The Challenge Factory discussion

The lazy team

⭐️JanePS - Australia
⭐️Shelby - USA
⭐️Helke - Europe
⭐️Caipi - Europe
⭐️Teresa - USA

Rules:
📘 Books must be a minimum of 140 pages
📘 Rereads are allowed if the book was last read more than 6 months ago
📘 Audiobooks must be a minimum of 3 hours in length

Important Links:
📌 The Vault (Check-In)
📌 Q&A
📌 Feedback


****

Sample completion post
Team name:
Season & Episode completed:
Link to summary post:
OR
Jane link:
Shelby link:
Helke link:
Caipi link:
Teresa link:

I've sort of always wanted to be an Archivist, but being lazy, this name popped up ;)

Hi team, checking in! :)
Thanks, Jane, for setting up our thread.

Hello!

Thanks for setting this up Jane!

Jane (PS) wrote: "I've sort of always wanted to be an Archivist, but being lazy this name popped up ;)"

I like our current name. :)
But I'm ok with whatever the team decides. 👍🏻
.... going to bed now 😴😴

Lol! Love the name! So excited to play with all of you ladies. Jane I adore you, I mention one little challenge and I come back from work and it's all set up.

Shelby wrote: "Lol! Love the name! So excited to play with all of you ladies. Jane I adore you, I mention one little challenge and I come back from work and it's all set up."

❤️❤️

Just woke up to find everything set up. Thanks Jane. Let's keep the name.

I'll let Donna know we are ready to go :)

(I've put our rough timezones in the first msg so that we know when players might be around :)

Season 1, Episode 1:
And the Crown of King Arthur

👑 “A crown with power, a secret society, and a library that chooses its own heroes.”

In Season 1, Episode 1 of The Librarians, a mysterious organization recruits a new Guardian, Eve Baird, to protect the magical Library and its chosen Librarian, Flynn Carsen. Together, they investigate a series of strange murders linked to Excalibur and the lost crown of King Arthur. Along the way, they discover a hidden group of potential Librarians and face off against the Serpent Brotherhood, who seek to unleash dangerous magic.


Tasks (Reminder: Each of you must choose a different task)
👑Read a book with a crown on the cover
🐍Read a book that starts & ends with a letter in SERPENT
🧑Read a book with a character named EVE or FLYNN, or ARTHUR
🗡️Read a book with all the letters of EXCALIBUR in the title/subtitle/series
👦👦Read a book with brothers in the story

I have books for Crown, Serpent, and brothers and can recommend Façade by Sam Burns for Flynn name 😁

Let me know which one you’d like me to take!

Without too much checking, I have 3 of the 5 as well (Crown, Serpent & brothers). I'll have a look for the character names & Excalibur in a bit...

If anyone in interested in reading a book from the In Death series, the MC is Eve. I don't particularly enjoy the books unfortunately.

***edited***
Found Flynn - Smokescreen - another book on my 'to read next' pile.
(LOL - if I'd just looked properly at your book Teresa, I would have realised that I had book 1 waiting ;)

***edited 2***
Excalibur found! Burning for Alexander

I definitely have a book for Brothers, one for Serpent, and am interested in the Flynn book Smokescreen.
I also have books for both Crown and Excalibur, but I'm not really interested in them. So would only be open to read one of them if no one else is going to take on the task.

🤦🏻‍♀️ I’m not sure why I put Façade and not Smokescreen… but I highly recommend the series!!

Caipi, what do you have for Excalibur? None of the books on my shelves work…

Teresa wrote: "Caipi, what do you have for Excalibur? None of the books on my shelves work…"

It's a German one, Unexpected Love - Eine überraschende Begegnung.

Teresa wrote: "Caipi, what do you have for Excalibur? None of the books on my shelves work…"

I think I've just found one!
Burning for Alexander

Happy to read this as its on my 'challenge picks' pile. Just not on my immediate pile.

Yeah… not reading that 😆

Teresa wrote: "Yeah… not reading that 😆"

LOL - I just read the prior one. I'm ok with this series :). They have generally been 4 stars for me. Currently reading Hashtag Holidate ~ drags a little in the middle but I'm enjoying it.

