Reading with Style discussion
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FA 2014 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2014
10.1 - Square PegNothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
+10 task
+10 Not-a-novel (non-fiction)
Task total: 20
Grand Total: 195
20.6 UnderratedPoint in Time by Linda O. Johnston
Review: I found Point in Time in a used bookstore near my parents’ house and I grabbed it up right away. A time travel romance set in Pittsburgh in the 1760s? Sign me up! Reading it didn’t totally hold up to my hopes, but it was still a fun book. The author clearly loves Pittsburgh, a city that is close to my heart. Unfortunately, those parts were a little distracting for me – the descriptions were so over the top that even though I agree with them, I found them hard to believe. The setting was rare – between the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War in what was then the gateway to the west – that’s interesting. The romance itself was just so-so, and the motivations behind the antagonists were a little convoluted. I’m not sure I’d pick up more by the author unless they were also set in Pittsburgh, but who knows.
+20 Task (25 ratings, published 1998)
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 735
10.8 Comfort ReadUnclaimed by Courtney Milan
Review: This is the second book in Milan’s Turner series, and I just want to keep reading all the novels and novellas that are part of this world. I’m a sucker for a broken hero in my romances, and man are the Turner brothers broken. This one deals with Mark, the youngest brother who wrote a book on chastity that ended up being a hugely popular text, spawning chastity clubs and any number of other things. Mark is the most famous virgin in his 1841 world, usually populated by rouges and rakes. The book didn’t feel quite as solid as the first in the series – some of the plot was convoluted and the pacing was a little strange – but I just love Mark. I’ve loved him a little since the first book, and I want to just keep reading about this family forever.
+10 Task ( I rated Unveiled 5 stars )
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.4)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 760
10.8 Comfort ReadUnraveled by Courtney Milan
Review: After finishing Unclaimed, I just decided to move on to the final book in the Turner series. I wanted to know more about Smite, the tormented middle brother. The Turner siblings went through a lot in their childhood, but Smite bore the brunt of his mother’s madness and carries more of it into his adulthood. This book was really about him much more than Miranda’s – and I was okay with that. I liked seeing a few appearances from the other people in the series – Richard Dalrymple is my favorite and I want him to have a book all his own – but it was still much about Smite and his relationship with Miranda. It was definitely a tie things up happily ever after type romance novel, but it also allowed for the characters to continue to be themselves and not miraculously healed by love. It allows Smite to have his problems but embrace them rather than be “fixed”, and that was pretty interesting to see. I’m sad to see the series end.
+10 Task ( I rated Unveiled 5 stars )
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.4)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 785
10.9 MythologicalAmerican Gods by Neil Gaiman
Review: I’ve had this on my Kindle forever, and it’s such a classic of Fantasy (Urban Fantasy?) that I’ve been in a number of conversations in which I felt pretty uninformed because I hadn’t read it, but it took me forever to get around to it. I’m glad I finally bit the bullet – it’s a great book. Following Shadow through his journey was kind of strange – every time I picked up American Gods, I raced through it and didn’t want to put it down – but then I didn’t totally feel the need to pick it up again. I think it’s possible that because Shadow kind of just lets things happen to himself – his wife even tells him that he’s not truly ALIVE – I never felt like I needed to go back. But then I did, and I was sucked right back in. This is not a light hearted, childish fantasy – it’s definitely adult, definitely dark – but it’s also a lot of fun.
+10 Task (approved in help thread)
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo (656 pages)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 810
10.8 Comfort ReadUnlocked by Courtney Milan
Review: This is a short little interim book in the middle of the Turner series, which stands entirely on its own – a few the characters from other novels show up but have no bearing on the plot at all, and I can’t specifically recall either of the main characters in any of the other books. The heroine, Elaine, has been tormented by a group of what amounts to “the popular kids” since her first season, and when the originator of most of the taunts comes back after a decade away, she thinks her life, which has mostly settled down, is suddenly going to get worse. It turns out Evan has changed for the better, but it takes the two of them a while to get on the same page. It was an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story, which combines some of my favorite romance tropes, and in spite of its short length the romance is well developed. It’s purely romance – no mystery plot or anything like that – but an interlude in which nine months passes allows the story to develop and the ending to be totally believable.
