Take It or Leave It Challenge - April 2020 - 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.


...logo by cyderry

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With the devastating COVID-19 pandemic in full, raging action, I (and probably so many others) need a comfort read, therefore your TIOLI challenge for April, 2020, is to

Read a nonfiction book about an animal or animals

No rules. Just let us know what the animal is in your listing.

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

1. The April 2020 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.
3. @FAMeulstee's 2020 TIOLI Sweeplette Meter

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Temporary Thread --- to help us all through this pandemic

TIOLI Challengers' Corona Virus Support Thread

Wiki Index of Challenges:

Challenges #1-6
1. Read a nonfiction book about an animal or animals - msg #1
2. The long and the short of it: alternate between books with a 1-syllable title and with an 8+ syllable title - msg #3
3. Read a book you might not have read this month without COVID-19 - msg #4
4. Read a book by an author you have read before - msg #5
5. Read a book in which one of the main characters is blond(e) - msg #8
6. Read a book that has something you would put in a cocktail in the title or author's name - msg #9

Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book you started before but put down unfinished - msg #14
8. Read an espionage thriller published in the 1960s - msg #15
9. Read a book where someone is sick or confined or the title includes an illness - msg #19
10. Read a book containing at least three different themes - msg #20
11. Read a book by a female author, dedicated to parent(s) or child(ren) - msg #23
12. Read a book you consider a comfort read - msg #25

Challenges #13-18
13. Read a biography or autobiography - msg #26
14. Read a book for the APRIL rolling challenge - msg #27
15. Read a COVID-19-book (Crooks-Or-Venerables-I-Discover-in-19-countries-book) msg #54
16. April birthstone challenge - read a book with a predominantly white/ silvery cover -msg #59

Please hold your challenge until the May TIOLI challenges are posted. Thank you.

Challenge #2: The long and the short of it: alternate between books with a 1-syllable title and with an 8+ syllable title

I wanted to pick something relatively simple this month.

For this challenge you cannot count the sub-title of the book (is that what it's called?).

As with most rolling challenges, no more than two books in a row from one person please.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book you might not have read this month without COVID-19
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I don’t know about everyone else, but the stresses and challenges of our current worldwide situation have definitely changed my reading patterns. I’m listening to frothy, goofy romance novels on my free trial of Audible Escape. The closest thing I did to panic buying was making sure I got to my public library the last day it was open and maxing out my card with books on the shelf, knowing the books in transit from other parts of the state wouldn’t reach my hands for weeks, if not months. I’ve also been digging out books from storage tubs around the house - both cherished rereads and things I just never got around to.

This is intended to be pretty flexible - it doesn’t have to be something you definitely would not have read, just something a virus related reason edged you toward reading this month.

Thank goodness for books - my refuge in times of stress.

ETA: If you'd like to mention why a book qualifies, good ahead, but don't feel you have to.

TIOLI Challenge#4: Read a book by an author you have read before

In times of stress I tend to reach out to authors that I have read before. So for this challenge you can read a new book by a familiar author or do a re-read of a favorite book.

We're making it easy on ourselves this month, aren't we? I'm all for it!

>5 DeltaQueen50:

Pssst... I think you listed your book in my challenge instead of your own! :)

...speaking of which:

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Challenge #5: Read a book in which one of the main characters is blond(e).

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

I will accept all of the usual descriptors and variants---blonde, gold, flaxen, pale, etc.

However, if your descriptor is "fair", it must be accompanied by a reference to hair, as until recently this was more commonly used for someone's complexion, or a girl being pretty.

Your book may be fiction or non-fiction.

Please post the relevant phrase on the wiki.

>8 lyzard: hahahaha What are you implying?

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Challenge #6: Read a book that has something you would put in a cocktail in the title or author's name

*****************************************************
It's pretty self explanatory but I'm looking for words like "ice" "lemon" "onion" "umbrella".
Embedded words are acceptable.

>9 Carmenere: Do the cocktail ingredients - vodka, tomato juice, whiskey, etc. - work?

>7 lyzard: Thanks, Liz! Fixed.

>10 Dejah_Thoris: Actually, I was thinking of the embellishments which go into a cocktail. But these times call for flexibility so you can include those items as well.

>12 Carmenere: I love the embellishments idea - I just wanted to be sure I understood. It's a very clever challenge!

Challenge #7: Read a book you started before but put down unfinished

Give a book a second chance—I figure with libraries and bookstores currently off limits, it’s a good time to take a second look at what’s already on our shelves.

Challenge #8: Read an espionage thriller published in the 1960s

I was trying to think of a challenge this month that would really take me out of today's news cycle. I was listening to Pod Save America and one of the hosts mentioned that he was reading The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and how it was such a great escape for him at the moment. Perfect.

In the wiki, I have listed a few that I haven't read that are currently available through the Kindle store since here in New Zealand our libraries are closed.

>9 Carmenere:

No implication! - just pointing out to Judy that she and I cross-posted on the wiki. :)

>15 jeanned: Ooooh...I like it! I had planned on digging some Helen MacInnes novels out - I just hope I have one of the five she published in the 60s!

>15 jeanned:

I did see my copy of The Ipcress File lying around the other day; what do you want to bet I can't find it again? :D

Challenge #9: Read a book where someone is sick or confined or the title includes an illness

Embedded words and invisible illnesses are acceptable.

Challenge #10: Read a book containing at least three different themes, name them
I plan to read Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey which is a pulp western, near-future, anti-fascist story with a queer woman and a librarian.

>15 jeanned: & >17 Dejah_Thoris: I have Decision At Delphi by Helen MacInnes on my Kindle and now I have an excellent reason for reading it this month!

