Take It Or Leave It Challenge - May 2011 - Page 1

Continued from here.

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.

Simple directions for posting to the wiki can be found at the bottom of each month's wiki page.


...logo by cyderry

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Hi Challengers!

I think you’re going to find this coming month’s challenge fun. For May 2011, I challenge you to read a book with a five-word title, at least one word of which is in the preceding book’s title. This is how it will work so read all of the instructions carefully before you begin.

1. I will begin this challenge by posting a book with a five word title (but not the title I used above).
2. The book title that’s posted next will use at least one word from my book's title.
3. The next poster will take at least one word from the second book’s title and so forth.
4. Do not post these books in alphabetical order. Post them one after the other.
5. Do not remove your book at all - even if you do not finish it before the end of the month. I will delete those books not marked COMPLETED when I do the monthly stats.
6. You may add a matching book at any time anywhere in this list.
7. You may use only title or you may include subtitles, even if it is just “A Novel”.
8. The words “a, “an”, and “the”, etc. do count as words in this challenge.
9. You may post multiple books to this challenge - even back to back.
10. The book title must have five different words.

Here’s what it will look like:

1. The Pact: A Love Story – Jodi Piccoult - _Zoe_
2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (the, story) – David Wroblewski - alcottacre
3. Too Close to the Falls (the) - Catherine Gildiner - SqueakyChu

Confused? Questions? If so, ask here in this thread before you add your book.

Enjoy!!

P.S. Please note: Wiki index is in Message #2 below.
________________________________________

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

1. The May 2011 TIOLI Meter - Some challengers use this page to track which challenges they're doing.
2. I Know I'm a TIOLI Addict When... - Frog Logo is on this page!

Wiki Index:

Challenges #1-7
1. Read a book with a five-word title that uses at least one word from the preceding book title.
2. Read a book that has been a candidate for the Orwell Prize, or that is in the spirit of the Orwell prize, or written by George Orwell himself!
3. Read a book by a Mexican or Chicano author in honor of Cinco de Mayo. - thread
4. Read a book, fiction or non-fiction, that has to do with the American Civil War in the 1860s
5. Read the 5th book in a series with a 5 letter word in the title
6. Read a book by the author whose picture appears in the top lefthand corner of your Authors' Gallery
7. Read a book by a Beat author - thread

Challenges #8-14
8. Read a book that is a graphic novel, anime, manga or comic book compilation
9. Read a book that is at least 23cm tall (~9in)
10. Read a book about an alternative to naturally occurring biological motherhood
11. Read a book about a place with a name which includes "iberia"
12. Read a book with a one word title that is NOT the name of a character in the book
13. Read a book with the same vowel repeating in every word of the title (not including "the", "and", "an", "of", etc.)
14. Read a nonfiction book about wild animals - thread

Challenges #15-20
15. Read a book about the ancient world (fiction or non-fiction) - thread
16. Read a book where a word in the title or part of the author's name is a bird - thread
17. Read a book about baseball (fiction or non-fiction)
18. Read a book on your TBR list since at least 1 January 2011 but not yet read due to other TIOLI options
19. Read a book set in London, England
20. Read a book borrowed from the library or on hold at the library on or before 5/5/11.

Thanks for some great May challenges! The next set of challenges will be posted in June. Start thinking of some wild ones. :)

Argh, that is almost exactly the challenge I was going to post!!!

Back to the drawing board...

Aha! Caught 'ya!

Cool challenge Madeline! I have a few ideas for challenges of my own, but will wait a bit to see what others are coming up with first.

> 3

Phew! It's a good thing I got here first, Suzanne.

I'm actually posting this challenge a day early as I just tonight received the sad news that a very, very dear friend's father just died. I may be available at sporadic times and, if all is not as smooth as usual here at the TIOLI challenges, just bear with me for the coming week. I know all of you understand.

Sorry about the sad news Madeline. I'm sure we'll all manage just fine.

Yeah. You guys know just what to do! :)

My challenge will be to Read a book by a Mexican or Chicano (Mexican-American) author in honor of Cinco de Mayo (May 5th). I'll create a thread tomorrow, but I plan to read at least two books for my challenge: Friction by Eloy Urroz (Mexican), and Amigoland by Oscar Casares (Chicano).

I'm sorry to hear about your friend's father, Madeline.

Of course, Madeline...

Anyway, here's my backup:

Challenge #2: Read a book that has been nominated (either a longlist or shortlist) for the George Orwell prize, in ANY year -- or a US book that is in the Orwell prize's tradition. OR a book by George Orwell himself!

Here's the link for the longlists: http://theorwellprize.co.uk/longlists/

As the website for the prize describes it, it's awarded each May to a book that "comes closest to George Orwell’s ambition ‘to make political writing into an art’." Ergo, I'd like to keep polemics and books that are as much comedy as commentary (Ann Coulter, Michael Moore, Jon Stewart) out of this, and focus on substantive stuff. This year's Orwell Prize includes Helen Dunmore's The Betrayal, however, as well as Hitch 22 and The Hare With Amber Eyes. Past lists have included Tony Judt's Reappraisals.

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, my challenge is to read a book fiction or non-fiction that has to do with the Civil War. There are so many to pick from that it would be pointless for me to start listing them but I will be reading A Diary From Dixie by Mary Chestnut.

I loved Nora's challenge for the 4th month (April) reading the 4th book in a series or by an author, so I changed it just a bit and added a limitation for the 5th month of the year. I even got Challenge #5!

Challenge #7 (unless somebody is posting at the same time):

Read a book by a Beat author (to celebrate Gary Snyder's May 8 birthday. Many more, Japhy!)

Here's a site that has a long list of possibilities. I'm relaxed about who you identify as a Beat -- just please make sure your book's by a Beat, not a biography of one by a non-Beat

http://www.rooknet.net/beatpage/writers/index.html

After probably being too specific back in March, here's a challenge everyone can try:

The Top Lefthand Corner Challenge:

1. Go to your profile page
2. Click on the Author Gallery
3. Click on With Pictures
4. Read a book by the author whose picture appears in the top lefthand corner

When you have read a book by that author OR if you have already read all the books by that author, you may read a book by ANY or ALL of the three authors whose pictures touch the first author picture...and then by ANY or ALL of the five authors whose pictures touch the three author pictures...

In other words, you can play as many times as you like! I would like people to indicate in their Wiki post what position their author's picture occupies, but I haven't quite worked that bit out yet. I will amend this post when I post my own first book and make it clear.

My own author - which I did NOT know before posting this challenge - is the 19th century novelist Agnes Giberne. I haven't read any of her novels yet, so I am thrilled to have this chance. When I have decided which of her books I will be reading, I will post it as an example on the Wiki.

Edited to add:

Okay, when you list your book and author, please indicate the position occupied by your author's picture as: (1,1) - top lefthand corner; (2,1) - second from the left, top row; (2,2) second from the left, second row; etc.

I will be reading: Beechenhurst by Agnes Giberne (1,1)

You can also read more than one book by the same author.

What a fun challenge, Lyzard!

I'm challenging everyone to Get Animated for May. Read a book that is considered a graphic novel, anime, manga, comic book compilations. Examples would be Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, Persepolis, Maus, etc.

>>16 SqueakyChu: I hope so! Myself, I'm currently discovering that although Agnes Giberne wrote dozens of novels, only a very few are available today.

How embarrassing, if I can't access my own author! :)

> 17

Oooh! I was hoping that someone would eventually post a graphic novel challenge. Thanks, Deseree!

I'd never played with the Author Gallery before -- it is fun! (I'll have to ask my son to bring back our Douglas Adams books when spring semester is over.)

It's great to be introduced to some LT features I haven't used, like this one and the tag mirror from April.

> 18

How embarrassing, if I can't access my own author!

LOL!!

There have been a few graphic novels I have wanted to get to and have been thinking about the challenge for a few weeks.

A Plea...

Please everyone, go back and rework your entries in challenge #1. Some of you missed the last rule! Each word of the book title must be *different*. I highlighted Rule #10 in Message #1 so it will catch the eyes of those who read the rules from now on.

My challenge is called It Won't Fit!, for which you must read a book that is at least 23cm tall. Because those never fit on my bookshelf!

> 24

Haha! Your challenge fits in perfectly with the new LT dimentions feature, Nora!

Madeline,

If I remove mine because it doesn't have 5 different words, then what about the person that is below me and used one of my words? (Sorry I didn't think 'The' count that way.)

>25 SqueakyChu: Fancy that! It's just a coincidence, I swear ;-)

> 26

what about the person that is below me

I'll move those books up so they'll fit.

Hi everyone! I am excited to start the challenges but this is my first time so if I make any mistakes on the WIKI page, I apologize now in advance!
For the first challenge, I just posted above the arrow? Is that okay??

One quick question. If I am going to read a book that is already on the list by someone else, do I add the star or will someone do that for me?

I thought one of my review books would fit Nora's challenge but I think it's probably just under 23 cm. My dimensions bit displays everything in imperial measures - inches, pounds/ounces etc.

>30 elkiedee: 23cm is 9.1 inches, if that helps.

My challenge - read a book about a place with a name including this group of letters "iberia" - I have books to read and review about Siberia and Little Liberia (an area in New York City), and several other books that I have no obligation to review but would like to read about Siberia (though I probably won't have time).

