Team Zaphod's Pangalactic Gargle Blaster

[UNO Pixie, Our UNO Helper]

Team Zaphod's Pangalactic Gargle Blaster

Team Members:
❅ Apoorv Moghe - Captain
❅ Kelly Palmer - Co-Captain
❅ Ansel Hsu
❅ Maddy
❅ Lilly
❅ Jo
❅ Becky Cuddhy
❅ Jax N
❅ Emily


♕ Team Spreadsheet
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...


❅ Lucy Harwood

[UNO Pixie, Our UNO Helper]

reserved

[UNO Pixie, Our UNO Helper]

reserved

[Apoorv]

SOOOO... THOSE SCARY MODS TOOK ME TO A CORNER AND WARNED ME TO HAVE YOU FOLKS READ THIS! SO, PLEASE READ, THEY.ARE.SCARY! :P
Rules - UNO 2024

➦ Only books STARTED after the challenge begins can count.
The challenge starts on Monday 1 Feb, 2024 at 9am UTC

➦ Books must be more than 100 pages in length.
If it is a Children's book or a graphic novel, we need to verify it is more than 25,000 words on arbookfind.com (https://www.arbookfind.com/UserType.a...)

➦ Your finished books need to be on your Uno shelf
AND marked as "read" for them to count.

➦ Please make notes of how your book may count.
The more options we have the better!
(Letters used in UNO are Z, O, T, H, F, I, V, E, S, N, K, P and of course if another team member has read the book before. Please friend our team members!)

➦ For colored cards, the cover needs to be 50% or more of the color.
You can ask us in this thread for our opinion, or use https://labs.tineye.com/color/ to get an idea. If in doubt, ask me or our co-captain as we can check it and/or take it to the captains group for another opinion.

➦ This is a social challenge, not a competitive one.
We'd love to get points, but the main aim of the game is to have fun, read lots and get to know each other :)
---------------------------------------------------------

Team Information (alphabetical)

✔ Ansel | uno2024
✔ Apoorv | Challenge-PBBA-UNO2024
✔ Becky | uno
✔ Emily | uno 2024
✔ Jax | Uno-2024
✔ Jo | 2024-uno
✔ Kelly | Uno2024
✔ Lilly | 2024 uno
✔ Lucy | perks-uno-2024
✔ Maddy | uno 2024

---------------------------------------------------------

COUNTDOWN!
(https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...)

We start February 1, 2024 at 9AM UTC.
---------------------------------------------------------

LEADERBOARD!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

---------------------------------------------------------

[Apoorv]

I AM LOOKING AT YOU! :P


Well, I mean that the cap and the co-cap see you. You are seen!
(Uff, this is turning into therapy. Eh, well! :P Two at the price of one!)

Team Spreadsheet
(https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...)

You don't have to worry about this one!
I got this (till I don't - but then we have an awesome co-cap, so we are totally fiiiiiiine!)

Team Zaphod's Pangalactic Gargle Blaster (I need to sit down and take a breath after that! Phew!) Tracking Spreadsheet
(https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...)

Now, THIS is your playground! Bookmark this baby because you will be needing this one a lot over the next three months!

[Apoorv]

OMG! I AM SOOOO EXCITED NOW!
I CAN'T WAIT!! LET'S GO ALREADY! :D

I know! I know! Your excitement is palpable. I totally get it! :D
So, let's get started, shall we?

A couple of things:

1. You can read absolutely ANYTHING you want! The only request is you track every little thing that the book offers you! Names, locations - the works!

The best way, of course, is Team ZPGB (I mean, I am hyperventilating typing that whole thing again! :P) Tracking Spreadsheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...). You can start filling in information as you come across it in the "February" (and later "March", and "April" folders). The reason for having all that information is that we can then move things around to complete our hands without waiting on someone to finish a certain book.

2. Color Cards: This is a fun one! We can have folks claim certain color cards if they want, but irrespective of that, I would request you to note any cover color-related information from your book that would fit the bill.

Always better to have multiple books that may fit multiple options. Again, you don't have to read for a particular color, but you can if you so choose.

