Thingaversary Annual Theme

LT Anniversary Suggestions -- Thinga Themes!

This was an idea that Cameling mentioned and I am running with. The idea is to come up with a theme for each year's LT Anniversary. Suggestions do not have to match your current LT year. Obviously the whole year of reading does not have to be this theme, but perhaps one of the reader's purchased books could be the year's theme or readers could develop a specific plan to read one book of that theme during that year. Rosalita came up with the first two, but I am going to use only her first suggestion because I think there should be a limit of just one idea per reader so more people can participate:

Below give me your suggestion for a category and a book suggestion or two if you are so inclined. I will update the list here. If you have a year in mind, let me know.

1. YA Novel (rosalita) The Book Thief, A Wrinkle in Time, Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian
2. Murder Mystery (Berly) A Scarpetta Novel, Turn of Mind, Morgue Drawer Four, Gone Girl
3. Historical Fiction (cameling) Arthur & George, Regeneration trilogy, Iqbal, The Cellist of Sarajevo, Wolf of the Plains, Wolf Hall, A Place of Greater Safety, Early One Morning, Girl in Hyacinth Blue
4. Supernatural (majkia) Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell , The Many-Colored Land , The Rook, The Thirteenth Tale
5. Classic Literature (scaifea) The Aeneid, Jane Eyre
6. Comic Book/Graphic Novel/Illustrated Book (richardderus) Doc Savage: Fortress of Solitude/The Devil Genghis.
7. NonFiction (Morphidae) Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind
8. Contemporary Literary Fiction (msf59)
9. Narrative NonFiction (brenzi) The Worst Hard Times by Timothy Egan and Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo.
10. Boxed Set (banjo123)
11. A Book About Books (lahochstetler) Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, Rereadings, My Reading Life, Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, So Many Books, So Little Time
12. Memoir (Crazymamie) The Elephant Whisperer, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Finding George Orwel in Burma
13. Baker's D0zen C00kery B00k (PaulCranswick)
14. Westerns (coppers) Lonesome Dove, Let Him Go, The Whistling Season, The Big Rock Candy Mountain, The Meadow, Plainsong, Tallgrass, Hell's Bottom, Colorado, Doc,
The Painter, The Life of an Ordinary Woman, A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains
15. Travel (MDGentleReader/Suggestions also by Rosalita) Bill Bryson's travel books, Notes From a Small Island, In a Sunburned Country, A Walk In the Woods, The Lost Continent, Paul Theroux's The Mosquito Coast or The African Queen, Travels with Charley, On the Road, The Snow Leopard.
16. Fiction in Translation (katiekrug) A book not originally written in the LTer's mother tongue.
17. Romance (Marky Mark) ??
18. History (Chatterbox) The Swerve by Paul Greenblatt, or Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age by Modris Eksteins
19. Urban Fantasy (AuntieClio) Richard Kadrey (Sandman Slim Series), Kim Harrison (The Hollows Series), Stacia Kane (Downside Ghosts Series). Maybe Mercedes Lackey.
20. Outer Space (drneutron) The Martian and Packing for Mars

That should hold us for a while...I think. What is the longest someone has been on LT? Answer: the oldest members (I have dubbed LT2 for LibraryThing LongTimers) turn 9 this year.

3. Phauntaisee nawvelle?
5. Memoir? Been on the site long enough to celebrate with a memoir, kinda my thinkin'

4. must be supernatural as it is invisible. :)

>3 richardderus: Love your spelling of Fantasy Novel, but I am saving #3 for Cameling since this was her idea. Also, you only get one #, so I went with Memoir for #5. : )

>4 majkia:

>4 majkia: >5 Berly: JK. That was my invisible response! LOL

#7 Nonfiction - don't make it #6 as #5 is already nonfiction

>7 Morphidae: Hi Morphy! 7 it is. Just to make it more interesting, not that you would have to read it, but what would you suggest as a favorite to fulfill this category? I added some to my Murder Mystery category: A Scarpetta Novel, Turn of Mind, Morgue Drawer Four, Gone Girl.

