Team Ajax

[Deedee]

Spent the afternoon at a car repair shop and read, in its entirety, Once More Upon a Time (2020) by Roshani Chokshi. Still reading my two longer books.

[Shannon]

We need a few people to add the following books to their tower team 9 shelf...

Sara:
Under Fortunate Stars

Sarah:
The Secret Life of Cows

We can't add the books to the spreadsheet until they are on your shelves so once theyre added we will add them

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Medusa



The infamous Gorgon sister, Medusa has been spotted on your lands. Hard to kill and is looking for recommendations for a new hair stylist. Hers never seem to last long.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 350 and 450 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book that takes place in a desert.
3.) Read a book where someone is beheaded.
4.) Read a book with a mirror on the cover.
5.) Read a book with a snake on the cover.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Cerberus



Cererbus has decided to take a jaunty run through your lands before returning to the underworld. He's very hard to defeat, don't let those 6 puppy dog eyes fool you. May want to bring some milk bones and tennis balls.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 500 and 650 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book where a funerary celebration/service takes place.
3.) Read a book with MPG Music.
4.) Read a book with a musical instrument on the cover.
5.) Read a book that is #3 in a series.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Minotaur



The Minotaur has been seen on your lands, frolicking through fields and enjoying freedom for the first time. If you manage to defeat him, you will spend the rest of your life wondering how you survived. Don't forget some rope!


To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book 800 pages or longer.
2.) Read a book where the MC gets lost.
3.) Read a book with a map in it.
4.) character described as "bull-headed" or "hard-headed".
5.) Read a book with a Goodreads rating of 4.0 or higher.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Harpies



Groups of Harpies have been spotted on your lands, ruining outdoor feasts at every opportunity. Easy to defeat with the motivation to chase them far enough away, enjoy the cardio.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 100 and 125 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book that features a feast or banquet.
3.) Read a book that contains a chase (car chase, foot chase, etc).
4.) Read a book with a character who is royalty.
5.) Read a book that features a thief.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Scylla



Scylla has been spotted close to your shores and endangering ships heading for the harbor. Very hard to defeat and best to avoid if possible, is very touchy when Circe is mentioned.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 500 and 650 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book with a body of water on the cover.
3.) Read a book that features a sacrifice of some type (your interpretation).
4.) Read a book that features a sorceress.
5.) Read a book whose title contains the word "FIRE".

[Sara]

Shannon wrote: "We need a few people to add the following books to their tower team 9 shelf...

Sara:
Under Fortunate Stars

Sarah:
The Secret Life of Cows

We can't add the books to the spreadsheet until they are..."

Ooops, sorry, added now!

[Karolyn]

New Mini Starts June 15

Hey everyone! There is a new mini about to start. It will run from June 15 to July 15 and our challenge is to vanquish mythical monsters! The Muses have shared the first 5 monsters we need to defeat in the posts above. The rules for the mini are here

I’m mobile right now, but if Deanna doesn’t beat me to it I’ll post the rules at the top of this thread and add a tab to the tracking file where we log our books by this evening (US central time).

If there are questions please post them here and note we can use books that are started before June 15… as long as they are not finished before the challenge begins. More to come :)

[Deedee]

Finished: Klara and the Sun (2021) by Kazuo Ishiguro (Hardcover, 303 pages) - 5 stars

Halfway through collection of short stories:
Black Projects, White Knights: The Company Dossiers (The Company #4.5) (2002) by Kage Baker

Just started:
Some Kind of Fairy Tale (2012) by Graham Joyce (Hardcover, 310 pages)

[Emma (M)]

This looks like a fun mini-challenge! I like the idea that we can continue to replenish with new monsters every time we complete one and the fact one book can be used for multiple tasks in one monster.

I’ll have to make sure that I don’t quite finish my curren books before the 15th.

[Bee]

I'm eating away A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and will be done by tomorrow, hopefully.
I like the up-coming new muses mini challenge. But will the books only count after the 15th or we start now?

[Karolyn]

Abir wrote: "I'm eating away A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and will be done by tomorrow, hopefully.
I like the up-coming new muses mini challenge. But will the books onl..."

We can use any books that are already in progress as long as you don’t FINISH the book before June 15.

So for example, I’m planning to start It this weekend , which works for Minotaur tasks #1 and #5. I can start it today and as long as I finish it after Wednesday we can use it 😄

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

I love a mini challenge! And the Mods have excelled with this one. Off to see what fits. Enjoy, everyone.

