Play Book Tag discussion
2025 Activities and Challenges
>
Play Harder Sign Up
I’m ready for a new list pleaseList #3 completed May 24
✅1. A book with the word "book" in the title
The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
2. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title - swapped out
NEW:
✅2. 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Microsoft. Read a book where a computer or computer-related technology plays a major role in the story. (Artificial Intelligence) Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. A book published before 1980
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅4. Read a book about the Civil Rights Movement.
Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King
✅5. Read a Newberry Award Winning book
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. NYC by E.L. Konigsburg
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6. A book where the title references a nursery rhyme or fairy tale.
Geekerella by Ashley Poston
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. A book with a nonhuman narrator (animal, alien, monster, AI)
Network Effect by Martha Wells
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. An award winner from 2024
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan -
Anthony Award for Best Critical/Nonfiction Work (2024), Washington State Book Award for General Nonfiction/Biography (2024), Robert F. Kennedy Book Award for Special Recognition (2024)
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. A book translated from another language
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. A book set in Jungle
The Puma Years by Laura Coleman, PH, Compass
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅11. A book with a STEM related tag - stem, science, technology, engineering, or math.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, by Hank Green , 20 science tags
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. A book tagged language or linguistics -
Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Olivermagnus wrote: "Anita, I'm ready for another list when you get a chance. Thanks...."Sure thing! I am in awe.
1. Any book found on PBT's Group Bookshelf
2. A book that involves a journey - need not be physical
3. A book containing the word 'wedding' in the title
4. A book published in the year you joined Goodreads
5. Read a book you find on PBT's Happy 15th birthday PBT shelf
6. Re-read a book you've already read before.
7. Read a book with the word good, bad or ugly in the title.
8. Read a book that involves genetics, heredity, or inheritance
9. A book set in a city or town starting with the letter P, B or T
10. A book set during or relating to women's suffrage and/or women's suffrage movement
11. A book that includes a family tree
12. A travel book
NancyJ wrote: "I’m ready for a new list pleaseCruising right along!!
1. A book written by an author or artist of The Lost Generation
2. Read a nonfiction book about or set in the Middle East.
3. A book written by an Indigenous author
4. A book with more vowels than consonants in the title
5. Read a book published in the year you joined PBT
6. Read a book with a kitchen utensil in the title.
7. Read a book with and MPG of Alternate History
8. Read a book from Goodreads "best of the year" list, any year https://www.goodreads.com/list/best_b...
9. Read a book with a title containing the letter Z
10. Read a book with the same number of letters in the title as the last book you read
11. Read a book whose author's first and last initials match your own.
12. A book that mentions the sea (in title or in book)
Anita, I'm ready for my next list whenever you get a chance. There's no hurry for it - I know you are away for a few days - and it's not like I don't have anything to be reading in the meantime!Seventh List
✔️1. Read a book set in another time -- past or future - Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession - Read 18/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️2. Nonfiction book about an event that happened before you were born - A Noble Treason: The Story of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Revolt Against Hitler by Richard Hanser (30-Nov-2012) Paperback - Read 26/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️3. A book about or set in the former USSR - The Patriots - Read 28/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️4. A book with a geometric shape in the title - The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle - Read 16/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️5. Read a play or a book with the word "play" in the title - Shadowplay - Read 29/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️6. A book by a BIPOC author. - Difficult Women - Read 28/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️7. A book includes a nonverbal character - The Frozen River - Read 30/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Martha's son Cyrus is nonverbal.
✔️8. Read a book found on the PBT Steeplechase shelf - The Girl in the Tree - Read 24/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️9. A book about or featuring an ancient civilization - Athena's Child - Read 16/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️10. A book that fits an art or artist tag - Stolen Beauty - Read 31/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️11. A book tagged "social commentary" - The Bandit Queens - Read 27/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️12. A book about forgery or a forgery or counterfeit - The Art Forger - Read 31/5/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Thank you for your patience, Hannah!!! I appreciate it. Here you go!1. A book with a title that includes the name of a classic board or card game, i.e. Monopoly, Checkers, Operation
2. A book with a title that includes the word "angel" or "devil"
3. Read a book that is set in the opposite season from what you are currently in( i.e. if it's spring read a fall book, winter read a summer book, etc.)
