Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Team The Gringo Trail



Team Members
• Lisa from MN (Captain)
• Amanda (Co-Captain)
• Shannon (Co-Captain)
• Kirsten
• Maritza
• LaurLa
• Cindy
• Haley
• Alaina
• Joyce
• Roe


Challenge Status Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Team Sheet: (captains access only) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

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Announcements
🦦 Hey everyone! Welcome to our latest reading adventure — where we’re keeping it laid-back, having fun, and doing our best to not be last (because, c’mon, we’ve got standards).

Your Captains are keeping things low-key this round. Life’s doing its thing, and we’re here to enjoy reading — not turn it into a full-contact sport. We’ll still aim to snag points where we can, especially from the mini-excursions, but there won’t be any “please read this one for the team!” guilt trips. If you want to strategize and maximize every page, go for it — but the big goal this time is simple: have fun, read good books, and don’t finish dead last.

Team guidelines:
🦦 Read what you actually want to read.
🦦 Assume the best of each other — this is supposed to be fun, remember?
🦦 Share your great finds! We love book recs and reading rants.
🦦 Check in weekly so we don’t have to hunt you down. If you’re going quiet for a bit, just let one of us know.
🦦 If we don’t have your challenge shelf listed below, please drop it here so we can add it.

We do have a tracker (because yes, even chaos needs organization sometimes) — you’ll find that linked further down in the posts.

And while we’re getting started, let’s do quick intros! Nothing formal — just a bit about who you are, what you like to read, or how many wheels you’ve been part of before.

🦦 So, here’s to a new round, a fresh start, and another shot at literary glory — or at least not being that team at the bottom of the standings.🦦

Which past wheel or favorite book are you hoping this one reminds you of?

Team Wheel Shelves
🦦 MN Lisa | a-wheel-10 Wheel24 | MAX Books Per Round - 15
🦦 Amanda | *wheel25 | MAX Books Per Round - 23
🦦 Shannon | around-the-world Wheel24 | MAX Books Per Round - 8
🦦 Kirsten | 2025-wheel MAX Books Per Round - 15
🦦 Maritza | wheels-10 | MAX Books Per Round - 10
🦦 LaurLa | nbrc-wheel-10 | MAX Books Per Round - 14
🦦 Cindy | wheels10 | MAX Books Per Round - 11
🦦 Haley | wheels10 | MAX Books Per Round - 12
🦦 Alaina | nbrc-wheels-10 | MAX Books Per Round - 8
🦦 Joyce | 2025-wheel | MAX Books Per Round - 7

***Please keep in mind that there is an individual cap on books read. The cap is per round which is two weeks. You can add everything you read to the tracking spreadsheet still but we will only be able to use your individual max number so everyone will have to be strategic

🦦 OUR PLANNING Sheet 🦦
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

This is a planning spreadsheet that we are going to use. My thought process in creating this was to make it easy to use and easy for Amanda and I to move books around as needed.

Books are added to the Rd X Books tab. Information added includes Title (with link), Page Count, Author(s), Main Character(s), and Narrator Name(s). You only need to complete the grey colored fields. If the field is blue or white, there are formulas on those and should populate as needed.

To place the book on a word, enter the corresponding Ref in the Letter Ref Column. This will populate the Round X Tab with all the appropriate information to complete the line and help when it comes to moving those to the official spreadsheet. Only Amanda, Shannon and I have permissions to edit the Round X tab. If you see an issue with information moving onto the Round X Tab, please let me know.

If you don’t like and/or don’t want to use the spreadsheet, feel free to enter a completion post in the thread. Make sure to include:
Title (Linked), Page Count, Author, Main Character, Narrator

It can be added to the spreadsheet by the captains or any other helpful teammate.

Any questions, please ask!

Post 4
Information Central

🦦 We'll post all of our claims and completions here.
🦦 FYI - We can only leave 1 word set incomplete...so we'll want to try to complete a set if we possibly can before moving to the next.

All About Wheels
🦦 Read it carefully, make sure you're getting notifications, and ask here when in doubt!

🦦 Only books started after the challenge begins can be used!
🦦 Please add the books you've read to your challenge shelf! As captains, we have to verify your books, and this really helps us!