[Apoorv]

WELP! I FINISHED A BOOK.
WHAT DO I DO NOW?

YAAY! Well done, you smart cookies!
Now we make sure that we count that book.
Every book is precious and we do not want to miss tracking it.

So, three things:

1. Stop by here and make a quick post about the completed book with as much information you can provide.

Here is an example how:
--------------------------------------------
Completion Post

Book: This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance! |
Author: Jonathan Evison
Pages: 296
Date: 01-Feb-2021
UNO Cards it fits:

0: Standalone
1: Character O - Osier, Terrance
2: Title T
3: Character H - Harriet Chance
4: Character F - Fitsimmons, Charlie
6: Character S - Skip
8: Author E
9: Character N - Nathan, Harriet
Skip: Character K - Kurt Pikins

Cover Color : Blue (73.3%) (https://labs.tineye.com/color/50aeebd...)


-------------------------------------------

2. Hop over to your profile and make sure you have logged in that book in your respective UNO folder as "read".

This is important because at the end of the month, only books logged into the respective shelves can be counted. And these mods are pesky (shhh!), they like to sneak, I tell you! Oh, you'll see! :P
------------------------------------------

3. Take a minute to go to our planning/tracking spreadsheet (yes, the same one!) (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...) and put in the relevant information of your next read.

I mean, we can't stop at 1, or 2, or errm 6!

[Apoorv]

APOORV, SERIOUSLY SHUT UP!
YOU'RE YAPPING AROUND WAY TOO MUCH. GET TO THE POINT! :P

Eeks! Sorry!
So, here are our FEBRUARY hands.
------------------------------------------

Required Reads
👉 0 : 4
👉 1 : 8
👉 2 : 10
👉 3 : 5
👉 4 : 8
👉 5 : 6
👉 6 : 10
👉 7 : 6
👉 8 : 7
👉 9 : 6
👉 Skip : 0 (whaaaaa...)
👉 Reverse : 8
👉 Draw 2 : 5
👉 Wild : 6
👉 Wild Draw 4 : 7

We also have twelve (12) colored cards:

Required Reads
👉 1 Green : 1
👉 2 Red : 1
👉 5 Blue : 1
👉 6 Red : 1
👉 7 Green : 1
👉 8 Red : 1
👉 9 Blue : 1
👉 9 Yellow : 1
👉 Skip Blue : 1
👉 Skip Green : 1
👉 Skip Red : 1
👉 Skip Yellow : 1

---------------------------------------------
Quick peek at what can be used for each of the cards:
(view spoiler)[
O (Zero)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 0 or Zero in the title
- has a title starting with Z
- has an author first name or surname starts with Z
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with Z
- is set in a place name starting with Z
- is a "stand-alone" book (i.e. not part of a series)
(hide spoiler)]
1 (One)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 1 or One in the title
- has a title starting with O
- has an author first name or surname starts with O
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with O
- is set in a place name starting with O
- is book 1 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
2 (Two)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 2 or Two in the title
- has a title starting with T
- has an author first name or surname starts with T
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with T
- is set in a place name starting with T
- is book 2 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
3 (Three)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 3 or Three in the title
- has a title starting with H
- has an author first name or surname starts with H
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with H
- is set in a place name starting with H
- is book 3 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
4 (Four)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 4 or Four in the title
- has a title starting with F
- has an author first name or surname starts with F
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with F
- is set in a place name starting with F
- is book 4 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
5 (Five)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 5 or Five in the title
- has a title starting with I
- has an author first name or surname starts with I
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with I
- is set in a place name starting with I
- is book 5 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
6 (Six)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 6 or Six in the title
- has a title starting with S
- has an author first name or surname starts with S
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with S
- is set in a place name starting with S
- is book 6 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
7 (Seven)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 7 or Seven in the title
- has a title starting with V
- has an author first name or surname starts with V
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with V
- is set in a place name starting with V
- is book 7 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
8 (Eight)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has an 8 or Eight in the title
- has a title starting with E
- has an author first name or surname starts with E
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with E
- is set in a place name starting with E
- is book 8 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
9 (Nine)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 9 or Nine in the title
- has a title starting with N
- has an author first name or surname starts with N
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with N
- is set in a place name starting with N
- is book 9 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
Skip
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a title starting with K or P
- has an author first name or surname starts with K or P
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with K or P
- is set in a place name starting with K or P
OR you can choose to "skip" reading a book for this cards (and get no points for this card)
(hide spoiler)]
Draw 2
(view spoiler)[Use the same book for two cards in this hand (and get points for both cards)
(hide spoiler)]
Reverse
(view spoiler)[One member of your team must read a book another team member has already read
(hide spoiler)]
Wild
(view spoiler)[Read a book that can fit for any of the cards in that SAME hand (i.e. you are duplicating one of the cards in that same hand)
(hide spoiler)]
Wild draw four
(view spoiler)[Read a book that can fit for any of the coloured cards you have that month (i.e. you are duplicating one of your coloured cards. Each coloured card can only be duplicated once)
(hide spoiler)]
Coloured cards
(view spoiler)[Special coloured cards will be randomly provided each month. for these cards you need to read for the card number (as above) and the book must also have a coloured cover for the colour specified (blue, red, yellow or green) (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Apoorv]

