Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

District 11



Team Members

• Judy Captain
• Christina Co-captain
• Teresa
• Gwen
• Anna
• Michelle
• Ashleigh
• Fiona
• Silje
• Nistha
• Cris
• Tati
• Nadine
• Audrey



Team Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Status Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

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THE RULES


most important rules

- each book needs to be allocated to 1 of 4 categories for us to get points
- categories: weapons, defense, food, shelter
- be creative to make them fit!
- minimum 100 pages
- books have to be started after the challenge start to be used
- challenge start: 15 May, 9am GMT - countdown: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...
- audiobooks are allowed (use default edition page count)
- MPGs Childrens / Kids / Poetry / Play / Graphic Novel / Illustrated / Photography / Art: minimum word count of 25,000 - check arbookfind https://www.arbookfind.com/default.aspx. if not on there, audio edition over 3 hours is also fine
- rereads are allowed if it's been 6 months since you last read them


points system

less than 100 pages = 0 points
100-1000 pages = 0.1 points/page
more than 1000 pages = 100 points

writing BOM discussion questions = 40 bonus points
answering 3 sets of DQs = 20 bonus points

mini challenges tbc

CATEGORY IDEAS

these are just suggestions and not exhaustive! be creative! it's supposed to be easy to fit books into categories :)

weapons
- weapon on cover
- grey or metallic colour on cover
- weapon named in the book
- letters of weapon in title
- author or main character initials in weapons
- features a character who is a blacksmith
- battle in book

shelter
- shelter on cover (i.e. a building)
- red, purple or pink on cover
- a character you'd like to shelter with
- shelter letters in title
- author or main character initials in shelter
- features a character who works in construction
- finding / making shelter critical element in book

food
- food on cover
- yellow, orange or white on cover
- food or drink named in the book
- food letters in title
- author or main character initials in food
- features a character who is a cook
- cover is a "feast for your eyes"

defense
- defense on cover (i.e. a wall, a mountain or a river)
- green, blue or brown on cover
- books can be heaped into a wall to form a defense
- defense letters in title
- author or main character initials in defense
- features a character who is a soldier/police officer/public defender
- siege in book



SUPPLY DROPS

- teams have been paired for Book Games, our partner is District 4. We can coordinate our drops with them, i.e. make requests and fulfill their requests!
- for a supply drop, one team is the sending team, the other is the receiving team
- a supply drop is a book read by the sending team to be used by the receiving team
- there can be up to 3 supply drops each way per round. These are not required.

how does it work?

for the sending team:
- the sending team can send up to 3 books. These can be random or meeting specific needs by the recipient.
- they can be sent anytime during the round & can be sent individually. Ideally, this wouldn't be right at the end of the round to allow for the recipient to figure out how to best use these books.
- the sending team receives page points for these books. They need to fit a resource category, but can’t be used for any other tasks.

for the receiving team:
- the supply drop books can be used for (currently) 3 different things: mini task, resource category, protection/defense of resource category.
- once the receiving team decides how to use a supply drop book, it's locked in and can't be moved to a different spot.
- if the recipient uses a supply drop book for a mini challenge task, it has to work for that task! The book is worth 0 page points.
- supply drop books can be carried into the next round, but can only be used for the mini in the round they were sent.
- if the recipient uses the book to protect supply piles, the supply drop book has to work both for the defense resource category and a second resource category (which might also be defense), which would be the category this book is protecting. The book is worth 0 page points.
- if the recipient adds the book to resource piles, the book is worth its page points (but there is no other added benefit).

