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OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009
message 2051:
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Elizabeth (Alaska)
(new)
Mar 14, 2009 02:17PM
Mary Beth, did you like Rise and Shine A Novel? I love Anna Quindlen - I wish she wrote more!
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Elizabeth wrote: "Mary Beth, did you like Rise and Shine A Novel? I love Anna Quindlen - I wish she wrot..."Hey Elizabeth, I did enjoy Rise and Shine. It was my first Anna Quindlen, and I was pleasantly surprised after some of the reviews I read. The premise was a little contrived...one strong sister, one meek sister, who then trade places during a crisis. However, I really enjoyed Quindlen's writing style and plan to read more of her work.
Do you have a particular favorite of hers?
My first read was Blessings. Anna Quindlen's prose is deceiving, I think, and it wasn't until after I'd put it down that I realized there was much to consider. But I think my favorite was One True Thing A Novel. The daughter doesn't want to have to give up her career to go home and help her mother, resents that because she is the daughter, this task falls on her shoulders.
Mary Beth - Did you not like To Kill a Mockingbird the first time you read it? I hated it!!! I was reading it on a train and I kept telling my Mom that I was going to throw it out the window but because it was for school, I wasn't allowed too! I absolutely hated it!!! I think that it was the kids that I hated!
I am a fan of the Harry Potter books, and I think they are a fun read. I started them when I was a lot younger, (the 4th came out just before I was in 7th grade...). I always reread all the previous books anytime a new book in a series comes out, and for the 7th, the first two books were still fun, but felt very young. They stop feeling like kids books starting with 3, but especially with 4. If you wanted to regive them a try, I would recommend reading at least till 3. The first 2 are really small, and fast, and do not take much time at all.
Oh, and I will take a look at that Karen Hesse book. Thanks!
I just finished "Red Azalea" by Anchee Min for 5 points (April Showers/May Flowers). This was my 2nd book of hers I have read, and it wasn't what I expected. Interesting read though.That brings my total to 80 points.
Susan
Kathryn wrote: "Mary Beth - Did you not like To Kill a Mockingbird the first time you read it? I hated it!!! I was reading it on a train and I kept telling my Mom that I was going to throw it out the window but be..."Sad! I loved that book! Sigh... To each their own...
Kathryn, I think you are spot on. Sometimes a book is about people and/or ideas that we hate, who get to have their way, and we think that is wrong. Hurray for To Kill a Mockingbird for helping us to see "the error of our ways."
15 Points3. Read a past OR present TNBBC group read that you haven’t read before. The Bell Jar.
Very good book!
25 Points
9. SARA'S TASK - Read a book that has a title of 12 or more words. Do Dead People Watch You Shower? And Other Questions You've Been All but Dying to Ask a Medium
Total = 90
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♡ Eva ♡ wrote: "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 pr..."I'm going to read "Ella Minnow Pea." I'm actually really excited about reading it. I have a book of essays about Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I've read about half of it. I hoped that it might count if I finished it. Either way, I want to read both! :)
I have 3 additions to my done list for this week.For task 5-1 I read 'From Dead to Worse' by Charlaine Harris. Gotta love Sookie.
5-4 I listened to Rpsamind Pilcher's 'Another View' in my car. This was my first experience with an audiobook, I didn't like it.
15-8 Read 'Night and Day' by Robert B. Parker and read an interview with him. Liked the book-fast and entertaining and enjoyed the interview as well. I like how he weaves the characters of his 3 major series together.
This givee me a new total of 115 points.
Elizabeth (NC) wrote: "♡ 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 lik..."Me to, I love reading reviews from different people who have felt a different way about a certain book. Especially if I've read it and have formed my own opinion! LOL
I just recently started being more open to not finishing a book. I used to force myself to plow through no matter how horrendous I felt the book was. Then as I started buying more and more books and having more here to choose from I hated reading anything I didn't like even more because I knew there were countless great ones sitting and waiting to be read! It's still not exactly easy for me and it takes a lot *usually* for me to put one down but I'm at least able to do it now!
I gave up finishing books I didn't like some years ago - right after I got out of grad school, actually! (And I finished a few humdingers while there - I'm lookin' at you, Descent into Discourse The Reification of Language and the Writing of Social History!)Life is too short to try to finish books you're not enjoying.
Elizabeth wrote: "My first read was Blessings. Anna Quindlen's prose is deceiving, I think, and it wasn't until after ..."Thanks, Elizabeth! I'll have to add these to my never-ending TBR list. ;-b
Kathryn wrote: "Mary Beth - Did you not like To Kill a Mockingbird the first time you read it? I hated it!!! I was reading it on a train and I kept telling my Mom that I was going to throw it out the window but be..."Hey Kathryn,
I have to say that I didn't care for it that much the first time either. However, I think it was my age and the fact that I was being made to read the book for school. Now, as I've gotten older, people keep telling me that as an attorney I should really appreciate To Kill a Mockingbird. So, I decided to pick it up again and see if I can identify some of the more "mature" themes that I probably missed at age fifteen.
