Krista’s
Comments
(group member since Jul 24, 2010)
Krista’s
comments
from the Reading with Style group.
Showing 401-420 of 1,037
Task 20.8 - It Ain't Over: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James Publ 1898.Review:
It's sometimes hard to imagine how thrilling book this must have been when it was first published in 1898. We're now so thoroughly satured with horror concepts and ever wilder paranormal plotlines that this story almost seems quaint. But I think that when it was first published it must have been extremely creepy and cutting edge.
I can't decide of the governess was really an unreliable narrator. Was she crazy, or were the kids crazy? Were there really ghosts? -- Did the secluded setting drive the governess crazy? Or did the kids and their antics push her over the edge?
Now I'm curious to see this performed in it's operatic format! I only gave this 2 stars, but I think that's mainly because the story didn't seem all that fresh to me.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+20 Combo (10.2, 10.5, 20.6, 20.10)
+10 Oldies (1898)
Task Total = 60
+ 5 Combo Points from 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest originally posted in Msg 572.
Grand Total = 280
Liz M wrote: "Krista wrote: "Task 20.6 Unreliable Narration: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey; Publ Feb 1, 1962 (On my 2nd Birthday!) Review:
What a spectacular book..."
Okay thanks! Would you rather that I edited my original post for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' to include the Combo points again -- or do you want to to that when posting the points?
Or -- see the message below --- I've added the 5 points in the new new Completed Task message I just posted.
Back to School15.5 - Government: Betrayal of Trust by J.A. Jance (Police detectives investigate teen murder/suicide at the Governor's mansion. Legal system and elected officials)
+15 Task
Task Total = 15
15.6 - Economics: The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
+15 Task
+ 5 Non-Fiction
Task Total = 20
Post Total = 35
Grand Total = 215
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Krista wrote: "Task 20.6 Unreliable Narration: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey; Publ Feb 1, 1962 (On my 2nd Birthday!) 10 Combo (10.2, Liz and others;..."
Tobey wrote: "10.1 List Lovers - Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
I'm using the GR BBC 100 list which can be found here:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1......"
Okey doke -- I think I misundertood task 10.4. I thought it could be written by, or be about a Native American. My bad. I'll edit my points posting.
Thanks Elizabeth!
Task 20.5 - They Read: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer EganReview:
I listened to this book in audio format, and that might not have done it justice since there was a PowerPoint presentation in one section, and footnotes in another. This book was a set of lightly interlocked short stories. Some of the stories I liked, some were okay and a couple I really disliked. I skipped through a lot of story about the "journalist" who attempted to rape the young Hollywood starlet. Even before we got to that part of the story, the narration by the journalist was SO annoying.
I cared about some of the characters and storylines, but not as much as I'd hoped. I only gave this book two stars.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.2, Amy W; 10.10)
+10 Review
Task Total = 40
Grand Total = 180
Task 20.6 Unreliable Narration: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey; Publ Feb 1, 1962 (On my 2nd Birthday!) Review:
What a spectacular book! I watched snippets of the movie as a kid, and was put off by the whole story. That was such a shame. I'm glad I finally read it. (Thanks again to Reading with Style!) The story was just so compelling and the characters finely drawn.
It's a story set in an Oregon mental institution, but the truly crazy people aren't the usual suspects.
“Chief” Bromden narrates the story and interleaves what he sees happening on the mental ward with memories of what it was like growing up Native American along Oregon’s Columbia River before the big dams were built on the river. The Chief is certainly an unreliable narrator in some areas, but we get the sense that he is correct in his telling of the gist of the story.
From the first day that Randall P McMurphy sauntered onto the ward, everything was turned upside down. His goliath battle of wills with “The Big Nurse”; and his treatment of his fellow wardmates are told through the Chief’s observations.
This really was a stunning book. If I hadn’t already made my Group Reads selection before I finished this book, I would have selected this book instead of “Something Wicked This Way Comes”. I guess there’s always the Group Reads selection next quarter.
Task Points:
+20 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (10.2, Liz and others;
+ 5 Oldies (1962)
Task Total = 40
Grand Total = 140
I've had Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason sitting on my actual bookshelf. I was going to read it for a task three or four challenges ago, but ran out of time. I'm bound and determined to read it this winter!
Oh, now after review the list that Elizabeth posted the link to in the message above, I realize that I ordered The Summer Book by Tove Jansson after Liz selected it for a Group Read during the Summer (?) Challenge. Now the question is which book do I read first?
What might help settle the question is that I know exactly where Jar City is. I think I'll have to hunt through a few stacks of books to find The Summer Book. (Really -- QUITE a few stacks.) :-}
These days is seems I get more of my "reading" done in audio format listen to books in the car. Now my long commute is ALMOST enjoyable. :-) I haven't even started planning the Winter books yet. I'm still trying to figure out the points for the books I've read during the Fall Challenge, but haven't posted yet. I'm bound and determined to get at least one book posted on the Completed Tasks thread today.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo works for this task.I'm not 100% sure, but I think the opening portion of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest also takes place in another country. (I can't remember if the scenes are at the end of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, or the beginning of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest)
And now that I think about it -- I think The Girl Who Played with Fire also works for this task. Part of it is set in Gibralter... I think. (Again, I know the Gibralter setting exists, just not 100% sure it was in the final book in the trilogy.)
