The Challenge Factory discussion

Dickens family:
Michelle’s Empty Nest – Captain
Melanie – Scorekeeper
ChristinaT
RaeRae
Cindy


Selection or Completion Post:
Book and Author:
Pages:
Date Read:
Survey Answer:
How it Fits:

Welcome to TCF's Family Feud! This is a team challenge where family members
from all over the world compete for points.

You must read 1 book a week to participate in this challenge.

At the end of 6 weeks, the family with the most points wins.

Each Saturday morning, a survey will be posted. By Sunday night, each family member must declare (make a Selection Post) which answer they will read a book for. Family members can read for the same answer.

You cannot begin reading your book until Monday morning (12:01 a.m., your time).
You have until the following Sunday night (11:59 p.m., your time) to complete your book and report it on your family's thread.

The answers' points will be revealed each Tuesday morning.

*******************************************************************

Details:
웃 Sign-ups are now open.
웃 Families (teams) will be posted Tuesday, October 18.
웃 The game will begin on Monday, Oct. 24, at 12:01 a.m. (your local time)
웃 The game consists of 6 'Weeks'. 'Week 5' is actually 14 days to allow for extra reading time because of Thanksgiving.
웃 The game will conclude Sunday, Dec. 11, at 12:59 p.m. (your local time)
웃 If your profile is set to private, you will need to open it for the duration of the game. You may need to be contacted by the head of your family.

How to Play:
웃 Each family member will need to read one book a week.
웃 The book must be selected from that week's survey prompts.
웃 Do not start reading your book before Monday morning.
웃 Post a link to the book, finish date, and which survey answer you choose.

Family Size and Family Leave:
If your family (team) is smaller than the other families (teams), you can have a family member read an extra book each week. Also, for emergencies or arranged absences, an extra book can be read.

Sample Survey
Name something specific that might make a blind date not go very well.
Answers:
Nothing in Common - read a stand-a-lone book
Body Odor - read a book that someone else DNF
Male shorter than Female - read a book that is between 140 - 175 pages
Arrives Late - read a book published in 2022
Car Trouble/Accident - read a book with a vehicle on the cover
Personality Clash - read a book from a genre that you don't normally read
Sloppy Attire - read a self-published book that might have typos
Bad Breath - listen to an audio book
Date is a Bore - read a non-fiction book
Ugly Date/Bad Looking - read a book with a cover that you consider ugly

sample Selection or Completion post
Book and Author: Soul Taken by Patricia Briggs
Pages: 298
Date Read: 10/21/2022
Survey Answer: Arrives Late - read a book published in 2022
How it Fits: the book was published in 2022

Qualifying Books:
웃 Books must be a minimum of 140 pages.
웃 Cookbooks and poetry books ARE NOT allowed.
웃 Graphic novels must be 250+ pages.

Captain and Scorekeeper Duties:
* Each team will need a Captain and a Scorekeeper.
* The Scorekeeper can use a spreadsheet or make a weekly tracking post to keep track of each family member's points.
* The Captain will need to begin a thread for your family. A family Reporting Thread is a possiblity.
* The Captain will need to double check each team member's Completion Post to make sure that the book fits the task and has the minimum number of pages.
* Captains or Scorekeepers will need to report their family's total points by December 13.
* Report any problems, concerns, missing players, etc. to the moderator (Lanelle).

Information:

The game begins Monday, Oct. 24, so you'll see the survey and answers (reading prompts) Saturday, Oct. 22. The survey and answers will be posted two days before each "Week".

Week 1: Oct 24 - 30
Week 2: Oct. 31 - Nov. 6
Week 3: Nov. 7 - 13
Week 4: Nov. 14 - 20
Week 5: Nov. 21 - Dec. 4 (14 days)
Week 6: Dec. 5 - 11

Surveys & Answers:


Week 1 Survey

Name a kind of hat.