PLANNING & TRACKING SPREADSHEET: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

SHELVES

Judy: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Christina: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Teresa: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Gwen: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Anna: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Michelle: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Ashleigh: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Fiona: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Silje: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Nistha: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Cris: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Tati: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Nadine: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Audrey: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

MINI CHALLENGE: CORNUCOPIA

(view spoiler)[
- runs from 1 June to 15 June, 9am UTC (11am CET, 5am EST)
- each task can be repeated max 5 times, food items can only be repeated once


One Point Tasks
- Read a book with an orange cover
- "harvest" (plural OK, no other variants) in text
- Author initials in HERACLES
- Word in title is hiding a different smaller word (of at least four letters) inside it (not the singular form) - examples LimonCELLO; THINg; wereWOLF (or indeed WEREwolf); HUNGer but NOT GAMEs (as that's the singular/plural)
- One of the following food words in text (plural OK, no other variants): corn, grape, ham, bread, cheese, apple, fish, chicken, bread, rice, tomato, pepper, salt, honey, lobster

Three Point Tasks
- Horn on cover (instrument or animal equally OK. but not antlers please)
- Book set in Crete
- Book set in Idaho
- Author's name has a diacritic
- "abundant" or "abundance" in text
- Takes place on a farm (farm = somewhere raising plants or animals to be sold for food)

Five Point Tasks
- Title (including subtitle) includes all the letters CORNUPIA (no need to duplicate C and O)
- The cover has at least 3 different food items
- Set in Peru, Panama, Colombia or Venezuela


FAQs

1. Can all five books be the same book read by different people?
- Yes

2. For your definition of farm, do you have to sell the crop or livestock, or can it be subsistence, homesteading or for family use? I assume that since you added livestock that you are not distinguishing a ranch from a farm?
- Ranches/livestock work as well as farms, but it must be a commercial enterprise

3. Horns v. Antlers
- (Very Handy Info!) https://fossilrim.org/blog/antlers-vs...
- Unicorn/Rhino = horn
- Narwhal = tusk, not horn

4. If Peru, Panama, Colombia or Venezuela together cross the 50% mark can the book be used?
- Yes

5. How much of the color needs to be on the cover?
- Standard rule of "at least 50%" Tin-eye for color % verification: https://labs.tineye.com/color/

6. Can books be started before the mini begins?
- Yes, however all books for the mini must not be finished until 1 June, through 15 June

7. If there are different versions for how the name is spelled, and English doesn't spell it with diacritics, is that okay? (e.g. Russian names with different versions in English/German/French/etc)
- Yes, if the edition you're reading uses the name with diacritics.


Resources:

Diacritic listopia

Crete: shelf | location tag | Crete, Minoans - fiction | Crete, Minoans - nonfiction

Idaho: shelf | location tag | Books set in Idaho

Peru: shelf | location tag | Books set in Peru

Panama: shelf | location tag

Colombia: shelf | location tag | Best Colombian Literature

Venezuela: shelf | location tag | Literature of Venezuela

(hide spoiler)]


MINI CHALLENGE: BUILD YOUR SHELTER

(view spoiler)[
- runs from 1 July-15 July, 9am UTC (11am CEST)
- books have to be started after the start of Book Games
- books can be finished in any order


Learn how to build the shelter: read books with the following MPGs (max 3 each): nonfiction, romance, science fiction, historical fiction, mystery, thriller, fantasy, nature, contemporary, young adult, literary fiction, crime, horror, paranormal

Build the walls: create an 8 book ladder out of series numbers to build the wall. each wall can have 1 window (= 0.5 book). up to 3 walls.

Door: "steal" 4 shelter books from other teams (=read a book another team has already read for their 'shelter' category). be creative with the justification why this would be a door! (i.e. brown cover = wood for door, door on cover, builder character = could help you build the door)

Points
- each book is worth 5 points
- each book can only be used for 1 task in this mini

Full info here (hide spoiler)]


MINI CHALLENGE: BEATING THE ARENA

For this last mini challenge we have two wheels, each giving us a set of tasks:
- District Wheel: set of tasks related to a district
- Arena Hazards Wheel: spell out words of hazardous things you can encounter in the arena

Rules:
- runs from 1 August 9am UTC to end of challenge
- each task/spellout letter has to be filled with a separate book
- once we've finished the task set, we can get a re-spin (and more tasks!)
- books have to be finished during the challenge timeframe, can be started anytime during Book Games
- books can be banked for future wheel spins/tasks

Full info here


SPELL OUT RULES

Spell outs can use the first letter of the title or series title (ignore or use THE, A or AN as you prefer), the first letter of the author, narrator* or translator* first or last names.

For this version NO character names are permitted.

