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WI 15-16 RwS Completed Tasks - Winter 15/16
From Post 119Rosemary wrote: "10.8 - Winter Solstice
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Lexile 820
I approached this book with low expectations because I hated Foundation, but it’s very differen..."
+5 Combo 20.9
From Post 128Katrina wrote: "20.7 Feminism
The Subtle Knife, Philip Pullman (book 2 in The Northern Lights Trilogy No.43 on the list)
(This is a YA book but has a lexile score of 890 https://lexile..."
Please include the text of your review in your post to receive points for it. Thanks.
Thanks, Kate---I'll be more careful!
From Post 103Karen Michele wrote: "20.1-Grazia Deledda (1926)
Life's Little Ironies by Thomas Hardy
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo: 10.9 Realistic Ratings
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 105"
+10 Oldies
From Post 99Karen Michele wrote: "10.9 Realistic Ratings (Cory Day's Task)-
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 45"
+5 Series
From Post 128Katrina wrote: "20.7 Feminism
The Subtle Knife, Philip Pullman (book 2 in The Northern Lights Trilogy No.43 on the list)
(This is a YA book but has a lexile score of 890 https://lexile..."
+5 Series
Good grief --- sorry! I got really behind and tried to catch up with my posts way too quickly!
It happens, especially at the beginning of a season. :)
15.4 DominoesNot a Girl Detective by Susan Kandel
word "Girl" in previous title (see my plan thread #6)
Task Total - 15 pts
Grand Total - 115 pts
Tien wrote: "10.2 Noel, NoelThe Road to High Saffron (Shades of Grey #1) by Jasper Fforde
Review
I read this for my f2f bookclub as it suits out theme of the year: colour. In the ..."
I have been waiting forever for the next book!
15.3 - DominoesIn Bed with the Devil by Lorraine Heath
+15 task (pub. same decade as 15.2)
Task total: 15 points
Grand total: 100 points
10.10 Group ReadsMr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Very good read. I deeply enjoyed the ties of the story to the books and to reading and to modern changes in reading and found the ending very satisfying.
The oddness unfolds in an interesting way and at a good pace. And it is definitely odd, although easy enough to follow if you’ve ever read a “truth in ancient artifacts” kind of story. The first person narrator is a modern twenty-something and he’s mostly straightforward, but meanders to some extent, which felt appropriate because he’s telling a personal story.
Some of the low star reviews for the book mention the technology seems forced. For me, the technology was integral, and if the narrator wasn’t immersed in it as part of his casual culture, then his doing something the old guard didn’t expect wouldn’t seem natural. There wasn’t always a full build-up of tension in between solutions, but while I was reading it didn’t bother me, rather it felt more like the articles I’ve read about the atmosphere of a successful start-up, with an adrenaline rush of technological success.
+10 task
+10 review
+5 10.9 combo 3.76
Task total: 25
Grand total: 225
10.9 - Realistic Ratingsブラックジャックによろしく 1 by 佐藤秀峰 (English MPE thisaway)
Graphic novel - no styles
+10 task
Task total: 10 points
Grand total: 110 points
10.10 - Group ReadsThe Farm by Tom Rob Smith
Daniel’s parents have recently retired from the UK to a farm in Sweden, where his mother comes from. He believes they’re happily settled until his father phones to say his mother has become paranoid, imagining “terrible things”, and is in a mental hospital. But soon his mother is on Daniel’s doorstep – not totally convenient since he hasn’t told them he’s gay and living with his partner. But his parents turn out to have plenty of secrets of their own.
I read this straight through without putting it down – it’s a fast read and I found the plot compelling (the characters less so, but that was OK). I enjoyed reading about Sweden.
(I've been racing through the tasks while I've been sick - getting better now so might slow down soon!)
+10 task
+15 combo (10.2, 10.9 rated 3.52, 20.1 approved post #99 in thread)
+10 review
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 440
Post 171 Heather wrote: "10.2Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Lexile 630, no styles
+10 task
Task total: 10
grand total: 145"
Heather, this book is not classified as YA at BPL and any styles will apply.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 171 Heather wrote: "10.2Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Lexile 630, no styles
+10 task
Task total: 10
grand total: 145"
Heather, this book is not classified a..."
