Sam’s Comments (group member since Jul 23, 2010)

Sam’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

Yes to Marlowe's Faustus.

No to Swift's Modest Proposal all by itself. I think the 64 pages is a reference to a Dover edition that has other essays in it. If so, that collection is okay.

Liz wrote: "So, how are we deciding on group reads for RwS? (And is this thread just for RTT or for the whole challenge?)"

It's supposed to be Q&A for RtT; the idea is that each RwS task has its own Q&A thread already. Of course, since the tasks aren't there yet, there's not really a logical place to ask questions.

I'm thinking that the Group Reads--at least for this season--are going to be decided by the top 3 finishers, Krista, and me.

Sara Grace wrote: "Ouch! This is going to be really tough. I bet I can get a list together of things I would like to read from 1550-1800 this time. Will this challenge be the same every season? Could we change it up ..."

There are a lot of variations on this theme that have been mentioned so far that I had previously thought of or that seem like good ideas.

Jennifer wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "You can always talk with PJ, Sam and see what he/she says."

Okay, no offense at all intended to you, Sam, but this post (he/she) made me laugh. In my mind Sam, sinc..."

When I was applying to grad schools, I had planned a West Coast trip. One of the schools I planned to visit was UCLA. Having a gender neutral name is often awkward, but having minored in Women's Studies occasionally makes it more so. The chair of the English department referred to me as Ms. in his correspondence to me. I didn't know how to go about correcting him, which ended up being a moot point since he wasn't at his office at the time we had scheduled. No big deal, right...I had just driven completely across the country. I didn't end up applying there.

But, you know, I'm pretty sure that every single other person who has played a large part in the SRC since I joined several challenges ago, either as a contributor or winner, has been female.

The Seasonal Reading Challenge up to this point, as we all know, is Cynthia's challenge. When I wanted to do Reading with Style, she initially said "no." Then, she created a "Fun and Games" folder where I originally posted Reading with Style, which I assumed was her intent. The next season, I asked if Reading with Style could have its own folder, which she then created.

My point is that Cynthia tacitly gave me permission to use tasks from the Seasonal Reading Challenge for Reading with Style. Until she says that I don't, I still believe that I have that permission. Now, if SRC moves to a new community under a new name, which I believe is about to happen, that's a different story.

I have done a lot of borrowing from task suggestions and previous challenge tasks and will likely continue to do so for our Fall Challenge. Thereafter, tasks will most likely be ones that are suggested here along with a few classic SRC tasks.

Jennifer wrote: "I am thinking of some ideas to suggest here.

I was wondering: did you cut and paste previous suggestions from the SRC task suggestions into a Word (or whatever) document? There were a lot of int..."

I've started going through the task suggestion thread and pulling out tasks...plus, I have a couple of tasks in mind that are fall-related. Once I get my list fleshed out a little bit more, Krista and I will begin hashing out the task list.

In the meantime, of course, more suggestions are always good.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Most of Shakespeare could be used for 15.9 (1551-1600), but a few can be used for 15.8 (1601-1650). Some were actually not published until after his death.

Sam - can we use these later publicat..."

Yes, we'll use those publication dates.

Jayme wrote: "Reading Through Time is separate from Reading With Style in terms of tasks.

So say for my first RTT task, I chose a book published in 1950 and get the points. Then I decide to be a constant trave..."

If you don't start with either 2000-1951 or 1550-1501, you will be a Time Leaper rather than a Constant Traveler. If you begin with 2000-1951 or 1550-1501 and call yourself a Constant Traveler, you cannot receive any style points for the next RtT book you read unless it is the next in the sequence.

Liz wrote: "SO..Once a reading with time task has been finished, (let's say I'm wanting to be a constant traveler and I complete a book written in 2000) do I then need to complete all the reading through time..."

You can intersperse RtT and RwS.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I think you don't have to declare before you read your first book, but you have to declare when you claim your first RtT points.

A Constant Traveler will start either at 2000 or 1500 and work hi..."

You are right on both counts.

Jayme wrote: "So you get extra points after your first book if you are a constant traveler and extra points after your fifth book if you are a time traveler?"

That is correct...the idea is that the level of difficulty is higher on the Time Traveler "path."

Jayme wrote: "After, you finish the RTT challenge once, you can read as many books as you want?"

If you started RtT a second time after finishing it and read something from the 2000-1951 era/task, that era/task would be off limits to you again unless you completed RtT completely and started it for a third time.

Donna Jo wrote: "Sam, the RTT part of the challenge looks really great!
Just to be sure I understand it right. The first time through you can read in order until you finish all of them; then you choose to either ..."

Yes, you could do it that way. Or, if you preferred not to read in order, you can skip around from the beginning--there's just less points in it for you.

Liz wrote: "I LOVE this idea! I've noticed that a few pre- 1700 books I'm interested in reading have less than 100 pages. Would these not be acceptable?"

I think so, but I'd like to work that out on a case-by-case basis for now. Posting the titles you have in mind will also help others brainstorm more good ideas.

Ask questions or post suggestions about books that would be ideal for Reading through Time...especially for those older time periods.

Ask any questions you have about playing Reading through Time here.

