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It's that time again! We'll be ready to start the next challenge on July 1st.

Here's the place to throw out ideas!

You read my mind, Angela! I was going to start this thread this weekend, too. :)

I had mentioned to Angela that a paranormal challenge might be fun. Reading books that feature different paranormal creatures (vampires, werewolves, etc).

Maybe something with mythologies or folk tales of different cultures? (Greek, Norse, African, Native American, etc)

We can probably combine mythology and the paranormal, since it sort of goes together.

Thats what I was thinking, too...

Great minds and all.... :-)

I think that sounds like fun. It encompasses a lot of different options for books too. Kind of a "larger than life" challenge!

Now we need more specific task suggestions... Usually we read between 20-30 books per challenge, depending on the difficulty of the tasks.

I started making a list for different "creatures". Maybe we can do a two part challenge.

Part A: 5 points for each creature:

trolls
fairies
pixies (same as a fairy?)
ghost
angel
demon
werewolf
vampire
mermaid
witch
devil
grim reaper

Part B: 5 points for each type of Mythology (or mythological book)?

Egyptian
Greek

creatures:
phoenix, unicorn... I think doppelganger would be cool, but I don't think there are books to support the choice.

mythologies:
Norse
Mayan
Native American (which is really several, I know)
British/Celtic/Welsh
Arthurian Legend?
Hindu
Christian
Islamic/Arabian
Eastern mythologies (Near Eastern, Polynesian, Buddhism)
African mythologies

...and fantasy nerds (like me) would say that pixies are a type of fairy.

...dragons are certainly mythological, (especially eastern) but not really paranormal. Do you want to count them?

Yes definitely. Put them under mythological.

So far we have (and I'm cutting and pasting):

Part A: 5 points for each creature:

trolls
fairies/pixies
ghost
angel
demon
werewolf
vampire
mermaid
witch
devil
grim reaper
phoenix
unicorn
doppleganger (let's add it for extra bonus points, cause I think vampire diaries might have dopplegangers in them)
Siren

Part B: 5 points for each type of Mythology (or mythological book)?

Egyptian
Greek
Norse
Mayan
Native American (which is really several, I know)
British/Celtic/Welsh
Arthurian Legend?
Hindu
Christian
Islamic/Arabian
Eastern mythologies (Near Eastern, Polynesian, Buddhism)
African mythologies

As you all have probably noticed, it is quite hard for me to take part in the challenges anymore :( but I really love where this one is going!

I haven't done one in ages. I started the 50 state challenge but now that summer is coming, I actually have time.

Be prepared, paranormal/fantasy/mythology experts! There may be some requests to help define where creatures fall in the categories below. Maybe we can begin a "help" list of books that work for some of the different types.

(I know that I'm wondering what the difference is between a devil and a demon?)

That sounds great. Also thought we need to add Sirens to the list of creatures. Devil meaning THE devil (aka Satan, Lucifer, etc).

On a side note, is anyone having trouble logging into some of the threads? I was tryinig to update my 50 state challenge thread, and it tells me the page doesn't exist. Weird. The last two days has been like that.

from wikipedia (because its easy):

A demon or daemon is a paranormal, often malevolent being prevalent in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, and folklore. The original Greek word daimon does not carry the negative connotation initially understood by implementation of the Koine δαιμόνιον (daimonion),[1] and later ascribed to any cognate words sharing the root.
In Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an unclean spirit, sometimes a fallen angel, the spirit of a deceased human, or a spirit of unknown type which may cause demonic possession, calling for an exorcism. In Western occultism and Renaissance magic, which grew out of an amalgamation of Greco-Roman magic, Jewish demonology, and Christian tradition,[2] a demon is a spiritual entity that may be conjured and controlled.
The Ancient Greek word δαίμων daimōn denotes a spirit or divine power, much like the Latin genius or numen. Daimōn most likely came from the Greek verb daiesthai (to divide, distribute).[3] The Greek conception of a daimōns notably appears in the works of Plato, where it describes the divine inspiration of Socrates. To distinguish the classical Greek concept from its later Christian interpretation, the former is anglicized as either daemon or daimon rather than demon.

short answer - devils are "opposite" of angels, but daemons (and I suppose we should probably spell it that way (?) are usually spirits conjured by witches/sorcerers. Also, in His Dark Materials, everyone in Lyra's universe had a daemon (hers was Pan) that was like a part of their soul....

