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Fall 2013 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2013
Okay, I got my 15 pts back the quickest way I could. Now I can see that nice even 600 again! Well, I hope so anyway since it's very likely I messed up somewhere.Pick N Mix 2nd round
15.1 C 1- <100 pgs
The Vampyre: A Tale by John William Polidori 72 pages
This story was also produced at that famous gathering of snowbound authors that resulted in Mary Shelly's book, Frankenstein.
+15 pts - Task
Grand Total - 600 pts
For some reason none of my tickers are ticking on Goodreads. I'll try not to mess up until it gets fixed. I'll make sure to add with my fingers til then. (smile)
20.1 FrenchAlex by Pierre Lemaitre
Review: I’d heard about this book from at least two podcasts – billed as something for fans of Gone Girl, but even more twisted. Gone Girl wasn’t my favorite book of all time, but this sounded interesting, so when the English translation came into the library I picked it up. I’m not sure what I was expecting – with everything’s being billed as the next Gone Girl, this could be anything. Anyway, the basic plot line is that a woman named Alex is kidnapped at the very beginning of the book, and the majority of the book then alternates viewpoints between the investigating police officer and Alex herself. It’s definitely like Gone Girl in that it is difficult to talk about it without spoiling, and it’s not a traditional good-guy/bad-guy thriller. About a third of the way in I started finally getting into it – up until then, I just didn’t care. I wonder if it’s the translation, but the writing threw me off. It used simplistic descriptions such as ‘fat’, ‘old’, or ‘unattractive’, and the point of view was not entirely consistent within the chapters. The plot itself, once it took off, did keep me going, but it’s not a rave for me.
+20 Task (Pierre Lemaitre was born in Paris, France and the book was originally published in France)
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 620
Rebekah wrote: "Tanya wrote: "20.10 Liz's TaskAnd the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
I'm not sure where to start. This novel takes the reader through many characters, places, and continents yet everything ..."
I don't think so. It does not follow one character enough to really qualify. Every chapter has a different character focus.
15.4 - F6 - Translated from German:The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum by Heinrich Böll
+15 task
Grand Total: 330 points
15.5 - B3 - Published 1951-1975:The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna
+20 task
Grand Total: 355 points
20.1 - French OriginalSwann's Way by Marcel Proust
At long last, I have read Proust! I finished Swann's Way this afternoon occasionally gazing out at the Japanese maple outside my window and reading beautiful descriptions of autumn feeling as if I was in Paris:
...at a place where the trees were still covered in all their green leaves, one alone, small, squat, lopped, obstinate, shook in the wind a homely head of red hair...Here, it thickened the leaves of the chestnut trees like bricks and, like a piece of yellow Persian masonry patterned in blue, crudely cemented them against the sky, there on the contrary detached them from it as they clutched at it with their fingers of gold.( p. 439, Lydia Davis translation)
I was captured by the language much earlier in the book, though, by the musical descriptions (I taught elementary music for 25 years before becoming a librarian) like "...if a piece heard only on the piano appears to us later clothed in the colors of the orchestra...(p. 142, Lydia Davis translation). I really don't know what I was afraid of and why, with my love of Paris and other things French and my fair knowledge of the language, I have never taken on In Search of Lost Time. It was not a simple book with a plot to keep you turning the pages, but neither did I find it difficult to read. I have been reading it in chunks over the course of the last month, but that had more to do with the lack of a "hard to put down" plot than with the books complexity. It isn't a book for everyone. You must enjoy detailed and lengthy descriptions and a long wait for something to really happen and resolve. I plan to continue In Search of Lost Time, but I will be stretching it out among lots of other kinds of reading to get the most out of it for my reading style. Thanks for the inspiration!
