Take It or Leave It Challenge - December 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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Challenge for December 2013

Simply, it's this...

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Read a book with a two-word tag in which both words start with the same letter.

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Rules:
1. You may not use a number or a numeral as the first letter, in place of a word, or by itself. You may use a number spelled out as a word.
2. You may not use hyphenated words at all (not as one word nor as two words).
3. The words must not be separated by punctuation (Here we go again. Ha!)
4. The words may be capitalized.
5. You may not create a new tag now. The tag must be an existing tag.
6. You may click on "show all" to get a larger tag selection for any book.
7. The words may be in any language.
8. The two words may be a name.

Examples of how to list them:
1. The Bishop's Man (Catholic Church) -Linda MacIntyre - yoyogod
1. The Circle (Complete Collection) - Dave Eggers – kidzdoc
3. Castle of Wolfenbach (Northanger Novels) – Eliza Parsons - SqueakyChu
2. Sycamore Row (race relations) - John Grisham - Chatter box

Have fun!

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

1. The December 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 12/25/13)

WIKI index of Challenges:

Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book with a two-word tag in which both words start with the same letter - msg #1
2. Read a book with a word in the title or author representing something you would find on a holiday table - msg #4
3. Read a book by an author from a different country than the three previously listed books - msg #5
4. Read a Book Whose Title or Author's Name Contains the Word Secret(s) or Lie(s) - msg #10
5. Read a book with a word related to heat/light in the title or a related image on the cover - msg #13
6. Read a book of or about folklore - msg #18

Challenges #7-12
7. Share a read - msg #21 - thread
8. Read a book with "winter" in the title or author's name - msg #22
9. Read a book from Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of 2013 - msg #29
10. Read a book with a predominantly blue cover - msg #30 - thread
11. Read a book whose title finishes the sentence "All I want for Christmas is . . ." - msg #36
12. Read a book whose title contains a word that is a synonym for "END" - msg #37

Challenges #13-18
13. Read a book written by the late Doris Lessing - msg #38
14. Read a book from a previous month's TIOLI Challenge that you did not complete...or read at all!
- msg #39
15. Read a humorous work of fiction - msg #40
16. Read a book with an embedded word in the title - msg # 58
17. Read a book where the title begins with the letter Z or the author has a Z initial - msg #64
18. Read a book which has two words in the title starting with the same letter - msg #69

Challenge #19
19. Read a book with an object or character which are in a Nativity Scene in the title - msg #75

Add new challenges starting next month (January, 2014)~

Disclaimer: This posting of the new TIOLI challenges on the morning of a holiday for fellow Americans is not intended to make you begin scrolling on your smart phone or tapping on your mouse. It's a free morning for me because I'm going to a relative's for our Thanksgiving feast. My cooking does not start until this weekend when I have to fry up tons of potato latkes! I'm simply taking advantage of some free time. :)

Happy Thanksgiving* to fellow Americans!
Happy Chanukah to fellow Jews!

*Now is a great time to say how grateful I am that all of you find fun in the TIOLI challenges and continue to participate...year after year. Thank you, TIOLI challengers!

I don't have to cook today so I don't have the wonderful smell of turkey and all the trimmings in the background, but I'm looking forward to a meal with friends later today. With food not far from my thoughts today, it's probably not surprising that I came up with this challenge:

Challenge #2: What's on your holiday table?
Read a book with a word in the title or author's name representing something you would find on a holiday table. This would include food, utensils, and decorations. Embedded words are OK.

Ack! I'm in the middle of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Challenge #3: Read a book by an author from a different country than the three previously listed books

This is a rolling challenge.

The one I entered is from the US. So the next two have to be from authors of different countries (born or resident) - England and China, for instance, before an author from the US can be used again.

If that is clear as mud, just give me a poke.

Do NOT remove books from the wiki list. Let SqueakyChu or I do that at the end of the month. Thanks!

I was confused, but now I'm clear, Morphy. This is a rolling challenge so you might want to say "from the previous two books listed." At my first reading of this challenge, I thought you meant of those books that I myself previously read.

To reword that: Read a book by an author from a different country than the two previously listed books

How's it look now?

100%

:)

Do you think two is enough of challenge or should I make it more? Three? Five?

I have just listed -

Challenge 4: Read a book with the word Secret(s) or Lie(s) in the title or author‘s name. These words can be part of the title or author’s name or embedded into the title/name. Singular or plural is acceptable and please feel free to match a book at any time.

Some examples:
The Secret Life of Bees
Mr Churchill’s Secretary
The Lies of Locke Lamora
The Cavalier of the Apocalypse

I found it, I found it! Ugh! I don't have time for it, I don't have time for it!
At least December TIOLI is starred and will be waiting for me when we're back home later today.

Enjoy celebrating your two holiday's today, Madeline! How will you be celebrating this year? Combining both, celebrating each on a different day? Just being curious :}
and Thanks for all the time you volunteer to make TIOLI a great somewhat holiday each month!

I found it, I found it! Ugh! I don't have time for it, I don't have time for it!

You're welcome, Lynda.

I was sure no one else had time for it, but this was the only time I had time for it (until December, of course!).

I don't like that the two holidays are coming together. At least that won't happen again for another 76,000 years!

Most of my family (including me and my husband) will celebrate Thanksgiving with a meal at my sister-in-law's. My daughter will be going to her future parents-in-law for Thanksgiving.

I'm having my family and my best friend's family over for a Chanukah celebration (eating latkes, spinning the dreidel, exchanging small gifts, giving Chanukah gelt) on Sunday afternoon. This is my grandson's first Chanukah.

Challenge 5!!!
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The origins of Christmas and other December holidays lie in the fact that it's the December/winter solstice: the shortest days of the year (in the northern hemisphere, that is...). No surprise that December also sees the festival of St. Lucia in Sweden and other countries -- a holiday celebrating light. So, the challenge is reading any book whose title or author's name makes any kind of reference to light or heat (embedded words are fine!) OR with a cover that has an image of something that is clearly warm/hot -- a fireplace, a candle, an oven, a bonfire, etc.

Examples/possibilities:

Fire/fiery
Blaze/blazing
Hot/heat
Warm/Warmth
Oven
Candle
Fireplace
Flame
Sun

Those plans sound terrific, Madeline. I can imagine how chaotic my life would be if Christmas and Thanksgiving fell on the same day. Hmmm, But on the other hand.....I think it would have its good points too.
Enjoy your grandson's first Chanukah!

I'm changing mine to three to make it slightly more challenging. Everyone's books so far are just fine.

> 15

Noted!

13. Aw! Lucia is my favourite day of the year. Such a lovely little holiday. I really hope one of my December reads will fit that challenge.

Madeline, I would have bet money the thread wouldn't be up today. I knew you'd be working yourself into a frazzle with cooking for 2 holidays. By now I should be used to being wrong in so many ways.

Challenge #6: Read a book of or about folklore
You can add in parenthesis the folklore character if it's not clear from the title. The book can be one of folklore or about another well known character from folklore.

