Wedding/Marriage Theme

[Rossy]

While organizing my bookshelf i encountered a big problem. I seem to have quite a lot of fiction books on weddings/marriage/bachelorette stories. So i'm going to dare you to read this theme with me!

Theme:
*Something old: improvise as desired (within the theme)
*Something new: improvise as desired (within the theme)
*Something borrowed: improvise as desired (within the theme)
*Something blue: improvise as desired (within the theme)
*book with a wedding scene
*book where character is planning a wedding
*book with married characters as hero/heroine
*book with engaged characters as hero/heroine
*book with divorced characters as hero/heroine?
*BONUS (Optional)

Discussion: Did the story & characters sound realistic? Could you relate to any of the characters or certain things that happened in the story? If so, can you share an example?
Duration: October 15, 2010 to October 15, 2011

*Credit to our FlibBity who suggested this theme in the Challenge suggestion thread!
If you want some suggestions i have placed a few on the group bookshelf here: http://www.goodreads.com/group/booksh...

[Rossy]

How many books would you guys want to pick and for how long shall we do this one?

[Kate]

I have Nora Roberts Bride Quartet to re-read so I'm in. :)

[D.G.]

Would this be like the challenge that FlibBity suggested?

How about a wedding challenge...
Something old
Something new
something borrowed
Soemthing blue
book with a wedding scene
book where character is planning a wedding
book with married characters as hero/heroine
book with engaged characters as hero/heroine
book with divorced characters
etc.

[ஐ Briansgirl (Book Queen)ஐ]

I like that D.G. I got a bookcase full of Harlequins that would fit. I'd just like the time frame to be longer since I don't read fast.

[Dee]

the different types of marriages we see in books - the arranged into love; the elopment; the husband/wife who disappear/reappears

[Rossy]

Kate wrote: "I have Nora Roberts Bride Quartet to re-read so I'm in. :)"

*groan* I forgot i have those to read as well.LOL!

[Rossy]

D.G. wrote: "Would this be like the challenge that FlibBity suggested?

How about a wedding challenge...
Something old
Something new
something borrowed
Soemthing blue
book with a wedding scene
boo..."

Yes indeed. Shall i add those categories to spice it up?

[Rossy]

ஐ Briansgirl "Book Sale Queen"ஐ wrote: "I like that D.G. I got a bookcase full of Harlequins that would fit. I'd just like the time frame to be longer since I don't read fast."

I was hoping you guys would want to do it that way. These days i need more time to finish my challenges if it's more than 1 book.LOL

[Rossy]

Delicious Dee the book slut wrote: "the different types of marriages we see in books - the arranged into love; the elopment; the husband/wife who disappear/reappears"

Thanks DD, that should help!

[D.G.]

So are we doing this? :p

[Rossy]

Yeap, i'm about to edit the first post to enter what you guys have suggested. Are we starting at the end of the month or the beginning of next?

[Dee]

how are we defining something old/new/borrowed/blue?

I would rec - old (a book published before you were born or an old favorite); new (a new to you author); borrowed (from the library/friend); blue (blue cover)

[Rossy]

Don't know yet, but i want to keep it on the wedding theme realm.....perhaps matchmakers? Something old, couple is paired/matched by an old family member, old friend etc....or it could be an old crush or boyfriend....

[Dee]

that could work...i'm trying to work the old,new,borrowed,blue into wedding themes...

[Rossy]

Thanks DD, that would help because i'm kind of running a blank after that. ROFLMAO!

[Dee]

old - friends to lovers type...
new - elopment
borrowed - mistaken identity
blue - umm...lol

[Rossy]

I like your old, and with new we can also add shot-gun wedding? Borrowed i like too and blue could be....let me have a few more cocktails and i'll come up with something!LOL

[Dee]

blue...baby = pregnancy...as in baby boy blue?

[Rossy]

LOL! Never heard of it, but aren't pregnancy test lines blue?

[ஐ Briansgirl (Book Queen)ஐ]

Old - historical romance?

New could mean marrying someone you barely know. Happens in Harlequins more than you'd think. lol Or could mean a contemporary romance (to go along with old being a historical romance).

