Play Book Tag discussion
2025 Activities and Challenges
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Play Harder General Discussion
NancyJ wrote: "Erin wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "I just got my new Play Harder list. A few are perfect for books I already had in mind for thFaireste April fun tag. Translated book- [book:Days at the Mo..."
I just picked it up from the library. Ready to start now!
Time to get ready for the next prompt swap in May!Please respond to the survey below if you have a prompt you would like to swap.
https://forms.gle/BLDzkoFma6gkkitC8
Great, Anita! I should have my 2nd list by then as I am reading for my last prompt on my first. Perhaps there will be one on it I feel the need to swap.
Although I am sure I could find a book for the tag I am swapping out, I cannot miss the fun here! Submission done.
I have a new list and there are three or four prompts that I wanted to see if I could get some suggestions on. Please note that I was about to ask before I mentioned the swap. So it would be unclear if I would even join the swap and if so, what I would use. But I do see I have things for many of them, and there are a few that feel a little stumping to me. One is archaeology or archaeologist. I have to think this would be easy to find, but I feel like I have read quite a few that you might suggest. But on the off chance that there is something that someone remembers and has loved that they think is a good choice. Go ahead and throw it out.
Another is Nobel prize winner a book by a Nobel prize winner. I have to admit and I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t tend to like these books. I did make a list of six or seven Nobel prize winners to try. One of them I believe was Alice Munro. The other is a Japanese one, but it’s not harakami. I’m writing from my phone otherwise I check my phone, but it’s the one that begins with the initials I and H. A third one that seems tough, but probably not for anybody else, but me has something to do with a prompt around a non-fiction book about food and cooking. I have to read the prompt more closely, but I rather thought that maybe the thread that just got started with Joanne and Theresa might be helpful.
Amy, I went easy and read an Amelia Peabody book for archaeology. Crocodile on the Sandbank is the first one. For Nobel Prize winner, I have read Afterlives. Gurnah won the Nobel Prize a couple of years ago. It is a bit intense looking at the colonialist conflict in Tanzania but it isn't all war and had good characters (and relatively short). Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Amy, you might like this one about archeology - it's also a mystery adventure: The Archimedes DeviceAs far as Nobel Prize winner, I can recommend: The Elephant's Journey by Portuguese author Jose' Saramago. I know Karin also liked it, and it's only 205 pages. The one Jen recommended is also good. Or something by Hemingway or Steinbeck would work.
Regarding food, I've read and enjoyed: The Book of Salt, Sweet Bean Paste, A Year in Provence and Sourdough.
A great cookbook, Amy, with wonderful stories and recipes that are simpleChinese Soul Food: A Friendly Guide for Homemade Dumplings, Stir-Fries, Soups, and More
Amy, as far as food and cooking, I think you might like A Family Farm in Tuscany: Recipes and Stories from Fattoria Poggio Alloro, it is relatively short and has beautiful pictures.Another you might like is The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love
For the non-fiction and cooking, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits by Reese Witherspoon was a fun and easy read. What is the initials one? Was it this one: 6. Read a book by an author whose last name could be a first name: example: Christopher ROBIN?
I have like 30-40 possibilities for the names.... It was the nobel prize one. Now that I am on my computer I will share the names I picked out to see if any of you have suggestions...
Nobel Prize Winners - Eugene O’Neill
Ernest Hemmingway
John Steinbeck
Toni Morrison
Alice Munro
Kazuo Ishiguro
Han Kang
Jon Fosse
Annie Ernaux
That was the one. You guys are being so helpful.
Nobel Prize Winner Ishiguro is a favorite author of mine. I suggest An Artist of the Floating World, historical fiction set in Japan after its defeat in WWII within a family. Here's a link to my 5 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I recommend it to all and sundry, and it's only 239 pages.
Amy's food/cooking one is a prompt I suggested: 9. Read a nonfiction book about food and or food culture
You are welcome to peruse my food and cooking shelf which is fiction and NF, but I have some specific suggestions for my fellow PBT francophile who I believe will really enjoy any of these:
Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Paris by Ann Mah. It's a very personal story as well as fascinating.
Provençal Cooking by Mary Ann Caws - small, short gem of a memoir by an acclaimed author, profession, critic who feel in love with France and Provence and summered there for years.
Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste by Luke Barr - Barr is an excellent researcher and writer. I started off my review - which was 5 stars - saying it "...is evocative, nostalgic, balanced, and a little bit gossipy." It was also very nostalgic for me as I lived in Paris and traveled around France and Europe in the first 6 months of 1976 - only a few years later than the setting in the book.
One more: I read this years ago, before I was actually writing reviews on GR but did rate it 5 stars - I recommend it all the time: Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home: a memoir by Kim Sunée
These are all ones I absolutely love, own in print and treasure my copies.
You also can't go wrong reading Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl.
@Amy - the involving archeology or an archeologist one is another of my suggestions. You actually have several prompts I suggested ... hope you don't hate them! I won't mind if you swap one out! FYI - I did not suggest the Nobel Prize one - I never like those prompts myself so never ever suggest them. Back to the involving archeology prompt - an historical mystery I just read, the first in a series, would fit perfectly: Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer. Any of the Amelia Peabody historical mystery series would work but you need to start with the first as mentioned which is one I reread often: Crocodile on the Sandbank.
There are any number of authors who have set fiction involving archeology or an archeologist - Agatha Christie, Elizabeth Peters, Fossil: An African Wildlife Mystery by Karin McQuillan (it's the last in a short series but it can easily be read as a standalone), and even authors like Nora Roberts and Jayne Ann Krentz and many others have a book or two set at an archeological dig in the American Southwest.
These suggestions are also fabulous. But you know what? Something Theresa said, make me go in a whole new tangent and guess what? I think I have a new Sunday conversation topic for Jason to use. I think one of these Sundays I am going to use usurp that thread for that tangent…. You made me think about a question about how one think about these things…. I hope I get an answer to this question somewhere before the swap. But given that Sunday is the second night of Passover, I doubt that I could do it this Sunday….. but oh boy do I have a question in mind…. And of course, with all these wonderful suggestions, which is the one I’m gonna swap out? I’d like to see a little bit more data. And of course I can’t research until after Monday. This is going to be very interesting and curious.
I have a couple that I could find eventually but the swap looked so fun that I am going to sign up.
I really wanted to join, but my sister and I are going to be on vacation the first two weeks in May, and I can't promise to be in a position to respond quickly. Definitely next time.
Theresa wrote: "There are any number of authors who have set fiction involving archeology or an archeologist ..."For archaeology, I was also going to suggest mystery. My head went to Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Most recently, one I read was the first in a series: Old Bones.
Another by them - first in a different series - is Relic, but I also have that one tagged horror, so might be a bit scarier!
Another direction to take on archology or archeologists is of course non-fiction.
Perhaps Tessa has something written in Verse for me - lol!
I just got my second list! Though I can readily find a book to read for each, I will definitely join in the swap because it was such fun. I am tempted to put up one in particular, but think I will consider further on it before deciding.
Amy wrote: "Perhaps Tessa has something written in Verse for me - lol!"I don't, but ..
Mario Vargas Llosa won the Nobel in 2010 and I rated both these two works 4****
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (My review)
The Feast of the Goat (My review)
The first might be more your style, Amy.
I have a question. I have the promptA book tagged motherhood, mother or Mother’s Day
Does the tag "mothers" count? Also, there is no definition that I saw of what counts as tagged, does it have to be 5 tags? I just read The English Teacher, which has 2 tags for mothers and 2 for mothers-sons. It is the main element in the book. Does this work?
Anita, do you know what the deadline is going to be to sign up for May's prompt swap?
Robin P wrote: "I have a question. I have the promptA book tagged motherhood, mother or Mother’s Day
Does the tag "mothers" count? Also, there is no definition that I saw of what counts as tagged, does it have..."
Robin, I found this answer in the questions asked at the beginning of the challenge:
Q. Will we need 5+ tags if the prompt is written as a tag?
Only if the writer of the prompt specifies how the book must be tagged.
Or can we treat it like a monthly tag, and use our judgment?
It totally depends on how the writer of the prompt states it, but if they merely use the word tagged, then it can be tagged just one time. If the writer says "fits the tag" then it's your judgement If the writer says "is tagged", then it must be tagged at least once.
If they specify a number of times the book must be tagged, then those guidelines apply.
ETA - Here's the link where we can find answers to other questions as well:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Robin P wrote: "I have a question. I have the promptA book tagged motherhood, mother or Mother’s Day
Does the tag "mothers" count? Also, there is no definition that I saw of what counts as tagged, does it have..."
