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Other Challenges Archive > wreades 231system 2021

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message 1: by Wreade1872 (last edited Dec 15, 2021 12:59PM) (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Last years system was pretty successful, never managed to Beat-The-Tide (but who does ;) ), but a few new achievements this time around.
One of which is Unquels, a term i made up and define as
Unquel: A work significantly related (usually unofficially) to a previous work by a different author.
Should be fun.

My simple but flexible system is:
I will read 2 OR 3 new books (depending on mood) and then 1 reread.

Possible Achievements 2021:
BEAT-THE-TIDE: Complete all Owned unread books.
CALLIGRAPHY: Write 40 reviews.
DEJA-VIEW: Complete 4000 pages of Rereads.
WAR-OF-WORDS: Read 3 books from the 1940s.
HAPPY-DAYS-HISTORIES: Read 3 books from the 1950s.
THE-FIRST-SEX: Read 10 books by female authors.
PAINT-WITH-WORDS: Read 10 graphic novels.
AUTHOR-ALT: Read 5 new non-sequels by authors you've read before.
REAL-FICTION: Read 5 non-fiction books.
CRY-UNQUEL: Read 5 books connected to a work by a different author.
READ-MY-SHORTS: Read 3 new collections of short stories.
NOBODYS BUSINESS: Read 1 new book that has never been rated.
POETRY-SMOETRY: Read 2 new poetry collections.
SEQUELITIS: Read 10 books in series you've already started.
FRESH-PERSPECTIVE: Read 15 books by authors you've never read before.
CENTURY-SWEEP: Read books from 10 different decades.
SESQUICENTENNIAL-SWEEP: Read books from 15 different decades total.
BICENTENNIAL-SWEEP: Read books from 20 different decades total.
CLEVER-FELLOW: Read 3 books from the Biography of Manuel.
MERRY-MERRIL-MEDLEY: Read 5 books from the Merril Collection.
X-EMPLARY: Read 5 months of X-Men comic appearances.
DO-LOOK-NOW: Read 3 Looking books.
ET-TU-SITH?: Complete the Star-Wars Shakespeare prequels.
FULLY-ILLUMINATED: Complete the Illuminatus trilogy.
THROUGH-THE-NIGHT: Complete the Darkness and Dawn trilogy.
JERRY-RIGGED: Complete the Cornelius Quartet.
DON'T-PANIC: Complete the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
BANKS-ACCOUNT: Complete the Mary Poppins series.
LEAVING-ORBIT: Complete the 10 volume Sci-Fi Collection published by Orbit.
STANDARD-PRACTISE: Read 60 items.
MAKE-IT-COUNT: Read 16,000 pages.
LITERARY-GOLD: Read 5 Five-Star books.
CRUD-COMPOSITIONS: Read 5 One-Star books.



message 2: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Luckily for my sanity this isn't a yearly achievement ;) .

Achievement Unlocked CRUD-COMPOSITIONS: Read 5 One-Star books. 2019 --> Jan 2021
Low, Vol. 1: The Delirium of Hope Low, Vol. 1 The Delirium of Hope by Rick Remender review
Raggedy Ann in the Deep Deep Woods Raggedy Ann in the Deep Deep Woods Classic Edition by Johnny Gruelle review
The Secret Power The Secret Power by Marie Corelli review
The Wind In the Snottygobble Tree The Wind In the Snottygobble Tree by Jack Trevor Story review
Discworld Graphic Novels The Discworld Graphic Novels The Colour of Magic & The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett review


message 3: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments 231 System Jan 2021
03 Death Sentence by Maurice Blanchot Death Sentence by Maurice Blanchot [3/5] review
RR The Discworld Graphic Novels The Colour of Magic & The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett Discworld Graphic Novels by Pratchett, Ross [1/5] review
01 We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson [5/5] review


