NBRC: Tower Teams Read 2013, Round II discussion

The mods have another bonus points challenge coming in Sept.

Just starting this to get a poll on what we want to do.

OK here is the gist of the September challenge:

Rules: Your Team must have a minimum of 9% nine (9) of your books from each of the three challenges you choose.

Referring to our challenges, choose books that fit:

◈Team Goal 81 (as of now, might change to a percentage)

A Book A Day Challenge
◈ One A-Z challenge posted in NBRC.
◈ Plus one more from any other of our NBRC challenges

NBRC challenge lists:

NBRC Reading Challenge Index

Monthly/Seasonal Challenges

OK here is what I understand of the challenge.

We, as a team, read 81 books related to other NBRC Challenges. To get the bonus points we have to have a minimum of:

Min of 9 but max of 33 (only 1 book for each "day" on the challenge,don't have to be read in order of days) A Book A Day Challenge

9 books from one of the NBRC A-Z challenges: Herbs & Spices A-Z, Cooking & Cookware, Read The Alphabet, Animal Alphabet, Hero Alphabet, A=Z Dancing, A-Z Entymology, Villains. (let me know if I missed one)

9 Books from one other NBRC reading challenge that we pick as a team.

The 9 books is just the minimum for each category. The rest can be split however. The challenges do not have to be completed for us to get our bonus points and there is no limit on spell outs if we choose a challenge that has spell outs. A-Z challenges would have 1 book per team per letter. Word spell-outs would just have 1 book for each letter of the words we spell out.

reserved

reserved

So any suggestions, questions, comments?

Do we want to do anything in September?

Which NBRC would you like us to do?

Ok, I think I follow that.

I'd suggest seeing what everyone is already doing. If people are already in some of the same challenges than we could simply take the 3 that the most people are in perhaps?

The only NBRC challenge that I am in is the "A Book a Day" challenge.

For the A-Z challenge, I think we should go for one of the spell it out challenges. If we choose one of the challenges were we read one book per letter it could be limiting. Most of the spell it out challenges have tons of words to pick from - we could pick words with common letters and possibly even shuffle words depending on what we read.


My suggestion for the 3rd challenge would be Camp Gottaread. It has options for reading books from your TBR stack (super flexible!!), books you just discovered, books you've found intimidating (chunksters), books in a series you've meant to finish and never found the time, new-to-you authors and scary "campfire tale" anthologies.

It looks like they are going to go with a percentage on this based on how many team members sign up to do the challenge.

Well, too bad they won't take books already read, (since my Sept reading will be lighter after the middle of the month) as I've already done 10 of the 33 on the A Book A Day Challenge. LOL! I'll not add anymore to it until Sept.

So it'll only be for the people who sign up for the challenges themselves? Those who aren't active on the discussions but post books, won't have theirs count for it?

Vicky wrote: "For the A-Z challenge, I think we should go for one of the spell it out challenges. If we choose one of the challenges were we read one book per letter it could be limiting. Most of the spell it ou..."

I second the Camp Gottaread suggestion!

That's my understanding. It started out as 90 books. The captains were kind of disappointed that there was another challenge so soon. Then it was reduced to 81 books. Now after more discussion, it looks like it will be a percentage based on who on the team decides to participate and their normal monthly average. So if only 1 person signs up to do it, the team will get the bonus points if that person hits their goal.

I'm sure a lot of teachers & students will have a lot less reading time in September.

If the captains were disappointed with another one so soon, would you prefer we don't sign up for any so you don't have any work to do?

I'm going to be tracking the September challenge and I don't mind doing it at all.

The mods are just trying to accommodate captains that have teams that aren't very active. We have several players who shelve books but don't participate in challenge threads - in the past Mary and I have been checking their shelves and adding them to the challenge anyway. With the goals changing depending on the players who wish to participate we won't have to do that extra work. Keeping track of things is fairly straightforward when the participating players post finish books.

