Take It Or Leave It Challenge - December 2015 - Page 1

For those new to this challenge: More info and monthly index can be found in post #1 of this thread or this TIOLI FAQS wiki.

Simple directions for posting to the wiki can be found at the bottom of each month's wiki page.


...logo by cyderry

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My posting is up early since the Thanksgiving holidays are upon us here in the United States. I wanted everyone to have a chance to look through their book piles even if they were leaving home for the holiday weekend. Here goes…

I want to fill your upcoming month with thrills. Therefore, your TIOLI challenge for December, 2015, is to…

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Read a book with the word “adventure” somewhere on the outside of the book.

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Rules
1. The word may be singular, plural, or embedded.
2. The word may be, but not need be, in the book title.
3. Pay no attention to capitalization.
4. List only one place where you find this word.
5. The entire word must be intact. Associated words with different letters are not acceptable (ex. adventurous is not ok; adventuresome is ok)
6. In addition, list a few descriptive surrounding words, like this…

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (front cover/the amazing adventures) – Michael Chabon
Halfway to Heaven (back cover/an outrageous adventure) - Mark Obmascik
The Hungry Ocean (back cover/a rip roaring adventure) – Linda Greenlaw
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (back cover/ the adventuresome young man) – Howard Pyle
The Tenderness of Wolves (back cover/an old-fashioned adventure) - Stef Penney

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend to my fellow Americans. To everyone else, enjoy the few extra days of book-searching that I’ve given you. Ha!

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Other Fun Stuff (not part of the TIOLI challenge):

1. The December 2015 TIOLI Meter - Optional page on which you may track your TIOLI reading. FYI: This is not meant to be competitive - only fun!
2. Morphidae's List of Previous TIOLI Challenges - You may use this reference (Do a control-F scan) to avoid repeating a previous challenge. If your idea is similar to a previous challenge, just make it unique by adding a new "twist" to it. (Updated 09/23/14)

Wiki Index of Challenges:

Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book with the word “adventure” somewhere on the outside of the book. - msg #1
2. Read a book that was on your list at the beginning the year as "to read in 2015" - msg #4
3. Read a book that that has no red or green whatsoever on the front cover - msg #6
4. Read a mystery that has something odd or unexpected in the title - msg #7
5. Read a funny book about a holiday - msg #9
6. Read a book with either the word "Star" or "Wars" in the title - msg #10

Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book that is dedicated to a family member - msg #20
8. Read a book that is set in Tudor England msg #23
9. Read a book with the color blue on the cover or the word blue somewhere in the title - msg #24
10. Read a book with a title starting with the next letter in Santa Claus - msg #25
11. Read a "campus novel" or non-fiction book about academia - msg #26
12. Read a work of fiction by a woman or women which was not written in English - msg 33

Challenges #13-18
13. Read a book by an author who has published at least 12 books - msg #34
14. Read a book you started before December 1, 2015 - msg #38
15. Read a book that completes the phrase "All is want for Christmas is __________" - msg #44
16. Read a book of nonfiction - msg #45
17. Read a book with something Parisian in the title or plays in Paris - msg #46
18. Read a book written by a famous/prolific author, one whose books you've never tried reading before - msg #49

Challenge #19-20
19. Read a book whose cover shows one or more people in bed - msg #55 - thread
20. Read a work in which a party or celebration takes place or has such a word in the title - msg #86
21. Read a book published by an author who writes under a diminutive or short form name - msg #90

Please save your challenge until the January 2016 TIOLI challenges are posted. Thank you!

I did it! No one has discovered this yet... and we're twelve minutes into the December TIOLI challenges. :D

I found it!

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Challenge #2 Read a book that was on your list
at the beginning the year as "to read in 2015"
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Here is my gift to everyone - an easy challenge to have a place to put those books that you promised yourself you were going to read this year. (I needed it too!)

You did!

I think this is the first time I've ever finished posting the entire challenge (connected links and all) without being detected. It was nice to have it completed and ready for you. :)

Challenge #3: Read a book that that has no red or green whatsoever on the front cover

None. Not red or green letters. Not red or green anything.

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Challenge #4: Read a mystery that has something odd or unexpected in the title

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By "odd" and "unexpected" I mean something you don't generally associate with a mystery, or which gives you little idea of what the story is about.

The book does not have to be titled in the format "The Mystery Of The (Object)" or "The (Object) Mystery", but it does have to be a mystery.

>2 SqueakyChu:

That's about 4.00am my time, for future reference. :)

Yahoo, I got here early. That's the benefit of going to relatives for Thanksgiving so not having to do holiday cleaning.
Challenge #5: Read a funny book about a holiday
Any holiday will do. I was going to make it a winter holiday, but for those in the Southern Hemisphere that would prevent their reading anything about curent holidays. I'm planning a little David Sedaris, Holidays On Ice.

Challenge #6: Read a book with either the word "Star" or "Wars" in the title.
Star can not be plural and Wars may not be singular.

Embedded words "Star" and "Wars" is permissible.

BTW: This is tribute to Star Wars VII opening in a theater near you on on or about December 14, 2015

>10 Carmenere:

So no embedding, then?

>9 Citizenjoyce: I chose one that is a parody, a noir look at Santa Claus. Fat Man has been tagged as humor so I figure that should be good enough. I hope.

>12 lindapanzo: Sounds good to me. I checked my audio library so I could join you, but alas, not there.

>10 Carmenere: Well, shoot, I just added a Star Trek Enterprise: The First Adventure by Vonda N. McIntyre to Madeline's challenge. Now I have to look for another one.

>8 lyzard:

That's about 4.00am my time, for future reference.

Well, one night you might have trouble sleeping near the end of the month! :D

>11 lyzard: Yeah, I'll make embedding allowable and I'll update my post #10

>14 Citizenjoyce: Maybe embedded words will help you.

