Take It or Leave It Challenge - December 2020 - Page 1
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2020
Join LibraryThing to post.
1SqueakyChu
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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Your challenge for December 2020 is to...
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Read a book with one of its title words making up part of a five-word sentence
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Hahahaha! You now have NO idea what that means. Let me explain it to you.
1. Highlight a title word of your book. That word is the first word of a five-word sentence.
2. The next book title will have a highlighted word which is the second word of the five-word sentence.
3. The next book listed will have a highlighted word which is the third word of a five-word sentence.
4. The next book listed will have a highlighted word which is the fourth word of a five-word sentence.
5. The next book title will have a highlighted word which is the fifth and last word of the five-word sentence.
Yes, this is a rolling challenge.
Rules
1. The completed sentence must be a meaningful, coherent sentence with the words in the correct order (one after the other) .
2. The sentence can be a question.
3. The sentence must be comprised of five words – No more. No less.
4. The sixth book listed will have a title containing the first word of the next five-word sentence.
5. Yes, you may share a read.
6. Do NOT sabotage any sentence by adding a word making it impossible for the fifth word to complete a sentence.
7. Remember that every sentence needs a verb!
8. You are allowed to swap out one book for another that still contributes to a complete sentence.
9. Do NOT start a new sentence until the previous one is completed.
Clear as mud?! Okay, then. Have fun!
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Other Fun Stuff (not part of the TIOLI challenge):
1. The December 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 and other charged situations around the world
TIOLI Challengers' Corona Virus and Other Issues - page 1 - page 2
...logo by cyderry
---------------------------------------------------------------
Your challenge for December 2020 is to...
**********************************
Read a book with one of its title words making up part of a five-word sentence
***********************************
Hahahaha! You now have NO idea what that means. Let me explain it to you.
1. Highlight a title word of your book. That word is the first word of a five-word sentence.
2. The next book title will have a highlighted word which is the second word of the five-word sentence.
3. The next book listed will have a highlighted word which is the third word of a five-word sentence.
4. The next book listed will have a highlighted word which is the fourth word of a five-word sentence.
5. The next book title will have a highlighted word which is the fifth and last word of the five-word sentence.
Yes, this is a rolling challenge.
Rules
1. The completed sentence must be a meaningful, coherent sentence with the words in the correct order (one after the other) .
2. The sentence can be a question.
3. The sentence must be comprised of five words – No more. No less.
4. The sixth book listed will have a title containing the first word of the next five-word sentence.
5. Yes, you may share a read.
6. Do NOT sabotage any sentence by adding a word making it impossible for the fifth word to complete a sentence.
7. Remember that every sentence needs a verb!
8. You are allowed to swap out one book for another that still contributes to a complete sentence.
9. Do NOT start a new sentence until the previous one is completed.
Clear as mud?! Okay, then. Have fun!
------------------------------------------------------------
Other Fun Stuff (not part of the TIOLI challenge):
1. The December 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
----------------------------------------------------------------
Temporary Thread --- to help us all through this pandemic and other charged situations around the world
TIOLI Challengers' Corona Virus and Other Issues - page 1 - page 2
2SqueakyChu
Wiki Index of Challenges:
Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book with one of its title words making up part of a five-word sentence - msg #1
2. Read a book you haven't read before but whose film / TV adaptation you've seen - msg #6
3. Read a biography/autobiography of a woman - msg #14
4. Read a book that has won an obscure (to you) prize - msg #15
5. Read a book for the December CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge - msg #16 - thread
6. Read a book with a title or part of a title that you can use after the word “with” which indicates how you might be observing the holidays this year - msg #20
Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book which starts with a character's name - msg #21
8. Read a book written by a woman - msg #26
9. Read a book that is a follow up of a book you read earlier this year - msg #31
10. Read a book that has 250 pages or less - msg #32
11. Read a book by an author born in Europe - msg #33
12. Read a comfort book - msg #34
Challenges #13-16
13. Read a book which has a word in the first paragraph that is descriptive of the weather in your neck of the woods - msg #35
14. Read a book which fits into the Birthstone challenge wrap-up; read a book that is predominantly one birthstone colour - msg #36 - thread
15. Read a book with a possessive pronoun in the title - msg #39
16. Read a book or story about Christmas - msg #50
Hold your challenge until the January 2021 TIOLI challenge thread is posted. Thank you!
Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book with one of its title words making up part of a five-word sentence - msg #1
2. Read a book you haven't read before but whose film / TV adaptation you've seen - msg #6
3. Read a biography/autobiography of a woman - msg #14
4. Read a book that has won an obscure (to you) prize - msg #15
5. Read a book for the December CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge - msg #16 - thread
6. Read a book with a title or part of a title that you can use after the word “with” which indicates how you might be observing the holidays this year - msg #20
Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book which starts with a character's name - msg #21
8. Read a book written by a woman - msg #26
9. Read a book that is a follow up of a book you read earlier this year - msg #31
10. Read a book that has 250 pages or less - msg #32
11. Read a book by an author born in Europe - msg #33
12. Read a comfort book - msg #34
Challenges #13-16
13. Read a book which has a word in the first paragraph that is descriptive of the weather in your neck of the woods - msg #35
14. Read a book which fits into the Birthstone challenge wrap-up; read a book that is predominantly one birthstone colour - msg #36 - thread
15. Read a book with a possessive pronoun in the title - msg #39
16. Read a book or story about Christmas - msg #50
Hold your challenge until the January 2021 TIOLI challenge thread is posted. Thank you!
3SqueakyChu
Heh! I'm a bit early this month.
5SqueakyChu
>4 lyzard: LOL! No. Actually, I'd rather skip the rest of this year and move on into, let's say, February, 2020 2021.
6lyzard
You *are* early, but fortunately I'd already pondered this one---
Challenge #2: Read a book you haven't read before but whose film / TV adaptation you've seen
I'm a big one for reading the book first, but occasionally it happens the other way around.
If the adaptation title is different from the book title, please note it on the wiki.
For shared reads, you may either have read the book before or *not* have seen an adaptation; please note which on the wiki.
Challenge #2: Read a book you haven't read before but whose film / TV adaptation you've seen
I'm a big one for reading the book first, but occasionally it happens the other way around.
If the adaptation title is different from the book title, please note it on the wiki.
For shared reads, you may either have read the book before or *not* have seen an adaptation; please note which on the wiki.
9SqueakyChu
>8 lyzard: Finally caught it. Thx! :D
11SqueakyChu
What other one?
12lyzard
Here:
>5 SqueakyChu:
February 2020
When I objected to November you immediately threatened me with February. It was quite terrifying! :)
>5 SqueakyChu:
February 2020
When I objected to November you immediately threatened me with February. It was quite terrifying! :)
13SqueakyChu
>12 lyzard: LOL! Sorry. May I offer you December 2020 instead?!
This year has really affected me adversely. No, I don’t want to go back to February 2020. I was hoping we could just skip ahead to February 2021.
This year has really affected me adversely. No, I don’t want to go back to February 2020. I was hoping we could just skip ahead to February 2021.
14lindapanzo
Challenge #3: Read a biography/autobiography of a woman
Very self-serving for me. Any questions, let me know.
Very self-serving for me. Any questions, let me know.
15Citizenjoyce
>13 SqueakyChu: Sometimes the early bird catches the rewrite. I don't think anyone wants to redo any part of 2020.
Challenge #4: Read a book that has won an obscure (to you) prize
This challenge could be easy for you if you're as ignorant about literary prizes as I. I recently read about a janitor who won a literary prize for her first novel. Eggshells by Caitriona Lally won the 2018 Rooney prize which probably isn't too obscure since it's worth 10,000 pounds, but I'd never heard of it. So, if you've never heard of the prize, it works. I don't think anyone here has never heard of the Nobel Prize, so don't push it too far. And this time it has to be the specific book, not just the author who won.
Challenge #4: Read a book that has won an obscure (to you) prize
This challenge could be easy for you if you're as ignorant about literary prizes as I. I recently read about a janitor who won a literary prize for her first novel. Eggshells by Caitriona Lally won the 2018 Rooney prize which probably isn't too obscure since it's worth 10,000 pounds, but I'd never heard of it. So, if you've never heard of the prize, it works. I don't think anyone here has never heard of the Nobel Prize, so don't push it too far. And this time it has to be the specific book, not just the author who won.
