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Fall 2013 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2013

B1: published 2012
Tod im Botanischen Garten by Dirk Kruse
Task Total: 15 pts
Grand Total: 30 pts

15.2 A1-North America
The Devil's Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea
+15 Task
Grand Total = 60 points

15.8 C5 325-425 pages
Substitute Me by Lori L. Tharps
+20 Task (368 pages in MPE)
Season Total: 140

15.9 E4-Biography
Lawyer Lincoln by Albert A. Woldman
+30 Task (Shelved as Biography in BPL)
Season Total: 170

15.10 E5 Non-fiction 000-499
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
+30 Task (shelved as 303.4 at BPL)
+100 PnM Finish Bonus
Post Total: 130
Season Total: 300

The Son by Philipp Meyer
About a month ago, my son moved to Austin, Texas, so I was excited to read a book that would give me a connection to his new state. The Son gave me that Texas setting and so much more. The history of Texas is filled with conflict. Man against a tough environment, white against Native American and white against Mexican land holders in an era of change. Told through the voices of a powerful oil family are the stories of these conflicts and the family's rise to riches. Each voice comes through clearly and the writing is literary and top notch in it's ability to move the reader and portray a powerful plot line. I know my son is adjusting to the heat of his new state (we live in WA state) and I could feel the heat through the author's words. Highly recommended!
+10 Task:A happy surprise from the linked list: Meyer 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.
+10 Review
+ 5 Jumbo (576 pages)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 295

15.5 - E4 - Genre Biography
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
+20 points
Grand Total: 320 points

Flush by Virginia Woolf
Review:
I was hesitating between 2 and 3 stars for this short "biography" of the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning's spaniel Flush and went for 2 in the end. I thought it tried too hard to be cute, but I should probably give it credit for being more innovative in its day than it seems to us now. It's also a clever way to depict the character of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (as Virginia Woolf imagined her) and the major events of her life, mostly from the point of view of her dog. But I didn't like the tone of it, didn't warm to Flush and thought EBB just came across as silly.
+20 task (on Elizabeth (Alaska)'s list of qualifying authors in the help thread)
+15 combo (10.6, 20.2 lived 1882-1941, 20.8 Flush is a dog and it's mostly from his POV)
+10 review
Task Total: 45 points
Grand Total: 365

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
+ 10 task (#49 on list)
+ 5 Combo (20.9 #18 on list)
Task Total: 15 points
Grand Total: 250

Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk
289 pages in most popular edition
+15
Grand Total : 15 points

15.1 A1 - North America setting
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
+15 task
Total Points: 15

15.4 B3: Published 1963
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré
+15 task
Total Points: 45

Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Review:
I first read this as a teenager, and it was an easier re-read than I expected: painful but not unbearable. I wanted to yell at Tess and Angel for being such wimps in their different ways but I didn't want to throw the book across the room. It's the kind of book you re-read hoping it might turn out differently this time, though of course you know it can't. It's set in open fields and valleys rather than the woodlands of many of Hardy's books but it's no country idyll. Life is insecure and work is hard. I think Hardy does the right thing by not letting us see the most violent scene - the ending is melodramatic enough as it is.
+20 task (lived 1840-1928)
+ 5 combo (10.6)
+10 canon
+10 review
+ 5 jumbo (most popular edition has 518 pages)
Task Total: 50 points
Grand Total: 415

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver
Review:
A ghost/horror story set on the island of Spitzbergen just before the Second World War. Jack Miller is recruited as the radio expert for a small expedition to the Arctic. Accident and illness make one after another of the expedition members drop out until he is alone with the thing that haunts the island in the dark days of winter when the sun doesn't rise at all.
Michelle Paver is better known for her YA books and although this is for adults the style is still relatively simple and easy to read. The story is told in the form of a journal and the tension builds up well. Jack's motivation was convincing and I did find the story quite spooky.
+20 task (born in Malawi)
+10 review
Task Total: 30 points
Grand Total: 445

Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish by David Rakoff
One thing that can be frustrating about Listopia is that brand new books often haven't made it to the lists yet. Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish, is one such book. I was immediately attracted to the book because of its unique structure. It is both a novel in verse and is illustrated by Seth with wonderful, colorful portraits heading each chapter. The book definitely fits my task in spirit, even though it can't be counted that way! I am amazed by novels written in verse as well. Ellen Hopkins is well-versed (pun intended;) in creating a full story through free verse and I find that the emotional punch of her work is incredible. I was amazed to find that Rakoff's poetry also rhymed. Making a story flow naturally in rhyme for a hundred pages in modern language and straight forward sentence structure. Many reviewers picked the book up in homage to Rakoff who died last year of cancer soon after finishing this first novel among his books of essays. Whether a fan or newcomer to his wit and depth, you can enjoy this little gem!
+10 Task: Rakoff died in 2012
+ 5 Combo:20.7 Jewish Holidays http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ra...
+10 Review
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 320

15.1 - C6 - 400-500 pages:
Watership Down

Mass Market Paperback on Goodreads is 484 pages; two BPL copies are listed as 494 and 476 pages.
Goodreads includes a YA category, and the Lexile listing is 880.
+15 points
Grand Total: 15 points

Changeless by Gail Carriger
Review: In Changeless, the second book in the Parasol Protectorate series, soulless preternatural Alexia Maccon and her werewolf husband Conall, along with assorted human, werewolf, ghost, and vampire friends must discover what is making supernaturals in London and its surrounds become… less than supernatural. Silliness abounds in a steampunk comedy of manners.
I read the first in this series years ago, and wasn’t particularly bowled over by it. I was prompted to pick up this installment when I was loading up my Kindle to head to Dragoncon, where I felt my reading choices needed to include a little steampunk. I’m glad I did! Now I think I’m hooked on this series, and the next book is waiting to be picked up at the library.
Alexia Terabotti may have won the heart of Conall Maccon in Soulless, but that doesn’t mean her life gets to settle down. Gail Carriger is writing a woman who is supposed to be soulless, but who still has quite a sense of humor and a lot of love for her family and friends. It makes for a slightly off-putting narration, but one that is laugh-out-loud funny almost from beginning to end. The mystery itself at the center of the novel was not the most intriguing, and I figured out most of it a step or two ahead of Alexia, but that really wasn’t what kept me interested – it was the hysterical overwritten language and the fun characterizations. And then the end of the book was an emotional cliffhanger that made me immediately put the next one on hold.
+20 Task (Alexia is not fully human herself, and Conall is a werewolf – not to mention most of the rest of the characters are vampires, ghosts, and werewolves)
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 30

Darkness Rising by Keri Arthur
Review: This is the second book in Keri Arthur’s Dark Angels series, which itself is a spinoff of her Riley Jenson Guardian series. In this installment, half-werewolf/half-Aedh Risa Jones, along with her guardian Reaper Azriel and many non-human friends investigate what is killing vampires in the area by aging them. Also keeping them busy is the search for the book that will lead to the three keys that open gates between worlds – something many people would like to get ahold of, some to use, and others to destroy.
I read all 9 books in the Riley Jenson series, all with a certain amount of annoyance combined with interest and enjoyment. When Arthur came out with a spin-off series, I read the first but never got to the second. Turns out it was not totally enough to keep my interest and desperately want to read the next in the series – and now having read the second I’m not sure I’ve got the stamina to go through all the ones that are out so far. Something about the pacing is frantic yet unmoving. Risa is constantly in danger, in trouble, running, having sex, whatever – but not much really happens, either in the mysteries or in her personal life. I did end up reserving the next one from the library because of the cliff-hanger ending, but since I didn’t have it on my nightstand I expect I’ll be distracted and it won’t be much of a priority.
+20 Task (Risa herself is not human, which she says multiple times, and neither are most of her friends)
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 60

title contains and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet
A Feast for Crows (this title contains the word "for")
REVIEW: I honestly do not know what took me so long to read this series...I love it! A Feast for Crows was a little different from the previous three books in that it seemed more about the characters setting up strategies rather than fighting bloody wars (all though was still quite a bit of violence).
One reason that A Feast for Crows is so different from the previous books is that as George RR Martin was finishing book four, he and his publishers realized that it was nearing 1800 pages and someone made the decision to break it up into two books. In order to make the two book option work, Martin decided to split the two books up by location while keeping plot events running simultaneously in both books. A Feast for Crows focuses on the southern settings/characters and A Dance of Dragons focuses on the northern settings. In addition to the regular southern characters (like Cersei, Jaimie, and Sansa/Alayne), Martin also introduces a few new characters via their own POV chapters. Some I liked, some I didn't, some left me even more confused (but isn't that just like Martin?
+10 task
+10 review
+25 jumbo (1060 pages)
Task Total=45 pts
Grand Total=45 pts

