Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

April 2017 PIFM Challenge

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.

The idea of the PIFM challenge is that you will get new-to-you books and authors selected for you as well as a push to read some books that have been lingering on your shelves. You may not be interested in the new books recommended, which is why you also get a minimum of four books from your shelf.

You only have to read ONE book to complete this challenge!

After signups are closed, your names and any extra info will go into the super secret PIFM randomizer and it will select someone for you to recommend books to and someone to give you recommendations. This list will be posted along with any specific picking rules for the month.

In order to participate you need to either HAVE YOUR PROFILE SET TO PUBLIC (preferable), or friend the person giving you recommendations. PLEASE NOTE: if you choose to keep your profile private, it is your responsibility to send a friend request to the person picking for you as soon as possible after the matchups are posted. Whether your profile is private or not, it is also very important that your profile be set to receive Private Messages (PMs) in case anyone needs to reach out to you (mods, organizer etc.)

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

Repicks:
You can ask for repicks if:
✱ The books picked for you are not yet released.
✱ If you have already read the chosen book(s) and they are on your ‘read’ shelf.
✱ If you did not receive four picks from your ‘to-read’ shelf, with at least one from your preferred shelf.

You may NOT ask for repicks because:
✱ A book is not available at your library.
✱ A genre or author you don’t enjoy.


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

✱✱When did your love of reading begin?✱✱

A. Can't remember not loving books
B. As a teen/young adult
C. As an adult

✱✱ If you have a preferred shelf, please list it along with your pick! ✱✱

IMPORTANT DATES
Sign ups will remain open until March 23rd (6 pm US EDT).
For your convenience a Time Zone Converter.

You’ll have until March 27th (3 pm US EDT) to make your recommendations.

Please do not start reading your book(s) until the first of the month. You then have the entire month to read your pick(s) and give some feedback.

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


✱Please note that late sign ups will be included at the host's discretion and no one will be included after re-picks are assigned!✱

TIPS TO MAKE THE CHALLENGE ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE!

Pickees
✱ To help your picker understand the type of books you like or are currently reading, please make sure your ‘read’ shelf is up to date. You can create shelves for books you DNFed (Did Not Finish) or authors that don’t work for you as well as favorite books and authors. In addition, you might consider updating your profile. You can include info about your favorite books, authors, genres, themes or tropes (or themes/tropes you dislike – i.e. secret baby).
✱ Please do not specify likes/dislikes in the sign-up thread. This information will not be included in the pairings and your pickee may not see your message and does not need to rely on that information when making picks.

Pickers
✱ Please remember this is primarily a romance readers group. Thus, most, if not all, of your picks should be romance. There are various sub genres within the romance category - Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Erotica, M/M, Urban Fantasy. If your pickee reads a wide variety, you could add a non-romance as a choice.
✱ Choose at least 4 new titles for your pickee. These can be brand new to them (not found on any of their shelves) or a book found on their shelves if they've never read any of the author's work previously.
✱ Remember, too many options is often worse than too few! It can be overwhelming to have too many books to choose from. Please limit your picks to no more than two for each picking rule.

A few hints to help with book selection:
✱ Check the book’s publishing date. Select "date pub" from the checkbox selections and save.
✱ Check pickee's personalized shelves, especially their exclusive shelves. A personalized shelf is one the member has created. (e.g., 'to read next', 'favorites' ‘didn’t like’)
✱ Make sure the books you choose are not on their 'read' shelf. Just because it isn't rated doesn't mean it wasn't read.
✱ Look at your pickee's 'read' shelf and see what genres they have recently read or read the most. Reviewing their ‘read’ shelf might help you in choosing something they are interested in reading right now.
✱ If your pickee reads lots of books in a genre you are not familiar with (erotic romance, GLBT, YA, etc.) Contact the Mods or the month's organizer for guidance.
✱ Include a variety of books (e.g., shorter page count, new addition to their 'to-read' shelf, an older book on their 'to-read' shelf) This variety gives your pickee options when choosing the book or books they will be reading this month. Use the sort feature within their shelves to determine date a book was added, published or read; page numbers, ratings, etc.

If you want to volunteer to make repicks:
✱ We love that you want to help out, but please remember those who need picks have been waiting for a long time already. Please only volunteer if you are able to make the repicks within a few hours of the deadline. Thank you!

