The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

50.1 - trishhartuk's Task: Newgrange

Newgrange is a Stone Age (Neolithic) passage tomb in the Boyne Valley, County Meath, Eire. The name means “cave of the sun” in old Irish. Built around 3,100BC (according to carbon dating), making it older than Stonehenge, it is the jewel in the crown of Ireland's Ancient East. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and is an amazing place to visit.

This is a 3 book task:
1. Read one book for each of the 3 options.
2. Total combined pages must equal 750 or greater.
3. No childrens, graphic novels or manga allowed.
4. All books must have a first published date of 1993 (when it became a World Heritage site) or later
5. At least one of your books must be at least 50% set in or about Ireland, or written by an author born in Ireland (Northern or Eire). Required: Specify which of your books fits this criteria, and if the setting or birthplace isn’t obvious from the GR book or author record, please provide a reference to verify the setting/birthplace.

Book 1 - I first heard of Newgrange because of the Clannad song of the same name. The song was released in 1983 on the album Magical Ring.

Read a book with a word in the title of three or more letters (excluding and, the), matching a word in the lyrics of the song. https://genius.com/Clannad-newgrange-...
Words must match exactly.
Required: State the word

Book 2 - One of the most distinctive things about Newgrange is the artwork carved into many of the stones around the tomb. Possibly the most famous, is the Triskelion or Tri-Spiral (see here for a picture: https://irishtraditionsonline.com/the.... Choose one of the following options.
Required: State the option.

Option A. Read a book with a three-word title.

Option B: Read a book with a spiral design on the cover. This list has a few spirals on it as examples (although I don't know why The Nightingale is on it), but you don't need to use a book from it: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Required: Post the cover.

Book 3 - The passage and central chamber are aligned with the rising sun on the mornings around the Winter Solstice. Choose one of the following options.
Required: State the option.

Option A. Read a book set in winter.
Required: If the winter setting isn't clear from the description, please provide a reference to verify the season.

Option B. Read a book where the author’s first and last initials can be found in “WINTER SOLSTICE”. If the book has multiple authors listed on its main book page, only one need qualify.

These work

Book 1.

Book 2A.
Learning To Live

Book 2B.

Book 3A.

Book 3B.
C.M. Wright

These don't

Newgrange lyrics:

There is a place on the east
Mysterious ring, a Magical Ring of Stones
The druids lived here once they said
Forgotten is the race that no-one knows

Rum de rum 'rud a derimo

The circled tomb of a different age
Secret lines carved on ancient stones
Heroic Kings laid down to rest
Forgotten is the race that no-one knows

Rum de rum 'rud a derimo

Wait for the sun on a winter's day
And a beam of light shines across the floor
Mysterious ring, a Magical Ring
But forgotten is the race that no-one knows

Rum de rum 'rud a derimo

Is this a 3 word title? I think that's just junk after the word Girl. DO I need to ask a librarian to clean it up?

His Galway Girl (Previously Published as Blackrock Shores): Emerald Isle Series Book 1

Susan A wrote: "Is this a 3 word title? I think that's just junk after the word Girl. DO I need to ask a librarian to clean it up?

[book:His Galway Girl (Previously Published as Blackrock Shores): Emerald Isle S..."

I went ahead and fixed it - i'll merge the book record with the other title name once everything populates

Thanks so much!

Looks good now.

Can I read Learning To Live for Option A book 2?

Would C.M. Wright work for the author in Option B book 3. Initials are C & W in WINTER SOLSTICE?

Fiona (Titch) wrote: "Can I read Learning To Live for Option A book 2?

Looks like a three-word title to me.

Would C.M. Wright work for the author in Option B book 3. Initials are C & W in WINTER SOLSTICE?"

I stated first and last initials, so yes, that's fine.

Trish wrote: "Fiona (Titch) wrote: "Can I read Learning To Live for Option A book 2?

Looks like a three-word title to me.

Would C.M. Wright work for the author in Option B book..."

Brilliant, now to find a word from lyrics that's to do with Ireland lol

Trish, would you accept King or does it have to literally say Kings?

Fiona (Titch) wrote: "Trish, would you accept King or does it have to literally say Kings?"

Words have to match exactly for this one.

Can I get pre-approval for Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland as both a book set in Ireland, AND set in the winter?

From GR description: "In December 1972, Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home ..."

Kelly wrote: "Can I get pre-approval for Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland as both a book set in Ireland, AND set in the winter?

From GR description: "In Decemb..."

Definitely yes for Northern Ireland. I'm not convinced about the winter bit. It may start in December 1972, but it doesn't sound like the whole book is sent in the winter: it says it's a starting point. So I'm inclined to say no on that basis.

For the song lyrics, does ONE count as a title word?

I don't see One as it's own word in the lyrics as published.

If a word is hyphenated, it counts as one word, so you can't use it from no-one, if that was what you're thinking.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, since there's not an English word no-one, but since it was stylized for the song, I wasn't sure how literal it was about matching. Thanks for confirming!