Play Book Tag discussion

The random number for the Trim the TBR Challenge in May is...

24

Head to your list that you posted in your personal challenge tracking thread, find your 24th book, and get your hands on it! Reading cannot start until May 1, but this gives you a few days to get it physically in your possession.

Feel free to post here what your 24th book is if you want to see if anyone else is reading it, but this is absolutely not required!

Once May 1st hits, then you can post your reviews here when you complete your book. Reviews must be at least 4 sentences long. Other things to include if it fits:

• Fits the May tag of beautiful.
• Page length of the book.

Still working on your previous books? You can post your review here when you finish, but please label it clearly as your, e.g., #19-January book!

A note on page lengths:
To keep this fair, the official page count will be the hardcover edition OR, if there was no hardcover version, the format that the book was first published in. You can find these numbers on the book details page here on GR or you can also find them on Amazon.

This means your page length you are reporting only for this challenge may not EXACTLY match the edition you read, but it is the best way we can keep things even in the age where mass market paperback editions can have many more pages than other versions. This page length applies to audiobooks as well.

A reminder of the scoring:
• Read your book - 3 points
• Your completed book happens to fit the tag (must be tagged as such on GR) - 2 points (plus you'll get an additional 2 for posting your review in the Monthly Tag folder)
• Read the longest book among all people who completed their randomly assigned book in any given month - 5 points
• Read the most pages in any quarter (up to 3 books total and quarters are Jan-Mar, April-June, Jul-Sept, and Oct-Dec) - 25 points
• Read the most pages for the whole year (up to 12 books total) - 100 points
• Read the most books that fit a tag for the year - 25 points (totally random luck, but still fun!)

A note for people who start the challenge after January 1:

Whenever you join, if you want to participate in the current month, then Anita or I will randomize your list as described above, locking in the book for that month as well as the books for all previous months (exact number depending on when you join). Then, you can have the random number for the next month is announced to rearrange the order of the remaining books to align with any buddy reads or just going with your gut instincts!

Once the random number for the next month is announced, your list is locked and you cannot change it until our mid-year shake-up!

This seems like the best way for people to jump in at any point while still keeping things as fair as possible.

Reminder of numbers:
January: 19
February: 17
March: 34
April: 12
May: 24

The moment we've all been waiting for.
My #24 is Long Way Down... should be a pretty quick read.

Meli wrote: "The moment we've all been waiting for.
My #24 is Long Way Down... should be a pretty quick read."

This looks great, Meli! Also, I love that you are by far the person most excited for the Trim announcement each month! lol

Yikes! Looks like 2 chunksters for me in May! American Gods for the tag & Macbeth for trim. I'm quite pleased with trim though as I have wanted to read it for a while now!

Nicole R wrote: "Meli wrote: "The moment we've all been waiting for.
My #24 is Long Way Down... should be a pretty quick read."

This looks great, Meli! Also, I love that you are by far the person ..."

I didn't expect to enjoy it this much. I love it!

Jenny wrote: "Yikes! Looks like 2 chunksters for me in May! American Gods for the tag & Macbeth for trim. I'm quite pleased with trim though as I have wanted to read it for a whil..."

I loved Macbeth, really well-done adaptation! Reads pretty fast. I hope you enjoy it.

Yippee! My #24 is Amor Towles' Rules of Civility! And I am pretty confident it will fit the month's theme with beautiful prose (and it is a beautiful cover too).

It is also another book I already own, an author whose other book I read (A Gentleman in Moscow was a top read for me, and a book I've been anxious to read but since putting it as one of my Trim 36, had to hold off.

I'm as excited this month as Meli I think!

My # 24 is The Gray Man byMark Greaney, he is one of the writer's who took over Tom Clancy's books(which I use to love reading)-and I have had this book on my TBR shelf for a long time-I am interested to see if "you can go home again" when it comes to genre's-this type of book was my "go to" before I re-discovered fantasy-My goal was to get away from Fantasy a bit this year(not going so well-lol)-so I am glad this number popped up!

I'd forgotten this was on the list. The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After. It sounds up my alley.

Theresa wrote: "Yippee! My #24 is Amor Towles' Rules of Civility! And I am pretty confident it will fit the month's theme with beautiful prose (and it is a beautiful cover too).

..."

Just found it was tagged by 4 people as 'beautiful' so definitely also fits theme!

I think someone else also had this in their Trim 36?

Well, DRATS .... and Double DRATS

My # 24 is Pachinko ... which I started reading for the Expanding Horizons: Korea month .... and finished in April (also fit the April tag: history)


S*I*G*H ... never even checked to see if it was on the TBR list.

Oh well .... gives me a month to catch up on other challenges.

My #24 is Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind - I'm unenthused but that's why I put some of these elderly old books on the Trim list. I am happy that it's fairly short and it does fit the Beautiful tag.

Looks like I'm finally going to read Jane Eyre (#24 for me)!

My #24 is Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. Hopefully a nice break away from history and memoirs. Need some fiction in my life!

My #24 is The World According to Garp - a book that's been on my want to read list for a looooooong time.

AJ wrote: "AJ wrote: "Mine is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, which might be tagged beautiful... I'll take a look"

YAY! It is! Tagged 4 times as beautiful."

Score!

Book Concierge wrote: "Well, DRATS .... and Double DRATS

My # 24 is Pachinko ... which I started reading for the Expanding Horizons: Korea month .... and finished in April (also fit the April tag: histor..."

Oh no!! I have a spreadsheet now that includes trim and a separate tab for TBR not included on trim that I am pulling from.

Book Concierge wrote: "Well, DRATS .... and Double DRATS

My # 24 is Pachinko ... which I started reading for the Expanding Horizons: Korea month .... and finished in April (also fit the April tag: histor..."

