2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2014
>
Daphne's Corner
date
newest »
newest »
Categories:000-099: Computer Science, Bibliographies, Library Sciences, Encyclopedias & Books of Facts, Associations, Organizations & Museums, News Media, Journalism & Publishing, General Collections, Manuscripts & Rare Books
100-199: Philosophy, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Parapsychology & Occultism, Philosophical Schools of Thought, Psychology, Logic, Ethics, Ancient, Medieval & Eastern Philosophy, Modern Western Philosophy
200-299: Religion, Natural Theology, Bible, Christian Theology, Christian Moral & Devotional Theology, Christian Orders & Local Church, Christian Social Theology, Christian Church History, Christian Denominations & Sects, Other & Comparative Religions
300-399: Social Sciences, Sociology, General Statistics, Political Science, Economics, Law, Public Administration, Social Services, Education, Commerce, Customs, Etiquette, Folklore
400-499: Language, Linguistics, English & Old English, German, Romance Languages, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italic, Latin, Hellenic, Classical Greek, Other
500-599: Sciences, Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Paleontology, Life Sciences, Plants, Zoological Sciences
600-699: Technology (Applied Sciences), Medical Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture, Home Economics & Family Living, Management, Chemical Engineering, Manufacturing, Buildings
700-799: Arts, Civic and Landscape Art, Architecture, Plastic Arts and Sculpture, Drawing & Decorative Arts, Painting, Graphic Arts, Photography, Music, Recreational & Performing Arts
800-899: Literature, American Literature, English & Old English Literature, German Literature, Literatures of Romance Languages, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italic, Latin, Hellenic, Classical Greek
900-999: History, Geography/Travel, Ancient History, General History of Europe, General History of Asia, Far East, Africa, North America, South America, Other
THE DEWEY DECIMAL CHALLENGE (non-fiction)
Duration: January 2014 – December 2014
COMPLETED 10/10! :)
I read lots of non-fiction, so this challenge is right up my alley. I aim for all 10. Going through my library now to see if I can fill up all ten sections with just books that I own, but haven't read yet.
000-099:
100-199:
200-299:
300-399:
400-499:
500-599:
600-699:
700-799:
800-899:
900-999:
AROUND THE WORLD IN BOOKS CHALLENGEDuration: January 1 - December 31, 2014
Completed: 9/12
For this challenge, your task is to read books from different regions of the world. The book must take place in that region, be written in a language of that region, OR be written by an author from that region.
Regions
North America-
Central America-
Caribbean-
South America-
West Europe-
East Europe and Former Soviet Union- Not Read:
Africa- Not Read: Ahmed's Revenge: A Novel
Middle East-
East Asia- Not Read: The Dragon's Village: An Autobiographical Novel of Revolutionary China
South Asia-
Southeast Asia-
Australia & South Pacific-
THE MONOPOLY GENRE CHALLENGEDuration: January 1 - December 31, 2014
Completed: 8/8
It's a subgenre challenge with a twist! This challenge uses a monopoly board, and each color is a different genre. Read the subgenre listed on each property--your goal is to get as many monopolies (all the subgenres listed for each color) as possible.
Suspense - COMPLETED
Crime
Horror
Mytery
Historical - COMPLETED
Medieval
Victorian
Ancient
Fantasy -COMPLETED
Epic/high fantasy
Mythic fiction
Magical realism
Biographical - Completed
Memoir
Autobiography
Biography
Non-fiction - COMPLETED
History
Science
Science Fiction
Cyberpunk/Steampunk
Dystopian
Space Opera
Young Adult - COMPLETED
Coming of Age
YA Fantasy
Romance
Historical Romance
Paranormal Romance
Chick-lit
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...READ THE MONTH AROUND THE WORLD
Duration: January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014
Completed: 13/55
This is a modified spell out challenge where each month of the year is spelled out in a different language!
For each letter, read a book where that letter is contained somewhere in the title or the author's name. It does NOT need to be the first letter of the word. The book used must be read in the month it represents.