[Bee]

Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "I love a mini challenge! And the Mods have excelled with this one. Off to see what fits. Enjoy, everyone."

I totally agree Lisa, this round of TT have really been awesome so far, and the mini challenges are super fun

[Bee]

Karolyn wrote: "Abir wrote: "I'm eating away A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and will be done by tomorrow, hopefully.
I like the up-coming new muses mini challenge. But will ..."

Thanks for clearing the view Karolyn. I want to help as much as I can

[Emma (M)]

I’m reading a book where hard-headed is spelt without the hyphen, so just hardheaded. Do you think this would work? If so, The book will work for tasks 3&4 of Minotaur, and potentially #2 as well - the MC is on a journey so could very well get lost.

I’m also reading a book that will work for #2 in Cerberus.

[Elisabeth]

The Wilbur Smith I’m reading has 592 pages. Task 1 of Cerberus or Scylla. I’ll time it to finish when the mini starts.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

I'm reading which cover Minotaur tasks 2-5. At 711 pages just a bit short for task one unfortunately. Also one beheading, and I'm sure a few more tasks as I'm only a third of the way through.

[Elisabeth]

Not only does Wilbur Smith's French heroine survive WW1's Western Front battles, she also survives a shipwreck off the Skeleton Coast of Africa and being lost in the sand dune deserts and the Kalahari Desert of present day Namibia. Also had a baby in the midst of it all saved and assisted by an elderly pair of San--Bushpeople. Quite a woman. But she does tick a few boxes task wise. At least three quarters of the book is set in the African desert regions so unless someone comes up with something else it should qualify there. Oh and she was chased up a tree by a lion and survived a mauling.

[Emma (M)]

Quite a woman indeed!

[Saar The Book owl]

Interesting mini challenge. I need to gopher, but already I've got some books in mind.

[Elisabeth]

I have a few books with bodies of water on the cover. One my husband is reading and won't finish for a while and another I won't read till July to fit another challenge. But they're there if we need them for that.

[Emma (M)]

Do we have a Goodreads librarian in the group? I have a Kindle book that doesn’t list the page number. Amazon has it listed as 300 pages.

The book is Seek & Find

[Raine]

Emma (M) wrote: "Do we have a Goodreads librarian in the group? I have a Kindle book that doesn’t list the page number. Amazon has it listed as 300 pages.

The book is Seek & Find"

Done

[Raine]

I have books I need to add to the spreadsheet. Hopefully I can get this done sometime today.

[Deanna]

Finished and . Updated spreadsheet.

[Deanna]

Here's an update of what tasks are claimed based on the books currently on the spreadsheet. Hopefully the other books not yet used will work for whatever monsters we get after finishing the first ones.

🐉Monster #1 - Medusa🐉
T1 - Read a book between 350 and 450 pages (inclusive). - Lisa (The Master and Margarita)
T2 - Read a book that takes place in a desert. - Sixty (The Verdant Passage)
T3 - Read a book where someone is beheaded. - Lisa (The Master and Margarita)
T4 - Read a book with a mirror on the cover.
T5 - Read a book with a snake on the cover. - Lisa (The Witch's Heart)

🐉Monster #2 - Cerberus🐉
T6 - Read a book between 500 and 650 pages (inclusive).
T7 - Read a book where a funerary celebration/service takes place.
T8 - Read a book with MPG Music.
T9 - Read a book with a musical instrument on the cover.
T10 - Read a book that is #3 in a series. - Emma (Seek & Find)

🐉Monster #3 - Minotaur🐉
T11 - Read a book 800 pages or longer. - Karolyn (It)
T12 - Read a book where the MC gets lost. - Lisa (Empire of the Vampire)
T13 - Read a book with a map in it. - Lisa (Empire of the Vampire)
T14 - character described as "bull-headed" or "hard-headed". - Lisa (Empire of the Vampire)
T15 - Read a book with a Goodreads rating of 4.0 or higher. - Karolyn (It)

🐉Monster #4 - Harpies🐉
T16 - Read a book between 100 and 125 pages (inclusive).
T17 - Read a book that features a feast or banquet.
T18 - Read a book that contains a chase (car chase, foot chase, etc). - Sixty (The Starless Crown)
T19 - Read a book with a character who is royalty. - Sixty (The Starless Crown)
T20 - Read a book that features a thief. - Sixty (The Starless Crown)

🐉Monster #5 - Scylla🐉
T21 - Read a book between 500 and 650 pages (inclusive). - Elisabeth (The Burning Shore)
T22 - Read a book with a body of water on the cover. - Deanna (The Lightning Thief)
T23 - Read a book that features a sacrifice of some type (your interpretation). - Deanna (The Lightning Thief)
T24 - Read a book that features a sorceress. - Deanna (The Good Shifter
T25 - Read a book whose title contains the word "FIRE". - Deanna (A Column of Fire)

Countdown to mini start - https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...