Starting the month off cheerfully planning to read:
Challenge #1: Read a book with the word “adventure” somewhere on the outside of the book - started by SqueakyChu
*✔The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Orczy Emmuska - RL Book Club (3.5)
✔Star Trek Enterprise: The First Adventure - Vonda N. McIntyre E-Audiobook (3)
Challenge #2: Read a book that was on your list at the beginning the year as "to read in 2015". - started by cyderry
✔A Brief History of Seven Killings - Marlon James - E-Audiobook (5)
*✔We Are All Welcome Here - Elizabeth Berg - Audiobook (4)
Challenge #3: Read a book that that has no red or green whatsoever on the front cover - started by lindapanzo
✔Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster - Svetlana Alexievich (5)
Challenge #4: Read a mystery that has something odd or unexpected in the title - started by lyzard
✔A Conspiracy of Faith - Jussi Adler-Olsen - E-book (4)
✔Gods and Beasts - Denise Mina - Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #5: Read a funny book about a holiday - started by Citizenjoyce
*✔Holidays on Ice: Stories - David Sedaris - E-Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #6: Read a book with either the word "Star" or "Wars" in the title - started by Carmenere
Challenge #7: Read a book that is dedicated to a family member - started by DeltaQueen
*✔A Certain Slant of Light - Laura Whitcomb - Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #9: Read a book with the color blue on the cover or the word blue somewhere in the title - started by dallenbaugh
*✔Challenger Deep - Neal Shusterman - E-Audiobook (5)
*✔Outline - Rachael Cusk (3.5)
Challenge #10: Rolling challenge: Read a book with a title starting with the next letter in Santa Claus - started by cbl_tn
*✔The Mischief of the Mistletoe - Lauren Willig - E-Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #11: Read a "campus novel" or non-fiction book about academia - started by Chatterbox
✔Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J. K. Rowling - E-Audiobook (4)
Challenge #12: Read a work of fiction by a woman or women which was not written in English (state the language) - started by wandering_star
✔The Ice Princess - Camilla - E-Audiobook (4)
Challenge #13: Read a book by an author who has published at least 12 books - started by susanna.fraser
✔Carol or The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith (4.5)
✔The Long Earth - Terry Pratchett - E-Audiobook (3.5)
✔Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights - Salman Rushdie - E-Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #14: Finish a book you started before 01/Dec/15 - started by helenliz
*✔Callahan's Crosstime Saloon - Spider Robinson - E-Audiobook (2.5)
Challenge #15: Read a book that completes the phrase "All is want for Christmas is __________ - started by lahochstetler
*✔Blood & Beauty - Sarah Dunant E-Audiobook (4)
Challenge #16: Read a book of nonfiction - started by auntieclio
✔The Origin of the Species - Charles Darwin - E-Audiobook (5)
Challenge #17: Read a book with something Parisian in the title or plays in Paris - started by paulstalder
✔The Gap of Time - Jeanette Winterson (4.5)
Challenge #20: Read a work in which a party or celebration takes place or has such a word in the title - started by Dejah_Thoris
✔The Secret in Their Eyes - Eduardo Sacheri - E-Audiobook (4.5)

>13 Citizenjoyce: I've had this north pole noir one on my Kindle for forever. Not something I'd likely read outside of the holidays and I keep missing it. This is just the incentive to finally read the thing.

>18 lindapanzo: I know what you mean. Christmas stories seem like such a good idea when we buy them, but then we never get around to reading them.

Oh my, I can't believe we are on our last TIOLI Challenges for the year! I've added mine:

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Challenge #7: Read a book that has a dedication to a family member

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As we enter into the holiday season, family is on many people’s mind - whether it is to get together with them, or to avoid them! My family challenge is to read a book that is dedicated to a family member. Can be a mother, child, spouse or any other relative as long as the relationship is stated in the dedication.

For example: To my darling David - not acceptable

To my darling husband David - is acceptable

Please include on the Wiki, the relationship between the author and the dedication.

Madeline, I've moved my book from Challenge #1 to another challenge - now back to the bookcases to see if I have one that's labelled correctly!

>21 DeltaQueen50:

Thanks, Judy.

CHALLENGE #8 - READ A BOOK SET IN TUDOR ENGLAND

As usual there is an element of selfishness here as I have Hilary Mantel up for the BAC and want to make sure that I can squeeze in Bring up the Bodies somewhere.

Plenty of other historical fiction here with Margaret George, Alison Weir, Phillipa Gregory, Jean Plaidy, C.J. Sansom and Anya Seton. Non-Fiction books about the Tudors is also acceptable.

Challenge #9 Read a book with the color blue on the cover or the word blue somewhere in the title

I hope this is an easy challenge for this busy holiday season. This is in honor of my newly adopted Blue Heeler puppy whose name is Benji.

Challenge #10 - Rolling Challenge: Read a book with a title starting with the next letter in Santa Claus

Since there are so many "A"s in Santa Claus, I'm going to make it really easy and make leading articles optional. Count or exclude them as necessary. Don't enter two books in succession; wait for someone else to enter a book before listing a second book.

Example:

The Strangers We Became - Cynthia Kaplan Shamash - cbl_tn
A Change of Climate - Hilary Mantel - SqueakyChu
Not a Creature Was Stirring - Jane Haddam - cbl_tn
etc.

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Challenge #11 - Read a "campus novel" or a non-fiction book about academia

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There are a lot of these out there. David Lodge famously wrote some very funny satirical books about academic life in the UK. There have been mysteries and suspense books set on campuses, as well as more general works of fiction -- Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz, I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe, The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch.

The vast majority of the story must revolve around events happening to a group of students or faculty at an academic institution -- the campus itself must be a real backdrop. In that context, high school novels will work IF they are boarding schools. So if you want to re-read Harry Potter, off you go! Or The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I think Carol Goodman has one or two novels (suspense) set against the backdrop of prep schools. The first book of Lev Grossman's trilogy would qualify, but not the others; yes, the characters meet in school, but other than a few scenes in the third book, nothing much happens AT the school after book #1. Notes on a Scandal wouldn't count; yes it's about teaching, a teacher and a school, but it's not really about campus life.

I'll try to come up with a more complete list of suggestions here.

On the non-fiction side, some possibilities might include The Gatekeepers by Jacques Steinberg, about the admissions process to elite US colleges; Ebony and Ivy by Craig Stevens, about racism and slavery in the history of U.S. universities, Pledged by Alexandra Robbins, which looks at sororities, or The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose, about a college student at Brown who decides to take a junior year "abroad" at Liberty University.

OK, here's a (partial) list:

Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan
Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers
Changing Places, Nice Work, etc. by David Lodge
Alexander McCall Smith’s Profess Dr. von Igelfeld books, including Unusual Uses for Olive Oil
Moo by Jane Smiley
I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe
Tam Lin by Pamela Deane
The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies
Porterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simison
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
An Academic Question by Barbara Pym
Swann by Carol Shields
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
All is Forgotten, Nothing is Lost by Lan Samantha Chang
The Groves of Academe by Mary McCarthy
The Bellwether Revivals by Benjamin Wood
The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips
The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman
Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott
The Dean’s December by Saul Bellow
Death Among the Dons by Janet Neel
The Wyndham Case by Jill Paton Walsh (and others in Imogen Quy mysteries)
The White Devil by Justin Evans

Non-fiction

The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose
Pledged by Alexandra Robbins
Racing Odysseus: A College Professor Becomes a Freshman Again by
The Gatekeepers by Jacques Steinberg
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer
Ebony and Ivy by Craig Stevens
One L by Scott Turow
Looking for Class: Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge by Bruce Feiler
The Last Professors by Frank Donoghue
The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom (this is pushing it a bit, but it's as much a critique of campus culture as it is of scholarship)

>26 Chatterbox: Would The History Boys do even though it's a play?

>27 Citizenjoyce: Sure, I'm agnostic. No short stories, no novellas, no magazine articles, etc. please. I'm looking for full-length fictional or non-fictional works, but a play would fit that definition.

I don't remember Deaf Sentence as being a campus novel, in the sense that Changing Places, Small World and Nice Work are.

>29 elkiedee: Aha, I thought it had been, but you almost certainly have read Lodge's books more recently than I have! I think I only skimmed that one, and someone told me it was like his other academic satires. Shall delete it and replace with Changing Places.

I started my reading year with two goals: first, to read 75 books, which I achieved this week when I finished reading Christopher Priest’s wonderful The Separation; and second, to read all the books currently on my TBR by China Miéville and Connie Willis. I’ve read 6 books by each in 2015, and 2 more by each remain.

