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Welcome to the 2015 Challenge! Watch this space for announcements and info about the group.

I will post more definite information shortly, but in the meantime consider this a heads-up for:

January: a tutored read of Francis Lathom's 1820 Gothic novel, Italian Mysteries
February: a group read of Anthony Trollope's The Eustace Diamonds
March: a tutored read of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park
April: a group read of Sarah Scott's Millenium Hall

All welcome!

Awesome! I'll add this to the new group wiki.

Whew! I think I've got most of the new threads and the wikis going. Let me know if I need to add or fix anything.

Thanks, Jim! For everything. :)

You are a Prince, Jim. Thank you so much for all this organization.

Jacqui has put up the organizational thread for the Australia/New Zealand Author Challenge here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/185091

Are we going to do the joint Group reads with the 2015 Category Challenge Group like we did last year?

New thread up for Readathons. I hear there may be a plan for New Year's Day...

New Year's Eve Readathon is ON as of 6 pm EST

Planning has started for our first meetup of 2015 - Iowa City, Iowa, US.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/185790

A bunch of folks will be reading Foxglove Summer soon (US release is this week). Here's a thread where we can discuss it safely: http://www.librarything.com/topic/186169

Help, Jim! I can't remember how to start my 75 Books Challenge for 2015: Mitchma post. Plus I'm getting off to a late start. Been sick since the day after New Year's. Finally feeling about 75% better. Thanks. Paula

>13 mitchma: Go to the group page here: http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2015 and scroll down to where the topics are listed. Just above that is a link called "Post a new topic". Click this and you'll be able to put in a topic title and first message. once you click post, it'll make the new thread! Once I see it, I'll add you to the Threadbook.

I don't see a Prizes thread for this year, so I'll post this here. The 2015 Bailey Prize longlist has been announced.

>15 laytonwoman3rd: Hmmm...the link posted doesn't seem to go anywhere.

>16 kac522: Thanks. I fixed it.

And the finalists for the 2015 Pen/Faulkner award have been announced.

Marilynne Robinson has won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction, for Lila.

I've started my annual April Autism Awareness thread:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/189589#

A memorial group read for Terry Pratchett is being held here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/189460

Come join us and read a book!

Do *NOT* miss this event!

***************************
Gaithersburg Book Festival
Saturday, May 16th, 2015
10am-6pm
Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
Come celebrate books and authors!
****************************

This is Gaithersburg's answer to the National Book Festival. It was set up like the "old" National Book Festival (i.e. outside in tents). At first, it was just local authors, but now it seems to be attracting some more known authors. It keeps growing from year to year. The festival is free - with free parking.

Last year they had a shuttle bus from the Shady Grove Metro. Check the link to see if they have it this year again.

My BookCrossing group will be there giving away hundreds of FREE (the price is right), gently-used books to fairgoers. If you get there, look for me and come over to say "Hi!". I'll be wearing a badge that says "SqueakyChu". :D

I am just now remembering that last year during the Bujold Vorkosivere read-through, we had talked about doing the Liaden Universe books this year. Clearly I fell down on the job here. So my questions are:

Who might be interested? Remember, this is not a group read or a tutored read or on any schedule. This is for people who are currently in the middle of reading the books, those who would like to give them a try, and those who have read them all but are always willing for either a reread or just to talk about them. We just log in any of the books being read during the duration and invite discussion.

And if interested, do we want to start at the first of July, and read during the second half of the year only, read for a full year through next June, or wait until 2016?

Discuss here or on my thread (http://www.librarything.com/topic/191746).

Anyone going to the Last Bookstore tonight (I know late notice) to see John Scalzi? If so, email me at ....., and we can have a mini-meetup.

ETA - since it's over and to combat said trolls, I took out my email addy.

Really fun. John read a new urban fantasy novella that he just finished. Only down side was that the store doesn't have A/C. A little toasty

OH! Well, in that case, is anyone going to the Louise Penny reading in the University District in Seattle. If so, send me an email at morgan1944@gmail.com and I'll look for you.

For any one here, doubtful, who likes to be a troll, that email address is one I use only occasionally.

I've started the Halloween thread early to keep myself from obsessively revising the selections. Happy reading!

