Pass The Parcel Round 25 - Calls in the Q&A thread

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

PASS THE PARCEL - Round 25
THEME - 🎤📣Homophones📣🎤


Start date - FRIDAY 7 November
Sign up - now through to FRIDAY 31 October 4pm US EST
Teams assigned soon after sign ups close
First them call - 7 November between 4-6pm US EST
No call - 26 December
Last theme call - 23 January

*Due to our late start, there will be a week break after Christmas. No call will be made on Friday 26 December. The next call will be the following Friday 2 January.


**When you sign up, please nominate your reading preference for mf (male/female MCs), mm (gay MCs) or both (either is fine). This will NOT mean that you will be placed in a team that only reads mf or mm. It just makes it easier for me to make sure a member isn't alone on a team with no-one else reading their preferred romance type.

IMPORTANT
If you sign up for this challenge, you must be prepared to:
* Read roughly one book each week
* Follow the format for the selection and completion posts.
* Post your selection book BEFORE the next theme is called, or you will be eliminated
* Technically be able to put links to other threads /bookshelves /lists, and insert book links and book covers in your posts. (These are not difficult but you MUST be able to do these links; they don't have to look pretty, but they do need to go to the intended location).


PLEASE READ THE RULES OF THE CHALLENGE CAREFULLY.

IF YOU HAVEN'T POSTED EACH WEEK WITHIN THE TIMELINES ABOVE AND YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY TOLD TEAM-MATES OR A MODERATOR - no questions - YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM YOUR TEAM and the challenge.


FURTHER, if you have dropped out of this challenge without explanation in the past or have been removed for lack of attendance, and you sign up and wish to play again, I will be PMing you...

This does not include those players who have PMd me or their Captain and dropped out due to real-life issues... We all understand that sometimes life throws curve-balls that mean you can't continue playing with us 🧡

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

This is a team challenge to encourage members to meet new friends and find new books.



PLEASE READ EVERY LINE OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS

I will be referring members back to this post if you ask me something already outlined here.


For this challenge we will have teams of roughly 6 players. The group will have a team captain who will track the completion of books for their team and remind their fellow team-members about compliance to the rules. Teams will be allocated before the reading starts. This will be done randomly.


Members signing up need to be prepared TO READ APPROXIMATELY ONE BOOK EACH WEEK.


Each week a theme will be randomly selected from the list posted in msg 4. This theme will be posted in the Q&A | Announcement thread between 4pm and 6pm US EST each Friday. (Feel free to prompt me if I forget :)


PLEASE NOTE THE TIMES for the theme announcements. I cannot guarantee I will post by the 4pm mark since that is 6am for me.


Each member in the group has the following options:

1. Read a book that matches the theme (the parcel)

OR

2. Select a book from the 'READ' list of a team-mate that they read in the last 6 months AND that the team-mate rated at least 3 stars. (This essentially passing on a recommendation.)
If the book is in a series but does not match where you are up to, you may read another book from that same series.

OR

3. 'Pass' on reading a book that week.


BUT each team member can only select option #3 once each 5 (five) weeks. AND each team may only have ONE person 'passing' for the round each week. It is up to the team as to how they manage a 'pass'. (Yes - this may mean that a team-mate can't claim a pass in a 5 week block.)

Each team member must post their selection (option 1, 2 or 3) in the week that the theme is announced. Please follow the format provided in msg 3. You can only change your book selection in its posting week. So choose carefully.

Each team member must return to their team thread and post a short review of the book that they read. This review should be enough to indicate that the member DID read the book. A couple of sentences is sufficient. "I liked it" is not.

Key information is required in both the selection and completion posts. Please ensure that you and your team-mates follow the format set out in msg 3 below. You and your Captain cannot claim to have completed your book until the post holds all the required information.


This challenge will run for 11 weeks. The winning team is the one that completes the challenge first; they win bragging rights :)

No-one can use the 'pass' option in the last week of the challenge.


