Introductions and Pre Challenge Chat!

[Sarah-jane]

Hi there ! I haven't been in this group long and I only started reading again in January but I couldn't resist signing up for this challenge ! My first one :) ... Don't know what to expect really. Any advice ?

[Sonia]

Hey Sara-Jane.

Just have fun, read what you like to read, and enjoy your team!

[Sarah-jane]

Thanks Sonia ! I can't wait to get started !

[SandyC]

Hello! I see lots of familiar faces. I'm excited to get started!

[Emily]

I signed up earlier this week and only just noticed the pre-challenge chat, so I thought I'd say hello! I've never done a team challenge before, so I'm excited to do something new.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Great - welcome Emily!

[Erin]

This is going to be my first challenge! Really excited for it- maybe I'll finally get through my TBR pile!

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Welcome Erin ! By the looks of the size of your tbr you'll need a few more challenges after this too... xD!

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Karen wrote: "I think TT2 was all the puzzles for cupcakes? (I still get the shivers thinking of all those!)"

Me too. I spent more time doing the puzzles than reading, LOL. I like the goals a whole lot better.

[Nicole]

Hhahah, oh yes, I definitely remember the dilemma over puzzles vs reading! :D

[Eldarwen]

Erin wrote: "This is going to be my first challenge! Really excited for it- maybe I'll finally get through my TBR pile!"

Challenges aren't necessarily helping with diminishing your TBR pile.. hehe. At least with the last one, I added almost as many books than I read ;-)

[Sonia]

Eldarwen wrote: "Erin wrote: "This is going to be my first challenge! Really excited for it- maybe I'll finally get through my TBR pile!"

Challenges aren't necessarily helping with diminishing your TBR pile.. hehe..."

Hey now, are you trying to scare new members alreadyalready? There is no such thing as TBR too large

[Annika]

Sonia wrote: "Eldarwen wrote: "Erin wrote: "This is going to be my first challenge! Really excited for it- maybe I'll finally get through my TBR pile!"

Challenges aren't necessarily helping with diminishing you..."

Does that mean we aren't allowed to say that challenges are seriously addictive either? ;)

[Sonia]

Annika wrote: "Sonia wrote: "Eldarwen wrote: "Erin wrote: "This is going to be my first challenge! Really excited for it- maybe I'll finally get through my TBR pile!"

Challenges aren't necessarily helping with d..."

That, you can say. And fun, don't forget fun!

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

Eldarwen wrote: "Erin wrote: "This is going to be my first challenge! Really excited for it- maybe I'll finally get through my TBR pile!"

Challenges aren't necessarily helping with diminishing your TBR pile.. hehe..."

I have to agree. My tbr has gained some hefty weight hahahaha but its never going to loss any of it as long as there is books to add :)

[Eldarwen]

Annika wrote: "Sonia wrote: "Eldarwen wrote: "Erin wrote: "This is going to be my first challenge! Really excited for it- maybe I'll finally get through my TBR pile!"

Challenges aren't necessarily helping with d..."

Nope! ;-)

[Eldarwen]

See, I totally disagree with Sonia on both accounts *grin* Not on purpose, of course ;-)

[Sonia]

Eldarwen wrote: "See, I totally disagree with Sonia on both accounts *grin* Not on purpose, of course ;-)"

If you end up scaring all new members away, you will discover why I gained my bad reputation around here :P

[Sonia]

I almost added my trademark giggle, but that would ruin the effect :)

[Eldarwen]

Hahaha :-))

[Sonia]

Eldarwen wrote: "Hahaha :-))"

XD XD

[Cat]

Hiya! I signed up a while ago, forgot to say hello.

am starting to worry a bit - I volunteered to be co-captain (moment of madness). This won't be as manic (fun! but mad) as the last couple weeks of GG will it?

but mostly I am starting to champ at the bit: I need a vigourous challenge again, as I am falling behind on my GR books read target :( my own fault, really, for upping the target after I passed my original goal. 500 books in a year is turning out to be a tad too much

[Sonia]

Catherine wrote: "Hiya! I signed up a while ago, forgot to say hello.

am starting to worry a bit - I volunteered to be co-captain (moment of madness). This won't be as manic (fun! but mad) as the last couple weeks ..."

No. It won't. It will have goals, but, there is no time pressed issues. Plus, 5 goals are way easier to manage than 24. And 2 -3 captains/co-captains are easier to coordinate than 16.

And is only one team.

This is one of my favorite challenges. Specially because I can do inter-team events or read-a-thons or fun ways of torturinghelping the teams to get more points

[Eldarwen]

Sonia wrote: "Specially because I can do inter-team events or read-a-thons or fun ways of torturinghelping the teams to get more points"

... and she says I'm scaring the newbies away... ;-)

[ilovebakedgoods (Teresa)]

I like how Catherine says 500 books in a year is a "tad" too much. My goal was 70 and I've read somewhere over 100. 500 sounds downright unimaginable to me, lol!

