Hello. I'm taking a step backward in this challenge as I *know* I'd never reach close to 100 books read in a year. I'm doing the kind of challenge which has a different number of books in each category. I'm not sure how this will sort itself out, but I'm sure it will do so somehow.

Here are some categories I'll be using. The order of the categories may move around depending how many books I read in each category. It will actually be fun to see exactly how they'll move around during the year.

See my categories in the following threads.

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There's an Animal in this Book!



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Short Stories



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Globally Reading Themed Books



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Early Reviewer Books



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Biographies or Memoirs
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Books about Food - Yum!
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New-To-Me Authors
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Of Jewish Interest
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Books in Translation
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Anything Goes
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Cool format!

Thanks! Can't wait to start filling it in.

I've already changed around the title locations because I know I'll do more in one category than another. I actually think this idea was brilliant and am sorry that more of the other "1010 challengers" are not doing it.

They'll show up as the year draws to a close. It's hard to think up new categories when you're still deep in the 999. I'm thinking about your format, but want to wait until I get a clear idea of how many books I'll have read this year--the 8-9-10 format would let me tackle more daunting books, but the idea of trying to read 100 books is also attractive.

Message edited by its author, Aug 11, 2009, 9:15am.

I've got a list of 10 x 10 books chosen but I may well actually do my reading using the 1- 2- 3 - ... format as I would have a real prayer of completing the challenge at that rate. I just suffer from the "so little time, so many ..." problem. I am looking forward to seeing you fill out your list because the category names are so intriguing.

>13, I'm just amazed that so many people are already planning their reading for 2010! I'm still focused on this year - I am always impressed by how people in the challenge groups can be so organized with their reading. I am always flitting from one thing to another and am never able to stick with any of the challenges. I think I have dropped out of both the 888 challenge and the 999 challenge, despite my best intentions.

Don't even begin that because I have an active fantasy reading life - and therefore a lot of lists - that I am charging through my 999 Challenge like greased lightning. More like a middle aged lady chugging up a steep hill. Slow and steady, with the occasional breathing break.

>17: Love your imagery!

>16: Being a totally disorganized person, I make a lot of lists trying to impose organization on my life. I usually don't follow through on them. The thing with books is that there are so many lovely books just waiting to be read, I just can't help thinking about them and wanting to read them... what I actually read doesn't seem to have a whole lot to do with the planning, which is why I try to keep most of my categories very general so that I can fit what I end up reading into them.

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Actually, take a look at my 999 Challenge. They're many of the same categories precisely because they've worked well so far.

Message edited by its author, Aug 11, 2009, 8:11pm.

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I'm with you 100%. I never want to preplan what I have to read. That takes all the fun out of it.

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Maybe it's just that the titles of the categories you've chosen in the past were not broad enough. Make some categories into which you can slip most any book. Then read whatever you want whenever you want. It's much easier that way.

Looking forward to seeing what will end up in your Books in Translation category.

Yes, me too for it's a category that we share.

Love the original ideas you have squeaky!

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Hehe! I'm not even original this year. The categorization numbers (i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc. to each category) was from biblioholic13. The individual category names I stole from last year because they worked out so well for me. I pretty much have them tweaked the way I want them. Of course, the fun of it is that I can change them at any time. I make up the rules for myself as I go along. :)

Good luck, everyone, with next year's challenge!

Hey, Madeline! Can't believe I'm already starring threads for next year! I love the 1-2-3..10 idea. I wasn't even going to do a challenge for next year, but you-all are getting me jazzed up for it again. Your method leaves room for totally reading what I want half the time, so will probably sign up in December. Love everyone's clever titles and categories, but, like you, I'm going to think about what will really work for me based on this year's challenge.

I'm not going to do a 75 books challenge next year. I'll stick with the 1010-1,2,3, etc. It seems like more fun for me.

You can read whatever you want - all the time. Just change the category names to suit what you read. It should be super easy!!

You're not going to do the 75? ;-(( I was counting on you being there if/when I switched over!

