OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009 Showing 1,651-1,700 of 6,381

[Cait]

El wrote: "Again, everyone - for the 25-point diary/diarist task: Either choose a diary by one of the people on the Wikipedia link that was provided, or choose a biography about one of those people on the link that was provided - the person has to have lived prior to 1900..."

I'm so glad I saw this! I don't know how I missed the "lived prior to 1900" part. I'll fix my list.

[Ann from S.C.]

Jon, Can I read QUEEN OF SCOTS, THE TRUE LIFE OF MARY STUART by John Guy, for your task? It has 500 pages.

[Jon]

Ann from S.C. wrote: "Jon, Can I read QUEEN OF SCOTS, THE TRUE LIFE OF MARY STUART by John Guy, for your task? It has 500 pages."

sounds perfect Ann

[Bonnie]

Ashley wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Ashley wrote:..."


That's exciting. I have read quite a few of the ones on your list, and I think I have all the others on my TBR! I have Princess of the Midnight Ball on hold fr..."

I read East first. That could be part of it. Whenever I read Beauty and Rose Daughter at around the same time I generally like the one I read first best (first time, I read Rose Daughter first and liked it best; recently I re-read both, read Beauty first and liked it better).

I can't believe I forgot Orson Scott Card's Enchantment. That one was really good!

I read both Shadow Spinner and Just Ella when I was about 11 and remember not being a big fan of either. I think maybe my biggest problem with Just Ella was that I'd recently finished Ella Enchanted and no retelling of Cinderella could compare.

I'll give Suzanne Weyn another chance. The library in my hometown has her books, so when I get back there I'll check them out.

Oh, and Donna Jo Napoli scares me. I read Zel and Sirena and they were SO dark. My best friend and I actually joke about Zel and how creepy it is. If you have a favorite, though, let me know and I'll give her another shot, because her writing IS good.

[Alisha Marie]

Kristina, I loved Life As We Knew It. It was a great book. Although, I was a mess throughout most of it. It's one of those books that scared the crap out of me (more than a lot of "horror" books) because it's plausible for something like that to happen. I was also bawling throughout the whole thing, too. I don't think I would reread though. Too depressing.

[Ashley]

Bonnie wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Ashley wrote:..."

I have noticed with a lot of the fairy tales, it depends on my state of mind when I read them. haven't reread Just Ella in years, but I like it especially because it is original. I really like it when they take fairy tales and put their own spin on them, like with the ending to Rose Daughter. You don't see that type of ending very often...! But Just Ella, and Shadow Spinner are both very much that way.

Donna Jo Napoli is very dark. I haven't read too many yet, but I did like Sirena. Beast was ok. It's from the beast's perspective, and a lot of the book deals with the beast before he meets Belle, and except for one awkward scene, I like that better, once Belle gets there it seems stiff, and unrealistic. Zel was also very dark... I have a few others waiting to be read, so I will let you know about those if and when I read them.

Wait! I totally forgot about Bound! It is really good. It is a version of the Cinderella story, but it is set in Ancient China, and deals with foot binding, among other things. I really like it though, because the Cinderella character is also a strong heroine who takes her life into her own hands. It was cool too, because it mixes a lot of Ancient Chinese mythology and things into it as well, and I feel like it was not quite as dark as some of her others. I recommend that one.

I also like some that are not quite retellings, but that have elements of other tales, or the old fairy tale feelings, like Princess Ben(pretty good) and Keturah and Lord Death(very good...). Keturah has elements of the Arabian Nights, because she tells Death a story without the ending to prolong her life. I liked it. The Princess and the Hound is another one like that, but I don't know that I liked it as much. Still an interesting read. I might have liked that one better if the ending hadn't been ruined for me.

I also agree with you that which version you read first has a lot to do with which one you like better. I had East and Sun/Moon, Ice/Snow checked out from the library at the same time, but took East back to save for later, after I realized it was based off the same tale, because I didn't want to be comparing the two to each other, but I will be pulling that one back out as soon as I find the time!

I always talk about this stuff too much, cuz it makes me so excited... It makes me happy that you like them too!

[Victoria]

Would Maus: A Survivor's Tale be ok for the in honor of armed forces day task?

[Ashley]

Randon question- How do you reply to a post, and keep what they said in italics without the whole thing becoming italicized? I have done it a couple times, but it usually places my whole post in italics. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[Ashley]

Oh, Bonnie, have you read Briar Rose by Jane Yolen? She takes Sleeping Beauty and mixes it with WWII. Very interesting. It's kind of sad, but really well written. Really sat with me for a while. But that one seems to be a love it or hate it for a lot of people. Worth reading though.

