How do you work on the challenge?

[Dee]

I know for me - 2 of the 3 group reads books have huge wait lists - so look at other options - Ebooks, audio, see if your library has any reciprocal agreements with others

[♞ Pat]

Kaye wrote: " It sounds like lots of fun, no matter how many I can complete :) "


It is that, for sure. And it's a really great challenge to push you past your boundaries and comfort zones. I read a couple of genres this time that I didn't even know EXISTED!

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Kaye wrote: "This will be my first challenge. Can you guys tell me if you try going for the bigger point tasks first ,start at the top and work your way down, or just plain r-e-a-d and fill in wherever the boo..."

I remember when I did this challenge for the first time and it was overwhelming. So I say go with what you feel comfortable with.

I don't use spreadsheets. I write out the tasks and make a list and I look for books as I write them out. I start when the tasks go up like this morning I spent most of the morning planning my summer books. I look for books I own and haven't read to fill tasks first. I like to start with the single task books first. The two book tasks are more points however it depends on how fast you read. You might not want to have alot of books over 500pp to start.

Post your tasks as you finish them. Don't leave all the tasks until the end. I post mine as I go and keep a tally.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Kaye, I am in my 20th SRC season

[[deleted user]]

Thanks for the tips, Jayme
Sounds like good advice ,just go with the flow and see how this first one turns out. I'm not a speed readers so I'll just aim to get some tasks done and choose things that fit the fun categories .
I've been looking through my books and matching up what will work for certain tasks ,so I have a pretty good number of what I'll need so far .
Good advice on not trying to tackle the huge books either. I'll be the only one to get like 12 points or something ( within 3 months ) :(

Holy Cow ! That is great ! Are there any others in the group that have been in it as long as you ?

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I am sure there are people who have been doing this for longer than me. 20 seasons is the equivalent of 5 years. I can't believe it has been 5 years. Time flies by when you do fun challenges. If you like to set a goal for yourself, I would aim for 50 points. I know it is low. You will probably get more than that. Or set a goal for 5 tasks. You decide what the goal is. Some people try to earn points, some try to read books that have been sitting around. I do both. The important thing is that it should be fun. I will warn you, this challenge is addicting. I am also in some other challenges too.

[Anne (Booklady)]

Hi Kaye, welcome to the SRC.

I approach the challenge in 2 distinctive ways. Note that I've been doing the SRC for a few years now. I do set a goal for the number of tasks and books to read in that particular season as Jayme suggested. Life got in the way this season, since I was in hospital for 6 weeks after I fell and broke my hip. I missed 7 weeks of the Spring challenge.

Another goal I have is I secretly select another SRC member who also does not complete the challenge (I haven't ever finished one) and I try to beat his/her total points.

Sometimes I accomplish both goals

[[deleted user]]

Hi Anne
Sorry to hear of your hospitalization. I know what that's like, as I was in twice last year, and going in for knee replacement this summer sometime .

I'll give you a hint of who to pick to try to beat this summer ..... Kaye ....

"I hear she's a newbie and will only get 17 points, so you can beat her in a week ! "


:) :) :)

[Anne (Booklady)]

Kaye wrote: "Hi Anne
Sorry to hear of your hospitalization. I know what that's like, as I was in twice last year, and going in for knee replacement this summer sometime .

I'll give you a hint of who to pick t..."

Oh, no! Kaye sorry to hear and wishing you a speedy recovery. I think I'll be moving back to Illinois where my family is this summer. The Dr. still won't let me travel yet, So it might be later this year.

=) I secretly pick SRC old timers that usually have outscored me in the past season. I never share whom I pick.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I am sure you will get more than 17 points. As veteran as I am at this, I have never finished this challenge. I like Anne's idea of selecting a SRC member and trying to beat their last season's score.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I think I am addicted to cozy mysteries. I wonder if there is a support group for that? :) Oh yeah, they are called book clubs :)

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

@Anne, what part of Illinois? I live in Illinois.

[Anne (Booklady)]

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "@Anne, what part of Illinois? I live in Illinois."

Hi Jayme - My father and brother live in a small village called Muddy which is about 30 minutes from Marion and about 45 minutes from Carbondale in Southern Illinois. My son is in Swansea and my sister is in Collinsville.

