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 20.10 Goodreads Feature - Elizabeths' Task:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz lists The Jungle Book (Thanks Elizabeth!)
I read:
The Jungle Books (1895) by Rudyard Kipling (Paperback, 373 pages)
Lexile 1140L
Which contains both The Jungle Book and The Jungle Book II
Review:This collection of 15 stories (7 from Jungle Book I, and 8 from Jungle Book II). Eight of the stories feature Mowgli, the boy raised by wolves, and helped by a big bear Baloo and a black panther Bagheera (who was raised in a zoo but escaped). Those are the best stories, and the ones that inspired the Disney movie Jungle Book. The other stories feature other wild animals (a mongoose, elephants, seals, and others). The animals follow the Law of the Jungle, which regulate when they can hunt and eat, and when they cannot. Kipling believes in hierarchy, (man over wolves, wolves over jackals, and so on). The jungle is more noble, less frightening in Kipling’s stories than in real life. I’d recommend the Mowgli stories which are present in both Jungle Book I and Jungle Book II.
+20 Task
+10 Oldies -76 to 150 years old: (1864-1938)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 + 10 = 40
Grand Total: 380 + 40 = 420
Task 20.5 - Mystery Women: In honor of The Moai Murders, read a book by one of these female detective/mystery writers AND whose protagonist/narrator is female.
Lady Molly of Scotland Yard (1910) by Emmuska Orczy (Paperback, 344 pages)
Review:This is a collection of the 12 stories Baroness Orczy wrote starring the aristocratic Miss Molly. She states on page one of the first story that: “we shouldn’t have half so many undetected crimes if some of the so-called mysteries were put to the test of feminine investigation”. Miss Molly uses feminine intuition, combined with facts about child-raising and house-keeping that only women know, to solve cases that have stumped the detectives at Scotland Yard. First published in 1910, these stories are a little bit racist, a little bit classist, definitely anti-Roman Catholic, and resoundingly sexist! They are still in print because: (1) these are the first prominent stories with a female detective; and (2) it was written by the same author who wrote The Scarlet Pimpernel.
+20 Task (#20.5)
+15 Combo (#10.5 England, #20.1 pub. 1910, #20.9 author: 82 years old)
+10 Oldies -76 to 150 years old: (1864-1938)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 15 + 10 + 10 = 55
Grand Total: 320 + 55 = 375
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Deedee wrote: "Jama wrote: "Deedee, I don't think Kipling works, as we was a colonial British citizen while in India."Yeah, I figured, I'm just looking for a place to fit The Jungle Books It works today for 20.10, from The Wizard of Oz. No need to post over there - I'll put it in the list for you. "
Thanks Elizabeth (Alaska)!
Jama wrote: "Deedee, I don't think Kipling works, as we was a colonial British citizen while in India."Yeah, I figured, I'm just looking for a place to fit The Jungle Books. I'll put it in 10.1.
Rudyard Kipling, born in India where he spent his childhood; adult life mainly in England, with a several year stop in the United States. Does he count for this task? Thanks!
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Deedee wrote: "Which book of 2014 was the biggest surprise? Both An Unnecessary Woman and Nervous Conditions tie for biggest surprise.
I have Nervous Conditions on my wish list, but I know nothing about An Unnecessary Woman. What did you find most compelling about these two? "
An Unnecessary Woman read like the heroine Aaliya has sat down for a cup of tea with you and is telling you about her life. She's lived her life in Beruit, Lebanon, inside the embrace of a traditional Muslim culture. She seems like a real woman, her conflicts seem genuine, and her actions reasonable. Additionally, Aaliya loves books and languages; parts of the novel discuss the advantages and disadvantages of reading books in translation. There's a 2-page digression evaluating Constance Garrett's translations from Russian to English which mirrored a conversation I actually had in real life! Wow!
I liked Nervous Conditions for a lot of the same reasons. Nervous Conditions is a coming-of-age novel focused on a young woman in a traditional society in Africa. She has to decide when to follow tradition and when to resist tradition and follow her own path. There's a cost and a consequence to all of her choices. The heroine seemed so real! I wonder if this novel is semi-autobiographal.
I probably would have read An Unnecessary Woman even without goodreads. Nervous Conditions I found through goodreads and had to order it through inter-library loan.
Task 10.8 - Two for One - Read a combination of 2 or more books, each under 100 pages, that total at least 100 pages when combined.
