The Next Best Book Club discussion
Cynthia's Seasonal Challenges
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SUMMER 2009 TASK SUGGESTIONS
I have a question that is more of a favor... is there any way that you could move the time that the list gets published to earlier? The reason I ask this is because I have to go to Washington DC the first week of June and will not have Internet access. If you could please post the list then I can get some books to take with me. If not I understand I was just wondering that is all.
sarahi think the list normally gets posted a week or so before the beginning of the month the task starts anyway.
Read a NBC Today Show Book Club book or an Oprah's Book Club bookrepeat the task Read A TNBBC past or present group read and comment on one of the group read threads.
I really like Angies suggestions as well as the birthstone one and the book within a book challenge.Here are my ideas:
1. Summer is yard sale time. Buy and read a book at a yard sale. Or read one that you have already bought at a yard sale but have not finished yet.
2. Summer is fun. This idea could be fun. Go to your local library (friends book shelf or a book store could work if needed). Choose any aisle you wish. Take then number of steps that's in your first name (the one on your birth certificate). Turn left if you're male, right if you're female. Close your eyes. Reach out your hand and touch a book (any height you wish no peeking!) Open your eyes and read a book that is within 3 books either direction of the one you touched. The one you touched is fine too :)
3. Read a book where either the author's first or last name is in the title.
4. Some of the other inital ideas got me thinking. I enjoyed getting book ideas off others book shelfs as well. How about we read a book from someone's book shelf (past present or future but not all three) who has the same initial as us -- First or last.
oh, I didin't word my yardsale one very well. I don't mean that you have to read it while at the yard sale :)
Lacy wrote:2. Summer is fun. This idea could be fun. Go to your local library (friends book shelf or a book store could work if needed). Choose any aisle you wish. Take then number of steps that's in your first name (the one on your birth certificate). Turn left if you're male, right if you're female. Close your eyes. Reach out your hand and touch a book (any height you wish no peeking!) Open your eyes and read a book that is within 3 books either direction of the one you touched. The one you touched is fine too :)
That sounds like a fun way to find a book!
lol lacy can you imagine all of us standing there in a yard sale reading a book while everyone else is having to step around us. It would be really funny if we were all at the same yard sale!!!i love the one about taking the number of steps in your name and turning right/left etc etc!
Read a book (fiction or non-fiction) about a hobby (or career) that interests you but that you have never done or tried (e.g. a book about art if you'd often thought you'd like to paint but have never tried it).Read a book (fiction or non-fiction) about an insect or animal that scares you. After reading the book are you still/less/more scared?
I'VE EDITED OUT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BIT
I like the first suggestion, Shannon. The other two might be a little tough for me because I'm not really scared of anything. (Well I suppose I'm afraid of rape, but something tells me that's not something psychological you'll get over by reading a book!)
Lacy, I love the walking down the bookshelf aisle one. I wonder which aisle I would pick? Especially funny with Dewey decimal if you're in non-fiction because there tend to be weird stuff lumped together. I can just see myself trying to land in feminism and ending up with a book on pregnancy, haha.
Judith, you are quite right, I'm going to scrap that one. I was thinking more in the line of if I was scared of spiders but found out more facts about them, and understood them, I wouldn't be so scared of them!
There are certainly books you can read to help you deal with fear of crime etc. I really like the idea of a joint fear challange "read about something you are afraid of" in general
Read a non-fiction book.Read a historical fiction book.
Read a book of short stories.
Read a play, then watch an adaptation of it, either live or on DVD or youtube!
Read a book by a GoodReads author.
(From Wikipedia) Midsummer's Day is June 24. People believed that mid-summer plants had miraculous healing powers and they therefore picked them on this night. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southwards again. In later years, witches were also thought to be on their way to meetings with other evil powers. Read a book where disease or the supernatural is a major plot point.
