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Trim Challenge 2024: Announcement and Community Thread
I keep forgetting to mention, although I did call it to our attention last month~ Our Trim Picker for July is.... Meli!I am usually pretty good keeping up with Trim, but by June 21, I have started neither book. I have the Accidental Empress with Olivermagnus, and I am the one who picked it. It matches Europe with a P and has been high on my TBR forever as a long TBR book. But I just don't know that I can start and finish it by June's end. Ironic, that it was my pick. I also have Jaqueline in Paris with BC. Its been a slower reading month for sure. Waiting for Summer to start....
Amy wrote: "I keep forgetting to mention, although I did call it to our attention last month~ Our Trim Picker for July is.... Meli!I am usually pretty good keeping up with Trim, but by June 21, I have starte..."
Here I am in traccy daks and a big jumper with fluffy socks because it is 25C now (8.30 pm) and winter is upon us. I really have gone soft.
Oh, I'm about 1/2 way done with Jacqueline in Paris. It's my kitchen table book this month because I have a copy at home, so don't have to worry about getting read in time to return it to the library. It doesn't match a letter for BWF spelling, so I'm not in a hurry either.
LOL! As I eagerly await the announcement for the next number... I still have both May and June's books to get to! Have been busy both months, plus was trying to read a very long book in May (even that one, I only got halfway before setting it aside; still haven't come back to it). Maybe I can catch up in July...? :-)
LibraryCin wrote: "LOL! As I eagerly await the announcement for the next number... I still have both May and June's books to get to! Have been busy both months, plus was trying to read a very long book in May (even t..."Meli hasn't been active in about a month so may not even realise she is the picker.
Somehow I have managed to complete 7 off my TRIM list (because I gave myself 3 choices each month) but none for May or June. Meh, the list is changing (can't say shrinking as I keep finding more books).
I'm still working on my May and June ones too, so y'all aren't alone...June may end up finished before May at this rate.
I reminded Meli - she's on my BWF Team so I had other reminders for her. She's been very busy with work - but said she should catch up soon.I think I have April. May, and June yet to read ...
That's relatable - I'm super behind on everything too. I just started my Star Wars book I was supposed to read for May the Fourth! No one needs to rush on my account, lol.
The only excitement in my life this year is the tags and TRIM numbers being announced. I get all excited about what I am going to read and then get drowned in marking and don't read it.Though I did receive my poo pots (bowel cancer screening) from the government as my birthday present so I guess it is exciting I survived this long (results pending).
Also way behind-the other challenges have kept me busy, and real like has been a big challenge in itself lately- I have been concentrating on those two things-
Heather Reads Books wrote: "That's relatable - I'm super behind on everything too. I just started my Star Wars book I was supposed to read for May the Fourth! No one needs to rush on my account, lol."HAH! And here I thought I was the caboose in the Star Wars challenge when I didn't get to my second book until the first week in June...
Sorry, meant to do this last night and got busy! The July trim # is 5!!!
My # 5 is A Land More Kind Than Home, but I'm swapping it out for # 16, Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table to do a buddy read with Theresa.They are both debut books, so I may read them both.
Theresa wrote: "HAH! And here I thought I was the caboose in the Star Wars challenge when I didn't get to my second book until the first week in June..."NOPE! May ended up being so so so busy...
My #5 is either: 5. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon; or Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. Not sure which I'm vibing more with, which is fine, since I'm so behind anyway...
Heather Reads Books wrote: "Theresa wrote: "HAH! And here I thought I was the caboose in the Star Wars challenge when I didn't get to my second book until the first week in June..."NOPE! May ended up being so so so busy... ..."
I read and liked Priory of the Orange Tree -- and it has really great dragons. It's a debut I believe too -- and a stand alone though the author will be writing more in the universe. Has faults but it was quite enjoyable. My Feminerdy Book Club read it and all liked it with a few reservations. Definitely want to see more in the universe, even more featuring some of the secondary characters and other stories hinted at.
My #5 is Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry but I'm swapping it out for my #16. Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl which is a Buddy Read with BooknBlues which we decided to move up to July since it's a debut and we are in the mood for it. Anyone is welcome to join the Buddy Read which I'll open July 1. I am so behind in Trim - I have April, May, June yet to read.
I'll be reading Sugar Crash by Elena Aitken but whether or not I'll actually read it in July remains to be seen given how things have been going so far.
LibraryCin wrote: "Some chick lit for me! Bet Me / Jennifer Crusie"
That was a fun book. I read it years ago but like the humor of the author.
I have never been truly behind on Trim, but here we are. I haven't yet started May - Jaqueline in Paris. But I have it in the car. I have to see where it fits. I also did not read Accidental Empress for May, which is queued up on my phone. But I have two for June. The Lost Ticket, which I think I am going to listen to on audio, and A Girl Called Samson. I just finished an Amy Harmon (today) so I might put that one off a bit as well. But they are happening even if slowly.
Olivermagnus wrote: "LibraryCin wrote: "Some chick lit for me! Bet Me / Jennifer Crusie"
That was a fun book. I read it years ago but like the humor of the author."
