Take It or Leave It Challenge - February 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 February, 2022, is to...

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Read a book in which both the title and the author's name have a qualified set of double letters
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Rules:
1. The subtitle may NOT be used to qualify.
2. The letters must be adjacent and not divided by a space.
3. You may NOT use the same letters for the title and the author's name.
4. BE CAREFUL! If your title and author's name have the same set of double letters anywhere, your book is automatically disqualified!!

Examples of a qualified book:
Ageless - Suzanne Sommers - SS, NN, MM are okay
Beautiful Swimmers - William W. Warner - MM, LL are okay

Example of a disqualified book:
Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast Pillow Book - Bill Richardson - OO is okay, but two sets of LL are NOT okay.
Cherry - Mary Karr - two sets of RR are NOT okay

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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 February 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 both the title and the author's name have a qualified set of double letters - msg #1
2. The Lincoln Challenge: Read a pair of books, one fiction, the other nonfiction, with the word "Lincoln" or "Lincoln's" in the title/subtitle in honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday this month - msg #3
3. Rolling Challenge : Read a book by an author whose surname first letter goes towards the spelling of "ISRAEL" - msg #6
4. Read a book with an uneven number of words in the title - msg #7
5. Read a book from the Colorado Blue Spruce Awards Nominee list found on LT - msg #8
6. Read a book where the main character(s) is/are in a biracial relationship - msg #50

Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book with a number in the title - msg #25
8. Read a book first published or set in the 1980s - msg #30
9. Read a book that has the word red in the title or author’s name - msg #34
10. Read a book with an animal in the author's name - msg #35
11. Read a book connected to the Lunar New Year - msg #42
12. Read a book connected with the airline industry - msg #46

Challenges #13-18
13. Read a book that is at least the 4th book you have read by that author - msg #49
14. Read a Canadian work of fiction NOT written by LM Montgomery, Margaret Atwood or Louise Penny - msg #
15. Read a book that does not bring up the first touchstone - msg #68
16. Read a classic by a Black author - msg #83
17. Read a book with a 2-word title, by an author with 2 names - msg #84
18. Read a book tagged "future" - msg #89

Hold your challenge until the March, 2022, TIOLI challenge is posted. Thank you.

The Lincoln Challenge: Read a pair of books, one fiction, the other nonfiction, with the word "Lincoln" or "Lincoln's" in the title/subtitle in honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday this month.

Please note on the wiki which book is fiction and which is nonfiction.

ETA: If your book is a shared read, you do not have to read the two if you do not care to.

>1 SqueakyChu: I didn't realise how many books I have that fit the challenge, Madeline.

>3 alcottacre: Subtitle counts, Stasia. E.g The Team of Rivals : The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin?

>4 PaulCranswick: Yes, I will allow for subtitles, Paul. Thanks for checking. I will update the challenge to include them!

CHALLENGE NUMBER THREE : Rolling Challenge - Read a book by an Author whose first letter of his/her surname will go towards the spelling of Israel

So the first book for this challenge would be by an author surname beginning "I" and then "S" and so on until we spell "ISRAEL"

So a combination could be
I shiguro
S teinbeck
R oth
A mis
E ugenides
L ively

One catch is that on the next run no author can be repeated. So Ishiguro couldn't be used again; Indridason perhaps?

This is in conjunction with the Holy Land featuring in the Asian Book Challenge in February.

Challenge #4 : Read a book with an uneven number of words in the title

You can decide yourself if you want to include subtitles.

Challenge #5: Read a book from the Colorado Blue Spruce awards Nominee list found on LT

https://www.librarything.com/bookaward/Colorado+Blue+Spruce+Award+Nominee

“The Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award (Blue Spruce Award) has been recognizing the most popular books among middle and high school students in the State of Colorado since 1985.”

“The award is unique in being entirely nominated and voted for by teens.”

“Students must have read at least three of the titles to vote for a winner. Adults do not nominate or vote for books, and publishers are not allowed to submit their books for consideration.”

And thanks to Paul here are additional choices that include the winners through 2019 and some of the nominees. Hope that isn't too confusing. Ask away!!
2018
https://www.partnersinliteracy.org/colorado-blue-spruce-award-past-winners/

And these are the nominated books for the 2019 award:
https://jeffcolibrary.bibliocommons.com/list/share/1034962127/1361040957

2021-2022 nominations
https://www.partnersinliteracy.org/2021-2022-award-nominations/

>8 dallenbaugh: Where do I even begin to look for this list? I have not got a clue. Please help! Thanks.

>9 alcottacre: I was having trouble posting this list so it now should be available.

>8 dallenbaugh: & >9 alcottacre:

This is the selection?
https://www.librarything.com/bookaward/Colorado+Blue+Spruce+Award+Nominee

>11 PaulCranswick: Yes

>10 dallenbaugh: >11 PaulCranswick: Thank you!

>8 dallenbaugh: Would you like us to post the year that our book is from as well?

>14 alcottacre: Sure, that would be fun. The list on LT only goes through 2016 although the award went through 2020 when the pandemic eliminated it. I couldn't find an extended list.

>15 dallenbaugh: OK, I will go and revise my entry. Thanks!

Challenge #6 : Read a book where the main character(s) is/are in a biracial relationship

The relationship must between any two or more people that is (a)romantic, familial or platonic. It does not include *fleeting* business relationships or any relationship where the emotional connection is minimal (i.e., their pharmacist, a neighbor up the road, a cousin they see once a year at Christmas, their librarian (weeeellll, maybe the librarian. LOL.))

The relationship does not need to be the focus of the book.

Biracial does not include species for the purposes of this challenge. So no vampires, werewolves, witches, etc. However, if the book is placed on another world and there are races/species that are basically stand-ins for BIPOC, then check with me. I'll probably allow it.

>17 Morphidae: Interesting, Morphy. That could be a real challenge unless I can quickly go and write my memoirs!

>15 dallenbaugh:, Donna if I am able to find a full and updated list can we include it?

>15 dallenbaugh: I am struggling to find too much more info but this is a complete list of winners up to 2018
https://www.partnersinliteracy.org/colorado-blue-spruce-award-past-winners/

And these are the nominated books for the 2019 award:
https://jeffcolibrary.bibliocommons.com/list/share/1034962127/1361040957

You decide whether these can be used also or not.

Thanks Paul, I added them to my post . Any of these choices can be used.

>20 dallenbaugh: Welcome Donna. It is strange because there is a link to a specific Awards website but in actuality it doesn't seem to have been properly set up yet. Domain not paid for I would guess!

>21 PaulCranswick: Yes, I found that site and that is when I quit looking for other sites.

>3 alcottacre: If doing a shared read, can you read just one book instead of two?

>23 Morphidae: Yes, Morphy, that is fine. I encourage shared reads and have no problem with doing the challenge that way.

Challenge #7: Read a book with a number in the title

The number can be written out (One for the Money), numeric (1 for the Money), even embedded (All Alone).

>6 PaulCranswick: How about two different authors with the same last name?

>26 lindapanzo: Allowed, Linda.

>6 PaulCranswick: Is it only on the next run that an author can't be repeated or can they never be repeated?

>28 PawsforThought: My intention was originally that they couldn't be repeated period but I can relax it as you suggested Paws as - as is usual - your suggestion makes perfect common sense.

