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

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

20.5 - Bigger is Better - Lisa’s Task: Bowling For Dollars

Bowling For Dollars was a popular television game show when I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s. Unlike most game shows, which were taped at a studio in New York or Hollywood and broadcast nationally, this show was produced by local tv stations in cities across the country and featured contestants from the immediate area.
Contestants rolled 2 or 3 balls to win cash and sometimes other prizes. If they knocked down 8 pins, they won $8 dollars. Strikes and spares might earn $20 and 2 strikes in a row won the Jackpot, which increased incrementally until a contestant won. At the start of the game, each contestant picked a “Pin Pal” from a hopper of postcards sent in by local viewers, who would share in the winnings.

Pick one option and read a book to satisfy that option.
Required: State the option

Option A: I watched Bowling For Dollars on WBAL-TV broadcast out of Baltimore, Maryland. Read a book where the letters “WBAL” can be found in the title and/or author’s name.

Option B: WBAL aired Bowling For Dollars, which was played with tenpins, but also Duckpin and Dollars, which used a smaller pin than a tenpin and harder to roll a strike on. Read a book where the author’s first and last initial can be found in one of the show titles: “Bowling For Dollars” or “Duckpins and Dollars.”
Required: State which show title you used.

Option C: Read a book where one of these Bowling For Dollars terms: STRIKE, SPARE, PIN PAL or JACKPOT can be made using letters in the Title.
Required: Identify which term you used.

20.4 Golden Oldies - Hannelore's Task: I Really Like This Bowl

While there are a lot of good gameshows from the Netherlands (where I live), my favourite shows are from the UK. I especially like the creative shows, like The Great British Bakeoff, The Big Flower Fight and The Great Pottery Throw Down.

As this task is centered around creativity, using a book with the MPG “Sequential Art”, “Comics”, “Comic Book” and/or “Manga” for this task is allowed and encouraged.

This is a one book task, choose an option and read one book for that option.
Required: State the option

Option 1: The Great British Bakeoff - My absolute favourite cake is lemon merengue pie. Read a book that is, according to TinEye, at least 50% yellow.
A Guides to using Tineye can be found here
Required: Post the cover

Option 2: The Big Flower Fight - Read a book with multiple flowers clearly visible on the cover. (At least 3 flowers.) Bouquets, flower arrangements and gardens all count
Required: Post the cover

Option 3: The Great Pottery Throw Down - One of the judges from The Pottery Throw Down, Keith Brymer Jones, is known to get teary-eyed when judging a piece that he especially appreciates.

Read a book where the first and last initials of the author(s) can be found in the quote “I REALLY LIKE THIS BOWL”. Letters may only be used as often as they appear. In case of multiple authors, all first and last initials must fit in the quote at the same time.

Bonus task for fun: Go to YouTube and look up “pottery throwdown keith crying”. Seeing him appreciate art and creativity gives me so much joy. You might want to keep some tissues ready.

20.2 Rookie at the Top - JenJ IA's Task: LEGO Masters - Play Well, Read Well!

LEGO is a big part of life at our house, so we naturally tuned in to watch the competition TV show LEGO Masters when it premiered in the United States in 2020 (It is based on a British TV show of the same name). The name "LEGO" is a contraction of the Danish words: "leg godt" (English: "play well"). It turns out the word also means either "I collect," "I compose," or "I read” in Latin. What could be better than combining two of my favorite things, LEGO and books?!

Since LEGO is for all ages, MPG Childrens and Middle Grade books are allowed. Also, one part of the fun of LEGO is visual storytelling so books that are MPG Sequential Art, Graphic Novels, Comics, Comic Book, or Manga may be used.

This is a one book task. Select a book for one of the options below.
REQUIRED: State which option you chose.

Option 1: The host and judges of LEGO Masters are a big part of the charm and humor of the show. Since I’m watching in the US, I’m familiar with the cast from the American version of the show. Will Arnett hosts the show and Brickmasters Jamie Berard and Amy Corbett are the judges.

