2021 CAT Planning thread

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2021 CAT Planning thread

1NinieB
Bewerkt: okt 18, 2020, 7:56 am

It's time to brainstorm next year's CATs! I'll keep a list here of ideas and the number of the post where the idea is first proposed, in case you want more information.

Please make your suggestions by the end of the day on Saturday, October 31. I'll set up the voting thread the next day, November 1.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's great ideas!

NewsCAT
ClassiCAT
RandomCAT
CATwoman
DiverseCAT
CrimeCAT
ColourCAT
CalendarCAT
HistoryCAT
SeriesCAT
YACAT (or YoungCAT)
BioCAT
GenreCAT
AnimalCAT
TravelCAT
AdventureCAT

2Jackie_K
okt 14, 2020, 2:53 pm

I'd like to suggest a NewsCAT, and base it around the different sections of a newspaper. So we could have months for things like politics, home, foreign affairs, cartoons, sport, celebrities, TV, finance, human interest, food, etc. It wouldn't have to be serious non-fiction, I'm sure there's plenty of fiction that would fit too!

3Helenliz
okt 14, 2020, 11:05 am

I'd like to suggest some form of Classic CAT. Several options, select a timeframe and read a different time period each month, or a couple of complimentary or contrasting authors and read one of their works. Or maybe with a different genre and you read one of the classic or formative works in that genre.

4hailelib
okt 14, 2020, 11:20 am

>3 Helenliz: I like that idea.

5LadyoftheLodge
okt 14, 2020, 11:25 am

Please add RandomCAT. This category really challenges me to read outside my usual selections.

6DeltaQueen50
okt 14, 2020, 12:01 pm

Last year there was some discussion on always having the RandomCat. I don't remember whether we decided to do that or if it is still to be added to the voting list.

In 2017 we had a CatWoman category that celebrated women authors and I would like to reprise it for 2021. We had a number of interesting monthly themes such as Women of Color, Classics, Modern, and Genre. I would also like to include "favorite women authors" and "series by a women author". We could choose other themes as well.

7beebeereads
okt 14, 2020, 12:36 pm

How about a category for reading diversely? We could choose either the author or the subject in a wide array of diverse voices. I'm not suggesting just reading about the diverse group as a whole, but reading in their community of thought. For instance, a trans author who has written a fictional book not necessarily about their experience. Or a person who is differently-bled is the protagonist in the mystery. I enjoy listening to wide variety of voices and experiences.
>5 LadyoftheLodge: Love randomCAT each year!
>6 DeltaQueen50: All in celebrating women authors however it sorts out
>2 Jackie_K: We've talked about Newscat before...I'm on board!

8LadyoftheLodge
okt 14, 2020, 1:27 pm

>7 beebeereads: I like that reading diversely idea. It sounds like there is a lot of leeway for creative choices. I do not recall that we did that one in the past.

9VivienneR
okt 14, 2020, 1:44 pm

>2 Jackie_K: I second (or third or whatever) NewsCAT!

>5 LadyoftheLodge: RandomCAT is my favourite. I hope it never goes away.

10Tess_W
okt 14, 2020, 2:56 pm

I like all suggestions thus far.
I would like to suggest a crime cat--where we read either fiction or non-fiction about a different type of crime each month: murder, espionage, kidnapping, art theft, etc.

11VivienneR
okt 14, 2020, 3:15 pm

>10 Tess_W: That's a nice alternative to MysteryCAT. I like it.

12Jackie_K
okt 14, 2020, 3:18 pm

>7 beebeereads: I like the reading diversely idea.

13LadyoftheLodge
okt 14, 2020, 5:04 pm

>10 Tess_W: That is a nice alternative to MysteryCAT.

Some past CATS included ColourCAT and CalendarCAT, both of which were quite popular as I recall. I liked both of those, so I suggest we add them to the voting list.

14LibraryCin
okt 14, 2020, 5:41 pm

>2 Jackie_K: Ditto on the NewsCAT!