COMPLETED 25 POINT TASK
#1 Karen’s Task – Read a book which starts with the letter G and a book which starts with the letter R
_____
Gone by
Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson 3/14/09 (2 STARS)
** spoiler alert ** In light of all the recent teacher sex scandals in the United States I wanted to read this book to see how a relationship between a female teacher and a former male student would be portrayed for a young adult audience (YA defined as 14+ years old).
The sexual scenes between the main character, Connor, and his former teacher, Ms. Timms, are gratuitous at best. The only positive of this entire novel was Connor's epiphany in the final chapter. He sees a pattern to his behavior in how he was forced to act in relation to his alcoholic parents and in his willingness to take on that parental role again for Ms. Timms, who we learn, in an earlier chapter, is a recovering addict herself. What takes most people a lifetime to discover about themselves, Connor does in a matter of minutes (or 3 pages in Johnson's world). Obviously, this novel is completely unbelievable.
Johnson leaves her readers wondering, "what's the point...what's the big message here?” especially for the young adult audience this novel was marketed to.
_____
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane 3/14/09 (3 STARS)
In a matter of days, our protagonist, Henry Fleming (the youth) goes from a cowardly boy to a courageous man, inspiring his peers on the battlefield. There is a subtle shift in the novel from Henry being a passive observer of battle to an active participant. Before Chapter 16 Henry never fires a shot; the reader only hears the internal monologue of self doubt and loathing that Henry aims at himself which makes the first part of this novel similar to reading a newspaper account. Crane masterfully describes battle scenes, brining the Civil War to life. Ultimately, this book is not about war but about growing up.
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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 taught Witness to my 7th graders and they adored it, as did I. The voice of the young girl is so fresh and moving!
Question about two possible selections...10 POINTS #5 - Incantation by Alice Hoffman - can Kabbalah be equated to magic?
15 POINTS #7 - I'm not a rhymer it seems...will "say" and "days" work or "catcher" and "water"?
Again, I think only Cynthia makes the rules but this may help anyway- there was a post from someone else awhile back asking if two words were acceptable and they did rhyme but one of the words was not singular (can't remember the spelling for plueral? LOL). I don't think she's take 'days' unless it was 'day'. Or if 'say' was 'says' I suppose also. The other one doesn't really rhyme to me but hey, who am I right?! LOL
Susanna wrote: "I gave up finishing books I didn't like some years ago - right after I got out of grad school, actually! (And I finished a few humdingers while there - I'm lookin' at you, [b:Descent into Discours..."Yikes! The title alone is scary! LOL I'm impressed!
I agree- life is too short for me to make myself finish something I don't want to finish. Why do I still have such a hard time with it though? I really have to fight myself to 'let' myself stop a book early. I'm not even the type of person who can skip a sentence here and there. No way, the thought makes me cringe. LOL
I wish it would get a little easier but I guess I should be thankful it's possible at all huh?
My Update:5 Points
4.Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: The Midnight Twins - Jacquelyn Mitchard (3/13/09) audiobook
15 Points
3. TNBBC Group Read: Blindness - Jose Saramago (3/13/09)
4. Vacation Location: The Journal of Mortifying Moments - Robyn Harding (3/14/09)
Total Points: 95
♡ Eva ♡ wrote: "Susanna wrote: "I gave up finishing books I didn't like some years ago - right after I got out of grad school, actually! (And I finished a few humdingers while there - I'm lookin' at you, [b:Desce..."I'm the same way--for the longest time, I couldn't put down a book once I started it. I think when I had my daugther, I let go of that need. My reading time got cut down so much that I did not want to waste it. It's still hard, but I'm much better.
Descent into Discourse is not as bad as the title would indicate - it's worse!Possibly the worst book I've ever read. Bad writing and bizarre history. It's a critique of the deconstructionist school of history by an unreformed Trotskyite.
April wrote: "I just bought Sex With The Queen today! If what Charity says is true (which I bet its), then yay book to fill challenge task!"April, just make sure that you read it with either Sex with Kings or another British royalty book because Sex with the Queen isn't long enough alone to comply with the 400-page rule of the task.
