Take It or Leave It Challenge - January 2022 - 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.


...logo by cyderry

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Your challenge for January, 2022, is to...

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Read a book in which the title’s first word and last word have the same number of letters
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Rules:
1. The subtitle may NOT be used.
2. The book title must be at least THREE words long.
3. In choosing between books, go for the book with the longest words.
4. List the number of letters in the qualifying words.
5. The word “the” counts as a word.
6. You may NOT use a word with an apostrophe or a hyphen.
7. You cannot an embedded word as you have to use the *whole* word.
8. Plurals are fine.

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Other Fun Stuff (not part of the TIOLI challenge):
1. FAMeulstee's 2022 TIOLI Sweeplette Meter
2. FAMeulstee's Our TIOLI Sweeps
3. Morphidae's List of Previous TIOLI Challenges (2010-2016) - A reference (Do a control-F scan) to avoid repeating a previous challenge. If your idea is similar to a previous challenge, make it unique by adding a new "twist" to it.
4. Supplementary Thread - for off-topic chit-chat about almost anything! :D
5. The January 2022 TIOLI Meter - Optional page on which you may track your TIOLI reading. Not competitive--- just fun!

Index of Challenges:

Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book in which the title’s first word and last word have the same number of letters - msg #1
2. Read a book first published in my birth year (1972), your birth year or the last year (2021 or 2022) - msg #3
3. Read a book with pictures (photos or illustrations) - msg #7
4. Read a book that's on some Best of 2021 list - msg #10
5. Read a book by an author who is new to you - msg #11
6. Read a book you acquired in December 2021 - msg #12

Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book by an author whose name has 2 initials or has written at least 22 books - msg #13
8. Read a book set in one of the top seven countries from the United Nations 2021 Happiness Report - msg #19
9. Read a book written by a Turkish or Turkish born author - msg #25
10. Read a book whose cover shows women in period costume facing away - msg #38
11. Read a children's book published in the UK/by a UK author before 1980 - msg #47
12. Read a book with a specific woman in its title - msg #52

Challenges #13-18
13. Read a book without an article in the title - msg #54
14. It's a Lark! Read a book with the word "Lark" (or some variation thereof) in the title or subtitle - msg #65
15. Read a book with a "state" in the title (US or other country) - msg #73
16. Tidying Up...finish a book you started before the New Year - msg #90
17. Read a book which includes at least one list - msg #91
18. Read a book of adventure, fiction or non-fiction - msg #101

Challenges #19-24
19. Rolling Challenge: Read a Book Starting with the letters from "Two Faced" in honor of Janus - msg #108

Hold your challenge until the February, 2022, TIOLI challenges are posted. Thank you!

In 2022 I hit a nasty big birthday. In which case I figure I may as well do something interesting with the anniversary of my period of existence - I'm going to try and read a book first published in each year I've been alive. I'll probably not manage all 50 years, that would be the majority of my reading, but it'll be fun to see how far I get - and to see if the books have aged as well as I have (not terribly well then!)

So to start, you are challenged to read a book first published in the first or last years of our lives (last, so far, that is). You may read a book from my birth year (1972), your birth year, or from the last year. I will accept both 2021 and 2022 publication dates for the last year.

1972 doesn't seem to have been a brilliant year for books, so I'm hoping you'll come up with loads of good ideas for me to use.

You can tell this is a nasty big birthday, for my 40th I ran a marathon, for my 50th I'm planning on spending even more time sitting down, reading a book. Ah well, that was a mid life crisis, this is accepting one's limitations and playing to one's strengths >:-D

>3 Helenliz: Haha! This seventy-something person here laughs at your "nasty" big birthday! You are soooo young! :D

>3 Helenliz: Love the shift from 40 to 50! I will be 50 soon too. I have a good friend who is ten years older than me and for her 50th she hiked a pilgrimage trail in Japan (the Kumano Kodo). At the time I thought, what a great idea - but now it's coming round the corner for me, I'm not sure I have it in me!!

>4 SqueakyChu: yeah, yeah, I know. It's only a nasty birthday when you approach it from below. It's the first milestone that's messed with my head. 40 didn't bother me, 50 is freaking me out a little bit.

>5 wandering_star: Running a marathon was a once and never again thing from the moment I crossed the finish line - there has never been any danger of a repeat there! I have vague ideas about learning something new, but nothing terribly energetic is going to happen!

Challenge #3: Read a book with pictures

I just watched a lovely programme about the illustrator and writer Quentin Blake, which included various writers and celebrities talking about how they felt when they first saw his illustrations in their books, and the impact it had on them.

I think my favourite image in the programme was a picture Blake drew of himself and Roald Dahl talking, their backs turned towards the viewer - but there was such expression and personality just in those backs!

Hence the inspiration for this challenge. Graphic novels etc. would be fine - or any books with photos (including photo plates) or illustrations in the text.

>5 wandering_star: Even the thought of hiking makes me tired. The trail in Japan sounds fantastic, though. My older son is so sad that he hasn't been able to make his year trips to Japan for fun. The travel bans have made it so sad for everyone who loves to travel.

I have an impetus for walking, though. I visit a Little Free Library in the nearby park. I used to play Pokemon GO for walking, but my *old* smartphone is *too old* for the new operating system! *sigh* I guess I'll have to make some changes.

>6 Helenliz: The only birthday I truly dreaded was the one I turned 17. For some reason that seemed frighteningly old, maybe because it meant the end of high school when all my decisions were made for me and the beginning of college and life as an adult. All the others haven't had any fearful significance, and I'm 75, so there have been quite a few others.

Challenge #4: Read a book that's on some Best of 2021 list
This is my usual new year's challenge. I have a few lists so far:
AARP: https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/info-2021/authors-pick-top-books.html?i...
Amazon bestsellers: https://a.zipscholar.com/books.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwqCOBhCdARIsAEPyW9mHPEMqgF0tYb...
The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/12/best-books-2021-assembly-kla...
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/books/awards/best-books-of-the-year/_/N-29Z8q8Z...
Bookriot:
Business - https://bookriot.com/most-popular-books-in-us-libraries-2021/amp/
Historical Fiction: https://bookriot.com/most-influential-historical-fiction/amp/
Entertainment Weekly: https://ew.com/books/best-books-of-2021/
Glamour: https://www.glamour.com/gallery/best-books-of-2021
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2021/dec/08/the-best-books-of-2...
The Guardian authors: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/dec/05/the-best-books-of-2021-chosen-by-o...
Indigo - https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/best-books-of-2021/
NPR: https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2021
New York Post: https://nypost.com/article/best-books-of-2021-top-must-read-titles/amp/
New York Times:https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/best-books
Publisher's Weekly: https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2021/top-10#book/book-1
SCRIBD: Romance https://www.scribd.com/books/Romance?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=bing&utm_...
Shareable: https://www.shareable.net/21-inspiring-must-read-books-for-2021/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAw...
Slate: https://slate.com/culture/2021/12/best-books-2021-novels-nonfiction.htmlentertai...
Talkdistrict: https://www.talkdistrict.com/10-books-we-recommend-reading-in-2020/?keyword=the%...
Time:
Nonfiction - https://time.com/6125895/best-nonfiction-books-2021/
Voigue: https://www.vogue.com/article/best-books-2021
Vulture: https://www.vulture.com/article/best-books-of-2021.html
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-
Yahoo: https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrUiZhT9chhMBYA5wAPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNnc...

