Team Chaotic Cooks

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Team Chaotic Cooks




Team members
❅Bethany
❅Cyndeee
❅Judy
❅SandyL
❅Nayara
❅Sharon

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Team Spreadsheet

Status Sheet

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

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[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

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[Judy]

Hi everyone! I'm Judy and I'm from Germany. Lovely to meet you all! :)

[Nayara]

Hi! I'm Nayara from Brazil. I'm new to this group but I love reading challenges. I usually read a lot of all kinds of romance books, urban fantasy and fantasy.
Nice to meet everyone and I'm so excited to this!

[Bety]

Good morning from America! I'm Bethany, and I'll read pretty much everything but romance (which I'll still read if it's a perfect fit for a task challenge, but I won't like it :P). Sci Fi and Fantasy are my go-tos.

What length of book does everyone usually read?
"Fresh meals"? (50-160 pages)
"Frozen meals"? (160-500 pages)
"Drinks, desserts & cocktails"? (500+ pages)

Most books I read are in the 160+ range but I have a fair number of very short books on my shelf that I can speed through to get "fresh meals".

[Bety]

Also, anyone else already have specific books planned for the challenge?

I'm planning on reading what's left of the Hannah Swenson series (book 21-27, plus some books set in between the "main" books that I never read) because each book contains literally a hundred or more mentions of food!

I'll also be reading A Killing Frost which comes out a couple weeks before the challenge starts (I can hold out I promise), and Battle Ground and Dead Lies Dreaming which come out during the challenge. All three mention coffee pretty much every book, so it will at least fill some scavenger hunt challenge!

[[deleted user]]

Hi all! I'm also in the USA. Unlike Bethany, I'm a sucker for the romance books...almost any genre/troupe too! I also enjoy a good psychological thriller, true crime, and biographies. I'm not big into sci fi or fantasy, but I've been known to love a few too, so I don't discount anything until I've tried it.

My books are always in the 200+ page range unless I'm reading something specifically for a challenge or a novella from a series I'm in to, but I don't mind seeking out some with smaller page numbers for this!

I haven't planned out anything specifically for this challenge yet, but I feel like everything I read mentions food and coffee. :)

[Judy]

I'm usually in the "frozen" range but since we're allowed to get graphic novels & novellas in, I'll have a few of those as well! Depending on my required reading for grad school, I should have a couple 500+ books on my TBR as well :)

I don't have any specific plans yet – just got done with the wheel and the last round was utter madness for us, I'm still recovering!

I definitely want to continue on my Cleaning Out the TBR Closet list - I fiiiiinally want to do it this year (and since I may actually finally be moving halfway around the world in January, I should really read all those books... I was supposed to move in August but eh, Not a Good Time)

[Judy]

I read a variety of genres, but I've really leaned into romance recently, contemporary & historical. I also love my fair share of sci-fi and fantasy and have been reading a lot of nonfiction recently.

[SandyL]

Hi Cookies!!! (love the team name, Bethany!)

I'm Sandy from California. I mostly read romance, and most of my books are in the 300 page range, but I can find other stuff and I do occasionally read other genres for challenges. I've got a couple of 500+ books I eventually want to read.

I don't have any books planned - I'm a mood reader.

[Bety]

SandyL wrote: "Hi Cookies!!! (love the team name, Bethany!)

I'm Sandy from California. I mostly read romance, and most of my books are in the 300 page range, but I can find other stuff and I do occasionally read..."

I'm a combo of a mood reader and a planning reader. Actually I like to have plans for what I'm going to read and then ignore those plans. :P

[SandyL]

I thought I'd give you all a little puppy goodness this morning (I'm fostering a mama and her 9 puppies right now - they'll be 7 weeks tomorrow)

[Judy]

Awwwwwwwww 😍😍😍😍😍

[Bety]

SandyL wrote: "I thought I'd give you all a little puppy goodness this morning (I'm fostering a mama and her 9 puppies right now - they'll be 7 weeks tomorrow)

"

SandyL wrote: "I thought I'd give you all a little puppy goodness this morning (I'm fostering a mama and her 9 puppies right now - they'll be 7 weeks tomorrow)

"

OH MY GOD THEY ARE CUTE

[Nayara]

Awwwww

[Sharon]

Hi everyone, I'm Sharon from Pennsylvania. Happy to be on the team :)

Cyndee, it looks like you and I have similar tastes in books. I love mystery/thrillers and am a sucker for romance books. Those are usually my go-tos when I'm in a slump because they are usually quick and easy reads. Lately I've been getting into historical fiction too. My husband is a huge sci-fi/fantasy reader so occasionally I'll pick up something he recommends, but that's not typically my genre of choice.

