The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

30.8 - Nick KY’s Task: Ghost Hunters

Autumn is the season to bring out the ghost stories, so I wanted to do something “Ghostly.” But I also wanted to fit the North American myth theme. In the summer, I found a book with a Native American theme (due to that fantastic task where we had to search for authors of diverse ethnic origins), a book which has become a true treasure for me – The Lesser Blessed: A Novel by Richard Van Camp, set among the Dogrib people of the Northwest Territories in Canada.

For my task, choose two different options from the following Options based on ghosts and/or The Lesser Blessed: A Novel. Read one book for each option you choose. REQUIRED: Specify the options you chose.

Option 1. Read a book, fiction or nonfiction, with the word “Ghost” or the word “Hunt” found intact in the title/subtitle/series title, or the author’s* name. Part of a larger word, such as “Ghostly” or “Hunter,” is O.K.

Option 2. Most ghost stories are gothic, but not all gothics are ghost stories. Read a book with the GR genre “Gothic” which does NOT have the word “Ghost” in the title/subtitle/series title. Embedded genres are OK, as well as if “Gothic” is a part of a larger genre name (“Gothic Romance.”)

Option 3. “Hunt” for a book which fits the following criteria. The Lesser Blessed: A Novel is a short classic of only 128 pages. Read any novel (“novella,” “novelette”) which is 100 – 150 pages in length. No poetry, plays, short story collections, or nonfiction here.

NOTE: ebooks without a print edition cannot be used for tasks requiring a specific number of pages. If you read an ebook, listen to an audiobook or read a Large Print edition use the page count for the mass market paperback if one exists. If there is no mass market paperback edition, use the paperback edition and if no paperback is available use the hardcover edition.


Option 4. Read any work of fiction or nonfiction by a Canadian author* (by birth or residence), or set at least 50% in Canada. The following Listopias may give you some ideas, though you are not limited to these listopias. (NOTE: The Lesser Blessed: A Novel happens to fall on all these listopias.)

Canadian Books Adapted for TV/Film

Best Canadian Aboriginal Fiction

Canadian YA Aboriginal Fiction

One Hundred Novels that Make You Proud to Be Canadian

*Only authors that are identified as authors (or a default blank in the author role field), co-authors, or contributors may be used for tasks involving author information. Other roles or functions such as editor, illustrator, artist, translator, introduction, designed by, foreword, preface, assistant or afterword may not be used for author-sourced tasks. Ask about other roles identified in a Goodreads record in the season's General Questions help thread.

Works for Option 1.
(Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series)

Works for Option 2.


Works for Option 3.

Works for Option 4.

Claimed

This thread is now open!

Excellent, I have a home for Kim Thuy's with Option 3 and then for Option 4:)

Great task!

Lots of options here:

Option 2:





Option 3: I guess we can read ?

Option 4:
Margaret Atwood
Louise Penny

Please confirm Dark Desires for Gothic (currently 26 users).

Thanks

Pia wrote: "Great task!

Lots of options here:

Option 2:





Option ..."

All of your suggestions for Option 2 work!

Yes, The Lesser Blessed: A Novel works for either Option 3 or Option 4.

Lauren wrote: "Please confirm Dark Desires for Gothic (currently 26 users).

Thanks"

It certainly is Gothic!

Melissa wrote: "Excellent, I have a home for Kim Thuy's with Option 3 and then for Option 4:)"

A home they have!

Please verify The Angel's Game for main page genre "Gothic." Thanks!

I'd like to get The Prisoner of Heaven approved for Opt 2 in case Gothic falls off the main page.

Opt 3 The Old Man and the Sea at 132 pages.

Thanks!

Sandy wrote: "Please verify The Angel's Game for main page genre "Gothic." Thanks!"

The Angel's Game is good for Option 2.

KSMary wrote: "I'd like to get The Prisoner of Heaven approved for Opt 2 in case Gothic falls off the main page.

The Prisoner of Heaven is good for option 2.

Please verify Northanger Abbey for option two. thanks :-)

For option 4, can I go simply with L.M. Montgomery?

Valerie wrote: "Please verify Northanger Abbey for option two. thanks :-)"

Certainly -- Northanger Abbey is Gothic!

Aleksandra wrote: "For option 4, can I go simply with L.M. Montgomery?"

Looks like she was born in Canada. Make sure your chosen book meets SRC requirements and you are good to go.

Nick wrote: "Aleksandra wrote: "For option 4, can I go simply with L.M. Montgomery?"

Looks like she was born in Canada. Make sure your chosen book meets SRC requirements and you are good to go."

