Play Book Tag discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
2016-19 Activities & Challenges
>
Trim the TBR—September Planning and Reporting
Yes! My #3 is Beartown by Frederik Backman.In December, we discussed a buddy read with Nicole, Oliver, Margie, Charlotte, Joi and Diana. Would anyone else like to join in?
I've got my first Moriarty - Big Little Lies!
Jenny wrote: "I've got my first Moriarty - Big Little Lies!"Enjoy it! There is tv series of it now with Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, etc.
NancyJ wrote: "Yes! My #3 is Beartown by Frederik Backman.In December, we discussed a buddy read with Nicole, Oliver, Margie, Charlotte, Joi and Diana. Would anyone else like to join in?"
I switched up some of my choices during the midyear swap and took Beartown off the list. My #3 is Five Smooth Stones by Ann Fairbairn. This was a book I promised my mom I would read one day. She's been gone for 33 years but I'm sure she's happy I'm finally getting around to it.
I might go ahead and read Beartown too.
Excellent! My #3 is Exit West so it will fit cultural as well, woo hoo! Not super thrilled about this book because the reviews are so mixed which worries me, but I'll give it a chance.
Beartown and Big Little Lies are both awesome reads ;)
Mine is Angels in My Well, which I believe is also Cultural.
HELP! TRIM EMERGENCY!Turns out my Trim book #3, The Angel in My Well, is a 75 pager. Which is a nice gift from the gods, since I read a 750 page book in September, and I’m in an 800 one now. But this little thing is unfindable anywhere! The library network has no sign of it, and even my beloved Amazon only has a kindle copy! How might I find this thing and acquire a copy? Call the author? Librarians, any help on finding a publisher? Any suggestions? The book sounds great by the way. It may be a little religious and a little political. But I am going with it that I can deal with both!
You know how I said everything is Cultural, and look - everyone’s Trim IS cultural? Well... guess what ... mine is the only one that isn’t (hits head on metaphorical and cultural table). I got The Forever War. Which I’m actually excited about because my husband really really wants me to read it and whenever he talks about it he takes our copy from the bookshelf - and you can see how he hopes I will dump whatever I’m reading at the moment and take it from his hands and start reading.
So that’s gonna be nice
(unless I hate it)
Amy wrote: "HELP! TRIM EMERGENCY!Turns out my Trim book #3, The Angel in My Well, is a 75 pager. Which is a nice gift from the gods, since I read a 750 page book in September, and I’m in an 800 one now. But ..."
Can you not read it on Kindle? Even if you don't have a Kindle, you can download the app to your phone and read it there. It is definitely not my favorite way to read, but for only 75 pages it would be like 2 hours of reading, max.
Idit wrote: "You know how I said everything is Cultural, and look - everyone’s Trim IS cultural? Well... guess what ... mine is the only one that isn’t (hits head on metaphorical and cultural table). I got The..."
Mine isn't cultural either Idit. It is The Black Prism.
Johanne's comment made me realize that I should post a little reminder:To get the bonus points for fitting the monthly tag of "cultural," your Trim book must be tagged exactly "cultural" here on GR.
We are more flexible with the monthly tag, but are a bit more rigid with the challenges to keep them as fair and uniform as possible.
Well it is tagged "Cultural > France" by 55 people. So that would count?
Johanne wrote: "My #3 is Dora Bruder, and I don´t think it fits "cultural"."This book is actually tagged "cultural" -- check out page 7 of the tags!
And remember, you can collect the 2 bonus points for your Trim book fitting the monthly tag even if you do not personally want to report it in the Monthly Tag thread, but just report it in the Other Books thread. Does that make sense?
It is a little tricky because the monthly tag is "cultural" but think of them as two totally separate things that are not linked.
This applies to all members! It hurts my brain a bit to think about given the monthly tag, but the Trim challenge and monthly tag are really only linked through this bonus 2 points you can get here.
Nicole R wrote: "Johanne wrote: "My #3 is Dora Bruder, and I don´t think it fits "cultural"."This book is actually tagged "cultural" -- check out page 7 of the tags!
And remember, you can collect t..."
Oh, we commented at the same time :)
Johanne wrote: "Well it is tagged "Cultural > France" by 55 people. So that would count?"Just for the record in case others are wondering: no, that would not count.
@Meli - I too have Exit West as #3. I think we synced for that. Looking forward to it.
Welp. Looks like it's time for me to tackle Way of Kings again. Will the one female protagonist actually have relevance to the plot if I get past 200 pages? Time to find out!
My # 3 is The Eulogist, it is not tagged as Culture-but then only 223 on Gr's have read-No idea how it got on my shelf, but thank goodness my Library has a copy!I forget-for the Tag does it have to be "tagged" on GR's? Because my heart is telling me this book could be tagged that. Here is the opening "blurb" on MP
"From the author of The Water Dancers and Good Family, an exquisitely crafted novel, set in Ohio in the decades leading to the Civil War, that illuminates the immigrant experience, the injustice of slavery, and the debts human beings owe to one another, witnessed through the endeavors of one Irish-American family."
