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Fall 2012 Rws Completed Tasks - Fall 2012
Know Your ABCs15.5-Fifth Book
Letter E-published 2001
Alexandra: The Last Tsarina by Carolly Erickson
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 170
Kate S wrote: "Kme_17 wrote: "10.7 - Karen GHHS' Task - Monsterfest IVCalifornia Demon: The Secret Life of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom
+10 task
task total = 10
Grand Total=10""
+5 Combo 10.2-USA, author was..."
Oh wow Thankyou! :)
20.4 - CarmillaThe Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
+20 task (LGBT author)
+10 combo (10.3 - Garfunkel, 20.6-ranked 4th, )
+10 oldies (pub. 1890)
Task Total: 40 points
Grand total: 55
10.9 To Be Continued...Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
Review: In this, the thirteenth book of the Dresden Files, Harry is the titular ghost. He has destroyed the vampire Red Court and left many of his friends in danger, damaged, and/or dislocated. As with many of Dresden's successes there are unintended consequences. The vacuum left by the removal of the Red Court has drawn the bad guys into battle for power. And Harry has to learn to communicate with and affect the living. This is NOT where to start with Harry's adventures. Although the author, Jim Butcher, does fill in enough details that the story can be followed, you would not know and see the development of the people in Harry's world such as Molly, Mortimer, Karrin, and Butters. And just wait to see where Harry will be taking us next!
+10 Task (13th book in a series. I have read the previous 12)
+5 Combo 10.7 (while Harry is the Ghost of the title and he debates whether he has become a monster that is up to the reader-I base claiming points for this task on the presence in the book of wraiths, lemures, evil formors, a corpsetaker, and even a fairy godmother that her godson describes as "a being of violence, deceit, and the thirst for power"
+10 Review
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 70
Task 10.1 Square PegA Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir
+10 task
+10 review
+5 jumbo (537 pages)
Task Total: 25 pts
Grand Total = 40 pts
My review: I have long been a fan of Alison Weir's non-fiction books on English history. So, when I saw that she was coming out with a novel set during the 15th and 16th centuries, I jumped on it! (Somehow, I'd missed that she has written other novels). I couldn't wait to start this novel was very happy to receive it as an ARC. Having been a fan of her non-fiction work, it took me a few chapters to adjust to her "fiction" writing style. It is much simpler than her non-fiction (my guess it to reach a wider audience).
I liked the beginning of A Dangerous Inheritance (once I adapted to her new writing style)...I abhorred the middle (too long and drawn out)...and I LOVED the end. It is actually the last one pages or so that lifted my rating of this novel from 3 stars to 4 stars. Alison did an amazing job at tying everything together in the last few chapters. So many authors don't seem to know how to end their novels and everything just gets thrown into a big pot of words...but the ending of this novel made it all worth it. In addition to the novel, there is an extra "chapter" that goes into the research and real life stories of the characters in Dangerous Inheritance. I found this very interesting.
I think if there is one thing (well, maybe two) negatives that I found for this particular novel it is that it was very confusing at times with the chapter switching between the two main protagonists. Yes, they went by different names (Katherine vs Kate) and yes, they lived in different time periods, but....they lived in the same area and although each protagonist had her own set of supporting characters, it was very frustrating since many of the names were the same, ie. Earl of Lincoln, Duke of Buckinghame, five billion different Elizabeths (well maybe that's a tiny exaggeration). Oh, and that second negative...it just seemed too long for what I was wanting and expecting...
All that being said, I definitely recommend A Dangerous Inheritance for any lovers of historical fiction.
Deedee wrote: "Task 20.4 written by an LGBT author.Joanna Russ, Lesbian:
http://www.glbtq.com/literature/russ_...
Picnic on Paradise (1968) by Joanna Russ
Nebula Award Nominee for Novel (1968)
Also fits ..."
