35 - A book in a different format than what you normally read

[Nadine in NY]

A book in a different format than you normally read (audiobooks, ebooks, graphic novels).

This category has already generated a good deal of discussion. Some people are only able to read in certain formats, and others read a wide variety of formats and don't know how to find one they don't read.

Lucky for me, I never read manga. So I think that's my answer.

Since this is unique to each reader, and it doesn't really lend itself to a list of titles, I did not create a Listopia.

[Brandon]

I am not really an audiobook reader, so any suggestions in that format with an awesome narrator that is available on Audible would be appreciated.

[Meredith]

I was thinking of finding some fan fiction online. I've never read any.

[Drakeryn]

I usually read e-books, so I have a lot of options: physical books, manga, visual novels, graphic novels, webfiction. I dabble in all those formats somewhat but e-books still make up like 80% of my reading.

[Christine]

Ooh, I'm omnivorous so this is hard. I do have a couple suggestions for out-of-the-box formats though:

1. Podcasts -

a. Short fiction, e.g.:
https://knifepointhorror.libsyn.com/
https://www.simplyscarypodcast.com/sh...
https://pseudopod.org/

b. Story arcs with discrete endings:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06s... (HIGHLY recommend this!)
http://theblacktapespodcast.com/
https://twoupproductions.com/limetown...

c. People playing D&D and making up a story in real time:
https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/adven...
https://danddminus.libsyn.com/

2. Youtube

a. Librivox recordings of classic stories in the public domain

b. Various horror story channels, e.g.:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIvp...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQDy...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiFG...

3. Dark Adventure Radio Theater radio plays (with old timey ads and everything): https://store.hplhs.org/collections/d...

[Kels]

Would poetry count? I've read two poetry books in my life.. Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers

[Lauren]

You could listen to Phoebe Reads a Mystery! It’s phoebe judge from Criminal and she did a spin off podcast where each episode she reads a chapter from a book. She’s done Agatha Christie, etc.

[Dixie]

I have only read a couple of graphic novels in my life, but for this challenge I'm going to give this a go: In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel

[Debbie]

Brandon wrote: "I am not really an audiobook reader, so any suggestions in that format with an awesome narrator that is available on Audible would be appreciated."

I just finished listening to an Audible Original called Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection The narrator was really versatile, the story was absurd but engaging, and I laughed out loud so many times! It's not actually a *published* book, but it's on Goodreads, so I count it.

[Dani]

If you’re struggling with this, I just finished the unabridged The Princess Bride, narrated by a mom reading the book out loud to her kids. So, not quite an audiobook and was actually more enjoyable than I anticipated lol. Her name is Jessica Woodard but I’m sure there are plenty of others.

[Debbie]

Another option that's probably different for everyone is this very strange book (is that even the correct term?) called Building Stories. It's this strange comic book compilation that comes in box. Nothing inside is numbered, so you read them in whatever order you want. Some are just posters you unfold, some of flipbooks, some are actual comic books or pamphlets. All of them tell the story of a 30yo woman in a building where other tenets live and how they interact with each other over a discreet time period.

[Johanne]

Another omnivorous reader here! So I was thinking a good old 'you are the hero' with the whole setup with inventory, dice etc. haven't done those for years.
I like the suggestions of fanfiction and radio plays. Where to go for fanfic?

[Johanne]

Oh, and I also have that book on my shelf where the story is in loose leaves in a box along with poet snow (the cut-out holes from paper).

[Heather L]

Brandon wrote: "I am not really an audiobook reader, so any suggestions in that format with an awesome narrator that is available on Audible would be appreciated."

How about free on YouTube? I don’t usually listen to audiobooks, but I found a couple by Ray Bradbury this summer/fall that were good, The Martian Chronicles and The Halloween Tree.

[Drakeryn]

Johanne wrote: "Another omnivorous reader here! So I was thinking a good old 'you are the hero' with the whole setup with inventory, dice etc. haven't done those for years."

I did one of those last year for the CYOA prompt! It was Heart of Ice. You start out by picking a skill build, and then you have HP and inventory to manage. No dice though; I don't think it had any random chance elements.

[Booknookie]

I already read in several different formats, I don't know how I should be able to tick this prompt off. Any advice?

[eligru]

Marica (The Book Chick) wrote: "I already read in several different formats, I don't know how I should be able to tick this prompt off. Any advice?"

Do you usually read webcomics? I don't :) But I have been saving some links lately. Here's two of them:

For Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey -> https://www.checkpleasecomic.com/comi...

and for On a Sunbeam -> https://www.onasunbeam.com/#/chapter-...