I plan to read:
The Dyke and the Dybbuk - Ellen Galford
Moll Cutpurse, Her True History (Robin Hood) - Ellen Galford

and maybe Hogfather (Santa Claus) - Terry Pratchett

Now, off to make the pumpkin soup.

Bon appetite, Joyce. Have a happy holiday! :)

1> Madeline - does the tag have to be mine, or one that someone else has attached to the book? I don't tag in that way, can I just nick other people's tags?
Happy Thanksgiving. it's been work as usual here in Blighty. At least tomorrow's friday...

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Challenge #7: Share a read

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We all know that Madeline has been fretting over the drop-off in our TIOLI shared read figures, so here's a challenge to give them a boost! :)

The rules are simple: you cannot list a book for this challenge unless you have already found someone to share your read. Once a book is listed, anyone else may join in. Although you have to have a partner to list a book, if Person B doesn't finish it, Person A does not have to remove their read from the wiki.

I will start a thread as a place where people can find a reading partner.

ETA: Done - it is here.

Challenge #8: Read a book with "winter" in the title or author's name

Of course, winter can be embedded.

On behalf of the southern hemisphere, I object! :D

If that's an objection to my challenge, the southern hemisphere can simply choose to celebrate it as their summer -- heat, light & all!

Well, I was objecting to Linda's, but you're just as bad! :)

Objection duly noted.:)

If you want to suggest a summery one in the next few months, I wouldn't mind. For my 2014 challenge, which I'm starting on 12/14, I have a cold category though.

> 20

does the tag have to be mine, or one that someone else has attached to the book?

The tag can be yours or someone else's. It cannot have been created just to fit into this challenge, though. In other words, you have to find it by looking at the book's tags.

can I just nick other people's tags?

Yes. Most challengers will probably end up using tags that were created by others.

> 23

On behalf of the southern hemisphere, I object!

LOL!

Challenge #9: Read a book from Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of 2013

And here's your link for Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of 2013

Challenge #10- Read a book with a predominantly blue cover

During last month's colorful covers challenge, I learned that I have a number of books with predominantly blue covers. So here's a challenge!

I have a question regarding a listing on the wiki for challenge 3:

A Treacherous Paradise (Mozambique) - Henning Mankell - lahochstetler

Henning Mankell is a Swedish author. I happened to have just finished reading the listed book, so I know that it is historical fiction with a setting in Mozambique and is quite a bit different from the other dozen or so books of his that I've read. I do not know if Mr. Mankell also resides in Mozambique sometimes, which is why I bring it up here, in case someone else might know, before that rolling challenge gets too far along.

That would be mine. According to his website:

"Snow, deep snow, is one of Henning Mankell’s first memories. Later in life, after choosing to divide his time between Mozambique and Sweden, Henning states:
“I stand with one foot in the snow and one foot in the sand.”'

After doing some research, I saw that Wiki says Mankell spends at least half the year in Mozambique, so I'll accept it.

Is Challenge 10 supposed to be a predominantly blue cover, or a title female character whose name begins with S? :)

Challenge 5: Suzanne, your challenge as worded includes the author's name and this isn't reflected in the challenge listing. This is theoretical as I'm already reading Rose Under Fire and am unlikely to finish it this month, so won't be looking far to find a book for this challenge. Would, for example, Alison Light or Lucy Ellmann ("Lucy" is a version of Lucia and means light) fit?

Challenge #11: Read a book whose title finishes the sentence "All I want for Christmas is . . ."

If you don't say what you want, how will Santa ever know?

Challenge #12: Read a book whose title contains a synonym for "END"

Seeing December is the end of the year, read a book that contains the word END or any other word that has a similar meaning. It can be an embeded word, but must appear as a whole word (so no rearranging letters to find your word)

Example words: last, final, climax, conclusion, denouement, ultimate... This is not an exhaustive list >:-)

Challenge #13: Read a book written by the late Doris Lessing

In honor of Doris Lessing (winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature), who died on November 17, 2013.

Wikipedia page where you will find a lovely bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Lessing

I look with shame at the books I meant to read this year, books I listed in a TIOLI Challenge, but never completed...or even started!

So, for my December TIOLI, I am challenging myself and any others to wipe clean the slate:

Challenge #14: Read a book (or books) from a previous month's TIOLI Challenge that you did not complete...or read at all!

Let's finish 2014 by cleaning up those neglected TIOLI Challenges.

I decided to do a simple challenge:

Challenge #15: Read a humorous work of fiction

Luci, the author's name being related to heat or fire or light is find. But I'm going to say no to "Lucy" names. I mentioned the holiday as an example of the seasonal focus on light, not to open the door to other synonyms and derivations. For instance, it's possible to argue that Claire or words like luxury have roots in words like light. I think I would prefer to keep this simple. So yes, a word in a title or author name, embedded or not, is fine, but not derivations.

41. But the word luxury has the word "lux" embedded which literally means light. Are foreign words not accepted?

you can also measure light in lux.
(but not using the soap flakes - that's a different thing entirely)

41: Fair enough.

I wondered if someone would post a Doris Lessing challenge. Since it's about to be December, and I find it a weird reading month with around a week at the end where I read a lot less, I'm not sure I'll get to her work this month, but I may post another challenge which includes her but not exclusively for January.

OK, I'll let lux go -- along with lumiere, chandelle, German words, etc. but not derivatives please. Lux is embedded in luxe, deluxe and luxury, but not Lucinda, Lucy, Lucia, etc. To me, that's a name. My name happens to be derived from "lily" but even if it were a closer link, like Lilias or Lilith, it wouldn't be in the spirit of a flower challenge, IMO. Given the array of words & synonyms and with embedded words possible, there's lots to choose from. Just look at "sun" or even "sol".

ETA: Given the Mankell ruling, I'm going to add Amsterdam by Russell Shorto to challenge #3 under the Netherlands. I don't know whether the American-born author has taken out Dutch citizenship, but he has lived and worked there full time for much of his adult life, and his son was born there. I think his wife is Dutch, but am not sure. If there any objections, please holler...

And adding more! I'm surprised to find that I have so many Doris Lessing books on my shelves, most of them unread. I've added three to the wiki, but may end up reading only one or two depending on which ones I am able to locate. Prisons We choose to Live Inside is a collection of her Massey Lectures from 1985 -- the Massey Lectures being delivered on CBC radio annually, and a bit treat for me, when I can get to hear them or later, to read them.

#45 - If it helps with the narrowing down, I thought The Good Terrorist was awful.

>45 Chatterbox: Nope, no objections. It can be birth country or resident country.

46: I disliked The Good Terrorist too but I still seem to have bought a replacement copy this month, even though I obviously didn't keep my first copy, and I think that was because I didn't like it.

#48 - Ha! I got rid of my copy too (but did not replace it). I read it last year after being wildly impressed with The Grass is Singing, and I was shocked that the two novels were written by the same human.

For December, I keep going back and forth between Shikasta and The Golden Notebook, but I think I'm going to stick with the latter. I've also heard good things about The Children of Violence series.

