Mad Lib Reading Challenge 2017

[Meredith]

We are trying a different kind of reading challenge this year: Book Mad Libs! 12 books, 6 months, 1 silly story! We've created a story and your answers for each Mad Lib category will be the title of a book that you will read between January and June. Here are the categories:

1. Place Name
2. Exclamation
3. Creature
4. Person's Name
5. Singular Noun
6. Weapon
7. Adjective
8. Verb
9. Noun/Thing
10. Verb
11. Place Name
12. Body Part

Plan out what you want to read for each category here on this discussion thread and/or on our Google spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

And once you've finished reading all 12 books, fill out our Google form: https://goo.gl/forms/emt0BNPu2fXTfo3p2

In June during our Readathon we will release the Mad Lib story with your answers and you'll be entered into a drawing for a prize!

If you don't finish before the Readathon, don't worry! You can always send in your form later in the year and we will give you the Mad Lib story with your answers, you just won't be eligible for the prize drawing.

Let us know if you get stuck with any of the categories and use our hashtag #ERMadLibs to talk about the challenge on social media.

Happy planning and happy reading!

[Meredith]

A huge shout out to Tara for coming up with this fun and unique idea and for Tara and Jeannette for creating the funny Mad Lib story and categories for the challenge! I hope you'll all play along with us and help spread the word to other bookworms out there!

[Jen]

This is such a cool idea. Thanks for this challenge. This is my fifth challenge so I used books I am reading for other challenges. I should probably figure out how many books I have committed to reading at some point.

[Jeannette]

I always want to do all the challenges too, Jen! I've almost composed a TBR list for this one. I'm hoping I'll be able to use some of the same books for other challenges!

[Meredith]

Jen wrote: "This is such a cool idea. Thanks for this challenge. This is my fifth challenge so I used books I am reading for other challenges. I should probably figure out how many books I have committed to re..."

Yay, glad you are joining us, Jen! I'm very impressed by your commitment to 5 reading challenges! I am planning to do one other besides the Mad Libs, and I'm still hoping I can get a couple of books to overlap, lol!

[Jeannette]

Okay, I just posted my proposed ER Mad Libs TBR on Litsy last night, but I want to post it here too, so all my readers can help me stay on track!

1. Place: Dietland
2. Exclamation: The Regional Office Is Under Attack!
3. Creature: His Majesty's Dragon
4. Person's Name: David Copperfield
5. Singular Noun: Legend
6. Weapon: Glass Sword
7. Adjective: Heartless
8. Verb: Wither
9. Thing: Throne of Glass
10. Verb: Feed
11. Place: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
12. Body Part: The Left Hand of Darkness

Anyone else got their list prepped?

[Bill]

I'm new to the group, and I'm really looking forward to this reading challenge. First time I've ever done a reading challenge, too. So here's my tentative list:

1. Place Name: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
2. Exclamation: The Regional Office Is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales
3. Creature: Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
4. Person's Name: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn
5. Singular Noun: Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
6. Weapon: Scythe by Neal Shusterman
7. Adjective: Lightless by C.A. Higgins
8. Verb: Hounded by Kevin Hearne
9. Noun/Thing: Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
10. Verb: Overturned by Lamar Giles
11. Place Name: Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
12. Body Part: Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan

The catch for me is that to do this, I'll need to read a thirteenth book, because I haven't read the book before Winter's Heart in the "Wheel of Time" series, The Path of Daggers.

Thanks for this really cool idea for a reading challenge.

[Megan]

Oh! I'm working on my list and didn't have one down for Weapon yet - I'm totally stealing Bill's choice "Scythe". I have that on my TBR already but had forgotten about it!!

[Meredith]

Bill wrote: "I'm new to the group, and I'm really looking forward to this reading challenge. First time I've ever done a reading challenge, too. So here's my tentative list:

1. Place Name: [book:Incarceron|33..."

Welcome, Bill! We're happy to have you and excited that you'll be participating in our reading challenge! Great choices!

[Meredith]

Here are my choices for the challenge. I already own a few of these and have been excited to read all of them, so this should be a great way to check off some books from my TBR!

