INTRODUCTIONS Showing 51-100 of 1,648

[Joanie]

Kelly, Wendy, and Abigail-it's so nice to see so many from MA here! I live just south of Boston in Weymouth-where are you all?

[Ellen]

Hi everyone! My name is Ellen and I'm from Western Massachusetts. I work full time as an accountant for one of the large insurance companies in Hartford, CT (yawn!). I live with my wonderful husband of almost three years, my 83 year old Dad and my 5 year old Beagle. I have three step children and one grandson and there never seems to be enough time in each day!

The Summer Challenge (2009) was my first and, while I didn't read as many books as I had hoped, I read more than I have in very long time. Thank you, Cynthia, for putting these together. They must be a lot of work for you but they are tremendous fun for us!

[Liz]

HI, I am Liz (from NY) I am 42, and a single mom. Work full time, and in my free time, I read and watch movies.

Been with TNBBC for a while now. Didn't do the summer challenge, but I plan to go full swing for Fall.

[Wendy]

Abigail wrote: "Hi everyone. My name is Abigail, and this is my first seasonal challenge. (I feel like I should be waiting for all of you to chime in, "Hi, Abigail!" as if I'm joining a reading addicts group ... w..."

Hi Abigail LOL. Welcome....

[Wendy]

Joanie wrote: "Kelly, Wendy, and Abigail-it's so nice to see so many from MA here! I live just south of Boston in Weymouth-where are you all?"

I'm from a Boston neighborhood called West Roxbury we have woods behind our house. Weymouth has beautiful water views!!!

[Dacey]

Hi! I'm Dacey. I'm 23 and live in Omaha, Nebraska. I found the summer challenge and was a little too late to really get involved. I'm really excited to start the fall challenge but I'm starting nursing school in a week and work nearly full-time in a pharmacy so we'll see how much free time I really have. Thanks for putting it all together!

[Abigail]

Joanie wrote: "Kelly, Wendy, and Abigail-it's so nice to see so many from MA here! I live just south of Boston in Weymouth-where are you all?"

I'm on the far side of Boston from you, out in Acton -- so we have woods like Wendy. (And, alas, the ticks that come with them.)

[Kelly]

Joanie wrote: "Kelly, Wendy, and Abigail-it's so nice to see so many from MA here! I live just south of Boston in Weymouth-where are you all?"

I'm in Canton, so not too far from Joanie, but on the other side of Boston from Abigail, I think. I work in Dedham (right next to West Roxbury), and my husband works in Boston. I've never been to Acton, but I know Weymouth is lovely.

[Amanda]

Hello all, my name is Amanda. I'm a 21 year old Michigan college student with a slight book addiction.. :) I just joined Good Reads a week ago and am so glad to have found this group! The challenges sound great - I'm already trying to fit as many of my TBR books into the upcoming one and can't wait to get started!

[Kim]

Hi- I'm Kim 44 (although my birthday falls early in this challenge which makes some choices my first books to be read!). I live in the UK and the summer was my first attempt at the full challenge. I am still trying to get some of the challenges completed. I'm also trying to fit the tbr books into this challenge- although I have to admit that I have already ordered three books and put requests out on a swap site for 2 more! I don't think my tbr pile will ever reduce much to dh dismay.

[Amy]

Greetings All - 48 year old mom of three tuitions - ahem, daughters - here and unabashed information junkie. I practice law during the day and study nursing during the evenings; I read throughout though not at red lights. I completed the Spring Challenge, my first, and was promptly kicked in the butt by the Summer Challenge - I've loved every minute of it ! My small hilltop village in Central Mass has wonderful views off rolling hills and cows, lots and lots of cows.

[Michelle]

Hi all,

I'm Michelle from the DC suburbs (Maryland). I'm 27, married, currently childless, and tend to be obsessive...my current obsession is reading...last winter it was knitting, but then it got too hot to knit. So, I picked up a book and then another and another and then I found Goodreads and that was the end of any hope there was that I'd do much else this summer!