I was tempted by Shikasta, but I have a couple of Big novels (complicated, jammed with ideas, etc.) already scheduled for this month. I'll keep an eye peeled for my copy of the other novel, then. Thanks for the suggestion! Oddly -- I remember buying The Good Terrorist when it came out in hardcover, I think as a holiday gift to myself, because the premise sounded intriguing, and then I never read it and have no idea why. It wouldn't have been reviews.

#47 -- Thanks, Morphy! That will also help anyone who wants to put Eleanor Catton in as either NZ or Canadian author, and some other cases, as well. Milan Kundera could be France or Czech Republic.

I might go for The Summer Before the Dark, or if I can find them, either the first volume of her memoirs or her memoir of her parents.

I am trying to squeak one more in before November ends. Only then will I be able to concentrate on December's TIOLIs.

I added Last Friends to Helen's challenge, but I went and finished it a day early! Even in New Zealand it's not December yet. Never mind. I'm looking forward to squeezing a few TIOLI reads in this month.

Another month of great challenges with lots of books to listen to whilst doing holiday preparation. My planned reads:

Challenge #1: Read a book with a two-word tag in which both words start with the same letter
Removed Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man - Chaz Bono
Challenge #3: Read a book by an author from a different country than the three previously listed books
✔1Q84 - Haruki Murakami - Audiobook (3.25)
✔Daughters of Mars - Thomas Keneally Audiobook (5)
✔Healer - Carol Cassella - E-Audiobook (3.75)
✔The Ladies' Paradise - Émile Zola - Nook (4)
Removed Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune - Bill Dedman E-Audiobook
✔Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? - Billy Crystal - Audiobook (3.25)
Challenge #4. Read a Book Whose Title or Author's Name Contains the Word Secret(s) or Lie(s)
✔The Secret Magdalene- Ki Longfellow - E-Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #5: Solstice Challenge: Read a book with a word related to heat/light in the title or a related image on the cover
✔The Daylight Gate - Jeanette Winterson (3.5)
Challenge #6: Read a book of or about folklore
✔The Dyke and the Dybbuk - Ellen Galford (3.5)
Removed Moll Cutpurse, Her True History - Ellen Galford
✔Tell Me a Story: Timeless Folktales from Around the World by Amy Friedman Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #8: Read a book with "winter" in the title or author's name
✔The Winter Ghosts - Kate Mosse - E Audiobook (3)
Challenge #9: Read a book from Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of 2013
✔Doctor Sleep - Stephen King - Nook (4)
✔Schroder: A Novel - Amity Gaige - E Audiobook (4)
✔A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki - E-Audiobook (5)
✔TransAtlantic: A Novel - Colum McCann - E Audiobook (4.5)
✔The Woman Upstairs - Claire Messud - E Audiobook (3)
Challenge #10: Read a book with a predominantly blue cover
✔Beautiful Ruins - Jess Walter-Audiobook, Bookclub (4.5)
✔The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism - Naoki Higashida - E Book (4)
✔Survival Lessons - Alice Hoffman (3.5)
Challenge #11: Read a book whose title finishes the sentence "All I want for Christmas is . . ."
✔A Handbook to Luck - Cristina García - E-Audiobook (4)@
✔The Serpent's Tale - Ariana Franklin - E-Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #12: Read a book whose title contains a word that is a synonym for "END"
✔Finishing School - Muriel Spark (3.5)
Challenge #14: Read a book (or books) from a previous month's TIOLI Challenge that you did not complete...or read at all!
✔Wrapped in the Flag: A Personal History of America's Radical Right - Claire Conner (4.25)
Challenge #15: Read a humorous work of fiction
✔Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms... - Allie Brosh (5)
✔NPR Laughter Therapy: A Comedy Collection for the Chronically Serious -NPR E-Audiobook (3)
Challenge #16: Read a book with an embedded word in the title
✔Anthem - Ayn Rand E-Audiobook (1.5)
✔Crocodile on the Sandbank - Elizabeth Peters - E-Audiobook (3.25)

I definitely went overboard last month on my planned reads. Still, I am now at 79 for the year! Yay!

This month I'm concentrating on library books that need to go back soon, and they all (not coincidentally) correspond to my contribution to this month's challenges (#9: read a book from Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of 2013).

Here are my planned reads for December

Blood & Beauty by Sarah Dunant
Breaking Point by C. J. Box
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J. K. Rowling)
The Dinner by Herman Koch
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Never Go Back by Lee Child
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson

53> teeheehee. That is being a little over eager.

Here are my plans:

4. Read a Book Whose Title or Author's Name Contains the Word Secret(s) or Lie(s) The Destiny Secret: A Plot to Change the World (Second Edition)

5. Read a book with a word related to heat/light in the title or a related image on the cover Fire and Ice (Liam Campbell #1)

7. Share a read - A Christmas Carol

9. Read a book from Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of 2013 - The Goldfinch

12. Read a book whose title contains a word that is a synonym for "END" The Last Call (The Bill Travis Mysteries)

15. Read a humorous work of fiction The Stingy Minion, Even More Ketchup than Salsa: The Final Dollop

Challenge #16 - Read a book with an embedded word in the title.

It can stretch between two words.

cyderry -- I notice you had put Hope Factory in your challenge; I also have it listed in the nationalities challenge (#3). If you felt like joining me there, it could be a joint read. Since #3 is a rolling challenge, I can't move the book to yours without unraveling it, as nothing else I have on my "to read" list will fill the gap.

Challenge 14: What is the first book listed in that challenge meant to be? No details at all at the moment.

I found a Doris Lessing novel I've never heard of, The Sweetest Dream, in Oxfam today, set in the early 1960s but published in 2001.

>59 Chatterbox: Go ahead and move it if you wish.

Others, if you want to remove a book from my challenge, check with me. Depending on the books around it, I might be able to okay them on a case by case basis.

no problem, I moved mine.

Thanks, all! Given the push to share reads, it seemed sensible...

I echo Luci's query re #14 -- I have been tempted to remove it, but didn't want to if someone had put it there for a reason.

Challenge #17: Read a Z book - where the title begins with the letter Z, or the author has a Z initial

Pretty self explanatory... End of the alphabet for the end of the year.

>34 raidergirl3:- Hah! I've been trying to fit that book somewhere for some time now.

64> hurrah! I will have one of those this month as I complete a year long alphabet challenge. X Y & Z titles are on this month's agenda.

This has turned into one of those rare months where every one of the 16 books I am planning on reading has fit into the challenges! I know I am obsessed but this makes me do a happy dance!

>67 DeltaQueen50: I know what you mean. All 17 of my November book fit into a TIOLI challenge. Great feeling!

Challenge #18: Read a book which has two words in the title starting with the same letter - started by auntieclio

The New New Thing - Michael Lewis - auntieclio

Clarification: The title can have more than two words in it, only two of them must start with the same letter.

I goofed. I put Kate Atkinson's Life After Life in Challenge #9. The Kirkus Best Fiction Book of 2013 with that title is by Jill McCorkle.

souloftherose: I'll leave it to you as to whether we move our shared read to Challenge #7 or Challenge #18.

(Never mind. :) )

70: I think both books are on that list - the Atkinson definitely is. For some reason the link takes me to the middle of the list somewhere but as it's arranged by author, Atkinson is on the first page.

