Reading with Style discussion

Kate S wrote: "20.10 Play the Numbers
Once Upon a Time, There Was You by EliZabeth Berg

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

+5 combo for 10.6 - the uncommon letter

Liz M wrote: "Rachelccameron wrote: "A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

+20 Task (published 1843)
+5 Combo 20.4 Christmas Carol
+10 Review
+15 Oldies 1762-1861 (pub. 1843)

Task Total: 50 pts..."

Weirdly, A ..."

The section that takes place in the past should fit though right? Scrooge is 60 and the book takes him to his boyhood.
Thanks for the exception regardless!

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Liz M wrote: "itpdx wrote: "CiV 15.5
The Coast Watchers by Eric A. Feldt first published 1946, 240 pages

My Review

E-F;221-260/621-660;1941-1952

+35 Task
Previous..."

Sorry I must have linked to the wrong one.

Liz M wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "10.7 What's Your Type-ENFJ-EJ I read "Twelve Sharp" by Janet Evanovich

Task +10
Style +10 (Review)
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 210..."

In post 264, I should have 215. I used 10.9, review +10, and combo with 10.7 giving me 25 points and a total of 215. Then for 298 I used task 10.7 for Twelve Sharp to review which gave me 20 points and a new total of 235.

With post 264, your total sh..."

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Liz M wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "10.7 What's Your Type-ENFJ-EJ I read "Twelve Sharp" by Janet Evanovich

Task +10
Style +10 (Review)
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 210..."

In post 264, ..."

15.4 - CiV (A-B; 461-500/861-900; 1989-2000)
London Fields by Martin Amis
480 pages / Pub. 1989

+30 Task

15.5 - CiV (C-D; 141-180/541-580 ; 1917-1928)
A Lost Lady by Willa Cather
167 pages / Pub. 1923

+35 Task

20.3 - In honor of Great Expectations
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Exceeded Expectations List

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.4 - Z & 10.8 - Japan)

20.7 - Elizabeth (Alaska)’s Task - Baby it's cold outside
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest: Millenium 3 by Stieg Larsson

Another riveting read. I'm really pleased with the Millenium series and they are definitely a keeper!

The book begins right where the story was left off in book 2. This book is concluded the series in such a complete way that I don't really feel I'm missing anything. Whilst it's kinda sad that I can't look forward to another Stieg Larsson's, I'm at least satisfied that the story was wrapped up.

What I like most in this book in comparison to the other 2 books are the introductions to the different parts of the books about powerful women in history. I found all the economics stuff really boring in the first book whilst necessary to the story and whilst the mathematics were interestingt in the second book, it went over my head, but these women trivias interest me (being one myself, of course).

The first one, overall, is still the best. Nonetheless, I could barely put this book down.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Lost in Translation
+5 Jumbo

Total this post: 140 points
Total to date: 580 points

Liz M wrote: "Leigh wrote: "10.10 Group Reads

The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips..."

+5 combo for 20.8 - Fictional Fiction"

Oooooaf! I can't believe I missed that one! Thanks!

Task 20.3 Great Expectations

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
#87 on the Exceeded Expectations List

I know there's some controversy about just how "true" this memoir is (See, e.g., the article in Slate: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/cu...), but I found it a compelling and important story even if the author embellished his personal experiences a bit.

Listening to the author read his own work also helped me feel connected to the story through the portions of the book where the author takes a pretty detached perspective. I wouldn't say that Beah is the most gifted writer, but he does a good job telling the story in a way that makes the narrative compelling and keeps the reader willing to persist in reading about pretty horrible atrocities.

I resisted this book for a long time because it got so much press and was for sale at every Starbucks and I just felt overwhelmed by its marketing. But I'm glad that I finally managed to read a copy.

+20 Task
+10 Combo (20.2 -- Sierra Leone/US/Guinea; 20.5)
+10 Review

Task total: 40
Grand total: 305

Liz M wrote: "Camille wrote: "Task 20.5: David Copperfield (autobiography)

I read Bobblehead Dad: 25 Life Lessons I Forgot I Knew by Jim Higley..."

Unfortunately this book does..."

Well, fiddlesticks LOL! I've already claimed these others except TASK 10.5--so I guess I'm going with that one. I'm not sure now of my total. I'm all confused--sorry!

