The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

5.1. Five Suns.
The Aztec creation myth of Five Suns describes 5 stages of creation, each of which was destroyed by some sort of disaster - the current World, the 5th, is supposed to be destroyed by earthquakes.

Read a book that includes a natural disaster, such as avalanche, earthquake, flood, forest fire, hurricane, lightning, tornado, tsunami, or volcanic eruption. This must be a "geological event or force of nature that has catastrophic consequences."
REQUIRED: Include a brief explanation of the natural disaster involved.

these work:
The Smoke Jumper
Ashfall
Ice
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
After: The Shock
Zeitoun
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
Nation
The Age of Miracles
Life As We Knew It
Resurrecting Pompeii
Pompeii : The Life of a Roman Town
Forever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of Mountaineering's Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters
The Book of Strange New Things
after the quake
One Amazing Thing
A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
1222

won't work:
Through the Fire
Murder on Tiki Island: A Noir Paranormal Mystery In The Florida Keys

This thread is now open!

Would fire qualify as in The Smoke Jumper?

Ashfall

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Ashfall"

that works

Bea wrote: "Would fire qualify as in The Smoke Jumper?"

that works

Sandy wrote: "Bea wrote: "Would fire qualify as in The Smoke Jumper?"

that works"

Thank you.

Would a blizzard also work? For instance,

Lauren wrote: "Would a blizzard also work? For instance, "

yep

Thanks, Sandy :0)

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl ?

Ann A wrote: "The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl ?"

yes

Sandy wrote: "Ann A wrote: "The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl ?"

yes"

Thanks, Sandy. I love how the challenge widens one's horizons. I've been wanting to read a book about this event for awhile, and this task gave me that extra push!

Ann A wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Thanks, Sandy. I love how the challenge widens one's horizons. I've been wanting to read a book about this event for awhile, and this task gave me that extra push!
.."

That's the great thing about the challenge - I find myself reading books that I've been meaning to read for years!

I'm not quite sure what a "comboquake" is, but would The Ice Cap and the Rift work?

What about a "massive solar storm"?
After: The Shock by Scott Nicholson

Sue T wrote: "I'm not quite sure what a "comboquake" is, but would The Ice Cap and the Rift work?"

It's hard to tell from the description whether this whole "comboquake" may have been caused by this technology they found and/or some sort of enemy/terrorist attack, since all of that is mentioned in the plot. If you read it, and it's clearly caused by nature, not by technology or human intervention of any sort, then it works.

So, since I haven't read the book, I'll have to go with "maybe."

Vicki wrote: "What about a "massive solar storm"?
After: The Shock by Scott Nicholson"

yes

Is a smallpox epidemic a force of nature? Frog Music is set during "a record-breaking heat wave and a smallpox epidemic."

BriKie wrote: "Is a smallpox epidemic a force of nature? Frog Music is set during "a record-breaking heat wave and a smallpox epidemic.""

The epidemic doesn't work, because it's an event that requires human participation, not just a force of nature.

On the heat wave, does it actually have "catastrophic consequences"? It's been a couple years since I read the book, so I can't recall - but if it's just "too damn hot," that doesn't work. If people are dying in droves because of the heat, then it could be a "catastrophic consequence."

If that's the case, be sure to explain it in your post.

Okay, thanks, I'll keep looking, Sandy.

How about ... Zeitoun

I've previously read and would recommend these NONfiction works:
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded

Book Concierge wrote: "How about ... Zeitoun.."

that works

I think I might have found a possibility: Nation. Mau's tribe is washed away by a tsunami and he is the only survivor, until a girl, the sole survivor of a shipwreck, arrives on the island.

Also, maybe, The Age of Miracles?

Would you approve Through the Fire? It features many fires that are set by an arsonist.

How about this bookInto Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster?

Angel **Book Junkie** wrote: "Would you approve Through the Fire? It features many fires that are set by an arsonist."

sorry, no, that doesn't sound like it involves a "natural disaster."

Teodora wrote: "How about this bookInto Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster?"

since it involves a huge storm, that works for a "natural disaster."

