On The Same Page discussion
2025 Independent Challenge
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Lea's Individual Challenge - Filling in the Gaps
Lillie wrote: "I like the idea of giving myself an out. I know I can walk away from any book at any time for any reason but I find that hard if it's on a challenge list (trying to break that habit).And yeah, I've been feverishly working on my challenges for next year. Why? Because I'm insane and get consumed by looking and picking out books, lol"
Ooh, I cannot wait to see all of your challenges. I cannot decide if I prefer making lists of books or reading other people's lists of books. Both are so fun.
Lea wrote: "Ooh, I cannot wait to see all of your challenges. I cannot decide if I prefer making lists of books or reading other people's lists of books. Both are so fun."So true! The only thing is that when I look at everyone else's lists, my own keeps getting longer 😬😂
Lillie wrote: "So true! The only thing is that when I look at everyone else's lists, my own keeps getting longer 😬😂"Yes! And I keep rearranging the order. I look at the first person's list and I just know I will read THIS book next. Then, I look at the next person's list and I'm changing my mind to read THAT book next. It's such a fun battle.
Mod
I believe they may be used as the jury.. It did say in the book.
Lillie wrote: "The only thing is that when I look at everyone else's lists, my own keeps getting longer 😬😂"Lea wrote: "Yes! And I keep rearranging the order. I look at the first person's list and I just know I will read THIS book next. Then, I look at the next person's list and I'm changing my mind to read THAT book next. It's such a fun battle."
You are both soooo right. That's why I love and hate the time when all of you are making lists and posting them. And that time will come very soon 😱
Bill wrote: "Lea wrote: "I believe they may be used as the jury.. It did say in the book."Wild. I can't figure out if it would be better to go without knowing anything about the play, or knowing what is in store and hoping to change the outcome by being selected for the jury.
Ioana wrote: "You are both soooo right. That's why I love and hate the time when all of you are making lists and posting them. And that time will come very soon 😱"For me, I'm trying to read the GRC Awards, so my lists can never be complete until the winners are announced. That's way too late for all the frantic list makers around here. :-)
Lillie wrote: "And yeah, I've been feverishly working on my challenges for next year. Why? Because I'm insane and get consumed by looking and picking out books, lol.."I'm over here, like "hmmmmm maybe try 3 12+4 lists for 2026.
Oh wait , maybe 4....."
Alissa wrote: "I'm over here, like "hmmmmm maybe try 3 12+4 lists for 2026.Oh wait , maybe 4.....""
I love this so much. So many good books to read, so many lists to make to ensure that it happens!
So thanks to you guys I now have a note in my notes app about all the challenge lists ideas I have for next year and I have begun listing potential books. Stop the madness!
Mod
No way. The madness rules
Michelle wrote: "So thanks to you guys I now have a note in my notes app about all the challenge lists ideas I have for next year and I have begun listing potential books. Stop the madness!"I have a lot of notes in my notes app for books that come to my attention before making sure they make it on my master spreadsheet. Lists, lists everywhere!!!
Bill wrote: "No way. The madness rules"Yes!
"There is no great genius without some touch of madness" - Aristotle
This is ours.
Lea wrote: "Bill wrote: "No way. The madness rules"Yes!
"There is no great genius without some touch of madness" - Aristotle
This is ours."
This whole thread is how I know I’ve found my people 😂
Lillie wrote: "Lea wrote: "Bill wrote: "No way. The madness rules"Yes!
"There is no great genius without some touch of madness" - Aristotle
This is ours."
This whole thread is how I know I’ve found my people 😂"
So true Lillie!
Lea wrote: "Michelle wrote: "So thanks to you guys I now have a note in my notes app about all the challenge lists ideas I have for next year and I have begun listing potential books. Stop the madness!"I hav..."