Camille wrote: "Liz M wrote: "Camille wrote: "Task 20.5: David Copperfield (autobiography)

I read Bobblehead Dad: 25 Life Lessons I Forgot I Knew by Jim Higley..."

Unfortunat..."

Camille, remember you can repeat tasks!

Task 15.2 – 2nd book claimed – 20 points

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Author's Last Initial: G-H (G)
Page Length: 421-460/821-860 (428 Pages)
Published Date: 1989-2000 (1997)

+ 20 Task

Task Total = 20

Grand Total = 200

great book

Camille wrote: "Well, fiddlesticks LOL! I've already claimed these others except TASK 10.5--so I guess I'm going with that one. I'm not sure now of my total. I'm all confused--sorry!..."

Let's see if this will make sense. Moving Bobblehead from 20.5 to 10.5 is a loss of 10 points, but for Heartless, you missed +10 combo points (20.4 - Christmas Carol & 20.10 - Play the Numbers), so your Grand Total should remain the same.

20.10 Play the Numbers

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Review:
Californian student Richard Papen receives financial aid to attend college in New England where he lies about his background in order to be accepted by a small, elite group of Classics students. But events spiral out of control and he is soon mixed up in all kinds of excess, leading to murder.
This is not a mystery but a novel about obsession, excess and elitism, told from the point of view of somebody who is only half inside the circle. It begins with a murder in the prologue, and the first half of the book then builds the background leading up to that murder. The second half shows subsequent events as cracks appear in the relationships between the students and their grasp on reality.
It is a brilliant book that stages a Greek tragedy in a contemporary (1980s) setting, with an unreliable narrator and a fascinating cast of characters that perhaps neither the narrator nor the reader ever fully understands.

+20 Task (pub.1992)
+10 Review
+ 5 Jumbo (629 pages)

Task Total = 35

Grand Total = 775

Note: I have 5 more points on the Readerboard to post 300 than I thought I had earned...I assume you're right so I have added 5 points to my spreadsheet and to my total in posts after #300. If my total now doesn't match up with yours, please let me know.

Don wrote: "Task 10.1 Square Peg

Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon, 3,728 ratings, 304 pgs, 2003 pub.

+10 task
Task Total =10

Grand Total = 75"

Jan Karon is a US author, so this qualifies for 20.7, Arctic Circle. You can easily move it there if you haven't already read for this task.

Task 10.6 Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma.


Holy. crap.
I’m stunned, floored, and emotionally spent from inhaling this story. My heart is stuck in my throat as I write this review.
Meet Lochan. His classmates would call him a 17 year old socially inept weirdo. He never speaks at school, but is an excellent student. At home though, he is different. Why? Well, because of his best friend, soul mate and 16 year old sister, Maya. . Maya, by contrast, is chatty and outgoing. There are stark differences in their personalities, but the share so much. Because of their mother’s absence due to alcoholism, Lochan and Maya are forced to run their family’s household. They make dinner, pay bills, do homework and are basically raising their three younger siblings. . Because of this, they understand one another in a way no one else can.
Maya and Lochan slowly realize that all they really want in love, is what they have with each other. They realize that it is wrong on so many levels, and fight their feelings for a long time. They eventually decide it’s okay and that no one should be able to tell them how to feel, right? They can do this in secret…No one ever has to know. They give in, succumbing to their emotions and ache for physical connectedness. They remain fearful and oh, so, careful. The view of society, the possibility that their younger siblings could be taken away, and the “sickness” of it all, weighs heavily upon them. They try to justify how they feel, and they condemn it at the same time. And through it all, I was enthralled with their story and rooting for them all the way. This novel is about love, sacrifice, and consequence.
It made me question so much.
Why isn’t love easy? Why are there always so many boundaries in place that make it so difficult to follow your heart? Is love really blind? How can something as taboo as consensual incest, turn into such a heart wrenching, beautiful love story??
The connection between the characters feels so real and their bond so strong that you almost forget that they are brother and sister.

Almost.

I actually feel bad that I’m about to rate this book 5 stars. I mean,come on, what will society think of me?? My heart soared. My heart was smashed, and I know I’ll still be feeling the emotional weight of this novel for a long time.

+10 task
+10 review
+15 combo (10.4 #40 on illicit love list) (20.10 pub. 2010) (10.7 I'm an ISTJ - author initials = T.J.)

task total = 35
grand total = 230

I read

20.2 A tale of two cities

This book took place in London, Calcutta, Yokohoma, San Fransisco, New York, and back in London.

