Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

Team members

Jedi Knight
Diane

Wookies
Helke
Samantha
SandyC
Shannon
Susan
Christy

1. Introduce yourself to your team. Let your team members know where you are from. This is a great to know when themes are announced and when team-mates can expect other members to post their book choices.

2. Jedi - reserve a couple of posts in this thread tracking your team's book selection and completion. (Alternatively they could convert a chat comment to the tracking post/s.)

3. Name your team. Using this round's theme of Disney+, come up with a team name. We are an open/public group with no age limit, so please make sure any chosen name is smart, not smutty ;)

Please PM your name to Jane(PS) by early Wednesday 4 September.

4. If you have a private profile, please 'friend' your team-mates. This is really important, because without this, your team-mates can't see your shelves to select a books under option 2.

5. Please post your book selections/completions in the format provided below. (This format is also posted in both the Q&A and Sign-Up threads.) We need to know the week that each book corresponds to, the page numbers, and how the book qualifies including names to lists/shelves (where applicable), etc. I can't stress this enough. When in doubt - link it*!

* don't link to your review in your completion post - reviews in your completion posts should be included in full within that post.

You don't want to start reading a book and then find it doesn't meet the requirements because some information (eg page count or theme link) was missing from your original post.

I will be monitoring this and your book will not be considered complete until I am satisfied that your selection and completion posts comply with the format rules of the challenge.

Remember - you can ONLY change your book selection in the week that the theme is called.

6. You MUST check in with your team each week, ideally once the theme is announced. Please let your team know if you expect to have spotty communication or are on holidays or having an operation.

7. When you post the completion of your book, you must post a review; enough for us to know you have actually read the book. Please don't link to a review. You must post the review in this thread.

8. Re-reads are allowed but you can't read the same book twice within this challenge.

9. There is no prize for the winning team - bragging rights only :)

10. Each week, the theme will be announced in the Q&A Annoucement thread. The full list of themes announced during this round will be maintained in msg 1 of that thread.


The Rule on the Pass Option
* Each team can only have ONE member using their pass each week.
* Each member can only use that pass once each 5 weeks.
* This means that one or two team members (dependent upon the size of your team) will miss using a pass in each 5 week block.
* No-one can use the pass option in the last week of the challenge.
* In the final week if Option 2 is used, members must select their book from another team. This will be advised in the week 11 announcement.

Key selection and completion post information. You must have ALL elements in your book posts.


The format for selection posts Option 1:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
How the book qualifies - please link or name the qualifying bookshelf/list where applicable (link if possible).
If the theme is based off the bookcover, post the cover. If there is a letter count in the title, publication date etc, please note these details.

The format for selection posts Option 2:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
Name of the team-member, their star rating, the date they read the book.


Format for completion posts:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Rating (1-5)
Review


Please DO NOT CHAT in these selection/completion posts. It needs to be super clear.

If you 'waffle' about your decided book - please REPOST your selection once you decide. DO NOT go back and edit your waffling post.

I'll track each team's progress separately, using the Captain's summary in each team's thread to check for accuracy.

Themes

Week #1:
(view spoiler)[Option 1:
8. The Star Wars movies are a major attraction to the streaming service.

* Read a book with Science Fiction as a main page genre (MPG) OR read a book with a title of no more than eight letters. Eg Bond, Kaleb, Desire, I Was Here
Series titles do not count for this task.
You must specify which option you are using in your post when showing 'how it fits'.

Option 2:
Key date - 4 March 2020
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.

Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week (hide spoiler)]

Week #2:
(view spoiler)[Option 1:
2. Disney+ debuted in the USA, Canada and the Netherlands on November 12, 2019.

* Read a book published in November 2019.
You must quote the date of publication - any edition's date of publication will count.

Option 2:
Key date - 11 March 2020
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.

Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week (hide spoiler)]

Week #3:
(view spoiler)[Option 1:
12. The Simpsons back catalogue is available for more of Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa et al! ...Have you noticed how all the names are short? Even the writers' names are short - Matt, James, Dan, Al, Sam, Mike, John etc (Yes, I am conveniently leaving out a few names for the sake of this category ;)

*Read a book with an MC whose first name is less than 6 letters long.
Qualification must be quoted in the précis; please provide an extract. Nicknames will work.


Option 2:
Key date - 18 March 2020
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.


Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week. (hide spoiler)]

Week #4:
(view spoiler)[Option 1:
7. There are a lot of 'classic' movies and serials on Disney+

* Read a 'classic' book from one of the following lists:
Great Romance Novels
I Don't Understand All That Fuss
Timeless MM romance
Teen Girl Classics

If you use Option 1, your book must be selected from one of these lists. Please QUOTE THE LIST and PLACE NUMBER on that list for qualification - a link is preferred but otherwise just type out the name.

