Feb24 Read-a-Thon: Krewe of Rex

[Mooseevi]

Do you think a gold award sticker on the cover of the book I have, counts as gold on the cover or should it actually be apart of the cover design?

[Irene]

@Roxana, I'm sorry Lunar Love was a dud, but it's fun that you read it right around Lunar New Year! Did you plan that intentionally?

@Samantha, I definitely think there's fruit on both covers! Like Roxana said, the fact that you can see the red fruit in someone's hand and in baskets on the first cover indicate to me that they're fruit.

@Mooseevi, If it's printed on the edition of the book you're reading then I would count it! If it's a sticker from a bookseller then I wouldn't.

It sounds like the food on cover prompt is covered, which is awesome, and it's great that we seem to have at least one option for every prompt! I'll probably tackle the book with a dance/ball prompt next (since we can always move it around if someone else gets to that prompt first).

On another note, there seems to be an issue with our spreadsheet not recognizing when the black and blue beads are completed (the other color tabs are fine) as the "pendants used" isn't updating when the "earn one pendant" box has text in it. I'll post in the FAQ thread to ask Emily to help us fix this!

[Roxana]

Irene wrote: "@Roxana, I'm sorry Lunar Love was a dud, but it's fun that you read it right around Lunar New Year! Did you plan that intentionally?"

Partially - it also happened to fit several prompts in other readathons I'm doing this month, but some of those prompts exist because of Lunar New Year, so the fact that it fits wasn't a coincidence, lol. I've got a library hold on Lunar New Year Love Story I'm hoping to pick up tomorrow too, to continue the theme ;)

[Irene]

Yesss, keep the theme going! :D

[Traci]

Irene, I just noticed the spreadsheet issue too and was going to fix it, but it was too annoying on my phone and I didn't want to get out of bed. I'm sure Emily will have it fixed before I wake up!

I like the theme, Roxana!

[Roxana]

Fixed the pendant issue on our spreadsheet, the "pendants used" cell on the Pendant Tracking tab was just missing counting the black and blue tabs, so I added those back in :)

[Samantha]

I finished Heartstopper: Volume One and put it under love story.

I am glad others see the fruit on The Fortunes of Jaded Women. It seemed to easy so wanted to make sure I wasn't forcing it to be true because I wanted it to be.

[Irene]

Thanks Traci and Roxana!! <3 I seriously need to take a class on excel/spreadsheets!

I'm reading The Maid but it's so hard to get through.. I don't know if any of you have read it before, but I can't stop cringing and feeling secondhand embarrassment/frustration at the MC not realizing that men aren't actually flirting with her or fighting over her. It's a cool premise for a whodunnit to be able to glean things that the protagonist can't, but I'm not enjoying the way the characters are obviously taking advantage of the MC's inability to read social cues :(

I'll definitely going to just power through it today and finish one of the other books I'm reading as well.

[Traci]

@Irene - I haven't read it, but it's on my list to read this year...I didn't know anything about it am now so curious what I'll think!

@Katherine and Samantha - I started the Violin Conspiracy on audio and am really enjoying it so far! Glad today is a day I bus into the office and get audiobook time while walking/bussing.

[JessicaMHR]

Hello. I had a busy day yesterday but got a bunch of reading done last night...until I fell asleep with the book open and light on. LOL! My boyfriend called and scared the crap out of me after I was out for like two hours.

I'm working on Kiss the Girl which has a purple cover, but I can also use it for a love story, goes to a hotel, source of light on the cover, someone travels to another state, and a couple others I think. I'm hoping to finish it by tomorrow but we'll see.

I also started Call Me By Your Name and The Women on audiobook. Not really liking the first that's why I started the second.

[J]

That's cool that we have Green and Blue completed.

How do we 'earn a pendant'?

I found it!

Emily wrote: "Your team will earn one pendant for every 1500 pages read and 25 audio hours listened.."

[Roxana]

Irene wrote: "I'm reading The Maid but it's so hard to get through.. I don't know if any of you have read it..."

I haven't read it, but I've heard similar reactions from some others I know who have, that seems to be a not uncommon response. :/

[Roxana]

Finished The Midnight Bargain (put it on dance/ball) and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (someone goes to a hotel). The Midnught Bargain is a reread I adore, though I hadn't listened to the audio before and the reader, Moira Quirk, is quite good (and I'm absurdly picky about audiobook narrators, lol). Tomorrow was a first time read, for a book club meeting this weekend, and it's come *so* highly recommended, but I think I would've thought more highly of it if it didn't have that level of hype. It was fine, but not a new favorite by any means.

