Play Book Tag discussion
2025 Activities and Challenges
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Announcing the 2025 Challenges
Play HarderIn this challenge, everyone will receive a customized list of different categories and the object is to try to select, read, and review books to complete the list.
In fact, we did our own variant here to celebrate PBT's 15th birthday. You can reference that challenge as an example.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Members and administrators will develop a list of reading tasks, and we will compile them into a database of tasks.
These tasks could be as simple as "Read a book with the word mystery in the title" to as challenging as "Read a book that's at least 1000 pages".
Please start submitting your task ideas using the form linked below. Only one idea per form submission please, but you may submit as many ideas as you have!
This form will remain open all year long so you may continue to submit new ideas whenever they occur to you. Duplicates will be consolidated.
https://forms.gle/FxiHwvq7Z5aWNgUXA
You may also PM me with your ideas if that's easier for you (the form is preferable though). Please do NOT post them on this thread.
Each player will receive a CUSTOM list (randomized) of 12 prompts. The lists will be handed out any time after December 20th upon request. But please don't start reading until January. The lists will be posted for everyone to see in a designated thread.
If a member completes their list, they may request a new one (which may or may not have overlaps with the original).
Ideas for new tasks may be submitted all year long keeping the lists fresh and exciting.
Everyone who completes their list will receive an entry into a raffle to win a prize. Complete multiple lists to receive multiple entries. There will also be a participation points prize awarded for each list completed.
There will also be a bonus participation points prize at the end of the year if you complete a list AND read one book each month for the monthly tag.
Finally, you will earn 1 participation point for every idea you submit to the database (awarded monthly starting immediately).
Questions are welcomed below!
A new requestWe would like to ask that when you post a review to either the main tag thread or to the Other Books thread that you please refrain from including the titles or initials of challenges in the heading (starting in 2025).
If we need a separate thread/area to track challenge reads, we can consider that, but I feel like have challenge lingo everywhere is off-putting to new members or even to existing members who are not participating in the challenges.
Ideally, we'd like to welcome all readers who want to read for the monthly tag because that's really what we are about first and foremost.
Thank you for hearing me out, and if you have concerns, feel free to PM me!!
I have a wicked cold, the first I have had since 2/20 so I haven't really updated this or refined it.Members will need to set their goal for this challenge before starting.
The Compass
All participants will start where they are currently located.
Participants will move by reading a book in the randomized direction from where they started.
Directions are given once a week, and are North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, Northwest.
If the participant has read and reviewed a book, they may take the randomized direction to the next location.
Participants will have 3 free tickets to choose the direction of their choice.
Moves can be any distance in the given direction.
The twist to this challenge is participants set their own challenge. For example: to circle the globe x number of times, to travel to 20 states, countries or provinces, to climb a number of mountains or to go any way the wind blows.
Extra points will be given for matching the tag of the month.
Anita wrote: "Play HarderIn this challenge, everyone will receive a customized list of different categories and the object is to try to select, read, and review books to complete the list.
In fact, we did our..."
Booknblues wrote: "I have a wicked cold, the first I have had since 2/20 so I haven't really updated this or refined it.
Members will need to set their goal for this challenge before starting.
The Compass
All partic..."
It sounds wonderful!!!
Booknblues wrote: "I have a wicked cold, the first I have had since 2/20 so I haven't really updated this or refined it.Members will need to set their goal for this challenge before starting.
The Compass
All partic..."
There’s plenty of time, just take care of yourself. I hope you feel better by your birthday Thursday. Please send me a direct message if you need help spinning this week.
Take care of yourself Fran, as Nancy said you have lots of time to refine.
We have almost 100 suggested categories already!! You are all amazing!!They are creative and thoughtful and fun!
Ask and you shall receive, Anita! We love you!!
Joanne wrote: "Ask and you shall receive, Anita! We love you!!"Awww, thank you so much, Joanne!!! I'm so excited about this challenge! I may even do a list just for fun.
Anita wrote: "Joanne wrote: "Ask and you shall receive, Anita! We love you!!"Awww, thank you so much, Joanne!!! I'm so excited about this challenge! I may even do a list just for fun."