Review:

This book is one of the greatest written. Its combination of adventure, action, mystery, and intrigue drive me to read more by Jules Verne. The one downfall of this book is its length. One seems to just figure out the characters by the time it is all wrapped up. From the beginning to the end this book is one to enjoy. I have to say that this book is very easy to read and because the shortness of the chapters a very quick read. It almost makes me want to learn French just so I can read it in its original language.

I gave this book 5 stars.

Review +10
Lost in Translation +10
76-150 years old +10
could have been in play the numbers +5

Task Total= 55

Grand Total = 65

RwS Tasks

20.1 200th Anniversary

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

+20 Task
+15 Oldies (pub 1843)
+5 Combo (20.4)

20.4 In honor of A Christmas Carol
1984 by George Orwell

+20 Task
+15 Combo (10.4-#14 Illicit Love; 20.3-#46 Exceeded Expectations; 20.8-on the list)
+5 Oldies (pub 1949)

20.8 Fiction's Fiction
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.8-Dragon is a major antagonist; 20.3-#89 on Exceeded Expectations List)
+5 Oldies (pub 1937)

CiV
15.7 Maria by Eugenia Price

P-Q-R; 381-420; 1977-1988

+55 Task

Post Total: 170
Season Total: 800

20.2 In honor of A Christmas Carol

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy

Review:Prior to reading this book, I had no idea it's influence (Zorro, the Lone Ranger, etc.) or that it had been turned into a number of films, tv shows, or a broadway musical.  Pretty much because I had never heard of it.  So the plot was really obvious to me and the secret identity of the mystery hero was blatantly evident.  I thought it was quite funny that the heroine of the story is referred to as "the cleverest woman in Europe" (or something along those lines) and believes this of herself as well, when she is not.  It's very Lois and Clark, which I have always found perplexing yet endearing. The dialect was sometimes difficult to grasp and I had to look up a number of words and/or phrases that are no longer in use.  That's ok though because I find that entertaining and educational.  I like it when authors write speech in dialect form, because it is always fun to read aloud to yourself.  It's a charming story but predictable, not the fault of the author of course, but of a result of time (there are so many masked crusaders these days).  On the serious side it is a story of bravery and heroism on the part of the characters that risk their lives to rescue people from The Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. I wouldn't necessarily recommend the book, but I did enjoy it for what it is.      

+20 (set in 1787)
+5 combo (10.6 The Uncommon Letter)
+10 Oldies (1905)
+10 Review
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 80
(Edit for horrible math skills)

Liz M wrote: "Camille wrote: "Well, fiddlesticks LOL! I've already claimed these others except TASK 10.5--so I guess I'm going with that one. I'm not sure now of my total. I'm all confused--sorry!..."

Let's see..."

YES, PLEASE! Thanks for making this make sense to me. I'll do just what you've suggested here. :)

20.8 Fictional Fiction

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen



I've read and loved a couple of other books by Sarah Addison Allen so decided to give this one (an earlier effort than the novels I'd already read) a shot. Though I loved the magical realism aspect and adored her characters, it was hard to overlook the thin, predictable plot. The story begins with Josey, a 27-year-old woman who still lives at home, finding a local woman, Della Lee, sitting in her closet. Rather than kicking her out immediately, Della Lee blackmails her in order to stay in the closet. The leverage that Della Lee holds over Josey? She knows where Josey's secret sugar stash is and if Josey's mother knew she had one she'd be furious. Really? That's just plain taking advantage of "suspension of disbelief" right there. BUT if you can overlook the hard-to-swallow beginning, you will find the characters (like Chloe, to whom books magically appear to direct her life) are sweet and engaging and the loving detail with which Allen paints her home state...it almost--ALMOST--makes me want to move to North Carolina.

+20 Task (A Girl's Guide to Keeping Her Guy and Old Love, New Direction played a vital role in Chloe's storyline and I've checked to make sure they were not actual books)
+10 Review

Task Total = 30

Grand Total = 265

**also, re: message 320, Task 20.2, The Night Circus, please +5 more combo points, as it also fits in the 20.4 Christmas Carol category, bringing my grand total to 270. Thanks so much!

