2025: (Impossible) Solar System Challenge

[Leonie]

I'm in! This will be my first reading challenge -- I'm looking forward to it.

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

🚀 2025 (Impossible) Solar System Kickoff Challenges 🌟

Greetings, cosmic bookworms! As we launch into 2025, we have two exciting bonus tasks to ignite your literary explorations.

🌞 The Sun: January Timed Task 🌞
Start the year with a sizzling read!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:
📚 Read a book published in the hottest month of your area 📚
⏰ Timeframe: January 1, 2025 - January 31, 2025 ⏰

Here's how to tackle this solar-powered challenge:
🪐 Determine the hottest month in your geographical area.
🪐 Find a book published during that month (any year is fine).
🪐 Read the book between January 1st and 31st, 2025.

Remember, this task is all about bringing the heat to your January reading! Whether you're in the Northern Hemisphere bundling up or enjoying summer in the Southern Hemisphere, let's start the year with a book that reminds us of those scorching days.

🧭 1st Quarter Bonus Task: Exploration and Discovery 🗺️
Embark on a journey through uncharted literary territories with our first quarterly bonus task of 2025!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:
📚 Read a book with a map or compass on the cover or inside the book 📚
⏰ Timeframe: January 1, 2025 - March 31, 2025 ⏰

This task celebrates the spirit of exploration that drives our understanding of the solar system. Look for books that feature maps or compasses on their covers or inside them - they might lead you to uncharted literary territories!

For both challenges… Don't forget to share your chosen book in the comments! We’d love to see what you’re reading (and we always like a great book recommendation!).

Happy reading, Solar System explorers! May your year begin with scorching stories and map-guided adventures that are as exciting as charting new cosmic frontiers! 📚🚀🌎

P.S. Don't forget about the Current Bonus Challenges:
🍀 The Monthly Bonus Challenge for January 2025 will be Symbols of Luck & Fortune . You can earn 2 bonus points per book completed in BOTH "The Sun" AND the Symbols of Luck & Fortune Challenge. This bonus is available only during January 2025.

🔤 The Quarterly Bonus Challenge for Quarter 1 2025 will be ABC Quarter 1: Daring Explorers Forge Great Horizons In Literature . You can earn 2 bonus points per book completed in ABC Quarter 1 AND one of the following sections: "The Sun", "Mercury", and/or "Venus". This bonus is available throughout January, February, and March 2025 only.

[Teddie]

I've been planning books for this awesome challenge, but I assumed something that now I'm questioning:

I originally read this as we are allowed to read for any of the regular tasks at any time this year, but now I'm thinking that we are supposed to start with the Sun tasks in January, the Mercury tasks in February, etc.

I think I may have made an ass out of me.

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

I think you are correct. If you happen to read in the month AND used along side the Monthly Challenge then you get bonus points.

Otherwise if you read whenever you get regular points.

[Teddie]

Yeah, thanks Lisa - I think you're right. I had a bunch of books lined up to hit this month's monthly and quarterly challenges, but they are all over the solar system - I just figured I'd check the bonus box if I read a book in the month/qtr that hit that month/quarter's bonus. Hmm, I'm going to need to rework some plans :)

[Holly]

I read last years out of order. Ashley can correct me if I'm wrong but I think you can read out of order it's just the bonus times tasks that have to be read in the designated times

[Holly]

I read last years out of order. Ashley can correct me if I'm wrong but I think you can read out of order it's just the bonus times tasks that have to be read in the designated times

[Teddie]

Thanks Holly - I'm just glad I discovered my whoopsie 1/2 vs 2/1 :)

[Chili]

I’m in! I filled out the Google sign up.

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

Teddie wrote: "I've been planning books for this awesome challenge, but I assumed something that now I'm questioning:

I originally read this as we are allowed to read for any of the regular tasks at any time thi..."

To clarify :)

For the Monthly Bonus Challenge you earn 2 bonus points per book IF your book is completed in BOTH "The Sun" AND the Symbols of Luck & Fortune Challenge. This bonus is available only during January 2025. If you want to earn a Monthly Bonus in the "Mercury" set, you have to read a book for a task in the set that ALSO is used in February's picked challenged. I'll be trying to give you about a weeks notice each time.

Same for the Quarterly Bonus Challenges.... You earn 2 bonus points per book completed in both the picked Quarterly Challenge AND one of the three sections that make up a quarter. Q1 is: "The Sun", "Mercury", and/or "Venus".

