The Next Best Book Club discussion
Cynthia's Seasonal Challenges
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OFFICIAL FALL CHALLENGE - 2008

Would Dracula count?



Let's see what I can do:
10 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BANNED BOOK
-will choose soon-
2. READ A BOOK ABOUT MUSIC OR A MUSICIAN (FICTION OR NON-FICTION)
Pass
3. READ A NOVEL OR NON-FICTION BOOK ABOUT FOOTBALL
Definitely pass :p
4. READ A BOOK WITH A ONE WORD TITLE
5. READ A HORROR OR SUSPENSE NOVEL
Not a fan
6. READ A NON-FICTION BOOK
Bill Bryson's A Short Story of Nearly Everything
7. READ A NOVEL WRITTEN IN THE 19TH CENTURY
-will choose soon-
8. READ A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL (ANY BOOK THAT IS CURRENTLY CATEGORIZED AS SUCH WILL DO, WHETHER IT WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO BE ONE OR NOT)
-will choose soon-
9. READ A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, OR A PLAY
The Best of Roald Dahl
10. READ A NOVEL OR NON-FICTION BOOK ABOUT WITCHES, VAMPIRES, OR WEREWOLVES
Pass
15 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR YOU'VE NEVER READ BEFORE
2. READ A BOOK BY A HISPANIC OR HISPANIC AMERICAN AUTHOR
Cuentos de amor de locura y de muerte, by Uruguayan author Horacio Quiroga (The Decapitated Chicken and Other Stories, quite Poe-esque, in case anyone else is interested).
3. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AFRICAN OR AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Pass
4. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ASIAN OR ASIAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood
5. READ A NOVEL BY A GAY OR LESBIAN AUTHOR
Pass
6. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY A GOOD READS AUTHOR
House of Leaves, by Mark Danielewsky
7. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ATHLETE OR FORMER ATHLETE
Pass :p
8. READ A BOOK ABOUT OR BY ONE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Duoble pass :P
9. READ A BOOK BY A PULITZER PRIZE WINNER (NOT NECESSARILY THE WINNING BOOK)
Willa Cather's My Antonia
10. READ A NOVEL BY AN AUTHOR WHO IS NO LONGER LIVING
-will choose soon-
90 points so far; and I doubt I'll be able to read more than what I've named here :P
Greetings! :)








For instance, The Yearling won the Pulitzer prize for fiction, but is now considered widely to be a young adult book.


Looking forward to the challenge.


* GR authors will say Goodreads Author beside the author's name (like Mark Z. Danielewski here).
* If you go to your bookshelves, a GR Author will be denoted by an asterisk (like Mark Z. Danielewski shown on my shelf here).
* If you are curious about an author, click on their profile and it should say Goodreads Author somewhere under their profile picture if they are indeed a GR author (like Mark Z. Danielewski's profile).

At this point, if I can keep up the pace, even with a newborn, I could get up to 170 points with books that I already have in my possession.
5 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF AN ANIMAL IN THE TITLE
The Saggy, Baggy Elephant
2. READ A BOOK WITH A COLOR (RED, BLUE ETC.) IN THE TITLE
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
10 POINT TASKS
2. READ A BOOK ABOUT MUSIC OR A MUSICIAN (FICTION OR NON-FICTION)
Love is a Mix Tape
4. READ A BOOK WITH A ONE WORD TITLE
Dracula
5. READ A HORROR OR SUSPENSE NOVEL
Saving Faith
6. READ A NON-FICTION BOOK
The Elements of Style
8. READ A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL (ANY BOOK THAT IS CURRENTLY CATEGORIZED AS SUCH WILL DO, WHETHER IT WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO BE ONE OR NOT)
Breaking Dawn or The Book Thief
9. READ A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, OR A PLAY
I Was Told There'd Be Cake
10. READ A NOVEL OR NON-FICTION BOOK ABOUT WITCHES, VAMPIRES, OR WEREWOLVES
New Moon
15 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR YOU'VE NEVER READ BEFORE
The Other Boleyn Girl
3. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AFRICAN OR AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Gifted Hands
4. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ASIAN OR ASIAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
10. READ A NOVEL BY AN AUTHOR WHO IS NO LONGER LIVING
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Tales
25 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK AND COOK A MEAL INSPIRED BY IT
Take the Cannoli
3. READ A BOOK AND THEN WATCH THE MOVIE ADAPTATION
Practical Magic
Total as of 9/17: 80

i.e. The October Country by Ray Bradbury has the word "October" but is also a collection of short stories. Just checking.

