The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

50.1 - Daphne's Task: Gone to the dogs - What's in a name?

There are many things that are important to me, but few are more important or have taught me more about living life than my pack of mongrels. I've been involved in rescue for over a decade. It used to be dogs in general that I fostered (and kept the splendidly broken ones), but then I met my first wolfdog. One thing people always notice about them is their slightly eccentric names.

For this task, all books must be nonfiction. Read 3 books, from 3 different options.

1. Plutarch - My beloved first rescue that crawled to my yard one morning nearly dead. We didn't think he'd make it through the night, but he did, and proceeded to give our house a decade worth of grumpy chow disdain for everything not his humans or carrots. Plutarch was an ancient Greek biographer (the first real biographer by most accounts) and historian.

For this option, read a biography. It cannot be a memoir or autobiography. The subject of the biography must have died before 1950. REQUIRED: In your post, include the date of death of the subject of the biography.

2. Thutmose IV - He is my splendidly neurotic English Shepherd mutt. Never so happy as when he is running full tilt through the woods while we are out backpacking. Thutmose IV was an Egyptian Pharaoh during the 18th dynasty (14th century BCE). His claim to fame is that uncovered the Sphinx, already ancient in his day, after it had been buried in sands to its head for many years.

For this option, read a book on the listopias Popular Archaeology and Paleoanthropology or Best Popular Anthropology Books.
REQUIRED: In your post, state which list you chose and the page the book is found on.

NOTE: There are books of fiction included on the lists. Books used for this task MUST be nonfiction, even if they appear on the list.

3. Mirza - She is my highly neurotic little girl. I never thought a dog would be prescribed anti-psychotics until I met her. She has both the paper thin skin of a whippet AND the desire to constantly pick fights of a terrier. I can't begin to tell you how many times we've been at the vets to get stitches for her after she's started fights she can't win. Mirza was named after the only named dog in any Alexandre Dumas's works. She was an important character in his short novel, The Conspirators.

For this option, read a nonfiction book first published in the 19th century (1800-1899).

4. Theseus - He is my goofy hound mix. Sleeps in the bathtub, lives for toys, and can't figure out how to walk on a leash without falling over. Pretty much as inept as the actual Theseus.

For this option, read a non-fiction history book about Rome or Greece. History (standalone or embedded) must appear as a main page genre,, and the GR description must indicate that the book is about Rome or Greece.

5. Xerxes - My ginger chow/shar pei with a major, major attitude. He hates kids, other people, and sometimes the rest of the dogs. He just enjoys doing his own thing, and I love him all the more for it. Xerxes ruled the Persian Empire in 480 BCE when they invaded the Greek mainland.

For this option, read a nonfiction book that contains the letter X in the title or subtitle AND that contains all the letters of EITHER the word DOG, the word WOLF or the word CANID in the title and/or subtitle. The letters need not be consecutive or in the same order as in the target word, but all letters to form the word must appear in the title. Letters may be used only as many times as they appear in the title/subtitle.
REQUIRED: Specify the word you used and the location of the letters to make the word.

6. Tesla - My current wolfdog. He is the most beautiful wolf and malamute mix I have ever seen. His personality is the exact mix of wolf and malamute traits that makes him the greatest companion I've ever shared my home with. Nikola Tesla was a pretty awesome scientist and engineer that has recently become vogue again.

For this option, read a nonfiction book with the main page genre science. The genre science may be stand alone or embedded.

Approved Books:

1. - Died 30BCE
- Died 1800s
- Died 1793
- Died 1854
- Died 1870
- Died 1945
- Died 1818
- Died 1521
- Died in 1776



2.

3. - 1848

4. - Rome

5. XCANID and XDOG: Death at the Priory: Love, Sex, and Murder in Victorian England
XCANID and XDOG: The Armstrong Girl: A Child for Sale: The Battle Against the Victorian Sex Trade
XDOG and XWOLF and XCANID: Odd Couples: Extraordinary Differences Between the Sexes in the Animal Kingdom
XWOLF: Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality
XCANID and XWOLF: Darwin's Pharmacy: Sex, Plants, and the Evolution of the Noosphere
XDOG and XCANID and XWOLF: The Shining Sea: David Porter and the Epic Voyage of the U.S.S. Essex during the War of 1812
XDOG: Nature's Nether Regions: What the Sex Lives of Bugs, Birds, and Beasts Tell Us About Evolution, Biodiversity, and Ourselves
XWOLF and XCANID and XDOG: Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life: A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity are Revolutionizing our View of Human Nature
XDOG and XCANID: Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax"
XCANID: The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
XDOG and XCANID and XWOLF: The Dragon Seekers: How An Extraordinary Circle Of Fossilists Discovered The Dinosaurs And Paved The Way For Darwin
XDOG and XCANID and XWOLF: The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science and What Comes Next
XWOLF: How to Build a Dinosaur: Extinction Doesn't Have to Be Forever
XCANID: Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved

6.

