The Next Best Book Club discussion
Cynthia's Seasonal Challenges
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OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009
Finally finished task 25.1 KAREN'S (G&R) - I just finished The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro and read The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland earlier this month. (4/5) Total Points: 425
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..."If you find a book to read by agatha christie but under ones of her other names you can use it fr the 50 points task.
Nicole wrote: "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 spe..."I am from belgium, what are you visiting?
Finished task 5.9 - Lamb - Christopher Moore. I really liked this book. I am Catholic and was not offended at all. It was fun to read about the 'behind the scenes' stuff in Jesus' life and to think about him as a more three-dimensional person, with a sense of humor and a backstory. There was nothing in it that was derogatory towards Jesus or God, in case people were worried about that. Obviously the book is not meant to be taken seriously, so as long as people go into it not expecting that, people should enjoy it - even the religious!Total: 510
Jeane wrote: "Sorry Nicole, I didn't see someone suggested the same and you did it already."No apologies. I welcome the suggestions once or twice. :-)
Jeane wrote: "Nicole wrote: "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 Fra..."My husband and I are going to France and Belgium for our honeymoon in a little over a week. We'll be staying in Bruges for two days.
15.7 - In honor of Dr. Seuss, I've just completed Manic A Memoir by Terri Cheney and Panic Snap A Novel by Laura Reese. Two novels I found as a direct result of this particular task. Manic is a memoir of a woman's struggle with manic depression. Cheney is a highly intelligent and educated woman who has found herself in the wildest (and dangerous) escapades outside of a courtroom as a result of her illness. Sad and scary and incredible all wrapped up in one big dose of pharmaceutical happiness. Panic Snap is a murder and a murder and sado-masochism and a mystery and a romance and sado-masochism and a food-story, garden loving, sado-masochistic journey. You KNOW I'm checking out other books by this author.
10.1 An Irish Country DoctorThis was an enjoyable read, made more so by the fact that one of the small towns mentioned several times is the town where one of my great-grandmothers was born. Because it is a piece of fluff, I'm giving it only 3 stars, though it brushes the topmost of the 3 star rankings.
Charity wrote: "Maybe move the Sarah Vowell book to the humor task? I'm not sure what you've completed..."Hmm... that's not a bad idea! I will consider that.
Read 2 books by an author who writes under two different names. For 50 points I read...Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb and Harpy's Flight by Megan Lindholm
(New total: 485 points)
I loved Assassin's Apprentice, gave it five stars. It's a fantasy book I've been meaning to read for years, so thanks Sandy for your challenge. : )
Just finished Teacher Man by Frank McCourt, for task 10.1 (McCourt is Irish). My new points total is 220.I thoroughly enjoyed his book, and give it 4 stars here on Goodreads. His stories were entertaining and funny, but also make me so glad that I didn't become a teacher (I substituted for a friend's 6th grade English class once - that was my first, and last, substitute teaching assignment {by my own choice}). I even enjoyed his style of writing, and plan to read his other works as well.
On another note, my dog ate the book I was planning to use for task 10.6 (An Inconvenient Woman by Dominick Dunne). He chewed the first pages out, up to page 49, which starts "That little dog knows who killed Hector Paradiso"...... lmao!!
