2017 Reading Challenge discussion
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2016 Reading Challenge - a new direction
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You are so right!! Loved that the challenge pushed me out of my comfort zone. But now that I only have 6 books left to read I'm having to read some that I'm not necessarily in the mood for. But I am determined to finish!!! I think I would prefer Tier one which leaves me more time to read other books that come along the way. But Tier two is not bad either. Still leaves room with the flexibility of the wild cards. Thanks so much for starting this challenge and bringing into the next year!!!
I REALLY like both ideas. The ability to have a choice in categories is important because there were a few topics ("Hometown" and "Initials" come immediately to mind) that was quite a pain to fill and although I managed to complete them, I was very unsatisfied with the book but had discarded so many previous choices that it was under duress that I read them and it was incredibly tedious.
Having the option of "free" spaces is also wonderful because I don't have to feel like I'm giving up when something I want to read doesn't fit a prescribed category.
Great solution Anne!
I loved both options! It's a great idea to estimulate everyone to complete the challenge and to participate in it, because it has the perks of pushing us out of our confort zones with the obligatory categories but also allow us to "chill" and read something we really want to even if it doesn't fit into the challenge!
I like both of them. It's the right idea to get around the restrictions of this challenge.
Another enthousiast here... Great idea, Anne, thanks!
I was going to pass on the challenge next year, but I like the idea of the ten free choice books mixed in with required categories. I would be back for that particular challenge.
love the idea of "free" choices! I like the list because I've expanded my reading, but I've read a few books that won't fit this year's challenge. I'm behind on this one, even though I've read 51 books this year already :/
Sounds good to me! You could go for the 36 book challenge, then push further for the 52 if you still felt like it.
Great idea! I've really enjoyed the challenge this year. Instead of selecting books as they come along, the challenge forced me to research first. As a result, I expanded outside of my go-to genre and read some amazing works that I would have been oblivious to otherwise. But...a book a week has been a bit of a challenge for me so I love the 36 book option.
I like both ideas, although I know the two-tiered would be something I'd enjoy more. Most of my reading doesn't fit into the categories. I've found doing this challenge, that while I've read a lot of new genres and books I wouldn't have read normally, I can't really 'plan' my reading. I go by what mood I'm in, and a lot of the times, the prompts don't match.
Mod
Regarding the poll - based on the limitations of polling on Goodreads and/or the time it would take to build a Google form, I'm just going to start a new discussion with the suggestions and gather your votes there.
Stay tuned!
I do like the idea of a customizable challenge. The free spaces are good idea too. It's hard to stay interested if you feel like you're reading books that you truly don't want to read to fill a category. Tiers will work really well for those who have less free time to read. Thanks for putting so much thought into this. I was wandering what reading group I could join next year. Will we be invited to join the group for next year? Or will it just be a rollover from this one?
I like this idea a lot! I was going to pass on doing this another year, even though I've really enjoyed the challenge, because 52 books in a year is a stretch. But I like the idea of having more choices, especially a few "free spaces" for things that don't fit a category.
Not fulfilling the challenge doesn't mean that one shouldn't try. I am far, far behind because many of the books I'm reading are not on the list...which makes the wild cards very positive. However, I just see this as a goal, and one that I can talk about with my fellow bibliophiles. If I don't make the goal, I try again in 2016. The great thing about books is there are always plenty! Thank you for adopting this challenge for good reads, and I look forward to whatever adaptations you choose. :-)
Mod
I'm planning to just roll this group over into the new one. Less work for all!
Seems like everybody really appreciates the wild cards. So how about having 5 wild cards in the tier 1 challenge and ten in the tier 2 challenge?
Terrific plan. I'm in! I think it would be fun to create categories for our 10 wild cards, rather than just having them be 10 books that didn't fit anywhere else. Of course we could create the categories after we read the books.Yes, some of this year's categories have been a little over-challenging (I don't keep a "to-read" list), but that has been fun, too, and I'm determined to find something for my last seven categories, even if it means creating a special purpose "to-read" list. Thanks so much for creating this and for being willing to give it a go again in 2016.
I like the idea for options. But I was thinking of a little twist. How about 52 categories and a few opt outs? For example, if there are 3 or 4 categories that you just can't see yourself enjoying, choose an opt out and read something you know you will like? I would see it as a list of 56, for example, 52 like last year and 4 options. Mark #23 as opt-out # 1 and list that book as #53.
Cyndy wrote: "I like the idea for options. But I was thinking of a little twist. How about 52 categories and a few opt outs? For example, if there are 3 or 4 categories that you just can't see yourself enjoying,..."I think the challenge should be flexible to include things you want to read, but also push you to try things you don't think you'll like. In my view, it's ok to tailor the challenge to fit your needs - as long as you set a goal for yourself and stay true to the spirit of the thing.
I suspect there will be a few people who will try for the 36 book challenge, then add on 'wildcards' (from categories that aren't voted in / books they're burning to read) to fulfil their 52 books. There may be others who add a few wildcards as part the 36 book challenge. I think both are ok...
These ideas are both awesome. 'Cause not everybody has that much time to read 52 books like me because I just discovered the popsugar challenge in the middle of the year, that's why I probably won't finish it anymore ;)
Nancy wrote: "Terrific plan. I'm in! I think it would be fun to create categories for our 10 wild cards, rather than just having them be 10 books that didn't fit anywhere else. Of course we could create the cate..."I really like this idea. Some of the fun with this challenge is reading books we otherwise wouldn't, at the same time some of the challenges might not fit certain people, but would fit others. Having a set of fixed categories and having a set of choose what suits you categories might make it more engaging at the same time pushing people to think outside the box regarding what they read.
ShelaMalu wrote: "These ideas are both awesome. 'Cause not everybody has that much time to read 52 books like me because I just discovered the popsugar challenge in the middle of the year, that's why I probably won'..."If you discovered it in the middle of the year, you could give yourself until June 2016 to finish / aim to read half the amount OR have loads of fun ticking off as many categories as you want !!
Amazingly, we are nearing the end of 2015! There's still time to work on this year's challenge, but it's time to start thinking about 2016. I started this group when I came across Pop Sugar's challenge, and I know of at least one other group here based on the challenge. My goal was to create a low pressure, welcoming space for people to work on the challenge and share their experience with others. I hope that everyone has been enjoying their time here.
One thing I've noticed is that frankly, this is a difficult challenge and many people have either given up or are feeling dispirited. For many, reading 52 books in a year is challenge enough, let alone trying to fit them into sometimes ridiculous categories (a book set in your hometown, for instance). Even though I'll read more than 52 books this year, I doubt I'll finish the challenge. The challenge has prompted many of us to read outside of our comfort zone, and I think people have really appreciated that aspect of it.
2016 brings the opportunity to turn this into our own challenge, and I've been thinking about how to make it more rewarding for everyone that wishes to give it a try. With that in mind, I've been thinking about a two tier challenge, with plenty of flexibility.
Tier one: Read 36 books. Choose from any of the 42 specific categories.
Tier two: Read 52 books. Ten wild cards, 42 specific categories.
Let me know what you think. The next step will be to decide on the categories. There have already been a lot of great suggestions in a different thread, and I'll create a poll in the next few days to let everyone have some input. We'll probably keep a few of the categories from this year, but not too many.
I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts!