SA Book & Challenge Lovers discussion

This is a HARD one for those of us who like a real challenge. It will consist of really evil tasks nominated by group members. Each person gets to nominate a maximum of 5 tasks, but keep in mind that they have to be tough - a challenge that will only fit a few books, or where you have to do some serious googling to find something to read.

For example, don’t nominate something like: Read a book that has a red head on the cover. Instead nominate something like: Read a book with a green haired person on the cover.

Nominations will last 10 days (if all goes well), and we'll use all the tasks (as long as they fit the criteria).

This challenge will work in grades - 5 tasks, 10 tasks, 15, etc. For each grade that you complete you'll get a special title. Why? Because we can!

Nominations are now open!

Remember it has to be HARD.

You can get fiendishly creative with these tasks, but just remember you have to think of at least 1 book that fits the criteria; we can’t make it impossible.

Have fun! Mwhahahaha!

Tasks so far:

1. Read a book that takes place in 3 different mythical/imagined realms - parallel dimensions, mythical worlds. Planets do not count, unless they're in another dimension. Earth does not count either, so you can't read a book that features only Earth, heaven and hell, unless the book features a mythical place on Earth.
Also, you can't cheat by using 3 different cities in one mythical world or something.
2. Read a book that has been banned (not just challenged) in 3 or more countries.
3. Reread a book (give a second chance to) a book you previously gave a bad rating/review.
4. Finish a book that you started but gave up on.
5. Choose a series that you a gave a low rating to, and read the second book.
6. Read a book with the word second, (not seconds) two or twice in the title. The catch is it can't be the second book in a series.
7. Read a book that was nominated for an award/awards but never won (came in second :D)
8. Read a book with 7 or more words in the title. Subtitles don't count (ie. nothing after the colon).
9. Read a book that is number 7,8 or 9 in a stand alone series.
10. Read a book where a main character has the same name as your mother (we can speak about it if your mother has a random name etc).
11. Read a book that's cover depicts someone that is about to die in some way or other.
12. Read a book that has a two part title that coincides with your initials (just first and last name). For example, mine is LC = Long Cannons by blah blah
13. Read a book with 1000 or more pages.
14. Read any title with 3 or more words that are in alphabetical order eg. Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. It doesn't have to be in consecutive order.
15. Read a book with a number of ratings matching your birth date. Month/Date/Year Eg. 01/20/86 would come to 12,086 ratings. Provide a screenshot to be verified by another member.
16. Read a book that is not written by a south African and does not take place in south Africa, but where in south Africa is mentioned.
17. Read a book that at least three of your friends have given less than three stars to.
18. Read a book translated from Finnish.
19. Read any novel by Tolstoy or Ayn Rand.
20. Go to a second-hand bookstore. Find the last book on the fiction shelf. If you do not have it, buy it and read it.
21. Read a book that is set on an ocean vessel that is not a passenger cruise ship.
22. Get three of the other sado-masochists here to choose a book that they think you'll HATE but that they think you should read. Choose one of the books and read it.
(For this challenge, just announce that you want three nominations and the first 3 to come in will be the books you have to choose from.)
23. Read a book published in the year that your father was born
24. Read a book with the originals authors signature in the front
25. Read an entire series consisting of 6 or more books. Re-reads not allowed!
26. Read a book with a reference to a classic book in it and read that classic too.
So you have to read two books here and you have to post the quote.
27. There are 3 steps
1. Choose a book to read. A classic, multiple award-winning or literary book is best. Fiction or non-fiction.
2. Read a novel (fiction) based on the book in step 1. eg. read Hyperion if your book is The Canterbury Tales.
3. Read a non-fiction book related to the book in step one. Eg. a collection of essays on the novel, a book about the author etc, a book about a theme of the novel (eg. vampires, dystopias) where the novel is discussed at length. It can be a study guide, but remember that it should fit the 100 page minimum requirement.
28. The terrible threes: Read three trilogies. (Re-reads allowed, but you must start from book 1)
29. Read a graphic novel.
30. Pick a theme, any theme fantasy, horror, whatever and read 6 different books belonging to that theme written by 6 different authors coming from the 6 different continents so from Europa, Africa, Asia, Australia, North-America and South-America. I know Antartica is counted as a continent, but I don't think they have many native authors there. I think it would be nice to see what the different continents do with the themes.
31. colour coded theme - You have to read 9 books. Each book must contain a colour in the title. The following colours should be used -
1. Yellow
2. Red
3. Blue
4. Green
5. White
6. Black
7. Brown
8. Any other colour like Orange, Purple, Turquoise, Pink
9. Last book should contain a word that implies colour, like rainbow, polka-dot, stripes
32. Read a book set in colonial Australia.
33. Read any book of your choosing, but then post a picture (a real picture - no photoshopping!) of yourself in the exact locations of a scene from the book. The picture/location should be verifiable. So don't use a photo of a beach that could be a beach anywhere in the world.
Eg. if you read Moxyland, you could use a picture of yourself in/outside Stones on Long Street in Cape Town. Just a picture of yourself in Cape Town won't cut it.
34. Re-create a cover. You have to take a pic where you have recreated a cover, using props, dressing up etc. You can't just use photoshop, except when putting a title on it and so on :)
Oh and read the book obviously :)
35. There is a song called "The Book Lovers" by the Divine Comedy. Read one book of 3 authors mentioned in the song.
36. Word Quest - One of your goodreads friends must choose a word for you, for example "driving", then you must find 3 books relating to that word and read it.
37. Read 33 novels from your favourite genre provided that each novel is more than 333 pages OR you can choose to read 11 novels from your favourite genre, provided that each novel is by an author you haven't read yet and that each novel is more than 333 pages.
38. a) Read 9 debut novels by different authors (first actual novel in print by a major publisher).
b) Then read 3 novels published before the death of its author. (That author's last novel).
39. Nomination : read an original greek mythology novel as close to the original text as you can get your hands on (obviously not greek)
40. A one-word title with 10 letters.