+20 Task
+25 10.6 - In honor of All Saints Day / 20.2 - 1909 to 1922 / 20.3 - Belle Epoque #2 / 20.4 - Autobiographical / 20.5 - Artist Themes
+10 Review
+10 Canon
Task Total: 65
Grand Total: 730
Rebekah wrote: "For some reason none of my tickers are ticking on Goodreads. I'll try not to mess up until it gets fixed. I'll make sure to add with my fingers til then. (smile)"Are you claiming the tickets when you read the book?
15.8 – F4 Translated from GreekFrogs and Other Plays by Aristophanes
+20 points
Grand Total: 520 points
10.2 - Celebrate Book Lover's Day (November 2nd) by reading a book from the top 200 Stories For Book Lovers.Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks 10/5/13
This book is currently #70 on that list.
Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book. Geraldine Brooks did a beautiful job of informing the reader of events solidly based in the history of the London Plague of 1665. At the same time, she wove a wonderful story of the characters involved.
(view spoiler)
I liked her writing style and the way she drew me into the story. For example, I am a bit claustrophobic, and found myself settling my breath during the section in the mine shaft. I look forward to reading more of her works and would certainly recommend this to lovers of historical fiction.
Combo with 10.7 (view spoiler)
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.7)
+10 Review
RWS Total to date: 330
Pick 'n' Mix Total to date: 80
Grand Total to date: 410
20.2 - Proust started work on In Search of Lost Time in 1909 and died in 1922 before finalizing the last three volumes. Read a book written by an author alive between 1909 and 1922.The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence 10/5/13
Author lived from 1885 to 1930.
Review:
I did like this book and would have given it 3.5 stars, but we can't do halves here. I tend to like the work of D.H. Lawrence, and I wanted to read Women in Love, since I'd loved the movie version I'd seen many years ago. When I saw that The Rainbow was the first book on the Brangwen Family, I decided to read it first.
It was interesting to me, as I like the author's style. He does tend to ramble at times, and his books are sometimes dark. The characters here are, for the most part, very flawed human beings. Still, life is not always tied up in a pretty bow, and I do find his work thought-provoking.
Combo with 10.6 - In honor of All Saints Day, sometimes called The Day of the Dead, read a book by an author who died before September 1, 2013. Lawrence died in 1930.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.6)
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo
+10 Canon
RWS Total to date: 380
Pick 'n' Mix Total to date: 80
Grand Total to date: 460
Tanya wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "Tanya wrote: "20.10 Liz's TaskAnd the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
I'm not sure where to start. This novel takes the reader through many characters, places, and continents..."
oh well. Just wanted make sure you weren't missing extra points.
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "For some reason none of my tickers are ticking on Goodreads. I'll try not to mess up until it gets fixed. I'll make sure to add with my fingers til then. (smile)"Are you claiming ..."
Yes. I use them every challenge but the last couple of days, while ti changes on the Ticker Factory website, it doesn't change on goodreads even if I copy and paste.
Maybe it's the sun thing that is messing with digital satellite TV. If so it should be gone in a few days.
10.1 - Square peg:Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross no lexile
With a title like this, it's hard to believe it's a square peg!The book is Elizabeth Ross' debut. It's inspired by Emile Zola's story "Les Repoussoirs" (but not by Proust). It takes place in the Belle Epoque, but is not on the given list for that task. Maude is adjusting to life in Paris, but she is from a village in France, so is not an immigrant or an ex-pat. It was an enjoyable read focusing on ugly girls "rented out" to make the beautiful stand out more, the building of the Eiffel Tower, friendship and a little bit of love.
This complete's RwS for me and it's the first time I've managed to read 1 book for each task before beginning to repeat tasks, which I have had as a goal and failed at for many challenges now. I'm really enjoying the tasks!
