Mental Health Bookclub discussion
Archive
>
Our Very First MHB Reading Challenge!
date
newest »
newest »
The 2016/17 MHB Reading ChallengeDuration: 1st May 2016 - 30th April 2017
Level 1: 13 tasks
Level 2: 26 tasks
Level 3: All 52 tasks!
The Tasks!
The 2016/17 MHB Reading Challenge
Duration: 1st May 2016 - 30th April 2017
Level 1: 13 tasks
Level 2: 26 tasks
Level 3: All 52 tasks!
The Tasks!
1. In honour of our first MHB Reading Challenge, read a debut novel
2. Presumably this requires no explanation - read any book about mental health. This can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays etc.
3. I'm part of Emma Watson's Our Shared Shelf book group which has led me to reading some freaking fantastic books written by women. Read a book written by a female author
4. I have 9 younger cousins (yes, 9!) and they always seem to see the world a little differently (usually with hilarious results). Read a book in which the main character is under 9 years old. Tell us how old they are.
5. There's nothing worse than ploughing through a huge book only to be disappointed. Read a small book (100-200 pages). Tell us how many pages it has.
6. As Dorothy Gale once said, "There's no place like home!". Read a book set in your home country.
7. As green is my favourite colour, read a book with a green cover. Any shade of green counts but it must be at least 50% of the cover. Don't forget to post a picture!
8. I'm signed up a number of A-Z challenges and it's always an achievement when you find a book for the hard letters (Q, X, Z etc). So, to share the joy, read a book that contains the letter 'Z' in either the title or the author's name.
9. So far this year, I've really enjoyed getting my teeth into young adult series. Read a book that is part of a series of four or more books. It can be any number in the series, and doesn't have to be young adult.
10. My new year's resolution was to not buy any more books (it's getting a little costly guys), so my birthday and Christmas lists will be pretty book-heavy. Read a book that you received as a gift. If you haven't received a book as a gift (and hints to your nearest and dearest are unsuccessful) then read a book that you received for free in some other way e.g. free Kindle books or the library.
11. On the 23rd June, the UK will have a referendum about whether or not we want to stay in the EU. Having to vote on such a pretty significant issue has made me a bit nervous, so I've been trying to learn as much as possible about politics. Read a book that lists politics as a genre on its main page.
12. I am a big fan of birthdays. As far as I'm concerned having a birthday means you exist, and even in your darkest moments, being alive is still something to be celebrated. Read a book that was originally published in your birthday month (any year is fine). Make sure it is the original publication date, not the date of whatever edition you're reading.
13. When I need cheering up, I'll often watch my favourite film - Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. The main character is played by Amy Adams. In her honour, read a book where the main character has red or ginger hair.
14. Though I haven't been part of MHB for long, I've already found many books I'd like to read through conversations that have been had, and through becoming friends with some of our members. For this task, ask a fellow MHB member to choose a book from your TBR for you to read (I will set up a thread for this).
15. As I mentioned previously, I've really got into YA books this year - they can be incredibly funny and insightful, and not just for teenagers! Read a YA novel ('Young Adult' must be listed as a genre on the main page for your book).
16. This challenge is all about discovering new things, so read a book by an author who is new to you
17. Poetry is an often underrated genre, but there's a lot of fantastic modern poets around. Read a poetry book - this can be an anthology or a book from a single poet.
18. I find that award lists are a great place to go for inspiration when looking for a new book that's likely to be good (at least according to people giving out awards!). Read a book that has won an award. It can be any award, just tell us which it is and the year that the book won it.
19. Growing up, Martha was a pretty unusual name to have and I always hated it. Now that I'm older, I've learned to appreciate being different, and I'm proud to be a Martha. As I think everyone should be proud of their name, read a book where the title begins with one of your initials (so I could read one starting with M or A). 'A/An/The' don't count.
20. As we can learn so much (particularly about mental health) from the personal experiences of others, read a Memoir or Autobiography. It doesn't have to be about mental health, but 'memoir' or 'autobiography' should feature as a genre on the main page for the book.
