Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

Team Members

Baton (Captain)
🍞Carmen TBST

Starters
🥨Christina (ovalbooks)
🥨Sally906
🥨Minnemoo (Lena)
🥨Jodi
🥨Mary-Megan

1. Introduce yourself to your team. Let your team members know where you are from. This is a 'nice to know' when categories are announced and when team-mates can expect other members to post their book choices.

2. Baton (Captain) - reserve a couple of posts in this thread tracking your team's book selection and completion. (Alternatively they could convert a chat comment to the tracking post/s.)

3. Name your team. Using this round's theme, come up with a fun name. Given we are an open/public group with no age limit, so please make sure any chosen name is smart, not smutty ;)

Please PM your name to Jane(PS) by 3 October

4. If you have a private profile, please 'friend' your team-mates. This is really important, because without this, your team-mates can't see your shelves to select a books under option 2. (It will also help with one of the categories in this round!)

5. Please post your book selections/completions in the format provided below. (This format is also posted in both the Q&A and Sign-Up threads.) We need to know the week that each book corresponds to, the page numbers, and how the book qualifies including links to lists/shelves (where applicable), etc. I can't stress this enough. When in doubt - link it*!

* don't link to your review in your completion post - reviews in your completion posts should be included in full in that post.

You don't want to start reading a book and then find it doesn't meet the requirements because some information (eg page count or theme link) was missing from your original post.

I will be monitoring this and your book will not be considered complete until I am satisfied that your selection and completion posts comply with the format rules of the challenge.

Remember - you can ONLY change your book selection in the week that the theme is called.

6. You MUST check in with your team each week, ideally once the theme is announced. Please let your team know if you expect to have spotty communication or are on holidays or having an operation, etc.

7. When you post the completion of your book, you must post a review; enough for us to know you have actually read the book. Please don't link to a review. You must post the review in this thread.

8. Re-reads are allowed but you can't read the same book twice within this challenge.

9. There is no prize for the winning team - bragging rights only :)

10. Each week, the theme will be announced in the Q&A/Announcement thread. The full list of themes announced during this round will be maintained in msg 1 of that thread.


The Rule on the Pass Option
* Each team can only have ONE member using their pass each week.
* Each member can only use that pass once each 5 weeks.
* This means that one or two team members (dependent upon the size of your team) will miss using a pass in each 5 week block.
* No-one can use the pass option in the last week of the challenge.
* In the final week Option 2 has altered and I will be allocating each team another team from which their book selection must be chosen :)

Key selection and completion post information. You must have ALL elements in your book posts.


For selection post Option 1 you must have:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
How the book qualifies - please note which qualifying bookshelf/list you are using or the tags that justifies that it works.
If the theme is based off the bookcover, post the cover. If there is a letter count in the title, publication date etc, please note these details.

For selection post Option 2 you must have:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
Name of the team-member, their star rating, the date they read the book.

For selection post Option 3 you must have:
Week #
PASS


For the completion post you must have:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Rating (1-5)
Review


Please DO NOT CHAT in these selction/completion posts. It needs to be super clear.

If you 'waffle' about your decided book - please REPOST your selection once you decide. DO NOT go back and edit your waffling post.

IF YOU NEED TO CORRECT A POST FOR MISSING INFORMATION or because the didn't qualify etc, please REPOST this information in a NEW post, particularly when the request is more than a day old. Its difficult to find older posts when going backwards in the threads.

Themes Called:

Week 1 - 15. Home cooking at its best
Week 2 - 1.Sourdough
Week 3 - 9. After mixing, let it rise

Selection Post

Week #1

🥨Carmen | Post
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Post
🥨Jodi | Post
🥨 Mary-Megan | Post
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Post
🥨 Sally906 | Post

Week #2
🥨Carmen | Post
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Post
🥨Jodi | Post
🥨 Mary-Megan | Post
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Post
🥨 Sally906 | Post

Week #3
🥨Carmen | Post
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Post
🥨Jodi | Post
🥨 Mary-Megan | Post
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Post
🥨 Sally906 | Post

Week #4
🥨Carmen | Post
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Post
🥨 Mary-Megan | Post
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Post
🥨 Sally906 | Post

Week #5
🥨Carmen | Post
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Post
🥨 Mary-Megan | Post
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Post
🥨 Sally906 | Post

Week #6
🥨Carmen | Post
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Pass
🥨 Mary-Megan | Post
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Post
🥨 Sally906 | Post

Week #7
🥨Carmen | Post
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Post
🥨 Mary-Megan | Post
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Post
🥨 Sally906 | Post

Week #8
🥨Carmen | Post
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Post
🥨 Mary-Megan | Pass
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Post
🥨 Sally906 | Post

Week #9
🥨Carmen | Post
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Post
🥨 Mary-Megan | Post
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Post
🥨 Sally906 | Post

Week #10
🥨Carmen | Post
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Post
🥨 Mary-Megan | Post
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Post
🥨 Sally906 | Post

Week #11
🥨Carmen | Post
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Post
🥨 Mary-Megan | Post
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Post
🥨 Sally906 | Post

Res

Completion Post

Week #1
🥨Carmen | Review
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Review
🥨Jodi | Review
🥨 Mary-Megan | Review
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Review
🥨 Sally906 | Review

Week #2
🥨Carmen | Review
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Review
🥨 Mary-Megan | Review
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Review
🥨 Sally906 | Review

Week #3
🥨Carmen | Review
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Review
🥨 Mary-Megan | Review
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Review
🥨 Sally906 | Review

Week #4
🥨Carmen | Review
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Review
🥨 Mary-Megan | Review
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Review
🥨 Sally906 | Review

Week #5
🥨Carmen | Review
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Review
🥨 Mary-Megan | Review
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Review
🥨 Sally906 | Review

Week #6
🥨Carmen | Review
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Pass
🥨 Mary-Megan | Review
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Review
🥨 Sally906 | Review

Week #7
🥨Carmen | Review
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Review
🥨 Mary-Megan | Review
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Review
🥨 Sally906 | Review

Week #8
🥨Carmen | Review
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Review
🥨 Mary-Megan | Pass
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Review
🥨 Sally906 | Review

Week #9
🥨Carmen | Review
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Review
🥨 Mary-Megan | Review
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Review
🥨 Sally906 | Review

Week #10
🥨Carmen | Review
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) | Review
🥨 Mary-Megan | Review
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) | Review
🥨 Sally906 | Review

Week #11
🥨Carmen |
🥨Christina (ovalbooks) |
🥨 Mary-Megan |
🥨 Minnemoo (Lena) |
🥨 Sally906 |

Res

Reporting in

For those who’ve never met me - I am Sally and I’m a retired pensioner from Australia. I thought retirement meant more time to read - but I am more active now than when I was working.

I am married and we have 2 grownup daughters and 3 grandchildren. Everyone is a reader except our youngest daughter who must be a changeling as she finds reading to be boring and a waste of time 😱. However her son is a great reader.

I love romances of all types - paranormal, historical, single mum’s/dads getting their HEA. Not into M/M romances although my best friend keeps recommended his latest reads to me and books recommended on 카지노싸이트 I pass onto him 😀

Looking forwards to sharing books with you all over the next few weeks.

Team name suggestions from my grandchildren:

Rising winners
Rolling in dough
Rise and Bake rebels
Knead to read (my personal favourite)

Hi Sally & team!

I enjoy this challenge and hope to keep my head in the game. I live in NY with my 5 adult children and 4 grandchildren. I find reading a great way to de-stress and I have enjoyed it for many years. I have my daughter enjoying A Court of Roses and Thrones series, that I had to do a re-read to refresh my brain but will continue so we can enjoy our chats.

I'm not a fan of M/M and not many historical romance but will read some if it catches my interest. I will usually read any genre because reading is just too fun.

Sally906 wrote: "Team name suggestions from my grandchildren:

Rising winners
Rolling in dough
Rise and Bake rebels
Knead to read (my personal favourite)"

I have to agree with Knead to read :-)

Hi everyone!

I love this challenge, part it being that we don't have to necessarily finish the book in one week - there's a little wiggle room which I need. I am a librarian in IL and now in charge of two book discussions so I have those required reading on top of this, so I need that wiggle room. I'd be lost without audiobooks as they make up 70% of the books I read. I have no children or grandkids as it is just me and my cat.

I will say I mark almost everything a three. 카지노싸이트 says that the "like it" rating, so I go with that. I know some people (authors) see a three as a failure or disappointment, but to me it's just your average book that I enjoyed. When you read so much it takes something really special to stand out.

As this is a romance group, I enjoy a variety of romances - contemporary, a little historical, and I've gotten into romantasy. I'm not sure how I feel about paranormal or m/m or f/f romance. I think I've only read two same sex books and only a handful of paranormal. I enjoyed the ones I read but I don't hunt them out. I also really enjoy historical fiction and thrillers.

I'm cool with Knead to Read.

