The Mishmash Challenge (Suggestions/Questions)

[Claudia]

For no. 26 I also want to know if fictional cities count.

[Lu]

I mailed Shannon and asked :)

[Michele]

You can cover eight task in one go after 25th June by reading Saturdays Are Gold by Pierre Van Rooyen. It will be available as an ebook.

1. Read a book that has a word in the title that denotes a certain time, such as Today, Tommorrow, Yesterday, Monday - Sunday, Now, Future, Past etc.

Saturdays Are Gold

8. Read an indie publication.

Published by Endaxi Press - an indie publisher.

10. Theme : Seasons. Read a book that either depicts a season on the cover or where the season is an important element of the story.
Seasons are crucial to the narrative.

11. Read a book that has water on the cover (Ocean, river, bucket of water, etc.)
There is a red river on the front of the book.

13. Read a book where siblings are the main characters.
The two main characters are Maudie and Tadpole (Tom) a brother and sister.

23. Read a book written by a man
Pierre is a man.

24. Read a book that is colourful (min 3-4 different colours)
The front cover is brightly coloured with bright red, bright blue, bright green and bright yellow.

28. I see dead people. Read a book about ghosts, hauntings, etc.
The little girl in the book has visions about murdered children.


Saturdays Are Gold

[Lu]

Great suggestion Michele!

Unfortunately a book can only count once for a challenge, but now we have a option for 8 tasks :)

[Lu]

To clear up 25 and 26:

25. Look at the 5 books that have been on your TBR list/pile/shelf the longest, then of those 5 books, read the one with the most number of pages" - you should decide which book this is on the 20th June, when the challenge starts, but you don't have to start reading it on the 20th of June, you can read it at any time during the challenge period.


26. Only real cities and countries count.

[Lauren]

Thanks Lu!

[Liezel]

Can a book you're reading for another challenge (eg., DR challenge), also be used here.

[Barbara]

Yes. One book can be used in every challenge you want but only once in a challenge.
So for example I am planning to read the father brown mysteries. I will use that in the diabolical reading challenge for the colour task and in the mishmash challenge for the short stories book task and in the epic challenge because it has more than 500 pages and in the star search challenge for mystery and might even use it in the A-z challenge depending on if I can fit it in. But if I use that book for the short stories task in the mishmash challenge I cannot use it for any other task in the mishmash challenge.

[Liezel]

Thanks for clearing that up, helps a lot

[Barbara]

You're welcome. It was a bit fuzzy for me too when I started to do challenges.
It is real fun if you have a book that can fit in more than one challenge.

[Lauren]

For the indie task: indie online bookstore Smashwords has some specials for July: http://www.smashwords.com/books/categ...

They usually offer many books for free, while others are incredibly cheap (around $3, most of the time), so I'm guessing the special means more free books and really really cheap ones.

Edit: just make sure that whatever you choose for the challenge task is long enough to qualify. Shorter books can be used for the Short Story Challenge

[Claudia]

Will this work for "holding a weapon"?

[Naz]

Yip I think so

[Claudia]

Yet another question: Name of a city or country in the title -
there's a city called "Texas City" in Texas, USA.

Can I use Texas Gothic even though it doesn't have the "City" part?

[Naz]

I dont think anyone objects Kahlan :)

[Barbara]

I have no opinion whatsoever.
I mean I would want to use it and I would probably use it, but I can also understand if someone objects. Sometimes the tasks are very ambiguous or at least the books we could read for them.
Since no one has said anything against it and it is sweveral days since you asked, I'm with Naz no one objects so use it!

[Claudia]

Thanks guys. I'll make a note of it and if by the end of the challenge I still haven't found anything else, I'll use it.

[Lauren]

I just read Dark Inside where one of the main characters is named Aries. She has this little joke for introducing herself where she says her name is Aries but she's a Gemini.

I'm a Gemini - could I use the book for the zodiac task, or is that connection too thin?

By the way, it's a decent read for the zodiac task, if you're an Aries :)

[Lu]

I think you can :)

[Barbara]

I nominated that task and I say it is a good connection. Actually I think it is a great connection, one of the better possibilities.

[Lauren]

Awesome, thanks guys!

[Naz]

Baby's First Book of Seriously Fucked-up Shit would count as a shocking title right?

