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Welcome to the January Pick It For Me Challenge! I'm super excited (and somewhat nervous) to host this for the first time. :)

What's a Pick-It-For-Me Challenge?
It's a group recommend a book thing - works just like a Secret Santa or Xmas Exchange, except that the gift is replaced by a book recommendation. The givee-giver pairings are assigned by a super-secret method with some randomness thrown in (this will be revealed after signups are closed). So you recommend some books for whomever you get and somebody else will recommend books to you. After you're done reading your Pick-It-For-Me book, a short post with some feedback - a mini-review of sorts would be appreciated.

Please sign up by posting in this thread - I'm new at this and I'm not sure I'll be able to juggle sign ups here plus members who only respond to the invite. Sign up period will remain open until December 28th at 2pm EST because I'm a wimp that goes to bed by 10pm :). When you sign up, please answer the following question:

When was the last time you participated in the Pick-It-For-Me Challenge?
Please answer with one of the following choices:
* I'm new
* Last participated in (mention month)
* Don't remember exactly but I think the last time I participated was in (mention approximate timeframe...try to be as specific as possible!)

For this challenge, you need either HAVE YOUR PROFILE SET TO PUBLIC (preferable) or make the person who'd be doing the recommending to you, your friend. On top of that, I strongly advise keeping your bookshelves updated, otherwise you might end up with a recommendation for something that you have already read.

You'll have until January 2nd at 2pm EST to make your recommendations. Everything will be done in this thread so check it often. Also, please be sure you really want/have the time to participate. Once I pair up people, it makes it difficult to re-pair when someone decides not to participate.

RULES

1. Everything will be done in THIS thread. Please make your recommendations HERE.

2. Make sure to check back BEFORE January 2nd at 2pm EST and make recommendations for your partner. If we do not hear from you in this thread or through a private message by 2pm EST, I will assume you will not be participating. Therefore I will re-assign your partner to somebody else.

3. Taking a cue from Jim, I have changed up the recommendations a little bit. The New Year has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. Hence, we'll be making our picks based on popular New Year's Resolutions.

4. You will be making a total of EIGHT (8) picks for your pickee. Try to get as many of your picks from your pickee’s TBR list as you can. Your pickee has committed to reading ONE of the books you will recommend. Picks are to be broken down along the following lines:

A. Try Something New
1. New Author: Please recommend a book by a new author. This can be a totally new author or even an author from their TBR that they haven't read.

2. New Series: Please recommend a book from a series they haven't read. Again, this can be a totally new series or a series from their TBR that they haven't started.

3. New Genre: Please recommend a book from a new genre you think this person would enjoy. If this person reads from mostly one genre, then you're in luck because you'll have lots of choices...if the person reads from a lot of different genres, then recommend the one you think they read the least.

B. Better You - From their TBR
1. Lose Weight: Pick a lenghty book from their TBR that has some good ratings (3.75 or more.) You don't necessarily have to pick the one with the most pages (please my pickee don't choose War & Peace for me!) but choose a book with more pages than they would usually read. With this I mean that if you see that a person reads Harlequins, then a book with 350 pgs. may be lengthy for them. If you cannot see the # of pages of the books in the person's TBR, you can add the 'num pages' column to this person's TBR shelf (see link below for instructions.)

2. Save Money: What better way to save money than to read books that they already have? Pick a book from their TBR that you've read and you think this person would like. If you haven't read any, just pick one with a good rating. :)

3. Get Organized: Please select a book that from their TBR that has sat there neglected...either a book that has been there for a while or a book from a series they started but haven't continued. You can see this by adding the 'date added' column to this person's TBR shelf.

How to view the number of pages AND the date added columns in a person's shelf.

NOTE: Some members don’t keep a TBR at all. For those, just pick 3 books you think they would like.

C. Enjoy Life More
1 & 2. Pick (2) fun books you think this person would enjoy either from their TBR or completely new to them. You don't necessarily have to recommend a funny book as the definition of a fun read varies by person...for my hubby, philosophy books are fun!

