2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2025
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TEAM Novel Navigators - Through The Decades
Syd wrote: "I have a question. For the prompts read a book published in whatever year, would I look at the year the original book is published or the specific version I’m reading?"That is a good question. I had just been going by first publication. It will affect some of my book choices if it is the specific edition. Especially with the older books that have multiple editions and therefore multiple years. I'm more likely to find a recent edition.
The original publication date can be used after all, whatever edition you read.Enjoy the readathon!
JennH wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "JennH wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "JennH wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "I've decided to write to them today. Let's see what they say. I have a friend here who has the same problem. So maybe ..."Hi JennH, I think I solved my problem. My profile is now showing I was active this month. But to test that the notifications are working, I need someone to post a comments on one of my threads. Can you answer this post, whenever you can, no emergency, so I see if I get a notification? Thanks.
Theresa wrote: "The original publication date can be used after all, whatever edition you read.Enjoy the readathon!"
Awesome. If it was by edition read date, I would have had to rethink almost my entire reading plan. Whew! 😅
Lorraine wrote: "JennH wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "JennH wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "JennH wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "I've decided to write to them today. Let's see what they say. I have a friend here who has the same prob..."Let me know if you get a notification!
I've removed one of my books from the spreadsheet because I just couldn’t get into the story. The two prompts it was filling are now covered by other books that fit better. I’ll wait to see if something else is needed to replace it. Beth, JennH, if there's anything urgent you'd like me to look at, feel free to reach out!
JennH wrote: "Syd wrote: "I have a question. For the prompts read a book published in whatever year, would I look at the year the original book is published or the specific version I’m reading?"That is a good ..."
Thanks! Many of the books I’m reading were newer editions so I was a little scared .
I have a question. I'm thinking of reading Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier (1962) by Wallace Stegner for the Readathon. It’s an autobiographical work that combines history, personal story, and reflection. Although the book was published in French in 2015, the original content is made up of various articles or letters he wrote between 1947 and 1992.Since the Readathon prompts mention using the year a book was published or the time it is set in, can I use any of the years reflected in the content (1947 to 1992)?
Hope this makes sense!
Lorraine wrote: "JennH wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "JennH wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "JennH wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "I've decided to write to them today. Let's see what they say. I have a friend here who has the same prob..."Yay! I'm glad everything is all fixed!
Theresa wrote: "The original publication date can be used after all, whatever edition you read.Enjoy the readathon!"
Great, thanks! I'm going to add this to the HELPFUL INFO & REMINDERS post in message #14.
Lorraine wrote: "I have a question. I'm thinking of reading Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier (1962) by Wallace Stegner for the Readathon. It’s an autobiographical work that ..."Let me ask in the Q&A thread!
Lorraine wrote: "I've removed one of my books from the spreadsheet because I just couldn’t get into the story. The two prompts it was filling are now covered by other books that fit better. I’ll wait to see if some..."That's fine. I can't wait until the readathon starts so we can see where we stand with the books.
Lorraine wrote: "I have a question. I'm thinking of reading Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier (1962) by Wallace Stegner for the Readathon. It’s an autobiographical work that ..."Based on the summary, it seems as if the book is set where Stegner's family homesteaded from 1914 to 1920. So even if the memoir based on the various articles or letters he wrote between 1947 and 1992, I don't think you can consider those later years as when it's set.
Lorraine, here's Theresa's answer:My question
Her answer: "Yes, you can. I know another mod has marked one book set in multiple decades. Of course, the book can only be used for one prompt."
But Jenn makes a good point. If the actual story didn't happen in those later years and those are just publication dates of articles, I'd say err on the side of not counting them. But, the book could count for 1910s or 1920s (setting) or 1960s or 2010s (publication date) - or whatever the publication decade of the edition you're reading. But, of course, the book can be counted only once.
Beth wrote: "Lorraine, here's the Theresa's answer:My question
Her answer: "Yes, you can. I know another mod has marked one book set in multiple decades. Of course, the book can only be used for one prompt."..."
Makes perfect sense. Thank you
Looking forward to tomorrow and loving the team name!!
I'm ready for tomorrow! Good thing I'm the kind of reader who enjoys juggling multiple books at once, because I’ve got a few more partially read ones than usual. But hey, it’s readathon time—so a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do! 🤣 I also managed to borrow a few more books, so I have a great range of options to help complete the prompts. GO TEAM GO! 📚💪
Just a reminder that the readathon starts at midnight in your time zone. So if you happen to be a night owl, you could potentially start reading tonight! 😁
Good point, Jenn! Readathon starts in about 90 minutes for me... I can stay up till then and get started on a book!
I am not a Night Owl but I am an Early Bird 😁🦜. Starting now! 5:00AM!Today's Goal: Finished 2 or 3 books
I have a few questions about the Tracking and Completed tabs.Let’s say I finished two books today—where exactly should I record them?
