ŷ������

Team 3 - Serial Slayers

Captain: D.L.
Olawuyi
Shelby
Truitt_T




Bonus Points:
Earned: 4
Used: 0

Helpful Links:

Dice Roll: (1 die on Thursdays & Sundays, US Central Time)
R13 SSS Post Your Spot
R13 SSS Discussion Thread

Time Zone Converter:

ALTERNATE LIST:
**titles exclude leading articles (a, an, the)


1. Set in a Fictional Location/Universe
2. Title 'F'
3. Author 'L'
4. Cover: Blue
5. Cover Item: Umbrella/Parasol
6. Title 'B'
7. Published 2016-2019
8. Originally published in a language other than English
9. GR average rating >4.0
10. Female Author
11. Cover: White
12. Less than 100 ratings
13. Author 'D'
14. Title 'T'
15. Cover Item: Hat/Helmet/Other Headwear
16. Book that a teammate rated 5 stars
17. Title 'J'
18. Author uses a pseudonym
19. Set anytime between 1600-1837
20. Author 'I'
21. Cover: Red
22. Australia
23. Cover Item: Dress
24. Set in the future
25. New to You Author
26. Cover: Purple
27. Book with a funeral in it
28. Debut Novel or Debut Author
29. Cover: Black
30. Author 'S'
31. Published 2020
32. Cover Item: Sun/Moon
33. Cover: Yellow/Gold
34. Non-Fiction
35. Cover Item: Food/Drink
36. Author 'B'
37. Set on an island
38. MC is in their 20's
39. Title 'G'
40. Published 2021
41. Title 'L'
42. Author 'H'
43. Romance
44. Two Word Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) Deadly Silence, The Hunger Games
45. Mystery/Thriller
46. Cover Item: One person
47. Africa
48. MC is older than 60
49. Cover Item: Building
50. Author 'M'
51. Seasonal Theme (i.e Christmas, Halloween etc)
52. Published before 1950
53. Cover: Pink
54. Published 2011-2015
55. Fantasy
56. Author 'O'
57. MC has a pet
58. Cover Item: Animal
59. Book to Movie/TV (must state how book qualifies: listopia, imdb, precis)
60. Cover Item: Hands/Arms/Feet/Legs (no other body parts visible)
61. Published 2001-2010
62. One Word Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) The Witness or Divergent
63. Cover Item: Book
64. Favorite Author
65. LGBTQ+
66. Author 'R'
67. Cover: Brown
68. Set sometime before 1600 AD
69. Four or More Words Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
70. Author uses their middle name/initial (e.g. Robert J. Sawyer, Rita Mae Brown)
71. Title 'Z'
72. Author 'W'
73. Asia
74. Cover: Green
75. Title has a subtitle
76. Cover Item: Mode of Transportation
77. Title 'C'
78. Book with a wedding in it
79. South America
80. Cover Item: Weapon
81. Europe
82. Award Winner (must state which/when)
83. Set in a place you've visited
84. Cover Item: Two or more people
85. School/College/University
86. Cover Item: Water
87. Title 'N'
88. Cover: Orange
89. Set in space
90. Cover Item: Lamp/Candle
91. Title 'E'
92. Three Word Title (excludes articles like A, An, The) Behind Closed Doors or Etched in Bone
93. Author 'F'
94. North America
95. Published the year you were born
96. Cover Item: Jewelry
97. Author 'Y'
98. Several authors
99. Set anytime between 1837-1901
100. MC travels by train
101. Number in the Title (Third Grave Dead Ahead or Every Fifteen Minutes)
102. Title 'G'
103. Young Adult/New Adult
104. MC has at least one child
105. Published between 1950 and 1999
106. Cover Item: Furniture
107. Male Author
108. Author 'P'
109. Science Fiction
110. Title 'V'
111. MC travels by airplane

A couple of things to keep in mind:

�� Communication is key. Please make sure to check in regularly with your team.

�� Let your team know if it looks like you won't get your review posted by Wednesday/Saturday, 11:59pm. You do have all of Thursday/Sunday to submit your review, but it can be intensely frustrating for your captain if they don't know when or if they can expect your review before the deadline.