10.7 What's Your Type ENFJ-EJ
"Finger Licking Fifteen" by Janet Evanovich

Review-http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Total: 10
Style +10 (Review)
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 295

20.3 Great Expectations

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
810L



At this point, I don't imagine that there's a book lover left who hasn't read this one. I wanted to reread it before the movie comes out. While I love the way the story moves so quickly that you hardly have time to blink or breathe, I think what I love even more is the denseness of her characters. I'm also awed by the way she deals with such huge themes as sacrifice, revolution, in/justice, and what it means to be a human.
Once the games are over and her stylists are preparing her for the final interviews, you are horrified to hear them talking about where they were and what they were doing at certain crucial moments in the game ("I was still in bed!" "I had just had my eyebrows dyed!" "I swear I nearly fainted!"), moments when Katniss was near death, when Rue was killed, when children were killing and dying...how callous, how ignorant, how self-centered. How very human. Collins very craftily turns the mirror on us to make us ask ourselves what makes us any different.

+20 Task (Number 1 on the Books That Exceeded Expectations list)
+10 Review

Task Total = 30

Grand Total = 300

Task 10.4 Love is in the air

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

+ 10 Task (List: Great Love Stories)
+ 5 Combo (10.8 Chinese New Year)

Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 15

10.5 Underrated

Infamous byCecily von Ziegesar

+10 Task 898 ratings
+5 Combo 10.6 Uncommon Letter

Task Total: 15pts

10.6 Uncommon Letter

Tempted by Cecily von Ziegesar

+10 Task

CIV 15.3

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
160 pages , published 1945
L-M, 141-180, 1941-1952

+25 Task

Post Total:50 pts
Grand Total: 375 pts

Don wrote: "15.1 CiV

Five Minutes on Mondays: Finding Unexpected Purpose, Peace, and Fulfillment at Work by Alan Lurie, 2009, 288 pgs., 18 ratings

+15 Task, CiV (L,288,2009)
+5 Task 10.5, Unde..."

Welcome to the challenge, Don. Sorry, but the 15-point tasks aren't eligible for style points such as combo points. When Liz, our scorekeeper, gets to these posts, she'll just discount those points you've claimed. Or you can choose to move these books around if you wish.

10.1 Square Peg
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
I chose this to read because I had caught pieces of the PBS production for TV, but not got to watch the entire thing. While I enjoyed both the book and what bits I caught of the TV series, I think Masterpiece has done something similar to what they did to Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley series and severely altered much of the backstories and recurring characters. I was greatly relieved when I looked up on the PBS sight to see that they did go so far as to change the location from Cambridge (book) to Edinburgh (TV). I may be American, but the whole time I was reading I kept wondering how I had gotten those two confused. As usual for me, I prefer the book. Probably I will read the series, and sometime later watch the TV version since it was beautifully shot and seemed to be well acted. I definitely will not to both at the same time since the discrepancies between the two would annoy me to much.

+10 Task
+10 Review
Task total=20

20.7 Baby its cold outside
Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjöwall (Sweden)

I’m continuing to enjoy this series with is set (and written) in 1970s Sweden. They’re police procedurals that can be somewhat dry and stark, but they are flashes of humor. Compared to most modern crime novels, these cases are not very sensational or graphic. Though called the “Martin Beck” series, it really follows a group of police officers who work together, don’t always like each other, and who are evolving over the course of the series. I worry that I make this sound too boring. Its not a thriller; its a crime novel following the solution of what by more modern standards is an ordinary murder solved by ordinary people and quite well done.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo 10.5 (320 ratings)
+5 Oldies (pub. 1970)
+10 Lost in translation (Swedish)
Task total=50

20.10 Play the Numbers
Blackout by Connie Willis (pub. 2010)
+20 Task
+5 Combo 20.4 (set in 2060 and 1940)
+5 jumbo (512 pages)
Task Total=30

Post total=100
Grand total=250

10.1 - Square Peg


Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy


+10 Task
+10 Oldies (1874)

Total Points: 20

Grand Total 180

RwS Tasks:

10.3 – Home for the Holidays

I chose Florida because I lived there when I was three years old and I don't know much about it.

