The Next Best Book Club discussion
Cynthia's Seasonal Challenges
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OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009
Sharon wrote: "A clockwork orange - I started this last night and I am not sure if I want to carry on with it. Has anyone read this and what did they think?
"
Haven't read it yet but after seeing the movie.... oh wait, I think I read it for school but can't remember well as it si too long in the past.
Becky wrote: "Nicole, For a book set in France, I'm listening to Labyrinth by Kate Mosse for the Planes, Trains and A..."I adored them both!!!
Bonnie wrote: "25 Points3. Angela's Task (from Jeane's shelves): Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and [b..."
I'm sorry Bonnie. I still ahve to start Angela's ashes and about the others i don't know yet:-)
Goal: 305 Points / 28 books---Stats---
Earned Points: 55 of 305
Books Read: 6 of 28
Total Pages Read: 3088
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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
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
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".
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
8. Cassie's Task: Read two YA novels.
Blue Is For Nightmares & White Is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz
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Jeane, I just finished "Labyrinth" and I really liked it. I'm definitely glad I stuck with that one, the reader for the audiobook wasn't working for me originally, but I got past it. It's a great story!
Jeane Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
It was about 700 pages long but I loved it - couldn't put it down which isn't great for a long book like that LOL!
To those of you who liked Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse has another one that is written in verse called Witness (which could count as YA for this challenge). It takes place in the 1920s if I remember correctly and is about two young girls--one African American and one Jewish--who are trying to figure out how to be friends in a very segregated town. There were several poems that are really powerful.
My update:25 point task
7)read 2 YA books
STARGIRL
and
EGGS both by Jerry Spinilli(spelling?)
my points-100
3. For ANZAC Day – Read a book by an Australian author. I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak-3/13
90 Points
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Elizabeth (NC) wrote: "To those of you who liked Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse has another one that is written in verse called Witness (which could count as YA for this challenge). It takes place in the 1920s if I remembe..."I love Witness by Hesse. I read it last year and my students really enjoyed it. It gave them a new perspective in racism in America.
3. ANGELA’S TASK - Look for your first post in the Official Spring Challenge. Once you find it, look at the person below you and go to their profile and pick TWO books to read off of their shelves. (Sara)For 25 points I read...The Princess Bride by William Goldman and Stardust by Neil Gaiman
(New total: 100 points)
5 point task. 9. Read a book with one of the following Spring animals in the title…
- Bird (the word bird or any type of bird)
Birds of Feather
Total Points - 5
Rory wrote: "Lori wrote: "Karen wrote: "10. March, April, and May are the 3rd, 4th, and 5th months of the year- Read the third, fourth and fifth books of one series
Seduced by Moonlight (Meredith Gentry 3) b..."
You have to read them from the beginning to understand how all the sex comes into it. She doesn't even have sex until book six.
The Merry series starts out with sex from the very beginning, but the whole goal in that series is for her to get pregnant.
I love them all.
Jeane, I can't believe you didn't like Alice in Wonderland. It's such a wonderful story, and of course a fantasy. A brat? I don't remember Alice having much personality at all, just all these fantastic things that kept happening to her. Did you read Lewis Carroll or Disney? 
I found you five minutes ago and joined two minutes ago. I am So In on this challenge...there goes my Saturday cleaning :)
Amy wrote: "I found you five minutes ago and joined two minutes ago. I am So In on this challenge...there goes my Saturday cleaning :)"Extremely addicting. I am new too. But welcome to the club. LOL
Welcome, Amy. Reading is so much more fulfilling that cleaning. This is my first challenge, having just joined TNBBC the end of February. Have fun!
Finally finished another:Task 15.9 - White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
Ate a bagel with poppyseeds (black) and cream cheese (white) for breakfast.
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Rhiannon and Sandy - you both will still need to change your choices for the second 25-point task as they are both fiction and do not qualify for the task.
Becky wrote: "Jeane, I just finished "Labyrinth" and I really liked it. I'm definitely glad I stuck with that one, the reader for the audiobook wasn't working for me originally, but I got past it. It's a great s..."Great! I also read Sepulchre which was different but the basic for the story was the same. very interesting too.
Elizabeth wrote: "Jeane, I can't believe you didn't like Alice in Wonderland. It's such a wonderful story, and of course a fantasy. A brat? I don't remember Alice having much personality at all, just all these fanta..."Elizabeth it was so bad for me that i have to finish a book once started because it took me soooo long to get through it and really din't like it at all.
Well, I guess you're entitled, Jeane. I read it as a child and loved it, then read it to my children. But I see books being read and loved here that I can't imagine even picking up.
Update!I just finished Kristy's Big Idea and The Hidden Staircase for 25-point task #8 (Cassie's task).
This brings my new point total to 60!
I liked both series much more as a kid. They were extremely easy reading, so I would think they would be borderline to meeting the challenge. If they don't count, let me know, as there are about a million other books that I want to read that would count.
Would a collection of essays fit the epistolary task? Does it have to be letters?
