Time to begin thinking about what we should read next year.  I had great fun doing this challenge.  Let the ideas roll in so more people participate.

I don't have ideas, but I do have a lot of nonfiction on my TBR. A lot of it is self-help kinds of books. So I think I'll try this challenge. Challenges are way better than swaps for dealing with my too vast TBR.

Margaret it's great that you hope to join us.  I'll post a tentative challenge list in a week or so.  I'll include at least one category where self-help books can be used.  Books about exercise, eating, mental illness, learning new software, etc., can fit under a category called health or something like Developing a Better Life.  Another person emailed me about reference books.  Why not?  Good ideas both.

This looks interesting! I want to look at a few previous challenges to get a better idea of what people do.  I'm not clear on whether these books have to be our own or if library/interlibrary loan books qualify to be used. But I am definitely interested and will post any ideas different than what I see.

Teri:  This is about books you want to read from your shelf, borrowed from a friend, your library or wherever you find them.  The challenge has been changed in the last two years including ideas from those who respond.  And, it doesn't matter if you read one, several or all books for the challenge.  It's your decision because it's your reading challenge.

Tenative 2019 Biography/Memoir/Nonfiction/Reference Challenge - What do you think?

(Read your choice for any category but be sure to tell us which and how you feel about it.)

WILD CARDS:  Substitute your personal choice for any of the categories below.  Of course, the term someone could be defined as an animal, too.  Some of us read more in one area than another but do try a few new categories!  And you may certainly do rereads.

1.  Travel:  Read a book about travel or a book where there is considerable traveling by one or more characters (explain), a book about somewhere you would like to travel (tell us why) or about a region that fascinates you. 

2.   The Public Eye:  Read a book about anyone who finds themself in the public eye, a book about leadership or a leader, or a book about a historical event.

4.  Humor:  Read a book by a comedian, or read a book that tickles your funny bone (a joke book, for example), read a biography or nonfiction book that makes you feel good (tell us why).

5.  It's new or nearly new!  Read a book that was published in 2016 - 2019 or read a book by an author new to you.

6.  Oldie but goodie:  Read a book about someone in the public eye who has died, read a book about an activity rarely practiced today, read a book about growing old with a fictional or living character or  or read a book that was written 100 years ago.

7.  Variety choices:  Read a book about

     -- Espionage

     -- Science

     -- a grand theft or crime   

    -- race/religion/gender

8.  From your TBR:  Read the oldest book on your shelf, read the newest book on your shelf or read any book you have been wanting to read.

9.  It's your choice!  Read a book that involves the arts or any nonfiction book you wish.

I like these!

That's good to hear Margaret.  I found trouble with some of the categories last year so I made the challenge shorter and expanded the choices to give readers more wiggle room.

I do my own reading challenges that are more broadly based than this category but, if they'll help, here are some challenges I've used that may fit here. I've included the titles of the books I especially liked that fit into this genre challenge.

- A book set in a region of the world.     So far I've had challenges for "a country that fascinates you," "your home state/town." Europe, Asia, Africa, and for next year the Middle East

-  A book that involves the arts.     I read an excellent book about Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, Oil and Marble, that left me wanting to know more about both these men and those years they competed against each other)

- A book told from the villian's perspective.  I read a novel for this but it seems the biography and memoir shelves are full of bad boy/girl stories

- A book tied to your ancestry

- A book about or by a Native American

- A book by a religious leader

- A woman in uniform book.   This was a 2018 challenge and reaped one of my best books of the year, It's My Country, Too

- A book centered on a specific group or organization.     This'd be a good biography choice for someone who founded an organization, e.g. Clara Burton and the American Red Cross

- A graphic memior.     There is a surprising variety of offerings in this category.  One of my "outside the box" choices for another challenge but would work here was a graphic novel about the life of a park bench by the Frenchman Christophe Chabouté.  I didn't have to speak French to delight in this non-verbalized story

- A book about:

     -- Espionage

     -- Science

     -- a grand theft or crime     I read The Devil in the White City as a True Crime recommendation from fellow PBSers

    -- race/religion/gender/age/dying

- A book published posthumously

- An autobiography published more than 100/200/### years ago.  I read The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

- A book on a historical event.  I read another excellent one for this challenge, Killers of the Flower Moon, which also fits for the challenge of a book about Native Americans 

- A book set over a lifespan, or conversely, a book based on a notable life event

- A book you read just because you like the title/cover.    I read Maphead by Ken Jennings (of Jeopardy! championship fame) because I share his love of maps 

rjvagabond:  Great ideas.  I've incorporated a number of them into the above list.  I think we will go with the above listing.

Thanks for the challenge, REK.  I discovered that I read books that I didn't enter in my list this year. Maybe I'll be more organized next year :)  Hope springs eternal.

Is there a list page for this challenge?