Take It Or Leave It Challenge - May 2017 - 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

-------------------------------------------------------------

Here’s your challenge for May, 2017...

*************************************************************
Read a book which has on page 113 a mode of transportation used by people
*************************************************************

Rules:
1. The mode of transportation may stand alone, may be embedded in one word, or may be embedded across two or more words. Please list your word. If embedded, list all of the affected words, highlighting the appropriate parts of them.
2. The mode of transportation may be vehicular (e.g. car, bus, auto, train) or animal (e.g. camel, horse, burro, elephant). 
3. Please only list one mode of transportation.

Here are some ideas:
Doll Bones (carrots) – Holly Black
Every Man Dies Alone (streetcar) – Hans Fallada
Paco’s Story (bus) – Larry Heinemann
Speak (bus) – Laurie Halse Anderson
We All Scream (care) – Andrew Gifford

This should be fairly easy. Have fun!

--------------------------------------------------------------

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

1. The May 2017 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 01/05/17)

Wiki Index of Challenges:

Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book which has on page 113 a mode of transportation used by people - msg #1
2. Read a book with a title that mentions or describes the main character - msg #4
3. Read a book with a title that might convey some kind of warning as does the word “Mayday” - msg #8
4. Read a book with 2 or more title words which all begin with the same letter - msg #10
5. Read a book whose title starts with the letters MAYFLOWER in rolling fashion - msg #12
6. Read a mega chunkster of at least 900 pages, cite the number of pages - msg #13

Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book that names a specific plant in the title (no trees) - msg #14
8. Read a book where the authors name is also a (common) word - msg #19
9. Read a book where the first word on p40 starts with a capital letter - msg #21
10. Read a book whose title's middle word is the word "middle" - msg #22
11. Read a book whose title refers to a place or location - msg #27
12. Read a book where the action takes place in, on, under or over the Mediterranean Sea - msg #28

Challenges #13-17
13. Read a book with a title that could describe a child or children - msg #31
14. Read a book that has a cover with big text or a creative typographic style - msg#36
15. Read a book that has a word from the song 'Amazing grace' in the title in rolling fashion - msg #38
16. Read a book that has an odd number of letters in every word of the title - msg #64
17. Read a book that has tags of "racism" or "feminism" or could - msg #66

Hold your challenge until the June, 2017, TIOLI challenges are posted. Thank you.

Hi Lyzard, it looks like we bumped heads (or challenges) again. You are welcome to #2 spot. Go ahead and change our positions.

************************************************

Challenge #2: Read a book with a title that mentions or describes the main character

************************************************

By "mentions or describes", I mean that you may read a book that either has the character's name in the title, or that somehow else refers to that character. For example, Emma would qualify, and so would The French Lieutenant's Woman.

Not all books have *a* main character, so to qualify the narrative or text must deal significantly with that person's story. In addition, the person must actually appear in the narrative or text! Here, for instance, a book I want to read, Anna Katharine Green's Agatha Webb would *not* qualify, as Agatha is found murdered at the outset. Though the story is hers, she does not appear in it.

Either fiction or non-fiction is fine.

>3 dallenbaugh:

Sorry! It accepted my save, so I didn't know there was a problem.

ETA: I have done as you suggested, thanks.

Yes it accepted mine also

We're fighting over you, Madeline, aren't you flattered?? :)

I think Madeline fixed it and I am now #3 so all is good!

Challenge #3: Read a book with a title that might convey some kind of warning as does the word “Mayday”

“Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure.”

Your choice as to why you see the title as hinting at some kind of future disaster or misfortune.

Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer (a duel perhaps)

The Snake Stone by Jason Goodwin (the mention of a sometimes dangerous animal)

The Iceberg by Marion Coutts (maybe a collision)

>7 lyzard: Yes! I am flattered. :)

Challenge #4: Read a book with 2 or more title words which all begin with the same letter

In honor of Stasia's return, a Walla Walla challenge.

Words like A, an, or the count. So, for instance, The Tempest would be fine but a book called A Tepid Teapot would not be ok.

