Reading with Style discussion

Task 15.1 – 1st book claimed – 15 points

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Author's Last Initial: E-F (F)
Page Length: 181-220/581-620 (199 Pages)
Published Date: 2001-2012 (2009)

+ 15 Task

Task Total = 15

Grand Total = 90

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Krista wrote: "Perhaps we can get Elizabeth to use her Librarian powers to at least add the page count information in Goodreads. (?) "

I did fix the page count for the one linked, but perhaps Rebe..."

I did let the moderators know that the link had an inaccurrate page count and gave the ISBN number whihc Eliazabeth corrected.

Rebekah, if I fixed this twice, you need to link to the edition you read.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Krista wrote: "Perhaps we can get Elizabeth to use her Librarian powers to at least add the page count information in Goodreads. (?) "

I did fix the page count for the one linked, but perhaps Rebe..."

No i read the edition that I gave the ISBN number ofr that you fixed. However I like this cover since the one I read was plain white and doesn't show up at all on the link, so now that I've read it, I switched to that cover. Why? Because I'm so Obs-Comp that I make slide shows of the books I read each year. Crazy? Absolutely but at least I don't have to wash my hands everytime i shake hands! (smile)

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Rebekah, if I fixed this twice, you need to link to the edition you read."

Rebekah wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Krista wrote: "Perhaps we can get Elizabeth to use her Librarian powers to at least add the page count information in Goodreads. (?) "

I did fix the page count for the..."

I just now clicked on the link I gave under my completed task post ofr it and it was the one you fixed. 258 pages. I could take a picture of the last page and upload to my avatar or something

15.5 CiV
Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
368 pgs pub. 1922

L-M, 341 - 380/741 - 780 pgs, 1917-1928

+35 pts - Task
160 pts - Grand Total

Krista: this is the book that Rebekah should have linked to in her post:

The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine

Rebekah wrote: "15.5 CiV
Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
368 pgs pub. 1922

L-M, 341 - 380/741 - 780 pgs, 1917-1928

+35 pts - Task
160 pts - Grand Total


"

15.5? Rebekah, I am not even sure I have completed my CiV planning and you are on 15.5!! We are only 11 days into this challenge and your are halfway done?
I am giving you a hard time, I am completely impressed!! Go Rebekah! You certainly set the standard for the rest of us!!

Kate S wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "15.5 CiV
Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
368 pgs pub. 1922

L-M, 341 - 380/741 - 780 pgs, 1917-1928

+35 pts - Task
160 pts - Grand Total


"

15.5? Rebekah, ..."

Well remember you can read 5 books under 300 pages so that really helps. I've only read one from the regular challenge and that was because I was almost halfway through before the challenge started. It was Sue Grafton's latest and I couldn't wait! I'll slow down when I start reading those everlasting Dickens novels.I also have insomnia, that's good for these challenges. I'm a big fan of audio books too and I have twins that I have to wait for them while they have different after school lessons. never waste a minute! (smile)

20.10 Sam's Task Read a book where the published date has a 1 or 2 in the year.

I read "The Courage Tree" by Diane Chamberlain.

Review: This book was a great read. I picked it up at my library and the cover caught my attention because of the red headed girl on the front and the title sounded interesting. It is about a little girl who has kidney failure and it is a rare disease. She has to have dialysis and has a catheter. Then there is a study for a new medicine called Herbalina and her mother gets her into the study against her parents and her ex husband's wishes. The medicine works so well she begs her mom to go to Girl Scout camp. When she doesn't return and it is four hours past due, her mother panics and calls the authorities and a search is formed. Meanwhile, the little girl, Sophie is lost in the West Virginia woods. I just had to read this book after I read the summary. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. I give it 5 stars.

