Lina’s Comments (group member since Aug 11, 2018)

Lina’s comments from the EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club group.

Thanks so much everyone. I’m so excited to be in this together. I will be posting updates as often as possible but had to work late tonight. Will get caught up tomorrow. Let’s start logging those books! Go Ravenclaw!

Reserved #4

RESOURCES, TIPS, REMINDERS & MONTHLY Q&A

While Betsy and myself might be your Mod and Prefect respectively, it is truly all of you who make this such a great House to be a part of! I loved reading alongside many of you last year. You all have such great ideas, please don't hesitate to share them and join in on the fun!

Rah! Rah! Ravenclaw Google Doc
We have started a collective list of books that are between 250 - 275 pages (meaning that they give us the most strategic point values for pages read) and a list of short reads (around 100 pages) on our "Rah! Rah! Ravenclaw!" Google Doc.

Thanks to Donna for putting this together and for the team in coming up with the best way for us to strategize and coordinate!!

If you are a member of Ravenclaw, please message Lina or Betsy with your gmail address and we will grant you access to the private doc.

Please help us add to this with any that are on your shelves that you enjoyed!

We will also plan to share any tips and tricks within this same doc, to ensure that our strategies are truly kept behind Common Room doors. ;)

Sorting Good Reads Shelves
You can sort your, or your friends', reading lists by any criteria you'd like, using the links at the top of the column while viewing a shelf. For example, to sort by title, click on title, which appears at the top of the page. Clicking again will reverse the sort order. Other columns by which lists can be sorted or reordered are:

author name
rating
number of reviews
my rating
shelves
publication date
date added
date read
average rating
review
number of comments
private notes
owned

Reserved Posts
Don't forget to post when you have updated your reserved post with new books! Right now I'm able to remember what I've captured and what I have not but as our list gets longer I know I'll lose track.

Just a simple "Updated reserved post with 2 new books" or something like that... will do.

Using "Spoilers" to Hide Text
As you can see, the further we get along in our challenge - the more lengthy your posts will become. Click on the (some html is ok) link above the comment box to view a tip on how to use the spoiler function to hide parts of your post. You can view my reserved post as an example.

If you'd like a new post for November, please reserve a November post and I will update your link on the main page.

Monthly Q&A
While winning challenges is fun, I think it's important for us to remember the reason why we're all here in the first place - our love of reading and books! Each month (maybe more often, depending on how things go), I think it would be fun to focus on at least one question to get us thinking about what we're reading and not just the numbers. Here are the questions we're answering so far...
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October: Tell us about a book you've read recently that you have loved and why? (Does not have to have been finished during the challenge - so make sure you clarify that so I don't accidentally count for points if it's not applicable)

Here's my answer as an EXAMPLE.
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November: What has been your favorite thing about the challenge this year?

Here's my answer as an EXAMPLE.

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STATS and ROUND ROBIN SCHEDULE

CURRENT STATISTICS (updated through message 826 | 4 January 2020 11pm MST)

TOTAL POINTS
Overall Points: 2459
# of *Active Players: 51
Average Score: 48.216
*Active = completed 1 or more books within the challenge

ROUND ROBIN SCHEDULE
OCTOBER
Gryffindor v Slytherin
Ravenclaw v Hufflepuff -Winner is: HUFFLEPUFF!

Overall Points: 724.5
# of *Active Players: 40
Average Score: 18.113
*Active = completed 1 or more books within the month

Score: 18.113 R v 19.031 H

----------------------------------------------
NOVEMBER

Ravenclaw v Gryffindor Winner is: GRYFFINDOR!
Slytherin v Hufflepuff

Overall Points: 831.5
# of *Active Players: 39
Average Score: 21.321
*Active = completed 1 or more books within the month

Score: 21.32 R v 23.63 G
----------------------------------------------

DECEMBER
Slytherin v Ravenclaw Winner is: RAVENCLAW!
Hufflepuff v Gryffindor

Overall Points: 749
# of *Active Players: 40
Average Score: 18.725
*Active = completed 1 or more books within the month

