Reading with Style discussion
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Fall 2012 Rws Completed Tasks - Fall 2012
RwS Task20.4 – In honor of Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla:
Every Day by David Levithan Low Lexile
+20 Task: LGBT Author
Grand Total: 810
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Arow wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Arow wrote: "Know your ABC's15.8 - 8th book - letter H (1998)
Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
+30 Task
15.9 - 9th book - letter I (1999)
Th..."
No problem; thanks for letting me know :-)
Know your ABC's15.9 - 9th book - letter I (1999)
The "M" Word by Jane Isenberg
+30 Task
Grand Total: 195
20.3 Poe's TalesThe Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka
Review: Kafka did not disappoint. Every time I read something by him, I'm astounded at how wickedly funny he writes, and how artful his deceptively simple prose is. "The Metamorphosis" was a reread for me (read it quite a few years ago), but the other stories I didn't yet know, and I enjoyed them a lot.
"In the penal colony" and "The Hunger artist" are mesmerizing glimpses into minds obsessed by singular purpose, for no apparent reason.
The same holds true for the other stories, but in a different way - they make you wonder about the mind of someone writing like this, not in a "He must have been mad" but in a "What is it like to experience the world like this" way.
Task: 20
Review: 10
Oldies: 10 (pub 1919)
Task total: 40
Grand total: 110
10.4 Fall ColorsBrown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson (not found in BPL; Seattle Public Library shelves it as Sci-Fi)
Review: This was a difficult book, full of drugs, violence, and betrayal. On the other hand, it's also about love, triumph, and redemption. Set in Caribbean neighborhoods of a post-apocalyptic Toronto, a young single mother named Ti-Jeanne must face her past and grow into her future. On the way, she learns that things are not always what they seem, that family comes in all shapes and sizes, and that love is not always simple, happy, or fair. It is always interesting to read stories in a different cultural setting, and this made me want to read more Caribbean literature in the future.
+10 Task
+15 Combo (10.7 Monsterfest - malevolent Jamaican duppy spirits; 20.1 Frankenstein - 1999 Locus First Novel; 20.7 - passes Bechtel Test - Ti-Jeanne and Mami have conversations about healing, spirits, and dreams)
+10 Review
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 665
Task 15.4 Know Your ABC'sletter E/4th book: The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
+20 task
Previous Total= 115 pts
Grand Total = 135 pts
10.2 - OktoberfestLittle Stalker by Jennifer Belle
Jennifer Belle is an American author.
+10 Task
+5 Combo: 10.8(published in 2007)
Task Total = 15
Grand Total = 15
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Marie wrote: "Kate S wrote: "Marie wrote: "20.6 – DraculaThe Turn of the Screw by Henry James
+20 Task
+20 Combo : 20.7 (the governess and the housekeeper have several conversations), 20.8, 10.7 ..."
Hello,
I think you forgot to count those points (as raised in messages 271 & 278), so my total should be 190 and not 185.
Am I correct?
20.5 – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeState of Wonder by Ann Patchett
+20 Task
+15 Combo (20.7: numerous conversation between Marina & Dr Swenson, 20.8 : Ann Patchett's first book was published in 1992, 10.5: Dr Swenson is in her 70's
Task total = 35
Grand Total = 225
20.1 In honor of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein The Beach by Alex Garland
(Winner of Betty Trask Award 1997, he won the largest amount)
Review
I had seen the movie and was biased against the book, unfairly, just because I dislike Leonardo de Caprio, he annoys me no end (apologies to his fans) so I avoided reading it till now. The book was interesting and quite appropriate for anyone with wanderlust or those in search of Eden on earth. I was not looking for deep and profound meanings in this book but treated it as an adventure story and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The book was easy to read, Garland’s writing style was crisp and he manages to keep the reader hooked till the very end. I have been to Thailand and the scenery was easy to visualize and also to empathize with the characters who yearn for a perfect piece of unspoiled paradise, little realizing how and what they may have to pay for this prize.
Good book, good to read, I just wish Leonardo’s face didn't jump up so often in my mind’s eye! Next time I’ll make sure I read the book before I watch the movie, which is the way I prefer it anyway.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 805
Marie wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Marie wrote: "Kate S wrote: "Marie wrote: "20.6 – DraculaThe Turn of the Screw by Henry James
+20 Task
+20 Combo : 20.7 (the governess and the housekeeper have several ..."
