2025 Reading Challenge discussion

THE DEWEY DECIMAL CHALLENGE (non-fiction)
Duration: January – December

The Dewey Decimal System is the way libraries organize their non-fiction books. It was created in 1876 by Melvil Dewey and has been changed much throughout the years.
The goal of this challenge is to read as many books with different (general) Dewey decimal classes as possible. For the purpose of this challenge, we’ll split the Dewey Decimal System into 50s, for a total of 20 categories. More in depth information on classes of the Dewey Decimal System can be found here: "List of Dewey Decimal Classes" on Wikipedia. If you have questions about where a book fits, do not hesitate to ask a moderator or the challenge leader.

Categories:

000-049: Computer Science, Bibliographies, Library Sciences, Encyclopedias & Books of Facts
050-099: Associations, Organizations & Museums, News Media, Journalism & Publishing, General Collections, Manuscripts & Rare Books
100-149: Philosophy, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Parapsychology & Occultism, Philosophical Schools of Thought
150-199: Psychology, Logic, Ethics, Ancient, Medieval & Eastern Philosophy, Modern Western Philosophy
200-249: Religion, Natural Theology, Bible, Christian Theology, Christian Moral & Devotional Theology
250-299: Christian Orders & Local Church, Christian Social Theology, Christian Church History, Christian Denominations & Sects, Other & Comparative Religions
300-349: Social Sciences, Sociology, General Statistics, Political Science, Economics, Law
350-399: Public Administration, Social Services, Education, Commerce, Customs, Etiquette, Folklore
400-449: Language, Linguistics, English & Old English, German, Romance Languages
450-499: Language: Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italic, Latin, Hellenic, Classical Greek, Other
500-549: Sciences, Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry
550-599: Earth Sciences, Paleontology, Life Sciences, Plants, Zoological Sciences
600-649: Technology (Applied Sciences), Medical Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture, Home Economics & Family Living
650-699: Management, Chemical Engineering, Manufacturing, Buildings
700-749: Arts, Civic and Landscape Art, Architecture, Plastic Arts and Sculpture, Drawing & Decorative Arts
750-799: Painting, Graphic Arts, Photography, Music, Recreational & Performing Arts
800-849: Literature, American Literature, English & Old English Literature, German Literature, Literatures of Romance Languages
850-899: Literature: Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italic, Latin, Hellenic, Classical Greek
900-949: History, Geography/Travel, Ancient History, General History of Europe
950-999: General History of Asia, Far East, Africa, North America, South America, Other

Rules:
Choose how many categories you are going for. You can choose as many or as little as you like! (note that categories are bolded, and the writing after are choices within that category).
State which categories you are going for in your first post (optional).
Only non-fiction books will count for this challenge. If you have questions about this, please ask a moderator or the challenge leader.
When you complete the challenge post your entire list of books so we can all congratulate you. :D

Examples:
400-449: The Book of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks: A Celebration of Creative Punctuation
600-649: The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
950-999: Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda

Trevor - I really like the idea of this challenge. :) It would be a good way to read more non-fiction...not my strong suit.

Most of my non-fiction falls into the same few categories (business, statistics, science), so I'm really excited to try this and expand my horizons a bit. Thanks for coming up with such a great challenge, Trev!

I like this challenge a lot too. Finally a way to knock off a bunch of non-fiction reads!

Love this challenge!

Thanks! I'm excited for all of our new year challenges. It's a really great variety. :)

A suggestion for people who might be having trouble finding books for each category:

Go to your library and ask them to point you to the group of numbers you want. For example, if you're looking for a 600-649 book, just ask the librarian to show you the 600-649 section. Then, BROWSE! :D It's the best part of being at the library, isn't it? haha. Most of the books I've found that I'm going to read for this challenge I've found just browsing the non-fiction aisles at my library. :)

Trevor wrote: "A suggestion for people who might be having trouble finding books for each category:

Go to your library and ask them to point you to the group of numbers you want. For example, if you're looking f..."

Great tip!

I will definitely be joining this one! My little librarian heart is all aflutter!

Just keep in mind that not every library uses Dewey decimal as a way to organize their materials. But definitely make use of your librarian!

Also, in case you aren't sure about a book that you already have, many current books have a suggested Dewey number on the back of the title page, where you can also find the ISBN. This is true for most nonfiction books, and some fiction books, printed in the United States in recent years (at least 20 years - I've seen it in books from the early 1990s). Usually, it's near the bottom of the page, underneath any subjects the book may be about.

Libraries using standard numbers for organizing (Dewey or Library of Congress) almost always use the suggested numbers on the back of the title page.

If you have a bunch of non-fiction on a Goodreads list (as opposed to a physical copy,) and your local library has an online catalog, it's a huge help. Openlibrary.org is helpful, too, if you don't have a good local library online database. Or you can head to the online catalog of some major library, such as the New York Public Library, and look up your books there.

I started by looking up the 3 non-fiction titles I already know I'll be reading during the year in my library's online catalog, which does use the DD system and has the call number/DD classification listed for each book. After that, I looked up books from my Goodreads non-fiction shelf and slotted them where they fit in the DD listing. In just a few minutes I had a list of at least one or two (or more) books for each of 16 categories - far more non-fiction than I feel I will realistically read in a year, especially considering other challenges!

