You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

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Museum 38. Inhotim in Brumadinho, Brazil


1. Location - Bumadinho, Brazil
The Brumadinho dam disaster occurred on January 25, 2019, resulting in the deaths of 270 people.
Task: Read a book with a theme of Natural Disaster. The book may be about earthquakes, volcanoes, weather (hurricane, tornado), mountain slides, floods, forest fires, etc. It does not include situations like airplane crashes, shipwrecks, etc.

2. About - It was founded by the former mining magnate Bernardo Paz, who turned his ranch into the open air museum.
Task: Read a book that takes place primarily on a farm, ranch, or plantation.

3. Collection - Carrion Flower
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
This flower looks fantastical.
Task: Read a book that is set in a fantasy world.

4. Interactive item - based on the Imhotim.
Task: Your choice based on your selection from the collection. Required - link to the picture and explain connection.

Need a tip on how to view the items at this museum. I'm not getting many hits of value. Have you a clue for me?

Almeta wrote: "Need a tip on how to view the items at this museum. I'm not getting many hits of value. Have you a clue for me?"

Did you try Wikipedia? They have several pictures across the bottom of the page.

And Instagram.

Hey Janice, would you accept The Monstrumologist for the collection task? The location of the book is roughly based in a historical, alternate Pennsylvania suburb, but it is a reality where the monsters of our nightmares roam free . . .

Jenn wrote: "Hey Janice, would you accept The Monstrumologist for the collection task? The location of the book is roughly based in a historical, alternate Pennsylvania suburb, but it is a realit..."

Yes, fantasy locations work as well as long as they can be identified as location requested in the task.

Janice wrote: "Jenn wrote: "Hey Janice, would you accept The Monstrumologist for the collection task?

Yes, fantasy locations work as well as long as they can be identified as location requested in the task..."

But does somewhere real but alternate reality count as a "fantasy world"?

Yes. It counts. Fantasy, Alternate Reality, Speculative Fiction.... they're all sub-genres of Sci-Fi.

I have this book on my wishlist. I'll be interested in what you say about it.

Janice wrote: "I have this book on my wishlist. I'll be interested in what you say about it."

I am actually nearly done, and it is quite good. Many twists and turns, and challenges to perspective and empathy . . .

My library has started a "Match" service, you can give them an age group, or genre, or both, or neither, and they will pull up to 10 books that they think that you might like . . . I got an AWESOME pile :) nearly halfway through it now lol

They Called Us Enemy
Moon of the Crusted Snow
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
Dark Matter
The Monstrumologist
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Wave
Noggin
The Perfect Mother
Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany

Those titles look intriguing! What a great program.

Janice wrote: "Those titles look intriguing! What a great program."

It is a fabulous program :)

And, I am actually going to use The Monstromologist for Museum 11's fictional city.

Janice wrote: "I have this book on my wishlist. I'll be interested in what you say about it."

It was good, but be warned it is the first in a series of four lol But, on the upside it is a complete series (2009-2013)

It kind of felt like the Sherlock movies for me, although I can't completely figure why . . .

1. Location - Bumadinho, Brazil

Task: Read a book with a theme of Natural Disaster. The book may be about earthquakes, volcanoes, weather (hurricane, tornado), mountain slides, floods, forest fires, etc. It does not include situations like airplane crashes, shipwrecks, etc.

Would Love Song for a Raven work for this task?

The synopsis says:
" ...Without warning, a ferocious storm in the Queen Charlotte Islands plunged Janna Morgan into the frigid sea. But before she could sink into the depths of the choppy waters, an arm reached out through the darkness, pulling Janna to safety. ..."

Thanks.

Viji wrote: "1. Location - Bumadinho, Brazil

Task: Read a book with a theme of Natural Disaster. The book may be about earthquakes, volcanoes, weather (hurricane, tornado), mountain slides, floods, forest fire..."

It's not exactly what I had in mind when I wrote that task, but it's about a storm that leaves them shipwrecked on an island so I guess it technically fits.

Janice wrote: "Viji wrote: "1. Location - Bumadinho, Brazil

Task: Read a book with a theme of Natural Disaster. The book may be about earthquakes, volcanoes, weather (hurricane, tornado), mountain slides, floods..."

Thanks, Janice. I would keep this book in reserve.

1. Location - Bumadinho, Brazil

Task: Read a book with a theme of Natural Disaster.

Would be closer to the theme and acceptable? The synopsis states:
"... a reclusive woman opens up her home to her neighbors in the wake of a devastating earthquake, setting off events that reveal secrets, break relationships apart, and bring strangers together to forge powerful new bonds...."

Gorgeous Book that ticks lots of boxes: The Murmur of Bees. I used it for About for card 38, set on farm ranch or plantation. But it has fruit on the cover (Museum 5, Collection), is set in Mexico and by a Mexican author (Museum 16, Location) is also originally in Spanish, translated to English (Museum 33, Location). It also has fruit and bees and sun on cover, so might work for some interactive tasks you invent. It is cool magical realism book.

Viji wrote: "1. Location - Bumadinho, Brazil

Task: Read a book with a theme of Natural Disaster.

