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from the Reading with Style group.
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Task 10.4 - 9, 10, 11: 11= Necromancer
The Necromancer (Johannes Cabal #1) (2009) by Jonathan L. Howard
Review: Johannes Cabal is a Necromancer who traded his soul to the Devil. Now he wants it back, so he makes a wager with the Devil: he can convince 100 people to sign their souls away during one calendar year. If he can do that, then the Devil will give his soul back. The story is told in a humorous manner. The novel’s structure was strange, though: the first 40% or so was set up, the next about 10-15% was a montage of Johannes Cabal’s activities, and the remainder of the novel concerned the last day of the wager. So, the author knew how he wanted the story to begin and end, but was unclear about the middle. I haven’t come across that very often. There is a sequel to this novel, which I will pick up “one of these days”.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 745 + 20 = 765
Task 10.1 - Square PegThe Strain (The Strain Trilogy #1) (2009) by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Review: This is book #1 of a trilogy. The authors were successful in convincing cable station FX to give them money to produce a TV series based on the novels. It is surprising to me that the show and the book have noticeable differences when it is the exact same pair who wrote the book and then wrote the scripts for the series. The vampire-zombie monsters are more impressive in the TV series than in print --- it added to the reading experience to have seen the monsters in the TV series. The monsters, and the fights against the monsters, are the reason for this novel / TV series. There are plot hole so big one can drive a truck through them; and, the characters change motivations to fit the current need of the plot. Still, one doesn’t read The Strain for it’s nuanced description of people’s motivations. The reading is for the fights against the monsters, and the satisfaction in defeating them. Recommended for people who have seen the TV series and now want to read the book that inspired the series.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 725 + 20 = 745
Kate S wrote: "From Post 544Deedee wrote: "Task 20.6 - - Underrated
Read a book published prior to 2013 that has fewer than 1000 ratings.
The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London (...
+5 Combo 10.4 (Victorian) "
Thanks for catching that!
Task 20.6 - - UnderratedRead a book published prior to 2013 that has fewer than 1000 ratings.
The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London (2012) by Judith Flanders (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 544 pages)
Review:This book is a description of life in London from (approximately) 1810-1870. The author includes written descriptions about aspects of London from Charles Dickens (and, occasionally, other contemporary authors). I’m a big fan of Charles Dickens. His observations held my interest more than the subject matter (sewers and subways, different modes of transportation, etc.). Flanders writes in a clear and straightforward manner. There are numerous diagrams and three detailed maps, all of which help in presenting the information. One of the themes is how the city changed over Dicken’s lifetime. Changes occurred because of a dramatic increase of population in the city, and also because of the Industrial Revolution (railroads, factories, etc.). Recommended for readers interested in 19th Century London, England and for readers interested in Charles Dickens.
+20 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel: non-fiction
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 + 10 = 40
Grand Total: 680 + 40 = 720
Task 15.2 -- Constant Traveler - 1921-1922:The Day of the Beast (1922) by Zane Grey
+15 task
+15 bonus (second book)
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 650 + 30 = 680
Task 20.10 - Higher Educationhttp://www.mtsu.edu/summerreading/
Middle State Tennessee University
This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (2006) edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman
Review:This book is a collection of 79 essays + Forward, Introduction, Afterward and 3 Appendixes from the National Public Radio series This I Believe. The editors explain that the original series This I Believe was moderated by Eward R. Murrow from 1951-1954. Our editors, inspired by Murrow’s program, decided to do a contemporary series beginning in 2003. This book is a collection of the 21st Century essays, plus a handful of essays from the 1950s. All essays are 350-500 words long. Some of the essays are by famous people (examples: Isabel Allende, Bill Gates and Eleanor Roosevelt). Most of the essays are by everyday people. All the people profess “nice” beliefs in their essays like: “be cool to the pizza dude” or “tomorrow will be a better day”. There are no “mean” essays, (an example of “mean” would be: “might makes right”). I found reading these brief essays to be restful and uplifting. I have decided that I, too, believe in being “cool” to the pizza dude, and that tomorrow will be a better day! Recommended.
+20 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel: non-fiction collection of essays
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 + 10 = 40
Grand Total: 610 + 40 = 650
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 502 Deedee wrote: "Task 10.1 - Square PegAnother America: The Story of Liberia and the Former Slaves Who Ruled It (2013) by James Ciment (Hardcover, 320 page...
