The Amazing Race Team Challenge - Loitering Layabouts (1) Showing 851-900 of 1,155

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Huh - thought I owned the book already, and my shelving showed it as such, but had to get it on KU. No record of the purchase on Amazon... But whispersync'd still, so I'm good :)

[Lisa]

Call came early and I had a couple of hours before 9-1-1.

[Shannon]

Task 23 Completion Post
New to Me Author


Gunnar's Guardian by Pandora Pine
Pages: 247
Qualification: Never read Pandora Pine
Read Shelf: Read
Author Search: HERE
Read: 5/26/20
Rating: ★★★★

So, so glad I finally read one of her books. Pleasantly surprised!!

[*book:Gunnar's Guardian|53311074]

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Shannon wrote: "Task 23 Completion Post
New to Me Author


Gunnar's Guardian by Pandora Pine
Pages: 247
Qualification: Never read Pandora Pine
Read: 5/26/20
Ra..."

Hey Shannon - don't forget to link to your 'read shelf' in the completion post (How it qualifies) to prove that this book has been completed and filed as 'read'. That's how Kat is checking...

Please include a link to your read shelf in your completion post - that is how I will be confirming your books.

[Shannon]

Jane (PS) wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Task 23 Completion Post
New to Me Author


Gunnar's Guardian by Pandora Pine
Pages: 247
Qualification: Never read Pandora Pine
..."

I was wondering what that comment above was about. Sheesh. Done!

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Thanks Shannon 😁

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Task 23: #6. Each player reads a book by a new to you author - no pass for this task.
COMPLETION


Heart Trouble by DJ Jamison
Pages: 164pp 1st Kindle ed/GR
How it qualifies: Jane's read shelf
And M's search option: Filtered search by author name

3.5 stars. Sweet story and just what I needed right now :) I'd read more from this author when I don't want anything complex or detailed.

[*book:Heart Trouble|32471596]

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

Completion Post

Task 23: 6 - Each player reads a book by a new to you author.

The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards
Page Count: 368/GR Kindle
How it Qualifies: Read Shelf (Link with Author filtered HERE)
Date Completed: 27May2020
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Holy crap. I was not expecting a book with that cover to be this dark, gritty, violent...and so damned good! The world-building is phenomenal and the characterization was exceptional. The only reason it didn't get that last half-star is my own fault: I had a hard time keeping up.

See, first of all, Josh Hurley is an amazing narrator. Like, top-notch. I've listened to him on other audiobooks and he was good - but here he shines. A lot of performers tend to just use falsetto for female character voices but in a couple of cases here, it sounds much more feminine. Loved that. But he also has great cadence and pacing...so much so that I actually had to listen at ONLY 1.0X speed. That's incredibly rare for me. In fact, I started at the usual 1.25X - and then had to start the book over when I realized that was too fast and I was missing stuff.

Also, this story was very intricate and complicated and...well, I love it when an author expects us to keep up and know stuff - but I couldn't keep up! Had to start again! I think I may have been a bit distracted, too...and you can't listen to this book and not pay attention. In fact, as much as I thought of JH's narration, it might be better served for those of us that sometimes listen with half an ear to maybe read this one. For that reason, it's going on the re-read shelf because I am pretty sure I didn't absorb everything.

And re-read it I will - especially since there's a sequel!

[*book:The Last Sun|36466732]

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

Posted in the completion thread!

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Love the author filtered shelf - thanks!

Jane and Michaelle you both have typos in your page counts. 😉 No worries, this task wasn't page count dependent and your books qualified.

You are on the list to get your next task tomorrow. 😊

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

MountainKat wrote: "Love the author filtered shelf - thanks!

Jane and Michaelle you both have typos in your page counts. 😉 No worries, this task wasn't page count dependent and your books qualified.

You are on the l..."

OMG - how can I be out by 2 pages? Fixed!

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

⚣Michaelle⚣ wrote: "Completion Post

Task 23: 6 - Each player reads a book by a new to you author.

The Last Sun

...but I couldn't keep up! Had to start again! ..."

Whoa. This is on my shelf to read as well, and I very briefly contemplated it, but I wanted a simple and easy book (which is what I read and enjoyed ;).

Thank heavens I didn't tackle this! I'll definitely save it for when I have time and long drive in front of me (after COVID-19)!!!

...Not sure I've listened to Josh Hurley before... Will have to see what else he has narrated.

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

Page count for both my entries fixed.

LOL, I should have realized that a 13+ hour book would be more than 300pgs!

[Shannon]

I will be home shopping in Oregon tomorrow so if it’s a group choice you three just pick and I’ll read a book when I see what you guys picked.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Shannon wrote: "I will be home shopping in Oregon tomorrow so if it’s a group choice you three just pick and I’ll read a book when I see what you guys picked."

Good luck!

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Here is Task 24:

76. Read 4 books initially published in different decades.

Make sure you use the first date published to determine your decade. I'm going to be nice and say that decades begin, rather than end, at 0. 😊

ETA: Everyone needs to read books from different decades if that wasn't clear.

