Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

The Amazing Race Team Challenge
April 11, 2020 through June 6, 2020
8 Week Dash For the Win!

Team 9:

✓ Caipi
★ Eugenia
✓ Erica
✓ Rhiannon

The Amazing Race Team Challenge
April 11, 2020 through June 9, 2020
8 Week Dash For the Win!

Tracking:
Task 1 - 1. Each player reads a book by the same author, teams decide author - no pass for this task. Assigned 4.12.2020 / Completed 4.13.2020
Task 2 - 67. Read 6 books with a specific item on the cover, team selects item. Assigned 4.14.2020 / Completed 4.16.2020
Task 3 - 49. Read 6 books featuring cowboys. Assigned 4.16.2020 - Completed 4.17.2020
Task 4: 68. Read a minimum of 1000 pages in books written by an author whose first or last name begins with the first letter of a teammate's screen name. Assigned 4.18.2020 / Completed 4.19.2020
Task 5 - 12. Read 6 books first published between 2000 and 2010. Assigned 4.20.2020 - 4.22.2020
Task 6 - 70. Each teammate reads a book that the teammate after them alphabetically has rated 5 stars. No pass for this task. Assigned 4.22.2020 / Completed 4.23.2020
Task 7 - 46. Read over 1000 pages in books written by duo authors. Assigned 4.24.2020 / Completed 4.25.2020
Task 8 - 59. Read 4 books published in the decade of a teammate's birth, team decides which teammate. Assigned 4.26.2020 / Completed 4.27.2020
Task 9 - 91. Read 6 books not set in a continent of any teammate. Assigned 4.28.2020 / Completed 4.29.2020
Task 10 - 89. Add up the years of the teammates' births and each teammate reads a book with that minimum number of pages. For example, teammates were born in 75, 83, 87 and 94 - each teammate reads a book at least 339 pages long. No pass for this task. Assigned 4.30.2020 / Completed 5.2.2020
Task 11 - 90. Read over 1500 pages in books set in the future or the past - teams decide. Assigned 5.2.2020 / Completed 5.4.2020
Task 12 - 94. As a team, select an animal. Read 8 books tagged with that animal. Assigned 5.4.2020 / Completed 5.6.2020
Task 13 - 82. Read at least 1500 pages in books with a hat on the cover. Assigned 5.6.2020 / Completed 5.8.2020
Task 14 - 26. Each player reads 2 books in a series, teammates can read the same or different series. Assigned 5.8.2020 / Completed 5.10.2020
Task 15 - 99. Read 8 books with more than 10 letter in the title. Assigned 5.10.2020
Task 16 - 79. Read 8 books with a white flower/s on the cover. Assigned 5.12.2020 / Completed 5.14.2020
Task 17 - 93. Read 6 books published in sequential years, teams decide years. Assigned 5.14.2020 / Completed 5.16.2020
Task 18 - 98. Each teammate lists 5 favorite books. Select books from 2 teammates and read them. Assigned 5.16.2020 / Completed 5.18.2020
Task 19 - 71. Read 6 books with alliteration in the title or author's name. Assigned 5.18.2020 / Completed 5.19.2020
Task 20 - 78. Each teammate reads a different book from the same series. Assigned 5.20.2020 / Completed 5.21.2020
Task 21 - 6. Each player reads a book by a new to you author - no pass for this task. Assigned 5.22.2020 / Completed 5.24.2020
Task 22 - 83. Read 8 books set in NYC. Assigned 5.24.2020 / Completed 5.26.2020
Task 23 - 81. Each teammate reads a debut book by an author. No pass for this task. Assigned 5.26.2020 / Completed 5.27.2020
Task 24 - 76. Read 4 books initially published in different decades. Assigned 5.28.2020 / Completed 5.29.2020
Task 25 - 45. Read 4 books by one of the 2020 FACs. Assigned 5.30.2020 / Completed 6.1.2020
Task 26 - 55. Pick another team and each member reads one book that was read by a member for this challenge. No pass for this task. Assigned 6.1.2020 / Completed 6.2.2020
Task 27 - 96. Read 8 books by authors with more than 10 letters in their name. Assigned 6.3.2020 / Completed 6.5.2020
Task 28 - 33. Each teammate reads a book another teammate read and rated 4 Stars or higher in the last 3 months. No pass for this task. Assigned 6.5.2020 / Completed 6.6.2020
Task 29 - 100. Read a book with an average rating of 4.2 or higher. No pass for this task. You can read as many books as you wish, each book completed earns a point. Assigned 6.7.2020

The Amazing Race Team Challenge
April 11, 2020 through June 9, 2020
8 Week Dash For the Win!

