#Marchmadnesschallenge

3 more hours to fill out tour brackets before you get locked out. If the link on the blog isn‘t working for you, send me an email jenlane3[at]yahoo[dot]com and I will email you a different link.

Instructions and link to book bracket are here: https://thereadersroom.org/book-march-madness-2019/

#Marchmadnesschallenge

Brackets have been posted. If you want to play for prizes, make sure you fill out your basketball bracket on CBS sports. All teams are paired with books. Full instructions:

https://thereadersroom.org/book-march-madness-2019/

#Marchmadness

Okay, life has been insane but yes, I am alive and trying to put this together last minute due to many requests that we do this again. I will be posting full instructions on the blog by end of day. But for now...

Submit your book nominations today in comment section. Book must have been published march 2018- march 2019.

Books will be added to book bracket which I will release tomorrow. Then everyone who wants to play can sign up!

#backpackEurope participants- please make sure your scores are updated on the blog. I will be announcing winners this Sunday. I hope you had fun!

I thought I‘d hate it but I loved it. Beautifully writing, dazzlingly original, and haunting. A dark book but one worth reading. One of my favorites so far #manbooker2018

Our full reviews are here: https://thereadersroom.org/2018/09/13/2018-man-booker-longlist-the-long-take/

I thought I‘d hate it but I loved it. Beautifully writing, dazzlingly original, and haunting. A dark book but one worth reading. One of my favorites so far #manbokker2018

Our full reviews are here: https://thereadersroom.org/2018/09/13/2018-man-booker-longlist-the-long-take/

I loved this book. I had dreaded reading it and was pleasantly surprised. Our shadow panel posted our reviews today. Check them out and let us know with whom you agree most.

https://thereadersroom.org/2018/08/31/2018-man-booker-longlist-warlight/

Not gonna lie, I‘m struggling with this one #manbooker

A week after starting I‘m still on page 27

Our Shadow panel reviews are posted: https://thereadersroom.org/2018/08/14/2018-man-booker-longlist-the-mars-room/

I thought it was pretty solid but certainly not one of my favorites. Stop by and let us know who you most agree with from the panel. Comments on the blog are appreciated 😊

Man Bookering. I almost have the full set. Only missing Normal People. The others I have as ecopies.

Sorry been a bit quite her lately as I attempt to read them all before shortlist is announced. But I am reading all your posts 😊

#backpackEurope participants. Updates have been posted on the blog. No traveler delays this week!

Mini challenge with 3 stages is a culinary challenge. Check it out: https://thereadersroom.org/summer-2018-reading-challenge-backpack-across-europe/

This cover ❤️💚💜

#manbooker2018 book number 3.

I may need a magnifying glass to read this

#manbooker2018 my first book of the longlist and I really enjoyed it. Beautifully written and clever, this is a book is a call to action and lovely exposition on trees and their importance.

Full review on the blog for the shadow panel.

Book #2 for my Man Booker longlist shadow panel: first ever graphic novel nominated for the longlist.

To follow our shadow panel reviews you can follow the blog. I just finished Overstory and will be reading this next.

#manbooker2018

Www.thereadersroom.org

I need this in my life.

#manbooker2018

Loving this one

Trying to pick just two winners for creativity points is practically impossible. This week I couldn‘t decide so I picked three excellent entries. You each get 1 extra point:
@mabell @Hunsakermountain and Diane - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/19373257-the-other-diane-s-european-1001-to...

Check out their #backpackEurope posts

#backpackEurope July 23 update

Travel Hub: Hungary
Weather delays: Italy and Austria (if you are located in one of these two, you may finish your book by have to wait until next Monday to move to next country. These 2 are blackout out for the week so no new visitors until 7/30
Player delays: @Kalalalatja and Diane (goodreads member) are both delayed this week. You may finish your current book but then must wait until next Monday to move forward.

An elite high school is thrown into a tailspin when 6 cloned students are invited to attend the school. These students‘ “originals” are attending as juniors and seniors at the school. When they turn into each other, it sparks all kinds of mayhem

This was highlighted as a buzz worthy YA book at BEA. Honestly it was all rather silly and way too predictable. The premise is interesting but so predictable as to send me into fits of eye rolling.

This book I ordered just arrived and it smells like lavender. Like really strong lavender scent. 🤔

#backpackEurope
These are photos of my real trip to Avignon (I traveled back in time) during the festival top left are about half the tickets I collected. There were plays, concerts, dance performances in every barn, theatre, public venue, etc throughout the entire festival. Wonderful experience - and lots of wine (my friend and I drank many delicious bottles).

I‘m still in Ireland for my virtual trip. Hoping to make it to France by tomorrow

The Man Booker longlist will be announced Tuesday. Here are a few of the books we (our shadow panel) predict might make the list. See our full list on the blog here: https://thereadersroom.org/2018/07/20/2018-man-booker-longlist-our-predictions/

Did we leave off your favorite? Which books do@you think will make the list?

#backpackEurope participants - are you lucky enough to be in France?

A mini challenge has been posted on the blog challenge page. Instructions a bit too long to post here so Check it out — https://thereadersroom.org/summer-2018-reading-challenge-backpack-across-europe/

I know this book gets tons of critical acclaim but if you need to essentially read a literary analysis to understand it then that‘s a problem.

