The Next Best Book Club discussion
Cynthia's Seasonal Challenges
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OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009
Julie (ID) wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Julie (ID) wrote: ""That's cool. I think I'm about 3 1/2 hours away. Thanks!
Kristen wrote: " I joke to my family that the little free time I have is spent reading. My fiance plays his video games and I read in the same room as him. Works out great for us. I can also read at both my jobs on and off during the day."My husband and I are the same way! Haha! He plays on X-Box Live and I read...
I just finished a fantastic book! It was my first by Steve Kluger, although I have wanted to read Snow in August for some time. This book was, dare I say it, wholesome - if that can be applied to a book where one of the main characters is gay. But seriously, this is all about friendship, growing up, choosing who you will be, and family. Highly recommended.My update (I get to add 25 points!):
25 POINT TASKS
1. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
2. Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson
3. Bloomability by Sharon Creech
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
4. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
5. The White Mountains by John Christopher
6. ?The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory?
7. TBD
8. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
9.
Total points: 70 (April 28)
Just finished:
1. For St. Patrick’s Day – Read a book by an Irish author, set in Ireland, OR about Ireland - PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern is by an Irish author and is set in Ireland.
I have wanted to read this book for awhile, because I liked the movie. When I checked the book out I was surprised at how big it was, 470 pages! It really isn't too much like the movie, and I have to say I prefer the movie. Although, I did love the character Richard. It was a good read but not the best ever.
10 points, making my total 355.
Rory wrote: "Kelly wrote: "I thought vacation week would provide me with endless reading time. Alas, I have only been able to finish one book,A Great and Terrible Beauty, which I have been waiting to start for ..."I really enjoyed it. The plot moved pretty quickly, and I got to know the characters pretty quickly. What was nice is that throughout the novel, more was added to them, so characters I initially wrote off as flat became more well rounded. I'm also a sucker for Victorian/Gothic stories, and this was a fantasy to boot. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
KristenR wrote: "5.9 - The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A. S. ByattKristen, the only book I have read by A. S. Byatt is Possession, which I luckily found before the movie came out. What is The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye about, and did you like it? Have you read any other books by Byatt that you would recommend?
I finished Down the Rabbit Hole An Echo Falls Mystery for Task 5.9 “Spring” Animals. It was cute, but a bit too juvenile for me. I think my oldest would like it in a year or two.Total Pts: 400
Kelly,I liked it....I haven't read anything else by Byatt, so I'm not sure how it compares, but I think the style must be very similar since out of the five stories two of them were also in Possession. The longest story "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye" is set in modern times and is about a woman who finds a djinn in a bottle....I thought it was a great, modern, grown up fairy tale.
Lori wrote: "Lindsey wrote: "I completed a few tasks while I was up at the DMZ this past week. 5 Pt task #6. In Honor Of Women’s History Month, I read Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou. S..."
I got through half of it and was like "Why does this sound so familiar?" and then predicted the rest of it. I think I must've read it in high school and forgotten about it. But it's good, I'll have to get the next in the series, see if I read that too. I am a recovering vampire freak. Or maybe I'm just a closet vampire freak. It was good though.
Sara TX wrote: "Lindsey wrote: "I get most books online from BN. Also, if she comes to Seoul, there's a bookstore that has an entire English language section. It's called Kyobo. She should look it up. If she takes..."If she tells me some books she wants, I can go to the one here in Seoul and see if they have it, or check at the PX bookstore. I won't allow a fellow reader to go without books while in Korea. :) I can then mail them to her. Or take a visit to Pusan. There's a base there I'm pretty sure.
I read these books (Tales from the Delaware Bay and More Tales from the Delaware Bay) for the Spring 2009 challenge (15 points): Get to Know the Author: Read a book by an author and then either attend a reading by that author or read/listen to an interview with that author. The author visited my local library last evening. He read an excerpt from his latest work in progress, spoke about his creative process, reminisced about life on the DelMarVa peninsula, and signed books.