In the real world I'm an analyst/statistician in vital statistics and reproductive health, which is all well and good, but I'd always rather be reading. I enjoy many genres, especially young adult, and I tend to read more fiction than non-fiction these days. My goal was to see how many books I could read before it was cool enough to knit again (I'm approaching 50 so far since the beginning of May), but I'm going to have trouble switching when the time comes because reading is more relaxing (books don't fall off needles!).

I participated in the Summer Challenge for the Wild Things group and am currently reading for the Fall Challenge. This is my first Seasonal Challenge and I can't wait to get started. Challenges are too fun and I'm afraid I'm addicted!

[BJ Rose]

Hi! I'm BJ, and I'll skip the part about giving my age except to say I'm old enough to be grandma to all the 20-somethings in this group - in addition to the 6 grandchildren I already have.

I'd like to join in the kudos to Cynthia over the marvelous challenges she puts together, and the tremendous amount of time and effort she puts into answering questions and tabulating scores. I discovered the Spring Challenge just after I joined GoodReads and have been having a great time - reading is my 2nd love (sorry, family comes first!), so the challenges provide me with an excuse to indulge my love. And they have challenged me to spend more time in other genres than I had been doing. Although I read and enjoy most genres, historical romance and fiction are my favorites, but I also greatly enjoy many of the paranormals.

As others have mentioned, much of the fun of the challenges is in planning the books to read, and in reading the posts throughout the challenge. Looking forward to the Fall Challenge.

Am still checking out all the areas Cynthia has established in this new group - it looks very organized, but that's not a surprise!

[Joanie]

Wendy and Kelly,
Canton and West Roxbury are both close by. I know West Roxbury well. I have a few friends who have lived there and who currently live there. If you guys are ever interested there is a goodreads group here called the South Shore Readers (not that you're on the South Shore but you're not far) and we meet once a month the Borders in Braintree. We're meeting this Sunday actually to discuss The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-let me know if you ever want more information.

Abigail-I used to date a guy from Acton (quite the ride from Braintree where I was living at the time but I was much younger then too!) Definitely had some fun dates around that area.

[Cynthia]

Michelle wrote: "Hi all,

I'm Michelle from the DC suburbs (Maryland). I'm 27, married, currently childless, and tend to be obsessive...my current obsession is reading...last winter it was knitting, but then it..."

I grew up outside D.C. myself in Beltsville...where are you?

[Michelle]

I live in Rockville and work in Hyattsville...there are lots of -villes around here, huh?

[Abigail]

Wendy and Kelly, Canton and West Roxbury are both close by...

It's a good Mass. crowd, huh? I play hockey in Canton sometimes and we have Easter dinner every year at a good family friend's in West Roxbury... Small world!

Although I have to admit, I wouldn't be driving to Weymouth for a date these days either. Of course, if I did, I think DH might object... ;)

[Krista]

Hi, I'm Krista, I'm 49 and I live in Portland, Oregon. The summer challenge was my first challenge and boy has it been fun!

I'm divorced and have no children, but I dearly love my nieces and nephews and try to spend as much time with them as I can. I was laid off from my job as a Business Analyst in the software development field in April, and I'm still looking for the next new career challenge. So in the meantime, I'm reading, reading --- and reading some more. (But I still find it INCREDIBLY hard to keep up with the challenge speed readers.)

I've always loved to read and to travel. I really liked biographies when I was growing up. I've branched out to historical fiction, literary fiction and mysteries since then. (I was reading biographies of Elizabeth I and British royalty in grade school and early high school years.) I too loved those Scholastic book order forms and would spend hours agonizing over my choices. I was SO excited when the books arrived at school.

I attended an SDA (church) high-school which wasn't big on teaching the classics for English, so most of those I've read on my own, or through college literature courses. I can't remember any required reading in high school, so that task in the fall challenge may be tough. But then my high school years were way back in the mists of time. :-)

I joined GoodReads about a year ago I think. My ex-boyfriend's sister turned me on to it. I've become a bit addicted. I've also become addicted to the paperbackswap website as a cheap way to get books into my home. Of course I used to be satisfied with reading them from the library, but now I love to have the luxury of not having a due date. I NEVER like to pay full price for any books. Lucky for me Portland is the home of Powell's bookstore. The BEST used bookstore in the world.