My December reading goals (2300+ pages)

Challenge #1: Read a book with the word “adventure” somewhere on the outside of the book
Embassytown (back cover: “after years of deep-space adventure”), by China Miéville

Challenge #2: Read a book that was on your list at the beginning the year as "to read in 2015"
Railsea, by China Miéville

Challenge #3: Read a book that that has no red or green whatsoever on the front cover
Blackout, by Connie Willis

Challenge #9: Read a book with the color blue on the cover or the word blue somewhere in the title
The Prince of Bagram Prison, by Alex Carr

Challenge #10: Read a book with a title starting with the next letter in Santa Claus
*All Clear, by Connie Willis

>29 elkiedee:: I read Deaf Sentence in early January 2009 and my memory's very hazy, but although the main character is an academic and it's set in the same town as the academia trilogy, I think, it's not really about campus life and politics. I didn't enjoy it as much as those early novels, although it does describe very convincingly the experience of a man in his 70s losing his hearing, I know I recommended it to my mum and her increasingly deaf husband on that basis and they liked it more than I did, I think. It really made me think about deafness, I just don't remember much of the story.

Challenge 12: read a work of fiction not originally written in English, and written by a woman or women

Inspired by the current Reading Globally quarterly challenge - lots of suggestions in the thread here. I still have several books that I'd like to read for this, and I thought I might struggle to fit them all into different challenges!

Challenge 13: Read a book by an author who has published at least 12 books

It doesn't matter whether the book you're reading is their 12th or later book or not--the author just needs to have published that many.

>1 SqueakyChu: Sneaky, sneaky Squeaky! It didn't even occur to me to check for the new challenges before today.

Gosh, just found this thread now... I usually check repeatedly, but it didn't occur to me this month to check before today. Fun!

Haha!

This is one of those utterly self serving challenges. I have a load of half finished books, this is to clear them so that I can start the new year with a clean sheet.

Challenge #14: Finish a book you started before 01/Dec/15

Pretty self explanatory, I think. Shared reads are allowed; if someone else has, thus far, failed to finish a book, that should not prevent you from trying it too.

>38 Helenliz: Excellent! I think all of us reading Cecilia will be subscribing to your challenge, since I believe the only person in that group read to have already finished that giant brick of a book is Liz!

Yep, that's one "shared read" that really didn't work out!

>23 PaulCranswick: I don't think Elizabeth Chadwick has ever set anything in Tudor England... She's a friend of mine, so I'm reasonably familiar with her books, and she specializes in 12th/13th century England/Normandy -- Eleanor of Aquitaine, etc. Anya Seton wrote only one book that was set (partly) in Tudor England -- Green Darkness.

You could add Elizabeth Fremantle to that list (as I and others have done), and another Elizabeth who would work is Elizabeth Goudge, who wrote a few novels set in Elizabethan times, I think.

Susan Higginbotham has written a novel about Jane Grey; Suzannah Dunn has written several Tudor era books, including Lady of Misrule, The May Bride, Queen of Subtleties, The Sixth Wife, etc. and are intriguing because she chooses to give modern voices in tone and language to her characters. Rory Clement has written some excellent historical mysteries set in late Elizabethan England, and Nancy Bilyeau has a trilogy of books, The Crown, The Tapestry, and The Chalice, set in Henry VIII's England. Don't forget a veteran author, Margaret Campbell Barnes, who penned books about Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's jester, Will Somers, as well as one about Elizabeth of York. There is another novel about the Seymour clan, Pour the Dark Wine, by Dinah Lampitt, aka Deryn Lake, that has just been re-released. Norah Lofts wrote some good books about both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, including The Concubine, if you can find them. Rosemary Sutcliff wrote Lady in Waiting about Walter Raleigh and Bess Throckmorton at Elizabeth's court. Hilda Lewis wrote a group of three books about Mary Tudor, and Maureen Peters wrote a cluster of short, frothy novels about Tudor women, eg Kathryn the Wanton Queen. Finally, there are some novels about Elizabeth: The Queen and the Gypsy by Constance Heaven (the gypsy being Robert Dudley), and Margaret Irwin's trilogy, recently re-released: Young Bess, Elizabeth, Captive Princess and Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain, which are kind of historical fiction classics.

>41 Chatterbox: Rosemary Sutcliff's The Queen Elizabeth Story (her first) and The Armourer's House are also about girls (non royalty) living in Tudor England

>41 Chatterbox: You are quite right about Elizabeth Chadwick - uncharacteristically sloppy of me. Edited out Ms. Chadwick.

To keep the fun of the Thanksgiving challenge going:

Challenge 15: Read a book that completes the phrase "All I want for Christmas is ________."

Humorous entries welcome!

Challenge #17: Read a book with something Parisian in the title or plays in Paris

In memory of the victims of the Islamist attacks in Paris

So, there is Paris, or Eiffel, or the Seine, or Montparnasse mentioned in the title, or the action plays there

# Place de l'Étoile - Patrick Modiano
# Fliehe weit und schnell - Fred Vargas
# Die schwarzen Wasser der Seine - Fred Vargas
# Die Malerin vom Montmartre - Michel Peyramaure
# Sunrise Behind the Louvre - Léo Malet

edited to specify:
- no embedded words
- words in other languages written the same do not apply (the German 'seine' would not do)
- Paris TX does not count
- personal names do not count either (e.g. Paris Hilton etc.)

Here are my (highly ambitious) plans for December:

TIOLI #1: a book with the word “adventure” on the covers
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy Emmuska

TIOLI #2: on your list at the beginning the year as "to read in 2015"
The Mandelbaum Gate by Muriel Spark
Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The African Queen by CS Forester
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

TIOLI #4: a mystery that has something odd or unexpected in the title
The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri

TIOLI #7: Read a book that is dedicated to a family member
West with the Night by Beryl Markham

TIOLI #8: set in Tudor England
Sisters of Treason by Elizabeth Fremantle

TIOLI #9: colour or word blue on the cover
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Outline by Rachel Cusk

TIOLI #10: title starting with the next letter in Santa Claus
Le Sermon sur la chute de Rome by Jérôme Ferrari

TIOLI #12: written by a woman in a language other than English
The Preacher by Camilla Läckberg

TIOLI #13: by an author who has published at least 12 books
The Giant, O'Brien by Hilary Mantel
Carry On, Jeeves P. G. Wodehouse
The Dog Who Wouldn't Be by Farley Mowat
The Trials of Rumpole by John Mortimer

TIOLI #14: Finish a book you started before 01/Dec/15
Cecilia by Fanny Burney - Group read - Reading
The Bone People by Kery Hulme

TIOLI #15: "All is want for Christmas is ..."
Blood & Beauty: The Borgias; A Novel by Sarah Dunant

TIOLI #16: Read a book of nonfiction
The Young Ardizzone by Edward Adizzone

TIOLI #17: Read a book with something Parisian in the title or plays in Paris
Le Spleen de Paris by Charles Baudelaire

leaving bread crumbs . . .

*****Challenge #18: Read a book written by a famous/prolific author, one whose books you've never tried reading before*****

It's good to try new authors, some who may wind up on our "favorites" list.

This challenge is for anyone who wants to reach beyond the comfort zone, and try a new author to them, one which is highly prolific/touted/famous. I think of it as the "why haven't I tried this author yet?" sort of challenge.

My choice for this challenge is a book by Lois McMaster Bujold: any of you have a recommendation for that crucial FIRST read?