15LibraryCin
okt 14, 2020, 5:46 pm

>7 beebeereads: I also like the idea of a DiverseCAT

16LibraryCin
okt 14, 2020, 5:50 pm

I will renominate a few I like.

HistoryCAT (we can choose time frames or historical topics/themes)

SeriesCAT

YACAT (or YoungCAT) - young adult/children's

BioCAT (Biographies, memoirs)

17Robertgreaves
okt 14, 2020, 7:46 pm

>16 LibraryCin: I like the idea of re-running HistoryCAT.

How about a GenreCAT for people who don't want to devote a whole year to Mysteries or SFF but would be willing to spend a month in each genre for a taster? We could also have months for poetry, drama, Westerns, military, classics, literary fiction, etc.

18Tess_W
okt 14, 2020, 7:46 pm

>I second that genreCAT, Robert!

19LadyoftheLodge
okt 14, 2020, 8:30 pm

>17 Robertgreaves: I like the GenreCAT idea too. That would allow for more variety.

20LibraryCin
okt 14, 2020, 8:58 pm

>17 Robertgreaves: Oh, yes! I remember the GenreCAT being suggested before, too. I'd go for that one, too.

21lowelibrary
okt 14, 2020, 9:50 pm

How about an animalCAT. We would read fiction or nonfiction about animals, or with animals as the main character. We could exclude cats and call it AnythingbutaCAT.

22Robertgreaves
okt 14, 2020, 9:58 pm

>21 lowelibrary: Or make it kittens only and call it the KittyCAT (sorry, I couldn't resist)

23beebeereads
okt 15, 2020, 8:09 am

>17 Robertgreaves: Yes, I love the idea of GenreCAT Always up for variety!

24Jackie_K
okt 15, 2020, 8:37 am

>21 lowelibrary: AnythingbutaCAT is inspired! :D

25lowelibrary
okt 15, 2020, 11:44 am

>22 Robertgreaves: All cats are KittyCATs in my library. I can get behind that idea too.

26LadyoftheLodge
Bewerkt: okt 15, 2020, 11:49 am

>22 Robertgreaves: Mind reader! I was thinking of KittyCAT as a category, but could not quite come up with how to make it work. I like the ideas here so far.

27LadyoftheLodge
okt 15, 2020, 2:39 pm

I would like to add TravelCAT to our list. We did not get enough votes for it to be a full fledged CAT in 2020.

28sallylou61
Bewerkt: okt 15, 2020, 4:01 pm

I especially like the ideas to repeat the CATWoman (>6 DeltaQueen50:) with some new categories and to have a GenreCAT (suggested in >17 Robertgreaves:).

29pamelad
okt 15, 2020, 4:19 pm

I'm in favour of >6 DeltaQueen50: CATWoman and >16 LibraryCin: HistoryCAT.

30NinieB
okt 15, 2020, 4:32 pm

Everyone, please let me know if any of the links in the first message don't work.

On the AnimalCAT/AnythingbutaCAT/KittyCAT discussion, I just listed one AnimalCAT. Is that going to be OK for the voting, with the details worked out if it is one of the lucky winners? Or should there be separate entry(s) for Anythingbuta or Kitty?

31LadyoftheLodge
okt 15, 2020, 5:20 pm

>30 NinieB: I do not think you need separate entries, but the titles are really cute. I like AnythingbutaCAT.

32LibraryCin
Bewerkt: okt 15, 2020, 6:05 pm

>21 lowelibrary: Yes!!!

(Although I'd like to stick with AnimalCAT and include kitties!)

33NinieB
okt 15, 2020, 6:17 pm

>31 LadyoftheLodge: I agree, the AnythingbutaCAT and KittyCAT are really cute. AnimalCAT is more inclusive, which is why I chose it. Since the cat mystery is practically an established subgenre I'd hate to exclude cats. :)

What would you all think of giving the entry a double-barreled name: AnythingbutaCAT/KittyCAT?

34MissWatson
okt 16, 2020, 6:13 am

I really like the NewsCAT and the variations on the MysteryCAT. But my top favourite will always be RandomCAT. It offers spontaneity.

