Chaitra’s Comments (group member since Apr 29, 2012)

Chaitra’s comments from the Crazy Challenge Connection group.

Congrats, Barb!

Congrats, Tari!

Congrats, Ashlee!

Congrats, Karen!

Res

Res

Mahjongg

Duration: Oct 01, 2025 - ?
Completed: 0/?


This challenge involves PAIRS of books. Once you decide which option you wish to use for any given pair, both books of that pair must fit that option. But each pair is independent of the others: you can do anything you like with any pair as long as both books fit that pair's chosen option. For example, there are two pairs of "one dot" books. You can read two in the series option, and two in the non, or all four series, or all four non. But it couldn't be three in one option and one in the other: it must be two and two.

For the non-series options where you can consider page count or publication month/day, you can use *any* number from those items to make your match. So if you read a book with 153 pages that was published on September 24, it could go for any tile slot it fit in as long as the tile number was either a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 9. You have a lot of latitude here.

Suits Tile Sets

Dots
Series option: the number on the tile corresponds to the number of the book in its series, but the cover must show an *interior* (indoor) setting from the perspective of someone who is inside it. (By this I mean if you were standing in the room looking around and you could see a fireplace and a chair and a dog, that counts. If it shows the same room but you would be looking at it through a window as if *you* were standing outdoors, that doesn't count for this suit.) It must be fully interior, although a window looking out is permissible in the background. Please post the covers.

Non-series option: Same cover requirement as above, but either the page count, or the publication day or month (any year) must match the number of the tile you are working on. So a cover showing the interior of a restaurant where the publication month was September would count for a 9 of Dots. Please post the covers and let us know what number (page/date etc) you are matching on.


Bamboo
Series option: the number on the tile corresponds to the number of the book in its series, but the cover must show an *exterior* (outdoor) setting from the perspective of someone who is also outside. By this I mean if you were standing in the cover picture, you'd be experiencing whatever weather you can see on the cover - you'd be wet if it were raining, tan if it were sunny, cold if it were snowy. If your perspective would be looking out a window from an interior and seeing the outdoors, that cover will not count. A building with a window looking in is permissible as long as *your* perspective looking at the cover is that you are outdoors. Please post the covers.

Non-series option: Same cover requirement as above, but either the page count, or the publication day or month (any year) must match the number of the tile you are working on. So a cover showing a pine forest with a trail going through it where the publication date was the 3rd (of any month) would count for a 3 of Bamboos. Please post the covers and let us know what number (page/date etc) you are matching on.


Characters
For the "characters" suit, the series option and the non-series option are the same.

For "Characters" you wind up reading 18 pairs of books. You will choose 18 letters of the alphabet, and assign each letter to one pair. BUT for one set of 1 through 9, the letter you assign must be the first letter of the author's first name (if the author goes by a first initial that's fine too), and for the other 9 pairs of tiles, the letter must be the first letter of the author's last name.

You may not use any letter twice: it must be 18 distinct letters. You may assign the letters however you wish -- so if "A" is one of your letters you could assign it to the first name group and read Alice and Anne, or you could assign it to the last name group and read Adams and Aronson. Middle names and initials will not be considered. You do not have to make all your letter assignments before you begin. Be sure to post a link to your authors when you post your books.

Honors Tile Sets

Winds
The "Winds" options are the same for series or non-series: for each wind direction you may read either a pair of books set in that hemisphere (i.e. for south wind you read two books set in the southern hemisphere of Earth) OR a pair of books set in that direction from where you live (i.e. if you live in Germany and you read two books, one set in Egypt and one set in Brazil, they could count for a pair of "southern wind" tiles because Egypt and Brazil are both south of Germany).

You may mix and match: it's not reasonable to expect someone who lives in Northern Canada to find books set farther north than that, so Northern Canadian readers might choose to read two books set east or west of where they live for the "east wind" or "west wind" tile sets, but for the "north wind" pair, they might choose to read two books set in the northern hemisphere instead. Be sure to tell us which option you are using and where your books are set. If you choose the "in relation to me" option, please let us know where you live.

Dragons
The "Dragons" options are the same for series or non-series: for each pair of white dragons you'll read two books whose predominant cover color is white. For red, red, and for green, green. Please post the covers.

Bonus Tile Sets
Bonus tiles are singular, not pairs, so for Seasons you will read only four books, and for Flowers you will read only four books, requirements below.

Seasons
The series and non-series options are the same for this: read one book set in each of the four seasons. Tell us which season your book fits.