>49 fuzzi: Cordelia's Honor which is the first two books of theVorkosigans, or if you want just the first one it's Shards of Honor

>49 fuzzi: While Shards of Honor is the first in the Vorkosigan series, you could start with The Warrior's Apprentice which is rip-roaring fun (I preferred the books focusing on Miles rather than Cordelia). Or if you prefer fantasy, The Curse of Chalion is very good.

>52 jeanned: Whereas Miles drives me to drink. (Not that that's always a bad thing...)

>51 majkia: >52 jeanned: thanks! Of course, the public library doesn't have your suggestions in the system, but I've requested them through ILL. Hopefully I can get my hands on a copy before the end of the month...

I've been trying to think of a challenge for a book I want to read, and I finally came up with one:

Challenge #19: Read a book whose cover shows one or more people in bed.

To preemptively answer some questions:

No it doesn't have to be in bed in that sense. (My cover has two kids reading a book.)
Yes, your edition must use that cover (or be a shared read).
Any sort of bed is acceptable.

ETA: Also, if you want to post your cover, feel free to do so in The Bed Thread.

avatiakh, I've added Carry On by Rainbow Rowell to challenge 10, the rolling challenge, so I can't move it. Care to join me there?

Ok, will do

Hoping to read a few of these -

Challenge #2: Read a book that was on your list at the beginning the year as "to read in 2015"
Resurrection - Mandy Hager - bk #3

Challenge #3: Read a book that that has no red or green whatsoever on the front cover
The distant marvels - Chantel Acevedo - Cuban saga
Prairie Fire - E.K. Johnston - bk #2
The walled city - Esther David - Indian Jews

Challenge #7: Read a book that is dedicated to a family member
Ancillary Justice (parents) - Ann Leckie - scifi
Asylum City (parents) - Liad Shoham - Israeli crime

Challenge #9: Read a book with the color blue on the cover
All the light we cannot see - Anthony Doerr
The boy who drew the future - Rhian Ivory - YA
The boy's own manual to being a proper Jew - Eli Glasman - Australian YA
Challenger Deep - Neal Shusterman - YA
A song for Ella Grey - David Almond - YA

Challenge #10: Rolling challenge: Read a book with a title starting with the next letter in Santa Claus
Arcadia - Lauren Groff
Carry On - Rainbow Rowell - YA

Challenge #14: Finish a book you started before 01/Dec/15
The horses didn't come home - Pamela Rushby - YA
The storyteller of Jerusalem : the life and times of musician Wasif Jawhariyyeh, 1904-1948 - Wāṣif Jawharīyah
Temporary Kings - Anthony Powell - bk #11

Challenge #16: Read a book of nonfiction
The Cultural Revolution Cookbook - Sasha Gong - interesting

>55 yoyogod: Do you set up a page where we can share the covers and see what people do in bed?

>55 yoyogod: : My kids used to take naps in their hammocks and some cultures sleep only in hammocks. Would they fall under "any sort of bed"?

>55 yoyogod: Do flower beds count if a body is found in them?

>62 paulstalder: Good idea, here it is The Bed Thread.

>63 countrylife: & >64 dallenbaugh: I'll say yes to both of you.

Karim Miské is a man and his book Arab Jazz therefore doesn't fit in challenge 12, but it would fit in the Paris challenge.

>66 elkiedee: Yes, thank you. You were one of four separate individuals to draw this to my attention, none of whom were the creator of the challenge. Thanks for doing it politely and suggesting an alternative. Unfortunately, not everyone did so in a courteous manner, and one individual sent me a second PM within about 24 hours when I didn't remove the book rapidly enough for their taste, informing me that my failure to respond was was "annoying" and "distracting". (Sorry, but as I explained to Madeline when she, too, reached out to me to remind me about this, I was unwell and away from home.) I still periodically get anonymous comments from people who don't believe that I read all the books that I "claim" to read, that it's "not fair" that I log my reading in TIOLI, etc. etc., so this was, I'm afraid -- as I've told Madeline -- the straw that broke the camel's back. I'll leave my books posted in the rolling challenge this month (unless someone would like to replace them, in which case, please feel free), and my two shared reads in my own challenge, but going forward I won't be participating in TIOLI. My apologies to those I appear to have irritated to this extent. Please feel free to visit me on my thread to discuss books and only books.

Seriously? When did this become more important than everything else? And since when has it become okay to be bossy and RUDE to other people over reading for pleasure? Has it really gotten to the place where it matters how many books one person reads or doesn't? What is it to you if someone's count is unbelievable? And who is it hurting if books don't get moved immediately? Or not at all? We read for our own pleasure, not for the pleasure of others. Madeleine repeatedly reminds us this is supposed to be fun. If you're not enjoying yourself, why not remove yourself instead of sharing your meanness with others? Get a grip people, it's only books.

>67 Chatterbox: Very sad to hear that someone's been so ridiculous, and I'm sorry if my comment on this encouraged anyone else to "have a go". If you do get to Arab Jazz I look forward to hearing what you think, as I also have it to read (via Netgalley).

>68 AuntieClio: totally agree

>67 Chatterbox: I think that's a very sad state of affairs and I, for one, will miss your entries if you did decide to leave. I've had to ask someone to move a book in a previous month, there was no need to be impolite on either side. We all misread the challenge and file incorrect books; to be rude about it is unnecessary. If someone does need to leave, I would rather the people taking this so seriously that they resort to rudeness did so.

>68 AuntieClio: thankyou for putting into words something I was struggling to.

>67 Chatterbox: Yikes. People who get so twisted up over wiki errors and book counts should maybe go start their own groups to rule over rather than take the fun out of this one with such petty behavior.

Suzanne, if you need a break I hope it makes you feel better, and if it doesn't I hope you'll reconsider.

>67 Chatterbox: That makes me sad. I understand the TIOLI challenges as fun and not as run. It impresses me when other people read much more and faster than I do, and I like looking at their list. I understand your frustration to drop out. But I would like to encourage you to come back next year to TIOLI and post your readings again. That is really an enrichment for me and some others.

>67 Chatterbox: what Paul said. Your prolific reading and knowledge of books is a highlight for me on this and other threads. So really hope you decide to return in the New Year. TIOLI is meant to be fun and I can't understand how / why there needs to be such interference in a simple misread of a challenge.

>67 Chatterbox: - Ditto to what everyone else has said, Suz. I do hope you'll reconsider as I always look forward to seeing what challenge you will create. But I will, of course, continue to follow your personal thread.

Hang in there, my friend!

And to whomever you are:

>74 katiekrug: That image perfectly expresses how I feel. I can't understand questioning someone's reading like that. I sometimes ENVY people who are able to complete TIOLI sweeps because I wish I could read that fast or have that much time to read, but I don't doubt their word. And it's not like this is a competition and I'm missing my chance to win a valuable cash prize if someone reads twice as many books as I do, so why get worked up over it? This is about LEISURE READING. What I do for FUN.

>67 Chatterbox: While all of us are amazed at the number of books you read, I can't believe someone questions whether you read them all or not. I, myself, go into speed reading mode at times. However, I've taken one of those comprehension quizzes in this mode and know that I answered every question correctly in one of those. I'm sure you could do the same. At times, I do want to slowly savor a book, but at other times, I just want to get through it. While I wish you would stick around for TIOLI, I completely understand your reasons for leaving and support whatever decision is final.

