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FA 2015 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2015
20.10 InterconnectedPeople in Glass Houses by Shirley Hazzard
This book is a collection of short stories about people working for the same Organisation
+20 task
+5 Oldies (published 1967)
+10 Not a Novel (short stories)
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 690
20.10 InterconnectedWait for Signs: Twelve Longmire Stories by Craig Johnson
+20 task
+10 combo (10.4; 10.9-post 366)
+10 not-a-novel
Task total=40
Grand total=755
10.9 Six DegreesThe Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Review:
Two sisters are transformed by the war as the Nazis occupy France. The older sister, Vianne Mauriac, tries to protect her child and help her Jewish best friend while their husbands are off fighting. While a German officer is billeted in her home, Vianne works to secretly save the children of her Jewish neighbors.
Her younger sister, Isabelle, flees from Paris to the Loire Valley where Vianne lives. Isabelle seemed unrealistic at first, acting so openly reckless. She becomes part of the Resistance, returning to Paris and helping downed Allied airmen. Fiery, young, and passionate, she directed her dislike of the Nazis into work to help her country. Both sisters put their lives in danger to save others while the important men in their lives also wondered if they would survive the war years.
"The Nightingale" is my favorite of all the Kristin Hannah books I have read. It shows a slice of history from the point of view of the women left back home. The emotional relationships between the sisters, with their father, between friends, and with daughters play an important part in the plot. The story tugs at the heart as a mother had to find a way to feed her child when the Nazis looted their food. Jewish friends are torn from their homes, and the Nazis are searching for Resistance workers. Who will survive the concentration camps? Although you would not pick up this book for great literary writing, it was a page turner that tears at the heart. 4 1/2 stars.
+10 task (post 107)
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 355
20.10 - InterconnectedAll Involved by Ryan Gattis
All Involved is set during the LA riots, but it's not about the LA riots. If you want a detailed account covering all sides of the six day affair look elsewhere, as this is just a slice.
A juicy, engrossing, bloody slice.
When chaos broke out after the verdict in the Rodney King trial was announced some people saw it as an opportunity.
"There are no rules now. None. Not with people rioting. I shiver when I realize every single cop in the city is somewhere else, and that means it's officially hunting season on every fucking fool who ever got away with anything and damn, does this neighborhood have a long memory. I snort and take a second to appreciate the evil weight of it."
The story, told by 17 different first-person narrators, covers one thread of plot that very well could have happened. Gang members are rife, as you would expect, but there's also a nurse, a homeless man, a firefighter. I thought things would feel fractured but it's more like advancing the same story from a different angle. There's no going back but now and then previous narrators reappear, allowing you to see them through another character's eyes.
You must be warned though, it's violent. The worst is in the first chapter so if you can get through that you should be fine for the rest of the book. Gattis has faced violence in his own life and it shows in the visceral, unromanticized way death is detailed. His extensive research bases it in a gritty neighborhood that's all too real.
I thought this book wouldn't be for me - I was on the other coast, too young to grok the riots - but I read it in gulps while traveling. A hearty recommend if you have even a little bit of interest.
+20 task
+5 combo (10.3 - Dictionary)
+10 review
Task total: 35 points
Grand total: 125 points
10.9 - Six DegreesThrone of Jade by Naomi Novik
+10 task (post 145)
Task total: 10 points
Grand total: 135 points
10.1 - Authors (2)Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
This book has so much going for it I shall make a list.
The good:
- It's set in Regency England, with the amazing language and politicking that go with.
- A healthy dose of reality. Sounds weird to say that about a fantasy novel, but look:
"She spent a full half-minute considering whether she might pass herself off as a man: it would be so very convenient! But she gave up the notion with a sigh.
"It might serve for a time, but i could not sustain it for long; indeed I would not wish to. I must make as good a fist of being female as I can...."