Task +20
Style +10 (Combo 20.7 Baby It's Cold Outside, Diane Chamberlain is from the United States 10.5 Underrated, the book had 662 ratings)
Review +10
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 65

20.4 A Christmas Carol
Heartless by Gail Carriger
****

Oh, goodreads, why do you let a few people keep the rest of us from having half stars. By rights, Heartless should get 3.5/5 or 6/10 stars. As it is, because I like the series & goodreads is lame, I'm giving it 4. In this latest addition, we see a lot more of the same. The primary plot is nowhere near as interesting as some of the things we learn about our primary and supporting characters. Some of them have pasts much deeper and more complicated than we previously knew. We also learn more about Alexia's father. Naturally, these are the tamer aspects, but, you know...spoilers! Regardless of the ways this book went flat, I definitely am looking forward to the release in March of the next in the series.

+20 Task (set in the Victorian Era)
+5 Combo (20.10 Play the Numbers: 2011)
+10 Review

Task Total: 35


20.9 Take the High Road
The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore
***

The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror is good stuff. I've always been a bit skeptical of Christopher Moore, but I may look into some of his other books. There are zombies, evil Santas, they make fun of those horrible bell ringers, there's a crazy Zena-type, and a remarkably mentally challenged angel. Oh, and the fruit bat. What's not to love? I'm not coming up with anything. If you take the holidays seriously, you might disagree and should probably steer clear. There isn't a lot of Christmas cheer and you'd be horrified by some of the things done to Santa and the Nativity story. If you revel in the irreverent, well, this is the Christmas book for you.

+20 Task
+10 Review

Task Total: 30

Post Total: 65

Grand Total: 110

CiV

15.1 Now in November by Josephine Winslow Johnson, 231 pgs, pub 1934
I-J-K, 221-260, 1929-1940

+15 Task

Grand Total = 95

In case you're interested: my review.

20.4 A Christmas Carol
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
This is not an easy book to read unless you have a degree in Medieval studies. The main character, Francis Crawford of Lymond is fond of quoting poetry in a number of languages (without translations being given). However, for those readers who are willing to skip over the bits they don’t understand, it is a wonderful tale of adventure. Scotland is at war with England but it is not immediately clear which side Lymond is on. If he is caught by the Scots, he will be charged with treason unless he can find the man who can clear his name. The book is full of strong characters, some real, others fictional. Best of all, it has Lymond’s plots which invariably have a twist in the tail (or tale).

+ 20 Task (published in 1961, set in 1547)
+ 10 Review
+ 5 Combo (1st in series)
+ 5 Oldies
+ 5 Jumbo (512 pages)
Total this task 45

Grand total 45

10.8 Chinese New Year

First You Shave Your Head by Geri Larkin

Review:
In 1999 Geri Larkin spent a month of typhoon season traipsing around Korea on a pilgrimage, visiting a huge number of temples with her Korean Zen teacher plus another nun (or female monk ... she seems to use both terms) and a young male monk. The pilgrimage was gruelling to say the least - hardly ever allowed to wash, wearing clothes that never had a chance to dry, being bitten by insects and yelled at and even hit by her teacher, she survived to tell the tale, and apparently still practises Korean Zen.
Since I am interested in Zen and have also been to Korea and loved it, I thought I would enjoy the combination of the two in this book more than I did. I liked it, but... maybe it was my expectations that were at fault - one is not supposed to have any in Zen, after all. But I think it was also a reaction to Geri Larkin's style: she uses flippancy to put herself down a lot, and it seems a pity. I wasn't sure what she had learnt in the end.

+10 Task (set in South Korea)
+10 Combo (10.5 Underrated; 20.10 pub. 2001)
+10 Review

Task Total = 30

Grand Total = 265

Task 20.2 A Tale of Two Cities

I read Pink Boots and a Machete: My Journey From NFL Cheerleader to National Geographic Explorer by Mireya Mayor. Published in 2010 and 2011. This book takes place in the U.S., Madagascar, and other coutries as well.

+ 20 points

My Review:
I really enjoyed reading about the author’s experiences in this book. Mayor was an NFL cheerleader turned Ph.D. student/explorer. Eventually she became a correspondent for National Geographic. She studied several different animals/cultures while trekking through the jungles of Madagascar and other countries. Mayor does a fantastic job of describing the experiences, sounds, sights, and really gives you a feel of being in the jungle with the team. There is one scene in particular that I found fascinating where she is observing some gorillas…the descriptions are just awesome; I could really imagine myself being there watching. She tells of her near death experiences as well. All in all, it is a really good read; it is not too scientific that it is not enjoyable either! Thumbs up!