Warrior by Zoe Archer
Review: I’m not sure I’ve ever come across a book set in late nineteenth century Mongolia – let alone one with magic and secret societies. The premise is that there are two English factions with different ideas about the use of magical Sources that exist across the world – the Heirs, who want to possess the items and use them to control the world for England, and the Blades, who want to protect them. This story follows Thalia and Gabriel, people on the side of the Blades who fall in love during the course of their adventure. The idea of the book is great, but it never totally grabbed me. There was quite a bit of action, both in the adventure part and in bed, but neither one astounded me. I do like the premise of the series, as well as the interesting settings, so I may pick up the sequel, though.
+10 Task (Archer is on the list of surnames)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 80

Steel Rose by Kara Dalkey
Review: I absolutely loved the premise of this book. In a scope that goes beyond the blurb, this is an urban fantasy tale set in Pittsburgh sometime around when I was in high school – almost two decades after the steel industry breathed its last gasps. It is a tale of a college student who comes across “knockers” Ralph and Norton, two blue-collar fae who under the city, and who becomes involved in a battle between the Sidhe and Unseelie, which turns out to serve as an allegory for the struggle Pittsburgh has with its past and present, environment and industry, and blue-collar and intellectual sets.
I read as many stories set in my hometown as possible – being away from it, there is a coziness in the familiar. Unfortunately, this one distracted me as much as it comforted, and the symbolism was pretty heavy-handed plus, the protagonist was next to impossible to like – she’s nineteen and inhabits all the worst traits of a person hovering between childhood and adulthood. What I did like, however, was that she grew from her experiences and the actions taken by herself and others had real consequences. All in all a surprising find on the list of books about artists, and one I’m glad I found in spite of its flaws.
+20 Task (on linked list)
+5 Combo (20.8 – Ralph and Norton are two among many major Fae characters)
+10 Review
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 115

The Lamb Who Cried Wolf by Scarlet Hyacinth
Review: I really don’t have words to describe this book. I’d feel bad including it for points, except I suffered through reading it, so it should count for something! The plot, such as it is, centers totally around the relationship of Carson, a shapeshifter who turns into a sheep… yes, a sheep… and Brody, a werewolf. The wolves eat the sheep, in the most cannibalistic paranormal romance I’ve ever seen (of course, the series is called ‘mate or meal,’ so I shouldn’t be surprised), but Carson turns out to be Brody’s supernaturally fated mate, so in between bouts of sex they have to convince their families… well, not to kill them.
I basically read this on a dare. Reading through the titles and tag lines for the books in the series provided my friend and me with entertainment during a long car ride, so I said I’d read the first one at least. I don’t think I’ll get to the one with the shark and the seahorse, but you never know. To be fair, I’ve actually read worse books, and Scarlet Hyacinth (that absolutely can’t be her real name) does not take herself too seriously. She just churns out these male/male shapeshifting erotic fantasies the likes of which I’m not sure are available anywhere else. Props to her for such a unique concept, if nothing else.
+20 Task (shapeshifting sheep – he even baas in bed – plus werewolves… and shapeshifting swans and squirrels)
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 145

Biting Bad by Chloe Neill
Review: In the eighth volume in the Chicagoland Vampires series, vampires Merit, Ethan, and the gang face political upheaval in vampireland and riots from humans, along with the usual day-to-day drama of family and friends. So much goes on in their world that I was amazed when the narrative showed that across the 8 books only 10 months had passed. Whew, give those guys a break! I had a hard time with the conflict in this one, since fire-bombing was the rioters’ method of choice and fire is my number one fear. Also, Merit’s supposedly fantastic fighting skills seemed sorely lacking in this installment. The good thing about the book was that since Merit and Ethan have really accepted their relationship, there wasn’t the “will-they-won’t-they” issue that pervaded some of the earlier books. I prefer my tension to come from elsewhere, not from false denial of affection, so I’m glad to move past that, although they now seem to be in a relatively boring although sweet honeymoon stage.
+20 Task (Merit and most of her friends are vampires, and their lack of humanity is a theme in the book)
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 175

