SRC Moderator’s Comments (group member since Aug 19, 2016)

SRC Moderator’s comments from the The Seasonal Reading Challenge group.

Tien Message 1084

The link for the book didn't come through on the post. Please repost with the book link.

MAZZA1 Message 1061

The link for the book didn't come through on the post. Please repost with the book link.

Trish wrote: "Morning.

Sorry to trouble you again, but the updated readerboard only has me with three IAF tickets. There should be a fourth from post 791: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/......"

No troubles.

I seem to miss these easily.

I have it updated.

Kristen wrote: "Kristen IA

Good morning,
My readerboard total looks to be up by 15 points. My total as of post 800 should be 90, not 105. I wonder if one of my 15 point tasks was counted twice?

Thank you!"

Not sure what happened, but I have it fixed.

Alicia Message 537

Please repost with your readerboard name, we have more than one Alicia. :)
Thanks!

Reserved

Here is the Review Raffle thread for Fall 2024.

We will draw a random name from anyone who posts a review in this thread and they will be given the opportunity to create a task in the Winter 2024 season - the more reviews that you post, the more chance of being drawn!

Reviews must be for books read within the current challenge period. You may link to your review on Goodreads, or type the review in the thread. (Please do not link to a review on a site outside of Goodreads).

Your review does not have to be positive but it should be at least a couple of sentences long - "loved it" or "not for me" is not helpful to other readers!

Please remember to include your Readerboard name when posting your review.

This is the thread where you can submit a task idea for the 50 Point Task contest. The thread is now open for submissions and will close at Midnight Eastern time on October 5th. Voting will start the next day, October 6th and will close at the end of the day on October 12th. If the moderators determine that the vote is close, a 3-day runoff poll will be held. The person whose idea gets the most votes will host the 50 point task for the Fall Challenge.

The 50 point task will require:
1. Only 3 options. These options may not include more than 2 "sub options" - 6 total in the task.
2. One book per option.
3. Three books totaling at least 750 pages. Your task idea may require a higher page threshold but this must be disclosed in your entry.
4. No books with the genres children or kids on the main book page may be used.
5. Books whose main page lists any of these genres: Sequential Art, Comics, Comic Book, or Manga may not be used.
6. No “free choice” options will be allowed. This is a challenge, so tasks that have no element of challenge do not fit the purpose.
7. A task must be accessible to the majority of players, i.e. not limited to a specific format, edition, publisher, etc. and reviewable by the moderators.

Anyone eligible* to design a task may submit an idea for a task that follows the general guidelines above. Your idea should be a sketch that may be developed with the moderators.

* To be eligible to create a task, the player’s profile must be set up to accept Goodreads messages, and they must not have a task in the current challenge. Only one task per person per challenge.


The group will vote to determine the 50 point task. All ideas that fit the general guidelines will be included in a poll. The poll winner will develop their idea with the moderators to refine their task. The final task may differ from the original idea submission. The task will be posted as close to the midpoint as reasonably possible. The task creator will monitor and answer questions in the help thread.

Please include your Readerboard name and a title for your task. The entries will be listed by Readerboard name and task title in the poll. Please include only one task idea entry per post.

PLEASE DO NOT comment on people's entries in this thread - this is for submissions only - you will be able to comment when voting begins. Comments in this thread will be deleted.

It's time to starting thinking about the bonus themes for the next year of challenges. The moderators and task creators base some of the challenge's tasks on the bonus themes. Other tasks will be based on seasonal motifs and some will be added just for fun.

Bonus themes we've used so far include:

2010-2011 — Asia, Australia, Europe, and Africa
2011-2012 — Earth, Fire, Wind/Air, and Water
2012-2013 — The Chinese Four Symbols
2013-2014 — A Year of Board Games: Clue, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Risk
2014-2015 — Mythologies of the World - Classical, Asia, Nordic, Americas
2015-2016 — A Year of Art: Impressionist, Pop, Abstract, Folk
2016-2017 — Wonders of the World: Ancient, Modern, Medieval, Natural
2017-2018 — That's Entertainment!: Animals, Museums, Theatre, Recreation
2018-2019 — Characters: Heroes, Villains, Rogues, Damsels
2019-2020 — Awards: Books, Music, Movies, Theatre
2020-2021 — Decades: 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s
2021-2022 — Wizard of Oz: Dorothy, Scarecrow, Lion, Tinman
2022-2023 — Decades: 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s
2023-2024 — It's All Fun & Games: Board Games, TV Game Shows, Outdoor Games, Party Games


These themes have brought extra inspiration to the SRC and have given us some really fun tasks. Ideally, the overall theme would be composed of 4 related components, but feel free to get creative and submit your ideas here! This thread will be open for ideas until the end of the day on September 30. A poll will then be created from the popular, workable ideas in order to select our next bonus themes. We're looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

20.5 - Bigger is Better - Lindsey IL's Task: The Element of Surprise

It was a pleasant surprise to find an invitation to design a task in my inbox today. So, I decided that surprise will be the theme of the task. I've found lately that it adds some fun and excitement to life to add an element of surprise and random-ness. For example, once a week I will use a random number generator to decide what to make for dinner out of my cookbook collection - generating numbers for shelf and then book and then page number. Or sometimes I will go to my local library and generate random numbers for section (fiction, nonfiction, biography, young adult, middle grade, etc.) and then generate more numbers to drill down into either subject or author's initials. With these mini games I've added to my life, I've ended up having some great meals, and I even found a new favorite author. I always seem to really enjoy the tasks in this challenge that include a die roll, wheel spin, or some other randomness. So that's what we'll do here...