You absolutely should.
I'm so excited about both of these challenges; they both feel structured but with a lot of flexibility which is the perfect combo for what I am hoping for my 2025 reading year.
@Nancy,I deleted your comment because I really want the ideas to be a surprise and not be posted here.
But I copied your post mostly so I can respond to your inquiries!
Questions:
Now that you’ve received some, do you have any suggestions regarding wording?
I am going to edit the wording for consistency (but retaining the meaning as the writer intends), but your examples were completely on the money.
Does the 150 page minimum apply unless otherwise specified?
Yes
Will we need 5+ tags if the prompt is written as a tag?
Only if the writer of the prompt specifies how the book must be tagged.
Or can we treat it like a monthly tag, and use our judgment?
It totally depends on how the writer of the prompt states it, but if they merely use the word tagged, then it can be tagged just one time. If the writer says "fits the tag" then it's your judgement If the writer says "is tagged", then it must be tagged at least once.
If they specify a number of times the book must be tagged, then those guidelines apply.
So far, I’ve been writing the prompts in the form of a phrase rather than a simple tag, in this format:
For example: * a book set (or published) before 1925
All of your examples were great! But I don't want these revealed before the lists are handled out. I wasn't perfectly clear on that, so I added that instruction in my post on what to do.
Anita wrote: "Awww, thank you so much, Joanne!!! I'm so excited about this challenge! I may even do a list just for fun."You really should, Anita! You never do these things! Just don't stress if there are tougher ones to do. Start the year just filling in the ones that fit for what you are already reading, anyway. Then look again a bit later to see what you might need to purposely seek something out for.
I voted for one of these, so am happy that it won. I may just play one game again next year the way I did this year.
Finally have had a chance to read over the winning challenges and have a couple of comments/questions on Play Harder. I think in this sentence you mean 'prompts' not 'books'. Each player will receive a CUSTOM list (randomized) of 12 books. The lists will be handed out any time after December 20th upon request.
My question: will there be a limit to how many lists can be requested in a month? Or quarterly? Given how extremely energetic and overly exuberant or just competitive members read for this year's challenges, I could see those who may only have one or two entries in the raffle wouldn't stand much chance of winning any prize. If there was a limit of 2 lists per month, someone could actually do 24 prompts a month. I do Popsugar and Across the Year challenges every year which are very similar and I have managed to finish them both (one is 50 prompts, one is 52) by beginning of June if I put a little effort into it - even with a demanding full time career. I know others who do them and finish them in about 6 weeks. Or you could do a cap on number of entries into the randomizer for the raffle. It would be really nice if some of our lower volume readers had a more equal opportunity to win the prize at the end. If limited to 1 entry per person, regardless of how many lists are completed, then everyone who completes a single list - which could be a real challenge for some PBT Members - would have an equal shot. You can include a separate special reward of participation points for example for those who complete the highest number of lists.
I agree, everything shouldn't be based on number of books read/reviewed. We have members with children, jobs, health issues, etc. and we want everyone to feel included.
I just amended my post in #16 to include a suggestion for raffle and a separate prize in Play Harder.
@BnB - I know you haven't had a chance to flesh this out yet, but a few comments/questions that occur to me which you can wait to address (well except for 1 which I will identify) when you pull the expanded rules together. 1. How are the directions being determined - a randomizer? Spinner? dice cube? actual compass? I'm asking because it will need a name....and time to come up with a good one.
2. I think I mentioned this before - there will be some guidelines (lattitude range perhaps?) to use -- for example I could do Madrid, Naples, Istanbul, Beijing. But could I do Pompeii rather than Naples? Perhaps some distance measure -- say withing 200 kilometer/120 miles.
3. I assume you mean the book has to be set in a location in the direction you are headed. How specific does it have to be and how much of the book needs to be set there. Example: Last Train to Istanbul is set in Istanbul, but also Paris and Marseille - while Istanbul has full scenes even chapters there, the book is at least equally set in 2 cities in France. Would it qualify for Istanbul, and equally if the direction works, for Paris and Marseille. Would a book set in Pompeii or Salerno or the countryside between?