❤
- Zacharaias and Prunella, though very different, are natural allies. Zacharaias has had to deal with all kinds of nastiness for being a "native" and black so he understands why Prunella, as a woman, resorts to the methods available to her.
- Diversity and feminism. Need I say more.
The not-as-good:
- The characters felt a little under-developed, but it feels like grasping at straws. An amazing, wonderful read.
+10 task (new-to-me author)
+10 review
Task total: 20 points
Grand total: 155 points
20.2 Age of InnocenceTwelfth Night by William Shakespeare
I find sometimes I need a bit of a mental-palate cleanser after a long (American Gods) or heavy (Salvage the Bones, both of which are still sitting heavily on my brain) book and a play tends to do the trick. I read a Neil Simon play which was fun, but it wasn't enough to clear my mind for my next novel so I turned to Billy Shakespeare to help me out. I'd seen that quite a few people had read this one in the last challenge for the "Funny Story" category so it seemed to be the perfect choice.
It was a fun romp what with separated twins who eventually reunite, a woman who falls in love with a "man" who is really a woman (who originally would have been played by a man....holy cow, that would have been a mind-bender while watching one of the original productions of this play!), and a clever clown. The clever clowns of Shakespeare are always my favorite!
It had an abrupt ending I felt (Malvolio vowing his revenge on the merrymakers after Viola's big reveal and the seeming wrap-up), but it was good for a lark and now I'm ready to hit the books again.
+20 Task (first pub. 1601, author died 1616)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
+25 Oldies
+5 Combo (10.9, post 264)
Task Total = 70
Grand Total = 745
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 ; 10.3)
+25 Oldies (1st book publ..."
Which task are you claiming?
Amanda wrote: "10.7 LibrivoxThe Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Many times I have thought to read this, but each time another book gets in the way. I had even convinced m..."
+5 Combo 20.6 549,268 ratings
10.9 Six Degrees of Kevin BaconGame by Barry Lyga - Low Lexile
+10 Task: Approved Author Post #226
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 765
10.9 Six Degrees of Kevin BaconLair of Dreams by Libba Bray - Low Lexile
+10 Task: Approved Author Post #139
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 775
Kate S wrote: "Amanda wrote: "10.7 LibrivoxThe Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
+5 Combo 20.6 549,268 ratings "
Thank you! Makes up for the 5 I lost earlier ;)
20.7 MicrohistoryThe Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester
This had been on the bookshelf since this edition was published, and always on my to read list, but we all know what those are like!
To begin with I found this a lot drier than a lot of the other microhistory books I had read, there was less narrative and more exposition ( I am always surprised by how well the "story" flows when I pick up like books, as that is not my idea of non-fiction ). I think, in part, it had to do with the excerpt from the dictionary at the start of each chapter. It also seemed to take a long while before the two protagonists ( - an aside, whilst interesting on a linguistic level, the whole "protagonist" referring to one or more persons didn't really add anything to the text ) became acquainted, and it really wasn't as interesting as I had expected it to be, as there appears to not be a lot really known about their relationship. There seemed a lot of unknowns throughout, actually.
Still, it was a tragic tale of Dr Minor and the people his life touched, and a courageous tale of the work that went into the production of the OED, but perhaps not quite worth the long, long wait.
+20 task
+10 not a novel
+10 review
+5 combo ( 10.9 - post 282)
Task Total : 45
Grand Total : 715
20.7 - MicrohistoryWaterloo: The True Story of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles by Bernard Cornwell
+20 task
+5 combo (10.9 - post 346)
+10 not-a-novel
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 320
15.4 TtUS Land CruiserHouse of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
California
+15 Task
+10 bonus
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 225
20.3 DifficultOur Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
Review
“The root of all evil is the love of money”, “Where is the love?” “Where is the money?” were all thoughts that came to mind as I listened to the book. Dickens outdid himself addressing so many of his themes into one book. The plight of the poor, the greediness and materialism of society, romantic love, parent/child relationships, perfect saint-like heroes secret plotting of avarice that get found out before all is said and done and must take their comeuppance, mistaken identity, well. The reader gets them all in this book. I noticed a complete change in his portrayal of the Jewish character and I had read that he had his eyes opened after becoming friends with a person of that faith. This was refreshing. I found the young women’s insistence of treating their fathers like their sons a bit annoying. Why he repeated it with most all the daughter/father relationships must have a reason but I didn’t get it other than to express the nurturing tendencies of the sex. My favorite character is Miss Jenny Wren. Her pronouncements, explanations and insights are almost like a chorus role in the ancient Greek plays.
