KITastrophe planning

A few of us had a brief discussion over in the 2020 planning group to see if we wanted to continue. Participation seemed to drop off as the year went on, but I still love this one.

We talked about maybe doing a quarterly theme instead of monthly.

If we want to do quarterly, I thought we might want to start planning.

Year-Long: Epidemics and Pandemics - beebeereads
Jan-Mar: Technology/Industrial/Man-made - SilverWolf28
Apr-June: Transportation and Maritime - Tess W
July-Sept: Weather/Geological/Fires - LibraryCin
Oct-Dec: Riots/Uprisings/Sieges/War/Invasions - SilverWolf28

So, we'd only need 4 topics.

Here is the list from last year. We just might want to combine and/or cut some out:

Here are the finalized topics from 2020:

Finalized Themes (2020):
Fires
Invasions
Epidemics and Famine
Riots/Uprisings/Sieges
Geologic Events (earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, avalanches, meteor strikes)
Man-Made
Weather Events (hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, droughts, heatwaves)
Transportation and Maritime
Pre-1900
Outside Your Home Country
Technology/Industrial

Some possible topics suggested that we didn't use in 2020:
Historical fiction set during actual event
Nonfiction
War

I really want to keep Geologic and Weather. So, I'm not sure if we are best to combine them (and maybe add Fire?). I suppose they could just be considered "Events"? They are kind of a quick-happening event.

Or do we want them separate? If separate, though, that only leaves two slots for the others.

Can War be added to Riots/Uprisings/Sieges, along with Invasions?

War and Invasions, I think, could be combined.

We didn't use Nonfiction or Historical Fiction last year, and I am happy with leaving those out again. They could be covered in any other topic.

Pre-1900 and Outside your Home Country could also be used for any of the other more specific ones.

If people agree, I won't be around this afternoon, but this evening, I will start crossing things off and/or combining in >2 LibraryCin:

I think quarterly would be great It was difficult to find a non-weather related before 1900 event--at least for me. I like epidemics/famines, geological events, transportation disasters (air, space, water, trains, etc.) And by allowing either fiction or non-fiction for each category, you have many more choices.

I like quarterly. I am fine with combining several into one group.
For the record, my favorite topics would be epidemics, fire, weather/geological, industrial, and transportation/maritime. I think pre-1900 and outside your home country are a little broad. I would rather stick with the more descriptive categories. But I am truly on board for anything the group decides. Glad we will keep this going. I am limiting my CATs next year (or so she says!)

Ok, I've crossed off the broad categories of Historical fiction and Nonfiction. I've also crossed off Pre-1900 and Outside your Home Country.

All of these can be use within other categories.

If we start combining things:

Epidemics/Famines
Weather/Geological/Fires
Transportation/Maritime
Riots/Uprisings/Sieges/War/Invasions
Technology/Industrial/Man-made

That gives us five. If we want to get down to four, are there other ideas?

Just poking my head in to say that I've put the planning thread link on the main group page :)

>12 rabbitprincess: Thank you!

>11 LibraryCin: We could have one of the five be a year-long topic.

>14 SilverWolf28: Oh, I like that idea.

LOL! Should we do the Epidemics/Famine be the year-long one? Not meant to draw it out, but to let people pick it up when they feel most comfortable reading it?

Other ideas, anyone?

I enjoyed KITastrophe this year. I didn't do all of the months, but then I'm not a completionist in these sorts of things so I usually don't.

As I didn't get to my epidemics book this year until the the September catch-up month, I'll second that for the year-long one in 2021 too :)

I took lots of book bullets from the epidemics month in this KIT and from the one in Reading Through Time. I will always have a supply of titles to choose from ! I would be fine with the year long suggestion.

I'm still up for the quarterly theme and a yearly theme.

Oh, good.

I don't think there is going to be too many of us. Maybe we'll try it this way in 2021 and we don't have to continue the next year if we decide it's not enough.

Did we want to do it the same way as monthly and have a different person set up each theme?

If so, we can pick themes and timing?

We'll need people to set up:

1. If we do Epidemics/Pandemics as the year-long (I guess someone will need to set that up in December, so it's ready to go for Jan), we can choose from the rest of these:

2. Weather/Geological/Fires
3. Transportation/Maritime
4. Riots/Uprisings/Sieges/War/Invasions
5. Technology/Industrial/Man-made

And the months would be:
Jan-Mar:
Apr-June:
July-Sept:
Oct-Dec:

Personally, I'd prefer not to do one for January, as I'm already hosting a couple others in Jan and in Feb. So, for timing for me, one of the later ones is better.

Unless someone else really wants it, I'd kind of like Weather/Geological/Fires

Are others up for hosting the others?

I'll take transportation and maritime events April-June , please and thank you.

I'll take January-March with Technology/Industrial/Man-made.

I could do Epidemics again. I did a lot of research last year and posted here and in Reading Through Time. I am happy to post that again in December with a few new recommendations I've found recently. HOWEVER, the group may prefer a fresh take on this theme. LMK what you folks want.

>23 beebeereads: I am ok with you doing epidemics again!