>10 lindapanzo:

Hmm. I listed Peregrine's Progress for #2 but a scan of my lists suggests I might have to move it. :)

Challenge #5: Read a book whose title starts with the letters MAYFLOWER in rolling fashion

I haven't done a rolling challenge in awhile, so here goes!

Challenge #6: Read a mega chunkster of at least 900 pages

Nothing less than 900 pages will do. I plan to read Les Miserables, I don't know how much other reading I'll get done in the month.

Challenge #7: Read a book that names a specific plant in the title (no trees)

Since April showers, bring May flowers I thought we needed to read a book with the name of a flower in it... but I found very few flower books in my collection, so I opened it up to plants. So anything from Flowers for Algernon, Dandelion Wine or Rosemary's Baby would work. I'm going to try Shamrock Tea which has been collection dust on the shelf for a long time.

>13 Citizenjoyce: I noticed most of the Obama reads for this month are chunksters. Can you use a book for both the group read and the Tioli? Not that I'm going to commit to reading Team of Rivals. That looks interesting, but it's thick enough to stun an ox.

>13 Citizenjoyce: Would a novel count if it's split up into 3 parts (to be physically manageable for the reader) and you read all three parts?

I've been meaning to read War and Peace, which in this particular edition is divided up into 3, and while I doubt I'll actually get through it in one month, it'd be nice to know *just in case*.

>15 cammykitty: group reads and tioli are two different things so you can read it for both.
>16 PawsforThought: That would count but only if you finished all the parts.

>17 Citizenjoyce: Great, thanks. Good to know if I do manage to make it through (doubtful).

Challenge #8: Read a book where the authors name is also a (common) word

I am going to read a book by Aidan Chambers.

>19 FAMeulstee: That reminds me of the house I rented with four friends right after we graduated from university. Our last names were Stone (my maiden/non-pen name), Park, West, Greene...and Bushnell. The latter of whom did not take kindly to our suggestion that she shorten her name to fit the house pattern, given that her first name was Barbara and this was the early 90's.

Challenge #9: Read a book where the first word on p40 starts with a capital letter

I have a couple of books I want to read this month, and so I was looking at them last night to work out what challenge might work for them both. I tried various things, none of which worked, so in desperation I thought - I'll try one of those 'with a word on page x' challenges. So, opened one at random, p40; opened the other one to p40 - and there it was.

The strange thing was that I then checked the other 7 or 8 books I had close at hand, to see what the strike rate was - and only two of them didn't start p40 with a capital letter (either a name, or the start of a sentence, or a new chapter). So I hope that other TIOLI challengers also don't find it too difficult to find a read that fits this category.

Challenge #10: The "Stuck in the Middle with You Challenge:" Read a book whose title's middle word is the word "middle"

Subtitles and articles may be included in the title so that it meets the requirements! I realize this one may be a toughie, but I think LTers will come through.

I will be reading The Middle Heart by Bette Bao Lord for this one.

>10 lindapanzo: Aww, that's sweet, LindaP!

>20 susanna.fraser: I can understand someone didn't want to go by Barbara Bush at that time ;-)

Just a reminder for fans of free audiobooks - YA Sync 2017 starts tomorrow!

Each week, 2 books are available for free download. Generally a classic is paired with a newer book, in the young adult area. The books are free to keep forever, but you have to download them during the week they are available. Sadly, not all books are available in every country.
http://www.audiobooksync.com/
If you go to the site, you can sign up for text or email reminders, and you can also see what books will be available each week. Starting tomorrow, The Dead House and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

>22 alcottacre: You haven't listed your challenge at the wiki, Stasia.

I feel like the White Rabbit! I can't believe that May's Challenges have been up since last night and I'm only finding them now. My challenge for May is:

Challenge #11: "This Must be the Place": Read a book whose title refers to a place or a location.

This can be an actual place or a made up location. Your destination doesn’t have to be a city or a fantasy world, it could also be a house, a school, a park etc. As long as it has a name and would work as a meeting place.

