Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Alysa wrote: "I have another rules question, something I am just not quite clear on for some reason. Probably it’s just me.

So, when we finish spelling our word, we get points for each letter, plus “completion”..."

So the Candy corn spelling would have CA**YC*R*, then C******R*. We would get points for all 5 letters of the first partial word, but no points for the C and R of the second partial word.

SKELETON SLTN ST would earn points for SKELETON SLTN.

Basically, we earn points for all of the letters of the first partial word but no points for letters of subsequent partial words.

Deanna wrote: "Alysa wrote: "I have another rules question, something I am just not quite clear on for some reason. Probably it’s just me.

So, when we finish spelling our word, we get points for each letter, plu..."

Deanna wrote: "Alysa wrote: "I have another rules question, something I am just not quite clear on for some reason. Probably it’s just me.

So, when we finish spelling our word, we get points for each letter, plu..."

Got it! Thank you!
That somewhat puts a damper on my idea to read some extra Y or O books towards the end of the first week, as they won’t count unless they follow a fully completed word. But only somewhat — depending on how many times we actually do manage to complete the word :)

ETA: Barrel also did some good math re how many times they will need to read each letter based on the combined # of books per month that they indicated they read, during sign-ups (which seems to be in part how the teams were formed). Maybe we should try some similar math. I don’t know if I am so great at that but I can give it a try later tonight w/help from my dude, who is an engineer. Heh.

Based on signup numbers for books read, we should be able to complete candy corn 3, maybe 4 times. I put in the extras words on the status tab, so I would notice if we had too many of a certain letter to prompt me to see about shuffling books around.

I personally don't mind finding short books at the end of each week if we have two partial words in progress, so we can hopefully finish the week with only one partial word. We'll see how it goes once we get started.

That said, one of the things I love about this team challenge is that more points are earned per page with larger books. Here's my breakdown of points earned per page for the different levels:

160-200 pages = 0.025-0.031 points per page
201-300 pages = 0.033-0.050 points per page
301-400 pages = 0.050-0.066 points per page
401-500 pages = 0.080-0.10 points per page
501-650 pages = 0.092-0.120 points per page
651-800 pages = 0.10-0.122 points per page
801+ pages = 0.125 points per page

Awesome breakdown Deanna! I never would have guessed that by looking at the points we get for each page count

I tried to pick a book that fit for several of the letters in case we needed to move it around. I couldn’t tell if I will be able to finish 2 books for the first time through candy corn or not, I didn’t want to take up a space on a second one in case someone would get there before me. I typically read ~4 books a week depending on length

Ashley wrote: " I typically read ~4 books a week depending on length"

Same here. I sometimes do audio during the workday too but it’s been harder lately due to some projects there.

I had, at first, been wondering why some teams had more members than others, and it seems to be so that every team’s reported average number of books is about equivalent (~ 135). I was really happy to learn that “completed word” bonus only counts once (is that right?) because otherwise, teams w/short words would be rakin’ ‘em in, and since the wheel is “spun” randomly, it is entirely possible for a team to end up w/all shorter words, or all longer words. I am rather impressed w/how well this game is designed. :)

Deanna, thank you for the breakdown! This is why you are the captain, huh? 😁

Deanna wrote: "That said, one of the things I love about this team challenge is that more points are earned per page with larger books. Here's my breakdown of points..."

I have a C-title book I wanted to read that is 649 pages. Dammit!!!! Just two pages shy of an extra 20 points! I probably won’t even bother with it. At least, I certainly won’t try to do it for Week One, else I won’t finish much of anything else!

Yes. The completed word bonus is only for the first word completion each week.

I was really excited to see the new points system. There are very few team challenges that reward players for reading longer books. This set up gives me a chance to work through some the longer books on my tbr list while actually benefiting the team as well. I'll sit down this week to put together a list of ideas.

I definitely love it too! Especially when I venture into adult fantasy books, those are usually super long

Deanna wrote: "I found (with a character named Carlos) which has candy corn on the cover and in the text as well as [bookcover:Murderously Sweet: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, Book 2|4220..."

Are you potentially taking these on, or just declaring that you found then in case someone else wants to? ;)

Ashley wrote: "I know the feeling Alyssa! I never go to concerts either, but I saw the Backstreet Boys in Vegas earlier this year, and omg that was amazing too. I don’t know if you are the age to have grown up wi..."

I am indeed the right age, but I spent the late ‘90s being pretentious about music. NIN and David Bowie were more my speed. I have learned to love contemporary pop music since then for sure, but I have no regrets :D

Alysa wrote: "Deanna wrote: "I found (with a character named Carlos) which has candy corn on the cover and in the text as well as [bookcover:Murderously Sweet: A Pumpkin Hollow Myste..."