+10 Task ( I rated Unveiled 5 stars )
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 830
10.8 Comfort ReadThe Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
Review: I’m having a hard time not just reading every single thing Courtney Milan has written right now – they’re all hitting exactly the right note for my current mood. This was a quick novella that sets up her Brothers Sinister series, and it’s totally sweet and interesting and wonderful. In so few pages she tells a story that’s different from most of those in the historical romance genre – the tale of two ambitious people who aren’t from the upper, titled classes. Hugo is a great hero – his development occurs quickly but still completely believably. I love that there was still enough room for Milan to develop Serena’s relationship with her sister as well.
+10 Task ( I rated Unveiled 5 stars )
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.4)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 855
15.3 – BtW – Constant TravelerA Passage to India by E.M. Forster (pub. 1924)
+15 Task
+15 Bonus
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 885
10.8 Comfort ReadSkeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
I am always impressed by Chris Bohjalian’s range as a writer. I’ve read a few books of his now, and each one seems to have a slightly different feel to it. This one in particular was interesting – it’s set at the very end of World War 2, as the Germans are being pressed toward defeat from all sides. The book tells a few stories – a French woman in a concentration camp, a German girl evacuating from her Prussian farm, a Jewish man who escaped from a Nazi roundup and subsequently made his way through the war by playing various roles and doing whatever needs to be done. Along the way we also meet a Scottish POW, any number of deluded Germans, and various other characters both heroic and vile. The book is interesting both because it’s not a time period I’d ever thought much about, and because Bohjalian does a wonderful job creating sympathetic characters from all these flawed people.
+10 task (I previously rated Light in the Ruins 5 stars)
+5 combo (10.4 - skeletons)
+10 review
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 255
10.4 -- 9, 10, 11Conversion by Katherine Howe
(YA, no lexile)
Interesting book, made me think - didn't love the ending though!
+10 task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 265
15.3 BtW Constant TravellerWhose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers, pub. 1923
+15 task
+ 15 bonus
Task total 30
Grand total 505
15.4 BtW Constant TravellerClouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers, pub.1927
+15 task
+15 bonus
Task total 30
Grand total 535
20.4 - RealismNorthanger Abbey by Jane Austen 10/25/14
Jane Austen is on the linked list of Realism Authors
Combos:
10.4 - Northanger has 10 letters
20.1 - Shelved 256 times as 19th Century
Review:
Northanger Abbey was Jane Austen’s first work prepared for publication, though it was not published until after her death. The book is a bit of a tongue in cheek commentary on society. Young girls dreamed that their lives would be like those in the Gothic novels they read. (Yes, The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe made its way to my TBR list.) Marriages were arranged not so much for love as for the social status and fortune of the families involved. Oh, she’s an heiress…a perfect match for my son! What, her family’s destitute? Cut it off! In all, it was a great read and perfect for a Fall weekend.
+20 task
+10 Combos (10.4, 20.1)
+10 review
+15 oldies (pub. 1817)
Task total: 55
BtW total: 75
RwS total: 875
Grand Total: 950
20.6 UnderratedA Man Could Stand Up by Ford Madox Ford
This is the third novel in Ford's tetrology Parade's End. All the novels look at the changes in British society ushered in by WWI, but this is the only one that really spends time painting a picture of life in the trenches in France. That compelling material is sandwiched by, in my opinion, equally compelling detail about Tietjens' romantic interest back in England on Armistice day. Ford uses a very modern stream of consciousness style of writing to trace individual character's thought processes during a key moment or short period of time. It does a good job of letting the reader inside the character's minds and one thing I really like about that is that Ford chooses perceptive and self-aware intelligent people who do change during the war, and we get to see the thought processes that lead to these changes. Ford also does a great job of giving a lot of weight to female characters' experiences, as well as men, and does a very good job of it. One thing I miss in all of these novels, though, is some background information. Since we are inside the characters' heads, we miss the big picture, so to speak, and I guess I don't know enough about WWI to fill in the blanks. I would have loved to have in depth footnotes to explain references to the battles and politics of the period, as well as some explanations for slang, etc. And I must admit, while I am enjoying the tetrology, I am getting tired of it and not that excited about the last book in the series.
