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R12: SS Team 5 - MI5
Tamie-lee wrote: "I'm so sorry I'm late! I'm still figuring out timezone differences, and thought I had until tonight.I've just finished my book and ready to write up my review now, so will have it posted in a few ..."
Hey, good to hear from you!
Not sure. It seems that it is since our deadline was 26 hours earlier and the window for rolling is >2 hrs since passed.
Same here with the PMs. I rarely pay attention to them since there are so many!
Maybe Denise will cut us some slack? :)
Ohhh. I'm so sorry for letting everyone down :'( I'll post anyway, just in case (fingers crossed)
COMPLETION POST
Spot: 4
Book: The Cruel Prince (The Folk of Air #4) by Holly Black
Qualification: Author 'B' (Holly Black)
Date read: 9/25/20
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
I enjoyed this so much. It started out like a children's fairy tale and I didn't know if I'd end up liking it, but it certainly got quite dark and interesting pretty quickly. Characters were believable (despite being very fantasy) and well-written, with their own ambitions. There was a lot of court intrigue, interesting politics, character development, and personal struggles. It read much more like a Game of Thrones than a Disney Fairytale, and I love that. A lot of the books I've been reading lately have been quite predictable, but this has been anything but.
Highly recommended if you like a good underdog story with plenty of unexpected plot twists, interesting characters, and sneaky intrigues.
Mod
Misericordia, the free pass and bonus points are two different things. To earn the free pass (you can earn only one for the entire game), all team reviews have to be in 24h before deadline, 11:59pm on Thursday.
Tamie-lee, if you're having trouble keeping the time zones straight, there's a link to a time zone converter in one of the first posts in the thread that can help. Please note that in accordance with the rules, I'll have to disqualify you if you miss another deadline.
Denise wrote: "I'm sorry, guys, I hate when this happens in the first week before the team could earn the free pass, but the deadline is clear. If I start cutting one team some slack, I'll be doing the same for e..." It's all right, we get it.Anyway, considering that from what I can see only 3 teams posted timely in the reporting thread, am I right in assuming that all 8 teams have missed their deadlines and will be penalised in some way, including us? So, this week shouldn't set us back too far.
Denise wrote: "Misericordia, the free pass and bonus points are two different things. To earn the free pass (you can earn only one for the entire game), all team reviews have to be in 24h before deadline, 11:59pm on Thursday." Ah) Ok!
Mod
The deadline rests on when the reviews were posted to the team thread. I can't expect team captains to hover around their team threads 24/7 waiting for last minute reviews, so as long as all reviews were in by 11:59pm, teams can roll.
Denise wrote: "The deadline rests on when the reviews were posted to the team thread. I can't expect team captains to hover around their team threads 24/7 waiting for last minute reviews, so as long as all reviews were in by 11:59pm, teams can roll." Ah, I see. Ok, we'll have to keep that in mind, then :) Thanks!Nah, wait, so, had Tammie posted 3 hrs earlier, we'd still have been able to roll today? Or do the rolls have to happen before 11.59 on Fri?
Mod
In previous rounds, we've occasionally had situations were a review came in last minute and the team captain couldn't get online before midnight to roll. IMO, it would be unfair to prevent the team from rolling despite posting before deadline, so having the reviews in on time is the thing that counts.
Sorry about the confusion but glad you’re here Tamie-lee!Denise, thanks for clarifying for us. Rules are important so no complaints here. It’s no biggie, we’ll just hope for good rolls moving forward. :)
We won’t have any reviews to worry about, so we’ll be able to roll asap this week!
Mod
Denise wrote: "I seem to recall we once had a team on SSS who had to sit out two rolls over the course of the game and still ended up winning. Good luck with the rolls!" Maybe we'll break their record and be the next legendary team :))))) Thanks for making the rules clearer to us!
Hi Team,I will roll tomorrow morning - let's hope the die are in our favor! I am in the mood for a mystery or a thriller and have a few picks picked out. Hopefully, one will work!!
