Take It or Leave It Challenge - June 2013 - 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.

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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You're either going to love or hate this challenge for June. The idea of it comes from majkia's* former challenge to read Something Just for the Fun of It, Just Cuz You Want To. When that challenge was presented, it was presented as a challenge to "read something you keep meaning to read, you really want to read, but well, it doesn't start with the right letter, or have the right flower on page #23, or didn't win the right (or any!) award. Just read something that appeals that you want to read NOW."

Read on...

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So *my* challenge to you now is to Read a book with a flower mentioned on page 23.

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This may be a toughie...so I'll begin a new thread where we can create a list of books that do have a flower mentioned on page 23. You may list books on that thread even if you're not using them yourself for my challenge.

When books are added to the actual challenge, you or I can post a picture of its flower on that separate thread. We should be seeing some interesting flower pictures. If you don't feel like posting the flower picture or do not know how to do it, ask for help. Anyone can do this for you.

Rules:
1. You may match a book at any time.
2. You may use embedded words. Look for short flower words such as rose, lily, iris, etc.
3. You may read any book listed on my separate thread even if *your* copy of the *same* book has the flower word on the wrong page. We just need someone to identify at least one edition of a flower word on page 23.
4. You may choose a book not on the separate thread's "master list".
5. You may NOT use the word "flower".
6. You may use a flowering tree (e.g. cherry, apple, dogwood, etc.). You must use one that has a substantial (easily seen) blossom so be prepared to show a picture of any you use that might be obscure (and therefore questioned!). :)
7. You may use an herb, vegetable, or fruit -- but only if it has a substantial (easily seen) flower. Again...you may be asked about its flower so be sure it exists!
8. You do NOT have to post a flower picture in order to mark your book COMPLETED.

Here are some books to start you off...
Candy Freak (cottonmouth)** - Steve Almond
The City of Devi (coriander) - Manil Suri
The Handyman (geranium) - Carolyn See
I Thought My Father Was God (palm) - Paul Auster
The path of Minor Planets (grape) - Andrew Sean Greer

Enough. I don't want to do all your work for you! If you're a good detective, this challenge should turn out to be easier than it seems at first glance.

Now, off to your reading...and have fun!

*Apologies to majkia!

**Cotton has a beautiful flower:


Photo courtesy Wikimedia Creative Commons - A, SA

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

1. The June 2013 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. (Updated 06/11/13)

Wiki Index:

Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book with a flower mentioned on page 23 - msg #1 - thread
2. Read a book where a person is featured on the cover but that person's face isn't seen - msg #5 - thread
3. Read a book with a style of house in the title or the author's name - msg #6
4. Read a book which you have a personal connection to - msg #10 - thread
5. Read an adventure story - msg #13
6. Read a book where a title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,R,U - msg #24

Challenges #7-12
7. Read a work with a female sleuth, amateur or professional – all genres - msg #28
8. Read a fantasy or science fiction book written by a woman - msg #28
9. Read a book that has "comfort read" as a tag - msg #9
10. Read a book that has an everyday household object on the cover - msg #10
11. Read a book that has "read" or "write" in the title - msg #41
12. Read a book where at least two words in the title start with the same letter - msg #46

Challenges #13-18
13. Read a book or author that was mentioned in The End of Your Life Book Club - msg #47
14. Read a Book That Was a Gift To You From Last Year or Earlier - msg #50
15. Read a book that has been published as a Virago Modern Classic - msg #59
16. Read a book that has the letters D, O & N in the title. - msg #67
17. Read a book with "his" or "her" embedded in a title word - msg #73
18. Read a book by an author writing in English for whom English is not his/her native language - msg #96

Challenge #19
19. Read a book with no picture or graphics on the cover (generic E-books excluded) - msg #101
20. Read a book with a reference to Greek or Roman mythology in the title - msg #118
21. Read a book by a UK Children's Laureate - msg #132

Hold new challenge for the July TIOLI challenges. Thanks!

Wow, am I first!!! And I have already found a book that will fit Madeline's Challenge. Now I am off to post my own challenge.

> 3

I thought I was being pretty sneaky putting my entry up so late at night. Good discovery! :D

Luckily, here on the West Coast it's three hours earlier. :)

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TIOLI Challenge #2:

Saving Face: Read a book where a person is featured on the cover, but that person's face isn't seen.

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I will start a separate thread so that we can post our faceless covers.

Faceless Cover Thread

You may match a read even if your cover is different from the one posted.

> 5

I'll have to move to Hawaii! :D

3.28pm. :)

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Challenge #3: Read a book with a style of house in the title or the author's name

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So---"house" itself, lodge, villa, hall, castle, cottage, manor, ranch, chateau, palace, rectory...

Maybe I'll move halfway round the world!

>>#5

That's hilarious, Judy!

Inspired by a book I haven't finished in May, I'd like to present:

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Challenge #4: Read a book that you have a personal or family connection to.

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This might be a book where you have a personal memory of the events or a connection (you went to school with one of the characters portrayed, for example) with an event within the book or story.

This could be a familial connection, because not all of us are as old as Methuselah.

By personal connection I don't mean you could read a book about the shooting of JFK, just because you remember where you were when you heard the news. To read that you'd need to show a closer link, be that having been there when it happened, or have some other connection to the protagonists.

And a familial connection might be your Grandfather worked at Harland & Wolff, so you're reading one of the many books about the Titanic, or your Granny was in service with Lord Beeverbrook, so you're reading a history of the family.

I appreciate this might steer people more down a non-fiction route, but fiction is equally acceptable, as long as there is a connection. I'll start a separate thread for people to add their titles and the story behind them.

Link to reporting thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/154752

Madeline, I hope I haven't messed up your flower thread, I've posted my book title and a picture of the flower mentioned on page 23.

#9 - I am actually kind of tired of these covers that cut off the face, but I found some other versions that will also fit this challenge.

How come everybody is still awake?!

Just checked in before going to bed - yippee.
Challenge #5: Read an adventure story
This is definitely not my choice of reading material, but we're reading Birds of Prey by Wilber Smith for my RL book club, so I'll give it a try.

> 10

You did *exactly* what I was hoping everyone would do. Nothing's messed up at all. It is beee-yoo-ti-full. :D

I thought that Tim was the only one on LT that is awake around the clock! :)

>>#11

You should let Joyce (nickelini) know about your challenge - she's been highlighting these sorts of "cover practices" recently.

It's morning here - breakfast time in Blighty, coffee & weetabix if anyone wants some.
See I can be taught. >:-)

#16 - I will :)

#13 - Joyce, your challenge is perfect for a book that Mamie and I will both be reading in June, Blood Kin about the early days of Texas and the Texas Rangers.

In New Zealand it's evening! The only reason why I didn't see this thread sooner is that I had to work late :)

Oh Madeline..... sigh.... I was afraid of something like that.....;)

Hey, majkia, it was *your* idea. You put it directly into my mind! ;)

> 17

breakfast time in Blighty, coffee & weetabix if anyone wants some

I never had weetabix so I'm not sure about that. I'll have some coffee, though. Thanks, Helen!

I actually did very well. The new challenge has been up for about six hours as, as yet, has only been discovered by five challengers! :D

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Challenge #6: Read a book where a title word or author name starts
with B,D,G,J,P,Q,R,U - letters with curves and lines
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The letters of the alphabet are formed in different ways - some all straight lines, some are all curves - but only these 8 are a combination.

eta-- Q by popular vote

>22 SqueakyChu: it's probably not much to write home about, being one of those more healthy than tasty breakfast foods.

23: Make that six! Or seven or eight...it's too early for me to count straight...and now I have to think about curvy letters. ;-)

Well, it's actually now seven...and growing...

I think I'm 7...

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TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a work with a female sleuth, amateur or professional – all genres.
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This work does not need to be a mystery or thriller (although it can be). Any work with a woman or girl who searches something out - a murderer, an academic question, the 'truth' - will work. I leave the suitability of the book up to the discretion of the reader.

ETA: Ideally, books listed for this Challenge will have a theme of sleuthing or searching throughout the book, which is pretty obvious with mysteries, but less so with mainstream or other genre novels. I want to leave the decision as to suitability of any given book up to the reader because they'll be more familiar with the work than I am. There are a lot of science fiction, fantasy and urban fantasy novels that should work well for this Challenge, as well as many mainstream novels.

13>>> Does Song of Achilles about the Trojan War fit? It's a group read this month.

28>>> Saturday Night Widows " a young and unconventional widow wants to find a group to help her move on with her life" does that work for Challenge #7?

>28 Dejah_Thoris: - bother, I read three that would fit that challenge nicely during May. Imogen Quy, if anyone needs any ideas, is a Cambridge nurse who doesn't so much solve the crime as get to the truth underneath. Contains a moral element that's not always present in procedurals. Written by Jill Paton Walsh, The Wyndham Case is the first in the series of 4 (so far)

Challenge #9: Read a book that has "comfort read" as a tag

http://www.librarything.com/tag/comfort+read

I'm taking a week off of all responsibilities in June as a reward for graduating and for a birthday present. I'm going to get a lot of reading done. Mostly just fun, light books.

