The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
WINTER CHALLENGE 2014
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50.1 - Teri-K's task: Let's Start the New Year Off Right
LouLouReads wrote: "Amazing, thank you Teri!"You're welcome. I've read books in English and then in the original Greek, and it's not the same as rereading the book at all. It's more like reading a new book where you're already familiar with the story for some reason. And that would count for this task.
Besides, it fits the spirit of the task, I think, which is to pick up a book you haven't finished but want to and finish it.
So happy reading.
I found the book that fits Option 2: Try, try again.
I started reading it in March 2014, got through page 34 and abandoned it immediately...
I hope I can finish t this time, as it's not that long and Muriel Spark used to be one of my favorite authors
Hey TeriThese are my choices for this task. Could you just confirm that they're all okay for their options?
1) Close, But Not Quite.
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
MMPB: 978-1856132749
Close for 30.2 -- Hina's task: Homer's Odyssey, Option 1. It has "Classics" as a main-page genre, but it's not 300 pages long.
3) Jump on the Bandwagon.
REQUIRED: Name the category the book is listed in and state that it is not a reread when you post.
Lock In, John Scalzi
Nominated in the Science Fiction Category. John Scalzi is a completely new author to me, so this isn’t a reread.
I think my other choice, Bulfinch's Greek and Roman Mythology: The Age of Fable for Option 4, is already listed as approved.
Want to clarify a book for Option 5, if you don't mind. :)Can it be a memoir? My resolution is to lose weight (how original), and I was hoping to read Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie is Not the Answer - from what I understand, it's about her trying to lose weight and what she learns from the whole experience.
Pia wrote: "I found the book that fits Option 2: Try, try again.I started reading it in March 2014, got through page 34 and abandoned it immediately...
I hop..."
Well, it's over 100 pages, not a children's book, is in print, abandoned before July 2014. Looks like if you can get through it then you can count it. I do hope you enjoy it as life's too short to read books you don't like, even only 150 page books. lol
Trish wrote: "Hey TeriThese are my choices for this task. Could you just confirm that they're all okay for their options?
1) Close, But Not Quite.
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
MMPB: 978..."
Looks like you're good to go with all three. I had several books in mind for 30.2 Option 1 that weren't long enough - one was 297 pages. :)
Enjoy.
Wait- GR is giving my computer fits today. I can't verify that your SciFi choice is in print, too, not just e-book. Assuming it is, it's good to go. Otherwise get it verified for length in the e-book only thread, OK?
It would be today that GR is locking up all over the place...
Teri-k wrote: "Looks like you're good to go with all three. I had several books in mind for 30.2 Option 1 that weren't long enough - one was 297 pages. :)"Thank ye kindly.
Kate wrote: "Want to clarify a book for Option 5, if you don't mind. :)Can it be a memoir? My resolution is to lose weight (how original), and I was hoping to read [book:Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Qu..."
I'm going to have to get back on you on this one. I'd say a memoir is fine as it's non-fiction, it's about your resolution and you can learn from memoirs, except the first GR genre listed is women's fiction. We all know those genres can be off, but I'm not sure what to do about this. Let me PM the mods and I'll let you know.
I have an unfinished anthology, but I finished one story out of that....would that book since I have not read the book completely for option 2? I have another book that is under the unfinished shelf but I don't remember that one at all as to why it was unfinished...(maybe it was a library book I had to return). Not sure...
Hina wrote: "I have an unfinished anthology, but I finished one story out of that....would that book since I have not read the book completely for option 2? I have another book that is under the unfinished s..."
As long as you've read the equivalent of 1 chapter or 25 pages, abandoned it before July 2015 and never finished it, an anthology would be fine. And I'd say reading one story in an anthology is the same as reading one chapter. So that should work for you.
Trish wrote: "Hey TeriThese are my choices for this task. Could you just confirm that they're all okay for their options?
1) Close, But Not Quite.
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
MMPB: 978..."
OK, GR decided to cooperate and I confirmed there's a print edition of this book, so it's good to go. :)
Teri-k wrote: "Pia wrote: "I found the book that fits Option 2: Try, try again.I started reading it in March 2014, got through page 34 and abandoned it immediat..."