Can anyone else confirm?
Liz M wrote: "Krista wrote: "Why am I reading these messages instead of posting the 15 books I've read for the Fall Challenge? I must love the research part too much!!..."Keep reading & researching, please so I can finish reading the two books I have left for the Fall Challenge. ;) ..."
For you Liz -- anything! :-)
I've been meaning to start Kate Wilhelm's "Barbara Holloway" series. The first book in the series, Death Qualified certainly fits. All of Michael Connelly's book in the "Mickey Haller" series would fit. The Lincoln Lawyer is the first book in that series.
On the humorous side, John Mortimer's "Rumpole" series would also work. I think that Rumpole of the Bailey might be the first in that series.
(Why am I reading these messagne instead of posting the 15 books I've read for the Fall Challenge? I must love the research part too much!!)
I think that The Book Thief might fit this task. I don't know if the titles of the books stolen are actual books. I don't remember the exact titles, but I suspect that the author made them up.I don't have a copy of this book in order to do the research on it. Does anyone else?
Liz M wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "The Augusta Goodnight series by Mignon Ballard. Augusta is a guardian angel that helps solve mysteries.So would Santa count as in Santa Claus?"
The santa in Santa Evita is Spanis..."
The word 'angel' needs be be in the title. I see that some of the books by Mignon F. Ballard fit that requirement. Simply having an angel as a character in the book doesn't qualify the book for this task.
As far as 'Santa' goes -- I was going to disallow it, but what the heck. Happy Holidays! I'll add Santa to the list of acceptable title words.
Sarah's Key (France & US)Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (Non-fiction set in US and Japan)
A Town Like Alice byNevil Shute
Liz M wrote: "Krista wrote: "I did get my home computer fixed, but just haven't had the time to catch up on my group posting!..."Yay! Krista's back!"
Aw shucks. Thanks for the warm greeting. Good to be back!
Karen GHHS wrote: "Good to see you here, Krista!"Thanks!
I've been reading and lurking, just not posting. Now I have to try to make up for lost time. :-)
Task 20.1 I Read: Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. (Publ 1925)Review: It took awhile to get into the cadence of this book. Since I was listening to it in audio format, I had to pay much closer attention than I normally do while driving. Once I did listen closely and start to understand the quick change of point of view, I really enjoyed the stream-of-consciousness dialogue form of the book. I think I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I'd read it rather than listened to it. There were several times I had to go back and re-listen to some of the passages.
The story follows the title character, Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway through one June day in London in the mid 1920's. This particular day she is preparing for and then hostessing her annual London party. We "hear" seemingly all of her thoughts as they enter her head throughout the day. We also hear many different snippets of thoughts of other characters who cross her pass throughout the day. There's a compelling section about at WWI veteran who is still suffering from PTSD years after the war.
Considering that this was a whole new way to approach telling a story, I thinkk it's a pretty remarkable book.
----------
+ 20 Task
+ 5 Combo (10.2 5 Stars, Matthew Hodgson)
+ 10 Oldies (Publ 1925)
+ 10 Review
Task Total = 45
Grand Total = 100
Task 20.5, They Read: Darling Jim by Christian Moerk.Told from the point of view of a postman, a dead woman and her diary, and a live woman and her diary, among others.
Review: Set in the Irish countryside and told mainly via a series of diary entries from two sisters, this suspenseful story kept my interest all the way through. The story opens with the discovery of a murder scene. How the murder victims arrived at the murder scene takes up the rest of the book's storyline.
Three sisters are drawn in by a con-man who is a travelling storyteller. Jim, or "Darling Jim" as some folks call him weaves allegorical fairly tales in local pubs that might have more basis in fact than would be comfortable for most listners to contemplate. So it's a story within a story told from several points of view.
I really enjoyed it. I listened to it in audiobook format and hearing all the Irish accents added more atmosphere than if I had simply read the print version of the book.
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo (20.4 We Read)
+10 Review
Task Total = 35
Grand Total = 55
Okay, it's about darn time that I get some points posted on the Completed Tasks board! I'm on business in North Carolina this week so I have my work laptop with me all day -- and all night. I did get my home computer fixed, but just haven't had the time to catch up on my group posting!-----------------------------------------
Task 10.6 Fall Freebies (1): Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
Review: As other Goodreads reviewers have mentioned -- this was a REALLY quick read. Lots of white space on the page, and a large font reduce a 300 page book to probably about 150 pages in a normally formatted book.
This wasn't one of Evanovich's best efforts. I did laugh out loud a few times, but not nearly as much as I usually do with Stephanie Plum. Stephanie, please ---- pick a guy already. I like Ranger better than Morelli, but I think it's more in keeping with Stephanie's character to wind up with Morelli.
But this indecision and bouncing back and for between the guys is starting to get on my nerves. It's making Stephanie feel a bit trampy.
I'll read the next installment when it comes out, but I sure hope Stephanie gets back on track. Let's hear more from Grandma Mazur next time too. She's such a pistol!
+ 10 Task
+ 10 Review
Task Total: 20
Liz M wrote: "Krista wrote: "The Forgotten Garden+ 5 Combo Points for Sam's task, 20.10. It's #34 on the list of Best Gothic Books of All Time. ..."
Thank you!"
Sure! Thanks for keeping score!! I'm hoping that I'll actually get some points posted this weekend. I've been reading, just not posting points.
