The Next Best Book Club discussion

I really love reading challenges because of the way it stretches your reading comfort zone, but I've always sucked at actually completing them.

In 2015, here at Goodreads, we kicked off our most outrageous challenge ever, borrowing The Beatles Reading Challenge from another group I was a part of, which had turned their songs into reading tasks. And 2016, we whipped up The REM Reading Challenge. (I really sucked at this one. I couldn't even complete one album, but man was it fun trying!). And then to honor David Bowie's passing, in 2017, we pulled together the Bowie Reading Challenge! This past year I decided to take a break from our music theme and challenged everyone to read whatever the fuck they wanted in our RWTFYW challenge. The only rule was that there were no rules : )

There's just something about reading challenges right??? and so..... because I am glutton for punishment, here we are again!

For 2019, I decided to return to the music theme. And I chose Guster this time I'm late discovering this band. I first heard their song Satellite on Pandora about two years ago and fell in love hard. Since then, I've seen them in concert twice (going back to see them again in January!) and after listening to most of their songs, I realized their lyrics and song titles would pair really well with reading tasks. So.. here we are!


Whether you know and love Guster, or this is the first time you are hearing of them, what I think is most cool about these kinds of reading challenges... is that you don't even have to be a fan of the bands to participate. You just have to be a fan of READING!!


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So here's how this works:


*The goal is to cross off as many Guster songs as you can throughout the course of 2019.

You can challenge yourself to complete one entire album, focus on completing one decades-worth of albums, or build your own challenge by hitting your favorite song titles... it's totally up to you!

*You cross off the songs by reading a book that meets the criteria listed after each song title.

If the book meets multiple reading tasks, cool! You can apply it to multiple song titles, OR you can make the reading challenge more challenging by limiting yourself to one song title per book.

*There is a built in redundancy with some of the tasks.

They are repetitive on purpose, to give you an opportunity to read more than one type of book and still get credit for completing a task. (Sneaky, I know!)

*You can copy and paste the entire list, or your customized challenge list, into your own thread in this goodreads folder and strike through the song titles as you complete them, OR, you can simply copy and paste each song title and its criteria from the master list here as you complete it. (obviously put your name in the thread title so we know whose challenge it is).

*Do not add your list directly to this thread.

*YOU MUST LIST THE BOOK TITLE AND AUTHOR that coincides with the song as you complete it for the challenge so we know what you read!


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An example of a completed song title task in your Challenge thread would look like this:

“Parachute” – Take the plunge and read a book in a genre you don’t normally read - Death Valley Superstars - Duke Haney

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Aaaaannnnnnnddddddd here's the list:
(Because it's quite long, it'll show up as multiple posts)

Parachute (1995)

“Fall in Two” – Read a book with a number in the title
“Mona Lisa” – Read a book about art or that features art
“Love for Me” – Read a love story
“Window” – Read a book with an inanimate object in the title
“Eden” – Read a book about temptation
“Scars & Stitches” – Read a used book, the more banged up the better
“The Prize” – Read a book about someone who’s lost themselves
“Dissolve” – Read a book and take credit here if it didn’t leave a lasting impression
“Cocoon” – Read a book while you’re wrapped up in a blanket, or under the sheets in bed
“Happy Frappy” – Read a book that takes place near or on a river
“Parachute” – Take the plunge and read a book in a genre you don’t normally read



Goldfly (1997)

“Great Escape” – Read a book while you’re on a road trip, or in which a portion of the book takes place in a car
“Demons” – Read a book that features an evil entity or someone with evil intent
“Perfect” – Read a book about drugs and drug use
“Airport Song” – Read a book that you picked up at an airport, or that features an airplane/airport
“Medicine” – Take a sick day and read a book
“X-Ray Eyes” – Read a song about a superhero or someone with strange powers
“Grin” – Read a book that makes you feel good
“Getting Even” – Read a book about revenge
“Bury Me” – Read a book in which a character dies
“Rocketship” – Read a book that takes place in outer space


Lost and Gone Forever (1999)