+ 10 points
+ 5 combo (20.10)
=35 points for the task

GRAND TOTAL: 170 Points

10.5 Underrated

I read The Flip Side: Break Free of the Behaviors That Hold You Back y Flip Flippen. There were 36 ratings for this book.

+10

My review:
The Flip Side by Flip Flippen is written as a sort of behavioral guide for people in organizations, families, and life in general. This book is a “self-help” book that helps you to identify certain behavior traits that make it either difficult or unpleasant for people to deal with you. As you read through the book, you take quizzes (using checklists) to help yourself identify with one of the personality traits---i.e., bulldozer, critic, marshmallow—and then the author gives a guide to help you recognize and change these behaviors by giving you hints on how to change your reactions to situations, etc. I thought the book was ok, but I think I am jaded because I have had to read so many of these types of books lately for work…they all seem to be the same after a bit!

+10
=20 task points

GRAND TOTAL: 190 points

CiV

15.1 - Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb 309 pgs, pub 1997, P,Q,R, 301-340/701-740, 1989-2000

+15 Task

Task total=15
Grand Total=50

Because I've reviewed every book so far, I better stick with that, points or not! :-)

Okay,okay, I know many consider Nora Roberts/J.D.Robb to be "fluffy" fiction but fluffy has its place, just like every genre. And Roberts sure has a way with character development and making them oh so believable. Not necessarily always likeable but definitely believable. Whether you like a character or not, you want to feel that they are good people, or evil people or whatever. In this way, she sucks me in each time. One of the things I didn’t care for in this novel was the fast turn of emotion from cold harded killing to mind numbing sex. For me, it didn’t always seem to fit but otherwise, an enjoyable read in this continuing series!

10.5 Underated: Ten Poems to Change Your Lifeby Roger Housden 214 ratings

I've never claimed to be a big poetry fan. However, I've always wanted to be. When I try to read poetry, I often just can't get in to it. My mind wanders and I don't focus on the poem., I liked this book because the author first chose a poem (10 of them to be exact) and presented it in its original form. This allowed me the opportunity to digest the poem and form my own meaning. The author then devoted a chapter of text to each poem, analyzing the poem, often line by line. All the poems were about life transformations: living life to the fullest, finding beauty in the smallest of things, and taking risks. The poems were great because I think they everyone, regardless of where you are in life, can relate to them.
I've owned this book for quite some time, and I'm glad I finally took the time to read it.

+10 task
+5 combo (20.10 - pub. 2001)
+10 review

= 25 task total
= 100 grand total

20.10 – Sam’s Task – Play the numbers

Published 2011

Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer
Lexile 1190

I have always been fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials. When this volume arrived from Junior Library Guild, it caught my eye immediately. The author, Rosalyn Schanzer filled her book with art in the style of 17th century woodcuts that set a dark and frightening tone. It’s hard to imagine facing death because of a hysteria brought about through the fears of people rather than any legal facts supporting true wrongdoing. I learned that there were many more accused, both male and female, than I had known. The book also included some primary source documents from the transcripts of the trials and a section of notes and sources the author researched. The narrative is engaging and well written. It is geared to the middle school reader, but I found it just right for me as a reader that tends to stick to fiction the great majority of the time.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo: 10.6 – The Uncommon Letter (z) / 20.6 Bleak House (based primarily on the trials; includes parts of trial transcripts)

Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 190

Task 20.4: - Read a novel that looks backward to the past.

Kristin Lavransdatter, Part 1: The Wreath (1920) by Sigrid Undset, translated by Tiina Nunnally
Written in 1920, set in 1300's

Review: Very overtly Christian novel. The motivation for all the tribulation the main character undergoes was explicitly spelled out on page 68: "-- that if someone had enough faith, then he could indeed work miracles. But she did not want that kind of faith; she did not love God and His Mother and the saints in that way. She would never love them in that way. She loved the world and longed for the world."

