Sam’s
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(group member since Jul 23, 2010)
Sam’s
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from the Reading with Style group.
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Read a book by an author who was born in one of the "fall months"--September, October, or November. There are several places, including Wikipedia for you to find an author’s birth date. One good site is The Author Birthday Directory. Be sure to post the author’s birthday when claiming points.

One-hit Wonder Day is September 25th. Read a book that was the only book of its type by the author (a foray into science fiction by a mystery writer, an adult book by someone who normally writes children's books, a fiction book by someone whose other books are nonfiction, etc.), or the only book the author has published to date. For a list of well-known "One Hit Wonders," see One Book Authors. Explain how the author is a One Hit Wonder when claiming points.

Read a book with the name of a specific city or the word "City" in the title. Names of towns, villages, etc. are acceptable, but they need to be real places.
Modification 9/10/10:
If you are claiming points for the use of a city name in the title, the title must actually reference the city itself and/or be the setting of the book.

Vacation is over, and it is time to go back to work. Read a memoir that focuses on the experiences of the author's profession/career.

Go to Flashlight Worthy, browse around a bit, then choose a list and read one book from that list. While you may repeat this task as many times as you like, choose your list carefully . . . you cannot select a new list. Provide the Flashlight Worthy list you used when claiming points.

The harvest moon is beautiful to behold in the autumn. For this task, read a book in honor of the moon that...
A. Has the word moon in the title. This includes compound words like moonlight.
The Pull of the Moon
The Girl Who Chased the Moon
Moonlight on the Avenue of FaithBlue Moon
OR
B. Has a picture of the moon on the cover:
The Dead and the Gone


Read a book that has been published in English with more than one title. It could be a book that has been translated under different titles such as The Possessed, or published under different titles in Britain and America Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone or republished under a different title for whatever reason And Then There Were None.

Sam - The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
Krista - Dracula
Kiri (1st Place) - Kitchen
Coralie (2nd Place) - Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women
Rhea (3rd Place) - Titus Groan

A) Read a novel that has an adjective related to Halloween: Spooky, Creepy, Crawly, Scary etc.
OR
B) Read a book with one of the following in the title: Devil, Witch, Vampire, Zombie, or Werewolf
OR
C) Read a Ghost Story (i.e., any novel that actually has a ghost in it).

September 25 through October 2 is Banned Book Week.
A) Read a book from the ALA's list of Banned and Challenged Classics Books. (Only the books that are bolded are ones that were challenged or banned, so those are the only books that are eligible.)
OR
B) Read a book from the ALA's list of top 100 Banned or Challenged Book from 2000-2009.

Read an anthology or collection of stories that includes (non-introductory) writing by more than one author.

Read a book that has the name of a vegetable/starch or a novel that takes place on a farm.

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on Sept. 22, 1863. Read a book related to the American Civil War or a novel set in the American South.

In observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month, read a book written by an author from Mexico, Central America, South America, or one of the Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean. Please include the country the author is from when posting points.

The Berlin Wall was erected on August 13, 1961, and was torn down on November 9, 1989. Read a book that was published during the time of the existence of the Wall. In reality, the whole world was affected by the Berlin Wall throughout its existence. You may repeat this task as many times as you like, but each time you repeat it you should read a book by an author from a different country and year than the one(s) you have already read for this task. Please include the original publication year, and the nationality of the author when posting points.

Read a non-fiction book that has a minimum of 200 pages. The book can be about any subject.

With the huge success of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the publishing world is making its best attempt to capitalize on that success by promoting the new subgenre called "Scandinavian Noir," a misnomer that groups mystery writers from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. Read a novel that falls under the definition of “Scandinavian Noir.” You can find most of the more popular authors/titles here and here. Please include the country the author is from when posting points.

Choose one book based on your solution to the mystery.
Rita the Reference Librarian was working late one Halloween night when she heard something eerie and went to investigate..... In the morning when Sabine (who came early to finish the shelving) arrived she found Rita dead. What happened in the library that night?
A. Lindsey the Library Ghost accidentally terrified her to death when they collided coming around a corner. Read one of the top 25 selections from the The Best Gothic Novel, Ghost Stories, and Early Horror: 1764-1973.
OR
B. She tripped on a suddenly living plant and fell headlong into the arms of Dracula's nephew. Read a winner from the 2005-2009 Stoker Awards for one of the following categories: Novel, First Novel, Anthology, Collection, Non-Fiction
OR
C. She died defending the Library from a sudden Zombie attack Read a selection from HWA’s Horror Reading List.
OR
D. The sound was the opening of an underground vault which releases an unknown horror hungry for librarians foolish enough to work late on Halloween when the library comes to life on its own. Read one of the top 25 selections from the Best Horror Novels.
Please include the list you chose your book from when posting points. While you may repeat this task, please choose a selection from a different list each time you do so.