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
RwS Finish: 100
Grand Total:840
20.2 - author alive between 1909 and 1922Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
+20 Task - born in 1915
+15 Combo (10.5 - surname is a job or profession; 10.6 - died in 2005; 20.7 - son of Polish Jewish immigrants)
+10 Canon
Task total=45
Grand total=170
10.6 All Saints DayCongo by Michael Crichton
+10 Task
+5 Combo 20.8-Apes and others are major characters in this novel
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 820
20.7 Jewish HolidaysThe Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
+20 Task
+15 Combo (10.6, 20.2, 20.4)
+10 Canon
+5 Jumbo (568 pages)
Post Total: 50
Season Total: 870
Pick 'n' Mix15.9 B3 Published 1951-1975
Giles Goat-Boy by John Barth
+30 Task (published 1966)
Season Total: 900
Karen GHHS wrote: "This complete's RwS for me and it's the first time I've managed to read 1 book for each task before beginning to repeat tasks, which I have had as a goal and failed at for many challenges now. I'm really enjoying the tasks!"Congrats on completing an interesting goal! And RwS!
15.5 – B1 – 2001-2013 To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 640
Pick and Mix15.3 C3 175-275 pages: 240 pages 850 Lexile
Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block
+15 Task
Grand Total: 855
Karen GHHS wrote: "20.1 - French OriginalSwann's Way by Marcel Proust
At long last, I have read Proust! I finished Swann's Way this afternoon occasionally gazing out at the Japanese maple outside my window and rea..."
I'm working on Proust too. However I don't have fall colored maples to help. (smile)
Coralie wrote: "20.6 Influenced by Proust On Love by Alain de Botton
+ 20 task
Task Total: 20 points
Grand Total: 365"
+5 Combo 20.7
20.1 100th Anniversary of Swann’s WayColonel Chabert by Honoré de Balzac
+ 20 Task(born in France, written in French)
+ 5 Combo (10.6 died in 1850)
Task Total: 25 points
Grand Total: 550 (including extra 5 points from last post)
Pick and Mix15.6 - E1 - Fantasy Genre
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 10/5/13
+20 Task
RWS Total to date: 380
Pick 'n' Mix Total to date: 100
Grand Total to date: 480
15.9 Pick'n'MixD4: published 1991, author born 1949 --> 42 years old
Venus in Copper by Lindsey Davis
+ 30 Task
Grand Total: 215
15.10 Pick'n'MixA4: Asia (set in Isreal, part of Western Asia)
The Dead Sea Codex by Sarah Wisseman
+ 30 Task
+ 100 Pick'n'Mix Completion Bonus
Grand Total: 345
20.6 In Search of Lost Time Chéri by Colette
Review:
I've been on a Collette binge these last few weeks. I started with Barks and Purrs, and enjoyed it so much that I immediately checked out a copy of Chéri, read through it in a few days, and have immediately started The Last of Cheri. Barks and Purrs impressed me with the perfect read on dogs and cats and the way their owners imagine their inner thoughts. Cheri manages to capture, with pitch perfect accuracy, the emotions of a doomed-by-society relationship. While today, readers will not be particularly shocked by the notion of a 49-year-old woman dating a 25-year-old man, it is clear in the text that such a relationship is completely outside the bounds of upper-class French society at the time. But the emotions of doomed lovers are universalizable.
I've heard Cheri described as the consummate feminist novel, and I can see why. It explores female sexuality in a more realistic and vulnerable manner than many other novels. It's frankly hard to believe that this book was published nearly 100 years ago. That said, this book appealed to me on a direct emotional level, and not because of its politics. So glad I stumbled onto Collette's books. Highly recommended.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+25 Combo (10.9 [Colette – single name], 20.1, 10.6, 20.2 [1873-1954], 20.3 [#48 on the list])
Task Total: 55
Grand Total: 510
Joanna wrote: " 20.6 In Search of Lost Time Chéri by Colette
Review:
I've been on a Collette binge these last few weeks. I started with Barks and Purrs, and enjoyed it so much that I immediately checked out a ..."
I so wanted to read that book but couldn't find a copy that I could take with me. Now it is not to be found in Qatar and I bet if I order it, it will be confiscated. They are really struck about not allowing things that seem too sexual. I wish I could download it on Kindle.