4. A book written in first person
5. A book that somebody else has read for this challenge
6. The book's title or author's name contains a gemstone (diamond, ruby, sapphire, etc.)
7. A book fully or partially set in a hotel, motel, bed & breakfast, or inn (or similar)
8. Read a book whose author's first and last initials match your own.
9. Read a book that has been tagged dnf at least 1000x
10. Read a book about the Civil Rights Movement.
11. A book with a cover depicting a broken object or item
12. A "light" book (however you'd like to define it)
I am ready for my 2nd list. ThanksFirst List - January 1, 2025 - COMPLETED 6/8/25
✔1. Post three to five books choices in this thread and read the first one someone else picks for you - See msg 5 & 6 for choices and Olivermagnus' selection
Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, #1) - Lisa Kleypas (3 stars) 4/28/25 - My Review
✔2. A book involving archeology or an archeologist
The Maltese Goddess (Lara McClintoch Archeological Mystery, #2) – Lyn Hamilton (3 stars) 2/28/25 - My Review
✔3. Read a book with a title where all the words begin with the same letter (3 word minimum)
To Taste Temptation (Legend of the Four Soldiers, #1) – Elizabeth Hoyt (3 star) 3/31/25 - My Review
✔4.
Stolen by an Alien (Stolen by an Alien, #1) – Amanda Milo (3 stars) 3/11/25 - My Review
✔5. Read a book that was reviewed in 2024 and given 5 stars in PBT's Other Books Discussion
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store - James McBride - (5 stars) 2/13/25 - reviewed by John 5/3/24 - My Review
✔6. A book with the word “history” in the title
Brave Companions: Portraits in History - David McCullough - (3 stars) 6/7/25 - My Review
✔7. A book that someone else in the group put on their Top 10 Reads of 2024 list
The Personal Librarian - Marie Benedict - (5 stars) 1/9/25 - on Lyn's list- My Review
✔8. A book set in a castle
An English Bride in Scotland - Lynsay Sands (4 stars) 6/8/25 - My Review
✔9. A book with a geometric shape in title
Triangle of Hope - Mike Meyer (3 stars) 2/5/25 - My Review
✔10. Read a book set in a country you have never visited
Girl in Ice – Erica Ferencik (4 stars) 1/14/25 - Greenland (never been there) - My Review
✔11. Read a book by a debut author
Buster Midnight's Cafe - Sandra Dallas (4 stars) 5/16/25 - Debut novel published in 1990 - My Review
✔12. A book about forgery or a forgery or counterfeit
And Only to Deceive (Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries, #1) – Tasha Alexander (5 stars) 4/18/25 - Aldwin Attewater is a forger whose work is put in place of original antiquities in the British Museum - the thefts are the mystery of this novel - My Review
Linda C wrote: "I am ready for my 2nd list. Thanks..."
Congratulations Linda!!
1. Read a book with a title that contains a fraction (quarter, half, third)
2. Read a book set in Canada or written by a Canadian author
3. A book with an anti-hero or anti-heroine
4. A book published in the year you joined PBT (or its predecessor on Shelfari)
5. A book involving evolution, revolution or change
6. Read a book that primarily involves an archeological dig or expedition
7. Read a book that includes a graduation
8. Read a non-fiction book on a subject related to your work, job, past job, or job of a significant family member
9. Read a book with a title that begins with U
10. A book you consider light-hearted or fun
11. Read a book that includes a protagonist with a physical disability
12. Read a book about one of your hobbies
I've looked through the list of prompts and the only one I am having trouble with is7. Read a book that includes a graduation
Has anyone had this prompt and found a good read for it?
Thanks Nancy,The prompt seemed to indicate that a graduation ceremony had to occur in the book and I wasn't finding things that referenced that. This should make finding things much easier.
I know I've read books not all that long ago that had a graduation in them - it pops up often enough. But can I remember which books they were? No, mostly because movies with graduations keep coming to mind. However, that did give me an idea as some of those movies are based on books:Have you thought of checking New Adult or YA? Try also books with 'prom' in the title as those will often be senior year and thus also likely include a graduation. I don't know if the book has a graduation in it but the movie does - Legally Blonde.
Naomi Novik has a new fantasy-horror trilogy set in a special school for gifted children. All three books are focused on the efforts made by students to graduate from the Scholomance institution.A Deadly Education is the first book, followed by The Last Graduate and The Golden Enclaves
Now that I’m thinking about it, there was an Amy Harmon or another author who wrote a book about French resistance and wines, and then she was a wine maker, but it isn’t the wine makers’s wife…. She had to go to winemaking school. And she had to live with a family and their vineyards, and they were hidden things from the war and the wine cellars. She graduates her wine, master thing at the end. That was a beautiful book. There have to be a ton of books where there are graduations in them. Anything with college seniors?