During May my reading may be massively up or non-existent, as we are going on holiday. squeeee!. It will be our first foreign holiday in 18 years (and that was 3 days at Eurodisney, so probably doesn't really count!) and we're doing it in style - we're taking a cruise on the Mediterranean. squeeeee again!! My challenge is designed so that you can all come with me.

Challenge #12: Read a book where the action takes place in, on, under or over the Mediterranean Sea

It does not have to be the entire book that is related to the sea. However it's not enough that the action takes place in a Mediterranean country, they actually have to smell the sea air, get their feet wet and paddle in the surf, set sail across it, fly over it and look down on it, travel in a submarine under it. Please include a brief description of the interaction with the sea in the wiki.

Hopefully you get the idea. squeeee once more!!!

>10 lindapanzo: Linda, does the subtitle count for your challenge? I have a book where the title would fit but not the subtitle.

>29 cbl_tn: No need to use subtitles.

Challenge #13: Read a book with a title that could describe a child or children

I have chosen The Babes in the the Wood, but I have other potential reads this month that I could fit here, including:

The Mad Scientist's Daughter
Golden Boy
The American Boy

>30 lindapanzo: Great!

The Perfume Collector

I don't think I'll even be able to attempt a sweep this month with Les Miserables on my plate.
Sort of planned reads:
Challenge #1: Read a book which has on page 113 a mode of transportation used by people - started by SqueakyChu
✔Into the Water - Paula Hawkins (3.5)
Challenge #2: Read a book with a title that mentions or describes the main character - started by lyzard
✔The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life - Rick Ankiel - (4)
Challenge #3: Read a book with a title that might convey some kind of warning as does the word “Mayday” - started by dallenbaugh
✔Silence Fallen - Patricia Briggs (4)
Challenge #4: Read a book with 2 or more title words which all begin with the same letter - started by lindapanzo
✔A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women's Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835-1870 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (3.5)
Tell Me How This Ends Well: A Novel by David Samuel Levinson
Challenge #5: Read a book whose title starts with the letters MAYFLOWER in rolling fashion - started by Susanna.fraser
*✔Eiffel's Tower - Jill Jonnes - Audiobook (4)
Challenge #6: Read a mega chunkster of at least 900 pages, cite the number of pages - started by Citizenjoyce
✔Les Misérables - Victor Hugo (5)
Challenge #7: Read a book that names a specific plant in the title (no trees) - started by cammykitty
✔*Rise of the Rocket Girls - Nathalia Holt (4)
Challenge #8: Read a book where the author's name is also a (common) word - started by FAMeulstee
✔*Five Dollars and a Pork Chop Sandwich - Mary Frances Berry E-book (3.5)
Challenge #9: Read a book where the first word on p40 starts with a capital letter - started by wandering_star
✔Kitty's Greatest Hits - Carrie Vaughn (3.5)
✔No Girls Allowed: Tales of Daring Women Dressed as Men for Love, Freedom and Adventure - Susan Hughes - Graphic (3.5)
Challenge #10: The "Stuck in the Middle with You Challenge:" Read a book whose title's middle word is the word "middle" - started by AlcottAcre
✔The Middle Place - Kelly Corrigan (3.5)
Challenge #11: "This Must Be The Place" Read a book whose title refers to a place or location - started by DeltaQueen
Komarr - Lois McMaster Bujold
✔Perfume River: A Novel - Robert Olen Butler - RL Book Club (2.5)
Challenge #12: Read a book where the action takes place in, on, under or over the Mediterranean Sea - started by helenliz
✔Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli pirates the forgotten war that changed American history - Brian Kilmeade (3)
Challenge #13: Read a book with a title that could describe a child or children - started by JeanneD
✔The Orphan's Tale: A Novel by Pam Jenoff (4)
Challenge #14: Read a book that has a cover with big text or a creative typographic style - started by avatiakh
✔Enemies: A History of the FBI - Tim Weiner (4)
No One Is Coming to Save Us - Stephanie Powell Watts
Challenge #15: Read a book that has a word from the song 'Amazing grace' in the title in rolling fashion - started by paulstalder
✔Lost & Found by Brooke Davis (4)
Challenge #16: Read a book that has an odd number of letters in every word of the title - started by elkiedee
Spare and Found Parts - Sarah Maria Griffin
*✔Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett (3.5)
Challenge #17: Read a book that has tags of "racism" or "feminism" or could - started by klobrien2
How to Win at Feminism: The Definitive Guide to Having It All - and Then Some! - Reductress Abandoned
✔Song of the Lion: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel by Anne Hillerman (3.5)