[Karolyn]

I have the Violin Conspiracy on hold and should get it in the next two weeks. It can cover T8 and T9, but if someone beats me to them that’s fine too 😄

[Emma (M)]

Karolyn wrote: "I have the Violin Conspiracy on hold and should get it in the next two weeks. It can cover T8 and T9, but if someone beats me to them that’s fine too 😄"

Looks like we can get repeats, so in two weeks time we may have the same set of tasks anyway! 🙂

[Karolyn]

Emma (M) wrote: "Karolyn wrote: "I have the Violin Conspiracy on hold and should get it in the next two weeks. It can cover T8 and T9, but if someone beats me to them that’s fine too 😄"

Looks like we can get repea..."

Good point! And remember we can bank books for this challenge, so even if it was 3-4 weeks later we could still use it

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

I've got one for T16 - 112 pages. There is also a Vegas Wedding Banquet so that covers T17 as well.

[Emma (M)]

Karolyn wrote: "Good point! And remember we can bank books for this challenge, so even if it was 3-4 weeks later we could still use it"

Since they’ve provided the Master List, maybe it’s worth noting down beside books that don’t work for a current creature we have (with T numbers) then we can note down the Monster tasks it works for that we may get further down the track. Something along the lines of ‘Hydra #3”. That way captains can take a look at banked books and quickly see which of those books work as soon as we get that new monster. Also, it means that potential options get noted when fresh in the mind instead of weeks later.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Emma (M) wrote: "Karolyn wrote: "Good point! And remember we can bank books for this challenge, so even if it was 3-4 weeks later we could still use it"

Since they’ve provided the Master List, maybe it’s worth not..."

That's a great idea, Emma.

[Sixty]

I made a reference guide thing for the master list to make it a bit easier to find stuff. Let me know if I have missed anything, or if there are any mistakes. I hope this is helpful!

Page Count

1. 100 - 125 ( Sirens 1, Empusa 1, Harpies 1, Python 1)
2. 200 – 299 (Lamia 1, Sphinx 1, Mares of Diomedes 1, Colchian Dragon 1, Caucasian Eagle 1)
3. 300 - 349 (Centaurs 1, Griffin 1)
4. 350 – 450 (Echidna 1, Medusa 1, Chimera 1, Nemean Lion 1, Stymphalian Birds 1, Cretan Bull 1, Cookie Monster 1)
5. 500-650 (Typhon 1, Scylla 1, Cerberus 1, Erymanthian Boar 1, Polyphemus (Cyclops) 1, Manticore 1, Argus 1, Drop Bear 1)
6. 800+ (Charybdis 1, Lernean Hydra 1, Minotaur 1, Kraken 1, Penanggalan 1)

Cover

1. ligtning on cover (Typhon 3)
2. mirror on cover (Medusa 4)
3. snake on cover (Medusa 5)
4. rope on cover (Sirens 4)
5. body of water on cover (Scylla 2)
6. sandals on cover (flip-flops/thongs accepted) (Empusa 4)
7. night sky on cover (Lamia 2)
8. mountain on cover (Sphinx 4)
9. brown cover (Sphinx 5)
10. gold text on cover (Lernean Hydra 3)
11. fire on cover (Mare of Diomedes 2)
12. musical instrument on cover (Cerberus 4 and Colchian Dragon 3)
13. open plain on cover (Nemean Lion 4)
14. something metal on cover (Stymphalian Birds 4)
15. yellow cover (Colchian Dragon 5)
16. snow on cover (Erymanthain Boar 3)
17. sheep AND people on cover (Polyphemus (Cyclops) 4)
18. both hands of one person visible on cover (Nemean Lion 3)
19. bird on cover (Caucasian Eagle 3)
20. forest on cover (Centaurs 2)
21. red cover (Griffin 3)
22. cross on cover (Griffin 5)
23. at least two pairs of eyes visible on cover (Argus 2)
24. rock on cover (Argus 3)
25. white cover (Cretan Bull 2)
26. ship on the cover (spaceships allowed) (Kraken 2)
27. blue cover (Cookie Monster 5)
28. carnivore on cover (Drop Bear 4)

