Play Book Tag discussion
Footnotes
>
Trim in 2020 - Keep it Going!
I'm very interested in continuing the Trim. I know how to use the randomizer. The rest of the 24 is fine with me, but I think it should be flexible to swap some out or pick any 24 one wishes. I tend to hop onto the buddy reads when one arises with a book I already own or can get from the library. I think I put a few books in a certain position when we were organizing the buddy reads within the list initially.
I would like to continue trimming my TBR (or at least get to some of my most wanted) and this way suits me well. I am fine with either 36 new or 24. In either case I would want to change the titles - keep some, add some. If it's 24 and the 12 numbers already chosen are locked I will just leave the 12 chosen this year (and work my way through them since I didn't get to all of them and only joined halfway through the year). Depending on how we make this work.I am in, any way the group chooses!
Oh yeah and buddy reads if titles and stars align.
I personally think 24 would work better, as we'll be able to see our tbr piles decreasing, but with the option of swapping books at the beginning and middle of the year (like the official version this year).
Announcing on 23rd suits me.
Announcing on 23rd suits me.
I'm in! And I think I would like to use my remaining 24, since they are now the most aged on my tbr, but I would like the opportunity to swap.
I am in too-24-36, does not matter to me-but I would like to switch a few, and have the option again in July. If you have a buddy read, then you need to coordinate with your buddyMods have already said it is ok to go it alone in Member Activities .
Nicole offered to randomize-which I like the idea of, as she neutral-
Everyone needs to know, there are no points for this-just the satisfaction of sweeping a book off your list-And if you land a dud and don't want to finish-that is fine by me too it's off your shelf right?-but you must confess to the crime!
23rd is fine for me too!
I am off to surprise the husband with an anniversary get-away-Gone until Sunday, will check back then!
Have a great week-end all!
I would like to continue but don't want to commit to keeping my current list. A few maybe, but not all of them.
I'd like to continue. I'm good with any/all of the ideas put forward already.
Would new people be able to join in? I discovered this group too late to join this challenge this year, and had been hoping to join it next year.
You at least get the point for reading it though and if it fits the tag that month, more points! I think if you DNF a book with no intent of trying it again it is officially off the tbr, so we agree there.
Have fun, Joanne! "See" you when you get back.
Darcy - this is meant to include everybody new to join in!Joanne - have a wonderful weekend away!
I’m in. I’d like to take a look at my list and possibly swap some out. Thanks to those of you who put the idea together and brought it together.
I'm in, 24 is fine and I wouldn't mind swapping out a few.
I like the idea of keeping the 24, though I also like the idea of using some of my possible switch outs to make a switch before we begin. It would be amazing to know that, in this period I will have cut out a total of 24 books from my TBR! I'm in.
Yes, yes, yes! I am in! I do want to swap out 1 or 2. I think my buddy reads are done actually...I only had a couple. But would not mind having a few new buddy reads. My Trim is mostly lighter fun reads...next in mystery series or light fiction, with a few serious or heavier scattered in.
Haven't read the other comments yet, but I do want to continue with the ones already on my list. I don't want to start fresh. I want to continue to whittle down the ones I already chose!
I'm absolutely in! I was actually wondering if there was going to be a similar project next year since my TBR list is becoming annoying.
I like the idea of continuing to read from the list, but if we're not earning points, I would prefer to read the books as they fit with other challenges or my mood. If we continue to follow a random number, on top of other new challenges, it could be too much, and it might be de-prioritized. (Especially when we don't already own the book or it doesn't fit the tag.)I assume most of us have books on our list that, A) we are really eager to read (sooner rather than later), and other books for which B) we need a push. I've been waiting a long time to read my A books, and I'd like to read them soon. But, I might need an extra motivator to read my B books. Motivators for me would be buddy read discussions, points, matching a tag, matching a mood, matching a new interest (often triggered by another book), or the satisfaction of completing a list.
My ideal plan for 2020 would be an "official" plan.
1) A trim the tbr plan similar to the one we have now and as described above, with points.
OR
2) A simpler plan something like this: We start the year by carrying over our list of 24 books (with a small adjustment if needed). New people could create a new list of 24. Then, we read the books whenever we want during 2020, and earn 1 extra point (or 2 points) for each book (on top of points for tags or other challenges). We might earn an extra bonus if we complete 12 (or 24!) of the books on the list. We could form buddy reads by identifying common books in advance, and triggering them when the book matches that month's tag.
Alternatively, perhaps we could have a challenge one month to read books from the Trim list (as if it were a tag). Or when voting for a tag, one option might be Trim-the-TBR. Those who have a list would read from their own trim list, new members would read books from other members lists. (I would be willing to compile the list, assuming we don't all use the same shelf tag for our trim lists.)
