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WI 15-16 RwS Completed Tasks - Winter 15/16
15.4 - DominoesIn Bed With A Stranger by Mary Wine
+15 task (same word in title as 15.3)
Task total: 15 points
Grand total: 175 points
20.1 Grazia Deledda-on approved list (https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/item/co...)Foundation by Isaac Asimov
+20 task: Read a book published during author A.A. Milne's lifetime (1882-1956) (1951)
+5 combo (20.9-Winnie the Pooh)
+5 combo (10.2 No L)
+5 combo (10.3 Sci-fi Day)
+5 combo (10.8 Winter Solstice, Asimov was born in what is now Russia)
+10 Review
+5 oldies (1951)
+5 series, book 1
Task total: 60
Grand Total for Winter: 60
Review:
I think a lot of my review may change and is dependent on reading the remaining two books of the original trilogy. In short, as reflected in the 3-star rating, I found this book to be "ok." I probably would have given 2-stars, but for the cache and my faith that the remainder of the trilogy will illuminate some of what I found lacking...which is mainly details. I would love to think that this was sparse Sci-Fi (Cormac McCarthy writing a galactic-scale political drama?) and that the sparseness was part of it...but I cannot come to that positive a conclusion. In some ways Asimov creates a thoroughly rich backdrop and allows us to fill in details with our imaginations (and I am not a reader who NEEDS every detail spelled out)...but in other ways this lack of details detracts. I'd like to know a little more about the characters and the settings, without some of these backgrounds, I am left not caring. It is hard to create an alien world/life form and give so few details about what that may be without suffering a loss from your readers.
Not caring is an interesting question with regards to this tale...as the whole "story" (and I use that loosely as the plot arc is not as dynamic as one would hope) is based on a notion of future-history inevitability. It doesnt MATTER what the characters do. Which is why I wanted to care more about them as characters, I think. The plot is also interesting. This book appears to be the first in a 1000-year saga, and is intended to cover specific episodes of critical importance on that road. So the arc of the story is more of a step (run then rise, run then rise) rather than an incline...so while the story advances, it does so in fits and starts. With each new episode one has to 'get into' it again. Normally, I don't mind a bit of gamesmanship on the part of an author...sometimes figuring out the story is part of the fun. I didn't find that the case in this book. Rather, it felt disjointed, like a series of loosely-connected bits (sometimes even within each episode) which perhaps reflects the initial serial publication of the novel.
Anyway, hoping that books 2 and 3 change my opinion and force me to update this review. At very least, I can say it was a fast and not particularly challenging read.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Post 179 Tien wrote: "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 fo..."
I get a 404 error on the qualifying review link. Please post in the Help thread an excerpt of the review or a better link.
EDIT: Nevermind, I found one here, which might be the same one - I don't know why your link didn't work:
https://www.australianbookreview.com....
15.3 Book dominoesLullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill
(same birth decade as 15.2, see message 11 in Domino plan thread)
15
___
15
Running total: 195
Post 188 Lagullande wrote: "20.9 Winnie-the-PoohThe Crime at Tattenham Corner: An Inspector Stoddart Mystery: Volume 2 by Annie Haynes
+20 task (pub 1929)
+10 oldies (1985)
+5 Series (#2 i..."
yes on the 10.2 Noel Noel combo
Post 208 Heather wrote: "15.2 - authors both born in BritainFrom Hell by Alan Moore
+15 task
task total: 15
grand total: 165"
I'm sorry, Heather, Graphic Novels do not qualify for Dominoes.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "yes on the 10.2 Noel Noel combo"Yay, thank you!
20.4 Elfriede J.Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (Germany)
+20 pts - task
+ 5 Pts - combo (10.4-3.6 stars)
Task total - 25 pts
grand total - 135 pts
When I started reading it, I was going to read it to fill the "cozy" task and to my dismay found it didn't make it on the genre page. So glad I had figured combos for it before hand!
Also just noticed on my last post, I gave myself 1015 pts!!! I'll change it. Glad to see the Readerboard didn't fall for it!
Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven by Mark Twain pub 1909
+20 pts - task
+15 pts - combo (10.4- 3.86 ratings, 20.1 - on list, 20.10)
+10 pts - Oldies
Task total - 45 pts
Grand total - 180 pts
From Post 190Karen Michele wrote: "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"
+5 Combo 10.8-Canada
From Post 196Marie wrote: "20.9 Winnie-the-Pooh
Sad 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 Oldi..."
I am sorry Marie, 10.5 is not eligible as a combo and for 10.7 the genre 'cozy-mystery' needs to appear on the book's main page in the genre section to qualify.