message 4: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments 231 System Feb-Mar 2021
02 Modern Penny Dreadfuls Tales of the Monstrous and Banal by Ana Neimus Modern Penny Dreadfuls by Ana Neimus [4/5] review
03 In the Morning of Time by Charles G.D. Roberts In the Morning of Time by Charles G.D. Roberts [3/5] review
RR The Science of Discworld (The Science of Discworld, #1) by Terry Pratchett The Science of Discworld by Pratchett, Stewart, Cohen [4/5]
01 The Line of Love Dizain des Mariages (The Biography of Manuel #8) by James Branch Cabell The Line of Love by James Branch Cabell [3/5] review
02 Ulysses by James Joyce Ulysses by James Joyce [4/5] review
03 William Shakespeare's The Clone Army Attacketh (William Shakespeare's Star Wars, #2) by Ian Doescher The Clone Army Attacketh by Ian Doescher [2/5]
RR On Friendship by Michel de Montaigne On Friendship by Michel de Montaigne [3/5]


message 5: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked CENTURY-SWEEP: Read books from 10 different decades.
[1580s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1940s, 1960s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s]
On Friendship by Michel de Montaigne , The Line of Love Dizain des Mariages (The Biography of Manuel #8) by James Branch Cabell , In the Morning of Time by Charles G.D. Roberts , Ulysses by James Joyce , Death Sentence by Maurice Blanchot
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson , The Science of Discworld (The Science of Discworld, #1) by Terry Pratchett , The Discworld Graphic Novels The Colour of Magic & The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett , Modern Penny Dreadfuls Tales of the Monstrous and Banal by Ana Neimus , Extraordinary X-Men, Volume 2 Apocalypse Wars by Jeff Lemire


message 6: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments So aswell as books i have a secondary reading goal which is to read every appearance by an X-Men character ever (not just the main X-titles).. with a few exceptions like solo-Wolverine who i have no interest in :P .
Made it all the way from 1963 to 1994 so far.

Achievement Unlocked X-EMPLARY: Read 5 months of X-Men comic appearances.
[Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May 1994]
description, description, description, description, description


message 7: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments 231 System Apr 2021
01 The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley The Last Man by Mary Shelley [4/5] review
02 Extraordinary X-Men, Volume 2 Apocalypse Wars by Jeff Lemire Extraordinary X-Men, Vol.2 by Lemire, Ramos [4/5]
03 Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2) by Ernest Cline Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline [4/5] review
RR Introducing Evolutionary Psychology by Dylan Evans Introducing Evolutionary Psychology by Dylan Evans [4/5]
01 Spider-Man The Mutant Agenda by Steven Grant Spider-Man:The Mutant Agenda by Steven Grant, Scott Kolins [2/5] review


message 8: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked SEQUELITIS: Read 10 books in series you've already started.
The Line of Love Dizain des Mariages (The Biography of Manuel #8) by James Branch Cabell , William Shakespeare's The Clone Army Attacketh (William Shakespeare's Star Wars, #2) by Ian Doescher , Extraordinary X-Men, Volume 2 Apocalypse Wars by Jeff Lemire , Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2) by Ernest Cline , Spider-Man The Mutant Agenda by Steven Grant
Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins, #3) by P.L. Travers , The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix by Scott Lobdell , Infinity War by Jim Starlin , The Golden Apple (Illuminatus, #2) by Robert Shea , The Infinity Crusade Volume 1 by Jim Starlin


message 9: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked ET-TU-SITH?: Complete the Star-Wars Shakespeare prequels.

William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace (William Shakespeare's Star Wars, #1) by Ian Doescher [3/5] review , William Shakespeare's The Clone Army Attacketh (William Shakespeare's Star Wars, #2) by Ian Doescher [2/5] , William Shakespeare's Tragedy of the Sith's Revenge (William Shakespeare's Star Wars, #3) by Ian Doescher [4/5] review


message 10: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments 231 System May 2021
02 Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins, #3) by P.L. Travers Mary Poppins Opens the Door by P.L.Travers [3/5] review
03 The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix by Scott Lobdell Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix by Scott Lobdell, Gene Ha [4/5]
RR Mammoth Book Of Seriously Comic Fantasy by Mike Ashley Mammoth Book Of Seriously Comic Fantasy by Mike Ashley [3/5] review
01 Infinity War by Jim Starlin Infinity War by Jim Starlin [2/5]
02 Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card [4/5] review
03 The Golden Apple (Illuminatus, #2) by Robert Shea The Golden Apple by Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson [4/5] review


message 11: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked NOBODYS BUSINESS: Read 1 new book that has never been rated.
The Doctor of Souls by W. Kobold Knight The Doctor of Souls by W.Kobold Knight [4/5] review


message 12: by Wreade1872 (last edited Jul 27, 2021 06:00AM) (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked WAR-OF-WORDS: Read 3 books from the 1940s.
Death Sentence by Maurice Blanchot [3/5], Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins, #3) by P.L. Travers [3/5], Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl [5/5]

