The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
FALL CHALLENGE 2010
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TASK IDEAS - Fall Challenge (Task Ideas ONLY!)
The World Series takes place in October. Read a book about baseball or a book with a baseball related word in the title such as "hit", "run", "single", "double", "Triple", "player", "ball", "game"
Beth, that's a great Mystery idea!Getting to Know your Friends: Read a book currently being read by one of your GR Friends. You can check the "currently reading" list as often as you wish. Minimum length of book: 250 pgs.
I've had a couple of other thoughts - they may be duplicates since I haven't read the entire thread.Back to School - read a book related to your favorite subject in school
Equinox celebration - read two books with the same number of pages (+/- 5)
Since we're doing this during the 9th, 10th and 11th month - read a book whose title or author has 9, 10 or 11 letters in their name.
Beth, i am soooo jealous. I wish I'd thought of the Solve the Mystery idea.
Since there are only 4 letter in FALL read a book with only 4 letter/numbers in it.
Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playing-cards/
And use the random card generator to narrow down your book for this task
If your card is a(n):
ODD NUMBER (3, 5, 7, 9): Your book must have been published in a year ending in an ODD number
EVEN NUMBER (2, 4, 6, 8): Your book must have been published in a year ending in an EVEN number
ACE: Your book must be the first in a series
JACK: Your book must be written by a man
QUEEN: Your book must be written by a woman
KING: Your book must be set in/about/by an author from a country that is ruled by a king or a queen (ie: Britain, Spain, Sweden, etc.) still looking for a good list of these
If your card is a:
SPADE: Your book must be a classic
DIAMOND: Your book must have at some point been on a bestseller list (NY Times or another)
CLUB: Your book must be by a Goodreads Author
HEART: Your book must have been published in the last 10 years
Examples:
If I drew the Queen of Hearts, I’d have to read a book written by a woman that has been published in the last 10 years
The Two of Diamonds would be a book with an even number of pages that has been on a bestseller list
The Jack of Spades is a classic written by a man, etc etc
I admit that I was planning to sit out the fall challenge because my bookshelves are piling up, but there are so many fun task ideas I'm going to have to join in again :)
Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playing-cards/
And use the random card..."
Very creative. I'm impressed. Great task!
Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playing-cards/
And use the random card..."
Awesome task, I hope you get to submit it sometime as your created task.
Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playing-cards/
And use the random card..."
Jen B,
I'm passing my task to you.
(I love all your task ideas and used several of them for my "bonus round" in the spring.)
Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playing-cards/
And use the random card..."
Great task, Jen!
Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it isFun!
Here are more countries with monarchs.
http://www.heraldica.org/faqs/atrfaq....
Nepal was a kingdom until 2008 after the crown prince shot all his family members and himself at dinner. The man that took over was not well-liked and Maoist instigators from china took over. It was quite the crisis. There ought to be a good book about that! I don't know which of the categories it would be in though. The joker? ; )
Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playing-cards/
And use the random card..."
Oh, that is AWESOME! ;o) Love that task, Jan B.
Love Jen and Beth's ideas! So creative :)
pjreads wrote: "Jen B, I'm passing my task to you.
(I love all your task ideas and used several of them for my "bonus round" in the spring.)
"
Wow, thanks PJ! Six challenges and I've never actually gotten to make a task before! :)
Jen B wrote: "pjreads wrote: "Jen B, I'm passing my task to you.
(I love all your task ideas and used several of them for my "bonus round" in the spring.)
"
Wow, thanks PJ! Six challenges and I've never..."
You're welcome -- looking forward to enjoying your task!
Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playing-cards/
And use the random card..."
I really like your task too!!!! Maybe people can draw 2 cards for it???
Jen got me playing on the site and I thought of a loose read what you want one...I liked the coin, but a different one could be used.
Coin Collector
Go to: Coin Collector
Please click Flip Again!
-If you get 2 Do It! (or heads), read 300 pages
-If you get 1 Do It! (or heads) and 1 The Hell With It! (or tails), read 500 pages
-If you get 2 The Hell With It! (or tails), read 700 pages
You may read as many books as you like to meet this task. With the task, please list the result of your coin flip and the # of pages that were in each book you read.
Squee! Jen B & Beth! Awesome!!Thanks Beth for building upon the Mystery idea! That's sorta the fun bit I was seeking but my brain refused to come out and play. I knew I wanted the whole Clue/Murder She Wrote funtastic bit in there! SUPER COOL! And amusing!
did someone say Clue? i like Clue. I think we had a task like that before though.
Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playing-cards/
And use the random card..."