Earned more points!15.8 read a book & then listen to an interview with the author - completed 3.14.09
listened to
and listened to an interview with him, which was much more interesting than I expected - you can still hear the youthfulness in his voice and in some responses, but all I was looking for was a light read with this series, so I haven't been disappointed.
5.7.
25.8 Cassie's Task: read 2 Young Adult books
AND
Total Points earned as of 3.14.09 = 45 Points
Elizabeth wrote: "Well, I guess you're entitled, Jeane. I read it as a child and loved it, then read it to my children. But I see books being read and loved here that I can't imagine even picking up."I know. for some weird reason I also completely can't stand anything with pinnocchio...
I can't imagine picking up Harry Potter. I read a few pages when the first one came out a few years ago when I was helping kids who had reading problems. It's just seems a bit too young for me.
Ack! Elizabeth, I can't not say something here. I love the Harry Potter books and I read them ALL as an adult. The first two are the only ones that I would categorize as children's books, after that, they begin dealing with some very mature themes. You know what you like, and obviously I can't make the decision for you, but I would say to give them another chance. There is so much in them -even in the first two- that they are worth reading, especially if, like me, you enjoy mythology, legends, etymology, etc. Half the fun I had in reading the books was finding those little references. But they are great books anyway, full of magic and mystery. :)
There is another thread going about what to say when someone says they don't have time to read. Well, I'll just say here that, while I have a lot more time to read than most folks on this earth, I don't have time to read Harry Potter. There's just too much else out there I do want to read. I suspect much of it won't be great literature, but I'll be pretty sure the author anticipated their readers would be adults.
Elizabeth wrote: "I can't imagine picking up Harry Potter. I read a few pages when the first one came out a few years ago when I was helping kids who had reading problems. It's just seems a bit too young for me."I could never read them either actually. I got it in my head that it's a kids book and haven't been able to really get past that. It doesn't help that it's not really my kind of book anyway too. They sure are well loved though!
Courtney- I think the only thing you have to make sure is that the books are 100 pages long. I think.
I'm pretty sure the other task has to be letters- I don't think the essays would work but you never know.
I agree with Elizabeth and Eva. I had to put it down also. I thought it was pretty childish as well.
That's your choice, and I'm not going to get back into the YA debate again, haha. We all have different preferences, but I just couldn't imagine limiting myself to books that are only for my age group. I'll give anything and everything a try (sometimes twice), because some of my favorite books are written about or for young adults. :)
That's true for me to actually- I've liked quite a few YA books or books that weren't "meant" for me. I have a unheard of number sitting here waiting to be read to. I definitely wouldn't limit myself in that way- that would most definitely be sad.
Becky wrote: "Ack! Elizabeth, I can't not say something here. I love the Harry Potter books and I read them ALL as an adult. The first two are the only ones that I would categorize as children's books, after tha..."Becky - I agree wholeheartedly! I did not grow up with the books either, rather I discovered the series right after the fifth came out, quickly devoured one through five and had to wait impatiently with everyone else for books six and seven. I LOVED the Harry Potter series, which is saying something because I generally don't read or enjoy a lot of fantasy.
To each their own, obviously. But for all those doubters, I would recommend at least trying them. And I agree with Becky - while I loved them from the start, they really intensify with the third book and only get better from there.
♡ Eva ♡ wrote: "That's true for me to actually- I've liked quite a few YA books or books that weren't "meant" for me. I have a unheard of number sitting here waiting to be read to. I definitely wouldn't limit my..."
There are millions of books and if I'd started reading when I was two years old, live to be 100, and never did anything else in my life, I wouldn't have time to read everything. Each of us has to choose, select, yes discriminate, from among all the choices available to us, and that means that you, by choosing to include YA/Harry Potter, must naturally limit yourself - or exclude - other books.
Elizabeth wrote: "♡ Eva ♡ wrote: "That's true for me to actually- I've liked quite a few YA books or books that weren't "meant" for me. I have a unheard of number sitting here waiting to be read to. I definitely w..."
I'm not seeing where you're coming from here? You've assumed that since I don't like Harry Potter and since I feel that those books are not something I want to read that I've "limited myself". I read YA and I read other genres with books that were most definitely not meant for a 31 year old woman. Please explain- I'm intrigued.
I tried to read the first Harry Potter after numerous friends and family encouraged me to. I felt then and still feel that it was very childish and that there was absolutely no point to it whatsoever- for ME. You'll never hear me say that as a generalization. You'll never heard me say that only a certain age group should read this or that book, this or that genre. That goes against me 100%. I simply added my opinion and I stick to it. Like you did Elizabeth- but for you to assume that because someone doesn't like Harry Potter is limiting themselves and that they don't like YA is absurd.
♡ Eva ♡ wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I can't imagine picking up Harry Potter. I read a few pages when the first one came out a few years ago when I was helping kids who had reading problems. It's just seems a bit too..."Both books were over 100 pages. Thanks! :) I found a book that I started awhile back that is a series of essays that I wanted to finish. I hoped it would count for that task. However, I also found a book of letters that sounds really interesting.
