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2016 Challenge
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Auntie's 2016 Challenge:
* A book published in 2016: Death of a Nurse: M.C. Beaton
* A book you can finish in 1 day: World Food: Italy, Linda Doesser
* A book you've been meaning to read: Chomp, Carl Hiaasen ★ ★ ★ ★
* A book recommended to you by a Librarian or Bookseller (not an online bookseller): The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, Alan Bradley
* A book you should have read in school, but didn't: The Little Prince, Saint-Exupéry
* A book recommended by a spouse, partner, friend, relative, child, or sibling: French for Cats, Henry Beard
* A book published before you were born: Three Blind Mice & Other Stories, Christie
* A book that was banned at some point: And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson
* A book you put down & have never finished: Shroud for a Nightingale, P.D. James ★ ★
* A book you own but have yet to read: The Power of Compassion, His Holiness Dalai Lama
* A book that intimidates you: Courses: a Culinary Journey, Princess Cruises
* A book you're already read at least once:
Mod
2016 Challenge: "A book you put down & didn't finish"
★ ★
Now I remember why I put this book down... The opening was boring and I just didn't care but I needed a book for the challenge.....
Two young nursing students are murdered... They were not particularly well liked and one was a self-righteous petty blackmailer. Called in to investigate Inspector Dagliesh has his work cut out for him..... for there are many other victims besides the two poisoned nurses and many people jousting for positions of power.
I couldn't keep the characters straight as many were on the peripheral and mentioned in passing and for the most part, I didn't care about the rest. They were not nice or likable people and I found Inspector Dagliesh tedious as well.
A book published in 2016: SCANDALOUS BEHAVIOR by Stuart Woods. Two Stars.A book you can finish in 1 day: OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck. Four stars
A book you've been meaning to read: A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by Khaled Hosseini. Three Stars.
A book recommended by a Librarian -BEST BOY by Eli Gottlieb. Four stars
A book you should have read in school, but didn't: LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding. Four stars.
A book recommended by a spouse, partner, friend, relative, child, or sibling. My daughter recommended THE MUSEUM OF EXTRAORDINARY THINGS by Alice Hoffman. Four stars.
A book published before you were born: ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN by George Papashvily, 1945. Three stars.
* A book that was banned at some point
* A book you put down & have never finished
* A book you own but have yet to read
* A book that intimidates you
* A book you're already read at least once
Kimberly wrote: "Shroud for a Nightingale, P.D. James2016 Challenge: "A book you put down & didn't finish"
★ ★
Now I remember why I put this book down... The opening was boring and I just didn't care but I need..."
I have trouble with books with a "cast list" or maps in the front. Usually means it will be way too fussy.
I assume that these should be 12 different books, right?
Allison wrote: "* A book published in 2016* A book you can finish in 1 day
* A book you've been meaning to read
* A book recommended to you by a Librarian or Bookseller (not an online bookseller)
** A book re..."
The book I just finished, Sweet Salt Air, does not fit anything in this list, unfortunately. Next one for sure!
Read all of the following:* A book published in 2016
* A book you can finish in 1 day
* A book you've been meaning to read
by Marissa Meyer 3.5 stars rounded to 4* A book recommended to you by a Librarian or Bookseller (not an online bookseller)
3.5 stars rounded to 4 ** A book recommended by a Librarian? Both LibraryCin & I are Librarians, check out our shelves.......
* A book you should have read in school, but didn't Mariana
* A book recommended by a spouse, partner, friend, relative, child, or sibling
* A book published before you were born Queen Lucia 3.5 stars rounded to 4
* A book that was banned at some point
* A book you put down & have never finished
started in 2014, finally read this year* A book you own but have yet to read
April 19 (posted to GR April 20)* A book that intimidates you
by Julian Barnes 1 star* A book you're already read at least once
That is a total of 12 books & reviews.
So to make it easy for me to keep track.... Respond to this thread w/ a copy&paste of this list.