I'm probably in the 300-400 page range for books. A lot of what I read depends on what becomes available for me from my library, so I don't really plan I just try to make the books work.

[Sharon]

SandyL wrote: "I thought I'd give you all a little puppy goodness this morning (I'm fostering a mama and her 9 puppies right now - they'll be 7 weeks tomorrow)

"

So cute!!!! Major kudos to you for being a foster! Homes like yours are so needed (my two pups came from a foster too) but I know I'd never be able to do it - I'd end up keeping all the puppies!!

[Nayara]

My 15y old dog passed away last year (I'm still heartbroken) and I tought that with her gone I was done with dogs. But I'm starting to itchy for another one

[SandyL]

Sharon wrote: "SandyL wrote: "I thought I'd give you all a little puppy goodness this morning (I'm fostering a mama and her 9 puppies right now - they'll be 7 weeks tomorrow)

"

So cute!!!! Major kudos to you fo..."

I had a litter of 6 at the beginning of the year. I quickly learned that when they are ready to go, I'm more than ready for them to go and there is no danger of keeping them. They are a lot of work, but so much fun and cuteness for a short period of time!

[Bety]

Hi Chaotic Cooks! Everyone ready to start the challenge soon?

Recommendation to get a little notebook or sheet of paper to keep track of any food word mentions for the scavenger hunt (ideally note the page number or the chapter) and first names, last names, nicknames of any speaking characters! This will help us figure out how to put together meals when it's time to do so!

Would it help anyone to have a spreadsheet made to keep track of this info?

[Judy]

Hiya! I've had a crazy couple of weeks and am finally starting to get back on track, both with reading & life in general - right when uni is starting 😅

I'll definitely be keeping track of things in the notes app on my phone & I'm also partial to a good planning spreadsheet. I'm happy to try and set that up tomorrow during the day 😊

[Bety]

Judy wrote: "Hiya! I've had a crazy couple of weeks and am finally starting to get back on track, both with reading & life in general - right when uni is starting 😅

I'll definitely be keeping track of things i..."

I've basically read... nothing since I got done with the last wheelathon challenge. Heh. I could also make the planning spreadsheet if you're busy with school. My spreadsheet skills are pretty good.

[Sharon]

I'm ready! That's a great idea about keeping a notebook to keep track of all the food references.

[Judy]

Same same, Bethany... I've finished a few graphic novels and one YA book since the wheel ended 😂

Had a bit of fun building this & now I feel like I also have a pretty good grasp on the rules https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

I made the meal creation tabs cause I think it's hard to get an overview of that on the official spreadsheet - but it's definitely still best to use in tandem with the official one as I didn't put in the checking-how-many-we-have-left things... there's a couple of example things in the main books tab & the fresh meals tab, to see how things would work

[[deleted user]]

That SS looks great Judy!! Thank you so much for putting that together! But it's made me realize I need to go take a closer look at the rules and such. LOL!

[Nayara]

Thank you, Judy!
I'm still a little confused with some things in this challenge, I'll take this week to study this more 😂

[SandyL]

I haven't had much time to read or figure out all the rules yet - the puppies have been keeping me busy! Thankfully most of them will be going to their new adopted homes this weekend. Then I should have lots more time to read!

[Bety]

You don't really need to know all the rules right off the bat. We don't even have to form our meals until like, the fourth week of the challenge. Just read, read read and write down what you find in the books!

[Judy]

I've just put a few books I think I'll get to within the next few weeks in our planning spreadsheet :)

And so much for being done with Cassandra Clare books - we're getting a bonus customer replacement for BOM participation so I guess I'm back on it 😅

[Sharon]

I'm excited to start the challenge!