* these can only be used if the edition read was audio or translated

‼️ THESE ARE DIFFERENT TO NORMAL NBRC SPELL-OUT RULES

MINI CHALLENGE: ARENA BATTLES

This mini challenge will take place during weeks 1 & 2 of both rounds 2 & 3, full info here

For this challenge, we've been paired with an opponent: District 5

Highlights from the rules:

- the challenge is split into two sections, planning (week 1) & fighting (week 2)
- our book title has to match the LAST LETTERS of the opponent's book title. the less letters overlap, the better, but the minimum is 3 letters (to discourage just reading the same book over and over)
- we plan all our reads during week 1, and then read all the books during week 2
- there are a maximum of 10 strikes (= 10 books read) by us
- it doesn't matter which order we finish reading the books in, as all strikes are pre-planned during week 1
- each completed strike (= finished book) is worth 5 points
- District 5 will strike first, so we can't start planning until they let us know which book they're attacking us with

Example:

Team A will strike first.
Their randomly assigned book title is Orphan Black.

Team A Strike 1: Blackwater (BLACK overlap, 5 letters)
Team B Strike 1: Terms and Conditions (TER overlap, 3 letters)
Team A Strike 2: Onset of Danger (ONS overlap, 3 letters)
Team B Strike 2: Anger (ANGER overlap, 5 letters)
Team A Strike 3: Gerald's Game (GER overlap, 3 letters)
Team B Strike 3: Me Before You PLUS a supply drop letter A (AME overlap, 3 letters)

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Participating in BOM discussions is an excellent way to gain your (our) team bonus points which often play a big part as to who the winning team is at the end of the challenge. It's also a great opportunity to read books you might not have sought out on your own and possibly find new and unexpected favourites :)

June BOMs
June 2 - July 2: Starling House by Alex E. Harrow - discussion
June 10 - July 10: The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles - discussion ❗SEPERATE GROUP BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE MATURE CONTENT❗18+❗
June 16 - July 16: The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer - discussion

July BOMs
July 2 - August 2: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo - thread
July 10 - August 10: A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles - thread ❗SEPERATE GROUP BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE MATURE CONTENT❗18+❗
July 16 - August 15: The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence - thread

Points
Writing discussion questions = 40 points
Answering discussion questions (at least 3 sets) = 20 points




May 15 - June 15: The Hunger Games - discussion
June 15 - July 15: Catching Fire - discussion
July 15 - August 15: Mockingjay - discussion link tba


Points
Participating in discussion = 20 points

In order to earn the 20 points for participation, players need to post at least 3 posts that provide a reasonable contribution to the discussion of the book. You do not need to provide a school worthy book report, but the posts need to be more than "Katniss is awesome" or "I love this book" to count for participation points.

Hello and welcome to the first ever Book Games!

I’m Judy (she/her), from Germany, and really excited to be your captain for this new team challenge! I’ve been captain and co-captain for various rounds of Tower Teams and Wheelathon over the past few years, frequently with Christina by my side, so I dare say we’re a good team. There’s a few familiar faces and lots of new people around this time and I’m so excited to play and read and chat with all of you over the next three months.

My job changed a bit at the start of the month and I’ll be crazy busy with it throughout most of June and July, but that also means I’ll be close to my computer anytime I’m awake (not sure how reading is going to go, though… fingers crossed!)

As of right now, this challenge seems pretty straightforward and simple, but I’m sure the mods will throw some curveballs our way sooner rather than later 👀 shout if you have any questions!

Since this is Hunger Games themed… have you read the books? Watched the movies? Did you like them? Or are you maybe planning a reread (or a first read) to match the theme of this challenge?

I also always like to ask… what’s the best book you’ve so far read this year? I’ve been in a weird place with my reading and figuring out what to pick up next, and picking books to read from other people’s read lists is always so fun to me.

Please also share the shelf you’ll be adding your challenge books to, mine is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Hey team :) I'm Christina (she/her) and live in Austria. I'm one of your co-captains for this challenge and as I work as a waitress I'm online at random hours throughout the day.

