The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
WINTER CHALLENGE 2014
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Winter Challenge 2014: Task Ideas
i can't believe its that time of the season already!
I just read today Walmart is starting their holiday shopping today. Way too early for me. I thought we could do a task around the "new holiday rush". So maybe if people are not ready for the new challenge yet, they can read a book that didn't get to read from the last challenge.
Top 20 Christmas Songs - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evan-ba...Read a book that has a word in common with one of these songs (must match exactly, no variations).
New Year / New Book - Read a book by a new-to-you author
Christmas for me is all about the food, mince pies, christmas lunch etc so read a book with food as a main page genreNew year so maybe read a book by an author who is new to you in a genre you've never read before
Buying presents/January sales- read a book with shopping as a main page genre
Read a book that's set in a country that was once part of the Roman Empire.
2015 - Read a book that has a page count using those numbers (152 pages,501 pages, 251 pages,etc)
New Years are about beginnings so start a new series (series #1)'Winter' or 'Snow', found somewhere in the title/series/author name. Found whole.
Eris is the Greek goddess of chaos, strife and discord. (Roman counterpart Discordia). Roll a die to find your option. Read a book in a series out of order. A book with the word 'chaos' found in the title. A genre you usually don't read. A book you didn't finish the first time around. Authors initials found in 'Eris'.
The Golden Apple that began the Trojan War was inscribed "to the fairest" (also translated as most beautiful). Read a book with the main page genre 'fairy tales'. Read a book with 'fair' found whole in the title.
Odysseus and Jason went on great journeys and had many adventures in their myths. Read a book with the main page genre 'adventure'.
Artemis/Diana is associated with the following symbols: Bows, arrows, stags (deer), hunting dogs and the moon. Read a book with one of these found on the cover and include the cover when posting.
Read a book featuring a character or characters from Greek/Roman mythology. Deities, creatures, etc.
Read a book with mythology as a main page genre.
Valentines Day. Read a book with romance or relationships as a main page genre. Read a book with a heart on the cover.
Thoughts I had but hadn't put tasks with yet: Hades/Persephone.
Black History Month in February/MLK Day in January.
Groundhog's Day.
Anemoi - Personification of the four winds (North, South, East, West)
Muses - Nine goddesses of science and arts.
Individual tasks based on traits of each muse?: Calliope, Urania, Clio, Polyhymnia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Thalia, Euterpe, and Erato.
The Fates.
1) New Year's Resolutions -Read a book that's been on your TBR list for over year or one that's been on your list the longest. 2)New Year's is often represented by an hour glass or Father/Old Man Time or a Baby - read a book that features an older main character or woman who is pregnant or has a young child. Or select a book with an hour glass on the cover.
In keeping with the theme - Mythologies of the World: Classical Mythology- Greek/Roman/Mediterranean - Read a book set in a Mediterranean country (based on this list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_... )
Could do a series of tasks, each devoted to a Greek/Roman god or goddess. e.g...Aphrodite/Venus - goddess of love - read a Romance
Ares/Mars - god of war - read book with genre war
Artemis/Diana - goddess of animals and the moon - a book with an animal or the moon on the cover
Hades - god of the underworld - read genre paranormal
Zeus - god of weather and sky - book where you can see the sky or clouds on the cover
Apollo - god of medicine, art and music - read a non-fiction book on science/medcine, art or music
Posiedon/Neptune - god of the sea and water - body of water on the cover
Hermes - god of travel - travel genre
Dionysus - god of food, wine, madness - read a book with genre food/drink or mental illness
Athena - goddess of wisdom - read a non-fic that expands your wisdom
A couple of other ideas...
Dec 1st is World AIDS Day, the symbol is a red ribbon - read a book with something red on the cover
Read a book set in a country that celebrates its National Day in Dec-Feb. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National... includes Cuba, India, Australia, Iran, Japan, Romania, Kenya, and lots more
Returns and Exchanges -- Returns - Choose a book from the previous challenge that you rated 5 stars. Read another book by the same author.
