Play Book Tag discussion

I know you have all been anxiously awaiting the reveal of the 2020 PBT Challenges! Well, the time is finally here!

The next few posts have details of the challenges and you can ask questions here. But, I will be opening separate sign up threads in hopes of keeping things less confusing to me.

Without further ado....

The PBT Challenge voted on by you is:
PBT Decades BINGO!

The super secret mystery challenge is:
2020 Poll Ballot Tally!

Check out the rules below and ask question below!

PBT Decade Bingo

The admins will make BINGO cards for each person who signs up for this challenge. To ensure that you have your BINGO card by the end of the day on December 26th, be sure to sign up on the thread linked to below no later than the end of the day on December 22nd! However, you can jump into this challenge at any time throughout the year by sending me a personal message and I will make you a BINGO card.

We will assign random years to each card so that each square has a year. B will have random years from 1970-1979, I 1980-1989, etc. through O. The middle square will be a freebie! I will be making all of the BINGO cards in Google Drive/Sheets so you will have online access to your card. I will also be keeping track of everyone's progress there.

On the 1st and 15th of every month, we will announce a randomly selected year. If that year is on your card, then you read a book that was originally published that year. For the first month, so that people can plan their first read, I will announce the first year on December 26th followed by the next on January 15th to get us back on track. I apologize that it cannot be sooner, but, like you all, I also have holiday travel and gatherings and this is the earliest I can get the bulk of the BINGO cards made.

We will have one reporting thread and, once you post your review, then you get to fill in that square! I do ask that you notify me which square you are completing (e.g., N-1994) and if you have a BINGO. I will do my best to tally those every two weeks as well.

There will be several different configurations for which you will receive participation points. You will receive the points indicated below for each one that you complete and the first person to complete each one will receive a bonus 10 points.
• traditional BINGO of a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line (5 pts each)
• four corners of the first and last year in your B and O columns (5 pts)
• "X" of diagonal line in each direction (5 pts in addition to the 5 pts you get for each of the diagonal lines under category 1)
• "L" of the entire column of B or O in combination with all of the years along either the top or bottom of the BINGO grid (5 pts in addition to the 5pts you get for each of the regular lines under category 1. The maximum bonus for this is for 2 "L"s)
• blackout for filling in every square on the board. If no one completes a full blackout (it will require that every year announced in on your card and that you read the book!), then the person who has the most squares filled in at the end of the year will get this bonus. (20 pts in addition to all of the points you get for the above combinations)

For this one, you do not have to read a book for the year as soon as it is announced and you do not have to read every single year that is announced. You can be strategic if you like!

Questions? Comments? Want to play? Sign up on the sign up thread!

2020 Poll Ballot Tally

2020 is a presidential election year here in the U.S. and while we have international members among our PBT ranks, the admins have crafted a reading challenge based on the election process. Don't worry, it is totally politics free!

Honestly, you do not even need to know anything about the electoral college except for this small fact: the United States has something called an Electoral College, which basically just means that each state has a certain number of "votes" (based on population) that it "casts" for the presidential candidate that wins that states popular vote.

Let me break that down a bit more using Connecticut (because that is where I live!) as an example. Connecticut is a fairly small state and has 7 Electoral College votes. How do I know? Check out the map in the next post below. So, residents of Connecticut cast their votes on Election Day and the winning candidate gets our 7 Electoral College votes. The winning candidate in our state gets all 7 votes regardless if they won with 51% of the vote or 99%. The presidential candidate who gets 270 out of the 538 total Electoral College votes is the next President of the United States!

Want more info? Check out the U.S. National Archives website or this pretty awesome TedEd video.

Great. Thanks for the U.S. election lesson, Nicole. But, what does this have to do with reading?!

Well, we are going to have our own PBT Election! And you can claim Electoral College votes by reading books that fit a tag assigned to each state. There is both an individual component and a team component.

So, let's start with the individual component. Each person can collect Electoral College votes by reading the tag assigned to each state. Unlike the real election, it is not "winner takes all," but instead we will apportion out the Electoral College votes, going down to decimals if necessary.

For example, Washington State has 12 electoral college votes, and the tag associated with that state is "coffee." Anita reads a book that fits "coffee" and she posts her review. If she is the only member that posts a review for that state, then she gets all 12 electoral college votes, but I am not letting that happen! I read a "coffee" book and post my review. So, if it is just the two of us, we split the 12 votes with 6 each. More and more people can read for the state and one person can read more than one book for the state so they get multiple "shares" when it is divided up. So, for example, if Anita would then read a second "coffee" book, then she would have read 2 books and I would have read 1 book, so she would get 2/3rds of the votes (8) and I would get 1/3rd of the votes (4).

