Book Snails Book Group discussion

According to our most recent poll, we have some interest in a Quarantine Read-a-thon! We have decided to start the Read-a-thon Saturday, April 25th at midnight and go until the following Saturday (also at midnight). Don't worry about different time zones, just start when your clock hits midnight each time.

We want this to be relatively low-key and easy so there's no pressure. But we also want it to feel different from the regular, every day reading we all do. So I'll be working on ideas and genre challenges so those of us who enjoy tracking our progress and scoring points can add a little more challenge to the Read-a-thon. If this works for everyone, we can use this thread as our discussion board.

FYI, the official Dewey’s 24-Hour Spring Read-a-thon is also taking place on Saturday, April 25th; if you voted for a shorter Read-a-thon, I suggest you sign up for that one. Dewey’s is great fun and very well organized with love and dedication. Details for Dewey’s can be found here: https://www.24hourreadathon.com and they're all over social media.

We would still love suggestions for our Quarantine Read-a-thon, so please hop on over to the Snails Read-a-thon thread to help pitch ideas! I'll be in touch!!

Happy Reading 😉
Allison

Hello, friends. Keep checking this thread for more details and updates on our first Read-a-thon!! 😉

BSBG Week-Long Quarantine Read-a-thon

Starts: Saturday, April 25th, 2020 (starting at midnight)
Ends: exactly one week later (Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 (ending at midnight)

Remember, our group has a Facebook page at https://m.facebook.com/booksnailsbook... for those who'd like to check in there during the Read-a-thon. As moderator of the page, I'll try to do a daily check-in (maybe several).

Challenge Ideas

For those in the group who are interested in a challenge and/or point tracking system, here's a randomly basic one I'd like to offer. (By the way, you don't have to finish the books to count the points, just give them an honest attempt during the event.)

1. book published this year (2020) = 10 pts
2. read 2 short stories = 15 pts each
3. book with a red cover = 5 pts
4. GENRE CHALLENGE: read a mystery or horror book = 30 pts
5. GENRE CHALLENGE: read a historical non-fiction book = 30 pts
6. GENRE CHALLENGE: read a graphic novel = 30 pts
7. book published the year you were born = 10 pts
8. book by an author who uses a pseudonym = 10 pts
9. book on ANY current bestseller list = 10 pts
10. book with a diverse (person of color/disenfranchised population/non-binary sexuality/disability, etc) main character = 12 pts
11. book you can finish in a day = 10 pts
12. book you previously abandoned = 15 pts
13. book you were supposed to read in high school = 20 pts
14. book longer than 250 pages = 20 pts
15. book that has won a major literary award = 15 pts
16. book you discovered on Goodreads or Litsy = 12 pts
17. book you were recommended by a friend = 15 pts
18. book about a mentally ill character or person (fiction or non-fiction) = 15 pts
19. book about a pandemic or epidemic (fiction or non-fiction) = 10 pts
20. a book that intimidates you = 40 pts
21. book you've recommended more than once = 10 pts
22. anything you consider "classic" literature = 25 pts
23. book with a cover you hate = 10 pts
24. book title starts with "R" = 10 pts
25. book with a steamy (romantic) cover = 10 pts
26. anything by Mark Twain = 20 pts
27. book in a series you're reading = 25 pts
28. read an epic poem = 20 pts
29. read a children's book (each one worth 5 pts)
30. read a book on your TBR and then watch the movie adaptation = 50 pts

Good luck on your Read-a-thon goals and remember: HAVE FUN!!

I almost forgot: if you read ANY of the books from the most recent Group Challenge (10 Best Books of the Past Decade) = 20 pts each

Oh my gosh , the challenge ideas are inspiring! This is my first readathon. I’m going to take the rest of this week to ponder my choices. Watch me bite off more than I can chew, ha ha.
Such fun!!
Do we list our choices somewhere? I would love to see what fellow readers choose.
Cheers!

readage 📚☕️ wrote: "BSBG Week-Long Quarantine Read-a-thon

Starts: Saturday, April 25th, 2020 (starting at midnight)
Ends: exactly one week later (Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 (ending at midnight)

Remember, our group has ..."

Lookin' good! (I didn't realize there was a Fb page - wondermous!)

Thanks, friends! Be sure to add some more suggestions if you want.