April 2017 PIFM Challenge - Participants

A. Can't remember not loving books:
 ☘KathyD☘ - c-m-g-21
Stacie
Romanticbookworm - pick-for-me
Fran - a-pifm-shelf (Private Profile)
Pamela
Mary-Megan - pick-for-me-next
Alexis - pifm-books
Diane ~Firefly~ - mng-picking
Danielle Gypsy Sou - next-months-books
Nancy H
Christine
MountainKat - to-read-asap
Kait - up-next
Enqi - kindle-tbr (Private Profile)
Ezinwanyi~ThatEzi - meet-greet-recs or review-books
Kimberly
LaurLa - 04-challenges-to-pick
Heather - pifm
Shelby - current-challenge-to-reads
Mindy
Jojo
Suzanne
Carrie
~KarenH~ - cant-wait-to-read
Sonja

B. As a teen/young adult:
Rachel C. - must read by end of 2017
Lekshmy
Nicole - meet-greet - please see note in msg #23
Jenny (Ynnej)
Queen Bee
♥ Nora ♥

C. As an adult:
Tammie - pifm
Dutch
Elke - on-deck-4-chlges

April 2017 PIFM Challenge - Picking Rules

Most avid readers, and even many non-readers, have fond memories of certain children's books. Whether that memory stems from their childhood or from reading those books to their own children or grandchildren or the children of family or friends, just the mention of a title or story can often bring back warm, wonderful feelings. I hope you find something in the list below that brings back happy memories for you!

Green Eggs and Ham: Recommend a book set in the food industry, or with green on the cover.

Pippi Longstocking: Recommend a book set in Europe, or with red on the cover

The Boxcar Children: Recommend a book with a Mystery/Suspense plot or siblings in storyline, or with some form of transportation on the cover

The Story of Ferdinand: Recommend a story with a sweet/innocent or loner type character, or with flowers on the cover

A Wrinkle in Time: Recommend a book with a Sci-Fi or fantasy storyline, or with a mostly brown or black cover

Winnie-the-Pooh: Recommend a story involving close friends, or with the sky visible on the cover

Where the Wild Things Are: Recommend a book with animals in the story or on the cover or a PNR storyline, or with water on the cover

Little House in the Big Woods: Recommend a book with a Historical setting, or with tree(s) on the cover

Please make sure you have at least 4 books from your pickee's TBR and 4 that are new to them, but remember, too many options is often worse than too few! It can be overwhelming to have too many books to choose from. Please limit your picks to no more than two for each picking rule.

April 2017 PIFM Challenge - Pairings

Please pick for the person below you in your group. The last person in each group picks for the first person, for example Diane ~Firefly~ picks for Jojo.


✔ indicates picks have been made
Updated through msg #114

A. Can't remember not loving books:
✔Jojo
✔Kimberly
✔Romanticbookworm - pick-for-me
✔ Ezinwanyi~ThatEzi - meet-greet-recs or review-books
✔Sonja
✔Kait - up-next
✔~KarenH~ - cant-wait-to-read
✔Enqi - kindle-tbr (Private Profile)
✔MountainKat - to-read-asap
✔Fran - a-pifm-shelf (Private Profile)
✔LaurLa - 04-challenges-to-pick
✔Carrie
✔Stacie
✔Danielle Gypsy Soul - next-months-books
✔Nancy H
✔Pamela
✔Alexis - pifm-books
✔ ☘KathyD☘ - c-m-g-21
Shelby - current-challenge-to-reads
Mindy
✔Christine
✔Mary-Megan - pick-for-me-next
✔Heather - pifm
Suzanne
✔Diane ~Firefly~ - mng-picking

B. As a teen/young adult: and C. As an adult:
✔Queen Bee
✔♥ Nora ♥
✔Lekshmy
✔Rachel C. - must read by end of 2017
✔Elke - on-deck-4-chlges
✔Nicole - meet-greet - please see note in msg #23
✔Jenny (Ynnej)
✔Dutch
✔Tammie - pifm

**

**

i'm in...and i can't remember a time i didn't love books! (a)

I'm in! B - as a teen/young adult

must read by end of 2017

I'm in. A, can't remember not loving books.

I am in with A. Please pick from the following shelf: pick-for-me

I'm a C...always liked reading...but didn't really love it until I had time as an adult.
Please use: Tammie's PIFM Shelf

(private profile- I am happy to 'friend' anyone who gets paired with me!)

