Reading with Style discussion
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Fall 2012 Rws Completed Tasks - Fall 2012
10.7 - Karen GHHS' Task - Monsterfest IVHandling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Review
This book seemed a bit like zombies meets Stephen King's The Tommyknockers. I have to admit that I found it paled in comparison to Lindqvist's "Let the Right One In" which I thought was a brilliant work. But considering that zombies have been done to death (no pun intended) I do appreciate the rather fresh and original perspective this book brought to the subject.
This book was not about your movie zombies who are out to eat human flesh, but rather Lindqvist explores the social and moral problems that would occur should an event occur in which the dead should arise again. It explores the subject from various different points of view, from the scientific to the spiritual, and how the families of the "revliving" as they were deemed in the book would be affected and their reactions to the event.
Some very interesting and thought provoking ideas were put forth, but I did feel as if the ending was a bit anti-climatic, I felt as if the book was building up to this really big event, and that there would be some grand conclusion, but nothing is really explained or made clear.
+10 Task
+5 Multiples
+10 Review
Total Task Points: 25
Grand Total: 390
10.8 Lucky Sevens "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynnoption B Read a book with seven letters in the author's first name.
Task + 10
Review +10
Combo+5 (20.7 Amy has a conversatiom with another woman about a book)
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Book Total: 25
Grand Total:150
Rebekah wrote: "15.10 ABCsJ - 2012 - Fated by Benedict Jacka
+45 pts - Book
+200 pts - Doctorate"
I'm sorry, Rebekah, I completely let this slip by me.
Congratulations! Good job!
20.4 In Honor of CarmillaDiary of a Provincial Lesbian by V.G. Lee
Review:
'Diary of a Provincial Lesbian' follows a year in the life of Margaret, who at the beginning of the year is an ordinary woman living an uneventful life with her more glamorous and career-oriented female partner Georgie in a small seaside town in England. Unfortunately all is not well in the relationship and Georgie soon departs. Margaret is left with her lukewarm interests: her garden, her cat, her part-time clerical job, her neighbours and a few assorted friends, most of whom she doesn’t seem to like very much. She has a wry sense of humour and it's entertaining enough following her through the year as she adapts to life after Georgie. It all seems very realistic and could be about any woman with low self esteem who is suddenly left single. I don't know why I'm surprised by that. I suppose I expected the characters to be more aggressively 'lesbian' - but why should they be?
+20 Task (LGBT narrator)
+ 5 Combo (20.7, lots of conversations between women, not about men)
+ 5 Multiple: 3rd book for this task
+10 Review
Task Total: 40 points
Grand Total: 925
15.7 - 7th book - letter H
The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
+30 Task
Grand Total: 265 points
The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
+30 Task
Grand Total: 265 points
15.7 Know Your ABCs Seventh Book--Letter QDeath of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong (2000)
+30 Task
Grand Total: 420
RwS10.7 Monsterfest - The Passage by Justin Cronin
It didn’t take me long to get caught up in this book. I was all in and it was riveting…for the first portion of it. The middle portion sort of lagged for me, I’m really not sure where it was all going but then the third part of it picked right up again and I was enamored. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It has many of the things I love to read about – viruses, post apocalyptic, etc. and I’m really looking forward to reading The Twelve. I’m hoping to wait until I can get it in paperback though as lugging The Passage around was the worst part about the whole experience. Hardcovers are heavy!
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Jumbo (700+ pages)
+5 Multiple (this is my 3rd time completing this task)
Task Total=35
Grand Total=215 pts
20.8 Veteran AuthorThe Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen
This was a difficult read, yet I'm certain I'll be trying another Elizabeth Bowen. The cover of the edition I read includes: "Imagine a Graham Greene thriller projected through the sensibility of Virginia Woolf."
From the first, the reader is slightly off balance. Something is not quite right but what it is that's not quite right isn't at all clear. Contributing to the off balance feeling is a rather awkward sentence structure. The feather-etched chintz encasing armchairs and sofa advertised its original delicacy by being these days always a little soiled: about on the low tables stood high alabaster lamps with pale veined shades.