Robin, I wrote that prompt, and mothers is acceptable to me. As Joy mentioned, “tagged” requires only one tag.
NancyJ wrote: "Robin P wrote: "I have a question. I have the promptA book tagged motherhood, mother or Mother’s Day
Does the tag "mothers" count? Also, there is no definition that I saw of what counts as tagg..."
Thanks, Nancy and Joy!
Update on the swap. I am hoping to start this on May 13th, so please don't forget to make your submissions by clicking on the link below:
https://forms.gle/BLDzkoFma6gkkitC8
Just received my new list and had a question:3. Read a book nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction or Non-Fiction
Does that refer to this year or any year?
Anita wrote: "Update on the swap. I am hoping to start this on May 13th, so please don't forget to make your submissions by clicking on the link below:
https://forms.gle/BLDzkoFma6gkkitC8"
I am pretty sure I nominated one. Anita - can you confirm that?
Booknblues wrote: "Just received my new list and had a question:3. Read a book nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction or Non-Fiction
Does that refer to this year or any year?"
That sounds like one I submitted - I have submitted a lot and continue to do so LOL. My intention was for any year, including when it was still called The Orange Prize.
Theresa wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Just received my new list and had a question:3. Read a book nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction or Non-Fiction
Does that refer to this year or any year?"
That sounds l..."
Thanks, Theresa. That makes it a pretty wide open category, in which the only difficulty is deciding which to read.
Booknblues wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Just received my new list and had a question:3. Read a book nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction or Non-Fiction
Does that refer to this year or any year?..."
I made it broad deliberately, partly because many in PBT read these prize winners and nominees and partly as a help to those like me who need options.
I'm still working on my first list but I'm proud of getting 5 books to fit so far out of the 23 I've read this year. There's a couple prompts that are really hard for me to get to as a moody reader but I'll keep working on it! I'd love to finish at least 1 list by the end of the year.
Melanie, what is on your list that you might need help with? And do you know about the May Prompt Swap?
Amy wrote: "Melanie, what is on your list that you might need help with? And do you know about the May Prompt Swap?"I was going to post the same thing. I was pretty successful on my first list and so far on my second finding lighter reads for some prompts that seemed heavier initially - and got some fantastic suggestions here!
Amy wrote: "Melanie, what is on your list that you might need help with? And do you know about the May Prompt Swap?"I do know and I submitted my hardest prompt.
My other difficult prompts are
*a book that is a travel essay or memoir
*nonfiction book about food or food culture - but i think i saw some suggestions farther back?
*a book written by a scientist ( i had ideas for psychologists but idk they're technically scientists
but yes the suggestions here helped me read The Last Animal for my prehistoric prompt
MelanieJoy wrote: "Amy wrote: "Melanie, what is on your list that you might need help with? And do you know about the May Prompt Swap?"I do know and I submitted my hardest prompt.
My other difficult prompts are
*..."
Melanie, I love travel books and read mostly about slow travel, walking, kayaking, biking, horseback riding and have a bunch I could suggest, but first I would like to know what you might be interested in. What places are you interested in.
The same kind of goes for food memos as I have read some, but would like to know your interests. Do you watch any food tv? Who do you like to watch? What kind of food do you like.
This will help us in giving you suggestions.
On scientist - I am not someone who gravitates toward anything science, but I have 3 strong and varied recommendations that I really liked:Lab Girl a botanist's memoir - specializing in trees - on the short side
Lessons in Chemistry - fiction set in 1950s centered on a woman physicist who ends up the star of a cooking show. Funny and bittersweet- I loved it and did not expect to.
The Hydrogen Murder - retired woman physicist moves back to her home town ends up assisting police in a murder investigation at a local lab. First in a series. Author is a physicist.wa
MelanieJoy wrote: "Amy wrote: "Melanie, what is on your list that you might need help with? And do you know about the May Prompt Swap?"I do know and I submitted my hardest prompt.
My other difficult prompts are
*..."
Psychology is a science, and I would count a book by a psychologist or neuroscientist for that tag. Lisa Genova is a neurologist that writes excellent novels about Brain and mental health disorders.
I can recommend many related to nature, environment, extinction, animal intelligence, trees, etc if you’re interested.
