Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Team Orient Express



Team Members
• Deanna (Captain)
• Tara (Co-Captain)
• Bernadette (Co-Captain)
• Alyana
• Kathy
• Kate
• Michelle's Empty Nest
• Steph
• Mary
• Triathlete_Reads
• Carrie


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

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📕📙📒📗📘Team Member Shelves📘📗📒📙📕
📚 Deanna
📚 Tara
📚 Bernadette
📚 Alyana
📚 Kathy
📚 Kate
📚 Michelle's Empty Nest
📚 Steph
📚 Mary
📚 Triathlete_Reads
📚 Carrie

📕📙📒📗📘Helpful Links📘📗📒📙📕
🌎All About Wheel (aka Challenge Rules)
🌍Baggage Claim (Chat Thread)

Word Count Resources:
🌏 AR Book Find (US) | https://www.arbookfind.com
🌎 AR Book Find (UK) | https://www.arbookfind.co.uk
🌍 AR Book Find (AU) | https://www.arbookfind.com.au

📕📙📒📗📘Team Links📘📗📒📙📕
📌Team Planning Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
📌Official Team Sheet (captains only): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
📌Challenge Status Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

🚂🚂ROUND 1 INFO🚂🚂
🌎Word: GUINEA-BISSAU
⏳Starts: 11 Oct 9pm UK - https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...
⏳Ends: 25 Oct 9pm UK -

🚂🚂ROUND 2 INFO🚂🚂
🌍Word:
⏳Starts: 25 Oct 9pm UK -
⏳Ends: 8 Nov 9pm UK -

🚂🚂ROUND 3 INFO🚂🚂
🌏Word:
⏳Starts: 8 Nov 9pm UK -
⏳Ends: 22 Nov 9pm UK -

🚂🚂ROUND 4 INFO🚂🚂
🌎Word:
⏳Starts: 22 Nov 9pm UK -
⏳Ends: 6 Dec 9pm UK -

🚂🚂ROUND 5 INFO🚂🚂
🌍Word:
⏳Starts: 6 Dec 9pm UK -
⏳Ends: 20 Dec 9pm UK -

Mini Challenge Information

Information on Mini Challenges that run all 10 weeks of Wheels

Repeating Minis (can do more than once):
Mini 1: Genres
Mini 2: Colors

One and done Minis:
Mini 4: Brown
Mini 5: Road Trip
Mini 7: Mobile

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Welcome to the Orient Express!!

Load your books, check that your favorite e-reader is ready, and join us on our beautiful Paris to Istanbul excursion. This year's wheel celebrates the history of NBRC wheel with an abundance of mini challenges. Settle in and look over the rules for wheel and the minis (linked in the posts above), and let us know if you have any questions.

I'm Deanna, your captain/conductor for this expedition. I read mostly fantasy, paranormal, science fiction, and mystery, but I occasionally venture into other genres as the mood strikes me. I live in Virginia and am almost done homeschooling my last senior while taking classes, working, and wrangling our dog and 3 cats.

Please take a moment to introduce yourself and post your wheel shelf. I look forward to loads of books and lots of fun!

My shelf

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Hi everyone. I’m so excited to be here. I love Tower Teams. It’s always one of my favorite challenges!

My favorite genres to read are mystery, thriller, horror, and Nordic noir but I’ll read just about anything. (Romance is not a go to for me though!)

I’m married, have 1 daughter who is 28 and I live in Pennsylvania. I’m in a rural area so my backyard has a ton of wildlife which I love. We recently saw a bobcat on our camera outside which was a first.

Looking forward to playing with you all!

Hi to all from the Pacific North West!

I am so excited, this is my first team challenge since having my first baby 7 months ago. I am finally able to stay awake long enough to get some reading done!

I read a little of everything, but love historical fictions, contemporary romance, and a good non-fiction from time to time.

Lets Go!

