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Fall 2013 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2013
I see where it says adult graphic non fiction at BPL, but I don't see graphic novel. Verdict?
Karen GHHS wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "15.1: C1 < 125 pagesRaven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger
80 pages
+15 Points
Grand Total: 15
Thanks for the opportunity to read this little gem for t..."
It's at BPL, here, and I checked the ISBN that isn't listed here as graphic novel and it comes up on that one too.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "15.1: C1 < 125 pagesRaven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger
80 pages
+15 Points
Grand Total: 15
Thanks for the opportunity to read th..."
Argh, ok - I went to the other BPL link with the pop-up and just saw FIC. I'll figure something else out.
Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "10.4 - Prize-worthy:The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi
For 10.4 - Atiq Rahimi won the Prix Goncort Award for this book in 2008
Combo with 20.10 - Atiq Rahimi was born in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Rev..."
Rahimi has dual citizenship - Afghanistan and France - and we will consider him non-Western.
+10 Non-Western
Karen GHHS wrote: "Sorry for fussing, Elizabeth!"Not a problem. I was surprised, which is why I looked to see if there was an edition that did NOT have a graphic novel indication, and was more than willing to find one. Happens.
20.10 - Liz M’s Task -Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat
I'm writing part of this review while still reading the book because I loved the opening section. The book opens on Claire's 7th birthday and describes what occurred on that day. Danticat's prose style is poetic and pulls you in to both the beauty and brutality of Haiti right away. What captured me then was the way Danticat described Claire's life by going back in time to each birthday in Claire's short time living alone with her father. In these short vignettes you feel the struggles of the single father who lost his wife at Claire's birth. By the time you return to the day of Claire's 7th birthday, you feel deeply connected to these two characters because of the strength of Danticat's writing style. I have now finished what turned out to be a set of linked stories creating a cohesive whole and coming full circle back to the night of Claire's 7th birthday. Danticat's writing is just as luminous throughout and she effectively plays with the time in which she sets each story to create empathy in the reader and build emotional connections that reach their full impact in later stories of other characters. Masterful and highly recommended!
+20 Task: Author born in Haiti
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 205: edited to correct total
20.1 - French book, French author:Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert
This novel takes place amid the political upheaval of the late 1840's in France. The novel begins with Frederic as he meets and falls in love with an older married woman. She becomes the unobtainable ideal to whom he devotes his life, to detriment of his youthful optimism and dreams. Considered one of the greatest novels written, I would argue it's possible for a novel to be too perfect. Sentimental Education is so well written -- the world is robustly depicted and the characters are never out of character -- that it left me cold. The prose was so smooth and left nothing to hold onto. The slow decline of Frederic's idealism so perfectly orchestrated that I hadn't realized it had happened.
+20 task
+5 combo (10.6 - All Saints Day)
+10 canon
+10 review
Task total: 45 points
Grand Total: 45 points
From Post 6:Heather wrote: "sorry about that... i can't edit posts from my phone and i can't link from it, either.
20.3 The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
+20 task
+5 combo (10.6 - author died bef. 2013)
Task Total +25 points..."
+10 Canon-Well's science fiction novels are included on the canon, and The Time Machine qualifies.
From Post 32:Don (The Book Guy) wrote: "10.1 Square Peg
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.
Life after Life by Kate Atkinson is one of the oddest books I have ever read and that is saying a lot. Ursula the main character is born over and..."
+5 Jumbo (most popular edition has 529 pages)
20.9 Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Task - WWII:A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
Set in Northern Italy at the beginning of the end of WWII, this historical novel depicts the turmoil of the Italian Resistance to the German occupation. With a two-pages cast of characters, Russell strikes a near perfect balance between broad, historical scope and the particular, human impact of war. Personally, I found she erred too much on the side of broad scope; even with a character list I found it difficult to keep track of the numerous plot lines, never getting to know any one of the characters quite well enough to mourn their tragic demise or rejoice in their hard-fought escape. Nonetheless, it is a gripping, absorbing read chronicling a lesser-known war-front.
