Team Armchair Travelers

[Plethora]

Yes, we have room Marianna!

[Plethora]

OK we are ready to start!

I have the following travelers on-board:
     Bookworm
     Zeni
     Michelle
     Keli
     Jim
     Catherine
     Marianna

Welcome to our newest travelers: Keli, Jim, Catherine and Marianna.

I have added a tab to our spreadsheet for you to add your books as you read. You can customize it as you see fit.

Spreadsheet LINK.

[Plethora]

Next itinerary:


1. San Jose (CR) - Porto Seguro (BR)
     DETOUR: Read a book where someone discovers an infidelity on someone’s part
     SPELL-IT-OUT: BRAZIL or PORTO SEGURO

2. Porto Seguro (BR) - Istanbul (TR)
     DETOUR: Read a book where a character gets a makeover
     SPELL-IT-OUT: TURKEY or ISTANBUL

3. Istanbul (TR) - Tyumen (RU)
     DETOUR: Read a book with a wind instrument on the cover or in the title
     SPELL-IT-OUT: RUSSIA or TYUMEN

4. Tyumen (RU) - Jakarta (ID)
     DETOUR: Read a book that is in the "The Worst Books of All Time" Listopia List
     SPELL-IT-OUT: INDONESIA or JAKARTA

5. Jakarta (ID) - Hobart (AU)
     DETOUR: Read a book shelved (listed on the first page of the "top shelves" of the book) as available - plurals and minor spelling variations are acceptable
     SPELL-IT-OUT: AUSTRALIA or HOBART

6. Hobart (AU) - Noumea (NC)
     DETOUR: Read a book with a wind instrument on the cover or in the title
     SPELL-IT-OUT: FRANCE or NOUMEA

7. Noumea (NC) - Eugene (US)
     DETOUR: Read a book with blue text on the cover
     SPELL-IT-OUT: UNITED STATES or EUGENE

8. Eugene (US) - San Jose (CR)
     DETOUR: Read a book with a yellow, orange or golden dress on the cover
     SPELL-IT-OUT: COSTA RICA or SAN JOSE

[Plethora]

As first class travelers we can do a maximum of 7 detours.

One week minimum required at each stop.
     Countdown clock for 1 week minimum.

Recap for points by option:

Spell-it-Out
     Completed - 10 P
     6 Member - + 15 P (25)
     All Members - + 10 P (35)

Detour
     4 Members - 25 P
     7 Members - + 15 P (40)
     All Members - + 10 P (50)

[Marianna]

Hi,

as I am new to this can I ask a couple of questions?
To see if I have understood the first steps to be made for this challenge.

First of all, we are now at this part of the challenge, right?
1. San Jose (CR) - Porto Seguro (BR)
DETOUR: Read a book where someone discovers an infidelity on someone’s part
SPELL-IT-OUT: BRAZIL or PORTO SEGURO
So, the options are to read a book set in Costa Rica or Brazil (or by an author from these countries). Or to use the detour, or spell out BRAZIL or PORTO SEGURO.

That means that I can use the book I am currently reading (Leopard by Jo Nesbo) for the L in the BRAZIL spell-out?

Also, how long to we have for the challenge? Is there a timeframe?

Sorry if you find the questions stupid, but as I said, newbie. :-)

[Zeni]

we normally do atleast a week at each stop. Last time we agreed to do the 1st stop for two weeks instead. we did that to give everyone a chance to get prepared. I'm not sure if anyone wants to do that this time.

[Keli]

I'm good with either one or two weeks, I'm in no rush.
If it's spell it out I'll take "I" with The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury.

[Plethora]

We will need to decide as a group what option we want to use for each stop.

The minimum we must spend is one week at a stop, even if all the books are read we can't move to the next leg until the end of a week.

We can decide to take longer at a stop.

Please feel free to ask questions. I didn't cover everything in my post this morning as i was hurriedly trying to get them posted before heading out today.

[Catherine]

Hi Jim....are you following me from our old team?!?!? lol

[Marmie7]

Hi I'm Annie-any room left for me to join?

[Jim]

No Catherine. Are you following me?

Jim

[Plethora]

Annie, yes we have one spot left.

[Jim]

Jakarta is in INDONESIA, not INDIA.

Jim

[Marmie7]

If we do the spell-it-out, can I use A Head Full of Ghosts
by Paul Tremblay for the A in Brazil?

[Zeni]

We normally don't count 'a' or 'the' but that's normally because we want to skip to the next word, so I'm not sure... If not we could always use it for T in Porto Seguro and even if that doesn't work you can always use the names of main characters if any of those match.

So how do you guys feel about these detours? I definitely think they are more difficult than the last set. I currently don't know if I have a book for detours 1, 2, 3/6, and 5. I just started The Light Between Oceans and I don't want to read any of the reviews in case of spoilers, but hopefully it can include either 1 or 2. I'm also a little confused by detour 5.

[Jim]

For the spell out I have A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn for the letter Z in Brazil.

Jim

[Catherine]

Well..I have to check my book list for detour 1....but if anyone wants to read The Husband's Secret...this fits the detour. I don't want to re-read it...but I did really enjoy it. But like I said, if you guys want to do detour, I need to search. Otherwise I could definity do spell-it-out :)

[Plethora]

Jim wrote: "Jakarta is in INDONESIA, not INDIA.

Jim"

Duh, I knew that... That's what I get trying to hurry and do post while also trying to get ready to leave.

[Plethora]

I agree Zeni, I think this is the hardest set of detours we've seen.

[Marmie7]

If we do spell it out, the main characters last name is Barrett ( B in Brazil) in A Head Full of Ghosts. Is that acceptable?

[Plethora]

Yes, character names qualify.

