Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Team Olympus



Team Members
• Mel - Captain
• Karen - Co-Captain
• Sophie - Co-Captain
• Sam A
• Brittany McC
• Kylie (catsalive)
• Vikki
• Kat
• Claire
• Anastasia R
• Denise





Team Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Challenge Status: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

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⛰️⚡ ALL ABOUT TOWER TEAMS ⚡⛰️

📐 RULES & POINTS


COUNTDOWN
🕰️ ⚡The challenge starts on 16 May 2026, 9am UTC.⚡🕰️

Only books STARTED after the challenge begins can count.

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


⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

⛰️⚡Link to Team Tracking Sheet⚡⛰️

Please opne the link and request access.

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

‼️Books that are finished and have been transferred already to the official sheet will be hidden by using a filter on the S column. If you want to see them, please use the triangle shape at the top of the column to unfilter it.


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‼️⚡IMPORTANT⚡‼️

‼️With Goodreads having removed the private messaging option, it is VITAL that we stay in touch!

‼️Apart from sheet updates, please, check in at least once a week to let us know that you are still playing and that we have not lost you.

THANK YOU!

⛰️⚡ MINI CHALLENGES ⚡⛰️


🧗‍♂️⛰️TIME TO CLIMB⛰️🧗‍♂️


🧗‍♂️⛰️Tackling Mount TBR⛰️🧗‍♂️

Tasks have been added to our Tracking sheet.

H*O*U*S*E*K*E*E*P*I*N*G

📊 If you are a planner, feel free to add books to the tracking sheet and add the options your book works for.

🦥If you are more of a mood reader it's enough to add the books as you start reading them or when you finish them, no hurry.

🔚Once you finish a book, please make sure that the reading dates are correct and also add it both to your Read and to your TT shelves.

✅ Karen, Sophie and I will try our best to make sure that your books get assigned to claimed tasks (we can expect more Minis as the challenge kicks off), but sometimes to move forward and for the sake of points, we may need to play tetris, if its OK with you. We will let you know if some more targeted reading is needed, but otherwise will be happy to leave you to follow your own pace and mood. 😊

➕ If you are uncomfortable using spreadsheets, you are welcome to make completion posts in the thread and we will help you add the books to the sheet. Just make sure you link the right edition of the book you read and list the options the book works for.

❓Feel free to ask any questions if you something is not clear.

❗And the MOST IMPORTANT: Have fun and read good books!! 😊

📗MAY📗

The Will of the Many by James Islington

starts on 18 May
Link to BOM Discussion

Official page count: 707


The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

starts on 25 May
Link to BOM Discussion

Official page count: 384

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📒JUNE📒

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

starts on 2 June
Link to BOM Discussion

Official Page Count: 480


Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

starts on 16 June
Link to BOM Discussion

Official Page Count: 503

Zeus' spot

Hera's spot

Team Shelves

				
❅	Mel	Mount TBR-ride-or-die	Read	Currently Reading	Comments
❅	Karen	towerteams_xii	Read	Currently Reading	Comments
❅	Sophie	ttxii	Read	Currently Reading	Comments
❅	Sam	4bc-2	Read	Currently Reading	Comments
❅	Brittany2026-tt	Read	Currently Reading	Comments
❅	Kylie	tower	Read	Currently Reading	Comments
❅	Vikki	Tower Team Shelf	Read	Currently Reading	Comments
❅	Kat	TT shelf	Read	Currently Reading	Comments
❅	Claire	tower-teams-2026	Read	Currently Reading	Comments
❅	Anastasiatower-xii-shelf	Read	Currently Reading	Comments
❅	Denise	tower teams 2026	Read	Currently Reading	Comments

Demeter

⚡⛺🏔️Welcome to our Base Camp, Mythical Mountaineers of Team Olympus!📚

Many have attempted this ascent. Some vanished beneath avalanches of impulse purchases OR were lost to tectonic shelf shifts OR maybe they wandered off the marked trail after “just starting one small audiobook”.

A few unsung heroes may still be trapped beneath the crushing weight of special editions and cannot-see-the-ending fantasy series.

But WE WILL MEET THE CHALLENGE! We climb together. 🧗‍♂️💪

No reader will be left behind during a landslide of library holds, a sudden book avalanche, or unexpected discoveries labeled “new release.” And we will not be intimidated by Team book recommendations.

