Welcome to the 2025 Category Challenge!

For those who are new to the group, or who'd like to refresh their memories, here are some more details about the Category Challenge. I've taken most of this language from the 2023 welcome thread created by rabbitprincess.

What are the categories?

Anything you want them to be! Each member’s challenge is going to be different.

You can set as many categories as you like, in whatever genres you like. You can set a minimum number of books to read in each category, or you can fill them up as the whim takes you. You can structure your reading year around a theme, or just go with the flow.

You can focus on prize winners, certain geographical areas, topics of particular interest to you, series you want to finish, authors with an extensive backlist ... the possibilities are endless.

What if I set up my challenge and then get tired of my categories later in the year?

If your challenge ends up not working for you for any reason, at any point during the year, change it up! There is no Category Challenge police. We’re here to read and have fun.

It's a zoo in here! What are these CATs and KITs and DOGs?

The CATs (short for Categories And Themes) are the "official" year-long challenges voted on by the members, which focus on a specific topic or theme each month. Feel free to propose a CAT for 2025 below! Once the final CATs are chosen, I will list them here.

CATs for 2025
Colo(u)rCAT
CoverCAT
CultureCAT

The KITs are similar in structure to CATs, but they are informal challenges run by whichever member is willing to do so. Once the final KITs are established, I'll list them here.

KITs for 2025
AlphaKIT
RandomKIT
MysteryKIT
NatureKIT
SFFKIT
ScaredyKIT

BingoDOG

The BingoDOG (so named because it is not a CAT or a KIT) is a bingo card put together by the group members. One member will gather suggestions for squares and weed out duplicate suggestions, and the finalists will be put on a bingo card. For several years, our bingo cards have been constructed by the wonderful LShelby.

Do I have to be a member of this group to join the group challenges?

Not at all, though you're certainly welcome to join the group! But if you have a home base in another group and just want to swing by for one of our group challenges or group reads, you're most welcome to join us.

When do we get started?

The challenge "officially" starts January 1, 2025, but you can start earlier or later!

Proposed CATs

NatureCAT (see >12 Charon07:)
BiographyCAT (see >14 sallylou61:)
AstroCAT (see >15 Tess_W:)
CultureCAT (see >20 GraceCollection:)
CoverCAT (see >28 lowelibrary:)
DomestiCAT (see >35 LadyoftheLodge:)
KiddyCAT (see >35 LadyoftheLodge:)
Myster & Myssis CAT (see >37 LadyoftheLodge:)
Colo(u)rCAT (see >67 VivienneR:)

***

Please feel free to propose CATs and KITs below! I will list all the suggestions here, along with a brief description. If you suggest a CAT/KIT, please tell us a little bit about what you have in mind -- the better an idea is fleshed out, the more likely it is to receive support during voting. If you have thoughts on a CAT/KIT that someone else has suggested, share them below as well!

Around the beginning of November, we'll vote on what we want our CATs to be. Generally the top three become CATs, and any other ideas with strong support become KITs. If there's a tie, we have generally gone with four CATs.

So with that, suggest away! I'm excited to see what all you creative folks will come up with!

Thanks for setting up the new group!

thanks for setting this up again Christina

thank you, Christina!

Looking forward to seeing what makes it through for 2025! (2025! Crazy!)

Thank you for setting us up, Christina. I haven't started thinking seriously about next year, but will do so now!

Thank you for creating the new group, Christina!

Thank you, Christina! Looking forward to another year.

Thanks for organizing, Christina! I’m excited for what will be only my second Category Challenge. Is it too early to suggest a CAT?

>10 Charon07: Suggest away!

I propose a NatureCAT. I think this was suggested for 2024, but it didn’t make the cut, so I’d like to suggest it again for 2025. It could be organized around themes of regions like forest, desert, prairie, tundra, gardens, etc., or around creatures like birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, microorganisms, etc., or other themes like endangered species, in the backyard or garden, in the house, in the city, on the farm, and so on. This is becoming my favorite type of nonfiction to read, but there’s an increasing amount of nature-related fiction too.

Thanks for setting this up, Christina. I was beginning to wonder when our 2025 challenge would be set up.

I would like to suggest a BiographyCAT. We could read biographies of people in different fields of endeavor, different geographical regions, etc. This has been suggested before; perhaps 2025 will be the year in which it will shine.

