Reading with Style discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Archives
>
FA 2014 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2014
10.2 HalloweenDracula by Bram Stoker
+10 task
+25 combo (10.7 - Bram Stoker award; 10.9; 20.1 - shelved 279 times; 20.2 - born in ireland; 20.10 - University of Texas at Austin )
+10 oldies (written in 1897)
Task total = 45
Grand total = 360
15.2 - BtW - Constant TravelerCrome Yellow by Aldous Huxley first published 1921
+15 task
+15 bonus
Task total = 30
Grand Total = 390
20.6 - UnderratedSepp Holzer's Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening by Sepp Holzer
299 ratings published in 2004
+20 task
+10 not a novel
+10 combo (10.4 - 9 letters in gardening; 20.9 - born in 1942)
Task total = 40
Grand total = 430
20.5 - PoliticsThe Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope
+20 task
+10 combo (10.7 - Trollope Prize; 20.4)
+10 oldies (pub 1876)
+15 jumbo (MPE 864 pgs)
Task total = 55
Grand Total = 505
That's my last book update for tonight. Sorry about doing them all at once.
Post 502 Deedee wrote: "Task 10.1 - Square PegAnother America: The Story of Liberia and the Former Slaves Who Ruled It (2013) by James Ciment (Hardcover, 320 pages)
Review:This is a popu..."
I don't know whether this will make you happy or sad. It appears James Ciment was born in 1940, making this ineligible for Square Peg, but adding points because it qualifies for 20.9 War Babies.
Post 504 Deedee wrote: "Task 20.2 - Birthplace: Read a book by an author born in Belgium, Ireland, Germany, or Switzerland.
Willem Elsschot
Born: in Antwerp, Belgium : On: May 07, 1882
[book:Three Nove..."
And then we take points away. The Not-a-Novel style is for reading short story collections, non-fiction, plays, and poetry collections. Books which include novellas (short novels) do not qualify.
Ppost 516 Eleanor wrote: "20.5 - PoliticsThe Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope
+20 task
+10 combo (10.7 - Trollope Prize; 20.4)
+10 oldies (pub 1876)
+15 jumbo (MPE 864 pgs)
Task total = 55
..."
In consistency with an earlier ruling regarding an essay prize named after Jane Austen, the Trollope Prize will not be accepted for the Honored Authors task/combo.
10.4 - 9, 10, 11: The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank
Hurricane Girls was enjoyable enough, but I’m glad I listened to it because I think the narrator saved it for me. It was a “southern” novel and a quirky character novel, both of which I enjoy every so often. The plot was pretty predictable, but that wasn’t all bad. Dorothea Benton Frank obviously wanted to write about domestic abuse as her theme and sometimes the educating took precedence over the storytelling. I think it is important to have books like this out there because the younger generation of readers needs to understand the signs of abusive relationships as we’ve found out recently in the current NFL news. It is “chick lit”, and the writing has a lot of humor in it along with the sadness. I rated it 3 stars and I’m the kind of reader that isn’t likely to finish a book if I would rate it any lower than 3, so it was definitely good enough to keep me listening.
+10 Task: (hurricane)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 1110
20.8 Middle EastHatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh by Joyce A. Tyldesley
Review:
A fascinating, academic biography of Hatchepsut. The book starts with enough general information about the time period and the other Egyptian rulers that I was able to understand the context. This book does an excellent job telling both the story of the archaeological evidence (such as it is) as well as the story of the history of scholars and their own biases that affected their interpretations of the evidence. Hatchepsut is a tantalizing figure. How did this woman become not just a queen, but a king? What was her relationship to her step-son who became the next Pharaoh? Did she have a romance with her architect. Because her history was attacked and largely obscured in antiquity for unknown reasons, likely, though not necessarily, because she was a woman who took the (male) role of King, we don't have clear answers.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-novel (nonfiction)
+15 Combo (10.4, 20.5, 20.6)
Task total: 55
Grand total: 410
20.3 Thieves and MysteriesThe Cat Who Tailed a Thief by Lilian Jackson Braun
Review:
I remember reading one of these "cat who" books a long time ago. But in my memory, the book included at least some amount of story that was actually told from the cat's perspective. And it was set in a big city (Chicago?). So maybe it wasn't even one of these books but some other cat-mystery-solving book. Maybe it was even a parody of these books. In any event, I was expecting something totally different from this book. This book is mostly a small town story - gossip about the local folks as they get together for bridge or coffee or lunch; descriptions of the Christmas presents they are exchanging. In the background, there's also a moderately interesting mystery that the cat seems to have an uncanny interest in. I liked the book fine, but can't imagine wanting to read enough about these characters to read the whole series. Maybe if I'd started at the beginning and grown with these characters as they developed, I'd be more invested in them. The narrator did a fine job; I always enjoy Guidall's narration.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 440
10.9 MythologicalThe Secret History by Donna Tartt
Review:
I should have read the hard copy rather than listen to the author narrate this book. She was a terrible choice for narrator - her slightly southern, female voice was completely wrong for the first-person narration of this book.
