Play Book Tag discussion

I just realized we didn't have one for this week.

I wanted to invite PBTers to an author event that the Retro Chapter Chicks group is organizing in February. Well, actually I am organizing it. In January 2021, I was running a Zoom book club for the local senior center and we were contacted by author Alina Adams. She was doing free talks on Zoom for local book groups about her historical novel, The Nesting Dolls. It is based on her own family history in Ukraine from the 1940's to 1970's and the immigrant experience after that.

I wasn't sure if this was mainly a vanity project about her family, but I found the book very well written and a view from a different part of the world. It shows the tradeoffs women had to make in the different generations. Alina was an excellent speaker and very entertaining talking about her own experience coming to the US when she was 7. She has a brand new book, My Mother's Secret: A Novel of the Jewish Autonomous Region, which I haven't yet read. It is on sale on Kindle for 2.99. The first book is available in libraries.

Of course, not long after the presentation I heard, the war started and suddenly everyone was more aware of Ukraine. I imagine this author still has contacts there and can give us some insight from that point of view.

We are working out details but it looks like it will be the afternoon or evening of Sunday, Feb. 19, probably about an hour. I can give updates when things are firmed up.

Oooh, that sounds really interesting! I know I've seen that book around.

Glad you thought to post one this week! Anyone is always welcome to do so.

I'm curious - anyone else working on any author talks or have ones on their horizons in the early part of 2023?

I've found through authors I know or follow that pandemic really increased the number of author talks they can give to groups small and large because they went virtual. In fact, many of the authors embraced it, loving not having to travel.

Of course, the in-person specialness is lacking, particularly having a few minutes to chat while book being signed.

I have the book on my TBR

All the chatter about the 15 years of PBT over on Happy Birthday PBT Challenge has me curious to hear more stories about how all found PBT, whether during the Shelfari days or since move to GR.

My story I've repeated before - I had friended KateNZ over in the PS group and one day in August 2018 my newsfeed showed she'd posted a review for a Thriller for something called a monthly theme...I was curious because I love thrillers, and here I am.

Our Amy was among the first to welcome me and pulled me into 2 buddy reads immediately - The Weight of Ink and Circe which were both fabulous dynamic reads and discussions. Then NicoleR posted Flurries -- - reading Halloween, Thanksgiving, and especially CHRISTMAS romances and cozy mysteries, writing reviews and getting points???? --- I knew I'd found my people.

I actually don't remember how I got here, but I think I knew some of the members from either Retro Chapter Chicks or Around the Year, or both. I may have followed Book Concierge/Tessa, since I've definitely followed her to 2 other groups! I know it was during 2020 because the group was in the middle of Poll Ballot Tally, which looked really insane!

I had been on GR's about a year, had been doing the SRC challenge and started looking for a group that was not so strict. I joined here and never looked back! I believe Theresa and I joined around the same time?

I think I began playing a month or two after the group started on Shelfari. It was a very stressful time in my life following the deaths of my husband and my father. I had very little time to myself between working and single parenting. I definitely didn't have the mental energy to follow the rules and strategies of the games! But, I was drawn into the book discussions, choosing the monthly tags, and above all the friendly supportive community of this group. It's been a treasured part of my life in all of the years since then.

I joined at the end of the first month of PBT's existence. I was sad to have missed the "historical fiction" tag!

I had been on shelfari for just under a year, at that point. The only group I'd joined up to then was the "Canada" group, but I wasn't active at all. (Initially) I was only on shelfari to keep track of what I was reading.

I believe it was the friend (real-life friend) who introduced me to shelfari, who also let me know about PBT. I'm not sure she was ever active there, though. She has since passed away.

I don't remember how I found PBT or even how I ended up on shelfari for that matter. I think a family member invited me to shelfari. I am certain that that first tag I read for was 19th century back in May of 2008 so I missed the first three months of PBT's existence but I've been here ever since. I joined in the games right away with the first one being Tag it To the Max. That one was fun. Anita gave everyone a random starting point in the list of the 200 most popular tags then members had a set amount of time to continue alphabetically through the tags. You could combine tags on one book, for example children's and children's literature, as long as they followed alphabetically. I remember I started on werewolves and the next tag was western, I couldn't find any book that fit both of those at the time but wonder if there is a book out there that fits both :-)

Raised the Nesting Dolls higher on my TBR!

In 2010, I was poking around on blogs and found a link to shelfari. Once there I began friending people and one friend suggested going on PBT because they had a challenge for choosing a year and reading books published in that year and it was set to begin January 2011. Amy, by the way I chose 1983, which was the year hubby and I were married.

I failed the challenge, but did read some good ones from 1983. I remember my first tag was Social Commentary and I have a special place in my heart for that, as well as often choosing books which could fall into that tag.

I have immensely enjoyed being a member since then.

Amy wrote: "Raised the Nesting Dolls higher on my TBR!"

The author will probably be doing a Zoom event with some GR members on Feb 19 and PBT is invited!

Joanne wrote: "I had been on GR's about a year, had been doing the SRC challenge and started looking for a group that was not so strict. I joined here and never looked back! I believe Theresa and I joined around ..."


I think you were a couple months ahead of me. But yes, we were about the same time. I don't actually remember Jolene sadly.

My first tag was THRILLER. Which of course lured me right in.