Debbie (Doc) wrote: "Hi Team,I will roll tomorrow morning - let's hope the die are in our favor! I am in the mood for a mystery or a thriller and have a few picks picked out. Hopefully, one will work!!" Sounds really cool, can't wait! :)
Week 3:Roll: 8 (6,2)
Previous Spot: 4
Current Spot: 12
Options: Read book 1,2, or 12 in a series
Alternative: MC has at least one child
Week 3 Spot 12Selection Post
[ bookcover:Still Life|338691]
#1 in series
Completion post Week 3 (I think)Spot: 12
Piranesi[~book:Piranesi|50202953] Book: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Qualification: Standalone, i.e. #1 in a series of 1.
Date read: 10/03/20
Rating: 500 brilliant stars (!!!)
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Paradox Book of Paradoxes.
Q:
The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite. (c)
Q:
‘Do the Statues exist because they embody the Ideas and Knowledge that flowed out of the other World into this one?’ (c)
Q:
… may your Paths be safe … your Floors unbroken and may the House fill your eyes with Beauty.’ (c)
The opening is the weakest I've ever seen anywhere. At the beginning I was flabbergasted at how bad the setting is. Just imagine: in the middle of nowhere sits an endless hotel house. Since it's so very endless, it has windows and is partially flooded and partially cloudy. And, yes, there are windows, so, it's no endless in all directions, just in some of them. Maybe.
Then there is a lot of fun gibberish about Statues and places (no, Places) where they are located: Halls, Houses, Vestibules, Doorways, Staircases, Passageways, Plinths, Niches, Apses and all kinds of other Buildings and parts thereof, intact or not. The architectural nightmare where the MCs exist is immense and unending, but, BUT there are Windows and Cortyards and Sky and Clouds which should mean that there must be at least some endings somewhere… Sounds like a nightmare? There's more:
There are rooms in this house. What a shocker! They go prenumbered, like this:
Q: … I have travelled as far as the Nine-Hundred-and-Sixtieth Hall to the West, the Eight-Hundred-and-Ninetieth Hall to the North and the Seven-Hundred-and-Sixty-Eighth Hall to the South. (c)
2 alive guys traipse around this House. A bunch of dead guys (in the form of skeletons) are lying around. The MC is called Piranesi (like this guy, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovann...). Was it allusion to his Carceri? It's not his name, obviously, but that's what he's called by 'the Other' (Val Ketterley). The Other is someone Piranesi has weekly meetings with (I'm getting the nice and comfy corporate feeling from this).
Yeah, and all the capitalisation made me feel by this point like it was written in German. I do realise why his had to be done in precisely this way but it's quite irritating.
So, the guy, Piranesi, is stalking the house. He does that for years. Years are distinguished like this:
- 'the Year I discovered the Coral Halls',
- 'the Year I named the Constellations',
- 'the Year I counted and named the Dead',
- 'the Year that the Ceilings in the Twentieth and Twenty-First North-Eastern Halls collapsed',
- 'the Year I travelled to the Nine-Hundred-and-Sixtieth Western Hall',
Everything's happening in 'the Year the Albatross came to the South-Western Halls'.
The world setting out is a total mindfuck. Then some magic starts happening: the worlds achieves some weirdo dynamic, reveals start happening.
That's what I thought, preparing at this point for another horrible read.
Deliria diary basically. Yes, it is a bit (lot!) like Borges and a bit like Wilde but it's not anything of theirs since they generally did not prefer to stay away from all meaning for the sake of pretty picture (or text, as is the case with Piranesi). But these pretty pictures after some point started revealing something incredible.
I'm pretty sure that this novel has bright future and will be either popular or widely known. Why? Not because it's good. But because it's quirky and it's very much a standalone, unlike other recently published stuff. And yeah, since people will love to twist it this way and that and try and find some extremely well-hidden meaning in between all the Statues. The Statue of Angel on smth will be interpreted as an allusion to maybe Thomas Aquinas, the Water will be made to sound as maybe Time or Knowledge or Life or Energy or smth equally fitting (a lot of things could be made to fit such blank imagery), the Sky will maybe become some interpretation of Limits in something (Learning, Understanding, Possibilities, Life, etc… ), the House - some crucible of smth equally meaningful… Well, who knows…. A lot of things can be understood in a lot of alternative ways.