Kate will double-check this at her next scorekeeping session, but it looks to me as if this combo is included in your points.
20.9 Elizabeth's Task, National Authors DayLiving to Tell the Tale by Gabriel García Márquez
Review
Beautiful, eloquent, descriptive, lyrical, intriguing and fascinating! The auto-biography of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, at least the first 28 years of his life, is a cocktail of fact and fiction, as admitted by the author himself who refers to his faulty memory in it. Nonetheless it is an exceptional memoir by the author of my favorite book “Love in the time of Cholera” and I must compliment both Marquez and his translator Edith Grossman for a job well done.
I took my time reading and enjoying this book, underlining (something I hardly ever do), words sentences, paragraphs, quotes, and the many books and authors mentioned by Marquez. It was fascinating to familiarize oneself with his early life, the events in Colombia and most of all with his family and the social setup of that era.
This book is going on my “Read Again” list, although I know I will not re-read all of it but only those passages that hooked me the most. The myriad of names and references were sometimes a bit confusing, but if you have read and loved his books do give this book a try, totally worth it, even if you are not a big fan of autobiographies.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 20.8 Veterans Day, Marquez has written for 20+ years
+5 10.2 Oktoberfest, Marquez was born in Colombia
+5 10.5 Day for the Elderly. Marquez was 75 when this Autobiography (Non Fiction) was published
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 850
Know Your ABC's15.3 - 3rd Book (Letter C) Nothing to Lose by Lee Child
+15 Task
Task Total=15
Grand Total=180 pts
RwS Task20.8 - Kate S’ Task – Veteran’s Day, November 11th:
San Miguel by T.C. Boyle
T. C. Boyle is an author I have loved since reading Tortilla Curtain years ago. In this challenge, I went back to one of his earlier works, World's End to begin the ABC challenge. I enjoyed it, but it was slow and rather dense writing. I find his newer works to be more compact and enjoyable. The characters are well drawn, but the plot and story move the reader at a faster pace. I loved San Miguel, his newest book. Boyle researched the lives of the real sheep-herding families of San Miguel island off the coast of California and then brought them to life through his engaging prose. The descriptions were vivid and I really had a sense of the island environment and could feel the isolation and both the joys and fears the characters lived with as families removed from society throughout a period of years. Highly recommended!
+20 Task: Boyle has published from 1979 to 2012
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo: 20.7 Women of Achievement Month: Passes the Bechdel Test when mother and daughter talk about the mother's illness.
+ 5 Multiple
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 850
Task 10.4 book with a color in the titleAlso fits Task 20.7 Bechdel Test: the work must (i) have at least 2 female characters who (ii) talk to each other about (iii) something other than a man/men
Vanessa talks about “reducing her carbon footprint” with her sister, and with her best (female) friend. She also discusses “what brand of car should we rent?” with her mother.
Sleeping Naked is Green: How an Eco-Cynic Unplugged Her Fridge, Sold Her Car, and Found Love in 366 Days by Vanessa Farquharson
+10 Task
+05 Style:1. Combo (5 points): (20.7 Bechdel Test)
+05 Style: 2. Multiple (5 points): Each time you repeat a task.
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points):
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 05 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 685 + 30 = 715
Review: This is one of those do-it-for-one-year books. In this one, Vanessa Farquharson decides to make one change per day for a year that reduces her carbon footprint on the planet. Apparently she was inspired by Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth”. Each chapter starts out with a list of changes she made that month. The chapter contains a selection of the changes (not all) from that list and how she went about it and whether she was successful. Surprisingly, items like “turn off your refrigerator” was not that big a deal for her, but giving up some of the beauty products (like shampoo) was a big deal. About half way through she gets a bit bored with the ecology side of the project and she starts including in the text romantic interludes with men she is meeting through the project (like vegan hikers). No Impact Man was more serious about the ecology, but this one was more entertaining. Recommended for those who want a peak into what is meant by an uber-environmentally conscious, vegan lifestyle.