Another challenge in my reading the last 50 years.
Challenge #8: Read a book first published or set in the 1980s

I hit my teens in the 1980s and I often wonder how it was we survived that. Perms, of all sorts for all people (mine refused to take despite sitting in Annette's kitchen for what felt like 3 hours with a carrier bag on my head), Lady Di collars what made you look like something poking out of a doily, ra-ra skirts (my Mum made me several versions) and any other dreadful mistakes. Then there's the music. Mostly that seems to have fared better, but I might be wearing rose tinted earphones there.

What I didn't do a lot of was read the classics of the decade. I spent my teens devouring mysteries, shunning romance, and being put of Hardy for life (well mostly). Let's return to the decade that fashion should forget and see what the written word has to offer.

If your book was published in the 1980s, please put the year it was first published. If it was set in the 1980s, please indicate that as well.

>80 Morphidae: What about books published in the 1980s but set in the past, or the future? Examples, though I won't necessarily be reading them next month myself: Goodnight Mr Tom, a WWII story published in Conditions (1988?) set in the late 1970s and possibly early 1980s, before Ian Smith's Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, and, I think, The Handmaid's Tale. Serious questions, because I'm really interested in how the view from the 1980s has changed over 32-42 years, but you might want to stick to the people's view of themselves in the 1980s.

There are some really good books looking back at the 80s from afterwards too.

And, does 1984 count? No, not my reading plan, and if it was it would also presumably fit in the number challenge.

>31 elkiedee: that's an "or" in the middle there. Published in the 1980s is fine. Set in the 1980s is equally fine. It does not need to be both. All the examples in your first paragraph would count.

I think 1984 would be one that does not count. It was set in a fictional future, it was not set in the 1980s as they actually happened.

Makes sense, and I'm actually establishing the boundaries here for myself in case I find a planned read that does fit.

Challenge #9: Read a book that has the word red in the title or author’s name

My February challenge is in honor of National Wear Red Day on February 4th, as well as Valentine’s Day on February 14th.

The word "red" can be embedded

Challenge #10: Read a book with an animal in the author's name

Self-serving, since I noticed that two of the holds I picked up from the library would fit. The rules:

- It needs to be the animal's common rather than personal name. "Cat" is allowable; "Garfield" is not.
- Embedded words are fine.
- You can use common words for the sex and/or life stage of a type of animal, i.e. you could "ram," "ewe," or "lamb" as well as "sheep."
- The whole animal kingdom is fair game--insects, fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, whatever.

I have a question about my own TIOLI challenges to which I don't know the answer. Ha! Help me out.

I just picked up by chance a copy of The Essential Plato which is 1,323 pages long. I don't want to read the whole book (I don't think), but I don't know anything about Plato so I thought I'd just read one part of the book. I chose "The Republic". I would name that as a work since it is not the entire book. How and where would I enter it into the TIOLI challenges as they stand right now?

P.S. I do know where to put it on the TIOLI meter! :D

>36 SqueakyChu: This is the work page for The Republic, Madeline.

https://www.librarything.com/work/1993

No problem you have a version that is a book within a book.

>37 PaulCranswick: So where and how do I stick it into the TIOLI challenges we have? Do I put the name of my book (three words) or use the title of the book within a book (two words)? I also want to read the (quite lengthy) introduction. I guess my lack of focus and inability to read from the pandemic is starting to fade. :D I'm thinking it might be fun to try to understand Plato's writing which seems to be a bit of a challenge.

ETA: Well, thinking about this logically, I guess I'll have to wait to see what February's TIOLI challenges bring. I doubt I'll finish reading it this month anyway.

I think that if a literary work is well known as a book in its own right, then it should be listed as a book, particularly if its of substantial length or complexity, whether you read it as part of a larger volume or I not. I'm not sure how long Plato's The Republic is but I don't think anyone would argue that it's unreasonable to list it as a "book".
If I read an individual short story or essay in a collection, I normally list it as a work. If I read a piece of writing published as a standalone book even if it's really very short, I may list it as a book, and if someone else has decided to do that, I won't disagree. I have done both on the January TIOLI.

Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These is what I would call a novella by length, although I read it quite carefully and read several bits more than once - I wasn't reading it as a book to get off to a flying start on 3 January, but because it was a digital library loan and I wanted to be sure to finish it before it went back. Also, it had already been listed as a planned read by another participant.

Perhaps you could list The Republic as a book. If the intro is to this selection of work/edition perhaps you could list it as a work, and if it's specifically to The Republic and you read both that work by Plato and the introduction, then perhaps together just as one book, you might do if you read The Republic with a long introduction as a separately published book.

And there might well be suitable challenges to come, to offer places to list both.

I agree with the previous speakers that if you're reading what is essentially a book in a collection of books by the same author, then name that book and not the collection. The fact that a publisher has decided to collect all books (and other works?) by Plato doesn't make The Republic any less of a standalone book.

>37 PaulCranswick: >39 elkiedee: >40 PawsforThought: Thanks, everyone. That seems to make sense.

I am surprised this challenge hasn’t been done before! Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year is early this year, and starts on 1 Feb. So, my challenge is, 11: Read a book connected to the Lunar New Year.

Suitable connections are:
- written by someone from or with heritage from a country which celebrates the Lunar New Year - China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Vietnam - or set in one of these places
- about a new year or a new start
- this coming year is a Tiger year so a book featuring a tiger, or with a tiger in the title or on the cover
- and then the things I associate with Chinese new year are family gatherings, the colour red, and lanterns - so if the book has a connection to any of these - eg a family gathering is the focus of the story, the cover is predominately red, or there are lanterns on the cover

*NB not red in the title as there is already a challenge for this

>35 susanna.fraser: Can I use a book (in Dutch) where the author's name has a Dutch word for an animal in it?
More explicit, a book by Hella Haasse, and "haas" is Dutch for "hare".

>43 FAMeulstee: Sure!

>44 susanna.fraser: Thanks!

ETA: In the wiki I give both the English and Dutch title, for possible shared reads.

Challenge 12: Read a book about the airline industry
I plan to read Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing by Peter Robison

>17 Morphidae: I haven't read much about it, but I think Burntcoat by Sarah Hall is the story of a caucasian British woman and a Turkish man. If you consider a Turkish person to be Asian, it would fit your challenge. What do you think?