Woo hoo! Edited to correct, then.
Heather wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 171 Heather wrote: "10.2Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Lexile 630, no styles
+10 task
Task total: 10
grand total: 145"
Heather, th..."
It doesn't work for 10.9 because the rating is 4.21 - too high. But I thought you might want to add a review or something, and the series does work.
Rebekah wrote: "Tien wrote: "10.2 Noel, NoelThe Road to High Saffron (Shades of Grey #1) by Jasper Fforde
I have been waiting forever for the next book! "
There is still no date for it! It'll be forever and a day before it comes ;p
10.5 Favorite Authors (a.k.a. Moderator Gift)Cradle and All by James Patterson
Review
One of Patterson’s earliest works and one he wrote without collaborators but unfortunately, I wasn’t that impressed. It’s along the line of a religious thriller so there is a supernatural spin to the story; the supernatural is the basis of novel’s premise but it was taken a little further than I expected of a Patterson’s novel and I wonder at the direction of his approach. I guess it could’ve been a thrilling read if I didn’t find the premise to be hilarious to start with but as I did... there were non-ending eye-rollings as I read it and in the end, I could not rate it any higher than 2 stars.
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.9 - 3.88 avg)
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (pub. 1980)
Total this post: 30 points
Total points: 305 points
20.1-Grazia Deledda (1926)Tirra Lirra by the River by Jessica Anderson
qualifying review
Review
Nora Porteous returned to her childhood home after staying away for many decades. Her envisioned return wasn’t quite the way it turned out as things do not appear to be as she thought they were. All of her reminiscences of home or of her past seemed to be softened by distance and time. However, now, as she was forced to rest in bed due to illness, she has the time to examine the memories she’s boxed up and suppressed years ago. Now, as she learns to accept her ageing body, she has the leisure to dig them up, scrutinise them, and remove all the sugar-coating she’s previously applied. I thought this could have been a depressing exercise but with the reminiscent air, lyrical prose, and Nora’s likable/understandable attitude, Tirra Lirra by the River turns out to be a fascinating read.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.9 - 3.59 avg)
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (pub. 1977)
Total this post: 30 points
Total points: 335 points
From Post 138Cory Day wrote: "10.2 Noel
Easy by Tammara Webber
Review: I messed up my dominoes almost immediately and accidentally switched my first two books, but luckily this one fit into 10..."
+5 Combo 10.04
10.2 Noel, NoelAunt Dimity and the Summer King by Nancy Atherton
This wasn’t on my (rws) list to read, until I noticed there were no “ls”. Another cozy adventure in the Aunt Dimity series. I quite enjoyed this one – it was a nice straightforward read after the delirious emotions of White nights (Dostoevsky). We jump forward a few months in time from the last book, and Lori (the main character) has had her baby. Perhaps because of this the mystery is quite low key. This entry into the series really plays up the “cozy” – the importance of the village and it’s inhabitants roles in it’s day to day life. The mystery is more of a commentary on how small town/villages are being lost at a rapid rate.
10 task
10 series
5 cozy mystery (10.7)
5 real ratings (3.78)
10 review
____
40
Running total 150
20.7 Feminism (Louise Bro's Task)Lysistrata by Aristophanes
#90 on list
Very odd. I can see how the whole scenario could make a riotous performance, but I didn’t find it very good reading, although that could be because humor isn’t really my favorite genre in the first place. The language used was hilarious for its double meanings, making it blatant without actually using the words, although I don’t know how much of that was the translator and how much the original wording. I’m betting most of it was original including some references I was missing. And somehow the play felt misogynistic to me for all that it was about women asserting themselves and acknowledged they had their own interests and desires. I’m not quite sure why.
+20 task
+10 review
+25 age
+5 combo 10.9
Task total: 60
Grand total: 285
Task 10.2 Noel, Noel Read a book with NO "L" in the title and NO "L" in the author name.
