The Challenge Factory discussion

WindowSwap is a project by Sonali Ranjit and Vaishnav Balasubramaniam. It lets you use your browser to watch a video of a window and its unique view from different locations across the globe.

There are windows from all over: there’s a rainy street in Thailand, a mountain view from Switzerland, a busy street in London, a cat watching birds in Qatar, a view of the city skyline in Singapore, and an almost panoramic view of the ocean from Oahu.

Would one of these windows remind you of a book?

How this challenge works:
* Click on the WindowSwap link https://www.window-swap.com/Window
* Use that window to find a book. It could be the location, the submitter's name, the month or year the window scene was posted, an object in the window, the weather,
the time of day, or something that happens.

Describe to us in your post what window you saw and how it helped you choose a book.

If the window doesn't suggest a book to you, you may click on 'Open a window somewhere in the world' up to two more times. But take good notes on the windows that come up! You can't go back.

Duration: March 1 - 31, 2026
No page limit.

I'm in.
Duration: March 1 - 31, 2026

I got New Patio's Window. posted in Sherburn, Durham, UK on October, 2025.

I see:
potted plants
lots of trees and shrubs
a string of lights
a trellis on the right
pavers on the ground
a table and chairs
brick siding
it is a windy day

I could use:
author's initials begin with N or P
title begins with an N or P
set in the UK
book was published in October
book was published in 2025

Window Swap
March 2026

brb

Window Swap
March 2026

Angelina's windpw San juan Puerto Rico usa
1130 Nov 2025
sea, surf and ocean, river, beach, condo, flats and multiple, beachside appartments, bridge with cars going accross, palm trees and greenery, old ruin in surf ?breakwall, cloudy sky overhead with breaks of blue

Ideas
Published in Nov any year
Published 2025
Trees on cover
Beach or large bodies water on cover
Authors name in Angelina
Set in USA
2 page numbers in 1130
Buildings on cover
Blue cover
character speaks spanish

Window Swap!
March 2026
I got Sabeh Cafe's Window in D.C. - December 2025

It's a picture of the city street while it's snowing. I can see people walking. It also contains a Best Buy and an Ihop, so pretty basic.

Options:
Winter setting/snow on cover
Takes place in/around a store
Takes place in a restaurant
MC works/owns a cafe
Takes place in D.C.
Published in December or 2025
Takes place in a city
Book starts with S
Car on the cover
People on the cover

Window Swap
March 2026

I got New Patio Window in Sherburn, Durham, UK on October 2025

What I saw: I saw you were looking out a big window and there were fruit trees, wooded table and chairs. At one time you could see a reflection of a man walking in and picking something off the table (inside). The ground was pavers and there were potted plants.

Options:
Table and chairs on cover
Takes place outside
Has lights on the cover
Title starts with S, D, U, or K
Author's name starts with N or P
Published in 2025
Published in October
Flowers on cover
Set in a florist
Has a gardener
Has fruit on the cover

March Window Swap

Addies Window is in Hookstown, Pa on November 2025. It looks like a farm or rural setting in the fall or winter. Lots of trees that have lost leaves or brown in color.

Options:
Location in PA
Farm or Rural Setting
Could be a Ranch
Fall or Winter Season
Lots of trees on the cover
Published in November
Published in 2025
Location in the USA

March Window Swap:

Snow Blizzard's Window

It is in Ontario, Canada in January 2026. It is a shot of a neighborhood (houses and cars on the side of the road) during winter. There is snow everywhere and it is actively snowing with flakes falling.

Options:
January 2026 publication
January publication
2026 publication
Winter season
Something taking place in a blizzard or snow storm
Location in Ontario or Canada.

I love the idea of this challenge!

Purdue's Fall Window
Purdue University
November 2025

What I saw: University setting, lots of foot traffic, trees with golden brown leaves, big buildings...

Options:
- Published in 2025
- Published in November
- University setting
- Set in the fall
- Brown or rust-colored cover
- Buildings on cover
- Title starts with the letter P.

This sounds fun!

I see:
- A car wash
- Inside a car
- blue rollers
- white foam
- submitted by Pamela KB
- Water jets
- Red car
- Multicolour lights (Green, blue, red, purple)
- Metal struts

Options:
- Title/Author starts with P
- Water on cover
- Metal on cover
- Character works with metal
- Red car on cover/Character drives a red car
- Road trip theme
- Cover is blue
- Cover has more than 3 colour
- Cover is white

My window:
Aloha James's Window
Manila, Phillipines
14:00 November 2025
A highway running through the center with city skyscrapers on one side and a more residential area with brightly colored roofs (blue, green, red) on the other.
A billboard with a chicken on it.
There's a really cool looking building that I spent way too long trying to figure out what it is. It turns out it is the SM Aura, a shopping mall.

March 2026
Bilbao, Spain January 2026

black cat on windowsill
calico cat walking on roof
daytime
Blue sky
roof, chimneys
buildings clustered in rural setting
hills
grass
evergreen and bare trees
cat walks past, looks into camera
car moving on road
smoke or steam