[Lauren]

Lol, I would think so, unless you were a seriously jaded parent :)

[Lu]

Hahah yea it would :)

[Lauren]

Can "Voices" count as a title for the task about the 5 senses? It doesn't refer directly to one of the senses, but hearing is implied.

[Naz]

Go for it

[Lu]

Will also ask Lauren to see what she thinks

[Lu]

Lauren says its more talking that hearing, but if the book is about someone that hears voices etc. it should be fine :)

[Lauren]

Ok, cool :) It's an anthology of short stories set in hotel rooms where the characters hear different voices - real, imagined, supernatural.

Thanks guys!

[Lauren]

Would a sentient octopus from Neptune count as an animal?

[Claudia]

Not for the non-magical animal task though, I think. Or would it? I'm not helpful at all. :)

[Lauren]

Well, he's most definitely not magical (it's a sci fi novel). He is, however, a genius who conquered Earth and a number of other planets. I'm just not sure if his intellect allows him to qualify for that task.

[Barbara]

Well there was this octopus in Germany (I think) during the World Cup who predicted all the outcomes of the matches.
I also know of this story about a zoo in which in a certain aquarium certain fishes would disappear even though there were no natural predators of this species in the same tank. Only after installing cameras and patrolling the tanks at night they discovered that an octupus from another tank made a nightly trip from his tank to the other tank and ate all the fishes and returned to his own tank before the day staff arrived.
So they are pretty intelligent in real life, could even be described as genius.

[Claudia]

Well, in that case go for it. When I read the task I just thought we had to read a book about a "normal" animal, like Lassie or Black beauty or some real elephant or lion from the Kruger Wild Reserve or whatnot. I don't have a wild task-bending imagination like some people. :P

[Barbara]

How is Lassie normal? That dog always freaked me out :) Always telling what happened. For a long time as a child I had trust issues with our own pets because I thought they would tell on me behind my back. Every time I did something I shouldn't I thought one of our pets would run to my mother and I would get into trouble. Didn't stop me from doing things I shouldn't but it scared the hell out of me.
And did you know there is a dog that knows over 700 words. He has over 700 toys and each has a name like house or star or bear and when his owner says a name the dog goes and finds the toy. And when you give him a group of three toys, two of which he knows by name but the third one is new to him and the owner gives him a name that doesn't correspond with the two he knows he deduces that it has to be the third toy that he doesn't know and brings that one and then remembers that new name for the new toy? Pretty smart! :)

Hey it is an art and Lauren is very good at it and so am I. It is just reading the task. Sometimes it is worded in such a way that it is open for interpretation.

[Lu]

Wait for which challenge is this?

[Barbara]

Since it is in the thread about the Mishmash Challenge I think it is safe to say it is about the Mishmash challenge :P if you mean the task I think it is about task 6 where you have to read a book about a non-magical animal or that is told by a non-magical animal. I was just being reminded of some trivial stories by the question asked by Lauren if a sentient octopus counts as a non-magical animal. Since being sentient has nothing to do with magic it counts. It is not exactly what was meant by the task but if you read the task there is nothing that excludes a sentient animal. In fact if the story can be told by an animal it indicates that the animal has to be sentient up to a point.

[Lu]

Ah I see :) A bit tired today.
Meh octopus sounds fine :)

[Barbara]

That's ok.
I guess the new challenge is more work than you thought, but know we appreciate all the work you do :)

[Lu]

Thanks :)

[Lauren]

Thanks for debating it guys :)

Lol, Barbara and Lassie!

[Claudia]

Task 19 : Read a book that has something to do with your zodiac sign (either something in the story or on the cover or in the title or author's name).

With the new Zodiac signs I am suddenly a Sagittarius. I've seen some places where Sagittarius is called "the archer". And it is one of the Fire signs, but I'm not sure with the new zodiac signs if this is still the same.

So the question : Will this book work for task 19?

The title is Fire, and it has a woman with a bow and arrow on the cover and one of the main characters is called Archer, who is an archer. (And the lead character is trained to shoot, not just look scary holding her bow).

[Lu]

As a previous Sagittarius I'm very sure the Archer is associated with it! So yes :)

I am now the new one.. so I need something with a Snake. Any ideas?

[Claudia]

The first thing that comes to mind:

HAha.
And these:

[Lu]

Genius I tell you!