Achievement Unlocked REAL-FICTION: Read 5 non-fiction books.
The Science of Discworld (The Science of Discworld, #1) by Terry Pratchett [4/5], On Friendship by Michel de Montaigne [3/5], Introducing Evolutionary Psychology by Dylan Evans [4/5], How I Escaped My Certain Fate by Stewart Lee [4/5], Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl [5/5]

A multi-year achievement
Achievement Unlocked LITERARY-GOLD: Read 5 Five-Star books. [Apr 2020 to Jul 2021]
You Look Like a Thing and I Love You How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It's Making the World a Weirder Place by Janelle Shane review, Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente review, The Raven A Pop-up Book by David Pelham , We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson review, Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl review


message 13: by Newly (new)

Newly Wardell | 172 comments I've seen feats of strength before but Golly!


message 14: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments 231 System Jun-Jul 2021
RR How I Escaped My Certain Fate by Stewart Lee How I Escaped My Certain Fate by Stewart Lee [4/5]
01 The Doctor of Souls by W. Kobold Knight The Doctor of Souls by W.Kobold Knight [4/5] review
02 The Infinity Crusade Volume 1 by Jim Starlin Infinity Crusade Vol.1 by Jim Starlin [3/5]
03 William Shakespeare's Tragedy of the Sith's Revenge (William Shakespeare's Star Wars, #3) by Ian Doescher Tragedy of the Sith's Revenge by Ian Doescher [4/5] review
RR The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 4 The Tempest (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #4) by Alan Moore LoEG:The Tempest by Moore, O'Neill [4/5]
01 Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees Lud in the Mist by Hope Mirrlees [2/5] review
02 Captain America Steve Rogers, Vol. 2 The Trial of Maria Hill by Nick Spencer Captain America: Steve Rogers, Vol.2 by Nick Spencer [4/5]
03 Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl Kon-Tiki by Thor Heryerdahl [5/5] review


message 15: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked FULLY-ILLUMINATED: Complete the Illuminatus trilogy.
The Eye in the Pyramid (Illuminatus, #1) by Robert Shea [4/5] review The Golden Apple (Illuminatus, #2) by Robert Shea [4/5] review Leviathan (Illuminatus, #3) by Robert Shea [4/5] review


message 16: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Both of these might be stretching the definition a bit but i'm gong to count them.

Achievement Unlocked POETRY-SMOETRY: Read 2 new poetry collections.
By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart [3/5] review How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss [3/5] review


message 17: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked AUTHOR-ALT: Read 5 new non-sequels by authors you've read before.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson , The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley , Star-Begotten by H.G. Wells , How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss , Lysistrata by Aristophanes

Achievement Unlocked SESQUICENTENNIAL-SWEEP: Read books from 15 different decades total.
[-410s, 1820s, 1930s, 1970s, 1980s]
Lysistrata by Aristophanes , The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley , Star-Begotten by H.G. Wells , Leviathan (Illuminatus, #3) by Robert Shea , Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card


message 18: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked PAINT-WITH-WORDS: Read 10 graphic novels.
The Discworld Graphic Novels The Colour of Magic & The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett , Extraordinary X-Men, Volume 2 Apocalypse Wars by Jeff Lemire , Spider-Man The Mutant Agenda by Steven Grant , The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix by Scott Lobdell , Infinity War by Jim Starlin
The Infinity Crusade Volume 1 by Jim Starlin , Captain America Steve Rogers, Vol. 2 The Trial of Maria Hill by Nick Spencer , The Infinity Crusade Volume 2 by Jim Starlin , X-Men Phalanx Covenant by Scott Lobdell , All-New X-Men Inevitable, Volume 3 Hell Hath So Much Fury by Dennis Hopeless


message 19: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked HAPPY-DAYS-HISTORIES: Read 3 books from the 1950s.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss [4/5], Here Comes a Candle by Fredric Brown [4/5], The Exploits of Engelbrecht by Maurice Richardson [5/5]