Yikes, this is going to be a difficult month for me. My planned reads:
Challenge #1: Read a book in which both the title and the author's name have a qualified set of double letters - started by SqueakyChu
✔The Book of Magic - Alice Hoffman (3.5)
Challenge #2: The Lincoln Challenge: Read a pair of books, one fiction, the other nonfiction, with the word "Lincoln" or "Lincoln's" in the title/subtitle in honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday this month. Please indicate on the wiki which book is fiction and which is nonfiction. - started by AlcottAcre
*✔The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery - Eric Foner (5)
Challenge #3 : Rolling Challenge : Read a book by an author whose surname first letter goes towards the spelling of "ISRAEL" - started by PaulCranswick
Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy - Jamie Raskin
Challenge #4 : Read a book with an uneven number of words in the title - started by FAMeulstee
If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't) - Betty White
✔The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - Michelle ALEXANDER (4))
*✔These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett (4.5)
Challenge #5 : Read a book from the Colorado Blue Spruce Awards Nominee list found on LT - started by dallenbaugh
*Seabiscuit: An American Legend - Laura Hillenbrand
Challenge #6 : Read a book where the main character(s) is/are in a biracial relationship - started by Morphidae
*Get a Life, Chloe Brown - Talia Hibbert
Challenge #7: Read a book with a number in the title - started by lindapanzo
✔1984 - George Orwell (4.5)
*Eight Days in May: The Final Collapse of the Third Reich - Volker Ullrich
Challenge #8: Read a book first published or set in the 1980s - started by helenliz
*✔Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, vol. 1: My Father Bleeds History - Art Spiegelman (4.5)
Challenge #9: Read a book that has the word red in the title or author’s name - started by DeltaQueen
✔Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath - Heather Clark (5)
Challenge #10: Read a book with an animal in the author's name - started by susanna.fraser
✔Lambslide - Ann Patchett and Robin Preiss Glasser (5)
*You Sexy Thing - Cat Rambo
Challenge #11: Read a book connected to the Lunar New Year - started by wandering_star
*✔Interior Chinatown - Charles Yu (3.5)
Challenge #12: Read a book connected with the airline industry - started by Citizenjoyce
*✔Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing - Peter Robison (4)
Challenge #13: Read a book that is at least the 4th book you have read by that author - started by raidergirl3
✔The Searcher - Tana French
✔The Sentence - Louise Erdrich (5)
What Alice Forgot - Liane Moriarty
✔The Women of Troy - Pat Barker (4)
Challenge #14: Read a Canadian work of fiction NOT written by LM Montgomery, Margaret Atwood or Louise Penny - started by Chatterbox3
All's Well - Mona Awad
✔Pastoral - André Alexis (3)
Challenge #15: Read a book that does not bring up the first touchstone - started by lyzard
✔Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age - Debby Applegate (4)
Challenge #16: Read a classic by a Black author - started by bell7
*If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
Challenge #17: Read a book with a 2-word title, by an author with 2 names - started by countrylife
✔The Cabinet - Un-su Kim (3.5)
✔Winter Sisters - Robin Oliveira (4.5)
Challenge #18: Read a book tagged "future" - started by cbl_tn
✔Far from the Light of Heaven - Tade Thompson (4)

Challenge #13: Read a book that is at least the 4th book you have read by that author

This challenge was inspired by chatting in the threads about those authors you love to read, and try to read nearly everything they write. Will also work for those series you love, as I do. Feel free to add what number book this is by the author, but it can be tricky, so it's just an estimate. But you have to have read at least 3 already.

Challenge #14: Read a Canadian work of fiction that ISN'T by LM Montgomery, Margaret Atwood or Louise Penny

A lot of the time, I see people reading Anne of Green Gables or other books by LM Montgomery, anything/something by Atwood, or Louise Penny's mystery. Here's a challenge to take a deeper dive into the wondrous world of Canadian novelists/short fiction writers. From Margaret Laurence, Timothy Findley and Mordechai Richler to indigenous authors like Richard Wagamese or Thomas King, or "newer" arrivals on the scene, eg Michael Christie, Sean Michaels, Elizabeth Hay, Catherine Bush, Wayne Johnston, etc. etc. -- you've got a cornucopia from which to pick...

>50 Chatterbox: awesome challenge! Canada Reads books have just been announced as well. I just moved Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez to your challenge.

>47 Citizenjoyce: As far as I can tell, the Turkish are either considered "Caucasian/White" or the argument is made that you can't classify "Turkish" as a race anymore that you can classify "American" as a race as they can be White, Asian, Middle Eastern, Black, etc.

I apologize for taking awhile to ponder this. I *really* wanted to say yes but couldn't work my head around it. I hope you can find another! I'm always willing to consider "edge" cases.

>50 Chatterbox: Thank you for this challenge, Suzanne. I have had The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston sitting here unread for several years. In February, I will finally get it done!

>1 SqueakyChu: My book for your challenge has no link. I need to research how to add the book as it's not on LibraryThing. I don't remember ever having to add a book! Though my memory being as it is... heh.

And I know subtitles don't count to qualify for the challenge, but can I add it to the wiki anyway because it also has double letters - just for fun?

>54 Morphidae: Morphy let me know the title of the book as I think I have done it before and can probably help on this.

>52 Morphidae: Isn't it a shame that the people in that troubled part of the world didn't just consider themselves "white" and have done with it. What a safer and kinder world it would be!

>54 Morphidae: Just choose manual entry on the Add Books page to add the book to LibraryThing. Then you can add the link easily.

You may add the subtitle for fun (but not to qualify) for challenge #1. I amended Rule #1 to read “The subtitle may NOT be used to qualify.”

ETA: Make SURE that your subtitle will not inadvertently disqualify your entry!

>52 Morphidae: and >55 PaulCranswick: I am sorry to be difficult - though I don't think this relates to my own reading plans at the moment. I'm not arguing this in order to fit Burntcoat into a challenge and am sure I can match that book to another challenge and another book to this one.

Race and being of different races isn't defined by skin colour. This week we remember racist murders of many millions of white people by other white people.

In many countries there are ethnic divisions between different groups of white people, brown people or black people. My dad is white English, his second (ex) wife is Chinese. My sister and brother from that relationship would probably be assumed by nearly everyone to be white, although you would probably realise a very strong family resemblance by seeing my sister with her mum and daughter all together in person or a photo.

Generally Turkish people here in London would be considered to be part of an ethnic minority community, as would Kurdish people, as self identified, and there are other minority communities in Turkey and and the diaspora, eg Armenian. Also Greek and Cypriot communities. Most Turkish and Kuridsh people and Turkish Cypriots are Muslim. whereas Greek Cypriots aren't. There are two significant biracial relationships at the heart of Elf Shafak's novel The Island of Missing Trees, with those involved facing prejudice - and worse - from families/communities. I have Turkish and Cypriot friends and skin/hair colour etc may vary within families.

>8 dallenbaugh: They have a 2021-2022 nominations list up as well (apologies if I missed it up thread).

>57 elkiedee: Luci, I wasn't taking a position; I was expressing a regret.

I do have to take issue though that there is clearly no such race a "muslim". I am white Anglo-Saxon, and of the islamic faith. It is a creed. I would say that to be precise my race is "Anglo-Saxon" though I wouldn't quibble at "caucasian" or even "white" because I generally consider my race pretty incidental. It is Morphy's challenge, however, and she gets to decide.

>17 Morphidae: I'm going to add The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb to this challenge. One of the key plot points here is the 'relationship' between the narrator (Black) and the white family who once owned the plantation where his ancestors were enslaved; a big part of the book involves their legal fight to recover a violin that the main character sees as his property -- but which has been by stolen. I'm assuming that works -- if it turns out when reading that this is shaping up as a professional relationship, I'll shift it to a book with a red cover category, but based on interviews I've heard with the author, it sounds as if there's a lot of interpersonal tension, etc.

>52 Morphidae: No problem. I wasn't enthused about reading Burntcoat anyway but would have if it had fit the challenge.

>58 bell7: Thanks so much I will add these to the list under #8. 5 more books to consider. So many good searchers in TIOLI.