Rules:
* Each team member MUST post their selection book into their team thread each week or they will be removed from the challenge. It isn't fair on your team-mates if you are not committed to participant each week.
* You MUST post your selection book in the week of the announced category. If you miss selecting your book (or pass) in that week, you will be removed from the challenge. The only exception is if you have contacted your team, team captain or one of the Mods with a valid reason. The decision to not remove you is solely up to the moderator running the game.
* You can only change your nominated theme book in the week that the theme is announced. You CANNOT change your book once a new theme is announced.
* '5 weeks' will be counted in blocks of five, with a new count starting in week 6.
* No-one can use the 'pass' option in the last week of the challenge.
* To qualify for a theme, the book's eligibility must meet the rules for the theme as posted each week (eg tagged, in the précis, MPG or found on an official list as contained in the theme announcement). Refer to the Q&A thread for more clarification on this rule.
* You can change your nominated book only during the week that it's theme is called.
* Books must be at least 100 pages in length.
* Anthologies and bundled books are fine, but you must read the full set.
* You must quote the page numbers for your selected book each week. Please quote the goodreads page numbers (any edition of the book is fine).
* The 'series' rule for Option 2 only applies to Option 2. The same book can be used under option 2 for multiple weeks so long as that book remains within the 6 month timeframe.


Important!!! If a team member falls behind by more than 2 books, they WILL be removed from the challenge. The team who loses that member will continue with the lower number of team-mates. This rule is to ensure that ALL participants are committed to their team and the challenge.

PLEASE NOTE - I will not remove, nor accept retirement from, any players in the last two weeks of the challenge. This will mean that the team cannot win if their players are MIA in the last two weeks.

IMPORTANT:
In the last week of the challenge, Option 2 will be altered. Book selections under option 2 will have to be taken from a different team's members' bookshelves. I will allocate the teams out on posting the final theme (week 11).

For example (and this allocation will be randomly done on the day of the last theme call)
Option 2 for Team 1 must come from the bookshelves of Team 4.


******

For those of you who didn't play this growing up, a 'parcel' is passed from one person to another. ...When setting this game up, a prize (or 'gift') is wrapped in a large number of layers of wrapping paper. Smaller prizes may be placed between some or all other layers of wrapping.

During the game, music is played as the parcel is passed around. Whoever is holding the parcel when the music stops removes one layer of wrapping and claims any prize found under that layer. The music is then restarted and the game continues until every layer is removed and the main prize claimed.

This is the RRRC version of the game with a few more options and rules than we may remember from our childhood ;)

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Key selection and completion post information. You must have ALL elements in your book posts.


For selection post Option 1 you must have:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
How the book qualifies - please note which qualifying bookshelf/list you are using or the tags that justifies that it works.
If the theme is based off the bookcover, post the cover. If there is a letter count in the title, publication date etc, please note these details.

For selection post Option 2 you must have:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
Name of the team-member, their star rating, the date they read the book.

For selection post Option 3 you must have:
Week #
PASS


For the completion post you must have:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Rating (1-5)
Review


Please DO NOT CHAT in these selection/completion posts. It needs to be super clear.

If you 'waffle' about your decided book - please REPOST your selection once you decide. DO NOT go back and edit your waffling post.

IF YOU NEED TO CORRECT A POST FOR MISSING INFORMATION or because the didn't qualify etc, please REPOST this inforamtion in a NEW post. I don't want to have to keep going backwards in the thread.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

🎤📣Homophones 📣🎤
Words that are pronounced the same, but spelt differently and have a different meaning

**Only one of each homophone has the task designed around it. I'm unsure if some nationalities pronounce some of these words differently, so apologies in advance if that is the case.**

The usual bookcover, precis, main page, tag or list will need to be provided to show how the book qualifies EXCEPT for task 9 which will operate on an honour system with me likely doing some random checks to make sure everyone understands the process.


1. Sea | See - read a book with glasses or sunglasses on the cover.

2. Bear | Bare - read a book where the cover model is half-naked.

3. Hear | Here - read a book available in audio.

4. Birth | Berth - read a book with kids or pregnancy in the story.

5. Mail | Male - read a book with a male cover model.

6. Canon | Cannon - read a book with MPG Military or Suspense.

7. Creak | Creek - read a book with ghosts per the precis or with tags 'ghost' or 'spook', or MPG Horror.

8. Hole | Whole - read a book from a series that is complete. For this to count, there must be NO unpublished books on the series list.

