The Next Best Book Club discussion
Cynthia's Seasonal Challenges
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OFFICIAL WINTER CHALLENGE - 2008/2009
Does Twilight count as a Romance novel? I've seen it referred to as that in other threads?
I'm wondering about the career thing as well. There has to be a book where the main character is an engineer, right? (not someone who operates a train).
Melody... I'm counting it (or rather the 4th book) as a romance. Trust me, Twilight will make you swoon enough to count it as a romance.
February Is African American History Month: Read A Book With A Main Character Who Is African American Or A Biography/Autobiography Of An African American. Was thinking Roots by Alex Haley ?
Ofmatt, Putnick Sweethaert is a good book!
Can I read Schindler's Ark which was Schindler's List as a film for The Oscars question?
Can we read Angel and Demons for Task 3 (10pts)
5 POINTS:1. Roots - Alex Haley
2. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
3. Recipes for a Perfect Marriage by Kate Kerrigan
4. Miss Smilla's Feelings For Snow - Peter Hoeg
5. Death Dance - Linda Fairstein (hubby chose)
6. The Outcast - Sadie Jones
7. When The Bough Breaks - Jonathan Kellerman
8. Winter's End - John Rickards
9. Angels & Demons - Dan Brown
10. Schindler's Ark - Thomas Keneally
10 POINTS:
1. The Bonesetter's Daughter - Amy Tan
2. Silent Night - Mary Higgins Clark
3. The God Delusions - Richard Dawkins
4. Harvesting The Heart - Jodi Picoult
5. Girl with Curious Hair - David Foster Wallace
6. The Crimson Petal and the White - Michael Faber
7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
8. The King of Torts - John Grisham
9. A Wedding In December - Anita Shreve
10. Serpent's Tooth - Faye Kellerman
15 POINTS:
1. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
2. Dancer - Colum McCain
3. Chocolate Run - Dorothy Koomson
4. Lullaby & Bad Friends - Claire Seeber
5. Mums @ Home - Sophie King
6. Dissolution - C.J. Sansom
7.
8. Win The Fat War: 140 Real-life Success Stories - Anne Alexander
9. A Notes on a Scandal - Zoe Heller
10. King George III and the Politicians - Richard Pares
Poor Cynthia, us with all our questions!
Jeane, what do u think of my books hun?
Melody - yes twilight is paranormal romance so it counts.Serenna - 3 suggestions
A Shortage of Engineers: A Novel
Devices and Desires
Pompeii: A Novel
Fiona - Roots of course counts for that challenge, Yes on Schindler's List, and Angels and Demons would count as well
The 3 25 point tasks are up now - good luck to everyone and have fun!
Fiona2, I don't know any of them :-)))
Thats what I have on my To Be Read list Jeane (meaning I have them on my bookcases in my bedroom lol).Cynthia, the Schindler's List book is called Schindler's Ark hun.
Schindler's Ark
(Schindler's List)
Yes I know but the movie is Schindler's List and you have to watch the movie as part of the challenge as well so I just listed it that way. And I don't mind answering people's questions (I'm a librarian it's my job :))
Cynthia, do I have to re-watch Schindler's List in the nxt 3 months?
Yes - Unless you use it for the book you've already seen the film to task instead of the adapted screen play challenge.
I have watched Schindler's List before, but if I have to watch it again I will hun.
You have lost me for the adapted screen play question?
Julie, yeah, it is very exciting to be me (LOL!), so I doubt anyone has the energy to write a book about how awesome I am! I'll have to see if I can find another exciting government employee book. I don't think you're stretching to go with a professor as a main character or someone in some kind of teaching capacity.I've picked out my possibilities for my 25 points and finished reading A Christmas Carol this morning, so I'm 5 points in! Woohoo!
There are two oscar tasks...The Oscars Are In February: Read a Book you’ve Already Seen the Film To. - If you used it for this task then you would not have to watch the movie again
The Oscar’s are coming: Read a Book or Play Whose Movie Counterpart Was Nominated or That Won in the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay Category and Watch the Film. - Schindler's List won the award in 1994. For this task you would need to watch the film after you read the book.
Oh lol, no I am using it for the Oscars in February hun. I am still thinking of the other book.Thansk for clearing that up for me xx
Can I watch the adapted version of Little Women (Winona Ryder) as I have the book (kids version) I can read?
You have to watch the version of the film that won the award - but the version of the book doesn't matter.
Now I am gonna have fun. I can't decide between Notes On A Scandal or Schindler's List lol.Decided to read Color Purple instead for The Oscars in February.