From Post 197Marie wrote: "20.1-Grazia Deledda
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Sense of place is mentionned in these
Sorry, again, for 10.8-the author needs to have been born in Alaska, USA. Paula McLain was born in California.
Katy wrote: "10.5 Favorite AuthorsChimera by Mira Grant
Although Mira Grant does write fast (especially considering she is also writing as Seanan McGuire!), I definitely was ..."
Sorry, Katy, I show the MPE of this title to have only 486 pages, so no Jumbo points on this one.
From Post 196Marie wrote: "20.9 Winnie-the-Pooh
Sad 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 Oldi..."
+5 Series
From Post 190Karen Michele wrote: "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"
+5 Series
From Post 190Karen Michele wrote: "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"
+5 Combo 10.9 3.40 (sorry I missed this a minute ago)
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I get a 404 error on the qualifying review link. Please post in the Help thread an excerpt of the review or a better link.EDIT: Nevermind, I found one here, which might be the same one - I don't know why your link didn't work:
https://www.australianbookreview.com.... "
sorry & thanks! :)
10.2 Noel NoelThe Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco
+10 task
+5 combo (10.9 rating 3.35)
Task total: 15
Grand Total: 195
15.4 Book DominoesLetters to a Young Scientist by Edward O. Wilson
Same country of residency as Michael Macrone. Detailed info is not on Goodreads but is on book jacket and his resume on his website - http://www.michaelmacrone.com/resume....
+15 Task
Grand total: 300
10.7 Cozy MysteryMurder in Christmas River by Meg Muldoon
+10 Task (14 users on main book page)
+5 Combo 10.9 (3.89 avg rating)
+5 Series
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 95
10.9 Realistic RatingsThe Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
+10 Task (3.85 avg rating)
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 105
10.9 Realistic RatingsTwisted by Jonathan Kellerman
+10 Task (3.81 avg rating)
+5 Series
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 135
10.2 Noel, NoelThe Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.9 3.52 avg rating)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 150
Rebekah wrote: "20.4 Elfriede J.Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (Germany)
+20 pts - task
+ 5 Pts - combo (10.4-3.6 stars)
Task total - 25 pts
grand total - 135 pts
When I started r..."
Rebekah wrote: "20.4 Elfriede J.
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (Germany)
+20 pts - task
+ 5 Pts - combo (10.4-3.6 stars)
Task total - 25 pts
grand total - 135 pts
When I started r..."
I forgot to add the 5 pts for series style points
which makes my grand total 185 pts
20.1-Grazia Deledda Rabbit Is Rich by John Updike
Well.... since I finished Rabbit Redux a few days ago... the characters haven't gotten any more likable but they have become even more dysfunctional. And the disfunction is now spreading like an infectious disease throughout the family and acquaintances. I can't remember the last book I read that I enjoyed so much where everyone was a loser. I read the Forsyth Saga two years ago.... and the Rabbit series is also a family saga.... but Forsyth had some people I cared about. Somehow, Updike creates these characters who do awful things.... and the other characters often don't react the way I (or how I would expect the ordinary reasonable person) would react... and yet, it rings true. American society degraded in a nice suburban setting. BTW, I read this book for the "sense of place" category... and it wasn't too much of a stretch for me to imagine this small town Pennsylvania existence...not far from Philadelphia. I grew up in Jersey City, in the shadows of the Big Apple... and we had the same type of old newsstands and banks and seedy areas. Five stars.
task +20
review +10
combo +10 (10.1, 10.9 - 3.89 rating)
oldie +5 (1981)
series +5
total = 50
grand total = 310
Ed wrote: "20.1-Grazia Deledda Rabbit Is Rich by John Updike
Well.... since I finished Rabbit Redux a few days ago... the characters haven't gotten any more likable but they have..."
Ed, I think this is the 2nd book in this series you have posted this season, so it is worth 10 series points, not 5. (And you're making me want to get back to Rabbit Angstrom - it's been years since I read Rabbit, Run.)
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ed wrote: "20.1-Grazia Deledda Rabbit Is Rich by John Updike
Well.... since I finished Rabbit Redux a few days ago... the characters haven't gotten any more likable bu..."
Thanks Elizabeth
20.7 FeminismCat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
Review:
This story is narrated by a woman looking back on her years growing up, during which she was relentlessly bullied by three of her "friends." The story begins in the 1940's and follows the narrator, Elaine, into adulthood and marriage. She becomes a painter, and returns home to attend an art show featuring her work. She had managed to forget much of what had happened years ago, but returning home brings the memories back to her. This is not a book with tons of action. But the story completely drew me in. Not since encountering the character Cathy in John Steinbeck's East of Eden have I seen a character as evil and ruthless as Cordelia, the ringleader of the bullying group. I was all set to give this five stars, until the end. I was expecting an explanation of why things happened as they did, but the focus was more on how Elaine dealt with facing past events. An added bonus was getting to relive the post-WWII years through Atwood's excellent narrative.