Now you've made me lust for it even more! (smile)
15.4 - D3: 40 Years OldThe Drawing of the Three by Stephen King
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 95
10.7 - Ex-PatThe Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
+10 task
+5 jumbo (546 pages)
task total: 15
grand total: 240
10.3 Conjunction FunctionA Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
I read the fourth book of this series faster than the other three. It's not that it is better, but more like it is all new since there is no TV show for this part yet. It is a departure from the first three books in that it does not include all the characters. I guess it was too long so the author split the lands and gave us the South of Westeros and Braavos in this epic. Some new areas were explored (Dorne and Braavos). Some people died. Readers cheer and jeer for their favorites. There are some exciting moments and it does end with satisfaction. It does not have the shocking moments of Book Three, but it does prolong the story in a satisfying way.
+10 task
+10 review
+25 jumbo (1060 pages)
Task Total = 45 points
Grand Total = 225 points
10.7 - ex patNo Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe
+10 task
+10 non western
+10 canon
+5 combo - 10.6 (died March 21, 2013)
task total: 35
grand total: 275
10.10 Group ReadsSkinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen
Review
Carl Hiaasen’s books are known for his dedication to the Florida Everglades and wilderness. Here is another with the message, again with dark humor, murder and very unique characters that make Orlando’s living fictional characters seem normal. It is laudable that he uses his craft to bring the problem to the people’s attention.
I don’t want to give away too much but it starts with a man pushing his wife off a cruise ship on their fifth anniversary. The murder happened because of a false assumption and this is a theme that continues throughout the whole story. Some miraculous survivals, secret enemies and a dogged policeman only confuse this sociopathic killer more and more. This character is well fleshed out, might even make you think of real person with similar personality traits. Another anti-hero hero is a large, simple-minded thug that’s addicted to drug patches is a character that grows and develops before your eyes.
This is a fun read. I recommend it.
+10 pts - Task
+10 pts - Review
Task Total - 20 pts
Grand Total - 620 pts
15.4 Pick N'MixD5 Male author 60+
Masters of the Word: How Media Shaped History by William J. Bernstein
+15 Born 1948 Pub. 2013 Wikipedia
Grand Total: 125
Task 10.5 - In honor of Labor DayMeyer Definition: often used for stewards of landholders or great farmers or leaseholders—today a Meier is a dairy farmer. Meier and Meyer are used more often in Northern Germany. (Thanks Karen GHHS!)
The Son (2013) by Philipp Meyer (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 576 pages)
Review:This is an excellent literary fiction/historical fiction novel about a family living in Texas. There are 3 stories: Eli (beginning in 1849); his son, Peter (beginning in 1915); and his great-granddaughter Jeannie (1930s to present day). Eli’s story was the most compelling of the three, involving life with the Comanche tribe and the civilizing of the Wild West. Jeannie’s sections are the weakest – the author tries and fails to get inside the head of a woman. The Jeannie sections are interesting for the commentary on 20th century Texas. The story is gritty and ‘true’, involving a surprising large amount of violent encounters, which can be off-putting to some readers. I’m predicting The Son will be nominated for various awards come award time. Recommended for those fans of literary and/or historical fiction who can tolerate gritty violence in novels.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Jumbo (576 pages)
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 05 = 25
Grand Total: 195 + 25 = 220
15.6 - E5 - Dewey Decimal #000-499:How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough
+20 task
Grand Total: 375 points
15.7 - B2 - published 1976-2000:The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman by Andrzej Szczypiorski
+20 task
Grand Total: 395 points
15.1 D3 Male age 40 – 60Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox #1) (1984) by Barry Hughart
(born March 13, 1934) 1984 – 1934 = 50
Grand Total: 220 + 15 = 235
15.3 E6 non-fiction (Dewey Decimal 500-999, per BPL)The Tao of Pooh (1982) by Benjamin Hoff
BPL Dewey Decimal 828
Grand Total: 250 + 15 = 265
15.4 B1 Published 2001-2013Sand Sharks (Deborah Knott #15) (2009) by Margaret Maron
Grand Total: 265 + 15 = 280
15.6 E4 biography/memoir/autobiography (per BPL)Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life (2013) by Graham Nash
Grand Total: 300 + 20 = 320
10.5 In Honor of Labor DayThe Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
(Title includes "thieves")
+ 10 Task
Grand Total: 355
10.6 In Honor of All Saints DayThey Divided the Sky: A Novel by Christa Wolf by Christa Wolf
(Author died in 2011)
Review:
This is one of the books that has been on my to-read shelf since 2010, so it took me quite a while to get to it. I don’t even know why it took me so long, because I really wanted to read it.