Most popular version: 62 pages
The Imaginary Mistress (1841) by Honoré de Balzac (Paperback, 62 pages)
Most popular version: 46 pages
An Episode Under the Terror, and Z. Marcas (1840) by Honoré de Balzac (Paperback, 46 pages)
+10 Task (#10.8 pagecount <100 pages)
+15 Oldies -151 to 250 years old: (1764-1863)
Task Total: 10 + 15 = 25
Grand Total: 290 + 25 = 315
Orczy Emmuska BaronessBaroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarnaörs, Hungary. ... Orczy moved with her parents from Budapest to Brussels and then to London, learning to speak English at the age of fifteen. ... she later married the son of an English clergyman. I don't see any indication that she ever returned to Hungary.
I'm reading Lady Molly of Scotland Yard for 20.5 and am looking at 20.8 for combo points; would she fit? Thanks!
Task 20.9 – Respect Elders- Read a book by an author who lived at least 80 years.
Dorothy Gilman
Born: in The United States : ON: June 25, 1923
Died: February 02, 2012
Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish (Mrs Pollifax #9) (1990) by Dorothy Gilman (Hardcover, 211 pages)
Review: A nice, sweet grandmother, Mrs. Pollifax, is also a CIA agent. She’s successful because opposing intelligence agents never suspect that a nice, sweet grandmother could also be a spy. In this installment, she is sent to Morocco, with the task of determining which of 1 of the 7 CIA informants is the imposter sending the CIA bad information. I suspect that *real* CIA operations do not operate the way this novel describes them operating. This novel is more the fluffy, Angela Lansbury Murder She Wrote kind of story. There’s travelogue, a short history lesson, and the satisfaction of reading about a grandmotherly lady rescue traditional James Bond spies from peril. Oh, and there is also a “whirling dervish”, a religious Sufi Muslim, who allies with our heroine, Mrs. Pollifax. Recommended for a fluffy read.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 260 + 30 = 290
Which new to you author from 2014 do you look forward to reading again (and again)? Quammen, David (non-fiction science), plus sequels of novels by Scott Lynch, Ben H. Winters, and Paullina Simons.
106 of the 175 books I read were by new-to-me authors. This year I'm going to try and read the sequels of all those amazing first novels I've read over the past few years!
Which book of 2014 was the biggest surprise?
Both An Unnecessary Woman and Nervous Conditions tie for biggest surprise.
I read 175 books of >100 pages. My top 5, in alphabetical order by author:An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine -- an engrossing novel about a woman living in Beriut
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga -- a coming of age novel about a young woman living in Africa
The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle -- I liked this one better than his Sherlock Holmes stories. It's about a medieval knight in shining armour fighting the French
Rogues edited by George R.R. Martin -- an all-original-stories anthology, mostly fantasy but some "mainstream" stories. The stories are all successful, no duds. And .... Martin includes A Song of Ice and Fire story to end the volume.
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters -- Science fiction. The premise: a huge meteor is on its way to Earth. When it lands, all life will be wiped out. How do you spend your last weeks when the end is near?
Task 10.8 - Two for One - Read a combination of 2 or more books, each under 100 pages, that total at least 100 pages when combined.
Most popular version: 68 pages
Told After Supper (1891) by Jerome K. Jerome (Paperback, 48 pages)
Review:I picked this novelette to read because: it was available from Dodo Press; and, I’ve read Three Men in a Boat and found it to be amusing in that very 19th Century British way. This novelette contains several very short, humorous Christmas Eve ghost stories.. Our privileged young adult male narrators are busily drinking whisky whilst telling the stories. The author believes adds to the humor. Recommended to fans of humorous ghost stories (and fans of P. G. Wodehouse).
Most popular version: 68 pages
May Day (1920) by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Paperback, 94 pages)
Review:This was one of the first published works by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The time frame is less than 24 hours; the place is New York City; and the characters include soldiers (recently returned from World War I), socialists, flappers and working people. Recommended.
+10 Task (#10.8 pagecount <100 pages)
+10 Oldies -76 to 150 years old: (1864-1938)
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 230 + 30 = 260
Task 10.4 - Island Dreams: Read a book that takes place (at least 75%) on an island country listed under Sovereign states.
Took place in the United Kingdom.
Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings (2011) by Alison Weir (Hardcover, 364 pages)
Review:In the Introduction, Alison Weir cites the growing interest in the Tudors, as reflected in the “alarmingly inaccurate” TV show “The Tudors” and the historical novel The Other Boleyn Girl, as motivation for writing a biography of Mary Boleyn. She wrote this biography to tell the reader what is *actually* known about the real-life Mary Boleyn. Over and over, the biography starts a new section about Mary’s life by stating: “There is nothing to support the assertion that …..”. When Alison Weir asserts something about Mary, she accompanies that assertion with contemporary documents that supports what she says. Weir concludes the biography with a list of prominent contemporary individuals who are descended from Mary Boleyn, including Sir Winston Churchill and Charles Darwin. Recommended for those interested in Tudor History.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 210 + 20 = 230
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Deedee wrote: "Somebody's Luggage is 56 pages in my edition. All the other editions are less than 100 pages, with one exception: the most popular edition, which is 140 pages. I do..."Yeah! Thanks Elizabeth.
Somebody's Luggage is 56 pages in my edition. All the other editions are less than 100 pages, with one exception: the most popular edition, which is 140 pages. I don't see how this novelette can stretch to 140 pages! Is there anyway it can be approved for this task? Thanks! (if not I'm sure there's another place I can put it, but really, I have it right here, it's best fit is the under 100 category)Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgings has the exact same problem, 56 pages in my edition, 254 pages in the most popular edition. I'm thinking that there must be additional stories or essays in the longer books that aren't in my Dodo Editions.
My plan was to pair these two for 10.8 but again, if that's not possible, I can fit them in elsewhere I'm sure.
Task 10.8 - Two for One - Read a combination of 2 or more books, each under 100 pages, that total at least 100 pages when combined.
Most popular version: 96 pages
All about Emily (2011) by Connie Willis (Kindle Edition, 96 pages)
Review: This novella is set in the near-ish future (Justin Beiber Jr. is the latest tween star). It is told in first person by a “mature” Broadway actress. Technology has advanced from today; and, the advanced technology affects the course of the story. Connie Willis is one of the best science fiction writers writing today. This story meets her high standards. Recommended for science fiction fans.
Most popular version: 39 pages
A Rose for Ecclesiastes (1963) by Roger Zelazny (ebook, 39 pages)
Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novelette (1964)
Available: Free online fiction, see:
http://escapepod.org/2014/02/28/ep437...
Review:I loved the first line of this novelette:
“I was busy translating one of my Madrigals Macabre into Martian on the morning I was found acceptable.”
Yeah! The story is set on Mars!
Overall, this is a story that is half-Golden Age Science Fiction, with our blue-eyes, cigarette-smoking hero; and, half-late 1960s Science Fiction, with the plot twists later in the story. This story is a lot of fun for science fiction fans, and I can see why it was nominated for the Hugo.
+10 Task (#10.8 pagecount <100 pages)
+10 Review
Task Total : 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 190 + 20 = 210
From The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay: The Mambo Kings Play Songs Of LoveFrom Wool Omnibus Edition: The Carpet Makers, Caliban's War
From The Bone People: The Conservationist, Sacred Hunger, Heat and Dust, Hotel du Lac, The Ghost Road
Task 20.8 - Exiles and Emmigrants Read a book written by an author who has more or less permanently settled in a country other than his/her homeland (the country of his/her original citizenship).
Paullina Simons was born in Leningrad, USSR, in 1963. At the age of ten her family immigrated to the United States. The back of my book states that she currently lives in New York City.
The Bronze Horseman (The Bronze Horseman #1) (2001) by Paullina Simons
Review:This historical novel begins on June 22, 1941, with the announcement of the Nazi attack on Russia. Our teenaged heroine, Tatiana, lives in Leningrad with her family. The novel follows her life over the next 2 years. Tatiana has romantic adventures in between dealing with death and destruction – sounds weird written in a sentence like that, but in this novel it works. I was impressed at how well the author was able to show (not tell) how wartime deprivations affected her characters. There is a very well written romantic interlude. The ending was (mild) (view spoiler) Overall, the author was successful in combing a grim wartime historical novel with an uplifting teen romance novel. Recommended.
+20 Task (#20.8 Immigrant)
+05 Combo (#10.2 Set in Russia)
+05 Jumbo 500-699 Pages: (most popular edition: 656 pages)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 05 + 10 = 40
Grand Total: 150 + 40 = 190
Task 10.8 - Two for One - Read a combination of 2 or more books, each under 100 pages, that total at least 100 pages when combined.
Most popular version: 58 pages
The Duel (1811) by Heinrich von Kleist
Most popular version: 75 pages
The Lifted Veil (1859) by George Eliot
+10 Task
+15 Oldies -151 to 250 years old: (1764-1863)
Task Total: 10 + 15 = 25
Grand Total: 125 + 25 = 150