5 POINTS10. April Showers Bring May Flowers --- Gardenias for Breakfast by Robin Jones Gunn
15 POINTS
7. Two books with rhyming titles --- Try Dying by James Scott Bell AND Redbird's Cry by Jean Hager
Total Points: 415
Tasks Completed: 32
Cait wrote: "Cynthia, would I be able to read The Day After He Left For Iraq: A Story of Love Family and Reunion for the Military task? I thought it would be ok, but I don't want to assume. Tha..."That's fine.
Have read Rape: A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates and Take Me, Take Me With You by Lauren Kelly for 50 points.5 POINTS
1. A Neil Gaiman book
2. Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction by Sue Townsend
3. Half of Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
4. ?
5. The Shack by William P. Young
6. The Girls by Lori Lansons
8. The Difficult Second Book by Chris Moyles
9. ?
10. ?
10 POINTS
2. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
4. Mr Pip by Lloyd Jones (Born 23rd March)
5. Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
6. East of the Sun by Julia Gregson
8. The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
10. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson (One of Meg's 5 star rated books).
15 POINTS
2. Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
3. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
5. The Sea by John Banville (won the Guardian Prize in 1981 for Kepler
6. Shape of Water by Andrea Camillia (translated from Italian into English
7. The Girl who was going to die by Glyn Maxwell and The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thompson
9. The White Tiger by Aravind Acliga
10. ?
25 POINTS
2. Samuel Pepys Diary by Samuel Pepys
4. Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
5. The Face by Dean Koontz (Horror)
6. ?
8. Eragon by Christopher Paolini and Artemis Fowl and the Time Deception by Eoin Colfer
50 POINTS
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I finished another book, but not a task. I read my first YA book (or rather the first YA book that I'm actually counting toward the YA task...) Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. It was very very cute. I think I liked The Goose Girl a tiny bit better, but they were both fantastic! I listened to both on audiobook--they're both done by Full Cast Audio--where they use a different voice actor for each character! I've listened to 3 audiobooks done by them (also Sleeping Freshman Never Lie), and they were all amazing!
I have 17 tasks and 17 books left. I need to READ tonight! AND I think I'll have the opportunity, as I'm going to a conference for work (leaving right after lunch), and things aren't really starting until tomorrow morning! PLUS, I won't have GOODREADS to distract me!! ;)
I finished 5.1 - The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan.Total points: 105
I have 17 books left (almost finished with one... I have two books at the library that I cannot fit into the challenge, but they are new books by my fav. authors so hopefully I can still finish the challenge.
I just finished the Spring Break 15 pt task. I read The Landlord by Ken Merrell, which is set in Utah. I live pretty close to Utah, and have a lot of family there, so I have been to UT more times that I can count, but I did actually go just a little while ago to visit an old roommate!The book was pretty good. It started off really slow, and the writing was not that great, but about 1/3 or so into it, the story really started picking up, and getting interesting, and I ended up being more caught up in the story than I thought. Even with that though, there were certain parts that fell flat. It was pretty obvious that he was a first time author, but overall, not a bad read.
Total 415!
Finished for 15 points:10. March, April, and May are the 3rd, 4th, and 5th months of the year
- Read 3 books with the numbers 3/4/5- three/four/five - 3rd/4th/5th - third/fourth/fifth in the titles (books do not have to come from the same series in this instance)
I finally finished this one! I had read two of the books ages ago, and just finished the third.
I read: Third and Indiana A Novel by Steve Lopez,
The Fourth Hand by John Irving, and The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing.
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I have 22 1/2 tasks left and 25 1/2 books left to read...currently about halfway through Jon's Task 25.6 with Royal Affairs A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked the British Monarchy. Don't think I will be able to finish the challege, but I'm hoping to make it to 400 points....we'll see....
