Defeat Lucifer “I will reclaim my rightful place in Paradise. My path will be paved with the sins of Man, and yours shall be the bedrock of my return. And all that is good shall be gone from the universe forever!” Read a book… 1. with over 666 ratings. – James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl 2. with an evil character. – Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid 3. where a character has an argument with a family member. – Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey 4. with a man on the cover. – Soul Deep by Lora Leigh
Duration: 1st January – 31st December 2021 Number of books: 26 Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession
This is a reading challenge based on your astrological sign, the element you belong to and the planet that rules your zodiac sign.
How to Play ⁍Let us know the date of your birth and we’ll give you the information on your zodiac sign. ⁍For the initial reading challenge, you’ll receive tasks for your sign, the element you belong to and the planet that rules your sign. ⁍You can start this challenge whenever you want and set your own pace. ⁍ Once you’ve found out all about your zodiac sign you can request an astrological reading and we will give you information about your sign when it comes to three areas: love and sex, career and money and friends and family. ⁍For the reading challenge you’ll receive tasks based on the three areas of love and sex, career and money and friends and family.
⁍When you finish the astrological reading for your sign you can request another zodiac sign (a loved one or maybe just the sign your zodiac is most compatible with) and play again if you like up to 4 more times to earn mini hearts.
∞ Task Challenge Three tasks for each area. You will get three areas read totaling nine tasks per reading.
∞ Spell-It-Out Challenge Using the first letter of a book title, series title, author’s first or last name, or a character’s first or last name to spell out the name of your sign/element and planet.
Weaknesses: Runs from emotional expression, temperamental, uncompromising, aloof
Aquarius likes: Fun with friends, helping others, fighting for causes, intellectual conversation, a good listener
Aquarius dislikes: Limitations, broken promises, being lonely, dull or boring situations, people who disagree with them
Aquarius-born are shy and quiet , but on the other hand they can be eccentric and energetic. However, in both cases, they are deep thinkers and highly intellectual people who love helping others. They are able to see without prejudice, on both sides, which makes them people who can easily solve problems.
Although they can easily adapt to the energy that surrounds them, Aquarius-born have a deep need to have some time alone and away from everything, in order to restore power. People born under the Aquarius sign, look at the world as a place full of possibilities.
Tasks: 1. Read a book published between Jan 20 – Feb 18 of any year – The Flyaway Bride by Langley Gray (8th February 2021) 2. Read a book where the MC is intellectual OR eccentric – The Bride Test by Helen Hoang 3. Read a book where a character is independent or involved in a humanitarian effort OR where a character is aloof or refuses to compromise – Kiss of Heat by Lora Leigh (both leads are independent and refuse to compromise)
Element: Air This is the element that connects all other elements, even though it might seem less relevant, invisible as it is. Still, this is the element that can be found in all others. The element of Air gives us room to breathe, widens our lungs, and with them, opens our Soul to personal freedom. All signs that belong to this element have a strong need to feel liberated and free. Aquarius is an air sign, and as such, uses his mind at every opportunity. If there is no mental stimulation, they are bored and lack a motivation to achieve the best result. To truly succeed in personal growth and overall development, the most important thing for Airy individuals is to stop talking and start doing concrete, practical moves towards fulfillment. They are balanced by the element of Earth and need a healthy daily routine, with their meals repeated at the same time every day, and physical activity to remain aware of their physical existence. If they forget to eat, for example, this hole in their stomach will have an effect on any rational plan they’ve had. The importance of fulfilling their physical needs is primal and irreplaceable.
Ruling Planet: Uranus Words Associated with Uranus: Freedom, Astrology, lightning, risk, humanity, crossroads, chaos, surprises, separation Colors: Metallic, Silver
The ruling planet of Aquarius, Uranus has a timid, abrupt and sometimes aggressive nature, but it also gives Aquarius visionary quality. They are capable of perceiving the future and they know exactly what they want to be doing five or ten years from now. Uranus also gave them the power of quick and easy transformation, so they are known as thinkers, progressives and humanists. They feel good in a group or a community, so they constantly strive to be surrounded by other people.