Hi Mary-Megan. I've had my moments this year that there have been books that others enjoyed more than I have. So I can understand your 3 stars rule and I think its great that its you and your cat. There are times I crave those nice and quiet days :-)

Hi Mary-Megan

I get the 3 stars not being a failure, 2 stars is my average - I have my own star system:

5★s – Excellent Stuff – a real page turner and hard to put down. I carved out extra reading time just so I could finish it. This book got carted into the bathroom with me, read over meals, read at work, and/or kept me up late at night. If this author has more work, I will certainly read it
4★s – Great - I really enjoyed reading it and it is a book I will be recommending to all my friends who like this genre
3★s – Above average - was very readable and I really liked it but was easily able to put it down and walk away for a while
2★s – Average - it was OK, but for one reason or another I found it a bit of struggle to stay focused and finish.

Hi everyone.

My name is Lena, but you can just call me Minnemoo. Either one is fine by me.

Ideally my job would be full-time bookworm but I'm currently in school for court reporting. I live in California. No pets but I really adore cats. Hopefully one day in the future :)

As for reading preferences, I read in a variety of genres. Romance-wise, I usually like romantic suspense, fairy tales, monster romance, and basically anything with Beauty and the Beast vibes, lol. I also like romantasy and pnr but got burned out from some unfortunate reads and haven't quite recovered yet. I'd say I'm a phase reader, currently going through a billionaire/mafia/dark romance phase.

This will be my second PtP challenge. I played the previous round and it was a fun way to try out new books and also browse other readers' shelves for potential TBRs, so looking forward to this round as well :)

Casting my vote for Knead to Read.

I also tend to rate books with 3 stars. It's my "default" rating, so the stars would go up, down, or stay the same depending on how enjoyable or not enjoyable I found the book.

Don't want to admit I'm a nitpicky reader but that is probably the case, lol.

minnemoo wrote: "I also like romantasy and pnr ..."

Oooh - terms I haven’t heard before. I’m guessing romantasy is romantic fantasy? But not getting pnr

Hi! I live in Ohio, work full time and have a teenage boy playing soccer. So most days I'm fairly busy. I also love to crochet while listening to audiobooks because it keeps me from hearing my husband yelling at the Dolphins. I'm not a big football fan. I will read pretty much anything but I have been on an epic fantasy or romantasy kick for a long time.

This is my first time playing pass the parcel, but it sounds like fun. I have no problem reading a book a week most weeks. I like the name Knead to Read. It's fun!

Sally906 wrote: "minnemoo wrote: "I also like romantasy and pnr ..."

Oooh - terms I haven’t heard before. I’m guessing romantasy is romantic fantasy? But not getting pnr"

PNR = paranormal romance, usually sexy vampires :-)

Hi everyone!

I see we all like Knead to Read as our team name. I will let Jane know.

Jodi is yet to check in but you well and truly have majority on the name :) (Its a great name.) I've updated your thread for it...

Thanks Jane. That was my thought too

Sent friend requests to everyone who posted so far.

Other than Jodie who hasn’t checked in yet it looks like you guys are all USA based.

Being an Aussie it means I’m a day ahead of everyone. Is Sunday morning here right now.

I am trained in the time zone differences though - so will fit within the start and finish requirements with no problems.

minnemoo wrote: "Sent friend requests to everyone who posted so far."

Me too 😀

HI!! Quick check in.

Yay! It's theme announcement day! My favorite day of the week when I mindlessly stalk 카지노싸이트 to see if the theme has been announced yet.

it's posted 😃. time to look for books.

Week # 1
Bookcover/link Georgie, All Along

Page numbers 340 pages
How the book qualifies - # 52 on Coming Home to Roost

🍞 Selection Post 🍞
Week #1 , Option 1

Task: 15. Home cooking at its best. Read a book from one of the following lists.*


Page count: 384
Qualification: #18 on Coming Home to Roost
[*book:Falling For Gracie|601957]

Week 1 - Selection post

option 1
15. Home cooking at its best
Task: Read a book from one of the following lists: Best Return Home Books
Book: Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie
Pages: 342
How it fits: #11 on the “Best Return Home Books” list - (Is a reread for me - last read 06/08/12)

🥐

🍞SELECTION POST: WEEK 1🍞

Task: #15. Home cooking at its best
* Read a book from one of the following lists:

Romances With Home in the Title
Best Return Home Books
Coming Home to Roost
Prodigal Returns
MM Romance based in Australia

Bookcover/Author/link:
Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens

Page number: KE 370

How the book qualifies: #51 on Best Return Home List
/list/show/6...

