You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
Challenges: Monthly
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June 2012 Challenge - Let's Go to the Beach
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Janice wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Here are my grand totals! Death Comes to Pemberley
1 point - Author's name across the top
3 points – Mystery
3 points – 3 stars
3 points – author has 3 names (er. though I don't r..."
Thanks, Janice. I'll figure out how it all works yet! ;-)
I read
The SecretGenre:
10 points - Romance
Theme: 0 points
Location:
5 points - Scotland
Author:
1 point - is Female
Cover:
1 point - Author's name across the top
Title: 0 points
Stars:
3 points - 3 stars
Bonus Points: 0 points
TOTAL 20 points
Melina Marchetta is a wonderful author. I'm not normally a fan of fantasy, or of series, but I love fairy tales, and I'll probably read Finnikin of the Rock. The 'rock' is a, according to the description, a rock... not a city or even a temple or anything like that.
I suspect I may be missing the point of beach reads, but I tend to consider then as light and fluffy and something I wouldn't miss if I lost the book or left it on the beach. I have two more that fit into that definition. Married With Zombies and The Peach KeeperThe points look like this :
Point Qualifiers:
Genre: 16 pts.
This has elements that fit all four categories. Bonus!
10 points - Romance
3 points - Mystery
2 points - Chick Lit
1 point - Paranormal Fantasy
Theme: 1 pt.
Pretty convoluted, but doesn't fit into any of the given ones, except adventure.
Location: 0
Author: 8 pts.
5 points - Last name starts with a B, E, A, C, or H Allen)
3 points - Has 3 names (Sarah Addison Allen) Do I get any bonus since she has also written Garden spells, and I read that when it was brand new?
1 point - is Female
Cover: 0
Title: 1 pt
1 point - Has the name of a fruit in it. (peach)
Stars: 3 pts.
3 points - 3 stars
Bonus Points: 0
2) Great Outdoors Month: Main character works in/owns a camping goods store (Don't think it qualifies though)
Bonus Points for Audio Books:
10 pts.
Total :39 pts.
Genre: 11 pts.
It starts as an anti-romance, but they fall back in love.
10 points - Romance
1 point - Paranormal Fantasy
Theme: 0
zombie appocalypse, gets no points?
Location: 0
Oregon.
Author: 1 point.
Lives in Arizona, that isn't near an ocean yet, is it?
1 point - is Female
Cover: 0
Cover is grey with black lettering on it.
Title: 0
Stars: 3 pts.
3 points - 3 stars
Bonus Points: 0
Bonus Points for Audio Books: 10 pts.
1) Audio Book Appreciation Month: 10 points if you listen to your book.
Total: 25 points.
Final total: 33 + 39 + 25 = 97 pts.
This makes three "beach type" books that I will admit to reading. I so wanted to read a Scottish bodice ripper but my whole body rebelled. Despite being light books, I rated all three as 3 stars, which means I wanted to finish them and found some redeeming qualities to the story. Redeeming qualities, those kill beach reads, don't they?
Janet wrote: "I suspect I may be missing the point of beach reads, but I tend to consider then as light and fluffy and something I wouldn't miss if I lost the book or left it on the beach. I have two more that ..."While you may read as many books as you like for the challenges, only the top scoring book will count towards the challenge. In your case, I will mark The Peach Keeper as your scoring book.
Super job, though, on reading three books!
I read The Wolves of Willoughby ChasePoint Qualifiers:
Genre:
4 points - young adult
Theme:
3 - adventure
Author:
5 points - last name starts with an A
2 points - First name is one syllable
1 point - is female
Cover:
5 points - is primarily black
2 points - red lettering
Stars:
4 points - 4 stars
Bonus points:
Possibly Great Outdoors Month: the story involves two girls who, when running away from a strict boarding school, must find shelter with various people, including farmer's barns... (not sure this counts...)
So..
26 total points (or 36 if the bonus counts)...
All-in-all, a great book. It reminded me of a Dickens novel but written for kids (so much shorter...) Joan Aiken was a great writer.
I read Aiken's Wolves last week too! I loved it so much when I was a kid, and found it held up quite well to a re-read all these decades later. She really did write some interesting adventures.
I liked it so much that I will probably be bringing it in to school this next year and hopefully interest some of my middle school readers with it.
Joe wrote: "I read The Wolves of Willoughby ChasePoint Qualifiers:
Genre:
4 points - young adult
Theme:
3 - adventure
Author:
5 points - last name starts with an A
2 points - First name is one syllable
..."
Yes, I'll give you the bonus points.
Joe, I think I read it when I was about 11. (Just a data point. :)
Janice wrote: "While you may read as many books as you like for the challenges, only the top scoring book will count towards the challenge. In your case, I will mark The Peach Keeper as your scoring book.Super job, though, on reading three books!"