Our mission is -cough- simple: survive the climb, reduce the TBR by at least ?? books, and resist adopting ??? more along the way. Let's return to this line at the end of the challenge to see how/where it all went downhill .... 🤔

Will there be setbacks?
Absolutely.

Will someone accidentally increase their TBR during the challenge?
Almost certainly.


So, gather your packs, choose your next read and report to Base Camp! ⛺📖⛺📖⚡

⛰️⛺ Before we begin our perilous ascent, please introduce yourselves and link your TT bookshelves.

Also here are some warm-up questions:

⛰️ How large is your current TBR mountain?
⛰️ What’s the oldest unread book lurking on your shelves?
⛰️ Which book are you most excited to finally conquer?
⛰️ Are you a careful route planner or a chaotic mood reader?
⛰️ What genre currently dominates your mountain range?
⛰️ Have you been to the actual Mount Olympus?

👋 Hello!
Super ready to climb Olympus and see those gods!

⛰️ How large is your current TBR mountain?
I use the cleaning out the closet challenge every year to read and delete old stuff and keep it manageable, so it is 289 books atm

⛰️ What’s the oldest unread book lurking on your shelves?
Because of that challenge I have cleaned up to 2017! yay

⛰️ Which book are you most excited to finally conquer?
I am finishing the Throne of Glass series and will tandem read books 5&6 when this challenge starts

⛰️ Are you a careful route planner or a chaotic mood reader?
A bit of both actually! I have books planned for the month and then will just go searching if I feel like a particular fix

⛰️ What genre currently dominates your mountain range?
HF, Mystery, Fantasy :)

⛰️ Have you been to the actual Mount Olympus?
I have never been to Greece - one day!!

Hello Olympians,

very excited to be playing/reading with you all during the Mount TBR TT Challenge. 😊

I am Mel from Hungary -living in a small lake town with my husband and my son- and I have participated in TT challenges since 2017 (Star Wars was my first one).

Together with Karen and Sophie we'll be your Sherpas to guide you through this epic climb. 😊

I have sent friend requests to those of you I have not been on a Team before.

My shelf is Mount TBR-ride-or-die


⛰️ How large is your current TBR mountain?
My TBR here on GR is quite modest, although it is mostly because I'm sure I have missed to add a book or 15 which are lurking on my physical bookshelves. But thanks to Karen and the Cleaning Out The TBR Closet, I'm mostly on track. 😊

⛰️ What’s the oldest unread book lurking on your shelves?
There are 2 books left from 2014, when I joined GR. They are Nicholas Nickelby & Foundation.

⛰️ Which book are you most excited to finally conquer?
I should really pull myself together and read Nicholas Nickleby & The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors during the challenge.

⛰️ Are you a careful route planner or a chaotic mood reader?
While I mostly like planning my reads, the last 2-3 months have been very chaotic and so has my reading, so currently my reading is pretty unpredictable, even to myself.

⛰️ What genre currently dominates your mountain range?
Historical Fiction, Non-fiction (mostly history and music), Fantasy and Classics which are also my favourite genres, so no big surprises there.

⛰️ Have you been to the actual Mount Olympus?
Funnily I have visited quite a few Greek islands -Crete, Thira, Rhodes, Zakynthos, Corfu-, but I have never been to the Greek Mainland yet.

Hello everyone 🫰

I’m Sam from Sudan! Reading has been my way of coping with everything from med school to post-graduation chaos so I’m really excited for my second TT after having an absolute blast last year.

I’m definitely a chaotic reader. My TBR is sitting at 150 books, and the oldest one on there was added back in 2022 (The Historian). The genres I reach for most are fantasy and literary fiction, but I also love historical fiction and thrillers, especially whodunnits.

I haven’t been to Mount Olympus yet, but I’ll definitely be claiming that I have after finishing this challenge 🤭😉

Excited to climb with everyone 🫰💪

My shelf:
4bc-2

Hello Sam, welcome to our Team!! 😊

Here is our tracking sheet link, please request editing access via the link. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Shelf will come. Sorting properly tomorrow.

I'm Sophie, one of your co-captains here on the epic climb up mount TBR/Olympus.

I'm based in the UK. I have 2 children and a new addition of a puppy (fox red lab) called Amber who is very sweet.

⛰️ How large is your current TBR mountain?
526 - it's been around the 500 mark for a while now.

⛰️ What’s the oldest unread book lurking on your shelves?
I added all Nora Roberts' back catalogue in 2014 so still got a lot of them to go.

