June Challenge: Midsummer Festivals

[Kara]

JUNE CHALLENGE: MIDSUMMER FESTIVALS
Duration: June 1 - June 30, 2015

The theme for June is the longest day, and this is also right around the time that midsummer festivals occur.

Midsummer festivals have different names in different countries. For this challenge, you have two options:
(1) Either pick a name to spell out (using one letter from each book by picking the first letter of a word in the title or one of the author's initials)
(2) Choose a number of countries and read a book that takes place in that country

Brazil - Festa Junina
Bulgaria - Nestinarstvo
Canada - St. Johns day
Denmark - sankthans
Estonia - Jaanipäev
Faroe Islands - jóansøka
Finland - Ukon juhla
France - Fête de la Saint-Jean
Germany - Sommersonnenwende
Greece - Klidonas
Hungary - Szentiván-éj
Iran - Tiregān
Italy - Ferragosto
Latvia -Jāņi
Lithuania - Joninės
Norway - Jonsok
Poland - Noc Świętojańska
Romania - Drăgaica
Ukrain/Russia - Ivan Kupala
Scotland - Beltane
Serbia - Igritelj
Spain - San Juan
Sweden - Midsommarafton
Wales - Gŵyl Ifan

-----

Angelique created this challenge for the group, and she will also be the challenge leader. Thank you, Angelique!

[Tawallah]

Using option 2:

1. ✔ Sweden: - JUN 19

2. ✔ Germany: - JUN 10

3. ✔ France:

[Angelique]

Participants:

Adriana - Beltane - read 4 of 7
Anna - read 4 of 4 - Finished Congratulations!
Ariel - Ferragosto - read 10 of 10 - Finished Congratulations!
Cassandra - Sankthans - read 6 of 9
Charity - read 2 of 2 - Finished Congratulations!
ChrisP - read 2 of 2 - Finished Congratulations!
Emma - Klidonas - read 8 of 8 - Finished Congratulations!
Erica - read 0 of 3
Jenny (Novel Idea) - St Johns Day - read 1 of 10
Joanna - read 0 of 2
June - read 3 of 3 - Finished Congratulations!
Kadijah Michelle - Sommersonnenwende - read 2 of 4
Kelsey - Gŵyl Ifan - read 0 of 8
Lulu - read 0 of 3
Marja - read 0 of 1
Mary Pat - read 2 of 2 - Finished Congratulations!
Megan - read 3 of 3 - Finished Congratulations!
Melissa - Klidonas - read 8 of 8 - Finished Congratulations!
Natalie - read 2 of 2 - Finished Congratulations!
Nicole - Ivan Kupala - read 3 of 11
Scott - read 2 of 2 - Finished Congratulations!
Sherry - read 2 of 2 - Finished Congratulations!
Sibyl - read 2 of 2 - Finished Congratulations!
Susan - Gŵyl Ifan - read 8 of 8 - Finished Congratulations!
Traci - Jani - read 0 of 4

Total read 74 out of 120 books.

[Angelique]

Hi June,

Welcome to the challenge!
How many countries were you planning on reading?

[Cassandra]

I'm going to do the spell out challenge for Denmark, so that's 9 books. We'll see how I do!

[Scott]

I'll do the countries option and set my goal for 2 books.

[Tawallah]

Angelique wrote: "Hi June,

Welcome to the challenge!
How many countries were you planning on reading?"

Hi Angelique, I'll post the other countries later

[Lulu]

In with 3. Can we use the same country twice? I don't plan to, but thought it'd be nice to have that clarified.

1. Wales: Among Others by Jo Walton OR Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones OR Sirius by Olaf Stapledon
2. Greece: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
3. Canada: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

[Scott]

Here's my reading list for this challenge

[Charity]

I am choosing the countries option and I will try for 2.

2/2

1. Canada - A Tale for the Time Being 6/3/15
2. Denmark - The Copenhagen Connection 6/20/15

[Megan BG]

3 different countries.


1: The Netherlands: The Goldfinch - 6/26
2: The Land of Ev: Ozma of Oz - 6/27
3: United States: Where She Went - 6/28

[Scott]

Just read that midsummer festivals actually occur on the date (at least in USA) that's the first day of summer (June 21) and the traditions with a midsummer festival would actually have summer starting earlier around May 1.

