The 2017 AW Reading Challenge! A "Pick 12" Choose Your Own Adventure

Let me know what you think, Siri. I enjoyed it and found it memorable.

I'm well into my final title for this year's challenge, an extra credit I learned about from someone else's challenge: Golden Hill by Francis Spufford. Taking place in 1748 when New York City was a bustling minitropolis of 7000 folks, our hero Mr. Smith arrives with a bill of credit for 1000 pounds and a secret mission the reader does not even know. This book is masterfully written in the style of the time, with lengthy paragraphs, rich descriptions and charming language that brings to mind Tom Jones and the later titles I'm familair with such as Vanity Fair and Great Expectations. However, the style is fresh and modern enough to not seem campy or satirical. The author's descriptions make the city come to life, and he excels at describing chaotic, simultaneous action. About 40% in, I'm getting a little bored with the secrecy around his mission, and I hope it doesn't end up being trite. With such a strong first half, my expectations are high for this one

Congrats to all the finishers, the multiple finishers, everyone who participated and those who still are! There's two months left in the year. It's never a race, but an opportunity.

I finished the last of my three book extra credit: Golden Hill by Francis Spufford. Wow, that was nice! I loved the homage to the old timey style while keeping things fresh. Things kept moving nicely, with the slow parts worth getting through to the next good parts. I got more annoyed with Smith at the book went on, to the point I didn't really care about what he was doing by the end. When Septimus challenged him to a duel, my heart sank. I thought "Oh no! Smith is a young Alexander Hamilton in disguise!" A moneyed man from England in New York, who has a duel in his younger days and who therefore spares Aaron Burr to avoid his youthful mistakes. The 1746 setting would have made him maybe too old for the duel in 1800, but . . . it added up. I was totally prepared for a book/wall moment. My entire reading career, I have always hated the "young Einstein gets his heart broken" stories, especially if the reveal of the famous person is the big twist. Most of the time, the story is perfectly fine and enjoyable and the historical tie-in seems like a cheap shot. Fortunately I totally forgot about the reveal at the 50% mark that eliminated the Hamilton in disguise theory.

Great review, Cobalt! I read Wrinkle in Time as an adult, and although I don't remember so much of thr plot, I remember feeling enchanted by it.

Great to see so much progress, everyone. Keep up the good work.

Next year's challenge is coming together. Siri and I came up with some ideas to make things a little more interesting. Feel free to let me know (PM or here) what ideas you might have.

Thanks for the suggestions, Yzjdriel. Siri, I was thinking the same thing about the first suggestion.

Yzjdriel, how would you suggest one of the topics gets randomly assigned? My idea would be to use a random number generator.

I'll put the potential list in a separate post so things don't get too confusing.

Below is the draft list of topics. It's grown, even if I've cut a few out from this year. I've also redone some of the category titles to better reflect the topic. I love Siri's idea to either pick from 12 or to do four groups of three.

Yzjdriel, your second suggestion is very similar to number 71.

Everyone, please feel free to comment. Is the list too long? Too short? Too confusing? I'm open to changing any of this. Please let me know, and PM is great if you don't want to share something on the board.

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As in prior years, each us chooses 12 books from a list of categories to read and discuss throughout the year. For those new, we each read our own 12 (unless you have titles in common and want to discuss; that would be quite cool).

Please read the sticky in this forum regarding spoilers.

Siri had a wonderful idea to switch things up, and so you can choose from two options:

1) Breadth: Choose one book from each of 12 categories below that interest you

Or

2) Depth: Choose 3 books within each of 4 categories. Or, choose 3 books by the same author in the same or different categories.

Or get creative and come up with your own was to group them. How ever you want to do it is awesome. The only way to do it wrong is to forget to have fun.