Borrowed could be a temporary engagement, or temporary marriage as that's a common theme in Harlequins. Those "I need to hire you temporarily to pose as my fiance" kinda thing.

Blue makes me think of someone sad, so perhaps someone who is forced to marry and isn't happy about it...?? Arranged marriage perhaps. Harlequin American Romance and Special Edition Romances have royal blue covers and bindings. Silhouette Romances have light blue covers. And as Dee said, the traditional color for baby boys is blue (and pink for girls), so it could be a romance that involves an infant boy (single mother or father, abandoned baby, etc.).

There are enough interpretations of old/new/borrowed/blue that you could let everyone choose their own interpretation but they must explain how their choice fits the category.

[ஐ Briansgirl (Book Queen)ஐ]

Rossy wrote: "LOL! Never heard of it, but aren't pregnancy test lines blue?"

Many test lines are red, or shades of pink.

[D.G.]

Oh if the first 4 categories are going to so tied to the wedding theme I'm not sure I can participate! 5 categories are already about being married, engaged, divorced, etc. so I thought we could be freer with the first 4.

I was thinking along Dee's lines:
Old = Classic, Published at least 20 years ago/before you were born
New = Recently published, new author
Borrowed = Borrow from Library, friend
Blue = Blue cover

I also liked the categories somebody else suggested about marriage of convinience, fake engagements, etc.

[[deleted user]]

I like this theme. Sounds good. I have books on the shelf too that would fit this challenge.
For the blue~ how about someone engaged to one person but in love with another? Just read a book "The Hawk" where this happened.

[Rossy]

Briansgirl, i really like those suggestions!

DG, i'm thinking perhaps we should leave those free to improvise as desired. Keeping in theme with weddings though. What do you think?

Barb, please join us!

[Rossy]

So we have 9 categories....should we do it for 10 months or a year?

[ஐ Briansgirl (Book Queen)ஐ]

I vote for a year. And I like the idea of leaving something old, new, borrowed, blue up to everyone's interpretation, provided it fits within the wedding theme. As that may make it a little easier for each person to find books that fit.

[Rossy]

Cool! That's what i'll state in the first post then. Thanks for the input ladies!

Take a look at the first post and let me know if there are any changes, you guys think i should make!

[D.G.]

ஐ Briansgirl "Book Sale Queen"ஐ wrote: "I vote for a year. And I like the idea of leaving something old, new, borrowed, blue up to everyone's interpretation, provided it fits within the wedding theme. As that may make it a little easier ..."

I'm not sure what it means to leave it up to the person while at the same time having a wedding theme. So for instance, I couldn't interpret blue as a blue cover unless there was some people getting married or a wedding in the book?

That's still would be too constricting for me. I'd like to be able to pick a book that fits the 'something borrowed' and don't have to borrow a book that also deals with weddings. I know in romance there are bound to be weddings but paranormals seldom have ones (it's all about being mated and so forth.) So I couldn't read a paranormal for this?

[ஐ Briansgirl (Book Queen)ஐ]

D.G., this is a wedding themed challenge. Several of us suggested different ideas for something old, new, borrowed or blue. She's agreed to leave it up to everyone to pick something that fits one of those categories provided it's got a wedding/marriage theme, as the overall theme of the entire challenge is Dare to Read Wedding/Marriage Theme.

A paranormal book would work if it's PNR so that there is a romance in it. And yes, the blue cover would have to be a blue cover on a wedding themed book. The paranormal books may work for many categories but maybe not all.

That's why I voted for a year to do this, as it may take awhile to find appropriate books. Some you may read specifically for this, and alot of times you may be reading stuff and you'll run across a wedding in the book and then realize it could qualify to satisfy a category. With 9 categories and a year to complete, we should have enough time to find books and read them.

Do remember, these challenges are for fun. You can choose to participate and do only the categories you're comfortable with or have time for.

[Macwolf01 [Elise]]

I'm in

[Samantha]

Sounds fun :)

[FlibBityFLooB]

Wheee :) I'm in. How many books do we read, or are we reading one for each item in the original post?

