Fall/Winter 2012-2013: Questions, Task Help and General Discussion:

[Tami]

All questions about specific tasks and also general discussion. We will be adding some lists for books that could fit some of the harder to find tasks and updating it when people make suggestions. Feel free to give suggestions on books you think would fit someone’s needs for a task.

[Megan]

For 25.7 Fall Back, Spring Ahead, would speculative fiction books count for a future book?

[Tami]

Megan, definitely!

[Tami]

I have had a couple of people message me about how to post book covers.
When you are typing your comment in the box, there is add book/author and (some html is ok) written above the box. Click the add book/author. Type the name of the book, and click the bottom button that says cover (it defaults to link)
So if I were doing The Great Gatsby:
this is what the link looks like The Great Gatsby
and this was choosing cover
Hope that helps.

[Tami]

So far we have 15 people signed up for the challenge, but I have only received 3 messages for the White Elephant task. Don't forget to send me your favorite book you would like to share. Thanks!

[Bianca]

Tami wrote: "So far we have 15 people signed up for the challenge, but I have only received 3 messages for the White Elephant task. Don't forget to send me your favorite book you would like to share. Thanks!"

I am still thinking about that one. Are we actually sending a copy to another participant?

[Tami]

No, you just need to send me a name of the book. We didn't talk about actually sending the book. The issue we may have there would be if 10 people picked the same book, we wouldn't want that person to have to send out 10 copies. :) We will have our Secret Santa exchange again, if you want to sign up for that. Usually around the first part of November.

[Bianca]

Haha alright I just wanted to make sure since it said pass on. I just didn't know if it meant literally or not. Thanks for clearing that up :)

[Tami]

Oooh, I see how you read that. I will fix it. :)

[Rachel]

Ok, the task of 5.4 is really hard for me to figure out a good book either with a fall theme on the cover or set in fall. I still can't think of anything, so does anyone have any ideas?

[Holly]

Rachel wrote: "Ok, the task of 5.4 is really hard for me to figure out a good book either with a fall theme on the cover or set in fall. I still can't think of anything, so does anyone have any ideas?"

I initially had trouble with this task too, but I started by scanning the covers of all the books in my "To-read List" to see if any were fall-ish or reminded me of fall (i.e. leaves, bare trees, etc.). Then I googled "books with a fall setting" and was given some additional options as well. Hope one of these options helps you!

[Tami]

Also feel free to poach someone else's pick. :) Back when I participated in the challenges I did that a lot!

[Allison]

I am going to be participating in the challenge, but I don't really like to make a list ahead of time, I just like to fit books in as I read them, if that is still okay? I am still thinking of my white elephant book...

I have a question for one of the tasks. For 5.8 graphic novel, would The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 1: Tintin in America / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus work? It is three in one and equals 192 pages.

[Tami]

Allison, that would be fine, I know some people have done that in the past.
also, I am okay with the Adventures of Tintin book.

[Ana]

For the scavenger hunt task, would the candle on the cover of Looking for Alaska count as a birthday candle? I don't know much about the book, so I'm not sure if it's just a normal candle.

[Ana]

Also, this may seem like a stretch, but in this edition of A Clockwork Orange it looks like he's wearing overalls and I "abhor" overalls, so could I use that for the Fashionistas challenge?

[Kayla]

I'm having trouble finding a book for task 15.7 Rock N Roll is Here to Stay. I don't know how many other people are having problems with this task too, but could we consider changing the requirements so that it's just about a musician rather than a musician that has "passed away"? That would open up the possibilities so much more.

What does everyone else think?

If you'd rather not change it, do any of you have any recommendations for fictional accounts?

[Ana]

Kayla wrote: "I'm having trouble finding a book for task 15.7 Rock N Roll is Here to Stay. I don't know how many other people are having problems with this task too, but could we consider changing the requiremen..."

Yeah I couldn't really think of anything for that one either...

[Holly]

Kayla wrote: "I'm having trouble finding a book for task 15.7 Rock N Roll is Here to Stay. I don't know how many other people are having problems with this task too, but could we consider changing the requiremen..."

I'm in the same boat. I still can't find anything! :/

[Tami]

Ana, yes I think that is close enough to a birthday candle, and I totally will allow Clockwork Orange for the Fashionista one. The overalls is probably pushing it, but the fashion within the book is enough to make up for it, and you should totally read it!

Okay, we are going to change Rock N Roll to Any Musician. I know there are a bunch of biographies out there recently from some of the rock bands from the 80's and 90's so that should help some. You could also go for classical music. Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, etc. Doesn't have to be Rock.

[Gail (ADDgirl)]

For 5.6 biography can it be a biography about anyone or does it need to be someone famous. Does a memoir count for this? Like if I find it on amazon listed in the biography/memoir section would that fulfill this task?

[Ana]

Thanks Tami!
2 more questions:
For the "Goes Together" task, does the sentence have to make sense, or just be grammatically viable? The combination I'm looking at right now is Unwind and A Study in Scarlet, so "Unwind a study in scarlet" doesn't make much sense, but it is technically a sentence.

And then my other question pertains to the fall equinox task, this cover strikes me as fall inspired, but I suppose it could also be winter. Can I use it?

[Tami]

Gail, I would say any type of biography or memoir would work.

Ana, I think those would both be fine.

[Kelly]

For 15-3. can I read one of the Richard Castle books for Castle?

[Tami]

Kelly, I totally think that would work.

[Holly]

For task 15.3: It’s On TV: Does it need to be a current TV show or can it be a cancelled show?

[Tami]

Holly, either would be fine.

[Michelle]

In case anyone needs some suggestions for Kelly R's Task 20.3: Read-alikes from Book List.

[Martha]

I have a question about task 15.7 (Rock N Roll is here to stay). I know in the updated description it says the book can be about any musician live or dead, fictional or non-fictional. When you say fictional are you referring to fictional accounts of real musicians or can they be fictional musicians? Because I read Effortless, which is about a fictional musician and I was wondering if I can use that book for this task? Thanks!

[Tami]

When I said fictional musicians, I was thinking along the lines of something like Heart-Shaped Box. The main character is a washed up musician. I just read the blurb for Effortless and I think that would be fine.

[David]

Can I get permission to read James Allen's As A Man Thinketh for 5.7? It's a little short (about 100 pages), but I've read several really long books and this'll be my only one under 150.

It's the best self-help, pick-me-up book I've read and it's high time for a reread.

[Tami]

David, that would be fine.

[Tami]

Benjamin, that would be fine.

[Sarah]

Hi, I just joined the challenge :-) For my white elephant I wanted to suggest The Lovers' Dictionary by David Levithan. I'm not sure whether it's too short though - Goodreads says it's 211 pages, but it's written in a funny format, where only half of some of the pages are full. Would this be ok? Maybe people could use it as their one short read - it is marvellous and I recommend it to everyone anyway!

[Tami]

I will get it added Sarah. Thanks.

[Kayla]

Could the word "poems" count as a school related item since it's similar to "book" or "paper"? I'm reading New Poems of Emily Dickinson, and I was wondering if it could count towards the 10.6 (School Dazed) task.

[Kayla]

Kayla wrote: "Could the word "poems" count as a school related item since it's similar to "book" or "paper"? I'm reading New Poems of Emily Dickinson, and I was wondering if it could count towards the 10.6 (Scho..."

You can disregard my question. After I posted it, I checked the page numbers and it's only 136 pages long. While it would have been my only "under 150 pages" book for the challenge, I feel that I'd be stretching it a bit by counting it for the 10.6 task.