Setting

1. takes place in a desert (Medusa 2)
2. takes place on a boat or ship (Sirens 2)
3. takes place in the suburbs (Empusa 2)
4. takes place in Asia Minor (Italy, Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Isreal, and Lebanon) (Chimera 2)
5. takes place in Africa (Nemean Lion 2)
6. takes place on an island (Polyphemus (Cyclops) 2)
7. set in Russia (Caucasian Eagle 2)
8. set in United States (Griffin 2)
9. set in Persia (Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) (Manticore 2)
10. set in a city (Cookie Monster 2)
11. set in Australia (Drop Bear 2)
12. set in Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timore-Leste, Vietnam) (Penanggalan 2)

MPG

1. MPG Adventure (Lernean Hydra 2)
2. MPG Music (Cerberus 3)
3. MPG Animal (Erymanthian Boar 5)
4. MPG War (Chimera 4)
5. MPG Epic Fantasy (Colchian Dragon 4)
6. MPG Classics (Centaurs 4)
7. MPG Paranormal>Shifter (Manticore 4)
8. MPG Paranormal (Penanggalan 4)

Found in Text

1. mentions a volcano (Typhon 2)
2. CAVE in text (Echidna 2)
3. “mermaid” in text (Sirens 5)
4. fig in title or text (Charybdis 4)
5. “spear” in text (Chimera 3)
6. character described as “bull-headed” or “hard-headed” (Minotaur 4)
7. mentions some type of championship games (World Cup, Olympics, World Series, etc) (Python 5)
8. musical instrument mentioned in text (Stymphalian Birds 3)
9. "brave" or "courageous" in text (Griffin 4)
10. "olive" found in text (Argus 5)
11. word "vinegar" in text (Penanggalan 5)

Title

1. title that contains all the letters of ZEUS (Typhon 4)
2. title contains the word “FIRE” (Scylla 5)
3. fig in the title or text (Charybdis 4)
4. title contains all the letters of HERA (Mares of Diomedes 4)
5. titles starts with a letter from MOUNTAIN (Erymanthian Boar 2)
6. the letters LIVER in title (Caucasian Eagle 4)
7. letters MAN EATER in title (Manticore 3)
8. SID in title (Cookie Monster 4)

Author Name

1. author name (first and last) contains all the letters in HERA (Echidna 4)
2. author's name (first or last) starts with one of the letters in POOL (Charybdis 2)
3. author's name (first or last) starts with a letter in SWORD (Python 3)
4. author name (first or last) starts and ends with the same letter (e.g. Andromeda) (Kraken 3)
5. author initials in VEGEMITE (Drop Bear 5)

Event

1. character uses a sword (Echidna 3)
2. someone is beheaded (Medusa 3)
3. features a sacrifice of some type (your interpretation) (Scylla 3)
4. MC is forced to make a hard choice (your interpretation) (Charybdis 3)
5. characters take a boat trip (of any type) (Charybdis 5)
6. features a feast or banquet (Harpies 2)
7. contains a chase (car chase, foot chase, etc) (Harpies 3)
8. someone is kidnapped (Lamia 3)
9. features a prophecy (Lamia 4)
10. characters go on a journey (Sphinx 2)
11. character gets poisoned (food poisoning is acceptable, does not have to be fatal) (Mares of Diomedes 3)
12. funerary celebration/service takes place (Cerberus 2)
13. character gets drunk (Erymanthian Boar 4)
14. MC gets lost (Minotaur 2)
15. character engages in some sort of trickery (your interpretation) (Polyphemus (Cyclops) 3)
16. MC must solve a riddle (Sphinx 3)
17. character goes to prison (or is already there) (Caucasian Eagle 5)
18. where something physical is destroyed (e.g., building burning down and not a relationship being ruined) (Cretan Bull 3)
19. MC ignores important advice (Cretan Bull 4)
20. character goes swimming (Kraken 4)

