SeriesCAT Planning

I always have more time to do any planning on the weekends, so I won't go into too much with this initial post. I'll just leave it open for the moment for people to propose themes and I'll keep track in this post of who's doing which month and with what theme.

January - JayneCM: A series that is new to you
February - pamelad: A series in translation
March - LadyoftheLodge: YA/children
April - LibraryCin: A series that you don't need to read in order (or could be read as a one-off)
May - Helenliz: Trilogies
June - whitewavedarling: Series by a favorite author
July - Robertgreaves: Nonfiction series
August - DeltaQueen50: A series you have been meaning to get back to
September - NinieB: A series that began more than 50 years ago
October - clue: Asian setting
November - VivienneR: Hstorical series
December - Tess_W: Set in a country/region where you do not live

The wiki is here: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_SeriesCAT

I can keep track of any additional suggested themes here if anyone wants to throw out an idea, but doesn't necessarily want to host (or I'll add to this on the weekend, if we aren't already full by then).

Others (like me!) can then maybe choose a theme if they don't have their own ideas. :-)

ETA:

I looked back on the 2019 SeriesCAT and found these ideas. The first section is the ones we did, the second section were ideas, but not chosen to do. I will add to this section as we have more ideas.

Themes we used in 2019:

- a series you've been meaning to get back to
- a series that's new to you
- A series set in a country/region where you do not live
- a series by a favorite author
- A series in translation
- Historical series
- genre: mystery (incl. culinary cozies with recipes, cozies by the sea)
- a series with a female protagonist
- the newest book in a favorite series
- genre: fantasy
- series that are definitely complete
- YA/children's

_______________________________________________________

Additional ideas:

- More than Words (graphic novels, full-cast audiobooks)
- A series written before you were born
- series written by more than one author
- trilogies
- series with a film/TV adaptation
- book from a series that you don't need to read in order (or could be read as a one-off)
- genre: mash-up genre
- classics written originally as serial publications
- series not planned as series, i.e., series where we know or suspect the author didn't really plan the books to be a series
- other genres: sci-fi, dystopia, etc
- first in series (NOTE: this is very similar to "new to you series", though a new to you could be read out of order)
- last in series (or a finished series)
- based in a certain location
- Nonfiction series
- Series started 50+ years ago
- Asian setting

I would like to do "A Series You Have Been Meaning To Get Back To" and could I please do this in July?

>3 DeltaQueen50: Done!

Non fiction series such as For Dummies, Very Short Introductions, Teach Yourself, etc.?

I'd like to do A series in Translation in February. I've done this topic before and have lots of suggestions.

Could I please take January with a series that is new to you?

>5 Robertgreaves: or a publisher's series of biographies of eg US Presidents, monarchs etc.

I will do YA/children in March.

>6 pamelad: >7 JayneCM: and >9 LadyoftheLodge: Done!

>5 Robertgreaves: >8 Robertgreaves: I've added them to the list of possibilities. Did you want to host either of them?

(Personally, I like the nonfiction one a bit better, as it's a bit broader and can encompass the biography one, but that's just my opinion!)

>11 LibraryCin: The non fiction is meant to include the biographies, it was just that I got interrupted mid-post.

>12 Robertgreaves: Ah, ok! I will edit what I put in above. Thanks for clarification!

ETA: I've just marked it as "Nonfiction series".

>11 LibraryCin: Unfortunately the only months I could host for would be March and July, which are already taken

>14 Robertgreaves: Robert, I will gladly switch my theme to August and you can have July.

>15 DeltaQueen50: OK, thank you

I will therefore take Nonfiction Series for July

Could I please have a series set in a country in which you do not live in December? Thank you!

I'll take April with:
Series that you don't need to read in order (or could be read as a one-off)

I'll take Trilogies in May, on the proviso that you don't need to read the entire trilogy in May. >;-)

I can do 'Series by a Favorite Author' in June :)

How about a series that began more than 50 years ago? I can take September (but note that I can trade for other months as well if September is perfect for someone else).

> I'll take May. My first thought for a topic is an Asian setting.

>19 Helenliz: LOL! No, I was thinking one book that is part of a trilogy!

>22 clue: Going in order, it looks like >19 Helenliz: Helenliz took May just before you! (I just hadn't been by to update it till now.)

