The "Pumpkin Autumn Challenge" is a cultural challenge of the fall season, for readers, movie buffs and gamers , and this year Foglietto is here to support you. This challenge is divided into four tables, each having three or four categories. Participants can choose from four packages depending on their budget and availability. Foglietto offers here tips for organizing your mood pile (PAM, or PAL) , the choice of works, but also archiving and storage techniques, all with the help of foglietti. The challenge, like Foglietto's philosophy, emphasizes inclusiveness, freedom and diversity, and offers a season rich in discoveries.

What is the Pumpkin Autumn Challenge?

The story of this seasonal challenge: booktuber Le Terrier de Guimause at the reins

Taken up by blogger , streamer and booktuber Guimause in 2017, this challenge opens the fall season every year for the past 7 years. This event was actually created by someone else, but has been led by Guimause since the 2017 edition. This challenge tests readers by asking them to find books related to the themes and categories chosen by Guimause. From one year to the next, the general theme changes, and the categories vary. Always orbiting an autumnal atmosphere, somewhat horrific and often comforting. It’s the kind of challenge that makes you want to read!

The designer brings new products every year, just to spice up the season and always renew the categories! Since 2021, the reading battery (PAL) has been transformed into a mood battery (PAM) . Indeed, the challenge now introduces the possibility of responding to categories with films, series, and even video games. Making this challenge even more accessible, opening the door to film buffs and gamers allows us to share even more passions, and thus to discover cultural universes different from that of literary ones.

🍂 This year, the challenge runs from September 3 to December 3 . You therefore have three months to choose your works, read them, watch them or play them. Enough to liven up this season with numerous discoveries, beautiful sharing and sweet encounters.

The Pumpkin Autumn Challenge 2023 Theme: Legends of the Woods Beyond

For 2023, namely the 7th edition of the PAC, we are entering a somewhat magical universe which will reveal several facets of the fall season. The designer Guimause explains that she was inspired by two works in particular, which allowed her to determine this theme. First of all, the graphic novel Legends of the Guard , signed by David Peterson, which features two mice in the guise of a chivalrous story. On the other hand, the video game Monster Hunter , where a large number of fantastic creatures evolve.

These two works, although being two different mediums, are placed under the sign of animality and heroism. It is from these two terms that the different themes under which you must choose your books, films, series and/or games arise.

All the terms of this edition: tables, categories and formulas

Based on its inspirations and discoveries, Guimause has decided to make some modifications to the terms of the challenge for this PAC 2023. In fact, you choose a formula, which allows you to validate a certain number of categories: this new makes it accessible to various budgets, whether three works or twelve, you are welcome!

As usual, the challenge will be divided into several “moods”, several atmospheres, so that everyone can find their preferences. The first division is called “boards” (formerly “menus”), and each has between three and four categories. These all come together under the theme “Legends of the Woods and Beyond”, but exploring several facets, namely the said paintings, in which they are found.

🍂 To make it simpler, we have on the one hand the choice among the four formulas , then on the other hand the four tables , in which you choose the categories which seem most relevant to you. Whatever your budget, whatever your tastes, whatever your preferred mediums, the Pumpkin Autumn Challenge is open to everyone .

Presentation of tables, categories and keywords

As I specified just before, this year, the challenge is divided into four tables, themselves made up of three or four categories. These are accompanied by terms: these are what will allow you to determine which book, which film, which series or which game corresponds to it. I will present them to you quickly:

Painting “Shivering Autumn”
• Come float with us
Horror / thriller / clown / horror / fantasy / red.
• Backroom hell
Parallel dimension / cryptic / labyrinth / internet / urban legend / mystery.
• Perfectly Splendid
Ghost / family / mansion / possession / gothic / drama.

Painting “Autumn sweetness of life”
• Something wicked this way comes
Halloween / October / autumn / funfair / childhood / nightmare.
• Automatic souvenir doll at your service!
Epistolary / correspondence / feeling / emotion / love / gratitude / healing.
• The Owl Lady of the Boiling Islands
Witch / magic / curse / school / initiatory journey / friendship.
• The fundamental law of equivalent exchange
Share a common reading, a film, a game.

