The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

20.4. Author! Author! - Seakbee's Task: Life’s Too Short

This is a one book task. REQUIRED: State which option you chose in your post.

A wise man told me that there are a million things that you can choose to do in your life... if you don't enjoy what you are currently doing, well then choose something else. This wise man is my grandfather who turned 100 years old in April. The odds of becoming a centenarian are 0.30% for a male born in 1915 in the United States. As you can imagine, living to 100 gives you lots of opportunities to experience different things. I would like to dedicate this task to him.

REQUIRED: Your book choice must have been first published between 1915 and April 17, 2015.

Option 1: My grandfather’s family moved West by train when he was just a toddler. Follow his route by taking the California Zephyr from Nebraska to California.

For this option, read a book in which at least one character sets foot in one of these states: Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada or California. REQUIRED: Specify the state. If the state is not mentioned in the metadata or GR description, include a brief explanation of the character's presence in the specified state.

Option 2: My grandfather’s unpublished memoir, Life’s Too Short, started with his earliest memory, Armistice Day, 1918 through to a family holiday event in 2007 on a riverboat in Long Beach Harbor. (I can only hope that 2008-201X is still being recorded!)

For this option, read a memoir or autobiography written in first person. The genre memoir or autobiography must appear on the book's main page.

Option 3: After reading Life’s Too Short, it is clear that there are several themes that have recurred during his lifetime. The most common themes include cars,activities at the beach or ocean, and road trips across the United States to study family genealogy.

For this option, read a book whose cover shows one of the following: a car, the beach and/or ocean, or a map. REQUIRED: Include the cover when posting and point out the image if not obvious.

Examples:
Cars -
Beach or ocean -
Maps-

Option 4: Choose a book whose author’s initials* can be found in CENTENARIAN. Letters may be used as often as they appear. All initials of the author's name as shown on Goodreads must be found in CENTENARIAN.

*Only authors that are identified as authors (or a default blank in the author role field), co-authors, or contributors may be used for tasks involving author information. Other roles or functions such as editor, illustrator, artist, translator, introduction, designed by, foreword, preface, assistant or afterword may not be used for author-sourced tasks. Ask about other roles identified in a Goodreads record in the season's General Questions help thread.

Approved:


Option 1 - Nebraska:
Worth Dying For

Option 2 - Memoir/Autobiography:
Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s

Option 3 - Cars:


Option 3 - Beach/Ocean:

Not Approved:

Option 4 -
Black Coffee. This book is a novelization originally written by Agatha Christie as a play, however Charles Osborne takes credit for this version.

This thread is now open!

Congratulations to your grandfather! That definitely is quite a milestone, and how cool to have a record of his life like that. :D

Would this work for option 3?

There are three cars on the main street and a couple parked behind the buildings.

Bea wrote: "Would this work for option 3?

There are three cars on the main street and a couple parked behind the buildings."

Yes, I can see the cars. Enjoy!

Seakbee wrote: "Yes, I can see the cars. Enjoy!"

Thanks.

Please confirm for option 3 (beach on the cover). Thanks

Will this work for option 3? The ocean is on the left, about 1/3 down from the top.

Lauren wrote: "Please confirm for option 3 (beach on the cover). Thanks"

This will work for option 3 (beach).

puppitypup wrote: "Will this work for option 3? The ocean is on the left, about 1/3 down from the top.

"

This one is pretty hard to tell whether that area is ocean. Do you know what body of water that would be? It is too hard to confirm with this digital cover.

Would either of these work for Option 3?
(a car)
(beach and ocean)

Andy wrote: "Would either of these work for Option 3?
(a car)
(beach and ocean)"

Both options are good to go!

Seakbee wrote: "Andy wrote: "Would either of these work for Option 3?
(a car)
(beach and ocean)"

Both options are good to go!"

Thank you, Now I must decide which one.

Seakbee wrote: "puppitypup wrote:"
This one is pretty hard to tell w..."

That's the coastline off of Alexandria, Egypt, when the library burned in the 3rd or 4th century AD.

puppitypup wrote: "Seakbee wrote: "puppitypup wrote:"
This one is pretty hard to tell w..."

That's the coastline off of Alexandria, Egypt, when the library b..."

OK, then I would say it's good! Happy reading!

Would The Invention of Wings work for ocean? Charleston (where the book is set) is near the ocean, so I assume it's the ocean (though I guess it could be a large lake or something).

Deana wrote: "Would The Invention of Wings work for ocean? Charleston (where the book is set) is near the ocean, so I assume it's the ocean (though I guess it could be a large lake or something)...."

I suspect that is ocean. I approve. Great book too! One of my few 5 stars. Enjoy!

Thanks Seakbee!

Option 1: Worth Dying For by Lee Child set in Nebraska.

Claire wrote: "Option 1: Worth Dying For by Lee Child set in Nebraska."

That works!

Option 2:???

Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s byJennifer Worth

Cindy wrote: "Option 2:???

Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s byJennifer Worth"

Yes, that works. Looks like a good book too!

For option 3, would this count ? There's a corner of ocean showing.

Angie wrote: "For option 3, would this count ? There's a corner of ocean showing."

Yes, that looks like the ocean.

I'm thinking of listening to the audiobook Black Coffee, but I'm unsure of whether it would fit option 4. It's part of the Hercule Poirot series written by Agatha Christie, but in GR also Charles Osborne is listed as Adapter/Novelization. The text from the book's main page states: "Black Coffee is actually an Agatha Christie play recrafted as a book meant to be read rather than seen on the stage. The story was first produced in 1930, and Charles Osborne has done little to it except string the dialogue and stage directions together in paragraph form."
Is this acceptable for option 4 (initials AC for Agatha Christie)?

Camilla wrote: "I'm thinking of listening to the audiobook Black Coffee, but I'm unsure of whether it would fit option 4. It's part of the Hercule Poirot series written by Agatha Christie, but in GR..."

This is a great question. I have looked up "novelization" in the dictionary and on Wikipedia. Even though the storyline stays the same, a novelization becomes the interpretation of another person with the addition of new content. In my mind that means this option would not qualify in the spirit of the task.

Seakbee wrote: "This is a great question. I have looked up "novelization" in the dictionary and on Wikipedia. Even though the storyline stays the same, a novelization becomes the interpretation of another person with the addition of new content. In my mind that means this option would not qualify in the spirit of the task."

Thank you for the answer, I was leaning towards the same opinion, but wanted to be sure. I can use the book for task 25.8, since it is part of the Hercule Poirot series and has been made into a TV series as well.

I'd like to use by Corban Addison for Opt. 3.

KSMary wrote: "I'd like to use by Corban Addison for Opt. 3."

That works!

Seakbee wrote: "KSMary wrote: "I'd like to use by Corban Addison for Opt. 3."

That works!"

Yeah! I'm the first one to get it from the library.

i kept finding books i thought would fit...and then they were too new for literally days! lol! that's why they call it a challenge right/

Dee wrote: "i kept finding books i thought would fit...and then they were too new for literally days! lol! that's why they call it a challenge right/"

I know, so frustrating when you find something that you want to read that fits every aspect, except that one little detail!

i had one that was published April 20th!

Is there enough ocean showing on this cover??

We Were Liars

Cindy wrote: "Is there enough ocean showing on this cover??

We Were Liars"

Looks good to me!