Norma wrote: "20.8 Veteran Author - James PattersonRun for Your Life
+20 Task
Total 205"
+5 Multiple
Norma wrote: "20.8 Veteran Author - Janet EvanovichFour to Score
+20
+5 Combo 10.9
25 Task
Total 230"
10.9 cannot be claimed for combo, but +5 multiple
Know Your ABCs15.5 Fifth Book-Letter O
Buffalo for the Broken Heart: Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch by Dan O'Brien (2002)
My Review
+20 Task
Grand Total: 335
Kate S wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "First, we have a point difference. I think I've picked up all of the extra points you've found for me, but I could be wrong. The other thing to check, though is whether you gave ..."I was mistaken. You removed post 5, and replaced it with House of Leaves for 10.2-USA. So, I am back down 10 points. I will continue to look for it. Thanks.
Marie wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Marie wrote: "Kate S wrote: "Marie wrote: "20.6 – DraculaThe Turn of the Screw by Henry James
+20 Task
+20 Combo : 20.7 (the governess and the housekeeper have several ..."
I have found the error (a missed combo in post 377). It will be correctly reflected in the next Readerboard update.
Norma wrote: "20.8 Veteran Author - James PattersonRun for Your Life
+20 Task
Total 205"
+5 Combo 10.2-USA
JD wrote: "20.8 Kate S' Task"11/22/63" by Steven King
+20 Task
+15 Jumbo (849 pages)
Task Total = 35
Grand Total = 35"
+10 Combo 10.8(author's first name) and 10.2 (USA)
Deedee wrote: "Task 20.8 "veteran" author, one that has published books for 20 or more years.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyodor_D...
Also fits: Task 10.3 Art Garfukel’s books he has read
#142, A..."
Unfortunately, "green" in this title is referencing a life-style or attitude, not the actual color. Would you like to move it to one of the other tasks for which it qualifies?
10.7 - Karen GHHS' Task - Monsterfest IVShiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Book on werewolves
+10 Task
Task Total = 10
Grand Total =25
Kate S wrote: Unfortunately, "green" in this title is referencing a life-style or attitude, not the actual color. Would you like to move it to one of the other tasks for which it qualifies? ..."
Sure -- I'll move it to 20.7 Bechdel Test
Sleeping Naked is Green: How an Eco-Cynic Unplugged Her Fridge, Sold Her Car, and Found Love in 366 Days by Vanessa Farquharson
+20 Task
+05 Style: 2. Multiple (5 points): Each time you repeat a task.
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points):
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 685 + 35 = 720
20.9 Author's Day Becoming Faulkner: The Art and Life of William Faulkner by Philip M. WeinsteinQuite good. Could be 5 stars if you've read all of his early masterpieces. Four stars because there are more than the occasional spoilers. In fact, as I have not yet read Absalom, Absalom!, I found myself skipping a small (3 pages?) section that completely outlined and discussed the entire plot.
Weinstein does give us the high points of Faulkner's life. He was the oldest of 4 children, he dropped out of school when he was 15, he married his childhood sweetheart but not until 10 years after she'd married and divorced someone else. That sort of thing.
Weinstein also discusses the relationship between Faulkner the man and Faulkner the writer and the novels and short stories. This is exactly why I wanted to read the biography and I got it. I lack formal schooling beyond high school (except for some business courses) and this is what I need to help fill in the gaps in my education.
I was already looking forward to reading more Faulkner and this is definitely a help for my quest.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.2 USA, 10.8B Phillip)
+10 Review
Task Total = 40
Grand Total = 305
OK let's take another run at this. Starting from 290 points.
20.5 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Mauritius Command by Patrick O'Brian
+20 task
+10 combo (20.8 veteran 1930-1999, 10.8 Lucky 7, pub 1977)
+5 oldie (pub. 1977)
Task total 35
Total points 325
20.5 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Mauritius Command by Patrick O'Brian
+20 task
+10 combo (20.8 veteran 1930-1999, 10.8 Lucky 7, pub 1977)
+5 oldie (pub. 1977)
Task total 35
Total points 325
20.7 - Women of Achievement MonthThe Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer
+20 Task (In Chapter 22, the main character and her female housemate have a conversation about each of them being raised in a single-parent home, and there are many conversations throughout about fashion, jobs, and finances; also in Chapter 20 they talk about the housemate's desire to be a poet)
+10 Review
Task total=30
Grand total=490
I disliked the main character in this story, Carrie Bell, so much that I had to force myself to finish the book. She was totally unreliable as a girlfriend, a daughter, a best friend, an employee, and even as a housemate. Her method of dealing with problems was to literally pack up and run away without telling anyone, then call the people she had run out on and whine and cry and apologize. I couldn't muster much interest in what she finally decided. Toward the end of the book, there was a minor mystery that was mildly interesting--why was her boyfriend in New York estranged from his parents? It was only partially explained, which was too bad, as it was more interesting than Carrie's incessant vacillations. The book itself ran on too long. There were many long passages about sewing and fashion and fabric that got tiresome. There were several descriptions of Carrie's sexual encounters that contained TMI. The ending was not convincing. Nothing had happened that made me think that Carrie wouldn't wake up the next morning and just blow town again. I recently read Ann Packer's short story collection Swim Back to Me and really enjoyed it, but this novel was a disappointment.