6 HAS TO BE COMIC BOOKS.

>9 richardderus: (For those of you who didn't read Richard's thread he doesn't want to have to read a comic book so he wants to make sure it falls before #8 which is his next Thingaversary.) You can only have one year silly man. Do you want to give up Memoir for #5? 'Course I will expect a suggestion for Comic Books.... : P

Awww Kimmers, you're soooo sweet! Thanks for saving a spot for me so I can participate. *smooooches*

How about 'Historical Fiction' for #3?

I'm waiting with bated breath to see what makes it in for #6 since that is my Thingaversary this year. I just hope it's not a genre I generally am not a fan of ..... and no, I'm not going to mention it here in case someone's perverse enough to plum for it, and then I'll be gnashing my teeth and forcing myself to get at least one copy in that genre to read this year.

C: Why don't you take spot #6? Do you want Historical Fiction there or something else? Or do you want to leave it to fate? : )

Anyone: How many years should we do? What's the longest someone has been on LT?

So am I only allowed to make a suggestion for my year? It was seven years on June 14 and I see 7 has been given a theme, so I might suggest Sex for Six; or maybe Finding a Mate for Eight?

Maggie--it doesn't have to be any particular year and it doesn't have to rhyme, although I liked that! So try again?

Eight years for me this October.

I herewith switch #5 from Memoir to Comic Book/Graphic Novel/Illustrated Book. All identical things.

*whew*

The ninth Thingaversaries start this fall.

>15 Morphidae: Richard is also coming up on his eighth. I don't even know what year I am although I know it is less than 8...be right back. I turn 6 this year. Wow! How did that happen?

>16 richardderus: Fine, fine, fine. Saved by your ownself. Now a suggested title please? (Love the irony of asking for that. Snort, smirk.) But I moved it to #6 so that it wasn't back-to-back with #4 Supernatural.

So 9 is the highest Thingaversary out there. And that means you are pretty old Mister! Well, hopefully you will last a few more years, so let's fill the list up until at least 15. Then we are good for a while.

Doc Savage! *heh*

Really?! Good thing these are just suggestions. But I shouldn't dish it since I haven't even read it. The question is, Have You?! : P



How about Hugo Cabret?

As a matter of strictly factual fact, I have sitting right here next to me Doc Savage: Fortress of Solitude/The Devil Genghis.

Nyah!

How about a 'Classic Literature' year?

>21 richardderus: Okay, I did some checking up on you and you added this title on June 21st, so indeed it actually is "factual fact." Well played sir! Your selection is duly noted above.

I have three nonfiction books that I have given 10/10 stars to. Two of them I think just about everyone on LT has read - 84, Charing Cross by Helene Hanff and Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman,

So I'll suggest Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind by Roger Walsh.

It describes seven common practices (kindness, love, joy, peace, vision, wisdom, and generosity) of many of the world's major religions including Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. But also mentions some smaller ones such as Native American spirituality.

>22 scaifea: Hi Amber! BTW--I love you current profile picture. Adding Classic Literature as #5. Favorite Book Suggestion?

>25 Berly: Hm. Ancient = The Aeneid, not ancient = Jane Eyre.

Awesome!

I'm so glad that Caro had the brilliant idea and Kim has gotten the ball rolling with getting suggestions for the yearly themes! I will be celebrating my 9th Thingaversary in December so I'm especially curious to see what that will turn out to be!

>29 Berly: You gave this idea your strong endorsement and came up with the first category; it takes a team! And wow! You are another LT2! (LibraryThing LongTimer!) Very cool.

I like your idea, Kim! Not many genres left. How about literary fiction or contemporary literary fiction? It still remains my favorite. I would have grabbed GNS, but RD bullied his way in there. Smirks...

>30 msf59: Contempirary Literary Fiction. Perfect! Any preference for one of the remaining years? 8,9,10? Or later? A title or two to recommend with it?? (Smirking right along with you...)

