Take It or Leave It Challenge - June 2023 - 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 TIOLI challenge for June 2023 is to

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Read a book of fiction in which there is a printed (spelled out) odd number in the narrative of the first page.
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Rules:
1. The first page should be that page in which chapter 1 starts. Skip prologues, introductions, character lists, or anything else which precedes the actual story.
2. As you list your book and odd number, include at least three words for context.
3. Your word may be embedded in another word (everyone) or across words (on every corner).
4. Do NOT use any word written in numerals.
5. There is no limit to the amount (a million and one would be okay).

Examples:
---The Silent Patient (was thirty-three years old) - Alex Michaelides
---The Moor's Account (three Castilian gentlemen) - Laila Lalami
---The Match (at five-star beach hotels) - Romesh Gunesekera

If you understand the rules, you may now pick your book(s)! :D

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Other Fun Stuff (not part of the TIOLI challenge):
1. FAMeulstee's 2023 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. The June 2023 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 of fiction in which there is a printed (spelled out) odd number in the narrative of the first page - msg #1
2. Read a book whose title includes at least three words beginning with the same letter - msg #3
3. Read the “Next in a Series” book – can be any number in an series you are currently reading except number one - msg #4
4. Read a book with a synonym for "travel" on the cover - msg #7
5. Read a book about something a nice person wouldn't do or one indicating such a thing in the title - msg #8
6. Read a book by an author new to you - msg #12

Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book with the number 35 in either in the title (subtitles allowed!) or the ISBN - msg #13
8. Read a book that fits one of the categories of the 2023 Seattle Public Library Summer Book Bingo card - msg #16
9. Read a book (F or NF) about the experiences of indigenous/First Nations peoples in the Americas or Australia/NZ - msg #19
10. Read a book for Morphy's favorite subgenres semi-rolling challenge - msg #20
11. Read a book written by a transgender and/or nonbinary (or any other gender non-conforming identity) author - msg #23
12. Read a book with a title starting with "S" - msg #29

Challenges #13-14
13. Read a book by an author with the same first or family name as a member of the Leeds United Centenary FA Cup Final winning team of 1972 - msg #39
14. Read a book that made the Publishers Weekly best-seller lists any year up to and including 1986 - msg #46
15. Read a book whose title contains all of the vowels (A, E, I, O, U) or none of the vowels - msg #48
16. Read a book whose title contains words all of different lengths - msg #68
17. Read a book with a title or subtitle that mentions a place that is not set in the country where you reside - msg #71
18. Read a republished book/work or collection of previously published writings - msg #83

Hold your challenge until the July challenges are posted. Thanks so much!

Challenge #2: Read a book whose title includes at least three words beginning with the same letter

--Words in the subtitle don't count
--Words like a, and, the DO count
--The same word can appear in the title more than once (so, for instance, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich would be ok for this challenge, even though the word "the" appears more than once in the title

Challenge #3: Read the “Next in a Series” book – can be any number in an series you are currently reading except number one.

: Please include the number in the series that your book is.
: No number ones cause I don't want to be blamed for anyone starting yet another series!

>4 DeltaQueen50: Just to be clear, do I need to read all of the books in the series before the one I'm reading for your challenge? I'm thinking of the ECR Lorac books where I'm reading them in scattershot fashion. The next one I'm planning to get to is #38 in the series. I certainly have not read the first 37 of these yet.

>5 lindapanzo: No, you don't have to have read them all - just include the number of the book in the series.

Challenge #4: Read a book with a synonym for "travel" on the cover

June is the start of the northern hemisphere summer and a traditional time for people to go on a journey, from medieval pilgrimages to summer holidays today. But if you can't travel for any reason, books can also be a good way to take you somewhere else.

Please use the list of synonyms here.

Challenge #5: Read a book about something a nice person wouldn't do or one indicating such a thing in the title
I guess you can define "nice" however you like.
I'll be reading Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes. I think we can all agree that's not a nice thing to do, or at least, not something a nice person would do.

>1 SqueakyChu: Is first an odd number?

>9 Citizenjoyce: Sorry. First is not a number.

>10 SqueakyChu: At least I asked this time instead of plowing ahead.

Challenge #6: Read a book by an author new to you

Any author you haven't read before

Challenge #7: The “And They Said It Would Not Last” Challenge - Kerry’s and my 35th wedding anniversary is in June, so read a book with the number 35 in either in the title (subtitles allowed!) or the ISBN

>7 wandering_star: Can the synonym be on the front or back cover?

>35 Citizenjoyce: Congratulations. Hope you are planning on marking the occasion with something nice.

Time for my annual summer challenge!

Challenge #8: Read a book that fits one of the categories of the 2023 Seattle Public Library Summer Book Bingo card (list the category)

Book Bingo link: https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/authors-and-books/book-bingo/2023-book...