Many people have commented that the tag winners have become too broad. This might be due to our attempt to increase the probability of a tag=trim match. If we go to a simpler plan, without the random draw, we might become more adventurous in our tag votes.
NancyJ wrote: "1) A trim the tbr plan similar to the one we have now and as described above, with points"Just so everyone is aware, the admins will not be awarding points for continuing this challenge. We are thrilled that you enjoyed it so much that you want to continue, but doing so will be for the personal satisfaction of reading more books off your TBR.
Instead, we will have two new official PBT challenges for 2020 that will have points associated with them! More will be revealed about that in the coming months.
Or when voting for a tag, one option might be Trim-the-TBR.
For this, if you are referring to an option for the official PBT tag to be Trim the TBR, then that is not something the admins would put into the mix. As of now, we have no plans to change how we select the tag options for the monthly vote.
Now, if Trim-the-TBR would ever make it into the Top 300 tags here on GR, then it could find its way into an official vote!
I just wanted to chime in as you all discuss how you want to move forward so you don't get too far down a path that would involve the admins.
Thank you Nicole. That was much clearer than I had started with. To reiterate Nicole‘s words, this would just be for extra fun to continue and finish the challenge that we enjoyed. I get the feeling most people are not looking to switch it up all that much, and we all know that this isn’t about points.Nancy makes an interesting point that because this was one of the year-long challenges, perhaps the tags that one were broad so people could knock off a two in one. Which I think happens a lot with the countries as well. It just happened to be a year that lent itself to that. I think Nancy is also right to say that because it’s an optional challenge some people are going to drop this one in favor of fitting the tag and the two yearly challenges. And I think that’s how we’re all perceiving this. This is just an extra for those of us who want to do it, and as even with the regular challenges, nobody cares if you don’t read your number 10. Or you don’t read it in time. It’s just a way of getting to pick up that thing that’s been on your TBR for a long time.
I have a suspicion that the reason why we’ve been having such broad tags voted for lately, is because our group has grown so much exponentially this year. I think it’s a way for newer members to get their feet wet. I think older members tend to vote more for the narrower tags. I could be wrong about that as I’ve only been watching this over a 3 to 4 year cycle. I really love how this group has exposed me to so many things I would have never picked up. And I always use the same examples over and over again about how surprised I was that tags I thought would be terrible for me ended up astoundingly positive. I too would like to see them more narrow tags begin to win. And yet I am a comfort zone kind of gal and I don’t necessarily vote for them. That said, only time will tell if my theory is right.
In any case, I think we’re on the right track with this thread and continued challenge and that a lot of people are excited about finishing it or jumping in. My suggestion is we let people keep responding with their ideas and that it will be pretty darn easy to come up with a consensus in November of how to execute it for those who are excited to participate. I myself consider myself to have strong executive functioning skills, and to be pretty good at being a group leader who listens. How about you guys keep throwing your thoughts and suggestions in there and somewhere around October and November we really start to hammer it out together? Everybody like? In the meantime, happy number 32. For those who celebrate, have a very happy and healthy and sweet new year. For those who don’t, have a very happy and healthy and sweet every day.
Thanks for the clarifications Nicole. I can't wait to see the new ideas! In the last paragraph of my post above, I was thinking of the third tag option. The first two tags each month are picked at random from the list of the top 300. A member is often selected to suggest a third tag. I wanted to put the idea out there in case someone might want to suggest Trim-the-TBR (or whichever term most people use) if they get a chance to choose the third tag.
Personally, I like the idea of the random number rather than just selecting anything off the list of 24 (or 36). It's too much like selecting anything off my larger TBR. But I'll go along with whatever is decided.
Amy wrote: "Thank you Nicole. That was much clearer than I had started with. To reiterate Nicole‘s words, this would just be for extra fun to continue and finish the challenge that we enjoyed. I get the feelin..."That sounds great Amy. I plan to read at least 12 of the 24 remaining books next year. I will start with the books that are clogging the hold spots in my library account, and with those that meet other challenges. I'll read the drawn number when I can, and I'll participate in buddy reads even if I read the book early. It will help to have an activity folder(s) for this project.
----------------
IF we want to maximize buddy reads, and form new buddy reads:
I have an idea on how to coordinate buddy reads that will make it MUCH easier than last year. (Amy, I know you don't use the editing function, so I can do yours for you.)
If I got everyone's remaining (or adjusted) lists of 24 in early December, I can put them all in Word, and rank order them by frequency. I could post the most popular books in case people wanted to switch to some of those books. This might be useful to people who want to adjust their list to allow more buddy reads. It will be important to have the correct spelling of each title.
