Chaitra’s Comments (group member since Aug 13, 2012)

Chaitra’s comments from the Second Chance Challenges group.

Cherie, I had a question. Do we still get double points for A if we claim it but don't make a word this week? No one got an M though!

Thanks Cherie!! :)

Cherie, I'd like to buy a B.

I read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. Finished (09/07).

And that's it for me this week. I have a huge, dense R book that I'm positive I won't finish before 6. I'll read another book instead for a different challenge and hope R will be drawn again some time!

Can I buy a D as well?

I read The Cold Light of Mourning by Elizabeth J. Duncan. Finished (09/06).

Cherie, I'd like to buy an O.

I read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Finished (09/06).

Cherie, I would like to buy a T.

I read The Right-Hand Shore: A Novel by Christopher Tilghman. Finished (09/05).

Ok. I officially hate myself. I think I jinx all teams I pick! Giants were supposed to win this game!!!!!

And when Sheila cleans out her draw, I am finally ready to buy one of my letters. ;o) WTG Sheila and everyone else who's read their letters too!

Cherie, I would like an E.

I slogged through The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Finished (09/04).

I'll do this!

SCHOOL'S IN, SUMMER'S GONE

Duration: Sep 01, 2012 - Nov 30, 2012
Completed: 15/15

✓ 1. Math - Read a book whose cover has geometric shapes on it » Squares on the top.
Absolution | Patrick Flanery ★★ (09/13)

✓ 2. Language Arts/English - Read a classic novel, or read a book you were required to read in high school or a book from one of these lists: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
Of Mice and Men | John Steinbeck ★★★★ (09/06)

✓ 3. Science/Health - Read a book in which the character works in the science or medical field » The main character is a doctor.
This Bright River | Patrick Somerville ★ (09/13)

✓ 4. Social Studies - Read a book set in a different country than you live » Set in Wales.
The Cold Light of Mourning | Elizabeth J. Duncan ★★★ (09/06)

✓ 5. Home Economics - Read a book which spans 3 or more generations of a family » Book about Bit, Bit's parents Abe & Hannah & Bit's daughter Grete.
Arcadia | Lauren Groff ★★★ (09/05)

✓ 6. The Arts: Music, Band, Choir, Art - Read a book where the plot centers around an artist » Judith makes things with any rubbish.
The Land of Decoration | Grace McCleen ★★★★ (09/08)

✓ 7. Foreign Language - Read a book whose author is a foreign author to the United states » John Lanchester is British.
Capital | John Lanchester ★★ (09/14)

✓ 8. Gym - Read a book with the plot being about an athlete » Ramirez, the main villain is a boxer.
One For The Money | Janet Evanovich ★★★ (09/20)

✓ 9. Recess/Study Hall - Read a book on your TBR list over a year (tell us how long it has been there). » Ever since it was released in 2004.
Cloud Atlas | David Mitchell ★★★★★ (09/20)

✓ 10. Elective: The Lucifer Effect - Good vs. Evil plot -or- has demons in it.
Neverwhere | Neil Gaiman ★★★★ (09/07)

✓ 11. Elective: The American Vacation - Road trip -or- vacation thing.
The Sun Also Rises | Ernest Hemingway ★★ (09/04)

✓ 12. Elective: It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) - Post apocalyptic or Dystopian fiction.
The Hunger Games | Suzanne Collins ★★★★★ (09/11)

✓ 13. Elective: Circus Stunts - About the circus or some daring feat » Set in a circus.
Water for Elephants | Sara Gruen ★★★ (10/21)

✓ 14. Elective: Getting Dressed - Clothes on the cover.
The Flight of Gemma Hardy | Margot Livesey ★ (09/05)

✓ 15. Elective: Stupidity - The plot is a farce. There is a main character who is really dumb, and another who makes a fool of everyone.
Skios: A Novel | Michael Frayn ★★★★ (09/01)

*** Completed (10/21) ***

FAVORITE MOVIES
27/33

1. 101 Dalmations - Read a book where a dog is a key character.