Like Amanda, I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Simon Vance. I had downloaded for the last challenge but wasn’t able to get to it because of its length. I was glad for this opportunity as I love Dickens almost as much as Twain and Vance’s narrations of his books is a pleasure.
+20 pts = Task
+15 pts - Combo (10.7, 10.9 on approved list of authors, 20.2 p1865 d1867)
+10 pts - Review
+10 pts - Oldies (1865)
+15 pts - Jumbo (801pgs)
Task Total - 70 pts
Grand Total - 555 pts
20.2-Innocence Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter
I enjoyed many parts of this book and the writing was excellent, but I didn’t enjoy the whole package. Part three was where it lost me. I just felt that the realism part of magical realism go stretched a little too thin and I couldn’t feel as strong a link to the story. I loved the feminism and Fevvers and her wings and the relationship between her and her foster mother. Perhaps if I had read it when it was first published, I would have been more enchanted. I sometimes feel that way about “classics” of a particular form if I have read many others that I love before going backwards to an earlier work. I still love reading it and can appreciate the work, but don’t end up with a 5 star read. This one rates an overall 4 for the strength of the writing, but just 3 for the story itself. I’d like to try more of Carter’s work, particularly the horror as I liked The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories more than this one. I actually thought it did have horror involved for my task, so I was doubly disappointed when I found I had chosen one without the genre!
+20 Task: Published 1984 and died 1992: 8 years
+10 Combo: 10.8 The Horrors! / 10.9 Kevin Bacon Approved Author Post #97
+10 Review
+ 5 Oldies: 1984
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 820
Task 20.10 Interconnected Read a novel of interconnected stories or a short story collection whose stories are connected by recurring characters or setting.
I, Robot (1950) by Isaac Asimov (Mass Market Paperback, 272 pages)
+20 Task (#20.10 Interconnected)
+10 Combo (#10.3 Dictionary, #10.9 Kevin Bacon #279)
+10 Not-a-Novel: Short story collections
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1940-1990)
Task Total: 20 + 10 + 10 + 05 = 45
Grand Total: 305 + 45 = 350
20.2 InnocenceLe Bal & Snow in Autumn by Irène Némirovsky
+20 task (published 1930, died 1942)
+5 Combo (10.2 1903-1942)
+10 Oldies
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 725
20.9 InterconnectedI, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Review:
I now understand what is meant by ”interconnected stories”. This was one of the tasks I was confused about in the beginning: How does interconnected stories differ from either a novel or a collection of short stories? I, Robot is a collection of nine short stories with an overlapping cast of characters, and the collection as a whole is the story of the coming of artificially intelligent robots. From household helpers in the beginning of the collection, to great thinking machines which control the flow of supply and demand in the global economy at the end.
The collection is very readable, but at the same time poses interesting questions about robot psychology. The human characters face everything from insanity to nascent religion and robots lying to humans in order to spare their feelings.