Option 2:
Key date - 25 March 2020
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.

Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week (hide spoiler)]

Week #5:
(view spoiler)[Option 1:
10. National Geographic is a very popular option on Disney+

* Read a book with an animal on cover.
'Animal' definition: any living animal other than a human being.
Birds and insects count. Must be a real animal, not mythical. A drawn bookcover that includes an animal will count, but not statues etc.
You must post the bookcover for qualification.

Option 2:
Key date - 1 April 2020
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.

Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week (hide spoiler)]

Week #6:
(view spoiler)[Option 1:
11. The National Geographic magazine has been published continuously since its first issue on September 22, 1888.

* Read a book with a publication date with double numbers within that date.
You may convert the month to numbers. The following dates qualify: July 22, 2018 (22), November 01, 2015 (11), August 13, 2002 (00). Any edition's date of publication will count.

Option 2:
Key date - 8 April 2020
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.

Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week. (hide spoiler)]

Week #7:
(view spoiler)[Option 1:
3. A week later, the Disney+ service was expanded to Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico.

* Read a book set in Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico or in the broader Caribbean region.
Qualification may be found in precis, main page, tag/shelf or list.

Option 2:
Key date - 15 April 2020
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.

Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week. (hide spoiler)]

Week #8:
(view spoiler)[Option 1:
4. 10 million users subscribed to Disney+ on its first day of operation.

* Read a book with over 10,000 ratings.


Option 2:
Key date - 22 April 2020
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.


Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week. (hide spoiler)]

Week #9:
(view spoiler)[Option 1:
9. Due to COVID-19, 'Hamilton' (the musical film) has skipped the cinematic release scheduled for October 15, 2021 and instead had a digital worldwide release on July 3, 2020 on Disney+. More than a year early!

* Read a book on one of the following 'Can't Wait' romance lists:

Can't Wait MM Romance of 2019
Can't Wait MM Romance of 2020
Can't Wait Sci-Fi Fantasy of 2020
Can't Wait Best New Romances for 2018 (No more recent list options sorry)
Can't Wait Best New Romances for 2017
Random Christian (and just clean fun) Books I Am Excited to Read

If you use Option 1, your book must be selected from one of these lists. Please QUOTE THE LIST and PLACE NUMBER on that list for qualification - a link is preferred but otherwise just type out the name.


Option 2:
Key date - 29 April 2020
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.


Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week (hide spoiler)]

Week #10:
(view spoiler)[Option 1:
14. Naturally, watching the TV, you need snacks and drinks ~ treats and things that may be bad for you!

* Read a book from one of the following lists:

Naughty Husbands
Give Me Some of That Awesomeness Romances
SugarKink BDSM
Sexy Curves (The outcome of the sit-in ;)
Yummy Adult Paranormal Romances
MM Romance Comfort Reads
MM Hot Stuff Corner
Yummiest College New Adult MM

If you use Option 1, your book must be selected from one of these lists. Please QUOTE THE LIST and PLACE NUMBER on that list for qualification - a link is preferred but otherwise just type out the name.


Option 2:
Key date - 6 May 2020
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.


Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week. (hide spoiler)]

Week #11:

Option 1
13. The Toy Story, Marvel and Frozen collections are huge hits with children.

* Read a book with kids in the storyline from one of the following lists:
Best Gay Books Dealing With Children
Romance With Kids in Tow
Littlies: Children in Contemporary Romance
Wee: Children in Historical Romance
Hilarious Kids in Romance
Single Fathers of Romance: Great Family Men


Option 2
Key date: 13 May 2020

If you use this option, this week you must select your book from the team shelves immediately below your team in this list. The last team picks from the first team.

2 Rah Rah Rapunzels
9 All Beauties and No Beast
13 Booklanda Forever
4 The Mandafourians
5 May the 5th Be With You
12 Love Is An Open Book
10 The Emperor's New Crew
11 Team Chewbooka
7 The Animators of Romance
3 Book, I Am Your Reader
8 Not the Droids You're Looking For
1 Cindereaders
6 The Minnie Skirts

Eg. Team 2 picks from team 9's members bookshelves. Team 6 picks from team 2's members bookshelves.

DO NOT PICK from a team member who has left the team during the game. Picks must come from current members.