As you complete each book EDIT your original reply w/ the title, author & rating. Then write you review of each book as a REPLY to your original thread.
P.S. ** A book recommended by a Librarian? Both LibraryCin & I are Librarians, check out our shelves.......
Does it need to be a librarian here, or can it be one in our brick and mortar library?
Mod
Auntie's 2016 Challenge:
* A book published in 2016: Death of a Nurse: M.C. Beaton
* A book you can finish in 1 day: World Food: Italy, Linda Doesser
* A book you've been me..."
Chomp, Carl Hiaasen
2016 Challenge: Book You've Been Meaning to Read
★ ★ ★ ★
What an enchanting read.....
I ♥ most all of Hiaasen's work: he's honest, irreverent, funny, and takes a look at real environmental issues.
Wahoo & his father have a wildlife rescue center in their backyard.... His father has recently suffered a concussion from a frozen iguana that fell out of a tree, and now has headaches & sees double.....
They are approached by a reality t.v. show that wants to hire them & their alligator for an Everglades episode.
The star of the t.v. show is a total egotistical fake with ideas of grandeur. While filming w/ Alice the tame alligator, the star decides to hop on Alice's back and ends up going for a wild ride...
Soon all are on their way to an Everglades tour site, with the addition of Tuna, a run-away schoolmate of Wahoo's whose father has blackened her eye.
When her father shows up, even more madcap madness abounds.
Well written, fast paced , and entertaining... a good read for pre-teens.
Mod
I'm a Librarian, so is LibraryCin..... You can read from our 4-5 star lists or go to the local Library
Kimberly wrote: "This is the challenge and the person finishing first wins whatever it is I decide to send them:Read all of the following:
* A book published in 2016
* A book you can finish in 1 day
* A book y..."
I read The Lottery and it is just a short story. Those do not count, correct?
Karin wrote: "Read all of the following:* A book published in 2016
* A book you can finish in 1 day
* A book you've been meaning to read
by Marissa Meyer 3.5 stars rounded to 4*..."
Winter by Marissa Meyer
★★★.5
Winter is still slowly going mad from not using her glamour, Scarlet imprisoned as a pet, Cinder, Cress, Kai, Wolf, Thorne and Iko on the ship they escaped in when Winter opens. But Levana is still plotting, and after glimpsing just how loved Winter is, devises a plan to take care of Winter once and for all. As we all know will eventually happen, they all end up on Luna, endeavouring to overthrow Levana and end her nefarious reign to save Lunars and Earthens alike.
This is the longest of the three books, and while the writing level remains consistent, it is not only over twice the length of Cinder, it is more than 260 pages longer in hardback than the next longest book, Cress. I really didn’t think everything in that extra length (in various parts of the book) was necessary for a great end to this tale, and in between times of really enjoying this story again, I got bored or distracted, which is why it’s 3.5 stars, not 4.
Karin wrote: "Read all of the following:* A book published in 2016
* A book you can finish in 1 day
* A book you've been meaning to read
by Marissa Meyer 3.5 stars rounded to 4*..."
England, England by Julian Barnes
★
****note that I am not a fan of satire as a rule, even though I understand it, so this greatly affects my rating and dislike of this novel***
England, England contains a novel within a novel. Enclosed within the story of Martha Cochrane, is the satirical story of the development of England, England, a historical theme park thought of and spearheaded by Sir Jack Pitman. Throughout this book play with the idea of memory and history, what it is and isn’t, how people perceive it, and of course there is plenty of humour; some of it I even laughed at, particularly earlier on.
However, even if I liked satire, some of this—and note that my use of this term is not a judgement on people who like this book, since my parents and extended family will read and enjoy books like this—I found parts of this book was rather crass. Bear in mind that I cover my eyes for violence, etc on screen, too, much to the amusement of my teens and husband.
This is my first read by Julian Barnes, and if satire and/or the use of certain words I prefer not to read in print (lest they come out of my mouth in heated moments, which has been known to happen from time to time), then I suspect he’s not the author for me. However, if you are not bothered by these things, like satire and/or Julian Barnes, by all means try this novel; it is evident he knows how to write.