The story held my interest. The descriptions of the Norse environment and the living arrangements and customs of the 14th century Norse villages were fascinating. The people were realistic 3 dimensional folks. I'm not sure if I'll read the rest of the trilogy, however, since Sigrid Undset likes to give outsized punishments to characters who transgress traditional Christian morality.

+ 20 Task
+ 15 Style: 1. Combo (5 points) (also fits: 10.5 (under-rated), 20.7(Norway), 20.10(year:1920)
+ 10 Style: 2. Review (10 points):
+ 10 Style: 3. Lost in Translation (10 points):
+ 10 Style: 4. Oldies (5 to 25 points): -76 to 150 years old: 10 points (1861-1935)

Task Total: 20 + 15 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 65

Grand Total: 55 + 65 =120

15.1 CiV

W-X-Y-Z | 261-300/661-700 | 1977-1988

The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (672pp, p.1988)

+15 Task

Task Total: 15
Grand Total:

Winterbirth

(my native language is dutch, so sorry for the bad english :$)

It's long ago since i've read a fantasy book. After the popular television series "game of thrones" i was excited again for reading
Martin-like fantasy. Ruckey did his best but didn't came that close to it. However he tried to make the politic-system interesting...
I didn't feel i wasted my time tough. It was an entertaining simple story, able to keep my attention. I assume that the greatest fantasy writers
gain their succes by the originality in their world. Ruckley has used some wellknown beenthere-donethat motives, but it didn't bother me that much.
I loved the idea of war over a religion, a realistic point of view instead of the regular bad guys gone even badder scenario. I gave winterbirth 3 stars.
Not because it's outstanding, it's not to be all clear. But it deserved that 3 points for doing an excellent job making the two opposites sides gray and not the usual
good versus bad.

+10 Task (10.5 underrated)
+10 review
+10 lost in translation
+5 jumbo

Task total= 35
Grand Total= 35

Krista wrote: "In Msg 56 -- nsfancy wrote: "10.5 What's your type? INTJ
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (I-T in title)

+10 task ..."

The task number for 'What's your Typ..."

Wow I have had a lot of trouble with this little book :). You are absolutely right it is supposed to be 10.7, I have edited the original post to maintain clarity. Thanks Krista!

Task 20.4 Xmas Carol Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I have only one word for this book - tedious. It is a multi-award winner in the genres I love but I am at a loss to say why. The book is set in England in the early 19th century during the Napoleonic Wars with the addition of English magicians. There is never discussion of magic anywhere else in the world - apparently magic is a monopoly of the English. I think there is a good story hidden in the 1000+ pages of this novel but it moves so slowly that I was never really engaged with either the plot or the characters, I really didn't care how it ended. If I hadn't been reading it for this challenge I would have set it aside by the halfway point. But I was unwilling to give up that many pages and I kept thinking that the next chapter would be the one where the award winning qualities kicked in. Two stars only for this book.

+20 task
+20 combo (20.2 - England, Portugal and Italy, 20.3 Great Expectations #62, 20.8 Books with Fiction titles, 10.7 My Type INTJ, N-J)
+10 review
+15 jumbo (864 pp - ebook)

task total 65

Total points 210

10.4 Love Is In The Air

The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman

I was a little late on seeing this movie, it probably wasn't until I was 12 or 13 that I saw it, and have absolutely loved it since. Now the book... the actually Princess Bride story part was fantastic, almost just like the movie (which made sense since the author wrote the screen play, but the introductions and interruptions were not necessarily so enjoyable. Some of them were certainly necessary, others amusing, but I found the author's voice annoying and sometimes boring. It wasn't even that he talked about his own life, those parts were OK, I think it is just his character/attitude that I did not like; I'm fairly sure that we would probably not get along well in person. The other complaint I have about Goldman is that he tries to pass off Morgenstern as a real person, Florin as a real place and these events as somewhat historical. Florin is not a real place (I Wikipediaed it just to check) and as much as I would enjoy visiting the Morgenstern Museum, sadly it's just not possible. I just don't understand the point, why include these "facts", and make it seem real?
Again, really the book was great, I would probably read it again, William Goldman is just weird in my mind.