+5 Combo 10.2-USA
RwS Task20.7 – Connie’s Task – Women of Achievement Month, September:
Gold by Chris Cleave
I wanted to read Gold before the London Olympics, but I had to settle for after. The descriptions of the training and competition between Kate and Zoe are amazing and bring out the grueling nature of Olympic competition. There's emotional stress as well for the two women. Kate must balance the needs of her family and Zoe must come to terms with her past. The coach, Tom, who is an aging former athlete, must train them both and try to stay neutral and Jack, Kate's husband and a part of Zoe's past, must also navigate the emotions and rigors of the sport. All this plus the daughter suffering from leukemia has caused some readers to call it a soap opera and although I agree that it was a bit over the top at times, I enjoyed it and found Chris Cleave's writing strong as usual.
+20 Task: Bechdel Test: the most significant conversation was between Zoe and KAte toward the end of the book and would be a major spoiler. Others that fit were between Zoe and Kate about training and Zoe and her agent.
+ 5 Multiple
+10 Review
Task Total: 35 points
Grand Total: 160
RwS Task20.8 - Kate S’ Task – Veteran’s Day, November 11th:
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
Ahh, Dickens! I'm such a sucker for his themes of the downtrodden! I enjoyed this one and also took the time to watch the movie (which was a little too sappy) since I read half the book last season and wanted to experience the story as a whole before I wrote the review. The beginning sections remain my favorite. I love the way Dickens describes the school that isn't really a school and the acting troupe that Nicholas joins. I even love that they are pretty stereotypical. There are such clear lines between the heroes and villains and that is satisfying every once in a while. I will always love Oliver Twist the most, but I am glad I finally read Nicholas Nickleby and Great Expectations both of which I very much enjoyed!
+20 Task: Published books 1837 – 1870
+ 5 Combo: 10.3 Garfunkle
+ 5 Multiple
+10 Review
+15 Oldies: (1839)
+20 Jumbo: (957 pages)
Task Total: 75
Grand Total: 235
Isabell wrote: "10.7 - MonsterfestDeadlocked by Charlaine Harris (includes Vampires, pub. in 2012)
Review:
I liked this latest installment of the Sookie Stackhouse books better than some of the previous books. ..."
+5 Combo 10.2-USA
20.9 National Author's DayJulian Grenfell by Nicholas Mosley
Review:
This was not what I expected but I really enjoyed it. Julian Grenfell, born in 1888, was an aristocratic army officer and poet killed in the First World War. Unlike many war poets his best known poem 'Into Battle' celebrates war rather than dealing with the horrors. He was killed in the spring of 1915 so perhaps he didn't have time to become disillusioned - but he was a man who enjoyed hunting and shooting more than almost anything else, so perhaps it was just his nature.
Nicholas Mosley was married to a granddaughter of Julian Grenfell's mother Ettie (Julian would have been his uncle-in-law if he had lived) and the book was written with full access to the family papers that Ettie kept. Because of this (and perhaps also because Mosley had known Ettie) there is a huge amount about her in the book. She was a beautiful and popular socialite who numbered many Edwardian politicians among her admirers - until she moved on to young men of her son's age.
Altogether it is a fascinating look at the 25 years from 1890 to 1915 and the build-up to the war which Mosley portrays as inevitable because both sides wanted it and were virtually looking for an excuse to fight.
+20 Task (biography of Julian Grenfell )
+ 5 Combo (20.8 http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/n...)
+10 Review
+ 5 Oldies 1937-87 (pub.1976)
Task Total: 40 points
Grand Total: 150
10.2 OktoberfestSalvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Review: I had trouble getting into this book at first, but once it got going, man did it get going! We get to know Esch, Skeetah, Randall, Junior, and their dad, along with assorted other characters, over the course of 12 days or so. Every chapter seems jam-packed full of *things* to think about -- how Esch is going to handle her pregnancy, how the siblings relate, how Randall’s dreams are deferred...and all the while you know what they don’t know about the storm approaching. In that way, Katrina hanging over their heads makes this almost like a horror movie. The story built up almost like a hurricane, moving from slow, meandering winds to furious speed and power. Definitely a good read!