Baseball - read a book with an author's name that has double letters (Sally, Emmett, Briggs, Woolf)
Beret - read a book with a 5 word title (includes articles)
Cowboy/Stetson - read a book where the main character rides a horse
Derby - read a book within 24 hours (the Kentucky Derby is fast!)
Easter Bonnet - read a book set during the springtime
Fedora - read a book by a male author
Panama - read a book with the word "canal" in the text of the book
Straw - read a book where the mc spends a lot of time outdoors
Top - read the first book of a series

Week 2 Survey:

Name someone of fact or fiction with enormous strength.

Answers:
Atlas - read a book where the mc travels to a different country
Arnold Schwarzenegger - read a book set in Europe
Charles Atlas - read a book with a main character whose first name begins with C
Goliath - read a giant book (400+ pages)
Hercules - read a mystery book (in honor of Hercule Poirot)
Incredible Hulk - read a book from the 5 Stars list
Paul Bunyan - read a book set in the United States
Samson - read a historical book
Superman - read a science fiction book
The Hulk - read a book where the author uses a pseudonym

Week 3 Survey

Name a magazine you consider to be intelligent.

Answers:
Consumer Reports - read a book that you can report to another challenge than this one
Good Housekeeping - read a book that someone on your team rated 3 stars (the book was good, but not great)
Life - read a biography, autobiography, or a memoir (can be fictionalized)
Money - read a book that you purchased
National Geographic - read a book set in a country different than where you live
New Yorker - read a book set in New York
Newsweek - read a book published in 2022
Reader's Digest - read a book that has between 140 - 175 pages
Time - take 120 hours (5 days) or more to read a book
Wall Street Journal - read a book from the Epistolary Fiction list

Week 4 Survey

Name something you see in almost every Italian restaurant.

Bread - read a book written by an author mentioned on the How to Bake Bread reading challenge thread *
Candles - read a book set before electricity was commonly available in homes (1930-ish)
Cheese - read a book with over 1,000 ratings *
Italians - read a book with a character of Italian descent in the story
Pasta - read a book with a title that begins with a letter in PASTA (you can use 'A', An', "The")
Pizza - get a 'round' to reading a book that has been on your TBR list for over a year
Red and white checkered tablecloth - read a book with red or white letters on the cover
Singing waiter - read a book with "ING" intact in the title
Wine - read a book with 2 or more publication dates *

* You can scroll through all the posts, or click on the "More..." button of the "Authors mentioned in this topic", which is to the right of Message 1. This list is not complete. This list only has authors that are included in a post. To get all the authors, you will have to look through all the posts.
* Wikipedia says that there are over 1,000 types of cheese.
* I googled "how long does it take to make wine" and the general answer is 2 months. I have no idea if that's true or not, but it gave me an idea for a reading task, so I'm using it :)

Week 5 Survey

Name how many hours a day a dog sleeps.

Answers:
6 - read a book published in 2006
8 - read a book published in 2008
10 - read a book published in 2010
12 - read a book published in 2012
14 - read a book published in 2014
15 - read a book published in 2015
16 - read a book published in 2016
17 - read a book published in 2017
18 - read a book published in 2018
20 - read a book published before 2000

Week 6 Survey

Besides doors and windows, name something people open.

Answers:
Bottle - read a book with double consonants in the title (bottle, message, still)
Box - read a book from a series that has at least four books in it
Cans - read a book with something plural in the title
Drawers - read a book that is (or should be) on the Inside Your Wardrobe list
Gifts - read a book that was given to you (a gift)
Jar - read a book where the main character is or was in the military (Jarhead)
Mail - read a book by a mail (or male :) author
Mouth - listen to an audio book
Purse - read a book that you purchased
Refrigerator - read a book set during the wintertime

Completion Posts, Scores, Etc.:


Twisted Dickens Family: Week 1

(view spoiler)[Michelle’s Empty Nest: Sing My Name by Ellen O'Connell 10-25
Baseball

