The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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WINTER CHALLENGE 2017
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Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD

Task 5.5 Read a book written by a single author who uses a three-part name: first, middle, last. Spaces determine names. Names with initials may not be used.
What Happened Hillary Rodham Clinton
Task 5.7 Read a book with a number of pages* that includes at least 2 different digits from 1235.
Keeper of the Bride 2 and 5 in page numbers = 256
Task 25.1 Dakimel’s Task – Hurricane Recovery
This is a two-book task. REQUIRED: State your two options when claiming this task. "Sequential Art", "Comics", "Comic Book", and "Manga" books are allowed for this task.
Option 2: Read a book set at least 50% in one Texas, Florida or Puerto Rico REQUIRED: If the setting isn’t obvious in the Goodreads metadata, provide evidence of the setting when you claim this option.
To Have And Have Not identified in Metadata s Florida - more than 50% of storyline in that state
Option 3: In October, my husband’s homeland, Ireland, was, unusually, also hit by a hurricane. Read a book where every letter in OPHELIA can be found in the title, subtitle, and/or author.
Letters may be used only as often as they appear in the title/subtitle/author name.
This Must Be the Place Maggie O'Farrell
O- O'Farrell
P-Place
H and E - The
L - Place
I - This
A - Place
Points this post = 35
Points to date = 845

1: read a book by a single author whose first and last initials are located in the phrase
JU S T ONE M ORE.
Symposium (1990) by Muriel Spark (Hardcover, 192 pages)
3: Read a book where every letter in OPHELIA can be found in the title, subtitle, and/or author.
The Prophecy Machine (Investments #1) (2000) by Neal Barrett Jr. (Paperback, 342 pages)
OPH: Pr oph ecy
E: Barr e tt
L: Nea l
I: Mach i ne
A: B a rrett
160 + 25 = 185
Tasks Completed: 09
Points for this post: 25
Points thus far: 160 + 25 = 185
Books read: 13
Pages read: 3,600
Read but not claimed: 06
Goodreads Authors: 06
Golden Oldies: 00
Big Books:
(0) 500+
(0) 750+
(0) 1,000+

30.5 - Diana K’s Task - Word Play on a Few of My Favorite Things
Option 1: Kayak
Book 1 - Under Wraps - Hannah Jayne - HANNAH is a palindrome
Book 2 - Fraternize - RAT in fRATernize
Points this Post 30
Total Points 425

20.9 - Moderators' Pet - Morgan Faeriesfolly's Task: Bringing Pets and People Together
Option 4:Read a book with Fantasy or Magic as a Main Page Genre.
Blood Fury by J.R. Ward
Points this Post: 20
Total Points: 165

15.4 - Endangered Animals
Option 2: The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
Author initials GH are found in "tHe tiGer"
Initial letter of each word of "The Grand Sophy" are found in "weSTern lowland Gorilla"
The Grand Sophy was first published in 1950.
***Claiming one Golden Oldie Ticket***
Points this post: 15
GO Tickets this post: 1
Total points: 170
Tasks completed: 20
Books read: 20
Golden Oldies: 6
Big Books: 500=3, 750=0, 1000=0 (Total BB tickets=3)

Option 2: Schnauzer
>Read a book written by an author whose first and last name initials can be found in the the word SCHNAUZER. Middle name initials may be ignored. Letters may only be used as often as they appear. Spaces determine name. One qualifying author in a work by multiple contributors works.
I read The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman. Both the "A" and "H" are found in the word schnauzer. This books has 369 pp
Option 3: Work
>Because Schnauzers are fierce little detectives snooping out what is different around the house (or castle) or even neighborhood when taking a walk and immediately alerting their owners, read a book with the main page genre mystery, detective, crime, or thriller. Genre may be embedded or stand alone
I read The House of Unexpected Sisters which has the genre "mystery" on its page. this book has 240 pp.
369+240=609
points: 250
books read: 19
tasks completed: 13
tasks in progress: 2
Big Books: 2
pages read: 5894

Book 1: Read a book that has a word in its title or subtitle that contains exactly 9 DIFFERENT letters. Letters can be repeated, but repeated letters only count once.
Scones and Scoundrels
Scoundrels
Book 2: Read a book written by an author whose name contains exactly 9 letters. Repeated letters count as many times as they appear, so that authors such as John Green or Tom Clancy work.
Murder in the Manuscript Room by Con Lehane
Points This Task: 25
Total Points: 700
Total Tasks: 29
Golden Oldies: 1
Big Books: 1

