Take It or Leave It Challenge - January 2026

For those new to this challenge: More info and monthly index can be found in post #1 of this thread or this TIOLI FAQS wiki.


...logo by cyderry

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Your challenge for January, 2026, is to...

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Read a book with a single title word (not subtitle) which gives you pleasure

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Rules
1. One word! Not a phrase!
2. This word can be embedded in or across words.
3. The title may contain more than one word.
4. A hyphenated word is acceptable.

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Other Stuff (not part of the TIOLI challenge):
1. @FAMeulstee's Our TIOLI Sweeps - maintained by @alcottacre
2. Morphidae's List of Previous TIOLI Challenges (2010-2016) - A reference (Do a control-F scan) to avoid repeating previous challenges. If your idea is similar to a previous challenge, make it unique by adding a new "twist" to it. (Exception: Any challenge previously entered by FAMeulstee)
3. Shared Read Suggestions - (Optional) Plan shared reads by listing books you intend to read
4. The January 2026 TIOLI Meter - (Optional) Track your TIOLI reading. Not competitive--- just fun!

Index of Challenges:

Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book with a single title word (not subtitle) which gives you pleasure - msg #1
2. Read a book that's on at least 10 LT Lists - msg #4
3. Read a book with a food word in the title - msg #5
4. Read a book by an author featured in the 2014 American Authors Challenge - msg #6
5. Read a book that begins with a vowel - msg #8
6. Read a book whose title makes you laugh, startles you or prompts you to say "WTAF?" - msg #10

Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book about a genocide or in which a genocide happens - msg #11
8. Read a book with multiple words in the title, all of which are one syllable - msg #12
9. Read a book that is on a best of or notable books of 2025 list - msg #17
10. Read a book with a connection to my mother, Dorothy - msg #18
11. Read a book connected to your reading intentions for 2026 - msg #20
12. Read a book whose page length is divisible by 26 - msg #37

Challenges #13-18
13. Read a book that has a season named in the title - Read a book - msg #42
14. Read a book that has the word BEFORE or AFTER in the title - msg #43
15. Read a book by a Swiss author or most of the action taking place in Switzerland - msg #52
16. Read a book by an author who died in 2025 - msg #53
17. Read a book with a title referencing memory or the past - msg #73

Please hold your challenge until the February 2026 TIOLI challenge thread is posted. Thank you!

Ooh, I'm first but no challenge to post as yet. Might have to read Dusk as Paul was raving about it.
eta: I misread your challenge but 'dusk' does give pleasure so still fits.

====Challenge #2: Read a book thats on at least 10 LT Lists - started by avatiakh====

Lists can be found on the book page, just scroll down. I was surprised at how many lists there were listed for some books. I was expecting 10 or 15 at most.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is on 102 lists while The Birthday Boys is only on 3.

Challenge #3: Read a book with a food word in the title

Challenge #4: Read a book by an author featured in the 2014 American Authors Challenge

This year I'm planning to revisit authors featured in this challenge across the years and I thought others might enjoy doing that, too!

Willa Cather
William Faulkner
Cormac McCarthy
Toni Morrison
Eudora Welty
Kurt Vonnegut
Mark Twain
Philip Roth
James Baldwin
Edith Wharton
John Updike
Larry Watson

>6 cbl_tn:. I like this idea, Carrie, and will join in.

There you are!
Challenge 5: Read a book that begins with a vowel

The title can have as many words as it likes, it is the first word of the title that will count here.
Vowels in the language you are reading in count. If in English, you've got A, E, I, O, U - Y does not count.
You should use a proceeding article, but it also means you cannot ignore a definite article.

A modest Proposal counts as it starts with A
The Accused does not count because the title starts with a T and you can't ignore that in this challenge.

PS: Madeline, You've possibly not got around to it yet; the monthly index post hasn't been updated with 2026 yet.

>8 Helenliz: You're right! I knew I probably forgot something. Thanks for the reminder. It's now done.

Challenge #6: Read a book whose title makes you laugh, gasp, wonder WTAF or otherwise deeply astonishes you

Here's a chance to push the envelope. Go for something that's deeply silly, goofy, even "punny". Not just clever wordplay or seriously thought provoking, but a title that makes you wonder, how in the name of all that's holy did they come up with THAT? One example might be Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, or The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith.

The reason? Sometimes a deeply bizarro title makes you pick up a book just to see what on EARTH is in there.

Challenge #7: Read a book for International Holocaust Day (January 27): Read a book about a genocide or in which a genocide happens (the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, the Rwandan genocide, the Cambodian genocide, etc).

Nonfiction is preferred for this challenge, but if a fiction book is read the genocide needs to be the focal point of the book. Please indicate on the wiki which genocide occurs in your book.

>12 susanna.fraser: Clarification, please? Do all of the words in the title have to have one syllable or just multiple words in the title must be one syllable, but not all of them?

>5 Kristelh: Kristel, are embedded words OK for your challenge?

>13 alcottacre: All the words must be one syllable.

>15 susanna.fraser: Thanks for the clarification!

Challenge #9: Read a book that is on a best of or notable books of 2025 list
AOL
https://www.aol.com/articles/10-best-books-2025-195832710.html?guccounter=1
Amazon
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/books-and-authors/best-books-amazon-2025
The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/12/best-books-2025-ian-mcewan-han-kang/68...
Audible
https://www.audible.com/ep/best-of-the-year
Bookriot
https://bookriot.com/best-books-of-2025/
Booksmith
https://brooklinebooksmith.com/list/booksmith-top-100-2025
Chicago Review of Books https://chireviewofbooks.com/2025/12/17/the-best-books-we-read-in-2025/
Esquire
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g63434730/best-books-2025/?utm_sourc...
Gizmodo Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror
https://gizmodo.com/sci-fi-horror-fantasy-authors-best-books-of-2025-2000694713
Google
https://blog.google/products/google-play/best-apps-games-2025/
The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/ng-interactive/2025/dec/06/the-best-books-of...
Indigo
https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/best-books-of-2025/
Libra.fm
https://blog.libro.fm/audiobooks-bookseller-favorites-2025/
LibraryThing
https://www.librarything.com/list/47206/Top-Five-Books-of-2025
Lit Hub https://lithub.com/the-best-reviewed-fiction-of-2025/
Men's Health Best Horror
https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/g63691038/best-horror-books-2025/
NPR
https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2025
New York Public Library
https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/best-books-2025
NYT 10 Best
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/books/review/best-books-2025.html
NYT 100 Notable Books
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/books/notable-books.html
The New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/best-books-2025
Pen America
https://pen.org/best-books-of-2025/
Powell's
https://www.powells.com/staff-picks/books-of-the-year
PBS
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/14-best-book-of-2025-according-to-these-expert...
Publisher's Weekly
https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2025/top-10#book/book-1
Simon and Schuster
https://www.simonandschuster.com/p/best-books
Smithsonian
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-best-books-of-2025-180987789/
Time 10 Best
https://time.com/7333809/best-books-2025/
Time 100 Best
https://time.com/collections/the-100-must-read-books-of-2025/
Vulture
https://www.vulture.com/article/best-books-2025.html

Challenge #10: Read a book with a connection to my mother, Dorothy

In honor of my mother, Dorothy, who passed away in mid-December, 2025, please read a book with a connection to her.

