The Next Best Book Club discussion
Cynthia's Seasonal Challenges
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OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009
LEADERBOARD
FIONA (TITCH)- 210
BEV - 175
SHARON - 175
SANDY - 160
LIZZI - 150
PERS - 150
ROS - 150
EVA - 145
ASHLEY ID - 140
SUZIER - 140
KAREN - 135
KRISTINA - 130
LOUISE - 130
BONNIE - 125
CASSIE - 120
LEORA - 115
MEGHAN - 115
EL - 110
JOSIE - 110
KRITIKA - 105
ANGELA - 100
ANN FROM SC - 100
CAROL - 100
RORA - 100
ALICE - 95
CAIT - 90
JUDITH IA - 90
LYNLEE4 - 90
RENFREW - 90
STEPH - 90
SUSAN - 90
CATHEROO - 85
LIZ VEGAS - 85
MARY BETH - 85
ROSEANN - 85
SARA - 85
STEPHANIE - 85
VICTORIA - 85
ALISHA - 80
ANGIE - 80
BETH MN - 75
CYNTHIA - 75
COURTNEY - 75
FALLON - 75
KICKI - 75
LORI - 75
BECKY - 70
BJ ROSE - 70
JON - 70
LINDSEY - 70
NATALIA - 70
SANDIE - 70
APRIL - 65
JULIE UK - 65
REBECCA - 65
LIZ BRKLYN - 60
RORY - 60
JAMIE MN - 55
JENNY - 55
SUSANNA UK - 55
BRIDGIT - 50
JOY - 50
KATHRYN - 50
MAGGIE - 50
RYAN - 50
SERA - 50
ASHLEY AL - 45
ELIZ - 45
RHIANNON - 45
TRACY - 45
BETH - 40
KATE - 40
KRISTENR - 40
MANDAY - 40
ME (SCM) - 40
MEL - 40
MELODY - 40
ELIZABETH AK - 35
KRISTEN IL - 35
ABBIE - 30
DONNA JO - 30
JEGKA - 30
KELLY - 30
MEGAN - 30
AMANDA - 25
DOROTHY - 25
ELIZABETH NC - 25
JAIME 26 - 25
JOANIE - 25
JOANNA - 25
KRISTI - 25
LAUREN - 25
LINDA - 25
MELISSA - 25
NICOLE - 25
TINA - 25
AMY - 20
ASHLEY UT - 20
JEANE - 20
CAITLIN - 15
JEN - 15
JESSICA - 15
JULIE (ID)'S - 15
LIZ NY - 15
NICOLE CA - 15
POTJY - 15
ROBIN - 15
TOBIE - 15
VICKI - 15
WV HEATHER - 15
ALYSSA - 10
RACHEL - 10
SHANNON - 10
JAMIE 23 - 5
JAMIE WA - 5
JENNIFER - 5
JUDITH NY - 5
LISA CO - 5
MICHELLE - 5
Sara - no on mouse for the spring animalsEva - yes I had a wonderful time, other than the weather it was great (it was cold and rainy in Texas - go figure - but that's supposed to be lucky for a wedding)
Mine either Kelly. It took me a while to get into it too, but usually they pick up a lot more and end with you wanting more.
Cynthia wrote: "Eva - yes I had a wonderful time, other than the weather it was great (it was cold and rainy in Texas - go figure - but that's supposed to be lucky for a wedding)"Yes, it has been very very rainy here, but you can't complain about it, because we needed it A LOT. It's been so dry lately (I can't remember the last time it rained), that church congregations have been praying for rain. I always like to see an earnest prayer answered...
This isn't the one I'm using, but "Wuthering Heights" is mentioned several times in the movie "Twilight"
5 pts Tasks: 1.
2. THE TRUE AND OUTSTANDING ADVENTURES OF THE HUNT SISTERS - ELISABETH ROBINSON
3. HORNET'S NEST - PATRICIA CORNWELL
4. ?
5.
6. NATURE GIRL - CARL HIAASEN
7. ANNA KARENINA - LEO TOLSTOY
8. THE SOUND OF LAUGHTER - PETER KAY
9. SECRET LIFE OF BEES- SUE MONK KIDD
10. KISSING THE RAIN - KEVIN BROOKS
10pts Tasks:
1. ANGELA'S ASHES - FRANK McCOURT
2.
3.