January: Kapampangan (a language of the Philippines)
E
N
E
R
O
February: Arabic (Algeria & Tunisia)
F
I
F
R
I
March: Malay (a language of places like Indonesia etc)
M
A
C
April: Papiamento (a language of the Caribbean ABC Islands => Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao)
A
P
R
E
L
May: Romanian (Romania)
M
A
I
June: Greenlandic (Greenland)
J
U
N
I
July: Swahili (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda etc.)
J
U
L
A
I
August: Japanese (Japan)
H
A
D
U
K
I
September: Basque (Basque Country, Spain)
I
R
A
I
L
October: Ewe (is a Niger–Congo language spoken in southeastern Ghana and southern Togo)
K
E
L
E
November: Venda (South Africa) (is a Bantu language predominately spoken in the Limpopo Province, Botswana)
L
A
R
A
December: Niuean (Niue Island, Tokelau)
T
E
S
E
M
O
JANUARY: NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS CHALLENGEDuration: January 1 - 31, 2014
COMPLETED! 7/7
It's time for New Year's Resolutions, and this challenge explores some of the most popular ones.
1. Save more money. Instead of buying a book, read a book you borrowed (from a friend or the library) or was given to you as a gift.
2. Quit smoking. Smoking is an addiction which is a neurological disorder explained by science. Read a science non-fiction book.
3. Exercise more. Read a book whose cover shows people being active in some way OR read a book in which one of the main characters is an athlete.
4. Spend more time with friends. Old favorite books are just like old friends. Reread an old favorite.
5. Watch less TV. Instead of watching TV or going to the movies, read a book that got turned into a movie or TV show.
6. Go back to school. Read a book from this list: Best School Assigned Books
7. Go on a trip. Read a book that takes place in a country you've never been to. (This can be a made up country.)
8. Volunteer or donate more. Read a book you own then donate it. There are many places that accept donated books. You can try your library, thrift stores, or local charitable organizations. Let us know where you donated your book!
January's Let it Snow! Mini ChallengeJanuary 1 - 31, 2014
4/4 COMPLETED!
For those of us living in cold, northern climates during this time of year, it can be very snowy indeed. Let's do a snow-inspired challenge!
1. Let it Snow! is a song written in 1945. Read a book written in the 1940s.
2. Whiteout. A whiteout is a weather condition where visibility is severely reduced due to snow. Read a book with a predominantly white cover.
3. All snowflakes have six sides. Read a book with the number 6 in its page number. (For example, The Golem and the Jinni has 486 pages.)
4. Is winter over yet? Read a long book (a book with 500 or more pages).
FIRST QUARTER CHALLENGE: THE CHINESE ZODIAC (Shēngxiào)Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2014
Completed!! :12/12
1. The Horse. On January 31, 2014, it becomes the Year of the Horse! Horses like being the center of attention. Read a book where the main character is famous OR read a memoir about or a biography of a celebrity.
2. The Goat. Home is where Goats feel the most comfortable. Read a book that takes place in the country you were born in.
3. The Monkey. Monkeys are the masters of practical jokes. Read a humorous book.
4. The Rooster. Roosters tend to "tell it like it is." Read a non-fiction book.
5. The Dog. While loyal and faithful, Dogs have trouble finding mates. Read a book that contains a troubled romance.
6. The Pig. Pigs love to have fun but tend to prefer spending to saving. Read a book you have purchased (rather than borrowed).
7. The Rat. Constantly seeking knowledge, Rats are curious and clever. Read a book that teaches you something.
8. The Ox. Oxen aren't very sociable and prefer life-long friendships to casual acquaintances. Read a book in which the main character could be described as an introvert.
9. The Tiger. Tigers love to be challenged. Read a book you find challenging in some way maybe because of its length, style, or subject matter.
Finally finished it! It had been sitting next to my bed, half read, for half a year. This challenge convinced me to slog through it. Wasn't compelling, but it was history that I wanted to insert into my brain, and dammit, I did!
