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Winter 13/14 RwS Completed Tasks - Winter 13/14
20.7 Group Reads ReduxCode Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
*I don't think this needs a spoiler alert but if you are a purist and won't even read the backs of paperbacks, I wouldn't read on.
Review
Ok, who picked this book for a GroupReads book? Oh, Karen did! Figures. Now that I’ve stopped weeping , I’m read to write my review.
I listened to this on audio and completely fell in love with the characters. The friendship of two strong, independent women and their colleagues in such a terrifying and adrenaline –soaked era, World War II. Two British women from entirely different social classes bond as they are trained with the RAF to do dangerous, non-traditional (for a “slip of a girl” that is)
missions. The twists and turns of their lives and in the tale itself , keeps the reader on the edge of suspense. I practically listened to the book straight through, falling asleep with the ear buds in, and then keeping them in all day as I went about my household chores to see what happened next. I had an emotional investment by that time. Karen, thanks so much even if I did have to have a good cry after and had I read it rather than listened to it, I’d not be finished with it because I wouldn’t have been able to see the words! Very much a 5 star book.
+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Review
+
Task total -
Grand Total -
20.2 PicaresqueFear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Review
I guess I’ll go ahead and start off on the Group Reads book that is likely to be one of the most popular for this season. Wonderful, combos.
First of all I must say that it is a disturbing book. I really don’t get it. But the 1970’s produced the literature that I like the least, navel gazing narcissistic, worthless to society run on words, that make me as a mother want to send to work in a homeless shelter or something. I’ll admit there were some funny parts and I do enjoy incongruities, but what is the point? To brag about how stupid and irresponsible and drug brained you are? Every time they get high or stoned or whatever, a disaster happens, they get panic stricken, they get physically sick, they damage just about everything they touch only to wake up and start all over again. Never learns! It’s sad really. Did Hunter S Thompson ever go on to get a life? Okay that was harsh but I understood this book to be kinda sorta about himself and a lawyer buddy of his who actually was Hispanic and not Samoan. Reading this by book and listening to Code Name Verity at the same time made me like him less and less. Probably colored my viewpoint a bit.
Basically it’s like when an acquaintance starts a conversation with “I had the funniest dream last night” and goes on into explicit detail ad nauseam. It might be a little funny in the first sentence or two but you really can’t feel it since you did not have the dream and get all the subconscious milieu of your own little world that the actual dreamer got and frankly it’s just not that fascinating after the third or fourth repeating of a particular sequence. I guess you had to have been there. Sorry, just my opinion but I’m very, very grateful for the combo points!
+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Review
+20 pts - Combo (10.10, 20.4, 20.5,20.6)
+ 5 pts - Oldies (pub 1971)
+10 pts - Not a Novel
Task total - 65 pts
Grand Total -
Rebekah wrote: "20.7 Group Reads ReduxCode Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
*I don't think this needs a spoiler alert but if you are a purist and won't even read the backs of paperbac..."
Thanks for this great review, Rebekah! I really feel that Code Name Verity is one of the best historical fictions I have read this year of both the YA and adult levels. Rose Under Fire by the same author just came out(so May be her most recent book, although she writes for children, too) is loosely connected to CNV and focuses on Ravensbruck prison camp. It's almost, but not quite as good as CNV.
10.1 Reading Resolution - Read a book that won the Man Booker Prize for fictionThe White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Won 2008
Review
This is another “disturbing” book but in this case it is because it is all too realistic. The settings especially of the Delhi / Gurgaon area are true and the story itself is very probable. It could have been lifted straight from The Times of India. It is a letter written by a self-described entrepreneur, The White Tiger, writes to the Chinese prime minister explaining capitalism in India using his own personal story. Even the rivalry between the two countries is as it truly is. The White Tiger is “corrupted” by the Big City just as his employer is, a young man fresh from America with a degree, a new, non-caste, Christian wife and incredible ideas of democracy, equality and fairness.
