Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
Archive - Pass The Parcel
>
Pass The Parcel Round 6 - PLAYING
This is a team challenge to encourage members to meet new friends and find new books.PLEASE READ EVERY LINE OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS
I will be referring members back to this post if you ask me something already outlined here.
For this challenge we will have teams of roughly 6 players. The group will nominate a team captain who will track the completion of books for their team and remind their fellow team-members about compliance to the rules. Teams will be allocated before the reading starts. This will be done randomly by me :)
Members signing up need to be prepared TO READ APPROXIMATELY ONE BOOK EACH WEEK.
Each week a theme will be randomly selected from the list posted in msg 4. This theme will be posted in the Discussion/Q&A thread between 6pm and 9pm US EST each Friday.
Each member in the group has the following options:
1. Read a book that matches the theme (the parcel)
OR
2. Select a book from the 'READ' list of a team-mate that they read in the last 6 months AND that the team-mate rated at least 3 stars. (This essentially passing on a recommendation.)
If the book is in a series but does not match where you are up to, you may read another book from that same series.
OR
3. 'Pass' on reading a book that week.
BUT each team member can only select #3 once each 5 (five) weeks. AND each team may only have ONE person 'passing' for the round each week. It is up to the team as to how they manage a 'pass'. (Yes - this means that one or two team-mates per group can't claim a pass in a 5 week block.)
Each team member must post their selection (option 1, 2 or 3) in the week that the theme is announced. Please follow the format provided in msg 3 You can only change you book selection in this initial week. So choose carefully.
Each team member must return to their team thread and post a short review of the book that they read. This review should be enough to indicate that the member DID read the book. A couple of sentences is sufficient. "I liked it" is not.
Key information is required in both the selection and completion posts. Please ensure that you and your team-mates follow the format set out in msg 3 below. You and your Captain cannot claim to have completed your book until the post holds all the required information.
This challenge will run for 11 weeks. The winning team is the one that completes the challenge first; they win bragging rights :) No-one can use the 'pass' option in the last week of the challenge.
Rules:
* Each team member MUST post their selected book into their team thread each week or they will be removed from the challenge. It isn't fair on your team-mates if you are not committed to participant each week.
* You MUST post your selected book in the week of the announced category. If you miss selecting your book (or pass) in that week, you will be removed from the challenge. The only exception is if you have contacted your team, team captain or one of the Mods with a valid reason. The decision to not remove you is solely up to me.
* You can only change your nominated theme book in the week that the theme is announced. You CANNOT change your book once a new theme is announced.
* '5 weeks' will be counted in blocks of five, with a new count starting in week 6.
* No-one can use the 'pass' option in the last week of the challenge.
* To qualify for a theme, the book's eligibility must be apparent in the title or the goodreads summary (anywhere on the book's goodreads page will count), or must appear on another GR member's shelves appropriately and transparently entitled. The source of the eligibility must be specified at the time of the book selection. Refer to the Q&A thread for more clarification on this rule.
* You can change your nominated book only during the week that it's theme is called.
* Books must be at least 100 pages in length.
* Anthologies and bundled books are fine, but you must read the full set.
* You must quote the page numbers for your selected book each week. Please quote the goodreads page numbers (any edition of the book is fine).
Important!!! If a team member falls behind by more than 2 books then they WILL be removed from the challenge. The team who loses that member will continue with the lower number of team-mates. This rule is to ensure that ALL participants are committed to their team and the challenge.
IMPORTANT:
In the last week of the challenge, Option 2 will be altered. Book selections under option 2 will have to be taken from a different team's members' bookshelves. I will allocate the teams out on posting the final theme (week 11).
For example (and this allocation will be randomly done on the day of the last theme call)
Option 2 for Team 1 must come from the bookshelves of Team 4.
******
For those of you who didn't play this growing up, a 'parcel' is passed from one person to another. ...When setting this game up, a prize (or 'gift') is wrapped in a large number of layers of wrapping paper. Smaller prizes may be placed between some or all other layers of wrapping.
During the game, music is played as the parcel is passed around. Whoever is holding the parcel when the music stops removes one layer of wrapping and claims any prize found under that layer. The music is then restarted and the game continues until every layer is removed and the main prize claimed.
This is the RRRC version of the game with a few more options and rules than we may remember from our childhood ;)
Key selection and completion post information. You must have ALL elements in your book posts.For the initial selection post Option 1 I need:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
How the book qualifies - please insert a link to the qualifying bookshelf/list.
If the theme is based off the bookcover or a letter in the title etc, please just repeat the theme.
For the initial selection post Option 2 I need:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
Name of the team-member, their star rating, the date they read the book.
For the completion post I need:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Rating (1-5)
Review
Please DO NOT CHAT in these selction/completion posts. It needs to be super clear.
