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

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

In honor of Banned Book Week (Sept 27-Oct 3), read one of the top 200 Banned Books.

Here is the thread to discuss task 10.6.

Read a book with one of the following in the title: Devil(s)/Demon(s), Witch(es), Vampire(s), Zombie(s)/Undead, Ghost(s), or Werewolf(s).

Please post any conversation about task 10.5 in this thread.

Read a book with a title starting with one of the letters in PILGRIM (leading articles may be ignored for this task).

Please post conversations about task 10.4 in this thread.

September 20-26 is National Singles Week. Read a book with a one word title. No subtitles for this task.

Questions about task 10.3? Ask them here.

The first letters of all the words in the title and author's name are your scrabble tiles. If you can form at least one word of at least 3 letters with your tiles, then you can read the book. You do not have to use all of your tiles. Required: Include the set of tiles the title and author gives you and the word or words you formed. Just like in Scrabble, no proper names can be used. Sub-titles may be used or ignored as benefits the reader.

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

Read one of the top 350 books from the list of Most Begun but Unfinished (Initiated) Books.

Please post questions/comments/suggestions about task 20.9 in this thread.

A sort of milestone: 75. But I like company. Read any book by an author born in the 1940s and is still living.

Please post any conversation about task 20.10 in this thread.

Read a published collection or anthology of short stories.
OR
You may create your own collection/anthology. Your collection will be the usual RwS 100 page minimum and include at least 3 stories where no story is more than 50 pages.
This task can be completed only once.
You cannot claim combos for this task nor may it be used for combo.

Please share your thoughts about task 10.1 in this thread.

Three polls for the Fall 2020 Tasks have been posted. Please make sure you log you preference for our Fall Tasks.

Let's turn some countries green! Read a book set at least 51% in any of the countries on the Group Project Spreadsheet that are not yet colored green. See the Help thread for (user friendly?) list.

Special Styles for this task only:

30 points for the remaining countries with no book claims (white on the spreadsheet)
20 points for countries that have only one book claim (blue color on the spreadsheet)

This is not a first to post task - no changes will be made to the spreadsheet until after the season is over.

Please post any questions or comments about task 30.1 in this thread.

Sue Grafton was one of the presenters at the first National Book Festival in 2001. Her works feature a private detective. Read any work where a private detective is the main character. (No police procedurals or works where a private citizen solves the crime, even if a series.)

Please post suggestions, comments or questions about task 20.7 in this thread.

E.L. Doctorow was one of the presenters at the National Book Festival in 2005. His The March, a book about one aspect of the American Civil War, was first published in 2005. Read any work set at least 51% during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

Feel free to use this thread for questions, comments or suggestions about task 20.6 in this thread. On the lookout for unbiased reads about the U.S. Civil War for new learners if you have recommendations.

Colson Whitehead was one of the presenters at the National Book Festival in 2009. Read one of Whitehead's books or any book linked on the Readers Also Enjoyed/See Similar Books section of any of his fiction or nonfiction. These are:

Fiction
John Henry Days
The Intuitionist
Apex Hides the Hurt
Sag Harbor
Zone One
The Underground Railroad
The Nickel Boys

Non-Fiction
The Colossus of New York
The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky, and Death

Please post suggestions or comments about task 20.4 in this thread.

Deborah Harkness was one of the presenters at the National Book Festival in 2018. Her Wikipedia page says she is "is an American scholar, novelist and wine enthusiast". Read a novel where a character(s) drink wine.

Feel free to post any comments about task 20.5 in this thread.

Mario Vargas Llosa, a prolific author, was one of the presenters at the National Book Festival in 2012. Read any book by an author who has published at least 20 book-length titles (100+ pages) of either fiction or nonfiction, or a combination of the two mediums.

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

Daniel Silva was one of the presenters at the National Book Festival in 2007. Silva began his writing career as a journalist. Read any book by an author who has earned a living as a journalist.

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

Gail Tsukiyama was one of the presenters at the first National Book Festival in 2001. Read any book by one of these recipients of the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award.

Please post any discussion about task 20.1 in this thread.

20.1 Award

Gail Tsukiyama was one of the presenters at the first National Book Festival in 2001. Read any book by one of these recipients of the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award.

20.2 Journalist

Daniel Silva was one of the presenters at the National Book Festival in 2007. Silva began his writing career as a journalist. Read any book by an author who has earned a living as a journalist.

20.3 Prolific

Mario Vargas Llosa, a prolific author, was one of the presenters at the National Book Festival in 2012. Read any book by an author who has published at least 20 book-length titles (100+ pages) of either fiction or nonfiction, or a combination of the two mediums.

20.4 Similar

Colson Whitehead was one of the presenters at the National Book Festival in 2009. Read one of Whitehead's books or any book linked on the Readers Also Enjoyed/See Similar Books section of any of his fiction or nonfiction. These are:

Fiction
John Henry Days
The Intuitionist
Apex Hides the Hurt
Sag Harbor
Zone One
The Underground Railroad
The Nickel Boys

Non-Fiction
The Colossus of New York
The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky, and Death

20.5 Wine

Deborah Harkness was one of the presenters at the National Book Festival in 2018. Her Wikipedia page says she is "is an American scholar, novelist and wine enthusiast". Read a novel where a character(s) drink wine.