+10 task (Ward was born in the US)
+10 review
Task Total: 20 points
Grand Total: 95 points
20.2 Wuthering Heights The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain (on Blooms list)
Review: I can’t believe that this is the first time reading this, but it is. I think that Huck is an awesome character although he needs a bit more of a backbone. It’s a story about his adventures along the Mississippi and his becoming ‘civilised’. I loved to use of the dialects, and possibly the notice at the start even more" “PERSONS attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.
BY ORDER OF THE AUTHOR”
I listened to the Lit2Go recording of this which I found pretty funny. There were a few times when I wanted to hit my head at the stupidity of the boys but overall it was an awesome story. I would definitely recommend the Lit2Go recording; it’s probably the first audio book that I’ve listed to without tuning out.
+ 20 task - # 10 on list
+ 10 combo (10.2 author born in US, 10.3, 20.8 published between 1873 A Gilded Age, and 1907 A Horse’s Tale)
+ 10 review
+ 10 oldies – first published in 1884
Task total = 40
Grand Total = 150
10.4 Celebrate FallThe White Bone by Barbara Gowdy
This book tells the story of massacre and destruction of elephants. In many ways, it's a universal refugee story as these elephants try to find a safe home while avoiding chaotic and uncontrollable violence all around. The author makes a serious attempt to get into the head of the elephants. The elephant life is envisioned and described as a fully realized society with religious feelings, psychic communication, myths, ability to talk to certain other species, and complicated societal norms. On the one hand, this works to draw the reader into the society and is technically impressive as a world-building exercise similar to something one might expect in science fiction. On the other hand, I found some of the elements so fantastical -- mind-talking, made up words, inter-species communication -- that it distracted from the grim story of elephant migration in search of a Safe Place.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.8(b) [Barbara]; 10.2 [author is Canadian])
Task total: 30
Grand total: 30
Eleanor wrote: " 20.2 Wuthering Heights The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain (on Blooms list)
Review: I can’t believe that this is the first time reading this, but it is. I think that Huck is an awes...
+ 20 task - # 10 on list
+ 10 combo (10.2 author born in US, 10.3, 20.8 published between 1873 A Gilded Age, and 1907 A Horse’s Tale)
+ 10 review
+ 10 oldies – first published in 1884
Task total =
Know Your ABCs15.1 - First Book
Letter A - published 1991
Time's Arrow by Martin Amis
+15 Task
Task total: 15
Grand total: 45
Know Your ABC's15.1 - First Book - Letter A (1987)
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
+15 Task
15.2 - Second Book - Letter B (1988)
Dances W/Wolves -Op/111 by Michael Blake
+15 Task
Grand Total: 30 points
15.1 - 1st book - Letter AI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (1070 Lexile)
Published 1969
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 135
20.8 Veteran AuthorLoving Sabotage by Amélie Nothomb
This book is a wonderful short novel (or maybe a memoir--the author claims in the afterward that the story, even the character names, are all true and unchanged, if somewhat unreliable given that they are the author's memories of her seven-year-old self). The story traces three years in the life of the author living as a child of diplomats in the 1970s in China. From ages five to eight, the author describes the "war" carried on by the children and the author's own first devestating crush on a neighbor girl. I loved the narrative voice and will definitely look for more by this author.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (20.7 - Dialogue between the female narrator and her love interest, Elena; 20.4 - the story is about a first love, but it's children who are seven, so nothing sexual happens; I believe the author grows up to like men, but I think it fits here since the love described is clearly of an infatuation, not a mere friendship, between the narrator and a same-sex person)
Task total: 40
Grand total: 85
20.8 Veteran AuthorMultnomah: The Tumultuous Story of Oregon's Most Populous County by Jewel Lansing
Review: This is a political history of Multnomah County, Oregon. Multnomah County is the home of Portland and Gresham, Oregon (the largest and fourth largest cities in the state). The book covers the good, the bad and the sometimes ugly in county government. I was born in Multnomah County and have lived most of my life here. I found this fascinating. I am not sure why but I am pleased to know that the idea of painting a yellow stripe down the center of a road originated here. It was the result of a deputy sheriff coming up with a safety idea for the Multnomah County end of the magnificent Columbia Gorge Highway soon after it was built. He couldn't get the county commissioners to fund the idea and, in true western style, bought the paint and painted the stripes himself.
