Winter20 Read-a-Thon: Team Optimism

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

Hello Team Optimism!

This event's team challenge is focused on finding that good. In this time's team challenge, you and your teammates will be tasked with reading books to go along with positive news stories from 2020.

Each book read for the team will need to connect in some way to one of the positive news stories. The more connections you find, the more points you can earn.

Theme (i.e. age, storyline, topic, etc.): 1 point
Numbers (i.e. dates, article topics, page count, etc.): 1 point
Location: 2 points
Names (incl. authors, characters): 3 points
Title (article subjects found in title of book): 3 points
Objects (found in article and on cover of the book or major plot-point): 3 points
Own Voices: 5 points

Grand Prize!
Finish a book connected to every positive news story below: 75 points

What about pages?
This is a bit of a bonus. For every 1,000 pages read as a group, you earn one wildcard. Wildcards allow you to cross one article off your list, getting you closer to the grand prize!

For more information about our group challenge (including FAQs), check out this thread.

Members:
Nancy
Kendra
Kathy
Robin
Kim
Kathy Jo
Storm
Errlee
Alicia

Team Spreadsheet will be posted soon.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

An explanation:
You can record your page count at the top portion of the Tracking tab on the spreadsheet. Every audiobook minute counts as one page.

On the second half, you can put the book title and who read it, and then how it fits for the prompts. It should automatically tabulate the points you earned for each book! Please only post completed books on the Tracking tab!

You can use the planning tab to plan how your books will fit the news articles. Feel free to adjust this tab to fit your group's preferences.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Hello Team! I hope to read a lot in the next 3 days. From Tues thru Sun, I will be with my daughter and may have less reading time. I have put aside some short books for this purpose. I have at least 1 that will go under Own Voices, which is So You Want to Talk About Race.

[Errlee]

Ok just trying to wrap my head around the prompts - it’s a bit different from some of the other readathons. I have a few books in progress so I will try to slot them in tomorrow morning if possible and go from there.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

The good thing is you can do prompts multiple times. You don't have to finish a "board".

[Kathy]

I'm looking forward to reading with Team Optimism! I have several books going right now and will slot into possible news stories tomorrow.

[Kendra]

Hello team. I had saved a bunch of books for the read-a-thon, but I'm not sure how well they will work with the prompts.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Just a head's up -- if you do decide to complete a prompt more than once (using the same connections, like both with the object or both own voice), just let me know so I can adjust the spreadsheet accordingly. There's some hidden formulas in there that I will need to manually adjust.

But yes, you can use the same prompt more than once!

[Kim]

So Emily, are you saying one team member could use a prompt for object and own voice, but another team member could use the same prompt for location and theme?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Yes, or you can both use the same prompt for object and own voice if you want. I would just need to know so I can add a line to your spreadsheet and make sure the formulas copy over!

The grand prize is to finish the entire board of articles, but we want you to be able to read what you'd like to read, so there's some flexibility there to double up on the same prompt if that's what works.

[Kathy Jo]

Hello my fellow optimists!

I am putting Gone With the Wind on hold during the readathon- my last ATY book. Except last night (November!!!) I realized that I can't use Walden for no A T Y in the title because it has an A!! So I read a short story and got caught up. My son was thoroughly laughing at me, and my inability to identify titles that contain 3 little letters. So go ahead and laugh at me, too. 😏

Anyway, I have some series I want to work on during the readathon so they should be relatively quick.

[Alicia]

Hello everyone. I'm in trouble, lol. I don't have any borrows left on Hoopla for the rest of the month :( so hopefully I can find everything on Libby.

[Errlee]

Whew - there are a LOT of prompts to sift through and my head is spinning trying to fit the books I am reading in and figure out the points etc. I don't think I am managing very well so maybe someone else whose brain works this way can help.

Currently started:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This would fit some of the war prompts, and also there is one that mention blindness and another disability. But I think for all of those it's just 1 point for theme? So that's not great.

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman - I can't find a prompt for this one at all.

And want to read:

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart- again, only thing I can see is some of the LGBTQ+ prompts for 1 point?

