Calling all Spreadsheeters - ATY Community Spreadsheet

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Kathy wrote: "I do the same thing, Emily. I spend a lot of time planning, then only read about half the books I had planned because I find new books. The planning is a hobby, I tell myself."

Definitely! A great way to pass my time, but if I find a book I want to read now, I'm not going to put it off to 2019 haha.

[Jody]

I love planning too! I love it when I come across something completely organically and realise it will fit into an upcoming prompt. It’s still happening now for my unread 2018 prompts. 😁

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

91 people on this year's spreadsheet! I'm blown away by how many people have already finished the challenge!

[dalex]

Emily wrote: "I'm blown away by how many people have already finished the challenge!"

For those of you who have finished, I encourage you to share the news over in THIS THREAD (which I created for just that purpose with the approval of the group mods).

[Steve]

Google Sheets now has an easy checkbox option! Insert - > Checkbox.

It doesn't apply to our spreadsheet, but I needed to share that information with somebody, and you all are a solid enough audience for that! I haven't figured out a way to count the number of checked v. unchecked yet, though...

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Steve wrote: "Google Sheets now has an easy checkbox option! Insert - > Checkbox.

It doesn't apply to our spreadsheet, but I needed to share that information with somebody, and you all are a solid enough audien..."

You just made my day. I imagine that a =COUNTIF may work? Or a =COUNTBLANK would show how many you're missing and you can use an algebraic formula to count the completions.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Also, (for those of you not following the 2019 Wild Discussion) I added a 2019 Rejects tab for those of us who are doing a rejects challenge with the prompts that don't get selected. Feel free to add to that tab as well!

[Steve]

OH! I found the solution (for now). Google Sheets reads the checkmarks as TRUE/FALSE statements. Checked = true; unchecked = false. So the formula is =COUNTIF(RANGE, "TRUE") for checked, and "FALSE" for unchecked.

Apparently they implemented these checkboxes in April and I never noticed until now. (I was legitimately working on summer school information when I found it... one reward of having to be at school today!) I'd hope that someday they make an easier way for people to add the count ability, but for now, that's the way I can find to make it work.

[Rachelnyc]

I finally added my books to the spreadsheet and spent waaay too much time checking out the stats and other people's choices! It's the day before a Holiday so who wants to do any work, right?!

Anyway, I think it's funny and appropriate that the "book that scares/intimidates" has the lowest % completion. I'm actually reading that prompt now so the percentage will go up slightly soon.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Rachelnyc wrote: "I finally added my books to the spreadsheet and spent waaay too much time checking out the stats and other people's choices! It's the day before a Holiday so who wants to do any work, right?!

Anyw..."

Agreed! I plan on reading that one this month as well, so hopefully we can get it above 20 people (out of 94!)

[Rachelnyc]

Emily wrote: "Rachelnyc wrote: "I finally added my books to the spreadsheet and spent waaay too much time checking out the stats and other people's choices! It's the day before a Holiday so who wants to do any w..."

Woohoo, we can get it over 20%!

I was also thinking since people are starting to put options in to the 2019 tab that maybe it would be good to have 2 tabs for the year. One for planning where the formulas are removed or altered (since putting planned options rather than completed prompts skews the numbers) and one for completed tasks?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I will open up the 2019 tab for completed tasks once we have a final list of prompts in order! I may even lock it until 2019 begins so that no one is tempted to put their books read in there before the year starts. Right now, we have a 2019 Plans for people to put options (and for us to all see what other people are thinking about using) and a 2019 Rejects Plan for those of us who are doing a ATY Rejects challenge next year.

[Rachelnyc]

Emily wrote: "I will open up the 2019 tab for completed tasks once we have a final list of prompts in order! I may even lock it until 2019 begins so that no one is tempted to put their books read in there before..."

Perfect! I have already added my Reject preferences.

[Sophie]

Thank you so much for all your work on this spreadsheet, especially the reject tabs! I was looking for another way to keep track of my rejects because my spreadsheet was so big that I couldn't get it available offline. While I'm travelling getting access to the internet is not always easy and I missed updating my darling spreadsheet as soon as I finished a book haha. I know you guys can understand me! ;)

I also like the "box" you put around those you voted for, so I picked up the same method. I'm going to try to do the same for the current voting process so I remember which ones I voted for!