🥨 Completion Post 🥨

Week #1, Option #1


Date read: Oct 4
Rating: 3.75★
Review: Overall a fun read though not quite a favorite. There was way more OTT drama than I expected given the cute-sounding premise, and some of the side characters grated on my nerves, but I liked that the hero and heroine worked together to solve their problems (making for some humorous moments with their awful "sleuthing" antics) AND there were no stupid misunderstandings because they actually communicated! I may revisit this book in the future.

Selection post Option 1:
Week # 1
Bookcover/link
Page numbers: 400
How the book qualifies -. From the list: Best Return Home Books #10

I abandoned. New selection poste below.

Sorry, I know this isn't the place to ask... Does anyone know how to stop thread notifications now that evil GR changed them? Threads I want to see (like our PtP group) are getting buried by notifications for unrelated posts/threads/promotions. I don't want to miss any crucial announcements like theme calls, and anyway this is driving me bonkers!

minnemoo wrote: "Sorry, I know this isn't the place to ask... Does anyone know how to stop thread notifications now that evil GR changed them? Threads I want to see (like our PtP group) are getting buried by notifi..."

Untick the 'notify me when people comment' at the end of each of those unwanted threads? That's all I can suggest :)

Jane (PS) wrote: "minnemoo wrote: "Sorry, I know this isn't the place to ask... Does anyone know how to stop thread notifications now that evil GR changed them? Threads I want to see (like our PtP group) are getting..."

The odd thing is all the threads are unchecked by default for the "Notify me..." option, but I'm still getting the alerts. Thanks for the suggestion, though. Maybe I'll try ticking it and see if the opposite happens 😂

Or tick and untick.

Selection post Option 2 :
Week # 1
Bookcover/link:
Page numbers: 357
Name of the team-member: minemoo
Their star rating:4
Date they read the book: Aug 12, 2024

Sorry team. I’ll get stuff updated. GR and their updates have made it harder to get notifications ☹️

Week 1
Option 1
15. Home cooking at its best
* Read a book from one of the following lists:
Romances With Home in the Title
Best Return Home Books
Coming Home to Roost
Prodigal Returns
MM Romance based in Australia

Books must be selected from one of the lists above. Please state the list in your selection post.


Option 2
Key date: 5. April 2024
Team mate read on or after this date and rated at least 3 stars


Option 3
Pass

A selection post must be made for whichever option you choose - INCLUDING A PASS
Refer msg 3 in your team thread for formatting of all 3 options.

Week #1: 15. Home cooking at its best


Pages: 394
How the book qualifies - #144 on the Romance with Home in the title

Week 1 - Completion post

option 1
Task: Read a book from one of the following lists: Best Return Home Books
Book: Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie
Pages: 342
How it fits: #11 on the “Best Return Home Books” list - (Is a reread for me - last read 06/08/12)
Read: 06/10/24
Rating: 4★s
Review: This was a reread for me and I enjoyed it this time around as much as I did the first time. Andie’s ex-husband asks her to help him out with his wards. She agrees and finds out that the the very spooky house the kids are living in actually has ghosts. The children have issues and are not leaving the house, Andie has issues too, as she helps the children she is helping herself and decides the best way to go forward is to find an exorcist to get rid of the ghosts. Despite the spooks and issues there is a lot of laughter and, of course, a happy ever after!

Completion post
Week 1
Option 2
Book Divine Rivals
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review: This book surprised me and had me tearing up a little when they were talking about grief. This is a YA romantasy book, so I think my expectations were low when I started it, and I might be giving it somewhat of a pass because of that. The world-building wasn't great, meaning that aside from the names of the gods and the names of the places, it could have been on Earth ~100 years ago. My main complaint was that we know how Dacre's followers fight, but we know almost nothing of how Enva's followers fight, even at the end of the book. Maybe this is by design and the second book elaborates more. Since the book ends on a cliffhanger, I am curious where the next book is going to go.

🍒

Christina wrote: "Completion post
Week 1
Option 2
Book Divine Rivals
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review: This book surprised me and had me tearing up a little when they were talking about grief. This is a YA r..."

Nice to see you enjoyed this one! I had pretty similar thoughts too :)

minnemoo wrote: "Christina wrote: "Completion post
Week 1
Option 2
Book Divine Rivals
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review: This book surprised me and had me tearing up a little when they were talking about gri..."

I just realized my review, other than the star rating makes it look like I didn't enjoy it, which I did. It was good, and the romance part was sweet.

Christina wrote: "aside from the names of the gods and the names of the places, it could have been on Earth ~100 years ago..."

Believe it or not, the fact that it very easily could have just been a historical fiction book was why I loved the book/series. It's actually one of the points I use to recommend it to people who don't like fantasy. I convinced my mom to read it that way and she never reads fantasy, but even before finishing this book she wanted the second.