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FA 2015 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2015
20.4 BalanceA Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
Approved from the Canadian list in the 20.4 Help thread
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Review:
Louise Penny has done it again. She's given us another brilliant installment in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series. In book 7 we delve deeper into the lives and psyche of the residents of Three Pines, Quebec, Canada. We also continue to learn more about Chief Inspector Gamache, and his roving band of detectives.
This time a body is found in Peter and Clara's garden the morning after the big party celebrating Clara's art show is held at the house. The identity of the victim takes us back to Clara and Peter's college days. We learn more about the cutthroat and often neurotic goings on of the art community. There are a lot of scenes spent in and around AA meetings, and discussion about the 12 Steps of AA.
We also watch Chief Inspector Gamache, and Jean Guy Beauvior continue to process the aftermath of events in Book #6. (I'm not going to give it away in case you haven't read Book #6 yet.) These books really should be read in order. I've enjoyed listening to the majority of them in audio format. The narrator, Ralph Cosham does an excellent job -- it's his voice I think of now when I hear Gamache's voice in my head.
If you haven't started this series yet --- what are you waiting for? It's terrific. Start with Book 1, Still Life ,and get ready to read a classic mystery series.
+20 Task
+10 Style - Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total: 380 + 30 = 410
10.10 Group ReadsThis Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein
Review
Wow! um Gee! This book leaves me speechless. A very uncomfortable read. It is a dire warning of a book, alerting us to the certainty that if our world economic situation doesn’t change radically very, very quickly, then life as we know it won’t exist, in fact we might not exist if we don’t stop that rapidly approaching 2 degree Celsius warmer train this instant! I’m not scoffing. I believe it. The trouble is can we? I listened to this as an audiobook? When do I listen to audiobooks? As I’m driving, of course. A I’m sitting waiting to pick up my children from school because riding the school bus means they won’t get home until after dark, listen to this book as I wait my turn in the long line of cars of other parents who capitulate that their time and gas weigh less than letting their children having an extra hour to do mountains of homework before dinner. That was making me guilty enough but then I finished it on my drive to Texas and back, where I went to arrange for my mother’s things to be shipped and saw family.
The final stab is my husband recently retired from one of the major oil and gas companies lambasted by the book, one of the companies that allowed us the money to travel extensively and own new cars.
So it’s a major conundrum because although the author and I are scared out of our minds about the oncoming disaster, what to do? Although she describes at the beginning of the book a ludicrous incident in which she must disembark from a plane because the uncommon heat has melted the tar of the tarmac just enough that the planes wheels have gotten stuck on the tarmac and it can’t be moved until a high powered machine that burns fossil fuels can move the massive aircraft that also burns extensive fossil fuels that contribute to the problem, it doesn’t stop her from traveling all around the world to gather the info she needs to write this book.
WE KNOW this has to STOP SOON but as a species we don’t seem to be able to. Her premise that capitalism and free trade has greatly contributed to the problem and that current society’s magical thinking about a scientific discovery just around the corner will save us won’t happen, I agree with but we all must give up a lot. Apathy has to be kicked in the butt and our collective idea economic society has to make a radical change against very powerful profit making companies. As she puts it, it will be like ending the institution of slavery all over again and we know how hard won and what sacrifice that costs. A terrible cost but for a very worthy cause. Can we do it again?
It’s upsetting but thank you for recommending it, Kath. It’s something we all need to talk about.
+10 pts - Task
+10 pts - Review
+10 pts - Not a Novel
+ 5 pts - Jumbo (576 pages)
+10 pts - Combo (10.9 -see post 47, 20.7)
Task Total - 45 pts
Grand Total -1195 pts
20.5 HistoryHoney and Salt by Carl Sandburg
(1940 Won Pulitzer Prize in History)
Review:
A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to have a chance to visit the farm that Carl Sandburg lived on for about the about the last 20 years of his life. It's called, Connemara, and is located in Flat Rock, North Carolina. It's now a National Historic Site. The house was left basically as it was while Sandburg lived there. I remember touring the upstairs and seeing the typewriters with the author's notes still in them. It was pretty amazing.
This book of poetry was written while Sandburg lived at Connemara. It was published in 1963. It contains a wide variety of really lovely poems. I can picture some of the physical locations and plants that Sandburg describes as he would have seen them from his North Carolina environs. The book contains some love poems of various lengths that were stunning in their simplicity and sincerity. It also contained and many nature-themed poems.