I would like to suggest AstroCat--Astronomy Cat. We could read about any of the planets, space exploration, astronauts, space missions, famous astronomer's lives (fiction or NF), comets, the moon, stars, astrology, history of the universe, lunar/solar eclipses (or a book set in one), astronomy in fiction, space picture books, myths/folklore in space, etc. All categories could be either fiction or non-fiction. I'm sure there are many other sub-categories. These were just off the top of my head.

I'm loving the suggestions so far!

Thanks, everyone! I've added all the CAT suggestions so far to >2 christina_reads: above.

I have my fingers crossed that we will see our familiar and well loved Kits in 2025:

AlphaKit
RandomKit
MysteryKit,
SFFKit
ScaredyKit

>18 DeltaQueen50: If they come back, I'll do all except the SFF one.

Hello! I'm new to the category challenge, but I think it might be interesting to do a CultureCAT, and read books about cultures other than one's own. This could be cultures from different geographic regions or time periods, or about subcultures and communities like LGBT+, punks, hipsters, various hobbyists, there are even books about criminal subcultures!

These could be nonfiction books, histories, biographies and memoirs, or novels written by/about the cultures chosen.

I am happy to organize RandomKit and MysteryKit again.

>20 GraceCollection: Welcome, and thanks for the great suggestion! I've added it above.

I'll do AlphaKIT again. If no one else wants to do the SFFKIT I can organize that also.

>20 GraceCollection: I really like the sound of Culture Cat!

>21 LadyoftheLodge: & >23 majkia: Hooray!!

Did I organize the ScaredyKIT last year? I might have. I could plan to do that again for 2025.

>25 LibraryCin: Yes, please!

Thanks for setting the new group up.
I've organised BingoDog for the last few years. Currently I'm away and find posting on my phone annoying. Then I'm back to my busiest part of the year. So while I'm happy to run it again, I won't be able to start anything until the latter part of November. If someone else wants to pick it up, just shout & run with it!

I want to suggest CoverCAT - every month there is a different item on the book cover - it can be any genre. This could be run like RandomKIT, where the person who selects that month can select the cover item or we can set up the whole years worth of cover items. Ideas would be a cat on the cover, a cup of tea, a park or park like setting, a crown, etc.

Lots of good ideas for CATs!

>28 lowelibrary: I like the idea of the CoverCAT

>28 lowelibrary: Same, that's a fun and unique idea!

>28 lowelibrary: I like that idea! I do not recall that we have done this one in the past.

>28 lowelibrary: Oh you caught my interest on that suggestion. I like it because it seems like a fresh idea with lots of possibilities.

>33 beebeereads: Agree! I like the challenges that give a lot of flexibility.

DomestiCAT - All things comforting, homelike, and cozy. Some possibilities:
- Cozy mysteries
- Books about food or cooking
- Whatever you consider a comfort read
- Books about domestic animals or plants
- Comedies of manners

This CAT was suggested last year but did not make the 2024 cut, so let's try it again.

KiddyCAT was fun a few years ago, please add this suggestion to the list.

Maybe we need Myster & Myssis Kit or CAT! This was part of a 2023 planning discussion due to a typo (MysterKit instead of MysteryKit), but it could be fun, depending on the monthly topics, which are open to speculation or suggestion.

>35 LadyoftheLodge: Thanks for the suggestions! I've added the DomestiCAT and KiddyCAT at >2 christina_reads: above. Could you say more about what you mean by Myster and Myssis CATs? Would the latter be similar to the CATWoman we did in 2022? Wasn't sure if I should "officially" add these to the proposed list of CATs yet. :)

>36 christina_reads: The Myster & Myssis Cat could include different fiction or nonfiction topics that feature he/she issues, or personalities, or pairs, or couples.

Nonfiction reads, such as something about Pierre and Marie Curie or John and Abigail Adams or Alexander and Elizabeth Hamilton
Mythology featuring couples--Zeus and Hera or Aphrodite and Ares
Famous Shakespeare couples--Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
Mystery/sleuthing pairs--Tommy and Tuppence or Thomas and Charlotte Pitt
Literary pairs--Ernest Hemingway and his four wives, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy
Culinary couples--Julia and Paul Child
Storybook couples--Mr and Mrs Santa Claus, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson
Royal couples--Prince/King Charles and Princess Diana/Queen Camilla, Henry VIII and his wives, Arthur and Guinevere
Entertainment couples--Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor
Romance novels--Regency, Contemporary, Historical
RomComs
Nontraditional pairs
Friendship pairs
Adversaries
Partners
Heroes and Sidekicks
Opposites
Siblings

(Monthly hosts decide.)