71: Well, that's special. I wonder how often 2 books with the same title make a Best of list in the same year?

The library has also (amazingly) sent me Lexicon by Max Barry, so I'm sticking that in Challenge #9.

I had been planning to either put up the challenge that Helenliz put up, or to put up a Doris Lessing challenge, but both challenges have already been posted :P And here I thought I would be having a hard time choosing between the two challenges :)

I'm rather busy these days, so slightly hesitant about listing books, but I will have a lot more time to read during the christmas holidays, so I'll be making my christmas reading selections later this month...

For now the plans are:
Challenge 1: Dead Souls - Nikolai Gogol (shared)
Challenge 2: Woutertje Pieterse - Multatuli (Dutch classic - for real life bookgroup)
Challenge 3: Dochter van Isfahan (The Blood of Flowers) - Anita Amirrezvani
Challenge 10: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow - Peter Hoeg (shared)
Challenge 17: Zoo City - Lauren Beukes

Challenge #19: Read a book with an object or character which are in a Nativity Scene in the title - started by paulstalder

So when an angel or a manger, a Mary or a shepherd appears - that book takes part in the challenge. Any object or figure which is usually part of such a scene.

Since we don't know the 'housing' of Jesus' birth, please don't words like hut, cave, stable, or whatever (Luke tells us only that there was no place in the inn - where they lived then is not told).

>75 paulstalder:, Do embedded words/names like "Christ" in "Christmas" count for the challenge?

yes, embedded words do count

Just finished We thought we heard the angels sing a fascinating survival story from World War II

TIOLI 10. Read a book with a predominantly blue cover - The Android's Dream by John Scalzi

Ah Scalzi, we meet again. Long one of my favorite bloggers and becoming one of my favorite authors, John Scalzi has a weird sense of humor and a great sense for telling silly stories.

The Android's Dream is based on the premise of a diplomatic meltdown between two planets (Earth and Nidu) which has been engineered for decades. Starting with what amounts to a fart joke and going from there, Scalzi leads the reader through a merry chase of chicanery, subterfuge, sabotage and good old fashioned violence. In the end, Robin Baker has become her own nation, the leader of Nidu, the richest person on earth and the Evolved Lamb, messiah of a religion bent on making prophecies come true. Silly fun, but definitely not for those who prefer their reading not have strong language. The Android's Dream is strewn with "f" and "s" bombs.

Is there a thread for #10, read a book with a predominately blue cover?

There is not (I think), but you can start one, AuntieClio.

Speaking of threads, is there any interest in a Doris Lessing thread? If so, I'd be happy to set it up.

I just need to know which is the shortest/easiest Lessing.

Morphy, I'm reading a very short (75 pages) collection of speeches that Lessing gave in the mid-1980s, published under the title Prisons We Choose to Live Inside. It may be a bit harder to find & the subject matter is serious non-fiction, but it's very readable and thought-provoking.

Can't get much shorter than that. I have it ordered from the library and there is no waiting list so I should get it soon. Thanks!

I can start a thread for the blue covers. Will do shortly, meaning probably in the morning as I'm on my way to bed.

I have a book with a slightly icky blue cover read. In fact it's a pretty naff cover all round, so may be the lack of a thread to post it to saves me from having to share it with you.

TIOLI 16. Read a book with an embedded word in the title - Murder in Canton by Robert Van Gulik (can, ton, cant)

This Van Gulik was much better than The Willow Pattern, I found it more enjoyable.

In The Murder of Canton we find Judge Dee and his faithful companions going to Canton to solve the mystery of the disappeared Imperial Censor. This is a complicated plot involving Arabs (Muslims), Tanka (Chinese outcasts of low blood), political intrigue, love and lust gone horribly wrong and murder. Oh, and crickets.

My problem with Van Gulik continues to be with the unnecessary nudity of women and the near misogyny. No woman seems to escape bad-mouthing or being punished for some vaguely inferred "sin." And while I understand that Van Gulik is reframing Judge Dee from seventh century Chinese stories, the appearance of two completely naked 16-year-old twins seems to be a little much. As does the half Persian half Tanka prostitute who dances nearly completely naked, except for the emerald in her belly button, for a muslim host and his Chinese guests. If, as we are led to believe, Mansur is indeed a deeply devout Muslim, no such immodestly dressed woman would have been allowed in his presence.

Here's the thread for TIOLI #10, predominantly blue cover

>88 AuntieClio: I have to agree with you about the trend among many authors to include unnecessary nudity/misogyny in the story. It detracts from the story rather than enhancing it.

#91, Murder in Canton was all Van Gulik based on the original seventh century Judge Dee stories. It may be the originals were like that, which I accept. Different times and all that. Certainly the illustrations are done by Van Gulik in the style of seventh century China. From a historian's point of view, I do find them mildly interesting. From a reader's stand point, there doesn't really seem to be a point for a lot of it.

Here's a little more about Judge Dee. The stories were 18th century based on the seventh century historical figure of Judge Di Renjie. Van Gulik's translation of The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee gave him the idea to write his own Judge Dee stories based on the style of the original stories.

O.K., I've happily finished 11/22/63, and I still don't know why somebody tagged it "African Americans," but I'm glad he/she did so that I had a nice place to put it. On to the next!

When We Were Orphans has been tagged as Asian American, Chinese American and American Literature, among other more appropriate tags. It's by an author who was born in Japan and moved to Britain when he was 5, and the characters are British, Chinese or Japanese, but I don't even remember any American or partly American character. Fortunately there were other categories where I could put the book.

TIOLI 1. Read a book with a two-word tag in which both words start with the same letter (Sam Spade) The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

Boy, did Brigid O'Shaughnessy have Sam Spade figured wrong! I really enjoyed re-reading this classic, walking the streets of San Francisco with Spade, settling in as he followed all the threads and tied them off in a nice bundle to hand over to the police. Through it all Spade is tough, terse and unsentimental, which constantly surprises those around him. Sam's not like the rest of us, good thing too. (Lucky for me, there's a walking tour of Hammett's and Spade's hangouts. For a couple of sawbucks they even throw in a guide.)

I am thoroughly enjoying The Man in the Wooden Hat for Madeline's challenge - would love it if someone would join me! It's a pretty quick read, too......

TIOLI 1. Read a book with a two-word tag in which both words start with the same letter - The Mugger by Ed McBain (police procedural)

This was my introduction to the 87th Precinct. While somewhat predictable and uncomplicated, I found myself enjoying some of the subplots and the imaginative tag line of the mugger himself. This is a great snuggle under the covers read.

#98: I'm over halfway through The man in the wooden hat so will add to the wiki.

^ Cool!

Morphy - I'm not going to get around to reading one book I put in for your rolling challenge - it seems to be stuck in the library's reservation system and heavens only know when it will emerge. Do you want me to do anything, or just leave it where it is?

>102 Helenliz: You can remove it. There are no books with Australia close in either direction. Thanks for checking!

