Reading with Style discussion

20.8 Fictional fiction

Wie man leben soll. by Thomas Glavinic
239 pps; pub. 2004

Review:
"How to live" is a story written in a first person narrator style. The reader follows Charlie from his school years in which he finds out about how to find his social place in the classroom and his first girlfriend. He always draws his wisdom from various self-help books, even when he is already studying in university and should know better.
The story-line is first kept simple and realistic, but while Charlie is growing up and finding his place in society he feels comfortable and content in, very strange over the top things happen, e.g. three times he accidently(!) kills someone - and especially: in most stupid ways...it is kind of funny though...but bizarre and strange all the same.

+ 20 task (mentions different non-existing guidebooks on which the leading character acts upon)
+ 10 review
+ 10 Combo (10.5 Underrated: on the German lovelybooks as well, 10.3 Home for the Holidays: Austria)

Task Total = 40

Grand Total = 90

Liz M wrote: "Tobey wrote: "20.8 Fictional Fiction - The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (20.10, 10.9) ..."

The original publication date for this book is ..."

Crap! How'd I miss that stupid mistake?

Tobey wrote: "Crap! How'd I miss that stupid mistake? ..."

>laugh< no worries, I've gotten used to looking for the light gray originally published date during data entry; it's otherwise hard to see.

Tobey wrote:"Crap! How'd I miss that stupid mistake? ..."

LOL. I'm pretty sure I did exactly the same thing with the same book.

10.1 Square Peg - The Strain by Guillermo del Toro

Okay, I don’t know why but I love these plague stricken world emergency type books and this one drew me right in immediately. It’s not just a plague loose in New York City but there’s so much much more involved than that and it’s creepy and spooky and gross all at the same time. And while the character’s don’t necessarily get great development in this first novel of the trilogy, I think there’s some strong potential there because the main character’s are fairly likeable, strong people. The mystery and intrigue that surround the plot kept me riveted throughout the book and left me with a strong desire to dive right into the next one. Highly recommended!

+10 Task
+10 Review

Task Total=20
Grand Total=125pts

20.10 Play The Numbers

Sleight of Hand by Nick Alexander

Review:
This is the fifth and last in the series about gay Brit Mark looking for love. It is a great conclusion to the series. Finally, Mark learns something and is able to do a lot more giving and taking than he ever has before. It's a little different from the others in that as well as Mark's point of view we have some chapters from the point of view of Ricardo in Colombia and his friend Jenny, who is diagnosed with cancer in this book. I found Mark a frustrating character to read about in some of the previous books, but the character development here meant that I really enjoyed this one.

+20 Task (pub.2010)
+15 Combo (10.5 Underrated; 10.6 letter X in author name; 20.2 set in UK,Colombia,France)
+10 Review

Task Total = 45

Grand Total = 470

10.2 - NYE countdown
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

This book is a great love story set in a small town in the Caribean, during the 19th and early 20th century.

Young Florentino is madly in love with Fermina. Their hidden love story lasts a few years, until she decides to marry a rich doctor. Florentino then vows to wait his whole life for her to acknowledge his love and to notice him. He becomes someone socially, and changes into a womanizer, while Fermina turns into a bored housewife, until the death of her husband. His death is a new hope for Florentino, but he does not know at first how to take his chance in their old age.

I like this book for the consistency of Florentino's love through a lifetime despite the biggest message of rejection Fermina could possibly give him at that time.

This book describes the whole society Florentino and Fermina are part of, as well as its evolution during half a century.Garcia Marquez gives a very lively description of this society. It is part of what makes the book so great.



+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo : 10.6"The Uncommon Letter"
+10 Lost in Translation
+5 Oldies: The book was first published in 1985

Task Total = 40

Grand Total = 40

Task 20.8 - Liz M’s Task - Fictional fiction:

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) (2010) by Cassandra Clare
Lexile Score 780L

Review:
A good entry in the YA category of: teenagers with supernatural powers battling evil forces that also have supernatural powers. The characters on the "good" side were well-differentiated and likable. My main criticism regards the heroine. She's 16 years old, an orphan, and knowledgable enough to travel (in 1870s) from New York City to London by herself. However, the thoughts and actions of this character better fit someone who is 12-13 years old and ignorant of large swaths of "how does the world work". The novel ends with a big Mystery -- to find out what happens, pick up the next book in the series.