The book brings into focus things that I was only vaguely aware at the time and puts into perspective the scandals and struggles of the county. I think this is an important book for people in the metro area and other Oregonians. You cannot understand where you are going unless you know where you have been. The books ends with a list of questions to be answered in the future as well as some invaluable appendices.
+20 Task Jewel has published books from 1991 to 2012
+10 combo 10.5 Jewel is 82, 10.6 she served as elected county and city auditor
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/in...
+10 Review
Task total: 40
Grand Total: 110
10.9 - To Be ContinuedThe Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel by Stephen King
This book tells a story within a story within a story. It was narrated by Roland to the ka-tet as they took shelter from a storm. The story he tells is set in the early days when Roland was young and not yet a gunslinger. I just don't want to put in any spoilers, but the atmosphere and mood are very similar to the first volume in the series, The Gunslinger. This book is definitely one to read if you are a fan of the already-completed Dark Tower saga, despite the fact that chronologically it falls in the middle of the series. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. The plot never got bogged down, the story had a strong ending (unlike many of King's books), and I never expected to see such tenderness in one of his novels.
+10 task (The Dark Tower #4.5)
+15 Combo (10.7 There are several scary creatures- perhaps the worst is the shape-changing Skin-Man; 10.8 (B) 7 letters in the author’s first name; 20.8 King published Carrie in 1974 and is still going strong)
+10 Review
Task total=35
Grand total=215
Task 20.8 "veteran" author, one that has published books for 20 or more years. Sean Russell:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Rus...
Sea without a Shore (Moontide and Magic Rise #2) by Sean Russell (Mass Market Paperback, 598 pages)
+20 Task
+05 Style: 2. Multiple (5 points): Each time you repeat a task
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points):
+05 Style:5. Jumbo (5 to 25 points): -500 Pages: 5 Points
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 10 + 05 = 40
Grand Total: 145 + 40 = 185
Review: “Moontide and Magic Rise” is a 1,204 page novel. It was broken up into 2 parts: Book 1: World Without End; and, Book 2: Sea without a Shore. I read World Without End over the summer (alas, it fit no Summer task), and continued with Sea without a Shore just now. Book 2 picks up “the next day” after the end of Book 1; there is no re-introduction of characters and no summaries of what went on in Book 1.
I’ll review the 2 books together as one whole. The novel’s setting is a pseudo-18th Century world, with 2 countries vying for control in the world – a pseudo England and a pseudo France. The plot revolves around a young naturalist who is thrown into court intrigues, combined with magical happenings that not everyone believes are magical. There exists an exotic plant in the King's arboretum (obtainable only from a pseudo-Indonesian island chain) which is a powerful healing plant. The king has lived a longer time than most people, and he believes that is because of the plant. The young naturalist, along with some court ‘players” go on a long ocean voyage to obtain more of the plant. Book One focuses on the young naturalist and his voyage; Book Two focuses on Averil Kent, a senior citizen painter (and spy!) who lives at the Royal Court, and who sorts out for his employers the consequences of the young naturalist’s voyage. The ending resolves all plot points (something that doesn't always occur in novels). Overall, an internally consistent fantasy told in a straightforward style. Recommended for Fantasy fans.