4. A WOMAN WITHOUT LIES - ELIZABETH LOWELL
5. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J.K. ROWLING
6. EAST OF THE SUN - JULIA GREGSON
7. CALL ME ELIZABETH - DAWN ANNADALE
8.
9. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
10.
15pts Tasks:
1.
2.
3.
4. THE VARIOUS FLAVOURS OF COFFEE - ANTHONY CAPELLA
5. THE HAIR OF HAROLD ROUX - THOMAS WILLIAMS
6.
7. 19TH WIFE - DAVID EBERSHOFF & LARGER THAN LIFE - ADELE PARKS
8. THE KEEPSAKE - TESS GERRITSEN
9. RED LEAVES - PAULLINA SIMONS
10. THREE DOLLARS - ELLIOT PERLMAN & LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD - CLAIRE CALMAN & FIVE QUARTERS OF ORANGE - JOANNE HARRIS
25pts Tasks:
1.
2.
3. LABRYNITH - KATE MOSSE & THE HISTORIAN - Elizabeth Kostova
4.
5. DRACULA - BRAM STOKER
6.
7.
8. The Woman of Substance: The Life and Works of Barbara Taylor Bradford - Piers Dudgeon
210/550 pts
Recently finished taskTask #8 for 15 points: Kalla det vad fan du vill by Marjaneh Bakhtiari. And I also read two interviews with the author online.
Current score: 75 points.
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A little update... closing in on another 25 pointer.5 point challenge
1. Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
2. The Naked Mole Rat Letters by Mary Amato
3. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
4. The Wright 3 by Blue Baillet
5. Not sure yet
6. My Lady's Treasure by Catherine Kean
7. Artemis Fowl The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
8.
9. May Bird and the Ever After Book One by Jodi Lynn Anderson or Bird by Rita Murphy
10. Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder
10 point challenge
1. Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs
2. Red Glass by Laura Resau
3. The Siege of Macindaw by John Flanagan (ARC copy)
4. Kandide and the Secrets of the Mists by Diana Zimmerman
5. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
6. Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell
7. Wintersmith A Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett
8. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
9. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
10. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
15 point task
1. Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta - Sagitarius
2. Home of the Brave by Katherine Alice Applegate
3. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
4.
5. Runt by Marion Dane Bauer - Won the Jane Adams Children's Book Award in 1984.
6. Tiger Moon by Antonia Michaelis translated from the German
7.
Clare B. Dunkle
8. I'll pick later
9.
10. Artemis Fowl The Eternity Code, Artemis Fowl The Opal Deception, Artemis Fowl The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer
25 points
1. Goddess of the Rose by P.C. Cast or and Raven by Allison van Diepen
2. Wagner by Michael Tanner
3. Must Love Black by Kelly McClymer and The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett
4. Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett
5. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
6. The Decline and Fall of the House of Windsor by Donald Spoto
7. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (from Pagemaster)
8.
9. Damosel In Which the Lady of the Lake Renders a Frank and Often Startling Account of her Wondrous Life and Times by Stephanie Spinner *currently reading
35/550
All right, Cynthia. How about
Holes
for my Scorpio-desert-wasteland book?I had to stop reading The Road . It was.... Freaking. Me. Out. Ooohhh... I can't think about it.
Completed 5 POINTS
2. Epistolary: We Need To Talk About Kevin :: Lionel Shriver
That makes my total a whopping 30.
It's time to go read something light.
Jegka -What did you think of We Need To Talk About Kevin? I have that on my challenge TBR as well.
Mary Beth wrote: "For any Jane Austen fans out there, the film The Jane Austen Book Club features several of Austen's works:The order of the books are: - February: Emma - March: Mansfield Park - April: Northanger ..."
OHHH sooo thank you *_*
25 POINT TASK5. 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.
Coraline, Neil Gaiman (Genre: YA).
TOTAL POINTS: 110
YAY! Finished!5 Points
1 - Coraline by Neil Gaiman
2 - Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
3 - not yet
5 - Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice
6 - [[book:Girl, Interrupted|68783] by Susanna Kaysen
8 -
9 - The Midnight Kittens by Dodie Smith
10 - The House of Thunder by Dean Koontz
10 Points
1 - In the Woods by Tana French
2 - Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
3 - not yet
4 - Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
5 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
6 - Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
7 - Pandora by Anne Rice
8 - Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
9 - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
10 - http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/... Interview With the Vampire
15 Points
1 - Nightmare in Pink by John D. MacDonald
2 -
3 - Dracula by Bram Stoker
4 - Blindness by José Saramago
5 - People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
7 - ---
8 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling audiobook
9 - not yet
10 - ---
25 Points
1 - not yet
2 - not yet
3 - not yet
4 - Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
6 - not yet
9 - not yet
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In a lot of movies including Cinderella Story the whole Harry Potter Collection features... Well the ones released up to that date so maybe the first five. But that is an FYI for anyone trying to think of a book for Darla's task
Elizabeth wrote: "5.7 Behind the Scenes at the Museum A Novel by Kate AtkinsonThis w..."
i only read this one by her and I found it very weird.