How to post a 'link' on the Planning Spreadsheet
1. Copy the link from Goodreads
a. From Series Page, hover over the Book Title, Right-Click, Copy Link Address
b. From the Book Page, Copy the address bar

2. On the appropriate line on the Planning Spreadsheet
a. Right Click, Insert Link, Paste, Apply
b. Ctrl+K, Paste, Apply

Hi all! I'm one of your co-caps and excited for another round of Wheels! I read pretty much everything, I usually say its like 90% Romance (with a strong preference for LGBTQIA romances), 5% LitFic and 5% Non fiction, but I'll try everything that looks interesting. I've played wheels multiple times and it's one of my favorites!

Hi Guys, I have been part of a lot of wheels (not sure if all). I read a wide variety of genres and have been known to read a book just to fill a challenge task. I didn't realize I had set such a high goal for books read. I just love team challenges and hope I can contribute to the team. I am over extended on challenges right now.

Hello! I think this is my 5th or 6th wheels? Maybe more? I've lost track but I love it no matter what! Like Angela, I read like 90% (okay, more like 98%) romance but my preference is more romantic suspense or paranormal romance. But I'll read almost anything for a challenge but I do actively avoid YA, high-fantasy and horror. Looking forward to getting started!

Here is my shelf:
nbrc-wheel-10

I have done wheels a couple of times in the past. I always have fun. I read a little of everything but mostly scifi or paranormal are my main reads. I avoid high fantasy for the most part unless it is in the paranormal range. I'll look for some Z books

Hello everyone! I've done wheels since 2020. I pretty much read anything and everything. I don't read much horror, I usually try to avoid it. I read more romance than anything though.

Hi everyone! I see some familiar faces from tower teams :)

I've actually never done wheels, only tower teams so I'm excited and looking forward to this challenge.

I read just about everything, but definitely gravitate towards thriller/mystery, romance, and fantasy the most.

Hi, I'm Kirsten, and I often play with Lisa and Amanda--in fact, I really got to know Amanda playing Wheels in 2022, I think.

This is one of my favorite challenges, because I like to read long books and I like the mini-challenges. I am busier at work than I have been in the last 4 years, so my reading has slowed down from my 10+ books/week high, but I am liking my job again, so that's good.

I read about 80% MM romance, and the rest is lit fic and mystery/thriller. I also do a personal BIPOC challenge every year. This year my goal is 75 for 2025 (75 BIPOC books for the year) and I have 11 to go. If you ever need a recommendation, just ask. I have something for just about every genre.

Hey everyone! I’m Lisa — your fearless (or maybe just overly caffeinated) Captain for this round. I read about 90% MM Romance because, honestly, after a long day of work, I want happy endings and emotional comfort food, not plotlines that make me question my life choices. Lately, I’ve been wandering a bit outside that lane and — shockingly — have found a few non-romance reads I’ve actually liked. Character growth? Possibly. Temporary chaos? Definitely.

I recently started a new job after 23 years at my last one, and I love it — which still feels surreal to say. Outside of reading, my favorite way to unwind is… spreadsheets. I know, it’s weird. My husband even got me a can coozie that says “Freak in the Sheets” with an Excel background, and honestly? Accurate. There’s just something relaxing about formulas behaving themselves.

I’m not especially competitive, but let’s be real — no one wants to be the team limping across the finish line in last place. So let’s keep it fun, stay chill, and maybe stir up just enough chaos to make it interesting. Here’s to good books, good vibes, and the perfect mix of enthusiasm and mild dysfunction that makes every wheel great.

Hi everyone! Im one of your co captains! Im super excited to get to do this challenge with you guys!

My favorite genres are mystery, horror, and sci fi, but honestly i will give any book a valid attempt! Im pretty easy going with books.

I personally love wheel challenges! And can't wait to get started :)

Hi everyone! I'm Alaina and this is my 2nd wheels challenge. I read just about every genre but my favorites are horror, fantasy, and sci-fi.

I just had my second baby in September, so life has been wild running around with a toddler and a newborn, but I always try to make time for reading, and I'm really excited to get started with this challenge!

