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Winter 13/14 RwS Completed Tasks - Winter 13/14
10.9 Nobel PrizeBlindness by José Saramago
+10 Task
+10 Combo (20.5-shelved 14 times as disturbing; 20.6-#97 on the list)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 560
10.1 - Reading ResolutionsCockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections by Patrick Smith
(...there are several Patrick Smiths under the same listing -_-)
The first half of this book is a wonderful read for your next trip, answering all kinds of questions you didn't know you had about how modern air travel works. I loved it so much that I put it away until my (maddeningly long) flight home, but the later chapters didn't hold my interest as much. Smith tends to go on (and on) about logos and airport security, and while and I agree with nearly all his points there's a bunch of rehashing going on.
I would recommend this book to frequent flyers, nervous flyers, and anyone else who wonders what really goes on in the cockpit.
+10 task
+10 review
+5 combo (10.6 most recent - see author website here)
+10 Not a novel
Task total: 35 pts
Grand total: 270 pts
15.4 - USAPut Your Big Girl Panties On and Deal with It by Roz Van Meter
+15 task
task total: 15
grand total: 800
15.5 - CanadaYarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
+15 task
task total: 15
grand total: 815
Task 20.5DisturbingOn January 14, 2014 shelved as “disturbing”
7 times.
Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1) (2011) by Kendare Blake
(low lexile, so no combo points)
+20 Task
Grand Total: 410 + 20 = 430
20.9 Daytona 500Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber
Review:
A compelling and fascinating review of the history of debt, but also the general history of money, of the morality of our economic system, and way that our economic underpinning changes our societal structure. I found the reader for the audiobook excellent. The writing style was accessible and the historical research was compiled into a persuasive argument. Unfortunately, the author mostly does not offer alternative solutions as much as just a description of the problems created by the current system. I want a follow-up book that does more exploration of what alternatives might be possible and how we might get there from here. The author suggests a global debt jubilee in which debts would be forgiven and a clean slate started. But he doesn't really explore this further or talk through the implications. Highly recommended reading.
+20 Task (MPE 544 pages)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-novel (nonfiction)
+5 Jumbo
Task total: 45
Grand total: 495
TtPR - Seafarer15.8 (8th stop): Colombia
The Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel García Márquez
+15 task
+10 Seafarer bonus
Task total: 25 points
Grand Total: 875
10.5 Goodreads AuthorizedJingle Bell Bark by Laurien Berenson. This author is a goodreads author.
Task +10
Style +10 Review
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 185
Review
This is a new to me author. It is the 11th in a series. I didn't realize this was part of a series. I thought the title was cute. It is a cozy mystery. It is about a woman, Melanie, who is an amateur sleuth. She raises and shows poodles. One day, her son's bus driver mysteriously disappears. She and her best friend go check on him. What is thought of a heart attack turns into murder.
Being a dog lover, I can appreciate the research the author invested into finding out about dog shows. I also couldn't believe how naïve and just plain stupid some of the characters are. For example, the bus driver's two adult daughters come and they want to sell his dogs to the highest bidder on Ebay. Yes, you read right, Ebay. I couldn't believe how naïve, Melanie's friend was about dogs. For example, she thought letting the dog out meant letting the dog roam free. She didn't seem to have common sense.
Overall, I liked the book and I like to read more of the series starting from the beginning.
20.7 - Group Reads ReduxReady Player One - Ernest Cline
+20 task
+10 combo (10.5 - Goodreads author; 10.6 - debut novel)
Post total: 30
Grand total: 165
10.5 - Goodreads authorizedThe River of No Return by Bee Ridgway
+ 10 task
+ 5 combo (10.6 - Beginnings/Endings)
Task total: 15 points
Grand Total: 15
10.6 - Beginnings/EndingsThe Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
+10 task
+5 combo(10.5 - Goodreads authorized)
Task total: 15 points
Grand Total: 50
10.3 - Edgar Allan PoeThe Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde
+10 task
Task total: 10 points
Grand Total: 60
20.10 Between the WarsThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
+20 Task (b. 1892)
+15 Combo (10.9 Nobel Prize 1938; 20.6-Best Books of 20th C. #70; 20.4-#18 on Traveling Vicariously List))
+10 Oldies (p. 1931)
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 140
10.1 Reading ResolutionsTenth of December by George Saunders
I really enjoy short stories. I like getting a brief look into a number of different lives. George Saunders has long been a favorite of mine because his stories are quirky and humorous and Tenth of December followed in the footsteps of his previous work. The first story, “Victory Lap”, pulled me in right away and remained my favorite story of the collection. “Puppy” broke my heart in many ways. I also enjoyed “The Semplica Girl Diaries”, especially the format and the rambling imaginings of the writer. The title story almost eclipsed the first as my favorite. Overall it is a great collection. I listened to George Sanders read the stories which added to my enjoyment in all but one way. There was no way to tell from the voice and no pause in the recording to let you know when a story ended, so I was occasionally confused. I may re-read this one in print sometime.