Challenge #5: New year, new (to you) author: Read a book by an author who is new to you

With the start of a new year, read an author who is new to you. That is, you've never read a book by them before.

Note that if you're doing a shared read, the author doesn't need to be new to you, as long as the author is new to the first person to post the book.

Also note that you must not have read a book by the author in question. Having read a different series by that author or nonfiction by an author if you've read only fiction by that author doesn't make them new to you. So, for instance, if you've never read a Miss Marple book by Agatha Christie, but have read an Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot book, Agatha Christie is not new to you.

Challenge #6: Read a book you acquired in December 2021 (state how you obtained it)

The book can be a gift, a purchase, a library book, a find at a Little Free Library, something borrowed from a friend, etc. It just has to have come into your possession in December 2021.

Challenge #7: Read a book by an author whose name has 2 initials or has written at least 22 books

I've been pondering doing a theme for 2022 and finally stole came up with one after seeing a yearly challenge lightly based on the year and numbers of 2022.

Each month will have 2 challenges to choose from (of course.) I'm not one to make them both super challenging but neither will both be easy. Though there might be one of each!

This month, I believe you will find them both to be an easy to medium challenge.

For the 22 books or more part of the challenge, please state how many books they have written. Fantastic Fiction (link below) is a great website to find this info for most genre fiction as they separate out omnibus works and the like.

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/

For the initials challenge, you can find some ideas here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_literary_initials

>3 Helenliz:

I thought you'd done me a big favour but it turns out the 1972 best-seller was published in 1970, d'oh! :D

>2 SqueakyChu: I changed the wording of my challenge from "starts with" to "has" as in my head I was thinking authors like George R. R. Martin would be acceptable but then realized - not with that rule!

>1 SqueakyChu: Can we used an embedded word or plurals?

>3 Helenliz: I feel you. No birthday bothered me until my 50th in 2015. I cried almost every day for two weeks before it. And was pretty depressed after. I felt like I wasn't "young" any more. I wasn't OLD but once there was no longer a 4 in front of my age... nope, not young.

Challenge #8: Read a book set in one of the top seven countries from the United Nations 2021 Happiness Report

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-countries-in-the-wor...

Top Seven

: Finland
: Denmark
: Switzerland
: Iceland
: Netherlands
: Norway
: Sweden

>16 Morphidae: You cannot use embedded words. You have to use the whole word. Plurals are okay.

My planned reads for the first of the year, so far most in my own challenge.

Challenge #1: Read a book in which the title’s first word and last word have the same number of letters - started by SqueakyChu
*✔The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God - Etgar Keret (3.5
Challenge #2: Read a book first published in my birth year (1972), your birth year or the last year (2021 or 2022) - started by helenliz
✔Outlawed - Anna North (4)
Challenge #4: Read a book that's on some Best of 2021 list - started by Citizenjoyce
✔Detransition, Baby - Torrey Peters (3)
✔Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch - Rivka Galchen (4)
*How the Word is Passed - Clint Smith
*✔Intimacies - Katie Kitamura (3.5)
The Loneliest Americans - Jay Caspian Kang
Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age - Debby Applegate
✔Milk Blood Heat - Dantiel W. Moniz (3.5)
*✔The Personal Librarian - Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (4)
*The Plot - Jean Hanff Korelitz
✔The Push - Ashley Audrain (4)
✔Revival Season - Monica West (4)
✔The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century - Amia Srinivasan (4)
*✔Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan (4)
✔Under the Whispering Door - TJ Klune (3.5)
✔We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice- Mariame Kaba (2)
Winter Sisters - Robin Oliveira
✔Yellow Wife - Sadeqa Johnson (4)
Challenge #5: Read a book by an author who is new to you - started by lindapanzo
✔We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy - Kliph Nesteroff (5)
Challenge #6: Read a book you acquired in December 2021 (state how you obtained it) - started by susanna.fraser
✔Boy Swallows Universe - Trent Dalton (3.5)
Challenge #7: Read a book by an author whose name has 2 initials or has written at least 22 books - started by Morphidae
✔Smoke Bitten - Patricia Briggs (4)
Challenge #8: Read a book set in one of the top seven countries from the United Nations 2021 Happiness Report - started by DeltaQueen
*✔An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed - Helene Tursten (4)
Challenge #9: Read a book written by a Turkish or Turkish born author - started by PaulCranswick
*✔10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World - Elif Shafak (4)
Challenge #10: Read a book whose cover shows women in period costume facing away - started by countrylife
*The Engineer's Wife - Tracey Enerson Wood
Challenge #11: Read a children's book published in the UK/by a UK author before 1980 - started by Chatterbox
*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
Challenge #12: Read a book with a specific woman in its title - started by lyzard
✔The Unfit Heiress: The Tragic Life and Scandalous Sterilization of Ann Cooper Hewitt - Audrey Clare Farley (4)
Challenge #13: Read a book without an article in the title - started by FAMeulstee
✔When We Were Vikings - Andrew David MacDonald (4.5)
Challenge #14: It's a Lark! Read a book with the word "Lark" (or some variation thereof) in the title or subtitle - started by AlcottAcre
*✔Clark & Division - Naomi Hirahara (4)
Challenge #15: Read a book with a "state" in the title (US or other country) - started by bell7
*✔The Lager Queen of Minnesota - J. Ryan Stradal (4)
Challenge #17: Read a book which includes at least one list - started by elkiedee
✔Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved - Frans de Waal (4)
Challenge #19: Rolling Challenge: Read a Book Starting with the letters from "Two Faced" in honor of Janus - Started by quondame
*✔Cloud Cuckoo Land - Anthony Doerr (3.5)
✔E.R. Nurses: True Stories from America's Greatest Unsung Heroes - James Patterson (4)

>19 DeltaQueen50: It always amazes me that people who live in such cold places, with such long dark winters, always rank highest on these sorts of things. The cold and dark would make me decidedly unhappy.

>22 jeanned: I know!! The Nordic countries are pretty consistent with being the happiest, I think the stablility of their countries must play a part.