If you 'waffle' about your decided book - please REPOST your selection once you decide. DO NOT go back and edit your waffling post.
IF YOU NEED TO CORRECT A POST FOR MISSING INFORMATION or because the didn't qualify etc, please REPOST this inforamtion in a NEW post.
THEMES
Books must be selected from the lists provided if I don't have "(stated in the precis or shown on listopia or shelf)". Where I have noted "(stated in the precis or shown on listopia or shelf)", if a book is chosen from one of the optional lists, it is automatically approved.
If you think that the book may struggle to meet the stated theme requirement then I'm likely to think the same thing and NOT allow it :)
1. MC in the military or ex-military (stated in the precis or shown on listopia or shelf)
optional lists:
Best Gay Military
Military Romance and Fiction
Military Romance and Fiction part 2
Military Romance shelf
Lesbian Military Spy Cop
2. Uniformally Hot - MC in some kind of uniform (Cop, military, doctor and etc)
Best Small Town Cop Sheriff Romance Novels
Military Romance and Fiction
Doctor Medical Romance Heroes
In Uniform
Gay Uniforms
3. Virginal Heroes
Virgin hero!
#VIRGIN HEROES#
Books with Virgin Heroes
Best Gay "Virginal" Characters
4. Books with wit/witty dialogue
Books With Witty Banter Dialogue
Witty Funny Couples
Witty Dialogue shelf
Witty shelf
5. MC is a vet or works with animals ~paid or volunteer (stated in the precis or shown on listopia or shelf)
Optional lists:
Creatures Great and Small Veterinarians in Romance
Animal Magnetism Romances Featuring Veterinarians Rescuers And More
Gay Romance Featuring Veterinarians
Veterinarians shelf
6. Enemies to lovers
Best Gay Enemies Rivals Opposites Become Lovers
Best Enemies to Lovers
Enemies To Lovers
Enemies to Lovers Adult Romance
Childhood Enemies Turn to Adult Lovers
Enemies To Lovers shelf
7. MC is a Cowboy
SAVE A HORSE RIDE A COWBOY
Favorite Western/Cowboy Romance Novels
Best Gay Cowboys
Love on the Range: Romance Novels Set on Ranches
Lesbian Westerns
8. Holiday Romance
Any romance that take place during or leading up to a holiday or an annual celebration - Christmas, New Years, Valentines Day, Halloween, Fourth of July, Guy Fawkes Night, Chinese New Year, Hanukkah or any other yearly celebration (stated in the precis or shown on listopia or shelf)
Optional lists:
Best Gay Winter'ish Holiday Romance
MM Christmas books
Best Seasonal Romance Christmas Winter
Great Holiday Romance Reads
Contemporary Christmas Winter Romance
9. Book set outside USA (must be more than 50% outside USA)
10. Book starting with the letter 'B'
11. Book with a mostly red or mostly black cover
12. Nerds Unite! Read a book from one of the following lists:
Books With Nerdy, Geeky or Genius Heroes and Heroines
Brainy Genius Romantic Heroes
Nerdgasms
Best Gay Romance with Bookish Nerdy Geeky Characters
Nerdy Geeky Heroines of Romance Novels
13. Read a book by an author whose first and last name start with the same letter (eg Dannika Dark; Charlie Cochet) OR whose first and last name start with letters that are no more than four letters apart in the alphabet (eg John Inman ~in reverse are consecutive; Kevin Hearne ~4 letters apart)
14. Plus Size Heroines/MCs. Read a book from one of the following lists:
Sexy Curves
BBW Heroines
Plus Size Beauties
Plump Great Category Romance Heroines with Curves
MM Romance with Overweight Characters
Gay Bear Stories
15. Possessive MC
Controlling Sexy Possessive Men
Gay Romance With Crazy Jealous Partners
Most Possessive Romantic Men
16. Read a book with a one word title
17. Best Road Trip romances
Best Road Trip Gay Romance
Best Road Trip Romance Novels MF
Overland: Road Trips in Historical Romance
Drive: Best Paranormal Road Romances
Popluar Road Trip Books
18. Widower/Widow romance
Optional lists:
Widower: A Man Who Loves Can Love Again
Gay Romance Featuring A MC who is Widowered
Single Fathers of Romance: Great Family Men
Historical Widows
Best Widow Romance
19. Read a book published for the first time between February 2015 and to date.
20. Read a book that is a stand alone story. It must not be part of a series even if reviewers/authors say it can be a stand alone.
Feel free to add books to lists that you KNOW qualify for the theme. Please DO NOT add books that you are not certain comply with the list requirements.