[Ellie]

I prefer reading comics and graphic novels in physical form but I do have a lot of digital copies from Humble Bundle so I could do that at a push. Otherwise I might go for a novel in verse.

[eligru]

Ellie wrote: "I prefer reading comics and graphic novels in physical form but I do have a lot of digital copies from Humble Bundle so I could do that at a push. Otherwise I might go for a novel in verse."

That is an interesting choice too. I read two of Elizabeth Acevedo's novels in verse this year and loved them. She actually reads the audiobooks herself and it's really soothing :)

[Sandra]

I don't usually read manga so this is the perfect opportunity to start The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1

[Booknookie]

eligru wrote: "Marica (The Book Chick) wrote: "I already read in several different formats, I don't know how I should be able to tick this prompt off. Any advice?"

Do you usually read webcomics? I don't :) But I..."

Perfect. I read comics but never read a long one in digital form. Only those short ones. Thank you. :D

[Tricia]

I recommend the following for something completely different:

Horrorstör - this book is a story set around a furniture store catalogue

Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry - this book is incredibly clever and tells a story in the format of an auction catalogue.

Both are short

[Amanda]

If you follow the New York Public Library on Instagram, they have a few books/stories bookmarked in their stories which I think is a pretty unique way to read!!! I think I’m going to read The Yellow Wallpaper since I’ve never read it. They also have The Raven, The Metamorphosis, A Christmas Carol, and Alice in Wonderland..

[Chelsea]

I'm going to do The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman; I don't read a lot of short-form stuff.

[Taylor]

Christine wrote: "Ooh, I'm omnivorous so this is hard. I do have a couple suggestions for out-of-the-box formats though:

1. Podcasts -

a. Short fiction, e.g.:
https://knifepointhorror.libsyn.com/
https://www.simp..."

THANK YOU for this. Seriously, I also am very omnivorous in my reading and was stumped about what I could possibly do for this. I'm going to fudge a bit and do podcasts because I HAVE listened to short stories on podcasts but not too much so I'm hoping that will count. Otherwise...I'm sorta out of options.

[K.L.]

If you enjoy audiobooks, you might enjoy listening to one that has a full cast, rather than just a reader. I know that there are a significant number of audio dramas for Shakespeare's plays, as well as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (which came out earlier this year).

[Chrissy]

I’m getting hung up on “normally” - like, I’ve read a good number of graphic novels over the years, but only maybe 2 this year. Is that abnormal enough?! Another option I might do is a play, only one of those this year.

[Chrissy]

Brandon wrote: "I am not really an audiobook reader, so any suggestions in that format with an awesome narrator that is available on Audible would be appreciated."

I loved World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War on audio, but I think to get the whole book you actually need 2 titles, they split it up for some reason.

[Sarah]

Chrissy wrote: "I’m getting hung up on “normally” - like, I’ve read a good number of graphic novels over the years, but only maybe 2 this year. Is that abnormal enough?! Another option I might do is a play, only o..."

"Normally" for me would be frequently, regularly - something you do more often than not.

So for me, I normally read paper books, ebooks, and audiobooks.

I do not normally read graphic novels, comics, or manga - maybe just a few times a year if that. I would count any of those for this prompt.

[Brandon]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. The YouTube comment made me remember the Dark Empire audio drama that someone posted on the site, so that can be my fallback option.

[Meghan]

I'm also struggling with this prompt. I read mostly physical books, the occasional e-book, and once in a while audiobooks. Would listening to an audiobook count?

Also, would large print count? I've never read any of that.

[Drakeryn]

Meghan wrote: "I'm also struggling with this prompt. I read mostly physical books, the occasional e-book, and once in a while audiobooks. Would listening to an audiobook count?"

If you only read occasional e-books and once in a while audiobooks, I think both should count. It doesn't say a format you never read, just one you don't normally read. Basically what Sarah said:

Sarah wrote: ""Normally" for me would me frequently, regularly - something you do more often than not."

[Mandi]

eligru wrote: "Marica (The Book Chick) wrote: "I already read in several different formats, I don't know how I should be able to tick this prompt off. Any advice?"

Do you usually read webcomics? I don't :) But I..."
Love that suggestion. I cannot recommend Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey enough!


As for me, I'm pretty omnivorous like some others have said, but for audiobooks I don't normally listen to fiction, so I'm going to do The A.I. Who Loved Me. I love Alyssa Cole and this is narrated by Mindy Kaling and Regina Hall so I'm pretty excited.

