MARCH 2020 UPDATE:

I know that I previously said that I wasn't going to do any games aside from Halloween Bingo in 2020, but that was Pre-COVID-19. Here we all are, stuck in our houses and reading like mad.

So, why wouldn't we play a game?

I decided to just repurpose Snakes & Ladders for this one! It's an easy, fun game and I don't have to do any work at all to get it ready.

RULES OF THE GAME:

Everyone starts on 1. There are two alternative ways to move forward.

1. Read a book that fits the description on the space number as listed below and you can roll two dice to move forward more quickly.

2. However, if you can't find a book to fit the square, don't worry about it. You can read any book, and roll one dice on random.org.  This is to ensure that if a reader cannot find a book to fill the square, no one gets bogged down and can't move on.

All books must be at least 200 pages long. Short stories count, so long as you read enough of them from a collection to equal 200 pages. 

You do not need to hit space 100 with an exact roll. In order to win, you must complete space 100 as written.

Spaces:

1. Author is a woman

2. Genre: mystery

3. Set in the twentieth century

4. Published in 2019

5. Published in 2018

6. Title has a color word in it

7. Author's last name begins with the letters A, B, C, or D.

8. Author's last name begins with the letters E, F, G, or H.

9. Author's last name begins with the letters H, I, J, or K

10. Author's last name begins with the letters L, M, N or O

11. Author's last name begins with the letters P, Q, R, or S

12. Author's last name begins with the letters T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z

13. Author is a man

14. Author is dead

15. Genre: romance

16. Genre: fantasy

17. Genre: horror

18. Set in a school

19. Set in the UK

20. Set in a country that is not your country of residence

21. Set in Europe

22. Set in Asia

23. Set in Australia/Oceania

24. Set in Africa

25. Snake - go back to 5

26. Part of a series that is more than 5 books long

27. Set during WWI or WWII

28. Written between 1900 and 1999

29. Someone travels by plane

30. Someone travels by train

31. Road trip

32. Genre: thriller

33. Set in North America

34. Snake - go back to 1

35. Has been adapted as a movie

36. Set in Central or South America

37. Has won an award

38. Newest release by a favorite author

39. A reread

40. Characters involved in the entertainment industry

41. Characters involved in politics

42. Characters involved in sports/sports industry

43. Characters involved in the law

44. Characters involved in cooking/baking

43. Characters involved in medicine

44. Characters involved in science/technology

45. A book that has been on your tbr for more than one year

46. A book that has been on your tbr for more than two years

47. Snake - go back to 19

48. A book you acquired in February, 2019.

49. Recommended by a friend

50. Has a domestic animal on the cover

51. Has a wild animal on the cover

52. Has a tree or flower on the cover

53. Has something that can be used as a weapon on the cover

54. Is more than 400 pages long

55. Is more than 500 pages long

56. Was published more than 100 years ago

57. Was published more than 50 years ago

58. Was published more than 25 years ago

59. Was published more than 10 years ago

60. Was published last year

61. Cover is more than 50% red

62. Cover is more than 50% green

63. Cover is more than 50% blue

64. Cover is more than 50% yellow

65. Snake - go back to 52

66. Part of a series that is more than 10 books long

67. Set in a city with a population of greater than 5 million people (link)

68. Something related to weddings on the cover

69. Something related to travel on the cover

70. Something related to fall/autumn on the cover

71. Involves the beach/ocean/lake 

72. Involves the mountains/forests 

73. Categorized as YA

74. Categorized as Middle Grade

75. Set in a fantasy world

76. Set in a world with magic

77. Has a "food" word in the title

78. Set in a small town (fictional or real)

79. Main character is a woman

80. Main character is a man

81. Ghost story

82. Genre: urban fantasy

83. Genre: cozy mystery

84. Genre: police procedural

85. Written by an author who has published more than 10 books

86. Author's debut book

87. Snake - go back to 57

88. Comic/graphic novel

89. Published between 2000 and 2017

90. A new-to-you author

91. Snake - go back to 61

92. Reread of a childhood favorite

93. Author's first/last initial same as yours (real or BL handle)

94. Non-fiction

95. Memoir

96. From your favorite genre

97. Title starts with any of the letters in SNAKE

98. Title starts with any of the letters in LADDERS

99. Snake - go back to 69

100. Let BL pick it for you: post 4 choices and read the one that gets the most votes!

ADDITIONS TO THE RULES

See comments to the post for further explanations or to ask questions

When you start on square 1, you need to read a book before you can roll. If your book fills the square, you get to roll two dice. If your book doesn't not fit the square, roll one dice only.

With respect to the ladder squares: You must read a book in order to climb the ladder. Once you finish the book for the ladder square, climb the ladder to the ending square. If you read a book that fits the ending square, roll two dice to move on, otherwise, roll one dice.

For audiobook substitutions, either check the print book to determine if it is more than 200 pages long, or any audiobook that is a minimum of 5 hours & 30 minutes qualifies.

I have read many users guide's in my time, but this one was special to me - and I will tell you why.  This guide is for Fortnite, an online game every one is playing, including myself.  I play with my kids when I have the time and this book is a big help!

There are suggestions in here that help you play the game and be able to respond faster.  It has play ideas for multiple platforms since the game can be played across so many.  I really loved the full color and "learn to be a pro" attitude.  

Like any other player, I want to be the best at what I do, when I do it.  I love being able to see the "Epic" changes that every season on Fortnite seems to bring.  I also like being able to collect the "Skins" that make me as a player - look even more intimidating.  Since that is the fun of the game.