[Lynlee4]

I'm finally on the board...

25 Points
5. BONNIE’S TASK - Read a book outside your normal genre(s). Living with the Dead. Biography on The Grateful Dead.

Total=25


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[Angela]

5. For Easter/Lent…
- Read a Christian Fiction novel
Atonement Child by Francine Rivers-3/9

New Total: 70
Tasks: 6/38


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[Cait]

15 Points
8. Get to know the author - I read The Time Traveler's Wife on 3/4/09 and finally got around to reading these interviews today.

http://www.bookslut.com/features/2003...
http://writerunboxed.com/2006/03/10/i...

Total Points: 50

[April]

25 Point Task #9 read a book with more than 12 words in the title
I read Bright Lights, Big Ass A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? by Jen Lancaster

which brings my point total to 65 yay!


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[Ann from S.C.]

Thank you Jon! It looks very interesting.

[Bonnie]

Ashley wrote: "Randon question- How do you reply to a post, and keep what they said in italics without the whole thing becoming italicized? I have done it a couple times, but it usually places my whole post in it..."

OK, I'll check out Beast and Bound. I also really like fairy tale-esque books like Princess Ben. I really enjoyed that book. Briar Rose is a book I keep hearing about and keep avoiding. I don't generally like reading sad books during my "fun" reads. I will probably read it eventually, but it is just hard for me to bring myself to read a book that I know will be sad.

To keep your entire post from being italicized, make sure you keep your text AFTER the .

[Rory M.]

I'm new to this group & could not resist this challenge. I only got at far as picking out books from my TBR shelf for the 5 point tasks but I'm struggling with #9 Spring Animals - any ideas?

If I understand correctly, once I complete a book from the list I've made for myself I just post back here or on another strand?

5 POINT TASKS

1. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
2. Prison Writings by Leonard Peltier
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. Trustee from the Toolshed by Nevil Shute
5. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
6. Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley
7. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
8. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
9. TBD
10. The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence

Completed #4 - audio book - listened to Trustee from the Toolshed by Nevil Shute
TOTAL POINTS: 5

[Cynthia]

LEADERBOARD
FIONA (TITCH) - 195
ROS - 150
ASHLEY (ID) - 115
SUZIER - 105
PERS - 110
EVA - 100
KAREN - 100
SANDY - 95
SHARON - 90
BEV - 85
CASSIE - 85
CATHEROO - 85
KRITIKA - 85
KRISTINA - 80
CAROL - 75
EL - 75
JOSIE - 75
LEORA - 75
LOUISE - 75
SUSAN - 75
ANGELA - 70
LINDSEY - 70
SANDIE - 70
ANN FROM SC - 65
APRIL - 65
CAIT - 60
LIZ (BKLYN) - 60
LIZ VEGAS - 60
BONNIE - 55
LIZZI - 55
NATALIA - 55
ALICE - 50
CYNTHIA - 50
RORA - 50
BECKY - 45
BETH MN - 45
JAMIE MN - 45
JENNY - 45
JUDITH - 45
KICKI - 45
MEGHAN - 45
RHIANNON - 45
ALISHA - 40
ANGIE - 40
FALLON - 40
KATE - 40
SARA - 40
STEPH - 40
STEPHANIE - 40
KRISTEN - 35
MARY BETH - 35
VICTORIA - 35
BRIDGIT - 30
ELIZABETH - 30
MEL - 30
SUSANNA UK - 30
ABBIE - 25
DOROTHY - 25
ELIZABETH NC - 25
JEGKA - 25
JON - 25
JOY - 25
LYNLEE4 - 25
SERA - 25
TINA - 25
TRACY - 25
BETH - 20
COURTNEY - 20
ELIZ - 20
LINDA - 20
LORI - 20
CAITLIN - 15
JEANE - 15
JEN - 15
KATHRYN - 15
KELLY - 15
MAGGIE - 15
MELODY - 15
POTJY - 15
ROBIN - 15
WV HEATHER - 15
JEN - 10
LAUREN - 10
MELISSA - 10
RORY - 10
SEASONAL CHALLENGE MOD - 10
ASHLEY UT - 5
JAMIE WA - 5
LISA CO - 5
MICHELLE - 5

[Kristina]

Alisha wrote: "Kristina, I loved Life As We Knew It. It was a great book. Although, I was a mess throughout most of it. It's one of those books that scared the crap out of me (more than a lot of "horror" books..."