+ 10 Task: Nominated for NBA/Fiction
+ 10 Combo: 10.6 – Beginnings/Endings / 10.7 – Keep it Short: Karen GHHS’s task (Pen Malmud 2013)
+ 10 Review
+ 10 Not a Novel
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 1085
10.9 - Nobel PrizeHim With His Foot in His Mouth and Other Stories by Saul Bellow
+10 Task (The Nobel Prize in Literature 1976)
+ 5 Combo (10.7 - 1989 PEN/Malamud Award)
+ 5 Oldies (1984)
+10 Not-A-Novel (short stories)
Task total=30
Grand total=655
10.4 Chinese New Year The Last Report On The Miracles At Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich
+10 Task (horse)
Task Total = 10
Grand Total = 295
20.10 Between the warsAnne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery
+20 task (born 1874)
+10 Oldies (published 1936)
Task total: 30 points
Grand Total: 710
20.6 20th CInterview With The Vampire by Anne Rice
+20 task (#118 on list)
+5 Combo (10.6 first book)
+5 Oldies (published 1976)
Task total: 30 points
Grand Total: 740
20.9 Group Read ReduxReady Player One by Ernest Cline
+20 task
+10 Combo (10.5, 10.6)
Task total: 30 points
Grand Total: 770
10.1 Reading ResolutionsThe Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
+10 task
+5 Combo (10.5)
Task total: 15 points
Grand Total: 785
Task 10.6 - Beginnings/Endings: Read an author's most recently published book as of December 1, 2013.
Unfamiliar Fishes (2011) by Sarah Vowell
Review:This non-fiction book is about the Anglo-Americans from the United States who arrived in Hawaii as missionaries in 1820. The book covers events in Hawaii from 1820 until 1898, when Hawaii officially was annexed by America. The material is presented as if an entertaining and knowledgeable tour guide were explaining things to a tourist. I had seen Sarah Vowell on BookTV talking about this book. She writes likes she talks, so when I read this book I was able to readily envision her talking about it. She is not in agreement with the missionaries’ religious goals, and she reveals that lack of agreement through humorous comic asides to the basic material that she is presenting. Recommended for people who like unconventional humor. Not recommended for readers who are easily offended by anti-Christian-missionary humor.
+10 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 430 + 30 = 460
Phoebe wrote: "10.1 - Reading Resolutions #1Across The Barricades by Joan Lingard
+10 task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 105"
+5 Oldies (1973)
Heather wrote: "20.5Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
Ok, at first I started reading this book because I despised it without merit. I had decided that hating on the book that s..."
+5 Jumbo (514 pages in most popular print edition)
+5 Combo (20.9)
From Post 499Deedee wrote: "Task 10.5 - Goodreads authorized: Read a book written by a goodreads author.
Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers #1) (2004) by Lisa Kleypas (Goodreads Author) (Ha..."
+5 Combo (20.1-author born in 1964)
Heather wrote: "Heather wrote: "20.2 - Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser seriesSwords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber
Swords and Deviltry is the first of the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series ..."
Wikipedia certainly describes this as a collection of short stories, I have added the points to post #450.
Ashley wrote: "20.10 Between the WarsThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
+20 Task (b. 1892)
+10 Combo (10.9 Nobel Prize 1938; 20.6-Best Books of 20th C. #70)
+10 Oldies (p. 1931)
Task Tota..."
