2017 Reading Challenge discussion

Greeting everyone!

I have been away from the group for a while, and am happy to see everyone getting on with things. That's one thing I love about this group - no drama, no pressure - people just read and have a great time working on the challenge!

We're well past the halfway point of the year, and it's not too soon to start thinking about next year's challenge. I've had a great time running the group for the last two years (the group pretty much runs itself). However, I'm not up to doing it again. The selection of categories was a lot of work and though I enjoyed it I'm ready to hand it off if there are any takers.

So - any takers? I'll elevate you to moderator status and you can run with it!

I'll have a more laid back approach to next year's challenge, but I like how we make our own challenge and how easy this group is to manage! And since I'm always on GR anyway, I'm more than up to moderate the group next year!

Natália wrote: "I'll have a more laid back approach to next year's challenge, but I like how we make our own challenge and how easy this group is to manage! And since I'm always on GR anyway, I'm more than up to m..."

That's great Natália. Laid back is good. I'll switch your status right now! As I mentioned, the group pretty much runs itself.

Anne wrote: "Natália wrote: "I'll have a more laid back approach to next year's challenge, but I like how we make our own challenge and how easy this group is to manage! And since I'm always on GR anyway, I'm m..."

Natália wrote: "I'll have a more laid back approach to next year's challenge, but I like how we make our own challenge and how easy this group is to manage! And since I'm always on GR anyway, I'm more than up to m..."

Hi All!!!!

I don't really have the time to help moderate this group, but this past year before I joined this group, I tried to come up with ideas for a challenge with a group that I have on facebook so I have a list of about 100 topics if you wanted some additional ideas. Below is the list if you are interested (and I apologize about the length of this message). Obviously some of the topics we covered this year but choose away! :)

more than 500 pages
classic romance
modern romance
book that became a movie
published this year
book with a number in the title
book with a color in the title
book with non-human characters
funny book
crime novel
mystery
psychological thriller
one-word title
three-word title
book of short stories
set in a different country
non-fiction
debut novel
book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet
book recommended to you
Pulitzer Prize-winning book
book at the bottom of your to-read list
book that scares you
book more than 100 years old
book you were supposed to read in high school, but didn’t
memoir
book with antonyms in the title
set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit
book that came out the year you were born
book with bad reviews
book with a love triangle
book set in the future
book with magic
graphic novel
book by an author you’ve never read before
book you own but have never read
book that takes place in your home state, town, city
book that was originally written in a different language
book set during a holiday
book written by an author with your same initials
play
book you started but never finished
sports-related book
NYT bestseller list
historical fiction
book about art
book about death
book about politics
gothic novel
neo-fairy tale
controversial book
chick-lit
book for professional development (for you)
religious book
book of poems
African American literature
YA novel
a famous classic
book with vampires
dystopian novel
book with children
book either by or about someone notorious
philosophical novel
fantasy
written by someone born the same year as you
self-help
sci-fi
historical fiction
book with a month name in the title
non-fiction
horror
book set in a specific period of history
book set in your favorite season
book with animals
set during a war
book with ghosts
true crime
book about slavery
book everyone is reading aka cult novel
book about a different culture
autobiography
space novel
paranormal
book about a well-know bad event (ex: holocaust, salem witch trials, west baptist)
book about books
book involving a trial
published the year you graduated high school
book about travel
book with a child narrator
book that you can’t stop thinking about afterwards
book that you dislike but finish
book about science
book about exercise or health
book with LGBT theme
book about mental illness
book that teaches something
book about friendship
book about family
audio book

I noticed that some of our topics concentrated on locations - Asia, North and South America, etc. My suggestion is that we concentrate on occupations. Each occupation category would include either fiction or non-fiction books. Specifically
books about an artist or art
books about sculpture
books about medical issues or medicine (this could be divided up)
books about education/teaching/teachers
books about flying/flyers
books about dance/dancing
books about acting/ theatre
books about athletics
books about other artists - ceramics and the like
books about fishing or fisherman
books about ministry or ministers
books about computers or computing people
books about inventors
books about farming/farmers
books about environmentalists
books about writers
books about science/scientists
books about psychology or mental health
books about lawyers/ the law and the application of the law
books about writing/writers
books about exploration/explorers
books about policing/detection and related
books about housekeeping/housekeepers
books about politicians
books about military people
books about investigators
books about collecting/collectors
books about reporters/reporting
etc.

Additional comment: part of the fun of this group is to actually find a book that fits the category and that I will read. I had to go off the topics mostly this year because of other books clubs, but the research was amazing.