10. The Rabbit. Rabbits tend to enjoy meeting people from different places and learning about different cultures. Read a book about a culture not your own.
11. The Dragon. The Dragon is often considered to be the strongest sign, and the only one that is a mythical animal. Read a book that contains a mythical or paranormal creature.
12. The Snake. Snakes work hard but tend to be easily bored. To prevent boredom, read a short book (i.e., one with fewer than 100 pages).
FIRST QUARTER CHALLENGE: LILAC'S RAINBOW CHALLENGEDuration: January 1 - March 31, 2014
Thank you to Lilac for this lovely idea! Make a rainbow out of the book covers. You can use as few as four books (red, yellow, green, blue) or as many as you like as long as the final result is a rainbow of books.
Completed: 11/11!!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
LINKThe Listopia Challenge
Duration: January 2014 - December 2014
It's back! After popular demand, the Listopia challenge is returning for another year! Feel free to carry on your goal from 2013, or to update with new goals and new lists. :)
Goodreads features a number of user created lists which can be found here: Listopia.
Besides the featured and popular lists on the main page you can see lists your friends have voted on as well as search for lists with topics that interest you.
The number of lists you choose and the number of books you read from each is entirely up to you. One person might choose to read the Top 100 books from one list, another person may choose to read the Top 5 books from 10 lists. You decide and mix it up any way you like.
Rules :
Choose your list (or multiple lists!) and the amount of books you plan to read from each.
State your goals in your first post. (posting a link to your lists is recommended*)
Any format of book, cross challenging etc. are all fine.
You can keep track in your Member's Corner or update here.
When you finish off a list, post your completed list here so we can all congratulate you!
TOTAL: 23/36
You Read a Book about What?
14/20
1. Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World
7. Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy
8. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
9.
10.
11.
12. The Company of Wolves
13.
14.
15. Forbidden Creatures: Inside the World of Animal Smuggling and Exotic Pets
16.
17. The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology
18.
19.
20.
Historical fiction with a dash of magic
2/6
1.
2. The Night Circus
3.
4. Outlander
5. A Discovery of Witches
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude
World's Greatest Novellas
7/10
1.
2.
3. The Lover
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. The Dead
January Reading List:1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...THE TBR RANDOMISER CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1 - December 31, 2014
9/30
#2.
#3.
#9. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
#30. Ellen Foster
#32. Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
#45. Passionate Minds
#47. The Disheveled Dictionary: A Curious Caper Through Our Sumptuous Lexicon
#49. A Gentleman Vagabond and Some Others
#52.
#58. The Company of Wolves
#59. Forbidden Creatures: Inside the World of Animal Smuggling and Exotic Pets
#64. Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America
#75.
#84.
#87.
#97. Outlander
#98. A Discovery of Witches
#109. Struwwelpeter
#114. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
#116. The Complete Fairy Tales
#118. The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
#120.
#127.
#136. Thunder, Flush, and Thomas Crapper: An Encycloopedia
#141. The Hidden Life Of Dogs
#142.
#144. Story of Cole Younger: By Himself
#149. Stardust
#151. American Gods
#154. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Daphne wrote: "January Reading List:1. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell 846p. 1/2/2014
2. [book:The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies How We Construct Beliefs and Rei..."
GOOD LORD! Congratulations on reading SO many books already this month, Daphne!!! You are incredible!
Brian wrote: "Daphne wrote: "January Reading List:1. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell 846p. 1/2/2014
2. [book:The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies How We Construct ..."
Thank you Brian! I am super lucky to have a job that has me on the road each night traveling to my seven stores. It means I get to listen to audio books and lectures the whole right.
I also read fairly quickly when it isn't a scholarly journal, research or a textbook. I'm always in the middle a long book, finishing shorter books in a day, and have boring books I feel I need to read next to my bed. My fiance is almost done with our addition to the library, so I can't wait to be able to curl up surrounded on all sides by hundreds of books instead of sitting at the kitchen table with my computer in front of me, and on a super uncomfortable bench. I can't wait to post pictures of the library when it's complete. It's going to be quirky, eccentric, artistic, cozy, and totally full of books, dogs, and art!
