The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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FALL CHALLENGE 2011: AFRICA
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Fall Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC!

30.8 Head of the Class Book A Option D The Four FeathersFinished 11/18
30.8 Book B Kiss Of Death Claire is a college student and spends a lot of time in class/ doing her school work/ and her research, when she's not getting into trouble with the vampires of course! Finished 11/14
10.8 Readers also Enjoyed Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide Finished 11/3Recommendation based on Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time
Points to date: 465
Big Books 500+: 5
Big Books 750+: 1
Big Books 1000+: 0
Good Read Authors: 10

Seasonal total: 810

25.8 - Mrs. soule's task: Genre Studies
I chose 'fantasy' as my favourite genre (I actually have quite a few) and read The Princess Bride ('books that never were') and Interesting Times (humorous fantasy) (both * * *) - both approved in task help thread
Points in this post: 25
Total points: 960
Goodreads authors: 19
Big Book tickets: 500+ (2), 750+ (2) = 4
Books read: 76/86


Book A – Fall Days
Read a book with a cover that is predominantly fall day colors – red, orange, or yellow.

Book B – Fall Nights
Read a book that has one of the following words associated with a fall night in the title or subtitle, but not the series title - night, moon, star, dark, cool, clear, sleep.
The Great Night by Chris Adrian
This Post: 25
Total Points: 725
Tasks Completed: 44/61
Books Read: 66/87

Task 25.2 - It's As Easy As 1, 2, 3!
I decided to read 1 book over 600 pages in length and read:
Habibi by Craig Thompson
This book had 672 pages and qualifies as a Big Book
Points this task: 25
Total points: 785
Tasks completed: 37
Books read: 55
Pages read: 14736
Goodreads authors: 13
Big books: 500+ (1); 750+ (0); 1000+ (0)

10.6 - Big Game Hunter
Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes
**I would like to claim a 500pg Big Book Ticket for Last Chance Saloon.
10.1 - In Their Own Words
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
Points this post: 20
Total points: 20
Tasks Completed: 2
Books read: 2
Goodreads authors: 0
Big books: 500+ (1); 750+ (0); 1000+ (0)

The Handmaid's Tale 11/7/11
by Goodreads Author Margaret Atwood
15.4 :It’s Not Too Late, but Don’t Wait Any Longer!
A. Summer 2011: Second Sight 10/22/11
20.1 Most Improved Player - Ashley FL's task: Birthday Time!
2. Read a book that has the number of your birth day (numeric or ordinal) is in the title
My birthday is July 2
B. Don’t procrastinate – Purchased 8/23/11
Uglies 11/18/11
15.8. Stormy Weather
Magic in the Wind (Drake Sisters, #1) 11/18/11
20.7 Shorter is Sweeter - Bea's task: Refreshingly Short
GR friend: Sandra
Devil to Pay 11/11/11
by Goodreads author Jeaniene Frost
25.1 - Rosemary's task: Happiness Is...A Big Library
A. Library book: borrowed from the Free Library of Philadelphia
Dangerous Games 9/3/11
by Goodreads author Keri Arthur
B. ALEXANDRIA (L, A, E, R)
Black Heart Loa 11/6/11
by Goodreads author Adrian Phoenix
25.3 Beth NC'S task: Game Night
E. Mrs. Peacock: Morrigan's Cross 9/10/11
2. Knife in the Dining Room: Master of Shadows 10/31/11
************************************************
Points this post: 110
Total Points: 485
Tasks Completed: 27 (6 in this post)
Books Read: 38 (9 in this post)
GoodReads Authors: 19 (4 in this post)
Big Books: 500+ (2), 750+ (0), 1000+ (0)