The biggest problem for Aquarius-born is the feeling that they are limited or constrained. Because of the desire for freedom and equality for all, they will always strive to ensure freedom of speech and movement. Aquarius-born have a reputation for being cold and insensitive persons, but this is just their defense mechanism against premature intimacy. They need to learn to trust others and express their emotions in a healthy way.
This is a planet of eccentricity and always speaks of individuals who are different, strange, out of the ordinary, in some sort of fight with the system and the state, and among them scientists, astrologers, homosexuals, and all of us who stand out and have a humane initiative to fight for someone’s rights, including our own. It is a planet of gambling, chance, risk, leading us to dangerous activities when afflicted, and sometimes endangering our wellbeing by chance, strange circumstances, or extreme choices that we make in spite of rational opinions, especially those of our fathers. It is a ruler of all humanitarian efforts and doesn’t care so much about the individual as much as the utopian image of our entire society.
Tasks: 1) Read a book with a silver or metallic cover 2) Read a book with a psychic character OR read a book with 3 or more people on the cover – Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper 3) Read a book where the MC is a scientist or gambles or read a book tagged LGBTQ or M/M – Say Everything by Langley Gray
Rules ~Books must be read during the selected time period. ~Post the date you finished the book. ~All books read for challenges can be used for more than one challenge. ~Books can be either Fiction or Non Fiction. Your choice. ~At the end of the challenge, it will be closed for commenting and moved to the archives folder ~Use the add book/author tool to tag your book within your challenge.
Copy & paste the blank template below to begin your own challenge.
December 2020: All Good Things Must Come to an End Duration: 12/1/2020-12/31/2020
A FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US! DURATION : December 1-31, 2020
Happy Festivus! Have you aired your grievances or demonstrated your feats of strength around the pole yet? It’s nearly time to celebrate, so dig out that aluminum pole, start training for the Feats of Strength and get to work on your list for the Airing of Grievances!
THE TASKS:
1. Festivus garnered national attention after a 1997 episode of Seinfeld, in which Frank Costanza (the father of one of the show’s main characters), decided that, instead of celebrating a crassly commercialized holiday, he was going to start his own tradition – Festivus. The holiday is celebrated on December 23rd, because Frank wanted to “get a leg up on Christmas.” ✳ Read a book set at Christmas time OR a book you added to your to-read list on the 23rd of any month; tell us the month and year – Christmas in Silver Springs by Brenda Novak
2. While most people know the holiday from Seinfeld, it actually originated with the family of Dan O’Keefe, a member of the show’s staff. His father, Daniel O’Keefe Sr., originally created Festivus as a way to have “a secular holiday not burdened by the religion and commercialism of the holiday season.” According to family folklore, the first Festivus occurred in 1966, with the O’Keefes making it an annual tradition thereafter.
O’Keefe didn’t want to include his family’s secrets on TV, but when some of the show’s writers found out about it, they begged him to allow them to work it into an episode and share its brilliant weirdness with the world. Even though most of the O’Keefe Festivus traditions did not appear in the Seinfeld version of the holiday, one important O’Keefe element did. The phrase “A Festivus for the Rest of Us”, spoken by Frank Costanza in the Seinfeld episode, was actually an O’Keefe family Festivus motto. It initially referred to those remaining after the death of O’Keefe’s grandmother, then later coming to mean in general a forward-looking focus on life and the living. ✳ Read a book with a repeated number in the total page count (331 and 199 work, 252 does not); tell us how many pages OR a book in which a secret is grudgingly shared; using spoiler tags, briefly explain – Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay (144 pp.)
