Read-a-thon #3 - Team 4 Group Discussion

[Bana AZ]

For prompt 22, the AtY challenge, my 2 finished books can go to there I think since it's an overlapping challenge, that is if I understood overlapping challenges correctly.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Yes! So we have also cleared #22 on the second board!

[Jody]

You can add another 4 hours to my audio total - the last 1/2 hour of Dad Is Fat, which I didn't count anywhere, and the other 3.5 hours from Columbine. 😊 I'll convert the remainder of Columbine that I listen to into pages, as I've hit the 9 hour audio limit. I'll definitely be finishing that one by tomorrow, as I have less than an hour to go. It really is excellent.

[Hilde]

Are you able to see board #2 in message 1? Nor the picture or the link are working here.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I'm getting an image error too, Hilde.

[Liz]

I only read 38 pages yesterday. I was spending too much time online & not enough time in my books!

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

I've been having issues with the image uploading site today. Oddly enough, I tried a different site and it wasn't working either. I thought I had finally gotten it to work. I'll re-attempt with the updates.

[Hilde]

Ah, ok. Thanks, Laura!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Same, Liz. Same.

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

They're showing up correctly on my browser now. If people are still having issues then I might need to troubleshoot more after I get home from work. School networks tend to not like imaging sites.

[Jody]

I've finished Columbine, but I don't think it counts for any available board spots.

[Hilde]

Thanks, Laura - I can see it now :)

[Hilde]

I just finished a short story from My Best Stories by Alice Munro in one sitting, so that can work for #21. The story is titled 'Princess Ida', and was 29 pages.

[Christine]

I just finished 2 audio hours on Pond Scum

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Jody, I added as a book read!

Hilde, I updated your pages and added your story to 2-29.

Christine, I think you may be in the wrong group lol.

Laura, we are ready to reveal #29 on board 2.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I can see the board now, Laura, but I am at a complete loss for what those covers are on the second board!

[Samantha]

Emily wrote: "I can see the board now, Laura, but I am at a complete loss for what those covers are on the second board!"

I found the first cover! It's (view spoiler)[Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion (hide spoiler)]

Also - I listened to 5h of The 5th Horseman between today and yesterday. I love long flights :)

[Liz]

I think I know three of the books:
(view spoiler)[
3. The Fellowship of the Ring
4. Watership Down
6. Shiver (hide spoiler)]

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

Emily, can you clarify which square you meant in message 215? We don't have 29 squares ;)

[Hilde]

It should be #21 for the story read in one sitting :)

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

Got it! Updating it now.

[Jody]

Emily, you can add 193 pages for me today please!

[Hilde]

Btw, good guessing Liz! I don't have a clue for any of those yet, so I'll hold off on looking at the spoiler to see if I get it when we receive more clues ;)

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Whoops. Sorry Laura haha!

Jody, you are updated! Congrats on a great reading day!

[Samantha]

I finished The Lies We Told, it is for ATY Challenge and is a mystery thriller.

I have read a total of a total of 585 pages and listened to 6 hours of audio book.

[Tammy]

I haven't read much today. I have a confession to make...I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing a day or two ago and I've been tidying! I took every piece of my daughter's clothing in the house, piled them in her room, and made her tell me what sparked joy in her heart. She went from not being able to close her dresser drawers and having clothes overflowing in two closets to drawers that glide open and only one closet of clothes 2/3 of the way filled. Today she did her books and she decreased them by 75% while I started on my clothing. I've made a very good dent tonight. Thank you for letting me express my joy! Now I'll go back to reading about Lizzy Borden.

[Bana AZ]

The fifth book on the second board is (view spoiler)[Hyperion by Dan Simmons (hide spoiler)] :D

[Bana AZ]

Tammy wrote: "I haven't read much today. I have a confession to make...I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing a day or two ago and I've been..."

I am jealous. I've read the book and the the illustrated manual but I still haven't really actually done her method. I hope you and your daughter finish tidying. :)

[Liz]

Tammy, that’s incredible!! I had such a hard time with the “sparks joy” concept & didn’t get rid of as much as I’d hoped. I had things that didn’t spark joy, but they were good basics, & then I just couldn’t get my head to move beyond that. Did you have a hard time with that? I would love to declutter again.

[Tammy]

Liz wrote: "Tammy, that’s incredible!! I had such a hard time with the “sparks joy” concept & didn’t get rid of as much as I’d hoped. I had things that didn’t spark joy, but they were good basics, & then I jus..."

The joy bit is hard, especially if you are practical and have a limited income. I had the hardest time on things that I like but don't need so much of; items like leisure clothing. In my heart I know I don't need so much and could live happily with a two week cycle worth of clothing. I was broad with my interpretation of joy. I ditched all the hard scratchy t-shirts, ones that had become misshapen, and ones that I love but had gotten their fair share of love. Her folding method is ingenious. I think she's completely crazy and OCD, but her method rings true to me. I'm going all the way. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

[Hilde]

Tammy wrote: "Liz wrote: "Tammy, that’s incredible!! I had such a hard time with the “sparks joy” concept & didn’t get rid of as much as I’d hoped. I had things that didn’t spark joy, but they were good basics, ..."