I guess it is nice we have technology now. I used to write TBR lists in tiny script on the back of bookmarks. Then I would have to search for the right book on the shelf to find the list or I would forget about it entirely until I ran across it months/years later and found that I still wanted to read all those books. The notes app is a better solution. Maybe someday I will graduate to spreadsheets.
Lillie wrote: "This whole thread is how I know I’ve found my people 😂"
100%! My husband (who is not a reader) is always so confused on why I have lists of books to read "Don't you just ..... find a book and read it?"
Oh honey :pats head::
And Yes I'm nuts. I'm thinking 3 12+4 lists, and then I have like 10 Individual challenge categories written down haha
Lillie wrote: "This whole thread is how I know I’ve found my people 😂"Yes! I agree! We've finally found our people who understand!
Michelle wrote: "I guess it is nice we have technology now. I used to write TBR lists in tiny script on the back of bookmarks. Then I would have to search for the right book on the shelf to find the list or I would forget about it entirely until I ran across it months/years later and found that I still wanted to read all those books. The notes app is a better solution. Maybe someday I will graduate to spreadsheets."I had a spiral notebook with lists and lists of books. I still have it, but I don't use it anymore. I find pieces of paper with books listed on them in various piles of stuff, and if I have time, I add them to my spreadsheets and notes on the phone. The paper lists get lost too often and I need them when I'm at the bookstore or the library.
I love the idea about writing ideas on the back of bookmarks.
My mom makes her book lists on the back cover pages of her books. Always in pencil. I was reading a book from my shelves at her place the other day, and I asked her if she had read it. She said no, I told her I would set it aside. She asked me where I got it, and while I thought it was from her, since she said she hadn't read it, I figured it must have come from another friend who shares her books. I just looked inside the back cover of the book today, and it has a list of books in her handwriting, only one of which I've already read. None are already on my TBR, and they look good. Thanks, Mom! :-)
Alissa wrote: "100%! My husband (who is not a reader) is always so confused on why I have lists of books to read "Don't you just ..... find a book and read it?"Oh honey :pats head::
And Yes I'm nuts. I'm thinking 3 12+4 lists, and then I have like 10 Individual challenge categories written down haha"
Yes! My husband is also confused by all these lists. How can I find anything on it? Etc. etc.
I was thinking just 1 12+4 list, but I do have monthly goals that I'm trying for, so maybe I will do more. We'll see. I can't wait to see all of your lists.
Wow Lea you really did awesome with your list!! Congrats!!
Mod
Oh honey :pats head::
And Yes I'm ..."
My problem is making sure I update every list when I get a new book, or start a read, or finish one...
Alexandra wrote: "Wow Lea you really did awesome with your list!! Congrats!!"Thanks, Alexandra. I'm still interested in reading the rest of the list, so I'm still picking at the list. Hopefully I can finish more so that I can fill the list with more books for next year! Fingers crossed.
Bill wrote: "My problem is making sure I update every list when I get a new book, or start a read, or finish one..."I have the same problem. That's why I love the spreadsheets, since I can do a "FIND" for the book title.
Lea, can you access your spreadsheet on your phone? How do you remember what books you'd like to get (either at the bookstore or library) if you don't have a thousand little lists on the backs of receipts like I do? I also take loads of photos of book covers and then completely forget about them. I'm a mess, lol
Lillie wrote: "Lea, can you access your spreadsheet on your phone? How do you remember what books you'd like to get (either at the bookstore or library) if you don't have a thousand little lists on the backs of receipts like I do?I also take loads of photos of book covers and then completely forget about them. I'm a mess, lol"
Yes! I can access my spreadsheet on my phone.
However, it does take a while to load, so I'm often impatient.
Because of that, I also have lists on the back of receipts or I'll add to a note on a phone, since that doesn't take as long to load, etc.
I have ambitions to consolidate all of these lists, which I occasionally make some small progress on in boring meetings and waiting rooms, but not enough to make a dent in my spreadsheet updating.