>14 Citizenjoyce: Yes, anywhere on the cover

My planned reads:
Challenge #1: Read a book of fiction in which there is a printed (spelled out) odd number in the narrative of the first page. - started by SqueakyChu
✔Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (4.5)
✔Foster - Claire Keegan (5)
✔Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See (4.5)
Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court's Drive to the Right and Its Historic Consequences - Joan Biskupic
Challenge #2: Read a book whose title includes at least three words beginning with the same letter - started by lindapanzo
✔The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant - Drew Hayes (3.5)
Challenge #3: Read the “Next in a Series” book – can be any number in an series you are currently reading except number one - started by DeltaQueen
✔The Perfumist of Paris by Alka Joshi (4)
✔Undeath & Taxes - Drew Hayes (4)
Challenge #4: Read a book with a synonym for "travel" on the cover (from the Merriam-Webster thesaurus list) - started by wandering_star
✔More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys (4)
Challenge #5: Read a book about something a nice person wouldn't do or one indicating such a thing in the title - started by Citizenjoyce
*✔Murder Your Employer - Rupert Holmes (3.5)
*✔Trespasses - Louise Kennedy (4)
Challenge #6: Read a book by an author new to you - started by FAMeulstee
✔Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill (4)
The Last Animal: A Novel - Ramona Ausubel ABANDONED
Challenge #7: The “And They Said It Would Not Last” Challenge - Kerry’s and my 35th wedding anniversary is in June, so read a book with the number 35 in either in the title (subtitles allowed!) or the ISBN - started by AlcottAcre
✔Buster Midnight's Cafe - Sandra Dallas (4)
Challenge #8: Read a book that fits one of the categories of the 2023 Seattle Public Library Summer Book Bingo card (list the category) - started by susanna.fraser
✔Akin Emma Donoghue (4)
✔All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (5)
✔Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls (3)
✔Small Mercies- Dennis Lehane (4.5)
✔The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman (4)
Challenge #9: Read a book (F or NF) about the experiences of indigenous/First Nations peoples in the Americas or Australia/NZ - started by Chatterbox
✔Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (4)
Carry: a memoir of survival on stolen land - Toni Jensen
Challenge #10: Read a book for Morphy's favorite subgenres semi-rolling challenge - started by Morphidae
✔Been There, Done That: A Rousing History of Sex - Rachel Feltman (5)
✔Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion - Gabrielle Stanley Blair (5)
Challenge #11: Read a book written by a transgender and/or nonbinary (or any other gender non-conforming identity) author - started by WhiteRaven.17
✔Conundrum - Jan Morris (3)
Challenge #12: Read a book with a title starting with "S" - started by quondame
✔Skinfolk: A Memoir - Matthew Pratt Guterl (4)
Challenge #13: Read a book by an author with the same first or family name as a member of the Leeds United Centenary FA Cup Final winning team of 1972 - started by PaulCranswick
*✔Men Who Hate Women - Laura Bates (5)
Challenge #14: Read a book that made the Publishers Weekly best-seller lists any year up to and including 1986 - started by lyzard
*✔The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss (5)
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
Challenge #15: ALL or Nothing: Read a book whose title contains all of the vowels (A, E, I, O, U)) or none of the vowels - started by helenliz
✔Hello Beautiful - Ann Napolitano (3.5)
✔On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good - Elise Loehnen (3.5)
Challenge #16: Read a book whose title contains words all of different lengths - started by bell7
✔The Midnight News - Jo Baker (4.5)
✔We Are a Haunting - Tyriek White (3.5)
Challenge #17: Read a book with a title or subtitle that mentions a place that is not set in the country where you reside - started by dallenbaugh
✔The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories - Susanna Clarke (3.5)
Challenge #18: Read a republished book/work or collection of previously published writings - started by elkiedee
*✔The Big Sea - Langston Hughes (4.5)

Challenge #9: Read a book -- fiction or non-fiction -- about the experiences of indigenous/First Nations communities or individuals in the Americas or Australia/NZ

This challenge is specific to groups of people we could define as "indigenous" and who have become minorities in their own lands. So I'm thinking of the Americas, from Canada all the way down to Tierra del Fuego, as well as Australia and New Zealand. I realize that this might also apply to some parts of Russia (eg Siberia) and other minorities, but I'm really emphasizing peoples who became colonial subject peoples and lost territory, independence, economic power, language, identity and even their lives.

There are lots of non-fiction books about first contacts on to the present day (for instance, the battle for justice on the part of residential school survivors in Canada/the US, for land in the Amazon rainforest, etc. etc.) And there's a growing array of novels written by members of these communities.

Challenge #10: Read a book for Morphy's favorite subgenres semi-rolling challenge

My birthday is on the 18th and I decided to do a challenge on my favorite things. In this case, my favorite genres.

Fill in each set of genres (spelling out MORPHY) before going on to the next. You can start a new set once at least five of the six (5/6) genres are filled. Only three unfilled sets can be open at one time.

To qualify, the genre must appear in the main set of tags, i.e., without clicking on "show all." Unless otherwise stated. Any tag that includes the genre also qualifies such as cozy mystery, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, narrative nonfiction, YA science fiction, etc.