1. Place: 84, Charing Cross Road
2. Exclamation: The Regional Office Is Under Attack!
3. Creature: Sleeping Giants
4. Person's Name: Nimona
5. Singular Noun: Shadowshaper
6. Weapon: Girl Waits with Gun
7. Adjective: Vicious
8. Verb: March: Book One
9. Noun/Thing: Three Dark Crowns
10. Verb: Annihilation
11. Place Name: Neverwhere
12. Body Part: Beastly Bones

Also, I know Annihilation was an Eclectic Readers pick in 2016 but that episode was recorded while I was away in London, so I never got around to reading it, whoops! lol! But I will remedy that very soon!

[Meredith]

Megan wrote: "Oh! I'm working on my list and didn't have one down for Weapon yet - I'm totally stealing Bill's choice "Scythe". I have that on my TBR already but had forgotten about it!!"

I'll be interested in seeing your final choice, Megan!

[Meredith]

The Regional Office is Under Attack is quite a popular choice! :-D

[Bill]

Meredith wrote: "The Regional Office is Under Attack is quite a popular choice! :-D"

I was just about to post the same thing. Is this going to make an argument for having it as one of next year's reads for the podcast?

[Sue]

Bill wrote: "Is this going to make an argument for having it as one of next year's reads for the podcast?"

Welcome Bill! I hope you enjoy the challenge! It's possible. We can always pressure one of our IRL members to choose this book next year. LoL.

[Sue]

Ugh. So I wanted to make my list to shared this week, but I don't think I can. So much is going on at the moment, I may have to wait until the weekend. But I can see why The Regional Office is Under Attack is so popular. It sounds so interesting!

[Tina]

This is my preliminary list. Titles are subject to change.

1. Place Name: Another Brooklyn
2. Exclamation: Go Ask Alice
3. Creature: Children of the Street
4. Person's Name: Saint Mazie
5. Singular Noun: The Lost Daughter
6. Weapon: Knots and Crosses
7. Adjective: Heartsick
8. Verb: Raising the Barre: Big Dreams, False Starts, & My Midlife Quest to Dance The Nutcracker
9. Noun/Thing: Alias, Vol. 1
10. Verb: Call the Midwife
11. Place Name: Under the Volcano
12. Body Part: Tina's Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary

Thanks for announcing this challenge on Litsy.

[Sue]

Tina wrote: "This is my preliminary list. Titles are subject to change."

So glad you decided to do the challenge, Tina! It's a great list! It's a great feeling of accomplishment when you have a plan, even if it changes later on down the road =D

[Tina]

Sue wrote: "Tina wrote: "This is my preliminary list. Titles are subject to change."

So glad you decided to do the challenge, Tina! It's a great list! It's a great feeling of accomplishment when you have a pl..."

Thank you, Sue. I am excited, yet nervous I may be spreading myself too thin. The fun of a challenge, right?

[Megan]

OK - think I have my titles set but I reserve the right to change my mind! :P

1. Place Name: Galápagos
2. Exclamation: Apologize, Apologize!
3. Creature: The Queen of the Night
4. Person's Name: Sabriel
5. Singular Noun: The Snow Child
6. Weapon: Scythe
7. Adjective: Big Little Lies
8. Verb: Homegoing
9. Noun/Thing: Dark Matter
10. Verb: Sleeping Giants
11. Place Name: The Island of Books
12. Body Part: White Teeth

I've even managed to get a few of these titles onto my Litsy challenge!

[Bill]

Megan wrote: "OK - think I have my titles set but I reserve the right to change my mind! :P

1. Place Name: Galápagos
2. Exclamation: Apologize, Apologize!
3. Creature: [book:The Quee..."

Megan, love that you chose Dark Matter for noun/thing. Not sure how many would have thought of that. Very cool! Also love White Teeth for the body part category. Great choices!

[Megan]

Bill wrote: "Megan, love that you chose Dark Matter for noun/thing. Not sure how many would have thought of that. Very cool! Also love White Teeth for the body part category. Great choices! "

Thanks, Bill! I actually debated the Dark Matter choice for a few minutes if it could really be considered "thing" but I decided I really wanted to read it and to just go for it. :)

[Sue]

I second Bill, Megan! Dark Matter is a great choice for Noun/Thing. It's totally a thing. And it's a great book! Really like your list!