Also, the bonus points are never a bad thing and I think it's motivating to have a challenge to work towards. :)

Well Vicky has volunteered to run the September one. So that gives me a break. Plus October is just going to be a read-a-thon like we did in May. For those who weren't with the group then, the RAT was just where players set a page goal for the month and the teams where everyone hit their goal got bonus points. It was all voluntary. So if someone doesn't want to do it, others on the team can still participate.

The main disappointment was that it originally was 90 books and then 81. But having to just hit a goal based on the players that volunteer to do it is much easier. Also we don't have to finish whichever the challenges we wish to use for this. Just hit our goal. Which means no stalking the shelves of less active players, no creating our own challenge and having it approved etc..,

So we will set it up for those who want to do it. I'll probably do it. Depending on who signs up, we may only have to hit 20 or 30 books or less to win some bonus points.

Alrighty. Thanks ladies. :) I'll do it. We'll have to do the same challenges, correct? I'm already doing "A Book a Day" and GottaRead looks fine for me too. Just let me know what A-Z one. Any spell it out would work well for me I think. I looked over the cooking one and it looks easy since you can choose your own words.

Hope some others join in!

If the team participates, then as a team, we have to read books from the Book A Day challenge, 1 of the A-Z challenges and then 1 other NBRC challenge. I say we go for ones that have lots of spell outs. There's no spell out limit for this.

I had also planned on doing the Book A Day challenge but wanted to finish some other challenges up first. So maybe I'll start that one on the first.

I am doing the camp gotta read challenge too. But I am really confused by this challenge. My challenge started a long time ago. Do we only count the books we add to that challenge in September? And one of the choices in that challenge has to do with scary novellas which don't meet page requirements. For that category I was hoping they would except scary novels instead? Cause I have some horror I plan to read in September.

Yes, Sarah, only books read in September will count.

Basically, instead of creating a list of categories that books need to fit (like we did with the August challenge), the mods are using current challenges to dictate those categories.

I will ask the mods what they think about the scary novellas category and get back to you. :)

I could make some books work for the A Book A Day challenge. Another question. A lot of my books for challenges overlap. I will use the same book in different challenges. So how does this work?

For the team challenge we can only count a book once per reader - so we couldn't use a book you read to count for a category in Book a Day and a category in Camp Gotta Read. (If, however, two people read the same book we can use it for both).

You could use the book for both of those challenges if you are personally doing both, that's totally fine!

I only read like 6-7 books in a month.

I do the same thing my with my challenges. We won't be able to use 1 book for more than 1 category unless more than 1 person reads it. So if a player happens to be in the 2 challenges we pick, the team can only use their books for one of the categories it fits.

We don't have to finish any of the challenges but just hit our goal. Also a certain percentage of the books we read have to go to each challenge we do.

Sarah wrote: "I only read like 6-7 books in a month."

That's fine. The challenge will be based on a % of everyone's goals. I think once the mods give us some solid numbers to work from it will make more sense.

I'm just confused but let me know what you guys decide and I'll go from there.

Regarding Scary Novellas: The Mods have approved horror novels or a full anthology with a horror story included for the Campfire Tales Category.

Nika **~OhMyShelves~** wrote: "I'm just confused but let me know what you guys decide and I'll go from there."

Are you confused about the types of books we have to read or about the number of books they're going to have us read?

All of it. the challenges that are being picked and the number of books.

Well, we should be hearing from the mods about the number of books this week which will help clear that up. They are going to base it off of the team goal and how many members on the team are participating. The overall goal was going to be 81 books, but this is a lot for teams who only have a few players active in challenges.

Let's say I am the only one on Pewter Blue who wants to participate in September's challenge, it's not possible for me to read 81 books on my own in a month. Under this method, the mods will give us a number based on the participants. Still going with me being the only participant this might be 6-8 books for the month. If the participating member(s) reach that lower goal the team will still get the bonus points for completing the challenge.

Like I said earlier, I think it will be a lot easier to explain once the mods finish doing their calculations and giving us some solid numbers to work with. We may have jumped the gun a bit starting this discussions since the mods are still hashing it out.