9. Incite | Insight - go to My Books. Scroll down to My Year In Books and click. Record the avg page length. Read a book that is +/-50 pages of that page length. Eg avg page length is 240. Read a book that has a page length between 190 and 290 (inclusive). Please note - the minimum page number requirement of 100 pages must still be met.

10. Week | Weak - read a book with a non-alpha MC.

11. Eight | Ate - read a book with at least one 8 in the publication date.

12. Blew | Blue - read a book with blue on the cover.

13. Cell | Sell - read a book tagged 'crime', 'prison', 'lawman' 'law enforcement', 'LEO'. These words are the ONLY tags that will work. They may appear in combination with another word but it must complement that word, not contradict the meaning.

14. Knows | Nose - read a book where the nose of the cover models is shown. This can be in profile or front on, but the whatever the angle, the nose must be completely included.

15. Won | One - read a standalone book.

16. Hour | Our - read a book that is found on one of the RRRC Moderator's shelves.

17. To | Too | Two - read a book written by two authors or a book with an audio version that utilises two narrators.

18. New | Knew - read a book first published in 2025.

19. Rain | Reign - read a book with MPG historical.

20. Tail | Tale - read a shifter book or a book with a pet (must be stated in the precis or on the GR book page eg MPG shapeshifter).

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Sign Ups

If you are happy to be Captain, please let me know in your sign up post.

I'd really appreciate that bit of extra help from anyone who is happy to take on this fairly minor role :D


Linguists (LOL - this may be the only time you are so addressed!)
Hazel - mf
Shan A - mf (bit mm)
MKat - both
MN Lisa - mm
KarenH - both
Kendra - mm (bit ff)
Julie - mf
Jessica - mm
LaurLa - mf
Shandrea - both
KathyD - mf


Listeners
Christene_LL - mf (bit mm/ff)
Gelaskaca - mm
Amanda (bob) - mm / ff
Bailey - mf
Jamie - both
Sally - mf (bit ff)
Jamie TRR - ff
*DianeD - mm
Kelly (Maybedog) - mm
Helke - mm
Kat (bw) - mf
Christina T - mm
Yvonne - mm
Janeylou - mm
Emeli - mm
Aiswyra - mf (both)
MrsGeo - mm
Michaele - mm
Amber - mf
*DanielleGS - mm
Elizabeth (acon) - mf (bit ff)
Liza - mm
Christine - both
Heather - both (mf)
Jill - both
Christy - mf
CB - mf
JL - both
Montse - mf
Avigail - mf
*Shelby - both
Danielle - both
^Sunflower Reads - both
Vi - mf
Grace - mf
Caipi - mm
Julia - mm
Ashley GR - mm
Sassafrass - mf
Amanda E - mf
Trio - both
AliciaJ - both
Jooke - mm (reads all)
Kari - mm
Michelle's EN - mf
Teresa - mm


*can captain if really needed

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Teams Allocated


Team 1
*MKat
JL
Christine
DianeD
MrsGeo
Elizabeth (acon)
Caipi

Team 2
*LaurLa
Jamie TRR
Jill (rox)
Jooke
Danielle
Sassafrass
Amanda (bob)

Team 3
*KarenH
Janeylou
Vi
Ariel
Amanda E
Liza
Yvonne

Team 4
*Kendra
AliciaJ
Amber
Ashley GR
Aiswyra
Christene_LL
Tink

Team 5
*MN Lisa
Helke
Christina T
Trio
Kari
Gelaskaca

Team 6
*Julie
KathyD
Sally
Christy
Kat (bookworm)
Heather

Team 7
*Shan A
Montse
Catsalive
CB
Grace
Bailey
Michelle's EN

Team 8
*Jessica
Jamie (AL)
Shandrea
Teresa
Michaele
Julia
Kelly (Maybedog)

Team 9
*Hazel
Avigail
DanielleGS
Shelby
Sunflower Reads
Emeli

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Just in case

[Hazel]

I’m in. I can be a captain

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Hi Hazel - could you please state your preferred choice from mf, mm or both? (Even though I generally already know ;) ...You might surprise me.)

