OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009 Showing 4,351-4,400 of 6,381

[Eva-Marie]

I agree- like you said, there's no way to make everyone happy! I can't wait to hear what it is though!

[Elizabeth (NC)]

Amy wrote: "saranicole wrote: "We're all waiting with bated breath...

Side note (because I like etymology): the origin of the phrase "waiting with bated breath"...

Oooh, Jen - How did you like Anne of Green ..."
I did the exact same thing! In fact, after your post, I thought maybe I just misread the explanation and went back and read it again, trying to see where exactly are the bugs?? LOL

[Jessica]

Two adds for me:

15 points, #7 (Rhyming Titles) - Completed 4/15 with Blues in the Night (Krich) and White Sky, Black Ice (Jones)

25 points, #9 (12+ Word Title) - Completed 4/13 with Can I Keep My Jersey? 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond (Shirley). I was going to use this for #5 (outside your usual genre), but 12+ word titles are hard to find!

New total: 120
Goal: 300

[Sara ♥]

Kathryn wrote: "I am attending university so it is a part time job... and you might be jealous now, but I will leave this little thought in your head, aside from this shift, I work 20 hours of graveyards, so I go back to work in 12 hours... at 3:00 in the morning. That parts sucks!"

Ah, I see. Yes. I feel better now. ;) Good luck with that!! How long are your graveyard shifts? 3 am to when?

[Kate]

Three at 3-7am, and then one is 11pm to 7 am... it sucks when you have class at 8:30, or even 3pm, because you just don't want to get out of bed...

[Sara ♥]

Elizabeth (NC) wrote: "I did the exact same thing! In fact, after your post, I thought maybe I just misread the explanation and went back and read it again, trying to see where exactly are the bugs?? LOL "

Heehee... So funny! I know a guy who IS studying entomology though. Gross, I say!

[Sara ♥]

Jessica wrote: "25 points, #9 (12+ Word Title) - Completed 4/13 with Can I Keep My Jersey? 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond (Shirley). I was going to use this for #5 (outside your usual genre), but 12+ word titles are hard to find!"

I hope people are enjoying my freakishly-long-title task! I was afraid the task was going to be too easy... I wanted it to be challenging, but still open, so you would have options from a lot of different genres.

[Avory]

Kathryn, I empathize greatly. When I was in college I used to work a 4-7 am shift at a desk, or sometimes a 1-4. The kicker was that people tended to forget to come in for the next shift at those hours, so sometimes it would end up being something like 1-9 when I had class at 9:30 and didn't get to sleep at all. Yuck. The other funny thing is that I worked those hours one year, and then the next year my body suddenly became the morning person it is today and I signed up for all the shifts that *started* at six am. No one could figure out what had happened to me!

[Kate]

saranicole wrote: "Jessica wrote: "25 points, #9 (12+ Word Title) - Completed 4/13 with Can I Keep My Jersey? 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond (Shirley). I was going to use this ..."

I think that I would have enjoyed your task more if I had picked a better book... though since then, I have read a couple of books with long chapters, or at least started them. I never would have known that there were really titles that long without your task... so thanks for a great task!

[Sara ♥]

Wow! You turned into a morning person just like that? That's crazy! I was unemployed for a while, and reverted to what must be my natural state--nocturnal. I was sleeping from about 6 or 7 am to 2 or 3 pm every day. It was lovely.

[Kate]

saranicole wrote: "Wow! You turned into a morning person just like that? That's crazy! I was unemployed for a while, and reverted to what must be my natural state--nocturnal. I was sleeping from about 6 or 7 am t..."

Are you joking... I am a total night owl. I have the job I have because I pretty much always stayed up late at light so i was up then anyway, I might as well get paid for it! I am pretty much like a vampire... if the sun is out, I like to be sleeping, but when it is in hiding, that is when I like to come out and play! I like to moonbathe... okay, that was a joke... but seriously, nighttime is my time!

