The Challenge Factory discussion
♦SS Archives♦
>
R14: SS Team 11 - One By One
Mod
Dice Roll: https://www.random.org/dice/ (2 dice on Fridays, US Central Time)
R14 SS Post Your Spot
R14 SS Discussion Thread
Time Zone Converter: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...
Mod
**titles exclude leading articles (a, an, the)
2. Published between 1950 and 1999
3. Title 'L'
4. Several authors
5. Cover: Green
6. Author 'Y'
7. Science Fiction
8. Title 'N'
9. Cover Item: Building
10. Author 'L'
11. Cover: Orange
12. Published 2020
13. Book with a funeral in it
14. New to You Author
15. MC travels by airplane
16. Title 'G'
17. MC has at least one child
18. Young Adult/New Adult
19. Europe
20. Author 'M'
21. Cover Item: Umbrella/Parasol
22. Non-Fiction
23. Number in the Title (Third Grave Dead Ahead or Every Fifteen Minutes)
24. Set on an island
25. Book to Movie/TV (must state how book qualifies: listopia, imdb, precis)
26. Africa
27. Title 'T'
28. Cover Item: Hands/Arms/Feet/Legs (no other body parts visible)
29. Author 'O'
30. Romance
31. Title 'Z'
32. Mystery/Thriller
33. Cover Item: Water
34. GR average rating >4.0
35. Set sometime before 1600 AD
36. MC is older than 60
37. Cover: Pink
38. Published 2001-2010
39. Set in a Fictional Location/Universe
40. Title 'E'
41. Cover: Black
42. Cover Item: Furniture
43. Published before 1950
44. Author 'D'
45. Cover Item: Mode of Transportation
46. Author 'H'
47. Title has a subtitle
48. Cover Item: Lamp/Candle
49. School/College/University
50. Author 'W'
51. Cover: Red
52. Award Winner (must state which/when)
53. South America
54. Cover Item: Dress
55. Cover: Brown
56. Re-read
57. Seasonal Theme (i.e Christmas, Halloween etc)
58. Author 'B'
59. Three Word Title (excludes articles like A, An, The) Behind Closed Doors or Etched in Bone
60. Published 2022
61. Set in a place you've visited
62. Cover Item: One person
63. Author 'R'
64. Title 'C'
65. Cover Item: Food/Drink
66. LGBTQ+
67. Cover: Blue
68. Author 'I'
69. Oceania
70. Four or More Words Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
71. Favorite Author
72. Cover: Purple
73. Fantasy
74. Author 'F'
75. Title 'G'
76. Set in the future
77. Published 2011-2015
78. Cover Item: Weapon
79. Set anytime between 1600-1837
80. Published 2021
81. Cover: White
82. Cover Item: Sun/Moon
83. Author 'P'
84. Author uses their middle name/initial (e.g. Robert J. Sawyer, Rita Mae Brown)
85. Cover Item: Hat/Helmet/Other Headwear
86. Title 'J'
87. Originally published in a language other than English
88. Two Word Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) Deadly Silence, The Hunger Games
89. Cover Item: Book
90. Set anytime between 1837-1901
91. Asia
92. MC is in their 20's
93. Title 'V'
94. Cover Item: Animal
95. Book that a teammate rated 5 stars
96. Less than 100 ratings
97. Published the year you were born
98. Cover: Yellow/Gold
99. Author uses a pseudonym
100. Author 'S'
101. Title 'B'
102. North America
103. Debut Novel or Debut Author
104. Book with a wedding in it
105. Cover Item: Jewelry
106. MC has a pet
107. Set in space
108. Published 2016-2019
109. One Word Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) The Witness or Divergent
110. Title 'F'
111. MC travels by train
112. Cover Item: Two or more people
Mod
✸ 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.
Tracking Post Team 11Week 13
Spot 103
✔️Geri’s Review Post
✔️Karen’s Review Post
✔️Severina’s Review Post
(view spoiler)
Geri wrote: "Checking in! I’m ready to play. 🙂So glad we are on the same team, Karen! And looking forward to meeting my other teammates!"
