Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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Reading Out of Order (And Choosing Topics)
Emily, I have done it both ways. The first year I did PopSugar, I kept my spreadsheet & when I read a book, I'd add it to every prompt that it fit. Then toward the end of the year, I reviewed what I had and puzzle pieced it all together to see what I had and then completed the few prompts I had left.The past two years, I made a rule for myself that once I slotted a book for a prompt, it stayed there. It adds an extra level of challenge I think, but I've found that I prefer it. It makes things more certain for me as I go along because I know exactly what I've read. Now last year I read in order, so I knew exactly what prompt I was filling. And this year I preassigned all of my books, so I don't have to worry about this either.
But in 2016 I would try to assign the book to the prompt that I thought would be hardest to fill or if a book really really exemplified the prompt. Like for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, I'd probably assign it to the book title that is a full sentence or a book you expect to make you laugh because all the other ones are pretty broad, and as you go along you'll probably end up finding books that fit many fewer categories, and you'll wish that you had a more open category available.
So basically my response was super long & all over the place, but I've tried it all the ways, and they're all fun!
I have a massive spreadsheet with my whole GR library in it (you can export it in the 'My Books' page) and all the challenge topics. I put an 'x' when the book would fill a prompt and then a formula counts all the 'x' for each prompts. When I don't know where to fill a book, I look for the prompt with the least number of options and see how likely I am to read any of those options during the year.I hope that makes sense ;)
I am a mood reader so often I go on a tangent of reading books without paying any attention to the challenge. I then have to go back and plug them in where they fit. Sometimes this means sliding a previously read book into another slot to make room. With my reading style I would cause myself stress to commit a book to a slot and never be able to move it. In the end, as long as I have read 52 books, I am happy. :)
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Amy, I'm such a mood reader too! I started this challenge in June last year, and I basically just winged it until November, when I had to start reading all of the categories I had been putting off (short stories are the death of me...). I'm trying to avoid that this year by sprinkling in some of my less favorite categories throughout the year (short stories again?!).
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I do like the idea of committing each book to one prompt, but also, I'm such a mood reader that I feel like I would end up cheating on the rules I set for myself! Bahahaha. I guess I'll just plug it all in and see how it goes throughout the year.
I'm putting the books in all of the prompts it satisfies and narrowing it down later. I'm a mood reader too most of the time but I had my holiday reading for the next month all mapped out. I had to work out which books could come with me and stick to them. I'm currently 600km from home. But you know what they say about the best laid plans....I started reading Ready Player One (cyberpunk prompt in Popsugar) on the 30th. I knew it wouldn't be finished before the 1st because I had some serious driving to do over the next two days. But as luck would have it I bought 4 new books in my travels and I've been into them and Ready Player One is still sitting there 1/5th read. Yesterday I started and finished Nevermoor and then last night I started reading the Little Paris Bookshop. I read a bit more this morning but now I have some more running around to do for the rest of the day but TLPB should be knocked over by tonight. All the books I've bought will satisfy prompts in both of the challenges I'm attempting (sorry doing as according to Yoda "do, or do not. there is no try") I'm a very fast reader when I get into it. Even as a kid I'd read a book a night. I was reading novels by the time I was 5.
I think either can work. Last year I did three challenges and my rule was that I couldn’t move books around for AtY as I considered that my “main” challenge, but for Popsugar and Book Riot I could move books around if I needed to. I’m not organised enough to have kept a list of what categories a book could fit into though - perhaps if I had been I wouldn’t have been two categories short of finishing one of my challenges! ;-)
I am doing the Around the Year in 52 Books, Ultimate Popsugar, 50 States and At Least 50 Authors, and Books and Chocolate Classics Only with NO repeats between or within those challenges. I am also doing our local library challenge BCPL, but for that ONE I will only use books I have from one of the other four. Unfortunately, the library requires certain topics in certain months so this requires some planning. I created a shelf on Goodreads for each of the challenges. Then I selected almost all of my books up front. Then I looked at which books I could use for the library challenge and created lists on my library account for WHICH books I need to request in each of the 12 months. I also created lists on my library account for all of the more challenging books for each challenge. Finally, I created one library lists of the "light fluffy" reads. In 2016, I read 325 books; in 2017 435. I often read multiple books for a topic and it does require a bit of planning.
I move books around. This year I am going to add a note on my list where a book can also fit. The first book I read works for several of the easier tasks so it is likely to be moved.
Sophie wrote: "I have a massive spreadsheet with my whole GR library in it (you can export it in the 'My Books' page) and all the challenge topics. I put an 'x' when the book would fill a prompt and then a formul..."I'd love to see your spreadsheet, but I'm not understanding how. Or am I totally missing something?