Starting with the most popular titles, I would make sure that each one had a unique number. Most would keep the same number (from 1-36) or same order (from 1-24), whichever we decide as a group. But some numbers have several buddy reads now, while other numbers have none. I could eliminate those conflicts.
People would have time to make further adjustments by the deadline (sometime between Dec 15 - 22?).
It only makes sense to do the extra coordination work if we want to maximize potential buddy reads, and minimize conflicts.
---------------------------------
Finally, we can continue with random draws each month exactly as we're doing this year, right after the tag is picked. OR we could pick the number earlier, or pick 3 months at a time, whatever we decide. We might want to favor the numbers with the largest buddy reads every other month, or even select the largest buddy read that matches the monthly tag. If desired, we could also randomly pick a second number each month, giving people a choice to read one or both of them.
@nancyj If we're going to 24 books, I'd rather just move the books on my original list up to the places if the number has already been called (eg #3 would become a new book next year)
Jenny wrote: "@nancyj If we're going to 24 books, I'd rather just move the books on my original list up to the places if the number has already been called (eg #3 would become a new book next year)"Some people might want to keep their lists as they are, with the same numbers. Or we can all condense the lists down to 24, keeping them in the same order like you said. We'd just all need to do it the same way.
If you want to join in on new buddy reads, you may need to change some of our your numbers. People can make these deals one by one, but it can cumbersome and confusing.
If there are a lot of changes anticipated, and we want to maximize buddy reads and minimize conflicts, then it makes sense to have one person coordinate it. Otherwise it's not worth the effort.
Joy D, I'm with you in liking the random number as if it is just our own pick, I am less likely to read.Also, I am ok in it not getting points. The way I view challenges for the group or personal. I only do them if I will enjoy them and enjoy the books involved. This year I really loved the two challenges. Some years I do only one and some none. The points to not matter, but it is really fun to share what everyone is reading.
The TBR was fun because we were able to match up and do some buddy reads. Even on the ones I was involved in, I liked reading them.
Booknblues wrote: "Joy D, I'm with you in liking the random number as if it is just our own pick, I am less likely to read.Also, I am ok in it not getting points. The way I view challenges for the group or personal..."
I agree. I really like the buddy reads. I find that I read more deeply if I know I will be discussing the book with someone. Despite what I said earlier, there really is some magic in using random numbers. It increases our accountability to our own commitments. If I make any further changes to my list, I'm going to try to stick with books that I own or older books, to eliminate library waitlists and purchases.
Now that I actually have some points, I won't be as focused on them. But here it is, the 27th of the month, and I'm thinking, what else can I fit in by the 30th?
NancyJ wrote: "Now that I actually have some points, I won't be as focused on them. But here it is, the 27th of the month, and I'm thinking, what else can I fit in by the 30th? "I always do that. I have a book left over from our Syria month, that I'm planning on reading.
My primary goal in challenges is to reduce owned print and ebook TBR. I also on an average read 3 or 4 books a week. I tend to vote broadly to easily fit from my TBR. And while everything on my Trim list is something I want to read, nothing was something I am really anxious to read sooner than later.
Theresa wrote: "My primary goal in challenges is to reduce owned print and ebook TBR. I also on an average read 3 or 4 books a week. I tend to vote broadly to easily fit from my TBR. And while everything on my Tri..."I also want to reduce my TBR and I generally would not vote for something in which I would have to hunt for a book, I would want to read. If I find a tag that I have to go 7 or 8 pages deep to find something I might want to read, it isn't likely that I will vote for it.
Also, you and I are on the same page with the Trim list. I've enjoyed this challenge because it has propelled forward some books which would have languished which is why I want to continue.
I also love the Horizons challenge, as it has introduced some books and cultures which I don't normally read.
NancyJ wrote: "...I would prefer to read the books as they fit with other challenges or my mood. If we continue to follow a random number, on top of other new challenges, it could be too much, and it might be de-prioritized...I assume most of us have books on our list that, A) we are really eager to read (sooner rather than later), and other books for which B) we need a push. I've been waiting a long time to read my A books, and I'd like to read them soon. But, I might need an extra motivator to read my B books...."
All these books, for me, are B. The motivator for me is the random number coming up! If they fit a tag, I could just pick it when the tag comes up and leave it off my list for this game.
Just my opinion...
But, I do feel like the random number is the point of this game.
NancyJ wrote: "Some people might want to keep their lists as they are, with the same numbers. Or we can all condense the lists down to 24, keeping them in the same order like you said. We'd just all need to do it the same way...."I think if there are new people who are joining, we should condense down to 24. Me, I would just take out the ones already read, keep them in the same order and just re-number them 1-24.