RwS Task20.6 – In honor of Bram Stoker’s seminal gothic horror work Dracula:
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
I enjoyed this Jane Austen novel that I had missed before having only read her more well known books. I enjoyed Catherine and her love of books, but understood why my family gets annoyed when I tie conversations to books I've read! I was expecting more of the book to revolve around her gothic fantasies in Northanger Abbey, so I was a bit disappointed that the bulk of the book was about romances and balls and aloof men, but it was all presented with a great sense of humor which made it enjoyable reading. I was impressed by the writing style as always and thought it was especially impressive since it was an early work in her career. I'm glad I chose it, but I want to read a more frightening book for this task also to honor Dracula!
+20 Task: Gothic Novels #22
+10 Combo: 10.3 Garfunkle / 10.8 Lucky 7s (published 1817)
+10 Review
+15 Oldies (published 1817)
Task Total: 55
Grand Total: 290
10.8 - Lucky SevensBlockade Billy by Stephen King
The only thing I knew about this story before reading it was that it was about baseball. (Stephen King is a big fan of baseball in general, and of the Boston Red Sox in particular.) The story is set in 1957, but has the atmosphere of an earlier time. The narrator is a retired coach, living in a nursing home many years later. The story turned out to be quite depressing, and I don't know why that surprised me. It's a typical King story - it's pretty much a given that his characters are not in line for a good day. Another downside is the four-letter words and crude language. There is a lot of baseball jargon too, but a reader with just an average amount of baseball knowledge wouldn't get lost. The plot was one of the strengths. I certainly didn't forsee the ending. This short novel could easily be filled out into a King-length novel.
+10 task (B) 7 letters in the author’s first name
+5 combo (20.8 - Veteran's Day)
+10 Review
Task total=25
Grand total=240
20.9 National Author's DayEncyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Most of the memoirs I've read lately have dissected a particular event in the author's life: an attempt to walk the entire Appalachian Trail; the discovery of a deceased spouse's infidelity; a trek of self-discovery on the Pacific Crest Trail. This one was notable in that it doesn't dissect a particular event, but the author herself. She has it organized just as the title indicates: as encyclopedia entries. The writing is spectacularly funny (there's even a list of "wines that go nicely with this book" on the inside flap). It's witty ("Bad Movie: Upon hearing that a friend of mine saw a bad movie, a movie I knew would be bad and never would have gone to see myself, I think, Of course that movie sucked.How could you have thought it wouldn't? You are sheeplike to have gone to see it in the first place. This is definitely going to affect our friendship."). It is absolutely life-affirming and makes me grateful for every day. It was lovely. I will recommend it to absolutely everyone I know.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.2, author born in USA)
Task Total = 35
Grand Total = 80
10.7 MonsterfestShadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
contains demons, vampires and witches and even many of the "good" ones are scary, much less the evil ones. Pub. 2012
Review
Sex, romance, time travel, murder, emotional reunions with dead people, a stranger book, ancient mysteries, demons, witches, vampires and children.
Can’t beat that combo with a stake! The second part of the upcoming trilogy by Deborah Harkness that begins with A Discovery of Witches and carries on the impossible love of a witch and vampire as they travel to Elizabeth I’s England and meet the likes of Christopher Marlowe, Walter Raleigh, The Earl of Northumberland, The Holy Roman Emperor, and Elizabeth herself among many others we’ve read about.
Although I’m not much of a Charlene Harris or twilight fan, I really enjoyed the first book and downloaded the second immediately. The best thing is Harkness was in Houston recently and although I was traveling, my daughter got to meet her and get her autograph! I can’t wait for the third book as naturally there were unfinished threads to weave.