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The rest of this post is extra information for people who like/want more detail.

M - Mystery, e.g., tagged mystery, cozy mystery, police procedural, sci fi mystery, fantasy mystery, paranormal mystery, mystery classics, children's mystery, Edgar Award, Agatha Award, etc.

O - Over 18, e.g., tagged erotica, novels with "steamy" scenes (any time two or more consenting adults explicitly go past, quoting The Rocky Horror Picture Show, "heavy petting,") or the tagmash "Nonfiction, sex," LAMBDA Literary Award, etc.

R - Romance, e.g., tagged romance, tagged paranormal romance, historical romance, Regency, contemporary romance, LGBTQ+ romance, love story, romance manga, RITA/Vivian Award, RoNA Award, etc.

P - Phantasy, e.g., tagged fantasy, low fantasy, dark fantasy, epic fantasy, historical fantasy, fantasy comics, magical realism, sword and sorcery, magic, shenmo, World Fantasy Award, Lotus, etc.

H - How, Why, & Who, e.g., tagged creative nonfiction, popular science, memoir, biography, essays, self-help, travelogue, true crime (here not mystery), mythology, Pulitzer Award (for nonfiction, history, drama, etc.), etc.

Y - Young Adult and Children's, e.g., young adult, YA, children's, early readers, middle grade, juvenile, picture book, coming of age, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, Alex Awards, (NOT New Adult), etc.

If a book has tags for more than one genre, feel free to put it where you want, e.g., a children's mystery, YA fantasy.

>19 Chatterbox: Would The Bone People by Keri Hulme qualify for this challenge?

>1 SqueakyChu: If the number is, say "three hundred thousand", can I use the "three" as an odd number? It's kind of embedded in another number (she says hopefully)

>21 FAMeulstee: Yes, I have read The Bone People and I think it would qualify

Challenge #11: Read a book written by a transgender and/or nonbinary (or any other gender non-conforming identity) author

As June is pride month, I've been scanning books on my shelves by queer-identifying authors and realized I don't own many by transgender or genderqueer authors. Otherwise a pretty straightforward challenge.

*This is my first time coming up with a challenge, please let me know if this is a repeat (I couldn't find a reference to a similar challenge when I searched).

>22 wandering_star: Thanks.

>23 WhiteRaven.17: I haven't see such a challenge before.
Now all you need to do is put your challenge on the second page of the TIOLI wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Take_It_or_Leave_It_Challenge_-_June_202...

Let me know if you need help there.

>22 wandering_star: Yes, you may use the number three in the phrase three hundred thousand.

Someone always finds an example outside the boundary of my rules! :D

>23 WhiteRaven.17: *This is my first time coming up with a challenge, please let me know if this is a repeat (I couldn't find a reference to a similar challenge when I searched).

So happy to have you jump into the challenge offerings!

At this point, we've been doing TIOLI challenges for thirteen years, so a cursory look at what was offered before is all you need to do before offering your challenge. If something similar was presented before, it doesn't matter as I am not the TIOLI police. The original rule was made to keep the challenges always mostly different and interesting. I always like the most unique challenges the best.

To have your challenge listed on the main thread index, please enter it on a wiki page such as this one:
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Take_It_or_Leave_It_Challenge_-_June_202...

If that page is full (has challenge #12 listed already), use this page:
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Take_It_or_Leave_It_Challenge_-_June_202...

Ask if you need help listing it.

>23 WhiteRaven.17: People might find the list here helpful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_non-binary_writers

>23 WhiteRaven.17: So as not to displace your #11 I've added it to Challenges #7-12

Challenge #12: Read a book with a title starting with "S" - started by quondame

If reading in a script that has no equivalent to "S" I'm open to negotiation.

>21 FAMeulstee: Absolutely; there are plenty of Maori characters and if I recall correctly, it's told through the Maori POV.

The only novels I'd prefer people to avoid are those viewing the indigenous world through the eyes of colonizers. This might create some difficulties in one or two cases I can think of, for instance, Joseph Boyden, whose self-identification with Canadian First Nations led to some really great books -- until it was discovered that he had essentially appropriated that identity. What a tragedy. But generally, please try to select novels that put native voices and narratives at the center of the book.

>30 Chatterbox: Thank you, Suzanne.

In fact I do have a book by Joseph Boyden planned to read this month. I doubted about your challenge, as I vaguely remembered there was something about him. So I put it in my own challenge, as it is my first book by him.

>8 Citizenjoyce: I was delighted to see Murder Your Employer on this shelf in the bookshop I visited today:

>28 quondame: Thanks for your help this time, Susan, but in the future *please* let each new challenge host enter his or her own challenge. Each person needs to learn how to do this independently and *before* listing the challenge on the main thread. Thank you! Helping is okay; "doing for" not so much.

I did add the open-for-anyone line for challenge #11, hoping it would be easier for WhiteRaven.17 to figure out. I probably should not have done that as it was confusing to you. I won't do that next time.

