Spring/Summer 2014 Reading Challenge


Rules

1. This challenge will start April 1, 2014 (12:01 am EST) and will end at 11:59 pm on August 31, 2014.

2. All books read during the challenge dates, September through March, can count towards tasks. So, if you join in June, anything you read that FITS a task can count towards the challenge as long as you read it AFTER Apil 1st. If you are less than half way through a book BEFORE the challenge starts, you can use it for the challenge. If you are over the halfway point, you cannot use it for the challenge.

3. Books can only be used for one category.

4. Re-reads are fine, except where stated otherwise.

5. All books should be over 150 pages unless otherwise stated. If you read a book that is not quite 150 pages, please make sure that it for a lower point task and you are only able to read an "under 150 pages book" once. Please get an "ok" from us before you try and count an "under 150 pages book" for a task. The only exception is the Children's Book task (5.8). We will allow that one to be 100 pages.

6. To claim your points, you must post completed tasks in the "Leaderboard & Completed Tasks" thread. Please include the title, author, the task number it was for, and your total number of points to date. You can update your task list but we will not be checking those for your points. That is just for your records only.

7. If you have any doubts as to whether a book fits a particular challenge, please feel free to ask.

8. Above all, remember this challenge is supposed to be FUN, a good way to tackle some of your TBR list, and to expand your horizons.

9. Those that finish/win the challenge will be able to pick a task for the Fall/Winter 2014/2015 Challenge.

10. Most Important: HAVE FUN! 

Key to Emily's ramblings:
Italic= thoughts/feelings regarding task 
Maroon: Possible books that would work
Bold= Official book for task (but unclaimed)
Strike through= Points Claimed

Tasks

5 points:

1. I Still Believe in 398.2: Fairy tales and folklore, read a book that one would find in the library at this call number or book relating to books one would find at this call number. Daughter of Smoke and Bone

2. May, June, July &; August are all women's names: Read a book either written by someone with one of these names, about a character with one of these names, or one of these words appear in the title. Legend by Marie Lu-June

3. Garden Basics: Read a book with “garden” in the title or a garden on the cover. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

4. Get Outdoors: Read a fiction or nonfiction book about being outdoors.

5. Spring Cleaning: Read a book that has been on your to be read list for more than 5 years (or if you don’t have any on there that long, then the book that has been on your list for the longest). Flirting with Pete by Barbara Delinsky

6. Road Trip: Read a book that takes place in a state or country/province/city/etc. you have never visited.

7. These Are a Few of My Favorite Things: Read a book about one of your favorite things, or re-read a favorite book.

8. Children's Book Week-April 12-18: Re-read your favorite childhood chapter book or read one you always wanted to read.

10 points:

1. World War I: July 28th marks the 100 year anniversary since the start of World War I. Read a fiction book set during World War I or read a non-fiction book about World War I. The Girl you Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

2. (Hopefully not) Lost in Translation: Read a book that has been translated into your mother tongue.

3. HonoRORY Gilmore Girl: Read a book mentioned by or read by the character Rory from Gilmore Girls. There are a couple of lists on Goodreads and several blogs—just Google it. Love this task!!! The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

4. Study Abroad: Read a book about someone visiting a foreign country.

5. PotterMORE: June 2014 marks 17 years of Harry Potter. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is officially a wizard adult! Time for a re-read? Or read something related to Harry Potter, such as a book about wizards, Merlin, or boarding schools. The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

6. Like a Virgin: Read a book by an author who is completely new to you.

7. What I Did on My Summer Vacation: Read a book related to something fun you'll be doing during the period of this reading challenge, and tell us what the fun thing was. If you don't have the time to get away, read a book related to something you'd like to have done or a book you think is a fun read. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

8. April Fool’s Day: Read a book by an author who is using a pen name. (Like Robert Galbraith = J.K. Rowling.)

15 points:

1. National Karaoke Week: The last week of April is National Karaoke Week. Read a book that has song lyrics in the title or is about a singer.

2. Getting Medieval: Read a book set during the medieval period (476 - 1500), a book (or an anthology of writings) from that era, or a nonfiction work covering that time.

3. Summer Stock: Summer is a season when many theaters start producing shows, so celebrate by reading some plays. Since most full-length play scripts are only c. 50 pages long, read at least three full-length plays or an anthology of plays that is over 150 pages.

4. Trilogy: Start or finish a trilogy. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

5. Blockbusters: Read a book that has been adapted into a movie and watch the movie; then say a bit about the adaptation—was it good? bad? faithful to the novel?

6. The Dictionary Challenge: Open a dictionary to a random page, and close your eyes, and put your finger on a word. Google books with that word in the title. If there aren't any, do it again till you find one. You learn new words AND you find new books, it's a win-win challenge. I need to find a dictionary...