>10 Helenliz: Would a family connection of a many-greats grandfather count? I have a couple of books that include information on Stephen Hopkins, my tenth great-grandfather who came over on the Mayflower...

>30 cyderry: It's hard for me to say with that short of a blurb, Cheli. I expanded my explanation of the Challenge back in post #28. If you think it fits, go for it!

>31 Helenliz: Sorry, Helenliz! I didn't mean to be a month off for you. That happens to me quite often - I find Challenges that fit things I read the previous month just perfectly!

>31 Helenliz:-32 I won't have any trouble finding books for your Challneges, majika and Morphy!

Challenge 10: read a book with an everyday household object on the cover.

This should be pretty straightforward - if you're not sure whether a particular object fits, think about whether the average house would have one (or more) of them. So, for example, a telephone is an everyday household object. A machete is not (although I realise that for some households it might be - but not for the purposes of this challenge!)

>34 bell7:, yes, I have no objection to the connection being a number of generations back - just as long as you let us know what the connection is.

>37 Helenliz: Excellent! Maybe that will finally prompt me to read the book that my grandmother lent me some time ago. :)

#7 - Hi Liz - I'm wondering if the following would work for your challenge. They are all embedded and some of them (I fear) might not be what you have in mind. I will not be hurt if you reject them. Here they are:

The Beans of Egypt, Maine by Carolyn Chute

Summer Will Show by Sylvia Townsend Warner (as in town house?)

Dirty Work by Larry Brown (as in row house?)

Nationalism, Colonialism, and Literature by Terry Eagleton (as in colonial-style house?)

>36 wandering_star: you know, wandering_star, I actually have a book with a machete on the cover and my heart is broken that it won't be allowed....lol.

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Challenge #11: Read & Write: Read a book that has the word "read" or "write" in the title
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Embedded words are fine, but it must be "read" or "write" written out - in other words, "Reading" and "writer" work, but "writing" does not.

Sorry Dejah.... you'll have to make a separate challenge!!

#40 by @Dejah_Thoris> Hahahaha! I was laughing because here in Florida machetes are de rigeur!

>10 Helenliz: Is it only personal connection to an event or can it be to a place? For instance, could I read a book placed in a local neighborhood?

>44 Morphidae: - as long as it's mainly set in that place, (not just a fleeting visit) then yes, seems a reasonable connection to be making. Again, we'll need explanation on the thread for the purpose. I'm just nosey, that's the main driver behind inventing the challenge.

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Challenge 12: Gemini: Read a book where at least two words in the title start with the same letter
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Lots of June birthdays are astrologically a Gemini, which means "twins". Alliteration makes titles catchy. So read a book where at least two words in the title are twins -- that is, they start with identical letters. For example, Cold Comfort Farm or Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey through China.

Challenge #13 Read a Book or Author That Was Mentioned in The End of Your Life Book Club

One of my favorite books in May was The End of Your Life Book Club in which a son writes about the books he and his dying mother read.

Here's a complete list of the books and authors mentioned.

http://img1.imagesbn.com/pimages/books/pdf/scwhalbe-book-list.pdf

Note that there are some mysteries, lots of literary fiction, and plenty of other books to choose from.

I only realised the June TIOLI was up because Dejah mentioned it on her thread.

Checking in now.

>45 Helenliz: Yes, the series I'm thinking of is set in Excelsior, MN, just a few miles from where I currently live and we just drove through it Saturday.

Challenge #14: Read a Book That Was a Gift To You From Last Year or Earlier

We all have those books, that have been given to us by well-meaning relatives. It's time to actually pick one that you've not yet read (SantaThing? Your birthday in 2012?) and just read it!!

My choice is Geno: In Pursuit of Perfection, a gift from my eldest sister several years ago.

#49 Morphy, are you thinking of the mystery series from Monica Ferris? I think that is set in Excelsior, MN.

>51 lindapanzo: Yes, I am. I'm six or seven books into it.

I've read them all and never realized that it's a real place.

>53 lindapanzo: Yep, and a lot of the streets and shops and events mentioned are real, too!

>>#39

Ooh, tough question, Kerri! I really had in mind a name for a single dwelling, but I agree that the use of the word "style" in the challenge title is ambiguous. So I guess of the ones you list I would have to allow "hut", "colonial" and even "town", but not "row".

ETA: Researching a little more, I see that "row" can mean the same as "terrace", i.e. one out of a series of dwellings, so I guess I have to let that in, too.

#55 - Thank you Liz! I'll just use one or two. I sort of feel like I've cheapened your challenge. Ha!

#55 How about something like Cape Cod?

>>#56

My own fault for using inexact language! - a lesson to me. :)

>>#57

Well, if I'm letting in "colonial" I guess I can't object to "Cape Cod" - have at it!

Wow, people are fast on posting these challenges!

I'm listed mine: #15: Read a book that has been published as a Virago Modern Classic.

Oh boy! Lots of good challenges this month. Might neeed to slow down on The Burgess Boys though for challenge #12!

Oh, my. I really need to start finding spots for my books. And I want in on the group read for The Song of Achilles, so I hope that fits as an adventure story. Didn't notice an answer to that question...

I find it somewhat disturbing that someone out there has tagged Les Liaisons Dangereuses a "comfort read". :)

Lol lyzard. I thought the same thing about World War Z.

I'm just finishing The End of Your Life Book Club on audio and I had thought how I'd like to read many of the books discussed. Such an amazing list! Kids's books, classics , literature--a really varied assortment!

And-- I didn't get to the group read of Til We Have Faces last month. It seemed like a natural for challenge 2, but my edition has faces on the cover. Looking at all the covers loaded, I don't see a faceless cover available, so it's no use looking for a different one. The title fits, but not the covers! That one makes me laugh.

It really is a fun assortment of challenges this month.

I don't know if the Kindle Daily Deals are the same in Canada as in the U.S. and other places, but today The Song of Achilles was one of the daily deals here in Canada and I picked it up for $1.99.

Me, too, Judy! It's the same deal.

#63 So many books mentioned in The End of Your Life Book Club that I'm thinking of making it an entire category for next year's category challenge.

My friend Don is very ill, and has a birthday on Sunday, June 2nd. So my challenge is #16 Read a book that has the letters D, O & N in the title. I'd like to pay tribute to this wonderful friend.

ETA: Must have all three letters in title. Doesn't matter which order.

Here are my plans so far:

A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness - 1
The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern - 2
Liesl & Po - Lauren Oliver - 6
14 Cows for America - Carmen Agra Deedy - 6
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain - 6
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain - Peter Sis - 16

I still need to find a place to put the group read book, The Song of Achilles.

Es, if you click on "show all" tags for The Song of Achilles, "adventure" is on the list. I'm game if you are! I just signed up for the group read today.

I'll join y'all on Song of Achilles in the adventure story category!

Hi, sorry, I've been away from the world for a while. Yes, I think Song of Achilles fits perfectly as an adventure story.

Great! Where's the group read thread so I can drop by?

ETA: I've got the book on the challenge for people to add their names to :)

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Challenge #17
Vive la difference! Read a book with "his" or "her" in the title

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It can be embedded, but also can be a standalone word. Any language is fine. Look for words like inheritance, history, etc.

For anyone doing the group read, I put The Kindly Ones by Anthony Powell in Challenge #16.

No Fond Return of Love (Barbara Pym) has been listed in two different challenges - 6 and 15. Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone wanted to consolidate those reads into one or t'other.

Hi Ellen--ebt1002--I put The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving in challenge #1 since there's grapefruit on page 23--would you care to join me, or shall I join you in number 6 for the shared read?

47:lindapanzo: The End of Your Life Book Club

You know what? I'm reading this book right now. What would you think about including this in challenge 13? It would be like the meta-book, or "mother ship" for the challenge.

I could look for another place to fit this in--just let me know, please.

Karen O.

Karen, that would be fine with me.

>77 streamsong:: streamsong, I'll join you if Madeline will accept "grapefruit" as a type of flower....

>80 EBT1002: Grapefruit flower:

Thanks, Morphy. I haven't posted it to the flower thread, yet.

In Madeline's examples, she used 'grape' so I figured 'grapefruit' would also work but I will await her call.

> 77, 80, 81

I see a flower for the grapefruit so it's...perfect!

Cool! We're in!

Are people conscientious, and go searching through the challenges for duplicate books? Myself, I'm too lazy to read through all the reams of titles, so I just pick the most appropriate challenge for what I've read, and pop it in.

Or is there an easier way that I'm missing? I really ought to check, I suppose.

It's why I post my books read here. If someone else has read it and placed it in another challenge, they can let me know and we can discuss which one can move theirs. I'm not going to search four or five wiki pages.

The first few days of the month I scan the wiki pages several times a day--looking for good reads, who is reading what, trying to figure out if something that someone else is reading sounds really good if I can squeeze in one more book, looking to see what friends and those with similar taste are reading. For me, it's sort of the digest version (or maybe table of contents?) of people's threads.

>85 humouress:. In previous months, people have mentioned seeing duplicates posted, something that I'd never given a moment's notice. But this month, as I perused the books already listed, making notes of the titles I was considering to match, I'd already written No Fond Return of Love, so it jumped out at me when I saw it again in another challenge. So, I followed the previous practice and mentioned it here, in case people wanted to maximize their shared reads. But, no, I don't imagine that people go searching for that; though if it happens to get noticed, it may as well be noted.