What about this one:Read a book about your job. ie you're a teacher read a book about a teacher. :)
- This one might be too challenging, but read a book that has words that correspond to both your first and last initials. e.g. if you initials are S.K. (or M.S. or S.M. or K.S. or K.M. etc), you can read Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper.- Also, what about, read a book where the first word is a number (not spelled out) 'A' 'An' and 'The' do not count as first words
- Read a book that you have ad for the longest time and not read
- Read a book that you have previously given up on
- Read a book who's cover is primarily designed with your favorite color
- Look at another group and read their monthly reading selection
- Read a spy novel
- Read a book that made the NY Times Best Seller List (any of the lists) during June, July or August
- read a book recommended to you by your boss or a coworker (if you don't work, it could be a teacher/classmate/neighbor/or someone who works for you like a babysitter or lawnmower)
- Read a book that has the phrase "A Novel" in the title
- Read a book where the author/main characters are a different race/culture than yourself
Has anyone asked Cynthia when she is going to post the tasks for the Summer Challenge?
Lori - The challenge tasks will be posted this coming Sunday May 24th.
Ooh, thanks for giving us a date on that, Cynthia :-) I won't have to get antsy in my pantsy and check the threads every five seconds now, haha.
Cynthia wrote: "Lori - The challenge tasks will be posted this coming Sunday May 24th."Thank you Cynthia. Knowing the date eases my mind somewhat, just like Judith said.
Me too... I was wondering but did not want to ask! I hope it is posted early on Sunday. I have a party around 2 at my house and would like to peak at it before all my guests arrive...may have to sneak off!!
No problem...I'll post all the 5/10/15 pointers and whatever 25+ pointers I've received from the Spring Challenge winner's on Sunday. I'll add any 25+ pointers I haven't received when I get them. The 20 pointers for the most improved/rookie won't be announced until the end of the challenge so I'll post them as soon as I get them as well.
I like the idea of looking at another group and choosing one of their reads. I don't have any time to join another group--but it would be interesting to see what else is out there.
Cynthia wrote: "Lori - The challenge tasks will be posted this coming Sunday May 24th."Yay! I was wondering about this too!
Yay, how am I going to keep reading to finish this one when it's time for another challenge!?I have a suggestion, but I'm not exactly sure how it could be carried out...and, I have to confess, I haven't been reading all the posts lately, so I'm sorry if it's repeat.
What if we did something where a person who participated in the last challenge tells you their favorite book they read from the last challenge and you had to read that. Maybe it could be sort of like the person who posts under you? It might be a little hard to carry out, but I think it would be fun!
Bummer! As far as I know right now, I will be at Sea World in SanAntonio, TX all day Sunday...guess I'll just have to be a little more patient. :(
Yay! Thanks for the update! I also cannot wait to see what the tasks are and start picking out the books I'll be reading this summer. :D
Joy wrote: "Bummer! As far as I know right now, I will be at Sea World in SanAntonio, TX all day Sunday...guess I'll just have to be a little more patient. :("Yay SeaWorld! If you are going as a tourist, you should definately check out the show Believe! I think they have it at all of the SeaWorlds.
Read a book which is to do with the end of the world!Read a book which was written by an author younger than 20 at the time of writing that book.
For Father's Day: Read a book that your dad recommended to you (if you don't have a dad then ask a friend's dad or a brother)
Read a book that is published by Penguin Books
April wrote: "Joy wrote: "Bummer! As far as I know right now, I will be at Sea World in SanAntonio, TX all day Sunday...guess I'll just have to be a little more patient. :("Yay SeaWorld! If you are going as..."
Thanks April, I will check out Believe...we have also have tickets to dine with Shamu, so that should be fun!
One last suggestion...."Summer is all about visiting with neighbors...Get to know a stranger who lives near you" Go to the Explore tab and choose explore people. Then click on the "near me" and put in you zip code. From the list of people that come up, choose a 5 star book off one of their shelves and then invite that person to be your friend on the goodreads website.
