The Next Best Book Club discussion
Cynthia's Seasonal Challenges
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OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009
El wrote: "Wendy wrote: "25.7 Mentioned in a moviePersuasion by Jane Austen
25 points
I am reading at a very manic rate!!! It's making me dizzy.
Total 345 point"
Wendy, which movie was Persuasion mention..."
Jane Austen Book Club!!!
El wrote: "Wendy wrote: "25.7 Mentioned in a moviePersuasion by Jane Austen
25 points
I am reading at a very manic rate!!! It's making me dizzy.
Total 345 point"
Wendy, which movie was Persuasion mention..."
The quote was "Maybe Persuasion" It is on the clip for the movie that I googled!!!
Elizabeth (NC) wrote: "Judith wrote: "That is a ton of people! My goal is to stay in the top screen of people on the scoreboard when I scroll, haha. I'm generally right around the edge there. I went to the library tod..."Elizabeth, I love that saying! I've never heard it before, but given my unnecessary tendency to get competitive, I should keep it in mind. Also, if you get discouraged, you can always use my trick of switching from a 12" to 20" screen and seeing where you fall there, haha.
I feel better to see the posts that people were talking about struggling to finish books. I've been bouncing back and forth a bunch of books all week as I didn't have one I loved and really wanted to settle into.I did finish The Host A Novel for 15.8 and read an article in Vogue about Stephenie Meyer. I hadn't read the synopsis of the book, so I didn't know quite what I was in for. Stephenie Meyer definitely has an imagination, but this one was a little slow for me.
I also read The Fifth Floor and The Fourth Queen A Novel for the 3,4,5 challenge, and wasn't all that excited about either one.
Total points: 265 (Nicole NC)
Three updates today - finished up several I had in progress. I completed 10.6 (Earth Day) with David Levien's City of the Sun, 10.8 (Memorial Day) with Lee Child's Persuader, and 15.9 (Colors and food) with William Kent Krueger's Red Knife, ravioli with marinara sauce, and an apple. Persauder's the only one I recommend of the bunch; the Levien was really not very good. I think I'm just not into "child-in-peril" plots as a rule - they're so formulaic that it just doesn't interest me anymore.Current total: 215
Goal: 300
15 points8. Simply Scandalous
Just finished listening to an interview online from www.wordstomouth.com
New total: 110
I just finished "The Handmaid's Tale" for 10.9. That brings my points to 255.
Chalk me up for 15 more points...I told you it would take me forever to get more points!Current Total: 50 points
Tasks completed: 5
Task completed: 15 point task #2
April is National Poetry Month – Read a book of poetry OR about a famous poet.
From Room To Room by Jane Kenyon
Hayes 170 + 15 = 185
6. Read a book that was has been translated from its original language
Waiting for Godot A Tragicomedy in Two Acts which was first written in French.
didn't do much for me... It was difficult for me to make this "real" in my head. I would very much like to see this on stage (they're performing it now or soon in NYC... *snifff*)
6. Read a book that was has been translated from its original language
Waiting for Godot A Tragicomedy in Two Acts which was first written in French.
didn't do much for me... It was difficult for me to make this "real" in my head. I would very much like to see this on stage (they're performing it now or soon in NYC... *snifff*)
Goal: 390 Points / 32 books---Stats---
Earned Points: 195 of 390
Books Read: 19 of 32
Total Pages Read: 8503
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5 POINT TASKS
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (SF)
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse (audiobook)
5. Read a Christian Fiction novel.
Showdown by Ted Dekker
6. Read a novel with woman, lady, etc in the title.
Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon by Jane Austen
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (Sent to Kandice.)
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
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
10 POINT TASKS
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides /Born: March 8, 1960
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susana Clarke
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
7. Read a book recommended by/given to you by your mother.
The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
Othello by William Shakespeare
9. Read a book from the TNBBC Top Book list.
I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith (#1 - I was born in 1982)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Thanks Heather from page 39!)
