Take It Or Leave It - monthly Birthstone Colour Challenge (2020)

I’m continuing the birthstone challenge from 2019 in the hopes I can keep it going for a year and to celebrate having turned 50 in October. So please post the covers of your books here if you’re joining the challenge!

{Have a look at How to do fancy things in your thread for more tips or the 75 book challenge wiki for Basic HTML or Sandy's video on posting pictures.}

.... continued from 2019

>2 humouress: January
January TIOLI thread

>12 humouress: February
February TIOLI thread

>36 humouress: March
March TIOLI thread

>69 humouress: April
April TIOLI thread

>104 humouress: May
May TIOLI thread

>166 humouress: June
June TIOLI thread

>189 humouress: July
July TIOLI thread

(My apologies; for some reason, the post number links don’t seem to be working.)

January's birthstone is garnet. Although it can come in a variety of colours (like most birthstones, depending on the mix of minerals) the name 'garnet' comes from the Latin 'granatum' referring to pomegranate seeds.

 

So the January birthstone challenge would be to read a book with a dark red cover.

January TIOLI thread

I’ll post the February details at the beginning of the month, in case anyone wants to add January books first.

This is my January read:

I read Fast One by Paul Cain for January:

This is my book for January: The Book of Swords part 1 edited by Gardner Dozois.

For February Amethyst

My February Cover:

My red cover (very last minute):

Lyra's Oxford

>4 Citizenjoyce: >5 DeltaQueen50: >6 humouress: >10 souloftherose: All beautifully garnet-y, thank you.

Challenge 15: read a book with a (predominantly) purple cover for the February birthstone challenge

The birthstone for February is amethyst, a purple semiprecious stone in the quartz family. It is so named because the ancient Greeks believed it could protect you from drunkenness. (Good luck with that!)



February TIOLI thread

I may have stumped myself with this one - but >7 quondame:, >8 Citizenjoyce: and >9 DeltaQueen50: you’ve all found purple books and they even have ‘amethyst’ and ‘purple’ in the titles!

ETA: I’ve browsed through my LT catalogue and come up with some possibilities but otherwise, if you recommend it Susan, I might join you with Amethyst if I can borrow it on Overdrive. (PS - your touchstone goes to the wrong book)

I'm hoping to finish this ebook this month.

>14 raidergirl3: Are you loving it? It was so much better than I thought it would be from the title.

Here's one I'm thinking about.

Just finished this audiobook. Not my usual fare but it worked for commuting. Is it Purple enough?

My February cover. I'm calling it "predominantly" purple. If it's too much green or something else let me know.

>15 Citizenjoyce: With that endorsement and good things I’ve heard about it elsewhere, I may join you >14 raidergirl3: in Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows. I’m assuming the main colour is purple and not blue?

>16 AnneDC: That is purple!

>17 Helenoel: Looking closely, there is more purple than black. Go for it!

>18 swynn: I’ll give it to you. I’m willing to be lenient this month because my book falls into the ‘predominantly purple’ category too. Might as well be nepotistic if it’s my own challenge :0)

ETA: I had a closer look and there is a lot of purple.

This is my purple book:

>15 Citizenjoyce: it was very good, and had a lot more going in than the stories. I found it a bit slow to start, but then it picked up.

>19 humouress: it looks purple on my iPad!

I got a recommendation for Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows from a worker at Barnes and Nobel when they were having their book club (maybe they still are, I only went twice). It didn't sound like something I would like, but I gave it a try, and I'm certainly glad I did.

>22 Citizenjoyce: I enjoyed that one a lot when I read it too (and it wasn't something I would have been drawn to from the title).

Nina, could you let me know if you think this cover is purple enough?

Paladin's Grace

>23 souloftherose: Well the purple certainly stands out but is it predominant? Are there two shades of purple or is the second colour blue?

>24 humouress: Yeah, I was undecided. I'm reading on kindle so can't see the cover in real life but I think the other colours are blue and green (and black) rather than another shade of purple. No worries.