>20 SqueakyChu: I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd take me seriously as the questions didn't really apply to your challenge. I was pulling your leg!

Challenge #9 READ A BOOK BY A TURKISH OR TURKISH BORN AUTHOR

This is in conjunction with my starting the Asian Book Challenge in 2022.

Authors include:

Elif Shafak
Orhan Pamuk
Ayse Kulin
Sabahattin Ali
Yasar Kemal
Nazim Hikmet
Adalet Agaoglu
Sevim Burak
Zulfu Livanelli
Ahmet Altan

>3 Helenliz: A few from 1972 from my shelves to consider Helen:

Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
G. by John Berger
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
The Infernal Desires Machines of Doctor Hoffman by Angela Carter
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl
The Manticore by Robertson Davies
To Serve Them All My Days by RF Delderfield
The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth
It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet by James Herriot
The World Turned Upside Down by Christopher Hill
The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith by Thomas Keneally
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
The Persian Boy by Mary Renault
Green Darkness by Anya Seton
The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverburg
The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty

>26 PaulCranswick: Wow, interesting to see the range of books on that list. I have at least 6 to read or reread. I'm quite sure I've read 4, of which To Serve Them All My Days is my favourite and I would quite like to reread Surfacing as I think I first/last read it more than 30 years ago. I would have guessed that Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator was later, as I thought it was quite newly published when I was bought a copy (probably between 1976 and 1978.

>27 elkiedee: I have another dozen or so on the shelves originally published in 1972 but those were the more well known titles. I have read 9 on that list and agree that the stand-out is To Serve Them All My Days which is a wonderful novel. Incidentally Delderfield also passed away in 1972 as did another favourite author of mine LP Hartley as well as poets John Berryman, Cecil Day Lewis and Ezra Pound.

>24 Morphidae: I had no idea you were kidding. Really. I don’t know about your challenges, but the more specific I make my challenges (which I like to do), the more questions I get about them, and someone inevitably does them wrong by not reading the rules. This month was no exception! It’s all in fun so it’s not a big deal.

>25 PaulCranswick: I have a book by Eliv Shafak now on hold at my public library. I hope to actually do this, Paul!

>26 PaulCranswick: I loved reading My Name is Asher Lev. I read it while traveling through Spain in 1973. Highly recommended!

>26 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul, that's a good list of titles to be going along with. I have read Watership Down and I think we have some Delderfields on the shelf, so I'll see if that one is in there.

>17 Morphidae: Thank you for sharing, Morphy.

>14 lyzard: Sorry. Share with someone 2 years older than I am?

>9 Citizenjoyce: That's certainly different. Mind you, at least you got the birthday wibbles over quickly!

>21 Citizenjoyce: I want to move my book 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak into Paul's challenge. May I move your shared read there as well? Let me know. The Asia Reading Challenge that he is hosting in 2022 is the first challenge other than the TIOLI challenge that I'm going to try after a few years of not doing other challenges.

10 Minutes.... is my library reading group discussion for January, though I'm now wondering if the libraries will be open still by that point. Our government is very resistant to following the example of Scotland, Wales or even Northern Ireland in going back to more social distancing measures.

I hope to get to find out what other readers think at some point but as I read 10 Minutes.... at the end of 2019 I'm probably going to go back and read one of her earlier books. I've read her most recent 5 English language published novels within a few months or a year of publication but I have at least 2 earlier ones and a non fiction work to go back to.

I have The Bastard of Istanbul and The Forty Rules of Love (novels) and Black Milk on Kindle and The Flea Palace in paperback (if I can find it) TBR. I think that only leaves a couple of other books available in English.

>26 PaulCranswick: There's also Mehmet Murat Somer, a Turkish author born in Ankara. He writes mysteries.

In fact, Elif Shafak was born in France (Strasbourg) though she is Turkish and was brought up in Ankara as well as abroad. Her mum was a diplomat. Maybe that should challenge should be "born and/or brought up in".

>4 SqueakyChu: This 70+ person chuckled.

>32 SqueakyChu: that would be fine.

Saw this online recently and thought it could be a funny challenge. So ...

Challenge #10: Read a book whose cover shows Women in period costume facing away.

ETA: I'm going to give an arbitrary ending of "period costume" as anything up through the 1950s. So, I'll accept historical fiction where the ladies facing away are wearing clothing that go with the setting of the book. Or a book written up through the 1950s contemporarily, showing ladies facing away who are wearing the current fashion from the time that the book is written. I think, though, that the facing away thing will be found more in recent books of the historical fiction genre.

>38 countrylife:

At least they're not cutting their heads off any more. Mostly. :D

>25 PaulCranswick: >32 SqueakyChu: >35 elkiedee: That's right! Elif Shafak was not born in Turkey, but YOU suggested her as a Turkish author, Paul. What should we do?! :O Should I cancel my library hold, or are you going to change the parameters of your challenge? Let us know. :D

>25 PaulCranswick:, >40 SqueakyChu:

For the benefit of those of us stuck in our crime / mystery ways, I have found these Turkish authors suggested:
- Ahmet Ümit
- Mehmet Murat Somer
- Burhan Sonmez

Meanwhile, Esmahan Aykol offers the reverse problem from >40 SqueakyChu:: she is described as "a Turkish-born German novelist".

Also the place where Sabahattin Ali was born is apparently now in Bulgaria, so...?? :D

>40 SqueakyChu: No we will count her as Turkish and I will allow born in Turkey or with Turkish parents. She is Turkish.

>41 lyzard: Sabahattan Ali similarly counts. Bulgaria was part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire at the time and he was indisputably a Turk. Esmahan Aykol also makes the cut.

ETA : I have slightly amended the challenge title for clarity.

>42 PaulCranswick:

Thanks!

It is tricky: around here we tend to use 'you're Australian if you say you're Australian', because there are way too many permutations. :D

>42 PaulCranswick: That's good, as I would really like to read another Elif Shafak book next month if I don't get completely sidetracked. I do have a couple of alternatives but I really loved The Island of Missing Trees, her latest novel, which is very much about identity and migration.

>43 lyzard: I think there are people everywhere who either don't remember living in any other country than the one they were brought up in, who've naturalised or who were born where their mum happened to be living at the time. After all, the British prime minister wasn't born here - wish we could convict him of some crime and deprive him of citizenship. Only, would his country of birth take him back? Please?

>43 lyzard: I don't yet identify as Malaysian, Liz, although I probably could start to!

>44 elkiedee: I will be reading The Island of Missing Trees all being well, Luci.

Our Americans have enough trouble with Chump and Biden without welcoming Boris back home! Interestingly his great grandfather was a Turkish politician so maybe we could look East?!

>38 countrylife: Does it mean this has to be an historical costume, or just fitting with the setting of the book?

