This week, you will be working together to complete a series of prompts. While some prompts only require one single book, others will require 2 or 3 or 4!
Use your spreadsheet to track which prompts you've completed, as well as any Wild Cards you've earned. Please place only completed books on the Tracking tab, and use the Planning tab for planning purposes.
*Wild Cards: For every 1000 pages read or 15 hours of audio listened, you will earned one Wild Card, which can be used in the place of one book. Your spreadsheet will track how many Wild Cards you've earned and used.
MEMBERS: Team Captain: Robin P Dori Trish Rachel (Message 19) Roxana Chrissy Devin Jax Emily Kellie
THE PROMPTS:
Single Book Prompts For those who are rocking it solo this Valentine's Day
A coming-of-age book A book with themes related to hope, self-love, or self-respect A book with an inspiring title or cover A debut author A book featuring an activity you consider "self care" (i.e. travel, pets, video games, reading, cooking, etc.) A book about fresh starts A travel book A book where the character moves to a new home A book with just one person on the cover A book with the word "one" in the title (can include "someone", "no one", "everyone", etc)
2 Book Prompts For those of us in love
Two books whose titles start with "L" Two LGBTQIA+ books featuring a love story A book written by a male and a book written by a female Two books featuring elderly characters Two books with "matching" covers (however you define that) Two books with two people on the cover Two books with hearts on the cover Two books featuring the enemies-turned-lovers trope Two YA rom-coms Two books connected to Shakespeare
3 Book Prompts Grab a friend and share a book
Three books featuring a theme of friendship Three books that span more than 10 years Three books in which a romantic love story is not featured Three books featuring protagonists at different stages of life (one YA, one new parent, one elderly character, for example) Three books that feature roommates who are not romantically involved
4 Book Prompts We love our four-legged friends
Four books featuring characters who have pets Four books that make you feel "warm and fuzzy" Four books that have the letter "P" in the title
I'm working on my Black History Month TBR. I'm starting Monday's Not Coming today, but I'll definitely have more than 100 pages left of it tomorrow. I also have exactly 100 pages left of All Boys Aren't Blue, which I need motivation to finish. I put both of them on the planning tab on the spreadsheet, but I do think we need to strategize some of them, like the matching covers or the stages of life prompt.
Robin P
Welcome, Team Tulip! I am thrilled that we have Emily on our team, so if I have any spreadsheet questions (my only concern in being team captain), she will bail me out.
I am supposed to read Between the World and Me this week for a study group on race. It is very short, probably only a couple hours read. It would fit under self-love, self-respect.
I'm reading Reasonable Lies by T.A. Rosewood, I will have 100 pages left for tomorrow, it could fit the 'debut author' prompt nicely. I have just started The Mothers, not sure where this might fit but I will update the planning spreadsheet as I progress with the book and learn more about the characters and the theme!
Good morning Tulips! I meant to read more of Monday's Not Coming yesterday but it was busier than expected so I still have about 400 pages to go on it. Hopefully I can knock out a large chunk of it today.
I have a friend coming over to watch the newest installment of To All the Boys I've Loved Before but that's my only distraction today!
Kellie Lyn
Hello to all, I am reading Closely Harbored Secrets this morning (200 pgs left) and then starting Little Fires Everywhere. I am hoping to finish both this weekend. My distractions this weekend are lesson planning for next week but they are almost finished, then I am free and clear. Southeast Texas is about to be hit with a major ice storm so I am not leaving my house for the next three days and the kindle is charged.
I have filled in the Spreadsheet planner for both books and will add categories as I find out more about the books. Glad to be part of the team.
Emily Bourque
Hey Kellie! I'm a teacher in Louisiana, so I feel all your pains and distractions haha. Luckily we have the week off for Mardi Gras, so I won't have to worry about lesson planning until later in the Read-a-Thon.
Should we strategize to fill the prompts that require the most books before we place books in the single-book prompts?
Emily Bourque
Great, Devin. I grayed it out on the planning spreadsheet so we know it is already placed. I think that's a good spot for it since we have so few options for that prompt!
Chrissy
I just finished The Kingdom of Gods, which could fit in a few places... there’s a queer love triangle, a character who goes through several stages of life... maybe that’s it. Where should I slot it in? I find the planning tab difficult to use since it’s gotten so large.
I put HP under Three Books That Feature a Roommate but if that fills up it can be put under books with a letter P in it too. A Woman of No Importance got put under 3 Books In Which a Romantic Love Story Is Not Involved.
Jax
Read it. Highly reccomend. It's a fast read and it's a lot of interesting information that gets overlooked in big battles. It's not a great spy story, but it's a really good story about toughness.
Edited: I noticed that on the tracking sheet lines 43 and 44 are the same, I think one should be male?
Roxana
Just finished Yesterday is History and put it in for the second LGBTQIA+ love story, but it can go a few other places if we need to move things around.
Roxana
Also just finished The Haunting of Tram Car 015! There was an unexpected Shakespeare connection in it (a major part of the plot, actually), so I'll put it there, since we don't seem to have any other options for that one on the planning tab yet.