+10 pts - Task
+10 pts - Review
+ 5 pts - Combo (author's first name has 7 letters)
+ 5 pts - Jumbo (584 pages)
Task Total - 30 pts
Grand Total - 150 pts
Know Your ABCs15.6 Sixth Book
Letter F, Published 2004
The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 190
RwS20.5 Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde
Off the Lab Lit list
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.5-Dr. Swenson was a 72 year old woman, 20.7-Dr. Swenson and Dr. Singh had several conversations about medicine and the character/society of the Lakashi)
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 220
Task 10.7 MonsterfestCity of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
(demons, vampires, werewolves)
+10 Task
Grand Total = 105
20.8 - Veteran's DayThe pharaoh and the priest by Bolesław Prus
+20 task
+10 oldies (pub. 1896)
+5 jumbo (500-699 pages)
Task total: 35 points
Grand Total: 35 points
20.8 Veterans DayGents by Warwick Collins
Review:
I enjoyed this unexpected little tale of goings-on in a men's public toilets in London. The story follows middle-aged Ez as he starts work alongside two other Jamaican-born Londoners cleaning the Gents'. The innocent Ez cannot imagine what can be going on when he spots two men leaving the same cubicle. He is enlightened by his workmates but soon they are having to take action because the Council is embarrassed by the place being such a well-known venue for 'cottaging' (homosexual activity in public toilets) and is threatening with closure and redundancy.
This is very entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny in places. I was a little uncomfortable with the way that the three staff call the cottaging men 'reptiles'. There's a suggestion that the men are mostly not gay (on the assumption that openly gay men would have better places to go) so it's stigmatising the activity rather than the orientation but I wasn't entirely convinced by that. But the three main characters are very convincingly portrayed and Ez is lovely.
+20 Task (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/w...)
+ 5 Combo (10.8 C pub.1997)
+10 Review
Task Total: 35 points
Grand Total: 185
Arow wrote: "Know Your ABC's15.1 - First Book - Letter A (1987)
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
+15 Task
15.2 - Second Book - Letter B (1988)
Dances W/Wolves -Op/111 by Michael Blak..."
Arow, please include only one book per post! It really helps with error-checking the scores. Thanks!
ETA: And did you read the "Dances with wolves : the illustrated story of the epic film" by Kevin Costner (edition linked in post) or "Dances with wolves : the Novel" by Michael Blake?
10.2 OktoberfestSabriel by Garth Nix
Lexile 1060
Review:
I don't always like fantasy novels but I did like this one. It was not too complex and with my limited imagination for fantasy I still managed to follow everything :) I liked the main character, who is a girl of about 18 with an inheritance of magical powers and a responsibility to save the world (surprise!) from the returning Dead, and I especially liked the talking cat Mogget. I'm keen to know what happens next and I do plan to read the rest of the trilogy - to be honest that's partly because book 3 is in my plan for Know Your ABCs, but I do want to read them too, and that's rare for me with YA fantasy.
+10 Task (author born in Australia)
+10 Review
Published 1995 so it's too old for 10.7.
Task Total: 20 points
Grand Total: 205
Task 10.5 a main character who is over the age of 60Heroine Mrs. Palfrey is well over 60 years old.
Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (1971) by Elizabeth Taylor (Paperback, 224 pages)
Shortlisted for Man Booker Prize Nominee (1971)
Also fits: Task 20.8 "veteran" author, one that has published books for 20 or more years.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabet...
+10 Task
+05 Style:1. Combo (5 points): (20.8 "veteran" author)
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points):
+05 Style:4. Oldies (5 to 25 points): -25 to 75 years old: 5 points (1937-1987)
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 10 + 05 = 30
Grand Total: 185 + 30 = 215
Review: Mrs. Palfrey, an elderly lady, moves to a hotel in SW London, England, to live until she needs to move into a nursing home. There are a handful of longtime residents at the hotel, combined with people who come and stay for short durations (a night, a week). Mrs. Palfrey expects visits from family and friends --- and is disappointed when the visits don’t occur. By chance, she meets an aspiring young male writer and her life changes in unexpected ways. I liked the way the author told the story – just enough details to tell the story, with the focus only on two main characters (no George R. R. Martin cast of hundreds to keep track of!) Apparently this novel was made into a movie (I haven’t seen the movie). Recommended for fans of literary fiction.