[Sara ♥]

Kathryn wrote: "Are you joking... I am a total night owl. I have the job I have because I pretty much always stayed up late at light so i was up then anyway, I might as well get paid for it! I am pretty much like a vampire... if the sun is out, I like to be sleeping, but when it is in hiding, that is when I like to come out and play! I like to moonbathe... okay, that was a joke... but seriously, nighttime is my time! "

That's what I'm saying! Right about when the sun was coming up--that's when I'd finally decide it was time to go to sleep. Pardon the Anne of Green Gables reference, but I think we might just be kindred spirits! ;)

[Kate]

Pardon the Anne of Green Gables reference, but I think we might just be kindred spirits! ;)

That's what I am saying... although I have never read Anne of Green Gables... I loved the movies. Maybe I should read it!

[Heather]

The conversation about etomology/entomology had me cracking up. It reminded of my own misreading...for a few days our wonderful mod, Cynthia, listed herself as the "Seasonal Challenge Moderator" on the points/leader message. The first time I saw it I thought I read "Seasonally Challenged Moderator" and thought wow, this challenge must really be kicking her ass.

[Sara ♥]

I reading it right now--it's cute!

[Sara ♥]

WV Heather wrote: "The conversation about etomology/entomology had me cracking up. It reminded of my own misreading...for a few days our wonderful mod, Cynthia, listed herself as the "Seasonal Challenge Moderator" on the points/leader message. The first time I saw it I thought I read "Seasonally Challenged Moderator" and thought wow, this challenge must really be kicking her ass. "

Oh my hilariousness, Batman!! It would kick MY ass!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

WV Heather wrote: "The conversation about etomology/entomology had me cracking up. It reminded of my own misreading...for a few days our wonderful mod, Cynthia, listed herself as the "Seasonal Challenge Moderator" o..."


The misread I'll never forget is my mother's of 30 or so years ago. At either end of town there is a sign which reads "No studded tires after April 15." Being from California, she had no idea what studded tires are, but this is also heavily forested land, so she read it as "No studded trees . . ." and asked me what a studded tree is. I think she was thinking something along the line of male/female trees, but I'm not sure.

[Kate]

Elizabeth, even on your note about your mom, I misread and thought you said my mother of 30 or so years ago... And I was like, what, did you replace her?

[Heather]

HaHa Elizabeth! I just had an image in my head of "studding" trees, like people do with horses or bulls

[Cynthia]