35sturlington
okt 16, 2020, 7:42 am

There has been interest in continuing the ScaredyKIT, so I have set up a thread to start planning that, and anyone is welcome to join us: https://www.librarything.com/topic/325456

36This-n-That
okt 16, 2020, 11:47 am

>1 NinieB: Thank you for organizing this. I usually do not participate regularly in a specific CAT but might be lured in by >17 Robertgreaves: suggestion for a GenreCAT.

37fuzzi
okt 16, 2020, 3:31 pm

Agreed re: keeping RandomCAT.

38rabbitprincess
okt 16, 2020, 4:43 pm

>35 sturlington: I've added the planning thread to the main group page :)

39JayneCM
okt 16, 2020, 10:25 pm

>38 rabbitprincess: So that makes ScaredyKIT a definite then? I really enjoyed it in 2020. Strangely, as I don't like horror. But the discovery of Shirley Jackson alone made this KIT totally worthwhile.

40sturlington
okt 17, 2020, 8:06 am

>39 JayneCM: Yes, we're definitely having ScaredyKIT next year. Already getting some themes filled in. Drop by the planning thread and claim a month to host!

41rabbitprincess
okt 17, 2020, 10:16 am

>39 JayneCM: Seems pretty definite to me :) I would also consider AlphaKIT definite because majkia has already stated she will set up the thread, with cyderry picking the letters. These KITs have run for a few years now, I think.

The other KITs, from what I recall, were set up after the CAT voting had finished.

42LadyoftheLodge
okt 17, 2020, 4:57 pm

>41 rabbitprincess: I think that is correct--the other KITS were sometimes CATS that did not make the cut, but enough interested LTers to make them worthwhile.

43fuzzi
Bewerkt: okt 17, 2020, 7:15 pm

What about an AdventureCAT?

There are many adventure/thriller options to choose from, including books by Alistair MacLean, Hammond Innes, Tom Clancy, Louis L'Amour, Jack Higgins, and Fredrick Forsyth, just to name a few.

44VivienneR
okt 17, 2020, 8:59 pm

>43 fuzzi: I haven't heard that one suggested before. Sounds like fun.

45JayneCM
okt 17, 2020, 10:36 pm

>40 sturlington: >41 rabbitprincess: Thank you! Looking forward to seeing what else we will be reading in 2021!

46LadyoftheLodge
okt 18, 2020, 2:46 pm

>43 fuzzi: Could we find enough adventure ideas for a full year of reading? I am trying to think of how to expand on that idea.

47majkia
okt 18, 2020, 3:49 pm

>41 rabbitprincess: yes, AlphaKIT will return.

I can think of a bunch of ideas for adventure. Sea adventures, spies, military, alt history, historical, contemporary, futuristic..

48rabbitprincess
okt 18, 2020, 5:53 pm

>47 majkia: Woo hoo!

49fuzzi
okt 18, 2020, 6:23 pm

>47 majkia: yes! And we could discover some new authors, too.

50JayneCM
okt 19, 2020, 4:23 am

>43 fuzzi: As soon as I read AdventureCAT, my mind went straight to Famous Five and Secret Seven!
I am sure lots of travel books could be related to adventures as well.

51SaraRawson
okt 19, 2020, 6:33 am

Deze gebruiker is verwijderd als spam.

52VivienneR
okt 19, 2020, 3:40 pm

Many suspense and thriller novels could be regarded as adventure.

53cyderry
Bewerkt: okt 20, 2020, 9:31 am

Many classics would qualify - Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, Huckleberry Finn

Here's a list of others
https://www.greenbelly.co/pages/best-adventure-books-of-all-time

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/50-adventure-novels-read-die/

54sturlington
okt 20, 2020, 10:23 am

Some ideas for adventure themes that spring to mind -- and bearing in mind that you could probably choose to read fiction or nonfiction (true adventure) for many of these, which gives more options:

- Spies
- Disasters
- Great Escapes
- Heists / Treasure Hunts
- Historical / Westerns
- Outdoors / Survival
- War / Military
- Exploration (Land, Sea, or Space)
- Swashbucklers / Pirates
- Children's / YA
- Epic Journeys
- Action / Thrillers

55DeltaQueen50
okt 20, 2020, 1:06 pm

I like the sound of an AdventureCat! I used "Adventure" as a category one year and had plenty of choices, the list above gives some great ideas.

