Historical Fictionistas discussion
Challenges
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Challenge Task Suggestions - ONGOING
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JoLene, Mistress of the Challenge
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Oct 10, 2012 12:53PM
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I like that idea! Maybe as a mini- month long challenge?
Love the TBR idea. Rarely participate in this challenge but I do read a good many historical fiction novels.
Hmmm! I'm a Virgo so a book with a virgin on the cover???
Linda wrote: "Hmmm! I'm a Virgo so a book with a virgin on the cover???"we can hope small children are virgins, so maybe a child on the cover.
I would love to see a challenge based around our TBR lists. Mine is loaded with historical fiction.
Read a book where the character has to be wearing a dress/outfit that is a certain colour.Read a book where the character has to have a certain hair colour.
Holly's idea would work well for me.
Mod
Do you have any specific ideas or should we do what we did last year? Last year, people had to submit a list of books they wanted to read (there was one chance to modify and you scored based on where the books are on your list.
I like the idea of randomly picking from out TBR shelf. Some of those books will be on there for years.
Mod
A book from our TBR shelves is a great idea. How about giving points according to how long its been on our list, covers a topic we have not read before, set in a time period we have not read yet?
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http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/9...
Luckngrace wrote: "I don't mean to hog the thread, but I keep having these ideas. It's okay if they don't all click.I've noticed a few books whose ratings seem to be all 1 stars and 5 stars. Read one of these books..."
I love the idea of reading a book with a house as a character, and chooing a hundred year period would give interesting comparisons.
You might try this folder: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_... for recommendations on particular books. This thread is for the challenges and people may not see it here.
Read a book with a compass heading in the title. (I need an excuse to pick up North and South.)Read a book where the title contains your own initials.
I have a question about book sizes. These days, when so many books are electronic rather than hard copy, would not word count be an acceptable alternative to page numbers?
Where would you get that information though, especially if someone is reading an older book?
I agree it's not always practical, and so perhaps I'm being annoying by bringing it up. It's just that it's a much more accurate method of sizing a book - I still remember how ripped off I felt by all the white space in Who Moved My Cheese and if readers/book buyers start demanding this information, publishers/book sellers will supply it more often.
No, I actually agree with you. It's definitely more accurate than page numbers. I just thought maybe you had a resource for looking up how many words are in a book since GR doesn't list that info.
Jackie wrote: "No, I actually agree with you. It's definitely more accurate than page numbers. I just thought maybe you had a resource for looking up how many words are in a book since GR doesn't list that info."I think SmashWords is one place that includes that information, but you're right; most do not. However, if readers made it clear that the information would be useful, GR might include it as an option.
As an author, they probably would not listen to me, but readers and especially moderators could have an impact. Or - as this is rather off-topic, do you mind if I start a thread on this subject in "The Front Parlor" to ask about it?
Feel free to open a thread. I checked the Feedback group to see what the GR staff had to say about it. Even though the topic has been brought up like 4 times there hasn't been an official stance on it. The last time the topic was raised was in 2012. You might want to bring it up again to keep it on their radar.Here are the threads:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6...
JenC. wrote: "I live in a small community and we often rely on each other as neighbors when the need arises. We water gardens and feed animals while our neighbors are on vacation, share in the bounty of said ga..."Becky wrote: "Hi all... I thought that I would put up a thread which would remain active, as I often get ideas for things at times when they aren't needed, and then when it is the right time, come up blank.
So..."
I live in Washington DC 14 blocks from the Capitol, but we are a unique neighborhood much like your own but in an urban setting. Like you, we watch out for each other, water gardens when needed, and get together in the evenings at each other's homes. I have two chickens in my back yard and share eggs with everyone. It's a great way to live.
Djrmel wrote: "Maude wrote: "JenC, I like your idea re star signs. I think it would be fun. It wouldn't necessarily be ALL about the sign - just having one of the animals in the story. I am a Capricorn and I do..."Yeah, and then there are those of us who are both! Half horse, half man. :)
This from one of the other lists I've been on: read a book that's split between past and present. Love that idea!
LemonLinda wrote: "read a book that features your star sign (I'm a leo - so a lion on the cover or in the title/plot, if you're a gemini then twins cou..."But that would be a hard one for those of us who are Taurus..."
There's a Mary Renault book with a bull on the cover or am I really dating myself??
JenC. wrote: "I live in a small community and we often rely on each other as neighbors when the need arises. We water gardens and feed animals while our neighbors are on vacation, share in the bounty of said ga..."Reading a book published by more than one author is an idea I like. There are some good writing teams out there!