[Kara]

Scott wrote: "Just read that midsummer festivals actually occur on the date (at least in USA) that's the first day of summer (June 21) and the traditions with a midsummer festival would actually have summer star..."

Interesting, Scott! Thanks for sharing.

[Winter, Group Reads]

Just need to say. Norway says Jonsok, but we don't really call it that any more. The name common today is Sankthans.:)

[Winter, Group Reads]

Read some more. Seems like both the name Jonsok and Sankthans is correct, we just never use Jonsok any more, but I think some older people do still:) Fun fact, didn't know about that ^^ What we learn being in this group ^^

[Erika]

I'm going to use option 2 and go for 3 for now!

[Ariel]

Spelling out: Italy - Ferragosto
[10|10] DONE!!


F: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
E: George Eliot's Middlemarch Edited by Harold Bloom
R: Lalla Rookh by Thomas Moore
R: Get in Trouble by Kelly Link: "I Can See Right Through You" short story
A: Little Black Book of Stories by A.S. Byatt
G: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
O: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
S: Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
T: The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
O: Origin Stories by Kelly Link

[Angelique]

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to this challenge and good luck!

Just to answer a few questions:

@Lulu: Sure you can read books situated in the same country, but it might be more fun trying to find books you like that is located in different countries. The most important thing is to have fun reading the books, and I'm not going to check your books to see if they actually visit the country you use it for.

@Winter: I apologize for any errors I've made. I only speak two languages, Dutch and English, so I have to rely on internet for the other countries.

[Winter, Group Reads]

Angelique wrote: "Hi Everyone,

Welcome to this challenge and good luck!

Just to answer a few questions:

@Lulu: Sure you can read books situated in the same country, but it might be more fun trying to find books y..."

Doesn't matter, just thought it was interesting to read that we called it Jonsok too, the name is known, I just never connected it to Sankthans:)

[Anna]

I'm going for the countries-option too. 4 books should do.

Italy - Catch-22 dropped 16.06

Malta - Der Gejagte 27.06. ✓
France - Peaches for Monsieur le Curé - 1.06 ✓
Hungary - Die Blutgräfin - 1.06 ✓
USA - Ready Player One - 05.06 ✓

[JoJo]

I'm in for 2

Africa - Gorillas in the Mist

America - Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog

[Mary Pat]

I am in for 2 using option #2

America - Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science

Mexico - Like Water for Chocolate

[SibylM]

I'm in for three books taking place in three different countries from the list. No idea what I will be reading yet!

[Adriana]

BELTANE

Plan

[Natalie]

June 2015 Challenge

I will pick option 2 and try for 2 countries.
Not sure what yet so I will list them as I read them.

[ChrisP]

Count me in for 2 for option 2

[Angelique]

Hi,

This challenge officially starts today, so good luck!

I've added everyone up to here, but anyone can still join if they want.

[Megan BG]

I have a question (which may cause me to change my challenge). Are we supposed to pick countries from the list if we select the 2nd option, or just any country?

I'm looking at my list of books for June and most don't fit into the spell out I chose. I do have books set in different countries. One is Ireland, but that's not listed.

[Kadijah Michelle]

Looking at my TBR list, most of my books scheduled for this month are from the USA, but I still want to play and see what you all read. I was born in Germany, so I will go with Sommersonnenwende. I remember enjoying the summer carnivals that would come to town. Now, there is no way I can read 17 books in one month unless someone wants to take my kids, anyone? JK. So I will shoot for 4 in the word.

S
O
M
M
E Esio Trot
R
S
O
N
N
E
N
W
E
N
D The Haunting of a Duke
E

2/4

[Cassandra]

Finished my first book!