THAT WAS SERIOUSLY A SICK MONTH!
BRING ON THE MARCH MADNESS!!

Lets goooooo then!
So, here are our MARCH hands.
------------------------------------------

Required Reads
👉 0 : 4
👉 1 : 5
👉 2 : 9
👉 3 : 9
👉 4 : 5
👉 5 : 10
👉 6 : 12
👉 7 : 7
👉 8 : 7
👉 9 : 8
👉 Skip : 1
👉 Reverse : 6
👉 Draw 2 : 8
👉 Wild : 3
👉 Wild Draw 4 : 7

We also have fourteen (14) colored cards:

Required Reads
👉 2 Green : 1
👉 2 Yellow : 1
👉 3 Blue : 1
👉 3 Green : 1
👉 4 Blue : 1
👉 4 Green : 1
👉 5 Blue : 1
👉 5 Green : 1
👉 5 Red : 1
👉 7 Yellow : 1
👉 Skip Blue : 1
👉 Skip Green : 1
👉 Skip Red : 1
👉 Skip Yellow : 1

---------------------------------------------
Quick peek at what can be used for each of the cards:
(view spoiler)[
O (Zero)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 0 or Zero in the title
- has a title starting with Z
- has an author first name or surname starts with Z
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with Z
- is set in a place name starting with Z
- is a "stand-alone" book (i.e. not part of a series)
(hide spoiler)]
1 (One)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 1 or One in the title
- has a title starting with O
- has an author first name or surname starts with O
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with O
- is set in a place name starting with O
- is book 1 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
2 (Two)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 2 or Two in the title
- has a title starting with T
- has an author first name or surname starts with T
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with T
- is set in a place name starting with T
- is book 2 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
3 (Three)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 3 or Three in the title
- has a title starting with H
- has an author first name or surname starts with H
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with H
- is set in a place name starting with H
- is book 3 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
4 (Four)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 4 or Four in the title
- has a title starting with F
- has an author first name or surname starts with F
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with F
- is set in a place name starting with F
- is book 4 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
5 (Five)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 5 or Five in the title
- has a title starting with I
- has an author first name or surname starts with I
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with I
- is set in a place name starting with I
- is book 5 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
6 (Six)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 6 or Six in the title
- has a title starting with S
- has an author first name or surname starts with S
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with S
- is set in a place name starting with S
- is book 6 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
7 (Seven)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 7 or Seven in the title
- has a title starting with V
- has an author first name or surname starts with V
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with V
- is set in a place name starting with V
- is book 7 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
8 (Eight)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has an 8 or Eight in the title
- has a title starting with E
- has an author first name or surname starts with E
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with E
- is set in a place name starting with E
- is book 8 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
9 (Nine)
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a 9 or Nine in the title
- has a title starting with N
- has an author first name or surname starts with N
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with N
- is set in a place name starting with N
- is book 9 in a series
(hide spoiler)]
Skip
(view spoiler)[Read a book that:
- has a title starting with K or P
- has an author first name or surname starts with K or P
- has a character with a first name, surname or nickname starting with K or P
- is set in a place name starting with K or P
OR you can choose to "skip" reading a book for this cards (and get no points for this card)
(hide spoiler)]
Draw 2
(view spoiler)[Use the same book for two cards in this hand (and get points for both cards)
(hide spoiler)]
Reverse
(view spoiler)[One member of your team must read a book another team member has already read
(hide spoiler)]
Wild
(view spoiler)[Read a book that can fit for any of the cards in that SAME hand (i.e. you are duplicating one of the cards in that same hand)
(hide spoiler)]
Wild draw four
(view spoiler)[Read a book that can fit for any of the coloured cards you have that month (i.e. you are duplicating one of your coloured cards. Each coloured card can only be duplicated once)
(hide spoiler)]
Coloured cards
(view spoiler)[Special coloured cards will be randomly provided each month. for these cards you need to read for the card number (as above) and the book must also have a coloured cover for the colour specified (blue, red, yellow or green) (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Apoorv]

