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FA 2014 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2014
From Post 526Karen Michele wrote: "20.4 - Realism
A 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 f..."
+5 Combo (20.1)
Kate S wrote: "From Post 526Karen Michele wrote: "20.4 - Realism
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
To completely enjoy A Doll’s House, I think you have to remember its publication d..."
Thanks for the points, Kate!
15.10 - BtW - Constant Traveler 1937-1938Scoop by Evelyn Waugh,1937, 830 Lexile
+15 Task
+15 Bonus
Task Total: 30
BtW Finish: 150
Grand Total: 1455
From Post 537Deedee wrote: "Task 20.10 - Higher Education
http://www.mtsu.edu/summerreading/
Middle State Tennessee University
This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (2006) edite..."
+5 Combo 10.4 (Remarkable)
From Post 544Deedee wrote: "Task 20.6 - - Underrated
Read a book published prior to 2013 that has fewer than 1000 ratings.
The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London (2012) by [author:Judith Flande..."
+5 Combo 10.4 (Victorian)
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."Discrepancy found. Sorry for that.
From Post 423Claire wrote: " 10.1 Square Peg
The Future for Curious People: A Novel
+10 task
Task total: 10
Grand total: 110"
There is an addition error here. In post 303, you had 120 points add 10 for this post and you should have 130 points, not 110.
20.6 - UnderratedThe Virgin and the Gipsy by D.H. Lawrence 10/20/14
On 10/20/14, this book, published in 1930, had been rated 934 times.
Review:
The Virgin and the Gipsy by D.H. Lawrence had been made into a movie starring Joanna Shimkus and Franco Nero in 1970. I liked the movie, but had never read the book until now. From what I recall, the movie closely followed the short novel. Set between WWI and WWII, the story focuses of the daughters of an Anglican Vicar whose mother had run off when they were young. The family seldom spoke of her, and when they did, referred to “she who was Cynthia.” Both girls, Yvette and Lucille, felt stifled living with their father and their elderly grandmother. Out with friends one day, they came upon a group of gypsies and had their fortunes told. Yvette was attracted to one of the gypsies (think Franco Nero in his prime). She also became friends with a Jewish woman who had left her husband and was living with her new lover, which did not please Yvette’s father. Things come to a climax when a natural disaster hits, but I won’t spoil the story for those who have not read it.
+20 task
+10 review
+10 oldies
Task total: 40
BtW total: 75
RwS total: 610
Grand Total: 685
20.4 - RealismLa Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils 10/21/14
Alexandre Dumas fils is on the linked list of Realism authors. Note that he is the son of Alexandre Dumas who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo and many other similar novels.
Review:
La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils is said to follow the author’s own relationship with a Parisian courtesan. Here Marguerite Gautier is the courtesan, or “kept woman,” whose extravagant spending habits had her serving several lovers at most times. Sadly she is suffering from consumption, better known as tuberculosis today. She is known as “The Lady of the Camélias” since she wears a white one when she is available to her lovers and a red one when her condition is too bad to allow making love. Her story is told by two persons, one an anonymous narrator who relates the story in general, and the other being Armand Duval, the young man who would have ruined himself to gain the love of Marguerite. The story has endured since its first publication in 1848, having later been adapted for the theater, opera, ballet, and movies. The adaptation I most recall starred Greta Garbo in the title role.
+20 task
+5 combo (20.1 - shelved 30 times as 19th Century)
+10 review
+15 oldies (pub. 1848)
Task total: 50
BtW total: 75
RwS total: 660
Grand Total: 735
20.1 - 19th CenturyThe War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells 10/22/14
This book was shelved as 19th Century 93 times.
Review:
The War of the Worlds was written by H.G. Wells. The book is set in the suburbs of London in the late 1890s, a time when most people traveled by horse-drawn carriages or by train. The motor car was just beginning to become popular, and man had not yet learned to fly. Given those circumstances, it is amazing that Wells was able to imagine an invasion from Mars, with creatures arriving in flying saucers, then using heat rays and poison gas against humans. Wells even brought up the impact of Earth’s higher gravity on the invaders. This was one of the first “invasion from space” novels, and it was done quite well. A realistic adaptation of the story read by Orson Wells and company over the radio in 1938. It was done so well that there was widespread panic when people believed they were listening to a live newscast. They truly believed the Martians had landed on Earth!