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I've created a spreadsheet to track the goals I had placed for myself this year. I also decided to narrow each book to the top three categories, and I'm not allowed to move it outside of those categories later. For example, if I put Eleanor Oliphant down for prompts 12, 27, or 43, I can't switch it later to prompt 1. But I can move it within those three options, which helps my flexibility a bit!
Here's my spreadsheet, if you're interested!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Great spreadsheet Emily! You inspired me to track where the books come from (library, etc.).
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I do a year-end round up on my blog, and I like to include those statistics, but I always end up just going through my read for the year and trying to remember where I got the books from... not the most efficient! Hopefully I can keep up with this spreadsheet and it will help me track everything!
Last year I made a list of 4-5 books that i was interested in for each category and then I could choose according to my mood. This worked well for me even though I didn’t finish the challenge. I blame the trip I was forced to take in December wich put me behind schedule
I think this is a common problem! I try to first select the one I think will be the hardest to fill. I also consider how likely I am to read my choices and if they fit in other challenges. It gets easier halfway through the year! I did move some books last year but may not this year.
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I found myself moving books quite a bit in October/November, based on what was left and what I wanted to read. Trying to not do that this year (and not leave so many of my undesirable prompts until the end!)
Ira wrote: "Last year I made a list of 4-5 books that i was interested in for each category and then I could choose according to my mood. This worked well for me even though I didn’t finish the challenge. I bl..."
I planned 5-10 books for each category, but I used the same book throughout multiple categories in my plan, because I wasn't sure if/when I would read them.. and now here I am!
Emily, I like your idea of just moving a book between 3 choices.
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Thanks! I think it will be a good compromise.
Sophie - your spreadsheet is no joke!!!I try to pick all the books I want to read during the year and then see where they fit. I've given myself some options this year. I vowed whatever I read first would go to the ATY challenge until I'm done. I did too many side reads last year and almost didn't complete the challenge. Last year I was really stringent about moving the books around until the end. This year I learned not to be so strict.
Alright this is the thread for me. No way I can do that in order lol
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Haha welcome!
I'm trying to do this challenge in order, but I have a challenge (don't even know where I got it from) that I did for each quarter of last year that I bounced around. I figure if anyone could appreciate this, it would be y'all.Last night I was looking at the list and realized I used the same book for the same category in both Q1 and Q3. I was horrified and I have no idea how I did that since I only read it once. I spent a good 15 minutes figuring out how to move books around so that one of my unused books could be fit in and complete it.
No one ever sees this list. I don't talk about it with anyone (except right here), but gosh darn it, I needed to properly complete it!
Shelley wrote: "I'm trying to do this challenge in order, but I have a challenge (don't even know where I got it from) that I did for each quarter of last year that I bounced around. I figure if anyone could appre..."I'm trying to do this one in order too, but yes, that totally sounds like me!
I am doing the challenge in random order for a multitude of reasons - I read a lot more in winter than in summer, I have no control over when a library book is going to be available, I'm doing other challenges that are deadline based, etc. I do have all my books chosen and slotted into categories, though!So....hi to all the other random readers!
I intended to do this challenge in order, but all of the other books for the month have me on a waiting list at the local library. I will probably just read them as they become available.
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This is actually hilarious and also a problem I ran into last year with the 2017 ATY challenge (accidentally had the same book slotted into two different topics and didn't realize until December!)
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I'm very much the same. I'm such a mood reader, but also, the idea of picking 52 books for the challenge and not deviating from them at all throughout the year bores me to tears.
Also, I'm a member of an IRL book club, and a BOTM Club member, so those are a lot of unpredictable variables to account for.
I think I might have to move over into this thread :/Actually, I'll probably bounce back and forth...is that even possible?
No clue how this is going to work for me this year lol.
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Cheers to the non-conformists! We grab a book with a pretty cover. get influenced by a boatload of great reviews. Need a good laugh or cry. We read what we want, when we want. We. Are. the R.O.o.O.s!
I’m struggling with what to read next! I have started 5 books but want to stick with one. If I was going in order, it would be much easier! The dilemmas that readers have! 😀
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I just finished In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, which fits three different categories. Now I'm starting The One Hundred Nights of Hero, which is my book club's choice this month.
The fact that I can jump from a true crime nonfiction book to a graphic novel based on Arabian Nights is what I LOVE about being a mood reader. Yay R.O.o.O.s!
Here is what I have figured out about myself in regards to challenges:#1 I am OBSESSED with planning lists. I could sit and plan books for challenge prompts all day, and then make posts with their pretty covers all lined up and then go back and look at them over and over....As a matter of fact, its my favorite thing to do when I'm feeling really depressed or anxious. Works like a charm every time.
