The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
SUMMER CHALLENGE 2015
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Summer Challenge 2015: Task Ideas
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yikes! its that time already! guess I need to get my butt into gear and finish reading the books for this season ;)
Here are some ideas based on Summer- 1)characters named based on the months- June, Julia, Julian, Augusta, Augustus
2) covers with beach, fire, barbeque, camping, flowers, people wearing swimsuit or shorts, carnivals,circuses
3) books set in tropical locations
4)books suitable for beach reads
5)author initials found in - SUMMER/ BEACH
6)As America is celebrating Independence- armed forces/military/ spies, etc in books
7) hot new releases
8) characters with part-time job, or temporary work
Author's initals included in the words: BEACH, VACATION, BARBECUE
Dog days of summer - dog on coverChocolate or Vanilla Cone? - Cover color Brown or White
Father's Day - Main character is a father
Canada Day - set in Canada or by Canadian-born author
Farmer's Market - vegetables or fruit on cover or in title ... e.g.
or Ella Minnow Pea Falling Stars - The Perseids meteor shower is most visible from mid July to late August, with the peak activity typically in the second week of August ... read a book with a Star on the cover
Yu Di (The Jade Emperor) - read a book whose title begins with J A D E (exclude A or An)
Nüwa and Fuxi - (Chinese mythology) - usually represented as half-snake / half-human. Read a book with a snake on the cover
Ganesha - (Hindu mythology) - the elephant-headed deity is the patron of letters, learning and writing. Read a book with an elephant on the cover
Yamato no Orochi - the eight-headed dragon of Japanese myth - read a book with an "8" in the total page count.
June 13th is the Queens official birthday...well it's actually April...but traditionally kings and queens celebrate it in June- books about kings and queens OR a crown on the cover. As part of the celebration there is the military parade "trooping of the colours"- books about military OR the colours of the flag of Great Britain (red, white and blue) on the cover.
21st June is summer solstice- celebrate the longest day with a long book OR a book with a sun on the cover.
A series of 5 or 10 point tasks based on the 7 Lucky Gods1. Benzaiten/ Benten: goddess of everything that flows: words (and knowledge, by extension), speech, eloquence, and music. Genre: writing, books about books (possible list here: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/5...) OR music
2. Bishamonten/ Bishamon/ Tamonten: god of fortunate warriors and guards, as well as the punisher of criminals. Genre: war (or containing war) or crime
3. Daikokuten/ Daikoku: god of the harvest and the kitchen. Genre: food or cookbooks
4. Ebisu: often depicted holding a rod and a large red sea bream or sea bass. Picture of a fish on the cover or name of a fish in the title.
5. Fukurokuju: god of wisdom. Genre: philosophy or religion
6. Hotei: the Laughing Buddha. Genre: humor or from this list https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
7. Jurōjin/ Gama: represents longevity. Any book over 400 pages or over 400 years old.
8. Kichijōten/ Kisshōten/ Kudokuten: the honorary eighth member of the Seven Gods of Fortune. The last book published in a series.
Summer Blockbuster: book upon which a movie has been based (or vice-versa/ a tie-in).
Daruma doll: goal-setting/ wish-fulfillment. 10 point task: Any book from your TBR list. Can only be completed after finishing 5 x 5-point tasks.
Beach Read: a book from this list https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Summer_Reads
Book with Sun or Sand in title or on cover.
Ghost Stories around the Campfire: Genre: horror or thriller.
Wow. It only seems like two minutes since we last brainstormed tasks! I wish I knew more about Asian mythology. Still, here are some Asian and summery thoughts.Seaside or a harbour on the cover.
At least 50% of the story happens between June and August (or at least in the summer if June-August is too hard to verify).
The main character(s) is Asian (although they could be living anywhere).
Asian symbols on the cover: carp, panda, lantern, temple, bamboo, teapot, fan, chopsticks, Kanji characters?
Asian dragon on the cover.
Great places on the cover or in the book, like Mt Fuji, Taj Mahal, Angkor Watt
Maybe Yin and Yang for a two-book task (black cover/white cover perhaps)
And on the Anniversay front, 18th June is the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. I could see a couple of tasks or options around that: read something which is either fiction or history set around the Napoleonic Wars (1803-15) or fiction/history set in the Regency era (1811-20).