Awesome. I think we're going to be consulting wikipedia quite often for this challenge.

I think we should also have something that says a certain number of points for any additional creatures that we may discover (like a selkie, or something unexpected or non-mainstream).

sounds good.

I read something with selkies a few months ago and now I can't remember what.... this is gonna bug me.

LOL, me too. Can't remembe which book it was but I remember it was a series that had a ton of different mythical creatures, that would have been perfect for this challenge.

The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan had selkies!

What about characters that have psychic powers, but don't identify as a "witch" or some other magic creature?

Also I think dragons should be on the list. They are both mythical and often reside in magic stories with witches and wizards. I'm also thinking of the book Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede.

This challenge looks great!

Michelle wrote: "What about characters that have psychic powers, but don't identify as a "witch" or some other magic creature?

Also I think dragons should be on the list. They are both mythical and often reside..."

Agreed, psychics would seem to fit here. I know there's the "Gifted" series by Marilyn Kaye. Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Can we go ahead and start a list or thread of books with paranormal? Of course the boom im currently reading is about Sirens. I'll ask go back through my books that I've already read so maybe others can use those to meet some of the challenge requirements.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Here's a thread for posting book suggestions. Please post both the book and which creature/myth it works for.

Agreed, psychics would seem to fit here. I know there's the "Gifted" series by Marilyn Kaye. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
...

How are we feeling about zombies? They have been big in books recently.

Michelle wrote: "Agreed, psychics would seem to fit here. I know there's the "Gifted" series by Marilyn Kaye. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
...

How are we feeling about zombies? They have been big in books recently."

I think Zombies are a great idea, they are the new "it" mythological creature.

I say add it. The more we have the more points we can earn. LOL.

Can I vote for giving Buddhism its own point value since it is one of the world's major religions, like Hinduism and Christianity? In fact, I would also have categories for Chinese Mythology, Japanese Mythology. I don't know as much about African mythologies, but I would love to see that category opened up too to reflect the diversity of African cultures.
Also can we add Persian/Zoarastranian myths to this list? Not sure how much of that is out there, but there has to be something!

I don't see why not, Celeste!

As far as points/scoring goes, what are we thinking? 5 pts per creature/myth for the first book? Are we going to allow more than one book per creature/myth? Maybe 1 pt for all additional books that fit the bill?

Also, as you write up the challenge rules, you will want to consider whether a single book can be counted for only one creature/myth or multiple. For example, I'm reading Necromancing the Stone, which has witches, necromancers, fey hounds, were-animals, ghosts and more! Will this book count just one time or multiple times?

If we are voting, my vote would be one category per book, since for me the whole point of challenges is to get us to read as many different books as we can.

Celeste...I think that sounds great!

I say 5 points per creature, and maybe bonus points for finishing each section and then again for the whole challenge? Definitely allow more than one for each creature and do 1 point for each additional.

I also think once you use a book, it should not be used for another category. No multiple sections.

I agree with Amy and Celeste.

I'm so excited for this challenge!

Who will keep track of the points? Amy, are you up for it?

Sure! How long does this challenge run?

Three months, July 1-Sept 30.

I love this challenge Idea! Most of the books I read fall into all of these catagories! Are we going to do it like the alphabet challenges where we can get bonus points for reading a catagory more then once I can help keep track of points but I don't think I would like to do it alone lol!

hahha I just read some of the posts after I posted and I see that we were discussing additional points and such! I think we should do 5pts for the first in each category and 1pt for each addditional book in each category! I also think that books should only counts as one type of creature or myth not multile it will give people a chance to read more books if they can only claim one! Also I can do a rough write up tonight if you guys would like!

