Winter Reading Challenge: February prompts discussion

[Bryony]

Use this thread to talk about what you’re reading for February’s prompts or ask for recommendations.

For more information about the challenge see this thread: Winter Reading Challenge: Introduction & Tasks

[Bryony]

FEBRUARY

1. Valentine’s Day

February 14th is celebrated around the world as Valentine’s Day. It was originally a feast day honouring an early Christian saint and only became associated with love and romance in the 14th century. Fun fact: Cadbury first began producing heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in 1868. Buying overpriced novelty chocolates as a token of love has a long history!

1. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page.
2. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY.
3. Read a book written in or set in the Medieval period (usually defined as the 5th to 15th centuries).

2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison was born on 18 February 1931. After becoming the first Black female editor at Random House (a position she used to champion the writings of Black authors), she began writing novels and became one of the most admired writers of her time. Her debut novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970 and in total she published eleven novels as well as several children’s books, plays and short fiction. In 1993 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

1. Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue.
2. Read a book that was first published in the 1970s.
3. Read a book by Toni Morrison or another author who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping

Ski jumping has featured in every Winter Olympics since 1924. Athletes ski down a specially designed ramp and compete against each other to see who can make the longest jump. The current world record is over 253 metres. It was set by Austrian ski jumper, Stefan Kraft, who perhaps predictably is known by the nickname Air Kraft.

1. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long.
2. Read a book published in a year in which the Winter Olympics took place (1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
3. Read a book where the plot “jumps” about (a non-linear narrative as it’s normally called). These lists might be useful as inspiration but your book doesn’t have to appear on one to work for this task:
🎿 Wikipedia: nonlinear narrative m
🎿 Goodreads: popular non-linear narrative books

4. Leap year

People born on 29th February technically only have a birthday every fourth year. This unusual situation is at the heart of Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera, The Pirates of Penzance. Frederic, the lead character, believes he is freed from his apprenticeship to a gang of pirates when he is 21 years old, only to find that actually his apprenticeship lasts until his 21st birthday and as he was born in a leap year that won’t be until he’s 88 years old! Fortunately most people today who are born on 29th February simply celebrate their birthday a day early.

1. Read a book that is part of a series and that has a series umber that is a multiple of four (4, 8, 12 etc).
2. Read a book in which the numbers 2 and 9 appear in the number of pages.
3. Read a book with a word from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Modern Major-General Song in the title or subtitle. (Words must be at least four letters long to count).

[Ashley]

FEBRUARY

1. Valentine’s Day

February 14th is celebrated around the world as Valentine’s Day. It was originally a feast day honouring an early Christian saint and only became associated with love and romance in the 14th century. Fun fact: Cadbury first began producing heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in 1868. Buying overpriced novelty chocolates as a token of love has a long history!

1. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page.
From Lukov with Love
2. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY.
3. Read a book written in or set in the Medieval period (usually defined as the 5th to 15th centuries).

2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison was born on 18 February 1931. After becoming the first Black female editor at Random House (a position she used to champion the writings of Black authors), she began writing novels and became one of the most admired writers of her time. Her debut novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970 and in total she published eleven novels as well as several children’s books, plays and short fiction. In 1993 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

1. Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue.

2. Read a book that was first published in the 1970s.
3. Read a book by Toni Morrison or another author who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping

Ski jumping has featured in every Winter Olympics since 1924. Athletes ski down a specially designed ramp and compete against each other to see who can make the longest jump. The current world record is over 253 metres. It was set by Austrian ski jumper, Stefan Kraft, who perhaps predictably is known by the nickname Air Kraft.

1. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long.
- 431 pages
2. Read a book published in a year in which the Winter Olympics took place (1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
3. Read a book where the plot “jumps” about (a non-linear narrative as it’s normally called). These lists might be useful as inspiration but your book doesn’t have to appear on one to work for this task:
🎿 Wikipedia: nonlinear narrative m
🎿 Goodreads: popular non-linear narrative books

4. Leap year

People born on 29th February technically only have a birthday every fourth year. This unusual situation is at the heart of Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera, The Pirates of Penzance. Frederic, the lead character, believes he is freed from his apprenticeship to a gang of pirates when he is 21 years old, only to find that actually his apprenticeship lasts until his 21st birthday and as he was born in a leap year that won’t be until he’s 88 years old! Fortunately most people today who are born on 29th February simply celebrate their birthday a day early.

1. Read a book that is part of a series and that has a series umber that is a multiple of four (4, 8, 12 etc).
2. Read a book in which the numbers 2 and 9 appear in the number of pages.
- 129 pages
3. Read a book with a word from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Modern Major-General Song in the title or subtitle. (Words must be at least four letters long to count).