I'm shooting for reading books in all challenges. I don't have one for #1 yet. I'm going to see what happens during the month. I'm sure something will come up.

#1 (page 23 flower) Joust by Mercedes Lackey Completed
#2 (no face) Angel's Ink by Jocelynn Drake Completed
#3 (house type) Menagerie Manor by Gerald Durrell Completed
#4 (personal connection) Embroidered Truths by Monica Ferris Completed
#5 (adventure) Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein Completed
#6 (B,D,G,J,P,R,U) The Great Influenza by John M. Barry Completed
#7 (female sleuth) Three Bedrooms, One Corpse by Charlaine Harris Completed
#8 (female author SF/F) The Serpent's Shadow by Mercedes Lackey Completed
#9 (comfort read tag) These High, Green Hills by Jan Karon Completed
#10 (household item cover) Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout Completed
#11 (read or write) How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen Completed
#12 (double letter) The Last Llanelli Train by Robert Lewis Completed
#13 (End of Life Book Club) Help Thanks Wow by Anne Lamott Completed
#14 (old gift) The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters Completed
#15 (Virago) 84, Charing Cross by Helene Hanff Completed
#16 (Don) Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding Completed
#17 (his or her) Kosher Chinese by Michael Levy Completed
#18 (English not native) The Witches by Roald Dahl Completed
#19 (only text) The Spell Sword by Marion Zimmer Bradley Completed
#20 (Greek/Roman mythology Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher Completed
#21 (laureate) Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson Completed

ETA: #18 & #19 then #20 then #21

My first read of the month was an excellent one, Eleanor & Park for #2 the faceless cover challenge. I stayed up late to read the final 2/3 of the novel, just couldn't put this one down.

(89) Nice list, Morphy, most impressive!

I had started the inspirational My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor, but my copy of the last Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead Ever After came in. Sorry Sonia, I guess pretend strong women take precedence over real ones - at least for now.

#92 I want to read that one, too. I must've missed it in the challenges. Going back to look now.

I have an ambitious June planned:

June TIOLI #5. Read an adventure story - Time Machine by H. G. Wells

June TIOLI #6. Read a book where a title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,R,U

• The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff


• Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg


• The Litigators by John Grisham

June TIOLI #7. Read a work with a female sleuth, amateur or professional - Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane - Currently Reading

June TIOLI #8. Read a fantasy or science fiction book written by a woman - Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane - Completed

June TIOLI #12. Read a book where at least two words in the title start with the same letter - The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots by Carolly Erickson

June TIOLI #14. Read a Book That Was a Gift To You From Last Year or Earlier - Microserfs by Douglas Coupland (2013 from Kevin)

June TIOLI #16. Read a book that has the letters D, O & N in the title. - Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

#89 - Go, Morphy, Go!!

CHALLENGE #18 Read a Book Written in English by a Writer for Whom English is not His/Her Native Language

Largely looking at emigres I suppose.

I will be reading East of the West by Miroslav Penkov who moved to the states from his native Bulgaria. Nabokov, Ha Jin Andre Brink and Xiaolong Qiu would be other fairly obvious ones.

Oh, interesting choices this month. I just picked up The Reader, which I was supposed to read last month but didn't get around to so that'll be my pick for challenge #11. I'll have to rummage around a little for some of the other challenges to see if I have anything that fits.

> 96

I think Kazuo Ishiguo would also be a great choice of author for your challenge, Paul, as he's native Japanese. His writing is so good.

>96 PaulCranswick: Great challenge, Paul! I'll look for something that fits...

ETA: I'm planning to read Evening Is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan, a Malaysian author of Indian descent. I believe that English was a second language in her household, but I'll try to confirm this before I add my book to your challenge.

>96 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the excuse to read Joseph Conrad (first language Polish) and Tom Stoppard (first language Czech), Paul.

Challenge #19: Read a book with no picture or graphics on the cover (generic E-books excluded)



Just title and author, please. :)

>101 fuzzi: Perfect! I was looking for a challenge to fit Americanah into. Thanks, fuzzi!

>96 PaulCranswick: I'm pretty sure Sri Lankan political activist and author Ru Freeman also fits into this catagory. I'm going to add her newest book, On Sal Mal Lane, which I'll be reading for Booktopia. Her first novel, A Disobedient Girl, is one of my favorite reads so far this year.

ETA: I'm signed up for one of her small groups so I'll clarify which Sri Lankan language she grew up with after next weekend.

(101) Great, @kidzdoc! I was doing it for QB VII, a book I want to read. :)

>96 PaulCranswick: From what I can tell, Preeta Samarasan's primary language in childhood was Tamil, so I'll add Evening Is the Whole Day to your challenge, Paul.

>104 fuzzi: I look forward to your comments about QB VII, fuzzi. When I first saw the title of that book back in the early 70s I thought it was about a quarterback that played in Super Bowl VII. I was in my pre-teens and loved to watch and read about sports, so I was disappointed to learn that the book wasn't about football.

(105) I just discovered Leon Uris by reading Exodus, and have plans to read more of his books. Mila 18 is on reserve at the library, too.

>96 PaulCranswick: I've got Lolita planned for this month, so there's a challenge to pop that into - thanks Paul.

I have one more book for your challenge, fuzzi: The Alienist by Machado de Assis.

>96 PaulCranswick: Would you look at Nalini Singh and let me know if you think she might qualify? Her wiki says, "Of Indian descent, Nalini Singh was born in 1977 in Fiji, and moved to New Zealand as a child." I don't know if that's enough to go on. Wiki says one of the official languages of Fiji is English, but does it make the main language? Help?

Or perhaps Roald Dahl? Looks like they spoke Norwegian and he was born in Wales.

>101 fuzzi:, fuzzi, does it count if the edition I'm reading just has text, even though other editions might have fancy pants covers? I'm thinking Moll Flanders which usually comes with a lady in some state of disarray, whereas the one I've got on order form the library is an Everyman edition, which is quite plain.

(sorry, not the best image, but hopefully it's clear there are no graphics)

Here's my cover for Challenge 19:

Morphy - I have checked on Nalini Singh's website and her facebook page and I am none the wiser. It is quite often the case that sikh families grow up nowadays speaking only english at home. Cannot confirm or otherwise I'm afraid as to her native tongue.

I love this month's challenges. I'm going to read Bernard Malamud's The Magic Barrel that meets Challenge #6 since the author's name starts with a 'B'.

(110) @Helenliz, that looks fine to me. :)

>109 Morphidae: Morphy I have read specifically that Roald Dhal's first language was not English, so he should count.

Here are my current June plans and where they fit in TIOLIs:

1 - A Monster Calls
2 - The Night Circus (on audio!!)
5 - The Song of Achilles
6 - 14 Cows for America, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, and Liesl & Po
12 - Six Words About Work (no touchstone, even though I was able to manually add it to my library. Does that not become public)
16 - The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

I may add more as the month goes on, because my library has an adult summer reading program now! I want tickets for prizes :)

Does that not become public

It does, but it can take a while to propagate. Try again in a few days.

Challenge 20: Read a Book with a Reference to Greek or Roman Mythology in the Title

Here's a place for all of us who are reading The Kindly Ones; I also have Life and Fate listed for this month.
A few other titles:
Red Mars
Transit of Venus
The Constant Nymph
The Sound and the Fury
The Silent Muse: An Anthology of Prose and Poetry by the Deaf (no Touchstone, but I swear that it exists)

Thanks, Lyzard!

I don't care either way, but as referenced in message 75 up above, The Kindly Ones fits in Challenge #16 and that's where Natalie and I have it listed. I'm fine with moving it if necessary.

Over committing this month, I'll give priority to any shared reads that turn up:

Challenge #1: Read a book with a flower mentioned on page 23
*The white nights of St Petersburg (water-lilies) - Geoffrey Trease
The wood wife (violet) - Terri Windling

Challenge #2: Saving Face: Read a book where a person is featured on the cover but that person's face isn't seen
Colin Fischer - Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz
Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell Completed
*Life after life - Kate Atkinson
In darkness by Nick Lake

Challenge #6: Read a book where a title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,R,U - letters with curves and lines
Again the Bugles Blow - Ron Bacon Completed
The Crane Wife - Patrick Ness
The Crow Road - Iain Banks
*Liesl & Po - Lauren Oliver
and need to add
Time and Chance by Sharon Penman

Challenge #8: In conjunction with the women in SSF challenge, read a fantasy or science fiction book written by a woman
Seraphina - Rachel Hartman
also want to read
Among Others by Jo Walton
The shattering or When we wake by Karen Healey
The gathering of the lost by Helen Lowe

Challenge #15: Read a book that has been published as a Virago Modern Classic
A stricken field - Martha Gelhorn - already reading

Challenge #17: Vive la difference! Read a book with "his" or "her" embedded in a title word
There Once Lived a Girl Who Seduced Her Sister's Husband, and He Hanged Himself: Love Stories - Lyudmila Petrushevskaya

cyderry - for your challenge (Read a book where a title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,R,U - letters with curves and lines) wouldn't a Q also work? Most Qs have a straight line for the line part. Just curious! I don't have a Q book, but when I saw someone had signed up to read Quiet, I started wondering. Excellent book, btw.