Any opinions?
NICOLE I do know I won't get the extra 2-
Hebah wrote: "Welp. Looks like it's time for me to tackle Way of Kings again. Will the one female protagonist actually have relevance to the plot if I get past 200 pages? Time to find out!"Heba-I am sorry (but not really-lol) that I took this one off my Trim, in July-I have tried 5 times....failed!
Joanne wrote: "I forget-for the Tag does it have to be "tagged" on GR's? Because my heart is telling me this book could be tagged that. Here is the opening "blurb" on MP"For Trim, the book has to be tagged exactly "cultural." But, you could report it Monthly Tag thread if you wanted!
Joanne wrote: "I am sorry (but not really-lol) that I took this one off my Trim, in July-I have tried 5 times....failed!"No worries :). This'll be attempt two for me, and me trying to dig out from a reading slump. Should be interesting.
Theresa wrote: "@Meli - I too have Exit West as #3. I think we sinked for that. Looking forward to it."Oh, great, thanks for the reminder!
I will open a buddy read thread by the first of the month so we, and anyone else who wants to join, can discuss the book.
My #3 is Death at Daisy's Folly. I'm looking forward to reading it though once again it doesn't have the monthly tag. I've only been lucky once with my trim book fitting the tag.
My #3 is An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny it is not tagged cultural, but it is tagged have an extra box of kleenex handy and cultural perspective. I understand that it has to be tagged cultural exactly, so it doesn't fit.
Booknblues wrote: "My #3 is An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny it is not tagged cultural, but it is tagged h..."It doesn't fit for this, but would totally work to review on the Monthly Tag thread/folder!
NancyJ wrote: "Yes! My #3 is Beartown by Frederik Backman.In December, we discussed a buddy read with Nicole, Oliver, Margie, Charlotte, Joi and Diana. Would anyone else like to join in?"
Me!
I love this movie so much, I am so looking forward to reading this book. September: #3
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride
Fits the September tag: cultural-No
Page Length of the book- 259 pages
As a rule of thumb, I would expect that few fantasy books would fit this tag.------------
To: Nicole, Oliver, Margie, Charlotte, Joi, Diana and Barbara, and anyone else reading Beartown
Beartown definitely qualifies for the Cultural Tag. The book is set in Sweden, the author is Swedish, and it was translated from Swedish. I think it also deals with a conflict between the town's espoused values versus how they really acted, so the culture will be clarified (or weakened) as a result of the case. More importantly for those who want to earn the Trim bonus points, the book has many cultural tags.
SouthWestZippy wrote: "I love this movie so much, I am so looking forward to reading this book. September: #3
[book:As You Wish..."
I did the audio of this one and absolutely loved it!!
Nicole R wrote: "It doesn't fit for this, but would totally work to review on the Monthly Tag thread/folder! ."Well, that is an idea. I was thinking of reading something else for the cultural tag, but it doesn't preclude me using this. I will probably use what ever I read from the Horizons tag as well for cultural.
Yep, my #3 is Beartown. I am ready for a Buddy Read. And .. fits the tag too! A double whammy!
NancyJ wrote: "Yes! My #3 is Beartown by Frederik Backman.In December, we discussed a buddy read with Nicole, Oliver, Margie, Charlotte, Joi and Diana. Would anyone else like to join in?"
I'm in for the Beartown discussion! And a plus that fits 'cultural' also. Couldn't believe it, my library had an e-copy available now! Only other copy was a large print, so I'll take what I can get. Will wait till September to start.
Well, I had high hopes for one of the Outlander books on my list to be chosen, as they would have all fit the Cultural Tag (and the supernatural tag). But nooooo! You would think that with TEN Outlander books on my list, more than one would be chosen by now, but the randomizer gods have not been with me in that way. Apparently they want me to read something other than the Outlander series LOL.I got Sarum by Rutherfurd. Sarum: The Novel of England This is another chonk of a book, so I am going to need the assistance of the audio version and am planning to plunk down a credit on Audible for it. Surprisingly, there are two versions on Audible. Neither are abridged, and I can't tell what the difference is.
Rachel N. wrote: "My #3 is Death at Daisy's Folly. I'm looking forward to reading it though once again it doesn't have the monthly tag. I've only been lucky once with my trim book fitting the tag."I really enjoy this series (The Victorian Mystery series.)
Joi wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Yes! My #3 is Beartown by Frederik Backman.In December, we discussed a buddy read with Nicole, Oliver, Margie, Charlotte, Joi and Diana. Would anyone else like to join in?"
I'm in..."
My local library has the print version available, so I'm headed there on my way home from work to pick it up and have it ready for Sept 1!! :)
SouthWestZippy wrote: "I love this movie so much, I am so looking forward to reading this book. September: #3
[book:As You Wish..."
Oooh -- Fun!
My book is The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld which doesn’t fit the horizons or monthly tag. I’ve fallen so behind in reading these last 6 weeks I’ll be happy to just get it read.