Susanna wrote: "I found for 1974:Daniel J. Boorstin - Pulitzer in history
Iris Murdoch - Whitbread Award
Isaac Bashevis Singer - National Book Award (fiction)
Lewis Thomas - National Book Award (nonfiction)
Alle..."
if someone for this task wants to read something by iris Murdoch then I recommend The red and the green.
Cynthia, can I read for the five points task of a non-fiction collection of letters/journal: Dublin by Pakenham.I found this as description on amazon:
Dublin's turbulent history, its intensely literary and theatrical character of long literary lineage, its revolutionary ideals and heroes, and its ordinary life are all brought to life in this collection of letters, diaries and memoirs of travellers to the city and by Dubliners themselves. The extracts, from medieval times onwards, include Red Hugh O'Donnell's escape from Dublin Castle, James Joyce's plans for a novel while staying at the Martello Tower, and the seizure of the GPO by Irish volunteers during the Easter Rising. The book also includes gossip and story-telling in the humorous sketches of many famous Dubliners.
Here are a few suggestions I have found so far for Darla's task:Count of Monte Cristo – Shawshank Redemption and V for Vendetta
Gone With the Wind – The Outsiders
Frankenstein – Paris When It Sizzles
Catcher in the Rye – The Shining, Conspiracy Theory
Treasure Island – On Golden Pond
Tale of Two Cities – On Golden Pond
Uncle Tom’s Cabin – The Other
The Scarlet Pimpernel – They Might Be Giants
Darla, I love your task as I am always watching which books I am seeing in movies!
Just finished:10.2--SONG OF THE HUMMINGBIRD by Graciela Limon.
I reread this novel that was originally assigned to me in a Chicano Literature class. I love this book which tells the story of Huitzitzilin (Hummingbird in her native Aztec) who makes her final confession to Father Benito. She begins as an Aztec Princess and falls to the role of slave and concubine to Moctezuma. A facinating read of a time that few have written about.
This 10 points makes my total 85.
I was thinking about that super old movie with Macauley Culkin called The Pagemaster. I haven't seen it in YEARS, but I know for sure that Moby Dick and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were mentioned (and portrayed).I told my husband about the task, and he suggested I could read Shakespeare's sonnets, as seen in Sense and Sensibility... I love that HE thought of that, not me...
PAGEMASTER! That´s an old movie! haha I used to love it!Thay had Alice too in this movie Sara. And if I think hard I think I can remember wich book was the pirate part lol
Jon -
The Life of Elizabeth I
by Alison Weir just came in for me today through the trusty Interlibrary Loan system. The librarian pulled the book off the shelf, and I think my jaw hit the floor. The thing is a textbook. It must weigh 8 lbs. I opened it, and the font is pretty small, too. Fortunately, the City of Austin's library is letting me borrow the danged thing until May 5th, so I have a WHILE to get through it.Torture. Pure and simple.
(I actually think it might be interesting. But we'll see...)
3. Read a past OR present TNBBC group read that you haven’t read before.I read The Thirteenth Tale A Novel.
Also, THANK YOU for the suggestions for 1974 authors.
Carol wrote: "PAGEMASTER! That´s an old movie! haha I used to love it!They had Alice too in this movie Sara. And if I think hard I think I can remember which book was the pirate part lol"
I was proud for remembering as much as I did. There was a fairy, too... I'm not sure what her story was. Oh, here we go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Page...
That gives a nice overview of the stories visited. Cute movie.
Sorry to be a pain in the rear Cynthia, but I've had to do some rearranging on my list. Changed The Time Traveler's Wife from 15 point 'get to know the author' task to 10 point '5 star book from another member' task. It changes my points from 95 to 90. Thanks!
Sara - I'm reading The Life of Elizabeth I now, and enjoying it. She had such an interesting life!
