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Deedee
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Feb 27, 2019 08:57PM
I finished RWS! Too little time for the sub-challenge, which is a shame as I've picked out the books.
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Deedee wrote: "I finished RWS! Too little time for the sub-challenge, which is a shame as I've picked out the books."Good for you, Deedee! I ran into the same situation this season.
Deedee wrote: "I finished RWS! Too little time for the sub-challenge, which is a shame as I've picked out the books."Good job!
In the Completed Tasks thread, Post 976 Karen Michele wrote: "20.9 Long Nights, Long Books (Kate S's Task)Fathers and Crows by William T. Vollmann
+20 Task
+10 Combo: 10.3 Gerald Durrell / 20.10 Over and Under
+20 Jumbo: long, ..."
Karen, you say this was worth the effort! I have the first in the series, The Ice-Shirt marked as wish list. I understand that the books in the series don't have to be read in order, but have you read any of the others? Had you thought you might try any of them?
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "In the Completed Tasks thread, Post 976 Karen Michele wrote: "20.9 Long Nights, Long Books (Kate S's Task)Fathers and Crows by William T. Vollmann
+20 Task
+10 Combo..."
I have read The Ice Shirt and rated it 5 stars. They don't have to be read in order, but I am attempting to read them in order. I own a lot of Vollmann including most of this Seven Dreams series that are published. These books are historical fiction but they are dense and full of information (there are over a hundred pages of glossaries and notes), so I spread it out over the season. We are going to Quebec this summer, so I look forward to seeing it through the eyes of the past. I hope to fit in Argall: The True Story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith this summer since we are also traveling down the east coast of the US.
Karen Michele wrote: "I hope to fit inArgall: The True Story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith this summer since we are also traveling down the east coast of the US. "Entirely different, but I recently heard of Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival. I did a quick group search and see that itpdx read it for Dominoes Winter 15/16. The first of her review is "This book is a rip roaring adventure story ..."
Deedee wrote: "I finished RWS! Too little time for the sub-challenge, which is a shame as I've picked out the books."Great job, Deedee! I also only made it about half way on the sub-challenge this season.
Good season, everyone. Again picked up some tips on good books from things you read. Thank you, Mods for hard work! Gearing up for Spring challenge. What makes me especially happy is that by the end of that challenge, school will be out and the weather will be warmer!
I am really looking forward to the weather being a bit cooler!
You ain’t from around here are you? LolI can’t wait for it to be warmer!
I wish someone would develop an app that would translate books from foreign languages! Wouldn’t that be cool? No more disappointments in not finding a book in a language you can read.
Congrats to April on the gift card! Maybe you can buy some books for the spring challenge!
Coralie wrote: "I am really looking forward to the weather being a bit cooler!"Me too... We're in again for a warm day today but hopefully not too humid! I'm so over the 80-90% humidity, ugh!
Tien wrote: "Coralie wrote: "I am really looking forward to the weather being a bit cooler!"Me too... We're in again for a warm day today but hopefully not too humid! I'm so over the 80-90% humidity, ugh!"
This summer I have been really glad that we moved from Sydney. We had a cool change last night and today is much nicer!
A big, big thank you to Tien who let me create task 10.8 instead of her, following my maiden Megafinish last season.
lol, you're very welcome! A first Mega Finish is very exciting ;D
Lagullande wrote: "A big, big thank you to Tien who let me create task 10.8 instead of her, following my maiden Megafinish last season."Good going to you both!
Lots of Canadian author news in the paper this morning....First as I said in the poetry task thread, Patrick Lane died. He was a well regarded author, mostly of poetry.
https://www.uvic.ca/news/topics/2019+...
Second - David Chariandy won the Windham-Campbell prize.
http://windhamcampbell.org/recipients
I had never heard of this prize (no surprise), but it sounds like the basis for a task to me! I will post in that thread.
I got selected to contribute a book to task 10.10. It is my second time in the nine years I have been on Goodreads.
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I got selected to contribute a book to task 10.10. It is my second time in the nine years I have been on Goodreads."Your choice can be used for the sisters task too! Way to go, Jayme!
ah thanks, yes it can.
Connie wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I got selected to contribute a book to task 10.10. It is my second time in the nine years I have been on Goodreads."Your choice can be used for the sisters task to..."
Yes!, and it sounds interesting, so even though I'm not sure I'll get to it, it is on my TBR now!