Sign upsCaptains denoted with *
Sassafrass
Delitealex
Krissy
*Katie
Becky (fibrobabe)
*Lisa
MKat
Emelie
Skandia
LaurLa
Shannon (wckdktty)
Tammie
Stacie
Mariana
Nan
*Calila
ThatEzi
Debbie(Doc)
Danielle
* ❀~Amy~❀
Logan
*Elizabeth
Sunshine
Giselle
Linda C
Lekshmy
Medavis66 (Elaine)
Drishti
Becky Bookworm
Roger
Shannon (pokey)
Heather
Gea
Breann
Jodi
Pam
*Amy (greenfairy)
Masoodah
*Gle
Poongothai
Sherri
Aminko
Grace
Caipi
Amanda A
KarenH
UCbeppy
Krista
Alternates
Shelby
Wax
Teams allocatedTeam 1 - Amy (greenfairy)
Drishti
Lekshmy
Shannon (wckdktty)
Skandia
Becky Bookworm
Team 2 - Pam
Debbie(Doc)
LaurLa
Jodi
Giselle
Emelie
Team 3 - ❀~Amy~❀
Heather
Stacie
Danielle
Nan
Aminko
Team 4 - Calila
Amanda A
Breann
Caipi
MKat
Poongothai
Team 5 - Gle
Grace
Tammie
Becky (fibrobabe)
ThatEzi
Medavis66 (Elaine)
Team 6 - Elizabeth
Unusual Child beppy
Gea
Masoodah
KarenH
Sassafrass
Team 7 - Lisa
Krissy
Mariana
Sherri
Delitealex
Roger
Team 8 - Katie
Sunshine
Shannon (pokey)
Logan
Linda C
It will take me a while to get the posts all in, so please be patient :)***
If you are happy to be a Captain, please let me know in your sign up post. I'll encompass that element into my randomised sort :D
I'm in!I can be a captain if need be.
I'm in!I do want to point out that the RT convention is April 12-17. There could be a few of us traveling and dealing with iffy internet access. I'll be sure to work it out with my teammates, just something to keep in mind.
Katie wrote: "I'm in!I can be a captain if need be."
Yay - thanks Katie :)
Becky wrote: "I'm in!I do want to point out that the RT convention is April 12-17. There could be a few of us traveling and dealing with iffy internet access. I'll be sure to work it out with my teammates, jus..."
Thanks for letting me know Becky - you may need to remind me though ;) ...And lucky you to be heading off to the RT convention!!!
Jane (PS) wrote: "Becky wrote: "I'm in!I do want to point out that the RT convention is April 12-17. There could be a few of us traveling and dealing with iffy internet access. I'll be sure to work it out with my ..."
I'm really looking forward to it! I took last year off, after doing two or three events a year for a couple years. I needed the break (and so did my bank account!), but I missed all my far-flung, bookish friends.
Round 6 - how can that be?! I'm in again! =)
Jane, I am in. Excited to be back.
Shannon/Wckdktty
Themes are now posted in msg 4 above!!
I'm a first timer...looking forward to joining this challenge! Show me the way people...woohoo!
Hope you have a ball Tammie! It's a lot of fun :D
I'm going to try this: ) No to captain since I'm new.
AHHHH WHY AM I SO LATE TO THIS PARTY?! I'm in and happy to Captain!
I'm in.Thank you Nichole for the reminder
I'm in Thanks Nichole for the PM.
Yay!! I'm in!!I'd love to captain too.
Please sign me up! First time for me and I can't wait to give it a try.
I have everyone on the list up to here :D Welcome to our newbies! I'm sure you'll have fun!
I am in. First timer. Would really need help in getting through. One thing sure I love to read book and can finish one book in a week. :0
Love, love, love this challenge...count me in again!:-) Elaine
YAY! I've missed this challenge! Count me in, please!
count me in for bookcover/link do you need both posted or one or the other. I am more likely to post links because just seeing the cover means nothing to me.
I want to join! This sounds like a lot of fun. It will be my first time also. :)
Start date - 11 March
Sign up - now through to Friday 4 March 9pm US EST
Teams assigned by 5 March
Last theme call - 20 May
If you sign up for this challenge, you must be prepared to:
* Read roughly one book each week
* Post your selected book BEFORE the next theme is called, or you will be eliminated
* Technically be able to put links to other threads/bookshelves/lists, and insert book links or book covers in your posts. (These are not difficult but you MUST be able to do these links; they don't have to look pretty, but they do need to go to the intended location)
* Follow the format for the selection and completion posts.
PLEASE READ THE RULES OF THE CHALLENGE CAREFULLY.
I AM GOING TO MUCH TOUGHER THIS ROUND.
IF YOU HAVEN'T POSTED EACH WEEK WITHIN THE TIMELINES ABOVE AND YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY TOLD TEAM-MATES OR A MODERATOR - no quesstions - YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM YOUR TEAM and the challenge.