BriKie wrote: "I think I might have found a possibility: Nation. Mau's tribe is washed away by a tsunami and he is the only survivor, until a girl, the sole survivor of a shipwreck, arrives on the..."

those both appear to involve natural disasters, so they'd work.

Sandy wrote: "Angel **Book Junkie** wrote: "Would you approve Through the Fire? It features many fires that are set by an arsonist."

sorry, no, that doesn't sound like it involves a "natural dis..."

After I read the thing a few more times I figured you'd say that ... lol

Here's an obvious yes for fans of YA, post-apocalyptic survival stories. It has meteors, earthquakes, tsunamis AND volcanic ash blocking the sun: Life As We Knew It.

Beth F. wrote: "Here's an obvious yes for fans of YA, post-apocalyptic survival stories. It has meteors, earthquakes, tsunamis AND volcanic ash blocking the sun: Life As We Knew It."

yes, you're right............but where's the hurricane?

Would Seveneves work? I think there's a meteorite storm.

Elizabeth wrote: "Would Seveneves work? I think there's a meteorite storm."

I haven't read it, and there's nothing in the synopsis to indicate whether there's actually a "natural disaster." If in fact there's a cataclysmic event involving a meteorite storm, that would work.

Resurrecting Pompeii and Pompeii : The Life of a Roman Town are both about the 79 Vesuvius eruption. I assume either would work?

Daphne wrote: "Resurrecting Pompeii and Pompeii : The Life of a Roman Town are both about the 79 Vesuvius eruption. I assume either would work?"

yes. The latter seems to focus more on life in the town before the eruption, but assuming that the eruption does occur during the course of the book (which seems a reasonable assumption!), it works.

Sandy wrote: "yes. The latter seems to focus more on life in the town before the eruption, but assuming that the eruption does occur during the course of the book (which seems a reasonable assumption!), it works. "

Thanks Sandy! Great challenge idea. Love the ones that let me use my non-fiction books :)

Daphne wrote: "Love the ones that let me use my non-fiction books :)
"

I'm a big non-fiction reader, too.

How about this one: Forever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of Mountaineering's Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters

Cindy wrote: "How about this one: Forever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of Mountaineering's Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters"

yes

Book Concierge wrote: "I've previously read and would recommend these NONfiction works:
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded"


Thanks for the reminder about these two books, been on my TBR for a while :)

For those of us who like literary fiction, can I get The Book of Strange New Things approved?

From the description: "But Peter is rattled when Bea’s letters from home become increasingly desperate: typhoons and earthquakes are devastating whole countries, and governments are crumbling." Bea is a main character of the book.

Thanks!

BriKie wrote: "For those of us who like literary fiction, can I get The Book of Strange New Things approved?

From the description: "But Peter is rattled when Bea’s letters from home become increa..."

yep, sounds like plenty of natural disaster here!

Sandy wrote: "Sue T wrote: "I'm not quite sure what a "comboquake" is, but would The Ice Cap and the Rift work?"

It's hard to tell from the description whether this whole "comboquake" may have b..."

Thanks, Sandy

I'm not sure if this is enough. In Murder on Tiki Island: A Noir Paranormal Mystery In The Florida Keys the protagonist describes (an actual historic 1935) "Labor Day Hurricane", the strongest recorded storm to ever make landfall in Florida. He details devastation, deaths, and includes historic photos in a roughly five-page foreword. Then, from what I can tell, there's occasional reference in the 1950s-set novel to "the storm". Is that enough, or does the hurricane have to be current within the narrative?

Jonquil wrote: "I'm not sure if this is enough. In Murder on Tiki Island: A Noir Paranormal Mystery In The Florida Keys the protagonist describes (an actual historic 1935) "Labor Day Hurricane", th..."

sorry, this sounds like the hurricane is just a bit of back story, not something happening in the book.

Sandy wrote: "Jonquil wrote: "I'm not sure if this is enough. In Murder on Tiki Island: A Noir Paranormal Mystery In The Florida Keys the protagonist describes (an actual historic 1935) "Labor Da..."

Thanks, Sandy!

Would after the quake work?