LEADERBOARD
DONNA JO - 510
SANDY - 435
BRIDGIT - 430
KRISTEN IL - 400
LIZZI - 400
MEGHAN - 400
BJ ROSE - 375
BONNIE - 365
SHARON - 355
RORA - 350
TINA - 335
BEV - 325
LEORA - 325
JOSIE - 315
KRISTENR - 305
ASHLEY ID - 300
KRISTINA GA - 300
KRITIKA - 295
RORY - 290
BETH MN - 280
EVA - 270
PERS - 265
SARANICOLE - 265
ANGELA IL - 255
LINDSEY - 255
CAIT - 250
NICOLE NC - 250
ANGIE - 245
LIZ BRKLYN - 245
LOUISE - 245
APRIL NY - 240
LAURA NY - 235
MAGGIE - 235
SUZIER - 235
ALICE - 230
CATHEROO - 230
MARY BETH - 230
AMY - 225
COURTNEY - 225
EL - 220
FIONA (TITCH)- 215
LORI TX - 215
SUSAN - 210
CYNTHIA (SCM) - 200
ASHLEY AL - 190
SANDIE - 185
WENDY - 185
BECKY - 180
ELIZABETH NC - 180
FALLON - 180
JON - 180
JAMIE MN - 175
REBECCA J - 175
JUDITH IA - 170
STEPH - 170
STEPHANIE CA - 170
LYNLEE4 - 165
LIZ VEGAS - 160
WV HEATHER - 160
CAROL - 155
VICTORIA - 155
JOY - 150
LILY - 150
MANDAY - 150
ROS - 150
ROSEANN - 150
CYNDEE - 145
ELIZABETH (ALASKA) - 145
SERA - 145
ALISHA - 140
DAVID - 140
TRYPHENA - 140
KAREN - 135
KATE - 135
LACY - 135
MALIADES - 135
HEATHER KS - 130
JEGKA - 130
ANN FROM SC - 125
HAYES - 125
RHIANNON - 125
CASSIE - 120
JESSICA IL - 120
POTJY - 115
RENFREW - 115
TRACY - 115
JEN B - 110
JENNIFER IN - 110
CATHERINE - 105
ABBIE - 100
JOANNA - 100
KATHRYN - 100
RYAN - 100
AMANDA - 95
BETH - 95
LINDA - 95
CYNTHIA - 90
KICKI - 90
KRISTINA UK - 90
SAI - 90
JESSICA SC - 85
LAUREN - 85
MEREDITH H - 85
SUSANNA UK - 85
JENNY - 80
NATALIA - 80
JULIE (ID)'S - 75
JULIE UK - 75
MEGAN - 75
ASHLEY UT - 70
JEANE - 70
MELODY - 70
REBECCA - 70
SARAH PA - 70
SLAIMI - 70
JOANN - 65
SHANNON - 65
JEN MD - 60
KELLY - 60
MADELINE - 60
ALYSSA - 55
JAMIE WA - 55
JOANIE - 55
MEL - 55
RACHEL - 55
ROBIN - 55
SARA E - 55
JESSICA MI - 50
TERRI - 50
ALLISON MO - 45
ELIZ - 45
JULIE TN - 45
JULIE KS - 40
KIM - 40
LDB - 40
LISA CO - 40
LIZ NY - 40
SHELLIE - 40
TOBIE - 40
VICKI - 40
KATIE - 35
JUDITH NY - 30
KELLY MA - 30
DOROTHY - 25
JAIME 26 - 25
KRISTI - 25
MELISSA - 25
JAMIE 23 - 20
LAZARUS - 20
MACKENZIE - 20
NICOLE CA - 20
CAITLIN - 15
JENNI - 15
GREG - 10
MORGAN - 10
MICHELLE - 5
SHELBY - 5

[Lacy]

Completed Task
25 pts
#1 G & R titles
Gravity and Recovering Charles
The R book was much more my style. I did find Gravity very compelling and interesting. I just prefer reading something a little more cozy feeling. It was a great book though.
I'm thinking that's a current total of 135pts

[Kate]

Donna Jo, did you seriously keep all of your points to yourself so that you wouldn't have to pick the 50 point task? You're almost done with the challenge... just 65 more points to go!

[Kristen]

I personally avoided reading challenge books because I was close to the top hehe. I can't blame Donna Jo... it's tough to choose something for such a hard task.

[Cynthia]

WV Heather wrote: "The conversation about etomology/entomology had me cracking up. It reminded of my own misreading...for a few days our wonderful mod, Cynthia, listed herself as the "Seasonal Challenge Moderator" o..."LOL...it was kinda kicking my ass a little - trying to find time to moderate this challenge and participate in it and work and you know eat and shower and stuff...but I LOVE IT all the same.

Kritika wrote: "It's spring break (Yay!) which means lots of time to read! So I've finished a couple more tasks
5pt tasks
4. Speak
15pt tasks
3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
25 pt tasks
1. A Great and T..."You didn't post a 10 pointer so I only have you at 295


In relation to other conversations - I too am a night owl - I worked at the library in college and during exam week we were open 24/7 I worked a LOT of really late hours - and the first year I was working at the library I work out now I worked 2/3 of the night shifts 12:30-9 slots which I still work 1 a week and occasionally more if someone else is on vacation and I love it.

NO I HAVE NOT received the 50 pointer yet - Sandy I'm sure will pick something great though.