I am not sure I am explaining it well, but the feel of these stories are more philosophical than tech-geek in nature, and I liked it very much.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.3, 10.9 (post 279))
+10 Review
+10 Not-A-Novel
+5 Oldie (pub. 1950)
Task total: 55 pts
Grand total: 290 pts
20.2-InnocenceSeptuagenarian Stew by Charles Bukowski
+20 task (pub. 1990, died 1994)
+10 combo (10.6 - born in Germany; 10.8 - post 50)
+10 Not-a-Novel (short stories and poetry)
+ 5 Oldies (1990)
Task total=45
Grand total=800
15.4 TtUS Flight SeerShoot the Moon by Billie Letts
+15 task (set in Oklahoma)
Task total: 15
Grand total: 370
10.4 - Math30 Days by Christine d'Abo
Alyssa lost her husband two years ago and is thinking about getting back into the dating game. Harrison, a handsome sales rep who will be living down the hall for a few months, seems like a perfect candidate. It helps that her late husband left her 30 index cards with sexy prompts, but is she really ready to move on?
It ends up being a very bittersweet romance - everyone has baggage and gets angry now and then, but always realistically and with good reason. There's some laughs, too, as well as a bunch of hot lovin'. I'm not a big contemporary person so I didn't care for it much but if you like a dose of real life in your romance it's worth a shot.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20 points
Grand total: 175 points
10.9 Six Degrees of Kevin BaconThe Sellout by Paul Beatty
One member of the book group I am in that was discussing this book said it was best to read it as though you were watching a stand up comic. With that in mind, I read it aloud to myself and pictured myself in the audience of a show where the comic on stage joked about race as part of the act. This helped me laugh at myself and gave me permission to enjoy the humor of the “inside jokes” throughout. One of my favorite lines is, "I met interesting people and tried to convince them that no matter how much heroin and R. Kelly they had in their systems, they absolutely could not fly" (p 58). The song is still in my head and the reason it struck me was because I helped a student prepare that song for a talent show "back in the day". I'm sure I'm missing some of the humor because I don't have the personal experience to "get it" all of the time. Even though there isn't an in depth plot, the journey to the Supreme Court (the opening scene in the prologue) was effective at drawing me into the story. The book has some serious things to say about race, though, and stretches the mind through its satire. I am drawn to books that allow me to think about racial issues through another lens, in other words, those written by a person of color like Paul Beatty.
+10 Task: Approved Author Post #226
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 840
10.2 Agatha ChristieThe Hollow by Agatha Christie
+10 task (born 1890, died 1976)
+5 Combo (10.9 post 123)
+5 Oldies (published 1946)
Task total: 20
Grand Total: 745
10.1 AuthorsSpeechless: A Year in My Father's Business by James Button
I don't usually read memoirs or politics but my parents shoved this book into my hands saying 'You must read this." The reason I was to read it was not to learn about Australian politics or speechwriting although that was the main point of the book and I did learn a lot and found some of it very interesting. However I was given the book to read the chapter about his brother David who died of a drug overdose at the age of nineteen. This was a very moving chapter to me because as a teenager I was a regular babysitter for the author and his two younger brothers. He talks about his father's reaction to the death and how both his father and himself questioned their role in David's lifestyle. I would have liked some mention of the younger brother's relationship as well.
+10 task
+10 review
+10 non-fiction
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 775
15.5 TtUS. LandcruiserGhost Riders by Sharyn McCrumb
North Carolina
+15 pts - task
+10 pts - bonus
Task Total - 25 pts
Grand Total - 580 pts
15.5 Travel in the US - Land cruiserNew Mexico
Shalako by Louis L'Amour
15 task
10 bonus
___
25
Running total: 220
20.9 Authors with Three NamesThe Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen
I wasn’t quite as taken with this second book in the Department Q series as I was with the first book, but enjoyed revisiting the main characters, Carl and Assad, and meeting Rose, the newest member of the team. This one was not as much a mystery as the slow unveiling of how the current state of events came to be. I like having inside information that the police haven’t figured out yet because it allows me to feel “smart” (I rarely figure out whodunits before the detectives). I’m looking forward to continuing with the series and finding out how the main characters move forward. This offering was 4 stars for me and definitely had me whipping through the pages to find out what happened next.