Aside from the narration quality, I really enjoyed the book. The pacing was excellent and the characters were sufficiently interesting to hold my attention throughout a long book. I liked this so much better than The Goldfinch. The characters are pretentious, hateful, snobby, immoral, and annoying. And yet, I found myself liking them anyway. Sympathizing even. The plot is sort of silly and there's no whodunnit to the mystery. Yet it's surprisingly suspenseful.
I'm glad that I finally was talked into reading this by the folks at my bookclub who all said it was better than The Goldfinch.
+10 Task (approved in help thread)
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo
Task total: 25
Grand total: 465
20.7 - Make it Strange - Jama's Task:Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
Being a librarian, she has a particular fondness for “The Library”. p 192, Magic for Beginners
And I, being a librarian, couldn’t help but have a fondness for the title story in this collection since it was about a librarian and a magical TV show about a library! I loved the subtle use of fantasy and magical realism in all of the stories. My favorites were “Catskin”, although it made me squeamish at times, and “Stone Animals”. These stories fit well into the Slipstream genre that I recently learned of in the Reading with Style Challenge with their mix of real world and fantasy throughout. I hope to read Kelly Link’s other work soon. I’d recommend this collection to anyone that likes the short story form and likes the quirkiness of slipstream writing.
+20 Task: on the slipstream canon list
+ 5 Combo: 10.6 Short Stuff: O'Henry 2013
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel (short stories)
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 1155
10.10 Group ReadsTess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
+10 task
+5 Combo (20.1 – shelved 21 times as 19th century)
+10 Oldies (published 1891)
+5 Jumbo (518 pages)
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 385
20.4 - RealismA Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
To completely enjoy A Doll’s House, I think you have to remember its publication date of 1879. We take so many things for granted that are touched on in this play that to realize how unique it must have been to see it on stage at that time is a challenge. I listened to a full cast live version of the play and it was so well done that I was really able to visualize it on stage. Characterizations often are exaggerated in plays because we must be able to understand a lot just from the dialogue and soliloquy, which is a different experience than reading a novel. I found A Doll’s House to be a near perfect mix of emotions and a good blend of the silly and the serious. This play has stood the test of time as an early example of the changing face of marriage in the time period. If you like reading plays, it is highly recommended, especially the full cast audio with Calista Flockhart as Nora.
+20 Task: on realism list of authors
+10 Combo: 10.3 - Leif Erikson / 10.7 - Honored Authors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegia...
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel (Play)
+10 Oldies (1879)
Task Total: 60
Grand Total: 1215
20.6: UnderratedShadow of the Rock by Thomas Mogford
Originally published in 2012, this book has 95 ratings.
+20 task
Task Total 20
Grand Total 130
15.1 Time LeaperRainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery 1919
Lexile 980
+15 task
Task total: 15
Grand Total: 400
10.4 9, 10, 11Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
Lexile 750
+10 task (Dragoneye)
Task total: 10
Grand Total: 410
15.4 - BtW Constant Traveler1933-34: Man's Fate by André Malraux
+15 task
+15 bonus
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 485
From Post 468Heather wrote: "20.5 - subcategory revolutionaries on wiki
1985 by Anthony Burgess
+20 task
+10 combo (20.9-1917, 20.6- 503 ratings)
+5 oldies (1978)
+10 not a novel (dialogues, essay..."