[Anne (Booklady)]

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I think I am addicted to cozy mysteries. I wonder if there is a support group for that? :) Oh yeah, they are called book clubs :)"

=)

I've become addicted to Karin Slaughter's books. My new favorite Thriller > Mystery Author.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "@Anne, what part of Illinois? I live in Illinois."

Hi Jayme - My father and brother live in a small village called Muddy which is about 30 minutes from Marion and a..."

I heard of Carbondale. I live in Glen Ellyn which is a west suburb of Chicago.

[Dee]

Anne - I'm a huge Karin slaughter fan as well and she is supernice in person - I went to a book signing by her a few years back

[[deleted user]]

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I am sure there are people who have been doing this for longer than me. 20 seasons is the equivalent of 5 years. I can't believe it has been 5 years. Time flies by when you do fun challenges. If yo..."

Thanks, Jayme
Good idea, I can set a low goal, then if I do better than that , it'll seem like I did really good !


Anne
Yes ,it's good to have family close when you are in the hospital so you have someone to help you if you need it. Good luck with your move !

[Anne (Booklady)]

Dee wrote: "Anne - I'm a huge Karin slaughter fan as well and she is supernice in person - I went to a book signing by her a few years back"

Dee, I'm so jealous! *_*

[Lindsey]

Hi Kaye! So great to have another newbie to the challenge. This summer will be my 10th attempt at the challenge. My first one was Summer 2010, and I was over the moon excited when I first found this group. I've completed only one challenge, and it was one with only 870 total points available (Spring 2013). To do that, I listened to a lot of audiobooks at triple speed on my phone while driving and during any available moment around the house (cooking, cleaning, brushing teeth, etc.), and I didn't read too many big books. If it weren't for the audiobooks, I don't know if I'd ever be able to finish a challenge since you have to read almost a book a day, and I'm not much of a speed reader (though I guess I'm a pretty good speed listener). Even though I have not finished 9 of the 10 seasons I've done and got distracted and dropped out of most of them in the middle, I still have SO much fun each time the new tasks are posted for the upcoming season. I LOVE going through my to-read shelf to find books to fit the tasks or exploring for new books if I can't find one on my to-read shelf. And each time I participate, I always seem to have hope that somehow I'll finish the full challenge despite seeing my spreadsheet tell me that I need to read 20,000+ pages in three months :D

Anne and Jayme, I'm another Illinoisan! I'm in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

[Anne (Booklady)]

Hi Lindsey! My cousin lives in outside of Chicago, too. Something Springs. He and I are devoted and long-suffering Cubs Fans. My son is a real baseball disappointment - Cardinals - ewwww.

[Pamela Su]

Susan A wrote: "...My 2nd challenge, I had such a great time with my spreadheets and changed things a million times, but I put off the books I wasn't thrilled about and that was a mistake...."

I'm STILL doing this for my second challenge. I just never learn!

I'm left with The Thirteenth Tale and The Blade Itself. Not sure 4 days is enough to complete both these books.

I keep forgetting to post my tasks as I go. :( Then it ends up being multiple tasks per post.

[[deleted user]]

Lindsey wrote: "Hi Kaye! So great to have another newbie to the challenge. This summer will be my 10th attempt at the challenge. My first one was Summer 2010, and I was over the moon excited when I first found thi..."


Hi Lindsey
Thanks for the welcome. You've been around for quite a few challenges ,and that's quite an accomplishment to complete one ,even one time ! I look at some of the people's totals who have posted updates just lately and I'm amazed . I don't really have a clue as to how many points I can get ,but I doubt it'll be a huge number .
I would like to listen to audiobooks, too, but I don't have much luck with them. I usually fall asleep when I'm listening to one , but it could be because I usually try it in the evenings .With nothing else to keep me awake, next thing I know, I'm snoozing !
Anyhow, I'm excited to give this a try and see what I can accomplish . I've debated whether to aim for all 5- pointers or go for the bigger points to start. I think it'll all hinge on what book I decide to start with . I have quite a few that I need but may need to get some from the library too .
Anyhow, good luck with the upcoming challenge and thanks again . :)

[[deleted user]]

Pamela Su wrote: "Susan A wrote: "...My 2nd challenge, I had such a great time with my spreadheets and changed things a million times, but I put off the books I wasn't thrilled about and that was a mistake...."