15 POINT TASKS
1. 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
Duma Key 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
The Green Mile (Complete Serial Novel) by Stephen King
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
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (Referenced in "The English Patient".)
8. Cassie's Task: Read two YA novels.
Blue Is For Nightmares & White Is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz
50 POINT TASK
1. Sandy's Task: Read two books by an author writing under two different names.
The Long Walk by Richard Bachman and
I've completed task 25.2. EL’s TASK - Read a Non-Fiction book ABOUT OR A DIARY written by one of the noted diarists on This List http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dia... who lived prior to the 1900’s.I read Illustrated Pepys Extracts from the Diary. Selected and Ed by Robert Latham . Which I enjoyed more that I thought I would, it was interesting to read about events like the plague and the Fire of London from the point of view of someone who was there. His love life was also interesting to read about!
I now have 320 points.
I have 16 books left to read for the challenge.If I read one ever 2 days I will complete it - providing I can get the books on time from the library.
Anyone else counting down to the finish?
I've finished 31 songs by Nick Hornby for the book outside your normal genre. Liked it, even though there are a lot of mentionned songs & records I didn't know. Current points: 120/495
Books read: 9/43
Just saving a spot...15 point:
Translated: Night by Eli Wiesel
3rd, 4th, 5th in a series: Club Dead by Charine (sp?) Harris - True Blood Series
25 point:
YA - Secret Circle Initiation and the Captive part 1
50 point:
Desperation by Richard Bachman, now I need to find a Stephen King that I haven't read
Total: 15 almost 105
5 Points3. Spring Cleaning
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
TOTAL = 110 POINTS
I can´t believe Sara counted all the names in Cynthia´s list lol
Finished task 5.5 - a novel about sacrifice - Meridian by Alice Walker, which is all about one woman's struggle to fight in the civil rights movement and the sacrifices she had to make along the way. Total points: 455
Carol wrote: "I can´t believe Sara counted all the names in Cynthia´s list lol"
She could just copy-paste the list in Word and automatically number it, which still requires some effort. Kudos to numbers!
Couldn't sleep last night, so I finished task 25.9-Skinny Bitch-a no nonsense, tough love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous. Totally stupid in my opinion...Anyway that brings me to 280 points.
I just finished Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood - and I was really disapointed. I geneally really enjoy her books, but this one just didn't work for me.Previously completed:
25.4 - The Woman in White - 3/5/2009
15.1 - The Other Boleyn Girl - 3/7/2009
15.5 - Eros, Eros, Eros Selected and Last Poems -3/9/2009
15.8 - The Numerati - 3/14/2009
5.4 - Naked in Death - 4/4/2009
5.7 - When You Are Engulfed in Flames - 4/13/2009
5.6 - The Icarus Girl - 4/15/09
25.9 - When Genius Failed The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management - 4/16/09
10.4 10 Two for the Dough - 4/20/09
Newly completed:
5 pt task #1 - science fiction/fantasy - Oryx and Crake
Total Tasks Completed: 10
Total Ponts Earned: 125
I seem to have hit a reader's block or something! lol! I have a couple books I'm going back and forth reading, and none of them are really... grabbing me. And I picked Stephen King/Richard Bachman for the 50-point task, and it always takes me a while to get through his books. Sigh.. maybe I just need a little reading break! lol
5 points for me, bringing me to 305. I just finished Ragtime for the planes, trains and automobiles task. I have to say it was the MOST boring audiobook i have ever listened too! I think I might have liked it better just reading it. The narrator was the author, and lets just say I think he should stick to writing!5 POINTS
1.
2.
3. Spring Cleaning – Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl, Steven Bach
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Spring Animals in title – Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
10. April Showers Bring May Flowers – The Enchantment of Lily Dahl: A Novel, Siri Hustvedt
10 POINTS
1. Set in Ireland – Three Bags Full, Leonie Swan
2. Cinco De Mayo -- Set in Mexico, The Falling Woman, Pat Murphey
3. Australian - The People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks
4.
