Deedee’s
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(group member since Aug 04, 2010)
Deedee’s
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from the Reading with Style group.
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Task 10.5 Green StoneIn honor of The Green Stone and The Green Stone read a book with 1000 ratings or fewer.
The Prisoner Pear: Stories from the Lake (2005) by Elissa Minor Rust (Hardcover, 193 pages)
Review:This is the author’s only published work. It is a collection of 12 short stories (20 pages & less), all written by the author, all set in contemporary time in and around Portland, Oregon (where the author lives). Some of the stories first appeared in literary magazines (like Orchid: A Literary Review). Each is inspired by an entry in the Lake Oswego Review police blotter. They are slice-of-life stories, starring middle class women, aged 20-40, some with husbands, some with children, A couple have fantastical elements (like the story with pears), but most stories are straightforward contemporary stories. Recommended for when you are waiting (at the dentist, at the hair salon) and want a quick distraction.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel (short story collections)
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 410 + 30 = 440
Task 20.7 The Red QueenRead a book which is a fictional account of historical royalty, or in which there is a fictional royal character.
Our main Point of View character is the Queen of the land. Other characters include the King of the land, a Princess and a Prince.
Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen (Villains #1) (2009) by Serena Valentino
Shelved YA at BPL. I checked Lexile and there is not a Lexile score for this novel. Other novels in this Disney published series received Lexile scores of 730-870. So, points but no styles.
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 390 + 20 = 410
Task 15.4 Reading the DecadesYear: 1983
Midas World (1983) by Frederik Pohl (Hardcover, SFBC, 276 pages)
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 375 + 15 = 390
Task 10.5 Green StoneIn honor of The Green Stone and The Green Stone read a book with 1000 ratings or fewer.
In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History (2018) by Mitch Landrieu (Hardcover, 227 pages) [305.8]
Review: This is a political memoir written by the Mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu. The first couple of chapters covers his childhood and college days. The next sections describe his life in public office – 12 years as a State Representative to the Louisiana State House (1992-2004); 8 years as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana (2004-2010); and 8 years as Mayor of New Orleans (2010-today 2018). The main discussion in the memoir of his State Representative years centered on David Duke, KKK wizard, and efforts to minimize Duke’s influence in elective office. The main discussion of his Lieutenant Governor years centered on Hurricane Katrina (August 2005) and its aftermath. The main discussion of his Mayoral years divided in two: rebuilding the city, and removing 4 Confederate Statues from Public Places (including ones of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and P. T. Beauregard). I liked that Landrieu described what he was thinking when he made consequential decisions. I suspect he will run for elective office again. Recommended for those interested in modern American politics.
+10 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel: non-fiction
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 345 + 30 = 375
Task 20.8 Silent Spring (Ed's Task) For this task, read any book that is not a novel published in OR before 1962.
Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1944) by Jim Corbett
Russian: Кумаонские людоеды
Review: I read and reviewed Jim Corbett’s book The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon in June 2016. That book, like this book, relates how Jim Corbett hunted and killed man-eating tigers in northern India. Corbett begins each chapter with a quick but chilling description of some of the humans killed and eaten by the tiger he is planning to track and kill.
Corbett believes himself to be a moral hunter. He kills wildlife for only 1 of 2 reasons: 1. To eat the animal; and, 2. To remove a predator that is killing humans. On the last page of the book, the author states: “I am amply rewarded if my hunting has resulted in saving one human life.”
This particular book is not as respectful of local customs as the one he published several years later, The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon. (With age comes wisdom???)
Overall, I found this book interesting, and would recommend it to anyone interested in tigers, wild game hunting, or India.
+20 Task
+05 Combo (#20.4 Russian)
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1943-1993)
+10 Not-a-Novel (non-fiction)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 05 + 10 + 10 = 50
Grand Total: 295 + 50 = 345
I'm a little behind if I want a Mega-Finish -- Need 7 more for sub-challenge, 12 more for RWS, plus 3 RWS books that I'm still reading (so 12 + 3 = 15 for RWS finish, 15 + 7 = 22 for Mega-Finish). I could probably finish sub-challenge OR RWS challenge but not both.
Task 20.4 Night WatchThe Night Circus (2011) by Erin Morgenstern
Russian Edition: Ночной цирк
Review: Set in Europe and North America 1870s-1910s, this novel is centered on a “night circus” where the magic is (mostly) real. The “night circus” comes from the fact that the circus is opened from sunset until sunrise. The color scheme (often referred to in the novel) is black & white & shades of grey. The performers use real magic, but include enough supporting props to make it look like the tricks are done with clever maneuvers instead of magic. Two magicians make a gentleman’s bet – each will train up one follower, and then the followers will compete. The overarching plot doesn’t take up much of the novel. Instead, the author spends pages devising very useful magical :enchanted” objects (umbrellas that keep you totally dry! is one) and dreaming up set pieces (stylish Midnight Dinners). The novel would have been improved by having more of a plot. Recommended as a slow-moving story about circuses and magic.