56LadyoftheLodge
okt 21, 2020, 1:42 pm

Thanks everyone for the AdventureCAT suggestions. I was having difficulty envisioning the categories when I asked the original question. This is sounding more do-able to me now.

57fuzzi
okt 21, 2020, 2:22 pm

58LibraryCin
okt 25, 2020, 1:43 pm

For KITastrophe this year, we had participation drop off as the year went on. In a short discussion, we thought we'd try a quarterly format for 2021.

If anyone is interested and wants to help decide what themes to use in a quarterly format, I started a thread here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/325729

59NinieB
okt 28, 2020, 6:11 pm

We have many great ideas for 2021! Our election will begin on Sunday, November 1, so now's your opportunity for discussion and additional ideas.

60pamelad
Bewerkt: okt 28, 2020, 8:04 pm

Here's a link to The Guardian's Top Ten Adventure Books. Some of these widen the scope to include spiritual, intellectual and musical adventures.

61NinieB
nov 1, 2020, 9:56 am

Voting is now open: https://www.librarything.com/topic/325918.

Please take a moment to cast a vote for the 2021 official CATS!

Voting will close on Sunday, November 8 at 8am Eastern Standard Time.

62Helenliz
nov 1, 2020, 9:58 am

>61 NinieB: just to clarify what does a vote for against or undecided mean in the tally?
Useful to get these straight to start, so that people can cast their votes accordingly.

63NinieB
nov 1, 2020, 10:14 am

>62 Helenliz: This is the out-of-the-box LT mini-polling widget. I interpret For as meaning you want the suggestion to be a CAT, Against as meaning you don't want the suggestion to be a CAT, and Undecided as a sort of abstention. Perhaps those who have been around for a bit longer (this is my 3rd year) have other ideas?

64Tanya-dogearedcopy
nov 1, 2020, 10:16 am

Is anyone else having trouble casting votes?
I've clicked on "Yes" for a couple of categories and nothing happens.
Usually, it shows em how I voted and, the counts.

I'll come back later and try again...

65NinieB
Bewerkt: nov 1, 2020, 11:07 am

Oh no :( See below for voting info.

66Helenliz
nov 1, 2020, 10:43 am

You might want to raise a bug post, to see if that can be mended.

67NinieB
nov 1, 2020, 10:45 am

Just reported.

68NinieB
nov 1, 2020, 11:07 am

Voting has been moved offsite to easypolls.net: https://www.easypolls.net/poll.html?p=5f9edd67e4b0899ae5a15d8c

69majkia
nov 1, 2020, 1:50 pm

voted. thanks for moving it off site

70Jackie_K
nov 1, 2020, 2:05 pm

>64 Tanya-dogearedcopy: That happened to me too, so it looks like it is a site-wide bug. I've voted in the offsite poll, thanks for setting that up.

71rabbitprincess
nov 1, 2020, 2:46 pm

>68 NinieB: Voted! Thanks for working around the bug :)

72NinieB
nov 1, 2020, 3:20 pm

>69 majkia: >70 Jackie_K: >71 rabbitprincess: You're welcome! It was actually easier to set up than the nonfunctional LT voting, and I was impressed how many options the free site gave me.

73Helenliz
nov 1, 2020, 3:33 pm

>68 NinieB: Nice job, voted. >:-)

74SilverWolf28
nov 1, 2020, 7:56 pm

>68 NinieB: Thanks for doing this! I voted.

75Robertgreaves
nov 1, 2020, 8:24 pm

>68 NinieB:, thank you, Ninie. I have voted.

76pamelad
nov 1, 2020, 8:52 pm

>Thanks Ninie. I've voted.