So I've been tempted back into this by Paul's bonus challenge about classic English children's fiction.

Challenge #11: Read, or re-read, a work of children's fiction written by a British author or published first in the UK, before 1980

I've put an earlier terminal date to this than Paul did, but I think it works. I've said 1980 as that was the year that I turned 18 (thus 'aging out' of childhood) and because by then I was no longer living in Europe and seeing these books as they appeared on shelves.

I loved a lot of children's historical fiction, as well as classics like E. Nesbit. I'll try and post a complete list later, and some helpful links. Enid Blyton would qualify of course, and if you're into school stories, there are authors like Angela Brazil.

I plan to read The Ship That Flew by Hilda Lewis.

>47 Chatterbox: Hi Suz!!! Welcome back!

>46 FAMeulstee: ... I'm going to give an arbitrary ending of "period costume" as anything up through the 1950s. So, I'll accept historical fiction where the ladies facing away are wearing clothing that go with the setting of the book. Or a book written up through the 1950s contemporarily, showing ladies facing away who are wearing the current fashion from the time that the book is written. I think, though, that the facing away thing will be found more in recent books of the historical fiction genre.

(Adding to original post.)

>47 Chatterbox: Welcome back, Suz. So glad you're here again!!

>47 Chatterbox:

Hi, Suz! Great to see you here. :)

Challenge #12:

Read a book with a specific woman in its title

The woman can be mentioned by name, or described. However, she must be one specific woman ("women" wouldn't qualify), and she must be an adult ("the girl" would not qualify either, even if she is an adult in the text). It must also be clear that the person mentioned is female---so "the doctor" wouldn't qualify even if the character is female.

For example, I will be reading The Heroine by Eaton Stannard Barrett, and/or Elsie At The World's Fair by Martha Finley.

>38 countrylife:, >49 countrylife:

Cindy, does the person facing away have to be the main person on the cover? I have a book that has a number of people facing in different directions, but the "centre" person looking forward.

Thanks.

>47 Chatterbox: Great to see you back!

>47 Chatterbox: You can see how much you were missed. It's good to have you back.

I am going to enjoy this month's challenges. Plenty of the books I had initially picked out to read fit nicely and I will do a bit a juggling here and there to cover a goodly number of the challenges.

>57 PaulCranswick: Great! This will be a fun month (and year) for reading. I very much am going to enjoy the overlap between the TIOLi challenges and your Asian Book Challenge. :D

>49 countrylife: Is the cover of this book Tijd om opnieuw te beginnen within range? It looks like 1950s to me, the story is set between after WWII and the 1960s.

>59 FAMeulstee: ... Yes, Anita - that's perfect.

>53 lyzard: ... It doesn't sound like that cover would fit my idea, Liz. I'm wanting the person/people on the cover all (or at least the greater portion of them) facing away. If you give me the title, I'll make an actual determination.

>60 countrylife: Thanks, Cindy!

>60 countrylife:

That's okay, Cindy, I'll find something else.

Wow, thanks for all the welcomes!! I suppose at some point, I'll have to set up my own 2022 thread...

Also pleased to see you back. I'm not setting up my 2022 thread until at least Saturday, and it may take me longer.

>52 lyzard: I have She Who Became the Sun and Briarheart checked out and hope that at least one of them qualifies.

>65 alcottacre: So what kind of variations are you considering/accepting??

>65 alcottacre: Are embedded words acceptable? I'm thinking Clark.

>67 Chatterbox: Possessives will work. I would accept something like "Meadowlark" as well.

>68 lindapanzo: Yes, I will accept that.

>52 lyzard: Liz, I was thinking of reading Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story. Would this one be OK?

>66 quondame:

She Who Became The Sun is fine as long as she who became the sun is a woman. :)

Briarheart I'll have to take your judgement on: as long as that is a woman's name or nickname, that's also fine.

>70 alcottacre:

Yep, sure.

>71 lyzard: Thanks, Liz.

Challenge #15: Read a book with a "state" in the title

Self-serving challenge as I'm reading The Lager Queen of Minnesota for one of my book clubs. It can be a state of any country, and embedded words are fine, as are subtitles. The word doesn't have to refer to the actual state in context (so a biography with George Washington in the title is fine).

"State" alone is too broad (so State of Terror is out), but a phrase referencing a common state nickname like "Ocean State" for Rhode Island or "Granite State" for New Hampshire, etc., would be acceptable as well.

Abbreviations are only allowed if they refer to the actual state (no "Me" for "Maine").

>73 bell7: Another question -- I have an e-galley of "The Ocean State" by Stewart O'Nan, with the title obviously being a direct reference to Rhode Island (which is the Ocean State in the same way that Georgia is the Peach State, New Hampshire the Granite State, NY the Empire State, etc.) Would this be permissible? Obviously not as any book with the word "ocean" in the title, but given that it's "ocean state" AND that it's a direct reference to R.I.???

>74 Chatterbox: While I think going with just "state" itself is too broad for what I'm going for, I will accept the nickname for the state as a phrase and I'll change the directions in >73 bell7: to reflect that.

>73 bell7: If a state is named after a person (or for that matter, a person is named after a state), does that count? E.g. could you read a biography of George Washington or an Indiana Jones novelization?

>69 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia

>76 susanna.fraser: yep, that's fine. It's the name of the state but doesn't have to refer to it specifically

>73 bell7: Can the state name be in the subtitle, Mary, or must it be in the title itself? I was thinking of reading 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement for the challenge, but not sure if the "New York" in the subtitle would work.

>79 alcottacre: Sure, you can count subtitles, Stasia!

>80 bell7: Great, thanks!

>73 bell7: What about recognised abbreviations for states, Mary? So long as they are a complete word and not embedded?

>82 PaulCranswick: Sorry, Paul, I'm going to say no to that one as making it too broad - it would allow anything with "Me" in the title, for example, as an abbreviation for Maine. I will, however, make an exception if the abbreviation is in fact referring to the state.

>83 bell7: Fair enough, Mary. Thought that I would try my luck! I would have also gained Ma & Pa which would have been Ok (another one) and of course the very useful In!

>84 PaulCranswick: which would have been Ok Hahahaha thanks for the laugh and for being a good sport about it :)

Is anyone else having a problem accessing the wiki?

>86 Chatterbox: I sure am.
ETA Yay, looks like it's fixed.

>85 bell7: Achh I figured you simply had to say no, Mary, but if you don't ask.................!

>86 Chatterbox: Yes, I also had trouble to get to the wiki, but it seems to work again now.

I'm adding a late challenge.

----Challenge #16: Tidying Up,,,finish a book you started before the New Year ----

I have a few I started and did not finish from last year. Also have a couple or 3 that I started in 2020.

