Krista’s Comments (group member since Jul 24, 2010)

Krista’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

Joanna wrote: "What about something that hasn't been made yet, but has been announced?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot by David Shafer.

HBO is making a comedy: http://deadline.com/2015/06..."

Hi Joanna: No on movies not released during this challenge -- or are currently just in production.

Caveat: I know we had someone else post a degree of separation for The Martian. But that movie will be released on October 2. I'd say that if the movie will be released during the challenge -- then you're okay to use the movie link for a degree of separation for this task.

Glock: The Rise of America's Gun by Paul M. Barrett is a $1.99 deal on Kindle today.

I post this as an example of what I think works for the microhistory task. It's a about the development of a single product, and how it's existence has changed US society.

I'm not advocating that folks read this book (I haven't read it) but I saw it on the Book Bub email today (which shows Kindle deals) and thought that it was a good example of what I think of as a microhistory.

Rebekah wrote: "would like to check the following
Our Harsh Logic: Israeli Soldiers' Testimonies from the Occupied Territories, 2000-2010

..."

Hi Rebekah the Moderators have conferred, and we feel that only the final book in your proposed list fits the task.

Approved:
General Grant and the Rewriting of History: How the Destruction of General William S. Rosecrans Influenced Our Understanding of the Civil War

The rest of the books are either too broad in time span, book focus, or aren't actually a microhistory (Homework book and memoir about ADHD).

This is a rather ambiguous task that's hard to nail down exactly just from the task description.

Thanks for posting your proposed books!

Here is the closest degree I could find for Laurie Halse Anderson:

1. Laurie Halse Anderson wrote Speak.
2. Laurie Halse Anderson got writing credit (and was an uncredited actor) in Speak (2004) with Elizabeth Perkins.
3. Elizabeth Perkins was in He Said, She Said (1991) with Kevin Bacon

I'm penciling in Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson for this task. It's book 2 in her "Seeds of America" series. It has a Lexile score of 820.

I read book one (Chains) a couple of years ago. Although it's categorized as YA and only has a Lexile score of 780 -- I thought that it was a wonderful book with some graphic descriptions of the living conditions of black slaves in New York during the American Revolution.

I'm looking forward to being able to work the next book in the series in for this quarter's reading challenge!

I just figured out that I can get a Degree of Kevin Bacon combo (Task 10.6) since Laurie Halse Anderson got writing credit for the movie Speak based on her book by the same title. (Speak) (Which BTW, I thought was another wonderful book too...)

And this author fits for Task 20.9 - Authors with Three Names :-)

Okay -- one more for today: John Burnham Schwartz

1. John Burnham Schwartz wrote Reservation Road and got screen writing credit for the 2007 movie.
2. John Slattery was in Reservation Road (2007)
3. John Slattery was in Sleepers (1996) with Kevin Bacon.

Here's a 'degree' qualification for Victor Hugo

1. Victor Hugo wrote The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
2. Mary Wickes voiced a character in the animated version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) as did Demi Moore.
3. Demi Moore was in A Few Good Men (1992) with Kevin Bacon

I found that Louisa May Alcott only has 4 degrees of separation!

1. Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women
2. Susan Sarandon starred in the movie version of Little Women (1994)
3. Susan Sarandon was in Wall Street Never Sleeps (2010) with Sean Stone
4. Sean Stone was in JFK (1991) with Kevin Bacon

And if anthologies are an approved 'degree' connection... then here I go for Dana Stabenow

1. Dana Stabenow and Charlaine Harris were both included in Powers of Detection: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy. (Stabenow was the editor, and both she and Harris had stories included in the book.)
2. Charlaine Harris got writing credit on the True Blood TV Series (2008-2014) which were based on her "Sookie Stackhouse" book series.
3. Anna Paquin starred as Sookie in True Blood
4. Anna Paquin was in Amistad (1997) with Susan Bergeron
5. Susan Bergeron was in Mystic River (2003) with Kevin Bacon

Here are the 'degrees' for Louise Penny

1. Louise Penny was the writer for Still Life: A Three Pines Mystery (TV Movie 2103)
2. Deborah Grover appeared in Still Life
3. Deborah Grover appeared with Kevin Bacon in Cavedweller (2004)

Whew! I'm happy to have found a way to make Louise Penny work for this task. I had penciled in her book, A Trick of the Light for Task 20.4 (Balance), but it just fell to the 127th place on the Best Canadian Lit Listopia list used for the task. (Only the first 125 on the list qualify for the task.) I didn't get the book approved before it fell below the top 125 in rank. :-(

Yes -- I did go through the whole cast list of Still Life until a found a 1 Degree of Separation at the Oracle of Bacon website. Can you say "compulsive"?

