Book Lair discussion

I am considering taking things to a new level and participating in a reading challenge.

There are many out there. They can suggest stuff like 'read a classical romance' or 'read a book which has at least 500 pages'.

I have not yet found one which I thought I could complete or come close to, but I am wondering if you have joined one of these or know of any that you would like to share.

Feel free to post links here or even upload a picture to the group of said challenges.

Who knows, maybe we can do one as a group :)

I haven't really subscribed to the challenges per se, but I am trying to follow the reading list of this group:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I am therefore also "unofficially" (and by unofficially I mean that I am only keeping track of it in my head, not in a special shelf, because it would otherwise mess up my shelves) going for the NARROW ROAD and RENDANG STEW mentionned on the page above.

Ana, if you are looking for challenges, you might also try this group:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

These two sound interesting too:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Anyway, I can already barely keep up with my other groups/clubs/R4R, so for now, I'll pass on any new challenges.

I have a hard time keeping up with monthly reads, buddy requests and what I personally want to read without adding a challenge. The ideas I've seen on GR are pretty intriguing, though.

Hmm I guess I did not explain myself too well... I am not interested in joining a GR book at all. I meant a reading challenge outside of GR. I have seen a few but lost the links. They are generally described in a picture, and it's basically suggested that you read books which follow a number of characteristics.

Probably not explaining myself well again...

But basically, it's the same, no?

If you check one of the groups I mentionned (https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...), that's how it works. They give a theme, ask for several characteritics to the books (have to spell one word, on one subject, have something on the cover, etc.) and you have to read several books with these characteristics. They even have pictures to describe these challenges.

And I sometime find GR challenges on blogs and vice-versa.

https://juliestroebelbarichello.files...

http://modernmrsdarcy.com/wp-content/...

This is the sort of thing I meant. I wanted to know if anyone is interested in doing something like this, or if they have any suggestions of the sort. Hopefully something which is not too demanding, or it will just put more pressure. Joining another group definitely puts pressure on me, I was just wondering if there was a reading challenge which could be fun and not too demanding, or maybe even if you guys would like to come up with our own. Like.. Someone could make their own suggestions and then we would put up our own challenge with our own rules.

*shrug* just an idea.

I understand what you mean. What I was meaning was that you have exactly the same things on GR, and you are not forced to participate if you do not want to, the group I mentionned in my previous post allows you to chose if you want to participate in the challenge or not.

Anyway, if you want absolutely one that is not on GR, one challenge I find interesting (but a bit different in idea than the ones you presented) is the "Plan Orsec" challenge. I find it quite interesting for compulsive book buyers like me.

Here is a link to it, but in French, since it's a challenge you find in the French book community:
https://leslivresdegeorgesandetmoi.wo...

Basically, you divide all the books you haven't read yet in your home or your reader by the year you bought/got them, and each month, you read one book from each year. The goal is to little by little finish all the books you have laying around in your home.

Of course, at the same time, you are supposed to buy less books. Little by little, your piles of unread books are supposed to get smaller and smaller, until they reach a manageable size again.

Melaslithos wrote: "I understand what you mean. What I was meaning was that you have exactly the same things on GR, and you are not forced to participate if you do not want to, the group I mentionned in my previous po..."

That is an awesome idea!!!!!

@Ana: I just went throught the lists you posted, and there are only three categories I haven't read from:

- a book by an author with the same initials
- a book you should have read in high school (since I read all the books I was supposed to read, and even asked my teachers for more recommendations - or in a certain way, maybe this could be interpreted as me having read all of them already)
- a book started and never finished (I always finished all my books, except one on Chinese philosophy, but I do intend to finish it one day)

Sorry for the late post, yesterday was a very busy day at work.

Thank you very much for the suggestions, Melas! I have actually found a couple. Check out my post and let me know what you think!

https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2015/0...

According to my reading habits these two seem to be the best ones for me at the moment, that is, the ones I feel won't put pressure on me. You have some great suggestions, though. I will have to go through your replies when work eases up a bit!

Interesting challenges, but as mentionned, I don't think I'll join in any other than the two mentionned in my first post (the NARROW ROAD and the RENDANG STEW challenges).

I have mentionned it on your blog post, but here is an initiave I like. I participate in it last year, and will again this year, it's the Pages4Progress campaign.

Here is the link for last year's campaign:
http://worlded.org/pages4progress/

And here is the subscription link for this year's. If it's like last year, you don't actually need to subscribe now, you can join anytime you want, but it might be interesting if you want to receive their updates:
https://secure.jotformpro.com/form/51...

So you're La Renard?? I was wondering who that was! I could never understand the posts lol.
Thanks, I will check out all info on your posts as soon as I can, work has been crazy today as well...

Btw, does any of the books I mentioned in my blog post look good for a buddy read?

Haha, yes. I tend to be schizophrenic on the web and have a lot of different identities :-) This is my default wordpress/blogging one, and I usually don't change it.

Anyway, there is not so many things in what I wrote, I just mention things quickly.

As for buddy reads, I would like this month to catch up on the readings from The World's Literatre group, and next month, I am planning to read The Luminaries with Yash, so I don't think I will join any with you. Especially since I am not supposed to buy any more new books, and I don't have any that you already have, and that I haven't read.

