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What is the Pick-It-For-Me Challenge?

The Pick-It-For-Me Challenge (PIFM) is a reading challenge where each participant gives and receives book recommendations based on a given a set of rules. The assignment method and book selection rules change each month so it’s always new and always different.

After signups are closed, I'll put your names and any extra info I’ve required into the super secret PIFM randomizer and select someone for you to choose for. This will get posted along with the rules for the month.

While you're doing your picks, someone else is doing picks for you. Once you receive them, you pick a book off the list and get reading. To complete the challenge, you only have to read 1 (one) book but many of us end up reading more because we just can't resist a list of books to read.

In order to participate you need to either HAVE YOUR PROFILE SET TO PUBLIC (preferable), or make the person who will be giving you recommendations your friend. On top of that, I strongly recommend keeping your bookshelves updated; otherwise you might end up with a recommendation that you have already read.

Everything gets done in this thread so be sure to come back often!!!

***TIPS TO MAKE THE CHALLENGE ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE!***

1. Check the publishing date of the book before recommending it. To check the publishing date, from your pickee's to-read or similar shelf choose shelf settings, select "date pub" from the drop down selections and save/close the menu.

2. Check pickee's personalized shelves, especially their exclusive shelves - it could be very helpful in recommending something they want to read. A personalized shelf is one that a member has labeled themselves, for example, 'to read next', 'can't wait to read', 'favorites'.

3. Look at your pickee's 'read' shelf and see what genres they have recently read the most. That might help in choosing something they are interested in reading right now.

4. Please make sure the books you choose for your pickee are not on their 'read' shelf. Just because it isn't rated doesn't mean it wasn't read. Sometimes the reader may choose not to rate a book.

5. Although Buddy Reads are no longer going to be offered as a category, if there is a recommendation that you give your pickee that you would like to read with them, please feel free to suggest a Buddy Read with them. You can PM each other and discuss it.

6. If your pickee reads lots of books in a genre you are not familiar with (erotic romance, GLBT, YA, etc.), feel free to contact either Fran, Dee, Jane or the month's organizer and they can try to point you in the right direction for recommendations.

7. If possible, try to include a shorter book, a longer book, a new addition to their 'to-read' shelf, and and older book from their 'to-read' shelf. This gives them a variety of options to choose from. You can sort the shelves by many features - ratings, date read, date added, date published, #of pages and many other items from the shelf settings as described in tip #1. And they can be sorted by ascending or descending order as well.

INFORMATION NEEDED TO SIGN UP
Please sign up in this thread with the answer to the following question:

We’re going to be emphasizing romance this month, so with that in mind, how much heat do you normally like in your romance novels?
A. Little to no explicit sex � close the bedroom door, please!
B. Middle of the Road � explicit sex scenes are ok, but within reason.
C. The Hotter the Better - Anything goes!

IMPORTANT DATES
Sign up will remain open through to November 28th (10 am PST).

You’ll have until December 2nd (4 pm PST) to make your recommendations.

You then have till the end of the month to read your pick and give some feedback.

If you’re new please read the challenge specific FAQ. If you have any questions that are not addressed there, please feel free to ask!

***Please add a new comment rather than updating a previous post or your progress will likely be missed. It is also very helpful if you add more information like "I finished another pick" or "I finished my third book for this challenge" and mention if your pick was a buddy read. Thanks!***

2012 December PIFM � Participants
Updated through message #95

A. Keep it Mild:

B. Warm is Good:
Juliet
Raine
Suzanne
Laura
Christina
Diane ~Firefly~
Kristi (Passion for the Page)
Kelli
Lexa
Carla
Rishika
Pam
Sandy
Joyce
Ashley
Nairabell
Erin
Cathy