Modern Romance (2015) by Aziz Ansari
+10 Task
+05 Combo (#10.9 Realistic Ratings)
Task Total: 10 + 05 = 15
Grand Total: 60 + 15 = 75
Task 10.7 Cozy Holidays Read a book that has been tagged "Cozy Mystery" by at least 10 users in the genre section on the book page.
Death of a Neighborhood Witch (A Jaine Austen Mystery #11) (2012) by Laura Levine
+10 Task
+05 Combo (#10.9 Realistic Ratings)
+05 Series
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 75 + 20 = 95
20.9 - Winnie-the-PoohThey Shoot Horses, Don't They? by Horace McCoy
In the back of my head I knew that they had dance marathons back in the Depression. Back in the old days equals tame, right? Nope.
The dancers have to keep moving or they'll be disqualified. For every 50 minutes on the floor they get 10 minutes to eat, sleep, wash up, and otherwise take care of themselves. A doctor, nurses, and trainers are on site but they're more likely to throw someone back into the fray than disqualify them on medical grounds. If you faint you're dunked in ice water. All of this gets you meals and a bed to crash in, only to be awoken by the smell ammonia a few minutes later. There's a surprising amount of violence but it makes sense when you think of the sleep depression. Not to mention the crowd pressing in to watch.
I love books that provide an insight into something I was only vaguely aware of. The marathons are a precursor to reality tv - put a bunch of random people together, disrupt their sleep, create challenges to eliminate people at set intervals, and raise the stakes whenever possible. Get some sponsors, charge admission, and sit back to enjoy the show.
The characters aren't "likable" because who would be likable under that kind of strain? The setting is immutable but doesn't feel stale. The plot pulls you along like the flow of traffic leading up to the site of an accident - you'll be going by no matter what so you may as well have a good look.
If you ignore history in your novels you may be disappointed, especially if you demand characters you want to have a beer with. But if you're interested in an un-romanticized view of a little-known aspect of the Depression They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is a gripping read.
+20 task (pub. 1935)
+10 combo (10.2 - no l, 10.9 - 3.84 rating)
+10 review
+10 oldies
Task total: 50 points
Grand total: 160 points
10.10 Group ReadsThree Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
Review:
This story is an account of a fortnight's boat trip on the Thames taken by three friends and a dog. I was a little apprehensive when I saw Humor as a genre, because tastes in humor vary so much. But I was hooked from the first chapter. The men are having a conversation about all their health problems, and decide they need the boat trip for a remedy. The conversation is quite amusing, and the humor never let up. The book reminded me a lot of Dicken's The Pickwick Papers . There were even some Dickensian character names such as Mrs. Poppets, Uncle Podger, and Mr. Goggles. What I enjoyed most were the many digressions and tales told by the characters. There is a lot of wry humor, and then there are a lot of scenes that would pass for Three Stooges episodes. There is a fair amount of English history, presented in an interesting way. Probably everyone on the planet except me already knows that the subtitle of this book, "To Say Nothing of the Dog", was the inspiration for the title of Connie Willis's novel To Say Nothing of the Dog. I plan to read the sequel, Three Men on the Bummel , which is about the same characters on a bicycle trip through Germany. Thanks for this selection, Krista.
+10 task
+15 combo (10.2; 10.9 - 3.92 rating; 20.9 pub. 1889)
+10 review
+10 oldies
Task total=45
Grand total=255
10.8 Winter SolsticeThe Quantum Thief byHannu Rajaniemi
+10 task (born in Finland)
+15 combo (10.2, 10.3, 10.9 rating 3.83)
+5 Series
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 165
20.9 Winnie-the-PoohThe Crime at Tattenham Corner: An Inspector Stoddart Mystery: Volume 2 by Annie Haynes
+20 task (pub 1929)
+10 oldies (1929)
+5 Series (#2 in series)
Task total: 35
RwS Total: 60
Dominoes Total: 60
Grand Total: 120
Wondering whether I may also claim 5 combo points for 10.2 Noel? The GR entry includes "Vol 2" as part of the title, which I assume refers to the the fact it is number 2 in the Inspector Stoddart series. "Vol 2" doesn't appear anywhere on the book's cover.