It was a treat to delve into this book.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.9, Post #357, 20.2 Publ 1962 - Died 1967)
+10 Style - Review
+10 Style - Not-a-Novel (Poems)
+ 5 Style - Oldies (Publ 1963)
Task Total = 55
Grand Total: 410 + 55 = 465
20.9 Authors with Three NamesFalls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman
Review:
This was totally a 5-star read for me. It's the 2nd in Penman's "Welsh Princes" historical fiction trilogy and featured the continuation Welsh, English and French history during the 13th century. Penman's writing is so skillful, and thoroughly researched. I trust that the history I'm reading is accurate. She brings the story of Simon de Montfort and the Second Baron's Rebellion to life in all it's stark realities.
Honestly, even though I'm a big British history buff, I did not know about this chapter in the Welsh and English history. I did not know that Simon de Montfort led two rebellions to try to make King Henry III keep his word about Parliamentary representation for all English people, not just the nobles. In the book Penman also brings us along in more of the Welsh history. From Llewellyn the Great, to his son Davydd, and grandson 'Llelo', (also named Llewellyn) - the continual in-fighting among the Welsh stops them from being able to throw off the English entirely.
It is a really well-written educational, but not at all dry retelling of the history of those long-ago centuries. I'm looking forward to starting the 3rd book in the trilogy soon.
+20 Task
+10 Style - Review
+ 5 Style - Jumbo (580 pages)
+ 5 Style - Oldies (Publ 1989)
Task Total = 40
Grand Total: 465 + 40 = 505
10.1 AuthorsPsycho by Robert Bloch
+10 task
+10 combo (10.8, 10.9 - post 434)
+ 5 oldies (1959)
Task total=25
Grand total=865
10.1 AuthorsNickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
+10 task
+ 5 combo (10.9 - post 411)
+10 not-a-novel
Task total=25
Grand total=890
10.9 Six Degrees of Kevin BaconSouth of No North by Charles Bukowski
+10 task (post 50)
+ 5 combo (10.6 - born in Germany)
+10 not-a-novel (short stories)
+ 5 oldies (1973)
Task total=30
Grand total=920
10.10 Group ReadsThe Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell
+10 task
Task total=10
Grand total=930
Anika, thanks for this selection. I thoroughly enjoyed it. What a story!
20.2-Innocence Plainsong by Kent Haruf
+20 task (pub. 1999, died 2014)
+ 5 combo (10.9 - post 39)
Task total=25
Grand total=955
20.10 InterconnectedSlade House by David Mitchell
+20 task
+ 5 combo (10.9 - post 84)
Task total=25
Grand total=980
20.7 MicrohistoryThis Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein
Review: It took me awhile to read this for two reasons. One, there is much to digest and think about. And two, there are sections that made me so angry that I had to take a break. Klein looks at climate change and why it has been so difficult for us to address it. Everything from finding the problem so overwhelming that we ignore it, to waiting for a technological solution, to hoping a billionaire will ride to our rescue, to having to find a way around the free market ideology that causes entrenched political and economic power. She describes some of the local battles, many fought by indigenous peoples, that have had some success. She hopes that our collective will and fight for justice for post colonial societies will carry the day. Klein thinks we need to be prepared to act when a spark inspires collective action. So we hope and prepare.
+20 task
+10 combo 10.10, 10.9 post 47
+10 review
+5 jumbo
+10 not a novel
Task Total: 55
Grand Total: 425
15.1 - TtUS Flight-SeerAquarium by David Vann
set in Washington
+15 task
Task total: 15
RwS total: 590
TtUS total: 15
Grand Total: 605
10.5 - October AwardsThree Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson
+10 task
+5 combo (10.4)
+10 not-a-novel
+100 RwS Completion Bonus
Task total: 125
RwS total: 715
TtUS total: 15
Grand Total: 730
Task 10.7 Librivox Read (or listen to) a book shelved at least 5 times as Librivox.
