The Challenge Factory discussion

The Race to 100 is a competitive contest to see which team can read their way to 100 first. This is a 10-week race, but it's possible to finish in less time.

Can you and your team get to 100 before the other teams?


team 5
Denise (mod)
Mrs W
Laila Jane
Melissa (ladybug)

Details:
You have six (6) days to read one (1) book.
Your book must match a task in a category. Your team will reach 100 sooner if your book fits more tasks. Your book can match up to three (3) tasks.

Week 1: April 9 - 14
Week 2: April 16 - 21
Week 3: April 23 - 28
Week 4: April 30 - May 5
Week 5: May 7 - 12
Week 6: May 14 - 19
Week 7: May 21 - 26
Week 8: May 28 - June 2
Week 9: June 4 - 9
Week 10: June 11 - 16


Rules:
You can't begin reading your book until Wednesday morning, 12:01 a.m. your time.
You must finish and report your book by Monday night 11:59 p.m. your time.
Books must be 140 pages or more.
Audio books must be at least 3 hours long.
Graphic Novels must be at least 200 pages.

Sample Completion Post
Name:
Book and Author:
Pages:
Date Read:
Task:
How It Fits:
2nd Task:
How It Fits:
3rd Task:
How It Fits:

(omit 2nd and/or 3rd task information if not using them)

There are 20 tasks in 5 categories that will need to be read for.
* Each task needs to be completed once to win the race. *

Task Count: 86/100

Numbers (series # or in the publication date; double digits need to be intact)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Letters (first word of the title or author's initial; do not ignore A, An, The)
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, V, W

Tags (does not need to be on the book's main page)
Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Young Adult (or YA), History or Historical, classic(s), standalone, reread (or re-read), audiobook(s), favorite or favourite, library, tbr, dnf, 5 star(s), 4 star(s), 3 star(s), 2024, 2023, own (or owned)

Settings (must be at least 50% of the story)
Africa, Australia or New Zealand, Canada, Central or South America, mainland Europe,
a Mediterranean country, the UK, California, New York, Texas, Washington state, on a farm, on a small island, at a school, in space or a different planet, on or in a vehicle, 1925 or earlier, in the future, a fantasy world, very near to where you live

Scavenger Words: (borrowed words from Deb's Scavenger Hunt. Thanks, Deb!)
You may change the word by adding an S, ED, or ING)
bowtie, bronze, carve, crust, dread, drain, field, foundation, grease, hint, instrument, legend, lock, opal, orange, partridge, railroad, stall, stout, trophy

Sabotages and Boosts
* Each sabotage or boost can only be used once.
* Sabotaging is optional. It is not mandatory.
* No sabotages on Week 10.
* Only 1 sabotage will be effective for a receiving team each week. (In other words, if Teams 2, 3 and 7 all send a sabotage to Team 5, only 1 will be in effect. The first sabotage submitted for a specific team in the sabotaging team's weekly Completion Post will be accepted. You will lose your sabotage even if it doesn't affect a team.)


Flat Tire - this sabotage will limit 1 player on a team to read for 2 tasks


Rain Delay - this sabotage prevents 1 player from beginning to read on Wednesday; that player cannot begin reading until Friday



USED High Octane Fuel - this boost allows 2 players to read for a 4th task



Guest Driver - this boost adds a player to your team for 1 week (in other words, a player can read a 2nd book for up to 3 more tasks)

First of all, pick a name for your team, group, or squad.

Second, decide who will keep track of the team's claimed and completed tasks. It can be on a spreadsheet or here in a post.

Third, decide who will make the team's Completion Posts. (It can be one person, or you can take turns. The team's Completion Post can be posted as soon as everyone has reported. The latest the team Completion Post can be posted is Tuesday morning.)

Fourth, decide what strategy or method your team will use to read for the tasks.

Last of all, check your engine and tires, gather your crew (check out library books and charge your devices), purchase fuel (snacks and soda), and get ready for a great race!

Hi team! This sounds like a lot of fun, really looking forward to getting started. :D

For team 5, the name suggestion that springs to mind is Fifth Gear. Anybody else have ideas?

