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

Deedee’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

Task 20.6 John Buchan

The Chili Queen (2002) by Sandra Dallas (Hardcover, 292 pages)
Spur Award for Best Western Novel (2003)
WILLA Literary Award Nominee for Historical Fiction (Finalist) (2003)
Review: As another goodreads blogger stated, this novel is “a colorful adventure of the old west filled with ladies of the night, bank robbers, and con artists”. True, true. (By "old west" in this novel it is meant 1880-1899 timeframe set mainly in New Mexico.) This book would fit well on the Con Men, Gamblers and Hustlers List. (I think I’ll add it to the list after November 30.) The author is a professional journalist and it shows in the prose – quick reading, like the front page of a newspaper. The story is gritty, the people seem real, and the action happens after the reader has come to care for the characters in the novel. It is deserving of the awards it has been nominated for/won. Recommended for readers of westerns, historical novels, and novels about confidence schemes.

+20 Task
+05 Combo (#10.4 pub. 2002)
+10 Review

Task Total: 20 + 05 + 10 = 35

Task 10.1-Fall Freebie

Elisabeth Sladen: The Autobiography (2011) by Elisabeth Sladen [791.45028092]
Review:Elisabeth Sladen was the actress who played “Sarah Jane Smith” on Doctor Who 1974-1976. (She died in 2011 after a brief illness.) This memoir is of interest to fans of Doctor Who. The first fourth of the memoir covers her life pre-Doctor Who. By the end of this section, the reader is thinking “ok, ok, I get it, Elisabeth Sladen was a STAGE actress for years before landing the role on Doctor Who”. The book becomes a lot more interesting once Elisabeth Sladen is auditioning for the role of Sarah Jane. Most of the rest of the memoir focuses on her experiences on Doctor Who. There are amusing actor anecdotes and numerous details about the Doctor Who episodes she starred in. Overall she stays with pleasant, amusing details. On the rare occasions she relates something a bit mean or malicious, Elisabeth is careful not to identify the offending actor or actress. There is a short section on “life after Doctor Who” at the end of the memoir. The last chapter was written by Elisabeth’s husband, telling of her sudden illness and death, and how everyone who knew her mourns her passing. Recommended for fans of Doctor Who and for people who like to read actor memoirs.

+10 Task
+10 Review

Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20

Grand Total: 580 + 20 = 600

Task 10.4 Hubert Selby
Read a book originally published during Selby's lifetime: 1928-2004.

The Affirmation (The Dream Archipelago #1) (1981) by Christopher Priest (Hardcover, 213 pages)
Review: I picked this novel up because (1) it was nominated for “Best Novel” in 1982 by the British SF Association Awards, and (2) I liked Christopher Priest’s novels The Prestige and The Inverted World. This is a strange novel told in first person by a (very) unreliable narrator . He describes different realities. The reader’s task is to figure out which one is real, and which reality/realities are part of the manuscript that the protagonist is writing in (most) of the realities. The novel brings to mind the poster I had on my wall when I was in college: Drawing Hands by M. C. Escher . Reading this book is more like trying to solve the Rubik’s Cube puzzle and less like reading fiction. The ending is ambiguous but there is a sequel. Recommended for those who like to solve literary puzzles.

+10 Task
+05 Combo (#10.9 Series)
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1941-1991)
+10 Review

Task Total: 10 + 05+ 05 + 10 = 30

Grand Total: 550 + 30 = 580

Task 20.10 Vera Brittain Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Task
Read a book with the DDC classification in the 600s at BPL.

BPL: 614.541C

Combo 10.8 PTSD:
The American P lague: The Untol d St ory of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History

The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History (2006) by Molly Caldwell Crosby
Review: The American Plague is a book of narrative non-fiction concerning the disease of “yellow fever” and how it influenced events in American History. It’s a chatty book, full of descriptions like this:
p. 37: The sweet scents of honeysuckle, overripened fruit, and fresh-cut hay distracted from the fecund smell of the living body of water coming beneath the bluffs of Memphis.”
What I really liked is this: after reading about the honeysuckle, the reader can look at the notes and see that Molly Caldwell Crosby found the description in the 1883 book Heroes and Heroines of Memphis or Reminiscences of the Yellow Fever Epidemics by Reverent D. A. Quinn. The source for every description, every anecdote is listed in the 40 pages of notes following the main text of the book. No poetic license here! (at least none by Molly Caldwell Crosby). When I’ve read other narrative histories, I’ve always wondered how the author knew what the weather was like or what was growing in the garden. Not with this one.