C. The Hotter the Better:
MountainKat
Breann
~KarenH~
Elke
Irina
Skandia
Jensine
Dee
Regina
Photojim
Fran
Sassafrass
NayNay
Kami
Tiffanny
Pollyanna
Gea
Ab2y
Shell
Daffodil
Pat
Roxy
Amy J.
Kimberly
~Melissa~
Brett
Yz the Whyz
Carrie
Dolores
Macwolf01 [Elise]
Ruth Ann
Susanne
Rebecca
Iris
Dawn (Kat N Hat)
Ty
Penney
Gigi
Debra
Karen
Nikki
Larissa
Rachel- Goodbye Borders
Sallie(Shuga)
Colette
D.G. ~Shameless Hussy~
Elizabeth
Nancy
Katie
dynamite
Emily
Nikita

2012 December PIFM � Picking Rules

December can be a romantic month with lots of holidays and celebrations and the opportunity for long, cozy evenings by the fire (or for our friends in the southern hemisphere, long, hot, lazy afternoons on the beach). So, this month’s Pick-It-For-Me challenge is going to be an all romance zone. Please pick only titles that are in the romance genre (any of the sub-genres are fine). And, since so often opposites attract, there will be four picking rules and for each one you will pick two opposite books � one from your pickee’s TBR (or similar) shelf, and one that is new to them.
***Please note*** If your pickee has designated a preferred shelf, please try to pick at least one (and preferably more) book from that shelf. Keep in mind that the “new to them� picks can also be on their TBR or preferred shelf - it just has to be an author, series, genre, etc. that your pickee has never read before. Also, when making your picks, be sure to select books appropriate to the group you are in � we don’t have anyone in group A, but group B would be more or less mainstream, and the people in group C can feel free to have at least some (if not most) of their picks on the smuttier side. :D

Now, on to the rules!

1. Release Date - Pick one book that was released within the last 6 months, and one that was released at least 2 years ago.

2. Book Length - Recommend a short book (under 200 pages) and a long book (over 400 pages).

3. Author - Choose a book by an author that your pickee loves, and one that they have never read before.

4. Cover - Select a book with a HOT cover and one with a COOL cover. Feel free to use whatever definitions of HOT and COOL work best for you. ;)

Please read through and follow the tips in Post #1 to help insure you choose books your pickee will be excited to read.

Have fun, everyone!

2012 December PIFM � Pairings

Please pick for the person below you within your group, the last person in each group picks for the first person in the same group, so Nairabell picks for Kristi (Passion for the Page) and Emily picks for Karen.

Picks are due by December 2nd at 4 PM PDT. Repicks will be assigned at that time.

Updated through message #595

� Picks Made
� Pick Read
� Buddy Read

B. Warm is Good:
★✔Kristi (Passion for the Page) (to-read-soon)
Rishika
�Cathy
★★�Laura
★✔Christina
★★�Ashley
★★�Pam
★✔Raine
★✔Suzanne
★★�Juliet (pick-it-for-me)
★✔Carla
�Kelli
★★�Diane ~Firefly~
★★�Joyce
★✔Lexa
★✔Sandy
★★�Erin
�Nairabell

C. The Hotter the Better:
�Karen
★★★✔D.G. ~Shameless Hussy~
★★★✔Kami
★✔Tiffanny
★★★✔Ty
★✔Nikki
★★�Gea
★✔Photojim
★✔Susanne
�Roxy
★✔Breann
★✔Gigi
★✔Rebecca
★✔Ruth Ann
★✔Debra
�Kimberly
★✔Yz the Whyz
★★☆✔Fran (excited-to-read)
★★★★�~Melissa~ (to-read-dec-2012 or book-own)
★✔Skandia
★✔Penney
★★★★�Ab2y
�Macwolf01 [Elise]
★★�Amy J.
dynamite
�Jensine
�Dawn (Kat N Hat)
�Regina
�Nancy
★✔Pollyanna
�Carrie
�Dolores
�Larissa
★★�Daffodil
★✔Dee
★★★★☆✔MountainKat (to-read-asap)
★★☆★★★★✔Sassafrass
★★★★★★★✔~KarenH~ (cant-wait-to-read)
★★�Iris
�Pat
★★�Nikita
�Shell
★★�NayNay (pick-it-for-me)
★✔Katie
�Sallie(Shuga)
�Elizabeth
★✔Rachel- Goodbye Borders
�Colette
★★�Brett
★★★☆★★★✔Elke
★✔Irina
★✔Emily