�� If you know beforehand that you won't be able to read and review a book during a certain period of time, you can request a pre-arranged absence from me, either by posting the request in the discussion thread or by sending me a pm. The request has to be submitted before the team rolls for the time period in question, can only be approved by me as the mod in charge of running the game, and has to state a reason for the absence. (Reasons for pre-arranged absences can include e.g. going on vacation or work trips, planned hospital stays, exam period, etc.)

�� If you do not have a pre-arranged absence and won't be able to finish your book in time for an unforeseen reason, please let your team know as soon as possible. If the team has earned the free pass, it can be used to cover the missing review. Without a free pass, the team has to sit out the next roll.

�� We all know that real life gets in the way sometimes, be it through family emergencies, work emergencies, natural disasters, technical problems making it impossible to get online, or in other ways. That being said, please do keep in mind that this is a team challenge and your team relies on you to do your part unless an emergency occurs.

�� If you find that the pressure of keeping up with the pace of the game gets too much for you or you wish to stop playing for any other reason, you can drop out of the challenge at any time. In that case, please let your team captain and/or me know that you wish to drop out rather than just disappearing without a word so your team won't be penalized when you fail to turn in your review. Thank you!


Captain's Handbook

�� The team's captain is its chief organizer. This includes rolling the dice, posting the team's new spot to the team thread and the Post Your Spot thread, collecting links to team members' review posts in a single post to be linked in the Post Your Spot thread, doublechecking that books and review posts comply with requirements, reminding team members to post their reviews in time if necessary, etc.

�� The captain may delegate some tasks, such as rolling and posting the new spot to the team thread, to another team member if they so choose. (Either a designated roller who fulfills this role for every roll, or whichever team member is online first once rolling is possible.) Collecting reviews into a single post and posting to the Post Your Spot thread should always be handled by the captain.

�� Instead of having everything handled by a single team captain, teams can also choose two co-captains to handle the workload.

�� Selection posts are not strictly required by the game's rules and I won't be checking for them. It's up to the team captain to decide whether they want them.

�� If the team captain requests a pre-arranged absence, it's their responsibility to arrange for another team member to step in as temporary captain.

�� The team captain is my primary point of contact for the team and should allow receiving private messages.

Checking in. Hi, everybody! I am excited to play. I've done the SS version before and had a blast. I am willing to be captain but only IF no one else wants to be lol :)

Hey everyone. :) I'm definitely planning on trying to use this to move some of my series along. I've got quite a few started. Definitely have goals this year to clear out some of my backlog. Looking forward to playing with all of you!

Shelby wrote: "Hey everyone. :) I'm definitely planning on trying to use this to move some of my series along. I've got quite a few started. Definitely have goals this year to clear out some of my backlog. Lookin..."

Hey, Shelby!! I have many series' started too. Hopefully this will help all of us lol

Oh, and does anyone have any cool team name ideas? All I could come up with was "Serial Slayers" lol

Serial Slayers is pretty good!

This is my first time playing both SS and SSS, and I'm really looking forward to it.

I was only going to play SS, but broke down today to fill one of the two open slots for SSS. Apparently, I have no to will to resist....

I rather not be Captain.

Hi, Truitt. You're brave to do both!! :)

D.L. wrote: "Hi, Truitt. You're brave to do both!! :)"

Hmmm...I'm not certain brave is the word, lol.

Unless Olawuyi checks in soon and wants to be Captain, I think you'd better plan on it, D.L.

I'll be captain, no worries. I did try to friend Olawuyi though so I could message them & remind them about this challenge starting Thursday :)

Denise is asking for our Captain and team name. I'm good with your suggestion of Serial Slayers.

Shelby - do you have a suggestion?

And I just want to be sure I get the timing on this - D.L., you'll roll for us anytime after 12am (CT) on Thursday, and post the roll here on the thread (and on another, Captain type thread). We need to get our book read and posted asap, so you can roll again Sunday, 12am CT.

Is there a particular time you want us to be finished by on Saturdays and Wednesdays? Do we need to make Selection Posts?

Thanks!

Good questions! Please - if at all possible - try to submit your completion posts on Wednesdays & Saturdays by 10:00pm (CT). That would be most ideal though I understand that will not always be possible, of course.

