The Challenge Factory discussion

Team 1 - Just ONE More Chapter

Co-Captains: Book Concierge & Kayla
Cait S
Jackie
Louise
Talia
Danielle Gypsy Soul



Bonus Points:
Earned: 6
Used: 6

Helpful Links:

Dice Roll (2 dice on Fridays, US Central Time)
R11 SS Post Your Spot
R11 SS Discussion Thread
Time Zone Converter

ALTERNATES:
*Titles exclude leading articles like A, An, The)
❀Each number corresponds with the spot on the board.
❀ Colors: The cover has to be at least 50% Guidelines
❀ Locations: As long as the book takes part at all in the given location.
❀ Publication Years: Any edition so long as it is published in the given year according to GR.
❀ Authors' Names: The first, middle, or last name of the author is ok.
❀ Cover Items: Must have the given item on the cover
❀ Titles: Only the first word of the title. A, An, and The do not count.

LIST:
2. Title N
3. Cover Item: Furniture
4. Author L
5. South America
6. Cover: Black
7. Published 2016
8. Character has a pet
9. Cover Item: Lamp/Candle
10. Character has at least one child
11. Romance
12. Set in a place you've visited
13. GR average rating <3.6
14. Cover Item: Jewellery
15. Book that one of your teammates read shelf rated a 5-star
16. Cover: Pink
17. Four or more Words Title excluding articles like A, An, The (i.e. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
18. Multi-Colored (3 or More Colors)
19. North America
20. Title G
21. Cover Item: Animal
22. Historical
23. Female Author
24. Cover: Green
25. Published 2015
26. Non-Fiction
27. Cover Item: Two or more people
28. Author uses their middle name/initial (e.g. Robert J. Sawyer, Rita Mae Brown)
29. Cover: Red
30. Cover Item: Water
31. Young Adult/New Adult
32. Set in a Fictional Location/Universe
33. Africa
34. Seasonal Theme (i.e Christmas, Halloween etc)
35. Author I
36. GR average rating >4.0
37. Number in the Title (i.e. Third Grave Dead Ahead or Every Fifteen Minutes)
38. Originally published in a language other than English
39. School/College/University
40. Cover Item: Food/Drink
41.Title B
42. Cover Item: Weapon
43. LGBTQ+
44. Author W
45. Published 2011-2012
46. Cover: White
47. Published 2019
48. Australia
49. Author D
50. Cover: Blue
51. Published 2017
52. Cover Item: One person
53. Author R
54. Published before 1950
55. Favorite Author
56. One Word Title excluding articles like A, An, The (i.e. The Witness or Divergent)
57. Cover: Yellow/Gold
58. Mystery/Thriller
59. Author H
60. Asia
61. Several authors
62. Author A
63. Award winner (must state which/when)
64. New to you author
65. Published 2013
66. Title V
67. Cover Item: Book
68. Published the year you were born
69. Title C
70. Cover Item: Mode of Transportation
71. Title F
72. Published between 2001 and 2010
73. Cover Item: Hands/Arms/Feet/Legs (no other body parts visible)
74. Book to Movie/TV (must state how book qualifies i.e. listopia or precis)
75. Male Author
76. Two Word Title excluding articles like A, An, The (i.e. Deadly Silence or The Hunger Games)
77. Title J
78. Cover: Purple
79. Debut Novel or Debut Author
80. Cover Item: Instrument
81. Title K
82. Cover Item: Building
83. Published between 1950 and 2000
84. Author O
85. Cover: Grey/Silver
86. Title T
87. Cover Item: Sun/Moon
88. Sci-Fi
89. Title E
90. Cover: Orange
91. Published 2014
92. Three Word Title excluding articles like A, An, The (i.e. Behind Closed Doors or Etched in Bone)
93. Europe
94. Author P
95. Cover Item: Dress
96. Fantasy
97. Cover Item: Hat/Helmet/Other Headwear
98. Author M
99. Cover Item: Plant
100. Author S
101. Four or more Words Title excluding articles like A, An, The (i.e. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
102. Cover: Brown
103. Published 2014
104. Author B
105. Title L
106. Romance
107. Award Winner (must state which/when)
108. Cover: Green
109. Title A
110. Favorite Author
111. Author Y

A couple of things to keep in mind:

✸ Communication is key. Please make sure to check in regularly with your team.

✸ Let your team know if it looks like you won't get your review posted by Thursday, 11:59pm. You do have all of Friday to submit your review, but it can be intensely frustrating for your captain if they don't know when or if they can expect your review before the deadline.

✸ If you know beforehand that you won't be able to read and review a book during a certain week, you can request a pre-arranged absence from me, either by posting the request in the discussion thread or by sending me a pm. The request has to be submitted before the team rolls for the week in question, can only be approved by me as the mod in charge of running the game, and has to state a reason for the absence. (Reasons for pre-arranged absences can include e.g. going on vacation or work trips, planned hospital stays, exam period, etc.)