As the White Tiger drives his employers about Delhi, he learns of the bribes they must pay to high up ministers to keep their business going which may in itself not be completely straight. As he massages the feet of his employer, he learns of the politics, the dirt culture of government and the hopelessness that it will never change. The “darkness” is a real place as well. Very similar to what I know of Bihar where ministers served even while under indictment for corruption, and when the head guy was made to step down, his illiterate wife took over. The Delhi newcomers want to do what is right and just but the city just beats them down into the same purgatory as everyone else. There is a part in which this driver is forced to take the blame for killing a street child, a hit and run that actually did occur but not by the driver but by the American wife. In the end, The White Tiger must choose his family or himself and unlike the traditional Indian, he chooses himself leaving his family to a hideous fate. One final act of generosity before his complete emersion in the Dark Side does not make a change. I give it 5 stars.
+10 pts - Task
+10 pts - Review
+15 pts - Combo (10.4-Tiger, 10.6- debut, 20.2)
Task Total - 35 pts
Grand Total -
* This is where my cute little ticker would go and it would say 4 read, 16 to go*
Karen GHHS wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "20.7 Group Reads ReduxCode Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
*I don't think this needs a spoiler alert but if you are a purist and won't even read the b..."
I've already ordered it for my Dad. He's a history buff and is retired military and was always a supportive father when I wanted to do things girls didn't do, Like join the Army just after the WACs were disbanded. We were some of the first women to actually train with the men.
10.5 - Goodreads authorizedInsurgent by Veronica Roth 12/8/13
Veronica Roth is a Goodreads Author.
This book is shelved at BPL with a YA designation and has a Lexile score of 710, hence no style points are claimed.
+10 task
Task total: 10 points
TtPR Total: 15
RwS Total: = 80
Grand Total: 95
10.10 - Group Reads:The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman by Andrzej Szczypiorski
This testament to the Polish people during WWII took me through a lovely and quiet Sunday morning. The writing was intriguing. The book could have been considered linked stories as that was the format of the writing. I recently read another book that told what would happen to characters in the future as the reader absorbed the details of the past and present and I find it an unusual but effective way to advance a narrative. Szczypiorski was particularly good at weaving in this technique. The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman's story circles back into the story throughout the book. The image of the merry-go-round juxtaposed with the Warsaw Ghetto violence is one that will stay with me a while. It is a particularly haunting scene! I'm so glad to have read this book through this great challenge!
+10 Task: Thanks, Liz!
+10 Review
+. 5 Oldies (1986)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 200
Rebekah wrote: "20.2 PicaresqueFear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Review
I guess I’ll go ahead and start off on the Group Reads book that is likely to be one of the m..."
+10 Not a Novel
From Post 31:Connie wrote: "10.9 Nobel Prize for Literature Author
Sula by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison has written a lush, earthy story, set in a segregated area of Ohio, about the black experienc..."
+5 Oldies (1973)
From Post 8:Jade wrote: "20.5 Disturbing
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl was entertaining, to say the least. I found it hard to believe it was written by a female because it contained a ..."
+5 Combo 10.5
From Post 19, re: post 5Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "Now that all tasks have been posted, I have an update for Message #5, adding 10 combo points.
10.2 - Reindeer
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 12/1/..."
It appears the prolific Mr. Gaiman, published this work in June and then published Fortunately, the Milk (for children) in September. So, this does not qualify for a combo with 10.6. Sorry
From Post 28Joanna wrote: "10.2 Reindeer - shelved as fantasy 1000+ times
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Review:
This was on my list to read last season, but I didn't quite..."
Please see post 66 regarding this book. Sorry.
From post 13Heather wrote: "TtPR - Aviator
15.1 - Russia - Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky
+15 task
task total: 15
grand total: 60
note: I *was* going for seafarer but I can't make m..."
Sorry, Heather, this appears to only fit one criteria of the Pacific Rim Challenge. The brothers (who write under this name) were born in Georgia then moved to Russia and became Russian citizens. The setting of this book appears to be fictional. It therefore will not work for TtPR.
Kate S wrote: "From Post 19, re: post 5....It appears the prolific Mr. Gaiman, published this work in June and then published Fortunately, the Milk (for children) in September. So, this does not qualify for a combo with 10.6. Sorry."Darn! I checked for new Gaiman books but missed that one. I've amended my spreadsheet to show my total (as of Message #61) at 90 rather than 95.
