The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

30.1 - Cheryl TX/Lori (BNPL)'s Task: Unique Winter Holidays
For this this task, you will roll 2 dice. You will then read 2 books written by one or two new-to-you authors (see below) that corresponds to the numbers you rolled. If you roll doubles, you would do the same option twice.

If you roll:
1. January is National Soup Month (USA): Read a book with a title or subtitle (no series titles) that includes a word found in the name of a soup. Plurals, possessives, and variations are fine. This list of soups might help. Example: Twenty Chickens For A Saddle would work for chicken noodle soup.
Required: State the name of the soup you used when you post.

2. January 6th is Cuddle Up Day: Read a cozy mystery. The crime-solver in a cozy mystery is usually a woman who is an amateur sleuth. Try cozy-mystery.com for ideas.

3. January 12th is Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day: Read a book with a male (preferably a HOT one ;-)) on the cover. Required: Post a link or cover (preferred) when claiming points.

4. January 31st is National Backward Day: Read a book whose author's initial is reversed from yours. Disregard middle initials. For authors with hyphenated names, like Josh Kilmer-Purcell, only the K in his last name would count. Example: My name is Cheryl E so I would have to read a book written by someone whose initials are EC. Required: State your initials when claiming points.

5. February 8th is Boy Scout Day: Read a book with a title or subtitle (no series titles) that contains a word found in the name of a Boy Scout merit badge. Plurals and possessives are fine, but no other variations are allowed. OR read a book about the subject of one of the merit badges.

6.February 13th is Get a Different Name Day: Choose a first name other than your own that you really like. Read a book by a an author with that first name. You would be choosing another name for yourself, so the name should work for your gender.

Your first book must be written by a new-to-you author. If you like that author, you may read another book written by that same author. If you don't like the author of the first book (or if you just want to broaden your horizons), you may pick another new-to-you author for the second book.

Required: Identify the numbers you rolled when you post. You also must indicate which author(s) is new to you, as the task requires.

Reserved

Reserved

This thread is now open.

6-
3-
These okay?

If I chose gardening as my boy scout badge (I rolled a 5), could I choose The Language of Flowers, since she plants a garden and then becomes a florist?

I rolled two 1s. So I'm thinking

Sexing the Cherry (sour cherry soup)

and

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-sour Memoir of Eating in China (shark fin soup)

I rolled 2 threes.
For male on the cover, does the male have to be alone? Can there be 2 men, or a man and a woman?
Thanks!

I rolled a 1 and 3

Thinking of The Wedding in White(Italian Wedding Soup) or Clear Water(clear broth)

Do either or both of these work for 1?

I rolled a 5. Could I use The Madhouse Nudes for the merit badge of painting?

all I can say is thank god I didn't get a 4...lol!

I got a 6 and a 3.

So I like the nickname Alex for a girl for some odd reason. So could I read Wish by Alexandra Bullen for 6?

For 3 I have a couple different options I wanted to check....


Would any of those work for option 3?

I rolled a 2 and 5.

For 2 would Decked work for a cozy mystery. I got it from the website but not all of the authors listed are cozy mystery writers. Otherwise, I might try a M.C. Beaton book

I rolled a 4! If I totally strike out on the initials B.K., can I use my middle name or maiden name initials?

So far I have Barbara Kingsolver and Kalisha Buckhannon, but I've read them both. Any ideas anyone? Or is there an easy search on goodreads that I can use?

Sorry Karen I looked through ALL my books on Goodreads which there is more than 1800 and not one B.K. initials for authors. I would trade with you if I could. There are a lot of M.M. initials out there.

Thanks for trying. I went through all my K author shelves here in my high school library and Barbara Kingsolver was the only B. I've read Upstate by Kalisha Buckhannon and that's all I can come up with so far. My maiden name would be K K or my middle initial M K. Anyway -- I'm open to any suggestions!

Kathleen Baldwin, Kristi Brooks, and Kay Boyle from Wikipedia list.

I am so glad that I didn't roll that (yay for rolling double 2s). My reverse would be L.K. There just aren't a lot of K last names.

Bea wrote: "Kathleen Baldwin, Kristi Brooks, and Kay Boyle from Wikipedia list."

Ahhh - Wikipedia, thanks!

Karen GHHS wrote: "I rolled a 4! If I totally strike out on the initials B.K., can I use my middle name or maiden name initials?

So far I have Barbara Kingsolver and Kalisha Buckhannon, but I've read them both. Any ..."

Karen,

If your backward initials are BK and you like spicy romance (like I do), Beth Kery is a great option. I really like her.

This one should work for a 3, right?

And Dracula by Bram Stoker (my Initials are SB)

Yes, sadly BOTH those books are by new-to-me authors, but not for long :)

Karen GHHS wrote: "Bea wrote: "Kathleen Baldwin, Kristi Brooks, and Kay Boyle from Wikipedia list."