OPTION 1: THE CAST
Read a book with a title/subtitle where the same consonant appears EXACTLY three times
Zarvă în livada de guave by Kiran Desai
Title has three Vs.
Points this Post: 20
Total Points: 265
Books Read: 15
Tasks Completed: 13
Page count: 4130

Task 15.2 - February is for Romance
Book One - main page genre romance
Forever, Jack by Natasha Boyd
Book Two - ring on the cover

Can see ring on left hand ring finger holding flowers
Points this Post: 15
Total Points: 295
Total Tasks: 18
Golden Oldies: 1
Big Books: 6
Total Books: 21

Task 10.9- Good Dog :Read a book whose title begins with D O or G
Glory over Everything: Beyond The Kitchen House
Letter G in Glory
Points this task 10
Total Points 190
Task 15.4 Endangered Animals
Book 1 In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Author Erik Larson-initals EL found in Amur Leopard
Book 2Rise of Empire
R O E found in Javan Rhinoceros
Points this task 15
Total points 205

5.4 Best Laid Plans
Using Task 10.2 The bodyguard
The word I, from the track title “I Will Always Love You”
I, Claudius read in I, Claudius/Claudius the God
25.5 All in the family
Option A 2 books by 2 different authors with the same first initial – K.
Augustown by Kei Miller
The Secret River by Kate Grenville
This post 30 points
Total to date 440 points

15.3 - Hot or Cold?
Option 2: Read one book whose title/subtitle contains both words from an opposite word pair on the list.
Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace by Gore Vidal
Task total=15
Season total=295

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
1x Bigger is Better Tix (544 pages)
1x Golden Oldies Tix (pub 1924)
15.9 - Let's Party!
Money by Martin Amis
page 1, #28
20.4 - Golden Oldies - Creynard's Task: My February Baby
Option 2: read a book that's #1 or #6 in a series.
The Loneliest Alpha (The MacKellen Alphas #1) by T.A. Grey
30.2 - Mazza1's Task: Prolific Pensmiths
Book one
Death of Riley (Molly Murphy #2) by Rhys Bowen
336 pages
17 books in this series alone and 12 in Her Royal Spyness series; total of 29 books
Book two
Hot Ice by Nora Roberts
356 pages
Total this Post: 70
Golden Oldies: 2
Bigger is Better: 5
Season Total: 530

5.3 - Banished!
Taste of Marrow
5.6 - It's Alive!
The Moonstone (pg 1 of list)
10.1 - What a Zoo
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
10.6 - Who's Up for a Challenge?
Illegal Contact (length appoved line 1278) (20: Read an LGBTQ+ romance novel from the BookRiot challenge; https://bookriot.com/2016/12/15/book-... )
30.10 - Brooke TX's Task: By the Numbers
Duke of Desire (308 pgs) &
Bryony and Roses (216 pgs)
216 / 3 = 72
216 / 8 = 27
216 + 308 = 524
TALLY:
This post - 60 points
Total - 710

20.10 - Group Reads
Artemis

Post is number 38 in thread
Points this post: 20
Books this post: 1
Totals
Points: 200
BB:0
GO:2
Total Task completed: 11
Total Books read: 12

30.8 - Sandy's Task: Anagram It
Book 1:

Book 2: Gods Behaving Badly

Word is book 2 is badly
Points this post: 30
Books this post: 2
Totals
Points: 230
BB:0
GO:2
Total Task completed: 12
Total Books read: 13

Task 5.3 5.3 - Banished! Read a book with a title (subtitles should be ignored) that is exactly 3 words
Cinnamon and Gunpowder
Task 5.7 - Power Pets Read a book with a number of pages* that includes at least 2 different digits from 1235.
Strangers in Budapest 352 pages
Task 20.9 - Moderators' Pet - Morgan Faeriesfolly's Task: Bringing Pet
Option 3: Read a book that has a food or drink in the title.s and People Together
A Pomegranate and the Maiden
Task 25.3 - Bluemoon's Task: SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWNRead a book that contains a word of at least four letters in its title (not subtitle) that is found in the first stanza of the poem as listed below
Opt D. Read a book set at least 50% in Greece, Turkey or Italy.
A New York Christmas
Option C My Italian Bulldozer Most of the book takes place in Italy
Points this post: 55
Total points: 465

5.10 - Born Free: Read a book of your choice.
March: Book Three
Points this post: 25
Total points: 115/1055
Tasks completed: 8/59
Books read: 10

