The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

30.10 Butterflycager's Task - Honoring the Flag and My Dad

My dad's birthday was June 14th. This is also Flag Day in the United States, commemorating the adoption of the national flag. When I was very young, I thought that the flags displayed all over town were in honor of Dad, and I often think of him whenever I see a flag waving in the breeze.

For this task, you will choose two different options from the list below, and read one book for each. When posting, please state which options you chose, and if you choose a cover option, make sure to post a link to the cover. Enjoy!

1. Read a book with "flag" in the title OR with a flag on the cover (need not be an American flag, any flag will do). If using the title option, possessives and plurals are fine, but no other variations.
This list Flags may help

2. The first official United States flag had 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent the original 13 colonies. Read a book with "thirteen" or "13" in the title/subtitle (thirteenth/13th okay, no other variations) OR identified on Goodreads as the 13th book in a series.

3. My dad had many interests, and one of his greatest passions was trains. Read a book with "train", "rail", "railroad", or "railway" in the title/subtitle OR with a train or train tracks on the cover. For the title, possessives and plurals are fine, but no other variations.

4. Dad worked for many years as a college administrator, and he loved being on campus - going to concerts, attending special lectures, and occasionally auditing a class. Read a novel that has a school or college as its primary setting. If setting isn't obvious from the Goodreads description, please clarify this when you post.
These lists may help Boarding School Stories, Campus Days

5. One of Dad's favorite literary genres was alternate history, and it so happens that one of his favorite authors, Harry Turtledove, was also born on June 14th. Read any book by Harry Turtledove OR any book that has alternate history on the genre list on its main GR page.

Required: Please identify the options when you post

Reserved

Reserved

This thread is open!

ohhh I like this task - I really need to be editing something for work, but finding books is so much more entertaining

ETA - for number 5...if one has never read Harry Turtledove before - do you (or your dad) have any recommendations on where to begin?

Nice task. How about for the picture of a flag option?

I just want to recommend Ruled Britannia for 5--Harry Turtledove. I read it a few years ago (before I started keeping track of grown-up books I was reading, too), and it was absolutely amazing. Yay AU!

Would this work for a train on the cover? You'll probably have to blow this up since it's pretty small below.

Cool task! I just saw this book yesterday and added it to my TBR list - before I saw this task. Perfect!


My husband read Harry Turtledove's

and really liked it. I may give it a try.

I just found this in Listopia
Best Alternative History Novels and Stories.
The list includes the "Leviathan" series by Scott Westerfield - which is a steampunk version of World War I

and the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik - which is the Napoleonic wars if both sides had fighting dragons.
I have numbers 3 and 4 of these series respectively on my TBR list. Would they be acceptable?

Chris wrote: "I just found this in Listopia
Best Alternative History Novels and Stories.
The list includes the "Leviathan" series by Scott Westerfield - which is a steampunk version of World War I

[bookcover:Le..."

As long as a book has alternate history (it's usually expressed as Science Fiction > Alternate History) on the genre listing on its main Goodreads page, I'll accept it. And the Temeraire books do, so either one would work for this task. Good series - I've read #1 and #2 and I might read #3 for this task.

And thanks for posting the Listopia list - that should give people some more good ideas.

Sheila wrote: "Nice task. How about for the picture of a flag option?"

Looks good to me!

Jessica wrote: "Would this work for a train on the cover? You'll probably have to blow this up since it's pretty small below.

"

Those look like train cars to me, so I'll take it. Interesting book - I added it to my TBR.

Thanks Butterflycager.

Dee wrote: "ohhh I like this task - I really need to be editing something for work, but finding books is so much more entertaining

ETA - for number 5...if one has never read Harry Turtledove before - do you (..."

Dad liked the Great War series (starts with The Great War: American Front), which is WWI re-imagined as though the United States and the Confederate States of America fought on different sides. He also liked the American Empire series (starts with Blood & Iron), which is a sequel series to Great War. If you're interested in the Civil War, you might try Guns of the South (think Robert E. Lee plus an AK-47).

The series that I like is the YA Crosstime Traffic one (starts with Gunpowder Empire), which deals with time travel to various alternate histories. It is much lighter than Turtledove's other work.