Thanks Janice. I wasn't sure if I understood the challenge or not. :-)
Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Melina Marchetta is a wonderful author. I'm not normally a fan of fantasy, or of series, but I love fairy tales, and I'll probably read Finnikin of the Rock. The 'rock' is a, according to the d..."
I loved Finnikin of the Rock. It was my first read by the author, and I gave the book five stars (my first for the year).
Finnikin is from "Rock Village," which I took as a city. I can remove the two points if needed. :)
It's all good, Emily. It may be a loose definition of being in a city, but I'll let it stand.
I can't believe we're nearly at the end of the month and I haven't managed to read another book for this challenge - still ploughing through Perdido Street Station. It's not that it's not enjoyable, it's ok, it's just like wading through treacle...
I have two books I need to report for this challenge. One I definitely believe qualifies as a beach read, and the second one is kind of iffy - it certainly was a romance though more period romance though, and not a super quick read, but maybe the fact that I was listening to it as an audio book had something to do with that. I'll post my point reporting for The Summer I Turned Pretty and The American Heiress soon. Later today hopefully.
I read two books at the same time, during the Toppler week. Both I feel quality for this challenge. First I’m scoring 
). Point Qualifiers:
Genre: 16pts
10 points - Romance
4 points - Young Adult
2 points - Chick Lit
Theme: 7pts
5 points - Summer Holidays
2 points – Sports (swimming kind of…the main character was on the swim team at school, and there was swimming during the book, though not the competitive kind.)
Location: East coast shore somewhere like North or South Carolina I think… 0 pts
Author: Jenny Han – 10 pts
5 points - Last name starts with a B, E, A, C, or H
4 points - Lives near the ocean (does Brooklyn, NY count…it isn’t what I would traditionally think of as near the ocean, but it technically is if you look on a map, which I may have just did ;) haha )
1 point - is Female
Cover: 3pts
3 points - Has a sun on it
Title: 0 pts
Stars: I gave it 3 – 3pts
3 points - 3 stars
No Bonus Points for this one… :(
Total: 39pts
Everyone has done so great on this challenge. A fun one!
The second book I read which I believe could fit as a “beach” read was The American Heiress. I listened to this during the Toppler earlier this month. Point Qualifiers:
Genre: 12pts
10 points - Romance
2 points - Chick Lit
Theme: (I feel pretty sure that there were summer holidays or at least one at the beginning of the book, but I’m not completely sure some I’m not counting that…) 6pts
4 points - Wedding
2 points – Sports (horseback riding…)
Location: NY, Newport, RI and England… :/
Author: Daisy Goodwin - 1pt
1 point - is Female
Cover: 1pt
1 point - Author's name across the top
Title: 0 pts
Stars: I gave it 2. So - 2pts
2 points - 2 stars
Bonus Points for Audio Books: 10 pts!
1) Audio Book Appreciation Month: 10 points if you listen to your book.
Total: 32pts
Are we supposed to combine totals for more than one book? I assumed that only the highest scoring book is the one that counts, but I could be wrong...
Robin wrote: "Are we supposed to combine totals for more than one book? I assumed that only the highest scoring book is the one that counts, but I could be wrong....."You are right - only the top scoring book counts.
I listened to Plumbing For Willy
by Mary Higgins Clark, June 27-28.The book qualifies as a beach read because it's a quick read (less than 90 minutes) and is a light mystery.
Genre:
3 points - Mystery
Theme:
0
Location:
0
Author:
5 points - Last name starts with a B, E, A, C, or H
3 points - Has 3 names
1 point - is Female
Cover:
2 points - Red lettering
1 point - Author's name across the top
Title:
0
Stars:
5 points - 5 stars
Bonus Points for Audio Books:
10 points if you listen to your book
25 points, First Audio Book Ever
Grand total, 55 points !!
Super job, Jane. Are you sold on audiobooks now?
Way to go Jane! :) Killing it with the bonus points!
No beach reads for me this month :( unless zombies count !
Ummm - dystopia and horror aren't generally considered beach reads. By then, it depends on the individual.
Great going Jane!What if it was a zombie romance? :)
Thanks, everybody! I really enjoyed the audiobook of Plumbing For Willy! The narrator is the authors's (Mary Higgins Clark) daughter Carol Higgins Clark, not only an author herself but an actress, also. Her actress experience really shows, with the different voices she uses for different characters.
I listened to it driving to and from work on the 27th, and finished while driving to work on the 28th. Then, because I had enjoyed it so much, I listened to the book again on my commute that day!
I borrowed Plumbing For Willy from my library's online catalog, before I found out about the June Challenge! Serendipity, huh?
jaxnsmom wrote: "Great going Jane!What if it was a zombie romance? :)"
Wellll - okay.
You heard her Kat. Surely there was a little romance between zombies, or some humans found time between fighting zombies to fall in love :p
Here are the results. Congratulations to Jane, our challenge winner!