16Morphidae
Challenge #5: Read a book for the December CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge
There will be *10* different book challenges. (The challenges change each month.) They include everything from genres/subgenres to well known (inter)national challenges, from something about a cover to the book's setting, from LT tools to title quirks. You won't know what your particular challenge will be until you roll a random number.
You can use https://www.random.org/ (the widget at the top right), Google "random number 1 to 10," or, if you have one, roll a ten-sided die.
NOTE: After a certain number of challenges have been given out, I will re-randomize the list. So you really will not know what you will get!
Post the number to this thread and I will give you your challenge. For any questions, please ask here or in a PM. Embedded words, as a rule, are allowed but partial words are not. For instance, in one case, a word like "walked" must include the entire word and not just the word "walk." Tags must be first level, i.e. do not click on "show all." No restrictions as to fiction or nonfiction unless otherwise stated in a challenge.
I'll allow *some* leeway in interpretation of the challenges, but try not to push it. When I say "significant" or "major" or "main" I will be strict. This is me, being strict:
Note: If I give a link to a list of books, it does not mean they *all* qualify for a challenge. The lists are simply starting points. If a book is on a referred list, it will not be accepted if it doesn't fit the challenge.
Shared reads ARE allowed. Shared challenges ARE NOT allowed. That is, if someone reads a book published in 2020. You can read the SAME book. You can't read a different book published in 2020 (unless you get that challenge yourself.)
There will be *10* different book challenges. (The challenges change each month.) They include everything from genres/subgenres to well known (inter)national challenges, from something about a cover to the book's setting, from LT tools to title quirks. You won't know what your particular challenge will be until you roll a random number.
You can use https://www.random.org/ (the widget at the top right), Google "random number 1 to 10," or, if you have one, roll a ten-sided die.
NOTE: After a certain number of challenges have been given out, I will re-randomize the list. So you really will not know what you will get!
Post the number to this thread and I will give you your challenge. For any questions, please ask here or in a PM. Embedded words, as a rule, are allowed but partial words are not. For instance, in one case, a word like "walked" must include the entire word and not just the word "walk." Tags must be first level, i.e. do not click on "show all." No restrictions as to fiction or nonfiction unless otherwise stated in a challenge.
I'll allow *some* leeway in interpretation of the challenges, but try not to push it. When I say "significant" or "major" or "main" I will be strict. This is me, being strict:
Note: If I give a link to a list of books, it does not mean they *all* qualify for a challenge. The lists are simply starting points. If a book is on a referred list, it will not be accepted if it doesn't fit the challenge.
Shared reads ARE allowed. Shared challenges ARE NOT allowed. That is, if someone reads a book published in 2020. You can read the SAME book. You can't read a different book published in 2020 (unless you get that challenge yourself.)
17lindapanzo
>1 SqueakyChu: This challenge is fun. As each person posts, I wait to see how our sentence will twist.
18SqueakyChu
>17 lindapanzo: Heh! I already had to untwist one sentence.
*winks at Liz*
*winks at Liz*
20dallenbaugh
Challenge #6: Read a book with a title or part of a title that you can use after the word “with” which indicates how you might be observing the holidays this year
The History of Love (with love)
Before I go to Sleep (with sleep)
The Girl on the Train (with the girl on the train)
The History of Love (with love)
Before I go to Sleep (with sleep)
The Girl on the Train (with the girl on the train)
21wandering_star
Challenge #7: Read a book which starts with a character's name
The first word or words of the book should be the name of a character in it.
The first word or words of the book should be the name of a character in it.
22Citizenjoyce
I'm having fun with Challenge #1
My planned reads:
Challenge #1: Read a book with one of its title words making up part of a five-word sentence - started by SqueakyChu
✔The Future of Another Timeline - Annalee Newitz (5)
✔Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men - Caroline Criado Perez (5)
✔Lovely War - Julie Berry (4)
✔A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir - Colin Jost (5)
Challenge #2: Read a book you haven't read before but whose film / TV adaptation you've seen - started by lyzard
*✔Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (4)
✔*The Spy Who Came In From The Cold - John le Carré (4)
Challenge #3: Read a biography/autobiography of a woman - started by lindapanzo
✔Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics - Dolly Parton (3.5)
✔The Sound of Gravel - Ruth Wariner (4.5)
Challenge #4: Read a book that has won an obscure (to you) prize, name the prize - started by Citizenjoyce
✔Eggshells - Caitriona Lally (3)
Challenge #5: Read a book for the December CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge - started by Morphidae
✔The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz (3)
✔Migrations - Charlotte McConaghy (4)
Night Witches: A Novel of World War Two- Kathryn Lasky ABANDONED
Challenge #6: Read a book with a title or part of a title that you can use after the word “with” which indicates how you might be observing the holidays this year - started by dallenbaugh
*✔Girl, Woman, Other - Bernardine Evaristo (4)
Challenge #7: Read a book which starts with a character's name - started by wandering_star
✔Deal with the Devil - Kit Rocha (3.5)
Glass Houses - Rachel Caine
Challenge #8: Read a book written by a woman - started by helenliz
Betty - Tiffany McDaniel Abandoned
✔Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics: Series 1-4: A Comical Guide to Ancient Greece and Rome by Natalie Haynes (4)
✔Transcendent Kingdom - Yaa Gyasi (4)
Challenge #9: Read a book that is a follow up of a book you read earlier this year - started by quondame
✔Hissing Cousins: The Untold Story of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt Longworth - Marc Peyser (4)
Challenge #10: Read a book that has 250 pages or less - started by DeltaQueen
*✔Serpentine- Phillip Pullman (3.5)
Challenge #11: Read a book by an author born in Europe - started by FAMeulstee
✔In Other Lands - Sarah Rees Brennan (3.5)
Challenge #12: Read a comfort book - started by countrylife
✔What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism - Dan Rather (3.5)
Challenge #13: Read a book which has a word in the first paragraph that is descriptive of the weather in your neck of the woods - started by Carmenere
✔The Angels of Lovely Lane - Nadine Dorries (3.5)
Challenge #14: Read a book which fits into the Birthstone challenge wrap-up; read a book that is predominantly one birthstone colour - started by humouress
✔Loving: Interracial Intimacy in America and the Threat to White Supremacy - Sheryll Cashin (4)
Challenge #15: Read a book with a possessive pronoun in the title - started by susanna.fraser
✔Her Daughter's Mother: A Novel - Daniela Petrova (3)
Challenge #16: Read a book or story about Christmas - started by SilverWolf28
✔The Christmas Companion: Stories, Songs, and Sketches - Garrison Keillor (3)
A Dog Named Christmas- Greg Kincaid Abandoned
*✔A Fantastic Holiday Season volume 2 - Unappreciated Gifts - Patricia Briggs (5)
✔Mr. Dickens and His Carol: A Novel of Christmas Past by Samantha Silva (3)
✔Shakespeare's Christmas - Charlaine Harris (3.5)
My planned reads:
Challenge #1: Read a book with one of its title words making up part of a five-word sentence - started by SqueakyChu
✔The Future of Another Timeline - Annalee Newitz (5)
✔Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men - Caroline Criado Perez (5)
✔Lovely War - Julie Berry (4)
✔A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir - Colin Jost (5)
Challenge #2: Read a book you haven't read before but whose film / TV adaptation you've seen - started by lyzard
*✔Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (4)
✔*The Spy Who Came In From The Cold - John le Carré (4)
Challenge #3: Read a biography/autobiography of a woman - started by lindapanzo
✔Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics - Dolly Parton (3.5)
✔The Sound of Gravel - Ruth Wariner (4.5)
Challenge #4: Read a book that has won an obscure (to you) prize, name the prize - started by Citizenjoyce
✔Eggshells - Caitriona Lally (3)
Challenge #5: Read a book for the December CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge - started by Morphidae
✔The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz (3)
✔Migrations - Charlotte McConaghy (4)
Night Witches: A Novel of World War Two- Kathryn Lasky ABANDONED
Challenge #6: Read a book with a title or part of a title that you can use after the word “with” which indicates how you might be observing the holidays this year - started by dallenbaugh
*✔Girl, Woman, Other - Bernardine Evaristo (4)
Challenge #7: Read a book which starts with a character's name - started by wandering_star
✔Deal with the Devil - Kit Rocha (3.5)
Glass Houses - Rachel Caine
Challenge #8: Read a book written by a woman - started by helenliz
Betty - Tiffany McDaniel Abandoned
✔Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics: Series 1-4: A Comical Guide to Ancient Greece and Rome by Natalie Haynes (4)
✔Transcendent Kingdom - Yaa Gyasi (4)
Challenge #9: Read a book that is a follow up of a book you read earlier this year - started by quondame
✔Hissing Cousins: The Untold Story of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt Longworth - Marc Peyser (4)
Challenge #10: Read a book that has 250 pages or less - started by DeltaQueen
*✔Serpentine- Phillip Pullman (3.5)
Challenge #11: Read a book by an author born in Europe - started by FAMeulstee
✔In Other Lands - Sarah Rees Brennan (3.5)
Challenge #12: Read a comfort book - started by countrylife
✔What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism - Dan Rather (3.5)
Challenge #13: Read a book which has a word in the first paragraph that is descriptive of the weather in your neck of the woods - started by Carmenere
✔The Angels of Lovely Lane - Nadine Dorries (3.5)
Challenge #14: Read a book which fits into the Birthstone challenge wrap-up; read a book that is predominantly one birthstone colour - started by humouress
✔Loving: Interracial Intimacy in America and the Threat to White Supremacy - Sheryll Cashin (4)
Challenge #15: Read a book with a possessive pronoun in the title - started by susanna.fraser
✔Her Daughter's Mother: A Novel - Daniela Petrova (3)
Challenge #16: Read a book or story about Christmas - started by SilverWolf28
✔The Christmas Companion: Stories, Songs, and Sketches - Garrison Keillor (3)
A Dog Named Christmas- Greg Kincaid Abandoned
*✔A Fantastic Holiday Season volume 2 - Unappreciated Gifts - Patricia Briggs (5)
✔Mr. Dickens and His Carol: A Novel of Christmas Past by Samantha Silva (3)
✔Shakespeare's Christmas - Charlaine Harris (3.5)
23Citizenjoyce
>6 lyzard: I've seen only the first episode of Lovecraft Country then decided I wanted to read the book first. Would that count?
