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Cynthia's Seasonal Challenges
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OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009
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Angela
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Apr 17, 2009 06:26PM
Thanks Jen... I am currently taking a 'practice test' online right now while peeking in at GR everytime I need a break! Too bad I cannot do that tomorrow :)
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For the 50 point challenge, I found the following options for those interested in reading non-genre works. The first author mentioned is included in 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die, hence my assuming it was "literary", even if a mystery or science-fiction.John Wyndham's first three books, Foul Play Suspected, Stowaway to Mars, & The Secret People, were published under the name John Benyon
Patricia Highsmith & The Price of Salt originally published as Claire Morgan
Kingsley Amis & Colonel Sun published as R. Markham
Paul Auster & Squeeze Play published as Paul Benjamin
Doris Lessing & The Diary of a Good Neighbour and If the old could published as J. Somers
Just finished The Demigod Files.5 points
1.
2.
3. Spring Cleaning - Hard Truth
4. Planes, Trains,... - Neither Here Nor There
5. Lent/Sacrifice - Persuasion
6.
7.
8. Humorous - Notes from a Small Island
9. Spring Animals - To Kill a Mockingbird
10.
10 points
1.
2. Mexico - Esperanza Rising
3. Australia - People of the Book
4. Author Birthday - Winter Study by Nevada Barr (March 1)
5. 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.
10. TNBBC Member's 5 Star - Dead Until Dark (Ashley)
15 points
1. Capricorn (Art) - Chasing Vermeer
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Translated - Inkheart
7. Rhyming Books - HIGH Country and MY Antonia
8. Get to Know Author - Big Stone Gap Adriana Trigiani
9. Color Book/Food - Anne of Green Gables
10. 3, 4, and 5 Books -
25 points
1. KAREN’S TASK - The Goose Girl and A Raisin in the Sun
2.
3. ANGELA’S TASK - Pride and Prejudice
4.
5.
6. JON’S TASK - New Worlds, Lost Worlds
7. DARLA'S TASK - Northanger Abbey from The Jane Austen Book Club
8. CASSIE'S TASK -
9. SARA'S TASK - Sorcery and Cecelia...
50 points
Pseudonym - Size 12 Is Not Fat and Shadowland
16/47 Books Read
New Total: 180
Kim wrote: "I finished To the Last Man A Novel of the First World War for th..."Reading an almost 700 page book is nothing to sneeze at!!
Kristina wrote: "I am going to change my list a little and for:
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
Instead of more Harry..."
Kristina: I fit the first two books into the challenge as well. Among the Hidden I counted as part of the rhyme challenge and then I counted Among the Impostors as 10.4 Margaret Peterson Haddix's birthday is April 09, 1964 - just in case you want to read the whole series! =)
Rory wrote: "Kim wrote: "I finished [b:To the Last Man A Novel of the First World War|26175|To the Last Man A Novel of the First World War|Jeff Shaara|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167......"Rory, thanks for reposting Kim's reading. I didn't notice this particularly the first time by and it looks like a good one!
Elizabeth: I have no idea how I reposted that but I'm glad it was helpful! Cynthia: Can you adress this question I posted yesterday - sorry for not addressing it to you explicitly so you'd be able to find it:
"Rory wrote: "Jon: Searched & can not locate any books written under Phillip Dick's psyudonym - any ideas?"
Per Amy:
Rory - I found this:
Pen names
Dick occasionally wrote under pen names, most notably R..."
Amy: Thanks for generously looking this up! Now I just need Cynthia's go - ahead - can I read one of these and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?? If not, I have a few other leads...
PARTIALLY COMPLETED 15 POINT TASK#10 3rd/4th/5th in a Series: Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix:
Among the Betrayed – 3rd (4/8/09 – 4/17/09)
I'm enjoying this series but it isn't the best sci-fi writing I've ever read. I enjoyed Uglies so much more. I think this series would be great for younger children - 4th - 6th grade.
Among the Barons – 4th TO READ
Among the Brave – 5th TO READ
5 point task4. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Task – Read or listen to a book while you are on a plane, on a train, or in a car (or other mode of transport like a bus/combinations of transportation)
Eight Little Faces by Kate Gosselin
Current Point Total: 60
Jessica (MI)
Liz, you rock! I had no idea that the Price of Salt was published under a penname, and I've been meaning to read it. I may be able to do the 50 pointer after all.