20.8 - Fictional fiction: The Shadowhunter’s Codex
Also fits 10.9B: according to http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/ , Cassandra Clare has 11 published works; and, Clockwork Angel is the first novel in a trilogy.

+ 20 Task
+ 20 Style: 1. Combo (5 points) (also fits: 10.9B, 20.4(set in 1878),20.9(Angel), 20.10 (pub. 2010))
+ 10 Style: 2. Review (10 points):

Task Total: 20 + 20 + 10 = 50

Grand Total: 260 + 50 = 310

20.8 Fictional Fiction

"The Penultimate Peril" by Lemony Snicket.
This book was on the list provided. The fictional book was called "Odious Lusting After Finance". There was also a fictional play called "La Froiza de Destino".

Review
This is the second to last book of the series. It takes place in a hotel called Hotel Denouement where the rooms are assigned according to the Dewey Decimal System. In fact there is a character by the name of Dewey who is a triplet.
This time the Beaudalaires are dressed as conceirges in hopes that they will find out who are the treacherous villains and who are the noble volunteers. However that is easier said than done and things get confusing.They can't seem to trust anyone even themselves and they still haven't come any closer to figuring out their parents mysterious death/disappearance. Hopefully everything will become clear in the last book.

Task +20
Style + 15 (Review, 29.7 US author)
Book Total: 35
Grand Total: 170

15.3 CiV
The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit, 170 pgs., originally published 1907

N-O, 141-180/541-580, 1905-1916

+25 Task

Previous Total: 175
Grand Total: 200

Deana wrote: "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..."

This book has only 175 ratings, so +5 combo points for 10.5 and the library shelves this book in autobiography, so it qualifies for +5 combo points for task 20.5, as well.

Karen GHHS wrote: "20.10 – Sam’s Task – Play the numbers

Published 2011

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

+5 combo points for 10.5 Underrated.

Liz M wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "20.10 – Sam’s Task – Play the numbers

Published 2011

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

Thanks, Liz!

..."

RwS Task

10.2 – New Year’s Eve Countdown

I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson

I Curse the River of Time was the second book I have read by Per Petterson and I enjoyed it just as much as the first, Out Stealing Horses. I found the insight into a grown son trying to reconnect with his mother enlightening as I move into that time of life with my son and daughter. I also enjoy the writing itself. Petterson describes the environment and sets the scenes through the action taking place. You can see it and feel it:

...and came to the slope where as children we risked our lives on toboggans running down the steep road between the houses, blue woollen caps pulled down over our ears in a childhood whirled away by time... p. 142

Time: the other element of the book I really enjoyed (and that made it perfect for this task). The way Petterson seamlessly moves into the descriptions of the present and different significant time periods in his past is masterful. I found myself thinking of my own memories and realized as I was reading, that that's exactly the way these moments come to you. When something significant happens, you jump to a related memory rather than building past events chronologically to that important recollection. I loved the book and want to continue my reading of Per Petterson's work.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+15 Combo: 10.5 Underrated (698, 12/20/11) /20.2 A Tale of Two Cities (Norway & Denmark) / 20.7 Baby It’s Cold Outside (Norway)
+10 Lost in Translation (Norwegian to English)

Task Total: 45 Points

CiV Tasks:

15.4 – 30 points:

A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor/ 265 pgs./1953

N-O / 261-300/661-700 / 1953-1964

Task Total: 30 Points

15.5 – 35 points:

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie/ 257 pgs. / 1939

C-D / 221-260/621-660 / 1929-1940

Task Total: 35 Points

Points this Post: 110
Grand Total: 510

Karen GHHS wrote: "RwS Task

10.2 – New Year’s Eve Countdown

I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson

I Curse the River of Time was the second book I have read by Per Petterson and ..."