Edit: I just realised I could make a printscreen of my votes to report later on the spreadsheet. Thought that might help some of you!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Sophie wrote: "Thank you so much for all your work on this spreadsheet, especially the reject tabs! I was looking for another way to keep track of my rejects because my spreadsheet was so big that I couldn't get ..."

Did you put a box around the ones you voted for, or the ones you are using for your reject challenge? I noticed you had titles filled in on boxes you don't have a border on, and you have empty boxes with borders on them. Just wondering what your method was!

(I put boxes around the ones I am using for my rejects challenge, and I'm removing the boxes as I read the book for that prompt. Just have the boxes there to help me know which prompts I chose!)

[Ann]

Lost!! Managed to get my books on the list, right to completion. But what the heck are tabs and all this other stuff that you are talking about? Where are they? Help!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

No worries! On Google Sheets, there are tabs at the bottom for other various things. There’s a 2018 Rejects tab for those of us who are doing a challenge based on the rejected prompts from last year’s creation of the list. There’s a 2019 Plans tab for you to plan out your reads for next year as the list is created. And there’s a 2019 Rejects Plan for those of us who will be doing a Rejects challenge next year!

[Joan]

Wow so I finally clicked on the spreadsheet. I'll probably fill this in later. I've already spent a little too much of my holiday on the computer! Nice job!

[Sophie]

Emily wrote: "Did you put a box around the ones you voted for, or the ones you are using for your reject challenge? I noticed you had titles filled in on boxes you don't have a border on, and you have empty boxes with borders on them. Just wondering what your method was!"

Sorry I can see how that is confusing! I’m actually distinguishing the reject prompts I fill out between my “tops” (those I voted for) and the others. My goal is not to complete a set number of prompts but to see how many of each category I can complete with books I read that don’t fit the main ATY challenge. I hope that makes more sense ;)

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

That makes perfect sense! I love that idea... instead of setting a challenge, you’re just assigning categories to your “side reads”? I hadn’t even thought of that, and now I’m debating if I want to change my approach.

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

Oooo, I hadn't thought of that...I had felt like oh I won't do a rejects challenge, I already have so many challenges, but if I'm just assigning reject categories to side reads...hmmmm

[Sophie]

I don’t like to put too much pressure on my reading so I’m not looking to complete a lot of challenges throughout the year. This approach to the reject prompts is perfect for me and I’m glad if it can inspire you ;)

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

We just passed 100 people on the community spreadsheet! Thank you all for contributing! 😍

[Anna]

WOW, it has become really popular! It was a great idea, Emily. :)

[dalex]

Can I make a suggestion for the 2019 spreadsheet? Create tabs for multiple sheets and divide by names, like A-E F-J K-0 P-T U-Z, so Ann would put hers in Tab 1 (A-E), Jane would put hers in Tab 2 (F-J), Lynn would put hers in Tab 3 (K-O), etc. I just find it difficult to scroll across the very wide spreadsheet to see everyone's input. Thanks! :)

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

dalex, that's a great point. I hadn't imagined it would get this large! When we make the final 2019 tab, I'll divide it up and make sure the formulas on the side reflect the totals (not just that tab's info).

[Rachelnyc]

Wow, that's about as many people who vote in each poll! Great job, Emily!

I only just started contributing to the spreadsheet but I'm excited to follow it as everyone updates this year's stats and starts planning for next year's challenge and rejects challenge.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Rachelnyc wrote: "Wow, that's about as many people who vote in each poll! Great job, Emily!

I only just started contributing to the spreadsheet but I'm excited to follow it as everyone updates this year's stats and..."

I know! I'm so excited with the turnout!

I'm having a lot of fun tracking the rejects and planning for 2019. I'm glad to see other people jumping on as well... I'm a compulsive planner, so it's fun to see what other people are considering.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

dalex pointed out a mistake I made with the 2019 rejects list! In Poll 2, one of the options was for the Man Booker Prize, and in Poll 3, one of the options was for the Man Booker International Prize. I mistakenly combined the two. That's been fixed!

(It may not matter to most of you, but Bec, Helene, and Jillian, you may want to check on which one you wanted to include in your Rejects list!)

[Hélène]

Thank you Emily!

[Jill]

Is there a space for the something NEW prompt on the spreadsheet for 2019 .? I can't see it , but that is probably just me going wrong. I can see something OLD and something Borrowed something BLUE but not NEW Sorry if I'm just being dumb

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

OH NO! It was there... someone may have deleted it accidentally. I'll add it back now. Thanks for pointing that out, Jill!