Chatterbox, let me know when you finish The Pure Gold Baby for Challenge #7. If you haven't started it, make sure you're familiar with the meaning of the word "proleptic" as it pops up frequently.

That was my 75th book for the year. I can relax now :)

Congrats!

Finished two books with blue covers:
- Der Schneeflockenbaum by Maarten 't Hart
- The absent one by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Just finished The Cleft by Doris Lessing. I had never read Lessing before, and I was somewhat disappointed. The Cleft is basically a fairy tale about the origins of the human race where women were the first humans who then gave birth to the males. The writing was fine and the story was OK, too, but it lacked a compelling story line. I also failed to see the value of the Roman narrator. I thought the story could have been easily told without his voice. Overall, I rated it 2.5 stars.

#104 -- Jen -- as in the meaning of "foreshadowing"? Ok... I'm about 50 pages into, enjoying the writing but the theme so far seems to be a bit oblique. I am enjoying the rather sly references to titles of her prior books, eg "radiant way" and "the millstone".

It's Share-A-Quote Day!

Do you have any good lines from your current read(s) to share?

In Survival Lessons, Alice Hoffman, writing about her successful treatment for breast cancer, gives advice about getting through the crises of life: Write it down. Even if it's a few sentences. Because you won't remember. You think you will never forget, but you will. Write down your life story or a poem. Sometimes shorter is better. Make a list of what all you have loved in this unfair and beautiful world. 'Fireflies. Blue herons. Fresh coffee. Manhattan at dusk. The man waiting in the other room. The woman with dark eyes.'
When I couldn't write about characters that didn't have cancer and worried I might never get past this single experience, my oncologist told me that cancer didn't have to be my entire novel. It was just a chapter. She assured me that eventually it wouldn't be the main character who had cancer, it would be the grandmother, then the best friend, then the distant cousin, the neighbor, and finally the stranger down the block. Your sorrow will become smaller, like a star in the daylight that you can't even see. It's there, shining, but there is also vast expanse of blue sky.

Wow. That's powerful, Joyce. Thanks for sharing.

I love that quote, Joyce. Thanks.

> 110

Joyce, that is a powerful quote. Thanks for taking the time to share all of it with us.

I'm a breast cancer survivor...and, to those fortunate enough to survive this disease, Alice Hoffman is right on the money.

This quote also gave me an idea for a birthday gift for my younger son. When all of our children were little, we made a book for each with their funny sayings. Now that I have a six-month-old grandson, I'm going to give my son a journal in which he can write down his own son's funny sayings. Each funny line is so precious that it's worth remembering. Memory alone will not give these innocent lines justice.

What a perfect gift, Madeline. It will give so much joy for years to come. And congratulations on your own victory.

I am so glad you gave me that idea today. My husband and I are now looking over the three other journals and having great laughs. Later today, we'll give the new journal to my son and share with the kids their own past funny sayings. We always enjoy doing this.

Wow Joyce, that quote is amazingly powerful.

And Madeline, I love that idea. I like that so much better than a regular baby book (which I would never remember to write in anyway).

My daughter, our third child, always reminds me that I put much less in her baby book than I ever did in those of her two older brothers. :/

117. I think that's a general thing. There are WAY fewer photos of me than of my older brother.

Th Alice Hoffman quote is amazing, very impressive...

I also think it's quite 'normal' for parents to take fewer picture of second, third, etc. children. I'm the youngest myself, and my parents actually wrote down in my baby book at some point that they're not writing as much and taking as many pictures as they did with my older brother :P

117> We lost Grandma in January and so the family's been going through their stuff. Including ~ 30 years worth of slide. There's a sudden increase in volume the year I was born - yup, first grandchild. The novelty had obviously worn off by the time my kid brother came along >;-)

#110 - Love it.

TIOLI 3. Read a book by an author from a different country than the three previously listed books (China) - The Art of War by Sun Tzu

Inspiration comes from many places and The Art of War is one of those books mentioned frequently in my circles. It's one of those books I've been meaning to get to for years and, while I am not sorry that I finally got to it, its usefulness to me is limited.

Most of the non-strategic advice is good leadership advice. Things such as being a leader means setting the standard for how the work should be done, including getting one's hands dirty with the lowliest tasks. I've read plenty of stuff about leadership, and setting the example, that there really wasn't anything new for me here.

Since I'm not interested in military strategies, the rest was dry.

From a strictly historic perspective, I can understand the importance of this treatise. But as an outstanding example of leadership and strategy in the 21st century? I'm not seeing it.

I joined in with Dead Souls for the first challenge, but I had no idea that the book was 'unfinished'! Now I'm somewhat annoyed, I really enjoyed the first part and then apparently mr. Gogol decided to burn the second part and then commit suicide... *sigh*
So, yeah, it really was an enjoyable read, but very sad that it's not complete :(

#123: I finished it today as well, and I was also suprised and disappointed by those "hiatuses"(what is the plural of hiatus?) which always occurred when I just felt at home in a new scene. The first part was good and the longer bits of the second part as well. It just took me a while to understand I was reading a satire. The first chapters with the first mentions of the "dead souls" felt more like a drama and I was waiting for more mysterious things to happen. Instead there came all that crazy dialogue...

>124 Deern: Yes, it did have a touch of mystery/drama in the beginning. I did get drawn in (also because I really wanted to know what he was going to do with all those dead souls :P), and like said, enjoyed it a lot, I love Gogol's style. It would have been nice if he would have finished it... Or not burnt it :/

I'm working on completing another full month's challenges.

#1 two word tag same letter - Lover Mine by J. R. Ward Done
#2 holiday table - Sea Glass by Maria Snyder
#3 different country - The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore Done
#4 secret or lie - Whispered Lies by Sherrilyn Kenyon
#5 heat/light - Tiger Burning Bright by Mercedes Lackey, et al. Done
#6 folklore - Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts by Josepha Sherman
#7 share a read - Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat Done
#8 winter - Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
#9 Kirkus - The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman Done
#10 blue cover - Lover Unleashed by J. R. Ward Done
#11 All I Want for Christmas - A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
#12 end - Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl
#13 Doris Lessing - Prisons We Choose to Live Inside by Doris Lessing
#14 previous TIOLI - The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers Done
#15 humorous fiction - Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger Done
#16 embedded word - After Dead by Charlaine Harris Done
#17 Z - Zen mind, Beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki
#18 two words title same - Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Done
#19 nativity scene - Glorious Angel by Johanna Lindsey Done

I read Tiger Burning Bright as well but put it in #16 the embedded word challenge. I suppose it will be best if I moved mine as you are trying for a full month's challenge, Morphy.

Moved but you haven't put yours on the wiki yet Morphy so I left off the asterisk for a shared read.

I'm putting it in right now, calm.

Go Morphy! Go Morphy!

Go Morphy. I thought this month was again suitable for reading at least one in each category but too busy to do it. Maybe next year I'll try it again.

TIOLI 18: Read a book which has two words in the title starting with the same letter - The New New Thing by Michael Lewis

Silicon Valley would indeed be a very different place without Jim Clark who, at the time of The New New Thing was founder of at least 4 companies worth a billion dollars, including Silicon Graphics and Netscape. What he did to the internet economy is so astonishing, that aftershocks are still rippling through the world.