+20 task
+10 review
+10 oldies
Task total: 40
BtW total: 75
RwS total: 700
Grand Total: 775
20.7 Make it StrangeSister Noon by Karen Joy Fowler
+20 task (#86)
+5 Combo (20.6-302 ratings)
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 440
Kate S wrote: "From Post 544Deedee wrote: "Task 20.6 - - Underrated
Read a book published prior to 2013 that has fewer than 1000 ratings.
The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London (...
+5 Combo 10.4 (Victorian) "
Thanks for catching that!
Task 10.1 - Square PegThe Strain (The Strain Trilogy #1) (2009) by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Review: This is book #1 of a trilogy. The authors were successful in convincing cable station FX to give them money to produce a TV series based on the novels. It is surprising to me that the show and the book have noticeable differences when it is the exact same pair who wrote the book and then wrote the scripts for the series. The vampire-zombie monsters are more impressive in the TV series than in print --- it added to the reading experience to have seen the monsters in the TV series. The monsters, and the fights against the monsters, are the reason for this novel / TV series. There are plot hole so big one can drive a truck through them; and, the characters change motivations to fit the current need of the plot. Still, one doesn’t read The Strain for it’s nuanced description of people’s motivations. The reading is for the fights against the monsters, and the satisfaction in defeating them. Recommended for people who have seen the TV series and now want to read the book that inspired the series.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 725 + 20 = 745
20.8 Middle EastAkhenaten: Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz
+20 task (Egypt)
+5 Combo (10.7)
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 465
20.4 - RealismPersuasion by Jane Austen 10/23/14
Jane Austen is on the linked list of Realism Authors
Combos:
10.4 - Persuasion has 10 letters
20.1 - Shelved 310 times as 19th Century
Review:
Persuasion was written by Jane Austen while she was Ill and about to die. Set in the early 1800s, it is a book about the interaction of a group of people in a social setting fraught with rigid views on class distinctions and the separate roles of men and women. The central character, Anne Elliott, is one of the three daughters of Sir Walter Elliott and his late wife, Lady Elliott. Sir Walter’s lavish spending habits have brought the family close to bankruptcy, yet he is horrified at the thought of cutting back and how that would impact his standing in society. Anne had been in love with Captain Frederick Wentworth, but had broken off their engagement when Lady Russell had persuaded her that he was unsuitable due to his low birth. Eight years later, Captain Wentworth is back, having risen in rank during his service on the seas and thereby his perceived status in their society. Anne realizes she still loves him, but the rules they live by dictate that she must wait for him to make the first move.
+20 task
+10 Combos (10.4, 20.1)
+10 review
+15 oldies (pub. 1817)
Task total: 55
BtW total: 75
RwS total: 755
Grand Total: 830
10.4 - 9-10-11Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914 by Carolyn Meyer Lexile 860 10/23/14
Anastasia has 9 letters.
Review:
Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914 by Carolyn Meyer is a book I read for a week-long team challenge in another group. One of my tasks was to read a book in the historical fiction genre that featured an actual historical character. It’s a genre I like, but for which I would generally choose books that run 500-1000 pages. Since we were trying to read as many books in the week as we could, I looked for a shorter book and found this one. It’s listed as Juvenile Fiction in BPL, but with a Lexile of 860.
I probably would have enjoyed the book more if I were 9 to 12 years old. Anastasia was the youngest daughter of the Romanov family, the last of the Russian Tsars. The family was killed after the Russian people revolted, though Anastasia was rumored to have survived. This book was written as entries from Anastasia’s diary, with mention of WWI, her concern for the changing attitude toward her family, her father’s worried demeanor, and their ultimate arrest by the revolutionaries.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20
BtW total: 75
RwS total: 775
Grand Total: 850
10.8 - Comfort Read - Cory Day's Task:Lisette's List by Susan Vreeland
Susan Vreeland is one of the authors I anticipate with joy. Her latest book, Lisette’s List, did not disappoint. First of all, it took me to Paris, my favorite city to visit, and then on to the countryside village of Roussillon, an area of France that has now moved to the top of my list of places to experience. Add to that Vreeland’s ability to describe art and the artistic process in a way that brings it to life, the historical setting of WWII and paintings taken during the Nazi occupation of France, a wonderfully developed heroine and strong secondary characters the combination is set for a rich reading experience. Don’t miss the gallery of the art in the book and other added content about the book on Vreeland’s website (http://www.svreeland.com/ll-gallery.html) as it also enhances the reading experience. I savored this one in chunks so as not to finish it too quickly and I recommend it to art lovers, historical fiction buffs and those that relish a slower moving book that is immensely satisfying and that you will miss as you reach the end.