I don't know whether this will make you happy or sad. It appears James Ciment was born in 1940, making this ineligible for Square Peg, but adding points because it qualifies for 20.9 War Babies. "
Actually happy. I have a few other books that might fit 10.1 :0)
Task 20.2 - Birthplace: Read a book by an author born in Belgium, Ireland, Germany, or Switzerland.
Willem Elsschot
Born: in Antwerp, Belgium : On: May 07, 1882
Three Novels: Soft Soap , The Leg , Will O' the Wisp (1946) by Willem Elsschot (Hardcover, 253 pages)
Review: This book contains a short novel Soft Soap (pub. 1924) , a novella The Leg (pub. 1936), and a novelette Will O' the Wisp (pub. 1946). All three stories star the same man, Laarmans, and are focused on his various moneymaking schemes in his hometown of Brussels, Belgium. In Soft Soap his moneymaking schemes are legal – barely – but unethical. The Leg is set 5 years later, with our main two characters having ethical qualms over their activities. Will O' the Wisp, first published after World War II in 1946, sees our hero Laarmans leaving behind cynicism and embracing his inner feelings of empathy for his fellow human beings and using his talents for a good cause rather than for personal gain.
I read most of this book in waiting rooms and I found it a pleasant and undemanding way to pass the time.
+20 Task (Birthplace: Belgium)
+05 Combo (#20.6 underrated)
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1939-1989)
+10 Not-a-Novel: (one novel + 2 novellas)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 05 + 10 = 40
Grand Total: 560 + 40 = 600
Task 10.1 - Square PegAnother America: The Story of Liberia and the Former Slaves Who Ruled It (2013) by James Ciment (Hardcover, 320 pages)
Review:This is a popular history book about Liberia. African Americans - those born free, those freed from slavery, and those who were mulattos or mixed African & European ancestory – sailed from the United States of America to West Africa. The first ship left in 1820. There they settled, often over the objections of the local tribes. Their goal: become a successful nation, like America or Canada or France, located in West Africa and ruled by individuals of 1/8th or more African ancestory. Alas, the Liberian experiement failed. (The author goes into dismaying detail about just how it failed.) Bribery, embezzlement, corruption, massive public debt and an oppressive class system (modeled on the antebellum South, with American-born mulattoes and their descendents at the top) all contributed to making Liberia a failed African nation. The revolution in 1980 of the natives against the elites resulted in a breakdown of all the supports of a modern nation (like rule of law). The recent news reports indicate that, if anything, conditions in Liberia have deteriorated since the book was published in 2013. Overall impression: Depressing but True.
+10 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel: Non-fiction
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 530 + 30 = 560
Task 15.1-- Constant Traveler - 1919-1920:This Side of Paradise (1920) by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Paperback, 268 pages)
+15 Task
Grand Total: 515 + 15 = 530
Task 10.7 - Honored Authors Read a book by an author who has a literary award named after them. Please provide a link to the award.
http://www.sfawardswatch.com/?p=3193
http://www.imcpl.org/about/news/2011/...
Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library’s Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Award for Literature was established in 2007 for Indianapolis' favorite son author whose innovative writing style broke new ground in fiction and influenced both the literary world and mainstream America.
Welcome to the Monkey House (1968) by Kurt Vonnegut (Paperback, 331 pages)
Review:This is a collection of 25 of Kurt Vonnegut’s short stories, originally published in a diverse selection of magazines 1950-1968. A few were first published in Science Fiction magazines like Galaxy. Most were first published in “mainstream” magazines like Saturday Evening Post and Esquire. Most of the stories are mainstream 1950s stories about life in the American middle class. A couple of stories from the early 1950s predict the changes in the 1960s (drugs, sexual morality), although I’m not sure that was his intention. Missing is the Slaughterhouse-Five style black humor. Recommended for fans of Vonnegut and for those who enjoy 1950s literature.
+10 Task (#10.7)
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1939-1989)
+10 Not-a-Novel: short story collections
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 10 +10 = 35
Grand Total: 480 + 35 = 515
Task 20.9 -War Babies - Read a book by an author who was born in the years of either of the two world wars, 1914-1918 or 1939-1945.
Margaret MacMillan was born in 1943.
