Tobey’s Comments (group member since Nov 02, 2010)

Tobey’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

10.1 Square Peg

Cold Days by Jim Butcher

Cold Days is the 14th book of the Dresden Files series which follows the adventures of wizard Harry Dresden. Considered to be Urban Fantasy, author Jim Butcher has been delighting and most recently annoying me with Harry’s continued story. I will admit to being quite pissed off at the last two books but I was reassured that Harry’s story would get better. It did. I think part of the reason I enjoy this series so much is that I find myself quite like Harry a lot of time – confused…and entertained. Butcher constantly keeps me entertained with Harry and his plethora of characters, human and non human alike.

I highly recommend this series to anybody who enjoys urban/paranormal fantasy if they don’t mind investing a lot of time into their reading.


Task +10
Review +10
Jumbo +5

Task Total=25
Grand Total=150 pts

So I'm thinking of reading The Book Thief for 20.6. It is classified as YA with a Lexile of 730 (I think). I realize it does not qualify for Style points, but does a Review count? As in, can I get my 10 points by doing a Review?

Tobey

Would Jack Whyte work? Born in UK, living in Canada since 1967.

Thanks.

20.10 Goodreads Feature

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

The Storied Life is a sweet little tale which engages the reader quickly and holds their attention. The author could have easily made this story into a much longer novel given the time that it does span across but she doesn’t and I think it works and I think that’s why so many people seem to like it so much. It’s a good story told in a concise fashion with real characters that you can relate to. They are not perfect and they have their faults but that’s what makes it so believable. It’s a quick read which left me satisfied.

(And the fact that GR won’t let me delete one of the two versions off my Read shelf will not take away from my enjoyment of this book. It is irking me, however but that has nothing to do with my review, I just needed to vent somewhere and you guys will understand. :-))

+20 Task
+10 Review

Task Total=30
Grand Total=125

Again from The Goldfinch using the header, can I please reserve Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Also from same but using the arrows, The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

20.3 Historical Fiction

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

“Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.”

I don’t think this book was at all what I was expecting and I was very pleasantly surprised to find how much I enjoyed it. For the longest time, I didn’t know exactly where this story was going and that made me quite uneasy. I don’t read a lot of books that are set during WWII so I can’t say if this was a different take on a typical war story but I found it very engaging and of course somewhat disturbing in its own way. It was also heartwarming and poignant in many ways. I was really drawn to the characters. Recommended and I would definitely read more of Doerr’s works.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo

Task Total=35
Grand Total=95

20.10 Goodreads Feature

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

I’ve had The Interestings on my bookshelf for a bit and the only real reason I’ve had for NOT reading it is because I have it in hardcover and those are annoying to lug around. I enjoyed this book, I really did. I was maybe a bit surprised with how much I did enjoy it. I thought it was well written and flowed nicely, even though it was going back and forth between past and present. I found it very interesting that one of the main elements of the novel which was so central, was finally succinctly mentioned at about page 444! I was struck by that with a resounding “Finally” while I was reading it. These kinds of novels, I find, really make me think about myself and my own relationships. Very interesting indeed.

+20 Task
+10 Review

Task Total=30
Grand Total=60

Man, The Goldfinch list seems to change almost hourly!

From it, I would like to add (using the link, not the arrows): The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

20.5 - Mystery Woman

Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb

Ah Lieutenant, you get me every time! For those who haven’t yet been introduced to J.D. Robb’s In Death series, you really should take the time to start. I know the series is daunting, with upwards of 35+ books and counting, but it is so, so worth it. I especially liked this 14th installment. The character growth was amazing and the story was well told. Eve Dallas continues to grow as a person because to me, somewhere out there is the futuristic New York and the real live Eve and Roarke, living out their lives and facing their fears on a daily basis. Very enjoyable. I of course, am quite anal and do not, under almost any circumstances, read series books out of order so I recommend you start this series at the beginning, not at this particular book. It would be very confusing.

+20 Task
+10 Review

Task Total:30
Grand Total:30

And I am on the board, Woot!

I'm back! I may yet claim some points for this challenge but wanted to get my book in before it disappears.

From Goldfinch (arrows): The Interestings

20.8 Baseball Team
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

+20 Task (3 pov's and many more than 9 named characters)
+5 Combo (10.4 EUgenides)

Task Total=25
Grand Total=50

Only being 70 or so odd pages into it, the pov has changed once but will The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides work for those who may have read it? Seems to be plenty of characters so far...

10.9 Design Your Own Task
Insurgent by Veronica Roth (has fantasy as one of the genres)

+10 Task

Task Total=10
Grand Total=25

10.9 Design Your Own Task (read a book that has fantasy on its book page)

Trapped by Kevin Hearne

+10 Task
+5 Combo (20.6-GR most popular edition lists it as 320 pages)

Task Total=15
Grand Total=15

Okay, I admit, I was wondering where the task like if I had one wish, I'd wish for more wishes was translated into something like read as many books as you like sort of thing.... :-)

I'd like to adopt Jayme (the ghost reader)'s task if I may. I've a ton of fantasy books on my TBR as well.

20.5 Winter in Madrid - The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

+20 Task (story set in Barcelona)
+5 Combo (10.7 - published in Jan and I borrowed it from a friend)

Task Total=25
Grand Total=225

10.7 Buy Nothing Christmas

Golden Fool by Robin Hobb

+10 Task (book published in December of 2003 and was lent to me by a friend)
+5 Combo (20.4 - author born in 1952)
+10 Jumbo (709 pages)

Task Total=25
Grand Total=195 pts

Well crap! Only The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is listed and not his most recent The Prisoner of Heaven. Le sigh. :-)

10.4 Winter Trees - Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb

+20 Task (author born in 1952)
+5 Jumbo (over 600 pages)

Task Total=25
Grand Total=170 pts

20.7 Notable - The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

+20 Task (on the 2011 list)
+5 Jumbo (over 500 pages)

Task Total=25
Grand Total=145 pts