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Fall 2013 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2013
20.10 - Liz M’s Task -The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi
I am glad I added The Patience Stone to my list. I think my favorite thing about the book is the way Rahimi gradually increases the intensity and the sorrow of the Afghanistan wife's life. At the beginning, her plight is presented in a detached manner and the difficulties of raising her children alone are the only problems brought to light. As time passes both her memories and experiences with the war around her bring out her anger and the horrific nature of her past life in the world of dominant men comes to light. The Patience Stone is not easy to read despite the elegance of Rahimi's prize winning prose, but it certainly informs the reader as it packs an emotional punch. The book speaks to the difficulties of life for all women caught in these worlds of war.
+20 Task: Afghanistan
+ 5 Combo: 10.4 - Prize-worthy: Prix Goncourt, 2008
+10 Review
+10 Non Western
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 1000
10.3 - Conjunction Junction:A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
I had to read this one for a specific task in another challenge and lucked out that it has "for" in the title. I might have enjoyed it more if I had read it when it was first published in 1982 when I was 29 and could really relate to the independent woman PI, but it didn't grab me that much as a woman of 60. I wasn't crazy about Kinsey. I like Paretsky's VI Warshawski more as a female strong character, but the mystery and the writing are solid, so it was worth reading. Obviously, it is a popular series and many out there love it.
+10 Task: for in title
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 1020
Phoebe wrote: "Correction of message 166 - 15.1 Pick'N'Mix:I scored the following:
"B.1 - Haut by Michael Wallner (published 2002)"
and now want to change it into:
"D.3 - Haut by Michael Wallner (published 200..."
Got it, Phoebe.
Karen GHHS wrote: "20.7 - Don’s task: Jewish AuthorsLion's Honey: The Myth of Samson by David Grossman
I have been reading through the Canongate Myth Series, and enjoying the modern day retellings of familiar myth..."
+10 Non-western (Israel)
Norma wrote: "20.9 WWII ListBomber by Len Deighton
+20 task (80th on list)
Task total: 20
Grand total: 165"
+5 Jumbo (576 pages)
Joanna wrote: "20.2 In Search of Lost TimeThe Last of Cheri by Colette
Review:
What amazed me about this book was the way that Lea managed to dominate my feelings about the book even though she only appears i..."
+5 Combo 20.3
Karen GHHS wrote: "10.2 - Celebrate Book Lover’s Day (November 2nd)Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
This book was recommended to me by a GHHS student and it was a great one! It is the perfect blend ..."
+5 Combo 10.9-#9 Delightfully Quirky
Isabell wrote: "20.8 Non-human mayor characterThe book is centered about a wolf called White Fang
White Fang by Jack London
Review:
White Fang is born in the wild. His parents are a wolf and a half wolf/half d..."
+5 Combo 20.2
Pick'n'Mix15.10 - C5. 325-425 pages
Mariana by Susanna Kearsley 10/13/13
The most rated print version has 352 pages.
+30 Task plus 100 Pick'n'Mix completion bonus.
RwS Total to date: 380
Pick 'n' Mix Total to date: 200
Pick 'n' Mix Completion Bonus 100
Grand Total to date: 680
Thanks for the points, Kate. I can't believe I forgot about the combo with my own task!
I fixed the totals on my newer posts.
Karen GHHS wrote: "I fixed the totals on my newer posts."Thank you for that!!
Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "+30 Task plus 100 Pick'n'Mix completion bonus."Congrats on Finishing your Pick 'n' Mix, Theresa!
15.10 Pick 'n' MixE2-Mystery/Thriller
Neuropath by R. Scott Bakker
+30 Task (listed as Mystery at BPL)
+100 Finish
Post Total: 130
Season Total: 1095
20.2 1909-1922A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.6)
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 1145
10.8 - Something Wicked This Way ComesBrief Candles by Aldous Huxley - title is from Macbeth (V.v) - "Out, out brief candle!"
+10 task
+10 combo (10.6 - died 1963, 20.2 - born 1894)
task total: 20
grand total:295
15.4 - pick n' mix C4 - 320 pages
The Hunger Games and Philosophy: A Critique of Pure Treason by William Irwin
+15 task
task total: 15
grand total: 310
10.9 - It Is UnusualMister Pip by Lloyd Jones
Lexile 780
+10 task (#21 on Best Quirky Dark Novels)
Task Total: 10 points
Grand Total: 695
20.1 - FrenchAround the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
Lexile 1070
Review:
Fun! Semi-recluse Phileas Fogg takes on a bet that he can travel all around the world in 80 days and then sets off with his shocked servant Passepartout to do it. To add to the excitement there's a detective on his trail who's trying to arrest him for a major theft. And with Fogg being English and Passepartout French, Verne had the chance to make lots of little digs at the English from the point of view of a Frenchman which are amusing.
