Apoorv ’s Comments (group member since Nov 23, 2013)

Apoorv ’s comments from the The Perks Of Being A Book Addict group.

QUESTION TIME

We have collectively as a team read about 120 books so far (which is amaaaazing, if you ask me!). So, can you answer these questions amongst all of the books that you have read and what you see others reading.

1. If you had to choose one person to take on a nice date (could be platonic) or a hangout, which character from the ones you have read so far, will you choose? Why?

2. Out of the books other team members have read, are there any books that intrigued you and you are keen to get your hands on?

3. Out of all the books read, which title seems a good contender for the title of your autobiography?

Robynne wrote: "But my sister has just been diagnosed with covid. She works as a kindergarten teacher - so it was inevitable despite wearing masks. She has been vaccinated so I am hoping she that she will stay mild throughout. She was due to get her booster shot in April. So now she has to stay home for 10 days!!"

I hope your sister feels better really soon, Robynne. Glad to read that she is vaccinated, that should definitely help in some capacity, plus the 10 day quarantine will ensure no additional infection or exposure to others. Hopefully, the days go flying by and she is able to go back to her regular activities really soon. Sending positive vibes across. :)

Anne wrote: "Apoorv,
I would like to read “The Water Babies” by Charles Kingsley. It is a children’s book and apparently has 80,000 words. I cannot get the link to work that is in the UNO rules. It doesn’t fit ..."

Anne, I think you should be fine with this one.
Our rules say 5. Books must be more than 100 pages in length and Children's books, Graphic Novels, Manga, Cook Books, Plays and Poetry books can not be used unless by word count they can be verified as more than 25,000 words using arbookfind.com or more than 3 hours of audio using a reputable website (e.g. audible, overdrive), and according to https://www.arbookfind.com/bookdetail..., even the abridged version sits at 58097 words and is classified as Middle Grade.

Val wrote: "Yessssssss! Razorblade Tears was one of my top reads last year."

I am soooo not surprised!
It has been a couple days since I have finished it, and I'm still reeling in its aftereffects. Uff, what a book!

Robynne wrote: "UM Apoorv
Can you please adjust the date on the March Google sheets for the 6 Blue card?
I read the book - This Rough Magic - on 5 MARCH not 5 February!!

Thank you."

Don't you know, I time-travel "backwards", Robynne! :P
Haha! Corrected. Thanks for catching it. :)

Gwen wrote: "I meant to answer this earlier but I really loved When All Is Said - it was my favorite book of February."

I wholeheartedly +1 this. It is a beeeeeautiful book. :)

Anne wrote: "So what was everyone’s favorite book of February?"

So, I had a rather uneventful February in terms of books I read. Didn't have a massive favorite, but When Breath Becomes Air stood out as a fantastic read. It has a grim subject matter as it deals with cancer and everything around it, but it was written very un-grimly, so it made the whole reality a bit more palatable.

But, I already have a favourite in March. I just finished Razorblade Tears and by golly, was it exceptionally wonderful.

Robynne wrote: "

Apoorv, can you please check both of these books for the amount of green on the cover? ."

Robynne, both have been okay-ed as Green by the Mods and other caps. So you should be good to go! :)

Vicki wrote: "Oh no! I hope it was nothing I did or didn't do. We can do a comeback with much effort though!"

Naw, you're fine!
The fun part of this challenge is that a lot of it depends on how the cards get dealt. So when everyone reads everything, it comes down to how many 25 point/30 point cards each team has.

The only thing we can do is read everything we can in a given month to get a chance to compete, and we did! :)

Anne wrote: "Apoorv,
Do we need a 4 Green for March or not? The tracking spreadsheet and message #10 seem at odds. Or am I just reading it wrong?"

Ah! Great catch, Anne! That was me not knowing how to type! Apologies. Updated Message 10 now.

We absolutely need a 4 Green.

Anne wrote: "I have three possible colored covers:

2 Yellow - The Queue byBasma Abdel Aziz

"

We have a 2 Yellow in our March cards, so we can definitely use this, if you want to read it. I found the book interesting, but a bit dense. Hope you like it! :)

Anne wrote: "Apoorv,
So I take it we do not need by Jonathan Safran Foer?

