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Fall 2012 Rws Completed Tasks - Fall 2012
10.7 Monsterfest IVGirl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 215
Edited from 15.2 to 10.7
RwS Task20.7 – Connie’s Task – Women of Achievement Month
Tigers in Red Weather: A Novel by Liza KlaussmannWhile looking for a book for the color task, I came across this cover. I just couldn't resist the book once I saw that gorgeous red (even though the color task ended up as a combo;)! I also wanted to read the book for the time period in which it began (just after WWII). I thought the whole book was going to be set in that time, but I was mistaken (I didn't read the whole summary ;). The book followed cousins Helena and Nick, their children and spouses into their later lives and had a murder mystery thread on top of that. It is told through five different points of view and the facts unravel under an uneasy sense of doom. The book turned out to be a psychological thriller as more facts were revealed by each character in his/her own voice. Each character moved the story both back in time where we see the same events through that character's point of view, but also each new voice advanced the story a bit farther into the future explaining more about how events of the past informed the future of the five main characters in the drama. I listened to the book and this enhanced the changes in voice through different narration styles. I liked this one a lot!
+ 20 Task: A. Bechdel Test- Helena and Nick(female) talk about their past visits to Tiger House, Daisy(Nick's Daughter) have a few different conversations about a party, something that happens at the party and one that would be a spoiler.
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo: 10.4 Celebrate Fall: Red
+ 5 Multiple
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 545
RwS Task20.8 - Kate S’ Task – Veteran’s Day, November 11th:
Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon is simply a master of the craft. Telegraph Avenue and the record store owned by friends Archy and Nat is threatened by the opening of a big mall that will probably put it out of business. Although I didn't know the place (Oakland, CA), I did know the feelings of change and nostalgia of a time past and that added to my enjoyment of the book as Chabon wove details about the music, movies and TV of the character's memories into the novel. The other main character in the book, Gwen, and Aviva, Nat's wife, are midwives and the racial issues still playing a part in their lives in 2004 are brought to the forefront through both the men and women's struggles to overcome them (Archy and Gwen are black and Aviva and Nat are white). There's a lot more to it and there are some other really well drawn characters. It's a very engaging slice of American Pie!
+20 Task: Chabon has published books from 1988 – 2012
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo: 20.7 Bechdel Test- Gwen and Aviva talk about midwifery and Gwen's problems at the hospital a number of times.
+ 5 Multiple
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 585
20.7 Women of Achievement Month - A: Bechdel TestGraceling by Kristin Cashore
The main character, Katsa, talks to several other female characters during the book, amongst other to her maid Helda when they first met about the fact how Katsa didn't have any personal servants and that Helda would like to be her friend. Another conversation that comes to my mind is with Princess Bitterblue about how they would cross the mountains and survive the experience.
+ 20 Task
(YA with low lexile score, so no style points)
Grand Total: 560
Christin wrote: "15.2 Know Your ABC'sGirl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 220"
I'm sorry. This is listed as YA at BPL, and it does not yet have a lexile. It does not qualify for ABC.
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "10.8 Lucky Sevens-
by Qui Xialonng (published 2007)Task Points: 10
Style 20(10.4-red, 10.9 to be continued-4th in series, review)
Review
I tried to like thi..."
Sorry, Jayme, but 10.9 can not be claimed as a combo
10.2 OktoberfestThe Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
author was born in Australia
+10 task
+10 review
Task Total = 20 pts
Grand Total = 135 pts
Review
Oh my goodness, where do I begin? I LOVED this book! Now, to be fair, one of my favorite novels is The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton so chances were good that I would like her newest novel. I was so certain that this would be true, though. I’ve heard from a few people that loved The Forgotten Garden nearly as much as I did that they just did not like her first novel, House at Riverton. So, when I saw that The Secret Keeper was offered as an advanced reader copy to reviewers, I accepted it with reservation. I told myself that I would read it with an open mind (all the while being afraid that Kate Morton was a “one hit wonder” with The Forgotten Garden).
Well, I’ve just read the last words within the last few minutes and I have decided that Kate Morton is one of the masters of stories that jump between different time periods and characters (is there an official name for this? I’ve heard a few: dual story lines, the “two nows structure”, etc.). I love stories like this, maybe because as a history major, I love to see how history affects our present lives and stories.