The journey is done by boat and train (I was expecting ballooning but there's none, must have got confused there) and it made me want to try the same thing. I wonder if there's still a boat that goes through the Suez Canal to India ...
+20 task
+10 review
Task Total: 30 points
Grand Total: 725
10.9 - Karen GHHS' task - It IS UnusualGoing Bovine by Libba Bray
(#25 on Quirky Books list)
+10 Task
Grand Total = 235 points
15.5 - pick n' mixD5 - male author, age 60+ or posthumous
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
+20 task
task total: 20
grand total: 330
15.8 Pick N Mix A-1 North AmericaThe Haunting Of L by Howard Norman
+20 Task (takes place in Canada)
Grand Total = 215
15.5 - A1 - Set in North AmericaThe Eden Express: A Memoir of Insanity by Mark Vonnegut
+20 Task (entire book set in U.S. and Canada)
Task total=20
Grand total=190
20.9 WWII Fiction#19 on list
Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
Review:
I’ve read about three other books by Ken Follett and found his newer ones a bit too lengthy for my taste (although incredibly detailed). Somewhere I’ve heard that Eye of the Needle is not as good as his newer works, so I was a bit dubious at the beginning. So I was pleasantly surprised when I started listening to the audiobook and was hooked. This is really a great book. It has suspense, believable and likeable characters that are no stereotypes (even the antagonist) and a good plot.
In the beginning I was a bit thrown off by the narration. It’s not the narrator as such (he does a great job), but the fact that the characters are read by different people (which I generally don’t dislike, I love Full Cast productions, but this time it didn’t really seem to fit the book). But after a while I accustomed myself to the voices and enjoyed the book.
People who enjoy thrilles/suspenseful books and/or books involving spys should certainly read this.
+ 20 Task
+ 10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 545
15.6 - pick n' mixF1 - translated from Polish
Solaris by Stanisław Lem
+20 task
Task total: 20
Grand total: 330
Post 495 Heather wrote: "15.4 - pick n' mix C4 - 320 pages
The Hunger Games and Philosophy: A Critique of Pure Treason by William Irwin
+15 task
task total: 15
grand total: 310"
Heather, I'm sorry. BPL is listing this as YA non-fiction and there is no lexile. It does not qualify for Pick N Mix. Let us know how you want to use it - it does qualify for 10.3 Conjunction Junction.
The Book Thief20.9 On the list of WW2 fiction.
+20
+5 combo (also on book lover's list)
+10 review
I really enjoyed this book. I read it in two days because it was a quick and simple read. I assume it is for young adults but I didn't realize that when I picked it up. The narrator is Death and it threw me off in the beginning. I almost didn't read it because of that but I'm glad I did. I cried towards the end.
Grand Total: 35
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 495 Heather wrote: "15.4 - pick n' mix C4 - 320 pages
The Hunger Games and Philosophy: A Critique of Pure Treason by William Irwin
+15 task
task total: 15
grand total: 310"
Heather, I'm ..."
i'm just a bit confused about that. it's a philosophy book and it is WAY beyond YA (all of the philosophy books listed have lexiles over 1100), but ok, I guess.
I guess it would have to be 10.3, because it doesn't qualify for anything else. that would knock 5 points off my total, right?
oh, and just as a note - if you look at the rest of the Blackwell Pop Culture and Philosophy series, none of the rest of them are YA. this is only listed in YA because the books being analyzed are listed as such. *shrug*
Heather wrote: "'m just a bit confused about that. it's a philosophy book and it is WAY beyond YA (all of the philosophy books listed have lexiles over 1100), but ok, I guess.I guess it would have to be 10.3, because it doesn't qualify for anything else. that would knock 5 points off my total, right? "
I can't say why this might be be classified as YA except that it deals with The Hunger Games. Perhaps some Brooklyn classrooms are using it in conjunction with that YA book, but all of the branches have it shelved that way.
When Kate finishes the scorekeeping later today, she will verify your score. I think you will need to add another book to your Pick N Mix to even things out.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Heather wrote: "'m just a bit confused about that. it's a philosophy book and it is WAY beyond YA (all of the philosophy books listed have lexiles over 1100), but ok, I guess.I guess it would hav..."
i'll just move the Captain Underpants book to that slot - C2 -176 pages and a lexile of 850. we'll end up finishing that one probably this weekend.
20. 8 Stephen KingYour Coffin or Mine? by Kimberly Raye
(main character is a vampire)
+20 Task
Grand Total = 255
From Post 497Rosemary wrote: "20.1 - French
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
Lexile 1070
Review:
Fun! Semi-recluse Phileas Fogg takes on a bet that he can travel all around the world in 80 days and then sets off..."