My favourite genres probably are mystery/thriller and lgbtqia+ contemporary - but I'll read almost anything, especially when it comes to BOMs during these challenges so I can get my team a good amount of bonus points 😏 (yes I am indeed quite competitive lol) I mostly consume books in audio, preferably while walking my dog or jigsaw puzzling. I LOVE jigsaw puzzling and even go to monthly meet-ups to puzzle with other people :)

I think The Hunger Games is a great series and love that we now have a challenge inspired by it! I first read the trilogy when the first movie came out, and did a re-read aka listened to the audiobooks in 2020 - although I HATED the original recording of The Hunger Games and didn't vibe with the narration AT ALL luckily I came across the audios for the 10 year anniversary narrated by Tatiana Maslany (who played all the orphans in Orphan Black!!!!) on scribd/everand and her narration is so good!!! Absolutely recommend 💯

I've kinda been in the same boat as Judy with my reading lately - not feeling inspired to pick up anything at all and what I read I don't gel with and/or can't enjoy. Here's hoping to a better few reading months ahead!

While this is my umpteenth time doing a team challenge (and co-captaining it) this is a new one for all of us so I'm sure there'll be learning curve for everyone, and whatever us captains can't answer ourselves we'll take to the mods and get answers for you. Never hesitate to ask if you're unsure about anything :)

(I'll post my shelf after work tonight)

Hi, all! I’m Teresa! I’m in the midst of a mini road trip so I’ll be around more in a few days, but wanted to pop in and say hi!

I’ve read the HG books (save for the Snakes one) and I’ve seen the first 3 films. I’m on the fence about whether or not I want to read Snakes (songbirds??) (the full title escapes me at the moment lol)

I love mysteries and thrillers and cozies and romance and LGBTQ and non-fiction and some paranormal and fantasy. Basically, my genres are diverse.

I’ll check in later!

I am on the mobile site so I can’t edit posts and of course I’ve thought of things I forgot in my first message…

I am she/her, and respect anyone their gender identity. I am one of the co-captains and I’m excited to cheer us all on in our games! I’ve captained or co-captained a few challenges here, but they were quite a few years ago. I’d gone through a bad reading slump from 2017-2022, and only recently really picked up my love of reading and playing in challenges.

I have been thinking of re-reading the HG series. Perhaps on audio, as I’m not a big Audio reader and think maybe a book I’ve read before will be easier for me to follow (my mind tends to wander with audio books). Sounds like I need the Tatiana Maslany versions!

I’ll post my shelf once I’m back on the PC at home, but it’s nbrc-hg on my shelves.

I’m wondering if our district theme will play some sort of role in the challenge as we go along!

Hey everyone!! I'm Anna (she/her) and live in Southern Indiana. I've played with some of you before and am looking forward to getting to know everyone. This was a crazy week at work because this part of the country celebrates the Kentucky Derby. I'm married and we have one dog. I work in an outpatient medical clinic Monday-Friday. I do have a couple trips coming up during this challenge but I should be able to work around those. I love romance and contemporary books the most especially sports romance books. I don't love sci-fi or horror but can read them if I need to. I'm pretty competitive so I try to get the BOM's read if I can get my hands on them and haven't read them before. I've read all the HG books and seen the books. It's been awhile for me that I've read them, maybe even before my goodreads days so I may bring them back out this challenge.

My challenge shelf: 2024-book-games
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Hello teammates! I'm Cris, from Iowa, USA. My husband and I are empty nesters (we have a college kiddo coming home for summer though) and our household is run by two spoiled poodles, LOL!

I read a lot of mysteries, including thrillers, cozies, and classic Agatha Christie style books. I have gotten a lot more into historical fiction lately and have really enjoyed books by Chanel Cleeton, Marie Benedict, and Allison Pataki in that genre. I also enjoy some romance and women's fiction, particularly in the summer for some reason!

I have read the Hunger Games trilogy, but it's been years. We do like a rewatch of the movies from time to time, though!

My challenge shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Looking forward to reading with all of you this summer!

Hi everyone! I'm Nistha, from India but currently living in the UK. My husband is living in Berlin. Our work locations keep us apart, so we frequently try to travel to see each other and spend 4-5 days together. He just left for Berlin tonight so I am feeling a little sad, but I will see him again in 10 days!