Some suggestions include a book with a title word, Dorothy. Or a book by an author named Dorothy. Mom was born in January of 1937, so a book involving either that month or year.

Mom was an avid reader, especially in the areas of fiction set during the World War 2 era (can include pre-war and post-war) and mysteries.

She married the love of her life, Edward, in 1959 and had 2 daughters, Linda and Laura. She was an avid cardmaker. Loved watching sports, especially tennis, golf, and American football, as well as Christmas-related movies and shows. In her younger days, she loved to play tennis and volleyball, and, more recently, she enjoyed swimming.

>14 alcottacre:. Embedded words are just fine, Stasia.

Challenge #11: Read a book connected to your reading intentions for 2026

If you have any particular reading plans or intentions or challenges for this year - please use this challenge to make a start! I don't normally have very firm plans, but will be moving sometime this year so I am aiming to read my fattest books (in case I don't want to keep them) and my non-fiction books about Japan (because if I don't read them when I am living here, when will I read them?)

For any TIOLI-ers who don't have any plans or intentions - go to a shelf or pile of books, close your eyes and pick a book that way.

>20 wandering_star: I'm planning on reading Alan Moore's Jerusalem this year. I started it a few years ago and ran out of steam. So if someone can create a thread in about June as a follow up, I might be just about done!

>21 Helenliz: Noted! (I did once post a challenge to make progress on a big or slow book, without having to finish it that month - I can always bring that back ;-))

>19 Kristelh: Thanks, Kristel!

>20 wandering_star: May I use your challenge to finish a book I started in 2025? My intention for 2026 is simply to finish that book! LOL!

>24 SqueakyChu: Absolutely! (And if I can let you into a secret, one of the books I've listed in a different challenge is one I started in 2022! So you're way ahead of me)

>20 wandering_star: Are you living in Japan now?

>25 wandering_star: Yay!! Thank you so much!!

If I start books too long ago, I have to start them over later because I forget what I read very quickly at my age! LOL!

Stasia!! Now you can add Coming Up Short to the same challenge as a shared read. Go for it! It is a great book (if anyone else wants to also read it). I truly admire the author, Robert B. Reich. He's a man of much integrity - so sorely needed in America these days.

>26 SqueakyChu: Good to know, Madeline, as I had put Coming Up Short on hold at my local library! Thanks!

>20 wandering_star: Does this have to be for personal challenges or can the reads be for something like the British Authors challenge or Nonfiction challenges, both of which I normally take part in? I could stack all kinds of books in there either way, lol.

>26 SqueakyChu: Yes, I have been living in Japan since 2022
>28 alcottacre: group challenges, book club plans, shared reads - can all fit in this challenge!

>29 wandering_star: Great! Thanks.

>29 wandering_star: *runs to message you* :D

>28 alcottacre: and in fact you have reminded me that I have a group read planned in Jan which I can add to my own challenge!!

>29 wandering_star: Which part of Japan?? (As a long ago former resident of Tokyo and Niigata-ken in the Shōwa era...)

>21 Helenliz: I read Jerusalem a few years back. It's a hefty read but so so rewarding. There's one chapter that's really hard to read and I think I followed along to the audio for that part. That chapter, 'Round the Bend', is famous for being difficult.

>32 wandering_star: Woot!

My planned reads this first month of the year:
Challenge #1: Read a book with a single title word which gives you pleasure - started by SqueakyChu
***✔My Friends: A Novel - Fredrik Backman (4)
Challenge #2: Read a book that's on at least 10 LT Lists - started by avatiakh
***✔One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This - Omar El Akkad (3)
Challenge #3: Read a book with a food word in the title - started by Kristelh
Cursed Bread: A Novel - Sophie Mackintosh Abandoned
✔Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou (3.5)
Challenge #4: Read a book by an author featured in the 2014 American Authors Challenge - started by cbl_tn
The Custom of the Country - Edith Wharton
***✔Essential Welty - Eudora Welty (3.5)
Challenge 5: Read a book that begins with a vowel - started by helenliz
✔Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult - Ellen Huet (5)
Challenge #6: Read a book whose title makes you laugh, startles you or prompts you to say "WTAF?" - started by Chatterbox
***✔The Life-Cycle of the Common Octopus - Emma Knight (3.5)
Challenge #7: Read a book for International Holocaust Day (January 27): Read a book about a genocide or in which a genocide happens (the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, the Rwandan genocide, the Cambodian genocide, etc) - started by AlcottAcre
✔The Escape Artist- Jonathan Freedland (5)
***✔We Do Not Part - Kang Han (4)
Challenge #8: Multiple monosyllables: Read a book with multiple words in the title, all of which are one syllable - started by susanna.fraser
✔Off with Her Head: (Three Thousand Years of Demonizing Women in Power) - Herman, Eleanor (5)
***Wild Dark Shore - Charlotte McConaghy
Challenge #9: Read a book that is on a best of or notable books of 2025 list - started by Citizenjoyce
All the Water in the World: A Novel - Eiren Caffall
✔Clown Town - Mick Herron (4.5)
***✔Death of the Author: A Novel - Nnedi Okorafor (4)
✔The Everlasting - Alix E. Harrow (4.5)
***✔The Hounding: A Novel - Xenobe Purvis (4)
I'll Tell You When I'm Home: A Memoir- Hala Alyan
***✔The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny: A Novel by Kiran Desai (4)
✔A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck - Sophie Elmhirst (4)
✔Ruth: A Novel - Kate Riley (4.5)
✔Sacrament: A Novel by Susan Straight (4)
***Shroud- Adrian Tchaikovsky
✔Sky Daddy: A Novel - Kate Folk (4.5)
Stone Yard Devotional - Charlotte Wood
Summerhouse - Yigit Karaahmet
***✔There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America - Brian Goldstone (5)
✔Tilt: A Novel -Emma Pattee (4)
Warrior Princess Assassin- Brigid Kemmerer
Challenge #10: Read a book with a connection to my mother, Dorothy - started by lindapanzo
***✔Dorothy L Sayers: A Biography: Death, Dante and Lord Peter Wimsey- Colin Duriez (4)
Challenge #11: Read a book connected to your reading intentions for 2026 - started by wandering_star
✔The Year of the Locust - Terry Hayes (2)
Challenge #12: Read a book whose page length is divisible by 26 - Started by PaulCranswick
✔Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin - Sue Prideaux (4)
Challenge #13: Read a book that has a season named in the title - started by DeltaQueen
✔Autumn of Axes (Wolf Song Saga #3) by Derek Alan Siddoway , Katie Cross (3)
✔A Spring for Spears (Wolf Song Saga) - Derek Alan Siddoway, Katie Cross (3.5)
Challenge #14: Read a book that has the word BEFORE or AFTER in the title - started by Morphidae
✔Before Your Memory Fades (Before the Coffee Gets Cold) - Toshikazu Kawaguchi (3.5)
Challenge #15: Read a book by a Swiss author or most of the action taking place in Switzerland - started by paulstalder
✔Heidi (Puffin Classics) - Johanna Spyri (5)
Challenge #16: Read a book by an author who died in 2025 - started by dallenbaugh
***✔The Man in the Wooden Hat - Jane Gardam (4)
Challenge #17: Read a book with a title referencing memory or the past - started by quondame
✔Memory - Lois McMaster Bujold (4)