Excellent! I'm hoping to get to his Out Stealing Horses for the Arctic Circle task. I might have to push another aside, but ...

Christmas in Vegas

15.3 The Virgin in the Garden by A.S. Byatt, 428 pages, pub.1978
A-B, 421-460, 1977-1988

Task points = 25

Grand Total = 495

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you're all able to spend some quality time with your family and friends. I've been absent from the group for awhile because my Mom was hit with some unexpected medical issues that invovled a few days in ICU and more days in a regular hospital room. She's now been moved to a rehab facility, but it was touch and go there for awhile. It really brought home how much family means. Give your loved ones a hug today!

My apologies for not doing a great job of keeping up the scorekeeping task that Liz had handed over to me. She's taken it back, but there is quite a big backlog of posts for her to catch up on. So please be patient about seeing the Readerboard scores updated.

Thank goodness for audio books! They've helped pass the time with all the driving I've had to do lately. So I have even been able to get a few CiV tasks completed despite all the recent chaos.

Task 15.1 The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling 277 pgs (Audio Book) 1894 pub
I-J-K, 261-300, 1892-1904
+ 15 Task Points

Task 15.2 The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan 118 pgs, 1915 pub
A-B, 101-140, 1905-1916
+20 Task Points

Task 15.3 After the Funeral by Agatha Christie 253 pgs (Audio Book), 1953 pub
C-D, 221-260, 1953-1964
+25 Task Points

Total Points this post = 60
Grand Total = 60

Krista, so sorry about your Mom's hospitalization, but so glad she's on the mend.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Krista, so sorry about your Mom's hospitalization, but so glad she's on the mend."

Thanks!

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



+10 points..."

You can also claim +5 combo points for a US author for task 20.7 (the combo points can only be claimed once for each country listed in the task description). I am adding this to your score, so your Grand Total, as of post 131, is 40 points.

Leigh wrote: "20.8 Fictional Fiction
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

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

Thanks for the easy to understand correction!

TASK 20.7



Review:


Lester Ballard is an aggressive, violent man. He haunts the lands and the mountains of Tennessee after he is released from jail on a false charge of rape. Lester exists outside the norms of society, reduced to extreme degradation and depravity. He takes to a life of isolation, crime and necrophilia.
I’m not exactly sure how I really feel about his book. It is a creepy one, no doubt about it. It’s not a book for a light-hearted reader. But there’s something more to this book that gave me the heebie-jeebies. It has something to do with McCarthy’s writing itself. It is lyrical, almost like some beautiful music that makes your hair stand on the end. The only other book I’ve read by McCarthy is ‘The Road’. I have to say that this writer is an expert in showcasing how human behaviour degrades in times of desolation and loneliness.
I wasn’t sure what rating to give this book. I was disturbed by its content. It certainly wasn’t like ‘The Road’ that I loved instantly. This is a book that grew on me slowly. In the end I couldn’t help marking the book as a favourite because that’s just how much I’ve come to admire Cormac McCarthy. I may not have been floored by the plot but I was hugely impressed by the choice of words, the aura the book created in my head and the inevitable conclusion of the story.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Oldies

Task Total = 35

Grand Total = 145

Sanskriti wrote: "10.1 - Square Peg

✔ Child of God by Cormac McCarthy ★★★★★



Review:


Lester Ballard is an aggressive, violent man. He haunts the lands..."


This could be used for 20.7 the Arctic Circle task, as McCarthy is a US author. Because of that it doesn't fit the Square Peg task. If you haven't used a US author for 20.7, you could switch it to that task. It also qualifies for oldies points (pub 1973), so be sure to give them to yourself.