For example, Masque de Femme is easy since it fits two prompts. One of those is "set in the 1950s," which requires three books. Since Masque de Femme is one of the three, I assume I should list it there.
But for James Joyce, l’Irlande…, it fits two prompts for which we only need one book each, and it also fits the "published in the 2000s" prompt, which requires three books—and we already have five possible options, including this one. So which prompt should I choose to place it under?
Good morning team!Starting now! Best of luck!
Good morning! Enjoy! It's almost 3 p.m. here and I'm almost done with my first book :)
Antun wrote: "Good morning! Enjoy! It's almost 3 p.m. here and I'm almost done with my first book :)"Are you reading the James Baldwin book? The fire next time? Let me/us know what you think of it when you finish.
Morning, Team Novel Navigators! Happy 1st Day of the Readathon!@Lorraine - Haha! I'm generally a night owl, but alas last night I was not. You have excellent goals for the first day. Are you sure you're only going to read 5 books for the readathon?!?! 😉
Fantastic question about the spreadsheet, as I believe there are a couple of newbies to the readathon. Generally, we try to fill in the prompt that has the least options. You can go that route. Or in the case of our readathons, where TRIPLES earn more points, we can opt to put it there first. There's no really wrong place to put it, if the book fits. We can always move the books as the readathon goes along.
@Brianna - Yay! Good luck to you, too!
@Antun - Wow, almost done with your first book already! Awesome!
Happy reading, everyone!
JennH wrote: "Morning, Team Novel Navigators! Happy 1st Day of the Readathon!@Lorraine - Haha! I'm generally a night owl, but alas last night I was not. You have excellent goals for the first day. Are you sure..."
Hahaha! I usually play it safe, but you're right—I already have more than five books nearly finished and several others I could read. So I’ll try to fill out a few prompts. I suggest we hold off on entering the books that fits more than 2-3 prompts in the tracking spreadsheet unless a book clearly fits only one prompt. Maybe in a few days we can go over everything and make a rough plan of where each book could go?
For example, I just finished Un été avec Proust and it only fits one prompt. So I will enter this one...
Hello team!Hope everyone is enjoying their books! I'm done reading for today, but I’m hoping to finish the two books I picked for the 1900s prompt tomorrow — that should complete it. I also started a book (listed on the spreadsheet) that fits the 1920s prompt. With the book Beth is reading, that prompt would be completed too.
That being said, if anyone already knows they won’t have time to read a book needed to complete a prompt, just let me know — I still have room to help out.
GO TEAM GO! 💪📚
Have a GREAT Friday night!
Happy Saturday, all!I haven't been as ambitious as I'd planned to be... the challenge has been open for me for 33 hours and I've only completed one book. Horror! 😅 Congrats to everyone who is crushing it!
If you're reading a book that fits multiple categories, my suggestion is to plug it into the highest-level category you can. Then please take it out of the other categories on the planning tab so we're all aligned with what we do actually still have in reserve.
On the Completed tab, I've highlighted in yellow the categories for which we have at least one book finished but not the entire requirement met.
Hi Beth. I see we are missing a book for a future decade. Is there a Goodread list of suggestion for that?
Lorraine wrote: "Antun wrote: "Good morning! Enjoy! It's almost 3 p.m. here and I'm almost done with my first book :)"Are you reading the James Baldwin book? The fire next time? Let me/us know what you think of i..."
@Lorraine I thought it was brilliant! I'm obviously not American so many of the intricacies and social subtext might've gone over my head, but it was a super interesting read - especially because I watched a documentary on the Bronx fires (60s/70s) just last week and also read Mailer's essay The White Negro last month (pretty much the polar opposite of what Baldwin does in The Fire Next Time). This was also my first time reading Baldwin and I'm very impressed with his writing style. His experience of preaching in the Church definitely shows in the rhythm of his sentences. I can't recommend this highly enough!
Antun wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "Antun wrote: "Good morning! Enjoy! It's almost 3 p.m. here and I'm almost done with my first book :)"Are you reading the James Baldwin book? The fire next time? Let me/us know wh..."
@ Anton. I'm glad you liked it! I read it a while ago and instantly fell in love with Baldwin’s writing. Since then, I’ve been trying to read everything he wrote. I’ll try to find the documentary you mentioned and also look into Mailer’s essays.
Speaking of that, there’s a book titled Baldwin, Styron, and Me Baldwin, Styron, and Methat was recently translated. It explores the relationship between Styron and Baldwin, and how they challenged each other to write stories outside their comfort zones. I'm not sure if it's available in Croatia, but if it is, you might find it interesting.
@Lorraine Thank you, that sounds like a fascinating read! I'll definitely try to find a copy online.Is there maybe a Baldwin novel you could recommend? I've heard great things about Giovanni's Room...