✸ If you do not have a pre-arranged absence and won't be able to finish your book in time for an unforeseen reason, please let your team know as soon as possible. If the team has earned the free pass, it can be used to cover the missing review. Without a free pass, the team has to sit out the next roll.

✸ We all know that real life gets in the way sometimes, be it through family emergencies, work emergencies, natural disasters, technical problems making it impossible to get online, or in other ways. That being said, please do keep in mind that this is a team challenge and your team relies on you to do your part unless an emergency occurs.

✸ If you find that the pressure of keeping up with the pace of the game gets too much for you or you wish to stop playing for any other reason, you can drop out of the challenge at any time. In that case, please let your team captain and/or me know that you wish to drop out rather than just disappearing without a word so your team won't be penalized when you fail to turn in your review. Thank you!


Captain's Handbook

✸ The team's captain is its chief organizer. This includes rolling the dice, posting the team's new spot to the team thread and the Post Your Spot thread, collecting links to team members' review posts in a single post to be linked in the Post Your Spot thread, doublechecking that books and review posts comply with requirements, reminding team members to post their reviews in time if necessary, etc.

✸ The captain may delegate some tasks, such as rolling and posting the new spot to the team thread, to another team member if they so choose. (Either a designated roller who fulfills this role every week, or whichever team member is online first once rolling is possible.) Collecting reviews into a single post and posting to the Post Your Spot thread should always be handled by the captain.

✸ Instead of having everything handled by a single team captain, teams can also choose two co-captains to handle the workload.

✸ Selection posts are not strictly required by the game's rules and I won't be checking for them. It's up to the team captain to decide whether they want them.

✸ If the team captain requests a pre-arranged absence, it's their responsibility to arrange for another team member to step in as temporary captain.

✸ The team captain is my primary point of contact for the team and should allow receiving private messages.

Hey everyone! I'm Kayla :) Im a stay at home mom to a 8 and 5 yr old. I'm so excited to get started :)

Hello - I'm Danielle and I work from home most days. I'm a single parent to two teens and I'm retired from the Air Force. I've done this challenge several times and I'm looking forward to playing with you all.

Hi, I'm Jackie and I'm retired. This is my first time doing this challenge and look forward to it.

It's been a couple years since I've played but I've loved it every time.

Hi everyone, I think this is my 5th time doing this challenge, I’m a bit of a challenge addict and hope to knock off some of my series books. 😊

Hello, Team! I've played before and am ready to go. I'm retired and live in Wisconsin (USA Central Time Zone). I have already requested books from the library for any possible roll from 2-12. So I'm ready for week 1!

We need to select a captain - I'm willing to co-captain. I'll be gone for one entire week without internet access, so someone else would have to take charge that week.

We also need to come up with a Team name
Here are a couple of suggestions ...

Serially Gonna Win
The ONEs to beat!

I would be willing to help co captain as well.

Suggestions:
One for the Win
Just one more Chapter
Just one more page

Hi team, checking in! Thank you for messaging me, Book Concierge! I’m in Michigan (Eastern Time Zone). I’d rather not be captain. I like the team names The ONES To Beat and Just ONE More Chapter. Looking forward to getting started!

Hi friends! Just checking in. Looking forward to playing with you all! I think One More Chapter is a great name :)

I agree, Cait .... Just ONE More Chapter is a great team name.

So far:
Just One More Chapter - 4 votes
The ONEs to Beat - 2 votes


Anyone else want to chime in or have another idea?

I'll let Denise know that Kayla and I will be co-captains for this round.

Also ... if everyone could "follow" this thread .... just click the link at the bottom that says Notify Me When People Comment

You'll get an email alert anytime there's activity on this specific thread.

wahoo. I'm so excited.

I'm a vote for just one more chapter. It's an issue I'm having right now. lol

I vote for Just One More Chapter.

Looks like Just ONE More Chapter is the winner .... 5 of 7 have voted for it, so unlikely that another suggestion will win out.

I'll let Denise know.

I vote for Just ONE More Chapter as well - I love it!

Sounds good to me 🙂

Well ... just about 40 hours from now we'll have our first roll.

Going through my TBR and my list of series books (I keep both on spreadsheets), I managed to find three series books that will somehow cover all possible rolls, and they are waiting for me to pick them up at the library. The only one not covered is # 10 ... but I always have standalone novels in the house for that one.

haha. I'm so glad I'm not the only one that does that. I've got books for all the alternate categories except a few. They are all beautifully on a spreadsheet as well. lol

pardon my excitement but less than 24 hours :)

Let the countdown begin!