If everyone else is ok with it, I will add you in to >1 LibraryCin:

And is someone willing to do Riots/Uprisings/Sieges/War/Invasions?

You can choose
July-Sept
or Oct-Dec

And I'll take the last time period.

Thanks, everyone!

>24 LibraryCin: :-) Guess I'll just fill 2021 with a pandemic focus...as if there were a choice!
So with a year long I guess I just set up a thread in December and monitor it throughout the year?

>26 beebeereads: That's what I was thinking. Go ahead and set it up in December. Not much really to do once it's set up. Thank you!

I'm concerned we're it who want to do this challenge again.

I'm going to put myself in for July - Sept, but we still have one unfilled one. I can change months, if need be, but I'm not sure who will do our last one.

We are still looking for someone to do:

Riots/Uprisings/Sieges/War/Invasions

Likely for Oct - Dec.

I can take October - December.

>29 SilverWolf28: Thank you so much! I'll add you in.

I'll have to refresh my memory on doing a wiki, and given that the weekend is over, it might be a few days before I get to it, but I'll post the link here when I do.

Thank you, everyone, who has volunteered to host a quarter (or two!).

Ok, the wiki is done!

https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2021_KITastrophe

I just wanted to make a suggestion.

There are not many of us doing this one, and with only a quarterly thread, the thread may easily get lost on the group's page.

People usually do this, anyway, but don't forget to post the link to each thread here in the planning thread.

Plus, for those who didn't know, there is a place in the wiki to post the link to the thread, as well. That will give people two places to look for the link.

It shows the host for that "month", then you'll see "Year-Long Thread" or whatever. There is a way to make that text into a link, but I don't know how to do that. I usually just post the URL just after that.

Thank you for all your work, Cindy!

I'll have my thread up soon. (Within a week.)

2021 Yearlong is posted https://www.librarything.com/topic/327223

2021 January to March is posted: https://www.librarything.com/topic/327400

I like to read the occasional disaster book so I'll see what I can find from my shelves.

>38 lindapanzo: It would be great to have you join us! We seem to have dwindled to a small group reading about disasters!

>39 LibraryCin: In years past, I've named disaster-related books one of my categories in the category challenge but haven't read as many in recent years. Many of mine involve local, that is Chicagoland, disasters, but I also like to read farther away. I'll add some disaster books to my Christmas wishlist. Right now, I think the only one might be Death on the Baltic, about the WW2 sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.

I've long thought that the 1814 London beer flood would be a good topic for a book but I haven't found any yet.

>40 lindapanzo: Ooooh, I didn't know about that beer flood. Sounds interesting! It would be a good topic for abook!

Since you are doing quarterly reads, I'll try to participate. I do enjoy disaster books. I'll have to look through my "to be read list" to see what might work for the first quarter.

>42 thornton37814: We thought quarterly might be a bit easier, so it's nice to see that we might have a few more people join us.

July - Sept is now posted:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/332929

Is the March - June thread posted? Excuse me, I found it. I wondered about it since nothing was posted for it on the wiki, and not much action had occurred on the thread.

>45 sallylou61: I'll be finishing mine today. And I always add to the wiki!

>46 LibraryCin: So far, it appears that not many people have been reading for this KIT (or else not recording their reading). I think that we were taking the amount of reading last year in account when we decided on what KITs to have. Of course, we have a lot of KITs this year, and all CAT, KIT, and BingoDOG reading is optional.

>47 sallylou61: I have great intentions! I have several in waiting for the year long Epidemics category and several for the weather, etc. quarterly challenge as well. I believe the idea was that if we looked at this over a longer period of time we could work in the reading we wanted to do for disasters and catastrophes. Perhaps others are doing the same. We were a small group anyway. I think its fun whenever someone posts. I am bad about the Wiki. Just filled in a couple. My book for Quarter Two is still on the TBR :-( Soon!

>47 sallylou61: Agreed. More people last year, so we thought there might be more again this year.

I'm thinking (presumably others of you are, as well), that we'll want to drop it for next year. Who knows? Maybe we can bring it back, but maybe after a few years' break?

>48 beebeereads: Good to see you are still planning to get back to your Q2 book! And thanks for adding to the wiki!

I just realized I could count my just-finished read of The Death and Life of the Great Lakes as transportation and maritime, since so much of the slow-moving disaster the book describes has to do with invasive species introduced by oceangoing ships.

>50 LibraryCin: Oh yes. I haven't given up on Kitastrophe reading. I just can't get to the books at the time they are featured. I joined an online book club this winter and am enjoying some of their lighter reads/author interviews so I've taken a turn away from the LT challenges. Some turned out to be not what I was looking for right now. Pandemic reading has been weird for a lot of people. I thought I was immune to that phenomenon, but in recent months I have definitely been more drawn to less literary reading. I was fine during the crisis, but now that it is easing a bit in our area, I am floundering in my reading choices. As with all readers, I always have something I want to read so I am not without choices!!!

I am always on board for disaster reading, but like you, I suspect it makes sense to skip a year. I am happy with whatever the group decides come next Fall.

Just wanted to let everyone know that the next KITastrophe is coming soon. Hopefully it will be posted this weekend.

Here's the next KITastrophe thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/335567