Thanks Teri... I hope I find it more enjoyable this time. I agree with you... "so little time, so many books"
Teri-k wrote: "Kate wrote: "Want to clarify a book for Option 5, if you don't mind. :)Can it be a memoir? My resolution is to lose weight (how original), and I was hoping to read [book:Such a Pretty Fat: One Na..."
Huh. That's weird. I didn't even notice that Women's Fiction is listed as a genre, but you're right, it's there. This is definitely non-fiction, though. But I will go with whatever you and the mods decide on this one. No worries. :)
I love your Option 1! So much fun!Not so crazy about Option 2 - usually when I quit a book, it's because I can tell I'm going to hate it. (view spoiler)
Options 3-5 are all okay. No strong opinions for or against. Looking forward to filling this task in on my spreadsheet! :)
Fortunately you only have to do 3 to finish, not all 5. :)I do not have ADD - except when it comes to books. I can drop a good book just because I'm not in the mood any more, or because a library book has to be finished first, or because I misplaced the book and can't find it... Option 2 is for people like me. The other options are for other types of readers. At least that's the idea.
Anything I can do to keep your spreadsheet happy...
Teri-k wrote: "Deborah wrote: "For option 4: would these qualify?
and 
"Yes, any SRC qualifying..."
Geek mythology sounds fun :)
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Teri-k wrote: "Deborah wrote: "For option 4: would these qualify? and "Yes, any..."
"Geek mythology" sounds like a topic for another task. right? lol
Will something like this work for Option 1?For task 25.5, Option D, you have to read a book with the animal an the cover that is yours according to the Chinese Zodiac.
This book has a dog on the cover,
which is one of the 12 Zodiac animals, so it would fit,except I'm not a Dog, but a Rabbit...
Would the following be acceptable for option 1?On Dublin Street
Task 20.4, option 1 - the book takes place in Edinburgh Scotland, part of the European Union, however, the task writer states that UK cannot be used, excluding this book from fitting criteria for the task.
Not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for so thought I should ask before using it!
Thanks!
Teri-k wrote: "Hina wrote: "I have an unfinished anthology, but I finished one story out of that....would that book since I have not read the book completely for option 2? I have another book that is under the..."
Thanks
Fandury wrote: "Will something like this work for Option 1?For task 25.5, Option D, you have to read a book with the animal an the cover that is yours according to the Chinese Zodiac.
[bookcover:A Skeleton in t..."
If only you had been born in a different month...
Yes, that works because it is a Chinese zodiac sign, just not yours. (Love it.)
Kim wrote: "Would the following be acceptable for option 1?On Dublin Street
Task 20.4, option 1 - the book takes place in Edinburgh Scotland, part of the European Union, however, the task wr..."
That pesky "no-UK settings allowed" will work here. Good thinking. It's allowed and just right.
Does this work? Just double checking...Option 1: The Boss’s Fake Fiancee by Inara Scott.
Almost fits Task 20.6 Option 3, which requires romance on the main page genre, but the book is a reread for me which is not allowed in that task.
Option 2: Supernatural by Larissa Ione.
Book abandoned at 7/3/12 and it is not a reread for me.
Option 3: The Backup Boyfriend by River Jaymes.
Under Best Romance of 2014 Category and it is not a reread for me.
Your Option 1 book will work as long as it's verified for length in the " eBook Verification- no print edition" thread and you follow the SRC directions for posting such books. Being a reread will qualify it for this task.The other two look fine.
Would The King's Deryni by Katherine Kurtz work for Option 1 as almost fits Task 20.9? None of the consonants in SLUMP (S,L,M and P) are in the author's name, but the vowel U is in her name.
Yes. One letter is definitely "Close but not Quite", so that will work.For other's reference, two letters would not be close enough to work for this task.
Angie wrote: "For option 1 would Glory O'Brien's History of the Future work for 15.4? It was published in that time frame, but it's not the first in a series, so doesn't fit."We have to say this won't work. Sorry. Here's the reasoning: This book does work for Option 1, and could have been used. It didn't work if you wanted to use one book for both options, but that wasn't necessary. It was the reader's choice not to use it for 1 and read another book for 2. So the book wasn't excluded by requirements of the task but by the reader's choice.
I hope that makes sense to you. Thanks for your patience while we pondered this.
Kate wrote: "Want to clarify a book for Option 5, if you don't mind. :)Can it be a memoir? My resolution is to lose weight (how original), and I was hoping to read [book:Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Qu..."