Starting a new book tonight, though I haven't decided what yet, plus I started my next audio with Antony and Cleopatra.

[Katherine]

I just finished What You Are Looking For Is in the Library. It was fairly limited on what prompt it could be used for, so I put it in Silver, for a character whose name starts with a letter in SILVER. (Sayuri Komachi is the reference librarian who appears in all 5 of the short stories, and is critical to the other characters to get what they are looking for. :-)

[Irene]

@Traci, I'm curious too! It won Goodread's Choice Award in 2022 for Best Mystery & Thriller so I know a lot of people loved it.

@Roxana, Glad to know I'm not the only one - I guess this book is just super polarizing!

@Jessica, I'm forever falling asleep while reading too xD

@Katherine, I've never heard of that book before but the blurb reminds me of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and the The Travelling Cat Chronicles! Did you enjoy it?

@J, I forgot to ask earlier but how are you liking Autumn of the Patriarch and Night Shift? Night Shift has been on my TBR forever and is one of my most anticipated reads since I absolutely loved Elevation (although I've heard it's nothing like his other books). Autumn of the Patriarch I read back in college and don't remember much at all but have been planning to reread at some point.

[J]

Irene wrote: "@J, I forgot to ask earlier but how are you liking Autumn of the Patriarch and Night Shift? Night Shift has been on my TBR forever and is one of my most anticipated reads since I absolutely loved Elevation (although I've heard it's nothing like his other books). Autumn of the Patriarch I read back in college and don't remember much at all but have been planning to reread at some point."

The Autumn of the Patriarch is a difficult read. I am undecided about where I stand (like/dislike) but it is well written. The problem is that it has exactly 6 chapters and exactly 6 paragraphs and exactly 6 sentences, I can't ever sit it down because every sentence runs for 40 pages. It's like a chinese water torture.

Night Shift is a short story collection, so it can be hit or miss. I personally think King is best writing Novellas. That format keeps him from dragging the story out too long, while still giving you enough to enjoy. I feel like I'm never into his short stories until right before they are over, then I'm disappointed that they ended abruptly.

[Irene]

That makes sense, I remember not being able to get into The Autumn of the Patriarch and that must have been one of the reasons why!

And it's interesting that King shines in the novella format since I know that's an awkward length for a lot of authors. I just checked and my edition of Elevation is 146 pages with a pretty big font and margins, so it's definitely novella-length. I guess I assumed his longer works were better since some of his best reviewed books are doorstoppers!

[J]

I'm not sure what it is about doorstoppers exactly. There are a lot of people who love to read them. The current book market seems to favor longer books.

My hypothesis is that it's a bit like running a marathon. It's not fun while you're doing it, but once you have done it you feel a sense of accomplishment and have something to show off (rightfully so).

And yet, I have seen very few books, over 600 pages, that didn't feel intentionally bloated. Every story has its ideal length. There are stories that need a lot of words to tell, but if you set out with a certain length in mind, it's very unlikely to fit.

The one problem with King, in my opinion, is that he is so big and so successful that nobody (except maybe Tabitha) can tell him when a story doesn't work or needs to be trimmed. And they probably don't want to anyway - his readers buy everything he publishes regardless.

But I do think that our average reader does get it. I'll see so many people recommending The Dark Tower as one of the best series ever, that absolutely must be read while also admitting that the later books aren't as good. And I'll see people say that It is their favorite book of all time, while also admitting that it absolutely drags in the mid third and that that one scene doesn't belong in any published book/is the worst thing they have ever read.

[Katherine]

Irene wrote: "@Katherine, I've never heard of that book before but the blurb reminds me of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and the The Travelling Cat Chronicles! Did you enjoy it?

I've read both those books as well, and yes! It has a similar feel to both of them. The Travelling Cat Chronicles was one of my favorites last year. I also read Before the Coffee Gets Cold. While I liked it, I didn't get all the hype that book has around it. I liked What You Are Looking For Is In the Library better than the coffee book.

[Robin H-R]

Finished:
Monk's Hood

A book with a purple cover

[Traci]

@Katherine - I'd never heard of this book either, but now it's on my TBR! I've found myself enjoying books from a few different Japanese authors lately, which I find interesting since I haven't noticed as much of a trend in likes/dislikes for authors of other nationalities. Maybe I've just been shoehorned into a certain type of books based on the one's I've enjoyed.

