Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion
The Floor is Lava
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Team Krakatoa Go Go
BTW, at least two other teams did The Good Math of Doom.😥
Does that mean we want to go up a level? I can’t read much today but I could knock out some short books tomorrow.
Done with my last!
megan wrote: "It’s very odd reading a book during a challenge that isn’t for the challenge. It’s like I’m betraying the NBRC squirrel gods."I know, right?
Alysa wrote: "@Erin - DON'T START YET!You can't start Round 2 books until Monday morning 7am EST!"
Ah good you said something lol
I swear my mind is in a fog lately.
Thankfully I haven't started anything yet.
Alysa wrote: "We only need 2 (or 3 for Magma), but it doesn't hurt anything if we have 4. Unless of course someone doesn't actually want to read the book they put in there."
I may switch mine then, just to save. Only have a few that fit and the I that I had is long
Plus a new series book from Ilona Andrews is coming out Tuesday that I want to read, so that would fit the I
There is a character named Ilona in that chunkster that I never got to read for Wheel. There is also a part-timer at my work IRL whose name is Ilona. Every time either one comes up, I am like “...Andrews?”
If someone else wants to add our latest word to the spreadsheet that would be good. I am on tablet right now and have technical difficulties.
I can help with book submissions tomorrow.
Haha, at least a couple other teams moving on up over 40 books... Only one has officially asked for the move to Magma so far though.ETA: now they have both asked. I wonder if there will be any more!
Sorry, totally forgot that I said I could do the submission. So I'm doing that now. 2 teams have asked to move up to Magma.
I copy/pasted our books and info for carnivorous onto the main spreadsheet. I'm just double checking that it's correct now.
Is there a reason why VERSION is highlighted a raspberry color?
OK I think we're good but people might want to double check their books, make sure it's the right edition and has read dates and such. Also the points got deleted on some of our planning sheet books. So there's more points on the main spreadsheet than the planning. Not sure if Alyssa noticed that when comparing us to other teams. But in looking at the current points, their are 3 teams with more points than us although none are a large amount ahead.
Also kind of glad that we didn't move up a level. The 2 teams that did, read 53 and 57 books. So reading just a few to bump up would probably have put us in last in Magma.
Yep. Position of weakness, yo.Though apparently we’re not that strong in Crater right now either, since we are not exactly near the top of the heap. I am still hoping another team or two moves to Magma, or at least gets dinged for something.
I wish we hadn’t gone straight for the shiny long words without doing more sophisticated math, but then again, if we had just done repeating ONs and INs for all our Round 1 words, we wouldn’t have so many of those letters available for the next Rounds. So maybe some of those other teams will burn out, or just run through all their short books too fast... 😏
I am excited to start next Lava books in the morning. In the meantime, I have spent a lot of time with my family, read Fence, Vol. 3, and read about 1/3 of The Brass God, that chunkster which I will sadly now set aside but happily pick back up whenever I cannot read for Lava.
Goodnight all!
Mary, Mary, Just a bit contrary wrote: "Is there a reason why VERSION is highlighted a raspberry color?"Yeah, just to visually divide words. I noticed that a lot of other teams were doing similar so thought it would be nice.
I wasn’t paying attention much to the point formulae on the planning spreadsheet in R1, since it’s just unofficial and was likely to get messed up, but I knew what our totals should be in the end, and for some comparison. I wasn’t regularly checking ALL the other teams words, and some of them waited a long time to fill in their stuff anyway.
I am also amused that the teams above us also tend to be the ones that are really quiet on their team threads... presumably because they all created secret groups. Meanies 😉
And thanks for updating the spreadsheet, Mary!
Tomorrow I will fix up our planning tab for R 2, since everyone seems to be okay with the chosen words. I will take out all the weird orangey stuff and put in the real formulae and such.
*** ETA: there is ONE other word/letter option that I missed, which will get us just 10 points more than what is currently in the planning tab for R 2. But it is more repetitive of our extant short words, and removes the final, longer W word.
Do y’all think it’s worth doing, just for those 10 points, or do we like the variety for a change? ***
Okay, really going to sleep now.