My purple book:

>26 katiekrug: Oh dear; that looks mainly green to me. Unless the background is purple?

OK - the background is reading very purple to me or I wouldn't have posted it. *shrug*

I've removed it.

>26 katiekrug: The background looks purple to me.

>28 katiekrug: Sorry, it looks black on my screen so I was just checking.

But if it looks purple to you then please go ahead and use it.

>14 raidergirl3: Well, you pulled me into sharing a read with you. I’ve finished it but I usually update the TIOLI wiki only at the end of the month.

ETA: I’ve added it

sorry

My February / purple read:

>32 FAMeulstee: >34 lyzard: Both look good.

>33 paulstalder: Apology accepted ;0)

****Challenge #16: March birthstone challenge - read a book with a predominantly aquamarine cover. ****

The birthstone for March is aquamarine which is a pale sea blue (green-blue or bluey-green). Not surprisingly it was considered to be the treasure of mermaids. It also seems to have had a whole slew of mythical properties such as a cure for procrastination, a charm against poisoning, conferring eternal youth or protection for travellers sailing a long distance over sea.



March TIOLI thread

My reads for the March Birthstone Challenge:



Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard



The Drowned World by J. G. Ballard

Would this one qualify?

>38 FAMeulstee: >37 DeltaQueen50: Yes to all of them. Anita, I’d say that’s the bluey-green end of the spectrum.

>39 humouress: Thank you, I will add it now.

I prefer Olive Again

But I could read Big Sky

I have a few books left from last year's YA Sync audiobook giveaway, and they all fit this category. I am having a hard time getting a picture to embed in my message. So hopefully this works!



My books are Astray by Emma Donaghue, The Go-Between by Veronica Chambers, and Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina.

>41 Citizenjoyce: I hate saying ‘No’ but the image I see is quite dark. There is a different cover that would work which is pale blue with a yellow spine. Could you read that?

>42 Citizenjoyce: Phew! Big Sky definitely works.

>43 raidergirl3: I can see all three of your picks and they’re all the right colour. Would you say The Go Between is predominantly aquamarine?

(Oops - just realised I forgot to specify that this month.)

Do you live on PEI? It’s my ambition to visit there (bet you’ll never guess why).

Would this work?

ETA: This is the Audible cover - I'm listening to it.



And I never got approval for my February book - I hope it's ok!



And, yes, the book was as absurd as its cover....

>45 humouress: hmm, predominantly? I see the teal first when I look at it, but mathematically, percentage-wise, it’s close. Eh, I’ll not listen to all three most likely. The three just looked so pretty together, and are the only 3 left from last year.

Yes, I do live in PEI, and it is just as delightful and beautiful as Anne describes! Not in the winter, well, still pretty, but not much to do. Come in the summer, for sure!

ETA- I just looked up your location - Australia! That’s a long trip to get to PEI.

>46 Dejah_Thoris: March: yes, that works.

February: I say! 🧐 That works, too.

>47 raidergirl3: I see the blue first, too. If you want to make a case for it I’m willing to give it to you because it was my omission (but I’m going to go back and amend it now).

Actually, I’m now in Singapore. I just haven’t updated my profile ... yet. Maybe next time we visit that part of the world; we just did west coast USA this winter. I did make an attempt to visit PEI when we lived in New York but I couldn’t convince my husband. Now, just to get my boys hooked on Anne ...

>49 humouress: make sure everyone knows she’s a fictional character before you visit. My son devastated a tourist when he worked at a Visitor Information Center by telling her Anne wasn’t a real person. It’s a bit confusing because she wanted to visit Green Gables house which is done up as Anne’s house but was a family member of LM Montgomery’s.

>50 raidergirl3: Hah! Yes. I remember when I was quite small trying to convince my parents to take me to visit the place where some of my picture books were set and the character of the little girl who lived there. Normally, even at that age, I knew that the stories were made up (Peter and Jane, Enid Blyton books and so on) but these specifically said at the end ‘You can go and visit her’. It may be that the author put that in because it was set in Africa and a long way away from readers in the UK - but we happened to live in Africa at the time. Or maybe it was true, but I suspect the reality would have been very different from the pictures.

