Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

What is the Pick-It-For-Me Challenge?


The Pick-It-For-Me Challenge (PIFM) is a reading challenge where each participant gives and receives book recommendations based on a given a set of rules. The assignment method and book selection rules change each month so it’s always new and always different.

After signups are closed, I'll put your names and any extra info I’ve required into the super secret PIFM randomizer and select someone for you to choose for. This will get posted along with the rules for the month.

While you're doing your picks, someone else is doing picks for you. Once you receive them, you pick a book off the list and get reading. To complete the challenge, you only have to read 1 (one) book but many of us end up reading more because we just can't resist a list of books to read.

In order to participate you need to either HAVE YOUR PROFILE SET TO PUBLIC (preferable), or make the person who will be giving you recommendations your friend. On top of that, I strongly recommend keeping your bookshelves updated; otherwise you might end up with a recommendation that you have already read.

Everything gets done in this thread so be sure to come back often!!!


***TIPS TO MAKE THE CHALLENGE ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE!***

1. Check the publishing date of the book before recommending it. To check the publishing date, from your pickee's to-read or similar shelf choose shelf settings, select "date pub" from the drop down selections and save/close the menu.

2. Check pickee's personalized shelves, especially their exclusive shelves - it could be very helpful in recommending something they want to read. A personalized shelf is one that a member has labeled themselves, for example, 'to read next', 'can't wait to read', 'favorites'.

3. Look at your pickee's 'read' shelf and see what genres they have recently read the most. That might help in choosing something they are interested in reading right now.

4. Please make sure the books you choose for your pickee are not on their 'read' shelf. Just because it isn't rated doesn't mean it wasn't read. Sometimes the reader may choose not to rate a book.

5. Although Buddy Reads are no longer going to be offered as a category, if there is a recommendation that you give your pickee that you would like to read with them, please feel free to suggest a Buddy Read with them. You can PM each other and discuss it.

6. If your pickee reads lots of books in a genre you are not familiar with (erotic romance, GLBT, YA, etc.), feel free to contact either Fran, Dee, Jane or the month's organizer and they can try to point you in the right direction for recommendations.

7. If possible, try to include a shorter book, a longer book, a new addition to their 'to-read' shelf, and and older book from their 'to-read' shelf. This gives them a variety of options to choose from. You can sort the shelves by many features - ratings, date read, date added, date published, #of pages and many other items from the shelf settings as described in tip #1. And they can be sorted by ascending or descending order as well.


INFORMATION NEEDED TO SIGN UP
Please sign up in this thread with the answer to the following question:

**Leftovers - Love 'em or Hate 'em?**

IMPORTANT DATES
Sign ups will remain open until October 27th (10 am PDT).

You’ll have until November 1st (2 pm PDT) to make your recommendations.

You then have till the end of the month to read your pick and give some feedback.

If you’re new please read the challenge specific FAQ. If you have any questions that are not addressed there, please feel free to ask!

***Please add a new comment rather than updating a previous post or your progress will likely be missed. It is also very helpful if you add more information like "I finished another pick" or "I finished my third book for this challenge" and mention if your pick was a buddy read. Thanks!***

2012 November PIFM - Participants

Updated though message #90.

Leftovers - all the yum and none of the work! What's not to love?
~KarenH~
MountainKat
Elke
Leslie
Fran
Skandia
Pam
Katie
Daffodil
Ty
Sassafrass(Private)
Sue
Photojim
Yz the Whyz
Christina
Irina
Vi
Karen
Sallie(Shuga)
Macwolf01 [Elise]
Ruth Ann
~Melissa~
Ashley
Carla
Dee
Rena Reads Romance
Carrie
Sandy
Jensine
Suzanne
Debra
Nancy
Dolores
Rachel- Goodbye Borders
Amy J.
Nairabell
Pollyanna
Dawn (Kat N Hat)
Andrew
Cathy
Elizabeth
Roxy
Amanda
Nikki
Laura
Larissa
Gigi
Lexa

Blech, leftovers! Who wants to eat the same thing over and over?
Kristi (Passion for the Page)
Regina
Breann
Kami
Diane ~Firefly~
Brett
Melissa
Anna
Gea
Jojo
Joyce
Renee
Erin
Grace
Jauna "Darkness"
Ab2y
Flame
Dawn
Leigh
Lorena
ShoSho(Private)

2012 November PIFM - Rules


A time to give thanks, a time to gather with family and friends and celebrate, a time to eat!! In the US, when we celebrate Thanksgiving it is as much about the food as giving thanks. Our PIFM this month is going to be all about the food too.