And there are lots of categories left...Romance, A Western, Biography, Pulitzer Prize Winner...

>30 msf59: Not many genres left?! How about thrillers, biographies/memoirs, romance, science fiction/fantasy, westerns, food/cooking, dystopias, translations, history, politics/current events, travel, animal stories, sports, horror, short stories, poetry ...

I think for year 10 one should get a boxed set. (reader's choice)

Kim, I'm more than happy to leave #6 to fate. I don't really want to choose my own anniversary year theme - if only because I've already read a number of historical fiction books this year. So I'm eager to see what someone else will choose for #6.

What I think I'll do though, is, to make up for my 'lost' Thingaversaries, to read at least one book from the final list of Thinga themes up until my 6th Thinga this year. :-)

>33 banjo123: I love that idea. Yes, I'd like to second the motion that Year 10's theme should be a boxed set. I already know what boxed set I want to get ... now to hold out until my 10th Thinga to get it.

Shall we list themes for 20 years? That's a nice round number, would you all agree? Plus I like the idea that we're still all going to be enjoying LT for another decade or so... 14 more for me to reach my 20th Thingaversary.

>24 Morphidae: Morphy .. I like non-fiction, since that's a genre that could cover a whole breadth of topics from science, natural studies, health, history, physics, travelogues, social studies, etc ... I'm could have fun picking a different nonfiction category for each month next year. :-)

>32 rosalita: Exactly! Thank you. And the list goes on and on...!

>33 banjo123: >35 cameling: Year 10 is now a boxed set. A brilliant idea my dears. : )

>34 cameling: Okay, well fate has handed Anniversary #6...Comic Book/Graphic Novel/Illustrated Book. You can think Richard and he recommends Doc Savage: Fortress of Solitude/The Devil Genghis.

And I love your idea of making up your lost Thingas--have fun with that!

>36 cameling: I have rounded the list out to a nice even 20. : )

Ha! Graphic novels .. great theme for my Thingaversary this year. I've already read Doc Savage and Hugo Cabret. I've actually already read a few GNs this year, but that will not stop me from picking another before the end of the year as my official Thinga read. :-) I'm soooooo excited! Haha.. I wonder what non-readers will make of my gleeful anticipation at picking out a new illustrated work to read.

And yaay to the even 20! I hope more people will start filling out the themes. We should then ask Jim if he will post the Thinga themes somewhere on LT so others outside the 75er group can also celebrate their themes if they wish.

>40 cameling: I am glad that you are happy with your Thingaversary theme this year. Guess what? It's my theme too! I turn 6 in December and I will be reading Doc Savage. Ricardo and Caro--the happiness of my anniversary is all on you two! : )

We should talk to Jim when we finish the list. That would be kinda fun. And I like Thinga Themes. It has a certain ring. Any other ideas?

My year is already taken but no one has listed Narrative Non-fiction as a genre. Two of my favorites are The Worst Hard Times by Timothy Egan and Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo.

Hi Bonnie! What number would you like? 8,9 or 11-20? I'll plug you in. : )

Hi kim- Sorry, I forgot to add a number. How about 8?

>32 rosalita:- I love it when Julia scolds me. LOL. Point taken...

Like I did with memoir and nonfiction, I think there should be at least one year between nonfiction types. Perhaps put narrative nonfiction for year 9?

>45 Morphidae: Yes that works

Thinga Themes ... brilliant, Kim. I like that!

>42 brenzi: Bonnie-- Narrative NonFiciton on #9. ;)

>44 msf59: Mark, got you set up for #8 with Contemporary Lit Fiction. : )

>45 Morphidae: >46 brenzi: Brilliant minds think alike.

>40 cameling: >47 cameling: Caro--you thought of it, I just capitalized the "T" in themes!

A book about books? Given that this is a site full of book aficionados.

>49 lahochstetler: Interesting. Do you have one in mind as an example?