+20 Task
+20 Combo (#10.8 (setting: (70% Europe, 29% North America, 1% Egypt), #10.9 (historical fiction, mystery), #20.1 (major supporting characters fraternal twins), #20.6)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 20 + 10 = 50
Grand Total: 245 + 50 = 295
Task 10.2 RavioliMarch 20 is National Ravioli Day - Read a book by an author who was born in Italy OR a book set in Italy.
Ties (2014) by Domenico Starnone; translated by Jhumpa Lahiri
Review: The novel is set in Italy, partly in Naples, Italy and partly in Rome, Italy. The first section is told in letters from the wife to the husband, the second section is told from the husband's point of view and contains a large amount of backstory, and the third section is told from the perspective of their children. The central issue of the novel is: how does a man’s infidelity affect each member of his family? (Unsurprisingly, the answer is: (view spoiler).) Author Jhumpa Lahiri translated the novel from the Italian. In her introduction she states “the entire novel is a series of tying and untying, of putting in order and pulling apart, of creating and destroying.” Fans of literary fiction will enjoy figuring out exactly what Ms. Lahiri means by that statement. And …. There’s also a cat, named Labes. Recommended for fans of literary fiction.
+10 Task
+10 Combo (#10.02 or #10.10, #20.6)
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 215 + 30 = 245
Task 15.3 Reading the DecadesYear: 1994
The Waterworks (1994) by E.L. Doctorow
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 200 + 15 = 215
Valerie wrote: "Deedee - in case you happen to see this before Elizabeth or Kate catch up on the scoring.... you forgot to claim 10 for your review in post 221."Oh, thanks! Fixed it. I remembered the review but not the points LOL
Task 10.5 Green StoneIn honor of The Green Stone and The Green Stone read a book with 1000 ratings or fewer.
Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War (2011) by Deb Olin Unferth [813.6]
Review:In 1987, Deb Olin Unferth was an 18 year old freshman college student. She fell in love with George, and the two of them went to Central America to help win the “Revolution”. They were there for about a year, bouncing around El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras. The year later, they returned to America and broke up. This book is her account of her time during that year. The book bounces around in time, and is careful to not directly name any individuals (even George’s last name is not revealed). My impression is that she decided to write the book then decided that the anecdotes that would make the book interesting were too personal to reveal, so she didn’t reveal them. She realizes that George and her were tourists -- not revolutionaries. Overall verdict: Disappointing.
+10 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel (non-fiction)
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 170 + 30 = 200
Task 20.2 The Blazing WorldThe Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe (2010) by Glynis Ridley (Hardcover, 288 pages) [921/Biography]
Review: This book is about Jeanne Baret (July 27, 1740 – August 5, 1807), the first woman known to have circumnavigate the globe. She was born to a peasant family in France. She became a “herb woman”, knowledgeable about the medicinal uses of plants and herbs. She met aristocratic Philibert Commerson, a man seriously interested in botany. He leveraged his connections to be appointed the naturalist on the first French attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Jeanne, as his botanist assistant/housekeeper/sometime lover joined him on the ship, disguised as a man. The ship sailed December 1766. The author uses every scrap of verified information available to document the next 10 years of Jeanne’s life (including 4 on-ship journals kept by the officier/scientists on board ship). When there is no verified information, the author speculates and assumes, based on 18th century attitudes and human nature. The reader has to pay attention to differentiate fact from informed speculation. The intended audience is the general reader, not fellow professional historians.
This book fits Task 20.2 because it restores from obscurity a female scientist who circumnavigated the world. Other male scientists have more fame having done less than Jeanne Baret did.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (#10.5(fewer than 1000 ratings), #10.8(Europe/France, South America/Brazil, Oceania/Tahiti&Mauritius)
+10 Not-a-Novel (non-fiction)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 + 10 +10 = 50
Grand Total: 120 + 50 = 170
Task 10.9 Double TroubleGenres: Mystery, Historical
The Grave's a Fine and Private Place (Flavia de Luce #9) (2018) by Alan Bradley
Review: This is the ninth entry in Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series. It is June 1952, in rural/small town England. The novel opens 6 months after the end of book #8 in the series. Flavia and her sisters go on a vacation to a nearby town with Mr. Dogger (all round servant and close personal friend of Flavia’s father). Flavia quickly discovers a recently deceased young man. She decides that since the local police are not doing a good job of investigating the death, she will do an investigation and uncover the truth of the young man’s demise. Flavia is a precocious 12? 14? year old girl, much enamored of chemistry. The local constables don’t appreciate her meddling – this is her 9th time doing so, after all.