[Lisa]

Task 24
Selection Post
First published in 1973 ( so 1970's)
Death Claims
170 pages /GR


Going to take the opportunity to continue this series.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

*phew* Thanks Kat for the '0' and thanks Lisa for taking the 1970s!

This leaves the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s. or anything before the 70s....

I'll have a look for the earlier ones so that it makes it easy for Shannon and Michaelle :)

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Task 24: #76. Read 4 books initially published in different decades.
Selection


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Pages: 240pp 1st Kindle ed/GR pub 18 May 2004 (that I could find)
How it qualifies: first published 31 July 2003 (per book page) - decade 2000s

[*book:The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|6566798]

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

Selection Post

Task 24: #76 - Read 4 books initially published in different decades.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Page Count: 222/GR Kindle
How it Qualifies: First Published Feb 1999 (1990s)

[*book:The Perks of Being a Wallflower|8606706]

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

I hope that's the right link; there's like 6987 different versions!

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

⚣Michaelle⚣ wrote: "I hope that's the right link; there's like 6987 different versions!"

Same with mine! I sorted by format then tried to find the earliest Kindle...

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

I tried that with the "original date published" and "date published" with "Kindle" format and it kept giving me the editions from the 2010s. So I just kept it at "Kindle" and used "num ratings" to get one from the 90s. It really shouldn't be that hard!

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

And I'm glad Lisa took the 70s because the only one I want to listed to is a re-read of Fadeout...which I already used for this challenge so I can't pick that one!

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

Also, this one is going to be a slog if the whole freaking thing is epistolary. The narrator sounds cute, though.

(This is what happens when you don't read the reviews, put a book on your shelf because it fit another challenge - YA Genre - and you have easy access to it via the library. *sigh*)

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

⚣Michaelle⚣ wrote: "Also, this one is going to be a slog if the whole freaking thing is epistolary. The narrator sounds cute, though.

(This is what happens when you don't read the reviews, put a book on your shelf be..."

You could have read a new release you know :) If your selection is too much, just swap to something from 2020 as that covers the current decade...

[Shannon]

Thanks for saving the easy for me guys!! Found a couple of houses that could work. Might have to post them here and have you guys choose. lol

I'll read this one tonight because I'm out again tomorrow!!

[Shannon]

Selection Post

Task 24 Selection Post
Read 4 books initially published in different decades


First Kiss by Elouise East
Pages: 172
Qualification: Published 2019 (2010's)....Is that even right 2010?

[*book:First Kiss|50859957]

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

Jane (PS) wrote: "You could have read a new release you know :) If your selection is too much, just swap to something from 2020 as that covers the current decade..."

I wanted to leave more options for Shannon since she was going to be so busy.

And it's not so bad. I mean, I don't get the hype that it seemed to have generated in the past 2 decades (and since the movie) but whatever. I'll probably watch the movie at some point to see how they dealt with a book with so much stuff packed into it.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Shannon wrote: "Selection Post

Is that even right 2010?..."

Yes - that's how I read the task :)

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Shannon wrote: "Thanks for saving the easy for me guys!! Found a couple of houses that could work. Might have to post them here and have you guys choose. lol

I'll read this one tonight because I'm out again tomor..."

Would love to see the options LOL!!

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

⚣Michaelle⚣ wrote: "Jane (PS) wrote: "You could have read a new release you know :) If your selection is too much, just swap to something from 2020 as that covers the current decade..."

I wanted to leave more options..."

Have to say, I'm loving my book so far. Just needed the excuse!

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

Completion Post

Task 24: #76 - Read 4 books initially published in different decades.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Page Count: 222/GR Kindle
How it Qualifies: First Published Feb 1999 (1990s)
Date Completed: 28May2020
Rating: 3 Stars
Review: So I really should have read some reviews before I picked this one to listen to for a challenge; at first I was a little put off by the epistolary form, but after a while that stopped being an issue. I haven't seen the movie so I am assuming it took a much different form anyway.

See, I want to say that I am not the target audience...but I read A LOT of YA books in April and I think I rated most of them pretty high - so that wasn't the problem. There was just SO MUCH in here that wasn't really unpacked. Abuse, drugs, rape, mental illness, suicide, teen pregnancy, sex...all just sort of there. I mean, yeah, it's there in real life but in fiction I expect there to be some sort of exploration of the issues. About the only scene that I felt got that was the one with his grandpa telling the story of how he beat up his sisters for getting bad grades. His method to keep any of the rest of his family from working in the mill (or other low-wage job) was uncomfortable to listen to, but it felt like it fit the time period. And that pride at how Charlie's brother was in college, the silent crying watching him play football on tv and how seeing that made Charlie feel...well, that was what I wanted from the whole book.

There were a lot of references to other works of literary fiction - some great, some overrated - and every time Catcher in the Rye was mentioned I kept thinking how much this book reminded me of that in certain ways...but it didn't quite measure up. (And I'm not all that gaga about CitR anymore - it was AMAZING to me as a teen; as an adult? Not so much.)