Either works for me. I'm already reading the genre book, so I'm happy to let someone else read them or another book of their choosing. I just thought I'd put the options out there (and having the post means I don't have to try to remember the titles in 20 days if we need them).

Deanna wrote: "Alysa wrote: "Deanna wrote: "I found (with a character named Carlos) which has candy corn on the cover and in the text as well as [bookcover:Murderously Sweet: A Pumpki..."

Looks like Megan also found a genre one! I am still surprised that Candy Corn as a genre is even a thing, but I don’t really use the genres/shelves anyway.

Alysa wrote: "Deanna wrote: "Alysa wrote: "Deanna wrote: "I found (with a character named Carlos) which has candy corn on the cover and in the text as well as [bookcover:Murderously ..."

Most of the books I found were horror books, and a couple were also tagged with different candy names. I figured someone had a Halloween challenge with different candy teams at some point.

Alysa wrote: "Deanna wrote: "Alysa wrote: "Deanna wrote: "I found (with a character named Carlos) which has candy corn on the cover and in the text as well as [bookcover:Murderously ..."

I'll let Megan take the genre, and I can read for either in the text or on the cover.

Apparently there are still teams confused about permissible start date (e.g., Sandy Claws never self-corrected in their thread; the newly unlocked Doctor Finkelstein also seems misinformed...) :/

Alysa wrote: "Apparently there are still teams confused about permissible start date (e.g., Sandy Claws never self-corrected in their thread; the newly unlocked Doctor Finkelstein also seems misinformed...) :/"

One of the other team captains posted about the same time as you, and the start date of Oct. 27 was confirmed by Karen. Hopefully that will trickle through the team threads today.

Deanna wrote: "Alysa wrote: "Apparently there are still teams confused about permissible start date (e.g., Sandy Claws never self-corrected in their thread; the newly unlocked Doctor Finkelstein also seems misinf..."

Sandy Claws did it already :)

Okay, with my 3 long books on the spreadsheet I have probably maxed out my reading for Week One. But one of them (the longest!) is YA which tends to go pretty fast, so if I end up finishing early I can always do a final short book on Nov 1st & 2nd if necessary for completing a partial word.

Deanna & Ashley, do you know if the second word will be given out like right at the exact moment when Week Two is starting, or will we find out slightly in advance? I suspect the former. 🤨

Alysa wrote: "Okay, with my 3 long books on the spreadsheet I have probably maxed out my reading for Week One. But one of them (the longest!) is YA which tends to go pretty fast, so if I end up finishing early I..."

I haven't heard yet, so I posted the question to the mods.

Alysa wrote: "Okay, with my 3 long books on the spreadsheet I have probably maxed out my reading for Week One. But one of them (the longest!) is YA which tends to go pretty fast, so if I end up finishing early I..."

From Karen re: getting the words for subsequent weeks:

"Yes generally in advance but I don’t know exactly how many days in advance. It may only be 1-2."

If Sonia chimes in with a more definitive timeline, I will let you know.

Thanks!
1-2 days is more than I was expecting, tbh. :)

Alysa wrote: "Thanks!
1-2 days is more than I was expecting, tbh. :)"

Me, too. I'm glad though because I usually go to the library on Saturday mornings, so it gives me a chance to put books on hold.

Nice. I may also plan some library holds, though mine may need to be digital versions if available. My libraries can take forever to pull print holds sometimes.

I was just thinking, maybe the spreadsheet should have an optional spot for “estimated read date” as well as actual eventual Read Date? Like, if I already know I won’t finish Age of War before 2 Nov, that frees everybody else up to read for its possible letters (A, N, R) in the meantime, and then mine can be used for a subsequent spelling.

Deanna is that helpful, or am I creating extra work?

Alysa wrote: "Nice. I may also plan some library holds, though mine may need to be digital versions if available. My libraries can take forever to pull print holds sometimes.

I was just thinking, maybe the spre..."

Rather than make an extra column, what if we just type "next week" in the date read column and delete the letter in the orange letter used for column. The letters would show up as open again, and I can transfer those books to the tab for the following week .

Well there is “next week”, for books being pushed to the second word/week (or later), but I was referring more to books that will be completed during the first week, but not for the first complete spelling of the week (or whatever partial spelling we happen to be trying to fill at any given moment).

Like, right now the main tab, as well as the Week One Quick Status tab, shows 9 claims rounding out the full 9 letters in “candy corn”, but that doesn’t mean any one of those books can’t be replaced, pushing those 9 into a second spelling of “candy corn”, as various Lock members finish reading books sooner than others.