Welcome back, Cynthia! You were right about us being in synch - I hope you got some rest at some point, though. I got a pretty bad cold but I'm recovering now.Just wanted to let you know that I should be at 90 points, not 75 - I posted my last task on page 44, which was the horoscope one (Echo by Francesca Lia Block, mermaids for Pisces, 15 points).
Finished another one... I re-read Round Ireland with a Fridge for my 5-point "humorous" book. And just in time for St. Patrick's day, too!
By the way, Cynthia, I've changed my mind about a couple of choices, in case you need to know that in advance. I haven't read these yet, but for 15-point-#6 task (translation), I'm reading Henning Mankell's The Eye of the Leopard A Novel. And for the 25-point #8 task, I'm replacing "The Bone Box" with Summer of My German Soldier.
So that gets me up to 45 points!
For 10 points:8. In Honor of Memorial and Armed Forces Day – Read a book about a veteran OR someone serving in the military (fiction or non-fiction).
Read The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien. This was a tough read, emotionally speaking. It makes me realize all over again how much there is that goes on that I will never understand or come close to understanding - and it gives me a fresh respect for those of my students who are currently serving in Iraq.
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Update!I just finished A Great and Terrible Beauty for 15-point task #3 (current or past TNBBC read).
That brings my new total to 75 points.
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I've just finished Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris for the 15 point task, get to know the author. I then read this interview http://paranormalromance.org/Charlain...[image error]
Total points: 140
Susanna wrote: "Sara - I'm reading The Life of Elizabeth I now, and enjoying it. She had such an interesting life!"I'm really glad to hear that!
I'm mostly giving Jon a hard time. I actually think the UK is quite a fascinating place, and don't mind reading about one of its monarchs.
The size of that book is a bit daunting... (I swear, the book is 12"x9" and weighs 40 lbs (okay, more like 8"x6" and 5 lbs...)) I don't usually read books that big unless they're in the Harry Potter or Twilight series, you know? It won't be a quick read, like most of my books, which I read in a single sitting, if possible, but it should be really interesting.
I just looked up when she lived, because I had no idea... (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) Oh, look! Shakespeare lived under her reign. Well, she can't be all bad! ;) From Wikipedia: "Historians.... often depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered, sometimes indecisive ruler, who enjoyed more than her share of luck." She reminds me of me.
Jon- this is the book you said was okay right? The one we talked about before that you suggested? I can't find that post. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/90...
I'm going to order it tonight if it is. Thanks.
Another book to cross off...
5 POINTS-
1. Twilight
2. Bridget Jones's Diary
3. Hunted A House of Night Novel
4. Three Weeks with My Brother
5. Redemption
6. J. K. Rowling The Wizard Behind Harry Potter
7.
Confessions of a Shopaholic
3/16/09
8. One for the Money
9. The Secret Life of Bees
10. Henderson the Rain King
10 POINTS-
1. Bard The Odyssey of the Irish
2. Like Water for Chocolate
3. The Magicians' Guild
4. Good in Bed
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
6. New Moon
7. Mr. Darcy's Diary
8.
The Lucky One
3/8/09
9. Water for Elephants
10.
Eragon
3/8/09
15 POINTS-
1. SAGITARIUS: Moneyball The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
2. Where the Sidewalk Ends
3. Stardust
4. The Leisure Seeker A NovelUPDATE (Disneyland)
5. Foreign Affairs A Novel
6. If On a Winter's Night a Traveler
7. The Picture of Dorian Gray/Me Talk Pretty One Day
8. The Choice
9. White Noise
10. Black Dagger Brotherhood 3/4/5:Lover Awakened/Lover Revealed/Lover Unbound
25 POINTS-
1. Guitar Girl/Romeo and Juliet
2. Diaries, 1885-97 With Earlier and Later Diary Fragments from 1875-1917
3. Little Women/
A Wrinkle in Time
3/3/09
4. Anne of Green Gables
5. In Cold Blood
6. Diana Story of a Princess
7. UNDECIDED
8. Eclipse/
Specials
3/12/09
9. Wicked The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
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5 POINTS-
1. Twilight
2. Bridget Jones's Diary
3. Hunted A House of Night Novel
4. Three Weeks with My Brother
5. Redemption
6. J. K. Rowling The Wizard Behind Harry Potter
7.
8. One for the Money
9. The Secret Life of Bees
10. Henderson the Rain King
10 POINTS-
1. Bard The Odyssey of the Irish
2. Like Water for Chocolate
3. The Magicians' Guild
4. Good in Bed
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
6. New Moon
7. Mr. Darcy's Diary
8.
