The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
FALL CHALLENGE 2009
>
FALL CHALLENGE 2009 COMPLETED TASKS
I finished task 15.7. I read Sole Sisters: Stories of Women and Running. My kids are in cross country and I watched them run.That brings my total to 75 points.
[image error]
5.5 Kestrel for a Knave- Barry HinesI remember reading this at school and watching the film and being very struck by the boys devotion to the bird.
Yesterday my daughter brought this book home from school. She struggles with reading- but had shown such interest in this book that they let her take it home. She wanted me to sit down with her and read it. So we read a few pages and we will carry on looking through over the week. She found clips of the film online- and it was lovely to see her so wrapped in the story. As a direct result of this- I reread it after she went to bed- and really enjoyed it.
I have finished the 30.1 task. I read The Thirteenth Tale for the book with something to do with my dream job (to own and run a book shop). I also read The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury which is has a university lecturer as the main character (i work in a university).Previous reads
5.4 Adoption - Digging to America by Anne Tyler
20.3 Group Read - Shutter Island by Dennis LeHane
25.5 Fortune in the title - Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve
[image error]
I completed task 15.7; Let's Get Physical. I read Never Give Up- My Stroke, My Recovery, My Return to The NFL by Tedy Bruschi with Michael Holley. Last night I watched the Patriots homeopener.
Another task down. I want to comment on Lucky Everyday, Lucky is a young expatriate woman who life is nothing but lucky. The book is short and easily readable, it is the story of a young woman's misfortunes and her use of yoga to overcome them. It is also a parable of the philosophy underlying yoga (At least I think so, I don't practice yoga myself). An out of the ordinary book.25.9 DIANE'S TASK - September Is Self-Improvement Month.
•The Second Home Book 4/14/2009 read 9/2/2009, 250pp
• Read A Book In Which The Main Character Undergoes A Significant Positive Change Lucky Everyday by Bapsy Jain read9/14/2009 294 pp.
Total points: 105/690
Tasks completed: 6/45
Books read: 10/59
Total pages: 3036
Bonnie wrote: "I finished several books last week, but most were for parts of challenges. So only one points update.25 Points
4. Book Turned Into Movie: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by ..."
No, your favorite line was in the book. I also thought it was a good riposte.
Finished25.10 Secret Vampire-LJ Smith
Total Points 180/690
Total Books 19/59
Total Tasks Completed 13/45
Total Pages 5633
5.9 Gingerbread (coming of age)10.8 Away Laughing on a Fast Camel Even More Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (my 11th word on the generator was "laughing"...i lucked out!)
10.10 Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers More Mad, Marvy Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
25.8 Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
I'm not quite sure if I enjoyed the book more or the movie. I guess I'll call it a tie. I loved how in the book you knew exactly what the characters were thinking and how they felt. But the language was a little too much for me (way to many f-bombs). Yes, the movie did leave some parts out, but I still liked it. I guess I enjoyed one of the minor characters more in the movie, Caroline. I'll give both movie & book 3/5.
total points = 50
Finished20.2 Rookie of the Season--Erin's Task ABC
1.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins2.Dragons Prefer Blondes
by Candae Havens3.
Eleanor of Aquitaine A Life by Alison Weir
Finished 10.8 (Random Word Task) with The House on Tradd Street (since one of my words was street). It was a quick, fun read. It's apparently the start of a new series featuring a real estate agent who sees ghosts and a historical mystery writer solving mysteries together. The romance bit is a little dull, but I love a ghostly mystery!
I've finally finished another task! Woo hoo!15.9 - Homework - Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes by Gordon B. Hinckley (9/15/09)
Homework Assignment: Interview a wise older person (must be at least 65!) and ask them specifically about moral values today versus when they were growing up or even when their parents were younger — how were things different back then? Type up a transcript of your conversation and write a paragraph or two to answer the following questions: If your interviewee had to pick a single moral value that they think would help better our society today if implemented, what would it be and why? What moral value do you think would help most and why?
