October 2012 Challenge - Under the Harvest Moon

[April]

Janice wrote: "I found that I was getting bogged down with my real life book club. They were the only books I were reading and they weren't necessarily something I would have picked. Finally, I realized that I ..."

Good point!

[April]

Almeta wrote: "jaxnsmom wrote: "And remember, Connie, Debra and Almeta are freaks of nature. (no insult to ya'll)..."

I really don't think that I read that fast. I am retired and living single. During the Topp..."

Ahhhhhhhh.......retirement sounds lovely. Good point! You are correct.

[April]

Kat wrote: "Well said everyone. Everyone reads differently - I can read quite fast but I'm easily distracted. I'd have to lock myself in a room with no Internet and have books given to me one at a time to rea..."

I, too, am easily distracted. Maybe for the next toppller I will treat myself to a nice hotel room. Romeo can come with. Haley can have "Dad time".

[Janice, Moderator]

We could do a retreat for the next Toppler - somewhere remote with sleeping quarters (if we chose to sleep) and catered food. It would be much like the quilt retreats I go to.

One can chat up a storm while quilting, but how much reading would we get done at a retreat? Still, we could try!

[Beth]

Janice wrote: "We could do a retreat for the next Toppler - somewhere remote with sleeping quarters (if we chose to sleep) and catered food. It would be much like the quilt retreats I go to.

One can chat up a s..."

oooooh. that sounds good (impossible but good)

[Janice, Moderator]

We'd have a blast at any rate. :)

[April]

Janice wrote: "We could do a retreat for the next Toppler - somewhere remote with sleeping quarters (if we chose to sleep) and catered food. It would be much like the quilt retreats I go to.

One can chat up a s..."

Well, we could have a DIY retreat and chat up a storm while creating pop ups of Johnny Depp!

[jaxnsmom]

Kat wrote: "I'd have to lock myself in a room with no Internet and have books given to me one at a time to read as much as I would like to, but unless I commit a crime and get sent down that won't happen."

I think most of us would agree that committing a crime and confessing just so you could have uninterrupted time to read with no distractions is a little extreme. You need to think of a safer way! ☺

[jaxnsmom]

April, that retreat would also have to include Connie's drink-making book!

[Lara]

jaxnsmom wrote: "April, that retreat would also have to include Connie's drink-making book!"

I'll second that! :-)

[Janice, Moderator]

It could be dangerous. DIY cocktails, a late arrival of JD asking, "Where'd the rum go?"

[Kat]

jaxnsmom wrote: "Kat wrote: "I'd have to lock myself in a room with no Internet and have books given to me one at a time to read as much as I would like to, but unless I commit a crime and get sent down that won't ..."

Yep, that's why I'm probably not going to go that far. It does work better when I send Mr Kat out to play with his friends though!

[Kat]

Janice wrote: "It could be dangerous. DIY cocktails, a late arrival of JD asking, "Where'd the rum go?""

Yeah, I'm betting not many pages would get read - we'd be lucky to get through a book between all of us ;-)

[Pragya]

Ah, a retreat does sound good.

[Debra]

I, like my sister, have a lot of leisure time. I only work 22 hours a week, and my hubby does all the chores including fixing my meals. So, when I'm off work and don't have appointments, I pretty much relax and read. I do find myself getting stressed when a book is taking me longer to read than expected; especially if I'm reading for a challenge or toppler. I try to remind myself that reading is for MY ENJOYMENT, not some contest. And I'm not competing with anyone but myself. If I compared myself to others, I'd get depressed. There's always someone faster than me; Connie, for example.

Chill, baby, chill! A feel-good book sounds like the ticket right now.

[Debra]

My points for Shapes Of Midnight:

1 Horror theme
1 Author in northern hemisphere
4 Title in pumpkin orange
3 Full moon on cover
5 Letter S in title (Shapes)
5 5-Star rating
10 Many stories had supernatural beings in them
---
29 points
-3 Less than 200 pages
--
26 points total

[Almeta]

Debra wrote: "My points for Shapes Of Midnight:

1 Horror theme
1 Author in northern hemisphere
4 Title in pumpkin orange
3 Full moon on cover
5 Letter S in title (Shapes)
5 5-Star rating
10 Many stories had sup..."

looks like another book gets added to my list!