Just a recap, because I also forget all the options we can use for Spell-it-Out.

Spell-it-out rules

Using the first letter in the book’s title, the first letter of the series name, the first letter in the author’s first or last name, or the first letter of a character’s first, last, or nick-name, or the first letter in the audiobook narrators first or last name.
If you are reading a translated version, you can also use the first letter of the translator's first or last name.

[Plethora]

Annie, I added a blank spreadsheet tab for you to customize and add your books to as your read.

[Catherine]

So...are we doing spell-it-out?

[Zeni]

Normally we aim for both and once everyone is done we look at what would get us more points.

[Catherine]

Ok...

[Jim]

I started the book I'm reading now, Comstock Lode by Louis L'Amour before I joined this team, as well as my next one, The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret.

Jim

[Michelle]

On # 5 - 5. Jakarta (ID) - Hobart (AU)

DETOUR: Read a book shelved (listed on the first page of the "top shelves" of the book) as available - plurals and minor spelling variations are acceptable

The tag "available" must be on the top shelf.

Am I reading that right? I've never seen that as a tag before.

[Zeni]

I saw that too and thought it was strange, but no one else said anything so I thought maybe I was thinking too much about it. I also thought it was strange that 3 and 6 are the same.

[Michelle]

Zeni wrote: "I saw that too and thought it was strange, but no one else said anything so I thought maybe I was thinking too much about it. I also thought it was strange that 3 and 6 are the same."

I saw that too. That can't be right?

[Keli]

Quick question. When it comes to character names for the Spell-It-Out option does it need to be the main character(s) or can it be a secondary but rather important character? I'm currently reading A Court of Mist and Fury the MCs are Feyre, Rhysand and Tamlin but there are some secondary characters of import, such as Ianthe. Could I use Ianthe for the "I" I said I'd contribute with a different book? That way instead of reading The Illustrated Man, I could read Jurassic Park and get in a book set in Costa Rica which fulfils the other points path.

[Jim]

Good evening!

I've started reading Insomnia by Stephen King. For the spell-out I can use the S in Stephen for that in Seguro; the R in the main character Ralph Roberts for that in Porto or Seguro; or the I in the title Insomnia for that in Brazil.

Jim

[Zeni]

So at this point we have two days left and I'm not sure whether I will finish The Light Between Oceans in time.

Keli, I don't see a problem with using a secondary character.

[Keli]

I'm good for another week if I'm going to try and get Jurassic Park in too.

[Zeni]

So I will probably finish my book tonight and it actually did mention someone discovering an affair. It was only for like one page, but it was part of a main character's backstory. Not that it matters if we are doing the spell it out option, but it still made me happy.

How's everyone else doing?

[Keli]

I finished mine yesterday, put up the info on my sheet. Was waiting to see if we were going to go an extra week before I started JPark, as I've got a few other books to read too.

[Marmie7]

Are we going an extra week or moving on to next stop? I'm a bit confused as to how this works. I read two books last week and placed them on my itinerary, but I'm not sure if I continue to read for next stop or wait until everyone finishes first stop??

[Zeni]

You can continue reading for the next stops if you want to get ahead. We normally apply any books read during the trip. Some people read fast and some people (me) read only about one book a week.

[Plethora]

Sorry, I was out of town and just been scrambling.

I have a few more reads I can add to spreadsheet. The one book I though might work for first detour didn't have a cheating moment actually.

[Plethora]

The task the mods get from a random pull, so it is possible to have the same goal multiple times. I double checked what they provided and those two are indeed the same.

[Plethora]

"available" is a shelf name.

Here is a link that should help Available Books.

You'll need to jump way down the list for the not so popular books. As Life of Pi, which is first on the list was only shelved 20 times as such, but the first page of shelves [King, Queen, Knave for example on page 31, it has 2,721 ratings and available is in the middle of the first page of shelves.

[Keli]

Do we need to wait until the next stop to read a book for the detour? Or could we have read it before a detour is agreed? I've just read When We Wake and the MC gets makeover.

[Plethora]

Just keep reading, no waiting required.

[Catherine]

ok... so I read Reflection Point(15 Jul) and Listen Like a Dog: And Make Your Mark on the World(9 Jul)

could work for R, L in Brazil or R, E in Porto Seguro

there may be other lettres that it could qualify for in Reflection Point..but I need to check. neither qualify for detour

[Zeni]

We will probably try for Porto Seguro more than Brazil because it can get us more points. Sorry I haven't had a chance to get on, I was working more this week and then we had some family in town.

[Plethora]

I'll update with me read books so far this weekend as well. I've been still catching from a few events that had me put of town at various points in the last month.

Still no affair in my new books, got really close in one.

[Plethora]

Hey travelers....did everyone wander out on a side trek? :0

I'm sure many of you have been busy reading, but haven't come back to fill-in the spreadsheet so we can complete stop one and move on.

Some planning has been penciled in to the spreadsheet.

[Jim]

Hi,

I apologize for not posting, but I'm on only page 480 of 787 in Insomnia by that whacko Stephen King.

Jim

[Plethora]

That should keep you busy.

If we aren't in a hurry to move on I'm fine with that. I have enough challenges and projects that keep me busy. Usually books can count across multiple challenges so it doesn't hinder me.

[Keli]

I'm on holiday from Tuesday and I plan on mostly reading. So I'll try to get a location and a detour book read for as many stops as possible over the next 3 weeks. Yes that's right 23 lovely days off with very little planned.

[Jim]

Good morning!

I finished Insomnia. Long and weird. I think Stephen King had reached by 1994 a level of success in which he didn't need to edit his novels; the fact that I read this monster invoking the three Fates of Greek and Roman mythology in 17 days surprises me. I liked it, but I don't think most people curse the way King's characters do.

Jim