Anyways, back to my review…have I mentioned that I LOVED this story? It is beautiful and it is sad…it is about second chances and love and mystery. I couldn’t put it down. I had so many ideas on how the story would play out. In the end, I was happy with how Kate concluded the novel. She tied everything together nicely without seemed rushed about it or leaving loose ends.
I’ve read a few poorly written books lately (some I’m even able to finish) so it’s so refreshing to read something like The Secret Keeper.
15.5 - 5th book - Letter EPawn of Prophecy (900 Lexile) by David Eddings (pub 1982) - Know your ABCs
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 545
20.7 (B) Read a book written by a Feminist AuthorAphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses by Isabel Allende
Review
Isabel Allende is one of my most favorite writers. She is witty, sarcastic, wise and funny, her words are eloquent, her stories memorable.
Aphrodite was the first book I ever read by her and it was bought as a special treat for me many years ago, and now re-reading it I feel vilified that it was money well spent. After this book I was determined to find her other books and have become a great fan of her novels.
This particular book is nonfiction, a memoir of aphrodisiac foods, or the connection between food love and sex but it is so well written in her characteristic style that it emerges as more than just a manual on these foods and instead is a book to read and enjoy just for the sheer witticism and lyrically descriptive writing. I loved the funny little drawings of satyrs, nymphs and witches given in the book, they were totally adorable.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 10.8(C) year of 1st publication ends in 7, 1997
+5 20.8 Veteran Author. 1st book published in 1982
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 615
15.2 2nd Book of ABC'sThe Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker published 2009
Task: 15
Grand Total: 630
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Christin wrote: "15.2 Know Your ABC'sGirl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 220"
I'm sorry. This is listed as YA at BPL, and it does not yet have a lexile. It ..."
Thanks Liz - I asked Lexile to grade it, as it just came out, but I guess that hasn't happened yet. I'll re-do that post then to make it for something else then ^_^
Christin wrote: " I asked Lexile to grade it, as it just came out, but I guess that hasn't happened yet. I'll re-do that post then to make it for something else then ^_^"Keep an eye on it - we can change our listing!
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Christin wrote: " I asked Lexile to grade it, as it just came out, but I guess that hasn't happened yet. I'll re-do that post then to make it for something else then ^_^"Keep an eye on it - we ca..."
Thanks!
Know Your ABCs15.1, Letter M, published 1938
Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 965
Know Your ABCs15.2, Letter N, published 1939
The Enchanter by Vladimir Nabokov
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 980
RwS Task10.7 - Karen GHHS’ Task – Monsterfest IV
Team Human by Justine Larbalestier
+10 Task: Vampires and Zombies / Low Lwxile
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 595
Congrats on finishing your first round of ABC's Karen!
Task 20.2. Wuthering Heights
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
+20 task
+5 combo (10.3 Garfunkel)
+15 oldie (1811)
task total 40
Total points 190
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
+20 task
+5 combo (10.3 Garfunkel)
+15 oldie (1811)
task total 40
Total points 190
Task 20.7 Women of Achievement
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
+20 task
+ 25 combo (10.3 Garfunkel, 10.4 Fall colors, 10.2 US author, 20.4 Carmilla, 20.8 Veteran 1982-present)
+5 oldie (1982)
Task total 50
Total points 240
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
+20 task
+ 25 combo (10.3 Garfunkel, 10.4 Fall colors, 10.2 US author, 20.4 Carmilla, 20.8 Veteran 1982-present)
+5 oldie (1982)
Task total 50
Total points 240
Task 20.9 National Author's Day
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
+20 task
+10 combo (10.8 Lucky seven's - title, 20.8 Veteran 1971-present)
+5 oldie (1969)
Task total 35
Total points 275
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
+20 task
+10 combo (10.8 Lucky seven's - title, 20.8 Veteran 1971-present)
+5 oldie (1969)
Task total 35
Total points 275
Task 20.10. World Suicide Prevention Day
The Cosmic Computer by H. Beam Piper. (suicided 1964)
+20 task
+5 oldie (1963)
Task total 25
Total points 300
The Cosmic Computer by H. Beam Piper. (suicided 1964)
+20 task
+5 oldie (1963)
Task total 25
Total points 300
20.8 Veteran's DayThe Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
+20 task (author published at least from 1970 - 2006)
+5 multiple (3rd book for this task)
+5 oldies (pub. 1970)
Task Total: 30 points
Grand total 190
Task 10.1 Square PegVictor Sebestyen was born in Budapest, Hungary. He has two books published, one in 2006 and the one in 2009 (so no veteran writer). He was “only an infant” when he left Hungary, which happened around the time of the 1956 Revolution, so he probably was younger than 60 when this non-fiction book was published.