20.4 A Christmas Carol
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
+20 pts - Task (set in 1915)
+5 pts - Combo (set in UK and Palestine, now Israel)
+10 pts - Review

35 Pts - Task total
195 pts - Grand Total


Review
There’s a lot to like about this book. Another angle on the Great Sherlock Holmes for one. The idea of a female counterpart just as quick, learned and observant that joins with him is another. They truly complement one another which would seem difficult to pull off. However for some reason it would get tedious at times. I guess because I listened to it as an audiobook and the reader doesn’t give fair service to the voice of Holmes. He comes across sounding overly laconic and effeminate. It was a female reader, but I think she could have down better. Furthermore, it strikes me as grotesque that a love interest for Sherlock, (for you can surely see that is where the relationship is going and I believe in later books of the series he marries her), is young enough to be his granddaughter. If it had been more of a paternal protégé relationship as it began rather than blooming into a more spousal one, I probably would have stomached it better.

15.3 – Christmas in Vegas

1929-1940 A-B 301-340/701-740

The Death of the Heart (1938) by Elizabeth Bowen (Paperback, 320 pages)
This novel is a finely nuanced character study of an upper middle class British family in the 1930s. A bit claustrophic but interesting.

Grand Total: 310 + 25 =335

10.5-Underrated
It's Hard Not to Hate You by Valerie Frankel



"My doctor told me that the hate in me just had to come out. I followed his orders, fessing up to jealousy, phoniness, coldness, bitterness, insecurity, envy, distrust, impatience, revulsion, pettiness, bitchiness. Name the hate, I let it out."

Her doctor tells her she has cancer and that she needs to eliminate stress from her life. Upon reflection, she sees that her stress comes from the hate she holds in, "hate" wearing several different disguises. I never thought I'd call a memoir about dealing with cancer "funny", but it really was. Sometimes mortifying in its honesty ("mortifying" only because I can see so much of parts of myself in her, parts that I'd rather gloss over...much like she did til writing this book), you get the real story of one woman's emotional journey to a "happier" place.

Reading this book was like having a great conversation over a cup of coffee. Not earth-shattering or life-changing, but you walk away from it with a warm feeling and a smile on your lips.


+10 Task (160 ratings)
+10 Review
+10 combo
-10.3 Home for the Holidays (set in NYC...I've lived A LOT of places, but NYC is my favorite and the one I choose to be "home")
-20.10 Play by the Numbers (pub. 2011)


Task Total=30

Grand Total=30

20.10 Sam's Task: Play the Numbers

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman



I love historical fiction and love it even more when it's about an event I'm entirely unfamiliar with. That was the case with The Dovekeepers. Set in 70 CE on a desert mountain fortress, Masada, outside of Jerusalem, 900 Jewish rebels are holding out against the Roman armies. Based on that sentence alone, I don't think I'd want to read this book...but when you start to get individual stories, ah, that's when Hoffman has you under her spell. The women who work in the dovecote, whose stories and varied histories equally delight and devastate, bind you in their magic web and pull you through the painful events that happened nearly 2000 years ago. When I finished this book, I wanted more, didn't want it to end. And THIS is why I love historical ficiton: I immediately Googled "Masada" and was able to have more story (and also realized how much research and detail went into this book).

+20 Task (pub. 2011)
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo (504 pages)
+5 Combo
-20.4 A Christmas Carol

Task Total=40

Grand Total=70

Question: Is a task considered 'complete' if it was covered in a Combo?

Example: In my last post, the stated task was 20.10, but it also fit for 20.5 in the combo. Are both tasks now complete or do I need to read another book with 20.5 as my stated Task for it to count toward RwS Finish?

Anika wrote: "Question: Is a task considered 'complete' if it was covered in a Combo?

Example: In my last post, the stated task was 20.10, but it also fit for 20.5 in the combo. Are both tasks now complete or d..."

No, you are awarded only the combo points, but you need to have the book for a specific task for it to count for that task. So ... for the RwS finish you will have read 20 books.