5.
6. Sun in Title – Mistress of the Sun, Sandra Gulland
7.
8.
9.
10. TNBBC Member 5 star book – Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
15 POINTS
1. SAGITARIUS: The archer – read a book about an athlete or sports. Shanks for Nothing, Rick Reiley
2. April is National Poetry Month – Read a book of poetry OR about a famous poet. Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath, Kate Moses
3.
4.
5. Major Literary Prize, 1981 – John Updike, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, Witches of Eastwick
6. Translation – Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky
7. Two books with rhyming titles – Bitten,….Ten Big Ones, Janet Evanovich
8.
9. Book with color/meal – Blue Moon, Laurell K. Hamilton
10. 3, 4, 5 series or titles – Kim Harrison
Every Which Way But Dead
A Fistful of Charms
For a Few Demons More
25 POINT
1.
2.Diarist – The World of Louisa May Alcott, William Anderson
3.Jen’s List –
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Book with 12 or more words in the title – The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Erik Larson
Total Points: 305/575
Tasks Completed: 21
Books Read: 24
Total Pages Read: 9017
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Sharon wrote: "I have 16 books left to read for the challenge.If I read one ever 2 days I will complete it - providing I can get the books on time from the library.
Anyone else counting down to the finish?"
Well, I sort of thought to myself "hey, maybe I could finish!" but that's 26 books to read in one month, so I sincerely doubt it :-D
Sharon & Judith - I've got 27 books left right now, so there's pretty much no way I'll finish. It seemed possible in the beginning, but then vacation, work, and illness started holding me back. (It's not easy to find reading time when you've got four kids either!) Hopefully things will work out better for the Summer Challenge since we shouldn't be so busy. It's been so much fun, though!
I've still got 32 books left but the semester is running down and I'm actually ahead there so there is a possibility if I burn some night oil to finish. Chalk one more up for me for challenge 15.5--CANNERY ROW by Steinbeck who won the Nobel in 1962.
I didn't think I would like this one, but it surprised me. Steinbeck showed why he won the Nobel in how he made the "worst" of characters sympathetic and even lovable. He proved that even those who are experiencing huge challenges can find happiness in their lives.
This brings my total to 230.
I love Cannery Row. Its sequel, Sweet Thursday, is also very good, I think.
Roseann wrote: "I've still got 32 books left but the semester is running down and I'm actually ahead there so there is a possibility if I burn some night oil to finish. Chalk one more up for me for challenge 1..."
I agree with you. Cannery Row turned out to be a much better read than I expected.
5 POINT TASKS
6. In Honor Of Women’s History Month…
- Read an autobiography/biography of a woman you admire OR
- A novel with one of the following in the title (woman, women, lady, ladies, female, feminine, girl, girls, maiden, madame).
Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch
This book was very different than I expected, but I still enjoyed it. And I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I LOVE the cover of this book, and it's actually very appropriate for the story. The edition I have has an author interview in the back where she tells the story behind the cover, which is interesting.
New Point total: 140
Completed tasks: 12
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5 Points1 - Coraline by Neil Gaiman
2 - Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
5 - Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice
6 - Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
8 -
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
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
15 Points
1 - Nightmare in Pink by John D. MacDonald
2 -
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
6 - not yet
9 - not yet
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Just finished Earthly Delights by Kerry Greenwood, for task 10.3 (Greenwood is Australian). I now have 185 points.I have 26 books left for the challenge... I'm a very fast reader, but I'm not sure I'll get done with 26 books! However, we shall see.
I have 23 books left to finish, 5 are already started, but I know I won't finish. There is no way I am reading Outlander (800+ pages) by Diana Gabaldon for task 5.3. I really got the shaft on that task. LOL
I wasn't ever going to finish, but I have another dozen books identified. We'll see whether I get to all of them.