Siulan, I'll designate a personal thread specifically for keeping track of your Read-a-thon progress, if you'd like. Just say the word and I'll create your own place for updates during the week. I'm also going to play around with some supplemental ideas today/tonight. Keep checking in for more information here and on our Facebook page. Good luck with your planning and goals!! It's okay to bite off more than you can chew 😉 Nothing wrong with challenging ourselves from time to time 📚

Hi Readage, thank you for offering to create a challenge space. I would like that. I could not find another place to put the list and progress updates that are specifically to this fun event.
So far I have decided which categories I can tackle and now I’m having oodles of fun thinking about the books to select that would fit.
The biggest challenge will be to find a book from the year of my birth 😳
Cheers!

Yes, this sounds so great!

Oh boy! That’s a lot of challenges! 😂
I was basically just planning to devour as much of A Feast for Crows as possible!

I'll set up a personal progress tracker for anyone who's interested! Just let me know.

Erin wrote: "Oh boy! That’s a lot of challenges! 😂
I was basically just planning to devour as much of A Feast for Crows as possible!"

That works too! Just wanted us to have a bunch of different options.

Pien wrote: "Yes, this sounds so great!"

Glad my ideas meet with approval!

Siulan wrote: "Hi Readage, thank you for offering to create a challenge space. I would like that. I could not find another place to put the list and progress updates that are specifically to this fun event.
So f..."

I will create your space tonight and let you know when it's ready! ;-)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N...

Hey friends...let me know if this link works!

Siulan wrote: "Hi Readage, thank you for offering to create a challenge space. I would like that. I could not find another place to put the list and progress updates that are specifically to this fun event.
So f..."

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

That link should take you to your own thread! Let me know if it works, please.

Hi, I can access the google docs chart no problem, so that works :-)
Also, thank you Allison for the progress thread. You rock!

readage 📚☕️ wrote: "BSBG Week-Long Quarantine Read-a-thon

Starts: Saturday, April 25th, 2020 (starting at midnight)
Ends: exactly one week later (Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 (ending at midnight)

Remember, our group has ..."
Thanks Readage for the creative and inclusive list of challenges, and thanks Candace for my new favorite word...Wondermous....I love it!

Looks great Allison!😊👍👏🥰

Fred wrote: "readage 📚☕️ wrote: "BSBG Week-Long Quarantine Read-a-thon

Starts: Saturday, April 25th, 2020 (starting at midnight)
Ends: exactly one week later (Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 (ending at midnight)

Reme..."

Wondermous!

Some supplemental materials for Quarantine Read-a-thon!

Bookmarks Page 1: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i...

Bookmarks Page 2:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w...

Bookmarks Page 3:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g...

I love the bookmarks! Thanks Allison!! We’ll be printing and coloring today!

I’m new here and never done anything like this before. It looks like a fun challenge!!

Welcome Carole, hope you enjoy it!

Hi Carole, welcome and have fun!

Hi everyone! Hope you enjoy the event and get much reading done. I'll be keeping in touch, posting here and there throughout the week. Glad you like the bookmarks, Pien; I tried to design Snails bookmarks to commemorate the Read-a-thon but couldn't figure it out in time. I wanted to do something more original but anywho...I'm heading off to bed now and I'll check back in with you all soon! Welcome, new members and we hope you love our humble little group and RAT (Read-a-thon)!

Welcome, Carole! If you have any questions about the group and/or Read-a-thon, don't hesitate to ask!!

Day 1 of our first official Read-a-thon has begun!! How's everyone doing out there in the world? Are you participating in Dewey's today as well? We just hit Hour 6 in that event. Tell us all about your Saturday so far! I'll be checking back in with you all later 😉📚

Woke up not feeling well this morning and couldn’t read a word today 🙄. I feel quite a bit better now (it’s 8 pm right now) so I hope to start tomorrow!

Ooops, for some reason I thought it didn’t start until midnight tonight. D’oh. It is 3 in the afternoon on Saturday here now so I have some catching up to do!

I've been reading since 8 this morning, taking quick breaks here and there. I even read while walking on my treadmill, getting some exercise in.😊

Siulan wrote: "Ooops, for some reason I thought it didn’t start until midnight tonight. D’oh. It is 3 in the afternoon on Saturday here now so I have some catching up to do!"

Same here! I only read one chapter in The Three Musketeers...

Feel better soon, Pien! That's why we are doing this for a week; a day is just not long enough, IMHO (in my humble opinion) 😉

No worries, Siulan. You've got a whole week!! 😉 How's your personalized Read-a-thon thread working for you?

Glad to hear you're able to multi-task during this Read-a-thon, Vickie. What's your best (most engrossing) read so far?

