Monday, November 19, 2018

24 Festive Tasks | Update #2



So yet another week has gone by, and I feel like I've made a lot of good progress.  As opposed to last year's game, I think I've managed to at least finish one task for every Door that has been revealed since the beginning, and I'm feeling quite good about it.

It also helps that I've got my Monkey and Penni markers, and my Holiday Penguin Tree to enhance the cheer.  I DO wish I could figure out a better color scheme for my tables--the light green is fine, but I'm having trouble finding a lighter red color that won't wash out the text, and that is also compatible with whatever html code that Blogspot and Booklikes is able to use.

The hex codes for some of the lighter reds don't seem to work.  -_-

I'll work on it and keep experimenting, though I'm loathe to fall into another html hole at this point, especially when that 'indianred' background color isn't terrible.


I've read fewer books so far this month than I would have liked, though since I'm going for laid back, whatevs.

This newest update has added the newest two Doors revealed since my last update, Armistice/Veterans' Day and International Day for Tolerance.  I've completed a few more tasks and finished one more book.

All in all, things are looking great!


The Festive Card:



 Peek-a-Boo Penni Claus = Completed Book Task
Magnetic "Elfin" Monkey = Completed Non-Book Tasks


My Progress:


Overall Total Points Earned:  17
Books Read:  2
Tasks Completed:  15

 Current Tasks:
  • Door 1 | Dia de los Muertos Book Task -- Reread of Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

**For my own sanity purposes, I will link the main post for each door at the top of each table.  All tasks listed under 'My Activity' will more than likely be found at the main post; otherwise, the link will be included for that particular task if a separate post is published outside of the main post, such as book reviews.  Thanks!**



Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Re-read an old favorite from a now-deceased author, a book from a finished (dead) series, or a book set in Mexico. Current Read:
'Jurassic Park' by Michael Crichton		 TBA
Task 1 Write a silly poem or limerick poking fun at the fiction character of your choice. -- SKIP-- I don't poem... XX
Task 2 Share your favorite gravestone epitaph (you know you have one). Posted Activity:
Two epitaphs found - one with Kay's fudge recipe		 11/04/2018
Task 3 Create an altar (either digital or physical) for your favorite book, series, or book character, and post a picture of it. Inclusion of book cover encouraged. -- SKIP -- No ideas for this one XX
Task 4 If you like Mexican food, treat yourself to your favorite dish and share a photo of it. Posted Activity:
Tamales at home for lunch!		 11/10/2018



Door 2:  Guy Fawkes Night (November 5)
Total Points Earned:  3

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Set in the UK, political thrillers, involving any monarchy or revolution; books about arson or related to burning. Possible Reads:
-- 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
-- 'Chasing Fire' by Nora Roberts		 TBA
Task 1 Burn a book in effigy. Not that anyone of us would do such a thing, but if you HAD to, which book would be the one you’d sacrifice to the flames (gleefully or not)? Posted Activity:
Chose book: 'The Iron Daughter' by Julie Kagawa		 11/05/2018
Task 2 List your top 3 treasonous crimes against books. Not ones you’ve committed, but the ones you think are the worst. Posted Activity:
1) Burning; 2) Defacing; 3) Borrowing and not returning, or returning damaged		 11/05/2018
Task 3 Share your favorite / most memorable BBQ recollections or recipe, or your favorite recipe for food “flambé” (i.e., doused with alcohol which is then set aflame and allowed to burn off). Posted Activity:
Korean BBQ for the wins!		 11/05/2018
Task 4 Find 5 uses of the word “gunpowder” in book titles in contexts other than for blowing up things or shooting people (e.g., Gunpowder Green by Laura Childs = tea). -- Will probably SKIP this one --  XX




Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book About horses or a horse on the cover. Books with roses on the cover or about gardening; anything set in Australia. Possible Reads:
'The Rose Garden' by Susanna Kearsley		 TBA
Task 1 Pick your ponies! MbD will post the horses scheduled to race as soon as they’re released; everyone picks the three they think will finish (in any order). Finished Activity:
Horses chosen / Winners announced / no bonus points		 11/06/2018
Task 2 Cup day is all about the hats. Post a picture of your favorite hat, whether it’s one you own or not. Posted Activity:
My cadet hat and my 'This is my happy face' hat!		 11/06/2018
Task 3 The coloring of the “horse of a different color” in the movie version of The Wizard of Oz was created by rubbing the horse’s fur with jello. What’s the weirdest use of jello you’ve ever come across? Posted Activity:
Jello as hair dye.  A short memory from high school		 11/09/2018
Task 4 Have you ever been to or participated in a competition involving horses (racing, jumping, dressage, whatever)? Tell us about it. Photos welcome, too! Posted Activity:
My first horse track racing experience in Dallas!		 11/06/2018



Door 4:  Diwali (November 7)
Total Points Earned:  1

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Read a book with candles on the cover or the word “candle” or “light” in the title; OR a book that is the latest in a series; OR set in India; OR any non-fiction book that is ‘illuminating’ (Diwali is Sanskrit for light/knowledge and row, line or series) Possible Read:
-- 'The Woman Left Behind' by Linda Howard
-- 'The Governess Game' by Tessa Dare
-- 'Dim Sum of All Fears' by Vivien Chien		 TBA
Task 1 Share a picture of your favorite light display. Work in Progress
(possible skip / still considering)		 TBA
Task 2 Cleaning is a big part of this holiday; choose one of your shelves, real or virtual, and tidy / organise it.  Give us the before and after photos. OR Tidy up 5 of the books on your BookLikes shelves by adding the CORRECT cover, and/or any other missing information.  (If in doubt, see here: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/1782687/state-of-the-database-booklikes-database-halloween-bingo-and-a-mini-rant-with-pictures). -- Probably going to SKIP this one -- XX
Task 3 Eating sweets is also a big part of Diwali. Either select a recipe for a traditional sweet, or make a family favorite and share a picture with us. Possible Activity:
One of our culture's many sweet soups... maybe.		 TBA
Task 4 During Diwali, people pray to the goddess Lakhshmi, who is typically depicted as a beautiful young woman holding a lotus flower.  Find 5 books on your shelves (either physical or virtual) whose covers show a young woman holding a flower and share their cover images. Posted Activity:
Five books with young women holding flower; found with some difficulty, but successful!		 11/08/2018




Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Read any book involving wars, battles, where characters are active military or veterans, or with poppies on the cover. Possible Reads:
'Behind Enemy Lines' by Cindy Dees		 TBA
Task 1 Using book covers (real or virtual), create a close approximation of your country’s flag (either of residence or birth), OR a close approximation of a poppy. Take a pic of your efforts and post. Posted Activitiy:
The Penni Book Cover Poppy!!  With Monkey, too!		 11/13/2018
Task 2 Make an offer of peace (letter, gift, whatever) to a book character who has particularly annoyed you this year. -- SKIPPING this one -- XX
Task 3 Tell us: What author’s books would you consider yourself a veteran of (i.e., by which author have you read particularly many books – or maybe even all of them)? Posted Activity:
Jayne Ann Krentz / Honorable Mention goes to Jill Shalvis		 TBA
Task 4 Treat yourself to a slice of poppy seedcake and post a photo. If you want to make it yourself, try out this recipe:
Poppy Seed Cake @ tastesbetterfromscratch.com
… or this one:
Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake @ bbcgoodfood.com		 -- SKIPPING this one too -- XX




Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Read any fiction/non-fiction about tolerance or a book that’s outside your normal comfort zone. (Tolerance can encompass anything you generally struggle with, be it sentient or not.) OR Read a book set in Paris. Possible Reads:
TBA		 TBA
Task 1 Find some redeeming quality in the book you liked least this year and post about it. Posted Activity:
Chose book, This Wicked Gift by Courtney Milan		 11/19/2018
Task 2 Tell us: What are the tropes (up to 5) that you are not willing to live with in any book (i.e., which are absolutely beyond your capacity for tolerance) and which make that book an automatic DNF for you? (Insta-love? Love triangles? First person present narrative voice? Talking animals? The dog dies? What else?) Posted Activity:
Long-winded talk about 5 tropes -- see main post		 11/19/2018
Task 3 The International Day for Tolerance is a holiday declared by an international organization (UNESCO). Create a charter (humorous, serious, whatever strikes your fancy) for an international organization of readers. -- Going to SKIP this one -- XX
Task 4 UNESCO is based in Paris. Paris is known for its pastries and its breads: Either find a baker that specializes in pastries and bring home an assortment for your family, or make your own pastries using real butter and share a photo with us. Posted Activity:
French Macaroons!!		 11/19/2018



Door 7:  TBA (TBA)
Total Points Earned:  0

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book TBA Possible Reads:
TBA		 TBA
Task 1 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 2 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 3 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 4 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA



Door 8:  TBA (TBA)
Total Points Earned:  0

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book TBA Possible Reads:
TBA		 TBA
Task 1 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 2 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 3 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 4 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA



Door 9:  TBA (TBA)
Total Points Earned:  0

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book TBA Possible Reads:
TBA		 TBA
Task 1 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 2 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 3 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 4 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA




Door 18:  Winter Solstice / Yuletide (December 21)
Total Points Earned:  1

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Read any book that takes place in December; OR with ice or snow on the cover; OR that revolves around the (summer or winter) equinox; OR a collection of poetry by Hafez Read:
'Midnight Exposure' by Melinda Leigh		 11/17/2018
Task 1 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 2 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 3 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 4 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA




Door 19:  Festivus (December 23)
Total Points Earned:  0

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Read any comedy, parody, or satire Possible Reads:
TBA		 TBA
Task 1 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 2 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 3 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 4 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA




Door 20:  Christmas (December 25)
Total Points Earned:  0

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Read any Christmas book. Planned Read:
'How the Dukes Stole Christmas' anthology		 TBA
Task 1 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 2 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 3 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 4 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA




Door 21:  Kwanzaa (December 26 - January 1)
Total Points Earned:  0

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Read a book set in Africa or the Caribbean; OR by an African, Caribbean, or African-American author; OR a book with a green, red, or black cover. Possible Reads:
-- 'Tower of Thorns' by Juliet Marillier
-- 'Den of Wolves' by Juliet Marillier		 TBA
Task 1 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 2 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 3 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 4 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA




Door 22:  New Year's Eve (December 31)
Total Points Earned:  1

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Read a book about endings, new starts, or books where things go BOOM! Read:
'The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs' by Steve Brusatte		 11/06/2018
Task 1 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 2 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 3 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 4 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA




Door 23:  Hogswatch (December 32)
Total Points Earned:  0

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Read anything by Terry Pratchett Planned Read:
'The Light Fantastic' by Terry Pratchett		 TBA
Task 1 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 2 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 3 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 4 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA




Door 24:  Epiphany (January 6)
Total Points Earned:  0

Task My Activity /
Link to Post		 Date
Completed
Book Read a book with three main characters; OR a book about traveling on a journey to a faraway place; OR a book that's part of a trilogy; OR with a star on the cover; OR with the word "twelve" or "night" in the title; OR concerning kings or spices Possible Read:
'Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier		 TBA
Task 1 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 2 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 3 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA
Task 4 TBA Possible Activities:
TBA		 TBA


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