I'm not a big sci-fi or fantasy reader. I haven't read the Harry Potter series yet, but I think I'm edging closer to it. I've read the Twlight series, and I'm in the midst of the Sookie Stackhouse books so some of the more light hearted paranormal books are finding my way on to my TBR shelf. I may even have to break down and read Ann Rice soon.

I've sure enjoyed meeting folks via this challenge. One of the best parts about it is learning about so many great books, and stretching my reading genres.

Thanks Cynthia for putting this together and keeping it running!!

[Amy]

Lisa wrote: "Hi all! I'm Lisa, 47 years old, from Salisbury, Maryland. I've been hooked on reading ever since the Scholastic book order form came home in my book bag from school. Fortunately, I had parents w..."

I remember the Scholastic book order forms! My dad used to set a $20 limit on them for me, but that got me a lot of books :) The days when the orders came in were always the best! I loved taking my treasures home to read them

[Joy]

Joy wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Joy and live in Texas. I am 32 and love to read. I also enjoy photography and scrapbooking as well as cross stitching and crochet. I would also love to have my own garden, but i..."

Sorry, I mixed my comment in with Joy from Texas somehow. I live in the Seattle area and this is the first time I've done this challenge. I'm not exactly sure how it works but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it! Thanks.
Hi Joy, thanks for inviting me to join! Sounds like fun. I love Goodreads - it's nice to chat with other people who like to read as much as I do!

[Patricia]

Hi all! I'm excited for the Fall Challenge. My name is Patricia. I'm 30, married w/ no kids, live in NJ, and work in sales. The Summer Challenge was my first but I'm hooked! Bring on the fun!

[Avigail]

Hello people I am Avigail from Israel 28.5. I love to read I saw the summer challange a couple of days ago. So I decided to take part with the fall chalange.

[Sera]

Hi, all. I go by Sera on this site, but my real name is Victoria. I came in under the alias and many of my friends know me that way, which why I haven't changed it. I've just turned 42, and I live about an hour north of Philadelphis in PA. I've been married to my husband for 9 years, and we just had our first child, a little girl, who will be 7 months old soon. We also have a sweet Lab, who is in the picture with me.

I am a lawyer who works in NJ for a major international conglomerate. I have a very demanding job, and my husband stays home with our daughter. We are a non-traditional married couple in some ways, but our arrangement works well for us and we are sticking with it for now.

Reading is basically my only hobby at this point. Between work and my family, I don't have much free time to read, but I still manage to read at least one book a week. I try to read 30-60 minutes a day and at least two hours on each weekend day.

I absolutely love Cynthia's seasonal challenges. It makes reading even more fun, which I never thought could be possible. I also enjoy reading about the books that people select and read for these challenges, which has introduced me to many new works with which I probably wouldn't have become familiar.

I'm looking forward to improving on my scores, even though I haven't even come close to finishing yet.

Thanks for everything, Cynthia. You really are the best!

[Liz M]

Hello, I'm (yet another) Liz. I grew up & went to undergrad in Minnesota and then moved out east for grad school. I accidentally ended up in Brooklyn, NY (I never thought I'd want to live in NYC) and most of the time I love it here.

I work with the backstage folk for a non-profit performing arts organization, and although I love my job, there are days when I wish I had some mindless nightshift work where I could read for hours. When work is not crazy, I manage about a book a week, mostly "literature"-type books (I am addicted to "best xxx novels" lists and am determined to read as many as possible). I love the challenges because they help narrow down the 800+ to-read choices into a manageable number. Even better, I am sometimes "forced" to read something fluffier to finish those pesky two or three book challenges.

When I am not reading or working, I occasionally manage to take advantage of the city and go to a museum, see an outdoor free film, or eat a fabulous meal.

Happy reading everyone!

[Ashley]

Hi, I'm Ashley, I'm from the Central Valley in California and this will be my first challenge :) I joined TNBBC over the Summer and decided to try out the site before I jumped into the challenge for Summer, so I'm looking forward to doing it for fall. I'm 20 and a junior in college so I don't have a lot of time to read over the school year, but I don't want to get too behind on my reading so hopefully this will help! :)

[Kristine]

Hi, I'm Kristine from NJ. I'm 29, married, and I stay at home with my 15 month old daughter. I love to read, and read as much as I can. I'm really looking forward to this challenge! It should be fun!

