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Laissez les bon temps rouler! It's Mardi Gras time!

This week, your Krewe is going to work together to collect beads for Mardi Gras. Each bead has a set of prompts that must be completed, as well as a required pendant that you can earn from reading and listening to books.

YOUR KREWE:
CAPTAIN: Sheena
CAPTAIN: JennH
Ira
Ellie
Kat
Anna
Camilla
Joi

PURPLE
- Earn one pendant
- A book with purple on the cover
- A book in which a character gets justice
- A book written by an author whose first or last initial is found in NOLA
- A book that is "spicy"
- A book whose main character's name starts with a letter in MARDI GRAS

GREEN
- Earn one pendant
- A book with green on the cover
- A book set in (or written in) the 18th century
- A book whose cover shows a source of light
- A book where the outdoors plays a significant role
- A book featuring a character who is overcoming a life or death struggle

GOLD
- Earn one pendant
- A book with gold on the cover
- A book set in France
- A book featuring a king or queen
- A book featuring someone who wins at something
- A book with a family drama

PINK
- Earn one pendant
- A book with pink on the cover
- A book that includes a dance or ball
- A book where someone goes to a hotel
- A book in which a character plays a musical instrument
- A love story

SILVER
- Earn one pendant
- A book with silver on the cover
- A book related to mythology
- A book whose cover has someone wearing jewelry
- A book in which a character cooks a meal
- A book with a character whose name starts with a letter in SILVER

BLACK
- Earn one pendant
- A book with black on the cover
- A book that has a food item on the cover
- A book where alcohol is featured
- A book whose main character breaks a law
- A book whose title begins with a letter in BLACK

BLUE
- Earn one pendant
- A book with blue on the cover
- A book set in the southern US
- A book where someone travels to another state/country
- A book with a body of water on cover
- A book whose author has a first or last name starting with a letter in BLUE

Your Team's Spreadsheet:
To learn more about Mardi Gras krewes, check out this page on the New Orleans krewes:

Hellooo, Krewe of Bacchaus! What a fun theme! Welcome. Excited to be reading with you all this coming week!

I'm afraid I will not be around on Day 1, February 10th. I will be here in spirit. But I will definitely be around the rest of the readathon to help, support and cheer you on.

I love seeing the familiar names. 👋🏼 And to those I haven't met before, a big Hi! to you all!

Hi all!
This will be fun. It will also be my first readathon so you will have to be my guides for a bit. Looking forward to read-meet you all.

Hey team! I'm currently reading Jumpnauts and Womb City and will likely have enough left tomorrow to use them for the readathon.

Hiya teaml! Mardi Gras & beads & Bacchaus ... love it all!!
I went to Nola for a week during Mardi Gras many years ago and I drag out my collection of beads every year for a little family dinner party with po' boys & beignets & etouffee & king cake! I am here for it ALL.

Hey JennH ... I'm around all day tomorrow, enjoy your day.

Welcome Anna, we always have so much fun during readathons. just give a shout if you have questions or need help with the anything.

Ellie, Nice, that's a fantastic start. I love the first day or two when everyone is wrapping up books and flooding the spreadsheet with updates :D

I'm almost done House of Sky and Breath (reread) before I jump into Flame and Shadow ... then I'll start picking books to fill prompts. Off to make some plans now,

Hi everyone, it's great to be back for another readathon. I know almost nothing about Mardi Gras but it will be fun to learn.

I have my first few reads planned out based on what's due back at the library and what's needed for the regular ATY prompts. Luckily they match up to a few prompts.

Sheena wrote: "po' boys & beignets & etouffee & king cake! I am here for it ALL..."

I have never eaten any of these things. I think I know what a beignet is, it's a bit like a donut right? And Emily made the king cake sound amazing!

Hi everyone!
I am so happy to be in a team - this is my first team challenge in many years (I used to do them a lot in other groups), and I'm really excited :)

I have sadly never been to Mardi Gras, but love NOLA and am very keen to read with you all!