The only other task besides “Square Peg” that this book might fit is 10.6 “a nonfiction book about an elected official” because the book focuses on the actions of the Soviet Union’s Mikhail Gorbechev, elected officials of the West (American Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush), and the leaders of the Eastern Europen nations who were eventually elected in free elections during/after 1989 (Poland’s Lech Wałęsa, Czechoslovakia’s Gustáv Husák). If the moderators think it fits 10.6 then fine, put it there. I suspect 10.1 is a better fit because very little in this book is about the personal lives of the leaders; the focus, instead, is on the policy decisions these leaders made that resulted in the transition of Eastern Europe from Soviet satellite communism to a freer, more independent state of being.
Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire (2009) by Victor Sebestyen
+10 Task
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points):
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 445 + 20 = 465
Review: Journalist Victor Sebestyen has written a book aimed at the educated layman describing how Eastern Europe (Poland, East Germany, Czecholslovakia, Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria) changed from being Communist countries beholden to the Soviet Union to being the more independent, freer, somewhat free market countries they became in the 1990s. He was able to interview some of the participants; additionally, he had access to recently declassified documents from Eastern Europe. I remembered some of the events he described (especially Chernobyl’s toxic cloud floating over Scandanavia!); other events (the expulsion of Turks from Bulgaria) somehow passed me by at the time. Gorbachev is described as having had exactly one response to the events of Eastern Europe: disengage. I suspect that reality was more complex than that, but going into that complexity is beyond the scope of the book. President George H. W. Bush deserved more credit for the successful transition than the author describes (IMHO). But those are small criticisms to a book that succeeds as an introductory overview of the events of the time. Recommended as an introduction to 1980s East European / Soviet Union history.
Task 15.4 - 4th book - letter R (1991)The White Mists of Power (1991) by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 465 + 20 = 485
Review: This was Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s first published novel. The White Mists of Power is a stand alone fantasy novel. It has all the standard fantasy elements – pseudo-medieval society, a focus on royalty and aristocrats, palace intrigue, a magician or few. The character’s thoughts and feelings are better described here than in most fantasy novels. Recommended for fantasy fans (and her later novels highly recommended for fantasy fans).
Christin wrote: "Congrats on finishing your first round of ABC's Karen!"Well it's actually just my first time through my ABCs. It took me a long time to get through World's End because library due dates kept overriding my plans! I've made a couple of changes in my ABC plan so that I can finish! I had a lot of long books planned in both parts of the challenge this time;) Thanks for the encouragement, though!
Silver wrote: "10.3 - In celebration of Art Garfukel’s November 5th birthday, read one of the 1160 books he has read.
The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington
+10 Task
+5 Combo (20.8 - Kate S' Task - Vet..."
Unfortunately, this book is listed as young adult assignment at the Brooklyn Public Library, and does not have a lexile score assigned to it. Therefore, it does not qualify for any style points.
Karen GHHS wrote: "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 ..."
+5 Combo 20.7B-feminist authors
Don (The Book Guy) wrote: "TASK 10.9 Anika's Task, To Be ContinuedThe Grey King by Susan Cooper, published 1975, lexile 930
The Grey King is the fourth in a five part series by Susan Cooper. A fantasy series that uses th..."
+5 Combo 20.8
nsfancy wrote: "10.3 Garfunkel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson+10 task
+10 combo (20.6 Gothic, 20.5 Dr. Jekyll)
+10 oldie (1886)
Task total 30
T..."
Sorry, nsfancy, this does not qualify for 20.5 as it is not on one of the approved lists, nor is it non-fiction.
nsfancy wrote: "Task 20.2. Wuthering HeightsSense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
+20 task
+5 combo (10.3 Garfunkel)
+15 oldie (1811)
task total 40
Total points 190"
+5 Combo 20.7-feminist author
Deedee wrote: "Task 20.6 Read a book from the top 100 Gothic Novels#23 on list as of September 29, 2012
Northanger Abbey (Barnes & Noble Classics)(1817) by Jane Austen
+20 Task
+05 Style:1. Combo (5 points):..."
