The Challenge Factory discussion

Let's practice gratitude by playing a gratitude game.

team member: Cilla
team member: Jill
team member: Sharon
team member: Lanelle (mod)

The game begins Monday, Sept. 29 and ends Sunday, Nov. 23.
There are 8 weeks of the game.

Week 1: Sept. 29 - Oct. 5
Week 2: Oct. 6 - Oct. 12
Week 3: Oct. 13 - Oct. 19
Week 4: Oct. 20 - Oct. 26
Week 5: Oct. 27 - Nov. 2
Week 6: Nov. 3 - Nov. 9
Week 7: Nov. 10 - Nov. 16
Week 8: Nov. 17 - Nov. 23

Details:
You have seven (7) days to read one (1) book.

Rules:
You can't begin reading your book until Monday morning, 12:01 a.m. your time.
You must finish and report your book by Sunday night 11:59 p.m. your time.

If a team member does not make a Completion Post for a week, the team misses out on the points that team member's book would have added to the total. If that team member misses a second week, they will be removed from the team.

Exceptions are made for a planned absence or emergency. Another player on the team can use a second book to replace the missing points caused by the absence or emergency.

A player may roll for the next Week's task on the Friday before the next Week.

Books must be 140 pages or more.
Graphic Novels must be 200 pages or more.
Audio books must be at least 3 hours long.

Sample Completion Post
Book and Author:
Pages:
Date Read:
Task:
How it fits:
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? (If so, quote the phrase and page or location in the book for an additional point.)

How the game works:
* Each week one player on each team rolls two dice.
https://www.random.org/dice/?num=2
* Using die 1 for the row and die 2 for the column, find the intersection on the grid.

Example: if you roll a 3 and a 2, move down the Rows to #3, and scan across for #2 on that Row. It is "Name a book you are thankful for"

* Read a book for the task in that intersection. As easy as that.
* Each book read during the week receives one (1) point for the team.
* Your book will receive an extra point if 'gratitude' or 'grateful' is in the text.

The team with the most points wins.

A team can only read the task in a certain box once. If you roll the exact numbers (in the same order) from a previous week, you must re-roll the dice for a different task.

Because the picture is difficult to read, all boxes are listed below with their tasks.
Row 1:
1) Name a friend you are grateful for - read a book from a teammate's Goodreads shelf
2) +2 points - read a book with '2' in the page count or publication date; your team gains 2 points
3) Share a memory you are grateful for - read a book set 50+ years ago, about an event that happened 50+ years ago, or published 50+ years ago
4) Name a holiday you are thankful for - read a book centered around or about a holiday
5) -1 point - read any book you'd like; your team loses 1 point
6) Share an activity you are grateful for - read a book with an action verb in the title

Row 2:
1) +3 points read a book with '3' in the page count or publication date; your team gains 3 points
2) Name a place you are grateful for - read a book about or set somewhere you have lived or visited
3) -4 points - read any book you'd like; your team loses 4 points
4) Share a family moment you are grateful for - read a book where family is important to the plot, or about an entire family
5) Name an object you are grateful for - read a book with no human or animal on the cover
6) +1 point - read a book with '1' in the page count or publication date; your team gains 1 point

Row 3:
1) Take another turn - read a book with two words in the title that begin with the same letter
2) Name a book you are thankful for - read a book in a series that you have started
3) Name a family member you are grateful for - read a book written by an author with any initial found in FAMILY
4) +4 points - read a book with '4' in the page count or publication date; your team gains 4 points
5) -3 points - read any book you'd like; your team loses 3 points
6) Name a person you admire - read a book by a favorite author that you have not read yet, or read a biography or autobiography

Row 4:
1) Name an ability you are thankful for - read a book where a significant character has a disability
2) +1 point - read a book with '1' in the page count or publication date; your team gains 1 point
3) Share something that makes you happy - re-read a book that you rated 4 or 5 stars
4) Take another turn - read a book with two words in the title that begin with the same letter
5) Name a song you are grateful for - read a book with 'song(s)', 'sing(s)', or 'singing' in the text
6) Share a moment when someone helped you - read a book from a teammate's Goodreads shelf

Row 5:
1) +2 points read a book with '2' in the page count or publication date; your team gains 2 points
2) Name a game you are grateful for - read a book where a competitive sport is mentioned
3) -3 points - read any book you'd like; your team loses 3 points
4) Share a vacation memory you are grateful for - read a book where the MC goes on vacation or holiday, or about a popular vacation site
5) +5 points - read a book with '2' in the page count or publication date; your team gains 5 points
6) Share a experience you are grateful for - read a book with 'X' anywhere on the cover