[JessicaMHR]

Been getting some reading (audiobook) done while doing laundry and making cookies today. That's the thing I like about audiobooks, I can do other things that need to be done and feel both accomplished that I did my housework and accomplished that I got some reading done.

[Irene]

@J, definitely true that at this point Stephen King can do whatever he wants! Maybe it's inevitable that books at a certain length will have some unnecessary scenes. It makes me wonder about books like Lord of the Rings that were intended as one book/volume - could it be cut down to 600 pages while preserving the story and without feeling bloated?

@Katherine, good to know! I think I gave Before the Coffee Gets Cold 3 stars because I liked the premise more than the execution.

@Robin, that series looks awesome! I love it when historical fiction crosses over with other major genres like mystery or fantasy or romance so I might add the first book to my TBR!

@Jessica, I really need to start reading audiobooks so I can do the same! I usually just end up reading an eBook in one hand while doing certain chores.

[Samantha]

@JessicaMHR I fell the same about Audiobooks. I used to feel like they were cheating but have grown to really enjoy them. I try to get both the ebook and audio so that I can go back and forth.

I was able to listen to the rest of The Fortunes of Jaded Women today so added under food on cover. I have a few checked out of the library so I need to figure out what I am going to read next for the challenge and the read-a-thon.

[Irene]

Thanks for tackling that tough prompt, Samantha! We're now done with four colors and making awesome progress on the remaining three.

I'm almost done with The Mystery of the Blue Train, which is set in France. The other book I'm reading doesn't seem to fit any of the prompts we have left so I might end up using it for a second-round pink or green prompt unless a king or queen decides to pop up at the end!

[JessicaMHR]

Just finished my audiobook Call Me By Your Name. Had to start a second round because that was the only places it fit so, I put it in Purple.

[Roxana]

I finished a short (bad) romance novella earlier today, fit that into gold on the cover. Now reading These Deadly Prophecies, which is moving very fast, and is delightful (nice change of pace after the bad romance, lol).

@ Robin, I love the Cadfael books! Is this your first time reading them, or a reread?

[Katherine]

I think I'm going to abandon my longer book until after the read-a-thon is over. The Paris and 18th century prompts seem to be taken care of, anyway. I'll read a couple shorter and quicker paced books instead. Then I can contribute more for pages instead of slogging through something dense.

[Traci]

I tried to channel Jessica tonight and get things done as I was listening to The Violin Conspiracy since I really wanted to know what happened and had a lot of hours left (though I do listen at a faster speed). Well, I did some but also sat on the couch a lot! Oh, well, I loved it!

[Traci]

Oh, and we finished pink!

[J]

@Irene - I wish I had thought of that! The Mystery of the Blue Train is one that I need to read. I'll be eager to hear what you think of it.

@Katherine - I'm with you. I chose the wrong books, if the goal is to get a lot of pages read. On the other hand, its lucky that I am reading these now as being in the challenge pushes me to actually progress in them. If this were not going on, I'd likely take the rest of the months to complete them.

[Irene]

Happy Friday, everyone! We're entering the final stretch of the readathon with just 3 days to go, and we're doing awesome - we only have two prompts left to finish our first full round!

I feel pretty confident we can complete second rounds of at least a couple colors, but we'll have to see where this weekend takes us!

I finished The Mystery of the Blue Train last night, but I don't think I would have finished it in one day if not for the readathon. It's definitely not one of the better Poirot novels, but by fun coincidence, I realized I was reading about a murder taking place on February 15th on February 15th!

[Katherine]

Exciting to see we've almost finished all our beads! I have two books in progress that include family drama, and should be able to finish at least one of them today.

[Katherine]

Finished None of This Is True for family drama - which means Gold is finished too!

[Mooseevi]

Hey krewe,

My insomnia medication was discontinued so I haven't slept since Tuesday. In that time I've read eight books. By My Hands: A Potter’s Apprenticeship, milk and honey, Poison: The History of Potions, Powders and Murderous Practitioners, The October Country: Stories, Killer, Come Back To Me: The Crime Stories of Ray Bradbury, The Graveyard Book, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, The Gilded Ones. I have sort of been trying to fit them into categories on the spreadsheet but quite frankly I'm far too exhausted and the days are blurring together. I just got back from the pharmacy with a new prescription so even though it is only 4 pm I'm going to bed. If it is okay with you all, I'll figure out the spreadsheet tomorrow when I don't feel like I'm dying.