Books I've read and current one is striked5pts:
1. Fantasy Novel: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
4. Automobile task: The Lion,the Witch and the wardrobe- C.S Lewis
5. Easter/Lent: Speak Through the Wind by Allison K. Pittman
6. Women's history month: The Lady and the Cad by Tamela Hancock Murray
10. May flowers: His Winter Rose by Lois Richer
10pts:
1. St. Patrick's Day: Maire by Linda Windsor
2. Cinco de Mayo: Like Water for Cohoclate by Laura Esquivel
3. Anzac Day: Faith in the Southland by Mary Hawkins
4. Author born in May: A family to share by Arlene James
5. Magic: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
6. Earth Day: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
7. Mother's Day: Killer Cargo by Dana Mentink
8. Memorial/armed Forces Day: Military Daddy by Patricia Davids
9. TNBBC Top Book List: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
10. Date Joined: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
15 pts:
1. Aries: The Greek's Bridal Purchase by Susan Stephens
2. Poetry Month: Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
3.TNBBC Group Read: Stardust by Neil Gaiman
4. Spring Break Location: Bayou Justice by Robin Carrol
5. Literary Prize: Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
6. Translated Book: The Fifth Mountain by Paulo Coelho
7. Rhyming Books: Bridal Veil by Cathy Marie Hake and Long Trail to Love by Pamela Griffin
8. Get to Know Author: Operation: Married by Christmas by Debra Clopton
9. Book with a color in title: Bluegrass Peril by Virginia Smith
10. 3rd,4th, 5th book in series: The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader By C.S. Lewis
25 pts:
1. Karen's Task: Glory Be! by Ron and Janet Benrey and Remembered by Tamera Alexander
2. El's Task: Very Truly Yours, Chalres L. Dodgson, Alias Lewis CArroll by Lisa Bassett
3. Angela's Task: The Undomesitc Goddess and Can You Keep a Sercret by Sophie Kinsella
4. Ros' Task: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
5. Bonnie's Task: Simple Genius by David Baldacci
7. Darla's Task: The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
8. Cassie's Task: Confessions of a Serial Kisser by Wendelin Van Drannen and If We Kiss by Rachel Vail
9. Sara's Task: Mr. Lincoln's High tech war: How the North used the Telegraph, Railroads, Surveillance Balloons, Iron-Clads, High Powered weapons, and more by Thomas B. Allen and Roger Macbride Allen
50pts: Reckless by Shannon Drake and Ghost Walk by Heather Graham
total: 530 points
LOL Charity... I knew you had been keeping track and keeping it a secret. You are going to spring (no pun intended) it on us and give us a run for our money! I see your read posts on my update feed :}
Someone may have mentioned this before, but since Cynthia was updating us on when the summer list will be up I thought I'd share an idea that I had for the next challenge. I got the Book Lust and More Book Lust books and typed all the ones I want to read into my computer by category. It may not yield a lot, but for example for this challenge it would have been really helpful for the books set in a certain country/by an author from a certain country challenge. I also found a really great idea for the 50 pt task (a MTF transgendered woman who wrote a couple of memoirs about her experience but also wrote before she transitioned under her male name, James) though I don't know if I'll get to it since At Swim, Two Boys is going very slowly, and the book I just got from the library for John's task is HUGE.
Ha! Busted... :-)I've been waiting 'til close to the end to post my list for the past couple of challenges because I will frequently switch things around...and that can get rather complicated. So, it's just easier to hold off a bit.
Don't know if I'll actually finish the challenge, but I've made a big dent in my TBR pile and I'm happy about that.
I am hoping to finish this challenge... I finished the last one, but there were less books, so who knows. I have 15 or 16 books left and some are quite hefty... I love big books, but it does not help when you are trying to rack up the points. I also have two books from the library that are new releases from fav authors that are not going to fit, but I did not want to wait to get them, so I requested them before they came out and I was at the top of the list. Whats a girl to do????
Judith wrote: "a MTF transgendered woman who wrote a couple of memoirs about her experience but also wrote before she transitioned under her male name, James"Are you talking about (James) Jennifer Finney Boylan? I read her books published when she was James: The Planets; The Constellations; Getting In. I was impressed with all of them. However, I haven't read her bios yet.
Yes, Charity, that's the one! Book Lust recommends the Planets and the Constellations, but since my library only has Getting In I'm going to go with that one. Good to hear that you liked it - I was pretty sure I'd like the memoirs because I'm interested in learning more about the trans perspective but I didn't know anything about the earlier books :-)
Judith, you might also want to check out
As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl
by John Colapinto, which is a pretty intense biography about how, after a botched circumcision, David Reimer's parents decided to raise him as a girl. It's a really interesting look into nature vs. nurture, gender roles, etc. Worth checking out if you are interested in the subject matter.