Not Approved:

1. - Not a biography about a single person.
- Not a biography about a single person.
- Not a biography about a single person.
- Not a biography about a single person.

This thread is now open!

yikes...that's why its a challenge right? ;)

Hiya, excited to read non-fiction that is not religion or spirituality or self-help (which is what I've had to read for SRC before now :( )

on the Plutarch option, I found Cleopatra: A Life, but it has genre "Biography Memoir" (what the....?!)
Would this be OK - I very much doubt it is in any way a memoir!

Thanks :)

Catherine wrote: "Hiya, excited to read non-fiction that is not religion or spirituality or self-help (which is what I've had to read for SRC before now :( )

on the Plutarch option, I found [book:Cleopatra: A Life|..."

That would definitely work. It's nice to see that at least 100 GR readers have no idea what "memoir" means *sigh*

I haven't tackled this one myself, but many of my GR friends have. They range from 2 stars to 5 stars, so I'm interested to see what you think of this.

Happy to hear you like the challenge. I enjoyed coming up with it. :)

Dee wrote: "yikes...that's why its a challenge right? ;)"

I've read my fair share of romances and what nots in other challenges through the years. I figured I'd invite you all into my world for a bit. I hope you don't mind Dee.

It's a bit selfish too. I'm always looking for new books to add to my tbr pile, and figured I'd be able to nap some from you all. ;)

oh no, i'm not complaining - i actually read quite a bit of NF, its more finding books that i want to read that fit and that may library has on ebook since i'm traveling this week

ok Daphne - let me know if these work:

Option 1 - Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin - biography of Jane Franklin - died in the 1800's

Option 4 - either The Twelve Caesars or Rome: A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History - both about rome; both are shelved as history

Option 6 - Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 - shelved as science

Dee wrote: "ok Daphne - let me know if these work:

Option 1 - Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin - biography of Jane Franklin - died in the 1800's

Option 4 - either [book:Th..."

All work and noted above. I read Seutonius years ago, and I remember it being a lot of really interesting information. It was one of the main reasons I fell so in love with Roman history.

i'm first in line for both books at the library (via ebook) so it will just depend on which one comes in first ;)

1) your dogs all have awesome names :)
2) I'd been looking for homes for a few NF books I've got in the TBR queue/finished queue so this task is perfect!

Current plans:
Option 1: The Sun King by Nancy Mitford (Louis XIV died in 1793)
Option 2: Either 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created (on both lists) or The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures (on the second list)
Option 6: The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2015

For option 4, does the book have to be about the actual city of Rome, or would a book about the wider Roman empire be acceptable?

I'm specifically wondering if I could use a book about britain under Roman rule, like Defying Rome: The Rebels of Roman Britain

(also, thanks for this challenge! i'm glad to have a nf task with a focus on history and science!)

I assume for the biography choice, the subject must be human so no biography of Man'O War for instance. Also for this choice you want the biography of one individual so no to Wives of Henry VIII? Thanks just looking at my TBR list and these two popped up.

I love this challenge! I have soooooo much nonfiction on my tbr!

Pleae verify this is okay for option 1 - Biography

Juan Francisco Manzano - died 1854 (per Wikipedia)

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano

AR Bookfinder: IL: MG+

Question re Option # 5 - Xerxes

Not sure what is meant by: "Letters may be used only as many times as they appear in the title/subtitle."

Does that mean that, for example the "D" or "N" can appear only once?
So if the title were: CANDIDE ON SEX ... I could NOT use it for C A N I D? (two D's and two N's in the example title)

Or am I okay to use such a title because there's an "x" and all the letters of C A N I D are found within the title?

This is just an example I made up to try to understand the rule. No such book exists (I don't think ..)