But there will also be a team challenge component. Once people sign up (see below), the admins will divide you into two teams, the purple team and the green team to start, but you can also come up with your own party name if you like! The team that gets the most Electoral College votes is the winning team! (Think of it like winning a majority in Congress). You can be strategic and help your top player to win while also trying to win the majority for your team.

Sound like fun?

If you want to play, then please sign up by December 22nd. To sign up, check out our sign up thread. The admins will then divide everyone in two teams. You can sign up after December 22nd as well--and even into 2020--but if you know you want to play please sign up sooner rather than later so we can make the teams as even as possible. This Challenge will run from January 1, 2020 until 8:00 PM EST on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

An electoral college map as well as the list of tags for each state is in the first post below this announcement.

Questions? Comments? We know you have them. Fire away.

The Electoral College map:

You did such a great job making recommendations for tags that fit each state! The admins had lots of discussion behind the scenes to not just pick iconic tags, but to balance the genre of tags as well as throw in plenty of narrow options that members have been asking for! For this challenge, the book you read must be tagged with the exact tag that is on the list!

Also, there will be some participation points awarded for the suggestions, and Anita will be posting those.

And finally, the official list of tags for the Poll Ballot Tally challenge:
Alabama - civil rights
Alaska - Inuit
Arizona - Grand Canyon
Arkansas - education
California - Hollywood
Colorado - Rocky Mountains
Connecticut - Constitution
Delaware - business
District of Columbia - presidents
Florida - Disney
Georgia - antebellum
Hawaii - volcanoes
Idaho - nature
Illinois - comedy
Indiana - auto racing
Iowa - politics
Kansas - weather
Kentucky - horses
Louisiana - southern gothic
Maine - Stephen King
Maryland - Navy
Massachusetts - witches
Michigan - Great Lakes
Minnesota - vikings
Mississippi - blues
Missouri - pioneers
Montana - wildlife
Nebraska - farming
Nevada - gambling
New Hampshire - hiking
New Jersey - mafia
New Mexico - extraterrestrials
New York - Broadway
North Carolina - Appalachia
North Dakota - paleontology
Ohio - industry
Oklahoma - Great Depression
Oregon - ecology
Pennsylvania - Amish
Rhode Island - sailing
South Carolina - pirates
South Dakota - frontier
Tennessee - country music
Texas - space
Utah - Mormon
Vermont - libraries
Virginia - FBI
Washington - coffee
West Virginia - mining
Wisconsin - cheese
Wyoming - western

Just making sure I read it correctly-We can we read any State in any month?

Joanne wrote: "Just making sure I read it correctly-We can we read any State in any month?"

Yep! It is a total free-for-all for when you read books for each state! You have the whole year (well, until early November) to plan and read your books.

In fact, BINGO is also a bit of a free-for-all. I will be announcing a year every two weeks, but there is no time limit for when you have to read a book for that year, if at all!

We had two challenges this year that has strict month limits to your reading and I know that people simply ran out of time or perhaps didn't have time to get the book they really wanted to read from the library, so the challenges this year are more fluid.

Will we have the same rules concerning the page count and the use of picture books? The first state thread that I looked at had one of my favorite read-aloud picture books at the top of the list. My kindergarten teacher library might have a picture book for nearly every state.

Except, New Jersey! As a native of the state, I object to your shelf choice! An unfair stereotype for the mighty Garden State.

Jgrace wrote: "Will we have the same rules concerning the page count and the use of picture books? The first state thread that I looked at had one of my favorite read-aloud picture books at the top of the list. M..."

As always with our challenges, picture books are not allowed. There is also a 150 page minimum, which eliminates short shorties and novellas unless they are bound in a longer anthology.

Jgrace wrote: "An unfair stereotype for the mighty Garden State."

Ha! Perhaps unfair in these days, but certainly a large part of the state's history. And a fun tag ;)

In all honestly, it would have fit with Massachusetts or Rhode Island as well!

Nicole R wrote: "Joanne wrote: "Just making sure I read it correctly-We can we read any State in any month?"

Yep! It is a total free-for-all for when you read books for each state! You have the whole year (well, u..."

Oh Mama-don't give the children ideas with the phrase" a Free-For-All."....😂

So fun! The 2020 Poll Ballot Tally is brilliant and we all helped create it! Love it.

Admins, you've been VERY busy behind the scenes! What amazing, inventive, and super-cool challenges! I love that there aren't monthly deadlines for when books can be read. I'm signing up for both! :)

I'm excited for both challenges. I like the poll ballot challenge admins. Great surprise challenge! I'm picturing all the list makers here already starting lists for each state tag, and I'll be spending part of my day making lists too :-)

I have gotten a couple of questions behind the scenes and am going to answer them here because others may have the same ones!