Sorry, books including a novella do not qualify for not a novel points
20.10 - Higher EducationAn Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen
I love Ibsen for his dense dramatic works with dialogue that has both a surface meaning and a subtext. And the subtlety with which "scandalous" material is handled. This play is much more overt. Written as a reaction to the negative reception of his brilliant Ghosts, An Enemy of the People depicts how a respectable man can be ruined by the powers-that-be. Even though the characters seem to be closer to caricatures, the first few acts are quite well done. I loved how the antagonist, Peter, manipulates the very people that swore to support the protagonist; it felt very real. And, at first, I admired how Thomas refused to back down. But in an effort underscore the "moral", Ibsen gives Thomas actions and speeches that are beyond reason and the play loses the previous tight focus. (And it is at this point in the play where recent productions have gotten creative and eschewed the script). So, unfortunately, I have to conclude that this is not one of Ibsen's best plays.
+20 task (UC Berkley)
+10 combo (10.3, 20.4)
+10 review
+10 not-a-novel
+10 oldies (1882)
Task total: 60
Grand Total: 545
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 502 Deedee wrote: "Task 10.1 - Square PegAnother America: The Story of Liberia and the Former Slaves Who Ruled It (2013) by James Ciment (Hardcover, 320 page...
I don't know whether this will make you happy or sad. It appears James Ciment was born in 1940, making this ineligible for Square Peg, but adding points because it qualifies for 20.9 War Babies. "
Actually happy. I have a few other books that might fit 10.1 :0)
10.9 MythologyThe Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper
Review:This is one of my favorite types of fiction. I am not sure what it is called--maybe speculative fiction. You put people in a different environment--different planet, alternative history or, in this case, on earth after a cataclysm. Then you explore what kind of societies are formed and how they might work. In this book a society that is isolated from other areas of the world and pushed back to mostly preindustrial technology has formed a social system where the women live in a walled city/village and do most of the work, control the knowledge and run the township. Men live in a military society outside the wall with the job of protecting the city/village. : Complete Review
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 405
20.5 - Politics:King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild
Review: I've wanted to learn more about Africa for a long time, and this year I'm finally doing it. Why Africa? Because I freely admit my knowledge on the continent, the different countries and cultures, the history, the economy, the geography is very limited. I want to understand more why things are the way they are in Africa, what the different factors have been that have made it the way it is today. This book was recommended to me as a great start and it was indeed excellent. One of the reviews on the cover claims "Reads as a novel," and I fully agree with it. I had difficulty putting the book down.
King Leopold's Ghost talks about how the unlikely happened: in the second half of 19th century, Congo, the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world, became essentially owned by one man: King Leopold of Belgium. All the riches and profit of the country flowed into the pockets of this one man, while the Congolese people were literally worked to death slaving away creating all the profit. The book outlines how it came to be and how Leopold was ruling the vast country singlehandedly for decades and robbing the country, without even having to ever let anyone know how much he was making. The man never once even set foot in the country he owned! It outlines the terrible period in the history of the country (1870-ties to 1908) which resulted in half the population, 10 million people brutally murdered, worked to death, starved to death or dying from preventable illnesses. It talks about systematic kidnappings, maiming and torturing innocent people, burning down villages, cutting off hands of living and dead people alike, taking hostages to make loved ones work for the benefit of white soldiers and landowners.
It also describes what happened when news of mass killings and modern slavery finally leaked to Europe - the fate of the Congolese inspired the first international human rights movement. For decades, brave people who often risked their reputations, careers and lives continually fought Leopold's propaganda and clever scheming to make the world know what was going on in Congo and to ask everyone to put an end to it.
One of the best things about the book is how it introduces the people that were important to the story. It really makes you feel like you know these people, it talks about their life and their motivation in a very believable way. There are villains, most notably King Leopold himself, and you feel sorry to belong to the same species as them, because they are just such horrible, cruel, merciless people. The sorts of people who use native Africans for target practice when bored, have severed heads as flowerbed embellishments or cut off hands of small children for a bit of extra cash. There are heroes and you root for them and are amazed at how much energy they put into trying to save people in a far-away land.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in history of Africa.
+20 task
+10 combos (20.9 - War Babies: Hochschild is born in 1942; 20.1 - 19th Century: shelved 16 times as 19th Century)
+10 review
+10 not-a-novel (non-fiction)
Task total: 50
Grand Total: 180
Task 20.10 - Higher Educationhttp://www.mtsu.edu/summerreading/
Middle State Tennessee University
This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (2006) edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman
Review:This book is a collection of 79 essays + Forward, Introduction, Afterward and 3 Appendixes from the National Public Radio series This I Believe. The editors explain that the original series This I Believe was moderated by Eward R. Murrow from 1951-1954. Our editors, inspired by Murrow’s program, decided to do a contemporary series beginning in 2003. This book is a collection of the 21st Century essays, plus a handful of essays from the 1950s. All essays are 350-500 words long. Some of the essays are by famous people (examples: Isabel Allende, Bill Gates and Eleanor Roosevelt). Most of the essays are by everyday people. All the people profess “nice” beliefs in their essays like: “be cool to the pizza dude” or “tomorrow will be a better day”. There are no “mean” essays, (an example of “mean” would be: “might makes right”). I found reading these brief essays to be restful and uplifting. I have decided that I, too, believe in being “cool” to the pizza dude, and that tomorrow will be a better day! Recommended.
