The Bookworm Challenge discussion

Can you believe it's time to start thinking about categories for the 2022 Bookworm Challenge?

For all who would like to participate next year, please start sending your suggestions for themes, genres, etc. for both the year-long challenges and monthly specials to this thread. I will collect your responses and create another survey as we have done in the past and we'll all vote on the ones we'd like to see for 2022. All suggestions are welcome! I know many of you have found books that you loved that you never would have read without these challenges!

For the BONUS challenges, tell us how you liked the new Book Chain challenge. Should we keep it again for next year? What about BINGO, do we want to do that one again?

Feel free to send in suggestions about other fun ideas we can consider adding to the group. If anyone is interested in doing more to support the group, please let me know. I really appreciate all of you who participate and feedback to the group! I hope you all will join us in the coming year!

Yay!

The book chain is really neat, but I can go either way on whether we do it again. I have no objection to having it.

I like Bingo, but I think I'm ready for something different. I'd like something that adds points like Bingo does.

My suggestions.

Flora/fauna in author's name (ex: Rebecca Roanhorse, Robin Hobb)
Celebrity book club picks (reader's choice, but all from the same book club) (ex. Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, Jenna Bush Hager)
Title is a complete sentence (with a subject and verb).
Mythical creature in title or on cover
Fantasy
Science-Fiction
Non-fiction of choice (please do not have 2 non-fiction categories - LOL)
2021 Goodreads Choice Awards - winners & nominees (or possibly just winners, but all previous years)
Mystery/Thrillers
Wildcard
Finger Crushers
Romance
5 Different Countries
Book to Screen Adaptations

I liked the book chain, probably would not do it again. But it could be offered for anyone else who wants to try it. It was fun and I found a lot of good books I never would have found.

Bingo gives a good variety of book options. Though I'm willing to try something new.

Of course, I always like mystery and scifi. Finger crushers are good to get in some longer books. My suggestion is mixed genre of the readers' choice. For example, western/scifi, historical/mystery, fantasy/thriller. Also, books with a 4 star rating and books with less than a hundred reviews.

If I can help you in any way just let me know.

I could go either way with the book chain as far as keeping it. I only read a few books specifically for the chain and the others I just put in if they fit.

I think we should try something other than BINGO. I am trying to think of some new ideas.

some category ideas:

historical fiction,
series,
sci fi/ fantasy
finger crushers
non fiction
anthologies
various decades
set in various countries or continents

I'm sure I will think of more.
Connie

I wouldn't mind doing one of the ABC challenges. We haven't done one for a few years. i.e. Either a book title or author's name that begins with each letter of the alphabet.
Maybe something like the book chain but with publishing dates. Or use publishing dates for a regular challenge where you have to read books published in 5 consecutive years( or I could use it for the monthly challenge and it could be more than 5 years).
Choose an award list such as Pulitzer prize winners and read books from it - similar to the GAR list from this year
previously banned books, books translated from another language, mystery/suspense, Goodreads Choice Awards
Maybe, instead of BINGO, just a check list of various topics or genres (similar to Bingo topics) but to make it interesting maybe there could be different point values for different topics and a bonus if you complete the whole list. For example: a book with 750 or more pages might get you 3 points whereas a book about sports might be only one point. I could look after or help with this one if you like.

Connie

Goodreads choice winners (any year)
TBR list for over a year
books published in the same year
rereads
mythical creature
retellings
wildcard
books with magic
books you own
mystery/suspense/thriller
sci fi
graphic novel (i barely read any this year and there are several on my list)
tv/movie adaptation

Connie wrote: "I wouldn't mind doing one of the ABC challenges. We haven't done one for a few years. i.e. Either a book title or author's name that begins with each letter of the alphabet.
Maybe something like th..."

I like the idea of a checklist of genres, with different points added based on something like page count. That sounds like a reasonable replacement for Bingo. If we do an A-Z challenge, I would appreciate it being title rather than author. I have an "X" book on my TBR just waiting for that. LOL

I like the ideas of an A to Z title challenge and/or the genre challenge.

Also I like Finger Crushers as it makes me do them, Goodread Award winners, and maybe a list like Newberry Award winners.

Possible monthly challenge suggestion:

Nothing in the title:

Read a book with a title of between 3 to 5 words that has nothing in the title. It contains NO name, number, color, animal, place, building, food, drink, elements, things in the sky, family member, title (duke, mister, queen, etc), time, date, plant, body part, season, body of water, holiday, book about books, weather, topography, pronouns, or the words boy/girl/old or new.

The word nothing is acceptable.