APRIL AWESOMENESS!

[Kelly]

Oh gosh we’re open! I guess I’ll get started on introductions then!

I’m Kelly and I’m your co-captain for this round of Uno, here to support our amazing captain Apoorv. I live in New Zealand (which is essentially the future) with my husband and two children. I have been doing Uno for I THINK six years now? It was definitely before the Spicy Flu times!

My favourite types of books to read are true crime, paranormal (especially mysteries), urban fantasy, and books with queer MCs. I read A LOT of YA, mainly because one of my BBFFs (book best friend five evah) is a teen librarian and he recs so many good books!

I am currently reading In Two Minds by Dr Sohom Das (dead tree), Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith (kobo), and A Taste for Poison by Dr Neil Bradbury (audio).

[LucyReads]

hello everyone! I'm so excited to get started with this and to meet you all :)

I'm Lucy and I'm British but living in Sweden now. I did uno last year and I've been in a bit of a reading slump over winter, so I'm looking forward to this re-motivating me! I like to stay open with my reading choices and pick from a range of genres, but my favourites are definitely sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and sciencey non-fiction.

This weekend I will plan my reads for February around the uno cards, and I'll post what I'm planning so there's less chance of overlap (for specific coloured cards for example).

[Apoorv]

Well then, now that you folks have all the information you need I am going to go to the beach (in the middle of the winter! :P) - call me if you need me. ;=)
How you ask? Ah! Ofcourse!

I am Apoorv (he/him) - the captain! (I know! I know! Sometimes the Mods mess up! :P)
I live in Boston, Massachusetts in The United States and my association with the game goes as far back as 2015, which was I think the first edition of UNO! This is my 9th year doing this - so, yeah - I'm the old horse in the barn! :P

I am genuinely surprised that I haven't shared a team challenge with any of you before. So, I am so excited to make new friends and I can feel like this is going to be an absolute fun UNO season! I always end up finding some exciting new reads from everyone's read books, so my TBR is going to be happily fed by all of you! :)

I try and read almost everything (genre no bar), so it's always an exciting aspect of this challenge for me to see all the plethora of books my teammates read.
So, as an icebreaker, how about, if you don't mind, each of you share your top 5 books that you read in 2023?!

I'll start:
1. In Memoriam | Alice Winn
2. This Is Our Place | Vitor Martins
3. These Violent Delights | Micah Nemerever
4. Big Gay Wedding | Byron Lane
5. The Last Word | Taylor Adams

Please feel free to ask any questions that you may have.
As I like to say, I promise I'll answer all the easy ones, and make sure our wonderful co-captain, Kelly, answers all the difficult ones! :P

SUPER-EXCITED! Let's do this! :D

[Melindam]

Apoorv wrote: "I am Apoorv (he/him) - the captain! (I know! I know! Sometimes the Mods mess up! :P)"

Excuse me, but were you just hinting at us being ...ahem... incompetent (apart from scary)? We do read team posts, you know.🤭

[Apoorv]

Didn't I tell you fellow Gargle Blasters?
THEY. ARE. EVERYWHERE!

