2015 Reading Challenge [Closed] discussion

Thank you to all those who voted in this mini-poll! The participation went up a little this week which is awesome :)

The results show a preference for a fifth topic again this time. We now have 3 extra topics but we can address this later in the year.

1. An award winning book (Pulitzer, Newbery, Caldecott, Man Booker, Printz, National Book Award, etc.)
2. A historical fiction book
3. A book set in the past (more than 100 years ago)
4. A book from the Goodreads Recommendations page
5. A top 100 fantasy novel (The hobbit/LOTR, Game of Thrones, The Chronicles of Prydain, etc.)

Keep a lookout for a poll (on our homepage) about the name for next year's group!

Suggestions for the 9th Mini-poll will open on Tuesday, September 15.

EDIT: For those of you who like to stick strictly to the challenge and are already making lists :p, this is the list that was intended: "Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books : NPR"

Well 3 of my favorites made the list. Not happy about one of them, but i'll get by, lol.

Just one of my choices made it this time :( and none of my suggestions so far :'( ... but in general, the list looks good.

Argh, the historical fiction made it. My nightmare came true :p
I'm happy with the other winners, so I'll try to not complain forever.

I'm good with all of them, except fantasy. I kinda despise that genre :(

Sorry for the double post. It's really not that bad.

Kirin > historical fiction is a genre, which is not the case for a book set in the past (Sherlock, fantasy, romance, time travel, etc, can be used in this category).

There is a difference, even though it's not that big. You could for example have a book written more than 100 years ago, but set in 2000.

And Sherlock Holmes is set in the past from our perspective, nothing in this topic says it has to be set in the past from the writer's perspective.

I find that this year, we've been very open with the interpretation of the popsugar challenge and I don't see why we couldn't be as open with the interpretation of those suggestions...

Oh, and another example: the (auto)biography of someone who lived in the 1800s would fit in the third topic, but not the second one. Do yo now see the difference?

Kirin > I had the same concern when I went to post the results but I do think that there's two differences.

- A book may be historical fiction but not be set more than 100 years ago (11/22/63, for example)
- A book may be set more than 100 years ago but not belong in the historical fiction genre (A Game of Thrones, for example). I look at historical fiction as being rooted in true events, even if that is a loose basis.

My interpretation of the "set 100 years ago" would be a book that, at this point in time, is considered to be set at least 100 years ago, regardless of the setting when the book was written or from the author's perspective. But it really is an individualized selection process. I know I've pushed the bounds plenty with my own list :p

Yep, I proposed "in the past" as opposed at the current "in the future". There are many books set in the past (classic children books or victorian steampunk for example), I wouldn't put them in historical fiction as the "historical" part is not the purpose of the book but just a background.

The post has been edited to included the list for the Top 100 Fantasy novels :)

There do seem to be a lot of classical/in the past themes. I think we should limit how many of the same theme should be set. Otherwise we'll be reading a lot of the same type things.

Jennifer wrote: "There do seem to be a lot of classical/in the past themes. I think we should limit how many of the same theme should be set. Otherwise we'll be reading a lot of the same type things."

That could be. Another solution is for the final poll after all the mini-polls where we weed off the extras.

Only one of my top 4 made it in this time. Although now that I looked at the list for A top 100 fantasy novel I don't think I will have a hard time with that one at all.

I can't even remember what I voted for any more, but as my TBR list is well into four figures, I really have no problem finding books to fit the categories. :) My problem is sticking with the book I choose in the first place!

I think 30 suggestions was too many. I don't even remember now what I chose.

I agree that there were too many choices. Also, that's the second time it was opened to 30 and we didn't make it either time.

I think this is the first time that I've been quite far off from the rest of the group with these. None of them were in my top four, although some of them were still in my top ten so it's not too bad. Plus it adds to the challenge factor for me.

I think we should drop it to 10-15 suggestions per poll. That way it's not as hard for everyone to pick their favs and to put them in order of most to least liked.