✔ 2. Aladdin - Read a book about someone who is poor.
Theft: A Love Story | Peter Carey ★★★ (09/30)

3. Alice in Wonderland - Read a book where a character “wakes up” in another place/world.

✔ 4. Bambi - Read a book with an orphan character.
Little Century: A Novel | Anna Keesey ★★★ (10/10)

✔ 5. Beauty and the Beast - Read a book about someone who is a bibliophile.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society | Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows ★★★★ (10/07)

✔ 6. Brave - Read a book set in the UK.
The Flight of Gemma Hardy | Margot Livesey ★ (09/05)

✔ 7. A Bug's Life - Read a book where a character learns they can make a difference.
Anansi Boys | Neil Gaiman ★★★★★ (11/24)

✔ 8. Cars - Read a book where the characters are traveling.
The Remains of the Day | Kazuo Ishiguro ★★★★★ (10/12)

✔ 9. Cinderella - Read a book about someone who has a step-family.
The Yips | Nicola Barker ★★★ (11/10)

✔ 10. Dumbo - Read a book about the circus.
Water for Elephants | Sara Gruen ★★★ (10/21)

✔ 11. Finding Nemo - Read a book about the relationship between a parent/child.
The Land of Decoration | Grace McCleen ★★★★ (09/08)

✔ 12. The Fox and the Hound - Read a book about an unlikely friendship.
Good Omens | Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett ★★★★★ (11/29)

13. Hercules - Read a book set in an ancient time.

✔ 14. The Incredibles - Read a book where a character saves someone's life.
The Cold Light of Mourning | Elizabeth J. Duncan ★★★ (09/06)

✔ 15. The Jungle Book - Read a book set in the Middle East.
A Hologram for the King | Dave Eggers ★★★★ (10/05)

✔ 16. Lilo and Stitch - Read a book about family.
Ordeal By Innocence | Agatha Christie ★★ (10/05)

✔ 17. The Lion King - Read a book set in Africa.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | Alexander McCall Smith ★★★ (11/09)

✔ 18. The Little Mermaid - Read a book that is set near water.
The Light Between Oceans | M.L. Stedman ★ (10/05)

✔ 19. Meet the Robinsons - Read a book where a character is a geek.
Shine Shine Shine | Lydia Netzer ★★★ (09/26)

✔ 20. Monsters Inc. - Read a book where the characters are scared of something.
Anacacho, An Allie Armington Mystery | Louise Gaylord ★ (11/16)

21. Mulan - Read a book set in China.

✔ 22. Peter Pan - Read a book where a character discovers their talents.
The Long Earth | Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter ★★★★ (09/22)

✔ 23. Pinocchio - Read a book where a character is used like a puppet for someone else's gain.
Alys, Always: A Novel | Harriet Lane ★★ (09/25)

✔ 24. Pocahontas - Read a book about 2 or more cultures clashing.
The Forgetting Tree | Tatjana Soli ★ (10/31)

✔ 25. The Princess and the Frog - Read a book about someone who makes a big change in their life.
Just Desserts | G.A. McKevett ★★★ (10/08)

✔ 26. Robin Hood - Read a story where a character steals from others.
Skios: A Novel | Michael Frayn ★★★★ (09/01)

✔ 27. Sleeping Beauty - Read a book where a character is 16 years old.
True Believers | Kurt Andersen ★★★ (09/28)

✔ 28. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Read a book in which a character is very vain.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? | Mindy Kaling ★★★★ (11/02)

✔ 29. Tangled - Read a book about someone who was kidnapped.
Await Your Reply | Dan Chaon ★★★★ (10/30)

✔ 30. Tarzan - Read a book that is set outdoors.
American Gods | Neil Gaiman ★★★★★ (11/09)