Option 3
Not available this week

Week 1-4 Selection Posts

Week #1:
Diane: Roughing by Michaela Grey (Title with no more than 8 letters) (8 letters)
Helke: NoX by Adrienne Wilder (Title with no more than 8 letters) (3 letters)
Samantha: Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel (science fiction) (shelved as sci-fi 2,971 times)
SandyC: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (science fiction) (shelved as sci-fi 3,205 times)
Shannon: Falling by Barbara Elsborg (Title with nore more than 8 letters) (7 letters)
Christy: Roomies by Christina Lauren (Title with no more than 8 letters) (7 letters)

Week #2:
Diane: Murder Aforethought by Parker St. John (November 22, 2019)
Helke: Hades and Seph by Eileen Glass (November 14, 2019)
Samantha: Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender (November 12, 2019)
SandyC: Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich (November 12, 2019)
Shannon: Risk Assessment by Parker St. John (November 10, 2019)
Susan: In the Unlikely Event by L.J. Shen (November 17, 2019)

Week #3:
Diane: The Fantastic Fluke by Sam Burns (Sage McKinley)
Helke: Some Kind of Magic by R. Cooper (Ray Branigan)
Samantha: Rated by Melissa Grey
SandyC: Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (Agnes)
Shannon: The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings by Lily Morton (Blue Billings)
Susan: Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (Felix Love)

Week #4:
Diane: Houseboat on the Nile by Tinnean (#118 from Timeless MM romance)
Helke: Fish and Ghosts by Rhys Ford (#177 from Timeless MM romance)
Samantha: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (#198 from I Don't Understand All That Fuss)
SandyC: On Dublin Street by Samantha Young (#27 from Great Romance Novels)
Shannon: Rules for Loving by Susan Hawke (Option #2 read by Diane 4/18/20 & rated 5 stars)

Week 1-4 Completion Posts

Week #1:
Diane: msg #47
Helke: msg #60
Samantha: msg #52
SandyC: msg #58
Shannon: msg #51

Week #2:
Diane: msg #73
Helke: msg #238
Samantha: msg #82
SandyC: msg #69
Shannon: msg #71
Susan: msg #107

Week #3:
Diane: msg #106
Helke: msg #112
Samantha: msg #117
SandyC: msg #120
Shannon: msg #111

Week #4:
Diane: msg #143
Helke: msg #151
Samantha: msg #135
SandyC: msg #145
Shannon: msg #134

Week 5-8 Selection Posts

**Week #5:
Diane: by Amy Lane (turkey on the cover)
Helke: by Amy Lane (dog on the cover)
Samantha: by Jean Craighead George (bird on the cover)
SandyC: by Kiley Reid (bird & fish on the cover)
Shannon: by Joyee Flynn (wolf on the cover)

Week #6:
Diane: Deep Desire by Z.A. Maxfield (Published June 10th 2009 - 00)
Helke: Basic Training by Marquesate (Published October 21st 2011 - 11)
Samantha: Fool Moon by Jim Butcher (First published January 1, 2001 - 00)
SandyC: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (First published May 5, 2011 - 11)
Shannon: Poetry in Motion by Samantha Wayland (Published August 8, 2019 - 88)

Week #7:
Diane: The Ghost in the Mirror by Faith Gibson (Shannon read on 8/11/20 and rated it 4 stars)
Helke: The Vampire's Familiar by T.J. Nichols (Diane read on 5/11/20 and rated it 4 stars)
Samantha: Carpentaria by Alexis Wright (Gulf Country, North West Queensland (Australia))
SandyC: A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute (Alice Springs, Northwest Territory, 1948 (Australia))
Shannon: The Hate You Drink by N.R. Walker (Sydney, New South Wales (Australia))

Week #8:
Diane: Today by R.J. Scott (Helke read on 5/20/20 and rated it 4 stars)
Helke: Pass
Samantha: The World of All Souls: A Complete Guide to A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and the Book of Life by Deborah Harkness (
SandyC: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (122,765 ratings as of 10/23/20)
Shannon: Take by Ella Frank (12,709 ratings as of 10/25/20)

Week 5-8 Completion Posts

Week #5:
Diane: msg #158
Helke: msg #157
Samantha: msg #164
SandyC: msg 175
Shannon: msg #155

Week #6:
Diane: msg 181
Helke: msg 194
Samantha: msg #207
SandyC: msg #185
Shannon: msg 180

Week #7:
Diane: msg #201
Helke: msg #209
Samantha:
SandyC: msg #217
Shannon: msg #208

Week #8:
Diane: msg #220
Helke: Pass
Samantha:
SandyC: msg #222
Shannon: msg #223

