The Next Best Book Club discussion
Cynthia's Seasonal Challenges
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SPRING CHALLENGE TASK SUGGESTIONS
Wow Fiona! those are great ideas. How about:
1. Read a book with word in the title or a character named March, April, or May.
2. Read a book about restorations or renewals.
3. Read a "green" book. (IE: The cover can be green, or it can have "green" in the title, or a character named Green, be about gardening or conservation, etc...)
Ok... have to work now. I'll be back with more later!
Those are all good! I admit to loving this challenge so much that I’ve been writing down suggestions for tasks since December. :) Here are mine:
Read a book in which one of the main characters has the same name (first, middle, or last) as you or someone you’re close to
Read a book with one of the seven deadly sins in the title (wrath, sloth, greed, pride, envy, lust, gluttony)
Read a book by an author from your city or state (or country if you live outside the US)
Read an epistolary novel (one told in letters/correspondence)
Read a book that you were made to read for school and didn't enjoy/appreciate at the time. (Read it without the Cliff's Notes this time)
Read a book with the name of a planet/moon in the title
Ask one of your Goodreads buddies to recommend a book that isn't on your TBR or Read shelves, and read that book.
read a book about a place then visit that place.read a book whit a flower in the title
read a book whit a insect name in the title
read a book whit a bird name in the title
(very springy suggestions)
read a book recomended from another tnbbc menber
read the book you have for the longest time in the tbr pille
In honor of our fearless leader, Lori, Super Mod, read a book whose title begins with the letters "L", "S", or "M". Read a book with a title that includes easter, bunny, rabbit, or any book about rabbits.
Read a book about green energy or about renewing or protecting the environment.
Read ANY book that is voted on for a TNBBC group read. (And it would be nice if up to the full six books could be included in this task for bonus points or something like that.)
Read a book with one or more people on TNBBC (outside of the voted-on group reads) and discuss it in a TNBBC thread.
In honor of Lent, read a book about giving something up, or quitting a habit.
In honor of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, read a book with Friday or Sunday in the title.
In honor of April showers, read a book with any rain, thunder, or storm-related weather word in the title.
In honor of tax day (US April 15th), read a book with any number in the title, or the word tax, return, internal, revenue, or service in the title.
In honor of Memorial Day, read a book about any soldier, living or dead.
Read a non-fiction book about St. Patrick's Day, Easter, or Mother's Day.Read your mother/grandmother/mother figure's favorite book or a book that reminds you of them.
Read a book related to what you are giving up for Lent or what you would give up if you "celebrated" this event.
Go to your bookshelf, close your eyes and point. Read whatever you are pointing to.
Read a book about or that takes place in a well-known Spring Break destination (i.e. Florida, Mexico, Carribean, etc)
For Mother's Day, read a book that centers around a mother/daughter or mother/son relationshipFor April Fool's Day, read a humorous book
Read a book where an animal is the main character
WOW!!! you all have such great suggestions....not even close to finishing the winter challenge but getting excited to do the spring one...hehe!!!
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, read a book with the word green, Patrick, Saint, or Ireland / Irish in the title.Read a book that has your mother's first name or a name beginning with her initial in the title or as a character in the book.
pssst...Fiona...what's the significance of the chicken? Do you mean like little Easter chicks?
ooh how excitement - ive been waiting for this too! It will be Autumn in Australia but wont hold that against the Northern Hemisphere lol, after all i lived there for 32 yrs, have tried to chuck in a couple of more global book suggestions though
1. The Pullitzer prize is awarded in May, read a book that has won a major literary prize - e.g Pullitzer, Booker, Orange, Whitbread etc
2. April 25 is ANZAC day in australia - read a novel set in Australia and/or by an Australian author
3. H.M Queen Elizabeth II is 83 on 21 April, read a book relating in some way to the British Monarchy past or present. Fiction or Non-Fiction
4. 'Spring into something new' - go to a library or book store and pick the first book in the alphabetical section for the first letter of your first name - i.e for Jon pick the first book in the J section.