Just a reminder that this thread is supposed to be for requests for new lists. The Play Harder General Discussion thread is found here:https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I think it will be easier for Anita to spot new requests if we move the discussion to the designated place.
Note: I'm not an Admin - just trying to help.
Thanks Joy. Many posts were moved.
Anita, I have completed List #5 and am ready for List #6!✅1. A book with a palindrome in the title or author's name
Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder - 6/6/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅2. A book featuring a famous person (Richard Nixon, among others)
Watergate: A New History by Garrett M. Graff - 6/5/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. Read a book where the main character is an artist.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman - 6/11/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅4. A book involving a misadventure or a plan gone wrong
Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson - 6/4/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅5. Read a book with a three-word title, and first initial of each word forms an airport code. (TMS is the code for São Tomé International Airport)
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai - 5/31/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6. A book related to black history or Black Lives Matter
Thunder at the Gates: The Black Civil War Regiments That Redeemed America by Douglas R. Egerton - 6/7/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. A book with "day" or "night" in the title
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780 by Rick Atkinson - 5/28/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. A book set in a landlocked country (Zimbabwe)
The Book of Not by Tsitsi Dangarembga - 5/23/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. Read a book about a musician, real or fictional
Summertime: George Gershwin's Life in Music by Richard Crawford - 6/9/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. Read a book with a tag that starts with the word "social" (tagged social commentary x12)
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman - 6/6/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅11. Read a book set (at least partially) in a state/province/country that shares a border with the state/province/country in which you live. (California shares a border with Nevada)
Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan - 5/29/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. A book authored by someone who was born in Mexico or Central America
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - 6/11/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Anita, I'm ready for another list when you get a chance. Thanks.List 9 - May - June 2025
🐝 1. Any book found on PBT's Group Bookshelf
- found on Thriller, Play Harder and Compass Shelves
Wild Dark Shore - Charlotte McConaghy - 5 Stars - 5/29/25
Review
🐝 2. A book that involves a journey - need not be physical.
The Road to Tender Hearts - Annie Hartnett - 5 Stars - 6/8/25
Review
🐝 3. A book containing the word 'wedding' in the title
The Wedding Shroud - Elisabeth Storrs - 4 Stars -6/6/25
Review
🐝 4. A book published in the year you joined Goodreads - First published February 14, 2012
Restless in the Grave - Dana Stabenow - 4 Stars - 6/3/25
Review
🐝 5. Read a book you find on PBT's Happy 15th birthday PBT shelf
Clark and Division - Naomi Hirahara - 4 Stars - 6/12/25
Review
🐝 6. Re-read a book you've already read before.
The Bastards of Pizzofalcone - Maurizio de Giovanni - 4 Stars - 6/9/25
Review
🐝 7. Read a book with the word good, bad or ugly in the title.
Prior Bad Acts - Tami Hoag - 4 Stars - 6/11/25
Review
🐝 8. Read a book that involves genetics, heredity, or inheritance - Sonya was left a haunted mansion by her long lost uncle and must find out how to break the curse.
The Mirror - Nora Roberts - 4 Stars - 6/4/25
Review
🐝 9. A book set in a city or town starting with the letter P, B or T
Every Fifteen Minutes - Lisa Scottoline - 4 Stars - 5/30/25 - set in Philadelphia
Review
🐝 10. A book set during or relating to women's suffrage and/or women's suffrage movement
Stories from Suffragette City - M.J. Rose - 4 Stars - 6/1/25
Review
🐝 11. A book that includes a family tree
The Summer Queen - Elizabeth Chadwick - 4 Stars - 6/10/25 - family trees of William the Conqueror, Counts of Poitou, Dukes of Acquitaine, and Louis VI of France
Review
🐝 12. A travel book
The White Darkness - David Grann - 4.5 Stars - 6/7/25
Review
Joy D wrote: "Just a reminder that this thread is supposed to be for requests for new lists. The Play Harder General Discussion thread is found here:https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/......"
Thank you, Joy! This is helpful to me.
Joy D wrote: "Anita, I have completed List #5 and am ready for List #6!..."I feel like you should give me reading lessons lol!
1. Read the first book in a new to you series
2. Read a book found on the PBT Steeplechase shelf
3. A book featuring gambling, lotteries, or games of chance
4. Read a book with the character(s) name in the title.
5. A book about a sport
6. A book featuring a famous person from the Renaissance era (1400-1600)
7. Read a book about the closest sports franchise to where you live. Sport of your choice.
8. Read a book set in a National park.
9. A book set in or about WWI or WWII
10. Read a book with a football related word in the title (catch, clock, down, fumble, game, goal, half, huddle, line, pass, play, player, quarter, time, yard, etc.)