+10 Task: I previously rated Luncheon of the Boating Party 5 stars
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 1475
10.5 Dr SalkStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
People who donate their organs for transplant in the event that they are declared brain-dead are real heroes in the author's opinion. Mary Roach, a science journalist, also discusses what happens when people donate their bodies to science, often through a university or medical school. Most of the bodies will be used in the anatomy department for dissection, and for teaching doctors new surgical techniques. But other cadavers will be used for safety testing to determine tolerances in car accidents and airline crashes, saving thousands of lives. Some may be used by the military, such as testing the protective value of different footwear getting blown up by a land mine.
The author interviewed forensic specialists who examined the remains of passengers to determine the causes of an airline crash. She also talked to people about cremation, and other new alternatives to burial. The book was written in a conversational tone with humor which ranged from light remarks to rather juvenile humor. Some people might want to skip the chapter about cannibalism and cultures that use body parts for medicinal purposes, especially if they're reading right before dinner. The author did an impressive amount of research for this book, and presented it in an understandable manner. I found the science interesting, and definitely learned more than I ever wanted to know about human cadavers.
+10 task
+10 review
+10 not-a-novel (non-fiction)
Task total: 30
Grand total: 475
20.3 - Thieves & Mysteries:The Burglar in the Closet by Lawrence Block (#123 on the list of thieves)
The main character in this book, the second in a series of novels written about the curious things that seem to be always happening to him while on the job, is a professional burglar called Bernard "Bernie" Rhodenbarr. He lives in New York. You'd think that doing what he does, he must be a cunning, cruel, ruthless man. Actually he's quite an easy-going, relaxed dude who does what he does because he doesn't have any specific talent for anything except picking locks and the only training he’s got for doing anything else is for "making licence plates – and that’s only really usable when you’re in prison." When young, he discovered it's a thrill to break into someone's home. He also likes his work because it allows for a very flexible schedule and he only really has to work ever so rarely. He steals enough to get by comfortably, not more.
Anyway, in this novel, while Bernie is at the dentist, the doctor suggests to him that he steal the precious jewels of the dentist's ex-wife. Bernard decides to take the job, but something goes horribly wrong. He ends up being locked in a closet when the woman returns home unexpectedly, and the next thing he knows, there's a doorbell, someone enters and the woman is stabbed to death with a dental scalpel. The police first arrest the ex-husband, but then decide it must have been poor innocent Bernie who committed the murder. The only thing left to do is to run and hide from the law while trying to solve the murder, because that's the best way of making sure he himself doesn't go to jail. Will Bernie figure out whodunnit? Light-hearted, fast-paced fun crime book that is a quick read.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 oldies (first published 1978)
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 215
20.4 RealismPère Goriot by Honoré de Balzac
+20 task
+5 Combo (20.1)
+15 Oldies (published 1834)
Task total: 40
Grand Total: 505
10.4The Doomsday Survival Handbook: Bucket Lists for Every Conceivable Apocalypseby David Murphy
+10 task
+10 not a novel (handbook)
task total: 20
grand total: 1405
15.5 - BtW Constant Traveler1931-2: The Forbidden Kingdom by J. Slauerhoff
+15 task
+15 bonus
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 580
20.9 War BabiesBright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Review:
I always enjoy Ehrenreich's writing. The narrator for the audiobook perfectly captures the sarcasm and skepticism here. This was an excellent book to listen to; in print, it may have seemed too repetitive or too stretched from a magazine-length thesis to book-length. In audio format, these issues were less noticeable. The book is a critique of positive thinking, particularly the industry that promotes positive thinking as a matter of self-improvement. The first section, which deals with positive thinking promotion in the context of healthcare, and particularly cancer care, is part memoir of Ehrenreich's own diagnosis of breast cancer and part examination of the health care industry. This is the strongest part of the book, which then moves on to examine the rest of positive thinking including motivational speakers and self-help books, positive psychology, and business-based positive thinking. Highly recommended.
