Albany Public Library discussion

The summer reading program officially runs from June 24, 2017 - August 19, 2017
Only books started on or after June 24 and marked as completed by end of the day August 19 will count towards your official tally.

For each book you complete during this time frame, you will receive one raffle ticket that will be entered into the tiered prize drawing.
For this program's purposes, the book count/prize tiers are:

1-10 $10 Stewart’s Gift Card
11-21 $25 Little Book House Gift Card
21+ $50 Visa Gift Card

How do we know what books you read?
Once you have completed a book, add the book the group's bookshelf by scrolling to the bottom of the page and adding the title. Be sure to add reading start and finish dates to your entry too!

EARN EXTRA CREDIT
We want to know what you thought of the books you read! Get a little "extra credit" by writing a review of any (or all) the books you read- we'll bump your book count up by one for each review you write.

And if you think that sounds awesome, you will be delighted to hear that you can earn even more extra credit! All you need to do is START READING A WEEKLY THEME BOOK during its designated date (see below) and have these books completed by the conclusion of the program on August 19.

Example: If you start a Beach Read title on July 4 and mark it completed on July 23, you will receive the extra credit for this title.

Week 1 (July 3-9) - Beach Reads
Week 2 (July 10-16) - Staff Pick (from our 2016 staff picks, or ask your local librarian!)
Week 3 (July 17-23) - Non-Fiction
Week 4 (July 24-30) - Award-Winner or Classic
Week 5 (July 31-August 6) - Genre (mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, etc)
Week 6 (August 7-11) - Challenge Yo’ Self! (read outside your comfort zone)
Week 7 (August 14) - Treat Yo’ Self! (reader’s pick)

Suggested titles are uploaded in the post "Weekly Theme Book Suggestions," or you can pick up a handy bookmark with lots of great book ideas at at your local APL branch. Questions? Post them here, or talk to the librarian at your local branch!

Okay, maybe a dumb question, but today (6/24) is our official start date and we can get credit for books started today through the end date. However, "Week 1" is listed as July 3-9. Can we start beach reads today? Or are we in a kind of "Week 0"?

I wondered about that too! I read my Beach Read yesterday!

Mirkat wrote: "Okay, maybe a dumb question, but today (6/24) is our official start date and we can get credit for books started today through the end date. However, "Week 1" is listed as July 3-9. Can we start be..."

Mirkat and Kathleen - great questions!

You are correct, we are in a week 0, per se, but you can definitely start and finish your beach reads at any point between June 24-August 19 and receive "extra credit" for it.

Because of how busy everybody is during the summer weeks, we didn't want to make things overly complicated or stressful and say that you HAD to read a specific type of book within a week's time. So we simplified things and said that if you read ANY of the highlighted weekly themes at any point over the course of the program, you will be guaranteed the extra credit for the book.

how do you add a book to the summer reading 2017 bookshelf ?

Alex wrote: "how do you add a book to the summer reading 2017 bookshelf ?"

Hi Alex! You can add books to the group's bookshelf by scrolling to the bottom of the page and adding the title. You'll have to search for the title of the book again and select it, similar to what you do when you add it to your personal Goodreads bookshelf.
Be sure to add reading start and finish dates to your entry too!

On the top right, under the group name, click "Bookshelf." On the top left of that page, use the search box to find the book you want to enter. Once you've found it, click the "Add to Group" button on the right. You can add some details there, like why you read it and when. Make sure to click the bold line "choose shelves" to add it to the summer reading shelf. When you're done, click "Save Group Book."
You can /also/ rate and review the book on the book's page! When it comes up in the search, click the stars to give it a star rating, and that should open a popup that says "write a review."

One of the books I am trying to add is already listed. How do I make sure this is counted for my summer reading 2017?

Lauren wrote: "One of the books I am trying to add is already listed. How do I make sure this is counted for my summer reading 2017?"

Hi Lauren, if the book you are trying to add is already listed on the group's bookshelf, adding it to your personal Goodreads bookshelf will cause a message to populate in the books "What Members Thought" section in the "View Activity" link of a specific title.

Your name and the date of your most current activity will appear in this section. So your book will definitely count!

Hi, I'm interested in joining the Albany summer reading program and I'm currently reading Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. Thanks! I look forward to seeing what everyone else reads.

I am clearly too full of grass pollen to follow directions... so I mark the book as read as I normally do for Goodreads, but then have to do it again -- rate, write review, add dates, etc -- to add it to the APL bookshelf? Help...? (I *did do that, albeit after trying to follow the directions on my phone and realizing I had to get on my laptop...) I think I did it correctly, but I feel like I'm missing an obvious step where I can just make "summer-reading-2017" a bookshelf on my personal page...? Thank you!