Romance and thriller/mystery have always been my go-to genre. I had a reading slump for a long time till I re-discovered my love for reading (and it is one of the best feelings ever). I am open to most types of books but the ones that resonate with me most are well-developed character-focused tales. My favourite book(s) this year have been The Atlas Six and My Dark Vanessa!

Unfortunately, I have not yet read The Hunger Games and it wasn't in my TBRs for this year .... until tada this challenge comes and I am thinking maybe it's a sign haha!

My bookshelf is nbrc-book-agmes

Even though I have some trips planned (esp on the first week of the challenge) and expect my workload to be a little bit maddening, I still plan to read and discover new books and ultimately have loads of fun with everyone!

Hi everyone!

I'm Tati (she/her) from Brazil! My job should be more hectic than normal in the net two months, so I'll deinitely decompress by reading (I'm a pricing officer for a medical equipment manufacturer, and we have a big fair coming up in two weeks in then June is end of quarter. In other other words, madness and mayhem.

But let's talk about books, which is way more fun.

I have read the 3 HG books, have not read the prequel, and am not sure I will. I gave up on the movies after the second one.

I read mostly fantasy and romance (and romantasy as well), with some historical fiction, sci-fi and non-fiction sprinkled here and there. I will not touch horror books, I'm too squeamish for them. I'm also not overly fond of mysteries in general, nor thrillers. Come to think of it, I steer clear of stressful books LOL.

My challenge shelf is https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Hi Everyone

I'm Michelle (I answer to all pronouns). I'm from NY (Not the city) in a small town in Central NY, I'm currently not working at the moment. I've been out of work since the end of February. I had surgery on my foot. I won't be going back to work until mid June.

I have read all the Hunger Games books and watched the movies. I will not be rereading them, I have WAY too many books on my tbr list that I need to get through. Plus I'm not a big fan of rereading books.

My favorite book I've read this year was The Black Queen by Jumata Emill. I read a lot of different genres. However dark romances, bodice ripper romance, Brigerton type books, and most cozy mysteries are not my cup of tea. I love horror, paranormal, post apocalyptic, historical fiction, and urban fantasy are my top 5 favorites.

Here is my shelf, it's titled bookgames - https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Hi everyone!

I'm Fiona (she/her) from Germany and I am SO excited about this challenge! I was constantly checking to see if our district was ready to chat and of course, the moment it was, I wasn't there lol

I love romance and mystery/thrillers but I'd also read almost every genre as long as the book somehow intrigues me. I only participated in Wheels 8 so far but couldn't make it till the end because of a loss in the family.
My shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

I've read the HG books including the songbirds one and really really loved them. Also watched the movies (except the new one) and loved them as well! Very excited to be in District 11 (Rue <3)

Would be so awesome if the book games would start today because I have the week off and can get in a lot of reading haha

bamaace83 wrote: "Hey everyone!! I'm Anna (she/her) and live in Southern Indiana. I've played with some of you before and am looking forward to getting to know everyone. This was a crazy week at work because this pa..."

Hey Anna, great to see you again! If you're struggling to find the BOMs, let us know – we've got a link to the audios (this goes for everyone btw) 😉

Cris (The Biblio Blonde) wrote: "Hello teammates! I'm Cris, from Iowa, USA. My husband and I are empty nesters (we have a college kiddo coming home for summer though) and our household is run by two spoiled poodles, LOL!

I read a..."

Nice to meet you Cris! Totally feel you on the pets hahaha, I have two cats (Sugar and Spice) who are definitely the bosses of this house!

Nistha wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Nistha, from India but currently living in the UK. My husband is living in Berlin. Our work locations keep us apart, so we frequently try to travel to see each other and spend 4-5 ..."

Hi Nistha, excited to have you! I hope we can keep you some company so you don't get too lonely 😉 last year was the first time since like 2020 that I actually enjoyed reading and it was suchhhh a relief! Finally made me feel like myself again lol

Judy wrote: "we've got a link to the audios (this goes for everyone btw) 😉"

Now that sounds good 👀

Tati wrote: "Hi everyone!

I'm Tati (she/her) from Brazil! My job should be more hectic than normal in the net two months, so I'll deinitely decompress by reading (I'm a pricing officer for a medical equipment ..."

Hi Tati!!! I'm right there with you on the reading preferences – no stressful reads for me, please!

Michelle wrote: "Hi Everyone

I'm Michelle (I answer to all pronouns). I'm from NY (Not the city) in a small town in Central NY, I'm currently not working at the moment. I've been out of work since the end of Febr..."

Hi Michelle, good to have you! And oh no, I hope your recovery is going well!

Fiona wrote: "Hi everyone!

I'm Fiona (she/her) from Germany and I am SO excited about this challenge! I was constantly checking to see if our district was ready to chat and of course, the moment it was, I wasn'..."

Heyho! Wow we've got a real faction of German-speakers this time around, love to see it hehehe!

Fiona wrote: "Judy wrote: "we've got a link to the audios (this goes for everyone btw) 😉"

Now that sounds good 👀"

Will DM you :)

Judy wrote: "Fiona wrote: "Hi everyone!

I'm Fiona (she/her) from Germany and I am SO excited about this challenge! I was constantly checking to see if our district was ready to chat and of course, the moment i..."

I love that too hehe

Judy wrote: "Fiona wrote: "Judy wrote: "we've got a link to the audios (this goes for everyone btw) 😉"

Now that sounds good 👀"

Will DM you :)"

Thank you :)

‼️ And we've got our first rule "update"!

There will be official Hunger Games Buddy Reads, worth 20 points per participation!

This means there won't be a formal discussion with several days of discussion questions to prompt you, but you still need to make "at least 3 posts that provide a reasonable contribution to the discussion of the book" to cash in on the bonus points for participation.


Dates
The Hunger Games: May 15th to June 15th
Catching Fire: June 15th to July 15th
Mockingjay: July 15th to August 15th

🤩🤩🤩

i’m a little late to the party it seems but i’ll introduce myself - i’m nadine (she/her), 26, from London! i’m currently on holiday in Greece (my first ever solo trip, and first holiday abroad since 2019!) but i will be back before the challenge starts. i’m really looking forward to being part of this group challenge - the only other one i’ve done is the UNO challenge in another group, two years running and that’s just finished so i’m eager to jump into another!

i’ve read the Hunger Games twice - once when i was in high school, probably about 11-13 years old, and then again in 2021 - i think it’s a brilliant series (except for the prequel…)

when it comes to genres i feel i’m pretty open to anything, fiction and nonfiction, although i have a hard time getting into pure romance (especially when it’s very tropey). i’ve tended to read a lot of YA fantasy, it’s probably my comfort genre, but recently i’ve been moving into more lit fic, mystery, and autobiographies.

my shelf for this challenge is actually up and running - i’m on mobile so will link to it later but it’s called nbrc-book-games-2024

Hi all! I'm Silje from Norway. Been through a few team challenges before, but nothing quite like this one.

I read most genres, but my favorites are urban fantasy, romance, and thrillers. I have a tendency to reread series I love many times. I've read the HG books once or twice, seen the movies several times.

Here's my shelf: Shelf

Nadine wrote: "i’m a little late to the party it seems but i’ll introduce myself - i’m nadine (she/her), 26, from London! i’m currently on holiday in Greece (my first ever solo trip, and first holiday abroad sinc..."

Hi Nadine! That's so exciting, hope you have a great time on your trip :) I wish I was somewhere sunny and warm right now...

And don't worry about linking your shelf, I just dug it up

Silje wrote: "Hi all! I'm Silje from Norway. Been through a few team challenges before, but nothing quite like this one.

I read most genres, but my favorites are urban fantasy, romance, and thrillers. I have a ..."

Hi Silje, great to have you on board! :)

Nice to meet you, team ! I'm Audrey from Belgium (near Brussels) but live in France (Normandy). I split my time between these two countries. I currently work for a management consulting firm. I’m Dutch & French speaking however, despite being one of the national languages, my German is a little bit rusty 😉 However I have lots of lovely German speaking colleagues so can practice.
As a history buff my favourite genre is historical fiction and any derivative of that genre. Occasionally I also enjoy retellings. My favourite reads so far this year have been The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World and Mara, Daughter of the Nile.