11. A book involving a missing person
12. Read a book with a tag that starts with the word "social" (Sociology, society, social psychology, social sciences, social, social- justice, sociable, sociopath, social engineering, social commentary, etc.)
Olivermagnus wrote: "Anita, I'm ready for another list when you get a chance. Thanks.."
Mind blowing! Here's another list for you to demolish!
1. Read the next book in a series that you have started but haven't finished
2. Read a book where the title includes an ordinal number (e.g. The FIRST deadly sin)
3. A book by a Canadian author
4. A murder mystery where one of the traditional Game of Clue weapons is used: candlestick, revolver, wrench, rope, knife, or lead pipe.
5. Put a favorite author's name in the Literature Map and read a book by one of the other authors whose name appears (https://www.literature-map.com)
6. A long book (more than 500 pages)
7. Read an "alternate" book (alternate history, alternative world, alternate identity, or alternative lifestyles)
8. A book featuring ice skating, figure skating, speed skating, or hockey
9. Read a gothic novel
10. Read a book about immigration.
11. The author's first or last name starts with X, Y, or Z
12. Read a book set in the South Pacific - on land or at sea
Anita wrote: "Joy D wrote: "Anita, I have completed List #5 and am ready for List #6!..."I feel like you should give me reading lessons lol!
1. Read the first book in a new to you series
2. Read a book found ..."
Thanks, Anita!
Thanks Anita.......I participate in so many monthly and quarterly challenges it has been surprisingly easy to fit one of the prompts into an already ongoing challenge.
I am ready for my next list, please.List 8
✔️1. A book with a title that includes the name of a classic board or card game, i.e. Monopoly, Checkers, Operation - Hannah's War - Read 8/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️2. A book with a title that includes the word "angel" or "devil" - Night Angels - Read 15/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️3. Read a book that is set in the opposite season from what you are currently in( i.e. if it's spring read a fall book, winter read a summer book, etc.) - Godmersham Park - Read 14/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Set in Winter (January)
✔️4. A book written in first person - Murder at Hambledon Hall - Read 7/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️5. A book that somebody else has read for this challenge - The Most Fun We Ever Had - Read 14/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️6. The book's title or author's name contains a gemstone (diamond, ruby, sapphire, etc.) - The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding - Read 11/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️7. A book fully or partially set in a hotel, motel, bed & breakfast, or inn (or similar) - The Maid's Secret - Read 5/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️8. Read a book whose author's first and last initials match your own. - The Affair - Read 9/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️9. Read a book that has been tagged dnf at least 1000x - The Paper Palace - Read 7/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Tagged dnf 1066 times
✔️10. Read a book about the Civil Rights Movement. - March: Book Three - Read 12/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✔️11. A book with a cover depicting a broken object or item - Hang the Moon - Read 15/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
The cover shows a car being fixed, so the car must therefore be broken.
✔️12. A "light" book (however you'd like to define it) - Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping On a Dead Man - Read 10/6/25
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Hannah wrote: "I am ready for my next list, please..."
I am running out of superlatives to describe your reading. Here you go.
1. A biography, autobiography, or memoir
2. A book with a common farm animal in the title
3. Read the fiction bestseller from the year you were born. If you have already read it, read the fiction bestseller from the year an immediate family member was born.
4. A coming of age book
5. Read a book that was made into a movie
6. Read a book with a map
7. Read a book that's under 150 pages
8. Read a book with an animal on the cover
9. A book that fits an art or artist tag
10, Read a book set during a honeymoon
11. Read a book set in the Southern Hemisphere
12. Read a book set in Alaska or Hawaii
I finished my first list. I had a good time and I would like to continue the game with a second list, please.1. Read a historical mystery not set in UK or US
✅ Robert van Gulik - ' The Chinese Maze Murders'
my review
2: A Fiction book featuring a religious ritual
✅ Maria Rosa Menocal - The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain
my review
3. A book set in Australia or New Zealand.
✅ Garry Disher - ' Day's End'
