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FA 2015 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2015
From Post 479Deedee wrote: "Task 20.4
Read one of the top 100 from the list South Asian Fiction OR one of the top 125 books from the list Best Canadian Literature.
October 18, 2015: #009 of Best Canadian Literature
[book..."
+5 Combo 20.1 (1970)
From Post 488Katy wrote: "15.4 TtUS Land Cruiser
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Missouri
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 250"
Sorry, Katy, this is shelved as YA at the BPL and does not have a lexile score at this time. It does not work for the TtUS. Would you like to use it for one of the RwS tasks?
From Post 490Katy wrote: "10.1 Authors
The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear by Seth Mnookin
The Panic Virus attempts to explain how and why anti-vaccine belief has spr..."
+5 Combo 20.7
20.10 InterconnectedThe Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories by Anthony Marra
Review:
I love Anthony Marra's wonderful storytelling! His writing was beautiful in "A Constellation of Vital Phenomena", and he's impressed me again with this collection of interconnected short stories set in Russia from 1937 to the present. There is more character development than in most short stories since each story is fairly long, and characters tend to show up again in later stories.
The first story is set in Leningrad during the Stalin regime. Roman, a Russian artist turned censor, has the job of airbrushing dissidents out of photos to remove them from history. When his brother Vaska is executed, Roman draws small portraits of his brother into the altered photos, showing Vaska at all stages of his life so he will not be forgotten. These pictures of Vaska, as well as a photo of a ballerina, will pop up again in other stories.
Some of the stories are set near a nickel mine and refinery in the Siberian town of Kirovsk. Life is horrible, but absurbist humor can be found in the workings of the government agencies. The only way to survive in Kirovsk is to fly under the radar so you don't get noticed, and watch what you say so you won't be betrayed.
Another story is set in Chechnya after the 1999 bombing. The deputy director of the destroyed art museum is given a new job as the director of tourism. Although the situation in the bombed out city is tragic, there is a lot of dry humor as he tries to attract the tourists. A painting rescued from the museum shows a scene that figures into some other stories.
Marra shows us a wide range of human emotions and experiences. The stories are written from the heart, balancing the darkness with a seasoning of humor and love. I'll be following this talented young author to see what he publishes next.
+20 task
+10 not a novel (short stories)
+10 review
Task total: 40
Grand total: 410
20.2 InnocenceFrom the Terrace by John O'Hara (1905-1970)
O'Hara is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors. Another GR reviewer - correctly, I think - places him among the naturalism writers. I don't know if he was influenced by Zola or others in that "movement", but he does seem to fit from what I've read.
The book opens in the latter part of the 19th Century telling us about Samuel Eaton, owner of Eaton Steel in southern Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. "But this is Alfred's story." This book is how events develop a person's character. There is an intertwining, however, of how a person's character might influence events. It would be a stretch to suggest there is a lot of plot and if I were to use the word action, you might think this is an entirely different type of novel. Things happen, and Alfred becomes a man. He is a fine man with high ideals and integrity, but, at the same time, flawed.
O'Hara gives us this one excellent and completely real characterization. The other male characters are not quite as fully fleshed, but definitely believable, as are two of the female characters. I feel less confident in suggesting that most of the female cast is completely real and believable. With those two exceptions, the women are, for the most part, bitchy sex-starved gossips.
The prose is just what I like. My one quibble is that sometimes I got lost in the long passages of dialogue and had to go back and reread to make sure I knew who was saying which lines. But the sentence structure is complex and varied and the vocabulary is such that the reader is expected to have gotten past elementary school.
There is enough sex that I commented to my husband it probably couldn't have gotten published 20 years earlier, but is quite tame now.
"You didn't even take off your nightgown."
"You pulled it up."
"No. You pulled it up."
What happens between the pulling up of the nightgown and the conversation about its having been pulled up is left to our imagination. But we are given to believe that Raymond Alfred Eaton is quite good at everything he does from making money to satisfying a woman.
From very early in, I thought this is a 5-star read. Somewhere around 700 pages the thought crossed my mind that it is a bit long. By the end, however, I felt it all belonged, that without any of it, the ending would not have been as strong. You and I might want a different ending. It is what it is. Events form a man's character.