Repicks:
Fran picks for Cathy
Emily picks for Jensine
Dee picks for Anita

2012 December PIFM - The Covers!

2012 December PIFM - Where we ended up!

We had 71 people sign up in December, and 76% finished at least one book. We did have some overachievers, too - 24 people read more than one book, and of those 10 read at least 3 books and 5 read 5 or more books!

The most recommended author was Sylvia Day with a total of 18 recommendations over 3 books.
The most recommended title was On Dublin Street, which was recommended 11 times.

The most read authors were Sylvia Day and Nalini Singh, each read 5 times, and the most read title was Wicked Games, which was read 4 times.

Thanks for a great month, everyone!

Oh, I am so in!! And for me, anything goes! ;)

I'm in! And I am an "anything goes" kinda girl!

Of course I'm in, and I'm also a C - Anything Goes!

Please make picks from my can't wait to read shelf. :)

I am in...and its a BIG "C" for me! ;)

Anything goes.... *sly grin* C for me please!

Hmm, GR has corrupted me, now "anything goes" ;)

This is going to be my first Pick it for Me challenge in this group!

I'm in the Middle of the road !

My Pick it for me shelf: http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

I'm definitely a C girl...anything goes...bring it on!!!

Anything goes!!!

This is going to be my first Pick it for Me Challenge. I have really thought hard about it and decided I'm a B Middle of the Road!

I`m in and I`m C kind of reader - Anything goes!

Miss a PIFM? Not if I can help it! Color me C please.

I'm in and I'm a C- Anything goes!

Please make choices from my excited to read shelf.

I'm all over it--literally....I'll take C please!!!

I'm in and I'm a B!

Sounds good....and anything goes.

Could you pick from my pick-it-for-me shelf

i'm B

I'm in. C, anything goes

I'm in....hmmm I'm a b or c, but for this challenge I think I'll go with C: The hotter the better =)

I'm in and I'll go with C ;)

I'm so sad, I can't play this month. This is the first one I will have missed in a while. It's very hard to stay away.

I'm in and with C. Anything goes!

I'm in ! C

I am in and a C!

C for me please.

Juliet wrote: "This is going to be my first Pick it for Me challenge in this group!

I'm in the Middle of the road !"

Welcome, Juliet and Raine!

OOOOOH I like the categories! I think I'm a B.

ohhh fresh mean, I mean new participants

Hey, all!

Anyone who has a special shelf that they would particularly like picks to come from, feel free to add it to your sign-up post. I will include the information on the match-up list and hopefully it will make it easier for pickers to choose great books. :)

i'm in -- anything goes!

~KarenH~ wrote: "Juliet wrote: "This is going to be my first Pick it for Me challenge in this group!

I'm in the Middle of the road !"

Welcome, Juliet and Raine!"


Thanks Karen! I'm excited to join in!

I'm in and I'm a C!

I'm in with a C

I'm in with a C!

I'm in and at a B level

I'm in. I'm a middle-of-the-road type girl. I'd be great if books were picked from my to-be-read-soon shelf since those are the ones I actually own. ;-)

I'm in with a C. Check out my to read december shelf, book own or nook own shelves for picks please.

I'm in and I am definitely a C. ;)

I'm in and I'm a C.

I'm in, and well I think I'm all 3 choices. But for this I'll got with C.

I am in and I would say for this I am a C kinda girl :)

I'm in
I'm an all or nothin' kind of girl ... C please ;)

I'm in! I'm a B :)

I'm in, I'll go with B