Mobileread Users TBR Challenge at StoryGraph

[astrangerhere]

I have opened a 2023 TBR Challenge over on Storygraph. You can find the challenge HERE or just search Mobileread on the challenges page.

Feel free to discuss the challenge here or over on SG.

Here are the "rules" and information:

RULES (that you can completely ignore if you want!):

1. The book only has to make sense to you to fit into the topic for that month. If you can justify it to yourself, go for it! There are two alternatives for each month, so you have some freedom to clear out that TBR!
2. The book should be on your TBR as we are trying to reduce TBRs, not pick new things.
3. Books can be read in any order! The monthly themes are there as an aid to picking TBR books, but if you want to read something from the October prompt in March - go for it!
4. Anything goes – fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, collected comics, and anything else I haven’t thought of.
5. Have fun! Feel free to invite another user for a buddy read if they post something interesting.

January
The Leftovers – A book you wanted read least year that you just didn't get to.
ALTERNATIVE: Beginnings - start a new series, new to you author, or book that you got for the holidays (something new to your TBR).

February
St. Valentines - A book by an author you love or a genre you love. Bonus if it is shorter for the shortest month of the year.
ALTERNATIVE: Read the shortest book on your TBR, irrespective of any other topic.

March
Ides of March – A historical or epic book, bonus if it is related to ancient Rome.
ALTERNATIVE: St. Patrick’s – A book that can in some way be associated with “green.” Bonus if it is related to St. Patrick or Ireland in some way.

April
April Showers - a book about rain, weather, spring, or some kind of new blossoming (which should haul in a ton of things)
ALTERNATIVE: April Fools - read the silliest or most foolish book on your TBR. Can be the title, subject, cover or just your perception that it being on your TBR list at all is silly.

May
Ovid's May - Ovid tells us the month of May was named for the maiores, Latin for "elders." Read something old, or a book about something or someone old.
ALTERNATIVE - May Day! - a book that you think you might bail out on, or a book about emergencies, panics or escapes.

June
Beached - read a book about the ocean, maritime life, coasts, or something sea-related. Bonus if it’s also fishy in some way.
ALTERNATIVE: Fixed or Broken - read a book about things/people/places/galaxies being fixed and/or broken.

July
Independents – A book you got via your local indie bookseller or bought used. Library loans count too!
ALTERNATIVE - Recommendation - that you put on your TBR at someone else's recommendation.

August
When I Grow Up - a fiction or nonfiction title about a career you dreamed of as a child. Can also be about a common career even if you had no interest in it. Bonus if you went into that career!
ALTERNATIVE - Back to School - a book from your TBR that has something to do with schools, education (or something you bought to educate yourself about something)

September
Shorter Days - a book with a one-word title or a collection of short stories or a short drama.
ALTERNATIVE - Autumn - read a book from your TBR that is wholly or partially set in or about the fall season or an associated holiday/event.

October
Masks - a book about people wearing masks, hiding, or masquerading as something they are not.
ALTERNATIVE - FREE SPACE - read anything at all from your TBR.

November
Indigenous - read a book from your TBR by, about, or telling the story of an indigenous population. Bonus if it is someone/something from your own country's history.
ALTERNATIVE – Families – a book about families (real or imagined, inherited or found)

December
Endings – Finish a book or series that has been lingering for a long time
Gifted – a book about something or someone who is gifted (in any sense of the word)

[issybird]

I’ve never done a challenge like this and it looks like fun. I’ve been laggard about looking into Storygraph, but it would be easy enough to enter my WTR list from GR at that, even if I don’t get around to porting my entire GR booklist. And it would serve to test the waters, too.

I particularly like the “from your wishlist” aspect, as it seems every year I mean to eat into my wishlist and then I don’t. Perhaps this will be the motivation I need.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by issybird

I’ve never done a challenge like this and it looks like fun. I’ve been laggard about looking into Storygraph, but it would be easy enough to enter my WTR list from GR at that, even if I don’t get around to porting my entire GR booklist. And it would serve to test the waters, too.

I particularly like the “from your wishlist” aspect, as it seems every year I mean to eat into my wishlist and then I don’t. Perhaps this will be the motivation I need.

I've been adding books all day. I'm on vacation so I can browse both my Calibre library and our 1100 physical books at once.

[Desertway]

Do you keep your owned books that you haven't read on your TBR list? I've got them on my device and in Calibre, but I never put them on GR or TSG. My online TBR list consists mostly of book recommendations that come up while I'm browsing those sites, or from discussion groups. I also some some Amazon wishlist books that I haven't entered into my online TBR.

[JSWolf]

Sounds interesting.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Desertway

Do you keep your owned books that you haven't read on your TBR list? I've got them on my device and in Calibre, but I never put them on GR or TSG. My online TBR list consists mostly of book recommendations that come up while I'm browsing those sites, or from discussion groups. I also some some Amazon wishlist books that I haven't entered into my online TBR.

My GR TBR is a very small subset of my owned books. For some reason or another they ended up on GR and there was no point in deleting them, i.e., they’re no better nor more desirable than unread books on my devices or that I haven’t downloaded at all.

And this segues into something I was going to post; I think while I’ll port my GR WTR, for purposes of the challenge I’ll expand it to include any book that’s on an ereader at year’s start. This seems to fit in with lowering one’s TBR, or at least my own, while not extending so far as to take in too much.

(My wishlist, which is pretty limited, is on Amazon. Every now and then I do a purge; after a while, if a book hasn’t been appealing enough to buy, I figure I’ll never read it. Some books never get cheap.)

[Uncle Robin]

What a wonderfully well thought out challenge! I've signed up, now to pick my books. Thank you for setting this up.

[astrangerhere]

I don't track my TBR anywhere but Calibre or one spreadsheet for my paper books. I'm just dumping lots of options for myself into the challenge categories.

[Desertway]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I don't track my TBR anywhere but Calibre or one spreadsheet for my paper books. I'm just dumping lots of options for myself into the challenge categories.

So do you use empty books to add TBR's to your Calibre library if you don't own the book? Or are you only including owned TBR's?

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by Desertway

So do you use empty books to add TBR's to your Calibre library if you don't own the book? Or are you only including owned TBR's?

I don't track our physical books in Calibre. I have an EXTENSIVE spreadsheet for that. I am just going through my Calibre TBR (I have a custom column for things I want to get to sooner rather than later) and literally walking through the shelves in the house picking things. I am just going to the book entry on SG and adding them that way. I only have like 12 things on my SG TBR. TBR =/= all the unread books in the house for me.

[Desertway]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I don't track our physical books in Calibre. I have an EXTENSIVE spreadsheet for that. I am just going through my Calibre TBR (I have a custom column for things I want to get to sooner rather than later) and literally walking through the shelves in the house picking things. I am just going to the book entry on SG and adding them that way. I only have like 12 things on my SG TBR. TBR =/= all the unread books in the house for me.

Ah, okay. I get it.

[astrangerhere]

Please add as many of your own books to the challenge as twant! I hope it generates some buddy read opportunities.

[Uncle Robin]

I've filled my dance card, thanks! It did involve adding 2 books to my TBR, but that's better than I expected

[Desertway]

I added my Amazon wishlist books to my TSG TBR.

Now I'm looking at Calibre, which is all of my owned ebooks. I added my first tier TBR to TSG. I also have a second tier TBR which are books that have come my way as freebies primarily, not out of any real interest. I don't think I'll add those. Then there are the hundreds of public domain classics. Decisions must be made....

[Dr. Drib]

Your title caught my eye: Mobiledread. []

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