CURRENT STATS
Tasks Completed: 10/45
Tasks Partially Completed: 5/45
Books Read: 15/60
Pages Read: 4,948
Points Earned: 95/690
Cynthia, on post #790 I initially had the Homework task listed as a 10-point task, which had initially given me 100 points total. I realize now that the task was a 15-pointer, so I edited that post and am letting you know now that my total so far is actually 105. Let me know if I did something else horribly wrong. :) Thanks!
COMPLETED:10.3
- "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss
- "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss
- "Oh, The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss
... Still reading "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon. I'm a slow reader. Glad I got 10 points at least! LOL
25.1. NICOLE OH'S TASK - Rhyme Time - Read ONE Fiction Book And ONE Poetry Book That Have A Word That Rhymes From Each Of The Titles. Example: A Light In The Attic By Shel Silverstein And The Friday Night Knitting Club By Kate Jacobs (Light And Night). It Must Be An Exact Rhyme! You must read a minimum of 350 pages total, with at a minimum of 50 of those pages being the length of your poetry book.ZOO and YOU
79 pagesOgden Nash's Zoo by Ogden Nash
375 pagesYou and No Other by Cathy Maxwell
running total: tasks 11, books 13, points 130
I am getting through a lot of books and have a lot of started tasks which is not what I wanted to do this time around. It’s mainly because they are threatening to close the Philadelphia library (and all branches) if the budgets don’t pass soon. I have to work through the last stack I was able to check out before I have to return them all by October 2. Anyway, a few new points to add:15.6: The Lacemaker and the Princess – Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 09/02 For the second part of this task, I made some bobbin lace.
10.2: Go Ask Alice – Anonymous 09/13
New Points:25
Previous Points: 10
Total Points: 35
[image error]
Hello - Just finished Ender's Game for 15.4 (Sci Fi and Sci Fact). I LOVED this book. It was my first venture into really hard core science fiction reading. Everything else was really light and just bordered the category i think. Highly recommend it. I guess there is a reason it has won a Hugo and a Nebula award!I also watched several episodes of MythBusters for the science fact portion - which was no struggle since it is one of my favorite shows!
New total: 120
Matthew wrote: "I am new to GR, and this challenge is just way too much fun to pass over. So, here are the books I have read since Sept. 1 that fit the tasks:5.3- Columbus (Castaways of the flying Dutchman - B..."
Hey Matthew: Welcome! I hope you enjoy this Seasonal Challenge. This is my second one, and boy do they become addicting. :-)
Donna Jo wrote: "Finished20.2 Rookie of the Season--Erin's Task ABC
1.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins...
3.
..."Hey Donna Jo: How did you like the book about Eleanor of Aquitaine? This book is languishing on my bookshelf right now. I have high hopes for it as I really enjoy Allison Weir's work, and Eleanor of Aquitaine is an amazing historical figure.
Krista wrote: "Donna Jo wrote: "Finished20.2 Rookie of the Season--Erin's Task ABC
1.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins...
3. [bookcover:Eleanor of Aquitai..."
If you like Weir's books, this one will be right up your alley. I have done a lot of reading about Eleanor, both fiction and non-fiction, but somehow had missed this one. Weir seems to have a certain rhythm to her books that drives some people crazy, but I always enjoy them, right down through the footnotes--or in this case, endnotes.
Donna Jo wrote: "Krista wrote: "Donna Jo wrote: "Finished20.2 Rookie of the Season--Erin's Task ABC
1.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins...
3. [bookcover:Ele..."
Great! Thanks for the info. I'll have to see if I can work it in to the Winter challenge. :-)
I finished reading Marked by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast this weekend for task 5.8. I absolutely loved this book. Read it in two days. I can't wait to read the next four and #6 is coming out in October. :)This gives me a grand total of 15 points.
Jen L (MO)Finished:
5.5 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
It seems to be more random the second time through...I think I like it less!