>122 raidergirl3:: I did think about that too, when I put up Quiet.

I have the book Q by Luther Blissett.

(Paul, I inherited that one too. I don't think I'll be reading it anytime soon though.)

I thought about Q when I made my challenge but some printed Qs had a curly line instead of straight and I didn't want to confuse anyone. I'm willing to take a vote

Me too, me too! I have a "Q" book that I would love to put in this challenge - Quantum: Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality by Manjit Kumar.

Thinking back to childhood (a long time ago!), we learned to make a straight stroke for the tail. And the script capital Q?? forget it, I still wouldn't be able to write one.

Karen O.

Okay I will allow Qs.

I've posted my first TIOLI book for June (though I see other people have already read three books):

For Challenge 8 : read a Fantasy or SF book written by a woman - Soulless by Gail Carriger

>93 lindapanzo:, Linda, I put Dead Ever After In challenge #6, the curvy letter challenge.

Will need to add to the wiki, but finished The Burgess Boys for Challenge 12. What a great read!

I couldn't remember my challenge in time this month, but a news story has prompted a different one.

Malorie Blackman is our new Children's Laureate for two years in the UK:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/10094538/Malorie-Blackman-is-n...

The challenge is to read a book by one of our Children's Laureates, or by a US National Ambassador for Young People's Literature (a US alternative).

Authors:

Children's Laureate

Malorie Blackman
Anne Fine
Julia Donaldson
Michael Rosen
Michael Morpurgo
Quentin Blake
Jacqueline Wilson
Anthony Browne

National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

Jon Scieszka
Katherine Paterson
Walter Dean Myers

(I've never heard of two of the National Ambassadors - anyone have any views?)

finished my first book of June: Die unsichtbaren Stimmen Carolina De Robertis, an intersting tale about three generations in Uruguay (the cover showing a lady's head from the back)

My son was assigned monster by WDM. I read it as well and did not care for it. Nonetheless, I'm sure it has its audience.

I just added a book with two sets of D's, O's and N's to AuntieClios Challenge #16 to honor her friend, Don.

I've dubbed it a Double Don. Can anyone come up with a triple?

That's right.

I Triple Don Dare you. :-)

#135, streamsong, you are awesome! :-)

streamsong, your Double Don is very cool! If anyone can find a Triple Don, it would be a TIOLI participant!

Karen O.

elkiedee, Jon Scieszka seems to be known for writing/editing books on topics that young boys would love. I'm going to pick up one that I would like and think my 10-year old nephew would like, for the next time he comes over to spend the night.

June TIOLI #7. Read a work with a female sleuth, amateur or professional - Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane

I hope this isn't the end of the Downside series, but if it is I can live with the conclusion of Chasing Magic.

Of course, the big bad is the biggest baddest yet. And Chess keeps finding ways to convince herself that she's unlovable and unworthy, expecting Terrible to dump her unceremoniously. We don't get much of a look at Terrible's insecurities, but it does seem that Chess is cottoning on that he's probably as broken and insecure as she is. And that's why he loves her unreservedly.

There's a bit about Elder Griffin getting married to a man, and no one thinking anything of it. Finally! A same sex couple gets married and the characters all carry on normally.

And then the big reveal by Chess to Elder Griffin which has ramifications for him. Left in the air is what this reveal does to their relationship.

Lex and Bump have to come together to fight the big bad, all the while Lex's hired assassin is loosed upon Terrible.

And although it seems trite to say, as in all the other Downsides books, the big bad gets defeated. Chess learns something about herself.

Then, Chess and Terrible drive off into the sunset in his Chevelle.

Stacia Kane has a style and a flair that is nearly intoxicating. Her books pulled me in and, often, left me breathless. Literally.

>134 Carmenere:: I'm surprised you didn't care for Monster. I liked its style. A lot of my former students enjoyed it.

Thanks for your comments about Chasing Magic. I tried the first book in the series and was put off by the drug abuse. Perhaps now that the series is concluded I should give it another try.

#132: Lucy, all three of the National Ambassadors are well known and highly respected writers. Jon Scieszka is for younger readers, even his autobiography, Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing up Scieszka is at middlegrade level. I'd recommend trying The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales or Knucklehead.
Katherine Paterson has written a swag of books, best known perhaps is Bridge to Terabithia. She spent her early childhood in China as her parents were missionaries.
Walter Myers Dean is known for his gritty urban YA novels, I've read The Beast.

>140 Esquiress: for good or for bad Monster had me discussing prison rape to my then 12 year old a little before I had planned. You're right about Myer's writing style but I really didn't care for the subject matter for this age group.

I'm surprised that his work was given to a class of that age, he is well known for dealing with very heavy issues in his work. I'd have thought his work would be given to 15yrs+.

#141, Dejah, unfortunately the drug use does not abate. In Chasing Magic Chess nearly ODs. The sex can be disturbing too. It's graphic but not pornographic like Laurell K. Hamilton's stuff (which is why I stopped reading her). It's all integral to the plot. These are really not nice people but Kane makes her readers care very much despite that.

>143 Carmenere:: Oh, my! 12?! My kids were 15. I agree with what was said in #144.

We love Jon Scieszka even now that our kids are teens. The Stinky Cheese Man was the foundation for a play, Baloney, Henry P. is great for the littlest ones, and Science Verse is a wonderful set of poetry about cool science concepts, and Math Curse is way fun for kids who love math, but aren't really into reading. Oh, and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, is a wonderful reworking of the classic tale! So excited to have an excuse to go back and read them again!

I have lots of books by Michael Morpurgo, and several by Malorie Blackman, Anne Fine, Jacqueline Wilson and Katherine Paterson to choose from, and don't quite know where to begin, so if anyone has any books by these writers on their TBR maybe we can work out a shared read or two. I also have a Julia Donaldson chapter book, as well as a lot of her picture books with various illustrators.

I read Noughts and Crosses as a World Book Night choice for that TIOLI challenge a couple of months ago, but may well read the second in the series.

Jon Scieszka - love his Science Verse (I keep it in my high school physics classroom) and Cowboy and Octopus, a wonderful story of friends between two very different creatures. It was a great family favorite at our house.

I finished my first TIOLI book of the month: Last Friends by Jane Gardam. It is a shared read with Brenda (Brenpike) in Challenge #6.

Here is a list of my other intended reads for June:

1. Dreamers of the Day ("mum" is on page 23)
3. Framley's Parsonage*
5. The Song of Achilles*
6. The Twenty-Seventh City*
11. Reading Like A Writer*
16. Ordinary Grace - Currently reading
18. And the Mountains Echoed*
20. The Kindly Ones* - This one is also listed for Ch. 16. Should we join forces either here or there?

*Shared Read

I have a few other possibilities in mind if I run out of books before the end of the month.

>135 streamsong: I've got another Double Don for Challenge #16 Anarchy and Old Dogs, the 4th Dr. Siri novel by Colin Cotterill. Anyone care to join me?

As Morphy is trying to do now, and as Suz and Dejah have done in the past, I'm aiming to read a book in each TIOLI challenge.

I've added and subtracted quite a few books but think I'm pretty settled on what I hope to read in each category, with a few exceptions.

In #4, I'm sharing a book but still trying to think of a personal connection of my own. I'm aware of a college classmate who has written a novel. I didn't know him, however.

In #14, I have a book in mind that was a gift from last Christmas but am still rummaging around my shelves thinking about another one.

In #18, author writing in English for whom English is not his/her native language is a perplexing one for me as I rarely read literary fiction and have no idea which authors are writing in English as their second language.

So far, I'm thinking of either Remains of the Day orHeart of Darkness. I sort of like the idea of a Joseph Conrad since I'm a Polish American and have never read anything by him.

I thought the kids book one might stump me as I rarely read those. However, my 10-year nephew is just starting to read for pleasure and the one author I've chosen writes for boys. The nephew likes sports and so does his Auntie Linda. I figure I'll read my choice and keep it handy for the next time he comes over to spend the night.

Linda, I'm thinking of Joseph Conrad for Challenge #18, too. I've downloaded The Secret Agent, which I'll get to sometime this month.

Since I know you've been reading plays, what about my favorite play of all time, Arcadia by Tom Stoppard (Czech)? I'm planning to read his Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (wrong touchstone), but I'll take any excuse to reread Arcadia.

Thanks for the suggestion, Dejah. I've reserved Arcadia from the library and added it to the wiki. I AM trying to read more plays, as I've mentioned to you.

I think I'm on my own with challenges #4 and 14.

For #4, besides the college connection, I'm thinking about one of the authors with whom I've had lengthy email discussions and have met.

#14 is just a look at my bookshelves and memories of where I obtained various books.

>153 Dejah_Thoris:, 154: I just requested Arcadia from the library.

153. RAGAD is brilliant, hope you like it when you read it. The movie with Gary Oldman and Tim Roth is wonderful if you haven't seen it.

As I mentioned, I'm going to take a stab at reading something in all 21 TIOLI categories this month. No more challenges can be added, right?

Though my thoughts might change, here's what I'm thinking. I can always shoehorn a mystery or baseball book into nearly any category.