May I ask where everyone is from?

And a technical question: how do we choose amongst ourselves which prompt we should do? Just pick one or should we try and coordinate? I am fine with either :)

Ellie wrote: "Sheena wrote: "po' boys & beignets & etouffee & king cake! I am here for it ALL..."

I have never eaten any of these things. I think I know what a beignet is, it's a bit like a donut right? And Emi..."

Exactly! cut into square, rather than the usual circle but yah, just a plain donut dusted with powdered sugar.

I didn't realize that King cake could come in so many flavours . I've only had cinnamon but now I want to try them all.

Camilla wrote: "Hi everyone!
I am so happy to be in a team - this is my first team challenge in many years (I used to do them a lot in other groups), and I'm really excited :)..."

Hi Camilla! I live in the south of England. Our weather is miserable right now so I'm sure I'll have plenty of time for reading!

If you check out the spreadsheet in the first post, there will be a planning tab. You can see what everyone's reading and where they think it fits. When I finish a book I'll tend to put it against the prompt that has the least options. The team leaders can always move books around if they think a book would work better for a different prompt.

I'm in Yorkshire in the North of England. We've gone from snow to rain so it's perfect weather to stay inside and read.

I usually wait until I've finished a book and then see where it fits best on the spreadsheet. Later in the week if there is a prompt that no one is covering I'll try and find something that fits. And if a book doesn't fit the prompts the pages still count towards making pendants.

Great, thank you for answering, that makes good sense!

I forgot to say that I am in Rome, where the weather is quite sunny if not warm, but I'm originally from Denmark, so I know all about cloudy skies :)

Welcome Camilla,
How wonderful to have you jumping back into readathons with us!

Kat and Ellie and have given you great advice, I tend to do the same. The spreadsheet can be a bit overwhelming at first but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time. Feel free to post here if you want help deciding which prompts to choose but don't worry too much about a perfect pick because Jenn and I will have a look later in the week and swap things around if needed. If you have any questions at all, just let us know.

Also, remember that if your current book has at least 100 pages left at the start of the challenge, you can use it for a prompt (and whatever pages you read starting tomorrow morning) Many of us often pause a book at just over 100 pages left in order to squeeze in a few more books.

I live in Ontario, Canada. We typically have lots of snow and are around -15C/5F at this time of year but currently are having a wonderfully, warm, sunny spell. It's 10C / 50F which is crazy.

It's cool to realize that its 1pm here (EST) and 6pm for Kat and Ellie. I just had lunch, you are probably doing dinner :D

Where are you from, Camilla?

Camilla wrote: "Great, thank you for answering, that makes good sense!

I forgot to say that I am in Rome, where the weather is quite sunny if not warm, but I'm originally from Denmark, so I know all about cloudy ..."

Crossed post!! So you're even a little later than than England.
I've still got half a work day left ... \sigh\ ... so ready for the weekend.

I am in Sweden and we woke up this morning to a fresh layer of snow. So around 7.30 pm here right now.

I have a question regarding the prompts. I will read most books in Swedish. Can I then use the title prompts for the title of the Swedish title if that fits eventhough there is an English version that might not fit. Fot example I am reading The Blue between water and sky now but the Swedish title is Det blå mellan himmel och hav. For the title prompts (if it would fit) should I then use the title of the edition I am reading or and of them?
Did that question make any sense?

Anna wrote: "I am in Sweden and we woke up this morning to a fresh layer of snow. So around 7.30 pm here right now.

I have a question regarding the prompts. I will read most books in Swedish. Can I then use th..."

Hi Anna, great to have you on the team!
Your questions totally makes sense. I'm going to check with the mods because I don't remember seeing that asked before.

I went to NOLA years ago for a company thing. Unfortunately not during Mardi Gras. But it was arranged that we had our own "little" parade in the French Quarter. Loads of fun! Po' boys and beignets were delish but didn't have a chance to try king cake or etouffee. I'm sure I missed out!