Read a book written by a single author who shares their first AND last initial (ignore middle initials) with the initials of the cast listed above. You can use any of the initials: W, A, J, B, A, C in any combination, in any position, but only as often as they occur (A is the only one you can use twice). Ex. Chris Bohjalian, Jennifer L. Armentrout, or Alexandra Andrews would work. B.K. Borison would not.

Option 2: One episode of LEGO Masters that stands out is Season 1, Episode 6: Need for Speed / Super-Bridges. In this episode, the builders had to build a bridge out of LEGO that would support the most weight. This inspired my kids to compete by building bridges out of LEGO to find out how much weight they could support. We then incorporated LEGO into our new pandemic at-home learning as this originally aired March 11, 2020.
For this option, read a book that has a bridge on the cover. The bridge needs to be recognizable as a bridge, but water or ground beneath the bridge does not need to be visible.

Required: Post the cover.

Option 3: The American LEGO Masters series completed its 4th season at the end of 2023 and the 5th season is anticipated for Fall 2024.
Read a book that is #4 or #5 in a series. Whole numbers only. Half or other decimal numbers (eg #4.5 or #5.7) are not allowed. The series name and number must be noted in gray parenthesis after the book title.

Option 4: LEGO creations are made by connecting different shaped pieces, bricks, tiles, plates, etc. Part of the satisfaction comes when all the interconnected pieces come together and form a new object. Playing on the idea of connection and how books are made of many words connecting to create something new, this option plays with letters and words. Choose one of the following, a or b
Required: State the option

a) Read a book with a two-word title (ignore subtitles) where the second word starts with the last letter of the first word.
EX: Darling Girls The Enchanted Still Life

b) Read a book with a title of at least three words (ignore subtitles) where each word must share at least one letter (in any position) with the word preceding it.
EX: The Cheat Sheet The Echo of Old Books No Two Persons

Optional: Get creative! Build something with LEGO, or your blocks of choice, while listening to an audiobook!

20.1 Most Improved - FLY's Task: Springing To Mind

This is a one book task, choose an option and read one book for that option.
Required: State the option.

1. My son’s birthday! My son was born on March 1st, and this year was his 21st birthday. Right now we’re recovering from our night out celebrating. His drink of choice was something called an “emerald” martini, though it was actually the color of antifreeze. Eww. For this task choose a book with a drink on the cover. . The drink needs to be a beverage for humans and the container needs to be one that humans drink out of- Glass, cup, bottle, mug... (It doesn’t have to be alcohol, but we should be able to see that it’s an actual drink, not just a drink container.)

examples: , ,
Required: Post the cover

2. The Oscars! I don’t watch them on TV, but I do try and watch all the nominated movies at some point. Since Oppenheimer is leading the pack in nominations, let’s recognize its impact by reading a nonfiction book with Main Page Genre of Biography, Science, or War.

3. Baby Animals! Yes, fuzzy ducklings and bunnies are the first things that come to mind when I think spring. Since the book Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings falls short of SRC requirements, let’s see if we can find a book with ALL author initials in the phrase FUZZY YELLOW DUCKLINGS. Multiple authors are okay, as long as all the initials can be found in the phrase.

4. Spring Break! Much of the world has a springtime or Easter break from school, but in the U.S. spring break is pretty much an excuse for college students to act crazy and kill brain cells. For this option, read a book set at least 50% in Florida.
Required: Provide a reference if the location isn't obvious from the Goodreads main page.

5. Spring cleaning! I hate cleaning, but I love the way the house feels when it’s aired out after winter. Read a book that features cleaning by either (a) being about someone who cleans for a living or (b) showing domestic cleaning supplies on the cover. (e.g. laundry detergent, mop, toilet brush, etc.)

Examples:



Required: Post the cover (if using the cover option) or identify how the books fits the task if it is not evident on Goodreads book page.