Would be closer to the theme and acceptable? The synopsis states:
"... a reclus..."

I didn't disallow Love Song for a Raven, but either book fits.

It just seems that with some romance books, the disaster is more a backdrop than a major theme. Maybe I'm being too picky here. Of the 2 books you've listed, I think Neighbors is a better fit.

Janice wrote: "Viji wrote: "1. Location - Bumadinho, Brazil

Task: Read a book with a theme of Natural Disaster.

Would be closer to the theme and acceptable? The synopsis states:
..."

I agree with you. You had clearly mentioned that the book - Love Song for a Raven technically fits. I was also not sure about the romance genre and tried to find an alternative book for this task. I would read Neighbours for this task. Thanks a lot for the help, Janice.

Thanks Viji. A lot of the tasks are subjective and I try really hard to not let my personal preferences dictate my rulings. My hope is that my rulings are fair and consistent, and I'm not sure if I'm always successful.

And then I tell myself that challenges are meant to push people into sometimes reading things outside of their comfort zones. So maybe something like "theme of natural disaster" lends itself better to a non-fiction account of a situation rather than a romance for which it's just a backdrop. I don't know. It's something to consider when gophering for tasks.

Would you consider The World Without Us as a book that qualifies for:

1. Location - Bumadinho, Brazil
Task: Read a book with a theme of Natural Disaster.

I doesn't specify one type of disaster but multiple natural disasters (floods, decay, extinction, etc.) that would occur, if we were not available to control and maintain the world we have constructed to try and tame "Mother Nature".

I'm not sure Almeta. From the blurb I don't see much about natural disaster, just what would happen to everything people built and invented and introduced if we were no longer here. Maybe one of the other mods can help out :)

I agree I am afraid, Almeta. This reads as it is the aftermath of us being wiped out but not about natural disasters themselves.

For task #3 - book set in a fantasy world. Does the book have to have the fantasy genre on the main page? Do sci-fi books count?

Amanda wrote: "For task #3 - book set in a fantasy world. Does the book have to have the fantasy genre on the main page? Do sci-fi books count?"

While it's a setting task, it's linked to a genre, so it should be identifiable as fantasy. Not all science fiction is fantasy, so you could only use it if it's also shelved as fantasy.

This seems to be a contentious one Janice, so sorry for adding to the mix. But would Here Come The Dogs fit what you want for Natural Disasters? It's set in the day of the massive firestorm that hit us in Canberra in 2003. Not sure how much it deals with the fires itself, but it will impact whatever happened that day (eg it was dark at 2pm and then the sky was punctuated by orange bursts, the whole city was on alert as 8 suburbs burnt, etc).

If not, all good. I also have We Are The Weather Makers which is non-fiction on climate change so I have options!

Rusalka wrote: "This seems to be a contentious one Janice, so sorry for adding to the mix. But would Here Come The Dogs fit what you want for Natural Disaste..."

It sounds like it will work. Natural conditions - dry forest, drought conditions equals tinderbox for disaster.

Janice, I just finished reading a book where the MCs have to stop magically caused natural disasters (earthquakes, geysers, floods) from happening.

Would that work for Location - Read a book with a theme of Natural Disaster?

Lanelle wrote: "Janice, I just finished reading a book where the MCs have to stop magically caused natural disasters (earthquakes, geysers, floods) from happening.

Would that work for Location - Read a book with..."

I can't see why not. Nothing said it had to be based on real disasters.

Janice wrote: "Lanelle wrote: "Janice, I just finished reading a book where the MCs have to stop magically caused natural disasters (earthquakes, geysers, floods) from happening.

Would that work for Location - ..."

Awesome. Thank you.

Has anyone read The Amaranth Enchantment? Would this book work for the task:

Collection: Read a book that is set in a fantasy world.

Thanks.

Viji wrote: "Has anyone read The Amaranth Enchantment? Would this book work for the task:

Collection: Read a book that is set in a fantasy world.

Th..."

It shows as Fantasy genre, so the question is whether or not it resembles Earth so as to be set there.

The book I am currently reading from the Realm of the Elderling series has a compete world that is not earth. Juliet Marillier's books (eg Daughter of the Forest) are all fantasy but set in an imagined ancient Ireland.

Sometimes you have to read the book and be willing to not have it fit the challenge if it doesn't work out.

Janice wrote: "Viji wrote: "Has anyone read The Amaranth Enchantment? Would this book work for the task:

Collection: Read a book that is set in a fanta..."

Got it. Thanks, Janice.

For the "Natural Disaster", would you approve a record-breaking blizzard? Five Total Strangers

I get very confused when a task includes the word "theme".
For Location, would The Nature of Fragile Things be acceptable? The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 plays a significant role in the lives of the characters. Thanks

The theme of a book is the central idea of the story. So a task with a theme of natural disaster means that the book needs to be centered around that disaster.

Both books, Five Total Strangers and The Nature of Fragile Things would be acceptable.

Definition of theme:

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/cliffsnot...

Awesome, thanks Janice 😃

Thanks for the help Janice.