>44 humouress: Alas, I'm addicted to audiobooks, and the audiobook has the dark cover, so I guess I'm going with the detective story, Big Sky.

Would this qualify?

What do you think of this cover, enough aquamarine to qualify?

>53 quondame: >54 FAMeulstee: Yes and yes.

Two more covers, okay?

 

>56 FAMeulstee: 👍🏼

My book club's choice for the month is fortuitous:

>58 susanna.fraser: Lucky!

How about this?

>60 Citizenjoyce: Yes. I see you’re taking the ‘aqua’ part to heart.

This will be my book:

These are the books I'm currently reading that I hope will pass muster for the birthstones this month.

>63 countrylife: Yes, those work.

How about this one?

Yes, that works.

okaymarine?

>67 paulstalder: Yes, that works.

The birthstone for April is diamond, so I’m looking for transparent covers.

****Challenge #16: April birthstone challenge - read a book with a transparent cover. ****



April Fools! Actually, this could be a bit more tricky than usual. I think white or silvery will work.

****Challenge #16: April birthstone challenge - read a book with a predominantly white or silvery cover. ****

Most natural diamonds are between 1 billion to 3.5 billion years old. Diamonds are the hardest natural substance and were formed from carbon under intense pressure and heat. You didn’t realise your old graphite pencil was so valuable, did you?

April TIOLI thread

I've posted the following two books for April's Challenge:



Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger



The Wolf Border by Sarah Hall

Hoping that Wolf Border has enough white to qualify.

Does this work?

>70 DeltaQueen50: Yes, they work. I think Franny and Zooey has enough white to qualify ;0)

>71 Citizenjoyce: Hmm. Okay, I’ll give it to you.

>72 humouress: Thank you.

You’re welcome.

Is that Princess Elizabeth’s wedding? That looks like the top of Prince Philips head.

>73 Citizenjoyce: I think so. I heard it was good but I can’t remember who told me or whom it’s about. I guess I’ll find out.

For April

>76 quondame: I've had that one on my Overdrive wish list for awhile. I'll be looking forward to seeing how you like it.

>77 thornton37814: Both the movie and TV series are much more amusing. This is so dated by it's dismissive attitudes toward women, that even the efforts to write the Swamp surgeons as tolerant (they send the Korean house boy to college in the US and are fine sharing quarters with Spearchucker{!?!}) I wanted to stomp on it from time to time. Also I wasn't much interested in the longish golf and football games in a couple of the episodes.

>78 quondame: That's what I thought. I can't take that attitude anymore. It's ruined so many books for me.

>74 humouress: The Gown is indeed about the women working on the wedding dress for Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Mountbatten (though I guess by the time of the wedding he had been made a duke). Funny you could recognize him by his hairstyle. The book highlights everything I love about historical fiction using characterization and plot to highlight history. It’s just as good as I had been told.

By any chance, would you accept this cover?

Hmm. Same case as >71 Citizenjoyce: I think. Okay. I’ll be extra lenient as we’re all stuck indoors.

>80 Citizenjoyce: It was a guess based on what they’re wearing, dark haired bride/ fair haired groom, they’re more likely to be senior (position-wise) royals for the book to be about the gown - and the fact that we binge-watched The Crown last month.

ETA: Oh. I just got the title. 🤦🏻‍♀️

>81 Dejah_Thoris: Thank you for your leniency! I appreciate it.

And what about this one?

>85 Dejah_Thoris: It’s a bit hard to tell but it does look like it’s more than half white. So yes.

>84 Dejah_Thoris: :0)

>86 humouress: Thank you, again!

Here's mine: The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho

>88 souloftherose: I think I can join you for that one!

>88 souloftherose: Very glam. :0)

ETA: sadly, unavailable in any of my libraries.

>90 humouress: It was free on Amazon US - I don't know about other countries, but it might be worth checking.

What do you think of this one? I'm fine if it doesn't fit. I have other options.