Melanie: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs 10-30
Baseball

ChristinaT: Confused Hearts by Nicky James 10-30
Cowboy

RaeRae: Moose Be Love by Jacqueline Winters 10-28
Straw

Cindy: The Air He Breathes by Brittainy C. Cherry 10-25
Baseball

20 - Cowboy/Stetson - read a book where the main character rides a horse
20 - Top - read the first book of a series
18 - Derby - read a book within 24 hours (the Kentucky Derby is fast!)
17 - Baseball - read a book with an author's name that has double letters (Sally, Emmett, Briggs, Woolf)
5 - Straw - read a book where the mc spends a lot of time outdoors
3 - Easter Bonnet - read a book set during the springtime
3 - Fedora - read a book by a male author
2 -Beret - read a book with a 5 word title (includes articles)
2 - Panama - read a book with the word "canal" in the text of the book

Austen family: 77
Christie family: 60
Dahl family: 62
Dickens family: 76
Dumas family: 88
Hemingway family: 59
Hugo family: 63
Shakespeare family: 57
Steinbeck family: 94
Stoker family: 74
Tolkien family: 75
Twain family: 91
Verne family: 62
Woolf family: 97 (hide spoiler)]


Twisted Dickens Family: Week 2

(view spoiler)[Michelle --> Hercules

Melanie --> Hercules

Christina T --> Hercules

RaeRae --> Goliath

Cindy --> Incredible Hulk

26 - Samson - read a historical book
24 - Hercules - read a mystery book (in honor of Hercule Poirot)
14 - Superman - read a science fiction book
8 - Atlas - read a book where the mc travels to a different country
7 - Arnold Schwarzenegger - read a book set in Europe
4 - Charles Atlas - read a book with a main character whose first name begins with C
4 - Goliath - read a giant book (400+ pages)
4 - Paul Bunyan - read a book set in the United States
3 - Incredible Hulk - read a book from the 5 Stars list
2 - The Hulk - read a book where the author uses a pseudonym

Austen family: 90
Christie family: 79
Dahl family: 42
Dickens family: 79
Dumas family: 81
Hemingway family: 37
Hugo family: 71
Shakespeare family: 70
Steinbeck family: 100
Stoker family: 49
Tolkien family: 89
Twain family: 73
Verne family: 50
Woolf family: 40 (hide spoiler)]


Twisted Dickens Family: Week 3

(view spoiler)[Michelle --> Time

Melanie --> National Geographic

Christina T --> Newsweek

RaeRae --> ?

Cindy --> National Geographic

32 - Time - take 120 hours (5 days) or more to read a book
12 - National Geographic - read a book set in a different country than where you live
8 - Newsweek - read a book published in 2022
5 - Consumer Reports - read a book that has had a different title (Consumer Reports used to be Consumer Union)
5 - Reader's Digest - read a book that has between 140 - 175 pages
4 - Life - read a biography, autobiography, or a memoir (can be fictionalized)
4 - New Yorker - read a book set in New York
3 - Good Housekeeping - read a book that someone on your team rated 3 stars (the book was good, but not great)
3 - Money - read a book that you purchased
3 - Wall Street Journal - read a book from the Epistolary Fiction list

Austen family: 19
Christie family: 73
Dahl family: 59
Dickens family: 64
Dumas family: 42
Hemingway family: 31
Hugo family: 27
Shakespeare family: 39
Steinbeck family: 57
Stoker family: 31
Tolkien family: 48
Twain family: 40
Verne family: 43
Woolf family: 35 (hide spoiler)]


Twisted Dickens Family: Week 4


(view spoiler)[Michelle --> Pasta

Melanie --> Pasta

Christina T --> Pasta

RaeRae --> Pizza

Cindy --> Pasta

32 - Pasta - read a book with a title that begins with a letter in PASTA (you can use 'A', An', 'The')
16 - Red and white checkered tablecloth - read a book with red or white letters on the cover
12 - Wine - read a book with 2 or more publication dates *
9 - Candles - read a book set before electricity was commonly available in homes (1930-ish)
7 - Bread - read a book written by an author mentioned on the How to Bake Bread reading challenge thread *
6 - Cheese - read a book with over 1,000 ratings *
4 - Pizza - get a 'round' to reading a book that has been on your TBR list for over a year
3 - Italians - read a book with a character of Italian descent in the story
2 - Singing waiter - read a book with "ING" intact in the title

