The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
SUMMER CHALLENGE 2014
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25.5 - Pat's Task: Long Story Short
Approved = Book 1'sThe Anchor Book of New American Short Stories
Arranged Marriage: Stories by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012
Breakfast at Tiffany's: And Three Stories by Truman Capote
A Darker Shade of Sweden
The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness & Obsession by David Grann
Elementary: All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters by Mercedes Lackey
Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
FaceOff by David Baldacci and others
Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman
Friends: Stories About New Friends, Old Friends, And Unexpectedly True Friends
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
Garden Voices: Two Centuries of Canadian Garden Writing by Edwinna Von Baeyer
The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion
The Indie Eclective: The Halloween Collection
In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
Love Has No Boundaries Anthology: Volume 5 by Amelia C. Gormley
Luke: Complete Series by by Cassia Leo
The Mammoth Book of Special Ops Romance by collected authors
The Shell Collector: Stories by Anthony Doerr
Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories by Ernest Hemingway
TAKEN! Box Set - Books 1-6 by Donald Wells
A Very Merry Christmas by Lori Foster
Approved = Book 2's
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Black Box by Cassia Leo
Driving Me Nuts! by P.J. Jones
Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
Home from the Sea by Mercedes Lackey
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
The Many and the One by Donald Wells
One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Simon Says by Lori Foster
Strain by Amelia C. Gormley
The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King
You Know Where to Find Me by Rachel Cohn
.
Not these!Book 1's
Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire (single story line, not collected works)
Book 2's
The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes - Collected works, not a single long form book.
Mod
LOVE this task! I was just looking at the following book on my shelf this morning, hoping I could fit in into the next challenge somewhere:The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012
Even better, one of the stories is by Jess Walter, who wrote one of my favorite books of the last few years (Beautiful Ruins). I can't wait to read another of his!
So glad you're happy. I'm looking forward to seeing all the short & long pairs!I'm planning to do this ...
The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories & All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Pat - question - do they need to be standalone short stories, or can anthology entires for book series work? (does that make sense)...
As long as they're marked as short stories on the main page or in the description, they're fine. Do you have an example of what you're talking about?
off the top of my head no...but I found 2 other books that I work...I think...Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion
A Darker Shade of Sweden
Okay -- so the book I'm looking at for the anthology/short stories is only available in ebook but since it isn't the book that you have a page minimum for, would that be okay if approved for length?Book #1 -- The Indie Eclective: The Halloween Collection in which one of the authors is P.J. Jones
Book # 2 -- Driving Me Nuts! -- 208 pp by P.J. Jones
@ Dee -- both of those are fine for Book 1. @ Sandi -- those will work. Enjoy the read!
Looks good on this end, Jayme. Hope they provide you with a great read!
OPTION 1Book 1 - Arranged Marriage: Stories by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Book 2 - One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Are these choices OK?Book 1: Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders - short stories by Neil Gaiman
Book 2: The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes - 200+ page graphic novel by Neil Gaiman
@ Book Concierge -- I love those choices. I want to read the Arranged Marriage Stories at some point. Let me know how you find them. @ Lindsey --
The first book is fine, however the second book, The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes, is not a single work, but a collection of books 1-8 of the chronicles.
From Amazon
Includes issues 1-8 of the original series with completely new coloring, approved by the author. This book also includes the story "The Sound of Her Wings," which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death.
That means that it does not itself fulfill the heart of the task for Book 2 which is a full length single book by the author of the short works of book 1.
Pat wrote: "@ Book Concierge -- I love those choices. I want to read the Arranged Marriage Stories at some point. Let me know how you find them. @ Lindsey -- yes, those two choices are fine. Hope they pro..."
Pat, I just want to comment that I love the Sandman series. It's mostly not scary, although there are some pretty disturbing parts. And I really like the way he portrays Lucifer. I don't know if his portrayal is the basis for others, but it's pretty interesting.
And Lindsey, I would recommend any of Gaiman's novels for Book 2, if you decide to go that way. All excellent.
I think if I ever start reading Graphic Novels, I'll probably start with those -- or possibly V for Vendetta (since I liked the movie).