Mod
I used to bring my hard copy books lists of those I'm reading and still don't have yet, but now it's 3 books, so it takes forever to do that..
November Mid-Month ReportBooks Read: 6 books so far this month, 136 books year to date. 49,349 pages year to date.
Books from Filling in the Gaps: 79/100; 2022 Books 1/1, 2023 Books 3/5, 2024 Books 11/14, 2025 books 64/80
Books from 12+4 Challenge: 16/16!!
Recently finished:
The Golden Road - This is the sequel to The Story Girl, and is a story about eight children who decide to write a magazine together. This book reminded me a little bit of Little Women. I enjoyed it very much. 3 stars
The Little Prince - I enjoyed this one too, but I may have expected too much out of it, since it came so highly recommended. It is a children's book about a pilot who is stranded in the desert, where he meets the little prince. I read the book itself - it is only 96 pages. I may also listen to the audiobook - I've heard it is a great recording and it is only 44 minutes. I wonder if I'll get more out of the audiobook. We'll see. I liked it, I would recommend it to others, but I didn't find deep meaning to it as some people have. 3 stars
Frindle - This book also came highly recommended also. It is a children's book about a kid who comes up with a new word for something and how it spread. I really enjoyed this one. 4 stars
The Frindle Files - This is the sequel to Frindle, and is set 25 years later, on the other coast. It's about a student who is a gamer and his teacher who has a strict no-tech class. I really enjoyed this one also. I'm going to continue reading books by Andrew Clements. 4 stars
The Bluest Eye - This was a tough read, and I struggled to get through the book because it was so upsetting. It is the story of an 11-year-old African American girl, who dreams of having blue eyes so that she can be considered beautiful. Toni Morrison writes some very tough books, but some very important books as well. I appreciated this book more than I enjoyed it. 3 stars
Unforgiven - There were too many differences between the rest of the series and this story. I did not like this book, and I'm glad the series is over. 1 star
Currently reading:
Pontius Pilate - This is a biography about Pilate, the governor of Judea, when Jesus was crucified. I'm a little over halfway through the book, and I'm enjoying reading it, even though it is taking a long time.
Knife of Dreams - I'm going to have to race through this book to finish it this month and continue my completion of a tome a month. I think I can do it!
Mod
Bill wrote: "What a great year you've had and such variety overall. Good luck completing your monthly tome. Will you have one in December?"I'm going to try. I'm hoping to read #12 in the Wheel of Time Series in December, The Gathering Storm. I mean, I'd also like to read Washington: A Life, All the Colors of the Dark, and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, but I always read less in December, and trying to read 4 tomes is completely ridiculous. We'll see if I can manage one! :-)
Bill wrote: "Lea wrote: "Lillie wrote: "Lea, can you access your spreadsheet on your phone? How do you remember what books you'd like to get (either at the bookstore or library) if you don't have a thousand lit..."I actually saw a woman walking the aisles of a large used bookstore with a three-ring binder filled with lists of books: titles, authors, series information etc. Each page of the list was tucked neatly into a plastic page protector. I thought "Wow, what a great idea". When I got to the car one of the people I was with said "Did you see the woman with the crazy binder? What was that about?" I didn't enlighten her, but I knew exactly what that was about. I decided not to buy the binder I was planning on getting for the next trip to the bookstore though.
Mod
Don't listen them naysayers, Lea. I think it's a great idea.
Lea wrote: "I'm hoping to read #12 in the Wheel of Time Series in December, The Gathering Storm. I mean, I'd also like to read Washington: A Life, All the Colors of the Dark, and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame."Great progress in Nov so far, and I'm really enjoying your reviews. Big plans for Dec too, good luck. How many tomes did you read this year? Was it the highest number ever?
Bill wrote: "I used to bring my hard copy books lists of those I'm reading and still don't have yet, but now it's 3 books, so it takes forever to do that."I know! I have that too! And nothing on the hard copy list is the same order as it is shelved at the bookstore, so you end up circling around the store many times! I think there was a customer that thought I was stalking them after walking past the same section of books three or four times to find different books. But I figure true book lovers understand!