Rachel N. wrote: "I don't remember how I found PBT or even how I ended up on shelfari for that matter. I think a family member invited me to shelfari. I am certain that that first tag I read for was 19th century bac..."

Werewolves and Westerns? Not only in books but in film....the Google results were hilarioius, but this list is a pretty good sample:

https://www.romance.io/topics/best/co...

On the Film Front, one listed George Clooney and Julia Roberts as starring.

Oh My Goodness! too fun!

I joined Shelfari sometime in late 2007 or early 2008. I was pointed to it by an author I was corresponding with - Amulya Malladi. I'd been "introduced" to Malladi by another author - Shauna Singh Baldwin - who lives here.

Anyway, Malladi asked if I was on Shelfari and that's what drew me to the site.

I started out just keeping track of my reading. And I joined GoodReads to have a back-up, so I kept both sites up to date with my own reading lists.

I didn't start getting involved in any groups until about 2010. I don't remember what drew me to PBT, but I joined the group on Shelfari in May 2010 when the tag was "romance." I haven't missed reading for the tag since.

You are one of my role, models, book concierge!

PBT came up as a recommended group shortly after I created my Goodreads account in March of 2018. My first tag read with this group was Family Drama in May of 2018 and I read The Language of Flowers which was highly recommended by both Amy and Ellen. My participation was intermittent until 2021 when I actively participated in the Fly The Skies challenge and read something like 15 books with Amy. This is such a wonderful community to be part of and I'm really glad I started participating more last year! I hope to be even more of a regular contributor in 2023!

Kateloves2read wrote: "Happy Birthday Jane Austen!

Every year on her birthday I brew a pot of tea and snuggle under blankets to watch either Persuasion or Sense and Sensibility.

Is anyone else going to celebrate her ..."

What a great idea! I've been wondering what movie to run while I finish up my holiday decorations. Me and Jane and the ornaments!

I joined PBT on Safari in the Fall of 2008. I had a 10-month old, a 2-year old and a 5-year old so I was looking for ways to continue my hobbies without having to find a babysitter every week. I thought I would try some online groups and really liked PBT because it was based on a theme rather than on one particular book. It gave me the flexibility to read something easy while I was nursing my son rather than something that was typical book club reading. My babies are 14, 17, and 20 now and I still enjoy the flexibility PBT offers. The first tag that I read for PBT was poetry and I read The Panther and the Lash by Langston Hughes and Eric Carle's Dragons, Dragons by Eric Carle.

Cora wrote: "I joined PBT on Safari in the Fall of 2008. I had a 10-month old, a 2-year old and a 5-year old so I was looking for ways to continue my hobbies without having to find a babysitter every week. I th..."

Wow, your kids grew up with this group! (Even if they didn't know it)

Kateloves2read wrote: "Happy Birthday Jane Austen!

Every year on her birthday I brew a pot of tea and snuggle under blankets to watch either Persuasion or Sense and Sensibility.

Is anyone else going to celebrate her ..."

I have said I am going to read Mansfield Park because Jane won our Who's PBTs Favorite and I even voted for her as a finalist. It is the only Austen I haven't read multiple times because I found it too serious. I think I might appreciate it more now that I am older. If I am going to do this in 2022, I need to start soon, as it is a long one - maybe her longest?

Kateloves2read wrote: "Happy Birthday Jane Austen!

Every year on her birthday I brew a pot of tea and snuggle under blankets to watch either Persuasion or Sense and Sensibility.

Is anyone else going to celebrate her ..."

I think watching Persuasion while cuddled in my couch blanket fort will be just the ticket when I get home tonight. My Feminerdy Book Club is meeting this evening at the NY Historical Society to view the Salem Witch exchibit and also I hope the NY Deli Exhibit - https://www.nyhistory.org/. It's just about 40 blocks (2 miles) down Central Park West from me - a bus runs door to door - so I shouldn't get too wet getting there. The storm bringing snow to the midwest and upstate NY has brought just rain here. And more rain.

Mansfield Park was I believe the last Austen I ever read - in my late 20s - and I have not re-read it. I really liked it when I did read it and failed to understand quite why it was everyone's least favorite. My personal least favorite, by a mile, is Northanger Abbey, which I also only read once.

I have been meaning to reread Mansfield Park but I know it won't be this year.

Theresa wrote: "Mansfield Park was I believe the last Austen I ever read - in my late 20s - and I have not re-read it. I really liked it when I did read it and failed to understand quite why it was everyone's leas..."

Northanger Abbey is my absolute fave and led me to Ann Radcliffe, who I did my MA dissertation on, so it has a very special place in my heart.

My least favourites are joint - Mansfield Park (I can't stand Mrs Norris, but I don't think anyone really likes her!) and Persuasion (again, I don't like Lady Russell and also the love letter does absolutely nothing for me).

As to how I joined PBT, it was when it was established on Goodreads (I was never on Shelfari), and wanted to be more active on here - I was only really rating books I'd read.

I went looking through the groups and decided it looked interesting so joined, and I'm so glad I did - it's the only group I'm really active in, and although I've joined other challenge groups (popsugar, 52 books in 52 weeks and aty in 52 books) I don't participate as much, and I think I would have got rid of my Goodreads account if it wasn't for this group. My to read lists are much more accurate on Litsy and LibraryThing!

My first tag was Ireland.