Selection posts would be very helpful, though I am not requiring it.

Oh, and I'll be around to roll tonight right at 12am CT time lol I'll make a special post.

D.L. wrote: "Oh, and I'll be around to roll tonight right at 12am CT time lol I'll make a special post."

Did we let Denise know you're our Captain and out team name?

^^ I just did, and I messaged Olawuyi to remind them about the challenge :)

Roll One

We got a 3.

You can read the third book in a series -OR- Author 'L' (that means the author's first name starts with an L or last name does)

Yay. Let's do this!

Selection Post

Week 1
Spot 3

Book: Twelve by Lauren Myracle
Pages: 202
How it Fits: #3 in series / Author L

Bonus point 1

Looks like I'm checking in a little late. Thank you for reaching out D.L.

SELECTION POST
Week 1;Roll 1;Spot 3

Book: Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
Pages: 256
How it Fits: #3 in Hercule Poirot series

Selection Post

Week 1
Spot 3

Book: Lord of Ravens by Amelia Faulkner
Pages: 406
How It Fits: Third book in the Inheritance series.

Olawuyi wrote: "Looks like I'm checking in a little late. Thank you for reaching out D.L."

You're welcome. Glad you're here with us :)

Here is the bonus points info.

BONUS POINTS:

�� One point can be earned for reading three or more books in a series.
�� One point can be earned for reading a book with >500 pages.
�� One point can be earned for starting and finishing a series. There must be at least 4 books in that series. Series + spin-off totalling ��4 books also counts. For series with >9 books, point will be awarded for reading books 1-9. For still ongoing series, all books published to date (OR up to #9 in longer series) must be read.~ No re-reads on this one.
�� 2 in 1: One point can be earned for reading a book that fits both the series number and the alternate for the spot you are on.
�� One point can be earned for never picking a book from the alternate list. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
�� Valentine's Bonus: One point can be earned for reading a Romance book for the roll on 02/13.
NOTE:
�� Each point can only be earned once per team.
�� The series-specific bonus points (3 or more books/ starting and finishing a series) must be two different series OR the same series read by two different players.
�� Single book bonuses (>500 pages/ Valentine's/ 2 in 1) may overlap with a series bonus.

SELECTION POST

Week 1
Spot 3

Book: First Lady
Pages: 384
How it Fits: #3 in Wynette, Texas

Just a quick reminder of what an acceptable completion post looks like: /topic/show/...

Please don't kill me, D.L., but I think I'm going to have to change my pick for the first roll. I'm juggling another Challenge, and to garuntee that I finish in a timely manner, I'll be better off swapping books - just in case.

How would you like me to do it? Strike through the oringinal post and make a new one or edit the first post?

Thanks!

Truitt_T wrote: "Please don't kill me, D.L., but I think I'm going to have to change my pick for the first roll. I'm juggling another Challenge, and to garuntee that I finish in a timely manner, I'll be better off ..."

No killing necessary, you can change the book anytime you want. All that matters is you have a book complete when it's time to roll again lol You can just edit your post :)

😁��🏻

Completion Post:

Week 1, Roll 1
Spot: 3


Book: Twelve by Lauren Myracle
How It Fits: #3 in series / Author L
Finished: 1/21/22
Rating: 4 stars

1 Bonus Point

Review:
This is the third book in the middle grade series The Winnie Years by Lauren Myracle, and honestly, it's the best one of the books I've read so far. It's very realistic and Lauren doesn't shy away from addressing issues that really interest kids at this age - like getting your period or wondering about sex and all that good stuff. She even uses the word 'vagina' which you wouldn't expect to find in a children's book but that let's be realistic is peppered in a lot of real-life children's daily dialogue.

I find that Winnie is a really relatable character. She's good and mostly kind but has her moments of being bratty and rude and insecure, like we all do. Lauren doesn't talk down to her audience and I like her humor. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next one. This series has languished on my TBR for too many years and now feels like a great time to finally tackle it.

I should be able to finish my book when I get home from work tonight. I'm about halfway through at this point. :) I've got a session with my acting coach, but after that I have a free evening and my book is all I intend to focus on. :D

Shelby wrote: "I should be able to finish my book when I get home from work tonight. I'm about halfway through at this point. :) I've got a session with my acting coach, but after that I have a free evening and m..."

