Take It or Leave It Challenge - August 2019 - Page 1

For those new to this challenge: More info and monthly index can be found in post #1 of this thread or this TIOLI FAQS wiki.


...logo by cyderry

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Your TIOLI challenge for August, 2019, is to

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Read a book whose author's first and last names start with a vowel and end with a consonant.
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Rules:
1. You may use the letter Y for either a vowel or a consonant.
2. If the author has more than one surname or a two-word surname, use only the very last word.
3. Hyphenated names count as one word.

Have fun!

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Other Fun Stuff (not part of the TIOLI challenge):

1. The August 2019 TIOLI Meter - Optional page on which you may track your TIOLI reading. FYI: This is not meant to be competitive - only fun!
2. Morphidae's List of Previous TIOLI Challenges - You may use this reference (Do a control-F scan) to avoid repeating a previous challenge. If your idea is similar to a previous challenge, just make it unique by adding a new "twist" to it.
3. FAMeulstee's 2109 TIOLI Sweeplette Meter - Use this page if you want to complete a sweeplette (all of the challenges on only one wiki page)

Wiki Index of Challenges:

Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book whose author's first and last names start with a vowel and end with a consonant - msg #1
2. Read a book that begins with who, what, where, when, how - msg #5
3. Read a book where one of the title words begins with the letter “C” - msg #6
4. Read a book for the August CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge - msg #7 - thread
5. Read a book in which the author acknowledges another writer in the dedication, forward, afterward, etc. - msg #8
6. Read a book with an inside part of the body in the title - msg #9

Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book by a woman whose gender is not evident - msg #10
8. Read a new-to-you book by one of the authors you've listed as a favourite on LT - msg #12
9. Read a book where the first letter of the first name of the author comes alphabetically before the first letter of the last name - msg #15
10. Read a book with the name Rick or Ricky in the title, author's name, or main character - msg #19
11. Read a book following the Man Over Board-rescue-manoeuvre in the first sentence - msg #20
12. Read a book with a college or university connection - msg #22

Challenges #13-17
13. Read a book set in a country you've never read about before - msg #32
14. Read a book by an author whose last name is longer than their first name - msg #33
15. Read a book with something hot in the title - msg #38
16. Read a book with at least two of these tags: "politics", "economics", "environment", "healthcare", "philosophy", "science" - msg #60
17. Read a book published by a two word publishing house - msg #61

Hold your challenge until the September 2019 TIOLI challenge is posted. Thanks.

I am never FIRST!!!!

>3 jeanned: You are TODAY!! :D

****Challenge #2: ROLLING Challenge: Read a book that begins with who, what, where, when, how****

This is a rolling challenge. We are looking for WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, or HOW described in the first sentence of the book. Please add the text giving the information to the wiki.

Examples from books I'm planning to read this month...
WHO: my mother (from Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen)
WHAT: Alvin's prenticeship (from Prentice Alvin by Orson Scott Card)
WHERE: the house on 23rd Street (from Nexus by Ramez Naam)
WHEN: evening (from A Very Private Enterprise by Elizabeth Ironside)
HOW: in unison (from Crux by Ramez Naam)

Challenge #3: Read a book where one of the title words begins with the letter “C”

For me, August is beach month so let’s go down by the “C” and read a book where one of the title words begins with the letter “C”.

Challenge #4: Read a book for the August CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge

*** BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!***



It will be a little different this month as there will be just 10 different book challenges. (The challenges will change each month in the future.) They include everything from genres/subgenres to well known (inter)national challenges, from something about a cover to the book's setting, from LT tools to title quirks. You won't know what your particular challenge will be until you roll a random number.

You can use https://www.random.org/ (the widget at the top right) or simply Google "random number 1 to 10."

NOTE: After a certain number of challenges have been given out, I will re-randomize the list. So you really will not know what you will get!

Post the number on this thread and I will give you your challenge. For any questions, please ask on that thread or in a PM. Embedded words, as a rule, are allowed but partial words are not. For instance, in one case, a word like "walked" must include the entire word and not just the word "walk." Tags must be first level, i.e. do not click on "show all." I'll allow *some* leeway in interpretation of the challenges, but try not to push it. When I say "significant" or "major" or "main" I will be strict. This is me, being strict:



Shared reads ARE allowed. Shared challenges ARE NOT allowed. That is, if someone reads a book published in 2019. You can read the SAME book. You can't read a different book published in 2019 (unless you get that challenge yourself.)

Post books in the wiki alphabetically since, as I said above, I will, at random, re-randomize the list. So placing them in numerical order will not work.

You can have two three* uncompleted challenges at one time. If you roll a repeat number, you cannot reroll. It must be one of your three. If you reroll the same number a second third time, all I can say is "ouch" and maybe you can plead your case.

Please share how your book fits your challenge on the wiki at minimum. You can keep it short there, e.g. "subject twins - MC is a twin" or "animal on cover - anteater."

Also, it would be nice if you shared how it fit more at length on that thread.

*After thinking it over, I realized that with a smaller list, three uncompleted could be a third of the list. Two is more reasonable.

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TIOLI Challenge #5 - Read a book in which the author acknowledges another writer in the dedication, forward, afterward, etc.
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Over the last few months, I have regularly come across books in which the author somehow recognizes the importance of another author to their work. I’ve seen authors declare their book to be a deliberate homage to another author (Jane Austen and Robert Heinlein) or dedicated a book to an author, in thanks for helping them to get published (Ursula K. LeGuin). In another case, an author thanked her spouse, who turned out to be the author of a book I’d just read (I had no idea) and many authors thank their writer’s group - often naming names.

I realize that this is just the kind of thing you just stumble across, which might make this Challenge a bit, er, challenging - but, I hope, interesting. When you list your book, please note who the author acknowledges, and where they do it.

I don’t actually have a book picked out for my own challenge yet….

Challenge #6: Read a book with an inside part of the body in the title
So no hands, face, skin, etc. Anything inside like blood, bones, organs, etc.
I’ll be reading The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco.

Challenge #7: Read a book by a woman whose gender is not evident

I was struggling to think of how to describe this without making the title challenge very long - that was the best I could come up wit! What I am looking for are books where from the author's name, as it appears on the cover of the book, it should be difficult to determine gender.
Examples might be:
* A woman writing under a male pseudonym (George Elliot would fit - there are others)
* A woman writing under her initials only (JK Rowling, for example)
* A woman with what is usually thought of as a male name (Curtis Sittenfield)
* A woman whose name is so unfamiliar to you that you can't determine a gender (I'd not know that Rin Chupeco was a woman, for instance, based solely on the author's name)

I aim to make progress on re-reading the Harry Potter series, book 6 has been next up for a while.

>10 Helenliz: bad timing. I’m just about to start a book by S L Huang.

Challenge #8: Read a new-to-you book by one of the authors you've listed as a favourite on LT

Should be an enjoyable challenge for the summer break! (or whatever season is appropriate where you are)

To find your favourited authors, go to your profile and scroll down.