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata - no ideas for this one either

This is hard!

[Nancy]

It IS hard! I went through the prompts yesterday and noted what could fit for each one. I'm going to add a column for my books and ideas, if others have a better way of organizing I'm open to suggestions!

I'm also adding a column that has the full article's title, to make title connections easier to see.

Errlee maybe the otter love one for Magic Lessons?

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

Don’t worry if you have to focus on one book at a time. It’s probably overwhelming trying to check multiple books at once.

[Kim]

I made a spreadsheet on my computer, and have gone through the first 5 articles. Here's what I've come up with so far:
Army Veteran; #:39, 2004,; Location:Switzerland, Italy; Names: Neil; Objects: mountain, bomb
Bird-Friendly Turbines; # 70; Locations: Norway; Names: May, Martin, Harper; Objects: birds, eagles
Notre-Dame’s Bees #: 2013, 13th century, 2019; Location: Paris; Names: Adam, Phoebe, Patrick; Objects: cathedral, bees
"Strong for the Future” Plan Theme: gender equality; Location: Germany;
Italy’s Oldest Graduate Theme: WW2, education; Numbers: 1923, 2017; Location: Italy

I don't know if this would be useful transcribed into the planning sheet as a starting place. What do you all think?

[Nancy]

Kim, I think it would. I've been adding the article titles, and I just added a column for connections. Or do we want one column for each connection? That might be easier.

[Kathy]

I think that would be useful, Kim. And your suggestion, too, Nancy. I added my name to the top of the sheet, but if anyone wants to rearrange things, just take it off. I haven't entered anything yet.

[Kathy]

I'm reading Skylark, Location Hungary - "Orchestra Brings Beethoven to the Deaf."

The Guest List - Location: Ireland - "Irish People Are Repaying Debt"

They may fit other themes, etc. but I'll start with location - seems the easiest right now.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Errlee wrote: "Whew - there are a LOT of prompts to sift through and my head is spinning trying to fit the books I am reading in and figure out the points etc. I don't think I am managing very well so maybe someo..."

For Shuggie Bain, if the author is himself gay, queer etc. it would be an Own Voices book.

I added a couple books but I don't know enough about what most of mine are about, will have to at least start them first. I added Washington Black under inventor, which is part of the story. It is about a Black character by a Black author so does that automatically make it Own Voices? The story starts under slavery but apparently branches out.

[Kathy]

Kim wrote: "I made a spreadsheet on my computer, and have gone through the first 5 articles. Here's what I've come up with so far:
Army Veteran; #:39, 2004,; Location:Switzerland, Italy; Names: Neil; Objects:..."

Kim, I think those will have to be added to the "Planning Tab" rather than the "Tracking Tab." On the Tracking Tab they count as points we've alread earned.

I've finished The Guest List and earned 5 points - 2 for Ireland ocation and 3 for character name Aoife.

[Kendra]

I finished Sixth Grave on the Edge and earned 5 points - 2 for being set in New Mexico and 3 for a character named Jessica.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

My book contains the names Alice, Betty, Tom, Robert, Jenny, Kitty, Molly, George, Charlie. Has anyone found any of those in a headline story?

it takes place in Pennsylvania in a small town but I haven't yet found a reference to either of those in the headlines.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Does "beach" count as location (there is a headline about a family getting to use a beach house and I have a story set by the ocean) or does it have to be a location like New York, Australia, etc?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I'd say beach would count, Robin, unless the book and/or article is very specific about which beach is mentioned.

[Alicia]

Kendra wrote: "I finished Sixth Grave on the Edge and earned 5 points - 2 for being set in New Mexico and 3 for a character named Jessica."

I am reading Seventh Grave and it has the same location and Character...you have to do something on the spreadsheet so I can add another book there?

[Kathy Jo]

I plan to finish Memory in Death today if I have time- going to my moms to celebrate my birthday last week.

Location- New York and connection to Texas.
Names- Eve, Roarke, Trudy, Bobby, Ian, Delia
Themes- overcoming your past, foster children and orphans, scams, Christmas

Any ideas?