[Debra]

You know I'll let you borrow it, and it's an indigo!

[Janice, Moderator]

Debra wrote: "You know I'll let you borrow it, and it's an indigo!"

My sister is across the Pacific Ocean from me - makes for lending and borrowing books a little difficult. But, it can be done.

[Debra]

That does present a bit a problem!

[Ava Catherine]

April, you need to find the best "fluff" book that will hook your interest and have a ball reading it. Just get into the story and forget about how fast you are reading. The more "easy" books you read at a faster pace that you enjoy to get your confidence up, the faster you will read, and you won't even realize it. I always told the kids in my English class that it does not matter how fast or slowly you read; it matters that you comprehend what you read and enjoy the selection. Speed will come if you forget about it, but you are killing the pleasure of reading by getting all twisted in knots over your reading speed. Who cares how fast you read? Give yourself a break, stop comparing yourself to others, slow down, and enjoy your books! I have told you that I have more free time than you do. I am retired and only give private tutoring lessons during the week, which leaves me many hours to read. If I want to stay up late and read, it is no big deal. You have a very young child, which makes a world of difference. When my son was very young, I was totally devoted to him, so there would have been no way I could have read so much for myself. You have to set your priorities and not worry about what others lives are like.
Just breathe and let it go! ; ) It is supposed to be fun!

[Cherie]

Hi All. I was just reading through this thread and it looked interesting. I went to My Books to see if I could find a title with Night in it to read, and realized that I had just finished a book last week that qualifies for this challenge :D

Live by Night
2 points = Thriller
3 points = Family
1 point = Author was born in Northern Hemisphere
4 points = 416 pages
4 points = 4 Stars
10 points = for ocean voyage
24 Total Points
You can tell me they do not count, but here is my justification for the Family points and the Ocean Voyage extra points. This book is about Gangesters and rival Mob families on the east coast during prohibition from the 1920s to late 1930s. Here is the streatch for the extra creadit. The main characer is taken out into the ocean off of the coast of Florida by some rival gang mobsters to be buried at sea. His feet were encased in cement and he was rescued by his gang, just as they were geting ready to throw him over the side of the boat. What do you think? I know that this is all for fun and I will not be upset if it is a NO-GO for either.

[April]

You're moving right along, Cherie!

[Beth]

OK, my badge desperation will now be clear. Realized I don't have time to deal with this challenge and all my October reading commitments if I used Midnight's Children. So I have found a replacement:
Good Morning, Good Night!: A Touch & Feel Bedtime Book by Teresa Imperato

Points:
1 point – Author is from the northern hemisphere
3 points - Cover has a full moon on it
2 points – Title is 4 words long
less than 200 - deduct 3 points
3 points - 3 stars
Bonus Points: 10 points each St Francis of Assisi's Feast Day (Oct 4). Has a main character who is an animal (shifters and werewolves are not valid for this bonus).

Total 16 Challenge Done!!
****
Corrected to 17 with point for GOOD

[Almeta]

Beth wrote: "OK, my badge desperation will now be clear. Realized I don't have time to deal with this challenge and all my October reading commitments if I used Midnight's Children. So I have found a replacemen..."

AND I think for GOOD:
1 point - Has some word describing the night also. Eg Black, Cold, Dark, Long.

[Debra]

Reading slower is a great challenge, Judy. I sometimes wiz through books so fast, I can't remember the characters' the next week. I've got to stop rushing around. I know the adage is: "So many books, so little time," but I'm never going to be able to read all of them. I like participating in the challenges for fun, but I can't take them so seriously or I'll lose the enjoyment of reading altogether. Almeta and I have talked about this many times. We finish one book and immediately pick up the next. We need to breathe, digest, and slow down.

[Beth]

Almeta wrote: "1 point for GOOD"

DIdn't know if I could take 2 from one category. Ok. so my total would be 17.