[Angela]

I am excited because I went to the library and picked up two of the books I have been patiently waiting for(they are new, so there have been holds) to complete two of my 25 point tasks. When I picked these books I knew they were new releases, so I was a little nervous!

I am currently reading Sweet Far Thing, which is 819 pages for the magic task, so I might have to squeeze another book while I am reading this one.

[Wendy]

Spring Cleaning
Team of Rivals by Goodwin
5 points
All that reading so few points for it!!!

Sacrifice for Easter
5 points
Persuader by Child

Book recommended by mother
Outliers by gladwell
10 points

Location to visit
The Associate
15 points

220 total

[Jen B]

Lori wrote: "Oooh, Jen - How did you like Anne of Green Gables? I'm re..."


I just have to butt in on your Anne of Green Gables conversation. I loved Anne of Green Gables as a kid and read probably the fi..."

I didn't know there were that many! I wasn't ever really into the series as a kid...I was way too interested in the Baby-Sitter's Club to read all the Anne books. But I really loved Anne of Green Gables...so it looks like I've got a lot more reading to do!

[Donna Jo]

Nicole wrote: "Donna Jo wrote: The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble (A very interesting book, set partly in Korea of the 1700's and partly in modern England. Probably the most lucid Margaret Drabble book I've read.)..."

Well, I just thought that at least the Korea portion made more sense than what I feel most of her books do. I agree the second part was all over the place and inconclusive, but I've felt all of her books (that I've read) were like that. I keep trying, though, because I like the way she shapes the language.

[Rebecca NJ]

Quick question for task 5.3. I only use Goodreads for listing books I've read and therefore have no books to read listed. Would it be acceptable to tackle something on the stack next to my bed which I've been meaning to read for the past year (or two)?

[Lizzi]

I personally avoided reading challenge books because I was close to the top hehe. I can't blame Donna Jo... it's tough to choose something for such a hard task.

LOL, me too! I held back on the reading because I didn't want the responsibility of picking a 50-pointer! I thought I was the only one. :-)

[Angela]

I am so surprised that people held back in order to not pick out the 50 pointer!!

[Cynthia]

Rebecca wrote: "Quick question for task 5.3. I only use Goodreads for listing books I've read and therefore have no books to read listed. Would it be acceptable to tackle something on the stack next to my bed wh..."Yes I've made that exception for other people with the same issue

[Amy]

Joanna wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "El wrote: "British humor is definitely in a class of its own (Red Dwarf, Fawlty Towers, Doctor Who, Black Adder, Wallace and Gromit etc.)... :)"

OMG, I love Fawlty Towers. Has anyo..."

Joanna wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "El wrote: "British humor is definitely in a class of its own (Red Dwarf, Fawlty Towers, Doctor Who, Black Adder, Wallace and Gromit etc.)... :)"

OMG, I love Fawlty Towers. Has anyo..."

Steven Fry is narrating my current audio book - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - OMG, I'm in love - "Oh dew shuttup" :)

[Manday]

I just finished Hard to be God by Strugatski for task 15.6 (it was translated Russian to English).

First of all, this book was VERY hard to get my hands on. I picked it because I wanted something written under Soviet Russia and the author came highly recommended. My local public library, Columbus OH (which I am lucky is the best in the U.S. according to a lot of ratings) did not have it. Amazon only has it as a rare book ($70+). I finally found it through my university library as a loan from another university.

Second, going from the prologue to the first chapter was by far the most confused I have ever been in reading. It really throws you for a loop. In fact, I probably spent the first half of the book confused.

Third, though, and most important, it was a great book. Epic themes - the nature of humankind, history, the role of one man in society, the kind of themes I really enjoy reading about. It also was a bit depressing.

I find it sad that it is hard to find and therefore probably not read much when, in my opinion, it should be a classic. I also would love to read more by this author if only I could get my hands on it!!