Karin wrote: "Read all of the following:* A book published in 2016
* A book you can finish in 1 day
* A book you've been meaning to read
by Marissa Meyer 3.5 stars rounded to 4*..."
Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson
★★★.5
Emmaline (Lucia) Lucas is the undisputed queen of Riseholme during the roaring 20’s, and everyone knows it. She and her husband, Peppino, are close, and her next closest friend and ally is Georgie; while some think they flirt, that couldn’t be further from the truth, but he is definitely her go-to friend and confidante. As the neighbourhood becomes wrapped up in an Indian guru after Lucia snags him away from Mrs. Quantock, Georgie’s tall, strapping sisters bicycle in for a month’s stay after sending their dog and things by train, turning poor Georgie into a mess with their dog, whom he is certain is vicious and their rambunctious ways. Just at about the same time, his friend, the opera singer Olga Barcely, married to a different Georgie, but who hasn’t changed her name, comes to town, and then such a commotion as people race to be the first to see her and have her over. When Olga unwittingly offends Lucia, things go far from well, and poor Georgie is caught in the middle, and in the meantime romances begin to blossom among some of the local singles.
This is a delightful novel about the goings on of a small English community and the splash a newcomer makes. Light, fun, humourous with some glimpses into human nature and a wonderfully surprising amount of grace and compassion from someone you might not expect it from (but which of the characters I won’t say). I hadn’t even heard of this series until one of my Shelfari friends said she was rereading it and that I really must try it. I am planning to read the rest of the Lucia novels, but no more than one per month so I can savour and enjoy them without getting tired of them. This wasn’t so stellar I’d give it five stars, and it lost another half star because of a few little things, such as the odd time Georgie and Lucia talk in baby talk (perhaps this was done more among friends in the 1920s, but since that was before my parents’ time, I have no idea.)
Karin wrote: "Read all of the following:* A book published in 2016
* A book you can finish in 1 day
* A book you've been meaning to read
by Marissa Meyer 3.5 stars rounded to 4*..."
Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn
★★★.5
Chet and Bernie head to Washington, DC because Bernie is interested in seeing his girlfriend, Suzie Sanchez. Chet doesn’t mind, he likes Suzie and besides, she keeps snacks for him in her car. However, Chet soon finds out that all is not well when they get there. One of Suzie’s sources is murdered and this strange bird with no eyes that no one else notices keeps coming by. When he’s not distracted by thought of food, the scents of members of the nation within a nation (aka dogs) and other doggie things, Chet is tuned into what the humans around him are saying and doing, even if he doesn’t always quite understand what they mean.
I read this because my teen son chose it for me for a holiday gift. To be honest, I expected absolutely nothing from this book, since it’s not something I would normally pick up. However, it did give me some laughs. The story is nothing brilliant, but Quinn does a nice job of writing from the POV of a dog, and if not totally believable, it was doggie enough to be quite fun. I may add this series to my roster of light, funny books to read when I want to give my brain a rest.
Kimberly wrote: "Auntie's Challenge:Auntie's 2016 Challenge:
* A book published in 2016: Death of a Nurse: M.C. Beaton
* A book you can finish in 1 day: World Food: Italy, Linda Doesser
* A book you've been me..."
You've read all of these so far in 2016?! Wow!
A book I read in one dayFaulty Predictions by Karin Lin-Greenberg
★★.5
This is a group of short stories set in the US, and the title of the book is also the title of one of the stories. And, to be fair to this review, it’s hard to win high points from me in a collection of short stories since in fiction I am first and foremost a novel reader. If I were to rate the stories individually, the stories themselves would get between 1 and 5 stars, but for the overall book 2 ½ stars. There were more 1 and 2 star stories than 4 and 5.