By the way, no one can "claim" a challenge number. Each challenge is given the number in which it is listed on the wiki by the person entering the challenge. If we run out of pages, I can always add an extra wiki page.

>33 SqueakyChu: If we run out of pages, I can always add an extra wiki page.

That would be awesome if it ever happens! Talk about a challenge. . .

>32 wandering_star: Bad people doing bad things, and look how full the shelf is.

>32 wandering_star: oooh, love the subtitle "bad people doing bad things". A potentially infinite number of books.

>29 quondame: Does the "starting with S" allow books that begin with an article, eg "The Secret of xxx" or "A Stubborn xxx"? If not, fine, but just wanted to double-check!

Here's a good summary of the Joseph Boyden controversy. I think the point toward the end about how differently we see his narratives if we see him as someone who had a tiny bit of First Nations ancestry and a reasonable amount of "white privilege", vs someone like Richard Wagamese, is the way to discuss this. I think Boyden's novels -- my fave remains Through Black Spruce remain worth reading as excellent fiction, but I see them in a different way now. I'd still read anything he wrote, and I think it's sad that he has been silenced (voluntarily or involuntarily) by this debate. I have no inherent objections to people writing about an experience that isn't their own -- otherwise, what are we left with but fiction derived from unique/narrow perspectives? and how might childless people write about parenthood in fiction or vice-versa, or men write female characters or vice versa? But misrepresentation that might cause a different impression of a particular cultural group, or (as in The Help), glib clichés, is not top of my list at any time, and what I want to avoid in my challenge.

>36 Chatterbox: Nope. First letter of first word must be "S" or "s".

>7 wandering_star: I have several books on my TBR list that have "journey" in the subtitle. Is that acceptable?

Challenge #13 - Read a book by an author whose first or family name is the same as one of the team members of the Leeds United team that won the Centenary FA Cup Final in 1972

My club got relegated yesterday and I am smarting. Looking back to the era when we were the best (though not the best loved) team in England, we won the 1972 FA Cup final 1-0 beating Arsenal at Wembley Stadium and we received the trophy from the late Queen.

Challenge is simple read a book whose author's name (first or family name) is the same as one of that cup winning team (team surname only).

The team was :
HARVEY
REANEY
MADELEY
BREMNER
CHARLTON
HUNTER
LORIMER
CLARKE
JONES
GILES
GRAY
Substitute BATES

I will read Zanzibar by Giles Foden.

>24 FAMeulstee: & >26 SqueakyChu: Thank you both! I will keep that in mind, I had been hesitant coming up with anything before because I wasn't quite sure of all the guidelines or strictness.

>28 quondame: Thank you.

I can see now that someone added it to that list, apologies I did not get to it earlier and thank you to the kind person that did that. I hadn't realized there was another step & I posted that just before logging out for the evening. Noted for next time.

>27 alcottacre: Thank you Stasia. What a helpful addition and guide for the challenge. :)

>40 WhiteRaven.17: Glad to see your challenge up and running. Hurray! Next time, remember to put it on the wiki page first, then add it to the main thread with any rules or explanation. Have lots of fun, and thanks for joining all of us!

>39 PaulCranswick: Jones it is! I'm not actually much of a Clarke fan and Hunter Thompson is right out.

>38 Chatterbox: Yes, words in the title and subtitle count

>42 quondame: Ditto! Although I can recommend The Western Wind if someone is looking for a HARVEY.

>39 PaulCranswick:

Nice, Paul! - and believe me, I know what it's like to follow a team that has done the penthouse-to-basement slide! :D

Challenge #14:

Read a book that made the Publishers Weekly best-seller lists any year up to and including 1986

Publishers Weekly were the first regular compilers of a best-selling books list, recording an annual 'Top Ten' for the United States beginning in 1895.

The lists may be found here.

You may read any book on any list, up to and including the 1986 list (which is where Steve and I are up to with our reading project!).

Please list your book's year* and where it finished on the wiki.

(*Which is not necessarily its OPD.)

>45 lyzard: Hahaha what a lovely expression, Liz! Thank you. x

Challenge #15: ALL or Nothing: Read a book whose title contains all of the vowels (A, E, I, O, U) or none of the vowels

My challenge this month relates to vowels in the title. Read a book where the title either:
Contains ALL of the vowels (taking the standard 5 English vowels, A, E, I, O U)
Contains NO vowels
It is all or nothing. >:-)

Each vowel only needs to appear once to count, please highlight in the wiki the first time each vowel appears.

Questions:
What about subtitles? Yes you may use or ignore the subtitle, as you see fit. BUT this challenge is ALL or Nothing. If you were to use the subtitle in the first book you added, you would need to use the subtitle in ALL of them. Books without a subtitle may be used freely and without prejudice.

I've got a title with 5 x A, 17 x E, 9 x I, 3 x O and 1 x U. Does that count? Yup. As long as every vowel appears once it does not matter how many times the others appear. That's some title, btw.

What about Y? I'm not counting Y as a vowel. It is sometimes used as one, but for this challenge that does not count.