Deleting the letters in the orange column would do the trick, I guess, in keeping people from feeling like they can’t “take over” a letter claim, so to speak. We just need to be mindful about the books that can only be used for 1 letter vs. multiple options.

The spreadsheet is set up to show all of the possible options for each book that we are reading. Putting a letter in the orange column is the same as saying, "This is the only place this book fits, or this is where I believe this book will be most useful given the letters it works for." Since we can use character names for the spell it out, it is possible that some secondary characters will pop up as a book is being read that can be added to the possibilities for letter choices. Ashley and I will shuffle around books that have multiple options based on what letters are most needed to complete spellings for the team.

The purpose of the status tab is to provide an easy way to quickly see what letters we need and to limit the number of partial words being worked on at one time since only the first partial word earns points. The status tab as it is now with the first row of candy corn orange simply means that we can spell out candy corn one time with our current planned books. It doesn't mean these nine books will be used for the first spelling of candy corn. The ones with multiple letter options may end up fitting better as a different letter in another spelling, and Ashley or I will change the letter these books are assigned to get the best fit.

As far as spellings, books don't actually get assigned to a certain spelling until Ashley or I enter them on the official team spreadsheet (and even then we can do some shuffling if needed), so it's not really possible to "take over" a letter.

Hopefully that makes sense.

Yes, I get all that.
What I mean by people feeling like they cannot “take over” a letter is that — especially for our members who haven’t checked in yet and don’t know what’s going on — if a letter fill appears to be underway, based on the orange column and its connected place in the status tab, it becomes unclear which letter or letters a body should be trying to read for next, esp considering that only our first “partial spelling” will count.

So, while the status tab is, as you said, an easy way to see if & when we *can* spell out candy corn one time with our current planned books, I think it (*and* the orange column that populates it) is a little confusing in terms of helping people to decide what to read next for maximum advantage, knowing that books w/multiple options and books w/last-minute reads dates can be reshuffled by you and Ashley at any time.

Lastly, a question: are captains able to choose between logging complete spellings as they occur Versus waiting to log *all* books for each week at the end of each week? Or will all captains be expected to do one or the other of those things, en masse? From what you said, it sounds like captains can choose either method. I guess there are pros and cons either way. 🙂

I am done w/technical questions for a while, I swear. I am just a very rule-oriented and obsessively organized person. I like to mull over the possible paths towards maximum efficiency... probably to the point of irritating everybody else.

In other news, my daughter and I have been visiting my mother in upstate NY since Saturday, but we are going back to NYC tomorrow and I am going back to work on Wed. I would rather stay here and read in the bathtub while my mother plays with the kid. A+ parenting!

Either method. It just has to be finished by the weekly deadline on Saturdays.

Alysa, I appreciate your technical questions, they help clarify the game in a way I wouldn't even consider. Where you are rule oriented and obsessively organized I am very much the type of person that says "let's do this!" before even knowing what's going on, lol.

I think a lot of it will come down to communicating here and following through on letters we commit to. I can't wait to start! I keep finding books I want to read then thinking, wait, this would work great if we got the word cobweb :)

Taking time to relax and get energized is totally A+ parenting! Enjoy your last day upstate!

Anyone reading anything now they particularly enjoy? I just finished Dear Mrs. Bird and it was fantastic. I loved the story and the narrator of the audiobook.

JanEyre9 wrote: "I keep finding books I want to read then thinking, wait, this would work great if we got the word cobweb :)"

I... actually made lists of every book I have that would work for every difficult word-in-title and word-in-text for all three wheels, just so I don’t read any of those books now, or for our first word, just in case we get assigned any of those difficult ones on our next spins. *facepalm*

JanEyre9 wrote: "Anyone reading anything now they particularly enjoy? I just finished Dear Mrs. Bird and it was fantastic. I loved the story and the narrator of the audiobook."

Right now I am reading an ARC of Breach, and enjoying it very much! I am also nearly done with an audiobook of Winter Tide which is well written but a bit boring.

JanEyre9 wrote: "Alysa, I appreciate your technical questions, they help clarify the game in a way I wouldn't even consider. Where you are rule oriented and obsessively organized I am very much the type of person t..."

I keep thinking that too before I start a book! I'm trying to save up all of the ones I come across that I think we could possibly need.

Alysa wrote: "JanEyre9 wrote: "I keep finding books I want to read then thinking, wait, this would work great if we got the word cobweb :)"

I... actually made lists of every book I have that would work for ever..."