I was inspired by actor Paul Walker's fundraising/relief efforts to help the Filipino victims of Typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda moments before his sudden death. He used his platform to help others of another culture. My challenge is for readers to challenge authors to somehow support victims in the Philippines, and for authors to donate to the same or similar natural disaster causes of recent past (Japan tsunami, Indonesia tsunami, Haiti, Katrina, etc)
Is there going to be a challenge for December?
Mod
Read a Nobel prize winner.Read a book that takes place in Affrica. Or by an African writer.
Read a book about a specific type of laborer. Like miner, midwife, police etc.
Read a HF with a mystery plot to it.
Read a book with a main character whose religion is not your own (can be anything, atheist, agnostic--not just Judeo-Christian).Read a book one of your Goodreads friends has given 5 stars.
Read a book a member of this group has given 5 stars.
Read a book mentioned in any of this group's discussion boards.
Read a book about kids or where a child is the main character.
Read a book about seniors or where a senior is the main character.
Read a book that predominantly takes place on or in water.
Read a book from this list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Read a book written under a pen name (example Robert Galbraith, Richard Bachman).
Read a book set in a country where there is a Wonder of the World (can be ancient or modern). Bonus point if the Wonder is specifically mentioned in the book.
Read a book about or set it a country on your bucket list.
Are we still doing challenges? I haven't been around for a while and now I'm trying to be more active!
RebeccaS wrote: "Are we still doing challenges? I haven't been around for a while and now I'm trying to be more active!"I am missing the challenges also. They don't have to be ones where anyone keeps score. I liked things like the scavenger hunts and so forth which encouraged me to read more carefully. I have found another group with very active challenges. If you want to contact me, I'll route you there.
Love the ideas here! Here's my contribution: comitting to read a book by an author who is a race other than yours and set in an era about which you know relatively little
Luckngrace wrote: "Read a book that won an award, any award.Read any author's first book."
Nice idea, reading the first book of an author. And it's often startling to watch someone learn the craft. Not many people are geniuses straight out of the gate.
Read books that take place in different centuries, although mine is to begin from 30,000 years ago then to 13,000, 12,000 and up until modern times. Make sure to include historical fiction that takes place elsewhere in the world than just europe or north america. Indies are allowed :)
I have an idea for December. I would like to do a historical fiction Christmas book challenge. Not sure how it would all work, or maybe just a general book challenge to see how many Christmas books you could read.
Mod
I was thinking about making one of the December tasks to read a holiday book. I wasn't planning to specify Christmas since there are several holidays in December (Hanukah, Ramadan, Kwanza, Christmas), but I like the idea of a seasonal task.
Jasmine wrote: "Erin wrote: "I have an idea for December. I would like to do a historical fiction Christmas book challenge. Not sure how it would all work, or maybe just a general book challenge to see how many Ch..."OH! Great idea! That was me being naive and into my own beliefs. That was not very loving of me. I like your idea much better. :)
Mod
Great minds think alike. It was great that you thought of it, and encouraging that it is a task that people will be interested in.
A challenge where every book you try to read has a protagonist who is a different religion (i.e. one book where they're Jewish, another one where they're Muslim, Christian, pagan, Hindu, etc.)
I love the idea about different centuries for a certain country. Maybe like English history starting in the 11th century through to the 19th century. I would definitely do that!
Mod
We do a century challenge in the winter. It isn't specific to a country, but the goal is to read a book for each century from the 1st to the 21st. This yer I also included BCE. This is a recurring challenge, so it will happen again next year beginning in December.
It's been a while, but JoLene did a "train" challenge a couple of years (or so) ago. That would be fun to do again. As I remember it, you connected title words or author initials (first or last) to see how long of a train you could get...As an example -
Cuba Libre by Elmore Leonard
connected to
Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner
connected to
Angels in America by Tony Kushner
connected to
The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea
It was really fun!!
Mod
That does sound fun. The next challenge will be the Summer TBR for June/July/August but this sounds like it would be perfect for the September/October one.
Historical Fictionistas
Books mentioned in this topic
Cuba Libre (other topics)Telex from Cuba (other topics)
The House of Broken Angels (other topics)
Angels in America (other topics)
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life... (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Elmore Leonard (other topics)Rachel Kushner (other topics)
Tony Kushner (other topics)
Luis Alberto Urrea (other topics)
Lauren Willig (other topics)
More...
