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I hope it's OK with OP that I created a new thread. I have complaints about some of the prompts (that's what I call them, anyhow) and wanted a place where we could discuss alternate prompts / selections. This could also be used for recommendations I suppose.

The first thing I wanted to point out is that even though there are 50 reading prompts, one of them is "a trilogy." So, 52 books total - one per week.

5) A book with a number in the title

OK, call me a pedant if you like, but I can't help but wonder if the list creator meant "number" or "numeral"? Number = Tale of Two Cities; Ready Player One. Numeral = Catch 22; 1984.

6) A book written by someone under 30

Written by the author before they turned 30 years old, or the author is currently younger than 30 years old at the time of reading?

7) A book with non human characters

I'm reading this as non-human protagonist / antagonist, main character(s), but would ANY non-human characters in the book qualify?

8) A funny book

Using the word "comedy" would have been clearer, I think. A "funny book" implies something like an Archie comic, to me. Either way, 'funny" is really subjective.

9) A book by a female author

I would hope that this was an unnecessary prompt. It makes me feel as if without it, I would have read 52 books written by men. So, you know, at least I get to read one female author. why visit sex, when there is no mention of race / religion (well, there is a Christmas book, but I haven't got there yet.) Anyhow, I plan to read several books by female authors and I may very well select a different prompt for this slot.

to be cont'd...
10) A mystery or thriller
11) A book with a one word title
12) A book of short stories
13) A book set in a different country
14) A nonfiction book
15) A popular author's first book
16) A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet
17) A book a friend recommended
18) A Pulitzer Prize winning book
19) A book based on a true story
20) A book at the bottom of your to-read list
21) A book your mom (or dad) loves
22) A book that scares you
23) A book more than 100 years old
24) A book chosen based entirely on it's cover
25) A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't
26) A memoir
27) A book you can finish in a day
28) A book with antonyms in the title
29) A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit
30) A book that came out the year you were born
31) A book with bad reviews
32) A trilogy
33) A book from your childhood
34) A book with a love triangle
35) A book set in the future
36) A book set in high school
37) A book with a color in the title
38) A book that made you cry
39) A book with magic
40) A graphic novel
41) A book by an author you've never read before
42) A book you own but haven't read yet
43) A book that takes place in your hometown (or surrounding area)
44) A book that was originally written in a different language
45) A book set during Christmas
46) A book by an author with your same initials
47) A play
48) A banned book
49) A book based on a TV show
50) A book you started but never finished

For the number, I think either would fulfill the prompt.

For the under thirty, I'm reading it as just a book that was published before the author turned 30.

For animals, I'm reading it as "any non-human characters", but I'm choosing to interpret it as featuring non-humans-having a non-human protagonist.

And for the funny book, I'm reading it as a book that I personally find amusing.

Though of course, all of these are up for discussion.

The one I have a question about is
35) Read a book set in the future.

Does that mean current future, or future when the book was written?

Would 1984 count? It was the future when the book was written, but is no longer. Or are we talking only science fiction-type books set in the future from today?

Two more questions:

(a) What counts as a"book?" Could I read a book written for children but equally as interesting for adults? for example: A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver?

(b) How close to you have to come to your initials? I'm having trouble finding authors with the same initials. I can come close, with first & last names, but the author publishes including a middle initial and it's different than mine. Would that author count?

28) A book with antonyms in the title

Help!

Erica wrote: "28) A book with antonyms in the title"

I haven't picked mine yet, but I think it would be books with words that mean opposite things in the titles. For example: War and Peace or The Quick and the Dead.

I haven't picked my book for that task yet, but that's how I'm thinking.

I have not chosen mine yet, but these are some examples.

I suspect quick and dead are not actually antonyms.

Midnight in the garden of good and evil. Thedarkness and the light.

Lynn wrote: "The one I have a question about is
35) Read a book set in the future.

Does that mean current future, or future when the book was written?

Would 1984 count? It was the future when t..."

Good question. I instantly thought of it as something set in my future, but you bring up a good point.

The one I have a question about is "read a book that was published this year". Are they talking 2014 or 2015?

The one I have a question about is "read a book that was published this year". Are they talking 2014 or 2015?

It's the 2015 blah blah Challenge, so 2015 seems like the reasonable answer here.

Lynn wrote: "Two more questions:

(a) What counts as a"book?" Could I read a book written for children but equally as interesting for adults? for example: A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver?
..."

I don't think page numbers have anything to do with whether or not it is a"book." If you need a guide, then I would say as long as it has an ISBN number then it's a book. You really have the final say in what you read anyhow. The spirit of the challenge is, I believe, to read wider than you usually do. Expand your world-view.

Someone posted this link in another group and I thought it may be helpful for anyone looking for authors with their initials.