+10 Task (#43 on the Great Love Stories list)
+15 Combo
- 10.9 (as far as I can ascertain from Fantastic Fiction, this is his 11th book)
- 20. 3 (#92 on the exceeded expectations list)
- 20.4 (although it doesn't specify a time, it certainly is not taking place in 1973, nor less than 25 years before that)
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (published 1973)

Task Total: 40 pts
Grand Total: 135 pts

15.2 CiV
A-B | 221-260/621-660 | 1905-1916

Fantomas by Marcel Allain, 226 pages (Gutenberg ebook), pub. 1911

+20 Task

Task total: 20
Grand Total: 35 points

20.2 In honor of A Tale of Two Cities

The Drowning Girl by Margaret Leroy

Review:
Grace knows that there is something wrong with her three-year-old daughter Sylvie. She is terrified of water, has violent tantrums, will never call Grace 'Mum' or 'Mummy' and talks about her 'other house' and her 'other family'. But everybody that Grace talks to puts the blame on Grace herself or her single parent status ... until she tracks down a young academic who is researching reincarnation memories. Together they take Sylvie from London to Ireland to try to discover whether Sylvie's memories are real.
I am a sucker for reincarnation stories and this is a wonderful one. Sylvie is very convincing and her hesitancy about what she remembers makes for a suspenseful story, even if the 'mystery' itself is predictable. I liked all of the characters and could completely believe in what happened to Sylvie at the end. A very enjoyable read.

+20 Task (set in UK and Ireland)
+ 5 Combo (10.5 Underrated)
+10 Review

Task Total = 35

Grand Total = 300

Task 20.7 U.S. Author

I read Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer.

+20 points

My review:

I enjoyed the book Beachcombers, by Nancy Thayer. It was a great book about three sisters spending a summer on Nantucket. A baby sister who refuses to be a grown-up, a middle sister who was dumped by her fiancé, and the oldest sister who develops feelings for a married man…all culminate with a widowed father who has developed an interest in the renter next door (beautiful Marina who is healing from a broken, childless marriage as well). I really loved the characters and the situations in this book…it was well written. However, there is A LOT that happens over one summer—really fast-developing relationships, engagements, move-ins, etc. I especially liked the relationships among the three sisters; being one of three, I could really relate to them!

+ 10 points
+ 5 combo points (20.10, Published in 2010)
= 35 task points

GRAND TOTAL: 225 points

Deana wrote: "I can't find anywhere else this book fits...so, I think I can claim it as the SQUARE PEG!

10.1 Susannah's Garden by Debbie Macomber.

+ 10 points

My review:
I..."

Debbie Macomber is a US author, so could qualify for 20.7. As such, I'm sorry, but it doesn't fit the Square Peg task.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Deana wrote: "I can't find anywhere else this book fits...so, I think I can claim it as the SQUARE PEG!

10.1 Susannah's Garden by Debbie Macomber.

+ 10 points

My re..."

RATS! I have deleted the post! Thanks!

10.5 Underrated - book that has fewer than 1,000 ratings - Lethally Blond by Kate Whie - 520 rating;



+10 points

10.5 Underrated - book that has fewer than 1,000 ratings - Stirred (Jack Daniels Mystery #8) by J.A. Konrath (Goodreads Author) - 46 rating



+10 points
+5 points Combo 20.10 publshed in 2011
15 total

10.5 Underrated - book that has fewer than 1,000 ratings - Trial by Fire (Ali Reynolds #5) by JA Jance - 577 ratings



+10 points

Points This Post: 35
Tasks Completed: 3
Total Points: 35
Books Read: 3

15.1 Thirsty by M.T. Anderson (should be correct edition)
239 pages (version I read), published 1997
A-B, 221-260, 1989-2000

Task Total: 15 pts
Grand Total: 150 pts

10.3 Home for the Holidays
For the purpose of this challenge I will be using the state of Washington as my "home"-My husband and I spent five very happy years in Washington and each had our longest tenure in a single address while there!