“What You Wish For” – Read a book that was on your wishlist
“Barrel of a Gun” – Read a book written by or featuring a movie star
“Either Way” – Read a book you’ve been on the fence about
“Fa Fa” – Read a book that features a made – up language or dialect
“I Spy” – Read a book from your TBR pile that is on one of your friend’s bookshelves
“Center of Attention” – Read a book written in first person
“All the Way Up to Heaven” – Read a book in your coziest, most favorite reading spot
“Happier” – Read whatever the fuck you want and take credit for it here
“So Long” – Read a book with more than 400 pages
“Two Points for Honesty” – Read a book that someone recommends to you and then tell them what you honestly thought of it
“Rainy Day” – Read a book on a rainy day

Keep It Together (2003)

“Diane” – Read a book with a female protag
“Careful” – Read a book that you borrowed from someone (and had to return in pristine condition)
“Amsterdam” – Read a book set in a different country
“Backyard” – Read a book written by an author from your hometown/city/state
“Homecoming King” – Read a book about high school or a book that features teenagers
“Ramona” – Read a book written by someone who identifies as female
“Jesus on the Radio” – Listen to a bookish podcast or an audiobook
“Keep it Together” – Read a book that keeps freaking you right the fuck out
“Come Downstairs and Say Hello” – Read a book while at, or hiding from, a family gathering
“Red Oyster Cult” – Read a book that features a mother or focuses on the character’s relationship with their mother
“Long Way Down” – Read a book written in third person
“I Hope Tomorrow is Like Today” – Read a book that takes place in the future
“Untitled Hidden Track” – Read a book that you uncovered accidentally
“Two at a Time” – Read a book written by two authors
“Say That to My Face” – Read a book someone would classify as a “guilty pleasure”
“Starless Heaven” – Read a book at the beach
“Days” – Read a book that takes place over the span of just a few days


Ganging Up on the Sun (2006)

“Lightning Rod” – Read a Cli-Fi book (a book that features climate change or strange weather)
“Satellite” – Read a book that takes place primarily at night
“Manifest Destiny” – Read a book that someone randomly selects for you off your bookshelf
“One Man Wrecking Machine” – Read a Sci-Fi book (extra points if it features time travel)
“The Captain” – Read a book that takes place on the ocean or on a ship/boat
“The New Underground” – Read a book that takes place in a dystopian setting/time, or features a cult
“Ruby Falls” – Read a book with a color in the title
“C’mon” – Read a book that didn’t sit well with you
“Empire State” – Read a book that takes place in NYC or is written by an author who calls NYC home
“Dear Valentine” – Read a book that takes place on or around a holiday
“The Beginning of the End” – Read a book about the end of the world
“Hang On” – Read a book that’s about another book, or is written as a book in a book


Satellite EP (2007)

“G Major” – Read a book about music or that features a band or musician
“Rise & Shine” – Spend the morning reading a book and take credit here
“Timothy Leary” – Read a book with a man’s name in the title
“I’m Through” – If you’re reading a book that you’re just not into, DNF it and take credit here

Easy Wonderful (2010)

“Architects & Engineers” – Read a book that takes place in a city
“Do You Love Me” – Read a book by your favorite author
“On the Ocean” – Read a book that is dark and foreshadowing
“This Could All Be Yours” – Read a self-help or motivational book
“Stay with Me Jesus” – Read a book that features religion or is about a religious conspiracy
“Bad Bad World” – Read a book in which the title contains the same word twice
“This is How it Feels to Have a Broken Heart” – Read a book that takes place during a war or features a character who has served in a war
“What You Call Love” – Read a book in your favorite genre
“That’s No Way to Get into Heaven” – Read a book in which the main character(s) does something wicked
“Jesus and Mary” – Read a book that features angels or a rapture/biblical end times
“Hercules” – Read a book about a mythological character
“Do What You Want” – Read whatever floats your boat and take credit for it here
“Well” – Read a book that takes you down a weird, trippy rabbit hole
“Jonah” – Read a book that features a giant fish or whale
“Lost at Sea” – Read a book and if it made it absolutely no sense to you, take credit here


On the Ocean EP (2011)

“Big White Bed” – Read a book in bed, and only in bed
“Every Moment” – Read a book that you just can’t put down/stop thinking about


Evermotion (2015)