Roll one 6-sided die - https://www.calculator.net/dice-rolle... - to determine which genre you will be reading. The genre must appear on the Main Page. Genre must be standalone and match exactly, i.e. if you roll "Mystery", you cannot use "Mystery Thriller".

1) Biography or Memoir
2) Mystery or Suspense
3) Horror or Psychology
4) Classics
5) Fantasy or Science Fiction
6) History or Historical Fiction

Then roll again to determine one of the author's initials. The author's first OR last initial must start with one of the letters you rolled. If there are multiple authors, they also must have an initial in your rolled list of letters.

1) A, B, C, or D
2) E, F, G, or H
3) I, J, K, or L
4) M, N, O, or P
5) Q, R, S, T, or U
6) V, W, X, Y, or Z

Graphic novels may be used for this task.

REQUIRED: State the genres and letters you rolled.

20.7- Shorter is Sweeter - Jen K's Task: Georgia On My Mind

Realizing that all my tasks are about travel and yet doing it again. Summer gets a bit crazy with the crowds and heat and so I rarely manage a summer vacation. This year, I’m very excited to take time off in the fall to visit the beautiful country of Georgia. Explore with me.
This is a one book task. Read a book of at least 200 pages that satisfies one of the following three options.

Required: State the option you used.

Option 1: Transcontinental
Georgia is a transcontinental country bridging both Europe and Asia with influences from both continents. Read a book that also crosses borders and has a hybrid genres as MPGs either as a compound genre or two different genres.
A hybrid genre blends themes and elements from two or more different genres such as Historical Mystery, Fantasy Romance or Space Western.
Required: State the two MPGs used to make the hybrid.

Option 2: Wine
Georgia is one of the oldest wine producing countries with tons of vineyards to visit. Fall is a great time to visit to watch the harvesting of the grapes. One specialty from Georgia is orange or amber wine which is a tradition in Georgia. Read a book that has a cover with at least 50% Orange. Use Tineye to confirm the percentage.
Required: Include the cover in your post.

Option 3: Khachapuri
One of Georgia’s traditional foods is khachapuri which is a cheese filled bread and absolutely delicious. There are over 50 varieties and we only have about 10 days to try them all. Luckily there is also gorgeous hiking in the Caucasus mountains to offset the bread and cheese. Read book with a single author whose first and last name initials are found in the word KHACHAPURI. Letters may only be used as often as they are found in the word.

Susan A wrote: "No print edition. Please evaluate and approve for length


Too Many Lies by Matthew Costello

https://www.amazon.com/Cherringham-Ma......"

Approved for length :)

20.2 - Rookie at the Top - Catherine's Task: All Hallow's Challenge

November 1st is All Saints' Day. Pick an option from the choices below and read one book for that option.
Required: State the option.

Option 1 - Read a book whose author is recognised as a saint.
Required: If not explicitly part of the Goodreads author page, then provide a reference to their status as a saint

Examples: The Confessions of St. Augustine by Augustine of Hippo
The Rule of Saint Benedict by Benedict of Nursia
Catherine of Siena: The Dialogue by Catherine of Siena

Option 2 – Read abook with the word ‘saint’ in the title or subtitle. Possessive and plural forms are allowed. The abbreviation “St.” is also allowed, but only if it stands for 'saint'. Can also be part of a larger word. Can be in another language, but if it is, then identify the word and the language.

Examples: Saints and Sinners: Stories
St. Elmo's Fire
Chronicle of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds
They Hanged My Saintly Billy: The Life and Death of Dr. William Palmer

Option 3 – Read a book with MPG of Religion or Theology.
Examples: The Great Divorce
Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History
Back to Virtue: Traditional Moral Wisdom for Modern Moral Confusion
Orthodoxy

Reserved

Robin P wrote: "In the detective series that starts with A Test of Wills, detective Ian Rutledge has a most unusual sidekick. He regularly hears the voice and senses the presence of a dead soldier an..."

Yes that works

Kathy KS wrote: "Please verify "Crime" for Girl Gone Missing. It's under MORE"

Verified :)

C wrote: "Can I please get The Secret Seven approved for length?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09......"

