Trim Challenge 2022 – Community and Announcement Thread

[Sallys]

Just reserved it.

[Meli]

My #5 is Beloved which would be great for October but I do a #31spookystories challenge, reading a scary short story everyday, so I am not sure I will get to this. 😬

[Hayjay315]

I've not been able to keep up with my Trim list this year, but my #5 is Lovely War which I have been so looking forward to reading for awhile now! I'm making it one of my priority reads for October!

[Joy D]

Finished my #22 for September:
Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh - 9/25/22 - 4* - My Review

I feel a sense of accomplishment for figuring out how to get the formula to show the hexadecimal superscript "n." :-)

My #5 for October is:
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell about his experiences in the Spanish Civil War.

[Diana]

Joy D wrote: "I feel a sense of accomplishment for figuring out how to get the formula to show the hexadecimal superscript "n." "

OMG, I don't even understand the words...

[Joanne]

LoL Diana, not at you, with you-I was about to ask what the heck is a hexadecimal superscript?

[Theresa]

Add me to the mystified...

Then I soothe myself by thinking that I know the Rule Against Perpetuities....

[Joy D]

There are a number of ways to get unusual marks and fancy characters to appear in your post or review.

I wanted to reflect the correct form of Fermat's last theorem, but couldn't locate the superscript n, but eventually figured it out. Here's the site I was using in case anyone is interested:
https://www.quackit.com/character_set...

x to the nth power is what I was trying to figure out:
xⁿ
which is coded as hexadecimal:
x & # x 2 0 7 f ; (eliminate all spaces)

Feel free to expound on the Rule Against Perpetuities! :-)

[Heather Reads Books]

Finished my #22! The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - 4 stars. Review is here.

[KateNZ]

Trust me, you do *not* want a lecture on the Rule against Perpetuities…

[Theresa]

KateNZ wrote: "Trust me, you do *not* want a lecture on the Rule against Perpetuities…"

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Kate is so right!

@Kate - about 25 years ago, my then firm had a case we won arguing the Rule against Perpetuities. Naturally, we had the associate who had most recently graduated from law school draft the argument.

More recently I had to remind a senior associate in a fancy law firm the he had to rewrite a lease so it did not violate it. I enjoyed that moment.

[Amy]

I would be curious to hear how Lovely War is HayJay....

[Hayjay315]

Amy wrote: "I would be curious to hear how Lovely War is HayJay...."

I'll most likely be starting this the second week of October so watch for updates around then!

[Booknblues]

Amy wrote: "My number 5 is the Hidden Palace, the sequel to the Golem and the Jinni, if anyone wants to join. I'm not sure there is anyone who previously wanted to join this one. But with Magic and folklore, c..."

Amy, I just added Hidden Palace to my TBR, so if I am able to fit it in, I'll join in the buddy read.

[Amy]

Fabulous Fran! Look an alliteration and a double entendre!!!

[Booknblues]

Amy wrote: "Fabulous Fran! Look an alliteration and a double entendre!!!"

Amazing Amy! ;p

[Amy]

The perfect double entendre alliteration response. That makes my day!

[Book Concierge]

Sept - # 22
And fits the monthly tag "favorites"


Lucky In Love – Kasie West – 3***
This is a pretty typical YA romance. The interesting twist, of course, is Maddie’s status as a BIG lottery winner, and that definitely does complicate things for her. I really liked Maddie. She’s young and inexperienced but generally has a pretty good head on her shoulders. She values family relationships and true friendships. All in all, it’s a fast, fun read.
LINK to my full review

[Theresa]

September #22
Leavin' Trunk Blues by Ace Atkins

3.5 Stars

In this 2nd in the series set in the world of the Blues and the Blues Highway, Blues historian Nick Travers heads to Chicago from New Orleans to interview Ruby, the Sweet Black Angel whose blues career peeked and crashed in Chicago, 1959 when she was convicted to a life sentence for killing her lover, Billy Lyons, owner and producer of King Snake Records in Chicago. Ruby has been in prison for 40 years ... and claims she did not murder Billy. Nick starts looking into the crime ultimately peeling back the curtain on a vicious violent time as blues faded in Chicago with therise of R&B and Rock. Along the way we learn a great deal about the Blues Highway when it led to Chicago where careers blazed and went out in the blink of an eye.