Help Thread
I like to think it’s fitting that I got to create this task, since I feel like 2017 has been a year of a lot of improvements for me. I created this task around all of the positive changes in my life this year.
Option 2: I also moved to Boston, a city in which I’ve wanted to live since I was a teenager. One of my favorite parts about living here is the beautiful New England Fall season. So, read a book set at least 50% in one of the six states of New England- Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or Connecticut. REQUIRED: If the setting of your book is not evidence from the description or metadata, please explain how the book fits the task.
The Memory Painter - main setting is Boston
Points this Post: 20
Total Points: 75

I need to move a book
Please move my 5.2 book We Are Okay to this next task. I will pick a different book for task 5.2.
Thank you.
50.1 - MegSCL's Task: GONG XI FA CAI!
ROOSTER
1) We Are Okay ROOSTER first published in 2017
2) The Orphan's Tale ROOSTER Babies mentioned in Goodreads book description
3) Truly Madly Deeply MONKEY 312 pages /12=26
Points this post:50
Total Points:385
Books read:27
Tasks Done:19

15.4 - Endangered Animals
Option 2: criteria 1 Leatherback Sea Turtle, 2 Western Lowland Gorilla
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
30.8 - Sandy's Task: Anagram It
Book 1: Final Girls by Riley Sager (342 pgs)
Book 2: Sing
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (285 pgs)
Points this post: 45
Total points: 185
Tasks completed: 8
Books read: 11
Big Books: 500=1, 750=0, 1000=0
Golden Oldie tickets: 0

Option 1: Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway
I read the kindle edition. The paperback edition has 358 pages.
Points this post: 20
Total points: 375

Read a NONFICTION book that involves something you’d like to do in 2018, a goal or an aspiration or even a faint hope!
REQUIRED: Tell us what your goal is, and if it's not obvious, explain how the book relates to it.
Goal is to learn more about my ancestors, using genealogy. I’ve also sent my DNA to one of those ancestory companies (no results yet). This book is about what A. J. Jacobs found out about his ancestors when he did his genealogy. He also sent off his DNA but didn’t find the results as helpful as he expected it to be.
It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree (2017) by A.J. Jacobs [929.1] (Hardcover, 336 pages)
185 + 15 = 200
Tasks Completed: 10
Points for this post: 15
Points thus far: 185 + 15 = 200
Books read: 14
Pages read: 3,936
Read but not claimed: 06
Goodreads Authors: 06
Golden Oldies: 00

Book one
Read a book by any author who has published MORE than 25 books (i.e., at least 26 books). The author must have published at least 26 book-length books, at least 100 pages (not short stories, essays, etc.). This book may be standalone or part of a series.
Fantastic Fiction - Stephen King
Night Shift (1978) by Stephen King (Goodreads Author) (Paperback, 326 pages)
World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Collection (1979)
Book two
Read a book by either the same author OR by a different author who has published MORE than 25 books (at least 26). The author must have published at least 26 book-length books, at least 100 pages (not short stories, essays, etc.).
This book must be a standalone book, not part of a series.
Fantastic Fiction - Danielle Steel
A Good Woman (2008) by Danielle Steel (Hardcover, 336 pages)
200 + 30 = 230
Tasks Completed: 11
Points for this post: 30
Points thus far: 200 + 30 = 230
Books read: 16
Pages read: 4,598
Read but not claimed: 05
Goodreads Authors: 07
Golden Oldies: 00
Big Books:
(0) 500+
(0) 750+
(0) 1,000+

20.10 - Group Reads
Read ONE of the books selected as the Group Reads choices for the season:
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
I posted about it in the discussion thread here.
Points this post: 20
Total points: 515

5.8 - Animals Around Us - Read a book with a main page genre Animals. The genre may be stand-alone or embedded.
Play Dead - genre verified
Points this task: 05
Total points: 830
Golden Oldies ticket requests: 4
Big Book ticket requests: 2
Books read: 61
Tasks completed: 42

Repost of #1522
Task 10.9- Good Dog :Read a book whose title begins with D O or G
Glory over Everything: Beyond The Kitchen House
Letter G in Glory
Points this task 10
Total Points 190
Task 15.4 Endangered Animals
Book 1 In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Author Erik Larson-initals EL found in Amur Leopard
Book 2 Rise of Empire
R O E found in Javan Rhinoceros
Points this task 15
Total points 205

Option A, a book that has Magical Realism as a main page genre: The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen
Option C, a book that contains a word in its title that is found in the first stanza of "The Night Before Christmas": A Lowcountry Christmas by Mary Alice Monroe
The word is Christmas.
Points this post: 25
Total points: 490

Task 5.3 - Banished!
Book title has exactly 3 words
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Points this Post: 5
Total Points: 300
Total Tasks: 19
Golden Oldies: 1
Big Books: 6
Total Books: 22

In this post I am moving the book Human Acts from task 10.6 to task 30.4
10.6 - Who's Up For a Challenge?
I am participating in the 2018 Popsugar challenge via the 2018 Goodreads Reading Challenge Group
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
15. A book about feminism Fight Like A Girl
30.4 - Dlmrose's Task: Backward Day
Human Acts
American Housewife: Stories
TOTAL TO DATE
points: 780
BB tickets: 4
Goldies: 1

Read a book with a non-human mammal on the cover.
Required: Include the cover when you post.

