Take It or Leave It Challenge - January 2015 - 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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For your January, 2015, TIOLI challenge, I hereby challenge you to:

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Read a book that has the word "psychological" followed by a noun somewhere in or on the book.
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Rules
1. The word must exactly say "pyschological", not "pyscho" or "psychologically".
2. The word “psychological” may be capitalized.
3. The word "psychological" must be immediately followed by a noun.
4. In your listing, state the two-word combination and where it was found.
5. Matching books are allowed even if your copy does not meet the parameter.
6. The above rules can apply to any language (e.g. "psychologisches Werk" in German).

Here are some ideas...
In the Woods (psychological thriller/back cover) – Tana French
Killing Me Softly (psychological suspense/front cover) – Nicci French
Man’s Search For Meaning (psychological thought/front cover) – Viktor E. Frankl
The Soul Thief (psychological gem/page of blurbs) - Charles Baxter
That Night (psychological thriller/back cover) – Chevy Stevens
The Uninvited (psychological thriller/front cover foldover blurb) – Liz Jensen
We Need to Talk About Kevin (psychological investigation/back cover) – Lionel Shriver

Now it's your turn to use an above-suggested book or find one of your own.

Enjoy...and have a fun-filled 2015!

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

1. The January 2015 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 09/23/14)

Wiki Index of Challenges:

Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book that has the word "psychological" followed by a noun somewhere in or on the book - msg #1
2. Read a book from a list of best or notable books of 2014 - msg #3
3. Read a book with a food item in the title - msg #4
4. Read a book you were supposed to read in 2014, but didn't - msg #5
5. Read a novel by an author from the Indian subcontinent - msg #6
6. Read a book by an author who died in 2014 - msg #9 and msg #54

Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book which is at least the 15th book in a series - msg #15
8. Read a book which is a literary homage, or features as characters a real life author or other figure from the arts world - msg #19
9. Read a book whose title contains "yes" or a synonym thereof - msg #20
10. IOU challenge: Read a book by someone whose name ends in I, O, or U - msg #21
11. Read a book with a weather phenomenon related word in the title - msg #23
12. Read a book whose title is also a song title or whose title is a riff on a song title - msg #24

Challenges #13-18
13. Read a book originally published in multiple volumes/parts - msg #25
14. Read a book that has a "beginning" word in the title - msg #28
15. Read a book you acquired in 2014 - msg #37
16. Read a book whose title begins with the letter "T" - msg #43
17. Read a book by an author who you've tried before but whose writing did not impress - msg #44
18. Read a book that includes a word or phrase in title or name that puts you in mind of the season - msg #62

Challenge #19-24
19. Read a book from a library of a January frog-award-winner 2011-2014 - msg #81
20. Read a book by an author that has won the Booker Prize but not a book that won the Booker Prize - msg #90
21. Read a book for discussion or review - msg #111
22. Read a book in which one of the author's names has 6 or more letters - msg #117
23. Read a book in which the author's first and last name start with the same letter - msg #120
24. Read a book about childhood

Challenge #25
25. Read a Croatian book - msg #148

Hold your challenges until February, 2015. Thank you!

Yahoo, I'm first here. Never happened before.
Challenge #2: Read a book that is on a list of best or notable books for 2014
Here are a few lists I've found:
LibraryThing http://www.librarything.com/topic/184987
Afterellen http://www.afterellen.com/books/406409-2014-year-lesbianbi-books
The Guardian's Readers' list of 10 best books of 2014: http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/dec/15/readers-10-best-books-of-...
Buzzfeed best fiction: http://www.buzzfeed.com/isaacfitzgerald/books-we-loved-in-2014#.cwVDw7Oa0
Reading Room http://blog.thereadingroom.com/2014/12/2014-best-books-in-fiction.html
MS Magazine http://msmagazine.com/blog/2014/12/26/must-read-feminist-books-of-2014/
Brain Pickings http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/12/22/best-books-2014/
iTunes Best of 2014 (You'll have to look that one up)
Overdrive http://blogs.overdrive.com/front-page-library-news/2014/11/07/team-overdrives-be...
or OverDrive ALL THE BOOKS WE LOVED IN 2014
Book Riot http://bookriot.com/2014/12/02/riot-round-best-books-2014/
Mother Jones http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/12/best-food-books-2014-part-1
BookBub http://media.bookbub.com/blog/2014/12/16/best-nonfiction-books-2014/
NPR http://apps.npr.org/best-books-2014/
Kirkus https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2014/section/fiction/?page=1
Slate http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2014/12/best_books_of_2014_slate_book_r...
Wall Street Journal http://graphics.wsj.com/best-books-2014/
LargeHearted Boy http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2014/12/favorite_novels_7.html
NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2014.html?pa...
Book Bub Ultimate List http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/23/best-books-2014_n_6358040.html?ir=Women...
Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/02/best-books-2014_n_6248016.html
River City Reading http://rivercityreading.com/2014/12/2014s-best-books-might-missed.html
Publisher's Weekly http://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2014/top-10#book/book-1
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2014
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_426357402_1?ie=UTF8&docId...
Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/feature/the-best-books-of-2014/?adbid=1015283...
Library Journal http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2014/10/best-of/library-journals-best-books-of...
Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-top-50-fiction-books-for-2...
Washington Post Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/50-notable-works-of-nonfiction...
Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-top-50-fiction-books-for-2...

What, #3 again!? :D

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Challenge #3: Read a book with a food item in the title

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Pretty straightforward...except that it should be something you *would* eat, rather than something you *could* eat.

Challenge 4 - Read a book you were supposed to read in 2014, but didn't

Something you were supposed to read for some reason last year- 2014 ER win, planned to read it for a 2014 challenge, checked out of the library in 2014, you get the picture. This is not a challenge to just read a book 'you've been meaning to read forever.' It needs to tie in somehow to your plans for 2014.

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Challenge #5: Read a novel by an author from the Indian subcontinent
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My challenge is based on the first quarter theme in the Reading Globally group, The Indian Subcontinent, in which members will read books by authors who live in or originate from "India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and (parts of) Pakistan" (to make it easier I'll accept books from any portion of Pakistan). Authors who live outside of this subcontinent count, e.g. Michael Ondaatje, Rohinton Mistry and Jhumpa Lahiri.

>6 kidzdoc:

Nice, Darryl! I really like when we can tie other challenges into our TIOLI challenges.

>7 SqueakyChu: Thanks, Madeline! I love this year's Reading Globally quarterly themes, so they will be one of my major foci in 2015.

Anyone else having issues with this thread? I am on my iPad, and the print is so small, I can barely read it.

And the Overdrive link in post#3 is waaay long, running off stage right!

>10 fuzzi: On my MacBook, I can do "Command plus +" and the print gets larger. Does that work on an iPad?

Sorry about the OverDrive link. It really is long.
I was excited to post early because I think most of my reading is going to go into my own challenge, unless someone wants to put the books elsewhere. I've been requesting like mad from the library and this is what I can fairly reasonably be expected to get in:

Challenge #1: Read a book that has the word "psychological" followed by a noun somewhere in or on the book - started by SqueakyChu
✔Elizabeth Is Missing - Emma Healey - Audiobook (5)
Challenge #2: Read a book from a list of best or notable books of 2014, name the list - started by Citizenjoyce
✔The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help - Amanda Palmer (2.5)
✔Astonish Me ( OverDrive) by Maggie Shipstead E-Audiobook (5)
*✔Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? (NPR Best Books, Washington Post) by Roz Chast graphic memoir (5)
*✔Dept. of Speculation (Slate) - Jenny Offill (3.5)
✔Dear Committee Members (NPR) by Julie Schumacher E-Audiobook (4)
*✔Euphoria (Washington Post) by Lily King (4.5)
*✔Everything I Never Told You (NPR) by Celeste Ng E-Audiobook (4)
✔How To Be Happy (NPR) by Eleanor Davis Graphic novel (2.5)
✔Leaving Time (Amazon) by Jodi Picoult E-Audiobook (3)
✔Lila (Kirkus) - Marilynne Robinson E-Audiobook (3.5)
✔Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 ( OverDrive, AfterEllen) by Francine Prose E-Audiobook (4)
On Such a Full Sea (NPR) by Chang-Rae Lee Audiobook
✔Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them (Brain Pickings, AfterEllen) by Isaac Fitzgerald, Wendy MacNaughton (4)
✔The Queen of the Tearling (OverDrive) - Erika Johansen E-Audiobook (3.75)
*✔Redeployment (OverDrive and Washington Post Best Books of 2014) by Phil Klay E-Audiobook (5)
✔Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir - Liz Prince (4.5)
✔The Winter People (Book Riot, AfterEllen) by Jennifer McMahon - E-audiobook (4)
The Wives of Los Alamos (Amazon) by TaraShea Nesbit
Challenge #3: Read a book with a food item in the title - started by lyzard
*✔Dancing Fish and Ammonites - Penelope Lively - E-Book (3.75)
*✔My Year of Meats - Ruth Ozeki E-Audiobook (4)
Challenge #6: Read a book by an author who died in 2014 - started by yoyogod
✔Annie on My Mind - Nancy Garden - E-Audiobook (4.5)
Challenge #8: Read a book which is a literary homage, or features as characters a real life author or other figure from the arts world - started by Chatterbox
*✔Gay Pride and Prejudice - Kate Christie Kindle (5)
Challenge #9: Read a book whose title contains "yes" or a synonym thereof - started by susanna.fraser
Challenge #10: IOU challenge: Read a book by someone whose name ends in I, O, or U - started by cbl_tn
2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino
Challenge #11: Read a book with a weather phenomenon related word in the title - started by Carmenere
Thunderstruck & Other Stories - Elizabeth McCracken
Challenge #15: Read a book you acquired in 2014 - started by inge87
Challenge #16: January is Hot Tea Month. Read a book whose title begins with the letter "T" - started by DeltaQueen
✔Thirty Girls - Susan Minot E-Audiobook (4)
Challenge #20 - Read a book by an Author that has won the Booker Prize but not a book that has won the Booker Prize - started by PaulCranswick
*✔The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher: Stories - Hilary Mantel E-Audiobook (4)
Challenge #21: Read a book for discussion or review - Started by elkiedee
✔The End of Wasp Season - Denise Mina RL Bookclub (4.5)
✔Frankenstein - Mary Shelly RL Bookclub (4)
Challenge #22: Read a book in which one of the author's names has 6 or more letters - Started by auntieclio
✔Good Kings, Bad Kings - Susan Nussbaum Audiobook (5)
✔Nora Webster by Colm Tóibín Audiobook (3.5)