[[deleted user]]

Soooo...the book I'm reading has a gagillion foods listed. How/where would you prefer I keep track of this? 😁

[Bety]

You can put it in the planning spreadsheet that was made, or you can post a list when you're finished with the book in the thread!

What's everyone starting with this challenge? I think I'm going to read Caliban's War.

[Judy]

I've still got a couple books going that I need to finish before I can start reading for this :( but my first audiobook for this will be Chain of Gold as I'll be participating in the BOM discussion. I haven't yet decided on a physical book...

[Nayara]

I'll be starting with Acting on Impulse, but not until Monday. Super busy weekend for me.

[Nayara]

Actually, I'll start with Savor You,l because of another challenge.

[SandyL]

Cyndee wrote: "Soooo...the book I'm reading has a gagillion foods listed. How/where would you prefer I keep track of this? 😁"

I think if you've already started it you can't use it for the challenge?

[[deleted user]]

Yeah, I realized that this morning. For some reason I had in my mind it started the 18th, not 19th. Sorry!

[[deleted user]]

Which is unfortunate because it talked about foods A LOT. lol

[Bety]

I'm surprised at how much my book is mentioning food! So far I've got water, bread, chicken, ice, beer, broth, crackers, chutney...

[Judy]

Bethany wrote: "I'm surprised at how much my book is mentioning food! So far I've got water, bread, chicken, ice, beer, broth, crackers, chutney..."

Yay!

[Judy]

I managed to finish my other audiobook today and tried to start Chain of Gold - but it already mentioned faeries in the first chapter and I hate faeries... so I'm not sure I can put myself through this. I have started Midnight Sun instead and I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm reliving my Twilight feels... 🙈

[[deleted user]]

Completion Post:



The Bitterroot Inn by Devney Perry
Pages: 400
Read: 9/20/20
Foods:
loc 316: "...shoveling scrambled eggs and fried potatoes into my mouth."
loc 495: "Are you making chicken nuggets? And macaroni and cheese."
loc 526: "I've got all the burgers, brats, and hot dogs prepped. I made a fruit salad, a pasta salad, a green salad, baked beans, and spinach dip."
loc 682: "Peas are Coby's favorite."
loc 682: "He hates corn."
loc 749: "...I had made chicken and rice casserole..."
loc 814: "Cheeseburgers!"
loc 1038: "...order an expensive steak."
loc 1066: "Ordering himself a beer..."
loc 1077: "...took another sip of my wine
loc 1750: "This is the best pizza I've ever had."
loc 1760: "Do you like brownies?"
loc 1755: "Cookies rank up there on my list..."
loc 3484: "Gigi is making the cupcakes."
loc 4016: "...or just making peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches?"

[Bety]

Nice job Cyndee!

[Bety]

I'm about 50% through caliban's war.

[Sharon]

Awesome Cyndee!

I just got a bunch of books out from the library. My husband and I are going away this week for a mini-vacation so I've got plans to do lots of reading!

[[deleted user]]

Thanks ladies! If only it was a long enough book that we could use them all. :)

[[deleted user]]

COMPLETION POST:


Only Trick by Jewel E. Ann
Pages: 400
Read: 9/21/20
Foods:
loc 585: “I order a salmon dish. Trick orders lamb.”
loc 612: “He stabs his lettuce.”
Loc 3344: “...glance from the cob salad on one page to the grilled portobello sandwich on the other…”
Loc 3351: “I think I’m going to get the turkey club.”

[SandyL]

Completion Post


Handle with Care by Nina Croft
Pages: 370
Read: 9/20/20
Foods:
Pg 83: "a cold cup of coffee ..."
Pg 83: "they'd had fish last night.."
Pg 99: "I could have a cup of tea..."
Pg 141: "You like crabs?"
Pg 146: "I was going to make a sandwich...."
Pg 147: "he ran a beef ranch..."
Pg 147: "Cheese do?"
Pg 147: "grab a couple bottles of water"
Pg 182: "A sort of lasagna with roasted vegetables...and a big salad"