25SqueakyChu
Folks seem to be having trouble with my challenge #1. I need everyone to be able to make a complete sentence in five words. The sentence needs to make sense. It also cannot be set up in such a way as to prevent the next person in line from contributing to a complete sentence. Every senternce needs a functioning verb!
Keep trying. I know all of you can do this! To help you with this, I am allowing you to make more than one listing in a row. Don't force me make this challenge any easier...or it will cease to be a challenge! :D
Keep trying. I know all of you can do this! To help you with this, I am allowing you to make more than one listing in a row. Don't force me make this challenge any easier...or it will cease to be a challenge! :D
26Helenliz
Finally, I come to the end of a year long suite of challenges to read female authors. And this one is the simple one (because I've utterly run out of ideas!)
Read a book written by a woman
I *think * I might end up with all of my books fitting this category.
Read a book written by a woman
I *think * I might end up with all of my books fitting this category.
27lindapanzo
>26 Helenliz: That'll be a big help for all my Net Galley cozies that I'm not clever enough to fit into Madeline's challenge. Thanks.
28Carmenere
wandering _star - Just a thought, you could use this title in Madeline's Challege by using the word "Ends" as in The Timeline Briefly Ends .......Tell Me How It Ends - Valeria Luiselli - wandering_star
29SqueakyChu
>28 Carmenere: That would work perfectly!
30Citizenjoyce
>26 Helenliz: Heavens to Betsy, what a great challenge to end the year.
31quondame
Challenge #9: Read a book that is a follow up of a book you read earlier this year
Any book in the same series, on the same topic, a fiction about a non-fiction or vice versa, try to keep it plausible. Books by the same author(s) don't automatically qualify unless they are part of the same invented world.
Any book in the same series, on the same topic, a fiction about a non-fiction or vice versa, try to keep it plausible. Books by the same author(s) don't automatically qualify unless they are part of the same invented world.
32DeltaQueen50
Challenge #10: Read a book that has 250 pages or less
Although our Chrismas may be quiet for many of us, December can still be a busy month, so I like to read some shorter books.
Although our Chrismas may be quiet for many of us, December can still be a busy month, so I like to read some shorter books.
33FAMeulstee
Challenge #11: Read a book by an author born in Europe
List the country where the author was born.
List the country where the author was born.
34countrylife
Challenge # 12: Read a comfort book
To finish out this very difficult year, read a book which brings you comfort.
35Carmenere
Challenge #13: Read a book which has a word in the first paragraph that is descriptive of the weather in your neck of the woods - started by Carmenere
36humouress
Challenge 14: The Birthstone Challenge wrap-up; read a book that is predominantly one birthstone colour
You know how it works by now. For the last month of this challenge, though, you get a bit of choice.
This will be a rolling challenge which includes all the colours of the birthstones that we've looked at over the past year and a quarter - so if you didn't manage to fit a book in before, this is your chance. I will list out the months with their birthstones on the wiki. If we happen to finish one round, then start again from the beginning (but please make sure that the round is completely filled before starting another).
Jasper from Christmas two years ago
2019
September: jasper (pale beige)
October: tourmaline/ opal (multicoloured) - as colourful as possible
November: citrine/ topaz (orange/ dark yellow)
December: turquoise/ tanzanite (turquoise/ mid-blue)
2020
January: garnet (dark red)
February: amethyst (purple)
March: aquamarine (pale sea blue)
April: diamond (transparent/ white/ silver)
May: emerald (emerald green)
June: alexandrite (teal & purple) - can you match this two tone stone with both colours in one cover?
July: ruby (bright red/ pink)
August: peridot (lime green)
September: sapphire (deep blue)
October: gold (bring the bling!) - I'm willing to consider any colour as long as it's SHINY (ie. foil covers)
November: the dark side of pearls and diamonds (black)
As ever, please post your covers on the Birthstone Covers thread July-December 2020.
The previous threads, for reference :
Birthstone covers January-June 2020
Birthstone covers September-December 2019
You know how it works by now. For the last month of this challenge, though, you get a bit of choice.
This will be a rolling challenge which includes all the colours of the birthstones that we've looked at over the past year and a quarter - so if you didn't manage to fit a book in before, this is your chance. I will list out the months with their birthstones on the wiki. If we happen to finish one round, then start again from the beginning (but please make sure that the round is completely filled before starting another).
Jasper from Christmas two years ago
2019
September: jasper (pale beige)
October: tourmaline/ opal (multicoloured) - as colourful as possible
November: citrine/ topaz (orange/ dark yellow)
December: turquoise/ tanzanite (turquoise/ mid-blue)
2020
January: garnet (dark red)
February: amethyst (purple)
March: aquamarine (pale sea blue)
April: diamond (transparent/ white/ silver)
May: emerald (emerald green)
June: alexandrite (teal & purple) - can you match this two tone stone with both colours in one cover?
July: ruby (bright red/ pink)
August: peridot (lime green)
September: sapphire (deep blue)
October: gold (bring the bling!) - I'm willing to consider any colour as long as it's SHINY (ie. foil covers)
November: the dark side of pearls and diamonds (black)
As ever, please post your covers on the Birthstone Covers thread July-December 2020.
The previous threads, for reference :
Birthstone covers January-June 2020
Birthstone covers September-December 2019
37humouress
>1 SqueakyChu: Madeline, either you or I need a good, long lie down; that sounds complex. You've certainly taken the 'challenge' part of it to heart. :0)
38Helenliz
>30 Citizenjoyce: Why thank you. For those wondering, the others have been:
Jan: Read a book by a woman author you've not read before
Feb: Read the next book in a series by a woman author
Mar: Read a Non Fiction book by a woman about a woman, a group of women or a woman's issue
Apr: Read a book by a female author, dedicated to parent(s) or child(ren)
May: Read a book by a woman from a very different cultural tradition to your own
Jun: Read a book by a woman that was given, bought or recommended to you by a woman
Jul: Read a book translated by a woman
Aug: Read a book by an author who has been longlisted for the Woman's Prize for Fiction (formally the Orange Prize)
Sep: Read a book by a woman author: Alphabet challenge
Oct: Read a book by a woman who does not conform to a binary gender/sexuality stereotype
Nov: Read a book by a woman of colour
Next year will be completely different. I hope in many ways.
