The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

Emily ID’s task: Semper Fi

(Credit goes to Sue T. for the great idea to work the military in!)

Because we celebrate Veteran’s Day in November in the United States, we’ll be honoring them in this task as well.

First, go to the Random Dice Roller and click ‘roll again’ once. You only get one shot at this!

You’ll be reading three books for this task. Your books for A and B can be rereads; your selection for C must be a book you have never read before.

A. If your first die is:
1: Read a book about the American Revolution ex. Johnny Tremain
2: Read a book about the American Civil War ex. Gone With the Wind
3: Read a book about World War I ex. All Quiet on the Western Front
4: Read a book about World War II ex. Survival in Auschwitz
5: Read a book about the Crusades ex. The Knight Templar
6: Read a novel about a fictional or fantasy war* ex. The Return of the King

For our purposes, we’ll be using the wars specified. If it says a book about the American Revolution, then the book needs to deal with that in some way. These books don’t have to be factual books. They can be fictional, but they need to at least have something to do with the war mentioned.

*War: a phenomenon of organized violent conflict, typified by extreme aggression, societal disruption and adaptation, and high mortality. If your book meets this definition, then it can count. If you have questions, please ask in the task help thread.

This shelf might help you pick. War

Note: Not all books on the Goodreads lists are approved for these challenges. Read through the challenge rules to make sure your books conform. If you have questions, please ask in the task help thread specific to this task.

B. If your second die is:
1: Read a book where a general is a main character (if it’s not obvious from the book description, please tell us about the character) ex. Gods and Generals
2: Read a book with a Sailor as a main character ex. Billy Budd, Sailor
3: Read a book with a Special Forces main character (if it’s not obvious from the book description, please tell us about the character) ex. Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit
4: Read a book about the military or law enforcement agency OTHER THAN the United States. (This might include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Royal British Navy, Italian Army, etc.) ex. Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad
5: Read a book about women in the military ex. They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the Civil War
6: Read a book with a Marine as a main character ex. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two

Here’s a shelf Soldiers that might help here.

*The books for dice 1 and 2 ARE military themed, or at least feature military personnel as main characters.

C. If your third die is:
1: Read a book you haven’t read before with the word ‘Danger(ous)’ in the title ex. A Dangerous Fortune
2: Read a book you haven’t read before with the word ‘Bullet(s)’ in the title ex. Bullet
3: Read a book you haven’t read before with the word ‘Veteran(s)’ in the title ex.Veterans Way
4: Read a book you haven’t read before with the word ‘Force(ful)’ in the title ex. Dark Force Rising
5: Read a book you haven’t read before with the word ‘Survivor(s)’ in the title ex. Sole Survivor
6: Read a book you haven’t read before with the word ‘Honor(able)’ in the title ex. True Honor

*These books for the third die do NOT have to be military themed. I’m looking just for military words in the titles here. They can be variations of the words too. I’ve listed some in the parentheses.

REQUIRED: Tell us what your dice were.

This thread is open.

Approved Books:

A: Nate
A: Fall of Giants
A: Schindler's List
A: Genghis: Lords of the Bow
A: No Angel
A: Parade's End
A: The Good Soldier
A: Those Who Save Us
B: Any James Bond
B: The King's General
B: The General in His Labyrinth
B: The Wild Orchid: A Retelling of "The Ballad of Mulan"
B: Lord Jim
B: The Sea WolfC: Married by Force
C: Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church
C: Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Clarifications and whatnot:

You may use any variations of the words listed for the third book. The root word needs to be there in some form, but you may pluralize it or add other prefixes/suffixes. The variations there are just to suggest some ideas.

You may also use subtitles for the third die. As long as the word (or some variation) is there, it's all good.

Emily - awesome task!! congrats (I wasn't too far behind!)

Question on the first category - does it have to take place during the Civil War actual or would in the years following work - I ask because I have a series by Beth Williamson called Devils on Horseback - Nate - where the main characters all served in the confederacy and its set directly after...if not that's cool - i'm sure i can find something else

I love the incorporation of the military.

Aw man! This task will be hard for me though. I got a 3, 4, and 2. I have read All Quiet on the Western Front before (back in high school) and the other two I have no idea for any good books. Well if necessary I can reread All Quiet. Anybody have good suggestions?

MEgan - these are mostly romances, but they are set during the WW1 period - http://historicalromancewriters.com/t... - i'm using 1 of them (years, by lavyrle spencer for another challenge)

I need a suggestion for women in the military.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I need a suggestion for women in the military."

I rolled a 5 for this part also and did a little research:
A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served in Vietnam
She Went to War: The Rhonda Cornum Story
LOVE MY RIFLE MORE THAN YOU
The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq
Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital

and if you like science fiction/fantasy, there's Sheepfarmer's Daughter and The Outback Stars. I'm sure there are more, but these are a couple I found on a blog that came up on a google search.