21. In honour of our many international MHB members, read a book that has been translated from its original language.
22. Goodreads ratings are one of the main ways I decide whether or not a book is worth reading, read a book that has a GR rating of 4.0 or above. As ratings change, make a note of the date and the rating when you post the book.
23. Laughter has been proven to have a variety of mental and physical health benefits. Read a new-to-you book that lists 'humour' as a main page genre OR re-read a book that you know will make you laugh
24. In the same vein, read a book that features a character who is generally happy
25. In the UK a lot of libraries have been threatened with closure as people are reading less and libraries struggle to find a reason to exist, despite their often being integral parts of the community. Support your local library and borrow a book for this task. If you don't have a local library, borrow a book from another source (e.g. friends/family etc).
26. Congratulations you've made it half way! Read a book of your choice.
27. I'm a firm believer in second chances. Take a book that you've previously given up on and give it another go
28. I don't need another reason to honour our group - read a book whose author's first and last initials can be found in MENTAL HEALTH BOOKCLUB. Middle initials can be ignored.
29. While "don't judge a book by its cover" is great in theory, I'm a sucker for a pretty cover and have bought many a book for that alone. Read a book with a cover you consider to be beautiful. Post a link to the cover and tell us why you like it.
30. When I started doing challenges like this one, I realised how narrow my reading had become - almost always set in America or UK and written by white, western authors. To get a bit more diversity in the mix, read a book set in Asia or Africa
31. For the same reasons as above, read a book written by an author of colour
32. Trying to expand my reading this year has led me to a number of books set in WWII, and I've been pleasantly surprised. Read a book that lists 'Historical Fiction' as a main page genre
33. Next week we will announce our MHB Group Reads for May-June. For this task, participate in any of the group reads over this 12 month period. To qualify, you must read the book during the right time period - e.g. you can't read a May/June book in December.
34. All of us have books that we come back to time and time again. Re-read a favourite book.
35. LGBTQIA+ rights remain a big issue with many still facing stigma and persecution that often triggers or exacerbates mental health issues. Read a book by an author who identifies as LGBTQIA+ or where the main character is LGBTQIA+. It can be fiction or non-fiction.
36. For me (and I suspect many of you!) reading is a form of escapism from reality. Fantasy and Science Fiction are two genres that can really take us out of real life. Read a book were 'fantasy' or 'science fiction' is listed as a main page genre
37. I'm often guilty of adding books to by TBR so that it just gets longer and longer. For this task, sort your TBR by 'date added' and read the book that's been on the list the longest.
38. Since I've not been buying books, I've not been going in many book shops, but I can't help going in from time to time to window shop (as we know, I'm a sucker for a pretty cover!). For this task, go to a book shop and buy the first book that catches your eye. If you don't want to spend any money, you can also do this at the library.
39. Just because many of us are no longer in education, that's no excuse not to keep learning! Read a non-fiction book about a new subject
40. Films are my other escapism, if I'm not at home or work you can probably find me at the cinema. Read a book that has been made into a movie. If you've seen the move, tell us which one is better!
41. When I was given an Amazon voucher, I finally got my hands on I Am Malala, which I have been dying to read! Read a book that you've been looking forward to, and tell us about it. Why were you looking forward to it and did it live up to expectations?
42. If you're doing this challenge chronologically, Valentines Day falls in week 42. Read a book that has 'Romance' as a main page genre
43. In another honour of Mental Health Bookclub, read a book that also has a three-word title. This excludes subtitles.
44. As any bookworm will tell you, sometimes reading ISN'T relaxing, particularly if you're reading thrillers that keep you reading all night until you find out the truth! Use this task to take a break and read a book that will relax you.
45. I'm always intrigued to know what books are read by fellow authors and what inspires them. For this task, read a book that is recommended by your favourite author. You can find examples in the 'Good Minds' function.
46. Research has shown that the brain responds to different colours in different ways, for example, blue is seen to have a calming effect and so can often be found in airports and hospitals. Read a book with a colour in the title.
47. The MHB bookshelf has been updated thanks to recommendations and links from some of our members. For this task, choose a book from the shelf, read it, and let us know what you think of it. It must be a book you haven't read before, and that you did not add to the shelf.