Currently taking a break from reading post UNO and concentrating on work instead but will be up and running when the games begin – looking forward to play with you all :) !

My shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Judy wrote: "Fiona wrote: "Judy wrote: "we've got a link to the audios (this goes for everyone btw) 😉"

Would be interested as well, Judy. I'm planning to join the BOM discussion for The Malevolent Seven. Unfortunately I've already read Salt & Broom during UNO so won't be able to help out there.

Audrey Jane wrote: "Judy wrote: "Fiona wrote: "Judy wrote: "we've got a link to the audios (this goes for everyone btw) 😉"

Would be interested as well, Judy. I'm planning to join the BOM discussion for [book:The Male..."

Same here! I would love to have the audiobook links as well :)

Judy wrote: "‼️ And we've got our first rule "update"!

There will be official Hunger Games Buddy Reads, worth 20 points per participation!

This means there won't be a formal discussion with several days of ..."


Now I have all the more reason to read them!

Judy wrote: "‼️ And we've got our first rule "update"!

There will be official Hunger Games Buddy Reads, worth 20 points per participation!

This means there won't be a formal discussion with several days of ..."

I was wondering if I should suggest a team internal buddy read of at least the first Hunger Games book, but I guess there's no need for that now hah. Let's goooooooooo bonus points! 🥳🎉

EDIT:
And for the people who want to read at their own pace and not stick to the "one book a month" suggestion-

Q: Just to clarify, we can read the 3 anytime during the challenge, but participation in the discussions should be within the time frames above?
A: I'll say yes because that's the same rule we have for the BOMs

Nistha wrote: "Audrey Jane wrote: "Judy wrote: "Fiona wrote: "Judy wrote: "we've got a link to the audios (this goes for everyone btw) 😉"

Would be interested as well, Judy. I'm planning to join the BOM discussio..."

@Audrey and @Nistha you should both have a DM from me in your inbox :)

Hey team!

Nice to meet you all and great to see some familiar faces/names. I'm Ashleigh and I live in North-East England. I like to read almost everything from romance to horror to mystery thrillers to fantasy and sci-fi. Just whatever I'm in the mood for.

My book shelf is https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Audrey Jane wrote: "Nice to meet you, team ! I'm Audrey from Belgium (near Brussels) but live in France (Normandy). I split my time between these two countries. I currently work for a management consulting firm. I’m D..."

Hi Audrey, nice to meet you! I went to Brussels around this time last year and it was lovely!

Ashleigh wrote: "Hey team!

Nice to meet you all and great to see some familiar faces/names. I'm Ashleigh and I live in North-East England. I like to read almost everything from romance to horror to mystery thrille..."

Hi Ashleigh, great to have you around! :)

Christina wrote: "I was wondering if I should suggest a team internal buddy read of at least the first Hunger Games book, but I guess there's no need for that now hah. Let's goooooooooo bonus points! 🥳🎉
This means there won't be a formal discussion with sev..."

I was going to not read them because I really never cared that much for the books... but anything for bonus points 😤💪

Hello to everyone who has posted since my last message! I am loving the location diversity of this team - so many countries represented.

Forgot to mention, I’m in Texas, USA. Not my preferred place to live, but I’m stuck here for now 😝

@Judy just be glad the prequel isn't included in the buddy reads because I STRONGLY agree with Nadine saying "it's a brilliant series (except for the prequel....)" LOL

Christina wrote: "@Judy just be glad the prequel isn't included in the buddy reads because I STRONGLY agree with Nadine saying "it's a brilliant series (except for the prequel....)" LOL"

I definitely am hahaha I don't know if I could do that... I have zero interest in it PLUS all the things I've heard about it make me want to pick it up even less

I’d been wondering how the prequel is. I guess I’ve got an idea now 🤣

glad i’m in good company here 😅 has anyone also seen the movie? i can’t imagine it would’ve been much better than the book, although a friend gave it a really good review (without having read the book beforehand)