Hmm. I think I need another iteration of Heather's "almost fits but not quite" challenge: I have trees everywhere in my reading lists but no plants, my potential chunksters fall a little short of 900 pages, and my only "middle" book has an even number of words in its title. :)

I could possibly reword my challenge better but here it is:

Challenge #14: Read a book that has a cover with big text or a creative typographic style

Rather than start a new thread for the cover images, I suggest we just post an image on this thread when we add/finish the book.
I know I often choose a book because of an interesting cover and just noticed that I have several from the library where the title is in 'big text' with barely any art on the page and I love how clever typography can make a cover quite stunning.

___

>13 Citizenjoyce: How would you feel about an omnibus edition? I have a book of the complete Richard Hannay stories. It is 5 novels in a single binding. In total it runs to over 900 pages, but each novel on its own is clearly not that long. Would that count or not?

Challenge #15: Read a book that has a word from the song 'Amazing grace' in the title in rolling fashion

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

T'was grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
(by John Newton 1725-1807)

Now, read a book with a word from the above first verse, and do that in rolling order.
book 1: Amazing
book 2: Grace
book 3: How
book 4: Sweet
book 5: The
book 6: Sound
book 7: That
book 8: Saved
book 9: A
book 10: Wretch
book 11: Like
book 12: Me
book 13: I
book 14: Once
...

No embedded words, no subtitles; the word can appear anywhere in the title.
If reading a book in another language, then the word must be a precise translation of the word, not a synonym nor the same spelling but a different meaning.

Have fun

(edited to add the 2nd verse)

Nice challenge, Paul. I don't believe I've ever seen one done in that fashion.

>37 Helenliz:, that sounds good as long as you read the whole thing.

>38 paulstalder:

Okay...I have a "wretch" if anyone has a "saved"? :D

>22 alcottacre: Would the Dutch translation of Houellebecq's Lanzarote : au milieu du monde, qualify?
Milieu means middle/center, in English the title seems to be just Lanzarote, but the translation would be Lanzarote in the middle of the world.

>41 lyzard: I've added a 'saved'

>43 souloftherose:

...and we have a 'wretch'!

Way to go, Liz! I figured if anyone would have the word "Wretch" in their library, it would be you. :)

I think I've just been insulted! :D

>45 DeltaQueen50: Way to go, Liz! I figured if anyone would have the word "Wretch" in their library, it would be you. :)

LOL!

>46 lyzard: I think I've just been insulted! :D

LOL once again!

Challenge #15: Who got saved? I mean who reads the book with the 'saved' title? Please put your name down. Thank you

>48 paulstalder: Sorry, that was me. Now amended.

>49 souloftherose: Thanks

Before people fill up the next line of #5 it is "I once was lost but now am found" - only one "I" - not sure why I remembered that but the extra syllable doesn't seem to scan in my head (and I can't sing) so looked it up.

>51 elkiedee: Thanks so much for pointing that out. Two Is see more than just one I - I take the second I out of the text now :)

I copied it from the German Wikipedia and didn't check the English version.

>46 lyzard: Not an insult at all, Liz. As someone who often enjoys books from the past myself, I stand in awe of your book choices!

BTW, I love this challenge, so creative and such fun to hunt for books that will fit.

>53 DeltaQueen50: Not to mention that I've been humming Amazing Grace all morning, which is not something I'm known to do. One of my co-workers asked if I heard it on the radio.