My challenge: read a book with a one-word title that is NOT the name of a character in the book (to differentiate it from a previous one-word-title challenge)

Madeline,

The first example The Shadow of the Wind doesn't have 5 different words, does it? That's how I got confused.

> 29

Is that okay??

That is perfect, Valerie!

Welcome!! It's so nice to have you join us. I hope you find these challenges fun.

You can add the star or anyone else can as well. We all work on the wiki together. What doesn't get done by others, I usually end up doing by default.

> 32

I have books to read and review about Siberia and Little Liberia

Haha! That's a pretty convenient challenge then, Luci! I like it, though. It's kind of funny. I remember reading James Michener's book Iberia years ago when travelling through Spain.

> 34

The first example The Shadow of the Wind doesn't have 5 different words

You're right, Cheli! What an eagle eye!! Bad example. I'll go remove it right away. I can't seem to even do my own challenge tonight!

Isn't it funny how, when a title has the same word twice, we tend not to see it the second time?!

Yes, I'd thought of the Siberian challenge earlier this month and then thought of this one - my 2 books are adjacent in the read and review pile.

Madeline, you make me crazy. How do you come up with these challenges?

My challenge, in honor of Mother's Day, read a book about an alternative to naturally occurring biological motherhood such as abortion, adoption, step parenting, assisted fertility, surrogacy, etc. Specify which alternative your book is about if it's not specified in the title. These are the books I'm thinking about for this challenge:

The Baby Thief - L.J. Sellers - assisted fertility
Digging to America - Anne Tyler - adoption
Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter - Adeline Yen Mah - step parenting
Impossible motherhood : testimony of an abortion addict - Irene Vilar
Secret Daughter: A Novel - Shilpi Somaya Gowda - adoption
Singing Bird : A Novel - Roisin McAuley - adoption
Who will run the frog hospital? : a novel - Lorrie Moore - abortion
10930674::The Wichita Divide: The Murder of Dr. George Tiller, the Battle over Abortion, and the New American Civil War - Stephen Singular

message 12, challenge 4: Can this challenge be clarified? Sorry to be pedantic, there have been and are lots of iconflicts around the world that have been described as a Civil War - or as the Civil War - even here we had one (in the 17th century) - I think it should be a challenge about the American Civil War in the 1860s (unless you want to throw it open to any conflict which has been described as "the Civil War"?)

> 39

Madeline, you make me crazy. How do you come up with these challenges?

Truthfully? I have no idea!! :)

I'm a bit confused about challenge #6, Lyzard. When I look at your author gallery, the upper left-hand picture is A.L.O.E.. I don't see Agnes Gilberne. Is there some way to make the pictures go in non-alphabetical order?

I'm with Nora about the confusion with the author gallery.
Non-alphabetical order or a specific collection -maybe To Read or TBR - would be nice.

>>42 norabelle414: Whoops! You've caught me out too! Agnes Giberne wrote a biography of "A.L.O.E" aka Charlotte Maria Tucker, another 19th century author, and I've mistaken the caption for the title, knowing that Agnes Giberne is in there somewhere too.

But - but - but - but my general instructions remain valid! :)

(Thanks for the heads-up - I shall now go and hunt down Miss Tucker instead.)

Edited to add:

Clearly, I was destined to embarrass myself somehow or other during this challenge! My choice of work / author is now:

The Haunted Room by "A.L.O.E." (aka "A Lady Of England" aka Charlotte Maria Tucker) (1,1)

>33 AnneDC: Did we miss Anne's challenge?

Did we miss Anne's challenge?

Anne, you need to post your challenge on the wiki in order for me to bring it onto the index of the main thread. Thanks!

Challenge #13: Repeating Vowels - Read a book with the same vowel repeating in every word of the title (two words minimum, obviously, and not including 'the, an, and, of' etc)

eta: sorry Madeline for having misread your instructions. Actually, not so much misread as not understood, but I completely get the rules now. :-)

Thank you so much for your challenge, Ilana, I finally will get to my long overdue ER book Weird Sisters.

#48 Don't mention it, I was looking for a common denominator for a bunch of books I've been meaning to get to for a while. It'll be neat to see who can come up with the longest title!

With it being spring the animals are all out there being fruitful and multiplying. So....

Read a nonfiction book about wild (not domestic) animals.

Mine is going to be Owls Aren't Wise and Bats Aren't Blind.

We have some fabulous challenges listed for May. I just want to remind you that it's not to early to start your separate thread for your chosen challenges. This should be a great month of interesting reads coming up! Thanks for some super challenge ideas.

>40 elkiedee: Sorry about the confusion. I'll change it to Read a book, fiction or non-fiction, that has something to do with the American Civil War in the 1860s. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Ilana,

Clarification please - is 'with' an etc. word? so that Murder with Peacocks would count?

Zoe, regarding challenge #15, How ancient is ancient? Would you consider a book concerning the Mayan culture ancient enough?

I'm keeping with a spring theme and I made this one:

Challenge #16: Read a book where a word in the title or part of the author's name is a bird

There are many rules to this, so I'm going to make a thread. I have all the content, just need to post it. I'll edit it the thread when I'm finish and put the link.

Here it is: http://www.librarything.com/topic/115134

>54 Carmenere: Oh, that's a good question. I had been thinking of a date like 600 AD for the old world, but the Americas are completely different. I'd say anything before the arrival of Europeans would be fine.

Someone beat me to the punch on the American Civil War challenge so here's my challenge for May.

Read a book about baseball. It can be fiction or nonfiction but the focus must be on baseball. Something like The Natural would be fine, for instance. If baseball is just mentioned in passing, that wouldn't count.

This is challenge #17.

I'm going crazy! So many good challenges and I am trying to curb myself as I really want to clear some mysteries from the shelves with the Murder & Mayhem May that Mark has set up. I am trying to fit a few mysteries into these challenges but not having a lot of luck so far.

Edited to say, I double checked my books and now have been able to fit a few mysteries in!

>58 DeltaQueen50: - Judy, I feel the same way. I have lots of ideas for TIOLI books but am going to see how I can fit some of my M&M reads into these challenges too. Ugh - I am traveling for work and away from my books. This stinks! But reviewing and thinking about the challenges is a nice distraction from work :-)

Ooooh, there are some interesting challenges this month!

Here's what I've got/want to do so far:

1) Book with a 5 word title (& 1 word from previous book):
Need to work on this one.
6) Top left hand corner challenge:
This is problematic - I like this challenge, but mine is "Ara 13" who is on my wishlist and not someone I actually own...
7) Book by a Beat author:
On the Road - Jack Kerouac (I've been meaning to read this for ages)
8) Graphic Novel:
I'm going to have a bookshop hunt at the weekend ;o)
13) Repeating vowels:
Mansfield Park - Jane Austen (part of the Austenathon)

For Challenge #3 Read a book by a Mexican or Chicano author I was going to put by Salvation City by Sigrid Nunez. The name sounds right. Then I looked her up, she is the daughter of a Chinese-Panamanian father and a German mother. Nary a Chicano in the lot. Too bad. Maybe I can fit her in my own adoption challenge.

#56 Thanks for the clarification, Zoe. I think my choice will fit because it falls between 200 B.C to 900 A.D.

Trying to find books to fit the challenges makes me realize how poorly organized my books are, but in my opinion spending time just looking at the books on my bookshelves would not be considered a waste of time in any sense..hehe :)

Can't talk, got to read, 7 8 books lined up for May TIOLI including a chunkster or two. Hopefully, will make big dent in my 11 in 11 challenge.

I've created a thread for my Cinco de Mayo challenge:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/115173

I'm downloading a free Kindle preview of The Chalupa Rules: A Latino Guide to Gringolandia by Mario Bosquez, after I noticed that Lynda had posted it to my challenge. If the excerpt is half as funny as I think it will be I'll definitely read it next month!

Gracias for the link to your challenge thread, Darryl.

#66: De nada, mi amiga.

So The Chalupa Rules isn't a humorous work; rather, it's a book about overcoming obstacles and finding success, using the game of Chalupa, or Mexican Bingo, written by New York City's first full time Chicano television anchorman. The excerpt interested me, and the price is reasonable ($5.99 for the Kindle version). The LT rating is mediocre (average 2.5 stars), but 3 out of 4 reviewers on Amazon gave it 5 stars (and the other reviewer gave it 4 stars), so I will read it next month. Thanks, Lynda!

For Linda's baseball challenge, I would highly highly HIGHLY recommend Wait Til Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It's a memoir of her childhood on Long Island but her love for baseball is an integral part of the story and is weaved beautifully into her memories of childhood, family, love, and death. I am thinking of re-reading it for this challenge.

#68 I loved that one, too, Katie. I was actually thinking of doing a re-read of Take Time for Paradise by the former baseball commissioner, A. Bartlett Giamatti. This is a beautiful ode to the game.

#53 Chèli, I'm going to say that's fine. I was going to originally have ALL words count when I realized just how limiting that might be.

#58 & 59 one of the reasons I created my challenge the way it is was because several of my M&M selections fit in with those criteria, though I do realize I probably should have made it, well... more challenging! Nothing prevents you from starting your own challenge(s) that would allow for more M&M selections to be entered this month :-)

I had never heard of the Orwell award, so thank you for starting that challenge! Lots of good book ideas.