It scared the crap out of me, too, Alisha! I couldn't stop reading and stayed up until 5AM to finish it. I kept thinking, "would we have enough food" or "would Georgia be swept away?" I can't wait to read the one that comes after it, the Dead and the Gone, but that will be after the challenge!

[Cynthia]

Whew - that only took me about 2 hours to get the board up to date.

Ashley wrote: "Question- for the Earth day task, can we use works like Heaven, Sky, or Universe? Thanks!" - no those won't count for the Earth Day Task

Josie wrote: "Cynthia, I'm sorry for making your task harder by not getting my points total right! For some reason I thought the 25 point tasks were actually 20 point tasks...I have now realised my mistake!
Toda..." - that's okay

Meghan wrote: "PS - I moved into my first house on 2/28/09 - so I think finishing four books and getting completely moved in and unpacked in a week is pretty darn good. I am giving myself a pat on the back! :):):)" - CONGRATS on the new house

Barbara wrote: "El wrote: "Barbara, why not Lent?"

Lent is fine, but I meant to suggest Passover as well." - Barbara - when I was putting together the challenge I don't know if anyone mentioned Passover so that's why it wasn't originally included for that task but yes it could be for Passover as well

Charity wrote: "Cynthia,

This may have been asked before, but I can't remember....For the '3/4/5 task', if I am reading books with the words three, four, five or third, fourth, fifth in the titles, do they have t..." - no they don't have to be read in order and you can do other tasks in between

[Tien]

Read an epistolary novel OR a non-fiction collection of letters/journal etc.

Evelina by Fanny Burney 5 Pts

Total as at 10 March: 105 Points

[Kristina]

Cynthia wrote: "Whew - that only took me about 2 hours to get the board up to date.


I can't imagine how hard it is! I am at 75, though.

5 Pts: #2 & #4
10 Pts: #10
15 Pts: #6 & #7
25 Pts: #8

Thanks!

[Ashley]

Bonnie wrote: "Ashley wrote:"..."

I think I keep forgetting the / when I do the italics thing... That would make sense.

Anyway, Briar Rose is good. I don't know that I would call is sad though. It's been a while since I read it, and I wouldn't call it happy, but it ends well. I really liked it, although it is a different way of looking at a fairy tale. Less fairy... I like it.

Oh, and Thanks for the friend request! I'm happy to add you!

EDIT: I think I'm just defective... Because I still can't get it to work! Ugh...
EDIT Again... I don't know what I did now, but it worked! Yay!

[Susan]

Cynthia-
Although I would love the extra 5 points you have given me, I calculated my total be 75, not 80.

Thanks!

Susan

[Natalia]

Today I finished struggling through a third book:

Previously completed:
25.4 - The Woman in White - 3/5/2009
15.1 - The Other Boleyn Girl - 3/7/2009

Newly completed:
15 Points #5 - Read a book written by an author who won a major literary prize (Nobel, Pulitzer etc.) in the year you were born
3/9/2009 - Eros, Eros, Eros Selected and Last Poems by Odysseas Elytis(Nobel Prize for Literature, 1979)

Total Tasks Completed: 3
Total Ponts Earned: 55

Ooof. If it had not been for this challenge, I would not have finished this book. I don't like this kind of surrealist, post-modern poetry. Worse than that, it's translated from the Greek, and I suspect a *lot* was lost in translation, it read as very stilted and disjointed. Not my cup of tea, but it was fairly short, and now I can say I've read it.

[Kristina]

Natalia wrote: "Today I finished struggling through a third book"

That is great, Natalia! I am glad you made it through.

[Natalia]

Me too! I feel like I really challenged myself with this task! Thankfully nothing else I'm planning on reading for the spring challenge is so... esoteric. It should be all downhill from here. :)

[Fiona (Titch)]

Charity wrote: "Fiona, you've read 15 books in 9 days??? How on earth? And most of those books are not short...not even a little."

I have been listening to Audios on the last 5 books. I also get up at 6am (GMT) and go to bed at 11pm (GMT). I have 3 children, who are in school. They have their breakfast and leave for school at 8.30am and arrive at 4pm.

I also have a wonderful husband who helps with the children and allows me to listen and read my books when I have these kind of challenges.