+20 Task (pub 1958)
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.2, 10.9 post 387)
+ 5 Oldies
+20 Jumbo (912 pgs)
Task total - 65
Grand Total = 310
10.9 Six Degrees of Kevin BaconNorth of Beautiful by Justina Chen (Lexile 850)
Review: North of Beautiful tows the line between a more realistic, “literary” YA book and a kind of stereotypical YA romancey book, ending up kind of failing in some ways at both. I usually prefer the stereotypical kinds, although I’ve moved away from YA more recently, so in this case the extended map metaphors and other more “literary” things just kind of made the book drag for me. The moral of the story seems to be to accept yourself as you are and that beauty doesn’t come in one flavor, but at the same time I’m not certain the book embraces that notion entirely. I was a little uncomfortable at the way it addressed weight and “health,” even if I did feel the main character managed to learn a little about what really matters in life. It wasn’t a bad book, just not one I can totally get behind.
+10 Task (pending approval from post 396)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 670
15.9 – TtUS Land Cruiser Topaz by Beverly Jenkins
Set >50% in Oklahoma
+15 Task
+15 Bonus
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 700
15.10 – TtUS Land Cruiser Second Hand by Heidi Cullinan
Set entirely in Colorado
+15 Task
+15 Bonus
Task Total: 30
Land Cruiser Completion Bonus: 100
Grand Total: 830
15.6 TtUS - Flight seersThe Yellow Rose Beauty Shop by Carolyn Brown - Texas
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task total:25
Grand total: 170
10.3 DictionaryNight Whispers by Alisha Rai
Review: I read this because the author will be at an event I’m attending soon, and none of her other books were available at my library. It’s not the one I would’ve chosen – zombie books are not really my thing – but I ended up enjoying the heck out of it. It’s really more of a post-apocalyptic romance, and the zombies act more like gross versions of vampires, at least in that they drink blood and transmit the disease that way, rather than eating brains or whatever. The romance was, if slightly undeveloped on the page, very cute, and the hero was a geek and not a jerky alpha hero. I’m super sad there isn’t a second book showing up anywhere, but I’ll be tracking down more of her other work eventually, regardless of whether or not she writes a sequel.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 850
15.7 TtUS - Flight SeersFailure to Appear by J.A. Jance - Oregon
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task total: 25
Grand total:
15.8 - TtUS - Flight SeersNYPD Red 2 by James Patterson - New York
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task total: 25
Grand total: 220
15.9 - TtUS - Flight seersJack in the Pulpit by Cynthia Riggs - Massachusetts
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task total: 25
Grand total: 245
20.1 CelebrationThe Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver - published 2007
+20 task
Task total: 20
Grand total: 275
20.1 CelebrationThe Overlook by Michael Connelly - published 2007
+20 task
Task total: 20
Grand total: 295
15.10 - TtUS - Flight SeersWhiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath - Illinois
+15 task
+10 bonus
+50 completion bonus
Task total: 75
Grand total: 370
10.8 The HorrorsBloody Mary by J.A. Konrath
+10 task
+5 (Combo 10.3 Dictionary)
Task total: 15
Grand total: 385
20.9 Author with Three NamesA Conspiracy of Faith by Jussi Adler-Olsen
+20 task
+5 (Combo 10.9 Approved authors post 39)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 410
Kate S wrote: "From Post 488Katy wrote: "15.4 TtUS Land Cruiser
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Missouri
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 250"
Sorry, Katy, this is ..."
Oh wow, I would not have expected that! Let's hope it's not shelved as Assignment...pretty horrific and gruesome for English class! (Though I might have enjoyed that as a teenager, I suppose). It doesn't fit any other task, I don't think...sigh...back to the drawing board for Missouri!!!
Kate S wrote: "From Post 490Katy wrote: "10.1 Authors
The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear by Seth Mnookin
The Panic Virus attempts to explain how and why..."
Thanks, Kate!!
Katy wrote: "Kate S wrote: "From Post 488Katy wrote: "15.4 TtUS Land Cruiser
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
....It doesn't fit any other task, I don't think...sigh...back to the drawing board for Missouri!!!"
Katy, I just posted a chain for Gillian Flynn on Six Degrees. Hope it works!
D wrote: "Katy wrote: "Kate S wrote: "From Post 488Katy wrote: "15.4 TtUS Land Cruiser
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
....It doesn't fit any other task, I don't think...sigh......"
Ooooh, thanks! I can't think why that task didn't occur to me...clearly I am off my game, what with forgetting to check BPL for that book and ignoring Six Degrees! Thanks for that! (On the plus side, I did find a new book for Missouri already that looks terrific).