But I did appreciate the narration. Noah Galvin had the perfect voice for a character Charlie's age and did a great job.

Maybe I should watch the movie? (I can't think of many that were ever better than their books, though.)

[*book:The Perks of Being a Wallflower|8606706]

[Lisa]

Task 24
Completion Post
First published in 1973 ( so 1970's)
Death Claims
170 pages /GR
Date read: 05/29/20
4 stars

Finally Dave has a boyfriend but its not plain sailing as they are both living with ghosts of deceased partners. That said there are only a few scenes with both of them in. The book mostly concentrates on the mystery, and again its a good one.

[Lisa]

Now I have a dilemma. Book 3 of my series isn't available on Amazon as a Kindle book. I can buy the paperback for $1012 and I can get an audible trial.
I am not a listener of books. I do not have the patience, why invest 6 or 8 hours when I can read a book in less than 2?
Libraries are closed in the UK so I am not sure if they have it or maybe an e copy.

Also which idiot decided it was a good idea to bring up all unread posts for a group when you hit the little button under the last topic on the discussion page. You used to get just another 6 or so topics. Urgh!

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

I checked and how weird is it that my library also only has the first 2 on ebook, but the audios for almost all of them are available or are on Hoopla (which I get a small subscription for with my library membership)?

Only first 2 are on Scribd as well!?!?!

And I never use anything but the notifications under the bell...so I wouldn't even notice if there was a change.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

I noticed the change this afternoon Lisa! And I keep going to click on it, and all I want to do is expand to the normal 8 topics but have to shift to the other side now...

Hells bells - that's a crazy expensive book at over $1k.

[Lisa]

I keep clicking it as well. The air is blue here.

Why didn't the idiot add the new button on the left side and left the other where it was.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Exactly!! 🧐

[Shannon]

Task 24 Completion Post
Read 4 books initially published in different decades


First Kiss by Elouise East
Pages: 172
Qualification: Published 2019 (2010's)
Read: 5/29/20
Rating: ★★★★

Me likey the taboo so this was a great read for me.

[*book:First Kiss|50859957]

[Shannon]

I don't know if zillow links will work out of country but these are my 2 favorite from yesterday....

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/23...

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/68...

[Shannon]

And I'm off for day 2. Gotta pick one today. Not stressful at all!!

[Lisa]

What beautiful homes. I think I like the first one best.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Ooh - that's hard. Love the open plan living in both, the house finish in the first one, but that open space over the field behind really grabs me on the second home!

I guess I'd want to know what the zoning is on the land behind the second one to know if I'd have a house on my tail in 5 years time as the field is built out. And if they crop on it, forget it - you'd have dust all through the house for half a year. ...but it looks more like parkland?

And of course, there's an attic in the first, which would give you a point in Scav Hunt 🤪

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Task 24: #76. Read 4 books initially published in different decades.
COMPLETION


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Pages: 240pp 1st Kindle ed/GR pub 18 May 2004 (that I could find)
How it qualifies: first published 31 July 2003 (per book page) - decade 2000s

Rating: 4.5 stars
A sweet story told from our 15 year old protagonist's view, that highlights the difficulties of raising a child with special needs. (view spoiler)[I truly felt for the father and his silly couple of mistakes. (hide spoiler)]

[*book:The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|6566798]

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Completion posted in Tracking thread :)

[MountainKat, Moderator]

On the list for tomorrow! Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day.

Good luck choosing Shannon! The first house looks amazing, but the location of the second by the river is appealing. I think those areas are newer than my experience in the Portland area, but it is a lovely part of the country!

[Shannon]

Jane (PS) wrote: "Ooh - that's hard. Love the open plan living in both, the house finish in the first one, but that open space over the field behind really grabs me on the second home!

I guess I'd want to know what..."

Ok. On the first house (contemporary one) it needs some work like the outside of the house painted and new carpet....and they got an offer for 4k less than asking and rejected it. 4k? Really? This lady has a closet full of LV purses and Gucci sweatshirts and she's worried about 4k? That's 1 bag!!

The second one is the one I think we're going to go with because we found out that lovely field behind the house cannot be built on for at least 25 years. It's been willed to our university for testing things. Hopefully not icky things.

A few things I learned about myself....I was acting kind of douchey. I didn't mean to but I found myself saying super weird things like "Oh that house is only in the 600s, it must be crappy". What? When in my life did I ever think I would be buying a freaking house in the 600s? Never, that's when! What happens when your budget is like 2 million. All those houses look crazy fancy to me but would I then complain about the color of crickets in the back yard? You know? It's gross!!

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

Okay, I have to work tomorrow but I've loaded my kindle and have a bunch of audios to pick from on Audible, Hoopla and my library. I'll go with the majority decision if the call comes after I've left for the store.

Otherwise, I'll check the app (yuck) on my break.

[Lisa]

Shannon wrote: "Jane (PS) wrote: "Ooh - that's hard. Love the open plan living in both, the house finish in the first one, but that open space over the field behind really grabs me on the second home!

I guess I'd..."

I was going to say I hope its not a body farm.