The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
TASK HELP: Fall Challenge 2025
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20.1 Most Improved: Kai's Task- Onihei Jokei
APPROVED:Horse by Geraldine Brooks
The Island by Victoria Hislop
Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
A Sign of Her Own by Sarah Marsh
The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers
The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
Love in Lockdown by Love in Lockdown
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue
Sonora by Jenni L. Walsh
The Tiffany Girls by Shelley Noble
The Yard by Alex Grecian
Any of the The Disaster Series books by Max Allan Collins
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Let's Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen
Sink and Destroy: The Battle of the Atlantic, Bill O'Connell, North Atlantic, 1940 by Edward Kay
Sustenance by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang
The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
Truth, Lies, and the Questions in Between by L.M. Elliott
Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell
Would Horse work? From the description "Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington"?
I have some options so do any work ?The Island based on leper colony in Spinalonga
Einstein’s Dreams whilst creating relativity einstein imagines otheer world
A Sign of Her Own around Alexander Graham Bell's telephone invention
The Gallows Pole Coiner's march
Shelby wrote: "Would Horse work? From the description "Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington"?"Yes, Horse is approved.
Marie (UK) wrote: "I have some options so do any work ?The Island based on leper colony in Spinalonga
Einstein’s Dreams whilst creating relativity einstein imagines otheer world
[book:A Si..."
All of those would work.
Kai wrote: "Marie (UK) wrote: "I have some options so do any work ?The Island based on leper colony in Spinalonga
Einstein’s Dreams whilst creating relativity einstein imagines othe..."
thanks
Some Regency romances and mysteries, as well as sea stories, include details of the Napoleonic Wars. And a number of recent books include the 9/11 event or the covid pandemic. I just read The Hallmarked Man, which includes the day a car ran down multiple people on Westminster Bridge. It was just a small fraction of the story, but it was there.
Robin P wrote: "Some Regency romances and mysteries, as well as sea stories, include details of the Napoleonic Wars. And a number of recent books include the 9/11 event or the covid pandemic. I just read As long as the event is specific enough and integral to the plot or featured in a way that affects the characters.
The Napoleonic Wars happening in the background of a Jane Austen novel, for example, would not really work, because you would not put up a historical marker that says "The Napoleonic Wars happened here" - too broad. However, a character being in a battle or campaign would.
Robin P's example of The Hallmarked Man is a good example - real incident, characters are involved. I'll add it to the approved list.
Covid is a bit tricky, because again, you would not put up a historical marker that says "Covid happened here" because it happened everywhere, but I could see how a lot of stories would fit. So I will say that as long as it is linked to a specific place and time, they will be accepted. Examples: The Sentence, Wish You Were Here, Love in Lockdown, Tom Lake. A novel like Burntcoat would NOT work because it takes place in an unnamed place.
Kai wrote: "Shelby wrote: "Would Horse work? From the description "Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington"?"Yes, Horse is approved."
Thanks!
Will this work? The Paris Express - description: "a sweeping historical novel about an infamous 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station."
Rina wrote: "Will this work? The Paris Express - description: "a sweeping historical novel about an infamous 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station.""
Absolutely!
Dee wrote: "I believe this works - Sonorahttps://www.jennilwalsh.com/sonora.html"
Yes! Reminded me of that movie - Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken. Was one of my favorites as a kid.
Kai wrote: "Dee wrote: "I believe this works - Sonorahttps://www.jennilwalsh.com/sonora.html"
Yes! Reminded me of that movie - Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken. Was one of my favorites as a kid."
Loved that movie too!
Would this fit? The Yardfrom the GR description... (I added the bold)
"Created after the Metropolitan Police’s spectacular failure to capture Jack the Ripper, The Murder Squad suffers rampant public contempt. "
AND
"showcases the depravity of late Victorian London, the advent of criminology"...
Morning. Would you accept the books from this series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/3270...
I'm specifically thinking of the London Blitz one: The London Blitz Murders, but all the books in the series are centred around historical events.
Thanks.
Mod
Kathy KS wrote: "Would this fit? The Yardfrom the GR description... (I added the bold)
"Created after the Metropolitan Police’s spectacular failure to capture Jack the Ripper, The Murder Squad suff..."
Yes, approved
Trish wrote: "Morning. Would you accept the books from this series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/3270...
I'm specifically thinking of the London Blitz one: The London Blitz Murders..."
It looks like all of the books in that series would work as they focus on specific incidents.
Susan A wrote: "adding on to Trish's question...The Titanic Murders from the same series?"Yes, that one works as well.
Kim wrote: "The way I'm reading this, A Tale of Two Cities, wouldn't work because it's too broad a time frame. Am I right?"If I remember correctly, although set against the backdrop of the French Revolution (too broad to work), some of the characters took part in the storming of the Bastille, so it would actually work.
May I use Let's Call Her Barbie ?It is a fictionalized account of the creation of Barbie and all that followed.
Kai wrote: "TIt looks like all of the books in that series would work as they focus on specific incidents."Brilliant. Thank you.
Cathy wrote: "May I use Let's Call Her Barbie ?It is a fictionalized account of the creation of Barbie and all that followed."
Yes, that works
Jammin Jenny wrote: "Would you approve:
"I'm not sure from the description. Do you know if they jump around inside the books or actually interact with the real life authors? If it's just inside the texts, then no, it would not work.
Would Sink and Destroy: The Battle of the Atlantic, Bill O'Connell, North Atlantic, 1940 work? It's about the Battle of the Atlantic during WWII, but I'm not sure if that's still too broad.