Week 9-11 Selection Posts

Week #9:
Diane: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Charlie Adhara (#4 from Can't Wait MM Romance of 2020)
Helke: A Pocketful of Stardust by J.P. Barnaby (#156 from Can't Wait MM Romance of 2019)
Samantha: Pass
SandyC: Falling for the Highlander: A Time Travel Romance by Emma Prince (#263 from Can't Wait Best New Romances for 2017)
Shannon: Power Plays & Straight A's by Eden Finley (#60 from Can't Wait MM Romance of 2020)

Week #10:
Diane: Pass
Helke: Concubine by Jill Knowles (#67 from MM Hot Stuff Corner)
Samantha:
SandyC: Enchanting Pleasures by Eloisa James (#84 from Sexy Curves (The outcome of the sit-in ;))
Shannon: Only Love by Garrett Leigh (#261 from MM Romance Comfort Reads)

Week #11
Diane:
Helke:
Samantha:
SandyC:
Shannon:

Week 9-11 Completion Posts

Week #9:
Diane: msg #256
Helke: msg #239
Samantha: Pass
SandyC: msg #243
Shannon: msg #245

Week #10:
Diane: Pass
Helke: msg #252
Samantha:
SandyC:
Shannon: msg #257

Week #11
Diane:
Helke:
Samantha:
SandyC:
Shannon:

Hey all, welcome to another round of PTP. I'm Diane and I live in Northeast Ohio (which is eastern standard time) with my husband of 34 years. I am a mother of 2 daughters and a grandmother of 2 grandsons. I am a furry mommy to a very spoiled female cat named Angel and a furry grandmother to a very spoiled male cat named Skyler. I love to read and listen to audio books. During the day, and while I work on my diamond paintings, I listen to audio books. At the end of the day I love to read. I read mostly MM books of all kinds, but really I will read most anything except for historical; not a big fan of having to hide your love. I don't really care for YA where they are still in high school. But there are always exceptions.

First order of business, please introduce yourselves. Secondly, we have to come up with a name. I'm really horrible at this so I'm counting on y'all's input. I have listed some thoughts below. Just remember it has to be Disney+ related.

Once Upon a Romance (Once upon a Time)
One Hundred and One Books (One Hundred and One Dalmatians)
One Magical Book (One Magic Christmas)
One of our readers is missing (One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing)
The Reader Trap (The Parent Trap)
The Readers in the Woods (The Watcher in the Woods)
The Chronicles of a PTP Reader (The Chronicles of Narnia)

Most importantly, lets all have some fun & maybe we will find a couple of new reads!

Xx

Hello My name is Samantha. I am a mother of two daughters and one just graduated this year. I have been married for 11 years. I love playing the sims, playing games on my Nintendo switch and my fave. genre is fantasy or anything that is a big book.

Hi team! I'm a native Texan who has lived near Minneapolis since 2001. I'm recently divorced with two teenagers. I love reading, knitting and scrapbooking. My favorite genre is Historical Fiction. This is my first challenge since the pandemic started. I'm looking forward to it!

Hi Everyone! I living in the Portland, OR area. Not close to the freaking riots, thank God. I have 2 teenagers, both girls so I tend to have a few boys around as well. :) I also have 3 dogs, one a new puppy and 2 old cats. Oh yeah, and a hubby of 25 years! I tend to spend most of my time potting training a puppy, watching YouTube and reading. Love Contemporary M/M the most but read most M/M genres.

Name Ideas

The Hunch-book of Notre Dame
The Jungle Book Readers
Snow White and the Seven Editions
Read-It Ralph
Beauty and the Bestseller
The Emperor's New Novel

Hey. I´m Helke and a first timer for PtP.
I live in Germany and am on a total different time zone than you all as it looks like. So we will have a bit of testing to do to directly talk without delay but we will find a time that will work for us I´m sure.

I have a hubby, two kids (one of each) and a dog. My youngest finished school this year and will start studying next month and move out for that. I work as a teacher. In my spare time I love to read, be creative with sewing, painting or working with wood. I mostly read mm books of a variety of genres. I don´t like historicals for the same reasons you do Diane or YA because I can´t really relate to them. And a big no go for me is incest. That is something I wont read and the reason I´m struggling with daddy kink too.

Team names are tough for me but I do like your suggestions, especially :
One hundret and One books and The emperor´s new novel.

How did I forget to mention my 2 dogs?? :-)

I like 101 Books, too!

The only name I can think of is CindeReaders.

I'm Christy. I currently live in Austin with my 2 egregiously spoiled dogs, but I'm originally from California. I love reading, and really bad TV. Now that I'm in Austin, I'm hoping to start kayaking now that they have reopened for business.

I really love CindeReaders!!

I like CindeReaders. If everyone else is in agreement, let me know and I’ll submit it. If anyone else has a different name they want to submit, let us know and we can vote on it :)

CindeReaders is fine by me.