+5 Combo 20.4 (#18 on Traveling Vicariously List)
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
+10 Task ( MoOnwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of RememBerING Everything)
+10 Combo (10.5, 10.6-debut)
+5 Style (Not-a-Novel)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 205
EDIT on 1/20/2014 to correct style points (should be +10 for Not-a-Novel not +5) and subsequent totals:
10.8 - BINGO!
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
+10 Task ( MoOnwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of RememBerING Everything)
+10 Combo (10.5, 10.6-debut)
+10 Style (Not-a-Novel)
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 210
20.6 - 20th C: read one of the top 500 Best Books of the 20th Century.Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice 1/15/14
This book is #118 on the linked list.
Review:
This week I finally read Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire. I should say I listened to Simon Vance read the book, which really helped me to get through it. To be honest, I’d had expected much more from a book that started the author’s career and became the first of a series of 10 novels featuring the French vampire, Lestat de Lioncourt. I’d looked forward to reading this one for quite some time and finally fit it into my reading schedule. Perhaps if I hadn’t read and loved such vampire classics as Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and Dracula by Bram Stoker within the past six months, I might have liked it more. Suffice it to say that for me it was okay, but didn’t live up to my expectations.
Combo: 10.6 This book was the author's debut book.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.6)
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (pub. 1976)
Task total: 40 points
TtPR Total: 115
RwS Total: = 615
Grand Total: 730
Kate S wrote: "From Post 443:Arow wrote: "10.5 - Goodreads Author
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
I was all prepared to be entertained by Mystic River; I thought it was going to be a..."
THANK YOU! I didn't even think to check this one for that task.
10.3 Edgar Alan PoeLife After Life by Kate Atkinson
Review:
The conceit of the book is that Ursula continues to be reborn (Groundhog Day-style) into the same life, but slight differences change the outcomes. She has vague deja vu memories of previous incarnations, but not perfect recollection (i.e., not quite like Groundhog Day). The writing was quite lyrical and managed to both be the most evocative descriptions of the London blitz that I've read but also witty and quirky characters. I loved the way the stories fit together and the author managed to make the repetitions intriguing and mostly interesting instead of overly repetitive and boring. I'm waffling between rating this four or five stars. I gave it four today, but may come back and revise it upwards as I think about the book more.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo
+10 Combo (20.9, 10.6 - most recent)
Task total: 35
Grand total: 530
10.6 Debut or Most Recent BookFortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
I'm pretty sure this is his most recent publication.
low lexile
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 385
10.1 Reading Resolutions- read a book that I actually own
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
lexile 820
Review: Unlike many second movies in a trilogy, this book is much more than a carry over to a grand finale. It ends with a HUGE cliffhanger which is shocking. I enjoyed this book just as much as the first book. I found it a little confusing to keep all the tributes straight but it was nice to get to know them and the different districts better. I remember the Games lasting longer the first time I read this but I thought the arc worked well. I wish that she had gone more in depth about what was on the other wheels of the clock and what happened to some of the other tributes or groups of tributes. The first book is very Katniss centered but this one seemed to be more centered on the plot and the community. I remember not enjoying Mockingjay as much as the first two but we will see what happens. Also I'm glad I reread this now so I can go see the movie! I thought the first movie did a good job of honoring the book but might have felt a little slow to those unfamiliar with the story.
+10 task
+5 Combo 10.2 5000+ times
+5 combo 20.5 shelved 12 times as disturbing
+10 Review
Task Total: 30 points
Grand Total: 415 points
10.7 - Aurealis AwardAcross the Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories by Garth Nix
No Lexile
+10 task
+10 not a novel
+5 (10.5-goodreads author)
task total: 25
grand total: 860
Task 20.2 - Picaresque: Picaresque Novel From the linked list:
Roxana, Or The Fortunate Mistress (1724) by Daniel Defoe (Paperback, 416 pages)
Review: This was Daniel Defoe’s last published novel. The novel is told in first person by “Roxana”. Now at the end of her life, she looks back over the events of her life, and this novel is the result. She explains how she travelled from being a wife to being a mistress. The writing was surprisingly comprehensible despite having been written almost 400 years ago (the Penguin notes helped with the obsolete words and contemporary references). This novel held my interest until the end. I was amazed by the number of children that Roxana gave birth to --- and then, apparently, gave away for others to raise. I didn’t think women in the 18th century could safely have so many! Roxana tells us what she was thinking at various times in her life, and what her motivations were. She had surprisingly modern views on love and marriage -- (view spoiler) Recommended for those looking for an accessible 18th century novel.
