You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
Challenges: Year Long Main 2025
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Brian's attempt at alphabetical challenge
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I'm glad you decided to join us in the annual challenge., Brian.As long as the book have a them of "books about books", it doesn't matter if it's fiction or non-fiction.
The problem with graphic novels is that it's mostly pictures. You can zip through them very quickly, and could be seen as "gaming" the challenge.
Hmm...what about the "technical manual"? Like I said, I do not plan on using it, but does it qualify or not qualify, and why or why not. I would have to find it in my library, but I am pretty sure that it meets the page length requirementBrian Christiansen
I would consider a technical manual as non-fiction, so it would work.If you don't plan on using a book, please don't ask about it's validity. Please only ask for verification on books you plan to read. Please don't ask for verification if it's obvious. Please ask only about books that you are not sure would fit the prompt.
Thanks.
I have started my "books about books" book. As a sort of subgoal, I plan on making the books nonfiction so I can learn something as well. One exception would be when I get to "F" for "Fantasy," I will use the latest book I finished out of the "Wheel of Time" series, or at least I think those books are classified as fantasy.In general, however. I plan to use non-fiction books. For example, I plan on doing 1 of 2 things when I get to "W" for "Women." I will read a biography of someone like Susan B. Anthony, Madame Curie, or whoever, unless I get word sometime between now and the that biographies of individual women are against the rules.
I quilt/sew, so I personally do not believe that quilting/sewing is "only for women," but I am aware that in the past and even today some have held that attitude. I am also aware that 100 years ago. quilting bees were events attended by mostly (maybe even exclusively) women. By that logic, I might try to find a book that is about the history or quilting, or some other form of "women's work," though the quilting is the one that interests me the most.
Brian Christiansen
Sounds like a great way to approach the challenge. If you've already read the last book in the Wheel of Time, you can't use it unless you read it again as per the rules.I also quilt. My son sews though I don't think he's made anything in a while, but he used to sew clothes for his children when they were babies.
My real life book club read The Lost Quilter several years back. It is fiction, but it has the theme of women as it centers around a woman's journey and resilience. You will learn about the underground railroad and how quilting played a part. It could even be read as survival.
It's book 14 in a series, but I don't think you need to read earlier books in the series.
I guess we interpret the rules differently. For example, I read the novel "Farenheit 451" in high school, or at least I think I did. A book that I "sorta remember" reading 40-some (or even 2 or 3 in the case of the "Wheel of time") cannot be used for requesting a badge or whatever, I think that goes without saying. However, if I reread either of those in the time frame of the challenge, they can be used.Brian Christiansen
I write the rules, so it's not a matter of interpreting them for me. Books must be started and finished within a specific time frame. When you start the challenge is determined by when you started your personal reporting thread, which for you is Feb 17, 2025. So, you may only report books that you started and completed between Feb 17 & Dec 31, 2025.
Hi Brian, Welcome to the group! Sorry, been a bit caught up with life at the moment so late to welcome you :) So glad you've jumped into the annual challenge, I think these are one of the best activities we have in the group, and I run others! HehLove your non-fiction lean in this challenge, and I agree, the themes lean themselves nicely towards non-fiction as well as fiction.
Just on the comment from Janice, who is our Annual Challenge Master of Ceremonies. Could this be an opp to read something new like Wheel of Time that you can then dive into? We have so many fantasy readers in this group, if you ask for recommendations with specifics about what you are after, this group is a goldmine!
Again, lovely to have you here :)
Books must be started and finished within a specific time frame. When you start the challenge is determined by when you started your personal reporting thread, which for you is Feb 17, 2025. So, you may only report books that you started and completed between Feb 17 & Dec 31, 2025.Then, a book that was read 40-some-odd years ago does not count, but if that book is reread in the timeframe of the challenge (for me between 2/17/25 and 12/31), it can be used. Or, in the case of "The Wheel of Time", I cannot use any of the first 3 books which I both started and finished before the challenge (or just started in the case of the 3rd book), but the 4th book, which will be started and finished in the time frame of the challenge, will, or at least, can count.