>90 avatiakh: Not so late - I'm adding one too. There is still (nearly?) 24 hours to go even for you, but I'm getting in with 36 hours to spare.

Challenge #17: Read a book which includes at least one list

There are lots of books which include the word "list" in the title, such as The Reading List, a 2021 novel by Sara Nisha Adams that I've just finished reading, The Guest List by Lucy Foley to name one from my TBR, but this isn't at all essential. The list could be a character list or a list of illustrations - it could be a list of recommended reading (for example, The Sentence by Louise Erdrich is a novel largely set in a bookshop that really exists. The contents of any list should be included in the book, whether at the front or back or as a picture or within the text. Most lists will be marked as a list in some way, eg a heading including the word "list" or a word with a similar meaning, but I would be interested to know if people find lists which are not labelled as such.

Examples, but I'm sure there are other possibilities:

A character list
A list of illustrations
A reading list
A to do list
A shopping list
A guest list
A suspect list

>91 elkiedee: Well, shucks. I just finished The Reading List on December 31st! Lol

>90 avatiakh: >91 elkiedee: Your challenges are not late. They are right on time! :D

92: I hoped to finish The Reading List, but I actually finished two books in the early hours of this morning (so on 2 January) instead. But there are lots of books that have lists in.

>90 avatiakh: I've been reading Make Room, Make Room for 3 months now. It's a little book, but I so seldom read with my eyes that it's taking me forever. Maybe this will be the month I finish.

>94 elkiedee: Oh, yeah. I had no problem finding one, Luci.

READ JANUARY 2022

Jane Lovering, A Midwinter Match - #6
Sara Nisha Adams, The Reading List - #17
Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These - novella - #4 - shared read
Sally Rooney, Mr Salary - short story - #13
Christina Wood, The Summer Party - short story - #5
John Sutherland, Monica Jones, Philip Larkin and Me: Her Life and Long Loves - #12
Jennifer Donnelly, Stepsister - #18
Katherine Heiny, Standard Deviation - #13
Robin Stevens, Murder Most Unladylike - #18
Kiley Reid, Such a Fun Age - #5
Hannah Kent, Devotion - #2
C L R James, Minty Alley - #16
Elizabeth George, The Mysterious Disappearance of the Reluctant Book Fairy - short story - #7
Samantha Silva, Love and Fury - #1
Ann Patchett, These Precious Days - #6 - shared read
Daniel Beer, The House of the Dead: Siberian Exile Under the Tsars #3

CURRENT READING

Janice Hadlow, The Other Bennet Sister
Sara Paretsky, Dead Land
Soho Crime anthology, The Usual Santas
Stef Penney, The Tenderness of Wolves
Marian Keyes, Grown Ups
Sarah Hall, Burntcoat
Kevin Barry, That Old Country Music
Barbara Sleigh, Carbonel
Anuk Arudpragasam, A Passage North

NEXT UP

Sam Selvon, The Housing Lark
Anne Sebba, Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy

* My TBR piles are full of non fiction books which look really interesting but sometimes a bit daunting, including a lot of factual detail and often extensive endnotes. Some non fiction books don't have many endnotes etc, and I have a lot of these too but will choose them in other slots as my books. I'm also trying to alternate individual biographies with history or group bios.

>97 elkiedee: Any thread yet, Luci? I like hanging out at your place and wallowing in all the books you keep on the go at any one time.

I hope to set it up during the next day or two, Paul.

>99 elkiedee: I will keep my beady eye open for it, Luci. xx

Challenge #18: Read a book of adventure, fiction or non-fiction

The book should have the word adventure, adventures or adventuring on the front or back cover or under tags. Briefly tell us the adventure.

>3 Helenliz: Congratulations and happy birthday in advance! You share your birth year with my sister.

>3 Helenliz: Happy birthday, Helen! I have a big one coming up this year too - 60. I keep asking myself "How did that happen?" Lol

>102 humouress: Thank you! Depending on how you view your sister, 72 was a good/bad* year

*delete as appropriate!

>103 alcottacre: Thank you. That's about my thoughts on the matter, how on earth am I almost 50?!

>104 Helenliz: Growing up, I'd probably have said 'bad' but it switched to 'good' (mainly!) around our late teens :0)

>3 Helenliz: Happy birthday, Helen.

No thread, this year?

>106 PaulCranswick: Thank you. Yes, but I've not been in the 75 group for a number of years - gets far too hectic for me! I can be found hiding here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/336062#7630684

Challenge #19: Rolling Challenge: Read a Book Starting with the letters from "Two Faced" in honor of Janus

It seems like there haven't been very many rolling challenges lately, and 2022 is very twoish, so!

Extra Rule!
One and only one person can use a book title starting with The, but will have to wait until the first round is full!

No other articles accepted.

>108 quondame: Must we wait until our letter comes around, or can we fill in a round in any order?

>109 Citizenjoyce: Once a round is up you can fill it in in any order. Just no new rounds until the previous one is complete, and only for the entire challenge one 'The' first word.

Keeping up with a TIOLI read every day - helped greatly by the booster jab leaving me at home turning pages.

>111 PaulCranswick: That's great to hear you're moving along in your reads! Speedy recovery from the covid jab...and stay safe and healthy!

>112 SqueakyChu: Thank Madeline. I am pretty much recovered and enjoying the challenge this month.

I finished up Kim this afternoon. I am so glad that one of the TIOLI challenges for January steered me into reading it as I had never read it before. It was one of the books that my grandmother passed on to me. As her birthday is January 17th, somehow it is appropriate that I read it this month.

>108 quondame: Can I put The Oathbound under 'O'? Under the common practice of ignoring the article?

>115 humouress: Yes. Initial articles can be ignored.

>116 quondame: Thanks. I'll put it in now.

ETA: and look! My first mini sweep ;0)

>91 elkiedee: Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved by Frans de Waal has an appendix titled Animal Rights. I assume this is a list of animal rights, but the audiobook I have doesn't show it as such. I'll have to listen to the book before I find out if it really is a list.

How do you listen to your audio books? Is it eaudio? Because though I don't do audio as much as you, the eaudios I have from the library do offer an option to move between "tracks" and I would skip to or towards the end to check. It's not fiction so it's not a question of hearing accidentally whodunit it in this case (though I would absolutely do that myself I do get that it's a weird thing to do and don't expect it of others!)

>119 elkiedee: Yes it's e-audio on my phone. I checked on amazon and it shows three appendices near the middle of the book. My audio has 13 chapters all numbered, no mention of appendices. I want to listen to it anyway. I guess I'll see when I'm into it if it fits.

>91 elkiedee: Problem solved. I got an e copy of Primates and Philosophers. The appendix on animal rights is a discussion, not a list, but there is a list of references at the end, so I think the book is good to go.