5.8 Sundays at Tiffany’s by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
10.8 Olivia Kidney by Ellen Potter (10th word Kidney!)
25.10 Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
Total: 45
5.9 Coming of Age - The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. This was the untimate coming of age novel. I had been wanting to read it for a very long time and I'm glad that I finally did. It was also the first of five Pulitzer Prize winners on my tbr list for this challenge. It is also the third book from this challenge that had me crying my eyes out.15.4 Science Fact vs. Science Fiction. I read The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells and watched "Dawn of the Space Age" a documentary about the history of space travel at our local science museum's planetarium. This was another book I had been wanting to read for a long time. I found it a bit disappointing. It had the potential of being a far better book.
Total Points: 190/690
Books Read: 25 (+ 8 Berenstain Bears books)
Tasks Completed: 14/45
Tasks in Progress: 6
[image error]
Ok so I am getting a late start here but figure I will join anwyay.5-1. Our Children Are Our Future (Reads) - Funnily The First Letters Of The Fall Months Spell Out The Word Son (September, October, November) - So Read A Book That Has The Word Son(s), Daughter(s) (Because They're Just As Important), Kid(s), Child, or Children In The Title.
Lamb The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Total:5 pts
Jaime(MA)
25.9 I just finished reading Curves Member Guide by Gary Heavin. It is a cookbook and is for part 1 of this task. I have already read Julia's Chocolates for the second part. This task is now complete.
Just popping in to say hello - on yet another book for a multi-book task. That'll make an extra five books read that I can't count towards points yet but I'm having fun reading!
I finished another book and task:TASK 15.8 - S & F countries:
Switzerland: Bloomability by Sharon Creech (9/15/09)
It was a really great little middle/high school read. What I got from it was that life is so much happier if you look for the good around you, and not the bad. Plus, Lila (the complainer) was SO ANNOYING I wanted to hit her. She didn't have a single positive thing to say for 85% of the book!
France: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (9/5/09)
This book was FABULOUS! It was TOTALLY AWESOME! And I don't usually like classics, so that's REALLY saying something. I think EVERYONE should read this book at some point during their lifetime! It's definitely worth the time.
CURRENT STATS
Tasks Completed: 11/45
Tasks Partially Completed: 4/45
Books Read: 16/60
Pages Read: 5,221
Points Earned: 110/690
[half task:] 30 point: "profession" - finished one book: 'The Rainmaker" by John Grisham
It's the first book I've read by this author, and I loved it. As a future lawyer it's been really interesting to me, especially since I can compare US law system with that of my country. It's a great book to help one understand that real life and real job is not what they teach us at the schools. If you strip the book of its "law content", you'll get a general description of human life overall - dreams, aspirations, failures, maturation, new goals. It's a really good book in any aspects. I only wish the author hadn't written the ending so quickly and jumbled up. For such a long novel such a quick and short ending was a bit disappointing...but then, it's just my opinion.
On the board for this season- not going as quickly as the last one this time. Point total = 2525.1: The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs and A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Thanks for the suggestion! Knitting has been on the tbr pile for a while and I always love Shel Sivlerstein!
Finally after reading several books in multi-book tasks I have a finish!25.8
Proper Name: Olive Kitteridge finished 9/15/09
Proper Place: Empire Falls finished 9/14/09
Thing: The Family Heart finished 9/6/09
Brings me to 50 points!
Just finished 25.5 by reading Prophecy of the Sisters. I loved it and cannot wait to read the next book in the series! Another great book that I may not have found without this task! [image error]
Nicole wrote: "Just finished 25.5 by reading Prophecy of the Sisters. I loved it and cannot wait to read the next book in the series! Another great book that I may not have found without this task!..."Oh good! I've got this one picked out for that task too, so I'm even more excited to read it now! Just have to wait for my hold to come in at the library... :D
Finished 15.10 (Teacher/Student Task)I read The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta (teacher) and A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (student)
New Total: 40 points
Jenna wrote: "Finished 15.10 (Teacher/Student Task)I read The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta (teacher) and A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (student)
New Total: 40 points"
Did you love
??
I've just finished reading two books for task 25.2, two books by authors related by blood (in this case, they are sisters):#1 Learning Curves A Novel of Sex, Suits, and Business Affairs by Gemma Townley
and #2 Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsela.