@Anna - Welcome to the readathons! Feel free to ask any questions you might have and we'll try our best to answer them. Everyone's usually so helpful during the readathons. You've already gotten excellent advice so far.

@Ellie - Awesome! My personal preference to finish my books before readathon - just the way my brain is wired, liking a clean start. But I love seeing the spreadsheet fill up in the beginning.

@Sheena - Thanks! I hope to still get in some audiobook time while in the car. Hope to pop in at the end of the day! And it sounds like such a fun time at your house.

I'm on the East Coast in the US. This is so neat! We have quite the international Krewe going here! Love it!

We're having a bit of a warm spell here, too. So odd for this time of year. And of course, to keep us on our toes, we're expecting snow next week....

Sheena wrote: "Anna wrote: "I am in Sweden and we woke up this morning to a fresh layer of snow. So around 7.30 pm here right now.

I have a question regarding the prompts. I will read most books in Swedish. Can ..."

I don't think I've come across this before either. I hope the response is that both or either can be used.

that would be my guess/hope. I feel like it's similar to using different editions for cover prompts but I didn't want to assume and get it wrong!? I feel like anyone fluent enough to read in multiple languages should get a some props. I asked on the FAQ and will report back here with answer when we get one.

Hi everyone, new to the team and it's the tenth.! I have a ton of books to get through.

Good morning all! It is the morning of the 10th. Off we go! Saturday mornings is pancake breakfast in this house sinne the kids were little but they still want it, 15 and 13 (going on 16 and 14) years old. As the years has passed I have found a way to read at the same time as making them��.

Hi team. So fun to read with you... I have to go out and do some shopping for a couple of hours, after that I am ready to start reading. I am in Norway and there is snow here as well.

Good morning everyone and happy reading!

I've got some practical things to do as well today, but will have my audiobook going for most of it.

It's extremely overcast and windy here (very unusual), so I am taking it as a sign from the universe that I should stay in and just read 😂

Anna wrote: "I am in Sweden and we woke up this morning to a fresh layer of snow. So around 7.30 pm here right now.

I have a question regarding the prompts. I will read most books in Swedish. Can I then use th..."

Reply from the mods: you should use whichever version you read

Welcome Joi and Ira!!

Ana, breakfast sound delicious!! Reading and cooking is impressive, love it,

Camilla, sometimes those are my favourite kind of days! cant go out so might as well just read. :D

I've been reading this morning, going to finish my coffee while reading a bit more. Then I'm off for a quick shop at our Asian market for supplies for our Lunar New Year dinner. I'll switch over to audio for drive and shop, then back for more & reading puttering ... laundry is just never ending . Happy reading everyone

Sheena wrote: "Anna wrote: "I am in Sweden and we woke up this morning to a fresh layer of snow. So around 7.30 pm here right now.

I have a question regarding the prompts. I will read most books in Swedish. Can ..."

Thanks then I know. Then I will change to the Swedish title in the spreadsheet and the English in parenthesis so it is not all a lot of gibberish for you :-)

Hi team,
I finished my first book of the readathon! It was pretty short, but really good: Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo.

I'm sorry I still don't entirely understand where on the spreadsheet I should add this book as it can fit for several prompts:
- author with first initial found in NOLA
- cover with source of light (candles)
- related to mythology
- black on the cover

Nightmare, popped out for a few things, hit a massive pothole on the way back which destroyed a tyre. Spent ages stood on the side of a busy road waiting for the AA. At least the police turned up to stop us getting squished. People drive like maniacs! And we weren't the only car waiting for recovery on that bit if road.

And I did not have my book with me!

Hope everyone had a great first day! Our spreadsheet has gotten off to a good start! I managed to get in an audiobook and a book (both very short.) I've colored coded what has been completed so far. I went with purple as that's the first pendant color but if it's difficult to see or unpleasant to the eye, please let me know and I'll change it.

Welcome to the Krewe, Joi and Ira! You can hop over to the team spreadsheet to add your book info. If you'd rather we do it, just post here and we'll gladly update the spreadsheet for you!