Linked to that, Jane Austen died in July 1817 - she was one of the great Regency writers. Maybe either a Jane Austen book, or a book whose author's initials can be found in JANE AUSTEN.
Or possibly the Duke of Wellington gave his name to a certain style of footwear. So how about Wellington Boots on the cover (or maybe boots in general)
My ideas are around some of the key teachings of BuddhismThe four noble truths:
1. All life is suffering - suffer through a book with bad reviews or from a list of sad books.
2. The cause of suffering is desire - read something with the genre romance or erotica
3. Suffering can be ended - read the last book in a series
4. To end suffering take the 8-fold path - read a book with an eight in the page number
The Eightfold Path:
Right understanding - this is about gaining wisdom - read a non-fiction book
Right intention - is about commitment to do the right thing - commit to a big book (over 400 pages)
Right speech - is about not telling lies - read a fiction book based on a true story, person, or event
Right action - this is doing the right thing - read an 'action' book
Right livelihood - means that you should not do unethical work (unethical work includes making weapons and poisons, slavery, butchering and breeding animals for slaughter, sex work, and making and selling drugs and alcohol) - read a book involving one of these jobs
Right effort - is about continuing to do the right thing - continue a series
Right mindfulness - is about staying focused on the present - read a contemporary book
Right concentration - is about meditation - read a book about spirituality or philosophy
Tasks based on the Chinese Zodiac 1. Read a book with one of the animals of the zodiac on the cover (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig)
2. Each of the Chinese zodiacs relate to an element - read a book with any of the elements in the title (fire, earth, metal, wood, water)
Summer is Farmers Market season. Read a book with a picture of something you find at a Farmers Market on the cover: fresh produce, honey, jams or jellies, plants, baked goods, etc.
June 14 is flag day - read a book with a flag (not necess US) on the cover - or title has letters F L A G in itSummer reruns - reread a favorite book
Summer loving - read a romance
LGBT friendly book in honor of the Supreme Court's decision that supposed to arrive in June?
Lauren wrote: "Tasks based on the Chinese Zodiac 2. Each of the Chinese zodiacs relate to one of the 4 elements - read a book with any of the elements in the title (fire, earth, air, water) "
I believe you can also add Metal and Wood as Chinese zodiac elements. I know I'm a Wood Dragon.
14 July is Bastille Day or France National Day. Read a book set in France or written by a french author.
Trish wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Tasks based on the Chinese Zodiac 2. Each of the Chinese zodiacs relate to one of the 4 elements - read a book with any of the elements in the title (fire, earth, air, water) "
I ..."
Thanks Trisha. I'll update my post.
Since most of the people go in vacantion in summer... read a book set on a destination you would like to go on vacantion.
Summer Blockbuster: the summer is always a popular time to release action/adventure films. Either a) read a book that's been adapted into a film, or b) read a book with Action or Adventure as a MPG.
Sadly, I don't know much about Asian mythology, but I do know there's a long history of literature in Asia. Read a book by an Asian author that was published before 1900.Now that this long winter is finally over, I'm looking forward to mowing my lawn. Read a book with a lawn on the cover or a book with the letters L A W N in the title.
What I'm not looking forward to is the return of bugs! Read a book with an insect on the cover.
Personally, summer and I are not friends. I can usually be found in a dark room with a fan aimed directly at me. I get a lot of headaches in the summer. So lets read a book for the coming Fall:) Autumn leaves on the cover indicating cooler weather with a nice breeze.
As much as I don't enjoy summer, I'm still determined to get out more and walk on some trails. Read a book with a trail on the cover, or about someone out in nature (be it work, or pleasure, or for those horror, mystery book style where you must escape reasons)
Buddhist mythology: Wrathful deities who look scary but are actually good. They are to install fear into those spirits that are not good, and bring them to enlightment
Read a book where someone is misjudged based on how they look.
Read a book featuring a teacher, guide, leader, of some sort
Yaksha: originally nature spirits guarding the earth (and also attendants to gods)
Read a non-fiction book about the environment
Fun with listopiaPopular Japanese Books
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
CHINESE crime noir, detective mysteries and thrillers set in CHINA
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
Chinese Literature
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6...