On part of the jacket is written, “Lin-Greenberg provides insight into the human condition across a varied cross section of geography, age, and culture.” I’d say yes, but biased. At times the insights were quite excellent, particularly when dealing with things I suspect are closer to Lin-Greenberg’s own experiences, but one of the reasons I’ve given this two stars through all of it there is a clear bias toward liberals tending to be kinder and more giving and conservatives selfish and bigoted. Perhaps because I don’t ascribe to any set political group and therefore have a different bias, I’ve seen all four of those traits across the board, although not necessarily in all people. I suspect Lin-Greenberg has as well, but these are the characters she has chosen to write.
If you are a fan of literary short fiction, you may well like this book more than I did. To be honest, I chose it for a reading challenge that included reading a book by an author who shares my first name. Since I am neither a fan of thrillers (Karin Slaughter, who may be an excellent writer, but that’s not my cup of tea) nor romance novels (I found more than one of those) and Lin-Greenberg is the first I found where I thought I might find a closer match.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews★★★
Greg Gaines has started his senior year, and so far his high school social strategy had been working well. However, that begins to unravel after he starts visiting an old friend, Rachel, who has been diagnosed with leukemia after his mother urges him too. He and his friend Earl, long time film making buddies, end up working on a film for Rachel.
This book is at once poignant and funny, and you’d think that, along with some good writing, would make me love the book, particularly with some of the misguided honest of Greg, who is far more caring than he admits. But it wasn’t. Part of it was the massive amount of swearing by Earl, but also a fair amount by Greg. Realistic it may be, but it just spoils the atmosphere when it’s that rampant. Also, while I liked Greg okay, I didn’t connect with him as much as I would have liked to. Perhaps, also, there was too much expectation for this book to be stellar on my part having heard good things about it, but I was rather disappointed, but not enough to dislike it. There are better books out there.
Mod
Probability for Kids by Scott A. Chamberlin2 stars
When I saw math, I was excited; math is a big deal in our house, and my eldest is now a math major in her junior year of college. We did plenty of math, and I fit our curriculum to each of our children’s needs. When I saw Prufrock Press, I was even more excited. After all, this is the press that gave us Philosophy for Kids one of our favourite books back when we homeschooled. But then I saw those dismal words “Aligns with Common Core Standards,” and then, inside, that Chamberlin is a Mathematical Educator, my heart sank. Nevertheless, I read every single page, hoping to find anything good, wonderful and commendable, and I did; it brought this rating up an entire star from what I give the entire mathematics philosophy of the Common Core, to two stars.
The Pros – the activities in this book are well described, have excellent leading questions for teachers (whether in brick and mortar schools or at home) to help guide students in creative problem solving, and cover the six main areas of probability.
The Cons
First, these assignments are based on activities that have worked for gifted and talented students and are designed for students with strong math skills. I can see this working for gifted and talented students who enjoy math and for other strong math students who enjoy being creative. However, and this is a big however, that virtually every mathematical educator I have met with one main exception, there is no such thing as any sort of math learning method that will work for all math students, and this is certainly no exception to the rule.
Second, at no time, before during or after are students permitted to be taught algorithms. For those of you who have spent a good deal of time away from school, algorithms (an algorithm is a procedure or formula for solving a problem) are what mathematicians, engineers and people who actually use math in the real world use. Why? Because they work and because they save a great deal of time. While having students explore ways to figure out how to solve problems first can help them better understand what they are doing, this book has been designed to be used in three different age categories, including high school.
Third, I think there is so much emphasis on always being creative, that the word is going to lose its meaning. I am a big fan of creativity; my math loving eldest writes stories and draws, my other two aspire to be musicians and have various creative abilities. But there is no way that all three of them approach math with creativity, despite a strong foundation doing that with them when they were younger. The fact is, it didn’t always work, and if my three children weren’t able to learn all their math exactly the same way, what about classrooms of children?
However, if this book were used for the stellar activities and then students actually got to learn the alogrithms at some point, then I think this could be used effectively in some teaching situations.
Karin wrote: "Read all of the following:* A book published in 2016
* A book you can finish in 1 day
* A book you've been mean..."