Challenge #12 - Read a Book Whose Page Number is Divisible by 26

Since it is 26 and I am fascinated by the number I am looking for books which stop at the following page lengths:

26, 52, 78, 104, 130, 156, 182, 208, 234, 260, 286, 312, 338, 364, 390, 416, 442, 468, 494, 520, 546, 572, 598, 624, 650, 676, 702, 728, 754, 780.........

Of course different editions have different page lengths so it will be the edition you are reading from. If it is a ebook without a given page length then you can refer to a given page length on your workpage of the book.

My edition of Ice by Anna Kavan has 182 pages.

Please indicate on the wiki how many pages your book has.

>37 PaulCranswick: I love that challenge! I was able to shoehorn in 2 books I was going to read anyway :)

>38 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia

>22 wandering_star: Thanks, I'll give you a nudge when I'm about done!

>34 avatiakh: I don't know that I got that far last time, stalled in book 2. Noted.

>5 Kristelh: Would you consider the word “candy” a food word?

Challenge #13: Read a book where a season is mentioned in the title

Plain and simple Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall ( or any other name for a season that you use) will fit.

Challenge #14: Read a book that has the word BEFORE or AFTER in the title

Words or phrases that are synonyms can be used if they are from a relatively commonly used source such as Oxford, Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, Collins, WordHippo, Cambridge, etc. (or the equivalent in the title's language.)

Embedded words are fine.

>6 cbl_tn: Coincidentally, I pulled one of Larry Watson's books, Orchard, off my shelf last night, thinking it might be the next thing I read. So, I guess I'm participating in the TIOLI for the first time!

>44 laytonwoman3rd: Woot! Glad to have you aboard, Linda!

>44 laytonwoman3rd: That's wonderful!

>45 alcottacre:, >46 cbl_tn: Thanks, friends! Not running one of my own anymore, it will be fun to poke around and see what challenges I might want to play in in 2026.

>43 Morphidae: It certainly wasn't intentional but, after I looked through my books for a Before book and an After book, I laughed at my results. A Murder Before Christmas by Isabella Bassett and also Murder After Christmas Rupert Latimer.

Two different authors I've never read before. That'll be a nice way to start off the new year.

>44 laytonwoman3rd: Hurray! Welcome, Linda! hope you find the TIOLI challenges fun.

>47 laytonwoman3rd: We would love to see you here as often as you can do it, Linda!

>48 lindapanzo: Gotta love that kind of serendipity, don't you? Lol

>48 lindapanzo: I saw that and laughed!

Challenge #15: Read a book by a Swiss author or most of the action taking place in Switzerland

the simplest challenge I ever did, I guess.
Swiss author - or the action mostly takes place in Switzerland
Johanna Spyri Pascal Mercier Zoë Jenny Thomas Hürlimann Jeremias Gotthelf Gottfried Keller Olga Meyer Martin Suter Eveline Hasler Friedrich Glauser Lisa Tetzner Gion Deplazes Franz Hohler Daniel de Roulet Tim Krohn Friedrich Dürrenmatt Hansjörg Schneider Armin Och Klaus Schädelin Edith Jonas Robert Lips Urs Widmer Anne Cuneo Urs Schaub Adolf Muschg Heinrich Zschokke Conrad Ferdinand Meyer André Kaminski Otto F. Walter Rudolf von Tavel Johann David Wyss Ulrich Knellwolf Jean Villain Joseph V. Kopp Arnold Kübler Jürg Amann Heiner Gross Alex Capus Charles Lewinsky Hugo Loetscher Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Kurt Held Adelheid Duvanel Karl Barth Anne Gold Yvette Z'Graggen Silja Walter Thomas Meyer (5) Alfred Bodenheimer ....
If you want to add Liechtenstein and her authors, fine, but they are hard to find.

Ich hätte das Land gern flach by Christoph Keller

Challenge #16 Read a book by an author who died in 2025

There are many lists of authors who have died last year. Your choice.

>53 dallenbaugh: That one should be easy for me...I'm always moving books to the top of my TBR pile because the author just died.

>54 laytonwoman3rd: Glad to oblige

It's great to see tat the TIOLI Challenge is still going strong!

>42 DeltaQueen50: Judy - are you accepting embedded words? Midwinter or midsummer, for example? Thanks!

>56 Dejah_Thoris: I hope you will be joining us again, Dejah!

>56 Dejah_Thoris: Me, too! :D

>58 SqueakyChu: Do join us Dejah!

>56 Dejah_Thoris: Hi Dejah. Of course, embedded words are fine. Also a word like "Fall" even if it isn't in reference to the season.

>57 alcottacre: >58 SqueakyChu: I certainly am joining in! I've added a few books to the wiki, but I have a longish list of maybes that'll I'll add as I go along. My reading is very whim based right now - I'm battling being worried I might not get around to reading something and wanting to add everything in case someone whats to join me for a shared read.

>59 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! I thought it would be ok, but I wanted to double check. :)

>60 Dejah_Thoris: Happy to have you back, Dejah! Do not worry if you do not get around to reading something - it is take it or leave it. I completely understand about running out of time to read everything you want to in a month.

>60 Dejah_Thoris: I add everything I think I might read in case someone wants to join in a shared read, but even then, whims usually take precedence.