>10 fuzzi: Yes. The Overdrive link is the cause of the tiny text on this thread. I can easily resize the page using my iPad, but I don't think I will be able to do so on my Windows laptop.

Oh, maybe I should take out the OverDrive link and just mention the source.
ETA Done, I hope that helps.
again ETA: I put in a different link, but it has quite a few fewer books
one more ETA: If you Google OverDrive ALL THE BOOKS WE LOVED IN 2014 you'll get the full list

Challenge #7: In Honor of the New Year, Read a Book Which Is at Least 15th in a Series

This book can be the 15th in the series. Or the 16th. It can't be less than 15th though, even if the series has at least 15 books.

I've had no issues with this thread on my windows laptop / mozilla firefox

>14 Citizenjoyce: THANK YOU! The page is normal now!!!!! :)

>17 fuzzi: You're welcome. I managed to mess up the wiki too by posting so much at once, but I think everything is copacetic now.

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Challenge #8
Read a book which is a literary homage, or features as characters a real life author or other figure from the arts world

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This can be straightforward -- a rewriting of a classic work of fiction or a novel based on one, such as all the fan fiction based on Jane Austen's books, from Longbourn by Jo Baker to Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben Winters. Or a book in which Jane Austen herself is a character, such as Jane Austen and the 12 Days of Christmas.

It can feature one of the characters from those novels, eg Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.

Its characters can include the author himself or herself, or some other figure from the broader artistic community. If you want to read the new book about the making of The Sound of Music, for instance, it would fit in here. By artistic community, I think of someone involved in writing (literature or poetry), in music, in drama (stage or screen) and in art (sculpture, painting, etc.)

The work can be fiction or non-fiction, but it should be book length.

One note: don't tie yourself in knots. For instance, Julius Caesar certainly was a figure in Shakespeare's play. But before that (and primarily) he was a real life historical character. So a novel featuring Julius Caesar is not going to be acceptable as a literary homage to Shakespeare's play!

But Alan Gordon's mysteries are based on the fictional character of the fool from Twelfth Night, which would be acceptable.

Please note the character or other literary source in the wiki listing.

Challenge #9: Read a book whose title contains "yes" or a synonym thereof

It's the new year--time for resolutions, positive choices, all that good stuff. So read a book whose title contains a "yes" word. Yes, OK, sure, yeah, amen, aye, etc. Embedded words are fine.

Challenge #10: IOU Challenge: Read a book by someone whose name ends in I, O, or U

Pretty self-explanatory, I think. I'll be reading Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro and The Porcelain Thief by Huan Hsu.

This thread wasn't up when I went to bed last night. I'm glad to see others are as anxious as I am to get started!

Challenge #11: Weather phenomenom: Read a book with a weather phenomenom related word in the title

Here is a link to a helpful list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_meteorological_phenomena

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Challenge #12: Begin with a Song: Read a book whose title is also a song title or a riff on a song title
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I haven't given this much thought yet, but the idea came when I read Moon Over Soho and thought of "Moon Over Miami." I also thought of Body and Soul. I'm betting there are lots of others.

====Challenge #13: Read a book originally published in multiple volumes/parts - started by helenliz ====

challenge to read a book that was originally published in multiple parts or volumes, but is now usually read or published as a single volume.

I'm reading Tristram Shandy as my Christmas Chunky, which was originally published in 9 volumes over some 8 years.
The majority of Dickens' books would count, as a lot of these were originally published a chapter at a time in a periodical, although we usually now read them as a single book.
A more modern equivalent might be a selection of articles from a newspaper column that has since been collected into a book.

Just to add - can you please indicate who it was originally published, if it is not clear from the title, Thanks.

I thought I'd post this link for you to bookmark...just in case any of these TIOLI points-accumulating group reads appeal to you! ;)

In the link posted in >26 SqueakyChu: there will be, at some point, a link to the British author challenge. I've put Penelope Lively's memoir Ammonites and Leaping Fish in challenge 3. Not that I fancy eating Ammonites, but I would eat fish - just as long as it is not actually leaping at the time of eating!

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Challenge 14 - Read a book that has a "Beginning" word in the title.

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Examples include (First, Start, Birth, Origin) and variants thereof. Please indicate the word after the title.

I have added Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times to challenge 14 for those of you who are participating in the Group read.

>19 Chatterbox: Does Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton fit your challenge?

>5 lahochstetler: oh, I am sure I can find more than one book to fit this challenge...I never read all the books I plan to each month!

>30 kiwiflowa: It wasn't really what I had envisioned, but I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't!

>32 Chatterbox: yeah That's why I thought I would ask - trying to find homes for my planned reads!

>28 LoisB: Could "enter" work here? An entrance is a beginning (eg the arrival of someone/something). For that matter -- arrival/arrive? All imply beginnings of some kind.

>32 Chatterbox: Yes, if you think of Zeus and Hercules, etc. as literary figures, it works.

For future reference, where I would draw the line is a non-fiction book about literature, or a biography of a writer. That wouldn't be in the spirit of the challenge, which really involves seeing characters or figures from real life or history in unfamiliar literary settings, or classic novels and their characters reinterpreted or reimagined.

>28 LoisB: And I'm wondering about "wedding", which is the beginning of a marriage. Or is that stretching it too far?

***Challenge #15: Read a book you acquired in 2014***

A TBR-pile reduction strategy.

>37 inge87: oooh, thank you. My TBR pile thanks you...

>34 Chatterbox: yes, I'll allow enter and arrival.

>36 cbl_tn: I will allow wedding, as well.

>39 LoisB: Thank you!

>39 LoisB: Thank you!

I will probably have difficulty next month doing all the challenges, as I have a specific goal in mind, but challenges 4 and 15 will help me greatly, as I have 19 review books acquired last summer through Amazon Vine which I need to read so I can review them. So thank you!

***Challenge #16: Read a book whose title starts with the letter "T"***

January is hot tea month so pour yourself a cuppa and read a book whose title begins with a word starting with the letter "T".

exception: "The" does not qualify as a starting word for this challenge.

examples of books that would qualify:

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Thirty -Nine Steps by John Buchan

~~~~~~Challenge #17: Try Try Again: read a book by an author who you've tried before but whose writing did not impress you~~~~~~

Every author has at least one "dud", so give them another chance by reading another one of their works.

>37 inge87: Are shared reads allowed if I didn't actually acquire the book?

>45 LoisB: Yes, shared reads are fine.

>44 fuzzi:

This is actually a great challenge. Sometimes what to me is a "dud" writer (or even a good writer whose first book I read is a "dud") does actually produce a good book.

I hope challengers who participate in this challenge take the time to tell us of the outcome of the "second chance" they gave an author.

I can think of how much I hated Ann Patchett's Bel Canto. I then went on to read her State of Wonder which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was my husband who disliked the latter. Go figure!

>45 LoisB:

How can you read a book you don't acquire? Even if it's an ebook, you've "acquired" it. Telepathy, maybe? ;)

*confused*

>48 SqueakyChu: I'm thinking she means that she acquired it in some year other than 2014 and it matches a book that someone has put in my "acquired in 2014" challenge.

>49 inge87: I haven't actually "acquired" it, yet. I have a hold at the library for Moon Tiger which is listed in your challenge.

>48 SqueakyChu: Sorry about the confusion. I really should not get online before caffeine!

>37 inge87: Do books borrowed from the library count as "acquired," or do I need to own them?

>27 Helenliz: I will also try to read Penelope Lively's memoir next month. Is your title correct? My title is Dancing Fish and Ammonites, but I'm sure it's possible it was published under two different titles.

>51 susanna.fraser: If not, I think Challenge 4 specifically includes books borrowed from the library in 2014.

>52 sturlington: Yes, the Lively memoir has two different titles.

Some writers who died in 2014 - for Challenge 6

Dannie Abse
Maya Angelou
Tony Benn
Mary Cadogan
Ruby Dee
Deborah Devonshire (nee Mitford)
Maggie Estep
Mavis Gallant
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Nancy Garden
J F Gonzalez
Nadine Gordimer
Kent Haruf
Jeremiah Healy
Elizabeth Jane Howard
P D James
Graham Joyce
Alistair MacLeod
Oriel Malet
Peter Matthiessen
Ana Maria Matute
Josephine Pullein-Thompson
Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Mary Stewart
Sue Townsend

Still looking for a challenge to insert the Heart is a lonely hunter.

>55 Carmenere: how about the starts with a T challenge?

Oops never mind. Just re-read the rules for that one.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is a song title, so it would fit in challenge #12 perfectly.

>53 elkiedee: Well, books I picked up yesterday aren't due till 1/17, so it's not like there's any expectation that I'd have them finished and returned by the new year...

According to LT, I have 453 books on Planet TBR. For the fun of it in 2014, I've decided to use a random number generator to choose one book each month from the pile. So for January, **tah dah**, the book chosen by the random generator was Honeymoon by James Patterson. I have a sil who loves James Patterson and often sends/leaves me copies of his books when she visits as she know I love to read. She also likes talking about James Patterson. And so, >44 fuzzi: your challenge fits my random choice perfectly. I know Patterson's books only take me a day or two to read, but I just never choose them from the pile when I'm looking for the next book. Peace in the family is A Good Thing.

>57 Crazymamie: is it really, Mamie?!!!! Ok I checked it out and Reba McIntyre is credited for it. Thanks, Mamie!!!!!

>57 Crazymamie: Thanks- I was also looking for a place to put it.

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Challenge #18: Read a book that includes a word or phrase (in the title or author's name) that puts you in mind of the season
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Still in the Christmas mood, and contemplating family ties as we settle in front of cozy fires during this wintertime, I offer this challenge to read a book that includes a word or phrase that puts YOU in mind of YOUR season.

My Examples:
The Native Star - M.K. Hobson (star)
Farmhouse Christmas - Gooseberry Patch (Christmas)
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers (son)
The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Richard Flanagan (deep north)

edited - because apparently one can't bolden inside those touchstone brackets and still expect to get a touchstone.

You're welcome!

Wow - just figured out something cool that helps with squeakychu's challenge #1. If Amazon has a book available for 'look inside', there is often a 'search within this book' query on the left side of the page. You can enter a specific word like 'psychological' and it gives page numbers and context for that particular word.

Thanks for that tip, streamsong! It made the book I'm currently reading fit right in!

>64 streamsong: Thanks for the info. Alas, the two books I was sure would fit into this challenge don't. But in my long list, I'm sure something will.
>48 SqueakyChu: Challenge for next month, read a book by telepathy. It probably won't have lots of takers.

>50 LoisB:

Sorry about the confusion. I really should not get online before caffeine!

To the contrary. Your question gave me a great laugh!

>66 Citizenjoyce:

Challenge for next month, read a book by telepathy. It probably won't have lots of takers.

LOL!! Oh, Joyce!

Anybody see a spot for Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld? I'll be checking it out from the library.

>54 elkiedee: That list is helpful but also makes me sad

>51 susanna.fraser: Borrowing from the library is definitely a form of acquisition (even if it's only temporary), so that's fine.

>70 kiwiflowa: Yes, it makes me very sad too, I've added others from what people have put down for the challenge, but quite a few of my favourite writers have gone this year, and also the new to me author of two of the best books I read this year (Kent Haruf).

>64 streamsong:

Thanks for passing that tip along as well. I did think of it and am sorry that I didn't mention it. I wanted to do this "psychological" challenge for a while, but I couldn't find enough book covers with that word combo. It got better when I started reading the blurbs inside of books, but googling books' pages is even better.

>47 SqueakyChu: good idea re: telling us the outcome of the "second chance" book.

I put the name of the first "disliked" book in the Wiki, too.

>75 fuzzi:

I put the name of the first "disliked" book in the Wiki, too.

That's a good idea, too.

>62 countrylife:
A number of us have put The Heart is a Lonely Hunter in challenge 12 since it is also a song AND we have put The Narrow Road to the Deep North in Challenge #2. If you would like to you could move your books to those challenges for the shared read points.

>48 SqueakyChu: Well, Darryl also had a challenge recently, involving acquisition or possession that required someone to actually own the book.

Thanks, ccookie - I'll join you!

eta: I forgot to check the wiki for The Narrow Road before I put it on my list so, my fault for missing that, but I did control-F search The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and found it nowhere on the wiki before I posted. But I still prefer to share reads!

>78 Chatterbox:

Darryl also had a challenge recently, involving acquisition or possession that required someone to actually own the book.

True.

Challenge #19: Read a book from a library of a frog-award-winner 2011-2014

Madeline distributes frog-awards every month since 2010 some month. So here I list all the January winners from 2011-2014 and challenge you to check their libraries and read a book they have listed (it doesn't matter in which collection the book is listed). Indicate the library of the other owner (not your's).

2011:
The Variety is the Spice of Sharing Award goes to _Zoe_
The Poof, They're Gone, Award goes to klarusu
The Most Obscure Book Award goes to littlegreycloud
2012:
The What Happened to Tennessee Award goes to mbellerose
The Best English Teacher Award goes to cyderry
The Teeniest Number Award goes to Jacqueline065
The Brrrr! Baby It’s Cold Outside Award goes to countrylife
The Letter Searcher Award goes to Anne DC
The Best Idea Award goes to Carmene
2013:
The It's The Quantity That Matters Award is shared by cbl_tn and Dejah_Thoris
The You Do Euclid's Proof Award goes to Inge87
The You're Not Old Enough Award goes to ccookie
The Much Obliged Award goes to countrylife
2014:
The I Wasn't Even Born Yet Award goes to lyzard
The Get Creative Award goes to Lois B
The Think Harder Award goes to paulstalder
The Math Genius Award goes to Lexxi

Award winners: look if the book you want to read is listed in someone else's library and indicate that library, not your own. All unclear?

(I did not list the multiple awards of 2011 - The TIOLI Point Toughies Award, The But We Like Variety Award - they have too many winners).

Have fun

>81 paulstalder: Since I'm on the list, does this mean that I can read a book that I can't find a home for anywhere else? I have a library book I'll be reading in January and my practice is to add library books to my catalog when I start reading them.

>81 paulstalder:

Haha! That must have taken some time to compile!

>64 streamsong: Thanks to your trick, I discovered Moon Tiger fits into Madeline's challenge (psychological version/p. 90), so I'd listed it there before noticing everyone else had listed it under challenge #15.

eta: typos.

>82 cbl_tn: the book must be in someone else's library as well. Since you are frog-award winner you have to honor another library with mentioning. It takes a bit time for looking but often you will find someone suitable .... (I mean, a shared book)
--> Award winners: look if the book you want to read is listed in someone else's library and indicate that library, not your own.

My book Reue could also be read by littlegreycloud:
Reue - Susan Choi (from littlegreycloud) - paulstalder
A person of interest - Susan Choi (from paulstalder) - littlegreycloud

>83 SqueakyChu: grumble .... yes, it took me the whole afternoon. I was in the library at the desk and luckily had only very few library users coming for information.

Do you have a list with all the awards? names? winners? books? Would be interesting to look through it.

>86 paulstalder:

Do you have a list with all the awards? names? winners? books? Would be interesting to look through it.

No...and I don't plan on compiling it either!! :)

Madeline I have to say reading through the thread in preparation for rejoining the challenges propely next year has reminded just how much I missed it.

I am *loving* having you back, Paul!!!

Challenge #20 - Read a book by an Author that has won the Booker Prize but not a book that has won the Booker Prize

A return to the fold for me and slightly selfish as it does give a chance to my British Author Challenge participants to get an easy-ish entry.

Quite straightforward. For example Ishiguro won for Remains of the Day in 1989 so you couldn't read that one for this challenge but anything else by him.

Here is the list of winners and the books that won for them for ease of reference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winners_and_shortlisted_authors_of_the_Book...

Welcome back, Paul