Maybe it will be a gentler challenge this month. My planned reads

Challenge #1: Read a non-fiction book about an animal or animals - started by SqueakyChu
✔The Truth About Animals: Stoned Sloths, Lovelorn Hippos, and Other Tales from the Wild Side of Wildlife - Lucy Cooke (5)
Challenge #2: The long and the short of it: alternate between books with a 1-syllable title and with an 8+ syllable title - started by wandering_star
Challenge #3: Read a book you might not have read this month without COVID-19 - started by Dejah_Thoris
✔The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic That Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby (5)
Challenge #4: Read a book by an author you have read before - started by DeltaQueen
Joan of Arc - Mark Twain
Challenge #5: Read a book in which one of the main characters is blond(e) - started by lyzard
Challenge #6: Read a book that has something you would put in a cocktail in the title or author's name - started by Carmenere
✔Vampires in the Lemon Grove - Karen Russell (4)
Challenge #7: Read a book you started before but put down unfinished - started by susanna.frase
✔The Outsider - Stephen King (3.5)
Challenge #8: Read an espionage thriller published in the 1960s - started by JeanneD
Challenge #9: Read a book where someone is sick or confined or the title includes an illness - started by quondame
✔The Binding - Bridget Collins (3.5)
Challenge #10: Read a book containing at least three different themes - started by Citizenjoyce
✔Frankissstein -Jeanette Winterson (3.5)
✔Targeted: The Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower's Inside Story of How Big Data, Trump, and Facebook Broke Democracy and How It Can Happen Again by Brittany Kaiser (4)
✔Upright Women Wanted - Sarah Gailey (3.5)
Challenge #12: Read a book you consider a comfort read - started by lindapanzo
✔All Creatures Great and Small - James Herriot (4)
✔The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (4)b>Challenge #13: Read a biography or autobiography - started by FAMeulstee
Challenge #13: Read a biography or autobiography - started by FAMeulstee
✔Burn The Place - Iliana Regan (4)
✔Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum - Michael McCreary (4)
Challenge #14: Read a book for the APRIL rolling challenge - started by Morphidae
✔The Girl Who Chased the Moon - Sarah Addison Allen (3)
✔Our American West - Volume 3 - Gary McCarthy (4)
Challenge #15: Read a COVID-19-book (Crooks-Or-Venerables-I-Discover-in-19-countries-book) - started by paulstalder
*✔The Ninth House - Leigh Bardugo (4)
Challenge #16: April birthstone challenge - read a book with a predominantly white/ silvery coverstarted by humouress
✔The Gown - Jennifer Robson (4.5)

April is a crappy month for me, so let's see what goes wrong in the next 30 odd days. Although this year, I suppose, there's not much else that can go wrong.

It's not my favourite month as while it contains my birthday, it also contains anniversaries of both my parent's deaths & funerals. So you can sort of understand that it gets a bit uptight & emotional. I tend to avoid the whole birthday thing entirely, it's just easier that way and saves me getting another year older. >;-) If only that were actually true!

And on the theme of parents, this month I actually don't have a book in mind, so I'm just throwing it out there to see what ya'll come up with.

Read a book by a female author, dedicated to parent(s) or child(ren)

The dedication can be to one or both parents or to one child or multiple children. The dedication may include other people who do not fall into those two categories, that would not exclude the book.

Sorry forgot to say:- can you add the dedicaiton to the wiki please.

>16 lyzard: hehehe and here I was thinking it was a blonde thing ;0)

Challenge #12: Read a Book You Consider a Comfort Read

It's up to you. Personally, I find cozy mysteries comforting so, in this COVID-19 era, I'm trying to read many of those.

At the moment I am drawn to read about individuals who lived through hard times or coping with life in general, preferably non-fiction, so:

Challenge #13: Read a biography or autobiography

Challenge #14: Read a book for the APRIL rolling challenge

(Removing image for now. Don't know if it's LT or the badge maker adding extra space under the graphic yet.)

For this challenge, there must be an entry for each of the five challenges, spelling out the word A-P-R-I-L before the next "set" of letters, spelling out A-P-R-I-L, can be used.

Challenges can be taken in any order within the set. One person can take no more than two challenges per set.

Embedded words are acceptable unless otherwise stated.

Short version:
- Read a book with the word "sun" or "flower" or a word related to either in the title
- Read a book with the tag "poker", "pool", or "propulsion."
- Read a book related to rainbows
- Read a book with an author or character with the same name as an Iron Chef from Iron Chef America
- Read a book that gives you a "lift"

Long version with explanations and links below.

(There will be similar "spell the month" rolling challenges through July. August is too long a word.)

