Laura’s Comments (group member since Oct 05, 2015)

Laura’s comments from the Around the Year in 52 Books group.

69 pages

What do people think about a prompt like this:

A book about starting over or a character having a fresh start

I know many of us are ready to leave 2020 behind. It would also lend itself well to both fiction and non-fiction. There’s actually a fair number of lists:

https://bookriot.com/100-must-read-bo...
https://www.readitforward.com/essay/a...
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/...
https://earlybirdbooks.com/literary-f...

We always try to bring back old favorites. So today’s game is simple. Use the first letter of your current book in order to fill in each of the questions/categories. You can skip A, An, and The, and try to come up with ones that haven't been used yet!

I’ll start:

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

SOMETHING YOU’RE GRATEFUL FOR: Mom
AUTUMN ACTIVITY: Making Cookies
SOMETHING ORANGE: Malayan Tiger
A BAKING INGREDIENT: Milk
AN ITEM FOUND IN THE FALL: Maple leaves
A WARM DRINK: Macchiatos
SPICES/HERBS: Marjoram
HALLOWEEN COSTUME: Maid
SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Markers
WOODLAND ANIMAL: Mouse

We're going to travel around the world as a group!

Every page read is a mile travelled. E-readers and audio listeners, feel free to use your best guess.

Starting Point: The Ring Road in Iceland
While we still have our energy, we’re starting the trip off with a road trip. Settle in for a long ride, with some phenomenal views.

Books:
Independent People
Beautiful Wreck

Tracy wrote: "1. What are your goals for the read-a-thon?
I would like to get through at least a few of these overdue library books I have sitting here

2. Are there any books you're dying to start or finish?
No..."
Very (very 😭) good point

Points earned: 1,000

READING
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

LIBRARY (PHYSICAL) BOOK HAUL


CURRENT CHECKED OUT E-BOOKS


BOOKS FINISHED
The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

(view spoiler)[
These Books Are LIT
200 - Red, orange, and yellow are on the cover of this book, even when it's not on fire
400 - You might not think this book is 'lit' but L, I, and T are definitely in its title
600 - Find a new flame in this book published in the last 3 years
800 - You'll see the light...source on the cover of this book
1000 - Everybody's talking about this book that at least 300,000 people rated

Wilde Things
200 - You might find this author shelved next to Oscar Wilde - their last name also starts with W
400 - In The Picture of Dorian Gray, painting plays a crucial role in the plot, just as it does in this book
600 - Like Wilde, this author is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community
800 - Born in 1854 and dying in 1900, Oscar Wilde's lifetime is also the setting of this book
1000 - This character interfaces with the justice system, which had a profound impact on Wilde's life The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

Checked Out
200 - Better return this borrowed book when you're done
400 - Avoid missing out by reading this author you haven't read before
600 - This is a debut novel, and it's about time you started on it

800 - You should visit a library, like the main character of this book does
1000 - Since 2009 the Goodreads Choice Awards has been introducing readers to new books, like this nominee

Talk Wordy To Me
200 - Although it's a myth that he was paid by the word, its true that Charles Dickens' name contains this author's initials
400 - This title starts with a letter in Devta, which is currently the longest novel with 11,206,310 words.
600 - You will find only words on the cover of this book
800 - While it's no contender for the Guinness World Record, this 7+ word title is plenty long
1000 - At over 450 pages, this hefty tome should give your arms a good workout too.

No Shelf Control
200 - The British Library is home to the largest collection in the world, including many like this book set in a former British colony
400 - Medieval scribes often included curses to deter thieves, like the theft in this book
600 - Dig through the backlog to find this book published more than 5 years ago
800 - A library patron might ask, "It's that one book that won that award."
1000 - It'll take some time to read all of this author's works - there's more than 15 books!

Cliff Hangers
200 - Nature is a feature of this book, no cliffs required
400 - No need to head outside, this book is already set primarily outdors
600 - If you're looking for this book, you'll find it shelved as 'adventure'
800 - The mountains on the cover of this book are sure to inspire you to new reading heights
1000 - The series isn't finished yet, but that won't stop you from enjoying this installment

(hide spoiler)]

Jackie wrote: "Laura wrote: "I moved to a new city on September and so I have to go to the library tomorrow to get a card and see what books they have available. Of course, I can always do eBooks but I would pref..."

It really is my favorite. There’s something so therapeutic about browsing the stacks and seeing what you come across.

1. What are your goals for the read-a-thon?
I would love to finish my current book (The Mother-in-Law) plus two more. My goals tend to be overly ambitious though :p

2. Are there any books you're dying to start or finish?
I’m definitely interested in how my current book ends. I got a few at the library that I’m excited to read so I’m going to just see what strikes my interest when it’s time.

3. Where will you be doing most of your reading?
Considering we’re waiting on furniture delivery so are currently using two air mattresses and an armchair, I think I’ll stick to the armchair. I did move to a place right on Lake Erie though so I wouldn’t mind going to the lake at least once.

4. Is there anything that's going to stand in the way of your reading this week? Let us cheer you on!
Work, as always. Also the typical Netflix time with my husband

It’s time to start another read-a-thon!

The event runs from when you wake up on Saturday, September 12 until you go to sleep on Sunday, September 20. The goal is to read as much as you can and to have tons of fun. It's 9 full days of books and games. Feel free to participate in as few or as many games as you like.

We’ll be posting a game every day, and there is a Team Challenge. It’s not too late to sign up for the team challenge if you want.