I am hoping to have the Readerboard posted here soon!
From post 26itpdx wrote: "20.1 1964
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
Review
This is a sweet story with a different premise but a number of disconnects. A psychiatrist, who is also an amateu..."
I am sorry to hear you didn't like this. It was on my to read soon list, think I will bump it down a bit for the time being.
This appears to be her most recent book as well.
+5 Combo 10.6
Karen GHHS wrote: "20.5 – Disturbing:Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks, 1010 Lexile
This book was written in 1971 before there were many fine YA authors out there writing realistic fictio..."
+5 Combo 20.6 (#258 on list)
Kate S wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "20.5 – Disturbing:Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks, 1010 Lexile
This book was written in 1971 before there were many fine YA authors out there writi..."
Thanks, Kate!
20.9 Daytona 500The Circle by Dave Eggers
Review: I was intrigued to read this from the first time I heard about it. It centers around a powerful internet company in Northern California and its attempts to be a one stop place to do everything from shop, social network, view videos to voter registration and full disclosure of everything about a person. Mae Holland has just been hired and she is enthralled with everything the Circle's campus has to offer. After a trip home to deal with a family emergency, she realizes how serious the Circle is about its employees participating in everything.
This story really brings into mind just how much information is just too much. People in the book aren't always allowed to be in the moment. They are pressured to share everything with everyone in their circles-zinging and sending smiles or frowns. It sounds exhausting! It also brings up the Big Brother factor with the placing of SeeChange cameras all over.
I should have read it faster because none of it is boring! It really makes you think about the effects of the internet and the quest to know all.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo (508 pgs)
+5 Combo (10.6-most recent book)
Task Total = 40
Grand Total = 55 points
Kate S wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "20.2 PicaresqueFear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Review
I guess I’ll go ahead and start off on the Group Reads book that is likely to..."
Thanks, Kate! I wasn't sure.
Rebekah wrote: "20.7 Group Reads ReduxCode Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
*I don't think this needs a spoiler alert but if you are a purist and won't even read the backs of paperbac..."
Here's another combo I missed. Elizabeth is a Goodreads Author, 10.5. Can I still have the 5 pts?
Kate S wrote: "From Post 31:Connie wrote: "10.9 Nobel Prize for Literature Author
Sula by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison has written a lush, earthy story, set in a segregated area of O..."
+5 Oldies (1973)
Thanks, Kate
Grand total: 95
Rebekah wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "20.7 Group Reads ReduxCode Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
*I don't think this needs a spoiler alert but if you are a purist and won't even read the b..."
Sure thing. I will pick it up during my next scoring session.
Rebekah wrote: "Kate S wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "20.2 PicaresqueFear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Review
I guess I’ll go ahead and start off on the Group Reads book th..."
It is a strange book. :) But it is typically classified as a biography/non-fiction.
Connie wrote: "Kate S wrote: "From Post 31:Connie wrote: "10.9 Nobel Prize for Literature Author
Sula by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison has written a lush, earthy story, set in a segre..."
You're welcome
Kate S wrote: "From post 13Heather wrote: "TtPR - Aviator
15.1 - Russia - Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky
+15 task
task total: 15
grand total: 60
note: I *was* going f..."
i have a question about that, then. Arcady and Boris were both born in Georgia, yes. However, they were born while Georgia was a part of the USSR. would that not count?
10.1Frogs by Aristophanes
Frogs by Aristophanes is one of the classic Greek plays used in literature classes. That said, I can understand why some students are reluctant to read this particular play. I am a huge fan of Greek theater, comedies in particular, and I found it a bit of a struggle to get through. I’m not sure if it was a knowledge gap that made the jokes not come across as well or a poor translation but either way, it was a bit of a slog. If one is going to read Aristophanes, I’d be much more likely to suggest the Lysistrata as an alternate.