I won't be able to finish either, but I will do better than my tally for the winter challenge. All in all, I have a great time, even though I don't really push myself to read quickly. I want to enjoy each book and not feel hurried so that I can count it for the challenge. The fun for me is trying to make a book fit for a particular task and to keep reading books from my TBR shelf. I think that's it would be great to finish each task, but I don't think that that is likely to happen for me. Congrats to those of you who can do it! It is mighty impressive.
I have six books left! But I'm pudging along on those because I'm reading a billion others. Hopefully I'll finish one or two in the next week. So many books.. so little time.
For the 5 point April Showers task, I read The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid A Memoir. That puts me at 255 points (I think I need to choose shorter books for five point tasks!)
I have 22 books left, I think I'm going to finish the challenge on time. Classes end on the 6th, then it's finals week, so if I devote my free-time to reading, I can totally do it! BTW I love this challenge, love how I feel "forced" to read books I've owned forever but never gotten around to reading. Cynthia, you rock, thanks for creating the challenge!
Completed 2 tasks today.For 5 points, completed the Planes, Trains... task. I have been reading Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes for the last couple of weeks on the bus to work & back.
I have also completed the 50 point task by reading Second Sight by Amanda Quick and Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz.
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25 pointsG&R:
The Red Book
Grave Sight
total 95 points
I loved both books. Gravesight was my first book written by this author but it was great. The red book was very beautiful.
Mackenzie wrote: "5 points: 1.Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (sci-fi)
4. Xenocide by Orson Scott Card (plane from NY, NY - Wichita, KS and back)
7.A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (e-book, Project G..."
ENDER'S GAME!!!!!!!!! That series has got to be my all time favorite. How did you like it? How many of the Ender/Bean books have you read?
Finished task 5.10 (April Showers): The Caddie who Played with Hickory - John CoyleNew total: 130 points
I'll remember this for next challenge: reading the 25 point books right away is great to get on the board--having a lot of 5 point books in my pile right now = somewhat discouraging.
I completed 15 point task 7. I read Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen and Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. Both were 5 star reads.This brings my points up to 305!
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I am determined to finish this time!I had 5 books left at the end of the Winter Challenge (I started late), so was close, but no cigar.
I sincerely doubt I'll be able to get far for the Summer Challenge because it falls smack dab in the middle of us closing on our first home, getting ready, moving in, etc.
So for the Spring Challenge I *will* finish!!! I have 18 left and if I can maintain the pace I've established, I think I can do it!
Carol wrote: "I can´t believe Sara counted all the names in Cynthia´s list lol"I copied the list into Excel and deleted a couple of the lines at the top, and looked at the last row number. It look approximately 20 seconds....
I've finished ANGELA'S 25 point task. I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (4/24) and Water for Elephants (4/18) (from Josie's shelf). Two fantastic reads.Total points: 315
I've got 19 books left. I've been trying to read the "hard" books first and leave the "easy" and YA ones to the end.... (Of the 19, 10 are YA and 4 are romances) The BIG exception is Jon's 400 pager... which I'm only 22 pages into....I COULD finish.... but I just don't have the drive I did at the beginning. Plus, I'm running out of tasks I can complete using audiobooks, which cuts down on my more-than-one-book-at-a-time method of finishing challenges...
I'm looking for a good suggestion or two for the task of a book with 12 words in the title.
5peasinapod wrote: "I'm looking for a good suggestion or two for the task of a book with 12 words in the title."Bright Lights, Big Ass A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? by Jen Lancaster is hilarious and well worth the read!