Katy wrote: "D wrote: "Katy wrote: "Kate S wrote: "From Post 488Katy wrote: "15.4 TtUS Land Cruiser
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
....It doesn't fit any other task, I don't think..."
You're welcome. If you made it through that book, you deserve some points! I chickened out on reading it after I read some of the reviews:-) Glad you found a replacement Missouri book!
20.9 Three NamesSticks & Sconesby Diane Mott Davidson
Review
This is the tenth book in the Goldy Bear series. Goldy Bear's business is still struggling so when she gets a chance for a big booking at Hyde Chapel, she takes it. Hyde Chapel is owned by Eliot whose family inherited the castle and he had it shipped piece by piece from England. If Goldy does well, this can mean steady catering jobs. Before she can start the catering job, her house is shot at and she and her family is forced to move into Hyde Castle. Will she survive the castle's haunted history and solve the crime?
Task +20
Review +10
Book Total: 30
Grand Total: 170
Kate S wrote: "From Post 399Marie wrote: "Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
+20 Task
+25 Combo (20.9 ; 20.2 - published in 1605, died in 1616 ; 10.9 ; 10.7 - 8 times ; 10..."
Oops sorry! I was claiming it for 20.3 Difficult
I've updated my post to add this.
15.3 - TtUS Land CruisersFlight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver
set in Tennessee
+15 Task
Total this post: 15 points
Total points: 320 points
20.9 Authors with Three NamesA Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
Review
It’s been a while since I’ve read all the Sherlock Holmes books so whilst the first part of the book was very familiar, I didn’t remember the second part at all. It was also very interesting to read the “cutting edge” research Holmes does to support his investigative operations are now what the modern world expect our police officers / detectives to do (ie. being able to differentiate a brown stain as blood or not, etc). A Study in Scarlet does read very much like a set up to a series (introducing main characters) but the mystery and the overall execution was still very enjoyable.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.7 - shelved as Librivox by 9 people)
+10 Review
+15 Oldies (pub. 1887)
Total this post: 50
Total points: 370
15.3 - TtUS Land CruiserThe Echo Maker by Richard Powers
set in Nebraska
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 1000
Beth wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Beth, could you post the review in the group please? Thanks!"Ok, edited..."
Thank you for adding your reviews to your posts, Beth. Unfortunately a few of them don't meet our 100 word minimum. Could you add another sentence or two to posts 498, 499, 506, and 507 please?
From Post 498Beth wrote: "10.3 Dictionary
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
+10 task
+10 review
The book was fun and creepy. I liked it.
I couldn't help comparing it to the movie as I went,..."
+10 Combo 20.2 and 20.6
+5 Oldies (1990)
From Post 499Beth wrote: "10.6 Reunification-
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
+10 task
+10 review
+10 age
+5 combo 20.2
Very weird story. And even odder knowing it was written in 1915. I fou..."
+10 Combo 10.7 and 10.8
Beth wrote: "10.8 The Horrors!-Karen's TaskFrankenstein by Mary Shelley
+10 task
+10 review
+15 age
+10 combo - 20.6 >300,000 ratings / 10.7 librivox
I'd never read Frankenstein..."
+5 Combo 20.3
Beth wrote: "10.7 LibrivoxThe Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
+10 task
+15 age
+10 review
Melodrama galore! One of the big plot pieces I spotted at the beginning and was..."
+5 Combo 20.2
Beth wrote: "10.2 Agatha Christie-Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
+10 task
+10 review
+10 age
+5 combo - Huxley on Kevin Bacon approved list
I hadn't read this book for school, a..."
+5 Combo 20.6
Norma wrote: "20.1 CelebrationThe Overlook by Michael Connelly - published 2007
+20 task
Task total: 20
Grand total: 295"
This book was first published in 2000, so unfortunately it does not work for 20.1. Sorry.
Katy wrote: "D wrote: "Katy wrote: "Kate S wrote: "From Post 488Katy wrote: "15.4 TtUS Land Cruiser
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
....It doesn't fit any other task, I don't think..."
I have added this for 10.9. Glad you found another Missouri book, Katy. Hope it's a good one!
Marie wrote: "Kate S wrote: "From Post 399Marie wrote: "Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
+20 Task
+25 Combo (20.9 ; 20.2 - published in 1605, died in 1616 ; 10.9 ; 10.7..."
Got it. Thanks, Marie.
Tien wrote: "20.9 Authors with Three NamesA Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
Review
It’s been a while since I’ve read all the Sherlock Holmes books so whilst the first part o..."
+10 Combo 10.8 and 10.9
From Post 509Coralie wrote: "20.1 Celebration!
