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R15: SS Team 8 - Party of Eight
Mod
Dice Roll: https://www.random.org/dice/ (2 dice on Fridays, US Central Time)
R15 SS Post Your Spot
R15 SS Discussion Thread
Time Zone Converter: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...
Mod
Dice Roll: https://www.random.org/dice/ (2 dice on Fridays, US Central Time)
R15 SS Post Your Spot
R15 SS Discussion Thread
Time Zone Converter: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...
Mod
**titles exclude leading articles (a, an, the)
2. Author 'G'
3. Title 'O'
4. Number in the Title (Third Grave Dead Ahead or Every Fifteen Minutes)
5. Cover Item: Building
6. Asia
7. Author 'Z'
8. LGBTQ+
9. Book with a funeral in it
10. Set on an island
11. Title 'I'
12. Cover: Blue
13. Set in the future
14. Title 'M'
15. Author uses their middle name/initial (e.g. Robert J. Sawyer, Rita Mae Brown)
16. Cover Item: Food/Drink
17. MC has at least one child
18. Three Word Title (excludes articles like A, An, The) Behind Closed Doors or Etched in Bone
19. Cover Item: Jewelry
20. Author uses a pseudonym
21. Europe
22. Title 'S'
23. Cover Item: Book
24. MC is in their 20's
25. Book with a wedding in it
26. Cover: Red
27. Debut Novel or Debut Author
28. Author 'T'
29. Cover Item: Mode of Transportation
30. Title 'F'
31. Set in a Fictional Location/Universe
32. MC has a pet
33. Cover Item: Money or other form of payment
34. Non-Fiction
35. Two Word Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) Deadly Silence, The Hunger Games
36. Author 'E'
37. Set anytime between 1600-1900
38. Title 'Y'
39. 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
40. Set in the 20th century
41. Author 'L'
42. Cover Item: Hands/Arms/Feet/Legs (no other body parts visible)
43. Cover: Purple
44. Set in a place you've visited
45. Published 2021
46. Cover Item: One person
47. Seasonal Theme (i.e Christmas, Halloween etc)
48. Cover: Brown
49. Title 'P'
50. Fantasy
51. Book to Movie/TV (must state how book qualifies: listopia, imdb, precis)
52. Published 2023
53. Cover Item: Weapon
54. Young Adult/New Adult
55. Book that a teammate rated 5 stars
56. Author 'G'
57. Published 2016-2020
58. Cover Item: Furniture
59. Originally published in a language other than English
60. GR average rating >4.0
61. Cover: Yellow/Gold
62. Author 'B'
63. Less than 100 ratings
64. Oceania
65. Science Fiction
66. Published the year you were born
67. Africa
68. Set in space
69. Cover Item: Lamp/Candle
70. Published 2022
71. Cover: Orange
72. Title has a subtitle
73. Set sometime before 1600
74. Cover Item: Hat/Helmet/Other Headwear
75. MC is older than 60
76. Title 'W'
77. MC travels by train
78. Title 'D'
79. School/College/University setting
80. Cover Item: Two or more people
81. Mystery/Thriller
82. Author 'J'
83. MC travels by airplane
84. Published 2001-2010
85. South America
86. Cover Item: Water
87. Award Winner (must state which/when)
88. Cover: Green
89. Cover Item: Animal
90. Author 'B'
91. Published 1950-1999
92. Cover: White
93. Re-read
94. Published before 1950
95. Title 'F'
96. Published 2011-2015
97. Cover Item: Sun/Moon
98. Several authors
99. Cover: Black
100. Title 'R'
101. New to You Author
102. Cover Item: Umbrella/Parasol
103. Cover: Pink
104. Favorite Author
105. Author 'C'
106. One Word Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) The Witness or Divergent
107. Romance
108. Title 'N'
109. North America
110. Author 'H'
111. Title 'V'
112. Author 'S'
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.
Hello! Just checking in. I played last year and had so much fun I wanted to try again this year. Can't wait to get started!
Hi Checking in Looking forward to playing with you guys this round
Here are some suggestions for group names
Simply irristable
What dreams are made of
Fairy tails are the best
Wicked boys are the best
Checking in. I've played once before & will be trying to do all alternates.
Hello! I haven’t played in a couple of years. I’m looking forward to knocking some books off my TBR.