@Anna - That's such a sweet tradition you have with your teens! And I'm amazed at your talent of reading and cooking at the same time!

@Camilla - I'm a believer in signs. I'm glad you followed it and finished the first book for the readathon! I've updated the spreadsheet and slotted your book in for mythology as we currently did not have any other book possibilities. I've been reading The Singing Hills Cycle series, too. Mammoth at the Gates is next for me. I'm hoping to get around to it myself for this readathon.

@Sheena - Wait, you do Mardi Gras and Lunar New Year meals?!? Do you do theme nights? How fun!

@Ellie - Yikes! That really stinks! Potholes are the worst! I hope they do something quickly with the road if that many people are damaging their cars there. And I'm sorry you didn't have a book to pass time.

Oh, and I noticed that Play for Me has been slotted for a book with green on cover. Which is great. But I don't see it on the Plans or Completed tab. Having it there will help us have a complete picture of what prompts we've fulfilled and what we still need to work on. Feel free to post here if you rather we update the spreadsheet for you. I just want to make sure it's not another team member accidentally adding their books onto our spreadsheet. 😉

JennH wrote: "Oh, and I noticed that Play for Me has been slotted for a book with green on cover. Which is great. But I don't see it on the Plans or Completed tab. Having it there will help us ha..."

I'm the one that added Play for Me. And I added my name to the spreadsheet.

My Saturday ended up being really busy so I didn't finish anything but I got some pages read which I've added to the first tab.

I haven’t finished a book as of yet but added my pages to the spreadsheet.
Today is mostly a homeday so hopefully will be able to get more pages in. Cloudy and grey outdoors

Good morning team, and happy Sunday!
I don't know if any of you are in to American football, but if you are: Happy Superbowl Sunday!
Despite being European, my husband and I have been following the NFL for the last 20 odd years, and despite Superbowl being literally in the middle of the night here, we celebrate in full style with lots of food! :)
So that is what I will be doing today - cooking and listening to my audiobook.

I finished another book last night, and finally figured out the spreadsheet :D I apparently missed a bunch of the tabs!

What are your Sunday plans? (other than reading)

Happy Superbowl Sunday! I'm a UK NFL fan. The game starts at 11.30pm so I'll probably try and get a nap in at some point so I can make it through the night. I just realised I don't have any snacks so I'll need to run to the shops at some point to stock up.

I finished my first book this morning and will spend some more time this afternoon reading.

@Ellie, that's the worst! Glad everyone is okay and hope you have a relaxing Sunday to make up for yesterday

Jenn, I will celebrate and make food for any occasion! I love following the weird & obscure holidays and have a little party as often as I can. Today is National latte day!! why ? who says? I have no idea but I'm having one :D

Happy Superbowl!! Who are you cheering for? We go to a party every year but I'm just there for the food and fun. Last year my shirt read "Yay Team Go Sports" which pretty sums up my sports knowledge.

I finished off my first book, made a dent in audio (The Good Sister, audio is done really well) and have add to the sheet.
Spreadsheet looks good, everything is lining . Love the thematic colour choice, Jenn!! If it starts getting hard to track books across tabs, I'll add some formulas to total books, but I'll leave well enough alone for now.

I wasn't feeling my in progress books today so I read Lore Olympus: Volume Three instead, I've put it down against king/queen.

Joi wrote: "JennH wrote: "Oh, and I noticed that Play for Me has been slotted for a book with green on cover. Which is great. But I don't see it on the Plans or Completed tab. Having it there w..."

@Joi - Sweet! I've added your book to the Completed Tab on the spreadsheet. Feel free to your planned and current books on the Plans tab. Or post here, and we'll add it if you're more comfortable.

Morning, Team! The spreadsheet has really filled out. And we've earned 1 pendant!! And only after day 1! Go Krewe of Bacchus!