>60 Dejah_Thoris: Read what you can. Don't read what you can't. No guilt allowed! Just happy to have you with us, Dejah!

I've been seeing this challenge mentioned over in the Category Challenge group for a few years now and I've finally decided to sneak on over and give it a try. I certainly won't have a book for every challenge (and wow, hats off to those who can do them all!) but I'll give it a go.

>64 JayneCM: Welcome, Jayne! So glad to have you join us. If you have any questions, let us know. This is all for fun. No pressure to read anything you don't want to! :D

>65 SqueakyChu: Thank you! I have managed to fill seven challenges with the books I already had planned for January as I am late getting here. Maybe February I can find more!

>66 JayneCM: Heh! That's what a lot of us do. We plan our reads ahead at random...and then in the last minute we try to shoehorn them in to fit the challenges already posted!

>67 SqueakyChu: Exactly what I am currently doing! Do I spend more time planning than reading?! A question for the ages!

>68 JayneCM: LOL!

I am totally a random reader. If my book is on a list I made for the future, I'm probably not going to read it. I agree that planning reading is fun, though! :)

If you need help with the wiki, just let us know.

>64 JayneCM: Welcome, Jayne! I've been doing TIOLI for several years, and I've only completed a sweep of all challenges one month out of all that time.

>64 JayneCM: Welcome to the fun, Jayne! I'm one of those who try to read something for each of the challenges each month (it helps that I'm a voracious reader); what I like about that is that it pushes me outside my comfort zone and any reading rut that I have fallen into. For instance, this month I'll be reading some Updike, the first "Rabbit" book, which I stalled on last year. My TBR, like Stasia's famed Black Hole, is so gigantic that there is usually something that has been languishing on my Kindle or bookshelf that will fit, and sometimes those "well, thank heavens I have something that will fit" reads turn out to be great. For instance, I finally picked up Gabriel's Moon by William Boyd, which had been languishing on my Kindle for more than a year, to fit a challenge last month, and loved it so much I immediately bought the sequel, The Predicament, which was one of my first books in 2026...

But yes, what Madeline and others have said -- this is a guilt-free challenge environment. Everything I put in the wiki is purely aspirational!!

>68 JayneCM: Welcome, Jayne! I am one who spends a ton of time planning too!

Just have fun with the challenge! That is what it is here for - no pressure and certainly no guilt :)

Challenge #17: Read a book with a title referencing memory or the past

Go wild

It is that time of the month again - PRIZE TIME!!




Mini-Sweeplettes in December:
AnneDC for challenges 3-6
antqueen for challenges 15-18
avatiakh for challenges 1-3 and 15-17
bell7 for challenges 1-5 and 15-18
cbl_tn for challenges 3-6 and 15-17
dallenbaugh for challenges 1-5 and 7-9
DeltaQueen for challenges 3-5 and 15-18
JeanneD for challenges 14-16
Kristelh for challenges 1-3, 7-11, and 13-16
labfs39 for challenges 15-18
paulstalder for challenges 16-18
raidergirl3 for challenges 2-6 and 9-12
susanna.fraser for challenges 9-11 and 16-18

Sweeplettes in December:
susanna.fraser for challenges 1-6
dallenbaugh for challenges 13-18

Sweeps in December:
AlcottAcre
Chatterbox
CitizenJoyce
countrylife
quondame

Congratulations to all our prize winners!! We had another month with a mini on every page of the wiki, so hats off to Kristel!

As always, if I made any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct my error.

A couple of notes about the Sweeps from last year: We had a total of 61 Sweeps in 2025 as opposed to only 50 in 2024. We had at least 2 people who had their first Sweeps ever in 2025. The most Sweeps we had in a single month was 7, back in May 2025. Chatterbox and CitizenJoyce had Sweeps in every month in 2025 so congratulations are in order for that feat!

Thanks Stasia for the statistics and all you do. Congratulations to the winners and those that have set the bar!

>75 alcottacre: Thanks for your efforts

>75 alcottacre: >76 Kristelh: Whoa!! Super stats! Congratulations to our sweepers for your reading success!!

Thanks, Stasia, for keeping up these mini stats which are maxi meaningful to all of us trying for reading success! Plus…I love your owls! 🥰

>74 alcottacre: I'm new to this challenge. Can you explain what a sweep is?

>76 Kristelh: >77 dallenbaugh: >78 SqueakyChu: It is my pleasure to do the stats. I love seeing what everyone is reading, he he.

>79 Kyler_Marie: Kyler, a sweep is one a participant reads at least one book for every challenge that is posted in a given month. Sweeplettes are when someone reads books for the 6 challenges that are on a given page of the wiki in a month, so for January you could have a sweeplette on pages 1 and 2 of the wiki because they have 6 challenges listed, but page 3 of the wiki does not. A Mini is when someone reads books from at least 3 challenges in a row, so 1-3, 4-6, etc. and multiple minis (and sweeplettes for that matter) are possible in a month.

Hope that helps!

>Kyler_Marie Welcome, Kyler! I hope you find these challenges fun and fellow challengers friendly (We are!).

Stats for TIOLI in December 2025

In December, 2025, we read a total of 337 books of which 78 or 23% were shared reads. We accumulated 42 TIOLI points, bringing us to a December YTD total of 390 TIOLI points.

Our most popular book, read by four challengers, was Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourne.

Our most popular challenge, with 40 books read, was the one by @raidergirl3 to read a another book from a series that you have read at least one already this year.

The challenges with the most TIOLI points (five each) were these:
---the one by @lindapanzo to read a another book from a series that you have read at least one already this year
---the one by @avatiakh to read a book that has a celebration, holiday or festival in the title
---the one by @Citizenjoyce to read a book (F or NF) about a person, place, thing, or idea that is currently in the news
---the one by @raidergirl13 to read another book from a series that you have read at least one already this year

In comparing our 2025 stats with the previous year...
1. We read more books in 2025 than in 2024.
2. We had more shared reads in 2024 (the previous year).
3. We had a higher percentage of shared reads in 2024 (the previous year).
4. We had more TIOLI points in 2024 (the previous year).

Basically, though, the stats look pretty steady when comparing last year to the previous year...which means our readership here in the TIOLI challenges is staying steady...meaning I'll continuing doing this for the foreseeable future. Thanks, Challengers! :D

>80 alcottacre: Thank you for the explanation! That absolutely helps.

>81 SqueakyChu: Thank you! Can't wait to participate!

>82 SqueakyChu: meaning I'll continuing doing this for the foreseeable future You had better be is all I have to say about it!

