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I volunteered to host the monthly challenge this month mainly because I wanted to help out the group more and also because I like doing challenges like this :).

Many thanks to the those who shared their input at the Suggestions Thread. It helped me to frame the categories.
This thread will be for posting suggestions or any questions about this month's challenge. I hope you all enjoy the categories!

1. Repeat Repeat: Read a book where the first letter of the author's name is the same (ex: Julie James) or the first letter(s) of the book's title is the same (ex: A Lot Like Love).

2. Birthday: Read a book from an June B-day celebrant’s GR bookshelf whose “day� falls on the same “day� as yours. If no one has the exact same day, then go for the closest day. GR June Birthday List

3. Geography: Read a book whose author, character or setting is from Oregon.

4. U.F.O Day: Read a book with space-travel or a sci-fi book.

5. Best Friends: Read a book where the H/h have some great friends instead of them being the Lone Girl/Man.

6. Summer Solstice:Read a book with summer in title or takes place during Summer or with a bright cover using light blue or green or yellows or white color.

7. Graduation Month: Read a book whose character is a teacher/student.

8. Old Maid's Day: Read a book with an with an older Hero or heroine. As a point of reference, let the minimum age be mid-to-late thirties.

9. Yummy Yummy: Read a book where the H/h is a chef or a book predominantly with a food setting or book with a food cover.

10. Reader's Choice:


Challenge Duration: June 1 � June 30, 2011

Happy Reading Everyone!

If it helps...one of the two RWA Oregon chapters with . There are quite a few known ones in there.

Can someone tell me if Son of the Morning by Linda Howard qualifies for Old Maid's Day?

I found a listing for but this books is listed under Thirty-Something so I'm not sure if they meet the mid 30's requirement.

Hi katharina, good news. son of the morning does qualify for the old maid. The heroine is 30 years but the hero is 39 years old. So you can go ahead with it.

Thanks Vi.

Since the h is only 30 does this mean that only one of them has to qualify?

Hi katharina, yes. Only one of them needs to be in mid to late thirties to qualify.

Hey Vi - For Yummy, Yummy, I'm using fruit in the cover. That's food, so I figured that's alright. :) Tell me if it's not!

Thanks for posting about the Oregon authors, Mojca! Meljean Brook is there and I've been planning to read The Iron Duke!

Yep D.G, you can use fruit in the cover.

Vi wrote: "Hi katharina, yes. Only one of them needs to be in mid to late thirties to qualify."

Vi - Can you modify the thread for that and say older Hero or Heroine? Right now it implies that both of them need to be older.

Another question about 'older'. What happens if they are immortal? Does that count? Or do they have to feel older as well?

I ask because in all the books where there are immortals around, they always behave as if they are in their late 20s, even if they are hundreds of years old.

D.G, done. I've changed it.
D.G. ~Saucy Vixen~ wrote: "Vi wrote: "Hi katharina, yes. Only one of them needs to be in mid to late thirties to qualify."

Vi - Can you modify the thread for that and say older Hero or Heroine? Right now it implies that bot..."

As I was the one that made the suggestion about the Summer Solstice, I'll clarify what I meant by a 'bright' cover (I thought to ask you, Vi but I figured I should chime in because it was my idea in the first place!)

I meant colors that make you think of summer: light blues, greens, yellows, even white.

Well, when you say summer, pretty much that are the colors that come to mind. Sometimes, I forget that the world can't read my mind! :P. Thanks D.G, for clarifying.

D.G. ~Saucy Vixen~ wrote: "As I was the one that made the suggestion about the Summer Solstice, I'll clarify what I meant by a 'bright' cover (I thought to ask you, Vi but I figured I should chime in because it was my idea i..."

Ilona Andrews (Magic Burns) is also from Oregon.

Jayne Ann Krentz sets many of her books in Oregon. One of her latest In Too Deep for instance.

Vi wrote: "Well, when you say summer, pretty much that are the colors that come to mind. Sometimes, I forget that the world can't read my mind! :P. Thanks D.G, for clarifying."

LOL, Vi. When I was trying to pick my choice for this I was like...is my definition of bright the same as other people? Would other participants know what I meant by a bright cover? Is Vi's definition the same as mine? (LOL!) That's why I figured I should clarify. :)

Would the author Karen Marie Moning count toward the repeat repeat category?

3. Geography: Read a book whose author, character or setting is from Oregon.

So, is the book acceptable for category 3, if the characters are from Oregon, but the book takes place in New York?

Hi Lacy, No. All the first letter should repeat. In this case, since Karen starts with K, it wouldn't qualify for Repeat Repeat category.

D.G, somehow I missed this question. If immortal, I think they should be relatively older compared to the rest of the cast. The idea here is to read books with older H/h instead of your 20s H/h in case of contemporary or historical.

D.G. ~Saucy Vixen~ wrote: "Another question about 'older'. What happens if they are immortal? Does that count? Or do they have to feel older as well?

I ask because in all the books where there are immortals around, they alw..."

A fabulous book I read about a chef recently was The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal. But it made me very hungry!

Lacy, I checked the previous challenges. You're good to go as long as the main characters are from Oregon.

Lacy wrote: "3. Geography: Read a book whose author, character or setting is from Oregon.