Checking in. Yay, Geri! Love that we're playing together!
Checking in! Looking forward to playing. :)
Howdy Severina and Megan!So I guess we need to decide who will be captain and vote for some team names. Any ideas on names? Anyone really want to be captain? I’m terrible at team names.
I'm terrible at coming up with team names too.
hi guys! I'm here, i haven't done this challenge in quite a few years so I'm super excited!
Great! Everyone has checked in. Since nobody has claimed the captain role, I’ll step up. I’ve been captan for SS once before. Some nights I stay up late and can easily roll the dice after midnight. But if I’ve had several sleepless nights, I may get to bed early. I’ll post on Thursday if I don’t think I’ll be up late. And someone else is welcome to roll the dice that night . Otherwise, the roll will be done in the morning. I hope that works for everyone!
Please do post selection posts. It lets the team know that you are still playing. And PLEASE do let us know if your review will be late. We don’t have to worry about rolling after midnight then. I definitely understand that life gets in the way sometimes!
Here goes my sad attempt to name our team.
Not So Series-outs Readers
In Eleventh Heaven With Books
Feel free to come up with something better. LOL
I used to be up much later than I am now but if you can't roll, Geri, I should be able to.I like In Eleventh Heaven With Books...
Eleventh Heaven works for me. :)Thanks for volunteering to lead us, Geri. I've never participated in this before.
Severina, it's a lot of fun. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Challenge starts tomorrow! I’ll roll after midnight my time. (U.S. Central time zone). Please remember to post a selection post. It doesn’t have to follow a format. Just let us know what you are reading and how it fits the roll. Thank you!
Also, it’s time to think about bonus points. We can only earn 1 point per team for each type. Let us know if you are working toward a bonus. That way we aren’t all working on the same category.
Here’s a listing of the types of bonus points for our reference.
BONUS POINTS:
✸
✸
✸ 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.
✸ One point can be earned for never picking a book from the alternate list. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
✸ One point can be earned for always picking a book from the alternate list. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
NOTE:
✸ Each point can only be earned once per team.
✸ The series-specific bonus points (3 or more books/ starting and finishing a series) must be two different series.
✸ Single book bonuses (>500 pages/ 2 in 1) may overlap with a series bonus.
Also, if we all get our reviews in by next Thursday, we earn a free pass. This free pass can be used to cover a teammate who is late to post their review. We will still be able to roll!
I asked my hubby for some name possibilities. Since mine are terrible. LOL Here are a few more to consider. One by One
One Short of a Dozen
Half of 22
We are Prime 11
Karen ♐ wrote: "I do like One by One"Thanks, Karen! 🙂 I’ll check back in a few days to see if we have more votes.
Dice roll was 10 (6 + 4). So you can read a series 1 or standalone book. Alternate option is Author L.Happy reading!
Geri wrote: "Challenge starts tomorrow! I’ll roll after midnight my time. (U.S. Central time zone). Please remember to post a selection post. It doesn’t have to follow a format. Just let us know what you are ..."
I would like to put it out there that i will be working towards the bonus point for ALWAYS picking off the alternate list.
Geri wrote: "Dice roll was 10 (6 + 4). So you can read a series 1 or standalone book. Alternate option is Author L.Happy reading!"
My plan is to read Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, technically a standalone but I'm going to be using it for Author L
I'm happy with whatever name is picked. :)I'll be reading a standalone book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.
I like either Eleventh Heaven or One by One. The only name I had thought of was Elevenses. I think I'll read Little Red (#1 in a series).
Thanks everyone for checking in! I’ll make an executive decision and choose One by One for our team name. Since I didn’t like my suggestions. I peeked at the discussion board and other teams have come up with some good names. Eleven is difficult to work with!
I’ll be reading The Housemaid book 1
oh i love Elevenses. how did i not think of that
I spent Saturday night curled on my sofa with a blanket reading a good book.