>59 PaulCranswick:: Paul, I apologise, you're right, Muslim isn't a race as such. But I think that there are racial divisions, ideas of differences of race, culture, values etc that aren't simply about skin colour, country, continent, religion or denomination etc etc. Thinking about it, it is really complicated but here, Where I live, relationships between people of different races are very normal - including people from a white "immigrant" background in marriages/relationships with black British people.

However, Turkish, Kurdish or Turkish Cypriot peope, whether they were born here, came here as young children, teenagers or adults, do face everyday discrimination, prejudice and othering - not just because of their skin colour (variable even between siblings with the same parents) but because of foreign names and other things (some of which come from a bigot's imagination).

My real point is that a biracial relationship isn't only/necessarily a question of skin colour.

>63 elkiedee: You are certainly correct, Luci, that a Kurd and a Circassian and an Armenian and a Persian would all consider themselves of different races. It is a major part of the problem there.

There are definitely prejudices against different ethnicities everywhere and it saddens me constantly. xx

It fascinates me, really, that it all boils down to what one means by the word "race" -- which is an artificial construct in the first place. To some it's skin color; to others, it's religion or culture. What seems to lie at the root of it is a kind of hierarchy, with "other races" being at the bottom while Anglo-Saxon/western European races are at the top. Complicated, of course, by the fact that some people are biracial or multiracial, and that others can "pass" through the world as if they were part of the predominant/powerful race. I suppose this is one argument in favor of "people of color" as an alternative, since that is what many people mean when they use the word "race". I confess to being amused by the phrase "melanin challenged" when referring to 'white' Europeans and North Americans/Australians, etc. etc.

In the US, people of color would include Latinx folks, who are a visible minority, but not to the extent that Black people are, and who do have European roots (to wildly varying degrees). I know one person, whose parents are from Cuba, who forcefully resists this label; others who embrace it. And yet their appearance isn't that different. And of course it's whether or not someone is a visible minority that can be labeled as other or different that becomes important. Consider Arabs/Jews. They have coexisted in the Middle East for millennia. Since the end of WW2, no one has really truly labeled the Jews as a "race" and the idea that they are a visible minority (as opposed to a cultural/religious one) doesn't have that much support. (Heck, even the Nazis relied on documents rather than on how someone looked.) But when it comes to someone from Jordan or Syria? Well, it's not the same.

>57 elkiedee: >59 PaulCranswick: >61 Citizenjoyce: >63 elkiedee: >64 PaulCranswick: >65 Chatterbox: Ok. If it works for you, it works for me.

>60 Chatterbox: I've added the word "fleeting" so relationships like co-workers, partnerships, long time doctor/patient, etc. can be included.

>66 Morphidae:, >59 PaulCranswick:, >63 elkiedee:, >64 PaulCranswick:, >65 Chatterbox: I think this is the best result I could get from relating to the book Burntcoat. It looks to me like the book itself is kind of icky, so I'll take the great discussion and leave the book. You certainly can't use the actual color of skin to denote race since people of all kinds of colors can label themselves, or be labeled by others, as specific races. However, having been raised in the US where color is the major delineator I was always amazed that anyone could label Jews or Muslims or any other religion as a race.

Since about 90% of my reading seems to fit this category---

Challenge #15:

Read a book that does not bring up the first touchstone

Hopefully self-explanatory. As long as your book is not the first on the list when you close your square brackets, you're good to go!

ETA: When testing your book, leave out any subtitle: just use the main title. See >69 Citizenjoyce: and >70 lyzard: below for an example.

NB: Please list on the wiki the book that *does* come up first!

>68 lyzard: would you accept a book that doesn't come up with the right touchstone when putting in the title or even part of the subtitle? You have to put in at least half of the subtitle for Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age.

>69 Citizenjoyce:

Sounds right! As long as you don't get your book when you put in Madam - and I see that you don't - you're fine. You don't need the subtitle---and in fact, adding it in is likely to disqualify some books, so I might add a note to the challenge rules. You always overlook something! :)

>6 PaulCranswick:

Paul, do the ISRAEL books have to be filled in in order, or can you add one anywhere within the six letters?

>67 Citizenjoyce: Honestly, things got a little deep because I was trying to make my challenge less restrictive. My themes this year are all about the number "2" (for 2022.) So "bi-" meaning two. It was originally going to be just biracial romances (with a HEA, of course, or at least a HFN*) for Valentine's Day. But I thought if I added biracial families and friendships that would open things up enough for those that don't celebrate that holiday and/or don't read romance (and, therefore, possibly blocking streaks.) I'm pretty uncomfortable with how intense it got.

However, I agree with the points made and while some books don't fit my imaginings of what the challenge was "supposed" to be about, that shows more my lack of understanding/forethought than anything else. So I'm not going to tweak it. I'll leave the challenge as is and rather be more open-minded.

* Happily Ever After & Happy For Now

>72 Morphidae: you provoked a good discussion so I think it was a benefit to the group. There's lots of discomfort going around, but talking about it, I think, makes things more comfortable.

>65 Chatterbox: Let's not kid ourselves. The Han are at the top.

>72 Morphidae: I didn't feel that the discussion was intense; rather, it demonstrated how one person's 'race' is another person's something else. So, informative and thought-provoking, so thanks for the challenge!

>74 quondame:, LOL/eye roll. Yes indeed. Unless you happen to be in Japan, that is. Where it's very clear who is most civilized and at the top of the hierarchy. Maybe one day we'll ALL stop squabbling over that kind of bragging rights? (Yeah, Pollyanna, I know...)

>68 lyzard: What a great challenge, Liz. I am often bemused at what comes up first with certain books.

>71 lyzard: It has to run in order, Liz, because I listed it as a rolling challenge.

>75 Chatterbox: I agree with Suz, Morphy - I think it was a very gentle and well intentioned discussion. Your challenge provoked it which is good, I think.
Gosh I miss not seeing more of you around the threads. xx

>72 Morphidae: Morphy, I'm sorry that you are feeling bad about this. Don't. I think it's possible that, while we don't represent everywhere/everyone in the world fully, because we are in so many different places, there are differences in perception. In my area there have been cases of arguments from Turkey and Cyprus being played out here at various levels. I've seen similar things going on with nationalist sentiments in relation to other parts of the world and disputed regions etc.

Personally, I think readers will rule the world.

(We're a culture!)

(Sort of!)

>78 PaulCranswick: It is my intent (yeah, yeah, if wishes were fishes) to be around more. I'll be starting up my thread on Tuesday.

>80 Morphidae: Yay!!

>76 PaulCranswick:

Good to know it's not just me! :D

>77 PaulCranswick:

Okay. Vigilance, then!

Challenge #16

In honor of Black history month (and to fit my book club book into a challenge), read a classic by a Black author.

I've intentionally left it open as a "classic" rather than a book, so short stories and essays count too. "Classic" can be a bit nebulous, so I'm going to set parameters that the author cannot be living, and the book/story/essay in question should be over 35 years old.

I'll be reading Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

***** Challenge #17: Read a book with a 2-word title, by an author with 2 names ******

Two - Two - Two
For the SECOND month of the year, read a book with a TWO word title by an author with TWO names (a first and last name), with no initials, no middle name, and no prefixes or suffixes.

