Play Book Tag discussion

Amy, and I cannot even manage the PBT Challenges! Lol. I only do the monthly tag and even then I do not always complete it (I have not read 2005 yet, but perhaps I still will.).

Nancy has a question above about of your book was published, for example, in Japan in Japanese in 2010, but then had a broader release date in English in 2011. Then, as a nonJapanese speaker, you read the English version. What you is the original publication date?

My thought is that you would take the the year that it was published in the language you can read it in. But, honestly, I think this will impact very few books (perhaps some of the older books. And Bachman books also come to mind) so I am open on this one!

I can also see the original publication year in any language being the operative year. Is that the year that is important for things like consideration for the Nobel Prize?

For this small subset I books, I would be okay with you using either year! The year it was originally published in its original language or the year it was published in The language you chose to read it in.

Nicole R wrote: "Nancy has a question above about of your book was published, for example, in Japan in Japanese in 2010, but then had a broader release date in English in 2011. Then, as a nonJapanese speaker, you r..."

Gilead was published in 2004, but won a Pulitzer or Nobel prize (damn memory) in 2005. IMO, for our purposes it really doesn't matter, so it would be cleaner (and more fair) to go by the original date. It only becomes a problem for 2018 or 2019 tags if delayed distribution restricts their choices.

Oh, I was not implying that the year a book qualified for the Nobel would determine is publication year. Apologies if it came across that way.

Was just thinking that the relative year it was nominated could be informative for determining when a book in a foreign language is originally published. Is it considered for major awards based on publication in its original language? That is all I was saying, just brainstorming.

How are we posting the books for the poll ballot tag. Will you have a special thread for that like the Bingo game?

Yes we will! We will open reporting threads for each challenge on January 1.

Amy wrote: "I’m impressed with the folks who read for pop sugar and other such things. I can barely balance PBT and the Jewish Book Club."

Well, in addition to having been born with a gift for the art of procrastination (apparently creative people are prone to this--I like that theory so stick with it) I still have a day where I do a lot of waiting around which gives me a lot of time.

BUT there were all those years when most of my reading was out loud to my kids. I'd have never been able to do any challenges. The first I started was a book a week on my old homeschool forum, and I included stuff I was reading with my kids.

Karin wrote: "Amy wrote: "I’m impressed with the folks who read for pop sugar and other such things. I can barely balance PBT and the Jewish Book Club."

Well, in addition to having been born with a gift for the..."

I agree with your theory, and I do the same thing. Even when I start early, I wait to the last minute to make a final decision, because I think I might come up with something better.

I never even heard of reading challenges until a few years ago. When my kids were young, I didn't even have time to read a magazine article, much less a book.

Nicole R wrote: "Oh, I was not implying that the year a book qualified for the Nobel would determine is publication year. Apologies if it came across that way.

Was just thinking that the relative year it was nomi..."

No, it didn't come across that way at all. Brainstorming and discussions are always helpful in things like this because they lead to better decisions and/or acceptance.

I'm not sure what you were thinking about strategy in this game, but perhaps timing is relevant.

Let's say that I found book about a civil rights (Alabama) lawsuit brought by a group of Inuit (Alaska) employees against a mining (West Virginia) company. I could use this book for either Alabama, or Alaska, or West Virginia, but only one of these. When do I have to decide which state to choose for the book?

You cannot start reading the BINGO book until January first. I am just giving a few days head start on the first year announced because I know it is a busy time of year.

For all of the years after the first one, you can start reading them as soon as they are announced.

And no worries about the questions, they are good ones!

Nicole R wrote: "You cannot start reading the BINGO book until January first. I am just giving a few days head start on the first year announced because I know it is a busy time of year.

For all of the years afte..."

Wait, have I missed something or will this year be announced in a few days? I am guessing both!

Karin wrote: "Wait, have I missed something or will this year be announced in a few days? I am guessing both!."

The first year will be announced on the 26th.

Cards will be distributed that day too!

And, Poll Ballot Tally teams will be announced! It will be a busy day. :)

Nicole R wrote: "Karin wrote: "Wait, have I missed something or will this year be announced in a few days? I am guessing both!."

The first year will be announced on the 26th.

Cards will be distributed that day to..."

Wow! Holiday season and administrators are adding to their calendars! I'm impressed with all you have done this December.