My Self- Wheeling 25

Hey, team! I'm Michelle from Georgia. I've been married to my high school sweetheart for 35 years and we've been together for 38! As my name implies, we've been empty nesters for about 6 years now. We have three grown sons; however, our oldest passed away in December. Reading and Goodreads have been great distractions on the hard days that still come. We have a Yorkie, two Siamese cats, and six chickens that are like pets.


I read a little bit of almost everything, but my favorite genres are historical fiction and mystery/thriller/suspense. I also don't mind a good non-fiction book every now and then.


I can't wait to get started!


My Shelf: wheels-10

Hi team! I am Kathy also from Georgia. I am recently retired and am adjusting to a more leisurely lifestyle. I learned how to play mahjongg this year and belong to 3 book clubs. My favorite genres are mystery, thriller, psychological puzzles but I have discovered the cozies and are really enjoying them.

My Shelf: = "Wheels"

Michelle's Empty Nest wrote: "Hey, team! I'm Michelle from Georgia. I've been married to my high school sweetheart for 35 years and we've been together for 38! As my name implies, we've been empty nesters for about 6 years now...."

I’m so sorry for your loss Michelle 💕 - I’m glad that you are able to have days where you can find distractions that help you as you navigate the grieving process.

Welcome all!

Carrie - our camera gets mostly deer, and we see foxes and possums from time to time.

Mary - I wish you full nights of sleep and lots of fun reading. I am long past those days, but remember how hard it is too concentrate when tired

Michelle - hey there! So sorry to hear about your son. We're happy to have you with us and help distract you with books on the hard days

Kathy - congratulations on retiring! I've only every played mahjong on a computer, but I do love jigsaw puzzles and look forward to a time when life settles down enough to enjoy them again.

Hi all, Tara here, two of three co-captains (thanks Deanna for kicking us off!)

I am in Southern California, where I am an independent school librarian. I have a husband of 8 years (15 together this year!) and an 8 year old daughter who goes to school with me everyday. In our free time, we hang out with our cat skipper, love going to the beach and camping!

Favorite genres: historical, mystery, horror and fantasy/romantasy but you can find me reading just about anything!

As everyone posts their welcomes and shelves, I'm linking it to the spreadsheet for ease of access for captains!

Hey team! 👋

Happy to be on your team again, Deanna! Glad to see some familiar names around — I’m actually playing in two challenges with Michelle too 😊

A little about me: I’m married with one daughter and live in Queens, NY. I work at our public library, so my reading pace tends to have its own ups and downs depending on how busy things get there.

I’m a big fan of mystery-thrillers and romance — always love a good plot twist or a heartwarming story. Excited to get started and see how we do in this challenge!

Here is my shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/user_shelve...

Hi everyone I’m Steph or Stephanie. I wear a lot of different hats trying to stay busy active and enjoy life. I am for the most part is a disabled homemaker and a kitten foster mom so I have a lot time on my hands normally.

i’ve been a captain lot in the past challenges, but I am more than happy and ready to kind of be very chill with this one. The wheel is one of my favorites to do. I’ve not done any challenges in forever and I need to get back into reading on the regular and enjoy the camaraderie here.

I am a huge fantasy & sci-fi reader btw

Hi everyone, I'm Cath (Triathlete is fine too), I don't have a lot of time on my hands that's why I signed up with an avg of 2 books per round. I read many genres but my favorite genres are memoirs, contemporary fiction, historical fiction and everything LGBTQIA+

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

Hello fellow travelers 👋 - I'm Bernadette, the 3rd co-captain on this team.

I live just outside Philadelphia (Go Phillies! ⚾) with my husband. I am a CPA/tax accountant and work part-time now. After Wednesday, I begin my slowest work time of the year next tax season starts. Not sure if I will ever officially retire since I can do this job seasonally in the future, I do seem to be cutting back my hours more each year.

We have one daughter (and son-in-law) as well as a cat named Beanie🐈‍⬛.

My husband and I are planning (trying?) to explore all 63 National Parks. To date, we have seen 22 and July 2026 we have 3 weeks trip to Alaska schedule to visit the 8 Parks there. I think I'll need to keep working some to pay for our travel🤣✈️🚂

Favorite genres are historical fiction, mystery/thriller, and contemporary fiction. I also sprinkle in a far mix of non-fiction.