Tasks completed7. In Honor of Mother’s Day…
The outcast / Sadie Jones READ
- Read a book where the author/main character shares the same first name as your mother OR…
NEW TOTAL = 440 points
5 points
2 The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank (on shelf)
4 Little Women - EBOOK (reading)
6 Mah, Adeline Yen Title Falling leaves return to their roots : the true story of an unwanted Chinese daughter READ
7 Sepulchre / Kate Mosse (on shelf) read then give to library
9 The One Flew over the cukoos nest – Kesey READ
10 Rose Madder – Stephen King OR Nights of Rain and Stars – Maeve Binchy
30/50 points
10 points
2 Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel READ
3 Author Grenville, Kate Title The Secret river READ
4 SUE GRAFTON P is for Peril READ
5 Practical Magic – Alice Goffman (ordered) OR inkspell
7 The outcast / Sadie Jones READ
8 Band of Eagles – Frank Barnard (on shelf)
10 Bridget Jones Diary – Helen Fielding READ
80/100 points
15 points
2 On Hundred Favourite Humorous Poems - Classic FM READ
3 The Audacity of Hope – Barack Obama (on shelf)
One city / Alexander McCall Smith, Ian Rankin and Irvine Welsh READ
7 : Alias Grace Mary Higgins Clark & No Place Like Home A Novel Margaret Atwood (ordered)
Then read about him online. DONE
9 A CLOCKWORK ORANGE READ
CARROT AND SWEET POTATO MASH
Caldwell, Ian – Rule of Four READ
Harris, Joanna – Five quarters of the orange (on shelf)
105/150 points
25 points
2 Wordsworth, Dorothy Title Dorothy Wordsworth's illustrated Lakeland journals READ
3 The Cellist of Sarajevo – Steven Galloway READ
When Will There Be good news – Kate Atkinson READ
4 Animal Farm – George Orwell READ
5 Young Adult – Angus, Thongs and perfect snogging READ
On the Trail of William Wallace – David R. Ross 146 pages READ
Mary Queen of Scots – Jayne Elizabeth Lewis READ
COMPETED BOOK REVIEWS FOR 3 BOOKS
7 Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice READ
8 The growing pains of Adrian Mole – Sue Townsend READ
Private peaceful – Michael Morpurgo READ
9 Waiting for Daisy : the true story of one couple's quest to have a baby / Peggy Orenstein READ
225/225 points
50 POINT TASK
Innocent In Death – JD Robb (on shelf)
Red Lily – Nora Roberts (on shelf)
0/50
Total 440points
I haven't posted here for a while ... I've been struggling through Suite Francaise, for the military task. I know I'm in the minority but I didn't really enjoy this book, found it very slow moving ...[image error]
Total points: 260
Just finished another one (finally):10.10 The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. It was quick and engaging. I'm glad I finally read it and got it off the shelf.
New point total: 65
Hi all! I am new here, and late to the challenge, but hopefully I can get a bunch of reading in during the last month. Just reading through this thread has been so inspiring, and I'm looking forward to finding new books to read and finally reading ones I've had for a while! For now, here's my reading plan, with the few tasks I have accomplished so far crossed out.
5 Points
3. Hunted by P.C. & Kristin Cast
7.
10 Points
4. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (born May 28th, my dad's birthday!)
5.
6. Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (my mom's name is Suzanne)
9. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
10. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
15 Points
1. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
2. The Ordering of Love by Madeleine L'Engle
3. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
4. L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy
5. The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge
6. The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin
10.
25 Points
4. Girls in Love by Jacqueline Wilson
5. Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald
7.
8.
9. Let Me Eat Cake: A Celebration of Flour Sugar Butter Eggs Vanilla Baking Powder and a Pinch of Salt by Leslie F. Miller
50 Points
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snickett & Adverbs by Daniel Handler
So, for now, I have 55 Points.
If I can get everything on my list read, I will have 360 points. I think I will set a goal of 200 points, though, to try and make it attainable.
I finished my 50 point task bringing me to 355 points. I think I have 18 books left, but I'm a little worried about a few that I haven't been able to get from my library, one of which is the spring cleaning task. I really don't want to have to buy that, so I guess I'll just save that task for last and see how it goes...
5 POINTS
1.
2.