7. Books about Books: Read a book deemed Metafiction or a book about how to read books or assist in the reading of specific books. The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

8. Bethany’s Task: Each participant should choose 3 books he/she wants to read, each over 300 pages. They will list the three books in a post on this thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... Then the next person to post on the thread gets to pick which of the three books will be read. The Coldest Girl in Cold Town by Holly Black

20 points:

1. Allison’s task: Wheel of Fortune: Read a book where the Wheel of Fortune letters RSTLNE all appear in the title and author's name. For example: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger or The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

2. Micklibrarian’s task: Vice or Virtue:
Read 2 books.

Book 1 - Must have the name of a vice, sin, or bad character trait in the title, subtitle or author's name. This could be a traditional sin, like Pride and Prejudice, or something more broad, like The Gambling Man. Note: the vice must be a noun, not an adjective.

Book 2 - Same thing, but with a virtue or something positive about the person. Examples: A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials, Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil, Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence, or Alias Grace.

25 points:

1. Research: Read a novel, then read a non-fiction work that connects to the subject matter. For example, read Moby-Dick, then read a book about whales or whaling.

2. Bizarre, Unique, and Special Holidays: Pick 2 holidays that will happen during the challenge from this list (http://holidayinsights.com/moreholida...) and read a book relating to the holiday. (Other bizarre holidays not listed are also ok, since Towel Day isn't actually on this list, and it is clearly the best holiday ever.

3. Art Smart: Read a biography or autobiography about a person who worked or is working in the fine arts (painting, sculpture, music, architecture, and poetry) and a novel set in the art world.

4. First and last: Pick an author who is no-longer alive (and is therefore done writing). Read their first book and their last book. Maya Angelou?

5. Vive la revolution!: The US and France both began revolutions in July, so read two books about any revolutions of your choice. They can be fiction or non-fiction and cover two revolutions or be two books about the same revolution.

6. Take A Vacation: For this task, we are going to build a vacation. Use this (http://www.random.org/dice/) to roll the die to see what you get. Set the die to roll 2 die at a time. For this first book, you will need to read a book set on that continent. The next roll will decide what kinds of things you will be doing on your vacation. You can only roll once.

Use this to roll the die:

Location:

1. North America
2. South America
3. Africa
4. Asia
5. Australia
6. Europe

1. History & Culture: Your vacation is all about experiencing the culture and history of a foreign land. Read a book that revolves around an important historical event or person or read a non-fiction book about anything history/culture related.
2. Cruise: Your vacation is all about having a nautical adventure. Read a book that mostly takes place on the water.
3. Romantic: Your vacation is all about having a romantic getaway. Read a book that is considered a "love story" or a romance.
4. Thrillseeker/Adventure: Your vacation is all about having an adventure. Read a book where the main character has some sort of planned/unplanned adventure or read an adventure novel.
5. Foodie Vacation: Your vacation is all about immersing yourself in the food and drink of the country you are in. Read a book where food is a central theme to the book –fiction or non-fiction.
6. Volunteer Work: Your vacation is all about experiencing another culture by helping its people. Read a book about somebody who is doing some sort of humanitarian work/missions work in a foreign country. Really enjoyed this one last time!   I rolled a 5 and a 6= Australia volunteer work. I didn't think I'd ever find a book that fit this but part of Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and my Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill was spent doing missionary work in Australia. Nice!

7. Classics, Old and New: Read a known classic and THEN read a book of Entertainment Weekly's List called "The New Classics:" The 100 Best Books of the Last 25 Years
(http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207...) After reading both write a tiny review in our thread about whether or not you think the "new" classic has the ability to stand the test of time.

8. Two Become One: For this challenge you are going to read two books—whatever you want. The caveat—the two books need to form a proper sentence. For example you might read "This Is Where I Leave You" and "Two Alone" by Sandra Brown as it makes the sentence – "This is where I leave you two alone" or you could read "I Am The Messenger" and "In a Sunburned Country" as it makes the sentence "I am the messenger in a sunburned country." It can be zany and nonsensical but it has to be a proper sentence.

Total Claimed Points: 105

Notes for me
Books I've read in this challenge:

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
Beyond Belief by Jenna Miscavige Hill
Burn for Burn by Jenny Han
Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt
The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
Breathe by Sarah Crossen
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Columbine By Dave Cullen
Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
The Daughter He Never Knew by Linda Barrett
Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Feed by Mira Grant
The Gift by Danielle Steel
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The Book of Q by Jonathan Rabb
Gated by Amy Christine Parker
Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells
Divine Secrete of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
Inferno by Dan Brown
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Horns by Joe Hill
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
Legend by Lu Marie
Lexicon by Max Barry
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

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