+5 Combo 10.6
Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "May I please change the categories in my Pick'n'Mix for two tasks as follows:15.2 Watership Down by Richard Adams claimed C6 in Message #132 on 9/14/13, but would like to change that to B3. Publ..."
No problem. Got everything moved around and it looks good! Congrats again on your finish!
Heather wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Heather wrote: "'m just a bit confused about that. it's a philosophy book and it is WAY beyond YA (all of the philosophy books listed have lexiles over 1100), but ok, I g..."Heather, as of post 506, I show your total at 340.
I have changed your numbering of The Road to 15.4 and Solaris to 15.5.
So, when you claim the Captain Underpants book, use 15.6 and the scoring will be retained.
There was a small addition error between posts 499 and 504 which explains part of our difference in scoring. I will post the Readerboard on Sunday. Let me know if you would like or need more information. Thanks.
10.9 it IS UnusualGhostwritten by David Mitchell
+ 10 Task (#20 on quirky book list)
Task Total: 10 points
Grand Total: 695
10.2 Books About BooksA Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé
Listed #132
Task +10
Style: +5 (combo 20.2 takes place in France, written by an author born in France)
Review+ 10
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book Total: 25
Grand Total: 80
15.8 - D1 - Male, under 40:Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd (pub. in 1985 when author was ~36)
+20 task
Grand Total: 415 points
Kate S wrote: "Heather wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Heather wrote: "'m just a bit confused about that. it's a philosophy book and it is WAY beyond YA (all of the philosophy books listed have lexiles over 11..."works for me. thanks!
15.6 - pick n' mixc2 - 176 pages
Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People by Dav Pilkey
+20 task
task total: 20
grand total: 340
note: i'm going to go ahead and claim this since we'll finish it today and after I leave work today, i'm not going to have internet access again until next week and I know i'll forget.
20.2 - 1909-1922The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories by Algernon Blackwood
Blackwood was born 1869, died 1951.
The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories by Algernon Blackwood is definitely a prime example of Victorian or ‘Gothic’ Horror. The majority of the suspense in the stories is solely in the reader or narrator’s mind, much like HP Lovecraft or Edgar Allen Poe. All of the stories are about, as can be expected by the title, encounters with ghosts and other spectral entities. The prose is a bit dry and quite dense at times, but characteristic of the time period. I quite enjoyed it myself, but I’m also very fond of Poe and Lovecraft. If you enjoy literary horror akin to The Yellow Wallpaper or Dreams in the Witch House, it’s very much worth reading.
+20 task
+10 combo (10.6, 20.8 - all stories are about encounters with ghostly/ethereal entities)
+10 review
task total: 40
grand total: 380
10.9 Unusual or Quirky Books Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Review:
I really like listening to Murakami's books. With a good reader, I find myself involved in the emotional pull of the book much more quickly and easily in audio book format. The readers here were fantastic and really brought this book to life. I would still recommend that new readers of Murakami's work start with one of the more classic choices like The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle instead of jumping in here. But for Murakami fans this book absolutely delivers and is highly recommended. The story lines are just strange enough (and impossible to describe) to put you into a bizarre magical universe, but hold together well enough that, at least for me, I was able to suspend disbelief throughout.
I was particularly taken with the idea of Johnnie Walker and Col. Sanders coming to life as the embodiment chosen by a mental construct. Without reading the book of course, I'm sure this makes no sense to readers of this review. But that's the nature of reviewing Murakami.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Non-Western
+5 Combo (20.8 – Johnnie Walker and Col. Sanders, talking cats, and other non-human beings are important to the story)
Task total: 35
Grand total: 605
20.7 - Don’s task: Jewish AuthorsMan from the Other Side by Uri Orlev
930 Lexile
Uri Orlev's work came to my attention when he won the Batchelder Award for Run, Boy, Run. The award is given by the American Library Association for the best work in translation for young people. The Man From the Other Side is another Holocaust related work from Orlev. It is based on a true story told to him by a friend, Marek, a Polish journalist and the voice and protagonist of the tale. The place is the city of Warsaw leading up to and including the uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto. It was a gripping and quick read about smuggling supplies and people through the sewers under Warsaw.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 1050
10.1 Square PegBlackout by Mira Grant
+ 10 Task
+ 5 Jumbo (659 pages)
Task Total: 15 points
Grand Total: 710
Pick'n'Mix15.05 - D4 - Female 40-60
Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult
(Born 1966, 41 years old at publication)
+20 task
Post total: 20
Grand total: 160
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Reading with Style
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15.9 - A6. Australia
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty 10/12/13
This book is set in Australia.
+30 Task
RwS Total to date: 380
Pick 'n' Mix Total to date: 170
Grand Total to date: 550