Steph’s Comments (group member since May 18, 2010)

Steph’s comments from the A Grande Life Book Challenge group.

This challenge will start on September 20th and end on December 20th.

5 POINT TASKS

5.1 - "Whatever is popular deserves attention."
Using the following link (Popular Books) read a popular book that was published in a year ending in 5/6/7/8. http://www.goodreads.com/book/popular_by...

5.2 - Blockbuster Books
There are many highly anticipated films that will be hitting the theaters this year (i.e. Eclipse, Toy Story 3, The A-Team, Eat Pray Love and many others)...For this task read a book that relates to the film you are most looking forward to seeing this year (EXAMPLE: For Eat Pray Love you could read the book that is the basis for the film Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.) (You do not actually have to see the film to get credit for this task.)
List of movies coming out this year http://www.movieweb.com/releases/year/mo...

5.3 - "I Confess That In 1901 I Said To My Brother Orville That Man Would Not Fly For Fifty Years. "
On August 8, 1908 Wilbur Wright made his first flight at a racecourse at Le Mans, France. It was the Wright Brothers' first public flight. In honor of this important event in transportation history...Read a book (fiction or non-fiction) that has a mode of travel pictured on the cover..i.e. airplane, boat, train, car etc.

5.5 – RE-READ
This task is to reread a book that you love from the past. Make sure to let us know why you are re-reading this book!

5.8 Reading to your tot! Reading is not just for us. Read 5 of your child’s favorite books to them, and let us know what their favorite books are!

5.9 Reader’s Choice – Any book you want! Enjoy.


10 POINT TASKS

10.1 - Winter Weather
With the cold weather around the corner, read a book with a fall/winter weather in the title. (Example: Snow Falling On Cedars)

10.2 - Same Place, Same Time...Same Books
The Place - Goodreads. The Time - Whenever is convenient for you. For this task you will need to discover who is visiting Goodreads at the same time you are and what they are reading. Go to Online Now, and find someone on the first page and read a book that they are reading.

10.3 - “You Cannot Open A Book Without Learning Something.” - Confucius
School is back in session so it’s time to start learning! For this task you will need to select a subject that you would like to learn more about (it can be any subject from history to cars to photography). Then you will need to read...
A.A non-fiction book related to your subject (EXAMPLE: For photography you could read...Creative Night: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques)
OR
B.A fiction book were the main character does something related to your subject for a living (EXAMPLE: For photography you could read Chasing Cezanne: A Novel)

10.4 - Great Minds Think Alike
For this task we will find out if this saying is true when in comes to reading preferences. Go to the individual page for the last book you gave a 5 star rating to (i.e. if the last book you rated 5 stars was The Help by Kathryn Stockett you would go to this page The Help). Scroll down to the section for other reviews and click on the link for 5 stars...then click on the link to organize the list by date. Once you do that you will need to click on the first person. Visit that persons profile and select another book (one that you haven't read before) that they gave 5 stars to and that will be the book you need to read for this challenge task.

10.5- Mamma Mia! Read a book where the main character is a mom. Did you relate to her? Why/Why not?

10.6 Favorite Series
Read a book from your favorite series.

15 POINT TASKS

15.1 - "The Great Authors Were Great Readers, And One Way To Understand Them Is To Read The Books They Read." — Mortimer J. Adler
On this website (Top Ten Books) you will find a list of authors and their top 10 favorite books. For this task...Read a book written by one of these authors AND a book from their top 10 list.

15.2 - “He Who Knows Others Is Wise. He Who Knows Himself Is Enlightened.” - Lao Tzu
In life more often than not we come to see ourselves in certain roles (the cheerleader, the jock, the nerd etc.) or titles if you will...for this task you will need to read...
A. A book whose title in someway reflects who you think you are; that describes you in someway. (EXAMPLES: A Hopeless Romantic, Company Man)
AND
B.Explain if and how the main character (presumably whom the title refers to) does or does not remind you of yourself.
15.3 - At Least Once In A Lifetime
For this task read a book found on the following list: Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once. When posting this task explain why the book you read should or should not be on that list & what book you think should be at the top of the list.