No vowels? Is that even possible? Yes. There are some books whose title is an acronym without vowels SS-GB for instance. Sometimes you can find a word that uses Y as its vowel, if there was a book entitled "Why Fly" that would count. And a title consisting of numbers, as digits, would count. 11/22/63, for example.

What about books in a foreign language? They can count, the title still needs to contain the 5 vowels. That can be the English or the original language title. If the original language has more vowels, I'm not making you work harder and collect all of that languages vowels.

I could think of several sub challenges, which all felt far too hard. There will be added kudos for getting a book that fits one or more of these.
All the vowels in one word
All the vowels with no repeats
All the vowels twice or more (might need the subtitles for this one!)
All the vowels appear in alphabetical order.

>48 Helenliz: : I love your thoroughness and your anticipation of questions!

>40 WhiteRaven.17: I figured that there are other people in the challenge who, like me, do not have a clue :)

>46 lyzard: I know I am probably being dense, but I do not understand what you mean by "where it finished." Right now, Quo Vadis is on my dresser, but it is probably not going to end up there. . .

Also, there are a couple of books on your challenge that do not indicate who is reading them. Are they yours, Liz?

>51 alcottacre: perhaps the highest level the book reached on the Publisher’s Weekly survey?

>51 alcottacre: I would say "where it finished" is the number in the top ten of that year.
Quo Vadis was #1 in 1897, and #4 in 1898.

It looks like the two without name were added by Citizenjoyce. You could find that in "History" under "This page" (left column).
ETA: I will PM her if it is still without name in a few days.

>53 FAMeulstee: Anita, you can add her name since you know they were her entries.

>48 Helenliz: If the original language has more vowels, I'm not making you work harder and collect all of that languages vowels.
Thanks for that.
Swedish, Norwegian and Danish have 9 vowels (Finnish too) - it’d require some detective work to find a title that contains them all. And I’d feel very sorry for anyone reading in Icelandic as they have 14 vowels.

I do have a very hard time accepting that Y isn’t a vowel, though.

>54 SqueakyChu: Done.

>56 FAMeulstee: Thanks!

>51 alcottacre: Yeah, that was my thinking too, but I wanted to be sure. I get in all kinds of trouble putting the wrong things in the TIOLI challenges, lol.

>53 FAMeulstee: Thanks for all the help, Anita! I did not know about the "History" thing at all.

>46 lyzard: Just reviewed the lists for the 70s and 80s -- what a trip down memory lane! Does anyone else remember the publishing sensation of ...And Ladies of the Club back in 1984? The author was in her 70s or 80s, I think, and it was either her first novel or her first major novel. Wow, and all the pulp that I devoured in university, from Judith Krantz and Sidney Sheldon, to Ken Follett and James Clavell! Thanks for allowing me to revisit my youth!!

>59 Chatterbox: Those were the days…

Sure do remember And the Ladies of the Club! I feel the same way you do when I look at some of those mid- to late-middle twentieth century lists. Just a waltz down Memory Lane…

>53 FAMeulstee: Oh for heaven's sake. Sorry.

>51 alcottacre:

As the others suggested, where it finished in its Top Ten list, yes. :)

>59 Chatterbox:, >60 Matke:

I've lately been hitting my own Memory Lane in this project, as evidenced by the fact that I still own the past couple of best-sellers! :D

>62 lyzard: Thanks, Liz!

>49 countrylife: I do try, but usually somebody asks something I've not thought of. How Morphy does the really complicated challenges, I don't know!

>55 PawsforThought: 14 vowels? Blimey, I knew I was being considerate, I didn't know I was being that considerate!
Y is usually not a vowel and sometimes is; but as it's not one of the standard vowels, we're leaving it out. Also none of my books would fit if I included Y, so we're not. >;-)

>64 Helenliz: For us Nordics, Y is always a vowel, so it's a bit weird to see people call it a consonant or vowel/consonant, even when I know that how it works in English. I love watching Only Connect, where one of the rounds is "missing vowels" and even though I've watched every season (18) I still react when they show Y among the consonants.

>7 wandering_star: Would you accept a different form of the word? Walk is listed as a synonym, may I use a book with "walking" in the title.

>66 Helenliz: Yes, I should have said that embedded words are fine!

Challenge 16: Read a book whose title words are all different lengths

Simply, each word in the title needs to have a different number of letters. Yes, "a", "an" and "the" each count as a word, so you can't have both "a" and "I", "the" and "and" in the title. There has to be more than one word in the title.

You do not have to count subtitles, but you *can* if it will give you more than one word in the title.

>68 bell7: Is there a minimum number of words that needs to be in the title?

>69 SqueakyChu: oh good question! There has to be more than one.

Challenge #17 Read a book with a title or subtitle that mentions a place that is not set in the country where you reside

Your country may have places that have the same or similar names, but this place must be set outside your country.
Places can include these synonyms: https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/place

>71 dallenbaugh: Would you like us to indicate on the wiki where the place is?

>72 alcottacre: Sure. Noting the country would be great.