Thank you:)

You knew I wanted to find a place for the next Ghost Hunter Mystery book ( The Ghoul Next Door ), didn't you? lol. Didn't even have to pause to think about what to use for that option. XD

I don't know what I'll be able to get from the library so I have a couple to get verified as gothic just in case:

Alice
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Thirteenth Tale

Thanks in advance! fun task :)

Morgan wrote: "You knew I wanted to find a place for the next Ghost Hunter Mystery book ( The Ghoul Next Door ), didn't you? lol. Didn't even have to pause to think about what to use for that op..."

All are verified. Alice is probably the only one that really needed it, as the other two are gothic classics.

Nick wrote: "Morgan wrote: "You knew I wanted to find a place for the next Ghost Hunter Mystery book ( The Ghoul Next Door ), didn't you? lol. Didn't even have to pause to think about what to ..."

Thanks ;) Yeah hopefully true, but I've had "classics" fall off of classics and other surprising things so I've gotten pretty paranoid about trusting genres. lol. Much appreciated. I'm hoping to get my hands on Alice though.

I'd like to change mine to The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

KSMary wrote: "I'd like to change mine to The Turn of the Screw by Henry James"

The Turn of the Screw works fine for options 2 or 3. I am going to fit it in somewhere, though not here, as I re-read it every October.

Can you believe that I had never read this before? Glad that I was finally able to do so now.

Will these work?

Option 1: Island of Ghosts by Gillian Bradshaw
Option 2: Whistle for the Crows by Dorothy Eden

puppitypup wrote: "Will these work?

Option 1: Island of Ghosts by Gillian Bradshaw
Option 2: Whistle for the Crows by Dorothy Eden"

Both books work.

Cindy C.

Do the books in the Antia Blake, Vampire Hunter series work for Option 1?

Examples: The Laughing Corpse
The Lunatic Cafe

Cindy wrote: "Cindy C.

Do the books in the Antia Blake, Vampire Hunter series work for Option 1?

Examples: The Laughing Corpse
The Lunatic Cafe"

Be sure to indicate to the mods that the letter sequence "Hunt" shows up in the series title on the home page of the book, since it does not appear in the link. You will be good to go then.

Option 1: Tatooine Ghost by Troy Denning

Option 3: The Stranger by Albert Camus

Claire wrote: "Option 1: Tatooine Ghost by Troy Denning

Option 3: The Stranger by Albert Camus"

Both look good.

Does this work for Option 3?



I'm unclear if this meets your guideline for "no short stories". It is listed with a Main page of "Short Stories" but this is a single individual work, not multiple short stories in one.

I listened to the audio (which shows as 2 pages) and there is a paperback in a foreign language that lists as 105 pages. I am guessing this meets the page requirements, but will confirm with Mods if needed for the page requirements.

Thanks in advance.

Tara Jo wrote: "Does this work for Option 3?



I'm unclear if this meets your guideline for "no short stories". It is listed with a Main page of "Short Stories" but this is a single individual work, not multiple short stories in one.

I listened to the audio (which shows as 2 pages) and there is a paperback in a foreign language that lists as 105 pages. I am guessing this meets the page requirements, but will confirm with Mods if needed for the page requirements...."

You've got me on this one. No English language print version listed, but an Italian language version at 105 pages. Does that count?

I do not know. I will ask.

Tara Jo wrote: "Does this work for Option 3?



I'm unclear if this meets your guideline for "no short stories". It is listed with a Main page of "Short Stories" but this..."

Hi again Tara Jo,

I have asked the mods and here is DlmRose's reply:

"From the rules
'> If the sort results in an edition in a language other than English the edition SHOULD be used to establish length.'

Hope that helps"

So it looks like you can use "The Gingerbread Girl."

Hope that helps.

Thank you for the information and clarification on the length. And for purposes of YOUR requirement (No Short Stories), does it also meet the requirement? Since it does have "Short Stories" on the main page, is that what determines? Or the fact that it's a single work does it still work for purposes of your task?

Thanks for assistance on this one.

Tara Jo wrote: "Thank you for the information and clarification on the length. And for purposes of YOUR requirement (No Short Stories), does it also meet the requirement? Since it does have "Short Stories" on th..."

I believe that genre indicates that some readers think of this as a short story rather than a novella or novelette. If it has the required number of pages, it qualifies as a novella, IMHO. So you are good to go.

--My instructions were meant to dissuade folks from reading collections of short stories. A single work of the required length is cool.

Nick wrote: "Tara Jo wrote: "Thank you for the information and clarification on the length. And for purposes of YOUR requirement (No Short Stories), does it also meet the requirement? Since it does have "Shor..."

Great...thanks! I wasn't sure what would be used on the technical aspect of this, so thanks for confirming!

The Best Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe - Can I please get this verified as 'Gothic' as it's already dropped off once.

Nicola wrote: "The Best Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe - Can I please get this verified as 'Gothic' as it's already dropped off once."

Your choice is good for option 2. Enjoy!