Japanese Mystery/Detective/Crime Fiction Translated Into English
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Books based on all big summer events:1. June is Caribbean American Heritage Month. Read a book set in Caribbean region or written by an author who was born or lives in one of this countries.
2. Second of June is Italian Republic Day. Read a book set in Italy or written by an author who was born or currently resides in Italy.
3. 6th of June id D-Day, the celebration of Allied forces landing on Normandie. Read a book about the World War II.
4. In some countries are organized Gay pride celebration in June. Read a book about lgbt community or a book were one of the characters belongs to this community.
5. Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland take places on the first Monday of June. Read a book set in Ireland or written by an author who was born or currently resides in Ireland.
6. Eastern European Countries celebrate Children's day in June. Read a book were the main character is a child or has a child.
7. Some countries celebrate Father's day in June. Read a book were the main character is a father
8. June 5 is World Environment Day. Read a book about the environment.
9. Some countries celebrate Flag Days in June. Read a book with a flag on the cover.
10. July 1 is Doctor's Day in India. Read a book were the main character is a doctor or has medical studies.
11. July 1 is also Canada day. Read a book set in Canada or written by a Canadian author.
12. 4th of July is Independence Day in United States. Read a book set in United States or written by an american author.
13. The third week of July is Captive Nations Week, which draws people attention of the oppression of nations under the control of Communist and other non-capitalist government systems. Read a book about Communism or a book where the action takes places during the cold war.
14. August 15 is India Independence Day. Read a book set in India or written by an author who was born or currently resides in this country.
15. August is Water Quality Month. Read a book about water.
16. August is American Adventures Month. Read an adventure novel written by an American author.
17. August is Happiness Happens Month. Read a book with the genre humor.
18. The first week of August is "Indian Week" for the Penobscot Tribe. Read a book about Native Americans.
19. August 30 is International Day of the Disappeared, which tries to draw attention to the people imprisoned under poor condition or unknown to their relatives or legal representative. Read a book were the main character is a prisoner or a prison guard.
20. Since a lot of counties celebrates their Independence or National Day during summer, read a book set in any of those countries.
21. Each month has some flowers as a symbol. For June are roses, for July are water lily and for August are gladiolus or poppy. Read a book with any of this flowers on the cover, or a book where the author's name or the main character's name is a derivation of one of this flower's names.
22. Read a book with any of the summer zodiacal signs on the cover: Gemini, Cancer, Leo or Virgo.
Teodora wrote: "Since most of the people go in vacantion in summer... read a book set on a destination you would like to go on vacantion."I was going to suggest this. :)
i thoguht this was kind of cool - Goodreads has 2 listopias of books their staff are currently reading/want to read - maybe a task based around ithttps://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
Books related to the biographies of the Buddhathe Mahavastu (“Great Story”), Read a book on a "greatest books" list
the Buddhacarita (“Poetic Discourse on the Acts of the Buddha”) Read a poetry book.
the Lalitavistara (“Detailed Narration on the Sport [of the Buddha]”); Read a book about a sport.
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld...Some ideas off of this:
In the Chinese Five Element Chart there are five main colors used to help show the interplay of Yin and Yang
Summer is under the color Red
Read a book that is primarily red
Red is a traditional bridal color
Read a book with a bride on the cover or a wedding taking place in the book
Element of fire: Book with a fire/flame on the cover
Phase full Yang (represented as masculine) Read a book that only has a man on the cover
Animal is winged: Bird on the cover
The Wimbledon Championship tennis tournament is held in June and July. Maybe a book about tennis? Or a book with the front page genre Sport? Or last year's winners were NOVAK DJOKOVIC and PETRA KVITOVA. So a book who's author's initials are found in one of those names? Or maybe that other Wimbledon tradition - strawberries and cream.Or something to do with summer picnics. Maybe a cover image of a blanket on the grass (with or without people), or a hamper, or perhaps glasses of champagne and Pimms.
Or has anyone mentioned gardening? Either a garden or gardening tools on the cover?
Juneteenth (June 1865) celebrates the end of legalized slavery in the United States. Perhaps a book with a slavery/abolition theme (fiction or non-fiction)? Summer is a popular time to get married, maybe one of the main characters is getting married, bride/groom, or something wedding related on the cover.
June 1 is flip a coin day. Pick two books, assign one heads and one tails and flip a coin, then read the one that wins.Or read a book about statistics or math.