Okay. If you switch over, I'll be there (although I doubt I'll hit 75 either this year *or* next! :)

Oh, goodie. We got that in writing, folks! You're my witnesses! :-)

lol Thanks Bonnie! I don't know what I'd do if I made the jump to the 75 on my own and SqueakyChu wasn't there anymore.

LOL! You are both so funny!!

I'm actually now at the beach enjoying the strange stories in McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories edited by Michael Chabon. It's great!

How many books am I trying to read at the same time? I've lost count. :(

So glad you liked the 1-2-3 idea!! I haven't decided which one I'm doing yet, but if I do a 101010, the categories will have to be very broad and I prefer more narrow ones. We'll see... Love that a bunch of people are already planning what they'll read next year - it is only August after all! :)

That was a great idea. I would have otherwise opted out of the 101010 challenge. That would have been way too many books for me.

Message edited by its author, Aug 20, 2009, 7:04pm.

Well, I definitely wanted you to be in it, so I'm doubly happy!!!

Yeah, I thought it sounded like a lot of people would be bailing and that's no fun. Plus, I think the stepladder is more sustainable as we get into 2011, 2012, etc.

I think the stepladder is more sustainable as we get into 2011, 2012, etc.

That's a good point. Thanks for thinking ahead. And thanks to you both for suggesting and/or talking up a good alternative.

I'm glad we could make room in the challenge for almost everyone!

Hey Squeak;
Glad you are here. 2010 is going to be a great year for challenges. I too like how you have yours set up. I spent the day setting mine up; gathering the books from my bookcases; clearing 2 pantry shelves off so that I can put my 10/10/10 books there and ta da-----------it's done. The only category I haven't filled in is my LT recx category and that is simply due to the fact that a rec that suits me today may not appeal to me in January.
I'm also moving to the 75 book gig come January, so it appears that there will be a mass exodus from the 50 book gig. But there will be more coming behind us to fill the gaps.
See you on the threads girl.
belva

Message edited by its author, Sep 12, 2009, 11:44pm.

Hey Belva,

Yay! Comin' to the big 75 group, are you? It'll be fun havin' you here, although you've already been hangin around here quite a bit! :)

I still need to do the pictures for these categories. Have you seen the pictures I put on my 999 Challenge? I want to do similar ones for my 101010. It was a great idea taken from bfertig. I'm not going to start the101010 now, though, as I'm already way behind in my reading. I'm now addicted to Twitter and spend more time with that than anything else. *Sigh*

Good morning Squeak;
I am not starting the 10/10/10 until January 1st. But I did want to get it set up and ready to go and I am glad I did because it took me nearly all day yesterday. I had the house to myself so I really took advantage of that as I was running back and forth between bookshelves, the computer and the pantry and back again. But it was fun and it is done and ready to go. Whoo Hoo!~!~!
I see that we have some very similar categories. Seeing the books you choose for those will be of great interest to me.
You enjoy your day. It is a beautiful one here and I hope there as well.
hugs,
belva

I'm so glad I found this thread (via the Kitchen Sink thread). This sounds perfect for me. I don't want to read 100 books in a year!

(Thanks for the tip; I've set up my own thread for my 10 categories -- although this time I absolutely could NOT get one of the touchstones to come up right!)

Message edited by its author, Sep 25, 2009, 12:34pm.

Hi Megi53!

Did you mean to set up your own thread? If you do it here, others will be able to find it more easily.

I saw The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill as a movie. I didn't know it had been based on a book.

I love Vonnegut books. I've read many, but none of the ones you mentioned! I never got into Vonnegut back in "those days" but am immensely enjoying his writing - even as an "older woman". :)

I discovered teen books (or YA) books last year. I very much enjoyed The Outsiders, The Book Thief, and Feed. Good
writing!

You know, with the stepladder thing I might stand a chance over here! Maybe I'll join up for this challenge... though I won't work out my reading too much yet because January's still such a long way away reading-wise. I might end up sabotaging myself before the new year's begun!

Hi SqueakyChu - however you fill in your categories, I will be looking forward to your amusing answers and questions on the "Silly Book Game". I am really excited for the new year and starting on this 1010 Challenge.

