Lea’s Comments (group member since Jan 04, 2017)

Lea’s comments from the 2022 ONTD Reading Challenge group.

Use this topic to discuss whether you enjoyed your January picks, and whether you'd recommend it to your fellow readers! Did you find it easy/difficult to complete this task?

Use this post to discuss what will be your January picks!

The ONTD post is here: https://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com...

In the meantime, you can check out some other websites that list 2020 adaptations:

https://the-bibliofile.com/2020-books...
https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainmen...
https://www.radiotimes.com/news/film/...

I read The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski, the first of the Witcher books. There are a lot of different retellings scattered around the book, like Beauty and the Beast and Snow White. I thought they were very original, it was a great read.

took me a while to find something to read for November. I found O Gato e as Orquídeas by Kwong Kuen Shan while browsing the catalog of a Brazilian publisher that mainly puts out translations of Japanese books (this wasn't a Japanese book, the author is from Hong Kong and I think this book might have been written in English originally - she lives in Wales).

Anyway it's gorgeous. It's a series of watercolors of cats and flowers (mainly orchids) with little Chinese proverbs or quotes. Adorable. There are 2 more books in this series and I'm tempted to get them.

Welcome to the 2020 ONTD Reading Challenge! milfordacademy & hjalmartazar invite you to join the new and updated 2020 ONTD Reading Challenge: 12 books, 12 months, and ONTD-themed categories. Every month, we will make a post recommending books that fit each category.

The rules are simple:

Each month, read a book that corresponds to the category.

A book only counts once - so you can't use the same title for two or more months.

There’s no page limit.

It can be a book that you’ve already read.

Novellas, graphic novels, and anthologies can count toward a category.

Ebooks and audiobooks count as books!

If you missed a month, you can go back and read a previous month’s task. But we don't encourage reading in advance.

If you have questions about whether the book you picked really counts for a particular month, you can ask the mods here in the group (in the topic for the month) or in the ONTD post for the month's reading challenge.

Keep us updated on how your reading challenge is going in our book posts and the topics here in the group!

Thank you to EVERYONE who helped us in coming up with this year’s tasks for the challenge!

January: Read a Book That is Being Adapted Into a Movie or TV Show in 2020

February: My Cousin Just Moved to Nigeria to Discover New Talent

Jay-Z’s cousin may be in Nigeria discovering new musical talent, but you don’t have to move to discover the country’s vibrant literary talents. This month, let’s read a book by a Nigerian author or set in Nigeria.

March: Everyone was Dad

Read a book about a dad, with a memorable or prominent dad character or where fatherhood is a major theme

April: Read a Book With a Scandalous Past

Read a book that caused scandal or major controversy when it was first released. We're talking widespread bans, major social outrage, governmental or religious condemnation, the author being prosecuted, arrested or exiled for its writing, etc.

The scandal can also be related to the author or the publication of the book itself, for example, the book being a hoax or the author being a scammer or other kind of criminal (e.g. James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces").

May: Real Housewives Yelling at Cat

Read a book about a cat or where a cat is an important or memorable character.

June: Ok Boomer

Read a book that was published between 1946-64 or written by a boomer author.

July: Surprised Pikachu Face

Read a book with a plot twist.

August: Sparks Joy

Re-read a book that sparks joy for you or read a feel-good book.

September: Old Man Yelling at Cloud

Read a book about or with a prominent character who is a curmudgeon: a crotchety, grumpy, cantankerous character (regardless of age or sex).

October: Get a Job! Stay Away from Her!

Read a book with or about a creepy character.

November: Hindsight is 2020

Read a book with flashbacks.

December: Read a Book That Won an Award in 2020

Hi Alyssa! There was a post on ONTD: https://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com...

And here's the masterpost here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

My challenge tracker:

JAN - Read a Book That is Being Adapted Into a Movie or TV Show in 2020
COMPLETED!: A suitable boy

FEB - My Cousin Just Moved to Nigeria to Discover New Talent
TBR: Half of a Yellow Sun

MAR - Everyone Was Dad
TBR: probably The Road

APR - Read a Book With a Scandalous Past
TBR: Madame Bovary

MAY - Real Housewives Yelling at Cat
TBR: The Master and Margarita

JUN - Ok Boomer

JUL - Surprised Pikachu Face

AUG - Sparks Joy

SEP - Old Man Yelling at Cloud

OCT - Get a job! Stay away from her!