If I decide to commit to this challenge as well, I will probably start by aiming for 6 books and inch my goal up to 8/12/?? if I expect to exceed that first level.

Edit: wonky spelling

Good suggestions Candiss. I also was using the New York Library website when my library didn't have a book listed!

I don't do well with Non-fiction. Really, the only Non-fiction I read is biographies...soooo, this is out of my comfort zone. This makes me excited to branch out and try reading new things!! :)

000-049:
050-099:
100-149:
150-199:
200-249:
250-299:
300-349:The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (335)
350-399:
400-449:
450-499:
500-549:
550-599:
600-649:Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality (638)
650-699:
700-749:
750-799:
800-849:
850-899:
900-949:
950-999:
*I'm getting my list together. I've found 2 books so far, lol

Ashley wrote: "I don't do well with Non-fiction. Really, the only Non-fiction I read is biographies...soooo, this is out of my comfort zone. This makes me excited to branch out and try reading new things!! :)"

Perhaps you'll discover a newfound love of nonfiction, Ashley!!

Looks interesting. sign me up!

I think I'll try to read a total of 4. Even that will be hard for me as I rarely read non-fiction. This year I read a grand total of...0! I'll have no problem finding books (my mum has a HUGE collection of weird non-fiction) but it'll probably take me ages to finish each one.

Lilac, you should try reading Eric Larson or Michael Pollan. Both are easy reads and great writers!

Thanks for the recs Kelsi! :)

Non-fiction is hard for me as well. Looks like this last year I read 6 books, so I'll aim for 6 again this year.

Don't forget that the Dewey Decimal System includes some fiction in the 800s.

Are you allowing fiction there, or should we choose non-fiction such as essays, literary criticism, etc.?

Good question, Ellie. I say that if it is shelved in a library in the 800s, then you can count it! I know our library includes some plays and dramas there, so if you're reading a Shakespeare play or something, then that can count towards an 800 book, no problem. :)

Trevor wrote: "Good question, Ellie. I say that if it is shelved in a library in the 800s, then you can count it! I know our library includes some plays and dramas there, so if you're reading a Shakespeare play o..."

Thanks for the quick reply!

I have at least 5 TBR-books to match this challenge - so I'll make a moderately challenging goal of 7. :)

Karina wrote: "I have at least 5 TBR-books to match this challenge - so I'll make a moderately challenging goal of 7. :)"

I have quite a few books for this challenge on my TBR also! Then I noticed that most of them are all for the same section of the DDS. So I'll have to find some new ones as well. It will be fun browsing the aisles of my library for books to read - I haven't done that in a long time!

That sound really fun, especially the "browsing the library" part - you never know what you could find! I'm in! :)

I had actually had an unspoken goal last year to read more non-fiction (I seem to have no problem buying it.. I just don't get around to reading it!!) and I managed to read 14 titles, which is quite an improvement from the previous year. Most of them were Christian life, 2 were memoirs, and one was finance. I am SO looking forward to this challenge, and like everyone else, broadening my non-fiction horizons. Great idea!!

I'm really looking forward to this challenge :) I need to read more nonfiction that is also outside of the science realm. My goal is to do all of the categories!

So excited about this! I work in a library, so this is going to be pretty convenient, and I need an excuse to read more non-fiction. I'm going for them all!

Ok, after much deliberation and research, I present to you my list! Yay! (Bear with me, I get excited about knowledge...) If anyone has suggestions (or recommendations!) for the categories I don't have options for, I'm all ears!

Dewey Decimal Challenge
Goal: 12 (one a month)
Completed: 0

1. 100-149:
2. 150-199: Subliminal or You Are Not So Smart or The Invisible Gorilla
3. 250-299:
4. 300-349: Nina Here Nor There or Nobody Passes or Reality Is Broken or Everything Is Going to Kill Everybody
5. 350-399: Imperfect Justice or The Kid or The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander
6. 500-549:
7. 550-599: Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer (jan)
8. 600-649: Conundrum by Jan Morris (feb)
9. 650-699: Ignore Everybody?
10. 750-799: Billy Joel: The Life and Times of an Angry Young Man by Hank Bordowitz (mar?)
11. 800-849: An Autobiography by Agatha Christie (summer)
12. 900-949: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (apr?)

I think i am going join this one because i love nonfiction : )

This is going to be tough, but put me down for 10!

I am a non-fiction lover. I would like to join in with you all.

I love this! Can't wait to start finding books to fit these categories!!

Sounds very interesting. I'm in!

This is a great idea! I love non-fiction too.

I'd like to do this one, too. I notice that everything I read tends to fall into the same categories, so this will allow me to get out of my comfort zone. Great idea for a challenge!!

I want to do this challenge, but I'm not sure how many. I'll come back with a goal later!

Edit: I think I will go for 6, but I'm not deciding which categories yet. I want to do this challenge solely with library books, not with books I already own, so I'll just see what catches my eye each time I browse for another book for this!