31. Toy Story - Read a book in which someone has a birthday.

32. Up - Read a book about someone who fulfills a lifelong dream.

✔ 33. Wall•E - Read a post-apocalyptic book.
Catching Fire | Suzanne Collins ★★★ (11/26)

CHARACTER MEET 'N' GREET
34/50

Buzz Lightyear
11/13

✔ B - Black Water | Joyce Carol Oates ★★ (11/21)
U
✔ Z - NW | Zadie Smith ★★ (11/02)
Z
✔ L - Marmee and Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother | Eve LaPlante ★★★ (11/04)
✔ I - Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories | Washington Irving ★★★ (11/30)
✔ G - Gone Girl | Gillian Flynn ★★ (11/28)
✔ H - Kafka on the Shore | Haruki Murakami ★★★★★ (11/24)
✔ T - Time and Tide in Acadia: Seasons on Mount Desert Island | Christopher Camuto ★★ (10/18)
✔ Y - How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe | Charles Yu ★★★★ (11/30)
✔ E - The Night Circus | Erin Morgenstern ★★★★★ (10/26)
✔ A - The Age of Desire | Jennie Fields ★ (10/26)
✔ R - The Casual Vacancy | J.K. Rowling ★ (10/19)

Cinderella
9/10

✔ C - Chronicle of a Death Foretold | Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez ★★★★★ (11/01)
I
✔ N - Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions | Neil Gaiman ★★★★★ (10/18)
✔ D - Marlene | Marlene Dietrich ★★★ (11/02)
✔ E - Elantris | Brandon Sanderson ★ (11/21)
✔ R - Portnoy's Complaint | Philip Roth ★ (11/25)
✔ E - The Elegance of the Hedgehog | Muriel Barbery ★ (11/28)
✔ L - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy | John le Carré ★★★★★ (11/12)
✔ L - Xs: An Allie Armington Mystery | Louise Gaylord ★ (11/23)
✔ A - The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag | Alan Bradley ★★★★★ (11/11)

Donald Duck
8/10

✔ D - The Kill Artist | Daniel Silva ★★ (11/04)
✔ O - On What Grounds | Cleo Coyle ★ (10/19)
✔ N - The Graveyard Book | Neil Gaiman ★★★★ (11/26)
✔ A - Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories | Sherman Alexie ★★★ (11/26)
✔ L - Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology | Caroline Paul ★★★ (11/29)
✔ D - Death Comes for the Archbishop | Willa Cather ★★★ (11/30)
D
U
✔ C - Beautiful Lies | Clare Clark ★ (11/19)
✔ K - Timequake | Kurt Vonnegut ★★★ (11/26)

Mad Hatter
4/9

✔ M - Mort | Terry Pratchett ★★★★★ (11/04)
A
D
✔ H - Horns | Joe Hill ★★★★ (11/28)
A
✔ T - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | Betty Smith ★★ (11/01)
✔ T - Telegraph Avenue | Michael Chabon ★★★★ (11/17)
E
R

Rapunzel
2/8

R
A
✔ P - Sourcery | Terry Pratchett ★★★ (11/29)
U
✔ N - Fragile Things | Neil Gaiman ★★★★ (10/17)
Z
E
L

DISNEY OR BUST!

Duration: Sep 01, 2012 - Aug 31, 2013
Completed: 93/122

AT THE PARKS
32/39

Disneyland & Magic Kingdom

✔ 1. Main Street USA: Read a book set in a small town in USA.
Arcadia | Lauren Groff ★★★ (09/05)

✔ 2. Tomorrowland: Read a book set in the future.
Monument 14 | Emmy Laybourne ★★ (09/18)

✔ 3. Adventureland: Read an adventure book.
Neverwhere | Neil Gaiman ★★★★ (09/07)

✔ 4. Fantasyland: Read a fantasy book.
The Hunger Games | Suzanne Collins ★★★★★ (09/11)

