2013 September Pick It For Me! Challenge

[Breann]

What is the Pick-It-For-Me Challenge?

SIGN UPS CLOSED

The Pick-It-For-Me Challenge (PIFM) is a reading challenge where each participant gives and receives book recommendations based on a given a set of rules. The assignment method and book selection rules change each month so it’s always new and always different.

After signups are closed, I'll put your names and any extra info I’ve required into the super secret PIFM randomizer and select someone for you to choose for. This will get posted along with the rules for the month.

While you're doing your picks, someone else is doing picks for you. Once you receive them, you pick a book off the list and get reading. To complete the challenge, you only have to read 1 (one) book but many of us end up reading more because we just can't resist a list of books to read.

In order to participate you need to either HAVE YOUR PROFILE SET TO PUBLIC (preferable), or make the person who will be giving you recommendations your friend. On top of that, I strongly recommend keeping your bookshelves updated; otherwise you might end up with a recommendation that you have already read.

Everything gets done in this thread so be sure to come back often!!!


***TIPS TO MAKE THE CHALLENGE ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE!***

1. Check the publishing date of the book before recommending it. To check the publishing date, from your pickee's to-read or similar shelf choose shelf settings, select "date pub" from the drop down selections and save/close the menu.

2. Check pickee's personalized shelves, especially their exclusive shelves - it could be very helpful in recommending something they want to read. A personalized shelf is one that a member has labeled themselves, for example, 'to read next', 'can't wait to read', 'favorites'.

3. Look at your pickee's 'read' shelf and see what genres they have recently read the most. That might help in choosing something they are interested in reading right now.

4. Please make sure the books you choose for your pickee are not on their 'read' shelf. Just because it isn't rated doesn't mean it wasn't read. Sometimes the reader may choose not to rate a book.

5. Although Buddy Reads are no longer going to be offered as a category, if there is a recommendation that you give your pickee that you would like to read with them, please feel free to suggest a Buddy Read with them. You can PM each other and discuss it.

6. If your pickee reads lots of books in a genre you are not familiar with (erotic romance, GLBT, YA, etc.), feel free to contact either Fran, Dee, Jane or the month's organizer and they can try to point you in the right direction for recommendations.

7. If possible, try to include a shorter book, a longer book, a new addition to their 'to-read' shelf, and and older book from their 'to-read' shelf. This gives them a variety of options to choose from. You can sort the shelves by many features - ratings, date read, date added, date published, #of pages and many other items from the shelf settings as described in tip #1. And they can be sorted by ascending or descending order as well.

8. Please choose at least 4 new titles for your pickee. These should be brand new to them and not found on any of their shelves. Part of the fun of this challenge is discovering new books to read, adding new titles to the ever-expanding tbr shelf. The remaining 4 titles should come from your pickee's tbr or preferred shelves.

INFORMATION NEEDED TO SIGN UP
Please sign up in this thread with the answer to the following question:

Which ruling element are you?

Fire, Water, Air or Earth

You can use your Zodiac sign to choose:

Fire signs: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius
Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Air signs: Libra, Aquarius, Gemini
Earth signs: Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo

Or you can take this quiz to see which element best suits you!

***If you have a preferred shelf, please list it along with your pick!***

IMPORTANT DATES
Sign ups will remain open until August 23rd (11 pm EDT).

You’ll have until August 26th (11 pm EDT) to make your recommendations.
The re-picks will be assigned afterwards.

You then have till the end of the month to read your pick and give some feedback.

If you’re new please read the PIFM Guidelines and FAQ. If you have any questions that are not addressed there, please feel free to ask!

***Please add a new comment rather than updating a previous post or your progress will likely be missed. It is also very helpful if you add more information like "I finished another pick" or "I finished my third book for this challenge" and mention if your pick was a buddy read. Thanks!***

[Breann]

PIFM Sign Ups


Fire
Shatan
Ezinwanyi~For you, Agron
Nikita
Elizabeth
Kami
Skandia
Nici
Katie
Bre
Joyce
Kimberly
Angi - angi-kindle-books
Regina
Ashley
Becca
Amy J

Water
Breann
Zara - RRRC PI4M shelf
Dee - to-read-2013
Runell
Arena
Susan A - pick from here
Diane~Firefly~
Sallie(Shuga)
Gea
Renee
Suzanne
Sandy
Brett
Christina
Sassafrass - read-this-next shelf
Carla
Lisa
MountainKat - to-read-asap
Natalie
Yz the Whyz
Lauren