Edited to clarify:
Consider hyphenated title words or author names as one word/name.
Ignore subtitles; use the main title of a book as the title for this challenge.
Articles in the title should be considered as one of the title words.

>84 countrylife: Articles count? (A, An, The)

ETA: How will hyphenated titles be treated? For instance, Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood. One word or two? (FYI, I'm not reading this book. It's for example purposes only.)

>84 countrylife: Can the book have a subtitle?

>84 countrylife: In regards to hyphens, I don't know this language, does Un-su Kim count as two names or three?

>84 countrylife: thank you. That takes care of the only book with an even number of words in the title I have planned to read this month!
Unless I get very inventive, almost all the rest are ending up in challenge 4!

Challenge #18: Read a book tagged "future"

I'll also accept variants such as futuristic.

>35 susanna.fraser: For your challenge I was thinking of reading Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen. She is an Israeli author. Her first name, ayelet, means deer or gazelle in Hebrew. Will this book qualify for your challenge?

>90 SqueakyChu: I have this book on my shelves so I will join you Madeline, if Susanna approves.

>91 dallenbaugh: Me too.

>90 SqueakyChu: >91 dallenbaugh: Yay!
*fingers crossed*

I'll never get to all these in February, but I've been known to work a little harder on shared reads, so here are my contemplated reads. I'm still looking for a place to put A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz.

1. Read a book in which both the title and the author's name have a qualified set of double letters
A Peculiar Indifference - Elliott Currie
The Yellow House: A Memoir - Sarah M. Broom
2. The Lincoln Challenge: Read a pair of books, one fiction, the other nonfiction, with the word "Lincoln" or "Lincoln's" in the title/subtitle in honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday this month
The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery - Eric Foner (NF)
The Lincoln Highway - Amor Towles (F)
3. Rolling Challenge : Read a book by an author whose surname first letter goes towards the spelling of "ISRAEL"
A Pale View of Hills - Kazuo Ishiguro
Mornings in Jenin - Susan Abulhawa
Tracks - Louise Erdrich
4. Read a book with an uneven number of words in the title
Deacon King Kong - James McBride
Moonglow - Michael Chabon
Generations: A Memoir - Lucille Clifton
5. Read a book from the Colorado Blue Spruce Awards Nominee list found on LT
Kira-Kira - Cynthia Kadohata
6. Read a book where the main character(s) is/are in a biracial relationship
The Stone Face - William Gardner Smith
7. Read a book with a number in the title
Reveille in Washington: 1860-1865
8. Read a book first published or set in the 1980s
The Women of Brewster Place - Gloria Naylor
9. Read a book that has the word red in the title or author’s name
Redemption Ground - Lorna Goodison
10. Read a book with an animal in the author's name
The Song of the Lark - Willa Cather
11. Read a book connected to the Lunar New Year
Sour Sweet - Timothy Mo
12. Read a book connected with the airline industry
Hard Landing - Tomas Petzinger Jr.
13. Read a book that is at least the 4th book you have read by that author
The Road to Lichfield - Penelope Lively
14. Read a Canadian work of fiction NOT written by LM Montgomery, Margaret Atwood or Louise Penny
Larry's Party - Carol Shields
15. Read a book that does not bring up the first touchstone
On Juneteenth - Annette Gordon-Reed
16. Read a classic by a Black author
If Beale Street Could Talk - James Baldwin
17. Read a book with a 2-word title, by an author with 2 names
Black Skies - Arnaldur Indridason
18. Read a book tagged "future"
Under a White Sky - Elizabeth Kolbert

>94 AnneDC: I hope you like If Beale Street Could Talk, Anne. It was one of my 'excellent reads' from last year. Good luck with your reading plans!

>85 Morphidae:, >86 Citizenjoyce:, >87 Citizenjoyce:

Consider hyphenated title words or author names as one word/name.
Ignore subtitles; use the main title of a book as the title for this challenge.

Challenge post edited with clarification.

>96 countrylife: And articles such as A, An, and The?

>96 countrylife: Thanks for the clarification.

>90 SqueakyChu: >91 dallenbaugh: Yes, go for it!

>99 susanna.fraser: Yay!

This is my hoped for route to another TIOLI sweep in February

TIOLI #1 - The Yellow Wind by David Grossman
TIOLI #2 - Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
TIOLI #2 - Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
TIOLI #3 - The Black Tide by Hammond Innes
TIOLI #4 - Out of Place by Edward W. Said
TIOLI #5 - Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
TIOLI #6 - Philida by Andre Brink
TIOLI #7 - A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
TIOLI #8 - Danube by Claudio Magris
TIOLI #9 - The Cunning of the Dove by Alfred Duggan
TIOLI #10 - Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
TIOLI #11 - Bestiary by K-Ming Chang
TIOLI #12 - Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K Gann
TIOLI #13 - Door into the Dark by Seamus Heaney
TIOLI #14 - The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
TIOLI #15 - The Others by Sarah Blau
TIOLI #16 - If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
TIOLI #17 - Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou
TIOLI #18 - The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells

>99 susanna.fraser: Yay! I've already started it! Thanks!

>66 Morphidae: Morphidae:, >59 PaulCranswick: PaulCranswick:, >63 elkiedee: elkiedee:, >64 PaulCranswick: PaulCranswick:, >65 Chatterbox: Chatterbox:
People remain confused about race: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10466631/ABC-suspends-View-host-Whoopi-...

>3 alcottacre: So, should I count 2 for the challenge, having 1 fiction and one nonfiction?

>104 quondame: Yes - unless you are doing a shared read with a book someone else has already posted. In that case, you only need to read the one.

>97 Morphidae: Gack, forgot to address that one. Articles in the title should be considered as one of the title words.

I'm checking in for February and adding my first TIOLI book for the month to challenge 13; a shared read, with Stasia, of A Sword Named Truth.

(>49 raidergirl3: Do the numbers on the wiki mean 'this is the xth book I've read by this author'? I've read a few by her, in this series and in others.)

>107 humouress: yes, exactly.

>105 alcottacre: I did read two, but was asking if I should enter 2x2 into the TIOLI meter or just 2. And while I have read 2 books, I have only completed the challenge once, so if the meter counts challenges rather than books then it only one hop up, not two.

>106 countrylife: Thank you, I was wondering about that too.

message deleted

>109 quondame: I would say 2x2, as the TIOLI meter counts books (or works).

>111 FAMeulstee: Thank you.

>109 quondame: >111 FAMeulstee: Anita is in charge of the TIOLI meter, so what she says goes - although I would have answered your question the same way :)

>113 alcottacre: No Madeline is in charge, of course.
But we could ponder about the number of books in challenge #2 needed for a sweep ;-)

I agree with 2x2. That was in the message I deleted above! Actually I’m not “in charge” of the TIOLI meter. You may use it however you like or even if you like. I just set it up for others to use.

But we could ponder about the number of books in challenge #2 needed for a sweep.

I won’t even touch that! LOL!

If I understand Stasia's rules for her challenge it is two books or one shared read. So for example if both Stasia and I read Lincoln in the Bardo, I would not then have to complete Team of Rivals in order to complete the challenge, but if only I read Lincoln in the Bardo, I would also have to complete Team of Rivals. Am I right?