[Apoorv]

Melindam wrote: "Apoorv wrote: "I am Apoorv (he/him) - the captain! (I know! I know! Sometimes the Mods mess up! :P)"

Excuse me, but were you just hinting at us being ...ahem... incompetent (apart from scary)? We ..."

NAAAAAAW!! I would neeeever! :P
Woudn't even dream of it!

[Melindam]

Cue: evil laughter! 😈😂

[Melindam]

Apoorv wrote: "Melindam wrote: "Apoorv wrote: "I am Apoorv (he/him) - the captain! (I know! I know! Sometimes the Mods mess up! :P)"

Excuse me, but were you just hinting at us being ...ahem... incompetent (apart..."

You can wreak havoc as well as Zaphod can. 😉

[Kelly]

I can make up the answers to the hard questions, I guess!

I dont know if I can pick my five best books from last year - that's an ask and a half - but I can pick five I really rated.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao
Into the Light by Mark Oshiro
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

I read Here The Whole Time by Vitor Martins as well, and it was one of the sweetest books ever! I need to read This Is Our Place. My library has a copy so there's no excuse!

[~emily~]

Hi everyone! finally found my team and am so excited to participate in my first year of UNO!

[Ansel]

Hi,everyone, I was actually waiting in the pre-challenge thread to wait for our team spreadsheet until I saw Melindam shared the link to Itn. I missed a few days, butI cant make this up.

So, I am Ansel, 28 or 29 (Chinese way) and I did my master degree in UK a few year ago and went back to China after graduation. It's a bit difficult for me to get access to goodreads a few years ago but now it was fixed. We have Chinese version of Goodreads which named Douban(which means Beanpod), I ran my own reading club in China, though we have different styles there. Hope we could talk about that in future.

(I would like to send a gif but I haven't figured out how, so it's a shame,lol. Goodreads technique is a bit old-school I have to say. )

And thank u all for the considerate introduction and full-length information. It's also my first year to take this challenge. I hope I could contribute some points to our group! (I mean definitely I will lol)

I didn't read many English Books last year, shame on me since I should .

Five Tops could be hard for me, I can share some interests though, and some books I read or am still reading, not in GR shel yet.

Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison I will definitely read that again.

Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason

House of CardsI am reading this again now.

Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger I am still reading this book lol.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

That's all(for now), and btw, I am still memorising the rules, I know they are simple right, but forgive me, it's just too many numbers and rules lol, and I am kind of paranoid with mememorising all the rules, feeling unsafe being clumsy with the game：P. But I guess you would all be nice and I will definitely catch up with you guys!

wohoo!

[Jax]

Hi everyone,

I'm Jax from the NW corner of the USA. I think this is my fourth year doing UNO. I have done a lot of challenges and have seen some of your names but like Apoorv I don't think I've been on a team with any of you. I've got a couple of series I'm trying to finish with big chunky books (The Wheel of Time, Mistborn, Leviathan) so my reading stayed the same but books completed is running slow. And other then fantasy I enjoy non fiction, mysteries and thrillers.

My top 5 reads of 2023 were:
Carrie Soto Is Back (not a big Taylor Jenkins Reid fan but loved this one)
Magic and the Shinigami Detective (I suggest the whole series which is magic, time travel and mystery)
Killers of a Certain Age
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
Demon Copperhead

I'm starting to plan out my February reading and have already added a few books people have suggested in this thread to my list.

[Apoorv]

Kelly wrote: "I can make up the answers to the hard questions, I guess!."

TOTALLY!! No one would know.
We make our own rules - we are Zaphodians (Zaphos? Zaphies? Zaps?) - anyway, so yeah, go for it! :P Hehe

[Apoorv]

Kelly wrote: "I dont know if I can pick my five best books from last year - that's an ask and a half - but I can pick five I really rated.

[book:In th..."