3. Spring Cleaning – Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl, Steven Bach
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Spring Animals in title – Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
10. April Showers Bring May Flowers – The Enchantment of Lily Dahl: A Novel, Siri Hustvedt
10 POINTS
1. Set in Ireland – Three Bags Full, Leonie Swan
2. Cinco De Mayo -- Set in Mexico, The Falling Woman, Pat Murphey
3. Australian Author – The People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks
4.
5.
6. Sun in Title – Mistress of the Sun, Sandra Gulland
7.
8.
9.
10. TNBBC Member 5 star book – Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
15 POINTS
1. SAGITARIUS: The archer – read a book about an athlete or sports. Shanks for Nothing, Rick Reiley
2. April is National Poetry Month – Read a book of poetry OR about a famous poet. Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath, Kate Moses
3.
4.
5. Major Literary Prize, 1981 – John Updike, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, Witches of Eastwick
6. Translation – Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky
7. Two books with rhyming titles – Bitten,….Ten Big Ones, Janet Evanovich
8.
9. Book with color/meal – Blue Moon, Laurell K. Hamilton
10. 3, 4, 5 series or titles – Kim Harrison
A Fistful of Charms
For a Few Demons More
25 POINT
1.
2.Diarist – The World of Louisa May Alcott, William Anderson
3.Jen’s List –
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Book with 12 or more words in the title – The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Erik Larson
50 Points
1.
Total Points: 355/575
Tasks Completed: 22 and 1/3
Books Read: 27
Total Pages Read: 10,083
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Rachel wrote: "Hi all! I am new here, and late to the challenge, but hopefully I can get a bunch of reading in during the last month. Just reading through this thread has been so inspiring, and I'm looking forwar..."Hi Rachel - Good news - any books that you have read since March 1st count - just fit'em in !!! Welcome
"Hi Rachel - Good news - any books that you have read since March 1st count - just fit'em in !!! Welcome"Thanks for the welcome, Amy! I'm trying to remember what I read in March, since I signed up for Goodreads in April. I've filled in what I do remember.
Also, I am adding to my list for the 3rd 25 Point Task: Agent Zigzag by Ben MacIntyre & Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger
It's going to be hard to get to all these books before the end of may, but it's helpful to at least get a reading priority going, and I'm looking forward to the challenge!
Wow, I did not know that we could use books we had read in March prior to starting the challenge. I think I may have a couple. Time to trudge into my memory banks. BTW-I know I am getting ahead of myself, but when do we get the list for the Summer Challenge and when does it get started? I love this idea and it is making me read so many more books that I would never thought of.
LEADERBOARD
DONNA JO - 575
***************
BJ ROSE - 535
SANDY - 530
LIZZI - 525
BRIDGIT - 510
KRISTEN IL - 490
RORA - 485
KRISTENR - 475
WENDY - 455
SHARON - 440
LEORA - 435
ASHLEY ID - 415
BETH MN - 415
TINA - 415
MEGHAN - 410
ALICE - 400
CAIT - 400
JOSIE - 385
LOUISE - 370
RORY - 370
BEV - 365
BONNIE - 365
LIZ BRKLYN - 360
KRISTINA GA - 355
MAGGIE - 355
AMY - 345
APRIL NY - 340
ANGELA IL - 335
