't decide if that is a good thing yet. teehee.

Bonus quiz for a Friday night...

-Name your absolute favorite bird call. I'm sure everyone has one.
-Pumpkin pie. Brilliant taste fest, or an atrocity?
-Coffee or tea? Or green tea, or one of those other things that I haven't tried like bubble tea?
-What the hell is bubble tea?
-Book you ended up loving even though you only bought it for its pretty cover?
-What is the skill you really want to have, without actually dedicating any practice time to?
-If you are old enough/into retro stuff, favorite Lip Smackers flavor?
-Which household chore would you love to never have to do again?
-Jazz or Blues?

-Name your absolute favorite bird call. I'm sure everyone has one. Ducks. quack-quack. lol
-Pumpkin pie. Brilliant taste fest, or an atrocity? Delicious! A brilliant taste fest! Best with graham cracker crust.
-Coffee or tea? Or green tea, or one of those other things that I haven't tried like bubble tea? Coffee. Though I like trying different flavors of both coffee and tea.
-What the hell is bubble tea? Hell if I know!
-Book you ended up loving even though you only bought it for its pretty cover? Most recently and
-What is the skill you really want to have, without actually dedicating any practice time to? Calligraphy/hand lettering!
-If you are old enough/into retro stuff, favorite Lip Smackers flavor? PINK. LEMONADE.!!!!
-Which household chore would you love to never have to do again? Vacuuming. And cleaning sinks/toilets. Ick!
-Jazz or Blues? Blues!

I’m ignoring all of the other questions to say: I love bubble tea!! My favorite is a Taro milk tea with black tapioca pearls. Classic. Delicious. Ooooh I want to go get one now.

-Name your absolute favorite bird call. I'm sure everyone has one.
***I've been watching the Barney Concert from 1998 with my niece this weekend, so Down on Grampa's Farm has been stuck in my head, so I'll say Duck
-Pumpkin pie. Brilliant taste fest, or an atrocity?
***No a big fan of pumpkin.
-Coffee or tea? Or green tea, or one of those other things that I haven't tried like bubble tea?
***I like both, but I've been more of a tea drinker lately
-What the hell is bubble tea?
***I'm still confused about, but I have tasted it, and I don't like the texture
-Book you ended up loving even though you only bought it for its pretty cover?
***I've honestly haven't bought a book just for it's cover. I have bought them just for the price without reading what they were about as long as they are in a genre I read.
-What is the skill you really want to have, without actually dedicating any practice time to?
***Math. My kids are honor students, but they have to study hard when it comes to Math. I would love to be able to just show them exactly how to work out Algebra, Trig, etc...
-If you are old enough/into retro stuff, favorite Lip Smackers flavor?
***Strawberry
-Which household chore would you love to never have to do again?
***Cleaning the kitchen or the shower
-Jazz or Blues?
***Definitely Blues, although some of the new stuff makes me roll my eyes.

Question! I finished The Spellshop (the BOM) as of 10/24 which was during Round 1. Can I still answer the DQ's for points?

I can never remember the answer to this question, so I asked in the captains thread. I will let you know what they say.

Ok! The answer is yes, you can participate and get BOM points in round two.

Jenny wrote: "I can never remember the answer to this question, so I asked in the captains thread. I will let you know what they say."

I know, me too! I always seem to have bad timing because I know I have asked this before and I never remember! Thanks for asking and getting back for me!

Any time!

So sorry I've been MIA, but I'm here, just reading SLOWLY!

Gosh, wrangling a toddler, having an almost full time job, and trying to keep up is a lot! I've also been just watching TV instead of reading, maybe I can switch that up soon!