+20 Task
+10 Combo: 10.4 Math / 10.9 Kevin Bacon Approved Author Post#39
+10 Review
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 880
10.5 October Awards-Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee
Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize (1981)
Review
An interesting piece of literature featuring an older man whose sympathy was suddenly woken up for the barbarians and at the same time, makes you wonder who really is the barbarians. Is it the nomads or the natives for being un-civilised? Or is it those who would commit such atrocities against another being? A powerful narrative told in the first person perspective as readers also experienced protagonist’s uncertainties, illusions, fears, bursts of courage, and will to survive. His struggle to grasp his feelings and to translate them into thoughts took a very strange turn but in the end, he reached a conclusion and with determination, held on for dear life despite persecution. I must admit he did not appear admirable at all nor seem a likely hero but further thoughts noted that he’s probably done a lot better than I would have in the same situation. Granted, he may have taken a very strange way in coming to his conclusion but at least, he stuck to it.
+5 Combo (10.9 -post 376)
+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (pub 1980)
Total this post: 25
Total points: 120
20.8 DAR-Rebekah's Task-1788 by Watkin Tench
Review
This is a collection of two books written by a British marine officer in describing his experiences in the First Fleet as they travelled and settled in Australia. It really is an interesting account when you place yourself in his shoes as he commenced on his journey to an unknown strange world far away from home. The narrative is basically a travelogue interspersed with catalogues / lists of things (food, convicts, land grants, etc) and ended with some brief almost-scientifically descriptions of Australia (the land, the Aborigines, and the strange animals).
After reading Capricornia, I was interested on the true perspective of an historical person / first settler. Watkin Tench does not appear to be very judgmental about the Aborigines. He expressed some curious wonder at the Aborigines (their features, languages, traditions, etc) and though he condemned the violent way they appear to treat their women, I found no venom or disgust. For the most part, it really is quite fascinating though it lost me at the lists! Australia was a brutal spot for British settlement and nobody was ready for just how harsh the climate is or just how far away help is. Despite the grimness of the situation, many persevered though just as many perished. I think that we, modern Australians, have many things to be thankful for in our convenient lives.
As mentioned above, this is a collection of two books which can be found, separately, for reading online via Project Gutenberg (AU): book 1 | book 2
Note: the book expands the years 1787-1791 with 1791 making up about 15% of the book
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.4 Math; 20.7 Microhistory)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
+15 Oldies (pub. 1793)
Total this post: 65 points
Total points: 185 points
15.1 - TtUS Land CruisersA Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks
set in North Carolina
+15 Task
Total this post: 15 points
Total points: 200 points
20.2-InnocenceThe History of Tom Jones:a Foundling by Henry Fielding
author died 1754
Pub. 1749 -5 years prior to author's death
Review
This was a tough book to finish! Mainly because I dislike the main character so much! I think he's too charming by half and so I distrusted him right from the very beginning. He can charm your socks off! Ugh! Added to the fire was the incident that just hours after declaring his love to his unattainable lady, he was seen walking into the shrubs with another woman as he "thought one woman better than none" --ooh, my wrath is now in full force and run unabated throughout the whole book (I was angry enough that I cannot excuse him for being intoxicated and that the woman was already in state of dishabille when she met him). Hence, my utter DISenjoyement of the story. He wasn't that much better either right until up to the end where he appears to be repentant of his profligacy -unfortunately, not soon enough for me to fully appreciate his worth. His flowery language (which could be a reflection of the time, I suppose), even at the end of the novel, really get my goat up! **think of me alternately banging my head on my desk repeatedly and making gagging noises**
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.7 - Librivox (6) / 10.9 - 6 degrees (post 394))
+10 Review
+20 Oldies (pub. 1749)
+25 Jumbo (1,024 pages)
Total this post: 85 points
Total points: 285 points
20.9 Three NamesTough Cookieby Diane Mott Davidson
Review
In book 9 of the Goldy Bear series "Tough Cookie", Goldy's is still struggling to make ends meet so she agrees to a cooking show. She also decides to sell Tom's vintage skis to keep afloat. The guy she tries to sell them to is Doug Portman. He collects items before World War II since they have Theodore Roosevelt's signature on them. Before Goldy can sell the skis, Doug ends up dead and she found his body. She tries to solve the mystery but the closer she gets to solving the case, the more confusing it is and the more she risks her life. From a mysterious phone call from a officer who isn't what he seems to almost getting run off the road by an unknown driver, will Goldy make it through this assignment?