Read a book that takes place in 3 different mythical/imagined realms - parallel dimensions, mythical worlds. Planets do not count, unless they're in another dimension. Earth does not count either, so you can't read a book that features only Earth, heaven and hell, unless the book features a mythical place on Earth.
Also, you can't cheat by using 3 different cities in one mythical world or something.

Read a book that has been banned (not just challenged) in 3 or more countries.

2nd Chance Challenge

This is a 5 part challenge

1. Reread a book (give a second chance to) a book you previously gave a bad rating/review.

2. Finish a book that you started but gave up on.

3. Choose a series that you a gave a low rating to, and read the second book.

4. Read a book with the word second, (not seconds) two or twice in the title. The catch is it can't be the second book in a series.

5. Read a book that was nominated for an award/awards but never won (came in second :D)

Lol, 2 will be really easy for me, I do that all the time. I've done 1 before as well.

5 is so easy Lauren, come on! There are loads of books that won awards, and since any award has a shortlist of about 5 or 6 books, there are way, way more that 'came in second'.

Read a book with 7 or more words in the title. Subtitles don't count (ie. nothing after the colon).

1) Read a book that is number 7,8 or 9 in a stand alone series.

2) Read a book where a main character has the same name as your mother (we can speak about it if your mother has a random name etc).

3) Read a book that's cover depicts someone that is about to die in some way or other.

4) Read a book that has a two part title that coincides with your initials (just first and last name). For example, mine is LC = Long Cannons by blah blah

5. Still thinking

Oh, I'm feeling very evil indeed.

* Read a book with 1500 or more pages.
* A title with 4 or more words, each starting with consecutive letters of the alphabet. For example: A Boat Can Drift Everywhere
*Read a book with a number of ratings matching your birth date. Month/Date/Year Eg. 01/20/86 would come to 12,086 ratings. Provide a screenshot to be verified by another member.

My nr5. Read a book that is not written by a south African and does not take place in south Africa, but where in south Africa is mentioned.

Kahlan wrote: "Oh, I'm feeling very evil indeed.

* Read a book with 1500 or more pages.
* A title with 4 or more words, each starting with consecutive letters of the alphabet. For example: A Boat Can Drift Every..."

Ok so I will be 121,488?

Kahlan wrote: "Oh, I'm feeling very evil indeed.

* Read a book with 1500 or more pages.
* A title with 4 or more words, each starting with consecutive letters of the alphabet. For example: A Boat Can Drift Every..."

Wow, those are evil...

Lol yea they make up for some of our nominations that are not so evil :P

I don't know how I'd be able to find something for the birth date one, except by sheer luck.

I think lots and lots of searching

Perhaps we can use two date formats, so you have two possible numbers? Ie. Kahlan used month/day/year, but I use day/month/year, so I could use either 52,385 or 230,585?