10.2 Noel, NoelWinter by Marissa Meyer 800 Lexile
+10 Task
+ 5 Series
+15 Jumbo (824 pages)
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 200
10.5 Favorite Authors (a.k.a. Moderator Gift)The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
+10 Task
+ 5 Combo:10.3 Science Fiction Day
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 215
10.9 Realistic Ratings (Cory Day's Task)-Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 225
20.9 Winnie-the-Pooh:Animal Farm by George Orwell (first published 1945)
Review:
It's quite unbelievable that I've managed to somehow not read this well-known classic until 2015. Well, I finally did get round to it.
The first 15 or so pages were a bit slow-going and I didn't know what to make of the book and where it was going. After the Revolution happened and the animals took over, things got more interesting and I started enjoying the book more.
As someone who was born in the Soviet Union (although by the time I was old enough to really understand things, it had already collapsed), I found it rather funny. Especially the way that the pigs started twisting and bending all the rules they had themselves invented, and how they said black was white and vice versa and made the other animals believe everything.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 oldies
+10 combos (10.3 Science Fiction Day, #8 on the list, and 10.9 Realistic Ratings, average of 3.82)
Task total: 45
Grand total: 115
Best of 2015(from NY Time Notable and NPR's Book Concierge)
Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann
+20 task
task total: 20
grand total: 65
10.1 Design Your Own TaskMy task was books published in the 21st Century.
Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America by Bruce Barcott
Review:
In 2012, voters in Colorado and the author's home state of Washington voted to legalize marijuana. Journalist Bruce Barcott spent two years delving into the subject of marijuana--the biochemistry of the drug, medical uses, government roadblocks to research, and enforcement of laws. There are huge numbers of black men imprisoned for many years for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Although white and black men use marijuana in similar amounts, there is racial profiling in some states in the number of arrests of black men.
He also interviewed growers, sellers, marketing executives, and the people financing the new marijuana stores. The book was well-researched and informative. I'm not a pot smoker myself, but find the medical uses of marijuana especially interesting.
+10 task (pub 2015)
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 115
10.1 Design Your Own Task (book two)Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Review:
"Big Little Lies" is a book that's hard to put down since we find out on the first few pages that the police are questioning witnesses to a murder. Someone died at a PTA Trivia Night, a fundraiser where the parents came dressed as Audrey Hepburn and Elvis Presley. The book then zooms back six months to the new kindergarten class and their parents on the school orientation day. The parents range from people that grew up around the Australian beach town near Sydney, upscale transplants, powerful professionals, a new age hippie, and a poor single mother. Many people left the orientation feeling very upset.
The dialogue is so well-written--snappy, gossipy, and humorous--that I felt like I really knew the kindergarten mothers by the end of the book. Events are shown from multiple points of view.
The end of each chapter also contains short statements that the Trivia Night witnesses made to the police. The statements kept me turning the pages since many foreshadowed things that were to come, and kept me guessing the identity of the murder victim.
Although the book had its light moments, the author delved into the serious problems of domestic violence, destructive gossiping, and schoolyard bullying. A child is accused of harming another child. But the parents that ostracize the little boy and his mother are the real bullies with their gossip. Bullying in schools, unfair gossip, and domestic abuse are all ways of exerting power over the victim. There's lots of food for thought in this book which would make an excellent book discussion choice.