>53 DeltaQueen50: >54 lindapanzo: I am so pleased that my challenge is so well accepted. I listened today 'Amazing Grace' by different interpreters and genres online on my laptop :)

>54 lindapanzo: >55 paulstalder: I was singing it yesterday, too, when I was out walking and after I read this thread. :)

>56 SqueakyChu: I started singing to try to figure out what word came next. Then just kept humming. And humming.

If we get to the end, will we start over?

>57 lindapanzo: Or we could go on to the next verse...

>58 susanna.fraser: if you thought saved and wretch were hard, do you think we can find a T'was?

Actually, there are a number of 't'was' books out there. (I'm not volunteering, just pointing it out!)

You are great, I love you all.

Okay, I added the 2nd verse in >38 paulstalder:. Let's see if we reach thus far.
I spelled relieved and believed out, as not to make it too complicated (if somebody finds the apostrophized word in a title, well, that would be nice).

>60 lyzard: You're right! Surely someone will want to read T'Was the Night Before Christmas to get the group onward.

C'mon, people---thinking caps on! We need a few more challenges this month!

(Or to put it another way, I have two urgent books which don't fit the current ones. Help! :D )

Challenge 16

Read a book with an odd number of letters in every word of the title.

1 word is fine if it has an odd number of letters. All words included.

>63 lyzard: What she said - haven't checked but I suspect that some of my books carried over from April won't fit anything.

>64 elkiedee:

You've helped with one of my outliers - thanks! :D

Challenge #17: Read a book that has tags of "racism" or "feminism" or could

Couldn't find a place for Their Eyes Were Watching God so decided to sneak under the wire with a challenge. And I am so eager to accept any and all of your entries here. I do think that it is becoming ever so much more important to address these issues.

Karen O.

>66 klobrien2: That's a great challenge!

Still time in North America!

>66 klobrien2: What is "could"?

>69 SqueakyChu:

"Could be tagged that way", I would think. (Sorry if I'm butting in!)

>66 klobrien2: Ah, great! About 70% of the books I've bought recently could fit in this challenge.

>70 lyzard: Yes, that's exactly right; I'm hoping that, if you find a book that *should* be tagged like this, that you would go ahead and actually tag it.

>71 PawsforThought: That's great! You know where you can TIOLI them if you need to!

Karen O.

>72 klobrien2: If I ever manage to read any books this month, I'll definitely fit them in to the challenge.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Les Miserables (which ends up being the perfect book to read on this French election day), but I had to stop for a while and listen to the musical. I've seen it three times, and this is my second time through the book. Each time I learn a little more.

I have a book listed in challenge #5 (rolling Mayflower challenge) but unfortunately realised after 60 or so pages that it's just not working for me. I've marked it Did not finish on the wiki to make it clear for the end of month tidying. Is that the best thing to do? I don't want to remove it completely from the wiki as it will mess up the order of the letters.

>75 souloftherose: What you did is perfect! Thanks!

I note that, for the Amazing Grace challenge, we are now at the dreaded T'was.

Who is going to step up and read Twas the Night Before Christmas or some such?

I believe that, for rolling challenges, posters are now allowed to put in two consecutive books so it won't be me!!

I also note that, to put in the next word, I had to quietly sing Amazing Grace to myself and am now humming it again.

>77 lindapanzo: Okay, I did it! I've added Twas the Night Before Christmas--next up is "Blind," right?

Karen O.

>78 klobrien2: next up should be 'grace' (Twas grace that ...)

>77 lindapanzo: 'posters are now allowed to put in two ...
I guess you mean not> ☺

Oops! Yes--"grace"! We are further along than I realized!

Karen O.

>79 paulstalder: Oops. Yes, I meant not. That's what I get for putting in comments from my phone. I shall keep that there as a reminder not to use my phone for comments.

Hi, Ameise1! A few of us have The Lewis Man in challenge 8, and I see that you have completed it for challenge 2. If you moved it to 8, we would get another shared point, but maybe you have a need for a challenge 2 item.

Karen O.