30 Point Tasks

30.5 - Truitt_T’s task: Match it Up!
Help Thread

I cannot even begin to guess how many episodes of the 1970s version of Match Game I watched as a kid. I loved Gene Rayburn and so many of the truly funny celebrity guests - Betty White, Charles Nelson Riley, Gary Burghoff, Richard Dawson, Fannie Flagg, Vicky Lawrence, Jack Klugman, Elaine Joyce, Jo Ann Pflugg, Mary Wickes, Dick Martin, Marcia Wallace - the list goes on and on. So in honor of the 1970s version of Match Game, here’s your task:

This is a two book task. MPG Childrens and Middle Grade books are not eligible (Match Game was a bit risqué.) Also, books that are MPG Sequential Art, Graphic Novels, Comics, Comic Book, or Manga may not be used.

Read two books with an identical 4 or more letter word in the title or subtitle. The words must be identical - no plurals, possessives, or embedded words allowed. One of your chosen books MUST be Non-Fiction.

Examples:
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
The World According to Garp

Notes from a Small Island
The Island

Is That a Fish in Your Ear? Translation and the Meaning of Everything
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying
Magic Bites

The total page count for the two books must be 450 pages or more.

Required: Note the common title word.


30.6 - Amy FL’s task: The Chase is On
Help Thread

I have always loved watching game shows and even remember Art Fleming, the original host of Jeopardy, and Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford who preceded Pat Sajak and Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune. I still watch those old favorites, but now enjoy watching The Chase which originated in the UK and now airs in prime time in the US. There are currently no new episodes on the schedule, but I’m eagerly awaiting its return.

The show features a team of three challengers who have to defeat a trivia master. These trivia pros are no joke and they rarely lose. Their encyclopedic knowledge of such a wide range of topics is incredible!

For this task, read two books, one from two different options. No children’s books or comics/sequential art may be used and the two books must total a minimum of 700 pages.

Required: State the options.

Option 1: The Chasers featured on the show so far were Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter, James Holzhauer, Brandon Blackwell, Victoria Groce, Buzzy Cohen and Mark Labbett. Read a book written by an author whose name matches one of these geniuses. It can be the first or last name and can appear in any position (Henry James for James Holzhauer as an example). The name must match exactly (Ken, not Kenny or Kenneth). If your book has multiple authors, they ALL must share a name with one of the Chasers.

Required: Identify the name of the author and the Chaser who shares the name in your post.

Option 2: Brad Rutter’s nickname on the show is “The Buzzsaw” which probably would have worked better for Buzzy Cohen who is known as “The Stunner.” Read a book that has two of the letter Z in any combination of its title, subtitle and/or author’s name. The z’s do not have to be connected, so one in the title and another in the author's name works, for example.

Option 3: James, the “High Roller” Holzhauer was a Jeopardy champ famous for taking big risks on daily doubles by betting his entire earnings. Given that he is a professional gambler, that behavior wasn’t surprising, but it made for some exciting games. For this task, read a book set at least 50% in Las Vegas where James resides OR with one of these gambling items on the cover: a poker chip, playing card or single die or pair of dice.

Required: If using the cover option, include the cover in your post. If the Las Vegas setting isn’t apparent from the GR description or metadata, provide a reference.

Option 4: Mark Labbett was only on for one season and Ken Jennings left to become full-time host of Jeopardy. They were replaced by Brandon Blackwell (“The Lightning Bolt”) and Victoria Groce (“The Queen”) who is the only female Chaser. Read a book written by a single female author whose first and last name begin with the same letter (Lisa Lutz, for example).


30.7 - TessaVanessa’s Task: The Price is Right
Help Thread

The Price is Right is one of the most loved game shows on American television. Contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. It is the first game show I remember watching.

Read two books, from two different options.
Required: State the options.

Option 1: COME ON DOWN: The show started with the host choosing a contestant from the studio audience by calling out the words: Come on down, you’re the next contestant on the Price is Right. Read a book with a word of five letters or more that can be made from COME ON DOWN, YOU’RE THE NEXT CONTESTANT. Letters may only be used as often as they appear.

Required: State the word.

Option 2: PRICING GAMES: There were many games played on the Price is Right before a contestant made it to the final showcase. A few of the games I remember are Plinko, Grocery Game, Cliff Hangers, Safe Crackers, Dice Game, Bonkers, and Bullseye. Read a book with a title, subtitle and/or author that includes all the letters in one of these games.

