RandomCAT -- General Thread
Converses2015 Category Challenge
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1RidgewayGirl
This is the easiest of the CATs to organize, since we only need to find twelve volunteers.
A volunteer will pick a month and then, on or after the 15th of the previous month, set up a thread here with their reading idea. This can be anything you like, from something about the title, an unusual situation or genre, or the cover art. Previous RandomCATs have had participants choosing books with the names of rose varieties in the title, poetry, lab lit and books about books. If this sounds like fun, throw your name in the hat.
If there are more than twelve volunteers, there will be a random draw. Names will be collected until November first, which seems like a long time, but many people don't wander over here immediately.
Now that we're all set for the 2015 Challenge, here are the hosts and the months they've signed up for, for easy reference:
2015 RandomCAT Hosts:
January -- Samantha_kathy
February -- DeltaQueen50
March -- LittleTaiko
April -- LibraryCin
May -- clue
June -- MarthaJeanne
July -- LadyoftheLodge
August -- LoisB
September -- Luvamystery65
October -- whitewavedarling
November -- RidgewayGirl
December -- Jonesli
3LoisB
I will volunteer to host a month. I would prefer it to be one of the summer months, if possible.
4Samantha_kathy
I'll also volunteer, preferably right at the beginning of the year, if it's possible.
5MarthaJeanne
I could do one. Better not be May.
6LittleTaiko
I'm happy to host again if needed.
8LibraryCin
I would like to do a month, but I might need some help on how to go about setting it all up. Do the volunteers have to set up any portion of the wiki, or will that be done ahead of time?
Thanks!
Thanks!
9DeltaQueen50
I have hosted a RandomCat month for the last couple of years so I will skip 2015, but if anyone needs any help with the set up, please don't hesitate to ask.
10RidgewayGirl
>8 LibraryCin: I have no idea either. Majkia has been relentlessly helpful in that area, but there are also several other people always willing to jump in and help.
11majkia
I've set up the wiki for several challenges. I can set up the bare bones again if folks wish me to. Then those who aren't comfortable with altering the wiki have a template to use.
12LoisB
>11 majkia: That would be great! Thanks! I believe that's what you did for me last year and I had no problem with the GastroKIT.
13MarthaJeanne
I think you set up the biography reads in the wiki as well. I can copy templates, and otherwise have always found clever, helpful people when I needed them. Many thanks to all of them. Once in a long while I even manage to help someone else. At Wiki entries. I try to help at other things.
14luvamystery65
I want a month if there is one available! ;-)
Any month is fine.
Any month is fine.
15whitewavedarling
I'll volunteer! I just can't do June through August because my summer work keeps me so busy...
Meanwhile, I'm glad RandomCat is definitely back :)
Meanwhile, I'm glad RandomCat is definitely back :)
16sallylou61
I'm glad that folks have up until November 1st to volunteer (although there might be more than 12 people by then). I suggest not assigning anyone who had a turn in either 2013 or 2014 for this CAT until after others have had a chance to volunteer.
I volunteered for 2 cats this year (2014), and will NOT be volunteering for RandomCAT or SFFFCat although I may volunteer for HIstoryCAT depending upon how it is set up.
I volunteered for 2 cats this year (2014), and will NOT be volunteering for RandomCAT or SFFFCat although I may volunteer for HIstoryCAT depending upon how it is set up.
17majkia
I agree, I'd like to give different folks a chance to do a RandomCAT. I promise, it's not difficult! And I'll be glad to help with Wiki issues.
19LadyoftheLodge
I would love to do this, but need help setting up, as others have said, since this would be the first time for me to volunteer. Summer months are best for me.
20RidgewayGirl
With one month left to go, we are still in need of three volunteers. If you've already done a month in a previous year, but you'd like to do it again, now would be the time to volunteer!
22lsh63
I'll volunteer for a month, I've had a turn already this year, so I would like to give someone else a chance. If you still have no takers, I'll take any month that's still open.
23mamzel
I'll volunteer for a month. June and August are my busiest months and would rather be assigned to another if possible but anything is fine.
24DeltaQueen50
I intend to participate in the RandomCat so I will change my mind and volunteer to host a month. Is it possible to have February?
25RidgewayGirl
Yes.
26DeltaQueen50
Thanks, Kay. :)
27RidgewayGirl
There are now ten volunteers. Here's what we have so far:
2015 RandomCAT Hosts:
January -- Samantha_kathy
February -- DeltaQueen50
March -- LittleTaiko
April -- Luvamystery65
May -- clue
June -- MarthaJeanne
July -- LadyoftheLodge
August -- LoisB
September -- LibraryCin
October -- whitewavedarling
November -- RidgewayGirl
December -- Jonesli
I've assigned months based on the comments you all gave when you volunteered. Feel free to trade months amongst yourselves if the one you've been given doesn't suit.