~*#~*#~*#~*#~*#~

# A (April) -
# P (poker/pool/propulsion/purple) -
# R (rainbows) -
# I (Iron Chef) -
# L (lift) -

~~~~~~~~~~

A - April

Read a book with the word "sun" or "flower" or a word related to either in the title such as "solar," "star," "blossom," or "carnation."

In memory of my brother's wife whose birthday is on the 23rd. We lost her to lymphoma 16 months ago after a 15 year battle. Sunflower was her favorite symbol/flower.

Please keep the word close to the original meaning (and a noun.) Words like "heat", "eclipse", "rays" or "petal", "bouquet", or "lei" would not be acceptable.

P - Poker/Pool/Propulsion/Purple

Read a book with the tag "poker", "pool", or "propulsion"* or where the cover is purple.

My brother's birthday is on the 5th. He loves playing POKER and POOL. I asked him to come up with another "P-word" and after being silly for awhile ("Purple poker pairs in the pocket", "Peculiar people pleasing a plethora of positions", "Pretty purring pussycats playing pool"), he/we decided on PROPULSION since he works for an aerospace company in engineering.

*For propulsion you can also use any of the single word synonyms listed in the first box at https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/propulsion.

R - Rainbows

Read a book related to rainbows

April showers bring not only May flowers, but pretty rainbows!

Rainbows can be on the cover, in the title or in the author's name. Also, this includes books that are by a GBLT+ author or have GBLT+ subject matter.

There does not need to be an actual rainbow shape on the cover but all the colors need to be there in the correct order (ROY G. BIV), e.g. a rainbow flag, confetti, color burst.

I - Iron Chef

Read a book with an author or character with the same name as an Iron Chef from Iron Chef America

In memory of Floyd Cardoz who challenged Iron Master, Bobby Flay, on Iron Master America, read a book with an author's or character's name that matches one of the dozen Iron Chef's names from the TV show, Iron Chef America. You can use the first or last names as well as full (if it was the one they were born with) or nicknames (Robert instead of Bobby, Mike instead of Michael, Catherine instead of Cat.) You cannot use different spellings, i.e. Katherine instead of Catherine or Jeffrey instead of Geoffrey.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Chef_America

L - Lift

Read a book that gives you a "lift"

Read a book with the tag "comfort"
(http://www.librarything.com/tag/comfort)

OR from the LT list "Comfort Reads"
(http://www.librarything.com/list/156/all/Comfort-Reads)

OR from the first 500 books from the Goodreads list Favorite Comfort Reads
(https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4004.Favorite_Comfort_Reads#1158967).

>21 DeltaQueen50: I'm almost certain I've got a copy of Decision at Delphi somewhere around the house. It'll be a reread for me, but if I can find it I'll join you!

>28 Dejah_Thoris: Excellent! It will be a re-read for me as well, but so long ago that I don't remember much about it at all. I gobbled all the Helen MacInnes books I could find when I was about fourteen or so.

Not having access to my library system is going to drive me crazy. Shared reads are going to be harder to come by this month, since I'm trying not to spend too much money on ebooks. It would be so easy to just buy them all.....

>29 DeltaQueen50: I think I read them all as a teen, too. It's been years since I reread one. I just hope they made it through the last few moves.....

>30 Dejah_Thoris: No kidding. All my libraries have books that could be shared reads, but - 12-13wk hold times on e-books! It's even going to be hard to fill in some of the slots at all - animal books just aren't something anyone in my family has ever fancied.

>31 quondame: My library does offer ebooks, but unfortunately the system isn't compatible with a Kindle Paperwhite - just the Kindle Fire. I could read the books on my laptop, but for whatever reason I really don't enjoy that. A short story online is one thing - hours starring at my laptop is another.

>30 Dejah_Thoris: >31 quondame: Maybe the National Emergency Library will help! Helen MacInnes? Check. Animal stories? How about Gerald Durrell or James Herriot? Check. Want to join in the group read of Lord Peter Views the Body? Check. It's a great resource!

>32 Dejah_Thoris: I use Overdrive on my iPad and iPhone. But I prefer my Kindle
>33 cbl_tn: That will be a help! I do have the Herriot novels on my Kindle, so thanks for that reminder. I also own multiple copies of Sayer's Wimsey mysteries.

>33 cbl_tn: I'm already joining you for Lord Peter - I have all those!

But thanks for the National Emergency Library suggestion. I should be able to convert those to read on my Kindle. That will help.

And I'm already planning on at least part of the Corfu Trilogy this month. :)

>33 cbl_tn: what a great resource, thanks.

My challenge #14 in >27 Morphidae: has been updated with all the rolling challenges!

And the wiki, too!

>9 Carmenere: Lynda, I am placing a picture here to justify my using chocolate as a cocktail embellishment for your challenge:



Doesn't it look yummy!

>38 DeltaQueen50: I can't see the picture! :(

>38 DeltaQueen50: I can't see the picture, either, but I can vouch for chocolate as a cocktail embellishment! There's a place in town that specialized in martinis, and most of them are practically dessert, many with chocolate in or adorning them.

>38 DeltaQueen50: Hahaha, Sorry, I can't see the pic either, Judy, but no justification necessary. I too have seen chocolate embellishments and I wish I had whatever you've posted right now ;0)

I downloaded the picture to my junk file and then re-posted it here. I hope everyone can see it now.

>38 DeltaQueen50: Wicked!

>38 DeltaQueen50: Wow! Now that looks deliciously decadent!

I wish I could serve everyone one of these - we deserve some decadence!

Yum....

That has to taste yummy.

>42 DeltaQueen50: Oh, yeah! I can see it and appreciate it now! Yum!!

>45 DeltaQueen50: So do I, Judy! Do you offer curbside pickup? ;0)

>49 Carmenere: I wish I could, unfortunately I can only serve through virtual reality. :(

>19 quondame: Would you consider (supernatural) possession as a type of sickness?

>51 avatiakh: I'd rather not, unless it really is disabling rather than power enhancing.

>52 quondame: Thanks. It was, but I can probably fit the book in a different challenge.

Challenge #15: Read a COVID-19-book (Crooks-Or-Venerables-I-Discover-in-19-countries-book)

