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

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

Read a work of creative or narrative nonfiction. (See Summer 2018 for more information.)

Please post any questions or suggestions for task 20.7 in this thread.

Completion 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 Summer 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 1001 books in the Spring 2020 Challenge.

2. 10-point task creation -- the top three readers for the Spring 2020 Challenge, as determined by overall points, will each get to create a 10-point task for the Summer 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 Summer 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 Spring 2020 season will be automatically entered into a drawing for a $25 US Amazon gift card to be awarded at the beginning of the Summer 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 700. 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.

Eugenides has set some of his works in Detroit, Michigan. It, and 4 other cities have lost more than half of their population since 1950. Read any book - fiction or nonfiction - set at least 51% in Detroit (Michigan), St. Louis (Missouri), Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), Buffalo (New York), or Cleveland (Ohio).

Please post any questions or comments about task 20.5 in this thread.

Read a book by an author who shares a surname with one of the U.S. Presidents.

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

20.1 Edmund Morris

Read any winner of the Pulitzer for History, Biography, or General Nonfiction OR one of the winners of the National Book Award for Biography, Autobiography or Nonfiction. (You can choose from any of the Biography/Autobiography categories at the NBA site, some are overlapping.)

Goodreads link for Pulitzers

Goodreads link for NBA

20.2 August Wilson

Read a book written by one of these African American writers.

20.3 Theodore H White

Read a book by an author who shares a surname with one of the U.S. Presidents.

20.4 Robert Penn Warren

Read one of the top 175 books from this list of this list of The Great American Novel.

20.5 Jeffrey Eugenides

Eugenides has set some of his works in Detroit, Michigan. It, and 4 other cities have lost more than half of their population since 1950. Read any book - fiction or nonfiction - set at least 51% in Detroit (Michigan), St. Louis (Missouri), Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), Buffalo (New York), or Cleveland (Ohio).

20.6 Katherine Anne Porter
Read any book written by one of these American Short Story writers.

20.7 Annie Dillard
Read a work of creative or narrative nonfiction. (See Summer 2018 for more information.)

20.8 My Cup of Tea (Owlette's Task)

Read a novel in which a character drinks or brews a cup of hot tea. Please include the sentence when claiming the book for points. See help thread for ideas.

20.9 Women in Translation (Kate S's Task)

Read a book written by a woman in a language other than English.

20.10 It's a Mystery (Elizabeth(Alaska)'s Task)

Read any book by one of these authors who are English crime fiction writers.

Please post any general questions about the Spring 2020 Challenge in this thread.

Styles for Spring 2020

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. 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.

3. 1001 Books (10 points): Receive 10 extra points when you read a work that is on the list of the Boxall 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. We will be using the list from this google doc.

4. 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

5. Oldies (5 to 25 points): Put down the bestseller list and read something with a bit more mileage on it. Based on a book's original publication date, style points will be awarded according to the following scale:
-25 to 75 years old: 5 points (1945-1995)
-76 to 150 years old: 10 points (1870-1944)
-151 to 250 years old: 15 points (1770-1869)
-251 to 400 rs old: 20 points (1620-1769)
-400+ years old: 25 points (1619 and older).

10.1 Thirst for More

Read any book by an author by whom you have already read at least 5 titles before March 1, 2020. You can repeat this task as often as you wish and you can read books by as many different authors who fulfill the task for you. This task cannot be used for combo.

10.2 Letters

Read a book with more than 20 letters in the title.

10.3 Conjunctions

Read a book whose title contains one (and one only) of these conjunctions: and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet.

10.4 High Five Day

Read a book with exactly 5 words in the title (subtitles may be counted or not as benefits the reader).

10.5 Sherlock Holmes

March 13-15 is Sherlock Holmes Weekend. Holmes first appeared in 1887 and continued in stories through 1927. Read any book published during Holmes "lifetime", 1887-1927.

10.6 Richard Adams

Richard Adams would be 100 this year. In honor of his Watership Down, read a book with over 100,000 ratings with an average rating over 3.75.