Air
Tiff
Daffodil
Leslie - Want to Read
Roxy
Apilif - mm shelf

Earth
Brandilyn - MM Gang Bang
Elke - on deck
Crystal - Book-Club list
Fran - PIFM shelf
Ty
Ab2y
Nadine - my books on deck shelf
Penney
Amy
Pam
Nichole - Pick me Pick me
Ruth Ann
~KarenH~ - cant-wait-to-read

Updated through msg 102

[Breann]

PIFM Rules

Please choose TWO books for each category to recommend. Please give at least 4 books from their TBR and 4 books that are new to them. If your pickee has listed a preferred shelf, please make sure to use that shelf.

Fire: Fire people are impassioned and devoted lovers, and may tend toward flamboyant romantic gestures. Pick a book with a strong and/or stubborn character, someone who is determined to end up with The One and doesn’t take no for an answer. Or choose a book with a red, yellow or orange cover or with fire on the cover.

Water: Romance comes naturally to Water people; they give and receive love easily. Recommend a book that has a sweet and loving story. Or pick a book with a dark blue cover or one that has water on the cover.

Air: Since commitment doesn't come naturally to Air they can have difficulty in relationships. Choose an angsty and/or emotional book. Or recommend a book with a white or light blue cover or a book with a blue sky on the cover.

Earth: The Earth person commits readily, they don’t experience much conflict when choosing to commit, and may not see it as having negative aspects. Recommend a book with little conflict, something light and easy. Or a book with a brown or green cover or a book with any landscape on the cover.

[Breann]

PIFM Pairings

Please pick for the person below you. The last person in a group picks for the first person on that group. For example, for Fire, Bre will pick for and Katie and Kami will pick for Bre.

✓ = picks made

Fire
✓ Bre
✓ Katie
✓ Shatan
✓ Elizabeth
Becca
✓ Nici
✓ Joyce
✓ Kimberly
✓ Angi - pick from angi-kindle-books
✓ Ezinwanyi~For you, Agron
✓ Regina
✓ Nikita
✓ Amy J
✓ Ashley
✓ Skandia
✓ Kami

Water
✓ Runell
✓ Natalie
✓ Yz the Whyz
✓ Renee
✓ Sassafrass - pick from read-this-next shelf
✓ Lisa
✓ Dee - pick from to-read-2013
✓ MountainKat - pick from to-read-asap
✓ Susan A - pick from pick-from-here
✓ Suzanne
✓ Breann
✓ Zara - pick-from--RRRC-PI4M-shelf
✓ Carla
✓ Gea
✓ Arena
✓ Brett
✓ Sandy
✓ Diane~Firefly~
✓ Lauren
✓ Sallie(Shuga)
✓ Christina

Air
✓ Daffodil
✓ Apilif - pick from mm-shelf
✓ Tiff
✓ Roxy
✓ Leslie - pick from Want-to-Read

Earth
✓ Fran - pick from PIFM-shelf
✓ Ty
✓ Ruth Ann
✓ Ab2y
✓ Penney
✓ Amy
✓ Nadine - pick from my-books-on-deck shelf
✓ Brandilyn - pick from MM-Gang-Bang
✓ ~KarenH~ - pick from cant-wait-to-read
✓ Crystal - pick from Book-Club-list
✓ Elke - pick from on-deck
✓ Pam
✓ Nichole - pick from Pick -me-Pick-me

Updated through 263

Available for repicks
Nichole picks for Ayesha
Brandilyn picks for Nancy H
Dee
KarenH
MountainKat
Fran

[Breann]

September PIFM

[Breann]

September PIFM

[Brandilyn]

Earth :)

Please use my MM Gang Bang Shelf

Please note: While I have read M/F in the past (and have a decent amount on my shelves), I don't read it currently. However, if there is a REALLY good M/F book, that you love, I would consider it... maybe ;)

[Breann]

According to the quiz AND my zodiac sign I'm water.

[Breann]

Brandilyn wrote: "Earth :)

Please use my MM Gang Bang Shelf

Please note: While I have read M/F in the past, I don't read it currently. However, if there is a REALLY good M/F book, that oyu love, I would consider ..."

LOL! That's how I feel. I say I might get back on the M/F train... but when it comes down to it? Nah!