>60 flissp: I agree that the top lefthand corner author's gallery challenge (challenge #6) is problematic for me. Mine is AAA. I don't know anyone who reads one of their guidebooks cover to cover!

>>72 thornton37814: Hadn't thought of that, I confess!

Okay, for Challenge #6, anyone who hits a book / author that is really not meant for reading may move onto one of their next three "touching" authors. I hope that helps people join in!

>73 lyzard: Great modification! I now can read Louisa May Alcott's Hospital Sketches that everyone was raving about last month.

Excellent! I look forward to hearing your opinion. I'm conscious that I haven't read enough of the "unobvious" Alcott works.

I thought I had signed up for a manageable number of books for this month's challenges, and then I just had to add one more. I was at a dinner this evening when a fellow attendee was asked to talk briefly about her niece's book. After hearing her description, I just had to add The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood. She spent her childhood in Liberia, so it's a perfect fit for the "iberia" challenge!

I've been bouncing into Madeline's main challenge off and on all day trying to nab a place where one of my TBR books will work. In the end, I got something to fit, but I am feeling exceptionally lame because my repeated word was "in". I realize I have a lot of company in needing to do that, but I had hoped to tie to something more impressive.

Heh! I'm still holding off in the hope of securing a noun!

> 77

I realize I have a lot of company in needing to do that, but I had hoped to tie to something more impressive.

Hehe! Yeah. I can't say I'm that impressed with everyone's connecting words, either! ;-)

> 78

I'm still holding off in the hope of securing a noun!

Tee hee!

I can't say I'm that impressed with everyone's connecting words, either!

Same here, but I think I just threw in a wrench by listing Mystic River. Doesn't give too much leeway, I'd say. :-)

#80 Doesn't it have to be a 5-word title?

For the Graphic Novel challenge, you may be interested in reading some of the 2011 Eisner Award Nominees: http://www.comicsbeat.com/2011/04/07/2011-eisner-award-nominations-announced/

I want so much to suggest Bunny Drop by Yumi Unita to anyone interested...but it's a 10 part series and only 3 parts are available in English. :( (The 4th will be out this August.) I feel bad recommending a series where it'll be a few years before the conclusion.

It's a story that makes my heart absolutely melt and it was nominated this year for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia. Caveat - it's probably not going to be a very challenging read, unless you're not used to reading comics back-to-front.

 

For the first time in a while, none of the books next on my reading list match any challenges, so it looks like I'm going to have to get creative or bump them off. Perhaps I should challenge people to read something that has been on their To Read pile for at least four months (since the new year), but which hasn't been tackled yet? ;)

ETA: Oh, wait! I do have a book on my list that matches: Lucky Girl is about a girl who was adopted, so there we go. Let's see if I get to it in the next couple of weeks. It's been on my To Read list since November!

>79 SqueakyChu:: I've been waiting for a chance to throw in Don Quijote de la Mancha.

;-)

So, _Zoe_, another question about your challenge; how far are the books allowed to depart from actual history to be eligible? I'm currently reading Black Ships (I know you've read this one, so I can be specific), and I won't finish it until May. It prominently features Aeneas, who's definitely not historical, and there's just been an appearance by a god (which unlike anything else so far, cannot be explained away as a dream or hallucination; he tells the heroine things that are true and that neither she nor anyone else at that time would possibly have any way of knowing). So I'd assume that this wouldn't qualify, on that basis?

>84 lorax: I actually would count it, for a couple of reasons. First, I'm not sure the distinction between supernatural and non-supernatural is particularly noteworthy compared to the huge distinction between non-fiction and fiction. There was widespread belief in supernatural agency at that time, so I actually think that Black Ships may get closer to an accurate ancient worldview than some seemingly more plausible accounts. If an author is already going to inventively fill in gaps in the story, I don't mind her doing it in a way that would seem believable to people at that time.

Even more importantly, I think it will fit in well in a discussion of books about the ancient world. I'm planning to start a thread in a couple of days.

85>

Belief in the gods, even to the extent of having one show up as shown from a character's POV, I can accept as historical. A god showing up and talking about plate tectonics, by analogy to icebergs (which the character of course has never heard of), not so much. But if it's good enough for you it's good enough for me. :-)

#81 OY! of course you're right Linda. I don't know what I was thinking. Can I put it down to the fact that I was completely buzzed after working some 4 hours on my latest review and being completely pooped by then? Silly me.

#82 Perhaps I should challenge people to read something that has been on their To Read pile for at least four months (since the new year), but which hasn't been tackled yet?

I love that suggestion Keri. Hope you'll follow through with it, because I've bumped off so many books from my overambitious reading lists this year. The really funny part would be if I were to list them ALL to that challenge and then... bump them all off again! :-)

The really funny part would be if I were to list them ALL to that challenge and then... bump them all off again!

I seem to be doing a great deal of that - good intentions and all.

I'm totally stoked! I really wanted to participate in lyzard's challenge #6: author pic, which in my case is Megan Abbott, since I've been wanting to read some of her Noir books for a few years now. But they don't have any of her work at the library, except in French translation (???) and I somehow never got around to purchasing any until just now, when I found Queenpin on BookCloseouts at a great bargain. The shipping within Canada is pretty fast, so I'll list it as soon as it arrives!

#88 I seem to be doing a great deal of that - good intentions and all.

I know. It's a good thing books don't have feelings and therefore don't hold it against us when we *stand them up*. Which always makes me wonder, why the guilt when that happens?

I'm glad to hear I am not the only one who never quite gets through all my planned reading. I have a number of books that just keep getting shunted off to the side.

>86 lorax: Heh, I seem to have erased the part about plate tectonics from my mind. I'll be curious to hear what you think of the book when you're done :)

>>90 Smiler69: I am totally stoked that you're totally stoked, Ilana! :)

I usually have 10-12 books on what I call my shortlist TBR, and this is the second month in a row that none of them are fitting into challenges. I'm particularly fascinated by my cosmic inability to fit into the various "number of words / letters" challenges. You'd think something like that would be quite random but for me it seems to work out like a negative version of the coin toss at the beginning of Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead.

87, 91, &c: In that case...

Challenge #18: Read a book which has been on your TBR list since 1 January 2011 at least but which keep not getting around to in favor of other TIOLI challenge options

;)

Perhaps the title is a bit long?

I wonder if we'll have any shared reads here.

>94 keristars:. What a great idea! I'm so glad to see that. Maybe cut it off to 'at least?'

#94 That's a good one, Keri. I've got a few books I manage to put on the TIOLI early each month and never seem to get to them. Maybe this will motivate me to finally read them.

#94 I say we should have that challenge EVERY month! :-)

>97 Smiler69: Ilana, could not agree more. I have books that have been on my TBR list for years....so I don't even know where to start with that challenge. :)

#98 I'm with you Valerie. My entire library is one giant TBR pile, so... yeah...

On another topic, I keep looking in at Madeline's challenge on the wiki, and may I say how disappointing it is to see so many people taking the easy way out? I keep searching my library for words that might fit, and when I do, the titles don't have the right number of words. Besides, who am I kidding? Even if I do manage to enter more books on the challenge, the odds aren't too great that I'll find time to read them on top of the other 20-30 books I'd like to get to this month!

95> I could, but I feel like it should be one of those books that you want to read, and aren't delaying just out of non-interest, but because you're giving priority to other TIOLI matches. Not that we can really read anyone else's mind, but the spirit of the thing, you know? Otherwise, any book that's been TBR but maybe aren't really that interested in would count.

Also, I like that cyderry has added the On TBR Since date. Perhaps others could do that, too?

And I realized that I didn't get the book I preseeded the list with until February, so it won't count. I'm switching it to the Bloody Jack book I've been meaning to read since August(!), but haven't found an excuse to get to, as much as I love the series.

#99 I've been guilty of taking the easy way out on #1 but, since there's no guilt in TIOLI, I won't actually plead guilty.

Awhile back, there was an alphabetical title list challenge that we kept flying through. I thought that would happen here but it hasn't. It IS still early so maybe it'll still happen. I keep checking and hoping that someone has advanced it.

Madeline,

How are you handling items that don't meet your criteria for Challenge #1?

i.e. The Riddle of the River which would then disallow the next book, and so on.....

since there's no guilt in TIOLI, I won't actually plead guilty.

LOL, that gave me a good chuckle Linda. I do want to emphasize that I was by no means pointing fingers at anyone, and that in fact, I tried taking the easy way out too earlier on, but got disqualified for wrong number of words and/or repeating words. So there you have it: the whole truth, and nothing but. :-)

> 102: The Riddle of the River is currently #23, but if it were dropped #24 would still qualify because both it and #22 have that easy-way-out word "A" in the title.

(Sorry to answer for you, Madeline -- but I just visited the wiki for challenges 1-7 to see if I could drop my easy-way-out book from the challenge without invalidating the title below mine. Nope.)

> 102

If a book is disallowed it needs to get removed from the challenge. I'm just moving those books down and out of the way until the people who post those that don't qualify see them and remove/change them.

If listed books (minus those that are moved down) can be appended to the "dangling" last book, I'll add those that are correct. If not, I'll simply put them in suspended animation (which would be another "temporarily moved down category") for a while until they fit in as I want each book to be listed sequentially.

ETA: Thanks, Megi53. I just now saw that you already answered #102.

> 104

I just visited the wiki for challenges 1-7 to see if I could drop my easy-way-out book from the challenge without invalidating the title below mine. Nope.