I'm trying to do this too! This is the kind of stuff I like to do when I have nothing else going on at work and am on an actual computer, of course so far this week has been busy but luckily we have a good bit of time left. Hopefully I can get a bunch of lists done

I need to do lists for genre too. Good thing we have time 😀

JanEyre9 wrote: "Anyone reading anything now they particularly enjoy? I just finished Dear Mrs. Bird and it was fantastic. I loved the story and the narrator of the audiobook."

I decided to try some new Ilona Andrews series this week. I'm currently reading Burn for Me and will read On the Edge next. I'm still figuring out the world at the moment, but it's definitely intriguing.

Ashley wrote: "Alysa wrote: "JanEyre9 wrote: "I keep finding books I want to read then thinking, wait, this would work great if we got the word cobweb :)"

I... actually made lists of every book I have that would..."

That's exactly what I do! It's like a rewards. I finish a task and I get to poke about goodreads for a few minutes :) I started a bookshelf for possible wheel books so I'm trying to build that up a bit.

Alysa wrote: "JanEyre9 wrote: "I keep finding books I want to read then thinking, wait, this would work great if we got the word cobweb :)"

I... actually made lists of every book I have that would work for ever..."

You are all very efficient. The only list I have made so far is one of all the books on my to read shelf that are over 400 pages divided into the different points levels. I have plenty of potential "I" books, so I'm going to make a list of books/authors for the other hard letters next.

JanEyre9 wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Alysa wrote: "JanEyre9 wrote: "I keep finding books I want to read then thinking, wait, this would work great if we got the word cobweb :)"

I... actually made lists of every book I ..."

You sound exactly like me! Especially after I've done like 10 work things in a row, its time to go to goodreads for a bit.

Deanna wrote: "JanEyre9 wrote: "Anyone reading anything now they particularly enjoy? I just finished Dear Mrs. Bird and it was fantastic. I loved the story and the narrator of the audiobook."

I d..."

Burn For Me was one of my favorites! I feel like that series doesn't get enough credit, maybe becasue of the goofy covers, but I loved it so much. I liked it better than Kate Daniels. I still need to read the On The Edge books. I did read the first Innkeeper Chronicles one a month or so ago but the narrator drives me a little crazy

I put two books down but I'll know more as we get closer. It's hard to plan exactly what books I'll read at the end of the month. No luck on candycorn for me except as genre which other people already have.

Ashley wrote: "Deanna wrote: "JanEyre9 wrote: "Anyone reading anything now they particularly enjoy? I just finished Dear Mrs. Bird and it was fantastic. I loved the story and the narrator of the a..."

I just finished the third Innkeeper Chronicles book a couple of weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed all the books. For me each book in the series was a little better than the previous one, and her niece is hilarious in book three. I'm excited that the fourth book in the series is almost finished.

I couldn't decide between Burn for me and the Edge books, so I picked up the first in each series to read this week. I'll probably start On the Edge tomorrow.

Danielle Gypsy Soul wrote: "I put two books down but I'll know more as we get closer. It's hard to plan exactly what books I'll read at the end of the month. No luck on candycorn for me except as genre which other people alre..."

No worries, there is still plenty of time. I technically haven't even managed to commit to one book yet. I put down two possible titles for the extra points on the same row because I haven't decided which I want to read. I did place some holds on Overdrive, but it's impossible to know when they will actually be available.

Do we know if the October BOMs will count? I nabbed one from Overdrive and have the other on hold but only want to hold onto them if they're going to count.

JanEyre9 wrote: "Do we know if the October BOMs will count? I nabbed one from Overdrive and have the other on hold but only want to hold onto them if they're going to count."

I know it was under discussion, but I couldn't find a decision announced yet. I posted the question and will let you know as soon as I hear back. I'd like to know as well.

I read somewhere that plurals count for genres (may be good to know depending on what future words we get) but I don’t think this is the case for word-in-text or -title. Deanna or Ashley, can you confirm any of that?

Gah, waiting for the 27th is going to drive me crazy! 😜

Alysa wrote: "I read somewhere that plurals count for genres (may be good to know depending on what future words we get) but I don’t think this is the case for word-in-text or -title. Deanna or Ashley, can you c..."

Yes, plurals are OK.

Deanna wrote: "JanEyre9 wrote: "Do we know if the October BOMs will count? I nabbed one from Overdrive and have the other on hold but only want to hold onto them if they're going to count."

I know it was under d..."

Thanks :)

Deanna wrote: "Yes, plurals are OK"

You mean for ALL categories (e.g. word in text), or just genre?
Because if it is okay for word-in text, that is a real game changer!!

Alysa wrote: "Deanna wrote: "Yes, plurals are OK"

You mean for ALL categories (e.g. word in text), or just genre?
Because if it is okay for word-in text, that is a real game changer!!"

ALL categories 😸