ETA--This could also be titled DuoCAT if we wanted to make it more flexible.

>37 LadyoftheLodge: Thanks, this is helpful! I've added this suggestion at >2 christina_reads: above. That list at message #2 should be current with what everyone has suggested so far!

>28 lowelibrary: That would be fun!

>20 GraceCollection: I like the sound of cultureCat

Thanks Christina!

Thanks Christina. Hard to believe it is close to 2025.

>39 clue: Or now that I've thought about it, covers could be an option within Random Cat. The planner for the month could choose between a topic or a cover, and actually I suppose that's an option now although I don't remember anyone using it in recent years.

I really like the inclusive challenges. Covers is one for sure. I'm not going to read a genre I normally don't just to meet a challenge. I like it when the challenges let me read books already on my TBR.

>44 majkia: I agree with that idea. I like the challenges to offer a lot of flexibility.

>27 Helenliz: I’d be willing to get the BingoDog organized, but I have a question and a caveat. Am I correct in understanding that once we get the list of topics, I can get the list to Christina who will work her magic with lshelby to generate a bingo card(s)?

The caveat is that, since I’m new to the group, I’m not as familiar with past discussions about what makes a good or a bad topic. I think in recent years we’ve let Helen trim the list down to size. If we end up with a surplus, I’d like y’all to help me weed out the less desirable topics (e.g., I know “published in the year you were born” is looked on as too revealing and a privacy issue).

>46 Charon07: That would help me a lot, this is my really busy period at work. It's just bad planning on our part really.
Answers.
I've messaged both Christina & LSHelby to see if they can offer their assistance for another year.
I'll message you my recipe for making up the perfect list! It is not perfect in any way!!

>47 Helenliz: Thanks! I’ll look forward to any tips you can give me, and I’ll get the BingoDog planning thread up this evening.

Here is the BingoDOG planning thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/365342. Thanks to >47 Helenliz: for all your work in past years, and to >48 Charon07: for agreeing to organize the BingoDOG this year!

Hi all, thanks for all the great CAT and KIT suggestions! I've pinned all the KIT threads and linked to them on the group's main page.

I'm going to give everyone a few more days to suggest CATs and KITs, and then start the voting process on Wednesday, November 6. I'll leave the polls open till Sunday, November 10, so that the weekend-only LT users have a chance to weigh in. The three CAT suggestions with the most votes (or four, if #3 and #4 are really close) will become our official 2025 CATs.

So get those suggestions in before voting begins, and feel free to argue on behalf of your favorites!

I have decided that after 16 years I am not going to do a formal Category Challenge just play with the CATs and KITs.

>51 cyderry: I have considered this myself. Not sure yet, depending upon how the CATs turn out.

>51 cyderry: I don't do much of a challenge, I prefer what I think of as guidelines or reminders. One of the things I want to do next year is read multiple books for a particular CAT or KIT where I have a lot on the shelf I could read on that month's topic. Not that I couldn't have done that all along, but it does limit me to probably one CAT or KIT a month. Since becoming a caretaker my reading time is less and I can only read 5 a month at best, there have been months when I've read 4 so that's part of my problem because that limits me from being able to do all of the CATS/KITS. I think we are happier readers when we do what suits us because it keeps us involved.

>51 cyderry: For the past three years, I’ve committed to just one CAT/KIT a year— No CAT challenge or master thread. It’s been enormously freeing both in terms of mental energy and actual reading time for me.

For 2025, I’ve already decided to run a full card (25 squares) in BingoDog 🐾

I tried to make a bigger dive into the CATS this year than last, and found it was just too much, and left me no room for more spontaneous reading. So I cut back to BingoDog and the Alpha/Mystery/SFFKits, and I plan to stick with that next year. That takes up about half of my reading each month, which works well for me.

>55 KeithChaffee: That sounds like a great plan. This year I did one CAT, BingoDog, and a few Kits. I also kept track on my thread of Kindle Unlimited and my reviews for NetGalley so I could see my progress.