We also have a very exciting prize opportunity this time! Those who complete the a href="https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... Challenge will be entered in a drawing to choose a prompt for the 2021 list.

So let’s kick off this read-a-thon with some questions, and don’t forget to keep coming back to the Read-a-Thon folder throughout the week.

1. What are your goals for the read-a-thon?
2. Are there any books you're dying to start or finish?
3. Where will you be doing most of your reading?
4. Is there anything that's going to stand in the way of your reading this week? Let us cheer you on!

Be sure to check in to the progress thread to update us on your reading throughout the week!

Yes, you can definitely overlap your reads!

It seems most reasonable to go by the original publish date since that’s when the author actually wrote the book.

I moved to a new city on September and so I have to go to the library tomorrow to get a card and see what books they have available. Of course, I can always do eBooks but I would prefer to get back to paper.

I'll update my tracking once I have my book haul :D

September 7: Our next read-a-thon will be starting on September 12.

Head over here for more info: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Can you believe it's already September?! It seems 2020 is really bringing to the life the old adage "The days are long but the months are short".

I'm sure that we are all trying to find some semblance of normalcy and end the year with some accomplishments. What better way to make that happen for our 2020 reading goals than another of the group's read-a-thons?

How does this work?
If you’re new to read-a-thons, don't worry! They're very simple. You make a commitment to read as much as you can for a set period of time and then you do it. There will be games, challenges, and discussion associated with the event but, for the most part, it's about reading and camaraderie. This read-a-thon there will be both an individual and team challenge so get ready!

How much do I have to read?
There isn’t a set amount you are required to read to participate. Many people choose to set personal goals for themselves but the idea is just to read as much as you can for the week and see what you end up with at the end. It’s all in good fun!

When is this happening?
For our read-a-thon, we'll be committing to read as much as we can from Saturday September 12 to Sunday September 20th .

As we have members in lots of different time zones, starting at the same time is a bit confusing, so for the read-a-thon you can read all day (in your own time zone) on the first and last days.

START:
Saturday September 12. Starting whenever you get up.

END:
Sunday September 20. Finishing whenever you go to bed.

How do I participate?
All you have to do to join up is to read! But read-a-thons are always much more fun if you participate in the games, join the discussion, and track your progress so we strongly encourage everyone to take part in that.

Where do I participate?
Keep an eye on this folder during the read-a-thon for updates, progress reports, and more! They'll start being posted closer to (and after) the event starts.

You can sign up now to join the team challenge.

Those who participate in the individual challenge will be entered to win the opportunity to create a prompt for the 2021 reading challenge. Stay tuned for more info on that activity :D

As usual, we'll be posting new games every 24 hours throughout the event in this folder but you'll have the entire read-a-thon to join in if you missed anything. The discussions and games keep the event active and lively so, again, we strongly encourage participation. Come play along and have some fun!

It's the start of another new season and that means the kick off of another read-a-thon!

For those of you who have done a read-a-thon for the this group in the past, this should look familiar. If you're new to this, allow us to explain!

What do I have to do to participate?
If you are interested in participating and can commit to actively engaging in the read-a-thon, then please sign up in the comments below. We have chosen the categories so this group activity is fair and fun for readers of all speeds.

Please only sign up if you can commit to checking in with your team (on Goodreads) at least 5 times during the time from September 12-20.

How many teams will there be?
It will greatly depend on how many people sign up and how much they think they will be able to read. We are targeting 10-13 people per group.

QUESTIONNAIRE (This helps us sort teams!)
1. What is your estimated reading speed (slow, medium, fast)?
2. How many books do you usually finish in a week?
3. Which time zone do you live in?
4. Can you commit to checking in with your team frequently during the read-a-thon?
5. Are you interested in being a team leader for your group? (i.e. keeping track of team totals, needed tasks, updating spreadsheet, etc.)

Also, I've learned it becomes tedious for me to count pages every day. So I'm going to enter the pages I read as I finish books :)

I finished American Dirt last night and can count it for #13 What is your favorite sport or physical activity? Hiking isn't necessarily a positive activity in the book but it is how the mother/son traveled much of the book.

I have quite a few books checked out from the library right now so I can see which one would be best to read next, based on which questions we need.

I also love the multi-prompts. As many of your interpretations show, many of them can be interpreted in ways that they are essentially single prompts (like Ellie's example for 2 truths/lie) but then the multi-prompt aspect just adds an additional layer. So in a way, it's a double challenge.

But don't worry, my personal preferences won't lead to 12 weeks of prompts ;)

We all love a good book tag. Not only do they allow us to explore our own reading history and preferences, but they might even allow us to discover some new gems.

Netflix
A series you want to start

Deep Clean
One that's been on your TBR for ages

Animal Crossing
A book you bought because of the hype

Slump-Inducing
A book that put you in a reading slump

Memories
Your top 3 favorite books

Oops
A book that is popular that you haven’t read yet

Main Character
A character that you would love to see in another book

Plot twist
A book with a great twist

The Stone Age
One of the first books you remember reading

Everyone Should Read
A book that you are currently recommending

I will likely exclude black/white from my definition. So then the cover would have to be black/white + only one other color. I think it's easier to find books once you do that. I suppose technically that would be a KIS version.

Hi team! I’m excited to play along with everyone.

Right now I’m reading American Dirt and it should have plenty left tomorrow. I can look at which questions it will count for.