Task +20
Style + 10 Review
Book Total: 30
Grand Total: 140
20.4 A Fine BalanceThe Vine Of Desire by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Review: Sister of My Heart follows two girls, cousins, growing up in a household of women in India. This book starts with a miscarriage of Anhu in the US where she is living with her Indian husband. Anhu invites her cousin, Sudhu, who is divorced and raising a daughter to come visit. The two have to cope with living in close quarters with Anhu's husband who is attracted to Sudhu and who very much enjoys the role of father. The two women face the challenge of adapting to US norms that are very different than the traditional Indian culture they were raised in. They each find their way to strength and independence.
Divakaruni's writing is beautiful. She has dream descriptions which are sometimes wonderful and revealing and other times just plain confusing.
+20 Task #52 on South Asian list
+5 Combo 20.9
+10 Review
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 260
10.5 October Awards Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
Books like this are hard for to me to read...a little too much truth to them and they're not pretty truths, either. Books like this make me feel like I have just swallowed the pill in The Matrix and the illusions are all sloughing away.
The entirety of this book takes place at and during the course of one Dallas Cowboys football game one Thanksgiving. Of course there are flashbacks to flesh the story out, but as for the timeline...it all happens in two+ hours.
We follow Bravo Squad, who have been on a goodwill tour of the US after heroically surviving an insurgent attack which was filmed and broadcast by an embedded news team. Billy is the one telling us the story, a 19-year-old virgin who had the choice of joining the army or jail. He is innocent and wide-eyed at times and wise-beyond-his-years at times...which seems just about right for 19.
The big themes that were crushing me:
--War (the injustice; the fact that no one ever "wins" and so many innocent people truly "lose"; the fact that people who are promoting it would NEVER serve themselves...among other things)
--Hollywood (the falseness and politics inherent in anything they produce; the smarminess required to be involved there; the appalling fodder they submit to the American public who unabashedly and wholeheartedly slurp it up)
--Money (the obscene and disgusting things that money does to us; how horribly people treat each other because of their ownership or lack of wealth)
--America (sometimes I love this place so much, other times I start looking to see requirements for expatriation...pretty much anywhere other than here...the politics, the inequality, the hypocrisy, the waste and consumerism, the willful ignorance of the populace, the fact of the Kardashians...I'm sick to my stomach just writing this. My favorite lines from this book in regards to this: "Somewhere along the way America became a giant mall with a country attached," and “Americans are incredibly polite as long as they get what they want.”)
There's so much more mulling around in my head upon finishing this book and not much of it is comfortable. Which, I suppose, is the sign of a good book. Maybe not a *beloved* book, but definitely a good one.
Now I think I need some Anne Shirley in my life to make the outlook a little less bleak!
