Spring Reading Challenge: Group Discussion

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Looking for a book to fit a certain criteria? Need a good recommendation? Read the best book and need to talk about it? Feel free to discuss here!

[Steve]

"Why did they accidentally post spring instead of winter today? ......Oh god, March starts on Monday already!"

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

In the Midwest, temperatures were 50 degrees higher than a few days ago, seems like spring to me!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Same, Robin. We hit 70 degrees here yesterday so I almost put shorts on! But I get it, Steve, although I've been thinking March was in a few days since February 10th so I can't really be trusted lol

[Milena]

Emily, just seeing this posted immediately cheered me up. It helps that it's sunny and will be in the 50s in my part of New York today. I love seeing all the snow slowly retreating up the grass.

[Steve]

Milena wrote: "Emily, just seeing this posted immediately cheered me up. It helps that it's sunny and will be in the 50s in my part of New York today. I love seeing all the snow slowly retreating up the grass."

Same here in Jersey. The snow has overstayed its welcome this year! I'm also tired of the melt and freeze cycles that require me to salt my sidewalks every day! Hopefully the 40s and 50s this week will knock the rest of it out.

[Sue]

Meanwhile, here on the other side of the world (Western Australia) we have been having heatwaves and I seem to spend much of my time watering to keep my veges and fruit trees alive (38-40C several days this week). Nights are getting longer though so I am looking forward to cooler weather and hopefully some rain. It's hard to imagine snow....

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I wish I could just hop houses like the wealthy old people lol. A house in the US for our spring and summer, then a house in the southern hemisphere for their spring and summer! I am not cut out for the cold.

[Steve]

Emily wrote: "I wish I could just hop houses like the wealthy old people lol. A house in the US for our spring and summer, then a house in the southern hemisphere for their spring and summer! I am not cut out fo..."

That's our plan when we win the lottery someday! New England in the warm months, Savannah in the cold months.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

In case you are looking at what titles and authors to use for this challenge, I noticed there is no D, F, or V, as well as the usual Q, X, and Z. C is only found in "raincoat", H is only found in "sun shining". P is only found in "tulips", J in "jelly beans", K in "spring break", and W in "warming."

[Kathy]

Thanks for this info, Robin. It will make planning easier, for sure.

[Ali]

I'm interested to hear the Spring connection for jellybeans - in my house they're a solid Christmas tradition!! We put them in boxes that we hang on our Christmas tree

[Lizzy]

Ali wrote: "I'm interested to hear the Spring connection for jellybeans - in my house they're a solid Christmas tradition!! We put them in boxes that we hang on our Christmas tree"

I always associate pastel colored jellybeans with Easter and Easter baskets. I think that is the connection.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Yea, where I'm at, jellybeans are strictly for Easter baskets and springtime! I hadn't even considered them for Christmas! The stores only really put them out during spring.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

They are sometimes marketed as jelly "eggs" or "jelly bird eggs" for the Easter connection.

[Sherri]

I have two questions. 1. I finished Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman. A lot of the phrases has the letter M in them. Do I understand correctly the phrase doesn't have to begin with the letter M, it just has to be in the word somewhere?
2. My next read is My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk. Can I use this for both letters of the author's name is contained in the phrase. Sprout has both letters but not in order. Can I use it?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Correct, Magic Lessons would work for any phrase that has an M in it, and you can use that book for sprout.

[Sarah]

I am late to the party...

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Not too late! It's only March 10th!

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

And you can count anything you read since March 1.

[Sherri]

Where can I use, The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Sherri wrote: "Where can I use, The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis?"

Bloom, baby animals, tulips, jelly beans -- title letter in the phrase

[Sherri]

Thank You. I don’t know why I didn’t see this.

[Colleen]

Can I still join?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Absolutely! Feel free to apply the books you've read in 2021 to the challenge prompts.

[Colleen]

Emily wrote: "Absolutely! Feel free to apply the books you've read in 2021 to the challenge prompts."

Thank You! This sounds fun!

[Sherri]

I just cleaned up my list. I was stretching it on the baby animals prompt so I took out the old book & put in another one I have read during this time period but hadn't used for the challenge. I have 2 prompts left.

[Sarah]

I never realised how many books mentioned eggs until this challenge! I think I've spotted it in about 6 books since the beginning of March

[Deborah]

Since I decided to do 3 prompts per method, this had been a hard challenge. I think I finally found a cover that has tulips on it...I hope the book is good.

[Aimee]

Deborah wrote: "Since I decided to do 3 prompts per method, this had been a hard challenge. I think I finally found a cover that has tulips on it...I hope the book is good."

I did the same Deborah, but I fudged the tulips by using The Dutch House - it has flowers on the cover that are very blurry and I decided to interpret them as tulips because of the Dutch connection.

[Sherri]

I’m having trouble finding a phase for The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton. I’m looking for the phase in the text but was hoping maybe someone would see another way to use it.

[Kathy]

Maybe using "revival" as a word for the "coming to life" in spring??

[Kat]

I'm trying to do a set for each of the prompts and covers is definitely causing me an issue. You would think more books had tulips on the cover. Any idea what spring break would look like?

[Sherri]

Spring break could look like a beach, or vehicle full of luggage, or a group of people at a party. Someone earlier posted they used Dutch House by Ann Patchett for tulips.

[Deborah]

I would pick a book that has a beach on the cover since that is a common spring break destination. Or you could pick a book that has someone doing an activity one would do on spring break (hiking, camping, surfing, boating...etc).

[Sherri]

Good Morning All, I have tried to put the last book I read on the Spring Reading Challenge spreadsheet. When I hit enter instead of staying in the column the text goes straight where you can't read or see it. Is anyone else having problems? What am I doing wrong? I use all the spreadsheets all the time without this happening.