>108 quondame: Challenge 19 includes rules on one use of the word "the" and "no other articles accepted - there are a couple of titles listed in the latest round that start with articles, "an" and "de" ("the" in Dutch, I think).

The TIOLI stats for December, 2021:

For the month of December, 2021, we read a total of 320 books which was the largest monthly total since May, 2020. Is that when people stopped reading a lot because of the pandemic? :D

We had 65 shared reads which were 20% of the total reads. We accumulated 36 TIOLI points for a December YTD total of 313 which was the lowest year-end YTD total ever.

The most popular books were these two, both read by 4 challengers:
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Island of the Lost - Joan Druett

The most popular challenge, with 39 books read, was the one by DeltaQueen to read a book where the author’s last name could be used as a first name.

The challenges with the most TIOLI points-- each with 5--were these two:
--The one by me (SqueakyChu) to read a nonfiction book by an author who wrote a book of fiction that you have read in the past
--The one by AnneDC to read a book whose first sentence has seven words or fewer

As a reflection of the full year of 2021, we averaged the same number of challenges, but had an increased number of books read over the previous year. However, the total shared reads and the total number of TIOLI points decreased from the previous year.

This year is starting out with a bang, and we should see some jump in our stats for this new year. Happy reading, everyone!

> 123 The most popular books were these two, both read by 4 challengers: A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Oh. I see that I'm a month late, as usual. I read this in January, just to be different!

Stasia and I are planning to read The Belgariad by David Eddings starting this month with Pawn of Prophecy (thread here) as well as A Sword Named Truth by Sherwood Smith this month if anyone else wants to join us and bump up the numbers. Paul is also in on the Belgariad group read and I'm fairly sure he and Stasia have another planned shared read.

>125 humouress: I will just make a quick note here: If you ever want to know what shared readings I am currently doing or have upcoming, I post them on my thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/338732. I love doing shared reads!

Speaking of potential shared reads, I will be picking up the following library books for the challenges marked, if anyone cares to join me?---

#2: The Looking-Glass War by John le Carré
#8: Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahoo
#9: Hotel Bosphorus by Esmahan Aykol

>127 lyzard: If I didn’t already have a ton of books I need to get through I’d have joined you for either of the first two.

I love that there are so many Turkish books this month. I can't get to all the ones I'd want to but will add them to the list for future reading.

>127 lyzard: Unfortunately, my local library does not have a single one of those titles, Liz, which surprised me. I was sure it would have the Le Carre book at the very least, but no such luck.

>127 lyzard: No promises, but I will try to get to Roseanna before the end of the month. It's one I've been wanting to read!

The December, 2021. TIOLI Awards!

The I'm Not Tired Yet Award goes to AnneDC for reading Grant for Fameulstee's challenge to read a book with 500 pages or more. Our winning challenger finished this book of 1,020 pages...and she is still reading other books now! I got tired merely reading that number! :D

The Vision Protection Award goes to lyzard and Citizenjoyce for both reading Sunglasses After Dark for the challenge by dallenbaugh to read a book where someone on the cover (front or back) is wearing or holding glasses. To ensure good eye protection, both of these challengers also included the word "sunglasses" in the book title.

The Sharing is Caring Award goes to Citizenjoyce for the challenge to read a book about a combination of the mental health and legal systems. Fully 75% of that challenge was a shared read of just one book. You certainly may disregard the fact that there were only four total listings in that challenge. :D

The British Blaster Award goes to JeanneD for the challenge to read a bloody book. I was not thinking this challenge was about a body fluid, but rather a Brit commanding us pretty sternly what to read! That cracked me up. :D

The Brevity Counts Award goes to lindapanzo for reading Santa Puppy for AnneDC's challenge to read a book whose first sentence has seven words or fewer. Our challenger's book's first sentence contained only one word...of only four letters. It's good to be brief!

The Best Pick Award goes to countrylife for reading Still Alice for paulstalder's challenge to read a book from a 'What should you borrow?'. This challenger picked a fabulous book from my (SqueakyChu's) collection. I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I did, although the story itself was very sad.

Congratulations, award winners! It's time to add awards of your own should you choose to do so now.

>128 PawsforThought:, >129 lindapanzo:, >130 alcottacre:

Well, rats!

>131 cbl_tn:

That's great, Carrie!

>132 SqueakyChu:

Thank you for the award, and thank you even more for alerting me to a shared read I didn't know I had---whoo!!

I have updated the December TIOLI meter.

>127 lyzard: I note that I do own a Kindle copy, for many years, of Hotel Bosphorous. Maybe I can get to it, though probably not right away.

>132 SqueakyChu: Thanks for the award, Madeline.

>132 SqueakyChu: Thanks for the TIOLI award! In fairness, I started Grant in November and finished it in December. It is a true doorstopper at 1020 pages--but one I highly recommend. Chernow is an outstanding biographer and Grant a president I knew little about, and most of it wrong. Very interesting and worth the page count.

Made me smile that my TIOLI #8 read for a book from a country from the Happiness Report is the saddest book I have read this month!

Thanks for the awards. I'm glad my unpopular challenge encouraged people to read The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore. I'm always amazed at how the legal system can be used to harm and enslave people.
Sunglasses After Dark was a fun book. Sometimes you need a vampire or two to lighten up your reading.

>134 lindapanzo:

It would be great if you could, Linda, but don't sweat it. :)

>137 Citizenjoyce:

Thanks for the shared read, Joyce, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

>127 lyzard: I will try to fit in Hotel Bosphorus if it helps, Liz. I can secure it on Open Library.

>132 SqueakyChu: Thank you so much for the award! And the way you heard is the way I heard it the first time in my head, thinking of my students off for the summer here down under in NZ, and wanting to encourage them!

>132 SqueakyChu: Congratulations to all the award winners!

TIOLI Question of the Month

Did you hit any book so far this month that you haven’t decided for sure if you liked or not? Which was the book, and what were the good and bad points for you about that book?

>142 SqueakyChu: An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed comes closest. I enjoyed parts of it, but often felt that the cleverness had worn too thin.

>142 SqueakyChu: Definitely Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. It was actually a much easier read than I thought it would be but I didn't feel that it taught me much about eastern philosophies and because it was written so simply, I didn't feel particularly involved with the story either.

>143 quondame: I had the same thought!

For me it's The Hollow Man. It's a good crime novel but it really pushes the cliché of the messed-up policeman who cuts corners and annoys the higher-ups but gets results - it takes this to such an extreme that I really saw all the problems with this trope, and am finding it hard to root for the protagonist. On balance I would say it's good but I might not read another by the same author. (which incidentally is also where I am on Helene Tursten, author of An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed...)