Flowers
The series and non series options are the same for this:

Plum blossom -- read a book whose cover is predominantly purple or lavender or burgundy in color, or a book with red (not pink!) or purple flowers on the cover. Post the cover.

Orchid - Read a book whose cover is predominantly pink, yellow, or white, or a book with pink, yellow or white flowers on the cover. Post the cover.

Chrysanthemum -- Read a book whose cover is predominantly yellow, white, or orange, or a book with yellow, white or orange flowers on the cover. Post the cover.

Bamboo -- Read a book whose cover is predominantly green or tan or brown, or a book with greenery or green and brown plants (trees etc) on the cover. Post the cover.

Congrats, Kathy!

Welcome to the challenge, Christina, Ruth, Frankie, Vickie, Kimberly, Carolyn, and L&M!

Welcome to the challenge, Michele, Frankie, Christina, L&M, Joy, Meg, and Cats!

Welcome to the challenge, Frankie, Ruth, Lynn, Meg, Barb, and L&M!

☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ wrote: "Next guess: B-5

The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
Pages: 504
Read: 6/15/25"

B5 is a miss.

Christina (AKA Babbling) wrote: "Guess 19

J3 - Star Wars: Millennium Falcon by James Luceno 24 September 2024 ★★★ (audiobook) First Edition, Hardcover, 336 pages

[bookcover:Star Wars: Millennium Fal..."

J3 is a hit.

Andrea wrote: "The 12 Brides of Summer Collection: 12 Historical Brides Find Love in the Good Old Summertime by Michelle Ule and others 9/23/25
512 pgs
U1"

U1 is a miss.

roads

Great job, Anne! The song you just finished is one of my son's current favorites! I'll move your link. :)

NEW CHALLENGE ALERT!!!

We're heading for the middle east in this month's country challenge. Join us in a trip to Oman!

NEW CHALLENGE ALERT!!!

This month's six month scavenger theme is appreciating art. Sign up for A Picture Paints a Thousand Words, Part II!

NEW CHALLENGE ALERT!!!

This year's connections challenge is here, with a brand new set of words to connect every month. Join us!

Countries of the World #15 – Oman

Duration: Oct 01, 2025 – Oct 31, 2025
Completed: 10/6+

✔ Country: Oman
🚩Read a book whose title starts with a letter in OMAN (ignore A, An and The or equivalent if not English).
Mr. Lemoncello's Fantabulous Finale | Chris Grabenstein ★★★ (10/04/25)

Stats

✔ Capital: Muscat
🚩Read a book whose author's first and last initials are in the word MUSCAT (letters can only be used as many times as they appear in the word).
A Local Habitation | Seanan McGuire ★★ (10/08/25)

✔ Population: 4,520,471 (2021 estimate)
🚩Read a book whose total number of pages contain at least 2 of the numbers in the population (tell us the page count).
Slough House | Mick Herron ★★★★ (10/01/25)
312 pages.

✔ Area: 119,500 sq mi
🚩Read a book whose year it was first published has at least 2 of the numbers in the area (tell us the year published).
The Vanishing Thief | Kate Parker ★★ (10/03/25)
Pub. 2013

Trivia

✔ 1. Sur
🚩Read a book in which a boat/ship voyage is an important part of the plot (tell us how your book fits).
Murder on the Marlow Belle | Robert Thorogood ★★★ (10/04/25)
The murder is on a boat journey.

✔ 2. Desert Fjords
🚩Read a book with a large body of water or mountains on the cover (post the cover).
Our Wives Under the Sea | Julia Armfield ★★ (10/07/25)


✔ 3. Dishdasha
🚩Read a book with a mostly white cover (post the cover).
Pampered to Death | Laura Levine ★★★★ (10/02/25)


✔ 4. Riyam Memorial
🚩Read a book that is set in one of the countries on the incense trail (for the purpose of this task: Oman, Yemen, Somalia, Egypt, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Italy and Greece; tell us the country your book is set in).
A House in the Sky | Amanda Lindhout ★★★★ (10/08/25)
Somalia.

✔ 5. Haboob
🚩Read a book whose main character’s first name starts with a letter in HABOOB (tell us the name).
Into the Windwracked Wilds | A. Deborah Baker ★★★★ (10/07/25)
Avery & Hepzibah.

✔ 6. Atlantis of the Sands
🚩Read a book whose location starts with a letter in UBAR (tell us where the book is set).
All That We See or Seem | Ken Liu ★★★ (11/14/25)
Boston.

*** Completed (11/14/25) ***