9. Water for Elephants
10.
15 POINTS-
1. SAGITARIUS: Moneyball The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
2. Where the Sidewalk Ends
3. Stardust
4. The Leisure Seeker A NovelUPDATE (Disneyland)
5. Foreign Affairs A Novel
6. If On a Winter's Night a Traveler
7. The Picture of Dorian Gray/Me Talk Pretty One Day
8. The Choice
9. White Noise
10. Black Dagger Brotherhood 3/4/5:Lover Awakened/Lover Revealed/Lover Unbound
25 POINTS-
1. Guitar Girl/Romeo and Juliet
2. Diaries, 1885-97 With Earlier and Later Diary Fragments from 1875-1917
3. Little Women/
4. Anne of Green Gables
5. In Cold Blood
6. Diana Story of a Princess
7. UNDECIDED
8. Eclipse/
9. Wicked The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
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This challenge is SO bad for me! I'm meant to be marking essays but instead I keep checking everyone's posts, wishing I was reading my books too! Perhaps my students will understand when I explain why they don't have their essays back....?
I'm having similiar problems....I have a few different friends who I mail books to as I finish- they just tell me what they want when they see me reading something because they know I hardly ever keep anything once I'm done. Last challenge I read about two non challenge books for every challenge fitting book and this time my friends are all waitng! I just now started my first non challenge book today. LOL (Along with one challenge book...I couldn't totally take a break yet!)
I have people recommend books to me, and they all sound really great, but I have to say, "You know--I'll put that one on my list of books to read, but I have a TON of books I need to read right now..." But what I'm thinking is, "Hmmm... could I fit that into the challenge somewhere? No? Okay, CANNOT read that book now. Nope nope nope!"
I'm with you, Sara, I have no time to read books that don't fit the challenge. Heck, I probably won't have time to read all the books I already have that fit the challenge.
Finished Sushi for Beginners my 10.1 book!Total: 15
Sara wrote: "Anyone know what they're going to do for Darla's task? For some reason, all I can think of is that bookstore scene in 10 Things I Hate About You, and I can't even remember what book it was that th..."The Feminine Mystique by Betty Freidan!
Susan wrote: "Welcome back Cynthia!I finished "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by Jean-Dominique Bauby for 5 points (spring animal).
My total is now 90 points."
I watched the film & really wanted to read the book because I was so touched by the story. Can you offer up a comparison?
Just finished 25-Point task #4 read a book on the BBC Big Reads ListI read Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy which now brings me to 90 points. YaY!
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I've changed a few things around so I wanted to post my new and improved list. So far I only have 5 pts, but I am closing in on a few more tasks.Here goes:
5 pts.
1. Watchmen
2. Frankenstein
3. Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
5. Three Cups of Tea...
6. There is no Me Without You... One Woman's Odyssey of Rescuing Africa's Children
7.
8. A Confederacy of Dunces
9. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
10. The Rainbow
10 pts:
1. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
2. 2666
4. The Feast of the Goat
6. The Known World
7. The Boleyn Inheritance
8. The Things They Carried
9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
10.The Glass castle
15 pts:
6. Kristin Lavrandstatter 1: The Wreath
7. Snow/ Baudolino by Umberto Eco
9. White Noise by Dan Delillo
25 pts:
1. The Golden Notebook/ The Robber Bride
2. John Adams by David McCullough
3. Breaking Dawn/ What is the What
4. The Alchemist
5. The Time Traveler's Wife
7. Sense and Sensibility
8. New Moon & Eclipse
9. The Devil in the White City...
Jen wrote: "Steph wrote: "Sara wrote: "Carol wrote: "I´m having a hard time with this task too... And it´s not something you can just google it. lol"And I've been trying, so I know that first hand! I'm go..."
O Captain, my Captain...ring a bell - is that Whitman?
For Darla's task could we use Inkheart (the movie) - references other children's books. I can't use it because I've already read it but it may work...
Can I read "Fat Cats" by Gideon Haigh for 10 point task no.3? He's an English-born Australian journalist..
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Books mentioned in this topic
Tempting Fate (other topics)Romeo and Juliet (other topics)
Romeo and Juliet (other topics)
Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze?: And 114 Other Questions (other topics)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Anita Shreve (other topics)Markus Zusak (other topics)
Neil Gaiman (other topics)
Paulo Coelho (other topics)
Douglas Adams (other topics)
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