This guide was a great help full of many good ideas and suggestions.  I recommend you read it before your next Battle Royale.  I give this book a 5/5 Kitty's Book Spot!

***This ARC was given in exchange for an honest review by Netgalley and its publishers.

I finished my last book last night. 

The Final Stats:

Snakes - 0

Ladders - 0 (no wonder it took me so long to finish the game, lol)

Prompts: 3 books fit their prompts out of 21 books read

Audiobooks: 3 books

Ebooks: 3 books

Print: 15 books

Non-Fiction: 20 books

Fiction: 1 book

Male Authors: 11 books

Female Authors: 10 books

Diverse Authors: 8 books (two by the same author)

Space 1. Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection by Jacob Silverman (429 pages) - Read 2/17/2019 - 2/22/2019.

Roll die and got 4.

Space 5 (Published in 2018). Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger by Rebecca Traister, published in 2018 (284 pages). Read 2/22 - 2/24/2019.

Roll two dice and got 12.

Space 17.  The Hot One: A Memoir of Friendship, Sex, and Murder by Carolyn Murnick (245 pages). Read 2/24 - 2/28/2019.

Roll die and got 4.

Space 21. Pandemic: Tracking Contagions, from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond by Sonia Shah (listen to audiobook, GR has the hardcover version set at 288 pages). Read 2/26 - 2/27/2019.

Roll die and got 5.

Space 26. How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana with Abigail Pesta (288 pages). Read 3/1/2019.

Roll die and got 6.

Space 32. Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: A  Memoir by Carrie Brownstein. Read 3/2-3/4/2019.

Roll die and got 5.

Space 37. The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn (read by George Newbern). Read 3/3 - 3/6/2019.

Roll die and got 1.

Space 38. Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture edited by Roxane Gay. Read 3/7 - 3/8/2019.

Roll die and got 5.

Space 43. Character involved in the law. Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts. Read 3/9 - 3/12/2019.

Roll dice and got 9.

Space 52. Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir by Padma Lakshmi. Read 3/18 - 3/22/2019.

Roll die and got 2.

Space 54. Prompt: is more than 400 pages long. Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics by Lawrence O'Donnell is 427 pages with an additional 35 pages of source notes. Read 3/23 - 3/28/2019.

Roll dice and got 7.

Space 61. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay. Read 3/29 - 3/30/2019.

Roll die and got 6.

Space 67. The Twentieth Century by Howard Zinn. Read 4/1 - 4/14/2019.

Roll die and got 3.

Space 70. 1968: The Year that Rocked the World by Mark Kurlansky. Read 4/14 - 4/21/19.

Roll die and got 5.

Space 75. Tears of Salt: A Doctor's Story by Dr. Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta because I don't read fantasy. Read 4/22/2019.

Roll die and got 3.

Space 78. 1969: The Year Everything Changed by Rob Kilpatrick. Read 4/23 - 4/29/2019.

Roll die and got 5. 

Space 83. We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time by Jose Andres et al. Read 4/30 - 5/5/2019.

Roll die and got 5.

Space 88. Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine by Dr. Damon Tweedy. Read 5/7 - 5/9/2019.

Roll die and got 4.

Space 92. The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis. Read 5/9-5/10/2019.

Roll die and got 5.

Space 97. American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot by Craig Ferguson. Listened to the audiobook 5/11-5/13/2019.

Roll die and got 5.

Space 100. BL'ers get to choose. The winner was Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Arngrim. Read 5/10-5/14/2019.

I finished A Treacherous Curse, so I'm finished with my Snakes and Ladders game! 

1. Author is a woman:  The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie King; rolled 1 & 5.

7. Author's last name begins with the letters A, B, C, or D: Why Didn't They Ask Evans by Agatha Christie; rolled 3 & 7.

14. Author is dead: Killer's Payoff by Ed McBain; rolled snake eyes

16. Genre: fantasy: Oathbound by Mercedes Lackey; rolled 5 & 3

24. Set in Africa: Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie; rolled one die for 6

30. Someone travels by train: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha; rolled 5 & 3

39. A reread: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; rolled 3 & 1.

43. Characters involved in the law: Island of the Mad by Laurie King; rolled 5 with one die.

48. A book you acquired in February, 2019: The Huntress by Kate Quinn; rolled 6 & 1 

55. Is more than 500 pages long: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (734 pages long); rolled 5 & 3;

57. Was published more than 50 years ago: She Came Back by Patricia Wentworth (published in 1945); rolled 4 & 2.

63. Cover is more than 50% blue: ladder: The Black Cabinet by Patricia Wentworth; climb ladder to space 95

64. Cover is more than 50% yellow: The Sittaford Mystery; rolled a 6

70. Something related to fall/autumn on the cover: The Smouldering Fire by D.E. Stevenson; rolled a 3 & a 6.

79. Main character is a woman: Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie; rolled 4 & 4.

87. Snake - go back to 57: Ugh. Landed on this one, so back to 57 I go.

95. Memoir: Wolf Pack by C.J. Box; rolled one dice for a 6.

100. Let BL pick it for you: post 4 choices and read the one that gets the most votes: A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn came out on top of the poll.

This is purportedly a bit darker of a D.E. Stevenson novel. I bought it a while ago, but it made its way to the top of the TBR because I need a book with "something related to autumn" on the cover, and this book definitely has fall leaves on the cover.

Just as an aside, I really love this cover.