Exchanges - Choose a book from the previous challenge that you rated 5 stars. Select a book from the "Readers Also Enjoyed" selection on that book's main page.
I like the returns and exchanges idea.
The planets are named after Roman gods. Read a book set on another planet.
The Trojan War…(Choose one from the following options - roll dice or free choice.)
Read a book by an author named Helen or Troy.
Read a book that is set at least 50% in Paris.
Read a book whose title contains all the letters in the name "Hector."
Read a book about a warrior or a soldier (as a tribute to Achilles).
Read a book that is set in Greece.
Read a book with a horse on the cover.
I think that a cool idea would be to read one book talking about each type of mythology and watch one movie...example:greek: percy jackson 1
roman: the lost hero
Egyptian: kane chronicles
Norse: thor
*Read a fictional book where a Greek, Roman, or Mediterranean God/Goddess is a main character.*Take one of those "Which Greek God or Goddess Are You?" quizzes online and read a book by an author whose first AND last initial is found in the name of the God/Goddess you get.
*Read a book that was originally published in Italian, Greek, or Arabic.
*Read a book that takes place in ancient Egypt.
*For New Year's Day, read a non-fiction book about a subject that relates to your New Year's Resolution.
*For Valentine's Day, read a book with CHOCOLATE, LOVE, HEART, FLOWER, DATE, MARRIED, or ENGAGED in the title.
*For Valentine's Day, read a book with a couple on the cover.
This idea is on the Greek/Roman mythology theme:One myth has it that Icarus and his father, Daedalus, tried to escape from Crete by using wings made of feathers and wax. Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun or the wax on his wings would melt, but Icarus soared too high, the wax melted, and he fell to the sea and drowned. Read a book from one of these options: a) a book with a picture of feather(s) on the cover (may be on a bird's wing); b) a book that has the word "sun" in the title or subtitle; c) a book about a father and son (ideas in the Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...).
Dec 10 is Human Rights day: read a book about overcoming discriminationDec 18 Bake Cookies Day: Baked goods on the cover
Dec 21 Look on the Bright Side Day: Reread a book that always makes you feel good.
Dec 31 Unlucky Day: Read a dark horror novel
Jan 11 Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend's Day: Read a book with rain on the cover, or the after effect of puddles
Jan 12 Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day: Sexy man on cover
Feb 15 Singles Awareness Day: Read a book where the main character has no significant other
Feb 20 Love Your Pet Day: Read a book where the main character has a beloved pet
Feb 26 Tell a Fairy Tale Day: Read a book based on a Greek legend
Read 2 books:A) with the word 'water' or a body of water in its title ( The Lake of Dreams, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Sea Change,Dark Rivers of the Heart, Like Water for Chocolate,Breathe etc)
B) Water or waterbody in the name of the author (Lazarus Lake, Keith waterhouse, Lynda Waterhouse, Sarah Waters, Francine Rivers, Sam Lake etc ) or
c) A waterbody on the cover (
etc)
why not include other mythologies- Chinese, Indian,Aztec,Inca----.
Annapoorni wrote: "why not include other mythologies- Chinese, Indian,Aztec,Inca----."I'm excited for when we get to those mythologies,too! Asian Mythology is the summer 2015 challenge bonus theme and Mythology of the Americas is for the Fall 2015 challenge, so it's a bit of a wait, but the time always seems to fly by. I can't believe it's November already!
"Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!"In the Aeneid, Virgil recounts the story of the fall of Troy. The Greeks are unable to breach the walls of the city, so they smuggled their men into Troy in the body of a wooden horse that they gave as a gift to the city. That night the soldiers emerged from the horse, opened the gates of the city, and the Greeks attacked. Read a book that involves deception. Goodreads has a list to get you started, but don't be limited by this list: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
The Greek gods lived on ambosia and nectar, foods forbidden to mortals. They had a pleasant aroma and sweet taste. Read a book with one of these words in the title or subtitle: sweet, honey, sugar.