So which character is not who he seems? (Or she, for that matter.) And why? It's a quiet thriller, but these questions kept me reading. There was ample opportunity to read between the lines, though I occasionally felt as if I might be missing part of what the author intended for me to know. Still, it was creepy enough.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.2 Ireland; 20.4 for author)
+10 Review
+ 5 Multiple
+ 5 Oldie (pub 1948)
Task Total = 50
Grand Total = 505
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
Numerous conversations in the novel fit the criteria, including:
Part I: Our heroine Naomi and a female intern at the hospital discuss the architecture of the heart while a family member is having heart surgery
Part II: Naomi is attending an all-female college (Wellesley); she and fellow female students discuss what they are planning to do after graduation (attend Law School? Teach?). They perform Hamlet with an all-female cast, and 2+ female characters talk to each other about the play, who got cast in what role and why, when and where the cast party after the play will occur, and so on.
There are numerous other examples.
An Uncommon Education: A Novel by Elizabeth Percer
+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: 855 + 35= 890
Review This debut novel by Elizabeth Percer is told in first person by a young Jewish woman named Naomi. From the time she is young and throughout the novel, Naomi plans to become a cardiologist. The novel follows her through high school and college. She’s introverted and a bit nerdy – definitely not a social butterfly! I liked that Naomi doesn’t envy the blonde-hair-blue-eyes-cheerleader types. About 2/3rds of the novel follows Naomi through her four years of college at Wellesley. Apparently the author is a Wellesley graduate, so the details of college life are inspired by her experience there. It’s a “slice-of-life” novel, with the feeling that it began before page one and will continue after the last page. Recommended for those who like literary fiction, or fiction about life at college.
Know your ABC's round two15.3 - 3rd book - letter O
The Missing Ink by Karen E. Olson
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 485
20.3 Short Stories in Honor of Poe's TalesA Twist in the Tale by Jeffrey Archer
Review:
This book is a collection of short stories and is a light read. Archer does manage to keep the reader’s attention and while all the tales are engrossing and interesting some of them are a bit predictable. This remark should not be taken as a deterrent as the book is a very good collection of stories.
Archer is a master story teller as is evident from his many novels and he does spin a good tale. This book is handy to have around when if you are not in the mood for a long drawn novel yet want to read something short and interesting. He has other collections of short stories too and all of them are equally engrossing and entertaining.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Multiple
+5 10.3 Art Garfukel's List
+5 10.6 Archer has held a publicly elected position.
+5 20.8 He is a veteran author, 1st book pub in 1976
Task Total: 50
Grand Total: 1415
20.4 In honor of Carmilla (LGBT Author http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannie_F...)
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg
Review:
Ok this is a feel good book, if you are looking for a profound serious book, give it a miss. I loved it, Flynn has given it lovable quirky characters and they made me smile, the story is fun to read yet thought provoking and many times it made me laugh.
It’s the story of the people in a small town specially Elner Shimfissle, who’s fall from a ladder is the main event of the book. It is lovingly written, the little follies and overlapping lives of the towns people, the caring and sharing is nicely done. The eternal question “What’s life all about?” is also well handled. Fannie Flagg’s books are what I would call “comfort food for the soul”. Light, feel good, easy to read and easy to love.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Multiple
+5 20.8 Veteran author, 1st book pub in 1983
+5 20.7 Bechdel Test, many conversation between women, specially main characters on different topics
+5 10.5 Intl day for elderly. Elner is approx 80 years
Task Total: 50
Grand Total: 1465
20.7 Connie's Task, women of Achievement MonthMeets all 3 criteria of Bechdel Test
The Story of Beautiful GirlbyRachel Simon
Review:
A beautifully written book that focuses not just the people who are marginalized by society but also on the human spirit and the resilience of surviving under horrendous circumstances.
It illustrates both the cruelty and generosity of human hearts, the story is beautiful, sad and poignant, I’m so glad it ended on a happy note, otherwise I would have been most disappointed. The characters are well developed and very human the only time I got irritated was when too much really unnecessary detail was assigned to Homan’s life.
It’s a beautiful book and I’m looking forward to reading more works by Rachel Simon, he has the trick of keeping readers engrossed.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Multiple
+5 10.5 Intl Day for the Elderly, Martha is over 6o
+5 20.8 Veteran Day, Simon's 1st book pub in 1990
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 1510
20.6 DraculaCarnacki, The Ghost Finder by William Hope Hodgson (#86 on 100 Gothics List)
Review
A traditional telling of ghost stories using an unusual teller of the tales. Thomas Cranacki is an early precursor of Jason and Grant of the Ghost Hunters TV show. He is sent on cases where he attempts to “debunk” the paranormal experience. As he says, 99 out of a hundred have a material explanation. In this group of six stories the olds are a little less as at least half have a true supernatural experience or even a combination of both natural and supernatural explanations as in The Horse of the invisible. The narrator is one of four friends of Cranacki who from time to time summons them to his house, gathers them around the fire and begins a tale in which he has “Just returned from Ireland on a case” or Here is a case I have not told you before” He proceeds to tell the tale, answering questions after and with an abrupt “Out you go” signals the conclusion of the tale. Carnacki is a quasi scientific paranormal investigator. After first looking for natural explanations and having determined it is a paranormal entity, he has rituals he performs to keep himself safe such as smudging or creating an “electrical pentagram”. Sherlock with a twist, I enjoyed this book. It’s a shame the author died young in WW I. Although he wrote many stories, he never enjoyed the financial success.