If this is not a feature you use, you can read a new-to-you book by an author at least five of whose books you've already read.

>11 Citizenjoyce: You could always slow down a bit! >;-)

>12 wandering_star: I'm assuming new-to-you just means not a repeat read.

Challenge #9: Read a book where the first letter of the first name of the author comes alphabeticly before the first letter of the last name

Totally self serving, I am nearing the end of my project to read my own childrens and YA books. I did it mostly alphabeticly, so the books left have authors with a last name near the end of the alphabet. Most have a first name that would fit this challenge.

>5 jeanned: I'm a bit confused. Should the WHAT of your challenge be a noun or a verb? Somehow a verb seems to fit better, but your example gives a noun.

>14 avatiakh: yes, that's right.

>5 jeanned: Like your challenge - but why, oh why, did you leave out the why>?

Challenge #10: Read a book with the name Rick or Ricky in the title, author's name, or main character

Sadly, we lost our dog Rick on Friday. Total kidney failure. He was a rescue (Corgi), and the best of boys. In his honor, please read a book with his name in the title, author, or main character. No other forms of the name, please, or alternate spelling. Embedded words are OK. If I can remember how, I'll include his picture in this post.

Challenge #11: MOB!! Read a book following the Man Over Board-rescue-manoeuvre in the first sentence

A week long I was sailing. And once my swimming trunks went over board, so we practiced the MOB manoeuvre with our boat. Luckily the trunks were unmanned. But in the end we lost them, they were only a 'bathing trunks' not 'swimming trunks'.

There are different manoeuvres for that. I take the one from wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_overboard_rescue_turn

1. Change course to a beam reach and hold for 15 seconds
2. Head into the wind and tack, leave the jib fluttering
3. Veer off until the boat is at a broad reach
4. Turn upwind until the vessel is pointing at the victim; at this point the vessel should be on a close reach.
5. Slacken the mainsail until the vessel comes to a stop with the victim in the lee side of the boat

Look for these bolded words in the first sentence of your book. List the firsts sentence in the wiki. Embedded words are fine.

# MOB 1 - change: http://www.librarything.com/work/561268 Die drei gerechten Kammmacher (Die Leute von Seldwyla haben bewiesen, dass eine ganze Stadt von Ungerechten oder Leichtsinnigen zur Not fortbestehen kann im Wechsel der Zeiten ... Wechsel = change) - Gottfried Keller - paulstalder
# tack:
# off:
# turn:
# slack:

List books till one manoeuvre is finished, not necessarily in the operational order; one person can only list one book in the same manoeuvre.

let's see how many people we rescue

>9 Citizenjoyce: Would you consider the book "All Mortal Flesh"? Here is one definition I found. "the soft substance consisting of muscle and fat that is found between the skin and bones of an animal or a human.

Challenge #12: Read a book with a college or university connection

In honor of my niece, the swimmer, who is starting college in late August, please read a book with a college or university connection. Set on a college campus, a book with a college name in the title, written by a college professor--these are some of the possibilities I'm thinking of.

Please indicate the connection.

Brownie points with the challenge creator if the book read for the challenge includes Butler, which is where she is heading, in the title or author name or a book written by a Butler professor.

>22 lindapanzo:. Linda - would being published by a university press count?

>23 Dejah_Thoris: Oh, I hadn't thought of that one but it certainly would.

>9 Citizenjoyce: Would you allow for parts of the body that are sort of both inside the body AND out? I was thinking of eyes, teeth and tongue.

Lots of great challenges already! I will have a closer look at them all, and see what books I can make fit, but I have a couple of books I need to finish for July's TIOLI first...

>16 SqueakyChu: I was thinking of WHAT a thing or things, as opposed to WHO as a person or persons, but it could be WHAT is being done. Depends on the sentence. :)

>18 paulstalder: Why? Longer additions to the wiki? WHY is harder? There were no WHYs in the first sentences of the books on my desk?

>7 Morphidae: Morphy, I've got number 7

>27 jeanned: :)

>7 Morphidae: I generated a "5".

Question. Does the next person who generates a 5 get the same challenge as I do?

>20 paulstalder: Do these have to be generated in rolling order, or may we skip around until the first person is saved?

>7 Morphidae: My number is 2.

Challenge #13: Read a book set in a country you've never read about before

The book may be fiction or non-fiction. The entire book does not need to take place in that country, but a substantial amount of it must.

Conversely, if you have read a book before that only briefly touched upon a country, that country may still qualify as not having been read about.

The country must be a real one! - however, historical countries which no longer exist or exist under a different name are fine. I will also allow territories rather than countries if this is historically appropriate, but not modern states, provinces, etc.

Please note your country on the wiki.

Challenge #14: Read a book by an author whose last name is longer than their first name

Self-explanatory (and self-serving, since it gives me a home for at least one of the books I need to finish my library summer book bingo card). Longer in this case just means in the number of letters--syllables, etc. don't matter.

>9 Citizenjoyce:, >25 PawsforThought:

Yes, I'm interested in eyes also... :)

>20 paulstalder: No book in the 10 million listed on LT's Common Knowledge has an opening line with the word "veer". :O What should we do?

Please hold further numbers until tomorrow when I create the thread. I'm sorry I dud't get the thread up. I'm really not feeling well. Sorry.

>30 SqueakyChu: It depends on how soon someone fools the same number. After a certain number or rolls, I wii be rerandomsing the challenges so people won't be able to tell what they will get.

>36 Morphidae: Feel better, Morphy.

Challenge #15: Read a book with something hot in the title

In honor of August, any word such as hot, warm, blazing, boil, bake, fire, flame, roast.

>30 SqueakyChu: oh, I forgot to clarify that. Each person may do a part of the manoeuvre and then we move on to the next saving trip. Sio, not a strict rolling order here.

>35 SqueakyChu: bad, sad. I think of something ... think ...