The main American events chosen are: (1) The Yellow Fever epidemic in Memphis in 1878, and (2) The Yellow Fever epidemic that killed more soldiers than battle wounds in the “Spanish-American” War of 1898 (that’s the one where Teddy Roosevelt ran up San Juan Hill in Cuba). Half the book centered on the American doctors in Cuba researching Yellow Fever.

Recommended for those interested in the history of disease (and the humans who fight disease).

+20 Task
+05 Combo (#10.8)
+10 Review

Task Total: 20 + 05 + 10 = 35

Grand Total: 515 + 35 = 550

Task 15.4 HaHN-Z female, no repeats

The Colour (2003) by Rose Tremain (Hardcover, 382 pages)
Author Initials: R T

Letters used: N O R S T W Y Z

+15 Task

Task Total: 15

Grand Total: 500 + 15 = 515

I'd like to add Sandra Dallas to the list.

From goodreads bio:
A journalism graduate of the University of Denver, Sandra began her writing career as a reporter with Business Week. A staff member for twenty-five years (and the magazine’s first female bureau chief,)....

Thanks!

Task 15.7 HaHA-M male, no repeats

A Fate Worse Than Dragons (2007) by John Moore (Goodreads Author) (Paperback, 231 pages)
Author Initials: J M

Letters used: C J K M

+15 Task

Task Total: 15

Grand Total: 480 + 15 = 495

Task 10.9 Next?: Karen Michele's Task
Start a new series or read the next book in a series you are reading.

Murder Gone A-Rye (A Baker's Treat #2) (2014) by Nancy J. Parra

+10 Task

Task Total: 10

Grand Total: 470 + 10 = 480

Task 10.6 Literature Map-

Margaret Atwood is found on the Literature Map of Kurt Vonnegut

Hag-Seed (2016) by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 301 pages)
Review: Hag-Seed is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare Series . Margaret Atwood took The Tempest as the Shakespeare play she used as a springboard for this novel. At the back of the book she’s included a 5 page summary of The Tempest. Our hero lives in a small Canadian town. Each year the town hosts a festival of the arts, including drama. At the start of the novel, our hero Felix is the Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival. This year, Felix is planning to produce and direct a unique version of The Tempest. There is a lot of discussion on various aspects of The Tempest; additionally, the plot line of the novel is strongly influenced by events in the play. I enjoyed the novel. Recommended for fans of literary fiction, fans of Shakespeare, and for people who have recently seen a production of The Tempest.

+10 Task
+10 Review

Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20

Grand Total: 450 + 20 = 470

Task 15.3 HaH N-Z female, no repeats

Fool's War (1997) by Sarah Zettel (Mass Market Paperback, 456 pages)
Author Initials: S Z

Letters used (female N-Z): N O S W Y Z

+15 Task

Task Total: 15

Grand Total: 435 + 15 = 450

Sam wrote: "I went to Michaels this morning; they have one row of discounted Halloween decorations and about 4 of Christmas stuff! It's too early!!"

Yes! Too-early Christmas stuff is one of my pet peeves. When I was young -- many moons ago (haha) -- Christmas stuff made its appearance at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I saw some Christmas stuff around here in SEPTEMBER.

Task 20.9 Edgar Allen Poe -
Read a book with one of the following words related to the genre in the title: Satan, devil(s), ghost(s), werewolf (ves), vampire(s), or ghoul(s).

The Anatomy of Ghosts (2010) by Andrew Taylor (Hardcover, 412 pages)
Finalist 2010 Historical Dagger Award (2010)
Review: This is a historical mystery, set in the year 1787 in an Oxford-like town in central England. Our hero, John Holdsworth, is hired by a wealthy widow to catalog her late husband’s library. (She’s planning to donate the library to the college.) She also wants Mr. Holdsworth to look after the affairs of her only child, her son Frank, who is a student at the college. Frank has had a nervous breakdown of some sort. John Holdsworth arrives at the college and the plot proceeds from there. I liked that the author “showed” the story rather than “tell” the story. The characters seemed like 18th century characters, rather than 21st century characters living in 1787. The solution to the mystery made sense based on the facts in the story – no dues ex machine here! Overall, I can see why this novel was nominated for a literary award. Recommended for fans of historical novels.