>50 cameling: Sure, for example:

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader
Rereadings
My Reading Life
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair
So Many Books, So Little Time

And so on.

Kimmers 13 is a baker's d0zen s0 I w0uld suggest c00kery b00ks take up year #13

>49 lahochstetler: and >51 lahochstetler: Excellent suggestions. I am particularly intrigued by Tolstoy and the Purple Chair -- what a great title! How about year #11?

>52 PaulCranswick: Paul--13 it is! D0 y0u have any fav0rite suggesti0ns? (I see y0u are still dealing with keyb0ard issues.) : )

Hi Kim! I would add fantasy for 12. Memoirs for 14 and westerns for 16. Does that help? Grins...

>54 msf59: Hey, one suggestion to a customer, mister!

Memoirs. I love those.

Travel, Classic children's?

>55 rosalita:- Kim told me she was having a hard time filling slots. Just giving a hand...

>58 msf59: Aw, I'm just teasing you again, Mark. I just can't seem to help myself around you ... ;-)

Forgiven?

Of course, my friend. Actually, I thought you were going to tease me again about not being able to come up with enough genre ideas. LOL.

>60 msf59: I was giggling imagining you reading my post in #55 and thinking, "Would you make up your ^&O& mind, woman? Either you say I don't have enough suggestions or you say I have too many!"

I was thinking of adding romance for #17 and I cut myself off...snickers.

LOL.

>56 Crazymamie: Hi Crazy! I have you down for Memoirs year 12. OK with you? Any personal favorites you want to recommend?

>57 MDGentleReader: Would you prefer Children's or Travel? I have your suggested theme down for year 15 if that's OK. Do you want to make any recommendations?

>54 msf59: through >63 rosalita:. You guys are making me laugh so hard! Personally I am sorely tempted to remove Mark's recommendation for Conteporary Lit and change him to Romance. Maybe I will just list him twice because that is just too funny. Ha!! Thanks for livening up the thread. : )

Yep. Year 12 is just fine. Let's see...personal favorites:

The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin

I don't mind what year- thanks for considering my suggestion!

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair is a really interesting book. The author decides to read a book a day to cope with her grief over her sister's sudden death. The stuff about the books and grief was interesting. The only part that I didn't like was that the author absolutely refuses to acknowledge the privileges she has that make this sort of venture possible (her husband earns the money, her children are in school, so it isn't like she's trying to look after babies or toddlers). She's pretty adamant that anyone can find the time to do it, which is extremely short-sighted, at least in my opinion. I would have found it far more palatable for her to acknowledge that yes, she's in a place in her life that allows for this, so be it. Still well worth reading!

I gave my recommendation in post >24 Morphidae:.

>65 Crazymamie: Thank you for the suggestions Ma'am. Duly noted. : )

>66 lahochstetler: Tolstoy and the Purple Chair still sound fascinating despite the author's delusions. I know what I will read for Year 11! Thanks for adding that explanation.

>67 Morphidae: Oops Morphy! I posted at the same time and totally missed it. I have added your suggestion and thank you for your patience. ; )

>64 Berly: any year is fine with me. Suggestions are not coming to mind right now, I'll try to come up with something long before 2020 gets here, hopefully sometime later this month. I'm open to suggestions for either genre and quite happy to go with either one if someone else has a suggestion for either one.

LOL. Okay so you have some time. I will await your book suggestions.

>69 MDGentleReader: & >70 Berly: As far as travel goes, suggestions would be any of Bill Bryson's travel books, Notes From a Small Island, In a Sunburned Country, A Walk In the Woods, The Lost Continent — I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Or Paul Theroux's The Mosquito Coast. The African Queen, maybe?

I'm sure others will also have some good suggestions but those came to mind immediately.

Well, I'm feeling ancient, and I'm coming up on my eighth Thingaversary, so this leads me to think about HISTORY as a category, naturally enough.

As far as books go, what about The Swerve by Paul Greenblatt, or Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age by Modris Eksteins?