Thank you, Pat and Kate! I will most likely stick with Neil Gaiman's short stories for the first book and definitely leave the Sandman series on my to-read list for later. I'm sure I can find another great book by him for the second one. I was just trying to take advantage of graphic novels being allowed for this task :)
Does this work?Book 1: Love Has No Boundaries Anthology: Volume 5 includes The Field of Someone Else's Dreams by Amelia C. Gormley
***I read the whole anthology, not just the story by Amelia C. Gormley
***I did get ebook approval
Book 2: Strain by Amelia C. Gormley
@ Claire - That's a working pair. Hope you have a great read! @Susan - yes, that pair works, and yes, you read the entire anthology of the first book, not just the short story by your author. Enjoy!
Provided I can get these from the library (site down)Book 1: The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories by Ernest Hemingway
Book 2: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
@Bea -- That's an awesome pair of classic reads. Hope you can get them!
Are these good?Option 1:
Book 1:
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
Book 2:
The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King
@ Delmy - Either of your choices would be an acceptable Book 1, collection. Full Dark, No Stars is listed on its main page as an Anthology and in the description specifies it as a collection of 4 stories. It will not work for Book 2, which needs to be a single, full length work.
Pat wrote: "@ Delmy - Either of your choices would be an acceptable Book 1, collection. Full Dark, No Stars is listed on its main page as an Anthology and in the description specifies it as a..."
sorry,i fixed it before you got a chance to see it.
Yes, that's an acceptable book 2 choice! You're good to go! :-)
Hi Pat! I am a teacher too! Great task. Hope you enjoy your summer!I wanted to make sure YA is okay. The task doesn't state otherwise but you can't be too sure! :)
Also the first book doesn't have a length requirement, right?
Thanks so much!
The books are:
Friends: Stories About New Friends, Old Friends, And Unexpectedly True Friends and You Know Where to Find Me
Hi Nicole. Correct - first book does not have a length requirement beyond that which is already set by the SRC.
Young Adult genre is fine as long as it's not labeled "children's" as well. Even though the word "children's" appears in the description, it is not in the genre shelves either on the main page OR on the page behind the main page. I'll ok it.
Approved! Enjoy the reading! AND your summer!
Pat wrote: "Hi Nicole. Correct - first book does not have a length requirement beyond that which is already set by the SRC.
Young Adult genre is fine as long as it's not labeled "children's" as well. Ev..."
Thanks, Pat! I am a little out of the loop on the new rules. I appreciate the approval as these are some of my favorite YA writers in the collection! :)
No problem. There is a lot of really good YA reading out there that is just good reading all around. And for some of us "oldies," that YA stuff helps us feel like we're still in the game. LOL
Bea wrote: "Provided I can get these from the library (site down)Book 1: The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories by Ernest Hemingway
Book 2: A Farewell to Arms by [..."
and Pat wrote: "@Bea -- That's an awesome pair of classic reads. Hope you can get them!"
Well, Pat, Book 1 is out. The new library system only has it in a DVD.
I would like to replace my planned Book 1 with
[book:In Our Time|4652] for short stories. This one is in the library system.
ETA: Link does not seem to be working.
Bea-I adore Hemingway! What great choices! Let me know what you think!
@Bea. Sorry you couldn't get your first pick, but
In Our Time fits the task specs, so you're good to go with that one. Enjoy your time with the Old Man. He's a great read.
Just checking to make sure I understand this rightBook 1 Luke: Complete Series
Book 2 Black Box
Thanks
Could I please get Sparrow Hill Road for book 1? The Short Stories genre keeps showing up and falling off on the main book page but it was there when I checked today. Thanks!
@ Jecca -- looks like you understood it perfectly. Both approved! @ KarenF -- short stories is on there now, so it's going to fly today! Be sure to double check and make sure it has at least FOUR separate stories, though. I can't find anywhere the description specifies that...
Enjoy the reading, ladies. :-)
I found 2 on my TBR that I think work:Book 1:Breakfast at Tiffany's: And Three Stories by Truman Capote and
for book 2: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Pat wrote: "@ KarenF -- short stories is on there now, so it's going to fly today! Be sure to double check and make sure it has at least F..."
Thanks Pat. I was flipping through it to see how many stories and I don't think it's going to work. It's a bit of a weird hybrid - it was originally serialized on the web but it looks like it's been edited to be one story rather than individual ones. I'll switch it out for something more easily classified and use this one somewhere else.
Thanks for checking for me!