B. Science-
Aftermath 10/23/11
by Goodreads author Ann Aguirre
Book B- Main character is a student & it takes place at an academy...also qualifies for the "or" category with the word "academy" in the title.
Vampire Academy 11/17/11
by Goodreads author Richelle Mead
30.9 - Kate S's task: Bookfest!
Cassandra Clare
Susan Cooper
City of Bones 11/2/11
by Goodreads author Cassandra Clare
Greenwitch 9/30/11
by Goodreads author Susan Cooper
50.1 Butterflycager's Task - Let's Build A Haunted House!
C. Creepy Cobwebs in the Living Room: Web of Lies 11/16/11
by Goodreads author Jennifer Estep
Categories 1, 3 (well...almost, 9 published works now, one coming out on 11/29/11, 4 more coming out in 2012~all listed on Goodreads, not including short stories), 5 (Elemental Assassin), 6
E. The Monster in the Closet: Drink of Me 10/28/11
by Goodreads author Jacquelyn Frank
Categories 1, 3 (13 works, not including short stories ), 6
3.any animal or human grotesquely deviating from the normal shape, behavior, or character (vampires work)
G. Cemetery in the Backyard: An Ice Cold Grave
Categories 3 (about 30 published works, not including short stories), 5 (Harper Connelly)
************************************************
Points this post: 110
Total Points: 595
Tasks Completed: 30 (3 in this post)
Books Read: 45 (7 in this post)
GoodReads Authors: 25 (6 in this post)
Big Books: 500+ (2), 750+ (0), 1000+ (0)

String Too Short to Be Saved (* * * * - a lovely book) (from my own tbr list, added in Mar 2007)
Points in this post: 20
Total points: 980
Goodreads authors: 19
Big Book tickets: 500+ (2), 750+ (2) = 4
Books read: 77/86


25.5 Virtual Safari
African Elephant - 480 pages Lethalby Sandra Brown
SANDRA BROWN IS A GOODREADS AUTHOR
Zebra - black and white cover
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
This task: 25
Tasks completed: 22
Total points: 475
GR authors: 18
Big book: 1/500+, 1/750+
5.4 54 Read Runaway by Meg Cabot Paperback, 352 pages
5.7 African Safari read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
by Alexander McCall Smith (goodreads author) off of the first list Africa
10.4 Moniker Math read The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares 9 letter last name
30.2 Option 1 and J - I would write and YA urban fantasy read Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (goodreads author) part of a series
and
Option 2 and A My favorite book series is Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. read The Iron Daughter by Maggie Stiefvater (goodreads author) both books are about faeries.
Points this Post: 50
Total points- 995
Tasks Completed: 53
Books read: 74
Pages Read : 23,130
GR Authors: 31
Big Books: 500+(4), 750+(0), 1000+(0)
5.7 African Safari read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
by Alexander McCall Smith (goodreads author) off of the first list Africa
10.4 Moniker Math read The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares 9 letter last name
30.2 Option 1 and J - I would write and YA urban fantasy read Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (goodreads author) part of a series
and
Option 2 and A My favorite book series is Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. read The Iron Daughter by Maggie Stiefvater (goodreads author) both books are about faeries.
Points this Post: 50
Total points- 995
Tasks Completed: 53
Books read: 74
Pages Read : 23,130
GR Authors: 31
Big Books: 500+(4), 750+(0), 1000+(0)


I read: Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium by Bart D. Ehrman
20.5 Falling Option B: I tripped over my own feet
Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography by John Dominic Crossan several pairs of feet are visible when looking closely. You can see the feet of Jesus and of the small boy in front of him.
Points this post: 30
Total points: 110

Let your imagination run wild and read a book of your choice.
Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin
This Post: 15
Total Points: 740
Tasks Completed: 45/61
Books Read: 67/87

Charms for the Easy LifeKaye Gibbons
Points: 20
Total Pts: 75
Total Tasks: 5
Books: 5
Goodreads Author: 1
Big books: 2

I read Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses by Claire Dederer. The word of the day was 'yoga' on 6/4/11.
20.5 Falling
D. Most recently published book in a series - I read Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs. It is #14 in her Temperance Brennan series.
20.6 Oh, the Horror!
B. The Wolfman Larry Talbot - I read Virals by Kathy Reichs. This book features a group of teenagers who are infected with wolf DNA. A pack of wolfs and "wolfdogs" also are involved in key parts of the plot.
Points This Post: 60
Total Points: 215
Goodreads Authors: 1
Big Books: 500+(5), 750+(0), 1000+(0)

Completed Task 30.1
Book A - A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time in the Caribbean