New Point Total: 165

[Cynthia]

LEADERBOARD
DONNA JO - 510
SANDY - 435
BRIDGIT - 430
KRISTEN IL - 400
LIZZI - 400
MEGHAN - 400
BJ ROSE - 375
BONNIE - 365
SHARON - 355
RORA - 350
LEORA - 340
TINA - 335
BEV - 325
JOSIE - 315
KRISTENR - 305
ASHLEY ID - 300
KRISTINA GA - 300
KRITIKA - 295
RORY - 290
BETH MN - 280
EVA - 270
PERS - 265
SARANICOLE - 265
LOUISE - 260
ANGELA IL - 255
LINDSEY - 255
CAIT - 250
NICOLE NC - 250
ANGIE - 245
LIZ BRKLYN - 245
ALICE - 240
APRIL NY - 240
LAURA NY - 235
MAGGIE - 235
SUZIER - 235
CATHEROO - 230
MARY BETH - 230
AMY - 225
COURTNEY - 225
EL - 220
FIONA (TITCH)- 215
LORI TX - 215
SUSAN - 210
CYNTHIA (SCM) - 200
ASHLEY AL - 190
BECKY - 185
RHIANNON - 185
SANDIE - 185
WENDY - 185
ELIZABETH NC - 180
FALLON - 180
JON - 180
JAMIE MN - 175
REBECCA J - 175
JUDITH IA - 170
STEPH - 170
STEPHANIE CA - 170
ALISHA - 165
LYNLEE4 - 165
MANDAY - 165
LIZ VEGAS - 160
WV HEATHER - 160
CAROL - 155
VICTORIA - 155
HAYES - 150
JOY - 150
LILY - 150
ROS - 150
ROSEANN - 150
CYNDEE - 145
ELIZABETH (ALASKA) - 145
SERA - 145
DAVID - 140
TRYPHENA - 140
KAREN - 135
KATE - 135
LACY - 135
MALIADES - 135
HEATHER KS - 130
JEGKA - 130
ANN FROM SC - 125
CASSIE - 120
JESSICA IL - 120
POTJY - 115
RENFREW - 115
TRACY - 115
JEN B - 110
JENNIFER IN - 110
CATHERINE - 105
ABBIE - 100
JOANNA - 100
KATHRYN - 100
RYAN - 100
AMANDA - 95
BETH - 95
LINDA - 95
CYNTHIA - 90
KICKI - 90
KRISTINA UK - 90
MARIE - 90
SAI - 90
JESSICA SC - 85
LAUREN - 85
MEREDITH H - 85
SUSANNA UK - 85
JENNY - 80
NATALIA - 80
SARA E - 80
JULIE (ID)'S - 75
JULIE UK - 75
MEGAN - 75
ASHLEY UT - 70
JEANE - 70
MELODY - 70
REBECCA - 70
SARAH PA - 70
SLAIMI - 70
JOANN - 65
SHANNON - 65
JEN MD - 60
KELLY - 60
MADELINE - 60
ALYSSA - 55
JAMIE WA - 55
JOANIE - 55
MEL - 55
RACHEL - 55
ROBIN - 55
JESSICA MI - 50
TERRI - 50
ALLISON MO - 45
ELIZ - 45
JULIE TN - 45
JULIE KS - 40
KIM - 40
LDB - 40
LISA CO - 40
LIZ NY - 40
SHELLIE - 40
TOBIE - 40
VICKI - 40
KATIE - 35
JUDITH NY - 30
KELLY MA - 30
DOROTHY - 25
JAIME 26 - 25
KRISTI - 25
MELISSA - 25
JAMIE 23 - 20
LAZARUS - 20
MACKENZIE - 20
NICOLE CA - 20
CAITLIN - 15
JENNI - 15
GREG - 10
MORGAN - 10
MICHELLE - 5
SHELBY - 5

[Lizzi]

You know what I think would be awesome? Maybe it would be far too hard and complicated to actually do, but I'd be so interested in some kind of statistics showing who the people who participated in this challenge are...like how many women vs. how many men, the average age of participants, occupation, etc!

