The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
WINTER CHALLENGE 2022
>
Winter Challenge 2022: Task Ideas
date
newest »
newest »
The League of Nations was created in January 1920. Read a book set in one of the original LON countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_...Aviation was becoming popular with both Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh making their names in this decade, Earhart as the first woman passenger flying over the Atlantic and Lindbergh making the first nonstop flight from NYC to Paris. Read a book with an airplane on the cover.
1720 - first yacht club established in Ireland - book with a seagoing vessel on the cover1722 - first fire extinguisher patented - fire (or similar word in title)
1922 - Tomb of Tutenkahmen found - book set in egypt or about archeology
1920's - The Roaring 20's/Jazz/Flappers/Prohibition
1820's -
Monroe Doctrine, invention of Braille
1720's -
First French stock market crash caused by the Mississippi Company bubble.
First British stock market crash caused by the South Seas Company bubble.
1620's -
Mayflower Compact / Plymouth colony
1920- Women got the right to vote in the USA. Read a book about social justice1923- Adolf Hitler starts to rise. Read a historical book, historical fiction, or MPG: adventure (as usually a battle between 2 groups)
1924- Macy's had it's first Thanksgiving Day parade, marking the beginning of the holiday (Christmas) season
Read a book set around either Thanksgiving or any holiday that takes place between Nov. 24th and Dec 25th
1920-National Football League is formed-Read a book set in a city that has a NFL Team1927-The Jazz Singer becomes the first motion picture released with sound. Read a "book-to-movie"
The 1920s and 30s have been called the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction." Read a book by one of the authors listed in the 3rd paragraph here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_...
(Either one written in the 20s OR any book by one of these authors, regardless of when written)
Amelia Earhart took her first flying lesson in 1921. Read a book that features women involved with flying or space. They could be the scientists or engineers behind the scenes or part of a flight crew.in 1927, Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs in a season. That record stood until 1960. Read a book that has a mpg of sports.
1020 BC estimate date for the fall of Troy
Maine and Missouri became states in the 1820s. Read a book set in either of these states or by an author from one of these states. Egypt became an independent country in 1922. Read a book set in Egypt.
The 1920s saw an increase in women's suffrage around the world. Read a book with Women's History, Women's Nonfiction or Women's Fiction as a MPG
Mickey Mouse was created in 1928. Read a book with a two word title where both words begin with the same letter.
What's All the Flap About?Flappers were the first generation of strong, independent women in the 1920s. They embraced a lifestyle often considered immoral, outrageous and dangerous.
Read a book written by a female that you chose because the description on the book "flap" was provocative.
The Charleston
The Charleston was the popular dance craze of the jazz age. It originated in the town of Charleston, SC and was characterized by its toes-in, heels-out twisting steps.
Read a book set at least 50% in Charleston, SC or by an author born or currently residing in Charleston, SC.
Presidential Treatment
Two Presidents carried us through the decade. Warren Harding was President of the United States from 1921 - 1923, and Calvin Coolidge was POTUS from 1923 - 1929.
Read a book where the author's first and last initial can be found in Warren Harding and/or Calvin Coolidge. Middle initials can be ignored.
"You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet"
1920s movie goers were predominantly entertained by silent movies, but saw the introduction of "talkies" in 1927 with the production of The Jazz Singer, featuring singer and actor, Al Jolson.
The first words ever spoken on film occurred about halfway into The Jazz Singer, when Al Jolson said, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet!"
Option 1: Read one Book 1 and one Book 2.
Option 2: Read one book that fulfills both requirements of option 1.
Book 1:
A. Read a book with the word "silent" in the title. OR
B. Read a book with a title word of at least 4 letters that can be made from the letters in the phrase, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet!" Letters can only be used as often as they appear in target phrase.
Book 2:
Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in "The Jazz Singer."
Well I'll Be Dammed!The Boulder Canyon Project Act was passed into Congress in 1928 under President Calvin Coolidge and negotiations for the project began the following year by Herbert Hoover. The Boulder Dam, which distributed water from the Colorado river to Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, and California, was completed in 1935, and was later renamed the Hoover Dam.
Read a book set at least 50% in one of the above states which received water from the Hoover Dam.
Chanel No. 5
The world's most iconic perfume, Chanel No. 5, was introduced in 1921 by Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, a French businesswoman and belle of the Parisian elite.
Option 1: Read one Book 1 and one Book 2.
Option 2: Read one book that fulfills both requirements of option 1.
Book 1:
Read a book that is either #5 in a series, has the numeral 5 in it's title or contains the #5 in it's original publication year.
Book 2:
Read a book with an MPG of historical fiction which is set in France.
During the 1920s, catalogue shopping became a convenient way of buying goods. The most famous mail order company was Sears, Roebuck and Co . Read a book whose title letters can be found in Sears, Roebuck and CoAutomobile sales took off in the '20s. There were 3 major auto companies (Ford, Chrysler and General Motors). Where I live we called them "The Big Three" Read a book whose author's initials can be found in The Big Three.
From 1921-1929 Republicans controlled the white house. Warren Harding (1921-23), Calvin Coolidge (1923-29). Read a book whose page count contains at least 2 of these numbers, 1,2,3,9
Bloomsday - James Joyce published his modernist classicUlysses in 1922. This book takes place all on the day June 16th which is now celebrated as Bloomsday (after the main character, Leopold Bloom). Or read a book set in Dublin, Ireland. Or read a book published in June.One of my favorite Jazz Age couples is F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, But it wasn't all golden for these two as both suffered from addiction and Zelda with mental health issues. Read a book from this list
Substance Abuse & Addiction or with a main page genre of Mental Health
Many of my favorite authors writing in the 1920s are from the Modernist tradition. Read a book by a Modernist writer from this wikipedia list
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Black Sox Throw SeriesThe Black Sox Scandal was a Major League Baseball game-fixing scandal in which the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money. Eight members of the White Sox, dubbed "the Black Sox," went to trial in 1921 where they were found not guilty after paper confessions mysteriously disappeared. Although they were found not guilty, they were banned from MLB forever.