Task : 10.5 - Underrated

also fits Task 20.2 - read a book that takes place in at least two different countries:
Persia, India, Tibet, Africa

The Natural History of Unicorns (2009) by Chris Lavers
Review: This is the sort of book a reader will either find utterly fascinating or ridiculously trivial. Lavers asks the question: “Where did the unicorn come from, and how was it accepted as a part of the animal kingdom for so long?” and then answers it. He explains how the ancient Greeks (most likely) constructed the unicorn from garbled reports of actual animals living on the Tibetan Plain. And …. The author includes photographs of actual animals to help prove his points to the gentle reader. (!) That covers the first third of the book. To lengthen the book to, well, book length, the rest of the book is a cultural history of the unicorn. I didn’t find that part to be as interesting as the first part. The point that there was a reasonable basis for 18th and 19th century Europeans to believe in the literal existence of unicorns was made over and over again. If reading for interest (and not a challenge :0) ) I’d read the first third of the book only.

+10 Task
+ 05 Style: 1. Combo (5 points) (also fits: 20.2 two cities)
+ 10 Style: 2. Review (10 points):

Task total: 10 + 05 + 10 = 25

Grand Total: 335 + 25 = 360

last question (promise!)

I already posted a book with the task 20.10, but realized that I'm halfway through a book that doesn't fill any other requirements other than that of 20.10...the book I already posted does fulfill another task that I haven't completed yet (20.5)--can I go back and edit it, or once it's submitted as a specified task, that's that?

Thanks for your help in getting the hang of this!

Anika wrote: "last question (promise!)

I already posted a book with the task 20.10, but realized that I'm halfway through a book that doesn't fill any other requirements other than that of 20.10...the book I al..."

Yes, you can go back and swap books around, but it's usually best to do so in a new post rather than editing an old post. You can also complete all the 10 point and 20 point tasks multiple times.

CiV

15.4
E-F, 461-500, 1989-2000

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, 483 pages, pub 1993;

+30 Task

Grand Total = 195

my review

Task 20.7: Baby, It's Cold Outside

I read Heartless by Gail Carriger born in the US

REVIEW: I have enjoyed this series, but this book did not hold my interest as the others have. I found that some of the detailed descriptions of the mechanical devices, even those in the background of a scene, were boring and unnecessary. Also, I found it a little ridiculous that almost all the characters have some alternative proclivities sexually. Really? It seemed a little too much for me. After reading this one, I may or may not read the next one. I do, however, enjoy the author's turns of phrase and her witty comments. Alexia is a fiesty one and always enjoyable!

+20: task
+10: review
+30: task total

+65: RwS Total

20.8 Fictional Fiction

"The End" by Lemony Snicket

This was also on the list. The island the children ended up on had a hidden library of fictional books. Also the island had a diary like book with their history.

Review-This is the thirteenth and last book in the series. I finally finished the series. That being said, it was not that great. Some story plots were revealed. Also, the facilatator of the island was passive aggressive when it came to running the island. He made them give up their belongings for a more peaceful life and to shelter the islanders from the outside world but he squelched their free will. The only thing I liked about this book was the character Friday. She was the only one to stand up to Count Olaf(the villain).

Task +20
Style +15 (Review, 20.7 US author)
Total: 35
Grand Total: 205

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "20.8 Fictional Fiction

"The End" by Lemony Snicket...

Task +20
Style +15 (Review, 20.7 US author)
Total: 35
Grand Total: 205"

In post 110, you claimed combo points for 20.7 - US author for Diane Chamberlain. Combo points for 20.7 can only be claimed once for each country.

Speaking of combo points for 20.7, I am adding +5 combo points for 20.7 - US author to the following participant scores:

Rebekah, post 8, Sue Grafton
nsfancy, post 37, Erle Stanley Gardner
Erin, post 83, Bill Bryson
Elizabeth (Alaska), post 156, Elmore Leonard
Deedee, post 169, Elizabeth Stuckey-French
Rosemary, post 192, Attica Locke
Deana, post 193, Neta Jackson

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "10.9 11 in 11- I read Lemony Snickett's "The Grim Grotto".

Task + 10
Style + 10 Review
This is the 11th book in the series of Unfortunate Events. For those who don't know, it is about the Baudelai..."

The review isn't quite long enough to qualify for review points (you're 15 words short). If you have another sentence or two to add, please re-post the review for the style points.

