RMFAO (Reading My Frigging A** Off) discussion

Hello dear members,

This month for the genre challenge, we have a very unique setup for you. We have not one or two but 4 challenges for you this month. Ideally, these 4 challenges are to be completed over the course of 4 weeks of the month of July - 1 challenge/game per week, but you know how lenient we are with the rules here at RMFAO, so go ahead and do the challenge your way; if you want to mix up the weeks, then, by all means, do it, if you want to do all four challenges for each week, then feel free to do that or if you just want to pick one or two of these challenges and roll with it then you can do that too!

The point, as always, is to have loads of fun! So here are the 4 challenges for the month fo July:

Game Month:

1. Action Challenge - Book title contains a verb.
2. Family Challenge - Book title contains a type of family member. (i.e. father, child, husband, wife, son, mother, etc.)
3. Water Challenge - Book title contains some type of water.
(i.e. river, rain, ocean, pool, water, etc.)
4. Proverb or Catch Phrase in Title - can be a pun, nursery rhyme, variation on a movie/book title, popular phrase, etc. Often seen in Cozies and other mysteries.

As this si our first month, we are posting the challenge thread in advance. Please feel free to ask questions and share book recommendations here so that it'll help others too.

All the best and happy reading!

Heena,

Thanks for posting this thread. I was impressed by your contribution of #4. At first I thought that would be too hard. As I started looking for titles, though, I did find a number of them in various mystery series. I also found some lists on Goodreads that could be helpful in finding books to fit that challenge. Here's a link:

https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8...

I think Game Month will be alot of fun!

Cheryl wrote: "Heena,
Thanks for posting this thread. I was impressed by your contribution of #4. At first I thought that would be too hard. As I started looking for titles, though, I did find a number of them i..."

Pleasure, Cheryl. After everything you and Dagny have been doing for the group, especially for the last couple of months, it was the least I could do.
And I am so glad that you liked the recommendation. I love all four of them - yours and Dagny's contributions are way complex and fun and I am looking forward to finding different books for the next month! I am so glad we are having this as a full-month challenge!!

I'm in! This sounds fun.

Brenda's - Game Month Challenge: July 2022
4/4 Complete

Game Month: July 2022

1. Action Challenge - Book title contains a verb.
Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas; finished 7/03/22; 3.5 stars
2. Family Challenge - Book title contains a type of family member. (i.e. father, child, husband, wife, son, mother, etc.)
Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa; finished 7/4/22; 3.5 stars
3. Water Challenge - Book title contains some type of water.
(i.e. river, rain, ocean, pool, water, etc.)
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel; finished 7/19/22; 3.5 stars
4. Proverb or Catch Phrase in Title - can be a pun, nursery rhyme, variation on a movie/book title, popular phrase, etc. Often seen in Cozies and other mysteries.
Gone Haunting in Deadwood by Ann Charles; variation of Gone Hunting; finished 7/14/22; 4.5 stars

Brenda wrote: "I'm in! This sounds fun."

Great choices, Brenda! I'm impressed that you will be doing all 4 Games. And feel free to change your selections if you decide to read something else. Fun is the priority for Game Month.

Dagny wrote: " As I was looking through some of the titles listed, I noticed one which was already on my list of options We'll Always Have Parrots This is one of Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow and they are hilarious ."

Dagny,

It looks like alot of the books in that series could work for Game #4. So many Cozies and other mystery series have great titles that can be used for it.

Quick question, or rather clarification: Each week has its own specific theme challenge, and those are the only time during the month we can read a theme of choice? (ie: A book on Lake Michigan CANNOT be read during week 1).

Fran wrote: "Quick question, or rather clarification: Each week has its own specific theme challenge, and those are the only time during the month we can read a theme of choice? (ie: A book on Lake Michigan CAN..."

Fran,

Game Month is about titles this year, not themes. So "Lake Michigan" would have to be in the TITLE. We are looking for specific words (or phrases in the case of Game #4) in each book's title that follow the requirements for each Game. The theme of the book does not matter this month.

As for when you can read the books, it's up to you. To do it formally, then Week 1 should ONLY be books with a verb in the title. However, we are allowing you to adapt the challenge and read books that fit any of the 4 Games any time you want in July. Just mention which Game each book belongs to.

I hope this helps. Do not hesitate to ask any more questions, if needed!