I wish we could get the category early for planning purposes!

You could go through all the cats and make ur picks early.

Good idea!

I am good for what ever team name is chosen.

Okay then I will go ahead & submit CindeReaders to Jane.

@Helke your profile is private so I sent u a friend request so I can see ur shelves if I chose option 2.

Hey guys, Jane is going to have an early call, today between 4:00 & 6:00 pm est. so be ready :)

Diane wrote: "Hey guys, Jane is going to have an early call, today between 4:00 & 6:00 pm est. so be ready :)"

That really is early. Wasn´t it supposed to come on friday?

Diane wrote: "@Helke your profile is private so I sent u a friend request so I can see ur shelves if I chose option 2."

Approved your friend request. Forgot about the private profile. Shannon is already a friend and the rest of the team send request please.

Helke wrote: "Diane wrote: "Hey guys, Jane is going to have an early call, today between 4:00 & 6:00 pm est. so be ready :)"

That really is early. Wasn´t it supposed to come on friday?"

Yes it was :)

Helke wrote: "Diane wrote: "Hey guys, Jane is going to have an early call, today between 4:00 & 6:00 pm est. so be ready :)"

That really is early. Wasn´t it supposed to come on friday?"

I often go two days early for the first call - came about in the first or second round. So a bit of a tradition. But the teams have to be nearly ready, all named and with everyone checked in.

Week 2's call will be Friday next week :)

Selection Post

Week #1:

Option 1:
8. The Star Wars movies are a major attraction to the streaming service.

* Read a book with Science Fiction as a main page genre (MPG) OR read a book with a title of no more than eight letters. Eg Bond, Kaleb, Desire, I Was Here
Series titles do not count for this task.
You must specify which option you are using in your post when showing 'how it fits'.
Bookcover/link: Roughing by Michaela Grey
Page numbers: 296 pgs/goodreads
How the book qualifies: Title with no more than 8 letters

Jane (PS) wrote: "Helke wrote: "Diane wrote: "Hey guys, Jane is going to have an early call, today between 4:00 & 6:00 pm est. so be ready :)"

That really is early. Wasn´t it supposed to come on friday?"

I often g..."

I'm happy we got it started :D

Selection Post - Week #1
Task: Read a book with a title of no more than eight letters
Book: Roomies
Pages: 368
How it fits: Title has 7 letters

I have a friend arriving tonight, so you probably won't hear from me until Tuesday at the earliest.

Selection post week 1:
Task: read a book with a title of no more than eight letters
NoX by Adriene Wilder
534 pages
How it fits: title has 3 letters

Am on the phone. Will add the proper link for the book later.

Christy wrote: "I have a friend arriving tonight, so you probably won't hear from me until Tuesday at the earliest."

Have fun :)

Helke wrote: "Selection post week 1:
Task: Title with less than 7 letters
NoX by Adriene Wilder
564 pages
How it fits: title has 3 letters"

This was an awesome book - hope you enjoy it

I did and I will. :)

Selection Post - Week #1

Task: Read a science fiction
Book: Sleeping Giants By Sylvain Neuvel
Pages: 320

Still looking for a book! Funny, I have been thinking I would like to read a good SciFi!

Selection Post - Week #1

Task: Read a science fiction (MPG) book
Book:Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Pages: 400 (Kindle edition)
How it fits: shelved Sci Fi on main page 3,305 times

Completion Post

Week # 1: Title with no more than 8 letters
Bookcover/link: Roughing by Michaela Grey
Rating (1-5): 4
Review: Okay that ending was disappointing. They come out and bam it ends? I hope like hell the next book in the series has them as an out couple, doing things as a couple. And to see how their play changes. The other thing is every had weird nicknames and sometimes I would forget who was who. I loved seeing Saint standing up to his dad. Caz was a sweetheart and I love his moms. Can’t wait for the next book in the series

Week 1 Selection Post
Task: No More than 8 Letters

Book: Falling by Barbara Elsborg
Pages: 282
How it Fits: Title has 7 Letters

Samantha wrote: "Selection Post - Week #1
Task: Read a science fiction
Book: Sleeping Giants By Sylvain Neuvel
Pages: 320"

Hi Samantha - could you please add a link to your book? I will need to make sure it has SciFi as a main page genre.

Thanks!

Jane (PS) wrote: "Samantha wrote: "Selection Post - Week #1
Task: Read a science fiction
Book: Sleeping Giants By Sylvain Neuvel
Pages: 320"

Hi Samantha - could you please add a link to your book? I will need to ma..."

Add the link. Sorry I forgot.