I'm..."

Pamela
Do you mean you only need 2 books to complete the whole thing ? !
I'm kinda thinking I'll do the same if I have certain books that don't sound as good to me , I'll probably put them off, then in the end I'll be stuck with them and not want to read them . I guess the trick is to find ones that sound good for every task I do ! It might be easier said than done . Only time will tell .

[Lindsey]

Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Hi Lindsey! My cousin lives in outside of Chicago, too. Something Springs. He and I are devoted and long-suffering Cubs Fans. My son is a real baseball disappointment - Cardinals - ewwww."

LOL :D It's always a slap in the face when your family members turn to rival teams. What a coincidence you mentioned the Cubs... I almost wrote in my previous post that every time I start a new challenge season, I'm just like a classic Cubs fan "maybe this will be the season I'll go all the way!" Even when the odds are stacked against me, I never lose that hope! I'm a lifelong White Sox fan even though I'm sadly not into baseball as much as I used to be when I was younger. I still think it's such a great sport though :)

Kaye wrote: "Hi Lindsey
Thanks for the welcome. You've been around for quite a few challenges ,and that's quite an accomplishment to complete one ,even one time !..."

Thank you, Kaye! I'm sure however you work on the challenge and no matter how many points you end up with, you will have fun. You really can't go wrong. One of the most rewarding parts is finding new favorite books that you probably would not have found without the challenge. And another fun part is learning from experience and coming up with new strategies to use the next season. Hehe, I've had trouble with audiobooks in the evening too. It's the worst to fall asleep during one and have to keep rewinding until you get to a point in the book you actually remember. Going back to your original question about spreadsheet or pen and paper, use whatever you are comfortable with! Even though I'm good with spreadsheets and absolutely love using them, I still have printed out the tasks before and made notes on there. Having a hard copy really is helpful, and you will not be at much of a disadvantage if you don't want to make a spreadsheet.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Kaye wrote: "Lindsey wrote: "Hi Kaye! So great to have another newbie to the challenge. This summer will be my 10th attempt at the challenge. My first one was Summer 2010, and I was over the moon excited when I..."

Hey Kaye, I almost got to 100 points. My last book wasn't accepted as set in China. :( As for going for shorter or longer tasks. I alternate. I read a one book task then my next task, i read a two book task. You learn organization skills and time management doing these tasks....or lack there of. :)

[[deleted user]]

Lindsey
Yea, I'm gonna try keeping track online and on paper . For me it's easier seeing it on paper and marking it off that way ,but the online will probably keep a better tally of points .
You're right, I'll definitely be reading books I wouldn't normally have chosen so I should learn something new by the whole experience.


Jayme,
Good job on almost making it to 100 ! I think that sounds great . :) Thanks for the tips on how you alternate between smaller and bigger tasks . Good idea .

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Kaye, I went on your homepage here and it said you were the top 3 reviewer with 95 reviews for the week. :) Congrats on that.

[Susan A]

Pamela Su wrote:

I'm left with The Thirteenth Tale and The Blade Itself. Not sure 4 days is enough to complete both these books.

Ugghhh...my sympathies. I dread the group reads. Even though I picked a category for the summer challenge, it's still a book I'd rather not read. I'm getting it out of the way first week, else it will just nag me for weeks.

[[deleted user]]

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Kaye, I went on your homepage here and it said you were the top 3 reviewer with 95 reviews for the week. :) Congrats on that."


Thanks Jayme
Only because I previously had all my reviews stored online and I put them all on here this past week !
I only finished 2 books in the past week so all the others are older reviews .
I wish I would have kept better track throughout my life of all the books I've read . One of our town librarians started doing that when she first learned to read . She's about 48 or so now, and has notebooks filled with every book she read in her life.
Wouldn't that be cool to do that ?

[[deleted user]]

Susan A wrote: "Pamela Su wrote:

I'm left with The Thirteenth Tale and The Blade Itself. Not sure 4 days is enough to complete both these books.

Ugghhh...my sympathies. I dread the group reads. Even though I..."