+20 Task (b. 1941)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-novel (nonfiction)
+5 Combo (10.4)
Task total: 45
Grand total: 510
10.4 9, 10, 11The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
Review:
This book is indeed an epic story and and epic work. The author thoroughly researched her subject on multiple levels: the book tells the personal story of three individuals, while also delving into the academic and historical information both written contemporaneously and more recently, while also filling in the context of the larger story that this migration involved millions of people relocating across the country. The writing was largely excellent, with one minor complaint: the author repeated certain facts or bits of stories practically word for word at a few points. I wish an editor or reader had caught these moments and changed them because this is a book that really must be read from the beginning; it does not lend itself to dipping into the middle to read a single chapter. Thus, the author can and should expect that readers will remember the stories already told.
In any event, I'm thrilled that my book club picked this one for November as I might never have picked it up on my own and I'm really glad that I read it. Though a long book, I found it highly readable and easy to access.
+10 Task (migration)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-novel (nonfiction)
+5 Jumbo
Task total: 35
Grand total: 545
20.6 - 165 ratingsCitation Needed : The Best of Wikipedia's Worst Writing by Conor Lastowka
+20 task
+5 combo (10.4 - Wikipedia's)
+10 not a novel (articles)
task total: 35
grand total: 1440
Thanks Kate! Kate S wrote: "From Post 423
Claire wrote: " 10.1 Square Peg
The Future for Curious People: A Novel
+10 task
Task total: 10
Grand total: 110"
There is an addition error here. In post 303, y..."
20.4 - RealismThe Gambler by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 10/23/14
Fyodor Dostoyevsky is on the linked list of Realism Authors
Review:
The Gambler was written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in 1866, but the theme of this book is just as applicable today. Alexey Ivanovitch is a young tutor employed by a Russian general currently living in a hotel in Roletenburg, Germany. The general is deeply in debt and has mortgaged his home to pay fraction of the money he owes in gambling debts. Learning that his elderly aunt “Grandmother” is ill, he secretly hopeful that her fortune may soon become his inheritance. Yet when visiting him, Grandmother takes a chance at roulette. The same is true for our narrator, Alexey, and both find the allure of winning too great to ignore. The reader learns how much they will give up to keep playing, and whether they played to ruin or were smart enough to cut their losses and walk away.
+20 task
+5 Combos (20.1 - shelved 33 times as 19th Century)
+10 review
+10 oldies (pub. 1866)
Task total: 45
BtW total: 75
RwS total: 820
Grand Total: 895
10.8 Comfort ReadsThe Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
Review
This is the fourth book in the series I have read. In this installment, Precious Rawstowe has competition with another detective agency which is run by a man. She is worried her business will suffer. She is engaged to Mr. J.L.M Matukoni which is can take some getting used to as well as being a mother figure to two orphans. Her business partner has seemed to found a boyfriend but is not all what he seems. Like the title says, Mma Matuki opens up a typing school for men. Mma Rastowe helps a man make amends for past misdeeds. It sounds like the two of them will be very busy for such a small village. That is one of the things I like about this series, people live simple lives.
Task+ 10
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 105
20.6 - UnderratedThe Demi-Monde: Winter by Rod Rees
Published 2011, 815 ratings
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.4 ; 10.9 - mythologic creatures are gods of the demi-monde, see extract for example)
+5 Jumbo (522 pages)
Task total = 35
Points total = 105
Task 10.4 - 9, 10, 11: 11= Necromancer
The Necromancer (Johannes Cabal #1) (2009) by Jonathan L. Howard
Review: Johannes Cabal is a Necromancer who traded his soul to the Devil. Now he wants it back, so he makes a wager with the Devil: he can convince 100 people to sign their souls away during one calendar year. If he can do that, then the Devil will give his soul back. The story is told in a humorous manner. The novel’s structure was strange, though: the first 40% or so was set up, the next about 10-15% was a montage of Johannes Cabal’s activities, and the remainder of the novel concerned the last day of the wager. So, the author knew how he wanted the story to begin and end, but was unclear about the middle. I haven’t come across that very often. There is a sequel to this novel, which I will pick up “one of these days”.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 745 + 20 = 765
10.4Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima by James Mahaffey
+10 task
+10 not a novel
task total: 20
grand total: 1460
Post 593 Don (The Book Guy) wrote: "10.1 Square PegThe Long Shadow: The Legacies of the Great War in the Twentieth Century by David Reynolds, 514 pages
The Long Shadow is as it's subtitle tells a b..."