Just finished task 15.8 - I read Tears of the Giraffeand listened to Alexander McCall Smith talking about the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency books on ABC radio - very amusing!Total: 335 points
Also, somebody may already have mentioned it (back in the huge slab of posts I couldn't be bothered catching up with!), but Anthony Horowitz (Stormbreaker) also writes the Jason Steed books under the pen name Mark A Cooper - if you're interested in YA boy adventure/action books...
And Lian Hearn (Across the Nightingale Floor) used to write as Gillian Rubenstein.
Rory wrote: "Elizabeth: I have no idea how I reposted that but I'm glad it was helpful! Cynthia: Can you address this question I posted yesterday - sorry for not addressing it to you explicitly so you'd be ..."From what I can tell he only wrote short stories in magazines under other names - so that wouldn't work for the task
Cynthia, would the word Lioness work for the 5-point spring animal task, since it's the female version of lion?
Rory wrote: "Kristina wrote: "I am going to change my list a little and for:
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
Inst..."
Very cool, thanks for the info. I think I am just going to read the first two even if I don't count them for this challenge. I always like finding new series to check out.
April wrote: "Cynthia, would the word Lioness work for the 5-point spring animal task, since it's the female version of lion?"yes that's fine
I've completed five point task number 9 - I read The Lioness Tamer by Rebecca Brandewyne. It was trashy, it was cheesy, I loved it! Plus I am the first and only person to review it on GR! Yay! Oh and thank you for the prompt answer Cynthia, your hard work and dedication is certainly appreciated on my end.[image error]
25 POINT TASKS
1. KAREN'S TASK - For Goodreads, read a book that begins with "G" and a book that begins with "R"
I read:
Glamour by Louise Bagshawe, which I wasn't crazy about (I can't believe the lady that wrote it is a member of Parliament or something like that!) AND
Roommates Wanted A Novel by Lisa Jewell, which was alright, but nothing special.
At 135 points, I've now tied my Winter Challenge score, so my bid for Most Improved officially begins!
New Point Total: 135
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Cynthia wrote: "You didn't post a 10 pointer so I only have you at 295..."oops! I forgot to log Animal Farm for 10 point task 10. So I edited my post and now my 305 points add up. Sorry!
Nicole wrote: "I read Alice's Adventures In Wonderland for 25.4. Though I knew the story, I don't know if I had ever actually read this as a child. It was whimsical with the random capitalization and a fun refr..."I read that last year and I think it is one of my probably three books I read and hated.
Jon wrote: "saranicole wrote: "Jon--that website is great! Thanks for posting it!"oh theres Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell if anyones interested.. not that its normally my thing but ive heard of her!"
I like ruth rendell stories!!!
Steph wrote: "Completed for 25 points:5. 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, ..."
Greay Steph! If you ever notice the documentary they made, really ahve to watch it. It is even better!!!
Anyone who also loves Agtha christie stories, she wrote also under Mary Westmacott.
Five Point Tasks2 Letters: Paper Darts by Virginia Woolf
3. Spring Cleaning: Girl with a Pearl Earring
5. Christian: The Magician's Nephew
6. Women's History: Smart Blonde
7. Arbor Day: Colony will bookmooch it
10 Point Tasks
2. Mexican Theme: The Crystal Frontier
3. ANZAC Day: Rabbit Proof Fence
4. Author B'Day Heat and Dust or prodigal summer
5. Book with Magic: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
7. Mother's Day: Moominvalley in November
8. Armed Forces Day: The Ghost Road
10. Five Stars: The Picture of Dorian Gray(Brandon)
15 Points
3. TNBBC Group Read:Extremely Loud or Shadow of wind
4. Spring Visit: Possession A Romance
5. Award Winning Author: Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally (won Miles Franklin Award for Australian Literature in 1968)
6. Translated Book: Our Lady Of The Flowers
7. Rhyming Books: The Remains of the Day / The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
8. Get to Know the Author: The Mistress of Spices, GR author Q&A
9. Book with Colour Title: A Patch of Blue
10. 3-4-5: The Horse and His Boy,Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
25 Points
1. G/R The Godfather/The Road Home
3. Jamie's Shelves: Interpreter of Maladies and
5. Off Genre - True Crime Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
7. Book referenced in movie Mrs. Dalloway (ref The Hours)
9. Saras Crazy Title : The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories, Robert Louis Stevenson
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25 POINT TASK9. SARA'S TASK - Read a book that has a title of 12 or more words.
