Leni's Oct2020 warm-up challenge

[Leni]

I can't resist a challenge. Actually I can. I've not done any of my usual annual challenges this year. But I'll go with this one. Better find a real page turner for the over 500p one though! I'm out of practice reading long books. It's been all quick and dirty this year.

1 - Read a "long" book (over 500 pages)

✓2 - Read a "short" book (under 250 pages)
Stone Cold

✓3 - Pick 5 of your favorite genres and enter them in a randomizer. Read a book in that genre

The randomizer picked Supernatural/Cosmic Horror which is great for October.

Hounds of the Underworld

✓4 - Read a "spooky" book (your own definition of spooky is fine)
Red Queen

5 - Read a book that is 75% one color on the cover.

✓6 - Read a book that was published in the last 18 months
The Hitman's Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot:

7 - Read a book that was published more than 100 years ago

✓8 - Read a book set in the Fall or with a cover that looks like it is Fall (leaves changing, etc)
P.S. I Spook You

✓9 - Read a book set in the Spring or with a cover that looks like it is Spring (trees blooming, etc)
Substituted:
Sunshine

✓10 - Read at least 75% of a book when it's dark outside
Ella, The Slayer

✓11 - Read at least 75% of a book outside (please social distance... a park or back patio will do fine)
The Two Gentlemen of Altona

✓12 - Read a book with an animal (real or made up) on the cover
Alice

✓13 - Read a book with a main character or author whose first name starts with the same letter as your first name.
Short Stack by Lily Morton

✓14 - Take five books you really want to read and put them in a randomizer and read whichever one is chosen.
The Goblin Emperor

✓15 - Read a book that is set in a location you wish you could visit or live in. This location can be real or imaginary.
The Sex Coach

[Leni]

The randomizer selected The Goblin Emperor for challenge 14. That one almost didn't make the list of five books, but now that I've read it I'm really glad it was selected. I didn't realise it would be mannerpunk. I love that subgenre.

[Leni]

Started Stone Cold for the Short Book prompt, but then realised books have to be 125p long, and that one is only 100. Then read The Two Gentlemen of Altona. But I read almost all of that outside, so I think I'll use it for prompt 11 instead. Also, it ended on a cliffhanger and it looks more like a 600p novel chopped into three than a series of three books. I hate it when authors' do that. I understand why someone who self publishes might want to do that, but I still hate it. I'm actually more inclined to buy the next book in a series if they are more self-contained and without cliffhangers. But this one wasn't good enough to continue with either way.

[Lianne (The Towering Pile)]

Leni wrote: "Started Stone Cold for the Short Book prompt, but then realised books have to be 125p long, and that one is only 100."

If I understand correctly, the minimum length rule doesn't apply to the short book challenge.

[Leni]

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "If I understand correctly, the minimum length rule doesn't apply to the short book challenge."

Oh! That would be good then. It does seem a rather strict requirement that the book be between 125 and 249 pages long!

[Leni]

Picked this book for its spring-like cover (and zombie content):


Discovered at the very beginning that the book is set during summer. So I guess those are summer flowers and not spring flowers. No matter. I made sure to read at least 75% of it after sundown.

Now to scour my physical shelves for spring and autumn covers, for my Kindle appears to only hold summer and winter. But at least I have a plethora of animal covers to choose from!

[Leni]

This is becoming quite the puzzle! The book I had for autumn turned out to only be half set during autumn. The book I had for spooky turned out to be not in the least spooky, in spite of the ghosts, but at least it was set during autumn, so that works out then. I did find a spooky book, but it's also in the vein of cosmic horror so I could use it for task 3 if need be.

Spring is defeating me. I have no spring covers, and it doesn't look like I have anything set in spring either. I found one on Kindle Unlimited, a "feel-good romance" and decided to give it a go. It does not make me feel good. Not even 20 pages in and I am so bored. And even though the book is listed as 130 pages, it starts on page 6 and ends on 125. So it's really too short and I should just save this prompt for last and see what I stumble across.

[Leni]

Had to do a reshuffling. I fortunately remembered that we can substitute one challenge, so I have ditched 9. Spring.

Instead I read Sunshine which is all sorts of suitable for a juxtaposition of October gloom and springtime daylight. It's also an excellent book. Just not set in spring.

For animal on cover I found another excellent book:


Then I moved my spooky book up to the genre generator task. And my new spooky book is the sequel to Alice: Red Queen

For place I'd like to visit (but not live) I went with the somewhat lurid title The Sex Coach
A farm and yoga retreat full of rescue animals and hot men in the rugged splendor of Cornish nature, a short drive from sandy beaches? Hell yeah, I'd visit Whisper Farm.

[Leni]

Three tasks left now, and I know what to read for them. But will I have the time?
Over 500 pages - The Bourne Identity

Published over 100 years ago - I'm due a re-read of Northanger Abbey

75% one colour on cover:


I think that's over 75% at least? Not totally sure when including the text.

[Leni]

I admit defeat. XD
I am almost done with my long book, but the 75% cover colour one has slowed me down. When I started reading The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet I just had to re-watch the whole web series too. A few episodes, then a few diary entries - back and forth. And while the episodes are just under 5 minutes long there's 160 of them. And that adds up. I'm currently up to 60. I'll just have to pick it back up after the readathon.