Do not remove any title of a qualifying book once you post it. You do*not* have to end up reading it, but other books in the list depend on each book posted above it.

I see my challenge #1 is a bit tricky. I like that!! I even started out doing it wrong (now corrected) in the original example I posted. Oh, well!

I have a couple of books in mind for Challenge 18, but will definitely go with Saffron Gate, a book my Mom passed on to me about a year ago. Everytime I go for a visit she ask me if I have had a chance to read it yet. I would love to be able to tell her Yes finally!

Re "easy way out" -- there are so many restrictions that I think it's inevitable that the connecting words are going to be "easy". In fact, I'd quibble with "easy" -- given the need to have a book with only five words in the title, and none of those words repeating, I'd be amazed that ANYONE could come up with a noun, and certainly wouldn't express any disappointment about people taking an "easy" way out. With this challenge, there really isn't an "easy" way, it seems to me...

The two that don't fit challenge 1 that are awaiting removal at the moment would both fit Challenge 13 - I'd quite like to read The Riddle of the River too - I have it out of the library at the moment.

Suggestion:

The challenges we're posting now are a bit trickier than they have been in the past. I like that a lot. However, there have been and will continue to be more books posted in the future that do not meet the qualifications of a specific challenge. This usually happens by simple error or someone missing a "rule" of a particular challenge. This is not a test of wills; it's a reading game of fun. Let's keep it that way.

Our challenges will continue to evolve into even more complicated ones. I see this trend, and find it, er...challenging!

This is how I'd suggest we handle this issue:

If you look at the wikis and see a book that *definitely* (...and be VERY sure!) does not meet a particular challenge, simply move that book to the bottom of the challenge and head it as:

"Does not qualify for Challenge #1 (or any other number)".
Add a *brief* note next to the book telling why.

I'd like us to do this in a consistent manner for several reasons...

1. It becomes very clear immediately which book does not qualify and why.
2. Such a book can simply and easily be changed into one that does qualify by the original poster.
3. By highlighting the issue, it helps others avoid the same problem.
4. It will prevent having others "match" an unqualified book.
4. It is not directed by one particular individual against another individual.
5. It allows all of us together to monitor the challenges.If there is any question as to whether or not a book meets a challenge, that issue should be taken up with the person who originally posted the challenge or, alternatively, could be set up as a poll.

Yeah, I have to agree that there's no easy way out in challenge number 1. I tried to do a noun too, but everything I came up with didn't meet the other restrictions.

I think for the TBR challenge I'm going to try to get to Clara and Mr. Tiffany again, which I've been intending to read since December (and have listed it several times for TIOLI) but never gotten around to it.

Hosting my first ever TIOLI Challenge! Inspired by all of the recent royal wedding hubub...

Challenge #19- London Calling! Read a book that takes place in London, England. Fiction or non-fiction fine. For those with a hankering for the ancient world, Londinium is fine too. For purposes of this challenge I will define London as the area currently occupied by Greater London, not just the City of London. Westminster is fine. Kensington is fine, etc. etc. Sorry if that's pedantic. I'm a historian, it's part of me.

I will be reading A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark.

> 112

Hosting my first ever TIOLI Challenge!

Wheeee! Have fun with this one.

I'm hoping I don't break the Wiki. :O

LOL!! It hasn't broken yet...

Re The Riddle of the River (posts 102, 104, 109) - I'm the guilty one! And how long did I sit checking the library website for books that were 5 word titles, matching on a noun, and that I thought I would actually like?! While refreshing that TIOLI to make sure I could get it to fit. And then I miss the duplicate words rule! Ack! Apologies all around to putting a kink in the cogwheel of TIOLI#1!

But having found that title, I'm anxious to read it now, so I've added it to TIOLI#13. Thank you to my anonymous tipster!

I think I've reached my limit for May. I'm hoping to read the following:

Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros for #3
Notes by Note: A Celebration of the Piano Lesson by Tricia Tunstall for #9
A Prologue to Love by Taylor Caldwell for #9 (because it's my birthday month and I was named after characters in this book)
Renaissance Lives by Theodore Rabb for #9
Digging to America by Anne Tyler for #10
The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helene Cooper for #11
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë for #13
Lethal Lineage by Charlotte Hinger for #13
The Queen's Gambit by Diane Stuckart for #18

> 116

Go ahead and delete your mistaken entry from the challenge #1 wiki now, countrylife. The idea is to clear up any mistaken entries as quickly as possible by an original poster without causing any undue embarrassment.

#116 And I apologise for not being able to count! I decided that Madame Verona comes Down the Hill was a 5-word title.

A question for you:

Which challenge posed to you by a challenger other than yourself for the month of May do you think will be your favorite challenge ... and why?

cbl/117: I can't wait to read your review of A Prologue to Love. Reviews by reviewers that add their personal story touching on the book are my favorite kind!

> 119

I apologise for not being able to count!

How about if, next month, we do a challenge with a seven word title in which two words must match?! ;-) Then we could move on to nine words with three matches and so forth. Just watching who would even get any of the parameters correct might prove very entertaining!

By the way, this reminds me of Patrck's former challenge in which we were challenged to find a book title with a letter that repeated exactly 13 times. I could not do that challenge at all. Each time I counted a specific letter in a chosen title and then recounted that letter to be sure, the number of that letter changed - although the book title remained the same. Go figure! I thought I was hopeless so I picked a different challenge. :D

And, by the way... No guilt and no apologies needed. We're all working these corrections together as a way of supporting each other. You can blame it on the fact that my real life profession is as a quality auditor. :)

For those of you who are doing Challenge #8 (Deseree's graphic novel etc. challenge), you might find this thread helpful when going to choose reads for the month.

(Hint!) Since these books are (usually, but not always) short, this is a good place to rack up some communal TIOLI points for May!

My Pick of the Litter:

My #1 graphic novel choice is the Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus by Art Spigelman. If you've never read a graphic novel before, this book (but read both parts I and II) will blow you away. It did me.

>70 Smiler69: Ilana, would The Rest is Noise count towards your challenge (as long as "is" doesn't count, I can even include the subtitle in that one)? If so, would a good marker be "if the word would not be capitalized in the title, it doesn't count"?

>120 SqueakyChu:

I like your challenge, Madeline (#1) -- even though I haven't found a book for it yet! But I am bound and determined to find a book that fits, and doesn't use an easy-way-out word. It may take me until the end of the month, but that makes it more "challenging." And with the last title posted continuing to change, there's always hope! :)

> 125

I'm actually glad that the challenge turned out to be a bit more difficult than I thought at first. That puts the "squeeze" on everyone to try harder to find a book that qualifies. For me, that's part of the fun.

> 120

I am truly liking Dragonfreak's challenge (#16) to find a book with the name of a bird (actually, a bird species) in the book's title or author. It narrowed my book selection to only about three books in my huge TBR collection of over 400 books.

I came up with Irvine Welsh's book Marabou Stork Nightmares. This Scottish author is more widely known for his book Trainspotting which had been made into a movie. That book had been a challenge as it was written in Scottish dialect, and I had to use an online glossary to translate it into American English as I was reading it. Now I'm familiar with many of the words used in Scottish dialect so I wasn't put off by that factor when I examined Marabou Stork Nightmares for the "bird" challenge.

It was really fun to discover and explore the ARKive site to which Dragonfreak refers on his separate thread. I was surprised to find that there is actually a subspecies of stork called Marabou Stork, and it is one ugly bird!! Go see for yourself. :)

After looking at some Marabou Stork pictures, I was ready to tackle Welsh's book. He's a brilliant writer, and the marabou stork figures prominently in his story.

Thanks, Dragonfreak, for such a fun challenge. All of its "rules" especially made me want to try to tackle it.

I'll be starting on Animal Farm today for the Orwell challenge. I really loved this book when I was in high school and have been meaning to read it again for ages. It'll be an audio experience this time, which shouldn't be too unpleasant since I like the narrator, Ralph Cosham.

I like Chatterbox's challenge to read a book that won the Orwell Prize. I'd never heard of it, but it certainly fits with my political outlook. I'm planning to read Keeper by Andrea Gillies. Gillies said they cared for her mother-in-law in Scotland as she suffered with Alzheimers, which Gillies describes as a "disease of selfhood." She says this about her book: Keeper is a unique kind of dementia memoir, in interweaving the story of Nancy’s decline, (tracking that steady and shocking decline with anecdotes, with vivid records of conversations between the two of us as Nancy becomes more ill), with a wide-ranging exploration of what Alzheimer’s is, and what it means for us as humans. I don't think I would have found the book without the challenge.

I also like Challenge #6: Read a book by the author whose picture appears in the top lefthand corner of your Authors' Gallery - started by lyzard. I was at first disappointed to see that author in my gallery is Sapphire. I read Push when it first came out and liked it very much, but was not in the mood for another such gritty book right now. I was surprised to find that Sapphire was first recognized as a poet, so for the second month in a row I will be reading a book of poetry. This is far from usual behavior for me.

I have a question regarding Morphidae Challenge #14. I have a book called Bridge of Birds. I know it's not gender specific enough to fit Dragon Freak's challenge, but does it fit Challenge 14?

There are some excellent challenges this month, I was particularly happy to see Challenge #5 about reading a book that is fifth in a series and has a five word title. I was able to join in on a joint read of The Temptation of the Night Jasmine which I have been meaning to get to for ages.

