The First World War Personal Challenge

The First World War Challenge (Personal)

 

Below is my personal First World War Challenge!

 

Kat's Challenge



Start: 6/2/2015

Finish:

 

Since it is 100 years ago that the First World War broke out, read a book that is at least 100 years old or at the most 100 days young.
Book: Fall with Me                           Author: J Lynn

 

Before World War II began in 1939, World War I was called the Great War, the World War, or the War to End all Wars. 135 countries took part in World War I, and more than 15,000,000 people died in the war.
Read a story set in at least two countries.
Book: Three Wishes                                     Author: Kristen Ashley

 

The main causes of World War I included many factors, such as the conflicts and hostility between the great European powers over the four decades leading up to the war. The immediate origins of the war, however, lay in the decisions taken by statesmen and generals during the July Crisis of 1914 caused by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo.
Read a book in which an important person is killed OR read a crime novel.
Book: Wild Man                                            Author: Kristen Ashley

 

King George V, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the last Tsar Nicholas II ruled Europe's three most powerful states. They were related, as King George, Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicolas' wife were grandchildren of Queen Victoria.
Read a family saga.
Book: Law Man                                            Author: Kristen Ashley

 

The sinking of the RMS Lusitania on 7 May 1915 contributed to the American entry into World War I and became an iconic symbol in military recruiting campaigns of why the war was being fought. The RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by the Germans. On top of this, Germany had suggested to Mexico to work together to attack the United States. The note making this suggestion however was intercepted by British spies and the American government was warned. Read a book where a code needs to be cracked OR read a spy novel.
Book:                                                              Author:

 

World War I was the first war where tanks, aero planes, and submarines or underwater boats (U-boats) were used as common weapons. The generals however were used to fighting wars without these, so they ordered their armies to attack in the old style of marching in rows--allowing the enemy to shoot them down easily. At the battle of the Somme in 1916, 60 000 British men died in a single day.
Read either a book where something new is introduced OR read a book about technology or science.
Book: Taming Lily                             Author: Monica Murphy

 

Despite the new technology, lots of animals were used in the Great War. The work of these animals was varied. Horses and mules were used to move supplies and weapons. Oxen were also used to pull heavy loads. Dogs were used as sentries, scouts, and ammunition and equipment carriers as well as to send messages. Carrier pigeons were used extensively to carry messages. Cats were brought in to try and control the rat population.
Read a book on animals OR where at least one animal is important to the story.
Book: Golden Dynasty                               Author: Kristen Ashley

 

The Christmas truce was a series of widespread, unofficial ceasefires that took place along the Western Front around Christmas 1914, during World War I. Through the week leading up to Christmas, parties of German and British soldiers began to exchange seasonal greetings and songs between their trenches. Troops from both sides were also friendly enough to play games of football with one another.
Read either a book set at Christmas OR with the word Christmas in its title.
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Life in the trenches was far from glamorous. In fact, trenches were dirty, smelly, and riddled with disease. For soldiers, life in the trenches meant living in fear: in fear of diseases and, of course, the constant fear of enemy attack. The open space between two sets of opposing trenches became known as No Man’s Land because no soldier wanted to traverse the distance for fear of attack. The climate in France and Belgium was quite wet, so No Man’s Land soon became a mud bath. It was so thick that soldiers could disappear into it never to be seen again. The British and French actually recruited manpower from China to dig the trenches.
Read a novel in which the main protagonist is in fear for his life or health.
Book: Accidental Assassin                        Author: Nichole Chase

 

Of the 60 million European soldiers who were mobilised from 1914 to 1918, 8 million were killed, 7 million were permanently disabled, and 15 million were seriously injured. Germany lost 15.1% of its active male population, Austria-Hungary lost 17.1%, and France lost 10.5%. Those who had survived had suffered gas attacks or got shell shocked. Some returned home without legs or arms. Some lost their sanity.

Read a book where one of the characters is mad or traumatized.
Book: Fire Inside                                                Author: Kristen Ashley

 

The "Lost Generation" was the generation that came of age during World War I. The term was popularized by writer Ernest Hemingway.
Read a book by an author who served in the Great War OR read a novel set in the Great War.
Book:                                                  Author:

 

Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918 and is a national holiday in many countries. Every evening since 1928 The Last Post has been played under the Menin Gate Memorial in Ieper (Belgium) at 8 o'clock sharp. Most likely there is also a First World War Memorial statue or plaque in your town. Look around your own local official buildings (churches, town halls, universities, fire brigade stations, etc.) for a plaque commemorating those who have fallen in the Great War.
Read a novel set in a town that has a First World War Memorial statue OR plaque. In case it is your own town, you can read a book set in your town or about your town.
Book: Motorcycle Man                              Author: Kristen Ashley