>83 Kyler_Marie: Wonderful! If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask. We are all here to help!

>74 alcottacre: Yay for the mini sweeplettes! I didn't realize I'd pulled off two, so that's fun :)

Wish I was as good at sweeping up my floors as I was with TIOLI... :-)

>87 Chatterbox: That hit home, lol.

>86 bell7: Good on you, Mary!

>87 Chatterbox: >88 Dejah_Thoris: Don't we all? I told Kerry when I married him that I am not a housekeeper. Thirty-seven years of married life have not changed that a bit!

>73 quondame: I am reading The Wizards of Once this month. Do you feel that 'once' represents the past?

>82 SqueakyChu: Most popular challenge? cool, we do love series around here. I'm so glad TIOLI is holding strong!

>74 alcottacre: mini-sweeplette 2-6, is there anything more frustrating? And I even had a book for #1 that I was over half finished but couldn't get it done. It was my first book of 2026, lol. Thanks for doing the awards.

>90 JayneCM: Qualifies under "go wild!"

>90 JayneCM: >92 quondame: Funny because I came here just to add The Wizards of Once to the wiki. Putting it under your challenge now, Susan!

>73 quondame: Regarding Challenge 17, I added The Land That Time Forgot thinking that "Forgot" implies something from the past. Is this ok?

>94 DeltaQueen50: Yep. The intent is inclusive for this challenge.

>87 Chatterbox:, >88 Dejah_Thoris: I certainly agree with that sentiment. My sister loves to clean. I can never relate to characters who are compelled to clean when they're anxious, nervous, sad, happy, or just bored. I'd like a tiny bit of that obsession, but at the age of 79, I don't think there's much chance of that occurring.

Is a book of poetry acceptable? I was going to read A Poem For Every Summer Day for a season in the title.

>5 Kristelh: I'm wondering if "Candy" would be considered a food for this challenge. Loose interpretation but you never know.

>97 JayneCM: Definitely! The only time poetry would be unacceptable is if somehow someone had made a challenge specifying it had to be prose, or more realistically something like to read from a specific list of titles or prizewinners or something that didn't include any poetry.

>98 Carmenere: yes, maybe not healthy but none the less it does provide calories for burning (energy).

>100 Kristelh: Yay! Thank you!

>99 susanna.fraser: Thank you! That completes my list - now I just have to read them all!

Ugh, decisions, decisions.

With Dragons Need Love Too I had two choices. I hemmed and hawed. But finally decided on Dragons since others had picked Love.

(Nuh uh. I don't have ADHD, no way, no how.)

>10 Chatterbox: I don't think I have any desire to read it but every time I think of the title, I laugh. I Still Miss My Man But My Aim is Getting Better.

>104 lindapanzo: LOL!
>10 Chatterbox: I just finished The Lawnmower Lady, an LT Early Reviewers offering which I requested because after saying to myself "WTF" about the title, the description sounded intriguing as well. And I loved it. So lots of WIN with that one.

>104 lindapanzo: Best title ever!

>43 Morphidae: Are subtitles OK for this challenge, Morphy?

>105 laytonwoman3rd: LOL, I love this! I found myself accumulating a lot of books with really quirky titles and I figured there are other people in the same boat -- and of course, it's subjective enough to have some great potential book bullets for people... :-)

>10 Chatterbox:

For Challenge #6

Over the years I've acquired or borrowed quite a few books just for the title.

My favourite mad titles include The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse, St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves and Granny Made Me an Anarchist. Oh, and The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break.

I created an LT list a while ago: others have added suggestions too. I include the link in case anyone wants to look for ideas or add more bizarre titles:

https://www.librarything.com/list/43424/Books-With-Interesting-Titles

My favorite quirky title is How I Killed Pluto and Why it Had it Coming by Mike Brown. Plus, it was a great read about some of the background behind Pluto’s demotion.

>108 elkiedee: I added some German and Swiss titles (and others) to your list, hope that's okay
... aber das Schönste an ihr war ihr Haar, es war rot wie Gold...
Wolkenbruchs wunderliche Reise in die Arme einer Schickse
Der Waschküchenschlüssel oder Was, wenn Gott Schweizer wäre
Auch Politiker sind Menschen
Antigua, penny, puce and They hanged my Saintly Bill
Eine Zigarre muss man wie eine schöne Frau behandeln...
And quiet flows the vodka, or, When Pushkin comes to shove
Ich pendle, also bin ich
Mändig Gringe
Lesen? Das geht ein, zwei Jahre gut, dann bist du süchtig

>110 paulstalder: That's great, Paul, thanks - though I've sadly forgotten most of my O'level German just over 40 years later - I realise some of the humour might get lost in translation but if you can add translations/explanations in the notes on that list I'd be really interested. Quirky/bizarre/amusing titles in any language are always welcome!

I love all the "quirky/bizarre/amusing titles" that people have come up with! At one point (years ago!), I was collecting quirky first lines from novels.

What's amusing is that I read Antigua, Penny, Puce and never once thought it's title was bizarre, probably because was a childhood stamp collector!!

Meanwhile, I did find Land of the Rising Yen by George Mikes to be funny (the title, not just the contents...)

>108 elkiedee: I read The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break a few years ago and enjoyed it. I did read it for a quirky title prompt!

>113 Chatterbox: well, take the combined publication: Antigua, penny, puce and They hanged my Saintly Bill -- Bill got the stamp and was hanged ....

I'm reading Vineland for my book circle meetup next week, but I'm not sure I'll finish it in time. It would fit the first category, I think. Who doesn't like the products of the vine?

>116 ffortsa: I don't like poison ivy (a vine) which produces berries...but birds like them! :) If you finish it in time, you can use this book because you like vines!

TIOLI Awards for December, 2025

The Ancient Festival Award goes to @Citizenjoyce for reading Saturnalia. Saturnalia was a popular ancient Roman festival held from December 17 to 23 and dedicated to the god Saturn. Now that's a holiday of which I had never heard before! It's nice to learn something new!

The Mapmaker Award goes to @Chatterbox for reading Lonesome Road for the challenge by DeltaQueen to read a book whose title would make a good title for the posted picture if it was the cover. Our road now not only has a name, but with a name it can be mapped! :D

The Newsworthy Award goes to @labfs39 for reading Solito for the challenge by Citizenjoyce to read a book (F or NF) about a person, place, thing, or idea that is currently in the news. This book was about immigration which, for sure, is in the current news cycle. Truthfully, I gave out this award also because I also read this excellent book which made me cry. Most of the news these days also makes me cry. :(

The You Know Us Well Award goes to @raidergirl3 for the challenge to read a another book from a series that you have read at least one already this year. This challenger picked a very popular theme for a challenge...which was proven by the large number (40!) of books completed.

