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WI 15-16 RwS Completed Tasks - Winter 15/16
10.9 Realistic RatingsI Lock My Door Upon Myself by Joyce Carol Oates
+10 task (3.72 rating)
+ 5 oldies (1990)
Task total=15
Grand total=820
Kate S wrote: "Kath wrote: "20.2 Sigrid UndsetTime and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman
+20 task
+5 combo (10.2)
+5 jumbo (544 pp.)
+5 series
Task total 35
RWS finish 100
Grand total..."
Oops, Appears my fingers slipped in post 303 and I logged Doctor Zhivago as being for 20.7 when it should have been 20.6. Sorry!
10.6 Australia DayThat Deadman Dance by Kim Scott
Won Western Australia in 2010, Queensland and Victoria in 2011
+10 pts - task
+10 pts - combo(10.2, 10.9 - 3.4)
Task total - 20 pts
grand total - 855 pts
20.8 Best of 2015A Wild Swan: And Other Tales by Michael Cunningham
+20 task (NPR)
+5 combo (10.9 - 3.72)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 285
10.9 Realistic RatingsWhy Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
+10 task (3.91 rating)
Task total: 10
Grand total: 295
10.9 Realistic RatingsStill Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys by Billy Crystal
+10 task (3.87 rating)
Task total: 10
Grand total: 305
10.9 Realistic RatingsThe Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango
+10 task (3.55 rating)
Task total: 10
Grand total: 315
10.9 Realistic RatingsNow I See You: A Memoir by Nicole C. Kear
+10 task (3.78 rating)
Task total: 10
Grand total: 325
20.10 Leap Year (EXTRA)Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Review: I finally finished! It took over a month, but this book is due back to the library tomorrow and my 25 pages a day finally paid off. I picked it up because I’ve been obsessively listening to the hip-hop infused musical version that’s so big on Broadway right now, but the musical is a lot more fun. Chernow did a lot of in-depth great research to write this (definitive?) biography, but it’s DENSE. And LONG. Getting through it wasn’t easy, but I did learn a lot, and was reminded of even more. It was often depressing to see how little my country’s politics has really advanced since the 1700s, but good to be reminded. My biggest complaint was that where historical documents didn’t present an entire picture the author often put in his two cents. He could’ve cut those moments, and in my opinion the book would not have been worse for it but might have been a few pages shorter. I do want to read Jefferson and Burr biographies to see the differences in the telling – Chernow is obviously on Hamilton’s side of history, but that’s only one piece of the puzzle.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+15 Jumbo (818 pages)
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 1915
10.1 Write Your OwnSisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology by Ann VanderMeer
Review: Anthologies like this have to be difficult to compile, because you’re trying to hit a number of marks and not everything will appeal to everyone. I think I appreciated it more than I LIKED it, but short story collections can be that way. Anyway, it’s pretty much exactly what the title suggests – the editors got stories from across science fiction and fantasy from a number of eras, all with a feminist theme. It’s kind of depressing how many similarities there are, no matter when the stories were written – made me feel sometimes like we haven’t progressed at all. I was happy for the opportunity to read bits from a bunch of authors who were familiar to me but I hadn’t read before, and at least a few of the stories will probably stay with me for a long time.
+10 Task (http://www.locusmag.com/Magazine/2015...)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 1935
20.3 Toni Morrison (1993) - Charleston SyllabusBeloved by Toni Morrison (870 Lexile)
Review: Toni Morrison is such a force in the literary community, but until now I’d only read one of her books, and barely remembered it (it was for a class and the only thing I remember clearly is that a friend of mine cherry-picked every instance of the F word to quote in his paper because he was a 16 year old boy…). Anyway, I remember The Bluest Eye as being unflinchingly grounded in reality, although my memory could easily be faulty. Beloved is not 100% grounded – it flies off unpredictably into a sort of folklore/magical realism tale that didn’t bother me at first, but by the end was disconcerting at best. This may be one of those books I don’t “get”, at least in the last quarter of it. Or it’s not supposed to settle well. Or some combination. In any case, when the more fantastical elements first entered the story I was comfortable with them. Morrison seemed to strike a balance that allowed the unflinching reality to mix with folklore in an understandable way. But like the central character, by the end I was left adrift. I may go read some analyses of it to see where others stand, but I do know I’ll pick up more Morrison sometime in the future.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (1987)
+5 Series
+10 Combo (10.9 – 3.74, 20.7)
Task Total: 50
Grand Total: 1985
10.9 Realistic RatingsThe Story of the Amulet byE. Nesbit