I didn't really enjoy either, to be honest, as I'm not a huge chicklit fan, but for the genre, they weren't completely horrible!
Total score: 65 points
Books Read: 6
Have completed half of Diane's 25 point Task September is Self-Improvement Month - read The Art of Extreme Self-Care by Cheryl Richardson 111 pages. I highly recommend it for all moms, care-givers, or those who have a habit of putting others first. Today I will be starting to read Wasted a memoir of anorexia and bulimia by Marya Hornbacker for the second half of this task.
Completed the first of three parts for Cait's 25 point task - Nouns - read A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber 345 pages. A quick and easy read about the owner of a yarn store and her clients/friends and their families.
I've finally finished another task. I read The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell for Task 20.1. This brings my total up to 25!
25/690 Points
2/60 Books
2/45 Tasks
Pages Read: 708
Finished 5.6 Terrifying Titles by reading Dark Voyage by Alan Furst. This book was a dud. I had a hard time getting attatched to any of the characters and there wasn't much of a plot. But this brings my total to 60 points.
After school started, I've been so swamped with homework that I haven't gotten much reading done.Here's what I have so far...
5 point tasks
10. Slaughterhouse Five
10 point tasks
2. The Icebound Land (addiction to 'warmweed')
3. Six by Seuss (352 pages: And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, Horton Hatches the Egg, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, The Lorax, and Yertle the Turtle)
Kritika's total points
5+10+10
25
Completed the Berenstain task for 10 points by reading:"Mommy's Little Star" by Janet Bingham (32 pages)
"A Merry Little Christmas: Celebrate from A to Z" by Mary Engelbreight (40 pages)
"My Side of the Story: Peter Pan/Captain Hook" by Kiki Thorpe (72 pages)
5.4 Adoption Story - Kim: A Gift from Vietnam by Frank W. Chinnock. It is about one of the first adoptions of a Vietnamese child by an American during the Vietnamese War.Total Points: 195/690
Books Read: 26 (+ 8 Berenstain Bears books)
Tasks Completed: 15/45
Tasks in Progress: 6
I thought this Ticker went well with the whole overseas adoption theme of the book:
[image error]
10.1. This Year Labor Day Falls On September 7th - Rock And Roll Pioneer Buddy Holly Was Born On That Day In 1936 - Read A Book First Published During His Lifetime (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959). 
Run Silent Run Deep by Edward L. Beach 1st published 1955.
running total: tasks 11, books 14, points 140
Read Wonder Woman Love and Murder by Jodi Picoult for 10.7.It was pretty. I didn't love it, but I'm not really a fan of superhero graphic novels.
Finished another for 5 points. New total is 30. I read The 5th Horseman by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. It was ok- quick read.
Nicole wrote: "Jenna wrote: "Finished 15.10 (Teacher/Student Task)I read The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta (teacher) and A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (student)
New Total: 40 points"
Di..."
Nicole,
I liked A Great and Terrible Beauty, but didn't love it. The story and characters were good, but I felt like a lot of it dragged. I gave it 3 stars. I think I will read the other two at some point. I am curious to see how the series turns out.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Tempt Me at Twilight (other topics)Patterns in the Sand (other topics)
The Shadow of the Wind (other topics)
My Grandfather's Son (other topics)
Soul of a Dog: Reflections on the Spirits of the Animals of Bedlam Farm (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lisa Kleypas (other topics)Sally Goldenbaum (other topics)
Clarence Thomas (other topics)
Audrey Niffenegger (other topics)
Neil Gaiman (other topics)
More...
It was interesting as it was a collection of either transcripts from war correspondents, or interviews remembering war correspondents about their time, thoughts, and feelings on reporting while America was as war. My general stance on the media is that they are super invasive and often go above and beyond what needs to be seen, but most of the people interviewed painted a picture of a super controlling government that only wanted elaborate stories with the merest shred of truth in them. I suppose it's essentially a balance and both are necessary to keep the other in line. It was interesting and made you think though.
Total points:85