Of course we are only committed to FINISH 1 recommendation; but this will give your partner different options to choose from depending on their reading mood.

Please set your profiles to PUBLIC until January 2nd in case I need to get in contact with any of you, or if I need to look at your profile for the pairing (which I do).

Any questions or problems, let me know!

Participants List: 55/74 COMPLETED (74%)

Updated through message #523

� + 1. D.G. nov
� + 2. Delicious Dee d
� + 3. Yz the Whyz d
� + 4. Photojim d
� + 5. LethalLovely nov
� + 6. Pollyanna d
� + 7. SheSwitches PRIVATE d
+ 8. Katherine d
� + 9. Sandy d
� + 10. Elke d
� + 11. Debbie d
� + 12. Emily nov/d
� + 13. Gigi d
� + 14. Penney d
� + 15. Katie d
� + 16. Megan d
� + 17. Amanda d
� + 18. Regina d
� + 19. Fran d
+ 20. Valerie d
� + 21. Drq d
� + 22. Inga d
� + 23. Kami d
� + 24. Diane ~Firefly~ d
+ 25. Brodie n
� + 26. Hayley n
� + 27. Kim n
� + 28. Britta d
� + 29. Tugce Nida n
� + 30. Ari d
+ 31. Julianna n
� + 32. AshleyAlexis d
� + 33. Rena n
� + 34. Rebecca PRIVATE d
+ 35. ~♡♥Ang ♥♡~ d
� + 36. Atumn n
� + 37. Annabell d
+ 38. Carolyn F. u
� + 39. Sue d
� + 40. Miss d
� + 41. Lady Leah d
� + 42. Thenia nov
+ 43. K. n
� + 44. Kerste d
� + 45. BJ Rose d
� + 46. Annie (a mad hamster) d
� + 47. Joyce d
� + 48. Cassie n
+ 49. Cathy d
� + 50. Rachel s/o
+ 51. Kristina PRIVATE n
� + 52. Nandar PRIVATE (s/o)
+ 53. Annvelwis d
+ 54. KimKirt d
+ 55. (just) Trixie PRIVATE n
� + 56. Macwolf01 [Elise] d
� + 57. Becky d
� + 58. Rachel ID d
� + 59. Heather n
� + 60. Tatiana d
� + 61. Pam d
� + 62. Lili d
+ 63. Moondust PRIVATE n
+ 64. Sarah n
� + 65. Ladykati n
+ 66. I'm Sandra Dee n
� + 67. Selena n
� + 68. Polina PRIVATE d
+ 69. Angelique d
+ 70. Megan n
� + 71. Coffeentea d
+ 72. Maria n
� + 73. ~Sara~ d
+ 74. Kelli n

+ = Received Recommendations
� = Done

Pairings (in Alphabetical Order)