I am in and I'm an A....I can remember devouring Judy Blume books when I was a pre-teen. She may have started my love of reading.

Please use my PIFM shelf- https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

I'm in - A

B

I'm in! I'd have to say A - can't remember not loving books. My mom worked in a library so books have always been a part of my life.

Please use this list: Pick for me Next

I'm in for A... I was always that kid that had an open book hiding in her lap during the school day!

Alexis wrote: "I'm in for A... I was always that kid that had an open book hiding in her lap during the school day!"

Please use my PIFM books list.

I'm in for A - I've always loved books

mng_picking shelf

I'm In

A- Can't remember when I didn't love reading

Possible books for next month

A. Can't remember not loving books - my uncles read to me as soon as I could sit up and look at a book, and I have been hooked ever since (sometimes I laughingly accuse them of being responsible for my addiction - lol!)

Please add me. :)

I'm an A. My mom used to take me to Barnes & Noble for my birthday and whatever age I was was how many books I got to pick out.

So this challenge is extra perfect since my bday is in April. :)

I'm in :)

I'm a B. I got the shock of my life in high school when my word count per minute was not on par for my age. That spurred me on to improve.

Please use my Meet & Greet shelf :)

(Karen, can you possibly please put a note asking people to ignore It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover on my shelf. For some reason the gods of Goodreads won't allow me to remove it from any shelf ☹ I've got it earmarked for the M&G Challenge. Thanks so much ☺)

I'm an A, I've always loved books! I think it's genetic, my grandma was a librarian! =)

Please use my to-read-asap shelf! (Note to self, get this shelf updated!!)

I'm an A. Can't remember not loving books :D My mom read to me every night growing up from Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to the LotR trilogy.

My shelf - Up Next

I'm an A! According to my mom, I was easy to placate as a little kid - she would just dump picture books in my lap and I would stop crying and read for hours. I started reading Enid Blyton at 3 years old and by 8 or 9 I was reading the classics like Oliver Twist and Jane Eyre. From as early as I can remember, flipping pages at a few months old, books and I were inseparable. There used to be nothing I loved more than holding a book in my hands and I'd carry one everywhere I went. Now I'm more flexible with my Kindle, but I still bring some sort of reading material everywhere I go.

Please use my kindle-tbr shelf :-)

A!!!
My shelf: meet-greet recs or Review books

I'm in! B - As a teen/young adult
Please use my To-Read shelf :)

I'm in. A-have loved books all my life.
Please pick from my monster TBR shelf.

I am in and I Can't remember not loving books
04-challenges-to-pick

I'm new to the group but I would like to join in too please.

I'm C - As an adult.

A❤️
A good shelf: pifm

I'm in.
B: I fell in love with reading somewhere around 12 when I picked up one of my mom's romance novels. Shortly after that I had a school librarian hand me an Anne McCaffrey book and my fate was sealed. :)

Oh I'm absolutely an A. I've loved reading even before I can remember. My first memories of Mom reading to me and getting me interested in reading on my own.

Current Challenge to Reads

Please add me to the list this month. I cannot remember not loving books.

✱When did your love of reading begin?✱✱
A. Can't remember not loving books

I'm in - A - Can't remember not loving books.

My teachers used to test me on my reading books - they couldn't believe I wanted a new one every day!

I'm in and I'm an A!

I apologize for last month, I was in the middle of moving and I thought I would have internet again at our new place fairly quickly and it took a lot longer than we anticipated so I was unable to do my picks before the deadline.

I'm in A. Can't remember not loving books

Of course I'm in, and most definitely an A.

A couple of quick notes:

The signup list is current through here...please check the links for your profile and/or preferred shelf to be sure I didn't mess something up.

Also, I had to change the signup closing time by a few hours after initially posting the challenge...RL interfered just a bit. So, signups will now be closing at 6 PM EDT, and pairings and rules will be posted shortly after that. =)

i forgot to add my shelf Karen...please use this shelf...c-m-g-21

Almost missed it! I am in!

I am actually an "A" but I really started enjoying it more and more as an adult.

So since there are so few for "C"....put me down for that! :D

Please pick from my On deck 4 chlges

I would like to play, but am new so hoping I don't miss something or mess up!
And I'm definitely an A... Always had a book on hand!

Edit: Added a shelf for books that are currently on my Kindle waiting to be read - On Deck to Read. Hope that helps my picker...