message 20: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments 231 System Aug 2021
RR Legends Eleven New Works by the Masters of Modern Fantasy by Robert Silverberg Legends by various [3/5] review
01 By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart [3/5] review
02 Figures of Earth by James Branch Cabell Figures of Earth by James Branch Cabell [5/5] review
03 The Infinity Crusade Volume 2 by Jim Starlin Infinity Crusade Vol.2 by Jim Starlin [2/5]
RR Legends Eleven New Works by the Masters of Modern Fantasy by Robert Silverberg was really long, so lets count it twice.
01 Star-Begotten by H.G. Wells Star-Begotten by H.G.Wells [2/5] review
02 X-Men Phalanx Covenant by Scott Lobdell X-Men:Phalanx Covenant by various [2/5] review
03 Leviathan (Illuminatus, #3) by Robert Shea Leviathan by Shea, Wilson [4/5] review
RR Happyslapped by a Jellyfish The Words of Karl Pilkington by Karl Pilkington Happyslapped by a Jellyfish by Karl Pilkington [3/5] review
01 How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr.Seuss [4/5] review
02 The Cleft by Doris Lessing The Cleft by Doris Lessing [3/5] review
03 Lysistrata by Aristophanes Lysistrata by Aristophanes [4/5] review
RR The Exploits of Engelbrecht by Maurice Richardson Exploits of Engelbrecht by Maurice Richardson [5/5]
01 All-New X-Men Inevitable, Volume 3 Hell Hath So Much Fury by Dennis Hopeless All New X-Men vol.3 by Hopeless, Bagley [3/5]
02 Here Comes a Candle by Fredric Brown Here comes a Candle by Fredric Brown [4/5] review


message 21: by Wreade1872 (last edited Oct 15, 2021 01:48PM) (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked READ-MY-SHORTS: Read 3 new collections of short stories.
Modern Penny Dreadfuls Tales of the Monstrous and Banal by Ana Neimus , Dreams from the Witch House Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror by Lynne Jamneck , The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

The canterbury tales, might be a bit of a stretch since it may not be separately written stories but... i'm going to count it anyway.


message 22: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked CRY-UNQUEL: Read 5 books connected to a work by a different author.
William Shakespeare's The Clone Army Attacketh (William Shakespeare's Star Wars, #2) by Ian Doescher , The World's Desire  by H. Rider Haggard , Ulysses by James Joyce , Dreams from the Witch House Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror by Lynne Jamneck , An Episode of Flatland by Charles Howard Hinton
Connections, shakespeare plays, the Odyssey, the Odyssey again, lovecraft stories, Flatland.

Achievement Unlocked MERRY-MERRIL-MEDLEY: Read 5 books from the Merril Collection.
In the Morning of Time by Charles G.D. Roberts , The World's Desire  by H. Rider Haggard , The Doctor of Souls by W. Kobold Knight , Star-Begotten by H.G. Wells , An Episode of Flatland by Charles Howard Hinton

So i didn't finish The Worlds Desire but i'm still counting it ;) , also I have no proof Episode of Flatland is related to the earlier Flatland.
However i also can't prove the films Armaggedon and Deep Impact or Volcano and Dantes Peak are related but i'd count those too if they were books :P .


message 23: by Wreade1872 (last edited Oct 31, 2021 12:36PM) (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments 231 System Sep-Oct 2021
03 Dreams from the Witch House Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror by Lynne Jamneck Dreams from the Witch House by various [4/5] review
RR The Return (Star Trek Odyssey, #2) by William Shatner The Return by Shatner, Reeves-Stevens [4/5] review
01 X-Men The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic, Book 1 by Scott Lobdell Complete Age of Apocalypse, Book 1 by Scott Lobdell [2/5] review
02 X-Men The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic, Book 2 by Scott Lobdell Complete Age of Apocalypse, Book 2 by Scott Lobdell [2/5] review
03 The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer [4/5] review
RR The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #1) by C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis [3/5] review
01 Axiom's End (Noumena, #1) by Lindsay Ellis Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis [5/5] review
02 An Episode of Flatland by Charles Howard Hinton An Episode of Flatland by C.H.Hinton [3/5] review


message 24: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked FRESH-PERSPECTIVE: Read 15 books by authors you've never read before.
Maurice Blanchot, Ana Neimus, Charles G.D. Roberts, James Joyce, Orson Scott Card, W. Kobold Knight, Hope Mirrlees, Thor Heyerdahl, Elizabeth Smart, Fredric Brown, Chaucer, Lindsay Ellis, C.H. Hinton, Paul La Farge, Charlotte Brontë