[J]

If you're not opposed to it, I bet we could fit them in for you.

I just finished King Solomon's Mines. It doesn't qualify for the one topic we are missing, so I slotted it into one that seemed rare (where there were fewer books that qualified) as a second.

I've read The Graveyard Book. It was one of the strongest books I've read by Neil Gaiman. It's a retelling of The Jungle Book but where he managed to make all of the short stories connect together into a larger plot (unlike the original).

[Katherine]

Looks like The Gilded Ones has a cover with jewelry, which we still need. It's been on my TBR for a long time!

[Robin H-R]

Roxana wrote: @ Robin, I love the Cadfael books! Is this your first time reading them, or a reread?"

This is my first time through the series. This was #3. They are so good!

[Robin H-R]

Finished:
X Y Z by Anna Katharine Green

I put it under Yellow: Family Drama

My next book has a yellow cover

If you need a book for the "X Factor" prompt, this is a short easy read.

[Irene]

I just went through the spreadsheet and highlighted second-round books with a deeper shade of the color used for the first round to help differentiate them.

@Mooseevi, so sorry to hear about your insomnia!! Definitely get some rest and we'll figure out how to sort your books whenever you feel better. I hope you've enjoyed the books you've read - a bunch of them are on my TBR (especially the Ray Bradbury books). I feel a little dumb for not realizing The Graveyard Book was a Jungle Book retelling, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless.

@Robin, I'm placing a hold for that book right now, thanks so much for the recommendation! I'm really by-the-letter when it comes to challenge prompts and the ambiguity of the X connection prompt has been giving me a lot of trouble.

[Roxana]

Mooseevi wrote: "Hey krewe,

My insomnia medication was discontinued so I haven't slept since Tuesday. In that time I've read eight books. By My Hands: A Potter’s Apprenticeship, [book:milk and hone..."

I'm so sorry you've been having to go through that!

[JessicaMHR]

Just finished Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones and started our second round for pink with... a book with pink on the cover.

[Samantha]

Hi team, sorry I didn’t check in yesterday. I got some vaccines and they are making me headachey and tired. I got some audio time in just to figure out how much. I have a feeling I won’t finish anything further but will try to add to the page count.

[J]

Finished The Autumn of the Patriarch. Didn't enjoy it as much as One Hundred Years of Solitude but I'm still very interested in reading more books by Gabriel García Márquez.

I started Ring for Jeeves, yesterday, for my new audiobook. It seems like it would be the easiest to complete of the books that were available to me right now. I'll probably make a dent in it today, just doing housework.

[Mooseevi]

I added the books I read to the completed tab and marked which themes they fit into so we can use them for whatever we need.

@ Irene, I definitely enjoyed the books. Reading is one of the only things that keeps me sane when I can't sleep. Ray Bradbury and Philip K Dick were my mom's favorite authors growing up and it's a love she has passed down to me. The October Country is a comfort book for me. My copy is trashed because I've had it since I was 14 and have taken it everywhere with me. It's been all over the world and definitely looks like it but I love that it can tell a part of my story.

[Robin H-R]

Finished:
Oh, God! by Avery Corman

Put it under Pink: Someone goes to a hotel

[Katherine]

I finished The Island. So dumb... Anyway, I was going to put it under hotel but ended up putting it where someone commits a crime. Feel free to move it if it will cover something else.

[Irene]

@Samantha, hope you feel better soon!

@Mooseevi, that's beautiful that it's traveled with you and brings you comfort! I'm glad reading is something that helps you when you can't sleep.

I've sorted your books into prompts based on whatever had the fewest options in the Plans tab but feel free to move them around!

@Katherine, The Lost by the same author made me want to stab myself with the amount of inconsistencies and things that didn't make sense. The protagonist would tell people she was 16, then 17, then 16, then 17 and I don't know how a team of editors missed that.

[JessicaMHR]

Keep wanting to spend the day reading and end up doing other things or just getting sidetracked.

But still managed to finish Kiss the Girl tonight and made good progress on The Women today too.

I used Kiss the Girl for a book with a purple cover.

[J]

Looking to finish Ring for Jeeves and Night Shift, today. That's a big ask.

But the last 3 short stories in NS have really slapped.