Travel: Paul Theroux's The Great Railway Bazaar. Or A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor. In Siberia by Colin Thubron, Dragon Apparent by Norman Lewis, The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron, etc.

>69 MDGentleReader: >71 rosalita: I added Rosalita's suggestions to Travel. Hope that is OK GentleReader?

>72 Chatterbox: Suz--History is added! As well as your suggestions.

Thanks you guys!

Only a few more openings left...

>66 lahochstetler: I love your suggestions, lahochstetler but I especially love the title Tolstoy and the Purple Chair. The title alone would have me reaching for the book if I saw it on a shelf, but I'm now intrigued by the books she read a each day following her sister's death. It would be an unrealistic goal for me, for sure, given my hectic work schedule and the fact that I'd like a healthy social life as well, but I do try to read as often as I can. I'm concerned less with the number of books I read per day as I am with the quality of reading I get to enjoy each day, even if it's only for a couple of hours in each day.

Thanks for managing this process, Kim. I love how Thinga Themes is filling out.

Kim asked for suggestions for YA for Year 1. I'm hesitant to recommend anything I haven't actually read, and I'm not the biggest YA fan in the world, so I hope everyone else will chime in with their suggestions as well. For me, I would recommend The Book Thief, A Wrinkle in Time, Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian ...

Those are fantastic suggestions! You are so funny. Guess I shouldn't have pegged you for YA literature then, huh? Do you want to switch categories?

No, no, it's fine! I mean, I did suggest it in Caro's original thread about this, with my thinking generally being that the first anniversary should skew young, if that makes sense (probably not to anyone but me). :-)

But I'm happy to have my name by it, and I'm loving all the other categories that are getting filled in!

>77 rosalita: Okay. Just looking for happy participants here. I think it is a vital category and I like your reasoning. Off to add your suggestions to year #1!

I need to get Joanne (coppers) over here to claim a year for Westerns and offer some suggestions! Off to suggest it to her on her thread right now.

Excellent idea! Thanks.

>79 rosalita: Thanks for the heads up and the invite, Julia! I tend to not get past my starred threads and miss things like this. It sounds like fun! And I've read a couple Westerns...

How about Westerns for year 14? Suggestions off the top of my head:

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Let Him Go by Larry Watson
The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner
The Meadow by James Galvin
Plainsong, etc by Kent Haruf
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
Hell's Bottom, Colorado by Laura Pritchett
Doc by Mary Doria Russell
The Painter by Peter Heller
The Life of an Ordinary Woman by Anne Ellis
A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird

OK, I'll stop now... :)

Perfect! I knew you would have a good list, Joanne.

Ugh, I need to get Tolstoy and the Purple Chair just for the book list at the end of the book. I can't find the list on line!

>64 Berly: Travel thoughts that have not been mentioned Travels with Charley, On the Road, The Snow Leopard.

For Children's literature, I re-read Roller Skates this weekend. Oh, the joys of being 10. Well, it won a Newbery, so there are sad times, too. Wonderful book. Right now in my mind, nothing else stands up to it....

Kim asked me to post some suggestions for historical fiction. So here are some that I had liked:

Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
Regeneration trilogy by Pat Barker
Iqbal by Francesco D'Adamo
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
Wolf of the Plains by Conn Iggulden
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
Early One Morning by Robert Ryan
Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland

>79 rosalita: >81 Copperskye: Wow! Rosalita good thing you got coppers to pipe up! I mean it wouldn't be a list without Westerns. C, you win for the most suggestions in a category. (And I've actually read a few!)

>83 Morphidae: I know Morphy--if you get your hands on it, let me know!

>84 MDGentleReader: Thanks for the additional suggestions. I have added them!

>85 cameling: Caro--Awesome! Also happily added. See what a great thing you started?