Many of you remember Janet in London, whom we lost in 2012. Her daughter just posted this on her old thread:

Hi everyone! I realise this is a hugely old thread to be reviving (and in fact I'm not even sure if this is the way to do it) but I'm Janet's daughter and I've just started a blog/project where I'll be reading through some of the books she reviewed here on LT. I'm not sure how many of you are still around, or if people would be interested, but I'll be blogging at www.krw02500.wordpress.com in case anyone would like to follow along! Thank you all for your kind words in this thread and elsewhere, they have been much appreciated.

All best wishes,
Kate

>27 ronincats: What an interesting project for Janet's daughter, and how lovely of her to share it here.

Stuff deleted...

Gonna take this down. There's some question about whether it crosses the commercial solicitation line.

I'm not seeing much talk about the new official Library Thing iPhone app here on the 75 Challenge group threads. Maybe I'm visiting the "wrong" threads, or maybe not many folks in the group have iPhones?

Just want to make sure folks know that it's available. I think it's neat.

>30 tymfos: I was following this thread (http://www.librarything.com/topic/48183#5281817) so I already knew about it and downloaded it immediately. It will come in handy for adding books.

I don't have an iPhone so I haven't given the announcement much attention. Hope those who can use it enjoy it!

>31 Tara1Reads: This seems to be the latest thread on the topic, the one referenced in the announcement

Eta: Oops that copy and paste didn't work right. I'll try again.

Never mind. Stupid iPhone. There's a post on the home page with links.

>33 tymfos: There is also this thread (http://www.librarything.com/topic/199467) announcing that it has arrived. But the thread in >31 Tara1Reads: contains the discussion before and during development of the app if you want to know the ins and outs of features and what LT hopes to do in the future in terms of the app and developing an android app etc.

That's the one I was trying to post. Thanks! The background one is helpful, too. I saw another thread, too, I think, that had some background.

>35 tymfos: No problem!

Same for me. I followed the threads on the development and release, then immediately downloaded it. Haven't used it much yet, since most of my LTing tends to be on the laptop or the iPad. It'll definitely be handy when I'm at the library or a bookstore picking books!

Hi all! As Halloween is approaching swiftly, I just wanted to remind everyone that there is a Halloween theme read going on. Do stop by to talk about whatever seasonal reading you're doing, comment on what others are reading, or just to say hello. Happy reading!

Link to the Halloween thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/195105

Mark commented earlier today, that it was time for the Christmas Swap. I'm taking over this year and the thread is up. Stop on by...

https://www.librarything.com/topic/204658

>39 mahsdad: Just a reminder message to raise it to the top of the threads again.

There's still time to join us for the Annual 75 Group Christmas Book Swap.

Details are at the above thread. Love to have you join.

I finalized the AACIII list. Stop over and let me know what you think:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/185195#5346284

Hey everybody, just wanted to give one final reminder. Anyone who wants to join us on the groups Christmas Book Swap, please jump on over to the thread and check it out. PM me your address and I'll get you on the list.

I plan on making the picks tomorrow (Sunday) night.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/204658

NPR's put together a nice Book Concierge to help pick our reading!

http://apps.npr.org/best-books-2015/

Has anyone started a thread regarding our best reads of 2015? I'd love to see it. Skimmed but didn't find one, but I didn't want to duplicate if someone has done it. I always love these, as I find new things to add to my ever growing wishlist.

I haven't seen one - go for it!

Jim, will you be posting here when you start your 2016 group?

Yup, and a bunch of other places. I'm taking time off between Christmas and New Year's Day, so somewhere in there, I'll get things going.

Ooops, stand by. There may be a doubling of threads. We'll sort it out!

Aaannnnd it's up. amanda4242 and I are in the 2016 group talking to ourselves. Wanna join us?

http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2016

NO! Not yet, at least. It's hard enough dealing with one set of threads!

Okay, I'm in, but I'm going to hold off creating my thread til after Christmas. But it is like an early Christmas present knowing that the 2016 group is starting up.

Sounds good. Although it's a bit lonely looking at just one name in the Threadbook! :)

>49 drneutron:
Yay, yay, yay! Thank you drneutron!

>44 alphaorder: Did this get done? Sounds like a good idea.

It did, but I put it on the wrong thread. I will start a new one.

>45 drneutron: Jim, you need to re-list your favorite books.

Here it is: http://www.librarything.com/topic/209502

Thanks! I've posted my ten.

Working on my top 10, but also working on getting books out of the house. I've a list of Xanth book, Terry Brooks books and some other miscellaneous on my thread here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/208485#5387369

Speak up there in the next 24 hours if at all interested in any of them.