Jan: Read a book by a woman author you've not read before
Feb: Read the next book in a series by a woman author
Mar: Read a Non Fiction book by a woman about a woman, a group of women or a woman's issue
Apr: Read a book by a female author, dedicated to parent(s) or child(ren)
May: Read a book by a woman from a very different cultural tradition to your own
Jun: Read a book by a woman that was given, bought or recommended to you by a woman
Jul: Read a book translated by a woman
Aug: Read a book by an author who has been longlisted for the Woman's Prize for Fiction (formally the Orange Prize)
Sep: Read a book by a woman author: Alphabet challenge
Oct: Read a book by a woman who does not conform to a binary gender/sexuality stereotype
Nov: Read a book by a woman of colour
Next year will be completely different. I hope in many ways.
39susanna.fraser
Challenge #15: Read a book with a possessive pronoun in the title
In English, the possessive pronouns include:
My, mine, your, yours, her, hers, his, its, our, ours, their, and theirs
Embedded words are fine, and words in a subtitle count.
In English, the possessive pronouns include:
My, mine, your, yours, her, hers, his, its, our, ours, their, and theirs
Embedded words are fine, and words in a subtitle count.
40SqueakyChu
>37 humouress: It wasn't supposed to be hard at all. I think the problem is that people are choosing complex words for twisty sentences instead of simple sentences such as, "I saw a black dog." I actually did start off my own challenge with the word "the". How much simpler could I have made it with it still being challenging? :D
41SqueakyChu
Ha! With trepidation, I finally took another peek at my challenge #1. To my amazement, it is now rolling! Hurray!!
42quondame
>26 Helenliz: I ran across this list today. I've only read three of them, and if I were making such a list it would sure have a lot more Jane Austen and F&SF on it!
43FAMeulstee
>6 lyzard: I hope to finish reading De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht (the complete Arabian nights in Dutch translation). I have seen Arabian Nights, the movie by Pasolini, that only covers a small part of the tales.
Would that be okay for your challenge?
Would that be okay for your challenge?
44lyzard
>43 FAMeulstee:
Yes, I'm not going to insist upon an accurate adaptation or we won't have any books qualifying. :)
Yes, I'm not going to insist upon an accurate adaptation or we won't have any books qualifying. :)
45Morphidae
I'm working on my challenge right now. Sorry I didn't have it up before now. A medical issue interfered. There will be 9 challenges if I can figure out challenges for all my theme ideas.
46SqueakyChu
>45 Morphidae: Take your time.I hope your medical issues have resolved to your satisfaction. Be well. We'll all stay tuned.
47Morphidae
>46 SqueakyChu: Meh. Time for OT/PT again. But this time I told the home health care company I could do OT *OR* PT - not both at the same time. I've got two 3-hour Zoom meetings a week, my therapist (phone, 1 hour), a nurse visit (1 hour), and two 2-hour aide visits a week. This introvert is about at her limit! But it's my dominant arm giving me issues. It makes it hard to write, type, or most importantly, swipe! Can't read ebooks or play my games without swiping!
Thanks for the good thoughts.
Thanks for the good thoughts.
48SqueakyChu
>47 Morphidae: This introvert is about at her limit!
LOL! I hear you. We're all rooting for you to get better.
LOL! I hear you. We're all rooting for you to get better.
49Morphidae
When I looked at my thread and saw only one post, I realized I forgot to announce...
The December TIOLI Mystery Challenge Challenge is open!
>48 SqueakyChu: Thank you! The reasons aren't ALL bad. We got our usual generous Christmas checks from MrMorphy's parents and I had far too much fun on Black Friday/Weekend and Cyber Monday! Even if left-handedly. *cough*
The December TIOLI Mystery Challenge Challenge is open!
>48 SqueakyChu: Thank you! The reasons aren't ALL bad. We got our usual generous Christmas checks from MrMorphy's parents and I had far too much fun on Black Friday/Weekend and Cyber Monday! Even if left-handedly. *cough*
50SilverWolf28
Challenge #16: Read a book or story about Christmas
This can be a book or a story in an anthology.
If it's an anthology please list what story you read.
This can be a book or a story in an anthology.
If it's an anthology please list what story you read.
51Morphidae
All mystery challenges for >16 Morphidae: have been updated!
52countrylife
>21 wandering_star: : RE: Challenge #7: Can the character's name include his title, "Father so & so", or "detective so & so"?
53humouress
>36 humouress: I've just entered a book onto the wiki for Challenge 14. It looks like we just need an amethyst and a diamond (aren't we decadent?) to complete the first round of the rolling challenge.
54Morphidae
Is anyone able to get into the wiki?
I keep getting:
I keep getting:
This site can't be reached.
The connection was reset.
55lindapanzo
>54 Morphidae: Yes, I can get in OK.
56wandering_star
>52 countrylife: Yes, that's fine.
57humouress
>36 humouress: Challenge 14: The Birthstone Challenge wrap-up; read a book that is predominantly one birthstone colour - second bracelet
We've completed one bracelet of jewels for the birthstone covers challenge, so I've set up another round if anyone missed their gem the first time.
2019
September: jasper
October: tourmaline/ opal
November: citrine/ topaz
December: turquoise/ tanzanite
2020
January: garnet
February: amethyst
March: aquamarine
April: diamond
May: emerald
June: alexandrite
July: ruby
August: peridot
September: sapphire
October: gold
November: the dark side of pearls and diamonds
We've completed one bracelet of jewels for the birthstone covers challenge, so I've set up another round if anyone missed their gem the first time.
2019
September: jasper
October: tourmaline/ opal
November: citrine/ topaz
December: turquoise/ tanzanite
2020
January: garnet
February: amethyst
March: aquamarine
April: diamond
May: emerald
June: alexandrite
July: ruby
August: peridot
September: sapphire
October: gold
November: the dark side of pearls and diamonds
58raidergirl3
>57 humouress: That looks awesome!
59Citizenjoyce
>57 humouress: Wow, good job.
60lyzard
My bad timing remains impeccable, choosing this month to embark on the works of John le Carré.
I was wondering whether anyone might care to join me in Challenge #2 as a tribute of sorts?
I was wondering whether anyone might care to join me in Challenge #2 as a tribute of sorts?
62humouress
>58 raidergirl3: >59 Citizenjoyce: Thank you! You're welcome to add to the second bracelet.
63Citizenjoyce
>60 lyzard: I put The Spy Who Came In From the Cold on hold at the library, but I probably won't get it until next month.
64SqueakyChu
TIOLI Quesrion of the Month
The good news is vaccines against COVID-19 are coming. Share something really good that happened in a book you've read this month. What happened? What was the book and its author?
The good news is vaccines against COVID-19 are coming. Share something really good that happened in a book you've read this month. What happened? What was the book and its author?
65Citizenjoyce
>64 SqueakyChu: I read A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir by Colin Jost and the whole book was a good thing. This Greek god of a man writes very humorously and self-deprecatingly about himself and, in spite of his numerous accidents, health issues and excessive alcohol use, he kept this reader with him the whole time. I've loved Saturday Night Live since the beginning and still watch it faithfully every week that it's on. His weekend updates are the highlight of the show. His book was just one more lovely thing of the several wildly wonderful things that have happened this month. And on a side note, my sister and her two adult sons all got Covid and all came through it just fine, no one was hospitalized and she didn't infect her significant other who was already in a very weakened state from a major surgery.
66humouress
>65 Citizenjoyce: Yay for good (better) health.
67SqueakyChu
>65 Citizenjoyce: That’s so scary about the COVID-19, Joyce. I am so thankful everyone in your family pulled through fine.
68Citizenjoyce
>67 SqueakyChu: Thanks, my sister is 76 years old with underlying health issues. Aside from one night of fever, which was the reason she got tested, she stayed completely asymptomatic. Her sons who are much healthier got sick enough that one would have been admitted to the hospital if it were not for overcrowding, but all are better now.
69DeltaQueen50
>65 Citizenjoyce: I am very happy to hear that your family came through Covid and are well now. That vaccine can't come soon enough for me!
>64 SqueakyChu: I read Mrs. 'arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico and really, the whole book made me happy. Mrs. Harris get happy in the book as she get to go to Paris to buy the dress of her deams. She has a remarkable adventure and is able to help just about everyone she meets. It was a little dated in regards to a "woman's place" being published in the early 1950s, but overall a really enjoyable read.
>64 SqueakyChu: I read Mrs. 'arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico and really, the whole book made me happy. Mrs. Harris get happy in the book as she get to go to Paris to buy the dress of her deams. She has a remarkable adventure and is able to help just about everyone she meets. It was a little dated in regards to a "woman's place" being published in the early 1950s, but overall a really enjoyable read.