>143 quondame:, >144 DeltaQueen50:, >145 wandering_star: In defense of An Elderly Lady, her first book, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good really did grab the reader, at least this reader, so I kept that character in mind as I read this one. Sometimes I need books about interesting characters who face no consequences for their actions.
>142 SqueakyChu:> I finished Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters and, while it does offer interesting information and perspective I can't say I liked it, but then again, I'm sure I'm not the intended audience. I don't know if human brains are capable of sorting through so many choices every day: Do I want to be male or female? Do I want monogamy or polyamory? Do I want to be a slut or a nice girl? Do I want to be humiliated or respected by my partner? Do I want to reproduce or not? Do I want to have a baby or not? Do I still want to think of AIDS as a terrible disease to be avoided at all costs or is it just an inconvenience? There are way too many options presented, I think people need a little more grounding to make it through life in a healthy way.

>146 Citizenjoyce: I think with Elderly Lady, the first book was so shocking, in a humourous way because she was so devious that it was unexpected. But in the second book, you know what she is up to, because it has happened all her life, so the surprise of her was not there. I'm still interested in reading Tursten's Inspector Husse books.

>142 SqueakyChu: Jonny Appleseed was a book like that for me. Kind of like Detransition, Baby, there was a lot of behaviours that were difficult to read -sex for hire by a young two-spirit Indigenous man. I liked it more by the end, with the story of his relationship with his grandmother. I recognize why all the stuff was in the book as you learn more about his childhood and how he ended up like that. I think I'm open-minded about different lifestyles, but reading about them doesn't always make me get it, and I think the books in some ways are supposed to make you more open-minded seeing other lives. I feel old.

>142 SqueakyChu: I think I would categorise Homeland Elegies as a book I am unsure about. Parts of it were very good but the mixing of genres irritated me and left me unsure how to rate it.

>142 SqueakyChu: >148 PaulCranswick: I am with Paul on Homeland Elegies. I gave it 3 stars on the basis of its writing - Akhtar can certainly do that - but writing a memoir and then giving it out as fiction seems deceptive at best.

Interesting answers. It’s kind of interesting as well trying to determine how many LT stars books such as these should get. :)

I’m reading a book like that now called I Am a Japanese Writer. I was totally lost as to what was happening with a group of characters at the beginning of the book, but now toward the end of the book I find it entertaining, absurd, and funny. It’s supposed to be a satire but I’m not sure of what. Maybe things Japanese? However it’s politically incorrect to satirize that. Plus, I am quite interested in all things contemporary Japanese. My star rating keeps jumping up and down in my head. At least some lines in this book do make me laugh! :D

>147 raidergirl3: I agree with your assessment of the two Elderly Ladies. In the first one, everything she did was surprising, by the second one she was acting more like just a normal criminal.

Congratulations on the first sweep of this new year, Anita!!

>152 SqueakyChu: Thank you, Madeline!

>153 FAMeulstee: Congratulations.

Congratulations on your sweep, Anita.

>154 Citizenjoyce: >155 lindapanzo: Thanks Joyce and Linda.

>132 SqueakyChu: Thank you, Madeline, for the Best Pick Award. I agree - Still Alice is a really good book. I'm glad I picked it from you.

>142 SqueakyChu: I can't decide how much I like No Gods, No Monsters. 3 stars, 5 stars...I may not know until I read it again or read the sequel. The narrator slips in and out of people's thoughts, except when they can't. I'm not sure how much of the action takes part in times or places in the multiverse that don't correlate with where I live. But most of characters and the societal backdrop are engaging.

>152 SqueakyChu: Congratulations, Anita!

I think DNFing a book might give you an idea of how I felt about it but that would be misleading. I abandoned the audiobook due to the narrator's voice - the accent grated and I just didn't want to spend any time with it. While it was read by a number of narrators, you just know the annoying voice would be bacl later to annoy me all over again. So I quit.
I like the idea of The best short stories 2021 : the O. Henry prize winners, but I will have to read it, not listen to it.

My last DNF was 2019.

>160 Helenliz: What was your DNF in 2019?

I think my last DNF was in 198, in the sense that I stopped reading a book and don't imagine that I would ever seek it out again or start reading it. It's questionable the extent to which I got started. It was a huge book about the first 1000 days of JFK's presidency, I made it to page 20 and my flatmate taking the same course as one of her options made it to page 75, of about 1000 I think, before giving it up and returning the tome to the university library.

There are some books which in retrospect I think I should have given up on, but luckily not that many.

Speaking of DNFs, I find myself doing that quite a bit. Not that all the books displease me, but rather that I often can’t just settle down with one book. I end up starting more than one, finish the one I like best, and start even more books. The unfinished books sort of fade in my mind in a way that, I’ll either keep them to start over again in the future, or release because I’m not sure I’ll pick them up again. I’m sure this has a lot to do with two things: First, the pandemic has slowed my reading and focus a lot. Second, plus probably most relevant, is the number of books that pass through my hands because I am constantly receiving book donations for my Little Free Library. People donate such great books!

>159 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia!
You are well on your way.

Wow, I feel like a slacker! I have already had 3 DNFs this year!

>163 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

I almost DNF Detransition Baby but I kept thinking it might get better so, as I was listening I turned the speed up to 1.75 to get to the good part faster. It never got good, but I did hear her arguments for this messed-up life.

>161 elkiedee: my 2019 DNF was Distant Voices by Barbara Erskine, which greatly offended by feminist sensibilities.
"Oh Dear this was bad! I stuck it out for as long as I could, but I got to the stage where if I had to listen to one more story with a woman unable to function without a man in her life I was going to scream.

I find the idea of "giving up" on something quite hard to stomach, but that has to balance with the desire to go outside the comfort zone. I have forced my way to the end off the occasional book, just to see how bad it can get. >;-)

>164 alcottacre:: Don't. I'm not sure finishing a book you're not enjoying is necessary a virtue.

>164 alcottacre: I don't look on it as giving up--my philosophy is that life is too short to read a book to read a book that's not working for me!

>167 susanna.fraser: Agreed, especially with the size of my TBR!!

>166 Helenliz: >167 susanna.fraser: Well, I abandoned another one today bringing me up to 4 for the year already. You are both right - life is to short to read books that do not work for me!

>169 alcottacre: I'm sure you're still way ahead of me Stasia. And you've done much better at posting about your reads, the good, the bad and the ugly DNFs, than me.

>170 elkiedee: I try to post them as I read them. If I do not, I forget what it is I wanted to say!

I've added Pawn of Prophecy to Challenge 18 (adventure) for a multiple shared read. (Belgariad group read)

Well. I'm not sure that Roseanna was the most appropriate choice for a "happiness" challenge. :D

But anyway, I have a 6 - 12 sweeplette---whoo!!

>173 lyzard: Congratulations, Liz!!