[Alicia]

Kathy Jo wrote: "I plan to finish Memory in Death today if I have time- going to my moms to celebrate my birthday last week.

Location- New York and connection to Texas.
Names- Eve, Roarke, Trudy, Bobby, Ian, Del..."

I think right where you put it in the plan section. It would work for title (foster care), location (Texas) and object (foster care)

[Nancy]

I finished The Searcher, which also works for the Ireland potato famine one as it's set in Ireland, so please add an extra row there (#41).

[Kellie Lyn]

Hello there...I was just added to the group. Sorry I am late to the party. I am reading Deja Dead and No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency right now. I will look at how they fit later today. Not exactly sure how this works yet but will have time this after noon to look at it more closely.

[Errlee]

I'm closing in on finishing All the Light We Cannot See and I've tentatively slotted it in on the planning sheet for the D-Day story for 4 points. I think it could also get 4 points for the Bee story as well, so can move it around depending on how things are looking.

But first I need to finish it!

[Nancy]

No. 1 Ladies could work for 2,000 Miles of Google Street Views, I know it's set in Botswana and the story is about Zimbabwe but both are in Africa.

And Deja Dead is in Canada, so Gave Homeless People $7,500.

[Kathy]

I there a way to freeze row 14 on the spreadsheet so as we scroll down those headings will stay on the screen?

[Nancy]

You can lock the first X rows, so I did that. It just decreases the number of rows you can see.

[Kathy]

Oh, I see. Thanks. Does that work for everyone?

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I have been having issues with GR the last few days, where it locks up and I can't click on anything until I refresh or go out and back in. And just now I couldn't post a comment. It doesn't happen on any other websites I use. I'm hoping this doesn't mess up our week.

[Kellie Lyn]

Can someone explain "Own Voices" to me because I am not sure I understand what exactly this means?

Thank you for the suggestions for the books I am reading. I will put them on as soon as I am done. Hopefully this evening or in the morning.

[Kathy Jo]

I finished Memory in Death for 9 points and put it in the spreadsheet.

I have started the Big Kahuna. Not sure yet where to put it.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Kellie, "Own Voices" is when an author that is part of a marginalized group writes about a main character from that same group. So a queer author writing about a queer main character, or an author with a disability writing about a character with that same disability.

[Kim]

I just finished Along the Infinite Sea, which takes place in France, Germany, Florida and Georgia with a dual timeline of 1938 and 1966 with characters named Stefan, Pepper and Annabelle. Some of the themes are pregnancy, what a mother will do to protect her children, racism (against Jews), and socialites. Major objects include cello, yacht and a convertible. Thoughts on placement?

[Nancy]

"Strong for the Future” Plan - Germany
Epic Bucket List RV Trip - WWII (theme)

[Kellie Lyn]

Emily wrote: "Kellie, "Own Voices" is when an author that is part of a marginalized group writes about a main character from that same group. So a queer author writing about a queer main character, or an author ..."

Thank you.

[Kendra]

Alicia wrote: "Kendra wrote: "I finished Sixth Grave on the Edge and earned 5 points - 2 for being set in New Mexico and 3 for a character named Jessica."

I am reading Seventh Grave and it has th..."

You have to ask Emily to fix it so it doesn't mess with the formulas.

[Alicia]

Emily: can you add another line for item 39 please?

[Kendra]

I just finished Moon Called and I used it for the Howling prompt.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I've added that line item, Alicia!

[Nancy]

Emily can you please add an extra line for 41, and one for 43? Thanks!

[Errlee]

Ok I just finished All the Light We Cannot See and slotted it in the D-Day veteran photo article for 4 points. I think that's the best I can do.

I think the next book I am going to finish is Earthlings by Sayaka Murata and I have yet to figure out a place for it.

[Nancy]

You may have noticed the Plans tab has some squares highlighted in blue now. I was finding it super confusing to know when a prompt had been filled, so I went through and highlighted the prompts and books that are already completed.

[Alicia]

Emily wrote: "I've added that line item, Alicia!" thank you