+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Combo (10.8 William has 7 letters,20.3 - I read the orginal 6 story version. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnacki )
+10 pts - Review
+10 pts - Oldies (first pub together in 1913)
Task Total - 50 pts
Grand Total - 765 pts
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "15.10 ABCsJ - 2012 - Fated by Benedict Jacka
+45 pts - Book
+200 pts - Doctorate"
I'm sorry, Rebekah, I completely let this slip by me.
Congratulations! Good job!"
I know, I've just been keeping my nose down in a book and haven't looked up much to read any posts! (smile)
I just now saw this one that you posted. Thanks for the pat on the back!
20.4 CarmillaCarmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Review
A classic creepy, crawly, dree* gothic novel. Oh those Victorians with those hidden currents of sex and terror! What they did for storytelling is phenomenal. I can see where back in the day Carmilla would scare you under the bedclothes. The person you are close to and trust turns out to be the epitome of evil intent on doing you harm. Of course with the modern eye, quite a bit of it was predictable but it is amazing to realize how original it was in pre-dating Dracula. I have questions, whatever happened to the conniving mother and about the LBGT character though, Why did she have a male lover devoted to her in life but became fond of women after death?
*A new archaic, Scottish word I learned in Carnaki, the Ghost Finder. It means dreary, heavy or burdensome. Often used to describe the atmosphere in a haunted environment.
+20 pts - Task
+20 pts - Combo (10.2 Ireland, 20.6 #8 of 100 Gothics list, 20.7 The two girls talk often about everything but men, 20.8 1845 - 1872)
+10 pts - Review
+10 pts - Oldies (1872)
Task Total - 60 pts
Grand Total - 825 pts
10.3 Art Garfunkel's BirthdayHiroshima by John Hersey (#796)
Review
This book should be read in every high school, and re-read by all politicians. This book begins the day the first nuclear bomb was dropped in Hiroshima to quickly finish WW II. It follows the main characters through the years chronicling their well being, physical, mental and spiritual. As the years go by, every country that obtains nuclear weapons is named and it is shocking how rapidly the buildup has occurred. This book addresses the government’s cover-up of any negative effects of the on the Japanese for years. I found that part of the book just as frightening. This book is a real thinking book to ponder on days after completing the reading of it. Thank you for suggesting it, Kate.
+10 pts - Task
+10 pts - Combo (10.10 Group Reads, 20.8 1942 - 1994)
+10 pts - Review
+5 pts - Oldies (1946)
Task Total - 35 pts
Grand Total - 860 pts
20.8 - Kate S' Task - Veteran's Day, November 11thPublished from 1976-2012
Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Reveiw
I was left with some conflicted feelings about this book. Though on the whole I would say that I enjoyed reading it. It was not quite as good as I would have hoped for.
In a sense it seems as if Yarbro takes a similar approach to the vampire as Anne Rice does, in humanizing the vampire and exploring human feelings within vampires, turning it into an unexpected hero, yet without making the vampire too shall we say fluffy or sparkly. But I feel that Yarbro lacks the psychological depth of Rice's writing, and so for me the character of Satin-Germain was not vividness. In some ways the characters of the book felt too shallow and did not come alive enough for me.
There were some elements in the book that seemed like a touch back to Bram Stocker's Dracula which I did appreciate. Also I enjoyed the historical angle. I find the legend of Saint-Germain to be an interesting one, and I enjoyed the idea of retelling it as a vampire.
There were moments when I feared this book would descend into too much of a paranormal romance for my preferred taste but I think that Yarbro did a good job of not deviling too much into the romantic plot and still kept an interesting story outside of the romance going.