For Poll Ballot Tally, do I have to read for every state?

No, you do not have to read for every state. You can just read for the ones you find interesting or ones that you have time for! You can read anywhere from 1 to 50 books!

I would like to play Poll Ballot Tally as an individual only and not on a team. Can I do that?

Unfortunately no. And here is why. Everyone automatically plays as an individual and every book you read will help your team! Each team will have a range of players from casual reader who may only read for a handful of states up to very intense players who may even read for all 50!

Any contribution you make will help your team, and the admins expect the teams to be accommodating and understanding of all of their members, recognizing that each will have a different level of involvement.

For Poll Ballot Tally, can I read one book for more than one state?

No.

for some of the tags eg nature or business, does it have to be American or can it be from another country?

Jenny, they can be from any country. The only qualification for books regarding subject matter is that they are tagged with the exact tag for the state.

For the state books, they just have to be tagged as that specific tag correct? Not necessarily take place in that state also?

Joni wrote: "For the state books, they just have to be tagged as that specific tag correct? Not necessarily take place in that state also?"

Correct. The only requirement is that the book is tagged with the exact tag designated for the state.

First of all - Your challenges are wonderful! I love how you manage to invent something creative and new every year - spoiling us all

And a question of my own - since my main challenge is reading a book for every year 1900-2019, of which I’ve finished 80 but still have 40 to go... can I have at least some of my missing years as the bingo? (According to rules - one of each decade or whatever you guys decided). It will still be just as random with you calling the numbers...

Idit, your challenge sounds very interesting and it is impressive that you have already completed 80 of the 120 books! However, your BINGO card will be completely random just like every else who is playing. But you have a decent chance that there will be some overlap!

Cool (but u might wanna change the spelling of my name lol)

Are graphic novels, plays, full books of short stories (not just the one short story) ok for the challenges of they have 150 pages or more?

Idit wrote: "Cool (but u might wanna change the spelling of my name lol)"

Hahaha! Sorry about that! My autocorrect on my phone is mean.

Idit wrote: "Are graphic novels, plays, full books of short stories (not just the one short story) ok for the challenges of they have 150 pages or more?"

Yes, ma'am!

I'm concerned about the narrowness of the tags for the states. Some tags have only 200-300 books, whereas we're accustomed to tags with thousands of books. Requiring that the tag is exact makes it even more restrictive. For instance, there are many books that feature the Minnesota Vikings but no one has used "vikings" as a tag for those books.

Is there any flexibility here?

Nancy, there is no flexibility, the tag must match exactly. It is the way that we can best ensure that the pool of books everyone is working from is the same without introducing subjectivity.

And yes, some of the tags are fairly specific with only a couple hundred options, which is all part of the design! Trust me, we looked at every single tag that we selected multiple times and are aware of what is on the shelves.

But, remember, there is no requirement that you read for every single state so if one of the tags is too narrow for you or you cannot find something that strikes your fancy, then simple do not read for that state.

You are right, AJ! You can read more than one book per state so you theoretically could read many more than 50 books for this challenge!

Nicole R wrote: "
PBT Decade Bingo

Question: Will the decades all be 20th century? or some 21st century?


The admins will make BINGO cards for each person who signs up for this challenge. To ensure that you have your BINGO card by the end of the day on December 26th, be sure to si..."

Nicole R wrote: "
PBT Decade Bingo


The admins will make BINGO cards for each person who signs up for this challenge. To ensure that you have your BINGO card by the end of the day on December 26th, be sure to si..."

Judy wrote: "Question: Will the decades all be 20th century? or some 21st century?"

The decades are as follows:

B: 1970-1979
I: 1980-1989
N: 1990-1999
G: 2000-2009
O: 2010-2019

These both look like fun!

Nicole R wrote: "I have gotten a couple of questions behind the scenes and am going to answer them here because others may have the same ones!

For Poll Ballot Tally, do I have to read for every state?

No, you do ..."

Wait, so I could play and just skip the states where the tags are not my thing since in my life I have btdt with every tag on there, I kid you not (even if they aren't on those shelves)? There are a fair number of tags like that, so I wasn't going to do this one, but if it helps my team then perhaps I could do this. BUT since I can read more than one book per state, this is a different kettle of fish entirely.

Question - will there be a tag for Washington DC. Don’t they have electoral votes also?

Oh my gosh! How could I forget DC, especially as I used to live there?!

Yes, DC will be added. It has 3 electoral college votes and the admins will select that one as we have already finished soliciting suggestions.

Stand by....

And the tag for District of Columbia will be....presidents! I will add it to the master list above.

Rose wrote: "Question - will there be a tag for Washington DC. Don’t they have electoral votes also?"