I also suppose that I apologize for asking about the "technical manual," but since it serves a fundamentally different purpose than a novel or autobiography, and isn't meant to be read through, but is intended for looking things up such as how to put the chapter name in the headers,
Brian Christiansen
If you click on the reply link (bottom of the message), it will put the quoted text quotes and italics. It's easier to identify that you are quoting someone else's post.Any book you started and or finished before the dates of the challenge will not count. If you want them to count, then you need to restart them and reread them between the specified dates.
Janice wrote: "If you click on the reply link (bottom of the message), it will put the quoted text quotes and italics. It's easier to identify that you are quoting someone else's post.Any book you started and o..."
I guesss I am still learning the Goodreads interface.
Brian Christiansen
You learned that trick fast. :)
I got to worrying about 3 things about the book I am currently reading.First, since it is a bit long, I am a bit worried about finishing it in a timely manner, but that is because I am still trying to get into a groove of reading everyday.
Second, I do not know if the book has to be in the "goodreads database," but I found a book that has the same title ("Invention of Printing") and the same author (Theo. L. De Vinne), but they have wildly different publication dates. What I downloaded from the Gutenberg project give a date of 1876, and the "goodreads database" gives a date of 2015, so I am not really certain if they are the same book.
Third, is a book from 1876 "too old."
Brian Christiansen
One - read at the pace you want. It's not a race, it's a challenge. If you complete it, awesome! If not, you've read some new books! No point reading so quickly you don't remember things, you don't enjoy it, or it stresses you out. And remember, some books go slower than others, and others go faster - swings and roundabouts!Two - INVENTION OF PRINTING, A COLLECTION OF FACTS AND OPINIONS DESC RIPTIVE OF EARLY PRINTS AND PLAYING CARDS, THE BLOCK-BOOKS OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY, THE LEGEND OF LOURENS JANSZOON COSTER, OF HAARLEM A. This book? This edition is an 1878 one. You can check these by clicking through "More editions" on the book page and above those, there is a section which says "This edition" and that is where you can see the publication date of that edition of 1878.
If the book has the same information (title, author, blurb, etc) but the publication date is wrong, that is usually just a database error. Just means that that edition's publication date has been entered into the wrong field. Not always, double check, but errors happen.
Three - I'd say you're over thinking things (says the chronic overthinker). It's a book, doesn't matter when it was published. Jonathan Swift is fine from the 18C, Chaucer is good from the 1400s, The Odyssey is completely acceptable from 700BC ish.
I am chugging away at my "book about books," though I hope I did not choose too long a one, as my e-reader says I am still less than 50% done. Though a personal goal of mine is to read a bit more by perhaps holding myself accountable, and to perhaps find some books in genres that I might not have otherwise considered. Well anyway, I have some books partially selected out for some of the letters (fantasy, history, etc.), but I am still not sure about the "book about children" book. The only 2 things I could think of was a book "starring" children, which, sorry, just does not appeal to me. To put it into my "nonfiction" that I have talked about earlier, all I could think of, at least at the time were parenting guides, such as Dr. Spocks baby book. Therefore, I went on to Project Gutenberg to get some ideas, and this is what I came up with:
1. I found a book called "Baron Trump." While I am quite certain that this book is not about the president and his offspring, the title did make me chuckle a bit to myself.
2. I found a book of heavily edited and cherry-picked Bible stories for children. While I am currently an atheist, this did sort of hit a nostalgia button in me, because when I was little (maybe 10 or so), a local radio station would read a bible story at 9pm (or whatever my bedtime was) on Sunday that I liked to listen to before I went to sleep.
3. I also found several books of fairy tales from other lands/cultures. The one that most intrigued me was one of Iroquois fairy tales, or at least stories that they tell children to teach them "Life lessons." However, I am not certain if I can use it for this challenge because when I put it into an e-reader program it is only 160-some pages long, but when I look at the actual table of contents, it is just over 200 pages long.
I guess my question is how do I get an official ruling on whether this book is usable, and if it isn't, does anyone have any ideas what I might consider.
Brian Christiansen
From the rules: "5. Books must be at least 175 pages long based on the edition you read.In the case of ebooks, the edition must be at least 200 pages. This ruling allows for the the approximation that an ebook will emulate a hardcover or paperback due to the way it is formatted. They are getting better at matching page lengths these days.