The Word-Splitting Award goes to @raidergirl3 for reading Orbit for the challenge by Quondame to read a book with a word that can be broken into 2 words. That s a very tiny word to be split...but it works! Get a scissors! Split that word!!

...and ever onward, my good challengers!

>118 SqueakyChu: Thanks for the award. I went through a pagan phase, so Saturnalia is very familiar to me. Surprisingly, in the suburb where my daughter lives, she found 2 pagan altars recently while out walking her dogs. It's much more comfortable than finding Christian right symbols.
I agree, much in the news these days makes me cry.

Congratulations to the winners. Good job!!!

>118 SqueakyChu: "Now that's a holiday of which I had never heard before! " Wow....our Latin class in high school put on a Saturnalia banquet..in a little backwoods consolidated school district. How progressive we were!

Congrsts to all the award winners! I love that Chatterbox came up with "Lonesome Road", the perfect name for that road.

What's Lined Up for Next Month?

Hey, Challengers! Have you got any exciting books lined up for February? Are some of them books that others might like? If so, tell us your plans. Curious minds want to know!

Here's what to do:
1. Think about those books that you *must* read in the coming months (book club, available or due at the library, currently on the bestseller list, etc.).
2. Tell us what some of those books are.
3. Market them here to other challengers, trying to make us want to read them and share those books with you!
4. List your books (or others can do that for you) on Future Shared Reads Suggestions, but talk about them here on this main thread.
5. Know that you are not required to read any book listed on our suggestion page...even if YOU listed it! :D

>123 SqueakyChu: @JeanneD, I noticed that you put check marks in front of two books you listed on that wiki. What are the check marks for?

>107 Chatterbox: Yes! Subtitles are perfectly fine.

>123 SqueakyChu: If someone has already added a book to February that I have on my list, do I add it as well? Is that how we know there is more than one person looking at reading a book? Thanks!

>123 SqueakyChu: haha, since you’ve asked for it, these are my planned reads for the winter quarter for the “Encore” class I attend through my local community college for 55+, in age, students.

January The Glass Castle I’m the TA for this one
February The Phoenix Crown
How to Read a book
March My Friends

>126 JayneCM: No need to add the book a second time. This is basically just a list of suggested books for the future in hopes that others might give it a try during the same month. You can always add it to a future month, though.

Another thing...suggestions may also be deleted by the person who posts them for any reason.

Here's a question about that "Shared Reads Suggestions" wiki...

>129 SqueakyChu: Maybe we (and by "we", I mean whoever is doing this work, like when my husband says "we" but really means me) could keep the list in reverse chronological order?

In February I have Waiting for the Dark, Waiting for the LIght by Ivan Klima. A 1001 book. Author recently died, and The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson on my list of February reads.

>130 jeanned: That's a great idea. I'll fix the wiki now.

ETA: Done!

>128 SqueakyChu: Thanks!

>118 SqueakyChu: Two awards! In the words of a former English as an acquired language immigrant student I had - thanks you!

February definites so far.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - will take more than one month!
A House for Mr Biswas by V.S. Naipul- Paul's Americas challenge
Lady Sings The Blues by Billie Holiday - 75 Books nonfiction challenge
either Pied Piper by Nevil Shute or Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick - 75 Books British authors challenge
Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green - Reading Through Time February challenge

There will be more!

>135 JayneCM: Yay! I suggested Les Mis and plan to read it next month as well. I have transported it with me through several moves and it has occupied space on my shelves for over a decade but I was always intimidated to pick it up and actually it. So glad someone will join this undertaking.

Everything is Tuberculosis is a fantastic book. I read it very fast and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

>135 JayneCM: I'm happy to have company for A House for Mr. Biswas!

>131 Kristelh: Hmm, am intrigued by the Klima novel! I have enjoyed the handful of things I've read by him but that isn't familiar. And the challenge I have in mind for February would fit that...

You are all so funny with your premeditated challenges. I literally think up my TIOLI challenge the day I post the new monthly thread!

>138 Chatterbox: That's great Suzanne and good news that you have a challenge in mind that will work! Looking forward to a shared read.

>139 SqueakyChu: A woman after my own heart!

>139 SqueakyChu: If I don't "premeditate" it just doesn't happen... :-)

My plan is always to plan ahead and then change it four million times during the month!

>144 JayneCM: Jane, we are twins in that regard. It makes my reading interesting, but somewhat chaotic.

TIOLI Question of the Month:

What is the most important message you are getting from the book that you are currently reading? What is the book, and who is the author? Why is this particular book affecting you in this way?

>146 SqueakyChu: I have read a lot about the Nazis and Jews over the years, but I do not think I truly understood how focused the Nazis were on Jewish women. I did not realize that if you were a Jewish woman, you had a less than 50% chance of survival - closer to 40% actually - under the Nazis. It just adds to the tragedy of the Holocaust for me.

I am currently reading Birth, Sex and Abuse: Women's Voices Under Nazi Rule by Beverley Chalmers, which won the National Jewish Book Award for Women's Studies in 2015.

>146 SqueakyChu: >147 alcottacre: i am also reading a book about the Holocaust, Stasia. My book is Hope is the Last to Die by Halina Birenbaum who is herself a Holocaust survivor. She is now 96 years old and lives in Israel. I am looking for a message of hope in this book. Trying to live through the what has been going on politically in the United States and Israel over the past few years has been heartbreaking and terrifying for me. I am looking for ways that I can personally feel less hopeless at this time, and I want to see what others have done in frightening situations to feel any glimmer of hope for the future.

>148 SqueakyChu: 'Any glimmer of hope for the future' is something well worth pursuing these days, Madeline. I hope you find some in Birenbaum's book.

>149 alcottacre: I'm actually copying down items that reflect hope and logging them onto the Quotations list on Common Knowledge for that book. I'd like to have them there so I can look back at them later. Here's what I've got so far. Scroll down to Quotations in this link.

>146 SqueakyChu: I'm sure this is an unpopular opinion, but I'm reading One Day Everyone Will Have Been Against This by Omar El Akkad, and it's driving me crazy. Akkad verifies that everyone knew the Palestinians would fare worse under trump than Harris, but he thought it moral to protest the Democrats by not voting. He says in every election, people say that one is the most important to save the world, and that the immoral Democrats tried to convince us that if they lost, there would be breadlines and a fascist overthrow of the government. Hmm. He goes on and on about the morality of walking away from an election rather than choosing the lesser of two evils, and then he discusses becoming a naturalized US citizen, swearing allegiance to a nation to which he feels no allegiance, arguing that it's the best of two bad choices - to live under the protection of the oppressor rather than with the fear of the oppressed. I will never understand these arguments.