Approved for length :)

Tien post 40

Task 15.5 Read a book first published in 2002 or 2020.

The Summer I Turned Pretty was first published in 2009, not 2002 or 2020.

20.6 - It's A Fact - JenJ IA's Task: It’s Booked! You’re Invited to a Fall Reading Retreat

My book club started with a group of friends from work and has branched out to other friends and family over the past year. We are planning a Fall Reading Retreat and just booked our vacation house. We can’t wait! It will be a fun weekend of reading, relaxing, and fun with friends! While we know you can’t all make it to the reading retreat, you’re INVITED to read lots of books with us!

Required: Choose one option and state your choice.
Books with the genres "Sequential Art", "Comics", "Comic Book", and "Manga" may be used for this task.

Option 1: Where - We tossed around many ideas and were torn between a schoolhouse loft apartment and a farmhouse with lots of different spaces to read, both indoors and outdoors. We ultimately decided on the farmhouse because it was hard to turn down the outdoor spaces, even if it might be too cold to use them. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials can be found in either FARMHOUSE or SCHOOLHOUSE. Letters may only be used as often as they appear. If there are multiple authors, only initials of one author must fit the task.

Required State which word you used.

Option 2: When - The reading retreat is planned for November 8-10th. Read a book in a series numbered 8, 9, 10, or 11. Whole numbers (no x.5 etc). The series must appear in greyscale on the GR book page.

Option 3: The Vibes - Fall seems like the perfect time of year to be cozy and have nothing to do but read. To set the scene, you need a fire, a cozy blanket, snacks, and your beverage of choice. Read a book with a fireplace, campfire, blanket, food, or drink on the cover.

Examples:

Required: Post the cover

Option 4: Who - We are a group of eight women who mostly work together in the Science field. This year we also added a friend, who works in Animal Science, and my sister, who works at a History Museum. Read a NONFICTION book that has the MPG of Science, Animals or History.

Option 5: The Books - We take turns picking books and have read some really good ones this year. They have mostly been hits for everyone. We have read the following books in 2024:
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The People We Keep by Allison Larkin
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Love of my Life by Rosie Walsh
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Read one of these books, OR read a book whose title or subtitle shares a 4+ letter word with one of these titles. Words must match exactly (punctuation may be ignored).
Required: If using the title match option, state the word and which book it matches with.

20.3 - Review Raffle - Jayne's Task: Family Farewells

During the Summer season, I had the heartbreak of having to say my final goodbyes to two much-loved members of my family: my Great-Uncle Gordon and my Auntie Carol. This task is in tribute to them.

Choose an option and read one book for that option.
Required: State the option.

Option 1: Uncle Gordon was the youngest of four children, the others being my grandad, Harold, and their two middle brothers, Ronnie and Terrence. By all accounts they were very close to each other - although knowing how much Uncle Gordon and my grandad loved to play tricks on each other (and on anyone else nearby, for that matter), it was probably havoc for their parents to keep up with!

Read a book from this siblings list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

Required: State the page of the list your book is found on.

Option 2: Born in 1931, Uncle Gordon was one of the countless child evacuees during the onset of World War II, as his hometown of Hull (a major port city) was a prime target during the Blitz. He was relocated to Foxholes in rural North Yorkshire, and seemed to have fond memories of the place, all things considered, as in later life he continued to enjoy visiting the region when on holiday with his own children and grandchildren.

Read a book with an MPG of World War II.

Option 3: On the whole, my family seem to have an uncanny knack for longevity. Uncle Gordon made it to the impressive age of 93, and was still living independently when he left us.

Read a book in with "93" can be found intact in either the page count or year of first publication.

Option 4: My Auntie Carol was a keen traveller, and it was on one of her many holidays that she met my Uncle Peter. There was much amusement among my family when we discovered that despite the pair living only an hour away from each other when at home in the UK, they'd had to go all the way to India to meet!

Read a book that is at least 50% set in India.

Required: If the setting is not obvious from the GR book description or metadata, provide a reference.

Option 5: Auntie Carol officially joined the family a year after meeting my uncle, with the pair marrying in December 2000. Despite her insistence that she didn't want a white wedding (her outfit was a gorgeous shade of purple), the Winter weather didn't get the memo, promptly covering the venue in a heavy blanket of snow just in time for the ceremony.

Read a book with a cover that depicts a snowy scene (i.e. snow is either visible in the air, or on the ground or other surfaces such as windowsills or tree branches).

Examples:

Required: Post the cover

Option 6: Sadly, Auntie Carol was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2002, and her condition would only deteriorate from then on. In 2021 she was admitted to hospital in a critical state, and the doctors gave a prognosis of her only having a few days left. Carol apparently had other ideas. Defying all expectations, she rallied and made enough of a recovery to return home a few weeks afterwards, going on to grace us with another three years of her company.

Read a book from one of these lists:
Second Chance At Life
Second Chances

Required: State which list your book is found on.