The War That Ended Peace: The Road To 1914 (2013) by Margaret MacMillan (Hardcover, 739 pages)
Review:This is a narrative history of the causes of World War I. The cultures of England, France, Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary during 1900-1914 are reviewed. Biographical information on the major decision-makers from the various countries is presented. Ms. MacMillan’s attitude is that World War I was NOT inevitable. The last line she wrote in this book would have worked equally well as a first line for this book: “There are always choices.” She’s particularly interested in conflicts between the European powers 1900-1914 which COULD have resulted in war but were instead resolved peacefully. Why were those conflicts resolved peacefully? And then: why was the conflict ignited by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand NOT resolved peacefully? While the author believes that peaceful resolutions could have gone on indefinitely if the leaders of the various nations chose a different course of action, I’m still inclined to think that war was inevitable – the conflicts between the nations during 1900-1914 were never really resolved, they were postponed, until finally war was viewed as the only way of resolving the conflicts once and for all.
Overall, I found this book very interesting. I read it a chapter or two per day, which was the right pace for a book of this type. Recommended for the “educated lay reader” who is interested in why nations go to war.
+20 Task
+10 Jumbo 700-799 Pages:
+10 Not-a-Novel: non-fiction
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 + 10 +10 = 50
Grand Total: 430 + 50 = 480
Task 20.6 - - UnderratedRead a book published prior to 2013 that has fewer than 1000 ratings.
Combo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selden_E...
Selden Edwards (born 1941)
The Lost Prince (2012) by Selden Edwards
Review:The Lost Prince is a sequel to The Little Book, beginning shortly after the conclusion of The Little Book. I loved The Little Book – it is a time travel story wherein our hero is transported back to fin de siècle Vienna and meets (among other people) Dr. Sigmund Freud. The Lost Prince follows a close associate of the hero from the first book. This close associate, a woman named Eleanor, has the journal written by the hero of the first book. She uses the information in the journal to make a lot of money and to protect her loved ones from harmful events (minor spoiler (view spoiler)). The sense of wonder present in the first novel is missing from this one. Fin de siècle Vienna, which was uber-present in the first novel, is also missing from this one. (1900s Boston just isn’t the same!) Overall, I’d say that this novel was OK, and I would pick up another novel by this author if he were to have another novel published. Recommended only for those who have read and liked The Little Book.
+20 Task (#20.6 underrated)
+05 Combo (#20.9 war babies)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 395 + 35 = 430
Task 10.2 - Halloween: Read one from the list:
50 Scariest Books of All Time
Incarnate (1983) Ramsey Campbell
British Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1985)
Review:Some things are dreams, some things are reality, and the difficulty for the characters in this horror novel: telling the difference between the two states of being. Five individuals living in and around London, England participated in a para-psychological study. The study ended suddenly. The novel begins eleven years later. The novel follows each of the five individuals involved in the study, detailing just how messed up their respective lives became as a result of the events from eleven years ago. (The author goes into this segment in exhaustive detail.) And then ….. something untoward happens (I won’t spoil the story by telling exactly what happens, but it does fit the narrative. Remember this is a HORROR novel.) Overall, this is a well-told genre novel. Recommended.
+10 Task (#10.2)
+10 Combo (#10.4 “incarnate”; #20.6 underrated)
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1939-1989)
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 05 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 360 + 35 = 395
Task 10.4 - 9, 10, 11: 10= Pathfinder
Pathfinder (Pathfinder #1) (2010) by Orson Scott Card (Hardcover, 657 pages)
Lexile 920L
Review:This is a young adult science fiction novel. It is set on another planet, called “Garden”, located far away from Earth. “Garden” was colonized 11,191 years ago by humans from Earth. Our hero is a teenaged boy from a small town on a planet called “Garden”. He is “special”. While travelling to find answers he makes friends, some of whom are “special” also.
I like how the characters in this novel act like real people. Here's a sample about an interaction between a wife and a husband:
pp. 262-263: "She was busy, she said, and didn't have time for greetings, what with doing everything single-handed while they were off playing the tourist in far countries. Loaf's answer was not to rail at her, as Umbo's father would have done, but rather to pitch in beside her and help her make short work of her tasks. And as they labored side by side, she began to smile now and then -- not looking at him yet, but just smiling -- and then she hummed, and then sang, and finally began to tell him stories of things that had happened while he was gone."
The teenaged boy protagonists do not act like mature adults -- instead, they act like teenagers.
And yet …. I'm sighing over having yet another novel in which a young man finds out to his surprise that he is the prince of the realm; and, furthermore, that he has "special" or "super" powers. Well-done if this is the first such novel the reader has encountered; "nothing new here" for readers who have read numerous similar stories.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 10+10=20
Grand Total: 335 + 20 = 355
Task 20.1 - 19th CenturyRead a book shelved at least 15 times as 19th Century.