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
+20 Task (published 2007)
+10 Combo (10.9 – post 305, 20.10)
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 870"
+10 Not-a-Novel (this has been cataloged as short story in our database)
From Post 530Norma wrote: "20.9 Author with Three Names
A Conspiracy of Faith by Jussi Adler-Olsen
+20 task
+5 (Combo 10.9 Approved authors post 39)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 410"
+5 Jumbo 512 pages in MPE
From Post 539Tien wrote: "20.9 Authors with Three Names
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
Review
It’s been a while since I’ve read all the Sherlock Holmes books so whilst the first part o..."
Sorry, Tien, 1887 earns 10 oldies points, not 15.
Cory Day wrote: "15.10 – TtUS Land Cruiser Second Hand by Heidi Cullinan
Set entirely in Colorado
+15 Task
+15 Bonus
Task Total: 30
Land Cruiser Completion Bonus: 100
Grand Tota..."
Congratulations on your TtUS completion! Hope you enjoyed your tour of the states.
Norma wrote: "15.10 - TtUS - Flight SeersWhiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath - Illinois
+15 task
+10 bonus
+50 completion bonus
Task total: 75
Grand total: 370"
Well done, Norma! Congrats on your TtUS finish!
10.1 AuthorsIn Order to Live by Yeomi Park
Review
”We tell ourselves stories in order to live.”
~Joan Didion
I don’t even know where to start! I can’t imagine going through half the horrible things Yeonmi Park has been through and still come out on top. I can only admire her resilience, strength, and courage in persevering through her suffering and now to acknowledge her horrifying experience in public. That takes real guts and this young lady has them in spades!
The prologue began just as Yeonmi and her mother made their bids into freedom. But, on the other side of the river, what they found was not freedom... Later on, after they found freedom, they could not speak of what happened but as they slowly accustomed themselves to life outside of North Korea, Yeonmi ”realized that without the whole truth my life would have no power, no real meaning... I understand that sometimes the only way we can survive our own memories is to shape them into a story that makes sense out of events that seem inexplicable.”
She began with the backgrounds of her families who, by the time she was born, had bad songbun (something like a reputation that determined your position is society). Whilst her father was a cunning businessman and so their family situation is somewhat better, they still went through periods when they did not have food to eat. When Yeonmi was thirteen, her sister went to seek freedom and Yeonmi dragged her mother along to follow her sister.
What happened across the river, in China, was terrible and whilst it was not described in graphic details but there is enough to make me cringe and for my heart to shrink in fear, shame and sympathy –for the victims but also shame that we, as people, can behave with such pitiful acts. Even those who mean well can have other motives. Once again, Yeonmi needed to escape to finally find that elusive freedom; the freedom to live and think and be yourself.
Despite all the heartbreaking incidents, Yeonmi was determined to educate herself. She was fifteen when she arrived in South Korea but has only the schooling of early primary child. She worked hard and succeeded in entering college of her choice. However, as life took her on a ride, she came to a realisation that she wanted to fight for those left behind.
As she fought for food, for living as a human being, Yeonmi had to struggle with her mindset (from worshipping the Kims as gods to acknowledging them as humans and capable of atrocious acts). All the things we’ve taken for granted, she has had to fight for from an early age. There are marked differences between her childhood pictures and my own kids’ photos and I don’t know whether it’s an Asian thing or whether I know in my head she hasn’t the happiest childhood but her photos do not look at all happy! As a young mother, that really touched me. She has been through the hottest fire and been forged into a beautiful warrior for those downtrodden. My sincerest gratitude to Yeomi Park for sharing her true life story and best wishes for her future.
...we all have our own deserts. They may not be the same as my desert, but we all have to cross them to find a purpose in life and be free.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
Total this post: 30
Total points: 405
10.4 MathTwo for the Dough by Janet Evanovich
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.9 post 365)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 620
10.7 LibrivoxA Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett YA810
+10 Task
+20 Task (10.3-A-L-P; 10.9-post 92; 20.2, 20.9)
+10 Oldies (1905)
Post Total: 40
Season Total: 660
10.10 Group ReadsThis Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.9-post 47)
+5 Jumbo (576 pages MPE)
+10 Not-a-Novel
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 690
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Reading with Style
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Rebekah wrote: "20.10 Interconnected
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Review
Farts, Butts, Mooning, Genitalia, Sex Rampant including in trees and through windows, what a perfect ..."
+5 Combo 10.7