+20 task (#31 on list)
+25 combo (10.2; 10.3; 10.8; 10.9 - 3.90 rating; 20.1 - post 111)
+10 review
+ 5 oldies (1988)
Task total=60
Grand total=315
20.1-Grazia DeleddaA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
+20 task (approved in post 111)
+5 combo (10.9 rating=3.99 )
+15 oldies (pub 1843)
Task total: 40
RwS Total: 105
Dominoes Total: 60
Grand Total: 165
Not sure whether this counts for Series points too? GR has it listed as part of a "Christmas Books" series, but it isn't numbered and I question whether Charles intended it as such!
20.1 - Grazia DeleddaA Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
I was hoping for thematically linked essays (like Browsings) or a tight stream of consciousness (like In the City) but A Field Guide to Getting Lost feels more like a brain dump.
Solnit covers many different aspects of getting lost - losing your way, losing knowledge, the loss of species, the loss of people, losing yourself. I particularly liked a couple of sections in the chapter Abandon such as:
"Maybe she knew that to be truly alive death had to be part of the picture just as winter must."
But for every interesting insight there are tens of pages that float by unremarkably. We visit her dreams, turtles, and the desert again and again but have little to show for it.
I was hoping for something more solid, a more outward-looking view on what it means to get and be lost. Not bad, per ce, but way too much navel gazing for me.
+20 task (approved here)
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 205
10.1 Create Your Own Task- Read a book that has Fantasy as its genre- Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink 259 users shelved it as Fantasy as of 12/6/15Review
I did not read the podcast. I didn't know there was a podcast. Thought the book was really strange. The world is like our world but a few things that are off like the library is a scary place to go. Books are not encouraged. The world is technologically like ours. They have computers and cell phones. In fact you are required to carry a cell phone.
I liked the two main characters. Jackie is a nineteen year old owner of a pawnshop. Diane is a single mother of a teenage boy, Josh who is a shape changer. They never really explained how he could do that. Josh tried to find his father but there are more than one of him. It is a confusing world. Overall, I liked it.
Task +10
Style + 10 Review
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 35
10.7 - Cozy HolidaysDeath at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn
In this first in a cosy mystery series, the Hon. Daisy Dalrymple goes to Wentwater Court to interview the earl in her position as a journalist, but while she’s there, a much-hated guest apparently drowns in the lake accidentally while skating. Daisy is immediately co-opted by the handsome Scotland Yard detective to act as his sidekick and take notes.
This was my first experience of reading anything by Carola Dunn. It was okay, but for such a simple story it took me a while to read it, because I kept drifting off to other things. It didn’t grab and hold me. I love Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, so I often struggle with cosy mysteries – especially if set in England 1920-1950 - because they seem like a poor imitation. This was rather the case here.
I have another 3 in the series on my Kindle, and I think they all fit this task and 10.9, so I might read more before the end of the season.
+10 task
+10 review
+5 combo 10.9
+5 series
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 540
10.2 - Noel, NoelA Forbidden Rumspringa by Keira Andrews
An Amish romance with a difference. The book description warns that this is “not an inspirational Christian romance”. It’s the story of two Amish men who fall in love with each other, which makes life in the community difficult if not impossible.
David is 22 and the only son of a widow with several younger daughters, so it’s his responsibility to support his family. His sister Mary has a crush on 18-year-old Isaac, but Isaac only has eyes for David.
This went to the top of my wishlist as soon as I saw Cory’s review of it in an earlier post on this thread. I held out for 5 days before buying it, but I loved it so then I had to have the rest of the series, and I caved on that instantly. Goodreads has a lot to answer for!
+10 task
+10 review
+5 combo (10.8 born Canada)
+5 series
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 570
10.8 - Winter SolsticeA Clean Break by Keira Andrews
Review contains spoilers.
(view spoiler)
+10 task
+10 review
+10 series (claiming for a different task than the first)
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 600
Kate S wrote: "From Post 190Karen Michele wrote: "10.5 Favorite Authors (a.k.a. Moderator Gift)
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
Sigh! So much for doing better - I don't think series counts here, though, because the hardback is a compilation of an online series.