@Valerie,I liked "The Identicals". I discovered the author when I read one of her other books Summerland
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "Does anyone else find forwards or intros by other authors annoying? Do you skip them? I’ve learned to at least save them after the rest of the book as they are often full of spoiler..."I agree about too many book introductions being full of spoilers. I now will read the introduction only until it feels like a spoiler is coming, then stop at that spot. Often after I read the entire book, I go back and read the introduction.
Deedee wrote: "Just realized that goodreads has eliminated the option:- most read authors (accessible from the left-hand side of the My Books page)
Apparently they are waiting to hear how many users complain t..."
I missed the option so much that I started a spreadsheet so I can record my authors and how many books by each I had read.
The short list for Pen/Faulkner Awards were announced this month. The prize will be given on April 29. https://www.penfaulkner.org/
Pulitzer’s are announced April 15, but they publish their shortlist ahead of time. Does anybody have a nominee they think is Pulitzer worthy? Has to have been published in 2018 by an American author or the book has to be set in America. That is my understanding.
My pick for general nonfiction would be Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America
Rebekah wrote: "Does anybody have a nominee they think is Pulitzer worthy?"Yay, trying to predict the fiction Pulitzer is one of my favorite annual book traditions! I'd love to see Lauren Groff's Florida win, though I don't know its actual chances. Probably my strongest guess (or the most obvious candidate!) is that There There will win or, at the least, be a finalist.
As much as I love awards - and you'll note we try to do something in regard to awards every season - my opinion is that most of the awards in the English speaking world have become far too political.
I didn’t realize that the author ofI'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer died unexpectedly before she could finish the book. I saw this article about her husband getting it finished for and going through her cryptic research notes. Seems like it took a bit of a toll on him.https://medium.com/the-new-york-times...
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "As much as I love awards - and you'll note we try to do something in regard to awards every season - my opinion is that most of the awards in the English speaking world have become far too political."I also wonder about the Nobel prize. Sometimes it looks to me they are thinking we haven't had one from this particular country and it will look bad if we have another Western Culture choice.
Megan wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "Does anybody have a nominee they think is Pulitzer worthy?"Yay, trying to predict the fiction Pulitzer is one of my favorite annual book traditions! I'd love to see Lauren Groff's..."
I read them both. I'm not sure if I would pick either because I haven't read many books published in 2018 except a couple of mysteries that are part of a series. Both of those books are on the dark side, aren't they? I read Florida last season for our Amazon picks task. I just chose to read it because I was in Florida at the time. I have this crazy thing about reading a book set in the place I am visiting. I had read another book by that author The Monsters of Templeton and both of her books left me a little unsettled, like I was missing something. I enjoyed it but felt like I was missing a clue in some of the stories.
I'm in a talkative mood and have already overloaded my FB page so here I am again. I don't know if it is Spring Fever or what but I am having real trouble staying focused and engaged. I'll read a couple of chapters and then put the book down. Then go to another book and read a few, then start reading about books I haven't read. I seem mostly to be reading light stuff too. Therefore I'm going slowly on this season. I'm even too lazy to write reviews!
Rebekah wrote: "I'm in a talkative mood and have already overloaded my FB page so here I am again. I don't know if it is Spring Fever or what but I am having real trouble staying focused and engaged. I'll read a ..."
Ha, ha.... I think it is spring fever. Winter seemed extraordinarily long this year. Temperature wise we've been well below average here (in the Niagara region of Ontario) for the month of March. My snowdrops + crocuses only popped up last week, which is VERY late.
Valerie wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "I'm in a talkative mood and have already overloaded my FB page so here I am again. I don't know if it is Spring Fever or what but I am having real trouble staying focused and engag..."
We didn’t have a rough winter like those north of us. We only had one snow day and that was more about the ice. We live on a mountain the the roads are treacherous enough for buses when there is no ice. But the chilly air just keeps on. I feel like my now I should not even need a sweater, but that’s my Texas background.
I can’t even watch a movie. Two hours is too long to stay interested. I have watched TV since New Year’s when I watched the ball drop. I have been pretty much house bound for the last few weeks so I guess I’m just too bored. We do have daffodils though!
Valerie wrote: "My snowdrops + crocuses only popped up last week, which is VERY late. "My crocuses just started showing color this week. I agree, it seems very late. The robins showed up this week, too.
I think we've had more cold nights this year, but mostly it has been very dry. This is rain forest - we're not supposed to have dry weather.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Valerie wrote: "My snowdrops + crocuses only popped up last week, which is VERY late. "My crocuses just started showing color this week. I agree, it seems very late. The robins showed up this wee..."