>91 paulstalder: Thank you dear chap. I shouldn't have stayed away for much of last year fixated on a reading goal that I couldn't achieve anyway!

>23 Carmenere: Does it have to be the entire phrase of the meteorological phenomenon? I'm wondering because one of the books I'm hoping to read next month has the word "lake" but not "lake effect snow." Thanks :)

>90 PaulCranswick:

Haha! I had to read your challenge title twice before I figured it out. Now I've got it.

Well, TIOLIers, this is the first month since TIOLI started that I have not posted a challenge. Why, you say? I feel like I need to step back a little from all the "challenges" to my time and spend more time reading. This doesn't mean that I won't be participating, just not as involved.

Everybody enjoy your reading and have a great 2015!

>93 bell7: Sorry, Mary, "lake" is just too far away from the challenge's intent. So, no but Thanks for asking.

>95 cyderry:

Cheli, Remember that "Take It" is just as much a part of TIOLI as "Leave It" so feel free and unpressured to come and go as you choose and participate as much or as little as you like. We always enjoy your participation.

Happy New Year!

How wonderful. So many new challenges to start the New Year! Hopefully, I will be able to fit all my reading around it again!

>98 drachenbraut23:

We've got lots of challenges already so you're sure to get lots of reads tucked into them! Have a great new year, Bianca!

Thank you Madeline, and too you as well!
I am seriously hoping to be able to put a great dent into my TBR this year. Since joining this group in 2012 my TBR went from an average of 40-60 up to an immense 450+ :( ! So, TIOLI will help me LOL

>100 drachenbraut23:

I had 73 TBR when I joined LT in 2006. To date I have 514. I think it's time to cull my stacks. *sigh*

True Confession: TIOLI didn't help me. It was just fun to do while I added more books to my TBR. :/

I never deluded myself into thinking that it would help me with my TBR. My only goal was to make my reading a little more random.

>102 Chatterbox:

My only goal was to make my reading a little more random.

A woman after my own heart. I love random reading! Happy new year, Suz!

I can't honestly say that TIOLI helps me with my overall TBR either, but what it often does do is point me towards a particular book when I'm in that paralysing, "What do I read next!?" phase, and also helps motivate me to get through my library books on time. I appreciate both of those functions very much!

>104 lyzard:

it often does do is point me towards a particular book when I'm in that paralysing, "What do I read next!?" phase

Actually, I find that the TIOLI challenges sometimes push me to genres that I'd otherwise not even touch. I often get surprised when I find myself enjoying a lawyer thriller or a science fiction book. I anticipate never enjoying those kinds of books. :)

That's true, too. By the way, thank you for pushing me towards Watergate: The Full Inside Story last month. Case in point: I wouldn't have read it without TIOLI and it turned out to be one of my best for the year!

There are so many reasons to love TIOLI. I can't believe we are starting the sixth year and that you are still so invested in the group, Madeline. I would be crushed if we didn't have this group to guide my reading each month in new and exciting ways. Thanks to you and those who continue to come up with those varied challenges!

>96 Carmenere: No worries. I figured it was pushing it but figured I'd ask, since I'm planning on reading the book anyways :)

Just a note to let others know that my tutored read of Italian Mysteries with lizard as my tutor has officially begun...just in case anyone wants to read along as a lurker. I probably won't finish this gothic novel this month, but I'm sure that others will. I now have it listed in Challenge #13. Here's the thread.

>107 Donna828:

Haha! Donna, I still need the TIOLI challenges for my own enjoyment so it's not going away any time soon. What I can't believe is how fast the years go by! It's scary!!

Challenge 21: Read a book for discussion or review

It may be a book for discussion in a face to face book group or in an online group. It could be a planned "shared read" on LT or on another website. You want to discuss the book with a particular relative or friend. Or it could be a book you plan to review, because you have been given a copy for that purpose or just because you want to write a review to tell others about it. Or you can ask anyone else if they would like to share a read and discuss it under this challenge.

I'm going to read A Spot of Bother for my face to face library reading group. If I make good progress with my Amazon Vine books for review, I may put some of them in this challenge as well as in challenges 4 and 14, books I should have read this year or that I acquired this year. I've identified at least 5 which would fit in one of three other challenges, so maybe I will complete 8 of the 21 so far.

Moon Tiger is listed in Challenge 1 and Challenge 15 - someone might like to move it? I'm not reading it this month so have no axe to grind, but if I was and was going for reading something for all the challenges, I would go for #1 just because I'm spoiled for choice in Challenge 15 (books acquired in 2014).

>111 elkiedee: good challenge, I review every book I read. ;)

Hi everyone. I am going to stick a couple of toes into the TIOLI pool for a gentle re-entry. :)

I will read The Kingdom of this World for TIOLI #4. I didn't get to this one for my 2014 Challenge. It will also qualify for my "rollover" category in the 2015 Challenge.
I will read Countdown which I received from Kerry (avatiakh) and Change of Heart which I received from Megan (IreadthereforeIam)for TIOLI #15. Adding The Narrow Road to the Deep North for #2 and The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers for #22.

>112 elkiedee: I may have to move mine because, unless my library hold comes in tomorrow, I will not "acquire" it in 2014.

>115 LoisB: As I said higher up in the thread, for matched reads in challenge 15 it doesn't matter when you acquired it, as long as the first person got their copy in 2014. So you don't have to move it unless you want to.

====Challenge #22: Read a book in which one of the author's names has 6 or more letters - Started by auntieclio====

Can be first, middle, or last name. Cannot be combination of names (e. g. P. D. James doesn't fit, but Bart Ehrman or Bertrand M. Patenaude do)

>111 elkiedee: Thankyou! That's the home my book club read this month has been looking for.

In January 2008, I realized there were a lot of books in the TBR by some of my favorite authors, and I set out to rectify that by reading 10 novels by Stephen King and 13 by Ursula K. Le Guin over the course of that year. This year I'm going to do the same, but with authors I haven't read whose works keep turning up on short lists and in my recommendations -- particularly Connie Willis and China Miéville. With that in mind, I've fit one of each into January's challenges and hope to continue to find a place for subsequent books by these authors over the course of 2015.

Here are my planned reads for this month:

Challenge #1: Read a book that has the word "psychological" followed by a noun somewhere in or on the book
The Torment of Others, by Val McDermid

Challenge #3: Read a book with a food item in the title
My Year of Meats, by Ruth L. Ozeki

Challenge #6: Read a book by an author who died in 2014
Shroud for a Nightingale, by P. D. James

Challenge #8: Read a book which is a literary homage, or features as characters a real life author or other figure from the arts world
King Rat, by China Miéville

Challenge #9: Read a book whose title contains "yes" or a synonym thereof
Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis

Challenge #11: Read a book with a weather phenomenon related word in the title
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell

Challenge #12: Begin with a Song: Read a book whose title is also a song title or whose title is a riff on a song title
A Sight for Sore Eyes, by Ruth Rendell

Not as many as I usually read, but there are some chunksters in there.

3 books completed already - for the challenge, not by me, yet!

I've just finished Talking About Detective Fiction by P D James, which I've listed in Challenge 6, my first book for this year. I might finish #2 later today.

A new year and a first-ever leap into the TIOLI pool for me. I think I'll be completing these challenges:

Challenge #2: Read a book that is on a list of best or notable books for 2014
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (NOT READ)

Challenge #4: Read a book you were supposed to read in 2014, but didn't
Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore (I was supposed to read it for the "Dead Man Walking" category of my Springsteen Category Challenge) (COMPLETED )

Challenge #6: Read a book by an author who died in 2014
Death of an Expert Witness by P.D. James (COMPLETED )

Challenge #7: In Honor of the New Year, Read a Book Which Is at Least 15th in a Series
Hunting Shadows by Charles Todd (16th in the excellent Ian Rutledge series) (COMPLETED )

Challenge #10: IOU Challenge: Read a book by someone whose name ends in I, O, or U
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (COMPLETED )

Challenge #12: Begin with a Song: Read a book whose title is also a song title or a riff on a song title
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers (NOT FINISHED)

Challenge #14: Read a book that has a "Beginning" word in the title
How It All Began by Penelope Lively (COMPLETED )
The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers (COMPLETED )

Challenge #15: Read a book you acquired in 2014
The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side by Agatha Christie (COMPLETED )

Challenge #22: Read a book in which one of the author's names has 6 or more letters
The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman (COMPLETED )
Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs (COMPLETED )

Please don't hesitate to point me in the right direction if I've not done something quite right. As I said, this is really my first foray into TIOLI so I don't want to upset any applecarts!

>122 rosalita:

Hi Julia,

So much fun to see you here! Have a wonderful 2015.

We're all here to help you along. If anything seems confusing, just ask. This is a very laid back challenge. We can usually correct any errors with any problem - as long as we know about them right away. Anyway, the TIOLI is really just for fun - not for reading pressure.

Whoop! Whoop! Julia's here!!

>123 SqueakyChu:

Yes!!

Finished my book for TIOLI #20: The Photograph by Penelope Lively. My thoughts can be found here.

Hi Julia, glad to see you here. I'm about halfway through Cover Her Face and am liking it so far.

>123 SqueakyChu: Thanks, Madeline!

>124 Crazymamie: The real question, Mamie, is why you have not yet listed the Hillerman book for Challenge #22. Hmmm??

;-)

It's there now, Julia! I am looking forward to it! And in a completely warped sequence of events, I am also reading the next Spenser!! How funny is that?!

Ha! Which one is the next Spenser for you? I think you're getting close to where I dropped off the grid with him (I need to get back and finish off the series).

I'm definitely spoiled for choice in picking a read that meets the Indian subcontinent challenge. I've had River of Smoke in my TBR Tower for such a long time, perhaps I'll pick that for my January TIOLI challenge read.