Elizabeth (NC) wrote: "♡ Eva ♡ wrote: "Susanna wrote: "I gave up finishing books I didn't like some years ago - right after I got out of grad school, actually! (And I finished a few humdingers while there - I'm lookin' ..."That is EXACTLY when I started being a little easier on myself too. Right after I had my daughter. That's sort of funny I think. It's still so hard though and I think about it sometimes. I hear people saying they don't like a book and just throwing it down and I'm shocked! I've read so many from a long time ago that I just really felt were wasted time. Those are actually the ones I have an easier time now putting down- if it actually feels like I'm wasting minutes and hours away I can usually chuck it. But it has to be THAT BAD still. lol
Susanna wrote: "Descent into Discourse is not as bad as the title would indicate - it's worse!Possibly the worst book I've ever read. Bad writing and bizarre history. It's a critique of the deconstructionist s..."
Phew....you read this for school right? What were you studying?
I was in grad school in history. Read Descent into Discourse in historiography. Our professor told us afterwards that he assigned it KNOWING we would hate it! (We certainly did. We voted it "most likely to be burnt in a trashcan" in the end-of-seminar awards. Snort.) He said he wanted to see if our bullshitometers were working correctly!
Rora wrote: "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 "
Was The Princess Bride really good? I need to read it..... hence its being on my to-read list.... :)
10 POINTS10. Members of the TNBBC have great tastes in books - follow these directions to find your book for this task...
Bridget Jones Diary – Helen Fielding READ 15/3
- Start by going to the club’s membership list.
- Sort the member list by the Date Joined and Find Yourself on that list. (I chose the date joined sorting option because the page you will find your name on for the other options will change more often)
- Read a book that earned a 5-Star rating by another member who is on the same page as you.
15 POINTS
9.A CLOCKWORK ORANGE READ 15/3
CARROT AND SWEET POTATO MASH
25 POINTS
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. If their profile is listed as private, go to the person below that person.
The Cellist of Sarajevo – Steven Galloway READ 15/3
When Will There Be good news – Kate Atkinson (READ)
TOTAL POINTS = 150
Sara, definitely move The Princess Bride up on your list. I loved it!
Sharon wrote: "10 POINTS10. Members of the TNBBC have great tastes in books - follow these directions to find your book for this task...
Bridget Jones Diary – Helen Fielding READ 15/3
- Start by going to the clu..."
Sharon, have you read other books by Kate Atkinson? I'm currently reading
Behind the Scenes at the Museum A Novel, which I believe was her first novel. I'd only read Case Histories A Novel andOne Good Turn, which were both mysteries, so expected this one to be also. It isn't, but once I got over that I'm finding it quite good.
Elizabeth that was the first book I have read of Kate Atkinson but will be adding more to my to read list as I really enjoyed her style of writing.
Becky wrote: "Sara, definitely move The Princess Bride up on your list. I loved it!"My TBR list is NOT in any kind of order, believe me! It's completely random.
Sara wrote: "My TBR list is NOT in any kind of order, believe me! It's completely random."Yea! Another who just gets the job done and moves on.
Thanks, Sharon, I'll keep Kate Atkinson on my trusted authors list.
LOL, Mine is random too. But you could move it up the list in spirit!
Update: Finished Dante's Inferno for 15 pts. Goal: 305 Points / 28 books
---Stats---
Earned Points: 70 of 305
Books Read: 7 of 28
Total Pages Read: 3376
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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
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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Can anyone tell me if this is considered science fiction? http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27...
I saw someone call it Christian fic on there but a friend saw this challenge in the writing section on my page and is starting it too and she wants to figure out her books a little before posting here. She's reading this and isn't sure if it would fit for that and I have no idea.
FINALLY, I have finished a couple more tasks that I've been working on for what feels like forever:Task 15.6 - Translated Book - Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl was REALLY REALLY good. I'm really glad I read this one again.
Task 25.5 - Book outside usual genre - Severance Package . HOLY CRAP, this book was INSANE!! I've never read a thriller before. It was like reading a suspense movie! It was crazy-go-nuts!! And kinda scary...
I'm up to 85 points now. Woo! I finally feel like I'm making progress!
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Finished Task for 25 pts. CASSIE'S TASK - For her friend Melissa (who told her about goodreads and is a YA Librarian): Read two young adult novels. - Read: Uglies- by Scott Westerfeld and reread The Book Thief -by Markus Zusak for my book club points 25
Tasks completed: 4
Total points 85
Elizabeth wrote: "♡ 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 waiti..."Sorry Elizabeth- I've been on and just missed this one.
Maybe it's me, I am very, very tired but I don't understand at all what you're saying. I thought your point in the conversation was about people not reading YA and Harry Potter. I don't read Potter but do read and own a lot of YA and if I remember correctly, (haven't gone back to look) you stated that I was limiting myself.
My take on that was that because I don't read Potter I'm limiting myself. Or maybe you missed me saying I do read YA. Not sure. Either way, you're right about everyone having to limit themselves *in some way* *sometimes*. My point was that Harry Potter is childish to some people, me being one of them. That doesn't make you or anyone else who reads those books a child.