You're an actor? Sooo cool! That's awesome.

Week 1, Roll 1 Tracking Post

D.L. - msg. 33
Olawuyi - msg. 41
Shelby - msg. 38
Truitt_T - msg. 36

Shelby wrote: "I should be able to finish my book when I get home from work tonight. I'm about halfway through at this point. :) I've got a session with my acting coach, but after that I have a free evening and m..."

An acting coach? I'm jealous! I'm an actor, too, of sorts - but not a professional, I'm afraid. Community Theatre is my gig. I sit on a board, work tech and front of house, and am onstage a few times year. I've got one, possibly two, auditions coming up.

Do you work on tv, film, stage?

Completion Post
Week 1, Roll 1
Spot 3

Book: Thrown to the Wolves by Charlie Adhara
How It Fits: Book #3 in the Big Bad Wolf series.
Completed: 1/21/2022
Rating: 5 stars
Bonus: none

Review:

I only recently discovered the BIg Bad Wolf series and I love it. Book three, Thrown to the Wolves is no exception. Cooper and his boyfriend and former work partner Oliver, head to Cape Breton for a funeral; Oliver's grandfather has died. Cooper hasn't met any of Oliver's family, and now he'll be meeting the whole pack of them, quite literally - Oliver and his family are werewolves. And Cooper, most definitely, is not.

[*book:Thrown to the Wolves|42282304]

Alright, friends! We're doing great so far. Keep it up :)

Week 1 - Roll 1
Spot 3

First Lady by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

How Fits: #3 in Wynette, Texas

Read: (1/22)

Rating: ★★★★

In reading this story I realized I must have read it back in high school as well as the storyline was familiar though I remembered very little in the way of details. Honestly Lucy is the entire reason to read this book. She's such a kick ass spunky kid whose been dealt a bad hand and she's determined to find the best way out of things. I loved seeing her spar with Mat and not back down to him no matter what. Nealy and Mat's relationship was predictable in a lot of ways. Both of them were going to keep their secrets until they couldn't any more and each of their secrets was going to implode things for the other. You can't have a story about an on the run First Lady and a journalist without that collision coming.

Still for all its' predictability this was still a really solid story with lovely writing. I don't read as many pure traditional romance novels anymore, but this one has just enough spunk to keep things interesting in spite of the instalove that stretches the bounds of my believability.

Truitt_T wrote: "Shelby wrote: "I should be able to finish my book when I get home from work tonight. I'm about halfway through at this point. :) I've got a session with my acting coach, but after that I have a fre..."

Yep. I had a session with my coach to work on some new sides that I want to use for a manager workshop this weekend that I'm doing. I live out in LA and I'm an actor and producer. Most of the work I've done has been in the realm of independent film in recent years, but I started out on the stage. :) Of course the pandemic has made everything more difficult, but I'm really hoping this year will have things picking back up. The problem in the independent world from a producer's standpoint is the extra cost that covid protocols add into any production, and when you're already trying to produce a movie on a minuscule budget those costs can be completely debilitating. While the studio level can absorb those costs easier, us independent filmmakers can really struggle to find investors. But fingers crossed the film my partners and I have been working on will actually be able to shoot this spring.

And Truitt, good for you! That's awesome. In my opinion that still makes you an actor. You do the work, put in the time, and dedicate yourself to being on stage. You don't have to be paid in front of a big audience to be an actor. The only thing that's different is the scale. It's a hard business no matter what level you're trying to make things work at. So crush those auditions!

Alright, Team! We just need one more review and we'll be good to go.

COMPLETION POST
Week 1;Roll 1;Spot 3

Book: Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
How It Fits: Book #3 in the Hercule Poirot Series
Completed: 23/01/2022
Rating: ⭐⭐��
Bonus: none

Review:

This is an Agatha Christie story, so it's definitely beautiful one. This book is a collection of eleven short stories of cases quickly solved by the beautiful detective Hercule Poirot. I am not a fan of short stories, so it might have affected how much I liked this story but I think I enjoyed it.

