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Spring 2013 Rws Completed Tasks - Spring 2013
10.2 Memory DayInfidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
+10 Task (shelved as Biography at BPL)
+5 Combo (20.5 written and narrated by a female)
Post Total: 15
Season total: 775
20.5 In Honor of EmmaZ: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
+20 Task (author and main character are female)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 795
20.9 HereticallyThe Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
+20 Task (all works by this author)
+5 Combo (10.3-The Plus)
+25 Oldies (published in 1513 or 1532)
Post Total: 50
Season Total: 845
15.8 20th CenturyChronologician
1995 Publication
Independence Day by Richard Ford
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 870
Kate S wrote: "10.2 Memory DayInfidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
+10 Task (shelved as Biography at BPL)
+5 Combo (20.5 written and narrated by a female)
Post Total: 15
Season total: 775"
I loved this book :)
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Kate S wrote: "10.2 Memory DayInfidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
+10 Task (shelved as Biography at BPL)
+5 Combo (20.5 written and narrated by a female)
Post Total: 15
Season total: 775"
I loved this ..."
I found much of it to be very interesting. It's good to be reminded sometimes of how very lucky I am. :)
20.7 - PersuasionPersuasion by Jane Austen
+20 Task
+20 Combo (20.5, 20.3 : 176 000 ratings with 4,12 average; 20.2: 1960's serie; 20.1
+15 Oldies (1817)
Task total = 55
Points total = 230
Actually, there are two copies of this book at the BPL, one is shelfed as mystery, one is not. I must have been looking at the book that was not shelfed as mystery.Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Norma wrote: "20.5 In Honor of Emma
The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
+20
+10 (Combo 10.3 and 10.6)
Task total: 30
Grand total: 615"
This is shelved as Mystery at BPL, so doesn't qualify for the 10..."
20.5 In Honor of EmmaChampagne for Buzzards by Phyllis Smallman
+20 task
Task total: 20
Grand total: 635
10.6 - Ides of MarchThe Dinner by Herman Koch
+10 Task (shelved 5 times as murder; not shelved as mystery at BPL)
+ 5 Combo (10.3)
Task total=15
Grand total=535
10.3 The PlusThe Scar by China Miéville
Although this is the second of the New Crobizon books you do not need to read Perdido Street Station first. Rather than being set in the city of New Crobizon it is set in the city of Armada a pirate city made up of ships the pirates have captured over the centuries. We follow the fortunes of a linguist and other passengers in the latest ship to be captured and incorporated into the city as the city itself sets off on its greatest quest. I kept thinking ‘This is the scar in the title.’ as I read it only to come across yet another possible meaning for the title. We meet some incredible figments of Mieville’s imagination. I shuddered at the island of mosquito people. This book is full of surprises and wonderful language.
+ 10 Task
+ 10 Review
+ 5 Biggie (578 pages)
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 625
10.7 Nurses DayMaisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Very readable and entertaining fluff, with which I occasionally found tears welling up.
I'm not sure what I expected. I think it was more nurse, or more war, or more detective. As it is, the mystery of the detective part is fairly predictable. Maisie is an overachiever, so her promotion from volunteer nurse to battlefield station nurse progresses in a few pages without any detail. The war part is bloody - she's a battlefield station nurse and this is the Great War - that awful war that should have ended all wars but didn't. Those parts are brief. Oh, and there is a love story, which is why I'm calling it fluff. Frankly, I think the story would have been better without it.
The story takes place prior to and through the Great War, and then skips 10 years for the remainder of the story. It is not told in a linear fashion, although the switches back and forth are quite clear.
This is the first in the Maisie Dobbs series, and if you think you might be interested in any of these, this is the background you will want to know. I won't say I don't plan to read any of the others, because I might find myself wanting something to slip in between other more challenging reads. I won't rush out and have one waiting, however.
+10 Task
+ 5 Combo (20.5)
+10 Review
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 530
20.1 Jane AustenGreat Expectations by Charles Dickens
When this book was chosen as our book club selection for April, I was a little sad: I'd already read it (granted, it has been nearly 20 years since I've read it...) and I have such a long TBR list that I was hoping that maybe something would be chosen that could help me out there. Not so much.