Score: 18.725 R v - S 17.5

MEMBERS and QUIDDITCH TEAM

OUR MEMBERS & RESERVED POSTS (60 as of 4 Jan 11:00pm MST)
Abbie: 110pts = Oct: 40 + Nov: 34 + Dec: 36
Amanda: 0pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
Amber: 25pts = Oct: 10 + Nov: 7 + Dec: 8
Anabelle: 64pts = Oct: 45 + Nov: 19 + Dec: 0
Anaís: 0pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
AnnaNeverLands: 0pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
Antoinette: 0pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
Anupama: 158.5pts = Oct: 66 + Nov: 55.5 + Dec: 37
Arvind: 12.5pts = Oct: 2 + Nov: 7.5 + Dec: 3
Betsy: 45pts = Oct: 22 + Nov: 12 + Dec: 11
Caramell: 0pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
Cassie: 50pts = Oct: 9 + Nov: 16 + Dec: 25
Celeste: 14.5pts = Oct: 7 + Nov: 6 + Dec: 1.5
Damla: 15pts = Oct: 2 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 13
Dany: 73pts = Oct: 20 + Nov: 26 + Dec: 27
Dawn: 176pts = Oct: 47 + Nov: 64 + Dec: 65
Debbie: 35pts = Oct: 15 + Nov: 14 + Dec: 6
Débora: 19pts = Oct: 4.5 + Nov: 7 + Dec: 7.5
Diana: 32pts = Oct: 8 + Nov: 24 + Dec: 0
Diana Bello: 47pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 28 + Dec: 19
Donna: 213.5pts = Oct: 69 + Nov: 106.5 + Dec: 38
Emily (moonlight&moths): 62.5pts = Oct: 27 + Nov: 35.5+ Dec: 0
Emma [Intermittent Posts]: 27pts = Oct: 27 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
Ender: 0pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
Fannie: 14pts = Oct: 3 + Nov: 6 + Dec: 5
Hali [Intermittent Posts]: 20pts = Oct: 7 + Nov: 7 + Dec: 6
Jasmine: 19pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 10 + Dec: 0
Jess: 32pts = Oct: 10 + Nov: 9 + Dec: 13
Jhmingos: 224pts = Oct: 41.5 + Nov: 90.5 + Dec: 92
Kamatchi: 30pts = Oct: 7 + Nov: 13 + Dec: 10
Karen: 28pts = Oct: 4 + Nov: 11 + Dec: 13
KarenMc: 10pts = Oct: 10 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
Katie: 8pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 8
Ketutar: 170.5pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 96 + Dec: 74.5
Kristy: 10pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 3 + Dec: 7
Lina: 44pts = Oct: 17.5 + Nov: 14.5 + Dec: 12
Linda [Intermittent Posts]: 21pts = Oct: 6 + Nov: 6 + Dec: 9
Lisa: 31pts = Oct: 15 + Nov: 9 + Dec: 7
Luiz Fernando: 31pts = Oct: 11 + Nov: 9 + Dec: 11
Manny: 52.5pts = Oct: 15.5 + Nov: 19.5 + Dec: 17.5
Marissa [Intermittent Posts]: 13pts = Oct: 10 + Nov: 2 + Dec: 1
Meg: 83pts = Oct: 29 + Nov: 26 + Dec: 28
Megan: 77.5 pts = Oct: 22.5 + Nov: 27 + Dec: 28
Meghan: 33pts = Oct: 25 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 8
Moonlight Eclipse Reader ☽✧ [Intermittent Posts]: 44pts = Oct: 34 + Nov: 10 + Dec: 0
Nancy [Intermittent Posts]: 13pts = Oct: 9 + Nov: 4 + Dec: 0
Nikoleta [Intermittent Posts]: 78pts = Oct: 23.5 + Nov: 28.5 + Dec: 26
Petra: 0pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
Quinty: 4pts = Oct: 4 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
Roberto: 0pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
S: 41pts = Oct: 9 + Nov: 13 + Dec: 19
Sarah: 2pts = Oct: 2 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
Satrina: 14pts = Oct: 8 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 6
Shannon [Intermittent Posts]: 33pts = Oct: 13 + Nov: 12 + Dec: 8
Smita: 0pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 0
Sophie: 21pts = Oct: 6 + Nov: 12 + Dec: 3
Steffany: 14.5pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 4 + Dec: 10.5
Tea: 22pts = Oct: 0 + Nov: 0 + Dec: 22
Vanessa: 13pts = Oct: 8 + Nov: 5 + Dec: 0
Yolanda: 37.5pts = Oct: 15.5 + Nov: 14.5 + Dec: 7.5


The below stats will be updated on the 10th, 20th and end of month only

QUIDDITCH TEAM
Last Update 4 Jan 2020

Top 7 Points Earned in the Challenge
Seeker: Jhmingos (224)
Keeper: Donna (213.5)
Chaser: Dawn (176)
Chaser: Ketutar (170.5)
Chaser: Anupama (158.5)
Beater: Abbie (110)
Beater: Meg (83)

Reserve Quidditch Team (the next 7 top point earners)
Seeker: Nikoleta (78)
Keeper: Megan (77.5)
Chaser: Dany (73)
Chaser: Anabell (64)
Chaser: Emily (moonlight&moths) (62.5)
Beater: Manny (52.5)
Beater: Cassie (50)

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! But more importantly, we want to welcome you to the noble House of Ravenclaw!

Please find the enclosed list of instructions and scoring for your reference.

Term begins on October 1st 2019 and runs through December 31st 2019. As a first step, if you have not already done so - we await your owl (post) confirming your intention to read for Ravenclaw this year in the MAIN Hogwarts House Cup thread. CLICK HERE and write a post saying “I’ll be reading for #TeamRavenclaw!” – or whatever you’d like to say, really.

You can continue to access the main thread for full rules and general discussion. However, all of your individual books must be posted here in our Common Room.