+20 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel: non-fiction collection of essays
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 + 10 = 40
Grand Total: 610 + 40 = 650
10.1 Square Peg Shadow and Boneby Leigh Bardugo
Lexile score 800
Review
This is a new to me author and the first in a series. It was slow to start but picked up. I liked the character of Alina. She is a strong, female character and that is probably because she grew up an orphan. She has a hidden power. When she unknowingly uses it, she is whisked away to the palace to be trained as a Grisha which is like a mage. Everything is new to her. She feels she doesn't belong. The head of the Grisha is called the Darkling and he leads all the Grisha. He has a special interest in Alina. He keeps telling her they are going to change the world. it sounds like he wants to bring peace to the world they live in but that at what cost and who's idea of peace?
I thought the story was interesting. The characters are complex. You aren't always sure who you can trust even the ones who are supposed to be your friend. I would be interested in reading the second book.
Task +10
Style +10 Review
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 85
10.4 - 9, 10, 11How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at An Answer by Sarah Bakewell
Each of Bakewell's twenty chapters provides a Montaigne-esque answer to the question, "How to live?" - "keep a private room behind the shop", "wake from the sleep of habit", "philosophize only by accident". In explaining these answers she masterfully leads us through Montaigne's life, work, and legacy after his death. It's interesting to see how the intellectuals of each century paid attention to one or the other part of his life and placed more or less importance on his Essays.
I'm glad I found this book before trying to tackle Essays because it gives all important context to the work. Knowing what Montaigne's life was like, the times he lived in, and even what editing the book underwent over many editions will help me appreciate and grasp it on the first try. I can't wait.
+10 task (Montaigne)
+10 review
+10 not-a-novel
Task total: 30
Grand total: 90
10.4 - 9, 10, 11The Wicked Wallflower by Maya Rodale
A 24-hour read can't be bad! It was also exactly what I needed after two (awesome, but long) weeks of heavy non-fiction.
The good:
- Our hero is strong, but not an arse. He lets Emma make her own decisions and never forces her to do anything. (Except for that once, but he repents.)
- Our heroine is smart, witty, and pragmatic. All of her decisions make sense, for the most part.
- The banter is ample, sharp, and above all fun. Rodale plays up the comedic value almost to the point of absurdity but reins things in just in time. It may be too much for some but I love romances like this that don't take themselves too seriously.
The not-so-good:
- I didn't like the twists and turns leading up to the very end.
- If you are a stickler for historical accuracy this story will make you cringe and wheeze.
The group of Wallflowers reminded me of Kleypas' Wallflowers, and while this book doesn't quite reach that mark it is still very good.
+10 task (wallflower)
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 110
10.4 - 9, 10, 11 (I'm nothing if not consistent...)Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima by James Mahaffey
The subject matter is fascinating - nearly every recorded radiological mishap and disaster, both famous and little-known. There are caves of death in the Ozark Mountains circa 1880, radium paint that killed dozens, World War II, Three Mile Island, and of course Fukushima Daiichi. Mahaffey leads us through each, carefully explaining isotopes and reactions in ways that neither make you feel stupid nor dumb down the material.
He states his biases right in the introduction:
The purpose of this book is not to convince you that nuclear power is unsafe beyond reason.... On the contrary, I hope to demonstrate that nuclear power is even safer than transportation by steam and may be one of the key things that will allow life on Earth to keep progressing; but please form your own conclusions.
I think he's done a great job of this - I come away from the book thinking that nuclear power has great potential but man, we need to find a way to engineer human stupidity out of it. Whether it's worth the try is left up to the reader.
I cannot review this book without mentioning the footnotes - don't skip them! Some are more information or links to videos, but others are tidbits that are awesome but wouldn't fit anywhere else. For example:
It is difficult to find a cross-section view of the Fermi 1 reactor that does not have a big X drawn through the refueling car. It was not a popular accessory.