+20 task
+5 combo (20.7 - Jewish author)
+10 review
Task total: 35 points
Grand Total: 80 points
From Post 5:Karen GHHS wrote: "20.4 - Autobiographical
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
I purchased The Lover by Marguerite Duras for a challenge last year and didn't get to it, so this was the perfect opportunity to pick it up. ..."
Sorry, Karen, The Lover is not in the top 100 books on this list.
From Post 6:Heather wrote: "sorry about that... i can't edit posts from my phone and i can't link from it, either.
20.3 The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
+20 task
+5 combo (10.6 - author died bef. 2013)
Task Total +25 points..."
+5 Combo also qualifies for 20.2-author alive between 1909-1922
From Post 8:Mike wrote: "20.10 - Born in Afghanistan
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Review: A dramatic story about the lives of two women in Afghanistan. This was the kind of story that made an impression o..."
+5 Combo for 10.2-Book lover's Day #90 on the list of books for Book Lovers.
From Post 35: Coralie wrote: "20.4: roman-a-clef
The Moon And Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)
+20 task
+20 combo (10.3-conjunction junction-and,10.6 - All Saints Day, 20.2-alive between 1909 and 1922, 20.5-novel ..."
+5 Combo 20.7 (see post 14)
From Post 14:Karen GHHS wrote: "+30 Combo:10.3 - Conjunction Junction:and in title / 10.6 - In honor of All Saints Day(Died 1965) / 10.7 - Rebekah’s task – Ex-pat experience(main character is from London and lives in France and Tahiti) / 20.2 - 1909 to 1922(published 1919) / 20.4 – Autobiographical (Roman a clef): on list"
Karen, for this book, I see the following tasks:
20.5, claimed for points combo with
10.3
10.6
10.7
20.2
20.4
+25 Combo (not +30), did I miss one?
Kate S wrote: "From Post 14:Karen GHHS wrote: "+30 Combo:10.3 - Conjunction Junction:and in title / 10.6 - In honor of All Saints Day(Died 1965) / 10.7 - Rebekah’s task – Ex-pat experience(main character is fro..."
Good grief! I've made a big mess, sorry. I agree on this one being 25 and I'm sorry I missed the 100 books on the WWII list. Am I right that I'm losing a total of 10 points for these two combos? If I'm not still confused, then my grand total is 200 through post 61? I promise to be more careful!
Re: Posts 46-48Rebekah wrote: "Pick & Mix
15.4 D5 male, book pub in 2013, he is aged 74-75 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Bra...
Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley
+15 pts - Task
Grand Total - 45 pts
"
Not a big deal, but I want to make sure we are on the same page. It looks like your numbering may be incorrect. I have:
15.1 Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
15.2 The Night Circus
15.3 Speaking from Among the Bones
If you have a different order or another book to post, please let me know. Otherwise, I show your next Pick 'n' Mix book should be numbered 15.4. Thanks.
Karen GHHS wrote: "Kate S wrote: "From Post 14:Karen GHHS wrote: "+30 Combo:10.3 - Conjunction Junction:and in title / 10.6 - In honor of All Saints Day(Died 1965) / 10.7 - Rebekah’s task – Ex-pat experience(main c..."
Sorry for the delay, Karen. It's not a big deal, but there was also an addition error in post 13. Post 5, you claimed an 80 point total, add 10 points from post 13 to get 90 for a total, not 85. This small error continued throughout.
So, I am scoring tonight through post 53, and I show a total for you of 175. When I add the 30 points from post 61, you should have a score of 205.
We all need a learning curve at the beginning of a new season. :)
Kate S wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "Kate S wrote: "From Post 14:Karen GHHS wrote: "+30 Combo:10.3 - Conjunction Junction:and in title / 10.6 - In honor of All Saints Day(Died 1965) / 10.7 - Rebekah’s task – Ex-pa..."
Thanks so much, Kate! I'm glad to be back on track:)
20.9 - Elizabeth (Alaska) Task:A Separate Peace by John Knowles 9/8/13
#32 on the linked list of 100 WWII books
Review: I wanted to like this book, but in the end I gave it a 3* rating. Perhaps if I’d read it when it first came out or before reading a number of “coming of age” books, I might have liked it better. I think it was well written, had good character interaction, and (view spoiler) Still, I could not help but think of A Prayer for Owen Meany and how much more I was engaged in that story. I know that many readers here give this novel a 4* or 5* rating, but it just didn’t rate that high with me today.