I'm back, not having taken 10 years to cross the Med, and having read loads (for me - not read 6 books in that short a space of time in a long while). I only took a few with me, and relied on the ship for the rest. 5 of which I have found TIOLI locations for. The one I finished and I'm struggling with is Swann's Way (American edition, so that is the title that was on the cover Penguin edition, translator Lyndsey Davis). I don't have a copy, so can't check pages for text at this point in time.
Any ideas greatly appreciated!

>83 Helenliz: welcome back.
Maybe it fits challenge #14: Some covers have a 'creative typographic style', so check your Penguin edition on Amazon or so.
Or challenge #16 if the 's is counted as a single word: Swann's Way = 5-1-3 What would the grammarians say about that way of counting?

I read this for my own challenge:
Amazing Grace : John Newton und die bewegende Geschichte seines weltbekannten Liedes by Steve Turner.
John Newton was a rascal. He was trained by a Christian mother to learn the catechism but when she died, his faith was belittled and so he every such ideas aside. He was forcedly recruited and put on ship to Africa, there is joined a trader but was kept on an island as a kind of server to the slaves of the master's wife. He nearly died. But later his father sent message to bring him home. On that journey home, the ship nearly went down. John remembered his childhood faith in a grace which was given undeserved to sinners. So he converted. He married and became a slave trader, three times he went to Africa, bought slaves and sold them in the USA. Then he became ill and had to stay home. He was writing Christian songs already when sailing. He then was ordained and became a minister. He wrote 'Amazing Grace' in order to illustrate a sermon of his on 1 Chronicles 17,8 in 1772. Later he met William Wilberforce and started to preach against slavery. The song was not well know in Britain, despite the fact that it is a British song. But in the USA it became very popular. It was first sung with different melodies, the melody we associate with that song nowadays was definitely attached to it since 1835. John Newton wrote 6 verses, of which 3 are still printed in modern hymnbooks, a fourth verse was added (When we've been there ten thousand years...) which does not come from Newton's pen but from Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Newton understood 'grace' as something given by God freely without attachments to those who realize that they are sinners. Not his works or understanding did save him, only this amazing grace given by God through Jesus' sacrifice.
Very interesting reading.

TIOLI meter: Citizenjoyce (2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11) 28364 pages - you read 7 chunksters with an average of 4000 pages and didn't put them all into your own challenge - I would do that :)

>83 Helenliz:

#2? :)

>82 klobrien2: I could easily change it because I've read another one for challenge number 2. Thanks so much for telling me.

Barbara

>88 Ameise1: That's great! Another shared point!

Karen O.

>85 paulstalder: thanks for the synopsis. I enjoyed reading it.

>86 paulstalder: What the heck did I do? Sometimes it doesn't pay to update late at night?

>87 lyzard: Would you take that? I thought it didn't quite fit. It's a description of a path (the way by Swann's house) rather than a description of a major character.
If that's all good, I'm in.

"Mentioned or described". Isn't Swann the main character? If that person's name is mentioned it's an automatic qualify. (Otherwise the book would need to be called something like "The Man Who Had A Path Near His House" :) )

TIOLI Question of the month:

What was your quickest read so far this month? What made it such a quick read?

The quickest read was a picture book Bijna jarig for challenge #16. It has only 32 pages, most time was spend on looking at the beautiful illustrations, as the text was short.

For me it was Meine Beschneidung byRiad Sattouf. It is partly a graphic novel, partly an easy text about a boy's anxieties about his upcoming circumcision

>94 SqueakyChu: I think mine is a tie between The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World, because it's written for middle grade readers and therefore went down extra easy, and Miranda and Caliban because I find Jacqueline Carey's writing hypnotic (in a good way)--just lush enough to keep me fascinated without crossing the line into what I consider overwritten.

>97 susanna.fraser: Tad Williams retold the Caliban and Miranda story in Caliban's Hour, which is not long, and I recall was very good. You might want to check it out sometime.