I leave you to find the 1975 geek joke on your own.
+10 task (accidents)
+10 review
+10 not-a-novel
Task total: 30
Grand total: 140
Task 15.2 -- Constant Traveler - 1921-1922:The Day of the Beast (1922) by Zane Grey
+15 task
+15 bonus (second book)
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 650 + 30 = 680
10.10 Group ReadsTenth of December by George Saunders
This was the first book I had read by George Saunders -- in fact, he wasn't even on my radar until this book turned up as a group read -- and it was a pleasant surprise. The reviews of the book often raved: best book of the year, amazing, wondrous, etc., and I didn't find it quite as wonderful as all that, although I enjoyed the stories quite a bit. They sort of washed over me, though, and for the most part I wasn't left thinking about them after I read them. "The Semplica Girls Diaries" was an exception -- so, so strange, but really compelling and left me turning it over and over in my mind. And "Escape from the Spiderhead", too, stuck with me. In both cases, my level of discomfort (moral, intriguing discomfort) was high and I was left wanting to know and think more. But in some of the other stories, the spare prose and strange voice left me enjoying but not mulling over the writing.
+10 task
+10 not a novel (stories)
+10 review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 230
Task 20.6 - - UnderratedRead a book published prior to 2013 that has fewer than 1000 ratings.
The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London (2012) by Judith Flanders (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 544 pages)
Review:This book is a description of life in London from (approximately) 1810-1870. The author includes written descriptions about aspects of London from Charles Dickens (and, occasionally, other contemporary authors). I’m a big fan of Charles Dickens. His observations held my interest more than the subject matter (sewers and subways, different modes of transportation, etc.). Flanders writes in a clear and straightforward manner. There are numerous diagrams and three detailed maps, all of which help in presenting the information. One of the themes is how the city changed over Dicken’s lifetime. Changes occurred because of a dramatic increase of population in the city, and also because of the Industrial Revolution (railroads, factories, etc.). Recommended for readers interested in 19th Century London, England and for readers interested in Charles Dickens.
+20 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel: non-fiction
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 + 10 = 40
Grand Total: 680 + 40 = 720
10.8 - Comfort ReadThe Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
I have 2 5* rated books by C.S. Lewis on my bookshelf (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
+10 task
+5 oldies (published 1942)
+10 combo (10.4 - 9 letters; 20.2 - born in Ireland)
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 500 + 25 = 525
20.4 - RealismNotes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
+20 task
+10 oldies (1961)
+10 combo (10.4; 20.1 - 119 reviews)
Task Total = 40
Grand Total = 565
20.6 - UnderratedDebbie Go Home by Alan Paton
Alan Paton’s stories tell of a South Africa before the end of Apartheid. Many of them are about a reform school principal who is likely to be based on Paton’s first-hand experiences in that job. The tales are well told and describe the racial tensions in the country without being overly heavy handed and “preachy”. My favorite example of this was “A Drink in the Passage”. It dealt with an artistic prize usually only given to whites that went to a black man and described other racist laws over the course of the story. Although this and the other stories are dated in their descriptions of racism in South Africa, I was reminded of an article posted recently on Facebook by another author, Junot Diaz, “If you’re lucky enough to earn a living from your art, you’re probably white” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/w...). Well written stories like Paton’s remind us that we have come a long way in the world, but still have a way to go when it comes to conquering racism worldwide.
+20 Task: 1961, 42 ratings
+ 5 Combo: 10.7 - Honored Authors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Pat...
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel (Short Stories)
+ 5 Oldies (1961)
Task Total: 50
Grand Total: 1265
15.4 BtW Constant TravelerNo More Parades by Ford Madox Ford (published in 1925)
15 pt. task
+15 bonus
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 210
(I could have sworn I had already posted 15.3, but I can't find it, so I will post it again. I did read it first, especially since it was the first in the series)
15.3 BtW Constant TravelerSome Do Not... by Ford Madox Ford (published 1924)
15 pt. task
+15 bonus
Task total:30
Grand total 180.
Jama wrote: "15.3 BtW Constant TravelerSome Do Not... by Ford Madox Ford (published 1924)
15 pt. task
+15 bonus
Task total:30
Grand total 180."
Yes, I recognized the title - it's in Post 449. Any of you can find a post by hovering over your name in a message and clicking on comment history.