I'd say I'm 50/50 between audio and text formats, so I get a full 100% more reading done than most people have the chance to.
Daphne wrote: "Brian wrote: "Daphne wrote: "January Reading List:1. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell 846p. 1/2/2014
2. [book:The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies How..."
Oh wow that sounds delightful!!! I can't wait to see the pictures of your library!
CANDY HEARTS MINI CHALLENGEDuration: February 1 - 28, 2014
COMPLETED 4/4!!
1. Love me. This one's easy! Read a romance novel.
2. Puppy love. Read a book that features animals.
3. Love bug. The word "bug" means a few different things. Read a book with a title that contains a word with multiple meanings.
From Dictionary.com:
Noun:
1.earth or other matter in fine, dry particles.
2.a cloud of finely powdered earth or other matter in the air.
3.any finely powdered substance, as sawdust.
4.the ground; the earth's surface.
5.the substance to which something, as the dead human body, is ultimately reduced by disintegration or decay; earthly remains.
Verb:
1.to wipe the dust from: to dust a table.
2.to sprinkle with a powder or dust: to dust rosebushes with an insecticide.
3.to strew or sprinkle (a powder, dust, or other fine particles): to dust insecticide on a rosebush.
4.to soil with dust; make dusty.
4. Tweet me. Read a book that involves technology in some way.
DAPHNE'S CHALLENGE: EXPLORATIONS IN LOVE Duration: February 1 - 28, 2014
COMPLETED 9/9!!
Love comes in all flavors right?
1. Philia. Translated from the ancient Greek as brotherly love. Read a book that features some sort of ‘bromance’ or two strong male characters.
2. Love triangle. There are some pretty famous ones. In honor of Aphrodite, Hephaistos, and Ares, read a book about ancient myths or fables OR a mythic fantasy novel.
3. Pygmalionism. From the Greek myth of Pygmalion. Read a book that features an artist, a great work of art or architecture, or an inanimate object having some sort of consciousness.
4. Autassassinophilia. Another way to say you love death, destruction, or mayhem. Read a mystery, horror, or thriller.
5. Chronophilia. When you only date people of a certain age group, derived from the God Chronos (father time). Read a book where the main characters are vastly different age ranges OR read a book that spans a large amount of time.
6. Biophilia. A love of nature. Coined by the great E. O. Wilson. Read a book whose setting takes place in nature or wild and untamed lands OR read a book about ecology. Bonus if you read a book by Edward O. Wilson!
7. Star-crossed lovers. In honor of the original star-crossed lovers, read a book that takes place in Renaissance Italy, Elizabethan England, or was book to movie that had Claire Danes or Leonardo DiCaprio in them. (There are a lot, seriously. Check out IMDb if you don’t believe me.)
8. Mechanophilia. Who doesn't love cool machines? Read a Steampunk/Cyberpunk book OR read a book that machines (like a spaceship) play a big role.
9. Plushophilia. A love of stuffed animals. They even call themselves plushies. Read a book about a sub-culture OR read a book involving anthropomorphism.
THE GOODREADS AUTHORS CHALLENGEDuration: January 1 - December 31, 2014
Goal: 8/10
1. Seeing Voices by Oliver Sacks 1/16/2014
2. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 1/21/2014
3. Closure, Limited by Max Brooks 1/23/2014
4. Tails of Wonder and Imagination by: Ellen Datlow, Michael Marshall Smith, Peter S. Beagle, Lawrence Block, Nancy Etchemendy, Carole Nelson Douglas, Stephen King, Catherynne M. Valente, Nancy Springer, Kaaron Warren, & Theodora Goss 2/7/2014
5. The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy by Adrienne Mayor 2/11/2014
6. An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist by Richard Dawkins8/14
7. Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis 8/27/14
8. An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's OddestTown by David Farley
9.
