Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

The Incomplete Series 5 for 1 Mini Challenge!

This is a mini challenge for those of you who (like me) need extra organization and motivation to finish series. I've chosen the ratio of 5/1 for my extensive incomplete list, but feel free to adapt it to suit your own needs.

Rules: You must Finish, Bring UTD, or Abandon 5 series for every 1 you start.

Here's an example of what the trackers look like:

Niki's 5 for 1 Challenge Log [1]:
1. Obsidian and Stars [UTD]
2. The Operator [UTD]
3.
4.
5.
Started: Old Man's War [Pending...]

I'll be including this tracker in my regular Incomplete Series thread. I love it for a few reasons: 1. It's going to make me more discriminant about which new series I start. 2. Mathematically, it seems like the best way to start new series but also reduce the number of outstanding ones. 3. It gives me extra incentive to abandon series I'm just not enjoying, ensuring I'm reading only the best books first. And 4. It will increase the likelihood that I'll prioritize new releases to get those series back UTD before they get away from me (as they often do).

That's it! Hop aboard this organization-crazy challenge train and have some fun. :)

Dang, they knew what they were doing when they made you a mod Niki haha.

This is a great idea =]. Next time I want to add a series I'll definitely use this!

Great idea.

Few questions since it's your party.

1. Can I go in the hole for series already scheduled for buddy reads? And then make up the credits?

2. Can I treat audiobooks differently? (Sometimes when they library owns the entire series I have to take them when I can get them).

3. Are their exceptions for first books in a series where nothing else is published? I have two of these starting shortly Dancer's Lament and Soleri.

1. Absolutely! I'd put in a tracker for each instance and just fill in the slots as you catch up. Another less anal method would be just to list the series below your one current tracker.

2. You certainly can treat them differently, although I'm not sure how that will affect the challenge. Are you talking just not counting them as part of your overall outstanding goal or something?

3. Those, to me are kind of bonus books because you can start it and immediately use it as your next tracker's first slot as [UTD]. It still counts as starting a series, in my book, because it goes against your overall outstanding total and will require commitment in the future. Do what's fun for you, though. ;P

4. (Other thread) YES!!! That's exactly what I did haha.

Liam wrote: "Dang, they knew what they were doing when they made you a mod Niki haha.

This is a great idea =]. Next time I want to add a series I'll definitely use this!"

Haha thanks!! ^_^ If you want, you can start tracking now, so you'll have credit slots available for when you do start new series lol. I always like to give myself a buffer in case I go off the rails and start 5 series at once.

Good idea!

Love the idea Nikki.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "You certainly can treat them differently, although I'm not sure how that will affect the challenge. Are you talking just not counting them as part of your overall outstanding goal or something? ."

No they count but audiobooks generally have a long wait time than ebook. I need something to listen to in the car and if there's nothing in historical fiction I end up starting the audiobooks and just powering through them.

Thanks!!!

Ah okay I see what you mean. You start them more out of convenience than desire. Do you still add them to your overall challenge? Just throwing this out there, but perhaps any series you start this way doesn't have to take up a credit, but you also can't count any progress made with them towards future credits…

Like I said though, this is supposed to be fun and the end goal is to have fewer open series. I'm not going to be a hardass on the rules if you want to adapt it. :)

I'll work it out.

Great challenge idea Niki. As a serial challenge joiner. I feel like I should do this challenge!

Can we just add our mini challenge in this thread if we want?

Angela wrote: "Great challenge idea Niki. As a serial challenge joiner. I feel like I should do this challenge!

Can we just add our mini challenge in this thread if we want?"

Thanks! And sure - I thought about having it posted here but was concerned it would be difficult to find again. I think I'd prefer it in this thread too, though. Maybe I'll track mine in the same comment box as my main challenge, then paste it here when I complete 5. That could work!

Great idea! I will join in too. :)

Rules: You must finish, bring UTD, or Abandon 5 series for every 1 before you can start another.

Angela's 5 for 1 Challenge Log [1]:

1. The Dagger and the Coin - 2/5 - Abandoned.
2. Crescent City of Kristen Painter - 1/3 - Abandoned.
3. The Band - 1/3 - Up to date
4. October Daye - 11/11 Up to date
5. Greatcoats by Sebastien de Castell 3/4 - Abandoned

Reward: The Pillars of the Earth

I'm going to exclude any new series I've already commit to read though, so this challenge might take me a little while!

Bill's 5 for 1 challenge
1. Sandman - 7/17
2. Temeraire - 7/22
3. Alex Verus - 7/31 UTD
4. Deed of Paksenarrion - 8/3
5. Original Shannara - 8/10

I might end up switching mine to a 3 for 1. Most of my old series are kindle format and I have been doing 95% audiobooks this year. Would like to get in more than 2 rounds before running out of audiobook series.