Today I Am Carey by Martin L. Shoemaker

>88 souloftherose: I just got it free on Kindle.

>92 Morphidae: Hmm; continuing the spirit of lockdown leniency I’ll give it to you.

>91 Dejah_Thoris: >93 Citizenjoyce: I’ll have a look, thanks.

Here's my book, which doesn't look really white, but if you look at each individual section, white is the dominating colour. (I can put it somewhere else if needed, no worries)
Also, I remembered how to enter this picture without looking up the code - it's only taken me about ten years to remember this coding!
Weather by Jenny Offill

>90 humouress: It's self-published in electronic format only as it's short fiction. It's currently free on most ebook stores (Amazon, Smashwords etc) or you can read it on the author's website.

https://zencho.org/the-perilous-life-of-jade-yeo/

>96 souloftherose: Actually, I think I'll join you instead.

>95 raidergirl3: Yes, you’ve made your case.

I might have given it to you otherwise on the strength of your coding because I know how sweet those small triumphs are. :0)

>96 souloftherose:) Thanks, I’ll check the link.

I haven’t heard of Smashwords before.

ETA: I downloaded and have read it

>99 paulstalder: >100 paulstalder: Yes to both.

My April reads:


The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick


Playing for the Ashes by Elizabeth George

>102 countrylife: Very nice. Your first one looks like it has diamond facets, at first glance.

****Challenge #16: May birthstone challenge - read a book with a predominantly emerald green cover. ****



The birthstone for May is emerald, which is a type of beryl and there can be some debate over whether a gem is an emerald or a green beryl depending on the richness of the colour. Emeralds are said to be the stone of wisdom and of eternal life - probably because the colour is reminiscent of Spring - and were Cleopatra’s favourite jewel.

May TIOLI thread

I've been waiting for the May announcement! When you first started this birthstone challenge, I didn't get into it. I think it was jasper first, and I didn't get what colour that was to participate. But sometime late last year, I started really looking for my book colour, and it's easy to plan ahead. I've got a couple of emerald books I found. Emerald is not a common book colour, I've found.



The Girl in the Tree by Sebnem Isiguzel (world book day free kindle book on amazon)



How to Build a Girl by Caitlyn Moran (book sale find from 2019)



My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

These are the two that I am planning to read for the May Birthstone Challenge:


As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson

Unfortunately, I did not get to The Body in the Woods.

The White Woman on the Green Bicycle - I've been meaning to read this for years. Green is my favorite color.

Does Unseen Academicals qualify?

I have no idea how to post book covers, but I am planning to read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan for May's birthstone challenge.

>109 alcottacre: I don't have a favorite book of all time, but if I did, that would be it.

>110 Citizenjoyce: Good to know! Thanks for the input. I am looking forward to finally reading it. I have owned it for years.

>105 raidergirl3: >106 DeltaQueen50: >107 Citizenjoyce: >108 quondame: Wow! So many emerald books already for the May challenge.

>105 raidergirl3: I’m so chuffed that you look forward to the birthstone challenge every month. ~Dejah Thoris even posted a reminder on my thread for this month.

>108 quondame: Yes; I see an emerald stone in that shade.

>109 alcottacre: I’ll assume it’s green, then ;0)

If you can find an image on the web and copy the address, use the code:
*img height=300 src="web address"*

using pointy brackets/ chevrons instead of asterisks. Please note that you do need to use the straight quote marks; if you’re on an iPhone or iPad, use the keyboard with arithmetic signs, hold down the quote mark key and pick the centre option. Make sure the address is secure ie starts with https or it tends not to show up and is the usual jpeg format.

I hope that helps.

>112 humouress: if you’re on an iPhone or iPad, use the keyboard with arithmetic signs, hold down the quote mark key and pick the centre option

I've always wondered how to do this! game changer! thank you

>113 raidergirl3: You’re welcome. I remember being frustrated by it until someone told me how to do it.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ahzsk%2BftL._SL300_.jpg

Well, I am trying but having no luck at all with posting the image of the cover of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I am obviously doing something wrong!