Boone's Lick (2000) by Larry McMurtry (Hardcover, 287 pages)
230 + 10 = 240
Tasks Completed: 11
Points for this post: 10
Points thus far: 230 + 10 = 240
Books read: 17
Pages read: 4,885
Read but not claimed: 04
Goodreads Authors: 07
Golden Oldies: 00
Big Books:
(0) 500+
(0) 750+
(0) 1,000+

50.1 - MegSCL's Task: GONG XI FA CAI!
My zodiac sign is Tiger.
Book 1 - Book first published in a year that matches your zodiac sign: 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962 - this book was first published in 1998
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
Book 2 - For my Tiger sign's task: book with stripes on the cover - this cover was approved here

Book 3 - Using the Rat sign's task: book that is #1 in a series
Into the Light by Aleatha Romig
Points this post: 50
Total points: 505
Golden Oldies: 2
Big Book Tickets: 1

30.5 Diana K’s task
I chose option 3: travel
Book 1: Woman of the Inner Sea by Thomas Keneally
Word chosen: inner
Book 2: Dinner with Edward: A Story of an Unexpected Friendship by Isabel Vincent
Word: dinner ( 1 letter added to inner)
Points this task: 30
Total points to date: 320
Tasks completed: 15
Golden oldies: 4
Big book tickets: 1

25.6 - Winnie the Pooh Day
Option 1: Author's initials found in "HundRed acre wood".
An Eagle in the Airing Cupboard by Rex Harper
Option 3: a rabbit on the cover
32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching by Phillip Done

+25
total: 60
tasks: 4
books: 5

5.9 - Get It Done
Swans Are Fat Too from my Want To Read GR list from May 25, 2015
Points this post:5
Total Points:390
Books read:28
Tasks Done:20

Completed Tasks
15.1 - Don't Make Me Choose!
★Book #1: Choose a nominated or winning book for this quarter's Group Read that is from a different category than the one I chose for the 20.10 task.
For the 20.10 task, I read Artemis which was the pick for the Space Opera category. I chose to read a book from the Family Saga poll. - The Thorn Birds
★Book #2: A nominee from the same category as the book I read for 20.10.
I read Artemis which was the winner in the Space Opera category. - Ancillary Justice
**POINT SUMMARY**
Previous Points Earned: 300
Points Earned this Post: 15
Total Points To Date: 315

Option B
read 2 books by 2 different authors with the same last name
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Points this Post: 25
Total Points: 290
Books Read: 17
Tasks Completed: 14
Page count: 4742

20.7 - Shorter is Sweeter - Barbara ★'s Task: Animal Lover's Unite
Option 1: Read a book with any kind of wild animal on the cover

Swan on cover.
30.3 - Ava Catherine’s Task: Mad Max; My Heart
Option 2: Read a book written by an author whose first and last name initials can be found in the the word SCHNAUZER.
The Tavern in the Morning by Alys Clare
The initials of the author AC can be found in sChnAuzer
I read the Kindle version, but the paperback is 320 pages: The Tavern in the Morning
Option 3: Read a book with the main page genre mystery, detective, crime, or thriller.
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron by Stephanie Barron
Book has Mystery as Main Page Genre.
I read the Kindle version, but the paperback is 339 pages: Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron
320 + 339 = 659 pages
Points this post: 50
Total Points: 325
Books Read: 20
Golden Oldies: 0
Big Books:500+(1)750+(0)1000+(0)

25.5 - Tien's Task: All in the Family
Option A
For this option, read 2 books by 2 different authors with the same first initial.
1. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
2. Pines by Blake Crouch
points: 25
total: 475
BB: 3
GO: 6
tasks completed: 29

Task #30.10 - By the Numbers
Book 1: Read a book of your choice. I read The Stone Buddha's Tears by S.P. Somtow (122p).
Book 2: Read a book with a page count that is divisible by each of the digits found in the page count of book 1. I read The Book Thieves: The Nazi Looting of Europe's Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance by Anders Rydell (384p).
122+384=506
384/1=384; 384/2=192
Points this post: 30
Total points so far: 470