✔ 5. Mickey's Toon Town: Read a book with a drawing on the cover.
A Dark-Adapted Eye | Barbara Vine ★★★ (09/14)

✔ 6. Critter County: Read a book where an animal plays an important role.
Coraline | Neil Gaiman ★★★★ (09/17)

✔ 7. Frontier Land: Read a book set in the past.
The Right-Hand Shore: A Novel | Christopher Tilghman ★★★★ (09/05)

✔ 8. New Orleans Square: Read a book where the character's culture is a plot point.
Absolution | Patrick Flanery ★★ (09/13)

✔ 9. Liberty Square: Read a book with someone who has emigrated to another country.
The Sun Also Rises | Ernest Hemingway ★★ (09/04)

Walt Disney World's Epcot

Future World - Read a book that has futuristic technology.
✔ 1. Cloud Atlas | David Mitchell ★★★★★ (09/20)

World Showcase – Read a book from each of the following countries:
2. Mexico
✔ 3. Norway
Out Stealing Horses | Per Petterson ★★★ (09/25)

✔ 4. China
River of Smoke | Amitav Ghosh ★★★★ (10/21)

✔ 5. Germany
The Book Thief | Markus Zusak ★★ (11/11)

6. Italy
✔ 7. United States of America
One For The Money | Janet Evanovich ★★★ (09/20)

✔ 8. Japan
Silence | Shusaku Endo ★★★★★ (09/26)

9. Morocco
✔ 10. France
Peaches for Father Francis | Joanne Harris ★★★ (10/11)

✔ 11. United Kingdom
Capital | John Lanchester ★★ (09/14)

12. Canada

Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios

✔ 1. Hollywood Boulevard - Read a book set in LA/Hollywood.
Beautiful Ruins | Jess Walter ★★★★★ (09/19)

✔ 2. Echo Lake - Read a book that is set at a lake.
The Round House | Louise Erdrich ★★★★★ (10/05)

✔ 3. Streets of America - Read a book that has a scene that takes place on the streets.
The Inquisitor: A Novel | Mark Allen Smith ★★ (09/11)

✔ 4. Animation Courtyard - Read a book that has make-believe characters.
Stardust | Neil Gaiman ★★★★★ (09/15)

✔ 5. Pixar Place - Read a book with characters who are young children.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie | Alan Bradley ★★★★★ (09/07)

✔ 6. Sunset Boulevard - Read a book with a sunset on the cover.
This Bright River | Patrick Somerville ★ (09/13)

Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom

✔ 1. Oasis - Read a book with an oasis cover.
In the Shadow of the Banyan | Vaddey Ratner ★★★★ (10/28)

✔ 2. Discovery Island - Read a book where a character makes a discovery about themselves.
Confessions of a Mask | Yukio Mishima ★★ (10/19)

✔ 3. Camp Minnie Mickey - Read a book where a character goes to a summer camp.
If I Stay | Gayle Forman ★ (09/21)

✔ 4. Africa - Read a book set in Africa.
Things Fall Apart | Chinua Achebe ★★★★★ (10/12)

✔ 5. Rafiki's Planet Watch - Read a book in which a character is eco-conscious.
Death by Darjeeling | Laura Childs ★★ (11/30)

✔ 6. Asia - Read a book set in Asia.
Tree of Smoke | Denis Johnson ★★★ (10/27)

7. Dinoland USA - Read a book with a character who really likes dinosaurs.

California Adventures

✔ 1. Sunshine Plaza - Read a book with the sun on the cover.
Under the Dome | Stephen King ★★ (11/09)

2. Hollywood Pictures Backlot - Read a book about someone who wants to make it big in Hollywood.

✔ 3. Paradise Pier - Read a book with a beach setting.
Seating Arrangements | Maggie Shipstead ★ (09/19)

✔ 4. Golden State - Read a book set in California.
Of Mice and Men | John Steinbeck ★★★★ (09/06)

✔ 5. A Bugs Land - Read a book where a child plays an important role.
Tilt-a-Whirl | Chris Grabenstein ★★★★ (09/13)

Lol Bree, that's what I was thinking. I havent even started any of the books to buy my letters. :D

I have a couple of questions too Cherie.