> 112 I love this challenge! Ever since I spent the spring in London two years ago, I've been known to read novels solely because they take place there, and I get such a kick out of recognizing places. (Which was part of the fun of the royal wedding for me too. "I've been there! I've stood on those streets!") I'll have to see what I can come up with... :)

>130 DeltaQueen50: No, because my challenge is for nonfiction books. Sorry!

>131 bymerechance:- me too! London is one of my favorite places.

Oh, of course, I should have seen that. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.

Morphie, how about Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo by Lawrence Anthony? They're wild animals, but they're in a zoo.

>135 Citizenjoyce: Sure!

#120 Challenge#16 (bird) A friend gave me The Sparrow years ago and now I've matched up with someone else and will finally read it.

Okay, so perhaps I have been convinced to attempt a TIOLI challenge. . . but here is my question. Does The Throne of Fire (still driving me nuts that there is no touchstone yet) fit into Challenge 13. Read a book with the same vowel repeating in every word of the title (not including "the", "and", "an", "of", etc.)? I think so because both "throne" and "fire" have the letter "e". Can I get an more official ruling?

> 138

It looks fine to me
With the repeating letter "e".

*giving my unofficial answer in rhyme!*

Ilana? You're the official ruler of that challenge! :)

>138 weejane: & 139

I sure hope it's ok because I just finished The Time Machine for challenge 13

#124, 138 & 139 Sorry, I just realized that Mary in #124 had asked a similar question and that I forgot to answer. She said:

would a good marker be "if the word would not be capitalized in the title, it doesn't count"?

and I would have to agree with that. the exception of course is if the title starts with a word normally not capitalized, it won't count either.

#140 Lynda, you'd would have been fine even if "the" had counted, since all your words have the letter "e"!

#141 - Maybe I'm being dense, but I'm now confused. So The Throne of Fire would work, since both "throne" and "fire" have an "e" whereas the words "the" and "of" do not count?

> 142

Yep! That's Ilana's challenge for you. :)

The winner of the April TIOLI Striking Cover Art Competition is countrylife for:


****Will post other results on April TIOLI striking cover art thread in next few days.

Hooray!! That was one that I voted for.

Congratulations, countrylife!

I wonder if it was just the art that struck me, or if I was also thinking of a steaming hot cup of coffee when I cast my vote?! :)

Thanks, Amanda for running this contest.

This was so much fun. I'm looking forward to seeing which other covers came out ranked on top. It was kind of tough to choose as more interesting covers kept being added.

#146 I've posted all of the results on the other thread.
My work is done. I loved it!!!!

#142 That's right!

#143 Madeline, I know that wasn't that much of a challenge... but I figure it's good to have a mix of hard ones and... not so hard ones. ;-)

#144 Thanks so much Amanda for all your work.

And thanks Madeline for a really fun Cover Art challenge. I enjoyed that one quite a lot!

> 148

Ilana, there are many people who do these challenges that are very thankful that there's always at least one challenge into which they can slip at least one book that they intended to read before the challenges were posted anyway. The variety of challenges, in addition to the variety of their difficulty, is one facto that I think keeps everyone's interest up.

I knew the "artsy" part of that challenge would be right up your alley. For the future, you might even want to think of more challenges that could incorporate "book art" in different ways. I love seeing how the challenges are constantly changing as we are proceeding through our second TIOLI year.

I probably won't be reading a book for the civil war challenge, but today I did see The Conspirator about the trial of Mary Surratt for conspiracy in killing Abraham Lincoln. It's a great movie with a definite point of view and a good view of the time.

Squeaky/120: My we're a lot of chatterers, aren't we! I almost missed your post to the group about Which challenge posed to you by a challenger other than yourself for the month of May do you think will be your favorite challenge ... and why?

I'm predicting for mine: the Civil War challenge, just because it's a topic which already interests me, and the rules include both fiction and non-fiction, so my favorite genre, historical fiction, fits right in there.

Oh, cool! I won the Striking Cover Art vote! And for a book that turned out to be a dud for me. Who knew! But the cover WAS gorgeous! Thank you Squeaky and Amanda for running that challenge and contest.

Which challenge posed to you by a challenger other than yourself for the month of May do you think will be your favorite challenge ... and why?

For me #13 Read a book with the same vowel repeating in every word of the title (not including "the", "and", "an", "of", etc.)

Why? because it doesn't restrict me to a topic or genre or time period - in essence it can be anything! I already have 5 books that fit that I was going to either have to shift out of my May reading or not have a TIOLI challenge for them. Now I only have 1 book that is non-TIOLI and I'm still searching for a fit for it.

> 148, 149

Hey, Ilana! Did you see Cheli's message in post #153. There you go!!

Regarding challenge 6, Author's Gallery: does this author change from time to time? (Mine seems to.) Also, my authors are lined up in alphabetical order, but the one in the upper left hand corner is out of order, and seems to change daily. Has anyone else experienced this? I'll probably stick with the author who first showed up there, but I'm curious.

>155 AnneDC: Yes, Anne, mine change. I was thrilled when I saw my author was Rebecca Goldstein and ordered a couple of books by her that I've been meaning to read, then I checked back and it was Sapphire. Now today I checked it and it is Harriet Jacobs. Hmm. At this point it's probably too late to read one of the Goldstein books, but I'll see. I wonder how that corner is assigned.

Strange. The Author Gallery aways shows Peter Ackroyd for me, because it's the earliest name in the alphabet with an author photo. I would have suggested that the Author Gallery is affected by collection or tag sorting, but it's not the same catalogue filter as the tag view or author view or MDS view, so I'm stumped.

In other news, I finally started reading my book for the TBR challenge. I don't know why I put it off for 8 months, since the first three chapters absolutely flew by, and are as fun and engaging as every other book in the series. (The Wake of the Lorelei Lee, by the way, and I'll do my best not to talk about it, since I noticed several 75BCers started reading the Jacky Faber series in the last year, and this is book #8!)

Interesting . . . my author gallery is situated in alphabetical order and does not change.
Weird!

Although I like several of the TIOLI challenges for May, my favorite may be #18 which permits (!?) me to return to books I've passed over in recent months.

Thanks SqueakyChu for the suggestion last month of The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart. I loved this book and will order a copy for myself and one for a friend who is a piano tuner and spouse to a piano teacher.

For the one-word title challenge:

Do articles (a, an, the) count?

I'm rereading The Thief just for fun and that's the only challenge it could conceivably fit in! (And, oh well, if it doesn't it's a quick read...)

My author gallery is also in alphabetical order and Jeff Abbott remains firmly entrenched. I have no interest in reading any other Jeff Abbott books (though I did enjoy his Jordan Poteet mysteries years ago).

> 158

Bonnie,

I'm glad you took up my suggestion to read The Piano Shop on the Left Bank. It was such a delightful book and a story I'm glad that others also have the chance to read.

> 159

For the one-word title challenge:
Do articles (a, an, the) count?

My take is that articles do count as words. AnneDC?

My Author Gallery is in alphabetical order, too -- except for the one in the upper left hand corner, which is Julie Orringer. That hasn't changed yet, so I've reserved her short story collection, How to Breathe Underwater, at the library. Even if the photo does change later, she's the one I'm going with!

Greetings, all –

I’m new to LT and have a few questions.

Is it ok to count books toward both TIOLI Challenges and the 75 Challenge?

Do re-reads count?

I think I’m going to have a lot of fun here. Thanks!

Hi, Dejah_Thoris,

Welcome to LibraryThing and to the 75 Books in 2011 Challenge group!

Is it ok to count books toward both TIOLI Challenges and the 75 Books Challenge?

Yes. Absolutely!

Do re-reads count?

They do count.

Sometimes you'll see people setting up their own 75 books challenge threads to be able to set the parameters that they individually want. For example, while one person might like rereads to count, another person may not. Both are ways of setting up an individual thread are perfectly fine.

I hope you do have great fun participating in our group and its many challenges.

I've begun reading my "baseball" book. It's a mystery that has been on my shelf TBR for years. I've only read about 50 pages or so, but I'm already wondering why I didn't read it sooner. It's great so far! Thanks to Linda for the baseball challenge.

Eep! I never imagined so many issues when I posted the author picture challenge. On the contrary, I thought it would be straightforward for everyone.

My own gallery seems hard-set in alphabetical order, and is only affected by adding more 'A' authors. In terms of shifting pictures, I'm happy to allow in any book by an author who did occupy that spot during this month. It's like the past 3.8 - 4.2 rating challenge: it's all about what was there at a given moment. So feel free to add books by the author who was in that spot, even if they're not there any more.

Thanks for the quick response, SqueakyChu!

Now I'll go figure out the Wiki.....

#168 Welcome, Good Luck and Have Fun!

> 168

You're welcome. If you have any questions, please come back and ask.

Don't fear the wiki! There is nothing that you can do to it that we cannot immediately correct. So...have fun!

>162 SqueakyChu: That's what I'm expecting; just thought I'd ask. :) I wasn't really planning on reading the book this month and then I just couldn't bring myself to return it to the library without reading it... (This is a book I own and am lending to a friend)

>157 keristars: bell7

Yes, Madeline answered correctly on my behalf. I was intending one word titles, where a, an, the etc. would count as a word. (I wonder if there are any books with those titles?)