June 3 is Repeat Day. Read a book with a word repeated in the title/subtitle.
June 27 is Sunglasses Day. Read a book with sunglasses on the cover.
June 28 is Paul Bunyan Day. Read a genre tall tale, fairy tale, etc.
July is National Anti-Boredom month. Read a book of humor or adventure.
August is Romance Awareness month. So, yes, read a romance.
August is Bad Poetry Day. Read a book of poetry or about someone who writes poetry, or tries to.
August 21 is Senior Citizens Day. Read a book where the MC is over 60.
While it might be summer over there, it's winter in Australia, so how about read a book with opposite words on the cover, e.g. Big Little Lies, A Great and Terrible Beauty
I always feel very virtuous when told to read a classic from some list or other. (Preferably written before 1950, just because I'm that old.)It's summer and nothing says summer like an ice cream cone on the cover of a book.
A book with hiking or camping as the subject--like A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail or Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Here are 2 ideas:The Bon Festival, celebrated around July 15 & Aug 15, is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors by returning to ancestral family places and visiting/cleaning their ancestors' graves.
1. Book set in one of your ancestor’s country
2. Gravestone on the cover
3. The word “bon” is found in the title or author’s name
4. Book covers more than one generation
Bloomsday, June 16, is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce. The name is derived from Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of Ulysses.
1. Set in Ireland
2. Irish author
3. Main character or author named Leopold or Bloom
4. Biography or autobiography of an author
1. Summer is when a lot of people like ot work in their gardens. Read a book with the word "garden" in the title or subtitle. The word can be plural but no other variations.2. June is a popular moth for weddings. Read a book with a wedding dress, a wedding cake or a floral bouquet on the cover.
3. The temperatures can get brutally hot in the summer. Cool down with a book set in winter or has the words "winter" or "cold" in the title.
4. A lot of people use their vacation time to travel. Read a book set in your favorite vacation spot or in your dream vacation spot. Name the vacation spot.
5. Let's go to summer camp! Read a book where the letters CAMP appear in the author's first and last name.
6. June 18 is Beatle Paul McCartney's birthday. Read a book written by an author whose first name is Paul or Paula.
A task around haiku, which are Japanese poems with 17 syllables in 3 lines: 5-7-5. Read a book with a 5 or 7 syllable title (or both for a two book task). Or a book with 17 letters in the title.August is golf month. A book with green grass on the cover.
In honour of the new English royal baby, read a book by an author who shares one of her names (Charlotte, Elizabeth or Diana). Could add George Alexander Louis for her big brother.
Vedic Mythology is part of Asian Mythology. There could be a series of tasks based on Rigvedic deities. Some examples are below.1. Indra is King of the Gods, God of Weather and War. Read a book about a king or read a book with the main page genre war or read a book with bad weather scenery on the cover.
2. Agni is the God of Fire. Read a book with the word fire in the title or subtitle (it can also be the title of the series the book is part of) or a book with a fire on the cover.
3. Ashvins are twin gods symbolizing sunrise and sunset. Read a book with sunrise or sunset on the cover or a book where the main character has a twin brother or sister.
4. Varuna is God of water, the night sky (space) and ocean, Keeper of the Souls of the Dead. Read a book that has water or the night sky on the cover. Or read a book that takes place in the space (a SF book for example).
5. Vayu is Lord of the Wind. He rides a deer and has a flag as a weapon and is perceived as a fighter and destroyer. Read a book about a natural disaster (fiction or non-fiction).
6. Pushan is the god of meeting. He was responsible for marriages, journeys, roads, and the feeding of cattle. Read a book where the main character is getting married, attends a wedding or takes a journey. Or read a book with a road on the cover.
7. Bṛhaspati is God of planet Jupiter and teacher of the gods. He is considered the personification of piety and religion. Read a book about spirituality or religion.
8. Surya is Sun God. Read a book set during summer.
9. Dyaus Pita is the father of heaven. Read a book from this list: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
10. Prithvi represents the Earth. Read a book with environment as the main page genre.
11. Vishnu is the Supreme God of Vaishnavism. He has 4 arms. Read a book with a page number that is a multiple of 4 or a book with 4 words in the title.
12. Rudra is associated with wind or storm, and the hunt. Read a book where the main character is a hunter or enjoys hunting.