Task 20.8 Liz M's Task - Fictional fiction

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

I started this unabridged audiobook on my 24-hour roundtrip drive to my parent's house (Alabama to Texas) for Thanksgiving this year. I was looking specifically for a humorous novel and selected this one from the Good Reads listopia for Best Humorous Books. I was intrigued by the author's tragic story, the setting of New Orleans and the fact that the book was first published in 1980 by LSU Press (my alma mater). The first 1/3 of the book was laugh out loud funny but as the story progressed, the humor grew stale. As the book came to an end, I wondered whether its Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was a bit misplaced or was based, instead, on the incredible story surrounding the book instead of the book itself. I do, however, agree that the depiction of New Orleans was outstanding and the city truly served as a character in the story itself.

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.3 Home for the Holidays (Louisiana); 20.7 US Author )
+10 Review
+5 Oldie (pub 1980)

Task Total = 45

Grand Total = 45

Liz M wrote: "Speaking of combo points for 20.7, I am adding +5 combo points for 20.7 - US author to the following participant scores:

Rebekah, post 8, Sue Grafton
nsfancy, post 37, Erle Stanley Gardner
Liz Veg..."

Does this mean we will not be able to use a US author for this task now? Or can we claim two US authors, one for the task plus one for combo points?

10.6 The Uncommon Letter

Reckless by Cecily von Ziegesar

+10 Task (author has Z in name)

Task Total: 10 pts

10.6 Uncommon Letter

Unforgettable by Cecily von Ziegesar

+10 Task (author has Z in name)

Task Total: 10 pts

20.6 Bleak House

10th Anniversary by James Patterson

This addition to the series follows 3 cases instead of 2. I enjoyed that the first case (Avis Richardson and her baby) was the focus of the first part and wasn't mentioned again till the end. The cases of the rapists were focused on less and I wonder if the author did that just to put one of the 4 main characters in some kind of danger, which he usually does. The complexities of the Martin case were interesting to read, and I always reading about court room procedures and dynamics. I kind of wish Rich and Lindsay had ended up together earlier in the series, the Lindsay and Joe romance is kind of getting boring and I don't particularly like Cindy, she annoys me. Overall, I like Patterson's writing style and these books are enjoyable mysteries to read.

+20 Task (Yuki is one of the 4 main characters and she and her lawyer business play quite a big role in this book)
+5 Combo (20.10, printed in 2011)
+10 Review

Task Total: 35pts

Post Total: 55pts
Grand Total:225 pts

Rosemary wrote: "Liz M wrote: "Speaking of combo points for 20.7, I am adding +5 combo points for 20.7 - US author to the following participant scores:

Rebekah, post 8, Sue Grafton
nsfancy, post 37, Erle Stanley G..."

Good news, Rosemary! You get to claim once for the task and once for the combo for each of the countries!

10.10 Group Reads

The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips

Thanks to whoever chose this for a group read. I wouldn’t have picked this based on the description alone, but I enjoyed reading it. This story is in two parts. The first part is an extended “introduction” to a play that may be a lost work of Shakespeare or may be a fraud. The intro was fascinating. Its really a memoir written by the main character who shares the author’s name, Arthur Phillips. It details his relationship with his father, the person who found/wrote the play. The second part is the play itself. Overall, I give this 3.5 stars. Four for the first part which I found really entertaining. Three for the second part where I got bogged down with the footnotes some of which were dueling comments from character Arthur Phillips and a Shakespeare expert and some of which were vocabulary words.

+10 task
+10 review
+10 combos: 10.5 (597 ratings), 20.10 (pub. 2011)
task total=30
grand total=145

Jayme(the ghost reader) (JaymeILtheghostreader) | 370 comments 20.8 Fictional Fiction

"The End" by Lemony Snicket

This was also on the list. The island the children ended up on had a hidden library of fictional books. Also the island had a diary like book with their history.

