February TIOLI: A book someone else has added to a list you created.

The main TIOLI thread is here. This is the place to discuss and ask any questions you may have about Challenge #4, read a book that someone else added to a List you created.

Copying my message from the main thread:

LibraryThing has a new Lists feature, and now is your chance to try it out!

First, go to the main Lists page and browse around a bit to get a sense of how it works. Look at what lists other people have created, and maybe make contributions to some of them.

When you're ready, create your own list! The "create new list" button is at the top right of the main list page.

Then you just have to wait and see... what books will other people add to your list? You can pick any of those to read for this challenge.

Hint: The more lists you create, the more choices you'll have.... ;)

And some preliminary questions to start off the discussion....

Have you used the list feature yet? If so, what did you think of it? Did you get any ideas of books to read? Or if you haven't used the feature, why not?

Have you created your own list yet? If so, how did it turn out?

Did you have any problems, or was there anything that you wanted to do but couldn't?

I created a couple of lists; it will be interesting to see whether anyone adds anything to them... (and what happens if they don't??)

I checked out a few others, but didn't get much from them. Perhaps the feature is too new; I found them to be very similar to the lists I've already seen on Amazon -- i.e. best dystopian novels, best historical fiction, etc. Rather predictable. I'll keep an eye open for more creative/targeted lists, though.

My lists: Scandicrime; Europa/Europa; New Mysteries and New Books I can't Wait to Read.

So far not in love with this feature, but it's too early to pass final judgment.

and what happens if they don't??

I can't imagine that this would happen, unless someone is creating really obscure lists. In that worst-case scenario, I guess there are always shared reads.

I don't personally read many crime novels or mysteries, but I was trying to think of something to add to your New Books list. I couldn't come up with anything that had just come out this month, though--how much leeway do we have on "new"?

I do have a book from mid-December that I can add, but I'm afraid it's not likely to be something you're interested in....

I've been working with them, but I now see that very similar or duplicate lists are being created. I'm not sure how this will be handled. I still don't like that I can't delete the lists I created in error in the beginning.

I also think that these lists are not going to make everyone happy. Some people want lists as a checklist feature, although I suppose they can use collections for that.

Did you get any ideas of books to read?

No. I don't plan to use the lists that way. I'd rather get recommendations directly from the threads of others. However, I don't mind giving out my own recommendations that way! :)

Zoe, I was thinking of "new" as in since late fall, and even including upcoming releases.

Madeline, I agree with you about not being able to delete a list.

I assume that there will eventually be a search that people are encouraged to use before creating new lists. Of course, there will still be duplicates--but once we have more ways of highlighting interesting lists (stars, thumbs, whatever), I'm not sure how much that will matter.

With groups, there was a lot of concern about duplicates and whether groups should merge and all that sort of stuff, but in the end, some groups just succeeded while others failed, and the failed ones pretty much fell out of sight and didn't harm anyone.

>6 Chatterbox: Okay, that I should be able to do!

Oh, but my two new releases don't come out until March, so that won't help you with the challenge. Hopefully someone else will be more useful.

I just started a "Best Books I've Read for TIOLI" list
http://www.librarything.com/list/122/all/Best-Books-Read-for-TIOLI#

I'm going now to search out lists started by other TIOLIers.

>10 lahochstetler: I just went through most of the 2010 wikis looking for books for your list, and realized that many of my top books of the year were for TIOLI :)

I've created one for Cerebral Mysteries. Eagerly looking for new authors to discover.

http://www.librarything.com/list/123/all/Cerebral-Mysteries

I have discovered that the lists feature is now my favorite timewaster.

>13 lahochstetler: I consider my challenge a success :D

I've just spent ages playing with this feature - my lists created include Favourite Virago Modern Classics, Historical crime, Orange Prize contenders and Booker Prize contenders, and Irish writers. Oh, and books about Russia and the former USSR. Please feel free to come and play. I've been looking at best boarding school stories and will be interested to see additions to fiction set in China and lots of others.

Okay. The list feature isn't something I was going to use, but I will just for your challenge. I've added my favorite genre:

Farm Boy Fantasy

Description: Also known as pig boy stories. A pig boy/farmer/orphan is really a king/magician/object of prophecy. There are many variations such as an orphan girl becoming a herald (Valdemar) or a farm boy on a desert planet becoming a Jedi. Another description I gave elsewhere: a poor/abused/average boy/girl/man/woman finds out she is special - usually fantasy.

http://www.librarything.com/list/143/all/Farm-Boy-Fantasy#

So, I made three lists:

•Detective/Mystery Fiction set in the Gilded Age
•Fiction Set in Ancient Mesopotamia
•Novels Published in 1987

Ooh, fiction set in ancient Mesopotamia! I'm excited to see what people add to that one.

