The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
SPRING CHALLENGE 2011: AUSTRALIA
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Task Ideas-Spring Challenge 2011: Australia
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Janet
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Feb 07, 2011 01:10PM
Queen Victoria's birthday was May 24. After her death, that date became Empire Day, although it is no longer celebrated (except in Canada as Victoria Day). Read a book set (or written) in the Victorian period (1837-1901).
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The season of Lent begins March 9th, a period of sacrifice and good works. Read a book that involves either of these themes.
Janet wrote: "Queen Victoria's birthday was May 24. After her death, that date became Empire Day, although it is no longer celebrated (except in Canada as Victoria Day). Read a book set (or written) in the Vict..."Like it!
Amelia Earhart is thought to have disappeared over Oceania on her flight around the world. Read a book where aviation plays a major role. Or a Nonfiction book about Earhart.
Many creative ideas! I'm sure we'll have a good set of tasks next time.May 1 is "May Day", a day of celebration in many cultures. Read a bood about a festival-type celebration or wherein a big part of the novel occurs during a festival-type celebration.
Read a book by an author born in March-April-May and/or a non-fiction biography of someone born in March-April-May.
I liked the "5 colors on the cover" and the Victorian one.
St. Patrick's day is in March. How about: read a book that takes place in Ireland, or is written by an Irish writer, or has an overwhelmingly green cover?
Australia seasons are opposite from America, or vice versa. Read a book with opposite words, or 2 books that are opposite. ( i think we may have done something like this before, in this task maybe, but just a thought! :-) )
"Beware the Ides of March". Read William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar or any fiction or non-fiction story about Julius Caesar (or to make the range a bit wider, any story set in the time of the Roman Empire).
Spring is a time of renewal - read a book by a new-to-you Goodreads author.
For many people, May and June are the end of the school year. Read a book with one of the following words in the title: school, book, student, pupil, teacher, test, ruler, pen, pencil, bell, class.
For many, springtime means strawberries! Read a book with either a red cover or a picture of (any kind of) berries on the front.
One of my all time favorite Disney movies is "Finding Nemo" which takes place in Australia and its surrounding waters. Nemo, a fish, is taken by a diver and his dad sets out to find him. Read a book where a main theme is "family". This list may help.
Queensland has recently experienced flooding. I found that there will be an anthology published in late February or early March in digital and print form to raise money for the flood victims:"100 Stories for Queensland" is a charity anthology to assist the survivors of the Queensland floods. Stories are donated by writers from across the globe. 100% of the sales profit will be donated to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief appeal.
http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/
The anthology will be available in digital and print form, and is expected to be ready for release late February/early March.
Perhaps we could make this a group read or a task to help the flood victims. We could also read a book about a natural disaster.
On a lighter note, spring is when I start to hear the birds singing as I walk my dog in the morning. (I walk him at around 4:30am, so they aren't awake yet in the winter). Read a book with bird, an individual bird's name, sing, song, etc. in the title.
Christine US wrote: "Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "personally for me - having lost some people I knew at the VT shooting and others being severly injuried - I think I would have trouble with this one - i'm sur..."I'm sorry if I offended either of you, that was not my intention. Columbine personally hit me hard. It's the day after my birthday and I haven't had a single birthday since where I don't think about it. Where this was coming from is that I am a teacher and while I have not witnessed anything near as disastrous and catastrophic as Columbine or V Tech, there have been several shootings in schools I have worked at or gone to and I have lost several students or classmates to the same senseless violence. My thinking is that, while this is a depressing subject, its something that I especially as a teacher need to be aware of, but I think benefits everyone to have the same awareness. If we can identify these troubled people and do something to help them before things reach the level of violence, our schools and colleges will be safer for it.
I don't think there is anything wrong with a topic about troubled teens ...just don't pin it to a specific painful example. Lots of specific tasks are broad without a specific 'gimmick' to pin it to -- I don't think you need one here.
Lots of place names in this part of the world are repetitive (eg Wagga Wagga, Woy Woy, Pago Pago). Read a book that has the same word twice in the title.
Coralie wrote: "Lots of place names in this part of the world are repetitive (eg Wagga Wagga, Woy Woy, Pago Pago). Read a book that has the same word twice in the title."Oooohhhh I really like that!
Coralie wrote: "Lots of place names in this part of the world are repetitive (eg Wagga Wagga, Woy Woy, Pago Pago). Read a book that has the same word twice in the title."That's a good one!
Chris wrote: "April 16th is the anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting and April 20th is the anniversary of Columbine. In order to remember these events and keep an eye out for troubled youth, read a book wit..."April 19th is the anniversary of the Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City. Read a book about the death of a child, one with 168 pages for the number of lives lost, a mystery, non-fiction book about a man-made disaster, or a book with 26 chapters because there is a marathon run in Oklahoma City to support the Memorial.
Courtney wrote: "Chris wrote: "April 16th is the anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting and April 20th is the anniversary of Columbine. In order to remember these events and keep an eye out for troubled youth, r..."Tried to edit my own post but there was an error...read a book by an Oklahoma author, or set in Oklahoma.
Vivian wrote: "Coralie wrote: "Lots of place names in this part of the world are repetitive (eg Wagga Wagga, Woy Woy, Pago Pago). Read a book that has the same word twice in the title."That's a good one!"
Oh, I like that one also!
I've been trying to think of a task related to "boomerang" -- the essence being something that is thrown away only to return to you.
Deedee wrote: I've been trying to think of a task related to "boomerang" -- the essence being something that is thrown away only to return to you. Maybe read a book in a genre or by an author that you return to again and again??