Q:
I am determined to explore as much of the World as I can in my lifetime. To this end I have travelled as far as the Nine-Hundred-and-Sixtieth Hall to the West, the Eight-Hundred-and-Ninetieth Hall to the North and the Seven-Hundred-and-Sixty-Eighth Hall to the South. I have climbed up to the Upper Halls where Clouds move in slow procession and Statues appear suddenly out of the Mists. I have explored the Drowned Halls where the Dark Waters are carpeted with white water lilies. I have seen the Derelict Halls of the East where Ceilings, Floors – sometimes even Walls! – have collapsed and the dimness is split by shafts of grey Light. (c) What an exciting world they have!
Q:
The Other believes that there is a Great and Secret Knowledge hidden somewhere in the World that will grant us enormous powers once we have discovered it. What this Knowledge consists of he is not entirely sure, but at various times he has suggested that it might include the following:
1. vanquishing Death and becoming immortal
2. learning by a process of telepathy what other people are thinking
3. transforming ourselves into eagles and flying through the Air
4. transforming ourselves into fish and swimming through the Tides
5. moving objects using only our thoughts6. snuffing out and reigniting the Sun and Stars
7. dominating lesser intellects and bending them to our will (c)
Q:
An angel with a trumpet and a ship. An angel with a trumpet suggests a message. A joyful message? Perhaps. But an angel might also bring a stern or solemn message. Therefore the character of the message, whether good or bad, remains uncertain. The ship suggests travelling long distances. A message coming from afar.A book and clouds. A book contains Writing. Clouds hide what is there. Writing that is somehow obscure.A child and mice. The child represents the quality of Innocence. The mice are devouring the grain. Little by little it is diminished. Innocence that is worn down or eroded.
So this, as far as I can tell, is what the birds told me. A message from afar. Obscure Writing. Innocence eroded.
Interesting. (c)
Q:
it occurs to me to wonder why it is that the House gives a greater variety of objects to the Other than to me, providing him with sleeping bags, shoes, plastic bowls, cheese sandwiches, notebooks, slices of Christmas cake etc., etc., whereas me it mostly gives fish. (c)
Q:
The House is valuable because it is the House. It is enough in and of Itself. It is not the means to an end. (c)
Q:
Well, to begin with there are no lesser minds; there are only him and me and we both have keen and lively intellects. But, supposing for a moment that a lesser mind existed, why would I want to control it? (c)
Q:
Abandoning the search for the Knowledge would free us to pursue a new sort of science. We could follow any path that the data suggested to us. (c)
Q:
I mended one of my fishing nets and worked on my Catalogue of Statues. In the early evening I went to the Eighth Vestibule to fish in the Waters of the Lower Staircase. The Beams of the Declining Sun shone through the Windows of the Lower Halls, striking the Surface of the Waves and making ripples of golden Light flow across the Ceiling of the Staircase and over the Faces of the Statues. When night fell, I listened to the Songs that the Moon and Stars were singing and I sang with them. (c)
Q:
Two memories. Two bright minds which remember past events differently. It is an awkward situation. (c)
Q:
Once, men and women were able to turn themselves into eagles and fly immense distances. They communed with rivers and mountains and received wisdom from them. They felt the turning of the stars inside their own minds. (c)
Q:
When she was a teenager D’Agostino told a friend that she wanted to go to university to study Death, Stars and Mathematics. (с)
Week 3 - Spot 12I’ll read The Black Echo.
Series: Harry Bosch #1
Pages: 544 (paperback)
Qualifies for bonus > 500 pages
I’m going to try and read the first 9 in this series for that bonus too. But if anyone else was planning to do that just let me know. Either way we will need 2 different people to read at least 3 books in a series.
Logan wrote: "Week 3 - Spot 12I’ll read The Black Echo.
Series: Harry Bosch #1
Pages: 544 (paperback)
Qualifies for bonus > 500 pages
I’m going to try an..." I think I'll read 3 from 1 series.