August wrote: "Would Sink and Destroy: The Battle of the Atlantic, Bill O'Connell, North Atlantic, 1940 work? It's about the Battle of the Atlantic during WWII, but I'm not sure if that's still to..."In general, the Battle of the Atlantic would be too broad since it basically lasted the entire war, however since this specifies 1940 I will approve it.
Trish wrote: "I'm specifically thinking of the London Blitz one: The London Blitz Murders..."Well, I'm going to need a plan B - I started reading this and it was so badly written, I couldn't get beyond 10% of it.
Kai wrote: "August wrote: "Would Sink and Destroy: The Battle of the Atlantic, Bill O'Connell, North Atlantic, 1940 work? It's about the Battle of the Atlantic during WWII, but I'm not sure if ..."Thanks!
So, in my search for Plan B, would any of these work?Sustenance - some of the characters are escapees from the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Roman Dusk - set in the final days of the Roman Empire.
Midnight’s Children - the partition of India and Pakistan
A Beautiful Poison - background of the Spanish flu, 1919
Seventy-Seven Clocks - setting stated as 1973 during the Winter of Discontent
The Eagle of the Ninth - in the aftermath of the disappearance of the Ninth Legion in Northern Britain
Are children's books allowed for this task?
August wrote: "Are children's books allowed for this task?"Childrens books are allowed if they meet general SRC requirements
Fiona (Titch) wrote: "Would Scarlet Carnation be ok as it deals with racial injustice and a family who were enslaved?"Those themes are too broad, however if it features a specific historical event like the founding/early days of the NAACP, that would work.
Trish wrote: "So, in my search for Plan B, would any of these work?Sustenance - some of the characters are escapees from the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Roman Dusk - se..."
I approve all except Roman Dusk and Seventy-Seven Clocks from their descriptions. They seem to be more "set during the time of" rather than featuring the events themselves.
If you read either and it turns out the characters are more actively involved in those events, then they may work. (For example, the description for Roman Dusk mentions Heliogabalus, who was a real person. So if he is a character in the book, then it would work.)
EDITED TO ADD:
My thought process on the approved ones (in case this helps anyone):
Sustenance mentioned characters speaking out against the House Un-American Activities Committee and thus being targeted by the OSS and CIA.
Midnight's Children - the main character's life is inextricably linked to being born at the moment of India's independence.
A Beautiful Poison - one of the characters works in the mortuary during the Spanish Influenza and the murders are being attributed to the flu
The Eagle of the Ninth - the main character is investigating the real-life disappearance of the ninth legion
Kai wrote: "I approve all except Roman Dusk and Seventy-Seven Clocks from their descriptions. They seem to be more "set during the time of" rather than featuring the events themselves.."Thanks, Kai. That gives me lots of options.
Hi, would A Body Divided: a Memoir of the Polio Epidemic - Jerry Ratch be any good? It's 164 pages long as well.
Many thanks Kai
Fiona (Titch) wrote: "Hi, would A Body Divided: a Memoir of the Polio Epidemic - Jerry Ratch be any good? It's 164 pages long as well.
Many thanks Kai"
Fiona, I don't see where the fictional part comes in with that one and unfortunately there's no more information on the book page. It seems like a straight up memoir, which would not work.
Would Truth, Lies, and the Questions in Between work? The MC is fictional but there are several historical events included in the plot.
Could you please advise if this will work:Redcoat - it takes place during the American Revolution, but is specifically about the times that Philadelphia changed hands and the sorry winter that Washington's forces suffered at Valley Forge
Brooke wrote: "Would Truth, Lies, and the Questions in Between work? The MC is fictional but there are several historical events included in the plot."Yes, that would work.
Joanne wrote: "Could you please advise if this will work:Redcoat - it takes place during the American Revolution, but is specifically about the times that Philadelphia changed hands and the sorry ..."
Yes, perfect.
Will this book work?
brief descriptoin
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a powerful message about how the written word affects people--a story of hope and heartbreak, raw courage and strength splintered with poverty and oppression, and one woman's chances beyond the darkly hollows. Inspired by the true and historical blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek showcases a historical first for the introduction of Pack horse Librarians in literary novels — a tale of fierce strength and one woman's belief that books can carry us anywhere — even back home.
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Finding Dorothy (other topics)Finding Dorothy (other topics)
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The Call of the Wrens (other topics)
The Righteous (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Bernard Cornwell (other topics)L.M. Elliott (other topics)
Jerry Ratch (other topics)
Jerry Ratch (other topics)
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (other topics)
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In Japan's Sumida City, the local government installed 16 historical markers called Onihei Jokei, dedicated to fictional events that took place in a popular series of novels written by Shotaro Ikenami. The markers point out the locations of the novels' events and the local history that inspired them, blurring the line between fiction and real life.
Read a book that combines a real historical event with fictional ones. For a historical event, we are looking for an event of limited scope (location, time, participants) that someone could put up a historical marker to memorialize. For example, D-Day not all of World War II. Or the building of the first Transcontinental Railroad, not all of the Industrial Revolution. Your choice must not be simply set during the same time period. The event must be featured or essential to the storyline, not simply mentioned or observed in a newspaper or on television by the characters.
Examples: A true crime book that includes fictionalized accounts from the killer or victim's perspective (In Cold Blood recounts the 1959 murder of the Clutter family using invented dialogue and scenes), or a novel where the fictional characters take part in a real historical event (Gone With the Wind would be okay because a plot point is Sherman's March to the Sea, but the American Civil War by itself would be too broad).
The Second Mrs. Astor- Titanic event
The Spectacular- New York Hotel Bombing
The First Hunt- The Green River Serial Killer
None Left to Tell - The Mountain Meadows Massacre
Required: State the event