That's a great link, Lynn. Thanks. I was worried there for a while that all the authors with my initial only wrote romance. I found some other options here.

I think the only prompt that I'm not looking forward to is #25 (book I was supposed to read in school but didn't). There are only two titles that spring to mind, and I didn't read them (or finish them rather) for a reason lol. Oh well, I'll just have to suck it up and do it. Thankfully one of them is rather short lol.

Leah wrote: "I think the only prompt that I'm not looking forward to is #25 (book I was supposed to read in school but didn't). There are only two titles that spring to mind, and I didn't read them (or finish t..."

I actually read all of the assigned reading in my classes, but other schools/classes had other required readings. I was thinking of using those -- either things my brothers read that I didn't or just checking the required reading lists for schools now.

I agree with Yourfrienddave about the female author requirement. Could we change that one, just for this group, to a book by a child/young adult author? A book I'm thinking of that would qualify is "I Am Malala".

Lynn wrote: "Leah wrote: "I think the only prompt that I'm not looking forward to is #25 (book I was supposed to read in school but didn't). There are only two titles that spring to mind, and I didn't read them..."

I was thinking of doing something like that too.

Yourfrienddave wrote: "I hope it's OK with OP that I created a new thread. I have complaints about some of the prompts (that's what I call them, anyhow) and wanted a place where we could discuss alternate prompts / selec..."

First off, yes it is completely fine to start new threads! Secondly, thank you for the word 'prompts' I could no think of what to call them and that works just fine.

I also feel there is some ambiguity in the mentioned prompts as well as some others. I feel it each person should take the list as they would like. So if you want to read "A Tale of Two Cities" you can use that for prompt 5 and if you'd like to read 1984 you can use that one. I think since the list was mostly written for the little article it wasn't researched too thoroughly. I feel it's mostly for fun and to be used as each reader wants.

Leah wrote: "I think the only prompt that I'm not looking forward to is #25 (book I was supposed to read in school but didn't). There are only two titles that spring to mind, and I didn't read them (or finish t..."

I completely agree. I do not want to read the only few books I didn't read in school. There was a reason I skipped them!

Lynn wrote: "Someone posted this link in another group and I thought it may be helpful for anyone looking for authors with their initials.

"

Thank you for sharing the link Lynn. Just a side note, I went on the link to search for my initials, GI. The FIRST one I clicked on graduated from the same University I did several years earlier. They will def be the author I try out with my same initials. Thank you again.

I'm having slight trouble finding anything set in my hometown or nearby -- there's a few books set in the closest major city but none that seem all that great. So I'm tweaking that prompt to read an author from your hometown/surrounding area.

Erica wrote: "28) A book with antonyms in the title

Help!"

I was having trouble with this one too, so I started a list, and I'm hoping leaving it here will help it grow!

/list/show/8...

What if a book fits more than one prompt? Should I decide which one I want to fill?

I think that is the general consensus. It's your challenge so you, of course, are the final authority on what you read, but the idea is one book per prompt.

Ines wrote: "What if a book fits more than one prompt? Should I decide which one I want to fill?"

I think the majority of people are using one book per prompt. And if it fits more than one category I think most people are moving books around to other prompts if they find a book that they want to fit the prompt that was already filled. Like if you read 1984 and it fits "A book with a number in the title" then you decide to read A Tale of Two Cities you can move 1984 to "a book made into a movie" etc.

Hi, I have a question about one of my possible selections. For "memoir" I was thinking about reading Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days. It is written by his body guards... But, is it a memoir, per se? What do you all think?

A memoir is written in the first person. So, if it is told by the bodyguard(s) regarding what they recall about MJ's final days, then, yes. It's a memoir.

The only prompt I will have trouble with is the hometown one as I am from a teensy map dot in the bottom corner of Alabama, so I'm just changing that one to home state. I feel like the prompts are only that, to prompt you to read outside your box. If you need to tweak them a bit, there's nothing wrong with that, as long as you aren't tweaking every single one in order to fit your "typical" genre...that would be cheating a bit. :P

Erica wrote: "28) A book with antonyms in the title

Help!"

The one I might read:

Big Little Lies

I have trouble finding an author with my initials... A trouble probably shared by people with two first names. Is it okay if I drop my middle name? (it starts with the same letter as my last name...)

And while I actually plan to read way more than 50 books (my goodreads account will become unmanageable if I don't make a dent into all the books I supposedly started reading) I am just wondering... what do you think is the barest minimum of books required if you double-or-tripple list certain titles? I mean: I have a history book with a number in it's title that clocks in well above 500 pages... that's three categories with only one book...

Lucas wrote: "I have trouble finding an author with my initials... A trouble probably shared by people with two first names. Is it okay if I drop my middle name? (it starts with the same letter as my last name....."