If reading an audiobook, your book must be a minimum of 6 hours long."
Go to the book page using search. Under the "More Editions" link, find the edition you want to read. It will tell you how many pages it has. This is the criteria we use to determine if the book meets the rules of the challenge.
Google defines childhood theme as, "In the context of literature or storytelling, the "theme of children" refers to the exploration of childhood experiences, innocence, growth, and the unique perspectives of children. "
I read The Children's Blizzard for this task. It's a novel that tells the story of the 1888 blizzard in the Dakotas which caught many people unaware. Many of the fatalities were children.
If you are interested in a specific book, please link the book so that I can look at it and will confirm whether or not it's acceptible.
The specific book I am looking at is this: Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children. Based on what it appears to say, it appears to be too short for this challenge. At some point, I will probably read it out of my own interest, but for this challenge, I guess I will have to keep looking.Brian Christiansen
I just finished my "book about books" book, and will post the review of it soon, but am still not sure about the "book about children" book. I know (or at least dont think) that the books have to be read "in order," but I still need to decide on this book at some point. I found a book that is about a bunch of historical figures that were born into poverty, and made a big success of their life, such as becoming president, but from the small sample I read, there is not much about their childhood.
A post that gave some ideas about what to read for each book gave the book Howl’s Moving Castle as a suggestion, and based on the description, I am pretty sure that it is what the anime of the same name is based on, but I am baffled as to why it is about children, the only 3 things I can think of are:
1. The book contains something that the anime does not, such as "Howl's Moving Orphanage"
2. The girl that gets turned into an old lady by the witch of the waste(?) is a teenager, and I suppose by some peoples standards would be considered a child. I am almost 64, so a teenager is quite young, but does not meet my definition of "child."
3. The book is "for children," but that would make The Hobbit, or There and Back Again qualify, since it too is "for children," or at least that is what I have read.
Brian Christiansen
I think you are over thinking this and making it out to be way more difficult than it needs to be.From google: "For a book to have the "theme of children" means the story's central message or underlying idea explores the experiences, perspectives, and issues related to childhood, often focusing on topics like innocence, growth, family, friendship, and learning. "
Here are some examples: To Kill a Mockingbird (coming of age amidst racism), It (childhood fears and power of friendship), Boy's Life (coming of age). There are countless books with the theme of childhood.
Books written to children, like The Hobbit, may not have children as a theme.
When you post your report, please review the rules before reporting. There are specific requirements.
Uhh...I did read the rules, even the thread where they were discussed, even the thread about what books can be approved, and am still not certain exactly how to determine if any specific book I choose quite qualifies. I can choose a book by simply looking at other people's books and choosing one that has already been approved, but I feel that choosing a book this way goes against the spirit of the challenge. If I choose a book this way, I may well like it, but I did not choose it based on it being a book that I wanted to read.That being said, I, at least for the time being, chose this book: Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children's Health,
If you are uncertain if the book you've chosen will qualify you can ask for a ruling in the help thread for badge 1. Your choice - Lunch Wars - does indeed have the theme of children.There is no problem with seeing a book that someone else is reading and choosing to read the same book for the same task. We inspire each other. I've done that several times throughout the years. It doesn't in any way diminish the spirit of the challenge.
I don't see that you have reported your finished book on the theme of 'books about books'. It's preferable that you report each book as you finish reading them.
OK, I think this is the correct format.Book about books:The Invention of Printing: A Collection of Facts and Opinions Descriptive of Early Prints and Playing Cards, the Block-Books of the Fifteenth Century, ... the Work of John Gutenberg and His Associates
Summary: This book is about the history of printing. It contains some chapters about Gutenburg, and how he did not just get up one day and invent the printing press, and perhaps could better be described as improving the printing technology of the day. It also had some stuff about the controversy about whether Gutenberg was the "real" inventor of the printing press (sorry, I can't remember the name of the other person off the top of my head.)
I also think I should say something about how the book affected me personally. I especially connected with the conclusion of the book, stated in the last few paragraphs, is that although printing technology has changed between when the printing press was invented and when the book was written, and indeed has further changed since then and today, its ultimate goal, getting ink on paper (though today that also includes getting e-ink onto e-paper sometimes) has not changed). Also, the purpose of printing has not changed, the transmission/preservation of information.