I hate to see all the ugliness here. The support for Suzanne is nice to see. I also enjoy watching her reading and her challenges. But ugliness for ugliness will only intensify the conflict.

Last month for Madeline's challenge, I read my ER copy of Brene Brown's newest book Rising Strong. (If you're not familiar with her, search out her TED talk). There were some wonderful chapters on conflict and how they can be intensified or de- escalated by our internal stories.

Thanks, all. Appreciate the kind words, but I'm going to go on hiatus. Just wanted to explain why all but a very few of my books have vanished from the wiki since, as usual, I had added them when the challenges first went up. I'll still be on my thread, so feel free to visit me there, and the tab "Books Read in 2015" in my library on LT will give you just as much "live" info on my reading as TIOLI would -- indeed, probably more. I like this community, so I want to focus on the stuff about it that I like. I don't want anything about LT becoming so important in my life -- lovely as many of you people that I've met in real life are -- that it swamps my real life or becomes its own little telenovela. That level of intensity and drama is no fun; the fallout is no fun. The books are fun. Now, I have to go do some work.

Re 67-78:

Yikes! I leave this thread for a day, and a bomb explodes!

Please allow Chatterbox to express her feelings here, and then please let it go. Let's move on.

Suz, I understand what you're saying, and would always welcome you back here when and if you wish to return. I also agree with you that a cyber life should not cause as much or even more drama than real life.

I look forward to seeing you in person should you happen to be down in DC at any of our future book events. Take care.

Various posts - I also missed the discussion.
I don't understand discourtesy and it clearly has no place in TIOLI, the individual threads or the group at large.

Suzanne's depth of knowledge is astounding and frankly anyone who took the trouble to read her thread would surely not think to question her reading.

Am I just a little bit envious of her chew-em-up reading style? : heck yes (I have 3,605 books unread on my shelves; it will take me 24 years to read all of them if I make it that far : Suz would read them in 8 years!

Do I treasure her as a keystone of the group? : most certainly

>79 SqueakyChu: Thanks, Madeline.

And it's not like this is a competition and I'm missing my chance to win a valuable cash prize if someone reads twice as many books as I do...

Wait... What??????????????? You mean we all aren't competing for a zillion dollar prize???????????? Darn..... Not like I'd win, but I'd like to see readers appreciated with an award!

I'll miss Suz's presence here. I always get a kick out of seeing just how far ahead in her reading she is, never mind the inspiration she gives me to try to share some of her reads on the wikis (or those I add to my wishlist just because I've seen them listed there).

Online exchanges can get too intense, to fast, that's for sure. I agree there's no place for rudeness on LT, but then, not everyone has the same idea of what is acceptable behaviour, and unfortunately, having a bad day can sometimes cause people to lash out. Goodness knows I've been guilty of that, but hopefully, never without real provocation. I hope Suz decides to come back after a little break and this incident is behind her. I also hope people just leave her be with the unnecessary PMs.

That being said, while I love all the challenges that have been put up this month, I'm always eager to see what new ones come up, and even though I'm already vastly overbooked for December I'm hoping some last-minute ones will get inserted today! :-)

>83 Smiler69:

I'm hoping some last-minute ones will get inserted today! :-)

Yep! Time is running out, folks! :)

>83 Smiler69: Someday, I won't be vastly overbooked.

Who am I kidding...it'll never happen. When the new TIOLI challenges come out, I excitedly list every book that I hope to get to the following month and then some. But then real life has a way of intruding...

I had decided not to post a Challenge this month, but since there seems to be a desire for more, here it is!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Challenge #20: Read a work in which a party or celebration takes place or has such a word in the title.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

‘Tis the season! December is a month that is often filled with parties, so I thought it might be fun to challenge everyone to read a work in which a celebration takes place: dinner party, birthday party, New Year’s Eve party, opening night reception, prom, a night at Almack’s, whatever. Other types of celebrations will work as well: a wake (a celebration of the deceased’s life), a baby or wedding shower, Quinceanera, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, etc. The event does NOT have to be a major part of the plot, it just needs to take place.

Since it may be tricky to know if a work has such an event in it, I will also accept party or celebration words in the title. Some examples are ball, soiree, masquerade, hop, bash, rave, gala, affair, etc. Embedded words are perfectly acceptable.

Feel free to be creative – I hope folks come up with some entertaining options!

I've been off doing some Christmas shopping and am very sorry to read that Suzanne is going to absent herself from the TIOLI Challenges. I look so forward to these challenges and trying to fit my books into them. I have made more than my share of mistakes, but to my mind, these are easy to correct and really express how overly enthusiastic I am about these challenges. I look forward to seeing what Suzanne's challenge is every month and I will greatly miss her presence here.

>46 paulstalder: For your challenge, does a book have to be entirely set in Paris or can it just be partly set there?

So many people said it so well. I'll just say "Amen".

While it's after midnight here, it isn't in the US, even on the East Coast, so I hope my challenge can be accepted:

Challenge 21: Read a book published by an author who writes under a diminutive, nickname or short form name - or personal rather than family name

This is a name which may be short for, or used in place of a more official name (it doesn't actually have to be shorter if it's commonly used instead of an official name, eg Charlie has more syllables than Charles but is used as a diminutive!)

Examples: Danny, Dan, Andy, Mike, Charlie, Chuck, Jed, Raj, Jon, Nell, Lissa, Daisy, Cathi, Peggy, Liz, Beth

>90 elkiedee: Your challenge is good to me as your post is timed 11:15pm (my time, of course).

Thanks

>88 elkiedee: As long as Paris plays an imported role, the time spent in Paris is not so important. Say, spending a night at a hotel in Paris would not do, but having experienced something significant for the character which has some bearing on him/her, that's the idea.

>90 elkiedee: Oooh, excellent, a place for me to put The Martian by Andy Weir!

>56 Citizenjoyce: Joyce, I've abandoned Carry On after 50 or so pages, it's due back at the library tomorrow and I'm not liking it enough to put in the effort. It starts off very Harry Potterish and from some comments I read I know it goes beyond that ...but it didn't grab me. I loved her first 3 books but felt Landline was a bit lame, so maybe I've fallen out of love with Rainbow Rowell.

Back to A boy called Christmas, a children's book which is quite enchanting.

>95 avatiakh:
Agree with you on Landline; disapppointing.
Loved Eleanor & Park and Attachments. Fangirl was ok.

>95 avatiakh: Oh dear. I agree with you on the first 4 books. Now I'm wondering if I should even bother with Carry On.
>96 nrmay: Looks like I liked Fangirl more than you did.

If you have the book out from the library it's worth trying the first couple of chapters rather than relying on my comments.
I'm friends with a childlit expert/HP fan on goodreads and she wrote 'It's hard to parse through this book. It started out feeling very HP fan fiction, about Harry Potter slash Draco Malfoy, with Hermione being combined with the Patil sisters. But then it kind of took on its own life and I quite enjoyed Draco being a vampire. He does look like one in the movies. Still, it always felt tongue-in-cheek, even though the magical universe was somewhat different from Harry Potter and I liked the use of common phrases for spells. The book was long but I never considered giving up on it for a minute. Still, I wouldn't re-read it. I would re-read all of her other books. So it's clearly not as good, at least for me.'

Here's a quick survey for the end of the year. I'm willing to go ahead with TIOLI challenges for year 2016 if I have your support.