OMG! You have TJ Klune in there! <3
I love him so much - all his works either make me have maniac laughter episodes or full-blown sob fests or both AT THE SAME TIME!! :o

I have been meaning to read Camp Damascus, this was the push I needed - off I go to my library! :)

[Apoorv]

ltn wrote: "Hi everyone! finally found my team and am so excited to participate in my first year of UNO!"

Yaaaay! You made it! Welcome, welcome, Itn!
Happy first UNO - I am sure you will have a blast the next 3 months. Its easy, relaxed, and a whole lot of fun.

Edit: Since your profile is currently locked, I did send you friend request, so it would be easier for me to go through the books you read during the course of this challenge, so I have our spreadsheets updated correctly. Do please accept it when you get a chance. Thanks! :)
Let me know if you have any questions at any time, ofcourse!

[Kelly]

I use my phone a lot for chats because parenting and working haha so I can’t link, but you would be SO JEALOUS to hear I have a personalised signed copy of The Lightning Struck Heart AND he signed a poster my friend made that said “Gary For President”. My book friends got them for me since we don’t tend to attract a lot of author visits down here in NZ.

[Apoorv]

Ansel wrote: "Hi,everyone, I was actually waiting in the pre-challenge thread to wait for our team spreadsheet until I saw Melindam shared the link to Itn. I missed a few days, butI cant make this up.

So, I am ..."

ANSEL!! Welcome. You are right on time and have not missed anything (apart from my long messages here :P).

Would love to hear more from you about the reading club that you ran and how different the styles are. It is so exciting to read about how everyone got into reading or continue reading, so please do share when you can! :)

And I had not heard of Douban before. Sounds very interesting - and aw, it is named after the street the founder lived in. How cool!
Will definitely go read about this. Thanks for sharing!

Oh and as for the gif, go to the (some html is ok) option on the right hand top of your comment box. Once you click on it, it will open a list of things you can add to your messages while typing - 5th from the top is the one for images. Select the entire line, copy it, and paste in the comment box you are typing in. And then copy the image of the gif you want to share and paste that in that html link that you already copied. You can change the size by adjusting the numbers in the width/height section and then you are done! Voila! :)
Let me know if you need me to explain a little more and I would be happy to help!

You have some very interesting books in your top reads, thanks for sharing them! I am certainly going to check out Discipline and Punish. And ofcourse, if you have any recommendations for books not written it English, most certainly share them too - if there are translations available, I would love to check them out too.

Oh and do not worry about all the rules. I am sure you will catch on as we get started. But please do not hesitate to ask any questions you run into - I will answer all the easy ones, and Kelly has promised to make up answers for the difficult ones. LOL! :)

The only aim of the challenge is to read, read, read and have fun while doing it!
Welcome again! :D

[Apoorv]

Jax wrote: "Hi everyone,

I'm Jax from the NW corner of the USA. I think this is my fourth year doing UNO. I have done a lot of challenges and have seen some of your names but like Apoorv I don't think I've be..."

The NW corner of the US is one of my favorites parts of the country. Seattle is love! :) Welcome, Jax and so glad to have you join the madness!

The series you are trying to complete are genuine chunksters - I hope you are enjoying your journey through them. Sometimes when the book is good, it doesn't even matter how long it is - it just flies past. But when it isn't, oh boy! :O

The Shinigami Detective series sounds like a lot of fun - I am going to look it up. Although, I am always weary of starting a new series - because I have a weird need to complete everything and if I don't like the series, I feel compelled to complete it no matter what. Tricky, tricky! But, this I will check out. Thanks for the recommendation.

Feel free to add your books in the tracking spreadsheet as you go if that helps in planning stuff - that sheet is for all of us to play around in - so don't hesitate at all.
Welcome again, Jax! :)

[Apoorv]

Kelly wrote: "I use my phone a lot for chats because parenting and working haha so I can’t link, but you would be SO JEALOUS to hear I have a personalised signed copy of The Lightning Struck Heart AND he signed ..."

Kelly, you make me so jelly! :P (sorry, I couldn't stop myself! :P)
But Kelly! I thought we were friends - and here you go making me really jealous. FINE! TJ loves you more than he loves me! Happy? Haha!