Thanks for the info on GR authors. I saw the asterisks, but didn't know what they meant. And I didn't want to have to pull up every book on my TBR list to see which ones fit.

Points Thus far (11/11): 245
5 POINT TASKS
The Secret Life of Bees
2. READ A BOOK WITH A COLOR (RED, BLUE ETC.) IN THE TITLE
House of Leaves
Lambs of London
5.
6. READ A BOOK THAT HAS THE WORD SCHOOL IN THE TITLE
David Goes to School
The Devil and Miss Prym
8. READ A BOOK WITH SEPTEMBER IN THE TITLE
9. READ A BOOK WITH OCTOBER IN THE TITLE
10. READ A BOOK WITH NOVEMBER IN THE TITLE
10 POINT TASKS
The Dead Zone
2. READ A BOOK ABOUT MUSIC OR A MUSICIAN (FICTION OR NON-FICTION)
3. READ A NOVEL OR NON-FICTION BOOK ABOUT FOOTBALL
Playing for Pizza
Shopgirl
Odd Thomas
The Devil in the White City
Jane Eyre
From the Mixed Up File of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
I was Told There'd be Cake
Practical Magic
15 POINT TASKS
1.
The Spellman Files, Lisa Lutz
The Alchemist
3. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AFRICAN OR AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Fatherhood or Think Big
4. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ASIAN OR ASIAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Me Talk Pretty One Day
6.
The Art of Racing in the Rain
7. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ATHLETE OR FORMER ATHLETE
8. READ A BOOK ABOUT OR BY ONE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
A Voyage Long and Strange
Around the World in 80 Days
25 POINT TASKS
Brother Odd
2. READ A CRAFT BOOK AND MAKE AN ITEM FROM IT
The Princess Bride
And, considering my husband is not nearly an avid reader as me (he's actually not a reader at all), I don't think I'll try to convince him to allow reading during sex.

"3. READ A BOOK AND THEN WATCH THE MOVIE ADAPTATION
I know I've got a ton for this. We'll see what comes up next. "
How about the Bourne Identity? You just bought those books, right? And, I'll be sure to read New Moon quickly, so you can have it before the end of the Challenge.