There was a part of me that was a little disappointed we didn't decide to go for Magma because I was done with my reading for this on Friday. But I'm glad we didn't because we'd have to keep it up. I enjoyed being able to watch a movie Friday night, listen to the radio on my Saturday errands and binge watch the Middle yesterday without feeling guilty.
It was a fun weekend, was able to have two days off and chill. And this weekend is a nice 3-day weekend upcoming. Ah, bliss!It's kind of good couldn't read much this weekend since didn't have a lot of time/mood anyway other than finishing up my little cozy mystery.
I need another reading mood to kick in anytime now!
I'm going to start the Flowertown audiobook this morning. Work is busy so maybe it will help me preserve some sanity?
Alysa wrote: "Mary, Mary, Just a bit contrary wrote: "Is there a reason why VERSION is highlighted a raspberry color?"Yeah, just to visually divide words. I noticed that a lot of other teams were doing similar..."
Let's go for it.
Mary, Mary, Just a bit contrary wrote: "But now that you mention Cynthia Eden I might peruse her books. I think I have a couple Kindle Freebies of hers.That didn't seem like a task that had to be run through tin eye.
eta: I found a co..."
BTW, I was able to snag my other “green item/acid in author name” book as a library Kindle loan, so that is still yet another backup if we do end up needing to switch stuff around when the time comes.
I just started my 400+ pager for the countdown. It’s a sequel that just came out a few weeks ago and I’ve been really looking forward to it, so, here’s hoping it is as good as its predecessor!
Our lobby is full of kids so I have to hold off on starting, it's distracting. A wilder Monday morning that usual >:(
My boss is leaving early today but the cleaner will be here so not sure how much listening I'll get done today beyond on my lunch break and this evening. I slept bad last night so I stayed in bed longer and didn't get my morning walk in today.
I was going to read the next book in my series that has the X character because he's not in this one but he is in the one after. I figured in case the word SIX appears in the tasks in a later round I'd be prepared. But it doesn't work for any of the open letters. It works for O or the D if we do WOULD.
I can remove one of my O ideas for the other words if you really wanna read it during this Round! (I think we should pass on WOULD and go for the higher points)There is practically guaranteed to be another chance at O's in the next round though, so you could always read both that book and the following one w/the X character during Round 3 if you end up not doing the O during R 2 for whatever reason.
I got a few chapter of my 400+ pager in, but I think during lunch I'll start my C-A-T in title book too, just to see if I like it enough to finish (I have such mixed reactions to books from the 50s and 60s)!
It works for more than O but none of the other letters were options for any of this rounds words. At least not with the usual series characters. I'll wait. I don't mind reading 2 close together if needed in a later round.
Yeah, it's just kind of a bummer to use a book that words for a "Rare" letter for something else, because then you don't have that book available anymore.In R 1 when I read Black Wings Beating, it turned out to have an N character, and we need lots of Ns in general, but I had to use it for D instead.
Anyway, I just prettied up the planning spreadsheet. :)
I'm wondering if we should have done or should do, the stuff for rejuvenating in case we do get dinged for something? Is that worth doing if we finish early again and have time to kill before the next round? Or would it not count?
And once again, boss (aka Mom) leaves early but our maintenance guy is camped out on the extra computer in my office. Grr. I like him but he does this weird not quite a whistle thing and I can't listen to my audio book when he's around.
Mary, Mary, Just a bit contrary wrote: "And once again, boss (aka Mom) leaves early but our maintenance guy is camped out on the extra computer in my office. Grr. I like him but he does this weird not quite a whistle thing and I can't li..."LOL For some reason I found this really amusing
I have been listening to Flowertown for hours, but it's soooo slow and not much has happened these first hours.
The non-whistle thing drives me up a freakin' wall.
Mary, Mary, Just a bit contrary wrote: "I'm wondering if we should have done or should do, the stuff for rejuvenating in case we do get dinged for something? Is that worth doing if we finish early again and have time to kill before the n..."I'm doing the Sept BOM, but it's for a task.
Any book we use for "Rejuvenating" has to be within our 40 books; it's not separate.
But I figure it's worth doing, just in case, like you said. Recursion can be used for the Sci-Fi task or for a spell-out if it fits. (Also, by the time Round 4 rolls around, that book will probably be considered a "prior BOM" and will be usable for Safe Zone 1, BUT I think you'd still get 15 Discussion points for participating for up to 1 month after the BOM start date.)