Row 6:
1) Share a challenge you overcame - read a book that fits a current task in a challenge that a teammate is participating in (other than this challenge :)
2) -1 point - read any book you'd like; your team loses 1 point
3) Name a food you are grateful for - read a book with food or drink on the cover
4) +2 points - read a book with '2' in the page count or publication date; your team gains 2 points
5) Name a gift you are thankful for - read a book with a title that begins with a letter in GIFT (you can ignore 'A' and 'An')
6) Take another turn - read a book with two words in the title that begin with the same letter

To do list -

First of all, pick a name for your group.
Second, decide who will roll the dice.
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. Please have your team's Completion Post in by Monday around noontime.)
Fourth, decide who will be the team's verifier. I need someone to make sure that a book fits the task for the week. In a few instances, you will have to take the word of the reader that a book matches the task, but if it's a tag, cover, title, author initial, page count or publication date, those are verifiable.
Fifth, practice counting all that you are grateful for. There will be a lot!!!

Hey Cilla, Jill, and Sharon. I'm so glad that we're starting this team. I was a bit bummed at not participating in this challenge.

I think the first thing we should do is roll the dice so we can get started on our books.

OK. Cilla, you roll the dice.


Goodreads has been inconsistent with sending me notifications lately. I'll check this thread in the morning and evening to see if there is anything for me to do.

Sharon wrote: "Goodreads has been inconsistent with sending me notifications lately..."

I'm not sure if Goodreads is sending out any notifications at all.

Hello all

Was the dice rolled?

Jill wrote: "Was the dice rolled?"

It has not been rolled. Do you want to roll the dice? I think it's needs to get done quickly.

I rolled the dice - 6 and 5.

So is the 6 for the row and 5 for column? If so, Name a gift you are thankful for - read a book with a title that begins with a letter in GIFT (you can ignore 'A' and 'An')

I usually don't get to be online until the evening.

So sorry for holding things up. I will have surgery on October 6-just a heads up. I would prefer not to be responsible for the team's Completion Posts. I'll be able to read just fine, but pain meds can make me a bit spaced out and I don't want to chance not posting on time.

Thank you for your understanding.

Excellent roll, Cilla! That's an easy task, in my opinion.

Jill or Sharon, are either of you willing to do the team Completion Posts?

Maybe whoever is around first thing Friday mornings can roll.

I can do the verifying. (I kinda do it anyway :)

Does anyone have an idea for our team name?

I have three short-ish books that fit this week's task. And each of the books have 'grateful' in the text.

Team name suggestions

•Gratitude & Attitude
•Echoes of Thanks
•Chapters of Grace
•Thanks, Next Chapter

I don't have a problem with posting.

I like 'Echoes of Thanks' or 'Gratitude & Attitude'.

Since we have 6 and 5, Does that mean we don't get any points for this round?

I'll check back around noon to see if I need to do anything.

My book is The Witch's Orchard

Sharon wrote: "I don't have a problem with posting.

I like 'Echoes of Thanks' or 'Gratitude & Attitude'."

Thanks for making our team Completion Posts. That helps a lot.

I like Echoes of Thanks, too.

Sharon wrote: "Since we have 6 and 5, Does that mean we don't get any points for this round?"

Each book read receives 1 point.

If the book has 'grateful' or 'gratitude' in the text, it gets another point. So, we could double our points if we each read a book with one of those words in the text.

Completion Post

Book and Author: Force by Taylor Longford
Pages: 160
Date Read: 10/1/25
Task: Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in GIFT
How it fits: The title begins with a letter in GIFT (F)
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? Yes. "...you'd have thought he'd be grateful, right?" loc. 1406

Completion Post

Book and Author: This Case Is Gonna Kill Me by Phillipa Bornikova
Pages: 318
Date Read: 10/02/25
Task: Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in GIFT (you can ignore 'A' and 'An')
How it fits: Title starts with "T"
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? Yes: "He gave me a grateful little smile..." pg. 45

Completion Post

Book and Author: The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan 320 pages
Date Read: 10/02/25
Task: Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in GIFT (you can ignore 'A' and 'An')
How it fits: Title starts with "T"
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? Yes: "I'm grateful for the unexpected treat" pg 57

Book and Author: Gotti's Rules: The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia by George Anastasia
Pages: 336
Date Read: 10/2/25
Task: Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in GIFT
How it fits: The title begins with a letter in GIFT (G)
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? No

Week 1 Team Totals

Books Read: 4
Gratitude or Grateful: 3

Dice Roll for Week 2

6 4

I have a question. Can we start reading this weekend, or should we wait until Monday?