Jim Clark was the man who convinced investors to start throwing their money into Silicon Valley high tech companies before they turned a profit. Whatever Clark thought up and implemented turned people very rich, and we all wanted a piece of that action. It's still a part of the mythos here that one can get rich if they just pick the right start up and ride it out.

The New New Thing follows Clark through construction of his "boat" and consequent sailing of the computerized behemoth from the North Sea to Antigua where the mundanity of a ripped sail forced the trip to a halt. But, of course, it's not truly the story of trying to get the largest boat's programs to work together so that Clark could sail it from anywhere in the world, remotely. It's the story of how this crazed maniac of a visionary turned Silicon Valley into what it is today and how the rules of business were changed forever.

I really enjoyed this book and chuckled at how this whole thing got started because Jim Clark wanted a boat bigger than Larry Ellison's Juliet and needed money to build Hyperion. Larry's the founder of Oracle Corp. and is notorious for his conspicuous consumption, so when someone wants to out do him they have to pony up multi-millions of dollars.

Yeah, good times. At least I got out of debt and got to take a few good vacations out of the deal.

Quickie Reads Day...coming up...

Your suggestions, please!

I'll recommend a couple. I've seen TV/film adaptations of A Christmas Carol umpteen times, but I hadn't read Dickens' original until now. It's even better than the movies. I listened to the audio version, which is fairly short, but reading it in print would be even quicker. It's in challenge #7.

I borrowed In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story on impulse when I went to the library the other day, based on the reviews I had seen recently in this group. It truly is a quick read. I read the book and watched the accompanying DVD in a half hour or less. It tells a story that deserves to be remembered. It's listed in challenge #5.

I have to recommend Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman. It's a very quick read, full of lessons we all know but need to be reminded of occasionally.

I'm recommending Last Night at the Lobster. Here's what I said about it on my thread:

This book is set in a very narrow frame of time - the last night of a Red Lobster restaurant's existence. The restaurant is being closed down, so the staff will no longer be working together, although some of them are being sent to another restaurant owned by the same chain. It is just a few days before Christmas and there is a winter storm brewing. Does it really matter if the Lobster opens one last time? Told from the perspective of Manny DeLeon, the manager, this simple story is a glimpse into the world of food service that rings true for anyone who has ever worked behind the scenes. It is also a study of how what is comfortable and familiar is hard to let go of. We don't always get what we want. And we don't always say the right thing just because the moment is ripe for eloquence.

It weighs in at only 146 pages, so a very quick read with a nice flow to the narrative. I have it listed in challenge #12.

Only 1476 pages? Is that a typo? Amazon lists it at 160 pages.

Whoops! Thanks, Luci. I meant to type 146 pages!!

*edited to spell your name correctly -sorry.

Quick read that I added to #16 embedded word challenge is the novella The Wife of Martin Guerre by Janet Lewis - an excellent read based on a true incident from 16th century France. Only 90 pgs.

I'm reading Teckla by Steven Brust. His Drageara series is hilarious and are quick reads. Hard to believe a series of books about an assassin can be funny but then when you have a smart arse dragon on your shoulder all the time. I will also say that the audio versions are particularly fun as the reader is tremendous.

The Anne Perry Christmas Stories are very short. I've been listening on audiobook, and they are only 3-4 hours each. I listened to The Christmas Promise this month for Challenge #16.

I'm down to my last couple of TIOLI reads for the year and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, Madeline, for keeping the TIOLI Challenges fun, fresh and addictive! I have read 187 books this year, 118 of which were from my TBR, most of them read for these challenges!

You're welcome, DeltaQueen. I won't tell you how few books I myself read this year. The year's not over yet though! :D

This has been such a great month of reading for me. I want to thank you, Suzanne for recommending The The Daughters of Mars. What a great book - 5 stars from me. I think you'd like it, Madeline. It's about nurses in WW1, and it seems very realistic. Thomas Keneally's wife and sister in law are nurses and his brother in law is a doctor so, even though they didn't practice in that time period, they helped verify the whole healing attitude. And I want to thank you, Jean, for posting challenge #9 to read the best books of 2013. I got 3 great reads I never would have discovered from the list and one 5 star - A Tale For the Time Being. And lastly, thank you Madeline for starting this group. I've had so much enjoyment from the challenges and discovered so many wonderful books from the other members, you've really enriched my life (like a good nurse.)

Both Falling to Earth (Challenge #1) and The Grass is Singing (challenge #13) are pretty quick reads and they are both wonderful!

Stats for November, 2013, TIOLI Challenges...

For November, we had 21 challenges in which 488 books were read. That's a very low number - the lowest since February, 2011.

There were 78 shared reads, for a total of 16% shared reads - a low number which ties the lowest number of last month.

There were 42 TIOLI points accumulated - a very low number. This number hasn't been so low since May, 2010 (the first year of our challenges).

We have a YTD total of 658 TIOLI points. This is also a low number which hasn't been so low since November, 2010.

The most popular book was Can You forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope. This book was shared by 10 readers.

The most popular challenge was cyderry's challenge to read a book where a title word or author name starts with A,E,F,H,I,K,L,M,N,T,V,W,X,Y,Z - letters with straight lines only. There were 95 books read for that challenge. That challenge also accumulated the most TIOLI points - a meager 7 of them - the lowest number ever for the most TIOLI points in one month's challenge.

Coming soon...the awards for November...

But we had fun doing it!

*theme song from Monty Python's Life of Brian*
Always look on the bright side of life...

Did I look unhappy? You know I didn't.

I was just reporting facts! :D

I always have fun with my reading...those books I finish...and also the ones I push along to the following month. In addition, I enjoy seeing what books are being read and reading your remarks about them.

Ever onward, TIOLI challengers. Year 2014, ...here we come!!!

I had to share this with my TIOLI friends and wish you ALL a Happy Holiday Season!

Awwww! How sweet!!

Best wishes to everyone for a safe and wonderful holiday season!

>144 Citizenjoyce:: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

This month I have only read books from my challenge. Sometimes the Best Of the Year get lost to the TBR, and I find it interesting to read several books from the same year, to see if I can sense a Zeitgeist on the list. So far I've read:

Lexicon, by Max Berry (a secret society of evil poets who control people through words)
Doctor Sleep, by Stephen King (Dan, the REDRUM boy of The Shining, is all grown up, self-medicating his Shining with alcohol, until he had to do battle with some Shining-sucking RV-ing immortals to protect a girl who also Shines)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman (a perfect fairy tale, powerful, left me feeling bereft)
Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson (a recursive life--this book is glorious)

And I'm about half-way through The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (a mystery of sorts, set in the middle of New Zealand's 19th-century gold rush) -- this is my 84th book this year.

Happy holidays everyone! I look forward to reading with you again next year.

Here they are, folks!
The TIOLI Awards for November, 2013...

The Together We Exceed Award goes to AnneDC for reading The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place and to countrylife for reading The Natural Superiority of the Left-Hander for DeltaQueen's challenge to read a book whose title contains 15 letters or more. Our winners each read a book with a 36-letter title.

The Artist Among Us Award goes to DorsVenabili for reading My Friend Dahmer for Chatterbox's rolling challenge to read a brightly colored book.This clever challenger read a book whose three colors were primary colors (yellow, red, blue). Out of these colors, she could have made any other colors she wanted!

The Spirit of the Season Award goes to DeltaQueen for reading Birds, Beasts And Relatives for Morphidae's challenge to read a book with title that completes the phrase, "I am thankful for..." . To me, that was the best response, although some of the others were quite humorous.

Speaking of relatives, the Family Together Award goes to Deern for reading Fathers and Sons for inge87's challenge to read a book with some variation of "father" or "son" in the title or author's name. Such togetherness. Deern got both the fathers and the sons in her read!

The Best 'Stache Award goes to Helenliz for reading The Toy Story. I think that its author, Frank Hornby, definitely had the most interesting mustache. See it here.

The Belly Laugh Award goes to LizzieD for her challenge to read a book for which you can scramble the letters to make a new title. I had actually thought of that challenge, but she beat me to it. The responses were so funny that I could not choose the best one nor the better ones. Hence the award goes to the challenge creator!

Congratulations to our award winners!

Be on the lookout for the January 2014 challenge...Coming soon!

TIOLI 16. Read a book with an embedded word in the title - The Pillars of Earth by Ken Follett (pillar, pill, ill, ear, art)

Follett's epic story of a cathedral being built during the Middle Ages in England during political turmoil is riveting. His characters are so well drawn that I ached when they did and was thoroughly unsettled with the cruelty of others. While I did have some plot points figured out early on, the path taken to get there was often surprising. Not many books make me want to cry when one of my favorite characters is killed, which made me admire Follett for not being afraid to do that in order to move his story along.

Also, book 100 :-)

> 153

Also, book 100

Wow, AuntieClio! Good work (er, fun)!!

My husband really loved the whole story of The Pillars of the Earth. In fact, he read the book twice (and it's not a small story, either).

#154
No, it's not a small story and I had my doubts about being able to finish it before 2013 ended. But it was just riveting and I found it difficult to put down.

And there's a week left in the year so who knows what may happen.

TIOLI 1. Read a book with a two-word tag in which both words start with the same letter - Locke & Key: Head Games by Joe Hill (haunted house)

More creepy and intriguing than Welcome to Lovecraft. What would you do if you found a key that let you unlock your head and reach in to remove memories/knowledge or cram new ones in? Of course, evil takes advantage of people who are at a low ebb in their life by using the key on their heads. And Bode just thinks it's the coolest thing ever. I love the theme of memory and how we interpret something is definitely not how someone else does. This family is struggling so much, I feel for them. And Duncan needs to lose Brian. That's all I'm sayin'.

Is there a minimum page requirement in order to count a book? I bought my husband a fun little book for Christmas, The Smelly Sprout and have read it. May I add a book of less than 50 pages, or is that cheating of the highest order?
It would fit nicely in the challenge to read something on a holiday table as, in my opinion, Christmas dinner isn't Christmas dinner without sprouts.

If anyone wants to add to the shared read of A Christmas Carol, you could let Neil Gaiman read it to you here: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/12/23/neil-gaiman-reads-charles-dick...

I don't think there is a minimum. Some of us add an occasional children's book that is mostly pictures with little text. They don't comprise the bulk of my reading, but they are needed diversions from time to time.

> 157

Is there a minimum page requirement in order to count a book?

No minimum number of pages at all. You can read a board book to a baby and that would be fine as well! :)

160> Thanks, tiddly tiny sprout book added. >:-)

Update:

I'm working on completing another full month's challenges.

#1 two word tag same letter - Lover Mine by J. R. Ward Done
#2 holiday table - Sea Glass by Maria Snyder Done
#3 different country - The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore SHARED Done
#4 secret or lie - Whispered Lies by Sherrilyn Kenyon Done
#5 heat/light - Tiger Burning Bright by Mercedes Lackey, et al. SHARED Done
#6 folklore - Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts by Josepha Sherman Done
#7 share a read - Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat SHARED Done
#8 winter - Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
#9 Kirkus - The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman SHARED Done
#10 blue cover - Lover Unleashed by J. R. Ward Done
#11 All I Want for Christmas - A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
#12 end - Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl Done
#13 Doris Lessing - Prisons We Choose to Live Inside by Doris Lessing SHARED Done
#14 previous TIOLI - The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers Done
#15 humorous fiction - Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger Done
#16 embedded word - After Dead by Charlaine Harris Done
#17 Z - Zen mind, Beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki
#18 two words title same - Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Done
#19 nativity scene - Glorious Angel by Johanna Lindsey Done

I haven't gotten them all into the wiki yet. I've ordered Winter Solstice from Amazon and should have it on the 30th. That will give me about 24 hours to read it. *gulp* I ordered it from the library much earlier in the month but it's taking forever to get to me. I'm currently reading A Year in Provence and Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.

Wow. That's impressive. Good luck with the last push!

Go Morphy!

Blimey - that's a load of reading. And the pressure to finish that last book. I had one stuck in the library reservation system for what seemed like weeks. Here's hoping amazon delivers for you.

Worst comes to worst and it doesn't arrive by the 30th or I find it horrible to read, I'll have you all make recommendations for an ebook for me to download and read real quick. Something short and easy to read.

Keep a kid's book on hand - just in case! :D

#152 - I won something! Yay!

#166: I did a shared read of The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse and if not a brilliant read it is an ok one and can be done and dusted in an afternoon.

I assume folks are thinking of ideas for TIOLI challenges for January.....

:)

(170) ::waiting impatiently::

TIOLI 16. Read a book with an embedded word in the title - The Beats: A Graphic History edited by Paul Buhle (beat, eat, eats, graph, rap, hic, his, story, tory)

I loved this graphic novel!! It was a breathless read and definitely requires multiple re-readings. I get that way with the Beats. Books regarding them are inhaled like some kind of drug, nothing else gets any attention while I'm reading about my Beats.

The Beats: A Graphic Novel briefly covers the lives of the "big three"; Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroughs. Then it covers a multitude of other topics including the San Francisco "Renaissance" and "Beatnik Chicks," the latter of which captured my soul. This book also covers many artists of the Beat Generation who are not so well known.

What a wonderful gift! Both in the larger sense of gift to the world of books and the most personal sense in that Secret Santa made sure I got this. If you are at all interested in learning a little something about the Beats, this is a good place to start.

Winter Solstice came faster than I thought it would. Yay!

The LibraryThing gods are with you.

It's getting to the end of the month, and I'm cleaning up my wiki. I'll still finish 2 more books and had to remove only 3, so it's been a great month for me - in fact, the best ever. How I did delight in that thin mountain air at the top until Suzanne pushed me over.

How I did delight in that thin mountain air at the top until Suzanne pushed me over.

Heh!

I added one last book to the wiki...

...but then a tree fell on my roof...

...so I'm taking it off again, because I don't think I'm going to get much reading done for the next few days.