My planned reads:
Challenge #1: Read a book whose author's first and last names start with a vowel and end with a consonant - started by SqueakyChu
✔Jar City: A Reykjavi­k Thriller - Arnaldur Indridason (3.5)
Challenge #2: ROLLING Challenge: Read a book that begins with who, what, where, when, how - started by JeanneD
The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America - Jim Acosta
✔The Man Who Sold America: Trump and the Unraveling of the American Story by Joy-Ann Reid (4)
✔One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson (3)
Challenge #3: Read a book where one of the title words begins with the letter “C” - started by DeltaQueen
✔Circe by Madeline Miller (5)
✔City of Stairs -Jackson Bennett Robert (3.5)
Challenge #4: Read a book for the August CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge -- started by Morphidae
✔Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater (3)
✔A Villains Collection: The Villains Trilogy - Serena Valentino (3)
Challenge #5: Read a book in which the author acknowledges another writer in the dedication, foreword, afterword, etc. - started by Dejah_Thoris
*✔Their Finest - Lissa Evans (4)
Challenge #6: Read a book with an inside part of the body in the title - started by Citizenjoyce
✔The Bone Witch - Rin Chupeco (3.5)
Challenge #7: Read a book by a woman whose gender is not evident - started by helenliz
*✔This Savage Song - VE Schwab (3.5)
Challenge #8: Read a new-to-you book by one of the authors you've listed as a favourite on LT - started by wandering_star
✔Storm Cursed - Patricia Briggs (3.5)
Challenge #9: Read a book where the first letter of the first name of the author comes alphabetically before the first letter of the last name - started by FAMeulstee
Challenge #10: Read a book where the name Rick or Ricky is either in the title, the author's name, or the name of a main character - started by owlie13
*✔Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick (4.5)
Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump - Rick Reilly
Challenge #11: MOB!! Read a book following the Man Over Board-rescue-manoeuvre in the first sentence started by paulstalder
Half of What You Hear: A Novel - Kristyn Kusek Lewis
Challenge #12: Read a book with a college or university connection - started by lindapanzo
✔Summer of '69 - Elin Hilderbrand (3.5)
✔The Universe Within: Discovering the Common History of Rocks, Planets, and People - Neil Shubin (3.5)
Challenge #13: Read a book set in a country you've never read about before - started by lyzard
✔Rough Magic: Riding the World's Loneliest Horse Race - Lara Prior-Palmer (4)
Challenge #14: Read a book by an author whose last name is longer than their first name - started by susanna.fraser
✔Battle Innings - Philip V. Stephens (4)
*✔Kaddish.com - Nathan Englander - (2.5)
✔One for the Money - Janet Evanovich (3)
✔Summer Hours at the Robbers Library - Sue Halpern RL Book Club (4)
Challenge #15: Read a book with something hot in the title - started by quondame
Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe - Serhii Plokhy
Challenge #16: Read a book with at least two of these tags: "politics", "economics", "environment", "healthcare", "philosophy", "science" - started by neverstopreading
✔A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism - Adam Gopnik (5)
✔A Vindication of the Rights of Woman - Mary Wollstonecraft (4)
Challenge #17: Read a book published by a two word publishing house - started by Carmenere
✔Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister The Official Companion to the BBC Series - Anne Choma (4)
How To Be An American Housewife -Margaret Dilloway
✔Night Rounds - Helene Tursten (3)

>38 quondame: Would "summer" work as a "hot" word?

>20 paulstalder: >35 SqueakyChu: I changed the veer to off :)

I checked different combinations of -ve - but I didn't find things like 'forgive erratic behavior', 'have errands', 'save Eros', 'give errors no chance', 'knave era' etc.

>36 Morphidae: feel better soon, Morphy.

>20 paulstalder: I'd never used common knowledge for first words before but, if I'm doing it right, there are a grand total of 3 books with the word slack in first words.

Interesting to know that I can look for these!!

>44 lindapanzo: mighty clever

>37 SqueakyChu: >43 Ameise1: Thank you. I think it's a lack of sleep catching up to me, making my mind all muddled and confused. It didn't help that last night the electricity was out for two hours which means my CPAP didn't work during that time. Yet another bad night's sleep. Le sigh.

***

TIOLIers,

I've updated my challenge in post >7 Morphidae:. Please note that I've changed the rule about the number of challenges you can have open at one time.

***

You can have two three* uncompleted challenges at one time. If you roll a repeat number, you cannot reroll. It must be one of your three. If you reroll the same number a second third time, all I can say is "ouch" and maybe you can plead your case.

*After thinking it over, I realized that with a smaller list, three uncompleted could be a third of the list. Two is more reasonable.

>42 paulstalder: LOL!

>44 lindapanzo: But the bigger question is... are any of those three books worth reading or even available to read?!

>41 PawsforThought: Nope. I agree that summer is associated with warmer weather, but it's often modified - long, hot summer....

>44 lindapanzo: None of interest to me.

The Thirteenth Labour of Hercules by Iskander, St. Urbain's Horseman by Richler, and The Woman Chaser by Willeford. None of these look appealing to me.

Twelve books with tack in the first words. Lots with "turn" or "off"

>49 quondame: I figured that might be the case, but thought I'd double-check.

I don’t know if I can get to it, but I’d consider reading the Richler book, St Urbain’s Horseman. I’ll put it on my radar for a few weeks.

>52 raidergirl3: I agree that the book you chose looks like the best option of the three!

>53 SqueakyChu: I think Duddy Kravitz is a character in the book, and I really enjoyed The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. I’ve wanted to read another Richler novel. I like to find a Canadian author to read as well.

>44 lindapanzo: >52 raidergirl3: >53 SqueakyChu: I found "One more. Just one more question about his lack of a spouse, and he would put his fist through a *** wall." as the first sentence of The Seduction of Viscount Vice, not that I'd recommend it over a Richler book, but it increases the targets.

When (and if) the time comes, I've found another tack book I'd have no problem reading - tackle, actually.

>55 quondame: Is that a FIRST sentence, though, or a second one ( which contains “slack”?

>57 SqueakyChu: Well, it's a fist -line- and well, "One More." doesn't actually qualify as a sentence, now does it? I've already got my 'tack' in, and don't know if I'd essay a second round.

Right, I think I have most of my planning done. I'm

Challenge #2: ROLLING Challenge: Read a book that begins with who, what, where, when, how
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

Challenge #3: Read a book where one of the title words begins with the letter “C”
Cards on the Table - Agatha Christie

Challenge #4: Read a book for the August CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge
The Woman in Black - Susan Hill
Black Coffee - Agatha Christie

Challenge #7: Read a book by a woman whose gender is not evident
A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh (hopefully)

Challenge #8: Read a new-to-you book by one of the authors you've listed as a favourite on LT
Pappa Pellerin's Daughter - Maria Gripe
Have His Carcase - Dorothy L. Sayers

Challenge #9: Read a book where the first letter of the first name of the author comes alphabetically before the first letter of the last name
His Last Bow - Arthur Conan Doyle

Challenge #10: Read a book where the name Rick or Ricky is either in the title, the author's name, or the name of a main character
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep/Blade Runner - Philip K. Dick

Challenge #12: Read a book with a college or university connection
The Fatal Eggs - Mikhail Bulgakov

Challenge #14: Read a book by an author whose last name is longer than their first name
Ture Sventon i Stockholm - Åke Holmberg

I have not yet decided on a place for the following titles:
The Garden Party and Other Stories - Katherine Mansfield
Escape from Shangri-La - Michael Morpurgo
Ture Sventon och Isabella - Åke Holmberg
and a whole bunch of Enid Blyton's Famous Five books.

Challenge #16: Read a book with at least two of these tags: "politics", "economics", "environment", "healthcare", "philosophy", "science"

I think it's generally self-explanatory. State which two (or more) tags the book is tagged with. Books can be fiction or non-fiction.