I just read Lynne Spears memoir and so many reviews had the disclaimer that they'd 'gotten the book for free', 'were ashamed to have read it', etc. and I couldn't care less. I wanted to read it like you with the Potter books.
That's one of the best things about this website and this group in particular.
All she was saying is that you only have so much time in your life to read. If you choose to read Harry Potter, then you will have to give up reading something else. Everyone has to choose what they want to read in the time they have--everyone has to LIMIT what they read to the books they consider worth their time. If you don't want to read Harry Potter, don't read Harry Potter.No one is saying that you're limiting yourself as a person.
Okay....I think I finally got it. I was, I think, more or less speaking to someone else. You're one comment about the limiting steered me in the wrong direction. I think you're taking the term 'limiting' far more seriously than I am. Any person who reads had to "limit" themselves.
But, all in all, I do agree with you about the Harry Potter books......I think. LOL
Sara wrote: "All she was saying is that you only have so much time in your life to read. If you choose to read Harry Potter, then you will have to give up reading something else. Everyone has to choose what th..."Yeah, I just went back to read the other posts while you were writing this comment.
Again, the word 'limit' is being quite overused in my opinion. We all limit ourselves in more ways than one. It's actually a non issue now that I understand what she meant. Thanks for trying to help clarify though- that had my head spinning for a minute.
Finished another 25 point task4. ROS’ TASK - Read a book that’s on the big reads list. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100...
Katherine by Anya Seton
Tasks: 2; Points: 50
By the way, nice call on this one, Ros. It was fun to use a UK-based book list from which to choose.
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5 Points 1.
2. Ella Minnow Pea A Novel in Letters - Mark Dunn
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -
4.
5. The Shack - William P. Young
6.
7.
8.
9. Down the Rabbit Hole An Echo Falls Mystery - Peter Abrahams
10. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
10 Points
1.
2. Rain of Gold - Victor Villaseñor
3.
4. Until I Find You A Novel - John Irving (March 2nd)
5.
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.
9. The White Darkness
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. On The Jellicoe Road and
9.
Total
100 Points, 9 Tasks
Finished challenge 15.4Evermore The Immortals, Book 1 by Alyson Noel. Took place in California which is where I spent my spring break last year. Loved it and can't wait for the second book to come out in August.[image error]
I've been on vacation for the past week, so my reading progress has really stalled. I just finished The Poor Mouth today, though.5 points
1. Fantasy - Sorcery and Cecelia, or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country
2. Epistolary - Ella Minnow Pea
3. Spring Cleaning - Hard Truth
4. Planes, Trains,... - Sanditon and The Watsons Austen's Unfinished Novels
5. Lent/Book about Sacrifice - Persuasion
6. Women's History - Nature Girl
7.
8. April Fool's Day/Humorous - The Code of the Woosters
9. Spring Animals - To Kill a Mockingbird
10. Rain-Related - The Lightning Thief
10 points
1.
2. Mexico - Esperanza Rising
3. Australia - People of the Book
4. Author Birthday - High Country by Nevada Barr (March 1)
5. Book about Magic - Enchanted Inc.
6. Earth Day - Unaccustomed Earth
7. Mother's Day - Widow of the South (gift from mother-in-law)
8. Military - The March: A Novel
9. TNBBC Top Book List - I Capture the Castle
10. TNBBC Member's 5 Star - Dead Until Dark (Ashley)
15 points
1. Capricorn (Art) - Chasing Vermeer
2.
3. TNBBC Group Read - The Bell Jar
4. Spring Break - Revenge of the Spellmans (San Francisco)
5. Award Winner - The Westing Game (1979 Newbery Winner)
6. Translated - Inkheart
7. Rhyming Books - Big Stone GAP & Miss MAPP
8. Get to Know Author - Chocolat - Joanne Harris
9. Color Book/Food - Anne of Green Gables
10. 3, 4, and 5 Books - The Well of Lost Plots, Something Rotten, & First Among Sequels
25 points
1. KAREN’S TASK - The Goose Girl and A Raisin in the Sun
2. EL’s TASK - Walden
3. ANGELA’S TASK - Pride and Prejudice
4. ROS’ TASK - Bridget Jones's Diary
5.
6. JON’S TASK - New Worlds, Lost Worlds: The Rule of the Tudors
7. DARLA'S TASK - Northanger Abbey from The Jane Austen Book Club
8. CASSIE'S TASK - I am the Messenger and Stargirl
9. SARA'S TASK - Old Friends and New Fancies: An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen
5/45 books Read
New Total: 55
Jamie MN
I FINALLY finished Great Expectations (yawn), and that, combined with Rebecca, which I read last week, gives me 25 points for Karen's Task: read a book starting with the letter G AND a book starting with the letter R.My total: 105 points
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