2015 RandomCAT Hosts:
January -- Samantha_kathy
February -- DeltaQueen50
March -- LittleTaiko
April -- Luvamystery65
May -- clue
June -- MarthaJeanne
July -- LadyoftheLodge
August -- LoisB
September -- LibraryCin
October -- whitewavedarling
November -- RidgewayGirl
December -- Jonesli
I've assigned months based on the comments you all gave when you volunteered. Feel free to trade months amongst yourselves if the one you've been given doesn't suit.
29RidgewayGirl
And we are ready for 2015. Thanks to everyone who volunteered, it will be exciting to see what you come up with!
30MarthaJeanne
I've marked this in a couple of places, so I shouldn't forget.
31majkia
Wiki for RandomCAT: http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2015_RandomCAT
I'll fill it in a bit later, unless someone else wants to take a shot at it!
ETA: had wrong link. obviously haven't had enough tea yet this morning.
I'll fill it in a bit later, unless someone else wants to take a shot at it!
ETA: had wrong link. obviously haven't had enough tea yet this morning.
32Samantha_kathy
I'm happy with January. When should I open up the January thread?
*Goes off to think which theme she'll pick*
*Goes off to think which theme she'll pick*
33luvamystery65
I'm excited!
If anyone needs to switch their month, I am fairly flexible.
If anyone needs to switch their month, I am fairly flexible.
34RidgewayGirl
>32 Samantha_kathy: On or after the 15th of December. That gives people time to root about to find something, without blowing the surprise.
35LibraryCin
>33 luvamystery65: Would you mind taking April? I'd rather have done mine earlier than later, I think, but I am already doing HistoryCAT for April, so I just didn't want it to end up being me doing it for two CATs in the same month. Let me know for sure if that's ok and thanks so much!
36luvamystery65
>35 LibraryCin: Absolutely don't mind at all. I'll take April and you may have September. :-)
37RidgewayGirl
I've noted the change.
38whitewavedarling
I'm good with October, though I can also switch if need be, as long as it wouldn't put me on a summer month!
39Samantha_kathy
I can do the 15th, or there about. Gives me about six weeks to narrow down which theme I'll be presenting to you all!
40LibraryCin
>36 luvamystery65: and >37 RidgewayGirl: Thank you!
41Samantha_kathy
Just as a general discussion question, for those who've done the RandomCAT before:
Do you like broad themes that fit lots of books or do you like more narrow themes where it's a challenge to find a book that fits?
Do you like broad themes that fit lots of books or do you like more narrow themes where it's a challenge to find a book that fits?
42luvamystery65
>41 Samantha_kathy: Both! You're welcome. I know that was very helpful. ;-)
43Samantha_kathy
I'm just curious :D. Personally, I'm a fan of the more broad themes. I'm more likely to have a book on my TBR stack that fits a broad theme and I like to see the (sometimes very) creative ways people interpret a broad theme.
44majkia
I don't mind a narrow theme if it can be interpreted in creative ways (as you mention). But I try to read off my TBR so I don't want to have to go out to buy a book, or struggle to find something at the library.
46RidgewayGirl
I like the quirky, unusual themes, that surprise me.
47LibraryCin
I also like broad themes, as I also try to find something already on my tbr.
48DeltaQueen50
I'm all about the hunt, and learning how people interpret the theme, so I actually like both, although I admit the broader ones are usually the ones that are easily found on my TBR.
49countrylife
Agree with both RidgewayGirl (the quirky) and DQ (both). When I look back at 2014's Random list, it feels like most of them were rather broad. I enjoyed all of them, but my favorite was the Toronto International Film Festival month. I had fun investigating the various angles that could be used in that particular challenge.
50LittleTaiko
I too prefer a broad topic, but enjoy the ones that make me really think about which book will fit from my TBR pile.
52Samantha_kathy
I just posted it. It's here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/184661
Edited to add: It's a bit off the wall, but then, that seemed to be what people like ;).
Edited to add: It's a bit off the wall, but then, that seemed to be what people like ;).
53DeltaQueen50
The February RandomCat is up. You can find it HERE
54LibraryCin
Oops, wrong thread!
55LibraryCin
I was just looking at the wiki, and see I'm listed at hosting the April RandomCAT. Originally I was, but I traded with someone, so that I'm now doing September instead.
I am happy to go change my name out for September, but I see there are links to people's profiles. Do we just add square brackets around the name for the same effect as the book touchstones? Thanks!
I am happy to go change my name out for September, but I see there are links to people's profiles. Do we just add square brackets around the name for the same effect as the book touchstones? Thanks!
56MarthaJeanne
What I would do is cut it from the April edit page and paste it into the September page. Then you don't need to know the proper form.
57LibraryCin
>56 MarthaJeanne: Thank you! I'll go fix it...
58LittleTaiko
March RandomCAT is up. You can find it here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/187927
59luvamystery65
April RandomCAT is up. You can find it here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/188967
60majkia
May RandomCAT is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/190031
61MarthaJeanne
I've got good internet this weekend. Should I put June up today, or wait until we get home? That could be as early as the 15th, but could be a few days later.
62RidgewayGirl
>61 MarthaJeanne: Wait until you get home, it's fine if it's late, unless that will be a big pain, in which case, go ahead and put it up.