Deborah wrote: "Dec 10 is Human Rights day: read a book about overcoming discriminationDec 18 Bake Cookies Day: Baked goods on the cover
Dec 21 Look on the Bright Side Day: Reread a book that always makes you f..."
like the unlucky day idea of dark horror.
Annapoorni wrote: "Read 2 books:A) with the word 'water' or a body of water in its title ( The Lake of Dreams, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Sea Change,[book:Dark ..."
thumbs up on this idea.
in honor of chanukah, read a jewish themed book [fic or non-fic].
one of the zodiac signs for january is capricorn:*it is the 10th sign of the zodiac so read the 10th book of a series
*venus is a major ruling planet of this sign; read a romance genre book, or since romance often produces young people, read a young adult genre book
*one of the lucky weekdays for this sign is wednesday; read a book whose author's initials can be found consecutively (forward or backwards) in "wednesday"
Dec 7 - the day that will live in infamy for AmericansRead a book about/set in WWII
Dec 10 is when Noble prizes are awarded - Read a noble prize winning author
January is National Thank you month - Read a book with "thank" in the title
3rd Monday in January is Martin Luther King Jr Day and February is Black History month - Read a book by an African American author
Chinese New Year is Jan 21-Feb 20 - Read a book by a Chinese author or set in China
Morgan wrote: "New Years are about beginnings so start a new series (series #1)'Winter' or 'Snow', found somewhere in the title/series/author name. Found whole.
Eris is the Greek goddess of chaos, strife and ..."
Great ideas!
Meg wrote: "Could do a series of tasks, each devoted to a Greek/Roman god or goddess. e.g...Aphrodite/Venus - goddess of love - read a Romance
Ares/Mars - god of war - read book with genre war
Artemis/Diana ..."
I like these ideas too :-)
"Wacky" January Holidays5 National Bird Day -- picture of a bird on the cover/bird in title (either 'bird' or a type of bird)
6 Cuddle Up Day -- Couple embracing/hugging on cover.
8 Bubble Bath Day -- Bubbles on cover or a bath.
8 Male Watcher's Day -- sexy male bookcover eyecandy.
13 International Skeptics Day -- read a book from a genre you usually don't enjoy/avoid. (Like horror if you're a scaredy cat like me.)
15 National Hat Day -- Hat on the cover.
16 Appreciate a Dragon Day -- Fantasy genre.
20 Penguin Awareness Day -- Find the letters for the word 'penguin' in the title/author name.
23 National Handwriting Day -- A book written in a journal style or through letters.
25 Opposite Day -- Instead of reading a book, listen to one.
28 Fun at Work Day -- A book that takes place in/around a workplace.
31 Backward Day -- Read a book that is the final book in a series or trilogy.
31 Inspire Your Heart with Art Day -- 'Sequential Art/Comics/Graphic Novel' or 'Art' as main page genres.
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONSDiet - Book with food on the cover -or- "food" on main page
Weight - Book over 500 pages
Smoking - Book with Smoke or fire on cover -or- Author F & L initials in T O B A C C O
Alcohol - Book with a drink on cover -or- Author F & L initials in A L C O H O L
My fiancé is Jewish, and I'm Catholic, so I have only recently started celebrating Hanukkah with him. I suggest reading a book with a cover that is predominately blue and white, which are the colors of the Israeli flag, and the traditional colors of Hanukkah.
Morgan wrote: "Thoughts I had but hadn't put tasks with yet: Hades/Persephone.
Black History Month in February/MLK Day in January.
Groundhog's Day.
Anemoi - Personification of the four winds (North, South, E..."
I like the Muses. They cover a lot of territory, but individual tasks on each one sounds like a great idea.
The Big three of the Greek gods were the three brothers:Zeus, God of land and air
Poseidon, God of the Sea, and
Hades, God of the underworld and the afterlife.