Lexile 890
+10 task (rating 3.98)
+5 Combo (20.9)
+10 Oldies (published 1906)
+15 Series (previous 20.9, 20.10)
Task total: 40
Grand Total: 1250
15.10 – DominoesThe Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery
Lexile 960
+15 task- same word in title - story
+15 bonus
Task total: 30
Book dominoes completion bonus 100
Mega Finish bonus 200
Grand Total: 1580
10.9 Realistic RatingsThey Do It with Mirrors by Agatha Christie
+10 task (rating 3.73)
+15 Combo (10.2, 10.7, 20.9)
+5 Oldies (published 1952)
+20 Series (previous 10.5, 10.7, 20.9)
Task total: 50
Grand Total: 1630
20.9 Winnie-the PoohThree Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
+20 task (published 1889)
+15 Combo (10.2, 10.9 rating 3.91, 10.10)
+10 Oldies
Task total: 45
Grand Total: 1675
20.9 Winnie-the PoohThe Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
+20 task (published 1896)
+10 Combo (10.2, 10.9 rating 3.72)
+10 Oldies
Task total: 40
Grand Total: 1715
10.5 Favourite authorsThe Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold
+10 task
+5 Combo (10.3 #55)
+5 Oldies (published 1990)
+ 5 Series (Vorkosigan)
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 1740
10.9 Realistic RatingsBrazen by Christina Farley
I was disappointed. I'd enjoyed the first two and was excited to pick up this one. And I still like the concepts. But the protagonist was just so darn whiny and angsty as she tried to be strong. Yes, she had reason to be, and yes, it made sense that the feelings kept being inspired by the plot, but the repetition got to me. I'm sure there are things that could have been done that wouldn't have made it so obvious. Jae Hwa was on a roller coaster of emotion and action throughout the book. The ending was no surprise for the genre, which was fine, and I did believe in the protagonist and the plot as I read it. So there were some solid parts, I just almost put it down a few times during reading it.
+10 task
+10 review
+5 series
Task total: 25
Grand total: 2460
note - edited for styles based on post 1196 and adding a review. thought it was YA.
20.10 - Leap Year (my birthday!)Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland
A short book that seemed long because I had to pay attention to every word. The main characters are three friends, Andy, Claire and Dag, living in a town in the desert, working at whatever jobs they can get, and telling each other anecdotes. In their lives, everything’s vaguely amusing and nothing matters very much. They live a little like hippies, but out of apathy, not out of principle. Some of their contemporaries are making big bucks, for no better reason.
Along the bottom of many pages are definitions of Generation X attitudes and words. ‘McJob’ has entered the language. Others are funny, silly or depressing, depending on your attitude or mood. I found it mostly fun.
+20 task
+10 review
+ 5 combo (10.9)
+ 5 oldies (1991)
Task total: 40
RWS finish: 100
Mega finish: 200
Total for this post: 340
Grand Total: 1990
10.5 Favorite AuthorsShop Talk: A Writer and His Colleagues and Their Work by Philip Roth
+10 task
+ 5 combo (10.9 - 3.65 rating)
Task total=15
Grand total=835
Post 1191 Beth wrote: "10.9 Realistic RatingsBrazen by Christina Farley
YA - no style points. Also a disappointing end to the trilogy.
+10 task
Task total: 10
Grand total: 2445"
I don't find this shelved at BPL, so the YA rule does not apply. You'll get the series style, was there something else?
20.8 Best of 2015The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud
A Frenchman kills "an Arab" in colonial Algeria, goes on trial, writes a book about the situation and is found guilty and executed...mostly on the evidence that he had been callous at the funeral of his mother. But this second book is written by the younger brother of the "Arab" mentioned in the first book. That first book is Albert Camus' "The Stranger" and this is something of a sequel...told from the point of view of the "Arab's" younger brother. The brother laments that his brother's name "Musa" is never mentioned in the book. The brother has led an unfulfilled life dealing with a mother who has been grieving for decades for Musa...whose body was never found. The pair spend years trying to investigate the mystery before the brother eventually learns that a book has been written about the situation. Excellent read.
task +20
review +10
combo +5 (10.9- 3.57 rating)
task total= 35
RwS finish= 100
Mega finish = 200
grand total= 1485
Karen Michele wrote: "20.8 Best of 2015 The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli
+20 Task
Grand Total: 1535"
+5 Combo 10.9
Joy wrote: "10.9 Realistic RatingsThe Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango
+10 task (3.55 rating)
Task total: 10
Grand total: 315"
+5 Combo 20.8
Hi Elizabeth, Ok. I was looking at the main page genres and thought those trumped the BPL, but ok, I'll take it. :) I went ahead and wrote a review and edited post 1191 to include style points.
From Post 1184Cory Day wrote: "20.3 Toni Morrison (1993) - Charleston Syllabus
Beloved by Toni Morrison (870 Lexile)
Review: Toni Morrison is such a force in the literary community, but until now I’d ..."