The more challenging bonus, I think, will be for someone to never use any alternates. Do we have someone who expects to do that? (80-90-places are likelly to be most challenging for this one)
☘Misericordia☘ ~ The Serendipity Aegis ~ wrote: "The more challenging bonus, I think, will be for someone to never use any alternates. Do we have someone who expects to do that? (80-90-places are likelly to be most challenging for this one)"Unfortunately, I already used an alternate for week 1
Debbie (Doc) wrote: "☘Misericordia☘ ~ The Serendipity Aegis ~ wrote: "The more challenging bonus, I think, will be for someone to never use any alternates. Do we have someone who expects to do that? (80-90-places are l..."I can try to read 3 in a series if you can't.
Debbie (Doc) wrote: "“But Sanskrit is a dead language, not to mention that Aarya is a name given to both boys and girls. It’s funny how your name is changeable, almost like your accent. Maybe it’s even an alias?" Nah, don't worry about that, it's all right, I'll probably hit 3 in a series anyway. I haven't used alternates yet and at a rate of 1 book a week I totally could plan it all to be from series that go up to 7-9s. I just need to start picking long-series-appropriate books starting this week :)
Completion Post - Week 3Spot 12
Pages: 544 (paperback)
Series: Harry Bosch #1
Date Finished: 10/4/20
Rating: 5 stars
Review: I devoured this in two sessions. I got dragged into the Amazon show by my husband and then blew through all the seasons in a week. Now I finally got the chance to read the source material! I probably benefited from understanding his character through the show, because it's easy to see how he comes across as not particularly likable. He's gruff, a loner, does his own thing, takes cheap shots at almost everyone around him. Although the case was sort of the focus of season 3, there were enough departures to keep this fresh and interesting. I thought it was a great case to unravel, and each new piece of the puzzle was a surprise. Ultimately, Harry Bosch is just a really interesting character and great at his job, which makes him fun to read. Can't wait to continue on.
BONUS earned: > 500 pages
Awesome! It's always good to have backups in case we miss a review or something. I'm going to try to not read any alternates also.Tracking post updated to here. We're doing great!
If we get all our reviews in by Thursday we can earn the free pass this week!
Completion Post - Week 3 - Spot 12
Alternative - MC has at least one child.
Book: The 13-Minute Murder
Author: James Patterson, Christopher Farnsworth, Max DiLallo, Shan Serafin
How it qualifies: In 113 minutes, the MC, Molly has a son, Alex. Events surrounding Alex propel the story.
Date finished: 10/4/2020
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Review: James Patterson is one of my favorite authors. His stories move fast and I usually finish in one or two days. You know there will be several twist you don't see coming. This book has three short stories: Dead Man Running - a psychiatrist life is put in danger when he uncovers an assassination plot, 113 Minutes - a mother's revenge, and my favorite, The 13-Minute Murder - a hitman's last job has consequences.
Completion Post - Week 3 - Spot 12
The Bride Wore Black Leather by Simon R. Green.
series: Nightside #12
pgs: 310
finished: 10/6/20
rating: 4 stars
review: the final book in the series and John Taylor wants to end his PI career with a good case. The book was odd in his last PI case had nothing to do with his first Walker case/main story. It was nice to see a lot of the gang for this final installment (especially Cathy). I was impressed with the strategy The Sun King used.
Completion PostWeek 3
Finished Oct. 8
Book –
How It Qualifies – Book 1 in a series
Rating 3 Stars
This is the first book in the series. I have heard mixed reviews of this book but have also been told the series is really good. What I liked about this book – the characters were well flushed.
I didn’t like the murder happened at the very beginning so the reader is not given a chance to learn more about the victim. More was focused on the residents of the Three Pines rather than focus on the murder. At times, the book was slow, and the killer was predictable.
I did like the main character, Detective Armand Gamache and will continue with the series. Hopefully, book 2 will pick up and be better than this one! If not, I may decide not to go further.
Logan wrote: "updated"I have left a message for Tamie-lee
Review will be up in a minute, ended up reading a different book than what I selected, but it still qualifies I think? Or does it have to be the same book you posted a selection post for?