I've had a look through all the tasks we need to do. Most of these should be pretty easy to find, though "Setting: very near to where you live" would be a bit of a problem for me - not a lot of books set near Tampere, Finland translated into English or German, and reading one in Finnish tends to take me longer than a week usually XD. Happy to hand that one off to someone else straight away!
Anybody else see a task that would be particularly difficult for them? Would probably be good to share those right away.

Apart from that, the only thing I can think of strategy-wise is sharing what we plan on reading the next week and which tasks it covers by Tuesday, so we can all get started right away on Wednesday and be sure not to double up on tasks. Maybe try to get the Scavenger hunt tasks knocked out fast cos they're hardest to search for unless you've already got a book in mind.

How do we feel about sabotage? I get pretty competitive in reading challenges, so I'm pro. *lol*

Thoughts?

Hi Team! I am looking forward to the challenge I have printed off the task list and have looked over them. Looks like it could get interesting yet fun!.

I little about myself. My name is Cindy, I am an empty nester of 3 adult children. I live in the state of Maryland with my husband. I am a substitute teacher and enjoy reading before bed. My favorite genre is romance and suspense put the two together that is my ideal book.

I like the name Fifth Gear as our team.

Task that is difficult for me is: Reread Books and I don't usually do audio books but can. Not a big fan of Fantasy but can read. I am not tech savvy, hoping someone can post especially if using a spreadsheet format.

Sabotage- I am OK with it, I probably would not be the one to initiate it though.

The book I was thinking of doing is which can satisfy the "A" and genre "Young Adult" then can search for words as I read.

I am ready to roll!!!

Hello :) Looking forward to the challenges and reading. :)

My name is Melissa and live in the state of New Mexico. I am the civilian employee for a local police department and I enjoy reading as much as possible. My favorite genre is SciFi and Fantasy

I like the name Fifth Gear :)

difficult tasks for me is more than likely settings. It can be hard for me as I am more a mood reader and don't pay attention to making sure they are in specific areas.

On sabotage I also am OK with it but also wouldn't be the one to initiate it.

The book I was thinking of reading is . It would work for: very near to where you live, The Letter "T", and word search word "railroad".

I'll go with , for number 20 and search words lock and orange. (It also works for a bunch of other things, so I can switch those out if needed.)

Hi everyone! This challenge looks like so much fun!

I'm Laila. I'm a night nurse, so I stay up late a lot reading books on my nights off. I live in a Chicago suburb with my almost 8-year-old son and husband. So I am happy to take the the Setting: very near to where you live task. My favorite genre is Romance.

I like the name Fifth Gear as well!

I can be pretty competitive during challenges too, so I'm all for sabotage =)

As far as tasks that are difficult for me: I don't read very many classics. I don't read too many books that are set in Africa, Mediterranean country, or Central/South America.

Would you guys be okay with using a spreadsheet? Fi from team 12 shared her team's SS and I made a copy for us:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

I'm planning to read

It works for:
12 - published on April 12
Letters F, E, S
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Audiobook, Library, Own, TBR, DNF
Setting California
It works for a bunch of words too, but haven't looked too closely at that yet

Laila Jane wrote: "Would you guys be okay with using a spreadsheet? Fi from team 12 shared her team's SS and I made a copy for us:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/......"

Works for me. Requested editing access, since I assume the point is for all of us to be able to update. :)

Denise I just gave you access

Excellent, thank you!

I've requested our team name to be updated.

Looks like we're ready to get started on Wednesday!

Laila Jane wrote: "Denise I just gave you access"

Requesting editing access :)

I think I opened it up so now everyone can edit. Let me know if you still have issues

Thank you for the access...I entered in mine leaving Task 3 open in search of words in the book or could use setting.

The spreadsheet is awesome!!!

Completion Post - Week 1
Name: Denise
Book and Author: Point of Hearts by Melissa Scott
Pages: 240
Date Read: 10 April 2025
Task: Number: 20
How It Fits: Published 20 March 2025
2nd Task: Scavenger word: Lock
How It Fits: "the building itself locked up" (p. 59)
3rd Task: Scavenger word: Orange
How It Fits: "a single tiny orange" (p. 21)

Feeling very silly right now, but, uh... how do I check a box in the spreadsheet? XD

Denise wrote: "Feeling very silly right now, but, uh... how do I check a box in the spreadsheet? XD"

No worries. I had the exact same issue when I first opened the spreadsheet. When you fill out the second sheet labeled "Tracking" the info you put in automatically checks off the boxes on the first sheet

Laila Jane wrote: "Denise wrote: "Feeling very silly right now, but, uh... how do I check a box in the spreadsheet? XD"

No worries. I had the exact same issue when I first opened the spreadsheet. When you fill out t..."