I don't know how or who could do that, but it's an interesting thought to me! :-) I'd definitely be willing to help, I'm just not sure how such a thing is done on the Goodreads format? Maybe through polls?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

At the end of the Challenge, I'm sure Cynthia will post statistics, though she probably won't do a gender thing. Why do the gender statistics interest you?

[Angela]

You could create a survey and ask all the members participating to answer the questions... possibly a separate thread so that it is not confusing.
Name
Age
Sex
Ocuppation/ or student

If everyone responded we would have a good idea of the stats.

[Rhiannon]

1. Prey by Michael Crichton
2. Carrie by Stephen King
3. Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella 3/13/09
4. Janet Enavovich Visions of Sugar Plums 3/2/09
5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery by Joanne Fluke
6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 3/17/09
7. A Midsummer's Night's Dream by William Shakespheare 3/8/09
8. 101 Vacation Jokes by Jovial Bob Stine 3/8/09
9. Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter 3/8/09
10. When Lightening Strikes by Meg Cabot 3/14/09


10 POINT TASKS

1. P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern
2. The Wild Girl by Jim Fergus
3. The book Theif by Markus Zusak
4. The Worderful WIzard of Oz by L. Frank Baum 3/19/09
5. Harry Potter and The Sorcer's Stone by: J.K. Rowling
6. New Moon By Stephanie Meyer 4/15/09
7. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
8. The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy
9. The Scarlet Letter -Nathaniel Hawthorn
10. Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine


15 POINT TASKS

1. Angels Watching over me by Lurlene McDaniel 3/17/09
2. Inferno by Dante Alighieri
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
4. BEYOND THE MELTING POT By Nathan Glazer and Daniel P. Moynihan
5. Lost Highway: Journeys and Arrivals of American Musicians by Peter Guralnick
6. 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
7. Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich and Shoe Addicts Annomyus
8. Jake Riley : Irreparably Damaged by Rebecca Fjelland Davis
9. Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins Mysteries) by Walter Mosley
10. Janet Evanovich 3-5 3/15/09


25 POINT TASKS

1. Grafitti Girl and Romone and Juliette
2. John Adams by David McCullough
3. Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings
4. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne 3/30/09
5. Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 4/15/09
6. The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown
7. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 3/20/09
8. Hit and Run By Lurlene McDaniel and Love on Cue by Catherine Hapka
9. Wicked The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire


185/525

[Leora]

Completed task 15-3, I read "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". I loved it!

This brings my points to 340.

[Lizzi]

Angela~ A survey is a good idea!

Elizabeth~ I'm interested in gender (although I think I can tell mostly from the names on the list of participants) because I have a theory that women are in general more avid readers than men are. There's definitely exceptions, but I've noticed a strong trend in female readers over male...I really am curious as to why that is!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Lizzi, I think it has to do with the way our brains are constructed. Much research indicates women are more word oriented, men are math and spatially oriented. I think there are more male engineers, and now more women are entering law school, which would tend to affirm the prior research.

[Cynthia]

I just posted the 50 pointer.

[Sara ♥]

HOLY COW!!! *goes to look*

PS - I'm a female engineer!

PPS - Oooh... INTERESTING.... *goes to research, even though she should go to bed...*

[Joy Marie]

Awesome! I'm soooo excited....I already know what I'm going to read! Stephen King also writes under Richard Bachman!