#2 Once I make the pretty lists, I thoroughly enjoy rearranging them. I was so excited about my plan for this year. I loved it. I was going to read ALL the books. I was going to try and do it in order. It was so special to me, lol........
THEN, I started reading and I'm like...."wait, this one fits in this category", or "you know what? I'd rather read this one for this category so I'm gonna move this one over to (Pop Sugar/Book Riot)", or "Meh, I might get around to this one but I've changed my mind about this category so Im gonna read this one".....and on and on and on. Its like a game for me. Where can I fit this book? I just am having too much fun with it 😂
Me too, Tracy, on the planning obsession. That's probably why I have so many challenges going at a time. I can't freaking help myself! This year, I took it a step further and decorated my Infinity and Beyond thread with little pixel guys because I couldn't feasibly fit any more challenges into the year, haha. Of course, that hasn't stopped me from picking up more ongoing/multi-year challenges. I have a real problem.But I'm definitely a mood reader and my plans change dozens of times before it's all said and done. I've been doing the ATY for 3 years (plus one year at the 2015 PopSugar group we had before this) and I've tried 3 of the 4 years to go in order and I never do. I've just decided that I'm not that kind o' reader. :D
I've already changed 3 books on my plan this year and we're just half a month in, lol.
NOTHING I’ve read so far has been on my original plan lol 😂
You guys are cracking me up. I, too, have a penchant for planning. When I stumbled upon these challenge reading groups my heart leapt with joy at finding a magical place where other loonies love making lists. What could be more fun than setting up a reading list (by topic...yeeeeaaaahhh!)? I couldn't contain myself. This is my first year starting from the beginning. I wanted to read in order but that was dashed right from the start due to book availability, or lack thereof, at the library. I normally hate forced reading. I never liked being assigned books in school. I would read everything but the book I was supposed to be reading. But this challenge is different. I've assigned the books to me and I love a good challenge. It's me vs. list and I will beat the list. Wishing you all luck in your 2018 reading endeavors!
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But I also just went to the library and checked out 5 books (only 1 of which was on my plan), and I bought two more books that I wasn't planning on reading this year because I don't know any categories they would fit into...
I like to think that we are true book nerds, picking up anything and everything our heart desires!
I usually read in order but I am loving jumping around this year. It means more flexibility with mixing up audio books, ebooks and hard copies.
This is my first year doing a challenge with topics and I'm loving it. I'm glad I'm not the only one doing it out of order. The only problem so far is that my TBR list has grown dramatically from the research I've done on books that line up with the topics! ;)
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The only problem so far is that my TBR list has grown dramatically from..."
I have the same problem 😬 my TBR has grown dramatically.
My TBR has grown so much since I joined this group, I've been struggling for 3 years to keep it manageable 😅
This year I have actually made a plan and assigned one book for each category. I will allow myself to change two books If I find a book that fits better since I struggled with a couple of categories. Otherwise I will try to keep to my plan and not change it. I even posted my plan on this group to keep me accountable. It is going to be a challenge, but all the books are books that I want to read, so it is stupid to put reading them off. But that means I cant read in order and keep to my plan. If I do that I will go crazy. I need some freedom to choose.
I have a plan this year with options. The plan will definitely change with whatever buddy reads there are in my other group. It also changes with some books of the month group reads. I find I tend to get excited and start ordering all of these books from the library when I have about 20 of them at home that are on my list. I don't know why library books are more appealing.
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I currently have 9 books checked out from the library.... luckily, my library rarely has holds, so I can renew my books if I need to.
The unread shelf on my bookshelf, however... That's completely out of hand.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Vegetarian (other topics)The Vegetarian (other topics)
In Cold Blood (other topics)
The One Hundred Nights of Hero (other topics)
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (other topics)
But it also fits 10. Author's Debut Book, 12. A Book You Expect to Make You Laugh, 20. A Book Rated 5 Stars by One of Your Friends, 21. A Book in First Person Perspective, 22. A Book You Have High Expectations For, 27. A Book About Surviving a Hardship, 31. A Book Set in a Country You've Never Been to, 34. A Suggestion from the ATY Close-Call Choices, 36. A Book Published in the Last 3 Years by an Author You've Never Read, 43. A Book with a Title that is a Full Sentence, and 49. A Book from the Goodreads Best Books of the Month.
So... if you're not reading in order, how do you handle this?
I'm tempted to just put it under all of these categories, then narrow it down as I go through the year. Is that cheating? Maybe. But I don't know which categories will be difficult to fill come November, and this is my first year attempting the challenge in January.
Help! I'd love to get some perspective on this!