[Kristina]

Finished another one:

9. Read a book with Spring animal (bird):
Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl

5 Points brining me to 80 points.

This is Patrice Kindl's first Young Adult novel, and it shows. Her main character, Owl, thinks, talks, and acts like no teenager. Her plot begins slow, never fully develops, and has an insufficient, speedy wrap-up. The story describes a few brief weeks in the life of Owl, who is a shape-shifter and transforms every night into her namesake. She spends her owl-time gazing at her science teacher while he sleeps. She thinks he is her mate for life, if only NY laws allowed this. Her parents support the idea but the poor man never knows. Most chapters end with the thoughts/activities of a male teenager who is just like Owl, and he soon becomes part of the cast. While, interesting, readers are never offered explanations to the fantasy/science fiction elements of this story and are meant to take them for what they are. Hopefully Kindl's other stories are better fleshed out, for she obviously has the imagination to create.

[Elizabeth (NC)]

I just finished Diry Job by Christopher Moore
15 point task #3 (past TNBBC read).

I loved it--he also has one that has a color in it and I may change my list to include that one. We'll see.

That puts me at 25 points
2 tasks done
755 pages read

[Fallon]

5 POINTS
1. the book of lost things - john Connolly
2. Mao’s last dancer - Li Cunxin
3. Pride and prejudice - Jane Austen
4. Bridget jones diary - Helen Fielding
5. A thousand splendid suns - Khaled Hosseini
6. Girl with a pearl earring - Tracy Chevalier
7. TBA
8. TBA
9. Walking the lions - Stephen Burgen
10. The scent of eucalyptus - Barbara Harahan ?
10 POINTS
1. P.S I love you - Cecelia Ahern
2. Yet to find at library
3. People of the book - Geraldine Brooks
4. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
5. The know - Martina Cole
6. The Almost moon - Alice Sebold
7. To kill a mockingbird - Harper lee
8. 6th Harry Potter book
9. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
10. The handmaids tale - Margaret Atwood
15 POINT TASKS
1. The other Boleyn girl - phillipa greggory
2. The best Australian poetry 2003
3. Angelas Ashes - Frank McCourt
4. TBA
5. Dirt Music - Tim winton
6. Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky - french
7. the bride stripped bare -anon & Jane eyre - charlotte bronte
8. TBA
9. White Oleander
10. 3rd, 4th & 5th Harry Potter Books
25 POINT TASKS
1. A great and terrible beauty & rebel angels - Libba bray
2.TBA (Depends on library)
3. - Cynthia - the independence of miss mary bennett - colleen McCullough (have to read pride and prejudice first) & adventures of huckleberry finn?
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. TBA
6. TBA
8. The messenger - Markus Zusak & Wildwood Dancing - Juliet Marillier ( - still reading this one, really not my cup of tea!)
9. Tuesday's With Morrie: an Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom.
TASKS COMPLETE - 4 ½ / 40
POINTS TALLY - 40 / 550

[Sharon75uk]

I only have 1 task that I can't complete but have been thinking of a way to do this.

For the planes/trains task would it count if I was sitting stationary in the car waiting on my children at school? I do this most days.

Or any other suggestions - I don't travel often with these methods.

thanks
Sharon

[Potjy]

My finished tasks so far:

5 POINTS

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)
Gobbolino the Witch's Cat by Ursula Moray Williams

10 POINTS
6. In honor of Earth Day (April 22) read a book with the word Earth, Moon, Sun, World, Star or one of the other planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) in the title.
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

total points: 15

and more are coming along...

[SusannaW]

15 points

2. National Poetry month.

Just finished England's Best Loved Poems: The Enchantment of England , by George Courtauld. It wasn't bad - might be good for anyone out there who knows very little about English poetry. Several of the poems I had studied for English A'level at the age of 17-18, so it was a pleasant jaunt down memory lane.

I did discover some new poems - & thanks to this I read my first Ted Hughes poem - might track down some more.

[Terri]

I've finished Cassie's task for 25 points - read two YA books. I read Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli and Holes by Louis Sachar - really enjoyed them both!

Total points: 105


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[Cynthia]

SHARON - yes that would be fine

[Bridgit]

Hi - 2 quick questions.

1) I live in the city and don't have a car. My commute to work is about 5 minutes on the subway, which is the only time I am in any mode of transportation. Is it possible to count being on a treadmill or stationary bike at the gym for the transportation challenge??

2) Also, does a book about a ventriloquist count towards the magic/magician challenge?

Thanks!