1. Coming to a theater near you: A book made into a major motion picture.
2. East meets West: A book taking place in Asia (Turkey to Japan, Siberia to Vietnam)
3. What your parents read: Any book on the Publisher’s Weekly Best Sellers for the year you were born (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publishers_Weekly_lists_of_bestselling_novels_in_the_United_States).
4. No hablo: A book originally written in another language (i.e., a translation).
5. I remember that!: A book about a historical event that took place in your lifetime.
6. My hometown: A book by a local author.
7. Rainbow warrior: A book with a color in the title.
8. Locked up: A book taking place in a prison, mental institution or treatment center.
9. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever).
10. Namesakes: A book by an author who shares your first or last name (maiden name counts).
11. Out of this world: A book taking place in space or on another planet.
12. Still time for more chapters: A memoir/biography by/about someone who’s still alive (as of January 1).
13. Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character.
14. What your great-grandparents read: A book written more than 75 years before you were born.
15. Upstaged: A play.
16. Fired from the canon: A work of fanfic.
17. Out of Africa: A book taking place in Africa (including North Africa).
18. Counting your chickens: A book with a number in the title.
19. You really shouldn’t have: A book bought for you as a gift.
20. What you read: A book you loved as a child.
21. So that’s what they think of us: A book about your country by someone from another country.
22. Loose ends: A book you started last year and haven’t yet finished.
23. War is hell: A book about war, on the lines or the homefront, fiction or nonfiction.
24. I’ve met them!: A book by someone you have seen in person (either know, seen at a book fair, speaking engagement, in line at the ATM, whatever).
25. Learn the Quadrille: A regency romance.
26. Crossing the (color) lines: A book about a PoC, any variety, written by an author of the same variety.
27. No Cliff Notes this time: A book that’s required reading in most high schools but that you never read.
28. Be the change you want to see: A nonfiction book about a sociopolitical issue.
29. Old world charm: A book taking place in or about Europe.
30. Earth, Wind, & Fire: A book related to the Earth sciences (geography, oceanography, etc.)
31. Step by step: A how-to book.
32. Do you read about a land down under?: A book about or taking place in Australia, New Zealand or Pacific Islands.
33. Where is that, again?: A book about a place you know little about.
34. Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about.
35. What you will read to your grandchildren: A children's book (middle grade or lower).
36. Steady there, cowboy: A western.
37. Ripped from the headlines: A true crime book.
38. Wow. Nice: A book with a one-word title.
39. Anyward, ho!: A travel novel (any genre).
40. Lol random: Go to Gutenberg.org, click “Book Search Page,” click “Random” and pick any one of the books that show up.
41. We come from the land of the ice and snow: A book about immigrants or immigration, or with an immigrant main character.
42. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: A book whose title is more than six words long.
43. Halcyon days: A book you read at age 21 (estimate if you have to, choose age 12 if you aren’t yet 21 ).
44. How we got to where we are: A book about the politics of your country (history or current events, but published in the last 5 years).
45. Revenge of the nerds: Read about STEM (fiction or nonfiction).
46. Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages.
47. A real scream: A horror novel.
48. Happy days are here again: A book published since 1945.
49. Feast your ears on this: Listen to an audiobook.
50. Out of the park on first at-bat: A debut.
51. Run for the border: A book about or taking place in Central or South America.
52. You might also like. . . : A book recommended by library or bookstore staff, online or in person.
53. Support the home team: A book by a fellow AWer (Click on the “AW Amazon Store” link above).
54. Huh, I never knew that: A book in a new-to-you genre.
55. Three-color mythology: A graphic novel or comic book.
56. That old black magic: A paranormal novel.
57. What everyone else was reading: Any book from any year on the New York Times Best Seller List (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers)
58. Be your own boss: A self-published novel.
59. Gramma would have loved this: A book you think a passed-on loved one would have enjoyed.
60. Better known for . . .: A book by someone who’s more famous for something other than writing.
61. God’s mansion has many rooms: A book based in a religion not your own.
62. Ye olde booke shoppe: A book written before 1800.
63. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year.
64. Not available in stores: Beta read someone’s unpublished work.
65. I know exactly where that is!: A book taking place in a location you know well.
66. The butler might have done it: A mystery.
67. Back in the day: A historical of any genre.
68. Pixies and Dryads and Elves, oh my!: A high fantasy.
69. Like a novel, only real: Creative nonfiction.
70. Just the facts, Ma’am: Nonfiction on any subject.



71. [Extra credit] Tag, you’re it!: Choose one person who replied in this thread to pick your 13th book from any category (no need to reciprocate but fun if you do!)

Congrats on finishing the challenge! Woot!

Regarding limiting the number of categories, the 2016 challenge only had 12, this year's around 50 (and we had much better participation than in 2016), and the current list is up to 70 (which I personally think is too many or very nearly so, but I don't want to limit anyone). Should we do a list of only new categories? Or take the new ones and a few of the old and limit it to a smaller number? 20? 40? Or keep it as broad as possible? I'm open.