[Cherie]

Thanks, Gaeta, for confirming my Ocean Voyage for me.
It was a pretty good story. A friend from work gave it to me. After I told him that I had read it, he said it was a sequel. I started the 1st one, The Given Day, but did not get too far because I stopped to read another book for the Rainbow challenge.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

YAY everyone who has completed the challenge since I have been gone. Got internet in my apartment in Paris so thought I would pop in and see how everyone was going (and apparently trying my hand at typing on a French keyboard).

Personally, I finished Night Watch this morning on the train. I will fill in the rest when I get back.

[Janice, Moderator]

She's in Paris.... and checking in on YLTO! There's something wrong with that picture.

Go, little grasshopper, go. Eiffle Tower! The Louvre! The Seine!

[Kat]

Oui oui mademoiselle. How was the nighmare flight? Glad to see you arrived safely!

[Almeta]

In keeping with Harvest Moon, you should watch Midnight in Paris.

[Beth]

Almeta wrote: "In keeping with Harvest Moon, you should watch Midnight in Paris."

Great suggestion!

[[deleted user]]

Should that not be us watching Midnight in Paris, Rusalka can experience it first hand (depending on which way the jetlag strikes!)

[Ava Catherine]

Rusalka, have fun in Paris!!! ; ) Wish we were there with you! lol

[jaxnsmom]

Just remember - All work and no play makes Rusalka a dull girl :)

[Beth]

Everyone in the path of Sandy, stay safe. We are all holed up hoping the creek behind the house doesn't flood too much and the trees stay up rather than falling on the house.

[Ava Catherine]

The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern

Total points: 60 points

Genre: 9 points
Mystery 5 points
Romance 4 points

Theme: 13 points
Astrology. 5 points: Poppet "reads" the stars and sees the future. She sees the disaster looming ahead for the circus and the people associated with the circus. Because of her ability to read the stars, she is able to help Celia save the circus and its people.
Food. 4. points: The smell and taste of the food at the circus is integral to the atmosphere of The Night Circus. Lavish Midnight Dinners are given at Chandresh's home in London for the circus backers and some of the performers. These decadent dinners are important for the running of the circus.
Family. 3 points Family is explored as a theme in The Night Circusin an unusual manner. Celia's father betrays her by binding her in a competition to the death without her knowledge when she is only six years old. Her mother has just committed suicide, and Celia has only been with her father for a very short time. Her father never feels remorse for his decision and is always cold and stern. The circus people become Celia's family, and she cares very deeply for them as they do for her. Then she falls in love with her competitor Marco. She, Marco, and the circus are family and bound together forever.
Bailey is so unhappy with his biological family that he runs away and becomes a part of the circus family. Marco binds him to the circus forever, but Bailey says that he would follow Poppet anywhere. She and the rest of the circus are Bailey's "real" family.
Mythology: 1 point: The myth of Merlin being bound in a tree by the magic of a maiden he falls in love with is central to this book.
Also, Widget can see the past written on people and tells it in stories. He tells the old myths and stories of the ancient world as well as a person's individual past. He is an important character, and his storytelling is integral to the book.
References to Greek and Roman myths occur throughout the book.

Location: 9 points
Hungary: 5 points
Turkey: 4 points

Author: 1 point
Northern Hemisphere

Cover: 0 points

Title: 0 points

Pages: 3 points
387 pages

Stars: 5 points
5 stars

Columbus Day: 10 points
The characters, including the ones following the circus, travel all over the globe, especially between London and New York. The setting of the book is 1873 - 1903.
Hallowen: 10 points
There are so many supernatural beings in this book. Celia is an illusionist, but she was born with this talent. She can disappear, heal a wounded bird, heal her own crushed hand, change the color of her dress, make paper birds real, make a defective clock work perfectly, etc.
Marco makes an Ice Garden where everything is made of ice, even the flowers. If you pick a flower, a new one grows in its place. The flowers have a sweet smell just like real flowers.
He has a huge fire pit glowing with white fire inside the circus, and that is how he keeps up with the circus.
He builds a memory pond where you can drop your sorrows into the pond with a stone and feel refreshed because Celia's friend is killed, and he wants to bring her relief.
Poppet looks at the stars and sees the future written there.
Widget looks at a person and sees his past written on him.
Prospero learns how to "become invisible" but ends up becoming a ghost.

[Janice, Moderator]

Wow! Great points, Connie!