I think I've made a mistake with some of my review's by not doing it as a reply, so let me know if I should repost those.
La’s Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith
★★★★
La (Lavender) goes to Oxford with no intention of being married before her late 20s, but ends up romanced, in love, married and then abandoned by her husband. Her inlaws, displeased with their son’s actions, kind and honest people, give her their summer cottage as a home and promise to take care of her after the divorce. She is living there when World War II breaks out. At that time she volunteers to help, and so ends up with two jobs. The official one is to help an arthritic farmer take care of his chickens and collect the eggs. The second one is to organize and conduct an orchestra which can only rehearse once per month.
This is a stand-alone, historical fiction novel by McCall Smith, and one I tend to like better than I think I will during parts of it where I might not be happy with what he’s doing with La’s life or something else. There is something endearing about La and the other characters in this novel, which, although the bulk of it is during WW II, spans a good thirty years or so. I think that one of the reviews on the back or the novel that has a sentence that fits, “A fresh and unforgettable story about the power of human kindness.” From the Booklist starred review, and, as the reviewer from The Scotsman wrote, “An excellent re-creation of a woman of her time.”
I recommend this novel.
Mod
☊ To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, read by Sissy Spacek ★★★★★Scout tells the tale of her family, Dill, Boo Radley and a volatile court case set in 1930s Alabama, and Sissy Spacek does a fabulous job of reading this book. If you haven’t yet read this, I strongly recommend it; when I first read it about ten years ago I wondered what had taken me so long to get around to reading it. Sure, Scout is only 6-9 while the story takes place, a precocious tomboy who has been reading as long as she can remember, much to the chagrin of her first grade teacher, but I for one don’t give the whole unreliable narrator idea an enormous amount of credence here. Obviously, it’s told from only one perspective, but it written so that it is easy to see past the child’s point of view to more of what is going on. There are so many people who have given a synopsis of this book, I don’t feel a need to do so here, and if you don’t know anything about this story before you read it, it will only make it that much better (other than understanding what was going on in Alabama in the 1930s, less than 60 years from the end of the civil war, that it was the Depression, and so on.) Also, if you know what was going on in the US at the time this book was written and published, that helps shed some light on this, even if it’s more than a generation later.
Many people have wondered why Harper Lee only wrote one book, and I don’t know; I haven’t read any biographies of her, nor do I know if she ever said. But if an author is to only write one novel in a lifetime, this is the sort of brilliant story telling that is worth it. I don’t know if I’d want to read another by her as I might be worried it could never live up to this one, and in the world of fiction, few novels do.
A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel ★★★★Haven Kimmel, born in 1965, grew up in Mooreland, Indiana, population 300. Born funny looking, not talking until she was nearly three, she was constantly zipping around the house, thus her nickname, Zippy. She takes us back not just to a different time, but a place not many have grown up in; a very small town, or as Canadians would call it, a village. Growing up a Jarvis, she was not only precocious, but the daughter of a man who was a real character. This is a memoir, so naturally some parts are embellished, but with humour and insightful observations in a way that helps paint a clear picture through the eyes of the child she was at that time rather than including a great deal of re-interpreting from her adult perspective.
This memoir, Kimmel’s debut book, was a New York Times bestseller, and I can see why. I can’t say that I loved everything about her story telling to the point of giving it five stars, but I do have to say that, unlike most memoirs, I really enjoyed it. There was honesty behind it, and while I hardly expect someone to remember their early childhood the way a camera might have recorded it—even adults aren’t capable of that—having grown up in a community so small that everyone knew what I’d done whether I’d actually done it or not, I could relate to that part of it. And her relationship with her friend, Julie, reminded me of that of my dad and his best friend when he grew up in a small town on the Canadian prairies, where one does all the talking for the both of them. I am planning on reading her other memoir.
Mod
* A book published in 2016
* A book you can finish in 1 day
* A book you've been mean..."
You need 13 reviews.....
I figure you'll finish FIRST.....