10.7 MonsterfestBeyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks
It includes creatures called Krull that resemble zombies.
Review:
This is the last book in the Night Angel trilogy. Kylar is desperate to make Logan Gyre King while Vi is drawn deeper into the Chantry; Elene followed her there. (It’s really difficult to give a better “summary” and not also make it full of spoilers, especially for the first two books of the series …)
I first read this a few months ago in German as ebook and really loved it. Now I listened to the audiobook and wasn’t sure what to think of it. The beginning seemed slower when then I first read it. However, I still loved the ending. The climax provides a great resolution for all of those things that happened in the trilogy and even feeds on facts only mentioned now and then. That is actually the reason why I re-read the trilogy so shortly after first reading it: I wanted to go back and really concentrate on all the little details and hints, knowing the story already.
So all in all I didn’t regret going through the story again. This is a great fantasy series with depth.
+ 10 Task
+ 5 Multiple
+ 10 Review
+ 10 Jumbo (720 pages)
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 725
20.8 - Kate S' Task - Veteran's Day, November 11thSmall Vices by Robert B. Parker
First book published in 1973, died writing his last book in 2010
I've never read a Robert Parker novel before, I really enjoyed this one. A very straight forward read with lots of plot twists. Basically Spencer is trying to ensure justice is done when he is asked to investigate the wrongful conviction of a known offender. In doing so he comes up against some powerful adversaries, both financial and physically, nearly costing him his life in the process. His rehabilitation has an element of the Rocky films about it, which I enjoy. His battle to see justice done sees him outwitting his opponents to effectively save a man who will end up back inside eventually. A thrilling read and I definitely will be reading another Robert Parker novel.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.8: Published in 1997)
+10 Review
Task Total = 35
Grand Total =60
20.1 FrankensteinJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (2005 Locus First Novel)
Review: This book has been on my 'to read' list for a number of years now, so I included it when challenging myself to read one book a month that I've been avoiding. It was on my radar because so many people hold it in high regard, but I'd been avoiding it because it's huge, and because a number of people also said it was boring and overrated. Unfortunately, I think I come down on the boring side more than anything. I had a really hard time finishing it, although I also didn't want to give up and set it aside forever.
At its best, 'Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell' is a clever historical fiction book with magic, with touches of the whimsy that my favorite fantasy books use. Clarke's favorite way of showing that whimsy and cleverness is by capitalizing Important Phrases so they seem more like characters than ideas, and I have to admit I'm a sucker for that devise. It doesn't matter if it's on Twitter, a Facebook update, or the pages of a 1000-page book - it gets me giggling every time.
At its worst, the novel read more like a dry history book, albeit of an alternate history of England using magic during the Napoleonic Wars. Clarke's use of footnotes sometimes worked really well, and no one could fault her world building, but many of the footnotes really emphasized the dryness rather than the uniqueness of the story. In the end, I'm glad I finally read this book, and the last 10% helped make the experience worthwhile, even even without totally redeeming it.
+20 Task
+15 Combo (10.7 Monsterfest - evil faeries; 10.8 - 7 letters in Susanna; 20.7 - passes Bechtel Test - Emma and Arabella talk about Emma's state of mind)
+5 Multiple
+10 Review
+25 Jumbo (1006 pages)
Task Total: 75
Grand Total: 740
Knowing your ABC's15.10 - 10th book - letter J (2010)
Moving Violation by Melanie Jackson
+45 Task Points
Grand Total: 240
Knowing your ABC'sDoctorate bonus:
(A) 75 points if all 10 books are published within any 25-year period (1851-1875, 1932-1956, 1967-1991, etc.).
and
(B) 75 points if the books are read in chronological order (by original publication date) as well as alphabetic order (without repeating a year).