I would like to continue and I'm fine with keeping the same or with swapping around or a whole new list. My list was completely at random to begin with.
Excited to see what is decided for 2020. Drowned a bit for challenges this year but hopefully 2020 will be the one.
Had a marvelous week-end away-trying to catch up on all the threads...whew~!I love the random # pick-it is more a motivator. I am sure most of the book #'s that got picked so far would still be lingering on the Teetering Turret had they not been chosen.
I also like the "wide" net that tags get around here-Probably if they were narrower, I would not be so involved. The "wideness" of the tags give you a better chance of finding something that you will enjoy reading. It is one of the main reasons I joined here-there was no set book I had to read each month....
I am with Amy 100%-it is not about points, it is about reading some of those books that just never made it to the front of the line.
Quick clarification on the points... regardless, we are still getting points. If it doesn't fit the tag you at least get 1 point for "other," right? Just want to make sure...
Oh yeah as always. You read any book you get a point or two for PBT. To clarify, this particular challenge doesn’t earn your extra points as an official challenge.Here’s what I see so far.
I see there is a lot of enthusiasm and participation for folks who want to finish out the trim challenge at least for another year if not all the way through to the last.
I see that people really want to keep it simple and as close to what we were doing as possible. Meaning that we have a list of 24, and we do a random number each month, announced on the 23rd. I see that Joy is happy to be our randomizer, and Joanne has suggested that Nicole has offered. This is an easy detail to sort out closer to.
I see that in terms of designing the lists, and what to swap out, or keep in, that it would be helpful for Nancy and I to come up together with the lists of the buddy reads we are aware of, and complete that task between October and November 23rd. So that by the time we have our last number chosen, we an publish that list, and know which slot it goes into. This way people who want to keep their body reads at the appropriate number, or new people who are designing lists Or want to jump in no which number they are at, may choose to do so. Then the rest of us pretty much have the 24 of our choice. For myself, I will slip in any remaining numbers over 25 into slots that have already been used by our previous challenge. That’s not altering my list too too much. Others would likely do the same or something similar. Make sure their list preserves what they want and what they do not.
So far so good people? Does this reflect what we want and have all been thinking? My suggestion is that we keep our own personal list on our threads, and can direct each other to view them if we wish, but other than the master list of buddy reads, not to post them here. I or we can talk to the mods about either keeping this one or developing a new thread for how to review the books and keep ourselves and each other updated on where were at with this challenge. I feel like that keeps it simple and streamlined and pretty much reflects the thoughts and desires of the group. Let me know privately or publicly if you feel like I have missed something important.
So essentially instead of 36 books, there will be 24. And basically we can adjust or not at our discretion?
Sorry, I've been busy this past weekend and trying to catch up. :P
I think I am on board regardless though!
Meli wrote: "Quick clarification on the points... regardless, we are still getting points. If it doesn't fit the tag you at least get 1 point for "other," right? Just want to make sure..."
Absolutely! This will in no way impact the participation points that you get when you post your review in the folder for the monthly tag reads or the folder for other books.
It just will not come with bonus participation points like Trim did this year when it was an official PBT annual challenge.
Amy wrote: "I see that people really want to keep it simple and as close to what we were doing as possible. Meaning that we have a list of 24, and we do a random number each month, announced on the 23rd. I see that Joy is happy to be our randomizer, and Joanne has suggested that Nicole has offered. This is an easy detail to sort out closer to."
Just to be clear, I am not offering to make the announcement every month. I have enough on my PBT plate with our official challenges!
What I was offering was to simply pass along my already randomized list of 36 numbers (of which we will have read 12 by the end of the year) if you wanted to just keep going from there. But, I would need to hand it off to whomever is doing the announcing of the number in the future.
However, it seems like you all are leaning toward condensing your list to 24, so my list will not be helpful. Of course, if you still want my list at the end of the year, the offer stands to pass it along.
Nicole R wrote: "Amy wrote: "I see that people really want to keep it simple and as close to what we were doing as possible. Meaning that we have a list of 24, and we do a random number each month, announced on the..."Sorry Nicole, that was my error-I misunderstood. I am sure Amy would be happy to announce the number, or Joy-since it looks like she will be doing the randomizing or I will happily do it-minor detail for November to clear up.
I'd be more than willing to pitch if / where needed too...
Amy wrote: "So far so good people? Does this reflect what we want and have all been thinking? ..."I am happy with all of this, Amy! Thank you for organizing!