I listed the 19 countries who first diagnosed this virus in their countries. So now read a book discovering a crook or a venerable coming/living/acting in one of these countries. So, either the scene of actions is in these countries, a main character has that nationality or the author was born there or lives/lived there; or a non-fiction book about such a country or a a biography about a crook or venerable from one of thes countries.
Please indicate the connection to the country in the wiki.
I accept three books read by the same challenger among these 19 books. Let's see if we can start a second round.

# Malaysia: Das weisse Krokodil (scene of action) - C. C. Bergius

PS: the UAE have different parts, like Abu Dhabi or Dubai etc.

stay healthy and sane

>54 paulstalder: Would a mystery novel (where the murderer is from one of the listed countries) work for the challenge?

>54 paulstalder: sure, if he/she plays a major role in the novel

>34 quondame: stay healthy and sane

The sane part is the tough part!

Folks seems to be stuck on the letters "P" and "R" for my challenge so I've changed/loosened the rules a little.

I've edited >27 Morphidae: for:

P - now includes purple covers

R - now includes covers that have all the colors in the rainbow (ROY G. BIV) no matter what order they are in (color bursts, confetti, etc.)

Challenge #16

April birthstone challenge : diamond

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



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

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?

Please post your covers here: 2020 Birthstone challenge thread

I just added Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (and may have been walking on my walk with a silly grin on my face, listening to the first chapter) to the comfort reads category, if any one wants to join in. I was thinking last week how a listen to some of the books might be a nice diversion during these days, but there was a long line-up at the library. I haven't read it since I read it aloud to my kids when the books first came out. Then today I see that Overdrive is providing enough copies for anyone to read or listen to the Sorcerer's Stone, no waiting. I'm not sure if this is just in Canada or not, but this is a great time to borrow from the library. I wonder if they will offer the second book for the month of May?

>60 raidergirl3: I got an email earlier today from Audible that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was available to stream for free at stories.audible.com.

It's a site they've set up with a wide range of free audio books for "children of all ages." There's some great stuff available - and while they say it's for all the kids who are out of school, they is no restriction on who can listen.

>61 Dejah_Thoris: Wow!
ETA I just checked it out, you don't have to put in your name or email address or anything. Just listen. It really is free.

>62 Citizenjoyce: Yep. It's really pretty cool. The group of classics is particularly interesting - although I should mention that there are classics scattered throughout the other categories.

>60 raidergirl3: I'll probably end up listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, too.

ETA: Actually, I should mention that it's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, narrated by Stephen Fry, not the U.S. version.

I'm posting a list of all my definite and possible reads for April - if anyone wants to join in and do a shared read for any of them, let me know and I'll make sure it goes to the top of the TBR list.

Definite reads:
Ngaio Marsh - The Nursing Home Murder
T. S. Eliot - Collected Poems: 1909-1962
Michael Morpurgo - Kensuke's Kingdom
George Eliot - Middlemarch

Possible reads:
Enid Blyton - Five Go to Smuggler's Top
Enid Blyton - Five Run Away Together
Mikhail Bulgakov - The White Guard
Agatha Christie - Elephants Can Remember
Agatha Christie - N or M?
Roald Dahl - Danny the Champion of the World
E. M. Delafield - The Diary of a Provincial Lady
Kerry Greenwood - The Green Mill Murder
Maria Gripe - Agnes Cecilia
Maria Gripe - In the Time of the Bells
Maria Gripe - Landet utanför
Åke Holmberg - Ture Sventon i varuhuset
Åke Holmberg - Ture Sventon i Venedig
Ngaio Marsh - Death in Ecstasy
L. M. Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables
L. M. Montgomery - Anne of Avonlea
L. M. Montgomery - Emily of New Moon
L. M. Montgomery - Emily Climbs
L. M. Montgomery - Emily's Quest
Dorothy L. Sayers - The Nine Tailors
Katarina Taikon - Katitzi i ormgropen
Katarina Taikon - Katitzi och Swing
Evelyn Waugh - A Handful of Dust

Thanks everybody for taking part in my Tour de Suisse challenge. Here I show all the places we visited in Switzerland during March 2020



https://www.librarything.com/topic/317107

>54 paulstalder: I can recommend Bangkok Wakes to Rain for the Thailand element of this challenge!

>60 raidergirl3: I'll join in. I've been collecting the illustrated versions, thanks in part to a dear LT friend, and I haven't gotten around to slowly enjoying them. This will be perfect time to do so!

Hmm. Re >27 Morphidae: Should I be using LGBT+ instead of GBLT+? Which is correct? I Googled it but really didn't get a clear answer. Which would you all prefer?

>68 Morphidae: This is my favorite because I like a word I can say, but I haven't spoken to anyone who actually uses it:
QUILTBAG
An acronym to be used instead of LGBTQQ2IA*

Q - Queer and Questioning
U - Unidentified
I - Intersex
L - Lesbian
T - Transgender, Transexual
B - Bisexual
A - Asexual
G - Gay, Genderqueer

>54 paulstalder: I didn't need to scroll down to know whose challenge that was. :) I haven't been TIOLI-ing lately, but I like to peek in and see what the challenges are. You seem to always have something unique and well thought out.

>69 Citizenjoyce: I've never heard that, but I like it too. Much easier to remember than the usual acronym!

>60 raidergirl3: I was SO excited this week to get to send the Harry Potter books to my 7 & 10 year old nephews. They love the first 3 movies (all that they're allowed to watch so far), but big brother was insisting - even during a trip to Hogwarts last fall! - that he would never read the books, and little brother usually follows. But now little brother wants to read the first book, and I'm thinking big brother will follow this time, once the package arrives and he sees that awesome box set. :)
So geeky, I know, but I've been waiting for this for years. :)

>63 Dejah_Thoris: I've wondered if there's any differences in the texts, other than spelling. I've never had both at the same time to compare.