Here's the link to my shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

So excited to get started. I've started to add my books to the spreadsheet.

Lisa, may I color code our names (because it makes it so much easier for me to find myself)?

I did it :)

If anyone hates their color (Don't worry Kirsten you are not yellow lol), please let me know and I will change to whatever you want!

Purple is always my first choice but I can live with green!! Thanks for setting that up!

I can do a purple for you! Lisa and I are purple gals too but there's plenty of purple to go around

Should we also fit our read book into a mini task?

If you can that would be great.

I will be reviewing the books as they are finished and try to place them, but I'm not good at strategy to know which ones we should go for first....

Good Morning, Ok. I put in as much info. as I could on my books. Feel free to move around as needed.

working on my last book started before this challenge began - thought I'd finish over the weekend but that didn't go as planned.

but then all books will work for this.

Got a long road trip today so hopefully i get a bit of reading done while in the car

For the road trip mini, the tasks are not populating to the right spots. Please verify.

Maritza wrote: "For the road trip mini, the tasks are not populating to the right spots. Please verify."
Fixed. Thanks!

I think I'm confused as to what I'm supposed to fill out on the spreadsheet and what is for the captains. I'm filling in book, date, page and columns M-AA. Who is filling in columns G-K? Is that us and captains verify/move as needed or is that left to captains to make the decision of where the book is needed?

I don't want to make more work for captains either way - by making them choose or by making them move my poor choices! Just let me know what ya'll want!

The light grey fields are the ones you can fill out. The Blue and White will populate automatically.

If you don't assign your book to a letter (Column G), one of the captains will do it for you.

If you don't assign your book to a mini game (Columns J & K), one of the captains will attempt this for you.

To max out on our books (not just what we signed up for but the max we can), we can do 12 full spells outs and 4 additional letters. That means we need:
12 Zs
12 Is
12 Ms
24 B
12 A
12 W
12 E

We have 6 Zs and 4Is right now, so I see those as being the hard ones, plus just the volume of Bs.

We have 9 Days : 2 Hours : 36 Minutes until the end of the current round.

I have finally finished a book that I will get added later when I can get on my computer

I got a copy of the BOM (hopefully I can get to it).

I am almost finished with two books Hopefully today. One is an I book that I already put on the list

Just a reminder that once you finish reading a book and put it on the spreadsheet, make sure to add it to your wheel-a-thon shelf so it can be used :)

Shannon wrote: "Just a reminder that once you finish reading a book and put it on the spreadsheet, make sure to add it to your wheel-a-thon shelf so it can be used :)"

Uh oh... better go check!

Shannon wrote: "Just a reminder that once you finish reading a book and put it on the spreadsheet, make sure to add it to your wheel-a-thon shelf so it can be used :)"

Totally helps to pick the right shelf. Most of mine were shelved to my last Tower Teams Shelf. I fixed it now,

I'm finally getting notifications for this one! I'll double check my shelf as well, I know I've been hit or miss

14 Hours until the end of round 1.

Round 2 Word:
Hungary

There is also a new mini - Holiday.

Make sure any books you finish are documented in the next 3 hours. That will give us captains an hour to move things around and finalize our list.

Thanks!

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

For the new Holiday Mini we have to, as a team, select a holiday. Then we complete tasks based on that holiday in regards to food, decor, drinks and entertainment.

This goes for books read in this round (Round 2).

I'm thinking Christmas would probably be the easiest....or maybe we want Thanksgiving? Other ideas?

I think Christmas is the easiest with Thanksgiving being next easiest. I'm all about easy these days!

I'm hoping to have my last book done but I'll post back here if not and move it off the round to next round.

I agree with Christmas being the easiest also

I agree with Christmas. Especially w it coming up i feel like there will be a lot more of christmas themed reads

I won't be finished before the deadline so I move my current book to round 2.

Yes!

Yeah, I definitely agree with picking Christmas

OK. Christmas is our holiday. Books used in Round 2 work for this mini.

Round 1 is complete. Books from Round 1 that were not completed I have moved to Round 2. If you no longer plan to read those books, just delete them.

Looking forward to Round 2 and I should be more present this round!