my review
4. Read a fiction bestseller from the year you were born.
✅ Ernest Hemingway - ' A Moveable Feast' [1964]
my review
5. A book published in the 1980's
✅ Robin McKinley - ' The Blue Sword'
my review
6: A book where the setting or plot include a theatrical performance
✅ Barbara Hambly - Scandal in Babylon (A Silver Screen Historical Mystery 01)
my review
7. A book where the main character is an author, writer, or journalist
✅ Christopher Brookmyre - ' Attack Of The Unsinkable Rubber Ducks'
my review
8. A book by a BIPOC author
✅ James Sallis - ' Eye of the Cricket'
my review
9. Read a book that a PBT member has on their top ten list of 2024
✅ Percival Everett - ' James'
my review
10. Read a book about the Civil Rights Movement
✅ Jennifer Lathan - ' Dreamland Burning'
my review
11: Read a book by an author who uses three names:
✅ George MacDonald Fraser - The Flashman Papers 01 - Flashman
my review
12 : Read a book set in Minnesota
✅ William Kent Krueger - The River We Remember
my review
Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "I finished my first list. I had a good time and I would like to continue the game with a second list, please.Congratutulations! However, I don't mean to be critical, but A Moveable Feast is not fiction. Well, Hemingway may have exaggerated or made things up but it's officially classed as nonfiction. I love your review and the pictures - Paris is also my favorite destination.
Robin P wrote: "Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "I finished my first list. I had a good time and I would like to continue the game with a second list, please.Congratutulations! However, I don't mean to be critica..."
I would disagree with this. Hemingway himself writes that these sketches are only inspired by what he wrote in his journals and that they should be treated as fiction. I can find the relevant quote if you like. I still have the book.
Plus, it was number one on the New York Times 1964 best sellers list in the fiction category. In January, I believe.
edit:
Here is the quote from the revised edition:
This book is fiction. I have left out much and changed and eliminated and I hope Hadley understands. A book of fiction may eliminate and distort but it tries to give a fictional picture of a time and the people in it. No one can write true fact in reminiscences;
Throwing in my 2 cents - Hemingway did fictionalize his life and experiences, perhaps most famously The Sun Also Rises which those he portrayed said at the time that he should have just kept everyone's names and published it as nonfiction because the descriptions, events and conversations were basically accurate and verbatum.He spent a good part of his life revising and tweaking A Moveable Feast before finally letting it be published. I always understood it to be fiction though based on real experiences.
Isn't there some literary genre that is called something like fictionalized reality?
Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "I finished my first list. I had a good time and I would like to continue the game with a second list, please.Congratutulations! However, I don't me..."
Thanks, I didn't research it far enough! I should have realized you had looked into this. And I shouldn't have been distracted by GR's tags, which are notoriously unreliable.
Robin P wrote: "Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "I finished my first list. I had a good time and I would like to continue the game with a second list, please.Congrat..."
no problem, I like discussing these nuances. You have a much better case with my number 2. prompt. Menocal's book is non-fiction, but it has waited so many years on my TBR list that I decided the religious subject is more important than the genre classsification
Just spotted this — clearly late, but ready to read harder. Count me in, Anita — whenever time allows on your end.
Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "I finished my first list. I had a good time and I would like to continue the game with a second list, please...."
So glad you had fun!!! Thank you for your patience. Here's your second list:
1. A book that includes a religious character or setting
2. Read a celebrity memoir (any kind of celebrity - actors, chefs, sports stars, royals, etc)
3. A book featuring first contact
4. Read an essay collection
5. Read a book by an author with the same last name as one of your favorite writers
6. Read a book set in a country, territory, province, or state you have always wanted to visit
7. A book published in the 1980's
8. A book that has a comma in the title (or sub-title)
9. Read a book set in a country with a coast on the Mediterranean Sea
10. A book with a title that references a nursery rhyme or fairy tale.
11. Read a book nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction or Non-Fiction
12. A book with an Asian main character
I am going to be honest and say I don't really understand #3. I am happy to switch that out if you don't really understand it either. But if you have an interpretation, please go ahead and use your own perspective.
Elara wrote: "Just spotted this — clearly late, but ready to read harder. Count me in, Anita — whenever time allows on your end."
Welcome to the challenge!! Absolutely not too late to participate.
1. Read a book set in Africa or that has an African author
2. A family saga or family drama
3. A book set in or about WWI or WWII
4. A book published in 2025
5. Read a book featuring one of your hobbies.
6. Read a novel set during the Ancient Roman Empire
7. A book related to sailing, sailors, seafaring, or ships
8. Read a book with an elephant on the cover.
9. Read a book with a pink cover.
10. A book involving revolution or resistance
11. Read one of the top ten most popular books on your tbr (defined by number of ratings)
12. Read a book set during a civil war or revolution
Anita wrote: "Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "I finished my first list. I had a good time and I would like to continue the game with a second list, please...."
So glad you had fun!!! Thank you for your patienc..."
