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Cynthia's Seasonal Challenges
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OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009
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Kate
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Mar 05, 2009 03:40AM
For the Mother book, does anyone know any good books with the main character or author named Linda? Thanks!
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Linda Fairstein is an author. Here is what books she has written:Alex Cooper
1. Final Jeopardy (1994)
2. Likely to Die (1997)
3. Cold Hit (1999)
4. The Deadhouse (2001)
5. The Bone Vault (2003)
6. The Kills (2004)
7. Entombed (2005)
8. Death Dance (2006)
9. Bad Blood (2007)
10. Killer Heat (2008)
11. Lethal Legacy (2009)
Fantastic! That's 3 more books off my TBR shelf! Thanks Jon!Is that ok Cynthia?
5 Points6. Female Word in Title (ladies, girls, women, etc.): The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith.
Not what I was expecting at all. I thought it would be one big mystery but it was a bunch of little mysteries. It is my first book set in Africa and that part was really interesting.
Total Points: 50
Fiona, thank you so much! Do you know if any of those books are good? Any one that you would recommend? Thanks for finding those!!!
Bonnie - Thanks for the Cruel Kings and Mean Queens recommendation! I'll see if I can find it. Also, if you enjoyed the African setting of your last book, you may want to check out Power of One. It's been one of my favorite books for years.
Kathryn, Ros has read all of them and has said they are all good. I would recommend the 1st book as its 1st in the series hon.
Jamie wrote: "Bonnie - Thanks for the Cruel Kings and Mean Queens recommendation! I'll see if I can find it. Also, if you enjoyed the African setting of your last book, you may want to check out [b:Power of One|..."I checked and Amazon has it if you don't mind buying it online.
And I added Power of One to my TBR list, thanks!
Fiona, thanks! I had no idea that it was a series! Thanks for the help, you're amazing!
SANDY - Karen's 25 Point Task requires you read 2 books: one that starts with G and one that starts with R - not a book that starts with G that has an author that starts with R so I can't count those points until you complete a R-titled book.POTJY - Spring Cleaning Task (yes you can go on to the next one on the list - and for anyone doing that task - if it is a book that you don't own already and can't get at your local library you can skip to the next book on the list if you wish); the next book should fall under the joke book category; since I didn't specify upfront that it had to be a non-fiction about a poet yes you may use that book
LEORA - If Jon ok'd it it's fine by me.
Bonnie - I'm glad to see that you've added Power of One to your TBR list - I hope you enjoy it! Regarding Cruel Kings and Means Queens, I just may get it from Amazon, but I was hoping to find it used at PBS or Book Mooch. It's not available from either site, though.
5 POINTS4.
Total points - 10
Tasks completed 2
Woohoo! That should at least take me out of last place :-)
I don't know what I was thinking starting a 900+ page book (The Source) at the beginning of this challenge! Except that I wanted to read it and it really is good.
LEADERBOARD
ROS - 90
KAREN - 70
ASHLEY - 60
FIONA (TITCH) - 55
BONNIE - 50
EVA - 50
LIZ VEGAS - 50
PERS - 50
CAROL - 45
SANDY - 45
BETH MN - 40
BEV - 40
KATE - 40
LINDSEY - 40
LOUISE - 40
SANDIE - 40
CYNTHIA - 35
VICTORIA - 35
ALISHA - 30
LIZ (BKLYN) - 30
MEL - 30
SARA - 30
SUZIER - 30
ALICE - 25
DOROTHY - 25
JENNY - 25
MEGHAN - 25
NATALIA - 25
RORA - 25
SERA - 25
ANGIE - 20
ANN FROM SC - 20
BECKY - 20
BETH - 20
FALLON - 20
JAMIE MN - 20
KRISTINA - 20
ABBIE - 15
ANGELA - 15
CAITLIN - 15
COURTNEY - 15
JON - 15
JOSIE - 15
LEORA - 15
ROBIN - 15
STEPHANIE - 15
WV HEATHER - 15
EL - 10
JOY - 10
MELODY - 10
SUSAN - 10
TINA - 10
JUDITH - 5
KICKI - 5
LISA CO - 5
MAGGIE - 5
900 pages!! You are a braver woman than I Tina.
Completed the task - Read a Book With a Title of 12 or More Words:5 People Who Died During Sex and 100 Other Terribly Tasteless Lists by Karl Shaw
That brings me up to 30 points.
How do you guys read so fast. Oh well at least i have some points on the board.