Hi Brian. What a great twist to the challenge to make all your books nonfiction. Good luck! Maybe this will help - you might have missed the section on reporting. Here's a link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
When you report your books in your thread it looks like this:
1. Badge 1, Book 5
2. List 1, Task 1
3. Link – Ghost Story
4. Listened to Audiobook, 22:33 hours.
5. Read a book with a theme of Ghosts.
6. As the title indicates, this is a ghost story. "Ghosts" also show on the main book page as a genre.
It makes it much easier for Janice to see all the details when she needs to confirm things later. All the instructions are in the link above. Happy reading!
What I mean is that if I go into abother person's thread and choose a book, on of 2 things can happen. First, if I read the first or first few chapters and like the book and want to finish it because I want to find out what happens, or whatever reason that is good.
Second, if I read the first few chapters, and don't like it, I can do 1 if 2 things. Either I can force myself to finish it merely because it was "approved," or I can choose another book in the same way, hoping that it does not have the same problem. While I suppose neither of these things is "bad," they are just not reasons I can justify to myself.
If however, I look at someone else's thread and either something in their review or the ink that intrigues me, the same things might happen (either I like the book and want to continue or dislike the book and want to select another), it is a reason I can justify to myself.
Brian Christiansen
I thought I understood the reporting requirements, but now I am confused as to when I use the format you mentioned and when I use this format:1 B- Books about Books
Once Upon a Wardrobe
Summary: A sister tries to help her terminally ill brother find out the truth behind Narnia. She asks C.S. Lewis who tells her stories to share with him. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Brian Christiansen.
I hope this is correct, though I am not certain if the List # and task # is correct:1. Challenge Progress: Badge 1, Book 1
2. List 1, Task 1
3. Link – The Invention of Printing: A Collection of Facts and Opinions Descriptive of Early Prints and Playing Cards, the Block-Books of the Fifteenth Century, ... the Work of John Gutenberg and His Associates
4. Read e-book.
5. Read a “book about books”.
6. As the title indicates, this is a book about printing and printing technology.
Brian Christiansen wrote: "I thought I understood the reporting requirements, but now I am confused as to when I use the format you mentioned and when I use this format:1 B- Books about Books
Once Upon a Wardrobe
Summary: ..."
The format you show is similar, just missing a bit of information. That one answers 3 of the 6 reporting lines Janice posted in her example from the reporting requirements.
Brian Christiansen wrote: "I hope this is correct, though I am not certain if the List # and task # is correct:1. Challenge Progress: Badge 1, Book 1
2. List 1, Task 1
3. Link – [book:The Invention of Printing: A Collectio..."
This looks good, Brian! For the task, I've just been putting the letter I'm working on. So for you this would be task B. The only bit missing is the number of pages. Just add that after where you said you read the ebook. Well done.
I guess I am really confused now, what specifically is missing from this:1. Challenge Progress: Badge 1, Book 1
2. List 1, Task 1
3. Link – The Invention of Printing: A Collection of Facts and Opinions Descriptive of Early Prints and Playing Cards, the Block-Books of the Fifteenth Century, ... the Work of John Gutenberg and His Associates
4. Read e-book.
5. Read a “book about books”.
6. As the title indicates, this is a book about printing and printing technology.
Good work on the first book, Brian! For 4. Make sure you link how many pages the book is.
Remember - "In the case of ebooks, the edition must be at least 200 pages."
Sorry if I confused you, Brian. My first comment about missing information was referring to your previous comment before you posted your book. They just posted out of order. Your reporting looks good, just the number of pages is missing. I suggest using the letter you are working on for the task.
Thanks Kristie and Rusalka in fielding Brian's questions.Brian, please report in this format:
1. Badge 1, Book 1
2. List 1, Task 1
3. Link – The Invention of Printing
4. Kindle edition - 677 pages
5. Read a book with the theme of "Books about Books"
6. The book is non fiction about printing and printing technology.
Let's break that down:1. You are reading for the first badge, and it's the first book you've read.