4. Do you have to match tags for the location you use? This could be very difficult for may destinations and actually restrict your reading significantly.
5. Will Antartica/South Pole and the North Pole be included? and will those have a broader range - i.e. Frankenstein: The 1818 Text as I recall has is partially set in the frozen ice of an explorer ship heading to the North Pole. It's not the North Pole but it is the frozen arctic waters around the north pole and far from habitation.
Now the one I would like feedback on: My goal is to read a crime fiction book set in every place I travel to. Is that the type of personal goal you are suggesting?
This will be challenging in some ways, in that we don't always know what all the locations of a book will be before we read it. Then there are the fictional locations, for instance an English mystery tells you it is in Kent or on the sea, but the actual town is fictional. I was very surprised to find out that Marlow in The Marlow Murder Club is a real place. I pictured it as the typical English village, but it's a sizable town. Anyway, it may take a bit of work to figure out exactly where some books are set.
I so agree about finding a way to make sure PlayHarder doesn’t reward volume readers over people who read less, or slower, or longer. Adding to Theresa and Robin’s points, the randomiser may throw up lists of very different difficulty and people shouldn’t feel like they are somehow ‘behind’ if they have a harder list or want to choose harder books to complete it.
I’d actually be fine if there was no prize at all except for a bonus participation points award to everyone who joins in and completes at least one list (like the honour board system at the end of Birthday, which was really successful). Stops things from getting competitive. If we’re sticking with a raffle then definitely one raffle entry per person within the draw period not one entry per list. Great idea.
Some people may really like to do multiple lists for their own satisfaction. But having set times at which we can ask for a new list (eg 1st and 15th of the month) would make life a lot easier for you, Anita, as well as giving the best chance that we’ll get different prompts to read for, rather than having repetition.
Robin P wrote: "This will be challenging in some ways, in that we don't always know what all the locations of a book will be before we read it. Then there are the fictional locations, for instance an English myste..."You could also ask members of the group if anyone has been to the places or knows anything about them. We have members from all over the world so I'd see it as an extra chance to learn from each other.......
For those of us in Aus/NZ we kinda need Antarctica. We have plenty north but not much south.
Are there limits of the compass directions? For example, if you are in Antarctica (assuming it is allowed), can we continue around the globe and end up in the far north, e.g. Greenland or the North Pole? I also am here to lobby for Antarctica being allowed. There are a number of countries who basically share research facilities and have scientists (and others) residing there.
I agree with the comments above regarding the number of lists one can complete in a month and how often you can ask for a new list. I would love to see everyone compete on the same level.
And it would be great for Anita to have a game she doesn't have to watch every day for people requesting a new list. Two years in a row of daily activity is enough!
@Joy - the instructions as they stand say there is no limit in the direction you can go so I read that as technically you can loop south pole to north pole and back again as well as looping east/west and the angled ones too. I could head east back to the US west coast if I wanted -- I asked that questions during the initial presentations. But these are still good questions.
I assume that the chances of continuing in the same direction as you just finished is unlikely to happen as the randomizer gives you a new directional pick when finish your book.
Just had a thought - should this randomizer be named Phineas for Phineas Fogg? Or Nellie for Nellie Blye? Both of whom circled the globe in the late 1800s.
I’m all for speed bumps, limits, and low competition. I like the honor board showing all those that completed a board. Compass could have something comparable (maybe for a trip of 6 or 12 books in the year).For compass, I’m curious how the timing will work. If someone takes more than two weeks to complete their first book, would they still follow the direction of the first random spin? Or would they use the most recent spin? Or would they have a choice?
I have some preference for the first option. I think it might be less confusing (and a lot less work for Fran) if everyone followed the same set of directions. It might allow for more thoughtful planning for slower readers who have a certain theme in mind. It would give someone a way to catch up if they started late or needed to take some time off. New members could join in right away. Faster readers who like the “chance” element will still have that if they read one book a week for the game.
The last two years were very “chance” based, requiring good contingency planning. I feel like I sharpened my ability to juggle and read at the same time this year (while riding a tortoise no less). LOL I feel good about that, but I want to stretch myself in new ways next year, with a focus on content or themes.