[Meredith]

Tina wrote: "This is my preliminary list. Titles are subject to change.

1. Place Name: Another Brooklyn
2. Exclamation: Go Ask Alice
3. Creature: [book:Children of the Street|99355..."

Hi, Tina, welcome to the group! Glad you found us on Litsy and I like your preliminary choices :)

[Meredith]

Megan wrote: "OK - think I have my titles set but I reserve the right to change my mind! :P

1. Place Name: Galápagos
2. Exclamation: Apologize, Apologize!
3. Creature: [book:The Quee..."

Ooh, I really like your choices, Megan! A lot of your books are also on my TBR, so we'I'll see what I'm in the mood to read when the time comes ;)

[Tina]

Meredith wrote: "Tina wrote: "This is my preliminary list. Titles are subject to change.

1. Place Name: Another Brooklyn
2. Exclamation: Go Ask Alice
3. Creature: [book:Children of the..."

Thank you.

[Jen]

Here is my list. Like I said, I am doing other challenges so some of these may be a reach but I think they fit. The other challenges I am doing are Litsy Reading Challenge, Litsy A to Z, Read Harder, and Mount TBR
1. Place Name - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
2. Exclamation -O Pioneers!
3. Creature - Frog Music
4. Person's Name - Mother of Pearl
5. Singular Noun - The Queen of the Night
6. Weapon - The Elegance of the Hedgehog
7. Adjective - The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks
8. Verb - Burn Baby Burn
9. Noun/Thing - Underground Airlines
10. Verb - The Haunting of Hill House
11. Place Name - South of Broad
12. Body Part - You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain

[Megan]

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is so good! I hope you enjoy it! :D

[Jen]

Jen wrote: "Here is my list. Like I said, I am doing other challenges so some of these may be a reach but I think they fit. The other challenges I am doing are Litsy Reading Challenge, Litsy A to Z, Read Harde..."

I am not sure how I have never read it. I hear nothing but wonderful things about it but have never picked it up. My mom actually bought it for me a couple of years ago to get me to read it. I am looking forward to it.

[Sue]

I also love A Tree Grows in Brooklyn! I love your list as well, Jen! =) I love how you're using a Hedgehog as a weapon.

[Megan]

Aaaaand I've already switched out my place, Galapagos for Columbine. I bought Columbine a year ago and never read it - perfect time to do so!

[Jen]

I love seeing everyone's lists. It makes it so hard for me to settle on one list, though. lol. I want to read everything!

[Meredith]

Jen wrote: "I love seeing everyone's lists. It makes it so hard for me to settle on one list, though. lol. I want to read everything!"

Me, too, Jen! Everyone is picking great books, we'll see if I make any changes over the course of the challenge ;)

And I also haven't read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, so you're not alone!

[[deleted user]]

Here's my tentative list! I was able to grab almost everything from the lists I had already planned for other challenges. I had trouble finding titles for verb—are these choices okay?

1. Place Name — 84, Charing Cross Road
2. Exclamation — Guards! Guards!
3. Creature — The Devil in Silver
4. Person's Name — Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal
5. Singular Noun — Atonement
6. Weapon — The Hunting Gun
7. Adjective — Modern Lovers
8. Verb — Born a Crime
9. Noun/Thing — Pachinko
10. Verb — Hide
11. Place Name — Crooked River
12. Body Part — Their Eyes Were Watching God

Update: That's my official, completed list! This challenge was so much fun!

[[deleted user]]

Jen wrote: "Here is my list. Like I said, I am doing other challenges so some of these may be a reach but I think they fit. The other challenges I am doing are Litsy Reading Challenge, Litsy A to Z, Read Harde..."

I am doing all of those challenges, too, except instead of Mount TBR, I'm doing Modern Mrs. Darcy's Reading for Growth. Do you also have an elaborate spreadsheet made?

[Sue]

Sara wrote: "Here's my tentative list! I was able to grab almost everything from the lists I had already planned for other challenges. I had trouble finding titles for verb—are these choices okay?"

Great list! I love how you chose Xenocide for Singular Noun!