+10 Task (Runner-Up for the 2012 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction)
+5 Combo (10.9, post 381)
+10 Review
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 770
15.2 - TtUS Land CruisersKisscut by Karin Slaughter
set in Georgia
+15 Task
Total this post: 15 points
Total points: 300 points
15.6 Travel in the US - Land CruiserTexas
Lavender Lies by Susan Wittig Albert
15 task
10 bonus
___
25
Running total: 245
15.5 TtUS Land CruiserTurning the Tables: A Novel by Rita Rudner
Nevada
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 285
10.9 Six DegreesStories from Other Places by Nicholas Shakespeare
+10 task (post 395)
+10 not-a novel (short stories)
Task total: 20
Grand Total: 795
20.7 MicrohistoryModern Romance by Aziz Ansari
Ever since I first heard the audio version of his stand-up routine, "Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening," Aziz Ansari has hands-down been my favorite comedian. His humor and delivery consistently give me cramps (because I'm laughing so hard) and leave me in a puddle of tears (again: laughing so hard). When I heard that he'd written a book, I was *stoked* to get my hands on it! When I found out it was about the impact technology has had on modern love and relationships, I was intrigued. I have my own experience and opinions on such things (met my husband online after years of trial and error with match.com, eHarmony, Tinder, OKCupid, set-ups through friends, randomly meeting people on a plane that led to further dating, etc.) and was curious to see what statistics he presented (he was working in concert with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg).
Side note: I began reading the book and loved it but couldn't help thinking how much better it would be in his voice, so I broke down and bought the audiobook. The rest of the book was completed Picture Pages-style with me listening and reading along in the book at the same time--because there were pictures and footnotes regarding said pictures that were not able to be included in the audiobook which were too fun/funny/fascinating to be missed.
My husband thought I wasn't going to like it that much because comedy books get boring about halfway in and I was worried because I get the same feeling about many microhistories I've read in the past (very fascinating stuff in the beginning, starts to fade or get too technical by the end)...mixing the two was BRILLIANT! A lot of research and statistics to keep it relevant and compelling, perfectly placed humor to keep it readable and enjoyable.
In the book he covers:
-- the differences between love and marriage just two or three generations ago compared to now (“When the older folks I interviewed described the reasons that they dated, got engaged to, and then married their eventual spouses, they'd say things like "He seemed like a pretty good guy," "She was a nice girl;" "He had a good job," and "She had access to doughnuts and I like doughnuts.”)
-- the role of texting/social networking/online dating in modern-day relationships and how it has changed the way we interact with each other (“We repeatedly found that one text can change the whole dynamic of a budding relationship. ... When I spoke with Sherry Turkle about this, she said that texting, unlike an in-person conversation, is not a forgiving medium for mistakes. In a face-to-face conversation, people can read each other’s body language, facial expressions, and tones of voice. If you say something wrong, you have the cues to sense it and you have a moment to recover or rephrase before it makes a lasting impact. Even on the phone you can hear a change in someone’s voice or a pause to let you know how they are interpreting what you’ve said. In text, your mistake just sits there marinating on the other person’s screen, leaving a lasting record of your ineptitude and bozoness.”)
-- the way that such public forums have effected monogamy (“Another poll, from Gallup, found that infidelity is more universally disapproved of than polygamy, animal cloning, and suicide. So if there were two guys at a bar, one cheating on his wife and another with a cloned pig named Bootsie, it would be the cheater, not Bootsie the pig, getting more disapproving looks.”)
-- and, the way that people meet and date around the world (namely, he explores situations in Doha, Qatar; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Paris, France; and Tokyo, Japan).
His humor is smart (he was a business and biology major at NYU), but can be irreverent, tinged with an f-bomb or ten...but it was a fascinating book and I couldn't recommend it more!
“I hope you aren’t holding an ice cream cone against your chest, ’cause your heart just warmed—and your ice cream just melted.” --Aziz Ansari
+20 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel
+10 Review
+10 combo (10.3; 10.9--submitted for approval in msg 398)
Task Total = 50
Grand Total = 820
20.1-CelebrationThe Museum of Doctor Moses by Joyce Carol Oates
+20 task (pub. 2007)
+10 combo (10.9 - post 127; 20.9 - 3 names)
+10 Not-a-Novel (short stories)
Task total=40
Grand total=840
From Post 282Anika wrote: "10.4 Math
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
Wow. This book was...crazy. It follows Harry August, a "kalachakra," someone who is born, lives,..."