One of the biggest disappointments for me in this book was that Saint-Germain seemed a bit too human, other then the fact that you are told he is a vampire, and a few subtle hints, there really was not much about him that felt very vampirc, he seemed to lack certain powers and abilities that one expects to find within vampires. Though it was an original as well as a bit more of a realistic take, I myself wanted a bit more of a supernatural element. I do like how Yarbro played with some of the common folkloric myths about vampires in this book.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.4 – In honor of Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla)
+5 Multiples
+10 Review
+5 Oldies
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 440
10.8B-Lucky SevenSeven Letters in Author's first name
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
+10 Task
+10 Oldies (pub 1862)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 1375
20.3 In Honor of Edgar Allen Poe's TalesCollected Ghost Stories by M.R. James
+20 Task
+10 Combo (20.6, 20.8)
+5 Oldies (pub 1931)
+5 Multiple
Post Total: 40
Season Total: 1415
15.5 Know Your ABCs5th Book, Letter Q, pub 1947
Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 1435
20.10 Suicide Prevention MonthThe Periodic Table by Primo Levi
Review: This book is made up of a series of essays that come together to form a partial history of many things: of Primo Levi, of his family, of the Jewish people, of Italy, of chemistry, etc. Each essay has a title of an element of the periodic table that ties the story together, although not being a chemist I'm not sure I thoroughly understood each thread. The essays focus primarily on Levi's life in the time preceding and directly following his experiences in Auschwitz, but it (and perhaps also his suicide) pervades the collection.
The first essay, 'Argon', was a little off-putting to me. It was a tale of Levi's family and the Turin Jewish community, which was interesting but a little difficult to keep track of. He chose to use (and define) many Yiddish words, and that combined with the introduction of so many people and small anecdotes made it a bit of a slog. I never quite understood how argon came into play, and I found myself wondering exactly what came of some of the family members during WWII.
The benefit of an essay collection is that if one does not grab you, others may. Pieces of the later essays will probably stick with me for a while. In 'Zinc', he explains how his Jewishness has always been something in the background of his life: "...I had always considered my origin as an almost negligible but curious fact, a small amusing anomaly, like having a crooked nose or freckles; a Jew is somebody who at Christmas does not have a tree, who should not eat salami but eats it all the same, who has learned a bit of Hebrew at thirteen and then has forgotten it." Once the Holocaust began, I doubt he ever was able to look at his heritage in the same light again - or to escape it. In 'Iron', he describes his relationship with a school friend who was sparse and direct with words, and whose life and influence therefore proved difficult to explain on paper.
In 'Silver', he attends a college reunion, and while he makes no direct mention of the war, I cannot imagine what it must have been like explaining what had happened in those 25 years. Most striking to me, in 'Vanadium', he comes into contact with a German civilian from the lab where Levi worked while a prisoner in Auschwitz, who once asked him, "Why do you look so perturbed?" He struggles with how to deal with their correspondence, stating, "I did not feel capable of representing the dead of Auschwitz, nor did it seem to me sensible to see in Muller the representative of the butchers." It is obvious that in the end Levi could never get the answers or closure he may have desired from Muller - instead, he ended up being asked to provide those things to a man who was at best a passive bystander in Nazi brutality.
+20 Task (Levi threw himself from his apartment building in 1987 - http://bostonreview.net/BR24.3/gambet...)
+20 Combo (20.3 - shelved under 854 I believe - it was an 8-4 number but BPL is down; 20.5 - on Lab Lit list; 20.7 - If This Is a Man / The Truce was first published in 1947 and he published up to his death; 20.8 - this is a memoir in essays)
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (published 1975)
Task Total: 55
Grand Total: 990
Edit to post 92Switching Ashes of Honor from 10.9 To be Continued to 20.4 Carmilla (Seanan McGuire is bisexual: http://seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com...)
-10 Original Task
+20 Replacement Task
+5 Multiple
Net Adjustment: +15
Grand Total: 1005
20.3 -- Poe's TalesFire Watch by Connie Willis
I had high hopes for this book, because I typically love Connie Willis. And it didn't disappoint, exactly. I was intrigued by a lot of the stories, and the title story was terrific (and the main reason I picked up the book). "Blued Moon" was funny and showed off Willis' wit. "Service for the Burial of the Dead" was REALLY creepy, as was "Lost and Found" in a different way. A few stories I liked less, finding them a little confusing. And that I think is the biggest issue I had with the book -- many of the stories felt like they could have been longer, even whole novels, and might have been better off that way, since then some of the interesting angles could have gone a bit further. Maybe Connie Willis is better as a novelist than a short story writer, because I've really enjoyed all her novels. But this was definitely not a *bad* read...just not quite as good as I had hoped.
