Sherri’s Comments (group member since Nov 10, 2019)

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

Robin wrote "So sorry, Sherri, that would be my typo! Glad you found the right group. This looks like a very organized and dynamic team!" That's alright Robin. This is a very organized & dynamic group. We work together well.
I finished I'll Be Home for Christmas & used it for # 42 Nationality in the title. My next read is Enjoy the View. I put it on the plans tab.

1. What are your goals for the read-a-thon? Complete 5 books using seasonal reads.
2. Are there any books you're dying to start or finish? I'm hoping The Twelve Dates of Christmas comes in from hold.
3. Are you participating in the team or individual challenges? Both
4. Where will you be doing most of your reading? Living room sofa
5. Is there anything that's going to stand in the way of your reading this week? Let us cheer you on! Nothing is in my way.

Good Morning Team Moriarty, I'm enjoying reading about your reads. Welcome Abbie. I'll finish I'll Be Home for Christmas today. I'll use it for nationality in the title. It's the third book in the Little French Cafe series. I haven't been able to pre plan my reads because I have four books on hold & no idea which ones or when they'll come in.

12/13/2022 - 133 pages

Sunday: 200 Pages
Monday: 131 pages
Tuesday: 145 pages
Wednesday: 131 pages
Thursday: 181 pages
Friday: 29 pages
Saturday: 50 pages
Sunday: 318
Total: 1185 pages

Currently Reading: Small Things Like These

Completed: A Murder at Balmoral
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Enjoy the View
So This Is Christmas: A Novel

TBR:

Good Morning Team Moriarty, I'm currently reading I'll Be Home for Christmas. My Main activity is reading today so I will get as far as I can today.

12/11/2022 - 200 pages

Good Evening Team Moriarty, I finished A Murder at Balmoral. I used it for prompt #19 Alternate History. I put it on the spreadsheet. I'm not sure what my next read is but will work on that soon.

Sheena wrote, "We have a count tally in column C, is that what you're looking for?" Yes. That's exactly what I'm looking for. I don't know why I didn't see that this morning.

Good Morning again Team Moriarty,
My goal is to finish A Murder at Balmoral today. I have 181 pages left so we'll see how this goes. There are a bunch of prompts I can use it for but I'm thinking # 19 alternate history & # 24 related to inclement weather are the best. Once everyone has a chance to look at the spreadsheet let me know.
I'm looking forward to a week of reading with all of you.

Good Morning Team Moriarty,
I think I'm with the correct team. I spell my name with 2 r's but I don't think there is another Sherri that signed up. If it's not me let me know & I'll put everything back the way I found it & apologize all over myself.
The spread sheet makes sense to me. Thank you for adding the progress bar. Did our old spreadsheets have a function that had the number of other people working on a prompt? That's helpful in deciding where to use a book. In the past when I completed a book I removed it from plans. Would this still work?

I'm doing 1-2-3-7 then will do 8 as an extra pick up read because I only read seasonal books this time of year.

Prompts:
1. A book that contributes to one of your bookish goals for the year. A Murder at Balmoral
2. An author you've been meaning to try. I'll Be Home for Christmas
3. A book published this year: So This Is Christmas: A Novel
4. A book with a cover you love
5. The next book in a series
6. A borrowed book
7. A comfort read
8. A seasonal read

QUESTIONNAIRE (This helps us sort teams!)
1. What is your estimated reading speed (slow, medium, fast) during a Read-a-thon? Medium
2. What is your availability this week, and how many books do you anticipate reading during the Read-a-Thon? 5-6 books
3. Which time zone do you live in? EST
4. Can you commit to checking in with your team frequently during the read-a-thon? Yes
5. Are you interested in being a team leader for your group? (i.e. keeping track of team totals, needed tasks, updating spreadsheet, etc.) (We aim to have two captains per team so you can share the responsibility.) Yes

The Prompts

DECEMBER

1. Winter

Brrrr. Time to break out the hats, scarves and gloves as the coldest time of the year approaches (in the northern hemisphere at least). On the other hand, cold weather is the perfect excuse to curl up under a blanket with your latest book. And, however cold you are, at least you can be glad your home town is warmer then Antarctica, where the lowest temperature on Earth was recorded: an icy −89.2°C (−128.6 °F).

a. Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in WINTER (you can use or ignore a, an or the)
b. Read a book with snow, snowflakes or a snowman on the cover OR a book with a person wearing winter clothing (scarf, hat, warm coat etc) on the cover.
c. Read a book that is between 89 and 128 pages long (you can ignore the 100 page requirement for this task). Small Things Like These

2. December birthdays: Jane Austen

Jane Austen was born on December 16th.

a. Read a book written by a female author.
b. Read a novel set in the 19th century.
c. Read a romance novel. A Very Merry Bromance

3. The Holidays

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Whether you celebrate Christmas or would prefer to indulge in National Cookie Day, December is packed full of end-of-the-year holidays.

a. Read a book related to a holiday that happens in December. (Some examples: Rosa Parks Day, National Cookie Day, Dewey Decimal System Day, Nobel Prize Day, Kwanzaa, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Hanukkah, etc.)
b. Read a book that has one of the gifts referred to in The Twelve Days of Christmas shown on its cover (ignore the numbers - eg a book with a gold ring works, you don’t need a book with five gold rings!). ...And Ladies of the Club
c. Read a book that features a family gathering.