On November 20, 2015 (shelved 6 times as librivox) [page 3]
Tarzan of the Apes (Tarzan #1) (1912) by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Paperback, 304 pages)
Lexile 1000L
+10 Task
+10 Combo (#10.9 Post 390; #20.9 Three names)
+10 Oldies -76 to 150 years old: (1865-1939)
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 540 + 30 = 570
20.2 InnocenceAndrew's Brain by E.L. Doctorow
It's sad to realize there will never be another new novel from Doctorow. The writing is such a pleasure to read. Descriptions of this novel speak of an "unknown interlocutor" but it is clear very early, that this unknown interlocutor is either a psychiatrist or psychologist. Andrew tells of his life thus far, but also wanders off philosophically and scientifically.
The psychiatrist sometimes asks Andrew if something happened in a dream or was it real. Can we ever be certain? Andrew does wander in his thoughts and the telling of his life does not seem to be exactly linear. Well, maybe it is linear, that's a part that is unclear.
In fact, the more you read, the less clear things become. When I finished, my first thought was that Andrew seemed to tell the truth about as often as does our government. The problem seems to be to discern which is truth and which is fiction.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.3, 10.9 - Post 31)
+10 Review
Task total = 40
Grand Total = 605
Post 857 Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "10.9 Six DegreesA Wizard of Earthseaby Ursula K. Le Guin
Review
This is the second Ursela Le Guin I have read. The story was just okay. The main character had two name..."
I'm sorry, Jayme. As in the task description "name prefixes (la, de, l' etc.) will not be counted as separate names" so that Le Guin doesn't count for your 20.9 combo.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "20.2 InnocenceAndrew's Brain by E.L. Doctorow
It's sad to realize there will never be another new novel from Doctorow. The writing is such a pleasure to read. Desc..."
I mourn with you over the loss of this author
itpdx wrote: "20.7 MicrohistoryThis Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein
Review: It took me awhile to read this for two reasons. One, there is much to diges..."
Sounds like you were as overwhelmed as I was. I also had to take breaks to cool off
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 857 Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "10.9 Six DegreesA Wizard of Earthseaby Ursula K. Le Guin
Review
This is the second Ursela Le Guin I have read. The story was j..."
I didn't think so. That's why I had it as a combo. No big loss.
Krista wrote: "20.4 BalanceA Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
Approved from the Canadian list in the 20.4 Help thread
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...#..."
+5 Combo 10.9
Bea wrote: "I DID IT!"Way to go, Bea!! Congrats!
Lagullande wrote: "+100 RwS Completion Bonus"Well done, Lagullande!
20.8 DARThe Bounty Mutiny by William Bligh
Review
This is not the dramatic version of the story that became a classic and thrilling movie but rather the dry, factual report of Lieutenant William Bligh as read to the court martial concerning the loss of the ship. In this report which details from the time he was given command and the ship’s provisions being seen to until his safe return with two other of his fellow castaways, he seems to be rational, vey thoughtful of his men’s safety, health, rest, recreation etc. and not the tyrannical “Captain Bligh” often thought of when the account comes to mind. He really had no idea why there was a mutiny and was most distressed that the man whom he had so much faith and friendship was the one who led the mutiny.
However this particular written history does not obsess on the actual event that happened in April 28, 1789 but is a chronological account of the entire journey, descriptions of islands, the people, the flora an fauna and many, many descriptions of place and time and sea depths only understood by other seafarers. The most remarkable part is that the Bligh and 18 crew members were put into a 23 ft. launch along with about a week’s worth of provisions and no charts, yet they made a 4,000 mile ocean journey through hostile islands, rough seas and near starvation to the colony of Timor with the loss of only one man. Later others did die due to disease and their weakened state but the sheer poor odds that this man overcame with such a positive outcome surely proves he was a very able and resourceful captain.
+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Review
+. 5 pts - Combo (20.1)
+10 pts - not a novel
+15 pts - Oldies (1790)
Task Total - 60 pts
Grand Total - 1210 pts
10.4 MathThe Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen
+10 Task (one)
+10 Combo (10.9-post 39, 20.9)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 1970
20.9 Three Named AuthorsDashing Through the Snow by Mary Higgins Clark
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 1990
20.7 Microhistory1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann
+20 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel
+5 Jumbo (541 pages)
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 2025
10.7 LibrivoxThe History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding
+10 Task
+20 Oldies (1749)
+25 Jumbo (1024 pages)
+10 Combo (10.9-post 394, 20.2)
Post Total: 65
Season Total: 2090
15.3 TtUS Land CruiserGeorgia
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 2005
10.9 Six DegreesTruth and Beauty by Ann Patchett
Review:
"Truth and Beauty" is a memoir about the close friendship Ann Patchett shared with the writer Lucy Grealy. At the age of nine, Grealy was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma. She went through years of radiation, chemotherapy, and reconstructive surgeries of her lower jaw. But it was still difficult for her to eat, speak, and kiss. Grealy published the successful "Autobiography of a Face" in 1994 about her experiences.