10.
Author Challenge
The idea is to read books by Goodreads authors. These authors have invested in the Goodreads community just as you have.
The authors you read don't need to be new to you; however, we encourage you to go outside of your comfort zone a bit to discover new authors right here.
How to Tell if Someone is a Goodreads author :
On the book page, you will see (Goodreads Author) in gray next to the author's name
On the author page, you will see "Goodreads author profile" in the top right across from the author's name
FEBRUARY READING LIST1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
World's Greatest Novellas21/100
Working my way through the first 100+ of this list.
✓ 1. Animal Farm
✓ 2. Of Mice and Men
✓ 3. The Old Man and the Sea 1/2014
✓ 4. The Metamorphosis
5. The Stranger
✓ 6. A Christmas Carol
7. Heart of Darkness and the Congo Diary
8. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
9. The Little Prince
✓ 10. A Clockwork Orange
✓ 11. Candide
12. The Death of Ivan Ilych
13. Flowers for Algernon
14. Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories
✓ 15. The Pearl 1/2014
✓ 16. Bartleby, the Scrivener 1/2014
✓ 17. The Call of the Wild
✓ 18. Siddhartha
19. The Awakening
20. The Dead
✓ 21. Ethan Frome 2/2014
22. Death in Venice and Other Tales
23. Chronicle of a Death Foretold
✓24. The Time Machine 2/2014
25. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
26. Notes from Underground
27. Daisy Miller
✓ 28. Night
29. The Body
30. The Overcoat
31. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters & Seymour: An Introduction
32. The Turn of the Screw and The Aspern Papers
33. The Sorrows of Young Werther
34. Chess Story
35. In the Penal Colony
36. The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories
37. The Postman Always Rings Twice
38. The Lover
39. Things Fall Apart
40. Heart of a Dog
41. A River Runs Through It
42. Anthem
43. Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A Story from Different Seasons
44. I Am Legend and Other Stories
45. Billy Budd and Other Stories
46. The Crying of Lot 49
47. The Uncommon Reader
48. Utopia
✓49. The Man Who Would Be King
50. The Dunwich Horror and Others
51. We Have Always Lived in the Castle
52. Fergyville Episode 1: The New Plan
53. The Mist
54. Orchard of Dust
55. The Bluest Eye
✓ 56. At the Mountains of Madness, and Other Novels
57. The Fall
58. Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A Story
59. On Chesil Beach
60. The Invention of Morel
61. First Love
62. The Kreutzer Sonata
63. The House on Mango Street
64. The Pigeon
✓ 65. Fahrenheit 451
66. Miss Lonelyhearts and A Cool Million
67. The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia
✓ 68. The Castle of Otranto 1/2014
69. Seize the Day
70. The Thirty-Nine Steps
71. Dream Story
72. Bonjour Tristesse
73. The Beast in the Jungle
74. Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories
75. Le Horla et autres contes fantastiques
76. The End of the Affair
✓ 77. The Willows 2/2014
78. A Month in the Country
79. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
80. Pnin
81. Pedro Páramo
82. Apt Pupil
83. Identity
84. Grendel
85. The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum: Or How Violence Develops and Where It Can Lead
86. A Simple Heart
87. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
88. The Great Divorce
89. Shopgirl
90. René
✓ 91. A Study in Scarlet
92. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
93. Gigi & The Cat
94. La symphonie pastorale
95. A Hero of Our Time
96. Idle Thursday
98. ...And the Stars Will Sing
99. Jabberwocky
100. The Stolen: Two Short Stories
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...THE MNEMONIC CHALLENGE
Duration: March 1 - 31, 2014
COMPLETED 8/8
"Spring forward, fall back" is a mnemonic device to help you remember which way to change your clocks during daylight savings time. A mnemonic is a memory aid. Let's explore other mnemonics in this challenge.
1. My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos is used to remember the order of the planets. Read a book that takes place in space.