1. The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood (flower)--FINISHED
2. Rationing and Revelry by Janie Hampton (no face on cover)--FINISHED
3. Murder at the Castle by Jeanne Dams (house)--FINISHED
4. A River Runs Through It - Norman Maclean (personal)--FINISHED
5. The Voyage of the Rose City: An Adventure at Sea by John Moynihan (adventure)--FINISHED
6. My Life in Politics by Jacques Chirac (curvy title letters)--FINISHED
7. Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly (female sleuth)--FINISHED
8. The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser (women in sci fi/fantasy)--FINISHED
9. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon (comfort read)--FINISHED
10. A Sweet Tea Revenge by Laura Childs (household object on cover)--FINISHED
11. If You Can Read This: The Philosophy of Bumper Stickers by Jack Bower (read/write)--FINISHED
12. Shadows on a Cape Cod Wedding by Lea Wait (same letter)--READING
13. The Case of the Lucky Legs by Erle Stanley Gardner (End of Your Life Book Club)--FINISHED
14. The Diva Runs Out of Time by Krista Davis (gift)--FINISHED
15. Old New York by Edith Wharton (Virago)--FINISHED
16. Hutch: Baseball's Fred Hutchinson and a Legacy of Courage by Mike Shannon (D-O-N)--FINISHED
17. My Mother's Bible by Walter Kirn (his/her)--FINISHED
18. Arcadia by Tom Stoppard (English not native lang)--FINISHED
19. OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word - Allan Metcalf (plain cover)--FINISHED
20. Trial by Fury: Internet Savagery and the Amanda Knox Case by Douglas Preston (Greek/Roman mythology)--FINISHED
21. Guys Read: The Sports Pages by Jon Sciezka (kids laureate)--FINISHED

>157 lindapanzo: Linda, A Week in Winter doesn't have "comfort read" as a tag so doesn't qualify for my challenge.

Thanks Morphy. I'll have to pick another Binchy. Or maybe a Jan Karon book.

Woo hoo, @lindapanzo! I'm cheering you on...

>157 lindapanzo: Good luck with that lot Linda! The match read for challenge 4 is obviously fine if you can't think of a book with a connection yourself.

Go Linda, go!

Or should that be 'Read Linda, read"?

(162) Go, Linda, read!!!

Thanks, fuzzi. When I was first learning how to read, Go Dog, Go was one of my favorites.

My absolute favorite, though was Don and Donna Go to Bat, which, this month, would be a Double DON book.

@lindapanzo, here's a nice cover for Don and Donna Go to Bat:

http://www.alephbet.com/pictures/34864_1.JPG

Love, love Go, Dog, Go

Yep. Go, Dog, Go is the best.

June TIOLI #5. Read an adventure story - Time Machine by H. G. Wells

This is a seminal work of science fiction, and as such blazed the trail for the genre as a whole. Reading it over 100 years after initial publication, gives me a sense of understanding science fiction. While taking this into consideration, as well as being a product of the Victorian era, I still found The Time Traveler to be more than a little overwrought in this tale. One surprising thing I learned was that Kodak did indeed have a camera available in 1895 and HG Wells must have been very well informed.

#150 - Donna (and ***anyone else reading The Kindly Ones this month***.

As I noted in message #75, I had originally put the book under Challenge 16 (this was before Peggy/LizzieD created Challenge 20). Challenge 16 is a tribute challenge for a fellow reader's friend who is ill, so it might be nice to put them there, but I understand if people don't want to move. I'll keep mine there, though, unless there is some rule that says I can't and I'll be kicked out of TIOLI otherwise :-)

Here is my current TIOLI list, although the stack of books next to my bed is much taller than the list here is long, so perhaps I will be able to add a few more – we’ll see how the rest of the month goes. But as I got to spend 2 hours in bed reading this morning before I got up, the signs are auspicious. :)

3. (style of house in the title or the author's name) The Good House
6. (title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,R,U) The Book of My Lives
10. (household object on the cover) Homeward Bound: Why Women are Embracing the New Domesticity
11. ("read" or "write" in the title) Reading Like A Writer and/or My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop
12. (at least two words in the title start with the same letter) The Burgess Boys - COMPLETED
16. (letters D, O & N in the title) Tenth of December - COMPLETED
19. (no picture or graphics on the cover) Me Before You - COMPLETED
21. (by a UK Children's Laureate) – I will be reading one by Jon Scieska but haven’t decided which one yet

>135 streamsong:, >151 Dejah_Thoris:, >164 lindapanzo:: The challenge was made to come up with a "triple DON" title for challenge 16. We have a few more "double DON"s, and I found a title (Far From the Madding Crowd) (which I was planning on reading anyway), that is a "double DON," on average. It has THREE Ds, two Os, and one N. So, on average, a double Don.

The triple DON remains so elusive...but the search continues. 8>)

Karen O.

I added Unsolved Mysteries of the Old West to Challenge #16. :)

Here are my plans for this month:
2. Read a book where a person is featured on the cover but that person's face isn't seen. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson - COMPLETED
6. Read a book where a title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,R,U. The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo - COMPLETED, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - READING
8. Read a fantasy or science fiction book written by a woman. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry - COMPLETED
9. Read a book that has "comfort read" as a tag. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
16. Read a book that has the letters D, O & N in the title. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - COMPLETED

Well I do have a Triple DON on my TBR shelves ... but it is the third book in a series and I haven't got or read the second. So I can't read it this month:(

Maybe someone else could so for reference it is Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon and if author names were included in the challenge it would be a Quadruple Don!

This is my very limited list of planned reads this month. There's so much more I want to get to, but I don't see it happening:
Challenge #2: Read a book where a person is featured on the cover but that person's face isn't seen
✔Gorgeous- Paul Rudnick - 3.5
✔Life After Life - Kate Atkinson - (4.5)
Challenge #5: Read an adventure story
✔Birds of Prey - Wilber Smith - Book Club (2.5)
Challenge #6: Read a book where a title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,Q,R,U - letters with curves and lines
✔Dead Ever After - Charlaine Harris - 3.5
Challenge #10: Read a book that has an everyday household object on the cover
✔Skirt Steak: Women Chefs on Standing the Heat and Staying in the Kitchen - Charlotte Druckman - Nook (4)
Challenge #11: Read a book that has "read" or "write" in the title
✔The Reader - Bernhard Schlink (5)
Challenge #12: Gemini: Read a book where at least two words in the title start with the same letter
✔Ghana Must Go - Taiye Selasi (3.75)
✔Murder Must Advertise - Dorothy L. Sayers - Audiobook( 3.5)
Challenge #15: Read a book that has been published as a Virago Modern Classic
Removed, I already read it The Vet's Daughter - Barbara Comyns
Challenge #20: Read a book with a reference to Greek or Roman mythology in the title
✔Claudius the God: And His Wife Messalina - Robert Graves (5)

Challenge #3: Read a book with a style of house in the title or the author's name

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

Much recommended, a splendid read.

>176 PawsforThought:: Oh, I begged for that for my birthday... I hope I get it :)

>174 calm:: Calm - can't help you out with Lord John and the Hand of Devils, because I've already read it.

Although it is the only one of Diana Gabaldon's works I've read; it's actually a short story collection about Lord John, who met the main characters in her 'Outlander' series at some point, from what I gather. But you could read it without reading the others, if you wanted - I don't remember feeling I lost out from not having read the other books.

ETA - just checked my review. Hmm - you could go either way on that.

Nina - I've read all the main Outlander books and am eagerly awaiting the next - the last one was very much a cliffhanger ending:(

But I have only read the first Lord John book and don't want to read the third before I get around to the second. It was just the discussion about Triple DON's that made me mention it as a possible read for someone else.

To read something for each of the 21 TIOLI challenges this month, I figure I need to read 7 for each 10-day period in June. I've finished 6 so far and hope to finish a 7th one by tonight.

I've also made a good start on my longest book for the month. I'd hoped to be a third of the way through it but I'm just a tad behind that pace. Even so, I'm enjoying the first Mitford book.

My choices for each category have pretty much fallen into place except for the "book I received as a gift" category. Too many choices there, I guess.

Finished
Challenge #5: Read an adventure story
In the Heart of the Sea

That's the factual story of the sinking of the whaleship Essex by a rather large and somewhat annoyed whale. It's also the inspiration for Moby Dick - which I am determined I am going to read soon, especially after that! Not a story I was aware of at all, but full of really interesting detail.

@Helenliz, that sounds like something I'd like to read, thanks!

I'm feeling a bit lazy, so I'll just put all the books I've read so far into :

Challenge 8 : Fantasy written by a woman
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells

The TIOLI meter?

> 184

Indeed! :D

(184) I like!!!

So far this month I have completed:

Challenge #2: faceless covers - The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Challenge #6: author's name starts with "J"; title word starts with "D" - Fifty Shades Darker by E. L. James

Challenge #6 - title word starts with "G" - Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Colin Cotterill

June TIOLI #16. Read a book that has the letters D, O & N in the title - Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

There is one word to describe Dandelion Wine - lyrical. I read a lot of Bradbury when I was in high school, and this book reminds me why I fell in love with him all those years ago.