Patchett and Grealy, both graduates of Sarah Lawrence College, became best friends when sharing an apartment at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Although Grealy had a great number of friends, she longed for true love with a man. No relationship met her romantic expectations, and her overwhelming need for love. In addition to physical pain, Grealy also suffered the emotional pain of feeling unattractive and had a history of depression.
The book is a combination of Patchett's memories and Grealy's letters. Grealy comes across as creative, intelligent, and charismatic, but also extremely irresponsible with money and emotionally needy. Patchett spent twenty years as her devoted, loving, responsible friend. While the friendship brought many moments of joy to Patchett, it also seemed very demanding and suffocating. In spite of the overwhelming efforts of Patchett and others, no one could save Grealy from her demons. This memoir of a fascinating friendship kept my attention from beginning to end.
+10 task (post 403)
+10 not a novel
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 595
Kate S wrote: "Well done, Lagullande!"Thanks, Kate. Right back at you!
Task 20.1-Celebration! Help celebrate Elizabeth's 70th birthday this season by reading a book whose original publication year contains both a 7 and a 0. Yes, doubles qualify (1770 and 2007 are fine)!
The Court of the Air (Jackelian #1) (2007) by Stephen Hunt (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 582 pages)
+20 Task
+05 Jumbo 500-699 Pages: 5 Points
Task Total: 20 + 05 = 25
Grand Total: 570 + 25 = 595
15.8 TtUS Land CruiserPlainsong by Kent Haruf
Colorado
+15 Task
+10 bonus
Task total: 25
Grand Total : 450
20.5 HistoryNo Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt - The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Before reading this, whenever I thought of FDR it was vague history-class-memories of the New Deal and WWII and of Eleanor it was always inspirational quotes that have been posted on Pinterest. After reading this, I feel like I have a better idea of who these people were and what made them tick. I was charmed by FDR and awed by Eleanor, whose indefatigable work in seeking equality for the African American population and equality in the workplace for women is legendary. This immaculately-researched book was perfect for me to read right now, as it parallels on so many levels our current political world stage.
I think the most shocking thing to me ("shocking" in that I didn't realize this and always thought quite the opposite) was the fact that their marriage was far more a business partnership than a romantic partnership. In the early years of their marriage, FDR had an affair and Eleanor found out about it. FDR's mother threatened to disown him and cut him off financially--which would destroy his political career--if he left his wife and family for his mistress. Franklin chose to stay, but they slept in separate bedrooms and were never "intimate" again. So much of their life was spent doing so much good--but always miles apart. On the day that FDR died in Warms Springs, GA, Eleanor was at a speaking engagement in Washington DC...and Lucy Mercer, the "other woman" from so many years earlier, was with him.
+20 Task (1995 Pulitzer Prize for History)
+10 Jumbo (759 pages)
+ 15 Combo (10.4; 10.9--awaiting approval; 20.9)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
Task Total = 65
+100 RwS Finish
+200 Mega Finish
Grand Total = 1685
10.9 Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon-Ed's Task-Read a book that you can connect to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less ~ post #382
Tracks: a Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson
Review
A special kind of woman is needed to accomplish this feat! That’s not to say that she did it without any hardship. It was a struggle to get this project off the ground and it was tough to survive without any companions (most especially human ones) but she did it. She traversed the harsh Australian desert mostly with only camels and a dog to accompany her. Despite her suffering, she’s developed a respect for the environment and the indigenous people she’s met along the way. The movie was pretty good but as always, it’s missed a lot of what was in the book –most especially, Robyn’s thoughts and comments on nature, the indigenous, people, the world in the general, and most of all, lessons she’s learnt of herself. Also, because it was mostly her trip through the desert, the movie was a bit boring though good cinematic perspective.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
+5 Oldies (first pub. 1980)
Total this post: 35
Total points: 565
10.8 The Horrors!The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
+10 Task (#3 on list)
+ 5 Combo (10.9 post 20)
Task total=15
Grand total=995
15.9 TtUS Land CruiserWounded by Percival Everett
Wyoming
+15 Task
+15 bonus
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 480
10.9 Six DegreesThe Longest Memory by Fred D'Aguiar
post 414
Review and Spoiler Alert
Five stars for this examination of slavery in Virginia in the early 1800s. So much packed in just 144 pages. The story begins with a young slave boy being caught after an escape attempt. The boy is whipped by the absent Master's son who is the overseer. 200 lashes....the customary penalty for escapees. The boy dies. Each proceeding chapter is presented from the point of view of another character. We learn that the boy's father, in an attempt to save his son, revealed where he could be found. We learn that the boy was actually the son of the Master himself. The overseer eventually learns that he has killed his half-brother. Beyond the mere storyline, the author displays each character as true individuals dealing with all the contradictions that slavery presents. Newspaper editorials are used to present the questions being debated by southern society at the time. A disturbing and important read. Hope it is made into a movie.