Walking Shadow, which I am actually quite liking as Hawk is a major presence. Our library system for some reason just acquired almost all of them in digital format, so now that I don't need to borrow them, they are all there waiting for me.

Oh, I've read that one! It was a little weird (theater! Chinese gangs!) but as you say Hawk is in fine form. Also, you've reached the point in the series where Susan becomes less of an annoying presence, which was a big relief for me, at least.

Isn't that just the way with the library? Maybe you're borrowing all the early ones prompted them to make the digital purchase, though — "hey, someone's really interested in this series, we should get all the e-books".

Yep. Susan was really getting on my nerves. Laughing at your thoughts that I could influence the Georgia library system - before they only had them on audio, and the audio was terrible, so Roberta used her Paperback Swap points and sent me a bunch of them. One thing I will say for Parker is that even when the story is making you crazy, it still moves at a quick pace so the books are very fast reads.

Oh, that's right! I forgot that you had the bad audio experience and were getting the paperbacks from Roberta. It's probably just as well — all that power to influence the library might have gone to your head. :-)

True, So true.

Yay! Julia's here! It looks like we're planning at least one read in common this month. I have a library copy of The Member of the Wedding ready to start, but probably not until next week.

>137 cbl_tn: Yay for shared reads, Carrie. That should be about the time I'll be ready to dive in, too.

Oooh, look, Julia's been sicked into TIOLI, too! Glad to see you over here, my friend!

>139 katiekrug:

Oooh, look, Julia's been sicked into TIOLI, too!

Haha! (Love having her here!)

>139 katiekrug: You and Mamie wore me down, Katie. I think maybe Ro, too? :-)

I think it's going to be fun! Assuming I actually read all the books I intend to read, of course. That's always the wild card.

This is how my month is shaping up:

1. Read a book that has the word "psychological" followed by a noun somewhere in or on the book?
Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively - ‘psychological version’

4. Read a book you were supposed to read in 2014, but didn't
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson (for my Dewey Decimal Challenge)

9. Read a book whose title contains "yes" or a synonym thereof
The Children’s Book - A. S. Byatt ('OK')

10. IOU challenge: Read a book by someone whose name ends in I, O, or U
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguiro

11. Read a book with a weather phenomenon related word in the title
The Perfect Storm

12. Read a book whose title is also a song title or whose title is a riff on a song title
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers

14. Read a book that has a "beginning" word in the title
The Birth House - Ami McKay
Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times - Jennifer Worth

16. Read a book whose title begins with the letter "T"
The Tortoise and the Hare - Elizabeth Jenkins

19: Read a book from a library of a frog-award-winner 2011-2014
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

21. Read a book for discussion or review
The Blessing Way - Tony Hillerman - Group read for Navajo Mystery (Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee )/ Walt Longmire Project

22. Read a book in which one of the author's names has 6 or more letters
Boneshaker - Cherie Priest
Emperor: the Gates of Rome - Conn Iggulden
The Sound of One Hand Clapping - Richard Flanagan
Wisdom - Andrew Zuckerman

This is my first ever TIOLI challenge - I have lurked for a couple of years but I think I finally figured it out - and I'm confident that I should be able to do this right - I think

So I have already picked the books I want to read this month - and found a way to fit some of them into some of the categories -

2. Read a book from a list of best or notable books of 2014
Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F*ck by Thug Kitchen

12. Read a book whose title is also a song title or whose title is a riff on a song title
The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner

19. Read a book from a library of a January frog-award-winner 2011-2014
Cinder by Melissa Meyer

21. Read a book for discussion or review The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt

22. Read a book in which one of the author's names has 6 or more letters
3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

There may be more once I figure if the other books i have also fit into any of the challenges

ETA - added another book :)

>143 lovelyluck:

Cool, Jennifer! I'm glad you're giving the TIOLI challenges a try. Let us know if you find anything confusing or have any questions.

Have fun and enjoy the new year!

TIOLI #10. IOU challenge: Read a book by someone whose name ends in I, O, or U
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

TIOLI #15. Read a book you acquired in 2014
A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
Death & Fame by Allen Ginsberg

TIOLI #16. Read a book whose title begins with the letter "T"
Trotsky by Bertrand M. Patenaude

TIOLI #19: Read a book from a library of a frog-award-winner 2011-2014 (_Zoe_)
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

TIOLI #21: Read a book for discussion or review
The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman - group read for Navajo - Mystery(Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee)/Walt Longmire Project

TIOLI #22. Read a book in which one of the author's names has 6 or more letters
The Eagle Catcher by Margaret Coel
How Jesus Became God by Bart Ehrman

>141 rosalita:, Yay Julia's here!

I added a fifth wiki page if anyone needs it.

====Challenge #25: Read a Croatian book - Started by Lexxi====
Book can be fiction or nonfiction. Written by someone from Croatia or from the area that is now Croatia. Or a book set there written by someone else. Or a book whose main character is Croatian doing stuff elsewhere.

>1 SqueakyChu: Enjoy...and have a fun-filled 2105!

I hope (???) that we all live long enough to have fun in 2105, Madeline!

>149 kidzdoc:

I did that again?!!!

ETA: Fixed!

>104 lyzard: >105 SqueakyChu: Strongly agree on that. When I don't know what to read next - despite my TBR of 450+ - I just go and look at each challenge and see what people have listed and quite often find something suitable to read.

So, please don't destroy my hope in reducing my TBR mountain this year. Everyone needs a glimmer of hope and mine is TIOLI *grin*!

01. The Eagle Catcher by Margaret Coel - TIOLI #22. Read a book in which one of the author's names has 6 or more letters (Margaret)

As mysteries go, this is okay. I'm sure I started reading Coel because I adore Hillerman. But Hillerman she's not, Arapaho culture notwithstanding, this is a pretty standard murder mystery. No big surprise to find out why the murderer did what they did.

Nit: At times Coel used descriptors like "the Indian" or "the Arapaho" in her narrative. This stood out like a sore thumb to me, as if she was going out of her way to make sure her readers understood the story was taking place among Indians.

It seems to me there's another way to do this. Why not just "man" or another descriptor given to the character (father, grandmother, drummer, etc.?)

Finished Change of Heart today for #15. What a great book! Also, I am adding The Narrow Road to the Deep North for challenge #2.

>1 SqueakyChu: Madeline, does 'psychologisch' in German count as well ? (like 'Ein psychologischer Thriller', 'ihre psychologische Entwicklung', 'ein psychologisches Werk') or do you accept English only?

Well I am doing reasonably ok on my return to the challenge 3rd book finished this afternoon. This one incorporating Bovril for challenge #3.

>154 paulstalder:

You can use psychologische Entwicklung' or psychologisches Werk' for my challenge. I will add "in any language" to the rules.

I strongly encourage reading books in languages other than English for the TIOLI challenges. Of course, that entails our sufficiently understanding another language to make this possible. :)

>155 PaulCranswick: Oh, excellent! :D

I've finished TIOLI #22 Die Ballade vom traurigen Café. My thoughts can be found here.

I have a request, if anyone is interested in helping me.

Under Challenge #4 (>5 lahochstetler: thanks!!!), I have listed a TON of books that I had added to TIOLI challenges last year, but never read.

I would rather spread them throughout January's TIOLI challenges. Can anyone help me match them to challenges?

The Last Plantagenets by Thomas Costain

I Will Fight No More Forever: Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War by Merrill Beal

Two's Company by Joyce Stranger

The Quicksilver Horse by Anne Digby

Miss Buncle Married by D.E. Stevenson

Zara by Joyce Stranger

The Heart of a Dog by Albert Payson Terhune

Black Wings, the Unbeatable Crow by Joseph Wharton Lippincott

The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann

The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer - (ROOT)

He is There and He is Not Silent by Francis Schaeffer - (ROOT)

Elsie: Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916 by Barbara Anne Waite - (ROOT)

Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith - (ROOT)

Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God by David McCasland - (ROOT)

Just a Dog by Helen Griffiths - (ROOT)

Persuasion by Jane Austen

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (ROOT)

Peter Pan by James Barrie (ROOT)

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Thank you for any assistance you might be able to offer. :)

Did you acquire any last year? (#15)

Are any for book club or online discussions or review? (#21)

Most of the books would fit #23.

The Last Plantagenets by Thomas Costain

I Will Fight No More Forever: Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War by Merrill Beal

Two's Company by Joyce Stranger (#16 - title begins with T)

The Quicksilver Horse by Anne Digby

Miss Buncle Married by D.E. Stevenson

Zara by Joyce Stranger

The Heart of a Dog by Albert Payson Terhune

Black Wings, the Unbeatable Crow by Joseph Wharton Lippincott

The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann

The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer - (ROOT) (#23 - first and last name begin with same letter)

He is There and He is Not Silent by Francis Schaeffer - (ROOT)

Elsie: Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916 by Barbara Anne Waite - (ROOT)

Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith - (ROOT)

Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God by David McCasland - (ROOT)

Just a Dog by Helen Griffiths - (ROOT)

Persuasion by Jane Austen - #13 this was first published together with Northanger Abbey but in 4 volumes - Persuasion must have taken up at least 2 of these.

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (ROOT)

Peter Pan by James Barrie (ROOT) (#24 - about childhood)

Dracula by Bram Stoker

>160 elkiedee: thank you. I've been going round in circles with the challenges this month. Your suggestions are helpful. :)

I've noticed The Children's Book is listed in 3 challenges, 9 (several people), 21 and 24 (1 each).