For each rule this month, please give your pickee one selection from their to-read or similar unread shelf and one that is new to them. Please note that "new to them" does not necessarily mean not on their shelves. It could be an author on the to-read shelf that they have not read before or the first book in a new series they haven't started. Feel free to suggest that type of book. Please remember the tips!

The Traditional Turkey Dinner

1. Turkey: The meat of the meal, suggest books that are intense or emotional, something you can sink your teeth into.

2. Mashed Potatoes: Fluffy and light, recommend books that are light or funny, a little bit of fluff for them to enjoy.

3. Gravy: You know how you practically want to lick it off your plate? Yeah, like that. Choose books with yummy covers or yummy stories.

4. Pumpkin Pie: The sweet finish, topped off with whipped cream! Suggest sweet books for your pickee, some that are like comfort food, feel good books that will leave them feeling good!


***TIPS TO MAKE THE CHALLENGE ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE!***

1. Check the publishing date of the book before recommending it. To check the publishing date, from your pickee's to-read or similar shelf choose shelf settings, select "date pub" from the drop down selections and save/close the menu.

2. Check pickee's personalized shelves, especially their exclusive shelves - it could be very helpful in recommending something they want to read. A personalized shelf is one that a member has labeled themselves, for example, 'to read next', 'can't wait to read', 'favorites'.

3. Look at your pickee's 'read' shelf and see what genres they have recently read the most. That might help in choosing something they are interested in reading right now.

4. Please make sure the books you choose for your pickee are not on their 'read' shelf. Just because it isn't rated doesn't mean it wasn't read. Sometimes the reader may choose not to rate a book.

5. Although Buddy Reads are no longer going to be offered as a category, if there is a recommendation that you give your pickee that you would like to read with them, please feel free to suggest a Buddy Read with them. You can PM each other and discuss it.

6. If your pickee reads lots of books in a genre you are not familiar with (erotic romance, GLBT, YA, etc.), feel free to contact either Fran, Dee, Jane or the month's organizer and they can try to point you in the right direction for recommendations.

7. If possible, try to include a shorter book, a longer book, a new addition to their 'to-read' shelf, and and older book from their 'to-read' shelf. This gives them a variety of options to choose from. You can sort the shelves by many features - ratings, date read, date added, date published, #of pages and many other items from the shelf settings as described in tip #1. And they can be sorted by ascending or descending order as well.

2012 November PIFM - Pairings


Please pick for the person below you within each group, the last person on each list picks for the person on the same list. For example, Larissa picks for Elizabeth.

✓ = PIcks Made
★ = Pick Read
☆ = Buddy Read

Updated through message #400.

Leftovers - all the yum and none of the work! What's not to love?
✓ Elizabeth
★ ★ ✓ Dolores
✓ Yz the Whyz
✓ Sue
✓ Daffodil
✓ Dee
✓ Pollyanna
★ ✓ Photojim
✓ Macwolf01 [Elise]
✓ Dawn (Kat N Hat)
★ ✓ Fran
★ ✓ Ashley
✓ Laura
✓ Andrew
✓ Sassafrass(Private)
★ ✓ Skandia
★ ✓ Ruth Ann
✓ ~Melissa~
★ ✓ Elke
✓ Pam
★ ★ ✓ Christina
★ ★ ★ ✓ Debra
✓ Karen
★ ✓ Nairabell
✓ Carla
✓ Rena Reads Romance
✓ Roxy
✓ Vi
★ ✓ Sandy
★ ✓ Ty
✓ Suzanne
★ ✓ Lexa
★ ★ ✓ Nancy
✓ MountainKat
✓ Amy J.
✓ Leslie
✓ Rachel- Goodbye Borders
✓ Amanda
✓ Cathy
★ ✓ Nikki
★ ★ ✓ ~KarenH~
✓ Gigi
✓ Jensine
✓ Katie
★ ✓ Irina
✓ Carrie
✓ Sallie(Shuga)
✓ Larissa


Blech, leftovers! Who wants to eat the same thing over and over?
✓ Leigh - withdrawn, Gigi picked for Dawn.
✓ Dawn
✓ Regina
✓ Grace, Please pick from this shelf
★ ★ ✓ Gea
★ ★ ✓ Ab2y
★ ★ ✓ Kami
★ ★ ✓ Kristi (Passion for the Page)
★ ✓ Brett
★ ✓ ShoSho(Private)
✓ Anna
✓ Breann
★ ✓ Diane ~Firefly~
★ ★ ✓ Renee
★ ★ ✓ Jojo
✓ Joyce
★ ✓ Erin
★ ★ ✓ Lorena
★ ✓ Jauna "Darkness"
✓ Melissa
Flame

Latecomers
✓ Tiffany picks for Amanda
★ ✓ Amanda picks for Tiffany

2012 November PIFM - What We've Read!

Updated through message #400.