70wandering_star
>69 DeltaQueen50: There's a lovely musical of this book, called "Flowers for Mrs Harris". It was one of the things I watched during lockdown.
I read a book this month which was similarly sweet and feelgood like Mrs 'Arris - Business As Usual by Jane Oliver, about a young woman in the early 1930s who decides to try living on her own in London for a bit before her marriage, and gets a job in the book department of a large London store.
I read a book this month which was similarly sweet and feelgood like Mrs 'Arris - Business As Usual by Jane Oliver, about a young woman in the early 1930s who decides to try living on her own in London for a bit before her marriage, and gets a job in the book department of a large London store.
71Citizenjoyce
I vowed I wouldn't do another sweep, but it looks like I accidentally did. The challenges this month were just too much fun.
72quondame
>71 Citizenjoyce: Congratulations!
73Helenliz
>71 Citizenjoyce:! Well done!!
74FAMeulstee
>71 Citizenjoyce: Congratulations, this was your 25th sweep :-)
75Carmenere
>71 Citizenjoyce: You are awesome!
76susanna.fraser
>71 Citizenjoyce: Wow, congratulations!
77lindapanzo
>71 Citizenjoyce: Great job, Joyce!! I love an accidental sweep.
78SqueakyChu
71. Wow! Congratulations, Joyce!
79Citizenjoyce
>72 quondame:, >73 Helenliz:, >74 FAMeulstee:, What a statistician >75 Carmenere:, >76 susanna.fraser:, >77 lindapanzo:, >78 SqueakyChu: Thank you. Maybe this was the right way to end a horrible year.
80SqueakyChu
TIOLI stats for November, 2020
In November, 2020, we read a total of 219 books of which 39 (18%) were shared reads. We accumulated 22 TOLI points for a YTD total for November of 344 TIOLI points, the smallest ever number of YTD TIOLI points for any November.
Our most popular books, each read by three challengers, were these:
Second Wind - Dick Francis
A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World - C. A. Fletcher
The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett
Exhalation - Ted Chiang
Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline - Loretta Lynn
The most popular TIOLI challenge, with 23 books read, was the one by @DeltaQueen50 to read a book where birds or animals are in the title or pictured on the cover.
The TIOLI challenges with the most TIOLI points, each with three, were these:
1. Read a book with a front cover picturing a person wearing a hat or other head covering - by @SqueakyChu (me!)
2. Read a book where birds or animals are in the title or pictured on the cover - by @DeltaQueen
Another interesting stat is that, after this December, 2020, we've completed ELEVEN years of TIOLI challenges! Wow!!
I guess my experiment succeeded. :D
In November, 2020, we read a total of 219 books of which 39 (18%) were shared reads. We accumulated 22 TOLI points for a YTD total for November of 344 TIOLI points, the smallest ever number of YTD TIOLI points for any November.
Our most popular books, each read by three challengers, were these:
Second Wind - Dick Francis
A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World - C. A. Fletcher
The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett
Exhalation - Ted Chiang
Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline - Loretta Lynn
The most popular TIOLI challenge, with 23 books read, was the one by @DeltaQueen50 to read a book where birds or animals are in the title or pictured on the cover.
The TIOLI challenges with the most TIOLI points, each with three, were these:
1. Read a book with a front cover picturing a person wearing a hat or other head covering - by @SqueakyChu (me!)
2. Read a book where birds or animals are in the title or pictured on the cover - by @DeltaQueen
Another interesting stat is that, after this December, 2020, we've completed ELEVEN years of TIOLI challenges! Wow!!
I guess my experiment succeeded. :D
81DeltaQueen50
>80 SqueakyChu: Definitely a successful experiment! I am looking forward to 2021 for many reasons and another year of TIOLI Challenges is one of them.
82SqueakyChu
>81 DeltaQueen50: Sweet! Thank you!
83Citizenjoyce
>80 SqueakyChu: At this time it's great to know about successful experiments.
84SqueakyChu
Here we go....
Hang on tightly...
The November, 2020, TIOLI Awards!
The Gratitude Award goes to two challengers for Morphidae's challenge to read a book where the title completes the phrase "I am thankful for...". The first goes to @avatiakh for reading Jerusalem. That is a city in which I once lived and one I hold very dear to my heart. I, too, am thankful for the city of Jerusalem. The second award goes to @lindapanzo for reading What Unites Us. That has to be our motto going forward, even if it is difficult. I am and will continue to be grateful for those things we can all do together.
The Best Place to Find Love Award goes to @lyzard for Carmenere's challenge to read a book where the word "love" is embedded in the title or author's name. This challenger found love in a glove. LOL!! The book read for this challenge was called The Sign of the Glove...so there you have it!
The Wide Open Challenge for Some Award goes to @lyzard for her self-serving challenge to read a book by an author born between 1845 and 1945 inclusive. That probably includes every book in this challenger's libary! LOL!!
The Best Animal Award goes to @susanna.fraser for reading The Shepherd's Crown for Deltaqueen's challenge to read a book where birds or animals are in the title or pictured on the cover. This book pictured bees on its cover. This insect is special to me now for two reasons. One is that a neighbor of ours, a beekeeper, brought us over a frame of honey which served us well throughout the pandemic as my husband and I enjoyed tea with some of that honey almost every afternoon. That frame produced about a gallon of honey which we only recently used up. Second, my husband was making masks for freinds and neighbors during this pandemic. A friend of mine who volunteers at the Insect Zoo at the Smithsonian donated fabric with a bee motif. My husband made masks out of this fabric to give to others. We named that fabric 'Buzz". So, yes, bees are on my mind these days.
The Give Me Comfort Award goes to @wandering_star for reading Eiderdown for quondame's challenge to read a book that has something comforting in the title. With the cold weather starting, you know I grabbed for my comforter...which brought me...comfort. So, yes, this is totally award-worthy.
The Desperate for the New Year Award goes to @AnneDC for reading When Will There Be Good News? for dallenbaugh's challenge to read a book explaining what is puzzling you about this strange year using all or part of a book title. Yep. I was wondering the same thing...all...year...long!
Last, but not least, and this has NOTHING to do with either the TIOLI challenges or LibraryThing, but I have to announce that our family friend, Daniel Ross, won the 2020 SOVAS (Society of Voice Arts and Science) Award for Best Voice Actor, Oustanding Body of Work this week! He and my oldest son have been friends since they were in elementary school. It is really exciting for my family to share this good news! Daniel is the voice of Donald Duck and other cartoon characters. ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2IysIPTKEQ1dSauGu2B91oyrX_ibjthR4YRcfza...
Feel free to share any awards you want at this time...even awards you and your family members won this year! We have to try to end this year on a good note.
Oh, yeah! My husband Jose also won an award! He was given the Good Neighbor Award by the City of Rockville for mask-making, building Little Free Libraries, and other neighborly things. :) A neighbor of ours submitted his name.
Hang on tightly...
The November, 2020, TIOLI Awards!
The Gratitude Award goes to two challengers for Morphidae's challenge to read a book where the title completes the phrase "I am thankful for...". The first goes to @avatiakh for reading Jerusalem. That is a city in which I once lived and one I hold very dear to my heart. I, too, am thankful for the city of Jerusalem. The second award goes to @lindapanzo for reading What Unites Us. That has to be our motto going forward, even if it is difficult. I am and will continue to be grateful for those things we can all do together.
The Best Place to Find Love Award goes to @lyzard for Carmenere's challenge to read a book where the word "love" is embedded in the title or author's name. This challenger found love in a glove. LOL!! The book read for this challenge was called The Sign of the Glove...so there you have it!
The Wide Open Challenge for Some Award goes to @lyzard for her self-serving challenge to read a book by an author born between 1845 and 1945 inclusive. That probably includes every book in this challenger's libary! LOL!!
The Best Animal Award goes to @susanna.fraser for reading The Shepherd's Crown for Deltaqueen's challenge to read a book where birds or animals are in the title or pictured on the cover. This book pictured bees on its cover. This insect is special to me now for two reasons. One is that a neighbor of ours, a beekeeper, brought us over a frame of honey which served us well throughout the pandemic as my husband and I enjoyed tea with some of that honey almost every afternoon. That frame produced about a gallon of honey which we only recently used up. Second, my husband was making masks for freinds and neighbors during this pandemic. A friend of mine who volunteers at the Insect Zoo at the Smithsonian donated fabric with a bee motif. My husband made masks out of this fabric to give to others. We named that fabric 'Buzz". So, yes, bees are on my mind these days.