“Long Night” – Read a book that kept you up all night
“Endlessly” – Read a book and take credit for it here if it felt like it was never going to end
“Doin’ it By Myself” – Read a book in which the protag is a hermit/antisocial/lonely
“Lazy Love” – Read a book instead of doing anything else and take credit for your procrastination here
“Simple Machine” – Read a digital book
“Expectation” – Read a book and if it didn’t meet your expectations, take credit here
“Gangway” – Read a book with just one word in the title
“Kid Dreams” – Read a book that features a child protagonist
“Never Coming Down” – Read a book that’s set in the 70’s
“It is Just What it is” – Read a book that’s pretty straightforward
“Farewell” – Read the last book written by an author


Look Alive (2019)

“Look Alive” – Read a book about zombies or dead people
“Don’t Go” – Read a book and if it made you wish it had never ended, take credit for it here
“Hard Times” – Read a book you borrowed from the library
“Hello Mr Sun” – Go outside, sit in the sun, and read a book, then take credit for it here
“Overexcited” – Read a book you could not wait to get your hands on
“Summertime” – Read a book that takes place in the summer
“Terrified” – Read a horror book
“Mind Kontrol” – Give into the hype and read a book that everyone else is talking about
“Not for Nothing” – Read a book that you know is going to piss you off
“When You Go Quiet” – Read a book that you get totally, 100% absorbed in and take credit for it here

Oooo that's exciting! I don't know Guster, so I'll have a listen too ;)

I'd love to hear what you think one you check them out Steph! Maybe start with "Satellite", that's one of my faves.

Sounds like fun! I'll give it a go, and I've never heard of Guster either :)

Cool Kylie! If nothing else, it's going to stretch your reading (and listening)!!

2019 is going to be an interesting year for me reading wise, I think! I'm going to be attempting at least three other reading challenges, plus this one. Not only that, but when I discovered this group I decided I'd try and complete the Bowie/REM/Beatles challenges. I'm trying not to double dip between challenges in this group and the other reading challenges I'm in - to expand my reading.

How Chrissie! Those are some aggressive reading challenges you are setting for yourself! Go reader go!!!

Lori wrote: "I'd love to hear what you think one you check them out Steph! Maybe start with "Satellite", that's one of my faves."

I've listened to a bit of Guster and I do like it! Satellite is indeed awsome. I'm sampling a bit of every album a tthe moment to get a better feel for it. Thanks for the discovery :)

you are very welcome!

Lori wrote: "How Chrissie! Those are some aggressive reading challenges you are setting for yourself! Go reader go!!!"

Thanks, Lori. I decided not to put a time frame on the musical based prompts, so if I don't finish the Guster prompts in 2019 then no worries. I can just carry on with it (and the other three) until I do. I just want to attempt the challenges.

Satellite is a great track! Looking fwd to doing this with you all :)

Well not interested in music but in for the reading challenge...
My first challenge for 2019...
I m gonna do 4-5 songs per album...

Thanks Lori for the challenge...

This sound exciting, I think I'll give it a try

Pretty progressive. I like the range of options.

Wow-I haven't listened to Guster since I was in grad school eons ago. Loaded up Amazon Prime music and ready to start the challenge! This looks like a whole lotta fun!

I loved the Beatles challenge (i did it, but way after it was posted!) so I am hoping to actually do this while everyone else is!
I just love these challenges I read soooo many good books I never would have thought to pick up!

Yay Sally! That's so cool to hear. Thank you for joining in!

Never heard of this band but definitely going to check them out.

I love that I can use a book on multiple lists. I like to see how many categories I can fit one book into - it is sort of a challenge within the challenge - how many does one book fit?

I love challenges as I try to whittle down the never-ending TBR pile.

Hell, i joined this group like few days ago. The challenge sounds really exciting! I already started some songs of the band;) I got some other books too on my reading list for 2019.

Thanks for joining in Cindy and Frishta, and for checking out the band's tunes too!!

Guster is my favorite band of all time. I'm super looking forward to this challenge. In fact, I joined this group specifically to participate!

So cool stephanie! We're thrilled to have you participate!

LOVE GUSTER! Excited for this challenge 😊

cook Catherine. can't wait to see how tackle it!

*cool.