Jama wrote: "(I could have sworn I had already posted 15.3, but I can't find it, so I will post it again. I did read it first, especially since it was the first in the series) ..."You did! I found it in message 449 by typing "madox" in the search discussion posts box on the top right.
ETA: HA! now you have two ways to find an earlier post. Thanks Elizabeth!
Thanks - I was wondering how to do that! I was confused because the readerboard ( updated to post 516) does not reflect the score, so I started looking at post 517.
Jama wrote: "Thanks - I was wondering how to do that! I was confused because the readerboard ( updated to post 516) does not reflect the score, so I started looking at post 517."We'll look to see where the discrepancy lies.
20.6 - 272 ratingsSo Now You're a Zombie: A Handbook for the Newly Undead by John Austin
+20 task
+10 not a novel (handbook)
task total: 30
grand total: 1385
20.2 BirthplaceThe Untouchable by John Banville
I first read John Banville several years ago when I picked up a mystery, Christine Falls, written under a pseudonym. By now, I remember little of that story, but I still remember that the writing was of close to literary quality rather than the somewhat less quality that is usual in the genre. I wasn't disappointed here in The Untouchable.
Several GR members have this shelved as spy/thriller, and, with the GR description, I was sort of expecting something in that vein. Well, it isn't. This is written in the first person as a sort of memoir, and it is true that Victor Maskell was a spy during WWII. Some 35 years later, he has been outed and disgraced.
My early thoughts were that this was an unreliable narrator, and then I changed my mind. Who would tell all of the worst sides of himself and still be called unreliable? And then I changed my mind again, and then yet again. Frankly, I'm still not sure, but I admit to being more than a little gullible, so perhaps you should not rely on me on this point.
Sometime during the early pages of reading, I asked my husband if you can like someone and not like what he does. I asked because - at least in the early pages - I liked Victor Maskell, but I could pretty much hate spying for the Russians. It turns out also that Victor discovers (in his 30s - even wonders what took him so long!) that he is queer - his terminology. I seem to have stumbled on several books with male homosexual protagonists. In this, the sex is often and promiscuous, and, while the reader is never in doubt, it isn't graphic.
This is well-written, interesting prose, and a compelling read. Not quite 5-star material, but a good, solid 4 stars. Now that I have finally revisited him, I fully intend to read more of John Banville. Some days I wonder why it takes me so long to get back to the really good stuff.
+20 Task (b. Ireland, 1945)
+10 Combo (10.4, 20.9)
+10 Review
Task Total = 40
Grand total = 450
10.4 - 9,10,11The Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch
Review:
This is a book that people seem to either love or hate. I loved the beginning - it was the first time in a long time I have desecrated a book with a highlighter pen, because I wanted to be able to go back to certain epigrams: e.g. the difference between men's attitude to sex and women's: "Wasn't it the difference between visiting and having visitors: if you had to, you could visit everyone, but you didn't allow everyone into your home."
Unfortunately it drifts off in the last part to something that could have been described as a poor imitation of Dan Brown, if this book hadn't come first. I don't think it's a coincidence that this happens at the same time as all of the female characters are sidelined by one means or another. Mulisch is often described as misogynistic but in fact his writing cannot survive the annihilation of women. Perhaps that's typical of misogyny...
+10 task
+10 review
+10 jumbo (730 pages)
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 880 points
From Post 535itpdx wrote: "10.9 Mythology
The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper
Review:This is one of my favorite types of fiction. I am not sure what it is called--maybe speculative fic..."
+5 Oldies (first published 1987)
From Post 546Eleanor wrote: "20.4 - Realism
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
+20 task
+10 combo (10.4; 20.1 - 119 reviews)
Task Total = 40
Grand Total = 565"
+15 Oldies (1861)
From Post 524Karen Michele wrote: "20.7 - Make it Strange - Jama's Task:
Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
Being a librarian, she has a particular fondness for “The Library”. p 192, Magic for Beginners
..."
+5 Combo 10.4 (Beginners)
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Quantum Leap: Obsessions (other topics)The Secret Place (other topics)
Dracula (other topics)
The Trial of Andrew Johnson (other topics)
Stranger Things Happen (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Carol Davis (other topics)Tana French (other topics)
Bram Stoker (other topics)
Noel B. Gerson (other topics)
Noel B. Gerson (other topics)
More...
Palindrome by Stuart Woods
+10 task
+5 Combo (10.4 - 9,10,11)
Task total: 15
Grand total: 260