>64 PawsforThought: I have Emily of New Moon in challenge #15 if you want to share it.

>70 madhatter22: thanks for the compliment :)

>2 SqueakyChu: Challenge #16 is missing.

>72 quondame: Got it. Thanks!

>27 Morphidae:

Morphy, are embedded words acceptable for your challenge? I listed an April book that way but then wasn't sure.

I have an April Sweep!

#1: Tarantula Scientist ★★½
#2: A Troll's Phantasmagoria ★★½
#3: Gilead ★★★★
#4: Blood Sport ★★★½ R
#5: Hotel dy Lac ★★★½
#6: Vodka Doesn't Freeze ★★½
#7: Burial Rites ★★★★
#8: Call for the Dead ★★★½
#9: A Plague of Bogles ★★★
#10: The Three ★★★½
#11: Tell Me a Riddle ★★★★
#12: The Song of the Quarkbeast ★★★
#13: Notorious RBG ★★★
#14: Lotus Blue ★★½
#15: The Chinese Bell Murders ★★★½ R
#16: Mash ★★★ R

Only a couple of these fit my regular reading patterns and it was for sure a mixed bag, but some stunning storytelling and writing found there.

>75 quondame: Congratulations, Susan!

>75 quondame: Wow, Susan! I commend you not only on your sweep but also for your ability to do so much reading at this challenging (no pun intended) time.

>75 quondame: Congratulations, Susan!

>75 quondame: Congrats on the sweep! Impressive at any time, even more so in times like these.

>75 quondame: You've done it again. Congratulations.

>75 quondame: And the month only half over! Nice job.
(And I didn't realize I had a shared read on #7! I better get on that. :)

TIOLI Question of the Month

What are you finding to be your best comfort reads during these unsettling days?

Mystery series - I've read 3 Louise Pennys alone so far - and other books I haven't read yet by authors I've read a lot of. I've got Roddy Doyle, Patricia Highsmith and L. M. Montgomery on deck right now. Thinking about it, I guess I'm looking for and enjoying what's familiar - familiar writing style, characters, settings - there's so much that's unfamiliar about my life and the world right now.

>75 quondame: So impressive, Susan!

>82 SqueakyChu: My best comfort reads have been anything by Lois McMaster Bujold, and also dipping in and out of classics by authors like LM Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott.

>74 lyzard: Unless specifically stated otherwise in a challenge, embedded words are always acceptable.

>85 Morphidae:

Thanks, just checking. :)

>75 quondame:

ETA: Congratulations, Susan!

>82 SqueakyChu: I like speculative fiction. I've read three this month, Ninth House, Vampires in the Lemon Grove and Frankissstein. Weird things happen, people are not the kinds of people you're used to and sometimes aren't even people, but I can just snuggle down and relax into them.
For Linda's challenge to read something I consider comfort I picked The Outsider by Stephen King. Hm, child rape, not a real comforting idea. I'm going to have to put it somewhere else and maybe slot in another speculative fiction.

>82 SqueakyChu: My comfort reads are re-reads with known happy endings, but I've not yet had to resort to any. I'm not (as yet) feeling personally threatened, so that instinct has not kicked in. I'm finding I have less time to read, as I'm both continuing to work and run the social media of an organisation I'm secretary of, both of which are taking quite a bit more time than usual. So far I'm still reading what I intended to read, I just can't access the library or read quite as much.

>82 SqueakyChu: I'm almost exclusively reading children's books and cozy mysteries right now. I was doing that *before* this whole things started so not a huge change but I do feel I need it more now that I did earlier.

>82 SqueakyChu: Cozy mysteries!! Sports books. My usual. I might try a few "feel good" novels.

>82 SqueakyChu: I am needing really good stories right now - I simply want to escape into a story, be it a crime story, science fiction, fantasy or historical but I am finding that anything too literary or anything that makes me think isn't working for me right now.

TIOLI Stats for March 2020

In March, 2020, there were 280 books read with 53 (19% of them) being shared reads. This is the lowest number of monthly COMPLETED books since November, 2017. At this time all of you sadly have an excuse for this. It's amazing to me that anyone had the presence of mind after the pandemic started to actually focus on and complete any book.

We accumulated 28 TIOLI points (not bad!) for a YTD total of 94. This is the lowest YTD number for a March since 2010. Again, you had a valid excuse.

The most popular book was overwhelmingly Nevertheless, She Persisted by 11 female authors with 10 challengers reading it!

The most popular challenge was the one by @DeltaQueesn50 to read a book where the final page count of the story portion of the book is an odd number. This challenge had 35 books read.

The Book with the greatest number of TIOLI points (seven) was the one by @Morphidea to read a book for the MARCH Semi-Rolling Challenge,

Soon to come...the March 2020 TIOLI Awards!

By the way, thanks for playing along on the TIOLI challenges in this stressful time. That, in itself, has been quite a challenge.

>82 SqueakyChu: I'm immersing myself in animal books. I loved The Soul of an Octopus which was about what sentient creatures octopuses really are. It was fascinating! I started H is for Hawk, but I bailed because it took too much concentration on things non-animal. I started Enslaved by Ducks and am really enjoying it. It written by a man who talks about all of his household pets in a way that makes me laugh out loud, something very rare for me at this time. This book will be a winner!

>82 SqueakyChu: It's an interesting question, Madeline. To some extent, I'm enjoying lighter fare - romances, fantasy, ect. Nonfiction has been proving a bit of a challenge, but I keep trying. Unexpectedly, a rather demanding book, Kameron Hurley's The Light Brigade, ended up working for me, and may well be one of my favorites of the month. Like >91 DeltaQueen50:, it may just mean that I need really well written stories right now to keep me focused and engrossed, whatever the genre, reread or new to me.

>92 SqueakyChu: As you say, no surprise on the lower numbers for March, particularly for shared reads. April will undoubtedly be worse! Since I'm a stress reader, I promise I'm doing my bit toward the total number of books, lol.

>93 SqueakyChu: I really enjoyed The Soul of an Octopus when I read it - I really like Sy Montgomery's writing. Enslaved by Ducks sounds like a hoot!

