Cat’s
Comments
(group member since Aug 02, 2017)
Cat’s
comments
from the Reading with Style group.
Showing 61-80 of 303
I assume that the fact that the "original title" field is in Hebrew is enough to qualify Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind for LiT points?
Bea wrote: "John Buchanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bu... - under honorary degrees 9 doctorates are listed"
I'm somewhat pleased to see that Sir Terry Pratchett is still leading with his 10 honorary doctorates :)
Task 20.10 - Uncommon LetterThe Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
+20 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel (non-fiction biography/history)
+5 Combo (10.8)
Post = 35
Season total = 2820
Task 20.7 - Single WordShadowblack by Sebastien de Castell
set in medieval era tech fantasy world
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.8, 20.5)
Post = 30
Season total = 2785
Task 10.3 - DecadesDeath in the Clouds by Agatha Christie
pub 1935
+10 Task
+10 Oldies
Post = 20
Season total = 2745
10.3 - DecadeThe Hog's Back Mystery by Freeman Wills Crofts
pub 1933
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.8)
+10 Oldie
Post = 25
Season total = 2725
10.3 - DecadeLord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie
pub 1933
+10 Task
+10 Oldie
Post = 20
Season total = 2680
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Cat wrote: "On the pages, they both say "Discworld" - referring to the Pratchett series. Can I take this to mean that any of the Discworld books will be OK for this task?"Yes. RwS policy is that when a complete series is included in a list any of its component parts are eligible for the task. ..."
Cool, thank you!
I'm still learning the wrinkles, as a relative newbie!
On the pages, they both say "Discworld" - referring to the Pratchett series. Can I take this to mean that any of the Discworld books will be OK for this task?
Task 10.8 - Double Letter NamesThe Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon
+10 Task
Season total = 2660
I'm not sure who I'll be reading, but can we record Terry Pratchett and his TEN honorary doctorates?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_P...
And Gaiman too? https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/arc...
Task 10.6 - Governor General's AwardThis One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
+10 Task
+100 RwS finisher
+200 Mega finisher
Post total = 310
Season total = 2590
Task 20.4New Boy by Tracy Chevalier
This is one in the series of Shakespeare retellings, this one being a retelling of Othello, set in a 1970 DC school. The story unwinds over the course of one day in the life of our protaganists - Dee, Osei, Ian, Mimi, Rod, Caspar and Blanca, with guest appearances from a couple of teachers.
Osei is the titutular new boy - the son of a Ghanian diplomat, he’s the only black boy at the school, and is joining near the end of the school year, intruding into the established circles and patterns with all the impact you’d expect.
As our Othello remade, Osei is confident and a natural leader, and it looks like he could easily fall into the best circles of the schoolyard society, when he becomes friends with Caspar and boyfriend of Dee. Ian, the bully, obviously can’t have that, and puts his scheming mind to work...
When I saw the synopsis, I wasn’t sure that the “in-one-day” concept would work, but actually it was pretty effective. I’m not sure I’d try and sell it as 100% successful, nor 100% realistic, but overall it was a very good reworking of Othello, and the 1970s setting worked too, with flashbacks to Osei’s older sister trying to find a place in US society, trying out different ways - being part of the soul / music scene; playing on her roots; and finally joining the Black Power movement. 4*
+20 Task
+10 Review
Post total = 30
Season total = 2280
Task 20.1 - Gothic AuthorsOryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
For some reason, even though I love Atwood, and love sci-fi, and love interesting stories, I’ve not read this book before. Atwood manages to pack a remarkable number of thought-provoking issues into the book, without it becoming too bogged down: designer genetics, increasing separation of society into the haves and have-nots, consumer culture and dwindling resources. Plus a love story.
I really enjoy Atwood’s writing. She’s a deft hand at building the world without an infodump - dropping straight into the story and environment without a by-your-leave set-up, so we stand in that hot forest confused, aware of it being a changed world, and getting some of the changes, but not all - leaving us a bit scared, but not so overwhelmed as to put the book down and walk away. And then she does the same with the past too! (and Atwood has to be one of the best at running past and present storylines together) As the story unfurls, and rolls forward, we grow in our understanding of the world, and start to get glimpses of how this new world came to be.
I enjoyed the snippets of the Craker society, and loved the hints at the end that all is not hopeless.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.8, 20.10)
+10 Review
Post total = 40
Season total = 2250
20.9 - SatireScoop by Evelyn Waugh
pub 1937
This is one of Waugh's comedic satires, not his meditations on life (such as the Sword of Honour trilogy / Brideshead). I'm not sure if it is a farcical satire or a satirical farce about the newspaper industry and journalism (with a light touch on Empire & colony too). What I am sure about is that it is a lot of fun; and that not much has changed in the world.
Following a case of mistaken identities, William Boot, a novice nature columnist for a daily newspaper, is sent to be foreign correspondent to a small African nation, where civil war is about to erupt. Or is it?...
We follow our clear-eyed naif into the cesspit that is a hotel full of journalists, and see the bizarre herd mentality of the news hounds, all moving as one so they don't get scooped. When one correspondent gets off an exclusive - wrongly identifying a Soviet spy - all the others file similar stories, even though they know it's fake news, because the truth won't sell...
Like I said - plus ca change!
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.3, 20.7)
+10 Oldie
+10 Review
Post total = 50
Season total = 2210