Sometimes there is enough going on without adding one more thing. Reading should be fun, not an assignment or obligation.

>55 KeithChaffee: That is close to what I am considering for next year. It depends on what the CATs will be, but my current plan is to stick to a few KITs and BingoDOG.

>56 LadyoftheLodge: "Reading should be fun, not an assignment or obligation." I totally agree! It is one reason why I like this group so much. Everyone can create their own challenge, tailored to what they wish to do.

I'll probably do the same as I have this year, do BingoDog, RandomCAT & AlphaKit. As to the rest I'll have to see what they are and what fits.
In previous year's I've over committed and then felt under pressure to read too many books. I agree with >56 LadyoftheLodge: Reading should be fun, not an assignment or obligation..

This year I've done CalendarCAT, PrizeCAT, BingoDOG, and the Historical Fiction Challenge. Not too onerous, and worth the effort because sometimes the search turns up a really good book that otherwise I wouldn't have thought of reading. I've also read some dross for the sake of filling a square or a month, but not too much because I'll stretch the definition rather than reading a book I don't enjoy. For that reason I like CATs with big, broad categories.

>56 LadyoftheLodge: "Reading should be fun, not an assignment or obligation." Generally agreed, but I do enjoy it when the Categories push me to a few books each year that I wouldn't have read otherwise. Wouldn't want a steady diet of such pushing, but if there are three or four Bingo squares that make me think "oh lord, what am I going to read for that?," I enjoy that challenge.

I would be interested in reading about political couples such as the Adams or Perons. Perhaps royal couples could be changed to Royal or political couples.

I usually find the Kits/Cats too much--so I just commit to one each month--a different one! I also found that even my own challenge structure was too confining--so I just set my challenge up per month and list the books I read for that month. It has worked out well this year!

>62 Tess_W: - I did that this year. I made a list of books from the Cats/Kits that I wanted to do, but didn't stress if I didn't get to them. Not sure what I'll do next year - depends on what they end up being.

>61 sallylou61: I think the host for the month could be free to suggest the topics. The ideas I posted were just for thinking purposes.

>51 cyderry: Seems like a few of us are thinking along the same lines. I've run out of ideas for a themed category challenge so I'll be mostly reading KITs and CATs.

>65 VivienneR: - I'm glad you said that. I have some categories that I want to read next year but no overall theme to put them in.

We had a ColourCAT several years ago that was very popular.

>67 VivienneR: Thanks, adding this to the list of suggestions.

>67 VivienneR: Yes, I liked that one too.

Thanks to all the volunteer hosts for RandomKIT and MysteryKIT. All months are complete for both KITS.

If anyone is interested in helping out with the ScaredyKIT, please come on over! We could use a bit more help.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/365479

SF&FKIT needs volunteers also.

2025 CAT Voting Begins Now!

The suggestions are in, and now it's time to vote on your favorite CAT suggestions! I will post a poll for each suggested CAT below. The poll will give you options for Yes, No, and Undecided, but really only the Yes votes matter -- the three suggestions with the most Yes votes will become our 2025 CATs. Feel free to vote for as many CATs as you like!

Voting will be open till the end of the day on Sunday, November 10. On Monday the 11th, I'll tally up the votes and announce the winners. Happy voting!

This was suggested by >12 Charon07: above. She wrote: "It could be organized around themes of regions like forest, desert, prairie, tundra, gardens, etc., or around creatures like birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, microorganisms, etc., or other themes like endangered species, in the backyard or garden, in the house, in the city, on the farm, and so on." This could encompass fiction or nonfiction.

This was suggested by >14 sallylou61: above. She wrote: "We could read biographies of people in different fields of endeavor, different geographical regions, etc." I believe we've done a version of this in a previous category challenge, though I don't remember when!

This was suggested by >15 Tess_W: above. She wrote: "We could read about any of the planets, space exploration, astronauts, space missions, famous astronomer's lives (fiction or NF), comets, the moon, stars, astrology, history of the universe, lunar/solar eclipses (or a book set in one), astronomy in fiction, space picture books, myths/folklore in space, etc. All categories could be either fiction or non-fiction."

This was suggested by >20 GraceCollection: above. She wrote: "I think it might be interesting to do a CultureCAT, and read books about cultures other than one's own. This could be cultures from different geographic regions or time periods, or about subcultures and communities like LGBT+, punks, hipsters, various hobbyists, there are even books about criminal subcultures! These could be nonfiction books, histories, biographies and memoirs, or novels written by/about the cultures chosen."