Required: State the game you are using.

Option 3: SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN The show runs for 60 minutes. The 3 contestants from the first half will have a chance at The Big Wheel as well as the 3 from the second half. The highest number from each set advances to the showcase showdown. The remaining 2 contestants get to bid on a showcase of items ranging from vacations, cars, boats and other big ticket items. The one closest to the actual cost wins. Go to https://spinthewheel.app/the-price-is... and spin the wheel. Read a book that includes the number(s) you spun in the page count . The numbers can be in any order.

Required: State the number you spun.

Option 4: From 1979 until his last appearance in 2007, Bob Barker would end each episode with the following words: “Bob Barker, to remind you, help to control the pet population - have your pets spayed or neutered. Goodbye everybody!” - a plea that was continued by the man who succeeded him in the role, Drew Carey. Read a book with a domestic dog or cat on the cover. It can be a live animal or a drawing as long as you can tell it is a cat or dog.

Required: Post the cover.

20.3 Best Review - Lucy-Bookworm's Task: Subtitles

We have a lot of tasks that relate to titles, but the poor subtitles often get overlooked so this is a task dedicated to the humble subtitle!

Read a book with a subtitle that has at least 6 words in it.

20.7 Shorter is Sweeter - Lois' Task: The Dating Game

The original version of The Dating Game was a popular TV game show in the mid-1960s to early 70s. A bachelorette posed questions to three bachelors who were behind a screen and at the end of the half hour, she chose Bachelor #1, Bachelor #2, or Bachelor #3 for a date.

Read a book with MPG Romance that is #1, #2, or #3 in a series that has at least 3 published books in the series.
The series number must be indicated in gray on the book's main page, usually above the title. Whole numbers only. Romance genre may be stand-alone or embedded, e.g., Historical Romance, Western Romance.

My favorite game obsession right now is the NYT puzzle Connections, and the similar BBC gameshow Only Connect. My favorite categories are the ones that involve word play, but those are the ones many of my friends find the most frustrating! I'm basing this challenge on some of the recent word play categories that my friends have complained about.
This is a two book task, please read one book from two different options.

Option 1: Hidden musical instruments - read a book with a word in the title or subtitle that contains a musical instrument intact. The word cannot just be the name of a musical instrument (or the plural of the name)! For example: Organism includes the word ORGAN, Rebellion contains BELL, Conundrum contains DRUM.
REQUIRED: State the word from the title/subtitle and the musical instrument

Option 2: Colors missing their first letter - read a book with a word of at least three letters in the title or subtitle that would spell the name of a color if you added a letter at the beginning of the word OR if you changed the letter at the beginning. For example: INK becomes PINK if you add a P, or SLACK becomes BLACK if you change the S to a B.
REQUIRED: State the word from the title/subtitle and how you modified it to make a color.

Option 3: Anagram animals - read a book with a word of at least three letters in the title or subtitle that is an anagram of an animal (birds, mammals, insects, fish, reptiles and amphibians all count). For example, FLOW - WOLF HEAR - HARE, LOW - OWL, LEAF - FLEA. Possessives & plurals are permitted (eg GODS-DOGS)
REQUIRED: State the word from the title/subtitle and the animal name.

Option 4: Body parts - read a book with a word in the title or subtitle that contains a human body part. The word cannot just be the name of a body part (or the plural)! For example: HANDSOME has HAND in it, but the word hand or hands would not work. Another example: FRIENDSHIP has HIP in it.
REQUIRED: State the word from the title/subtitle and the body part it contains.

A group of my girlfriends and I have a monthly women’s book club that we call the Renaissance Women’s Book Club. I always love this group as frankly my reading preferences tend to be the oddball one in the group and thus I end up reading a bunch of things that I wouldn’t normally read. Our one rule for the group is that the book always has to be a female author. Last month our BOM for our nature theme was The Comfort of Crows and the author starts things off with the idea that the tone of your year is set by the first bird you see that year. In discussion, the question was asked if you had a bird to represent your year this year, what would it be.