3. After the episode aired and Festivus started to be celebrated outside of the O’Keefe family, its inventor was awestruck. “Have we accidentally invented a cult?” he wondered to the New York Times. Now, Festivus is celebrated from coast to coast and, in particular, on the internet. ✳ Read a book by an author whose last name begins with O’ (like Clare O’Donohue and Barbara O’Neal); post a link to the author’s GR page OR a book that is on a CURRENT best-sellers list; post a link to the list and tell us where the book falls on that list
4. THE FESTIVUS POLE The Festivus Pole was a creation of Seinfeld script writers; it was not a part of the O’Keefe family tradition. The Festivus Pole, an unadorned aluminum pole, is the ultimate symbol of an anti-Christmas holiday: it is plain looking, unencumbered by branches and decorations, and relatively inexpensive. You can buy an aluminum pole from your local hardware store, buy an official Festivus pole from a variety of places on the web – or just use an old lamp pole. Anything that is non-commercial and non-flashy exhibits the true spirit of Festivus. ✳ Read a book with a pole of some sort shown prominently on the cover; post the cover (bonus for a plain, unadorned pole!) OR a book that was inexpensive to obtain – The Bad Mothers’ Book Club by Keris Stainton
5. FESTIVUS DINNER What should you serve at your Festivus dinner? Since the Seinfeld episode aired in 1997 the traditional meal for Festivus became known as Spaghetti or Meatloaf, because nobody could actually identify the meal. With the advent of clearer television, it is now identified as slices of meatloaf on a bed of lettuce. Although the notion of serving meatloaf on lettuce seems odd to some, this is an odd family celebrating an odd holiday, so it seems to be perfectly acceptable. By comparison, the O’Keefe family dinner featured a main course of turkey, ham, beef stew or lamb chops with pecan pie as dessert. ✳ Read a book by an author whose first and last initials can be found in either MEATLOAF *or* SPAGHETTI; post a link to the author’s GR page (a letter can only be used as many times as it appears in the word) OR a book in which a family sits down to dinner together; quote the excerpt and tell us the location/page number – A Kiss Before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski
6. FESTIVUS AIRING OF GRIEVANCES The Festivus Airing of Grievances takes place immediately after the Festivus dinner has been served. Each participant tells friends and family of all the instances where they disappointed him or her that year. The Seinfeld Airing of Grievances is modeled after the O’Keefe Family Festivus, where family members were invited to recite their complaints into a cassette tape recorder. To avoid hurt feelings and repercussions, try to keep your grievances light-hearted. After all, it’s Festivus, not an intervention! ✳ Read a book that ended up being a disappointment; using spoiler tags, briefly tell us why OR a book whose title begins with G; ALL words count! – It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han (Belly regressed in her maturity again)
7. FESTIVUS FEATS OF STRENGTH Although not part of the O’Keefe family tradtion, a Seinfeld-based Festivus celebration is not complete without the Feats of Strength, considered to be the final tradition of Festivus. In accordance with Seinfeld tradition, Festivus is not complete until the head of the household is wrestled to the floor and pinned. However, one thing to consider for your Festivus Party is to have Feats of Strength that do not require a visit to the emergency room and/or long term physiotherapy. Some alternatives: thumb wrestling, beer pong, video game boxing and board games. ✳ Read a book in which two or more characters compete in a game of some sort; tell us the game OR a book that is the last book needed to finish a challenge other than this one; tell us the challenge (can be from any group or a personal challenge) – Cherish Hard by Nalini Singh (rugby)
To go along with Barb’s scavenger challenge this month, choose one or more of these words to spell out in December. The words in parentheses are optional, but can be chosen by those who want more of a challenge. You may use the first letter of the first word in the book’s title (excluding A, An and The) OR the author’s first or last initial (middle names or initials can NOT be used).
Festivus Seinfeld O’Keefe writer secular internet unadorned pole aluminum dinner spaghetti meatloaf bed of lettuce beef stew lamb chops turkey (or ham) pecan pie (airing of) grievances (feats of) strength wrestling beer pong video boxing board games
Duration: 1st December – 31st December 2020 Number of books: 12 Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession
🧛♀️Duration Starts: December 1st Ends: December 31st
🧛How It Works Max is 12 books each month. But there are 5 different levels. Select which level you want and that’s how many items you will need to check off.
🧛🏻♂️Levels : Transitional – 2 books Baby Vamp – 4 books Vampire novitiate – 6 books Master – 8 books Vampire King or Queen – 10 books or more
🦌11. Haunted Castles Read a book: a) any building on the cover; or b) title that begins with any letter in HAUNTED CASTLES – This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
Earth and Skye 