I hated this last book I just finished. I worked through it slowly, chapter by chapter, but that didn't even help. I almost picked a different book but by the time that thought occurred (I'm stubborn) I was nearly halfway done. I thought this book was going to be a biography about Wagner, one of my favorite composers, but it really read more like a critique. I learned some, but otherwise it really just grated on my nerves.[image error]
5 point challenge1.
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10 point challenge
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10.The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
15 point task
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25 points
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6. Royal Affairs A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked the British Monarchy
7. Gulliver's Travels (from Pagemaster)
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50 points
Completed #6 under the 25 point category! YIPEE!!!!I gave Royal Affairs 3 stars. I learned a great deal from this book and had no idea today's british royalty are still so closely related to the monarchs of the past. The book was also entertaining and straightforward. The only reason this book received on 3 stars is because historical non-fiction is not my favorite thing to read.
5 POINTS
#1 Coraline by Neil Gaiman Rating - B 4/15/09
#3 Angels & Demons by Dan Brown Rating - A 4/9/09
#4 I listened to this audiobook in my car during the 7 hr drive to and 7 hr drive from the Texas Valley. Andrew Jackson by Robert V. Remini Rating - C 3/21/09
#8 Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich Rating - A 3/31/09
10 POINTS
#2 Like Water for Chocolate byLaura Esquivel Rating - A 3/23/09
#3 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Rating - A+ 4/25/09
#4 Seven Up by Janet Evanovich Rating - B 3/5/09
#7 My mom's name is Kathleen. Calamity Jayne by Kathleen Bacus Rating - C+ 4/2/09
#9 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams #77 off the TNBBC Top Books List (I was born in 1977) Rating - A- 3/26/09
15 POINTS
#2 Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell Rating - C+ 4/26/09
#4 Went to the Texas Valley for spring break and also crossed the border into Mexico and visited South Padre Island. Living on the Edge of America At Home on the Texas-Mexico Border by Robert Lee Maril Rating - C 4/21/09
#6 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Rating - A+ 3/6/09
25 POINTS
#1 The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams Rating - A- AND
The Glass Castle A Memoir by Jeannette Walls Rating A- 4/16/09
#3 From Eva's List (THANKS EVA!) The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve AND The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom Rating on both of these is A-. 3/20/09
#5 Manhunt The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson I NEVER read true crime and don't plan to again any time soon!....Rating - C+ 3/13/09
#6 Royal Affairs A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked the British Monarchy by Leslie Carroll Rating C+ 4/30/09
#8 Beauty Shop for Rent . . . fully equipped, inquire within by Laura Bowers and Eva Underground by Dandi Daley Mackall Give a B+ to both these books. 3/30/09
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I finished the 50 pt challenge by readingBrother Odd by Dean Koontz and Shadow Firesby Leigh Nichols (pseudonym_
New Point total : 210
10.2 Mexican AuthorGonzalez and Daughter Trucking Co by Maria Amparo Escandon
Excellent interwoven story. Both tales are engaging.
pts 10
Total 465
Two more finished today - 15.2 (Poetry Month) with Sappho's Leap and 15.3 (TNBBC Group Read) with Stardust. I got the latter in audio form, and Gaiman does a great job with it.Current Total: 340
Revised Goal: 400
I completed 15-point task 9. I read The Grey King by Susan Cooper. I drank some Earl Grey tea this morning with some yummy grey oatmeal, ate a tuna melt (with the way I make tuna, it's grey) speaking of which to make a delicious tuna melt you toast two slices of bread, mix tuna and mayo in a bowl, when the toast is read put tuna on one slice, lay a slice of cheese on top of the tuna, and put the other slice on top of the bread. You then heat it in the microwave for one minute and out comes melty-cheesy-tuna-y goodness!This brings me to 355 points!
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Liesl wrote: "Oh, man. This looks like so much fun, but since I went back to work full time, my reading time has been seriously diminished. Oh, well. I can't resist participating, so I'll give it my best shot..."I'm a Virgo and I read Alexie Sherman's Book Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian who was obsessed about his virginity. It is a great story.