I have thousands of books on my TBR and kindle but I am having a hard time finding titles because I do not read cozy mysteries. Can I use The Gulf: The Making of An American Sea or is that unacceptable since it does not specifically state Gulf of Mexico?

Thanks so much Cheryl. I'm confident enough to start requesting books ;) But I'll wait to post until some else does :)

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "I have thousands of books on my TBR and kindle but I am having a hard time finding titles because I do not read cozy mysteries. Can I use The Gulf: The Making of An American Sea or ..."

Beth,

That book is fine for #3 Water Challenge, because it has the word “sea” in the title.

#4 Proverb or Catch Phrase Challenge can use song/movie titles or quotes,too. An example is Mary Higgins Clark, who writes mysteries whose titles are also song titles. Also, think of phrases like “first comes love” (look at romance books) or “hide and seek” or “along came a spider” (look at non-cozy mysteries).

Beth,

Since your Goodreads profile is public, I looked at your To Be Read list to find titles that would fit #4 Challenge. I found these right away:

Apotheosis Now (a play on the title Apocalypse Now)
Out of His League
Monkey Business
Get Smoked or Go Home
Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Hell to Pay

I hope this is helpful!

Cheryl wrote: "Beth,

Since your Goodreads profile is public, I looked at your To Be Read list to find titles that would fit #4 Challenge. I found these right away:..."

Thank you Cheryl. That list helps. The water one was frustrating. Most of what I have has it as a subject not a body of water in the title.

No one should feel stressed out about Game Month! If you can’t find titles to fit all 4 challenges, then just focus on one or two of the challenges. It’s OK.

Cheryl wrote: "No one should feel stressed out about Game Month! If you can’t find titles to fit all 4 challenges, then just focus on one or two of the challenges. It’s OK."

I have so many purchased books and library books this month and most have been lack luster, Just a frustrating slump ….lol

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: " I have so many purchased books and library books this month and most have been lack luster, Just a frustrating slump ….lol ."

Beth,

Isn't that frustrating? I've been there, too. Hopefully you'll find a good book soon.

Action Challenge:

1. The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza By Lawrence Block
Two and a half stars.

Catchphrase Challenge
We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets. Four stars

This is the 21st centuries version of big brother is watching. Orwell did not conceptualize the internet and how it might affect those that monitor (watch) all the reported social media’s posts for “culturally sensitive issues”. Big brother (Think meta but name change in the book) sets the criteria the monitors have to use when evaluating a post for removal. How often do you see or hear “this post was blocked” ? And do you wonder how if affects those that have to look at hundreds of questionable videos every day for a job?

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "Catchphrase Challenge
We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets. Four stars

This is the 21st centuries version of big brother is watching.”

Beth,

This sounds interesting. It makes you wonder what was in such a post. Good job on finding such a modern catchphrase!

Would The Witch With No Name by Kim Harrison qualify for the Catchphrase Challenge?

Sherri wrote: "Would The Witch With No Name by Kim Harrison qualify for the Catchphrase Challenge?"

Sheeri,

Unless that title is a play on words for something else, I don't think it would qualify.

Since your Profile is public, I looked at your Currently Reading shelf and found 2 books that definitely do qualify:

The Royal We
A Quick Bite

Also, I found these on your Want to Read shelf:

Without a Trace
Great Sexpectations
Liar Liar
Twice in a Lifetime
Holy Chow
Something in the Heir

I hope this is helpful to you! Don't hesitate to ask any more questions.

2. Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas - Action Challenge
3 stars

3. The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler - Family Challenge
4 stars

4. His Unknown Wife by Louis Tracy - Family Challenge
4 stars. This is a fun adventure/romance novel from 1916 and can be found at Project Gutenberg.

1.) Daughter of Time (EB) - Sarah Woodbury FAMILY
2.) Saving Noah (EB) - Kaci Rose ACTION
3.) Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (AB) - Kwame Mbalia ACTION
4.) Hold Fast (AB) - Blue Balliet ACTION

The last two choices are actually children's/tween selection. Its always another option when searching for something new that fits one of these challenges.

Fran,

Thanks for mentioning children's books. They definitely are allowed in the Challenge, as are Young Adult books and graphic novels.