Book B - Love the One You're With

30 points this post
160 total points

Book #1: Read a book by one of the Crime Writers Association’s “Diamond Dagger” Winners
Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis
Lindsey Davis won the Diamond Dagger in 2011.
Book #2: Take this opportunity to read a book, fiction or nonfiction, which takes place somewhere in Africa, Brazil or India.
Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India: A Portrait of Modern India by William Dalrymple
This Post: 25
Total Points: 740
Tasks Completed: 45/61
Books Read: 67/87

5.8 - S.O.N.
If She Only Knew by Lisa Jackson
15.10. Roaming Wild
Southern Fatality by T. Lynn Ocean
20.9 Lucky Me! - Jayme VA's task: Vegas Vacation
Rolled a 2 - Circus circus!
Pawing Through the Past by Rita Mae Brown
Points this post: 40
Total Points: 335
Goodreads Authors: 11
Big Book Tickets:

25.7 Bluemoon's task: Hockey Night Party!
A. Buffalo Sabres History - book 1, option 3 - read a book you didn't get to in the last challenge - I read Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.
B. Party Food! - book 2, option 2 - read a book with a beverage in the title. I love scotch and water so I read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
Points for this post: 25
Total points for chanllenge: 715



25.5 - Valorie's task: SRC's Virtual Safari
Read two books:
3. Crocodile: Read a book that has the word 'crocodile' in the title/subtitle:
In the Sea There Are Crocodiles (2010) by Fabio Geda Howard Curtis (translator) (Hardcover, 215 pages)
2. African Elephant: Read a big book (400 or more pages).
Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories (2011) edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 422 pages)
***Goodreads Author*** Gavin J. Grant
445 + 25 = 470

Tasks Completed: 22
Points for this task: 25
Points thus far: 445 + 25 = 470
Books read: 33
Pages Read: 10,788
Read but not claimed: 6
Goodreads Authors: 9
Big Books:
(0) 500+
(0) 750 +
(1) 1000 +

a-Fall Days. I read

b-Fall Nights. I read

Points this post:25
Total points: 365
Tasks completed:22
Books read: 30
Goodreads Authors: 15
Big Books: 500=1, 750=0, 1000=0

30.8: JennRenee's Task: Head of the Class:
1. History: Fiona Buckley - Queen of Ambition
2. (teacher): Robert K. Tanenbaum - The Piano Teacher
Points this Task: 30.
Total Points: 915.



10.1 In Their Own Words
The Kindly Ones (Neil Gaiman was interviewed by Goodreads Voice)
Points this post: 10
Total points: 155
Tasks completed: 9
Books read: 11

15.7 Beginnings and Endings -

15.10 Roaming Wild - Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
30.2 Unique Fall Holidays
Book 1 - (option 2 and A)

Book 2 - (option 1 and C)

30.6 I'd Like to See Your ID, Please
Option C (Eye color blue)

Option E (Height 5'9)

30.8 Head of the Class -
Book A (Option C - History) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Book B The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Points this post: 120
Total Points 120

King Richard III (* * *) (approval obtained for page length requirement)
Points in this post: 15
Total points: 995
Goodreads authors: 19
Big Book tickets: 500+ (2), 750+ (2) = 4
Books read: 78/86


This book has "ber" in the title.
An Affair to Remember: The Remarkable Love Story of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy by Christopher Andersen.
Points this post: 15
Total points: 775
Tasks: 40
Books: 56
Goodreads authors: 15
Big books: 500=2, 750=0, 1000=0

Task 30.4 - Trusty Shellback
For Book 1, I read:
Bury My Heart at Fun-Fun Mountain: A FoxTrot Collection by Bill Amend
For Book 2, I read: Aquamarine by Alice Hoffman
Points this task: 30
Total points: 815
Tasks completed: 38
Books read: 57
Pages read: 14976
Goodreads authors: 13
Big books: 500+ (1); 750+ (0); 1000+ (0)

Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas, a Goodreads author.
341 pages
----
15.3 - Dead or alive
I got one of each.
1 - Delicious by Sherry Thomas, a Goodreads author.
She's living.
2 - The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
He died the same day as JFK on 11/22/1963.
----
15.10 Roaming Wild
The One-Armed Cook by Cynthia Stevens Graubart
264 pages - http://www.amazon.com/One-Armed-Cook-...
----
Points Claiming: 35
Total Points: 205

25.5 Virtual Safari....
Option 1. Lion on the cover.
The Wilderness Family: At Home with Africa's Wildlife byKobie Krüger
5 stars

and
Option 6. zebra - black and white cover
Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
5 stars

+25
total: 230
tasks: 13
books: 17
GR authors: 3

10.7- Hot off the Presses
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney
30.6- May I see your ID please
Option A- The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff My initials are M.R.
Option D-

Points this post: 40pts
Total Points: 90pts

10.1: In Their Own Words:
Charlaine Harris - Dead to the World
Points this post: 10.
Total Poinst: 925.