You might see if The Thief would count for the repeating vowels challenge. For that one, words like the don't count, but since "the" and "thief" both have e, it might count. Smiler69?

> 172

You might see if The Thief would count for the repeating vowels challenge. For that one, words like the don't count, but since "the" and "thief" both have e, it might count.

If "the" doesn't count, then there are no "repeating words" so I think it wouldn't count. Smiler69?

I finished my first TIOLI book of the month, The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed (length 23 cm), for challenge #9.

> 174

It seems weird to report on the length of of book (as opposed to its content) when you finish it! Ha! I do know, however, that was a challenge requirement.

Didn't get my last TIOLI book (Year of Wonders) finished in time last month, but lo and behold, it fits into one this month!

Hello! Sorry, I guess I skipped a day and missed some questions and comments.

#149 I'm glad you feel that way about the varying difficulties of challenges Madeline. I just figured when you asked for us to make the challenges harder this year, you might want us to avoid easier ones, but I'm all for variety and different levels of difficulty too. As for proposing challenges around book art, I'm all for it. I'll try to think some up over the course of the year.

#153 & 154 That's so cool! I would never have thought anyone would have picked that challenge, so there we have it! I created it because I had so many crime fiction books on my tbr and optional reads piles for this month (for May Murder & Mayhem) and I didn't want to just do something genre-based, so there you have it.

#172 & 173 Madeline is correct here. You have to have a minimum of two words that count so The Thief would NOT work for this challenge.

As for my favourite challenge, it might be the author pic one, because for one thing, I think it's original, but more importantly, mine is Megan Abbott who's a contemporary Noir writer I had heard good things about and who's been on my wishlist for quite some time. They didn't have any of her work at the library (well, they did, but only in French translation, how retarded is that???) so I finally purchased Queenpin when I saw it at a great price on BookCloseouts. Hopefully I'll actually be able to fit it in!

For challenge #9 (It Doesn't Fit!), I've finished How to Catch an Elephant. It's a children's book, but great fun. Heartily recommended (especially - but not only - if you're under 10).

Attention everybody! I've decided that I will offer a PRIZE to the person who finishes the tallest book for challenge #9. The rules:

1. It can be a novel, children's book, cookbook, coffeetable book, magazine, etc etc, as long as you read the whole thing cover to cover.
2. Tallness is measured by the length of the spine, no matter the actual orientation of the book.
3. It must be marked "completed" on the wiki by the end of the month.
4. You must post a picture of your extra-tall book for everyone to see.

#179 If anyone wants help posting their photos just leave a message on my profile page. I use Photobucket and it works pretty well.

#179 And bugger! I've measured some of my TBRs but haven't found one to fit the challenge.

>172 AnneDC:, 173, 177 (and any others I missed) -

Yeah, I didn't really expect The Thief to count, just figured I'd see if I could finagle it in there. It doesn't really count for the "books you've been putting aside," either, as a reread. But that's OK! I went and read it anyways. Now on to my regularly scheduled TIOLI and ER reads... :)

>179 norabelle414: Just for clarification, since I've been using the library measurements instead of measuring the books myself - is it OK to round up to the nearest cm as library records do?

I can't believe it! I'm at the top of the TIOLI meter - that won't last....

>182 bell7: You can round up for posting to the wiki but for the tallest books the measurements will have to be exact to ensure that the proper person wins.

>179 norabelle414: Cool! I believe mine's the tallest so far. It was one of those outlandishly-sized books Ollie's promoted at Christmas time.

It could well be that I won't win because (a) it's quite difficult to read -- too heavy to hold so I have to put it on the dining table and have only managed about 10 pages so far; and (b) I'm a baaad photographer; don't even own a camera!

>164 Dejah_Thoris:, 165, 168 – 170

I appreciate the help and encouragement!

I’ve just finished my first TIOLO book Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris for Challenge #13 and posted my first review.

Another question – what do the numbers after people’s names on the TIOLO meter represent?

Thanks!

>186 Dejah_Thoris:

I think I may have answered my own question about the numbers after names on the TIOLI meter.

In parentheses are the numbers of the Challenges for which the books were read -- x 2 if there was a second book for the same Challenge.

Some folks are also added the total number of pages read as well.

Am I right?

Yep. And boldened if that book was a 'shared read'.

For challenge #8, I've read Ben 10 Alien Force 3; Everyone Talks About the Weather.

#181 just figured I'd see if I could finagle it in there

LOL, I know the sentiment perfectly, believe me, every time I pick up a book I desperately search for any possible place on the challenges for it.

#183 Congrats Chèli, enjoy it while it lasts... :-)

#187 Yes, you've figured it out just fine. Furthermore, the bold numbers indicate shared reads (that's when two or more people have listed the book on the wiki).

eta: oops, just saw countrylife had already answered the above, but no matter.

eta2: I finished Playback: A Graphic Novel by Raymond Chandler for the graphic novel challenge and May Murder & Mayhem too. At first glance, I thought the drawings were good, but I take that back, some were good individually, but lots were really bad, and on the whole, not great. The story was ok but not brilliant. I can't say I recommend that one, unless you're such a big fan of Chandler that you must see everything that his work has ever influenced. There are loads of other great graphic novels out there that I want to get to (Maus, Persepolis, Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie for starters). Doubt I'll be able to this month, but the temptation sure is there...

eta3: I forgot to mention that I finally (after almost a week of daily toil) published my review for Apollo's Angels, which I had listed in the Cover Art challenge in April and made it to fourth place in the voting. :-)

#186 Dejah, I started reading your review and had to stop because I realized it was for the most recent book, which I haven't read yet. I should be getting it soon from the library so will add it as a shared read to your challenge. Then I'll read your review after I read the book.

>191 Citizenjoyce:

Citizenjoyce -- I knew I couldn't be the only one who'd been waiting for Dead Reckoning. I didn't give anything away in my review -- no spoilers. Thanks for being willing to look at it.

BTW, just before I saw your post, I noticed you had The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For listed for Challenge 8 -- it looks like fun, so I've requested it from my library. It looks like we'll have two shared reads.

I have been messing around so much the past few days I've hardly read at all. Time to get to those shared reads and stop all this computer fiddling.

>190 Smiler69: :) It's a book that I own and lent out and got it out from the library not to read but to show someone the cover of the paperback...and then it just wouldn't let me return it unread!

I'm so excited, I have ordered my first graphic novel, The Walking Dead for Challenge #8.

It is vaguely funny that The Thief does not count for one challenge because the is a word, and does not count in another challenge because "the" is not a qualifying word.

hopefully will be able to read the following to meet this my first TIOLI challenge!!

#6 top left hand corner Author's Gallery - mine's Monica Ali - so got to find a new book by her

# 8 Get Animated - found a Manga book of my son's so will attempt to read that

# 9 It won't fit - measuring all my books at present!! found one, Stories of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A.Milne measures 28.5cms - COMPLETED read some aloud to my youngest!

#16 bird related - A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines COMPLETED

# 10 An alternative to natural motherhood - Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw - adoption

wish me luck!!

#196 It is vaguely funny that The Thief does not count for one challenge because the is a word, and does not count in another challenge because "the" is not a qualifying word.

That hadn't occurred to me, but yes, now that you've pointed it out, I have to agree. It gave me quite a chuckle so I'd say you can upgrade "vaguely" to "truly". ;-)

#197 Good luck Kerry!

I meandered over to the graphic novel section in the library today, just thinking I would look at what was available, not really thinking that I would find something that I would want to read for Challenge #8...but I did. I came home with Emma, Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori, so this will be my very first graphic novel also.

199> Emma is one of the more gorgeous ones. Kaoru Mori also wrote one called "The Bride's Story" which is due out this month and is absolutely lush with the most beautiful scenery illustrations of the Spice Road and the interiors of the tents and things where the characters live (they're nomadic). I've read some of it, but not Emma, so if it's anything like, it's probably very enjoyable.

And thus perhaps one of the better ones to try. :)

 

I just finished my first book this month, which surprised me, in that it only took 2 days to read 560 pages. Of course, I did nothing but read this book, even stayed up all night (until 7am!) doing so...

I pre-ordered the next book in the series over two months ago (it's due out in October), so I'm glad that this one didn't let me down. I speculated about why I kept putting off reading it on my thread, but it's probably a good thing that I left it until I didn't have any obligations to do anything but read, if I wanted.

I think I've discovered that I like baseball, or at least the Reds, more than I thought. I really enjoyed reading The Cincinnati Red Stalkings for the baseball challenge. It also fits the "Murder & Mayhem" theme for May.

#199-200 I believe I've never read manga before, but you two convinced me to give Emma, Volume 1 a try. Just reserved it at the library too!

eta: I finished Wide Sargasso Sea last night which is excellent and... doesn't fit any challenges this month (snif!) :-(

On the other hand, Queenpin by Megan Abbott just arrived today for the author pic challenge. And it's a short one too. :-)

Let's Do This...

I like how everyone lists his or her "currently reading" books on the wikis as either Reading or Listening. I'd like to propose another category of E-Reading as well because I'm curious to know how many of us are using ereaders for our TIOLI challenge books.

Good and bad news for today. I finished my first book for the month, The Wichita Divide by Stephen Singular and neither had a stroke from rising blood pressure nor attempted homicide against domestic terrorists, so, I came out OK. Now, to return to a place of calm serenity I've started the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead Reckoning. There's nothing like fairies and vampires to refresh the soul.