I finished a book on Tuesday and didnt start a new one because I knew this was coming. I'm not gonna lie, not having a physical book to read is kinda driving me crazy. hahaha

Well, I'm starting a new audio in the car ... but I wouldn't count it for this game anyway ... too long to fit into one week.

I'm trying desperately to finish up a book I need for a different challenge. I'll have it done by Saturday at the latest, but maybe by tomorrow.

I finished my e-audio yesterday and have another already downloaded, but I'm waiting to see what the dice hold in store for us tomorrow.

Of course LAST night I couldn't get to sleep until after midnight so I'm sure I'll be dead tired tonight and probably be in bed around 9:30! LOL ... My plan for tonight is to set the alarm for 1:00am and get up to roll the dice and post our starting position.

Heads up-- We are supposed to be getting a cat 4 hurricane. There's a good chance I'll be without internet/power come Monday ish. If I disappear please feel free to have me removed from the team so you can keep going!

Cait S wrote: "Heads up-- We are supposed to be getting a cat 4 hurricane. There's a good chance I'll be without internet/power come Monday ish. If I disappear please feel free to have me removed from the team so..."

Cait .. where are you located?

Please let Denise know ... she may be able to give you a pass for this first week given the circumstances.

Cait S wrote: "Heads up-- We are supposed to be getting a cat 4 hurricane. There's a good chance I'll be without internet/power come Monday ish. If I disappear please feel free to have me removed from the team so..."

As Book Concierge said, since you haven't rolled yet, you can get a pre-arranged absence for the first week. Then the team is covered and you can join in again for week two.

BC, I'm in Florida. It's supposed to hit south of here first so I'm hoping it won't be too bad by the time it gets to us. It's not expected until Monday so I may be able to get my book read before it's even a problem :)

Just so we know ... is anyone on this team ALSO playing SSS?

Captains,

Do you want us to post our book selection and just edit that post with our review later so that you can have the links to our posts done early,

or should we post a selection post first and then a second post later for the completion post?

Or no selection post, just a completion post?

Thanks for asking, Talia

I'm good with
SELECTION POST - and then EDIT WHEN COMPLETE and post a message saying you're done.

What do you think, Kayla? You've had more experience being captain and have two posts might be preferable for some reason I haven't thought of.

I've always done two posts but the one sounds easier. I say let's try it the first week and see how it goes? Does that work? I like that we could already have them linked and what not. :)

Week: 1

Roll: 6 & 5 = 11
Previous Spot: n/a
Current Spot: 11

Bonus Points Earned: 1 - (view spoiler)[2-in-one Bonus Point - Week 1, Danielle Gypsy Soul (hide spoiler)]
Bonus Points Used: 0

To Read:
#11 in series -or- #1 in series -or- stand alone
Alternate: 11. Romance

Reviews:
✔ Book Concierge - Series # 1 - The Vintage Caper - Review
✔ Cait S - Standalone - The Wicked Deep - Review
✔ Danielle Gypsy Soul - Series # 1 and Romance - The Blacksmith Queen - Review
✔ Jackie - Series # 1 - The Iron King - Review
✔ Kayla - Series # 1 - If I Stay - Review
✔ Louise - Series # 1 - Alone with the Dead - Review
✔ Talia - Series # 1 - The Invisible Library - Review

All Reviews completed Thurs 04Sep19 -- FREE PASS earned.

COMPLETION Post

Week 1
Spot: 11
Book: The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle
Qualification: Sam Levitt # 1

Finished: 02Sep19
Rating: 4****
Review:
This is book 1 in the Sam Levitt series. Sam's a former corporate attorney and now something of a crime expert; he's also a lover of good food, good wine and beautiful women. When he's asked by his former girlfriend, and lead insurance investigator, to help discover the truth behind a $3 million wine heist, Sam agrees. After all, it involves an expenses paid trip to France. It's a crime caper with a plausible (if fantastic) plot, a wonderful cast of characters, and mouth-watering descriptions of food and wine. And I love that twisty ending! A fast, fun, delicious read.

Completion Post - Week 1
Spot: #11

Alone with the Dead by James Nally
How It Fits: PC Donal Lynch Thriller #1
Date Read: 9/5
Rating: 4*

Review
This is the 1st in the PC Donal Lynch series, Set in the early nineties it highlights the corruption rife in the police force and the power the press has. Very well written with just enough grit and realism to give substance to the plot looking forward to reading the next in the series

And we're off! The dice were nice this week with a high roll.

If we all get our reviews in by Thursday, Sep 5 at 11:59p CDT, we earn a FREE PASS.

Go, Team!