Visit Daily Buzzword*, choose any word which has been featured as a Daily Buzzword, and read a book with that word in the title, subtitle, or series name.
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
(My word was, obviously, "kindred," from 4/9/2011.)
This Post: 25
Total Points: 760
Tasks Completed: 46/61
Books Read: 68/87
10.9 - Words of Wisdom
My fortune was "You will succeed in whatever you adopt," so I read Will You Take Me As I Am: Joni Mitchell's Blue Period.
15.3. Dead or alive
I rolled 1 head and 1 tail.
I read Sixkill by Robert B. Parker who died January 18, 2010.
I also read Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith who is alive.
25.5 - Valorie's task: SRC's Virtual Safari
First I saw a crocodile - When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa
Second, I saw a flamingo -
Total points: 895
My fortune was "You will succeed in whatever you adopt," so I read Will You Take Me As I Am: Joni Mitchell's Blue Period.
15.3. Dead or alive
I rolled 1 head and 1 tail.
I read Sixkill by Robert B. Parker who died January 18, 2010.
I also read Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith who is alive.
25.5 - Valorie's task: SRC's Virtual Safari
First I saw a crocodile - When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa
Second, I saw a flamingo -

Total points: 895

Meghanly
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
I also posted on the group read thread.
Points this post: 20
Total points: 20
Tasks completed: 1

Task 10.9 words of wisdom
"You have a wise spirit & faith in human nature"
Leap of Faith by Danielle Steel
Task 50.1 Let's build a haunted house
Book1: Option H1
Phantom Evil by Heather Graham
house is haunted, and the team is living there
***Heather Graham is a GR author
Book 2: Option G1
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
"Grave"
*****Darynda Jones is a GR author
Book 3: Option A6

there is a door on the cover
TOTAL: 720

A. The Creaky Front Door - Can you Keep a Secret?

B. Spooky Laughter in the Hallway - Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong by Jen Yates. (Category 2: never read before)
D. Secret Passageway Behind the Library - Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris. (Category 6: book title is made up of 3 words)
Points this post: 50
Total points: 365
Tasks completed: 14
Books read: 23
Number of pages: 724/7566
Goodreads Authors to date: 3
Big Books: 500=3, 750=0, 1000=0

25.7 - Hockey Party Night
A. Book I Didn't Get to in the Last Challenge: Tales of the City (Old Task 10.6 Gay Pride)
B. Party Food - Mr. Peanut* - I would bring peanut butter cookies.
* Adam Ross is a Goodreads author
Task Total 25
Grand Total 340

5.8 "son"
Children, Language, and Literacy: Diverse Learners in Diverse Times (Language & Literacy Series) (Language and Literacy Series by Celia Genishi and Anne DySON
10.2 Negative Prefix
Unwind by Neal Shusterman - **Goodreads Author**
10.4 Letters in GR Name
My name has 4 letters so I read The Athena Project by Brad Thor *** Goodreads Author***
15.1 Hurricane Season
I read Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers - his name was retired in 2007 and the book was published in 2007.
15.4 Not Too Late/Don't Wait Any Longer
A. I read

B. I read

New Total: 165

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard
20.2 Word of the Day
10/30/10 the word was "genius"
Simple Genius by David Baldacci
***This is a Big Book at 544 pages***
20.9 Vegas Vacation
I rolled a 1, so I visited the Luxor and stepped back in time
The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
50.1 Let's Build a Haunted House
A. The Creaky Front Door
4. Book has over 500 pages
One Door Away from Heaven by Dean Koontz
***This is a Big Book at 720 pages
F. Mad Scientist-character in a geneticist
3. Author has 30 published works
6. Book has one word title
Next by Michael Crichton
H. Putting it all together-takes place in a haunted theater
6. Book has one word in title
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
Post Total: 105
Season Total: 760/1100
Tasks Completed: 48/61