I've been listening to Whose Body but the last 2 CD's are messed up, so while I await replacements I've started the wonderful Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, and added it, minus the subtitle, to the one word challenge. I've heard so much good about this, and it starts off wonderful, but if that kid had been mine, I'm not so sure he would have made it out of childhood.

#203: I like this idea, Madeline. Should there also be a special word or phrase for completed e-books, e.g. e-COMPLETED?

(See post 219)

Challenge 20: Something Borrowed: Read a book from the library (Only books currently checked out or on hold count for this challenge)

I have many books checked out. Need to read them. Several books on hold. Every time I go to the website of my new library I see a "support the library petition" noting that budget cuts might hit closing some branches. Therefore, support the libraries challenge. Plus, I need to read some of these books I've checked out.

One exception to the rules above (only currently checked out books/on hold) - you can match books already listed even if you have not yet checked out or put the book on hold. Part of the challenge is to support libraries. Part of the challenge is to read the library books you already have so they can be returned and another person can read them.

I've listed the books I currently have checked out or have on hold (the Potter books and the Parker book are the only ones on hold). The only changes I can make is to remove books not read, or to match books someone else adds.

I note that I did not think of this challenge until this late minute so I did not have a chance to "stock up". Yes, I really did have all those books checked up and yes that is why I'm came out with this challenge. Read the books and let someone else have a shot at checking them out.

Greedy as ever, I have a bunch of books on hold at the library. If they come in in time, and if I can possibly find a way to get to them, I'll sure add them to your challenge, Mike. The one's I just checked out are all slotted already

I'm liking Challenge 20, I do have one book currently checked out that doesn't fit any other category, now I have a place for it.

I'm still holding onto my single five-word title book, The Crime At Black Dudley, in the dwindling hope that someone will post an appropriate preceding title in Challenge #1. (Crime! Black! Come on, people, how hard can it be??) Failing that, Challenge #20 will do nicely, thank you!

I've had so many of my library books out for so long that they already fit the TBR challenge, but I do like this one., thanks Mike.

211 I'm in the same position as you, Luci, with loads of unread library books that I've had out since 2010 and keep renewing. I hope this challenge will spur me to get one or two of them read and returned!

Thanks Mike! I am currently reading a couple of books checked out from my school library that do not fit a challenge.

Question: will it mess up the past TIOLI wikis if I remove books from my LT shelf as I give them to Goodwill, etc?

I really like to use this site to keep track of TBRs only -- once I've read them, I usually delete 'em.

Will the links I posted be dead once I do that, or will they go to the work's main page?

>207 MikeBriggs: Sweet! The copy of The Thief that I read was a library book (even though I own the book, but that's a different story...) so it retroactively fits. *off to update the wiki with that and other library books...*

I've finished my third TIOLI book of the month, Amigoland by Oscar Casares for my Cinco de Mayo challenge. I've also read The Collaborator (23 cm exactly) for challenge #9, and The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna for challenge #13.

>214 Megi53: It depends whether you linked to the main work page or the user-specific page, but it wouldn't be a big deal either way. Anyone who encountered a problem could easily delete the extra details from the link to get to the main work page.

I'm not even sure what happens to user-specific work pages after the user deletes the book; for all I know they stay around anyway.

> 207

What an excellent idea for a challenge, Mike! I wholeheartedly think we should do what we can to support our local libraries. An idea might be to continue to include an occasional "library challenge" in future TIOLI challenges.

> 206

Should there also be a special word or phrase for completed e-books, e.g. e-COMPLETED?

I'm reversing my opinion about this. It seems others are still interested in this information after the books are completed.

Go ahead and post E-COMPLETED if you'd like. I'd prefer, though, that a book not be listed as both E-Reading & COMPLETED (or E-COMPLETED) for the same book. Choose one or the other. Thanks!

#219: I agree with your reversal, Your Honor. ;-)

#219 thanks for clarifying that, Madeline. I put both to indicate that my read was an e-read and if I didn't put completed you may have taken it off at the end of the month. I'll change it to e-Completed.

ETA: Oh! Thanks you've already changed it.

> 214

will it mess up the past TIOLI wikis if I remove books from my LT shelf as I give them to Goodwill, etc?

Delete your books without worrying about the wiki links. Most likely, the books will still link up to the work pages, but I very seriously doubt that people will be going back to past wikis to check out those old links! :)

Kudos to you, Megi53, for moving your previously books on to new readers!

One alternative idea is to move read books to the default collection called "Read But Unowned". That's where I list books that I've read and for which I've written a review, but ones that I no longer physically own. I didn't like that collection at first, but I needed a place to keep the reviews that I wrote for the ER program. Since deleting a book from all collections also deletes its reviews, I started using that "Read but Unowned" collection. I didn't like it at first, but now it's "no biggy".

> 220

I agree with your reversal, Your Honor.

LOL!! Darryl, you're so funny!

P.S. Is my anti-E-Reader bias showing? ;-)

P.P.S. I am so the ultimate Luddite...well, maybe except for my PC. :P

I don't think it should affect the Wiki at all but if I discard books, or if they're not mine (library books etc) I just put them into different "collections".

>207 MikeBriggs:

Thanks, MikeBriggs, for adding Challenge 20. I have many books out from the library right now that don't fit other Challenges, including the book I'm about to finish.

They know me very well at my branch....

A bit late, but I finally started a thread for the ancient world challenge.

Most of my current checked out books are intended for other TIOLI challenges but a few of my holds will fit challenge #20. What a good idea!!

I'll try to remember to mark my other ones E-COMPLETED.

I think I'm a bit confused. Is E-READING not an option?

I've realised though that if you're using a free account and are limited to 200 books, then the collections thing that Madeline and I describe probably doesn't work for you.

> 227

E-Reading *is* an option. When you've finished E-Reading, then you've E-COMPLETED. :)

#207 Thanks so much for creating that challenge Mike! I was just complaining that Wide Sargasso Sea didn't fit into any challenge, and you've come along and changed that! I have a couple more library books coming that wouldn't fit anywhere else too, so am chuffed.

#229 Madeline, I indicate listening for audiobooks... should I indicate things differently when I've completed them?

I've just finished Dubliners for the one word challenge. I have no idea how I'll rate this one because I really enjoyed roughly half the stories and felt indifferent or disliked the other half. I always find it tricky to rate short story books. Any tips?

> 299

Madeline, I indicate listening for audiobooks... should I indicate things differently when I've completed them?

Hmmm?! I don't know. Shall we have a vote?

I always find it tricky to rate short story books. Any tips?

When I review a book of short stories, I like to say a few things about the book as a whole first. Then I like to name the top three stories of the collection. I will tell what each of those stories was about (in a sentence or two) and might comment about why they found favor with me.

Look at the reviews for the ER book Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self. Check out my review (SqueakyChu) and that of Deseree (goddesspt2). We both have a similar style of reviewing that book of short stories (which was excellent, by the way).

Madeline, reviewing them isn't so tricky because I usually do more or less as you've suggested. It's really the rating part that presents difficulties, if you see what I mean...

#231 Hmmm, then what shall we do with graphic novels? Many do not have words so one neither reads nor listens to it but perhaps looks and contemplates. I vote no.

> 233

Let the book simmer a while after you read it. Then think back on it. Overall, is it a book you'd recommend or not? One strong story does not make a great collection.

If you could rate the book on a 100% scale for the very best book, where would it come overall? At 80%? That's a 4 star book. At 50%? That's a 2.5 star book. Anyway, that's how I currently rate my reads. It's a gut feeling.

Another thing, though, is that a rating that you give doesn't have to stick. If you later feel that you rated the book too highly or too critically, you can always change your star rating to more accurately reflect how you feel about it once you've had some time to digest it.

> 234

Using the E-COMPLETED or A-COMPLETED would *always* remain optional. I think those denotations could be used if one wants to let others know in what form a completed book was read. I don't think it should be mandatory. Marking any book COMPLETED after reading/listening to/e-reading it will always be good enough for me.

233> I average it out. With a recent short story book I read, Machine of Death, I liked maybe a third of the stories and was indifferent at best to the rest. I considered my rating scale (which is on my profile for the curious) and gave it 2.5 stars iirc. There were too many "blah" stories to make it an average book, but it wasn't really awful, either.

> 234

Many do not have words so one neither reads nor listens to it but perhaps looks and contemplates.

...which leads to the question...Care to comment?

About that graphic novels challenge...

For those new to graphic novels, manga, comics, etc. this month, what are your thoughts about reading that type of material? Are you liking it? Disliking it? Will you read more of it in the future? Why or why not?

Pease share your thoughts...

238> Yes!

Reading is more than just processing the words on the page. It's also stringing together images and scenarios that the words describe in order to make sense - reading comprehension, yeah? A story told through pictures requires the same sort of "reading" of the images to figure out cause and effect, setting, &c.

Two really good picture books without words: Picturescape and Flotsam. They both have gorgeous art and aren't very long. Well worth it!

Also, the Emma graphic novel mentioned earlier? while I haven't read that one, I have read some of the author's more recent work, The Bride's Story which uses a combination of pure imagery and dialogue to tell the story - some of the most touching and beautiful scenes have no text at all, just series of panels. If you don't stop to "read" those panels, you'll miss the story - there are often a lot of subtle things going on, like facial expressions or body language, that add depth to the story as a whole.