4. Winter sports: yukigassen

Imagine if someone turned snowball fighting into an official sport with rules, a referee, a court and a snowball making machine. That’s yukigassen! Created in Japan in 1988, there are now competitions all over the world. Teams of seven players battle to capture each other’s flag, while trying to avoid being hit by a snowball and eliminated from the game. Preparation for a match involves making 270 snowballs, no wonder they invented a snowball making machine!

a. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in YUKIGASSEN. The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family
b. Read a book in a series that is at least 7 books long
c. Read a book set in a country where yukigassen is played (Japan, Armenia, Canada, China, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, or Slovakia).

JANUARY

1. Happy New Year!

Happy 2020! Here’s to a great year of reading. Around the world people will be welcoming the new year while watching fireworks displays, drinking champagne and singing Auld Lang Syne.

a. Read a book by an author who is new to you. So This Is Christmas
b. Read a book from a genre that is new to you (you can use a sub-genre, eg urban fantasy, historical romance, etc if you already read books from most genres).
c. Read a book in which all the words in the title have the same number of letters (eg The Bat, Ninth House, The Old Man and the Sea).

2. January birthdays: Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami was born on January 12th.

a. Read a book set in Japan.
b. Read a book that features a cat in some way. A Season for Second Chances
c. Read a magical realism novel.

3. New Year Resolutions

Millions of people see January 1st as an opportunity to set goals for the year ahead and the practice of making new year resolutions has a long history. In Babylonia new year was a time to promise the repayment of debts and return of borrowed items. And Romans are believed to have made sacrifices and promises to the god Janus, who is depicted as having two faces - one looking to the past and one to the future. Given that history, whether you keep or break your own resolutions this year, you’re probably in good company!

a. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title can be found in NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS (the title must be at least three words long for this option)
b. Read a book that looks into the past (historical fiction, history, etc) or a book that looks into the future (science fiction, fantasy, etc). How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
c. Read a book that will help you keep one of your New Year resolutions OR if you don’t make resolutions then read a book related to one of the top ten New Years resolutions. Tell us what your resolution is when recording this task as completed.

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh

Bobsleighing originated in the Swiss town of St Moritz in the 19th century. Holidaymakers looking for entertainment in the cold winters hit on a plan to adapt delivery sleds into racing sleds and compete in races down the steep roads of the town. While undoubtedly entertaining for holidaymakers, the high speed sled races became immensely unpopular with residents of the town who, not unreasonably, objected to being mown down on their own streets by out of control sleds. In order to restore calm, a local hotel owner constructed an ice half-pipe track outside the town where the sled races could continue, and the sport of bobsleighing was born.

a. Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND.
b. Read a book in which a conflict between characters is a major part of the plot. Tell us what the conflict was (using spoiler tags if necessary) when recording the task as completed. Enjoy the View. The conflict is Moose Springs, Alaska won't let the protagonist film a documentary in their town.
FEBRUARY

1. Valentine’s Day

February 14th is celebrated around the world as Valentine’s Day. It was originally a feast day honouring an early Christian saint and only became associated with love and romance in the 14th century. Fun fact: Cadbury first began producing heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in 1868. Buying overpriced novelty chocolates as a token of love has a long history!

a. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page. Kiss Her Once for Me
b. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY.
c. Read a book written in or set in the Medieval period (usually defined as the 5th to 15th centuries).

2. February birthdays: Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on February 7th.

a. Read a book set in the American midwest.
b. Read a novel that features the wilderness. A Murder at Balmoral
c. Read a coming of age story.

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping

Ski jumping has featured in every Winter Olympics since 1924. Athletes ski down a specially designed ramp and compete against each other to see who can make the longest jump. The current world record is over 253 metres. It was set by Austrian ski jumper, Stefan Kraft, who perhaps predictably is known by the nickname Air Kraft.

a. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long. I'll Be Home for Christmas
b. Read a book published in a year in which the Winter Olympics took place (1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
c. Read a book where the plot “jumps” about (a non-linear narrative as it’s normally called).

4. The Shortest Month of the Year

Take some time to explore a variety of genres and topics during the shortest month of the year!

a. Read a literary fiction novel. The Winners
b. Read a book that features a ghost.
c. Read a book that starts with a letter in the word SHORT.

Good Luck Emily

For fiction I voted for Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González.
Mystery & Thriller - Killers of a Certain age by Deanna Raybourn.
Historical Fiction -Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu.
Fantasy- Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel.
Romance - Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood.
Horror - The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas.
Poetry - Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman.
Debut - Thistlefoot by Genna Rose Nethercott.
YA Fiction - I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys.

I also liked Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy,Paternity,and Love by Dani Shapiro. I will also borrow some of these books from the library.

I got We Are the Light. I got The Cloisters as my add on. I thought The Last Party looked good but couldn't decide so I went with my first thought. I also couldn't decide on the add on because I like Dani Shapiro.

The Prompts:
Find a book that...
- Has a red cover - The Maid
- Fits the phrase "I'm falling for you" - Now Lorraine Has Gone
- Has a leaf on the cover - A Psalm for the Wild-Built
- Is magical realism - The Cartographers
- Is set in autumn - The Man Who Died Twice
- Is historical fiction - Gerta
- Makes you think of pumpkin spice - A Spell for Trouble
- Is one last summer read - The Unsinkable Greta James
- Has a tree on the cover - Search: A Novel
- Features family drama - Half-Blown Rose
- Is a banned book - Cemetery Boys
- Reminds you of homecoming - Daisy Darker
- Is set in a small town - The Purrfect Murder
- Features sports - Isn't It Bromantic?
- Was published in September - The World That We Knew

I’m going with The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston. I own it.