Australia is part of the British Commonwealth. The Man Booker Prize is awarded to the best book written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. Read a book from the shortlist (or longlist?) of nominees from any of the 40 years that this prize has been awarded. Nominated books by year can be found at http://www.themanbookerprize.com/priz...
read a book that is found on the Australia shelf here at GR - http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/a... - there are 2300 books that have been shelves on it, so most people should be able to find somethingthe Bicentennial of Australia was in 1988, read a book published in that year (I was always super jealous of my sister for being born that year because she got this cool bicentennial birth certificate)
i've really enjoyed the tasks in the past where you have to pick a book off a certain published list (like the recent top 10 one)...someone mentioned the following link in another group (although more as a critique), but its interesting because it features various authors and some of their top 10 lists for different genres:http://www.goodreads.com/featured_lis...
Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "i've really enjoyed the tasks in the past where you have to pick a book off a certain published list (like the recent top 10 one)...someone mentioned the following link in another group (although m..."That one looks really cool!!!!
I actually found it by someone complaining about the "in bed"...haha! but i think it would be a good one
11 days until new tasks!! (give or take!)
Since we had a task this challenge with single word books...how about read a book with a really long title? Maybe 7-8 or more words.
read a book where the authoer is from your city/state/country (whichever works best)
Australian flag task ideas:1. Read a book that is 6th in a series (representing that there are 6 stars on the Australian flag).
2. Read a book that has all of the colors red, white, and blue on it's cover (representing the three colors of the Australian flag).
3. Read a book that has the word CROSS in it's title or in the author's name (representing the red cross that is on the Australian flag).
April 27th (1822) was Ulysees S. Grant's Birthday.Read two books (fiction or non-fiction) in which:
a) there is a strong Yankee Civil War main character (Grant having been a General in the War) or
b) the author's last name is the same as any of our Presidents (Grant having been our 18th President) or
c) there is a main female character named Julia or the author's name is Julia (the name of Grant's wife) or
d) there is a loving father main character (Grant was a was an extraordinarily responsible and devoted father)
I really like the following task suggestions:Message #8 by Pollyanna...St. David's Day (Wales 3/1); read a book written by a David or with a David as a main character and World Purple Day (3/26); read a book with a purple cover .
Message #26 by Riona...Friday, May 13th ideas; read a book with 13 in the title or the 13th book in a series.
Message #51 by Janet...Queen Victoria's birthday; read a book set during the Victorian period.
IHO Mother's Day, read a book about (or featuring as a major theme) a mother/daughter or mother/son relationship.OR A book recommended by your mother.
Lahni wrote: "Deedee wrote: I've been trying to think of a task related to "boomerang" -- the essence being something that is thrown away only to return to you. Maybe read a book in a genre or by an author that you return to again and again??
Oh, I like that! And we always have at least one task that is very open, which this one would be. :0)
I believe that every other spring challenge has had a St. Patrick's Day task but what if we combined Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's day celebrations since they're only about 10 days apart this year? Maybe read a book about excess: an ultra-wealthy character, struggling with addiction, etc. etc.When posting, explain what aspects of excess were present in the book, ie -
I read I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max. Tucker drinks, swears and sleeps around excessively.
Or...
I read Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. Becky shops excessively.
Or...
I read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I thought Meyer's overuse of the same words was excessive. I'll never feel the same about the words 'cold, beautiful or sparkly' ever again.
Or...
I read Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. There's a scene where one character plays a joke on another character by removing all the marshmallows from several boxes of Lucky Charms and then reseals the boxes. All of the boxes were ultimately discarded and I thought the waste of food was excessive.
Beth F. wrote: "I believe that every other spring challenge has had a St. Patrick's Day task but what if we combined Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's day celebrations since they're only about 10 days apart this year? ..."Good one, Beth!
The Pulitzer Prize is given in March. Read a Pulitzer winner or nominee.I like the Booker Prize task, too.
I also like the idea of a task focusing on troubled teens and how to help.
Janet wrote: "March "comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb" (or vice versa). Read a book with a title that either starts or ends with the letter "L"."Great idea!
It might also be fun to read a book that has something to do with the weather in your own location and whether March comes in like a lion or a lamb.
LMAO. I agree with your judgment of excessive sparkley in Twilight. Although I pity anyone who has to read it.
I liked the birthday one that we did this last time - maybe something similar but different...i.e. read a book on someone's birthday list who's birthday date matches yours - i.e. if your birthday is on the 16th, then read a book from someone's list which is on the 16th of March, April or May...
Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "I liked the birthday one that we did this last time - maybe something similar but different...i.e. read a book on someone's birthday list who's birthday date matches yours - i.e. if your birthday i..."I think it's fun to read from another person's list. We could also read from the lists of any of the members we have who currently live in, were born in, or have been to Australia/Oceana. But there would need to be a thread where they can state who they are.
Deedee wrote: "from wiki: "Walkabout refers to a rite of passage during which male Australian Aborigines would undergo a journey during adolescence and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months." ..."Love this idea!
When are the 5/10/15 point tasks going to be posted? I don't think I have seen a date for this. I could have just missed it though.
Mod
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated April 4, read a book about any civil rights movement or figure.Spring (and fall) are times of great bird migrations. Read a book about any migration experience and a book that features birds.
JenC. wrote: "Janet wrote: "Queen Victoria's birthday was May 24. After her death, that date became Empire Day, although it is no longer celebrated (except in Canada as Victoria Day). Read a book set (or writte..."Can it encompass biography for the Victorian period as well??
Canterbury Tales is set in April and it's still quite common for people to take pilgrimages during Lent - read a book set in a place you want to make a pilgrimage to. It doesn't have to be religious, it could be any place that had a significant impact on your beliefs.
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (other topics)The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (other topics)
The Canterbury Tales (other topics)
The Canterbury Tales (other topics)
The Canterbury Tales (other topics)
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