2. My Enormous Penguin Bounces Pretty High is to remember the series of alkanes in chemistry. Read a book that features an animal that is not typically kept as a pet (like a penguin).
3. Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November. Read a book that has a page number count that includes the digits 3 and 0 (in any order).
4. Wives of Henry VIII: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Read a book in which a character is part of an unhappy marriage.
5. Mrs. Baker is used to remember the eight common law felonies (murder, rape, sodomy, burglary, arson, kidnapping, escape, robbery). Read a book in a which one of these felonies takes place.
6. Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally (PEMDAS) is to remember the order of operations in math (parenthesis, exponents, multiplication & division, addition & subtraction). Read a book that has a Goodreads description that includes parentheses.
7. Every good boy does fine is the mnemonic for the notes on the five lines of the treble clef. Read a book that involves music in some way.
8. I before E, except after C read a book that has a title containing a word following the mnemonic (e.g., it could contain the word "friend" or "receive").
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME MINI CHALLENGEDuration: March 1 - 31, 2014
COMPLETED 4/4!
1. Read a book set in a place that currently uses daylight savings time.
2. Read a book set in a place that does not currently use daylight savings time.
3. Daylight savings time was first implemented in 1916. Read a book that takes place before 1916.
4. Daylight savings time was first proposed by a man named George Veronon Hudson. Read a book by an author who shares an initial with George Vernon Hudson.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...Series Complete 0/2
Series 1: Stephen Fry Fry's English Delight 1/4
Fry's English Delight: Series 2
Fry's English Delight: Series 3
Fry's English Delight: Series 4
Series 2: Douglas Adams Hitchhiker's Guide 1/5
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Life, the Universe and Everything
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Mostly Harmless
Series 3: R.A. Salvatore Saga of the First King 2/4
The Dame
The Bear
Series 4: Gregory Maguire Wicked Trilogy 0/3
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Son of a Witch
A Lion Among Men
Series 4: John Kendrick Bangs Associated Shades 3/4
Baron Munchausen: An Account of His Recent Adventures
Series 5: Mervyn Peake Gormenghast Trilogy 0/3
1. Titus Groan
2. Gormenghast
3. Titus Alone
AUGUST: GREAT EMPIRESDuration: August 1 - 30, 2014
Completed 3/3
Our theme for the month is empires, so this challenge is about a few of the greatest ones.
1. The Ottoman Empire (1299 – 1923) was a multinational/ multilingual empire and was also known as the Turkish Empire. Read a book that was originally written in a language other than your own OR read a book that contains at least one Muslim character.
2. The Persian Empire (Achaemenid Empire) (550 – 330 BC) was known for its architectural stonework on buildings such as mausoleums and for its metalwork. Read a book that takes place (at least in part) in a cemetery OR read a book that has a metal in the title (for example: The Adventures of Tintin, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Silver Star, etc.)
3. The Byzantine Empire (330 – 1204 & 1261 – 1453) had its capital in Constantinople (aka Istanbul, aka Byzantium) and fell once but was temporarily revived. Read a book that takes place in a city that has at least one other name (for example: Bombay/Mumbai, Canton/Guangzhou, Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, St. Petersburg/Petrograd, New York/ New Amsterdam) OR read a book where something that is broken is put back together.
4. The Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) was known for its economic prosperity with the emperor at its head. Read a book that is focused on money OR read a book with a character named “Han/Hans.”
✔5. It was said that the sun never set on the British Empire (1497 – 1997). Read a book where most of the plot takes place after sunset OR read a book that is set in several countries around the world. An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist by Richard Dawkins - Takes place in Africa and England
6. The Russian Empire was officially founded by Peter the Great who brought European ideas to Russia. Read a book where at least one character is introduced to a foreign culture OR read a book where a character is unhappy with his or her life.
7. The Roman Empire (Western: 27 BC – 476 AD; Eastern: 330 AD – 1453 AD) borrowed from Greek mythology and was well known for its fighting in the Colosseum. Read a book about mythology OR read a book that includes a physical fight.