NOV - Hindsight is 2020

DEC - Read a Book That Won an Award in 2020

Use this post to keep track of what you're reading for the challenge, how many tasks still to go and which books you plan to read for those.

As you complete more tasks, you go back and edit your original comment to add the info. Do not leave a new comment for each challenge task you complete.

Well I read Normal People because it was short and I was seduced by the hype. Terrible. Do not recommend. But I guess it's one of those love it or hate it type of books.

The ONTD post is already up in case anyone missed it! I edited the first post in this thread to include the link.

That's great, we'll definitely need suggestions!!

Thank YOU Tejal, and everyone else who participated in this year's reading challenge! :) I hope you'll join us again next year!

Kristen: My Sister, the Serial Killer won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel this year, so it definitely counts for this task! The Anthony Awards are given to mystery writers.

https://crimereads.com/announcing-the...

HUGO AWARDS
Awards the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year
The Calculating Stars - Mary Robinette Kowal (Novel)
Artificial Condition - Martha Wells (Novella)

NEBULA AWARDS
Recognizes the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. Awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
The Calculating Stars - Mary Robinette Kowal (Novel)
The Tea Master and the Detective - Aliette de Bodard (Novella)

ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD
A UK prize for science fiction literature
Rosewater - Tade Thompson

CRIME WRITING ASSOCIATION DAGGERS
The Puppet Show - M.W. Craven (Gold Dagger: Crime Novel)
To The Lions - Holly Watt (Ian Fleming Steel Dagger: Best Thriller)
Scrublands - Chris Hammer (New Blood Dagger: Crime Novel, 1st Time Author)
A Long Night in Paris - Dov Alfon (International)
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War - Ben Macintyre (Non Fiction)
Destroying Angel - S.G. MacLean (Historical)

EDGAR AWARDS
Awarded by Mystery Writers of America
Down the River Unto the Sea -Walter Mosley (Novel)
Sadie - Courtney Summers (YA)

BRAM STOKER AWARDS
Awarded by the Horror Writers Association
The Cabin at the End of the World - Paul Tremblay (Novel)
For more winners see here: http://www.sfadb.com/Bram_Stoker_Awar...

SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARDS
Celebrates outstanding achievement in horror, psychological suspense, and dark fantasy fiction
Little Eve - Catriona Ward (Novel)

RITA AWARDS
Romance Writers of America
My So-Called Bollywood Life - Nisha Sharma (YA)
A Wicked Kind of Husband - Mia Vincy (Historical Long)
Long Shot - Kennedy Ryan (Contemporary Long)
For more winners: https://allaboutromance.com/the-2019-...

BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper - Hallie Rubenhold

BRITISH FANTASY AWARDS
Awarded by the British Fantasy Society
The Bitter Twins - Jen Williams (Fantasy Novel)
Little Eve - Catriona Ward (Horror Novel)
Empire of Sand - Tasha Suri (Newcomer)

ONTD POST: https://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com...

Any award you want - you can go high-brow with the Nobel Prize for Literature, the Booker Prize or the National Book Award, explore what’s best in speculative fiction with the Hugo and Nebula awards, get scared by the Shirley Jackson or Bram Stoker Awards, read women with the Women’s Prize for Fiction, fall in love with the Romance Writers of America (RITA Awards), etc!

NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE (they're awarded to the author for the body of work, so you can just read any book of theirs)
Olga Tokarczuk
Peter Handke

WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
Awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the UK in the preceding year
An American Marriage - Tayari Jones

BOOKER PRIZE (this year was a tie)
Best original novel, written in the English language and published in the UK
The Testaments - Margaret Atwood
Girl, Woman, Other - Bernadine Evaristo

BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE
Given to a book in English translation
Celestial Bodies - Jokha Alharti

PULITZER PRIZE
An award for achievements in literature in the United States
The Overstory - Richard Powers (Best Fiction)
The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke - Jeffrey C. Stewart (Best Biography)
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom - David W. Blight (Best History)
Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America - Eliza Griswold (Best General Nonfiction)

PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FOR FICTION
Awarded to the year's best works of fiction by living American citizens
Call Me Zebra - Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi

PRIX GONCOURT
France's most prestigious literary prize
Tous les hommes n'habitent pas le monde de la même façon - Jean-Paul Dubois

COSTA BOOK AWARDS
Recognises English-language books by writers based in Britain and Ireland
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton (First Novel)
Inside the Wave - Helen Dunmore (Poetry + Book of the Year)
Normal People - Sally Rooney (Novel)
The Cut Out Girl: A Story of War and Family, Lost and Found - Bart van Es (Biography)

BRITISH BOOK AWARDS
Honours the commercial successes of publishers, authors and bookshops
Normal People - Sally Rooney (Book of the Year)
Becoming - Michelle Obama (Narrative Non-fiction)
Lullaby - Leila Slimani (Debut Fiction)
Our House - Louise Candlish (Crime and Thriller)

WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE
Celebrates exceptional books that engage with the topics of health and medicine
Murmur - Will Eaves

CARNEGIE MEDAL
A British award that recognises one outstanding book for children or young adults
The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo

YA BOOK PRIZE
Champions Young Adult books written by authors living in the UK or Ireland
Goodbye, Perfect - Sara Barnard

WATERSTONE'S CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE
An award given to a work of children's literature published during the previous year, open only to authors who have published no more than three books
The Boy At the Back of the Class - Onjali Q. Rauf

My challenge tracker:

JAN - adaptation
Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster - Svetlana Alexievitch

FEB - Love is Lit
The Corinthian - Georgette Heyer

MAR - IJAF
Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche - Haruki Murakami
Korea: The Impossible Country - Daniel Tudor

APR - what year is it
not done - want to read: 7 1/2 deaths of evelyn hardcastle

MAY - never been to Luxembourg
Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng

JUN - my friend with a bike
Starry Eyes - Jenn Bennett

JUL - posted
The Last Wish - Andrzej Sapkowski

AUG - u in danger, girl
Rebecca - daphne du maurier

SEP - I have to laugh
The Flatshare - beth o'leary

OCT - some people have war in their countries
Train to Nowhere: One Woman's War, Ambulance Driver, Reporter, Liberator - anita leslie

NOV - ontd doesn't read
O Gato e as Orquídeas - Kwong Kuen Shan

DEC - award
Normal People - Sally Rooney

Use this post to keep track of what you're reading for the challenge, how many tasks still to go and which books you plan to read for those.

As you complete more tasks, you go back and edit your original comment to add the info. Do not leave a new comment for each challenge task you complete.

This month, let’s live up to the ONTD stereotype and not read. Or at least, not a lot. This month’s task it to read a graphic novel, a book without any text or mostly consisting out of images. You can pick a children's book, art/illustration/photography book, etc. And you can even choose to just look at the pictures.

HERE'S THE ONTD POST: https://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com...

I read Train to Nowhere: One Woman's War, Ambulance Driver, Reporter, Liberator, the memoirs of an ambulancière during World War II - it was kind of a mixed bag writing-wise, but I'm glad I read it as I'm generally interested in these "women in war" stories. I didn't even know there were British (okay I guess she's actually Irish but she's still Churchill's cousin so) women out in the front. Figures, since although she originally answered a call for British volunteers she ended up having to sign up for the French army because the brits didn't want women near the front and that's where she wanted to serve.

It was very interesting how she mentioned women of several nationalities who were also involved in the war effort. She also at one point served along the Brazilian expeditionary force in Italy which was a nice surprise!

I'm reading Train to Nowhere: One Woman's War, Ambulance Driver, Reporter, Liberator by Anita Leslie. She was a cousin of Churchill's and a daughter of a baronet, who volunteered to be a mechanic/drive ambulances during WWII.

There is now, Alyssa: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...