Week 4 -
Austen family: 106
Christie family: 88
Dahl family: 81
Dickens family: 132
Dumas family: 112
Hemingway family: 57
Hugo family: 88
Shakespeare family: 160
Steinbeck family: 108
Stoker family: 92
Tolkien family: 61
Twain family: 90
Verne family: 106
Woolf family: 140 (hide spoiler)]


Twisted Dickens Family: Week 5

(view spoiler)[Michelle --> 12 hours

Melanie --> 14 hours

Christina T --> 15 hours

RaeRae --> 12 hours

Cindy --> 14 hours

Name how many hours a day a dog sleeps.
Answers:
25 - 12 - read a book published in 2012
17 - 10 - read a book published in 2010
10 - 6 - read a book published in 2006
7 - 14 - read a book published in 2014
7 - 16 - read a book published in 2016
7 - 18 - read a book published in 2018
6 - 8 - read a book published in 2008
6 - 20 - read a book published before 2000
4 - 15 - read a book published in 2015
2 - 17 - read a book published in 2017

Austen family: 63
Christie family: 70
Dahl family: 78
Dickens family: 68
Dumas family: 71
Hemingway family: 37
Hugo family: 70
Shakespeare family: 53
Steinbeck family: 81
Stoker family: 71
Tolkien family: 48
Twain family: 36
Verne family: 83
Woolf family: 89 (hide spoiler)]


Twisted Dickens Family: Week 6


Michelle --> Gifts

Melanie --> Bottle

Christina T --> Box

RaeRae --> Mouth

Cindy --> Bottle

20 - Mail - read a book by a mail (or male :) author
17 - Cans - read a book with something plural in the title
9 - Drawers - read a book that is (or should be) on the Inside Your Wardrobe list
9 - Mouth - listen to an audio book
9 - Refrigerator - read a book set during the wintertime
5 - Box - read a book from a series with at least four books in it
5 - Jar - read a book where the main character is or was in the military (Jarhead)
4 - Gifts - read a book where a birthday is celebrated
2 - Bottle - read a book
2 - Purse - read a book that you purchased

Austen family: 43
Christie family: 43
Dahl family: 34
Dickens family: 22
Dumas family: 51
Hemingway family: 27
Hugo family: 30
Shakespeare family: 53
Steinbeck family: 68
Stoker family: 30
Tolkien family: 61
Twain family: 25
Verne family: 31
Woolf family: 38


Each family's total from highest to lowest are:
Steinbeck - 508
Dumas - 445
Dickens - 441
Woolf - 439
Shakespeare - 432
Christie - 413
Austen - 398
Tolkien - 382
Verne - 375
Dahl - 356
Twain - 355
Hugo - 349
Stoker - 347
Hemingway - 248

Hey team!! I'm excited to meet you all. :)


First up, do we like our family name? Or do we want to change it? Suggestions?

I am good with it. it matches the theme they have going

Hey RaeRae! I agree completely. :)

Hello everyone. I’m ok with the name we have

Hi team! 👋 I'm ChristinaT from Iowa in the states. I work overnights so my online times are sporadic at best. I'm good with our name as well but if the team decides to change it I'd be ok with that as well. I'm a little confused on how to play this game but will pick it up once we get going. I'm heading back to bed to catch a few more zzzzs😴

Hey Cindy & Christina!

One last thought before I go back to bed... do you think we get more points the more survey prompts we read (meaning we all should pick a different prompt) or is it better to try and figure which ones would be worth more and have us doubling up on those prompts?

Hello team! I'm fine with our name but I'd be fine changing it if anyone wants to.

Hey Melanie!

Christina T wrote: "One last thought before I go back to bed... do you think we get more points the more survey prompts we read (meaning we all should pick a different prompt) or is it better to try and figure which o..."