Challenge #17: Read a book published by a two word publishing house.
Post the house on the wiki.

>61 Carmenere: Does a publishing house called AA & BB count as two word? Or do you count the & as a word?

>62 PawsforThought: I'm going to count it as two words.

My Planned Reads for August

Challenge #1: Read a book whose author's first and last names start with a vowel and end with a consonant
--Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams--DONE

Challenge #2: ROLLING Challenge: Read a book that begins with who, what, where, when, how
--Death in Focus by Anne Perry--DONE

Challenge #3: Read a book where one of the title words begins with the letter “C”
--Scone Cold Dead by Karen MacInerney--DONE

Challenge #4: Read a book for the August CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge
--Saving Mona Lisa by Gerri Chanel--DONE

Challenge #5: Read a book in which the author acknowledges another writer in the dedication, foreword, afterword, etc.
--Jealousy Filled Donuts by Ginger Bolton--DONE

Challenge #6: Read a book with an inside part of the body in the title
--Born Into Baseball: Laughter and Heartbreak at the Edge of the Show - Jim Campanis, Jr.

Challenge #7: Read a book by a woman whose gender is not evident
--Read Herring Hunt

Challenge #8: Read a new-to-you book by one of the authors you've listed as a favourite on LT
--Measured Mayhem by Jessica Beck--DONE

Challenge #9: Read a book where the first letter of the first name of the author comes alphabetically before the first letter of the last name
--Jet Girl by Caroline Johnson--DONE

Challenge #10: Read a book where the name Rick or Ricky is either in the title, the author's name, or the name of a main character
--Dead Water by Ngaio Marsh--DONE

Challenge #11: MOB!! Read a book following the Man Over Board-rescue-manoeuvre in the first sentence
--Navy Brat by Debbie Macomber--DONE

Challenge #12: Read a book with a college or university connection
--Man on Fire: The Life and Spirit of Norbert of Xanten (written by my St. Norbert College president) by Thomas Kunkel--DONE

Challenge #13: Read a book set in a country you've never read about before
--Cafe Tangier: A Western Woman in Morocco - Patricia Clough--DONE

Challenge #14: Read a book by an author whose last name is longer than their first name
--Crypt Suzette--DONE

Challenge #15: Read a book with something hot in the title
--The Joy of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine - Bennett Jacobstein--DONE

Challenge #16: Read a book with at least two of these tags: "politics", "economics", "environment", "healthcare", "philosophy", "science"
--The Paranoid Style in American Politics--DONE

Challenge #17: Read a book published by a two word publishing house
--Rose Valland: Resistance at the Museum by Corinne Bouchoux--DONE

>9 Citizenjoyce:, >21 dallenbaugh:, >25 PawsforThought:, >34 lyzard:

Joyce, can we get a ruling on some of the more ambiguously 'inside' body parts, please?

>65 lyzard: I'm sorry. Obviously, I wasn't paying attention. >21 dallenbaugh: flesh, no. People refer to all of the body as flesh.
>25 PawsforThought:, >34 lyzard: eyes, no. They're right out there. Tongue and teeth, yes, they're inside the mouth.

>9 Citizenjoyce: >66 Citizenjoyce: Can the body part be embedded in another word or span two words in the title?

>67 quondame: Yes, any way you get to the word is fine included embedded or stretched across 2 words.

>66 Citizenjoyce: Ok I will take my book off. I was going by the definition following: the soft substance consisting of muscle and fat that is found between the skin and bones of an animal or a human.

>69 dallenbaugh: well,shoot, if you have a definition, I can’t argue. Go ahead and list it.

>70 Citizenjoyce: Thanks. This book does seem to slot into your challenge the best

It was driving me crazy that Paul's Challenge #11, MOB, was stalled with "slack," so I've added Saboteurs on the River, a Penny Parker mystery from 1943 that mentions slacks in the first sentence. "Change" is now up, in case anyone was waiting for it.

Paul, I used to teach that maneuver to kids at summer camp, in small Sunfish and Sailfish. Same essential procedure (simplified), slightly different terminology - and when I was instructing, it was always person, not man!

Yay!! Our fancy new library opened yesterday and I’ve already found a few reading spaces I’ll love!!

https://www.dailyherald.com/amp-article/20190805/news/190809619/

>73 lindapanzo: So exciting! A nearby community (Wheaton, Maryland) to me is also getting a brand new library, used book store (friends of the library) and recreation center. I can’t wait to see it! Good times for all!

>72 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks for helping out with a slack :)

I took the procedure as on wikipedia, ours was also slightly different. Here, I used the term 'victim'; when sailing on the Bodensee we talked about Mensch. I guess it is grown historically that 'man' went over board when such a manoeuvre was needed and invented. And shouting 'Man over board' is better understood than 'Person over board' especially if there are non English language speakers around. It is easier in German since Mann and Mensch both start with M.

>9 Citizenjoyce: must the title be the one of the specific book I read, or can I use the original title of that work?
I read Der Schreiber by Francine Rivers in German, the original title is 'The scribe'. Can I use that title for your challenge with the 'rib' as an unseen body part?

>76 paulstalder: yes.
>73 lindapanzo: Yahoo!

>77 Citizenjoyce: thanks

>73 lindapanzo: Congratulations!! Its's a beauty! Airy with lots of open space.

Reading on the patio in nice weather or near the fireplace in the winter will be popular. at the new library, I think. I'd also like to find my own off-the-beaten path favorite spot too. I'm going to downtown Chicago on Saturday to see Come From Away, a musical about the townsfolk of Gander, Newfoundland, who took care of all those airline passengers after 9/11, but am hoping to spend Sunday afternoon at the library.

I think reserves start up again on Monday, which is good as I want to pick up a copy of a new book about the early days of the women's Illinois HS state basketball tournament. Noted author and sportswriter, Melissa Isaacson was on the 1979 state champs hoops team. Since those are contemporaries of mine, I definitely want to read this one.

>80 lindapanzo: I was just in a discussion about the worth of libraries after someone said we don’t need them anymore since we can just download books digitally. Having read The Library Book I was well prepared.

>81 Citizenjoyce: #1 being, not all books are available digitally. Also, #2 (which can be #1 for some people) not everyone can afford a device.

>82 Morphidae: Libraries are about al lot more than books. I just took a 3d printing class at one. In the past I took calligraphy, but since I absolutely can't actually see a straight line, that was a bust.

>83 quondame: Oh, I know that. I've taken advantage of their database/subscriptions for one (Ancestry.com!) But those were the big ones that came to my head first. I'm also taking advantage of an At Home program where they deliver books to people who can't get to the library. They even have a telephone book club. I haven't had a chance to take advantage of that one yet, but I will in the future.

>84 Morphidae: I didn't know about ancestry.com. I could use a library subscription for access?