Betsy, I haven't added a book to the group shelf yet, but I don't think you need to rate and review all over again when you shelve the book here... Just enter your dates?

Betsy wrote: "I am clearly too full of grass pollen to follow directions... so I mark the book as read as I normally do for Goodreads, but then have to do it again -- rate, write review, add dates, etc -- to add..."

Hi Betsy,

You don't have to do any of that! Just go to our group's Bookshelf, search for the book in the search box, and then click "add to group". The only thing you need to add is the date you started it (and, later, finished it). Then we can see that you added it, and we'll count it for your total. If you want to add all that other info, too, you can, but we don't need it for our purposes.
Let me know if you have any more questions-- and thanks, too, for your response, Mirkat!

Thank you both!! Am clearly a moron with a predilection for late night confusion... lol. Ty!

Where can I find the 2016 staff picks list?

Katie wrote: "Where can I find the 2016 staff picks list?"

Hello Katie! Thanks for your question! I just uploaded a discussion thread for the "Staff picks" weekly theme. You can find the fiction and non-fiction selections there.

Betsy wrote: "I am clearly too full of grass pollen to follow directions... so I mark the book as read as I normally do for Goodreads, but then have to do it again -- rate, write review, add dates, etc -- to add..."

Good question...following!

Mrs. Mother wrote: "Betsy wrote: "I am clearly too full of grass pollen to follow directions... so I mark the book as read as I normally do for Goodreads, but then have to do it again -- rate, write review, add dates,..."

Hi Mrs. Mother,

You can see my or Mirkat's replies above for an answer to this question-- you don't have to put all the information in again! Hope this helps!

Lauren wrote: "Mrs. Mother wrote: "Betsy wrote: "I am clearly too full of grass pollen to follow directions... so I mark the book as read as I normally do for Goodreads, but then have to do it again -- rate, writ..."

Thanks so much!

Hello!

Question, it says to choose a leaders name at the bottom we don't have to fill that out do we?

Panda, I have been leaving the "leader" field blank without problems...

Mirkat wrote: "Panda, I have been leaving the "leader" field blank without problems..."

Panda wrote: "Hello!

Question, it says to choose a leaders name at the bottom we don't have to fill that out do we?"

No, the only things you really need are the book itself and the starting and ending dates.

So, for the first book I shelved, I did enter start date but not finish date, because I noticed that when I completed my rating and review, that showed up in the activity of the book. Do I need to go back in and add finish date? I am not entirely sure how to do that, once the book is already shelved....

Mirkat wrote: "So, for the first book I shelved, I did enter start date but not finish date, because I noticed that when I completed my rating and review, that showed up in the activity of the book. Do I need to ..."

Hi Mirkat! To add a finish date to a book on the group bookshelf, you'll first need to go to the group bookshelf and find your book listing. We are gathering quite a list so it would be easiest to expand the list to 200 records shown and then search for your username. You can adjust the number of records shown on the page by scrolling to the bottom of the group bookshelf page and using the number drop down menu.

Once you locate your book title, on the right side you the row you will see two links "view activity" and "edit." Click on "edit" and you can add the finish date into the window that pops up. Let me know how this works out for you!

Julia wrote: "Once you locate your book title, on the right side you the row you will see two links "view activity" and "edit." Click on "edit" and you can add the finish date into the window that pops up. Let me know how this works out for you! ."

Done--thanks!

Everything, Everything Excellent read! I can totally related to all the characters in the book and how/why they made the decisions that they did.
Up in the Treehouse Total beach read but also an award winner. Friendships, lost love, found love, second chances, moving on... this has it all.

What Lies Beyond The Stars

I just finished this lovely book this morning. The main character Adam Shepard is numb and going about about his days on autopilot, which a lot of people can relate too. He creates video games and is seen as struggling with mental health issues but it's more so everyone else in society around him are suffering. Suffering from lack of genuine feelings and friendships.

Reinventing Your Life: The Breakthrough Program to End Negative Behavior...and Feel Great Again I read this book quickly, it's an excellent "self help" type book and I recommend it if you're looking to change or have more awareness about your life.

How can I see what I already put on the list without looking through many pages of the list? I realized that I had to enter a book 2x-once on Goodreads and then again on the list.

Jody wrote: "How can I see what I already put on the list without looking through many pages of the list? I realized that I had to enter a book 2x-once on Goodreads and then again on the list."

I would sort by who added what books into the group.