I said, for me it’d be the Robin. Robin’s are often associated with hope, good luck, happiness, and new beginnings or rebirth. That just feels like how I’m looking at this 2024.
So in honor of my this idea and my book club for this task, read two books, one from two different options. Also, all books chosen for this task must have a female author.

Option 1: Hope – This is the first year in a long time where I look towards the year and feel like I’ve got a lot of potential coming down the line. It leaves me with a lot of hope that this could be the year I finally take that next step in film. Someday I hope that I’m in a position to make the kinds of movies that I really want to make, and a lot of those are adaptations of some of my favorite books.
Read a book from the first 25 pages of the List: Books that Should be Made Into Movies
Required: State the page that your book is found on

Option 2: Good Luck – My year started off with a big boon. I had a friend who was cast in a movie and friends with the director. He asked her if she had any recommendations for a few of the roles he had yet to cast. She recommended me and this led to me being offered one of the roles in the film. The film was all about women’s fertility issues.
Read a book where a leading character is/becomes pregnant.
Required: If it is not evident on the Goodreads page, provide a reference to support this

Option 3: Happiness – So far this year has been a good one and the potential keeps that smile on my face.
Read a book that has a cover that’s at least 75% according to Tineye of any combination of the colors associated with happiness…yellow, orange, pink, or red. It can be all of one color or a combination of any of those colors to reach the 75%.
A guide to using TinEye can be found here
Required: Post the Cover

Option 4: New Beginnings – I have been in Los Angeles for a long time at this point, working to get to the point where I can support myself solely from my work in film. I’m an actor/producer and unfortunately, especially with the struggles of the last couple of years from the pandemic to the strikes this last year, that’s meant that I’ve had to rely on my day job as a bartender more than I would like. Right now I have a few potential projects on the horizon that would give me a new start within the industry.
Read a book where the author’s first & last initials can be found in the job titles I might be holding here soon…ACTOR, WRITER, and/or PRODUCER. Letters can only be used as many times as they appear, but can split across the words (eg Ann Patchett AP - A in Actor, P in producer).

Jessica wrote: "Bookwrm526

Hi! The Readerboard has my point total at 10, but I think it should be 20.
I did just notice that I didn't include my readerboard name in post 2, but that would make my total 15 still, not 10. I've confused myself at this point!"

That's the problem! I had attributed your post #2 to "Jessica" not "Bookwrm526" - I'll get that sorted today ...

To celebrate the SPRING challenge, I’d like to highlight some of my favorite things about Spring.

This is a two book task, choose 2 different options and read 1 book from each option. Children’s books (Childrens, Middle Grades, Juvenile, etc.) or sequential art (Graphic novels, Manga, Comics, etc.) may be used, as long as they fit standard SRC requirements.
State the options.

Option 1. Planting a garden or attending a farmers market means fresh food. I love fresh tomatoes, especially! Read a book with one or more vegetables on the cover. They can be actual photos or artwork, but no silhouettes.
For the purpose of this task a tomato is defined as a vegetable - the list of acceptable vegetables is: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lis...
REQUIRED: Include the cover in your post.

Examples: ,

Option 2. I love when the tree leaves appear and flowers add color. Read a book whose title includes one of these common flower names intact: Rose, Gerbera, Sunflower, Marigold, Tulip, Daffodil, Daisy, Orchid, Carnation, Jasmine. Plurals and possessives are allowed.

Option 3. My dad’s career was white collar, but he was still that farm kid at heart. Gardening was his summer passion and I loved all the fresh produce and canned vegetables that resulted. Read a book first published during my father’s lifetime: 1927-1997.

Option 4. Read a book with a four-letter or more word in the title/subtitle that can be made from the phrase “SPRING HAS SPRUNG". Letters may only be used as often as they appear.
REQUIRED: State the word

2023 was a rough year for me with challenges at work and with family needing me to provide extra support. My goal for 2024 is to be a bit more mindful in making space for myself and a more balanced life. So far, I am not meeting that goal but still enjoying the adventures. Join my travels with me.