+10 Combo-10.8C (published in a year ending in 7) and 10.03 (Garfunkle)
Karen GHHS wrote: "RwS Task20.3 – In honor of Edgar Allen Poe’s Tales
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
I enjoy linked stories forming a cohesive whole, and Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio is the classic o..."
+5 Combo 10.3 (Garfunkle)
Kate S wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "RwS Task20.3 – In honor of Edgar Allen Poe’s Tales
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
I enjoy linked stories forming a cohesive whole, and Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Oh..."
Oh, thanks for these extras, Kate. I even looked up and knew about the Garfunkle one and still forgot!
20.2 Wuthering Heights-Rural SettingThe Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Lexile 880-970
+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.8)
+10 Oldies (1911)
+5 Multiple
Post Total: 40
Season Total: 1020
20.7-Feminist AuthorsThe Absentee by Maria Edgeworth
+20 Task
+15 Oldies (pub 1811)
+5 Multiple
Post Total: 40
Season Total: 1060
15.3 Know Your ABCsLetter O, published 1941
The Poor Mouth: A Bad Story about the Hard Life by Flann O'Brien
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 1075
In post 311 I claimed:20.8 - Kate S’ Task – Veteran’s Day, November 11th:
The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan
I posted that I had requested a lexile score and it is now posted as 950.
I'd like to claim:
+10 Review
+ 5 Multiple
+ 5 Combo 20.3 Poe's Tales - linked stories similar to Olive Kitteredge
+20 Total
Grand Total: 640
RwS Task20.8 - Kate S’ Task – Veteran’s Day, November 11th:
Seconds Away by Harlan Coben Low Lexile
+20 Task: Coben has published from 1990 to 2012
Grand Total: 660
RwS Task20.8 - Kate S’ Task – Veteran’s Day, November 11th:
Live Wire by Harlan Coben
I have long enjoyed Harlan Coben's mysteries and particularly Myron Bolitar, his series lead character. When I saw that he had started a new series for young adults, I was thrilled and I picked up and read book one of the Mickey Bolitar series, Shelter. While reading, I realized I had missed book 10 of the series, Live Wire, which had the backstory for Shelter. When Mickey Bolitar 2, Seconds Away, came out, I knew I had to read Live Wire and I finished both books today. I am glad to say that my reading of Live Wire was not spoiled by knowledge of some of what was to come next. In fact, I think it might have made it better. Myron's break with his younger brother is explained, but not without many twists and turns. If you've never read about the awesome Myron Bolitar, I suggest you start with book one and enjoy the ride!
+20 Task: Coben has published from 1990 to 2012
+10 Review
+ 5 Multiple
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 695
Kate S wrote: "nsfancy wrote: "10.3 Garfunkel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson
+10 task
+10 combo (20.6 Gothic, 20.5 Dr. Jekyll)
+10 oldie (1886)
..."
Sorry! Little wishful thinking there I guess.
+10 task
+10 combo (20.6 Gothic, 20.5 Dr. Jekyll)
+10 oldie (1886)
..."
Sorry! Little wishful thinking there I guess.
20.6 - DraculaDracula by Bram Stoker
+20 task (Gothic Novel)
+20 combo (10.2 - Oktoberfest, born in Ireland, 10.8 -Lucky 7, Published in 1897, 20.2-Rural, no. 38, 20.9-Veteran, first novel published 1875, last published 1911, )
+10 oldies (pub. 1897)
Task Total: 50 points
Grand total: 105
I used this combo on my most recent entry rather than this one. Apparently both Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde were born in Ireland.Kate S wrote: "Ashley wrote: "20.4 - Carmilla
The 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..."
Kate S wrote: "Christine wrote: "10.3 Art Garfunkel
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Review
This is one of those books that has been on the mental list for years. Every time I see the title or hear it m..."
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Reading with Style
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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Review
Sad, sad, sad. I am not saying the book is sad, the book is very good. It’s just so sad to see a young girl, full of promise, with all possibilities ahead of her sink into her personal hell.
Bell Jar had been sitting on my TBR for quite some time and I wasn't going near it as I thought it would be a depressing read, something I tend to avoid. I was all set not to like this book but found it to be very interesting and thought provoking. I have a background in counseling and though I do not practice, I could see what was coming and felt pretty helpless and kept on hoping someone would help.
Read this book it may help you to understand and empathize with people who go through such difficult and destructive experiences.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 20.7 Feminist Author
+5 10.3 Art Garfukel's Reads
+5 Oldies Published in 1963
Task Total: 45
Grand Total:560