Beth’s Comments (group member since Aug 12, 2014)

Beth’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Back to the current challenge, should I try to finish Aeronaut's Windlass (I think I have a fantasy bonus left? that's about all that would work for) or does anyone want to match with me for one of the unfilled tasks?

It looks like the Fight Club part of the Olympics is done a little differently -- all that matters is page count, you don't have to finish the book, and books finished during it can be used in a different part of the event. I'm wondering if that means that Fight Club pages are a separate thing? Like could I use books that I've had a bookmark in the middle of for years but never managed to finish? I keep avoiding the back half of Tell the Wolves I'm Home but I'd really like a push to get it off my shelves. Obviously that means that even if I finished it we couldn't use the title/size to fit somewhere else but it would still be a great incentive for me.

OK, here are some books physically sitting on my "read this now shelf." (Some have been there for years, but I do really want to read them):

Legend
Dragon Steel
The Sword of Summer
Front Lines
Under the Same Stars
Shiksa Goddess
Smoke and Mirrors
What If?
White Knight
Friendly Gables
Sweep in Peace
Day Shift
Castaway Planet
Infinity
Alpha
Silver Mirrors
Town in a Cinnamon Toast

I'm going to make a new tab on the planning doc for Battle ship:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

WOW! I just looked at the Olympics rules at Jennifer's suggestion.

What is the best way to work together? Messages here on goodreads or should we use a google doc? I'd prefer a shared document somewhere, maybe one with several tabs for different tasks (and maybe different heats of the more complex tabs, but we'd all have to be able to see it.

How do teams usually organize things? Do the captains do it all or do different members adopt parts? Like maybe someone would take charge of each leg of the title relay?

Should I make a shelf of books I have available? My goodreads Want-to-read shelf is anything I've heard of that I thought I'd want to read, but I don't own them all (I use a great library system). And some of the books on my TBR bookcases aren't even on that list anyway. Or I can put books I want to read in the next week in a shared shared doc and let Leg Leaders tell me what to start with.

I've got a BRONZE title on my shelf that I've been meaning to read.Bronze Gods

Book: Only a Promise by Mary Balogh
Finished: 6/30/16
Rating: 4 stars
Pages: 400

Tasks:
B-8 Fifth in a series (The Survivors' Club #5)

or:
Historical: 89
Romance 219

We are so close to having all the tasks done. My little list-ticking heart is happy. I just finished Starry River of the Sky.

I'm not sure we'll get to 3rd in a series, Australia/NZ, or Recently Dead author (how grim) since no one has claimed those, but we've got at least a plan for everything else.

I think I'm going to start Only a Promise for a fifth in a series to match up with Sheila's Play With Fire. If someone else is also doing a fifth, my book can fit into historical or romance as a bonus somewhere maybe. And if I need a break from that I'll work on the Jim Butcher book.

Book: Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin
Finished: 6/29/16
Rating: 4 stars
Pages: 320 (?) That's the goodreads #. The pages stop numbering at 288, but there are a lot of afterwards and extras so maybe?

Task:
A-10 : Goodreads rating 4.05 ( I read this to match up with Sheila's Plum Island)

C-10 Author has English name (#11)
Fantasy (159 users)
Young-adult (21 users)
Historical-fiction (17)

I think Olympics starts Friday? There's a countdown:
http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/...

Looks like we have most of Friday, depending on where you live. I don't know if there is a difference between when we have to finish the books and when the captains have to assign them.

I'm going to be flaky in July -- we go on vacation on the 17th until the 26th and I'm hoping to have lots of reading time but also probably lousy internet! So I'll check in when I can but I won't have access to as many different books. I'm hoping to get my assignments before I leave so I can pack books & load ereaders with appropriate titles. And every few days I'll search for signs of civilization so I can report in.

OK, from comments and the to-read spreadsheet this is what I think we've got. Captains, please let me know what's wrong -- you probably moved some books around because you gals know what is really going on:

☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ wrote: "These are

Hits
Hits
A-9 - read a book shelved as science fiction by at least 10 people
1-Open
Beth finished Gentleman Jole for this

C-5 - read a book shelved as mystery by at least 10 people
1-Open
Beth finished The Darling Dahlias for this

C-7 - read a book shelved as young adult by at least 10 people
1-Open
Jennifer finished Crown of Midnight for this

A-6 - read a book shelved as historical by at least 10 people
2-Open

I-6 - read a book shelved as paranormal by at least 10 people
2-Open
Sallie is reading Dirt on the Ninth Grave for this
Ang is reading Magic Bites for this (and is almost done!)