The Give Me Comfort Award goes to @wandering_star for reading Eiderdown for quondame's challenge to read a book that has something comforting in the title. With the cold weather starting, you know I grabbed for my comforter...which brought me...comfort. So, yes, this is totally award-worthy.
The Desperate for the New Year Award goes to @AnneDC for reading When Will There Be Good News? for dallenbaugh's challenge to read a book explaining what is puzzling you about this strange year using all or part of a book title. Yep. I was wondering the same thing...all...year...long!
Last, but not least, and this has NOTHING to do with either the TIOLI challenges or LibraryThing, but I have to announce that our family friend, Daniel Ross, won the 2020 SOVAS (Society of Voice Arts and Science) Award for Best Voice Actor, Oustanding Body of Work this week! He and my oldest son have been friends since they were in elementary school. It is really exciting for my family to share this good news! Daniel is the voice of Donald Duck and other cartoon characters. ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2IysIPTKEQ1dSauGu2B91oyrX_ibjthR4YRcfza...
Feel free to share any awards you want at this time...even awards you and your family members won this year! We have to try to end this year on a good note.
Oh, yeah! My husband Jose also won an award! He was given the Good Neighbor Award by the City of Rockville for mask-making, building Little Free Libraries, and other neighborly things. :) A neighbor of ours submitted his name.
85quondame
Congratulations to your friend Daniel and your husband on their awards, and to all the TIOLI winners.
86Citizenjoyce
Congratulations to your friend and your husband. He has a working sewing machine?
87Helenliz
Congratulations to award winners of all kinds.
And I'd like to say thanks to Madeline for another year of TIOLI. I've enjoyed it since I started LT, I found it pretty quickly and it's been an almost constant companion ever since. 2021, here we come. I may have my challenge ready to go...
And I'd like to say thanks to Madeline for another year of TIOLI. I've enjoyed it since I started LT, I found it pretty quickly and it's been an almost constant companion ever since. 2021, here we come. I may have my challenge ready to go...
88Morphidae
>84 SqueakyChu: Congrats to @lindapanzo for her award for reading What Unites Us for my challenge.
Congrats to your friend, Daniel Ross and your husband, Jose! Great job!
And Madeline, I know it's been a slow year for TIOLI but don't be disheartened. I appreciate you so much for eleven years of your moderation of and creativity with these challenges. For years it's the only thing that keeps me coming back to LT. With all my physical and mental health challenges, it was difficult to keep my interest in LT much less make it of any priority. I could very well have lost total regard of LT and left it by the wayside. Because of you and TIOLI, I didn't. Even if it only was to post a challenge, I kept coming back. And now I'm hoping that next year I'll be in good enough shape to actually have an active thread again. Thank you so much. *hugs*
Congrats to your friend, Daniel Ross and your husband, Jose! Great job!
And Madeline, I know it's been a slow year for TIOLI but don't be disheartened. I appreciate you so much for eleven years of your moderation of and creativity with these challenges. For years it's the only thing that keeps me coming back to LT. With all my physical and mental health challenges, it was difficult to keep my interest in LT much less make it of any priority. I could very well have lost total regard of LT and left it by the wayside. Because of you and TIOLI, I didn't. Even if it only was to post a challenge, I kept coming back. And now I'm hoping that next year I'll be in good enough shape to actually have an active thread again. Thank you so much. *hugs*
89Carmenere
Thank you, Madeline, for 11 years of TIOLI. I appreciate you and the time you take to create, monitor and award those of us up to a good challenge.
I've been participating in TIOLI for most of its 11 years. You keep it fresh and you keep it fun. Thanks too, to all the readers and challengers who have often lured me to read books on my shelf that have sat there for wayyyyyy to long.
Happy Holidays and especially a happy and healthy new year to all.
I've been participating in TIOLI for most of its 11 years. You keep it fresh and you keep it fun. Thanks too, to all the readers and challengers who have often lured me to read books on my shelf that have sat there for wayyyyyy to long.
Happy Holidays and especially a happy and healthy new year to all.
90lindapanzo
Madeline, thank you for all of your hard work over the years on TIOLI. I love it as much as I did at the beginning. I am just disappointed I couldn't work in my book with your name in the title in 2020. As it's still unread, there's always hope for 2021.
Congrats to Daniel and to your husband. That is tremendous. We need good neighbors and all who do good things and think of the greater good.
Thanks for the award. Dan Rather has really been focusing on uniting people and, while encouraging people to get his book, he's urging them to get What Unites Us from indie bookstores. We, well I do, tend to think about what divides us these days but there's even more that unites us.
As for 2021, I LOVE the categories that I picked for the 2021 category challenge and I'm very eager to get cracking. In fact, I am starting 2021 on Christmas Eve. We aren't going anywhere on Christmas Eve or Day so I may as well read.
Congrats to Daniel and to your husband. That is tremendous. We need good neighbors and all who do good things and think of the greater good.
Thanks for the award. Dan Rather has really been focusing on uniting people and, while encouraging people to get his book, he's urging them to get What Unites Us from indie bookstores. We, well I do, tend to think about what divides us these days but there's even more that unites us.
As for 2021, I LOVE the categories that I picked for the 2021 category challenge and I'm very eager to get cracking. In fact, I am starting 2021 on Christmas Eve. We aren't going anywhere on Christmas Eve or Day so I may as well read.
91SqueakyChu
Thank you, and you are most welcome, everyone!
>86 Citizenjoyce: Thanks! We actually have five sewing machines, including my mom's old Singer which my husband recently fixed. He was not satisfied with any of the machines so a friend of his bought him a brand new portable Singer as a gift...just because. My husband's dad was a fine tailor at Brooks Brothers. My mom had been a seamstress, and I can sew, but over the years I have grown to not like sewing so I leave the sewing, Including sewing on buttons and small repairs to my husband. My mom , too, became tired of sewing and changed careers to become a clerk at a federal agency in Baltimore.
>88 Morphidae: I actually stick to LT because I love the TIOLI challenges myself...even if I run them! Haha! I barely ever read mpst people's threads these days. I love talking to all of you here, however! :)
>90 lindapanzo: I used to LOVE to do the category challenge! I rarely read anything these days so it's kind of hard to do that challenge now! I attribute my decrease in reading to both having a smart phone on which to doom-scroll (yes, I'd been doing that) and to stress and anxiety that made my reading turn into the more relaxing and mind-numbing jigsaw-puzzling. My husband and I are now completing our 19th puzzle since the pandemic began.
>86 Citizenjoyce: Thanks! We actually have five sewing machines, including my mom's old Singer which my husband recently fixed. He was not satisfied with any of the machines so a friend of his bought him a brand new portable Singer as a gift...just because. My husband's dad was a fine tailor at Brooks Brothers. My mom had been a seamstress, and I can sew, but over the years I have grown to not like sewing so I leave the sewing, Including sewing on buttons and small repairs to my husband. My mom , too, became tired of sewing and changed careers to become a clerk at a federal agency in Baltimore.
>88 Morphidae: I actually stick to LT because I love the TIOLI challenges myself...even if I run them! Haha! I barely ever read mpst people's threads these days. I love talking to all of you here, however! :)
>90 lindapanzo: I used to LOVE to do the category challenge! I rarely read anything these days so it's kind of hard to do that challenge now! I attribute my decrease in reading to both having a smart phone on which to doom-scroll (yes, I'd been doing that) and to stress and anxiety that made my reading turn into the more relaxing and mind-numbing jigsaw-puzzling. My husband and I are now completing our 19th puzzle since the pandemic began.
92lyzard
>84 SqueakyChu:
Whoo! - double score!! (Although just between you and me I have a ton of books written by people born before 1845... :D )
I initially came to LT just for the cataloguing but then I found the 75ers and TIOLI almost at the same time, towards the end of 2010. I remember my first tentative joining in very well; I even remember what books I listed! (Love Letters Between A Nobleman And His Sister and The Rebel's Daughter, both for 'a family member in the title': whose challenge was that??).
In such a difficult and disrupted year, TIOLI has been one of my very few comforting constants.
Whoo! - double score!! (Although just between you and me I have a ton of books written by people born before 1845... :D )
I initially came to LT just for the cataloguing but then I found the 75ers and TIOLI almost at the same time, towards the end of 2010. I remember my first tentative joining in very well; I even remember what books I listed! (Love Letters Between A Nobleman And His Sister and The Rebel's Daughter, both for 'a family member in the title': whose challenge was that??).