In other words, whatever works best for you, but on or after the 15th is preferable.
In other words, whatever works best for you, but on or after the 15th is preferable.
63MarthaJeanne
RandomCAT for June is up. http://www.librarything.com/topic/191124
Jump in, the water's fine.
(Um, It's not a good idea to jump (or fall) into the canals. The water is quite filthy. Been there, done that, but not this trip.)
Jump in, the water's fine.
(Um, It's not a good idea to jump (or fall) into the canals. The water is quite filthy. Been there, done that, but not this trip.)
64RidgewayGirl
I haven't heard anything from the person setting up the July RandomCAT. If she doesn't set it up in the next week, I'll request a volunteer to do so. But it is vacation time, so let's give her a few days.
65rabbitprincess
July RandomCAT is up, with thanks to RidgewayGirl for the sorely needed reminder. I bring you the RandomCAT on behalf of LadyoftheLodge.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/192174
https://www.librarything.com/topic/192174
66LadyoftheLodge
Thanks for setting this up for me! Wow--looks great.
67rabbitprincess
>66 LadyoftheLodge: You're very welcome! :D I especially like the covers for Sunshine on Scotland Street and The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop.
68LibraryCin
Just an fyi that I'm working on September's RandomCAT and it will be posted either later today or tomorrow.
69LibraryCin
Ok, September's RandomCAT is now posted:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/194570
http://www.librarything.com/topic/194570
70whitewavedarling
October's RandomCat is posted.... (though, I'm still trying to remember how to get in a picture...)
https://www.librarything.com/topic/195784
https://www.librarything.com/topic/195784
71LibraryCin
>70 whitewavedarling: I just tried adding images to the SFFFCAT that I also just posted, but was having trouble with the sizing. So, I'm not sure if there is some kind of glitch or if I was missing something, but I don't think I was!
72RidgewayGirl
LibraryCin, to adjust the size of a picture, put height="250" between the img and the src in the code. Or any other number you want. I'll plug in 250 and then change the number depending on how it looks once I post it.
It took me forever to learn how to post a picture. So now I post too many of them as a way of showing off my vast html skills.
It took me forever to learn how to post a picture. So now I post too many of them as a way of showing off my vast html skills.
73LibraryCin
>72 RidgewayGirl: Well, I was using width="XXX" with XXX being different numbers that I was trying and it didn't change the size. (I started with 200.) I copied and pasted just like I did it for September RandomCAT (changing the URL of the image I wanted to use), but it wasn't getting any smaller than HUGE! I don't know if it would make a difference to change it to height, but it doesn't hurt to try! Thanks!
74LibraryCin
I just tried redoing it both ways. Neither seems to be working. No matter what I put the number at, it's staying giant.
ETA: We might just have to do without images for the October thread... which really is too bad with it being Halloween, and so having some nice, fun, creepy images would be nice. I might try again another time, hoping it's just a weird glitch.
ETA: We might just have to do without images for the October thread... which really is too bad with it being Halloween, and so having some nice, fun, creepy images would be nice. I might try again another time, hoping it's just a weird glitch.
75mathgirl40
Are you still having trouble with images? I usually do mine this way:
By the way, to answer a question that might have appeared in a different thread, here is how you show html code verbatim. This is what I entered to get the code above to show.
<img src="zzz" height="200">where zzz is the Web address of the image and 200 can be replaced by whatever number works for you.
By the way, to answer a question that might have appeared in a different thread, here is how you show html code verbatim. This is what I entered to get the code above to show.
<pre><img src="zzz" height="200"></pre>The problem is that html code is always interpreted as html, even within the "pre" tags, so you've got to fake the angle brackets with < and >. If you're giving instructions on how to write the HTML entities like <, then you've got to fake those too , with &lt;. :)
76LibraryCin
>75 mathgirl40: Yeah, I had guessed why the html code wasn't working when I tried to show it. I thought extra spaces might help, but that didn't do it, either! Thanks for that!
Ok, so you put the height AFTER the link? Maybe I'll give that a try tomorrow. It's just funny that it has worked the other way for me in the past!
Ok, so you put the height AFTER the link? Maybe I'll give that a try tomorrow. It's just funny that it has worked the other way for me in the past!
77mathgirl40
>76 LibraryCin: It should work in the other order as well. I'll send you a message and we'll see if we can get it figured out.
78LibraryCin
>77 mathgirl40: Thanks, I'll check your message (though I may not do any testing till the weekend. I am only online for a short time tonight).
81LibraryCin
>80 lsh63: Thought I'd post the link here for you to make it a bit quicker for others:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/205398
http://www.librarything.com/topic/205398
82countrylife
I had a great year playing with the RandomCAT. My log shows that I had at least one book read for each month; my highest month came to eight books. Altogether, I found the challenges interesting; the months where fewer books got read was more because of library timing or other reads competing for my time, rather than indifference to the month's theme. Each month's host chose good challenges and explained them well. Thank you, RidgewayGirl for putting it all together!