+10 task
+25 oldies
+10 review
+10 not a novel
task total: 55
grand total: 115
Heather wrote: "i have a question about that, then. Arcady and Boris were both born in Georgia, yes. However, they were born while Georgia was a part of the USSR. would that not count? ..."Unfortunately, no. Like both Bulgakov and Gogol, Arcady's birthplace is generally given as the present-day country and not as USSR. In order to simplify data-entry and score-keeping, we are going to use the birthplaces as listed, rather than ask the scorekeepers to research which countries were part of which empires/countries at the time of the author's birth.
TtPR - Seafarer15.1 (1st Stop): Canada
Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
+15 task
Task total: 15 points
Grand Total: 155
20.1 1964 A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Lexile 760
+20 task (author born in 1964: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libba_Bray)
Task total: 20 points
Grand total: 175
TtPR – Seafarer15.3 (3rd Stop): Chile
Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolaño
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task total: 25 points
Grand Total: 145
20.8 – Disastrous Reading: Kate S’s taskThe Great Fire by Jim Murphy
1130 Lexile
When I taught elementary music, I used to teach a camp song that the kids loved. The words were:
One dark night when the world was all in bed, old lady O'Leary took a lantern to the shed and when the cow kicked it over she blinked her eyes and said, "it'll be a hot time in the old town tonight!
Little did I know that the song was a part of the ridicule and misinformation put out about the "Great Fire" as the Chicago fire of 1871 has come to be known. Jim Murphy got a well deserved Newbery Honor for this book in which he weaves personal accounts of survivors of the fire with strong storytelling. The fire did begin in the O'Leary's shed, but unwarranted blame was put on the family for the disaster and it became a way of further putting down the poor of the city and putting them in their place when it came time to rebuild. Another interesting account in this book was the vast difference in people's ability to communicate from what technology's advances give us today. It is a fascinating book!
+20 Task: Chicago Fire
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 235
10.1 Reading Resolutions Continue reading Zola's Rougon-Macquart series.Pot Luck by Émile Zola
+10 Task
+10 Oldie (pub 1882)
Task total = 20
Grand total = 60
Task 10.6 - Beginnings/Endings: Read an author's debut book or most recently published book as of December 1, 2013.The author explains in an Author’s Note that this was his first novel, first published in 1983; and, how in this reprinting, he’s resisted the urge to revise the novel except for “fixing some truly egregious grammatical or plot error”. Specifically, (mild (view spoiler)).
Ariel (Change #1) (1983) by Steven R. Boyett
Review: From the cover, I was expecting a post-apocalypse novel; or, maybe, a gritty urban fantasy novel. It was NOT. The first clue that it wasn’t such a novel was the first sentence: "I was bathing in the lake when I saw the unicorn.". Nope, not a gritty novel. Instead, this is a straightforward fantasy novel, begun (so the author’s note said) whilst he was still in college in the late 1970s. The premise of the novel is that, one fine day, for no apparent reason, the physical rules of the planet change – Physics out, Magic in. Our hero, a teenaged boy living in the suburbs of an unnamed Floridian city, survives the transition from physics to magic. Two years after “the change” he meets up with a unicorn (see: first sentence). The novel then becomes an extended road trip made by teenaged boy and unicorn (who talks!), travelling from Florida to New York City. The pair encounters diverse and exotic people and magical beings along the way. The author was a martial arts student at the time he was writing the novel (according to the afterwards), and so some of the encounters involved situations resolved using the martial arts. The action-packed ending flowed naturally from the novel. Overall, I had a positive impression of the novel, and I would pick up the author’s other novels if I were to come across them. Recommended: Fans of fantasy ONLY.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: 5 points (1939-1989)
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 05 = 25
Grand Total: 65 + 25 = 90
The original cover of this novel would have been more accurate as to its contents:
10.6 Beginnings and EndingsW is for Wasted by Sue Grafton
Review
The well known and most beloved of all detectives in contemporary whodunits, Kinsey Millhone is back and we’re so happy to have her! This down to earth, fiercely independent, cynical, lost in the 80’s woman again does her magic. Drawing us in, again into a mystery with a wider social context this time the homeless and fraud. Don’t want to give away too much but she has been found by a long lost relative she never knew she had just at the time he died, leaving her to cope with his estranged, narcissist children, a bitter ex-wife, a well respected research doctor, a dead sleazy PI, his proud and defensive homeless friends and all his worldly possessions. Just the thing Kinsey has always tried to avoid, personal baggage. Not only does she untangle the threads with her signature index cards and good sense but she also has a person from her past and a very rare bob tailed cat to contend with. Over the decades, we have watched Kinsey grow and develop to a character full of complexities, yet whom we love for her simplicity. Another hit for Grafton!