Theresa wrote: "Finally have had a chance to read over the winning challenges and have a couple of comments/questions on Play Harder. I think in this sentence you mean 'prompts' not 'books'. Each player will rec..."
Yes, prompts!!
I like the idea of capping the number of raffle entries, but allowing additional participation point rewards. I'll think about it more on vacation and add that to the final rules posting.
I don't mind if people ask for a lot of lists, but I do want slower readers to have an opportunity to win.
Robin P wrote: "And it would be great for Anita to have a game she doesn't have to watch every day for people requesting a new list. Two years in a row of daily activity is enough!"I do like your idea of limiting the new list requests to a given date of the month. Great thought!!!
I really like the idea of having everyone who writes a review get "one" raffle ticket, no matter how many reviews they submit. I am going to try really hard to slow down my reading next year. I actually told my husband not to engage me in any "idle chitchat" during my Steampunk marathon. I have my fingers crossed that I can overcome my reading OCD.
Yes, some of us may have alienated our families, disregarded household chores and neglected our health in favor of reading more before the end of a month!
I haven't fully fleshed out everything, but will try to answer a few questionsTheresa wrote: "@BnB - 1. How are the directions being determined - a randomizer? Spinner? dice cube? actual compass? I'm asking because it will need a name....and time to come up with a good one. ..."
https://pickerwheel.com/?id=3qcAP
2.I think I mentioned this before - there will be some guidelines (lattitude range perhaps?) to use -- for example I could do Madrid, Naples, Istanbul, Beijing. But could I do Pompeii rather than Naples? Perhaps some distance measure -- say withing 200 kilometer/120 miles.
Not quite sure what you are asking, but on a compass directions are as follows.
North: 0 degrees or 360 degrees
North East: 45 degrees
East: 90 degrees
South East: 135 degrees
South: 180 degrees
South West: 225 degrees
West: 270 degrees
North West: 315 degrees
So London is considered ENE or app 67 degrees from NYC, so if you spun either East or North East, I would find that acceptable, because it is in the middle.
I don't see being to tight, but if the location is clearly more north or more east< I wouldn't accept north east.
Olivermagnus wrote: "I really like the idea of having everyone who writes a review get "one" raffle ticket, no matter how many reviews they submit. I am going to try really hard to slow down my reading next year. I act..."Great idea. Is he happy now to have you back?
We both have Covid now, so he hasn’t noticed that I’m not reading and I’m only online a couple minutes at a time.
Booknblues wrote: "I haven't fully fleshed out everything, but will try to answer a few questionsTheresa wrote: "@BnB - 1. How are the directions being determined - a randomizer? Spinner? dice cube? actual compass? ..."
OOH I really like that picker wheel and it drops confetti at the end! Definitely needs a name.
And you answered my question on parameters - I have to say I think the idea of using compass points and working within the degrees is such a great original way of doing a geographical reading challenge. That definitely gives some flexibility given how books can be set in a chateau along the Loire that's not quite on the direct line you need.
Olivermagnus wrote: "I really like the idea of having everyone who writes a review get "one" raffle ticket, no matter how many reviews they submit. I am going to try really hard to slow down my reading next year. I act..."Actually one raffle entry per review is NOT what we have been discussing and suggesting, but just one raffle entry for everyone who completes a list and only one. One raffle entry per review still means someone who does multiple lists will have significantly improved odds of winning the main prize over someone who does just the 12 on one list, and that was a stretch for them. It rewards high volume competitive reading. One of the lovely features of the Birthday challenge was that it was 1 list making it equal opportunity for all levels of readers and participants.
Anita seemed to like the idea I posted about having some participation points prizes for those who can't resist completing multiple lists.
Theresa wrote: " Olivermagnus wrote: "I really like the idea of having everyone who writes a review get "one" raffle ticket, no matter how many reviews they submit. I am going to try really hard to slow down my re..."Oh I see. I ike the idea of making it more fair, however it's done.
