Cat’s Comments (group member since Aug 02, 2017)

Cat’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

Task 10.3 - Decade

O, These Men, These Men by Angela Thirkell

pub 1935

+10 Task
+10 Oldie
+5 Combo (10.8)

Post total = 25
Season total = 1590

Task 10.3 - Decade

The Incredible Crime by Lois Austen-Leigh

pub 1931

+10 Task
+10 Oldie

Post total = 20
Season total = 1565

Task 20.10 - Uncommon Letter

Deep Six by Clive Cussler

535pages
pub 1984

+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.8)
+5 Oldie
+5 Jumbo

Post total = 35
Season total = 1545

Task 20.6 - Clergy

The Delirium Brief by Charles Stross

Rev Ray Schiller is an MC - the main antagonist

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.5, 10.8)

Post total = 30
Season Total =1510

20.3 - Ghost Story

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

shelved 109 times as ghost-stories
pub 1959

A scientist sets out to investigate a haunted house. He cold-mails some people to join him (‘cos that’s a sensible, scientific way of recruiting researchers), telling them very little except that they basically will get free board for three months. As you can imagine, the two people who take him up are not the most well-balanced in the box, and being thrust into a spooky house with a spooky retainer (serving double-purpose as comic interlude) doesn’t help their sanity.
Cue some creepiness from the house (which is legit creepy) and excessive over-wroughtness from repressed sexuality & jealousy in the random recruits and you end up with a marvellously gothic horror tale.
Things knock in the night; mysterious words appear on walls; sinister cold spots are found; and nerves reach snapping point.
After three days of the four researchers being alone, the scientist’s wife pops up for a visit, with a hearty strapping man-of-very-little-brains in tow. The scientist’s wife is brilliant: a no-nonsense believer, on her own hunt for a haunting, but oblivious in her sensible tweeds (I might’ve made the tweeds up) to the atmosphere.
The ending is rapid, and completely in line with the chill-factor throughout the book.
A deserved entry on the classic horror pantheon.


+20 Task
+10 Combo (20.1, 20.2)
+5 Oldie
+10 Review

Post total = 45
Season total = 1480

15.7 - Reading Globally #2

Setting: New Zealand

Just This Once by Rosalind James

Post = 25
Season total = 1435

15.6 - Reading Globally #2

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park

Korea, DPR is just about 51%

+25 Task

Season total = 1410

Task 10.10 - Group Reads

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

low lex

Season total = 1385

I got to make suggestions for the book groups too. Fingers crossed at least one of my picks ends up on the shortlist.

one of the categories is Space Opera - soooo hard to pick for - I wanted to suggest about 6!

I reckon the non-fiction list ("Space") is going to include Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void - though I didn't go for that one myself.

Task 20.6 - Clergy

Hammered by Kevin Hearne

Atticus, our Druid hero, has to fulfil a couple of promises made in an earlier book, and kill Thor, god of thunder.
This installation in the series, wrapping up the opening arc, is pretty good, with loads of action and humour. Possibly a little light on Oberon, but we can’t have everything.
So, to our tale: We open with Atticus carries out a recce and meeting promise one, exploring some Norse mythology as we go. This is something that I enjoy about this series - that Hearne incorporates all of the belief systems from around the world: witches, vampires, werewolves, pantheons of Native Americans, Norse, Celts, not to mention Christianity (Jesus makes an appearance!) and other folkloric traditions. And it works - they all rub along pretty well, and all hate Thor, so when it comes to putting a gang together to set out & kill Thor, there’s plenty to pitch in (though, very annoyingly, all male. Grrr. that’s the weakest bit of the series - female representation ain’t great).
Anyway, our gang set off to kill Thor and… well, I won’t spoil it, though obviously Atticus survives (there’s at least four more in the series, so that’s hardly a major shock!) The fight scenes are impressive and sad, and the ending did leave me wanting to read the next one...

+20 Task (agreed in helpthread that the druid was Ok for clergy)
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (20.7)

Post total: 35
Season total = 1375

Task 10.5 - Grandparents

The Nightmare Stacks by Charles Stross

I’ve enjoyed - to varying levels - the others in this series, but this one let me down badly. First off, it wasn’t narrated by Bob, which is a massive fail, but followed Alex, a newbie to The Laundry (the UKs secret squirrel department dealing with demons and occult risks).
Initially the story is about Alex finding his feet in the new public sector world he’s living in, negotiating how to live now he’s a vampire, but it moves into an invasion story, with Alex the point man in the defense.
I did like the building of the invasion society - elves; the war scenes were suitably exciting and I enjoyed the supporting characters. I just didn’t love Alex in the least, and missed the snark and satirisation of public sector bureaucracy. Overall, this was a transition novel, to out The Laundry and bring in some new blood into the series. I’ve got the next one to read (Bob! yay!), so I’m not giving it up just yet, but I am worried that the series is running out of steam...

+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.8, 20.6 - there is a vicar - Pete - as a second tier main character, essential to the plot)

Post total = 30
Season total = 1340

I quite like SRC for it's schoolmarm-ish ways, and the odd mix of easy and bonkers tasks. I also kinda like the lack of chat - it appeals to the purist in me, and I get my chat from other challenges & general GR-ing activity.

I've played for a couple of years now, and finished most of the seasons. I'm in theory on track to finish this season too, if I can wrestle with fits for some of the tasks. (my task this season is 25.3)

No, absolutely it’s a numbers game. They’re on 1400 ish posts already, halfway thru, so rules help with sanity!

And different rules re children MPG

Oh, and bear in mind that the SRC mods are fierce harsh, not helpful & indulgent like RwS mods.

There is a calendar for SRC, which gives indicative dates for when tasks are released.

5 / 10 /15 are first (mod generated)
30 through the season (will be next, as they are early finishers (completion before the last 15ish days)
25 are dribs & drabs, as they are finishers to the bitter end
20 are after the start of the season, as they are dependent on the final outcome of the ending season
50 is midway through the season (the fall 50 is due imminently)

15.5 - Reading Globally #2

Setting: India (about 95%)

The Four Legendary Kingdoms by Matthew Reilly

Post total = 15
Season total = 1310

15.4 - Reading Globally #2

Setting: Haiti (about 60%)

An Untamed State by Roxane Gay

Post total = 15
Season total = 1295

Was just about to ask the Druid question!

In support, he does practice religious rites, and his being a druid is the main point of him...

A Very Happy Cheshire Cat! Thanks :)