77MissWatson
nov 2, 2020, 4:14 am

>68 NinieB: Thanks, I have cast my vote.

78LadyoftheLodge
nov 2, 2020, 4:11 pm

Thanks so much! I liked the voting format, and I cast my vote too.

79NinieB
nov 2, 2020, 10:21 pm

>73 Helenliz: >74 SilverWolf28: >75 Robertgreaves: >76 pamelad: >77 MissWatson: >78 LadyoftheLodge: You are all very welcome! Cheryl, I liked this format as well!

80lowelibrary
nov 3, 2020, 12:19 am

I have voted.

81Tess_W
nov 3, 2020, 1:47 am

Voted

82fuzzi
nov 3, 2020, 1:50 pm

>68 NinieB: thanks! I have voted.

83JayneCM
nov 4, 2020, 12:15 am

>68 NinieB: I have voted! Thank you for organising all this. Can't wait to see the results!

84NinieB
nov 4, 2020, 9:58 am

Thanks for voting, everyone! I'm happy to have helped by setting the poll up. So far we have 45 voters.

85Kristelh
nov 4, 2020, 3:06 pm

I did vote earlier

86dudes22
nov 4, 2020, 6:26 pm

Only 59 people have joined the group so far, so that's actually a good representation of voters. There were 150 people in the group this year so I wonder if some of them still don't know we've started.

87sallylou61
nov 4, 2020, 6:51 pm

>86 dudes22:. I think that it always takes a considerable of time for a lot of people to join. Often they do not join until after the voting. I think some people wait until the next calendar year to join.

88pamelad
nov 4, 2020, 7:51 pm

>86 dudes22: I've put a link in the What are we reading in November, and November Non-fiction CAT threads, just in case people have missed it.

89kac522
Bewerkt: nov 4, 2020, 11:08 pm

I added a link to November RandomCAT and GeoCAT.

90NinieB
nov 5, 2020, 2:17 pm

Thanks everyone for spreading the word!

If you're just getting to this, or just joined the group, a friendly reminder that voting is open! We are voting offsite at https://www.easypolls.net/poll.html?p=5f9edd67e4b0899ae5a15d8c

Voting will close on Sunday, November 8 at 8am Eastern Standard Time.

The list of suggestions for voting is randomized.

91LadyoftheLodge
nov 5, 2020, 3:09 pm

I posted the voting link in MysteryKIT and TravelKIT.

92NinieB
nov 8, 2020, 8:50 am

The results are in!



Our top 3:
1. RandomCAT (33 votes)
2. GenreCAT (22 votes)
3. HistoryCAT (18 votes)

Close runners-up:
SeriesCAT (14 votes)
CATwoman (16 votes)
ClassiCAT (16 votes)
ColourCAT (14 votes)
AdventureCAT (15 votes)

93majkia
Bewerkt: nov 8, 2020, 9:27 am

yay! Thanks NinieB

94Jackie_K
nov 8, 2020, 11:53 am

Thanks for your hard work, NinieB!

I think I will just be dipping into Random and History CATs, if I happen to have a book that's relevant that month, rather than committing myself in advance each month - I overcommitted myself to too many challenges this year, so next year I will be more relaxed!

95Helenliz
nov 8, 2020, 12:03 pm

That's a nice varied set of CATs.
Lookinf foward to some more detail on the Genre and History CAT setups.

96rabbitprincess
nov 8, 2020, 12:16 pm

Hurray! I guess I'll get cracking on randomizing the BingoDOG categories then :D

97DeltaQueen50
nov 8, 2020, 12:16 pm

I guess the next step is to get volunteers to set up each of Cats that we are going with in 2021. Personally, I hope we only go with the top three as there are so many Kits being formed already and I find it gets too stressful to commit to too many challenges.

I would volunteer to oversee the set up of one of the challenges but the people that first suggested them should have the first chance to do this:

Ladyof theLodge suggested RandomCat
LibCin suggested HistoryCat
Robertgreaves suggested GenreCat

98LibraryCin
nov 8, 2020, 2:12 pm

>92 NinieB: I'm excited to do all three CATs next year!