It is the summer of 1928 in a small town in Illinois, and Douglas Spaulding - age 12 - makes some big discoveries. Most of them are existential, almost all of them are existential. In his tablet, Douglas and his brother, Tom, keep track of the things that happen to them and then write what they think something might mean in a larger sense.

In Douglas' world, life's unfairness begins to read its ugly head but the adults around him give him support to explore what that might really mean.

Two more words: exquisite and poignant

188: Stephanie, I agree with those descriptive words for Dandelion Wine. You might like the "DON" book I read which reminded me of DW set 30 years later in Minnesota: Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. Surprisingly lyrical and poignant work from an author known for his thriller series.

#189: Oh thanks Donna. I'll take a look.

I'm adding The Skewed Throne by Joshua Palmatier to Challenge 2 : faceless covers

My other TIOLI books are
Challenge 8 : Fantasy written by a woman
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells

Oh my. I just finished Life and Fate for my Greek/Roman reference challenge #20. I am amazed that I had never heard of Grossman before LT and very grateful to have read this book. It's a whopper in every way.

I heard of Life and Fate because BBC Radio 4 dramatised parts of it as a serial a few years ago and I just had to read the whole thing.

June TIOLI #6. Read a book where a title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,R,U - The Litigators by John Grisham

I think I've hit my saturation point with Grisham. In thinking of all the books I've read by him (I have an entire box), they've turned into "more of the same." The handsome hero, the socially inept client/competitor, the comely women who are also strong and empowered, the over the top less than comely women who are equally stupid .... etc. etc.

The Litigators is no different. And it's yet another David vs. Goliath story. When I dig out the box, I think most of them are going into the Goes bin.

(194) I think the only Grisham I read was The Client, after seeing the movie. I don't recall a great desire to read another book of his.

I plan to read A Time to Kill of his, but that's it.

I've read a number of Grisham's, and very much agree with AuntieClio: I enjoy reading them, but they're very much the same, so you really shouldn't read too many in a short period of time... Getting one from the library every once in a while is enough Grisham for me :P

I loved his first five books, but the others don't compare, which is too bad because the first ones were very good.

With half the month finished (as of Sat night), I've now read 12 of the 21 categories. The second half of June is busier, however, so I'm thinking it's going to be a close call as to whether I can finish them all.

Go, Linda, go!

Wow, impressive :)

It's always my goal to read a book in each category. So far, I have not yet managed it.

I've read 13 of the 21 categories so far. I should make it this month.

Whoo! I just finished my first shared TIOLI read (The Reader). Feeling mighty smug. Hopefully Crazymamie will also finish it, and there will be points! :)

#203 Good going, Morphy. I hope to join you. I've got one day off from work (this Fri) plus two weekends, along with my usual late evening reading time.

#202 I tried once before but was pretty casual about it and probably managed to get only halfway. This time, I've been organized, made a list of all 21 books, and set intermediate goals for myself.

Since I joined LT about 4 and a half years ago, the largest number of books I've read in a month is 18 so I've also had to boost my reading time a bit, too.

PawsforThought - I will make sure that I get to it this month!

You folks are fantastic! I usually read about 10-12 TIOLIs, and I'm happy to have half of them be shared reads. I LOVE participating in shared reads, so TIOLI is such a good thing (as Martha Stewart would day).

I'm adding a book to Challenge 12 (Two Words Same Letter) that I just finished, Giving Up the Ghost by Mary Logue (touchstone ain't working). I mention it only because of the book's origin--one of the local papers, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, published the novel as a serial (I was lacking in patience, so I bought the entire thing as an ebook). So far, I'm the only one who has the book on LT!

I've never read Mary Logue before, but I really liked the novel--it's a love story, it's a ghost story, and there are lots of tears and laughs to be had here. I would even go so far as to recommend it for anyone dealing with grief, especially anyone dealing with the death of a spouse or partner. I'm not kidding, there are even tiny little bits of cooking advice, and the world's cutest kitten! There's something for everyone, I think.

Karen O.

It's Quick Reads Day on the TIOLI challenges!

What are your suggestions for great books, easy to read, already COMPLETED by at least one person on the wiki, that will make fast, fun reads for others (and will result in boosting our TIOLI points for the month)?

Let us know!

Okay, here are my suggestions:

Challenge #2 Austenland by Shannon Hale (208 pages) - A woman who is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice, particularly with Colin Firth's portrayal of Darcy in the BBC adaptation, is bequeathed a three-week stay at Pembrook Park where the entire resort including the guests recreate the Regency period. This is a fun, light read for those of us that love Jane Austen.

Challenge#6 God Save the Child by Robert B. Parker (208 pages) - This is the second book in the Spenser series. The mystery here is not spectacular, but Spenser's smart mouth is a lot of fun.

Challenge #12 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (180 pages) - I know that opinion is divided here, but I love this classic.

My Quick Read nominee is definitely the delightful Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. It's about books, a bookstore, computers, and is also a mystery. What's not to like about it? The story even has a reference to a hamster (the creature from whence I derived my screen name!). :D

Read it, and just slip it into challenge #6. :)

Stats for the May 2013 TIOLI Challenges:

For the month of May, 2013, we COMPLETED a total of 21 challenges and 583 books. Of these, 117 (20%) were shared reads resulting in 63 TIOLI points and giving us a value of 337 YTD TIOLI points which was well *below* where we were at this time last year. Harrumph!! :)

Our most popular book was Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, read by 7 challengers.

Our most popular challenge was majkia's one to "read something just for the fun of it, just cuz you want to" with its 105 books. That same challenge also accumulated the largest number of TIOLI points which numbered 8.

Coming soon...our May, 2013, TIOLI Awards...

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff for #15 (Virago) is a fabulous short read and perfect for book lovers.

Oh, I love that one, Morphy!

My idea is that, on only one day a month (like the Quick Reads Day which is the 21st of the month), we get to post a favorite quote from any book that we have either COMPLETED or have started to read (because otherwise we wouldn't even know the quotes!) for the current month. I guess we'd have to pick a day in the latter half of the month so we'd at least have something already read.

If you like this idea, which day of the month would you pick?

How about the 14th? It's far enough into the month that we'd have finished/started a book or two (or more!), and about a week before Quick Reads Day to spread it out a little.

I was thinking about the 14th as well, Mary. Let's do it!

The idea of these quotes is to stimulate others into reading a book that you just discovered is really good. Put some thought into the quotes you'll be picking. The objective? Why, shared reads, of course! :D

If I forget to do this, someone remind me on July 14th! :)

June TIOLI #14. Read a Book That Was a Gift To You From Last Year or Earlier - Microserfs by Douglas Coupland (2012 from Kevin)

This book is dated. That's not usually an issue for me. Not only is this book dated, it gets so many of the local landmarks wrong that it's distracting. (No one I know calls El Camino Real, Camino Real. It's usually El Camino.)

This is the fictional diary of a guy who once worked at Microsoft and left it to follow a friend into the land of start-ups, Silicon Valley. Having lived in Silicon Valley since 1984, and having been a part of the tech boom (and subsequent) bust, I know what that world was/is like. And this book rings false in so many ways.

Yes, the broad strokes are there. They all wind up working in the narrator's parents' home while scrambling for venture capital money. They say and do all the techie buzzwords and write code until their fingers fall off. If the intent was to portray life from a programmer's point of view in the frenetic, crazed world of high tech and the geekiness that is Silicon Valley, this book failed.

It's a world I know and love, but Douglas Coupland fails to convince me that he actually knows anything about it. More to the point, he's convinced me that he read some maps, followed the news and, maybe, talked to a few geeks. Then he wrote a book impersonating a geek.

Two stars because I didn't actually throw it across any room I was in while reading it.

June TIOLI #6. Read a book where a title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,R,U - Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg

Now this is a book about being an insider that I can believe (mostly). It's about the world of publishing, and the crazy people in that world. How do people stay sane? Do they just give up after a while? Were they sane to begin with?

Blind Submission is the story of Angel who loves books and does not aspire to be a writer. When the bookshop she works for goes out of business, her boyfriend (the waiter/writer) convinces her to apply for a job with the world renowned literary agent, Lucy.

Angel gets sucked in so deeply, I actually started fretting for her. To say the place is dysfunctional would be like saying books are only good as decorations. Angel's co-workers live in fear of Lucy, and are generally paranoid about Angel.

Angel's good at her job, quick to develop good relationships with writers and their publishers. And that is highly resented. Discovering she actually likes the work, if not the hours and the pressure, she lets Lucy pile on.

And then, the Blind Submission appears in Angel's email, submitted by an anonymous author. It turns out the book is the book within the book and is about Angel's life, as can only be told by someone who is very intimate with her.

I found myself relating to Angel a lot. The crazy workplace, the exhilaration of doing something you're good at and love doing ... it's all there. Then, of course, the rug gets pulled out from under her and it's so funny, I almost cried. The hints are there and when the reveal occurs, there's the "AHA!" moment followed by the, "oh, now I see it and it makes complete sense" moment.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although some of the characters fell a little flat for me. It was a good, engrossing read and reinforces what I already knew about Debra Ginsberg, she's a helluva story teller.

