Katy’s Comments (group member since Aug 04, 2010)

Katy’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

Task 10.5 Best Beginnings - The Host by Stephenie Meyer (#31 on list)

+10 Task
+10 Combo (10.6, 20.1 - #36 on list)
+5 Series (Book 1 of "Host" series)
+5 Jumbo (619 pages)

Task Total= 30
Grand Total= 225

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Sara Grace wrote: "I cannot find a Spanish author to read. Any ideas?"

Have you read The Shadow of the Wind?"

I second that. I just finished that book and I loved it - now I want to go find his other books. I thoroughly enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind.

Backpacking through Europe - Land and Sea

15.2 Spain - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

+15 Task
+10 Style

Grand Total = 195

Task 10.7 - Man Booker Prize - Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (shortlisted in 2005)
+10 Task
Task Total = 10

Task 20.9 - Amazon's Best Books - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
+ 20 Task
+ 10 Combo (10.1, 10.9 F-S)
Task Total = 30

Grand Total = 170

Task 10.2 - Holiday Gift

Weekends at Bellevue by Julie Holland
+10 Task
+ 5 Combo (10.9, Alphabet Soup - J-W)
Task Total = 15

(Sort of sad on two counts - one that this was my Christmas gift from my partner and two that I was absolutely thrilled to receive this absolutely-not-uplifting-at-all book!)

Task 20.1 Post-Apocalyptic

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (900 Lexile score)
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo (10.6 No L)
+ 5 Series (#1 in the Forest of Hands and Teeth series)
Task Total = 30

Grand Total = 130

10.9 Alphabet Soup
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (the relevant matches are W in Will and J in John) - Lexile score 930

+10 Task
+ 5 Combo (20.9 - on the list at #12)

Task Total = 15

20.3 One word title

Graceling by Kristin Cashore - Lexile score 730
+20 Task
+ 5 Series (1st in the Seven Kingdoms series)

Task Total = 25

New Grand Total = 85

Backpacking Tasks, Traveler Type = Land & Sea

Task 15.1 (1st Itinerary Stop) UK - The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant
+15 Task
Task Total = 15

RwS
Task 20.3 - One Word Title - Wake by Lisa McMann
+20 Task
Task Total = 20

Grand Total = 45

Task 10.1 - Turkey Coma:
Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It

+10 Task

Grand Total = 10

Ok, you do NOT want to know how much time I've spent on this imagined itinerary instead of, say, my job or schoolwork. But here it is! I will be traveling to...

UK
Spain
Italy
France
Ireland
Iceland
Norway
Sweden
Denmark
Germany

10.2 Literature Map - Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott - on the map of Shirley Jackson

Task Total = 10

10.7 Zeitoun by Dave Eggers - from the list "Best Books of 2009"

+10 Task
+5 Combo (20.5 - set in Louisiana)

Task Total = 15

10.3 Born in Fall - Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - according to her blog she is a Scorpio which makes her born in fall. The blog link is http://www.blogger.com/profile/097391...

+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.4 - this is her only published novel)

Task Total = 15

20.5 Freedom Season - The Help by Kathryn Stockett

+20 Task (set in Mississippi)
+10 Combo (10.4 - debut novel and 10.7 - flashlight worthy, on the same list, Best Books of 2009)

Task Total = 30

20.8 Nonfiction - In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.6 - this was about her career in the field and 20.7 - English author, published 1971)

Task Total = 30

Total This Post - 100
Grand Total = 165

Task 10.4 One Hit Wonders - The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham. This is the only non-fiction book by this author.

+10 Task
+5 Combo (20.8, Non-fiction)

Task Total = 15

Task 20.7 Unification Season - The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros - US author, published 1988

(No style points)
Task Total = 20

Grand Total = 65

Task 20.6 Harvest Season (Vegetable in title) - Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl.

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.6, career memoir; 20.8, Non-fiction)

Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 30

Incidentally, I enjoy work memoirs a lot and I *really* liked this one. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed her writing.

Krista wrote: "Katy wrote: "Krista wrote: "I'm thinking about slating Kindred by Octavia E. Butler for this task.

It looks like it switches geographic locations between California..."

Ha ha, well, my FAVORITE Butler is Fledgling but it's definitely a little weird. It's a vampire book, but a REALLY interesting one. I believe I stayed up very late at night thinking about the various implications of this book.

But Kindred is a great book also. I had never heard of Octavia E. Butler before I read Kindred and then I went on a bit of a Butler kick. Most of her others are more dystopia-scifi-fantasy oriented than Kindred is.

Krista wrote: "I'm thinking about slating Kindred by Octavia E. Butler for this task.

It looks like it switches geographic locations between California, and a plantation in the So..."

I have read Kindred (and LOVED it, although it isn't my number one favorite Butler) - all the memorable parts take place in the South and as I recall, more than 50% of the book takes place in the South. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say 65-70% of it is in the South, if not more.