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

+10 Task

20.4 In Honor of A Christmas Carol
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
set more than 25 years before written

+20 Task

20.10 Play the Numbers
Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg

+20 Task
+5 Combo 10.2 ("Time" in title)

Points this Post: 55
Season Total: 250

10.5 Underrated
The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq by Rory Stewart (currently 630 ratings)

Review: This is Rory Stewart's account of his service as a diplomat for the Coalition Provisional Authority in southern Iraq 2003-4. I found his book, The Places in Between well-written and revelatory. I struggled with this book. The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq is engagingly written with touches of self-deprecating humor and clearly tells of the challenges of "nation building" in Iraq after the coalition invasion. I think the reason I had a hard time dragging myself back to this book was because it was all so discouraging. No answers, simple or complex, emerged. I was reading this at the time that US troops were completing their withdrawal from Iraq and I am not sure that we are leaving a staple, healthy country even now.

Task: 10
Review: 10
Post total: 20
Challenge Total: 115

20.7 Baby, It's Cold Outside. I read "Between Worlds" by Bobbi J.G. Weiss and Jacklyn Wilson. The authors are US authors.

Review
Ok here goes, I am going to go with what I liked. First off, this book is number #20 in the Charmed book series. I thought the plot was original. I liked that Piper's personality and Paige's personality came out in the book. I liked how Piper befriended and bonded with the young witch, C.K.

The Cons: This book reads like a fanfiction. I didn't feel Leo's personality was presented the way it should be. The other problem I had with it was Cole and Phoebe were still together. The authors didn't capture Cole's persona, I felt. They didn't do that good of job with Phoebe's either.
The main plot is about this spell book that a young witch named C.K. finds at an occult shop. She casts a spell to bring her dead boyfriend back but it goes awry. She brings back a dead mage bent on revenge to finish his unfinished business 500 years ago. The mage spirit poseesses her to destroy these wards that pass as everyday objects so he can trap all the souls on All Souls Day. The only one who can stop him is the twin brother. The brothers' names are Mileager and Malvolio which I didn't think were creative names. There's a character named Malvolio in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and Mileager was a name of a mercanary fighter from a "Xena Warrior Princess episode. I also found the climax to be anticlimatic and predictable.

Task +20
Review+10
Combo +5 (Underrated, this book had under 1000 ratings. 89 ratings
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 100

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "20.10 Sam's Task Playing The Numbers. I read "Between Worlds" by Bobbi J.G. Weiss and Jacklyn Wilson. This book was published in 2003.

Review
Ok here goes, I am going to go with what I liked. Firs..."

This won't work for 20.10. The publication year has to have both a 2 and 1 in it. Do you want to switch it to 10.5 Under-rated or to 20.7 Baby It's Cold Outside?

Move it to 20.7.

Kate S wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "15.5 CiV
Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
368 pgs pub. 1922

L-M, 341 - 380/741 - 780 pgs, 1917-1928

+35 pts - Task
160 pts - Grand Total


"

15.5? Rebekah, ..."

See now I'm stuck on Catch-22 since it has >550 pgs and with the holidays, it seems to take forever!

20.8 Fictional Fiction
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde


There was a lot going on with this and at times it was really hard to sort through--time travel, literary references, vampires... I have a feeling that I missed a lot. However, it was still good fun. I will probably carry on with the series though I think that I may re-read this first especially if I have it on hand on a sick/rest day. It seems like a great book to read while curled up with a cup of tea rather than sitting on the couch in the middle of my young kids and having to stop frequently to provide snacks and referee disputes.

+20 task
+10 review
+10 combo 10.9 (first of Thursday Next series and it looks to me like 11 publications for Fforde on Fantastic fiction not counting omnibus books), 20.10 (pub. 2001)

task total=40
grand total=90

Edited 12/23---misread publication date. No 20.10 combo points.
Actual task total is 35
Actual grand total is 85
:)

10.5 Underrated

Dark Citadel by Cherise Sinclair -- 960 ratings
None of the editions on GR have page numbers listed, but this is a full-length novel. The kindle edition had 4753 locations, which is approximately equivalent to 275 pages or so.

