Jenifer’s Comments (group member since Dec 05, 2011)

Jenifer’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

Would The Historian work for Road Trip? They are constantly traveling all over the world.

Yikes, Rosemary! My old library in Arizona would charge .25 cents if you failed to pick up a requested book and I thought that was bad. I can't imagine having to pay $1.50 just to put one on hold!

I use my library here in Oregon all the time. All of the libraries in our county are connected so I can request books to be put on hold for me from any of the libraries, including digital downloads.

20.4 El Ateneo
Mansfield Park
link to movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0178737/

+20 task
+10 canon
+5 jumbo

Task Total = 35

Grand Total = 155

Alexander McCall Smith's new series were serials from "The Scotsman".
(it's a quirky little read that I enjoyed)

Hi, I'm Jenifer. I am new to the Reading with Style challenge (Summer 2012 will be my first). I've always loved reading and have historically preferred more literary forms and classics. But...over the past two years, I completed a Masters degree and found my recreational reading steering towards easier reading (i.e. romance, paranormal, etc) so, I'm looking forward to the RWS challenge to get me back into more serious reading. :)

I'm originally from Southern California but have also lived in San Franciso, Atlanta, and Phoenix. I currently live in Portland, OR. I have two kids, a nine year old who loves reading and an 11 yr old who is an advanced reader but hates to read (it breaks my reader's heart!).

Thanks. I feel like a pain most of the time because I'm sure that all of my questions have been asked before. :)

Okay, thanks, Elizabeth.

Am I correct in understanding that we cannot use style points for our TDOS books but we can use combo points? Or is it a no-no for both?

Oh, I just found this: "You cannot claim regular style points for any book you read for TDoS (nor do the TDoS tasks count as combo style points for Reading with Style's 10 and 20 point tasks)." So, I guess no combo points, right?

Connie wrote: "Since we're all planning - I've taken the liberty to beef up Elizabeth's fabulous spreadsheet (automated the Jumbo and Oldies points), and if you want, you can get it here on Google Docs.

Slight c..."

Thank you!!

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Jenifer, we have no way of checking for that sort of thing. You're on your honor. Personally, I think 2 decades qualifies as a first timer - you are undoubtedly a different person from this perspec..."

Thanks, Elizabeth. I was thinking of reading it for the Alliteration task and was interested in reading it again for the very reason you stated...I'm interested in how I will view the book now as compared to in my late teens.

We can't do any re-reads for TDOS but can we re-read for one of the other tasks? It's been two decades since I last read The Great Gatsby and with the movie coming out, I'm itching to read it again.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Rachelccameron wrote: "Please Please Please post the rest of the tasks soon! :)
I love looking at books I want to read!
Pleeeeeease"

And I'll just dangle this in front of you - there are some very..."

Oh my goodness, that is just cruel!! I come on here at least three times a day (yes, I'm being a bit obsessive lol) looking for new tasks....and you dangle that in front of us?? lol I'm kidding...I just can't wait though.

For a fall reading challenge what about this:

In honor of the birth of Mohandas Gandhi (10/2/1869) and Mother Theresa receiving the Nobel Peace Price (10/17/ 1979) largely for her work in India, read a book (fiction or non-fiction) either largely set in India or written by an author with roots in India.

I've adjusted my book chain to include a few classics that I've been meaning to read:

1. The Historian - Sam and Jayme VA
2. One Day - Jayme VA and Tammy AZ
3. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - Tammy AZ and Annemarie
4. Atonement - Annemarie and Rebekah
5. Soulless - Rebekah and Cindy AL
6. The Hobbit - Cindy AL and Donna Jo
7. Wolf Hall - Donna Jo and Rachel
8. Frankenstein - Rachel and Jayme the Ghost Reader
9. The Hound of the Baskervilles Jayme GR and Celeste)
10. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Celeste)

10.6 - The Music of the Soul
Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Shakespeare

+10 task
+10 canon
+10 not a novel

Task Total: 30

Grand Total: 120

Rebekah wrote: "To The Moderators

Would you please STOP?!!!
You are making these challenges too much fun and I'm afraid CPS will take my kids for neglect and my husband will leave me! They know when I'm getting c..."

lol Rebekah That is too funny.

lol Liz, thanks for checking my math! I wish I had some excuse like "oh, I was mopping the floor and cooking dinner while I added that up"....but I don't. Just a tired mommy brain. ;)

I'll remember to include authors next time.

This is my first attempt at this so hopefully I do it correctly.

20.3 The Handmaid's Tale
20 points

20.7 Great Expectations
+ 5 Combo (20.4 movie with Gwyneth Paltrow)
+10 Canon
+ 5 Jumbo (505pp)
40 points

20.10 44 Scotland Street
+10 Review:
This is the first book that I've read by this author so I don't know if all of his books have a similar writing style. It was a little different but I liked it. This was more like a book of entwined short stories (this could be due to the fact that it's origin was as a serialized story in a Scottish newspaper).

We follow four multi-generational people who live in the building at 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh. There is a young boy, a young woman in her gap year, a narcisstic man, and an enigmatic elderly woman. I've read one review where the reviewer complained that the characters were not developed but I thought quite the opposite. The author slowly reviews the depths of each character through their interactions with the various characters they meet and interact with throughout the story.

It's a fun, light, quirky read and I'm glad I picked it up to read.
30 points

Grand Total: 70 points

I've found a couple of interesting books:
The Last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg, (occurs 1918)
or

Becoming Queen I think this Good Reads link is the correct book. It has a slightly different title and different ISBN than the one at Barnes & Noble: Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch by Kate Williams (a biography of Queen Victoria, b. 1819 and Queen Charlotte, d. 1817)

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "You need to read them in order so that the chain linking them is preserved. Note that the books further down the chain get higher points."

Okay, thanks!