In such a difficult and disrupted year, TIOLI has been one of my very few comforting constants.
93susanna.fraser
>84 SqueakyChu:
Thank you so much for keeping this community going! Also, thanks for the award! Bees are fascinating for sure, though these days I'm most interested in birds.
Thank you so much for keeping this community going! Also, thanks for the award! Bees are fascinating for sure, though these days I'm most interested in birds.
94Morphidae
>92 lyzard: December 2010, Challenge #15: Read a book with a family term in the title by klobrien2
95SqueakyChu
>92 lyzard: (Although just between you and me I have a ton of books written by people born before 1845
LOL!!
In such a difficult and disrupted year, TIOLI has been one of my very few comforting constants.
I agree. I came here to escape my anxiety and depression. It's funny how that played out. For a while, we were all talking about the pandemic on our extra thread. More recently, I had a fmaily scare which I didn't want to talk about anything there at all. Fortunately, everything resolved with my double scare. I'll talk about that on our extra thread so I don't go way off topic again here.
>93 susanna.fraser: I'm mad at the birds. No interesting birds visit my feeder any more. Only house sparrows and an occasional male cardinal whom I named V-8. His wife I named V-9. V-8 is after the juice with its red color. The wife's name had to be a larger number than the husband's name. Haha!
>94 Morphidae: Karen! We haven't heard from her in quite a while!
LOL!!
In such a difficult and disrupted year, TIOLI has been one of my very few comforting constants.
I agree. I came here to escape my anxiety and depression. It's funny how that played out. For a while, we were all talking about the pandemic on our extra thread. More recently, I had a fmaily scare which I didn't want to talk about anything there at all. Fortunately, everything resolved with my double scare. I'll talk about that on our extra thread so I don't go way off topic again here.
>93 susanna.fraser: I'm mad at the birds. No interesting birds visit my feeder any more. Only house sparrows and an occasional male cardinal whom I named V-8. His wife I named V-9. V-8 is after the juice with its red color. The wife's name had to be a larger number than the husband's name. Haha!
>94 Morphidae: Karen! We haven't heard from her in quite a while!
96susanna.fraser
>95 SqueakyChu: I've only started feeding my backyard birds in the past month, and I'm still working on my ID skills. I get tons of dark-eyed juncos, a family or two of house finches, both black-capped and chestnut-backed chickadees, song sparrows, another small sparrow-typed bird I'm not sure how to identify, occasionally a spotted towhee, and a few crows. All of which are very typical Seattle birds, and I keep looking for something a little more rare, but it's fun to watch them. I don't have a feeder yet, so I've been putting small piles of birdseed a foot or so apart along our back deck's rail. Usually I put the seed out around noon, but yesterday I was a little late because I was waiting for a break in the rain. When I finally came out, two of the finches were waiting on the deck outside the sliding glass door, and the juncos and chickadees were perched on the rail as if to say, "C'mon, lady, where's our lunch?" They all scattered back to the trees when I stepped out, so I'm not a Disney princess or a victim in a Hitchcock movie YET.
Today I went out at the usual time, and there weren't any birds on the deck, but the trees were noisy with them. And almost as soon as I'd set the seed out and closed the door behind me, the most assertive male in the junco flock settled in to eat.
Today I went out at the usual time, and there weren't any birds on the deck, but the trees were noisy with them. And almost as soon as I'd set the seed out and closed the door behind me, the most assertive male in the junco flock settled in to eat.
97SqueakyChu
>96 susanna.fraser: Two things to add to your enjoyment of bird-watching:
1. Set up a birdbath. This is fun for all seasons, if you use a heating element during the winter.
2. Suet cakes are great for attracting woodpeckers, my favorite birds to watch.
3. Download the app Merlin to your phone for bird identification. You can select a packet for your own area of the country.
Happy bird-watching!
1. Set up a birdbath. This is fun for all seasons, if you use a heating element during the winter.
2. Suet cakes are great for attracting woodpeckers, my favorite birds to watch.
3. Download the app Merlin to your phone for bird identification. You can select a packet for your own area of the country.
Happy bird-watching!
98dallenbaugh
>91 SqueakyChu: and >96 susanna.fraser: I too am a bird watcher/feeder and jigsaw puzzler, and a strong fan of TIOLI, but like many others my reading has gone off this year. Even so thank you very much Madeline for keeping TIOLI going.
Favorite birds: juncos, jays, flickers, and a pair of friendly Canyon Towhees, and yes I use a heated dog bowl with a rock in it for the birds.
I've passed 20 puzzles this year and now try to make them theme based such as Halloween, Christmas, trips I've taken, etc.
Favorite birds: juncos, jays, flickers, and a pair of friendly Canyon Towhees, and yes I use a heated dog bowl with a rock in it for the birds.
I've passed 20 puzzles this year and now try to make them theme based such as Halloween, Christmas, trips I've taken, etc.
99SqueakyChu
>98 dallenbaugh: Oooh! The competition is on! We're now working on puzzle #20. We tried to get either 2,000 or 1,500 piece puzzles from reliable dealers, but all were out of puzzles more than 1,000 pieces -- so we ordered three 1,000 piece puzzles from Springbok. They sent us a free mystery puzzle (of candy bars). We finished it in 5 days, but it was missing a piece! A brand new puzzle!!
In redoing puzzles we've done in the past, I was really surprised at how many of those were each missing a piece or two. Is that like socks that get lost in the wash?!
In redoing puzzles we've done in the past, I was really surprised at how many of those were each missing a piece or two. Is that like socks that get lost in the wash?!
100dallenbaugh
>99 SqueakyChu: I have a puzzle eating dog so have to be careful not to drop any pieces on the floor. I've lost a few that way.
I usually buy 1000 piece puzzles and sometimes 500 so piece count wise you have me beat, but it is only me to solve them so the bigger puzzles are somewhat intimidating and also they don't really fit in my puzzling corner.
I recently bought my first Springbok puzzles on ebay. I don't buy puzzles with food on them. Too tempting.
I usually buy 1000 piece puzzles and sometimes 500 so piece count wise you have me beat, but it is only me to solve them so the bigger puzzles are somewhat intimidating and also they don't really fit in my puzzling corner.
I recently bought my first Springbok puzzles on ebay. I don't buy puzzles with food on them. Too tempting.
101SqueakyChu
I never thought of buying puzzles on eBay.Good idea!
I have a puzzle-piece-retreiving robot vacuum cleaner which returns to me any puzzle pieces we drop!! :D
I have a puzzle-piece-retreiving robot vacuum cleaner which returns to me any puzzle pieces we drop!! :D
102dallenbaugh
They have some cheap prices on ebay but they often make it up by charging outrageous shipping prices so you have to beware.
103Morphidae
I feel so outgunned with my tiny 120 piece puzzles on the Jigsaw Puzzle HD app. I did 160 pieces for the longest time, but I get so impatient. I can't imagine doing 500. And 1,000?!? Fugetaboutit.
104SqueakyChu
>103 Morphidae: Yeah, but online puzzling does not have the same meditative, calming quality that real puzzling does. It’s the process, not the completion, of the real puzzling that took me away from online doom-scrolling to doing something peaceful and not anxiety-provoking when I could not concentrate on reading.
105SqueakyChu
>102 dallenbaugh: It’ll be a while before we get more. I just bought three (four with the free puzzle) as a gift to ourselves for finishing all our puzzles (until I found five more upstairs last week)! The next round, we’ll try to do them faster. I récord who works on them, where we did them (we used to do them each year on vacation at the beach) and how long each took to complete. Now I have to add how many pieces are missing!! :D
106dallenbaugh
>105 SqueakyChu: Your puzzling life is much more interesting than mine.
Who worked on them - me
Where were they done - my house
How many pieces did the dog eat - varies.
Who worked on them - me
Where were they done - my house
How many pieces did the dog eat - varies.
108Citizenjoyce
I can do solitaire and word games but I can't do puzzles. They make me nervous.
109Morphidae
>108 Citizenjoyce: I'm with you. I find the small puzzles soothing - for me, online puzzling is meditative and calming. But large ungainly puzzles taking over a table? Nope, nope, nope. Too chaotic and nerve-wracking.
110elkiedee
Has there been a group created for next year yet? I can't seem to find my way to groups that I'm not already on.