Jen - I just had a thought about your task. I work in publishing and I know that books are printed in page multiples of 4/8/16/32. So technically if you count all the prelims and bits at the end, every book should have an even number of pages. Looking at my recent reads page numbers on GR, they have all been even numbers too. You'll have to say you accept the page number on the last page of the story, or something like that, or else people who draw an odd number may struggle :)
Nicki (UK) wrote: "Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playing-cards/
And use the r..."
wow I had never noticed that, I looked back and most of my books have even number pages. I had one that didn't. But I am sure Jen can tweak her task to make it work.
Tanja wrote: "Squee! Jen B & Beth! Awesome!!Thanks Beth for building upon the Mystery idea! That's sorta the fun bit I was seeking but my brain refused to come out and play. I knew I wanted the whole Clue/Mu..."
Thanks Tanja, my creative side doesn't come out often, so I figured i would post that since it just popped into my head after I read the post about the Choose Your Own Adventure/Mystery. I hope I didn't stop on your toes.......
Beth NC(US) wrote: "Nicki (UK) wrote: "Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playin..."
I'm sure it can be solved - I think it's a great task and hope no one thinks I was being critical. It just suddenly occurred to me that this might become a problem so I thought I'd mention it :)
Nicki (UK) wrote: "Beth NC(US) wrote: "Nicki (UK) wrote: "Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www...."
The results of a quick survey of the fifteen books I have around my desk: the probability of the last numbered page being even or odd is eight even to seven odd. It might be kind of a pain to pick a book here on GR, but if I think if people looked in their local or personal libraries it wouldn't be too bad.
Nicki (UK) wrote: "Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playing-cards/
And use the r..."
Oops, good catch Nicki. I guess I never really pay attention to how many pages a book has, but in looking through the stack on my nightstand you're right - all even.
I edited it to make it easier - published in odd or even years. That's easy enough to find on this site so you don't have to spend hours at the library digging through to find an odd-page-numbered book. Not that I'd mind spending hours the library...
Jen B wrote: "Nicki (UK) wrote: "Jen B wrote: "Ok, this one is my “good” task that I was saving, but since I’ll not likely get to design one, here it is:It’s in the Cards
Go to: http://www.random.org/playin..."
Or it could be odd or even number of characters in the title
I love the literature map, and bookseer.com too. Those are awesome sites.
I tried to come up with some more suggestions that would work, regardless of the reader's location.---
Alma Mater: Not only do K-12 schools start in the fall, but so do colleges! Read a book with the name of any college in the title. (ie. Hacking Harvard or Miami Noir)
Ch-ch-ch-changes: Lots of dramatic changes happen this time of year--in the Northern Hemisphere, leaves change color and fall and the weather starts getting colder, while in the Southern Hemisphere everything starts to awaken after the winter. Read a book where a dramatic change occurs in the main character's life (ex. a wedding, a birth, a death, a serious injury, etc.).
Fall Favorites: Read a book related to your favorite thing about this time of year.
Other ideas:Read a book you planned to read for the Summer challenge but never got around to OR if you finished all the tasks for the Summer challenge, choose your favorite Summer task and read another book that would fit that task.
September 10 is Swap Ideas Day. In honor of this day, go the the Seasonal Reading Challenge homepage and click on members at the top right-hand side of the page. Sort members by last online. Go to page 9, 10, or 11, choose a member and go to their books read page. Read a book that they have rated as 5 stars.
September, October, and November are the 9th, 10th, and 11th months. Go to Explore: Books. Click on Popular Lists. Go to page 9, 10, or 11 and choose a book from one of the lists to read.
September 16 is Mexican Independence day. Read a book (fiction or nonfiction) set in Mexico, about Mexico, has a Mexican main character, or is written by a Mexican author.
September 19th is National Women's Friendship Day. Read a book that features women friends.
September 28th is Ask a Stupid Question Day. Read a book with a question word (who, what, where, when, how, which, etc.) in the title.
In honor of Oktoberfest, read a book (fiction or nonfiction) about Germany, set in Germany, has a German main character, or is written by a German author.
October 2nd is Name Your Car Day. Read a book that contains a word or words you would name your car. (Beast, Baby Baby, or Asking for Trouble, for example)
October 7th is World Smile Day. Read a humorous book.
October 24th is United Nations Day. Read a book set in, about, or written by an author born in a United Nations member state admitted to the UN before you were born (UN member states and dates of admission). You may not choose the country in which you currently live.
October 30th is National Candy Corn Day. Read a book with a cover that is predominately yellow, orange, and/or white.
In honor of Halloween, read a book related to a Halloween costume (you might dress up as a ghost, a witch/wizard, a vampire, Frankenstein, or Queen Victoria, for example).
November 2nd is Look for Circles Day. Read a book with a circle on the cover (this can include the letter o in title or author's name as well as any other circles on the cover).
November 4th is King Tut Day. Read a book about King Tut or ancient Egypt.
