The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

Task 30.4 - Mazza1's Task - Readers Recommend
Help Thread
I am really excited to be setting a task for only my second SRC. This task is inspired by the group read in Fall 2016 – The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

A minimum of 600 pages is required for this task.

NOTE: ebooks without print versions cannot be used for tasks requiring a specific number of pages. If you read an ebook or audiobook use the page count for the mass market paperback if one exists. If there is no mass market paperback edition, use the paperback edition and if no paperback is available use the hardcover edition.


You may satisfy this requirement by reading either 1 or 2 books.

If you choose the 1 book option, it must have at least 600 pages, and must satisfy 2 of the listed criteria.

Example: The Best and the Brightest has an average rating of 4.25, satisfying the first criterion. It is #55 on the list linked in Option 6, satisfying that criterion.
It has 720 pages.

If you choose the 2 book option, the 2 books must be selected from different options and the two books must have a combined page total of at least 600.

REQUIRED: In your post, specify whether you are using the 1 or 2 book option. In either case, you must specify which 2 options are satisfied by your choice(s).

OPTION 1 - Reader ratings

Read a book with an average GR rating above 4.24 (that is, at least 4.25).

NOTE: – you may want to get your choice approved in the help thread as ratings can change frequently.

OPTION 2 – Awards Season

Read a book that features as a winner or nominee on the GR choice awards for 2016 (winners announced end of November) Goodreads Choice Awards
REQUIRED – identify the category in which the book is nominated

OPTION 3 Birthday Bests

Read a book that features on the best books for the decade in which you were born
Best Books by Decades
REQUIRED: Provide a link to the list that you used, and identify the decade of your birth and the page number of the list on which your book is found.

OPTION 4 - Hidden gems
Read a book from the following list of 21 Brilliant Books you never heard of
21 Brilliant Books You've Never Heard Of
NOTE: A list of these books is posted in Post 2 of the help thread.

OPTION 5 Reading Through Your Ears

Audio books are a new find for me I love them, I listen when walking or driving the car and they are often a much slower delight for my reading mind. Read a book from the following list of the 20 best Audio books of all time

20 Best Audiobooks
A list of the books is included in Post 3 of the help thread.

Of course you don’t HAVE to read it on Audio but they are all available at http://www.audible.co.uk or the US equivalent and you can get a free month’s trial of Audible at most times. Perhaps it will open a whole new “reading” option

OPTION 6 – Reading to Broaden your mind
I don’t think non-fiction plays a high enough role on many TBR shelves so your final option is to pick a book from Time Magazines 100 best non-fiction books of all time

100 Best Non-Fiction Books

Books on list in option 4:
The Man Who Loved Children
The Motion of Light in Water: Sex and Science Fiction Writing in the East Village, 1957-1965
American Youth
Stoner
My Abandonment
Riddley Walker
Random Acts of Senseless Violence
Little Big Man: A Novel
The Time of Man
The Warriors: Reflections on Men in Battle
Buffalo Soldiers
American Purgatorio
Voyage in the Dark
Good Morning, Midnight
The Little Virtues
Our Sister Killjoy
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page
The Box Man
The Groves of Academe
Fiskadoro
Love Me Do!: Beatles Progress

Audiobooks from option 5:
A Delicate Truth
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Plain Tales from the Hills
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Last Cigarette
Brighton Rock
Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Alone in Berlin
The Sense of an Ending
This Boy
The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves
The Testament of Mary (note that only some of the editions meet the SRC page requirements)
Us
Saints of the Shadow Bible
Tamar
The Spire
Landmarks
The American Lover

The Embassy of Cambodia is on the list, but does not meet SRC page requirements.