Ok, I think I have all the changes and additions, and signups will be closing in a few minutes. Pairings and rules should follow soon after.

Signups are closed! Picking rules are posted in Msg #4, and pairings in Msg #5. Please be sure to use this list and not the signups list in Msg #3 to be sure you pick for the right person...enjoy!

Working on your picks this afternoon/evening Fran! It's been a while since I've been paired with you, even so I'm sure I'll have to work to find something new!

Hi KarenH :) I wasn't too familiar with the book on your preferred shelf so hopefully I picked some good ones.

Green Eggs and Ham: Recommend a book set in the food industry, or with green on the cover.
TBR: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (I can never not pick HP, one of my dogs is named Padfoot :D)
New: Kindling the Moon (Tiki bar owner - really fun completed UF/PNR series)

Pippi Longstocking: Recommend a book set in Europe, or with red on the cover
TBR: When the Duke Returns
New: The Perfect Rake (Surprisingly sweet and funny HR)

The Boxcar Children: Recommend a book with a Mystery/Suspense plot or siblings in storyline, or with some form of transportation on the cover
TBR: Fish Out of Water
New: Burn for Me (Neveda's big family is just one of the amazing things about this book)

The Story of Ferdinand: Recommend a story with a sweet/innocent or loner type character, or with flowers on the cover
TBR: I Want to Hold Your Hand
New: Loving Cara (Cara is incredibly sweet and so is this romance!)

A Wrinkle in Time: Recommend a book with a Sci-Fi or fantasy storyline, or with a mostly brown or black cover
TBR: The Only One
New: The Law of Attraction (Quick legal romance between groups of friends)

Winnie-the-Pooh: Recommend a story involving close friends, or with the sky visible on the cover
TBR: What it Takes
New: Too Hot to Handle (Mmmm that cover!)

Where the Wild Things Are: Recommend a book with animals in the story or on the cover or a PNR storyline, or with water on the cover
TBR: Sweet Adventure
New: Sleigh Bells in the Snow (Out of season but this is one of my favorite contemporary romance series)

Little House in the Big Woods: Recommend a book with a Historical setting, or with tree(s) on the cover
TBR: Fragments
New: Firelight (Amazing beauty and the beast retelling with a historical setting and paranormal/fantasy and steampunk elements)



ETA: I started to feel a little deja vu-ish and went back through my comment history and saw I picked for you in December. I must feel pretty strongly that you'll enjoy some of those new to you books because I picked them then too :P Here are two bonus new to you picks to make up for the doubles!
The Heist - A fun newer series from Evanovich. A little less zany than the Stephanie Plum series and no love triangle (YAY!)
Worth the Fall - So much yum. Such a great story about a mother getting a second chance at love.

MountainKat wrote: "Working on your picks this afternoon/evening Fran! It's been a while since I've been paired with you, even so I'm sure I'll have to work to find something new!"

Can't wait to see what you've got for me Kat!

For Danielle Gypsy Soul!

Green Eggs and Ham:
TBR:
NEW:

Pippi Longstocking:

TBR:
NEW:

The Boxcar Children:

TBR:
NEW:

The Story of Ferdinand:

TBR:
NEW:

A Wrinkle in Time:

TBR:
NEW:


Winnie-the-Pooh:

TBR:
NEW:

Where the Wild Things Are:

TBR:
NEW:

Little House in the Big Woods:

TBR:
NEW:

Hi LaurLa!

Here are your picks...I hope you find something you like here! Happy Reading!


Green Eggs and Ham:
Sweeter With You-tbr-green on cover

Pippi Longstocking:
Roman Crazy-new-red cover

The Boxcar Children:
Ex Games-new- siblings
Mischief and the Masters-tbr- they are cousins, a little cheat :)

The Story of Ferdinand:
Finding Master Right-new- loner- I really liked this one

A Wrinkle in Time:
Hail Mary-new- brown on cover
Rock Chick Reawakening-tbr- black cover

Winnie-the-Pooh:
Every Beat of My Heart-tbr- sky on cover

Where the Wild Things Are:
Ostrich and the 'Roo- tbr- PNR and animals- this series is so much fun
Completely Smitten- new- my favorite Mallery!- water on cover

Little House in the Big Woods:
Savage Urges-tbr- trees on cover
Dark Duke- new- historical- stand-alone in a series. this one is steamy and entertaining....so good