ETA: For what it's worth, A Bride's Story #1 in English will be released on 31 May, and according to Amazon, it'll be delivered to my house on my birthday (provided it doesn't become available earlier). Yay!

#239 I read my first-ever graphic novel last night, The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger.

I still haven't decided about what I think of it. It had a great premise but it was really skimpy. Are all graphic novels that way? To me, it seemed like an illustrated short story (and the illustrations were not very good).

I think that I probably would read the next installment in Niffenegger's library book/series but not sure I'll read any others, if this one is representative. I certainly would not buy it.

241> Some are, some aren't. It depends on the type of story and the author.

However, I've found that it's usually a lot faster to read a graphic novel than a regular novel with the same number of pages, if only because the constraints of the format mean that the author/artist can't pack the information in quite so densely, and it's a lot easier to read a picture than to read text. Thus, a 200pg graphic novel will feel shorter than a 200pg novel, and it will also feel more like a short story.

It's also possible that the author in question did write something more of a short story than something longer. There's variation.

An example: The Tale of One Bad Rat is a relatively thin graphic novel, but it feels like a full novel to me rather than a short story (albeit YA, which is slightly different) - but I've read some that do have that feeling you described.

#242 This Niffenegger one took me, literally, 15 minutes to read. My big takeaway was that I was glad I hadn't spent fifteen bucks to buy it.

Also about how cool it'd be to have my own lifetime reading bookmobile across from Wrigley Field, my favorite public place.

I've got another one waiting at the library. The Invention of Hugo Cabret so, no doubt, I'll look at that one as well.

As a kid, I recall reading Classics Illustrated comics, such as of All Quiet on the Western Front. I was expecting something more like that.

Ack - how quickly I fell behind. I love the library challenge! Thanks Mike!

I haven't read a graphic novel yet, so I really don't know what my experience will be like yet. Hopefully The Walking Dead will arrive at the library soon.

But I do agree with Keristars above, that reading is more than simply scanning words. We talk about 'reading' a person, for example and that involves watching movements and sensing moods in order to get the full picture on someone.

Interesting persepctives. To me, reading a book requires words.

Yes, you can read people. You can read situations. However, I don't mark down that I've read a situation or a person. I mark down that I've read a book. If I skim through a book that's all photos, I haven't read anything.

A tougher call is a book that's all photos but with captions. For my own personal reading list/reading totals, I don't count these.

In fact, I was tempted not to count the Niffenegger book, but in the end, I did count it.

In the end, we all have our own definitions of reading.

I've read a lot of graphic novels. The Night Bookmobile is only the second GN that took me only minutes to read. (The Professor's Daughter was the other) It doesn't help matters that the illustrations are only okay and lacking in details. To me, the point of graphic novels is the graphics. Usually when I read a GN I use a very large, cord around the neck type, crafters magnifying glass so that I don't miss details in the art work. The illustrations and the story should be of equal (or near equal) importance.
My favorite GN series:
Mouse Guard - Peterson's illustrations are gorgeous
Kabuki- Mack uses a mixture of black and white panels, water colors, photos, collages.

Linda, I hope you enjoy The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It's a wonderful book.

>239 SqueakyChu:: The graphic novel I attempted and abandoned this month was the reason I asked my question in this thread about deleting books -- the violence in it was just ghastly and I didn't want to see it on my bookshelf here and be reminded of it.

It was from Stan Sakai's *Usagi Yojimbo* series. The only other graphic novels I've read were Jeff Smith's *Bone* 1-9 and, while lots of punches are thrown and secondary characters occasionally die, at least I didn't have to see teeth falling out of a preteen girl's mouth and pets being beaten to death like in *Usagi*!

246> If I skim through a book that's all photos, I haven't read anything.

I'd argue that if you're skimming through photos, you're not really looking at them. That said, there's a huge difference between reading a book like Flotsam and a "behind the scenes of the movie" book which is more of less just photos from the set without a real narrative thread.

But I tend to have strong feelings about wordless narratives, and I'll likely defend textless picture books and graphic novels until I die - I love them a lot.

#249 I'm thinking that the Niffenegger book was not a good one to start with as it's colored my opinion of the whole genre.

Do you have any suggestions as to good ones that would be more representative? But not too gory?

I guess I'm thinking less of photo books with plot than with art books with photos.

Even though I'm not liking these, I'm glad I tried one (and will soon try another).

Linda, I just began my journey into GN's thanks to mark and pat. Here are a few that I found expecially appealing..........Asterios Polyp, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, The Arrival, Stitches, Blankets, Maus & Maus II. Good luck finding something that's right for you.

Mike,
Thanks for the 20th challenge - I had one lonely book that I couldn't find a challenge to fit - but thanks to you now it's found a home (now I just have to finish it before it's due back at the library!).

250> yeah, I don't like the gory ones either. :( I'm also not into abuse or drugs/alcohol, moreso with images instead of text. So Persepolis is an award-winning graphic novel, but I've avoided it entirely because I know the themes would probably be too strong for me.

That said, in the last couple years, my graphic novel reading has been mostly manga, which is different to Western GNs in some ways (not just because of the huge manga market and stuff, which is very different to our graphic novels and comics), and it's giving me trouble remembering western titles...

Oh, wait! This one is YA, but it's really good: Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale and also an unrelated Hale illustrating. I don't recommend the sequel because it has horrible stereotypes and problems with the Native American expy character and also some sexism, but I didn't notice that in the first one.

One manga which is more like a western graphic novel is Solanin, which is about some young twenty-somethings who are trying to figure out what to do with their lives and are struggling with ennui and malaise and whatnot. It's really good, but I couldn't finish it because it mirrored my life a little too well and was kind of a downer. (I'll probably try again in a few years, because it's really beautiful.)

A lot of Western GNs lately seem to be memoirs, like some that Carmenere linked to. The most recent I've read is Pyongyang, which might be of interest if you've read Nothing to Envy, which I know was making the rounds of the group last year. It's a different view of North Korea, from a temporary visitor from France who is there to work with animators.

ETA: Another children's/YA which is pretty good: Smile by Raina Telgemeier. She has a fun art style and the story has been nominated for awards!

ETA2: Robot Dreams is another, and this one is wordless. It's a little bit sad, but really sweet.

230- each short story is rated. The book as a whole is rated based on the average rating.

That's how I rate short story collections.

For challenge #8, it talks of
"graphic novel, anime, manga or comic book compilation." What's the difference on these?

Many graphic novels do not have words? If I was on anything other than phone, I'd look to see how many I've read. Not all are under this account though.

Out of, maybe, 300, I recall 2 that did not have words.

And I recall two or three comic strips that tend to not have words. One is current, and the other is an old French series.

245) the Walking Dead is quite violent and bloody.

Well, "anime" is a word that means "animation" - it's not really a book. Some people use it interchangeably with "manga", though, if they're not very familiar with either.

Manga is just a graphic novel from Japan. If it's from Korea, it's called manhwa, and Chinese books have a different name, but often all three are called "manga" out of convenience. Japanese manga are usually printed back-to-front because Japanese writing goes right to left, which sometimes causes problems for people used to left-to-right reading. There are different types of manga, lots of genres, but usually each chapter is serialised in a magazine first. Some books are stand-alone, others are part of long series, and you might not fit an entire story arc into a single book. Also, some might be episodic (each chapter is its own story), or they might be highly structured with an ongoing plot. (Bunny Drop, Emma, and Solanin which I've mentioned in this thread are the latter type.) "Manga" is just the Japanese word for "comic".

A comic book compilation probably refers to a book which compiles single issues into a bound volume. Likely, if you're talking a comic book compilation, you're talking about superheroes and so on. but I'd consider The Complete Calvin and Hobbes to be this, also. ETA: I should point out that compilations of Donald Duck comics or Asterix would also fit here, but they're not super heroes. I tend to forget about them because they're so much more popular in Europe than in the US!

A graphic novel could be many things, but is a story told through images. The Watchmen reminds me more of the super hero comics (though it's a deconstruction), whereas you get something like The Invention of Hugo Cabret that's very different. Most of the time a graphic novel isn't serialised like comic books, but things like the Sandman series are considered graphic novels and they are serialised. (Officially, manga is a subset of graphic novels.)

#258 Thanks for all this info. It's very helpful!!

Not sure if my definitions line up, but ...

Comic book compilation is like a short story collection, though tending to be more like a ..... I had the term and then lost it. the stories tend to be interrelated. unlike most short stories, short comics, ie comic books, can and are published as stand alone. look near the magazine section of a book store and you might find one lonely magazine stand holding short comic books. a comic book compilation collects several comic books under one cover.

anime and manga are comic book styles. a true manga/anime book is read in the reverse direction from Western books. I have seen translated versions follow that reverse reading design.

Ack, I take to long to write.

Heh, I didn't add anything I now see.

Due to slow thread loading, we're moving to Page 2.

260-262> FWIW, I know a lot less about comic books than the others, and my reading has mainly been manga, so I was expecting someone to come to the thread and go "Oh, Keri, no, you're all wrong!" :D

#250 Linda, someone suggested I start attacking graphic (not porn, Jean, not porn!) novels by reading The Unwritten. I haven't begun it yet but it looks interesting.