Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2018 Challenge - General
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Approaching the Challenge
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This is my first challenge! Well, I've looked at others most years but never had the time to do any significant reading. This year, I've taken the spreadsheet and worked through my mile-long TBR list and found books that met all but three prompts. I have several possibilities for each prompt and will read what I have on hand or what has the best Kindle or B&N deal at the time. Looking forward to it!
Last year I didn't have a plan and I didn't really get far in the challenge. This year I'm going to do a little more planning ahead of time, but I still want to keep some flexibility so I don't feel like it's work.
Are we supposed to check in on January 1st that we started the challenge or not until end of first week ? New to this so trying to figure it all out.
I generally read whatever comes along, and see if it will fit into a category in one of my challenges (doing six this year). By July, I figure out what I still have left, and go looking for specific books to fit in those slots.
Beverly wrote: "Are we supposed to check in on January 1st that we started the challenge or not until end of first week ? New to this so trying to figure it all out."
Check-ins are on Thursday.
What’s the around the year book challenge?
I don't have a plan what to read for every prompt, because I know I wouldn't stick to it - I want to able to choose my next reads in regard to my current mood. Since my TBR is huge I looked through it and noted which book would fit to which prompt, then when I decide to read this book, I can quickly fill in the right prompt. I don't have every prompt covered though so I have to wait and see which new books I get in 2018. Around fall I will probably take a look at the prompts that are still open and go looking for specific books for these prompts.
So this will be my third year and I decided to plan, in hopes that I will finish. I picked two books for each regular prompt just in case I don't like one. Surprisingly , a lot of the books I picked out were already on my TBR list anyway. HAPPY READING, everyone. Looking forward to a new year of PopSugar.
It seems that what I did is pretty common. I made a list of books I would be interested in for each prompt. Then I selected about 15 I want to read most to give me a place to start. Most of those also cover more that one category. In the past I have used the prompts to inspire me and just placed what I read wherever it fit best.
I Pick several books for each prompt that could be interesting to read. Some of the books can be used for several prompts so I can shuffle around later if I change my mind about a book, find something else that looks more interesting or if I can’t get hold of the book. I don’t double dip but I can use a book in several reading challenge but just for one prompt per challenge.
So I have a list but it is very open depending on what I feel like reading.
I don’t start from number 1 and then go down the list. It is completely up to what I am in the mood to read. Last year I tried to get rid of some of the prompts I was dreading first. (Like the 800pages) This year it will be a mix of that and what becomes available on overdrive and from my library.
Just one more day :-)
How do people feel about using books you are rereading to count toward the challenge? I have a few books I teach, and thus like to reread the whole book every few years, that might fit some prompts. Also the best-sellers from the year I graduated had some I’d love to read again.
I have planned all my books, but I am ok if I change them around a little especially if another book catches my fancy. I am trying to keep it to what I own or getting something from the library and try not to buy too many books (But does that every really work for me?? NO haha).
Megan / I used to say that rereads only counted for me if the prompt called for it but I don’t care anymore. I’m doing three challenges to a total of 128 prompts and each will have its own book. In previous years I’ve put off rereads I wanted to do because they didn’t fit into the challenge and so this year I’ve decided it’s time to loosen up. Rereads count.
I also stayed away from re-reads last year, unless it was required. Now I'm finding that I don't really remember books I read a long time ago. I figure some of those are totally fair game. I am wondering if some books I used to call my favorites (Love in the Time of Cholera & If On A Winter's Night A Traveler) would still be considered favorites today. I almost re-read those for the 2017 challenge. This year my tbr list seems to be overflowing, so I'm unlikely to re-read much for the challenges. So many books....so little time.
I tend to not count rereads unless they are either called for by the prompt or a book club pick. But I think if I came across something I really wanted to reread especially for a difficult prompt to fill then if count it.
A lot of my rereads this coming year will likely be series rereads because I didn’t finish the series off and it’s been too long and I liked it enough to reread. I think I may reread the Rebus series, for example, and I just finished a reread of The Passage on NYE to be able to finally get to the next two. I’m also rereading Wuthering Heights, which my memory of is poor (I was 12-13 when I originally read it) and Poirot in order - which I read at about the same age, not in order and not completely. I barely remember any of them.
I am new to the reading challenges but have wanted to do one for the last few years to increase the amount and type of books I read. I don't really have anything planned out, I usually just read why strikes me. I've been engrossed in a,series since about august so planning to use those for some prompts. Started officially today with my first book (not part of that series).
I’ve made selections for most of the books of the Challenge, but fully reserve the right to change my mind if something better presents itself and if I don’t like a book, I’m not going to force myself to finish it! Life is too short to read books I don’t want to!
I been finding that going through making half hearted lists is helping me remember the prompts a bit better. My memory has been pretty well shot for years but I'm remembering prompts when I'm deciding what to buy or read. Take yesterday for example. I was wandering through my local Big W (nice, clean, bright, relatively cheap discount department store like KMart) and came to the book section (OK...made a bee line straight to the books section after finding a heat bag for my sore back) and was looking to see what was new. They had actually refilled a lot of the shelves after the Christmas rush. Anyway I saw Name of the Wind. I'd seen the authors name mentioned in my sci fi and fantasy group as being very good (and I'm sure there's a prompt there it will satisfy) and the title satisfies the air prompt (being Wind) and also book with a weather element in the title for Popsugar. 3 birds one stone. I have books slotted into those already but they were old ones from my mothers that didn't particularly interest me but would have read them if the need arose. Oh and it also satisfied my current seemingly obsessive need to buy another book.
For Around the Year, I’m going to try to read them in order, at a rate of approximately one a week. So for that challenge I have anywhere from 1-10 books per prompt that I know will fit. About 4 weeks ahead, I’ll put some books on hold through Overdrive, several so that it won’t matter if some don’t become available in time.
Then, since all of those options interest me, I’ll try to slot the extras into a Pop Sugar or Book Riot prompt after I finish them. Last year Book Riot was a bit difficult to just read and fill, and maybe will be again, so I may try looking for specific books for those at about 2 a month. Pop Sugar around the fall I will look at and start to select books more purposefully for remaining prompts.
Along the way, I have an in person book club monthly and then I’m going to try to read a lot of 1001 books with my Goodreads group. Those will be more planned - the group has already chosen a long yearly read, four seasonal reads and then there are monthly reads chosen a couple of months ahead. They also have two monthly challenges going and I hope to participate there too. All of the 1001 and Book club books I will slot into prompts of my three yearly challenges. Otherwise I won’t double up.
Remaining books that I read and don’t fit anywhere I look to see if they fit in previous year’s challenges 2015-2016. I just started those last year and I am slowly going to chip away at them but unless I finish current year challenges, not in any serious way.