@Jane, my comment was for Caipi (I’m on my phone and can’t reply to comments) yours came in just before I posted. 😆

But I’ve read Borrowing Blue and liked it, and I own a few of the rest of that series so not quite ready for the spin off!

Jane (PS) wrote: "Teresa wrote: "Yeah… not reading that 😆"

LOL - I just read the prior one. I'm ok with this series :). They have generally been 4 stars for me. Currently reading Hashtag Holidate ~..."

I love Lucy Lennox's books, but only in small doses. Several in a row is too much for me! 😂

Teresa wrote: "@Jane, my comment was for Caipi (I’m on my phone and can’t reply to comments) yours came in just before I posted. 😆

But I’ve read Borrowing Blue and liked it, and I own a few of the rest of that ..."

Haha! That would right!

So I'll read 'Burning for Alexander' so we can clear that harder task :)

The rest of you can work out the 4 remaining tasks. Maybe Caipi takes Flynn with Smokescreen and only the 3 easier ones remain.

Tracking - Task
Season 1, Episode 1


👑Read a book with a crown on the cover
✅ * TERESA | The Traitor's Curse | Completion msg 35
🐍Read a book that starts & ends with a letter in SERPENT
✅ * CAIPI | River Home | msg 37
🧑Read a book with a character named EVE or FLYNN, or ARTHUR
✅ * SHELBY | Strangers in Death | msg 36
🗡️Read a book with all the letters of EXCALIBUR in the title/subtitle/series
✅ * JANE | Burning for Alexander | msg 40
👦👦Read a book with brothers in the story
✅ * HELKE | Unexpected Mate | msg 39

I’ll take Crown then. I’m going to read Traitor’s Curse by Elliot Grayson

I could probably find something for brothers if I do some digging, but I've definitely got books for SERPENT and as I do read the In Death series I'm happy to take Eve too since I've got those on my immediate TBR. :D

Ok. If it is ok with you all I would tackle Flynn. I don't have a book for the other tasks.
If it is ok, I'll take the brothers.

Helke wrote: "Ok. If it is ok with you all I would tackle Flynn. I don't have a book for the other tasks.
If it is ok, I'll take the brothers."

I'll put you down for Brothers, Helke.

Shelby and Caipi - just let me know which of you will read Flynn/Eve :) and I'll put the other down for Serpent.

Well, since Shelby has the Flynn/Eve book on her immediate TBR I'm happy to take the Serpent task. :)

Works for me.

Did you all notice that we don't have to wait until the 15th to start reading?

From the Q&A, post #12
The challenge technically kicks off on the 15th—but since it’s self-paced, early birds get a perk! Teams who’ve already checked in and received their tasks are free to start right away. 🏁📚

I had seen it. :) Love that we can start right away as I was just bouncing between books unable to settle on much of anything.

Caipi wrote: "Did you all notice that we don't have to wait until the 15th to start reading?

From the Q&A, post #12
The challenge technically kicks off on the 15th—but since it’s self-paced, early birds get a ..."

Yes - I knew we could start. I downloaded my book yesterday so will probably start it today :)

Completion Post - S1:E1

Task: 👑Read a book with a crown on the cover
Book: The Traitor's Curse
Author: Eliot Grayson
Pages: 290
Read: 01/06
How it fits: Crown on Cover


[*book:The Traitor's Curse|228487475]

Completion Post S1:E1

Task: Read a book with a character named EVE or FLYNN, or ARTHUR
Book: Strangers in Death
Page Count: 380pgs
Read: 1/7
How Fits: MC is named EVE Dallas.

Rating: ★★★★½

I really enjoy this series and this was a fun take on Strangers on a Train. Eve has her murderer from the beginning. She knows the vic's wife is lying. She can see the gleam in her eye. She's cold as hell and Eve knows she did it. But she's got an ice cold alibi. And Eve hasn't been able to break it.

This is a great cast of characters always and I enjoyed this story. These are great to pick up every month or so and dive into another mystery with characters who've become like that cozy blanket. You know you're going to like them, you kow there's going to be a little teansy tiny bit of drama between them to keep things interesting, but they're always going to get their man.