Achievement Unlocked THE-FIRST-SEX: Read 10 books by female authors.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson , Modern Penny Dreadfuls Tales of the Monstrous and Banal by Ana Neimus , The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley , Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins, #3) by P.L. Travers , Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees
By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart , The Cleft by Doris Lessing , Dreams from the Witch House Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror by Lynne Jamneck , Axiom's End (Noumena, #1) by Lindsay Ellis , Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë


message 25: by Wreade1872 (last edited Dec 06, 2021 03:15PM) (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked CALLIGRAPHY: Write 40 reviews.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_i...

Achievement Unlocked CLEVER-FELLOW: Read 3 books from the Biography of Manuel.
The Line of Love Dizain des Mariages (The Biography of Manuel #8) by James Branch Cabell [3/5] review Figures of Earth by James Branch Cabell [5/5] review Chivalry by James Branch Cabell [4/5] review


message 26: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked MAKE-IT-COUNT: Read 16,000 pages.


message 27: by Sam (new)

Sam (aramsamsam) | 224 comments Wreade, I have been lurking around this thread for quite a while. I love me a gamification kind of reading strategy, and your achievement idea is just brilliant! It is so fascinating to see how other readers motivate themselves!
Personally, I am an Excel geek, so I have designed a sheet that assigns points to all my tbr books according to how many categories they fit in. This way I hope to develop some kind of higscore over the years :D
To spice things up, I would like to borrow your achievements part. If you don't mind, that is. I had some different achievements in mind, like "Read 10 out of the 50 oldest books on your Goodreads TBR shelf." (This is going to be a constantly evolving system, I guess.)
BTW, congrats on completing 16000 pages!


message 28: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Sam wrote: "Wreade, I have been lurking around this thread for quite a while. I love me a gamification kind of reading strategy, and your achievement idea is just brilliant! It is so fascinating to see how oth..."

Thx Sam! and glad to be of use :) . Yes feel free to design your own version. I tried the bingo-challenge a couple of times and liked it but wanted something a little more specific to my style.
And yes the achievements change every year depending on my mood, i have a number of others for specific genres or decades, next year i'm adding these two just for fun,
PEOPLE-PAPERS: Read 3 books with titles that include (but are not limited to) a name.
PAPER-PEOPLE: Read 3 books with titles that consist only of a name.
its a very easy to modify system :) .


message 29: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked DEJA-VIEW: Complete 4000 pages of Rereads.

Achievement Unlocked STANDARD-PRACTISE: Read 60 items.


message 30: by LiLi (new)

LiLi | 153 comments @Sam, I'm curious how you set this up in Excel. Multiple categories almost warrants a database! Are you using Power Query/Pivot or Power BI to tabulate your results?


message 31: by Wreade1872 (last edited Dec 09, 2021 12:12PM) (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments @Jillian The more the merrier! Love your calligraphy by the way :) .

Oh for anyone doing something like this i have noticed a slight issue, towards the end of the year its hard to stop myself from putting books off i would otherwise read because i know they fit some category i need for next year.
I imagine its a common problem with many types of challenge.

Not really ideal though, you design these things to get you to read more so any procrastination they create i'd have to categorize as a flaw :P .


message 32: by Nike (new)

Nike | 482 comments Thanks to Jillian, I discovered this personal challenge and am so inspired. I want to make my own as well. I'll do that, probably tomorrow or Sunday. Thanks both of you for inspiring me. It takes a booknerd to know one and I don't know anymore how a life without GoodReads would look like. How did I manage all those years I lived without you all? Nobody would understand me! (Except for my partner since six years, I finally in life met a nerdy booklover like myself - even though I'm probably the nerdier of us.) The two of you have now after I've read through this lit another sparkling chamber of reading challenges in my heart. I will for ever be greatful to both of you!

I hadn't found the thread for personal challenges before Jillian showed me the way.


message 33: by Sam (new)

Sam (aramsamsam) | 224 comments Wreade1872 wrote: "Sam wrote: "Wreade, I have been lurking around this thread for quite a while. I love me a gamification kind of reading strategy, and your achievement idea is just brilliant! It is so fascinating to..."