Points as of 15 Sept - 35
5 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF AN ANIMAL IN THE TITLE Three Little Cajun Pigs
2. READ A BOOK WITH A COLOR (RED, BLUE ETC.) IN THE TITLE Clockwork Orange
3. READ A BOOK THAT HAS SOME TYPE OF PLANT LIFE (FLOWERS, TREES) OR PART OF A PLANT (LEAF, PETAL) IN THE TITLE A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
4. READ A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF A CITY, COUNTRY, CONTINENT IN THE TITLE The Plot Against America
5. READ A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF A PERSON OR CHARACTER IN THE TITLE Rebecca
6. READ A BOOK THAT HAS THE WORD SCHOOL IN THE TITLE Old School
7. READ A BOOK WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING IN THE TITLE (VAMPIRE, ZOMBIE, WEREWOLF, DEVIL, GHOST, GOBLIN, WITCH, OR FRANKENSTEIN) The Witches
8. READ A BOOK WITH SEPTEMBER IN THE TITLE
9. READ A BOOK WITH OCTOBER IN THE TITLE October Sky
10. READ A BOOK WITH NOVEMBER IN THE TITLE
10 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BANNED BOOK Candide
2. READ A BOOK ABOUT MUSIC OR A MUSICIAN (FICTION OR NON-FICTION)
3. READ A NOVEL OR NON-FICTION BOOK ABOUT FOOTBALL
4. READ A BOOK WITH A ONE WORD TITLE Blindness
5. READ A HORROR OR SUSPENSE NOVEL Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
6. READ A NON-FICTION BOOK Very Good Year
7. READ A NOVEL WRITTEN IN THE 19TH CENTURY Tale of Two Cities
8. READ A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL (ANY BOOK THAT IS CURRENTLY CATEGORIZED AS SUCH WILL DO, WHETHER IT WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO BE ONE OR NOT)
9. READ A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, OR A PLAY The Judith Butler Reader
10. READ A NOVEL OR NON-FICTION BOOK ABOUT WITCHES, VAMPIRES, OR WEREWOLVES Dracula
15 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR YOU'VE NEVER READ BEFORE Around the World in 80 Days
2. READ A BOOK BY A HISPANIC OR HISPANIC AMERICAN AUTHOR
3. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AFRICAN OR AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHOR Color of Water
4. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ASIAN OR ASIAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
5. READ A NOVEL BY A GAY OR LESBIAN AUTHOR Bodies that matter (this has been on my currently reading list since July, but I have yet to actually pick it up!
6. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY A GOOD READS AUTHOR Fallen
7. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ATHLETE OR FORMER ATHLETE Cider House Rules
8. READ A BOOK ABOUT OR BY ONE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES The Audacity of Hope
9. READ A BOOK BY A PULITZER PRIZE WINNER (NOT NECESSARILY THE WINNING BOOK) Either Gilead, Stone Diaries or Empire Falls
10. READ A NOVEL BY AN AUTHOR WHO IS NO LONGER LIVING Fathers and Sons by Turgenev
25 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK AND COOK A MEAL INSPIRED BY IT
2. READ A CRAFT BOOK AND MAKE AN ITEM FROM IT
3. READ A BOOK AND THEN WATCH THE MOVIE ADAPTATION Vanity Fair

You may want to move Blindness to "Read a book by a hispanic author". It will get you more points.


15 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR YOU'VE NEVER READ BEFORE
Time traveler's wife
2. READ A BOOK BY A HISPANIC OR HISPANIC AMERICAN AUTHOR
One hundred years of solitude, or Shadow of the wind
3. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AFRICAN OR AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
the temple of my familiar - alice walke
4. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ASIAN OR ASIAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Never let me go - Ishiguro
5. READ A NOVEL BY A GAY OR LESBIAN AUTHOR
something by Sedaris
6. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY A GOOD READS AUTHOR
The year of the fog
9. READ A BOOK BY A PULITZER PRIZE WINNER (NOT NECESSARILY THE WINNING BOOK)
The Road
10. READ A NOVEL BY AN AUTHOR WHO IS NO LONGER LIVING
The Big Sleep, or The Bell Jar
25 POINT TASKS
3. READ A BOOK AND THEN WATCH THE MOVIE ADAPTATION
Memoirs of a geisha
10 point tasks:
1. BANNED BOOK
Handmaid's tale
4. READ A BOOK WITH A ONE WORD TITLE
Eclipse
5. READ A HORROR OR SUSPENSE NOVEL
Lifeguard - patterson
6. READ A NON-FICTION BOOK
(something in my graduate classes)
Yikes, that would be 215. I'm setting a goal of 175!

5 Points - Read a book with a color in the title - The Black Cross
10 Points - Read a fiction or non-fiction book about football - Playing for Pizza.
10 Points - Read a YA Book - The Book Thief, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
15 - Read a book by one of the presidential candidates - The Audacity of Hope/Dreams of My Father.
15 Read a book by an author you have never read before - Blindness.
25 Read a book and cook a meal inspired by it - At First Sight (made the spaghetti sauce).


Okay, if Saramago won't be considered Hispanic, I'll move him to the "Read a book then watch the movie adaptation."
Any suggestions on a Hispanic or hispanic amreican author? Will we consider Gabriel Garcia Marquez?