[GracieKat]

HI! I'm Grace and I just started the Challenges with the Summer Challenge. I've really enjoyed doing it and I've also expanded my reading genres too. I'm from Michigan and hmm, let's see, I love to read!

[Marie]

Hello! My name is Marie, I'm 27 and I live in Paris, France, where I work as a project manager in IT services.
I've been doing the 2 last seasons challenge, and even if I hardly read 1/3 of the books of my lists each time, I can't wait for the Autumn one!

[Nicki]

Hi everyone! I'm Nicki and I live in the UK. I work from home as an editor after the office I worked in shut down earlier this year. It gets a bit lonely being freelance but no travelling to work = more time for reading or sewing, which is my other love (apart from the husband and two cats that is!)

The summer challenge has been my first and I've loved it. I haven't read this much for years - reading for a living sometimes puts me right off. I've found some great books and read lots of things that I've been wanting to try and some I've never heard of before but have been great. Looking forward to the autumn one!

[Jill]

Hi there everyone! I'm Jill and I live in Lancaster, PA - though I am originally from Mass (so all of towns referenced from the other Boston folk warmed my heart :)). I am 29, have a 5 year old daughter, work full time as an art director for a magazine & also do event planning & photography on the side. I keep myself very busy but there is always time left over for reading!

I have been checking out the other seasonal challenges for awhile and finally decided to take the plunge and give it a shot! I'm already enjoying the challenge of coming up with my reading list - I'm really excited to try reading some new genres and learn a lot from all of the other readers!

Thanks, Cynthia for organizing all of this - you did an excellent job!

[L.]

Hi, I'm Lene, I'm 28 years old and I'm from Norway. I just finished my studies (I'm now a librarian!) and I'm currently looking for a job, which means I've got plenty of time to read at the moment. So I've decided to participate in my first seasonal challenge. I'm a pretty slow reader so I'm not sure how far I'll get, but I'm definitely excited about it :)

[Amber]

I'm Amber and I've been a member of TNBBC for a while. I work as a branch manager for my local library system and I've been with them for just over 2 years now.
I'm a book-a-holic. I read while cooking, riding in the car (not driving lol), watching tv, and just about anywhere I can get away with it.
I have 3 kids (12,10,2). I'm from Georgia but lived in Oklahoma 10 years while hubby was in the Army. We moved back to Georgia after he retired from 20 years in the Army.

I've participated in past challenges though the summer I haven't been as active in because of our summer reading program here at the library. It was completely insane.
I really look forward to the fall challenge and think the separate group idea is fantastic.

Thanks Cynthia.

[Bridgit]

Hello there - my name is Bridgit and I am 27 and just got married about two months ago. I live in Manhattan and work full time in magazine publishing. We moved here about a year ago, and the one ultimatum that my husband had was that i was only allowed to bring ONE of my book cases. This was fairly traumatic for me, having to pair down from my 6 completely full book cases that I had when I was living in Washiongton DC. As it is, I moved my furniture and books to my old room in my mother's house and basically use it as my own personal revolving library, bringing back new books to my apartment and returning ones i have read every time i visit her. So far the system has been working, but i LONG for the day when we can get a house that is larger than our 600 sq ft apartment and have room for all my books again!!

Generally, I am a huge reader in the fall, winter and spring and read a lot less in the summer. Too much else to do!! So I have been pretty slow in the summer challenge, but I managed to finish the Spring one! Hoping to finish the Fall one too!

[AmyMK]

I'm Amy and recently moved back to Wisconsin after spending 8 years in Salem, Oregon. Of course, I picked the wrong time to move as the only job I've been able to find is at our local Piggly Wiggly! But, hey, it's a job and it has given me plenty of time to read this summer.

The summer challenge was my first and although I knew I had no chance of finishing it, I really am enjoying it! I like the variety of tasks and reading what everyone else chooses. And I really admire Cynthia's dedication to keeping track of it all!