Goddess of the Sea - she is in the AF...it is a paranormal romance type though...most of books tend to fall that way

Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "Emily - awesome task!! congrats (I wasn't too far behind!)

Question on the first category - does it have to take place during the Civil War actual or would in the years following work - I ask be..."

Dee, yes. That would totally work. The Civil War will have had a major impact on the characters, and so that will suffice for the task.

Meghan, there's also A Farewell to Arms and Rilla of Ingleside that would count for WWI.

Here are a couple suggestions for the other two dice:
4: To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World
2: Generation Kill: The True Story of Bravo Company in Iraq - Marines Who Deal in Bullets, Bombs and Ultraviolence

Jayme, how about The General's Daughter? It's pretty racy though, so go into it forewarned.

if anyone else needs a civil war book, I highly recommend - My Name is Mary Sutter - I read it for the last challenge and enjoyed it - she wants nothing more than to be a doctor and goes to Washington DC during the civil war and ends up doing medicine at several of the major battles...

if you want a non-fiction - Tried by War : Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief - its about abe lincoln during the civil war, why he did what he did, how the union eventually won etc

For a sailor (and by this I am assuming someone in the Navy...), I would recommend On Call In Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story - he is a naval officer attached to the Marines during the Battle of Fallujah

I would caution some ppl...the soldiers list provided...at least 2 books in the top 10 are M/M romance types - because i've etiher read them or have them on my list to read (one of which i'm actually reading for this challenge)

@ Emily - Thanks!! All 3 of my books have been languishing on the TBR pile for a while so this challenge really helps!

Emily ID wrote: "Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "Emily - awesome task!! congrats (I wasn't too far behind!)

Question on the first category - does it have to take place during the Civil War actual or would i..."

Hooray for knocking some of those off the list! :D

I'm thinking of Fall of Giants for World War I: "The first novel in The Century Trilogy, this book follows the fates of five interrelated families-American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh-as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage." Either that or Over There. I'm sure about Over There, but not as sure about Fall of Giants .... would it be OK?

Would James Bond count as being "special forces"?

Are "ex" Navy characters considered Navy? I have B6 and a ton of books I come across are about ex-Navy Seals, but not necessarily someone currently in the military. Also, I assume any country's navy would suffice?

*&@$!#**!
I so wanted to do this one!!! Ironically I have books for dice one and two but for dice three I rolled the only number I didn't have a single book for!!! *scowls with frustration*!

There is a great Suzanne Brockman series about SEALs that would work well for the Special Forces requirement: http://www.goodreads.com/series/49074... This is straight-up Romance, and sort of cheesy at that. But if you like this sort of thing, these books are fabulous! I loved them!!

For the third roll, option one (1: Read a book you haven’t read before with the word ‘Danger(ous)’ in the title), will you accept Les Liaisons Dangereuses (French for Dangerous Liaisons)?

Could we use the plural of force:Forces?

Deedee wrote: "I'm thinking of Fall of Giants for World War I: "The first novel in The Century Trilogy, this book follows the fates of five interrelated families-American, German, Russian, English,..."

Yes, that would definitely work.

Ms Anderson wrote: "Would James Bond count as being "special forces"?"

Yes, James Bond would count as Special Forces. :D

Bridgit wrote: "Are "ex" Navy characters considered Navy? I have B6 and a ton of books I come across are about ex-Navy Seals, but not necessarily someone currently in the military. Also, I assume any country's nav..."

I would definitely be okay with that. Once in the military, always in the military in some ways!

chucklesthescot wrote: "*&@$!#**!
I so wanted to do this one!!! Ironically I have books for dice one and two but for dice three I rolled the only number I didn't have a single book for!!! *scowls with frustration*!"

What did you roll? Perhaps we can come up with a good suggestion for you!

El wrote: "For the third roll, option one (1: Read a book you haven’t read before with the word ‘Danger(ous)’ in the title), will you accept Les Liaisons Dangereuses (French for Dangerous Liaisons)?"

Christine US wrote could we use the plural of force:Forces?

Yes, you may use any variation of these words. I've just listed some variations as suggestions.

Great task Em. I was glad to help.

For b I rolled a 4 - does this have to be non-fiction? Or will fiction where the main character is non-US military/law enforcement work?

For option B, I rolled a 4 and am wondering if Genghis: Birth of an Empire will fit? I won it through firstreads ages ago and just haven't gotten around to reading it.

It's about Genghis Khan's rise to power and the founding of the Mongol Empire. I don't know anything about Mongolia or this era in history so I looked up a wikipedia article and it said that he accomplished this through raids, invasions and other military accomplishments. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genghis_...

So....what do you think? Or is that too much of a stretch?