Thank you so much! (picture the lightbulb switching on above my head) I didn't even see the second sheet. *lol*
Filled out correctly, I hope?


By the way, do we want to consider using the boosts early on, while there's more tasks left to cover and hopefully before other teams feel enough pressure to want to sabotage?

Denise wrote: "By the way, do we want to consider using the boosts early on, while there's more tasks left to cover and hopefully before other teams feel enough pressure to want to sabotage?."

I think this is a good idea so that we would have more choices.

Melissa (ladybug) wrote: "I think this is a good idea so that we would have more choices."

One next week, one in week 3?
I've picked my book for next week, it's got a lot of the scavenger words in it. Could knock out four of those with a single book if we go for the High Octane Fuel boost. Two players get to read for four tasks with that one, so if anyone's got a book in mind that covers a bunch of tasks including several of the more difficult ones that'd probably be the best strategy.

I need to let you know that I have adjusted a few of the Tags tasks. Star can now be plural if you'd like to use it that way. i.e., 5 star(s), 4 star(s), 3 star(s)

I can read for 4 tasks next week. Still have to figure out what to read, but I’ll try to find one with more of the difficult tasks

Completion Post - Week 1
Name: Melissa (ladybug)


Book and Author: The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
Pages: 306
Date Read: 13 April 2025
Task: Letter "T"
How It Fits: Title begins with the letter "T" also Author name begins with "T"
2nd Task: Scavenger word: Railroad
How It Fits: "Short-term jobs on the Santa Fe railroad..." (p. 95)
3rd Task: Settings: Very near to where you live
How It Fits: Takes place in the four corner states mainly in New Mexico and Arizona on the Navajo lands. I live in New Mexico

Denise wrote: "Melissa (ladybug) wrote: "I think this is a good idea so that we would have more choices."

One next week, one in week 3?
I've picked my book for next week, it's got a lot of the scavenger words i..."

That sounds like a good strategy :)

I'm planning to read Happenstance Found. It would work for:

Letters H, P and C.
Tags: Fantasy, Audiobook, favorite, more
Settings: Fantasy world
Scavenger words: Carve, crust, dread. There are other words but I will be listening to it on audiobook so cannot see the sentences with those specific words. (Did a search on amazon.com)

Any recommendations?

Laila Jane wrote: "I can read for 4 tasks next week. Still have to figure out what to read, but I’ll try to find one with more of the difficult tasks"

Might be a silly question...but how can you read for 4 tasks? I thought the limit was 3.

Melissa (ladybug) wrote: "I'm planning to read Happenstance Found. It would work for:

Letters H, P and C.
Tags: Fantasy, Audiobook, favorite, more
Settings: Fantasy world
Scavenger words: Carve, crust, dre..."

I got HINT in my book for this week task.

The book I plan on reading for week 2 is by Kristin Hannah

Numbers: Pulication is (2/6/24) ...so I guess 2 or 6 unless it is year only
Letter: K & H (W if we can skip The)
Tags: Historical Fiction; 2024, 4 stars
Setting: ?
Scavenger words: Field

Completion Post Week 1
Name: Mrs W - Cindy




Book and Author: A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
Pages: 310
Date Read: 4/13/25
Task: Tagged as Young Adult
How It Fits:Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction in 2018
2nd Task:Scavenger Hunt Word - TROPHY
How It Fits:...we were handed a plastic trophy and a fifty-dollar certificate to the Olive Garden...p287
3rd Task: Scavenger Hunt Word - HINT
How It Fits:...I hoped that Ocean would take the hint and stop talking to me. p 161

Hey Team

I changed my task since I found 2 words in the reading to help with the Scavenger Hunt Words. I will be removing the "A" in the Title ( I am sure this will be easy to fill as we go forward.)

I checked through the Q & A and it seems you can do this. If I am wrong let me know and I will change it back.