COMPLETION POST

Week 1
Spot: 11

Book: The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken
Qualification: The Scarred Earth Saga #1

Finished: 9/2/19
Rating: ★★★★
Review: I'm a fan of G.A. Aiken which is also Shelly Laurenston. Her writing is definitely OTT and her characters are outrageous and zany but they are humorous and endearing. This series is no different - the characters are outrageous and there are a few moments that are crazy - but it's all fun! There is also quite a bit of violence in this book but the way it's written the book never seems dark.

I really enjoyed getting to know Keeley and the cast of characters surrounding her. She has quite the adventure and along the way you get to meet centaurs, demon wolves, war monks, dwarves, elves, witches and a dragon. This book is set in the same world as the Dragon Kin series and has some similarities - a crazy family that loves to argue, really strong women, men who love and respect strong women, humor, and lots of action. The romance takes a backseat to all the intrigue, action and overall plot but it's just enough that someone who loves romance like me will be happy.

This looks to be the beginning of a great adventure for Keeley and company and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Also if you want this book works for alternate and series which is one of our bonus categories

Week 1
Spot: 11

Book: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Qualification: The Invisible Library #1
Finished: 09/04/19
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: The Invisible Library is a place where unique books are stored outside of space and time. The Librarians travel to alternate worlds stealing books and bringing them back to the Library. In this first installment we follow Librarian Irene and her new apprentice Kai as they travel to London to steal a Grimm book. With the help of Vale, a local detective, Irene races to find the book before several other parties beat her to it.

This was a great introduction to this series. The action ramps up in chapter 11 and from there it was a fast-paced race around London to be the first to find the missing book. I liked the characters and the interactions between Irene, Kai, and Vale, and the ending was satisfying but had enough mystery left to make me want to read the next book. This was a very fun read.

Yay, Danielle ... our first bonus point!

Completion Post!
Week 1: Spot 11

Book: If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Qualification: If I stay #1
Read Date: September 3, 2019
Rating: 3 stars
Review: Alright, so this was a good book but I am a very traditional person so some of the language was hard for me to handle in a Young Adult book. I think I was just surprised to find it there. Other than that I liked the journey that Mia takes trying to decided whether she wants to stay or if she wants to go. It also does kind of bother me that you don't really know what happens to Teddy, her younger brother. While reading the beginning of the book you get detailed descriptions of what has happened to her parents but never anything about Teddy. Obviously, you kind of assume things but at the same time it is still a loose thread. I know for sure I'll pick up the next one in the series just because of the ending to this one. I must know what happens next even if I wasn't a huge fan of this book. Lol!!!

Completion Post

Week 1: Spot 11
Book: The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Qualification: Series The Iron Fey #1

Finished: 9/1/19
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This is book #1 in The Iron Fey series. On her sixteenth birthday, MC Meghan Chase learns that she is a daughter of a faerie king, and warring factions want to destroy her. Her four-year-old brother is stolen away and Meghan must go to Nevernever to try to rescue him. With the help of her lifelong friend who she discovers is actually Robin Goodfellow, also called Puck, she sets out to find her brother. This is a very enjoyable Young Adult fantasy novel and I look forward to continuing the series.

Completion Post:

Book: The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Qualification: Stand Alone
Pages: 310
Stars: 2.5
Review:

This is my second experience this year with a book that had a cover I fell head over heels in love with....that had a story I could barely stand.

I desperately clung to the in between chapters that told us the backstory of the Swan sisters because that was where the author shone. They were atmospheric, eerie and interesting. But unfortunately, the main chunks of the story were a trite, insta love snooze fest. Main character Penny and love interest Bo were so boring and undeveloped that I quite literally forgot their names multiple times. When Bo's Big Dark Secret is revealed I actually rolled my eyes because oh wow, who didn't see that one coming from literally is first appearance? Yawn.

This had SO MUCH potential that it just did not meet.

Great ... everyone has selected a book. If you run into any problems and need to switch, please let me know.

So far we know that Danielle is going for the 2-in-1 Bonus Point

The BONUS point tasks are:
✸ One point can be earned for reading three or more books in a series.
✸ One point can be earned for reading a book with >500 pages.
✸ One point can be earned for starting and finishing a series. There must be at least 4 books in that series. Series + spin-off totalling ≥4 books also counts. For series with >9 books, point will be awarded for reading books 1-9. For still ongoing series, all books published to date (OR up to #9 in longer series) must be read.~ No re-reads on this one.
✔ ✸ 2 in 1: One point can be earned for reading a book that fits both the series number and the alternate for the spot you are on.
✸ One point can be earned for never picking a book from the alternate lists. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
✸ Halloween Bonus: One point can be earned for reading a Horror/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy book for the roll on 10/25.

Hmmm .... got a notification that CAIT S commented ... but there's nothing here.

I see Dorian is now a Category 5 storm and I'm worried about Cait and other GR members who are in its path.

Update to post # 39 - Book Completed / review written