5 POINTS
3. My Sister's Keeper-Jodi Picoult
10 POINTS
4. The Final Warning-James Patterson
5 POINTS
3. My Sister's Keeper-Jodi Picoult
10 POINTS
4. The Final Warning-James Patterson
That sounds an interesting book Mel :P I don't know how people are reading so quickly either!! I'm on book three and thought I was doing well!
I only have 30 points now, but just wait until this weekend, when I finish the 5 books I'm currently reading! ;) They must be reading all the high-point tasks first or something!
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4. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Task – Read or listen to a book while you are on a plane, on a train, or in a car (or other mode of transport like a bus/combinations of transportation)
- For this task you can’t, for example, start a book in the airport and finish it on the plane...the book must be read entirely while inside one of those modes of transportation.
- But the plane/train/car etc. does not have to be moving the entire time for it to count – exe. you can start reading the book once you board the plane before it takes off.
Mel wrote: "Completed the task - Read a Book With a Title of 12 or More Words:[b:5 People Who Died During Sex and 100 Other Terribly Tasteless Lists|291925|5 People Who Died During Sex and 100 Other Terr..."
Was this any good? It looks pretty interesting to me.
Eva and Jenny, it was a pretty interesting book. I laughed out loud at a couple of the tales in the book. If you can pick it up, I'd recommend it.
Cynthia,I just realized I forgot to put the R book for the G and R task. The r book was Remembered by Tamera Alexander
That would give me 45 points.
Mel wrote: "Completed the task - Read a Book With a Title of 12 or More Words:
[b:5 People Who Died During Sex and 100 Other Terribly Tasteless Lists|291925|5 People Who Died During Sex and 100 Other Terr..."
OMG! I would love to hear other suggestions for this task . Thanks.
[b:5 People Who Died During Sex and 100 Other Terribly Tasteless Lists|291925|5 People Who Died During Sex and 100 Other Terr..."
OMG! I would love to hear other suggestions for this task . Thanks.
Okay, I found this book so never mind!
Yay! My first task is completed.5. BONNIE’S TASK - Read a book outside your normal genre(s). Example: Bonnie usually reads YA, fantasy, nonfiction and classics so she'd have to read short stories, plays, mysteries, etc.
I haven't read a mystery in years so this one is out my normal reading zone.
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom for 25 points
Total Points: 25
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Sowmya wrote: "Mel wrote: "Completed the task - Read a Book With a Title of 12 or More Words:5 People Who Died During Sex and 100 Other Terribly Tasteless Lists
and
102 Minutes The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers
I can vouch for Stolen Innocence- it was great. I enjoyed reading it a lot. 102 Minutes I haven't read but actually plan on using it myself for the 12 word title task. If I think or find any more I'll post them too.
♡ Eva ♡ wrote: "I can vouch for Stolen Innocence- it was great. I enjoyed reading it a lot. 102 Minutes I haven't read but actually plan on using it myself for the 12 word title task. If I think or find any more..."
I found one that looks interesting:
Everything I Needed to Know about Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume
Definitely planning on using this one -- Judy Blume is partially responsible for my love of reading!
For El's task, if I choose a book BY one of those authors, does it need to be non-fiction? Does the non-fiction part apply to both parts of the task?The book I'm wanting to read is "Good Wives" by Louisa May Alcott.
Sowmya, I went through all my books on GR and found these are more than 12 words. Not just for you, but also cuz I can't sleep. :)Why We Suck A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid by Denis Leary
The Radical and the Republican Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics by James Oakes
The Princess Bride S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman
Eat, Pray, Love One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Jane Austen Handbook A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World by Margaret P Sullivan
Friends of Liberty A Tale of Three Patriots, Two Revolutions, and the Betrayal that Divided a Nation Thomas Jefferson, Thaddeus Kosciuszko, and Agrippa Hull by Gary Nash
Skinny Bitch A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous by Rory Freedman (I really didn't like this book, it basically yells at you and calls you names, which I don't think is conducive to being fabulous)
Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson
Shanghai Diary A Young Girl's Journey from Hitler's Hate to War-Torn China by Ursula Bacon
The Lost King of France How DNA Solved the Mystery of the Murdered Son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette by Deborah Cadbury
Skinny Women Are Evil Notes of a Big Girl in a Small-Minded World by Mo'Nique Imes Jackson (the comedienne Mo'Nique)
The Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo
In the Heart of the Sea The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
UFOs, JFK, and Elvis Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe by Richard Belzer (Munch on Law and Order SVU)
The Smart Cookies Guide to Making More Dough How to Spend Smart, Get Rich and Live a Fabulous Life by Andrea Baxter
The Lost Diary of Don Juan An Account of the True Arts of Passion and the Perilous Adventure of Love by Douglas Carlton AbramsWicked The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
Novel Destinations Literary Landmarks From Jane Austen's Bath to Ernest Hemingway's Key West by Shannon McKenna Schmidt
Physics of the Impossible A Scientific Exploration of the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel by Michael Kaku
What Went Wrong? The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East by Bernard Lewis
Wesley the Owl The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O'Brien
Reading Like a Writer A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose
The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII by Retha Warnyke (sp)
The Marrying of Anne of Cleves Royal Protocol in Early Modern England by Retha Warnyke
The Sisters of Henry VIII The Tumultuous Lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France by Maria Perry
A Treasury of Royal Scandals The Shocking True Stories History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors by Michael Farquhar
We Were Soldiers Once...and Young Ia Drang - the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam by Harold G. Moore
I, Claudius From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered & Deified A.D. 54 by Robert Graves
The Red Leather Diary Reclaiming a Life Through the Pages of a Lost Journal by Lily Koppel
The Incredible Book of Vatican Facts and Papal Curiosities A Treasury of Trivia Nino Lo Bello
My Most Excellent Year A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger
Hope this helps. This may be my longest post in the history of ever.