All the other gods seemed to revolve around their tryptych. Appropriate challenges for three consecutive tasks?
Read a book which takes place partly on land, partly in the air.
Read a book with the ocean on the cover.
Read a paranormal story.
Two of the most well-known books about mythology are Bulfinch's Mythology by Thomas Bullfinch and Mythology by Edith Hamilton - Read a book by an author whose first name is Thomas or Edith.The Greek gods lived on Mt. Olympus - read a book (either fiction or non-fiction) involving a mountain.
Read a book with a character who shares the name of a Greek or Roman god or goddess (listed on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_... and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...)
Hades kidnapped Persephone and took her to the underworld where she is forever changed. Read a book featuring a kidnapping. Here is a big list of possibilities: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...Hermes, my favorite, is the god of transitions and boundaries. Many people also believe he is the one to bring us good luck when we most need it. Read a book with a symbol of good luck on the cover. Here are fifty examples from around the world: http://monarch13.hubpages.com/hub/goo...
Hermes is also called the trickster god. Read a book featuring a magician.
I really like the Human Rights Day, the Father Time, and the book involving deception ideas.
Janice CA wrote: "Hades kidnapped Persephone and took her to the underworld where she is forever changed. Read a book featuring a kidnapping. Here is a big list of possibilities: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/..."I love this kidnapping idea!
The Odyssey and The Iliad: I really loved these in school. Read the Odyssey, the Iliad, or a book with EPIC on the main genre page
Daedalus, creator of the labyrinth and great inventor, until King Minos trapped him in his own creation: Read a book about an inventorPsyche: Human turned goddess of the soul: The story of Cupid and Psyche has been retold in other stories (Beauty and the Beast; East of the Sun, West of the Moon) read a book based on one of the stories.
The Muses were the goddesses of literature and the arts, they looked after Poetry, History, Song, Tragedy, Dance, Comedy and AstronomyRead a book that either:
1. Has Poetry in its main page Genre
2. Has History in its main page Genre
3. Has ‘Humour, Funny or Comedy in its main page Genre
4. Is a FICTION book with a Tragic End – explain your choice if it is not obvious in the description
5. Is either a FICTION or NON FICTION book that has a strong theme of Music, Dance or Astronomy. Explain your choice if it is not obvious in the description
The Primordial deities read two of the three:Uranus-Father Sky read a book with sky/heaven (or their plurals) in the title
Gaia-Mother Earth read a book with earth/earthly in the title
Pontus-god of the sea read a book with sea/ocean (or their plurals) in the title
A winter trip to the RivieraRead a book set in and/or by an author from a Mediterranean country: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterr...
The Greek and Roman eras are frequently referred to as the 'Classical Period'. Read a book with the genre 'Classic' on its main page.
Out with the old in with the new.Read a book to finish a series you have been reading.
Start a new series by the same author or one with the same name.
A number of constellations have names from Greek/Roman mythology. --> A book with stars/the night sky on the cover or maybe one set in space/on another planet.
Looks like the winter challenge will be quite educational for me since I know next to nothing about mythology. Bring it on!
I love mythology, especially Greek mythology, so, all of the ideas sound exciting. However, I just lost an uncle last night, so, that's a bit fresh in my mind. How about a challenge to read a book that reminds you of a lost loved one? (the meaning of 'lost' could be left up to the discretion of the reader)
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Penelopiad (other topics)Bulfinch's Mythology (other topics)
Mythology (other topics)
The Lake of Dreams (other topics)
Sea Change (other topics)
More...
As in past challenges, some tasks may revolve around the seasonal theme of winter. Others may reflect the bonus theme. Other tasks may have nothing to do with either of these themes, they’re just fun ideas for unique reading challenges.
Feel free to post as many ideas as you can come up with. Don't worry about repeating what another player might have already suggested. The more ideas, the better!
The moderators will draw from these ideas as well as their own to create the 5, 10, and 15 point tasks. We look forward to seeing what you come up with!