+20 task
+5 combo (10.6 - All Saints Day - Knowles died 11/29/01)
+10 review
Task Total: 35 points
Grand Total: 120
I'm reporting a change in my point total per Elizabeth's note in message #58 on 9/8/13, regardingThe Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi
Rahimi has dual citizenship - Afghanistan and France - and we will consider him non-Western.
+10 Non-Western
My reported scores are now:
35 - Message 3, 9/1/13
25 - Message 37, 9/7/13
35 - Message 42, 9/7/13 as corrected by Message 58, 9/8/13
35 - Message 77, 9/8/13
Grand Total 130
Thank you, Elizabeth.
15.2 Pick n Mix F-5 Translated from ItalianThe Garden of the Finzi-Continis by Giorgio Bassani
+15 Task
Grand total = 30
20.2 - Author alive 1909-1922:The Queen's Devotion: The Story of Queen Mary II by Jean Plaidy (1906-1993)
Review: I actually chose this book to fit a “Q” requirement in a different challenge. It was the first book I’d read by Jean Plaidy, but I love historical fiction, including the tales of English Royalty, so it was a good fit for me. The style of the book was a first person narrative, with Mary II telling her story from childhood through death. While I’ve read several books on the Plantagenets and Tudors, I think this is the first I’ve read of William and Mary. (view spoiler) I did find I like Plaidy’s style and will be reading more of her books.
Combos:
10.6 - All Saints Day - Author died in 1993
10.7 - Rebekah's task - Ex-pat experience - Born in England, Mary II spent the first 12 years of her marriage in Holland
+20 task
+10 combo (10.6 and 10.7)
+10 review
Task Total: 40 points
Grand Total: 170
Kate S wrote: "Re: Posts 46-48Rebekah wrote: "Pick & Mix
15.4 D5 male, book pub in 2013, he is aged 74-75 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Bra...
Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley
+15 ..."
You are right. Just another one of my goofs!
20.7 - Jewish authorStormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
Lexile: 670
+20 task (Anthony Horowitz approved in the help thread)
Task Total: 20 points
Grand Total: 190
20.7 - Jewish authorRaven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz
Lexile: 620
+20 task (Anthony Horowitz approved in the help thread)
Task Total: 20 points
Grand Total: 210
Pick'n'Mix15.3 - B1 - published 2012
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
+15 points
Grand Total: 225 points
Pick'n'Mix15.1 - F6 - translated from Swedish
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
Task total: 15
Grand total: 15
Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut+20 task (20.5 - novel about an artist)
+15 combo (10.6 - died in 2007, 10.7 - Armenian raised in California, 20.2 - born in 1922)
task total : 35
grand total : 90
i'd try to take a combo with 20.9 because WWII is a huge part of the plot, but it's not on the list. similarly, i'd claim 20.4 because almost ALL of Vonnegut's novels rely HEAVILY on his personal experiences and his own voice is very prominent in all of his writing, but i don't know if that would count.
Heather wrote: "Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut+20 task (20.5 - novel about an artist)
+15 combo (10.6 - died in 2007, 10.7 - Armenian raised in California, 20.2 - born in 1922)
task total : 35
grand total : 90
i'd..."
Kurt Vonnegut was born in the United States, so he wouldn't qualify for 10.7. You were right not to claim for 20.4, as that task requires books from only the list.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Heather wrote: "Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut+20 task (20.5 - novel about an artist)
+15 combo (10.6 - died in 2007, 10.7 - Armenian raised in California, 20.2 - born in 1922)
task total : 35
grand..."
i was referring to the main character in the book as Armenian raised in California. is that incorrect? or was it supposed to be just the authors?
Heather wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Heather wrote: "Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut+20 task (20.5 - novel about an artist)
+15 combo (10.6 - died in 2007, 10.7 - Armenian raised in California, 20.2 - born in 1..."