Alexandra by Scott O'Dell
880 Lexile

One Florida summer, Alexandra experiences the sorrow of her father's death and the joy of growing up and standing up for herself. Her family has always worked in the sea diving for sponges following in a tradition begun by their ancestors in Greece many years before. Alexandra must fight traditional views toward the roles of men and women and follow her conscience when things are not what they appear. Scott O'Dell's writing is always clear and concise and the adventures are exciting and keep the reader interested. Although O'Dell's books are targeted to a young adult audience, I find them engaging reading and I always enjoy learning something about other ways of life through his books.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo: 10.5 Underrated (49 Ratings)
+ 5 Oldies (1984)

Task Total: 30

10.10 – Group Reads

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

I have chosen to read a lot of books with carnival related settings recently and since that's one of my favorite settings, I can't believe I had never read Something Wicked This Way Comes. I worked in an amusement park in which the carousel was one of the special features, as it was in a much spookier way in this book. I also spent some time in the park after hours and though I loved all of the scarey and strange things that happened in the book, I'm glad I didn't read it during those years! I also loved the writing itself. I have read some of Ray Bradbury's work before and enjoyed it and now I want to read more of his work.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1962)

Task Total: 25

Points this Post: 55
Grand Total: 885

20.1 Charles Dickens anniversary

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

Review:
This is a fascinating book on many levels. It offers insight into what life would have been like for a privileged woman trapped in an unhappy marriage in England in the middle of the 19th century, and how difficult it was to escape. But the structure of the book is hard to credit, with much of the narrative being Helen's diary copied out by Gilbert into a letter to his brother-in-law - how likely is that? Not very, I think. And the delays in their happy union in the second half seem contrived. Helen has to make all of the running, so I ended up wondering whether Gilbert really deserved her - although at times I was completely turned off by her goody-goody attitudes, too. I wonder if it would still be read these days if the author hadn't been a sister of Charlotte and Emily Bronte?
Still, it's a must-read for anybody interested in the vulnerable yet privileged position of women of the upper classes in 19th century England.

+20 Task (pub.1848)
+10 Review
+15 Oldies 1762-1861

Task Total = 45

Grand Total = 820

FYI, there is a movie based on the Bradbury book...from the early 80s, I think! You might enjoy it!

Karen GHHS wrote: "RwS Tasks:

10.3 – Home for the Holidays

I chose Florida because I lived there when I was three years old and I don't know much about it.

Alexandra by Scott O'Dell
88..."

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "10.7 What's Your Type-ENFJ-EJ
"Lean Mean Thirteen" by Janet Evanovich

Review-http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40...

Task +10
Style +10 Review
Book Points: 20
Grand Points: 255"

Jayme,

The link you provided is for the book page and not to your specific review. Please re-post your review in this completed task thread in order to earn the review points.

Charlene wrote: "20.2 (Two Different Countries)

Let the Great World Spin

This book was one that I happened to find on someone's reading list. I am always searching to find a b..."

+20 pts (US/Ire)
+10 pts Review
Book Points 30
Total Points 30

To All Participants,

I am delighted to have so many new, enthusiastic group members, and I am doing my best to keep up with all y'alls posts. However, under the best of circumstances it takes several minutes to enter the book data into the score sheet for a single task, with a page of posts taking more than two hours to score.

As much as possible, please follow the format specified in the first two posts of this Completed Tasks Thread -- list the task number & task title first, followed by the book title & author. Please, please, please use the "add book/author" link above the comments box to link a book title. (After clicking on the link, a pop-up box appears allowing you to search for books by title or author. If you type the ISBN number into the search box, it will find the exact edition you read.) If you are claiming review points, please include your 100+ word review in your post.

And, as always, please feel free to ask questions, no matter how "silly" or "basic" they seem. There quite a few active participants that are familiar with the complexities of this challenge and willing to help.

Thank you and now go read some reeeeeeeaaaaaaally long books so I have a chance of catching up! ;-)

Charlene wrote: "I am not sure if I am doing this right...."

Charlene, all the information is there, with some minor re-arranging it would be the perfect post -- just move the points below the review and include a line for task total and/or grand total.

Leigh's post 384 & Rosemary's post 387 are fantastic examples.

Liz M wrote: "Charlene wrote: "I am not sure if I am doing this right...."

Charlene, all the information is there, with some minor re-arranging it would be the perfect post -- just move the points below the rev..."

Great, thanks!

20.7 (Baby It's Cold Outside)

American Psycho

Review:

BEWARE: NOT for the faint at heart. I almost had second thoughts about posting this book but realized that's the beauty of ficticious books, they sometimes take our minds to places that we don't want to visit.

