[2021] The Wild Discussion Showing 2,101-2,150 of 2,279

[Joanne]

I very rarely vote in the Goodreads Choice awards because I've usually read maybe one or two books at best, but I always enjoy following them and every year I add a decent handful to my tbr.

[Jillian]

Thomas wrote: "My rule is it can't be moved once I have read it. i'd get confused otherwise
"

It does get confusing when I have switched them in the past. It is generally to much for me to balance switching things around though this I'd like to be less challenge focused so I'm going to track multiple places for a book and then select the spot later in the year.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I think moving things around is one of the most fun parts of the challenge! I have ideas for the various prompts but I belong to several book groups, both online and in person (now Zoom) and I won’t know ahead of time what books will be chosen in 2021. This year there were multiple times when I read a book for a prompt, or not for any prompt, and discovered it fit well with something I hadn’t considered.

[Rachel]

Thomas wrote: "Jillian wrote: "I used a children’s picture book one year for a prompt I did not care for. Later in the year, I did read an adult book that would have worked. That year I had a personal rule that o..."

That's generally what I do too, since I do multiple challenges. I think I'd get super confused if I tried to shift things around after the fact.

Having said that, I'm likely going to make an exception this year. I normally get most of my challenge books from the library but I've had no library access all year (except for their online audio and ebooks, but those aren't formats that I tend to go for). I've realized in the past week that I'm unlikely to finish ATY and PopSugar in the rest of the year, and that's partly due to the books I picked being unavailable to me or getting them too late to have time to get to them.

What I might do this time is look back at some of the books I already read this year for other challenges, and see if any of them could have also counted toward an ATY or PS prompt. I'm not going to "officially" move them since it would complicate my tracking systems, but if I read books that could have fulfilled every prompt, I'm counting the challenge as done even if I'd assigned them to another challenge. I figure I still read the book, and the challenge I assigned it to was fairly arbitrary, so I "could" have read it for ATY or PS if I had rearranged things differently, so it makes enough sense to me that I think I can handle that.

[Irene]

I'm also trying to not look at the 2021 prompts too much because they're giving me anxiety - selecting a book for a 2021 prompt means I don't think I'll be able to get to it this year!! (I don't borrow library books and always "shop" my shelves first for these prompts, so these are all books I already own and have in front of me and hoped I would get to this year!) But as soon as January 1st rolls around, I know I'll have a ton of fun planning and fitting in books :)

And I agree with a lot of you about the Goodreads Choice Awards! I find them more accessible because they're popular books, and I always have at least a few on my TBR shelves already. The only problem is I can rarely actually vote because I never read new releases! But I enjoy looking at past lists whenever I'm looking for an easy or approachable book for a certain genre or year published.

[Stacey]

The weather is vile in NYC. It's a good day to work on my 2021 plan! I'm really trying to use the books on my huge TBR, but find I'll still have to add some.

[dalex]

The goodreads awards include books nominated for literary prizes. Hamnet won the Women’s Prize for Fiction. The Mirror and the Light was nominated for the Women’s Prize and the Booker and The Glass Hotel was nominated for the Giller Prize. So it’s not really accurate to say you like the goodreads awards but dislike books that receive awards with literary merit because they are not exclusive.

[Edie]

Rachel wrote: "Thomas wrote: "Jillian wrote: "I used a children’s picture book one year for a prompt I did not care for. Later in the year, I did read an adult book that would have worked. That year I had a perso..."

Because I do multiple challenges (5 this year), I allow myself to count a book in more than one challenge (not multiple prompts in any challenge). Some books count for 2 or 3 challenges, some books for only one and some of the books I am reading now for my book club have no where to count.

I feel for you not having access to library books. Our libraries closed for a few months, but started allowing curbside, no contact pick up in June which has been a life saver, since I try not to buy books. Returned books are quarantined for 5 days before being put back in circulation.

[Alicia]

dalex wrote: "The goodreads awards include books nominated for literary prizes. Hamnet won the Women’s Prize for Fiction. The Mirror and the Light was nominated for the Women’s Prize and the Booker and The Glass..."

True, they aren't mutually exclusive and there are definitely exceptions. However, I've seen those books and I actually have no desire to read any of them, so in this case it's still quite accurate for me. haha =)

But you're right, I should say that I like that the Goodreads Choice Awards gives more options for those of us not interested in MOST of the books that have "literary merit" by judges.

[Rachel]

Edie wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Thomas wrote: "Jillian wrote: "I used a children’s picture book one year for a prompt I did not care for. Later in the year, I did read an adult book that would have worked. That yea..."