If & When you finish First PM me, w/ your address.... I'll send you your prize!
Kimberly wrote: "Karin wrote: "Read all of the following:* A book published in 2016
* A book you can finish in 1 day
* A book yo..."
Am I short on my reviews? I'll count! Yes, I see that somehow I missed 2 of them! I'll add them now plus the one for the final book which I finished this week. I'm done!!!
Wait, isn't it 12 reviews because it's 12 books?
[[book:Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church|7592534] by Kenda Creasy Dean 3 starsKenda Creasy Dean, an Associate Professor at Princeton, examines the results of a massive study done from 2003-2005 called the national Study of Youth and Religion, as well as the assertion by others of the rise in Moralistic Therapeutic Deism in place of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other faiths, although very much primarily focused on traditional Christian groups along with Mormons--a feel good type experience. That it wasn't riveting is evidenced by the fact that I first started this book in 2014 and only went back and actually read the entire thing because it was part of a book reading game, and yet it's a topic I'm actually interested in.
This book has a fairly narrow target audience; those interested in the religious faith of American teens. It was interesting that Dean didn't even understand that at least one of the churches she discussed at length isn't even trinitarian, and she stated from the outset that that was her bias. While there were some interesting parts, and a few places that were very interesting, overall I can't say that it was stellar.
Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn 3.5 starsChet and Bernie head to Washington, DC because Bernie is interested in seeing his girlfriend, Suzie Sanchez. Chet doesn’t mind, he likes Suzie and besides, she keeps snacks for him in her car. However, Chet soon finds out that all is not well when they get there. One of Suzie’s sources is murdered and this strange bird with no eyes that no one else notices keeps coming by. When he’s not distracted by thought of food, the scents of members of the nation within a nation (aka dogs) and other doggie things, Chet is tuned into what the humans around him are saying and doing, even if he doesn’t always quite understand what they mean.
I read this because my teen son chose it for me for a holiday gift. To be honest, I expected absolutely nothing from this book, since it’s not something I would normally pick up. However, it did give me some laughs. The story is nothing brilliant, but Quinn does a nice job of writing from the POV of a dog, and if not totally believable, it was doggie enough to be quite fun. I may add this series to my roster of light, funny books to read when I want to give my brain a rest.
Okay, I figured out which review was missing!Reviews:
1. Message 14 – Winter
2. Message 15 – England, England
3. Message 16 – Queen Lucia
4. Message 17 – Paw and Order
5. Message 19 – Faulty Predictions
6. Message 20 – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
7. Message 22 – Probability for Kids
8. Message 23 – La’s Orchestra Saves the World
9. Message 25 – To Kill a Mockingbird
10. Message 26 - A Girl Named Zippy
11. Message 29 – The Almost Christian
12. Message 30 – Paw and Order
But there are only 12 in the original assignment as far as I can see.
Mod
Book Chat - CLOSED by original moderator
Books mentioned in this topic
Paw and Order (other topics)Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church (other topics)
Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church (other topics)
Probability for Kids (other topics)
Faulty Predictions: Stories (other topics)
More...
Read all of the following:
* A book published in 2016
* A book you can finish in 1 day
* A book you've been meaning to read
* A book recommended to you by a Librarian or Bookseller (not an online bookseller)
** A book recommended by a Librarian? Both LibraryCin & I are Librarians, check out our shelves.......
* A book you should have read in school, but didn't
* A book recommended by a spouse, partner, friend, relative, child, or sibling
* A book published before you were born
* A book that was banned at some point
* A book you put down & have never finished
* A book you own but have yet to read
* A book that intimidates you
* A book you're already read at least once
That is a total of 12 books & reviews.
So to make it easy for me to keep track.... Respond to this thread w/ a copy&paste of this list.
As you complete each book EDIT your original reply w/ the title, author & rating. Then write you review of each book as a REPLY to your original thread.
P.S. ** A book recommended by a Librarian? Both LibraryCin & I are Librarians, check out our shelves.......