>116 PaulCranswick: If it is a shared read, as both the books you mention are, you would only have to read one of them in any case. You would not need to read Team of Rivals and Lincoln in the Bardo both. Although I hope you do read Team of Rivals, which is excellent, since I am reading it too.

I am currently slated to read 5 books for that challenge, not 6, since two of the ones I am reading are shared reads. I do not need a sixth book to balance it out.

I hope that makes sense.

>117 alcottacre: Perfectly! I am planning on reading both but the 700 plus pages of Team of Rivals is a bit daunting.

>118 PaulCranswick: I am very tempted to read Team of Rivals, but I have 2 to 3 books per day due to delete themselves from my Kindle for all of February, so I will dedicate my reading time in pursuit of getting that down to less than one book per day.

>118 PaulCranswick: I already started Team of Rivals and am reading it a chapter at a time. Reading it in that fashion makes it easier for me I have found. I am reading 3 books this month that are over 600 pages each, so making it easier is key to getting them read!

>120 alcottacre: Somehow, I'm not concerned about your getting them read, Stasia!

If anyone else is planning to join in on the site-wide group read of Art Spiegelman’s Maus - which you might have notice has been in the news lately - I’ve put the first volume (Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, vol 1: My Father Bleeds History) into challenge #8.

>122 PawsforThought: Brilliant! Thanks!! I've joined you there. I strongly encourage others to join in. It's an amazing and necessary read and won't take too long.

>122 PawsforThought: It's been a long time since I read Maus. Maybe I'll join in.

>42 wandering_star: Can I list The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh in the Lunar New Year challenge (#11)? It features a couple of man-eating tigers in the Sundarbans of India. If not, I can put it under #4, uneven number of words in title.

>122 PawsforThought: I read Maus some time ago, but I see I didn't rate it. Now there are very long waitlists on Libby and at my public library. Also, it seems to be sold out on Amazon and Barnes and Noble but I did get a copy of The Complete Maus to be delivered after the 11th. Sometimes banning a book is the best thing you can do for it.

>121 LizzieD: Hahaha, that was just what I was thinking, Peggy - but us mere mortals?!

>121 LizzieD: >127 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the vote of confidence!

>122 PawsforThought: I will be joining in. I think Maus and Maus II are both excellent.

>128 alcottacre: I have a copy of Maus !, but no longer a copy of Maus 2, although I've read both books before.

>129 SqueakyChu: I originally had checked the books out of my local library, but I loved them so much I bought copies for my personal library. It is past time for a re-read of them!

>130 alcottacre: My two belonged to a friend, Mary Zimmerman (BookCrosser MaryZee), who is no longer alive. She shared them with me and others by mailing them on what is known as a "book ray"on BookCrossing. Here are the journal entries for those two books which I first read in 2008.
Maus 1
Maus 2

>131 SqueakyChu: It is cool to be able to go back and look at those "book memories," isn't it? I find myself doing that sometimes. I am glad to see that the book rays went to people who could appreciate them!

>132 alcottacre: We had to sign up for the book rays ahead of time. I used to send out tons of my books that way around the world until the cost of postage made that prohibitive.

>133 SqueakyChu: Ah, OK. I did not realize that you had to sign up ahead of time for them. Too bad about the postage situation.

>125 labfs39: Yes, from what I remember of The Hungry Tide the tigers are a significant element of the book, so go ahead!

You will notice there is no ***** Challenge #19 *****

It's a non-leap February and I restrained myself. You are welcome!

>139 wandering_star: I was hoping we'd get to 4 pages, but time ran out...and there are sweepers to think of as well. :D

>136 quondame: 🤦‍♀️

>25 lindapanzo: Would Ninth House count for this challenge, or does it have to be a cardinal number?

>139 wandering_star: No, sorry. 9, nine, or ninety would be ok but not ninth.

>140 lindapanzo: OK! I realized it could fit into the two-word title challenge too.

My February Reads - hoping to pick up a better pace this month.

COMPLETED:

Soho Crime anthology, The Usual Santas - #4
Sara Paretsky, Dead Land - #15
Stef Penney, The Tenderness of Wolves = #1
Sarah Hall, Burntcoat - #6
Kevin Barry, That Old Country Music - #6
Janice Hadlow, The Other Bennet Sister - #11
Sam Selvon, The Housing Lark - #16
Anne Sebba, Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy
Anuk Arudpragasam, A Passage North

CURRENT READING as at end of February 2022

Mona Awad, All's Well
Marian Keyes, Grown Ups
Barbara Sleigh, Carbonel
Bernardine Evaristo, Manifesto
Martin Edwards (editor), Murder By the Book: Mysteries for Bibliophiles
Molly Prentiss, Tuesday Nights in 1980
James Baldwin, If Beale Street Could Talk
Denise Mina, Every Seven Years
Rebecca Solnit, Orwell's Roses
Nancy Spain, Death Goes on Skis
Roddy Doyle, Smile

I notice that Redemption Ground has been listed in two challenges, 9 and 17.

>143 elkiedee: I noticed that too!

Stasia, we have a potential shared read. I put Redemption Ground in challenge 9. Since it's the only book I have that has "red" in the title, I didn't move it when I saw your entry.

>142 elkiedee: Let me know what you think about Burntcoat. I have wavered about my desire to read it.

>145 Citizenjoyce: I should get a lot further into it in the next few days, and I will let you know, but I'm not really reading it in the hope of a shared read, but because of interest in her writing and also because it's a higher priority library book. I need another space on THAT library card.

>144 AnneDC: I will move it, Anne. I will also let Paul know since he is sharing the read with us too.

I am on a roll (for me). Two books done this month, both in TIOLI categories. Disappearing Earth and Lincoln in the Bardo.

>148 Helenoel: Did you enjoy Lincoln in the Bardo? I read it this month as well and was surprised by how much I liked it, having no idea of what to expect from it.

>149 alcottacre: yes, i did. It took a while to figure out, and like you I had no idea what to expect. I’m still sorting out some feelings but it is a brilliant construction. Seeing your listing in the challenge inspired me to get it off the TBR pile so thank you.

>150 Helenoel: I am glad you enjoyed it too!

Just bumping this thread to make it a bit easier to find. . .

>145 Citizenjoyce: I have just finished Burntcoat - I think it's very good indeed, well written and very powerful, but it is quite a tough read - and I can see it's provoked a range of reactions. I can see totally valid reasons why any reader might decide it isn't for her/him because of its subject matter, writing style, and descriptions of various things - that's true to an extent of any book but this is a novel about love, sex, death and illness and it's sometimes brutal and graphic.

I'm wording this carefully in an effort to avoid spoilers, and if you're bothered about those don't look at the LT review page to help you decide.

I decided to list the book under challenge, #6 - I don't think that the biracial nature of the central relationship is per se the subject of the book, but do see it as part of the "story". Again, that's hard to explain without spoilers.

I am adding Artificial Condition by Martha Wells to challenge #17 if anyone is interested in reading along.

The Valentine's Day treasure hunt is on; just posting it here because I know some folks missed the Hallowe'en hunt last time.

>153 elkiedee: Thanks for the information. Unfortunately, I sent the book back, I'm on hold for it again, but I'm pretty sure I won't get it this month. Because of your comments, though, I will read it, or at least attempt to.

>156 Citizenjoyce: Eek, now I feel responsible if you hate it and find the detail repulsive.