Title: The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Author: Neil Gaiman
How It Qualifies: standalone
Date Finished: January 28, 2023
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
Returning to his childhood hometown for a funeral, our unnamed narrator is drawn to his old neighbourhood, where he suddenly remembers what really happened to him the year he turned seven.
This is a book full of wonder and magic and darkness and inexplicableness, all wound together with the innocence of a child, what happens when that innocence is broken, and that ability of the very young to simply accept what is happening around them and to trust in their instincts. The narrator is only seven, a lonely and awkward child who loves books, when he meets Lettie, who purports to be 11 years old. He believes her but, “How long have you been 11?” he asks her. His adventure with Lettie leads to him unsuspectingly unleashing a darkness in his small neighbourhood, and a quest to vanquish it. He’s brave and scared and knows the adults will not save him.
There are wonderful glimpses into the magical world of which Lettie and her family come from (I really wanted to know more about the Mouse Wars so casually mentioned).The ending is a little sad and melancholic, yet hopeful too. I am blown away by creativity like this.
That’s a great weekend, Severina. Curled up with a good book!
Completion PostWeek 1
Spot: 10
Book: The Housemaid
Qualification: The Housemaid #1
Finished: 1/31/23
Rating: ✶✶✶✶
Review:
I found out about this book from the Goodreads Choice Awards. It definitely did not disappoint! I really got into the book , and felt sorry for Millie and her job from hell. LOL Things really did get crazy. I also enjoyed the twisty end. I will read the next in the series.
Completion PostWeek 1
Book: House of Paine: Book One
Qualification: House of Paine #1
Finished: 2/1/23
Rating: *****
Review: Wow! This was unexpected. I loved this book. There was action from the first page. Paige's brother is found dead apparently due to an overdose which she doesn't believe. She goes to NY to investigate, meets Damien Paine and from there on, it's non stop action. Definitely reading the next book in this series.
Week 1Spot 10
Book: Pachinko
Author: Min Jin Lee
Qualification: Author 'L'
Finished: 2/1/23
Rating: *****
Review: This book spans 80 years and 4 generations of a Korean family moving around from Korea, Japan and the USA. I have had this on my TBR for years but never thought I would like it. Boy was I wrong! These characters were all so amazing and beautiful and I was mostly in love with the main character Sunja.
The way this book was written made me feel like I was with this family as they experienced their heartaches and triumphs and loves and losses. I did listen to the audio which was just as mesmerizing.
Completion Post Week 1 - Spot: 10
Title: Little Red
Author: Caroline Lee
Qualification: Everland Ever After #1
Finished: 2/2/23
Rating: 3 stars
Review: A fun retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. At times the story was kind of cheesy/boring, but overall I did enjoy reading it. Everland, Wyoming is a quaint little town, full of humorous quirks. The romance was very insta-love, at least on Rojita's side...on Hank's it was almost more lust (though he wouldn't act on it unless she wanted him for him). The ending was sweet and I liked the change of (view spoiler). It'll be fun to continue with the series and see how other fairytale characters stories play out.
Great Megan, you earned us the 2 in 1 bonus point! And we earned the free pass too! Good work, team!
I forgot that was one of the bonuses - glad you caught it! :)
Dice roll was 7 (3 + 4). Current spot 17. So you can read a series 1 or series 7 book. Alternate option is MC has at least 1 child.Happy reading!
I’ll be reading
. Book 1 and 512 pages. So we can earn bonus point for over 500 pages
I changed my mind. I'm going with Murder Past Due by Miranda James instead. It's Book #1 in the Cat in the Stacks series.
I’ve been looking at my series books. I think I will be able to do the 3 or more books in a series. I’ve read book 1. So I can start at book 2.