So, is the book acceptable for category 3, if the characters are from Oregon, but the book takes place in New York?"

Vi wrote: "Lacy, I checked the previous challenges. You're good to go as long as the main characters are from Oregon.

Lacy wrote: "3. Geography: Read a book whose author, character or setting is from Oregon...."

Thanks Vi!

for 8 - what about a significant age difference (i.e. 15 years)...even if they aren't mid-30's?? hawke in Kiss of Snow is 34 and his HEA is going to be with Sienna who is only 19...and the age issue has been mentioned many times as a potential reason for the delay and stuff

I didn't know Hawke was 34! I thought he was late 30s (Now that I think about, that was stupid of me). And it pains (and it really does) me to say, nopes, can't be used for category 8. Plus changelings have a longer lifespan which means 34 is not really young. Sorry Dee.

on wells...maybe he's older, but I don't think so...I was just thinking the huge age difference...he'd be an 'old man' in sienna's eyes...

Vi wrote: "I didn't know Hawke was 34! I thought he was late 30s [...] nopes, can't be used for category 8. Plus changelings have a longer lifespan[...]."

I'm being anal, but category #8 states we should “Read a book with an older hero or heroine. As a point of reference, let the minimum age be mid-to-late thirties.�

Cruising the net the general consensus for mid-thirties is 34-36, so I’d say Hawke does qualify.

And there’s no additional rule in category #8 about any “paranormal exceptions�. Mid-thirties is mid-thirties whether someone lives 80 years or 800.

I think I'd have to stand by Mojca on that one.

Hmm, I guess I should have been more clearer when I set the category but I didn't want to be too restrictive. Mojca, you are right. So any book with mid-to-late thirties h or H would qualify.

so hawke works?? lol!

Ha ha yeah, hawke works.

lol! trying to fit as many other challenge books into this challenge...and I gotta know what happens to hawke and sienna!

I suppose you don't read the kate daniels series? Cos the latest book and hawke's book release on the same day. A very tough dilemma-which to read first. Luckily, it seems both will fit the challenge for this mth.

i've only read the first Kate Daniels...I have the second one but haven't read it yet...ditto with the cat/bones

Yay! So I can put Hawke back in my #8 slot.

Thanks, Vi!

Hey join me on this. Stop fight against abusive relationships at http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4...

Please we need you to help support us.

I am still wondering why everyone is so willing to let someone else define the rules. Ok, I get it, this is a challenge. Of course you want to stick to the challenge as close as you can ... you get the most benefit from it that way. However, since this is NOT a competition, I feel that you, the reader, should be the one to decide if the book you choose meets the challenge. It's not that I want to cheat ... it's just that I find this chit-chat about "is this allowed" or "is that allowed" completely unnecessary. My opinion isn't popular (in any group) but I think once the challenge is posted, I, and I alone, should be the one to decide if my book fits the challenge. (Unless, of course, it is a competition, in which case of course there have to be strict rules that everyone must follow). So ... to each his (or her) own ... but I will read some books for this challenge. Not sure how many yet, but I'll post books as I read them. At this point I'm still working on the May challenge, and not finished yet. Hoping to get done before the 1st ... but that means lots of reading.

I think the beauty of this group and these monthly challenges is that you can make of them what you want. Those that find it more challenging to stick closely to the rules "chit-chat" about them, and those that would rather the rules remain loose, simply don't ask. They just do.

That's my take too, Penney. I try to make this a real challenge so I try to go by the hostess instructions as close as possible. When something is up to interpretations, I ask the hostess, because she'll know for sure what she meant. If I follow the rules loosely, then I don't feel I'm really doing the challenge.

I also like having guidelines to follow. They make the challenge more challenging.

It's all fun regardless - I like to follow the rules; its a bit like I want to read a series from the first book - mild OCD. I wouldn't feel right not doing it 'by the book'.

...But I truly don't mind if other people don't follow them - unless they were to 'win' proper challenge (eg The Name Game Tournament) - that would then be unfair to the other readers (as noted by Joy)...

i like rules...i'm a dork, what can I say! its supposed to be a challenge for a reason...yeah, you can twist the rules to suit yourself if you want, but then, is it really a challenge, which by definition is supposed to be hard(ish)

Shazzy wrote: "This is a list of books with food on the cover.

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/51..."

Thanks Shazzy! I didn't have a book for this category - I suspect I still won't unless I read Green Eggs and Ham!! (LOL - love that book ;)

a few of us are doing Hot in Here as a buddy read - features a chef...Delicious features a chef - it was cute...Falling for Gracie she is a baker...lauren in the brides quartet books by nora roberts

Thanks Dee - I don't have any of those books - if I have time, I'll check out the library...

Argh. I remember Falling For Gracie. I introduced the book to my wall many times. Then I tried Delicious also. But it didn't hold my interest and I also came close to introducing the wall again. Then I decided Susan Mallery was just not for me.

There's another book where the h/h is a chef/cook, . This one is a historical romance.

I'm slow on the uptake this month, but WHAT HAPPENED TO THE #6 IN A SERIES category? I'm really bummed!

I did find a book for the "old people" category, though. I'm going to read . I've been dying to know what happens next.

Ah, I decided to leave off that category this month for a change. Sorry Courtney.