Can I read my books in any order? That is, say I've picked my teams and tasks for all the weeks, can I read week 9 before I read week 2?

I finished my first week's task. Can I read the next week's task before the first game is finished?

Oh yaay! Shiny new letters! Typically I want all of them. :) Will go and find books for them!

I will join in too! I think I'll go and do everything lol.

Updated original post. I also expanded my task to 3 books of each color, because I had 3 blue books to update. I don't like wasting books! :D

I'm finished. Yaay! If only I could get to Versailles this quickly!

CASTLES OF THE WORLD

Duration: Aug 13, 2012 - Nov 12, 2012
Completed: 10/10

✓ V - The Dream of the Celt: A Novel | Mario Vargas Llosa ★ (08/19)
✓ E - A Visit from the Goon Squad | Jennifer Egan ★★★★★ (08/23)
✓ R - The Red House: A Novel | Mark Haddon ★★★★ (08/14)
✓ S - The Kissing List | Stephanie Reents ★★★★ (08/20)
✓ A - The Age of Miracles | Karen Thompson Walker ★★★★★ (08/15)
✓ I - In One Person | John Irving ★★★ (08/22)
✓ L - The Lifeboat | Charlotte Rogan ★★★ (08/21)
✓ L - Lord of the Flies | William Golding ★★★★★ (08/28)
✓ E - The City of Ember | Jeanne DuPrau ★★★ (08/28)
✓ S - Saturday | Ian McEwan ★ (08/24)

*** Completed (08/28) ***

I'll do this starting September 1.

COVERS, COVERS EVERYWHERE

Duration: Sep 01, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
Completed: 18/21

Lone Male
✓ 1. The Inquisitor: A Novel | Mark Allen Smith ★★ (09/11)
✓ 2. Capital | John Lanchester ★★ (09/14)
✓ 3. Things Fall Apart | Chinua Achebe ★★★★★ (10/12)

Lone Female
✓ 1. The Flight of Gemma Hardy | Margot Livesey ★ (09/05)
✓ 2. Coraline | Neil Gaiman ★★★★ (09/17)
✓ 3. One For The Money | Janet Evanovich ★★★ (09/20)

2 People
✓ 1. In the Shadow of the Banyan | Vaddey Ratner ★★★★ (10/28)
✓ 2. Marmee and Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother | Eve LaPlante ★★★ (11/04)
✓ 3. The Yips | Nicola Barker ★★★ (11/10)

Food
✓ 1. Just Desserts | G.A. McKevett ★★★ (10/08)
✓ 2. Peaches for Father Francis | Joanne Harris ★★★ (10/11)
✓ 3. I Scream, You Scream | Wendy Lyn Watson ★ (10/13)

Flower
✓ 1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | Betty Smith ★★ (11/01)
✓ 2. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? | Mindy Kaling ★★★★ (11/02)
✓ 3. Death by Darjeeling | Laura Childs ★★ (11/29)

Animal
✓ 1. The Sun Also Rises | Ernest Hemingway ★★ (09/04)
✓ 2. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie | Alan Bradley ★★★★★ (09/07)
✓ 3. Little Century: A Novel | Anna Keesey ★★★ (10/10)

3 People
1.
2.
3.

*** Challenge INCOMPLETE ***

Confirming! :)

Cherie wrote: "Yes, your freebie letters count in the official game."

Oh yaay! I have drawn a J lol. I do intend to read more than the required 100 pages of a book to purchase a letter. It's just that I'm an extremely scattered reader... I'm mostly reading 5 or more books at a time, and I will probably not complete some of them within a week. It's nice to know that I can actually use them. I'll post the number of pages I've read in case I use an already started book.