Review-This is the thirteenth and last book in the series. I finally finished the series. That being said, it was not that great. Some story plots were revealed. Also, the facilatator of the island was passive aggressive when it came to running the island. He made them give up their belongings for a more peaceful life and to shelter the islanders from the outside world but he squelched their free will. The only thing I liked about this book was the character Friday. She was the only one to stand up to Count Olaf(the villain). All in all, I liked the series, I just didn't like this book. I feel it fell short in the ending compared to the rest of the series.

Task +20
Style +10 (Review)
Total: 30
Grand Total: 190

Liz M wrote: "Speaking of combo points for 20.7, I am adding +5 combo points for 20.7 - US author to the following participant scores:

Rebekah, post 8, Sue Grafton
nsfancy, post 37, Erle Stanley Gardner
Liz Vegas, post 76, Mitch Albom
Erin, post 83, Bill Bryson
Elizabeth (Alaska), post 156, Elmore Leonard
Deedee, post 169, Elizabeth Stuckey-French
Rosemary, post 192, Attica Locke
Deana, post 193, Neta Jackson


Hi - I thought 20.7 US author could be used only once in the challenge -- and I used it in post 169 for Matthew Dicks

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Good news, Rosemary! You get to claim once for the task and once for the combo for each of the countries!"

Cool! Thank you, I am loving this challenge! :-)

So that gives me a total of 500, plus:

20.1 Charles Dickens' 200th Anniversary

Christmas Books by Charles Dickens

Review:
In the early 1840s, Charles Dickens wrote a special Christmas-themed story for his magazine ‘Household Words’, which was intended to be read aloud around the family fireside. It was called ‘A Christmas Carol’ and it was so successful that he wrote several more Christmas stories in the next few years, most of them featuring a paranormal element. Then in 1852 he published five of them together as a book. This is that book.
‘A Christmas Carol’ is by far the best known of these stories with its ghosts, its antihero Ebenezer Scrooge and his ‘Bah! Humbug!’ Christmas catchphrase. I also loved ‘The Chimes’ and ‘The Cricket on the Hearth’ which I’d never heard of before. The final two stories, ‘The Battle of Life’ and ‘The Haunted Man’ didn’t seem up to the same standard. But the whole collection was a great read for the Christmas holidays!

+20 Task (pub.1852)
+15 Oldies 1762-1861
+10 Review

Task Total = 45

Grand Total = 545

Deedee wrote: "Hi - I thought 20.7 US author could be used only once in the challenge -- and I used it in post 169 for Matthew Dicks..."

You can use each country twice - once for the task itself and once as a combo.

20.7 - Baby it's cold outside
Canadian author:

The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose by Alice Munro

Alice Munro is a brilliant writer and I am always intrigued by non-standard narratives, such as this book of short stories woven into a novel. I should have loved it. But I think, perhaps, the writing is too realistic. Rose, Flo, and the other characters are so well presented and the stories about their lives are so dead on, that it never amazed me. I spend so much of my life living it, focusing on the trivial day-to-day details, that when I read I want to experience something more than my life. Munro somehow depicted the world so well, so perfectly, that overall the stories felt....pedestrian.

+20 task
+10 review
+5 oldies (pub. 1977)

Task total: 35 points
Grand Total: 95 points

10.9 - 11 in '11
11th book by author

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

Most of us at some time or another have wondered what it would be like to have super or magical powers. We've thought how much better/easier/more fun life would be if we could just do "x". What I loved about Wells' book is that it starts with the "what if" idea and develops it in an unexpected way. The protagonist, a scientist, spends years researching and experimenting until he finally discovers a way to make objects invisible. He, like most people, can only think of how wonderful it will be to be invisible. And perhaps the ability to become invisible would be wonderful. But what if you were invisible and could not become invisible ever again? Wells presents the latter scenario and shows how terrible it could be to be so different from the rest of humanity.

+10 task
+10 review
+10 oldies (pub 1897)

Task total: 30
Grand Total 125 points

20.2 - A Tale of Two Cities
Jerusalem & Rome

Barabbas by Pär Lagerkvist

+20 task
+15 combo (20.4, 20.7 - Sweden, 10.5)
+10 translation
+5 oldies (pub 1950)

Task total: 50
Grand total 175 points