Lynda, we knew what you meant. (List not review) 😃 🥰 Theresa misunderstood you. You meant everyone should get just one raffle ticket as long as they complete the task. We all know that for you, it’s not about the rewards, it’s the challenge.Looking back to the birthday list (which I loved), I was surprised by the number of people who didn’t complete it. I don’t remember if some were too hard.( Or maybe a reward would have helped.) I have a feeling that a purely random list of 12 prompts could have few real challenges for some. As I think about the prompt ideas I’d really like to read, I worry that others might hate them. (And I might balk at a list full of monsters, zombies, and 7 variations of murder mystery.)
When the lists come out, there might be some requests for a “Wild card” option of some type.
NancyJ wrote: "As I think about the prompt ideas I’d really like to read, I worry that others might hate them. ..."Oh, I'm sure many will dislike the ones I contribute but I don't think that should stop people from making suggestions. We all have different tastes, and the challenge is intended to be a "challenge" (by definition, lol).
NancyJ wrote: And I might balk at a list full of monsters, zombies, and 7 variations of murder mystery."
I'm right there with you!
Ummm…be prepared for some sports prompts.
Go for it, Jason! There are some of us here who like sports. :-)
I put in a couple of sports prompts too, Jason!
And I contributed a wide variety but definitely ones for romance and light mystery which many will cringe at. I am hoping to see Meli submitting her love of horror, Sue hers for paranormal romantic suspense, etc.
I don't think any of mine were genre specific, but actually I have already forgotten most of what I submitted! I belong to several challenge groups on GR, so I have an almost unlimited supply of options I can "borrow".
Theresa wrote: "And I contributed a wide variety but definitely ones for romance and light mystery which many will cringe at. I am hoping to see Meli submiting her love of horror, Sue hers for paranormal romantic ..."I love it that we have grown to know each other's tastes in books so well.
I was thinking about potential wild card elements to suggest for Play Harder. 1. Maybe we could get a list of 14 books with the expectation that you'll read 12 of the prompts on the list. That would hopefully give us enough wiggle room to skip prompts that just won't work for some reason.
2. Maybe the 150 page requirement could be waived for one prompt on the list. So for example if I got a prompt to read a genre I really don't like, I could find a short story or novella that would work for the prompt.
KateNZ wrote: "I put in a couple of sports prompts too, Jason!"Wooohooooo!!!!!!!!
Robin P wrote: "I don't think any of mine were genre specific, but actually I have already forgotten most of what I submitted! I belong to several challenge groups on GR, so I have an almost unlimited supply of op..."
I tried to make my specific enough to make it a challenge, but broad enough for specific tastes and location.
Jason wrote: "Ummm…be prepared for some sports prompts."LOL!
I didn’t even add any prompts. So it should be interesting to see what gets generated. Okay for some sports by me. Jason has earned it!
Joy D wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "As I think about the prompt ideas I’d really like to read, I worry that others might hate them. ..."Oh, I'm sure many will dislike the ones I contribute but I don't think that shou..."
Joy, I would really like to be challenged by a list of your prompts (sans explorers and extra long books). Maybe once we’ve each completed the primary game list, we might challenge one another to customized theme based lists! I want to explore some new topics and ways of thinking next year, along with environmental, psychology, social issues, family drama, etc. I already have 3 underwater fiction books on my tbr with environmental themes.
Sue wrote: "I was thinking about potential wild card elements to suggest for Play Harder. 1. Maybe we could get a list of 14 books with the expectation that you'll read 12 of the prompts on the list. That wo..."
Those sound good to me.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Headshot (other topics)My Friends (other topics)
The Answer Is No (other topics)
Headshot (other topics)
Dinosaurs (other topics)
More...
The Compass - moderated by BooknBlues
Play Harder - moderated by Anita
The final voting results were:
The Compass 446 votes
Let Me Tell You a Story 148 votes
Answer the Question 126 votes
*********************************
PBT Eras Tour 155 votes
Play Harder 320 votes
Fun with Tags 183 votes
PBT Palate 81 votes
Please stay tuned to this space for further announcements. I am going to allow BooknBlues to share what she wishes below, and I will do the same, so we can both start organizing what l hope will be a super fun reading year for all of us!