Painting “Woodland Autumn and Beyond”
• Apple then! It’s the taste of almond tart!
Animals / memory / intergenerational / tea / gluttony / altruism / tenderness / help / guide.
• Legend of the Black Ax
Medieval / chivalrous / quest / epic / illustrated / fantasy.
• The infernal melody of the hunting horn
Monster / creature / wyvern / expedition / adventure.
• Rocket raccoon on the run
Mutation / science experiment / sci-fi / bounty hunter / guardian / galaxy.

Painting “Radiant Autumn”
• We'll always find a way
Crystals / facets / singularity / diversity / inclusiveness / feel good.
• The indomitable spirit of Jo March
Place of the woman / independence / ambition / dream / sorority / theater / writer.
• Siúil a rúin, Maureen
Ireland / small people / Celtic myths and legends / nature writing / green.

As you can see, these categories cover a wide range of possibilities. The titles being inspired and coming from existing works, films, books or games, it is easier to direct or be inspired by the choice of your own PAM, find ideas for books, films and series, and even video games.

🍂 Guimause and Foglietto agree on the help that visual aid provides : the more we play on visuals (colors, patterns, themes, keywords, etc.), the easier it is to project oneself, to enter into a project or a challenge like this. It accentuates the notion of accessibility and inclusiveness by emphasizing the visual side of these themes.

Before you choose which categories you want to explore, you need to decide on the plan! Indeed, depending on your budget or the time you can invest in this challenge , you can go for more or fewer categories. So I present to you the formulas:

“ A werewolf’s hunger ”: validate 3 categories.
“ It's called having fangs ”: validate 6 categories.
“ Gluttonous Dragon ”: validate 9 categories.
“ The Feast of Darkness ”: validate 12 categories.

Whether you are a fan of thrillers, romances, but also anime, manga, video games, whether you have a small or large budget, whatever your age: we are all concerned by this warm challenge and cultural. And that is the beauty of this challenge: it is placed under the sign of inclusiveness, freedom and diversity.

After having made your selection for the challenge, namely the formula, the tables and categories, you are off for a season rich in discoveries!

How does Foglietto help you create your CAP?

Within the Foglietto team, we are avid readers, but also great fans of films, series and video games. And to top it all off, we LOVE this season! It's the return of blankets, marshmallow hot chocolates, and evenings by the fire (for the lucky ones!).

For the occasion, I tackled the challenge myself, by tackling the different categories. I quickly realized that Foglietto and the methods surrounding our concept could support me in the process of choosing my works. I'll give you my tips (and I'll take the opportunity to share my choices and discoveries with you through photos!).

First step: choose your categories and your works, and compose your PAM or PAL

Foglietto is there from the start of the process: equip yourself with your favorite To-do list, note the chosen categories, and go shopping! Obviously, you can borrow books from your loved ones, take a trip to your town's media library, steal your roommate's video game, go to the cinema to see the new horror film: it's free. Have fun !

Once you have made your purchases or searches, you can move on to writing the sheets: the foglietti, their colors and patterns, allow you to organize your choices. Visually, you will be able to find your way without any hassle, and this technique allows you to archive, sort and keep track of all your discoveries of the season.

🍂 For example, I decided to choose four colors corresponding to the four paintings , and three patterns to differentiate the films/series, video games and books (because I wanted to include the three mediums!). Here is my visual code:

• Shivering autumn = Caffè .
• Autumn sweetness of life = Beige .
• Autumn in the woods and beyond = Vert Tatin .
• Radiant Autumn = Giallo .

• Books = Go with the flow .
• Films and series = Regola .
• Video games = Quadrato .

This is obviously just an example, and you can adapt this method to your own PAM or PAL!

So I prepare my sheets, which allows me to have everything in front of me before embarking on the challenge. I note down as much information as possible, just to clearly see if, once my book (or other) has been read, it meets the criteria for the category. If I validate one of the works for the challenge (because I often obtain several works per category), I mark it at the top left of the foglietto. For example, I put a simple “OK”, or I add a sticker , a piece of Masking Tape : once again, it is according to my preferences at the moment, so you do as you wish as well.

🍂 Thanks to this organizational method , you know which works are chosen, and which categories are validated. In addition, this technique is useful for finding things easily in subsequent years, for checking what you have already read in the past, or for any other reason. This is a real archiving tool to be able to consult your readings and discoveries without having to search or reopen your works one by one.