>146 SqueakyChu: Question of the Month
"And what if some of these poor souls, still bleeding physically and spiritually, had fled to this house, what harm could it do to a giant nation if a few of these saved souls, worthy, half-worthy, or unworthy, were to join them in their country--how could it possibly harm such a big country?" Transit by Anne Seghers. Novel completed by German author, 1942.

>152 Kristelh: Wonderful quote. I think in terms of that every single time I hear about a government (my own or others) wanting to "tiighten up immigration" because of an influx of people from a paricular place.

>150 SqueakyChu: Thank you, Madeline!

>151 Citizenjoyce: I just picked up that book from the local library today. I agree with you about his arguments so it will interesting to see how I get on with the book.

>152 Kristelh: Thanks for sharing that quote, Kristel.

Yikes! We're all reading some heavy books! :O

>155 SqueakyChu: If it makes you feel any better, I will be starting a Victoria Goddard book today and The Wizards of Once as well. It is a kids book.

On the other hand, I am also reading Kent Haruf's The Tie That Binds and the Beverley Chalmers book. . .

>153 PawsforThought: I agree. Whenever people talk about 'all these people' coming from other countries and taking their jobs, I wonder how they cannot look at it from their perspective.
I read A Poem For Every Summer Day recently and this poem absolutely shows how just turning this the other way gives you another way of looking at it. I thought it was such a simple and clever way of looking at the issue of refugees.
https://brianbilston.com/2016/03/23/refugees/

>154 alcottacre: Let us know what you think. It has rave reviews everywhere.

>158 Citizenjoyce: Will do, Joyce.

>151 Citizenjoyce: I liked One Day, Everyone WIll Have Been Against This more than you did, Joyce. I agree with you 100% about the election issue - there is absolutely no way the world is better off with the results of the last election, and not voting accomplishes nothing positive, in my opinion. There were other points on which I disagreed with him, but I won't go into detail as others are still reading.

I found myself drawn in by his anger, with which he is overflowing. He is ruthless in his condemnation of those who do not share his viewpoint. Someone tried to engage him in conversation about Gaza by opening with some variation of 'but it's so complicated,' and he cannot stomach this conversation even one more time because to him, it's not complicated, it's simply wrong. El Akkad's vision is strictly black and white. The trouble is, I can't help but find the situation complicated; I suppose I'm more of a pragmatist than an idealist.

Nevertheless, I thought the book was excellent. I don't always have to agree or even like an author's words to be moved by them.

>157 JayneCM: That poem is clever, an absolutely on point. Thank you for sharing it.

>160 Dejah_Thoris: I agree El Akkad is definitely a black and white kind of guy - except when it benefits him not to be.

>5 Kristelh: do drinks count? I’m reading one with tea in the title.

>163 LoisB: I think others have used drinks, so go for it!

>164 Kristelh: thanks

>123 SqueakyChu: I have updated my planned reads in the Shared Reads Suggestion wiki with the challenge I listed them under.

>166 cbl_tn: Way toooo much work! You don't have to do that (but you certainly may do that if you want to!);. :)

>167 SqueakyChu: I thought it might help avoid duplicate entries since at least one of the books I listed could fit in multiple February TIOLI challenges.

>168 cbl_tn: " at least one of the books I listed could fit in multiple February TIOLI challenges" Have those been selected?
ETA: Never mind...I found the thread. Still learning how this all works. When does the new monthly thread generally appear? And could we have a little heads-up in the current thread when that happens?

When does the new monthly thread generally appear? And could we have a little heads-up in the current thread when that happens?

It usually appears about a week before the month ends.

Nope! I'm so mean! :D You cannot have "a little heads up in the current thread when that happens". It's my thing! You have to actually search for it and find it. It often gets seen first on Hot Topics because our challengers seem to discover it all at once. You will have to discover your own technique to find it.

>170 SqueakyChu: OK...just so I know what to do!

>170 SqueakyChu: You will have to discover your own technique to find it.
>171 laytonwoman3rd: I use the LT search bar. I search for "leave it". After the book list loads, I scroll down the menu on the left and click on Talk. I've usually memorized the number of Topics listed from last month, so I know if there is one more. But I click on Topics anyway, then scan the list to see if the new month is up. I do this 2-3 times on the 24th of each month, 4-6 times on the 25th, 6-10 times on the 26th, etc.

>172 jeanned: Once I realized the new thread existed, I found it by clicking on the first link in the first message of this thread. No searching required.

>172 jeanned: I find the new thread each month by haunting the 75 Challenge!

>174 DeltaQueen50: After all these years, I've learned other, more efficient ways to look, but I do love the dopamine hit I get when that Topics number increases by one. :D

I find it by looking at the 'recent changes' page of the wiki (with about the same frequency as >172 jeanned:!)

So fun seeing how everyone has a different technique for finding it. I usually read through the Talk threads that I have Starred, but towards the end of the month, I switch to the "Groups and Posts" view to see if a new TIOLI challenge thread popped up... or I get a PM from Stasia about the group reads we're doing about which challenge to fit it in! Haha

>172 jeanned: I do this 2-3 times on the 24th of each month, 4-6 times on the 25th, 6-10 times on the 26th, etc.

LOL!

Disassemblyofreason, I matched your read of Bookshops and Bonedust in challenge 1. Fun read!

Karen O

>173 laytonwoman3rd: that's my method.
The 75 books groups is so large and intimidating that I don't visit it

My method to find the new thread happened because I don't have as much time to spend online since my husband retired. I found I have to reduce the number of threads on my screen, so I only keep the threads of members who share my taste in reads and red-x the rest. I keep my 75ers thread sorted on alphabetical and since I only have a window's full of threads, and I keep the TIOLI threads starred, its easy to see the new one right next the star/s whenever I refresh the window.

Wow, who knew there are so many ways to find the new thread. The main thing is that we do all get here eventually!

As they say (in my family, anyway) "All roads lead home"!!

Do we accept novellas/short stories for this challenge? I have a 50 page novella by Edith Wharton that I would like to use for prompt 4.

>184 JayneCM: If it is between covers, it counts!

>185 alcottacre: Great - thank you!

>185 alcottacre: I thought even e-only titles also counted!
i.e. The Seven Brides-to-Be of Generalissimo Vlad which I may invoke for February......
I'd count anything publicly available - and entertain arguments for single copy handwritten scrolls.