+10 task (pub 2014)
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 135
20.9 Winnie-the-PoohSad Cypress by Agatha Christie
1st published 1940
+20 Task
+20 Combo (10.2 ; 10.5 - 19th books read, 1st position ; 10.7 : 10.9 - 3.79
+10 Oldies (1940)
Task total 50
Points total = 90
20.1-Grazia DeleddaThe Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Sense of place is mentionned in these two articles.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.8 - US ; 10.9 - 3.77)
Task total = 30
Points total = 120
Task 10.9 Realistic Ratings The Uncertain Places (2011) by Lisa Goldstein
Winner: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature (2012)
Review: I picked this book to read because it won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. I can see why it won: the plot is original and inventive, with just the right balance of the whimsy and the mundane in the plot. The characters are described as doing interesting and different things. Despite that, the characters didn’t seem real. The readers are told (not shown) what the relationship is between the characters (sisters, lovers, friends); and then, the novel’s attention shifts to the plot. I think fantasy novels work better when the reader can empathize with one or more of the characters. Overall, recommended for those who like original stories about faerie, and for those who wish to read the winners of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 95 + 20 = 115
10.7 Cozy HolidaysHer Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
cozy 127x
I’ve had this cozy mystery on my “to-read” list, so now was a good time to start this series. It has everything I like in a cozy – a female lead, a murder, a mystery, set between the wars, humor, and at least one upper class twit thrown in for fun. The main character is distantly related to the Royal Family, so this introduces other elements to the story (ie. she is sent on an errand for the Queen). One of the elements is that she has to find a job (because she hasn’t found a husband), but of course being of the upper class (of the time) she is educated, but not in anything useful. This book spends a fair amount of time introducing and fleshing out the characters, so the mystery element is light. I think this is okay though, it makes me want to read the others in the series now that I’ve “gotten to know” the characters.
10 task
5 series
5 real ratings (3.75)
10 review
_____
30
Running total 180
and, yes, I will be reading something other than cozies this season! ha, ha....
15.2 – DominoesThe Sacrifice Stone by Elizabeth Harris
+15 task- both authors have last name Harris
Task total: 15
Grand Total: 180
15.1 Book DominoesBetween the Vines by Tricia Stringer
+15 Task
Total this post: 15 points
Total points: 350 points
10.7 Cozy Holidays (Karen Michele's Task)-Shakespeare's Counselor (Lily Bard #5) by Charlaine Harris
shelved as 'cozy mystery' by 35 users
Review
This is the last book in the Lily Bard series and whilst it didn’t actually end on an ‘it’s done’ sort of note, I guess you could see that Lily is heading to a better spot in life. I really like Lily who is so very fragile despite her very tough facade and this last instalment, she realised that she had found something which is helping her heal from her traumatic experience. She’s accepted that she will never be who she was and will have her fragile moments but the future is looking brighter by the day. The mystery component wasn’t bad either but nothing remarkable. The book was an easy read so I’ve only rated it as average.
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.9 - 3.89 avg)
+10 Review
+5 Series
Total this post: 30 points
Total points: 380 points
20.2 - Sigrid UndsetIncantation by Alice Hoffman
Lexile 730 - no styles
This is a short but powerful book about the persecution of Jews in Spain in the 15th century.
+20 task (approved in thread)
Task total: 20
Grand Total: 475
15.2 DominoesRag and Bone: A Journey Among the World's Holy Dead by Peter Manseau
+15 task same first name, Peter, as 15.1
Running Total: 55
20.8 - Best of 2015Fever Pitch by Heidi Cullinan
I was stunned - in a good way - to see a male/male romance on the NPR Book Concierge list, and had to go for it! Heidi Cullinan is a great romance writer and this ‘new adult’ gay romance didn’t disappoint.
It focuses on a couple who’ve known each other slightly in high school, and are now at the same small college. Aaron struggles against a father who wants him to follow a certain career path that doesn’t suit him, and Giles is emotionally battered by misuse and abuse in high school. They work well as a couple and the romance was well developed. Most of the music references went way over my head, since that’s not my thing at all, but I can imagine it uniting people and it made for a powerful theme.
I guessed the next in the series would be about the amusing snarky Elijah, so I was compelled to buy that one, too :) It was just as good, and I’ll have to design an ‘own task’ around it to fit it into the challenge!
+20 task (NPR Book Concierge)
+10 review
+5 series
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 510
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
The Night Ranger (other topics)The Drop (other topics)
Shoot the Dog (other topics)
The Whites (other topics)
Between the World and Me (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Alex Berenson (other topics)Brad Smith (other topics)
Harry Brandt (other topics)
Ta-Nehisi Coates (other topics)
Alex Berenson (other topics)
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Karen Michele wrote: "20.1-Grazia Deledda (1926)
Life's Little Ironies by Thomas Hardy
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo: 10.9 Realistic Ratings
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 105"
+5 Combo 20.9