Lindsey wrote: "[b:The Lost Diary of Don Juan An Account of the True Arts of Passion and the Perilous Adventure of Love|132587|The Lost Diary of Don Juan An Account of the True Arts of Passion and the Perilous A..."
Thanks a lot!
Thanks a lot!
Courtney, if you decide to read the diarist, then it has to be a diary by that person. It's either an actual diary by someone on that list or a biography about a diarist on that list.
Potjy wrote: ""Most libraries should have a young adult section, and so do most bookstores.
Whoever recommended the Newberry books is a genius ;), and I totally second Walk Two Moons, and ANYTHING by Sharon Creech. She is one of my most favorite young adult authors.
Some other good YA authors to take a look at are Scott Westerfeld, Libba Bray, Cynthia Voigt & Robin McKinley (another 2 favorites!!) Avi, Lois Duncan, Ann Rinaldi, etc.
YA books generally deal with kids who are around Jr High/ High School age as a main character. That is one of the main qualifiers to YA fiction. Many fairy tale retellings fit well into these categories too, (Donna Jo Napoli, The Once Upon a Time Series by several authors, and Robin McKinley ETC)
Hope that helps!!
Goal: 305 Points / 28 books---Stats---
Earned Points: 20/305
Books Read: 2/28
Total Pages Read: 1370
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Completed Tasks:
10 POINT TASKS
1. For St. Patrick’s Day – Read a book by an Irish author, set in Ireland, OR about Ireland.
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt +10 pts / Read 3.4.09
5. March 24 is Harry Houdini’s Birthday – Read a book about magic, a magician etc.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susana Clarke +10 pts / Read 3.3.09
===========================
5 POINT TASKS
1. Read a Science Fiction OR Fantasy Novel.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (Science fiction)
2. Read an epistolary novel...
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
4. Read or listen to a book while you are on a plane, on a train, or in a car...
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse (audiobook)
5. For Easter/Lent - Read a Christian Fiction novel...
Showdown by Ted Dekker
6. In Honor Of Women’s History Month…
- Read a novel with woman, women, lady, etc in the title.
Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon by Jane Austen
7. For Arbor Day – Do your part to save some trees by reading a book and “recycling” it...
Vital Signs by Robin Cook
8. For April Fools Day read a humorous novel...
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
10. Read a book with a type of tree or flower in the title...
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
10 POINT TASKS
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
4. Read a book by an author who was born in March, April, or May.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (born: March 8, 1960)
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susana Clarke
6. In honor of Earth Day (April 22), read a book with the word Earth, Moon, World, etc in the title.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
7. In Honor of Mother’s Day, read a book recommended by/given to you by your mother.
The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
8. Read a book about a veteran OR someone serving in the military.
Othello by William Shakespeare
10. TNBBC member 5-Star rated book...
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Thanks Heather from page 39!)
15 POINT TASKS
1. Read a book that corresponds to your astrological sign...
- LIBRA: Read a book about a lawyer, the law, a judge etc.
The Last Juror by John Grisham
2. April is National Poetry Month – Read a book of poetry OR about a famous poet.
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
8. 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.
Thinner 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
1. Karen's Task: Read a book starting with "G" & a book starting with "R".
The Green Mile (Complete Serial Novel) by Stephen King & Roots by Alex Haley
4. Ros's Task: Read a book from the Big Reads List.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
5. Bonnie's Task: Read a book outside my normal genre.
Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther (Non-fictional memoir -- I normally read fiction: fantasy, horror, classics, etc.)