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For the challenges there will be three we have to read books from. We don't have to complete any of these three challenges as their individual rules dictate, we just have to read books that would fit into those challenges. Just like the June/July and August Challenges we will have to read a minimum number (to be determined) from each of the three.

1. A Book a Day - This one is mandated by the mods. There are 31 options for fitting books into this challenge and we can only fill in each option once.

2. Any A-Z Challenge or Spell-it-Out within the NBRC - An example of this would be Cooking and Cookware. We would pick a few words from the list to use as a Spell-it-Out Challenge just like we've been doing Spell-it-Outs in the last two challenges.

3. Any Other NBRC Challenge - This can be any other challenge. I suggested Camp Gottaread because is has 7 broad categories that will be easy to fit books in.


Does that help clear things up at all?

I think so. So my seven books would be used to fit in any category from any one of the three challenges?

Yes.

At the end of the day, the challenge will work just like the June/July and August challenges. Instead of having a list of categories to read from we are going to be reading books from categories in already established challenges.

Ohhhhhhhhh I get it now. thanks so much. I'm definitely trying to be more active. Its just a little hard since I have my own group and I'm in school.

I am in.

I'm also in for the September BAP challenge. I will be away on vacation the last week of September and I don't think I'll have connection to the internet there, but we'll see how that goes.

Imke wrote: "I'm also in for the September BAP challenge. I will be away on vacation the last week of September and I don't think I'll have connection to the internet there, but we'll see how that goes."

At the rate we've been finishing up challenges, I'd suspect we'll be done before your vacation. I wouldn't worry too much about it! :)

I'm sure that can be factored into your goal/percentage for the challenge as well.

We got some more info from the mods today on the numbers we will need to read.

We will get more BAP for reading a higher percentage of our books, so even if we don't complete our challenge we can still get points!

9.9% = 4 BAP
8.33 to 9.8% = 2 BAP
7 to 8.2% = 1 BAP

Rather than give a whole long explanation of how it works, I started working on a September Challenge Spreadsheet that has the calculations for the people who have said that they are interested so far. Below the black line are the numbers for "if everyone participates." The 123 goal seems big, but we've been averaging about 140 books a month so it shouldn't be terrible even if everyone wants to participate.

You don't have to meet your personal percentage goal, we just have to read the sum as a team. Brooke's 9.9% is 19 and my 9.9% is 9. If Brooke reads 17 books and I read 11, it evens out and we're still good.

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Some other rules we need to keep in mind:

We have to have a minimum one-third (1/3) of our books in the Book a Day Challenge.

We can double up on categories in the Book A Day challenge, here's the quote from LK about it:

Two (2) books per Book A Day Challenge sub-option. Using Category #4 as an example we have two (2) books with a red/blue/white cover, two (2) books set on the US, two (2) books with the US flag on the cover. Or two (2) books where the main character is fighting for his independence or for some greater good.

That is a total of eight (8) books for Category #4. Some categories allow more, some are less.

Ouch! My head hurts, but I think I understand it.

So, if I understand correctly, we can only use members who actively do those challenges, you all can't just take books off of someones shelves who is reading but isn't active talking on the forums or doing other challenges. So, with just those above the line who have said they will participate, we have to read 75 between us, no matter who they are read by as long as the fit the challenges.

I've stopped adding my books in categories of the A Book a Day challenge, to have them for Sept, since I've already done 10 of them. I might replace some as I go along if it's easier to do so. :)

So, we just gotta figure out what other two challenges to do, correct? Are we definitely doing GottaRead?

Yes, you understand correctly!

We do still need to pick our other two challenges. We haven't definitely decided on Camp Gotta Read, but there hasn't been much in the way of opposition to it. Anyone can feel free to suggest another challenge!


I meant to do this earlier and forgot - I'm going to start our finished books thread now and have everyone who wants to participate check in over there to confirm. I think we will need to "sign-up" with the mods and let them know who is and isn't participating, and this will give us an easy way to confirm who is in and who isn't. :) Link is here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

I vote Camp Gottaread

Yay. :) Glad I got it. :)

GottaRead is fine for me, or I liked the look of the newer Yahtzee one. I'm sure there are many, like me, who have unfinished series out there that could benefit from it.