Please confirm the following:

Option 1: Charles Dickens: A Life (Dickens died in 1870)

Option 2: Kokopelli: The Magic, Mirth, and Mischief of an Ancient Symbol. There is no genre listed on its Goodreads page, but I looked at the description on Amazon and it's clearly non-fiction.

Option 3 or 6: Eureka: An Essay on the Material and Spiritual Universe

Thank you.

Book Concierge wrote: "Question re Option # 5 - Xerxes

Not sure what is meant by: "Letters may be used only as many times as they appear in the title/subtitle."

Does that mean that, for example the "D" or "N" can appea..."

I think it's the standard rule on that sort of thing in SRC tasks.

Where if the word has TWO Ns in it and there is only ONE in the title/subtitle, then you would not be able to use the letter more times than it appears in the title/subtitle.

At least it's the same wording typically used.

Melissa wrote: "1) your dogs all have awesome names :)
2) I'd been looking for homes for a few NF books I've got in the TBR queue/finished queue so this task is perfect!

Current plans:
Option 1: [book:The Sun Kin..."

All those look good. :)

Catie wrote: "For option 4, does the book have to be about the actual city of Rome, or would a book about the wider Roman empire be acceptable?

I'm specifically wondering if I could use a book about britain und..."

That works for me. When I think of the word Rome, it is so much more than just a city. :)

Andy wrote: "I assume for the biography choice, the subject must be human so no biography of Man'O War for instance. Also for this choice you want the biography of one individual so no to [book:Wives of Henry V..."

You assume correct. Biography about one individual. Otherwise it's really just a history book right? :)

The Henry V one looks interesting though. Off to make my TBR list longer. :)

Book Concierge wrote: "Pleae verify this is okay for option 1 - Biography

Juan Francisco Manzano - died 1854 (per Wikipedia)

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano

AR Bookfinder: I..."

Looks like it fits all the rules for poetry and childrens ratings. :)

Book Concierge wrote: "Question re Option # 5 - Xerxes

Not sure what is meant by: "Letters may be used only as many times as they appear in the title/subtitle."

Does that mean that, for example the "D" or "N" can appea..."

Morgan has it right. If there were double letters in required words/letter, then they'd have to show up double in the title/sub, but since they are all single letters - each letter can show up as many times as it's in the title/sub.

Morgan wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "Question re Option # 5 - Xerxes

Not sure what is meant by: "Letters may be used only as many times as they appear in the title/subtitle."

Does that mean that, for example t..."

i think its normally flipped...normally we use it for like words in a title begin with certain letters - so if the first letter in each word of title had to be found in another word, you can only use the letter the same amount of times it appears in the search word - does that make sense?

Dee wrote: "Morgan wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "Question re Option # 5 - Xerxes

Not sure what is meant by: "Letters may be used only as many times as they appear in the title/subtitle."

Does that mean that..."

Yeah, it's a familiar concept though. Just slightly different wording.

Kim wrote: "Please confirm the following:

Option 1: Charles Dickens: A Life (Dickens died in 1870)

Option 2: Kokopelli: The Magic, Mirth, and Mischief of an Ancient Symbol. Ther..."

Those would all work. Just a head's up on the Poe one though - it's is a lot of rambling with very little substance. I love the guy to death, and he was a genius, but this one reads like some of the new agey stuff. You might dig it though. :)

that's why i didn't pick that options ;)

I'm sorry the wording on 5 seems a bit off. I think I used more words than needed to try to make it clear, and it ended up confusing.

The gist is that it can be a book with the letters (in any order and times as long as it is at least once): XDOG or XWOLF or XCANID

Some options that I found when I searched my shelves for the word sex lol. I went with that one because I knew there would be an X:

XCANID and XDOG: Death at the Priory: Love, Sex, and Murder in Victorian England
XCANID and XDOG: The Armstrong Girl: A Child for Sale: The Battle Against the Victorian Sex Trade
XDOG and XWOLF and XCANID: Odd Couples: Extraordinary Differences Between the Sexes in the Animal Kingdom
XWOLF: Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality
XCANID and XWOLF: Darwin's Pharmacy: Sex, Plants, and the Evolution of the Noosphere
XDOG and XCANID and XWOLF: The Shining Sea: David Porter and the Epic Voyage of the U.S.S. Essex during the War of 1812
XDOG: Nature's Nether Regions: What the Sex Lives of Bugs, Birds, and Beasts Tell Us About Evolution, Biodiversity, and Ourselves
XWOLF and XCANID and XDOG: Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life: A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity are Revolutionizing our View of Human Nature

Just some options looking at my library options/tbr:

one - Anne Frank Remembered (died 1945)

Abigail Adams (died 1818)

Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe (died 1521)

five - The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra X and Dog/Canid

six - The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

Would any of the three options work for option one, or just the first two?