5. Under the Lake by Stuart Woods - Water Challenge
3 stars

This book was written in 1986 and has a blurb on the back cover by Stephen King. The plot is very similar to King's novel Bag of Bones (1998), but King's book is more horror and Woods' book is more about the mystery. I guess authors "borrow" ideas from each other.

6. The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler - Water Challenge
4 stars

Cheryl wrote: "Sherri wrote: "Would The Witch With No Name by Kim Harrison qualify for the Catchphrase Challenge?"

Sheeri,

Unless that title is a play on words for something else, I don't think it would qualify..."

I think that title is a play on Clint Eastwood's movie, The Man with No Name. The Kim Harrison books have a general Eastwood theme - Dead Witch Walking, The Good the Bad and the Undead, For a Few Demons More...

Brenda,

Thanks for mentioning this. In that case, The Witch With No Name would fit the Challenge criteria.

#1 The Wives by Tarryn Fisher - 4/5 - Family Challenge

This book is exceptionally gripping and I totally loved it, especially the ending!

7. Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathan Kellerman - Catch Phrase Challenge ( song title )
4 stars

A very interesting mystery where a crime commited in the distant past catches up to people in the present day. No Elvis, though. :)

I think Editorial Wild Oats works as a Catchphrase because this short story collection is wild and rebellious if not promiscuous.

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "I think Editorial Wild Oats works as a Catchphrase because this short story collectionis wild and rebellious if not promiscuous."

Beth,

I agree. You can use that book for the Catchphrase Challenge.

8.) Of Grave Concern by Max McCoy - Catch Phrase Challenge
4 stars

9.) Thin Air: A Ghost Story by Michelle Paver - Catch Phrase Challenge ( like the phrase “disappeared into thin air”)
3 stars

Will it count when I have a book where in original title isn't anything with water but in my mother language it is translated as ocean's revenge or something like that?

Saša wrote: "Will it count when I have a book where in original title isn't anything with water but in my mother language it is translated as ocean's revenge or something like that?"

I think that would be ok. When you make the post for that book, you can explain how it fits the challenge.

#1 - Catch Phrase Challenge
The Royal We by Heather Cocks - Rating: 3/5

Family Challenge

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley 4 stars

#2 Family Challenge Diary of a Mummy Misfit by Amanda Egan EB, very British hilarious humor 4 stars

Dagny wrote: "Hmmm, I didn't think of it before, but this one might work as a catch phrase: In Plain Sight by C J Box

What do you think, Cheryl?"

Yes, that will work.

10. Long Time No See by Ed McBain - Catch Phrase Challenge
3 stars

Dagny wrote: "Cool, thanks, Cheryl.

3. In Plain Sight (catch phrase)"

Dagny,

Is this book a stand-alone, or do you have to read the books before it to understand what’s going on?

#2. Catch Phrase Challenge
A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands - Rating 3/5

Dagny wrote: "#4 for this month and my third Catch Phrase - they're definitely the easiest ones to find and keep popping up everywhere.”

Dagny,

Catch Phrase titles are alot easier to find than I thought they’d be.

11. The Pearl Lagoon by Charles Bernard Nordhoff - Water Challenge
3 stars

Dagny, I put words like "mother", "father" etc in the search bar on the library website and went from there. it gave me some options, like Father Brown and the Aunt Dimity series.

Dagny wrote: "Oddly enough I'm finding the "Family" portion the most difficult to find. I've had one on hold for several weeks and starting to wonder if it will come in on time. .."

Dagny,

There are a number of "domestic thriller" books that have the words wife, husband, son, etc. in the titles - if you're into that genre. Whether your library has them now, or if they're interlibrary loans is another matter.

I, too, have had interlibrary loan books come in too late for Challenges in the past. It can be pretty frustrating.

The Action Challenge has be a little hard for me. Lots of book titles have nouns only.

Fran wrote: "Dagny, I put words like "mother", "father" etc in the search bar on the library website and went from there. it gave me some options, like Father Brown and the Aunt Dimity series."

Ooh, thanks Fran! Father can be used, even if the book title refers to a priest.

I really enjoy the Father Brown series as an audiobook and it's a classic (win, win, win!!!) so that got me thinking of other series. Aunt Dimity was really enjoyable as an audiobook, but I'll warn you: anytime I order books from the library is a winding rabbit hole ;)