My favorite NF food books are
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life - it’s delightful.
Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest
Foods and Why We Need to Save Them - more ecological
Eat a Peach - chef
Travel memoirs - there are so many different kinds!
I got this prompt too. I wanted to go to Antarctica, and I read
The Last Cold Place: A Field Season Studying Penguins in Antarctica. It was very low key but I really liked it.
There are a few really popular ones made into films:
Under the Tuscan Sun / Bella Tuscany. Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy. Frances Mayes has several others too.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Eat, Pray, Love
it.
Here are a few lists. Warning - look at the tags because some might be novels.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag?id...
MelanieJoy wrote: "My other difficult prompts are*a book that is a travel essay or memoir
*nonfiction book about food or food culture - but i think i saw some suggestions farther back?"
I got both of those, too! I've been reading graphic memoirs for all of my nonfiction prompts so far. The two I read for these were:
travel: Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir
food: Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam
I loved them both.
*a book written by a scientist
If you like fantasy, I really liked The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia.
There are tons of science fiction books written by scientists, too. Andy Weir comes straight to mind, but there are many others if you like SF.
Book written by a scientist:The Story of a Heart: Two Families, One Heart, and the Medical Miracle That Saved a Child’s Life by Rachel Clarke (the author is a medical doctor and this is an amazing true story!)
The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works by Helen Czerski (the author is a physicist)
The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain by James Fallon (the author is a neuroscientist)
I can recommend more if you have a specific area of interest.
Travel:
Walking the Nile by Levison Wood
Out of Istanbul: A Journey of Discovery along the Silk Road by Bernard Ollivier
Tracks: One Woman's Journey Across 1,700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson
Food:
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
BnB and I both read Out of Istanbul: A Journey of Discovery along the Silk Road and highly recommend it.
Booknblues wrote: "MelanieJoy wrote: "Amy wrote: "Melanie, what is on your list that you might need help with? And do you know about the May Prompt Swap?"I do know and I submitted my hardest prompt.
My other diffi..."
thanks booknblues, for travel I like all of it especially slow travel or travel to beautiful places. It just usually read fiction to get through books faster, and I have to be in the mood for nonfiction or committed to finish.
for food - I'm currently watching next level chef. I've also watched a couple of other Gordon Ramsay episodes from other shows. Hope that gives you an idea!
NancyJ wrote: "MelanieJoy wrote: "Amy wrote: "Melanie, what is on your list that you might need help with? And do you know about the May Prompt Swap?"I do know and I submitted my hardest prompt.
My other diffi..."
Thanks Nancy, these are super helpful!
Thank you Pam, Joy and Theresa! These are all super helpful!
MelanieJoy wrote: "thanks booknblues, for travel I like all of it especially slow travel or travel to beautiful places. It just usually read fiction to get through books faster, and I have to be in the mood for nonfiction or committed to finish.for food - I'm currently watching next level chef. I've also watched a couple of other Gordon Ramsay episodes from other shows. Hope that gives you an idea..."
Travel- A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France - Enjoyable story of a man and his family who moves to France
Dude, Where's My Walking Stick?: What not to do on the Te Araroa! - New Zealand, the author is a bit of a stoner if you don't mind that it is quite fun.
Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya
Where the Falcon Flies: A 3,400 Kilometre Odyssey From My Doorstep to the Arctic
The Last Ride of the Pony Express: My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West
The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey
Food: I like Next Level Chef as well.
Yes, Chef - I just read this and really liked it.
The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love - I read it this year and found it quite intereting.
For any one who has the red barn on cover prompt, this works.
Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House
We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time by Jose Andres.
I see I have read 99 books this year and yet I am still on my first list. I am missing 3, of which I submitted one for the next swap. I need a book with a family tree and I don't know of a good way to find out which ones have them without having the physical or ebook in front of me. I think I have a Louise Erdrich with one, are there other suggestions?
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness (other topics)The Great White Bear: A Natural and Unnatural History of the Polar Bear (other topics)
Riders of the Purple Sage (other topics)
Memoirs of a Polar Bear (other topics)
The Bear (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Elizabeth Marie Pope (other topics)Patricia Van Tighem (other topics)
Marie Benedict (other topics)
Marge Piercy (other topics)
Pete Dexter (other topics)
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I'm waiting for that one. I loved Golden Hill, which might also qualify.