The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

25.3 - TraceyL's task: No More Jockeys

No More Jockeys is a YouTube series created and hosted by comedians Tim Key, Mark Watson and Alex Horne. It is based on a game they invented nearly twenty years ago which was originally called No More Women. They play over Zoom and upload episodes every Friday to their YouTube channel. It started off as something fun for them to do during lockdown, and has since gained a large following of lovely, dedicated fans, of which I am one.

On each turn, players name a person plus a relevant category – that person and category are then forbidden. If you're caught naming someone who falls under any previous category, you're out of the game. For example, someone could play Tom Hanks - No More Actors. From then on no player can name another actor, and if they do, they lose the game. The game gets more and more difficult as it goes on, and since the players are all stand-up comedians, the categories can get quite weird.

This is a 2 book task. Pick two options below, and read one book for each option.

Required: State the options when you post.

Option 1: Penelope Pitstop - No More Job Gloves

The Wacky Racers cartoon character Penelope Pitstop first appeared in Set 1, Game 5 of NMJ. She quickly became a staple of the game, and a mascot for player Tim Key. She is usually played with the category "No More Job Gloves," meaning no more people who wear gloves while at work. This category has led to many arguments about what can be considered a job, whether or not they need to be paid, and in a great NMJ moment, the question "Does a fork have a job?"

Read a book with a job in the title or subtitle. For the purpose of this task, a job is a profession (a paid occupation, involving training and/or a formal qualification). Criminal or unlawful enterprises do NOT count. Nor do royal titles. Magical jobs such as Alchemist are allowed. The main character's profession does not have to match the profession in the title. Plurals and possessives will work.

Examples:
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Knight)
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street (Watchmaker)
The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Tattooist)

Option 2: Mary Magdalene - No More People Who Haven't Said "Hello" in the 21st Century

Intended to rule out anyone who had died before the year 2000, possible loopholes for this category include people who don't speak English, or people who don't speak at all.

Read a book first published in 1999 or earlier.

Option 3: Brian Cox - No More Names Without Repeated Letters

Many categories revolve around the spelling of the names given. Other similar categories include No More Double Letters, No More Names with 3+ Vowels, and No More Names 10+ Letters Long. Mark Watson tends to play a lot of these categories.

Read a book by an author whose entire name does not have any repeated letters across all of the name parts. Each letter appearing in their name must be unique. For example, if the letter A appears in their first name and again in their last name, that author cannot be used. Authors that use a single name may be used for this task.

Examples:
Tim Key (Host of the show and accomplished poet.)
John Scalzi
R.L. Stine
Homer

Option 4: Oscar (the statuette) - No More Solid Gold Legends

When Alex Horne mentioned in Set 1, Game 8 that the beer he was drinking had the phrase Solid Gold Legend written on it, Tim Key was determined to make that his next category. He was able to name two people, C-3PO and Oscar the Oscar, as examples of solid gold legends.

Read a book that was adapted into a movie AND that movie won at least 1 Academy Award (Oscar). Any of the academy award categories count. If a movie is inspired by multiple books, you only need to read one of them. The movie does not need to be an accurate representation of the book, as long as the book is mentioned as inspiration on Wikipedia or IMDB.

Required: Provide a link to awards verification when you post.

Examples:
Forrest Gump (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/...)
Jurassic Park (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/...)
Who Censored Roger Rabbit? (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096438/...)

Optional Just-for-Fun Task: Check out No More Jockeys on YouTube! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xIul...)

Approved

Option 1 (Jobs)
Dressmaker
Ink Master
Trumpeter
Rabbi
Doctors
Librarian
Soldier
Spy
Hatter
Lighthouse Keeper
Sniper
Shepherd
Sorcerer
Baker
Magician
Historian
Lawn Boy
Lamplighter
Monk
Priest
Auctioneer
Babysitter
Fisherman
Seeker (reference required)
Justice (for a Court Justice)

Option 3 (Authors)
Homer

Not Approved

Option 1 (Jobs)
God
Robber
Queen
Lord
Boss
Employee
Worker
Killer

Option 3 (Authors)
Jo Nesbø

This thread is now open!

First of all, this show sounds hilarious. I must check it out.

Second, a Semantics question:

Would Jo Nesbø work for Option 3? There are two "o", but one of them has that line through it. Does that make it two different letters, or for our purposes are we considering them both the same?

Would you accept Dressmakers or Queen as jobs?
The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison
The Taming of the Queen
Thank you

I'll have to check with the mods for Jo Nesbo. On the one hand his official website spells his last name with a regular O, but when I Googled the Norwegian alphabet it does say they have 29 letters, and the o with a line is a separate letter.

TraceyL wrote: "I'll have to check with the mods for Jo Nesbo. On the one hand his official website spells his last name with a regular O, but when I Googled the Norwegian alphabet it does say they have 29 letters..."

Okay - no worries either way (I have a backup). But now I'm just really curious!