[Debbie]

One style of writing books that I really love is something called multi-genre writing. Basically, those books that tell stories in collections of receipts, poems, journal entries, text messages, etc. A couple titles from my read/TBR:

- Illuminae and the rest of the series
- Up the Down Staircase
- Countdown and the rest of the series
- Regarding the Fountain: A Tale, in Letters, of Liars and Leaks (short!)
- Where'd You Go, Bernadette
- Nothing But the Truth
- Star Wars: Jedi Academy and the rest of the series
- Feeling Sorry for Celia
- The Memory Book
- The Collected Works of Billy the Kid
- Dear Haiti, Love Alaine
- The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

[Brandon]

Debbie wrote: "One style of writing books that I really love is something called multi-genre writing. Basically, those books that tell stories in collections of receipts, poems, journal entries, text messages, et..."

Yes! I would consider the whole epistolary prompt from an earlier challenge to work well for this prompt, too.

[Christine]

Taylor wrote: "THANK YOU for this...."

Yay! You're welcome!

[Alicia]

I read across formats (audio, print, e-books). So I think I'm going to go with poetry or a graphic novel. I've never read a graphic novel before!

[Brianna]

I’m definitely going to be reading a ebook. I do read ebook but it’s for sure a format I don’t read too often.

[Louise]

I was having difficulties for this challenge as I read graphic novels, manga, ebooks, audio books, physical books etc already regularly (even short stories and epistle type books on occasion). I've decided in the end on Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout as it is described as an almost scrapbook style biography which is a format I've not seen before :D

[Nancy]

Audio and Kindle are my preferred formats, I read print books the least. I debated doing a graphic novel but I really have such a hard time with those.

So instead I'm either going with a serial novel, where there are multiple authors writing each chapter, or a novel in verse. I loved Clap When You Land and want to read more by her.

[Chloe]

Amanda wrote: "If you follow the New York Public Library on Instagram, they have a few books/stories bookmarked in their stories which I think is a pretty unique way to read!!! I think I’m going to read The Yello..."

Thank you for this suggestion!! I read books, ebooks, and listen to audiobooks and not a fan of graphic novels so this prompt filled me with dread! Metamorphosis has been on my TBR for so long too!!

[Eglė]

Kelsey wrote: "Would poetry count? I've read two poetry books in my life.. Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers"

I think I'm gonna go for poetry also! Format could be interpreted in many ways and if the intention is to take you out of your comfort zone then why not.

[Heather]

I think I've decided on a graphic novel for this prompt. I've read a few, but only a few. I'm not a very visual person, so I don't get a lot out of this format. I'll give it another shot, though.

I added The Sleeper and the Spindle to my TBR because the combination of Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell was irresistible. I'll finally get around to reading it.

[Sheri]

My husband saw me looking at Only Revolutions which I've tried to read several times and keep giving up on because...well...it's not good. but I read a lot of physical books, kindle books, i usually have an audio going even if it's not my PREFERRED format, and i read a ton of graphic novels, both physical and digital. So i was trying to think of SOMETHING, and only revolutions is written in prose and you have to follow the story by constantly flipping the book around, because each character's story starts from a different side of the book and are upside down from each other. He was horrified so I explained this prompt. He pointed out that there's several video games called "visual novels" which are basically an interactive story, aka a talking simulator. There's one we kinda started a while ago that he played and i juts watched called Coffee Talk. I might start over and take the lead on doing it. It's basically just mixing drinks in a mini game while talking to patrons and hearing their stories. They have them on Steam too, which are playable on the computer for those who don't have a gaming system. I doubt they're on goodreads, but they'd count for the prompt I'd think.

[Teal]

I read all different formats on a regular basis, so this one was tricky for me. I might try to read a book in the "large print" format, since I've never read one before. Is that too lazy? :D

[Johanne]

Thanks Sheri, I didn't know about that.

[Jennifer]

The river by Peter heller (also works for set outdoors)
The diviners series by Libba Bray
The Raven cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater
Confessions by kinae Minato (also works for dark academia)

For me, audiobooks are all about the narrator!

Brandon wrote: "I am not really an audiobook reader, so any suggestions in that format with an awesome narrator that is available on Audible would be appreciated."

[Jennifer]

No way, that’s a great idea!

Teal wrote: "I read all different formats on a regular basis, so this one was tricky for me. I might try to read a book in the "large print" format, since I've never read one before. Is that too lazy? :D"

[Jennifer]

I think I’m going to go with an ebook version of a graphic novel which I don’t often read because I feel like it’s hard to read a comic in that format but I will use it for this prompt.

[Jennifer]

The Billy the kid book sounds great, thank you for sharing!!

Debbie wrote: "One style of writing books that I really love is something called multi-genre writing. Basically, those books that tell stories in collections of receipts, poems, journal entries, text messages, et..."