>99 SqueakyChu: YES!!!!!'

>99 SqueakyChu: I think the "ayes" have it!

TIOLI Question of the Month:

How do you go about choosing your very next read? Is it pre-ordained from a master list? Is it according to whatever challenge comes next? Is it totally at random?

What happens if your chosen book does not fit into any TIOLI challenge of the month? Does that force you to postpone a book until the following month?

P.S. I know I never ask just one question. Haha!

>102 SqueakyChu: With all the challenges I try to fit these books into the TIOLI. Furthermore, I have an incredible long list of books from my local library. There I choose books like BBs or my reading mood. So it's always a try and error to fit them into the TIOLI but I like it this way.

>102 SqueakyChu: I have a few *have to* books for work, like book discussion books and things. I usually have a stack of library books checked out too. At the end of a month when the new challenges come up, I try to fit as many of those books into challenges as I can. If it works great, if not I don't really worry about it. I pretty much read what I want and especially by this time of the month (the middle) my mood is going to dictate what I read much more than the TIOLI challenges.

>103 Ameise1: >102 SqueakyChu: My method is much like this one. It is usually a big puzzle deciding what book fits in what slot. I am also trying to fit in Early Review books and books that are due back to the library. I don't have a big personal collection of books so the library (and sometimes used books on Amazon) are my go to sources. I often order books from the library from a long wish list to fit specific challenges.

The next book I plan to start is The Wife by Sigrid Undset which is volume 2 of the Kristin Lavransdatter saga.

Its three volumes have been on Planet TBR for at least five years now. I'm trying madly to finish up my ROOTS challenge - and it's also on the 1001 list, so this one is a three for one (TIOLI, ROOTS, 1001)

Usually I try really hard to have all my books be part of the TIOLI (I like the puzzle of it, too) and I especially love trying to match other people's reads. But towards the end of the year, finishing my ROOTS challenge takes over. I'll have less matched reads this month, and also probably a few that won't fit into a TIOLI challenge.

>99 SqueakyChu: Silly, you know we're addicted.

>102 SqueakyChu:

How do you go about choosing your very next read? Is it pre-ordained from a master list? Is it according to whatever challenge comes next? Is it totally at random?

I am making an effort to read books that have been sitting on my shelves, unread, for at least a year, aka ROOTs. So, I look at my ROOT list, first, to see if one of them appeals to me for immediate reading. Then I look to see if it fits a TIOLI challenge. I try to get the challenges and ROOTs to match, somewhere.

What happens if your chosen book does not fit into any TIOLI challenge of the month? ...

I read it anyway. :D

>108 fuzzi:. Haha! I do what you do.

>102 SqueakyChu: I have various challenges and aims including TIOLI, so I make an effort to combine them as much as possible.

I try to start the month with my British Author Challenge reads.

I normally have category challenges too. These included American Author Challenge and in 2016 to add to this I will also have Ilana's Canadian Author Challenge.

I am trying to read through Pulitzer's, Bookers, Nobel winners and 1001 Books First edition.

I will line up books that suit those at the beginning of the month and will coincide as many as I can with the TIOLI challenges. I will then look at which other TIOLI I can get into my reading for the month. For example this month I will read Six (Om) by Jim Crace simply because of the cover with a lady sprawled in a white bed.

Since I have 3,800 unread books on my shelves (and rising!) I can normally find something that fits most challenges!

>110 PaulCranswick: I combine, as well, with the Category challenges like AlphaKit, SFFCAT, and RandomCAT.

>109 SqueakyChu: it just makes sense!

>111 fuzzi: I sadly admit to decreasing the number of challenges I do every year. Combining challenges is very satisfying, though!

>110 PaulCranswick: Since I have 3,800 unread books on my shelves (and rising!) I can normally find something that fits most challenges!

I agree that it's great to have a gazillion or so books at home from which to choose. I love reading at random, and so I pull a book that speaks to me at any time and then try to squeeze that book into at least one TIOLI challenge.

Even though I get tons of books as donations for my Little Free Library, I am seriously trying to cull my personal book collection of those books that I most likely will decide not to read. Of course, my inclinations about this seem to change from moment to moment. *sigh*

>4 cyderry: Thanks so much for your challenge. Procrastinator that I am, I hadn't realized that it had been 11 months since I listed A Brief History of Seven Killings in my own challenge, and then never even opened the book. It's so long, and I thought it would be so depressing, not to mention the difficulty of reading patois, that I couldn't convince myself to get to it. However, after starting it because of your challenge I realized that I had loved another book of his, The Book of Night Women which was also long, violent and full of patois, and I liked this one every bit as much. Well worth reading for anyone who knows nothing (or everything) about Bob Marley, who might have forgotten about the US dealings during the cold war, who want a realistic picture of gay men, and who just want a good story. I won't invite anyone to join me this month because it is so long, but keep it in mind.

>107 Citizenjoyce: Silly, you know we're addicted.

Haha!

>102 SqueakyChu: If I'm working through a Mysterious Box, I alternate between the MB and the Stack o' Books. I pick from 6-8 books in this fashion. (So 3-4 from MB and 3-4 from SoB).

If a book doesn't fit into a TIOLI challenge, oh well. I read it anyway. Or create a challenge which the book fits into.

>116 AuntieClio: Or create a challenge which the book fits into.

Heh! Wise, indeed!

>102 SqueakyChu: The first thing I look at in choosing my next read is my library list--what's due next? After that, it's a combination of what I'm in the mood for and what fits a TIOLI challenge. I try to mix up fiction and nonfiction, along with light/short reads and dense/lengthy ones. Also, I realized during a discussion this year about readers who rarely read books by women that while I read TONS of books by women, I could go a long time without reading a book by a non-white author and not even notice it. So I've been making a concerted effort to read at least one book per month by an author of color.

#24 dallenbaugh, are you happy for "blue" to be embedded in the title? I've just finished Cocaine Blues and was wondering if it'd fit in to your challenge.

>102 SqueakyChu: I am pretty chaotic in what I am reading. A TILOI challenge, a book given to me, an author just mentioned by somebody, a nice book cover, a professional need, ... and I agree wit Paul >110 PaulCranswick: since there are so many thousand unread books around me that it is usually no problem finding a book fitting any challenge.

I often pull together a pile of books I want to read soon and grab the one which appeals to me most. I do the same way with library wish lists. I've had challenge books to complete this year, but I will only participate in those if I want this next year to free me from restrictions on reading.

>102 SqueakyChu: Warning: OCD alert!

How do you go about choosing your very next read? Is it pre-ordained from a master list? Is it according to whatever challenge comes next? Is it totally at random?

I have a ridiculous TBR list (~4500 titles) which grows each year after short-list and Best of the Year announcements. At the beginning of every calendar year I select one or two authors who have a lot of books on my list, and I try to read one a month. At the same time, I am going through the TBR list alphabetically by author to see what is available in the local library system. The last week of the month, I order the next 4-6 books, but usually only one by each author. (I started this several years ago and am currently on CHA.)

When the TIOLI challenges come out, I fit the books I've gotten into challenges, plus a few more from my ebook collection. Then I sort them into genre and order the stack so that I don't read two of any particular genre in a row.

Sometimes a book on the TBR will get 'bumped' on to my current month's reading list if there is a film adaptation coming out. If I'm going to read the book, I have to do it before I see the movie.