Very meta. Told as two separate novellas and a coda, 90% of this went over my head. I didn‘t understand how the two novellas were connected until I read the reviews. Story 1 is a relationship between a young woman, Alice, & an older writer (inspired by the author‘s relation with Philip Roth). Story 2 👇🏼

Creativity points: This week there were so many great posts that it was virtually impossible to pick winners. This week‘s winners are...

@hilded for creativity in the face of being stuck. Honorable mention (but no points) goes to @Hunsakermountain

@mabell who updated here and on her blog. You can see her posts here: http://www.graymyrtle.com/book-blog/2...

Congrats ladies! Hilde and Mabell you both get 1 extra point.

I just finished this book while sitting at my daughter‘s gymnastics practice and I‘m a mess. We follow 12 Native American characters as they all prepare for and attend a Powwow. All characters have different reasons for going all reflect different perspectives of the urban indigenous community.

It‘s brilliant and heartbreaking and one of the best books I‘ve read this year.

❤️💜💚

#backpackEurope Weather/event delay: Monaco and Turkey

I don‘t think anyone is in either of these two places but if you are, you will be delayed for a week. These are now blackout locations for the week so if you wish to visit them, you must wait until next Monday.

Traveler delays: please check blog. I can‘t tag people yet. Bookandcat and Parzival are delayed this week.

This week‘s travel Hub: Italy #backpackEurope

Turns out Italian airlines are having a massive sale. If you arrive here before the end of the week, you will be able to buy a discounted air travel ticket to any European country you wish.

Loving this book so far

Here‘s a shot of the full quilt I posted about earlier. Gifted to my father-in-law for his medical work on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the 1970s. The colors appear a bit faded in this photo bc my bedroom was dark. The colors are much more vibrant in person. Also the quilt is huge. Fits a king size bed

We are the memories we don‘t remember...

I‘m only on the prologue but I‘m already crying

Next up...
The quilt underneath was made by Oglala Lakota people in the 1970s and gifted to my father-in-law who worked for several years on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation as a pediatrician. We have a collection of beautiful quilts that were given to my in-laws.

I really enjoyed this book and the way the author captures the lives, relationships, and experiences of gay men in Britain over a 70+ year span. The writing is amazing and while the plot does drag in a few places, I still loved it.

Book is decided into 5 sections (section 1 is by far the best) and each section jumps ahead about 10 years to follow the Sparsholt family.

Trying to cram in a few more books before I make my 2018 Man Booker longlist predictions. Each year on the blog our panel of judges reads and reviews the entire longlist. But before we begin we make predictions on which books will make it.

Do you think this one will make the longlist? I‘m only a few chapters in. Monday we post our predictions

Thank you so much to the amazing @Avanders for this fab package #penpals.

I‘m so excited about everything. I love it so much!! @JenlovesJT47

Special event alert: Ghent festival!

#backpackEurope participants. If you are currently in Belgium or will be there before the end of the week, you will get to attend the Ghent festival, a giant street party with music and performances.
🔹The challenge: create and post a playlist for your Belgium book. Must contain at least 7 songs.
🔹Points: you will earn 2 extra points for successfully completing it.

https://gentsefeesten.stad.gent/nl

So many feelings about this book. Some moments of sheer brilliance, many moments that have brought tears to my eyes, and yet lots of moments of that have required me to push through feelings of boredom.

The sections on mother-daughter relations and moving from being a child to a parent are so spot on that they leave me emotional.

Anyone want any/all of these books?

And I‘m off to Ireland with the tagged book. #backpackEurope

Creativity points for #backpackEurope

So it was pretty difficult (nearly impossible) to pick this week‘s winners because you have all been really creative. This week‘s winners are:
The other Diane (playing on Goodreads). Check out her travel posts here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/19373257-the-other-diane-s-european-1001-to...
@Simona
Congrats! You have both earned 1 extra point this week!

Two countries are blacked out this week (July 9-15): Sweden and Russia.

If you are located in one of these two countries, you may finish your book but you may not leave the country until July 16. If you adjacent to these countries, you may not travel to or through them until July 16

#backpackEurope

#backpackEurope
Ooh, bad luck has struck two of our travelers. Sometime during the last day your passport has gone missing. You can each create the details. Now you‘re stuck in your current location for the next week. You may finish your current book but you can not move on to your next destination until next Monday the 16th.

So enjoy your current location since you‘ll be here for a while. @Hunsakermountain . 😢

Travel Hub for next week will be Bulgaria. This means if you arrive in Bulgaria before the end of the week, you may fly out to any other country in Europe.

I don‘t think anyone is currently there but a few people are in the vicinity. #backpackEurope

Clearly there is something wrong with me bc I actually liked this book. The writing is brilliant, the plot is very disturbing but gripping, the characters are challenging, and the ending is very strange.

I did have to skim through some parts that were too graphic and upsetting for me to read - animal cruelty. Read this for Scotland #backpackEurope

And now I‘m off to Ireland, hopefully with a more pleasant book

#backpackEurope participants

Just an FYI: to get landmark points either myself or @BookwormM must approve your landmark-book link. Just tag us in your posts and give us enough info to help us determine if it‘s a strong enough link and we will either approve or decline.

This book is supposed to be dystopia-esque but feels a tad too real.