[Zara's Retreat]

Please sign me up. I'm the water element according to my zodiac sign and the quiz. Please use my RRRC PI4M shelf

[Dee]

Water according to my sign ;) - at least a couple from my to-read-2013 shelf please

[Brandilyn]

Breann wrote: "According to the quiz AND my zodiac sign I'm water."

So I took the quiz and it came back with Air... which is funny since my birthday is on the cusp between Leo and Virgo (neither of which are Air signs...) and reading the descriptions I am somewhere between Earth and Air...


so just leave me in Earth i guess

[Shatan]

Please Count me in.

Fire ;-)

[Elke]

I'm in and its Earth!!

Please also use my "on deck " shelf!

[Runell]

I'm in, and I'm definitely water seeing as I am very much a scorpio.

[❆ Crystal ❆]

I'd love to join in... I am a 100% Earth sign.

Please pick from my Book-Club list... http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

[Lacy]

I have to skip this month! :(
I hope you all have fun.

[[deleted user]]

I'm in water

[Fran, Moderator]

Lacy wrote: "I have to skip this month! :(
I hope you all have fun."

We'll miss you Lacy! Hope to see you in the Oct. PIFM :)

[Ezi]

I'm in. I'm FIRE. Thanks

[Fran, Moderator]

I'm in and I'm an Earth sign :)

Please choose from my PIFM shelf

[Susan A]

Water

Please use pick from here shelf.


Thanks Breann for hosting this challenge!

[Diane ~Firefly~]

I'm in. Water

[Breann]

Lacy wrote: "I have to skip this month! :(
I hope you all have fun."

Hope to see you in Oct!

[Breann]

Susan A wrote: "Thanks Breann for hosting this challenge!"

Of course :) Hosting is *almost* as fun as participating.


Okay, I lied. It might be more fun :D

[Isha]

I'm in!
Fire

[Elizabeth]

Fire!

[Kami]

I'm in. Fire sign.

[Skandia]

I'm all Fire!

[Ty]

earth by birth, water by quiz. so put me in either :D

I love it when this post goes up! I did not do an excited bouncy bounce. Of course not.

[Sallie(GeorgiaGirl)]

Im in...Water please

[Bror (Abrar)]

I'm Earth .

[Nici]

i am in. Fire

[Gea]

My sign says I'm fire, but I'm in for water like the quizz says, it describes me better

[Renee]

Haven't been here in a while, but Breann is whipping me into submission (and I like it).

I'm a water sign.

[Breann]

Renee wrote: "Haven't been here in a while, but Breann is whipping me into submission (and I like it)."

I know you do *pets*

[Fran, Moderator]

I took the quiz an it said I am an 'Air' sign. I will stick to my real sign though, Earth. It was very cool to read about all the signs, thanks for the fun sign-up Breann! I feel like I am a mixture of both air and earth after reading it.

[Breann]

Glad it was fun :)

[Amy]

I'm in.
Earth sign

[Dee]

Hi Everyone - I just wanted to put my mod hat on briefly - please note that while you can specify a shelf that you would like your picker to use, but please don't specify/limit what type of romance you read.

you may request that your 4 tbr picks come from a specific shelf you have set up, but the 4 new to you choices should be the pickers choice. The picker should take into account the type of books you have on your shelves and what you normally like to read.

However, the PIFM is about finding new reads, books you may have passed on at first sight but you might end up enjoying.

Thanks and if you have any questions, please let one of the mods know

[Suzanne]

I'm in and I'm a water sign!

[Katie]

I'm in...fire

[Tiff]

Air for me!!

[Nadine Bookaholic]

according to my sign I am EARTH
according to the test I am WATER

put me where ever you like.

Please use my my books on deck shelf

[Daffodil]

Sign me up for Air please!

[Ty]

Dee wrote: "Hi Everyone - I just wanted to put my mod hat on briefly - please note that while you can specify a shelf that you would like your picker to use, but please don't specify/limit what type of romance..."

amen. Cuz if you told me you only read oh say... romantic suspense - you are definitely up the creek with me as your picker... (since I abhor rom-sus)

[SandyC]

I'm in! Water (Scorpio)

[Brett]

I'm in and I am a water sign

[Penney]

I'm in! And I'm totally down to earth

[Penney]

Ty wrote: "amen. Cuz if you told me you only read oh say... romantic suspense - you are definitely up the creek with me as your picker... (since I abhor rom-sus)..."

Now I know what to load you up with ;-)

...(excuse my grammar)