>94 Dejah_Thoris: I will definitely seek more books in the future written by Sy Montgomery.

>82 SqueakyChu: Interesting question, Madeline. I don't know of any such term in German. Reading the Bible, especially Psalms, is comfort reading to me, because it comforts me, it lifts me up.

Novels with happy endings or no stark violence I'd term 'light reading' or similar terms in German. I've seen the tag 'Comfort Read' here on LT and the list with Goodreads and other such lists - and it's a total mixture of any kind of literature. Michael Ende is the first German author showing up in the list. Narnia books are not all listed, especially 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is missing in the 'Comfort Reads' list. Reading Jane Austen is, for me, not exactly comforting, its partly exhausting.

It is an interesting tag which is apparently used quite diversely.

>94 Dejah_Thoris: A stress reader? That's interesting. When I'm stressed, I don't want to read at all. After 9/11, I didn't for a month or two. This time, I didn't read for a week or two but have slowly gotten back to it. otoh, my usual reading routines are totally disrupted (no morning reading over coffee and bagel, no reading over lunch) and that's cutting into my reading time.

For instance, today marks 5 weeks to the day of my last day in the office so that's when I consider all of "this" to have started. Since then, I've finished only 4 books. Usually, it'd be well probably about a dozen books. Way more news consumption. Way more "checking in" with family and friends. Plus working longer and trying to figure work arounds for things that should be done in the office.

>97 lindapanzo: I suppose everyone reacts differently to stress. 9/11 didn't stop me from reading in general, but it did stop me from reading certain types of books. I quite clearly remember I was reading David Weber and John Ringo's March Upcountry and was suddenly so distressed by the violence depicted that I was in tears. I stopped reading it and avoided any reading material I suspected of containing violence for some time. I've since read the book and the three books that follow it (obviously enjoying them), but that Fall? No, I couldn't do it.

Being furloughed from work and staying at home I have plenty of reading time - particularly as I'm listening to books as I get projects done. I really was reading less for the first two months of the year, but part way into March my pace increased. I'll probably keep averaging just more than a book a day for the duration.

>76 Dejah_Thoris: >77 SqueakyChu: >78 FAMeulstee: >79 PawsforThought: >80 Citizenjoyce: >81 madhatter22: >84 susanna.fraser: >86 lyzard: Thank you!

Reading is how I've always handled stress, unless it became totally debilitating, which even though I have at least 3 of the risk factors - age, weight, type A blood, as well as some loss of lung capacity, happened yet as not much has changed life for me. I am concerned, but haven't gotten into any worry loops, for which I credit a deeply entrenched reading habit.

>99 quondame: type A blood? Oh, oh. That’s my daughter.

>99 quondame: I’m with you on multiple risks—I was in the middle of arranging a lobectomy when the virus really broke out here—so reading is my absolute standby and strength since I rarely watch tv.
There have been times when I couldn’t read as stress reduced my concentration to nil. Fortunately for me that hasn’t happened this time.
Best wishes in this troubled and troubling time.

After an absence of years, I’m back here. This time I’m limiting myself to shared reads. I’m reading Lady Audley’s Secret for Challenge 5 and hope to read The Truth About Animals for Challenge 1.

>99 quondame: What?! What's this about type A blood?

ETA: Oh, phew. I got scared there a minute.

"But this research has not been peer reviewed or published in a medical or academic journal, which means other experts in the field have not analyzed its research methodology, citations or significance. Its intent is primarily to “generate debate among experts,” PolitiFact wrote.

“Preprints are preliminary reports of work that have not been certified by peer review,” medRxiv’s site reads. “They should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.”"

>102 Matke:

You rock, Gail! :)

(Message deleted as my question was answered above)

I'm 59 but have well controlled HBP plus, after my pneumonia for which I was hospitalized two years ago, I've had lung issues. Also weight is a concern, as is Type A blood.

otoh, I'm a woman (who seem to have fewer cases than men) and I've had to maintain an oxygen concentrator at home, in case my breathing numbers get too low, which rarely happens. However, this concentrator is like gold and could help keep me out of the hospital at this time.

I've been swamped at work for the past month because, whenever there is legislation and regulatory activity in our subject matter areas (which are ever expanding at our company), we get very busy. Things are calming down and so maybe I'll be back to more of a 8 to 4 day and not a 7 to 7 day work.

>104 lyzard:
I love this group and the best way—for me—to participate is to give others a shared read when and as I can.

>107 Matke: I love going for shared reads, too. I'm going to end up with more this month than I'd feared, but I'm not so sure about May. Unless, anyone else will be reading or reading Murderbot books?

>106 lindapanzo: And I hope the workload eases off soon and you can find some books that make you happy.

>108 Dejah_Thoris: I’ve been reading the Murderbot books this month! I’m just about finished 3 and will probably get through 4 next week, as long as it’s still available at my online library.

>109 raidergirl3: I saw that you'd been reading them, but I'm holding off until May because Network Effect, the fifth in the series and the first full-length novel is being published May 5th. If I reread the novellas now, the wait for the novel will drive me crazy!

I already have an incredibly self-serving Challenge planned for May to accommodate my Murderbot reads. Snort. I really do have too much time on my hands....

I've signed up for a rest of the year challenge, with 9 categories I think (I've listed them on my thread), with a new West Loop Chicago bookstore. The first one to finish gets a prize, probably books, and the rest of us who finish will be put into a raffle for that same prize, I think. Anyway, this will give me something fun to focus on. This poor bookstore had their grand opening two days before the day the state shut down. Anyway, I will be offering up some self-serving challenges as we go along, no doubt.