Brett Easton Ellis writes about vapid, non-emotional, rich, twenty something NYC dwellers. The main character Patrick Bateman is living the American Dream. High paying job, designer clothing, georgous girls, all while living a secret life as a psychotic serial killer.

Ellis' writing in this particular novel takes some getting used to. His character Bateman talks in the first person, describing in almost fatigued detail, the exact designer of each article of clothing worn by everyone he encounters. While some readers may find this approach exhausting, I find it enlightening. I am able to understand exactly how Bateman thinks. He has no regard for people or their feelings but high regard for what they are wearing and how much they earn and what new, hip restaurant they can get into. The harder to get in, the most desirable the restaurant.

The first half of the novel describes the characters and their shallow existance. They can't remember each other's names half the time. I think this was a brilliant way for Ellis' to describe these characters, as interchangeable, as the same type of individual. Later, the novel goes into chilling detail of Bateman and his killing sprees. (Again, be warned)

This book is the most graffic gruesome depiction of killings that I have ever read. At some points I have to admit that I skimmed over some of the most gory descriptions and worried about Ellis' state of mind while writing this book.

Ultimately, I would recommend this book for the reader with an open mind to this kind of material. I enjoyed Ellis' writing style while getting into the minds of his characters (hopefully I can soon get out!) If you are used to happy endings and fairytales, this is most definitely not your book.

+20 pts (20.7 - US Author)
+5 Combo Points (20.7 & 10.3)
+10 Review
-----
35 task points

Sorry, still new at this. Please help update accordingly.
65 Total points

Charlene, your book can be for only 1 task, and then you get 5 points for each combo task. You don't get to count the full value of each task.

Repost
10.7 What's Your Type ENFJ-EJ-
"Lean Mean Thirteen" by Janet Evanovich

Review-http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Task +10
Review +10
Grand Total: 295

I checked the link and there is a review there.

20.2 In Honor of A Tale Of Two Cities

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Review:
This book was so much better than I expected. I avoided the movie and normally I would have avoided the book, if it hadn't been for a book group. But the suspense is built up so well and there is a lot of information both about dinosaurs and about biotechnology, well woven into the narrative so that it is not too intrusive. Of course, like most adventure stories, it is predictable in that some characters are built to have our sympathy and survive, while others are obviously doomed. But in this case the distinction between good guys and bad guys is not always clear cut. I think it deserves its best-seller status.

+20 Task (set in USA and Costa Rica)
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (10.9 B first in series)

Task Total = 35

20.3 In Honor of Great Expectations

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Review:
A really well told story about a white teenager in South Carolina in 1964 who runs away from home with her black maid and ends up living with a houseful of black women who keep bees.
I enjoyed this immensely, but I found it a little hard to believe. I know I'm not being fair because it's as much to do with the huge success of 'The Help' as this book, but I can't help wondering if books like these are an attempt to rewrite 20th century history, as in, "Yes black people in the South were given a hard time by the bad guys, but the solidarity between women could totally transcend racial issues." Are there any books written by black people that tell it this way?
Maybe I'm wrong and this kind of thing really happened, or maybe I should just see it as a fairy tale. Anyway, it's very well written with wonderful characterization.

+20 Task (#36 on the Exceeded Expectations list)
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (20.4 pub.2002 set 1964)

Task Total = 35


Grand Total = 890

Task 20.2 Tale of Two Cities

Colonel Jack by Daniel Defoe

+20 Task (England, Spain, France, Italy, etc.)
+ 5 Combo (10.5 Underrated, 11 reviews )
+ 5 Combo (20.10 Play the Numbers, originally pub. 1722)
+20 Oldie (pub 1722)

Task Total = 50

Grand Total = 90

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "CiV 15.6
Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen King pub 2002 - 459 pgs

I,J,K - 461-500pgs - 2001-2012

+45 pts - Task
240 pts - Grand Total
..."

Sorry! I was looking at the wrong line on my graph. I'll correct the post.

Rebekah wrote: "CiV 15.6
Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen King pub 2002 - 459 pgs

I,J,K - 461-500pgs - 2001-2012
421 - 460pgs

+45 pts - Task
240 pts -..."