I'm so glad that I got to re-read this one! I'd forgotten how much I really enjoy it. From the spectacular cast of characters to the outlandish situations, the brilliant descriptions (my favorite: "I had seen the damp lying on the outside of my little window, as if some goblin had been crying there all night, and using the window for a pocket-handkerchief.") to the breakneck pacing this has got to be one of my all-time favorite Dickens. I loved imagining readers in 1860 having to wait a week for the next chapter to be published (there was one chapter that was a mere two pages...I would have been infuriated when I bought my copy of the magazine, desperate to see what developments had happened in our young hero's situation only to find a short, uneventful entry).
+20 Task (Dickens: 1812-1870; Austen: 1775-1817)
+10 Review
+5 Combo (20.2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018wmhr)
+5 Jumbo (505 pages)
+15 Oldies (pub. 1861)
Task Total = 55
Grand Total = 840
20th Century - Chronologician15.8 The Novel by James A. Michener (pub. 1992)
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total = 25 points
Grand Total = 350 points
20th Century Chronologician15.5
No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court by Edward Humes
published 1996
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task total: 25
Grand total: 360
10.10 - Group readsFences by August Wilson
+10 Task
+ 5 Oldies (1986)
Task total=15
RwS Finish=100
Post total=115
Grand total=650
D wrote: "RwS Finish=100"
Congratulations! Great Job!
10.3 The PlusThe Dinner by Herman Koch
All that I read about this book is .."don't read the reviews". So I will try to give a review without revealing much. All you really need to know about the plot it that two couples are having dinner together at a posh restaurant. Over the course of their meal they are avoiding the discussion of a certain subject that has all four of them on edge. The story (and back-story) is all told from the perspective of Paul. I would classify him as an unreliable narrator. The books is well plotted and more and more is revealed over the various courses of the meal. It is a fairly quick read and I was compelled to keep reading to find out what would transpire over meal. It is a translation of a Dutch novel and the translation is well done.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo Points (10.6: shelved as 'murder' 5x on Goodreads but not at BPL)
TOTAL: 25
GRAND TOTAL: 335
10.4 In celebration of Irish American MonthNoah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne
When Noah Barleywater Runs Away, he begins a personal journey as well as a physical one. The book has a Wizard of Oz feeling, but goes in a different direction at the same time, telling the story of Noah and his parents In flashback style. Noah does come across a talking tree and then meets the old toy maker in the forest and the story starts to dig deeper and pull on the emotional puppet strings. John Boyne is a talented writer. I was reminded of that when I read The Absolutist and I then remembered The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and how beautifully told that story was. Although the story of Noah does not deal with the horrific events of the Holocaust, the masterful blend of humor and sorrow is evident here and the reader is drawn into Noah's inner world And the memories of the toy maker. Then there's a wonderful twist and revelation near the end That caps the story off and shows Boyne as a master of the craft!
+10 Task: Boyne was born in Ireland
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 1325
10.1 Square PegIn the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower by Marcel Proust
Canon
Review:
I enjoyed this second volume of In Search of Lost Time even more than the first. The first was strangely split between the narrator's childhood memories and the love affair between Swann and Odette that had at least mostly happened before the narrator was born. In the second volume, the adolescent narrator haunts the house of the now middle-aged Odette because he's
In the second section he goes to the seaside town of Balbec for the summer and meets a group of girls who fascinate him, along with other people who I gather will be important in later volumes. The Balbec section focuses on the gap between our ever-changing idea of a thing or person and the reality. A church he's heard descriptions of turns out to be nothing like he imagined, and therefore disappointing; the girls seen on the beach are perceived first one way then another as he gets to know them, except that in a sense he never really gets to know them at all, or not in the way that he wants to. (view spoiler)
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (pub. 1918)
+ 5 Jumbo (576 pages)
Task total: 35 points
Grand Total: 370
20.5 - In honor of EmmaLife After Life by Kate Atkinson
The idea of living your life over again was such an intriguing hook! A year or so ago, I read and loved Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, a book about a teen who wakes up to relive the same day over and over until she gets it right. Life After Life takes this concept even further. Ursula keeps dying in different ways and then is born again getting a chance each time to live a bit longer, but essentially living the same life each time. The writing is fantastic and extremely clever and well thought out. It was so hard to lose Ursula over and over again, but so fascinating to read the details and little changes that made it possible for Ursula to live longer the next time through. The beginning of the book gives an idea of what the greater purpose of Ursula's life might be, but doesn't let you know for sure. Highly Recommended!