Thanks!

Morgan wrote: "Just some options looking at my library options/tbr:

one - Anne Frank Remembered (died 1945)

Abigail Adams (died 1818)

[book:Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Ter..."

Those would all work for what you listed them as Morgan. I really enjoyed Over the Edge of the World btw! It also has science on the main page too if you wanted to use for that.

I saw it and was like...actually that sounds pretty great. lol. Glad to hear you enjoyed it

I really enjoyed John Adams last season, btw too which would work for option one.

And I think The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks would work for six as well (genre dependant) which is another I enjoyed fairly recently. I know it had the genre at one point at least.

Right now they are all available at one of my two digital library options so I just need to get some books listened to/read so I can check them out. Silly limits. I might swap it with Emperor.

Thanks!

i thoguht about reading Henrietta Lacks for the science options, but yeah

option 5- The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks

option 6- Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear

What about Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War for the biography one. It is about 4 women who were spies during the Civil War.

Would Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time work for a biography? John Harrison died in 1776.

option 1 Typhoid Mary: An Urban Historical

Can you check for option 1: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
H H Holmes died in 1896

Thanks!

Dee wrote: "yikes...that's why its a challenge right? ;)"

LOL Yikes is right

Donna wrote: "What about Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War for the biography one. It is about 4 women who were spies during the Civil War."

This one won't work because it's about multiple people. I said no to Wives of Henry VIII earlier because it was about multiple people too.

Sorry. :(

Kristina Simon wrote: "Would Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time work for a biography? John Harrison died in 1776."

Absolutely. It's specifically about Harrison with other tangential stories as pertains to him from what I remember.

JennRenee wrote: "option 1 Typhoid Mary: An Urban Historical"

That one works for sure. Don't forget to add when the subject died for you post too :)

Melanie wrote: "Can you check for option 1: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
H H Holmes died in 1896

Thanks!"

This one won't work because it's about two specific people. From the description: "Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor."

A biography about Just BUrnham or just Holmes would work. This one is way down there on books for me btw. It barely counts as an actual history book because Larson spend 75% of the book making up conversations by all the major players and imagining events that he made up that might have happened. It's a dreadful history book when it comes to facts.

♥Robin ♥ wrote: "Dee wrote: "yikes...that's why its a challenge right? ;)"

LOL Yikes is right"

I hope you can find something you'll enjoy on the options Robin :)

This one's been on the TBR list for a while: Magic in the Roman World: Pagans, Jews and Christians. Would it work for Option 4? Or does the fact that it have Fantasy?Magic (presumably because some kind soul assumes that anything to do with magic is fantasy) preclude?

Trish wrote: "This one's been on the TBR list for a while: Magic in the Roman World: Pagans, Jews and Christians. Would it work for Option 4? Or does the fact that it have Fantasy?Magic (presumabl..."

That would definitely work for Option 4. It looks REALLY interesting too. I love those history books that look at something specific or different that you don't find in the general ones.

Daphne wrote: "That would definitely work for Option 4. It looks REALLY interesting too. I love those history books that look at something specific or different that you don't find in the general ones."

Cool. Thank you.

Great task by the way. I have so much non-fiction on my TBR list, so this will prompt me to actually read some of it!

Daphne wrote: "Andy wrote: "I assume for the biography choice, the subject must be human so no biography of Man'O War for instance. Also for this choice you want the biography of one individual so no to [book:Wiv..."
Ok, So no biographies of famous animals as well?

Daphne wrote: "Catie wrote: "For option 4, does the book have to be about the actual city of Rome, or would a book about the wider Roman empire be acceptable?

I'm specifically wondering if I could use a book abo..."

I think my three will be:

option 1: John Adams - died 7/4/1826

option 2: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures - Best Popular Anthropology Books, page 1

option 6: The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World - Genre: Science

I found this challenging since I do not often read Non-Fiction.