5. With continuing trouble in Gaza - read a book set in either the Muslim/Arab or Israeli world - (in the broader sense i.e not neccecarily relating to conflict)
6. 5pnts read one of the nominated group reads - we have to have a way to make sure we can fit them in too! I can only manage one Feb one now cos ive got no more spots to fill and no time to read anything non challenge related!
7. For a novelty tie breaker type thing - why not have a dastardly 50 pnter you can only do if you comeplete the entire challenge - open to suggestions
8. Springs about births and beginings - read a book written in the year you were born (or could make it decade if thats too hard to work out without our librarians help! insert web link poss)
9. March 21 is Human Rights Day in South Africa - read a book set in Africa or by an African Author.
And id like to second some of the other great suggestions people have had - gosh we are creative!:
Read a book set in your town, or a place near you that you know.
Read a book with the name of a flower in the title.
Read a book about restorations or renewals.
Read a book with one of the seven deadly sins in the title (wrath, sloth, greed, pride, envy, lust, gluttony)
Read a book that you were made to read for school and didn't enjoy/appreciate at the time. (Read it without the Cliff's Notes this time)
Read a book with the name of a planet/moon in the title
In honor of April showers, read a book with any rain, thunder, or storm-related weather word in the title.
In honor of our fearless leader, Lori, Super Mod, read a book whose title begins with the letters "L", "S", or "M". nice one!
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, read a book with the word green, Patrick, Saint, or Ireland / Irish in the title.
For April Fool's Day, read a humorous book
Read a book that has your mother's first name or a name beginning with her initial in the title or as a character in the book.
thats me done for now! how on earth will you pick Cynthia? its getting to be an international phenomenon! dont hesitate to edit any of mine to make them make more sense if used.
- Read a graphic novel- Read a book that has been translated
- Read a book about birds, with a picture of a bird on the cover, or a bird's name in the title
- Read a Mythopoeic Award winner
- Read a "May-December" romance
- Read a book about food, health, or weight loss
- Read a book by a Goodreads author
- Read a book by an author who uses three names (Michael Marshall Smith, Patricia Nell Warren, Edgar Allan Poe, Joyce Carol Oates, etc.)
- Read a book about the ocean or sea
Jon wrote: "April 25 is ANZAC day in australia - read a novel set in Australia and/or by an Australian author..."I'm reading Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan, an author from Sydney. What a fabulous writer! I'll have to read another one of her books if your suggestion is used, or maybe read another of Isobelle Carmody's. Decisions.....
OK, I'm back with more!1. Read a fiction book about a country you wish you could travel to in springtime.
2. Read a non-fiction book about organization or spring cleaning techniques.
3. Read a book about something that bounces. (Get it, spring? Boing! LOL)
4. Read a book that includes a color in the title. Then eat a food other than candy that is that color. (Example: Yellow - Curry)
5. Read a fiction book about cooking or BBQ. Choose a recipe from the book and prepare and eat it.
6. Read a book with a setting on or near a large body of water.
OK... Back to work again! :)
Jen suggested: Read an epistolatory novel (one told in letters/correspondence)
That way everyone can read 84 Charing Cross Road, which is a personal fave of mine!!
That way everyone can read 84 Charing Cross Road, which is a personal fave of mine!!
Hayes wrote: "Jen suggested: Read an epistolatory novel (one told in letters/correspondence)That way everyone can read 84 Charing Cross Road, which is a personal fave of mine!!"
I loved the movie and have been wanting to read the book.
Fiona, it looks like ANZAC stands for "Australia and New Zealand Army Corps" day. It is one of the holidays marked on my calendar, which for whatever reason includes all Australian, British, Canadian, and Chinese holidays. I can celebrate all year round...
How about reading a book in which one of the main characters or the author has your name.I guess, maybe I have a semi-random name, so this is always fun for me...
I'm already looking forward to the next challenge - some of these are very inspiring, esp. the international ones! Those typically include books I'd be less likely to read.
WOW! Great suggestions, everybody! I'm quite impressed!I only have one so am feeling a bit lame in comparison...
March, April and May’s birthstones are Aquamarine, Diamond and Emerald...read a book with one of those in the title.