[Rossy]

ஐ Briansgirl "Book Sale Queen"ஐ wrote: "D.G., this is a wedding themed challenge. Several of us suggested different ideas for something old, new, borrowed or blue. She's agreed to leave it up to everyone to pick something that fits one o..."

DITTO!!!!! *air kiss*

[Rossy]

Yay, welcome girls!

FlibBityFLooB wrote: "Wheee :) I'm in. How many books do we read, or are we reading one for each item in the original post?"

We're reading one for each category, but if you're finished before the year is up, you're welcome to add more!
BTW, thank you for coming up with the theme for a challenge!

[Fran, Moderator]

I am definitely in! I have a bunch of books that would fit this theme. Is there an official start date?

[Rossy]

I'm thinking next month but don't have a specific week yet.

[Fran, Moderator]

Rossy wrote: "I'm thinking next month but don't have a specific week yet."

Great, October sounds good to me- looking forward to it!

[Samantha]

October sounds good.

[Gigi]

Can we post as we go?

[Rossy]

Gigi wrote: "Can we post as we go?"

I think that would be easier.


How does the 15th of this month sound? I should be feeling better by then and able to function.

[[deleted user]]

I'm confused. Has this challenge started already? Or will it run for a year but from Oct.-Oct.?

[Rossy]

No we will start on Oct. 15. Yes to your second question. It will run for exactly a year.

[Samantha]

Oh ok! So that is not bad.

[Annie]

I'm in... will be planning my list, sometime / somehow. I have the last in the Brides' quartet to come at some point over this year! That's gotta fit in the character planning a wedding category - it is Parker, after all. Never said the character had to be planning their own wedding!

[Rossy]

Annie (a mad hamster) wrote: "I'm in... will be planning my list, sometime / somehow. I have the last in the Brides' quartet to come at some point over this year! That's gotta fit in the character planning a wedding category - ..."

Heck i think all of the books in that series would qualify in at least one category.LOL

I will be sending a reminder around the 14th so that you guys can start making your lists or reading on the 15th.

[Annie]

I've made my list now... sad but true!
Much more fun than looking at annual performance reviews!
Luckily, my library catalogue allows some pretty fun keyword searching and limiting...

I pinky-promise that I will NOT start reading anything until the 15th - but herewith, my list (as always, subject to change at a moment's notice):

Something old: These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer. Old in the title, an old favourite, and an older hero/young heroine, oh, and old-en days!

Something new: Sold to a Laird by Karen Ranney. Arranged marriage. New-to-me author.

Something borrowed: Secrets In Texas by Carrie Weaver. Pretend marriage for sake of sting operation (at least, that's what it says in the library catalogue).

Soemthing blue: Royal's Bride by Kat Martin. Royal falls for fiancee's cousin. Royal blue - ha! Oh, and blue cover... see


Wedding scene: Secret Life of a Vampire. Ok, cheated a teeny tiny bit here - but it's sitting beside me - and features a bachelor's party, so a quick skim found a wedding about 20 pages in.

Planning a wedding: Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts. Go Parker, wedding coordinator extraordinaire!

Married characters: An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James.

Engaged characters: Tempt Me by Lucy Monroe.

Divorced characters: Barely a Lady by Eileen Dreyer.

Mostly historical this time round.
God, I'm such a librarian...

[Rossy]

*ROFL* Wow Annie, you really rather not do that performance review! ^.^

Your selections all seem good to me!

[Annie]

Rossy wrote: "*ROFL* Wow Annie, you really rather not do that performance review! ^.^

Your selections all seem good to me!"

Whew!

And... back to real work now. *sigh*

[Rossy]

Duration: October 15, 2010 - October 15, 2011
0/10 Read

*Something old: improvise as desired (within the theme)
*Something new: improvise as desired (within the theme)
*Something borrowed: improvise as desired (within the theme)
*Something blue: improvise as desired (within the theme)
*book with a wedding scene
*book where character is planning a wedding
*book with married characters as hero/heroine
*book with engaged characters as hero/heroine
*book with divorced characters as hero/heroine?
*BONUS (Optional)

Discussion: Did the story & characters sound realistic? Could you relate to any of the characters or certain things that happened in the story? If so, can you share an example?