That works. I'll move it to the "not ok" stack so it'll be clear to the moderators. Thanks for thumbing through it and taking a decent peek at it. @KSMary - that pair will absolutely work! Hope they provide you with a great read. In Cold Blood ... shudder ... was a creepy, but really good, read.
I will go the non-fiction way with this.Can I have confirmed that these books work:
Book 1: The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness & Obsession Short Stories /essays
Book 2: The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
@ Fandury - Those will work! Have fun (as much as possible with non-fiction). :-D
Fandury wrote: "I will go the non-fiction way with this.Can I have confirmed that these books work:
Book 1: The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness & Obsession Short Stories /essa..."
Fascinating choices ... the tbr grows as I see what others planning to read ....
I want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly, especially regarding how The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes was resolved, if I were to read a graphic novel, such as Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile (or something else from that series), that would be considered Book 1 because it is a collection of various issues of the comic? So if I read Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile as Book 1, I could read one of Bill Willingham novels (he has 2) for book 2 or possibly Fables Encyclopedia?
Book 1 - should be identified as a collection or an anthology of short stories, essays and/or novellas in the title, book description, or on the main page genre list: short stories, essays, anthologies, or short story collection. Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile does not currently fulfill this requirement as it is not identified in its description or main page genre listing as one of these types.
But, let me see what the moderators say, and I'll get back to you.
Either of the Bill Willingham novels would be approved as a Book 2 choice, but the encyclopedia appears to be a set of collected works and not a single "long form" read.
Does that help? Or have I just made mud?
Pat wrote: "Book 1 - should be identified as a collection or an anthology of short stories, essays and/or novellas in the title, book description, or on the main page genre list: short stories, essays, anthol..."Would the encyclopedia work for book 1, then?
Stacie wrote: "Pat wrote: "Book 1 - should be identified as a collection or an anthology of short stories, essays and/or novellas in the title, book description, or on the main page genre list: short stories, es..."And could a graphic novel, such as Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile be used for book 2, if it met the page requirements?
As long as the first book - Book 1 - is CLEARLY identified either on the main page or via the description as being a collection or an anthology of short stories, essays and/or novellas , then I'll approve it. As long as the second book - Book 2 - is CLEARLY identified as being a single long form work, then I'll approve it.
Both of the books in question fall into a grey area as neither is clearly identified as being one or the other. That makes it hard to rule. If you can find an off source site that clearly identifies what genre they fall into, then I'll accept it.
I hope that's making sense. I'm not familiar with the graphic genre, so it's hard for me to imagine what you're asking. I've referred the question to the moderators, and I'll let you know how they rule on it. Thanks for your patience.
Stacie .. I have a final ruling. Hope this makes you happy. :-) It appears as though Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile DOES fall under the guidelines of the Book 1 specs.
"Fables: Legends In Exile collects the first five issues of writer and creator Bill Willingham's acclaimed new Vertigo series "
I'm going to approve it as a Book 1 option. That means that you can read either of Willingham's stand alone novels as your Book 2 selection.
The encyclopedia is a compendium, not a single work and not really a collection of works, more like a summary or annotated reference book.
Sorry for all the confusion, and thanks again for your patience!
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
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L.M. Montgomery (other topics)
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Aimee Carter (other topics)
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I'm a school teacher in the real world, and it seems like summer is always too short and the school year is always too long.
This is a two book task.
Book 1 - Read a book of collected works with at least 4 separate pieces, either all by the same author or by multiple authors. This book should be identified as a collection or an anthology of short stories, essays and/or novellas in the title, book description, or on the main page genre list: short stories, essays, anthologies, or short story collection.
Book 2 - Read a book of long-form fiction or nonfiction by the same author as ONE of the contributed works from Book 1. The book should be a single work.
This book needs to be at least 200 pages in length.
Examples:
Option 1 (Short Stories all by same author ) Ramona Ausubel
Book 1 A Guide to Being Born: Stories
Book 2 No One is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Ausubel
Option 2 (Short Stories by collected authors)
Book 1 Dangerous Women "Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell" by Brandon Sanderson
Book 2 The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
REQUIRED If using Option 2 - post the name of the author and the title of his/her short story from Book 1. If the qualifying information is present in another edition's description, include both the link to your edition and a link to the book edition with the information.
Note: Books with genres “Graphic Novel,” “Sequential Art,” “Comics,” and “Manga” that conform to all other SRC rules may be used for this task.