Spring 2013 General Questions & Answers

[Liz M]

Post questions about the RwS Spring 2013 Challenge here.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

For 20.1, there are the usual suspects like Dickens, but I'm going to see if I can try an author or two who is new to me, like Walter Scott, Nikolai Gogol, and Stendhal.

[Bea]

The link in the task list for 20.4 to the underclass does not seem to be working. I end up back at my home screen.

[Liz M]

Bea wrote: "The link in the task list for 20.4 to the underclass does not seem to be working. I end up back at my home screen."

Oops! I forgot to copy the link. It should be fixed.

But here it is again:
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/60...

[Bea]

Thanks, Liz. I see that Les Misérables and Oliver Twist are on both lists. Maybe I will get one of these read afterall.

[Rosemary]

Another question about a book in several parts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fors...

The Forsyte Saga is the name given to the first three books in a nine book series http://www.goodreads.com/series/59583...

It's been published as three separate books, The Man of Property, In Chancery and To Let, and also all together in one volume The Forsyte Saga.

Is this one book or three?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Rosemary wrote: "Is this one book or three? "

When I read this Summer 2011, I posted it as 3 separate books. But you could just as easily post as a single book if you chose to do so. Enjoy! It is really quite good!

[Rosemary]

Thanks Elizabeth! It looks like it's going to win the 1001 Books group poll for April ... it's good to know I could just post the first book if I want to stop at that! I remember my mother watching the BBC series and I thought it was SOOOO boring - but looking at the dates I would only have been 7 years old so I should probably give it another chance!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Rosemary wrote: "Thanks Elizabeth! It looks like it's going to win the 1001 Books group poll for April ... it's good to know I could just post the first book if I want to stop at that! I remember my mother watching..."

It's a literary soap opera.

(As to 1001 Group polls, I'm not in the least unhappy to see Tono-Bungay winning for May. I had not considered Wells for my task, but, trust me, he's now on the list!)

[Rosemary]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "As to 1001 Group polls, I'm not in the least unhappy to see Tono-Bungay winning for May. I had not considered Wells for my task, but, trust me, he's now on the list!"

I voted for that one! It looks like a funny little book. I'd never heard of it before I saw it on the list.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Rosemary wrote: "I voted for that one! It looks like a funny little book. I'd never heard of it before I saw it on the list. "

Me too! It's funny, in the movie version of The Wizard of Oz, there is a "snake oil salesman" (who also plays the wizard). I wonder if Baum based this character on the Wells character? (Or vice versa, they were writing about the same time - don't know if that part of the movie version was in the original or later book of the series.)

[Jenifer]

I love the Jane Austen theme for this season's challenge!

[Rebekah]

For the financial fiction list, I didn't see any titles mentioned. Would it be any of the authors mentioned?

[Liz M]

Rebekah wrote: "For the financial fiction list, I didn't see any titles mentioned. Would it be any of the authors mentioned?"

No, just the specific titles listed when you click through to each time period. So, for example, Defoe is only Robinson Crusoe & Moll Flanders, Dumas is only Black Tulip, etc.:

http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/RDavies/...

[Rebekah]

So The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer ,
White Noise by Don DeLillo
and Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley would all work?

[Camille]

Someone refresh my memory...

I'm "reading" and Audiobook. The page range of the paperbacks and hardcovers for the title vary greatly on page numbers. Which do I use for STYLE pts when I post?

Thanks!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

For style points, we rely on the most popular (GR) English print edition.

[Camille]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "For style points, we rely on the most popular (GR) English print edition."

Ok, then I'm going with the one that populated when I searched on GR.

Thanks!

[Paula]

What's up with 10.7 - TBD?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Paula wrote: "What's up with 10.7 - TBD?"

I'm sorry, it still isn't written in stone. Liz may have some internet intermittance, so, unfortunately, we might not have it for another day or two.

[Paula]

Ok! Part of me thought I just didn't get it, and I was trying to figure out how "to be determined" was a task. :)

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Paula wrote: "Ok! Part of me thought I just didn't get it, and I was trying to figure out how "to be determined" was a task. :)"

LOL - no, sorry, it's not another Square Peg. '-)

[Liz M]

I am reading posts daily when on vacation, but the phone and iPad do not allow me to add book links. Sorry about that. I may be able to steal my brother's laptop later this week.

I am still waiting for a response before we can finalize 10.7

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Christina wrote: "Am I allowed to complete the same task more than once?"

Except for those tasks that specifically say they cannot be repeated, tasks can be completed as many times as you like.

Many of us cannot read enough to complete all 30 tasks, or even the 20 tasks that make up RwS (10 and 20s). In this way, we can read for those tasks that might provide more books to our liking and try to load up on the style points while doing so.

[Paula]

Liz M wrote: "I am reading posts daily when on vacation, but the phone and iPad do not allow me to add book links. Sorry about that. I may be able to steal my brother's laptop later this week.

I am still wait..."

Hope you had a wonderful and relaxing vacation!

[Jenifer]

Does anyone have a spreadsheet made up for this season's challenge?

