SPRING 2017 READING CHALLENGE

[Rachel]

Please post all questions/comments/updates about the spring 2017 reading challenge in this thread. :)



The Spring 2017 Reading Challenge will start March 7th and end May 31st, 2017.

The rules of the challenge:

Read 3 books (or more)
Complete 3 tasks (or more)
Books can be any genre
Re-reads are okay

So this spring, complete 3 (or more) of the following:

1. Spring = Spring Break.

So this spring:

READ A BOOK WITH THE LETTERS

S-P-R-I-N-G
or
B-R-E-A-K

IN THE TITLE/SUBTITLE (These letters do not have to be in order)

2. Many talented authors celebrate birthdays this season.

So this spring:

READ A BOOK BY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

a. Alice Hoffman- March 16th
b. Joy Fielding- March 18th
c. Mary Roach- March 20th
d. Yoko Ogawa- March 30th
e. Nick Hornby- April 17th

3. April 26th is Hug an Australian Day.

So this spring:

READ A BOOK SET (AT LEAST IN PART) IN AUSTRALIA

4. Singin' In The Rain was released in theaters on April 11th, 1952 and Star Wars was released on May 25th, 1977. Sadly, both Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher died in 2016-had to pay tribute to these awesome ladies.

So this spring:

Read a book written by or about Debbie Reynolds and/or Carrie Fisher.
or
Read a book that takes place in the Star Wars Universe.
or
Read a book that focuses (at least in part) on the relationship between mother(s) and daughter(s).

5. May 1st is Batman Day.

So this spring:

a. READ A BOOK IN WHICH THE MAIN CHARACTER IS HIDING A BIG SECRET AND/OR IS LEADING A DOUBLE LIFE.
or
b. READ A BOOK THAT FEATURES A CHARACTER NAMED ROBIN.

6. May 6th is World Naked Gardening Day. lol

So this spring:

READ A BOOK WITH THE WORD "GARDEN" IN THE TITLE

7. Random Task-This task counts towards the challenge but is not inspired by the season.

I loved George Michael growing up-can't believe so many amazing talents are gone. :(
Made a few book tasks inspired by his career.

So this spring:

READ A BOOK WITH THE LETTERS W-H-A-M
IN THE TITLE/SUBTITLE (these letters do not have to be in order).

or

Careless Whisper-READ A BOOK IN WHICH THE MAIN CHARACTER IS DEALING WITH THE PAINFUL FALL OUT OF INFIDELITY.

or

Freedom-READ A BOOK THAT FEATURES A CHARACTER WHOSE FREEDOM IS AT STAKE OR THAT FEATURES A CHARACTER WHOSE FREEDOM HAS BEEN LOST.

HAVE A HAPPY SPRING, EVERYONE! :D

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Thank you Rachel.
World Naked Gardening Day is always interesting :-)

[Karen B.]

Maybe it means the garden is naked and you turn it into something.

[Christine]

Woohoo! We already have the spring challenge up! Thank you, Rachel! You are so good to us, creative too!

Naked gardening, hmmmm?

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Karen B. wrote: "Maybe it means the garden is naked and you turn it into something."

Well, you could look at it that way, but in reality you might just not want to look too closely at any gardens on May 6th.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

If anybody is looking for a Mary Roach recommendation, I enjoyed reading this one about 6 or so years ago:
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
It's a bit morbid, but interesting.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

If anyone wants an easy, inspirational addition to their challenge, I recommend the following "Garden" titled books. I've already read both of them in 2017, but hey I might add them in myself:

[Rachel]

Glad you guys like the challenge! :)

You know as soon as I saw there was a day that celebrates naked gardening I had to use it in the challenge, lol.

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Karen B. wrote: "Maybe it means the garden is naked and you turn it into something."

Well, you could look at it that way, but in reality you might just not want to look too closely at any gardens ..."

lol

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "If anybody is looking for a Mary Roach recommendation, I enjoyed reading this one about 6 or so years ago:
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
It's a bit morbid, but interesting..."

I listened to this on audiobook and loved it. :)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Just stay inside and read a book on May 6th.