Yes, I was being stupid. I'm going for a walk now. ;-)
hey, we all have those days, right? :-)
RE: message 51Karen GHHS wrote: "15.1: C1 < 125 pages
Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger
80 pages
+15 Points
Grand Total: 15
Thanks for the opportunity to read this little gem for the challenge!"
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Karen, the listings I see for this indicate it is a graphic novel, so is eligible only for E1."
I also have Raven Girl on my Mix List and before I go trying to fit this in the E1 slot, I just want to verify that it really WILL be acceptable in the E1 slot, even though the book is less than 100 pages...
10.10 - Group readNothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
Review:
Very well-written accounts of the lives of people who had fled North Korea for the South via China, by an American journalist. Anecdotal but very involving.
It's clear that life must be very hard in North Korea but I couldn't help feeling that these people who had grown up in a culture where their lives depended on always saying the right thing to those in authority were bound to be doing the same thing here and telling the American journalist what they thought she wanted to hear.
Demick doesn't seem to have much understanding of traditional Korean culture, so you do wonder what she might have missed in their stories. For example she talks about people resting in the streets of North Korea by squatting on their haunches and assumes it's a sign of community poverty that they don't have benches to sit on - but it's what Korean people always used to do, in the South too. When I was in South Korea in 1989, anywhere outside of Seoul you'd see people squatting down in the street to chat or play cards. They could rest that way for hours. They had no chairs in their homes, why would they need benches on the street? But Demick doesn't get that at all.
Still it's fascinating as far as it goes and very readable. The effects of the famine of the 1990s must have been terrible and it's chilling to read of people dying of starvation in a situation where aid should have been available.
+10 task
+10 review
Task Total: 20 points
Grand Total: 245
20.6 - Proust’s Influence Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
Well, what a romp! Pale Fire was a challenge and a joy to read. I laughed through the Prologue when I realized that it was part of the book and went back to read it! I usually read prologues during my reading or afterwards because they so often give away plot points, but, of course, I found out this one was completely different in intent. I enjoyed the poem itself, attributed to John Shade and annotated by "the author", Dr. Charles Kinbote, but the fun was in reading the notes as I was reading the poem. My only disappointment was not in the writing, but in the knowledge that I was missing so many of the allusions and jokes. I've just started Proust's Swann's Way and I didn't catch the connection to Marcel until I read the Index (which I also usually skip). I loved the story of the disposed King of an imaginary land and the unfolding of the mystery of Shade's death. I don't feel like I got all of the answers and might need a re-read to fully appreciate this masterful work!
+20 Task: Listed on help thread
+25 Combo: 10.2 - Celebrate Book Lover’s Day (November 2nd) #196 on 9/10/13 / 10.6 - In honor of All Saints Day / 10.8 - Anika’s task – “Something wicked this way comes”:Timon of Athens \:Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov ”…the moon’s an arrant thief, And her pale fire she snatches from the sun.” (IV,iii)/ 10.9 - Karen GHHS’ task – It IS Unusual: Books with Innovative Structure #5 / 20.2 - 1909 to 1922 (Born 1899)
+10 Review
+10 Canon
Task Total: 65
Grand Total: 270
10.5 - Job or ProfessionOut In The Army: My Life As A Gay Soldier by James Wharton
Review:
James Wharton was the poster boy for the British Army's new gay-friendly policy in the 2000s, appearing on the cover of Soldier magazine, going to Pride in uniform as soon as it was allowed and getting involved in recruitment. In the end it sounds like he wanted to continue to be "the gay soldier" while his commanding officers thought they'd made their point and wanted to drop it, but this is an interesting account of how attitudes were changing at that time, though it's not the story of the average gay soldier by any means.
At the same time he had a career in the Household Cavalry that makes an interesting story in itself, including guard duty at Buckingham Palace, a tour of duty in Iraq, manoeuvres in Canada with Prince Harry and being on duty for the royal wedding in 2011. He makes the most of the royal connection, plays it to death in fact, but you can't really blame him for that since he must have seen it as a big selling point for his book.