task +10
review +10
total = 20
grand total = 500
20.10 InterconnectedIn Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Review: This short story collection was one of the saddest books I’ve read, mostly because of the contrast from the beginning of each story to the end. Most of the stories were basically love stories, all surrounding a wealthy Pakistani family. Some were about the servants, some about the family members themselves, but basically all ended tragically. It did evoke a place (in fact, I think this was one that showed up on one of the lists for next season’s task), but I do wish there were more hope in some. One story in particular would have ended in a sad but realistic way, but a paragraph at the end acted as a kind of tacked on epilogue making it downright depressing. Read this if you want to read about a culture that isn’t heavily represented in typical American fiction; don’t read it if you want to feel good about the world.
+20 Task (centers around a single family; description shows it as interconnected)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
+5 Combo (20.4)
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 1300
10.8 The Horrors!Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Lexile 1070)
Review: Like many swashbuckling adventure stories I’ve read, I found Treasure Island to be oddly unsatisfying. I know the genre has changed since this came out, but it was so focused on plot and adventure that I never connected with any characters. I’m sure there were times when I read the same page multiple times, just because the story wasn’t connecting with me. I will continue to try to read some of the “classics” of the genre, but might eventually have to come to terms with the fact that I tend to like my books just a little lighter on adventure and heavier on character development.
+10 Task
+10 Oldies (pub. 1883)
+10 Review
+15 Combo (10.7, 10.9, 20.2)
Task total: 45
Grand Total: 1345
10.10 Group ReadsThe Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell
Review: I remember getting this book out of the library when it first came out, but I never got around to actually reading it before it needed to be returned. I didn’t really remember anything about the description, and didn’t bother to look it up since it was on my TBR. I think I’m glad I didn’t read much about it, since that allowed the book to unfold a little better. I didn’t love the style, although I understand why the author used it, but I did really enjoy the last 50 pages or so, when all the characters kind of really started to crystallize in my mind. It’s not an easy book, but it’s maybe a hopeful one, depending I think on your perspective going in.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 1365
15.3 – TtUS Land Cruiser (Round 2)The Good, the Bad, and the Emus by Donna Andrews
Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Emus is a fine but not stellar installment in the Meg Langslow series of cozy mysteries. If you want to read the books, I’d start much closer to the beginning – each one stands pretty much alone, but you really get to know all the kooky characters if you start early. My favorite part about these is that the main character acknowledges just how silly it is that she keeps getting wrapped up in murder mysteries. Since that’s my biggest problem with cozies, I like the winky attitude. In this one, Meg sets out investigating something that isn’t a murder, but quickly gets wrapped up in a big conspiracy. I’ve liked previous installments better – the characters in this one didn’t interact as much as I’d like, and I figured out most of the mystery well before Meg did – but a mediocre Meg book is still going to be a lot of fun.
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 1380
10.2 Agatha Christie (1890-1976)Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
Review: I received this book as a gift a while ago, and while it’s a tiny book (really a novella) and was described to me as a book lover’s book, I just hadn’t gotten around to reading it until now. I’d never really even heard of Christopher Morley, even though he wrote over a hundred books! I was a little worried at the beginning, since the first twenty pages didn’t really suck me in, but I must just have been tired last night because the rest of the story was delightful. It’s a cute, fun book with quirky characters, books, and animals right in the center, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I recommend it to anyone – even if you don’t love it, it’s so short it shouldn’t feel like a waste of time.