Okay, let me have a go:



It works for me. Did you swap the asterisks * for chevrons >?

>116 humouress: I never even saw any asterisks, lol.

>112 humouress:

>112 humouress: Thanks, I had no idea how to get straight quotation marks.

Defy or Defend by Gail Carriger

>118 quondame: Thanks Susan.

>119 Citizenjoyce: You’re welcome (see >114 humouress:)

>120 souloftherose: Ooh, that’s a nice vivid shade.

The Illness Lesson - Clare Beams What do you think? Is this green or blue?

>122 Citizenjoyce: Unfortunately I can’t see your picture :0(

If it’s the same as the LT picture, I can see that shade in the emerald stones.

I’ve just finished The Icebound Land - Book three in the Ranger’s Apprentice series and it fits here (as well as in other challenges). This could be my book:



It’s a touch greener than this image looks on my screen.

ETA: see >136 humouress:

>123 humouress: It seems that the only way I can get pictures to show up is to grab the image from the Barnes and Nobel site, no one else works.

>125 Citizenjoyce: How odd. (But it is the same as the one I can see on the LT book page.)

So, yes :0)

>110 Citizenjoyce: I finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan this afternoon. It turned out to be a 5 star read for me. I loved it!

>127 alcottacre: I'm so glad you liked it. I'm so glad she wrote it. Alas, she hasn't written anything since that is as good, but The Island of Sea Women comes close.

How about this one?



The color is a little more intense in person.

No.

Just joking. Yes, of course.

>128 Citizenjoyce: Thanks for that recommendation. I will see if my local library has a copy.

>130 humouress: Lol - you got me there, for a second.

>132 Dejah_Thoris: Sorry - I seem to be a little more cuckoo than usual these days. :0)

She's cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!

Are you trying to bribe me? That could work.

>124 humouress: I've decided to change my book for this challenge and move The Icebound Land to another challenge; I'm not sure which, yet. I assume no-one is sharing this read with me?

I'm swapping it for the next book in the series, Oakleaf Bearers aka The
Battle for Skandia.

>135 humouress: No need for bribes as this is my book...



I don't think it gets more emerald than that!

>137 Morphidae: Oh. You could bribe me anyway.

>138 humouress: CooooOoOOooookies!

>139 Morphidae: Yum! Thanks.

Does the orange sky take away too much from the emeraldness of this cover?

>141 aspirit: I think you’re okay. There’s still a high percentage of emerald there.

Re: June Birthstone - Alexandrite



Death on Account by Margaret Yorke

>142 humouress: thanks. I'm now done with Junkyard by Lindsay Buroker.

Is this also okay for May? The entire front of the hardcover has a green sheen, and the side and back cover are almost all emerald-colored, if those sides matter.



I'm fairly certain I'll be through the book by the last day of the month.

>143 DeltaQueen50: You're a little early, but that works for alexandrite. It's an interesting stone; I'll post the specs here at the end of May.

>144 aspirit: I think that would be a similar case to >141 aspirit: so yes.

I'm early, too. How about this one?



More Singapore.

This would work for may, but does it work for alexandrite too?

My May Birthstone Books:

>146 Dejah_Thoris: Hmm. On my screen it looks more pink than purple although the shadows work. I'm happy to let you persuade me.

>147 Citizenjoyce: Yes, it's got that blue-green.

>148 countrylife: Ooh, more emerald.

I think it's a pretty good match for the Grade A selections - the lovely pinky-purple of the background and shadows tones in with the bottom stone and the green leaves and blue head of the bird are better than I thought for the top.

But I can find another spot for my book...*sniff* (that's a tragic sniff, not an arrogant one - just to clarify).

>150 Dejah_Thoris: Case made *passes tissue box* There, there. :0)

>151 humouress: Oh thank you, dear lady! You are too kind! *dashes off to add it to the wiki before you change your mind*

Does this work? Bottom half is more green than teal but in real life the top half is purple (although it looks a bit blue in the image below).

Howl's Moving Castle

And this one for teal?