I think you could very well cut the list down to just a few books if you use them for different categories. Take for example Dracula, it fulfills at least five prompts for me. Jane Eyre also fulfills five or six for me. So if you don't want to read just one book per prompt and get 52 at the end you could very well only read a quarter of that.

As for authors with your initials someone shared this link in another post and I found it very helpful. Just click on the letter of your last name. I think dropping your middle name is fine. This challenge is for fun so tweaking the prompts to what is right for you is fine!

I got another question: I am a bit fuzzy on the term 'graphic novel'.
What exactly is that?

Can I use one of my Marvel comics or a Japanese manga? Is it as simple as that?
Or is it a novelisation of... say, Full Metal Panic, for example. Or of Vampire Hunter D?
Can I read a comic that retells the Story of Goethes Faust?
Or can I read a comic that retells the story of Game of Thrones, for example. Or Kings Dark Tower series?
Or maybe one of the "introducing ___" graphic series? (for example: Introducing Romanticism: A Graphic Guide by Heath, Duncan (2010))

Or is a graphic novel what ever I label as such?

For me the examples I gave are like... 6 different things. So I would appreciate if someone could point me to the right definition. Wikipedia was a bit fussy on the whole thing, too...

Lucas wrote: "I got another question: I am a bit fuzzy on the term 'graphic novel'.
What exactly is that?

Can I use one of my Marvel comics or a Japanese manga? Is it as simple as that?
Or is it a novelisation ..."

I feel these prompts are to be used at your discretion. Whichever definition you want to use is the one I'd go with. I know some are using the graphic novels of The Walking Dead. I'm using a novel type that is more like a fiction book. I definitely would say manga would count. Actually I personally think all of the six types can be used. I feel like if it uses art to help tell the story it counts. Others may feel differently but that's my point of view! Hope that helps!

I have a question about #49 "A book based on or turned into a TV series". Can this include a mini series? Or is it referring to a TV series with multiple seasons? Or is it entirely up to me LOL!

I would say either would count

Lynn wrote: "The one I have a question about is
35) Read a book set in the future.

Does that mean current future, or future when the book was written?

Would 1984 count? It was the future when t..."

I'd definitely count 1984, on that basis.
-j-

Erica wrote: "28) A book with antonyms in the title

Help!"

I'm reading Big Little Lies (big/little are antonyms)

Kelley wrote: "Erica wrote: "28) A book with antonyms in the title

Help!"

I'm reading Big Little Lies (big/little are antonyms)"

I'm reading that as well! I've heard such great things about it, so I'm glad it fits a category.

David wrote: "5) A book with a number in the title

OK, call me a pedant if you like, but I can't help but wonder if the list creator meant "number" or "numeral"? Number = Tale of Two Cities; Ready Player One. ..."

For book by a female author, I decided to think of it as picking an female author who is/was groundbreaking or notable, rather than just a mainstream female author.

so I'm confused about no 2: a classic romance
does that mean a classic romance book or a romance book with features of a classic romance (like love triangles or them hating each other at the beginning)

Tamanna wrote: "so I'm confused about no 2: a classic romance
does that mean a classic romance book or a romance book with features of a classic romance (like love triangles or them hating each other at the begin..."

I took it to mean a classic romance novel (for example I'll be doing Emma or maybe Jayne Eyre). But I think all the prompt are up for your own interpretation :)

Tamanna wrote: "so I'm confused about no 2: a classic romance
does that mean a classic romance book or a romance book with features of a classic romance (like love triangles or them hating each other at the begin..."

I agree with Heidi. Most are taking it to mean something like Jane Eyre etc. But like she said, these prompts are for fun and can be tweaked by the reader.

David wrote: 9) A book by a female author

I would hope that this was an unnecessary prompt. It makes me feel as if without it, I would have read 52 books written by men. So, you know, at least I get to read one female author. why visit sex, when there is no mention of race / religion (well, there is a Christmas book, but I haven't got there yet.) Anyhow, I plan to read several books by female authors and I may very well select a different prompt for this slot.

I was thinking about this one and I totally agree with you. So I have decided to twist this a little like that : I'm going to read a book about feminism instead ^^

I'm sort of disappointed by all the authors who have my initials!

Emily wrote: "I'm sort of disappointed by all the authors who have my initials!"

What are your initials? Maybe I can find something better

Krissy wrote: "Emily wrote: "I'm sort of disappointed by all the authors who have my initials!"

What are your initials? Maybe I can find something better"

E.A. (I'm into literary fiction but if you think it's fun, I'll give it a try.)

Emily wrote: "Krissy wrote: "Emily wrote: "I'm sort of disappointed by all the authors who have my initials!"

What are your initials? Maybe I can find something better"

E.A. (I'm into literary fiction but if ..."

Okay I'll see what I can find :)