I would also like to see categories that can include non-fiction books. I found that I was reading a lot of those, but I had to put them all under wild cards because I couldn't really fit them into any other categories. Some I could stretch to fit, but many I couldn't. Just a thought!

Natália wrote: "I'll have a more laid back approach to next year's challenge, but I like how we make our own challenge and how easy this group is to manage! And since I'm always on GR anyway, I'm more than up to m..."

Natalia - do you have any pointers for us about how next year's challenge will work....?

I really like the occupation idea. I enjoyed trying to find a book (in my favourite genres) to fit the category. When I couldn't, I challenged myself to read out of my comfort zone. I look forward to next year.

Not necessarily a suggestion for 2017, but I ran across a "read harder" challenge from Book Riot.

http://bookriot.com/2016/12/15/book-r...

Some of the "tasks" are from authors and some are really restrictive. Interesting list though. :-)

Cyndy wrote: "Not necessarily a suggestion for 2017, but I ran across a "read harder" challenge from Book Riot.

http://bookriot.com/2016/12/15/book-r......"

It is a really interesting and those tasks will really help us reading more books from all genre.

Cyndy wrote: "Not necessarily a suggestion for 2017, but I ran across a "read harder" challenge from Book Riot.

http://bookriot.com/2016/12/15/book-r......"

I think I did about half of that this year! Our challenge list was apparently ahead of it's time :). Some of the others I just don't want to do (book about sports for example sounds supremely boring)!

Frogli wrote: "Cyndy wrote: "Not necessarily a suggestion for 2017, but I ran across a "read harder" challenge from Book Riot.

http://bookriot.com/2016/12/15/book-r......"

Dang, Frogli! I thought that list was in the realm of making reading un-fun!

I am still hoping for a list from this group for 2017. I'll be out of commission for a few days, maybe more. Hopefully, when I check back in we'll have a list.
If not, I think I will read the alphabet. I glanced through my Kindle and I have at least two or three books from authors I haven't read with last names starting with A - Z. That will make up 26 books and then I'll have 26 wild cards left - maybe they will end up being A - Z authors that I have or haven't read before.

Has there been any consensus on this? I am happy to make the list, if y'all don't mind - but I don't know how to post, etc. for any further steps that need to be taken to move it into 2017. I am relatively new.

DON'T GIVE UP!

I just posted the challenge for 2017. Thanks so much for your patience. This year has been, well... 2016.

https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.ne...

I don't want to be the main moderator but I wouldn't mind helping if Natalia needs help. I met the challenge last year and read 140 books (2 of which I have to finish by New Years day! lol). this group really inspired me to read.

Melissa wrote: "I don't want to be the main moderator but I wouldn't mind helping if Natalia needs help. I met the challenge last year and read 140 books (2 of which I have to finish by New Years day! lol). this g..."

I just tried to make you a moderator but it won't let me because you don't have a "verified email." :-(

Three cheers for Anne! And best wishes for your husband's health in 2017 (yours, too, of course). Your pulling this together at the last minute with everything else going on is above and beyond the call and is much appreciated.

So much appreciated, in fact, that I joined this challenge even after I had given up on it and joined another 2017 challenge, with 52 other categories that I made up myself! So now I have 104, and am really looking forward to the year.

I, too am happy to help. For Melissa, who doesn't have a verified e-mail: when I joined the other group, I had to figure this out, too. It turns out that when we first joined Goodreads, in my case a few years ago, we were sent an e-mail asking us to verify our e-mail. If you failed to see it, like I did, it hasn't interfered with your GR participation in the meantime. But when you want to open a topic, or, apparently, to become a group moderator, you won't be able to do so without verifying your e-mail.

You can solve this by asking for help. In tiny letters at the very bottom of all? / most? GR screens, on the far right, you will see a little link to "help". If you follow it, you can ask GR staff to verify your e-mail. Write from the e-mail account you used to join GR. I think it took them less than 48 hours to do mine.

Hope this helps!

Nancy wrote: "Three cheers for Anne! And best wishes for your husband's health in 2017 (yours, too, of course). Your pulling this together at the last minute with everything else going on is above and beyond the..."

Thanks Nancy! Things are looking up for 2017. That's a great tip about the email, I never would have known. I'll make you a moderator in the meantime.

There's not a lot to do - this is a pretty mellow group. But if you want to do polls, or mini-challenges, or whatever - go for it!

Thanks to you all for setting up the challenge in record time... And thanks for stepping up Nancy and Melissa... Great to see the group continuing into 2017!