[scherzo♫]

Hi! I'm Peggy in Mesa AZ -- using pjreads because I was, am and (almost) always will be reading. I just discovered Good Reads a couple of weeks ago and this will be my first challenge. I'm having fun finding books to fit the tasks -- feels like a scavenger hunt!

Thanks Cynthia for doing all this work for us!

[Terri]

What's a Piggly Wiggly?! (clueless Brit here lol!)

[Cynthia]

SuzieR wrote: "What's a Piggly Wiggly?! (clueless Brit here lol!)"It's a grocery store chain

[Lisa]

Hi, I'm Lisa. I just joined Goodreads a few weeks ago and saw the Summer Challange. I found it very intriguing so I thought I would try the Fall Challange. I'm 34 and have 2 children - a 4 year old and 10 month old. I don't know how successful I'll be but I'm going to try :)

[Nicole]

Hi everyone! I am Nicole. I just turned 30 this summer and I live in Columbus, Ohio with my husband, dog and cat. I am obsessed with reading and these challenges are just fueling that obsession in the best way! I am an English teacher, certified 7-12 and I currently teach 7th and 8th grade. I am proud to say I have managed to rub off on most of my students and they seem more excited about reading then they were when I first met them!

I am so glad Cynthia made this group and I am working hard to finish the Summer Challenge so I can write a task for the Fall Challenge!

WOOHOO!

[Donna Jo]

Hi, I'm Donna Jo. I live in Kansas in a suburb to Kansas City, but am an Iowan by birth and upbringing. If BJ Rose is your grandmother, I must be the grandmother on the other side of the family. My daughter is grown and I have a grand-dog and 2 grand-cats.

I'm a retired librarian with an interest in reading almost anything (except horror)--even cereal boxes and appliance manuals if worse comes to worse. I also love to travel, bake bread, and plan parties.

Cynthia's Challenges have been so much fun for me, especially since they have introduced me to a whole world of readers that I feel have become friends. I've been pushing everyone I know to join, including my sister Janice, who just finished the Spring Challenge too.

[Sara ♥]

Hi everyone!

Quick question for Cynthia: What does SCM stand for? Seasonal Challenge Manager?

(Déjà vu, by the way...)

[Madeline]

Hi, I'm Madeline. I'm 27 and originally from Alaska, which is still home to me, but currently I live with my husband in San Bruno, CA south of San Francisco. I'm an Illustrator and hope to translate that into Children's books some day. In addition to reading and art I also love video games, Epic TV(I'm talking series with substance) and travel. :D

This will be my third challenge. I love them! I don't ever hope to finish one but I love looking up books to fill the requirements and add on to my tbr list!

[Kristen]

Hi! I'm Kristen, I'm 24 and living in Illinois just north of Chicago. I work as a library media specialist in an elementary school and love my job. This is my third challenge coming up (I gave up on the last.. things were hectic!). I'm getting married in October, so I may get really busy soon.

[Britta]

Ello. ^__^ I'm Britta, and it looks like I'm younger than all of you.. I'm a reading, as well as a challenge and list-making addict!

I currently live in Dublin, Ireland, but I'm originally from Estonia, and I've lived in 4 countries so far. I'll be moving back to Estonia in a year though, sadly..

I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up! But I do want to work in a library or book shop, at least once in my life!

Concerning pets, the only pet I've ever had is a brown hare, who's still alive and kicking! But he lives with my grandma in Estonia, since it'd be hard to transport him..

I have two grandmas, and both of my granfathers are dead, but I also have a great-aunt, so it's alright! Oh, and I have an uncle, but no cousins. Not even one. And it turns out that I actually have a rather large family tree, at least on my dad's side!

Back to books, I've been reading Fantasy for most of my life, and I think that's where I'll stay! Home sweet home. Or at least fiction. And horror is also one of my favorites (Darren Shan, mostly.)
The Fall Challenge will be my first of Cynthia's Challenges. Here's to hoping it won't be the last! ^___^

[Jan (the Gryphon)]

A round of applause for Ms. Cynthia, who provides the Seasonal Challenges.
And a toast to my sister, Donna Jo, who got me started on this.