[Lacy]

Here's what I'm planning!
1. Place Name - Essex County
2. Exclamation - Very Good, Jeeves!
3. Creature - The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly
4. Person's Name - Sula
5. Singular Noun - Vixen
6. Weapon - Girl Waits with Gun
7. Adjective - (Normal) Normal: Transsexual CEO's, Cross-Dressing Cops, Hermaphrodites with Attitude, and More
8. Verb - (Loitering)Loitering: New & Collected Essays
9. Noun/Thing - The Guest Cat
10. Verb - Behave
11. Place Name - Jamaica Inn
12. Body Part - Under the Skin

[Meredith]

Sara wrote: "Jen wrote: "Here is my list. Like I said, I am doing other challenges so some of these may be a reach but I think they fit. The other challenges I am doing are Litsy Reading Challenge, Litsy A to Z..."

Welcome, and nice choices! We have a google spreadsheet made if you want to use it to keep track of your choices. The link is in the first post of this thread.

[Meredith]

Lacy wrote: "Here's what I'm planning!
1. Place Name - Essex County
2. Exclamation - Very Good, Jeeves!
3. Creature - The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly
4. Person's..."

Welcome! You've got some great choices picked out!

[Jen]

Sara
I will have to check out the Modern Mrs. Darcy challenge. I need another challenge!

[Sue]

Lacy wrote: "Here's what I'm planning! "

Great list! I especially love Loitering. Awesome verb!

[Sue]

Ok! I finally have my list!

1. Place Name: The Clancys of Queens: A Memoir
2. Exclamation: What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
3. Creature: Silver Phoenix
4. Person's Name: Re Jane
5. Singular Noun: Armada
6. Weapon: A Darker Shade of Magic
7. Adjective: Faithful
8. Verb: Carry On
9. Noun/Thing: Ghosts
10. Verb: Uprooted
11. Place Name: The Little Paris Bookshop
12. Body Part: The Heart Goes Last

[Megan]

A Darker Shade of Magic is a cool weapon title!

[Bill]

Sue wrote: "Ok! I finally have my list!

1. Place Name: The Clancys of Queens: A Memoir
2. Exclamation: What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
3...."

Totally agree with Megan about A Darker Shade of Magic for your weapon title. Pretty clever.

And Ghosts looks really interesting. Love that you included a graphic novel.

[Sue]

Thanks! I had a little trouble with Weapon and it dawned on me that magic can totally be a weapon. Worked out well!

Bill - Thanks! I tried to included different types of books so I have a better chance of sticking with my list and I won't get burned out with a genre. We'll see how it works out ;) I've been reading mixed reviews about Ghosts so I'm interested to see how I like it.

[Jeannette]

Oh my gosh, everyone's lists look so good. I think my favorite part of this challenge so far is seeing everyone's choices for "Exclamation." :-)

[Michelle]

I am just accessing goodreads for the first time in years. I added some stats but not all the books I read this year. I saw this idea on Litsy and wanted to join in. I hope I did everything right. My name on litsy is Mimi28. I don't know what it is on here, or if I even have one!! Feel free to email me at michellemiddleton45@gmail.com or slickbutterfly76@aol.com. Honestly I hardly ever check the gmail, but I know I HAVE to now. Thanks!!

[Sue]

Michelle wrote: "I am just accessing goodreads for the first time in years. I added some stats but not all the books I read this year. I saw this idea on Litsy and wanted to join in. I hope I did everything right. ..."

Welcome Michelle! I've seen your posts on Litsy. Thanks for joining in on the MadLibs fun! =) I saw your list on the spreadsheet and I really like your choices! You can make as may changes to your list until it's time to submit your final choices.

Also, go ahead and join in the discussions from our previous reads and past episodes!

[Roselyn_Reads]

Hi, I've been a member of Goodreads for a while but it I have been active only for the past couple of months. I'm enjoying interacting with different groups and challenges. I'd like to take part of the Mad Libs Challenge. It is very creative and looks like a lot of fun.

[Michelle]

When do we have to submit our final choices for the challenge?

[Sue]

Michelle wrote: "When do we have to submit our final choices for the challenge?"

It will be in June when we host our read-a-thon. We don't have a date yet, but we'll let you know once we have it set.