Don't worry about shared reads - I'm prioritising:
1. library books over others
2. library books that I know I can't renew over ones that I can
3. my own system for reading books that are a mixture of type (non fiction, children's books, anthologies and collections of short stories, from a variety of sources (Kindle, print, books that I've received review copies of and Kindle purchases)
4. other personal reading ambitions - authors I'd like to read a number of books by, series that I want to catch up, books I want to read or reread before I read a shiny new book that is related

So shared reads are a bonus but I'm not necessarily expecting any now this month. I might try harder in future months if I can organise my reading around others. I am quite confident I'll finish the books by Janice Hadlow, Sam Selvon and Anne Sebba, and I hope to complete two or three others from my current reading list but I'm not sure which ones!

TIOLI Question of the Month:

Do you have a favorite character from this month's reads so far? Who is the character? Which book is it? How did this character worm his or her way into your heart?

>158 SqueakyChu: Can the character be from a re-read book or should it be from a new one?

>158 SqueakyChu: This question is pretty easy for me to answer. It would have to be Sherlock Holmes. I'd love to have his powers of observation and deduction!

>159 alcottacre: A reread book is fine.

>158 SqueakyChu: I loved CheshireCat, the AI from Catfishing on CatNet and Chaos on CatNet, because the idea of a helpful AI who is happy if you supply it with animal pictures is just so charming.

>158 SqueakyChu: I have 2, one fictional, one nonfictional: Eve Dallas (from the In Death) series and Abraham Lincoln.

I originally read my first In Death book, Naked in Death, when Robb was about 8 books into the series and I have loved the character of Eve Dallas from the first. She is a tough NY cop, but she also has a vulnerable side. Her character has evolved over the 54 book series and not remained static. That is one of the things I love about this series - all of the characters and their relationships grow and change over time. Dallas' world has slowly but surely enlarged over time. At first, there is just her best friend, Mavis. But now her world comprises her best friend and Mavis' love, Leonardo; Dallas' husband, Roarke; her aide/partner, Peabody and Peabody's main squeeze, McNabb; and we are slowly learning about the people in her squad too.

I am not sure that I can say enough about what Abraham Lincoln did for the United States. Even as his son, Willie, lay dying, Lincoln was having to deal with the Civil War and contemplating the Emancipation Proclamation. He had to set aside his personal grief and just keep on keeping on. The pictures taken of him over the course of his presidency show how much the war weighed on him. He looks 20 years older when he was assassinated than he did when he first entered the White House.

>158 SqueakyChu: My favorite character this month is Mary Sutter from Winter Sisters, yes that Mary Sutter, former midwife now a doctor practicing in New York with her doctor husband in the late 19th century when women were supposed to be pretty, available, and compliant. Instead, Mary is strong, competent, and confrontational. It's hard enough to deal with rape in the 21st century, but in Mary's time, the age of consent is 10 years, so a 10-year-old girl can be accused of having consensual sex with her adult paramour and then accusing him of rape because she felt guilty afterward. Mary confronts and deals with, one problem after another as she works to ensure the people around her, both her family and her patients, live the best lives they can.

>158 SqueakyChu: For now Johnny Sparsholt in The Sparsholt Affair is my favorite character. The gay son of David Sparsholt (of the affair), is a nice person, who I would like to meet :-)

>158 SqueakyChu: I'd have to go with Bruno Courrèges.

>158 SqueakyChu:

Can I nominate a character from a book I haven't read yet?

This month, Julia and I are finishing up our joint read of the 28-book Miss Silver series by Patricia Wentworth. It's been quite the journey, and Maudie has been quite the hostess---with her governessy ways and her Tennyson quotes and her mind like a razor. :D

>167 lyzard: I guess. You know the character and will be reading about her this month...so...sure!

On characters:

VI Warshawski, a PI in Chicago, has been one of my favourite fictional characters for many years, and I enjoyed Dead Land, the most recent in the series (possibly #20), though I think there are better books in the series, including ones which show more of what I really like about VI. Perhaps there is more about the supporting cast in some of the other books, because part of what I love about VI is how she relates to her friends and people she comes to care for.

I' ve only finished a few books so far this month but I think my favourite character is Edith in Burntcoat. She's clearly quite difficult and spiky, and I missed some important details about her until the end of the novel (information from earlier in the story), but I kind of liked it,

Boo, for the first time in years I have finished a book which I can't match to ANY challenge. Worse, it may turn out not to be the only one.

>170 elkiedee: Yeah...We sometimes get pretty picky with our challenges. *rolls eyes upwards*

>170 elkiedee: I hate when that happens. I have a couple this month that I could not fit into any challenge either, Luci.

>171 SqueakyChu: Love the eye rolling, Madeline. It looks good on you :)

For those that can't find challenges, list them here and maybe we can brainstorm?

I read
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - Michelle ALEXANDER
and had it in the animal challenge then realized the animal is in the title, not the author's name. Any ideas?

>174 Citizenjoyce: You want to put it in an other challenge?
It is tagged "race relations", is there a biracial relationship? If so challenge #6.
Is it a classic? Then challenge #16 might fit.
There are 11 words in the title including the subtitle, 11 is uneven: challenge #4,

>174 Citizenjoyce: Michelle Alexander would fit in the rolling ISRAEL challenge #3 next time A rolls around. (Amazing book, by the way.)

Any ideas on a place to put A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz?

It could fit in the rolling challenge = author surname begins with A - but someone would need to add a number of other books - I have an 's' which can also go elsewhere but would need e, l and i first, and then you would need an r.

>164 Citizenjoyce: - - I read something about Mary Sutter some time back. Who is the author you're reading? (Your touchstone goes to the wrong book.)

>173 Morphidae: Great idea, Morphy! I have 2 for this month that I cannot fit into any of the challenges: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Struggle for Middle East Peace by Tamra B. Orr and one I will be finishing tomorrow, Empires of the Plain by Lesley Adkins.

>179 scdoster: Your link to the Tamra Orr book links to a different book (so that challenge?.

>173 Morphidae: Well, I've done two that I haven't seen a fit for:

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

I can't seem to find a place for The Lion in the Living Room by Abigail Tucker.

>179 scdoster: The Orr will go into Challenge #4 (uneven number of words in title) as hyphenated words count as one!

>181 quondame: The Weiden's cover is red and therefore will count for Challenge #11 per message >42 wandering_star:.

>182 susanna.fraser: Ha! Found one for ya. The pale-throated sloth or "ai" fits you into Challenge #10! See >35 susanna.fraser:.

Hee hee.

>180 elkiedee: I have fixed it now, Luci. Thank you!

>183 Morphidae: Thanks, Morphy. I thought hyphenated words counted as 2 words.

>183 Morphidae: Thanks!

>42 wandering_star: I reread the Lunar Year challenge in case I'd missed anything, and think I might have found a match but I may be stretching the point a little too far. I don't want to give away too much about the plot of The Other Bennet Sister, a kind of alternative take on Pride and Prejudice is quite a long novel divided into several distinct parts - eventually it turns out to be very much about a new beginning and a way forward for the heroine of the story but this is the final part(s), not just the last couple of chapters, perhaps 100 or nore pages of the book (my Kindle copy doesn't have page numbers!) and it takes a really long time to get there. There is also a lot about family relationships and social gatherings but not quite in the way that I read this challenge, and I think a "new start" is more appropriate.