10.7 MonsterfestEternal Pleasure by Nina Bangs
Review: I only read this because the Vaginal Fantasy group here on Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/6...) chose it for the month, and also... shapeshifting dinosaurs! It's basically a typical paranormal romance. Ancient gods who last had the souls of dinosaurs (okay, that one's new) have been put into the bodies of gorgeous men to save humanity from evil villains. Throw in a few vampires and werewolves, plus the love interest, who is human but has some sort of special trait that makes her valuable to the dinos, and there you have it.
The story focuses on Ty (he was a T-Rex!) and the 'special' human, Kelly, who feel an instant animal attraction to each other. Lust turns into (immortal) love within the period of about a week, during which they (really, Kelly) end up defeating the local big bad.
I don't have very high standards for this kind of book, which probably took about 2 hours of actual reading time, but this one really didn't do it for me. It is part of a series, so it's possible that some pieces of what felt like an unfinished puzzle will end up being filled in during future installments, but I doubt I'll be seeking them out. Props for the dinosaur idea though.
+10 Task
+5 Multiple
+10 Review*
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 160
*Edited to include points for review*
Task 20.8 "veteran" author, one that has published books for 20 or more years. Thomas Mallon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_M...
Also fits: Task 10.2– an author born in one of countries hosting Oktoberfest festivities: United States
Thomas Mallon Born: November 02, 1951 in Glen Cove, New York, The United States
Watergate: A Novel (2012) by Thomas Mallon (Hardcover, 434 pages)
+20 Task
+05 Style:1. Combo (5 points): (20.2 Oktoberfest - USA)
+05 Style: 2. Multiple (5 points): Each time you repeat a task
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points):
Total: 20 + 05 + 05 +10 = 40
Grand Total: 215 + 40 = 255
Review: The novel covers events from the day of the Watergate break-in until the day of Nixon’s resignation. Mallon expects readers to have a well-rounded knowledge of the main characters, as well as the lesser knows in the Watergate fiasco. I do . Many well-known names from the early 1970s appear briefly throughout the novel, which I find entertaining. Historical characters are introduced by their name alone: “Kissinger”, “H. R.Haldeman”, since it is assumed the reader can fill in the background on their own. Mallon mixes real-life events with invented conversations by historical figures, and with the lives of a handful of fictional characters affected by the events of Watergate. Recommended for readers who remember the ins and outs of the Watergate scandal and are OK with a sometimes fictional, sometimes real rendition of those events.
Task 20.8 Veteran's DayEnder's Game by Orson Scott Card
+20 Task
(no style pts -- YA assignment/780 Lexile)
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 115
Ashley wrote: "20.4 - CarmillaThe Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
+20 task (LGBT author)
+10 combo (10.3 - Garfunkel, 20.6-ranked 4th, )
+10 oldies (pub. 1890)
Task Total: 40 points
Grand total: 65"
I show your total to be 55
15 (post 64)+40 (post 117)
Thanks
Karen GHHS wrote: "RwS Task20.8 - Kate S’ Task – Veteran’s Day, November 11th:
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
Ahh, Dickens! I'm such a sucker for his themes of the downtrodden! I enjoyed this one and also t..."
+5 Combo-10.8B (Charles has 7 letters)
Kate S wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "RwS Task20.8 - Kate S’ Task – Veteran’s Day, November 11th:
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
Ahh, Dickens! I'm such a sucker for his themes of the downtrodden! I enjoyed ..."
Thanks, Kate!