Don't know if you were really hoping for Square Peg on this one, but Twentieth has 9 letters, so it fits 10.4.
Post 583 Heather wrote: "10.4The Doomsday Survival Handbook: Bucket Lists for Every Conceivable Apocalypseby David Murphy
+10 task
+10 not a novel (handbook)
task total: 20
grand tota..."
+5 Combo 20.6 (10 ratings)
20.5 PoliticsA Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren
Review:
Sign me up as an Elizabeth Warren fangirl. I have a soft spot for these personal/political memoirs read by the politician. I listened to both of Obama's books while he was first campaigning and find this book to be in a similar vein. She tells of her background, her experience as a professor, then as a Washington player, and finally as a surprising Senator. I like her brand of economic populism and her strong willingness to be a voice for people. This memoir reads well and remains interesting, especially when read in her own voice with obvious passion behind the words. I'll be watching to see what her next step is.
+20 Task (memoir of U.S. Senator)
+10 Review
+10 Not a novel (nonfiction)
Task total: 40
Grand total: 585
20.6 UnderratedDoctor Pascal by Émile Zola
In posting my comments on The Debacle, I said of this last book in the series I don't expect the drama, but rather a "wrapping up." I could not have been more mistaken. Of the fourteen chapters, only a few paragraphs in Chapter 4 is a recap of what has preceded in the series. Nearly all of the remainder is very dramatic.
Dr. Pascal is the family genealogist and much of his scientific study has been about heredity. Dr. Pascal tells his niece about the family tree:
And it is also a historical document, it relates the story of the Second Empire, from the coup d'etat to Sedan; for our family spring from the people, they spread themselves through the whole of contemporary society, invaded every place, impelled by their unbridled appetites, by that impulse, essentially modern, that eager desire that urges the lower classes to enjoyment, in their ascent through the social strata. We started, as I have said, from Plassans, and here we are now arrived once more at Plassans.Through Pascal, Zola tells his readers much of what he believes about heredity and how it affects families. As he reached the end, however, I think that Zola himself recognized that nurture plays a significant part of the character of the individual and that nature (and heredity) does not provide the entire picture.
Don't think genealogy can be dramatic? Every family has its stories, with people both good and bad. The drama in this one is intense, the prose as good as to be found in any of Zola's work, the two main characterizations are excellent. In a few of the previous novels much of the action involved characters only known to the family member. In this, all of the action involves the family. One character outside of the family is in a supporting role; the other characters are found on the family tree.
Having spent several thousand hours researching my own genealogy, I thought several times that Zola would have been astounded at the resources available to family historians in this age of the internet. His tree was a descendancy chart - much the same as my major project. I could so identify with that part of this. I think my own family history was fascinating, but a vastly more creative mind than mine would provide but a smidgen of the drama that Zola found in his fictional family.
While I loved Doctor Pascal, I would not recommend it to anyone who isn't interested in reading at least the majority of the rest of the series, and it should be read last of those. I found myself starting Les Rougon-Macquart - out of order! - in the 12/13 Winter Challenge. When I began, I had no idea I would read all 20 in the series in the next 2 years. It has been a marvelous journey!
+20 Task (273 ratings)
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (pub 1893)
Task total = 40
Grand Total = 490
PS - I'm sorry the above review is a tad long. Most of you have seen me posting the books in this 20-volume series and I couldn't resist sharing my final thoughts.
From Post 575Coralie wrote: "20.8 Middle East
Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz
+20 task (Egypt)
+5 Combo (10.7)
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 465"
+5 Oldies (1985)
From post 575Coralie wrote: "20.8 Middle East
Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz
+20 task (Egypt)
+5 Combo (10.7)
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 465"
+10 Combo (10.4: Akhenaten has 9 letters; 20.4: on list of Realism authors)
I sure messed that one up. Thanks Kate for tidying it up. I must have posted when tired or in a hurry.