Also, did we decide on a name?

My book for Week 2 is the next book in my series, which fits the directive.
Lost Angels

Sharon wrote: "I have a question. Can we start reading this weekend, or should we wait until Monday?

Also, did we decide on a name?"

You have to wait until Monday morning.

And no, I don't think we've decided on a name. Maybe it should be 'The Grateful Seekers'.

6 and 4 is "read a book with '2' in the page count or publication date; your team gains 2 points"

Lanelle wrote: "6 and 4 is "read a book with '2' in the page count or publication date; your team gains 2 points""

I posted our completion with Echoes of Thanks as our possible name since everyone seemed okay with that'

And just realized I didn't include our points

I'll change our thread to Echoes of Thanks.

Love our team name.

I will be reading Saturday-289 pages and published 2005.

I'm going to read Dinner Most Deadly. There's a 2 in the page count and a 2 in the publication date. And there's 'grateful' in the text.

Completion Post

Book and Author: Witch Accused by Krista Walsh
Pages: 269
Date Read: 10/06/25
Task: Read a book with '2' in the page count or publication date
How it fits: 269 pages
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? Yes: "...managed to snuff out the sappier aspects of my gratitude..." pg. 101

Completion Post

Book and Author: Dinner Most Deadly by Sheri Cobb South
Pages: 205
Date Read: 10/6/25
Task: Read a book with '2' in the page count or publication date
How it fits: There is a 2 in the page count and a 2 in the pub. date. (2015)
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? Yes: "...I should be grateful..." p. 48

I'm a little late starting my book. I will finish tonight.

Completion Post

Book and Author: Lost Angels by Stacy Green
Date Read: 10/09/25
Task: Read a book with '2' in the page count or publication date
How it fits: Page count: 270
Date Published: August 27, 2021
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? Yes: "Nikki shot her a grateful look." p 26

Completion Post

Book and Author: Saturday by Ian McEwan
Date Read: 10/09/25
Task: Read a book with '2' in the page count or publication date
How it fits: Page count: 289
Date Published: First published 2005
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? No

I've rolled the dice. We got a 3 and a 1.

1) Take another turn - read a book with two words in the title that begin with the same letter

Cilla, I double checked to see if 'grateful' and 'gratitude' were in your book. I found 'gratitude' on page 13. "...the same leap of gratitude.."
I've added a point to your score.

And I've checked us in.

Lanelle wrote: "Cilla, I double checked to see if 'grateful' and 'gratitude' were in your book. I found 'gratitude' on page 13. "...the same leap of gratitude.."
I've added a point to your score.

And I've checked..."

Thank you so much.

For this coming Week's task, I will read The Spotted Dog Last Seen. Two words that begin with 'S' are in the title.

Hello all. Sorry I was MIA for a few days. I had a bug that kept me in bed.

For this week's task, I will read The Girl in the Ground Two words that begin with G

Completion Post for Week 3

Book and Author: The Spotted Dog Last Seen by Jessica Scott Kerrin
Pages: 208
Date Read: 10/14/25
Task: Read a book with two words in the title that begin with the same letter
How it fits: There are two words that begin with an S in the title.
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? Yes: "...I was grateful..." p. 103

Completion Post

Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich
Pages: 208
Date Read: 10/13/2025
Task: Read a book with two words in the title that begin with the same letter
How it fits: There are two words that begin with an N in the title.
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book?

Naughty Neighbor - "...she'd be grateful if she could just drop off the face of the earth." p. 103

Completion Post

Book and Author: Café y Chocolate by Johnny Miles
Pages: 397
Date Read: 10/14/25
Task: Read a book with two words in the title that begin with the same letter
How it fits: Two words starting with C
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? Yes: "Gratitude emanated from her..." pg. 242

Completion Post

The Girl in the Ground by Stacy Green
Pages: 266
Date Read: 10/15/2025
Task: Read a book with two words in the title that begin with the same letter
How it fits: Two words begin with a G in the title.
Is the word 'gratitude' or 'grateful' in the text of your book? Yes
pg 179. "We are so grateful to have you and Lacey in out lives."

I've checked us in. Excellent work, Team!

Does anyone want to roll the dice tomorrow?