True, strictly speaking, the historical definition of Hispanic refers to what is now known as the Iberian Península; however, the meaning has varied and many people (perhaps even most, given as not many are familiar with History/Etymology) associate it with the language, rather than the geography.
Anyhow, only Cynthia can say what she meant exactly, since there are almost as many definitions of Hispanic as there are people.
Cynthia,
Hispanic is not exactly the same as Latin American. If you associate it with language, it also includes Spain. If you associate it with geography, there´s also Portugal (and Andorra, I think, geography is not really my forte).
Curiously enough, considering this exange, Saramago himself prophesized last year that Spain will eventually absorb Portugal and thus a new country -Iberia- would be born: http://www.elpais.com/articulo/intern...

I can put Blindness in a different category, I just am curious what I can pick.

5 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF AN ANIMAL IN THE TITLE
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp by Stephanie Klein-10/4
2. READ A BOOK WITH A COLOR (RED, BLUE ETC.) IN THE TITLE
Blood Orange by Drusilla Campbell-11/11
3. READ A BOOK THAT HAS SOME TYPE OF PLANT LIFE (FLOWERS, TREES) OR PART OF A PLANT (LEAF, PETAL) IN THE TITLE
Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate-11/3
4. READ A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF A CITY, COUNTRY, CONTINENT IN THE TITLE
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith-11/14
5. READ A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF A PERSON OR CHARACTER IN THE TITLE
Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger-9/28
6. READ A BOOK THAT HAS THE WORD SCHOOL IN THE TITLE
The Crazy School by Cornelia Read-10/18
7. READ A BOOK WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING IN THE TITLE (VAMPIRE, ZOMBIE, WEREWOLF, DEVIL, GHOST, GOBLIN, WITCH, OR FRANKENSTEIN)
The Ghost at the Table
8. READ A BOOK WITH SEPTEMBER IN THE TITLE
9. READ A BOOK WITH OCTOBER IN THE TITLE
October Light
10. READ A BOOK WITH NOVEMBER IN THE TITLE
November of the Soul
10 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BANNED BOOK
Sophie's Choice by William Styron-11/9
2. READ A BOOK ABOUT MUSIC OR A MUSICIAN (FICTION OR NON-FICTION)
Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield-11/6
3. READ A NOVEL OR NON-FICTION BOOK ABOUT FOOTBALL
Playing for Pizza
4. READ A BOOK WITH A ONE WORD TITLE
Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand-9/20
5. READ A HORROR OR SUSPENSE NOVEL
Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner-9/14
6. READ A NON-FICTION BOOK
The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout-9/21
7. READ A NOVEL WRITTEN IN THE 19TH CENTURY
Jane Eyre
8. READ A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL (ANY BOOK THAT IS CURRENTLY CATEGORIZED AS SUCH WILL DO, WHETHER IT WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO BE ONE OR NOT)
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray-9/2
9. READ A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, OR A PLAY
The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner-11/28
10. READ A NOVEL OR NON-FICTION BOOK ABOUT WITCHES, VAMPIRES, OR WEREWOLVES
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray-9/13
15 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR YOU'VE NEVER READ BEFORE
All We Know of Heaven by Jacquelyn Mitchard-9/5
2. READ A BOOK BY A HISPANIC OR HISPANIC AMERICAN AUTHOR
3. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AFRICAN OR AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison-11/23
4. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ASIAN OR ASIAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos-10/30
5. READ A NOVEL BY A GAY OR LESBIAN AUTHOR
My Point...And I Do Have One by Ellen Degeneres-10/22
6. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY A GOOD READS AUTHOR
Driving Sideways by Jess Riley-9/7
7. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ATHLETE OR FORMER ATHLETE
Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks-11/23