Finished, for Challenge #6: author's name starts with "J" - Fifty Shades Freed by E. L. James

I'm adding Crown Duel and Court Duel by Sherwood Smith to Challenge 8 : Fantasy written by a woman,
Cupcakes by Daniel Kelley to Challenge 1 : flower on page 23
and Turning Point by Lisanne Norman to Challenge 8 : Science fiction written by a woman.

My other TIOLI books are

Challenge 2 : faceless covers
The Skewed Throne by Joshua Palmatier

Challenge 8 : Fantasy written by a woman
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells

Noticed that Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Colin Cotterill was listed in two different challenges so I moved mine from TIOLI #6 to TIOLI #12 for an extra point.

Love the Dr. Siri Paiboun series!

This book would also be a quick read and most enjoyable, if anyone would like to join us.

I forgot to mention that I also finished Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson for Challenge #21.

I would never have read this if it wasn't for the challenge and I really loved it. It was fun and sweet and sad, all at the same time.

This would also be a very short read for the next week

TIOLI Awards for May, 2012...

The Make Me Feel Guilty Award goes to cyderry for her challenge to "read a book that you should have already read". Hey! That's about 400 or more of the books I own!! How did you manage to make the originator of the "No Guilt!" TIOLI challenges feel guilty?! ;)

The You Guessed It Award goes to bell7 for guessing the name of my new grandson Eli (pronounced eh-lee, as in Hebrew) who was born on May 26. The name was well hidden within helenliz's challenge to "read a book with a single word title that is, or contains, a proper name". Although other titles did contain the letters to Eli's name, only bell7 had them in the correct order. She read Skellig by David Almond.

The Let's Keep It Simple Award goes to DeltaQueen and paulstalder in DeltaQueen's challenge to read a book with the letters M, A, and Y in the author's name (to celebrate the month of May). So as not to make this challenge too difficult, one could have simply chosen the surname of "May". They did!

In addition...

A tip o' the hat to Dejah_Thoris for reading a book for every TIOLI Challenge for the month of May!

Congrats to the May Award winners!

Just in case you were wondering...
this is Eli!

>223 SqueakyChu:
Wonderfully creative, as always!

>224 SqueakyChu:: Cute! Looks like he already knows how to deal with the world ;0)

Can't decide if he's sticking his tongue out at the world, or trying to lick it! Either way, he looks like a happy little bundle of fun. Hope he & mother are well.
Glad the challenge was able to welcome him to world (how ever unintentionally!)

> 226, 227

He's taking a taste of the world! :)

>228 SqueakyChu: So he's going to be an adventurer like his grandma.

We'll see...

I think his dad is more of an adventurer than I am, though.

I'm reading Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg and quite enjoying it. This fits into Challenge #17 - Whistle

Just a note on Tinkers. I had it for challenge #2 (book with person on cover but face not shown) whilst Darryl has it for Challenge #6. Finished it yesterday. Any chance to change to Doc for a shared read?!

June TIOLI #6. Read a book where a title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,R,U - The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

A simple, maybe simplistic, introduction to Taoism. It's interesting to read Hoff's take on the archetypes of the 100-Acre-Woods as archetypes of Taoism. In this rereading, I was reminded to listen to my inner voice and not get so caught up in using my intellect to quiet it.

Also recommended as a Quick Read.

The Waitress Was New for TIOLI # 12: two words starting with the same letter. Quirky and insightful, and definitely a quickie read.

For now, I am putting Pilgrimage by Annie Leibovitz as TIOLI #6 because it has the letter P in the title.

ETA: I'm moving this to 4. Read a book which you have a personal connection to

I've only just discovered that there's a group read thread for June : read an SF or fantasy work written by a woman, which ties in with challenge 8.

223 thanks for the simple May frog :)

16. Read a book that has the letters D, O & N in the title.

Hen Frigates: Wives of Merchant Captains Under Sail by Joan Druett

A fascinating look at the lives of (mostly North American) women (and children) who sailed the seas as companions to their ship captain husbands (a "hen" frigate was a ship with a woman on board). A bit more on my thread, here.

What a funny picture of Eli, a boy who already knows his own tastes.

I'm absent for a couple of days while attending to company and now I've returned to find I won an Award! Since my whole challenge was built around having a book by an author with the last name of May, I thank you, Madeline for recognizing my endeavours! ;)

What a cutie-pie Eli is!

and thank you, Judy, for the May challenge

This is great - an award and a weekend spent with all my grandchildren!
FYI - I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty - just give you an opportunity to catch-up on those that were waiting so patiently.

Thanks Madeline!

>232 PaulCranswick: Paul, I'm having a very subpar reading month, so I definitely won't read Tinkers in June.

> 242

just give you an opportunity to catch-up on those that were waiting so patiently.

It's not really your TIOLI challenge that makes me feel guilty...It's just that your challenge reminded me that I also signed up (unsuccessfully, so far this year) for your ROOTS challenge. Gah! Have I got others there bogged down! :(

>239 Citizenjoyce:, 240

:)

Just a week left in the month of June and I've got three books yet to finish, in order to say I read one for every TIOLI category.

quit posting and read, linda!!!

Go, Linda!

Nice going Linda, three more should be doable :) I'm sure you'll make it!

Also, I know I'm rather late for quickie reads day, but Slaughterhouse-Five is also a pretty short work. Not a very happy work, but still a quickie...

A late but short quickie suggestion - Daniel Pennac's The Rights of the Reader, original French title is Comme Un Roman, which translates as Like a Novel, is a short, readable discussion about how teenagers might be discouraged or encouraged to read. The English edition has lots of illustrations as well as a foreword by Quentin Blake, and although it claims to have a page 174 those pictures and a lot of short pages mean it's really a lot shorter.

Another one for Challenge 8 : Fantasy written by a woman, or in this case, two women.
Sorcery and Cecilia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

My other TIOLI books (running total) are :

Challenge 2 : faceless covers
The Skewed Throne by Joshua Palmatier

Challenge 8 : Fantasy written by a woman
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells
Crown Duel and
Court Duel by Sherwood Smith

Challenge 8 : Science fiction written by a woman
Turning Point by Lisanne Norman

Challenge 1 : flower on page 23
Cupcakes by Daniel Kelley

I have five left to complete all challenges. I'm not worried. I'm mostly done with one and three are relatively short.

Go Morphy!

>246 lindapanzo: & 252
I don't know how you gals do it!
The most I have read in one month is 14 books - not even close to 21!

Go, Morphy!

I've read books for Challenges 1, 2 and 8; so I'd have to read another 18 books to read one for each challenge. At 9 books for this month, I'm getting close to my personal record - I don't think I'll manage all the challenges, somehow. ;0)

I reckon I could manage to read a book for each challenge on one page in a month. With luck.
Go Linda and Morphy. Read, read like the wind!

Before this month, the most I ever read in a month was 18 books. (Usually, I read about 10-12 books per month, more in the winter, usually.) I'll likely finish #19 tonight, though I'll also be wrapped up in watching my Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup tonight.

My current book is outside of my comfort zone but the last two are right in my wheelhouse.

Go Linda!
Go Morphy!

I'm also here cheering on Linda and Morphy. There is no way I could read that many books in a month. You ladies are heroines in my book!

Rah! Rah! Rah!

Go Morphy and Linda!!

Thanks for the cheers. I'm down to two left to read now, both mysteries, my favorite.

I finished the book that was outside my comfort zone. So glad I read it as The Mirror by Maryls Millhiser might well be my favorite book so far this year. It's a time travel book: Part science fiction/fantasy, part historical fiction, part romance, and part mystery.

My all-time favorite book is Jack Finney's time travel book, Time and Again and I have to say that the Millhiser book is my favorite time travel book since the Finney book. Only 288 pages, though. I wish it had been longer as I didn't want it to end.

Picture a young woman, on the verge of being married in 1978 (which was the present-day when it was written) being thrown back to inhabit her young grandmother's body in 1900 as she was about to be married. With the young 1900 grandmother being brought forward to inhabit her 1978 granddaughter's body. It's the story of the grandmother, granddaughter, and their daughter/mother. Absolutely loved it!!

I'm reading like crazy right now trying to get to all 20 books I wanted to read in June, and I can tell that I am going to fall a few books short. :(

Tip of the hat to Linda and Morphy, covering all 21 of the TIOLI challenges is quite the accomplishment.

> 262

Always keep a few kids' books handy just for such situations! :D

Where, oh where has Madeline gone?
Oh, where, oh where can she be?
With her attention on that grandson of hers
Oh where, oh where can she be?

What an unproductive month for me! I'm sorry shared readers but I had to delete The Sparrow. I'll probably be finishing it in July.

One book to go!! I finished my penultimate book late last night for challenge #14, the gift one.

Last, but not least, is my book for challenge #12, the double letter one. I started a mystery, Shadows on a Cape Cod Wedding by Lea Wait for that one.

Go, Linda!
Go, Linda!

Go Linda, Go! Read, Linda, Read!!!!!

Personally, I've not done well this month.

I am hoping to finish up the two books I am reading, sometime over the weekend.

Go on Linda - you can do it!

I've got one that I can't decide if I want to finish, and its sapping my enthusiasm.

Coming nowhere near to Linda and Morphy's numbers, I am reading like mad in the hopes of finishing a couple more to bring my July TIOLI total to 15.