Christina, I think we would have as much luck just picking what sounds best to each of us, whether they are all different or the same. That way, nobody's stuck reading a book/genre they're not crazy about. But I could be totally wrong. LOL! :)

I think we're all checked in now. Woo-hoo!

Since nobody has any immediate suggestions for a name change, let's just stick with what we've got. I like that it's a family name and an author's name. Seems like it's in keeping with the theme of the game. :)

*whispering* The Dodgy Dickens? Twisted Dickens?

(Pay no attention to the moderator behind the curtain.)

Lanelle wrote: "*whispering* The Dodgy Dickens? Twisted Dickens?

(Pay no attention to the moderator behind the curtain.)"

LOL!!! Now I do like Twisted Dickens! :-)

Hey fam!

Lanelle has asked that captains have our reports in by Monday morning.

Does everyone think you can plan to complete and post your books by 10 p.m. Eastern time on Sundays? Sound reasonable/doable? That will give me time to compile all of our books and answers and submit them late Sunday night or early Monday morning.

Let me know. Thanks! :)

Michelle's Empty Nest wrote: "Hey fam!

Lanelle has asked that captains have our reports in by Monday morning.

Does everyone think you can plan to complete and post your books by 10 p.m. Eastern time on Sundays? Sound reasonab..."

I think that is doable Michelle. It gives everyone well over 24 hours.

I'm good with Twisted Dickens. I'm not creative so coming up with another name stresses me lol.

Christina T wrote: "Michelle's Empty Nest wrote: "Hey fam!

Lanelle has asked that captains have our reports in by Monday morning.

Does everyone think you can plan to complete and post your books by 10 p.m. Eastern t..."


I might need to clarify. It wouldn't be for declaring what you plan to read, but for the completion post the following Sunday, and then each Sunday after that. Does that make more sense?

Christina T wrote: "I'm good with Twisted Dickens. I'm not creative so coming up with another name stresses me lol."

So does everyone else want to change to Twisted Dickens or stay as is? We'll go with the highest vote, family. :)

These are the weeks and the surveys come out 2 days before the start of the week.

Week 1: Oct 24 - 30
Week 2: Oct. 31 - Nov. 6
Week 3: Nov. 7 - 13
Week 4: Nov. 14 - 20
Week 5: Nov. 21 - Dec. 4 (14 days)
Week 6: Dec. 5 - 11

So for week 1: we will get the survey on 10/22, we need to make our selections by end of day 10/23, and then we have from 10/24 to 10/30 to read the book. Michelle is then asking us to have our books read and posted by 10 pm EST on 10/30 to make sure there's time to check us in.

Do I have that right Michelle?

Melanie wrote: "These are the weeks and the surveys come out 2 days before the start of the week.

Week 1: Oct 24 - 30
Week 2: Oct. 31 - Nov. 6
Week 3: Nov. 7 - 13
Week 4: Nov. 14 - 20
Week 5: Nov. 21 - Dec. 4 (14..."

YES, thank you, Melanie! I wasn't near a calendar or my computer to be more specific.

I'm good with Twisted Dickins

Michelle's Empty Nest wrote: "Lanelle wrote: "*whispering* The Dodgy Dickens? Twisted Dickens?

(Pay no attention to the moderator behind the curtain.)"

LOL!!! Now I do like Twisted Dickens! :-)"

same

It looks like at least 4 of us are good with Twisted Dickens, so I'll let Lanelle know to change it for us.

Week 1's survey has been posted in the Survey Says thread. Have fun deciding which answer might score the highest points.

Family members can read for the same answer.

Here we go, fam! Lanelle has posted Week 1 a day early. {Thanks, Lanelle!}

Post what you plan to read for by Sunday night at 10 pm Eastern. Remember, we can't start reading until Monday morning. :)


Week 1 Survey

Name a kind of hat.