13. Dadhikra is a divine horse or bird. Read a book with a horses or a bird on the cover.
14. Yama is God of Death. Read a book where the main character dies at the end.
15. Vāc is the goddess of speech. Read a book where the main character is a politician.
15. Vāstoṣpati is the lord and protector of the household. Read a book with a house on the cover or a book depicting the family life.
16. Manyu is a god that represents spirit, temper, ardour, passion, anger. Read a book with the main page genre war or romance
17. Dakshina is a concept that refers to payment for the services of a priest, spiritual guide or teacher. Read a book where the main character is a priest or a teacher.
Those are just some of Rigvedic deities or concepts. There can be other ideas based on them.
Have we mentioned the Tour de France yet? Read a book (fact or fiction) set in or about France or one written by a French author.
I thought about a task around dragons. Could have dragon in title or on the cover, or about dragons.Depending on the resource or mythology, there appear to be several different ways of classifying dragons.
Emperor's Huizong Song's 5 color dragons:
~ The azure dragon: compassionate
~ The vermilion dragon: gives blessings on lakes
~ The yellow dragon: grants favorable petition hearings
~ The white dragon: virtuous and pure
~ The black dragon: dwells in depths of mystic waters
A task could be based on the colors, for example on cover, in title or author name, and/or on the associated gifts/characteristics.
Another classification has 4 types:
~ Tien Lung or Sky dragon: guards the places of the gods
~ Shen Lung or Spiritual dragon: controls wind and rain
~ Ti Lung or Earth dragon: has powers over water
~ Fucan Lung or Treasure dragon: guards buried treasure
Some classifications combine the 2 above, although different names are used for some.
I also liked the "Year of the Dragon" in the Chinese calender, which are associated with particular dragons:
~ 1864, 1904, 1964: Year of the Wood dragon: creative, imaginative, and inquisitive, thinker and doer
~ 1856, 1916, 1976: Year of the Fire dragon: extrovert, competitive, and ambitious
~ 1868, 1928, 1988: Year of the Earth dragon: more quiet and introvert, willing to listen, reasonable, solves problems
~ 1880, 1940, 2000: Year of the Metal dragon: strong-willed, inflexible and unbending; honesty and integrity very important
~ 1892, 1952, 2012: Year of the Water dragon: less selfish and opinionated than other dragons, less power-hungry, negotiates, democratic and liberal minded
Can use the years as publication dates, for example, the type in title/cover/author or images on cover or with main characters that exhibit the associated characteristics.
Marie-Anne wrote: "I thought about a task around dragons. Could have dragon in title or on the cover, or about dragons.Sounds good!
How about an ABC task: the book must include a letter and "is for", like A is for Alibi or H is for Hawk.We said goodbye to Terry Pratchett during the Spring challenge. Maybe a task in honour of him? One of his books or an author whose initials are in his name?
There could be a task based on your chinese zodiacal sign. For example, if you are a hores, you would read a book with a horse on the cover, if you are a snake, a book with a snake on cover, if you are a dragon, a book with dragon on cover, and so on. Or the animal could be found in the book title, maybe.
Trish wrote: "How about an ABC task: the book must include a letter and "is for", like A is for Alibi or H is for Hawk.We said goodbye to Terry Pratchett during the Spring challenge. Maybe a task in honour of ..."
Trish wrote: "How about an ABC task: the book must include a letter and "is for", like A is for Alibi or H is for Hawk.
We said goodbye to Terry Pratchett during the Spring challenge. Maybe a task in honour of ..."
Terry Pratchett - yes. Or maybe read a fantasy/humor book in his honor?
Trish wrote: "How about an ABC task: the book must include a letter and "is for", like A is for Alibi or H is for Hawk.We said goodbye to Terry Pratchett during the Spring challenge. Maybe a task in honour of ..."
I completely agree that we should have a task in honour of Terry Pratchett.
Mod
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (other topics)Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (other topics)
Big Little Lies (other topics)
A Great and Terrible Beauty (other topics)
Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter (other topics)
More...
As in past challenges, some tasks may revolve around the seasonal theme of summer. 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. This thread will be open for ideas until 5/14. Summer tasks will begin to be posted on May 16. We look forward to seeing what you come up with!