[Edie]

Emily wrote: "dalex, that's a great point. I hadn't imagined it would get this large! When we make the final 2019 tab, I'll divide it up and make sure the formulas on the side reflect the totals (not just that t..."

On the other hand, I love being able to scroll across and see what everyone is reading for a prompt. Please DON'T break it up into multiple tabs. I don't want to have to go to multiple tabs to see what folks are reading for "something borrowed". It isn't hard to scroll across to column "DA" or if people find that cumbersome, a search for your name can quickly take you to your column. IMO having to go multiple places to view what others are reading will take much longer than scrolling across even if there many more participants next year.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I have it split into two tabs now, with the formulas combining the numbers (so you see the total percentage, not just the percentage for that tab). Unless anyone else has a major issue with it, I think two is a good compromise. It will keep the sheets at a more manageable size, but it’s easy to jump between the two and we can still see the statistics for the whole group.

At 104 people on it now, I agree that it’s a bit cumbersome, so hopefully this will work. We can always combine it back later if we want to! (Combining is much easier than splitting!)

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I added a tab (because I can't help myself) that I copied over from my personal spreadsheet. Just wanted to track what was in the top, bottom, close call, and polarizing for each 2019 poll. I have the tab locked and will update after each results posting!

[Perri]

Only four books left for me! I'm in secret competition with Cecily who I don't even know, but is listed right next to me. We've been neck in neck through the year :)

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Perri, I feel the same about EdieS 😂😂 they are right next to me and always one or two books ahead!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Don't forget to update your books on the spreadsheet! Our average is a couple weeks behind and it's driving me crazy haha!

[Steve]

Emily wrote: "Don't forget to update your books on the spreadsheet! Our average is a couple weeks behind and it's driving me crazy haha!"

Some of us are lazy and fell behind on reading :) But I'm leaving for a week's vacation tonight so hopefully I can catch back up!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Steve wrote: "Emily wrote: "Don't forget to update your books on the spreadsheet! Our average is a couple weeks behind and it's driving me crazy haha!"

Some of us are lazy and fell behind on reading :) But I'm ..."

Haha no worries!! I just wanted to give a reminder to people who may have been reading and forgetting to record it on there!

[Sabrina]

I love the spreadsheet so much! I especially like that it gives you a quick overview of ideas for each week rather than just reading all the comments on the weekly topic thread

[Ann]

Doing it right away Ma'am. Sorry I am behind. It's summer.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Sabrina, that’s why I started it! I used it this morning for the intimidating prompt to see some options of what I could read.

Ann, no worries! I just meant it as a friendly reminder!

[Rachelnyc]

I updated mine the other day and am doing my best to keep the average up! ;)

3 books to go to complete the challenge...then I can spend more time planning for next year!

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

I can update mine tonight :) I don't think it's been too long since I added them may be a few behind.

Just a general reminder, there is a bookshelf feature on the right hand side of the group with all books added! I love the spreadsheet but like to think people look at the bookshelf also ;)

[Chinook]

I had two to add but I’m super far behind in this challenge.

[Tracy]

Mostly Updated, Emily.... I just have to add one I finished yesterday and one I'm finishing today. Out of my reading slump at the moment and that makes me so happy :-)

I can't wait to start planning for next year, its probably my favorite part.

[Pam]

I’ve been updating mine as I go but I’m not entering my 2nd challenge. I created my 2019 plan, now that we have some more prompts. I’m keeping it simple (1 title mostly) since it will change anyways! It’s nice to have a plan, even if it completely falls apart.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Pam wrote: "I’ve been updating mine as I go but I’m not entering my 2nd challenge. I created my 2019 plan, now that we have some more prompts. I’m keeping it simple (1 title mostly) since it will change anyway..."

Agreed! I planned a lot of books (6-7 per prompt) this year, and still over half of my reads were off plan. I think I have more fun in the planning than I do actually sticking to the plan.

[Steve]

When updating, I noticed that "A Women’s Prize for Fiction winner or nominee" is our second-to-last category in terms of amount completed at 27%. I was really surprised to see it that low! Legal/medical thriller which was in that position for a long time is now at 41% and only 12th from the bottom. I wonder why the Women's Prize is so low.