I will try and keep a list here of Books approved as over 4.24 rating
If it features in here you don't need to ask again


A- L

Age of Myth
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
Archangel's Enigma
Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Blood Mirror
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
The Bronze Horseman
The Brothers Karamazov
A Clash of Kings
Clones: The Anthology
Conversation in the Cathedral
A Court of Mist and Fury
Cutting for Stone
A Dark & Winding Road
Dark Water
Dead Little Mean Girl
The Derring-Do Club and the Empire of the Dead
Destined for an Early Grave
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Empire of Storms
Exodus
The Fall of the House of Cabal
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
Fire in the Blood
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
The Great Catsby
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Heroes
The Hero of Ages
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life
Immortal in Death
Indian Horse
Into the Light
Jesus: A Pilgrimage
Killer Instinct
Killers of the Flower Moon
Kristin Lavransdatter
La Bella Mafia
Lady Midnight
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Lesser Evils
Liars: How Progressives Exploit Our Fears for Power and Control
Life: A User's Manual
Lilac Girls

Approved Books M- Z

Me Before You
Midnight's Mask
Momma's Enchanted Supper: Stories for the Long Evenings of Advent
Murder, Handcrafted
Murder in G Major
News of the World
No Man's Land
One Fell Sweep
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Out on the Panhandle
Overload: How to Unplug, Unwind, and Unleash Yourself from the Pressure of Stress
The Pillars of the Earth
Quench Your Own Thirst: Business Lessons Learned Over a Beer or Two
Ready Player One
Red Rising
Roots: The Saga of an American Family
This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn
Salt to the Sea
Scarlet
Shadows of the Inferno
Silver-Tongued Devil
Six of Crows
Small Great Things
Smoke & Mirrors
Some Will Not Sleep: Selected Horrors
Sovereign
Sword Song
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between
This Was a Man
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Voyager
We Are As Gods: Back to the Land in the 1970s on the Quest for a New America
The Well of Ascension
White Night
Wired in

reserved

The Goodreads Choice nominees are down before they announce the winners. In the meantime here are screenshots- the books are not linked.

Example my choice for this task And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
Has a reader rating of 4.37. on 20/11/2016 is number 26 on 100 best non fiction books and is 656 pages

Please approve Small Great Things for Option 1. Is has a current rating of 4.40. Thanks!

Amy wrote: "Please approve Small Great Things for Option 1. Is has a current rating of 4.40. Thanks!"

Approved

verification for Me Before You for 4.24 rating or higher. It currently has a 4.29 rating.

Please approve Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for option 1. Its current rating is 4.51.

Can I get Killers of the Flower Moon approved for Option 1? It's an ARC, so I'm worried the rating might drop as more reviews come in. It's currently at 4.38.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "verification for Me Before You for 4.24 rating or higher. It currently has a 4.29 rating."

approved

Cathy wrote: "Please approve Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for option 1. Its current rating is 4.51."

approved

Boston Kate wrote: "Can I get Killers of the Flower Moon approved for Option 1? It's an ARC, so I'm worried the rating might drop as more reviews come in. It's currently at 4.38."

approved

Could you please verify The Pillars of the Earth for a GR rating above 4.24? Its current rating is 4.28. Thank you!

Christine wrote: "Could you please verify The Pillars of the Earth for a GR rating above 4.24? Its current rating is 4.28. Thank you!"

approved

Can you please approve, for Option 1:

4.60 rating

4.38 rating

4.26 rating

I'm still moving books around, so I don't know which one I'll read for this task

Thanks!

Please confirm A Court of Mist and Fury for the one book option.

It has an average rating of 4.74
It is a Goodreads Award Nominee in the Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction category.
The paperback copy has 624 pages.

Thanks.

Pia wrote: "Can you please approve, for Option 1:

4.60 rating

4.38 rating

4.26 rating

I'm still mo..."

All those work

Lauren wrote: "Please confirm A Court of Mist and Fury for the one book option.

It has an average rating of 4.74
It is a Goodreads Award Nominee in the Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction ..."

that works on both counts Lauren

Can you approve the following for option one please:

Salt to the Sea
Rating 4.38

Thank you

Thanks Marie!

Laura wrote: "Can you approve the following for option one please:

Salt to the Sea
Rating 4.38

Thank you"

Approved my TBR is going to fill up on all these books i am approving they all look great

Option 1: Can you approve Lady Midnight for rating? (It's also a GR Nominee...hurrah for a one-book option!)

This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn has an average rating of 4.29 at the moment, could you approve it?