I agree with OM - cute and great humor. Perfect read for summer.
My number 5 choices are: 5) The Unclimbed Ridge/Against all Odds/The Other Emilyall pretty good options. But my headspace has taken a massive dive again.
After today I have decided leaving the house is a bad idea. My doctor was away and the replacement had to be told by me that you can't do thyroid tests on the same script as cholesterol (thyroid can't be fasting or TSH elevates) and cholesterol must be fasting. I'm pretty sure both are fine (unless they are tested wrongly) but my regular doctor wanted them checked because I'm old. Got home and discovered my psychopathic ex who has blocked and ghosted me for 2 years and is supposedly really happy with his new job and relationship has joined all my facebook groups (he can't dive or even pass the medical, he hates uk and has certainly never been to Whitby) so now I can't even relax online. I already had to avoid most of town to avoid the nasty looks and comments.
So far, shockingly, I’ve read all my trim books. Still time to complete my June, but cutting it close. My #5 is Hagseed, a Shakespeare retelling by Margaret Atwood.
@Olivermagnus - Behind Closed Doors is such a good, light, popcorn thriller. Perfect for summer! I love B.A. Paris.
# 5 for me is Queen By Right or The Pale Horseman - I am also behind...I need to look at all that I have not read and try to read something that fits other challenges I am doing, which I am also far behind on.
I just started family Matters, which I love, so that may be my first #5 if I'm still reading it in July. I'm guessing I'll finish it in Jun, however, so I have a stack of library books I'm considering for July. I'll read any or all since I'm off for the summer!
Sallys wrote: "I just started family Matters, which I love, so that may be my first #5 if I'm still reading it in July. I'm guessing I'll finish it in Jun, however, so I have a stack of library books I'm consider..."That's right - you are done for the summer and can indulge in reading! Have fun!
Thank you. Let's try to meet up one day in the city!
Sorry I've been AWOL. Life has been busy. Anyway, my #5 is WHEN I'M DEAD by Hannah Morrissey, which I just realized is the 3rd book in a series. I might have to change it to the first book instead.
Sallys wrote: "Thank you. Let's try to meet up one day in the city!"We should! And Amy needs to come down and join us!
I’m serious about finding a time to do just that.
#17 - June
Littered with Trouble - Eryn Scott
3 stars
Review:
Louise Henry, recently widowed, uses her husband’s life insurance money to purchase a book store in Button, WA where her best friend lives and moves across the country from NYC. She is a former editor, and he was an English literature professor. Ownership of a book store was a dream she and her husband shared for their future. Unfortunately, the former store owner was involved in some shady business and disgruntled former customers are harassing her without knowing the store has changed hands. Then one of those people is killed at her back door. Willow, her friend, helps her try to sort out the mystery of the former owner’s dealings and the identity of the victim. Willow’s neighbor is the police detective.
There is a side story involving fostering cats. I enjoyed the mystery but not so much the cats, especially the one who attacks people by jumping on their head and likes to shred books. A store mascot is one thing but a herd of five cats and possibly more in the future seems like it might be off-putting for many customers. I would be one of those, not to mention all those allergic to cats. Not really interested in continuing with this series. Sorry to all those cat lovers out there.
Woohoo I got my June Trim book done!Emotional Rescue: Essays on Love, Loss, and Life—With a Soundtrack 3 stars. Completed 6/29/2024.
Now I just need to get May finished and I'll be caught up.
I'm about half-way done with my June book. Since I won an arc, I'm in no rush to get it back to the library, so it has taken lowest priority. (Kitchen table book ... I read for 10 minutes when I'm waiting for the water to boil for pasta, or 20 minutes while the lasagna is baking, etc)
Congrats, Jen! You are inspiring me to get caught up in July!
I am half way through my May book and will read June right after that. :-)
This is a note for Liz~. First, Welcome and so happy you are joining us in PBT and in the Trim Challenge. This is such a wonderful dynamic community and we all look forward to getting to know you. I will try to 'friend' you later, but I wanted to say a thing or two about how Trim has been working.
So the "Welcome and Planning" thread is where we had posted our original lists, so we could together figure out Buddy Reads. But it is this thread, the 'Community and Announcement' one, that we are using to announce the monthly number and chat together. This way, when a new member wants to join us, they can look at the existing buddy reads that we still have as well as others lists and post their own, as you did perfectly. But then reverting to here for our chat.
Also, and this is just a suggestion for all. I think its great not to necessarily use this thread to re-post our reviews, but if you really want to, just to put in a link as Liz did and some others sometimes do. Just because the reviews are often in plenty of other places on PBT, and I think it can cause a real clog of this thread. But that is just me. Some people do seem to like to do that. And since this challenge is so optional and free flowing, I feel like we can let the people do what they need to do and I can just mention it as a thought to consider.
Our next Trim Picker for July is Pam. But I don't think any of us have seen her in awhile. My best thought is to keep going down the list. And if Pam turns up she can have her space to pick again at a later time. This means our HayJay is our August Trim Picker!!! Yay HayJay. Maybe she will pick a Buddy Read with Me, because we haven't done one in awhile. Summer is a good time for her, as our HayJay has been plowing through grad school with passion and fervor and maybe just maybe August will be a bit of a break?