In which case I will stop reading and keep it in case it is needed for April.."

If you are liking the book, you can totally continue reading it but try and finish it on or after March 1st, so we can use it as part of our March cards.

MARCH CARDS ARE ALREADY UP!

Head on to Message 10 or our spreadsheets to find details of the cards we have!
The Tracking Spreadsheet has the March tab open incase you want to start pre-planning your reads! :D

Here is the countdown: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...

THANK YOU, everyone for being so on-point with all the minor requirements of the challenge. I feel like we are already a well-oiled machine. Credit goes to all of you for being so particular with your completions!

We quite possibly might end up in the top 3 or 4 on the leaderboard, which is amazing because then it really just comes down to luck and what card we have in our hands, and we have done everything we could potential can. Love that!

THANK YOU FOR BEING A FABULOUS TEAM
*wipes a stray tear* :P

WE ARE DONE!!
All our February Reads are complete!

We have achieved the highest score we could given our cards
- a whopping 2820 POINTS!


As we draw the curtains on our February reads here (because you guys are so awesome that you just made a mockery off that challenge, haha), please make sure you take a beat and check that all your reads are added to your UNO shelf, and that the information we have captured on our spreadsheets is accurate.

The "Feb Read" tab on our tracking spreadsheet will have well-laid out details about all our reads, and of course the main challenge sheet will have our actual hands filled out.

We are finishing well before time, so if there are any changes you think that need to be done, please feel free to drop in a comment here.

Also, did I say you guys are awesome?
Because, what a performance!

Carrie wrote: "Completion Post:

Book: Rock Paper Scissors
Author: Alice Feeney"

Ah! Hope you had a good time with this book, Carrie.
I absolutely loved this thriller. :)

Anne wrote: "Apoorv,
Do we actually need this for February, or should I keep it for March, since we seem to have so many greens allocated?

"

I am inclined to say we can push it to March, but I if Vicki is tied up with real life is unable to get to her books, we might be able to use this in.

So, best thing would be if you start it now and finish it based on where we are. March if everything else falls in place; last few days of Feb, if we need a Green book! :)

Anne wrote: "Apoorv,
I am half way through by Penelope Lively and should finish it tonight.
I thought I read


Anne, The South Country was written twice in the mini challenge it seems, so I used it for the cardinal directions task, since that was a slightly tougher task than the tree on cover task.

You can take a breather from The Front Porch Prophet, we are good with Yellow for now and you have other books lined up before it anyway.

Val wrote: "Apoorv wrote: "Anne, Gwen, Vicki, just checking that you are still on-track to complete the books you have claimed for the Feb Mini challenge. Here is the list:

Anne
- Passing On (1..."

Val, I used this for the decor on cover task - because of the feathers on it. :)

Anne, Gwen, Vicki, just checking that you are still on-track to complete the books you have claimed for the Feb Mini challenge. Here is the list:

Anne
- Passing On (11. Read a book with some kind of furniture or decor piece on cover or the word in the text)

Gwen
- Bent Road (25. Read a book with the title or series title containing a word of address (e.g.: avenue, alley, road, street, lane, close, square, park, etc.))
- Ninth House (26. Read a book with a number in the title (any format is accepted))

Vicki
- Eastern Lights (2. Read a book with (a) muscular man/men on the cover)
- Virgin River (17. Read a book with a geographical place name in the title or series title (e.g.: valley, creek, river, mountain, sea, desert, etc.))
- Winter Garden (19. Read a book with the letters G*A*R*D*E*N in the title (subtitle can be used as well))

Please do drop in a word incase real life gets in the way of you reading these soon, so that someone else can claim said tasks.

I am reading The Hunting Party for the remaining clue and will finish tomorrow.

There is one last clue that is left unclaimed, if anyone has a book that they have already read that fits, please drop in a word.
20. Read a book with a tree(s) on the cover

EDIT: Nevermind, I found a previously unused book that has trees on its cover. We are good! :D