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore
Review: When Odette’s mother shows up in her kitchen one morning, she takes it in stride – even though that means she’s inherited the family trait of seeing ghosts. The next year turns out to be full of ups and downs for Odette and her two best friends Clarice and Barbara Jean, as decisions made in the past have to be met head on, and a next phase of each woman’s life begins.
The first third of this book went slowly for me. The characters are my parents’ age, which is fine, but they’re dealing with the issues people my parents’ age deal with – including things like confronting their own age and mortality. I’m young enough not to have had much loss and to have most of the health of youth, but old enough to realize that doesn’t last, so starting the book with hot flashes, diabetes, and death didn’t bode well. Turns out, however, that the brightly colored fun color was more of an indicator of the tone of the novel than those first few events. Yes, it deals with loss and age and decisions made in youth that may come back to haunt a person as they grow older, but it does it with such humor and enough happy endings that I ended up enjoying the rest of it much more than expected.
+20 Task (Odette’s mom is a ghost, and hangs out with a bunch of ghost friends)
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 205

Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
+20 Task (none of the characters are human – they are warring alien races)
Graphic novel – no style points
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 225

Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
+15 points
Grand Total: 265 points

Messengers of God: Biblical Portraits and Legends by Elie Wiesel.
Messengers of God by Elie Wisel is a thought provoking book. Wiesel presents his thoughts about many well know b..."
sounds interesting

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..."
Karen don't you it when another author writes the prologue and it is almost as long as the book? It's like they are re-writing the whole thing

I'm supposed to be the big goofus in this group! Quit breaking into my turf! Let ME make the mistakes, will ya?? Smile

My Life in Doha: Between Dream and Reality by Rachel Hajar
Review
The Author, Dr Rachel Hajar was born in the Philippines. Upon graduating from medical school, she journeyed to the US to do post doctorate work in her specialized field of Non-Invasive Cardiology. When in the program she met her future husband, Dr Hajar Ahmed Hajar, a cardiologist in training from Qatar.
In 1978, they returned to his homeland where Dr Hajar ‘s husband became the Minister of Health in Qatar.
Having left the lush Philippines to arrive in a snowstorm in the USA, Dr Hajar had already gone through a major culture shock. Immigrating to the desert country of Qatar with her husband and two small children would be a second major change in culture, geography and climate.
This book gives an “insider’s “ view of what coming to this Arab Islamic country and learning to fit in, which she seems to do very graciously. She maintains her Catholicism but her children are raised in the Islamic Faith. She describes vignettes of different customs, traditions and history of her adopted country. I’m a little skeptical of her immediate love and acceptance of all new things. She has not one criticizing word to say about living in Doha, the land or people. Of course in her position it is justifiable.
Having lived her for 35 years, she has watched this tiny, unheard of country of Bedouins turn into the major gas and oil rich super- land of rapid growth, progress and high technology, the majority of residents now being Ex-pats.
It was a very informative book and I have recommended it to the other ex-pat wives in our compound.
+ 10 pts - Task
+ 5 pts - Combo (10.3 AND)
+ 10 pts - Non-Western (Fillapino/Qatari)
+ 10 pts - Review
Task total - 35 pts
Grand Total - 95 pts


Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Review
This is a book to make you laugh and make you cry. The book is written from the perspective of the author’s Ukrainian translator. His idioms, poor use of English and his bragging provide the comic relief that takes off from the beginning. Alex is awarded this job by his father who owns a family –run travel agency for tourists. He speaks in the first person both as addressing the reader and the author in a series of letters accompanying the re-writes of the story. The “author” is the actual author Jonathan Safran Foer, who Alex most often refers to as “the hero”. Foer is returning to the Ukraine to find Augustine, a mysterious woman that allegedly helped his grandfather to flee the Nazis, thus saving his life. Running in and out of Alex’s narrative is the history of the village itself and the distant ancestors of Foer. This is told with a magical veil lightly draping over the story giving it an almost opaque feel.
Alex’s grandfather is the driver also named Alexander who claims to be blind enough to need a seeing-eye dog, referred to as “the Bitch, Sammy Davis Jr Jr”. Yes I know. Just think how Jonathan Foer feels when steps off the train and is met with this illogical logic! The story slowly winds into itself, the past and present meeting itself at the time of the Nazi occupation. This is when the tragedy begins and like Grandfather as it wends its way further and further into the darkness, you want to yell “Stop” because as people of today, we already know the gist of how the story ends with the pain and nightmares that never really ever went away.
A very novel approach to a novel as well as one that grips the reader and draws one into the river itself.
+ 20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Combo (10.2 #61 on list, 10.9 #16 on Quirky Books list)
+ 10 pts - Review
Task Total - 40 pts
Grand Total - 135 pts


Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
+10 Task
+ 5 Combo (10.2)
+10 Canon
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 25

A Moment Comes by Jennifer Bradbury
Lexile 770, but here's the review for my students:
A Moment Comes by Jennifer Bradbury takes place as the British are leaving India in 1947 and it is being divided into the free states of India for the Sikh religion and Pakistan for the Muslim religion. I knew a little bit about this time period, but certainly learned more about it from this wonderful piece of historical fiction. Three characters tell the story: Tariq, a Muslim teenager, Anupreet, a Sikh girl(both work in the British household), and Margaret who is living in India with her father as he draws up maps for the partition. Tariq dreams of going to England to study at Oxford and hopes for help from Margaret’s family, but many misunderstandings of the culture: it’s beauties, family bonds and dangers, add intrigue and excitement to the story. There is a touch of romance, but the main themes of the book are about clashes of culture and the misunderstandings among the three groups portrayed. Bradbury’s writing kept me engaged from the beginning and I recommend A Moment Comes to any of you who enjoy historical fiction and to the freshmen taking World Cultures and learning about India.
+10 Task
Grand Total: 330

Remembering Babylon by David Malouf
Review:
Gemmy Fairley is a poor and probably developmentally challenged English boy who ends up working on a ship to Australia. Thrown overboard by other sailors, he washes up on a beach and attaches himself to the aboriginal tribe who find him. Some 15 years later he has to adapt to a new culture all over again when he tries to join a small community of white settlers.
I found this a very interesting and sensitive study of cultural alienation. Gemmy doesn't have much going for him and he's never completely accepted by any of the groups he encounters. The aboriginal people let him tag along but none of the women would consider him as a potential husband. His racial and cultural identities clash with each other and the white settlers in particular are deeply suspicious of him.
I would have liked to have heard more about his time with the aboriginal people but I still found it fascinating.
+10 task (approved in help thread)
+ 5 combo (20.7 Jewish author approved in help thread)
+10 review
Task Total: 25 points
Grand Total: 470

C4 (Lexile 970, 304 pages)
Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Task Total = 15
Grand Total = 75

Ashley wrote: "10.6-All Saint's Day
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
+10 Task
+10 Canon
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 20"
This is included in William Shakespeare's Complete works and therefore qualifies for +5 Combo with 10.2, as the Complete Works is #152 on the linked list.

Bea wrote: "Pick 'n' Mix
15.3 B1: Published 2005
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
+15 task
Total Points: 30"
Not a big deal, but I want to make sure our records match and I show a discrepancy in our numbering. I have the following so far for your Pick 'n' Mix:
15.1 A1 Garden Spells
15.2 B1 Poison Study
15.3 B3 The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
The next book you claim should be 15.4.

Anika wrote: "HOLY COW, Kate! That was speedy! Nice reading!"
Karen GHHS wrote: "Way to go, Kate!"
Thank you ladies!

Bea wrote: "Pick 'n' Mix
15.3 B1: Published 2005
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
+15 task
Total Points: 30"
Not a big deal, but I want to make sure our reco..."
Kate, my numbering is correct. I understood that we could read out Pick 'n' Mix in any order. I am still reading 15.2 and should have it done soon. So, should I have waited to post until it was done?

What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy by Gregory Maguire
A story about a family trapped in a storm. The uncle tells a story about the Skibbereen (tooth fairies) which accounts for most of the novel.
Lexile 710
+ 20 points
Grand Total: 35 points

You can complete your Pick 'n' Mix in any order you would like. The database we use for scoring recognizes the point differences depending on which task is assigned a book. For 15.1-15.4, each book is worth 15 points, so it doesn't really matter which one is labeled which. However, if you decided to read a book you have labeled as 15.7 for your 4th book, the database would try to assign 20 points for it and give me an error message.
The numbering of 15.x is in essence 15.1=first book finished, 15.2=second book finished, etc.
It's not a big deal, I just want to make sure the scoring piece matches here and in the database.

15.2 A6 - Book set in Australia
The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman
Task points = 15
Challenge points = 30
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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)
More...
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)
More...
C3: 256 pages
Killing the Fatted Calf by Susan B. Kelly
Task Total: 15 pts
Grand Total: 15 pts