[Christine]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Just stay inside and read a book on May 6th."

That's no fun!

[Christine]

Recommendations for a couple of tasks on the spring challenge:

for a mother/daughter relationship: One True Thing

anything by Alice Hoffman for birthday book!

for the Star Wars universe: Lost Stars

[Rachel]

Thanks for the recommendations, Dustin & Christine! :D

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Hope Y'all have a Lovely Weekend :-)

[Danell]

I like my neighbors, therefor there will be no gardening in the nude for me again this year. Drat!!

Great challenge! Thanks again for another wonderful one Rachel!!

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Hope Y'all have a Lovely Weekend :-)"

Thanks-you too! :)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Danell wrote: "I like my neighbors, therefor there will be no gardening in the nude for me again this year. Drat!!"

Did you participate in the naked gardening previously?

[Rachel]

A couple of recommendations for the spring challenge:

I really liked both of the books I've read by Yōko Ogawa- The Housekeeper and the Professor and Revenge

A short book for the w-h-a-m task- We Should All Be Feminists

A book for the freedom task that I think would also probably work for the mother/daughter task and now that i think of it the Batman task-The Nightingale

[Rachel]

Oh and for the Australia task- The Rosie Project -great book.

[Rachel]

Danell wrote: "I like my neighbors, therefor there will be no gardening in the nude for me again this year. Drat!!

Great challenge! Thanks again for another wonderful one Rachel!!"

lol, Danell! Glad you like the challenge. :)

[Danell]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Danell wrote: "I like my neighbors, therefor there will be no gardening in the nude for me again this year. Drat!!"

Did you participate in the naked gardening previously?"

No. I heard about the naked gardening day a few yrs ago but have never participated. I attempt to garden, with clothes on, last yr didn't have much luck. Did containers because we rent. Crappy soil. Sometimes my allergies make it difficult.

Do you are anyone in this group participate in naked gardening day?

[Rachel]

I will definitely skip naked gardening day, lol. I advise any that do participate to use a good sunscreen :D

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I will avoid walking past the community gardens on May 6th. It sounds kinda fun, but could be scary.

Here in Boulder, some citizens choose to celebrate 2 other Naked Holidays:
Naked Bike Ride in June
Naked Pumpkin Run on Halloween

The Halloween Naked Pumpkin Run is fun. People put on their running shoes and wear a pumpkin on their head. It's Anonymous and you just gotta outrun the police (or run faster than the person behind you). Plus it's dark out which helps.

The June Naked Bike Ride can be nasty. Hot weather and sweaty skin on bike seats in broad daylight.

I guess once in a while you get lucky and spot an attractive person participating, but typically the people who participate in these events aren't the most pleasant to behold.

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I will avoid walking past the community gardens on May 6th. It sounds kinda fun, but could be scary.

Here in Boulder, some citizens choose to celebrate 2 other Naked Holidays:
Naked Bike Ride in ..."

Whoever knew there were so many naked holidays?!
The pumpkin race sounds a little dangerous to me-who thinks of these things? lol
The naked bike ride is just wrong in every way lol :O

[Christine]

Thanks for all the recommendations, even those that are not about the books, lol. This is such a great group!

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

:-) I enjoy quirky celebrations. Speaking of which, here in Boulder County, we have FROZEN DEAD GUY DAYS coming up where we celebrate Grandpa who is kept on ice in a Tuff Shed.

Here are the details and this is coming up next weekend:
http://frozendeadguydays.org/
If any of y'all are coming to Colorful Colorado to celebrate next week, please send me a personal message and we can go together and I will give you guided tour of my country.

[Jenn]

thanks again Rachel for another great, interesting challenge.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I have read my first book which has the letters W-H-A-M in the title :-) And I would recommend it - it's by Ann Patchett called Commonwealth. It was published in 2016 and took me about forever and day to get a copy from the library because it's so popular.

[Rachel]

Jenn wrote: "thanks again Rachel for another great, interesting challenge."

Glad you like it, Jenn! :D

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I have read my first book which has the letters W-H-A-M in the title :-) And I would recommend it - it's by Ann Patchett called Commonwealth. It was published in 2016 and took me about forever and ..."