Here are my quiz answers:

Name your absolute favorite bird call. I'm sure everyone has one.
Oh I thought this said bird. Nope, no favorite bird call.
-Pumpkin pie. Brilliant taste fest, or an atrocity?
i grew up thinking atrocity but now i don't mind it so much.
-Coffee or tea? Or green tea, or one of those other things that I haven't tried like bubble tea?
Coffee
-What the hell is bubble tea?
I know what BOBA tea is - it's basically tea with these gummy like balls made out of taro. They're usually sweet and they're just a fun addition to tea. They now come in multiple flavors, as does the tea. I live in California, so it's all the rage here.
-Book you ended up loving even though you only bought it for its pretty cover?
hmmm.... i guess
-What is the skill you really want to have, without actually dedicating any practice time to?
Probably playing piano
-If you are old enough/into retro stuff, favorite Lip Smackers flavor?
I think there was a root beer float one?
-Which household chore would you love to never have to do again?
probably just kitchen clean up, dishes, etc. The rest I feel fine with.
-Jazz or Blues?
Jazz

Hey Team!!!

How is everyone doing? We have just under 2 days left in this round.

The next round's spell out is on the spreadsheet if you haven't noticed it yet. SCHOOL FORMS

There is a BOM happening right now, The Spellshop if you want to participate, and there are two more coming in November, The Mysterious Affair at Styles and The Secret History, if you want to volunteer for DQs or just put them on your radar to read.

Please remember when you are filling out bonus words for the minis that they fit the right mini challenge. Piano or Violin for the Gardening mini for example.

Hope you are all reading fun books, and coping alright with the world as it is.

Oh man, I picked an audiobook that is nearly 20 hours long for the next round, thinking it'll be near 800 pages at that length! Nope. Just INSANELY slow narration (listening to at just over 3x speed and it sounds like my normal 1.75x) and comes in just over 400 pages :( Oh well. Hope it is still a good one!

Has everyone added all your Round 2 books to the spreadsheet?

We have about 20 minutes until this round ends and Round 3 begins.

Hey Team!

Round 3 has begun.
We have done very well finding mini challenge tasks to fit our books so far. We got all the way through the Gardening mini, and now can start that one over. There are new prompt numbers to use and everything!

Here is what to keep an eye out for that we have not finished yet on the other two-

Admin-
the plot revolves around an office romance
typical administrative material on the cover
the main character works in taxes
someone is murdered in an office
the plot revolves around white-collar crime
letters TAXES in title

Feeding the Family-
China *5 tags
Mexico *5 tags
France *5 tags
Greece *5 tags
Japan *5 tags
Thailand *5 tags
Korea *5 tags
Turkey *5 tags
Nigeria *5 tags
Jamaica *5 tags
Bangladesh *5 tags
Hawaii *5 tags

As soon as/if we finish these, we can repeat these minis as well.

I hope the books you read for round three are even better than the ones you have read so far!!!

Ok, putting my ignorance out there—where do I look for the tags on Goodreads? I use both the phone app and the website on my laptop so directions for either would be appreciated.

Nothing wrong with ignorance, it is curable!!!!! (Stupid, on the other hand... teehee)

When you go to the book page, there will be MPG genres listed like Mystery, Romance, etc. If you click on "more" and then click on "show all", you will go to the pages with the tags. The MPGs are just the most tagged categories for each book. When you go through the pages and pages of tags just for entertainment purposes, you will see that someone at some point made a shelf called periwinkle, and put all of the Twilight books on it and a random Agatha Christie.
Kind of worth paging through to see what people spend their time on. Kind of.

If you want to search for books that have a certain tag, then click on Browse at the top of the GR page, and then click on Genres, and type in what you are looking for. In the case of the tags we are looking for, type China, or Nigeria, and you will see all of the books that people put on their shelves under those categories. Each book will list how many times it was tagged.

Personally, I don't have that many shelves. I tend to go with fiction and Sci-fi, etc, rather than "afternoon tea" and "sort of works for chick-lit" shelves. But that is me.

Pretty sure it is the same on the GR app, but I don't use that much, so it might be a little different.

There is a runoff poll for the December BOM, so go here and vote!!!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...

(And personally, I would love to see The God of the Woods win as I nominated it.)