>85 SqueakyChu: If your library has a subscription, yep. With some libraries you have to go into the branch, our library allows you to do it from home. They have hundreds (if not thousands) of subscriptions to databases, websites, newspapers, magazines, etc. All available to the public.

>86 Morphidae: Thanks! I’ll have to try it.

Hmm, it seems it depends on the subscription, too, if you need to go into the library or not. Ancestry, yes. Consumer Reports, no.

A sampling:

*MedlinePlus
Information on diseases, conditions, wellness issues, drugs, supplements, and treatments. Resources include medical videos and illustrations as well as a medical dictionary and encyclopedia. From the National Library of Medicine.

*New York Times
Full-text articles from several different eJournals going back to 1857.

- and NYT Historical
Digitized images from the original newspapers, New York Daily Times (1851 - 1857) and New York Times (from 1857 on, except the most recent 4 years).

- and NYT Current
Full-page, digitized images of the newspaper. Goes back to 2008; articles from the last 60-90 days may not be available yet.

*Lynda.com
Top-quality video tutorials taught by recognized industry experts. Lessons are for all skill levels and include a wide variety of topic areas including business skills and software, web design and development, music, photo, and video editing, and 3D design and animation.

Tons and tons of databases for scholarly journals/info on everything from medicine to law, from music to art, from automotive repair to birding. Also tons of stuff for students. Wall Street Journal. Various business sources like patents, company profiles and annual reports. A place where you can read over 300 different magazines. I couldn't name a magazine they didn't have.

That was dangerous research for me. I don't have enough time or energy to do what I want -now-. Ha!

>88 Morphidae: Wow, that's a good description of some of the services a library provides.

>60 neverstopreading:

Any chance of allowing tag variants for #16, Cody? I don't have 'healthcare' but I do have 'history of medicine' and 'public health'.

It's okay if I'm pushing too far. :)

It's good to hear of libraries that are doing well. I worry about the state of library services in the UK. I know I'd not be where I am now without them. I'm one of those disadvantaged children they want to encourage to do better at school, and yet the library services are being cut repeatedly. It's a vicious circle, without access to learning, disadvantaged children will continue to under achieve, and yet access to learning is being restricted. I could (and do) get rather cross, so will stop there.

I can't say that I'll get to all 17 books I laid out in message #64 (and complete a sweep), but, for the first time in a long time, every TIOLI challenge was of interest, or at least let me find an interesting book. Except for #13--Read a book set in a country you've never read about before. Oh, it's an interesting challenge but, with over 4K books read in my catalog, I thought I'd covered every country of interest to me already.

Aha. I thought of my friend and former co-worker who is teaching English in Fez, Morocco and how much I've enjoyed reading, on Facebook, about her time in Fez and neighboring areas. I also checked and no, I've never read anything in Morocco. Then, I managed to find a short (and free) Kindle book.

So glad that one fell into place!!

>92 lindapanzo: your reading mojo is back.

>88 Morphidae: Thanks, Morphy!

>92 lindapanzo:

Excellent!

It's a challenge in recognition of the horrifying percentage of my books set in the UK or the US.

>95 lyzard: Almost all of mine are set in the U.S. or the UK, except for mysteries set elsewhere.

Checking in for August, finally. I'll start with Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo for challenge 3.

>96 lindapanzo:

I have the opposite problem, I read far too many UK and US-set mysteries. :)

Greetings, all! For anyone who wanted to participate in Paul's Challenge #11, or just to get another shared read to add to the TIOLI totals, I have an option for you.

Seanan McGuire writes the InCryptid series about cryptozoologists and the...er...creatures they protect. It turns out she's also written a series of short stories about the families involved, many of which are free on her website. One of these, Loch & Key, has the all important work tack (tackle, actually) in the first sentence. If you'd like to join me in reading it (it's only 28 pages), you can find it HERE . It's about a quarter of the way down the page and is available in several downloadable formats including pdf.

The more shared reads, the merrier!

ETA: I forgot to mention that I think you need not have read any of the series to appreciate the short story. I've only read the first in the series, Discount Armageddon, which I found enjoyable enough, although I haven't made an effort (until now) to read more. I do love the mice, though.....

>100 Dejah_Thoris: That was rather odd, but quite good. I fear I am suckered into yet another series. I've wanted to try more fantasy, but never known where to start, this seems like it might be worth a go, based on that short taster. So thank you.

One more question, I can't seem to add it to my library, none of the searches come up with it.

Halfway through the month and halfway through the challenge. Maybe I CAN aim for the sweep this month. I sweep so infrequently, maybe once a year, that I need to go for it whenever I get a chance.

Best of all, I got through the longest, dullest book on my list last night. A way, way overdue book, Saving Mona Lisa, about the efforts to save the the Mona Lisa and other Louvre artwork during World War 2. I really enjoy reading about World War 2 and also about art history but it took me months to slog through the first half of the book which focused on logistics, though the second half was much, much better and took only a day or two to read. It was a way, way overdue ER book and my conscience is glad I finally read and reviewed this one.

>102 lindapanzo: You always feel so good when you finish that ER book.

>102 lindapanzo: Go Linda!

>101 Helenliz: I'm having the same problem - obviously, online short stories can be added, I just don't know how! I ran into the same problem with short stories published online by Jennifer Estep as well. I've been meaning to take a look around LT and find the answer, I just haven't done it yet. I'll let you know what I find out.

I have a sweep!

>105 quondame: Yahoo, congratulations.

>105 quondame: Congratulations!

>105 quondame: Woohoo! Go Susan!

>105 quondame: Congratulations, Susan!

>106 Citizenjoyce: >107 PawsforThought: >108 Dejah_Thoris: >109 FAMeulstee: Thank you!

>15 FAMeulstee: So I've done R/S and A/B so I was going through authors and came up with C/D (Carys Davies), E/F (Edna Ferber), G/H (Georgette Heyer), I/J (Irving Johnson), K/L (Keith Laumer), M/N (Mary Norton), O/P (Orhan Pamuk), **P/Q (Paul Quarrington)**, T/U (Tomi Ungerer), V/W (Virginia Woolf)

**Extra P because I already did Rosemary Sutcliff & I haven't found a Quentin R* yet.

I don't give up hope for an X/Y, since there must be a Chinese author who transliterates to that. Y/Z likewise, but Wikipedia isn't helping me with that.

I may get to Carys Davis, but I've got 19 library books due before it (18 due before 8/31), so maybe not.

>111 quondame: I don't know if it helps but remember in Chinese names the surname is normally before the first name eg in Qiu Xiaolong, Qiu is the surname.

I completed a sweep today, with finishing my book for Challenge #15.

>111 quondame: That is fun, I hadn't thought of completing the aphabet for my challenge :-)

> 113 Congratulations.

>111 quondame: I like that

X/Y would be Xianyi Yang

y/Z would be Yvette Z’Graggen

>115 paulstalder: Have you read his work or were you just picking out an example, Paul?