✔8. The Holy Roman Empire (off and on 800 – 1806) was an attempt to revive the Western Roman Empire and spent most of its existence very fragmented. Read a book that features something dysfunctional OR read a book where characters try hold on to something longer than they should. An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's OddestTown - It's all about the foreskin of Jesus, and people unhealthy obsessed with. I'd call that dysfunctional.
✔9. The Mongol Empire (1206 – 1368) was the largest land empire (that covered only joining land) spanning from China to Europe and fell because Genghis Khan’s grandchildren kept fighting over leadership. Read a large book (more than 500 pages) OR read a book that contains siblings fighting. The Mammoth Book of True Crime - over 500 pages
#READWOMEN2014-----UPDATED DURATION: APRIL 1 - DECEMBER 31, 2014
2/10
✔1. The Soulforge by Margaret Weis
✔2. Coal: A Human History by Barbara Freese
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Books mentioned in this topic
Zombies: The Recent Dead (other topics)An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's Oddest Town (other topics)
Dragons of Autumn Twilight (other topics)
The Soulforge (other topics)
Coal: A Human History (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
David Farley (other topics)Margaret Weis (other topics)
Barbara Freese (other topics)
Margaret Weis (other topics)
Richard Dawkins (other topics)
More...


1. The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths 400p. 1/1/2014
2. The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History 546p. 1/2/2014
3. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell 846p. 1/2/2014
4. The Day of the Barbarians: The Battle That Led to the Fall of the Roman Empire 180p. 1/3/2014
5. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 216p. 1/4/2014'
6. The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean 326p. 1/4/2014
7. In the Woods 429p. 1/6/2014
8. A House of Pomegranates 106p. 1/6/2014
9. The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York 319p. 1/7/2014
10. The Old Man and the Sea 93p. 1/9/2014
11. The Fallen Sky: An Intimate History of Shooting Stars 528p. 1/9/2014
12. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements 394p. 1/12/2014
13. The Mystery of a Hansom Cab 260p. 1/14/2014
14. The Pearl 87p. 1/16/2014
15. Seeing Voices 240p. 1/16/2014
16. A Cure for Dreams 182p. 1/17/2014
17. The Room in the Dragon Volant 188p. 1/18/2014
18. The Parasite 112p. 1/18/2014
19. The Wolf Almanac 256p. 1/19/2014
20. Medieval Lives: Eight Charismatic Men and Women of the Middle Ages 197p. 1/20/2014
21. The Graveyard Book 312p.1/21/2041
22. Bartleby, the Scrivener 64p. 1/23/2014
23. Closure, Limited 124p. 1/23/2014
24. The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium, An Englishman's World 230p. 1/23/2014
25. The Castle of Otranto 125p. 1/25/2014
26. Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded 416p. 1/25/2014
27. Haussmann, or the Distinction: A Novel 379p. 1/27/2014
28. Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax" 277p. 1/29/2014
29. The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime 404p. 2/1/2014
30. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children 352p. 2/1/2014
31. The Warrior Goddess: Athena 121p. 2/1/2014
32. The Willows 56p. 2/2/2014
33. The Man Who Would Be King 80p. 2/3/2014
34. The Machine That Saved the World 60p. 2/4/2014
35. The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science 448p. 2/5/2014
36. Project Mastodon 2/5/2014
37. The Sun King's Garden: Louis XIV, Andre Le Notre and the Creation of the Gardens of Versailles 370p. 2/6/2014
38. Tails of Wonder and Imagination 464p. 2/7/2014
39. Ethan Frome 128p. 2/8/2014
40. Dust 384p. 2/9/2014
41. A Phantom Lover 112p. 2/11/2014
42. The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy 448p. 2/11/2014
43. The Time Machine 2/12/2014
44. Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture 2/14/2014
45. Travels with Our Fellow Creatures 2/15/2014
46. The Lost World 2/17/2014
47. The Scarlet Pimpernel 2/18/2014