Mine allows curbside too, but my mom and I don't drive. She also has compromised immunity, and wasn't so interested in having library books in the house, even though they were quarantined after returns too. We're lucky enough to be able to buy books fairly easily though, so we've mostly been doing that.

I've never allowed myself to count one book for multiple prompts before. In my head, it kind of defeats the purpose of doing more than one challenge if a book can count toward more than one, but that's just a personal preference. This year's been such a mess though that I might just make an exception.

[Thomas]

I was intrgiued by the above suggestion of going further than children's books but actually adding picture books. So I added
I Want My Potty! ( You read what?)
Lucy and Tom at School (title and author have U)
It will be an interesting contrast to the classics and gory Stephen king on my list

[Jillian]

I’m in several GR challenge groups and they in courage using a book for multiple challenges. I always feel a bit disappointed when a book only works for one or two challenges. Last time I counted, I had 19 current challenges. I have completed a few and am not signing up for any new ones until the beginning of the year. It was just getting to be too much to track.

The last time I did both the ATY and PopSugar challenge, I only allowed a book to count for either challenge and I was miserable with the challenges. It was also the last year I did PopSugar challenge.

I prefer popular and genre fiction over literary fiction which is why I like the goodreads award better. There just seems to be a lot of variety. Having to pick a book based on it winning a literary award feels like an assignment. Also, I love fantasy and dislike having to pick book that has won the Hugo or Nebula award too. I like books better when I just randomly choose to read them rather than feeling forced too which is why I generally downvote all award and list type prompts. I guess, I don’t read books because they won an award just some books I read happen to have won an award.

[Shannon SA]

How do I know if a book is "cross-genre"?
Is it when there's a > as in "historical>historical fiction"
Or when there are several genres listed separately?

[Ellie]

I think how you approach multiple challenges depends on how much you read in a year...these days I usually read 110-120 books, so I can do popsugar and ATY without double dipping, which I try to do at the start but at this point of the year I'm doubling up if I can just to get finished. I am more likely to double dip if a book fits a difficult prompt in both challenges.

The more I plan the less I feel like reading in order though, I really want to see the popsugar list so I know if that can be my mood reading crutch!

[Ellie]

Shannon wrote: "How do I know if a book is "cross-genre"?
Is it when there's a > as in "historical>historical fiction"
Or when there are several genres listed separately?"

Look for ones that have two separate and distinct genres.

[Irene]

@Shannon, I think you’ll find that very many books are cross genre books!! I believe the person who suggested that prompt gave historical romance as an example (or something else that was very common) so I would go with any book that has two genres that it obviously fits into. Like Historical/Romance, Historical/Young Adult, Historical/Mystery, etc.

[Aimee]

Ellie wrote: "I think how you approach multiple challenges depends on how much you read in a year...these days I usually read 110-120 books, so I can do popsugar and ATY without double dipping, which I try to do..."

I was hoping to read in order but there are a couple of books near the top of my planning list that haven't been released yet so I might have to skip those prompts until later in the year.
I like your idea of using Popsugar as a back-up if you're not feeling the next AtY book, I might do the same.

[Shannon SA]

Thank you Ellie and Irene, that is most helpful :)

[Thomas]

i Played the random word generator ( had to replay cos I needed my orginal chocie from it for another category) I got mystery

[Aimee]

Thomas wrote: "i Played the random word generator ( had to replay cos I needed my orginal chocie from it for another category) I got mystery"

That's a nice easy one then!
I got 'direction' so I'm going to read North and South

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Thomas wrote: "i Played the random word generator ( had to replay cos I needed my orginal chocie from it for another category) I got mystery"

I got "witness", so that's about the same!

[Nancy]

I did 5 words in the generator and one was "solve" so same thing!

For me, the GR awards are preferred over the more elite ones as well, even though there is some overlap. The books nominated for GR are generally just more accessible to me and less literary, and therefore easier to digest. In the fall reading challenge I'm having the hardest time with a book by an author nominated for 4 of the big ones. It's not even a book, just an author! I finally settled on one but it took forever to find something that interested me that I haven't already read.

[Sue]

Ellie wrote: "I think how you approach multiple challenges depends on how much you read in a year...these days I usually read 110-120 books, so I can do popsugar and ATY without double dipping, which I try to do..."

