Moderators of NBRC’s Comments (group member since Jan 22, 2011)

Moderators of NBRC’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Lexi wrote: "I can. How many sections should I divide it up into?"

Since there's only 3 of you for the DQs and the book is rather big - how about 6 parts, and then you can do 2 sets of DQs each? We can add a break day in between as well if you guys prefer / need a day in the middle to catch up.

Though you have the book in hand and can see how it's potentially divided up, so whatever feels good for the breakdown. If 4 days or 5 days is better than 6, then go for it. We trust your judgment :-)

I've moved this to be the 2nd BOM for the month seeing that we don't have too many volunteers over here yet. Hope you don't mind slowing down or coming back on the 16th, Lisa!

Sorry for the confusion with the date. I have now added in. let's start 5 Sept

Does anyone have a copy where they can have a go at the breakdown?

August Update

Congrats to those on track at 66% and above!

Name	% Progress to goal
Cheryl		100%
Sammy		95%
Toni		93%
Sophie		90%
The other Sandy	90%
Elizabeth	86%
Cordelia	84%
Charlie		80%
Melindam	80%
Yasmin	e	80%
Elena		78%
Cindy		77%
Gabby		77%
Carmen		77%
Marty		77%
Jessica	 (Gold	75%
Tricia		75%
✿Danielle✿	73%
Karen ♐	72%
Patty		72%
Angie ☯		71%
Trisha		71%
Chrissie	70%
Jim		70%
Karen ⊰✿	70%
Linda C		70%
Sophie (mod)	70%
Eldarwen	67%
Marla		67%
MelanieJoy 	67%
Keely		66%

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Jillypenny	64%
Vicki Willis	62%
Christina	60%
KelB		60%
Annalisa	50%
Cat		50%
Keli		48%
Judy		48%
Lexi		48%
Sonja		47%
Wendy		47%
Janis		45%
Rocsana		44%
Jenny		37%
Jenner		32%
Melanie		28%
LittleRedRidingHood	27%
Marie-Eve	25%
Insiyah		21%
Sherri		20%
LaurLa		13%
Roe		12%
Jenn 		11%
Jamie		6%
Denise		3%
Christene	2%

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Please nominate an Adult Fiction or a Non Fiction book that you would like to read in the month of November 2025.

Nominations will be open until 27 September, UK evening

***Please pay special attention to the Rules and Guidelines listed below.***

Rules and Guidelines
1. Books nominated after the deadline will not be included in the polls. Sorry.
2. Each person is limited to nominating ONE book per category.
3. Please use the add book/author tool located at the top of the comment box when nominating a book. (Please make your nomination clear because side conversations do happen and we don't want to accidentally miss a nomination)
4. Please add the Goodreads synopsis for the book you nominate; optionally you can include a reason why we should read your nomination.
5. Books that were read as a past BOM will not be considered for the poll. (link to the sheet under the spoiler (view spoiler)[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... (hide spoiler)])
6. Books that are #2 or higher in a series will only be considered if all earlier books in the series have been a past BOM.
7. Books must be published at the time of nomination.
8. If your book is successful in being picked as the BOM you are expected to actively participate in the discussion. This will include writing a set of DQs as well as engaging in conversations.

Also, please be aware of your nomination's genre and list them in the appropriate BOM category.

Genres that DO NOT go here:
Young Adult
Middle Grade / Children's
Erotica

The BOM nominations are for our members to nominate a book they are truly interested in and have no affiliation with. Promotional activity is NOT permitted and nominations that the Moderators perceive to be promotional will be deleted without warning

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Theme Book Of the Month



Nearly the end of our year of world travels, we have reached South America! As ever, preference goes to authors from South American countries, but any books set in South America, exploring the wide range of experience there are welcome.

Nominations will be open until 27 September, UK evening

***Please pay special attention to the Rules and Guidelines listed below.***

Rules and Guidelines
1. Books nominated after the deadline will not be included in the polls. Sorry.
2. Each person is limited to nominating ONE book per category.
3. Please use the add book/author tool located at the top of the comment box when nominating a book. (Please make your nomination clear because side conversations do happen and we don't want to accidentally miss a nomination)
4. Please add the Goodreads synopsis for the book you nominate; you should also include an explanation of how it fits the theme for the month.
5. Books that were read as a past BOM will not be considered for the poll. (link to the sheet under the spoiler (view spoiler)[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... (hide spoiler)])
6. Books that are #2 or higher in a series will only be considered if all earlier books in the series have been a past BOM.
7. Books must be published at the time of nomination.
8. If your book is successful in being picked as the BOM you are expected to actively participate in the discussion. This will include writing a set of DQs as well as engaging in conversations.

The BOM nominations are for our members to nominate a book they are truly interested in and have no affiliation with. Promotional activity is NOT permitted and nominations that the Moderators perceive to be promotional will be deleted without warning

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Chapter Breakdown

Date		Chapters 	Pages		MPDQs
Sept 5 -	 Part 1 - Chap 1-13 - 		Catherine
Sept 6 - 	Part 2 - Chap 14 - 27 - 	Lexi
Sept 7 - 	Part 3 Chap 28 - 44 - 		Amanda
Sept 8 - Break
Sept 9 - 	Part 4 - Chap 45 - 56 - 	Catherine
Sept 10 - 	Part 5 - Chap 57 - 69 - 	Lexi
Sept 11 - 	Part 6 - Chap 70 - 84- 		Amanda

Guidance for DQ setters
Aim for a reasonable number of questions: 4 - 5 is typical. Please don't post too many - any more than 7 gets unwieldy!
Use consecutive numbering of the DQs for your days. So, for example, if Day One is posted as questions 1-4, Day Two should start at number 5 etc.
Don't worry too much about your questions: you aren't being tested on how clever your questions are!
Hints and tips:
- Is there a quote that jumped out at you? Use that in a question.
- What about the characters - do they generate strong feelings? No feelings? - either way, we can explore that!
- What about that plot twist?!
- Explore the writing style: is there an unusual structure being used? what's the tone of voice like? or the point of view?

Want more information about how NBRC runs their Book of the Month discussions? Check out the information here

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - Sep 25 Theme BOM - South and South East Asisa



From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala, South India, following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret

Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala's Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this unforgettable new beginning, the young girl—and future matriarch, Big Ammachi—will witness unthinkable changes over the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss, her faith and love the only constants.

A shimmering evocation of a bygone India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with humor, deep emotion, and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.

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nominator:

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Chapter Breakdown

  
    
Date		Chapters 	Pages		MPDQs
  
  

  

Guidance for DQ setters
Aim for a reasonable number of questions: 4 - 5 is typical. Please don't post too many - any more than 7 gets unwieldy!
Use consecutive numbering of the DQs for your days. So, for example, if Day One is posted as questions 1-4, Day Two should start at number 5 etc.
Don't worry too much about your questions: you aren't being tested on how clever your questions are!
Hints and tips:
- Is there a quote that jumped out at you? Use that in a question.
- What about the characters - do they generate strong feelings? No feelings? - either way, we can explore that!
- What about that plot twist?!
- Explore the writing style: is there an unusual structure being used? what's the tone of voice like? or the point of view?

Want more information about how NBRC runs their Book of the Month discussions? Check out the information here

The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates...

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the "one . . . precious life" we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.

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nominator:

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(This was originally a challenge in August 2015
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...)