We are "visiting" my sister and family tomorrow. She has masks her friend made, along with paper towels which are in short supply. I have extra pocket hand sanitizers, which she can't find anywhere and I have a surplus number. We will probably sit in lawn chairs on their front lawn and chat a bit, too. It will surely be one of the oddest visits we've ever had but it'll be good to see her and my BIL and their Yellow Lab. And the niece and nephew, too, though we just saw them.

>108 Dejah_Thoris: At least my weekends are now free, again. Yay!!

>109 raidergirl3: >110 Dejah_Thoris: I've got Network Effect preordered as an ebook, so I know what i'll be reading the first week of May!

>1 SqueakyChu: Hey! Guess what?

.

.

.

Don't have a heart attack now.

.

.

.

.

.

*Whispers, "I've entered books into the wiki for all but one of the challenges.*

**COMPLETED
January by Audrey Carlan (#3 might not have read) COMPLETED
Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs (#4 author read before) COMPLETED
Mona Lisa Craving by Sunny (#5 blond) COMPLETED
Mona Lisa Blossoming by Sunny (#6 in cocktail) COMPLETED
Crush the King by Jennifer Estep (#11 female author/dedication) COMPLETED
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (#14 APRIL/lift) COMPLETED

**LIKELY TO FINISH (in this order)
The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho (#16 white or silvery cover/shared)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (#12 comfort read/shared)
Envy by J. R. Ward (#7 finish)
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (#10 multiple themes/Own Voices, Latinx, Teen Pregnancy, Parenting, Cooking, YA)

**LESS LIKELY TO FINISH (in this order)
The Transmigration of Bodies by Yuri Herrera (#9 sick)
Funny, You Don't Look Autistic by Michael McCreary (#13 biography/shared)
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (#8 60s espionage thriller)
The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery (#1 nonfiction animal/shared)
Scythe by Neal Shusterman (#2 long and short/shared)
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (#15 COVID-19/India)

>113 Morphidae: Woohoo Morphy!

What did you think of Crush the King? I've resisted buying it thus far.

>113 Morphidae: Wow!

I LOVED The Soul of an Octopus. I hope you enjoy it as well. If you don't get to it this month, try to read it next month.

>114 Dejah_Thoris: It was good, not great. She got too over-powered, her morals got wishy-washy, and her love interest was barely mentioned. A couple times she was TSTL. But... but... Estep writes so well! And in the end, you were rooting for her. But then I hated a couple things she did. But... I understood them. Then there were some really good moments between friends, enemies, and could be friends/could be enemies. Argh! I'm so ambivalent.

The first book was really the best.

>116 Morphidae: I agree that the first book was very good - and I was a bit disappointed by the second. I think I'll hold off until the libraries reopen to get to the third.

I'm interpreting "I hated a couple things she did" as meaning she killed off one or more characters I'll miss. If that's the case, I can definitely wait.

Thanks for the info!

>117 Dejah_Thoris: No, no. I misspoke. I hate a couple things the main character did. I don't want to get spoilery so I don't want to say too much. Let's just say that power went a bit to her head. I can understand WHY. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

Looking at other people's reviews, I forgot how much I loved what happened in the end with Paloma, and, especially, Maeven. Ooooh, the burn!

I'd give Kill 9/10, Protect 8/10, and Crush 7/10. So, all in all, Crown of Shards is a good series.

>118 Morphidae: You didn't misspeak - my interpretation just went to the most negative possibility! Still, I think I'll wait. It's not as if I don't have plenty of books to read....

>9 Carmenere:

Lynda, would you accept 'finger' for your challenge, as in a measurement of liquor? :)

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I'll be rereading all four of Martha Wells' Murderbot novella in May. Well, if you're even thinking of joining me, read on.

I just saw this over on Roni's thread: the wonderful people at Tor.com are giving away all four of the Murderbot novellas, one a day, today through Thursday, via their Ebook of the Month club. I have gotten many great books from them, but this is amazing!

Of course, I already have all four Murderbot novellas, but they are so great everyone should have them!

Go - sign up now!

https://ebookclub.tor.com/?utm_source=exacttarget&utm_medium=eblast&utm_...

>120 lyzard: hahaha, That's quite a stretch but hard times call for hard choices. So sure, I'll accept that.

>122 Carmenere:

Wow, I wasn't expecting a 'yes'! :D

>120 lyzard: >122 Carmenere: >123 lyzard: Well, toes were a cocktail ingredient a few months back, so why not fingers?

OK, team, I need to attend a Zoom meeting tonight with a set of 10 questions. So, go on, hit me with some literary questions!

>125 Helenliz: Who is the first unreliable narrator in fiction. I don't have an answer though.

>126 quondame:

The narrator of Aphra Behn's Oroonoko, from 1688...although I admit this is merely one of my personal literary theories and not something you'll find in mainstream criticism. :)

>127 lyzard: Really? For some reason I find that bizarrely fascinating. Of course, I've been meaning to read Oroonoko for a while now, so that could be a contributing factor.

Oroonoko is a very misunderstood book. It is sold today as an abolitionist tract, which it isn't, so it almost invariably disappoints; but it's a remarkable work taken the right way.

Hmm.

Does anyone out there have a one-syllable-title book in the works?

>130 lyzard: Cheops is added to the wiki.

>131 FAMeulstee:

Whoo! Thank you, Anita: on track for a sweeplette now. :)

>132 lyzard: You are welcome, Liz, it makes me happy to be able to help :-)

The March 2020 TIOLI Awards!

The Big and Small of It Award goes to @lyzard for reading The Collegians, a book with 1,001 pages, and to @paulstalder for reading Dreiklang neuer Erzähler, a book with 63 pages, for DeltaQueen's challenge to read a book where the final page count of the story portion of the book is an odd number.

In this age of "Stay at Home", I had to give this Travel Award to @paulstalder for the challenge to Tour de Suisse by adding the read pages to the Swiss postal code. I remember what it felt like to travel. The farthest I get these days is around the block...with a mask! I remember traveling...without a mask! Such a sweet memory.