* Amanda (2) picks for 31. Julianna (N)
* ~♡♥Ang ♥♡~ (1) picks for 10. Elke (1)
* Angelique (1) picks for 40. Miss (1)
* Annabell (1) picks for 59. Heather (N)
* Annie (a mad hamster) (1) picks for 11. Debbie (1)
* Annvelwis (2) picks for 25. Brodie (N)
* Ari (1) picks for 2. Delicious Dee (1)
* AshleyAlexis (0) picks for 15. Katie (0)
* Atumn (N) picks for 23. Kami (0)
* Becky (1) picks for 27. Kim (N)
* BJ Rose (1) picks for 30. Ari (1)
* Britta (2) picks for 43. K. (N)
* Brodie (N) picks for 17. Amanda (2)
* Carolyn F. (2) picks for 20. Valerie (2)
* Cassie (N) picks for 56. Macwolf01 [Elise] (0)
Cathy (1) picks for 60. Tatiana (1)
* Coffeentea (1) picks for 70. Megan (N)
* D.G. (1) picks for 26. Hayley (N)
* Debbie (1) picks for 16. Megan (1)
* Delicious Dee (1) picks for 54. KimKirt (1)
* Diane ~Firefly~ (0) picks for 62. Lili (0)
* Drq (1) picks for 6. Pollyanna (1)
* Elke (1) picks for 69. Angelique (1)
* Emily (2) picks for 8. Katherine (2)
* Fran (0) picks for 67. Selena (N)
* Gigi (1) picks for 65. Ladykati (N)
* Hayley (N) picks for 13. Gigi (1)
* Heather (N) picks for 37. Annabell (1)
* I'm Sandra Dee (N) picks for 28. Britta (2)
* Inga (1) picks for 41. Lady Leah (1)
* Joyce (1) picks for 29. Tugce Nida (N)
Julianna (N) picks for 38. Carolyn F. (2)
* (just) Trixie (N) PRIVATE picks for 34. Rebecca (1) PRIVATE
* K. (N) picks for 12. Emily (2)
* Kami (0) picks for 58. Rachel ID (0)
* Katherine (2) picks for 7. SheSwitches (2) PRIVATE
* Katie (0) picks for 32. AshleyAlexis (0)
* Kelli (N) picks for 18. Regina (1)
* Kerste (0) picks for 73. ~Sara~ (0)
* Kim (N) picks for 72. Maria (N)
* KimKirt (1) picks for 21. Drq (1)
Kristina (N) PRIVATE picks for 52. Nandar (1) PRIVATE
* Lady Leah (1) picks for 1. D.G. (1)
Ladykati (N) picks for 45. BJ Rose (1)
* LethalLovely (0) picks for 33. Rena (N)
* Lili (0) picks for 24. Diane ~Firefly~ (0)
* Macwolf01 [Elise] (0) picks for 36. Atumn (N)
Maria (N) picks for 39. Sue (1)
* Megan (1) picks for 3. Yz the Whyz (1)
* Megan (N) picks for 57. Becky (1)
* Miss (1) picks for 61. Pam (1)
Moondust PRIVATE (N) picks for 68. Polina PRIVATE (1)
* Nandar (1) PRIVATE picks for 55. (just) Trixie (N) PRIVATE
* Pam (1) picks for 46. Annie (a mad hamster) (1)
* Penney (0) picks for 64. Sarah (N)
* Photojim (0) picks for 44. Kerste (0)
* Polina PRIVATE (1) picks for 51. Kristina (N) PRIVATE
* Pollyanna (1) picks for 49. Cathy (1)
* Rachel (2) picks for 53. Annvelwis (2)
* Rachel ID (0) picks for 48. Cassie (N)
* Rebecca (1) PRIVATE picks for 63. Moondust PRIVATE (N)
* Regina (1) picks for 9. Sandy (1)
* Rena (N) picks for 19. Fran (0)
* Sandy (1) picks for 35. ~♡♥Ang ♥♡~ (1)
* ~Sara~ (0) picks for 4. Photojim (0)
* Sarah (N) picks for 14. Penney (0)
* Selena (N) picks for 5. LethalLovely (0)
* SheSwitches (2) PRIVATE picks for 42. Thenia (2)
* Sue (1) picks for 22. Inga (1)
* Tatiana (1) picks for 71. Coffeentea (1)
* Thenia (2) picks for 66. I'm Sandra Dee (N)
* Tugce Nida (N) picks for 47. Joyce (1)
* Valerie (2) picks for 50. Rachel (2)
* Yz the Whyz (1) picks for 74. Kelli (N)

Remix:
* Gigi picks for Tatiana
* Inga picks for Sue
* Annabel picks for Polina
Jim picks for BJ Rose
Penney picks for Nandar

* = Made recommendations
Bold = Volunteer

Updated through message #338

How were players paired?

Players were organized in 3 groups,depending on the day they posted their picks in the last challenge they participated:
(0): Posted picks the same day pairings were posted
(1): Posted picks the next day pairings were posted
(2): Posted after the 2nd day pairings were posted or if you didn't mention the last challenge you participated.