Examples:
Tales of Connection
The Love Hypothesis
Love and Theft
If the Magic Fits
When Sorrows Come

Linda wrote: "Nothing in the title:

Read a book with a title of between 3 to 5 words that has nothing in the title. It contains NO name, number, color, animal, place, building, food, drink, elements, things in the sky, family member, title (duke, mister, queen, etc), time, date, plant, body part, season, body of water, holiday, book about books, weather, topography, pronouns, or the words boy/girl/old or new.

The word nothing is acceptable."

My brain is struggling with this concept, Linda! Please provide some examples of this "Nothing..." lol! :-D

Wait, you did provide examples... sorry... I think I get it.

Right, it isn't an easy concept, it's just that there are some titles that really never fit a monthly category. They just keep getting passed over. And maybe my list of "something" is too complete" (like I almost didn't put in pronouns because we've never done it).

I've listed the books of this year's Good Read nominees in the fiction category and I'll say if they are"nothing" or "something"

Beautiful World, Where Are You (nope, has a pronoun)
Dial A for Aunties (nope, family member)
Cloud Cuckoo Land(nope, weather and animal and maybe topography)
Once There Were Wolves (nope, animals)
The Paper Palace (nope, building)
The Wish nope, only 2 words)
The Guncle (nope, only 2 words)
Detransition, Baby (nope, only 2 words)
Golden Girl (nope, color and word girl)
The Reading List (almost, but it is a book about books)
That Summer (nope, a season)
We Are the Brennans (nope, pronoun and name)
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot (nope, number, time, and name)
Black Buck (nope, only 2 word and a color)
Infinite Country: A Novel (nope, only 2 words)
The Sentence (nope, only 2 words)
This Close to Okay (YES, there is nothing)
Bewilderment (nope, only 1 word)
Oh William! (nope, only 2 words and a name)
One Two Three (nope, numbers)

So in this list only 1 worked. My suggestion could be less restrictive by allowing any number of words in the title or taking out some of the "things".

I am intrigued by this idea. It is sort of a wildcard category but with some restrictions. I think this would work if we listed specifically what type of words would not be allowed. So... Title has no animal, colour, person or place name, number, weather, royalty, food, or transportation. Maybe just restrict number of words in title to 4 or more????

I'm looking forward to next year! Thank you!

I did not like the BINGO much and I did not like the book chain much either... hmmm.

I could do an A to Z maybe it could be mixed author/title but maybe that would be to easy.

Here's some challenges I like

finger crushes, debut novel, rereads, mystery/thriller, sci fi/dystopia, fantasy, oldies (that is published before 1950), books TBR over a year, magical realism, books on books and/or reading, Scandinavian authors, school/academy setting, gothic, prize-winners, time-travel/alternative history,

I like the BINGO concept but have found some of the categories challenging for me. Maybe we could do an alphabet challenge instead?

Didn't do the book chain at all. I mostly liked the idea but not enough to participate.

As far as categories, I'll always love the obvious ones...
Historical Fiction
Suspense
Young Adult

Others I'd like to see...
Seven Continents / Different Countries
Different Decades
Classic Literature
One Word Titles
Movies

I liked the BINGO challenge because it encouraged me to find books that I may not have otherwise tried. I’m open to another challenge that does this in the same way but otherwise not too fussed about how that is achieved.

Categories:
Non-fiction ( but agree with an earlier comment about having just one non-fiction challenge)
Historical fiction
Finger crushers
Books made into tv / movies
Wildcard is a must have for books that just done fit elsewhere
A prize list as a category (Pulitzer / goodreads winners / nominees etc)

I am good with pretty much everything. I would like to keep the:
Finger Crusher Challenge

Thanks, Everyone! I'll be posting the survey link soon....

My suggestion for next year is to end the survey by the 26th or 27th. Since Goodreads will only allow you to make 3 posts on a single day, you could start posting the yearly challenges 3 at a time over 4 days. (And then I could get excited 4 days in a row).

It's not that starting the 29th, I will be checking Goodreads every hour to see if you've posted or anything like that. ;)

Linda wrote: "My suggestion for next year is to end the survey by the 26th or 27th. Since Goodreads will only allow you to make 3 posts on a single day, you could start posting the yearly challenges 3 at a time ..."

I thought about that 3 posts business yesterday and wondered if it was still a thing, lol! 😆
I have a workaround for that, keep you eyes peeled for updates on the 30th and 31st.

Stephanie wrote: "Linda wrote: "My suggestion for next year is to end the survey by the 26th or 27th. Since Goodreads will only allow you to make 3 posts on a single day, you could start posting the yearly challenge..."

Oh, they will be peeled.