It'll be my 4th (I think) reread, but I highly recommend it to anyone else looking for a high-rated book!

Please verify rating for option 1 (not quite sure yet which one I'll use in this task):
Shadows of the Inferno
Clones: The Anthology
A Dark and Winding Road

Thanks Marie!

Emily S. wrote: "Option 1: Can you approve Lady Midnight for rating? (It's also a GR Nominee...hurrah for a one-book option!)"

Approved for rating

Catie wrote: "This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn has an average rating of 4.29 at the moment, could you approve it?

It'll be my 4th (I think) reread, but I highly recommend it to anyone..."

approved for rating

Camilla wrote: "Please verify rating for option 1 (not quite sure yet which one I'll use in this task):
Shadows of the Inferno
Clones: The Anthology
[book:A Dark and Winding Road|23..."

all fit the rating criteria

Is it just the Final Round nominees for the GR Awards that we can choose from? Or are the earlier round nominees included as well?

need verification of rating on:

White Night

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

La Bella Mafia

Liars: How Progressives Exploit Our Fears for Power and Control

Overload: How to Unplug, Unwind, and Unleash Yourself from the Pressure of Stress

No Man's Land

sorry, there are so many.....those are the ones I have that meet that requirement, but I don't know which one I'll be using yet. Thanks.

Please approve for option 1 We Are As Gods: Back to the Land in the 1970s on the Quest for a New America

Lagullande wrote: "Is it just the Final Round nominees for the GR Awards that we can choose from? Or are the earlier round nominees included as well?"

any nominee from the first round onwards

******EDITED please see post 41 re final ruling

Donna wrote: "need verification of rating on:

White Night

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

La Bella Mafia

[book:Liars: How Progressives Exploit Our F..."

All will work good luck picking the one Donna

Kathy wrote: "Please approve for option 1 We Are As Gods: Back to the Land in the 1970s on the Quest for a New America"

Approved for rating Kathy

Could I have The Heroes and The Hero of Ages approved for rating over 4.24 ( I haven't d3ecided which to read).

Coralie wrote: "Could I have The Heroes and The Hero of Ages approved for rating over 4.24 ( I haven't d3ecided which to read)."

both will fit Coralie

Donna wrote: "need verification of rating on:

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea


I can recommend this one - it was fascinating.

Lagullande wrote: "Is it just the Final Round nominees for the GR Awards that we can choose from? Or are the earlier round nominees included as well?"

I have had word from moderators of challenge - as the link will only take you to finalists and eventual winners this section of the task has to be limited to those finalists and winners only - I apologise for this and will also send you a PM, I am anxious that you do not read something that won't fit

can I please get Silver-Tongued Devil approved for option 1 - currently has 4.53avg

Confirming for ratings:

The Fall of the House of Cabal
Fire in the Blood
Lesser Evils
The Well of Ascension
Midnight's Mask

Thanks :)

Dee wrote: "can I please get Silver-Tongued Devil approved for option 1 - currently has 4.53avg"

That works Dee

Daphne wrote: "Confirming for ratings:

The Fall of the House of Cabal
Fire in the Blood
Lesser Evils
The Well of Ascension
[book:Midnight's Mask|291..."

All confirmed over 4.24. Daphne

CYNBAXTER

I think I found an interesting read that satisfies both Option 1 & 3 and is 600+ pages

Currently sits at 4.31 and was first published in 1969, and is #307 on the Best Books of the Decades, 1960's...

Seeking approval for Conversation in the Cathedral

Can I please get Kristin Lavransdatter approved for option 1, one book option? It's currently at 4.28 with 1168 pages.

Cynthia wrote: "CYNBAXTER

I think I found an interesting read that satisfies both Option 1 & 3 and is 600+ pages

Currently sits at 4.31 and was first published in 1969, and is #307 on the Best Books of the Decad..."


approved for rating and i can see it is on that list

Kathryn wrote: "Can I please get Kristin Lavransdatter approved for option 1, one book option? It's currently at 4.28 with 1168 pages."

approved for rating

Please verify Roots: The Saga of an American Family as having a 4.41 approval :-)