Character Features

1. MC is a father (Typhon 5)
2. MC is a mother (Echidna 5)
3. character is deaf (Sirens 3)
4. features a sorceress (Scylla 4)
5. character is a bully (your interpretation) (Empusa 3)
6. MC owns a cow or dog (Empusa 5)
7. character is royalty (Harpies 4)
8. features a thief (Harpies 5)
9. child (under the age of 18) is an important part of the plot (Lamia 5)
10. MC has a sister (Lernean Hydra 4)
11. features twins (Python 2)
12. character is pregnant (Python 4)
13. MC is a farmer (Polyphemus (Cyclops) 5)
14. character who is considered wise (Centaurs 5)
15. character works in protective profession (e.g., police, security guard, bodyguard) (Argus 4)
16. MC bakes (professionally or for personal use) (Cookie Monster 3)

Book Features

1. features a lion, goat, or snake (Chimera 5)
2. features a cat (cat shifter accepted) (Nemean Lion 5)
3. features a bird (bird shifter accepted) (Stymphalian Birds 5)
4. map in book (Minotaur 3)
5. features a prophecy (Lamia 4)
6. 3 in publication date (Manticore 5)
7. 7 in page count (Cretan Bull 5)
8. with a surprise twist (Drop Bear 3)
9. author identifies as female (Penanggalan 3)

Series

1. #9 or higher in series (Lernean Hydra 5)
2. #3 in series (Cerberus 5)
3. #6 in series (Stymphalian Birds 2)
4. from an unfinished series (Polyphemus (Cyclops) 2)
5. has an 8 in the series number (e.g., #8, #18, #0.8) (Kraken 5)

Rating

1. Goodreads rating between 3 and 3.5 (inclusive) (Mares of Diomedes 5)
2. Goodreads rating 4.0+ (Minotaur 5)

[Emma (M)]

Wow Sixty, that’s awesome 😀

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

That's great, Sixty. That's going to help a lot. Well done. 😍

[Silje]

If I don't remember wrong, the book I'm currently reading will have a funeral in a chapter or two. It is also between 500-650 pages.

[Elisabeth]

Great idea, Sixty. I’m compiling a list while I read because my current book doesn’t fit our last few tasks for these Monsters.

[Sara]

Since I'm not finishing the book today like I was hoping, I have a book that fits the 3-3.5 rating task.

So, as long as the book is read after the 15th, it can be used for future monster tasks? It doesn't have to be finished after we get the monster?

[Emma (M)]

Sara wrote: "Since I'm not finishing the book today like I was hoping, I have a book that fits the 3-3.5 rating task.

So, as long as the book is read after the 15th, it can be used for future monster tasks? It..."

That’s correct, we can bank any books for future monsters that are finished after the 15th.

[Deanna]

The Monster Mini has started!

Any books finished after this point can be used for the challenge.

[Emma (M)]

I’ve added my first finished book for the mini and noted all the monsters/tasks it works for. However the list is longer than the visible cell so Captain will have to click on the cell to see everything listed at the top.

[Elisabeth]

Finished

I’ll wait until a new monster appears to add my current book tasks. It has way too many to list until I can narrow it down to a specific battle.

[Deanna]

Completed , , and . Spreadsheet updated.

With Elisabeth's completion of The Burning Shore, we have slain our first monster, Scylla!

Request for new monster has been placed.

[Ilsen]

Oh I finished my book today but I’m not sure if it will count because I’m not sure if the exact time is aligned with when it started. I’ll put it in the log anyways

[Elisabeth]

Deanna wrote: "Completed , , and . Spreadsheet updated.

With Elisabeth's completion of The Burning ..."

Yay!!!

[Deanna]

We're doubling down on Medusa...

Medusa



The infamous Gorgon sister, Medusa has been spotted on your lands. Hard to kill and is looking for recommendations for a new hair stylist. Hers never seem to last long.

To vanquish this monster you must:
1.) Read a book between 350 and 450 pages (inclusive).
2.) Read a book that takes place in a desert.
3.) Read a book where someone is beheaded.
4.) Read a book with a mirror on the cover.
5.) Read a book with a snake on the cover.

[Elisabeth]

Medusa 1 --My current book The Invisible Art of Detection is 372 pages. It fits heaps of other odd tasks for other monsters so not so useful here perhaps.

[Karolyn]

Would it be helpful to add Sixty’s list below the tasks in the Monster tab? We could number them to make it easier to fill in column I in the spreadsheet. I’ll have some time in the morning to update the file if y’all think it will be useful.