Hi everyone! I've play a few years ago and hoping I will be able to get some series up to date or at least completed. LOL
Looks like we're all here. Is there anyone who want to be captain? I don't mind doing it if no one else wants to.
Melanie wrote: "Looks like we're all here. Is there anyone who want to be captain? I don't mind doing it if no one else wants to."Thanks, Captain 😃
Melanie wrote: "Looks like we're all here. Is there anyone who want to be captain? I don't mind doing it if no one else wants to."I'm good with you doing it as well :)
Melanie wrote: "Looks like we're all here. Is there anyone who want to be captain? I don't mind doing it if no one else wants to."Sounds good! Thank you so much for volunteering!
Melanie wrote: "Looks like we're all here. Is there anyone who want to be captain? I don't mind doing it if no one else wants to."Thanks for volunteering!
Do we want to name our team?A few thoughts:
7 Ate 9
Gr8 Readers
Party of Eight
Octad
Octettes
After Eights?
I love Party of Eight or Gr8 Readers or After Eights. But name wise I am open to anything fun!
I like Party of Eight too
Here's our first roll.Week: 1
Previous Space: Start
Roll: 6 + 3 = 9
New Space: 9
You can read any of the following:
- 9th book in a series
- Alternate task 9. Book with a funeral in it
Deadline: Friday February 23, 2024
Catsalive wrote: "After Eights?"
Hahahaha I didn't see this on the app but this is funny and a good name too :-)
Selection Post Week 1Book: Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish by Dorothy Gilman
Pages: 229
Task: 9th in Series
How it fits: #9 in the Mrs. Pollifax series
Selection PostWeek 1:
The Christmas Key Lori Wilde
400 pages
Task: 9th in series
How it fits: 9th book in Twilight, Texas series
Week 1 Completion: Spot 9
Book: Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Date: 17/2 2.5★
Qualification: Alternate - Book with a funeral in it
Pages: 513 ✸ One point can be earned for reading a book with >500 pages.
Review:
I'm not saying whose funeral but the book certainly ends with one.
My eyes did prickle when Marah read the opening line to The Hobbit but mostly I found it rather tedious, it went on rather long. I couldn't connect with the characters which left very little else for me to engage with. Kate & Tully certainly connected with each other but I can't think why it lasted beyond their school & early adult years. There were some nice moments but not enough for me to want to pick up the next book.
Completion Post: Week 1 Spot 9
Book: Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish by Dorothy Gilman 02/18/24
How it Fits: Mrs. Pollifax #9
Finished: 02/18/24
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviews:
Overall, I enjoy this cozy spy series. I do think these later books are not as good as the earlier ones though. Mrs. Pollifax is sent on a mission to Morocco to back up another agent and of course, the mission goes wrong, and she ends up having to improvise her own rescue. You can tell the author was either in Morocco at some point or did a lot of research as you get a lot of info about the country and the people.
Completion PostWeek 1: Spot 9
The Christmas Key Lori Wilde
400 pages
Task: 9th in series
How it fits: 9th book in Twilight, Texas series
Read: 02.18.24
Rating: 4 stars
Review:
Marine Gunnery Sergeant Mark Shepherd jerked awake.
Mark Shepherd returned from Kandahar blaming himself for the death of Clayton Luther. Mark's psychiatrist gives him a letter from Luther that includes a Christmas key with instructions to return it to his family. Mark arrives in Twilight, Texas and is mistaken for the handyman that was to start work at the church Luther's father leads.
I enjoyed watching Mark and Naomi build a friendship that becomes a relationship. Previous books in the series have the theme of the kismet cookie. The cookie is baked at Christmas and you are to tuck it under your pillow on Christmas Eve to dream of your soul mate. Mark had done this with a cookie the night Clayton was killed and dreamed of Naomi. Ditto for Naomi even though she was dating someone else.
It was heart wrenching to watch Mark agonize over telling the Luthers his true identity. He carried so much guilt for the death of their only son. The ending surprised me a bit as I did not see it coming.
The story deals with PTSD, grief, forgiveness, and love. Clayton's young son Hunter was a sweet addition to the story.
This is a good series that has held my attention. It is not a genre that I read often, but this one keeps bringing me back.
