Monthly Challenges discussion

Here's the spot to help you with your plan for this month's reading.

Diana S's Reading Plan for July

* ✔1.1 National Anti-Boredom Month (post #19)
Read a book. :)
Micro by Michael Crichton & Richard Preston (7/8/17) 536 pp.

*✔1.2 (Marilyn's task) Pick a Genre (post #5)
Women's Fiction as its MPG
What Alice Forgot by Liane Morarity (7/1/17) 423 pp. ★★★★

1.3 Nude Recreation Week
cover showing a lot of skin/skimpy bathing suit/bikini. (show cover).
Burned by Karen Marie Moning () 475 pp.

*✔ 1.4 The Lottery (post #38)
2&5 - published date/page number
(published May 19, 2015)
Cast Off: The Strange Adventures of Petra de Winter and Bram Broen by Eve Yohalem (7/19/17) 318 pp.

*✔ 1.5 Let's play Scrabble (post #38)
Seven Tiles Drawn (M,P,A,E,S,T,A)
in title/author name
(JAMEs PATterSon)
15th Affair by James Patterson (7/20/17) 464 pp. ★★★★

1.6 Celebrate the Author
Jodi Picoult's Book
Nineteen Minutes () 440 pp.
BP:

1.7 (Sam F's task) 150 Years!
set in Canada or written by a Canadian author. (both)
Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens


two point tasks

2.1 The Amazing Race
Read two books
Mexico

1. Capture the Flag
set in Mexico
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel () 245 pp.

✔ 2. Detour
c. set in Caribbean
A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffet (7/13/17) 480 pp. ★★★★


2.2 Surprise Me
My 5


Picked by: Tessa
1. Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende () 336 pp.
2. Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler () 336 pp.

2.3 (Bethany's task) Can anyone recommend a good book?
GR rating 4.0/more
1. (GR rating: 4.27)
Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs (7/3/17) 324 pp. 3.5 ★★★

2. (GR rating: 4.14)
News of the World by Paulette Jiles () 209 pp.
(GR rating: 4.21)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky () 213 pp.

*✔ 2.4 (Bethany's task) Who made these holidays (post #26)

✔ 1. July 16th is National Spinach Day.
Read a book with a green cover.
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde (7/11/17) 287 pp. ★★★★

✔ 2. July 17th is Yellow Pig Day
Read a book with a yellow cover.
The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey (7/10/17) 403 pp ★★★★

three point task

✔ 3.1 (Linda C's task) Quote for Life
D. New Life
makes a major life change (Hannah gets married!)
Wedding Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke (7/2/17) 356 pp. ★★★★

E. New Friend – Read a book where the MC makes a new friend (Cathy made two good friends John & Trey)
Tumbleweeds by Leila Meacham
(7/15/17) 466 pp. ★★★★

G. New Country – (From Iceland to Scotland)
The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey (7/5/17) 480 pp. ★★★★

five point task

5.1 (Spell-out task) Celebrating the 4th of July
Spell-out: Spark

Sue Grafton's M Is for Malice () 384 pp.
Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende () 336 pp.
Ariel Lawhon's The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress () 304 pp.
Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid () 516 pp.
Kristin Hannah's Night Road () 385 pp.

(Your may use the first letter of the first word of the book title (exclude a, an, or the) -OR- the initials of an author's first or last name).
Don't forget to list the date you read your books.

one point tasks

1.1 National Anti-Boredom Month
Simple. Read a book. :)
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker 657 pages

1.2 (Marilyn's task) Pick a Genre
Read a book with Women's Fiction as its main page genre.
TBD

1.3 Nude Recreation Week
Read a book that has a cover showing a lot of skin, or someone wearing a skimpy bathing suit/bikini. (show cover).
TBD

1.4 The Lottery
Read a book with both a 2 and 5 found in the published date or page number.
ex. October 12, 2015 or 256 pages
TBD

1.5 Let's play Scrabble
Seven Tiles Drawn (M,P,A,E,S,T,A)
Read a book where you found all the letters in the title (sub-titles do not count) -OR- you found all the letters in the Author's name.
TBD

1.6 Celebrate the Author
Member's Choice: Diana S
Read a book written by Jodi Picoult
Bonus Point: If you read a second book by this author.
TBD

1.7 (Sam F's task) 150 Years!
July 1st was Canada's sesquicentennial celebrating 150 years as a country. For this task, read a book either set in Canada or written by a Canadian author.
TBD

two point tasks

2.1 The Amazing Race

First stop, Mexico
1. Capture the Flag
Read a book set in Mexico (must be at less set 75% in chosen country).
TBD

2. Detour
To reach your detour complete one of the following tasks.
a. Tulum is the site of a pre-Columbian Mayan walled city and now a popular site for tourists.
Read a book where the MC is an archaeologist on a special dig. - OR - MC is a tourist on a fantastic trip.
b. Old World diseases brought by the Spanish settlers seem to be the cause of very high fatalities among the people and eventually lead the city to be abandoned.
Read a book where the population is dealing with a plague.
c. Tulum is set along the Mexican Caribbean coastline and its a short distance from Cancun and the surrounding Maya Riviera.
Read a book set in somewhere in the Caribbean.
d. Part of the beaches at Tulum are protected for nesting sea turtles.
Read a book where the author's initials (first and last name) are found in Sea Turtles -OR- read about sea turtles.
TBD

2.2 Surprise Me
Read two books
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry 432 pages
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 312 pages


2.3 (Bethany's task) Can anyone recommend a good book?
Read two books that each have a Goodreads rating of at least 4.0.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Morning Star by Pierce Brown

2.4 (Bethany's task) Who made these holidays?
July 16th is National Spinach Day.
Read a book with a green cover.
TBD

July 17th is Yellow Pig Day.
Read a book with a yellow cover.
TBD

three point task

3.1 (Linda C's task) Quote for Life
Read three books
“Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country” - Anais Nin

Lots of ideas here for book reading. Choose three (3) of the following options:
A. Dreams - Read a book where the MC has a dream or goal accomplished. Tell us what it was.
B. Space – Read a book set in outer-space or MC is involved in the space program.
C. Kite – Read a book with a kite on the cover (Show cover) or has all the letters in KITE in the title.
D. New Life – Read a book where MC starts a new job or makes a major life change. What is it?
E. New Friend – Read a book where the MC makes a new friend or where the authors first and last name initials can be found in FRIEND
F. New Love – Read a romance
G. New Country – Read a book where MC moves or travels to a different country. State from where to where
TBD
TBD
TBD

five point task

5.1 (Spell-out task) Celebrating the 4th of July
Fireworks & Flag waving
Spell-out the word SPARK or STARS
Don't forget to list the date you read your books.

S - Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
✔ T - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (7/1/2017) 385 pages
A - TBD
✔ R - Ruth Ware's The Woman in Cabin 10 (7/4/2017) 340 pages
S - Shusterman, Neal's UnDivided 372 pages