+ 20 Task
+10 Review
+20 Oldies -251 to 400 years old: 20 points (1614-1763)
Task Total: 20 + 10 + 20 = 50
Grand Total: 465 + 50 = 515
10.10 - Group ReadsA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
+10 Task
+20 Combo (10.6 - debut book; 10.8 - BINGO; 20.6 - #35; 20.10 - born 1896)
+ 5 Oldies (1943)
Task total=35
Grand total=690
10.4 - Chinese New YearThe Cheese Monkeys - Chip Kidd
Well, this was certainly an interesting novel, if nothing else...The novel is told in two parts, and follows a college student through his freshman year in the 1950s. The first part, which follows "Happy" (the only name given to the main character) through the first semester, is fairly straightforward: boy meets girl, boy loves girl, girl is already taken, boy continues to follow girl around like a sap, with some art lessons thrown in for good measure. The second part is where things get a little weird. It details almost exclusively a single class, and the main character's strange obsession with gaining the approval of his teacher. The last 30 or so pages get even weirder, with lots of odd sleep-deprived hallucinations for pretty much all the characters, and a really abrupt ending that leaves a lot of unsatisfying loose ends and feels messy. Overall I didn't hate this book, but once I closed it the only thing I was really left thinking was, "huh?"
+10 task
+10 review
+5 combo (20.1 - author born in 1964)
Post total: 25
Grand total: 190
20.6 Best 20th CenturyHiroshima by John Hersey
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo (20.7)
+10 Not-a-Novel
+ 5 Oldies (orig pub 1946, with 1985 update)
Task Total = 40
Grand total = 335
20.5 DisturbingThe Dinner by Herman Koch
Shelved 10 times as disturbing.
"The Dinner" started with satirical social humor as two brothers and their wives dine at a posh restaurant in the Netherlands. But the disturbing story gets psychologically darker and totally riveting as it moves on. What secrets is this unreliable narrator hiding? How far will the two couples go to protect their sons who are responsible for a terrible event?
The book had a very contemporary feel with technology playing a part in the plot. I liked the way the author peeled the layers away, slowly letting us see the rivalry between the two brothers, and the relationships among the cousins. The characters were not likable, but I couldn't stop reading because the plot sucked me in. I gave this book 4 stars.
+20 task
+10 review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 520
10.5Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James
Ok, so sue me. I’m actually quite enjoying this series. Opponents on either side will deride the story as saying BDSM is solely based in psychiatric problems or that it’s unrealistic in its representations. Actually, the more I read of the story, the more accurate it seems to be. Mind you, I’ve not read the third book, so I can’t say that for the entire story, but as of the end of the third book, I’m fairly impressed. The author’s writing style seems to have improved some, but not a lot, so there are parts that are just hard to wrap one’s head around, but other than that, it’s not bad.
+10 task
+10 review
task total: 20
grand total: 880
20.8 DisasterEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
Before I started this book, I knew only that Shackleton's ship was trapped in the ice in Antarctica. I had my own ideas about what kind of hardships the men onboard the ship faced, but I was wrong in so many ways. I expected exposure to excessive cold to be high on the list of threats, but the expedition happily weathered the antarctic Winter snug in their boat and the warmer weather (wet snow, rain, and melting ice floes) posed a far greater danger. I expected the entire book to be about a journey, but for a larger part of it everyone was camped out first in the boat and then on the ice floes, while the movement of the ice pushed them north. With so much beyond their control, the party maintained admirable optimism and exhibited a strength of character I can not even imagine possessing. Although the men do spend a great part of the book sitting around, Lansing made the story interesting and immersive, describing in detail their daily routines, mental attitudes, and physical hardships. It is no wonder this is a classic book.
