SA Book & Challenge Lovers discussion

As the name implies this is a Challenge made up of everyone's input and ideas.

How it works:

Each person can choose 2 tasks they want to add. But you can only list your 2 until Wednesday Night (8th June) or until we reach 30 tasks. I will then put everything together and tada we have a new challenge :)

Then on the 9th everyone can nominate another 2, if we haven't reached the allotted 30 tasks.

Still a little confused?

Just have a look at the type of things others nominate and you can jump right in or look at our previous Patchwork challenge.

This challenge will last one year and start on the 20th-30th June or 1st July (depends on what everyone wants, with you nominations please say what you prefer).

Oh and please try and make it do-able. Not something like "read 50 books starting with the letter S".

Rules:

* Tasks should only require you to read 1 book!!
* Also we shouldn't be forced to read any specific title, author, or genre

Have fun Nominating!!!

Tasks so far:

1. Read a book that has a word in the title that denotes a certain time, such as Today, Tommorrow, Yesterday, Monday - Sunday, Now, Future, Past etc.

2. Read a book where the first two letters of the title are the same (A, The etc. counts). Example: World Without End, Assassins Apprentice, The Time Machine

3. Read a book where a person on the cover is holding some sort of weapon in hand (sword, gun etc.). Please note "holding" not on your back or something.

4. Read a book with a word in the title that refers to one of the 5 senses (Taste, smell, see, touch, hear). Example: Heard, aroma, felt, loud etc.

5. Read a book with food in the title.

6. Read a book that is told by a non mythical animal or is about a non mythical animal.

7. Read a book with a shocking title.

8. Read an indie publication.

9. Read a book of short stories.

10. Theme : Seasons. Read a book that either depicts a season on the cover or where the season is an important element of the story.

11. Read a book that has water on the cover (Ocean, river, bucket of water, etc.)

12. Read a book with a one word title

13. Read a book where siblings are the main characters.

14. Read a book with a topless girl on cover. (yip you read right)

15. Start a new series. Ie. read the first book of a series you haven't read before.

16. Read a book where a virus is an important part of the plot. It can be a computer virus, or a disease. Real or fictional.

17. Read a book that has a word in the title that can have two meanings eg. tail and tale (the word can be spelt the same of differently)

18. Read a book that's title mentions something deadly. (This includes words like murder etc. as well as weapons or monsters that could kill you)

19.. Read a book that has something to do with your zodiac sign (either something in the story or on the cover or in the title or author's name).

20. Read a book set in at least two different times. (either through flashbacks or time travel or two story lines mixing. Both times have to be significantly present so no 2 pages of the book set in a different time if the book has 500 pages)

21. Read an autobiography/biography or memoir.

22. Read a book set in an alternate world.

23. Read a book written by a man

24. Read a book that is colourful (min 3-4 different colours)
To clear up 25 and 26:

25. Look at the 5 books that have been on your TBR list/pile/shelf the longest, then of those 5 books, read the one with the most number of pages" - you should decide which book this is on the 20th June, when the challenge starts, but you don't have to start reading it on the 20th of June, you can read it at any time during the challenge period.

26. Read a book with the name of a City or Country in the title. (Example: London, Russia). Only real cities and countries count.

27. Read a book with a title that can be split into 2 words (eg., starcrossed star+crossed)

28. I see dead people. Read a book about ghosts, hauntings, etc.

29. Explore a topic you find interesting by reading a non-fiction novel on the topic.

30. Read the book that has been on your to-read list for the longest time. If you have a physical pile of TBR books read the one at the bottom of the stack.

I nominate:


1. Read a book that has a word in the title that denotes a certain time, such as Today, Tommorrow, Yesterday, Monday - Sunday, Now, Future, Past etc.

2. Read a book where the first two letters of the title are the same (A, The etc. counts). Example: World Without End, Assassins Apprentice, The Time Machine

I nominate:

3. Read a book where a person on the cover is holding some sort of weapon in hand (sword, gun etc.). Please note "holding" not on your back or something.

4. Read a book with a word in the title that refers to one of the 5 senses (Taste, smell, see, touch, hear). Example: Heard, aroma, felt, loud etc.

I nominate:
5. Read a book with food in the title.

6. Read a book that is told by a non magical animal or is about a non magical animal.

I would prefer to start on the first of a month but that is just to keep things easy and straight in my head.

My nominations:

7. Read a book with a shocking title.

8. Read an indie publication.

I agree with Barbara - start on the 1st.

what's an indie publication?

Barbara wrote: "I nominate:
5. Read a book with food in the title."

I was thinking of something similar - a title with something you like to eat :)

Great minds think alike!

There I was thinking this one would be easy. *stares at Barbara*

9. Read a book of short stories.
10. Theme : Seasons. Read a book that either depicts a season on the cover or where the season is an important element of the story.

Hey, that's what I thought too! :D

I prefer to start right away. Like today! June 1st. =)

What did I do?

The animal one is a bit hard (well, I think so anyway).

The non-magical animal. You gave me horrible flashbacks to 8th grade and our prescribed book Black Beauty.

Barbara wrote: "what's an indie publication?"

A book that hasn't been published in the traditional way, ie. by a major publisher. Indie as in independant. A website like Smashwords is a good source. Also, you can search using an indie tag on Goodreads.

There are lots of nice books that are told by animals or are about animals. What about Richard Adams. He has not only written Watership Down but also Shardik and The Plague dogs and there are lots of other books out there about library cats and cats that take the bus and what about all those old fables and stuff. Come on that one is easy :)

Cats taking the bus - super cute!

Maybe it just seems hard because most of us haven't read an animal-narrated book in a while? I know it's been a while for me, although I used to read loads when I was a kid.

