Play Book Tag discussion

Play Harder Rules

Everyone will receive a customized list of different categories and the object is to try to select, read, and review books to complete the list.

Each player will receive a CUSTOM list (randomized) of 12 prompts. If a member completes their list, they may request a new one.

Everyone who completes their list will receive an entry into a raffle to win a prize. Complete multiple lists to receive multiple entries. There will be a maximum of 4 entries into the raffle. There will also be a participation points prize of 20 points awarded for each list completed. There is no limit on the number of participation points you may earn. All books must be read and reviewed on PBT in order to receive the raffle entry or participation points.

NOTE: Please do NOT post the words "Play Harder" in front of your reviews in the two main threads. The admins agree that it is off-putting to new members. If you want Cindy to shelve your book on our shelf, there will be a special thread for that in the Activities folder, and you are not required to re-post your review there too. A title and author are sufficient. If you want to really help her out, please just shelve your own books on the Play Harder shelf.

There will also be a bonus participation points prize at the end of the year if you complete a list AND read one book each month for the monthly tag.

LINKS

Play Harder General Discussion

Play Harder Shelving

List #1

1. A travel book: Wander Woman: How to Reclaim Your Space, Find Your Voice, and Travel the World, Solo - Beth Santos
2. A book over 500 pages: The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson, 4 stars, 3/27/25
3. A book that fits a music or musician tag
4. Read a book with a paranormal element like a werewolf, witch, zombie, vampire, etc.
5. A book featuring a detective story from any Golden Age of Detective Fiction
6. A book set in South America: Fruit of the Drunken Tree - Ingrid Rojas Contreras, 4 stars, 2/12/25
7. An environmental book: Resurrection Science: Conservation, De-extinction and the Precarious Future of Wild Things - M.R. O'Connor, 4 stars, 6/9/25
8. Read a Pulitzer Prize winner.
9. A book involving a father, fatherhood or Father’s Day.
10. Find your most read author. Read a new book by that author. If you have read everything by that author, use your next most read author.
11. Book with a dog on the cover.
12. A book with a compass direction in the title

#6 A Book Set in South America - This book is set in Colombia

Fruit of the Drunken Tree - Ingrid Rojas Contreras

4 stars

Fruit of the Drunken Tree tells the story of two girls growing up in Bogota, Colombia in the 1980s and 90s. It is set during the time when Pablo Escobar was at the height of his power. One of the girls is from a well off family that has a nice home and whose father has a good job. The other girl is a maid that works for the family and lives in poverty. It was very interesting to see the different perspectives of the two girls and how each one was affected in different ways by the reign of Escobar. Although the book is fiction, the author based a lot of it on things that happened to her and people she knew when she was growing up in Colombia during this time. This was a great coming of age story with characters that were complicated and realistic. I believe I learned a lot about Colombia and its history.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

#2 A Book Over 500 Pages

The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson

4 stars

This one was a reread for me, but it has been 15 years since I read it last and I had forgotten a lot of what happened. It is a great middle book in the trilogy and sets up the final book quite well. I think the description of the siege and battle is one of the most suspenseful passages I have read in a long time. I do get a little tired of the angst in this book. Thankfully, the characters eventually get over their doubts so I don't have to read more of it in the next book. I really enjoy seeing the characters grow in this series. The world building and magic system are excellent. It is what Sanderson does best and what makes him one of my favorite authors.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

#1 A Travel Book

Wander Woman: How to Reclaim Your Space, Find Your Voice, and Travel the World, Solo - Beth Santos

4 stars

Wander Woman is book meant to inspire women to travel solo without fear. Santos offers assurances, inspiration , and some travel tips. She talks about some of the experiences she has had with solo travel and sets out a plan for others, starting with a day trip and then a weekend trip and eventually an overseas. She covers topics such as types of places to stay, what to do on your first day and how to address the Liam Neeson's in your life (a reference to the movie Taken). She also addresses how to be an ethical traveller and other philosophical topics such as how travel will change you. Overall it was a good read that has given me the little push I needed to try solo travel in the near future.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

#7 An Environmental Book

Resurrection Science: Conservation, De-extinction and the Precarious Future of Wild Things - M.R. O'Connor

4 stars

Resurrection Science is a nonfiction book about endangered and extinct species and the effort to save them and bring them back to existence. The case studies presented were interesting (and a bit sad). I liked that the author also discusses the ethics of tinkering with nature and genetics and showed both sides of the issues. The question of how much interference is too much and the philosophical discussion on what makes a species a species are important issues to be considered. What happens when we bring back something, but its habitat is no longer available? Will de-extinct creatures simply be oddities in zoos and if so will that be ethical? Overall it is an informative book that presents a lot of good issues and questions to consider.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...