+20 task
+10 review
+ 5 combo (20.4 - travel)
+10 not fiction
+5 oldies (1959)
Task total: 50
Grand Total: 285
20.5 DisturbingWe Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Wow; I really don’t know what to say about this book other than wow. I walked into it blindly and could not be happier that I read it. ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ absorbed me and took over my life for the week that read it. And that is what made me give it 5 Stars. No other reason than it is all I could talk about to those who would listen, its all that a dreamt about and it all I could read morning, noon and night. Thank you Lionel Shriver for writing this wonderful piece of work.
The story is told from the perspective of Eva Khatchadourian who is writing a series of letters to her husband. Through the letters we are taken through Eva’s past, present and dreams of the future of this rather unique woman; whose life did not turn out remotely like she thought it would. We are told at the beginning that she is the mother of a boy, Kevin who killed nine people at school and is now in prison for his crimes. Eva is trying to come to terms with why Kevin did this and all the signs that she saw but could not share. I for one enjoyed each of the stories; I relished in them and really could not get enough of them. More than a few stand out which I have highlighted and shared with my husband who kind of laughs at me each time I bring the book up.
I do not think this novel is for everyone and I do get why some dislike it immensely. I am just not one of them; I really can see myself reading it again in the future and getting new things from it.
+20 Task (shelved 36 times)
+5 Combo (10.5 - Goodreads Author)
+10 Review
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 175
10.2 - ReindeerSmoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
+10 Task (shelved as fantasy 1,793 times)
+ 5 Combo (10.5 - Goodreads author)
+10 Not-A-Novel (short stories)
Task total=25
Grand total=715
TtPR Seafarer15.5 Fifth Stop-China A,B,C
The Ancient Ship by Zhang Wei
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 310
10.6 Beginnings/EndingsA Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Anthony Marra has written a remarkable debut novel that centers on five days in 2004 in Chechnya. A Muslim villager, Dokka, has been arrested by Russian soldiers, and will probably never be seen again. His daughter, eight-year-old Haava, ran into the woods to hide and was found by her neighbor, Akhmed. Akhmed, a doctor whose true talent is in art, offers his services at a shelled hospital to the surgeon, Sonja, in return for her help in hiding Haava. Sonja, an ethnic Russian, had come back from safety in London to locate her sister Natasha in their hometown in Chechnya.
Each chapter is headed by a timeline going from 1996 to 2004 with one year highlighted. The stories of the war-weary characters go back in time to let us understand their actions in 2004. Chechnya is highly valued for its natural resources, as well as its pipelines and oil refineries. Many Chechen people had been killed or relocated, and ethnic Russians moved into the area by the former Soviet Union. Since the Soviet Union divided, there have been two Chechen Wars where the Russians have tried to seize control of the region, and Chechnya is currently a republic of the Russian Federation. The people of Chechnya have had to rebuild their lives, as well as their homes and infrastructure, multiple times.
The atmosphere in 2004 is gray and bleak. There are shortages of everything, including food. Homes have been destroyed, people have lost everyone they loved, and the occupying Russians will arrest anyone based on rumors or informers. Despite the devastation, the book has many moments of humor, warmth, compassion, and love. The meaning of family can extend beyond genetic boundaries. The main characters showed remarkable resilience despite terrible circumstances.
The title of the novel comes from a definition in a medical dictionary that was circled by Natasha. "Life: a constellation of vital phenomena--organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation."
I was impressed with Anthony Marra's beautiful, lyrical writing. This is a timely book to read since the 2014 Olympics will be held in an area of Russia near Chechnya. It did help me understand the continuing unrest in the region.
+10 task (debut book)
+10 combo (10.5 Goodreads author)
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 550
10.10 Group ReadThe Unvanquished by William Faulkner
+10 Task
+10 Oldies
+10 Combo (10.9, 20.10 born 1897)
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 590
20.2 PicaresqueLittle Big Man by Thomas Berger
+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.1-published 1964)
+5 Oldies (1964)
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 620
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
A Dance with Dragons (other topics)Tracks (other topics)
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops (other topics)
The Frenzy (other topics)
The Counterfeiters (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
George R.R. Martin (other topics)Robyn Davidson (other topics)
Jen Campbell (other topics)
Francesca Lia Block (other topics)
André Gide (other topics)
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All That Remains by Patricia Cornwell
+10-author on approved list
+5 Combo (10.5-GR Authorized)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 540