2. You are reading the 1st list of the challenge, and it is the first task.
3, Link to the edition you read. Your original link was to the hardcover edition. My link above is to the Kindle edition.
4. This requirement is to verify that you meet the criteria for the number of pages. As Kristie said, an ebook needs to be 200 pages.
5. What was the task?
6. How does your book meet the task. One sentence will do.
I think I am ready to report my next book (Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children's Health), but I have no idea what page count to use. The entry shows 384 pages for the paper and ink book, and 386 pages for the kindle edition. I am reading the "liiby app" edition, that is, I borrowed it from my local library and am reading it using the libby app and that shows 387 e-pages if the smallest font size is used, 515 for the font size I actually used, and ~2200 if accessibilty sizes are included, and the largest font size is used.Brian Christiansen
Go to the book page and scroll down to where it says, "Show all 7 editions". Click on the link. Select ebook or kindle, and use the page numbers listed there.
C:Children1) Challenge Progress: Badge 1, Book 2
2) List 1, task 2
3) Link-Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children's Health
4) Read ebook kindle edition – 386 pages
5) Read a book about children
6) This is a book about how to improve school lunches, and the impact of healthier school lunches has on the overall healthcare of the nation.
3 D-Dogs1) Challenge Progress: Badge 1, Book 3
2) List 1, Task 3
3) Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
4) Read ebook, kindle edition, 311 pages
5) Read a book about dogs, or in this case, an expedition where dogs were used as the method of locomotion
6) This was a book about a trek through Alaska, where dogs were used as the primary method of locomotion
I hope my last book qualifies, I am continuing with the challenge although I am a bit worried about finishing all the books by the end of the year. I am reading The Dragon Reborn (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...) as my "F for fantasy" book. I am also planning for future books. I have no idea what I will read for my "G for ghosts" book, The Ghost and Mrs Muir perhaps (or is that just a movie?).
However. for my "H for history" book I have narrowed down to 3 finalists:
The first is a book that I have no idea why I kept. At some point I spilled some water on it and thought it was ruined beyond reading with pages stuck together, and ink running in great big blobs, etc., but I looked through it and the cover and dust jacket being quite messed up, but the actual pages are a bit wrinkled, but appear to be perfectly readable. The book is "Lincoln the Unknown" by Dale Carnegie. and I did read that book years ago, so it will be a reread.
A few years ago Adam Ragusea did a video where he talked about George Washington Carver, and he mentioned the "food legend" that Dr. Carver invented peanut butter. He didn't but I thought finding a book about what Dr. Carver really did might be interesting.
Both Adam Ragusea and Max Miller did videos about how Dr. John Harvey Kellogg developed corn flakes. Both used "The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...), and I thought this book might be interesting.
Brian Christiansen
Yes, Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled A Narrative of Winter Travel in Interior Alaska does qualify for the dog theme.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled A Narrative of Winter Travel in Interior Alaska (other topics)Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children's Health (other topics)
Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children's Health (other topics)
The Invention of Printing (other topics)
The Invention of Printing: A Collection of Facts and Opinions Descriptive of Early Prints and Playing Cards, the Block-Books of the Fifteenth Century, ... the Work of John Gutenberg and His Associates (other topics)
More...
I live in a studio apartment, so I have very limited space to store very many, if any, paper and ink books, so all of my books will have to be ebooks purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or other ebook sellers, borrowed from online libraries, or downloaded from places like Project Gutenberg.
My interpretation is that as long as you stay away from "graphic novels," both fiction and non-fiction are okay, at least I think they are. For example, I think that "Fahrenheit 451" would qualify as a fictional "book about books", as I saw no rule against older books. As for non fiction books, I have found several about the history of the printing press (how books were once painstakingly copied by hand, the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg - or whoever "really" invented it, improvements to it, up to modern methods that involve progams like MSWORD, libreoffice, etc. and programs to convert the files to PDF, EPUB, etc. One time, out of curiosity, I downloaded a book about how use MSWORD to format for an ebook. I do not know if this would qualify for this challenge since it is more of a "technical manual," but I do not recall seeing a rule against technical manuals. I do not plan on using this book, but I was just curious about it.
Brian Christiansen