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from the Reading with Style group.
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Task 20.5 - In honor of Emma, read a book written by a woman with a single female narrator/main character.The Best of All Possible Worlds (2013) by Karen Lord
Review:This science fiction novel is told in first person by a woman located in the far future named Grace (but she goes by Delacura).
This is Karen Lord’s second novel. Her first novel, Redemption in Indigo, won several fantasy/science fiction awards, including the 2011 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature. I think this one will be nominated for several science fiction awards in 2013 as well. The Best of All Possible Worlds is set in the far future. The Sadiri (a variant of the human race) communicate with one another telepathically. When their world is destroyed, the survivors who were off-world at the time have to confront: possible physical extinction (no descendants) and/or the permanent loss of their culture. Is it enough to ensure there are DNA descendents, even if such descendants do not follow traditional Sadiri culture? Or, is it enough to preserve the culture, even if it is non-DNA individuals who follow the culture? Or is it necessary to have both DNA descendants AND the culture? Karen Lord makes this issue INTERESTING.
The action occurs on the distant planet of Cygnus Beta. There, refugees from all over the galaxy are welcomed to settle. Our heroine and narrator works for the local government. Her mission: to help the Sadiri refugees adjust to living on Cygnus Beta; and, if possible, help them in their goals.
The story is original. It does help to be familiar with standard science fiction concepts as the author doesn’t info-dump. I’d recommend this novel to anyone who likes science fiction, especially science fiction novels like The Left Hand of Darkness and Never Let Me Go.
+ 20 Task
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points)
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 65 + 30 = 95
And, maybe, Karen Lord qualifies for:
+10 Style:2. Non-Western (10 points):
Karen Lord was born in Barbados (an independent island nation). Wherever she is referred to on the web, she is referred to as a Caribbean author. I don’t see any web story that indicates that she has become a citizen of the United States or the United Kingdom (although she travels and publishes in both countries. ) I’ll leave it to our moderators to decide if Ms. Lord qualifies for non-western.
Task 10.9 – Choose a book from the top 30 of the Nouvelle Cuisine list or a book from the top 50 from the Food-Related Fiction listAs of March 09, 2013:
Nouvelle Cuisine list : #29
Food-Related Fiction list: #30
The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones
Review:Nicole Mones is a frequent contributor to Gourmet magazine. In this novel, she includes lengthy descriptions of various traditional Chinese dishes (no recipes though). The time is 2007 (the year before the Chinese Olympics), and the setting is (mostly) Beijing. Our heroine is a 40ish recent American widow. She travels to China on business (she writes a food column in Los Angeles). This story is a gentle story of our heroine letting go of her grief, forgiving her late husband for his faults, and learning to rejoin the living. There is also a 40is American Eurasian man, living in China, who comes to terms with the facts of his extended family. Overall, this was a gentle, uplifting story of 40ish Americans, interleaved with descriptions of Chinese food.
+10 Task
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points)
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 45 + 20 = 65
The book I picked for 10.10 isn't there either ..... I picked:The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
Task 20.5 - In honor of Emma, read a book written by a woman with a single female narrator/main character.The Alchemy of Murder (Nellie Bly #1) (2010) by Carol McCleary
Review: This is the first in a series of mysteries starring Nellie Bly. Nellie is the first-person narrator for 98% of the novel, so it fits this task.
What I liked: There are several historical characters in this novel, acting more or less the way the real life characters would have acted. These include: Jules Verne, Oscar Wilde, Louie Pasteur, and, of course, Nellie Bly. The book is set in Paris, France, during the 1890 International Exhibition (the one the Eiffel Tower was built for). The author includes numerous info-dumps on the real-life historical characters and on life in 1890 Paris. And, at the end, (view spoiler).
The problems in the novel: The author tells you everything – she very rarely even tries to “show”. The underlying mystery was weak. The ending felt rushed because the majority of action occurred in the last 50 pages.
Overall: I liked the novel. The info dumps were interesting. And, I liked reading about Jules Verne and Oscar Wilde walking around and interacting with Parisian life. I’d pick up #2 in the series “one of these days”.