Selection Post Week 1
Pages: 320
Task: 9th in Series
How it fits: 9th in tbe Stephanie Plum series
Completion post ( 1 ) week, 1 ) Friday
On a Wicked Dawn Stephanie LaurensRead ( Feb 16-17 )
Rated 4 stars
How it fits ( Cynters #9 )
Pages
Review:
I li,ed this book, there were wonderful elements throughout the story and i loved the all 5he glimpse of the other couples from tge pervious books that we got, Tfe cynster family is very loving and wonderfully
I’ll post my competition later today
Completion Post Week 1: Spot 9
Pages: 320
How it fits: 9th in tbe Stephanie Plum series
Read: 2/21/24
Rated: 4 stars
Review : Stephanie and Lula are hilarious together but always have trouble with a bond collection. Then the issues or not sure if I would call Morelli an issue but his grandmother is a fun one, just like Stephanies’ grandma. Hahaha The Vegas trip, Lula and her carnivore diet, Ms. Sung and the dog and of course the weird bonds too. All around fun every time.
Completion Post: Week 1 - Spot 9
Book: Murder on Tour by V.M. Burns
How it fits?: #9 in Mystery Bookshop series
Date finished: 2/22/2024
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
Murder on Tour was another amazing installment in the Mystery Bookshop series following Sam as she works to solve a murder at a book festival.
Mystery bookshop owner Samantha Washington has just one more stop on the book tour for her debut novel, Murder at Wickfield Lodge, at a prestigious book festival. And as an added bonus, the North Harbor Book Festival takes place in Sam's hometown. When Sam overhears an argument between the festival's guest of honor, bestselling author Judith Hunter, and two other attendees she tries to distance herself from the drama. But when a publicist is poisoned during a cocktail reception, Sam wonders if the killer's true target was Judith. With help from Nana Jo and the ladies at the Shady Acres Retirement Village, Sam tries to solve the case before someone else ends up dead.
The premise of Murder on Tour was a fun one and I liked that Sam initially had no intention of getting involved. It was amusing that Detective Pitt was actually the one who told Sam to round up the Sleuthing Seniors to solve the case as that's the complete opposite from how he used to act. Starting from the assumption that Judith was the true target of the poisoned champagne, Sam and the others begin digging into why someone would want to kill Judith. Judith has a number of enemies which at first makes it difficult to narrow down the suspect list. But the Sleuthing Seniors do what they do best and divide up the list amongst themselves to figure out the killer's identity. I love watching these ladies work and that they all have specific areas that they specialize in. I liked how the investigation played out and thought the unmasking of the killer was very well done.
Sam's journey from amateur writer to published author has been fun to watch throughout the Mystery Bookshop series. Her debut novel released at the end of the previous book, Bookclubbed to Death, and this book opens with the end of her book tour. Sam has come a long way with her writing and I liked that we got to see her publishing journey. Each book in the series includes an installment in Sam's British historical cozy mystery series and this book was no exception. I personally don't enjoy reading British cozy mysteries but Sam has developed an enjoyable enough series with interesting characters. I primarily enjoy that she uses her writing as a tool to work out theories for the real-life mystery she's trying to solve.
Overall Murder on Tour was a fantastic read and I would highly recommend this series if you're looking for some great cozy mysteries.
Week 1 Reviews: Spot 9Joeera: Cynster #9
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Catsalive: Alternate - Book with a funeral in it
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Bonus - 500+ pages
☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎: Stephanie Plum #9
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Anne: Mrs. Pollifax #9
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Melanie: Mystery Bookshop #9
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Moondance: Twilight, Texas #9
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
First week and we've earned our Free Pass as we all posted prior to Friday! And we've already got one bonus point down from Catsalive with the 500+ pages book.We can roll in about 50-ish minutes so I will do so then and post back here with the details.
Here's our new roll.Week: 2
Previous Space: 9
Roll: 1 + 5 = 6
New Space: 15
You can read any of the following:
- 1st book in a series
- 5th book in a series
- 15th book in a series
- Standalone
- Alternate task 15. Author uses their middle name/initial
Deadline: Friday March 1, 2024
Selection Post Week 2-Spot 15Book: Aqua by Tracy Korn
Pages: 514
Task: 1st in series
How it fits: #1 in The Elements series
Completion Post: Week 2 - Spot 15
Book: Decoy Training by Caridad Piñeiro
How it fits?: K-9s on Patrol #1
Date finished: 2/24/2024
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
Decoy Training was an excellent read featuring a great romance between a dog trainer and an army veteran.