>158 SqueakyChu: I've got two characters as well, a fictitious and a 'real' one

- Isaak Levinsohn in his Von der Synagoge zum Kreuz when he tells of his struggle as a teenager with his sins in the presence of a Holy God, and his subsequent search for peace.
- Lisi Baldichi in Der Hühnerdieb by Shulamith Lapid. A journalist which is looking for THE story who would turn her into Nobel-prize winner journalist (or whatever prize there is ...) and then this killed policeman turns up in her flat after his funeral - I like her struggle with the loss of intimacy with some foreigner so close and her desire to get the best story out of that.

>175 FAMeulstee: Thanks I'll put it in challenge #4, I hadn't been counting the subtitle
>176 AnneDC: Alas, challenge #3 has been stuck for a while
>178 countrylife: The author of Winter Sisters is Robin Oliveira. Thanks, I fixed the touchstone.

On wrong touchstones for books, that means you have at least one option for listing them, if you still haven't found another possibility.

I read Black Box by Amos Oz. This could work for the two word title two word author or for airline industry. I think I will use it for airline for now.

>184 Morphidae: Nice one!

I managed to finish a sweep for this month today by reading The Colony of Unrequited Dreams for challenge #14.

>193 alcottacre: Congratulations on the February sweep, Stasia!!

>193 alcottacre: Congratulations!

>192 susanna.fraser: You just have to make sure you check with >35 susanna.fraser:. She's pretty strict with her challenges. 😄

>193 alcottacre: Congrats!

I was going to do monthly sweeps this year and I haven't read enough to complete half a sweeplette. I need a coach or cheerleeding squad or something. An 800 pound gorilla wearing a silly hat and spectacles to sit on me?

>194 lindapanzo: >195 quondame: >196 Morphidae: Thanks!

Cheerleaders for Morphy:

>193 alcottacre: Hurray for your February sweep, Stasia! I can barely stir up any dust! :D

TIOLI Stats for January, 2022!

...and, yes, they are very interesting!

For January, 2022, we read a total of 501 books, the highest monthly total since January, 2016.

We shared a total of 124 books, the highest shared total since May, 2020.

Our shared reads were 25% of our total reads. That's the highest shared percentage since May, 2020.

We accumulated a monthly total of 67 TIOLI points. That's the highest since May, 2020. It's the highest January YTD total of TIOLI points since January, 2015.

The most popular book, read by six challengers, was Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings.

The most popular challenge, with 47 books read, was the one by wandering_star to read a book with pictures.

The challenge with the most TIOLI points (14) was the one by PaulCranswick to read a book written by a Turkish or Turkish born author.

We're really rockin' this year, folks! Keep it up!!

>198 SqueakyChu: Thanks, Madeline. I am sure that you will stir up more than your share of dust this year!

>199 SqueakyChu: Go, us! Those numbers are looking terrific!!

>193 alcottacre: Congratulations
>199 SqueakyChu: Wow, it seemed like things were slowing down. I guess we started the new year with a bang.

>193 alcottacre: Congratulations, Stasia!

>187 elkiedee: sorry for taking a while to respond to this! That sounds fine to me.

>203 wandering_star: Thanks. No need to apologise.

>201 Citizenjoyce: >202 FAMeulstee: Thanks!

OK, gang. Another book that I'm struggling to place. A is for Arsenic by Kathryn Harkup. No double letters, no animals, no colours, no sex, no aeroplanes - no help there then!

>193 alcottacre:

Whoo, Stasia!!

>207 lyzard: Thank you, Liz!

>206 Helenliz: how good is your French? the French title has an uneven number of words 'A comme arsenic'
- Hark is a hybrid animal 'A shark plus horse is a hark. A shark horse looks like a shark head, four legs,has a horse tail,and has a horse main. And the color of a hark is what ever the color is of the horse is, in this picture the horse is golden brown and has a black main and white ankles. And the head has sharp teeth because it has a shark head.' -> https://hark123.weebly.com/description.html
>35 susanna.fraser: - The whole animal kingdom is fair game--insects, fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, whatever. (a hark is a 'whatever')

The January, 2022, TIOLI Awards!

The Shared Read Bonanza Award goes to PaulCranswick for the challenge to read a book written by a Turkish or Turkish born author. I know this challenge tied in with the Asia Book Challenge, but out of the 30 books read for this challenge, only four were not shared reads. Amazing! I hope all of you had some good conversations about those shared reads.

The Stretching Things Award goes to alcottacre for reading Just One Damned Thing After Another for Fameulstee's challenge to read a book without an article in the title. This challenger was able to find a six-word title without an article.

The State Love Award goes to Chatterbox and AnneDC for bell7's challenge to read a book with a "state" in the title. The state of New York was definitely emphasized in the book title of New York, New York, New York.

The Hey, That's Old Award goes to PawsforThought for reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for Chatterbox's challenge to read a children's book published in the UK/by a UK author before 1980. This book by Lewis Carroll was published way back in 1865.

Congrats to our award winners! Feel free to add awards of your own at this time.

>209 paulstalder: Love the creative thinking here but this sounds like something from one of my favourite Radio 4 programmes called The Unbelievable Truth, where panellists in a competition are given a subject to present a minute or two of amusing nonsense but with some facts slipped in, and other panellists have to guess what is true.

>210 SqueakyChu: Congratulations to all the winners! Your creativity in thinking of these awards is remarkable, Madeline. Thank you so much for all you do here!

>212 alcottacre: It's truly my fun and pleasure. In this crazy world (which seems to get more problematic every day), I love to come here to push problems aside and simply concentrate on something that all of us can enjoy together.

>213 SqueakyChu: I figure that books - talking about them and reading them - are very good for "pushing problems aside and concentrating on something all of us can enjoy together."

>210 SqueakyChu: Aaah! Thank you for the award! I’ve never won a TIOLI award before, so this is very exciting.

>215 PawsforThought: Congratulations on being a first time winner, Paws!

I really overpromised myself this month and had to remove 6 shared reads. I'm so sorry.

I still have to list the book I finally saw a place for, as well as two i finished at the end of the month (if I can place them). I thought I made a reasonable, not amazing start in January, and slipped back a little in February. Hoping I can regain some of the lost ground but I'm struggling a little with anxiety and faitgue at the moment.

>210 SqueakyChu: Thanks for the award, Madeline, it means a lot to me.

>219 elkiedee: I thought I made a reasonable, not amazing start in January, and slipped back a little in February. Hoping I can regain some of the lost ground but I'm struggling a little with anxiety and faitgue at the moment.
Are you me? I feel like I could have written this. It's so hard finding a balance. Sending symmpathetic good energy to your place in the world.

A belated thank for the TIOLI award Madeline, and for making this challenge so much fun. On to March!

>> Sorry to read this, and I hope things get better for you soon.

>219 elkiedee: That seems to be the new epicemic. I've avoided Covid, but I sure caught that one.

Oops! I missed Housekeeping Day!

I hope all of you did go back to delete from the wiki(s) any book(s) you did not COMPLETE by midnight of Febrary 28 (except for any rolling challenges which could be marked DNF). Thanks!