But, I am so stoked for you that you have it.
I HAVE TO read a TJ book in this challenge now. :P

[Apoorv]

Minor Housekeeping

Please check if I have linked your UNO shelves in the Tracking sheet correctly (in the members tab). If not, please drop your link here, so I can update that across the spreadsheets!

[Maddy]

Checking in

Uno shelf - https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

[Apoorv]

LucyReads wrote: "hello everyone! I'm so excited to get started with this and to meet you all :)

I'm Lucy and I'm British but living in Sweden now. I did uno last year and I've been in a bit of a reading slump ove..."

Hey Lucy, welcome! Hope the winters in Sweden have not been too harsh this time around. And don't you worry - we will get you out of that reading slump. UNO tends to have that power with fun challenges that trigger that sleepy reading slump.

I am going to totally ask for Horror recommendations from you. Rare to find someone who reads horror as a preferred genre, so I am excited. :)

Feel free to add in books to the Tracking Spreadsheet when you have picked your first reads. Hope you have fun - welcome, again! :)

[Apoorv]

Maddy wrote: "Checking in

Uno shelf - https://www.goodreads.com/review/list..."

Hey Maddy, welcome! Thanks for checking in.
You are going to be our pillar for the team in this challenge with all the reading you do (which is seriously impressive!!) - excited to have you as part of the team. :)

I would consider myself a winner if I even finish reading the titles of all the books that you would actually read throughout the challenge. Haha!

[Kelly]

Can I just say, this spreadsheet is amazing and I am so here for it!

I need to start looking through my books to see if theres any that might fit a colour card. I MIGHT have a Blue 9 but I have to spend some quality time squinting at it first.

[~emily~]

Apoorv wrote: "ltn wrote: "Hi everyone! finally found my team and am so excited to participate in my first year of UNO!"

Yaaaay! You made it! Welcome, welcome, Itn!
Happy first UNO - I am sure you will have a bl..."

Thank you so much! I just accepted the friend request!

For the books, is there a certain number of books I have to read every month to ensure our team is on track?

Also for the spreadsheet, do I have to fill in anything yet?

[Kelly]

You’ve put down that you usually read two a month, so that would be fine! If you read more, great. If you don’t manage that then that’s ok because life happens and this is a fun challenge!

You don’t have to do anything with the spreadsheet yet. I have pre-filled some of my books in because I know some of books I’ll be reading next month (I’m in a couple of other reading groups) and for me, it helps me keep on track with my tracking and logging!

[Maddy]

Oh, dear. Most books per month in the whole team... No pressure huh? :D

Okay, today I have more time, so...

Hi everyone! I am Maddy. I am from Latvia, which is in Europe. Don't feel bad if you don't know it, no one does :D
She/her. I am a pretty private person, and reading is my second favorite hobby, the first one is sleep.
I mostly read mysteries and MM romance, but I occasionally read nonfiction or some other genres to spice it up. I am picky about books, but not with genres. If the book looks interesting and is available to me, I will give it a shot. The only genre I do not do is Young adult, so if we get any YA tasks, sorry, team, but not me :D
I have played Uno on and off for.. 5 years maybe? I was on a self-imposed team challenge ban last year, because they were just too much stress. I had some bad experiences with teams on competitive team challenges, so for my own mental health, I banned myself from participating in any. I decided to try again this year, so let's hope for the best :D
I honestly can't tell you my favorite books from last year, because I can't remember any. Guess that is telling in itself? :D
There are just too many books and I don't remember any particularly...
I do not plan my books. Okay, sometimes I try, but I am a mood person and I pick my books depending on what I am in the mood for, so I hope we won't be planning and claiming tasks too actively, because planning books to read is just not my thing :D

[Kelly]

Welcome! I feel you've got yourself on a pretty relaxed team this time round, so hopefully things won't be too stressful. I feel like we may complement each other quite nicely, given I read a lot of YA and will often read something just to bang out that final task. I've found some great books that way but I have also encountered some absolutely awful ones too haha.