+10 pts - Task
+10 pts - Review
+ 5 pts - Combo (10.3 on Detective fiction list)
Task Total - 25 pts
Grand Total - 210 pts
10.1 Resolutions - reading more non-fiction (1 of 3)Death: A Survival Guide - 100 Ways We Die and How to Avoid Them by Sarah Brewer
I started this book with a morbid curiosity - the same that entices elementary school students to read about bugs and poo. But fear not, there is nothing grotesque here. Almost clinical in tone (Brewer is a doctor, after all), each cause of death is presented with precision. The what, how, and why are covered, as well as how to avoid each.
You could loosely group the ways to die into three categories - those due to bad luck (wrong gene, wrong place, wrong time), those due to excess (too much drinking/eating/smoking), and those due to a lack of sanitation or vaccination. While I was reading I felt like I learned a lot, but now that I'm a few days removed I wonder how much will actually stick.
+10 pts Task
+10 pts Review
+10 pts Not-a-Novel
Task Total - 30 pts
Grand Total - 30 pts
Kazen wrote: "10.1 Resolutions - reading more non-fiction (1 of 3)Death: A Survival Guide - 100 Ways We Die and How to Avoid Them by Sarah Brewer
I started this book with a morb..."
Keep it as a reference for when something comes up! Is the last ditch thing to put your brain in cold storage?
20.1 - 1964It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas
Kleypas' Wallflower books are often mentioned as some of the best Regency romances out there. I'm not sure I would go that far but they are enjoyable, fast reads.
The series centers around four women on the outside edges of the titled elite, trying desperately to marry their way in. The usual tactics haven't worked so they team together, determined to find true love, and fast. Lillian is very American (loves sports! talks to servants!), and Lord Westcliff is... not... but of course they come to realize they have a lot in common after all.
I think I've sussed out Kleypas' formula so I'm worried about the next book in the series but so far, so good.
+10 Task (Kleypas was born in 1964.)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 pts
Grand Total: 50 pts
Rebekah wrote: "Keep it as a reference for when something comes up! Is the last ditch thing to put your brain in cold storage? "It was more about preventing disease and disaster before they're even a problem. So - stop smoking, maintain a healthy weight, exercise, use a mosquito net where malaria is a problem, stay away from live wires, etc. No mention of cold storage. -_^
10.1The Epic of Gilgamesh by Anonymous
The Epic of Gilgamesh is definitely a worthy read. If you can get past the sometimes stilted prose, it’s a Bromance movie in the making. Great king rules city but has no worthy companions. Gods create worthy companion. They go on adventures. Gods get angry because the two kill too many of their creations. Gods punish the two by killing one. The remaining one mourns overmuch. This is the kind of epic adventure piece that modern audiences are really missing out on when they don’t give it a chance, much like the Odyssey and the Iliad. I would wholeheartedly recommend anyone read this piece for any reason.
+10 task
+10 not a novel
+25 oldies
+10 review
task total: 55
grand total: 170
Kazen wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "Keep it as a reference for when something comes up! Is the last ditch thing to put your brain in cold storage? "It was more about preventing disease and disaster before they're ev..."
It sounds like my mom wrote that book. Did it also say you had to eat all your veggies before you could have a pice of cake?
20.9 Daytona 500Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams
Review:
It took me literally months to finish this book. I suppose I wasn’t in the mood for it when I started this book, because I never got further than a few chapters and then let it lie on my bedside table ever since. This season I finally decided to tackle this book and found myself really enjoying it and looking forward to reading the next chapter in the evening before bedtime. The Stone of Farewell is the second book in a trilogy, following the events of The Dragonbone Chair. You should really read the first book before getting to this, because there is a continuous storyline.