Michelle wrote: "I actually saw a woman walking the aisles of a large used bookstore with a three-ring binder filled with lists of books: titles, authors, series information etc. Each page of the list was tucked neatly into a plastic page protector. I thought "Wow, what a great idea". When I got to the car one of the people I was with said "Did you see the woman with the crazy binder? What was that about?" I didn't enlighten her, but I knew exactly what that was about. I decided not to buy the binder I was planning on getting for the next trip to the bookstore though."Michelle, were you following me? LOL. I'm kidding. I did use to carry a three-ring binder with me to the bookstores and the library, but I am no longer doing that. Usually, I have a piece of paper, three receipts and I'm scrolling through my phone. Of course, besides looking on my new book list, I have to refer to GR to make sure I haven't already read the book! :-)
Bill wrote: "Don't listen them naysayers, Lea. I think it's a great idea."LOL, only you book lovers can possibly understand. Thank you! :-)
Ioana wrote: "Great progress in Nov so far, and I'm really enjoying your reviews. Big plans for Dec too, good luck. How many tomes did you read this year? Was it the highest number ever?"It's hard to say, because we keep changing what we categorize as a tome. :-) That said, I'm really proud of the 18 books I've already read this year, and I do hope I can get to 20, though 23 is quite a stretch goal for me. :-)
Lea wrote: "we keep changing what we categorize as a tome."We do? What's a tome for you? I think I'm going for 600+ pages...
Lea wrote: "The Little Prince - I enjoyed this one too, but I may have expected too much out of it, since it came so highly recommended. It is a children's book about a pilot who is stranded in the desert, where he meets the little prince. I read the book itself - it is only 96 pages. I may also listen to the audiobook - I've heard it is a great recording and it is only 44 minutes. I wonder if I'll get more out of the audiobook. We'll see. I liked it, I would recommend it to others, but I didn't find deep meaning to it as some people have. 3 stars"I think the reason I have such a soft spot for this book is that my 5th grade class did a performance of The Little Prince. It's such a core memory. We spent a lot of time on the book and the play. No idea how this would hit for an adult reader.
Michelle wrote: "I actually saw a woman walking the aisles of a large used bookstore with a three-ring binder filled with lists of books: titles, authors, series information etc. Each page of the list was tucked neatly into a plastic page protector. I thought "Wow, what a great idea". When I got to the car one of the people I was with said "Did you see the woman with the crazy binder? What was that about?" I didn't enlighten her, but I knew exactly what that was about. I decided not to buy the binder I was planning on getting for the next trip to the bookstore though. "This makes me laugh cause yeah, unless you're a bookaholic like we are, the binder wouldn't make any sense and/or makes us look crazy
Ioana wrote: "Lea wrote: "we keep changing what we categorize as a tome."We do? What's a tome for you? I think I'm going for 600+ pages..."
The Tome challenge here is 500+ pages right now.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
If I followed your criteria, I would have only read 13 tomes this year.
Lillie wrote: "I think the reason I have such a soft spot for this book is that my 5th grade class did a performance of The Little Prince. It's such a core memory. We spent a lot of time on the book and the play. No idea how this would hit for an adult reader."I can see that. I have quite a few childhood favorites that others read and don't understand why. I did really enjoy the book, and I'm looking forward to reading it again. Maybe then it will resonate better. Or maybe I just read it too late to have it be a core memory for me.
Lea wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Lea wrote: "we keep changing what we categorize as a tome."We do? What's a tome for you? I think I'm going for 600+ pages..."
The Tome challenge here is 500+ pages right now.
htt..."
Which is still a lot! (Only 13, she says!)