There are some really great suggestions, so far. I had a good one a while back, but didn't write it down. I am already starting to pick out books that are on my TBR that might fit with some of these suggestions.
wow lots of great suggestions..i haven't read through them all..so i apologize if i am posting something simlar..March is National Women's History Month so read a book where a woman is the main character
read a book written in the last 5 years
read a book with an author that has same birthday month as you
read a book set in a place you've always wanted to visit/live
read a book from an author that was born/or had lived in your state/geographical area
Read a book about a person you admire
Read a book about a subject you wish you could have studied in school
This is soooo cool!1. Read a book where the title includes just one letter on it's own other than I.
2. Read a book where one of your names is the same as one of the author's names.
3. Read an autobiography of a radio or television personality.
(ok I own up those first three were very much tailored to fit my tbr books!)
4. As it'll be Easter read a book that has a name of a biblical character in the title.
5. The last week of Fairtrade Fortnight is the first week of March. Read a book which is set in a developing country or where ethical/fair trade is an issue.
6. The London Marathon is on 26th April. Read a book where either the theme is running or running is in the title.
7. The Queen's (Britain's) birthday is on 21st April. Read a book where royalty is the main theme.
8. 15th April is the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Read either a non fiction book about the Titanic or a fiction book about a boat journey.
Ok that's all I can come up with!
Alice x
- read a book with a woman's name in the title- read a mystery by a British author
- read a book featuring a significant gay or lesbian character
- read a collection of short stories or essays
- read a book about homelessness
- read a book by a Swedish author
- read an Edgar Award winner
- read a science fiction book published before 1980
Nancy wrote: "Hayes wrote: "Jen suggested: Read an epistolatory novel (one told in letters/correspondence)That way everyone can read 84 Charing Cross Road, which is a personal fave of mine!!"
I loved the movie..."
I love the movie too...it's one of my favorites! Every book lover should see the movie or read the book. IMHO of course. Anne Bancroft is hilarious in the movie.
Okay, I had several ideas for the Spring Challenge, but after reading all of these wonderful posts...I suddenly couldn't remember any of mine. Anyone else have this problem?
1. read a book from your child's school reading list, or call your local high school/secondary school to get an idea of their reading lists2. read a book where the character has a profession you always wanted to be
3. read two books with similar themes (an example would be two books dealing with a utopian society, or two dealing with the death of a spouse, etc..)
4. read a book about a local historical event/person/place
5. read a book whose title starts with the same letter as your Middle name
YEA!!! So exciting!In honor of Daylight Savings Time, read a book with Hour, Clock or Time in the title.
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, read a book set in MEXICO or by a Mexican author.
Honor your mother on Mother's Day - read a book that she recommends, or one you know was one of her favorites, or a book with the word "Mother" in the title.
Arbor Day is in April! Read a book with the word tree or the name of a type of tree (oak, maple, etc.) in the title.
April Fool's Day - Read a book with the words prank, joke, or hoax in the title.
Read a Young Adult Novel nominated for the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in Young Adult Literature. Find a list of current and past nominees/winners at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/printz
ANZAC stands for "Australia and New Zealand Army Corps" - thanks for answering for me Jen!its kind of like memorial/rememberence day overseas - Australia day would have fitted better but that was yesterday! and plenty of good authors - Tim Winton, Bruce Chatwin, Bryce Courtney, Coleen Mculloch, Peter Carey
Beth, you only had one suggestion, but it was a very good one! My suggestions: Read a book with the name of a color in the title.
Read a Newbery Award winner. (The 2009 Newbery Award winner was announced today--The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.)
Gotta go.
Heather (one of many) wrote: "Okay, I had several ideas for the Spring Challenge, but after reading all of these wonderful posts...I suddenly couldn't remember any of mine. Anyone else have this problem?"yep, know exactly what you mean, Heather!
What about:Read a book that was originally written in a foreign language but translated into English
Read a book which weighs at least 1 pound (I'd recommend either small hardbacks or really thick paperbacks)
Read a collection of short stories / anthologies
Read a book off a shelf of one of the top 3 winners of the winter challenge
These are all great suggestions!!! I do not have anything to contribute at this time, but I also wonder how Cynthia chooses from all these suggestions.