[Sara ♥]

Just found this list:

Authors who use Multiple Pen Names:

*Elizabeth MacKintosh: (mystery writer) best known as Josephine Tey, Gordon Daviot
*Eleanor Hibbert: Victoria Holt (romantic suspense) Phillippa Carr (Daughters of England Series) Jean Plaidy
*Barbara Mertz : Elizabeth Peters (Egyptology series) *Barbara Michaels (romantic suspense, gothic)
*Jasmine Cresswell: (romance) Jasmine Candlish, Jasmine Craig
*Michael Crichton: Michael Douglas, Jeffrey Hudson, John Lange
*Dean Koontz: David Axton, Leonard Chris, Brian Coffey, Deanna Dwyer, K.R. Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, Arthur North, Richard Page, Owen West.
*Stephen King: ichard Bachman (most well-known), John Swithen
*Joyce Carol Oates: Lauren Kellly, Rosamund Smith (murder mysteries)
*David John Moore Cornwell : John Le Carre
*Nora Roberts: J. D. Robb (mysteries)
*Sandra Brown: Laura Jordon, Erin St. Claire, Rachel Ryan

[Cynthia]

I do do stats on the amount of tasks done etc. But haven't put together participation stats even though I thought about it - I took stats in college (I was a psych major) and may still do so at some point.

[Alisha Marie]

Five Point Tasks
1.Sci-Fi Novel: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
2. Epistolary Novel: The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters A Novel
3. Spring Cleaning: Off Season
4. Commute???
5. For Easter/Lent: Persuasion
6. Women's History: Girl, Interrupted
7. Arbor Day: Love the One You're With
8. Humorous Novel: Revenge of the Spellmans
9. Spring Animal Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
10. Book with Rain related word: The House of Thunder
Category Totals:

10 Point Tasks
1. Irish Author:PS, I Love You
2. Mexican Author: The Hummingbird's Daughter
3. ANZAC Day: The Book Thief
4. Author B-Day in March: Goodnight Nobody
5. Book about Magic: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
6. Earth Day: The Pillars of the Earth
7. Mother's Day: The Kindness of Strangers
8. Armed Forces Day: Cold Mountain
9. TNBBC Top Books List: The Secret History
10. Five Stars Member's List: The Time Traveler's Wife
Category Totals:

15 Points
1. SCORPIO: The Road
2. National Poetry Month: Transformations by Anne Sexton
3. TNBBC Unread Group Read: Water for Elephants
4. Location You've Been (CT): Swapping Lives
5. Award Winning Author:Beloved (Pulitzer in 1988)
6. Translated Book: Love in the Time of Cholera
7. Rhyming Novels: Can You Keep a Secret? & True to Form
8. Get to Know the Author: The Price
9. Book with Color Title: Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood
10. 3-4-5: All That Remains, Cruel and Unusual, & The Body Farm
Category Totals:

25 Points
1. Karen's Task: Girl in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood AND Rebecca
2. El's Task: Alice's Adventures: Lewis Carroll in Popular Culture-Will Brooker
3. Angela's Task: The Historian AND Blue Diary
4. Ros's Task: The Stand
5. Bonnie's Task: I Am Legend
6. Jon's Task: The Six Wives of Henry VIII
7. Darla's Task: Emma by Jane Austen
8. Cassie's Task: Looking for Alaska AND The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants
9. Sara's Task: Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale by Catherine Orenstein

50 Point Task
1. Sandy's Task: Blaze A Novel by Richard Bachman AND Salem's Lot by Stephen King

I finished the second book in Cassie's YA Task and let me just say that I absolutely love YA books. I thought that John Green's Looking For Alaska was great. The characters were mildly (and some not so mildly) flawed and seemed extremely real. This is one of those books that stood with me a while after I finished reading it.

I also read The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. This was a re-read for me. I loved the Sisterhood series when I was in high school and have since then re-read all of them at least once a year. I think this one has to be my favorite one out of all the four. Mostly because it's what introduced me to these great characters, but also, because it's just an all-around awesome novel.

And on that semi-long note (I really should start shortening my responses in this thread), I now have 165 points.

[Sara ♥]

I think I'll read a Meg Cabot and a Jenny Carroll... We'll see... The new Meg Cabot book comes out May 5th...

[Kristina]

Excellent task choice, Sandy!