+5 Combo 20.1
From Post 1188Coralie wrote: "20.9 Winnie-the Pooh
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
+20 task (published 1889)
+15 Combo (10.2, 10.9 rating 3.91, 10.10)
+10 Oldies
Task total: 45
Grand Total:..."
+5 Combo 20.1
10.2 No L No LThe Oddfitsby Tiffany Tsao
Task +10
+5 Combo 10.9 Realistic Ratings (3.58)
+10 Review
+5 Series (The Oddfits #1)
This book is about Magatroyd Flyod. He is an oddfit. He doesn't belong in our world. He can see other worlds known as the More Known World. He was treated as an outsider. He has one friend Kay Haut who stood up for him. Magatryod is an underdog. He knows he is different. Somehow he manages to find a way in our world.
His parents treat him differently. However they secretly hate him. One day he receives a letter to ask him to go on "The Quest" to explore other worlds. If he choses to go, he can never come back to our world. Magatryod has a difficult decision to make. This is the first in a new fantasy series.
Book Total: 30
Grand Total: 240
10.1 Design Your Own (former Group Read Books)The Diviners by Margaret Laurence
Spring 2014
+10 pts - Task
+15 pts - Combo (10.8- Canada, 20.5-Governor Gen 1974, 20.7)
+ 5 pts - Oldies (1974)
Task Total - 30 pts
Grand Total - 865 pts
1 more to go!
15.10 - DominoesThe Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
+15 task (same title word "Around" as book 9, post 954)
+15 bonus
+100 Book Dominoes completion bonus
Post total: 130
RwS Total: 545
Dominoes Total: 310
Grand Total: 855
10.3 Science fiction dayTrouble with Lichen by John Wyndham
I’ve been a fan of John Wyndham’s for years, and have owned this book for years. However, I’m pretty sure I’ve never read this novel until now. I might not have connected as much with it when I was a teenager. This book is a more subtle science fiction. There are no post-apocalyptic happenings or “creatures within” (eg. Lovecraft). Instead it is based on science, that 56 years hence, actually seems very credible. It also has a very strong female lead, and I would definitely classify this novel as a feminist one - despite it being about the beauty industry. The lead character, Diana, wants to revolutionize women’s lives using her scientific discovery and knows the beauty industry is the perfect hook. She is a very strong character, without being strident or being portrayed as a “man-hater” (which I personally can’t stand). Of course, it is well written and I found it enjoyable; and would recommend it (particularly if you are someone who thinks you don’t like sci-fi). It’s just disappointing that not much seems to have changed socially since this was written.
10 task
10 review
5 oldie
5 real rating 3.62
___
30
Running total 940
10.9 Realistic RatingsUnravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent
Oliver Ryan has beaten his wife into a coma, after decades of apparently peaceful marriage. Slowly, we find out why, in a story told from the points of view of many people who knew him.
Unlike many reviewers, I found this hard to get into because of all the different viewpoints which yet were mostly quite similar in tone. Once it got going and the past started unravelling (the title is very appropriate) I was hooked, but it didn't have many surprises for me. We're given hints of various revelations which are often enough for a guess before that piece of the puzzle is given to us openly. (view spoiler) Enjoyed, but not a top read for me.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand Total: 2010
10.10 Group ReadsMr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Review: Within the first twenty pages of this book, I was sure I was going to hate it. First it seemed like it was fetishizing paper (as opposed to digital) in a way that turns me off. Then the author, in the hopes, it seemed, of seeming clever and fleshing out his characters, kept adding detail to the background that I found distracting, unnecessary, and in one instance pretty much wrong (I’ve never heard of an Ionian column. Ionic column, yes. Ionian people, sure. Ionian column… probably technically accurate but not the right term). But then I got stuck in a situation in which I had nothing much to do except read this book, and the author stopped setting it up and started actually moving the plot forward, and suddenly it started living up to the premise. I still think Sloan thinks he needs to seem cleverer than he needs to be, but sometimes I even laughed at some of those bits. So, a two-star beginning and a maybe four-star journey landed me at a nice solid three stars. Thank you, Robin Sloan, for pulling it around – I hate hating books!