>71 dallenbaugh: Does it have to be a specific place within another country, or can it be a whole country? It's not that I don't have suitable books but I've just started reading a large historical volume about Spain (named in the subtitle).

>74 elkiedee: yes, that will work

>73 dallenbaugh: Done. Thanks!

>71 dallenbaugh:

Does it have to be a real place or is a fictional place within a real country acceptable?

>20 Morphidae: Hello, folks! It's all ready! Including the wiki. Whoo hoo! 🎊✨️🎉

Important info is above this line. 😁
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Sometimes I hate my brain. After many days, I realized I was doing "it" again. Spending hours and hours trying to make my challenge meet my vision*. Plus I realized I was making it too complicated. AGAIN. So this is the short and sweet version. You're welcome. 🤣

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*Could NOT get the genres to fit into ARONEL (my first name backwards), no matter how much I folded, spindled, mutilated or banged my head against a wall. I threw my hands up in the air saying, "FINE! I'll do MORPHY!" And I quickly matched them all up.

Of course.

Amazing how creative you get with a bloody forehead and a concussion. 🤔 . 🤣

>77 lyzard: If the real country is not where you reside then it would be acceptable.

>79 dallenbaugh:

Thanks!

JUNE READS

READ

Rachel Ingalls, No Love Lost: The Selected Novellas of Rachel Ingalls - #18
Louise Kennedy, Trespasses - #5, SHARED READ
Gary Younge, Dispatches from the Diaspora: From Nelson Mandela to Black Lives Matter
Ian Rankin, A Song for the Dark Times
Curtis Sittenfeld, The Tomorrow Box
Simone St James, The Sun Down Motel
Laura Shepherd-Robinson, The Square of Sevens
K M Peyton, Flambards

CURRENTLY READING

Katy Watson, A Very Lively Murder
Tim Waterstone, The Face Pressed Against the Window: The Bookseller Who Built Waterstones
Alice Winn, In Memoriam
Joanna Nadin, The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings
Paul Preston, A People Betrayed: A History of Corruption, Political Incompetence and Social Division in Modern Spain
Jonathan Coe, The Rotters' Club
A J Pearce, Yours Cheerfully
Buchi Emecheta, In the Ditch
Eleanor Scott, War Among Ladies
Christopher Fowler, Seventy-Seven Clocks
Lucy Caldwell (editor), Being Various: New Irish Short Stories
Malorie Blackman, Just Sayin'
Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient
Jacqueline Crooks, Fire Rush
Pip Williams, The Dictionary of Lost Words

UP NEXT:

Kiley Reid, Simplexity
Danielle Jawando, And the Stars Were Burning Bright
Shaun Bythell, The Diary of a Bookseller

>23 WhiteRaven.17: I have a book by an author, Catherine Hernandez, who is described as a 'queer female' but I don't know what that might mean. Would that be considered nonbinary for your challenge? The book itself has a transgender character as a primary character.

Challenge #18: Read a republished book/work or collection of previously published writings

I'm not putting in a minimum timescale though I would think most books would be more than 5 or 10 years old. This is intended to be for publications that are intended to make past writings available to a new audience, not something like the paperback or English/German/Dutch translation of a very recent bestseller.

Examples may include:

- a reprint/new edition of a novel or complete non fiction work, for example by publisher imprints like Virago Modern Classics, Persephone, Pushkin, NYRB, Penguin Modern Classics, Eland, Furrowed Middlebrow, British Library Crime Classics/Women Writers, Faber - and lots of others
- a collection of previously published short stories, essays, journalism etc
- first time translations of previously published writings

If you're not sure do ask, and I will add further examples if this is useful for clarification!

>83 elkiedee: Thank you for that challenge, Luci! It allows me to delve into more Langston Hughes.

>84 alcottacre: and >83 elkiedee: I'd love to read more work by Langston Hughes but somehow think I'm not going to get to it this month. I can't see quite where to fit in the first book I finished this month in the other 17 challenges. It is a collection of novellas by Rachel Ingalls, an American writer who moved to London in 1964 and spent most of her life here. She died in 2017.

While a few of the books I'm reading now may fit this (if I finish them this month!) I'm hoping I can match some of them elsewhere and not list them all in challenge 18.

>82 raidergirl3: Looking into the author, I can gather she identifies as queer because of her sexual orientation and not her gender identity, so technically no, but it appears her partner is non-binary and since the book itself has a primary transgender character I'll let it count.

>48 Helenliz:

Helen, if your first book (not mentioning any titles) has no subtitle but your second book does, is it okay to add the second one?

>87 lyzard: Yes, that's fine. A book with no subtitle doesn't make a decision either way. It's only if you were to enter more than one book with a subtitle that you'd be restricted by the decision made for the first book.

>88 Helenliz:

Thanks!

>86 WhiteRaven.17: thank you! The book/author seemed so close to the spirit of your challenge I hoped to fit it in there.