1. Summer is garage sale season, read a book you bought at a garage sale, or flea market.2. Grilling season, read a book taht is based around the grill, including a cookbook.
3. June Brides, read a book that is set around a wedding, or a divorce.
4. Read a book that includes a garden vegetable in the title.
so many fine suggestions, I love the summer Farmers Market idea, How about something about artists or art, many a wonderful artist spent some fascinating summers in many places!! Read a book about your favorite artist.
Cynthia- Could you be persuaded to change it to Saturday since it is a holiday weekend for most of us :) *down on one knee and begging*:)
Saturday would be awesome....I am going to be out of town Sunday and Monday.I will beg too if it will help.
Yeah, I have stuff (BBQ, parades) going on Sunday and Monday, so the only free day I will have until Tues. is Saturday, which really is not free because I will be back at work.
you can't start the challenge until the 1st of June anyway so it doesn't matter if you don't get the list til tues does it?!
I like to start planning the books I am going to read Alice... so as sad as this is, yes it does matter-I have no life!! :)
Yeah, nice as it would be to get the list on Saturday, think of all the work Cynthia has in compiling the tasks, deciding what points to assign, etc. You can always have a fun holiday weekend and then start planning on Tuesday - and you'll still have several days to get excited and plan ;-)
Sharon wrote: "These might be too UK specific but I will post them anyway(Never heard of this but it looked a good topic)
Wells are dressed with large framed panels decorated with elaborate mosaic-like pictures..."
Love all of them!!!!!
Lacy wrote: "I really like Angies suggestions as well as the birthstone one and the book within a book challenge.Here are my ideas:
1. Summer is yard sale time. Buy and read a book at a yard sale. Or rea..."
I like the yard sale task but I think that is more n american thing. I come from belgium and we don't seem to have yard sales there. Never heard of them in Italy and here in Ireland not yet either.I wish there were!
Angie wrote: "What about this one:Read a book about your job. ie you're a teacher read a book about a teacher. :)"
that one has been done in earlier challenge...
Cynthia wrote: "Lori - The challenge tasks will be posted this coming Sunday May 24th."Oh great, n two days!!!! I guess my plan to read lots then won't be happening..oh but wait we have different times...
Cynthia, how is it going with decidig about the tasks? Having fun?
At least I have two days to finish the two books I'm currently reading. Then I can start completely fresh on June 1st for the challenge :) I can't wait! This'll be the first challenge I'm attempting!
Good Luck deciding on the tasks, Cynthia- there are so many good ideas to choose from!
Oh I know, Angela - I'm sorry if I came off bitchy; I wasn't harping on you or anything. I'd love to have the challenges sooner too! I just figured that it's probably a lot of work for C and that Sunday would give her a whole non-work day to work out the tasks :-)
That is okay Judith... I know this a lot of work for her. I guess I just assumed that she has already been compiling a list of the tasks as they are suggested and already had a good idea of what she is going to use for the challenge!! What can I say, I am like a little kid at Christmas when it comes to these seasonal challenges! :)
Read a book off the "worst books of all times" list
The Next Best Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Red Badge of Courage (other topics)The Time Traveler's Wife (other topics)
(Never heard of this but it looked a good topic)
Wells are dressed with large framed panels decorated with elaborate mosaic-like pictures made of flower petals, seeds, grasses, leaves, tree bark, berries and moss. READ a book which has a well in the story line.
June 3rd is fathers day - READ a book recommended to you or given to you by your father or has father / dad in the title
Wimbledon is on - Read a book about tennis or a sport you enjoy watching fiction or non fiction
Orange Men's Day (Northern Ireland)
Protestant Irish march with drums and pipes. In 1690, William III of England defeated the exiled Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne. James, who had been in France, had invaded Ireland with French troops.
Men wear orange sashes and black suits and bowler hats. Orange Day marches also take place in Birmingham and Liverpool, and in some parts of Canada, for example."
READ a book related to the above
Edinburgh International Festival
READ a book based on the capital city of the country you live in