Judith wrote: "Someone may have mentioned this before, but since Cynthia was updating us on when the summer list will be up I thought I'd share an idea that I had for the next challenge. I got the Book Lust and ..."Jennifer Finney Boylan, formerly James, is the author you are talking about. I have to read one of her books for my women's studies class: She's Not There A Life in Two Genders and since I don't need it after the semester I am going to work it into the arbor day task.
Wendy,A heron is a type of bird, so it would work for that task even if it's not considered a "spring animal"
ugh...I'm having serious issues with the book I chose for the British monarchy task.....it just feels like I'm reading a textbook. Since this book is just shy of 400 pages I'm also going to listen to an audiobook about Mary, Queen of Scots....hopefully that's a bit more engaging.
LEADERBOARD
DONNA JO - 575
***************
BJ ROSE - 550
SANDY - 530
LIZZI - 525
BRIDGIT - 510
KRISTEN IL - 515
WENDY - 490
RORA - 485
KRISTENR - 475
SHARON - 440
LEORA - 435
ALICE - 430
ASHLEY ID - 415
BETH MN - 415
TINA - 415
MEGHAN - 410
CAIT - 400
JOSIE - 385
LOUISE - 370
RORY - 370
BEV - 365
BONNIE - 365
LIZ BRKLYN - 360
APRIL NY - 355
KRISTINA GA - 355
MAGGIE - 355
AMY - 345
JESSICA IL - 340
ANGELA IL - 335
ANGIE - 330
KRITIKA - 315
NICOLE NC - 315
REBECCA J - 310
SARANICOLE - 310
PERS - 300
CATHEROO - 295
CYNTHIA (SCM) - 295
LORI TX - 295
EL - 290
LINDSEY - 285
SUSAN - 285
ELIZABETH NC - 280
EVA - 280
JUDITH IA - 280
RHIANNON - 280
SANDIE - 280
MARY BETH - 275
LAURA NY - 270
ROSEANN - 260
SUZIER - 260
COURTNEY - 255
BECKY - 250
JOANN - 250
JOY - 240
JON - 230
KATE - 230
STEPH - 230
LYNLEE4 - 225
MALIADES - 225
RENFREW - 225
FALLON - 220
JAMIE MN - 220
JILLIAN - 220
STEPHANIE CA - 220
ALISHA - 215
FIONA (TITCH)- 215
KRISTINA UK - 215
LIZ VEGAS - 210
ELIZABETH (ALASKA) - 200
SARA E - 200
WV HEATHER - 200
SERA - 195
ASHLEY AL - 190
MANDAY - 190
VICTORIA - 190
CAROL - 185
HAYES - 185
RALPH - 180
JENNIFER IN - 165
JOANNA - 165
MARIE - 160
POTJY - 155
TRYPHENA - 155
LILY - 150
ROS - 150
CYNDEE - 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
JEN MD - 110
LAUREN - 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
MEL - 85
MEREDITH H - 85
RACHEL WA - 80
SAM - 80
VICKI - 80
JULIE TN - 75
JULIE UK - 75
KIM - 75
RACHEL CA - 75
KELLY MA - 70
SHELLIE - 70
SLAIMI - 70
ALLISON MO - 65
JAMIE WA - 65
JESSICA MI - 65
ALYSSA - 60
KELLY - 60
ROBIN - 55
KATIE - 50
5PEASINAPOD - 45
ELIZ - 45
JULIE KS - 40
LDB - 40
LISA CO - 40
LIZ NY - 40
TOBIE - 40
JAMIE 23 - 35
MORGAN - 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
MICHELLE - 5
SHELBY - 5
We're now 2/3 of the way through the challenge - and we've completed 2215 tasks and read 2588 books as a group. That's pretty amazing, I think - so I thought I'd just say - keep up the good reading everyone! ! ! ! ! Cynthia - SCM
Another one bites the dust!15.2--A DIRTY JOB by Christopher Moore.