111humouress
>101 SqueakyChu: Ooh - a puzzle-piece-retrieving-and-returning vacuum cleaner! I need one of those.
>105 SqueakyChu: Because we have so many puzzles of different sizes (I started acquiring when the kids were born) and pieces end up everywhere (and, yes, because I'm a bit OCD) I started labelling the back of jigsaws once we finished them. Right now I have one out that I finally finished labelling but is already missing 3 pieces :0) There is a spot that they could have slid down into but I've been putting off searching there because I'm pretty sure that the dust will set me off sneezing.
>110 elkiedee: I had a look in New Groups just today but I didn't see a 75 book group for next year. I don't want to ask Jim because things have been a bit anxious for him - and, anyway, I don't usually set up my thread until the start of the new year.
>105 SqueakyChu: Because we have so many puzzles of different sizes (I started acquiring when the kids were born) and pieces end up everywhere (and, yes, because I'm a bit OCD) I started labelling the back of jigsaws once we finished them. Right now I have one out that I finally finished labelling but is already missing 3 pieces :0) There is a spot that they could have slid down into but I've been putting off searching there because I'm pretty sure that the dust will set me off sneezing.
>110 elkiedee: I had a look in New Groups just today but I didn't see a 75 book group for next year. I don't want to ask Jim because things have been a bit anxious for him - and, anyway, I don't usually set up my thread until the start of the new year.
112Helenliz
>110 elkiedee: Not yet. No, you're not the only one stalking - I don't want to miss January's TIOLI thread. Last year the 75 group was set up after Christmas.
114lindapanzo
>111 humouress: I'm thinking that, in the past, Jim said he sets up the new 75 group after Christmas. I actually met him (along with Mark and Joe, who are local and I've met many times) last year when he was in town and I should've asked him in person but there was so much to talk about.
I got my Santa Thing Kindle books overnight and will be opening my Christmas Swap books in a little while.
I got my Santa Thing Kindle books overnight and will be opening my Christmas Swap books in a little while.
115SqueakyChu
Merry Christmas, everyone. May this holiday be peaceful, safe, and joyous for you and your loved ones.
116Citizenjoyce
>64 SqueakyChu: Here's something good that just happened to me, not in a book. My little poodle, Tiger, whom I inherited when my ex-husband died sneaked out of the garage when I was doing something on the 15th. Today the Animal Foundation called and said they had him. Whew. How's that for a Christmas present? He's a little thinner and pretty tired, but otherwise no worse for the adventure.
117quondame
>116 Citizenjoyce: How wonderful that Tiger is found and able to be with you for Christmas! Merry Christmas!
118SqueakyChu
>116 Citizenjoyce: That is such a heart-warming story. We all need a little bit of that joy. Thanks for sharing the good news and the picture! So sweet!
119humouress
>114 lindapanzo: That makes sense. In any case I usually wait for the new year - even though everyone else has already seemed to be talking about the new group in December.
>116 Citizenjoyce: I'm glad he's safe and sound. I assume he's microchipped and that's how they linked you up?
>116 Citizenjoyce: I'm glad he's safe and sound. I assume he's microchipped and that's how they linked you up?
120Carmenere
>116 Citizenjoyce: and that, my friend, is a Christmas miracle!
121avatiakh
>84 SqueakyChu: Thanks for the award for Jerusalem. Ironically the book is a tribute to the writer's home city of Northampton in the UK....but I also love the city of Jerusalem.
122Citizenjoyce
>119 humouress: He is microchipped and, amazingly, his collar was still on and that had my number and the vet he goes to, so they notified me the day after he came in. His feet were very, very black from his adventure.
>120 Carmenere: Yes indeed.
>120 Carmenere: Yes indeed.
123wandering_star
>84 SqueakyChu: Thank you! One of my Christmas presents was a heated fleecy blanket. It is certainly very comforting especially today as we hunker down for a big storm to hit the UK...
>101 SqueakyChu: A vacuum which finds lost jigsaw puzzle pieces sounds like a godsend! We did a beautiful one this year but had to spend quite a while crawling around on the floor to find the last couple... eventually found the very last piece in the bin...
>101 SqueakyChu: A vacuum which finds lost jigsaw puzzle pieces sounds like a godsend! We did a beautiful one this year but had to spend quite a while crawling around on the floor to find the last couple... eventually found the very last piece in the bin...
125SqueakyChu
>124 Helenliz: Yay! Thanks for the heads up!
126Citizenjoyce
>124 Helenliz: Always on top of things. Thanks.
127wandering_star
I have a sweeplette, for page 2!
128SqueakyChu
>127 wandering_star: Hooray! Congratulations!!
129lindapanzo
>127 wandering_star: Congratulations.
130Helenliz
>127 wandering_star: Well done!!
131Citizenjoyce
>127 wandering_star: Congratulations.
132FAMeulstee
>127 wandering_star: Congratulations!
133lyzard
>127 wandering_star:
Congratulations! - I have also managed a #7 - #12 sweeplette, whoo!! :)
>131 Citizenjoyce:
Joyce, I just saw that your copy of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold did arrive in time, thank you for the shared read!
Congratulations! - I have also managed a #7 - #12 sweeplette, whoo!! :)
>131 Citizenjoyce:
Joyce, I just saw that your copy of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold did arrive in time, thank you for the shared read!
134Citizenjoyce
>133 lyzard: I didn't think I'd get it for another month. You never know.
135FAMeulstee
>133 lyzard: Congratulations, Liz!
136madhatter22
>127 wandering_star: >133 lyzard: Congratulations! :D
137SqueakyChu
>133 lyzard: Woohoo for Liz's sucess! Congrats on your sweeplette!
138lyzard
>134 Citizenjoyce:
My next ILL got caught in the Christmas / New Year shutdown and since it's 1000+ pages I'm a little worried about when it's going to show up!
>135 FAMeulstee:, >136 madhatter22:, >137 SqueakyChu:
Thank you!! :)
My next ILL got caught in the Christmas / New Year shutdown and since it's 1000+ pages I'm a little worried about when it's going to show up!
>135 FAMeulstee:, >136 madhatter22:, >137 SqueakyChu:
Thank you!! :)
139Helenliz
>133 lyzard: Well done Liz!!
140Citizenjoyce
>138 lyzard: If it’s 1000 pages you can be sure whoever is in line in front of you is going to take the whole allotted time to read it.
141lyzard
>139 Helenliz:
Thanks, Helen!
>140 Citizenjoyce:
People rarely want to read what I want to read so I don't have that aspect of things to worry about, thank goodness! - just the rolling closures and reopenings. (Though I see now my book is marked 'awaiting arrival' so at least it's in the system.)
Thanks, Helen!
>140 Citizenjoyce:
People rarely want to read what I want to read so I don't have that aspect of things to worry about, thank goodness! - just the rolling closures and reopenings. (Though I see now my book is marked 'awaiting arrival' so at least it's in the system.)
142AnneDC
>84 SqueakyChu: I'm a bit late to the party but thank you for the TIOLI Award! When Will There Be Good News? indeed sums up the year--hopefully we are starting to get at least a little of that.
And thank you Madeline for TIOLI--I've had a hard time showing up regularly on LT the past couple of years--the TIOLI challenge is the last thing I abandoned and the first thing I came back to. I've been so grateful to be able to return to it.
Ready to turn the page on 2020!
And thank you Madeline for TIOLI--I've had a hard time showing up regularly on LT the past couple of years--the TIOLI challenge is the last thing I abandoned and the first thing I came back to. I've been so grateful to be able to return to it.
Ready to turn the page on 2020!
143SqueakyChu
>142 AnneDC: Thanks for coming back, Anne. It would be really nice post pandemic and in warmer weather to do a meetup, like the one we had quite a few years back where I actually got to meet you. Wishing you a good 2021. Hope to catch up with you in reallife in the future!
144wandering_star
>133 lyzard: congratulations!
146jeanned
My reading is cut in half these days. But I did end the year on a shared read, so that's something.
147SqueakyChu
Housekeeping Day.
As this year comes to its end, remember to delete from the wiki any book you don’t finish by midnight tonight. If it’s a rolling challenge, you may just mark it DNF.
Wishing everyone a better new year in the coming days and months.
As this year comes to its end, remember to delete from the wiki any book you don’t finish by midnight tonight. If it’s a rolling challenge, you may just mark it DNF.
Wishing everyone a better new year in the coming days and months.