Meg wrote: "Would you accept Dressmakers or Queen as jobs?
The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison
The Taming of the Queen
Thank you"

Yes for Dressmaker. I'm checking with a mod about Queen because I think about that as being more of a title, but they wouldn't have another job in addition to being queen.

For the job option can I use The Ink Master's Silence. It is referring to a character being a master ink magician.

For option 3, are one-named authors ok? The Odyssey

Thank you.

would The Trumpeter of Krakow work for a job if not i have Friday the Rabbi Slept Late

Would God, Lord or Robber work for job titles?

Katrisa wrote: "For the job option can I use The Ink Master's Silence. It is referring to a character being a master ink magician."

Approved. In this context an ink master is a magical job.

Kim wrote: "For option 3, are one-named authors ok? The Odyssey

Thank you."

Yes. There is no name length limit for this one.

Marie (UK) wrote: "would The Trumpeter of Krakow work for a job if not i have Friday the Rabbi Slept Late"

Trumpeter and Rabbi are both approved.

Florence wrote: "Would God, Lord or Robber work for job titles?"

No for God. Yes for Robber. I will get back to you about Lord (similar to Queen).

Would you accept deacon as a job?

Deacon is approved. A quick Google search says they are often paid for their time.

Can the job title be a plural?
Twelve Angry Librarians

@Chris

Yes, plurals and possessive's are fine. I'll have the description updated to state that.

Emily wrote: "Would Jo Nesbø work for Option 3? There are two "o", but one of them has that line through it. Does that make it two different letters, or for our purposes are we considering them both the same?"

The default rules cover diacritical marks: Authors #9. Diacritical marks are ignored for purposes of the SRC. So, Jo Nesbø = Jo Nesbo. It has 2 Os.

For Option 2 can you have multiple jobs as Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America?
Thanks,
Andy

Andy wrote: "For Option 2 can you have multiple jobs as Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America?
Thanks,
Andy"

Yes, as long as one of the jobs meets the task requirements (doctor).

TraceyL wrote: "Andy wrote: "For Option 2 can you have multiple jobs as Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America?
Thanks,
Andy"

Yes, as long as one of the jobs meets..."
Thanks,
Andy

Queen and Lord have not been approved. The task description will be updated with more specific information.

Clarification of "Job" ;-)

Head's up readers! Tracey and I have been working on the definition of "job." Those No More Jockeys guys were right. It's not as easy as it looks!

For clarification, the task description has been changed to say (new part in bold): "For the purpose of this task, a job is a profession (a paid occupation, involving training and/or a formal qualification). Criminal or unlawful enterprises do NOT count. Nor do royal titles."

Happy book hunting!

I hope this one works for option 1: The Personal Librarian, what with Covid and all...
Andy

Librarian is approved ;)

I like this task. I would like confirmation that this would work for option 1: Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War Occupations: soldier, spy.

Thank you.

TraceyL wrote: "Librarian is approved ;)"

Thanks, Just to get it on the list, I hope it is good.

Soldier and Spy are both accepted, as spies can work directly for a government organization.

I assume old-fashioned jobs count, as in Cork Street, Next To The Hatter's, that is the person who made hats.

Hatter is approved.

Can I have The Lighthouse Keeper confirmed as a profession? I had to Google it, because I wasn't sure it was an actual paid job, but it is! Figure I'd just save some time later in case it gets questioned when I post it :)
Thanks!

Lighthouse Keeper is approved. It does look like they are usually employed by various government agencies.

Shepherd an acceptable job? Training via on-the-job, family learning or agricultural college I guess, and payment via income from selling the delicious lambs or snuggly fleeces?

Shepherd is accepted.

would you accept Sniper as a job? (i'm assuming yes, but would like to double check)

Sniper is approved as there are snipers in the military and soldier is a job.

TraceyL wrote: "Sniper is approved as there are snipers in the military and soldier is a job."

thanks I also had a Rabbi book - but i can use it for the published pre 1999 category :)

Great task!
Would Sorcerer, Hunter and Boss work?

Sorcerer is approved as a magical job.

I think Boss is too vague as it covers pretty much any job, so unfortunately that's not approved. For example I wouldn't approve Employee or Worker for the same reason.

For Hunter I would need to see what context it's being used in. I would say that a hunter does it as a hobby or sport. If there is a person in the book being paid for the specific kind of hunting they are doing, then I would accept it. Also if it's a different kind of hunter like in The Nazi Hunters or Headhunters Revealed!: Career Secrets for Choosing and Using Professional Recruiters, than those are specific jobs.

Could I use The Baker Street Letters using Baker since it is a job but not used here to reference a job?

KSMary wrote: "Could I use The Baker Street Letters using Baker since it is a job but not used here to reference a job?"

Baker is approved since the task states that the job does not need to match the MC's job.

Would The Historian work for occupation. Thanks

Historian is approved.

Would this count as a profession??
The Quantum Magician
Thanks

Deedee wrote: "Would this count as a profession??
The Quantum Magician
Thanks"

Magician is approved.

Would this qualify as a job title?

Lawn Boy

Thanks so much.