2012 November PIFM

Yay! I'm in, and I LOVE leftovers!

I am in and I love leftovers too!

Sign me up. I hate leftovers (unless I'm cooking, then I love leftover because I don't have to cook again, but that happens so rarely let's just ignore that answer).

I am in!! Love leftovers!

I LOVE leftovers! So excited for Thanksgiving.

Funny story - my mom went to New York to be with my brother and his fiance' and her family for Thanksgiving one year. They are a relatively wealthy family and the mother is from Sweden. They arranged to go to the Waldorf Astoria for the meal. My mom was flying out the next day. Well, she packed up her leftovers from that meal to the horror of her future daughter-in-law and packed them in her suitcase and brought them home! She couldn't stand the thought of not having leftovers. I just about died laughing. To this day, when she visits them, Erica makes a special just for her to keep her leftovers on.

Hmmm, my kids hate leftovers unless they are allowed to eat them as an after school snack (I have two very tall teenage boys) and then have a brand new dinner afterwards! That really defeats the whole purpose of leftovers for me!

But I like them so I will go with Love 'em!

I'm the one who is cooking so as long as there is enough leftovers I can read instead of making another dinner :)
So I'll have to love'em!

I'm in and LOVE leftovers--means i don't have to make a lunch to bring to work!

I'm in! Leftovers - love 'em!

Count me in.

I'm definitely in the love leftovers camp!

MKat, you are awesome!

and leftovers - love 'em!

I'm in!

I LOVE leftovers--especially if it's something like Lasagna or chili because I always think they are better the next day. And I can't forget THANKSGIVING leftovers...need I say anything else???

I'm in, and I like leftovers!

Some things only get better with time. I'll take leftovers.

I'm the cook in our house, so if there is plenty of leftovers, I get a pass with cooking. So, cheers to leftovers for me. : )

Love leftovers!
My mom makes the best stuffing and I just eat the stuffing on a biscuit the next day. I don't need the turkey gravy or potatoes, just a stuffing biscuit :-)

I guess I didn't take into account that so many of us are the cooks in our households and leftovers give us a break... Oh well! =)

I hate leftovers.

I'm in!! Meh. I could do without leftovers. Mostly cause they seem to be never-ending!!

I'm in and I love leftovers!!

Well, before marriage, I used to hate leftovers. Post-marriage, I think they are the best thing! I'll go with love-them :)

I'm in and I love leftovers (mostly) .

Im in love leftovers...im the same way if I have leftovers no cooking for me - this year Im traveling to Atlanta GA to be with my parents for the Turkey Holiday so I wont have to cook anyway just help my Momma...cant wait...some of our best times are when it's just us doing silly things...

I'm in. Hate 'em.

I'm in! Love'em (easy lunches all week)

MountainKat wrote: "I guess I didn't take into account that so many of us are the cooks in our households and leftovers give us a break... Oh well! =)"

LOL.

Although, chili, stew and a lot of soups just taste better the second day.

I'm in! I love left-overs.

I'm in ~ Love leftovers!!

Love'em

There is nothing better then a weeks worth of turkey sandwhichs.

And I love the pick it for me challenge!

Daffodil wrote: "Although, chili, stew and a lot of soups just taste better the second day. "

Spaghetti always seems to be better the second time around. I also like leftover (cold) Kraft Mac & Cheese!

Hate 'em for the most part. I'm in.

I'm in and I love 'em--it means I don't have to cook :)

Breann wrote: "Daffodil wrote: "Although, chili, stew and a lot of soups just taste better the second day. "

Spaghetti always seems to be better the second time around. I also like leftover (cold) Kraft Mac & Ch..."
Yes!! to both:=} And I love cold pizza.

Leslie wrote: "And I love cold pizza."

Yes! Me too!

I really love the fact that the pot of chili on the stove right now will be even better tomorrow night - and so will the part of it that gets frozen to use for a quick and easy meal sometime down the road! :)

It's my birthday month so I am treating myself to participating in this month's PIFM. Yay! :)
I am not a fan of leftovers.

I am in again this month and I HATE leftovers!

Love 'em - lunch most days is leftovers - the joys of living by yourself

Yay for leftovers! =)

I am in. And I kinda hate leftovers, newly cooked food are still the best. =)

I'm in!

I cook a lot but I hate leftovers, mainly because I don't think there are many dishes that can be properly reheated (and I hate to eat cold food if it's meant to be eaten hot).

I'm in, LOVE leftovers!!!

I hate leftovers - eating the same food just makes me fed up with it!

I love some leftovers and hate others...but mostly love!