I do the same - I read AtY in order, and fill in with Popsugar and my book club with whatever fits. It works really well for me and I have managed to read many classics and long books that I otherwise would keep putting off. This year is the first year I think I will complete both AtY and Popsugar with no overlap - usually there are a couple of Popsugar prompts that I just can't do. Any other challenges I follow are overlaps from my two main challenges.
For 2021 I am considering doing a 52 week rejects challenge if the Popsugar one has too many that I don't like.

[Thomas]

so here is a poser. if someone only wrote one book can that still be counted as the last book and therefore related to the end?

[Alicia]

What I love about this challenge is there are no rules! Thomas, if that works for you it works for the rest of us! If the only wrote one book and then said “I’m done!”, that’s the end.

[Thomas]

Two picture books I ordered for the challenge have arrived. One more on the way

[Thomas]

All three picture books arrived

[Thomas]

So I have three prompts left and to achieve and for gender parity I need two by men and one by a woman

[Alicia]

What are the prompts?

[Aimee]

Thomas wrote: "So I have three prompts left and to achieve and for gender parity I need two by men and one by a woman"

Great work! I'm sure people here would be happy to help with suggestions for the last three, or maybe check out the group spreadsheet for ideas?

[Thomas]

Alicia wrote: "What are the prompts?"

thank you both.
The Great Egyptian Museum
100 Black authors
Published 2021

[Jillian]

I just read on the PopSugar FB group that the challenge will be released there on December 1st.

[Kristina]

Jillian wrote: "I just read on the PopSugar FB group that the challenge will be released there on December 1st."

It’s later than usual, but I’m glad we know the date. At least now I know not to compulsively check for the list everyday for the next 3 weeks lol

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

I need the time to finish this year's challenge; I'm so behind!

[Ellie]

Well at least I'll definitely finish PS before the list comes out, I'm on my last book and was pushing to finish this week thinking it'd be out. Then I can focus on finishing ATY!

[Thomas]

If there was any possibility of me doing next year the lid is firmly on that now. I need the time to prepare. I am gutted

[Aimee]

Ellie wrote: "Well at least I'll definitely finish PS before the list comes out, I'm on my last book and was pushing to finish this week thinking it'd be out. Then I can focus on finishing ATY!"

I'm the other way around - finished AtY at the end of October but I have two books left for PS and lacking motivation for either of them. Maybe I can use 1st December as a deadline to pressure myself to finish this year's challenge before next year's list is released.

[Nancy]

I finished both PS and ATY this week! I tried to keep it even, some months I was ahead on PS and others on ATY. I didn't plan to finish them at the same time though.

[Sue]

I have been reading AtY all year in order in the correct week, and fitting PS in between along with book club and a few others. I still have 7 AtY books to finish, and 5 for PS, so am well on track - this will be the first time I have actually managed this, though the 3rd year I have attempted it! I am currently on my 104th book for the year.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Sue wrote: "I have been reading AtY all year in order in the correct week, and fitting PS in between along with book club and a few others. I still have 7 AtY books to finish, and 5 for PS, so am well on track..."

Very impressive!

[Jillian]

That is impressive Sue!

[Aimee]

Slightly off topic (well, it's the wild discussion so that's okay right?!) but is anyone here playing the Caboodle Hidden Books game this year? I say this every year but I think this is the toughest one yet.

https://caboodle.nationalbooktokens.c...#

[Ellie]

Aimee wrote: "Slightly off topic (well, it's the wild discussion so that's okay right?!) but is anyone here playing the Caboodle Hidden Books game this year? I say this every year but I think this is the toughes..."

I can't believe I missed it, off to go play instead of getting work done!

[Thomas]

I now have finished my list. I have used my WC but other categories are done.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Aimee, this is HARD! Like I can't even get one.

[Aimee]

Emily wrote: "Aimee, this is HARD! Like I can't even get one."

Oh that makes me feel better - I've been thinking about it all morning and I've only got four!

[Ellie]

I've guessed 10, it is fiendishly hard this year but they usually take me a few days of thinking to finish anyway. Emily I am pretty sure you have read at least one of the ones I've guessed.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Ok I've guessed 3 correctly and gotten a "Nearly" on one of them. But this is tough!

[Nicole]

I’ve never heard of the Caboodles thing before, but I’m invested now! I got one right off the bat, and there’s another one that I know what it “should” be, but it keeps telling me I’m “nearly there,” and I can’t get it. I’ll have to go back and try again when I’m not supposed to be working.
Thomas, congrats on finishing your list! What did you use the Wild Card for?

[Aimee]

I'm so glad I have corrupted you all. Feel my pain.