This series is a classical fantasy story along the lines of Lord of the Rings. After all the “modern” fantasy I read in the last months it is a nice break. Real heroes and everything. Being the middle book of a trilogy it ended on quite a cliffhanger, so I might just have to get to the last book some time in the near future. I might try the audiobook version for that, though. I have a feeling that I could stick to it better as an audiobook.
+ 20 Task
+ 10 Review
+ 5 Jumbo (576 pages)
+ 5 Combo (10.2)
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 85
20.10 Between the WarsThe Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis born 1898
Review: I grew up with these books however I never finished the series. I've also been wanting to come back to them for a while. I didn't remember very much of this book aside from the beginning. I could read into the allegories a lot more as an adult. I still enjoyed the story for what it was though. Although this was written as a prequel after some of the other books, I like to read it first. It has a very nice tie in to the setting of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I have a good friend who adores these books and is a religious studies major, I'm looking forward to discussing the books with him.
+20 Task Low Lexile
Task Total: 20 points
Grand Total: 60 points
20.7 - Group Reads Redux:Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
I’ve read Fahrenheit 451 earlier and thought to myself ”What’s the fuss about this Ray Bradbury?” Now I know. Something Wicked This Way Comes is a beautifully written story about growing up and ageing in general. It is also a very creepy story about a carnival that lures different people with the promise of wishes fulfilled, whether it be growing up faster or regaining ones youth. But all is not right with the carnival and some wishes are best left unfulfilled. For me the strongest point in the story is the relationship between the boys Jim and Will and Will’s father, Charles. Coming-of-age-stories tend to have a rift between generations with grown-ups who do not understand the children’s world, but Bradbury’s tale finds its resolution precisely in the cooperation of the two generations.
+20 task
+5 combo (20.6 - 20th C, #274 on the list)
+10 review
+5 oldies (published in 1962)
Task total: 40 points
Grand Total: 40 points
15.2 2nd stop in my Aviator's log is Mexico.I read Here's to you, Jesúsa! by Elena Poniatowska. The author was not born in Mexico but became a Mexican national, and the book is set in Mexico.
Grand Total: 30
10.5 - Goodreads authorizedFinger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
+10 task
Task total: 10
Grand total: 10
10.4 - Chinese New Year:Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb
This is the second volume in Robin Hobb’s “Rain Wild Chronicles” and it is definitely a worthy follow-up book to The Dragon Keeper. The group of keepers, dragon and other followers continue up the Rain Wils River in the search of the fabled Elderling city Kelsingra, where it is hoped the dragons will be able to find a proper home. But far from suffering from middle-book syndrome (that the middle book in a trilogy is written mainly to keep the beginning and the end away from each other), the novel has plenty of excitement and character development as none of the participants in the mission remains untouched by the Rain Wilds.
On a side note, the correspondence between the pigeon keepers at the beginning of each chapter should be intensely irrelevant, but somehow comes off as sweet and refreshing, my compliments to the author!
+10 task
+10 combo (20.9 - Daytona 500 (508 pages) + 10.5 - Goodreads authorized)
+10 review
+5 jumbo
Task total: 35 points
Grand Total: 75 points
Re: Post 94I just realized Lisa Kleypas is a Goodreads author, yea! The scoring should read:
+10 Task (Kleypas was born in 1964.)
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.5 - Goodreads author)
Task total: 25 pts
Grand Total: 55 pts
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Reading with Style
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A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin
Review:
The first book by Ira Levin (better known for Rosemary's Baby and The Boys from Brazil) is a psychological thriller about a young man who thinks the easiest way to get a lot of money is to marry it. When his plans go wrong and his target girl becomes a hindrance rather than a help, he takes drastic action.
It's not exactly a mystery because a lot of the story is from the killer's point of view and we find out exactly who he is about half way through. From there it's just a question of whether and how he can be stopped. But Ira Levin still manages to build up the suspense.
'A Kiss Before Dying' doesn't have the depth of many modern psychological thrillers but it's a good read for anybody who likes older mystery/suspense.
+10 task (BefOre dyING)
+ 5 combo (10.6 - first published book)
+10 review
+ 5 oldies (1953)
Task total: 30 points
Grand total: 140