Wow! I can't wait for some of my Anniversaries now. : )

What about fiction in translation? Obviously, for me, that would be books not originally written in English, but generally, books not written in the LTer's mother tongue. Too many to list and I don't have many personal recommendations because I'm bad about reading this category, but I have a lovely collection of Europas which are often books translated from other languages. And it's broad enough that people could read from different genres - mysteries, historical, classics, etc.

>87 katiekrug: I like it! Yeah, I am not sure this category needs specific suggestions and I agree that translated from a language not the LTer's mother tongue would be more appropriate. Year 16!

Hmmm, how about Space! For one of the slots. Could be fiction or nonfiction as long as outer space is involved. Recent suggestions? The Martian and Packing for Mars.

Urban fantasy?
Anything by Richard Kadrey (Sandman Slim Series), Kim Harrison (The Hollows Series), Stacia Kane (Downside Ghosts Series). Maybe Mercedes Lackey.

>89 drneutron: Hi Doc! Excellent suggestion. I thought it appropriate to wrap up our annual themes with "Twenty and beyond!" So Outer Space seems appropriate. Thanks. : )

>90 AuntieClio: Awesome! Duly added to year #19. : )

So that leaves only year open. Mark has two suggestions, Contemporary Lit and Romance so he needs to choose which one he wants his name on. Hmmm...I wonder which one he will choose?

Suggestions for #4: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell , The Many-Colored Land , The Rook, The Thirteenth Tale

Hmmm. So which should I do for my anniversary? I can't afford to buy books so I could either read one book a month in my anniversary year's theme (Contemporary Literary Fiction) OR I could read a book in every theme up to my year (8th) during the month of my anniversary (October.)

Decisions. Decisions.

>92 majkia: Thanks! Posted. I have only read the The Thirteenth Tale. I may have to go back and read some of these books for the anniversaries I have missed!

>93 Morphidae: ^^ I am thinking I will read one book a month for each of the anniversaries I missed and then I can begin the next year with my current ThingaTheme. Wait. My anniversary is in December, too, and I turn 7. I better get cracking!

Ooh. Good idea. I'll see if I can get seven books read on themes in the next 3 months. Shouldn't be much of a stretch.

Morphy--A stretch for some but not for you. : )

Books I read preparatory to my 8th Thingaversary coming up next month.

Year 1. YA Novel - Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
Year 2. Murder Mystery - Water-Blue Eyes by Domingo Villar
Year 3. Historical Fiction - The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
Year 4. Supernatural - Blood of the Demon by Diana Rowland
Year 5. Classic Literature - Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
Year 6. Comic Book/Graphic Novel/Illustrated Book - Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
Year 7. NonFiction - Marriage, A History by Stephanie Coontz

For my 8th anniversary year I will read one book a month in that year's theme which is Contemporary Literary Fiction. I'm assuming this means Book Club type choices.

Nicely done Morphy!! I have only read your book Year #3. Were any of the others recommended reads?

Here is my tentative to be read list for my 8th Thingaversary year (contemporary fiction.) First, I'm going by a rule of contemporary author rather than being written about contemporary times. Second, it must have been published in the 1980s or after. Lastly, it had to have a reasonably-sized "literary fiction" tag on it. If you think a book *REALLY* doesn't belong on this list, I'm willing to give a listen. It's a work in progress.

October 2014 - A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines DONE 7/10 stars
November 2014 - The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
December 2014 - Chocolat by Joanne Harris
January 2015 - The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
February 2015 - The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
March 2015 - The Red Tent by Anita Diament
April 2015 - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
May 2015 - Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
June 2015 - The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
July 2015 - Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
August 2015 - Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
September 2015 - Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

M--I have read about half of those and they are some mighty fine reads! I think you have an excellent year ahead of you. ; )

Is anyone doing this other than me?

I'd like to do it , Morphy. I'm just terrible about planning ahead and worse about sticking to a plan.

I am doing this. My Thingaversary is coming up in Dec and I will be purchasing something from my category. : ) I will be celebrating my 7th so that means NonFiction as suggested by Morphidae.