The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
SUMMER CHALLENGE 2011: EUROPE
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Summer Challenge 2011: Task Ideas
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Sandy wrote: "Jennifer L. wrote: "Choose one of your 5-star reads from your goodreads shelf (make sure to state what book you chose) and use it to choose your next book using the site http://www.whatshouldireadn..."I feel like this site hates me -- nothing I'm putting in is working! It just keeps coming up blank.
I just type in a title or author, a list shows up underneath, then you just click on one of the titles underneath to get a new list of recommendations. Hope it works for you!
^ What Sandy said.Don't hit enter after you type in your book title. That just resets the page. Type in your title and then look at the list that is generated just below (the text is in green). If it lists multiple editions of your book, click the first link listed.
I like Deedee's idea of the Grand Tour - for a 2- or 3-part Task, read 2 (or 3 books) set in different countries of the Grand Tour, i.e. England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Holland (or even where the Channel plays a big part)?
I was always jeolous of my friend in high school who shared her birthday with Tom Cruise (July 3). As an August 4 baby, I am *thrilled* to share my birthday, finally, with someone famous - US President Barack Obama. Read a book by or about a world leader (non-fiction).During the summer in Scandinavia, days are long and nights are short. I fondly remember my university days in Copenhagen where the social aspects were, shall we say, a tad higher on my priority list than my academic ones... helped along by the euphoria everyone experienced as it grew warmer. Read a book about midsummer's eve - fiction or non. Read a book about a Scandinavian country or by a Scandinavian author.
*Summer always makes me think of bright rainbows of colors, aka ROYGBIV. Read a book with the words red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet in the title or the author's name. *I love traveling, and I have been to many places in the world, and Europe is no exception. I have been to England, Italy, Spain, and France. Read a book set in a country you have traveled to in Europe. If you have never been to Europe, start planning your trip by reading a book set in the country you would most like to visit. (For me that would be Italy, I've been twice already and I cannot wait to go back!)
Back in the old days, before iPods and DVD players, road trip entertainment was looking out the window. Read a book that has a word in the title of something you might see out a car window.
Cait wrote: "^ What Sandy said.Don't hit enter after you type in your book title. That just resets the page. Type in your title and then look at the list that is generated just below (the text is in green)...."
THAT'S what the problem was...i was hitting enter. THANK YOU!!!! :)
Amanda Pearl wrote: "*Summer always makes me think of bright rainbows of colors, aka ROYGBIV. Read a book with the words red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet in the title or the author's name. ..."
Amanda--I will be going to Italy for the first time in June. What do you especially recommend seeing in the Milan area?
Donna Jo wrote: "Amanda Pearl wrote: "*Summer always makes me think of bright rainbows of colors, aka ROYGBIV. Read a book with the words red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet in the title or the au..."OOH Milan! I haven't been there, the furthest north I've been is Florence :(
But I know the Last Supper by da Vinci is in a church (Santa Maria della Grazie, had to look it up) so that would be kick ass to see, but I'm pretty sure you have to reserve a time slot, so you'd want to check into that before going.
There's also some really sweet architecture like il Duomo which is a HUGE domed cathedral. And of course there's all of that haute couture fashion which is centered in the Quadrilatero d'Oro.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head, sorry! (now if you'd been going to Florence, Rome, or Capri, THEN I could help you out lol)
Stesse wrote: "During the summer in Scandinavia, days are long and nights are short. I fondly remember my university days in Copenhagen where the social aspects were, shall we say, a tad higher on my priority list than my academic ones... helped along by the euphoria everyone experienced as it grew warmer. Read a book about midsummer's eve - fiction or non. Read a book about a Scandinavian country or by a Scandinavian author."I think that happens everywhere in northern/cold countries! In Scotland people seem to get outdoors as soon as there's a ray of sunshine - it's exam season, but the green zones around campus are more crowded than the library. So read a book in which one of the main characters spends a lot of time outdoors.
Mod
That is so cool. I vote for this task!
Mod
I like this idea too!