Kahlan wrote: "I prefer to start right away. Like today! June 1st. =)"

Lol

I'm also in for the 1st :) (Although around the 10th we will all be saying I wish it could start!!)

That is a real story by the way. There was a cat named Casper in England that used to take the bus every day. he even had his own seat and everything. No kidding. They wrote a book about him.

There are rally a lot of good books about animals out there and with non magical I mean that they can't be dragons or a pegasus or that sort of thing.

BTW I think my indie question got lost in the discussion so could anyone please tell me what an indie publication is?

I answered the indie question at 15.

Can't believe that cat story! It's just infinitely adorable.

My bad, sorry, thanks for the explanation.

You should google him. It is a sad story though because he took that bus for years and then he died in a traffic accident. Very sad, but true. I really want to read that book so that is why I thought of the task.

I have no problem with it :)

Lauren wrote: "Barbara wrote: "I nominate:
5. Read a book with food in the title."

I was thinking of something similar - a title with something you like to eat :)"

We are all on the same wave length I also wanted to work food in somewhere. But being a chef studying nutrition I thought it might be a bit obvious coming from me so thanks :D

Lauren this question is probably going to sound dense but you said that an indie book could be a book published in an unusual way, would this include books that have been published specifically (and only) as eBooks?

Would butterflies qualify for the non-magical animal task?

Lauren this is so weird I have never heard of Smashwords before now then 2 seconds after reading about it I went searching around the web for a totally unrelated book that I haven’t been able to find anywhere. And there my book is in Smashword! So awesome you/I/google found it :D

Well butterflies aren't magical, surely insects count. What book is narrated by a butterfly? It sounds trippy!

Lauren wrote: "Lauren this question is probably going to sound dense but you said that an indie book could be a book published in an unusual way, would this include books that have been published specifically (an..."

I think most indie books tend to be published only as eBooks anyway. But it only counts if it's not a major publisher - only self-published books and books from an indie publisher count.

Lauren wrote: "Lauren this is so weird I have never heard of Smashwords before now then 2 seconds after reading about it I went searching around the web for a totally unrelated book that I haven’t been able to fi..."

Hehe, that's cool :) I bought a South African horror novel there the other day. Quality varies quite a bit, but I like to give indie writers a chance, and the books are very cheap.

Butterflies would definitely count for the non magical animal task.

Lauren wrote: "Well butterflies aren't magical, surely insects count. What book is narrated by a butterfly? It sounds trippy!"

Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain is about Eleanor Glanville and her scientific study of butterflies.
So glad it counts!

I've checked the book out and I would say it doesn't count, sorry :( It is not really about the butterflies but about Eleanor and she happens to study buterflies. It is more a histroical romance novel. If the story was told from the view of the butterflies it would count. It is the same as reading a book where the main character happens to have a dog. The point is to read a book about an animal or a book that is written from the viewpoint of an animal, not where animals are present.

Barbara wrote: "I've checked the book out and I would say it doesn't count, sorry :( It is not really about the butterflies but about Eleanor and she happens to study buterflies. It is more a histroical romance no..."

Barbara I have to agree with you. Sorry Shannon. Lu and I have been debating Charlotte's Web today. There is no mention of anything magical in the book, but the spider can write which is clearly not normal. What do you guys think?

Ok I'm really bad at nominations and you all talking about putting food into the challenge has made me really hungry!

11. Read a book that has water on the cover (Ocean, river, bucket of water, etc.)

12. Read a book with a one word title

Lauren wrote: "Lu and I have been debating Charlotte's Web today. There is no mention of anything magical in the book, but the spider can write which is clearly not normal. What do you guys think? "

The spider is smart rather than magical, if I remember correctly, so I think it should be ok. And anyway, isn't the story told from the pig's perspective?
but most animal narrators are by default smarter than animals are generally assumed to be, without magic being involved. I'm considering re-reading a book about a rat who learns to read by eating books. He's not magical, although how it happens is never explained.

What would you say is a shocking title?

A shocking title can be something:
- horrifying
- offensive
- subverts the norm in a way that is shocking rather than just funny or weird.
- taboos. Titles with swearwords (proper swearwords, not damn or bugger), strong sexual innuendo, genitalia.
- gross

In general, something that could make you gasp or make your eyes go wide.

Here's a list with some options: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/28...

Most of those are books you probably wouldn't want to read, so I will make a better list of titles in the suggestion thread.

What I meant with non magical is that it should be a real animal. I should have said non mythical. But I am so into dragons and magic right now (not in my reading but in other things I am doing) that I wrote non-magical. As soon as the animals start talking you could say there is some magic going on so let's change the word non magical to non mythical because that's what I meant anyway.
Charlotte's web is a good choice. That is the kind of book I meant.

Updated

There are some WEIRD books on that list Lauren :)

On the list is The Horse and His Boy, does that really count?

No - it subverts the norm, but not in a shocking way. It's just unusual, even cute.

:) oki doki, how about Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter

Umm, to me that's funny and weird, but not shocking, sorry :(

I thought so, no worries :)
I'm just trying out some of the titles that I have at home... but I'm afraid I'm not really into the weird hehe.
If you have any suggestions of something I might like, you are more than welcome to go ahead.

I put a few titles in the suggestion thread, and Lu added a few more if you want to check those out. Perhaps you can get an eBook?

Thanks! I'll check it out :)

Lauren wrote: "Barbara wrote: "I've checked the book out and I would say it doesn't count, sorry :( It is not really about the butterflies but about Eleanor and she happens to study buterflies. It is more a histr..."

I'll go with the decision, no problem :)

Might open nominations soon, keep a eye open! And get yours in if you haven't yet!!

K you guys can nominate 2 more!