ANGIE - 325
KRITIKA - 315
NICOLE NC - 315
JESSICA IL - 310
REBECCA J - 310
SARANICOLE - 310
CATHEROO - 295
CYNTHIA (SCM) - 295
LORI TX - 295
PERS - 295
EL - 290
LINDSEY - 285
ELIZABETH NC - 280
EVA - 280
JUDITH IA - 280
RHIANNON - 280
SUSAN - 280
MARY BETH - 275
LAURA NY - 270
SANDIE - 265
SUZIER - 260
COURTNEY - 255
ROSEANN - 245
JON - 230
STEPH - 230
LYNLEE4 - 225
RENFREW - 225
FALLON - 220
JAMIE MN - 220
JILLIAN - 220
MALIADES - 220
STEPHANIE CA - 220
ALISHA - 215
FIONA (TITCH)- 215
JOY - 215
KRISTINA UK - 215
BECKY - 200
ELIZABETH (ALASKA) - 200
SARA E - 200
WV HEATHER - 200
ASHLEY AL - 190
MANDAY - 190
CAROL - 185
HAYES - 185
KATE - 180
SERA - 170
VICTORIA - 170
JENNIFER IN - 165
JOANNA - 165
LIZ VEGAS - 160
POTJY - 155
TRYPHENA - 155
LILY - 150
ROS - 150
CYNDEE - 145
MARIE - 145
MEGAN - 145
DAVID - 140
JEN B - 140
KATHRYN - 140
TRACY - 140
BETH - 135
KAREN - 135
LACY - 135
SARAH PA - 135
HEATHER KS - 130
JEGKA - 130
JOANIE - 130
JULIE (ID)'S - 130
RYAN - 130
ANN FROM SC - 125
JESSICA SC - 125
NATALIA - 125
CASSIE - 120
SLAYERMEL - 120
JEANE - 115
KICKI - 115
SUSANNA UK - 115
ABBIE - 110
MELODY - 110
ASHLEY UT - 105
CATHERINE - 105
LINDA - 105
CYNTHIA - 100
SHANNON - 100
TERRI - 100
AMANDA - 95
REBECCA - 95
JENNY - 90
MACKENZIE - 90
MADELINE - 90
SAI - 90
JEN MD - 85
LAUREN - 85
MEL - 85
MEREDITH H - 85
SAM - 80
JULIE TN - 75
JULIE UK - 75
RACHEL CA - 75
KELLY MA - 70
SHELLIE - 70
SLAIMI - 70
ALLISON MO - 65
JAMIE WA - 65
JESSICA MI - 65
ALYSSA - 60
KELLY - 60
RACHEL WA - 55
ROBIN - 55
VICKI - 55
JOANN - 50
KATIE - 50
KIM - 50
5PEASINAPOD - 45
ELIZ - 45
JULIE KS - 40
LDB - 40
LISA CO - 40
LIZ NY - 40
TOBIE - 40
JAMIE 23 - 35
JUDITH NY - 30
DOROTHY - 25
JAIME 26 - 25
KRISTI - 25
MELISSA - 25
LAZARUS - 20
NICOLE CA - 20
CAITLIN - 15
JENNI - 15
GREG - 10
MARY - 10
MORGAN - 10
MICHELLE - 5
SHELBY - 5
Roseann wrote: "Wow, I did not know that we could use books we had read in March prior to starting the challenge. I think I may have a couple. Time to trudge into my memory banks. BTW-I know I am getting ahead..."Yes any books read between March 1st and May 31st count - it doesn't matter whether you join right on March 1st or the middle of April or post you first post on May 29th - they count. As to the summer challenge I am going to go ahead and post the suggestion thread for that in a minute...I'll post final selections for the 5/10/15 point tasks sometime during the last week of May and the 20 point (newbie/most improved tasks) and 25 (high scorer tasks) when I receive them once the Spring challenge is over.
Five Point Tasks 3.Off Season
4. Commute???
5. Persuasion
7. Love the One You're With
9.To Kill a Mockingbird
10.The House of Thunder
10 Point Tasks
1.PS, I Love You
3.The Book Thief
5.Abarat
6.The Pillars of the Earth
8.Cold Mountain
9.The Secret History
15 Points
1.The Road
3.House of Leaves
4.Swapping Lives
5. Nazareth Hill by Ramsay Campbell
6. The Thief Lord
7. A Northern Light & The Kite Runner
9.Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood
10.All That Remains, Cruel and Unusual, & The Body Farm
25 Points
1. The Golden Compass AND Rebecca
2. Alice's Adventures: Lewis Carroll in Popular Culture-Will Brooker
6.The Six Wives of Henry VIII
7.Emma by Jane Austen
50 Points
1. Blaze A Novel AND Salem's Lot
I read Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult and Rebel Angels by Libba Bray for Angela's Task. I got those two books off Cynthia's shelf.