10.4 Celebrate Fall (color in title)The Red King by Andy Mangels
Review:
The Red King is the second part of the Titan-Trilogy, that continues the events of Star Trek after last film (Nemesis). It is nice entertainment for those who watched the tv series and want to know more about Riker’s future as captain. Deanna Troi and Tuvok are also part of the Crew. Except for those the crew mostly consists of non-humanoid species, so one really has to stretch their imagination and memory to “see” the characters right.
A bonus of the German audiobook is the narrator: Detlef Bierstedt was also the German voice for Wil Riker, so even the narrator sounds “Trekkie”. He still manages to gives every character their own voice. You can literally watch another episode in your head while you listen to the audiobook. Usually I prefer the English audiobooks, but in this case I might even make an exception if there were an English audiobook.
+ 10 Task
+ 10 Revies
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 180
15.1 ABC First Book Letter KUnbound: A True Story of War, Love, and Survival by Dean King (2010)
my review
Task total: 15
Grand Total: 125
20.8 Veteran's DayEnterprise by Vonda N. McIntyre
Review:
I was in the mood for some Trekkie-books last week, so after listening the series continuation, The Red King, I also read a prequel to the original series, which narrates the story of Captain Kirk’s first mission aboard the Enterprise. His first mission consists in ferrying a cabaret group to the locations of their performances. Kirk feels that he has deserved a more exciting mission, but he doesn’t know yet that his ship will encounter a yet unknown species during their travels.
In comparison the The Red King I liked The Red King better. Enterprise: The First Adventure was a nice read and it was certainly interesting to read about the beginnings, but the first chapters of the book were quite weak and sometimes the characters and events seemed just ridiculous. I liked the second half of the book better.
+ 20 Task (McIntyre published books between 1975 and 1997, Wikipedia article)
+ 10 Review
+ 5 Oldies (pub. 1986)
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 215
20.7 - Connie's Task - Women of Achievement Month, SeptemberSwamplandia! by Karen Russell
The book contain several conversations with Ava, the narrator, and her sister Ossie.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.2 - Oktoberfest: US ; 10.7 - Monsterfest : her sister Ossie runs away with a ghost)
Task total = 30
Grand Total = 85
20.1 FrankensteinThe Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson
Review:
I had intended to read a book by James Patterson for quite a while now. So I got his first book, The Thomas Berryman Number, from audible. I have to say I’m not impressed and judging by this book, I can’t understand why he is so popular. Judging by other reviews of this book, this seems to be his weakest book, so I might still give another of his books a chance.
The Thomas Berryman Number isn’t a long book but it is too long for this non-existent plot. I’ve had a really hard time in getting into the book and the audiobook narrator didn’t help, either. There are some audiobook narrators that manage to really get a book across; Will Patton isn’t among them, at least not for me. Perhaps I’ll try to read the next James Patterson book instead of listening to the audiobook (or I’ll try to find one with another narrator).
+ 20 Task (won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel in 1977)
+ 10 Review
+ 5 Oldies (pub. 1976)
+ 5 Combo (20.8: first published book in 1976, latest published book in 2012 (Bibliography))
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 255
10.6 ElectionsThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
Review:
Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography is sometimes referred to as the first How-to-Book (at least I read that somewhere, though I can’t recall now where). It’s certainly interesting to read (or hear when listening to the audiobook) of his early life and how he became a man of importance. Also, the writing style isn’t too monotone or boring (I’m listening to a novel right now that has a more boring style than this non-fiction). Usually I struggle with biographies (or autobiographies/memoirs), but this belonged to the better ones I’ve read so far.
I listened to the free LibriVox audiobook of this book. Those are of varying quality. This production was of average (tending to good) quality.
+ 10 Task (amongst others, he was President of Pennsylvania: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin...)
+ 15 Oldies (pub. 1790)
+ 10 Combo (10.5; 20.9)
+ 10 Review
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 300
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Reading with Style
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California Demon: The Secret Life of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom
+10 task
task total = 10
Grand Total=10""
+5 Combo 10.2-USA, author was born in California (according to Wikipedia)