My reading list covers both A & B.
A: All novels were written within a 25 year period - 1987 to 2010
and
B: I read the novels in chronological order and by publication date, without repeating a year.
+200 Doctorate bonus
Grand Total: 440
Arow wrote: "Knowing your ABC'sDoctorate bonus:
(A) 75 points if all 10 books are published within any 25-year period (1851-1875, 1932-1956, 1967-1991, etc.).
and
(B) 75 points if the books are read in chrono..."
Congratulations! Good job!
20.10 World Suicide Prevention Day Orlando by Virginia Woolf
Bloom's Canon
Review:
Orlando is born male and grows to young manhood in the time of Queen Elizabeth I. Sometime in the 17th century he becomes ambassador to Turkey and while there, he wakes up one morning to find he has become female. Woolf makes no attempt to explain either the sex change or the fact that by the time the book ends in 1928 (the year it was written) Orlando is still only 38 years old.
Woolf called this a 'biography' but it's as much about the spirit of the ages as about a person. It's known as a feminist book but it's only in the 19th century with its crinolines and fussiness that Orlando feels any constraints related to being female.
This took me some time to get into, partly because the writing style is much less confident in the first half. When she starts to cover the 19th century Woolf gets into her stride (perhaps because she was much more familiar with the customs of that time) and I started to enjoy it. It's an unconventional book and an interesting take on bisexuality.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+15 Combo (20.4 author and title character are bisexual; 20.7 feminist author; 20.8 http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/v...)
+10 Oldies (pub.1928)
Task Total: 55 points
Grand Total: 785
20.8 Veteran's DayA Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Review:
It took me a month to listen to this audiobook (I have to admit that that is mainly because I listened to it together with my mom and we only had about an hour a day that we could spend together listening) and somehow the memory of where the story started has become quite hazy.
I like the whole series well enough but it’s not one of those series that I love and could read/listen to over and over again. Somehow I too often get the feeling that the author focuses on minor characters instead of the main characters and that makes the story feel to lengthy and drawn-out. Average and not too bad but also nothing special.
+ 20 Task (first novel in 1977; latest in 2011)
+ 5 Multiple
+ 25 Jumbo (1016 pages)
+ 10 Review
Task Total: 60
Grand Total: 785
20.1 FrankensteinPurple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Review: I have a hard time reading about child and spouse oppression and abuse. So this was a difficult read for me, occasionally twisting my stomach in knots. The story is told from the point of view of a teenage daughter, Kimbali, of a prominent and wealthy Nigerian man at a time of turmoil in Nigeria. The protagonist's father is a religious, generous and brave man but controlling and abusive at home. I kept hoping for something to make him understandable but realized at the end of the book, that the daughter does not understand him and since the book is from Kimbali's point of view, no revelation was going to appear. The story is well told and shows the tension between western Catholicism and traditional Igbo practices as well as those that have found a middle path.
+20 Task won the Commonwealth Writers Best First Book in 2005
+5 Combo 10.4
+10 Review
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 370
Task 10.6 a nonfiction book about an elected officialThe first elected president of the United States George Washington
Also fits Task 10.5: a non-fiction book by an author that was 60 or older when it was published.
Joseph J. Ellis was born in 1943; the book was published in 2004.
2004 – 1943 = 61 years old
Also fits Task 20.8 "veteran" author, one that has published books for 20 or more years
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E...
His Excellency: George Washington (2004) by Joseph J. Ellis
+10 Task
+10 Style:1. Combo (5 points): (10.5 non-fiction author > 60, 20.8 “veteran” author)
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points):
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 720 + 30 = 750
Review: The focus of this biography is the character of George Washington (as opposed to the actions of George Washington). Joseph Ellis spends time explaining how George Washington was a member of the Virginian planter elite, and how that position informed Washington’s views on the military, on the American Revolution, and on forming a new nation. In this biography, Washington is not perfect; he is a man of his times as regards to issues like slavery or the role of the common man in society. He is exceptional in his behavior after the American victory at Yorktown in that he desired a government controlled by representatives elected by the landed gentry rather than a government (like England’s) controlled by a hereditary aristocracy. America is fortunate that Washington believed and acted as he did after the war was won. Recommended for those interested in 18th century American history, and for those interested in studies of leadership.