Miss
H-1 - read a book where the author's first name is one of the top 100 female/male names in Ireland according to nameberry (http://nameberry.com/popular_names/Ir...)
1-Open
Paula is reading Wicked for this. It will be a tight squeeze to finish by tomorrow, but she is confident.

I-1 - read a book which has the main location (setting) as Australia or New Zealand
2-Open

D-9 - read a book by an author who died in 2010-2014
2-Open

B-8 - read a book that is book 5 in a series
1-Open

C-10 - read a book where the author's first name is one of the top 100 female/male names in England according to nameberry (http://nameberry.com/popular_names/En...)
2-Open
Sallie's Booked for Trouble might count for one of these?

G-6 - read one-word title book
1-Open

I-5 - read a book that won or was nominated for Goodreads Choice Award
2-Open
Jennifer is reading Heir of Fire for this
Carmen is reading The Escape for this


J-3 - read a book that is book 3 in a series
2-Open

A-10 - read a book with an average goodreads rating of between 4 and 4.3
2-Open
Sheila is reading (almost done) Plum Island for this


***********************************************************

Based on this I'm going to read Starry River of the Sky next, because it works for A-10, C-10, and is a fantasy so I'm fairly sure it will fit in somewhere. Also it's short and probably ends happily.

Then I'll work on The Aeronaut's Windlass for my book club, as that also works for A-10 and I-5 and also for Young Adult and fantasy. But it's really long and I'm not sure I'll finish it tomorrow so people should feel free to grab any spots for that. I could drop that one and easily finish Only a Promise which is #5 in a series.

Book: The Darling Dahlias and the Eleven O'Clock Lady by Susan Wittig Albert
Finished: 6/20/16
Rating: 3 stars
Pages: 320 (I only see 304, but that's what goodreads says)

Tasks:

C-5 Mystery (23 users)

Plum Island fits the Goodreads Rating between 4 & 4.3 -- it's not just a mystery :-)

Nelson wouldn't work -- it's fallen out of style (#848). Jeffery doesn't even show up (I also tried Jeff and Jeffry). The English are strange!

Anyway, I wouldn't start for six hours or so, so I'll check back.

I'm also reading The Aeronaut's Windlass for a different thing and I thought it didn't fit anywhere but now I see it was a Goodreads Choice Nominee and has a rating of 4.19. Should I try to power through it by tomorrow? Can anyone match either of those two?

After I finish my mystery I can try to read either a #5 book Only a Promise or a book with an popular English name author Starry River of the Sky. I'll check back to see if either of those have been taken before I start, though.

Book: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
Finished; 6/29/16
Pages: 344
Rating: 5 stars

Tasks:
A-9: Science Fiction: 266 users

E-3: Romance 73 users
A-1, G-2, G10: Fantasy (Science Fiction Fantasy 18 users)

I love Thimble Summer! I'm a bit Elizabeth Enright fan, and that's one of my favorites.

And remember -- you can (mostly) keep reading in the hits as long as you don't have a previous read there. I think our to-read spreadsheet is mostly up to date as well, so you can write in your current reads and we won't double up. Like I'm going to finish my science fiction book tonight, so I wrote that in red on the to-read spreadsheet.

And I just started a mystery, so I'll mark that there as well.

And then I'll see what has one spot open. Anyone want to finish the Irish name one for me? I'd feel sad if my book is left orphaned :-)

Book: Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love ed. by Trisha Telep
Finished: 6/28/16
Pages: 430
Rating: 3 stars
Tasks:

C-7 Young Adult (116)
I-6 Paranormal (Fantasy-> Paranormal 120)
E- 4 Young Adult
E-3 Romance (78 votes)
D-10 Paranormal
A-1 Fantasy (75 votes)
G-2 Fantasy
A-7 Paranormal

@Ang @Jennifer @Erin I liked the Harrison witch series for a while, but we had a major disagreement over her protagonists's choice of boyfriends and never made up. I think that was around #6. Since then I've just skimmed the endings in bookstores.

Has anyone read her new stuff? I liked her writing so I should try again.

I updated the planning sheet.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

After I finish my two current reads I'm going to concentrate on goals that we've half finished.

We should probably finish last shot's Historical (E-7) before starting a new one. I don't think we get credit for tasks with one book assigned, so it's better to finish one. I think that one got left out because there's a typo in the official spreadsheet, giving only 1 row to E7 instead of two.

I want to work on my current YA Paranormal but when I need a break about stories of teen paranormal angst I'll read a science fiction book.

Sorry -- I guessed wrong on A10. At least that saves us the stress of another pick :-(