Completion PostWeek 2
Spot: 17
Book: This Woven Kingdom
512 pages
Qualification: This Woven Kingdom #1
Finished: 2/6/23
Rating: ✶✶✶✶
Review:
This was a good start to a new YA Fantasy series. Mafi created an interesting world where Jinn and Clay people (humans) live in the same world. And Alizeh, a lowly, overworked, Jinn servant girl, and Kamran, a prince, are star crossed lovers. The romance was a bit rushed, an insta love/lust type, not my favorite kind of romance. But the book had some good surprises and exciting moments. Enough that I would pick up the next book in the series.
Completion PostWeek 2
Book: The Boss: Book One
Qualification: The Boss #1
Finished: 2/5/23
Rating: ****
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Grace goes to work for Blake to try and get her grandmother's house back. She keeps trying to find a way to talk to him about it. This has a cliffhanger and I'm definitely going to read on to find out what happens.
Completion PostWeek 2 / Spot 17
Title: Murder Past Due
Author: Miranda James
How It Qualifies: First book in the Cat in the Stacks series
Date Finished: February 06, 2023
Rating: 3 stars
Review:
A famous writer returns to his home town to donate his works to a library and to claim the 18-year-old son he didn’t know he had… and then he promptly gets murdered. Charlie, the librarian, and the cat that he takes with him everywhere get involved because the teen is his boarder, and because his housekeeper asks him to, and because he’s really just pretty nosey. There was a good mix of suspects to keep the reader guessing.
However, I just couldn’t get into this one, mostly because the writing was just so precise. Charlie can’t just “clean up.” He has to take his cup to the sink, rinse it, squirt some dish soap in it, give it a wash, rinse it out, put it upside down in the dish drainer. I MEAN. It drove me batty. And I love cats, but the fact that he brought this one everywhere just didn’t make sense. A funeral? Really? I’m sorry, Diesel the cat. I’m sure you’re lovely.
An average rating for the mystery, but I won’t be reading the rest of the series.
Week 2Spot 17
Book: Little Fires Everywhere
Author: Celeste Ng
Qualification: MC has at least 1 child
Finished: 2/8/2023
Rating: *****
Review: I have been wanting to read this book for years and I am so glad I finally did!! Once I started it I couldn't stop. I needed to know all about Mia and Pearl and Elena and her children. The character development for all these characters was amazing. It is definitely one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time.
Completion PostWeek 2 - Spot: 17
Title: American Royals
Author: Katharine McGee
Qualification: American Royals, #1
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This was an interesting idea for a book. What if George Washington became king instead of president? How would America be different?
The current King's father, when he was king, helped to make it that whomever was born first would be the heir...instead of skipping to the firstborn male.
The story was told from four POVs (Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne), with each chapter focusing on one of them.
Beatrice, the heir and future queen, is asked by her parents to begin a search for her king consort. She is given a list, a very short one, of acceptable candidates from which to choose.
Samantha, second-born and spare to the throne, has always tried to stand out.
Nina, daughter of an employee of the crown, has grown up with royal children and is best friends with Samantha. She also begins a relationship with Sam's younger twin brother, Jefferson.
Daphne, Jefferson's ex, is trying all she can to get Jeff back and she is a horrible person. So conniving, self-centered, and fake. (view spoiler)
The ending was shocking and I hope to read the next book soon.
OK, team! Dice roll was 6 (2 + 4). Current spot 23. So you can read a series 2 or series 3 book. Alternate option is Number in the Title (Third Grave Dead Ahead or Every Fifteen Minutes)
I’ll be reading
book 2 and the start of my reading 3 or more in a series.
The Challenge Factory
Books mentioned in this topic
Devil’s Lair (other topics)Skyhunter (other topics)
The Good Lie (other topics)
Devil’s Lair (other topics)
Skyhunter (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Anna Zaires (other topics)Nicole Edwards (other topics)
Agatha Frost (other topics)
Katy Regnery (other topics)
Emily Henry (other topics)
More...
Captain: Geri
Amy
Karen ♐
Severina
Megan
Bonus Points:
Earned: 3
Used: 0