Lillie wrote: "This makes me laugh cause yeah, unless you're a bookaholic like we are, the binder wouldn't make any sense and/or makes us look crazy"LOL, it is only this thread that has made me realize that I do a lot of things that don't make a lot of sense to other people. I am pretty sure I walk around looking crazy most of the time. Oh well. Too late to change now. :-)
Lea wrote: "Lillie wrote: "This makes me laugh cause yeah, unless you're a bookaholic like we are, the binder wouldn't make any sense and/or makes us look crazy"LOL, it is only this thread that has made me r..."
For the record I have decided (mainly out of self-preservation) that it is the nonreaders who are crazy. We can't help it if they refuse to read and therefore understand the need for extensive lists. As I'm sure all of you know, bookstores and libraries always seem to have slow internet speeds that prevent your phone from loading your lists in an acceptable time frame (instantaneous) when you are looking for books. Because of that we require three ring binders, spreadsheet print outs, receipts and in my case a pocket full of bookmarks in order to make informed purchases. Also, for those nonbook lovers who have given me funny looks in the bookstore when I snap a picture of a book cover, there is nothing creepy going on. I just don't have a pen and/or bookmark available, and I need to record the information to add to my never-ending TBR.
Michelle wrote: "For the record I have decided (mainly out of self-preservation) that it is the nonreaders who are crazy. We can't help it if they refuse to read and therefore understand the need for extensive lists. As I'm sure all of you know, bookstores and libraries always seem to have slow internet speeds that prevent your phone from loading your lists in an acceptable time frame (instantaneous) when you are looking for books. Because of that we require three ring binders, spreadsheet print outs, receipts and in my case a pocket full of bookmarks in order to make informed purchases. Also, for those nonbook lovers who have given me funny looks in the bookstore when I snap a picture of a book cover, there is nothing creepy going on. I just don't have a pen and/or bookmark available, and I need to record the information to add to my never-ending TBR."I concur with this entire paragraph.
You're not the only one. I also take photos of book covers too and try to update my spreadsheets later. Just like some people need the perfect belt to complete their outfit, I have a need to find the perfect book to read when I'm in different moods, and that requires a lot of research and list making. :-)
Mod
We do? What's a tome for you? I think I'm going for 600+ pages..."
The Tome challenge here is 500+ pages right now.
htt..."
I think at one time it was 600+ or 500+ but for the past couple??? of years it has been 500+. But hey ho, if you want to make it more pages for your own tracking, good for you. 👌😉
Bill wrote: "I think at one time it was 600+ or 500+ but for the past couple??? of years it has been 500+. But hey ho, if you want to make it more pages for your own tracking, good for you. 👌😉"I thought I remembered it being 400+ at one point, but I could be misremembering or thinking about another place. I remember that under 400+, almost all my books were tomes. :-)
Nowadays, I only track here. But it is hard to say which year I had the most tomes, because I am not going back to correct previous years in order to have an apples-to-apples comparison.
What I do have on my spreadsheet is pages read and total number of books each year. My best year for number of books was 2016 (177) and my best year for pages was last year. (58,970) But the year I read the fattest books was 2011. I only read 113 books that year, but I also read 46,161 pages, so that makes each book an average of 408.50 pages. Not bad. I must have not read many children's books that year. :-)
Mod
I ..."
I think you're probably correct and that I was misremembering... I do that a lot nowadays.. :)
On The Same Page
Books mentioned in this topic
Washington: A Life (other topics)The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (other topics)
The Gathering Storm (other topics)
All the Colors of the Dark (other topics)
The Story Girl (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Andrew Clements (other topics)Toni Morrison (other topics)
L.M. Montgomery (other topics)
Ayn Rand (other topics)
Homer (other topics)
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The one that that has always stood out for me from Atlas Shrugged... 'Who is John Galt'... (Unless I have misremembered... LOL"
Yes! Who is John Galt? I felt like that was on every last page of that long long long book!
I want to see Night of January 16th, I've heard it is an excellent play to see firsthand. Aren't the members of the audience recruited? :-)