Niki's 5 for 1 Challenge Log [1]:
1. Obsidian and Stars [UTD]
2. The Operator [UTD]
3. Midnight Thief [1/2] [Abandonded]
4. The Young Elites [2/3] [Abandonded]
5. The Darkest Minds [2/3] [Abandoned]
Started: Old Man's War - Yaaasss!!

Moving on to log [2]...

Great job Niki!

This is my current log haha. Some of these might take me awhile because of my need to start over dilemma =[.

Liam's 5 for 1 Challenge Log 1:
1. ABANDONED The Green Ember [1/3].
2. COMPLETED The Giver Quartet [4/4].
3. IN PROGRESS The Lord of the Rings [2/3].
4. IN PROGRESS Riyria Revelations [1/6]
5. UP NEXT Greatcoats [3/4]
[Pending: Assassin's Apprentice]

Well done Niki. The challenge is already really making me think if I want to carry on with series or not.

It's just making me keep thinking of what I want my reward to be.

Jenna's 5 for 1 Challenge Log [1]:
1. The Blood Mirror [UTD]
2. The Bear and the Nightingale [Abandoned]
3. The Crippled God [Finished]
4.
5.

I'm not going to include buddy reads I've already committed to for the new series.

Jenna wrote: "
2. The Bear and the Nightingale [Abandoned]

I'm not going to include buddy reads I've already committed to for the new series."

Glad I wasn't the only one. Agree with that decision.

Bill wrote: "It's just making me keep thinking of what I want my reward to be."

If you do five pushups you can have whatever you want to eat. One, ice cream, two, Doritos, three key lime pie, f-fuck this give me that pie. LOL.

Yeah I'm not personally including BR's that I already signed up for haha. It's too hard to get everything done by then, and I need to be at least a little bit flexible.

Liam wrote: "Yeah I'm not personally including BR's that I already signed up for haha. It's too hard to get everything done by then, and I need to be at least a little bit flexible."

Exactly. I would lose way too soon.

I just want pie

Margret wrote: "I just want pie"

Amen sister.

Liam wrote: "Great job Niki!

This is my current log haha. Some of these might take me awhile because of my need to start over dilemma =[.

Liam's 5 for 1 Challenge Log 1:
1. ABANDONED The Green Ember [1/3].
..."

Thank you – you too! And I really, really feel you on the reread dilemma. I hate going into a sequel not remembering key details from the first book/s, but there are so many new books I want to read that it's difficult to make time to reread. I can't believe you're tackling so many at once haha. I have an entire list of 30 books I'm going to have to reread before I can continue.

Angela wrote: "Well done Niki. The challenge is already really making me think if I want to carry on with series or not."

Thanks! I've definitely been scouring my list with extra motivation to DNF lol. It's like most of them aren't even worth hanging onto when assessed from this point of view. I'm glad it seems to be working! :D

Bill wrote: "It's just making me keep thinking of what I want my reward to be."

The reward is the single reason why this method works for me. It's an adaptation from my 1500 for 1 book buying system (for which I can buy one book for every 1500 pages I read) which has helped me curb my book spending for years now. I thought about introducing that as a challenge too, but this seemed like more fun at the time. :) The reward is everything - it makes you a lot more thoughtful when making your selection, and you usually come out the better end of the deal for it. Any thoughts what yours will be?

My first inclination was to be really rigid about counting the books I've already committed to towards the challenge (which is really easy for me to say considering I don't have any new series reads scheduled until September :P), but then I considered starting in September we're going to have a monthly book club commitment… I might have to follow suit and not count those. We will see if I can get ahead by then. I have my non-UTD incomplete series down to just 44, so I'm feeling really optimistic this challenge will help me get down to just 10 or so by this time next year.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Bill wrote: "It's just making me keep thinking of what I want my reward to be."

The reward is the single reason why this method works for me. It's an adaptation from my 1500 for 1 book buying syst..."

I'm leaning towards The Coldfire trilogy by C.S. Friedman. Starts with Black Sun Rising. Its one of those series I've been meaning to do for ages and just haven't done.

Bill wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Bill wrote: "It's just making me keep thinking of what I want my reward to be."

The reward is the single reason why this method works for me. It's an adaptation from my 1500 fo..."

Nice! From what I remember, it was a good first book. I wish I had time to continue on. I read it 16 years ago. :/

This is a great idea Niki! Thanks for sharing it!