After a year or two away, I've decided to come back to the TIOLI Challenge. I can't plan my reading in advance, or I automatically don't want to read what I've picked, so I'll be listing books only after I've read them, for the most part.

I've read Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff for Challenge #1. It was quite good.

I finished my first TIOLI book, How It All Began by Penlope Lively, for Challenge #14. My review is up on the work page if anyone is interested.

Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith - (ROOT) - Challenge #14, beginning word

The Heart of a Dog by Albert Payson Terhune - Challenge #22, author's name with 6 or more letters (a lot of other books fit this too)

>162 elkiedee: should i change mine?.... I put it as 21 because it fit... I didn't see how it fit with 9 until I read the rules for that challenge... I'm not sure what to do this is my 1st time participating in the TIOLI challenges :)

>166 lovelyluck:: It's totally up to you what you choose to do, but things to consider are:

a) it's all a bit of fun and you don't have to do anything
b) there are points to encourage us to "share" reads - 1 for 2 people reading the same book and listing it in the same challenge, 2 for 3-4, 3 points for 5-6, and so on - and there will probably be more points and shared reads will be more visible if they are all listed in the same challenge. Normally if I realised that I'd listed a book in a different challenge I would move it to the one with most planned reads.
c) but some of us aim to read a book for each challenge, and for example, if I had read The Children's Book - which I won't this month because I read it a few years ago and have other reading priorities at the moment, I might say, I have another book in mind for challenge 21 and I'm not going to read another book in challenge 9, so I will leave it there
d) you can suggest/ask nicely if others are willing to move their books, but remember that they may choose not to do so
e) some of us, including me occasionally, have got unreasonably wound up about this - it is after all meant to be fun - the problems of too many slightly obsessive geeks (yes, I'm one too) in one place!

>167 elkiedee: Thanks.... what do the points go to? - bragging rights? - I like fun stuff and I will probably move it for the shared read - thanks for clarification

>167 elkiedee: As someone who is new to TIOLI I really appreciated this, too. Thanks!

what do the points go to?

they are points! does it matter? they are points!
It's like the badges you win in on-line games.

too many slightly obsessive geeks (yes, I'm one too) in one place!

The points don't go to the individual user - Madeline just uses them as sort of an indicator of how many shared reads are happening. Shared reads aren't required, but they do make things more fun as you see who enjoys the same sort of books that you do.

>170 raidergirl3: in that case.... POINTS

>172 lovelyluck: Love it!

>168 lovelyluck:

what do the points go to? - bragging rights?

Yes!

I originally created the TIOLI challenges with the aim of encouraging challengers to share reads. I thought that shared reads would encourage challengers to visit each other's threads more to discuss the books they had in common. I thought it would encourage friendliness.

Everyone now visits each other's thread regardless of shared reads. Everyone is already friendly! Now I use the TIOLI points simply for monthly stats to see how our shared reads increase or decrease over time.

We don't win (alternately, we don't lose) anything because of TIOLI points. They're just a fun stat to occupy my time and which I report back to you, the challengers, at least monthly! :D

>172 lovelyluck:

in that case.... POINTS

LOL!

Relax. We have points! :D

I've finished TIOLI #9 The Book of Gaza: A City in Short Fiction. My thoughts can be found here.

>176 Ameise1: another BB!

>176 Ameise1: >177 LoisB:

Yep! For me, too!

>177 LoisB: >178 SqueakyChu: Glad I could be of some help to acquire a book ;-)

>167 elkiedee: too many slightly obsessive geeks (yes, I'm one too) in one place!
>172 lovelyluck: Points

We have such clever people here!

>159 fuzzi: you could put some into #19 (frog award)
Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God by David McCasland - (ROOT) is in paulstalder's library
Dracula is in ccookie's library
Joy in the Morning is in cbl_tn's library

I finished The Egypt Game for my first book of 2015. Considering that I never read children's books now, I really enjoyed it.

Ok my brains aren't working again.
Looking for a space for The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman, which I am currently listening to.

>183 drachenbraut23: Challenge #22--author with more than 6 letters in a name.

The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman - TIOLI #21: Read a book for discussion or review

Introducing Joe Leaphorn and his understanding of both the mystical beliefs of his people and the supreme logic it takes to solve a crime.

This re-read felt like going home in so many ways. It made me hungry to return to New Mexico.

It's a good murder mystery set in the vast and complicated landscape of Navajo land. Interesting questions occupy Lt. Leaphorn's mind like who would steal a hat but leave the very expensive concho hatband behind and, why is that Navajo man's hair so short?

The only true nit I have with this cast of characters is Ellen Leon. So clunky, too obvious a plot device for my taste.

The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control by Walter Mischel - TIOLI #3: Read a book with a food item in the title

A combination science and self-help book on willpower, self-control, and how to improve them in your own and/or your child's life. Readable, interesting and helpful, so I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in that sort of thing.

>66 Citizenjoyce: >68 SqueakyChu: I'll do it! If someone else will do the physical reading, I'll read by telepathy. ;0)

I think it's time for me to rejoin the TIOLI challenges, after accidentally dropping out last year. But, as usual, I don't plan to plan my reading, so I'll just fit my books in where I can once I've finished them.

Happy New Year, everyone (just a bit late)!

>187 humouress:

Welcome back, Nina!

Happy New Year, Nina, and welcome back!

>184 lindapanzo: Thank you Linda, will add it to that challenge :).

>188 SqueakyChu: >189 Crazymamie: Thank you!

>187 humouress: glad you're back!!!

I've finished How It All Began for Challenge 14 and added it in as a shared read next to Julia's entry. It was a great read in case anyone is looking for an extra British Author Challenge book!

I added Dirty Chick to # 15 - an LTER-ARC from 2014 , and The Blessing Way to #22 bringing that shared read up to three.

I just completed and entered into Challenge #16, an excellent anthology of suspense stories. Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives features women authors such as Shirley Jackson, Dorothy B. Hughes and Vera Caspary who published between the 1940's and 1970's. The stories were deliciously dark, just the way I like them!

I've finished Labyrinth by Lois McMaster Bujold, which was part of last year's Vorkosigan saga group read, so I think I'll put it into Challenge 4 - a book I was supposed to read in 2014.

I finished Black Ships by Jo Graham for challenge #8, Read a book which is a literary homage, or features as characters a real life author or other figure from the arts world -- It is an homage to The Aeneid. A good read!

I'm a newcomer to all these challenges but I thought I would try a few.

First one is The Blessing Way to fit as a shared read for Challenge #21 shared with the Navajo Mystery(Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee)/Walt Longmire Project!

Second one is City of the Mind to fit as a shared read for Challenge #20 and shared with the British Author Challenge (BAC) January : Penelope Lively & Kazuo Ishiguro

Third one is The Paying Guests fitting Challenge #2 as a notable book from NPR list of best books of 2014 and also a shared read for BAC February: Sarah Waters & Evelyn Waugh.

Does my third book qualify as a shared read even though February isn't here yet?

>198 dallenbaugh:: For this, if someone else is reading it this month it's a shared read.

But for challenge 21, you could list as reading for discussion, it doesn't matter whether or not that discussion is in this group, on LT, I've said it can be a face to face group or an online discussion elsewhere, or you could read a book because you want to discuss it with your mum or your next door neighbour. So it fits the challenge.

>198 dallenbaugh:

Welcome to the TIOLI challenges!

To participate, you need to list your books on the wiki pages (not only on this thread). See message #2 with the links to January's five wiki pages. If you need help with this let us know. Otherwise, they will not count.

List the books on the wiki now for the books you hope to finish reading this month. We are currently only working on the January challenge.

When you are actively reading a book, just mark it Reading on the wiki.

When you finish reading a book in January, mark it COMPLETED on the wiki.

A shared book is any book that you list on the wiki that someone else has already listed. I usually highlight these with asterisks to help my stats.

If a listed book is not COMPLETED by 12 midnight of the current month, it must be removed from the wiki. That's not a problem as it can usually be transferred to the next month's TIOLI challenges after they're posted.

Questions? Just ask!

>198 dallenbaugh: welcome! And don't let the Wiki "scare" you. I was very tentative about it at first (remember, @SqueakyChu?), afraid I'd ruin it. If in doubt, just hit cancel and start over. :)

>198 dallenbaugh: Everyone is right - you'll get the hang of the wiki in no time. Like you and fuzzi, I was nervous about the wiki, too. I can remember Madeline (our leader SqueakyChu) stating there was nothing I could mess up that couldn't be fixed - and she was right. To the best of my knowledge I never did mess anything up! Have fun!

I've added some newly published books to the wiki - As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust by Alan Bradley (the new Flavia De Luce) to TIOLI #18 and A Fine Summer's Day by Charles Todd (the new Inspector Ian Rutledge) to TIOLI #9. I haven't read it yet, but I've put The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry in at TIOLI #19 as well. Please join me!

>160 elkiedee: >165 jjmcgaffey: >181 paulstalder: belated thanks for the suggestions. I plan to use them, shortly. With RL issues taking up my spare time, I've not had the opportunity to implement the changes. :(

Double post...sorry.

I've poked my head in here in the past, but have also been daunted by the wiki and afraid I'm going to mess up. No more! I mean, those things are still true, but I'm gonna join anyway :) Thank you for making this happen, Squeaky!

> 205

Hurray for Kirsten! ...and welcome!

We'll help you figure out this jumble...After all, we're all in this together.

What I think I like most about the wiki is that it's a good place to see which books each of us is currently reading...without clicking all over this website.

Anyhow...enjoy!

Ask for help if you need it.

By the way, the trick to "not messing up the wiki" is to report right away anything that doesn't seem right. The sooner we know about what's wrong, the easier it is to fix. That's because the wiki carries a very nice history of previous pages. The longer we wait to make corrections, the farther back into the history we have to dig.