The story takes places in East Germany during 1960/1961, when it was known as GDR and under communist rule. A centrally planned economy demands a certain output of factories. In this background the story of Rita Seidel unfolds. Rita is a young woman from a small village. She falls in love with Manfred. When she gets the opportunity to become a teacher she follows him to the city and lives with him. To gain practical experience before her studies Rita works in a factory and gets to know the struggles behind its walls. In the very beginning the reader learns that Rita’s love story doesn’t end well, but how it ended is only revealed in the end, so a certain suspense remains. The book contains a certain undercurrent of sadness because Rita tells the story from her perspective after it all ended.
All in all it was a nice book. The style is quite unique. I enjoyed reading it, but it never really managed to draw me in. Considering how the story is presented I feel like I should have felt more while reading about Rita and Manfred. The other day I nearly cried during a book that was not nearly as sad. However, I somehow couldn’t connect to Rita. I’m not sure if this was inteded by the author and her way of presenting the story (Rita is in a state of shock, so the distance might be created by her). Still I feel like the story didn’t quite reach me.
+ 10 Task
+ 10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 375
20.4David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
(Book is on the wikipedia page about autogiographical novels)
Review:
One of those large books that make me shudder when I look at them (not because of the content but because I know it’ll take me weeks to finish it). So I was fortunate to get this audiobook for free during audible’s original whispersync for voice promotion. Listening to thick books is much easier than having to look at the physical copy and seeing how much I still have to read.
Even as an audiobook I took my sweet time to start it. Once I began listening to the book, however, I was pleasantly surprised. I knew I’d like the narration because Simon Vance always does a great job at narrating books. In David Copperfield we follow the protagonist oft he same name through his life, beginning in his early childhood when he is sent to boarding school and continuing through his youth and how he became an adult. He experiences sadness as well as happiness and is accompanied by a cast of very memorable characters. I especially enjoyed Dickens‘ vivid descriptions, which made it easy to keep the different characters in mind and distinguish between them (not every author manages this so well). Combine this with a great narrator and the 34 hours of audiobook will fly by without your noticing the time; it really didn’t feel that long to me.
+ 20 Task
+ 10 Review
+ 10 Canon
+ 20 Jumbo
+ 10 Combo (10.2: #130 on list, 10.6)
Task Total: 70
Grand Total: 445
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 4: Materia (other topics)The Piper's Son (other topics)
The Name of the Rose (other topics)
The Name of the Rose (other topics)
The Blue Mountain (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Thomas Siddell (other topics)Melina Marchetta (other topics)
Umberto Eco (other topics)
Umberto Eco (other topics)
Meir Shalev (other topics)
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Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (880 Lexile)
Review: When Meliara’s father dies, she and her brother are forced into their destinies as Count and Countess of their desperately neglected province. I was horrified when, in the first couple chapters, it was revealed that a) she was a teenager who had only learned to read and write in the last year, and b) her father had burned the library that had served the town for generations to the ground, leaving only a handful of books accessible to even the most privileged people. Mel leads her people into an idealistic revolt against the king, eventually realizing just how sheltered, naïve, and ignorant she is. Ultimately, the plot served more as a device for Mel’s character development, which was unsatisfying, but at least there WAS character development. This was a short novel, and I regret not having bought the volume that includes the sequel – I have a feeling they’re really best read together.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 590