Are you able to do a different month, or Helenliz, would you be open to switching months?

We have October and November still open.

Thanks!

>19 Helenliz: >23 LibraryCin: If you want to read a whole trilogy, a lot of 19th century novels such as Jane Austen's were originally published in 3 volumes, so technically that would make eg Pride and Prejudice a trilogy, wouldn't it?

>22 clue: That's fine, I can do any month, whatever is needed.

>26 clue: Thank you! I'll put you in for October, unless someone else wants it, if that's ok!

Anyone want to take November with one last theme?

I'll take November with historical.

>25 Robertgreaves: You're correct. I may well be adding that into the mix.

>29 VivienneR: Yay! Thank you!

We are full! Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to host a month!

I'm happy we have a few new themes mixed in this time that we didn't do last time.

And, hopefully I will remember to set up a wiki next weekend. (With a little investigation/reminder on how to!)

>32 LibraryCin: Let me know if you need help with the wiki.

>31 LibraryCin: I just noticed Ninie's theme in September is "a series that began more than 50 years ago". Historical series might be too similar especially as they are only two months apart. If you like I'll do "series with a female protagonist".

>34 VivienneR: I took that as meaning one referred to when the author started writing and the other referred to the setting.

>33 LadyoftheLodge: Thanks! I've done them before... it's just - only doing them once/year, I usually just need a few minutes to figure it out again! :-)

>35 Robertgreaves: This would be my take, as well. Unless others would like it to change, I'm happy to leave it as is.

>35 Robertgreaves: Yes, that's what I meant--the author started writing the series at least 50 years ago.

>35 Robertgreaves: >37 LibraryCin: >38 NinieB: I realize the difference but I thought it might be a bit too similar when we are looking for varied topics. If it is OK with you to leave it, then it's OK with me.

>39 VivienneR: If you want to do series with a female protagonist, we could expand my topic to include historical series . . .

>40 NinieB: Thank you for the offer, Ninie. I'm happy with historical series.

Sorry it took a while, but the wiki is now set up here:

https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_SeriesCAT

January is up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/346525#n7999972

February is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/347736

I'm doing a last minute switch for this month. The book I already read was #1 in the series, but since I almost never read out of order, I had forgotten I'd already read one of the others in the series. The other book I was planning to read fits February and Feb is a harder topic for me.

Instead (I still need to check my library), I will try for either:
A Modern Witch / Debora Geary
By Book or By Crook / Eva Gates

March thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/348618

I have just posted April's thread:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/349405

(I also posted one just before, but marked is as "March". Apparently I am unable to delete the entire thread, only my first post, so if you come across it, please ignore!)

May's thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/350203

June thread is up! https://www.librarything.com/topic/350892

The July thread is now up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/351530

The August Thread can be found here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/352235

September has been posted: https://www.librarything.com/topic/353011

A reading friend of mine who is a spreadsheet guru shared her series spreadsheet with me so I could keep track of my series reading.
Before I went though my Goodreads to add them, I thought I had maybe 20 unfinished series on the go.
Nu-uh - apparently it is 87! And I didn't include the ones where I had read the first book and was not intending to continue the series - then it would be closer to 100.
I think I will need to keep SeriesCAT in 2024 (and forever) in my own challenges!

>53 JayneCM: - When I go to "Charts and Graphs" and look at Series and choose "all collections", it says I have 505 series. I've dropped reading some of them, or didn't realize they were part of a series, but you might try looking there to see how many LT thinks you have.

>53 JayneCM: One of my 12x12 Categories is "Continuing Series", so that is specifically for series I have already started. Although that's still just a tiny little dent...

>54 dudes22: I looked at my version of that page and it says I have 512 series. At just a cursory glance I noticed it double counts series in chronological and publication order. For some reason it also includes translations of series I have, for example the French and Spanish translations of C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy, which I don't have, as well as the original English version, which I do have.

>54 dudes22: How do I find this page?

Never mind.... found it....

>56 Robertgreaves: - Oh - I see what you're talking about. I hadn't noticed that before.

Wow! That is a LOT of series! It is just too tempting to start them all!

October is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/353667

The November thread has been posted at https://www.librarything.com/topic/354386.