Evolution's Captain The Story of the Kidnapping That Led to Charles Darwin's Voyage Aboard the Beagle, Peter Nichols.
TOTAL POINTS: 245.
I have a Darwin question - would 'Voyage of the Beagle' by Charles Darwin fit the Diarist challenge?
It was based on his diaries (1831-36) when he traveled around South America..???
For the 50-pointer howsabout: Edward Stratemeyer/Carolyn Keene (Rover Boys/Nancy Drew).
...or Anne Rice/A.N. Roquelaure (Vampire stuff/Erotica stuff)
For 15.3 I read Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope. I'm now ready to start the 50 pointer.
...okay, so I'm obsessed (besides, this is way more fun than washing laundry): "Francois Marie Arouet wrote under numerous pen names besides the most famous one of Voltaire."
i finally think i've found my 50 point reads. i've settled on on writing by stephen king and the regulators by richard bachman. i'm hoping that the regulators isn't to horror-like. the descriptions sounded less so than some of the other bachman books.
For 15.1, I just finished "The Appeal" by John Grisham". (I'm a Libra).I quit reading Grisham's books a long time ago, because they got to be fairly predictable. This one was the same, but it mad me mad at the end. Oh well. Onwards and upwards!
Now at 225 points.
Allison wrote: "i finally think i've found my 50 point reads. i've settled on on writing by stephen king and the regulators by richard bachman. i'm hoping that the regulators isn't to horror-like. the descriptions..."I might end up picking the same books as you are! LOL I have The Green Mile by Stephen King (I have a bunch of books by an authors one name and then none from any of the others!) and my major problem is finding a book I'll *like* from the other name.
I used to like King a lot though and I loved the movie for TGM so maybe I'll like a Bachman book too- I'm going to look at The Regulators now. Thanks!
Just finished task 10-8, 'The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien, an excellent book, very thought provoking.Now I have 360 points.
Irish AuthorRoddy Doyle
Paddy Clarke HA HA HA (Excellent recommendation from Barbara at Putterham Library)
10 points
total-225
4. Read a novel that takes place in a location you plan to visit during this challenge OR have visited previously during spring break (does not have to be overly specific i.e. if you are visiting Paris this spring (LUCKY YOU) you could read a book that takes place anywhere in France). (Florida) For 15 points I read...Jane Austen in Boca A Novel by Paula Marantz Cohen
(New total: 390 points)
Allison wrote: "i finally think i've found my 50 point reads. i've settled on on writing by stephen king and the regulators by richard bachman. i'm hoping that the regulators isn't to horror-like. the descriptions..."Stephen King also wrote Desperation which is kind of the same story as The Regulators. (similar story lines. Some of the same characters, but different roles--in one book they will be brother and sister and in another husband and wife or mother and son. Some scenes are very similar, but with the different roles, the scenes play differently.) When I looked them up to make sure I was talking about the right books, they were called mirror books. Anyway, they are both horror--so if you really don't like that, you may want to avoid one (or both), but they make interesting companion pieces.
Does Stephen King write anything other than horror?
Latest UpdateI have actually met my original goal of 250, so now to try for 350 points! Not bad for my first challenge. ;-)
THE TASKS
5 Points
1.
2. Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger
3.
4. Eiger Dreams by Jon Krakauer
5. The Gnostic Mystery by Randy Davila
6. A Lady’s Secret by Jo Beverley
7.
8. Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
9. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
10. The Feast of Roses by Indu Sundaresan
Category Total: 15 / 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.
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.
10.
Category Total: 30 / 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.
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: 60 / 150
25 Points
1.
2.
3. From Eva:
4.
5.
6. Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade by James Reston Jr.
7.
8. The Silver Chair / The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
9. House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street by William D. Cohan
Category Total: 150 / 225
50 Points
1. Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham / Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella Category Total: 0 / 50
Category Totals: 255 / 575
Goal: 255 / 350
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Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Does Stephen King write anything other than horror? "He has a two or three non-horror books. One is called "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" and another is "Eye of the Dragon" or something like that. The Dragon one he wrote for his own children because they complained about not being allowed to read his books and they wanted to read something by him.