Me too! I've added one book and am now (not so) patiently waiting for people to add others. :D

I can't actually seem to think of any....

I've added a couple of books to Samantha-Kathy's Mesopotamia list and I have started one of my own, Really Good Narrative Non-Fiction .

Thanks for the books on the Mesopotamia list! I won't be reading from that list for this challenge, but I am compiling a list to read for later in the year :D.

The list I really want to read from is the Detective/Mysteries set in the Gilded Age list. I've got a novella lined up that I can't fit into TIOLI in any other way, so I really hope someone adds it. I even left a book in the list as a hint. (And no, I am not hinting at all here *grins*)

This is quite addictive, isn't it? I've added loads and most of them seem to be on elkiedee's lists so you'll have plenty to choose from, Luci!

I've just started one list : favourite nineteenth century fiction and like Samantha, I am hoping somebody lists one in particular by an author I've already listed! But I will be interested to see whatever arrives.

Edited to say: Yay, the book I was after came up! Looks like I'll be reading the Austens I never got around to in February.

This is quite addictive! I've added another list:

Comfort Reads

I feel a bit like a fisherman, setting my nets and hoping for a nice, juicy fish to come along!

Phew, there are a couple of additions to my list that fall into the category of books I have and am interested in reading!!

I've been doing what I can to bulk up other lists...

>25 Chatterbox: I'm glad that worked out!

Are there any particular lists that still really need contributions?

Thank you, Suzanne. I am going to be reading Peacock Spring by Rumer Godden for this challenge. I have wanted to try this author for some time.

Zoe, I have a question though, when I added it to the Wiki, the name of my list didn't come up, just the number 1. Did I do something wrong?

It looks like it was just showing up with a 1 because you didn't specify any text--the name of the list only shows up if you type it in the square brackets with the address, separated by a space. I think I've fixed it; hopefully I got the name right!

Thanks, Zoe!

I saw that, Judy -- that's great!! Hope you like it. It was the first Godden novel that I read waaaay back in 1976, at the age of 14. Promptly started accumulating her others, which was a bit tricky, as many were out of print. Several are still faves and despite the tricky subject matter in this one (a teenager has a love affair; her widowed father drifts away from her and into the ambit of a Eurasian woman) I'd still rate it as a comfort read because of the way Godden deals with the issues. At some point I want to read her memoirs.

I found my library limited my choices as to what I could get by her, but I did notice that they have a biography called Rumer Godden: A Storyteller's Life which looks interesting.

I made a list about Best Books With Sisters. I forgot a few key books, but I based it on books I'd tagged in my library. I probably won't be able to read any this month that get added, but it is a cool idea for a challenge.

http://www.librarything.com/list/166/all/Best-Books-With-Sisters

Off to check the mystery lists....

eta:
>12 majkia: What makes a mystery cerebral?

I don't think I would use lists of my own, so I've just been adding to others' to help out this challenge. All went well until I got to lahochstetler's Beautiful Book Covers.
http://www.librarything.com/list/131/all/Beautiful-Book-Covers#

Two books that I added showed up with different covers, so were not 'beautiful', hence 'removed'. However, they still show up at the bottom of the list, and there was no place to note the reason. Apologies, lahochstetler!

no worries, I had that problem too. I just went to the library and got Charlotte Mendelson's When We Were Bad which was added to my "Best Books Set in London" list. Looking forward to reading it.

I've made a list called "Under The Big Top", for adult fiction in circus settings. Now just waiting for some adds.... the anticipation is surprisingly fun. :-)

http://www.librarything.com/list/182/all/Under-The-Big-Top-Favorite-circus-relat...

I've created three lists and placed 2 books on hold as a result. Best Westerns, Best Young Adult, and Best Urban Fantasy.

I am somewhat surprised that the list I made on a whim is the one that has given me the books to look for. Lonesome Dove and True Grit.

I've added two more lists - Unlikely Pets and Living Among Wild Animals.

I have to admit that I am hoping that someone adds a particular book to Under The Big Top. But I can put that book in another challenge, so I'm good either way. :-)

I've created my first list: Best Medical Nonfiction.

Just had my first attempt at trying to add a couple books to your list, kidzdoc. If it's messed up, you know who to blame. :-)

Add away, streamsong! I'm curious to see what you and others add to this list.

Is there any best medical nonfiction that you haven't already found???

>41 Chatterbox: I'm sure that there are plenty of excellent medical nonfiction books that I haven't read or heard of yet.