So I guess Christmas day for me is reserved for more deeply understanding how these challenges actually work (lol). Can I admit I only have a cursory understanding, and its a flimsy weak conceptual understanding at that. I figured as it got closer I would work to understand it more. Guess I better get on the stick. Last week, was my impossible week. I am already now in vacation land and still have crazy amounts to do, but now there is space for this. Glad for the warning.....

Amy wrote: "So I guess Christmas day for me is reserved for more deeply understanding how these challenges actually work (lol). Can I admit I only have a cursory understanding, and its a flimsy weak conceptual..."

So glad I am not alone! It will be New Years before I figure it out, at which point I will look at whatever book I am reading to see how it fits or doesn't, and figure it all out from there. As I don't really care about point accumulation but care a lot about reading from my massive TBR Towers, that works for me.

Actually I started this task last night, to go through all the state related tags and see what's on my TBR. Takes a little bit to do but I am finding a lot of luck. Happily, Outlander and Harry Potter largely don't fit - I know that's the running joke. But this led me to both a strategic question. If I have a book that counts for two states, I pick which one to use it for strategically? Like some states have more points, but some states, the tag is less broad, quite narrow, or might have less of a general draw. So if I am one of the few who "campaigns" there, I might get more of or all of the points. Is this correct? There will be a lot of people campaigning in Massachusetts, but perhaps fewer in Massachusetts or Delaware. Is this correct? So I get to choose which state to use the book for? Final question, pragmatic one for strategy. Can you list the ballot points for each state? That would help us strategize well.

The free space is just that—a free space! Treat it like it is already crossed off your card!

Amy, I am confused by your questions. Not quite sure what you are asking. But...

The points for each state are distributed among the books read for that state. And people may read more than one book per state if you want so you can get more than one “share.” See the instructions for an example of how that would look.

You very well may read a book that could potentially fit more than one state. However, you can only claim one state with each book. So, when you post your review, you need to clearly state which state you are using it for.

The points up for grabs are listed in the spreadsheet that is linked to in the Poll Ballot Tally reporting thread, which I just opened this morning. They are also listed on the map that is embedded in one of the first posts of this thread.

Just responding to your specific questions, Amy.

If I have a book that counts for two states, I pick which one to use it for strategically?

Yes, exactly. You need to pick one. And it is smart to think strategically about your choice.

So if I am one of the few who "campaigns" there, I might get more of or all of the points. Is this correct?

Yes, if you pick a small state and no one else reads a book that fits the tag for that state, you will get all of the points. Of course if someone else does read for it, the points will be split, but doing so might be less appealing for other competitors.

If you read for a state with a lot of points, the number you will be able to retain depends on how many others read the tag for that state.



So I get to choose which state to use the book for?

Yes

Can you list the ballot points for each state?

Nicole did this already. Check it out!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

AJ, no, you do not need to read a book for the free space.

AJ wrote: "So I don’t need to read a book for the free space?"

That's right, AJ! The middle space is a freebie, and you do NOT need to read a book to complete it.

Nicole R wrote: "Karin wrote: "Wait, have I missed something or will this year be announced in a few days? I am guessing both!."

The first year will be announced on the 26th.

Cards will be distributed that day to..."

The 26th is going to be very busy for me, on pbt and elsewhere, but can't wait to start planning for Jan!

Perfection! Thank you, and happy holidays. I’m up to Hawaii in terms of seeing what’s on my TBR. Already have a read picked for January.

Nicole-I did not look at this thread-so please tell me I did not waste my afternoon-

In the new thread there was a link to the BINGO cards-so there I went and downloaded the card with my name-Are those final? Because I just spent all afternoon looking for books.................with that card🙄

Yep! Those BINGO cards are final!

I was actually pleased that I have a book(or several) for every year. It should make a dent in forgotten places in my TBR. Yay!

Nicole R wrote: "Yep! Those BINGO cards are final!"

No rush, but when you get a chance could you change the spelling on my card........It's Olivermagnus. Thanks!

Olivermagnus wrote: "No rush, but when you get a chance could you change the spelling on my card........It's Olivermagnus. Thanks!"

Done.

Ok - the cards are already here? Guess I’ll be up tonight. Lots of hard work Nicole. I hope you enjoy your Christmas with your family. Good you got it up early.

Nicole R wrote: "Yep! Those BINGO cards are final!"

Bless you! And Merry Christmas!