That silly book game was my best invention of recent note! :)

Good luck on your challenge for 2010. I'm already way behind on my 999 and 75 book challenges. There are just so many more things I have to do than just read...

*she says, as she goes to check that silly book game*

What "silly book game" are you talking about, Madeline? I wanna play! ;-)

This game has been going on a long time. It's already on its twelfth thread, and each thread is about 300 posts long!

Without further ado, here's the (Ta! Da!)....silly book game.

#47 I remember that game - I played it some about a year ago - very fun - quite addicting!

Addicting is right. I created it, left it, and am now back at playing it again. :)

That is the first time I have ever seen the silly book game. I will have to keep an eye on it now. I am slowly working on my 101010 categories. I still don't know how I am setting it up. I may do the step ladder or just try to read 10 books in a few of the categories. First I need to figure out my categories then worry about the number of books I am going to read. I am not even close to reaching my goals this year.

I decided to do both the 999 and to 101010 at the same time (using the same books). Get it? My 999 will have no time limit. My 101010 will start 01/01/10. In that way, I'll complete all my challenges, although tsome books will overlap. Perhaps I should call my 101010 challenge "My 12345678910 Challenge" instead, as I'm doing the "stepped" challenge. :)

I hate the pressure of reading what I don't want to read, but I love filling in the blanks for the various challenges. For me, that's a win-win situation.

Exactly! Filling in the blanks is the best part!

Although, setting yourself certain goals DOES seem to make actually reading those books a little easier, since starting is half the problem. I've picked up some of my oldest unread books on my ABC challenge so far, and wondered why on earth I kept putting them off! Kinda like how you always seem to read library books before everything else because you know they have a deadline...

That does sound interesting to do both the 999 and the 101010 challenge at the same time. Since this past year was the first time I ever tried to read a certain number of books in a year I just wanted to see how I would do more then anything. If I can make it to 50 books I will be extremely happy. I will try to work on my categories today and post them soon. I just need to figure out the types of books I own and also to start going to the library again. I hate the summer because the library has shorter hours and I don't get there that often. Now I am off to work out and work on my categories.

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Kinda like how you always seem to read library books before everything else because you know they have a deadline...

I don't. I take them out because they sound great, and then I read my own books because they don't have due date! :)

Message edited by its author, Oct 3, 2009, 10:19am.

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I just need to figure out the types of books I own

Don't obsess too much on the categories. You can always change them later, if necessary (my rule!). :)

You can always change them later, if necessary

Absolutely! Just today I was considering a category change for my 999.

Done adding my pics!

>57 They're great, Squeaky!

Thanks! Finding the pictures (I found these on wikipedia) is a fun part of doing this challenge, I think.

Message edited by its author, Oct 3, 2009, 4:39pm.

Great pictures!

Thanks! The idea for doing them came from bfertig.

Great pics!! I especially like the Early Reviewer one!! :) I added mine too thanks to bfertig's idea - it was so much fun finding the pics!!

I like yours too, Eva. I *had* to sneak over and take a peek at them. I especially like the pics you chose for "whatevers", "books with no reviews on LT", and "Israeli writers".

The hunt for pics was fun! I came across the "Whatevers" picture accidentally and immediately thougth that it would be perfect for that category!

That one's an especially cool and interesting pic!

Message edited by its author, Oct 3, 2009, 10:00pm.

The pictures are fabulous.

Thanks, arubabookwoman. It was fun picking them.

Love the pictures. I know I can change the categories but I am not as well versed in all the different ideas I have seen in these threads or the 999 challenge. I just go with the basic genres more then anything. I am sure that some of my books could be placed in different categories if I really thought about it. I need to go to my room with all my books and just kick the person out that is using the computer so that I can work on my categories. I will have to do that tomorrow.
Night all!!
Monica

G'night, Monica!

I agree! Get that "computer hog" off your computer so you can get to work on your categories. :)

Madeline - You've sold me on the pictures--I'm going to do the same for my thread. What method did you use to bring them into your posts?

I used {A HREF="___"}{IMG SRC="___"}{/A>, filling in the blanks with the proper information and substituting pointed brackets for the curly brackets. I grabbed the pics from wikipedia so there would be no copyright infringement.

good on ya!