Does that make sense?

You DO NOT have to complete the challenge in order. You can jump around all you want, this is only if you'd like the bonus points. Sometimes it just won't be possible, so you will most likely HAVE to jump around, at least a bit. You are welcome to try to complete it with ALL bonus points! What a feat!

[Teddie]

Thanks Ashley - I'm clear now. I just made a bad assumption when I was planning. Its all good, but I am going to tweak my plans to try to get more sun task books matching up with those L&F and Q1 challenge tasks :D

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

Share your FIRST book of the Challenge and what you used it for!

Mine is The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, and I gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!

Read a book with an MPG of "ROMANCE" (It would have worked for better, more challenging tasks, but I wanted to use it for the Quarterly Challenge, so this will have to do!)

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

I used Paved With Good Intentions by M.J. May. I'm currently reading and will finish today.

Read a book with character that has a "sunny" personality (your interpretation) and A book with a lucky protagonist because Perry is a lucky character and that attributes to his Sunny personality.

I was not able to find a way to use it in the Quarterly Challenge though.

[Jessica]

I'd like to join (Jessica S) please!

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

Jessica wrote: "I'd like to join (Jessica S) please!"

Use the sign up link here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

I did two books yesterday - a rather boring audio that had potential, Rising Water: The Story of the Thai Cave Rescue, and my re-read of a series, first book, Spiked

[Sammy]

My first book: , which I used for the "life" word of Earth. ⭐⭐⭐

[Richard]

My first book which I used for the E in Mercury:

Electric Wizards: A Tapestry of Heavy Music, 1968 to the Present - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Holly]

I'm reading Equity Insight by Ethan Cruz. I'm not sure where it's going yet.
Also started SLAM! by Walter Dean Myers and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Hurston...still working out where those are going too.

[Amanda]

Ashley, for "Read a book with "SUN" in the book OR series title.", can it be embedded like Sunset or Sunshine

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

Amanda wrote: "Ashley, for "Read a book with "SUN" in the book OR series title.", can it be embedded like Sunset or Sunshine"

Yes!

[Bernadette]

My first completed book is Before We Were Innocent and I used it for "luminous"

[Anastasia]

I read 2 books on the first day of the year and used both. Mermaid in Troubled Water by Nikki Haverstock which has ultraviolet in the text as well as monthly and quarterly bonuses and Moonraker by Ian Fleming which I used for timed monthly task. Both are fairly short books though as I am so over big books and planning on reading only what I enjoy and hopefully getting through books I have accumulated. Both of these were 5 star reads for me. Not planning on being competitive just going to try to get through the list.

[Catherine]

Submitted my sign up form

[Maria (a)]

I'd love to join! I used the form, but only noticed after there's another Maria. Feel free to add (Belgium) to mine!

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

Updated to here!

[Maria (a)]

I read Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes; couldn't match it to any of the bonus challenges, but it was a fit for luminous!

[Sammy]

Maria wrote: "I read Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes; couldn't match it to any of the bonus challenges, but it was a fit for luminous!"

That's an excellent book!

[Brittany]

SO we only do one planet a month? I think I messed the entire thing up already

[ilovebakedgoods (Teresa), Bibliotherapist]

Brittany wrote: "SO we only do one planet a month? I think I messed the entire thing up already"

No, you do the regular tasks in any order you wish. It’s just that each monthly or quarterly connect with specific planets. So January’s monthly (the Fortunes and Luck challenge) bonus connects with the Sun planet. So any books you read for the Sun tasks that you also read for the January monthly count as a bonus in the checkbox column for “monthly bonus”. Same concept for the quarterly, but those are obviously assigned to 3 planets, each.

Hope that helps.

[Brittany]

Oh ok good i was about to give up already hahaha

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

Brittany wrote: "Oh ok good i was about to give up already hahaha"

Yes, it's just an extra fun challenge if you want to go for it, it's not required at all. Complete the challenge in whatever order you'd like. :)

[valeria]

for the task Read a book with "PLANET" in the book OR series title. can i use one in Spanish and in plural?

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

yes and yes, different languages and plural forms are always accepted

[Jessica]

Ashley, I didn't see your message about the sign up form so I accidentally requested permission to edit Jessica's sheet 🙈 sorry about that.