S
A
N
K: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick) - June 1
T
H
A
N
S

1/9

[JennyGirlReads]

I am in! I will spell out:


✔S- At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen
T-

J-
O-
H-
N-
S-

✔D- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
✔A- Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
✔Y- Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris

4/10

[Susan C]

I'm in! I'm spelling out the festival in Wales


✓ G The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells read 6/14/2015
✓ ŵ Heading Out to Wonderful read 6/6/2015
✓ y Because of You read 6/15/2015
✓ l Beautiful Fools: The Last Affair of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald read 6/11/2015

✓ I Love Walked In 6/12/2015
✓ f The Art of Fielding read 6/2/2015
✓ a Adultery read 6/8/2015
✓ n Our Endless Numbered Days 6/13/2015

8/8
Challenge completed!

[Emma]

Hi,
Im going to try spell out Klidonas the Greek festival.

K: Dona Nicanora's Hat Shopby Kirstan Hawkins
L : The Moonlight Palace by Liz Rosenberg
I : Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg
D The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Storyby Diane Ackerman
O:What the Day Owes the Night by Yasmina Khadra
N : The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
A : Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
S : Still Alice by Lisa Genova

[Traci]

I am going to do festival for Latvia.


J

A: The Status of All Things

N

I

[Melissa]

I'm in and will spell out Klidonas.
8/8

K. Playing for Keeps - R.L. Mathewson (Jun 07)
L. Perfection - R.L. Mathewson (Jun 10)
I. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You - Ally Carter (Jun 06)
D. Dragon Actually - G.A. Aiken (Jun 30)
O. Visions of Heat - Nalini Singh (Jun 27)
N. Slave to Sensation - Nalini Singh (Jun 24)
A. The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken (Jun 22)
S. Sweet Evil - Wendy Higgins (Jun 28)

[Kelsey]

I will definitely do the festival for Wales ~


G

W

Y

L- Land Where I Flee 6/9/15

I

F

A

N

(1/8)

[Nicole]

I'll give it a shot....

3/11

I
V
A - Bel Ami 6/27/15
N

K
U - Untimed 6/2/15
P
A
L - Les Misérables 6/26/15
A

[Sherry]

I'm in for 2 books for option #2!!!

[Marja]

I'm a Finn and I have never heard midsummer being called "Ukon juhla". I actually had to google it and it's true, Midsummer has been known as Ukon juhla in pre-Christian times in Finland. According to Wikipedia the name was still in use in South Carelia back in the 19th century. Funny things you learn...

Nowadays we just use the name "Juhannus".

Anyways, I'm aiming for one book only. My reading schedule for this month is tight but I'll try to squeeze in one book set in Finland.


Edit: June 30

Finished my challenge with one book today:

Finland: Ihmiset suviyössä

[Cassandra]

S: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
A: Still Alice - June 3
N: Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference
K: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick) - June 1
T: The Time Traveler's Wife
H: Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
A: Foundation (Isaac Asimov)
N: No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam
S: Sharp Objects

2/9

[Adriana]

BELTANE


B - Blue Lily, Lily Blue
E - Extraordinary
L - Living with Jackie Chan
T - Through to You
A - A Need So Beautiful
N - The Never Never Sisters
E - Evertaster

2/7 books read

[Charity]

Updated message 10.

1/2

[Mary Pat]

UPDATE:



Goal: 2 - Progress: 1, To Go 1

America - Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science

[Angelique]

Hi Megan,

Sure you can pick different countries. There are way more countries that celebrate Midsummer's eve than there are in this list.

[Angelique]

Hi,

I've updated everyone to here.

Good luck to everyone who joint recently, and well done for those who've already finished a book or two!

[Mary Pat]

Goal: 2 - Progress: 2, To Go 0 - CHALLENGE COMPLETE~

America - Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science

Mexico - Like Water for Chocolate

[Adriana]

BELTANE


B - Blue Lily, Lily Blue
E - Extraordinary
L - Living with Jackie Chan
T - Through to You
A - A Need So Beautiful
N - The Never Never Sisters
E - Evertaster

3/7 books read

[Ariel]

Update 1|10 (Message 17), please.

[Anna]

Uhm, I'm kinda missing on the (updated) list

[Cassandra]

S: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
A: Still Alice - June 3
N: Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference
K: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick) - June 1
T: The Time Traveler's Wife
H: Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
A: Foundation (Isaac Asimov) - June 6
N: No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam
S: Sharp Objects

3/9