Courtney wrote: "♡ Eva ♡ wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I can't imagine picking up Harry Potter. I read a few pages when the first one came out a few years ago when I was helping kids who had reading problems. It's just..."You're welcome! Remember though- I'm just going on what I've seen in the posts and remember, Cynthia can tell you for sure! :D What book did you find for the epistolary task?
I loved the Harry Potter books. I was hooked from the first one and towed along with the rest of the world waiting impatiently for the next one to come out. However, I feel exactly the same way about Laurell K. Hamilton's two series'. I am a total vampire addict. And now I am hooked on Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series.
I know plenty of people who don't read Harry Potter for one reason or another. I think they are missing out. But they usually have books I don't like that they think I should read.
As long as you are not trying to ban a book entirely, I say to each his own. (can't tell I'm a librarian, huh?)
I have to admit, this conversation has me wanting to check out the first one again. Just to see if I'd still feel the same way or not. There are so many books that I've ended up liking after I had tried before to read them. I'll have to decide on what to do now. LOL
Hi Just finished a book for 25 points:
5. BONNIE’S TASK - Read a book outside your normal genre...
I read an autobiography, a genre I never normally venture near... My old Uni tutor used to tell me people only read autobiographies as their own lives shrank, which I never quite got out of my mind, damn him...!
Pieces of My Heart , Robert Wagner.
I used to be a big fan of Hart to Hart as a kid, although there's not much on the series, unfortunately. It's a great read for anyone interested in the film industry and Hollywood - and my oh my did RJ have a wide love life... ;)
♡ Eva ♡ wrote: "I have to admit, this conversation has me wanting to check out the first one again. Just to see if I'd still feel the same way or not. There are so many books that I've ended up liking after I had ..."Another intersing debate. I personally loved all the Harry Potters--but dont' think they will ever be great literature--just a lot of fun. I do agree with the other Elizabeth that there are so many great books out there that we have to pick and choose and that means some don't get read. I always think it is intriguing how different people make those choices.
Finished another task:10. April Showers: Guitar Highway Rose by Brigid Lowry
5 points, making my total 130.
I do not recommend this book to anyone.
♡ Eva ♡ wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "♡ Eva ♡ wrote: "That's true for me to actually- I've liked quite a few YA books or books that weren't "meant" for me. I have a unheard of number sitting here waiting to be read to..."Actually, Eva, I didn't recall you were one who said you didn't like Harry Potter. What I was responding to was your message #2090, where you referenced your unheard of number of YA books, and your saying that to not have them would be limiting yourself in some way. I simply said that by having them you're limiting yourself in some way. We all have to exert some sort of limitation to our reading.
Completed Tasks
10 Points
#10 1st to Die Fiona gave it a 5-star and we both joined this group on the same page!
15 Points
#2 Where the Sidewalk Ends
25 Points
#9 He's Just Not That Into You The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys
Total Points: 50
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Latest Update, and now I'm rereading To Kill a Mockingbird after thirteen years...we'll see how I feel about it this time.THE TASKS
5 Points
1. Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton
2. Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger
3.
4. Eiger Dreams by Jon Krakauer
5. If It’s Not Food…Don’t Eat It by Kelly Hayford
(I had planned to give up junk food for Lent, so I found a whole book about giving up junk food!)
6. A Lady’s Secret by Jo Beverley
7. The River Knows by Amanda Quick
8. Jack with a Twist by Brenda Janowitz
9. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
10. The Feast of Roses by Indu Sundaresan
Category Total: 5 / 50
10 Points
1. P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern
2. Gringos by Charles Portis
3. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (March 4
5. The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
6. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
7. Getting Mother’s Body by Suzan-Lori Parks
8. A Very Long Engagement by Sebastien Japrisot
9. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (#19)
10.
Category Total: 10 / 100
15 Points
1. Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen (Pisces – Takes place at a bass-fishing tournament)
2.
3. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
4. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (Savannah, GA)
5. Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (Newbery Medal 1981)
6.
7. The Last TOWN on Earth by Thomas Mullen /
The CROWN Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan
8.
9. The Red Scarf by Kate Furnivall
10. The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (Books 3, 4, and 5 of The Chronicles of Narnia series)
Category Total: 45 / 150
25 Points
1.
2. The Ballad of Dorothy Wordsworth by Frances Wilson
3. From Eva: I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max / In the Cut by Susanna Moore
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
5. My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding edited by P.N. Elrod (Short Stories)
6. Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade by James Reston Jr.
7. N/A
8. The Silver Chair / The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
9. Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert Kurson
Category Total: 25 / 200
50 Points
1. TBD
Category Total: 0 / 50
Category Totals: 85 / 550
Goal: 85 / 250
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Wasn't it great? Have you seen the movie? If so, which did..."
I saw first the movie and then read later the book and love dthem both. The book is more calm but nice still. The movie is really like what is written int he book but more lively and really beautiful to see.