The names for each achievement alone are highly entertaining. I can't wait to set up a thread for next year and try it out myself :)


message 34: by Sam (new)

Sam (aramsamsam) | 224 comments LiLi wrote: "@Sam, I'm curious how you set this up in Excel. Multiple categories almost warrants a database! Are you using Power Query/Pivot or Power BI to tabulate your results?"

LiLi, I have to admit it is a very basic sheet with my categories as coloumns and one book title per line. Cells are usually marked with an x to signify the book falls in a category, depending on the category they might contain other values (like year of publication). If a book doesn't fit the category, the cell remains empty. The number of points equals the sum of categories a title fits.
I wanted the system to be super easy and flexible, as my tbr changes shape over time and I might be interesting in varying categories.


message 35: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Several people mentioned reading the oldest book on their TBR, i like that idea but modified it for more flex. So adding this one for next year.

LOVE-IT-OR-LEAVE-IT: Read the oldest remaining book on your TBR, after any removals.

My logic is that if i can't bring myself to read it within a year there's no point leaving it on my list ;) .
So i'll remove as many as i need to till i get too something i can read.
One way or another my TBR will get a bit smaller :) .


message 36: by Sam (new)

Sam (aramsamsam) | 224 comments I want to try something similar with my "Read 10 out of the 50 oldest books on your TBR" task. It boggles the mind: I joined GR summer 2011 and still have some unread books I added that year ... Over the years I definitely became a pickier reader and don't feel like I must finish each book, so I dnf books I don't enjoy. And those do not stay on the tbr shelf. Over time and with a little more focus the problem should solve itself. I hope :)


message 37: by LiLi (new)

LiLi | 153 comments @Sam, makes perfect sense


message 38: by LiLi (new)

LiLi | 153 comments @Sam, I have some older listings on there, too! I joined in 2016. When I joined, I added every book on my shelf, several of which are still unread. I'm making progress, though.


message 39: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Achievement Unlocked BICENTENNIAL-SWEEP: Read books from 20 different decades total.
1400s, 1840s, 1880s, 1890s, 1950s
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer , Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë , Treasure Island Complete and Unabridged by Robert Louis Stevenson , News from Nowhere by William Morris , How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss


message 40: by LiLi (new)

LiLi | 153 comments Is this the trashiest-looking version of _Jane Eyre_ you could find? :D


message 41: by Wreade1872 (last edited Dec 15, 2021 03:21PM) (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments LiLi wrote: "Is this the trashiest-looking version of _Jane Eyre_ you could find? :D"

That image is actually remarkably similar to the version i read, mine might be slightly more battered actually :P .

I was reading it on the ereader but when the battery died i searched the house and found that version, from 1965 i believe :) .
My version of Treasure island is slightly better looking than the version there though, or at least less blurry ;) .


message 42: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments I realise i never made an achievement for x-men apocalypse wars which really deserves one if i ever get to the end of it, so... based on what i've read so far i think this will be appropriate... ;)

CASHGRAB-EDGELORD-HOTMESS-BOOMBOOM: Complete the X-men Age of Apocalypse epic crossover.


message 43: by Wreade1872 (new)

Wreade1872 | 933 comments Final Update:
231 System Nov-Dec 2021
03 The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge [3/5] review
RR Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2) by C.S. Lewis Prince Caspian by C.S.Lewis [3/5]
01 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë [3/5] review
02 Extraordinary X-Men, Volume 3 Kingdoms Fall by Jeff Lemire Extraordinary X-Men, Kingdoms Fall by Lemire, Ibáñez [3/5]
03 Chivalry by James Branch Cabell Chivalry by James Branch Cabell [4/5] review
RR Avenger (Star Trek Odyssey, #3) by William Shatner Star-Trek Odyssey #3 by Shatner, Reeves-Stevens [4/5] review
01 News from Nowhere by William Morris News from Nowhere by William Morris [2/5] review
02 X-Men The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic, Book 3 by Scott Lobdell Age of Apocalypse 3 by Scott Lobdell et al [3/5] review
03 The Brick Moon by Edward Everett Hale Brick Moon by Edward Everett Hale [3/5] review
RR Treasure Island Complete and Unabridged by Robert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson [5/5] review


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