[Ava Catherine]

Thank you, Janice. : )

[April]

Thanks for breaking down the points, Connie! I will just copy yours, if you don't mind!

[Shirley]

Barely finished in time!
Hope the scoring is ok.

Deadly Night



Paperback, 389 pages (first published 2007)
I listened to the audible version.

Aidan Flynn, a private investigator and eldest of the Flynn brothers, scoffs at the rumors the New Orleans, Louisiana, plantation his family has inherited is haunted. After he finds a human bone on the grounds, Aidan is joined by the tarot card reader Kendall Montgomery to uncover the truth.
Romantic Suspense Paranormal

The rules:
5. The book must be read between October 1 - 31, 2012.
Point Qualifiers:
Genre:
5 5 points - Mystery
4 4 points - Romance
Theme: (Please explain how your book fits the theme.)
3 3 points - Family
Author:
1 1 point – is from the northern hemisphere
Linda S. Howington (born August 3, 1950 in Alabama, United States) is an American best-selling romance/suspense author under her pseudonym Linda Howard.
Heather Graham South Florida
Cover (must be the version you are reading. If you are listening, most popular version):
2 2 points – Is predominantly green
Deadly Night
Title (must contain night, dusk, evening, twilight or midnight):
1 point - Has some word describing the night also. Eg Black, Cold, Dark, Long.
Deadly Night
Pages:
3 300-399 - 3 points
Stars:
3 3 points - 3 stars
Bonus Points: 10 points each:
10 3) Halloween (Oct 31). Has a supernatural being in it. 
Deadly Night
31

[jaxnsmom]

Alright Shirley! Way to go - hope you didn't stay up all night :)

[Janice, Moderator]

Wow! October is over already. It flew by, and the last two days had me chained to my desk meeting deadlines. Good job, everyone, on this challenge! And thank you, Rusalka! I enjoyed taking a back seat this time around.

[Shirley]

jaxnsmom wrote: "Alright Shirley! Way to go - hope you didn't stay up all night :)"

Nope I read/listen in the mornings. Watch Netflix at night. :)

[Ava Catherine]

April wrote: "Thanks for breaking down the points, Connie! I will just copy yours, if you don't mind!"

Of course, that is fine. : )

[Almeta]

Connie wrote: "The Night CircusErin Morgenstern..."

Grest choice Connie!

[Ava Catherine]

Thank you. It is a very good book. We did a buddy read.

[Lindy]

Sorry I am late, we had a hurricane and no power for way over a week.

63 points
Under the Harvest Moon up

5 points - Mystery: Parker, Robert B. Night and Day

4 points - Romance Hoag, Tami Night Sins

5 points - Astronomy Mammana, Dennis The Night Sky

3 points - Family Avi Night journeys



Author:

3 points - Osborne, Mary Pope 46 Dogs in the Dead of Night

5 points – Has a telescope on it The night sky / Dennis Mammana.

4 points - The title is in “pumpkin” orange Cazet, Denys The Night of the Living Bed

3 points - Has a full moon on it Night of the full moon / by Gloria Whelan ; J

3 points - Has the word “moon” in it see above whelan, Gloria Night of the Full Moon

2 points – Is 4 words long Stine, R L One NIght in Doom HOuse


Pages:

500+ - 5 points
Hoag, Tami Night Sins 576
Parker, Robert B. Night and Day 336

Stars:
5 points - 5 stars Woods, Stuart Severe Clear rated 5
4 points - 4 stars Meier, Leslie Star Spangled Murder rated 4
3 points - 3 stars Burdette, Lucy Death in 4 courses rated 3
2 points - 2 stars
1 point - 1 star

Bonus Points: 10 points each:
3) Halloween (Oct 31). Cazet, Denys The Night of the Living Dead

[jaxnsmom]

Lindy, you have to have read the book in October, and it has to have the word night, or a word referring to it (teilight, dusk, midnight, evening). Most of the books you have here don't show up on your bookshelf as being read in October.

Then you would enter each book separately on the October Challenge Reporting thread. After posting one book here, you would count the points in the format used. The points have to be counted separately for each book. Then the one with the most points will be used for your final count.