That sounds easier than going the photobucket route. Thanks!

You're welcome!

I'm also doing the stepped challenge for the 1010...maybe I will overlap the 999 too- I had pretty much just given up on it. I like this challenge because I can try out some new categories, and maybe even finally read Gone with the Wind. :-) Good luck!

Gone with the Wind was my favorite book when I was in high school --- a very, very long time ago. :)

I, too, loved Gone with the Wind as a youth -- also long ago!

I read Gone with the Wind during the Reagan administration. Really enjoyed it, although I never warmed to Scarlett.

>78

OK, that's interesting. What about GWTW and the Reagan administration made you remember the time connection?

#79 That is an interesting connection. I don't know who was president at the time, but I remember reading GWTW in junior high school. The school librarian seemed very put out that I had to keep re-checking the book because it was taking more than a week to finish. But no one else wanted it, so she finally let me keep it until I was done.

Nixon, I think - or maybe Ford.

Nixon was president when I first read it, I think. I remember doing a book report on it in 8th grade, and that would have been Spring, 1974. Let's see, that would have been during the heat of the Watergate fallout. Pretty soon, his presidency was Gone With the Wind!

Message edited by its author, Nov 3, 2009, 10:31am.

Interesting conversation . . . I read Gone With the Wind one summer when I was sick in bed with the chicken pox. Being in Canada, I wouldn't have cared less who the president was, but let's see . . . late 70s. Carter, maybe?

#82 But do you remember who your prime minister was?

#83-Hmmmm, no, but chances are it was Pierre Trudeau. Until I was an adult, it was almost always Pierre Trudeau! I can't remember exactly what year I had the chicken pox, so it could have been during Joe Clark's very brief period as PM. But I'm guessing Trudeau . . . it was around the time I read that he was the sexiest man in Canada and I threw up in my shoe.

I have never read GWTW. Should I?

I haven't read it either. I do need to check a book out of the library again. I may just see if they have a copy of it.

#85 Probably, if only to better understand all the cultural references.

I think it's worth reading at least once.

I almost hate to read it again because I loved it as a teenager, but I think I will. Maybe there should be a GWTW group re-read?

I read it as a teenager (after seeing the film) but I've got it down as a possible for my 1010 and if enough people are interested - I love Group Reads;)

I've not read it at all yet - but it's hovering on the edge of my 1010 ideas too. I'd have it in my Silver Screen category, then I'd have the perfect excuse to spend one of my days off watching it after I'd finished reading!

I may just have to join in reading it too. I have wanted to read it but it was never important or top priority to read. I guess I first need to either buy the book or borrow from the library.

I nearly read it when the BBC were doing their Big Read, with all the publicity around the books again and TV sections with people discussing them - but it's not really a book you could just jump into, is it? It's a commitment book!

#93 Oh, I don't know. It's a thick book, but I read it in about a month when I was what - 14? Surely as an adult, it would be much easier going now. I certainly wouldn't put it on a level with War and Peace. Maybe someone who has read it lately will chime in here.

Oh no, I certainly wasn't implying that it was akin to one of the Great Tomes of Literature. I guess what I meant is, it's certainly not a quick read, and as such it requires a bit of time investment. Not the best book to fit in in bite-size chunks while knackered after work, for example... Maybe I'll start it over Christmas, or on a day off to have a good run at it, really get absorbed in the story!

well, yay! Even more motivation to actually read it if you all are reading it as well :-)

Summer! We should do a group read of GWTW during summer 2010. It makes a great beach read. It's one of my favorite books and I reread it every few summers.

*makes mental note in mental diary* - good idea!

#97 You ought to post this on the group reads thread so that everyone can see it and plan to join in if they're interested.

I meant to ask someone about that - I keep hearing about great group reads, but I never know where to find them. The only one I'm doing is People of the Book, thanks to Mark and Belva's publicity before it started... Where's the best place to go to keep up with what group reads are coming up across LT?

There's a thread for the 1010 Category Challenge located here. There's also a Group Reads - Literature group and one for Sci-Fi that I know of.

Thank you!