OK, this book will work for this task. The task doesn't require the genre to say "non-fiction", it only requires it to be a non-fiction book, which clearly from the description and other tags it is. So it's good to go.
Thanks for your patience with this. I really didn't know what to do when I saw the "women's fiction" genre tag, so I had to pitch it upstairs to the experts. :)
FWIW I think I'll read this one, too. But not for this task. lol
Teri-k wrote: "Angie wrote: "For option 1 would Glory O'Brien's History of the Future work for 15.4? It was published in that time frame, but it's not the first in a series, so doesn't fit."We h..."
Okay, I thought that might be so, which is why I asked. I fit it somewhere else. :)
Can I use Station Eleven for option 1? If you look through the task help thread for task 20.1 you will see that it was initially approved as being set in the future, but when further information was provided, it was disallowed as being not far enough in the future.
would this book be ok for option 5 A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book: 95 Inspiring Ideas for Photographing Your Friends, Your World, and Yourself?
Teri-k wrote: "Kate wrote: "Want to clarify a book for Option 5, if you don't mind. :)Can it be a memoir? My resolution is to lose weight (how original), and I was hoping to read [book:Such a Pretty Fat: One Na..."
Thanks, Teri. Sorry my book choice caused such a problem! Haha.
Teri-k wrote: "Fortunately you only have to do 3 to finish, not all 5. :)I do not have ADD - except when it comes to books. I can drop a good book just because I'm not in the mood any more, or because a library..."
book ADD; or as I refer to is BSN disease - bright shiny new - if I get a new book (buy; from the library etc) it typically goes to the top of the pile and others fall by the wayside ;)
Countrymen by Bo Lidegaard
1. Close but not quite
I wanted to use this for 10.6, but it hasn't been read enough to have been given more than one main page genre. I'm 1/3 of the way through and (honour system) there is certainly plenty of espionage going on!
Station Eleven will work for Option 1 as a rejected book from 20.1 Option 1. A SciFi novel set in the future but not far enough in the future is definitely "Close, but not Quite". :)Enjoy.
Aleksandra wrote: "would this book be ok for option 5 A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book: 95 Inspiring Ideas for Photographing Your Friends, Your World, and Yourself?"The rules say ""Coffee table", Art books, and other books consisting primarily of images or photographs without a substantial written component (essays, criticism, etc.) may not be be claimed for points."
My instinct after looking inside this book on Amazon is... well, honestly, I have no idea if this book would be considered to have a "substantial written component" or not. :) This is my first challenge, after all, and I'm still feeling my way around. I don't want to lead you astray, so I'm kicking this to the mods for their ruling. Please be patient and I'll pass it on to you when I hear from them.
It's all a learning experience, right. lol
Kate wrote: "Teri-k wrote: "Kate wrote: "Want to clarify a book for Option 5, if you don't mind. :)Can it be a memoir? My resolution is to lose weight (how original), and I was hoping to read [book:Such a Pre..."
There are no problems. Only learning experiences. Right? :)
Happy wrote: "Countrymen by Bo Lidegaard
1. Close but not quite
I wanted to use this for 10.6, but it hasn't been read enough to have been given m..."
Wow. 6500 people being smuggled from one country to another to escape incarceration and death sounds like a task requiring quite a bit of spying. You'd have to spy to know what the enemy intended, when they were coming, how to get the people out safely, to know who to trust and who not to trust...
I'm going out on a bit of a limb here and approving this for that reason. If there were more tags and espionage wasn't included I'd say no. But with only 1 tag and 2 people having tagged it I'd say the chance is good that it would work if more folks had read it.
But don't forget to get it pre-approved from the "eBook verification-no print edition" thread since it's only in e-book. You need the general length verified to use it.
So it's approved if it passes the e-book only clause. (And I want to read it, too.)
Aleksandra wrote: "would this book be ok for option 5 A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book: 95 Inspiring Ideas for Photographing Your Friends, Your World, and Yourself?"Here's the verdict:
As long as there are least 100 pages of text then the book will work. If there are more pictures than text, it won't.
So, if you can look at the book and decide if it's more pictures than text or not and then get back to me, we'll both know. :)
Thanks
Teri-k wrote: "Happy wrote: "Countrymen by Bo Lidegaard
1. Close but not quite
I wanted to use this for 10.6, but it hasn't been read enough to hav..."