Jackdaw

If I hadn't just finished Catfishing on CatNet I'd submit that. Maybe some one else could use it

>153 souloftherose: I happen to have that one (and the third book in the series looks like it would fit admirably) but they’re on the bookshelf behind my husband who’s on a work call at the moment (and he’s very particular about his background so I can’t go in to look at it) but I can give it to you.

>154 souloftherose: Yes.

>155 quondame: Oh yes! That would have covered the whole alexandrite spectrum.

I looked up Alexandrite. It's known for being green/orange, blue/fuschia, teal/purple, and teal/yellow? I'm eager to see what the instructions define the color(s) as for the challenge.

My book (for my birthday month!): The Elephants in My Backyard by Rajiv Surendra (teal cover)

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

>157 aspirit: I'll post it at the end of May/ beginning of June on this thread but I've already posted it on the June TIOLI thread. I'm going with the teal/ reddish-purple as in >150 Dejah_Thoris:

>159 humouress: I'm sorry I jumped the gun with posting that, Nina. I was just so very motivated to convince you my book worked, lol! We're all so eager to participate in your Challenge that we just can't resist making our case early!

I don't mind you posting early. Really. *grumbles under breath* ;0)

I'm just pedantic about my not posting the challenge early (as you may have noticed).

I'm really chuffed you look forward to the challenge. So go ahead and post early.

Yes, it is me again, the person who cannot seem to figure out how to post a book cover to save her life. I will be reading The Road Home by Rose Tremain for June.



ETA: I did it! I did it! I won't remember how I did it, but I did it once anyway!

Also, my book cover is more subdued than that one is. It is not nearly as bright.

>162 alcottacre: You can always edit your post, copy the img statement and put in a new link. You don't have to remember how, The "comments" on portion of the works wiki can lead you back to The Road Home here and there it is, remembered for you!

I don't want to pack your challenge, but I just heard of Long Bright River and it seems like just the kind of psychological thriller I like. The cover is pretty dark. What do you think? I have to look up how to do this every time.

>163 quondame: Thanks for the info, Susan!

****Challenge #10: June birthstone challenge - read a book with a predominantly teal and/or purple cover. ****

 

The birthstone for June is alexandrite which is greenish in daylight but reddish-purple under artificial light. Maybe it has something to do with the Gemini twins' star sign? I'm happy to accept either colour - extra points for both in the same cover!

Alexandrite, a beautiful and rare colour changing stone, was named after Tsar Alexandra II. Naturally occurring fine alexandrite can be one of the most expensive gemstones in the world; it's almost as hard as diamond. It is said to aid creativity and inspire the imagination.

TIOLI thread for June is here

And gosh, look at that; I've posted the challenge late again on here.

All the covers look good; I see everyone seems to be going for the green side rather than the purple. Either/ both are good.

The code for posting images is:

img height=300 src="address"

between guillemots/ angle quotes/ angle brackets. >

The issues seem to be with picking up the right address. Make sure it has https (secure) rather than http otherwise people on the secure LT site will only see a small, blank box. It should also end in jpg (or gif). I think there are a couple of other options but I'm no technical expert.

Have a look at How to do fancy things in your thread for more tips or the 75 book challenge wiki for Basic HTML or Sandy's video on posting pictures.

I am hoping to get to this book, a YA Sync free summer download, which has dots in purple and teal, from my viewpoint. I was having trouble uploading and when I looked for a different address (so it would show up) from a different cover, there was a cover that is much more purple for the background.
In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira



I can always see my cover uploads on my laptop, but on my phone, I can't, but I can often see other people's covers on my phone.

>168 raidergirl3: Hah - both colours in one cover!

Is that the cover of the book you'll be reading? I think the TIOLI consensus is that to qualify it has to be the one you're reading. If not, if you're sharing the read with someone else who is reading a book with a cover that matches the criteria that's fine too.

How odd, about your phone. *shrugs* Technology.

>169 humouress: It's an audiobook, and that cover looks like my cover.