[Isabell]

Mine is based on one Elizabeth posted some seasons ago. I tweaked it a bit to automatically fill some cells when a date read is entered. It also gives some statistics at the bottom that I find helpful and when you enter a low number in the "lexile"-column it won't add the style points to the Task Points-column. When you read more than one book per task and add new rows for that the statistics at the bottom should reflect that as well (that's why there are two numbers for books read and tasks completed).

Here is the link.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Nice, Isabell.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I have a question. I want to use a book I am currently reading for a task this challenge. I started the book before March 1st. I had to put it aside to read another book. I went back to it. I read less than half it of if that matters. Could I use it for this challenge even though i started it before March 1st. I looked in the rules and I couldn't find anything on it.

[Kate S]

Jayme-
From the FAQs

Can I use a book for a challenge that I started reading before the start of the challenge?
You can use ONE book that you started before the beginning of a challenge, as long as you have read less than 50% of it.

As long is it is the only book you started before March 1st and you read less than half of it prior to March 1st, you can use it. Hope this helps.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Yep thanks.

[Rebekah]

Would this book work for an Irish Author?
An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor

He was born and raised in County Down, Northern Ireland. Practiced medicine in Belfast before moving to Canada.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_...

[Kate S]

Rebekah wrote: "Would this book work for an Irish Author?
An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor

He was born and raised in County Down, Northern Ireland. Practiced medicine in Belfast before moving to Canada.
..."

Yes, for task 10.4, an author needs only to have been born in Ireland.

[Rebekah]

thanks!

[Karen Michele]

I want to read:
The Importance of Being Earnest, but the most popular version listed is under 100 pages. Can I combine it with Lady Windermere's Fan to reach the page requirement?

[Liz M]

Karen GHHS wrote: "I want to read:
The Importance of Being Earnest, but the most popular version listed is under 100 pages. Can I combine it with Lady Windermere's Fan to reach the page requirement?"

It doesn't look like those two plays were ever published in a single edition. I would, however, accept the equivalent of one of the editions on this page:
http://www.goodreads.com/work/edition...

[Karen Michele]

Liz M wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "I want to read:
The Importance of Being Earnest, but the most popular version listed is under 100 pages. Can I combine it with Lady Windermere's Fan to reach the page requirement..."

Ok, thanks! I think one of the options I ordered from the library has 3 or 4 plays combined. I ordered a few different options so I could choose depending on what would count.

[Kate S]

Don (The Book Guy) wrote: "I would like to switch my book in post 101 from task 10.3 to 10.2, I have another book I want to use in 10.3. How do I do this?"

Use a new post in the completed tasks thread stating you want to move the book from one task to another. Include the original post number and where you want to move it. Essentially, just put the information included in your question into the completed tasks thread. Thanks.

[Anika]

So...in the rules it says "A note on young adult books: If you want to claim style points for YA, you can do so--with one catch: You must have read a YA novel with a Lexile score of at least 800."

I wanted to read Matilda by Roald Dahl for one of the tasks and it has a Lexile of 840...but when I checked BPL, it's listed as J FIC. Would this one not qualify since it's "Juvenile" and not "YA"? What is the difference?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Anika wrote: "So...in the rules it says "A note on young adult books: If you want to claim style points for YA, you can do so--with one catch: You must have read a YA novel with a Lexile score of at least 800."
..."

You're OK with that one, Anika. We look at YA/Juv Fic similarly and check the Lexile.

[Anika]

perfect!! thank you :-)

[Karen Michele]

I need to double check:

Breakfast at Tiffany's now that the YA assignment issue has come up again. This link is to the book I checked at BPL(most popular edition on Goodreads) and there is no YA assignment, however this one:

Breakfast at Tiffany's: A Short Novel and Three Stories does come up at BPL as YA assignment.

It doesn't look like it has a Lexile and its not on the canon, so how will it count?

[Camille]

What if a book isn't listed on BPL at all?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Camille wrote: "What if a book isn't listed on BPL at all?"

We use BPL designations, so if no listing, no YA.

[Karen Michele]

Hi mods,
Did you see my post 45 above? I was double checking after messing up on Summer Crossing at BPL and found an issue with Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Thanks for checking it when you have time.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Karen GHHS wrote: "Hi mods,
Did you see my post 45 above? I was double checking after messing up on Summer Crossing at BPL and found an issue with Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Thanks for checking it when you have time."

Sorry, Karen. We had to do some consulting. In prior challenges this book did not come under the YA wavelength. I don't know when the two books were merged (your examples are one GR entry now), nor when the YA designation was made to the longer title. It may have been since the last time a member claimed the book. In any case, this book will be considered YA without a lexile score, so no styles.

[Karen Michele]

Ok, thanks. The fact that they are one entry in Goodreads and separate at BPL is what got me confused. I only checked the one with the pretty painted nails until yesterday when I saw the other copy separated at BPL.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Yes, BPL has each edition as a separate entry, and then all the library holdings for that edition on the display.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Christine wrote: "This is not an important thing, but I'm curious. On the Readerboard, my name and score have an asterisk next to it. Just curious what that means?"

Your total includes a finisher bonus. Usually Kate has a little legend at the foot of the list, but, as this is the first time this season there have been finishers, it's probably an oversight she didn't include one.

[Kate S]

Christine,
Elizabeth is exactly right. It is fixed now.