DO NOT FEAR THE WIKI!

:D

>207 SqueakyChu: When Abby asked me to do something on the LT employees wiki sometime during my first week, I am certain I broke into a cold sweat. I'd never edited a wiki before, and I just KNEW I was going to break something, or do it wrong and look silly (the latter is really the worse fear). But, here I am, and there the wiki sits, both unscathed. ;)

>208 kgriffith: just hit "cancel" when you "oops"!

>198 dallenbaugh: Thanks for all your help for the questions I posted here. I think I finally figured it out and successfully listed my first book under #2 for the Jan wiki. Is it necessary or helpful if you list # of pages?

If you list a book on the wiki but don't mark it that means you are going to read it but haven't started yet?

So the point of this thread is to let people know you are joining the wiki and to post challenges and to ask questions? Is it also helpful to let people know what you are reading here?

And the wiki meter is to list books you've read for this month but it's an extra step and is not required?

I hope I'm getting it all straight.

>210 dallenbaugh: We record the titles etc of books we've read under the challenges on the Wiki, see List of Challenges at Post 2 - there are links to 1-6, 7-12, 13-18, 19-24 and 25.

Then there is a frogometer, link at the end of Post 1 on this thread, where we can if we wish note the number of books we've read.

>211 elkiedee: Speaking of the TIOLI frogometer, what is the difference between a TIOLI Book and a TIOLI Work?

>212 rosalita:: A while ago we had some short story/short work challenges and some of us were clocking very high numbers through reading a lot of short stories/essays - this was felt to create some unfairness, and a separate way of recording these was set up to address this. You might want to log short stories or other short works where you haven't read a whole book. Some of us have also recorded Kindle singles there.

>213 elkiedee: Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation!

>210 dallenbaugh:

Is it necessary or helpful if you list # of pages?

Only list pages (and only if you want to) on the TIOLI meter. The TIOLI meter is optional. It's a fun way of record-keeping for the month.

If you list a book on the wiki but don't mark it that means you are going to read it but haven't started yet?

Correct.

So the point of this thread is to let people know you are joining the wiki and to post challenges and to ask questions?

You join the challenge only by posting your challenge to the wiki. You then announce your challenge and further explain its rules on the main thread. On the main thread you can also ask questions and chit-chat with others.

And the wiki meter is to list books you've read for this month but it's an extra step and is not required?

Correct.

added Station Eleven to challenge 15 as another shared read.

>215 SqueakyChu: Thanks for answering my questions.

You're welcome! :)

Just added Birdy to Challenge 12. I expect it could go into #1 but I listened to the Audiobok and am not patient enough to go back through to find the word.

I finished Station Eleven earlier this week. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I found myself immediately drawn into the narrative. My thoughts are here (I think): https://www.librarything.com/work/14831287/reviews/115028958. Definitely a great read for a long weekend....especially if you don't have anything for Challenge 15!

Hm. I finished Moon Tiger (very nice) but I think it's listed in a couple of challenges. Will the grand challenge master consolidate before final point counts?

ffortsa, Moon Tiger is in both challenge 1 and challenge 15. I joined the challenge 15 readers. I think we're fine as long as no one individual has it listed twice--in two different challenges.

I think there are other books in this kind of situation--I believe The Children's Book is in a few challenges.

Karen O.

TIOLI Question of the Month:

Did any book you read so far this month make you cry? If so, which one was it, and why did it bring you to tears? If a book makes you cry, do you usually rate it higher when doing your review?

Finished The Scorpion God by William Golding yesterday. For challenge 20. Which was the last challenge I needed to complete to sweep the challenges.

>223 SqueakyChu: If To Every Thing There Is a Season: A Cape Breton Christmas Story had been a little longer it might have brought a few tears. But it didn't. What with it being a Christmas story about a small boy who is no longer allowed to believe in Santa Claus. Waiting for his much older brother to come back from his job out on the lakes. Watching his father stumbling around near death. That was read for challenge 6. Authors who died in 2014. Which added something, in its way to the impact of the story. Knowing I was reading something written by someone who recently passed away. A story by an author remembering childhood. I do not believe I rated the story higher or lower.

Looking at the others I read, I do not seem to see any that caused tears. In general I find that it is quite possible that I might have rated something higher if it is capable of bringing tears to my eyes. I assume. I suppose.

I had no books this month that caused tears, but I would definitely rate that type of book higher. If a book gives me that much emotional investment in the characters that I am moved to cry, then I say Bravo! and thank you to the author.

I haven't finished many books this month (a Sarah Silverman, and The Street Lawyer, which may have made me smirk with its earnestness). My favorite books are ones which make me cry.

>223 SqueakyChu: None of my book so far this month have brought me to tears - and I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Ultimately, I'd rather my reading make me smile, not cry.

>224 Lexxi: Congratulations on your Sweep, Lexxi! That's a great accomplishment, especially so early in the month. I confess that your Challenge #25 Read A Croatian Book has proven the most difficult for me to find some possibilities. I've got two that I'm looking at: The Hired Man and A Traveller's History of Croatia which looks like the best concise history available. Perhaps someone will join me?

Shed a few tears over All the Light We Cannot See
Loved the book.

>223 SqueakyChu: none have made me cry, yet. I smiled and chuckled for both Memoirs of a Twentieth-Century Circuit Riding Preacher and Don't Give Up, Don't Give In.

Last month The Lost Dogs made me cry. Now I can't see the cover of the book without feeling sorrow.

I don't think that the actual ability to make me cry over a book will cause me to rate it higher, it depends on why it made me cry.

>224 Lexxi:

Way to go, Lexxi! Congrats!!

>224 Lexxi:

Congratulations! And you're only halfway through the month!!! Double-sweep?? :-)

Congratulations, Lexxi!!

>223 SqueakyChu: I haven't read anything that has brought me to tears yet this month, although my current read, The Daughters of Mars may yet do so.

I haven't read a book yet this month which caused me to cry, but I do rate those books higher because I obviously get pretty well into the story of such books.

I can't remember when the last time was that a book made me cry. All I can think now is A Tale of Two Cities which I re read months and months ago. Usually when I cry it's because of death or devastating situations involving animals, children or other nobel innocents. And I have to say, crying does make me rate the book higher.

Finished Nocturnes for challenge #10 yesterday evening. My thoughts can be found here.

Did any book you read so far this month make you cry?

Not yet.

If so, which one was it, and why did it bring you to tears?

N/A

If a book makes you cry, do you usually rate it higher when doing your review?

I don't think so, but then again, I've never really paid that much attention to the relation of tears to ratings. Of course, it might also depend on the reason for the tears. There are happy ones and sad ones.

I can remember every book that made me cry, because truthfully there aren't that many. The last one that made me cry was State of Wonder, which I finished on Christmas Day 2014. I do rate books more highly if they move me to tears, because that indicates that I was very involved with the characters.

Any book that makes me cry gets at least 4 stars. The same is true for any book that leaves me shocked!

I very rarely cry while reading--maybe once every couple of years, tops. Of course, that's largely because I was teased mercilessly as a small child for crying too easily, and I learned to suppress tears so well that now I'm the one not crying when everyone else is...

>223 SqueakyChu: Ask for it and it will come. Having not cried over a book in many months, I'm almost finished with the novel about the treat ment of disabled kids in a nursing home, Good Kings, Bad Kings and I got to a part that made me cry. Courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds always does it for me.

>227 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks :) I did think my Croatian challenge might be a little too narrow, but hoped some might find it interesting.

>230 SqueakyChu: >231 jennyifer24: >232 DeltaQueen50: Thanks :)
Double sweep? heh. Probably not. I'm vaguely worn out from reading now. Not completely just . . . heh.

>223 SqueakyChu: I'll admit it. The book that made me cry this month was Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. I have been totally impressed by all of this surgeon's books, but Being Mortal was, by far, his best book. The part that made me cry was when he spoke about his own dad during his very last stages of dying. I imagine that it was probably very hard for the author to put that story on paper as he probably relived his experience through writing about it. However, it was very meaningful in the ways that it demonstrated exactly the topic which was addressed by the author, namely, not to let the medical model of fighting illness and death supersede an individual's own desires and comfort. I highly recommend this book for anyone and everyone, because all of us will face situations such as this at various intervals throughout our lifetime.

The book that made me cry was The Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss, a debut YA novel about a 15 year old whose mum has died of pre-eclampsia giving birth to another baby. The baby has survived though she is very premature, and Pearl refers to her as the Rat. She's angry and sad, but mum's ghost comes back every now and then to talk to her. It sounds mad describing it but it's really well done, and made me cry several times.

TIOLI stats for December 2014

In December 2014, there were 525 books read of which 58 or 11% were shared reads. This made for a total of 31 TIOLI points for the month and 711 YTD TIOLI points.

An interesting note about these stats. The shared percentage of books was the lowest ever in the entire history of our TIOLI challenges! We only accumulated 31 TIOLI points for the month which was the lowest amount since April 2010. Yet the YTD TIOLI points were one point higher that the total accumulated for last year. Go figure!

The most popular book was Montana 1948 by Larry Watson which was read by 6 challengers.

The most popular challenge was the one by susanna.fraser to read a book that fits a category on the 2014 Reading Bingo card. That challenge had 96 readers.