+20 task (collection of short stories)
+10 review
+5 oldies (pub. 1985)
Task Total: 35 points
Grand total 410
20.7 Women of Achievement MonthCapital by John Lanchester
+20 Task (The shopaholic Arabella, a main character, talks to her best friend about a trip they are planning, and discusses preferred places to shop with another friend)
+10 Combo (10.2 Lanchester was born in Hamburg, Germany; 10.5 One of the main characters, Petunia Howe, 82, was dying and busily looking back over her life)
+ 5 Multiple
+ 5 Jumbo (577 pages)
+10 Review
Task total=50
Grand total=575
This book is set in London before and during the financial crisis of 2008. I was a little worried that it would be dry and boring, but it was just the opposite. It's one of my top 10 books of the year. The characterization and dialogue were wonderful. Lanchester is an astute observer of human nature and social interactions. The plot held my interest the whole way. It's about the residents of Pepys Road, an area of nice but older homes that suddenly skyrocket in value. There was even a bit of a mystery thrown in - who was responsible for the increasingly sinister mailings to the residents of Pepys Road, and what was the motivation? But the real attraction to me was the intimate look into the lives of four or five of the families living on the street, not to mention all the interesting peripheral characters. There is a lot of wry humor and there are some laugh out-loud scenes. Throughout there are musings on life, death, the culture of "labels, logos and conspicuous consumption all the way," and whether any lessons were learned from the financial meltdown.
20.5 Jeckyl & HydeThe Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
From the lab lit list
Review: The narrator for the audible.com version of this book does an excellent job. He reads the text in a somewhat robotic voice that is a perfect match for the internal monologue running through the head of the autistic narrator.
Though this book is shelved as science fiction, there isn't much science fiction to the novel. Instead, it's a pretty interesting exploration of the thought process of a high-functioning autistic. His high functioning level is loosely explained by the science fiction bit of the book: he was born in the near future at a time when a "cure" for autism has been discovered and is used as a prenatal treatment, but he's just a bit too old to have been cured, but young enough to have benefitted from excellent early interventions.
Unfortunately, the author couldn't quite decide how to get off stage and ended the book with a rushed and choppy ending that wrecked the otherwise good reading experience. But for the last few chapters, the book would have been a four-star or maybe even a five-star book for me. But instead of grappling with the difficult questions raised by the book, the author chose a relatively TV-movie-ish ending. Still, the book is worth reading for the exploration of ways that a high-functioning but different brain might work.
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo (20.8)
+10 Review
Task total: 35
Grand total: 515
20.7 Women of Achievement MonthThe Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
+20 Task (There are several female main characters who have many conversations not about men, topics including drug abuse, village history, health, dieting)
+ 5 Multiple
+10 Review
+ 5 Jumbo (503 pages)
Task total=40
Grand total=615
This book has nothing to do with Harry Potter, as probably everyone knows by now. Rather than wizards and magic, the book deals with the gritty realism of many social issues. The plot involves a storm of conflict in a small idyllic-appearing English village. Times are changing. An aging housing addition within the village's borders,("the Fields"), has become a problem because of drug addiction, neglect, families being supported by the government generation after generation, family violence, you name it. When one of the village councillors dies unexpectedly and his council seat becomes available, things really heat up. Some of the council members want to re-draw the boundaries and shift responsibility for the housing addition and its drug rehab clinic to a neighboring town, thus the tension over the upcoming election. A lot is at stake in whether the replacement councillor is pro-Fields or anti-Fields. The upcoming election causes many of the characters to behave at their very worst, being mean-spirited, malicious, and selfish. Family members turn against each other in some very astonishing ways. It is simply a sad and depressing story. But the quality of the writing is very good. I read the book nearly straight through, getting so caught up in it. But there are plenty of terrible things happening, and there's no way I would give the book to children or even teens. The language is rough; there are countless f-bombs and other obscenities and blasphemies. There are sexual acts, drug use, infidelities, cyber-bullying and bullying in person, and abusive fathers. However, none of it seemed gratuitous. The author is addressing serious problems, and nothing is sugar-coated. It is a well-told, well-written, compelling story that offers a dismal view of society.