10.2 Noel, NoelCome Rain or Come Shine by Jan Karon
+10 Task
+ 5 Series: Mitford Years #11
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 255
10.8 - Winter SolsticeA Way Home by Keira Andrews
Review contains spoilers.
(view spoiler)
+10 task
+10 review
+5 combo (10.2)
No series points this time.
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 625
10.7 Cozy Holidays (Karen Michele's Task)-When the Cookie Crumbles by Virginia Lowell
+10 Task: Cozy Mystery 25 users
+ 5 Combo: 10.9 Realistic Ratings (3.86)
+ 5 Series : Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery #3
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 275
Could I please move I, Robot (post 119) from task 10.8 to 10.3 - Science Fiction Day?There is no change to points.
10.9 Realistic Ratings (Cory Day's Task)-Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
+10 Task: 3.77
+ 5 Series : Phryne Fisher #1
+ 5 Oldies (1989)
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 295
20.10 Leap Year The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson
+20 Task
+15 Combo: 10.9 Realistic Ratings (3.89) / 20.3-Toni Morrison (1993) / 20.9 Winnie-the-Pooh (1912)
+ 10 Oldies (1912)
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 340
15.3 – DominoesThe Iron Dragon's Daughter byMichael Swanwick
+15 task- published 1996 and 1993
Task total: 15
Grand Total: 210
10.9 Realistic Ratings (Cory Day's Task)-Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
+10 Task: 3.88
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 350
Kate S wrote: "Katy wrote: "10.5 Favorite AuthorsChimera by Mira Grant
Although Mira Grant does write fast (especially considering she is also writing as Seanan McGuire!), I de..."
Sorry Kate! The MPE seems to have changed recently...
10.9 Realistic RatingsA Spy by Nature by Charles Cumming
This was an interesting read. I enjoy spy novels, and I've read one other book by Cumming before. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much. Without spoiling the plot, there was a point where suddenly, the action jumped forward and from there on, you had to figure out what the mission was and what Alec, the protagonist, was trying to do. Only at the very end was it revealed. At first this annoyed me - it seemed like too big of a leap. I kept going back, thinking I had missed a page or something. By the end, once I was sure I knew (and then once it was confirmed) I could appreciate the drama of having to guess - but along the way it was irritating. On the plus side, there was a lot of fascinating storyline about how someone might become a spy and what kinds of work post-Cold-War spies might be engaged in.
+10 task (3.48 rating)
+10 review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 140
10.1 Design your own taskRead a book in a series I started before December 1, 2015 ( I started Bond series last season)
From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming
I enjoyed this installment in the James Bond series. The first third of the book takes us behind the Iron Curtain, and describes the Cold War machinations of the Soviet spy agency developing and setting the perfect trap for Bond. Of course, Bond (and M) take the bait, and we’re off on an adventure. I liked this book better than the first (Casino Royale), in that Bond seems more fleshed out by this point. As with many books of this type of the time though, you do have to be prepared to put up with some misogyny. It’s not overwhelming and shouldn’t deter anyone from enjoying an action filled spy adventure. Overall, I thought this was a fun, suspenseful spy adventure; and am looking forward to reading the next installment.
10 task
5 oldie
5 series
5 combo - real rating 3.88
10 review
_____
35
Running total: 230
20.1-Grazia DeleddaA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Review:
This book is still revered 172 years (if I've done the math right) after it was first published. Nearly everyone has seen it produced in some form, or has read it, or at the very least has a general idea of the plot. There are good reasons that this story is so well known and loved. It offers the hope that it is never too late to change one's life for the better. So I feel like a Scrooge having to admit that I really didn't enjoy reading it, although I do agree with Dickens' message. Dickens was a dramatist at heart and it shows in his writing. I guess I just wasn't in the mood for his style.
+20 task (post 111)
+ 5 combo (10.9 - 3.99 rating )
+10 review
+15 oldies (1843)
Task total=50
Grand total=365
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Reading with Style
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Alex Berenson (other topics)
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Chimera by Mira Grant
Although Mira Grant does write fast (especially considering she is also writing as Seanan McGuire!), I definitely was impatiently awaiting this book's release around Thanksgiving. This is an odd series in that I found the books got progressively better (more often I feel like book 2 disappoints). I was already dying to know the outcome and Mira Grant didn't let me down. By now, the human-tapeworm war has broken out in earnest and we get some new revelations about the nature of the conflict (and of the tapeworms!). Sal has some tough choices to make and changes in interesting ways. I was sad to see this one come to an end.
+10 task
+10 combo (10.2, 10.9 - 3.94 rating)
+10 review
+5 jumbo (512 pages)
+15 series (third book posted in the series this season)
Task Total: 50
Grand Total: 125