Kate S’s Comments (group member since Sep 13, 2010)

Kate S’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

Beginning in the Winter 22-23 season, our lexile requirement will be 700 and above.

Completion Bonuses:

1. Half-way Finish (50 points): Complete all of the 10-point tasks OR all of the 20-point Reading with Style tasks. (Using a book for combo points for a task does not qualify as completing that task).

2. Mega Finish (200 points): Complete all Reading with Style tasks and the 15-point tasks. (30 book minimum -- at least one book claimed for task points for each task. Using a book for combo points for a task does not qualify as completing that task and a book may only be claimed for task points once).

Other Rewards*:
1. Group Reads -- the Spring 2023 "group reads" books will be chosen by a combination of moderators, mega-finishers, and members that read at least 5 books and earn the highest percentage of Review points in the Winter 22-23 Challenge.

2. 10-point task creation -- the top three readers for the Winter 22-23 Challenge, as determined by overall points, will each get to create a 10-point task for the Spring 2023 Challenge.

3. 20-point task creation -- the "most strategic" reader, the member that, on average, earns the most points per book (with a 5 book minimum) will have the opportunity to create a 20-point task for the Spring 2022 Challenge. In calculating this number, we are taking into account the Task & Style points for the RwS tasks, and the Task, Bonus, and Completion points for the sub-challenge. The Halfway Finish(es) & the Mega-finish will not be included in the calculation, so that members who are unable to read more than 20 books in three months have an equal chance at being the "most strategic reader" as our fastest readers.

4. Random -- All participants (except mods) who claim at least five books during the Winter 22-23 season will be automatically entered into a drawing for a $25 US Amazon gift card to be awarded at the beginning of the Spring 2023 season. As this will repeat from season to season, the winner will not have won the drawing in either of the two previous seasons.

* although participants may be eligible for multiple rewards, only one will be granted per challenge. (Random excepted)

* Participants that create tasks for three consecutive challenges are ineligible for a task-creation reward on the fourth. Instead, the member will be asked to submit a group read book. Eligibility is reinstated on the following challenge.

Note: Our usual Lexile rules will apply (although we have reverted to a lexile score of 700). You can follow one of these links to find pertinent links.

Quick Links
YA post from our FAQs

In honor of Stuart Woods and Angela Lansbury, read any book with an MPG of mystery.

Please post any discussion about task 20.10 in this thread.

In honor of Uri Orlev, read a book by an author who spent time as a translator.

For suggestions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Please post any questions or comments about task 20.9 in this thread.

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the publication of Around the World in Eighty Days, read a book about a journey or voyage.


Please post any questions or comments about task 10.5 in this thread.

December = 12; January plus February = 12 (1, 2). Read a book that has 12 or fewer letters in its title, including leading article if any. Task applies to title only, but your book may have a subtitle.

Please post any questions or comments about task 10.4 in this thread.

In honor of Peter Robinson, who wrote police procedurals, read any book whose main character is the police. No private eyes, civilian detectives or government spies for this task.

Please post any questions or comments about task 10.3 in this thread.

January is Yours, Mine and Ours Month-Read a book with a pronoun in the title, excluding forms of "it": I, we, you, he, she, they, me, him, her, us, them, myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves, themselves, mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs.

Please post any questions or comments about task 10.2 in this thread.

Read a book from a series you have already started. This book may not be used for combo. This task may be used only once.

Please post any questions or comments about task 10.1 in this thread.

To celebrate the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (the Winter Solstice on December 21), read a book of Short Stories.

For the purpose of this task, each story in the collection must be 99 pages or fewer.

Please post any questions or comments about task 20.8 in this thread.

In memory of Ron Goulart and Robert Goolrick, read an extremely underrated book with fewer than 1000 ratings on GoodReads, or a popular book with over 75,000 ratings.

Please post any discussion about task 20.7 in this thread.

Please post any general questions about the Winter challenge in this thread.