+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.9)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 2005
20.6 Svetlana Alexievich (2015) - Soviet experienceBetween Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
+20 Task (set almost entirely in Siberia during WWII; the rest in Lithuania, which was part of the USSR)
Low Lexile – no styles
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 2025
10.5 Favorite AuthorsBrazen by Kelley Armstrong
Review: Brazen is a novella that’s technically number 13.3 in the women of the underworld series, but it kind of sits mostly independent of the rest of the books. Certain backstories were easier to understand because I’ve read all the books, and I wouldn’t start there, but it was a nice little peek into Nick’s world. I don’t think I’d seen much, if anything, from his point of view before, and that was nice. The mystery itself was less a mystery and more just a chase with more and more gruesome clues, but the story was fine. I would’ve loved a little more romance and a little less violence, but it fit right into the world Armstrong created so many books ago.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.8)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 2050
10.5 - Favorite AuthorNYPD Red 3 by James Patterson
+10 task
+10 Combo (10.2, 10.9)
+5 series #3
Task total: 25
Grand total: 505
10.5 - Favorite AuthorThe Reversal by Michael Connelly
+10 task
+5 series #16
Task total: 15
Grand total: 520
10.9 - Realistic RatingsSycamore Row by John Grisham
+10 task
+5 Combo (10.2)
+5 series #2
Task total: 20
Grand total: 560
10.1 Write Your Own TaskRead a book set in or by a New Zealand author
First Light: A Magical Journey by Carol O'Biso
Review: The spirit of TeMaori. Carol O'Bisio was the Chief Registrar (a profession that was new to me) for a touring exhibition of ancestral treasures of the Maori that leaves New Zealand for the first time ever. The book is her story of the gathering, transportation and mounting of the exhibition. She learns from Maori elders what the pieces really are and grows to understand the amazing trust they have placed in her. And she feels the impact that the tour has on people, both Maori and Pakeha. And a special connection that is established between carvers of New Zealand and carvers from North America. The book tells of a spiritual journey.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (1988)
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 615
10.5 Favorite AuthorsThe Guilty by David Baldacci
+10 task
+5 series (Will Robie series)
+5 jumbo (672 pages)
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 655
20.4 Elfriede JelinekThe Indian Bride by Karin Fossum
+20 task (pub in Norwegian, Norwegian author)
+10 combo (10.2, 10.8 - Norway)
+5 series (Konrad Sejer series)
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 690
10.8 Winter SolsticeBlack Seconds by Karin Fossum
+10 task (Norwegian author)
+5 combo (20.4)
+10 series (Konrad Sejer series - previously claimed the series in task above!)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 715
15.1 DominoesMiss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League by Jonathan Odell (author born in USA)
Task total: 15
Grand total: 845
10.9 Realistic RatingsMrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha by Dorothy Gilman
+10 task (3.99 rating)
+10 combo (10.7, 20.10)
+15 series (prev. claimed this series in post 1131)
+5 oldies (published 1985)
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 755
20.6 Svetlana AlexievichThe Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith
This book was even more interesting than #1 in the series. I was fascinated by the history embedded in this book -- and realized that I don't know a lot about the Soviet Union's history. (Maybe next season I'll read some more history!) Tom Rob Smith doesn't shy away from addressing the really horrific aspects of the Stalin years while telling a compelling story. This installment of the series is less of a murder mystery and more of a complex political and character based story – but very enjoyable. The writing is crisp and fast, and the characters are compelling. Definitely recommended!
+20 task
+10 combo (10.2, 10.9 - 3.77 rating)
+10 review
+5 series (Leo Demidov series #2)
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 800
10.2 Noel - No LDie Kunst der Freiheit: In Zeiten zunehmender Unfreiheit by Alexander Van der Bellen
(Translation: The Art of Freedom: In Times of Increasing Unfreedom)
Review: Alexander Van der Bellen is an Austrian politician who recently decided to run for Austrian President. At publication of the book he hadn't decided yet and only briefly mentions the possibility to become a candidate for election.
In the book, he talks about his early life and important events during his university and political career. Most importantly he addresses many current topics like the problems and discussions the European Union (and the World) faces. Van der Bellen writes about freedom vs. surveillance, freedom of the press, and of course, implications for human rights. It's anecdotal in style, a quick read and mostly in a language understandable by everyone.
+10 task
+10 review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 110
20.1-Grazia DeleddaThe God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
+20 task (Approved in message 82 ofhelp thread)
+5 combo (10.9 ave rating=3.89)
Post total: 25
RwS Total: 570
Dominoes Total: 310
Grand Total: 880
That's my last book for this season. Thanks very much to all the Mods for another great challenge.
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Reading with Style
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Hounded by Kevin Hearne
More like 3.5 stars. A very good start to what is sure to be a rockin' urban fantasy series. I'm excited to start the next book!
The good:
- It only took four pages to become smitten with the narrator's voice. Playful yet knowledgeable - I love it.
- The action sequences and fight scenes are well done.
- The magic system is interesting and I'm looking forward to learning more about it.
The not-so-good:
- After the first chapter the book heads into info dump land. I get that there's a whole world to set up, but there are a lot of names and relationships to keep track of fairly early.
- ...and a lot of them are gods. I'm not a big fan of fiction that draws on mythology of any sort, as it often gets info dumpy and deus ex machina tend to sneak in. No DeM here though, thank goodness.
Now that the world is set up I can see later books rising into four star territory no problem. Ooo, the next one would be great reading for my next flight...
+10 task
+10 review
+5 series
Task total: 25 points
Grand total: 785 points