What happens if your chosen book does not fit into any TIOLI challenge of the month? Does that force you to postpone a book until the following month?

I post a challenge that fits my book. I haven't read a book that didn't fit a challenge since I joined TIOLI in June 2011.

>102 SqueakyChu: I set up a list of books I want to read for the month based on the challenges and books that look good to me for any reason. There are so many challenges now that there's little difficulty finding a place to fit them. Then I check to see if there are books I want to share that are available in the library. As I'm nearing the end of a book I pick my next book by whatever is due back first at the library or maybe the book just cries out for me to read something related to it, or maybe I heard a great interview or saw a list that pointed out a book I'd never thought of but have to read right now. So, I plan my month's reading with every intention that I'll stray from the plan.

>122 jeanned: I haven't read a book that didn't fit a challenge since I joined TIOLI in June 2011.

Wow!!!!!

>123 Citizenjoyce: I set up a list of books I want to read for the month based on the challenges

It's so funny that I cannot do this. As soon as I put a book on a list, I no longer want to read it! Go figure!! :)

Every book I've read this year I have managed to fit into TIOLI (and I've just hit 150, yay!) - I'm pleased about that but ambivalent over the fact that I will put a book aside if it doesn't fit.

I have a number of personal reading challenges that I rotate through most months, a book or two out of each sub-category. (TIOLI is the only "public" challenge I participate in.) Crossing things off lists is a passion for me, so putting books on lists in the first place isn't a problem. :D

>126 lyzard: ambivalent over the fact that I will put a book aside if it doesn't fit.

Haha!

I usually have a stack of books that I intend to read for a given month, most of them designed to fit into one challenge or another (Category Challenge, Commonwealth Challenge, CATS, Reading Through Time and Bingos). Then the TIOLI Challenges come out and often that totally changes my reading plan as I am obsessed with fitting my books into these challenges as well. Yes, I often do set a book aside if it doesn't fit. I also have a large number of TBR shelves to choose from so I can usually find a substitute to fit.

I love it when the new TIOLI Challenges are posted and I get to:

1. Check my planned reading pile to see if any fit.
2. Make up a challenge to ensure that some of my books fit.
3. Scurry around the house, scanning my shelves and finding alternatives.

So keep those challenges coming as I am a reader who is totally committed to them!

The thing I enjoy most is discovering that the book I'm reading fits a challenge I wasn't expecting to meet. I've just had that happen with Hargrave by Frances Trollope, which turned out to be set mainly in Paris.

>128 DeltaQueen50: Judy is right. Those dog-end days at the end of each month as we are scrambling to finish books are lightened by having new challenges appear to plan for. When I am participating (if that is the right word) in TIOLI, I adore those days of thinking what will fit what challenge and scrolling through what others are reading to see if it allows a piggy-back.

>122 jeanned: you sound a little like me. I'm not OCD, really. I prefer to refer to myself as having a case of ATDS: "Attention-to-detail-syndrome".

I like to read the book before I see the movie, too...

>128 DeltaQueen50: So keep those challenges coming...

We will!!

>124 SqueakyChu: I can't be the only one!

>131 fuzzi: I pick my battles. My TBR and monthly reading are one of the few things I can control!

>133 jeanned: You are not the only one. . . I started participating in the TIOLI challenges at the beginning of 2011. Five years and 750 books later, all but one or two have fit into the challenges. At first I searched for books (mostly from my TBR list) to fit the challenges. That has changed to reading whatever comes on the radar via recommendations, various challenges, prize nominees and winners, etc. Somehow they all manage to fit into one TIOLI challenge or another. It's magic!

I use the TIOLI challenges to help me pick what comes next from the TBR - usually I put all the books that might fit one of the month's challenges on a different shelf (and now, e-reader folder), and then when I finish a book I see what looks appealing on that shelf (folder). Very occasionally I find that I'm reading a book which won't fit the challenge - so be it - but as the challenges are pretty versatile I think that may just have happened once or twice this year.

I finished The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, : Etc. Who was Born in Newgate, and during a Life of continu'd Variety for Three-score Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Year a Whore, five times a Wife (whereof once to her own Brother), Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, Liv'd Honest, and died a Penitent, Written from her own Memorandums by Daniel Defoe - guess which challenge I wanted that to put in? - yes, the subtitle. It's not the longest but it contains the whole life of the main character :)

>138 Lexxi:. Funny!

>136 paulstalder: ' Written from her own Memorandums' hmms.

To: Moll Flanders
From: Moll Flanders

Date: Tuesday, The Third day of November, the year of our lord seventeen hundred

Subject: Third Marriage Dissolved

In order to ensure a better future for myself, I have, with some reluctance, dissolved my marriage with my brother. While it was a shock to discover that my mother-in-law was, in fact, my own mother, and that therefore my husband was in fact my half-brother ...

etc. etc.

'written from her own memorandums' just looks . . . strange.

>133 jeanned: The last few years every book I read fit a TIOLI challenge, not this year. I've been working more on my ROOTs and so if a book doesn't fit into to TIOLI, too bad.

>138 Lexxi: 'written from her own memorandums' just looks . . . strange.
I think Defoe wrote something similar concerning Robinson Crusoe and other novels :)

Subtitles that spelled out the entire book were common well into the 18th century - it was a habit acquired in the early days of the English novel, when "fiction" was still viewed as rather wicked and authors pretended to be telling real life stories. Calling a novel "a history" was a similar tactic.

>141 lyzard: Sometimes books and articles are still billed as a true story/inside story and other phrases with a similar appeal. Or there's "reality" TV!

TIOLI Stats for November 2015:

For November, 2015, we read a total of 540 books, of which 86 (or 16%) were shared reads. We accumulated 44 TIOLI points for a YTD total of 718 TIOLI points. That's a nice number so far this year. It's higher than our final total for either 2013 or 2014. Good reading!

The most popular books were:
1. Restless by William Boyd
2. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
3.Slade House by David Mitchell
4. The Ghostway by Tony Hillerman
Each of these books was shared by 4 challengers.

The most popular challenge was the one by lahochstetler to read a book with red on the cover. There were 51 books read for this challenge.

The challenges with the most TIOLI points (both with 5) were:
1. lahochstetler's challenge to read a book with red on the cover
2. DeltaQueen's challenge to read a fantasy

Keep an eye out for the November, 2015, TIOLI Awards...

Here are our...
TIOLI Awards for November, 2015:

The Highest Number Award goes to PaulCranswick for reading The Casbah Killers for lindapanzo's challenge to read a book that is the 11th (or later) book in a series. Well, Paul said it was book #53 while LT said it was book #52, but either way, this is the highest number for this challenge. I can't believe someone can write that many books in just one series. That's awesome! I looked up the other books in that series and they total...261. Yikes!

The Be Still, My Heart Award goes to avatiakh for reading The Flavor of Jerusalem for Citizenjoyce's challenge to read a book whose title completes the phrase "I am thankful for". This title is near and dear to me because I did live for a while (in 1973) in Jerusalem and totally loved that city. The title of this book swept me away.

The Caring Heart Award goes to wandering_star for the challenge to read a play (in memory of Brian Friel). Memorial challenges are a nice way to honor an individual, and, in this case, to promote a genre in which an appreciated individual worked.