Finished my sweep today :-)

#1: Oorlog op Kreta '41-'44 (car) by Wes Davis
#2: De Blauwe Boekanier by Tonke Dragt
#3: Orkaan en Mayra by Sonia Garmers
#4: Djingo Django by Sid Fleischman
#5: Het jaar dat de zigeuners kwamen by Linzi Glass
#6: De ontdekking van de hemel by Harry Mulisch (905)
#7: De vertrapte pioenroos by Bertus Aafjes & De rode pimpernel by Barones Emma Orczy
#8: De tolbrug by Aidan Chambers
#9: De vuurtoren (Dat) by Jan & Sanne Terlouw
#10: The Middle East (=Het Midden Oosten) by Bernard Lewis
#11: Een Huis met een poort en een park by Henri van Daele
#12: Het laatste bevel by Peter Aspe
#13: De jongen met de gele ogen by Margaret Mahy
#14: Die stad komt nooit af by J.A. Deelder
#15: Na het baden bij Baxter en de ontluizing bij Miss Grace by J.M.H. Berckmans & Toen de wereld nog jong was Jürg Schubiger
#16: Bijna jarig by Imme Dros
#17: De trimbaan by Imme Dros

>99 FAMeulstee: way to go!!

>99 FAMeulstee: You're unbelievable! Congratulations!

>98 fuzzi: I think I may have read that one, many years ago? The title is familiar, at least.

>99 FAMeulstee: Wow!

>99 FAMeulstee: congratulations!

>99 FAMeulstee: Wow, way to go.

>99 FAMeulstee: well done

Thanks everyone :-)
Now I am trying to do some shared reads.

My quickest read this month has been Pretty Tough Plants, a great gardening book of plants tested at Colorado State University and written especially for western gardens. Hmm, I think I can even add it to Challenge #9.

Congrats to FAMeulstee, once again. You are really on a roll.

>99 FAMeulstee: : You're early, Anita! And with a chunkster included in that lineup!

>99 FAMeulstee: well done!

>94 SqueakyChu:: Probably The Ocean at the end of the lane it's not very long, but it drew me in and I read it in 2 sessions.

Congrats, Anita! A sweep completed by the 16th of the month. I have no idea if that's a record, but it's pretty darn impressive!

I moved my read of No Girls Allowed: Tales of Daring Women Dressed as Men for Love, Freedom and Adventure from challenge #13 to #9 so it could be a shared read.

>99 FAMeulstee:

Good grief, woman!! :D

>111 avatiakh: Oh good, and it fit's with >94 SqueakyChu: Because it's a quick read with lots of pictures.

Thanks everyone!

>110 streamsong: No it is not, my own record was on the 10th of November last year.

Wow! A sweep by the 10th?! I always start looking for it on the 19th!

Is it okay to change your own book in a rolling challenge? If I put a book starting with 'the', can I change it for another book with 'the'? It seems like I should be able to , but I just wanted to make sure.

>116 raidergirl3: that should be okay. As long as the sequence of rolling challenge is intact, it is possible to change the item.

>116 raidergirl3: It's okay with me.

>117 paulstalder:, >118 SqueakyChu: perfect, thanks!

I started a readathon thread for Memorial Day weekend, in case anyone would like to join to try to push their book count for May up a bit.

I've finally picked up The Essex Serpent only been meaning to get round to it for 2 months. I can;t quite work out when it is set. There's no dates although a number of references make me think I can narrow down a timeslot. Those how have read it (It was listed in TIOLI last month) what did you decide?

>121 Helenliz: It was set during the Victorian era so as a tag I put 19th century. I couldn't date it closer than that.

>121 Helenliz: It was set in the 1890s.

I won't be able to finish all the books that I planned for May, yet here I am dropping in and out of LT all day to check if the June TIOLI Challenge thread is up yet!

It's not up yet! :)

Stats for April, 2017, TIOLI Challenges:

In the month of April, 2017, we read a total of 393 books with 61 (16%) being shared reads. We accumulated 32 TIOLI points for a YTD total of 129, the lowest TYD number for April since 2010. All of our other stats are holding steady and are no longer showing a decline.