Completion Post - S1:E1

Task: 🐍Read a book that starts & ends with a letter in SERPENT
Book: River Home
Author: Elle Keaton
Pages: 226
Read: 01/09
How it fits: River Home starts & ends with a letter in SERPENT

Sorry am really busy with work at the moment. Still thinking about which book I'll read too.

completion post S1:E1
Read a book with brothers in the story
Unexpected Mate by Toni Griffin
PC: 176
Read: 01/11/26
How it fits: series is about 4 brothers and how they find their mates. Each book is the story of one brother

[b*ook:Unexpected Mate|18400078] [a*uthor:Toni Griffin|4552803]

Completion Post - S1:E1
Task: 🗡️Read a book with all the letters of EXCALIBUR in the title/subtitle/series

Book: Burning for Alexander from the series - Made Marion Legacy
Author: Lucy Lennox
Pages: 338
Finished: 11 January
How it fits: All letters of EXCALIBUR in the title

Task completed & posted in the Vault thread :)

Could everyone please add the broken link of their books to the posts? If we do a summary post, it makes a big difference.

Cheers

Jane (PS) wrote: "Task completed & posted in the Vault thread :)

Could everyone please add the broken link of their books to the posts? If we do a summary post, it makes a big difference.

Cheers"

Done.

Season 1, Episode 2:
And the Sword in the Stone

🗡️ “When Camelot stirs, legends awaken—and the past is far from buried.”

The Serpent Brotherhood is close to unleashing unchecked magic on the world. Flynn, mortally wounded by Excalibur, flees with Eve and the new recruits (Jake, Ezekiel, and Cassandra). They meet Jenkins at the hidden Library Annex, which becomes their new base. To stop the Brotherhood’s ritual under Buckingham Palace, they infiltrate a royal ball, recover Excalibur, and ultimately save Flynn when Cassandra uses the sword’s magic to heal him instead of herself. Flynn departs to restore the missing Library, leaving the new Librarians to begin their own journey under Jenkins’s guidance.

Tasks (Reminder: Each of you must choose a different task)
🗡️Read a book with a sword, crown, or other magical artifact on the cover
🤫Read a book where a hidden sanctuary, archive, or secret place plays a role
🎉Read a book featuring a masquerade, gala, or royal setting
🦸Read a book where a mentor trains or guides a new group of heroes
🚩Read a book where a character must risk their life, health, or future for the greater good

Ugh, these tasks sound difficult to me. Does anyone have any ideas for suitable books?

**edited**
Found a series with a 🗡 crown on cover https://www.goodreads.com/series/2911...
Might also work for 🎉 royal setting?

Do you think the Community of Species Government in Hijinks With a Hellhound could work for 🤫 secret place?

I can’t remember enough from those series Caipi but I recall the snow village was hidden, which was the setting for a few of those books.

Form memory, the community of species was sort of hidden? Again, it’s been a while 🫤

I *think* I can find books for all of them. It depends on how much leniency is in the parameters.

I have crown, royal setting, and risking life for the greater good. I think I have a secret place, but the mentor thing ~ I have them training one person but not necessarily a group that is obvious from the precis.

The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires was decent (but I don't want to reread) and works for:

🤫Read a book where a hidden sanctuary, archive, or secret place plays a role (hidden library)
🦸Read a book where a mentor trains or guides a new group of heroes
🚩Read a book where a character must risk their life, health, or future for the greater good

I found a few that work for
🗡️Read a book with a sword, crown, or other magical artifact on the cover

I think every book of Tavia Lark's Perilous Court series works for
🎉Read a book featuring a masquerade, gala, or royal setting and I'd be willing to rereading if necessary

I'm sure several of my books would work for
🚩Read a book where a character must risk their life, health, or future for the greater good
Due to the nature of what I generally read but it's not always apparent from the precis

Teresa wrote: "The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires was decent (but I don't want to reread) and works for:

🤫Read a book where a hidden sanctuary, archive, or secret place play..."

I would like to read it. You can put it where it is needed most.

Caipi wrote: "Ugh, these tasks sound difficult to me. Does anyone have any ideas for suitable books?

**edited**
Found a series with a 🗡 crown on cover https://www.goodreads.com/series/2911...
Migh..."

I just read the series recently and I would say it totally counts.

Hey guys - I'm on this commercial shoot for another day and then I'll be back home and can start something then. Let me know what you need me take. I'm pretty sure I can find something for most things.