Not a bad plan. Kahlan what do you say?

Yeah, that sounds good. I used Google yesterday to find mine - but it was a little outdated. For it not to be quite so difficult, a screenshot of a rating score a few days old (from Google cache)and not that much different now could work too.

Doh! Hadn't thought to google it!

Ah google the answer to it all :)

Hmm, it's not working for me though - it only shows book lists, not individual books, and I can't find any specific book with the right number of ratings. Is there a special trick to this?

Not sure, will have a look at it a bit laters :)

Tasks updated

Put this in the search: site:www.goodreads.com ratings 52,385 (or 230,585)
I found this one from 8 March 2011
Link to the date stamp

That is a great book!

Let me go search mine :)

I can't see the picture (my work pc blocks some things) but is it The Perks of Being a Wallflower?
That wouldn't be so bad :) I was getting worried - Twilight kept popping up!

The book for 230,585 is One Hundred Years of Solitude, which I have actually wanted to read, and I've got a copy too :)

Can anyone see if they can find mine please? 14/12/88

Ooh! I found another one - The Unbearable Lightness of Being! I love this book, and I really really need to read it again.

How do I take a screenshot?

Will check yours now Lu. Otherwise, click on cache instead of the link, you should be able to see it.

You click shift + print screen
then open paint
and click paste :)

OK, searched using: site: www.goodreads.com "121,488 ratings"
And got The Princess Bride by William Goldman
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com...

aaah now i get it!

thanks :D

Ooooh fun!

1. Read a book that at least three of your friends have given less than three stars to.
2. Read a book translated from Finnish.
3. Read any novel by Tolstoy or Ayn Rand.
4. Go to a second-hand bookstore. Find the last book on the fiction shelf. If you do not have it, buy it and read it.
5. Read a book that is set on an ocean vessel that is not a passenger cruise ship.

Oooh interesting

Oh dear, I don't think I even have a book for no.1 in my library! The Finnish one should be interesting though.

I'll find the book first, then add the people to my friend list. =) Ta-daa!

Hahaha maybe I should reword that challenge Kahlan!

Holey Moley. just read the thread and you guys are evil..... and I like it lol!

I'll have to get back to you with suggestions, but so far I like the rating challenge!

Get three of the other sado-masochists here to choose a book that they think you'll HATE but that they think you should read. Choose one of the books and read it.
(For this challenge, just announce that you want three nominations and the first 3 to come in will be the books you have to choose from.)

Oh my goodness....
This is so hard!

The stuff you guys posted here are pure evil! How long do we have to finish it?

and when do we start?

There isn't a time frame at the moment I don't think; we'll see how it goes :)

Ok how do I find mine 12/08/85

It's going to take me more than a year to finish this lol

And I can't find mine either my birthday is 12 april 1976. Would one of you who know how to google this look it up for me? I seem to do something worng because I don't get anything. Thanks!

Ok, lets see if I have an evil gene in me or not

* Read a book published in the year that your father was born
* Read a book with the originals authors signature in the front

Umm, don't know when we start either... Lu said 10 days for nominations, so maybe the 20th? But will have to check with her.

Niecole: I searched using www.goodreads.com "120,885 ratings" and I got Les Misérables (obviously you can read the English translation)
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com...

Then, searching using www.goodreads.com "81,285 ratings"
The Handmaid's Tale http://webcache.googleusercontent.com...
Tuesdays with Morrie http://webcache.googleusercontent.com...
Mockingjay http://webcache.googleusercontent.com...

Ok, so the second one is for Barbara?
Have you read Handmaids Tale Barbara? You should, its amazing!

Thanks Lauren :)

Lol, no, they're all for you. The second search just uses your birthday in this format: 08/12/85

Niecole wrote: "* Read a book with the originals authors signature in the front"
Does that mean a signed copy or a book where the author's signature is featured on the cover?

Oh :)
Sorry, I had a little moment there :)
I wont mind reading Handmaids Tale again...

Maybe I should stop reading Mockingjay now and start when the challenge starts :)

Hahaha, yeah maybe. But you might also like Les Misérables - it came up on a list of best historical fiction. On the other hand it's almost 1500 pages long...

Just like me challenge - read a book with a main character that has at least 5 things in common with you.

Eg. I could read a book about a 25-year old curly-haired copywriter from South Africa who loves dogs.