I created a GR shelf for TrimTBR that has all 36 on it. When I move a book to 'currently reading' for a challenge, I make sure it's not on that shelf! Last month I nearly read 3 books from Trim!

Looks like I have a Dean Koontz as #24:
The Key to Midnight

I've got Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot. Didn't get a chance to wade through the lower end of the tags, but I don't think it counts. Is a good chance to read a book I own for Kindle! I tend to grab those on sale and then just hoard them.

For me its Nine Perfect Strangers.

My No. 24 is Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore.

My #24 is The Strain. Not tagged beautiful, but I think it will fit my reading mood well.

Mine is A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. From what I've heard of this book, it may fit the "beautiful" tag. 624 pages

Olivermagnus wrote: "My #24 is Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind - I'm unenthused but that's why I put some of these elderly old books on the Trim list. I am happy that it's ..."

I loved Perfume, but I may be biased as it's set in the period my MA is in.

AJ wrote: "Mine is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, which might be tagged beautiful... I'll take a look"

I have the same book! It looks like a lot of the Neil Gaiman books have a "beautiful" tag. I hope we find it beautiful too.

My #24 is The Gardener of Baghdad - I'm really looking forward to it.

Nobody has tagged it as beautiful (so it won't count for extra challenge points) but lots of reviews say it *is* beautiful so I hope it works for the monthly tag. And I can put it on my overall Horizons list.

My #24 is Black Coffee. It's not tagged beautiful but I have owned it for awhile so it will be good to finally read it.

NancyJ wrote: "I have the same book! It looks like a lot of the Neil Gaiman books have a "beautiful" tag. I hope..."

I do think Neil Gaiman's writing is beautiful. He can turn a phrase like no one's business, and his short fiction is brilliant. Neverwhere is kind of an odd little book, but I hope you two enjoy it!

Cora wrote: "My #24 is The Strain. Not tagged beautiful, but I think it will fit my reading mood well."

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this trilogy! There was a TV series too, but I only saw some of it.

Really neat twist on vampire mythology, very gross.
Chuck Hogan and Guillermo Del Toro are a perfect match for this story. Hogan most known for police procedurals, so his attention to detail coupled with Del Toro's imaginative storytelling meshes well.

Theresa wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "Well, DRATS .... and Double DRATS

My # 24 is Pachinko ... which I started reading for the Expanding Horizons: Korea month .... and finished in April (also fi..."

I did the same Theresa-after a few weeks of grabbing a book that I should not have!

24. Searching for Caleb- anne Tayler

Joy D wrote: "Mine is A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. From what I've heard of this book, it may fit the "beautiful" tag. 624 pages"

I read Such a Long Journey recently, and definitely count it as beautiful in its writing and imagery.

KateNZ wrote: "My #24 is The Gardener of Baghdad - I'm really looking forward to it.

Nobody has tagged it as beautiful (so it won't count for extra challenge points) but lots of reviews say it *..."

I definitely considered it beautiful when I read it as one of my Iraq Horizons books. it is also short.

Hebah wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "I have the same book! It looks like a lot of the Neil Gaiman books have a "beautiful" tag. I hope..."

I do think Neil Gaiman's writing is beautiful. He can turn a phrase like no one..."

Thanks Hebah, that's helpful.

My #24 is Remembering Blue by Connie May Fowler. I'll have to check to see if this is tagged "beautiful" but the cover is pretty nice!

My #24 is The Smoke-Scented Girl by Melissa McShane! I can't wait!

My 24 is the same as Kimber's, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Super excited for this, I've read lots of good reviews- and always love a book about books!

My 24 isElizabeth I. I've wanted to read it for a while but I know it's going to take a lot out of me which is why put it on my trim list. I'm both exited and daunted.

Magdalena wrote: "My 24 isElizabeth I. I've wanted to read it for a while but I know it's going to take a lot out of me which is why put it on my trim list. I'm both exited and daunted."

You keep drawing huge books. This looks good so I'll keep an eye out for your review.

May: #24 The Best Little Boy in the World Grows Up
Fits the April tag: beautiful--No---- BUMMER!

Not going to be a light read but it is my type of book.

Magdalena wrote: "My 24 isElizabeth I. I've wanted to read it for a while but I know it's going to take a lot out of me which is why put it on my trim list. I'm both exited and daunted."

It does look daunting, but good. One thing I didn't know about her was that she was an excellent leader. I learned from a student that she led her country through massive growth, and cleaned up many of the messes her father made during his reign.

I’ve got Disgrace, a book I’ve been meaning to read for so long. I’m excited!

Ooh Susie, I’ve been meaning to read Disgrace too - it’s been sulking on the shelf for ages. I may join you

That would be lovely!

This one? 😈

Mine is The Go-Between by Hartley
It doesn't fit with beauty of brazil, but I've been wanting to read it for a while

Susie wrote: "I’ve got Disgrace, a book I’ve been meaning to read for so long. I’m excited!"

I loved Disgrace. It's a harsh book but I thought it was amazing.

Meli wrote: "This one? 😈
"

Excellent selection!

Meli wrote: "This one? 😈
"

😂-you beat to it Meli-I was just looking up Susie's book and found this one too....

Cover shows both abs and face so it must be good!

Barbara wrote: "My #24 is Remembering Blue by Connie May Fowler. I'll have to check to see if this is tagged "beautiful" but the cover is pretty nice!"

Barbara, I was actually going to recommend this book for the Beautiful tag but forgot - thanks for the reminder. I picked this book up on vacation in Florida a number of years ago - because it's set in Florida. It's an unusual story with mystical elements (about dolphins if I remember correctly). A beautiful love story (not a romance - a love story). If I have time I will re-read it for this tag myself because it totally fits the beautiful tag in many ways. Enjoy!