LEADERBOARD
DONNA JO - 575
***************
SANDY - 515
BJ ROSE - 510
LIZZI - 500
BRIDGIT - 455
KRISTEN IL - 430
KRISTENR - 425
SHARON - 425
RORA - 425
LEORA - 410
MEGHAN - 410
BETH MN - 395
TINA - 395
BEV - 365
BONNIE - 365
WENDY - 360
LIZ BRKLYN - 345
JOSIE - 340
KRISTINA GA - 340
RORY - 330
APRIL NY - 320
LOUISE - 320
CAIT - 315
ASHLEY ID - 310
KRITIKA - 310
REBECCA J - 310
MAGGIE - 305
ALICE - 300
SARANICOLE - 300
CATHEROO - 295
PERS - 295
ANGELA IL - 290
NICOLE NC - 290
EVA - 280
SUSAN - 280
ANGIE - 275
EL - 275
AMY - 270
LAURA NY - 270
RHIANNON - 270
LORI TX - 265
MARY BETH - 260
COURTNEY - 255
JUDITH IA - 255
LINDSEY - 255
SANDIE - 255
SUZIER - 250
ROSEANN - 230
CYNTHIA (SCM) - 215
FIONA (TITCH)- 215
JAMIE MN - 215
JESSICA IL - 215
LYNLEE4 - 210
ELIZABETH NC - 205
STEPHANIE CA - 205
SARA E - 200
STEPH - 200
BECKY - 195
FALLON - 195
JON - 195
MALIADES - 195
ALISHA - 190
ASHLEY AL - 190
JOY - 190
HAYES - 185
WV HEATHER - 185
JILLIAN - 180
KATE - 180
MANDAY - 175
CAROL - 170
SERA - 170
VICTORIA - 170
ELIZABETH (ALASKA) - 165
JOANNA - 165
LIZ VEGAS - 160
JENNIFER IN - 150
LILY - 150
ROS - 150
CYNDEE - 145
MEGAN - 145
DAVID - 140
JEN B - 140
KRISTINA UK - 140
TRYPHENA - 140
KAREN - 135
LACY - 135
HEATHER KS - 130
JEGKA - 130
RYAN - 130
TRACY - 130
ANN FROM SC - 125
NATALIA - 125
CASSIE - 120
JOANIE - 115
KATHRYN - 115
POTJY - 115
RENFREW - 115
SUSANNA UK - 115
BETH - 110
SARAH PA - 110
CATHERINE - 105
ABBIE - 100
CYNTHIA - 100
JULIE (ID)'S - 100
AMANDA - 95
JEANE - 95
LINDA - 95
MARIE - 95
REBECCA - 95
SLAYERMEL - 95
ASHLEY UT - 90
KICKI - 90
SAI - 90
JESSICA SC - 85
LAUREN - 85
MEREDITH H - 85
JENNY - 80
JULIE UK - 75
MEL - 75
SHANNON - 75
TERRI - 75
JULIE TN - 70
MELODY - 70
RACHEL - 70
SHELLIE - 70
SLAIMI - 70
JESSICA MI - 65
JOANN - 65
ALYSSA - 60
JEN MD - 60
KELLY - 60
MADELINE - 60
ALLISON MO - 55
JAMIE WA - 55
ROBIN - 55
VICKI - 55
KATIE - 50
KIM - 50
MACKENZIE - 50
ELIZ - 45
JULIE KS - 40
LDB - 40
LISA CO - 40
LIZ NY - 40
TOBIE - 40
JAMIE 23 - 35
JUDITH NY - 30
KELLY MA - 30
DOROTHY - 25
JAIME 26 - 25
KRISTI - 25
MELISSA - 25
LAZARUS - 20
NICOLE CA - 20
5PEASINAPOD - 15
CAITLIN - 15
JENNI - 15
GREG - 10
MARY - 10
MORGAN - 10
MICHELLE - 5
SHELBY - 5
The Next Best Book Club
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Persuasion by Jane Austen
25 points
I am reading at a very manic rate!!! It's making me dizzy.
Total 345 point"
Wendy, which movie was Persuasion mentioned in? I imagine there are plenty, but I'm curious to know which movie you saw it mentioned.