Mod
Completion PostWeek 3 - Spot 12
Groupie by C.M. Stunich
Qualification: Rock-Hard Beautiful #1
Rating: 3.5/5
Review:
First off, this is smut, pure & simple. So don't pick it up expecting literary genius, or even a whole lot of plot. But if you want plenty of steamy sexy bits, with some emotional turmoil thrown in - this is where it's at.
Here we have one rather bland MC who's had a really hard time, is feeling a bit broken, and then just goes along with anything and everything without seeming to have any real personality besides being sad and/or horny, often at the same time. The men seem to have much more developed personalities and the story revolves more around them. They're all a bit lost and broken in different ways and the majority of the non-steamy parts of the book is focused on their personal traumas and how they slowly start to work through them with a bit of good old fashioned love and understanding (Of course therapy might have helped too, but that wouldn't be as fun to read, would it?).
I'm giving this 3.5/5 stars.. Somewhere between 3 for the boring MC, and 4 for the much more interesting men.
Week 4Roll: 12
Previous Spot: 12
Current Spot: 24
Read a book that is #2, #4, or #24 in a series
Alternate: White Cover
I was up early and saw the reviews were in so went ahead and rolled. Got a 12! Woohoo!
Logan wrote: "I was up early and saw the reviews were in so went ahead and rolled. Got a 12! Woohoo!"Awesome roll!!!
Week 4 Spot 24
[ bookcover:A Fatal Grace|352921]How the book qualifies: Book 2 in the series Chief Inspector Armand Gamache
(Note:I am continuing with the series from last week)
Debbie (Doc) wrote: "Week 4 Spot 24
[ bookcover:A Fatal Grace|352921]How the book qualifies: Book 2 in the series Chief Inspector Armand Gamache
(Note:I am continuing with the seri..."
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this one. I also have this series on my TBR so I’m curious if you will like book 2 better. Hopefully it’ll pick up. :)
Week 4Spot 24
[*book:The Black Ice|24244]
Series: Harry Bosch #2
Pages: 448
Continuing series from last week
Is there enough white to qualify as a white cover?
Mod
"Tineye puts it at about 40%, and I concur. At the bottom it's more of a light grey than white.
Completion PostWeek 4 - Spot 24
Wolf's Capture by Eve Langlais
series: Kodiak Point #4
pgs: 230
finished: 10/14/20
rating: 3 stars
review: Layla has been a prisoner since she was 14 due to her power to control animals. Brody is captured and placed in her cell and they learn to trust and care for each other as they attempt to escape.
Thanks Diane!I’m working on my book still. Hope to have it finished later tonight.
It’s been quiet this week. How is everyone doing?
Completion Spot Week 4 Spot 24
10/15
4 Stars
I am glad I continued with the series. Book 2 was so much better than book 1. I did listen to this on Audible and enjoyed the narrator. I am enjoying getting to know the citizens of Three Pines, especially Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. I love a good mystery, and this one did not disappoint. I actually kept guessing who the murderer was. Normally, I am able to guess early on. The plot did take time to build, but the reader was able to understand the victim and her family in a different light. I will definitely continue with the series!
Logan wrote: "Thanks Diane!I’m working on my book still. Hope to have it finished later tonight.
It’s been quiet this week. How is everyone doing?"
This has been a super busy week!
Debbie (Doc) wrote: "Completion Spot Week 4 Spot 24
10/15
4 Stars
I am glad I continued with the series. Book 2 was so much better than book 1. I did listen to this on Audible and e..."
Oh yay! I’m glad this one was better. Okay I will safely keep it on my TBR. 🤣
Logan wrote: "Debbie (Doc) wrote: "Completion Spot Week 4 Spot 24
10/15
4 Stars
I am glad I continued with the series. Book 2 was so much better than book 1. I did listen to ..."
Hopefully, the series will continue this way!
The Challenge Factory
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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I've just finished my book and ready to write up my review now, so will have it posted in a few minutes, hope I'm not too late...
I get so many PMs from the groups I'm in, that I quite often miss the important ones :'(