I note that, currently, we’re showing 81 points for the month’s shared reads. That number is likely to drop a bit but I’m curious to see if that’s a record. I don’t ever recall so many shared reads as we have this month.

>188 lindapanzo: I've just finished my shared read of The House of Spirits and also moved The Plague Dogs from challenge #1 to #12 to have a shared read there. Hope that helps the stats.

>188 lindapanzo: I didn't realize we might be pushing toward a record! In that case, I can change my reading for today a bit. Instead of starting February books, I'll go back to a few shared reads I identified but didn't try to hard to get to. How cool!

I have no idea if we’re near a record. I’ve been doing TIOLI since month 1. I don’t usually pay attention to the total points but it seems to me that they’re usually a lot lower than this.

Plus the points shown usually do drop as people don’t get to everything they’ve planned.

>191 lindapanzo: I think you're right, Linda. I just looked, and January 2025 the final total was 46, and 36, I think, in February. And looking at the curret wiki, it appears that most of the shared reads are already matched up / completed.

Maybe Madeline or Stasia will chime in with an opinion...

I do not track the points, Madeline does, so I will be curious to see if we break the record too! I have done all the shared reads for the month that I can though and am currently trying to finish off 2 books today that are not shared reads.

Go, Dejah, go!

>188 lindapanzo: Not even close, Linda. In August 2012, we shared 299 reads in just that one month in which we read a total of 755 books! That was 39% of our shared reads. The most popular book of that month was The Red Pony by John Steinbeck. That book alone was shared by eight readers. I think at that time there were more people participating in group reads who were simultaneously participating in the TIOLI challenges. I find the stats really interesting!

Another interesting thing to note is that in this past year, during January, 2025, we shared 85 reads (22% of the total 283 reads).

For comparison, the month in which we had the least shared reads was February, 2010, in which we shared 20 books (29% of the total 69 books we collectively read. However, note that was only the second month of TIOLI's existence! :D

I have no idea why I started keeping these stats in the first place, but now I love that I have them!

>184 JayneCM: I finished the Wharton novella you mentioned. Very much enjoyed it. "Indomitable huntresses of erudition." Heh-heh. My edition also includes Wharton's essay, The Vice of Reading, which I will read as well.

>194 SqueakyChu: Well, color me disappointed. I was really hoping we were going to get the record. Oh well, onward and upward!

Thanks for the stats, Madeline!

>196 alcottacre: Why not shoot for toppling the 299 shared reads record? LOL!

>194 SqueakyChu: That's all very interesting. I don't look at the total points every month but, when I do, they seem to be in the neighborhood of 40 something.

You cite to last January but that month, the TIOLI point total was only 46 (final tally),

>198 lindapanzo: Linda, I have that point total as 51 for January, 2025. Shared reads and point total are not the same thing.

Very occasionally after doing the stats, I find a mistake in the books listings and go back to correct it on my own spread sheet. That might cause some minor discrepancies. It's not a big deal as it's not a contest but merely a reflection of our collective reading experience here over time. I mostly do the stats just to see how active our TIOLI challengers are and if it's worth it to continue doing this. As the stats wane, I often consider stopping this challenge, but not if the stats remain steady or grow.

Truthfully, I don't like our group to be too large. It is for this reason that I continue to keep it as a "hidden" challenge. Adversely, if it drops too low in numbers, that signals lack of interest by participants. At the end of each year, I make the decision as to whether or not to keep it going into the next year. It seems to be the right size now. I'm not shooting for shared reads records (like Stasia seems to be doing). I push for the shared reads so challengers can talk to each other about those books that they read at the same time (or read reviews of those books by people they know).

>198 lindapanzo: Thanks for the info. That makes sense. If JayneCM hadn't mentioned the Edith Wharton novella about women who read (100 years ago), I would not have known about it. Plus I was in need of something short to fill challenge 4. I so rarely approach a sweeplette, I was determined this month. While I'm feeling a little better, I'm still not up to reading a long novel yet. That may be quite awhile til it happens.

Completing my first month with this challenge, and I've been having a lot of fun picking my reads to fit. I've completed #s 4, 5, 6, 8, 16, and 17. And am working on #3---if I'm left alone I will finish that one before the day/month is over. Looking forward to February!

>199 SqueakyChu: Hey, why not shoot for the sky! Shared reads records are just there to be broken, right?

I appreciate the shared reads for just the reasons you mention - getting different points-of-view from people whose opinions I prize. This is what happened when I was trying to consolidate my own thoughts on One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.

>201 laytonwoman3rd: Yay, Linda! I am glad you enjoyed your first month with us! Also very happy to see that you are joining us again for February.

>202 alcottacre: Indeed!

That was an interesting discussion you had about that book. After reading everyone’s comments, I knew it was not a book for me.

>203 SqueakyChu: I am glad that you could get that understanding from reading the comments about the book, Madeline. I halfway wish that I had not read it - but only halfway :)

>195 lindapanzo: I just finished the Edith Wharton too - saw that you had added it when I went to check it off. Seems like people don't change - there are people like that in book clubs I have attended!

Housekeeping Day!

This is the last day of the month so, as always (if I remember!), I'm letting you know to delete any book from the January wiki that you do not COMPLETE by 12 midnight tonight. However, if the book is in a rolling challenge, you may just mark it DNF without removing the entry to designate that you did not complete the book in time.

A note for our new or returning members: This is a great time to move your unfinished books currently listed in any January challenge and try to shoehorn them into any appropriate February challenge. Good luck with that! :D

This is my first month here so I'm working my way around understanding the points system. But >194 SqueakyChu:, I too love a spreadsheet and stats!

This is also the day that I provide the monthly reminder to please have your entries on the wiki updated by February 4th so that I can give out the monthly prizes :)

>207 JayneCM: This link might clear up any questions about TIOLI points. I know they are "weird". :D
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/TIOLI_FAQS#What_are_TIOLI_points.3F

>209 SqueakyChu: Thanks!

I confess that I'm one of those people who planned more shared reads in January than I was able to complete... *sad face*

>211 Chatterbox: I seem to do that more and more often. Oh well, TIOLI means no guilt, right?

>212 Citizenjoyce: Right! 👍

Phew! Arriving at TIOLI for this year finally. I've only read three books so I won't add them now, except for Love in a Mist which was a shared read with Mary and Stasia.

I've updated the wiki for it. And - OMG - that may be the first time I've ever managed to read a book for Challenge 1!

>214 humouress: that may be the first time I've ever managed to read a book for Challenge 1 Yay, Nina!

>215 alcottacre: Welcome (for the first time) to doing my own challenge, Nina! :D

>215 alcottacre: >216 SqueakyChu: Thanks ladies :0)