Karen Michele wrote: "15.10 - BtW - Constant Traveler 1937-1938Scoop by Evelyn Waugh,1937, 830 Lexile
+15 Task
+15 Bonus
Task Total: 30
BtW Finish: 150
Grand Total: 1455"
Congrats on your BtW finish, Karen!!
No worries, Coralie. I hope the book was so good it left you distracted. :)
10.8 - Comfort ReadSmall Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver
(I rated almost all her other books 5 stars, for instance one of my favorite books Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life)
+10 Task
+10 Not a novel (non fiction)
Task total = 20
Points total = 125
10.4Best Autocorrect Fails: Text Messages That Didn't Mean to Send by James MacBrowning
+10 task
+10 not a novel
task total: 20
grand total: 1485
20.6 - 24 ratingsGeektionary: From Anime to Zettabyte, an A to Z Guide to All Things Geek: More Than 1,000 Words to Understand Goobs, Gamers, Orkdorks, and Technofreaks by Gregory Bergman
+20 task
+10 not a novel
+5 combo (10.4)
task total: 35
grand total: 1510
Task 10.4 - 9, 10, 11: 11= Miniaturist
The Miniaturist (2014) by Jessie Burton
Review:This is a historical novel set in 1687 Amsterdam. Some goodreads shelve it as fantasy; I don’t. There’s a hint of something that maybe possibly could be a touch of magic – or not. Therefore, I consider this to be a straightforward historical novel.
The events of the novel all occur during the last few months of 1687. The writing is clear and straightforward. The characters and events are plausible for the time period. And, the conceit of a “cabinet” or dollhouse as a framing device for the story is original in a historical novel. Those are the positive aspects of the novel. Still, I wouldn’t recommend this novel to readers. Unpleasant things happen, the innocent suffer, the guilty don’t suffer. After I was done reading, I had a sour reaction to the novel, and I wished that I had spent my reading time with a different book on my TBR.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 765 + 20 = 785
20.5 - Politics:Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope
While this novel is a wonderful example of Trollope's abilities, I can't help but wonder why this novel, the second in the series, was chosen for the 1001 list out of all his works. Phineas may be the epitome of Trollope's characters -- an agreeable, well-mannered man that vacillates about everything -- but 700 pages is too long to spend with a single character. Certainly there are other individuals portrayed and a couple of other minor sub-plots, but even when we see the world through their eyes, we are primarily seeing their reaction to, or thoughts about, Phineas. And by the end I just couldn't bear to read about yet another woman he was "in love" with because, as far as I could tell, she happened to be the woman standing in front of him. On the other hand, the portrayal of England and its parliamentary politics was utterly fascinating. I still have no idea how it works, but I certainly enjoyed watching Phineas learn the system and become adept at maneuvering in it.
+20 task
+10 combo (20.1, 20.4)
+10 review
+10 oldies
+10 jumbo (752 pages)
Task total: 60
Grand Total: 670
10.10 - Group readsOrfeo by Richard Powers
I’m not sure you could love Orfeo by Richard Powers as much as I did if you can’t “hear” the book:
Through that clatter came a news flash. Three strong notes descended in a major triad, then riffed on the tonic in a dotted rhythm:
Sol, mi, do-do-do-do-do-do… p 76
That is just a simple example of how Powers brings this book to life through music. I found myself amazed by his ability to describe in words what I heard when I studied Mahler in college and to describe Peter’s avant-garde compositions so that I could “hear” them. It was a visceral experience for me and took me back to my college years. Add to that the book’s connection to the Orpheus myth, unusual definitions of bio-terrorism with Peter on the run from a misunderstanding (or maybe not?) and fantastic literary storytelling and you have a definite winner. It has been a while since I read anything by Richard Powers, but I have some waiting on my real and virtual shelves that just moved to the head of the class!
+10 Task: Thanks for a great Group Reads!
+ 5 Combo: 10.9 Mythological: the Orpheus myth
+10 Review
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 1510
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Coralie wrote: "10.10 Group Reads
Tess 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 pag..."
+5 Combo 20.4