HOW IT WORKS
1. Join a house. You can go to Pottermore to get ‘officially’ sorted, or join us if wit, intelligence, and wisdom is your strong suit.

2. The Challenge will run from October 1 through December 31. All books finished during this time will count for the challenge. It doesn't matter when you started it as long as it is finished between these dates.

3. Post HERE IN THIS THREAD to contribute with the BOOK TITLE, DATE READ, and NUMBER OF PAGES & POINTS. This is very important, your books will not count if you do not do both of these things.

EXAMPLE:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 10/1, 322 pages, 2 points

You can keep track of your points/progress in one of two ways...

a) RESERVE a post for yourself by typing 'Reserved' in the comment space and update ONE post for the entire challenge by selecting 'edit' in the comment. Please note: this option is not available on mobile devices, and you will still need to post that you've made an update to your reserved post so I don't overlook critical points.

b) POST INTERMITTENTLY a new comment with just the newly finished books

I will personally be doing a RESERVED post for myself, but please feel free to do whichever is easiest for you!

4. Lina is your Prefect and Betsy is your Moderator. If you have any questions please don't hesitate reach out to one or both of us.


RULES AND SCORING
1. Similar to last year, we will use an average score to balance the different house sizes. However, this year we will use a tiered scoring system based on the number of pages in a book.

Scoring is as follows:
1 - 249 pages = 1 point
250 - 499 pages = 2 points
500 - 749 = 3 points
750 - 999 = 4 points
1000 - 1249 = 5 points
1250 - 1499 = 6 points
1500 - 1749 = 7 points
1750 - 1999 = 8 points
etc.

NOTE: If its a graphic novel, heavily pictured book or sparsely worded (i.e. poetry), half points will be awarded, so it will be 0.5 points for every 250 pages.

Points will be awarded per book and not per cumulative pages read.

2. Number of participants per house will be counted based on contributions, so if a member signs up and does not contribute, they are not used in average calculations.

3. This challenge will feature a ROUND ROBIN TOURNAMENT with each month featuring a matchup with a different house. To count for a matchup, the book must be read within that month and posted no later than one day after the end of the month. We will not do late term adjustments, but books read in an earlier month (no earlier than October) can still count toward your house’s overall total. The winner of the tournament will be featured in EHRTBM Hall of Fame.

4. There will also be an overall winner featured in the EHRTBM Hall of Fame.

5. Participants must log their book in Goodreads as read to count them in the challenge.

6. Since this competition can get intense, please note that there we do expect good sportsmanship from participants and failure to demonstrate good sportsmanship will result in warnings. Multiple warnings or extremely offensive remarks may result in a participants removal from the challenge.

In the wise words of Madam Hooch, “Now I want a nice clean game… from all of you!”

We will get Ravenclaw’s up later today. 😊 Heading into work now. 👎🏽

Thanks so much, Tori!

Quick question about scoring - I know we mention above that if someone joins and doesn't contribute they won't be counted in the average.

If person 1 contributes in October, but not in November or December - do they still count towards the overall numbers in the group?

If person 2 signs up but doesn't contribute in October, but does in November and then not in December do they count for November only?

Just want to make sure I have the numbers right and that I'm being fair. Thank you!!

If you need a prefect for Ravenclaw, I would like to help since I’m always checking back meticulously anyway!

Yea! So excited for all these new Ravenclaw members!

Okay thank you! I will let him know. 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

Hey there - trying to get my family members to join because this was so much fun last year. Do audiobooks count? This is an ongoing debate between my husband and I. I don’t think it counts as “reading” if you listen, but wanted to ask.

I’m back for another year with my Ravenclaw pals! 💙💙

Yayyyy! So excited!!!

I’m late, but have just started to read this today. At first I thought it was going to be hard to get through but have fallen into a good rhythm and am enjoying it so far! I’ve never read it before and am looking forward to it.

Haha. I was falling asleep as I typed that last bit. Just ignore the last two words (book description). 😂

This was a fun and easy read. I don’t know much about Asia so this was an interesting practical way to learn a bit more about culture even if it really was only about a certain class within that culture. I enjoyed reading it and am glad that I did. I liked Rachel as a character, she was extremely relatable and it makes it easy to root for her. I appreciated that while there is obviously a love story here that it doesn’t end up being the main focus with some rich guy wining and dining and romancing.

Like others have said, I want to go travel this area of the world.

The stuff I didn’t like was all of the elaborate descriptions of scenery. Sometimes I wanted to say “we get it! They are rich’ I also don’t feel particularly attached to the characters. They are fun but don’t necessarily make me feel compelled to read more than the book description.

I’m glad we are reading this as a group. The movie looked good but I never got around to seeing it. My husband just bought it for me because he knew I wanted to see it but I told him I need to read the book first. I’m a couple of chapters in and agree there are a lot of characters but it’s charming and I am enjoying it so far! Happy reading everyone!

Okay, updated my reserved spot with my December reads. Only 12 total for the month. Sorry I wasn't able to get in more! Great job everyone and thanks for everything, Celeste!!