First Contact per Wikipedia:
a common theme in science fiction about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient species' first encounter with another one, given they are from different planets or natural satellites. It is closely related to the anthropological idea of first contact.
For somebody who reads science-fiction, first contact is a very clear reference to meeting an alien species for the first time. No need to switch, because I am sure I can find something on my shelves about it.I'm more curious about prompt 7. A book published in the 1980s because I already had it for my first list. Of course, I can find another good book from the period, but I thought the idea of the game is to try new challenges.
Thank you for taking care of us and organizing things.
From the beginning, we knew there was always a risk that the randomizer would give you a prompt you already had. On the other hand, there's bound to be a quarterly swap in the not too distant future!
You have a good interesting list!
Glad all of you have more expertise than I do regarding genre fiction!! Thank you for educating me. And thank you, Algernon, for sticking to the spirit of completing all the assigned prompts!Although there will be a swap planned for the third quarter if any of these don't end up being to your liking.
Theresa wrote: "From the beginning, we knew there was always a risk that the randomizer would give you a prompt you already had. On the other hand, there's bound to be a quarterly swap in the not too distant fut..."
Yes, it's really surprising that the randomizer got you a duplication because we have over 900 prompts! But you can definitely swap it in the third quarter. I'll be planning a swap for early August most likely.
Hi! I'm ready for my next list, please!List two links:
✅ 1. Read a book by an author you've been meaning to try, but never have read before
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory - review here
✅ 2. Read a nonfiction book about food and or food culture
Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien Pham - review here
✅ 3. A book about a sport
Blood Sweat Glitter by Iona Datt Sharma- review here
✅ 4. A book with the word "book" in the title
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey - review here
✅ 5. A book published in the 1970s
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip - review here
✅ 6. Read a book with a title that contains all the letters of your first name
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon - review here
✅ 7. The author's first or last name starts with X, Y, or Z
Necessary Medicine by M.K. York - review here
✅ 8. A book set in a 'haunted' house - whether for real or rumored.
Roland Rogers Isn't Dead Yet by Samantha Allen - review here
✅ 9. A family saga or family drama
What I Know About You by Eric Chacour - review here
✅ 10. A book featuring or featured in a podcast or blog.
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London - review here
✅ 11. A book fully or partially set in the Arctic or Antarctic
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice - review here
✅ 12. Read a book you’ve borrowed from your local library
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire - review here
Pam wrote: "Hi! I'm ready for my next list, please!- ..."
Way to go, Pam!!
1. Read a book with a title where all the words begin with the same letter (3 word minimum)
2. A book set in a cold climate
3. A book with a family tree
4. Read a book that is more than 100 years old.
5. Read a book set in a country with a coast on the Mediterranean Sea
6. Read a book related to espionage
7. A book that's won an award (of any kind)
8. A book with a title beginning with U
9. Read a book with a main character who works primarily outdoors
10. A book where the title references a nursery rhyme or fairy tale.
11. A book set in Asia
12. A book with a verb in the title
Anita wrote: "Theresa wrote: "From the beginning, we knew there was always a risk that the randomizer would give you a prompt you already had. On the other hand, there's bound to be a quarterly swap in the not..."
I've only had two lists so far, and I got a repeat prompt on my second list too, so I can definitely vouch that it happens!
I would love to have my next set of prompts, please. Thanks!List #4
12/12
✔ 1. A book by a Nobel Prize winner - Dear Life - Alice Munro
✔ 2. A book you have always intended to read but never gotten around to it - Blind Justice - William Bernhardt
✔ 3. Read a book with type of portal to an alternate world - Every Heart a Doorway - Seanan McGuire
✔ 4. Read A book on the Tournament of Books longlist (any year). - Dream Girl- Laura Lippman
✔ 5. Read a book set in a National park. - Ill Wind- Nevada Barr
✔ 6. Read a book where one of the main characters is in military service - The Women - Kristin Hannah
✔ 7. Read an "alternative" book (alternate history, alternative world, alternate identity, or alternative lifestyles) - The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick
✔ 8 Read a fiction bestseller set in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. - Bright Young Women - Jessica Knoll
✔ 9. Read a book where the main character shares part of your name - Ellen Foster - Kaye Gibbons
✔ 10. Read a book that has won an award (of any kind) - The Comfort of Ghosts - Jacqueline Winspear
✔ 11. Read a book where the title is a pun or other play on words - Murder Over Easy - Rosie A. Point
✔ 12. Read a book set in a country with a coast on the Mediterranean Sea - Beautiful Animals - Lawrence Osborne
Ellen wrote: "I would love to have my next set of prompts, please. Thanks!."