48. Some of my favourite characters are fellow book worms (think Elizabeth Bennett, and more recently, Maddy from Everything, Everything). For this task, read a book mentioned in another book.
49. As the first post in this group was made on 26th March 2015, read a book with 2, 6, or 3 in the page count. Tell us how many pages.
50.. In honour of our group creator, Book Crumpet (who we hope will come back to soon!), read a book where the first letter of every title word can be found in BOOK CRUMPET. Subtitles are not included, and the title must be at least two words long.
51. I'm generally a risk-averse person (the anxiety does a good job of putting me off most things), but when I can persuade myself to take a risk, it often pays off. Take a tiny risk and read a book that intimidates you. Tell us why and whether or not the risk paid off!
52. You've made it to the end! As this is the 2016 MHB challenge (I know part of it takes place in 2017 but ssssh), read a book published in 2016
Reserved for FAQs
I declare this challenge open! Please use this thread for any questions, otherwise head over to the 2016/17 MHB Challenge Template to sign up and start the challenge!
Great idea Martha, i will definitely be doing some of this! :)
Thanks lovely, looking forward to seeing what you read!
Martha, I added my bookshelf, but it shows 0/52 for me when I have read 1/52. Can you help?
Hi Melissa,What bookshelf did you link to the challenge? Is it the mhb-challenge one?
I'm not sure what the problem is but I noticed that your MHB Challenge shelf has 53 books in it. The way the shelf link thing works is it updates when you add books to it, not when you say you've read the books.
So, currently, the shelf I've linked is empty because I haven't completed any books for the challenge yet. When I've read a book I'm going to use, I would add it to the shelf. That's how it tells how many books you've read - I don't think it can tell if you've changed the status of any book from "to-read" to "read" if that makes sense?
So maybe if the shelf already contains books when you link it up then it doesn't recognise them until you add new books? So the best plan would be to have a shelf where you only add the books that you've read in the challenge, rather than the ones you're going to read. That's just a theory. You could also try unlinking the shelf and linking it up again.
I'm afraid I'm no expert in this, so if none of those things work you might need to try contacting Goodreads
Hello, So I was wondering if there is anyway for me to add a book that I read to my list even if there is no search coming up under goodreads. I did not purchase the book through Amazon but it was a book offered through Kindle Unlimited.
Hey Ciara,You can manually add books to Goodreads, so you could do that and then you'll be able to link to it in your challenge list?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/new
Thank you!So it's super weird I went to go and add the book, and just wanted to make sure it still wasn't in the system. Come to find out someone/something added it to the site now.
Aha! Well I guess if it's new out it was only a matter of time before someone put it up :)
What's do I have to do?
I'm glad you asked!
This is a year long challenge that will hopefully inspire you to read some books you might not have read otherwise. There are 52 tasks, and three levels depending on how many you think you can read in the time frame.
There is a separate thread with a simplified template, just copy and paste it into your own post, stating which level you'd like to try, and away you go! You can come back to your comment and edit it every time you complete a prompt!
Once the challenge has formally begun on the 1st May, you will also be able to link a bookshelf to this group to track your progress. To do this, you will need to create a new book shelf (which you will then add the challenge books to) and then copy and paste the name of it into the challenge section on the group homepage. This should become clear once the challenge is open, but shout if you have any problems.
General rules
- For each book you read, please post a link to it using the "add book/author". If the prompt is about the author (e.g. author initials) or about the cover (e.g. a green cover), please also post a link to the author/cover as appropriate
- All books must be at least 100 pages long. There's no upper limit
- Books can only be used for one task each
- This challenge is designed to get us reading new books so keep that in mind; however re-reads are allowed as long as you read them completely within the timeframe
- You can complete the tasks in any order
- You can sign up at any time in the year and backdate your books - as long as you read them in the time frame of the challenge and they fit the task, they count!
- HAVE FUN! There aren't any Challenge Police wafting around to check on you so there's no pressure and please feel free to ask questions if anything's unclear! :)