2013's last little gift to me. {*eye-roll emoticon*}

oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So sorry!

> 178

So sorry to hear about your misfortune, Liz. I hope there was not too much damage, but "tree on roof" does not sound good. Wish we were closer so I could send my hubby with a chain saw or do something helpful.

{{{hugs}}}

Thanks, guys.

It could have been worse and could still be much worse - a heavy chunk is balanced over my front balcony and awning and could shift and fall at any time - but at the moment the damage amounts to smashed tiles and woodwork on the front corner of the roof. The contractors have just arrived, so we'll see.

I really am OVER this year...

I'm glad the contractors got there so quickly. Here's hoping for the least possible damage from ol' 2013.

Crickey, Lyzard, and here was me moaning about a couple of fence posts and panels. Hope the damage is limited, repairable and that 2014 is way better than 2013 appears to be ending.

In fact that's goes for everyone, I hope 2014 is a better year than 2013. If 2013 has been good to you, then think how good 2014 could be with that wish blowing you along.

I've discovered LT thing year and have had great fun with the TIOLI challenges. I love the spontaneous nature of trying to find a book to fit, the way that it doesn't matter if my book list is bigger than my ability to completed it (which it seems to be each and every month!). The inventiveness of some of the challenges is excellent too, so thanks to Madeline for keeping this going, and to everyone else for their contributions.

And massive respect to anyone who can attempt the full TIOLI set, come on morphy, you must be nearly there by now...

I'm in the middle of the last three books and I have three days. I can do this!

>183 Helenliz:

I agree with everything you said.

TIOLI 10. Read a book with a predominantly blue cover - Shift by Hugh Howey

If Wool was about how people lived, died and revolted in the Silos, Shift is about how the Silos came into being and the group of politicians who designed and built them. Shifting between 2049+ and well into the future, Howey spins a tale about world destruction and self-destruction.

There's Donald the congressman/architect who learns more about destruction and the inhuman selfishness of others than he ever wanted. His story is the one about trying to do the right thing.

Then there's Anna, manipulative and selfish, whose desire reaches beyond the cryopod and there meets her own destruction.

Senator Thurman, who started it all. Mad man or world savior? Destruction due to his own ego and sociopathic tendencies to believe he's the only one who understands the dire situation and has all the answers.

Howey's writing moves right along and takes us into the hearts of each character who tries to understand their situation and make meaning out of utter chaos. The last few chapters begin to overlap and intertwine with Wool making the story fuller.

Dust is going to be so entertaining!

We're coming to the end of the month (and the end of the year!).

Remember that tomorrow is Housekeeping Day on the TIOLI challenges. Between now and midnight on 12/31, please remove all of those books that will not be COMPLETED by midnight Tuesday night. Thanks!

Happy 2014!

That's fine.

Alternatively, for rolling challenges, you can leave the book's title and "roll stats" and just remove your name.

>188 Samantha_kathy: Which book?

>191 Samantha_kathy: That one is fine to delete. It won't disqualify any other books by its removal.

Hej Morphidae, I got a question to your challenge #3: a definition of country
book 9 is England, 11 Wales, 13 England; 43 is England, 46 is UK
Do you think of a historic distinction, then a writer of a First Nation would quaklify as different from Canadian or USA? or is it language, so a French speaking Swiss would be different from a German speaking Swiss author?
I am a bit confused, thanks for helping along

>193 paulstalder: The first one does not qualify and has been marked as such. Could you please move Village Diary, thornton37814? It can be currently worked in at the end without disqualifying other books.

No, the other two distinctions would not qualify. It has to do with physical location, not legal entities or language.

Someone must have removed something they knew they would not finish before mine. I have moved mine though.

Ah, that might have been the case, yes.

Please note for challenge 3! Do NOT delete your book without checking with me first. Or just leave it in for SqueakyChu to take care of. Thanks!

I removed Empty Mansions (US) from challenge 3 without thinking. Sorry. I'd put it back, but I have no idea where it was.

Thanks, morphidae for clarifying. I became confused seeing England and Wales so close together, when they should be counted as one and should stand more separated ... :)

I would like to say that Wales is not England, but they are both part of the UK.

I did it! That's twice this year!

Also had my most number of shared - 5!

#1 two word tag same letter - Lover Mine by J. R. Ward Done
#2 holiday table - Sea Glass by Maria Snyder Done
#3 different country - The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore SHARED Done
#4 secret or lie - Whispered Lies by Sherrilyn Kenyon Done
#5 heat/light - Tiger Burning Bright by Mercedes Lackey, et al. SHARED Done
#6 folklore - Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts by Josepha Sherman Done
#7 share a read - Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat SHARED Done
#8 winter - Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher Done
#9 Kirkus - The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman SHARED Done
#10 blue cover - Lover Unleashed by J. R. Ward Done
#11 All I Want for Christmas - A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle Done
#12 end - Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl Done
#13 Doris Lessing - Prisons We Choose to Live Inside by Doris Lessing SHARED Done
#14 previous TIOLI - The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers Done
#15 humorous fiction - Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger Done
#16 embedded word - After Dead by Charlaine Harris Done
#17 Z - Zen mind, Beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki Done
#18 two words title same - Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Done
#19 nativity scene - Glorious Angel by Johanna Lindsey Done

congrats Morphy!

Brilliant, Morphy! Well-done! Congratulations!

Wow, well done! That's a goal I'm still trying to reach.

>201 Morphidae:, Congrats Morphy! I knew you could do it!

>197 Morphidae:, I'm not going to finish The Ludwig Conspiracy this month/year, so it can be deleted. I didn't want to do it myself because removing it would cause a book below it to become disqualified.

Very impressive, Morphy. Congratulations.

Book 104 for 2013

TIOLI 15. Read a humorous work of fiction - Dodger by Terry Pratchett

Dodger is what I presume to be Pratchett's version of Oliver Twist, at least the parts about crime, circumstances, and poor health among the most poor of the poor in London. Of course, this being Terry Pratchett, it's not just social commentary or a re-working of Dickens.

Dodger, the protagonist, is what's politely known as a "tosher." That is to say, a sewer rat who makes his way in his small world by treasure hunting in the sewers of London. One night, he happens across a young woman who is being beaten by two mysterious men in a coach. Dodger saves the lady and then his adventures to becoming an employee of the crown begin.

Along the way Dodger meets a cast of historical characters including Charles Dickens, Henry Mayhew, Sweeney Todd and Queen Victoria herself. Dodger is swept along by circumstances to change the life of the aforementioned young lady and presented with the existential question, "just who (and what) is Dodger?"

Pratchett's use of language has always been something of a marvel to me, he finds a clever and humorous way of getting his point across. While not a part of the Discworld, Dodger is a worthy read.

Yay for morphidae!

>201 Morphidae: Congrats, Morphy!

Well done Morphy!

>205 inge87: I'll let SqueakyChu handle that one!

Thanks for the congrats, everyone!

> 205

I'm on it. Thanks!

> 201

Hurray for Morphy!!!

Congrats, Morphy!

I managed to complete nine challenges in December...not too shabby.