I was very glad to see this one as I have been wanting to read it for some time, but just never got to it. I loved the gallows humor which actually made me laugh out loud a couple of times.
This brings my total to 260 points!
Goal: 390 Points / 32 books---Stats---
Earned Points: 250 of 390
Books Read: 21 of 32
Total Pages Read: 8323
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5 POINT TASKS
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (SF)
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse (audiobook)
5. Read a Christian Fiction novel.
Showdown by Ted Dekker
Lady Susan by Jane Austen
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (Sent to Kandice.)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
9. Read a book with a spring animal in the title.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
10 POINT TASKS
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides /Born: March 8, 1960
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susana Clarke
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
7. Read a book recommended by/given to you by your mother.
The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
Othello by William Shakespeare
9. Read a book from the TNBBC Top Book list.
I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith (#1 - I was born in 1982)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Thanks Heather from page 39!)
15 POINT TASKS
1. LIBRA: Read a book about a lawyer, the law, a judge etc.
The Last Juror by John Grisham
Inferno by Dante Alighieri
3. Read a past OR present TNBBC group read that you haven’t read before.
Neverwhere: A Novel by Neil Gaiman
6. Read a book that was has been translated from its original language.
The Plague by Albert Camus
Duma Key by Stephen King
9. Read a book with a color in the title AND eat a meal that includes at least 2 foods of that color.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
(Planned foods: Garlic and Feta cheese mashed potatoes and vanilla ice-cream)
25 POINT TASKS
The Green Mile (Complete Serial Novel) by Stephen King
4. Ros's Task: Read a book from the Big Reads List.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
(Non-fictional memoir -- I normally read fiction: fantasy, horror, classics, etc.)
Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (Referenced in "The English Patient".)
8. Cassie's Task: Read two YA novels.
Blue Is For Nightmares & White Is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz
50 POINT TASK
1. Sandy's Task: Read two books by an author writing under two different names.

25 point task #5 Read a book outside your normal genre: Mysteries, The Laidies’ No. 1 Detective Agency and Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall SmithTotal Points: 110
I feel a bit like i've cheated here as it's a children's book that isn't very long but after having slogged my way through Samuel Pepys Diary I thought I deserved a bit of a break in my e-reading at work. Just finished The Phoenix and the Carpet for 5 points. Loved it!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
10. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
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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5 points9. The chocolate puppy puzzle
new total: 300 points
I won't be able to reach the 575 points, but my goal is to finish 5 more tasks.
Judith wrote: "Someone may have mentioned this before, but since Cynthia was updating us on when the summer list will be up I thought I'd share an idea that I had for the next challenge. I got the Book Lust and ..."aw...why slow? its on my TBR
No points for this one yet, but I finished the first half of 25.8 with The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan. I love this challenge and this website because I get introduced to so many new books that I didn't know about yet! I am so excited for the summer challenge already. There are some good ideas floating around!
Finished the last of my 5-pointers, and have just one task left - Jon's - and I hit a big speed bump there. Took it back to the library to renew it so I could finish it, and discovered that someone else had reserved it as of my return-date, AND that I had the only copy of 'Elizabeth and Mary' in the entire city library system! I put in my own reserve request, but my name hasn't come up yet, so guess I'll be picking something else.5.2 epistolary novel:
5.4 audiobook in car:
5.5 book about sacrifice:
15 points added to previous 535 = 550 points as of 5.1.09
Books mentioned in this topic
Tempting Fate (other topics)Romeo and Juliet (other topics)
Romeo and Juliet (other topics)
Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze?: And 114 Other Questions (other topics)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Anita Shreve (other topics)Markus Zusak (other topics)
Neil Gaiman (other topics)
Paulo Coelho (other topics)
Douglas Adams (other topics)
More...





Have you already completed the get to know the author task? That's such a terrific ta..."
That is an awesome task. Unfortunately, I already completed it by reading a Sarah Vowell book and interview. Thank you for the suggestion, though. Maybe I can put the Vowell book somewhere else.