50 Point Task Idea Submissions

[SRC Moderator, Moderator]

This is the thread where you can submit a task idea for the 50 Point Task contest. The thread is now open for submissions and will close at Midnight Eastern time on July 5th 2025. Voting will start the next day, July 6th and will close at the end of the day on July12th. If the moderators determine that the vote is close, a 3-day runoff poll will be held. The person whose idea gets the most votes will host the 50 point task for the Spring Challenge.

The 50 point task will require:
1. Only 3 options. These options may not include more than 2 "sub options" - 6 total in the task.
2. One book per option.
3. Three books totaling at least 750 pages. Your task idea may require a higher page threshold but this must be disclosed in your entry.
4. No books with the genres children or kids on the main book page may be used.
5. Books whose main page lists any of these genres: Sequential Art, Comics, Comic Book, or Manga may not be used.
6. No “free choice” options will be allowed. This is a challenge, so tasks that have no element of challenge do not fit the purpose.
7. A task must be accessible to the majority of players, i.e. not limited to a specific format, edition, publisher, etc. and reviewable by the moderators.

Anyone eligible* to design a task may submit an idea for a task that follows the general guidelines above. Your idea should be a sketch that may be developed with the moderators.

* To be eligible to create a task, the player’s profile must be set up to accept Goodreads messages, and they must not have a task in the current challenge. Only one task per person per challenge.


The group will vote to determine the 50 point task. All ideas that fit the general guidelines will be included in a poll. The poll winner will develop their idea with the moderators to refine their task. The final task may differ from the original idea submission. The task will be posted as close to the midpoint as reasonably possible. The task creator will monitor and answer questions in the help thread.

Please include your Readerboard name and a title for your task. The entries will be listed by Readerboard name and task title in the poll. Please include only one task idea entry per post.

PLEASE DO NOT comment on people's entries in this thread - this is for submissions only - you will be able to comment when voting begins. Comments in this thread will be deleted.

[Lisa]

Lisa MD

50.1 - Lisa MD: The Summer My Boys Got Married

I have two sons, Greg (38 y/o), and Eric (33 y/o), who both are getting married this summer two months apart. I am over-the-moon they have found their loves, but wow, back-to-back weddings is a lot!

Required:
1. Read one book for each of the 3 options.
2. One book must be published in 2025.
3. Total combined pages must equal 750 or greater.
4. No graphic novels or manga allowed.


Option 1: Greg’s June Wedding

Greg and Rachel were married on June 7th in an outdoor wedding at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, MD. This was mainly a destination wedding. They live in Pittsburgh, PA, along with most of Rachel’s family. My side of the family lives in Salisbury, MD about 30 minutes from the destination.

A – Pittsburgh has a tradition called the “Pittsburgh Wedding Cookie Table.” The tradition is believed to have started during the Great Depression when families couldn’t afford to make cakes for weddings, and cookies were more affordable. Family and friends bake cookies for the wedding cookie table. Guests snack on the cookies during the reception and containers are provided to take home cookies as a favor. We had over 170 dozen cookies. In addition, the bride and groom did not want a traditional wedding cake, so I added 5 Smith Island cakes to the cookie table. Smith Island cake, an 8-10 layer cake, is our state cake and an Eastern Shore of Maryland tradition, so we married our traditions.

Read a book with a word of 3 or more letters made from the letters of “Pittsburgh Wedding Cookie Table” or “Smith Island Cake.” The words “and” and “the” may not be used. Required: State which phrase you used.


B - The wedding took place at the end of a long pier, under a pavilion on the Choptank River. Read a book with a pier, pavilion or gazebo, or a natural body of water on the cover. Required: Include the cover in your post.

ie -


Option 2: Eric’s August Wedding

Eric and Meghan are getting married on August 2nd at an outdoor wedding at Top of the Pines located in Ridgway, Colorado. This is truly a destination wedding for everyone. Eric and Meg live in Denver about 5 ½ hours from the venue and her family lives in Durango, CO several hours away. My family here in Maryland is approximately 32 hours away.

A – Top of the Pines is located at the foot of the Sneffels Range in southwest Colorado. It is a designated “International Dark Sky Park,” which means the park acts to preserve and protect dark sites through lighting policies. Artificial light can disrupt ecosystems, impact human health, contribute to climate change, waste energy, and block our view and connection to the universe.

Read a book whose cover shows the night sky with visible stars. Required: Include the cover in your post.

ie-


B – Guests will be traveling to the wedding from: Colorado, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida, California, North Carolina, New Jersey, Montanna, and Germany.
Read a book set approximately 50% in one or combination of the places listed above. Required: If not obvious from the GR description, then provide a reference.


Option 3: Mother of the Grooms

My heart is full knowing my sons have found wonderful women to love and to be loved by, along with their extended families. I gladly welcome my daughter-in-loves and their families into mine.

A – Read a book whose author’s first and last initial can be found in “Mother of the Grooms.”


B – Since I am the mother of two boys with not one, but two weddings over the summer, read a book whose title contains a plural word.

ie - My Friends, Black Woods Blue Sky, The Bright Years, Six Days in Bombay, We Solve Murders, The Sirens

[Jen B]

Choices, Choices
The Goodreads Choice Awards have allowed readers to choose their favorite books each year since 2011. Let's celebrate these selections by reading from these choices.

Since MPG children and graphic novels are not allowed for the 50 point task, the categories of Middle Grade, Picture Books, and Graphic Novels may not be used for this task.

Option 1: Category
Choose one award category and read a book that was a winner/nominee in this category in three different years of the awards. The years do not need to be consecutive.

Example: Category: Fiction
The Wedding People (winner, 2024)
The Paper Palace (nominee, 2021)
The Midnight Library (winner, 2020)

Option 2: Year
Choose one year of the awards (2011 through 2024) and read three books that won/were nominated in any category during that year.

Example: Year: 2022
Lessons in Chemistry (Historical Fiction nominee)
House of Sky and Breath (Fantasy winner)
I’m Glad My Mom Died (Memoir winner)

Option 3: Same Category, Same Year
Choose one year of the awards, and select a category from that year. Read three of the nominees/winner of that category.

Example: 2023, Mystery & Thriller
None of This Is True (nominee)
The Only One Left (Nominee)
The Villa (nominee)