I've corrected this post #330

15.7 CiV
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 472 pgs, pub 1955

G-H, 461 - 500 pgs, 1953-1964

+55 pts - Task
295 pts - Grand Total

20.5 David Copperfield - Biographical Novel
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Review
What can I add to the abundant reviews of this book? To my chagrin, it is the first time I ever read this book and I must say I think I like it best of any of his books I have read so far. Maybe because it was autobiographical, it wasn’t as moralizing or as stereotyping as I have found his books to be. After reading this book, I’d like to read a true biography and see what the parallels are between the novel and his true life. The characters were all real and rich to me and the ups balanced the downs as they do in real life. For that era, it was pretty convincing. I’m looking forward to reading more of his classics that have been in my psyche but never actually read.


+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Combo (20.1, 20.3)
+15 pts - Oldies (pub 1849)
+20 pts - Jumbo (944 pgs)
+10 pts - Review

75 pts - Task Total
370 pts - Grand Total


Happy New Year, Everyone!

Task 10.8 Chinese New Year
A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

+10 Task
+15 Combo (20.7 Baby it's cold outside (United States), 20.8 Fictional fiction ("The Death of Dragons"), 20.10 Play the numbers (pub 2011))
+25 Jumbo (1016 pages)

Task Total = 50

10.1 Square Peg
The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

+10 Task
+10 Oldies (pub 1886)

Task Total = 20

Grand Total = 70

Christmas in Vegas

15.1 Johannes Cabal, der Seelenfänger by Jonathan L. Howard
350 pages, published 2009
G-H // 341-380 // 2001-2012

Task Total: +15

Grand Total: 105

Phoebe wrote: "Christmas in Vegas

15.1 Johannes Cabal, der Seelenfänger by Jonathan L. Howard
350 pages, published 2009
G-H // 341-380 // 2001-2012

Task Total: +15

Grand Total: 105"

I fixed this to 380 pages, did you make a typo? (It still fits, though.)

I hope I'm doing this right... this is my first post. Hi all, too!

10.5 Underrated
Susan Sontag. Geist und Glamour by Daniel Schreiber
5 Ratings currently

+10 Task

Review:
Susan Sontag war nach ihrem Besuch bei Thomas Mann enttäuscht, von sich selbst und von ihm. So ähnlich geht es mir nach dem Lesen dieses Buches.
Über das Leben von Menschen zu lesen, die man bewundert, ist ein zweischneidiges Schwert - man kann durch die nähere Beschäftigung mit ihnen ebenso gut mehr bewundern wie weniger.
Sontag war eine einzigartige Frau mit einem brillianten Verstand, einem fantastischen Gespür für gegenwärtige und aufkommende Geistesströmungen und einem unaufhaltsamen Willen zum Ruhm. Vor allem diesem letzteren kann man kritisch gegenüber stehen, Schreiber hält sich jedoch auf Distanz, und bleibt in seiner Unparteilichkeit an den Rändern der Geschichte.
Das ist einerseits angenehm, da man seine Meinungen und Vermutungen nicht aus dem Text separieren muß, bedeutet aber auch, daß man kein tiefergehendes Bild von Susan Sontag erhält.

+10 comment

Task Total: +20
Grand total: 20

10.8 Chinese New Year

The Girl Who Played Go by Shan Sa



Go is a game that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago. It is a game of logic and strategy. Players take turns placing their "stones" on the board, trying to surround a larger portion of the board than their opponent.

This book was slow-going for me at first, much like I imagine a game of go would be...the set up, laying the groundwork for future attacks. The chapters take turns between our two narrators: the Japanese soldier and the Chinese girl. We follow our soldier from his home in Japan to Manchuria, where he is faced with the ugliness of war. Our girl has fallen in love with a Manchurian revolutionary. Eventually, the soldier is stationed in the town where she lives. He had learned Chinese from his nanny and a senior officer assigns him to go undercover to the square where pick-up games of go are played and listen to what the citizens are saying, if there is any revolutionary chatter.

This is where are opponents finally meet. The direction the narrative game takes from there is fast paced and mind blowing.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Four out of five stars.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Lost in Translation (from French)
+20 combo
-10.5 Underrated (879 reviews)
-20.2 Tale of Two Cities (Japan and Manchuria/China)
-20.4 A Christmas Carol (set in the 1930s)
-20.10 (pub. 2001)

Task Total = 50

Grand Total = 350

Task 20.7 Baby it's cold outside

Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative by Thomas King

+20 Task (US Author)
+ 5 Combo (10.5 Underrated, 253 ratings)
+ 5 Combo (20.2, US, Canada, New Zealand, etc.)

Task Total = 30

Grand Total = 120