Ms Anderson wrote: "I just want to recommend Ruled Britannia for 5--Harry Turtledove. I read it a few years ago (before I started keeping track of grown-up books I was reading, too), and it was absolutely amazing. Yay..."

I never heard of that one before - sounds great!

does this work for a flag in the background -

Dee wrote: "does this work for a flag in the background - "

It looks like the stripes of a rather worn U.S. flag to me - I'll accept it.

thanks ;) I grabbed the audiobook to listen to the other day and just realized what it was in the background

Will this cover work for the flag option?

Amanda wrote: "Will this cover work for the flag option?"

Yes, I'll accept it.

Butterflycager wrote: "Amanda wrote: "Will this cover work for the flag option?"

Yes, I'll accept it."

Thanks!

Ms Anderson wrote: "I just want to recommend Ruled Britannia for 5--Harry Turtledove. I read it a few years ago (before I started keeping track of grown-up books I was reading, too), and it was absolutely amazing. Yay..."

Ms A, I second that. It was my first Turtledove and I loved it.

Hi :) I just want to make sure that this book will work for option 5, alternate history.

Mariya wrote: "Hi :) I just want to make sure that this book will work for option 5, alternate history. "

Yes, that will work fine. Sounds like an interesting book!

for option 4: either of these work (set in schools, technically)
Of Giants and Ice
or
The Loners

thanks - i'm trying to fit the books i already planned on reading, but it is a struggle!

Sarah wrote: "for option 4: either of these work (set in schools, technically)
Of Giants and Ice
or
The Loners

thanks - i'm trying to fit the books i already planned on reading, but it is a struggle!"

Looks like both are set in schools, so you can pick one of them to read for option 4.

will Spell Bound work for option 4? Hex Hall(1) is on the list but Spellbound(3) is to new for that list.

Robin wrote: "will Spell Bound work for option 4? Hex Hall(1) is on the list but Spellbound(3) is to new for that list."

Robin, Spell Bound will work fine for #4 since it's set in a school. The lists are just to give some suggestions - you don't necessarily have to read something that's on the list.

Thanks....my library just got the copy in and processed and I'm #1 on the waiting list!! :)

for #4 would Laugh with the Moon - she ends up teaching at a school in Malawi after her dad takes her there - it isn't a traditional school, so I wanted to check

Dee wrote: "for #4 would Laugh with the Moon - she ends up teaching at a school in Malawi after her dad takes her there - it isn't a traditional school, so I wanted to check"

I'll accept it for #4. Sounds like a good book.

Could I use Fables of the Flag by Ethan Coffee for option #1? It is an e-book, but the picture of the "cover" shown has an American flag on the front. Thanks!

Would this work for option 1: ?

Rebecca wrote: "Would this work for option 1: ?"

Flag worn as scarf - sure, why not. I'll take it.

Rebecca MA wrote: "Could I use Fables of the Flag by Ethan Coffee for option #1? It is an e-book, but the picture of the "cover" shown has an American flag on the front. Thanks!"

Yes, that will be fine.

Butterflycager wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Would this work for option 1: ?"

Flag worn as scarf - sure, why not. I'll take it."

One more thing - make sure that when you post this task, the cover that you link to is the one with the flag worn as scarf - I just noticed that the cover that appears in my reply is not the correct one.

Butterflycager wrote: "Flag worn as scarf - sure, why not. I'll take it."

Thanks! This is the first cover that came to mind - I just couldn't remember the title. I'll be sure to post the correct cover.

is there enough of the flag on this cover for option 1?

Thanks

Bluemoon wrote: " is there enough of the flag on this cover for option 1?

Thanks"

There's enough that you can tell it's an American flag, so I'll take it.

Butterflycager wrote: "Bluemoon wrote: " is there enough of the flag on this cover for option 1?

Thanks"

There's enough that you can tell it's an American flag, so I'll take it."



Thanks!!

Great thank you!

Will work for the flag option?

Jennifer W wrote: "Will [bookcover:Vietnamerica: A Family's Leavetakings and Homecomings] work for the flag option?"

That's a very interesting representation of a flag. I'll take it.

Thanks! It looks to be a good book!