+20 Task: written by Kate Atkinson, main character: Ursula
+10 Review
+ 5 Jumbo (529 pages)
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 1360
20.7 PersuasionThe Hanging Garden by Patrick White (1912 – 1990)
+ 20 Task (died 1990, published 2012)
Task Total = 20
Grand Total = 645
20th Century - Chronologician15.5 - Blindness by José Saramago, 1995
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task total: 25
Grand total: 525
10.3 The PlusThe Stranger by Albert Camus
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.6-shelved as murder by 36 readers, not a mystery at BPL)
+5 Oldies (1942)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 890
10.4 Irish American MonthAt Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien
+10 Task
+5 Combo (20.6-satirist)
+5 Oldies (1951)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 910
20th Century15.9-Chronologician
1996
Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 935
20.3 Pride and PrejudiceLes Misérables by Victor Hugo
+20 Task
+25 Combo (10.3, 20.1, 20.2, 20.4, 20.9)
+25 Jumbo (1465 pages)
+15 Oldies (1862)
Post Total: 85
Season Total: 1020
20.3 - In honor of Pride & PrejudiceAudio I listened to:
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Impressive! I can see now why this book is valued so highly by so many and is considered the classic forerunner of the popular psychological thriller novel. What a clear picture of this troubled character, Raskolnikov, Dostoyevsky paints! It's hard to imagine how the prose could be any more picture perfect in the original Russian than it was in English. I second Elizabeth's review in this regard. The prose somehow lets the reader "feel" the tension, not just follow the actions and outer and inner dialog of the characters. I found the characterization of the police detective, Porfiry Petrovich, entrancing as well. He was relentless in his badgering, thus playing on Raskolnikov's guilty conscience. A great example of classic Russian literature!
+20 Task: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307734/
+10 Combo
+10 Review
+10 Non western
+10 Oldies (1866)
+ 5 Jumbo (551 pages) 1st listing is an abridged audio
Task Total: 65
Grand Total: 1425
10.6 The Ides of MarchDeath Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
What a fantastically fun book! This is the first P.D. James that I've ever read (my mom loves her, I'm not a fan of mysteries and my mom has never forgiven me for not giving her a chance. Finally! Redemption! :-)) and I was a huge fan. Granted, from what I can tell this is nothing like her typical writing. She tells the story in the style of Jane Austen, using mostly Austen characters (including from another novel, which was pretty fun...). I've always loved Pride and Prejudice (who doesn't) and have always wanted to know what would happen after the wedding. This was an absolutely satisfying option. If you're a P&P purist, this may not be your schtick...as for me, I was pleased as punch with this book. Who knows, maybe I'll try another P.D. James, just to make my mum happy.
+10 Task (shelved 10 times as "murder" but listed as FIC at BPL)
+10 Review
+5 Combo (20.10)
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 865
20.8 PresidentiallyThe Golden Willow: The Story of a Lifetime of Love by Harry Bernstein
Harry Bernstein was first published when he was 96, after the death of his sweetheart, Ruby. After 67 years of marriage, he was at a complete loss of how to go on without his better half. He had always loved writing--had written (and never sold) several novels and wrote for a magazine for a good chunk of his career--and turned to it again to deal with his grief. He ended up writing three books--this is the third.
While I didn't love the writing ("to not have"!? where was the editor!?), I did love the story. I felt like I was listening to my grandfather reminisce...he'd jump from story to story, from past to present, and I loved hearing all of his experiences. It was beautiful to hear about the love he had for his wife. It was amazing to know that such a thing could exist outside of fiction.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.2, shelved as Biography at BPL)
Task Total = 35
Task Total = 900
20.3 In honor of Pride & PrejudiceGood Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
To date: 141,131 ratings with an average of 4.27
+20 Task
Task Total = 20 points
Grand Total = 370 points
Task 20.6: Parody/SatireI read Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen
REVIEW:
This is by far one of the funniest books I've read in a while. I laughed out loud, literally, so many times that my husband started asking to read it next. (And he doesn't even like novels.) In the first few pages when Joey is pushed overboard by her "loving" husband and she says to herself, "I had a feeling he didn't love me anymore, but this is ridiculous", I knew this was going to be a fun read. There are some neat and funny twists and I could see this playing out as a movie. Think Whole Nine Yards and you're on the right track. The cast of characters were a raucous and absurd group which provided much hilarity and many hijinx. The bad guys got it in the end, which always leaves the reader feeling good. I had never heard of this author, but I can promise he is on my TBR list from now on.
+20: task
+10: review
+10: combo (10.8--spell it out Carl Hiaasen) & (10.6--murder not mystery at BPL http://catalog.brooklynpubliclibrary....)