COMPLETED 25 POINT TASK#6 JON’S TASK – Read a non-fiction book of at least 400 pages relating in some way to the British Monarchy, write a review & post it to the board: Royal Affairs A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked the British Monarchy by Leslie Carroll (4/7/09 – 4/18/09)
MY REVIEW - THREE STARS:
Royals Affairs was a pleasant surprise! As part of the Spring Challenge for The Next Best Book Club I had to read a book on the British Monarchy that was over 400 pages long. I went to my local Barnes & Noble, located the British Monarchy section (that I had never visited before) and pull all the 400+ books off the shelf. I then found a comfy chair & read the first page of every book to see which one I could actually deal with. Royal Affairs won out and in about 2 days I had half of the book read I was so engrossed! What made this an enjoyable read for me was linking the information I already possessed about the royals, as I'm a keen watcher of period piece movies. Even though EVERY monarch was NOT in Royal Affairs it was still an excellent source of information and it was entertaining. This book helped me put my existing knowledge in a chronological and related order. Plus, it was just plain fun reading about the lovers of Britain’s kings and queens.
5.1 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Funny as all get out. Very random, but utterly entertaining, and all the more so given Steven Fry's narration. (May change this to comedy task if I come across another sci fi that captures my attention.)
5.3 - The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho - Spring cleaned. Easy read. Lovely idea - follow your dreams. I wonder if the English translation took something away from the original.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Does Stephen King write anything other than horror? "He's also written a couple of scary books, but not horror, since they could really happen--to me they are even a little scarier than his horror ones! Misery is really good (made into a movie with Kathy Bates and James Caan several years ago) and Gerald's Game. The Dark Tower series (Gunslinger is the first one) is also different and a little scary, but probably not classified as horror. I enjoy most of what he's written, but haven't read a lot of his newer books.
I just finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly close. Along with Memory Keeper's Daughter that is 25 points. I pulled both of these off Eva's shelf.I also have a question. Does "blueberry" count for a color word, or does the color have to be by itself?
I now have 205 points (yeah, passed 200!)
5916 pages read
Completed the It's Written in the Stars task for 15 points. I'm Libran, so I read The Testament by John Grisham.Went to the library earlier and got books by Jayne Ann Krentz and Amanda Quick, so I'm off to start the 50 point task.
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Since I read both of the Janet Evanovich books before April 4th, I will read Metro Girl to take the place of Plum Spooky. Sorry, didn't read all the posts, and wasn't aware of the April 15th rule!
I finished Task 5.10 (April Showers) on the 16th - I read Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain. I also finished Water for Elephants this morning and I absolutely loved it! I'm kicking myself for not having read it sooner. I can't claim points for it yet as it's part of a 2 book task (25.3). I picked it from Josie's shelf, so thanks Josie!
Total Pts: 270
Elizabeth from Alaska - I always thought Firestarter and The Dead Zone were two of King's best - because they are not horror so much as paranormal with a twist. You might try one of them.
Cait wrote: "I finished Task 5.10 (April Showers) on the 16th - I read [b:Before the Storm|138350|Before the Storm (Star Wars The Black Fleet Crisis, Book 1)|Michael P. Kube-McDowell|http://photo.goodreads.com..."For our more experienced librarians: The Before the Storm link in Cait's post # 4669 takes us to a Star Wars book - how to correct that? I'm new to being a librarian so if you wouldn't mind messaging me off list that would be great - I'll gain another skill.
Rory
If you are a fan of YA Literature check out the "Teen Book Video Award" winners on www.youtube.com. This contest is open to high school students. They read a young adult book & then produce their own video preview of the book. Very cool stuff! I'm doing this with my 8th graders right now & they loved watching the previews. I thought I'd share with you all.Here's the preview of The Book Thief: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95s8Gl...
You can view more on www.youtube.com by typing in "Teen Book Video Award".
Rory wrote: "For our more experienced librarians: The Before the Storm link in Cait's post # 4669 takes us to a Star Wars book - how to correct that? I'm new to being a librarian so if you wouldn't mind messaging me off list that would be great - I'll gain another skill."Cait will have to edit the post herself to change it. It appears that when she added the book link, she selected the very first option that came up for Before the Storm, which was the Star Wars book. The second option on the pop-up screen was for the Diane Chamberlain book. Since this was a user error, not a glitch within GR, a librarian can't correct it.
Oh...and no one is able to edit another member's posts except the member who posted it. Moderators and Administrators can delete posts, but they can't modify the posts.
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