>85 elkiedee: I read Hughes' I Wonder As I Wander last month and really enjoyed it. The Big Sea appears to be shorter - not 100% sure as I do not have the book yet - so maybe you can squeeze it in? I know that I Wonder As I Wander read pretty quickly.

>91 alcottacre: I've read The Big Sea - I borrowed it from the library a few years ago. I don't own a copy. I do have another book by Langston Hughes and I think there are a couple in the Libraries Consortium digital catalogue.

>92 elkiedee: Yeah, I thought you mentioned you read The Big Sea, but it was worth a shot :)

>83 elkiedee: I'd never heard of Furrowed Middlebrow but it's a great name for a publisher!

>94 wandering_star: Indeed, I included it because I love the name so much. It's the name of an imprint from the publisher Dean Street Press - the books are mostly mid-20th century novels by women writers who have either been forgotten or who are only remembered for a small part of their work. Very sadly the owner/publisher of both Dean Street Press and Furrowed Middlebrow has died in March this year (suddenly and much too young) and there aren't likely to be any more FM reprints, but the books they released are still available in UK ebook and paperback. I recently read The Stone of Chastity, a 1940 novel by Margery Sharp (much more fun than it sounds - it's not my favourite title!) and I have a few others TBR and hope to get a few more while they're available,

I am also a fan of the Furrowed Middle Brow books and as I am reading one this month, I am going to move it to Challenge #18.

>85 elkiedee: If you are referring to The Pearlkillers, it has a fantasy tag and will fit in my challenge (#10) under P for (Ph)antasy.

>97 Morphidae: Thanks, but I'm not referring to The Pearlkillers - No Love Lost is a new selection of stories previously published in different volumes, and while it may fit into that and other genres, I don't think it's acquired many tags yet.

>98 elkiedee: In cases where there are NO tags, I will accept member created tags as long as they seem appropriate.

From what I read about that book, it seems like it's gothic tales with fantastical or supernatural (paranormal) elements.

>99 Morphidae:

Oh nurks! I moved my first choice when I realised that I was the first tagger. Never mind, I found a substitute. :)

>100 lyzard: LOL, nurks?

TIOLI Question of the Month:

Who was a character in a book (fiction or non-fiction) you read so far this month that you really, really liked? What, in your opinion, was the most outstanding characteristic of that person which personally drew that individual to you?

>102 SqueakyChu: I read Trustee From the Toolroom by Nevil Shute and I really liked the main character Keith Stewart. He represents the "everyman", a working class hero who always tries to do the right thing. He's taking his role of trustee to his niece very seriously and travels around the world to secure her inheritance. A fun read.

>102 SqueakyChu: Hands down, my favorite character is Janie from Their Eyes Were Watching God. She has such a voice and such a presence! She is probably one of my all-time favorite fictional characters.

>101 Morphidae: Morphy, I'd like to add the brand-new book 30427522::Who Killed Truth? by Jill Lepore to your challenge under the "H"; as I'm the only person thus far to have it, I'd have to tag it appropriately. Does this sound OK? It's so new I can't even get the touchstone to display....

>102 SqueakyChu: Most definitely Elizabeth Zott from Lessons in Chemistry. Her struggles match those of my grandmother, trained as an electrician by Litton and later at Lockheed. And also later my mother, although her path was a bit smoother because she trained in a traditionally female career. And then me...because why should I take up space in programs when men needed to support their families?

>103 DeltaQueen50: I joined you in that read, as I don't think I had revisited the book since first picking it up at about the age of 14 or 15. I'd retained the broad storyline but forgotten most of the details, and what resonated most with me was Keith's crafty way of repatriating his niece's inheritance...

That said, my own fave so far is the narrator/heroine of Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon. She's the latest in a series of unreliable or unlikable narrators in novels that I've really enjoyed, but "Amber" actually turns out to have a strong morality at her core, in spite of her murky past. She nearly falls victim to a serial killer and then is rescued by someone who may (or may not be) an entirely different form of killer. Yeah, that sounds like a real downer, but actually it's a hoot. It's an action novel with loads of suspense and plenty of twists and turns and some really entertaining characters who I found myself caring a lot about. Oh, and it's an LGBTQ-character novel that isn't about sexual orientation, but about the plot and characters. I appreciate that in any kind of book -- I'm a little bored with books that preach to me. "Amber" is gay, but that's just part of who she is, just as sexuality is part of anyone's identity. So, a win on all kinds of fronts.

>20 Morphidae: Just to make sure I'm clear... for the TIOLI challenge, we only need to read ONE book that would qualify as PART of Morphy's challenge? (e.g., an "R" book or a "Y" book.) Not one of each?

>71 dallenbaugh: Can the title reference the place as an adjective? (e.g., "Scottish" rather than "Scotland")

>108 PlatinumWarlock: Correct!

>109 PlatinumWarlock: Not quite what I had in mind since this is not a place name

>111 dallenbaugh: Got it - I can fix that! :)

>110 SqueakyChu: Phew. LOL

>102 SqueakyChu: I really liked Persephone Lee in Unconquerable Sun. She finds herself thrust into high-stakes situations among truly exceptional people and is simultaneously exceptional enough in her own right to hold her own and vulnerable and uncertain enough to be relatable.