Mrs W wrote: "Might be a silly question...but how can you read for 4 tasks? I thought the limit was 3."

Normally it's three, but each team has these two boosts available to use:

High Octane Fuel - this boost allows 2 players to read for a 4th task
Guest Driver - this boost adds a player to your team for 1 week (in other words, a player can read a 2nd book for up to 3 more tasks)

I'll be going with Crucible of Chaos for week two. Would work for:

Number: 7
Letters: C, S
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Audiobook, 2023, 2024, Own, 4-stars
Scavenger words: bronze, carve, crust, dread, drain, field, foundation, instrument, legend, stall

I was thinking I'd concentrate on scavenger words for this one since it has so many.
Melissa, if you cover carve, crust and dread with yours and Mrs W takes field with hers, I'm left with the options of bronze, foundation, instrument, legend and stall, so I'd probably just take four of those. We'll have a good chunk of the scavenger list done with that.

Denise wrote: "I was thinking I'd concentrate on scavenger words for this one since it has so many.
Melissa, if you cover carve, crust and dread with yours and Mrs W takes field with hers, I'm left with the options of bronze, foundation, instrument, legend and stall, so I'd probably just take four of those. We'll have a good chunk of the scavenger list done with that."

I went ahead and decided to cover those three scavenger words. (Carve, Crust, and Dread) :)

Great minds think alike, and all that. :D

Completion Post
Week 1

Name: Laila Jane

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
Date Read: 04/14/25
Pages: 330
Task: Numbers - 12
How It Fits: Published on April 12, 2022
2nd Task: Tags - Library
How It Fits: Tagged Library x194
3rd Task: Settings - California
How It Fits: Mainly set in Los Angeles, California

I'm planning to read

It works for:

Numbers - 3
Letters - S, M
Tags - Fiction, Romance, Historical, Audiobook, Favorite, DNF, TBR, Own, 5-star
Settings - UK, 1925 or earlier
Scavenger - Field, Legend

Laila Jane wrote: "I'm planning to read

It works for:
12 - published on April 12
Letters F, E, S
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Audiobook, Library, Own, TBR, DNF
Setting California..."


What did you think of this book? It was on my TBR list.

Mrs W wrote: "Laila Jane wrote: "I'm planning to read

It works for:
12 - published on April 12
Letters F, E, S
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Audiobook, Library, Own, TBR, DNF..."

I really liked it. I recommend!

I didn't see a group check in, so I went ahead and checked us in

Laila Jane wrote: "I didn't see a group check in, so I went ahead and checked us in"

Thanks!

I will borrow that book from the library sometime.

Who is the second person doing the 4th task this week?

As I have been reading found 3 words - field (which i might replace with a harder word find); instruments and stall

Laila Jane and me agreed to do 4 tasks.

Denise wrote: "Laila Jane and me agreed to do 4 tasks."

Just checking. I am also trying to check off the scavenger hunt words...I agree this the biggest challenge.

How is everyone doing? I am really liking my read for this week lol. It is keeping me wanting to read it. I think I have found a new series

Completion Post Week 2
Name: Melissa (ladybug)

Book and Author: Happenstance Found by P.W. Catanese
Pages: 352
Date Read: 4/19/25
Task 1: Scavenger word: dread
How it fits: "...as if he had dreaded the question." (p 145)
Task 2: Scavenger word: crust
How it fits: "The rat saw a crust of bread on the floor..." (p 197)
Task 3: Scavenger word: carve
How it fits: "...curving prow that ended in the carved head of a serpent." (p 50)

Completion Post - Week 2
Name: Denise
Book and Author: Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien de Castell
Pages: 398
Date Read: 19 April 2025
Task: Scavenger word: Bronze
How It Fits: "a bronze bell" (p. 55)
2nd Task: Scavenger word: Foundation
How It Fits: "the foundation upon which" (p. 98)
3rd Task: Scavenger word: Legend
How It Fits: "from little more than legend" (p. 81)
4th Task: Number: 7
How It Fits: Published 7 December 2023

My next read will be Moon of the Turning Leaves

It will work for:
Letter M
Settings: Canada and Future.

It is a dystopian that takes place in Northern Ontario with the Anishinaabe people surviving a world where the power grid has gone down completely and isn't coming back.