The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

I have my reading plan page all set up and slightly revamped for Fall, and I am so excited to start digging in to a new season. I don't know. There's just something invigorating about the feeling of a new beginning. Anyone else? I don't have any friends that participate in SRC, so the only people I have to share this happy feeling with is you all!

And if you're here, what are your personal goals for Fall 2022? :)

Hi Michelle!! I'm excited about the new season as well. I finished the last two seasons early so I'm kinda lost until the new season starts. I have a private group that I use to track this challenge so OF COURSE it's all set up and ready to go. I planned out some of my books but still have to search for some.

I do have a couple friends that participate in the SRC but not any that I stay in contact with on a regular basis or discuss the SRC with. I do see some familiar faces here from my other groups : ) So like you, I just discuss it here.

My only goal is to finish. Sometimes I finish and sometimes I don't. So that is always my personal goal. I like the variety of genres that I get from the different tasks and that it keeps me from getting bored with my comfort go to genres.

Hi Michelle! You're definitely not alone on this one, I get excited jitters right before a new challenge starts too. To be honest, once it gets to the last week or so of a challenge, I find I start to spend less time reading for the current one and more time tinkering about with my spreadsheet of what I'm going to read for the next one! That's probably a habit I should break if I ever want to have a chance of finishing ;)

I've never finished the SRC yet, so until that happens my main goal is to beat my highest score (~320 points). Well, and to not mess up on posting task claims so I stay on the mods' good side. :)

The last few seasons I've been light on the pre-planning, and just fitting books in as I read them. This time I've got a few planned in, as I want to reduce my historic TBR list significantly by the end of the year, so I don't have so many backlist books. Not that my overall TBR will be reduced, as I continue to have no willpower to stop adding New! Shiny! Books! to the list.

Robin (Saturndoo) wrote: "Hi Michelle!! I'm excited about the new season as well. I finished the last two seasons early so I'm kinda lost until the new season starts. I have a private group that I use to track this challeng..."

I'm really impressed with anyone who manages to finish this challenge! I think my best season was only 200 points, but I'm kind of a slow reader, so there's that, haha. So great that you have at least a few friends to participate with. Agreed that it's nice to see so many familiar faces after all these years. Happy reading :)

Jayne wrote: "Hi Michelle! You're definitely not alone on this one, I get excited jitters right before a new challenge starts too. To be honest, once it gets to the last week or so of a challenge, I find I start..."

I know what you mean! I'm so afraid of starting a book and not finishing it by the end of the month that my final week is pretty light. Sounds like a good goal, and ~320 points is certainly nothing to scoff at! Good luck!

Cat wrote: "The last few seasons I've been light on the pre-planning, and just fitting books in as I read them. This time I've got a few planned in, as I want to reduce my historic TBR list significantly by th..."

Haha, I can totally relate. I have started doing exactly the same thing. I used to pick a book for every task, but I found that I would only read like 6-10 per season, and it was so much work. Now I like to just pick up what I'm in the mood for and go from there. Sometimes I'm smart and look to make sure there's a task that it'll work for, and sometimes I gamble and start looking for a match after I've finished... oops! Isn't it funny how this challenge makes us end up with more books on our TBR rather than fewer? I must have had around 300 when I first started and I'm probably double that now. It's a lost cause for people like us. Happy reading!

Michelle wrote: "Robin (Saturndoo) wrote: "Hi Michelle!! I'm excited about the new season as well. I finished the last two seasons early so I'm kinda lost until the new season starts. I have a private group that I ..."

Thanks! When I first started participating in the challenge years ago, I didn't always finish. Then I had to take a break from GR and challenges due to real life. Now I'm back and I have participated in the last 3 seasons.

200 points is GREAT!! I say any points is better than no points because at least you are reading : ) and that's what is important. All these challenges keep me reading and learning new things : )

Michelle wrote: "Cat wrote: "The last few seasons I've been light on the pre-planning, and just fitting books in as I read them. This time I've got a few planned in, as I want to reduce my historic TBR list signifi..."

Currently I am signed up for 30+ challenges...yikes. The SRC is the only one that I pre-plan for. I pick a book for every single task. If I just wing it and read whatever in hopes it will fit, I tend to not read as much. My inner self feels obligated if it's written(typed)down. LOL

All of my TBR lists--here,library,personal notebooks--are totally out of control. When I plan my books for the SRC, I go to those TBRs first before just randomly looking for a book to fit. YASSSS!!! It's difficult to refrain from adding shiny new books! I'm ALWAYS looking at the completed task and planning threads to see what everyone else read for the tasks and that's where I get in trouble LOL Absolutely no willpower or self control. I always say, there's worse things we could be doing.

Michelle wrote: "Jayne wrote: "Hi Michelle! You're definitely not alone on this one, I get excited jitters right before a new challenge starts too. To be honest, once it gets to the last week or so of a challenge, ..."

I totally agree, 320 is nothing to scoff at! Keep reaching for the stars and you will make it!

I remember when I first started participating in the SRC, I tried hard not to get on the "thread of shame" lol I worked with my posting methods in my private tracking group and came up with a standard posting method/template for every task that I has helped a lot. I include everything regardless of it's required or not--page count, cover--and then include the specifics to the task. I still end up in that thread sometimes, just because I simply forgot a task specific requirement.

Robin, when I get around to posting, I open 2 tabs. One to post the book and the other is the summary post of all the tasks. That way, I can check the requirements of the task as I post so that I can be sure that I have checked all the elements. I rarely end up on the Mistakes List.

Bea wrote: "Robin, when I get around to posting, I open 2 tabs. One to post the book and the other is the summary post of all the tasks. That way, I can check the requirements of the task as I post so that I c..."

Great minds think alike. I do that too!!! I open my personal group and pull up my planning thread in one tab, my posting thread in another tab and then the SRC in another tab. LOL I then cut and paste from my planning thread into my posting thread then into the SRC. That's a three step verifying process that helps keep me off the Mistakes List. In my planning thread each task has it's own post. And then of course in my posting thread it looks just like it would in the SRC completed posts. Seems like a lot of work,but it's not, it's a lot of copy and paste. All the work is in the planning thread posts.

I agree with what everyone is saying. I used to complete the challenge every season but haven't been in the past year or so as I've gotten busier in life. If I know I'm not going to make it for the current season I really look forward to setting up the next season, because I still have hope that I will be able to do it :)

Michelle wrote: "I have my reading plan page all set up and slightly revamped for Fall, and I am so excited to start digging in to a new season. I don't know. There's just something invigorating about the feeling o..."

Hi Michelle, I'm glad you started this thread. I am also a reader of many genres, a lover of languages and a former French teacher! I will send you a friend request. And I love when the new challenge prompts come out. I could read a lot more if I didn't spend so much time playing around with them and doing a scavenger hunt through my approx 500 books I own in some format and say I intend to read someday.

I joined this challenge because of my GR (and now IRL) friend Book Concierge. I doubt I will ever finish the challenge. Actually, knowing that I will never make it takes the pressure off. When I was working and raising kids, I was lucky to read a couple books a month, but since being retired - and during the pandemic - my numbers are way up. I have gotten to the 700-800 range a few times, but life got more complicated this year with some family health issues. I always want to be the one with no errors but that hasn't happened yet!

In most of my life, I feel like I have to downplay or apologize for how much I read, so I enjoy being with people who read as much or more.