99LibraryCin
nov 8, 2020, 2:13 pm

>97 DeltaQueen50: I'll be happy to set up the HistoryCAT.

100LadyoftheLodge
nov 8, 2020, 2:42 pm

I can set up the RandomCAT planning thread.

101LibraryCin
nov 8, 2020, 4:36 pm

Thought I'd post the link for the HistoryCAT discussion:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/326121

102LadyoftheLodge
nov 8, 2020, 7:01 pm

MysteryKIT planning thread here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/325803

103LadyoftheLodge
nov 8, 2020, 7:02 pm

RandomCAT planning thread here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/326123

104Robertgreaves
Bewerkt: nov 8, 2020, 7:05 pm

105MissWatson
nov 9, 2020, 5:36 am

The results fit nicely with my preliminary planning. Thanks for organising the vote, Ninie!

106NinieB
nov 9, 2020, 8:24 am

>93 majkia: >94 Jackie_K: >105 MissWatson: You're welcome! Thanks for participating!

107LadyoftheLodge
nov 10, 2020, 11:38 am

Can we get MysteryKIT added to our 2021 Challenge page? Thanks!

108rabbitprincess
nov 10, 2020, 11:56 am

109LadyoftheLodge
nov 10, 2020, 3:34 pm

110sturlington
nov 10, 2020, 6:32 pm

>108 rabbitprincess: There is a wiki page for the 2021 ScaredyKIT at https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2021_ScaredyKIT -- can we get that link added as well?

Hi, everybody, feel free to join us on the ScaredyKIT! This is a fun KIT where you can read horror, dark fantasy, thrillers, and true crime, and I think we have a lot of fun categories planned for next year!

111rabbitprincess
nov 10, 2020, 8:11 pm

112LadyoftheLodge
nov 11, 2020, 12:12 pm

MysteryKIT still has a few spots open for hosts. Volunteers needed and welcomed. You can select from the list of suggestions or come up with your own.

113SilverWolf28
Bewerkt: nov 12, 2020, 1:06 pm

Dit bericht is door zijn auteur gewist.

114LadyoftheLodge
nov 12, 2020, 2:15 pm

Thanks to all who volunteered for MysteryKIT and RandomCAT. We will have a good year of reading in 2021--and hopefully a much better year overall than 2020.

116LadyoftheLodge
nov 12, 2020, 3:28 pm

117LibraryCin
nov 12, 2020, 10:43 pm

HistoryCAT has finally figured out the monthly themes, and now we're looking for hosts!
http://www.librarything.com/topic/326121

And KITastrophe is just looking for one more host:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/325729

Thanks!

118Robertgreaves
nov 14, 2020, 7:23 pm

The GenreCAT wiki is now open for business: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/GenreCAT_2021

119pamelad
Bewerkt: okt 23, 2021, 7:46 pm

CAT planning for 2022 has started: https://www.librarything.com/topic/336021#7629087

120pamelad
okt 30, 2021, 5:33 pm

Tomorrow is the last day for 2022 CAT suggestions: 10 pm Sunday, San Francisco time. (I think it's tomorrow for everyone. The time zones are confusing.)

121pamelad
Bewerkt: nov 1, 2021, 12:37 am

Here is the link to the 2022 CAT poll. Please choose your favourite CATs, maximum 4.

https://www.easypolls.net/poll.html?p=617f6ec1e4b04db784c19635

Voting closes 4pm, Saturday, November 6th, Melbourne, Australia. That's 10 pm Friday in San Francisco.

122sturlington
Bewerkt: nov 1, 2021, 6:21 am

Sorry, I'm in the wrong thread.

123Helenliz
nov 1, 2021, 9:41 am

I see Random CAT is not on the list. If it is going to be a KIT we need someone to actually take that on and organise it. I would really miss it is if didn't happen.

124LadyoftheLodge
nov 1, 2021, 11:59 am

>123 Helenliz: I agree. RandomKIT is very popular.