Friday, March 23, 2012

18 Connect the Books Game and Giveaway

As  I mentioned last week, we're going to discontinuethe Friday round-ups at least for a while. In their place, We want to continue with our giveaways, but I also want to do something fun that introduces us to some great books in a creative way. Are you up for it?

The rules are simple:

  1. We pick a secret book and select a piece of trivia or a tidbit about the plot, cast of characters, setting, theme, or the author's inspiration for writing it and connect that tidbit to another secret book. The first person to comment should name the first book or the second book or both and who wrote them.
  2. The first person to comment may also choose to create a new connection between any element of the second book and a new (secret) third book.
  3. The next person to comment should reveal the mystery third book or any previous book that remains unidentified. If possible they should also create a new connection.
  4. Any commentor may try to guess the identity of any book that has not yet been correctly identified at any time. The author must always be included in the identification.
  5. Any commentor may, if they are stumped by the identity of the last book named, create a connection based on any of the previous books hinted by us or by another commentor.
  6. Correct guesses are worth 2 points toward the giveway, incorrect guesses made in good faith are worth 1 point, and connections are worth 3 points. Finally, anyone who comes back and confirms the identity of a book they used to create a connection once the answer has been guessed will get an extra 2 points. (So total of 5 points possible toward giveaway.)
  7. There is no limit to the number of entries.
  8. The address form for the week's entries will be posted next Thursday. To consolidate your entries, you will need to come back on Thursday, fill out the form and tally up how many entries I need to put in the hat for you. The form will help you do that.
  9. The giveaway winner will be posted on Friday along with the next giveaway.

Ready to play?

The first book is a Young Adult novel whose author was inspired in part by the myth of the tributes Athens was required to send to King Minos of Crete as sacrifices to the Minotaur. Like the heroine of this first secret book, Theseus volunteered to take the place of one of the tributes and ultimately emerged victorious from the labyrinth or playing field.

The first book connects to a second, excellent Young Adult novel, which has a character whose first name is actually Theseus, although he prefers to go by Cas.

Name the books and authors, please. And provide a link to your own secret book!

Our winner will receive a copy of Jackson Pearce's SWEETLY.






  1. Taking a guess at first book - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins?

  2. Absolutely, Jennifer! Good job. Can anyone guess the second book? Or can someone make a connection between Hunger Games and another book?

  3. Since both books have now been guessed, I'll go ahead and start a new connection.

    Anna Dressed in Blood has elements of voodoo, which is also featured lightly in this series of books about a main character named Ethan with a girlfriend who is a Caster and must choose between dark and light on her birthday.

    1. It's Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia. In Beautiful Creatures, Ethan and Lena use kelting to communicate telepathically.

      In this 1973 YA scifi novel based on the characters from A Wrinkle in Time, Meg Murray learns to communicate with Calvin and others telepathically in a process called kything.

    2. Brilliant, Susan! I won't spoil the surprise for anyone, but that's a great connection! :D

  4. The next book is easy. Beautiful creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret afoul
    (sorry for any typos. Writing from a smartphone)

    1. Absolutely right! Thanks for providing the right answer. Can you give us a link to another book?

    2. Sure. Just need a sec to think...

  5. Next book:
    This one's about a teenage witch, just like Lena. And like Lena, she comes to a new school, though hers is for boarders. And there are the mean girls, a grandmother, and an estranged father...

    Like the Faster books, there are three books (published) in this series.

  6. Replies
    1. Hex Hall sounds right to me. Riv?

    2. Hex Hall it is. Nice one. (I was nervous for a little while there that no one would get it).

  7. Excellent. We still have the sequel to A Wrinkle in Time to identify, the one that uses telepathy similarly to Beautiful Creatures. Anyone?

    And we need a connection to Hex Hall from someone!

  8. Replies
    1. Jen, sorry no, we're looking for a book by Madeline L'Engle, called A Wind in the Door. Can you think of a connection to A Wrinkle in Time or Hex Hall?