Interesting, I'm doing the same right now as well. But that's only because I'm about to move, and have to declutter the apartment before we put it out on the market for sale. I didn't think I collected that much stuff, but oh man it does tend to fill up with crap easily.. It gets cumbersome though, I'm quite tired of it now.

On the book side, I finished The Sense of an Ending on my way to work today. Turns out I only had 10 minutes left from where I left it yesterday, which I didn't realise until today, lol. I quite like the cover, so it could work for #19. It could also potentially work for #10 (romance element). It is certainly not a romance novel, but the protagonist is a man in his 60s who reflects on events in his past including past friendships and past relationships, hence the romance element. What do you think? It's also an ATY book.

I also participated in the list making process.

And yay, it's Friday!

[Jody]

What did you think of the audio version, Hilda? I’ve heard really good things about it, and I’m thinking of giving it a go after the one I’m listening to now.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Spreadsheet updated!

Hilde, I put it under romance element since we haven't had anyone commit to that space yet, and I'm about to finish A Visit from the Goon Squad for the pretty cover.

Laura, we can clear spaces 10 and 14!

I haven't read Konde's book, but I am such a declutter freak. It drives me nuts when the house isn't tidy, and I'm always clearing things out of my closet. It's definitely hard living with my husband, who still has clothes in his closet from college and refuses to part with them because "one day..." He does balance me, though, because I'd probably get rid of everything and he forces me to stop and evaluate.

[Jody]

Emily wrote: "I haven't read Konde's book, but I am such a declutter freak. It drives me nuts when the house isn't tidy, and I'm always clearing things out of my closet. It's definitely hard living with my husband, who still has clothes in his closet from college and refuses to part with them because "one day..." He does balance me, though, because I'd probably get rid of everything and he forces me to stop and evaluate. "

I'm with you. My ex-husband (who lives with us ... yay, my life is fun!) is a huge hoarder and the polar opposite to me in terms of pretty much everything when it comes to living space. Sadly my daughter seems to have inherited his hoarding tendencies, so I'm constantly battling to get rid of crap. I had so much fun when we first moved from Brisbane to Melbourne and I could clear out our house while he was working down in Melbourne. We had a skip bin positioned underneath the window (high-set house) and I was gleefully tossing things out the window like some mildly evil Disney princess. Then when we were moving from Melbourne to Switzerland, more decluttering as we knew we had to downsize. I was in my element.

I just finished an hour of decluttering & sorting of her toy "bits and pieces", and it's in that delightful stage where everything is spread out to organise, and even that is doing my head in. I hate clutter.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Jody wrote: "Emily wrote: "I haven't read Konde's book, but I am such a declutter freak. It drives me nuts when the house isn't tidy, and I'm always clearing things out of my closet. It's definitely hard living..."

Jody! I have so many questions.... you live with your ex-husband?! That sounds AWFUL.

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

The board has been updated and there is a new cover to guess! I'm at work again but I think I figured out the uploading issues. So hopefully it works...

[Hilde]

Jody wrote: "What did you think of the audio version, Hilda? I’ve heard really good things about it, and I’m thinking of giving it a go after the one I’m listening to now."

The book was great, made me reflect as well. Read by Richard Morant if you have heard anything by him before. I become very invested in the book, and I sort of wish I could have finished it in one sitting.

[Jody]

Emily wrote: "Jody! I have so many questions.... you live with your ex-husband?! That sounds AWFUL."

It's not fun, that's for sure. You can PM me if you have any burning questions. 😉

[Michelle]

My page count is at 719 now.

I just completed Song of a Captive Bird which is an ATY book. It could also count for “a book with a beautiful cover” prompt.

And I also forgot to mention that I read Siege and Storm before this.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Updated!

Jody, I'll hold my curiosity haha!

[Joan]

I finished There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby: Scary Fairy Tales

It can count for a book with a red cover or a book with the letters FALL in it. Wherever you need it to go.

[Joan]

There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby: Scary Fairy Tales - was 206 pages so my page count is at 595 now.

[Joan]

My favorite book to movie adaptation would be Divergent (and it has nothing to do with how cute Four is - I wouldn't believe that if I were you)

[Samantha]

Joan wrote: "My favorite book to movie adaptation would be Divergent (and it has nothing to do with how cute Four is - I wouldn't believe that if I were you)"

That is too funny!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Laura, you can reveal #20! And yes, Four is basically the only reason I love the Divergent movies (although the book is phenomenal!)

[Jody]

Only 54 pages from me today, sorry! Just listening to Dark Matter.

How are you feeling now Emily? All recovered?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Slowly but surely! I was able to eat a whole sandwich today, so that was good. Football season is starting up at our school again (I'm the cheerleading sponsor), so I'll be sitting in the heat and wishing I could have some stadium food tonight haha!

I am kind of bummed that I won't be meeting my August goal of finishing A Visit from the Goon Squad tonight. I should finish it tomorrow morning though.

[Samantha]

I finished The Best Kind of People for a total of 11 hours of audio book.

I voted in the 10 mini poll.

[Joan]

I was looking at the spreadsheet and the total book count for me should be 3. All of mine were for the ATY challenge but it looks like that doesn't matter now.

[Joan]

So I noticed that in the title for my book There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby: Scary Fairy Tales the F falls after the colon. I guess that's ok. I panicked because when I saw it on the spreadsheet there wasn't an F and I couldn't figure out why I thought it had FALL in the title.