20.6 Civil War

E.L. Doctorow was one of the presenters at the National Book Festival in 2005. His The March, a book about one aspect of the American Civil War, was first published in 2005. Read any work set at least 51% during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

20.7 P.I.
Sue Grafton was one of the presenters at the first National Book Festival in 2001. Her works feature a private detective. Read any work where a private detective is the main character. (No police procedurals or works where a private citizen solves the crime, even if a series.)

20.8 Bedtime (Bryony's Task)

BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime was first broadcast in 1949. The programme is still aired every weekday evening and presents abridged readings of fiction from classic novels to contemporary bestsellers.

Read a book that appears on this list of books featured on Book at Bedtime.

20.9 Initiated (Kate S's Task)

Read one of the top 350 books from the list of Most Begun but Unfinished (Initiated) Books.

20.10 Another Birthday? (Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Task)

A sort of milestone: 75. But I like company. Read any book by an author born in the 1940s and is still living.

30.1 Go for the Green

Let's turn some countries green! Read a book set at least 51% in any of the countries on the Group Project Spreadsheet that are not yet colored green. See the Help thread for (user friendly?) list.

Special Styles for this task only:

30 points for the remaining countries with no book claims (white on the spreadsheet)
20 points for countries that have only one book claim (blue color on the spreadsheet)

This is not a first to post task - no changes will be made to the spreadsheet until after the season is ove

10.1 Short Works

Read a published collection or anthology of short stories.
OR
You may create your own collection/anthology. Your collection will be the usual RwS 100 page minimum and include at least 3 stories where no story is more than 50 pages.
This task can be completed only once.
You cannot claim combos for this task nor may it be used for combo.

10.2 Scrabble!

The first letters of all the words in the title and author's name are your scrabble tiles. If you can form at least one word of at least 3 letters with your tiles, then you can read the book. You do not have to use all of your tiles. Required: Include the set of tiles the title and author gives you and the word or words you formed. Just like in Scrabble, no proper names can be used. Sub-titles may be used or ignored as benefits the reader.

10.3 Single

September 20-26 is National Singles Week. Read a book with a one word title. No subtitles for this task.

10.4 Pilgrim

Read a book with a title starting with one of the letters in PILGRIM (leading articles may be ignored for this task).

10.5 Monster Redux

Read a book with one of the following in the title: Devil(s)/Demon(s), Witch(es), Vampire(s), Zombie(s)/Undead, Ghost(s), or Werewolf(s).

10.6 Banned

In honor of Banned Book Week (Sept 27-Oct 3), read one of the top 200 Banned Books.

10.7 Non-Fiction (Ed's Task)

Read a Non-Fiction book that is NOT a biography, autobiography or memoir.

10.8 Jetsetters (Anika's Task)

Read a book that takes place in at least either three countries or three U.S. states. There is no set percentage, it could be as little as a paragraph, as long as it is clear that action has taken place in three distinct locales. Please include the countries/states visited when claiming this task.

10.9 Autumn Leaves (Mary's Task)

Read a book which includes an autumn leaf color (orange, red, brown or yellow) in the title or author's name. Any alternative for these four color names also qualifies. Examples: tangerine, and pumpkin qualify as orange; crimson and scarlet qualify as red, etc.

10.10 Group Reads

Read one of the books recommended by fellow RwS Readers:

Elizabeth (Alaska): Laura by Vera Caspary
Kate S: The Revisioners by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
Kathleen (itpdx): The Enigma of Clarence Thomas by Corey Robin
Heather: Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham
Kaja: The Years by Annie Ernaux
Tien: The Last Migration by Charlotte McConaghy
Marie: Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi
June:
Coralie: Youma byLafcadio Hearn
Nick: Dune by Frank Herbert
Connie: The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton
Norma: Paper Wife by Laila Ibrahim
Rosemary: Trent's Last Case byE.C. Bentley
Valerie: Brother by David Chariandy

Fall 2020 Bonuses

1. RwS Finish (100 points): Complete all Reading with Style tasks (20 book minimum -- one claimed for task points for each 10 & 20 point task. 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 sub-challenge (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 Winter 2020 "group reads" books will be chosen by a combination of moderators, mega-finishers, and members that read at least 5 books and read the highest percentage of Not-a-Novel in the Fall 2020 Challenge.

2. 10-point task creation -- the top three readers for the Fall 2020 Challenge, as determined by overall points, will each get to create a 10-point task for the Winter 2020 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 Winter 2020 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 RwS Finish & 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 Fall 2020 season will be automatically entered into a drawing for a $25 US Amazon gift card to be awarded at the beginning of the Winter 2020 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.


A note on young adult books: If you want to claim style points for YA, you can do so--with one catch: You must have read a YA novel (designated YA, Assignment, or Juv by the Brooklyn Public Library) with a Lexile score of at least 800. Not familiar with Lexile? Want to find out if your book has a high enough score...go here.

A note on graphic novels: Graphic novels can be read and claimed for tasks, unless otherwise specified. However, they are not eligible for style points.