The writing style is not very polished - it reads as if he's written it himself rather than having a ghost writer, which both adds and detracts in different ways. He's very careful not to offend anybody, to the point of making it sickly sweet at times (surviving family members are all wonderful, officers are fair and supportive, ex-boyfriends are beautiful and never at fault, etc etc). So it does have its faults but worth reading if you're interested in this kind of life experience.
+10 task ("Soldier" in subtitle, approved in help thread)
+10 review
Task Total: 20 points
Grand Total: 280
10.6 - Dead authorA Vow of Silence by Veronica Black
Review:
An easy, enjoyable read but completely unbelievable from the moment we see a Mother Superior wearing pink nail polish.
Sister Joan is sent from the convent where she has trained to fill a vacant place as a teacher at an isolated convent in Cornwall, where things are not as they should be (starting with the aforementioned nail polish). Sister Joan is a feisty character and some of the points about adapting to the religious life are convincing and thoughtful, but the plot is completely crazy. Fun in a way, but I don't think I'd bother to read any more in the series, unless wanting something very easy to read when sick.
+10 task
+10 review
Task Total: 20 points
Grand Total: 300
20.7 Jewish AuthorThe End of Men: And the Rise of Women by Hanna Rosin
Review: This is an overblown title for a feminist take on
The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America . This is very readable and has some very interesting information. But it appears to be a collection of magazine articles that are not tied together well.
Rosin’s premise is that women have adapted to the current economy that no longer requires brawn but communication skills, patience, empathy and communal problem-solving. And men are having difficulty making that transition: in the elite range, to the idea that their wife/girl friend might out earn them, and that the man might end up working for a woman. One young man says that educated, urban men are “in the middle of a long, uncertain process of negotiating a new maleness”. And men in the mid-range struggle to find a job because they are waiting for manufacturing jobs to come back and are not comfortable going back to school.
Rosin doesn’t define middle class but she does define mid-range as people who have a high school diploma but not a college degree. In this category she finds many women who are working or striving for a better job and a lot of men who seem to have given up. One statistic that startled me was that 44% of the women who have children in this group are not married. (And the conservatives are fussing about gay marriage!) One expert says that a stable marriage is becoming a class privilege just like good schools and health care. Rosin hints that the women in this group are not finding compatible, supportive spouses. Complete Review
+20 Task Rosin is Jewish according to her blog
+5 Combo 10.3
+10 Review
Task total: 35
Grand total: 65
I took a little break from challenges this summer, but I'm hoping to get back into the groove of reading. Here's my first post!15.1 - D6 - Female author, age 60+
The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
(Born 1936, book published 2009 at age 73)
Points this task: 15
Grand Total: 15
From Post 99Karen GHHS wrote: "20.6 - Proust’s Influence
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
Well, what a romp! Pale Fire was a challenge and a joy to read. I laughed through the Prologue when I realized that it was part of the boo..."
Sorry, Karen, Nabokov does not qualify as Non-Western. From Liz during the Winter 12/13 Season: "Nabokov was born in Russia, but emigrated when 20-21, lived in England, Berlin, the US (where he became a citizen), and Switzerland.
Since his citizenship & most of his life was spent in Western countries, he does not qualify for the non-Western bonus."
Kate S wrote: "From Post 99Karen GHHS wrote: "20.6 - Proust’s Influence
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
Well, what a romp! Pale Fire was a challenge and a joy to read. I laughed through the Prologue when I rea..."
Ok- I am just cursed so far this challenge!;) sorry!
20.2 Author alive between 1909 and 1922The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (1862-1937)
+ 20 task
+ 10 Combo (10.6-All Saints Day, 20.3-#22 on list)
+ 10 canon
Task Total: 40 points
Grand Total: 235
Pick'n'Mix15.1 - A1 - North America
Delirium - Lauren Oliver
(Lexile score: 920)
Task total: 15
Grand total: 15
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Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger
80 pages
+15 Points
Grand Total: 15
Thanks for the opportunity to read this little gem for the challenge!"
Karen, the ..."
Oh, weird. It is definitely not. It is a novel combining prose and pictures like
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Is that at BPL? I didn't even think about looking since I wasn't after the genre designation.