I have a question about the POLL tags. I think those tags or shelves max out at 25 pages of titles (books). I have a book that I want to read for "farming". The title itself says that it has been shelved for "farming" one time. But I cannot find it on the 25 pages of titles for "farming". I could be missing it, but is it possible that it's not listed because it exceeds that 25 pages. How is this handled? I also made sure that I made the title as "want to read" so that I could spot it easier. Thank you.

Aside from looking through the pages of tags, I do not know another way to find out if a book is tagged a certain way. I know we have several members who are more involved with the organizational/structural aspects of GoodReads so they may have some better answers!

When you say that you can tell from the title itself that it was tagged farming, what do you mean? I do not know that I am familiar with any feature that lists tags other than those pages of tags...

What is the title?

You can look at a given book title and see all the tags associated with that book.

How do you do that Anita? We should be doing that with every book we are reading to see if it matches anything interesting.

Anita, here is the title:

Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow: My Life as a Country Vet

I do not see it listed on this list. This is from the official list of tags posted above in this thread.

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...


But when I go to the book and look at the top shelves, it's listed on page 3,

https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...

I am just seeking clarification to make sure I am following the rules and that I get credit for books read. Thank you.

Also, this may be a question someone else has.

Ah, I see what you are saying, Joni!

When you report your books, it is most helpful for me if you link to the "Top Tags for [the book]." It is the link you included second with farming on page 3.

If you include the link that is awesome because then I can just click directly to the page you were on and can search for the term! At the very minimum, let me know the page number you found it on.

Does that make sense?

The other page you linked to is very helpful for you as you peruse for potential reads, but the link to the shelves for the book is most helpful for me. And, ultimately, probably easier for you to find as well!

Joni wrote: "Anita, here is the title:

Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow: My Life as a Country Vet

I do not see it listed on this list. This is from the official list of tags posted above i..."

Yes, you are all good, Joni. That's what I thought you were referring to. You don't need to see it listed on the shelf if the book itself has the tag marked on its page (as you indicated). But it is helpful if you can spell it out for us if it is buried deeply so we don't have to go searching to verify it.

Thank you Nicole. That makes sense and helps out a lot.

Amy wrote: "How do you do that Anita? We should be doing that with every book we are reading to see if it matches anything interesting."

When you click on the title of a book and look to the right hand side, you will see a section entitled "Genres" with usually 3-5 links below it. And at the bottom of the list of main genres, there is a link that says "Top Shelves". If you click on that, you will be taken to a page that shows all the shelves (tags) associated with that book and how many people categorized the book as belonging to a particular shelf.

Joni has a great example linked above.

Fantastic! Low tech girl just learned something! Thank you Anita!

Joanne wrote: "Reads always, in my experience, lists the "originally published" date in brackets if there was more than..."

Best way to access this is to click the "all editions" button on the book's main page ... just under the thumbnail cover images. At the very top of the "all editions" page will be First published.... with a date.

I have skimmed all of the threads on he first page but now am just asking outright--if there are 7 electoral votes in a state, does this mean that the maximum number of books a team can read for that state/tag is 7?

No, you can read more than that. We will be awarding percentages of electoral college points even if that means dividing into decimals!

Nicole R wrote: "No, you can read more than that. We will be awarding percentages of electoral college points even if that means dividing into decimals!"

Okay, great!

Anita likes math, right?

We have a couple of questions regarding the tally challenge.

1. What about books that were started in 2019 but the majority of the book is going to be read (listened to) in 2020?

2. Are rereads allowed?

Rachel N. wrote: "We have a couple of questions regarding the tally challenge.

1. What about books that were started in 2019 but the majority of the book is going to be read (listened to) in 2020?

Books for this challenge cannot be started earlier than 12:00AM on January 1. So, unfortunately, those books started in 2019 will not count for this challenge.

Usually we are more relaxed with the monthly tag, but for the challenges we have more strict guidelines to keep things fair.

2. Are rereads allowed?"

Absolutely! There is no rule against rereads so feel free to revisit that old favorite!

I can hardly wait for Jan 1! In the meantime I'm holding off by trying to get my 2019 books read up to 100 as I was rather low this year. For me it helps to have my own challenge in this instance :)

Nicole R wrote: "Joni wrote: "For the state books, they just have to be tagged as that specific tag correct? Not necessarily take place in that state also?"

Correct. The only requirement is that the book is tagged..."

This was my question. I was going crazy trying to find a book from the tag and that takes place in the state with the tag!