And everyone, don't worry about not finishing a book or anything. All the pages count! Not only do we work on the prompts, we need 1500 pages and/or 25 audio hours to earn each pendant. It's a lot. It feels more than normal. So log in those pages and hours!

I love the around the world celebrating of the Super Bowl. What are we eating?? While I am in the US (am I the only one on this team?!?), I do NOT follow football. HOWEVER, we love Super Bowl food so we've always made a spread. The prep has already started. The television is on, but it's really background noise. We used to watch for the commercials but honestly don't love them anymore.

Sheena wrote: "@Ellie, that's the worst! Glad everyone is okay and hope you have a relaxing Sunday to make up for yesterday

Jenn, I will celebrate and make food for any occasion! I love following the weird & ob..."

Oh, that is awesome! Much be so much fun in your house. We were following the National Days a few years ago. The kids got a kick out of it.

Glad we can count on you on the formula/spreadsheet stuff! That is way out of my expertise! lol

Ellie wrote: "I wasn't feeling my in progress books today so I read Lore Olympus: Volume Three instead, I've put it down against king/queen."

I've been thoroughly enjoying this series! I'm strictly a library user. So I've been patiently (impatiently) waiting for the libraries to get Vol 5....

Oh, so great to hear - I've been considering starting Lore Olympus, but wasn't 100% and since I can only get my hands on it by purchasing it, I was holding off.
I actually find it one of the worst (only) things that are annoying about living in a country where I don't speak the language fluently - not being able to really take advantage of libraries!

So fun to hear that there are several others "celebrating" Superbowl Sunday as well! I also love making traditions that are smaller and just fun for your own family or group ❤️

I don't really root particularly for either of the teams this year, I like them both fine, but I usually instinctively cheer for the underdog, so whoever is behind after the first quarter 😂
I just hope for an exciting game with good commercials and half-time show.

I am not following the SuperBowl at all, am a sportsy person but that is not my game at all. Don’t understand it at all. Watched some of the swimming from the World championships instead.

Now for some More pages before I go to sleep. Hopefully finishing my first book tomorrow

Camilla wrote: "Oh, so great to hear - I've been considering starting Lore Olympus, but wasn't 100% and since I can only get my hands on it by purchasing it, I was holding off.
I actually find it one of the worst ..."

It's all still on Webtoons for free if you don't mind not having them split up into separate books:

So I stayed up til 4.30 watching the Super Bowl and my stupid body clock woke me up at 7.30. I am incredibly tired and cranky but it leaves plenty of time for reading.

I'm a Vikings fan and they're never in the final stages of the playoffs so I just hope for a good game and interesting stories. We get normal UK adverts which is annoying. I'm watching sports so I must need to buy a razor and gamble lots.

I binge read the first 200 chapters of Lore Olympus a couple of years ago on Webtoons and then forgot to pick it up again (I'm far too impatient to read a chapter a week). I need to check back in with it.

Ellie wrote: "It's all still on Webtoons for free if you don't mind not having them split up into separate books:
...."

This is amazing!! Thank you so much for making me aware of this :)

Camilla wrote: "Ellie wrote: "It's all still on Webtoons for free if you don't mind not having them split up into separate books:
...."

This is amazing!! Thank you so much for..."

Thanks for sharing this! I read the first one ages ago and then lost track. Great to know it's available on line

Kat wrote: "So I stayed up til 4.30 watching the Super Bowl and my stupid body clock woke me up at 7.30. I am incredibly tired and cranky but it leaves plenty of time for reading.

I'm a Vikings fan and they'..."

I'm tired today too! Not nearly as little sleep as you, but still not enough for me {yawn} and looking forward to a quiet reading night after work!

Good morning team, happy Monday!

A quick question: I listen to audiobooks on increased speed (as I think many do).
When we record hours listened to in audiobooks, should I then record the hours that the book actually is or the hours it took me to listen?
E.g. the book I am currently listening to is 12 hours as per the app, but since I listen on 1.5 speed, it took me 8 hours to finish it. Should I record 12 or 8 hours?