Lahni wrote: "Back in the old days, before iPods and DVD players, road trip entertainment was looking out the window. Read a book that has a word in the title of something you might see out a car window."I like this one. And I really think children today miss out on a lot by not looking out the car windows on trips. But then I think they miss out on a lot of life because of dvd players and video games. Guess I am showing my age.
Amanda Pearl wrote: "Donna Jo wrote: "Amanda Pearl wrote: "*Summer always makes me think of bright rainbows of colors, aka ROYGBIV. Read a book with the words red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet in th..."Well, I am going to Florence, too. (We'll start in Venice for just a quick trip, then to Rome and on to a cruise, and then back for Florence and Milan. I am getting really excited about it.
Donna Jo wrote: "Amanda Pearl wrote: "Donna Jo wrote: "Amanda Pearl wrote: "*Summer always makes me think of bright rainbows of colors, aka ROYGBIV. Read a book with the words red, orange, yellow, green, blue, ind..."Ahh florence is my shizzzz! There are so many AMAZING museums! Also I'll duomo and santa croche are so cool. There's all sorts of sweet dante references too. And in rome you have to check out the vatican. If you have time you should climb up the dome of st peters. The view is amazing!
June 19th is Juneteenth. Read a book that features the Emancipation Proclamation or being freed from slavery.June 14th is Flag Day. Read a book with a flag on the cover.
June 4th is Old Maid's Day. Read a book with an unmarried strong female progatonist.
June is Gay Pride Month. Read a book featuring a GLBT character.
June 8 is Best Friends Day. Go to your Top friends and read one of the top 5 popular books in the list.June 10th is Nursing Assistants Day. Read a book that features a character in health care.
June 30th is Meteor Day. Read a book with aliens or a sci fi book.
July 1st is National Canada Day. Read a book written by an author from Canada or set in Canada.
July is National Blueberry Month. Read a book with a blue cover.
July is National Cell Phone Courtesy month. Read a book within which a cell phone gets destroyed.
July is National Hot Dog month and National Ice Cream Month. Read a book set in a carnival or boardwalk (places where both ice cream and hot dog are prevalently served.
Week 2 is Nude Recreation week. Read a book featuring a clothing optional community (beach, commune, retreat, etc).
July 1 is National Joke Day. Read a funny book.
July 2 is World UFO Day. Read a book with aliens.
July 3 is Stay Out of The Sun Day. Read a book features vampires.
July 5 is Work-a-Holics Day. Read a book that features one.
July 25 is Culinarians Day. Read a book that features food.
MsOPP (Julie) wrote: ".Week 2 is Nude Recreation week. Read a book featuring a clothing optional community (beach, commune, retreat, etc)..... "Whoo Hooo ........ How about if we read a book at a clothing optional community?????
Sorry, just couldn't resist.
June 17 is Watergate Day - read a book about a major scandal (fiction or non-fiction)June 18 is International Panic Day - read a book with the word "panic" in the title
June 23 is National Pink Day - read a book containing the word "pink" in the title or having a pink cover
June 30 is Meteor Day - read a book about or pertaining to astronomy (fiction or non-fiction)
July 15 is Respect Canada Day - read a book set in Canada or written by a Canadian author
July 16 is International Juggling Day - read a book about a carnival or circus
July 26 is All Or Nothing Day - read a book with "all" or "nothing" in the title
August 4 is Twins Day Festival - read a book about twins
August 9 is National Polka Festival - read a book about dancing, with "dance" or "polka" in the title, or with a main character that dances
August 18 is Bad Poetry Day - read a book of poetry or a book about a poet
August 22 is Be An Angel Day - read a book about angels, or with "angel" in the title
August 31 is National Trail Mix Day - read a book about camping
Family reunionsread a book set at a family reunion
Barbecues and Picnics
read a book set at the lake or at a family barbecue
Going on Vacation
read a book where the characters travel to two or more states or countries and include where they start from and where they travel
Let's Go Swimming
read a book with "swim" or "pool" or "lake" in the title or a book about a swimmer
Independence Day
(US July 4th)
read a book with "freedom" or "independence" or "red" or "white" or "blue" in the title or that has a red, white, and blue cover or has fireworks on the cover
Father's Day
(US June 19th / Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society.)
read a book about a father or that contains "father" in the title
Summer Solstice / Midsummer
(The summer solstice occurs exactly when the Earth's axial tilt is most inclined towards the sun at its maximum of 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also colloquially used like Midsummer to refer to the day on which it occurs.)
read a book that takes place during summer solstice or midsummer or has "solstice" or "midsummer" in the title
Backpacking across Europe
read a book that takes place in at least three European countries
Europe: Big and Small
read a book set in one of the smallest countries or a book set in one of the largest countries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_and...