Judy, that's way more than I usually get. Next month, no doubt, I'll be back to 10 or so.

Maybe much less if I can't fit in my 7 continent books for my library's summer reading club. I've got 4 continents to go, for that.

Down to three. Midway through one and two are short.

> 264

LOL!!

He just turned one month old yesterday, ccookie!

I did not do well, this month...too many "real life" issues minimized my reading time.

There's always July. :)

I was doing really well, and got up to 9 books this month, which is good going for me. If I'd managed to carry on, I might have broken my personal record ... but I don't seem to be in the right reading mood, somehow.

I'll be moving a couple of the books that I'm currently reading over to the July TIOLI. I've done really well so far this month and would rather have an easy weekend than feel the pressure of trying to finish more than one book. I should easily finish ELizabeth Knox's Mortal Fire for challenge #8.

I agree wholeheartedly with you, fuzzi! I read three books in June but only 1 was a TIOLI. I seek redemption in July :0)

I think I'll be done with my last TIOLI for June over the weekend. The one with two words starting with the same letter. Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots by Carolly Erickson

I am not sure I'll finish another one this month either. I'm going to start one and see how much I can get read, but I've been a bit distracted by things I've been uncovering about collateral family members that I am not sure were widely known in the family. My dad didn't know some of them. I still have to ask him about today's story. My cousin didn't know either, and he's very shocked about today's story. Let's just say that to find two such stories in one week is a bit overwhelming.

Mission accomplished!! I finished my 21st book for June, one book in each TIOLI challenge. Woo-hoo.

Don't look for me to plan too much of my July reading.

Congratulations, that really is an accomplishment.

Thanks. Since it's about double what I usually read, it's also probably a one-time only thing.

Congrats, Linda!

it's also probably a one-time only thing.

That's the way I felt after I finished reading 75 book in one year. It's kind of a relief! :)

Way to go, Linda!

Congratulations, Linda!

Yay, Linda!

Go Morphy!

Does anyone else think we need a permanent spot (wiki page???) with a clever name for people who manage every challenge? Not that I think I'll ever get there, but way cool for those who manage it!

> 286

Does anyone else think we need a permanent spot (wiki page???) with a clever name for people who manage every challenge?

eeeeekkkkk! I'm afraid I'll need help with the clever!

New polls follow...

Where do you want the Hall of Fame?

1. The TIOLI meter
2. Message #1 of the Main Thread
3. It's own wiki page
4. Somewhere else

You may vote more than once.

> 289

I'm afraid I'll need help with the clever!

What kind of help did you have in mind?

Here's an idea - what about a TIOLI MUSKETEER - you know - one for all and all for one? I could probably come up with a badge if you wanted one.

Congratulations Linda, well done

Just put down the book that completed the last challenge for June. I'll get them all listed tomorrow!

WahHOO, Morphy! Way to go!!

Good job, Morphy. Way to go!!

Congrats to Linda and Morphy!

10 books for me for the month of June! Sadly it was a bad piece of work.

June TIOLI #12. Read a book where at least two words in the title start with the same letter The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots by Carrolly Erickson

I am so appalled by the sloppy history of this book. I expected better from Carrolly Erickson. She defends herself by saying it "historical entertainment" and "whimsy." History is entertaining in itself, sheer fabrication doesn't need to be done to make it interesting.

Erickson departed so far from the history of Mary Queen of Scots that I actually began to doubt myself. I kept thinking, "I don't remember that happening ... did that happen? Did I miss something?"

No, I did not miss anything. Erickson made this queen do things and go places that weren't even surmised by the history. Further, she makes Queen Elizabeth I do things she wouldn't have considered.

Historical fiction is supposed to be speculative, not contrived out of whole cloth. Humbug.

Hurray for Morphy!!

> 296

Here's an idea - what about a TIOLI MUSKETEER - you know - one for all and all for one? I could probably come up with a badge if you wanted one.

I don't know what you mean, Cheli.

I could probably come up with a badge if you wanted one.

That might mean a separate wiki page...as I think different kinds of graphics on the TIOLI Meter page wouldn't look too good.

It seems as if most people want that record somewhere on the TIOLI Meter. I'll see where I can slip it in. Alternatively, if you have a different idea, Cheli, let's see your idea...and we can hold another vote.

I noticed that I entered In darkness by Nick Lake in 2 challenges, I've removed it from challenge #6 and will keep it in challenge #2 where I originally put it. Not sure how that happened.
I've just finished Mortal Fire by Elizabeth Knox for challenge #8 and will finish my audiobook Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds later this afternoon, it fits challenge #6 so I'll add it there.

Congrats to Linda and Morphy!

Well done Morphy and especially to Linda for a first successful completion of the complete set.

Way to go, Linda and Morphy! You are an inspiration to snail readers like me.

I hesitated to say anything because I know some people would then feel that the challenge was that they **had** to try to meet every challenge.

What would you think of last months every-challenge-completers going on the top of the next month's wiki? For instance, the June completers at the top of the July wiki. Those who complete all the challenges finish it in the last day or two ..... and by putting it at the top of the next month's wiki would give them more recognition.

I see where you're going, cyderry with the all for one theme.

If it's going on the frog page, maybe a frog theme?

--Finer than Frog's hair
--Top-of-the-tree frog
--Toadally awesome (OK that's not a frog)

Doing a google I love this image:

> 309

I hesitated to say anything because I know some people would then feel that the challenge was that they **had** to try to meet every challenge.

That is definitely *not* what TIOLI is about. It's about choosing what you want to read without anyone deciding what you should read or even if should should finish what you begin to read.

It's all about choices in reading, sharing what you read, and having fun with the books you choose.

If you think I'm pushing people to read a book in each challenge, I'm not. If that perception persist, perhaps the Hall of Famers list is not a good idea.

The only thing I want to do is recognize how we, each in our own way, have great fun with our books as well as some amazing achievements.

What would you think of last months every-challenge-completers going on the top of the next month's wiki? For instance, the June completers at the top of the July wiki. Those who complete all the challenges finish it in the last day or two ..... and by putting it at the top of the next month's wiki would give them more recognition.

That takes too much thinking. Are there going to be that many challengers who are going to accomplish this? I can barely read 4 books a month. I think a better idea might be a running Hall of Fame for each year. That's easier to track.

Let's take it off of the TIOLI meter and allow to have its own page. Streamsong and cyderry, why don't you work together to design the page? Let's do a page for each separate year. I can link it to the main thread (just as I do the TIOLI meter). Surprise us! Let us know when it's done. Give me the link. I'll then take the names off of the TIOLI meter and we'll use your page instead.

What does everyone think of my idea?

"If you think I'm pushing people to read a book in each challenge, I'm not. If that perception persist, perhaps the Hall of Famers list is not a good idea"

Of course I don't think that.

I think you also misunderstood that I meant the next month's **frog** wiki. One quick line, people could add their name if they wanted to be recognized for completing all the challenges the previous month.

If you want me to help, I'll volunteer but won't be voted into the position.

ETA: I think the peeps who have achieved this, should give some input. Would you like some recognition or are you totally happy with just mentioning it on the thread?

Too complicated!

I also don't want to mix last month's "Frog News" on this month's (i.e. the current ) Frog Meter.

This is how I'll resolve it simply...

If you finish all the challenges at any point during the year, *you* add your name to the current Hall of Famers list. It will remain current through the year's end.

Short of a volunteer creating a separate page, that's about all the extra work I want to do! ;)

ETA: Challengers who've accomplished this: Feel free to add the number of challenges you've completed to the right of your name.

I think it is great to have people mention on the current months thread if they have managed to do it. I am in awe but bear no resentment towards those that are much faster readers than I am! I think a Hall of Fame would be fun!

I have managed 6 books this month - one a play that is short that I was 2/3 of the way through from before, 2 audio books (one a children's book so short) and 3 novels. I am thrilled at that.

Before I began participating in these challenges, I rarely read more than one a month. It is fun to participate in all of this craziness and I am grateful to all who participate with me. I sometimes think I spend more time reading thread posts and planning my reads than I do reading my books!

The Hall of Fame has been added to the TIOLI Meter. Check it out!

>314 SqueakyChu: ✔

I sometimes think I spend more time reading thread posts ... than I do reading my books!

*sigh* Too true!

well done, Morphy

I like it! It will be very easy to keep track of and update. Nice amount of recognition for those who accomplish this amazing feat.

Karen O.

Nice "Hall of Fame" idea! :)

Ok, I won't be finishing Pushing Ice in June as the audiobook is in 3 parts not 2, so I have another 6 hours to go and here in NZ it is midmorning on July 1.

I just finished my last 2 reads for the month: Skirt Steak which was interesting and revealing and Ghana Must Go, the style of which I found uncomfortably awkward. On to July.

The end of June has quickly sprung upon us.

Housecleaning time!

Please go into the wiki to delete those book you will not have COMPLETED by midnight tonight.

Then meet me over on the July TIOLI page!

Finished my last of the month, for challenge #1, Oh Dear Silvia. Now on to July!

I finished Tinkers and just realized that two Pauls read a book by another Paul. A shared first name gives now a shared read. :) TIOLI is fun