25.1 - Rosemary's task: Happiness Is...A Big Library
Book A: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
This book was borrowed from a workplace library.
Book B: The Ruins by Scott B. Smith
with letters E, R, I, N
509 pages claiming Big Book Ticket
Points this post: 25
Total Points: 200
Total Goodreads Authors: 5
Big Books: 500=1

Task 10.3 Headless Horseman!...read a book whose cover features an image of a headless torso:
I read

My Goal Points for this Season: 550
Points earned for this task: 10
Points Achieved to date: 425
Updated last on: 11.20.11
Total # of books read: 33
Total # of pages read: 11,403
Total # of tasks completed: 22
Total # of Goodreads Authors: 11
Total # of Big Books:
500+ (3)
700+ (1)
1000+ (0)

A. The Creaky Front Door - I read a book 84 Charing Cross. This satisfies category 2, as I have never read her before.
D. Secret Passageway Behind the Library - I read Who we are edited by Derek Rubin. This is a collection of essays by Jewish writers on being -- or not being -- Jewish writers. This satisfies 6, as the title "Who we are" is 3 words.
H. Put It All Together - read a book that takes place mostly in a haunted place: house, castle, town, etc. I listened to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This book is 734 pages, so it satisfies 4.
title or subtitle. Series titles are excluded.
Best of luck, and enjoy your visit to the haunted house!



Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is *******a big book ***********
Points: 290
books read: 24
tasks completed: 15
Gr authors: 6
Big Boos: 1 (500) 2 (750)+
pages read: 8777

5.10 Women and Cats, Men and Dogs
The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse by Leann Sweeney
**Leann Sweeney is a Goodreads Author**
10.6 Big Game Hunter
Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews
447 Pages
**Ilona Andrews is a Goodreads Author**
30.4 Trusty Shellback
Book 1 - Not Quite A Lady by Loretta Chase - LC - SHELLBACK
Book 2 - The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig
**Lauren Willig is a Goodreads Author**
30.9 Bookfest!
The Black Tower by Louis Bayard
Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky
Sara Paretsky is a Goodreads Author**
Points this Post: 75
Total Challenge Points: 725
Goodreads Authors: 36
Big Books: 500+(1),750+(1),1000+(0)

Flipped 2 heads.
Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich
Enigma by Robert Harris
Janet Evanovich is a Goodreads Author
20.2 Word of the Day
Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris
Daily Buzzword 01/21/11 was miracle.
This Post: 35
Total Points: 195
Tasks Completed: 11
Books Read: 16
Goodreads Authors: 4 (Laurie Halse Anderson, Stephen Booth, Michael Connelly, Janet Evanovich)
Big Books: 500+ (1), 750+ (0), 1000+ (0)

A. For this option, read a book with the word "Go" in the title OR read a non-fiction travel book.
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller
C. For this option, read a book with the words "Life" or "Eighteen" in the title OR read a book with exactly eighteen letters in the title OR read a book originally published in the 1800s.
Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons In Life, Love, And Language by Deborah Fallows
This Post: 25
Total Points: 785
Tasks Completed: 47/61
Books Read: 69/87

50.1 Butterflycager's Task - Let's Build A Haunted House!
B. Spooky Laughter in the Hallway
How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!! - Neil Zawacki, who (2) I have never read before.
D. Secret Passageway Behind the Library
Twelve Gothic Tales editor Richard Dalby, who (2) I have never read before.
F. Mad Scientist's Laboratory in the Basement
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson, who is (1) a Good Reads author.
Points this post: 50
Total points: 445.

Task 15.10 - Roaming Wild
I read:
Jack of Fables: The Big Book of War by Bill Willingham
Points this task: 15
Total points: 830
Tasks completed: 39
Books read: 58
Pages read: 15104
Goodreads authors: 13
Big books: 500+ (1); 750+ (0); 1000+ (0)
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25.5 Virtual Safari
I saw an elephant...Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes at 496pp.
I also saw a zebra...
Task Points: 25
Total points: 145
Goodreads authors: 1
Big Book tickets: 500+ (2)