I will actually try to unofficially incorporate it in my reading (probably with a different ratio 3:1 until I get to 7 open series).

Finished my first one:
Jenna's 5 for 1 Challenge Log [1]:
1. The Blood Mirror [UTD]
2. The Bear and the Nightingale [Abandoned]
3. The Crippled God [Finished]
4. The Fifth Season [Abandoned]
5. Calamity [Finished]

I haven't chosen the new series I'll start, but I'm down to 4 incomplete (not including up to date) series.

Jenna wrote: "Finished my first one:
Jenna's 5 for 1 Challenge Log [1]:
1. The Blood Mirror [UTD]
2. The Bear and the Nightingale [Abandoned]
3. The Crippled God [F..."

Well done Jenna!

Angela wrote: "Well done Jenna!"

Thank you!

Kayleigh's 5 for 1 Challenge Log 1:

1. Broken Empire [Abandoned].
2. Riyria [In progress: 4/6].
3. ACOTAR [ In progress: 2/3]
4. The Vagrant [Abandoned]
5. The Shadow Campaigns [In progress 1/5]

Pending: The Lunar Chronicles

Jenna - only 4??! O_o

Wtg! You might need to adjust your ratio haha. Pretty soon you'll be at 1 for 1 lol.

Kayleigh - great progress! Riyria is one I'm also in progress with.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Jenna - only 4??! O_o

Wtg! You might need to adjust your ratio haha. Pretty soon you'll be at 1 for 1 lol."

Yeah I was thinking that! I have only been reading fantasy for the past couple of years so my list isn't as impressive as a lot of the crazy long lists people have in this challenge.

What are you trying to say Jenna. ;-) Haha I've added 8 new series to my list and completed 4. I think the year is up for me end of October. The odds are pretty certain my list will increase year on year!

Tammie's 5 for 1 Challenge Log 1:

1. Abandoned- Sofi Snow series
2. Abandoned- Beware the Wild series
3. Abandoned- Not a Drop to Drink series
4. Up to date- Legends of the First Empire
5. Advanced- Miss Fortune Mysteries
[Pending: ] Ironhand's Daughter

I'm not going to count the NetGalley books I've committed to read, so there will be some new series I start that won't be counted on here.

Tammie wrote: " Tammie's 5 for 1 Challenge Log 1:

1. Abandoned- Sofi Snow series
2. Abandoned- Beware the Wild series
3. Abandoned- Not a Drop to Drink series
4. Up to date- Legends of the First Empire
5. Adva..."

Very nice! I decided I wasn't going to count Netgalley either. I don't have any current issues with over requesting, so I should be okay haha.

Niki's 5 for 1 Challenge Log [2]:
1. Daughter of Smoke & Bone [1/3] [Abandoned]
2. The Glittering Court [2/2] [UTD]
3. Furies of Calderon [6/6] [Finished]
4. Salvage [1/2] [Abandoned]
5. Ivory and Bone [2/2] [Abandoned]
Started: An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors

Okay, I changed my mind. I'm enjoying my progress so much that I decided to include ARCs and committed BR. It's working for what I'm trying to do with my challenge. :)

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Niki's 5 for 1 Challenge Log [2]:
1. Daughter of Smoke & Bone [1/3] [Abandoned]
2. The Glittering Court [2/2] [UTD]
3. Furies of Calderon [6/6] [Finished..."

Good work!

Tammie wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Niki's 5 for 1 Challenge Log [2]:
1. Daughter of Smoke & Bone [1/3] [Abandoned]
2. The Glittering Court [2/2] [UTD]
3. [book:Furies of Calderon|29..."

Thank you! ^_^

Finished my first round

Bill's 5 for 1 challenge
1. Sandman - 7/17
2. Temeraire - 7/22
3. Alex Verus - 7/31 UTD
4. Deed of Paksenarrion - 8/3
5. Original Shannara - 8/10

Haven't decided what I'm going to start. I did start Kings of the Wyld the other day not realizing it is a series so not counting it.

Bill wrote: "Finished my first round

Bill's 5 for 1 challenge
1. Sandman - 7/17
2. Temeraire - 7/22
3. Alex Verus - 7/31 UTD
4. Deed of Paksenarrion - 8/3
5. Original Shannara - 8/10

Haven't decided what I'm..."

Awesome! Now you're on to the funnest part of picking a new series. :)

Bill wrote: "Finished my first round

Bill's 5 for 1 challenge
1. Sandman - 7/17
2. Temeraire - 7/22
3. Alex Verus - 7/31 UTD
4. Deed of Paksenarrion - 8/3
5. Original Shannara - 8/10

Haven't decided what I'm..."

Great work Bill.