I started to the Hercule Poirot series last year and just stopped for a while. I love Agatha Christie so much, but I know her style of writing takes some getting used to. It's a good book all the same.

Roll Two

We rolled a 6 putting us at spot #9. YAY.

That means we need to read the 9th book in a series or a book with a GR average rating >4.0.

Good luck!

Also, friends, if ever I'm running behind for some reason and don't get to roll right away, I delegate any of you to roll for me in my absence, so we don't have to wait on me :)

Selection Post

Roll 2
Spot 9

Book:
Pages: 153
How it Fits: #9 in Hardy Boys Case Files series

SELECTION POST
Week 1;Roll 2;Spot 9

Book: Divine in Lingerie by Penelope Sky
Pages: 210
How it Fits: #9 in Lingerie Series

Shelby wrote: "Truitt_T wrote: "Shelby wrote: "I should be able to finish my book when I get home from work tonight. I'm about halfway through at this point. :) I've got a session with my acting coach, but after ..."

I can only imagine the difficulties in filming during the pandemic. We've had a tough time at the theatre - over a year of no productions with an audience. First we postponed, then we canceled - then we switched to productions we could stream. Not much money coming in, but at least we kept our name out there and kept at least some of our volunteers busy. We are truly fortunate to be ok financially - I know many community and professional theatres are not. We received a large, unencumbered bequest just before all this got started, and our artistic director did a great job finding grant money for us. The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, for example, really helped. We're back to in person performances, but you wouldn't believe the battle over the precautions at least some of us wanted to take. What a mess.

I'm a good community theatre actor and I'm fortunate to be cast more often than not when I audition. That said, I'm not particularly confident about the two options coming up. The show I really want to do - Enchanted April: Acting Edition - is a tricky fit for me. I work, but only if the other auditioners hit the higher end of the age ranges. On the other hand, The Roommate (which auditions first, of course) is an easier fit, but one of the two parts has already been cast> So who knows? It won't break my heart if I'm not cast.

TMI - sorry, lol.

My fingers are crossed for a spring shoot for your production.

Selection Post
Week 1 - Roll 2
Spot 9

Book: Just a Bit Gay by Alessandra Hazard
Pages: 155
How It Fits: This is book #9 in the Straight Guys series.

[*book:Just a Bit Gay|55218523]

I have a sneaky suspicion thais book will be dreadful....

Completion Post
Week 1 - Roll 2
Spot 9

Book: Just a Bit Gay by Alessandra Hazard
Completed: 1/25/2022
How It Fits: This is book #9 in the Straight Guys series.
Rating: 🌟🌟
Review: This series is very hit or miss for me. I haven’t absolutely loved any of the books, but I’ve liked most of them with a few duds. I had a feeling that Just a Bit Gay would be at the dud end of the spectrum, and I was right.

Many reviewers have had an issue with the kink portrayed. The kink itself is not my issue - no kink shaming here! I think what bothered me is that is supposed to be a BFF situation that turns sexual - ultimately a GFY (or Bi) scenario. However, there isn’t enough time given to establishing the friendship and the personalities of the two MCs. What starts off as a dual POV becomes a single point of view - Tyler’s - which makes Nick’s behavior a bit murky. Is Nick indulging in what he thinks Tyler wants, or is he being manipulative and cruel? I remember Nick from another book in the series and he comes across as a nice guy. In this one, he often seems mean - not entirely without justification, as Tyler would try the patience of a saint. Dual POV throughout the story would have cleared up some of my uncertainty, but I’m not sure even that would have saved the book.

[*book:Just a Bit Gay|55218523]

Week 1, Roll 2 Tracking Post

D.L. - msg. 53
Olawuyi - msg. 54
Shelby - msg. 58
Truitt_T - msg. 48

Truitt_T wrote: "Shelby wrote: "Truitt_T wrote: "Shelby wrote: "I should be able to finish my book when I get home from work tonight. I'm about halfway through at this point. :) I've got a session with my acting co..."

Never TMI! I love hearing about other actors and what they're up to. Especially when it's been so rough for people. I was just happy to get through the workshop I was doing last night with the casting director really happy with my work. Fingers crossed the relationship I'm building there will eventually lead to some auditions down the road.