The Black Sox members:
“Shoeless” Joe Jackson
Eddie Cicotte
Charles Arnold “Chick” Gandil
Charles August “Swede” Risberg
George Daniel “Buck” Weaver
Claude “Lefty” Williams
Oscar Emil “Happy” Felsch
Fred Drury McMullen
Read a book whose author shares one of the names (first, last, or middle) or nicknames of the Black Sox members. OR Read a book that is part of a Series, where the Series Title contains a name of one of the Black Sox.
Series name must appear in GR megadata. Name can appear in any position. Identify Black Sox player
Ex: A Dangerous Man
Series Name: (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike)
Black Sox Player - "Shoeless" Joe Jackson
All That Jazz 🎶The 1920s is often referred to as the Jazz Age, because of the popularity of jazz music and the pleasure-seeking people who made it popular during this period of economic prosperity.
Read a book shelved as Jazz Age Books from this list.
The Scopes Monkey Trial was in 1925. Read something from this listThe Natural World: Natural Science and Natural History for Adults
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
Mod
Read a book set in Ireland or by an Irish author
1921: Ottoman empire falls
Read a book set in one of the countries that made up the Ottoman empire: Turkey, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Romania, Bulgaria, Iraq, Algeria, Cyprus, Tunisia, Kuwait, Yemen, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Armenia
1926 – John Logie Baird demonstrated the first working television & was able to transmit a colour signal by 1928.
Read a book with a title word/author initials in "John Logie Baird"
Read a book with a tv on the cover
Read a book with a black & white cover (black, white, grey)
1927 – British Broadcasting Corporation formed as a public entity
Read a book with BBC in title/subtitle
1928 – All women over 21 granted the right to vote in UK
Read a book written by a female author, set in the UK
1927 - Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean
Read a book with an aeroplane on the cover
1922 - Tutankhamun's tomb
Read a book set 50% in Egypt
Read a book with the author name (first or last name) shared by one of the key people involved in the Tutenkhamun expedition: Howard Carter, George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert (Lord Carnarvon), Lady Evelyn Herbert, Arthur Callender
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
Read a book where an illness is significant to the storyline, or it takes place in a medical facility
1924 - First Winter Olympics take place in France
Read a book where one of the winter Olympic sports is significant to the story (skating, skiing etc)
Read a book where a piece of winter sports equipment is shown on the cover (skis, skates etc)
1924 - First woman swims the English channel
Read a book that has a swimmer on the cover
Read a book with a title word made from "Swim the channel"
1928 - Women can compete in Olympics for first time
Read a biography/autobiography of a female sports star
Coming right up to date: 2020s:
War in Ukraine:
Read a book set in Ukraine
Read a book where author initial are in Ukraine
Read a book where blue & yellow are the only colours (other than black, white, grey) on the cover
Barbados became a republic:
Read a book set in Barbados or by a Barbadian author
Read a book where the authors initials are in Barbados
Brexit
Read a book with a portmanteau/blended word in the title (eg Brexit, Mansplaining, Chillax)
2 parter: Read a book set in a country that remains part of the EU (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden) & a book set in the UK
The James Webb Space Telescope launched - Read a book where the initial letters of each word in the title can be found in James Webb Space Telescope
Lucy-Bookworm wrote: "1921 – War of Irish IndependanceRead a book set in Ireland or by an Irish author
1921: Ottoman empire falls
Read a book set in one of the countries that made up the Ottoman empire: Turkey, Greece..."
I liked a lot of these because they are different from some we've had in the last few years!
During the 1920s, the world population increased from 1.87 to 2.05 billion. Read a book with only these numbers in the page count: 187205. Read a book with a number 2 and/or 0 on the cover (figures, not words).
Economic boom ended by "Black Tuesday" in October 1929.
Read a book with "Tuesday" in the title.
Read a book whose cover is 50% black.
The Great Kantō earthquake struck the main Japanese island of Honshū in September 1923. Read a book from this list: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Clarence Birdseye invented a process for frozen food in 1925. Read a book with a bird's eye on the cover.
In 1922, the inaugural session of the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ) was held in The Hague. Read a book from this list: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
In 1923, the first 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race was held. Read a book where the plot takes place in a single day. This list has some examples: https://electricliterature.com/15-nov...
GMT: In 1924, a radio time signal was broadcast for the first time, from the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Read a book with author's first and last initials in GMT.
In 1926, the United States Numbered Highway System, including U.S. Route 66, was established. Read a book that is #6 in a series.
Read a book by an author born in the 1920s.Read a book by an author aged between 20 and 29(inclusive).
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
A Dangerous Man (other topics)Ulysses (other topics)
The bonus theme is Decades: 20s
As in past challenges some tasks may revolve around the seasonal theme of winter. Others may reflect the bonus theme. Other tasks may have nothing to do with either of those themes, they’re just fun or unique ideas to stimulate your reading.
Feel free to post as many ideas as you can come up with. Don’t worry about repeating what someone else has might have already suggested. The more ideas, the better!
The moderators will draw from these ideas as well as their own to create the 5, 10 and 15 point tasks. This thread will be open for ideas until November 11. Winter tasks will begin to be posted on November 12. We look forward to seeing what you come up with!