20.1 - Monsterfest Redux
A) Read a novel that has an adjective related to Halloween: Spooky, Creepy, Crawly, Scary etc.
OR
B) Read a book with one of the following in the title: Devil, Witch, Vampire, Zombie, or Werewolf
OR
C) Read a Ghost Story (i.e., any novel that actually has a ghost in it).

20.2 – Banned Book Week
September 25 through October 2 is Banned Book Week.
A) Read a book from the ALA's list of Banned and Challenged Classics Books. (Only the books that are bolded are ones that were challenged or banned, so those are the only books that are eligible.)
OR
B) Read a book from the ALA's list of top 100 Banned or Challenged Book from 2000-2009.

20.3 – The Season of Shorter Days
Read an anthology or collection of stories that includes (non-introductory) writing by more than one author.

20.4 - Harvest Season
Read a book that has the name of a vegetable/starch or a novel that takes place on a farm.

20.5 – Freedom Season
The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on Sept. 22, 1863. Read a book related to the American Civil War or a novel set in the American South.

20.6 – Multicultural Season
In observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month, read a book written by an author from Mexico, Central America, South America, or one of the Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean. Please include the country the author is from when posting points.

20.7 – Unification Season
The Berlin Wall was erected on August 13, 1961, and was torn down on November 9, 1989. Read a book that was published during the time of the existence of the Wall. In reality, the whole world was affected by the Berlin Wall throughout its existence. You may repeat this task as many times as you like, but each time you repeat it you should read a book by an author from a different country and year than the one(s) you have already read for this task. Please include the original publication year, and the nationality of the author when posting points.

20.8 - Krista’s Choice: “Just the Facts Ma’am”
Read a non-fiction book that has a minimum of 200 pages. The book can be about any subject.

20.9 - Sam's Choice: Scandinavian Noir
With the huge success of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the publishing world is making its best attempt to capitalize on that success by promoting the new subgenre called "Scandinavian Noir," a misnomer that groups mystery writers from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. Read a novel that falls under the definition of “Scandinavian Noir.” You can find most of the more popular authors/titles here and here. Please include the country the author is from when posting points.

20.10 - Kiri’s 1st Place Task: Late One Night...
Choose one book based on your solution to the mystery.
Rita the Reference Librarian was working late one Halloween night when she heard something eerie and went to investigate..... In the morning when Sabine (who came early to finish the shelving) arrived she found Rita dead. What happened in the library that night?
A. Lindsey the Library Ghost accidentally terrified her to death when they collided coming around a corner. Read one of the top 25 selections from the The Best Gothic Novel, Ghost Stories, and Early Horror: 1764-1973.
OR
B. She tripped on a suddenly living plant and fell headlong into the arms of Dracula's nephew. Read a winner from the 2005-2009 Stoker Awards for one of the following categories: Novel, First Novel, Anthology, Collection, Non-Fiction
OR
C. She died defending the Library from a sudden Zombie attack Read a selection from HWA’s Horror Reading List.
OR
D. The sound was the opening of an underground vault which releases an unknown horror hungry for librarians foolish enough to work late on Halloween when the library comes to life on its own. Read one of the top 25 selections from the Best Horror Novels.
Please include the list you chose your book from when posting points. While you may repeat this task, please choose a selection from a different list each time you do so.

1. Combo (5 points): Read a book in for one task that could have applied to another task as well. If a book will applies to one other tasks, you will receive 5 style points. If it applies to two other tasks, you will receive 10 points...and so on.

2. Series (5 points): Read a book to complete a task that is part of a series and receive 5 points. Read a book from that same series to complete another task and receive 10 points...and so on.

3. Canon (10 points): Distinguishing literature from popular fiction is an imperfect science, but we're trying anyway. This spring, you'll receive 10 extra points when you read a work of literature in the Western canon to complete a task. We'll be using famous uber-critic Harold Bloom's Western Canon as the arbiter...Any work that is listed here will qualify.

4. Lost in Translation (10 points): Since many tasks often focus on English-speaking settings and authors, take the opportunity this summer to read books that were originally published in languages other than English.

5. Jumbo (5 to 25 points): Receive extra points for reading books according to the following scale:
-500 Pages: 5 Points
-700 Pages: 10 Points
-800 Pages: 15 Points
-900 Pages: 20 Points
-1000+ Pages: 25 Points

Completion Bonuses:
1. RwS Finish (100 points): Complete all Reading with Style tasks.

2. Mega Finish (200 points): Complete all Reading with Style tasks and Reading through Time tasks.

A note on YA: If you want to claim style points for a YA novel, you can do so--with one catch: You must have read a YA novel with a Lexile score of at least 700. Not familiar with Lexile? Want to find out if your book has a high enough score...go here.

10.1 – Football Season?
The Australian Football League (AFL) is made up of 16 teams. Read a book with one of the 16 team names in the title: Crows, Lions, Blues, Magpies, Bombers, Dockers, Cats, Hawks, Demons, Kangaroos, Power, Tigers, Saints, Swans, Eagles, and Bulldogs. The singular of each word (except for Blues) is the only variation allowed.

10.2 – Literature Map
Go to Literature Map and type in an author whose work you read this summer (June, July, and August). Read a book by another author who comes up on the literature map. While you can repeat this task as many times as you like, you must continue to use the first literature map that you created. Additionally, you must select a different author to read each time you repeat this task. State the author you used to create your Literature Map when claiming points.