8. Cassie's Task: Read two YA novels.
Blue Is For Nightmares & White Is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz
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Gosh, people. I go out to the dentist for an hour and come back to 20 postings! I'm doing more reading here than of the books for the challenge!
Another good YA author I thought of is Kit Pearson - I loved the Guests of War Trilogy when I was a kid. She has written quite a lot of books so there are some choices. YA books are very popular so most book stores and libraries have big sections devoted to them. There are also some books that everyone would be familiar with because of the films: Twilight, Harry Potter, The Golden Compass - all of these have multiple books in a series.
I know Cassie put this in to honor her friend Melissa, the YA librarian. But perhaps someone can tell me why adults should be interested in reading YA books, other than to know what their own children might be reading. Even though it would be a really easy 25 points, my grandchildren are older than wanting to read YA books.
I know what you mean, Elizabeth. I'm kind of wondering if books that have been relegated to 'young adult' would count. You know, books that might not have necessarily been written as young adult books but have become treated as such.For example, would The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or Treasure Island work, Cynthia??
Well, I won't say the subject matter is trite, because I know that's not true. I do buy books for my niece's children and year before last read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. I'm an old softy, and it made me cry. But I would hardly consider the prose or the vocabulary interesting enough for adults. Perhaps I haven't looked at enough YA lately.
Elizabeth wrote: "I know Cassie put this in to honor her friend Melissa, the YA librarian. But perhaps someone can tell me why adults should be interested in reading YA books, other than to know what their own children might be reading. ..."I LOVE YA books! I don't understand why adults WOULDN'T be interested in reading them! They're wonderful!
The reason, I think, is that I love stories of first love and thinking back to what I was like as a teenager. It's so interesting to see how the world has changed from then until now. The stories are innocent and clean and happy (for the most part). But at the same time, a lot of the protagonists face complex and difficult issues, so they're not all just little fluff books. I think YA books have come a long way in the last few years. Give them a chance!
Okay, after a quick look through my shelves, I think I've found books for the 2 YA Books task that should work....Little Men by Louisa May Alcott (which I believe is shelved in both Adult and Young Adult sections) and The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (which won the Pulizer Prize, but I am hoping will still be acceptable since it is a coming-of-age story).Would these be acceptable, Cynthia? If not, I do have a couple of others that again, while they are not YA books in the purest sense (because they were technically written for adults), might still fall into the YA category since there are copies to be found in both the Adult and Young Adult Fiction sections (i.e. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, etc.).
*grrr* Next challenge I'm going to make everyone read a YA book with a pink or purple cover (maybe with sparklies... like If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince?), that will have to be okayed by me because it will need to have a cheesiness factor of at least 7 out of 10 in order to count. Read something fun and happy, people! Don't be so serious all the time!
Sara - agree with you!Just reading serious and sad stuff is out, everybody should read pink cover books once in a while.
That's it! I'm grounding myself from goodreads for the rest of the day, because I'm so pissy. Sorry if any of my recent comments sounded rude--I'm having an awful day. I'm getting terribly offended by every comment anyone makes (real life, here, wherever) and I just want to go sit in a dark corner somewhere and cry. I'll see everyone tomorrow. Have fun reading your boring YA books... I hope you enjoy them! (See what I mean. Totally pissy.)
What's with the growling? LOL :-) I read plenty of books that are fun and happy.
Elizabeth wrote: "I know Cassie put this in to honor her friend Melissa, the YA librarian. But perhaps someone can tell me why adults should be interested in reading YA books, other than to know what their own child..."To expand your horizons? Isn't that what these challenges are about? To challenge ourselves to find books that fit in these categories? I know if I am positive I wouldn't like reading anything in the category, I just don't do it. And, trust me, I don't mean this in a rude way at all. I just think that it should be obvious why people would want to read a YA as part of a challenge.
Sara, I just read a sparkly pink covered book last challenge -- I'm reading a sparkly teal covered book this challenge. Bring on the purple!! :-)
Fiona wrote: "Yuck! I avoid books with pink book covers. "Okay, one more. You can read a purple book, Fiona. As long as it has sparklies. If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince? really is a very cute book, even though the main character is a redhead.
PS - I think redheads are great, I just have an issue with them in fiction, because I feel like most authors who write about redheads only do so because they won't have to develop their character as well if they just say, "Oh, she's fiery... you know.. like a typical redhead..." White, freckles, don't tan well--just sunburn, "fiery", irritable. They're cookie-cutter characters. At least in YA.
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