>170 raidergirl3: Great; double points then :0)

Is this one purple enough? (The Siren Depths)

>172 souloftherose: I’ll give it to you. The pink and red hues count too, in this case.

Also Stormsong

>173 humouress: Thank you

Is this purple enough? The background is distinctly purple in person - including the water. Plus the author's name is a lovely green.....



ETA: There are other places I can put it - no pressure, here!

>176 Dejah_Thoris: I see purple, red and green and there’s purple in the sky, too. I think so.

>177 humouress: Excellent! Thank you!

Now what about this one?

>178 Dejah_Thoris: Yes. Why not; it’s all purple?

>179 humouress: Thank you! And it's the sequel to Jackdaw, which is already in your Challenge - one teal, one purple. It's a nice combo!

>180 Dejah_Thoris: In that case, extra points :0)

Er....and this one?

Yes.

Gosh, that's a lot in this challenge. How's your 'reading less' going? ;0)

>183 humouress: Thank you! As for reading less, that hasn't gone well of late, but I'll be heading back to work tomorrow, so my numbers should go back down quite a bit.

And this showed up:

Is that a library hold? Good timing.

>186 humouress: Yes, a couple of holds have come a bit before expected.

This is mine. Those with a better memory than me might recognise that I also read it in March - but I hadn't written my review and in looking it up I ended up re-reading it. Besides, it fits beautifully for this month since it has both colours.

:0)

****Challenge #: July birthstone challenge - read a book with a predominantly bright red/ pink cover. ****

The birthstone for July is ruby, considered the king of stones and linked to love for its colour. It is named for the Latin word for 'red' and the shade of red may indicate which part of the world a ruby comes from.

 

July TIOLI thread

One last book for June before turning ruby red.

The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais

Hmmm...I've got two July possibilities so far:





Magic for Liars is currently in another challenge, but I've got something I could swap it for easily. Bled Dry doesn't have a home yet.

What do you think?

depending on audiobook availability, for July I"m thinking:

Recipe for a Perfect Wife


The Chestnut Man


At Home

Here are my choices for July's Ruby Birthstone:



Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

and



To Sir Phillip, With Love

Well, I am back to not being able to post book images again. I had it figured out last month but cannot figure it out again this one. *sigh*

I am going to read Twelve Angry Men and I am hoping that American Radicals will work too despite having white on its cover along with the red.

I keep trying because it just irritates me that I cannot get this, lol.





If either of these is not red enough, just let me know. I will certainly understand.

>195 alcottacre: Twelve Angry Men is excellent - I hope you enjoy it!

Does A Burning qualify for July?

For July

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker

>190 raidergirl3: Oops, sorry. I thought I was going to be too late posting my challenge again.

>195 alcottacre: I can see your books! American Radicals has enough red on it.

>191 Dejah_Thoris: Bled Dry is a bit purplish on my monitor; similarly A Burning seems orangish but I'm willing to allow them.

How about this one?



Too purple?

Mother Russia by Bernice Rubens - my copy has rather a faded cover but I found this same cover online.
Is this red enough?

For a pink cover check out The Nancys

>200 Dejah_Thoris: Oddly, the boa(?) comes across as pinkish - so yes.

>201 avatiakh: Looks perfectly red to me.

>199 humouress: Thanks, Nina!

Here's my July book: The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde

I'm assuming this one is fine?

>205 Morphidae: I’m sorry, I can’t see it. What’s the title?

Kiss of Crimson by Lara Adrian. It's a garish pink Amazon cover. Here let me try this...



If that didn't work, it's in my picture gallery.

http://www.librarything.com/gallery/member/Morphidae

Hey, humouress, now that we're in the second half of the year and the 200s in the number of messages in this thread, can we continue to a new thread? This page's load time is increasingly slow on my side.

>207 Morphidae: Yes, I can see that and yes, it works.

>208 aspirit: Gosh, sorry; it would be slow with all these covers. Singapore has gone all out to be IT-forward so download speed is pretty good across the board here. I shall attend to it forthwith. Or at least soonish.

New thread is up!