+ 20 Task
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points)
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 15 + 30 = 45
20th Century - Chronologician15.1 - The Praise Singer by Mary Renault published 1978
+15 task
Task Total: 15 points
Grand Total: 00 + 15 = 15
"One of these three major issues from his presidency: the atomic bomb"So, would these work?
The Making of the Atomic Bomb
Before The Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Will The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman & the Destruction of Hitler's Germany 1941-45 by Michael R. Beschloss count? Or ... how about Six Months in 1945: FDR, Stalin, Churchill, and Truman--from World War to Cold War by Michael Dobbs?
Two Americans: Truman, Eisenhower, and a Dangerous World by William Lee Miller looks likely too.
In all cases, Harry Truman is not the sole focus of the book.
And .... FYI ....
Harry Harrison
Harry Turtledove
Yeah!
So .... does Les Misérables by Victor Hugo count?The website states that the novel was interdicted "until 1959[3]"
Also, for the novels of Alexander Dumas, the list says "various novels", with the titles unlisted. So, do all of his novels count, or only some; and, if some, which ones? Thanks!
I'm checking GR for Genre > Murder and BPL for lack of "mystery" designation. Here's a few books from my lists that I found (in addition to the ones above):Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (I still haven't read this one!)
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Lord of the Flies by William Golding (Lexile: 770L)
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser (Lexile: 1240L)
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (Lexile: 960L)
The Dark Half by Stephen King
The Door to December by Dean Koontz
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
A Feast for Crows [#4] by George R.R. Martin (the previous 3 also fit)
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola
Task 15.5Location, Location, Location
Location:London, UK
“Archeologist”
Publication: 1722-2012
1982: The London Embassy by Paul Theroux
+15 Task
+25 Bonus Points (within 10 miles)
Task Total = 15 + 25 = 40
Grand Total: 1035 + 40 = 1075
And that will be it for me. Thanks to the moderators for all that they do!
Task 20.4 Read a book whose was author born during Sylvia Plath's lifetime (1932-1963). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_La...
Born: 1949
Pirates (1995) by Linda Lael Miller
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 1015 + 20 = 1035
Task 20.4 Read a book whose was author born during Sylvia Plath's lifetime (1932-1963). Corrupting Dr. Nice (1997) by John Kessel
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 995 + 20 = 1015
Task 20.4 Read a book whose was author born during Sylvia Plath's lifetime (1932-1963). A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) (2000) by George R.R. Martin (Paperback, Bantam Books Mass Market Edition, 1177 pages)
+20 Task
+25 Style: 5. Jumbo (5 to 25 points): -1000+ Pages: 25 Points
Task Total: 20 + 25 = 45
Grand Total: 950 + 45 = 995
Task 20.9– Elizabeth (Alaska)'s task - Penned:Read any book by one of these 19th Century authors on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list.
Letters from the Earth: Uncensored Writings by Mark Twain
+20 Task
+10 Style:3. Not-a-Novel (10 points):
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
+ 100 RwS Finish (Yeah!!!)
Grand Total: 820 + 30 + 100 = 950
Task 10.10 Group ReadsMemoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 810 + 10 = 820
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "For those of you who will be selecting a task, you can always choose a favorite from the polls that didn't win. (I have a favorite or two if you need some help. ;-) )"LOL me too!
Task 10.1 - Year in ReviewRead a book posted in one of the last four RwS challenges. This task can be completed three times. This task cannot be claimed as combo points.
Fall 2012 Season Post #535
Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere by Lauren Leto
+10 Task
+10 Style:3. Not-a-Novel (10 points):
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 790 + 20 = 810
Task 20.6Read one of the top 100 books with a poetic title.
Book #71
The Joy Luck Club (1989) by Amy Tan
+20 Task
+05 Style:1. Combo (5 points) (20.4 born 1952)
Task Total: 20 + 05 = 25
Grand Total: 765 + 25 = 790
Task 10.8 Read a work of fiction set before 1500 A.D.Setting specifically given as: “the autumn of 1483”
The Tintern Treasure (Roger the Chapman #21) (2012) by Kate Sedley
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 755 + 10 = 765