⛰️ Which book are you most excited to finally conquer?
The last 2 books of the Nicolo series by Dorothy Dunnett.

⛰️ Are you a careful route planner or a chaotic mood reader?
Chaos all the way here.

⛰️ What genre currently dominates your mountain range?
Romance, Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Crime. Horror is a deep cave that is never visited.

⛰️ Have you been to the actual Mount Olympus?
No, been to a couple of the Greek Islands, but again, never the main land.

Melindam wrote: "Hello Sam, welcome to our Team!! 😊

Here is our tracking sheet link, please request editing access via the link. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/......"

Tysm 💞. Done!

⛰️ How large is your current TBR mountain?
According to my TBR list on here... over 500. There are more that I haven't added to that shelf, but some on that shelf are also wishlist books, not ones I actually own. Anyway.... it's a big mountain!

⛰️ What’s the oldest unread book lurking on your shelves? There are a few books that I added in 2011.... oh dear!

⛰️ Which book are you most excited to finally conquer?
That's a tough question. I'd like to make progress with a few more series books and some of my Fairyloot subscription books.

In challenges I like to plan out what I read. I do try to have some different genres to fit my mood.

⛰️ What genre currently dominates your mountain range? It's a mix to be honest, crime/thriller, fantasy, chick lit probably being the biggest peaks.

⛰️ Have you been to the actual Mount Olympus? Not yet

Glad to have you on the Team, Vikki. 😊

Hi Vikki and Sam!

Excited to get going at the weekend - just need to finish off my currently reading books so I'm ready to go.

My shelf is the straightforward *TTXII this time round

Sophie wrote: "Hi Vikki and Sam!

Excited to get going at the weekend - just need to finish off my currently reading books so I'm ready to go.

My shelf is the straightforward *TTXII this time round"

I actually to decide what my first book will be for the challenge....

Hello everyone -
I'm so excited to be here! I explained to Mel before signing up that May is pretty crazy for us. I'll do my best, but life gets significantly less crazy here around May 28th. So please bear with me for the first several days.

Here's a link to my shelf:
tower teams 2026

Yikes. That took me three tries to link correctly. :)

⛰️ How large is your current TBR mountain?
Oh...it's about 1600 or so. I could probably stand to really go through it and delete a few that are no longer calling to me.

⛰️ What’s the oldest unread book lurking on your shelves?
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. I added it 14 years ago.


⛰️ Which book are you most excited to finally conquer?
I'm not sure that there's just one. I'd like to start the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. And there are several classics I've never read (that are so easy to forget about). I am also hoping to get back to Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series and to finish Stephen King's Gwendy's Button Box series.


⛰️ Are you a careful route planner or a chaotic mood reader?
I love making lists and plans, but I also love browsing a library and picking up whatever calls to me. So I guess I also love sabotaging my own plans.

⛰️ What genre currently dominates your mountain range?
I like mysteries, cozy mysteries, psychological thrillers, and mild horror. I will read lots of other genres, but these are my favorites.

⛰️ Have you been to the actual Mount Olympus?
I have been to Greece (just once - I loved it), but not Mount Olympus.

Denise wrote: "Hello everyone -
I'm so excited to be here! I explained to Mel before signing up that May is pretty crazy for us. I'll do my best, but life gets significantly less crazy here around May 28th. So pl..."

Happy to have you with us, Denise! 😊

Hello, I'm Kylie from Australia AEST (UTC +10)

my shelf, cunningly named tower https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

⛰️ How large is your current TBR mountain?
My GR mountain is quite modest with only just over a thousand books on it, my physical TBR is at least twice that size.

⛰️ What’s the oldest unread book lurking on your shelves?
no doubt I have a physical book that has been waiting for 25-30 years for me to get to it, , on GR there's Fire Touched from 2016

⛰️ Which book are you most excited to finally conquer?
anything is good

⛰️ Are you a careful route planner or a chaotic mood reader?
definitely a mood reader

⛰️ What genre currently dominates your mountain range?
mystery/crime/thriller but I read a bit of everything
I do not like horror or YA

⛰️ Have you been to the actual Mount Olympus?
no

Hey Kylie,

Nice to be on a Team with you again. 😊

Hi everyone! Nice to see new and old friends here.

I’m excited for this challenge. And happy with our Mountain, I love the Greek gods and goddesses.