So true story. I got the title of my sci-fi time travel novel, “In the Present Tense” from the Guster song: One Man Wrecking Machine. It fits the requirement for that song too. 😘

This is so awesome! I didn't have any crazy plans for 2019, but I'm gonna try it I'm excited. :)

Oh my goodness. This is so awesome! I only read 26 books last year as it was a struggle to stay motivated in today’s electronic-distraction age. I think you have found something to keep my attention. Thank you and Happy New Year!

I am a huge Guster fan, so this challenge is perfect for me! Getting started right away. Thank you!

Fantastic idea! I’m opening this reading challenge up to my family because we love Guster and have seen lots of shows together!

Carrie wrote: "So true story. I got the title of my sci-fi time travel novel, “In the Present Tense” from the Guster song: One Man Wrecking Machine. It fits the requirement for that song too. 😘"

I love that they influenced you to write a book!

Kristen wrote: "This is so awesome! I didn't have any crazy plans for 2019, but I'm gonna try it I'm excited. :)"

Yay Kristin, Glad we could help you find a fun thing to work on in 2019! Challenges for reading are the best!

Claire wrote: "Oh my goodness. This is so awesome! I only read 26 books last year as it was a struggle to stay motivated in today’s electronic-distraction age. I think you have found something to keep my attentio..."

Claire, no worries. I barely cracked 40 (which is really low for me). Do you read electronically?I find that having my Kindle app loaded up with books helps. Everytime I use twitter or facebook on my phone, I also sneak a page or two in my book! It helps : )

Joan wrote: "I am a huge Guster fan, so this challenge is perfect for me! Getting started right away. Thank you!"

Joan, I'm a newer fan, since I only just discovered them two years ago (how it took me so long, I'll never know!) but man, their songs are perfect for reading challenges!

Diane wrote: "Fantastic idea! I’m opening this reading challenge up to my family because we love Guster and have seen lots of shows together!"

Diane, that's really cool that you're whole family loves the band. I introduced my hubby to them when I took him to the second concert last fall. But he's not a reader, so this challenge is something I'll be doing on my own.

I never heard of Guster, although I like music. If I ever did hear of this band, it didn't make an impression.

I sucked at the 2018 RWTFYW challenge. I couldn't even RWTF I wanted, because I was enrolled (briefly) in an English class. Then I had to RWTF the professor wanted. I also attended a book discussion group so I had to RWTF the leader wanted. Sometimes I rebelled and didn't do it.

All I do is sleep, eat, watch TV, and read (here's that Oxford comma again). I don't even work very much.

I did read 38 1/2 books during the year, but my goal was to finish 50 books, so I don't consider that a success.

Maybe I'll check out the group Guster. No promises about the reading challenge. If I happen to read a book that fits the description, maybe I'll join in.

Oh Patricia, it sounds like you had a reading year like I did. I set a goal of a measley 50 and today I just read my 43. pathetic, and an all time low for me. pffft.

I hope 2019 will be better for both of us.

Perfect timing! I wanted to do a reading challenge this year (I've never done one before and am looking to expand my reading choices beyond my usual sphere) and I am a big Guster fan so this is just awesome. Really excited to get started with this. Thanks for coming up with the idea, Lori!

Cool Chris! Yay for fans of Guster and Challenges!!

This is amazing! I'm so happy for it! :)

Hustler? I don’t know who they are really, lol but I guess discovery is key in this challenge for me. I will be attempting to complete this challenge and the 125 book challenge for 2019! Let’s Go! Marking !!!

Guster lol

I am super excited about this. I am a HUGE Guster fan, and I also love to read. I'm thinking the combination of the two is really going to motivate me. I've been a fan of the band since the 90's and I've seen them over 70 time in concert with tickets to 6 shows in the next few months.

I'm starting at the beginning. I'm going to do 1 album at a time, but not necessarily in order within the albums. I think my first book is going to satisfy "Window", and I hope to finish it this week.

70 times, Angela?! Wow!!

That’s my best guess. I lost track for a while. I’m seeing them tomorrow and Saturday then 4 times in March.

Do you fly to see them, or only buy tickets to the places you can drive?

I'm seeing them in Philly on the 23rd (I was supposed to go tomorrow night but they cancelled to be on Seth Meyers). This will be my third time seeing them since September.