[Teresa]

Ironically, my goal was to read less this year and do more other projects. Sadly, I've failed and gone over my target books although I think my over all will be less than the 380 from last year. (however I have already read more pages than last year)

[Annika]

Lol Teresa, I know what you mean :D
I have never read as much as I have this year. I've never kept track before but I'm guessing I've read the triple amount to what I usually read in a year. It all started with UNO ;P

[Berit☀️✨]

I think we need to start a challenge anonymous group, every time I get a notification to this thread, it's everyone I know and this group and every other group, LOL!
I have never kept track of my books per year before either, but I'm guessing this year I have read much more than in previous, it's that challenge thing!

[Alex]

My goal was 100 but I took time off from reading this year, though to be truthful I may not have hit the goal without taking time off. Next year my goal is going to be the amount of books I finish in 2015 plus 10%. It seems a more realistic goal than 100.

[Sonia]

Berit wrote: "I think we need to start a challenge anonymous group, every time I get a notification to this thread, it's everyone I know and this group and every other group, LOL!
I have never kept track of my b..."

Well, we are more than 10000 members... that's a LOT of groups together.

Plus.. tower teams has that effect. You tried. Love it. Tell everybody about it. Next edition you bring a lot of newcomers with you. And it continues, every time the magic door opens...

[Sonia]

Eldarwen wrote: "Sonia wrote: "Specially because I can do inter-team events or read-a-thons or fun ways of torturinghelping the teams to get more points"

... and she says I'm scaring the newbies away... ;-)"

*giggles*

[Annika]

open, open, open!
*waits impatiently for the challenge to start* ;)

[Sonia]

Soon..

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

I thought I would read less this year too, but gladiators saw me hit target! It's funny how c150 books p/a is fairly modest compared to many GR members, but friends are always amazed I read "that much" lol

[Alex]

It also doesn't help my case that the books I read are generally 500+ pages and I am working on my second or third that is around 1000 pages.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Yes that makes a big difference Alex. I should check, but I would say most of my books are around 400 pages and I get through a number of smaller ones during challenges. I probably only do a handful a year over 900 pages as large books I have difficulty getting motivated to start

[Alex]

M-O-O-N spells worth the effort.....sorry reading The Stand

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

;)
Well I re-read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell this past year which is one of those over 1000 pages and worth the effort. TV adaptation was pretty good too!

[Amanda]

Eldarwen wrote: "Challenges aren't necessarily helping with diminishing your TBR pile.. hehe. At least with the last one, I added almost as many books than I read ;-) ."

My TBR will never recover. ;)

[Sonia]

Amanda wrote: "Eldarwen wrote: "Challenges aren't necessarily helping with diminishing your TBR pile.. hehe. At least with the last one, I added almost as many books than I read ;-) ."

My TBR will never recover. ;)"

Oh no, you too? Poor new timers will be running for the hills....

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Karen wrote: ";)
Well I re-read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell this past year which is one of those over 1000 pages and worth the effort. TV adaptation was pretty good too!"

Karen, I watched the TV adaptation. It was quirky and I enjoyed it. Was it faithful to the book? I wonder if there is a sequel in the wind because the ending could be seen as not conclusive.

[Delitealex]

Hi everyone this is my first time participating in the Tower Teams Challenge I can't wait to see how it will be. I'm very excited to start.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Hey Lisa
It was a very good adaptation I thought. The book makes use of a lot of footnotes to tell the background story and there is more complexity in the characters and their relationships explored in the book that just can't be captured on screen.
It took her 10 years to write the book so I think we will have to wait a while for any potential sequel. Although she did write a companion book at around the same time (same world, different characters)

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Welcome Delitealex!

[Nicole]

Karen wrote: "Hey Lisa
It was a very good adaptation I thought. The book makes use of a lot of footnotes to tell the background story and there is more complexity in the characters and their relationships explor..."

Gosh, it really took her that long to write? I only read the companion book, but didn't like it all that much and decided against reading the original...

[ChrisP]

Hi everyone! This is my first team challenge I can't wait to get going. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was added last month to my TBR. I'm glad to here it was worth it, I may have to bump it up in my que. The last thousand page book I read was The Way of Kings and that ended up being the best book I've read in years.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Thanks Karen and yes Nicole I think I will leave it at watching the TV show. I'm guessing the book may be a little laborious for me.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Hey Mods, I have no idea how many Aussies/NZlanders have signed up for the TT but how about an all Aussie/NZ team? At least we would be all in the same time zone. I think if we can chat at the same time it increases team camaraderie. I noticed the difference is the GG when I wasn't in sync time zone wise with the other gals.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Sonia is in charge of putting the teams together so you may have to beg her ;)

From a captains perspective i find It is useful to have other time zones though as it keeps the game flowing and the cocaptain can do spreadsheet updates when there is a deadline in the middle of our night!

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

No worries, Karen. I see what you mean. I'll leave it in Sonia's capable hands, LOL. I've always had a great time in the Tower Teams.