Excellent, it sounds like I am reflecting democracy. I say this with a Humoring tone with a poke at American politics... It’s really not that difficult to listen to others and to what seems right. To use and not abuse the resources around us. To create community rather than destroy it. Simply to make communal decisions that appear to make sense... Yes Meli, and for anyone and everyone else just breezing through. 24 books of your personal discretion, whether they were on your remaining Trim list or not. However, Nancy and I will publish the list of buddy reads created, and what slots they are in so you can either maintain them or jump onto them. Or who knows maybe a couple of people create some new ones in a slot. That seems complicated to me but if it happens to emerge naturally, hey this is meant to be fun. And not over-restrictive and over controlled.
Either Nicole, or Joy, or Meli can be the randomizer and I don’t really care who announces it on the 23rd.... I completely respect that Nicole already has a lot to do with announcing the tag of the month and anything to do with the year challenges. I also know that my particular style of pop up leadership, is that my skill is in motivation, tone, letter writing, executive functioning, listening, and compassionate ethics, but not necessarily on-going execution. What does this mean? It means I’m the one who writes the letter for the room parents at the beginning of the year welcoming everybody and talking about setting the tone and who gets to really understand from teachers what they need. But I am never the one to cut up and bring the watermelon, fill the water balloons, show up with the Kleenex and wipes, collect money or get the Christmas and yearly gifts. But I have a way with love and spirituality and words, so I’m off of the one to present and give the gift, come up with a thought for a plan of what would be meaningful and very special, but never the one to actually do the activity with the kids. I am all motivation and no execution. I enjoy communal set up, and managing wishes and needs. But you likely won’t find me at the randomizer. But this one was easy. Keep it simple, fun, light, streamlined, and straightforward.
I don’t mean to project so far out, but if this is easy, I don’t see why we can’t just finish the 12 in 2021, if Folks are still into it. We may not even need to do anything more. Those are just my thoughts. I’m glad everyone is so excited. After all, we’re not even in October yet
I will be happy to take on announcing the monthly number, as long as that is ok with everyone else. it would be good to have a backup announcer though.
From Nicole R's comment above, it sounds as if she randomized the entire list of 1-36 in advance, so she knew the full list and didn't have to randomize each month.If that's the case, you could re-order the numbers that haven't been chosen previously, re-number them 1-24 and create a list in advance ... for example: Jan # 2, Feb #14, Mar # 23, ...etc Share that among two or three people willing to post the # each month on the 23rd and voila ... you're ready to go.
I hope I described that accurately.
I probably won't play along officially, but I'll keep watch and try to finish off my list.
I've been in the habit for some years now of creating a "priority" TBR list at the beginning of each year. 100 Titles that I'd like to get to this year. Whenever a challenge comes up (or the monthly tag is announce), I check that priority TBR list first to try to find something that fits before I go to the larger more encompassing TBR.
Large Intake of Breath! Ohhhhhhhh! Gotcha! That was so helpful. Our Clever Concierge is probably right on the mark! They probably do know the numbers for the year in advance. Just by randomizing the numbers. You are right. Two people could do this. Or just one. One person to randomize the numbers for the year, two to divide up the announcing if it’s too hard a consistent task to undertake. Even I, our fearless leader and organizer in this endeavor, will be completely and pleasantly surprised! This is even easier than we thought. We could be set for the second year without even having to try.
Not sure I am following exactly what BC means, but OK with me..I am sure I will understand before it has to be done
My thoughts, coming in blind and late to the discussion, are these - as a starting point is this - that we contract for at least another year of this, but now the number of books is 24, and we can manage to keep the buddy reads, by keeping them in the same spot, if they were under 24. If they were higher, we move them to an under 24 number already taken, like 19 or 16 or the like. Naturally a few people may want to swap out a few books, but the idea is that we picked these 36 because we wanted to get to them and we weren't immediately, and its a chance to finish them out.
She would need someone who knows how to do the randomizer, and select our 1-24 numbers, and block out the ones already used. My suggestion would be to announce it on the 23rd of the month, like everything else.
Naturally, new folks can pick a new 24, and hop onto the buddy reads already in existence. We can eventually use this thread to announce or discuss those, or to direct others to our personal threads should they want to see it.
Thoughts, friends? I'm glad folks are interested in truly knocking the rest out - and I do want to read some of these with you. Incantation by Alice Hoffman comes to mind, which I think I have Magdalena and one other at position 15. I had planned to read at least 13-15 of these books with Rachel and I miss her, so I have had extremely few buddy reads myself. Only two for Trim, so that one would be lovely if it gets called. But would like to see what news buddy read possibilities might emerge, if there are a couple of new swap outs.