Former Army sharpshooter Shane Adler is looking for a change after an injury forced him to retire from the Army. He finds it in the Idaho mountains while working with dog trainer Piper Lambert to train up his dog, Decoy, for search and rescue. When Shane discovers someone has been casing Piper's house, he's determined to protect her from harm. But while Shane tries to keep Piper safe, the attraction building between them threatens them both.
The romance in Decoy Training is initially on the slower side as Piper is still grieving her husband who passed four years ago and Shane isn't sure what he wants from life. The attraction between them is obvious but they both spend a lot of time fighting it. I actually liked that their romance took time to develop as I felt it gave them more time to get to know each other. The two form a nice friendship during their work training Decoy which I enjoyed. Once their relationship does progress it's well done and I was happy with how things work out for these two.
The mystery was an interesting one and like the romance, it takes time to develop. Initially Piper is alerted to someone's presence near her home which she believes to be nothing of importance. Eventually it becomes clear that someone is trying to get into her house which intrigued me. What could Piper possibly have that someone would be that desperate to get back? The story goes in a direction I wasn't expecting and I liked how everything played out. The suspense elements are well done and I liked the scene where the bad guy was confronted.
Overall Decoy Training was a great start to the series and I'm looking forward to continuing the series in the future.
I'm not sure actually. I'll ask in the Help thread.
Completion PostWeek 2: Spot 15
Busted Diane Kelly
337 pages
How it fits: Book #1 in the Busted series
Read: 02.24.24
Rating: 4 stars
Review:
He's coming.
Marnie Muckleroy has returned to her hometown of Jacksburg, Texas after her divorce. Working as the town's only female cop, she spends her days checking speeders and fantasizing about a man on a Ninja bike. A chance meeting at a bowling alley introduces her to Trey Jones. He is only in town until his dad recovers from a stroke. Not the happily ever after Marnie is hoping for.
This is an excellent beginning to the series. I enjoyed getting to know Marnie and the inner workings of her brain. Her ongoing internal conversations are a hoot. The storyline of her PTSD is well done. I loved all the characters of the small town. Everything about the plot flowed easily with all of them.
Trey is a great foil for Marnie. I like watching their relationship grow. Even with misunderstandings and hurt, it was good to see them meld as a couple.
I knew who the mysterious Ninja rider was from the beginning. It was still delightful to see Marnie try to track him down only to have him slip out of her reach again and again.
The credit card fraud case was an interesting plot. I thought I knew just about every way someone could steal your identity
after having been the victim of credit card fraud. This was a new one for me.
This was a most enjoyable read that kept my attention and made me want to continue with the rest of the series.
Catsalive wrote: "Is 2 initials ok for the alternate, as for J.D. Robb?"Denise said 2 initials are ok to use.
Melanie wrote: "Catsalive wrote: "Is 2 initials ok for the alternate, as for J.D. Robb?"Denise said 2 initials are ok to use."
Thanks :0)
Completion Post: Week 2 Spot 15
Book: Aqua by Tracy Korn 02/26/24
How it Fits: The Elements #1
Finished: 02/26/24
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviews:
Aqua is a YA dystopian novel that is fairly well written. I think the author did a great job with the world-building, the tension between the different groups of people as well as the haves and have-nots are well scripted. The characters are well-fleshed out and our main protagonist, Jaz, is a compelling character to follow around. I could have done without the love triangle, but it was mostly lowkey so I can live with it. Other than that, there were a few things that irked me but not enough to keep me from reading the next book in the series. Overall, Aqua is a very readable story that moves at a fairly fast clip it is over 500 pages but felt shorter. I look forward to the next one.
Week 2 Completion: Spot 15
Book: Purity in Death by J.D. Robb
Date: 27/2 4★
Qualification: Alternate - Author uses their middle name/initial
Pages: 355
Review:
A highly improbable but very entertaining episode in the "In Death" series. Robb does come up with some intriguing murder scenarios. I enjoyed the procedural aspect & the character interaction. There is a good chosen-family vibe in this one.
The Challenge Factory
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Captain: Melanie
Joeera
Catsalive
☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎
Anne
Moondance
(view spoiler)[
Used 01 Mar 2024 (hide spoiler)]
Bonus Points:
Earned: 4
Used: 0