I was wondering about that too....DO TELL US Cynthia! I'm curious how you whittle it down. I'd find it nearly impossible.
-In honor of the Ides of March, read a non-fiction or fiction book about Julius Caesar, Brutus, or others involved in Caesar's assassination.-For Mother's Day, read a book about motherhood (non-fiction or fiction).
-Read a book with a Spring word in the title (rain, thunderstorm, flowers, etc.).
-Read a book about Women's Rights and/or the Suffrage movement in honor of Women's History Month.
I'm back with more again!1. Read a book about a sport that can be played outdoors.
2. Read a book about animals that talk (even if its in their own head).
3. Read a book by a Mexican author for Cinco de Mayo.
4. Read a book about a new or first time mother for Mother's day.
5. Read a book with "Earth" in the title for Earth Day.
6. Read an E-book to save trees in honor of Arbor Day.
March 14th is "National Potato Chip Day" (I'm not making this up)Read a book with the word potato, chip, or crisp
I just kind of look through the suggestions and try to come up with a well balanced board...have some author related, some title related, some character related tasks, some holiday or seasonal tasks...try to pick tasks from different people. I don't have a formula or anything (this will only be the 3rd board I've put together so I'm still figuring things as I go).
Can I please put in a plea that none of the tasks be overly specific? By that I mean tasks where the title has to contain a few specific words that are not very common in book titles (i.e., December/January/February is impossible for me to fill in the winter challenge). I don't have access to a public library with English books for the next year, which means I have to buy or borrow all the books I read. I really, really want a shot of finishing the Spring Challenge but it's not quite worth it to me to pay $10 or so for a book that I have no real interest in just to complete a task. However, if most people like the very specific tasks, then I bow before the majority and hope the contest is still going strong when I get back to the States and have a library system again!So, my suggestions are generally inspired by spring observances (thank you wikipedia):
1) For Mother's Day: Read a book where a mother is a main character or a biography of a woman who was a mother.
2) St. Patrick's Day: Everyone's Irish on St. Patty's! Read a book set in Ireland/about Ireland/by an Irish author.
3) April Fool's Day: Read a humorous book/a book that makes you laugh
4) Day of Silence: Read a book by a LGBT author or with a LGBT main character.
5) In honor of Buddha's Birthday and the fact that May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month: Read a book by an East Asian author/set in East Asia/about East Asia
6) In honor of International Children's Book Day and Children's Day (Japanese holiday): Read a book where a main character is a child (under 18).
7) Astronomy Day: Go among the stars! Read a sci-fi book or a book about astronomy or has the word planet/star in the title
8) Memorial Day & Victory in Europe Day: Read a book about war or about/by a soldier
9) Middle Name Day (yes, there is a middle name day!): Read a book by an author whose first or last name is the same as the first letter of your middle name (last name if you have no middle name)
10) In honor of ANZAC day, Canada Book Day and Tartan Day: Read a book by a Canadian, Scottish or Australian author or set in one of those countries (or maybe just scrap that and make it a task where you have to read a book by an author from/set in a member of the Commonwealth).
11) For the Queen's Birthday: Read a book where the main character is royalty (king, queen, prince, princess) or a biography of royalty
12) In honor of the many, many lesser known holidays/observances: read a book that relates to one of the following: Pi Day (March 14th), Tolkein Reading Day (March 25th), Arbor Day, Cinco de Mayo, Daylights Saving, the sinking of the Titanic, Human Rights Day, National Potato Chip Day, etc.
13) Spring Plants (others have had similar suggestions): Read a book with a plant's name in the title (expanding on the flower in the title suggestion)
14) To the other spring words people suggested, I would add: Sun, Bird, Cloud, any animal (has that already been said?)
15) Going off what others have said: Read a book where the author or character has the same name as you or someone in your immediate family; all three of my names (first, middle, last) are fairly rare and I can mostly find them only in relation to romance novels! If I have the pool of my brothers' and parent's names to draw from, I have a hope of finding something good to read!