There are many familiar names on this team and I'm looking forward to this challenge.

Here is my shelf. wheel-x

I'm not sure what's going on—I’m pretty sure I checked the box to receive notifications for this thread, but every time I come back, it’s unchecked again. It’s really frustrating.

Alyana wrote: "I'm not sure what's going on—I’m pretty sure I checked the box to receive notifications for this thread, but every time I come back, it’s unchecked again. It’s really frustrating."

Same thing happened to me!

I've heard that's another new glitch that's been happening lately. 😕

Alyana wrote: "I'm not sure what's going on—I’m pretty sure I checked the box to receive notifications for this thread, but every time I come back, it’s unchecked again. It’s really frustrating."

Me too 🙋‍♀️ - hopefully it stays checked this time! ✔️

I think I have to make this tab stay open because it doesn't stay checked.

Mine is not checked again…

When I check it, then click on refresh, it will switch back to being unchecked. 😒

Challenge Start: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...

Less than 24 hours to go!

ROUND 1 WORD: GUINEA-BISSAU

Upcoming BOM


Starts Oct. 16th
Discussion Thread

yeah - hopefully goodreads gets it together because it is not working properly with notifications!

That being said, Happy challenge everyone!

My notifications seem to be working for this thread now!

I have 2 books to finish before the start 😬

So do we have a particular strategy or is everyone just reading for letters in the word and filling in the planning sheet?

Bernadette wrote: "My notifications seem to be working for this thread now!

I have 2 books to finish before the start 😬"

It's working for me too!

Carrie wrote: "So do we have a particular strategy or is everyone just reading for letters in the word and filling in the planning sheet?"

Since minis 1 and 2 are repeatable, we definitely want to start working on those. Would you all like to focus on just one of the non-repeatable minis to get it out of the way, or just spread books across all 3 trying to fill up the more challenging tasks first. There are so many tasks at the moment I'm not sure it matters too much.

Hello Everyone,
Checking in with the group!
My name is Jackie. I am a special education teacher who loves to read. I am a native of West Philadelphia, PA. I am enjoying participating in challenges and I am participating in the Restaurant Turf challenge as well.
As far as the letter Y is concerned don’t worry… I have reading a thirteen book series by author Brian Yansky.

Deanna wrote: "Carrie wrote: "So do we have a particular strategy or is everyone just reading for letters in the word and filling in the planning sheet?"

Since minis 1 and 2 are repeatable, we definitely want to..."

I think getting the challenging tasks done first is a good idea, then if a book doesn't fit start putting them into the minis?

Will we be able to edit the the spreadsheets soon to plan? Do you want us to post finished books here as well, I've been on teams that do that and some that don't.

Mary wrote: "Deanna wrote: "Carrie wrote: "So do we have a particular strategy or is everyone just reading for letters in the word and filling in the planning sheet?"

Since minis 1 and 2 are repeatable, we def..."

Hi Mary, you probably looking at our official ss, here is our tracking sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Thank you! I definitely did not see that one!

Do we have to participate in the Book of the Month read for this competition? I saw Book of the Month columns on our team tracking spreadsheet.

Kathy wrote: "Do we have to participate in the Book of the Month read for this competition? I saw Book of the Month columns on our team tracking spreadsheet."

BOM is optional. It is a nice source of points, but if the book doesn't interest you, don't worry about it.

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the late reply. It is Thanksgiving Weekend up here in Canada. I am based in Toronto, but am originally from up in Northern Ontario. I am a labour and delivery nurse who works straight nights, so I'll be posting at odd times of the day and night. I am happily married and have a soon to be 10 year old daughter.

I will read pretty much anything, but tend to avoid westerns, spy thrillers, and anything with politics.

Looking forward to reading with everyone!
Kate =)

my shelf: wheels10 (i'm not sure how to link this?)

Two short done now time for me to tackle a monster.

oh the notification seems that have been resolved on my side

seems to have**