This was suggested by >28 lowelibrary: above. She wrote: "I want to suggest CoverCAT - every month there is a different item on the book cover - it can be any genre. This could be run like RandomKIT, where the person who selects that month can select the cover item or we can set up the whole years worth of cover items. Ideas would be a cat on the cover, a cup of tea, a park or park like setting, a crown, etc."

This was suggested by >35 LadyoftheLodge: above. She wrote: "All things comforting, homelike, and cozy. Some possibilities:

- Cozy mysteries
- Books about food or cooking
- Whatever you consider a comfort read
- Books about domestic animals or plants
- Comedies of manners"

This was also suggested by >35 LadyoftheLodge: above. We've done this CAT in previous years; I believe the overarching topic was children's literature, and monthly topics were different genres within kid lit, plus things like prize-winning children's books, YA, graphic novels, etc.

This was also suggested by >35 LadyoftheLodge: above (I hope you don't mind that I changed the spelling!). She wrote: "Different fiction or nonfiction topics that feature he/she issues, or personalities, or pairs, or couples.

Nonfiction reads, such as something about Pierre and Marie Curie or John and Abigail Adams or Alexander and Elizabeth Hamilton
Mythology featuring couples--Zeus and Hera or Aphrodite and Ares
Famous Shakespeare couples--Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
Mystery/sleuthing pairs--Tommy and Tuppence or Thomas and Charlotte Pitt
Literary pairs--Ernest Hemingway and his four wives, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy
Culinary couples--Julia and Paul Child
Storybook couples--Mr and Mrs Santa Claus, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson
Royal couples--Prince/King Charles and Princess Diana/Queen Camilla, Henry VIII and his wives, Arthur and Guinevere
Entertainment couples--Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor
Romance novels--Regency, Contemporary, Historical
RomComs
Nontraditional pairs
Friendship pairs
Adversaries
Partners
Heroes and Sidekicks
Opposites
Siblings

(Monthly hosts decide.)

ETA--This could also be titled DuoCAT if we wanted to make it more flexible."

This was suggested by >67 VivienneR: above. We did this CAT in 2018: https://www.librarything.com/topic/271259. Essentially, each month was a different color, and you could choose books that had that color in the title, on the cover, as a prominent theme in the book, etc.

OK, that's all the polls! There are nine CAT suggestions in all, and again, you can vote for as many as you like! The top three will be our official 2025 CATs.

Should have made this comment before, but I wasn't paying attention! CoverCat and ColorCat seem to be almost the same thing. Could they be combined into one CAT...such as for this month the theme is dogs and blue...the cover can have a dog on it or a large portion of blue? Now, for those of you who like twofers, these two will go hand in hand.

>84 Tess_W: Or maybe, if they both get in (and it's looking like they will), because they are both so broad, we can have four CATs? I would guess each one should be easy(ish) to combine with other things, as well? Just an idea.

>85 LibraryCin: Great idea!

>84 Tess_W: I see the two as quite different.

As >28 lowelibrary: described the suggestion for CoverCAT - "This could be run like RandomKIT, where the person who selects that month can select the cover item or we can set up the whole years worth of cover items. Ideas would be a cat on the cover, a cup of tea, a park or park like setting, a crown, etc."

The previous time we ran it ColorCAT had a specific colour each month. Options might include Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie, Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (either blue or green), Half of a Yellow Sun by Adichi, The Silver Boat by Luanne Rice, or There there by Tommy Orange - as well as any book with the cover colour predominant.

>87 VivienneR: I agree that they seem to be different. Also, four Cats seems like a lot to me.

>88 LadyoftheLodge: When the voting was very close a few years ago, we chose the top four and it wasn't greeted well by everyone. I was handling the voting and realized afterward I should have asked the group to vote once more, for 3 or 4 CATs. As well as the KITs it made for a lot planning.

>87 VivienneR: Yeah, I get that ColorCAT is a little broader than CoverCAT, in that the color isn't necessarily an element of the cover -- might be a title word -- but Cover still feels like a subset of Color. If I were a big CAT participant, I'd be disappointed to have two of the three options be as similar as that.

