Sam’s Comments (group member since Jul 23, 2010)

Sam’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Sam wrote: "Julie wrote: "Are we allowed to repeat any of the tasks or just the ones that specifically say so?"

Any task can be repeated."

Just to clarify my understanding: you can repeat all..."

Yes, that's correct.

Julie wrote: "Are we allowed to repeat any of the tasks or just the ones that specifically say so?"

Any task can be repeated.

Rachelccameron wrote: "I'm planning on reading Angels and Demons and the da Vinci Code for this challenge and I was wondering if I can claim series style points for them?

On goodreads they are listed as (Robert Langdon ..."

Yes, they count.

Rachelccameron wrote: "I'm thinking Julia Child's My Life in France?
Is that acceptable? :)"

Yep.

Jennifer wrote: "I would like to read By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolaño. The novel is "only" 144 pages but it is 144 pages of Bolaño. Would this be acceptable?"

The page requirement is 100 pages, so any of Bolano's shorter works are fine.

Karen GHHS wrote: "Is the possessive form allowed?

The Demon's Covenant"

That's fine.

Sara Grace wrote: "Sooo...are we going to be able to claim translated points for these? I am assuming they are all translated."

I was going to say "no," but Krista convinced me to say "yes." So you can all thank her for that.

Krista wrote: "Is a ghost a spirit that lives on after death? Can it be harmless, or does it have to be spooky to qualify? Any thoughts from the group?
..."

Any of those definitions would work, but the ghost needs to play a major part in the story. In other words, Harry Potter won't work as a ghost story because, while there are ghosts in each book, they aren't ever the dominant characters/theme. On the other hand, if the "ghost" is the dominant character/theme in a story and the ghost turns out not to be a ghost (e.g., every Scooby-Doo episode ever), that would be okay.

I think a collection of ghost stories would be fine.

Dan wrote: "John Kennedy Toole's book "A Confederacy of Dunces" is listed on the link that you provided Sam, so I'm assuming it's okay even though Toole's other book, "The Neon Bible" was also published?"

He fits the definition of one-hit wonder because his other work was published posthumously.

Dan wrote: "Would "Butcher's Crossing" (John Williams) -- a small town in the Rockies, count? I presumed that any human settlement named in the title counted as a 'city.'"

The place needs to be real, and I haven't been able to find Butcher's Crossing. If it existed and it no longer does, that's different.

Sara Grace wrote: "Is city in the subtitle sufficient?"

Yes, if it's in the subtitle, it's okay.

Cait wrote: "And remember, if you are using list A, be sure to only select from the 46 bolded titles."

Thanks for reminding me of that...I forgot to make that specification. I've edited the task accordingly.

Arow wrote: "For option B: When I click on the link listed it takes me to the list for Top 100 Banned or Challenged 2000-2009. Can we use this list or just the list 1990-1999?"

Just the Top 100 and 2000-2009 lists.

Cait wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Peter Høeg is an interesting Danish writer. His novel Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (also titled: Smilla's Sense of Snow) is excellent!"

I have this..."

I don't think Lindqvist really qualifies as a noir author.

Rachel Lee wrote: "Question on option C. You have it defined as any novel with a ghost in it. How prominent of a role does the ghost have to play? IE: Some of the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind has a ghos..."

The ghost should play a significant part in the story...not a minor character or something that may or may not exist.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Do plurals work? I'm thinking The Witches of Eastwick."

Plurals are fine.

Katie wrote: "Would "bean" be an acceptable title word for this task? My research (Wikipedia) indicates that legumes are technically pod fruit, but the word is derived from the French "légume," meaning vegetable..."

Beans are fine as well.

Donna Jo wrote: "I was going to suggest The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden but technically a toma..."

Tomato is fine.

Jane from BC wrote: "How about The Cider House Rules? - partially set in an apple orchard and apples are a fall fruit."

I'm leaning towards "no" on this one...unless someone can convince me otherwise.

JenC. wrote: "Can the word 'vegetables' appear in the title instead of an actual name of a vegetable: Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long"

I'm okay with this one.