15.8 Know Your ABCs-Eighth Book Letter RThe Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care by T.R. Reid (2009)
My Review
+30 Task
Grand Total: 450
20.10 Suicide PreventionTo the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Review
I’m not usually a big fan of Woolf. Mrs. Dalloway wasn’t my favorite and just totally lost the plot when I read Orlando. The navel gazing of the 1970’s is my least favorite literary era and Wool seems to be the precursor of this style with the whole story happening inside of people’s heads. People living a life of “quiet desperation”, people I probably wouldn’t be best friends with. Anyway it seemed to start that way with this book but as it started wrapping up and coming full circle then I loved it. Then it seemed to become a real story with a beginning, middle and end. So I ended up giving it 5 stars.
+20 pts - Task (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia...)
+20 pts - Combo (10.3 - p21, 20.4 http://www.glbtq.com/literature/woolf... , 20.7 Option B, 20.8 see wikipedia article above)
+10 pts - Oldies (1927)
+10 pts - Review
Task Total - 60 pts
Grand Total - 920 pts
20.8 Veterans DayHarriet by Elizabeth Jenkins
Review:
Based on the true story of Harriet Staunton, a young woman with learning difficulties who in 1875 married a young man who was only after her money. Her mother tried and failed to get the courts to protect her. Her husband turned Harriet against her mother and then left her with his brother’s family where she and her new baby were neglected and starved while the husband lived with another woman. Written years later in the 1930s, this is a heartrending story brought vividly to life by Elizabeth Jenkins who read about the trial of the husband and his brother, sister-in-law and mistress, and was haunted by it.
+20 Task (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/j/e...)
+ 5 Multiple: 6th book for this task
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (pub.1934)
Task Total: 45 points
Grand Total: 970
20.7 Women of Achievement MonthRip Tide by Stella Rimington
This is the sixth book in the Liz Carlyle series, which is written by a former MI5 director in England. I of course don't REALLY know, but a lot of the details of life in an intelligence organization seem true to life, and that sort of detail is presumably where the author's life experience really helps her. I think what rings true is the way she depicts life in MI5 as a blend of annoying bureaucracy and intriguing clue-following. The stories are always interesting, if like me you enjoy spy thrillers. I also appreciate that although Liz does have romantic attachments during the books, she doesn't obsess about them overmuch -- I don't like when a good mystery gets interrupted by too many pages of angst about whether so and so loves you. Liz's angst is nicely contained. I'm looking forward to Stella Rimington's next installment!
+20 Task (The main character, Liz, talks to her colleague Peggy on a regular basis about the case they're working on. She also talks to Tahira, an agent, about her life at home.)
+5 Multiple (3rd book for this task)
+10 Review
Task Total: 35 points
Grand Total: 445
Post 707Silver wrote: "10.1 - Square peg
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Reveiw
At the onset, and on the surface this book initially felt a bit like a modernized version of the Great Gatsby, a story about the s..."
Silver, this qualifies for both 10.2-USA and 20.8, therefore is not eligible for 10.1. Please let me know where you want to move it. Thanks
Post 716Don (The Book Guy) wrote: "TASK 10.2 Oktoberfest
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman published 2012.
The debut novel by this London attorney, turned writer lives up to the hype. Basic plot childless couple on lonely ..."
Sorry, Don, 10.2 is not eligible for the multiple bonus
Kate S wrote: "Post 707Silver wrote: "10.1 - Square peg
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Reveiw
At the onset, and on the surface this book initially felt a bit like a modernized version of the Great Ga..."
I beleive I used 10.2 for USA already so I did not think it would count for that again.
Silver wrote: "Kate S wrote: "Post 707Silver wrote: "10.1 - Square peg
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Reveiw
At the onset, and on the surface this book initially felt a bit like a modernized version ..."
You are right, you can't use it twice, but if a book qualifies for the task, it can't be used for 10.1.
Kate S wrote: "Silver wrote: "Kate S wrote: "Post 707Silver wrote: "10.1 - Square peg
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Reveiw
At the onset, and on the surface this book initially felt a bit like a mode..."
I beleive the other book quallified for more than one task so I could I change this one to the USA 10.2 if I went back and removed it from the other book?
Yes, you can move what you want around. In post 341, you claimed Lonesome Dove for 10.2-USA with combos for 20.8 and 10.3. Let me know how you want to proceed.
Kate S wrote: "Yes, you can move what you want around. In post 341, you claimed Lonesome Dove for 10.2-USA with combos for 20.8 and 10.3. Let me know how you want to proceed."Thanks for finding that for me. I would like to change Lonsome Dove to 20.8
And American Psycho to 10.2-USA with a combo for 20.8?
No problem, it should be reflected as such in the next Readerboard update! :)
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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)
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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)
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+ 10 task
total = 10