Be careful! We had a very dry winter and spring a couple of years back here in the Appalachians and fires were breaking out everywhere. I think the worse hit was Gatlinburg, Tennessee but we had a few here too so that my grandson's school wouldn't let them go out for recess because of the heavy smoke
Southeast Alaska was in drought conditions last year, but what is drought for us might sound wet to most of you. At my house, we had 112 inches when the average over the last 17 years is 160 inches. I live in the city, so have all city services, but many people outside the city have cisterns for water. On the road system, they can have tanks of water delivered. Many people in southeast live where they depend entirely on rainfall and streams. The streams weren't providing much.We never got to hoot owl conditions for the forest, but there were fires in Canada northeast of us - devastating fires.
I do think the weather patterns are changing. For me, here in SC, that is not really good news as I much prefer the coolness of fall and mountains. Last summer it was close to or over 100 many days. Way too hot!
Bea wrote: "I do think the weather patterns are changing. "Yes, weather patterns have always changed, although usually slowly enough we tend not to notice until we get older.
Rebekah wrote: "Both of those books are on the dark side, aren't they?"Yeah, I think they are both pretty dark. I loved Florida, but it definitely felt like a book about the dark undersides of the environment and a lot about grief. I've tried reading Lauren Groff's novels, but I never could get into them. Turned out short stories were the perfect length for me to enjoy (for some version of the word "enjoy"!) her work.
And I enjoy that so many members here "read up" on their destinations before and during their travels!
I like the short stories better too. In fact I think I like them better over all from most authors. It’s easier to put the book down when you get interrupted in your reading! I had a friend that really didn’t like short stories though. Her complaint was that just as she was feeling she was getting to know the author, the story ended. Then she’d have to start all over again with an entirely different story.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Bea wrote: "I do think the weather patterns are changing. "Yes, weather patterns have always changed, although usually slowly enough we tend not to notice until we get older."
Our winter was weird here. The cold lasts and lasts but not cold enough for snow. Lots and lots of rain which is not a problem for us as we live on top a mountain although there was a little landslide that blocked one of our roads going off the mountain. But they had been doing a lot of construction in that area. However below us is the Tennessee River and there was some flooding there.
Still it’s like the book title Strange as This Weather Has Been ! (Smile)
In the completed tasks thread Valerie wrote: "I didn't know that I should mention that I am completely off my posted plan, but I see Elizabeth did above. ."I did check everyone's plans, but you are not required to follow yours. As far as I can tell (and I'm an expert on this), plans are meant to be changed. But having posted your plan, and my having checked it, sort of prevents any unpleasant surprises as far as award/country linkage is concerned.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I am thoroughly enjoying this sub-challenge. As I said in my plans post, it was Kate's idea, so I'm definitely not blowing my own horn saying that.
I received this in an email. Would you agree? I’ve not read them all, but I do plan to read one of them for this challenge. How many have you read? I counted 22 for me. http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/t...
I have read 7 of them.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "In the completed tasks thread Valerie wrote: "I didn't know that I should mention that I am completely off my posted plan, but I see Elizabeth did above. ."I did check everyone's plans, but you a..."
Ok, I just wanted to confirm! I did what I usually do - I made a plan and then kept adding, and adding, and adding! ha, ha. I have been spoiled for choice for this sub-challenge. It usually doesn't happen that way. It's more often the case that I have no problem filling the 10 + 20 tasks, but can't find a complete roster for the 15s. Almost all of the books I've read (or will read) for the sub-challenge have been languishing on my TBR, so it's been good for that.
Valerie, we are the same this time, although many of my choices are library books, rather than books I have. And, just to let you know, I've penciled in an alternate for Canada, but still both by Joseph Boyden.
Rebekah wrote: "I received this in an email. Would you agree? I’ve not read them all, but I do plan to read one of them for this challenge. How many have you read? I counted 22 for me. http://www.oprah.com/oprahs..."
I've read 8. At least one is part of my plan for this season; another one got substituted out of my sub-challenge plan.
Lists are always interesting to me, especially book lists. I would never consider reading Fifty Shades of Gray or put it on a list!
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Valerie, we are the same this time, although many of my choices are library books, rather than books I have. And, just to let you know, I've penciled in an alternate for Canada, but still both by [..."If you get to him, I'll be interested in what you think. I did have [book:The Sisters Brothers|9850443] in for Canada, but due to circumstance I won't be getting to it. (ie. I own it on the Kindle, but I am taking the Kobo on our trip 'cause it has way more books on it.)
I have read his Three Day Road, and because of that, knew I wanted to read more by him. I admit that one was feeding my WWI interest, but his characterization of the main character was excellent.
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