Choose one from each of two different options, or one book of at least 500 pages that matches two of the following options.
REQUIRED: State the options you chose.

Option 1: Road Trip
For family, I spent the new year driving from DC to Florida finding the strawberry capital of the US. I was eating red with strawberry shortcake and strawberry shakes. Then the following week, again for family I drove from DC to VT finding a white out major snowstorm. Read a book with a cover over 50% red OR over 50% white according to Tineye.
A guide to using TinEye can be found here
REQUIRED: Include the book cover when posting.

Option 2: Jamaica’n Me Crazy
By the end of January, I flew to Jamaica for 3 weeks for work. I loved it!! The pride in culture, food, gorgeous beaches and very lucky to celebrate the anniversary of Bob Marley’s birthday and the opening of the One Love movie. I just missed Harry and Megan at the Bob Marley Museum.
Read a book with an MPG of Music.

Option 3: Egypt and Uganda
March finds me at both ends of the Nile (at least the White Nile) with 2 weeks in Egypt and 2 weeks in Uganda for work. A river definitely runs through it especially in Cairo.
Read a book where all the letters found in the phrase “The Nile” are found in the title, exclude the subtitle. The letters of the phrase do NOT need to be found intact or consecutively. Example: THE sILENt companions- The Silent Companions

Option 4: Putting ME first.
Audiobooks and e-books (and the library!) make all the travel more reasonable and allow me to continue to participate in reading challenges. Audiobooks keep me company on the long drives. Read a book that has won an Audie Award in any category, https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/...
REQUIRED: State the category & year that it won

While reading has always been my main hobby, in recent years I have also taken up ballroom dancing – and I love it! So this task is going to be based on the dances I’ve learned.

This is a two-book task. Choose 2 different options and read 1 book from each option.

Option 1: Waltz – Waltzing can feel like floating around a room to that 1-2-3, 1-2-3 rhythm. Read a book that is either #1, 2, or 3 in a series that has at least three books. The series name must be present in grayscale on the Goodreads main page. For this task only whole numbers are allowed.

Option 2: Swing – There are actually many kinds of swing dancing, including lindy hop, jitterbug, east coast swing, and west coast swing. I love both the east and west varieties, so read a book that shows a coastline on the cover. It must show a beach/shoreline and water.
Required: Post the cover
Books that would work: ,
Books that would not work: ,

Required: Post the cover.

Option 3: Country Two-Step – It’s really cool to see a dance floor full of couples moving around in a country two-step, and many of them will be sporting cowboy hats and boots. Read a book with either a cowboy hat or at least one western-style boot on the cover. I realize there are many types of cowboy hats, but I'm looking for the stereotypical cowboy hat.

Examples that would work:

Required: Post the cover

Option 4: Salsa – There are so many great Latin dances in addition to salsa – rumba, bachata, cha cha, merengue, samba. Read a book set at least 75% in Mexico, Central or South America, or Cuba, Puerto Rico, or the Dominican Republic.

Required: If not clear in the Goodreads description, state the location.

Option 5: Dance to Your Own Rhythm – Read a book with a cover that shows at least two people dancing OR that includes at least one word from the name of one of the following dances in the title (not subtitle): waltz, foxtrot, salsa, rumba, swing, jive, jitterbug, hustle, tango, mambo. Word must be exact, no variation, not even plurals or possessives.

Required: Post the cover if using the dancing couple option.

My daughter started school last year and it has been such a joy helping her learn to read. Choose two of the following options.

Option 1: Kids don't start reading with ABC any more, the first letters they learn are M, S and F. Read a book by an author with a first name that starts with M, S, or F.

Option 2: For a long time, all the books she read were composed solely of 3-letter words. Read a book with a title where all words have 3 or fewer letters (subtitles excluded), e.g. I Let You Go, Us, The Bay

Option 3: Thankfully for me, she still really prefers being read to. We are reading a lot of chapter books together. Read a book with the main page genre Childrens, Junior, or Middle Grade - the book must still meet the general rules for the SRC.

Despite religious and political significance behind the day, St. Patrick's Day (March 17) is celebrated in many countries, especially those formerly or currently associated with the British Empire.