I thought that Handle With Care was pretty good, it's just that Jodi Picoult's novels tend to be frustrating. This one was no exception. There were also a couple of things that I didn't like about it, but can't really say lest I spoil it for anyone who's planning on reading it. I'm debating whether to give this three or four stars. Either way, pretty good book, but definitely not my favorite Picoult.
I absolutely loved Rebel Angels. Now, that's one (also including A Great and Terrible Beauty) I would have never picked up had it not been for TNBBC, since even though I love YA, I was never interested in picking up any fantasy YA novels (excluding, of course, Harry Potter). But I thought Rebel Angels was just so awesome. I loved the whole Victorian Gothic feel to it. And I loved the heroine. I felt that she was just a well-written, strong character (and that to me is a MUST when reading YA: having a strong female lead). I really can't wait to pick up the last book in the series. Anyway, 215 points, now!
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Completed Tasks5 POINT TASKS (15)
1.
3.
6.
10 POINT TASKS (40)
4.
6.
7.
-->recommended and given to me by my mother as I’m trying to lose weight
10.
15 POINT TASKS (90)
2.
3.
6.
5.
7.
8.
25 POINT TASKS (75)
3. Cynthia -
4.
8.
9.
TOTAL= 220 points
Tasks Completed 5 Points
#1 Read a sci-fi or fantasy novel- Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
#4 Read a book while in a car- Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward
#5 Read a christian novel- Bittersweet by Cathy Marie Hake
#6 Read a book with one of the following in the title: woman, women, etc..- A Drowned Maiden's Hair A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz
#7 Read and recycle a book- The Bride Wore Chocolate by Shirley Jump
#9 Read a book with a type of bird in the title- The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper
10 Points
#3 Read a book written by an Australian author- I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
#5 Read a book about magic- Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
#6 Read a book w/the word moon in the title- September Moon by Candice Proctor
15 Points
#1 Read a book that corresponds to your astrological sign (Aries)- Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
#6 Read a book that has been translated from its original language- Perfume The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
#7 Read two books w/rhyming titles- Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs and Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning
#8 Read a book & then read an interview with that author- Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
#9 Read a book w/a color in the title- Redwall by Brian Jacques
#10 Read the 3rd, 4th, and 5th books of one series- Lover Awakened, BDB#3; Lover Revealed, BDB#4; Lover Unbound, BDB#5 by J.R. Ward
25 Points
#1 Read a book whose title starts w/the letter G & read a book whose title starts w/the letter R- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and The Rules of Gentility by Janet Mullany
#4 Read a book from The Big Read's list- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
#5 Read a book outside of your normal genres- Ghost Walk by Brian Keene
#7 Read a book referenced in a movie- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
#8 Read two YA novels- Confessions of a Serial Kisser by Wendelin Van Draanen and Love, Cajun Style by Diane Les Becquets
50 Points
Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
The Billionaire Next Door by Jessica Bird
Total Points= 325
I just finished The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, when combined with The Time Travelers Wife (which I finished some time ago), it completes task 15.7 (rhyming words in the title).I liked it, as I like all of Nabokov work, though I would not rate it amongst his best.
New Point Total: 190
Cynthia, I noticed you already added th epoints so it is okay but I forgot to tell you that for my last task my mother's name is mariane, so that is why I chose Watermelon.It was a wonderful book and want to read her other books too!
I finished The Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide and read her interview on Boomerang. She isn't actually dying but she has always wanted to write a book about it. 15 more points for me. I need more tome to read to catch up with everyone.
Here's my updated completed reading list:5 pts
1. C.S. Lewis Letters to Children
2. Alice in Blunderland by John Kendrick Bangs
10 pts
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. The Superstition of Divorce
3. The Devil's Dictionary
4. The Magical World by Edith Nesbit
5. The Omnilingual by H. Beam Piper
15pts
1. The Memory Keeper's Daughter
2. A Mercy
3. The Gerrard Street Mysteries and Other Weird Tales by Charles Dent
4. The Ecologues by Virgil
5. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
25 pts
1. Gawayne and the Green Knight/The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
2. One Hundred Years of Solitude
3. The World According to Narnia:A Christian Meaning in C. S. Lewis's Beloved Chronicles
4. Life, the Universe and Everything
5. Five Sci-Fi Short Stories by H. Beam Piper
6. The Yellow Wallpaper (Charlotte Perkins Gilman) and the Awakening (Kate Chopin)
That's a total of 285 pts.