Baseball - read a book with an author's name that has double letters (Sally, Emmett, Briggs, Woolf)
Beret - read a book with a 5 word title (includes articles)
Cowboy/Stetson - read a book where the main character rides a horse
Derby - read a book within 24 hours (the Kentucky Derby is fast!)
Easter Bonnet - read a book set during the springtime
Fedora - read a book by a male author
Panama - read a book with the word "canal" in the text of the book
Straw - read a book where the mc spends a lot of time outdoors
Top - read the first book of a series

Selection Post:


Book and Author: Sing My Name by Ellen O'Connell
Pages: 407
Date Read: N/A
Survey Answer: Baseball - read a book with an author's name that has double letters ~ OR ~
Cowboy/Stetson - read a book where the main character rides a horse
How it Fits: Double letters in author's name OR MC rides a horse.

I can read for either a book set in springtime and where the MC spends a lot of time outdoors

So I asked my husband this question without the answer choices and he said cowboy hat. My first thought was baseball. Then maybe top or straw?

What do you all think? Should we try to strategize for the highest points answer or do you want to read for what already fits into your plan for the week?

I'm good either way. Winning is great, but it's not the only reason I like group challenges. :)

My first thought would be baseball and the cowboy

Selection Post

Book and Author: The Air He Breathes by Brittainy C. Cherry
Pages: 308
Survey Answer: Baseball - read a book with an author's name that has double letters

None of the 3 books I have planned work for either Baseball or Cowboy. I could read one of them in 24 hours for the Derby hat if we wanted to spread out our answers. I can add a 4th book for my week and read a Cowboy book if we wanted to go that way.

Please remember to make a Selection Post for this week's book by 10 pm Eastern. Thanks, team!


Selection or Completion Post:
Book and Author:
Pages:
Date Read:
Survey Answer:
How it Fits:


You can change your book during the week if you find you need to later on. I think Lanelle has asked us to do this as a way to keep us all on track. :)

Week 1 Selection Post:



Book and Author: The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
Pages: 370
Survey Answer: Baseball
How it Fits: Author's first name has a double S - Tessa

Selection Post
Week 1


Book: Confused Hearts
Author: Nicky James
Pages: 253
Survey Answer: Cowboy
How it fits: Knox rides horses in the book

Week 1


Michelle’s Empty Nest: Sing My Name by Ellen O'Connell 10-25
Baseball

Melanie: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs 10-30
Baseball

ChristinaT: Confused Hearts by Nicky James 10-30
Cowboy

RaeRae: Moose Be Love by Jacqueline Winters 10-28
Straw

Cindy: The Air He Breathes by Brittainy C. Cherry 10-25
Baseball

Selection or Completion Post:
Book and Author: Moose Be Love
Pages: 224
Date Read: 10/28/2022
Survey Answer: Straw- read a book where the MC spends a lot of time outdoors
How it Fits: spends a lot of time outdoors as a grounds keeper and with his German Shepard Riggs

Completion Post:
Book and Author: Sing My Name by Ellen O'Connell
Pages: 407
Date Read: 10-25-2022
Survey Answer: Baseball - read a book with an author's name that has double letters (Sally, Emmett, Briggs, Woolf)
How it Fits: Both names have double letters.

Completion Post

Book and Author: The Air He Breathes by Brittainy C. Cherry
Pages: 308
Date Read: 10/25/22
Survey Answer: Baseball - read a book with an author's name that has double letters (Sall, Emmett, Briggs, Woolf)
How it fits: Double letters in authors first and last name

Hey fam! How's it looking for completion posts by tomorrow night? Have a great weekend. :)

I just started my book but will have it done in time.

Christina T wrote: "I just started my book but will have it done in time."

Enjoy!

I'll have mine done either late tonight or tomorrow morning.

Melanie wrote: "I'll have mine done either late tonight or tomorrow morning."

Awesome!

I ended up switching to a different book but it's still the same task which is ok from what I saw in the Q&A thread. I will have it posted shortly.

Week 1 Completion Post:



Book and Author: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
Pages: 294
Date Read: 10/30/2022
Survey Answer: Baseball
How it Fits: Author's last name has a double G - Patricia Briggs