Susan
That's what I like about this challenge. You have a wide variety of books to choose from for each task instead of a specific book. I like it better that we can pick whatever we want to read .
For the summer books, I read one a long time ago , and not sure about the others. I might give one of them a try at some point .

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Kaye wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Kaye, I went on your homepage here and it said you were the top 3 reviewer with 95 reviews for the week. :) Congrats on that."


Thanks Jayme
Only because I previo..."

I have a list of all the books I haven't read. It's four pages long and growing :)

[[deleted user]]

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Kaye wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Kaye, I went on your homepage here and it said you were the top 3 reviewer with 95 reviews for the week. :) Congrats on that."


Thanks Jayme
Only bec..."

Yea, I have the same thing here -- a huge list of books that I want to read ! I'm trying to chip away at the ones I already have before getting too many more new ones .

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I put mine on a excel spreadsheet.
Like this:
Book Title Series Title

I print a new one each challenge. When I read a book off the list, I cross it out on the paper. I can add to it. Then I adjust it for the next challenge so I always have an updated copy.

[[deleted user]]

That sounds like a great idea ,and very organized . I'll have to give that a try myself .

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

You can organize yours in a way that makes sense to you.

[Pamela Su]

Kaye wrote: "Do you mean you only need 2 books to complete the whole thing ? !

....I guess the trick is to find ones that sound good for every task I do ! It might be easier said than done . Only time will tell . "

Hi Kaye,

Yup. I'm just short of the finish line by two books. :( :( :(

I've read a few pages of Thirteenth Tale but it's just not grabbing me yet. I'll try another chapter or two before I give up and go for Brave New World instead.

it's not always easy to find books that interest me for every task because some tasks require a specific genre that I am not excited to read (e.g. true crime, dystopia, steampunk, etc...) :P I try to hunt around my fave genre (romance!) to see if any particular book has the genre on the main page but that doesn't always work out.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "My last book wasn't accepted as set in China. :("

Jayme! I saw you picked a book set in Malaya (Malaysia, where I'm from). It tickled me to see that. Yeah, we've never been part of China. We just have lots of Chinese here. Hahaha. ;)


Susan A wrote: "Ugghhh...my sympathies. I dread the group reads. Even though I picked a category for the summer challenge, it's still a book I'd rather not read."

I hear you, Susan A!!! If I ever have a chance of picking the group reads category again, I'm just going to pick some kind of cheesy romance theme! :P I liked space opera but I'm meh about Dune.

[[deleted user]]

Pamela
Nothing to feel bad about if you got EVERY task but two completed. That is really great ! You've done some major reading to get that many books completed ,so you should be proud :)

[Dee]

Pamela Su wrote: "I hear you, Susan A!!! If I ever have a chance of picking the group reads category again, I'm just going to pick some kind of cheesy romance theme! :P I liked space opera but I'm meh about Dune.

even when we do have "cheesy romance" categories - it seems i've always read the book, and I'm not a re-reader! so I typically go to one of the other categories

[KSMary]

FYI - Brave New World is a quick read. I finished it in one evening.

[Pamela Su]

Thanks, Kaye. :D I am pretty happy with how much I'm reading now. It's just... booooo. I'm TWO books away from finishing! So close, yet feels soooooooo far.

Dee wrote: "even when we do have "cheesy romance" categories - it seems i've always read the book, and I'm not a re-reader! so I typically go to one of the other categories "

In the last ten years or so, I haven't been reading many romance novels (or many books for that matter!) so I'm pretty confident what's popular now is still on my TBR. LOL.

KSMary wrote: "FYI - Brave New World is a quick read. I finished it in one evening. "

I think I'll go that route. I thought I'd try opening my horizons by trying a new genre, but my mind refuses to be open. :D It's a good thing I had bought it during a book sale a few years back. Fallback plan to the rescue!

[Susan A]

I usually can fit a romance book into most themes, and I am happy to do so. Spring 2014 has been the easiest for me, but I am newbie having only participated in Fall 2013, Winter 2013 and SPring 2014 - -but I have finished each one.

This upcoming season, I am finding that I am either not able to fit in a romance book, or I am more receptive to looking outside that box I've been keeping myself in.

There are a bunch of books I am excited about reading that I would not pick up without the push:

Ultimate Attack (Ms Anderson's task) I've been reading this series with my son.