8. READ A BOOK ABOUT OR BY ONE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama-10/13
9. READ A BOOK BY A PULITZER PRIZE WINNER (NOT NECESSARILY THE WINNING BOOK)
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion-9/25
10. READ A NOVEL BY AN AUTHOR WHO IS NO LONGER LIVING
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath-10/15
25 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK AND COOK A MEAL INSPIRED BY IT
2. READ A CRAFT BOOK AND MAKE AN ITEM FROM IT
3. READ A BOOK AND THEN WATCH THE MOVIE ADAPTATION
The Other Boleyn Girl
245 points earned-11/28
Since we have three months, I am hoping to do all them because I read fast.
Books mentioned in this topic
Girl in Hyacinth Blue (other topics)Flowers for Algernon (other topics)
Flowers for Algernon (other topics)
The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero (other topics)
Frankenstein (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Irène Némirovsky (other topics)Andrew Davidson (other topics)
Kathy Reichs (other topics)
Lisa See (other topics)
Augusten Burroughs (other topics)
More...
1. Anyone can participate and can join in at anytime after Sept 1st and before November 30th.
2. Each individual can set their own goal as to how many points they think they can earn in that time and if they want to they can reward themselves.
3. Each task counts for points only once and the same book can not be used for two categories.
4. Have fun and post what your reading and your point totals...small adjustments can be made to the categories but try to stick as close to the task as possible.
5 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF AN ANIMAL IN THE TITLE
2. READ A BOOK WITH A COLOR (RED, BLUE ETC.) IN THE TITLE
3. READ A BOOK THAT HAS SOME TYPE OF PLANT LIFE (FLOWERS, TREES) OR PART OF A PLANT (LEAF, PETAL) IN THE TITLE
4. READ A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF A CITY, COUNTRY, CONTINENT IN THE TITLE
5. READ A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF A PERSON OR CHARACTER IN THE TITLE
6. READ A BOOK THAT HAS THE WORD SCHOOL IN THE TITLE
7. READ A BOOK WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING IN THE TITLE (VAMPIRE, ZOMBIE, WEREWOLF, DEVIL, GHOST, GOBLIN, WITCH, OR FRANKENSTEIN)
8. READ A BOOK WITH SEPTEMBER IN THE TITLE
9. READ A BOOK WITH OCTOBER IN THE TITLE
10. READ A BOOK WITH NOVEMBER IN THE TITLE
10 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BANNED BOOK
2. READ A BOOK ABOUT MUSIC OR A MUSICIAN (FICTION OR NON-FICTION)
3. READ A NOVEL OR NON-FICTION BOOK ABOUT FOOTBALL
4. READ A BOOK WITH A ONE WORD TITLE
5. READ A HORROR OR SUSPENSE NOVEL
6. READ A NON-FICTION BOOK
7. READ A NOVEL WRITTEN IN THE 19TH CENTURY
8. READ A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL (ANY BOOK THAT IS CURRENTLY CATEGORIZED AS SUCH WILL DO, WHETHER IT WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO BE ONE OR NOT)
9. READ A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, OR A PLAY
10. READ A NOVEL OR NON-FICTION BOOK ABOUT WITCHES, VAMPIRES, OR WEREWOLVES
15 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR YOU'VE NEVER READ BEFORE
2. READ A BOOK BY A HISPANIC OR HISPANIC AMERICAN AUTHOR
3. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AFRICAN OR AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
4. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ASIAN OR ASIAN AMERICAN AUTHOR
5. READ A NOVEL BY A GAY OR LESBIAN AUTHOR
6. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY A GOOD READS AUTHOR
7. READ A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN ATHLETE OR FORMER ATHLETE
8. READ A BOOK ABOUT OR BY ONE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
9. READ A BOOK BY A PULITZER PRIZE WINNER (NOT NECESSARILY THE WINNING BOOK)
10. READ A NOVEL BY AN AUTHOR WHO IS NO LONGER LIVING
25 POINT TASKS
1. READ A BOOK AND COOK A MEAL INSPIRED BY IT
2. READ A CRAFT BOOK AND MAKE AN ITEM FROM IT
3. READ A BOOK AND THEN WATCH THE MOVIE ADAPTATION
*If you wish to attempt the sex while reading task...proceed at own risk...if successfully done you may reward yourself with as many points as you see fit.