Ok guys here is what I have if you think it needs any changes or additions let me know! This is my first time writing a challenge!

Ground Rules and Notes:

1. The Challenge begins at 12:00 A.M. local time on 1 July 2013 and ends at 11:59 P.M. local time on 30 September 2013; for a book to count for the challenge, it cannot be more than 1/2 read before 12:00 AM on 1 July 2013.
2. This Challenge is just for fun, so make sure you enjoy yourself and all the books you will be reading!
3. All books must be classified as Young Adult or Juvenile Fiction. If you local library classifies the book you chose as juvenile-young adult, then the book may be included.
4. All books must be at least 100 pages long to count for any of the tasks.
5. Re-reads are NOT allowed unless it falls into one of the following categories: it is a book you never finished, it is a book you didn't like but want to give another chance. The goal is to try new things, not reread old ones, but if you think it fits or feel it's reasonable, it probably is; just ask. :)
6. Audio books and electronic books (unabridged), such as Kindle, all count for this Challenge. Page counts will be according to the GoodReads page count.
7. When reporting completion of tasks, please link the title and author if possible. Also include the number of pages for the first edition listed on ŷ������ (as was done in the first challenge). The point-count Leaderboard will be updated as often as I am able or as necessary. The leaderboard will list participants in alphabetical order. I will "bold" both the point leader and the page leader. If you find discrepancies in the point totals, please notify me. If you change a book to a different task, please notify me.

Hyperlinking the books through the "add book/author" feature is greatly appreciated.

Paranormal and Mythological Challenge

Read YA/ J books that fit into the categories list below.

Each Paranormal / Mythological book read will be worth 5pts with the opportunity to collect an additional 1pt for reading a category multiple times. You may only count each book in one category. For example all the Harry Potter books have many different paranormal creatures in them such as witches and ghost and would fit into a couple of categories listed below.

Part A: Paranormal 5pts for each creature and 1pt for repeat creatures

trolls
fairies/pixies
ghost
angel
demon
werewolf
vampire
mermaid
witch
devil
grim reaper
phoenix
unicorn
doppleganger
Siren
Zombies

Part B: Mythological 5pts for each category and 1pt for each repeat

Egyptian
Greek
Norse
Mayan
Native American
British/Celtic/Welsh
Arthurian Legend
Hindu
Christian
Islamic/Arabian
Eastern mythologies (Near Eastern, Polynesian)
Buddhism
African mythologies
Chinese
Japanese
Persian/Zoarastranian
Dragon

Helpful Links

For ideas of books
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
For guidelines on creatures
- then search for the specific creature
ie. -
For guidelines on Myth’s
- this is an overview of mythology but at the bottom there are links to each of the different types of mythology.

Sounds good. Kristen are you keeping points? I can but I have a week in August and a weekend in August I will be out of town and can't do points.

We could do it together if you would like! Then we can bee sure there are no mistakes

Sounds great! THanks for writing that whole thing up. I was wondering how on earth it was gonna get done. LOL.

Haha I had free time at work tonight so I just made it up!

Free time??? what's that like. :-)

Baha'i have way too much I only work part time and my job is to be there and be available but I don't actually do much I mostly read lol! I wish I had more to do to much free time is boring lol!

This looks great! I've been falling behind on these challenges lately tho, so hopefully I won't on this one. :)

Rora wrote: "sounds good.

I read something with selkies a few months ago and now I can't remember what.... this is gonna bug me."

I don't know about a book, but did you ever see the movie "The Secret of Roan Inish"? It's great! It was based on the book "Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry" which is out of print.

Okay folks, we're only days away from Challenge 17!

Amy, please get your spreadsheets ready! :)

LOL, gotta figure out HOW to use my spreadsheet on my new computer.