This is a two book task. Choose two options, and read one book for each. Book choices must follow standard SRC book rules. Total pages must be 500 or more pages.
Required: state the chosen options.

Option 1: Wearin' of the Green
It's popular to wear green in any shade on St. Patrick's Day. Some wear green from head to toe, while others wear a green accessory or apply a mark on the skin with green highlighter. Read a book with a cover that is at least 50% green AND has minimum 317 pages.
Required: post the cover.
This list may be helpful: Greenest Books Ever

Option 2: Ireland
Read a book written by an author born in Ireland. If there are multiple authors, all must be born in Ireland.
Required: if not obvious from the book's GR page, provide a reference.
OR
Read a book that is on the first 15 pages of the Ireland Books list
Required: state the page.

Option 3: Emblems
Read a book that contains one of the following on the cover:
Beer (must be a beer stein, tankard or traditional pint glass/pint pot with a foam head showing - a bottle or keg will not count), Harp, Clover (3 or 4 leaf will count), Pot of Gold, Leprechaun
Required: post the cover

Everyone has a favorite genre and a genre they tend to stay away from. For this task you decide, a comfort read or a challenge.

From the list below, pick a genre to read. This is a two book task, read one book for each option listed. Both books must have the MPG of the genre chosen, and the MPG must be stand alone.

Contemporary
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Horror
Humor
Memoir
Mystery
Romance
Science Fiction
Thriller
True Crime

Book One: Read a book where all the letters of your genre appear in the title/subtitle/author name.
Exception: For Historical Fiction and Science Fiction, you can remove the word Fiction

Book Two: Read a book with at least a three word title where the first letter of every word can be found in the name of your genre.
Letters can only be used as often as they appear.

Example
Genre: Thriller
book 1: HaRd gILrs by j. RobErT Lennon
book 2: Everyone Here Is Lying

Required: State the Genre

25.5 - Delicious Dee's Task - Bee Hive Bookclub

This past year, I was lucky enough to participate in my first cycle of the Bee Hive bookclub. The club is divided into sub-hives of 12 people each and during the year – you read 12 books picked by members of your sub-hive. Since March 2023 was my start of Bee Hive and I’ll be starting my new cycle this month, my challenge is based on it.

For this task, read 2 books that meet 2 of the different options. Your minimum page count must exceed 500pgs (so 501+)
No graphic novels, no childrens books. All books must be by a single author.
Required: State the options you used.

Option 1: Read a book where BEE or HIVE can be found intact in the title (not subtitle). for example - Shiver (HIVE found intact) or If He Had Been with Me (BEE intact)

Option 2: Read a book by an author found on my Bee Hive shelf – you may read a specific book that is on my list, or any other book by the author.

Option 3: The initials of the members in my sub-hive for last year and this year are:
Read a book where the authors first & last initials match a member in my sub-hive. Initials must be in the order they appear (i.e. for my team mate LB – you could use Linwood Barclay but not Brian Leung)
KS, SM, JG, LW, KV, LM, LB, BM, AS, SD, DF

Option 4: Several of books read this year really pushed me out of my comfort zone (which is why I love these book clubs). Those books were Black Sunday and The Book of Goose. Read a book that can be found on the first 25 pages of either African Literature or France lists
REQUIRED: state the list & page you found the book on.

In the Spring of 2014, SRC member Elizabeth B gave us the task “Nordic Noir.” She began with the phrase: “It's been more than 10 years since I got the Nordic noir bug.” Now, because of Elizabeth B’s task 10 yrs. ago, I can honestly say that, too.
I am bringing back the task almost exactly as Elizabeth B outlined it and moderator Kristina Simon edited it.

Unlike the previous task, though, mine is for adults only. No books with the genres “Children’s” or “Kids” are allowed.
Variations of the “same name” in option B.1. are not allowed this time; the name must be exact – trying to avoid a lot of questions and confusion. I eliminated one option for Book B.
Other than that, here’s how Elizabeth B and editor Kristina Simon gave Nordic Noir to us, and I give it to you.