15.4 - Friends and Friends of Friends
A.For the first part of this task read a book that is popular among the lists of your Goodreads friends that you have never read...to see a list of these books click on this link Popular Books
AND
B.For the second part of this task click on this link (Friends Of Friends) and select the first person on this list and read a 5 star book from their list.

15.5 - Beware The Seven Deadly Sins
Read a book with one of The Seven Deadly Sins in the title: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. When you post this task you also need to state if/how your book related to the sin that was in the title and why you think that particular sin is so deadly, or not deadly (your choice).
You may also use the word sin and deviations of the word sin.If you choose to go that route you would need to explain in your post what specific sins were represented in the book and why you think they are sinful.

Ex. The Grapes of Wrath, Greed, Lust and Gender: A History of Economic Ideas, Sloth: The Seven Deadly Sins, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss, Envy the Night, Gluttony: More is More, Cerulean Sins.

15.6 - Clean Sweep
A. Read a fiction book with a character that cleans or organizes in some capacity.
Or
B. Read a non-fiction book that helps you get a jump start on cleaning or organizing your home.

20 POINT TASKS

20.1 - Virtual Block Party
Choose 2:
A. Read a fiction book with a food or beverage in the title - the item could be the dish itself
Lemon Meringue Pie Murder or or an ingredient in your dish such as Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange: A Novel (for those margaritas!).
B. Read a novel with recipes (EXAMPLE:Like Water for Chocolate).
C. Read a food-related non-fiction book (non-cookbook). (EXAMPLE: The End of Food)
D. Read a cookbook related to your dish. (EXAMPLE: Margaritas, Mojitos & More)

Include your contribution to the party in your post, and let us know what makes your recipe stand out.


20.2 - Fabulous firsts or superior seconds?
The debut novel and the second published novel often garner much attention by critics, particularly for authors who gain a great deal of notoriety for their first books. Now you be the critic. Choose an author and read his/her first and second books published. When you post your completed task, state which book you preferred and why.

25 Points

25.1 - The Name Game
A. Read a book written by an author that shares your first, middle, OR last name (you choose if you want to divulge last name). Spelling variations are ok
AND
B. Read a book with a character’s name in the title (i.e. Sarah’s Key or Dear John. Not acceptable: Breaking Dawn, since there isn’t a character named Dawn in the book).

This will be an updated post (probably daily - maybe every other day) with rankings of where people stand with their completed tasks. It's up to you to verify that I have the right points next to your name. You can keep track of your own points using the planning thread, and make sure to double check what I calculate. If you have a problem with your count, please message me.

This is where you will need to post information about completed tasks - updates to the readerboard will be based on what is posted HERE AND ONLY HERE.
The things that must be included in your post are: A. The title/author of the book (or a link to that book).
B. What task it is for by task number.

How you choose to post that information and and other details you want to include is up to you.

Not sure if your book is really going to count/or if you are stretching it, post here and I will make a judgment.

THE RULES
1. Anyone can participate in the challenge and you can join in at anytime during the challenge...
The first SUMMER CHALLENGE runs June 1st through September 30th.

2. All points need to be reported by MIDNIGHT EST on the last day of the challenge.

3. If you decide to join the challenge after it starts, books that you've read prior to joining within the challenge time period that fit a task requirement can be used. For example, if you just joined Goodreads or just found out about the challenge on July 1st (in the middle of the Challenge) you could use books that you know you read in June to fulfill task requirements.

4. Also if you started reading a book but had not finished more than of half of it prior to the beginning of the challenge it can still be used to complete a task.

5. Each task counts for points only ONCE and each book can only be used for one task. Tasks can be completed in any order.

6. Re-reads, audiobooks, and e-books all count (unless otherwise stated in the task).

7. Short books (100 pages or less) should be used sparingly and only count for the 5 point tasks (unless otherwise stated).

8. Rewards - There are no monetary or physical prizes for this challenge...your prize is the satisfaction you get from clearing a few books off that to be read shelf and/or discovering new genres and authors.

9. Small adjustments can be made but try to stick as close to the task as it's written as possible...and if you aren't sure if a book will fit the task feel free to ask me in the “Questions” thread.