[Beth F]

5 POINTS
2:84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (3/04/09)
4:From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris (3/10/09)

10 POINTS
4:A Great and Terribly Beauty by Libba Bray (3/02/09)
10:All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris (3/03/09)

15 POINTS
8:City Dog by Alison Pace. (3/01/09)


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Points: 45
Tasks Completed: 5.5--I finished a "G" book for the 25-pointer but haven't started the "R" yet. Soon...
-Beth MN

[Lori]

Sorry Cynthia. The Nixie's Song is for the 5 point #1 task.

And this weekend I read Edgar Allen Poe : Complete Poems for the 15 point #2 task.

That makes me a total of 20 points.

And I have to say I was not very impressed with Mr. Poe's poetry. Too much death and despair. Even the ones that started out well ended up being too long and confusing.

[Victoria]

Cynthia-
Would Maus:A Survivor's Tale work for the Memorial Day task?

[Cait]

10 Points
3. ANZAC Day - Last night, I finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I think my eyes are still swollen this morning.

Total Points: 60

[Cait]

Cynthia, what about using a book with the word 'planet' in the title for the Earth Day task? I don't want to assume.

[Jenny]

Aaw I loved the book thief. I'd never cried at a book before I read that one!

[Jenny]

Just listened to Alice in Wonderland for the fantasy novel read.

My total is now 45 points

5 Points

1. Alice in Wonderland
2. The Color Purple
3. The Last Empress
4. TBA
5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
6. Falling Leaves The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
7. Pride & Prejudice audio book
8. The Princess Bride
9. To Kill a Mockingbird
10. Sea of Poppies

10 Points

1. In the Woods
2. Like Water for Chocolate
3. True History of the Kelly Gang A Novel
4. Watership Down, Richard Adams (May Bday!)
5. The Magician's Nephew
6. Stardust
7. The Horse Whisperer
8. Captain Corelli's Mandolin
9. The Bell Jar
10. The Kite Runner

15 Points

1. Virgo Lolita/The Virgin's Lover
2. TBA
3. Jane Eyre
4. Aberystwyth Mon Amour
5. The Lover
6. Sky Burial An Epic Love Story of Tibet
7. Wuthering Heights & Northern Lights
8. The Lies of Locke Lamora
9. Redwall
10. 3, 4 & 5 of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series

25 Points

1. The Russian Concubine & The Good Women of China Hidden Voices
2. Something about Lewis Carroll
3. TBA
4. Lord of the Flies
5. Into the Wild
6. TBA
7. TBA
8. I Capture the Castle & Across the Nightingale Floor
9. TBA


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[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

15.3 The Thirteenth Tale A Novel by Diane Setterfield

This is a TNBBC book club read, so many of of you are familiar with it. It reaches out and grabs you right away, no waiting around. But what? That reaching out and grabbing you isn't the story, so you get caught up again! Then, though I felt I had to suspend all belief, and I prefer a story that is believable, I continued to turn page after page. In fact, awakened in the middle of the night last night, picked up the book, than couldn't sleep for want of finishing! This was a fun book, and I'm giving it 4 stars, though if there were a way to award 4+ I'd be tempted.

[Rory M.]

5 POINT TASKS
1. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld 3/7/09
2. Prison Writings by Leonard Peltier
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. Trustee from the Toolshed by Nevil Shute 3/6/09
5. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
6. Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley
7. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
8. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
9. TBD
10. The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence


TOTAL POINTS: 10

I'm a huge fan of Westerfeld's Uglies trilogy (haven't read Extras - the add on book), so when I discovered he had other books I was thrilled and then immediately disappointed and then thrilled again. I started the The Secret Hour (first in the Midnighter series) but I wasn't able to finish even the first book - I found the characters difficult to keep track of (probably due to the snail pace I was reading it at) and the huge, giant cat and other creepy critters called "darklings" made my skin crawl...and not in a good way. A book has to be really bad for me to put it down and that's just what I did with The Secret Hour but I didn't want to give up on Westerfeld altogether. I'm so glad I didn't!

Once I started Peeps I read it in just three days it was so good! Let me be more specific because "good" is such a bad word to describe this YA novel. Peeps is a vampire story with a twist. Vampirism is a parasite transmitted through the exchange of body fluids...a fresh twist on an old tale. Westerfeld has managed to create a new and exciting mythology for vampirism in this novel. He also adds a bit of biology in every other chapter - you get to read about real (non fiction) parasites that affect humans and animals. I almost found those chapters more fascinating than the actual story line...almost.