As with many long-running series, there are returning characters from previous novels. The characters jump right in without any backstory explanations (those explanations came in the previous novels). This is a series best read in order of publication. Recommended for those who enjoy offbeat mystery novels.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 100 + 20 = 120
I'm reading Demons, which comes with a lot of combos. It is a slow read so I might not finish until sometime in April. This edition has two pages at the back of the book with a character list and all the different names each character is known by. I know that is Russian culture, but it is still confusing for this American reader!
Task 15.2 Reading the DecadesYear: 2005
The Undertaker's Wife (2005) by Loren D. Estleman
Spur Award for Best Western Novel (2006)
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 85 + 15 = 100
Task 15.1 Reading the DecadesYear: 2016
The Butcher's Hook (2016) by Janet Ellis
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 70 + 15 = 85
15.01 2016 The Butcher's Hook (2016) by Janet Ellis
15.02 2005
The Undertaker's Wife (2005) by Loren D. Estleman
Spur Award for Best Western Novel (2006)
15.03 1994
The Waterworks (1994) by E.L. Doctorow
15.04 1983
Midas World (1983) by Frederik Pohl
15.05 1972
The Clock Winder (1972) by Anne Tyler
15.06 1961
A Severed Head (1961) by Iris Murdoch
15.07 1950
Cosmic Engineers (1950) by Clifford D. Simak
15.08 1949
15.09 1938
15.10 1927
Task 20.6 Dead SoulsRead a book by any author whose surname consists of non-consecutive repeating consonants (i.e. any letter other than A, E, I, O, or U).
The Outcasts of Time (2017) by Ian Mortimer
Review: The author, Ian Mortimer,has BA, MA, PhD and DLitt degrees from the University of Exeter and UCL. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and was awarded the Alexander Prize by the Royal Historical Society in 2004. He wrote the Time Traveller’s Guides to English history prior to the publication of this novel.
The novel The Outcasts of Time begins in 1348 at the height of the Black Plague. Our hero, stonemason John of Wrayment, is travelling from one town to another. He performs an act of Christian charity and contracts the Black Plague. An angel (he thinks) tells him that he will have six days to “save his soul”. The catch: each morning will be 99 years in the future from the current day. John’s brother, worldly William, will accompany him. The bulk of the novel walks through the centuries – beginning 1348, followed by 1447 – 1546 – 1645 – 1744 – 1843 – and ending during the Blitz of 1942. Mortimer includes the changes in townlife, and in people’s beliefs, at each stage of the journey. The historical detail is fascinating. The plot – well – the novel could have used more of a plot, but then, a complicated plot would have crowded out the historical details. The ending fit the novel very well. Recommended for those into English History.
+20 Task
+05 Combo (#10.5)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 35 + 35 = 70
Task 10.5 Green StoneIn honor of The Green Stone and The Green Stone read a book with 1000 ratings or fewer.
You Will Never Be The Same (1963) by Cordwainer Smith (Hardcover, 176 pages)
Review: The eight linked stories (3 novelettes and 5 short stories), were all written by Cordwainer Smith. They were originally published 1950-1961 in science fiction magazines, including If, Galaxy, Amazing and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Cordwainer Smith was a psychological-warfare expert and a spy for the U.S. government) named Paul Linebarger. He died at the age of 53 in 1963 from a heart attack. He wrote his stories for fun, in his downtime after work.
This collection of stories is set over 13,000 years in the future. There’s no hard sciences in the story; rather, Cordwainer is more concerned with how humanity might react to changes in technology. He’s focused on interstellar travel by telepathic means. Women are treated better in Cordwainer’s stories than is usually the case in Science Fiction of the 1950s – women are *almost* as smart as men, *more* emotional than men, and *without doubt* worthy of love from the men in their life. This all is communicated while failing the Bechtel test as women are evaluated only in their relation to men. The writing style is more literary than is the usual case in 1950s science fiction stories. Recommended only for fans of science fiction.
+10 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel -- short story collections
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1943-1993)
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 05 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 00 + 35 = 35
My eldest daughter's name is Whitney -- we've never met a male Whitney, odd to think of it as a boy's name.