Crushing all these lists, Ellen!
1. A book that inciudes a road trip
2. A book involving archeology or an archeologist
3. A collection of any year's best short fiction or stories edited by a favorite author
4. Setting is the Sugar Islands of the Caribbean pre-1920 - i.e. Barbados, Trinidad, Jamaica, . . .
5. A book with more vowels than consonants in the title
6. A book by an author born in Africa
7. A book with the word "room" in the title
8. A book with a subtitle
9. Read or re-read a book by your favorite author
10. A book selected by any book club (in real life or online, whether or not you are a member)
11. Read a celebrity memoir
12. Read a book containing an index
Anita, I am ready for another list when you get a chance.List 10 - June 2025
🦩 1. Read the next book in a series that you have started but haven't finished - Book #3 of 25
C is for Corpse - Sue Grafton - 4 Stars - 6/14/25
Review
🦩 2. Read a book where the title includes an ordinal number (e.g. The FIRST deadly sin)
Murder on Fifth Avenue - Victoria Thompson - 3.5 Stars - 6/16/25
Review
🦩 3. A book by a Canadian author - Vicki Delany was born in Winnipeg and is one of Canada’s most varied and prolific crime writers.
In The Shadow Of The Glacier - Vicki Delany - 4 Stars - 6/25/25
Review
🦩 4. A murder mystery where one of the traditional Game of Clue weapons is used: candlestick, revolver, wrench, rope, knife, or lead pipe. The murderer stabs Lady Ellis to death with a knife.
Cloche and Dagger - Jenn McKinlay - 3.5 Stars - 6/22/25
Review
🦩 5. Put a favorite author's name in the Literature Map and read a book by one of the other authors whose name appear. My most read and favorite author is JD Robb
Alone - Lisa Gardner - 4 Stars - 6/5/25
Review
https://www.literature-map.com/j.+d.+...
🦩 6. A long book (more than 500 pages)
Revelation - C.J. Sansom - Stars - 6/18/25 - 673 pages
Review
🦩 7. Read an "alternate" book (alternate history, alternative world, alternate identity, or alternative lifestyles) - The Supreme Court has ruled that vampirism is legal in the US.
Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton - 3 Stars - 6/24/25
Review
🦩 8. A book featuring ice skating, figure skating, speed skating, or hockey
The Deal - Elle Kennedy - 3 Stars - 6/24/25
Review
🦩 9. Read a gothic novel
Bochica - Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro - 2 Stars - 6/21/25
Review
🦩 10. Read a book about immigration.
When the Emperor Was Divine - Julie Otsuka - 3 Stars - 6/17/25
Review
🦩 11. The author's first or last name starts with X, Y, or Z
You Can Run - Rebecca Zanetti - 3 Stars - 6/20/25
Review
🦩 12. Read a book set in the South Pacific - on land or at sea.
Adrift: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea - Tami Oldham Ashcraft - 4 Stars - 6/23/25
Review
Olivermagnus wrote: "Anita, I am ready for another list when you get a chance."I can't keep up ;)
1. Read a book that won the Pulitzer Prize.
2. A book by a Canadian author
3. A book with a bridge on the cover, the word "bridge" in the title, or a bridge in the content
4. Read a book with a one word title
5. Read a book with stripes on the cover
6. The title contains the name of a flower (e.g., Daisy, Rose, Lily, etc.)
7. Read a retelling of a classic book or a fairy tale
8. Read a book that fits this month's tag
9. After alphabetizing the titles in your GoodReads Want to Read shelf from A - Z, read one of the books from the first 20 listed
10. A book featuring a ruler, monarch, or dictator
11. Read a book by an author who uses three names (a middle initial is NOT enough). Eg: Alexander McCall Smith
12. Read a book set somewhere you would like to visit
I finished List 2 and am ready for List 3!List 2 completions:
1. A book with at least 5 historical fiction tags.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. 4.5 stars. Completed 6/27/2025
2. Read a book with an adjective in the title
White Rose Black Forest by Eoin Dempsey. 3 stars. Completed 5/17/2025
3. Read a book that is set in the opposite season from what you are currently in (Anita's note: This would be fall right now.)