Birthplace of Western culture
(Europe, in particular Ancient Greece, is the birthplace of Western culture.)
read a book set in Ancient Greece (fiction, nonfiction, or mythology)
Age of Discovery
(In the 15th century, Portugal and Spain, two of the greatest naval powers of the time, took the lead in exploring the world.[80][81] Christopher Columbus reached the New World in 1492, and soon after the Spanish and Portuguese began establishing colonial empires in the Americas)
read a book about an explorer, or based in Spain or Portugal
"Europe" and "summer" are each 6 letter words. Read a book with a title that is 6 letters.Europe contains 50 countries. Pick a country and read a book by one of its authors. (will need list to pick from)
Janice CA wrote: "Summer is the time for camping and camping is the time for ghost stories. Therefore, read a ghost story.Read an eyewitness account about any aspect of European history."
Love the ghost story idea!
Lahni wrote: "Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "Europe has the world's smallest and largest countries - Vatican City and Russia...something utilizing big and small/ long or short "How about a short book (..."
A very creative idea. (re: original message #20)
Lahni wrote: "The word summer has a double letter (mm). Read a book with a double letter in the title (the letters must be side-by-side).The word Europe has four vowels (e, u, o, e). Read a book whose title ..."
I really like both of these ideas.
With summer people want to get into swimsuit shape. To celebrate this read a book with a type of fitness activity in the title - run(ning), swim(ming), walk(ing), jog(ing), yoga, hiking, etc, etc.
Summer is when the Rita Awards are announced. Read a book or books that were past finalists/award winners.
Jennifer L. wrote: "Choose one of your 5-star reads from your goodreads shelf (make sure to state what book you chose) and use it to choose your next book using the site http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/"That site is fantastic! I love the idea Jennifer! I hope it gets used for the next challenge!
MsOPP (Julie) wrote: "Summer is when the Rita Awards are announced. Read a book or books that were past finalists/award winners."YAY! Romance books:)
I love looking at book lists! Hence my suggestion: I'm currently reading Among Others by Jo Walton. (Excellent story!) In the novel, she references numerous other books. My suggestion for a task: read either Among Others or one of the books that she references. Others online have constructed lists of her references; here are the links to two of them:
http://bibliotechie.livejournal.com/ (scroll down to Feb. 27th, 2011 at 11:16 PM entry)
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/01/18/... (scroll down to comment #22 • 8:49 PM, Mar 11)
A majority of the books are science fiction/fantasy ( Ursula K. Le Guin, Robert Silverberg, Samuel Delany, Heinlein Robert a., and C S Lewis, among many others ).
There are also quite a few non-SF books on the list, including
Emma, The Bull from the Sea, Gone With the Wind, Jane Eyre, and Jane of Lantern Hill, so anybody who doesn't want to read sf/f has an alternative that still meets the task.
Here's another idea: Book Spine PoetryChoose 2-3 books whose titles, when put together, form a poem. I got the idea from:
http://www.modbee.com/2011/04/01/v-pr...
Their example:
When Elephants Fight
Under the Blood-Red Sun
Stand Your Ground
There are many websites with examples, or, be creative!
Found another website with book spine poems:
http://100scopenotes.com/2010/03/30/p...
The poems are in the picture gallery.
Deedee wrote: "I love looking at book lists! Hence my suggestion: I'm currently reading Among Others by Jo Walton. (Excellent story!) In the novel, she references numerous ot..."