As a heads up for anybody looking for something about the RCMP, Mrs. Mike is a wonderful story. If my Genghis book doesn't fit, I might consider rereading this one. Mike is a mountie.

Emily ID wrote: "chucklesthescot wrote: "*&@$!#**!
I so wanted to do this one!!! Ironically I have books for dice one and two but for dice three I rolled the only number I didn't have a single book for!!! *scowls w..."

I rolled 6 on dice 3 and not one book in my collection has honour in the title! I have to just work with what I have or can get in swap sites. Still all is not lost! I'm looking at the trade sites I'm on for books about honour killings so with any luck someone will do a trade and I can do this one!

for A/4 would work Schindler's List?

Update! I arranged a trade to get a book with 'honour' in the title! Yea!!!

Sue T wrote: "Great task Em. I was glad to help.

For b I rolled a 4 - does this have to be non-fiction? Or will fiction where the main character is non-US military/law enforcement work?"

Thanks, Sue!

Fiction will totally work for any of these. They just have to have some focus on the requirement.

Beth F. wrote: "For option B, I rolled a 4 and am wondering if Genghis: Birth of an Empire will fit? I won it through firstreads ages ago and just haven't gotten around to reading it.

It's about G..."

I think that one might be a bit of a stretch. :)

Aleksandra wrote: "for A/4 would work Schindler's List?"

Schindler's List will work well!

chucklesthescot wrote: "Update! I arranged a trade to get a book with 'honour' in the title! Yea!!!"

woohoo!

I am looking for a good book with Veteran or veterans in the title. Anyone have a suggestion?

The Veteran, maybe?

Emily ID wrote: "Beth F. wrote: "For option B, I rolled a 4 and am wondering if Genghis: Birth of an Empire will fit? I won it through firstreads ages ago and just haven't gotten around to reading i..."

Oh, good. I was originally thinking of Sophie in The Da Vinci Code, but I may go another direction.

Hey Emily
i've read/listened to Gengis...the first is light on the military - but the second half, as he is gathering the tribes and fighting against the chinese is fairly significant...I think the second one - Genghis: Lords of the Bow - might have a more military aspect because it is as he is trying to conquer china

Emily ID wrote: "Beth F. wrote: "For option B, I rolled a 4 and am wondering if Genghis: Birth of an Empire will fit? I won it through firstreads ages ago and just haven't gotten around to reading i..."

Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "Hey Emily
i've read/listened to Gengis...the first is light on the military - but the second half, as he is gathering the tribes and fighting against the chinese is fairly significant...I think th..."

See, now that one would work, I think. The first one is stretching it, but this one fits.

Beth - have you done the daylight savings challenge yet? this part of genghis would fit into that one...and then maybe use book 2 here

Beth F. wrote: "For option B, I rolled a 4 and am wondering if Genghis: Birth of an Empire will fit? I won it through firstreads ages ago and just haven't gotten around to reading it.

It's about G..."

Does anyone have suggestions for fiction on someone in special forces? I'm set for my other two: The Crusades(Blood Red Horse)and "honor" (Wrestling With Honor), but stuck on the special forces other than nonfiction choices.

Thanks!

Karen - if you don't mind romance - Suzanne Brockmann has two series abotu Navy SeAL's - one come out from silhouette almost a decade ago, the other one are larger books and she has a new one in the series coming out...the first one in that series is called The Unsung Hero

Karen GHHS wrote: "Does anyone have suggestions for fiction on someone in special forces? I'm set for my other two: The Crusades(Blood Red Horse)and "honor" (Wrestling With Honor), but st..."

Emily approved James Bond in an earlier message - those books could be fun.

Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "Karen - if you don't mind romance - Suzanne Brockmann has two series abotu Navy SeAL's - one come out from silhouette almost a decade ago, the other one are larger books and she has a new one in th..."

Thanks for the idea. I'll take a look.

Sandy wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "Does anyone have suggestions for fiction on someone in special forces? I'm set for my other two: The Crusades(Blood Red Horse)and "honor" ([book:Wrestling With Hono..."

James Bond might be a fun one to read. I have the young bond series for YA here in my school library, but I don't know that he officially works in special forces, so I'll look into the grown up ones!

Karen GHHS wrote: "Does anyone have suggestions for fiction on someone in special forces? I'm set for my other two: The Crusades(Blood Red Horse)and "honor" (Wrestling With Honor), but st..."

I am reading the first book in James Rollins' Sigma Force series. They are political thrillers and the first one is Sandstorm

if someone is looking for a book featuring a non-us military - matt reilly has a few books that have an australian solider...they are thriller and absolutely unbelieveable but good reads...

Seven Deadly Wonders; The Six Sacred Stones; The Five Greatest Warriors

his other series features special forces (army): Ice Station; Area 7; Scarecrow