I liked a lot of everyone else's idea, especially anything that would let me clear off my TBR list (i.e., bnoir's read the book you have for the longest time in the tbr pile)
I agree with Bonnie - im not overly keen when the tasks get overly specific - its good to have things that make you branch out a bit, on the other hand i think weve had enough books with the month in the title. Also not overly keen to limit book choice to a narrow genre like sporting, cookery or spring cleaning as would have zero interest - i prefer it with a little bit of leeway. And also prefer not to have the tasks that involve something other than the reading itself - but thats just me..still loveing the ideas!
wow, these are all great suggestions!I do take exception to the following one, though!
Honor your mother on Mother's Day - read a book that she recommends, or one you know was one of her favorites
I'm sorry, but my Mom's reading material in the last couple of years has been "Bodice Rippers"!!! Please, don't pick this one...I can't handle it!
What about reading a book, that the author was born in the Spring? (Too much research?)
Sherry, College Students! 2009 challenge has a link to authors' birthdays.Famous spring authors include:
March: Jack Kerouac, Tom Wolfe, John Irving, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Douglas Adams, L. Ron Hubbard, John Updike, Tenessee Williams
April: William Shakespeare, Anne McCaffrey, Washington Irving, Maya Angelou, Booker T. Washington, William Wordsworth, Barbara Kingsolver, Tom Clancy, Henry James, Robert Penn Warren
May: Walt Whitman, Joseph Heller, Niccolo Machiavelli, Karl Marx, L. Frank Baum (Wizard of Oz), Diane Duane, Dante, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Fleming (James Bond), Ralph Waldo Emerson
Not an all-inclusive list, but just a sample of some of the more well-known choices. I think Sherry's idea is good because everyone can probably find an author they want to read and it spans a lot of genres (classics, sci fi, mysteries, poetry, thrillers, modern fiction, etc.)
I think it is good to have a few tasks which are very specific. Obviously not all of them are and to have a few makes it more of a challenge. I thought that this winter challenge has had a good variety of different tasks in.
I think some specificity is nice because it does help us branch out as readers. I had to find things for the Winter Challenge I might not have read otherwise and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not a fan of sports either, but with a little imagination I could find something that would make me happy. I like the idea of being challenged since that is the point of these. Some of the topics in the Winter Challenge I found not challenging enough.To help find books with specific words in the title, you can just type the word you're looking for into the Goodreads search box; you will wind up with a pretty eclectic list of books to choose from that way. That's how I found the book I read for the "December/January/February" challenge. There's probably a similar way of searching most local library databases as well.
And again I found that everyone was pretty helpful in giving suggestions if others asked. That's another way to find titles one might normally read.
Sherry/Bonnie, I really like the spring authors idea!
I agree with El in that when you stretch and read a book you would not have otherwise read, you can be pleasantly surprised. Since I"ve joined GR, I've read some books I'd have NEVER picked up, and they are winding up on my All Time Fave list - and I've done a fair amount of reading in my life.
I have a suggestion for whatever it's worth...Since there are so many wonderful suggestions for tasks, and some people wanting more specific tasks, some wanting less specific tasks, maybe there could be more than 10 tasks in each point category (like 15 or so), but you can only choose 10 in each category to complete. That way people can use the ones they like and still have a chance of getting all the points in each category. Does that make sense?
Or we could still have the same number of tasks, but for an extra 5 points you could do "______" the more specific part or more "stretching yourself" part of that task.Cynthia's gonna kill us. We're making it more complicated. But it would be more interesting that way!
I like it that the top 3 winners get to pick the 25 pt. tasks, but lots of us "normal" readers are never gonna finish all the tasks, and the really fast readers are gonna finish the whole thing and then be like "so what do I do now?" So it would be nice to add another layer to satisfy both groups.
(Sorry Cynthia - feel free to tell me to shut the H up)
;)
The Next Best Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Gone with the Wind (other topics)Romeo and Juliet (other topics)
The Diary of a Young Girl (other topics)
The Maude Reed Tale (other topics)
Harold and the Purple Crayon (other topics)
More...
Can't wait to see your ideas!!!