[Maddy]

Oh yes, I can do that too if needed :)
Some of the most awful books I have ever read have been just to use it for a challenge, but sometimes one can find some gems that way too. There have even been some YA books I soldered through for a challenge and liked them :)
So far the team seems great and like we really will compliment each other's reading :)

[~emily~]

Kelly wrote: "You’ve put down that you usually read two a month, so that would be fine! If you read more, great. If you don’t manage that then that’s ok because life happens and this is a fun challenge!

You do..."

Thanks! I can't wait to start reading with everybody!

[JoJo_theDodo]

Hello Teammates! : )

I am in the US. South Carolina, originally from California though.
I tend to be more of a mood reader lately, like Maddy. I used to read a lot more books in the past years, however with life stuff I've slowed down quite a bit on my available reading time. Based on my star ratings over the past year the books I enjoyed are:

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
The Vanishing Half By Brit Bennett
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Still Alice by Lisa Genova

That's just a few, Not in any specific order really. I tend to like historical fiction and magical realism. I don't really enjoy horror, but I'll try reading any genre especially if it's recommended by another bookish friend.

[Becky]

Hi team!

(Just a note I started writing this two day ago... lol. My life is one constant distraction 😂)

This is my second year doing UNO. I'm based out of Colorado, a full time administrative assistant, a mommy of two littles (3 & 6), a crafter and lover of chocolate. If I'm being honest I read mostly romance because I can power through them in a couple days. I also love historical fiction, fantasy and the occasional thriller.

My favorite books of 2023:


Can't wait to get started 🥳💃
Thanks for letting me be part of the team!

[Kelly]

Things are a bit quiet! We’re gearing up for school to start back up for the new year which I’m quite looking forward to - I enjoy the routine of the kids in school/daycare and me at work.

Now is also the time I read the books I want to do but don’t have many/any Uno options. So a lot of non fiction where the title and author start with T (which is NEVER a problem when it comes to finding books!) or my Sweet Valley High reread where at least half the books don’t fit the minimum 100 pages or 25,000 word count.

How are you all preparing for Uno? Not long to go now!

[Maddy]

I am pretty much doing the same - reading nonfiction and trying to hold off on reading series books since those can be used :D

I also have a very, very important question - are we playing for fun or to win? :D

[Kelly]

Haha mainly for fun, but I do use these three months to find the WEIRDEST books I can on Kindle Unlimited. It’s pretty much luck of the draw for winning - you’ve gotta pull all the high points cards to be in with a chance! I am also a completionist, so I do like to try and fill everything in…which is where the weird KU books come in. One I read last time was a romance where she accidentally ended up in Alaska or something and she was billeted in Santa’s house! They got married and lived happily ever after.

[Maddy]

I am voting for fun too :)
That book sounds so weird... Why would Santa live in Alaska? If I had to spend December in the arctic temps I think I would spend my downtime someplace sunny and warm, not Alaska...
Like no offense to people living there, but it is cold!

[Kelly]

Right? The whole thing was just a series of amazing coincidences but it was short and it was unintentionally hilarious so I stuck with it.

[Lilly]

Hello teammates! Sorry I'm a bit late to the party, I usually use Goodreads on my phone and the app experience is confusing to say the least, so I didn't even know you had gotten started already.

I'm based in Canada, and 2023 was not the best reading year for me, but I'll share these as my favourites:

1. Goodbye, Again: Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations by Jonny Sun
2. The Islands: Stories by Dionne Irving
3. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt
4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
5. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

Look forward to some Uno fun!

[Lilly]

My shelf is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Apologies in advance for any hiccups as this is also my first year participating, but I am eager to learn the ropes.

[Kelly]

Glad you finally made it - I think that’s everyone here now!! Yeah the app is TERRIBLE for these groups. I use my phone browser to read and comment basic chat stuff, and then switch to my tablet if I need to link books or do anything more involved - usually when the kids are asleep because it’s quite the challenge to get anything done when they’re draped over me like scarves!

The first month of UNO is definitely the hardest, trying to get a handle on the rules and how everything works, but we have a really great mix of old hands and new people. Don’t forget - there are no stupid questions!

Only one more week to go until we can finally get a start on reading for UNO! What do you all think you’ll start February with?