November 20th is Beautiful Day. Read a book with a cover you consider beautiful.
Kristi (Passion for the Page) wrote: "October 24th is United Nations Day. Read a book set in, about, or written by an author born in a United Nations member state admitted to the UN before you were born (UN member states and dates of admission). You may not choose the country in which you currently live"What if the UN was created after you were born?
could you say the precursor to the UN, the League of Nations
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "What if the UN was created after you were born?"Good point, Elizabeth.
Edit that one to add: The UN was formed in 1945, if you were born before this date choose a member state admitted in that year.
That still gives a choice of over 40 countries.
A member state that was admitted after you were born might be more of a challenge. Both the US and the UK were admitted before I was born, so that covers at least 90% of the books readily available here.
Coralie wrote: "A member state that was admitted after you were born might be more of a challenge. Both the US and the UK were admitted before I was born, so that covers at least 90% of the books readily available..."It could be more of a challenge, but it would depend on the ages of the youngest participants whether they'd have enough of a choice. Although, I'm sure Switzerland (2002) would work for all of us lol So that could be the fallback nation. It's not the newest that's joined, but it probably has the most books set in/about/by authors from it.
Coralie wrote: "A member state that was admitted after you were born might be more of a challenge. Both the US and the UK were admitted before I was born, so that covers at least 90% of the books readily available..."Maybe permanent security council members could be excluded? That would mean no China, France, Russia, UK, and US.
Rhea wrote: "Maybe permanent security council members could be excluded? That would mean no China, France, Russia, UK, and US. " That's a good edit, Rhea. I was going for a more international flavor...
Erin (NY) wrote: "Read two books by immigrant authors from two different countries, in which immigrant experience plays a major role. Optionally comment on how the experiences were similar/different.Read a book wr..."
I LOVE the Umbrella on the cover idea!!! I love covers w/ umbrellas for some reason!
Kristi (Passion for the Page) wrote: October 2nd is Name Your Car Day. Read a book that contains a word or words you would name your car. (Beast, Baby Baby, or Asking for Trouble, for example)I really like this one!!! Mostly because for some reason as much as I would like to change my car's name it always ends up being Baby!
You could name your car anything. I had a car named Emmily, my sister had a car named Peter, a friend named hers Timothy.
My sister named hers Roberta!!!! I do not think I could find a book with that name but she shorts it with Bob so maybe it would be possible! I still like it though!
I had a car named Carlito and becuase I'm not original when I got my new car I named him Charlie. I like the car name task. Thats fun.
Back in the day, my brother had an orange Volkswagon camper. My sister and I called it The Great Pumpkin, but he called it Agatha.
So many fun names....Please please please put the CAR name task...I would love to see peoples names for their cars.
So for those of us who do not have cars, this would be a hypothetical, correct? Like, "What would you name your car if you had one?" That's also sort of hard to say - it would depend on its "personality" for me... :)
There are those readers who 1) don't have cars, 2) prefer not to name them, 3) have car names that are impossible to find a book for, or 4) would rather no one else find out what a stupid name they gave an inanimate object.
Donna Jo wrote: "There are those readers who 1) don't have cars, 2) prefer not to name them, 3) have car names that are impossible to find a book for, or 4) would rather no one else find out what a stupid name they..."I've never even thought to name my truck! I also don't plan on starting to name my truck. So mine would have to be hypothetical too. I did however name my Nook, so I could use that name.
Go to http://www.literature-map.com/. Type in the author from your last 5 star rating and read a book by one of the authors who pops up on the map. Or type in one of your favorite authors and read something by one of the recommended authors whose works you've never read.Go to http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/. Type in one of your 5 star reads and read one of the suggestions which comes up.
Go to http://bookseer.com/. Type in one of your 5 star reads and read one of the suggestions which comes up.
Read a book which one of our moderators gave a 5 star rating.
Patricia wrote: "Go to http://www.literature-map.com/. Go to http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/. Go to http://bookseer.com/. "
I like Literature map the best. What should I....? depends too much on popularity (it couldn't make a suggestion for the book I typed in--not enough user data) and Bookseer just recommended books by the same author.
My friend's car was named Torrie because he had a Taurus, then he got a Monte Carlo so I call it Carlie. When my mom got her car, we named it Knox as in Equinox.
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
City of Ashes (other topics)War and Peace (other topics)
Still Missing (other topics)
Jane Eyre (other topics)
The King's Mistress (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Markus Zusak (other topics)Kathryn Stockett (other topics)
Elizabeth Gaskell (other topics)
Charles de Lint (other topics)
Solve the Mystery...... Choose your book based on your solution to the mystery.
Libby Librarian was lying on the floor unconcious. There was a..."
I also love your idea of solve the mystery!!