The Check My Math Award goes to raidergirl3 for reading Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time with the highest ratio of (1:16) for helenliz's challenge to read a book with a subtitle at least twice as long as the title. Now go check my math! :)

The Hide and Seek Award goes to paulstalder for, once again, having us look in a book's narrative to find something special. I see that many of you took him up on his challenge. Does he have to make his next challenge harder? Just kidding!

Congrats to our award winners!

Feel free to add awards of your own as well.

Aw,thanks. You can't imagine how many times I counted and recounted the words on that title to be sure. And I teach high school math!

>145 raidergirl3: Haha!

>145 raidergirl3: >:-D

>144 SqueakyChu: Thank you Madeline - a great way to end a difficult year!

>144 SqueakyChu: thank you!

>144 SqueakyChu: Ha Madeline, an award for reading about Jerusalem, note that I read about the city again this month.
I visited Jerusalem earlier this year and so decided to finally give this rather dated book a read. I found the variety of people living in the city endlessly fascinating, she did the interviews in the early 1970s.
Anyway it's a wonderful city and this time I finally got to spend time in the Mahane Yehuda Market.

>144 SqueakyChu: Thank you very much :) it's nice to end the year with a playful reward.
I like games and I like looking for interesting details.

I did actually think about a challenge but I couldn't make it work:
Read a book in which on pages 20 and 15 a name of a month is mentioned (doesn't have to be the same month). I checked many many books but couldn't find one to match my own challenge *sigh*

>144 SqueakyChu: >150 avatiakh: congratulations for that flavour of thankfulness. I like that 'I am thankful for the flavour of Jerusalem', tasty

The Embrace or Beg-End Award goes to Citizenjoyce for reading the first and last book of all challenges: Challenge 1, book 1 The Absent One and and Challenge 20, book 10 The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. This reader so made the beginning and the end of the November challenges.

Congratulations to all the awardees!

:peeking in the closet for the 2016 group::

>150 avatiakh: Your trip must have been wonderful, Kerry. At one time, I debated whether to return to the USA or continue to live in Jerusalem. I returned to the USA because my dad was living alone in Baltimore, Maryland (USA), at the time. Later, I married and had kids, at which time moving to another country was no longer so easy. One of my best friends at that time, though, was an Israeli woman living in Maryland. She's back in Israel now but our families continue to visit one another from year to year.

When I lived in Jerusalem, I lived in the neighborhood of Katamon Tet. Then I visited all over Jerusalem (new city and old city) because I was a visiting nurse. It was a wonderful experience.

>151 paulstalder:

I checked many many books but couldn't find one to match my own challenge *sigh*

Haha! I would say that's a bit too hard. You are now known here for your difficult challenges, though I love them! :D

>152 paulstalder:

congratulations for that flavour of thankfulness. I like that 'I am thankful for the flavour of Jerusalem', tasty

The flavor of Jerusalem for me is the hummus and the Coca Cola I had for lunch every day while out doing my daily nursing visits. I had a limited income and that lunch cost me one pound (about 25 cents) in 1973. :D

The flavor of Jerusalem is also Chinese food! One of my roommates used to have parties in which he made Chinese food, and all of his guests (including me) did the vegetable chopping beforehand.

>153 paulstalder:

Good catch, Paul!

Congrats go to CitizenJoyce!

>154 fuzzi:

:peeking in the closet for the 2016 group::

Did you find anything?

>159 SqueakyChu: no... :(

I would love to visit Israel.

>153 paulstalder: Wow, are you observant. No wonder you contrive such complex challenges; it's all in the details. Thanks for the award.

>160 fuzzi: : pssst, fuzzi - drneutron posted the link in the Message Board thread.

>162 countrylife: got it, thanks...but I was imprecise...I meant to say that I was looking for the 2016 TIOLI thread...

:looks at SqueakyChu with Beagle eyes:

>163 fuzzi:

got it, thanks...but I was imprecise...I meant to say that I was looking for the 2016 TIOLI thread...

Heh!

>163 fuzzi: & >164 SqueakyChu: Madeline has already been busy over at our shiny new digs with the January thread already up.

>165 PaulCranswick: thanks for the "heads-up"! I was busy last night with cleaning up the leftovers, and starting the turkey stock...and baking cookies this morning. :)

>165 PaulCranswick: Really?!!!!!!!! :D

>166 fuzzi: I'm still in the cookie-baking mode. Think I'll make some more for New Year 2016.

>166 fuzzi:, >167 SqueakyChu: Unfortunately I'm no longer in the cookie baking mode but am drowning in the cookie eating mode. Trying to swim for shore.

>168 Citizenjoyce:

*eats cake while reading your post*

*sigh*

Time to make more coffee (to go with both cookies and cake)...

>169 SqueakyChu: What the hey, might as well make that a peppermint mocha latte as long as we're overdosing on sugar.

Cookies!!!!!!

>168 Citizenjoyce: hold on, I'm headed your way to assist...

>169 SqueakyChu: I have pumpkin pie here, too...homemade, from scratch (except I used canned pumpkin). I use REAL cream instead of milk, too...want a slice?

>170 Citizenjoyce: My coffee is actually Coffee Master Breakfast Blend (a Christmas gift from my husband's niece.

>171 fuzzi: Yes, please. There are no calories in virtual slices of pumpkin pie!

I am going to screw up the rolling challenge by not reading my entry.

>173 AuntieClio:

Paul has just listed an 'S' - he could swap with you?

>174 lyzard:, Yes, absolutely!

>173 AuntieClio: >174 lyzard: You *cannot* remove an entry from a rolling challenge, but you can substitute another book for any book already entered.

You can also negotiate for someone else to take your spot!

>176 SqueakyChu: - I think Madeleine is referring to >173 AuntieClio: and >174 lyzard: :)

>177 katiekrug: I was. Thx!

I didn't remove it, I just said I wasn't going to read my entry. If Paul wants it, I'm happy for him to take it.

>173 AuntieClio: You don't screw anything up by not finishing or even starting a book in a rolling challenge. Simply mark such a book as DNF (did not finish). When I do the stats, I'll know it wasn't COMPLETED.

I haven't touched anything there (though I also have an 'S' book I could substitute?), but I note that there is a mistake, a missing 'L' book between slots 8 and 9. Does anyone have an 'L' book that could be listed?

>181 lyzard: I've got it, now. My current read just happens to start with an 'L': The Lost Wagon.

Hey! Do we need more practice with rolling challenges? ;)

>184 fuzzi: ::singing the ABC song::

Haha!

Housekeeping Day

Please remember to delete your books that you have not COMPLETED by the stroke of midnight tonight from our wiki (except for any rolling challenge). Thanks so much...and have a Happy New Year!

LOLOL! I just noticed that elkiedee and PaulCranswick both wanted Ross Poldark for Christmas.

LOLOL indeed! No, Paul did - I was trying to squeeze in a shared read!

>187 fuzzi: & >188 elkiedee: Please don't tell my wife!! Believe it or not Luci, I was also stretching a point a little to have it included in my TIOLI for December. xx

>189 PaulCranswick: :x

I went multi-layered with my choice for that challenge. I wanted, and received, the actual Chernow Alexander Hamilton biography for Christmas. I long for, but neither expected nor received, tickets to Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton on Broadway. And I've developed something of a crush on Alexander Hamilton the real historical personage, thanks to my exposure to the biography and musical.