The challenges with the most TIOLI points were DeltaQueen's challenge to read a book whose title includes either a color or a word to describe a shade of color and susanna.fraser's challenge to read a book that fits a category on the 2014 Reading Bingo card. Both challenges got 4 TIOLI points each.

Hold tight! Soon I'll announce the TIOLI Awards for December 2014.

Is the 20th still the day to post short read suggestions? Or has that fallen by the wayside......

Ironically, or not, I posted on 1/16/15 that nothing had actually brought tears to my eyes, though one if it had been longer, might have done so. Then I read a book later that day that did bring tears to my eyes. R.E. Bradshaw's Out on the Panhandle. The second in the 2 book series. "why did it bring you to tears?" They were happy tears, they were. I can't really say without 'spoiling' the book. "do you usually rate it higher when doing your review?" Well, I didn't review it, but I might have given it a tiny higher rating when I rated. I know it got a higher rating than the first book in the series.

Thieftaker brought tears. I won't say where or why because it is a spoiler, but still...

>245 Dejah_Thoris: just cause we haven't in awhile doesn't mean we should revive it! What would you recommend?

As for my reads this month, I would highly recommend I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, which I reread for book group this month and put in challenge #6, and The Rook, a romp of a read that's a blend of spy and fantastical with special agents who deal with supernatural threats, for challenge #15.

>244 SqueakyChu: I bet we will turn that shared reads number around this month. It looks like there are a whole lot more than usual.

>245 Dejah_Thoris:

Is the 20th still the day to post short read suggestions? Or has that fallen by the wayside......

That has fallen by the wayside. , and we're doing the "TIOLI Question of the month" instead. However, reading suggestions and recommendations for shared reads (or not) are always welcome.

>249 lindapanzo: The shared reads numbers for this month are astounding! I can't wait to see how many shared reads "stick" after the month is over. Maybe we'll set a new record...high instead of low!

>244 SqueakyChu:, >249 lindapanzo:, >251 SqueakyChu: Re: Shared Reads. I just entered books I've read so far and have FOUR shared reads thanks to taking part in reading challenges. Two were for the British Author Challenge, one in the American Author Challenge, and one in the Hillerman/Longmire Project. If this trend continues, we should see a big increase in shared challenges for the year!

I am probably the only person who doesn't love having so many people reading the same books because it means I find out about fewer new-to-me books. I am doing the BAC and the AAC, but so are a lot (most?) of my LT buddies, so the overlaps are significant. I guess it's good in that I am adding fewer books to my WL and TBR, but I *like* to add books to my WL and TBR!

:)

>252 Donna828:

If this trend continues, we should see a big increase in shared challenges for the year!

Hooray!

>253 katiekrug:

Katie, this can go both ways. For instance, if you read lots of new-to-you authors or even works by debut authors, feel free to promote the best ones on this thread to get others to read those same books.

I *like* to add books to my WL and TBR!

I love to add books to my WL but hope to reduce the number of books on my TBR. Somehow, the math on that doesn't seem to add up. No pun intended! :)

Speaking of shared reads---if anyone would care to join me I have added both The Hound Of Death and Arabella to Challenge #4; it's my way of ensuring I finally get them read! :)

>256 lyzard: I may join you in Arabella if I can track down my copy. Oh where, oh where can it be?

>248 bell7: >250 SqueakyChu: In that case, I think I'll highly recommend The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden, which I've got in TIOLI #3, food item in title. I can't believe it took me so many years to get around to reading this fabulous little book. Anyone want to join me?

>257 Dejah_Thoris: I know THAT feeling! :D

>241 Lexxi: I found this Eine Iris aus Sprache by Vlado Gotovac for your Croatian challenge. But somehow I can not get into Gotovac's poems, Maybe because of the German translation, maybe because I know not enough about Croatia.

.

I put the Innocence of Father Brown into challenge #1- search tool is a good feature on the Nook.

TIOLI AWards for December 2014

The Completely Me Award is shared by lyzard who read Madeline Payne, The Expert's Daughter and paulstalder who read Seelisch verkrüppelt - ein Verdingkind erzählt, die Geschichte der Madeline Lütschg-Lorimer for my (SqueakyChu's) challenge to read a book using a minimum three-letter part of the name "Madeline" in your book's title. Both of these challengers simplified things by using the whole name!

The Sweetest Contradiction Award goes to kidzdoc for reading The Old Child & Other Stories for lyzard's challenge to read a book with a title containing a contradiction. The reason for this is because the book's title did make me sigh as I realized my "baby girl" will be 29 years old this summer.

The Creative Definition Award goes to JenMDB and fuzzi for reading The Frozen Thames for DeltaQueen's challenge to read a book whose title includes either a color or a word to describe a shade of color. Frozen? A color?! This happened to be a car color: Frozen White! Okaaaaaay.....!

The Significant Day Award goes to Chatterbox for reading December 6 and Jeanne D for reading Tenth of December: Stories for lindapanzo's challenge to read a book with December in the title. These challengers decided to not only emphasize the month of December but also to stress a particular date in December...for whatever that means. LOL!

The Stretch Your Foreign Vocabulary Award goes to paulstalder for his challenge to read book with a title word which has a different meaning in a different language. I thought this was a very clever way of getting us to learn new foreign words. Nice idea for a challenge!

The Indefinite Bird Award goes to countrylife for reading Sam's Letters to Jennifer which had "some kind of lake bird on cover". I need to get this challenger a Peterson's Field Guide to Birds! ;) Other challengers did identify the species of the bird on their books.

Congratulations to our Award winners!

It's now time to start thinking of a new challenge for February...

Congrats to all the award winners! I particularly like to see awards given for "creativity", after all, one of these days I may have to get very creative to make one of my books fit into a category!

The lake bird looks like an egret.

bah. that's one huge picture.

>264 Lexxi:

Hooray! The unidentified bird has now been identified. Thanks, Lexxi! :)

>262 SqueakyChu: Hoorray! I won - I won again. Thanks Madeline
We have the Madeline-book in our library because http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdingkinder are a very sad story in Switzerland. I had it in my hands some years ago but didn't read it then, but when challenge came I remembered the name and read it

I have now read 2 books that I had not initially planned on reading. hmms. This implies I plan my reading. How to word this . . hmms.

Right. I've now read two additional books after thinking I had completed books to fulfill challenges.

I read A Simple Suburban Murder by Mark Richard Zubro with no specific challenge in mind. Since it involved childhood, abusive parents, and child exploitation, I figured I could put it into challenge 24. The "read a book about childhood". Since the book is a murder mystery from the point of view of a teacher, and most of the book involves that teacher attempting to solve the murder, which is deeply connected to the child exploitation thing, I figured it might eventually be disqualified for this challenge. So, I then picked up and read Big Nate: The Crowd Goes Wild! by Lincoln Pierce. A book specifically about and involving children and childhood.

Vaikunt by Hoshang Merchant, unlike the Zubro book above, was picked up and read specifically to meet the requirements of the Indian subcontinent challenge. Challenge 5.

paulstalder then mentioned a collection of Croatian poems he couldn't get into. I responded. I then later, today I believe, attempted to edit my response and accidentally killed it (it said something like "I find poetry tricky, especially translated poetry. blah blah blah. I've read several foreign, to me, collections. One most recently from India. Vaikunt. Even though Merchant apparently always writes in English, it still had a "different" vibe to it."

I don't even remember now why that lead me to look at/for the challenge, but it did. I reread the challenge description for challenge 5. I was satisfied I meet the challenge. Wandered on then did a double take. Challenge title includes the word "novel". "Read a novel by an author from the Indian subcontinent." Sooo. My poetry collection that I read might be another disqualified book. (both books I've noted in this post as being disqualified do qualify for other challenges and I probably will move them someday).

Examination of wiki for lists of authors. Rememberance of Arthur C. Clarke apparently spending most of his live in Sri Lanka. Being naturalized there and being buried there. Remembrance that the description included something like "or living there". He dead. I move on to other authors. Move back to wiki. Look for any and all authors I can find. Finally give up and move over to the challenge itself. And examining the books there. Eventually picked and read Basti by Intizar Husain. A guy from India who moved to Pakistan before, I believe, East and West Pakistan became Pakistan and Bangladesh. If anything else I got another shared read out of it. Book was one of those that I probably would not have read otherwise. Too . . . confusing and fluid in time. Too literary. I do not recommend it.

So. Depending on whether or not Vaikunt is disqualified, I completed the challenge sweep on the 15th or on the 22nd.

>266 paulstalder:

Interestingly, and sadly, I'm now reading the novel Orphan Trade by Christina Baker Kline (Shared read for Challenge #21 anyone else?). The book is about train transport across the United States in the 1920s of orphaned children who often ended up as indentured servants rather than beloved adopted children, much as you described above. I was never even aware of this sad part of American history.

>267 Lexxi:

Sooo. My poetry collection that I read might be another disqualified book

*sigh*

So. Depending on whether or not Vaikunt is disqualified, I completed the challenge sweep on the 15th or on the 22nd.

Phew! I'm glad you made the sweep, Lexxi!!

>264 Lexxi:

Well, Lexxi, at least we can see the bird clearly in your picture! :D

You can put width=(a number - 400 seems to work for me) after the URL in img src and it shrinks the picture down to a decent size. Height= also works. So

(less than)img src="URL" width=400(greater than)

will give you a decent-sized picture - and you can use Preview and adjust the number until it looks good to you.

I am reading The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo. I can put it in the IOU challenge, but I was wondering if it might fit here. Some parts of the book are set in Croatia, although the main setting is Norway. The protagonist is not Croatian, but the villain is. What do you think?

>272 jeanned: - That would fit the requirements of the Croatian challenge if you wished to put it there.