10.7 In Memoriam (Coralie's Task)

2019 was not a good year for my family. Read a book by an author who shares one of these names with a family member who died in 2019.
Judith, Melinda, Margaret, Joan, June, Winifred, Bruce, Graham.
(Note, these are four people, not eight - it wasn't that bad!)

10.8 Go to Jail (Joanna's Task via Anika)

Read a book where jail or prison plays a role OR a book by an author who has been to prison or jail.

10.9 Trilogy (Tien's Task)

Read a book that is the first in a completed series/trilogy.
If description of the last book published in the series does not note it as 'final' / 'concluding' etc, please provide related link which note that is the intention.

10.10 Group Reads

Read one of these titles recommended by RwS Members

Elizabeth (Alaska): Small Island by Andrea Levy
Kate S: Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad
Ed: Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
Beth: Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
Lagullande: The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
Christine: Mr. Flood's Last Resort by Jess Kidd
Anika: The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
June:
Karen Michele: Human Acts by Han Kang
Kathleen (itpdx): Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth by Rachel Maddow
Penny: The Warlow Experiment by Alix Nathan
Rachelccameron:
Rebekah: The Price of Paradise by Susana López Rubio
Rosemary: The Understory by Pamela Erens

From Post 798

Valerie wrote: "10.5 Debut

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

lexile 790

10 task
10 combo 10.2, 10.9
_____
20

Running total: 895"

+10 Female

From Post 797

Coralie wrote: "20.3 She Writes

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

+20 Task
+5 Combo 10.9 (published 2019)
+10 Female

Task Total: 35
Season Total: 1655"

+5 combo 10.5

From Post 787

Don (The Book Guy) wrote: "10.9 Play the Numbers

The House of Silk Anthony Horowitz, published 2011

+10 Task
+5 Combo, 10.1 5-star (Katy,Lisa)

Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 60"

+5 Combo 20.1

From Post 783

Katy wrote: "20.3 She Writes

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

+20 task (MC is Emira, a babysitter)
+15 combo (10.5, 10.9, 20.6 - racial discrimination is a big theme)
+10 fema..."

+10 Combo 10.2, 20.5

From Post 782

Katy wrote: "10.8 Single Word Title

Slay by Brittney Morris
Lexile 930

+10 task
+20 combo (10.5, 10.9, 20.3, 20.6 - much of the book is about racial discrimination in gamin..."

+5 Combo 10.2

From Post 765

Ed wrote: "20.1 Decade

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Task =20
Combo= 30 (10.1-Krista; 10.2; 10.5; 10.9-2017; 20.3; 20.7- Britain; 20.10)
Female=10
Ta..."

A note: you have +30 combo, but list 7 combos which should be +35, I have scored it as +35.

From post 757

Coralie wrote: "10.6 Not Quite Jumbo

Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard

+10 Task (432 pages)
+5 Combo 10.2
+10 Female

Task Total: 25
Season Total: 1590"

+5 Combo 10.9

From Post 754

Penny wrote: " 20.3 Freedom Season

The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers

+20 task
+10 Female Author
+5 20.3 She Writes

Task Total = 35
Season Total = 270"

+5 Combo 10.9

From Post 305

Rachel wrote: "10.5 Debut

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

+10 Task
+5 Combo 10.2 Anniversary
+5 Combo 10.9 Play the Numbers (published 2019)
+5 Combo 20.3 She Writes
+5 Combo 20.6..."

+5 Combo 20.5

From Post 712

Ed wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ed wrote: "15.10 CYOA-A2-(2nd round)
A. Author Name
2. Author's Name contains no letter L

[book:Cup of Gold: A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, with Occasional Refer..."

I have scored this as 20.7

Ed wrote: "The Readerboard shows me at 890 through post 650.... but my records don't show me reaching 890 until post 684.


and BTW....congrats Coralie on your Mega-Finish!"

I show a calculation error between posts 280 and 290. Hope that helps.

From Post 743

Karen Michele wrote: "20.6 Stand Up For Your Rights

We Are Made Of Diamond Stuff by Isabel Waidner

+20 Task (trans and immigrant life in England)
+15 Combo: 10.5 Debut / 10.9 Play the..."

+5 Combo 20.3