Deedee wrote: "Kate S wrote: Unfortunately, "green" in this title is referencing a life-style or attitude, not the actual color. Would you like to move it to one of the other tasks for which it qualifies? ..."
..."
Deedee, 20.7 Bechdel Test calls for a novel, this seems to be non-fiction?
20.9 National Author’s Day
James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips
+20 Task
+5 Combo 20.4 (Alice Sheldon was married to men, but admitted being attracted to women. Her work is famous for exploring gender and human sexuality.).
Grand Total: 230 points
James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips
+20 Task
+5 Combo 20.4 (Alice Sheldon was married to men, but admitted being attracted to women. Her work is famous for exploring gender and human sexuality.).
Grand Total: 230 points
20.8 Veterans DayThe War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa
Review:
I haven’t rated this because it's obviously one of the great novels of the 20th century but I didn’t find it an enjoyable reading experience at all. It's a long historical novel, the story of a civil war that took place in north-east Brazil at the end of the 19th century. A religious cult formed around a man called 'the Counselor' or Antonio Conselheiro, becoming a revolutionary settlement of around 30,000 people who armed and defended themselves when the army came to try to break up the settlement. It's an extremely violent story with a lot of rapes, mutilations and corpses and there are no heroes, only a series of antiheroes. The cast of characters is huge and I had real trouble remembering which Joao was which, among other things. One of those mountainous books that I'm glad to put behind me.
+20 Task http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/m...
+ 5 Multiple (5th book for this task)
+10 Review
+ 5 Oldies (pub.1981)
+ 5 Jumbo (568 pages)
Task Total: 45 points
Grand Total: 830
Connie wrote: "Deedee wrote: "Kate S wrote: Unfortunately, "green" in this title is referencing a life-style or attitude, not the actual color. Would you like to move it to one of the other tasks for which it q...
Deedee, 20.7 Bechdel Test calls for a novel, this seems to be non-fiction? "
Yep, it's non-fiction. I've already used Square Peg. So, I guess this one has no points for this challenge.
Grand Total: 750 - 35 = 715
Isabell wrote: "20.8 Veteran's DayA Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Review:
It took me a month to listen to this audiobook (I have to admit that that is mainly because I listened to it together with m..."
Did you read the other ones in the series before this one? His book are lengthy but I never had a problem getting into them.
15.6 - 6th book - Letter FFor Love of Mother-Not by Alan Dean Foster (pub 1983) - Know your ABCs
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 755
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Endgame (other topics)The Sirens of Titan (other topics)
Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis (other topics)
Lost Memory of Skin (other topics)
Round The Red Lamp (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (other topics)Timothy Egan (other topics)
Arthur Conan Doyle (other topics)
Jeanne DuPrau (other topics)
Joan Hess (other topics)
More...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyodor_D...
Also fits: Task 10.3 Art Garfukel’s books he has read
#142, August 1978
The Idiot (1869) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Paperback, 615 pages) (edition I read)
Most popular edition:
The Idiot
Paperback, 720 pages
+20 Task
+05 Style:1. Combo (5 points): (10.3 Art Garfukel’s books)
+05 Style: 2. Multiple (5 points): Each time you repeat a task
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points):
+10 Style:4. Oldies (5 to 25 points): -76 to 150 years old: 10 points (1862-1936)
+10 Style: 5. Jumbo (5 to 25 points): -700 Pages: 10 Points
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 05 +10 + 10 + 10 = 60
Grand Total: 625 + 60 = 685
Review: Dostoevsky's definition of an “idiot” is someone who naively believes that everyone is good and honest and straightforward. Dostoevsky thinks that attitude is idiotic, because people are inherently selfish, greedy, lazy and dishonest. Our hero, the “idiot” (who also, like Dostoevsky, has epilepsy) trusts those around him, even when he really shouldn’t. The plot of the novel revolves around the romantic adventures and misadventures of the individual known as “The Idiot” and a handful of wealthy characters in the novel. The characters in The Idiot mostly act without thinking, just pure emotional responses to whatever current situation they are in (especially after consuming alcohol!). This makes their actions unpredictable.
Recommended for those who like sprawling Russian novels. (That said ….. War and Peace is a better choice if you only have time to read one sprawling Russian novel!!!)