My shelf is tower-teams-2026 (https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...)

⛰️ How large is your current TBR mountain? 5659 books

⛰️ What’s the oldest unread book lurking on your shelves?
Crime and Punishment which I will read this year.

⛰️ Which book are you most excited to finally conquer?
I’m excited over every book, but plan on reading the Demon Copperhead which I neared a lot of good comments on.

⛰️ Are you a careful route planner or a chaotic mood reader?
I am a chaotic reader as I take too many challenges and often I change my books for them. But I can occasionally plan and stich to the plan

⛰️ What genre currently dominates your mountain range?
I think there is an order, not a dominance maybe: 1. Literary fiction; 2.thrillers/mystery/.’’; 3. Historical fiction ; 4. Fantasy

⛰️ Have you been to the actual Mount Olympus?
No, sadly not. But I have been to the birthplace of Zeus on Crete.

I tried to acces the spreadsheet and ask for acces, but it won’t let me. I’m in the read only mode there.

Catsalive wrote: "Hello, I'm Kylie from Australia AEST (UTC +10)

my shelf, cunningly named tower https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

⛰️ How large is your current TBR..."

I am a huge fan of mystery/thriller books, too. I do find that there's a fine line between thrillers and horror. I can't do graphic horror, but I like a lot of the milder "creepy" horror books. I'm always curious to see where Goodreads places those "in between" books.

Hi, I'm Anastasia, also from Australia. This is my first time playing this challenge and not really sure what I signed up for. Somehow got talked into it in the UNO challenge, even though trying to cut down on challenges.
My shelf is tower-xii-shelf https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
⛰️ How large is your current TBR mountain?
Too big to measure. Don't really use Goodreads for this, so not really sure how some books got added there.Have thousands of book that I have purchased over the years with overflowing shelves that I have even packed a lot in boxes those that it would probably be a while before I am able to get to them. My ebooks and audible TBR lists are also in the thousands. I can't resist the sales
⛰️ What’s the oldest unread book lurking on your shelves?
Not sure as it is probably lurking in the back somewhere
⛰️ Which book are you most excited to finally conquer?
I want to read the new Michael Connelly series Nightshade although this is only one from last year that I haven't had a chance to get to yet
⛰️ Are you a careful route planner or a chaotic mood reader?
Tend to be a chaotic mood reader but do like to plan for challenges
⛰️ What genre currently dominates your mountain range?
Crime and mystery as love puzzles
⛰️ Have you been to the actual Mount Olympus?
No

I forgot to introduce myself properly when I answered the questions. Ooops.

I'm Vikki from Northern Ireland. It was actually sunny here today! I do love to sit outside in nice weather with a good book.
I've taken part in a lot of Tower Teams challenges, as well as Wheelathons and this was my 4th year doing Uno.

Hi everyone! Excited to go climbing with you all!

Here's my TT shelf

⛰️ How large is your current TBR mountain?
Currently at 364! I have tried to cull it to a manageable number as am trying to keep it under 500. However, I do pick up books here and there that aren't even in my tbr. Oh well.

⛰️ What’s the oldest unread book lurking on your shelves?
2014 on my GR shelf- The Perfume Collector
2013 on my physical shelf - S.

⛰️ Which book are you most excited to finally conquer?
I wish I could finally read S. because when I bought it upon release (it was pretty), I have not even removed it from its plastic wrap until now.

⛰️ Are you a careful route planner or a chaotic mood reader?
Definitely chaotic.

⛰️ What genre currently dominates your mountain range?
Fantasy, memoirs, mystery.

⛰️ Have you been to the actual Mount Olympus?
No

I sent the edit request to the wrong spreadsheet twice! Sorry mods! I didn't realize the tab didn't switch.

Are there bonus points if we read books from TBR recs?

Hello Claire & Kat, nice to be on a team with you again! 😊

Anastasia, welcome to the Team & to the TT Challenge. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it and we are here to help you, just post your questions if/when you have any. 😊

Kat (wanderfulbooks) wrote: "Are there bonus points if we read books from TBR recs?"

Yes, we get 5 bonus points if we read books from the TBR List.

Claire wrote: "I tried to acces the spreadsheet and ask for acces, but it won’t let me. I’m in the read only mode there."

Claire,

I did not get any notifications for access, but I have your email addess from UNO, so I can give you access. Will do so as soon as I get in front of my laptop in an hour or so.