1951-2000 (Task 15.1)
1901-1950 (Task 15.2)
1851-1900 (Task 15.3)
1801-1850 (Task 15.4)
1751-1800 (Task 15.5)
1701-1750 (Task 15.6)
1651-1700 (Task 15.7)
1601-1650 (Task 15.8)
1551-1600 (Task 15.9)
1501-1550 (Task 15.10)
When you read a book from a time period on the list, post it in the Completed Tasks section to receive 15 points. Here's where the "challenge" part comes in...
1) Once you have claimed points for a time period, you cannot claim points for that time period again (unless you've completed the Reading through Time once and are starting again).
2) You cannot claim regular style points for any book you read for Reading through Time (nor do the Reading through Time categories count as Combo style points for regular Reading with Style tasks).
3) Once you have completed you first Reading through Time task, you must designate yourself a "Constant Traveler" or a "Time Leaper":
A Constant Traveler will start either at 2000 or 1500 and work his/her way in order through the challenge without skipping any time periods. This reader will receive 10 style points for every book completed after the first book (i.e., books 2-10). At the end of the reader's travels, he/she will receive a 100-point "Well-Traveled" bonus if all time periods have been completed.
A Time Leaper will start at any time period he/she chooses. This reader will receive 10 style points for every book completed after the fifth book (i.e., books 6-10). At the end of the reader's travels, he/she will receive a 50-point "Sightseer" bonus if all time periods have been completed.

The Australian Football League (AFL) is made up of 16 teams. Read a book with one of the 16 team names in the title: Crows, Lions, Blues, Magpies, Bombers, Dockers, Cats, Hawks, Demons, Kangaroos, Power, Tigers, Saints, Swans, Eagles, and Bulldogs. The singular of each word (except for Blues) is the only variation allowed.
10.2 – Literature Map
Go to Literature Map and type in an author whose work you read this summer (June, July, and August). Read a book by another author who comes up on the literature map. While you can repeat this task as many times as you like, you must continue to use the first literature map that you created. Additionally, you must select a different author to read each time you repeat this task. State the author you used to create your Literature Map when claiming points.
10.3 – Fall Birthdays
Read a book by an author who was born in one of the "fall months"--September, October, or November. There are several places, including Wikipedia for you to find an author’s birth date. One good site is The Author Birthday Directory. Be sure to post the author’s birthday when claiming points.
10.4 – One Hit Wonders
One-hit Wonder Day is September 25th. Read a book that was the only book of its type by the author (a foray into science fiction by a mystery writer, an adult book by someone who normally writes children's books, a fiction book by someone whose other books are nonfiction, etc.), or the only book the author has published to date. For a list of well-known "One Hit Wonders," see One Book Authors. Explain how the author is a One Hit Wonder when claiming points.
10.5 – City Lights
Read a book with the name of a specific city or the word "City" in the title. Names of towns, villages, etc. are acceptable, but they need to be real places.
Modification 9/10/10:
If you are claiming points for the use of a city name in the title, the title must actually reference the city itself and/or be the setting of the book.
10.6 – What a Way to Make a Living
Vacation is over, and it is time to go back to work. Read a memoir that focuses on the experiences of the author's profession/career.
10.7 – Under the Covers
Go to Flashlight Worthy, browse around a bit, then choose a list and read one book from that list. While you may repeat this task as many times as you like, choose your list carefully . . . you cannot select a new list. Provide the Flashlight Worthy list you used when claiming points.
10.8 - Karen's 3rd Place Task (via Rhea): Shine on Harvest Moon
The harvest moon is beautiful to behold in the autumn. For this task, read a book in honor of the moon that...
A. Has the word moon in the title. This includes compound words like moonlight.
The Pull of the Moon
The Girl Who Chased the Moon
Moonlight on the Avenue of FaithBlue Moon
OR
B. Has a picture of the moon on the cover:
The Dead and the Gone

10.9 - Coralie’s 2nd Place Task: Also Known As...
Read a book that has been published in English with more than one title. It could be a book that has been translated under different titles such as The Possessed, or published under different titles in Britain and America Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone or republished under a different title for whatever reason And Then There Were None.
10.10 - Group Read
Read one of the following selections from the moderators and previous challenge winners.
Sam - The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
Krista - Dracula
Kiri (1st Place) - Kitchen
Coralie (2nd Place) - Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women
Rhea (3rd Place) - Titus Groan
15.1-15.10 - Reading through Time