3. We never asked for wings-Vannessa Diffenbaugh
My #3 is Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors by James D. Hornfischer - should be interesting
Mine is Upstream by Sharon Butala. It might fit "cultural" as well, but it's not widely known or read, so hard to tell. Looks like it's about being French-Canadian. Not only that, possibly French-Canadian in Saskatchewan. The town I grew up in is primarily French-Canadian and it is in Saskatchewan (though Upstream is not set in the town I grew up in!). It is not my culture, but the culture is not unknown to me. I'm am hoping there is enough French-Canadian culture in it that I will feel comfortable counting it.
Well about my Trim emergency, I wrote to the author. I am hoping I can send him 5$ and he can just send me a paper copy. Or maybe he just emails it or something. I told him I was a strong Goodreads Reviewer and I am desperate to read it. Good suggestion Nicole, but no apps on my phone. Trying not to get into anything new. Recently put the NYT Crossword on my phone - sure that is a mistake....
Joy D wrote: "My #3 is Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors by James D. Hornfischer - should be interesting"I just added this one! You know I love a good WWII history book and I am trying to read more about the war in places other than Europe-Thanks for the tip and I look forward to your take!
Amy wrote: "Well about my Trim emergency, I wrote to the author. I am hoping I can send him 5$ and he can just send me a paper copy. Or maybe he just emails it or something. I told him I was a strong Goodreads..."If the Author does not come through Amy, see if your Library had kindles to borrow-I know that mine does-the will load the book and give a brief tutorial on use
Amy wrote: "Well about my Trim emergency, I wrote to the author. I am hoping I can send him 5$ and he can just send me a paper copy. Or maybe he just emails it or something. I told him I was a strong Goodreads..."You can also purchase the ebook through Google Books and read it on your computer if you do not want to download any apps to your phone, tablet, or computer. You just read directly in the browser I believe.
Charlotte wrote: "Joi wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Yes! My #3 is Beartown by Frederik Backman.In December, we discussed a buddy read with Nicole, Oliver, Margie, Charlotte, Joi and Diana. Would anyone else like to join ..."
I may have to oick up the print version as both audio and ebook are on wait lists!
Barbara wrote: "Charlotte wrote: "Joi wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Yes! My #3 is Beartown by Frederik Backman.In December, we discussed a buddy read with Nicole, Oliver, Margie, Charlotte, Joi and Diana. Would anyone ..."
There is another Backman book that follows this one. I think I'll put a request on that one too, especially since it will fit the tag.
Never thought of either of those suggestions, Joanne and Nicole! This will happen somehow. Wow, renting a candle from the library. Who would’ve thunk it?
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
The Forever War (other topics)Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits (other topics)
Less (other topics)
The Forever War (other topics)
Brave New World Revisited (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Dan Brown (other topics)Vanessa Diffenbaugh (other topics)
Ann Fairbairn (other topics)
Brent Weeks (other topics)
Terry Gamble (other topics)
More...
3
Head to your list that you posted in your personal challenge tracking thread, find your 3rd book, and get your hands on it! Reading cannot start until September 1, but this gives you a few days to get it physically in your possession.
Feel free to post here what your 3rd book is if you want to see if anyone else is reading it, but this is absolutely not required!
Once September 1st hits, then you can post your reviews here when you complete your book. Reviews must be at least 4 sentences long. Other things to include if it fits:
• Fits the September tag of cultural.
• Page length of the book.
Still working on your previous books? You can post your review here when you finish, but please label it clearly as your, e.g., #19-January book!
A note on page lengths:
To keep this fair, the official page count will be the hardcover edition OR, if there was no hardcover version, the format that the book was first published in. You can find these numbers on the book details page here on GR or you can also find them on Amazon.
This means your page length you are reporting only for this challenge may not EXACTLY match the edition you read, but it is the best way we can keep things even in the age where mass market paperback editions can have many more pages than other versions. This page length applies to audiobooks as well.
A reminder of the scoring:
• Read your book - 3 points
• Your completed book happens to fit the tag (must be tagged as such on GR) - 2 points (plus you'll get an additional 2 for posting your review in the Monthly Tag folder)
• Read the longest book among all people who completed their randomly assigned book in any given month - 5 points
• Read the most pages in any quarter (up to 3 books total and quarters are Jan-Mar, April-June, Jul-Sept, and Oct-Dec) - 25 points
• Read the most pages for the whole year (up to 12 books total) - 100 points
• Read the most books that fit a tag for the year - 25 points (totally random luck, but still fun!)
A note for people who start the challenge after January 1:
Whenever you join, if you want to participate in the current month, then Anita or I will randomize your list as described above, locking in the book for that month as well as the books for all previous months (exact number depending on when you join). Then, you can have the random number for the next month is announced to rearrange the order of the remaining books to align with any buddy reads or just going with your gut instincts!
Once the random number for the next month is announced, your list is locked and you cannot change it until our mid-year shake-up!
This seems like the best way for people to jump in at any point while still keeping things as fair as possible.
Reminder of numbers:
January: 19
February: 17
March: 34
April: 12
May: 24
June: 30
July: 23
August: 16
September: 3