>173 lyzard: congratulations

>173 lyzard: Congratulations, Liz!

Roseanna wasn't very cheerfull, my read for #8 was Terror on the mountain ;-)

>173 lyzard: Hooray for your sweeplette, Liz!

>173 lyzard: Liz, congrats on your sweeplette.

>173 lyzard: Nice going, Liz.

Thanks, everyone! :)

>176 FAMeulstee:

Miserable literature, happy people?? :D

>180 lyzard: Congrats on your sweeplette. :)

I think there may be something to your statement:

Miserable literature, happy people??

I read three books for the challenge and they all featured unhappy/sad storylines.

Just a note to Liz. I finished Hotel Bosphorus for a shared read on Challenge #9

>182 PaulCranswick:

Excellent! - I'm on a shared read roll this month. :)

ETA: BTW, Anne, I'll be joining you for The Song Of The Lark.

Second sweep this year is by Stasia, congratulations!

Congratulations Stasia!

>183 lyzard: Awesome, Liz! That will incentivize me to finish it this weekend since I just noticed that it fits a February challenge as well (Willa '''Cat'''her) and was wavering.

>184 FAMeulstee: >185 AnneDC: Thank you, ladies! I still have 3 more TIOLI books to try and finish before the end of the month though - if the naps will let me!

>184 FAMeulstee: >186 alcottacre: Hooray for Stasia on her sweep...despite the most adverse of circumstances!

>186 alcottacre: Congratulations. Napping is a formidable opponent. Good luck in your fight.

>185 AnneDC:

Anne, I'm happy either to push for January or leave it (and share it) in February: just let me know which you would prefer.

>152 SqueakyChu:, >184 FAMeulstee:

Congratulations to our amazing sweepers!

i've completed a sweeplette of challenges 1 to 7 (a book for the first 6 plus a short story in #7)

>190 elkiedee: Hurray for you and your sweeplette, Luci!

Thank you

>187 SqueakyChu: >188 Citizenjoyce: Thank you both!

>190 elkiedee: Yay, Luci! Congratulations.

>190 elkiedee: Congratulations, Luci!

>190 elkiedee: Yay

>189 lyzard: Liz, I am about halfway through and can probably finish Song of the Lark by tomorrow with some effort, but could also slow down and defer to February. Since I see no prospect of a sweep (in either month) it really doesn't matter--would love the shared read though.

Congrats on sweeps and sweeplets Stasia, Anita, and Luci!

>190 elkiedee:

Well done, Luci!

>196 AnneDC:

I'm further ahead than you and can easily finish it today or leave some until tomorrow, so just say which suits you better---though remembering the time difference, sooner rather than later, please! :D

I could have sworn I saw Lark and the Wren for #14 or am I nuts? It's no big deal now since I doubt I'll get to it. Would still like to know if my mind is buggier than I thought...

>198 Morphidae: Not nuts, Morphy, Stasia removed her listing of The Lark and the Wren a few days ago.

>199 FAMeulstee: Whew, okay, thank you. I've been having issues lately. I can't brain. I have the dumb.

Ok, folks. I need help with brainstorm time.
I need to sweep January. Let's just say I forgot, hmm?

I have #3, #7, & 18 covered (SHARED.) Plus a #5 or 16 depending on where I place it.

I could come up with books myself for the rest but that's going to take up precious reading time. I figure in the next 28 hours or so, I have about 10± hours of solid reading time. Probably more but I rather guess on the conservative side.

I need SHORT and EASY books/works. They shouldn't take more than an hour or so to read.* If other books are much shorter, I can push one or two 90 minute books. Middle school/children's books will do and will probably be my lifesaver on the end.

* I read fast when I'm not trying. If focusing and I have a goal, I can read faster as long as it's not something like Shakespeare, Faulkner or Proust.

And NEXT month, I will be more more proactive and focused. Meanwhile, this will be a heck of a story if I make it, eh?

People can DM if they like and I'll keep a book post.

>201 Morphidae: for #2, I read The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler a short children's book. under 200 pages. It was cute.

I am one short of a sweep and rushing the final one to achieve Sweep #3 4
following Anita, Susan and Stasia.

Only Madeline's Challenge #1 to go and I have switched to Tarka the Otter to bring me home!

>198 Morphidae: Sorry about that, Morphy, I just realized I was not going to get the book read in January so I took it off the list. I did not mean to mess you up!

Congratulations on your January sweep, Susan! (quondame)

Housekeeping Day!

Yes, in this now crowded house, it's time for some housekeeping. Sweeping is okay as is sweepletting. Your most important task, though, is to remove from the January wiki any book you are not able to complete before midnight tonight (except for the rolling challenges in which your book can simply be marked DNF.

>205 FAMeulstee: Thank you!

Belated congratulations on yours and on a very impressive number of titles matched to challenges!

>207 quondame: And thank you, Susan!

>205 FAMeulstee: Yay, Susan!

I MADE IT TOO!!!!

Tarka the Otter got finished at 10 pm LT time.

My first TIOLI sweep in a few years.

Congratulations to those who did their own and in Suz, Anita, Stasia, Susan and possibly Morphy I am in extremely august company.

>710 Hurray for you, Paul! It's really fun to have so many active readers back with us on TIOLI this year.

Congratulations sweepers.

>211 SqueakyChu: Thank you, Madeline - i had almost forgotten how much fun it is and what a stimuli to good reading!

>210 PaulCranswick: Congratulations! And it wasn't the easiest month to sweep by a long shot!

>210 PaulCranswick: Congratulations, Paul!!

>213 PaulCranswick: I heartily agree with that sentiment. I too had forgotten how fun the TIOLI challenges can be!

I am really enjoying the bigger group of TIOLI challengers we have now. The ability to share more reads makes for more conversation about these books on each other’s threads.

I am absolutely delighted with Paul’s working his Asian Books challenge into our TIOLI challenges because at the same time I’m trying to fit some of my TIOLI challenges into his challenge!

I’m also very happy that I’m able to read more these days. Covid is taking a hit on most of us in personal ways now, but hopefully we can all pull through this without severe illness or too much anxiety. The numbers of books others are reading I find astounding. I’m not going to ever reach those numbers, but I see that my numbers are nevertheless going up month by month.

Hey! Happy February!

>216 SqueakyChu: Happy February, Madeline! Let's hope it as good a TIOLI month as January was!

>210 PaulCranswick: Congratulations, Paul!

>216 SqueakyChu: Completely agree, Madeline, happy February! :-)

Thank you Joyce, Susan, Stasia, Anita and, of course, Madeline.

It has been really pleasurable joining in with the TIOLI again and the "strategic partnership" between your institution and my whipper-snapper challenge is fun too and probably a help to both challenges. xx

Onto February!