Here's my degree qualifications for Alice Munro. :-)

1. Alice Munro wrote The Bear Came over the Mountain which was made into a movie titled Away from Her (2006). (She got writing credit on this movie on IMDB.)
2. Gordon Pinsent was in Away from Her (2006).
3. Gordon Pinsent was in Saint Ralph (2004) with Campbell Scott.
4. Cambpell Scott was in Loverboy (2005) with Kevin Bacon

NOW I can use combo points for The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose (Fingers crossed) :-)

Okay, now not only am I looking for degrees of separation, I'm looking for the FEWEST degrees.

1. Michael Ondaatje wrote The English Patient.
2. Colin Firth was in the film adaptation of The English Patient (1996)
3. Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon were both in Where the Truth Lies (2005)

Ergo any books written by Michael Ondaatje fit this task.

I'm thinking about reading In the Skin of a Lion for task 20.4 - Balance. It's on the Canadian book list.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Krista wrote: "Wa-hoo! I'm off to add a 10.9 Combo point notation in my spreadsheet for The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose "

That wasn't written by Atwood, though Alice Munro is also a Canad..."

Yep -- I realized that after I posted the link. I've deleted it. It's been a LONG week. LOL. But I'm going to find me some Atwood to add to this challenge. :-) Maybe Oryx and Crake

Kate S wrote: "Krista wrote: "So The Handmaid's Tale should be cleared for this task. Where I get confused is how (or if) the rest of Margaret Atwood's books would qualify for this task based on the degrees of se..."

Why yes, yes it does Kate! :-)

I just wanted to make sure that the logic worked that way. I thought that I'd seen Ed post that he wasn't sure that a single book by an author qualified all books. But if that's the ruling for Margaret Atwood I'll certainly take it.

1. Margaret Atwood wrote The Handmaid's Tale
2. Natasha Richardson was in the film version of The Handmaid's Tale
3. Natasha Richardson was in Past Midnight (1991) with Guy Boyd
4. Guy Boyd was in Only When I Laugh (1981) with Kevin Bacon

So The Handmaid's Tale should be cleared for this task. Where I get confused is how (or if) the rest of Margaret Atwood's books would qualify for this task based on the degrees of separation defined in this post for The Handmaid's Tale.

We know that because of it's YA designation and low Lexile score The Handmaid's Tale doesn't qualify for Combo points. I've got at least one other Atwood book penciled in for task this season. I was hoping to use the 'Degrees' task for combo points with it.

Kazen wrote: "A heads up that I will be traveling for a large part of September so I probably won't be on to post very much, though I will be reading. My husband and I are going on our (much delayed!) honeymoon..."

Have fun! Congrats on your wedding -- I'm glad that you're going to be getting to go on your delayed honeymoon.

Amanda wrote: "I can't read everything, but I will keep posting for as long as it entertains my husband ...

1. Kevin Bacon was in A Few Good Men with Jack Nicholson
2. Jack Nicholson was in Five Easy Pieces with..."

I'm loving it! Keep posting, keep posting. :-)

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "We're using -700 for The Odyssey, should that be of interest."

Good to know!

Anika wrote: "Oh my goodness....this whole time I've been trying to find a book where the individual words themselves were words in alphabetical order....just realized it's the words in the title that have to be..."

Yes, and the letters don't have to be consecutive (A,B,C etc.). They just have to be in alphabetical order: A, D, M for example works.

Welcome Will -- I look forward to seeing which books you choose to read for the Fall Challenge!