But if you read any of the ones below, that I have already read, I might join in the conversation even without re-reading it:
- the picture of dorian gray
- twenty leagues under the sea (although I read this one ages ago and don't really remember much)
- alice in wonderland
- farenheit 451 (although I'd like to re-read this one, but not just now)
- his dark materials
- a game of thrones

Some of your books interest me too, but I decided to dig into the books I have first before buying new ones, so do not wait for me before reading them, it might take a while ;-)

Ah ok, if I get into any of those I'll be sure to post in Book Discussions folder ^_^

Yeah, I understand, I want to do the same. :)
I have just realized I have a bad case of Netgalley Syndrome. I simply cannot stop requesting books v.v

Oh and I signed up on the link you posted. I had no idea I could actually help people by doing this O.o

If any of you do read His Dark Materials I'll read along. I've owned them for ages, begun many times and never buckled down and finished. A Buddy Read would almost force me to do so. :)

Sounds great, Kandice.
Do you feel brave enough to tackle all three books soonish? Not sure if I do tbh xD
Do you have a date in mind?

It's great, isn't it? Anyway, let's wait for the campaign to start and see under which conditions it will happen this year. But maybe when we will know a little bit more about it, you could mention it on your blog?

And yes, I totally understand about the Netgalley syndrome. I can't help requesting all the books that look great. And my ratio is horrible because I don't have time to read them... Lately, I just don't go on netgalley anymore in order not to get tempted.

Oh yes, I definitely plan on doing that.
It says I will be emailed when it starts, so I will probably post then.

Yeah, I should probably do that too... The thing is, I don't go on Netgalley per se, looking for books. What happens is I visit some of the blogs I follow, check out reviews, and if I see something I think I might like based on said reviews, I will look up the book on Netgalley. More often than not, the book is there, and I request it. Many are accepted but lately I have been rejected a lot. I'd like to think it's because I live in Portugal but... I am so sad when a book request is rejected. Some sound so good. Others look great. I feel so shallow judging a book by its cover but some are true works of art.

I think my ratio must be around 25%, not sure. It's actually the best I have had!

Still better than me, I'm at 22%, but it's growing, little by little. I actually did reached 25% at one point, but have requested for more books since then.

I am trying to keep to "read now" books, in order to avoid being rejected. And also because I feel kind of guilty requesting for a book when I have so many others to read.

Ana wrote: "Sounds great, Kandice.
Do you feel brave enough to tackle all three books soonish? Not sure if I do tbh xD
Do you have a date in mind?"

I can tackle them whenever you guys feel up to it. I don't usually do series one after another, but I can if you guys prefer. Just let me know and I'll "clear the decks."

Hmm ok Kandice, will do, if you see a good time for you as well, please mention it.

Yeah Melas, makes sense... I don't usually look at whether it's a Read Now or request book, as I only go there through recommendations these days. I am probably letting some great opportunities slide but oh well.

His Dark Materials reads quite easily. I read the 3 in a go (I love to read a series in one go, because I can really get into the world).
Anyway, the 3 books really forms one story, it almost felt like reading one book to me.

The do sound great but I am thinking I want to get rid of the huge pile from Netgalley first, ya know? And now with the challenge I have extra motivation eheh.

Well, good luck with it! Do you have a target in mind or will you just read and see how much you can cram in?

Well, with the 20 Books of Summer challenge I have the next 3 months pretty much planned out!

I have picked 3 paperbacks, 2 audiobooks I won in giveaways, 2 books from authors (1 finished) and 13 Netgalley's books.

Will post link to the list soon.


As for my Netgalley challenge I published a post summing up my reviews from Jan-May: https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2015/0...

Wow, there're so many of them! I just read 6 from Netgalley this year.

In a way, I envy you. You read so much! I have no idea how you manage it.

Thanks, considering some of the stuff I have seen in other blogs that makes me feel very good. I saw people with over 20 books read in a month, some complaining it wasn't much... I was like.. What?? I consider 5 books a month a great amount, depending on their size and real life obligations...

I do admire your reading habits though, you read all sorts of books, and I cannot seem to find the openness to read other genres. I am slowly venturing into mysteries, thrillers and contemporary books but that is as far as I will go in the near future from my usual genres of fantasy/horror/science fiction.

Well, I'm compulsively curious and like to try new stuff. And not only for books. As my friend said when we were on holidays together, in a restaurant, she knows I will always go for the weirdest thing on the menu. Typically, while discussing what to eat, the discussion would go:

- What is this/Have you already tried this?
- No idea/Never. Let's try it!

I tend to have the same attitude for a lot of things, which basically amounts to: how can I know if I like it or not if I don't try it?

So yes, I love reading a lot of different genres. Moreover, I tend to get bored when I read too many books of a genre at a time. Especially since I am quite good at recognizing patterns and things like that, and books in a same genre tend to all have the same structure (unless they are really really good and original, but very few are). I just feel like I am reading the same book over and over again.

But I will always come back to fantasy/science fiction. Those are some of my favorite genre!

Yeah, I guess I am still trying to find those really good and original books :)

I seem to have been able to gather a nice range of contemporary books from Netgalley. I am looking forward to getting to some of those, which I did not include in the challenge because I felt they might be too long. If I see I am keeping up a good place, I may just end up adding them before it ends :)

Nice view to have about life! I also like to try new things. I just feel like most of the other genres out there would not entertain me and I might even find boring.

Well, usually the books that passed the tests of time are a good guess. Also, the books that started trends, such as The Lord of the Rings for epic fantasy.

I am sure they are great, but they sound so much high maintenance... I have a feeling Game of Thrones is going to sit on my shelf for a long, long time.
As for LotR, I did not like the movies and so I doubt I would like the books. The story just did not engage me, despite the awesome world building.

Well, what can I say, I love complex stories.

Maybe if you entered a "big book challenge", you'll find the right motivation ^_^

Anyways, GoT is a really rewarding book. I was quite suspicious at first, since I usually don't like new bestsellers, but I really was pleasantly surprised.

Eheh maybe, we'll see ^_^