Kellie Lyn
I finished Closely Harbored Secrets and put in under "four books featuring characters who have pets". It did not look like we had many books in that department. It could also go for books with elderly characters if it is needed more there.
Roxana
After finishing a book and putting it on the main tab, should I remove it from the planning tab, or leave it so we can see which other prompts it fits if we need to move things around?
Robin P
I think it's fine to leave it on the planning tab. For the ATY main challenge, I regularly change my mind and move things around.
I finished Don't Forget to Smile and put it under A book about fresh starts - Divorced upscale heroine moves across the country and opens a bar in a small town
Trish
Morning all. I managed a total fail yesterday, by forgetting we'd started. Face palm.
I shall try to do better!
Roxana wrote: "Also just finished The Haunting of Tram Car 015! There was an unexpected Shakespeare connection in it (a major part of the plot, actually), so I'll put it there, since we don't seem..."
I really enjoyed that when I read it as a Hugo nominee last year.
I'm going to try to read Hamlet, Revenge! today, which should cover the other half of the Shakespeare prompt: "As the guests prepare for their amateur production of Hamlet, thinly veiled threats are secretly delivered among attendees."
Rachel A.
Sorry, I completely forgot the readathon started yesterday! I have a biweekly project at work that completely consumes one day every other weekend, and I was too tired yesterday afterwards to check anything online.
I did finish an entire audiobook yesterday though, which was More Myself: A Journey. I'm also about 1/3 of the way through The Wedding Party, which I started before the readathon, and I'm planning to finish that off today.
Robin PRachel wrote: "Sorry, I completely forgot the readathon started yesterday! I have a biweekly project at work that completely consumes one day every other weekend, and I was too tired yesterday afterwards to check..."
Of course, no problem, Rachel. If you had more than the equivalent of 100 pages left in the audiobook, you can count that. Otherwise, just jump in when you are ready!
Rachel A.Robin P wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Sorry, I completely forgot the readathon started yesterday! I have a biweekly project at work that completely consumes one day every other weekend, and I was too tired yesterday afte..."
Other way around actually. The audiobook was started and finished yesterday. I have more than 100 pages left of The Wedding Party, which I'd started on Friday, so that should still count too.
Now I just have to enter it under Yearly Challenge, Winter Challenge, Personal Readathon, Yearly Spreadsheet, plus challenges for 3 other groups! Think how much more I would read if I didn't spend so much time tracking!
Rachel A.
I finished The Wedding Party. I'd started it before the readathon, but read 204 pages today to finish it off. It's currently about 1:30 am so I'll have to look tomorrow to see where it might fit. Although if someone wants to go ahead and fit it in somewhere, go right ahead.
Emily Bourque
Robin I know how you feel... I was part of a challenge group, and at one point, I had 27 challenges going! Ended up dropping it because I was having to track more than I was reading lol.
Good morning folks! I woke up to a bit of snow on the ground, which only happens once every few years here in south Louisiana. My husband will be working from home, so I'll need to be reading so I don't distract him too much lol.
Emily Bourque
Also, I have these two books in progress and will finish both of them today or tomorrow. I think they would go great for matching covers:
Robin PEmily wrote: "Also, I have these two books in progress and will finish both of them today or tomorrow. I think they would go great for matching covers:
[bookcover:How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House|53369..."
Roxana
I finished Master and Commander last night, and have just put it in the second slot for “roommates who are not romantically involved,” so we’re just one away from completing that prompt. I’ll probably finish A Chorus Rises today, it’s very short, then have to figure out what I’m reading next!
Trish
I'm rather letting the side down this Read-a-Thon. In between work and getting my Covid jab, I only managed another 55pg of Hamlet, Revenge! yesterday. I'm hoping I'll get it finished today. After Atlas Update. I've finished it and added it to the spreadsheet as the other book for "Two books connected to Shakespeare".
A couple of hopefully quicker reads next: The Whispered Word and Writing All Wrongs, which should be usable for either "Three books featuring a theme of friendship" or "Four books featuring characters who have pets", although Whispered also has a P in it. Possibly also After Atlas
Dori
Hi All, please excuse my slow reading, I'm 6 months pregnant and fatigue is hitting me harden than I thought it would but I will definitely finish at least both of my current reads by the end of the week The Mothers and First-time Parent
Emily Bourque
You're not alone, Dori. I'm reading much slower than I expected to as well.
We had an ice storm hit so my husband has been home from work the last few days... and he wants me to spend time with him? How dare he lol.
Made some progress, just not as much as I would have liked, but I'm going to try to buckle down today and knock out at least one of my two books in progress.
Emily Bourque
On another note, it looks like we are really lacking in the "warm and fuzzy" books. Should we throw some of our Wild Cards on that prompt? We have 8 outstanding, so we can put some there and move them around if we need.
Robin P
Cheer up everyone, there is no grading on this team! Everyone is dealing with life, so please don't feel bad if you don't get to read as much as you hoped. We are happy to have all of you contributing to the team.
I am in process with a couple books that could be considered warm and fuzzy but won't finish them today. I think a difficult prompt will be books starting with L.
Rachel A.
I have to admit I'm completely confused by the planning tab on the spreadsheet so I haven't been using it. I'm bad with spreadsheets in general, lol