In memory of André Leon Talley, who was a fashion journalist and editor of Vogue, and Peter Bodganovich film director and writer, read any book about either the fashion industry or the film industry.

Please post any questions or comments about task 20.6 in this thread.

In honor of Morton L. Janklow, who was a literary agent, and Jim Trelease, who was all about reading aloud, read a book whose MPG is Books About Books.

Please post any discussion about task 20.5 in this thread.

In honor of Thich Nhat Hanh and F. Sionil José, read any book set at least 75% in one of these Southeast Asia countries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southea...

Please post any questions or comments about task 20.4 in this thread.

In honor of Jason Epstein, who was co-founder of the New York Review Books, read any book that is published by NYRB. The edition you read does not have to be an NYRB edition.

https://www.nyrb.com/

Please post any questions, comments, or suggestions for task 20.3 in this thread.

In honor of Nancy Milford, who wrote biographies, and Hilary Mantel, who wrote biographical fictions, read any biography or biographical fiction. Note: for this task, memoirs and autobiographies will not work.

Please post any questions or comments about task 20.2 in this thread.

Read a book published between the birth years of our honored authors. 1913-1952

Please post any discussion about task 20.1 in this thread.

Styles

1. Combo (5 points): Read a book for one task that could have applied to another task as well. If a book applies to one other task, you will receive 5 style points. If it applies to two other tasks, you will receive 10 points...and so on.

2. Canon (10 points): Distinguishing literature from popular fiction is an imperfect science, but we're trying anyway. This challenge, you'll receive 10 extra points when you read a work of literature in the Western canon to complete a task. We'll be using famous uber-critic Harold Bloom's Western Canon as the arbiter...Any work that is listed here will qualify: http://sonic.net/~rteeter/grtbloom.html

3. Review (10 points): Inquiring minds want to know your thoughts about the books you’ve read, so help us grow our to-be-read lists by posting a 100+ word review with your completed task.

4. Aged (10 points): Read a book by an experienced author. Collect 10 points for each book read by an author who has reached the age of 75. (For the purpose of this challenge, we will use only birth/death years; exact dates will not be considered.)

5. Jumbo (5 to 25 points): Receive extra points for reading big books according to the following scale:
500-699 Pages: 5 Points
700-799 Pages: 10 Points
800-899 Pages: 15 Points
900-999 Pages: 20 Points
1000+ Pages: 25 Points

20 point tasks

20.1 Birthdays

Read a book published between the birth years of our honored authors. 1913-1952

20.2 Biography?

In honor of Nancy Milford, who wrote biographies, and Hilary Mantel, who wrote biographical fictions, read any biography or biographical fiction. Note: for this task, memoirs and autobiographies will not work.

20.3 NYRB

In honor of Jason Epstein, who was co-founder of the New York Review Books, read any book that is published by NYRB. The edition you read does not have to be an NYRB edition.

https://www.nyrb.com/

20.4 Southeast Asia

In honor of Thich Nhat Hanh and F. Sionil José, read any book set at least 75% in one of these Southeast Asia countries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southea...

20.5 Books

In honor of Morton L. Janklow, who was a literary agent, and Jim Trelease, who was all about reading aloud, read a book whose MPG is Books About Books.

20.6 Industry

In memory of André Leon Talley, who was a fashion journalist and editor of Vogue, and Peter Bodganovich film director and writer, read any book about either the fashion industry or the film industry

20.7 Ratings

In memory of Ron Goulart and Robert Goolrick, read an extremely underrated book with fewer than 1000 ratings on GoodReads, or a popular book with over 75,000 ratings.

20.8 Short (Connie's Task)

To celebrate the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (the Winter Solstice on December 21), read a book of Short Stories.

For the purpose of this task, each story in the collection must be 99 pages or fewer.

20.9 Translator (Kate S's Task)

In honor of Uri Orlev, read a book by an author who spent time as a translator.

For suggestions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

20.10 Mystery (Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Task)

In honor of Stuart Woods and Angela Lansbury, read any book with an MPG of mystery.