***

ETA: @Claire, I have sent you the invitation.

@Vikki,

could you please share the link to your TT-shelf, please? Thank you. :)

I also requested access to the spreadsheet as only in read only mode as well

Anastasia wrote: "I also requested access to the spreadsheet as only in read only mode as well"

Could you please double check? This is the link to the tracking sheet.

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

I haven't got a notification, so maybe you requested access to the official sheet. Only captains get editing access for that.

Have access now thank you

I usually only just add books as I read them. Will this be okay? Or do you need us to add the books we have planned?

Anastasia wrote: "I usually only just add books as I read them. Will this be okay? Or do you need us to add the books we have planned?"

No, you don't have to. :)

Dear Team,

you can find this post under message 6 as well. 😊

H*O*U*S*E*K*E*E*P*I*N*G

📊 If you are a planner, feel free to add books to the tracking sheet and add the options your book works for.

🦥If you are more of a mood reader it's enough to add the books as you start reading them or when you finish them, no hurry.

🔚Once you finish a book, please make sure that the reading dates are correct and also add it both to your Read and to your TT shelves.

✅ Karen, Sophie and I will try our best to make sure that your books get assigned to claimed tasks (we can expect more Minis as the challenge kicks off), but sometimes to move forward and for the sake of points, we may need to play tetris, if its OK with you. We will let you know if some more targeted reading is needed, but otherwise will be happy to leave you to follow your own pace and mood. 😊

➕ If you are uncomfortable using spreadsheets, you are welcome to make completion posts in the thread and we will help you add the books to the sheet. Just make sure you link the right edition of the book you read and list the options the book works for.

❓Feel free to ask any questions if you something is not clear.

❗And the MOST IMPORTANT: Have fun and read good books!! 😊

Hello everyone! Pleased that so many of you have found the thread and are getting ready to go.

Today has been a chilled day for me. I was called for jury duty, but about a week ago they called to excuse me. Given that my shifts at work were covered, I've got this week as a bonus holiday. Feels v weird having time of when my kids are at school.

Mel - more minis? You don't think us mods have learnt our lesson and decided not to unlease more activities as we go along?

Sophie wrote: "Hello everyone! Pleased that so many of you have found the thread and are getting ready to go.

Today has been a chilled day for me. I was called for jury duty, but about a week ago they called to ..."

Glad you are having some well-deserved me-time, Sophie.

Mods learning their lessons and deciding to stay inactive... lemme think on this... 🤔

Sounds rather terrifying. 🤭

Some what typically I’ve started to relax and been hit by a cold. Did mean I could nap this afternoon though.

Well, in that case we’ll have to see what the mod chipmunks have come up with.

Sophie wrote: "Some what typically I’ve started to relax and been hit by a cold. Did mean I could nap this afternoon though.

Well, in that case we’ll have to see what the mod chipmunks have come up with."

Oh no, get better soon!!

These would be indigenous, Mountain Chipmunks, related to bigfoots, no doubt. 🙃

Nooo I accidentally closed the tab when trying to clsoe the tab for my TBR. I don't remember what I said, let me try again.

I'm Brittany, from Montana, live in Texas, Central Time Zone. Creator & Mod of the group For Love of a Book: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Single mother of a Teen and 4 rescued pets. I work in comptuer modeling and simulation and then I also have a Photography business where I love to snap sports and concerts.
I am editing my first full length novel but it is kind of on the back burner. I am a PC gamer and use steam a lot but super busy in life and so I am slacking in that area as well

Life has thrown me a lot of curveballs in the last 5 years and I am kind of just hanging on with my teeth and reading to avoid the horrors continually raining down upon my country, while also knowing it cold be so much worse. Wanting to disappear into the woods with a raccoon army, crow guard and still have access to delivery haha

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

⛰️ How large is your current TBR mountain?
Mine is quite large: 34,125

⛰️ What’s the oldest unread book lurking on your shelves?

On my physical shelf, I will have to look

⛰️ Which book are you most excited to finally conquer?
I'm not sure, I just love to read

⛰️ Are you a careful route planner or a chaotic mood reader?
Chatoic but plan within mylibrary due dates

⛰️ What genre currently dominates your mountain range?
No idea, I enter a lot of giveaways, but my fav genre is Speculative Fiction

⛰️ Have you been to the actual Mount Olympus?
No

I can't access Google Sheets from work, but I will try to remember to request this evening