Hmm, the challenge doesn't technically start until the 7th but I do appreciate your enthusiasm. :) I have to read that author one of these days.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Whoops. I forgot to check the details. I was so excited to find that the book had the right letters :-)

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Whoops. I forgot to check the details. I was so excited to find that the book had the right letters :-)"

:D

[Christine]

Its officially 'spring' now that our challenge has started. I wish anyway. Rain and cold temps are all that are in our forecast for the northwest, kind of mixed with wet snow this morning. Pray for sun!

I'm looking forward to the challenge. I set a goal of 11 books, that's one less than last time, lol. I guess with all this rain, I don't have any excuses for sitting inside.

Hope everyone is well!

[Rachel]

Christine wrote: "Its officially 'spring' now that our challenge has started. I wish anyway. Rain and cold temps are all that are in our forecast for the northwest, kind of mixed with wet snow this morning. Pray for..."

Hope you get sunny weather soon! :)
It's supposed to be 60 here tomorrow-the weather has been all over the place this year.

11 books is an awesome goal. :)

[Jenn]

I picked for #6
And #7 Freedom by Edward Lee

[Rachel]

Jenn wrote: "I picked for #6
And #7 Freedom by Edward Lee"

Thanks for the update, Jenn! :D
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story is a good book-I listened to the audiobook-it's a crazy story.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Crazy is Good.
Maybe I would like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
What do you think?

[Danell]

I have been wanting to read or listen "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" for awhile.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I've just placed a hold on Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil with the library :-)

I remember this book being very popular when I worked at Borders 2010-11. It's surprising to learn it was first published in 1994 and a film was released in 1998. I'm very curious.

[Christine]

Jenn wrote: "I picked for #6
And #7 Freedom by Edward Lee"

I loved Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story. Its "crazy" "good". I also have another book by him about Venice, The City of Falling Angels. it may be time to read that. Its been sitting on my shelf for a while. For some reason the link to books and covers is not working for me, grrrr.

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Crazy is Good.
Maybe I would like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
What do you think?"

I think you'll like it, Dustin-it's one of those true stories that reads like fiction. The people the author meets are memorable to say the least. :)

[Rachel]

Danell wrote: "I have been wanting to read or listen "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" for awhile."

The audiobook is really good. I think you'll like it. :)

[Rachel]

Christine wrote: "Jenn wrote: "I picked for #6
And #7 Freedom by Edward Lee"

I loved [book:Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Sa..."

I will have to check that book out-didn't realize he had any other books.

I was watching the travel channel not long ago and Andrew Zimmerman was in Savannah-He mentioned the book and he ate dinner with Lady Chablis! :D

[Rachel]

So maybe Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story for the spring group read? I know we just had a group read so not sure if everyone is up to another one so soon but there is definitely a lot to talk about- either way looking forward to everyone's comments. :D

[Jenn]

That's awesome Andrew Zimmerman met The Lady lol
Group read sounds fantastic!
it would be my first one.
Snow just started to fall, my area is called for 18" with work canceled tonight and tomorrow, everyone stay safe!!!

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

We're having Sunshine in the 70's this week for Colorful Colorado. Will be nearly 80 this weekend. Weird how much the weather can vary. Glad you don't have to go to work Jenn.

I'm in for Group Read - Sounds like a good idea :-)

[Rachel]

Jenn wrote: "That's awesome Andrew Zimmerman met The Lady lol
Group read sounds fantastic!
it would be my first one.
Snow just started to fall, my area is called for 18" with work canceled tonight and tomorrow,..."

We're supposed to get the same-just last week it felt like spring.

Stay safe! :D

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "We're having Sunshine in the 70's this week for Colorful Colorado. Will be nearly 80 this weekend. Weird how much the weather can vary. Glad you don't have to go to work Jenn.

I'm in for Group Rea..."

I wish I was in Colorado right about now- 70 & 80 degrees sounds awesome. Look forward to discussing the book with everyone. :D

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Hell yeah I'm goin' hiking this weekend!