Have spent the last week at work trawling through Samuel Pepys Diary as an ebook. I struggled - it was tedious and ever so slightly boring! But I've finished it for 25 points!5 POINTS
1. A Neil Gaiman book
2. Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction by Sue Townsend
3. Half of Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
4. ?
5. The Shack by William P. Young
6. The Girls by Lori Lansons
8. The Difficult Second Book by Chris Moyles
9. The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbitt
10.
10 POINTS
2. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
4. Mr Pip by Lloyd Jones (Born 23rd March)
5. Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
6. East of the Sun by Julia Gregson
8. The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
10. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson (One of Meg's 5 star rated books).
15 POINTS
2. Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
3. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
5. The Sea by John Banville (won the Guardian Prize in 1981 for Kepler
6. Shape of Water by Andrea Camillia (translated from Italian into English
7. The Girl who was going to die by Glyn Maxwell and The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thompson
9. The White Tiger by Aravind Acliga
10. ?
25 POINTS
2. Samuel Pepys Diary by Samuel Pepys
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger (from Angela's bookshelves)
4. Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
5. The Face by Dean Koontz (Horror)
6. ?
8. Eragon by Christopher Paolini and Artemis Fowl and the Time Deception by Eoin Colfer
50 POINTS
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My first 25 Pointer!9. SARA'S TASK - Read a book that has a title of 12 or more words.
A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End: The Right Way To Write Writing
TOTAL = 135
1. It’s Written In the Stars…read a book that corresponds to your astrological sign… (books can be fiction or non-fiction)... - CANCER: Read a book about a cancer patient, cancer survivor, cancer doctor etc.
Life on the Refrigerator Door: Notes Between a Mother and a Daughter by Alice Kuipers-4/30
New total:335
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I haven't posted in awhile because my completed books require more completed books to qualify for points. So, I've read I Am the Messenger and Murder on the Orient Express. The former will go towards the 25-point YA task (along with I Capture the Castle--to be read). Any suggestions on how to squeeze Murder on the Orient Express into a challenge category?
I'm currently reading Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch for the BBC Big Reads task.
Cynthia, I'm guessing that Murder on the Orient Express won't qualify for the vacation task? I am going to France and Belgium. The Orient Express was supposed to make a stop in France, Poirot speaks French in the book, and Poirot is Belgian. Alas, the train hits a snowbank in Jugoslavia. I kept reading with my fingers crossed that they would get stuck in France. :-\
Finished 25-4, I read 'Emma' by Jane Austin, this brings my points to 435.
Nicole wrote: "I haven't posted in awhile because my completed books require more completed books to qualify for points. So, I've read I Am the Messenger and [book:Murder on the Orient Express|16304..."Nicole, I think I saw in one of these posts that Agatha Christie wrote under a pseudonym - maybe you could find a book by the other name and then you could get 50 points.
Nicole wrote: "Any suggestions on how to squeeze Murder on the Orient Express into a challenge category? "Have you already completed the get to know the author task? That's such a terrific task because it can work as I-can't-find-anywhere-else-to-put-it.
Finished a few more:5.10 - Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell
10.1 - Irish author - A Modest Proposal, Battle of the Books and Other Short Works by Jonathan Swift
15.10 - Three Plays: The Father Easter Miss Julia by August Strindberg
Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest
Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
total points: 475
El wrote: "Nicole wrote: "I haven't posted in awhile because my completed books require more completed books to qualify for points. So, I've read I Am the Messenger and [book:Murder on the Orien..."Thanks for the suggestion! 50 points would be nice... I'll look into this.
The Next Best Book Club
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I think it's very healthy. I joke with him that we spend so much time together without really talking. We're both always in need of veg. time and we can do it together which is great.