+10 Task (born 1890, died 1957)
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (pub. 1917)
+5 Combo (10.9 – pending approval for post 431)
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 1415
20.7 MicrohistoryKilling Time: Leisure and Culture in Southwestern Pennsylvania, 1800-1850 by Scott C. Martin
Review: Killing Time is really a book that’s only for people who are REALLY interested in Pittsburgh history. It’s mostly a dry academic study of a period in the region’s history after it was a wilderness but before it was an industrial powerhouse. The most interesting part about it was that I could see the issues under discussion in the early 1800s as a series of modern click-bait headlines – things like “All Work, No Play – Are We Putting Too Many Hours in at the Office?” and “Men at Rest – Women Work Harder in the Home and Out!” I did get a big kick out of reading people’s names that now grace roads and towns throughout the area, and I liked that it pulled in the history of the surrounding area rather than just the city, including the town where my dad grew up.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
+5 Combo (10.4)
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 1460
10.1 AuthorA Reason to Live by Maureen McKade
Review: I thought this book was set in Tennessee, but it turned out to be a pre-car road trip novel, so I couldn’t use it for TtUS. I figured that out around 25% through, but the story engaged me enough that I kept reading anyway. There were a lot of things to love about this historical romance, including the fact that it’s set just after the Civil War in the US. That’s rare enough that it was super refreshing to read. The characters’ attitudes were also refreshing, if possibly anachronistic. It also focused really more on the character development of the individual characters more than the romance in a way, which was both a strength and a weakness. I kind of felt like it shouldn’t have forced the romance into as much a place of prominence as it ended up being – I felt short changed on both sides. There were also a few too many coincidences for my taste, and I found many of the revelations to be predictable. Still, I’d read more by this author, especially after reading too many Regency England romances.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 1480
20.3 Difficult (top 150)Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
Review: Being on multiple lists of most difficult and most often started but not finished books, I was surprised at how easy to read I found Dhalgren to read. That’s not to say I understood everything that was going on, either at or beneath the surface, but it wasn’t the slog I expected it to be. Really, I felt like I was reading some combination of Infinite Jest and American Gods, set in one of the parties the detectives on Dragnet were always breaking up (like Blue Boy was going to appear on the page). I can’t say I LIKED the book exactly, but it felt both completely of its time and of any time, as well as both completely relatable and absolutely incomprehensible in a way that few books accomplish. I didn’t love its depictions of women, although it says interesting things about race and homosexuality, especially for its time. Also, a portion of the last section was basically just made up of alternating descriptions of bowel movements and group sex, which was unsettling at best.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (pub. 1974)
+15 Jumbo (801 pages)
+5 Combo (10.9 – post 187)
Task Total: 55
RwS Completion Bonus: 100
Mega Bonus: 200
Grand Total: 1835
10.9 Six DegreesThe Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
Review:
In this zany novel the centenarian Allan Karlsson climbs out the window of his nursing home to avoid his birthday party. Wearing bedroom slippers, he heads to the nearby train station. One crazy event after another lands Allan and some new friends (with criminal backgrounds) heading through Sweden while avoiding the police.
Alternating chapters tell us about Allan's backstory as a munitions expert. Although he avoids talking about politics and religion, Allan found himself inadvertently meeting world leaders and influencing history for eighty years. Allan is an optimist who needs nothing more than a good meal and some vodka to make him happy.
The reader has to suspend disbelief that a 100-year-old man could be in such good shape physically and mentally as Allan is. Just go with the flow, and enjoy the escapades of this remarkable centenarian. I especially enjoyed the social commentary and the dry humor describing our world leaders.
+10 task (post 433)
+ 5 combo (10.4 Math-Hundred)
+10 review
Task total: 25
Grand total: 620
15.6 TTUS Land CruiserThe Echo Maker by Richard Powers
NEBRASKA
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 510
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
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Bonnie Jo Campbell (other topics)Peter Gottlieb (other topics)
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J.A. Jance (other topics)
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The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
State: Wyoming
+15 Task
+15 Bonus (TtUS Land Cruiser Tasks 9-10)
Task Total = 30
Grand Total: 350 + 30 = 380