+20 Task
+10 Review

Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30

Grand Total: 405 + 30 = 435

Task 15.6 HaH A-M male, no repeats

But What If We're Wrong? Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past (2016) by Chuck Klosterman [303.49]
Author Initials: C K

Letters used: C K

+15 Task

Task Total: 15

Grand Total: 390 + 15 = 405

Kate S wrote: "Valerie wrote: "Can we read both halves at the same time?"

Yes, that is fine. Just make sure to be diligent in your numbering when posting. 15.1-15.5 are for A-M and 15.6-15.10 are N-Z."

Just realized that I've flipped the order, and I'm posting 15.1-15.5 for N-Z (female) and 15.6-15.10 for A-M (male). Oops, hope that's acceptable.

Quick question: I've posted 15.1 and 15.2 so far. I'm reading a book that would fit 15.6 (in my flipped system). Can I post out of order? In an order like this: 15.1, 15.2, 15.6, 15.7, 15.3, etc. or do I have to keep to: 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5 etc.

Task 15.2 HaH N-Z female, no repeats

Aunty Lee's Delights (Singaporean Mystery #1) (2013) by Ovidia Yu
Author Initials: O Y

Letters used: N O W Y

+15 Task

Task Total: 15

Grand Total: 375 + 15 = 390

Task 10.9 Next?: Karen Michele's Task

Chasers (Being Human #2) (2010) by Mark Michalowski

+10 Task

Task Total: 10

Grand Total: 360 + 10 = 370

Task 10.9 Next?: Karen Michele's Task
Start a new series or read the next book in a series you are reading.

Doctor Who: Royal Blood (Doctor Who: The Glamour Chronicles #1) (2015) by Una McCormack (Hardcover, 240 pages)

+10 Task

Task Total: 10

Grand Total: 350 + 10 = 360

OK, I’ve moved Illuminae from 10.3 to 10.9.


Task 20.7 The Long Con

From: Con Men, Gamblers and Hustlers

Loser Takes All (1955) by Graham Greene
Review: This novella/short novel is about a British couple who honeymoon at a Monte Carlo casino in Monaco. He gets seduced by the roulette wheel, and she’s not happy about it. The plot proceeds from there to a conclusion that would satisfy Greene’s “traditional values” 1950s audience. I think that the novel would have benefited from more length – more details about the individuals in the novel, and more details about the gambling sessions. The novel has been made into a movie two times, once in 1956 and the other time in 1990 (starring Molly Ringwald). (see: WIKI entry on the novella). Overall, a quick, light read, perfect for when the reader is travelling on a subway or train.

+20 Task
+10 Combo (#10.4, #10.6 (Gore Vidal))
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1941-1991)
+10 Review

Task Total: 20 + 10 + 05 +10 = 45

Grand Total: 305 + 45 = 350

Task 10.3-George Orwell
Read a book that has dystopia (in any of its possible forms) on the Goodreads book page.

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) (2015) by Amie Kaufman (Goodreads Author), Jay Kristoff (Goodreads Author), (Hardcover, 599 pages) (Young Adult)
Lexile HL780L

+10 Task

Task Total: 10

Grand Total: 295 + 10 = 305

Thanks Elizabeth(Alaska) for looking into my Edgar Allan Poe book :)

Task 20.1 Veterans
Read any author who has served in his/her nation's armed forces.

The Shrinking Man (1956) by Richard Matheson (Paperback, 201 pages)
Review: The Shrinking Man is a 1950s science fiction classic novel that has inspired several successful films. Alas, the films are better than the novel. The novel begins with our hero, Scott, who is presently less than 1 inch tall, and shrinking 1/7th of an inch per day. About half the novel concerns how Scott accomplishes life’s necessities at the height of one inch (beware the black widow spider!). The other half of the novel is flashbacks to events in the recent past – 48 inches tall; 21 inches tall; 7 inches tall; and so on. The author attempts to be philosophical about how to remain a patriarchal male while losing height, physical strength, and earning potential. (I wound up feeling very sympathetic to his long-suffering wife.) The cause of the shrinking is given one sentence in the middle of the novel. The cause is not important – Scott’s masculinity is important. Overall, I’d recommend the novel only to readers interested in the novel that inspired several entertaining Hollywood movies.

+20 Task
+05 Combo (#10.4)
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1941-1991)
+10 Review

Task Total: 20 + 05 + 05 +10 = 40

Grand Total: 255 + 40 = 295