I will edit the top of this post to reflect where we are in this half year point, so it will be easier for the HayJay, future pickers in 2024, and for new members when they hopefully join in.
Again, Welcome Liz and anyone else who wants to play.
*Edited the top portions to include Liz, to add the numbers already selected, and to take the first six months selections of the list of Buddy Reads.
Thanks, Amy, for the clarification. I'll make sure to post my updates here in the future.
One thing I was wondering about though: where can I find information about the letters and how that works?
Liz wrote: "Thanks, Amy, for the clarification. I'll make sure to post my updates here in the future.
One thing I was wondering about though: where can I find information about the letters and how that works?"
Hey Liz, Welcome!
When you say letters do you mean when the group is talking about their Trim or PBT fitting a certain letter as well as the number and the tag?
Those letters are part of another challenge which they are doing in groups on the main PBT page (you'll find them under 2024 activities and challenges). It isn't part of this challenge or the main PBT challenge but obviously there is a big overlap in people and if books fit multiple challenges that's a bonus. I don't know how that challenge works because it is a team challenge and I don't have enough time to commit to one without being worried I'll let them down, but the instructions are probably in the activities and challenges folder.
Good luck and enjoy.
Liz, these are great questions. I’m sure that someone who drops a new must be like what the heck is going on! so in this group each year there are two main challenges that the group offers and you can choose to just be a part of the group and do nothing or to do the monthly tag or to do one or both of the main challenges and there are all these other optional challenges. Trim the TBR one of those optional challenges. It was a challenge like six years ago or five years ago and we just kept it going. Theresa hold in, and in the fall there is a fall flurries from October to December. But the two main challenges that we have this year, and they get voted on every year…. These two were voted on out of eight options that were all fantastic. Anyway, our two main moderators of them is hosting one of these challenges. Anita is running a challenge called books with friends. And when you see that BWF, that’s what it refers to. So there are like five or six teams of six people. And some of them are new people who just joined us recently. So if you want to get on a team, she might be a person to reach out to. But basically the way that challenge works is that it’s connected to the monthly tag. That everyone on the team tries to read a book that spells out the letters of the monthly tag, and hopefully has that tag. For that one I suggest you read the challenge explanation thread to better understand it.
The other challenge that’s a year long challenge that’s going on is run by booknblues, who some of us also known as Fran. Because I know that could get confusing. In that challenge, and I think you’d better read that one too because the explanation is lengthy, but it seems to have to do with a race track with 100 tags. And those of us that are participating in that, some of these people have reached at least 11 levels of it. I am just on level two. But the book you choose also matches the monthly tag you get an extra point or two for it. Which is why both challenges seem to be relying both so heavily on the tags these days. Very often in in many years, the challenges don’t have much to do with the tags at all. This year is unusual year that way. Anyway, you can enter the steeplechase challenge right off the bat. You don’t have to find a team, all you have to do is pick an animal, imaginary or not, and you can jump right in. I want to say there’s at least a 10 people who are still on level one. That I would talk to booknblues and she will help you through it. I hope I have helped decipher some of this. Because I can imagine if I were dropped into this, I would be like what the heck is happening.
I have to post three times because when you do this on your phone, and who knows what kind of garble is coming out, it doesn’t let me go too long. But the last thing I want to say is that people when they join do this differently. When I joined, I just did the monthly tags until we hit fall flurries and then I did that. I didn’t even join into the challenges until the next year. People have gotten more ambitious and impressed and others. You can take this at your own speed. You are welcome to join any of these challenges or you just don’t have to, and you can do your own thing. I think others are going to be very welcoming sentiments that you do what feels right and what calls. But I warn you, we are a lot offun and can be pretty addictive bunch. to me, the challenges have been really fun because we just have a great time together. And you don’t need to be doing those challenges to have a great time with us. But some super creative members have made us laugh our heads off. so if you hear any talk about the mountains or the animals in the barn and what kind of antics they are up to this is directly related to the Steeplechase Challenge. I do hope that helps.
Liz (and other newcomers) ... also you'll see references to CGI Tom (i.e. Tom Hanks) or to the cabana boys or to Steve (Joanne's imaginary friend who sometimes helps on the patio). Don't worry ... you'll get the hang of it
I've been a member since we were still on Shelfari, so since about 2008. Sometimes I participate in the year-long challenges. Sometimes I don't. I'm doing Steeplechase this year, but just plodding along. I'm one of the ones still on level 1 and I'm not sure I'll bother to continue to level 2 if /when I complete level 1. I'm also on a team for BWF.
I get virtually all my books from the library, so I can't respond as quickly as some who have towering TBR stacks in their own home. And I belong to a couple (okay, six) F2F book clubs where those books take priority in my reading schedule. But that's okay. Not everything in life is about competing. We all have fun here.
Be sure to check out the Kaffeeklatsch ... you'll really get to know the other members that way.
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