[Rebel]

I want to participate and I filled out the form :)

[ilovebakedgoods (Teresa), Bibliotherapist]

Ashley, this may be pushing it, but for Zeitgeist-Capturing Contemporary Fiction, can I use a book that takes place during the Christmas holidays, in a small town, where a reality show (a la Extreme Makeover/HGTV Fixer Upper) saves the town after a natural disaster in time for their holiday festival?

My justifications for zeitgeist are:
*Home makeover reality shows have been a major part of the 2000s to 2020s
*Reality shows... duh
*Small town Christmas a la Hallmark Channel is currently having a zeitgeist
*Natural disasters are just becoming worse and worse each year therefore, are part of the zeitgeist of this modern time

Plus, the plot is grumpy vs sunshine and if TikTok has anything to say about it, that's definitely zeitgeisty (LOL)

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

I had to google and think on Zeitgeist today. Hadn't heard of it before.

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "Ashley, this may be pushing it, but for Zeitgeist-Capturing Contemporary Fiction, can I use a book that takes place during the Christmas holidays, in a small town, where a reality show (a la Extrem..."

I think you've made an excellent case for why this book captures the zeitgeist of our current era. Use it!

[Catherine]

Brittany wrote: "SO we only do one planet a month? I think I messed the entire thing up already"

Whew thanks for asking because honestly I was going with the same concept of each section is for each month. But really its just the timed tasks.

Keep on it, dont give up. You have all year to complete and it's only 1/7/25. There is plenty of time to finish as much as you can.

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "Ashley, this may be pushing it, but for Zeitgeist-Capturing Contemporary Fiction, can I use a book that takes place during the Christmas holidays, in a small town, where a reality show (a la Extrem..."

Care to share what book it is? That prompt was hard for me....

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

Just a little encouragement if you are interested in the Formal Buddy Read 10pt Bonus...

📔 Main Book: The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda - works for Quarterly Challenge (Thriller set in a small town)

📚 Kindle Unlimited/Low Cost Book: The Honeymoon by Shalini Boland - works for Quarterly Challenge (First-person narrative)

[Catherine]

The Quarterly challenger. When it says map or compass in the book/on cover does it need to be a picture or can it be the word?

[Sammy]

ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "Ashley, this may be pushing it, but for Zeitgeist-Capturing Contemporary Fiction, can I use a book that takes place during the Christmas holidays, in a small town, where a reality show (a la Extrem..."

Which task is this? I can't find it, lol.

[Jessica]

Sammy wrote: "ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "Ashley, this may be pushing it, but for Zeitgeist-Capturing Contemporary Fiction, can I use a book that takes place during the Christmas holidays, in a small town, ..."

It's a task on the Quarterly Bonus Task, not on the Solar System sheet. if the book is used for both tasks you get bonus points

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Sammy]

Ah, that explains it. not doing that one! 😆

[ilovebakedgoods (Teresa), Bibliotherapist]

MN Lisa wrote: "ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "Ashley, this may be pushing it, but for Zeitgeist-Capturing Contemporary Fiction, can I use a book that takes place during the Christmas holidays, in a small town, ..."

Sure! It’s this:

Meant to post it yesterday but forgot!

[ilovebakedgoods (Teresa), Bibliotherapist]

Jessica wrote: "Sammy wrote: "ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "Ashley, this may be pushing it, but for Zeitgeist-Capturing Contemporary Fiction, can I use a book that takes place during the Christmas holidays, in ..."

Oops! Asked in the wrong challenge 🤣

I was looking at it as a bonus for the SUN portion so brain went to this thread 😆

[C]

What are the rules for graphic novels for this challenge?

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

C wrote: "What are the rules for graphic novels for this challenge?"

As a general rule, this info is always located in message 1, but I will also state it here. This challenge follows our Standard Challenge Rules, with some variation (listed in message 1).

❀ Manga/Comics/Graphic Novels
Minimum Word Count of 30,000 using any of the ArBookfind. If your book cannot be found at the above resource, you may use the book if your page count is 100pgs+ when figuring ¼ of the edition page count you read. (example: 400pgs x ¼ = 100pgs)

For this challenge, I am not concerned if you can find it via ARBookFind, if you want to read a Graphic Novel, you can, but you should use the formula to figure the page count. So, if you read a 400pg Graphic Novel, you would put in 100pgs as your page count on your Spreadsheet.