Challenge Dates:
Signups open until April 11, 2020 at 9 PM US EDT.
Remaining Teams Assigned after signups close on April 11, 2020.
First Task Assigned April 14, 2020 at 6 PM US EDT.
Challenge Ends on June 9, 2020 at Midnight US EDT, tasks will not be accepted after this time.

Each team will work together to complete tasks. Once complete, you will be given another task to complete. After the first task, teams will be on different paths with tasks randomly assigned. The same tasks may be assigned to different teams at different times, but no task will be used more than once by the same team. Each team works at their own pace and the team that completes the most tasks at the end of 8 weeks will be the winner!

After the first task is given to everyone, when a team finishes their task they will need to report their completion in the Tracking/Q&A thread. I will confirm the completion and assign their next task. New tasks will not be assigned more frequently than every other day. I will attempt to respond quickly to confirm completion and assign new tasks, but please allow up to 24 hours. If I am unavailable, another mod will assign the task.

Each teammate will need to participate in each task, but may take a pass for one task during the course of the challenge. For some tasks, no passes will be allowed. Completions posts will need to be made when finishing each book for a task, similar to the PtP and Bachelor Challenges. A player will be removed if they make no comment for 5 days after a new task is assigned or 3 days after the rest of the team completes the task (whichever is later), despite attempts to make contact.

Information required when posting your completion/s:

Task
Book/cover link
Page numbers with source
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary.
Date Completed.

There is a 150 page minimum for books, rereads and audios ok. Books may only be used once per player during the challenge. Players may read the same book for a task unless otherwise specified. Books do not have to be romance, but must be fiction.

**For this challenge, use the GR Kindle first edition page count if available. Ebook page count will be acceptable if no Kindle page count available. The acceptability of other page counts will be made on an individual basis**

I think most of you know each other, at least a little, but feel free to introduce yourself again. Please give any relevant information, especially time zone as that helps know when it is best to communicate. 😊

Please select a team leader to help keep track of where your team is in any given task. And as necessary guide discussions for task decisions. Any teammate can report your completions though.

PS - If you want to be known as anything other than Team 9, you are free to come up with a team name. 😉

I blame Eugenia for this entire thing, so I vote that she has gets to be team leader. Plus, she always has the best team names.

BTW, anybody else having all kinds of problems with GR notifications today?

Hello team!
Woohoo, we finally have our team thread! So now we can chat and our start date is getting notably closer.
Eugenia, it would be great to have you as our captain! :)

Erica, I'm having problems with GR all day today, too. For half the day I couldn't even loud the side and then my update feed jumped from 3h straight to 2d.....

Oh, and just a reminder, I'm in Germany. My time zone is GMT/UTC +2.

Hope you are all healthy and safe during this difficult time!

I'm ready already.

Me too, Erica!
But still no Eugenia and Rhiannon.... Think we should send them a PM that our thread is open?

Rhiannon knows. I'll remind her to come join us, if you want to pm Eugenia.

Sorry! I noticed it forever ago, but didn't want to be the first one to comment, and forgot to check back in 😳 Hi! Lol. I also vote for Eugenia, since she's the last one to comment, and also, through proxy, to blame for this whole exciting thing. 😆

Ok! I’m here and I’ll captain—no big since I’m tele teaching and stuck to the computer all day!

Ok, we need names....I’m not feeling super creative right now so I may go visit a random team name generator for inspiration 😀

Erica, blame me all you like, but I know you love challenges and we’ll all be newbies here 😉

I’m in Alaska, so -4 hours from EDST. There is still snow on the ground here, although the streets are clear so walking is a go.

I got tested to COVID-19 last week. The test is negative, and I’m on the downside of experiencing symptoms. I was isolated in my house for several days and it sucked, but that was much better than the alternative and getting truly sick.

I hope everyone is healthy and well and keeping their spirits up.

Here are some names:

MM Mafia
Gagging for Books
Coronavixens
Locked Down & Loaded
Hoofin’ it to HEA
The Flying Queens
Flirty Fireballs
Rad Squad
The Gay Trippers
Kinky Karnivores
The Masked Queens

Hungry for Plot Bunnies

OK, after that last one, I’ll stop 😂😂
Bring on your suggestions and I’ll add them here. Let’s pick by Thursday?

😘😘

And hi, Rhiannon! This is so cool to have you here!

Can we start now??
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Woah, so glad for you that your test came back negative, Eugenia! Hope you are feeling better soon.