The Shared Read Bonanza Award goes to @susanna.fraser for the challenge to read an anthology of genre fiction. In this challenge, 10 people read the same book This equaled 67% of those listing a book in this challenge sharing the same read. Amazing!

Congrats to our winners! Feel free to share an award of your own at this time.

Narch! Ha!

>134 SqueakyChu: Congratulations to all the winners! Woohoo!

>135 Morphidae: Haha! Fixed.

>134 SqueakyChu: Thanks for the Award, Madeline. I guess I had a lot more fun to check out all this villages we came across ... yes, travelling is not in my agenda at the moment. Well, I still go to work in the library twice a week und three afternoons in the Caritas shop. But I don't wear a mask. I would have to wear a new one every few hours and I better leave them to my son and others working in the hospitals and other places where the distancing doesn't work. We don't have anoutgh masks for everybody in Switzerland. I can't answer the phone wearing a mask and lowering the mask for answering the phone and then putting it back in place, is not exactly healthy.

>137 SqueakyChu: NoooOooOOoooo! I LIKED Narch.

>139 Morphidae: me, too

© Light Art by Gerry Hofstetter / Foto Gabriel Perren

greetings from Switzerland

Zermatt Tourism enlightens the Matterhorn with different flags, here the canton of Wallis

>82 SqueakyChu: I'm finding these espionage thrillers written in the 1960s to be my best escapes. Some deal with the aftermath of WWII and others the start of the cold war. There were a number of shared reads that I would have joined in different times (Girl, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Blood Sport, The Dry, In the Woods) -- even though these last three titles are well within my comfort zone, I couldn't bring myself to approach anything that wasn't fanciful as compared to our present situation.

@SqueakyChu: the 'Return to the main thread - Page 1'-link on the TIOLI Meter page doesn't work. Can you have a look, please?

>134 SqueakyChu:

Thanks, Madeline! - although I think Paul got the better of that deal!

Whoo! - sweeplette (#1 - #6) completed!

Thanks to those who helped. :D

>143 paulstalder: Fixed.

>144 lyzard: Congratulations, Liz!

>145 lyzard: Well done, Liz!

>141 paulstalder: Cool picture!

>143 paulstalder: See if it works now.

>145 lyzard: Excellent. Congrats on your accomplishment. I read one book so far this month!

>146 FAMeulstee:, >147 Dejah_Thoris:, >148 SqueakyChu:

Thank you, ladies. :)

Never mind, Madeline: it's an all-or-nothing sort of month, I think!

>149 lyzard: I guess it's nothing for me then. LOL!

>150 SqueakyChu: I've got all covered - I'm happy to share a few of mine!

>151 Dejah_Thoris: :)

What is the difference between 'books' and 'works' on the TIOLI meter?

>153 SilverWolf28: It's really up to you. Some people count a short story, a children's book or an essay as a work, but there are really no hard and fast rules for it. It's whatever you want it to be as you record your reads.

>153 SilverWolf28: >154 SqueakyChu: And here I was thinking that works had to do with doing things to create the list and maintain it. I guess I should have asked. Good going @SilverWolf28!

>145 lyzard: Congratulations.

Oh, Anita - you added Doomsday Book to the wiki - and to my Challenge, too! How am I supposed to resist? I've been avoiding a reread even though it fits this month's SFF-KIT over in the Category Challenge perfectly.

How do you like it so far?

>156 Citizenjoyce:

Thank you, Joyce!

>157 Dejah_Thoris: It was on my list and available at the e-library. Added it late because I wasn't sure if I would get to it.
I just started today, not sure yet what to think about it.

My books this month:

Challenge #3: might not have read this month without COVID-19: The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan (2005)
Challenge 16. April birthstone challenge: The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho (shared read)
Challenge #12: comfort read: Cabin Pressure; series 1 by John Finnemore
Challenge #11: by a female author, dedicated to parent(s) or child(ren): Masks and Shadows by Stephanie Burgis
Challenge #5: one of the main characters is blond(e): Lady in Gil by Rebecca Bradley (1996)
Challenge #4: an author you have read before: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan (2004)
Challenge #4: an author you have read before: Spellswept by Stephanie Burgis (2018)

A sweeplette for me too! - numbers 1-6

Just eased back in this month with two shared reads. One for Madeline’s challenge—I always like to do her challenge if I can—and one for Liz’s challenge.

I’ve got to admit that it took some repeated attempts to get back in the groove of listing the books appropriately.

And congratulations to Susan for a sweep and Liz for a sweeplet.

Initially, shared reads looked like they'd be few and far between this month, but it ended up being a really good month (for me personally) instead. My thanks to all the folks who listed books or works I was able to get my hands on and to the readers who joined me for the things I listed.

I hope I do half as well in May!

>161 wandering_star: Congratulations!

>161 wandering_star: Congratulations! I'm not going to make it to even two books this month. Oh, well. There;s always next month.

>162 Matke: Welcome back, Gail! So nice to have you with us again.

>161 wandering_star:

Congratulations!

>162 Matke:

Great to have you back, Gail, and thank you for joining in on Lady Audley's Secret. :)

Housekeeping Day!

Please remove from the wikis any book you do not finish by 12 midnight tonight, except for in any rolling challenge where you can just mark your book DNF. Thanks!

Didn't sweep like I planned, not even a sweeplette. But I did 10/16 with 5 shared. Not shabby.

>168 Morphidae: That sounds great to me, Morphy! I finished one book,not even a shared read. It's been a tough month for everyone, but especially for you. Take care.

>168 Morphidae: Thank heavens we have books to get us through this. Don't you feel sorry for people who don't?

>165 SqueakyChu: >166 lyzard:
Thank you very much, Liz and Madeline. I’m going to keep my personal TIOLI goals at
1. Finding shared reads
2. Madeline’s challenge
3. One other challenge

It’s nice to be back

>171 Matke: Me, me, me! Pick me!

>171 Matke: That sounds like a great plan, Gail!

>172 Morphidae: :D

>172 Morphidae: LOL!

I certainly will whenever I can, Morphy!