>87 VivienneR:, >88 LadyoftheLodge: I agree that the ColourCAT and the CoverCAT are different enough. I don't mind a bit of overlap, and am happy to find a book that covers multiple CATs. Plus, they're the two options with the highest number of votes, so in the interests of democracy I think we should give the voters what they want. People can change their votes if they're bothered.

>89 VivienneR: Why not a vote on whether people want to combine the colo(u)r and cover CATs, and/or whether they want 3 or 4 CATs?

I have very fond memories of colourcat. I read Sir Thomas Browne for the first time, that being the brown month. Made a huge impression on me.

I just was thinking about what books I might choose for red, orange, etc. I still think I can cover both cats with one book---and that's ok! There are so many kits/cats that I can't keep up, so have a twofer is not a problem for me!

>92 Charon07: Asking participants to vote multiple times seems to me to be getting complicated. In the past, we just voted on the categories and the top choices were the CATS for the year. The results seem pretty clear this time around. This is just my opinion.

>94 Tess_W: I like to challenge myself to see how many CATs/KITs I can cover with one book--that would be a "CAT trick!"

>90 KeithChaffee: That's my thinking, as well. But I guess if that's what people want (only three, not four, even if two are/can be similar).

ETA: And I'll admit that my preferences are the next two highest vote getters, so I'll be disappointed that one of them doesn't make it in.

>97 LibraryCin: You can always do a private challenge with the losing one.

>95 LadyoftheLodge: I agree, Cheryl. And for what it's worth, I've enjoyed all the CATs we've ever had even if they were not what I would have chosen.

Just popping in to say thanks, everyone, for the productive discussion! This is your last day to vote on the CATs; I'll tally them sometime tomorrow morning and announce the official winners.

Voting on the 2025 CATs is now complete! The people have spoken, and our official CATs for the 2025 Category Challenge are...

Colo(u)rCAT - 25 "yes" votes
CoverCAT - 25 "yes" votes
CultureCAT - 18 "yes" votes

The #4 suggestion, with 14 "yes" votes, was NatureCAT. I don't think that's close enough to warrant making it a fourth CAT, but if folks are interested in making it a KIT, I say go for it!

For the three official CATs, perhaps the people who suggested them -- >67 VivienneR:, >28 lowelibrary:, and >20 GraceCollection:, respectively -- would be willing to set up the planning threads? In the past few years, that's basically meant explaining the basic idea of the CAT, suggesting possible monthly topics, and asking people to volunteer to host the specific months.

Again, thanks to all who suggested topics, shared their opinions, and voted! I think this is shaping up to be a great year for the Category Challenge!

Thanks for organising that Christina. I imagine it's a bit like getting cats to walk in a line. >:-)

Looking forward to seeing the CATs take shape.

Thanks for organizing this! Looking forward to a great year of reading.

Thanks Christina!

Wikis are created for 2025 RandomKIT and 2025 MysteryKIT. The links are posted in the planning threads.

I would love to do a NatureKIT if there is enough interest. Or do we just wait and someone suggests it again next year and hope it rises to the top then? (There are already quite a few KITs happening...)

I will, of course, join in on the other CATs, as well. I don't think I'll sit any of them out this year. (I've been pretty sporadic with the PrizeCAT this year, though I had better intentions at the start of the year! Though I also knew it would be the trickiest for me to do.)

>106 LibraryCin: I’d certainly be happy to join a NatureKIT!

>101 christina_reads: I'd love to host CultureCAT!

Since my idea was for us to expand our horizons by reading books we from a culture we are NOT already a part of, would everyone be amenable to having two cultures/subcultures per month? It wouldn't be expected for people to read a book from both each month (unless they wanted to!) Maybe one culture and one subculture per month?

I'd like to hear some thoughts & opinions from those who have been participating/hosting for a while before I start the thread.

Thanks, everyone!

The Colo(u)rCAT planning thread has been posted at https://www.librarything.com/topic/365652#n8667437

>109 GraceCollection: It might be a good idea to leave the details up to the hosts. Two per month might be a lot. An alternative is to ask for suggestions and vote on them.

>111 pamelad: I was actually thinking of possibly inviting 2 hosts per month, but again, people wouldn't be expected to read both each month.