Jane - Plumbing for Willy - 55 points
Gaeta - Soulless - 42 points
Lara - Mistress - 39 points
Robin (new) - The Summer I Turned Pretty - 39 points
Janet - The Peach Keeper - 39 point
Judy - Pull of the Moon - 39 points
Kate - Garden Spells - 38 points
Joe - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - 36 points
Amber - Skinnydipping - 35 points
jaxnsmom - The Fixer Upper - 35 points
Snoozie Suzie - DADDY by DEMAND - 35 points
Debra - Dracula in Love - 34 points
Sharon - Tomato Rhapsody - 34 points
Emily - Finnigan of the Rock - 30 points
Kim M - Mockingjay - 29 points
Alison - High Five - 24 points
Sam - Marvelous Hairy - 24 points
Gemma - Shakespear's Landlord - 24 points
Almeta - Third Grave Dead Ahead - 24 points
Cheryl - Box Socials - 23 points
Janice - The Aloha Quilt - 22 points
Maria - The Secret - 20 points
Please let me know if I have missed anyone. Be watching your walls for your badges.
Congratulations, Jane!...
Now all I have to do is get the least possible amount of points for the July Challenge, and I'll have an unbeatable losing streak!
Noticed everyone getting their badge, and realized I had not reported my final score. No big point winner, but a fun read.
Third Grave Dead Ahead
10 points - Romance
3 points - Mystery
1 point - Paranormal Fantasy
Author:
1 point - is Female
Cover:
5 points - Is primarily black
Stars:
4 points - 4 stars
Total 24 points
Go Maria. I wonder if you can make it a hat-trick? So many joining in the monthly challenges now, and some very high scores being racked up too. Excellent stuff
I'll just go figure out how much the current pick is worth, and figure out if it's lower than 21.
Almeta wrote: "Noticed everyone getting their badge, and realized I had not reported my final score. No big point winner, but a fun read.Third Grave Dead Ahead
10 points -..."
I wondered why I didn't have your score!
Maria wrote: "Congratulations, Jane!...
Now all I have to do is get the least possible amount of points for the July Challenge, and I'll have an unbeatable losing streak!"
You're just saving your energy for Topplers :)
Instead, why don't you try doing it in the next competitive reading challenge? (Unless we're on the same team) :D
I'd try, jaxnsmom, but the Topplers are the absolutely best part of this group for me. The challenges make me get antsy with all the research that's necessary (dun like research).With a Toppler, on the other hand... all very simple, and I can get to the important task of crossing things off my list.
Oh Maria, the research is half the fun! But you need something hard to make up for the way you breeze through the books for the Topplers :DSomething I've been wondering - do you ever read fiction books that take place in a country you're going to? If so, do they give you any better understanding of the people or the country?
... I dunno. I've never liked research. I'm not certain how people actually find all the books they use. If I could figure that out, then I might like it more. (I mean... I know you guys use listopia, your TBRs, etc, but how much time do you spend combing through?)It depends on the country and what's in the book exchanges. I read Long Walk to Freedom before going to South Africa and was still stuck in the 90's when we reached it, because I had NO IDEA what had happened there in the past 20 some years-- I was still at the point when people had just finished electing Mandela president. I know it's not fiction, but it offers a bit of explanation.
I can't remember any fiction books I read about the countries, though. Most of the books I can access for free are pre-1923, so they're not about foreign countries. If I find something in a book exchange about a foreign country, you can be pretty sure I'll pick it up. But I don't set out to find the books or buy them-- that's for when I get home.
Research time varies. Of course, I can sit down and use my computer any time I want to at home, so that makes a big difference. I know some of us set up spreadsheets. I go through my tbr first, in order by author or title, cause I'd rather read something already on there. Then there are some of us who enjoy the research so much, we look for qualifying books for others! We probably wouldn't be much help to you since you're limited to what you can get ahold of.
So we spend time researching which books to read, and you spend time trying to access books to read. I think our part is much easier!
... I'll hire a researcher when I get back home. XD "Find me 6 books for this particular challenge, please."One of the things I miss most about home is a library within walking distance. The moment I get home I'll probably go to the library and get the newest releases or the newest nonfiction and indulge in reading as many new books as I can.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Long Walk to Freedom (other topics)Third Grave Dead Ahead (other topics)
Third Grave Dead Ahead (other topics)
Third Grave Dead Ahead (other topics)
Plumbing For Willy (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Mary Higgins Clark (other topics)Carol Higgins Clark (other topics)
Mary Higgins Clark (other topics)
Melina Marchetta (other topics)
Melina Marchetta (other topics)
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I calculated the points as follows. Do I get ..."
Add 2 points for the name of a city in the title if Rock is a name of a city. That gives you 30 points.