I would not recommend this book for pre-teens as casual sex is accepted as the norm, abstinence is portrayed as a kind of torture and many younger readers may miss his message of "safe sex" altogether. This book is best read by a more mature audience.

[Sara ♥]

Charity wrote: "Thank you, Sara and Becky. That makes sense. Can you download books to mp3 players?"

Yes. This is TOP SECRET, but I borrow audiobooks (CDs) from the library, and burn them to my computer, then transfer them to my mp3 player, so that I can listen to them that way, without having to carry a CD player around with me. I delete them when I'm done... usually... I own every book I've kept the audio of.

OR, there are websites you can download books off of, I believe. Like audible.com. If you google "audiobook downloads", a bunch of sites will come up.

There are also free audiobooks on the web to download. I think the biggest website for those is librivox.org. These audiobooks are NOT professionally made (they're recorded by volunteers), and are only of books in the public domain, which is why they're free.

[Meghan]

5 Points
1. Fire Study - Maria V. Snyder
2. Ella Minnow Pea A Novel in Letters - Mark Dunn
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
4.
5. The Shack - William P. Young
6. Blackout Girl Growing Up and Drying Out in America (3/8/09)
7.
8. Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (3/10/09)
9. Down the Rabbit Hole An Echo Falls Mystery - Peter Abrahams
10. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

10 Points
1. The Likeness A Novel - Tana French(3/9/09)
2. Rain of Gold - Victor Villaseñor
3. Tender Morsels - Margo Lanagan (3/2/09)
4. Until I Find You A Novel - John Irving (March 2nd)
5. Magic Study - Maria V. Snyder
6. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things - Carolyn Mackler
7. Postmortem - Patricia Cornwell
8. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
9. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
10. The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides

15 Points
1.
2.
3. Neverwhere A Novel - Neil Gaiman
4.
5. The Witches of Eastwick - John Updike (National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction - 1981)
6. Ines of My Soul A Novel - Isabel Allende
7. Night - Elie Wiesel and A Northern Light - Jennifer Donnelly
8. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman 3/3/09
9. Redwall - Brian Jacques
10.

25 Points
1. Gossamer, The Red Shoe
2.
3. The Art of Racing in the Rain and Whale Talk
4. Noughts & Crosses
5. Blood Brothers
6. The Six Wives of Henry VIII
8. The White Darkness and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (3/8/09)
9. The Boyfriend List 15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs, and me, Ruby Oliver

Total
45 Points, 5 Tasks

[Ashley]

Rory wrote: "5 POINT TASKS
1. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld 3/7/09

Did you know there is a sequel to Peeps? It's called The Last Days. The main characters aren't the same, but the main people from Peeps do make some pretty important reappearances. I liked it, but I definitely liked Peeps better. Last Days wasn't my favorite.

He has another one called So Yesterday. I am reading it for one of the challenges, but I haven't started it yet. I hear it's good though.

I read Midnighters, and once I got used to it, I did like it. But I read those before the Uglies series, which I loved! I liked Midnighters, but I Hate how it ended, so I will most likely never reread any of them, cuz the second book is bizarre, and the third one doesn't end in a way I liked... Endings are a big thing for me.

I would recommend going and reading Extras though. It doesn't follow Tally, but she is in it, and it does resolve some important questions. I really liked it!

[Tracy]

FINALLY! I have points!!

Finished "The List" by C. D. Baker for 10 points (#8 -- military). It's a YA book, actually, set in Philadelphia during the Revolution. Wonderful book! My 10-year-old daughter is studying the Revolution right now in history (I homeschool), and I think I'm going to have her read it too.

Also, finished my poetry book (15 points), by my all-time favorite poet -- if you don't normally like poetry, you should check out Billy Collins. I re-read

Nine Horses Poems and was reminded why I love him. Reading his poem, "The Country" was the first time a poem made me laugh out loud. And who could dislike a poet who can write a poem called "Another Reason I Don't Own a Gun" -- all about his neighbor's dog, who won't stop barking. He's hilarious in a quiet way, but every poem makes you pause at the end and say, "Yes. I know that feeling."

Anyway, I'm on the board at last, with 25 points!

[Jaime]

And I am finally on the board...

25 POINT TASKS

5. BONNIE’S TASK - Read a book outside your normal genre(s).
Watchmen-Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons 3/10

Total: 25pts @ 3/10 Jaime(26)


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