It's a pity that Atkins only wrote 4 books in this series because they are so much more than thrillers: they are mini-histories of the blues, from origins to its fade as other music ascended (specifically R&B and Rock), mixing real life musicians and singers and their stories, including murders and betrayals, with fiction. There is a lot of violence and bloodshed, amorality, and poor treatment of women and blacks, but that is all real. Travers himself is an antihero and I suspect there is more than a little author autobiography present. These are dark compelling works deeply set in a world now gone.

I first discovered this series and read the first during Poll Tally. I will definitely finish the series.

My rating here is really 3.5 stars and probably would be at least 4 stars if I had read it when I was less distracted from reading with work. There were too many days between bouts of reading this.

[Booknblues]

Charlotte wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Jenni Elyse wrote: "I already read my #5 earlier this year. Woot Woot. I'm going to go back to a number I missed. I'm not sure what I'm going to choose yet, though."

I thought I..."

Charlotte, I've finished my latest read so will be starting Nine Perfect Strangers tomorrow.

[Diana]

Finished my #5 - The Obsession and didn't like it
2 stars - my review

[Booknblues]

My #5 was Nine Perfect Strangers

Review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jenni Elyse]

BnB, I suggest you read What Alice Forgot before you make a determination on Liane Moriarty. I am glad you liked NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, though. I agree with most of your thoughts.

[Booknblues]

Jenni Elyse wrote: "BnB, I suggest you read What Alice Forgot before you make a determination on Liane Moriarty. I am glad you liked NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, though. I agree with most of your thoughts."

Will do, I have it on my tbr as well.

[Diana]

Booknblues wrote: "Jenni Elyse wrote: "BnB, I suggest you read What Alice Forgot before you make a determination on Liane Moriarty. I am glad you liked NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, though. I agree with most of your though..."

Jenni Elyse wrote: "BnB, I suggest you read What Alice Forgot before you make a determination on Liane Moriarty. I am glad you liked NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, though. I agree with most of your thoughts."

I totally agree with Jenni Elyse! One has to read What Alice Forgot before giving up on Moriarty.

[Amy]

I would suggest other one’s of hers, but similar point.

[Sallys]

My #5- Isabel Allende In the midst of Winter. Slow going because I'm at my new teaching job. She is one of my favorite authors.

[Amy]

I may have trouble starting the hidden palace as quickly as I wanted. For Sally and Fran who are considering reading it with me, it might just be that we’re all on the same track that it’s going to get pushed into November. The magical part at the folklore might have been nice for October fall flurries, but because of the size of the book, I noticed it had a lot of chunksters recently. I need to knock off a couple of other books slated for book club in the next couple of weeks before I can pick it up again. This will be my first time pushing my trim book into the next month. But my track record has been so good on this, but I think I can allow myself to slide. I still remain a bit of a trim challenge crusher. And this challenge has not only helped me get to things I would not have gotten to, but to share those experiences with others. I’m grateful that the challenge has embraced so many of us to last as long as it has and onward.

[Booknblues]

Amy wrote: "I may have trouble starting the hidden palace as quickly as I wanted. For Sally and Fran who are considering reading it with me, it might just be that we’re all on the same track that it’s going to..."

Amy, I'm fine with that. Except for trying to fit in a scary book, I'm trying to relax a little for the rest of October.

[Sallys]

Me too. I'm dealing with school and trying to finish In the Midst of Winter. I will read it in November also. I can't wait for winter break so that I can read to my hearts content.

[Sue]

Finished my book for October: Bloodchild and Other Stories

Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Amy]

Just want to announce that Olivermagnus is the Trim Picker for November. I updated the list in Post One, so any available number will work. Have fun picking!

[Book Concierge]

Amy wrote: "Just want to announce that Olivermagnus is the Trim Picker for November. I updated the list in Post One, so any available number will work. Have fun picking!"

Amy ... unless I'm missing something .... I don't see any reference to WHICH numbers have been picked already.

What I'm looking for is something like:
January - Mary - # 4
February - Sam - # 23
March - Jenny - # 12
(etc)

[Meli]

I don't know who picked which month's numbers, but I tracked the number picked each month...

Jan - #10
Feb - #18
Mar - #11
Apr - #20
May - #9
Jun - #8
Jul - #7
Aug - #15
Sep - #22
Oct - #5

Perhaps this can be added to page 1 post 1.