Treasure Island (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson Review:Yes, after all these years, this is my first time reading Treasure Island. I know the basic story from Muppet Treasure Island ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117110/?... ). The novel was more exciting than the typical 19th century novel. The beginning part in England lasted longer than I expected, though it did serve its purpose of introducing the characters in the book (the pirates, and the respectable Englishmen, and our hero, 13-year-old Jim). The sections that bogged down a bit were the technical descriptions of the ship, the sails, how the waves turned it this way and that. ( I still don’t know what a jib is!) The pirates were less romanticized in the novel than in modern versions. Overall, this was an entertaining, iconic classic. Recommended.
+20 Task
+10 Oldies -76 to 150 years old: (1864-1938)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 + 10 = 40
Grand Total: 295 + 40 = 335
Task 10.6 - Short Stuff:Read a collection of short stories by an author that has won the O. Henry Award.
1973 Winner of the O. Henry Award: Joyce Carol Oates: for "The Dead” in McCall's, July 1971
The Museum of Dr. Moses: Tales of Mystery and Suspense (2007) by Joyce Carol Oates (Hardcover, 229 pages)
Review:This book is a collection of 10 stories, all written by Joyce Carol Oates, all of which appeared elsewhere before they were collected into this book. “The Man Who Fought Roland LaStarza” (a story about boxing) was 60 pages; “The Museum of Dr. Moses” was 44 pages; the other 8 divided up the remaining 125 pages. Two of the stories involved the death of a child. All the stories, regardless of length, are depressing, dealing with death, usually the intentional death of someone nice. This collection is more horror, less mystery, and not-at-all fantasy. Recommended for when the reader wishes to read depressing stories.
+10 Task (#10.6)
+05 Combo (#20.6 underrated)
+10 Not-a-Novel: short story collections
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 10 + 10 = 35
Not-a-Novel Points: 40
Grand Total: 260 + 35 = 295
Task 10.8 - Comfort Reads - Read a book by an author that has written at least one book you've rated 5-stars. The book must have been rated prior to the start of the challenge.
I gave 5* to Old Mars edited by George R.R. Martin
I read for this task I read another anthology edited by George R. R. Martin:
Rogues (2014) edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner R. Dozois (Hardcover, 806 pages)
Review:I like the stories that George R. R. Martin chooses for his anthologies. This volume has 21 new stories by 21 different writers. The theme: Rogues: “Scoundrels, con men, ne’er-do-wells, thieves, cheats, tricksters”. He deliberately chose stories from different genres, including historical mystery, fantasy, detective story, zombie stories, and others. Martin includes a story from his “Fire and Ice” world, a prequel to the main “Game of Thrones” saga as the last story of the anthology. (I wish that Mr. Martin would finish writing Book #6 The Winds of Winter of the “Song of Ice and Fire” Series!) All of the stories are either novelettes or novellas -- all too long to be "short stories".
I enjoyed the clever stories Martin included in this anthology. I’ve grown to trust his editorial judgement and I would seek out other anthologies that he has edited.
+10 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel: short story collections
+15 Jumbo 800-899 Pages:
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 15 + 10 = 45
Grand Total: 215 + 45 = 260
Karen Michele wrote: "Deedee wrote: "And now -- I'm reading The Strain (first book in a trilogy) with my son. He tells me it is inspired by Dracula, with vampires that are horrific and monstrous rather th..."Once you finish reading it, if the vampire fits the myth and is a main character, then it counts. I've seen the TV previews - it looks like scary stuff! ..."
Over half done reading it -- won't fit this task-- it's more CSI confronting vampire/zombies. Interesting that the same two men who wrote the trilogy are now the ones writing the TV series (which is available "on demand").
Task 10.10 -Group readsD: Stoner by John Edward Williams
Stoner (1965) by John Edward Williams (Paperback, 278 pages)
Review:This novel is a mild-mannered story about an assistant professor of English at the University of Missouri. It begins with Mr. Stoner’s birth in 1891; continues with his college education, and later, his employment at the University as a professor of English. Mr. Stoner dies on the last page. His overriding passions were for research (medieval English) and for teaching those students who were serious about learning. He had some drama concerning females but it didn’t make much impact on his *real* life of the mind. Overall, this was an interesting book, centered on the College Professor as Hero. The clear and straightforward prose focused on the everyday moments of a quiet life. Recommended for when you are in the mood for a low conflict character development type of story.
+10 Task
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1939-1989)
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 10 = 25
Grand Total: 190 + 25 = 215