(And the documentary is called Decade Of Fire. It's on Youtube.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUIpE...)
Antun wrote: "@Lorraine Thank you, that sounds like a fascinating read! I'll definitely try to find a copy online.Is there maybe a Baldwin novel you could recommend? I've heard great things about Giovanni's Ro..."
I’d say Giovanni’s Room and Go Tell It on the Mountain are absolute must-reads! If you start with those two, I’m pretty sure you’ll end up wanting to read everything he’s written. 😁
Thanks for the link. I will certainly look it up.
Hi, Team Novel Navigators! I've cleaned up the spreadsheet a little bit. If there are any errors, I apologize in advance. I've moved completed books to the Completed Tab so the Planned Tab looks less cluttered. The Tracking Tab matches the Completed Tab, so yay! I've tried my best to follow the color coordination. Please let me know if there are any errors, or if any changes are needed.
Happy reading, everyone!
Lorraine wrote: "Hi Beth. I see we are missing a book for a future decade. Is there a Goodread list of suggestion for that?"That's OK. I found one and added it to the planning tab. It will complete the prompt for future decade. I should start the book in about two days.
Lorraine wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "Hi Beth. I see we are missing a book for a future decade. Is there a Goodread list of suggestion for that?"That's OK. I found one and added it to the planning tab. It will comple..."
Hmmm… I’ve had books claimed for both future decade options for a few days now. Sorry if I missed answering a post! I’ve finished one and will definitely read the other as it’s the second book in the series I’ve started.
PS - the one I finished I removed from Planning and put on Completed and Tracking.
What do folks think about taking books off the planning sheet once they’re read? Maybe it leads to confusion like this, and we’d be better off to leave the books on Planning but highlight the column a specific color to signify it’s been read.
This was an issue in a similar challenge I was in.
Beth wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "Hi Beth. I see we are missing a book for a future decade. Is there a Goodread list of suggestion for that?"That's OK. I found one and added it to the planning ta..."
That is OK Beth. I will remove it from the planning. I am fine with removing the book from the planning now that I know that I need to check the completes. But I am OK the other way if it is easier for others.
My reasons for moving Planning books to Completed when done:- We are a prolific group of readers and we have a lot of book possibilities. Removing the Completed books makes it easier to scroll across.
- It looks cleaner and less cluttered.
- It's easier to see what prompts still need to be fulfilled, as the Completed books are moved. We can just look down the Status column to see that there are no possibilities and know that a prompt/book needs to be read.
- As we read more of the Planning books, the columns should reduce, making it even easier to see what remains to be read.
- And as far as semantics is concerned, when a book is completed, it doesn't seem to belong to planning anymore.
That all said, if that is what you'd like, Beth, I can move the books back. Some were moved and some weren't, so I was trying to clean it up and make it consistent.
Hello team! I am done reading for today. I wish you all a good evening. GO TEAM GO! 🤩
Hey, Jenn! Thanks for that explanation and the work you’ve done. It really doesn’t matter to me as long as we all have a clear idea of what’s still needed. It sounds like folks will have to look at both the Planning and Completed tabs to be really clear about tasks remaining. If that works for folks, it works for me.
Good Morning Team! Already 14 books read! WOW! We are good!I hope to finish another 3 books today. Will see.
Have fun!
Syd. We have The Nightingale twice in the completed tab. In column H and Q. Are you Ok we removed one column?
Great job, team! I finished two books today and hope to finish one or two more. I have one due at through Libby today and another tomorrow.
Hoping to finish my first book today! Got a little behind with finishing some final projects for school. Great job everyone!
Sure I’m ok with that. I’ve been busy lately sorry I haven’t updated. Good job guys on all the books read. I’m hoping to finish a book today.
Good afternoon, team! Great going, everyone!@Lorraine & Antun - I meant to chime in on your conversation about James Baldwin. I've read and enjoyed The Fire Next Time and Giovanni’s Room. A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of coming across a library display with a typed draft page each from Giovanni’s Room and Go Tell It on the Mountain. That was pretty neat.
@Beth - Thank you. If it gets too confusing, please let me know and I'll change it.
@Brianna - That's understandable. Glad you still have time to join us even with your school projects!
@ Syd - Life happens. Update when you can. You can always post here and we can update the spreadsheet for you, if that helps.
Happy reading!
Good morning everyone. Good afternoon Anton. WOW! 21 books read! If we do seven a day everyday, we will finish this readathon in a flash!
I hope to finish two books today and start the other two I have on the planning tab. We'll see. The two I have to finish are not two books that I enjoy a lot. I don't know for you, but when I don't enjoy a book, my reading time slow down a lot!
2025 Reading Challenge
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Great question! Someone else asked a similar question (although relating to translated books, to count original published date or date of translation). The answer was to go by date of edition read.
I asked Theresa to confirm if that's for all books, not just translated books.