So basically you were randomly assigned to pick for somebody else in your group. That way those that are RRRC addicts check the group every day will pick for other addicts members that are always around and most likely will get their picks sooner while those that may need a few days to post their picks will be paired with likeminded people. But please remember that like stocks: Past Performance Does Not Guarantee Future Results, so even if you are paired with a (0), you may have to wait a bit for your picks...remember these are the Holidays. :)

What about newbies you may ask? Because I didn't necessarily want them to pick for each other, I divided them among the 3 groups.

How to view the number of pages AND the date added columns in a person's shelf

1. Go to your pickee's TBR.

2. Check if the 'num pages' and 'date added' are visible columns.

3. If they are not visible, please click on 'shelf settings and click on 'num pages' and 'date added' and then click close.

4. Sort the TBR by 'num pages - desc.' This will show the books sorted by number of pages in descending order, meaning that the book with most pages would show on top followed by the books with less pages. As mentioned, you shouldn't necessarily pick the one with most pages but one that would have more pages that the person would usually read.

5. Sort the TBR by 'date added - asc.' This will show the books ordered by date in descending order, meaning that the book that was added first would show on top followed by the books that were added later. Again, you shouldn't necessarily pick the oldest book but one that has been there a while and you think the person would really enjoy.

6. Once you have selected your choices, please go back to the shelf settings so you can put them back how you found them (by unclicking 'num pages' and 'date added' and clicking close.)

me me me!!! my bad! last month was when i participated

I think you're always first, Dee!

When you sign up, please remember to answer the question stated in the first post:

When was the last time you participated in the Pick-It-For-Me Challenge?
Please answer with one of the following choices:
* I'm new
* Last participated in (mention month)
* Don't remember exactly but I think the last time I participated was in (mention approximate timeframe...try to be as specific as possible!)

Count me in.

I've participated in all Pick-It-For-Me Challenges since it was launched in the group.

Of course I'm in.
Same as Yz.

I'm in.

I've participated in every "Pick-It-For-Me" challenge since April 2010, except for this month. So my last month participated was November.

I'm in and the last time I participated was last month

I'm in! I participated last month (December).

I am in. Participated in December.

I am in!! Participated last December, and the month before that...etc!!

I am in too please, I was in December.

I am in, I was Nov/Dec.

I'm in! December participant

Ok, I have everybody through here. :) Now I need to ahem...work. I'll continue updating later! :)

I'm in too! I participated in December and lots of months before that. :)

i'm in. last participated in december.

Count me in...I participated in December as well.

I'm in - December was the first time I participated.

Count me in... I Participated in December

I'm in! I participated in December.

Hey D.G. - Photojim hosted December and I am pretty sure he participated too.

Delicious Dee participated in December also.

I'm in. I last participated in Dec.

i am in and i was in for dec

I'm in. The first and last time I participated was December.

I last participated in December.

I'm In. I'm New :)

I'll try this - I'm new. please use the to-read shelf, not the future reads. I need to clean out my stash.

Got you all through here. :)

I'm baack! Didya miss me? :3
I participated last month, and a few before that too (:

Pencil me in! I am new...

I'm in. I've participated in this for months and did do it last in December.

I'll try it....I'm new!

Yay my favorite challenge! I'm totally in.
I last participated in December!

I'm in and I'm new. Looking forward to it!

I'm in I last participated in December

im in
I did it last month :)

Ok, I have everybody through here. :)

I'll be going to a Holiday Dinner with my department at work so most likely my next update will be tomorrow morning. :)

Im in D.G!!!!! :)

*Im new to this challenge,but i played the secret Santa before.

Do we have an exact dead line to start posting the recommendations?

I'm in. I last participated this month, December.

I'll participate!

I'm in!
I participated in December.

Of course I'm in, this is my favourite challenge. Last participated in December.

I'm in! The last one I participated in was this month, December.

I'm in! I last participated in November...

I'm in. I am brand new so I have never participated.