Our most popular book was The 'Z' Murders by J. Jefferson Farjeon. This book had four readers.

Our most popular challenge was that of streamsong to read a book with the word egg or eggs in the title or text. There were 36 books read for that challenge.

The challenges with the most TIOLI points (4 each) were (1) my own (SqueakyChu's) to read a book whose title has two words sharing one adjacent letter across those two words and (2) wandering_star's challenge to read a book that was recommended as part of Virago's #BooksForChange project.

Stay tuned for our April, 2017, TIOLI Awards!

April, 2017, TIOLI Awards

The Dear Entomologist Award goes to dallenbaugh for reading The Grasshopper Trap for dallenbaugh's own challenge to read a book with a title that makes you think of spring and tell us why. The reason was "time to think about catching grasshoppers". This was dear to my heart as my own grandson and I had fun this past week catching the 17-year cicadas (not grasshoppers, but sometimes called locusts, like grasshoppers) that have arrived four years too soon. I love cicadas and spring. Maybe grasshoppers not as much!

The Best Beginning Award goes to FAMeulstee for reading Dan ben je nergens meer for helenliz's challenge to read a book where the first sentence is speech. The first sentence of this book was 'Hier,' zei Vincent, 'hier beginnen we' which translates into English as "Here," said Vincent, "Here we begin." It's very clear this is the beginning of the book. Haha!

The Eggs for Breakfast Award goes to streamsong for the challenge to read a book with the word egg or eggs in the title or text. Not only was this a fun challenge in looking for the books, it was also a surprise to me to see how may challengers actually found books to fit this challenge. This challenge also reminded me to lower my carbs and increase my protein in my recent weight loss diet. :)

The Gimme Something Strange Award goes to fuzzi for her very clever challenge to read a book with a one-word title that is unusual. There were some interesting listings for this challenge.

The Say That Again Award goes to Alcottacre for reading Thraxas for fuzzi's challenge to read a book with a one-word title that is unusual. Out of all the one-word titles, I liked the word "thraxas" the best and was trying to decide what it might mean. It sounded like a combo of anthrax and Texas. Yikes!

You may add your own awards at this time!

Congrats to our award winners!

>127 SqueakyChu: Anthrax and Texas. Now there's a combo.

>128 Citizenjoyce: Hahahaha!

>127 SqueakyChu: Thanks Madeline - my first ever entomology award.

>130 dallenbaugh: of interest to the entomologist in you:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/20/529148056/scientists-sneak-a-p...

>131 Citizenjoyce: Wow!! A drone insect coming to your house soon.

>131 Citizenjoyce: Fascinating!

Just remind me, what the etiquette when you think a book doesn't meet the requirements of a challenge?
There's one in challenge 4 (>10 lindapanzo:) that looks dodgy to me.

>127 SqueakyChu: Thanks Madeline, I did not even realise how funny that was for a beginning :-)

I finished A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women's Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835-1870 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and moved it from the feminism challenge, where it fit so well, to lindapanzo's duplicate letter challenge #4 for a sweep. Yahoo.

Congratulations Joyce!

>137 DeltaQueen50: Thanks.

>136 Citizenjoyce: Congratulations! With your read of Les Miserables you wouldn't be able to do it, but you did! You bibliophile, you!

Karen O.

>136 Citizenjoyce: Congratulations!

>136 Citizenjoyce: Hurray for Joyce!!

>136 Citizenjoyce: Such a strong reader! Congrats!

>139 klobrien2:, >140 susanna.fraser:, >141 SqueakyChu:, >142 dallenbaugh: Thank you, thank you. Yes, I kind of thought Les Miserables would be all I'd get through this month, so I was pleasantly surprised.

>136 Citizenjoyce: Congratulations Joyce!

>144 FAMeulstee: Well, I'll never approach your record, but thank you.

Housekeeping Day!

Hello, all. You know the drill. Please remove from the wiki pages any book you do not finish by midnight tonight. For the rolling challenges, leave the book name and remove the other information or simply mark it DNF (did not finish).

Thank you!