How's The Three Musketeers going, Erin?

readage 📚☕️ wrote: "How's The Three Musketeers going, Erin?"

I’m on the home stretch! It’s a difficult read, but I’ll be glad to say I’ve read it. Hoping to finish before the end of the month.

Erin wrote: "readage 📚☕️ wrote: "How's The Three Musketeers going, Erin?"

I’m on the home stretch! It’s a difficult read, but I’ll be glad to say I’ve read it. Hoping to finish before the end of the month."

Good for you! ;-)

readage 📚☕️ wrote: "Glad to hear you're able to multi-task during this Read-a-thon, Vickie. What's your best (most engrossing) read so far?"

I finished Finders Keepers by Stephen King. 👍☺️

Vickie wrote: "readage 📚☕️ wrote: "Glad to hear you're able to multi-task during this Read-a-thon, Vickie. What's your best (most engrossing) read so far?"

I finished Finders Keepers by Stephen King. 👍☺️"

Awesome, I started that one a while back but got distracted. I'd like to finish that trilogy, the first book was good.

Thanks Allison, IMHO you’re right! I’m going to chew off a hopefully big chunk of The secret history (Donna Tartt) today! :-D Love that one
How are you doing?

Good afternoon, friends! How's Day 2 of Read-a-thon going?

Pien...I'm well, and you? Feeling better today, I hope. How's The Secret History going?

Today I read about 90 (ebook) pages, and had fun with it. I enjoy reading-with-a-goal, taking more time for it.
And yes, feeling much better today, thanks!

Day 1
Read 1 chapter of Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater to my son at bedtime
Read 4 chapters (5% - approx. 30 pages) of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Read 7 chapters (80 pages) of The Reader by Traci Chee

Day 2
Read 6 chapters (6% - approx. 35 pages) and finished The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Read 1 chapter of Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater to my son at bedtime
Read 3.5 chapters (40 pages) of The Reader by Traci Chee

Day 3
Read 1 chapter of Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater to my son at bedtime
Read 6.5 chapters (58 pages) of The Reader by Traci Chee
Read 3 chapters (7%) of Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Day 4
Read 1 chapter of Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater to my son at bedtime
Read 5 chapters of Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Day 5

Did the Dewey's Readathon yesterday, so counting those for day 1 for this readathon! So I got The Test by Sylvain Neuvel, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire finished, and most of The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible read yesterday. I finished the lattermost earlier today.

That ticks off challenges # 8 (Memory called Empire), 10 (Every Heart a Doorway), 11 (The Test), & 14 (Living Biblically), so 52 points so far.

So far for the readathon I have read a graphic novel, two short stories and a “cozy” mystery. Two of my choices were very enjoyable but the other two were really not my cup of tea. Onward ...

Hi everyone. Great to see so much enthusiasm and involvement in the read-a-thon.

Day 1 - I spent the 25th reading a bunch of BDSM erotica. Never read it, so thought I'd give it a go. I didn't limit myself in the genre either, went all in and read lesbian, mmf, mm and boring old mf. Most of them were short stories (free stuff on Amazon) that weren't really that kinky. Though I did start on a full length book, Alpha but again it's not really bdsm.

Day 2 - I read The Wicked King. It was pretty dang good. It featured a very strong heroine who was wholly fallible and relatively normal. She didn't have any great super power or ultimate and unique ability. She had training, tenacity and focus, which made her excel. Great little story.

Day 3 - I read the last in the Folk of the Air trilogy with The Queen of Nothing. Good final book. Wish it didn't end here, i was really enjoying this story.
Continuing with Alpha.

Day 4 - Started Grave Ransom, realised that I have already read it. Good book but I'm at the next in the series. Worked so didn't get in much reading.

Day 5 - Today, I will carry on with Alpha but maybe listen to the The Starless Sea. I've taken today off from work, so can either indulge and read a paperback or do things and listen to the audiobook.

As for the remainder of the week, I'm going to try to fit in Catch-22 and maybe Readage and I can start that buddy read of All the Light We Cannot See. As I still have to go to work, I have to work around that too.

I’ve read every day, but not as long as i’d liked. It’s a holiday here so no home-schooltime where I can read for hours. I’m at 70% of Tartt’s history. It’s a reread, but it was so long ago that I read it before, that what was the complete story in my memory, was finished in the first part... :-D
Reading the book it slowly comes back to me, but it’s very different from what I expected.
It’s well written and interesting though. And I now recognize The Goldfinch-isms in it, where while reading the Goldfinch, I didn’t find any Secret history in that.