Pet Sematary by Stephen King. 4 stars. Completed 6/13/2025
4. Read a book that's been on your TBR for more than a year
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. 4 stars. Completed 5/17/2025
5. Read a book with a main-page genre of HUMOR. (Tag appears on the book's main page)
A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel. 3 stars. Completed 6/1/2025
6. A travel book
We Are Experiencing a Slight Delay: Tips, Tales, Travels by Gary Janetti. 3 stars. Completed 5/31/2025
7. A contemporary romance book
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. 4 stars. Completed 5/26/2025
8. Read a book with an extremely wealthy or extremely poor main character
Rapture in Death by JD Robb . 3.5 stars. Completed 5/10/2025
9. Read a book about Vietnam
The Colors of April: Fiction on the Vietnam War’s Legacy 50 Years Later by Quan Manh Ha (editor) and Cab Tran (editor). 4 stars. Completed 5/23/2025
10. A book with a bird on the cover
The Night Bird by Brian Freeman. 4 stars. Completed 5/10/2025
11. Read a book written by an author that shares your initials.
The One by John Marrs. 5 stars. Completed 5/31/2025
12. A book that includes a disease, epidemic, or pandemic
A Twisted Riposte by Alyn Troy. 2 stars. Completed 5/11/2025
Anita - I finished my first list and I'm ready for a new list. 1. Read a book that was published posthumously
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming
Review
2. A book written by a neurodivergent author
Born on a Blue Day
Review
3. A book where the main character has a pet.
Trapped
Review
4. A book containing a long walking or hiking trek
The Long Walk
Review
5. A book published in the 1990's
The Black Ice first published in 1993
Review
6. A book with a predominantly RED cover. (At least 50%)
Wholly Unraveled: A Memoir
Review
7. Read a book about the closest sports franchise to where you live. Sport of your choice.
The Cactus League by Emily Nemens. Review
8. Read a book written by an author who’s last name begins with the letter ‘Z’
Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff
Review
9. Read a book featuring a current or historical person you admire.
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. Review
10. Read a book from the 2024 Play Book Tag Top Ten list.
Moon of the Crusted Snow
Review
11. Read a book set before 1900
The Silence of the Girls - Set during the Trojan War
Review
12. Read a book at least a hundred years older than you are.
The Art of War
Published in the 5th century BC
Review
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Ginny Moon (other topics)Ginny Moon (other topics)
The Woman Who Stole Vermeer: The True Story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House Art Heist (other topics)
The Summer Book (other topics)
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Russ Hodges (other topics)Tove Jansson (other topics)
Peter Hessler (other topics)
Anthony M. Amore (other topics)
Benjamin Ludwig (other topics)
More...
List 8 - May 2025
☔️ 1. Read a book that's been included on a celebrity book list - Reese Witherspoon Book Club Choice - April 1, 2024
The Most Fun We Ever Had - Claire Lombardo - 3.5 Stars - 5/24/25
Review
☔️ 2. A book with an unnamed protagonist
Death is a Lonely Business - Ray Bradbury - 3 Stars - 5/1/25
Review
☔️ 3. A book set primarily in a state or province bordering The Great Lakes - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The Canadian province of Ontario also borders the Great Lakes.
Suffer the Children - Lisa Black - 4 Stars - 5/14/25 - set in Cleveland, Ohio
Review
☔️ 4. A book published in 2015
In Bitter Chill - Sarah Ward - 4 Stars - 5/18/25 - first published Jun 30, 2015
Review
☔️ 5. Read a book with an MPG of Alternate History
Dominion - C.J. Sansom - 4 Stars - 5/22/25
Review
☔️ 6. A book published in 1985.
Murder at the FBI - Margaret Truman - 3 Stars - 5/24/25
Review
☔️ 7. Read a book that a PBT member has on their top ten list of 2024 - it must be a book you have not read before - Pam's Top Ten of 2024
How to End a Love Story - Yulin Kuang - 3 Stars - 5/13/25
Review
☔️ 8. A book set in your favorite city - London
Something Blue - Emma Jameson - 3.5 Staes - 5/21/25
Review
☔️ 9. A book written by an author or artist of The Lost Generation
The Sun Also Rises- Ernest Hemingway - 4 Stars - 5/16/25
Review
☔️ 10. Read a book that's been on your TBR for more than a year
Indigo Ridge - Devney Perry - 4 Stars - 5/11/25 - added Sep 29, 2023
Review
☔️ 11. A book with a cover containing the colors of your favorite sports team (if you don't have one, use the colors of your secondary/high school or university)
Maroon and White
The Mangle Street Murders - M.R.C. Kasasian - 3.5 Stars - 5/21/25
Review
☔️ 12. A book with an insect on the cover or in the title
Lovebug - Erin Mallon - 3 Stars - 5/17/25
Review