Sorry me again (never done a challenge like this)10. Read A Book With A Title Containing The Name Of A Body Part (Eg. Hand, Nail, Finger, Toe, Etc). - Can I read Serpent's Tooth - Faye Kellerman?
Yes - tooth would be an acceptable body part.
Cynthia, could u tell me if any of the following would be ideal for the challenge?Dissolution - C.J.Sansom
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
The Crimson Petal and the White - Michael Faber
Finished my first task--don't know if you can tell I was excited about starting or not!15 POINT TASKS
Tasks Completed: 1
Total Points Earned: 15
my 25 POINT TASKS:1. Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Russian author; my last name starts w/R)
2. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto by Chuck Klosterman
3. Read a book of at least 700 pages: am considering re-reading The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, because I've had the urge to do recently and I haven't read it in full in 7 years.
help with the 700 page challenge??? as much as i love it i really don't want to re-read Harry Potter...
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is one to consider, Alyssa.
The Crimson Petal and the White is another Alyssa
Ok so here are the books I've come up with so far:5 Points
3. Mansfield Park by Jane Austin
4. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
8. Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkein
9. A Woman in White
10. Stardust
10 Points
1. Peony in Love by Lisa See
3. The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith.
4. Blood River: A Journey to Africa's broken Heart by Tim Butcher.
5. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.
6. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.
7. Poppy Shakespeare by Clare Allan.
8. The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman.
9. Strawberries in January by Evelyne de la Cheveliere.
10. My Left Foot by Christy Brown.
15 Points
3. Crazy as Chocolate by Elisabeth Hyde.
4. Books 2 and 3 in the Thursday Next Series by Jasper Fford.
7. What is Scientology? by L.Ron Hubbard.
9. There will be Blood.
25 Point
2 Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.
Will add to it when I think of others!
Alice
Fiona (33)Dissolution - Read A Historical Fiction Book Featuring A Famous Historic Personality Or A Biography Of A Historical Figure.
EL&IC - It would count for the library challenge if you checked it out from the library or bought it at a library sale, or you could use it for the toss ten titles in a hat challenge if you pick it out of the hat.
Crimson Petal - If you are part in English it could count for the ancestry task and the ones for EL&IC too.
Fiona (23)
One Flew won in 1975 for the adapted screenplay
Alyssa
Nicholas Nickleby by Dickens
The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon (all of them are over 700 pages)
There are probably hundreds more and it all depends on the edition you have in some cases.
If anyone needs help finding a book for #5 on the 5pts challenge, which is to read a new first-time author:The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani
The Outcast by Sadie Jones
The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam by Lauren Liebenberg
Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill
The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer
Monster Love by Carol Topolski
Lottery by Patricia Wood
I haven't read any of them, but they were all debut novels on this year's Orange prize longlist in March; I'm hoping/assuming the authors haven't already published another novel though it is possible so check JIC. Off to the library myself.
Thanks Cynthia xxSorry for all these questions xx
Cynthia if you mean Pompeii by robert Harris, than it is a wonderful book!!!! I adored it!
Thanks Ofmatt xxCynthia, can I read We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver for task 7 = 10pts.
Cynthia, for the 25 points task of reading a book that you started but enver finsihed, does the following one counts:Started Mobi Dick 3 times, and kind of gave up again. It is still on GR as reading but.... well I did start it in october, am only over 100 pages of about 600.... don't have a clue when I am going to pick it up again and it will be almsot a month I didn't read it anymore. If it counts I am going to do my super best to restart it and also finish it....super best means really trying but promising nothing:-)
Thanks Cynthia! I have those three down for possible "career" novels.
Fiona - Dissolution is a mystery novel, if that helps.
Cynthia said I could read it as part of the Read A Historical Fiction Book Featuring A Famous Historic Personality Or A Biography Of A Historical Figure.
I have a tentative goal of 160. I didn't do last season's challenge, but I'm looking forward to the winter one. And this challenge has the added bonus of getting some of my TBR books off my bookshelves(to make room for new books, of course!)
thanks! a friend also suggested a book called Quincunx but i don't know who it's by.For the new, first time author- does it have to be a book that was published in the last year to be considered new? also, if a book has 2 authors and only one is new does that count?
Oh! and can we use "cold" for the winter weather word?
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I'm also having problems as I'm a "Professional Indemnity Underwriter" (if that means anything to anybody) so I'll be trying to find any characters who has insurance jobs as unlikely anybody will be writing about underwriters.