That was my question this morning, Rose-good catch!

Karin wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "I have gotten a couple of questions behind the scenes and am going to answer them here because others may have the same ones!

For Poll Ballot Tally, do I have to read for every st..."

Yea! Play Karin-you can pick and choose which ones you want to read and a team will thank you for your effort!

Love both these ideas, and I really appreciate the approach this year of more relaxed, laid back challenges. This year was fun and had amazing challenges, but the 3 books a month structure really wore on me towards the end. I love that these are much more fluid, "come and go" challenges, with varying levels of participation and no set "finish line".

Thanks, Mods for everything you do for us nerdy readers here who love games and challenges.

Karin wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "I have gotten a couple of questions behind the scenes and am going to answer them here because others may have the same ones!

For Poll Ballot Tally, do I have to read for every st..."

That is correct, Karin. You do not have to read for every single state and you can read more than one book per state if you like.

Anything you read will help your team and you can be as competitive or noncompetitive as an individual player as you like!

Nicole R wrote: "And the tag for District of Columbia will be....presidents! I will add it to the master list above."

perfect!

Cracking up while scrolling through these tags. Heads up everyone-Although Cheese is used by "foodies" it is also used as marking a book as " a cheesy read"-lol

Joanne wrote: "Cracking up while scrolling through these tags. Heads up everyone-Although Cheese is used by "foodies" it is also used as marking a book as " a cheesy read"-lol"

And Jane Eyre being tagged as extraterrestrial lol

AJ wrote: "We will be allowed to double up on challenges as usual, correct? Because I started going through books from the 1970s and 1980s recently and now looking at some of the tags I see there’s books that..."

I am going to break down your questions just a bit....

Can we read one book for more than one challenge?

Yes, you can read one book for more than one challenge. For example, if you read a book published in 1974 for BINGO that is also tagged "presidents" then you can count it for both the BINGO challenge and the Poll Ballot Tally challenge. And, if it also fits that month's tag, you can count it for that too!

Can we use one book to satisfy more than one category of the same challenge?

No. You cannot use one book that fits, for example, "presidents" and "politics" in Poll Ballot Tally.

For BINGO, the book that you read for the year must have been originally published in the BINGO year not merely tagged that way on GoodReads. So, it is impossible for any book to even potentially be used twice in BINGO.

That does mean that your research into potential BINGO books will have to go a bit farther than just the tag lists for that year because GoodReads does not just use the year tags to indicate publication years. Some easy google searching should get you some great options though!

Can we read the book for BINGO at any point in 2020 after the year is announced?

Yes! We will announce a new year every two weeks (the 1st and 15th of every month with the exception of the very first year which will be announced on December 26th).

You can then read the books in whatever order you want and there is no requirement to read all of them. You can be strategic to get your BINGOs!

That does mean that your research into potential BINGO books will have to go a bit farther

GReads always, in my experience, lists the "originally published" date in brackets if there was more than 1 publication date. Just thought I would make note of that here, as it is something I am very careful about on one of my other challenge sites

Can we read the book for BINGO at any point in 2020 after the year is announced?

Just to be clear, can I assume we can also read a book on our BINGO card BEFORE the year is announced (just in case it's announced later)? Is that a feasible strategy?

Nicole R wrote: "Karin wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "I have gotten a couple of questions behind the scenes and am going to answer them here because others may have the same ones!

For Poll Ballot Tally, do I have to rea..."

Well, we'll see how competitive I feel this year--sometimes I am very competitive and other times not so much ;)!! BUT I will participate for sure!!

Joanne wrote: "That does mean that your research into potential BINGO books will have to go a bit farther

GReads always, in my experience, lists the "originally published" date in brackets if there was more tha..."

Good point Joanne. I think you alerted us to that field in our Settings (which saved me a lot of time with classical books). Have you noticed if there is ever a discrepancy based on country of publication? I know that issue sometimes comes up with movie awards, and maybe book awards as well. For our purposes, I would assume we would use the earliest date, regardless of country of publication.

Joanne wrote: "That does mean that your research into potential BINGO books will have to go a bit farther

GReads always, in my experience, lists the "originally published" date in brackets if there was more tha..."

It does most of the time, but sadly some of the librarians aren't that good. This may gradually improved as from now on you have to pass a test to become approved as a librarian. I am one as other members here probably are, so is it possible to set up a place for requests for help on this? A regular librarian can fix this (I am NOT a super librarian).

I’m impressed with the folks who read for pop sugar and other such things. I can barely balance PBT and the Jewish Book Club.

Nancy, you CANNOT read for the year before that year is specifically announced. You must read your selected book AFTER the year is announced, but you can read it any time after the year is announced, it does not have to be right away.