Just wondering because he was a very dear friend of my mum's (she wrote the obituary in the Guardian newspaper). When I was a kid my mum and I lived in Beijing for a year and for most of that time we lived in a flat in the Foreign Languages Press where Xianyi and his wife Gladys also lived downstairs. They had a collection of Penguin Crime and some other English language books. Because I was quite ill at the end with chest infections we moved to the Friendship Hotel for the last couple of months.

I fear it might be difficult to get hold of his work though. I'd like to read his memoirs if my mum's widower or someone in our family has held on to them (my sister has taken on some of my mum's most personal collection, which suits me as she only lives a couple of miles away in London).

>116 elkiedee: No, I never read anything by him but would like to get hold of his fables. They have some of his books here in Basel at the Confucian Institute - but they quite restrictive about taking out books ...

But that's really interesting that you happen to know my pick of a X/Y author. Extraordinary.

>113 FAMeulstee: Congratulations Anita!
I guess that means I need to speed up my reading of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? to make sure we get a shared read point.

>114 Citizenjoyce: >118 PawsforThought: Thank you!

>118 PawsforThought: Indeed, I have read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, so it would be nice if you could finish it too.

>113 FAMeulstee: Congratulations, Anita!!

I am still in the running. I need to finish 2 complete mysteries, as well as half a (short) nonfiction work and half a baseball book.

>113 FAMeulstee: Way to go, Anita! I know that you and are not planning sweeps this year, but some months it's hard not too!

>120 lindapanzo: You can do it, Linda! Thank goodness mysteries read quickly.

>121 Dejah_Thoris: One of the two remaining mysteries is Dead Water by Ngaio Marsh, which I think you've already finished. I've read almost all of the her mysteries and this is one of the few remaining yet-to-read books I've got left.

I think there are 32 Roderick Allyn mysteries and I've got two left to read, after this one. Grave Mistake and Light Thickens. I went on a big Ngaio Marsh reading spree in about 1986, I believe.

>113 FAMeulstee: Congratulations!

>115 paulstalder: Thanks!

>122 lindapanzo: I only learnt about Ngaio Marsh recently (last year, I think) and read my first book by her this month! I'm definitely going to read more books by her.

>124 PawsforThought: Enjoy!! She is one of those long-running mystery authors, along with Rex Stout, and a few others, where I envy people who are just starting out reading them. Every once in awhile, I find another such author and start out with them, but not as much anymore. Many favorite authors seem to lose their contracts and either just stop writing those series these days or, worse, kill off a character and effectively end the series.

>125 lindapanzo: I'm looking forward to reading more by her and getting to know Roderick Alleyn a bit better. I went looking for a "new" Golden Age mystery series since I've read nearly all of Agatha Christie oeuvre and am more than half-way through Sayers's Wimsey stories. I was worried about having to go without but no need! I'm also going to check out Margaret Allingham - hope I'll like her too.

>126 PawsforThought: I've read only a few of the Allingham books. I think that Judy may have read them all. She seems to have been reading quite a few golden age mystery authors recently and could probably offer up many more suggestions.

Every so often, I pick up a Poisoned Pen Press book in the British Library Crime Classics series, either via purchase or from Net Galley, in the hopes of discovering some golden age mystery authors I'm not acquainted with. Some have not stood the test of time but, sometimes, I discover a real gem that way.

Patricia Moyes was another golden age author I enjoyed reading. Her sleuth was Henry Tibbetts. Stuart Palmer and his Miss Hildegarde Withers books, too. I've got over 2,200 mysteries tagged as read and ought to systematically go through and see which, if any, I've missed in the series I've read.

>120 lindapanzo: >121 Dejah_Thoris: >123 quondame: Thanks ladies!

>120 lindapanzo: You can do it!

>121 Dejah_Thoris: There was only one book that wasn't on the TBR list, and that was my shared read with you in #12.

>122 lindapanzo: Have you tried Stella Duffy's continuation of an unfinished Alleyn book?

>127 lindapanzo: Thanks for the tips. I'll look into both Moyes and Palmer.

>122 lindapanzo: I started a Roderick Alleyn / Ngaio Marsh series reread a few years back. I'd been stalled on it for a while and looking to get back to it when I decided it was an easy fit for Challenge #13 and added Hand in Glove. After you added Dead Water and I realized it was next up for me (#23), how could I resist the possible shared read? I have several to go before I get to Grave Mistake (including one of my favorites, Clutch of Constables), but let me know when you're thinking of reading it and I'll do my best to share it with you.

>124 PawsforThought: >126 PawsforThought: Roderick Alleyn really evolves as the series continues - I'm a big fan. I'll warn you, though, that there's one I really dislike - I won't name it so I don't prejudice you against it! As for Margery Allingham, I never liked the Albert Campion mysteries as well as the Roderick Alleyn books, but I've read them. I'm even toying with a series reread after I'm done with Marsh. I've read the majority of the Agatha Christie mysteries (in fact, I'm not really sure which ones I haven't read) and I've read and reread all the Sayers novels, short stories and plays many times.

>129 elkiedee: I didn't know about that one - I'll have to tack it on to the end of my series reread, Thanks!

>129 elkiedee: No, I haven't. I'll have to look for that one.

>131 Dejah_Thoris: If not for you also reading Ngaio Marsh, I could conceivably have 17 books read and 0 shared reads. Unless someone wants to join me on Rose Valland, Man on Fire: The Life and Spirit of Norbert of Xanten, or Born Into Baseball?

Actually the book about Rose Valland was very short and interesting. She is an unsung hero of WW2 and has been called "the woman who saved French culture." She risked her life to keep track of artwork stolen by the Nazis and then spent years after the war trying to get it back.

I've been keeping tabs on my reading since the mid-1970's but, on a trip to London about then, I picked up a bunch of Agatha Christie's, not realizing that they used alternate titles. In short, I'm not sure which Agatha Christie's I've read and which I haven't. I do think I've read all or nearly all of the Miss Marple's and Hercule Poirot's though.

>131 Dejah_Thoris: Glad to hear Alleyn evolves with the series - the one sort-of qualm I had about A Man Lay Dead was that you didn't really get a good feel for who Alleyn was - though I suspect that was partly because of the focus on Nigel Bathgate.
I'm looking forward to reading about Albert Campion primarily because it's another "gentleman sleuth", and I have a massive soft spot for fictional people with enough income to warrant servants.
Part of the reason I joined LT back in the day was because I had a hard time keeping track of which Agatha Christies I'd read and not. Now, I know exactly.

>128 FAMeulstee: I missed your post, Anita! Thanks for joining me for The Rosie Effect. I've got The Rosie Result planned for some time soon - join me? And I think I'll probably end up with a sweep this month if only because I see the chance at a few more shared reads.

>132 lindapanzo: Some months shared reads can be few and far between for me - other months I see the possibilities everywhere. I don't think I'll be able to join you for the three you mentioned - I did some quick checking, but I don't see it happening. As for Christie, I may just have to read/reread it all to figure it out!