Here in Germany we have nice spring weather. The fruit trees and spring flowers are already blooming. Almost all shops and public spaces are closed since the middle of March, but luckily we are allowed to walk out on the streets and dirt roads as long as we're not in groups. And I'm enjoying our small garden more than ever currently!

As for the names, Eugenia, you already gave us an awesome list! I don't think we need to add more, it's already difficult to decide.....

Okay, my favorites are
The Flying Queens
Flirty Fireballs
MM Mafia

I like Coronavixens and Locked Down & Loaded.

I'm at home these days, too, because I basically told my job that they'd let me work from home or I'd quit, so for now I'm just calling in as "quarantined" every day. I know they have a couple hundred people working from home, because I've seen the emails bragging about it, but they haven't contacted me yet about working from home. Honestly, I'm getting pretty bored here.

Luckily, there are plenty of reading challenges.

I like Coronavixens, kinky Karnivores and Flirty Fireballs, lol.

I unfortunately fortunately still work (glad I'm making money, ya know?) But since my job is dead, I'm allowed to play on my phone/computer/read kinda all day long, AND get paid for it, so it's not bad. Definitely glad that there's now going to be something to do. Does it start tomorrow? I feel like it should start tomorrow 😅

Ya, I feel like it should start NOW, but it won’t begin until April 14 😭😳

I'm not quite ready for now. And probably wouldn't be ready tomorrow, because I need to read 6 books before it starts, lol. I thought it was only 3, but... That should only take 2 days, right? Though only if they're good...

Rhiannon wrote: "I'm not quite ready for now. And probably wouldn't be ready tomorrow, because I need to read 6 books before it starts, lol. I thought it was only 3, but... That should only take 2 days, right? Thou..."

Why do you need to read 6 books before it starts?

Team Names: VOTE FOR ONE

Locked Down & Loaded - 1
Coronavixens - 2
Flirty Fireballs -

Argh, it's so hard! Okay, Coronavixens, final answer.

Eugenia wrote: "Rhiannon wrote: "I'm not quite ready for now. And probably wouldn't be ready tomorrow, because I need to read 6 books before it starts, lol. I thought it was only 3, but... That should only take 2 ..."

I'm doing the Around the Country in 50 Books challenge, which equals about a book a week, and wanted to get a little bit ahead, so I wouldn't have to worry about it during this and Bingo. So, 6 books, that take place in 4 states, to get me about a month ahead (:

As for the name, I guess I shall also choose CoronaVixens

Coronavixens it is!

OK!
So... "Coronavixens" OR "CoronaVixens" I like the second spelling.

???

I'm for CoronaVixens

Yep, CoronaVixens looks fine to me.

OK...everything submitted. I guess now we just take a look at the categories and maybe figure some possible choices for the Team ones?

I'm also going to populate the Bingo Cats for the next round coming up!

Rhiannon and I are doing Bingo with Her-BFF/My-5th-Kid, Keith, so we picked a book for each category already. Pre-selecting the books makes it a bit harder to double the books up with other challenges, but it means each book we read will be a little "Buddy Read" for the three of us. I'm just crossing my fingers that those books will mostly be useful here, too. If not, well, I can read a lot if I need to, lol.

I have some questions about the potential tasks. When it says "Read 6 books for yadda yadda . . . " is that six books each, or six books total? If it's each, then wowza, that's a lot of books.

If it's total, as a group, I suppose that means that each team member reads at least one and then some team members read two? Since "Each teammate will need to participate in each task"? So then when the task calls for 4 books, it would just be a book each?

I'm just saying that the second way doesn't make as much sense to me since some of the tasks say "Each player reads a book that's yadda yadda yadda" and that wouldn't be any different from the tasks that say "Read 4 books which are yadda yadda yadda." Those two cases would be the same, where each of our four members would have to read one book. But they're phrased differently enough that it makes me think they must be different?

On the other hand, I think if we each need to read 6 books, 24 books total for the team, to complete some of the tasks, then some of these tasks are going to take quite a while. And it'll get kinda boring trying to read 6 PNR books in a row or whatever.

On the other-other hand, it's entirely possible that I'm putting way too much thought into this. Because that would kind of be my MO, lol.

Hmmm..good question. Post it in the q&a and see what Kat has to say. I think that reading 6 books each is a bit much especially since many playing this posted they read 1-2 books a week max

Yep, she said it's 6 books total. That's a relief, lol. I did not want to try to "Read 4 books that are #5 or higher in a series" all by myself.

Right? I should plan, but I always just find stuff during calls.

How cool is it that we can start early if everyone checks in??

And hopefully some of your preselected books will crossover here and in Bingo!

I don't want to get my hopes up too soon, but it looks like maybe we'll be able to start this race soon, right?