The task is for 2 books that total 500 pages or more.

Book A: Read a book set primarily (at least 50%) in a Nordic country or written by a single Nordic author (by birth or by residence). For the purposes of this task, the Nordic countries will be considered to be: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, the Åland Islands, the Faroe Islands, and Svalbard. These lists might give you some ideas, but be careful as it's possible that not all books on the lists will fit the task: Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries
Scandinavian Literature

REQUIRED: If the GRs description does not make it clear, explain how your book fits the task.

Book B: Read a book that is connected to Book A in one of the following ways:
1. By author’s name -- The first or last name of the author of Book B is the same as the author of Book A. Names may appear in any position (Variations in spelling of the same name are NOT allowed – this might be exasperating for Scandinavian authors, but I want to avoid as much confusion as possible.) Both books may be by the same author as well.
2. By setting -- Book B is set at least 50% in the same country as Book A.
3. By year of first edition -- Book B was first published in the same year as Book A.

REQUIRED: Identify how Book B is related to Book A when you post.

5 weeks of school and all I seem to be doing is driving the kids around from one sport activity to another.

This is a two-book task. Please select one book from two different options. One children’s/middle grade book may be used.
REQUIRED: State the option

Option 1: Swimming
Read a book where author's (first & last) initials are found in one of these swimming training aids: TRAINING FIN, KICKBOARD, PULLBUOY
Letters can only be used as they appear in the word. If reading a book with multiple authors, all authors' initials must be found in the word

Required: state initials & word used.

Option 2: Volleyball
Read a book with MPG Sports and Children* or Middle Grade* or Young Adult or New Adult

For example:
Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks #1) by Miranda Kenneally (Sports + Young Adult)
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (Sports + Middle Grade)
This list may help: Sports Themed YA NA

*If you are reading Children / Middle Grade MPG, please check SRC rules to ensure they qualify

Option 3: Crossfit
The teen is lifting 102.5kg for dead lift these days. Read a book with page count that consists of with at least 2 of these numbers (0, 1, 2, 5). Numbers may not repeat.

This is a 2-book task based on common task challenges. Pick an option and read a book for each category in that option. You may read one book that is 500+ pages if it fits both categories of your chosen option.
REQUIRED: state the option you have chosen

I have found that challenge tasks seem to be categorized into 3 main types with variations within. Each option deals with two variations of one of these main types.

Option 1 – Using a phrase to spell title words or contain author initials, letters can only be used as often as they appear
Category 1 – Be sure to check those uncommon words because they have often surprised me by fitting in a challenge like this. Read a book with at least a four letter word in the title or subtitle that can be spelled from the phrase TITLE WORD SPELLED FROM PHRASE. (Apostrophe's can be ignored)
REQUIRED: State the word
Category 2 – One of the easiest challenges for me to complete since I read a wide range of books and work in a library. I can usually just go to the shelves and scan for a book that fits that I wouldn’t mind reading. Read a book with all author initials, middle initials count if the author has one, in the phrase AUTHOR INITIALS CONTAINED IN PHRASE

Option 2 – Finding items or colors on the cover
Category 1 – I remember my mother constantly trying to get me to wear colors other than black during my teen years. It’s not that I didn’t like color, I just wasn’t very fashionable and black goes with everything. Read a book with at least 6 different colors on the cover according to TinEye. A guide to using TinEye can be found here
Category 2 – While I am not very talented and have only taken lessons sporadically, I like to play the piano and can play simple tunes on my recorder and dulcimer. Read a book with a musical instrument on the cover.
REQUIRED: Post the cover

Option 3 – Choosing a book from genres or lists
Category 1 – Based on probably my most read genre (many books I read in other genres also have a subtext of romance), read a book with a MPG of Romance, genre may be embedded such as Historical Romance
Category 2 – Mysteries is my first love in books. Over the years, I have discovered that some of the best come from Scandinavian countries. Read a book from one of these lists
REQUIRED: state the list and page where your book was found
Nordic Scandinavian Mysteries Female
Scandinavian Nordic Mysteries
Murder Most Cold