>105 Chatterbox:

"...key moments in the history of truth..."

"Revisiting key moments in U.S. history..."

Works for me! 😊

>108 PlatinumWarlock: I wouldn't do that to you!

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(This time.)

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Bwhahahahaha... 😇

>115 Morphidae: Ha!! You’re like the Evil Book Overlord…

>116 PlatinumWarlock: Just wait until I pull out my flowy, black cape and herd of roomba minions.

👀

Everything might be a little dusty. It's been a few years since I've had my accoutrements out of storage...

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Bwhahahahaha...

Should you notice the TIOLI challenges being posted a little later than usual at the end of this month, don't worry. All is fine with me. :D

>118 SqueakyChu: Thanks for letting us know. You know how we panic.

>118 SqueakyChu: That's good to know. We certainly do worry.

>13 alcottacre:. Stasia, can I use a book that would be a shared read of someone who had a ISBN that has 35 even though the edition I am reading does not have 35 in the ISBN?

TIOLI Stats for May, 2023:

For May, 2023, we read a total of 347 books of which 52 (15%) were shared reads. We collected 27 TIOLI points for a YTD total of 167 TIOLI points. That YTD total is less than for May 2022, but more than for May 2021.

The most popular books, each read by four challengers, were the following:
-- The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix
-- The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths
-- Hotel Pastis by Peter Mayle

The most popular challenge, with 57 books read, was the one by lindapanzo to read a book that would have fit into a Jan to April TIOLI challenge that you participated in.

The challenges with the most TIOLI points (each with four) were the following:
--the challenge by DeltaQueen50 to read a book whose author has at least 2 of the letters that spell May in their name
--the challenge by FAMeulstee to read a book by a foreign author

I know I'm running late with my updates, but I just got back from a lovely trip to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area to visit a good friend and former housemate. We'll be back to our old schedule soon. Promise! :D

>121 Kristelh: Yes, that is just fine, Kristel. I think the shared reads are made for just such situations!

>122 SqueakyChu: We'll be back to our old schedule soon. Promise! :D

I am holding you to that, Madeline. The TIOLI challenges have been helping to preserve my sanity (what little of it there is) throughout this year :D

>124 alcottacre: Oooh! Got to keep your sanity, Stasia, at its present level or better so I'll do well with these TIOLI challenges. :D

>125 SqueakyChu: Thank you!

The May, 2023, TIOLI Awards!

The Not a Fish Tale Award goes to Morphidae for the challenge to read a book in honor of the fishing opener. This past week I had the delightful experience of having a large, fresh trout delivered to my friend in Pennsylvania who then made a baked trout dinner for myself and my husband. That was worth an award as well!

The Friends are the Best Award goes to lyzard for the challenge to read a book about a group of childhood friends. My visit to my friend in Pennsylvania was not a childhood friend, but was a dear friend nevertheless. This challenge, though, also reminded me of how many friends I've made over the years with this TIOLI challenge. Isn't it wonderful?!

The Math Failure Award goes to streamsong for reading Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul: Stories to Open the Heart and Spirit for the challenge by helenliz to read a book with 2 or more words of exactly 5 letters in the title. The last time I checked, the word "spirit" was comprised of six letters. LOL!

The Cheers For Diversity Award goes to FAMeulstee for the challenge to read a book by a foreign author. This theme is so dear to my heart and my reading preference that I could not let it go without highlighting it.

The Yikes Award goes to dallenbaugh for reading The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing and to streamsong for reading A Girl is a Body of Water for the challenge by streamsong to read a book where the title has a word or phrase you don't want to encounter while walking in the woods. I neither want to encounter a man who died nor a body while walking anywhere, much less in the woods!

Congrats on your awards! Feel free to add other awards of your own at this time.

>127 SqueakyChu: Congratulations to all the award winners! Janet, I sympathize with the math failure - I found myself repeatedly checking the number of letters in book titles for that one!

whoopsie.

Congratulations to all the Award winners!

>127 SqueakyChu: Thanks for the award, Madeline.
And cogratulations to all other winners!

>127 SqueakyChu: Thanks for the award! 😄

>129 streamsong: I mean... none of the rest of us caught it either if it's still there at the end of the month! hehe

>127 SqueakyChu: Thanks for the award, Madeline. Glad you had a great trip.

>127 SqueakyChu: Well! How did I miss that one!! I refused a couple of entries for not complying, but entirely missed that one.
Sorry.

Congrats to all the award winners.

>133 bell7: Well, yeah. :D

>135 Helenliz: You don’t need to be sorry. I found it humorous. :)

After that, I have carefully checked every book entered into my challenge this month. Fortunately no counting required!

>138 Helenliz: LOL!

Housekeeping Day!

Oops! It was yesterday. Please go back and remove from the wiki any book which you did not complete by 12 midnight last night. In the case of rolling challenges, you may simply mark them DNF. Thank you so much!