>109 GraceCollection: I'm not quite sure what this CAT is going to cover, but maybe for each month have a geographically-based culture and a socially-based culture then people can combine them or choose one. So for example, one month could be South Asian cultures for the geographically-based culture and LGBT+ for the socially-based culture, which people could combine into LGBT+ people in S. Asia or just choose either one.

>113 Robertgreaves: I like that idea!

CoverCAT thread is up. https://www.librarything.com/topic/365659

>106 LibraryCin: I will participate in a nature kit!

>109 GraceCollection: I'm happy to participate in CultureCAT but two books and two hosts each month is expecting a lot. With all the other CATs and KITs I know I would not be able to handle it. I'd prefer to follow the usual format.

>117 VivienneR: I agree. That would be a lot for me to handle with the other KITS and CATS.

I'd take part in a NatureKIT too.

I am open to a NatureKIT, depending on the topics.

I'd also participate in a NatureKIT.

I'd join in a NatureKit also.

>112 GraceCollection: Might be difficult to get 2 hosts per month, we still have open hosting slots in several of our kits/cats. My suggestion is to make it as simple as possible! I would leave the culture up to the host of the month. For me, that is the most enjoyable part, pondering what I think others might like to read.

Thank you all for the feedback. I have decided that, since people think it is too much to have an extra each month, I will instead be seeking volunteers to host 'Bonus' CultureCATs. If the CultureCAT scheduled for a certain month is a culture you are already a part of, you can then switch to one of the Bonus CultureCATs that month, and treat it as if it is scheduled for that month instead.

Completionists who want to read from their own culture anyway, or who do not find their culture within the scheduled CultureCAT, are welcome to treat the bonuses as 'stretch goals,' or to ignore the bonuses completely, at their discretion.

I have posted CultureCAT here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/365672

Who suggested the NatureKIT (CAT)? Do they want to set up a thread and get things going?

It sounds like there is a nice number of us who want to participate!

>12 Charon07: proposed NatureCAT, at least this year. I'm not sure if I would be able to do NatureKIT all year long (this is my first year participating in the category challenge at all!), but I would certainly be interested in hosting a month and reading a little of it when I can!

>125 LibraryCin: >126 GraceCollection: I started the NatureKIT planning thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/365674. Please come volunteer to host a month if you’re interested!

>127 Charon07: Thank you!

>127 Charon07: Thanks, I am on it!

CoverCAT is going well. The hosts are listing their cover choices now, so planning for the year is easy. We only need 3 more hosts. Come join us. https://www.librarything.com/topic/365659#n8669039

I was a bit slow arriving and most of the host spots seem to be filled! Thanks to all who host - this is my favourite reading group and it is always fun to start a new year.

CultureCAT is about halfway filled, if anyone is looking for more host opportunities!

We need just one more host for November for the NatureKIT. We can recommend topics if you’d like to host but are short on ideas!

SFFKit is also still looking for one more host, for December.

I can take November if still needed but will take a few days to think about a topic I would like to choose.

>135 clue: November for the NatureKIT, yes? No hurry—we have plenty of time still!

>136 Charon07: Yes, NatureKit. I'll have a topic soon.

We still have a few months open for CultureCAT if anyone would like to host! And GraceCollection has offered up a bunch of fun ideas if anyone needs inspiration :D

>137 clue: Thanks! I’ve got you down for November. Let me know when you’ve decided on a topic.

If anyone's available for August, September, or wants to host a bonus*, CultureCAT is still looking! If you can't participate in CultureCAT all year long, I still invite you to host a month if you're interested!

*Bonuses are intended for participants to 'switch' to if any of the regular month themes are a culture they are already a part of, since I intended CultureCAT to expand our horizons about cultures we aren't already a part of, but they can also be 'stretch' goals if someone wants to try to 'catch 'em all!' People would be participating at different points over the entire year, depending on which culture(s) they're already in.

Ideally, bonuses would be posted in time for people to participate as soon as January, but if you want a bonus and can't post quite that soon, you can sign up anyway and post as soon as you're able.

Still looking for a August CultureCAT host (and a bonus, if anyone's interested). I invite you to join even if you haven't hosted before (neither have I!) or if you don't think you'll participate the whole year.

>141 GraceCollection: I think the month not covered is August, not September?

SFFKIT still has December open. Any interested volunteers welcome!

>142 MissBrangwen: Fixed! How embarrassing for me. Thanks for pointing that out.