Second step: write your reading sheets / note taking

You have already made good progress since you have listed all of your books, or others. It is therefore time to start writing note cards in order to further optimize your organization , with the aim of calmly validating your participation. Once you have finished one of your readings or other discoveries, take the corresponding sheet and turn it over: it is on the back that you can write a summary , or a short feeling, of the work in question.

At Foglietto, we are committed to synthesis. Indeed, as you may know, the first format of our sheets, from foglietti, is A7 (i.e. 7.4 x 10.5 cm). We are quite far from the classic format of the notebook (A5) or even a sheet of paper (A4).

And yet, our little sheets allow you to spill a lot of ink! This format allows you to note the essentials, to work in collaboration with memory, without saying too much. And above all, the storage system that goes hand in hand with this format, namely the boxes (Tesoro and Archivio), allows you to consult everything you need without rummaging through a pile of sheets, and without turning all the pages of your notebook.

🍂 Foglietti are the heirs of “index cards” , this system of small cards stored vertically in drawers. It's the same idea for your reading box made in Foglietto: foglietti, with different colors, patterns and dividers, organized vertically, allowing you to browse all your readings without any hassle, and in a storage that you defined. Nothing more intuitive!

Thus, by being concise in writing your sheets, and by having defined your storage code in advance, you will be the most organized reader for this edition of the Pumpkin Autumn Challenge, thanks to the Foglietto tools !

Your Pumpkin Autumn Challenge with Foglietto: guaranteed success!

You are ready for this cultural challenge of the season. With an organization that suits you and meets your needs, you will succeed in this annual challenge with flying colors!

🍂 I will quickly summarize the steps of the Foglietto method, to follow to create a well-filled mood pile:

• To get started, equip yourself with your favorite foglietti, and learn about this year's theme, formulas and categories . To do this, you can read this article written by the designer herself;
• Create a code that suits you : play with the various colors and patterns in order to categorize (or even sub-categorize) your discoveries and your choices;
• Prepare a small to-do list : it will be essential to visualize all the categories, to plan ahead and to help you decide;
• The time comes to write the front , in other words the information and the terms of the challenge: each sheet corresponds to a specific category, you can therefore prepare as many as necessary, according to your purchases and your choices, but also taking into consideration your color code and pattern;
• Read, watch, play : in short, enjoy these moments of discovery and sharing!
• Now is the time to use your synthesis skills: write your reading sheets (viewing and/or gaming) on ​​the back of the corresponding sheet.
• Admire your storage box , with these beautiful colors, which you can consult at any time, and which you can place in your library!

This method is obviously not limited only to this fall challenge! You can test it for the ❄️ Cold Winter Challenge ❄️, the winter sequel to this challenge. In addition, on a daily basis, this method is effective for organizing your library.

BONUS - Testimonial from a PAC participant and user of Foglietto tools

Here we share with you the feedback from Tatu, a faithful challenger of the autumn challenge for many years (even before it was taken up by Le Terrier de Guimause) and a great reader. Tatu is also a daily user of Foglietti and Foglietto organizational tools, whether for her Bullet Journal or her To-do lists. She does us the honor of testifying about her experience for the Pumpkin Autumn Challenge 2023, as well as the way in which Foglietto supports her every day.

Is this your first time participating in the PAC? • No, I have been participating for 8 years now.

Which formula did you choose? • Since I have time this year, I chose the formula “The Feast of Darkness”.

How do you choose your books / games / series / films? • I start digging through my PAL, just to empty it a little. Then, I take recommendations/inspiration from Guimause Terrier (the founder) of the categories. And finally, I get advice from my bookseller if I haven't found it through these two means.

How do you organize yourself each year? • Usually, I give myself a nice presentation in my Bullet journal. But this year I decided to record it in a special reading challenge binder. When it comes to choosing books, for the first choices I take the ones that make me want the most. Then I put the names of the books in a bowl and draw!

How is Foglietto useful to you for your reading organization, or on a daily basis in general? • Foglietto is especially useful for me to review the reading at the end, it's easier when I want to introduce someone to a reading if I write down what I thought about it straight away. To organize my sewing projects too, a sheet for Christmas, one for alterations, one for personal projects, etc.

Will you do it again next year, or for the Cold Winter Challenge, with the 100% Foglietto method? • Why not. If I see that this year it has been a practical and essential tool then surely!