Word of at least 3 letters from GROUNDHOG DAY - Read The Round House by Louise Erdrich. Word is ROUND.
Points these task: 15
Total points: 105 (removing the 30 points from task 30.2)
Golden Oldies ticket requests: 0
Big Book ticket requests: 0
Books read: 12
Tasks completed: 7

Challenge 5.2 Go wild
Read a book set at least 50% in ONE of the zoo locations: Austria; Canada; England; Germany; Scotland; Singapore; South Africa; Switzerland; or in the USA: California, Nebraska, New York, Washington DC.
I read The Defiant Hero by Suzanne Brockmann. It is set in Washington, DC.
Challenge 5.9 Get it done
Read a book that has been on your want-to-read shelf for at least a year (added on/before 11/18/16.)
I read Security by Gina Wohlsdorf. It has been on my Goodreads to-read list since 6/7/16.
Challenge 10.1 What a zoo
Read a book with the letters Z-O-O in the title/subtitle and/or author's name.
I read Over the Edge Over the edge by SuZanne BrOckmann.
Challenge 30.5 Diana K’s Task - Word Play on a Few of My Favorite Things
Option 3:
Book 1: Read a book that includes a word of at least 4 letters in the title/subtitle.
I read Every FearEvery FEAR by Rick Mofina.
Book 2: Take that word and add one letter, change one letter or drop one letter to create a new word. Read a book with that new word in the title/subtitle.
I read Seven Year SwitchSeven YEAR Switch by Claire Cook.
Changing the F in fear to the Y in year.
Challenge 30.9 Jennifer NC's Task: Obsession
Option 1: Pick a book with a word from the name of one of Taylor Swift's albums in the title, subtitle, series name, or author name.
I read The Here and Now by Ann Brashares. NOW is found in Taylor’s album Speak NOW. 256 p.
Option 3:
Read a book that has inspired a tv series from the following list: Best TV Shows Based on Books.
I read The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen. It is part of the Rizzoli and Isles series. The TV series that came from the books is titled Rizzoli and Isles. 376 p.
256+376=632 pages
Points this post: 80
Total points: 915
Tasks completed:52
Books read: 69
Big Book tickets: 0
Golden Oldies tickets: 0

Task 20.5 Let it snow!
Option 3: Book has page number with a 1,9,7,or 3.
A Column of Fire by Ken Follett
928 pages (9)
Claim 2 BB tickets 928 pages
Points this post:20
Total points:110
Tasks completed:7
Books read:8
Golden Oldies:1
Big Books:500+(0)750+(2)1000+(0)

Task #30.9 - Obsession
I chose the one book option, to read a book that fits two criteria and has more than 500 pages. I read Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon. It has 880 pages and fits the criteria for the following:
Option 3: Read a that has inspired a tv show from the list Best TV Shows based on books (if the show is based on a series of books, any book from the series works). This is book four in the Outlander series.
Option 6: Read one of the main 8 Outlander novels.
Points this post: 30
Total points so far: 500

20.5 - Bigger is Better- Option 3- read a book whose page numbers include a 1, 9, 7, or 3.
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
the page count is 165.
task=20
grand total=135
books completed=9
tasks completed =8
GO=5
BB=0

5.1- Lassie Come Home
Read a book with one of the words from Lassie's film titles in the book's title or subtitle.
Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Points this Post: 5
Total Points: 170

50.1 - MegSCL's Task: GONG XI FA CAI!
I was born in the year of the DOG.
Book 1: Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg - first published in 2006
Book 2: The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion - Graeme Simsion
Book 3: PIG - Room by Emma Donoghue - found on page 3
Points This Post: 50
Total Points: 50
Books Read: 3
Tasks Complete: 1
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Books mentioned in this topic
Eternal Vows (other topics)Worth the Weight (other topics)
Midnight Fire (other topics)
Worth the Weight (other topics)
Midnight Fire (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Melody Anne (other topics)Mara Jacobs (other topics)
Rick Riordan (other topics)
J.K. Rowling (other topics)
Claudia Gray (other topics)
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OPTION 2 - Winter Solstice which is set on Nantucket Island, Mass.
Proof of setting - Winter Street
30.5 - WORD PLAY ON A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
OPTION 2
BOOK 1 - MARCH - A March of Kings
BOOK 2 - CHARM - The Marriage Charm
TOTAL POINTS - 495