Erica wrote: "I don't want to get my hopes up too soon, but it looks like maybe we'll be able to start this race soon, right?

"
Yesssssss! It looks like they are waiting for a few people to check in to their teams...whoohooo!

Erica wrote: "I don't want to get my hopes up too soon, but it looks like maybe we'll be able to start this race soon, right?

"

That would be great! I currently don't want to start any new books cause I always think that I'll maybe could use them for the race.

Caipi wrote: "Erica wrote: "I don't want to get my hopes up too soon, but it looks like maybe we'll be able to start this race soon, right?

"

That would be great! I currently don't want to start any new books..."

Yes! I feel the same. There's a 5th book in a series that just came out on Hoopla on audiobook (Hat Trick) and I want to listen to it, but want to wait in case we get that category!

Friday and Saturday are my worst days for trying to read. I babysit my grandson on Fridays and Saturdays, and when he was a newborn I could get plenty of reading done, but he wants to be entertained more now that he's getting bigger.

But I have a book I really need to get started for a different challenge, like, pronto. So if we could get this Race started today and if I can make it fit our first task, I'll be raring to go once my daughter gets home from work.

It looks like 4 teams have yet to all check in....
There are 21 teams in all!!! Dang!

There are 22 teams! 😱 Just waiting on 7 people on 4 teams to check in. 🤞🏼

And Erica, I'm so jealous that you get to see your grandson! I was going to help one day a week, most weeks, with our littlest one and haven't seen him in over a month now. When you count age in months that is a LONG time. ☹️ FaceTime helps and I'm grateful for that, but I still miss them all.

MountainKat wrote: "There are 22 teams! 😱 Just waiting on 7 people on 4 teams to check in. 🤞🏼

And Erica, I'm so jealous that you get to see your grandson! I was going to help one day a week, most weeks, with our litt..."

My grandson is 6 months old, and I try to stay home, even quit going to work over coronavirus concerns, but I still leave my house twice a week to come over here and hang out with him all day.

On the flip-side, I have a granddaughter who is 3, and it was bad enough when they lived in Seattle, but now they've moved to frickin' South Carolina, so who knows when I'll get to see her again.

My grandson is 6 1/2 months, so they are close in age. We also have another grandson who just turned 8 and granddaughters who are 5 and almost 11! Really hoping we are going to be able to celebrate her birthday in May, but might have put it off since they are saying our peak is probably mid May here. But that will be a fun way to celebrate when we do get to see each other again! We are all family local, my youngest - the one with the baby is almost 2.5 hours away, and they is the furthest away. So we normally get to see each other fairly frequently. But for now are keeping our distance and doing our part. Hope you get to see your granddaughter sooner than later!

Task 1 - ALL TEAMS!!


1. Each player reads a book by the same author, teams decide author - no pass for this task.

Ready, Set, GO!

Hey Team! I’ll read just about anything, but I have some NO authors that I just don’t work for me:

NO MARY CALMES
NO ALICE WINTERS
NO ANDREW GREY

Oh my gosh, you're so cute! I have a huge list of no-no authors. Not because I don't enjoy their writing (that list would be hilariously large, lol) but because certain authors who have behaved badly don't get to get any of my money. Plagiarists, Santino, people who covered for Santino, people who took screenshots of book requests on FB and posted them to their twitter account to make fun of people who were looking for particular kinks . . . et cetera.

But, I know this is a team challenge, and so I will literally read anything. (Well, except Santino, obvs, but nobody would suggest that, right?)

We should just pick somebody with a big backlist. N.R. Walker maybe? She's usually pretty unobjectionable, and her stuff is usually on KU. Lisa Henry, maybe, and then we could see if pseudonyms were allowed which would open up a bunch of fanfic options, for people who need something free. Hmmm, if any of her fanfics were more than 150 pages, that is. Josh Lanyon is usually a pretty safe bet, with a huge backlist and at least a few KU titles, I think. I think I saw it in her newsletter, at least, that she was putting a few there.

Something to think about, does everybody here even have KU?

 Others with lots of titles available:
(I'm literally just scrolling through my "Read" shelf)


KJ Charles
Cardeno C.
Kim Fielding
Eli Easton
Cara Dee

I don't really care which author we choose, but KU accessible would be nice, but its not necessary

Oh, I won’t read Suede or Hassell either—they are banned, but these are ones that people usually like and haven’t banned on their own.

How about NR Walker? Tons of books, nice rereads & audiobooks available. Most are on KU, too.

So...unless anyone objects (I assume Caipi is sleeping right now) let’s go with NR Walker. 150 page minimum.