+40: TASK TOTAL
+675: RwS TOTAL
20.2 - In honor of Sense and SensibilityA Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine
+20 Task http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109541/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dark-A...
+ 5 Combo (20.5 Author and narrator are female)
+ 5 Oldies (1986)
Task total=30
Grand total=680
Task 20.5 - In honor of Emma, read a book written by a woman with a single female narrator/main character.Regenesis (1995) by Julia Ecklar
Review: This is a novel comprised of four stories first published in the science fiction magazine ANALOG. The page behind the title pages states that the stories have been revised for this book (presumably to make the stories connect with each other more than was the case originally). The author won the 1991 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Julia Ecklar has published this book under her name alone; and she is listed as a collaborator on Star Trek novelizations with 2 other authors.
The premise of this set of stories is this: a curmudgeonly woman, who likes animals better than people, is a field agent for a large, private corporation called Noah’s Ark. The mission for Noah's Ark: to rescue Terran animals from extinction caused by artificial means; to allow Terran animals to become extinct from natural causes; and to prevent Terran animals from exploitation on the “black market”. In three of the stories, she has a dog and/or a young apprentice to react to; those stories work well. ("Blood Relations" (June 1992), "Tide of Stars" (January 1995), and "The Human Animal" (April 1995).) ”Ice Nights" (October 1992)" had potential but needed more work. Each of the four stories uses a basic principle from biology as its background starting point.
Overall, recommended for fans of science fiction.
+ 20 points (20.3)
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points)
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 490 + 30 = 520
Camille wrote: "Task 20.6: Parody/SatireI read Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen
REVIEW:
This is by far one of the funniest books I've read in a while. I laughed out loud, literally, so many times that my husband star..."
Hi Camille,
Carl Hiaasen is one of my favourite authours and I have read all his books!! I always LOL at his writing. He has a new novel coming out in the summer.
15.8 - 20th Century - ChronologicianThe End of the Story by Lydia Davis, pub. 1995
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task total: 25 points
Grand Total: 285 points
15.9 - 20th Century - ChronologicianHallucinating Foucault by Patricia Duncker, pub. 1996
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task total: 25 points
Grand Total: 310 points
Anika wrote: "20.1 Jane AustenGreat Expectations by Charles Dickens
When this book was chosen as our book club selection for April, I was a little sad: I'd already read it (granted, it has been nearly 20 year..."
+5 Combo 20.6-Charles Dickens in on the satirist list
From post 597Sanz wrote: "Task 10.3 - The plus: Read a book with a two-word title that begins with "The"
Read The Surgeon (★★★, 24 Apr '13)
Review
The man she shot to death is back stalking..."
+5 Combo 20.5
10.10 Group ReadHHhH by Laurent Binet
This is an unusual book. It tells the story of the high ranking Nazi Reinhart Heydrich (The Butcher of Prague) and the group of assassins sent to Prague in 1942 to kill him. French author, Laurent Binet, tells this historical tale by combining historical details that he interprets with his own personal view of the way history is re-told. The story-teller (is it Binet himself? or has he created a fictional ‘story teller’?) is filled with self-doubt. Is he telling this history accurately?? Is it right to recreate dialogue? Or invent the colour or make of a car when such details are unknown?? So this is a novel based on historical events but it also become a self reflection of an author coming to grips with the retelling of these historical events accurately. It is a fascinating way of looking at how history or historical fiction is written within the context of telling the history. However, by about midway through the book I became somewhat tired of all the author’s internal dilemma. I found that it broke up the tale. It almost became too self-referential and I felt that I was reading a writer’s journal instead a work of historical fiction. I wanted the narrative to pick up and the authour’s introspection to decrease, which it did as the novel progressed.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Total Task +20
Grand Total = 355
Don (The Book Guy) wrote: "+150 Bonus for completing sub challenge"
Congratulations! Well Done!
Don (The Book Guy) wrote: "20th Century Chronologician, +150 Bonus for completing sub challenge"
Congratulations on the finish, Don!
Blasted Autocorrect: I will try again. Congrats, DON!!!
10.5 - In honor of April’s Global Youth Service DayBeloved by Toni Morrison
+10 task
+5 oldies (pub. 1987)
Task total: 15 points
Grand total: 100
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Cory (Bigler) '00-'05 wrote: "20.5 Emma
Sabrina by Candice F. Ransom
Review: I feel silly even claiming this, but it counts so I’m counting it ☺.
This book was one of my all-time favorites when I was a pre-teen. Part of a..."
+5 Oldies (first published 1986)