Ahhh - Wikipedia, thanks!"
Oh, shoot - I was thinking Kay Boyle until I realized that those names are the right way around for my initials! My initials are KB, so I need BK.

Fran wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "I rolled a 4! If I totally strike out on the initials B.K., can I use my middle name or maiden name initials?

So far I have Barbara Kingsolver and Kalisha Buckhannon, but I've..."

Thanks for the idea. It's not my genre, but I may try it!

Karen GHHS wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "Bea wrote: "Kathleen Baldwin, Kristi Brooks, and Kay Boyle from Wikipedia list."

Ahhh - Wikipedia, thanks!"
Oh, shoot - I was thinking Kay Boyle until I realized that those nam..."

Sorry, Karen, that I got the initials wrong. I will put on my thinking cap and see if I can come up with others for you.

The only book on my shelves is for BK is Get A Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties And Thirties by Beth Kobliner. Probably not of much interest...

Checking my TBR, I found Beth Kanell.

I found one! I don't know how I missed this author going through my shelves. I've never read any of her books, even though I've picked them up intending to many times:

Beth Kephart

Now I just have to pick one of the 4 I have :)

Thanks for the help, everyone!

Karen GHHS wrote: "Thanks for the help, everyone!"

No problem!

I rolled a 3 and a 4.

For the man on cover, is it OK if it has other people on the cover too? E.g. man and woman, more than one man, etc?

Karen GHHS wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "Bea wrote: "Kathleen Baldwin, Kristi Brooks, and Kay Boyle from Wikipedia list."

Ahhh - Wikipedia, thanks!"
Oh, shoot - I was thinking Kay Boyle until I realized that those nam..."

Here are some B.K. authors I stumbled upon:

Bernard Knight - historical fiction/mystery
Brian Keene - horror
Betina Krahn - romance
Brian Keaney - young adult/science fiction

I'll update if I find any more. Hope this is helpful!

Whoops! Looks like I'm a bit late. *slinks away*

Don't go slinking away, Dionisia. You just gave me another author to add to be TBR pile...Bernard Knight. Thanks!

I have no idea if this aligns with your reading interests at all, but I found Now the Hell Will Start: One Soldier's Flight from the Greatest Manhunt of World War II by Brendan Koerner on my read list. I happened to enjoy this one quite a lot - Koerner's got some interesting things to say about racial discrimination in the military.

Dionisia wrote: "Whoops! Looks like I'm a bit late. *slinks away*"

Oh, no, Dionisia, I'm always interested in other authors and Brian Keaney looks intriguing. As always, I'll end up with tons more books I want to read than I can fit in!

Also, Jessica, even though I don't read much nonfiction, I love getting recommendations for my high school readers. I have one boy in particular who would love this one!

I rolled a 6 and a 4; I think I'll be reading Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine and either The Reader by Bernhard Schlink or Dracula by Bram Stoker. It was tough coming up with authors I was interested in reading with the initials BS!

I'm having trouble with my initials as well. I am KT, so I need something TK, I've thought of Thomas Keneally but other than that I've found nothing that I really want to read, only about 3 authors on my tbr even had T as their first name! Anyone got any suggestions?

Katrina wrote: "I'm having trouble with my initials as well. I am KT, so I need something TK, I've thought of Thomas Keneally but other than that I've found nothing that I really want to read, only a..."

Darn- I don't have any first names with "t" only TBR either. I will keep thinking and looking, though.

I found these on Fantastic Fiction:

Toni L.P. Kelner
Tabitha King
Tom Knox
Tom Kratman

If you like nonfiction, Tracy Kidder might be a good TK choice.

Oh goody! Happy to help.

I got engaged the other day, wish I were married already, would be so much easier for this task. Then I'd be KM, and have to find MK. haha, but I don't think I can do this as I won't be married until the next Fall challenge!

Would the Stephanie Plum series be considered cozy mystery? The link said it was.

Katrina wrote: "I got engaged the other day, wish I were married already, would be so much easier for this task. Then I'd be KM, and have to find MK. haha, but I don't think I can do this as I won't be married u..."

Katrina, Congratulations!!!! No hurry up and change your name so the task will be easier! LOL

Sassafrass wrote: "Katrina wrote: "I got engaged the other day, wish I were married already, would be so much easier for this task. Then I'd be KM, and have to find MK. haha, but I don't think I can do this as I wo..."

Thanks :) I wish I could change my name now, haha!

Would work for a 3?

Congratulations Katrina!! How exciting!

I rolled a 3--- Is this guy hot enough?
:-)



Thanks

Thanks for your help everyone, however just discovered Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly which fits and is something that seems interesting. Glad I don't have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to finish a task! :)

Wish my initials were more common backwards!

I decided to change to this one. I've already read a book by Beverly Lewis.



Thanks