I don't know why I read another book from this erotic romance series. I wasn't all that enthralled with the first book in the series and I should have known better than to pick up another. But it kept reappearing on my amazon recommended list since I'd bought the first one for my kindle. I sometimes enjoy these types of nontraditional romance books as a little evening distraction, but I like there to be actual exploration of the characters and the relationships to keep the book interesting. These books are reasonably well-written for the genre, but I just found it really boring. The characters had very little depth and the sex scenes weren't particularly creative or interesting. Blech.

+10 Task
+10 Review

Task Total: 20

Grand Total: 70

15.2 CiV
N-O, 181-220, 1953-1964

Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov, 191 pages, pub 1957

+20 Task

Grand Total = 115

my review

20.8 Fictional Fiction

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Review:
Seventeen-year-old Cassandra lives in a crumbling ruin of a castle in the English countryside with her penniless family, her father the famous writer who no longer writes, her artist’s model stepmother, her beautiful older sister Rose, young brother Thomas and former servant’s son Stephen Colly who is infatuated with Cassandra. In her journal she records events as the grandsons of their late landlord arrive from America to take over the property that the older one has inherited and Rose sets about trying to get him to propose.
This is a very well told story and the family are captivating, both as individuals and in the amount of love and loyalty that there is between them. I loved it.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Oldies (pub. 1948)

Task Total = 35

Grand Total = 335

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "15.2 CiV
N-O, 181-220, 1953-1964

Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov, 191 pages, pub 1957 "

Ok, that is too weird. I just finished this book, for CiV last night & was going to post this morning before getting distracted with the whole needing to be vaguely on-time for work thing.

Liz M wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "15.2 CiV
N-O, 181-220, 1953-1964

Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov, 191 pages, pub 1957 "

Ok, that is too weird. I just finished this book, for CiV last night &..."

And I saw that last night. Almost never look at my friends list, but saw that you were at about the same place as I on your status updates. We were even on the SAME page!

Christmas in Vegas

15.1 Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

C-D
141-180/541-580
1953-1964

Total Points: 15

Grand Total 15

RwS Task:

20.5 – In honor of David Copperfield:
From the Wikipedia page graphic novels link:

Epileptic by David B.

This comic is a fascinating look at family life with a member inflicted with epilepsy at a time when understanding of the illness was limited. The author takes us back to his childhood in France and traces the many varied efforts of his family to cure his older brother and the effect that had on his younger sister and him. David used his comic art as a way to describe his early memories (many with original drawings saved from his childhood) and to extend his understanding and help him cope with the issues surrounding his brother as he grew up and reached adulthood. The art becomes more intricate as he develops his talent. The translation must have been challenging, however it is effectively done. This one has been on my list for a long time and I’m glad I finally read it.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo: 20.4 A Christmas Carol(1970s, pub 2002)
+10 Lost in Translation (from French to English)

Task Total: 45

Grand Total: 235

15.3 CiV
N-O | 181-220/581-620 | 1953-1964

Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov, 191 pgs, pub. 1957

+25 Task

Task total: 25
Grand Total: 60 points

15.2 CiV
S-T-U: 141-180/541-580: 1989-2000

A Terrible Beauty by D.W. St. John; Nook had 158 pps; pub. 1989

+20 task

TOTAL: 35

Camille wrote: "15.2 CiV
S-T-U: 141-180/541-580: 1989-2000

A Terrible Beauty by D.W. St. John; Nook had 158 pps; pub. 1989"

Weird. I can't find this on the B&N website, except as a paper copy that sells for $70!

Liz M wrote: "Camille wrote: "15.2 CiV
S-T-U: 141-180/541-580: 1989-2000

A Terrible Beauty by D.W. St. John; Nook had 158 pps; pub. 1989"

Weird. I can't find this on the B&N web..."

Here is a link to the paperback version for $0.99:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/terri...