Bonus Fact: If people from "unijured" teams like us get picked to write DQs then that's fewer Rejuv points available to other teams, mmmwahahah!
I’m reading a book about Hurricane Katrina the week of the 14th anniversary. Also has a puppy as the focus of one of the main storylines and it’s international dog day.
I’m reading my black cover book tonight
I should have one of mine finished today, maybe even both if my luck holds.Happy Ilona Andrews release day all!
Wow Erin, good reading/listening!Just remember, if you finish both of your books today, you cannot start reading for the safe zones until everybody is done with the countdown tasks. At a guess based on tasks and what happened in R1, that'll probably be Thurs morning.
Alysa wrote: "Wow Erin, good reading/listening!Just remember, if you finish both of your books today, you cannot start reading for the safe zones until everybody is done with the countdown tasks. At a guess ba..."
Yeah I'm trying to time everything, so it's rather irritating waiting lol.
I have to have some books finished for another challenge by Thursday night, so I changed one for them as well since we won't be at that stage yet on our spreadsheet. Will have to do some switching around as needed.
I'm glad you clarified on the spreadsheet, since I would have assumed Group 1 would have gone before Group 2.I apparently need everything spelled out lately. Too many challenges, too many books, too little time I suppose.
Yeh, it's because I won't be allowed to finish Recursion until it officially becomes a Current BOM, on 2 Sept.I would like to start it on 1 Sept and finish it on 2 or 3 Sept, so as not to delay everyone finishing Group 3 for too long.
If we finish countdown and Group 2 really fast, and then everybody is waiting around for me to finish the last Group 1 task for ages with a bunch of half-finished Group 3 books, I will feel terrible.
If it looks like that might happen, we can consider doing Group 3 before Group 1. Then I'll just read Recursion last.
We can still start the books, just not finish, correct? Triple clarifying just in case.
Yes. We can start books for all 3 safe zones at the same time (once countdown tasks are done). We just cannot finish them concurrently.
Okay, thanks for the clarification.
Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* wrote: "Okay, thanks for the clarification."You should take the Ilona Andrews book off your "currently reading", even though you haven't started it yet according to your comments/updates. It's gonna look like you started it early, according to the GR dates, and we don't wanna risk getting dinged for that.
BTW, if anyone wants one of the slots I filled in for zone 3, just let me know. I tried to just fill in some harder letters but I'm not desperate to read any of those this round.
We'll see what people feel like reading when we get there. And how many books y'all end up having to half-finish while you wait for me to finish Recursion.
*hides*
Good news for me: I get to leave work nearly 2 hours early today! I'll actually be home before my daughter gets back from an after-camp playdate. So I will definitely be cramming in some good reading time.
I am really hoping we can finish Countdown Tasks by Thurs before lunchtime at the latest, because after that I will be on a plane, and I'll need to know whether or not I can read for safe zones on the plane, or if I have to wait.
Hah, "Safe Zones on a Plane". Way better than snakes.
Alysa wrote: "Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* wrote: "Okay, thanks for the clarification."You should take the Ilona Andrews book off your "currently reading", even though you haven't started it yet according to your..."
I thought you said it could be started before but not finished?
It was released today so added it to currently reading to make that comment on waiting to start it (too many interruptions and want to savor it when I get a chance). Ah, I see what you mean, not start until countdowns are done. Will change it to to be read again, which is technically true. I know if I started even the first page I would be unable to resist putting it down :p
I'm hoping to have my second countdown book finished tomorrow. Today was hectic. Did some other books in between that were short to finish up another challenge that has to have completions by Thursday so it doesn't interfere with this one.
I am almost done with my State in Title book, and will finish my 400+ page book either late tonight or sometime tomorrow morning :D
I’ll have my O book finished tomorrow morning
I just updated my book as finished on the spreadsheets.I'm hoping the hurricane does not hit us this weekend - I'm in central florida where it's currently projecting. If worse comes to worse and it does, then my activity for updating or Goodreads time will be spotty for a bit after landfall this upcoming weekend.
Nothing But Reading Challenges
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Lol. Well if it’s eligible by length we can still see where it fits vis-a-vis our Crater/Magma decision. ;D
Has anyone heard from Erin since yesterday?