I'm in on this one too. There are too many good reading challenges in this group. :)


Edit: Below is a link to my Dewey Decimal Challenge books listing (I tried to veer away from Theology books but that didn't work).
Zara's Corner - 2013

I will create a participants list this weekend in preparation for January! Happy holidays everybody. :)

This is a great challenge! I'm not normally a big non-fiction reader so it will be the perfect way to start reading more of them. I will go for all of them :)

I'll be going for 10.

it has been a long while since i had to actually use a dewey decimal system... but what a fun idea! im going to try and really widen my horizons and get them all in

I know a lot of the fun in this challenge can be browsing at the library, but if you're browsing online (say, on Goodreads or elsewhere) is there an easy way to figure out where a book stands with the dewey decimal no? I couldn't figure it out the other day, after a brief look.

I was thinking the same thing April. When I go to the library I usually have a stack of books waiting and spend most of my trip in the kids section with my toddler so I doubt I will be actually looking these things up. For now Im just reading the description and making a guess

this month im going to read for zoological science and im not sure where to put this yet, my guess would be the 100-149 but im hoping to find a new spot for it since i have other books that may be more fun for that same cagegory

If your library has a website, the Dewey Decimal number should be on the listing for the book somewhere (it may be called the "call number", that's how my library does it).

You can also just look it up on a large library's website (in case your library doesn't have it), like the New York Public Library. Hope that helps you guys out. :)

Melanie gives some great tips also, in this comment: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
Candiss' comment underneath that is also full of suggestions.

Participants!


Amanda: 0/6
Ashley: ?
April Lyn: ?
Audrey: ?
Becky: 0/19
Candiss: 0/6?
Ellie: ?
Erika: ?
Joni: ?
Kaitlin: ?
Kara: 0/10
Karen: ?
Karina: 0/7
Kattibrie: ?
Kelsi:0/10
Kme_17: ?
Lilac: 0/4
Melanie: ?
Morgan: 0/19
Nathaly: ?
Robyn: 0/19
Sharon: 0/6
Talia: 0/19
Tearsa: 0/19
Teresa: ?
Toni: ?
Trevor: 0/12
Zara: 0/7

Here's the list! A couple things:

1. If you have a ? beside your name, please let me know how many books you want as your goal, and I will update as soon as I can.
2. If I got your goal wrong or missed you, tell me so I can add you to the list!
3. If you want to change your goal in any way (up, down, drop out altogether), that isn't a problem! Just let me know either here or in a personal message to me.

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY! And have a great end of 2012. :)

And anyone who still wants in, go ahead and post a goal. :D

Trevor wrote: "If your library has a website, the Dewey Decimal number should be on the listing for the book somewhere


Why didn't I think of this? Thanks!

April Lyn wrote: "I know a lot of the fun in this challenge can be browsing at the library, but if you're browsing online (say, on Goodreads or elsewhere) is there an easy way to figure out where a book stands with ..."

I found a website that has so far had everything on it I searched for: http://deweybrowser.oclc.org/ddcbrows...

Hope that helps!

I'm going to go for all of them! Here's what I have planned so far.

The Dewey Decimal Challenge (non-fiction)
Duration: 1/1/2013 - 12/31/2013

Completed: 8/20

000-049: Phantoms on the Bookshelves by Jacques Bonnet

050-099:
100-149:

150-199: Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely

200-249:
250-299:
300-349: Too Big to Know: Rethinking Knowledge Now That the Facts Aren't the Facts, Experts Are Everywhere, and the Smartest Person in the Room Is the Room by David Weinberger
*A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental IllnessNassir Ghaemi

350-399: In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, A Million Little Pieces
400-449:
450-499:

500-549: How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life

550-599: Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach
*Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures

600-649: The Island of the Colorblind by Oliver Sacks
*The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
* The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne

650-699:
700-749:
750-799: Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster, Take Your Eye Off the Ball: How to Watch Football by Knowing Where to Look by Pat Kirwan

800-849: The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
*You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations
*America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction by Jon Stewart

850-899:

900-949: The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy by Rick Beyer

950-999:Don't Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History But Never Learned by Kenneth C. Davis

Participants!


AJ: 2/10
Amanda: 0/6
Ashley: 0/5
April Lyn: ?
Audrey: 1/?
Becky: 0/20
Candiss: 1/6
Echo: 0/20
Erika: ?
Gaijinmama: ?
Joni: ?
Kaitlin: 2/20
Kara: 2/10
Karen: ?
Karina: 3/7
Kattibrie: 2/5
Kelsi: 2/10
Kme_17: 1/20
Lilac: 0/4
Melanie: 0/20
Morgan: 0/20
Nancy: 2/20
Nathaly: 0/13
Robyn: 2/20
Sharon: 0/6
Sibyl: 0/10
Sonja: 0/5
Talia: 0/20
Tearsa: 0/20
Teresa: 0/6
Toni: ?
Trevor: 0/12
Zara: 0/10

**Please let me know if you want to change your number. You can post a comment here or send me a message from my profile if you'd like.**