Joanna’s Comments (group member since Nov 17, 2010)

Joanna’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

10.7 Olympics

Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo

Task total: 10
Grand total: 1530

10.7 Olympics

Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo

Task total: 10
Grand total: 1520

And, since I got the mega finish, I'm going to add the low lexile books that I read (mostly with my children), but wasn't going to post because I didn't want to break my review streak...

20.2 The Gods!

Amphitrite the Bubbly by Joan Holub

Task total: 20
Grand total: 1510

15.10 FYTS: Time Traveler
2016-1966 (skipping 1971)

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
Pub. 1966

+40 Task

Task total: 40

+100 FYTS finish
+200 Mega finish

Grand total: 1490

I use a CD ripper -- one could use i-tunes if one had an i-phone. The one I use is a free windows program called CDex, but there are plenty of choices.

When I do it, I extract one CD into a single mp3 file. There's a way to do this in i-tunes (see here for instructions). In CDex, you find this feature in the "convert" menu or by pushing f10.

Each CD then becomes one mp3 track that you transfer (via USB) to your phone or mp3 player. Before I had a good enough phone, I used to have a dedicated mp3 player for audiobooks called a Sansa Clip+

On my phone, I have an audiobook app (Android version here). I put the files associated with each book into a folder on my phone that goes like this: Audiobooks\Author Name\Book Name. The app looks in the Audiobooks folder and finds the books and makes a nice menu of the different books on the phone.

20.2 The Gods!

Athena the Proud by Joan Holub
Lexile: 840

Review:
My four year old daughter likes these books because of the covers. The premise of turning Greek myths into a children's book and making these gods and mortal followers into relatable characters is a good one. My kids enjoy hearing the stories from Greek myths and have been told many of the Illiad tales. But overall, these books are quite silly, and even the clever premise isn't enough to make these of interest to adult readers. I liked this one much more than I liked the other book we read, Amphitrite the Bubbly. I could see recommending these to a young reader, maybe around 9 or 10 years old.

+20 Task
+10 Review

Task total: 30
Grand total: 1150

Amanda and I were talking in another thread about audiobooks. When I check out CDs from my library, I usually burn them to my phone to listen to in an audiobook player, then delete them when I'm done and return the CDs to the library. I don't know if this is a technical violation of the use rights from the library, but if so, it seems like a pretty small one.

I use Android SmartAudiobook Player: https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...
By far the best app I've found for mp3s. You have to pay the premium price to be able to speed up the rate, but it's worth the $2 for the app.

My library has a decent selection of Overdrive books, but more and more of the books are on Hoopla. I don't like the Hoopla app, which I've found incredibly buggy and the function that speeds up the rate is lousy compared to the Smart player above. Still, I'll pull Hoopla books sometimes.

I'm taking the audiobook conversation over to socializing so as not to distract further here...

15.9 FYTS: Time Traveler
2016-1966 (skipping 1971)

Shroud for a Nightingale by P.D. James
Pub. 1976

+40 Task

Task total: 40
Grand total: 1120

15.8 FYTS: Time Traveler
2016-1966 (skipping 1971)

The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
Pub. 1981

+25 Task
+5 Nonfiction

Task total: 30
Grand total: 1080

Amanda wrote: "Stupid car that only has a tape deck!"

Actually, I love having a tape deck because I can use a tape converter to plug my phone or other mp3 player in. Works so well. I suppose one day I'll have a car new enough to have aux-in or bluetooth, but that's likely years from now.

I'm really close to a mega finish this time. We'll see if I make it - depends a lot on how much time I have for chores over the weekend (when I'll listen to the audios for my last two 5YTS books).

Amanda wrote: "I wonder why The Virgin Suicides is not on the list. That is seriously a great band name!"

You're right! I just added it.

15.7 5YTS: Time Traveler

Mountain Blood by Will Baker
Pub. 1986

+25 Task
+5 Nonfiction

Task total: 30
Grand total: 1050

15.6 5YTS: Time Traveler

The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters
Pub. 1991

Task total: 25
Grand total: 1020

Three possibilities:

The Circle by Dave Eggers
Vivian Apple at the End of the World by Katie Coyle
Netopia by Y.G. Levimor

Katy wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Joanna wrote: "I tried not to list ones that have already been approved, but if one slipped through, sorry for the duplication:

Arthur C. Clarke (with E) - [author:Conni..."

Thanks! Sorry for the mixup.

I tried not to list ones that have already been approved, but if one slipped through, sorry for the duplication:

Arthur C. Clarke (with E) - Connie Willis
C.S. Lewis - Jim Butcher
Gore Vidal - Dave Eggers, Chuck Palahniuk
Bulgakov - Anaïs Nin

Does working as a newspaper columnist work for this task?

Chris Bohjalian: He was a weekly columnist in Vermont for the Burlington Free Press from 1992 through 2015. http://www.chrisbohjalian.com/bio

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Joanna wrote: "Sardonicus and Other Stories by Ray Russell

Also: The Playboy Book of Horror and the Supernatural (contains Sardonicus)

became

https:/..."

Actually, it appears that the one my library has is Haunted Castles by Ray Russell, so I think it'll be that one.