+5 Combo 10.9-post 379
10.4 MathsThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
+10 task
+5 combo (10.9 post 379)
Task total: 15
Grand Total: 335
20.9 Authors with Three Names Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko
I've just finished and it's a 4 star book for me. It was dark and not what I would call enjoyable, but I found it to have interesting messages. Perhaps my earlier years growing up in Colorado and visiting a lot of Native American communities including all 3 Hopi Mesas (a friend was a missionary, so we were allowed as his guests) that were so impoverished and disenfranchised from "The American Dream" had some effect on my feelings about the book --- I'm not really sure. I think Silko is writing realistically about what happens to those trapped in the culture of poverty and crime. We are so used to reading books with a character trying to overcome adversity (which I love, don't get me wrong) that I think we search for that character in our reading and Silko just really doesn't give us anybody to care about like that. Although the writing was disjunct in the beginning of the book, by the end I thought each storyline was clear and added to the whole. I’m glad I read it, but it is not for everyone as it really explores the underbelly and the stark reality of drug lords and those who traffic in other sordid pursuits as well.
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo: 10.9 Kevin Bacon Approved Author Post #226
+10 Review
+10 Jumbo: 768 pages
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 925
10.2 Agatha ChristieThe Big Four by Agatha Christie
Although this is part of the Hercule Poirot series, it was another book based around an international espionage type situation, which just doesn't work as well for Christie.
There was, however, many twists and turns to keep the reader engaged and interested, but there equally seemed plenty of lulls where nothing much was happening and left you questioning what was going on, just as Captain Hastings was. I certainly felt his frustration re the lack of action.
I don't think the ending was particularly well planned or convincing, and is part of where the international espionage lets Christie down ( or perhaps she lets it down ). She just doesn't seem to know how to finish it, which makes this one of the more disappointing of her works.
+10 task
+10 oldies
+10 review
+10 combo ( 10.4, 10.9 - post 123)
Task Total = 40
Grand Total = 755
20.6 RatingsDracula by Bram Stoker
519, 406 ratings
This had been sitting on my TBR shelf for forever, and I had always avoided it. I just didn't think I could really get into it.
So, as with all books I don't think I can get into, I chose to listen to the audiobook - and it was fantastic. A cast narration that includes the wonderful Simon Vance and actors Alan Cumming and Tim Curry, the characters are brought to life fantastically and the narration of the various journals was clear and never confusing.
My familiarity with the text previously was only through film, so I did not recall all of the characters and was surprised at the way the story played out. Mina Harker well deserved the love of the other characters, and their protection and fear for her was well justified and portrayed.
I am hoping to listen to this again sometime, with my family, as I know that they will enjoy it even more than I did.
+20 task
+10 review
+10 oldies
+25 combos ( 10.7, 10.8, 10.9 - post 26, 20.2, 20.3 - pub. 1897, died 1912)
Task Total = 65
Grand Total = 820
10.9 Six Degrees of Kevin BaconCircling the Sun by Paula McLain
I didn’t really like Beryl Markham as well as I liked Hadley in The Paris Wife, but McLain’s writing and research made up for that in Circling the Sun. I would have liked more about Markham’s later life, but that might be just because I’m 62 now and more interested in how people age. I enjoyed the description of the environment of Kenya, both the natural world and the interactions among the people were well written. I had to remind myself frequently that Markham lived in a time when there were still many restrictions for women and I liked that McLain wrote in a way that incorporated that part of Markham’s life, but didn’t “lecture” her readers about women’s rights, but simply let us feel the consequences of male superiority as an accepted cultural reality. I recommend this one to those who enjoy historical fiction with romantic entanglements as a focus.
+10 Task: Approved Author Post #226
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 945
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Reading with Style
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David McCullough (other topics)
J.A. Jance (other topics)
David McCullough (other topics)
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Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra
+10 Task
YA Low Lexile – no styles
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 560