[Amy]

Oh, I’m sorry I wasn’t clear about that, but Meli that was very helpful. What I did was I removed those numbers from the list of buddy reads. That by saying that those numbers that are available left on the buddy read list, are the ones available to choose from. It just felt to me that that was the list of the remaining numbers. Sorry I didn’t make that clear. Because we had no number untouched without an intended buddy read. So that list in post one is where I thought I had taken care of that.

Oliver/Lynda - you can confirm when you get a chance that you know you are up?

[Book Concierge]

Amy wrote: "Oh, I’m sorry I wasn’t clear about that, but Meli that was very helpful. What I did was I removed those numbers from the list of buddy reads. That by saying that those numbers that are available le..."

Did EVERY number have a buddy read? I admit I never paid attention because I don't do the buddy reads at all.

[Amy]

Yes. The buddy reads became so voluminous, that there wasn’t an unassigned number. We also ended up with exactly 24 people officially playing, which meant we have exactly 24 picks for a two year period. I figured that like the last round, when you get to the end of the year, we will move to the remaining 12.

[Diana]

Amy wrote: "Yes. The buddy reads became so voluminous, that there wasn’t an unassigned number. We also ended up with exactly 24 people officially playing, which meant we have exactly 24 picks for a two year pe..."

I'm sorry to say this, Amy, but I was looking at the numbers left, and not all of them are in the list of buddy reads. Numbers 13, 16, and 17 haven't been called yet and are not on the list.

[Amy]

Good catch! I will put them in for OliverMagnus and for the rest of us. Thank you for that. Takes a village!

[Theresa]

@Amy - I'm just really catching up on this thread on the whole available numbers discussion and I'm completely confused when I look at the list. I have been keeping my own list in my tracking thread here. In fact, when it was my turn to pick, I picked from my tracking list.

Can you add to what you have in the post tracking numbers used and available a simple list like the one below? Some of us participating are not doing any (or maybe only one or two) buddy reads. We just need to know the numbers used, when and what's still available. If the number picker wants to pick according to buddy read, they have the list to do so. If they just want to pick a number or a specific book on their list, they can using this list.
Here's how I've been tracking personally though my list includes my book titles which I have here removed - feel free to copy:paste it into your post:

UNOFFICIAL TRIM 2022 Tracking

1.
2.
3.
4.
5. October
6.
7. July
8. June
9. May
10. January
11. March
12.
13.
14.
15. August
16.
17.
18. February
19.
20. April
21.
22. September
23.
24.

[Amy]

Attention Everyone, I have now put a list of available numbers for the Trim Picker to choose from at the end of Post One. There can now be no possible confusion. I will update it monthly, or at least until we start over with our remaining 12 in 2023, and then monthly from then.

Olivermagnus, can you confirm you are aware you are Trim Picker this month? Any questions, just feel free to ask me.

[Amy]

Also, Book Concierge is our Trim Picker for December.

[Theresa]

Kind of shocking to realize we are planning and eye-balling December and year end!

[Joanne]

Amy wrote: "Attention Everyone, I have now put a list of available numbers for the Trim Picker to choose from at the end of Post One. There can now be no possible confusion. I will update it monthly, or at lea..."

I believe OliverM made known to PTB that she was in the process of packing up her house to move and that she would probably not be around to much - just wanted to let you know Amy

[Amy]

I did not catch that! Maybe BC, would you like to switch months? Be our Picker for November, and our Oliver/Lynda can catch up in December?

[Sallys]

I think that I'm reading Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende next. It seems that it will be a comfort read I realized that like comfort foods, there can be comfort reads/. Im so stressed and overwhelmed and I love Isabel Allende.

[Olivermagnus]

I can pick for November. Let me review the numbers and I'll be back in 5 minutes!

[Olivermagnus]

November 2022 Pick is #24

[Olivermagnus]

24 – Once There Were Wolves (Diana H, Oliver, Amy?, JenK)
24- The Tuscan Child (Hannah, Joanne)
24 - She Wolves (Care, HeatherR)

It looks like several group reads were planned for #24.

[Amy]

Great Pick! Came in under the wire. Hope your move is going well! Thank you so much. When you get a breath, tell us all how you’re doing.