Series books can still be placed in the other challenges too. Just sayin.

Making my list for September now.

by Justin Cronin - 9. Set in post-apocalyptic future. 1. First in series
by Veronica Roth - 1. One Word title 6. Rebellion or resistance
by Stephen King 9. Post apocalyptic future. 13. I would say this has the occult - black magic in it.
by Robert Galbraith 5. This is a play on words but a star (superstar) is on the cover.
by Harriet Beecher Stowe -14. Based in 19th century America
by Corban Addison 23. The title begins with W
by S.J. Watson 23. The authors name begins with W
by E.M. Forster - 3. A love triangle
by Rohinton Mistry 6. Rebellion or resistance
by Salman Rushdie 10. MC is a writer 19. Character is a doctor 30. The end of a cycle (India becomes an independent nation)

Sarah wrote: "Series books can still be placed in the other challenges too. Just sayin."

Oh, I know. I just tend to ignore some of them unless I have motivation to read them. I always find something I want to read more, because if I really love 'em than I will keep up with them. :)

Two of my books will be continuation of series next month. Series books are some of the categories for A Book a Day Challenge too.

I have to say I am not too excited about my September reads - but I'm sticking to it. Some are stepping outside my genre and a couple are for literary merit and education, but none of these are my passion. Maybe a couple will surprise me. I am hoping I like The Passage series and The Dark Tower series - which I am determined to finish. Not my typical genre. I am loving my Midnight's Children which I am reading now. This is everything I love in a book.

Oh I forgot two more for my buddy reads and . These are the two I look most forward to and I am really excited about the former. I am on an India kick right now. now, then and then . These books are the three I am looking forward to so much. OK. That is good.

The percentage thing makes me wonder if less people should do the challenge. That would be less books to read. But we knock them out so easily that it probably doesn't really matter.

I don't like planning my books too far ahead. I am very much a mood reader. But I know I can find books for pretty much any of the challenges that get picked. Spell outs & A-Z's are usually easy to do. I haven't really looked at the Book A Day challenge. If I read it right, in the captain's discussion of the Sept. challenge, we can use more than 1 book for each day right? Or should we each pick a day ahead of time?

I don't plan ahead either, unless a book I am waiting on is released. I am also a mood reader. What sounded good yesterday, might not today. I change genres often depending on my moods!

A Book a Day has pretty broad descriptions for the days. Most days have 3-5 different things you can choose from, so it's pretty easy to read what you are going to read and find a place for it. I had already done 10 since the end of July, though I'll probably replace the more easier ones with Sept reads. But it seems to me like we can use the same book on 2 total days, for example it could be used for both a book that is the first in the series plus an post-apocalypse setting.

Mary: Harry Dresden's Love Slave wrote: "The percentage thing makes me wonder if less people should do the challenge. That would be less books to read. But we knock them out so easily that it probably doesn't really matter."

I think we'll be fine with whoever wants to participate. The lower number makes it seem easier, but because it's a percentage it will be the same difficulty no matter how many people participate.

Remember that even though the goal is calculated based on an individual goal the overall goal of the challenge is to read the sum of those individual goals as a team. Having more people will give us a better chance of picking up slack if someone is falling behind or struggling to make their percent.

Mary: Harry Dresden's Love Slave wrote: "If I read it right, in the captain's discussion of the Sept. challenge, we can use more than 1 book for each day right? Or should we each pick a day ahead of time?"

I think we'll have enough options to not have to worry too much about selecting books. LK gave an example of using the same option multiple times that I quoted in post 36 above.

We can use each sub-option of an option twice. Sub-options are the "ors" within each option, so for option one -

1 - Is the first day of the month. Read a book where the main character (MC) has a first experience of sorts. Or is a one word title. Or is the first of a series.

- we can have 2 books where a MC has a first experience, 2 books with a one word title and two books that are first in a series. That gives us a total of 6 possible books for that option alone.