It's also available in hardback and paperback, at least on Amazon UK, so I will request a librarian to add those editions added.
Teri-k wrote: "Aleksandra wrote: "would this book be ok for option 5 A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book: 95 Inspiring Ideas for Photographing Your Friends, Your World, and Yourself?"Here's the ver..."
Thank you Teri-k. I will change for Your Family in Pictures: The Parents' Guide to Photographing Holidays, Family Portraits, and Everyday Life. This one got for sure more words than other one.
here is amazon.uk link, you can have a look inside http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/08...
Happy wrote: "Teri-k wrote: "Happy wrote: "Countrymen by Bo Lidegaard
1. Close but not quite
I wanted to use this for 10.6, but it hasn't been rea..."
Adding those editions would be great, and will help others out, too.
Aleksandra wrote: "Teri-k wrote: "Aleksandra wrote: "would this book be ok for option 5 A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book: 95 Inspiring Ideas for Photographing Your Friends, Your World, and Yourself?"..."
Your Family in Pictures: The Parents' Guide to Photographing Holidays, Family Portraits, and Everyday Life definitely looks like it has plenty of text, so it's approved. I hope you take lots of lovely photos after you read it. :)
A librarian sorted this out, but it turns out this Goodreads listing has more than just those two after all - but still no Espionage! I just finished the book, and I suppose it doesn't look like a typical espionage book because it was completely adhoc. Almost no one who was actually helping the Jewish evacuation had been involved in any form of resistance activity up until then, and really had no clue how to go about it. It was a lot closer to the Underground Railroad than James Bond. Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent, but highly recommended for history buffs!
Anyway, I found a better option for it to ALMOST fit!
25.2 - Andy P's task: Hats off to Translators
(view spoiler)
This book is translated from Danish, so I guess hats stay on until Task 50!!!!
Happy wrote: "A librarian sorted this out, but it turns out this Goodreads listing has more than just those two after al..."
Well, OK, let's see where we are now...
The new GR entries mean it can no longer be squeezed into 10.6. But for 25.2, the idea was to read a book translated from another language, which Countrymen is, just not from the right language.
This one is even easier to accept for Option 1. :)
Great task!I think I've got my three choices ironed out.
Option 1: The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson; originally published in Swedish, so the language uses the Roman alphabet but Swedish isn't a Romance language so the book cannot be used for Book 1 in task 25.2.
Option 2: The Woman Who Died A Lot by Jasper Fforde; I love the Thursday Next series but abandoned this shortly after its release in 2012 after only a few chapters out of the sad (irrational) realization that Jasper is only going to write 1 or 2 more Thursday books then THERE WILL BE NO MORE NEW THURSDAY BOOKS TO READ. (I said it was irrational)
Option 5: The World Between Two Covers: Reading the Globe by Ann Morgan; one of my goals this year is to read more books in translation from authors in non-Anglophone countries and Ann's book (coming out in May) is an in-depth look at her own experiences reading world literature during her Year of Reading the World project. (I have an ARC and will specify that in the post)
Melissa wrote: "Great task!I think I've got my three choices ironed out.
Option 1: The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson; originally published in ..."
So glad you like the task. May I just say it is not irrational to stop reading a book you like because you realize there aren't going to be many more in the series. LOL Not at all. I'm currently listening to one of the most amazing audiobooks I've ever encountered. Except I'm mostly not listening to it, because I know I can only experience its awesomeness for the first time once. I'm stretching it out over weeks, instead of gobbling it up in two days precisely because it's great. So your putting off a Thursday Next book because you love the series makes perfect sense to me. :)
Now on to business - All of your choices look fine. A translated book in a language not listed in 25.2 is good. Your abandoned book fits Option 2. And I love the idea of reading a book about someone who shared a similar goal for Option 5. You can learn from her experience and hopefully get some useful ideas, too.
Happy reading.
Hi Teri,I was going to read
for 30.7 Option 1 because I thought the cover was kind of "orangey." But then I re-read the directions and realized it had to be "bright orange," which this cover definitely is not.Will this work for your option 1? --or do you not find the cover to be "orangey" at all?
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Thanks, Nikki. I'm glad you like it. I tried to put some variety in the options (because everyone likes different kinds of books) and make the tasks thought-provoking. We'll see what people come up with. :)