>133 PawsforThought: I've always felt the Alleyn comes off a little flippant in A Man Lay Dead - as if Marsh hadn't quite figured out who she wanted him to be. As for Nigel, well, he plays less of a role as the series evolves.

>134 Dejah_Thoris: Yes, flippant is the right word.

I've been reading Agatha's mysteries chronologically for several years now, one a month; I'm currently in the home stretch, which is a little scary. Various people have joined me at various times, though alas I seem to be on my own at the moment. However, there *will* be an Agatha each month if anyone is looking for a shared read. :)

In terms of long-running Golden Age series, Julia and I are reading Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver mysteries (those every second month). We are about halfway through, but again, anyone who cares to join in is very welcome.

>136 lyzard: Which one is up next and when?

ETA: Er, I suppose I should clarify. I meant the Miss Silver books, but if you tell me now what's coming up for both, I'll plan to join you.

>136 lyzard: Which ones do you have left of Christie? I have a handful of Christies left on my TBR and really don't mind what order I read them in.

Excellent!

>137 Dejah_Thoris:

We had one this month, The Brading Collection: if you have time, I've listed it in Challenge #2. If not, in October we will be reading Through The Wall.

>138 PawsforThought:

I read Third Girl this month, which is listed in #17; next month will be Endless Night. (I don't tend to look further ahead than the next month, but there always will be something until they run out!)

>139 lyzard: I actually put a hold on the only, already checked out, copy of The Brading Collection in my nearly statewide library system, but when it hadn't been turned back in as of a few days ago, I realized that it wouldn't get to me in time even if it were to be returned immediately, so I released the hold. However, it turns out there's a Kindle edition for $.99 which I just picked up. Barring the unexpected, I should get to it. As for Third Girl, my local branch will oblige, but I'm not a huge Poirot fan, so we'll see. I'll definitely join in for Endless Night next month.

Congrats on yours sweeps for August, Anita and Susan!

>126 PawsforThought: & >127 lindapanzo: I love the older "classic" mysteries and I have been reading various authors. One of my favorites is Josephine Tey, who has some excellent stand alone mysteries as well as her Inspector Grant series. Some other vintage crime authors that you may want to look at are Ethel Lina White, author of The Lady Vanishes and others, and Christianna Brand who wrote the Inspector Cockrill series.

>139 lyzard: I haven't got to Endless Night yet, so I might very well join you for that next month.

>142 DeltaQueen50: Josephine Tey was already on my list of people to look up - thanks for reminding me of her! And thanks for the other names too, I'll definitely look into them.

Would there be any interest in a monthly group read of Toni Morrison's books?

>119 FAMeulstee: I finished it! Points for us!

I just marked my entry for Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? as "COMPLETED" and clicking the "I'm not a robot" button has never felt more appropriate.

>146 PawsforThought: Glad you managed to finish it!

>147 PawsforThought: LOL, I completely understand :-)

TIOLI Question of the month

Name a lesson you learned from a book you read this month. So what was it you learned? From what book? Share some details!

>147 PawsforThought: LOL
>145 Morphidae: I would re-read Beloved.

I made a sweeplette #1 - #6

>149 SqueakyChu: From the book Cabo de Gata I've learned that taking a break is a big challenge, especially when you leave everything behind and get stranded in a new place without really having a plan in your luggage. To endure the silence and loneliness, to be ignorant of a language, does not necessarily make life easy and restful.

>151 Ameise1: Congrats, Barbara!

Two more books for my sweep. Reading on the bus after the disappointing Chicago Cubs loss in extra innings today.

>151 Ameise1: Congratulations, Barbara!

>153 lindapanzo: You can do it, Linda!

TIOLI Stats for July 2019

In July, 2019, we read a total of 402 books of which 63 or 16% were shared reads. We accumulated 33 TIOLI points for a total of 271 YTD points (not too shabby although not our best).

Our most popular book was Norwegian By Night by Derek Miller. This book was read by 5 challengers.

By far, our most popular challenge was the one by Dejah_Thoris to read a book by an author from or about/set in one of the nations participating in the 2019 Women’s World Cup. There were 63 (!!!) books read for this challenge.

The challenge with the most TIOLI points was also the one by Dejah_Thoris to read a book by an author from or about/set in one of the nations participating in the 2019 Women’s World Cup. This challenge captured 7 TIOLI points.

More to come as our current month is coming to an end…

TIOLI AWards for July 2019

The Most Dedicated Host/Hostess Award goes to Morphidae for the challenge to read a book for the CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge. This challenge involves so much work and creativity. Your award is just to let you know how much we appreciate the energy you put into his unique challenge.

Thw Wow! That's A Lot Award goes to wandering_star for reading Visitation for DeltaQueen's challenge to read a book where the first sentence in Chapters 1, 2 or 3 mentions a number. This chosen book contains the number "twenty-four thousand".

The Randomness Award goes to Citizenjoyce for the challenge to read a book about which you know nothing except the LT rating. I felt compelled to give out this award because I LOVE to pick books to read in this manner!

The World Medical Award goes to paulstalder for the challenge to "Let's play doctor!". This was such a unique idea and quite challenging at the same time. I was really surprised to see how challengers were actually able to find symptoms, diagboses, and treatments in their own chosen books' first lines.

The Endless Title Award goes to FAMeulstee for reading Tortot the cold fish who lost his world and found his heart for this challenger's own challenge to read a book with a title of at least 4 words (subtitles excluded). Haha! This book's title contained not four, not five, not six, not seven, not eight, not nine, not ten, not eleven, but 12 words!

Congrats toour award winners. Feel free at this time to add awards of your own.

Congrats to all our award winners and sweepers/sweepletters!!

>156 SqueakyChu: thanks for the award - and I would like to pass that on to all those who let their imagination loose and came up with some really interesting diagnosis and - especially - imaginative treatments. Thanks everyone who played along

>156 SqueakyChu: Thanks for the award. Random is a good description of me these days.

Not a TIOLI sweep, but I'm happy to report I just finished my last book for my annual goal of completing a blackout on the Seattle Public Library adult summer reading bingo card.

Congrats to sweepers (and sweepletters), award winners and bingo scorers!

Congrats to all the winners and sweepers. I thought I would get there this month but after my 1-6 sweeplette, I started binge watching Lucifer. Naipaul's Magic Seeds just hasn't been as engaging; sweep dreams abandoned and now just working hard to finish this book before the end of the month.

>160 susanna.fraser: Congrats on your Bingo win!

>156 SqueakyChu: Thanks! I've enjoyed doing them and am getting ready for September's TIOLI!

>164 Morphidae: They are fun, though if I'd gotten a topic I'd hated, I might not think so. I'm not usually a "throw caution to the wind" type person but I feel that way a little bit relying on the luck of the draw for your challenge.