While I'm not a fan of being forced to read a specific book to meet a task requirement -- I *do* like the idea of reading a book referenced within another book.
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons references many books during their book club discussions. (i'm sure there are others...I'm just blank right now)
Or you could do it less formally and not have the book required to be mentioned by title, but mentioned within references. Many series books would qualify for this as they will reference earlier actions from other books.
June 14th is the day that Anne Frank started keeping her diary (She lived in Europe too). Read a book about Anne Frank or Holocaust.
Deedee wrote: "Here's another idea: Book Spine PoetryChoose 2-3 books whose titles, when put together, form a poem. I got the idea from:
http://www.modbee.com/2011/04/01/v-pr......"
cooooooool....love this!
every country has a country code (i.e. France is FR). Read a book who's author's first and name last start with the letters of the code (in any order)FR - francine rivers
Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "every country has a country code (i.e. France is FR). Read a book who's author's first and name last start with the letters of the code (in any order)FR - francine rivers"
COOL. I really like this idea. And I work in the airline industry and see these country codes all the time...why didn't I think of this lol
lol...It totally came to me at work yesterday when I was looking at a world map...and I think it you were to say either order...so FR or RF...you should be able to find something...would make for a good trip to the library and just browsing the shelves
Gemini are born between May 21 and June 20And the "sign" of Gemini is twins
Read a book with either (1) the word "twin" in the title or (2) having a significant character who is a twin
examples:
the Harry Potter books
George R.R. Martin's series: A Song of Ice and Fire (Jaime and Cirsei)
Prophecy of the Sisters (and its sequels)
False Colours
The Truth-Teller's Tale
Cutting for Stone
Cancer are born between June 21 and July 22And the "sign" of Cancer is a crab
Read a book with either (1) the word "crab" in the title or (2) takes place on a beach (because crabs live on beaches) or (3) Because: "The Crab Nebula (catalogue designations M1, NGC 1952, Taurus A) is a supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus." read a book that involves interstellar travel.
Leo are born between July 23 and August 22And the "sign" of Leo is a lion.
Read a book with either (1) the word "lion" in the title or (2) has a lion on the cover or (3) involves a lion in the plot
examples:
Narnia (Aslan)
Mark of the Lion
July 21, 1969 - the day Neil Armstrong took a step on the surface of the moon.In honor of this day: read a non-fiction book about the history of NASA or space exploration; or, read a fiction book that takes place, even a little bit, on the surface of the moon.
I share my August 18th birthday with Robert Redford. Read a book that inspired a Robert Redford acted, directed or produced film. example
The Horse Whisper
Out of Africa
The Great Gatsby
By summertime, the water is finally warm enough for a swim! Read a book that has a body of water in the title.Ex. Mystic River, Island Beneath the Sea, Pacific Vortex!
Oh, and more zodiac-related ideas:Dialogue comes easily to talkative Gemini (born between May 21-June 20). Read a play or screenplay.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) is the homebody of the zodiac. Read a book by an author born in your home state (non-US readers can read an author from their home country).
Leo (July 23-August 22) loves being in the limelight. Read a book (fiction or non-fiction) about someone who works in the entertainment industry.
Summer Solstice? Probably already been mentioned, but it could be something related to Celtic mythology/druids, or set during the summer solstice.
I am reading The Paris Wife by Paula McLain which is a well written novel of Hadley Hemmingway, Ernest Hemmingway’s first wife.
Nancy wrote: "Baseball Season - Read a book with the name of a major league baseball team in the title (singular or plural)July 14 is Bastille Day - Read a book set in France or by a french author
May, Ju..."
I am reading The Paris Wife by Paula McLain which is a well written novel of Hadley Hemmingway, Ernest Hemmingway’s first wife.
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Pacific Vortex! (other topics)Island Beneath the Sea (other topics)
Mystic River (other topics)
Henderson the Rain King (other topics)
Mark of the Lion (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
George R.R. Martin (other topics)Jo Walton (other topics)
Robert Silverberg (other topics)
Robert A. Heinlein (other topics)
Samuel R. Delany (other topics)
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What a great site...thank you for sharing!