Cinder (Helen's Task) My daughter is on book 2.

Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist (Helen's task) Just looks interesting, hope to find something to drink along with it.

Ice Station (Dee's task) I haven't read action/adventure stories in years. I had forgotten how much I enjoy them.

Lost States (Sandy 15.8) Just picked it up from the library. It looks like an interesting read.

Restoree (mstan) I read this about 25 years ago and LOVED it. Can't wait to see what I think of it now.

Thanks to the task writers for these creative tasks.

[Dee]

like Susan I tend to always revert to romance books to fill gaps, which is part of the reason I put the no romance caveat on mine this season...to make myself look outside the box

[[deleted user]]

Susan
What a terrific record ,if you have finished every challenge you have been in so far ! I'm just going to give it a shot and see how far I can get for the first one . Maybe then the next one, I can try to beat my own record .

**I agree, the Task Creators are very creative ! I've had to do lots of searching to find some of the books I'll need ,plus I learn a little something along the way with most of them ,so that's a good thing !

[Book Concierge]

Frankly, I don't expect to ever finish. So many of the tasks are for books that are not typically on my reading list. I favor literature, literary fiction and classics, though I will read just about anything with words. Totally not interested in most romance novels, fantasy, paranormal. Those also tend to be the quick reads that people rely on to finish the challenges. Oh well ....

Spring 2014 was my first attempt, and I still enjoyed completing as many as I managed (Have a couple more books I'll finish this week for two more tasks). Don't think I'll reach 600 points, so my goal for next time will be to get to 600 points or more. Being able to quickly get that 50-point task done this time around really boosted my points total!

[Ty]

Frankly, I try not to be condescending or judgmental about how anyone goes about finishing the challenge. So long as the finished tasks fits the criteria and the mods find them worthy, it really isn't for any of us to put down anyone's reading preferences in order to finish how they can. It's for fun after all - not for some existential validation of our literary worthiness.

[Book Concierge]

Ty wrote: "Frankly, I try not to be condescending or judgmental about how anyone goes about finishing the challenge. So long as the finished tasks fits the criteria and the mods find them worthy, it really is..."

Ty ... I'm not putting anyone down, just explaining why it's not likely that I will ever finish. Those are my interests in reading, and they don't match many of the challenge tasks. So be it. Glad everyone is having fun.

[♞ Pat]

I have a rough time with paranormal and romance, but I've been kind of enjoying reading the zombie genre this season. I think I read something like four of them before I finally said, "ok, that's ENOUGH of that..."

I think next season it's going to be witches and then Prince Lestat should be out for fall and I'll get to do some vampire reading.

But normally, I go for historical fiction and contemporary adult stuff. Romance, not so much - blech.

But I'll say this -- I have NEVER scrounged the library shelves like I did this past three months looking for something outside my usual stomping grounds. This challenge is really great for pushing you out of your recliner and into your not so comfortable zone. I've had a BLAST the past few months and I've read some really great books that I'd have NEVER picked up otherwise.

[Susan A]

Book Concierge -- if I had your tastes in books I would NEVER finish! There is no way I could read "literature, literary fiction and classics" quickly enough...plus it wouldn't hold my attention.

When I write tasks, I try to make it broad enough so that whatever your preferences are, you can fit it in somehow. I'm not sure if that is actaully the case.

[Dee]

Book Concierge wrote: "Ty wrote: "Frankly, I try not to be condescending or judgmental about how anyone goes about finishing the challenge. So long as the finished tasks fits the criteria and the mods find them worthy, ..."

while i understand what you are saying, it annoys me to no end when people make comments like: Those also tend to be the quick reads that people rely on to finish out challenges. which you edited out, because it does smack of the idea that we are somehow cheating the system to win by reading those books...the same goes when people are told that audiobooks make finishing the challenge easier (here's the thing, they don't, it routinely takes me longer to finish an audiobook than it would to read the thing). it actually offends me

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Pamela Su wrote: "Kaye wrote: "Do you mean you only need 2 books to complete the whole thing ? !

....I guess the trick is to find ones that sound good for every task I do ! It might be easier said than done . Only..."

@Pamela I really enjoyed "The Ghost Bride". I suggest you read it if you haven't already.