>165 lindapanzo: I'm probably the opposite of "throw caution to the wind" and actually need to psyche myself up to roll a number for Morphy's challenge/s. It help to think that this *IS* the TIOLI and I can actually just skip a challenge if I roll one I absolutely hate. (Hasn't happened so far - I've liked all the ones I've got and found books for all too.)

>166 PawsforThought: I've liked all of mine so far but, whenever I see someone get something I would've hated, I breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn't me.

>167 lindapanzo:. Same.

Congratulations to all the Sweepers - I read a lot of books in August, but didn't come close to a sweep so I know how tricky it is to be successful. Also congratulations to >160 susanna.fraser: and thanks for using your Bingo Card as a challenge in July - it was fun. :)

One book to go for a sweep, a cozy mystery for challenge #7.

>170 lindapanzo: Go, Linda, go!

Congratulations to all the award winners, sweepers, sweepleters, and BINGOers! Well done all!

>170 lindapanzo: You can do it, Linda - you've got plenty of time!

>139 lyzard: Liz, I did get to The Brading Collection, so that's one for us. I may try for two next month

SqueakyChu I was in my library weeks ago and saw kaddish.com on the new books shelf. I almost picked it up, but decided I had more than enough books to read. Shortly after, I saw that you'd added it to Challenge #14 - I put it on hold, but it had already been checked out! The library came through for me, though, and I got my hands on it and have finished it for the shared read. I enjoyed it - thanks for prompting me to read it.

>172 Dejah_Thoris: i am so glad you got to read Kaddish.com. That was such an interesting book! I thoroughly love Nathan Englander's writing, Be sure to read The Ministry of Special Cases. I liked that book the most of those of Englander's books I've read.

>172 Dejah_Thoris:

Whoo!! :)

Thanks for the award!

>165 lindapanzo: That's why I allow two "open" spins at a time. :)

>166 PawsforThought: I also try to come up with challenges that are open enough that there are many* choices or opposites, e.g. allowing fiction and non-fiction, giving choices of opposite genres or something that allows a choice of genres, like the "tourist attraction" one. Someone could have read a romance, a thriller, a mystery or even a book about roller coasters.

ETA: *Okay, maybe not "many" but enough so people feel like they -do- have choices.

>176 Morphidae: And it's greatly appreciated. :)

>176 Morphidae: It's a great challenge. We're all enjoying it.

I can't add books to the challenges - no edit indicators appear on the right. Is this just me?

>179 quondame: No, alas. LibraryThing was down for a while, and when it came back we lost the ability to edit the wiki. It's been reported a couple of times. Fingers crossed it will be fixed soon.

>180 Citizenjoyce: Thanks. I'll check tomorrow.

The edit button is back!!

I completed my sweep for August, with a cozy mystery for challenge #7. Overall, this is only my fourth sweep, and my first since June of 2017.

>183 lindapanzo: Congratulations!

>83 quondame: Congratulations, Linda! And you did it with days to spare!

>183 lindapanzo: Congratulations, Linda!

>184 susanna.fraser: >185 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks. Yes I did have room for error or delays. Plus, the last couple books were just mysteries and baseball.

September will NOT be a sweep. In fact, I could conceivably have almost all of my books under my own challenge and just a few elsewhere.

>183 lindapanzo: Yahoo! Congratulations.

For those of you who read Murder at the ABA by Asimov, what did you think of it? I wasn't impressed and gave it 5/10 stars.

>183 lindapanzo: Yes!! Hurray for Linda!

>188 Citizenjoyce: >190 SqueakyChu: Thanks Joyce and Madeline. I do it so infrequently that I'm usually pretty pleased when I manage to get one.

>189 Morphidae: That happens to be one of the oldest books in my reading catalog. I read it nearly 40 years ago and don't remember much except thinking, at the time, that he should stick to science fiction.

>183 lindapanzo: Congratulations!

>191 lindapanzo: My thoughts were:

- The footnotes were more enjoyable than the book itself.
- I didn't like the MC. He was a chauvinist pig. The women's bodies were described in great detail and basically with comments about whether he would be willing to take them to bed based on their looks or if they weren't his "type", if they were nice or he felt sorry for them or for some reason or another. Just ugh.
- It was a rambling, boring mystery. The villain was so obvious and the motive really stupid. It was obviously forced from a preconceived ending backward and it showed - badly.

>189 Morphidae: >191 lindapanzo: >193 Morphidae: I didn't like it, either. It was pretty miserable. I've always preferred Heinlein to Asimov. People accuse Heinlein of having some odd ideas about women and sex (an accusation not without merit), but I think Asimov is far worse/stranger in this novel.

>194 Dejah_Thoris: How I loved those science fiction men when I was younger and theirs was the only science fiction I knew about. They have not stood the test of time. I did just re-read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and I think it has. Yes, he has a bit of a sideways slippage due to sex, but it's not the casual test of everything female.

>195 Citizenjoyce: "casual test of everything female"

Oh, that's perfect. You put it so much clearer than I did.

>183 lindapanzo: Congratulstions.

>196 Morphidae: Thank you.

Housekeeping Day!

Please remove from the wiki any book you don’t finish by midnight tonight. If it’s a rolling challenge, you may leave it but do mark it DNF (did not finish). Thanks!!

Oops; a bit late, sorry. I doubt it'll affect the stats, though.

Challenge 2. Read a book that begins with who, what, where, when, how: Tintin Land of Black Gold by Hergé

Challenge 3. Read a book where one of the title words begins with the letter “C”: The Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Challenge 7. Read a book by a woman whose gender is not evident: To Ride a Rathorn by P.C. Hodgell

Challenge 9. Read a book where the first letter of the first name of the author comes alphabetically before the first letter of the last name: Tashi Lost in the City by Anna & Barbara Fienberg

Challenge 13. Read a book set in a country you've never read about before: Emil and the Detectives by Eric Kästner (Germany)

Challenge 17. Read a book published by a two word publishing house: Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood (Allen & Unwin)

All completed and entered. No points, though :0/

ETA: I’m off to September

I'm wondering what people thought of A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole. I read the first novella in the series (#2.5?) this month. I'm quite enjoying the series. I didn't think it would be my "thing" - I don't normally read a lot of contemporary romance or POC romance or FF romance.* However, she's a good writer and tells a story well with interesting characters. I'll be reading the second novella (#2.75?) this month and perhaps book 3. After that, I'll have to dig into her other series, I guess.

ETA: *And is sensitive to the various issues that come up.

*****

ETA #2 Total segue: Was the person who sent me the two Chalet School books from the 75ers?

>201 Morphidae: It was one of my favorite books of 2018, and I’ve recommended it to SO many people: “Like rom-coms? Like Black Panther? READ THIS BOOK.”

>201 Morphidae: - I liked it okay. I think I gave it 3 stars and found it to be a solid read, but it didn't wow me. I would read more in the series - I think I have another one lurking on my Kindle...

Congrats on your August sweep, Morphidae!