[christene_littlelibrary]

Sign me up! No to captain

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

christene_littlelibrary wrote: "Sign me up! No to captain"

Hi Christene - are you a preferred mf reader?

[Shan ~A~]

I'm in. Will captain if needed.

I read both mf and mm, but mostly mf.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Shan ~A~ wrote: "I'm in. Will captain if needed.

I read both mf and mm, but mostly mf."

I'll put you with MF :)

[MountainKat, Moderator]

I'm in and I would love to be called a linguist - at least once!

I read both MM and MF regularly, usually more than one of each over the course of a month. 😊

[Gelaskaca]

can I join? MM and no to captain

[MN Lisa]

I'm in. MM reader. I can captain if needed.

[Amanda]

Me pease, no to captain, mostly MM or FF.

[Bailey]

I’m in! No captain this time. Usually read MF :)

[Jamie]

I'm in. I read both M/F and M/M

[Sally906]

I’m in please!

I read mostly M/F and the occasional F/F - no to Captain

[~KarenH~, Moderator]

I'm in! Happy to be captain, and I read both MF and MM regularly, but generally more MF than MM.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader)]

I primarily read F/F so not sure where I would even fit in with this challenge so just place me wherever if you can. LOL. No to captain for me.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) wrote: "I primarily read F/F so not sure where I would even fit in with this challenge so just place me wherever if you can. LOL. No to captain for me."

We have a couple of other FF readers so looks like I can place you with at least one of them :)

[Diane]

I’m in. Can captain, only if needed this go around.

[Kelly (Maybedog)]

Although in real life I'm a (probably rude) linguist, I'm just a listener this round as I haven't played before.

No to captain, almost exclusively read MM.

Thank you!

[christene_littlelibrary]

Jane (PS) wrote: "christene_littlelibrary wrote: "Sign me up! No to captain"

Hi Christene - are you a preferred mf reader?"

yes mf, but occasionally mm and ff

[Helke]

Hi Jane. I'll be a listener who read nearly exclusively mm.

[Kat]

Hi, I’m in. Mostly m/f no to captain

[Christina T]

It's been awhile since I've played so I'm totally in. No to Captain. Mostly an MM reader.

[Kendra]

Hi! I would love to join again. I can be captain if you need another. I read MM pretty exclusively, although I don't mind an FF every now and then

[Hazel]

Jane (PS) wrote: "Hi Hazel - could you please state your preferred choice from mf, mm or both? (Even though I generally already know ;) ...You might surprise me.)"

Hi Jane mf for me.

[Yvonne]

I would like to join MM 99% of the time, with a bit of MMF and FF and no to captain

[Janeylou]

Im in ..MM reader please
No to captain

[Emeli]

Im in ..MM reader
No to captain

[Julie]

Count me in - mostly MF & I can captain if needed.

[Aiswrya]

I’m in! Mostly MF but do read MM every now and then.

[Mrsgeo]

I'm in. Mostly MM but do read MF for other challenges. No to captain.

[Michaele]

I'm in - cannot captain. I mostly read mm.

[Jessica]

I'm in, I read mostly MM. Can captain if needed

[Amber]

I’m in! I read mostly MF. No to captain please

[Danielle Gypsy Soul]

I'm in. I read mostly MM. No to captain unless absolutely needed.

However, I will be out of town until 2 November and I leave for Antarctica on 12 January so the last 2 weeks would be difficult for me.

[Elizabeth]

I’m in please! Read mostly MF, occasionally FF & MMF. No to captain.

[Liza]

I'm in. No to captain, Mostly MM, but will read MF as well.

[Christine]

I’m in. No to captain. Both MF/MM

[Heather]

I'm in! Sorry I can't be captain. I read both, but more MF than MM.

[Jill]

In, sorry no captain. I read both MM and MF

[Christy]

I'm in. Can't captain this round due to work and personal travel. I prefer MF.

[CB]

I read M/F, rarely mfm but will read it. ☺️ No to captain!

[LaurLa]

I'm in this round. I can be captain if needed and i read mostly MF.

[JL]

Sign me up. No Captain please. Can read both M/F and M/M