I'm Jan (even though the machine insists on the formality of Janice) a drafter and configuration control analyst for an aircraft manufacturer in South Central Kansas. I am married, with two grown children and a dog.

Another person who reads anything available, I find it annoying when people prevent me from reading bumper sticker maxims and t-shirt aphorisms.

I also write. Two of my short stories were published by Marion Zimmer Bradley (in FANTASY Magazine Spring 1990, and Sword and Sorceress XVIII, DAW 2001) One of these days, I'll have one of my novels published and you can all say, "I knew her when."

[Foxy Grandma]

Hi I am Beth. I am 47, and live in the beautiful foothills of NC and work as an IT Tech at a furniture mfg co. I have 4 children and 6 grandchildren who keep me very busy. But I still find time to read quite a bit. I have always had a book stuck in front of my face since I was about 4 years old.

I tend to be reading more than one book at a time. Usually one in the bedroom, one in the car, one in the reading room(bathroom LOL) and another one stuck somewhere. I enjoy most types of fiction and have way too many favorite authors to list. If I find an author I like, I tend to read everything they have written.

I am participating in the summer challenge and while I won't finish it, I have enjoyed rereading favorites and finding new books and authors to complete as many tasks as I can. I can already tell the Fall challenge is going to be even harder.

Thanks for doing this Cynthia, I can only imagine the hard work it takes to keep up with it all.

[April]

I really like this thread, it's nice getting to know all of you beyond your leaderboard position in relation to my leaderboard position LOL.

I'm April, I'm 22 and live in upstate NY aka the eighth circle of hell. I currently work in retail and try to sell people junk like CDs (I feel like I'm selling 8-tracks). I pine for my old job where I used to be able to hang around on goodreads and get paid decently for doing so. I will be student teaching during the duration of the fall challenge and a little bit into winter challenge. I'm not sure how student teaching is going to affect my challenge-completion abilities, but if this challenge isn't as epic as the summer challenge, I think I'll survive. When I'm not pricing things or ringing people up, you can find me hanging out with my boyfriend playing some Phase 10, reading, book-blogging, or going for a jog. Aside from being excited about the fall challenge, I am also excited for the return of The Office to TV. What else.. Oh, I am addicted to coffee, fine wines, and YA literature.

[Candace]

Sara wrote: "Hi everyone!

Quick question for Cynthia: What does SCM stand for? Seasonal Challenge Manager?

(Déjà vu, by the way...)"

Sara I think its for Seasonal Challenge Moderator...

[Candace]

April wrote: "I really like this thread, it's nice getting to know all of you beyond your leaderboard position in relation to my leaderboard position LOL.

I'm April, I'm 22 and live in upstate NY aka the eighth..."

April, I'm so glad there's another fan of The Office on here!!!! I'm so excited for the season premiere too!!! When does it come back? Do you know the date?

[Lyn (Readinghearts)]

Hi all - Thanks Cynthia for putting so much time and effort into this.

I'm Lyn and this is my first seasonal challenge( sounds like a support group greeting, huh). I have done other challenges with other groups, but just joined TNBBC at about the time that you all decided to set up a new group for the challenges. Anyway - I started planning my books yesterday and spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME on it, but had a great time picking out books. I consider myself and eclectic reader, so all the different genres and requirements are right up my alley!

SO - I am almost 54 (My bd is coming up) and live in the San Francisco Bay Area in CA with my husband of 26 years and a dog. My son is 19 and just starting his sophomore year in college at Oregon State next month. Right now he is home for the summer and I am really enjoying his company. Other than reading I like music of all types, stitching (crochet, knit, counted cross stitch), photography, and cooking. This summer Joe (my son) and I have been spending a lot of time cooking together, which has been fun.

I am retired after working 25 years at a large multi-national corp. as a business analyst, so I am enjoying my time to read and pursue other interests. In the last year I have really gotten back into nature photography and am loving it.

I have already learned a lot from all the questions and suggestions in the other threads, so I would like to thank you all for that. I look forward to chatting and getting to know everyone.

Regards!