20 pt. task
+10 review
+10 oldies (published 1026)
Task Total: 40
Grand total: 250
20.1 19th CenturyAround The World In 80 Days by Jules Verne. (lexile 1070)
+20 task (shelved 102 times as 19th century)
+10 oldies (pub. 1873)
Task total 30
Grand total 565
10.9 MythologicalGreen Mansions by William Henry Hudson
Review:
Abel narrates a story about his mysterious past in the "green mansions" of the Venezuelan rainforest. When he was a young revolutionary, he had to go into hiding in an Indian village in the Parahuari Mountains. He went exploring in a nearby forest where the Indians refused to walk, fearing the presence of an evil spirit, the Daughter of the Didi. She was a half-wild girl named Rima who lived close to nature, hiding while singing with soft warbling sounds. "Again and again as I stood there listening it sounded, now so faint and apparently far off as to be scarcely audible; then all at once it would ring out bright and clear within a few yards of me, as if the shy little thing had suddenly grown bold; but, far or near, the vocalist remained invisible, and at length the tantalising melody ceased altogether."
This romantic fantasy show the author's love of the natural world of South America. It portrayed an allegorical ideal world where man lives in harmony with nature. Although Hudson's writing is very descriptive and flowery, the book kept my interest because of its imaginative quality. Published in 1904, some parts of the book would be considered offensive by today's standards concerning native people. It mentioned the superiority of the white man even though the native Indians provided help to Abel, and kept him from starving to death many times during the course of his adventures.
Myth of the Didi: www.bigfootencounters.com/creatures/d...
+10 task
+10 review
+10 oldie (pub 1904)
Task total: 30
Grand total: 505
Task 20.6 - UnderratedRead a book published prior to 2013 that has fewer than 1000 ratings.
The Enchantment (1992) by Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author) (Mass Market Paperback, 404 pages)
Review:This is a historical romance novel. The hero and heroine both have flaws (which is unusual in romance novels) and both are, deep inside, good, loving people (which is usual in romance novels). The reader needs to suspend disbelief some at the start of the novel, wherein the hero and the heroine begin an adventure by riding a train to Albuqueque, New Mexico, on a quest to find the ancient Native American of Cibola. The romance between the two develops nicely and the ending fits the story told. There is a hint of something that might be magic at the end (or, maybe not; reader decides!) I liked that the setting was the New Mexico desert rather than the stereotypical London ballrooms. Recommended for those who wish to read a pleasant historical romance novel.
+20 Task
+05 Combo (#10.4:11= Enchantment)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 785 + 35 = 820
15.7 - BtW Constant Traveler1927-8: Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
+15 task
+15 bonus
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 700
10.2 - Halloween: Piercing by Ryū Murakami
I can’t really say I enjoyed reading a book that made my skin crawl, but Ryu Murakami’s Piercing was a quick, page turning little thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I like to read horror books like this one occasionally just for the creepy excitement, but Piercing was definitely outside of my comfort zone. The writing was engaging and the plot was dark and disturbingly gripping. I avoided reading this one right before bedtime! Despite all that, I am curious to try some of his other books that are well reviewed when I get my courage up and my mood is right.
+10 Task:50 Scariest Books of All Time #2
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 1530
20.6 - 219 ratingsDon't Lick the Minivan: And Other Things I Never Thought I'd Say to My Kids by Leanne Shirtliffe
+20 task
+10 not a novel
task total: 30
grand total: 1580
20.6 - 7 ratingsFork in the Road ... and Other Pointless Discussions by Linda M. Au
+20 task
+10 not a novel
+5 combo (10.4 - pointless, discussions)
task total: 35
grand total: 1615
20.6 - 774 ratingsFirst Activation: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller by D.A. Wearmouth
+20 task
+5 combo (10.4 - activation, apocalyptic)
task total: 25
grand total: 1640
Post 612 Heather wrote: "20.6 - 185 ratingsZ-Burbia: A Zombie Novel by Jake Bible
+20 task
task total: 20
grand total: 1530"
Heather, this has a 2013 publication date, so doesn't qualify for 20.6 Underrated. I don't see another place for it, so if you haven't used your Square Peg you can take it there.
Post 630 Connie wrote: "10.9 MythologicalGreen Mansions by William Henry Hudson
Review:
Abel narrates a story about his mysterious past in the "green mansions" of the Venezuelan rainforest..."
Unfortunately, this has a YA Assignment at BPL and no Lexile. Task points, but no styles.
10.2 HalloweenThe Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Review:
I enjoyed listening to this LibriVox recording. The narrator does a fine, professional job of telling this creepy story. I have always enjoyed this story. The writing is fantastic, as one would expect from Henry James, and I don't mind the ambiguity of the story. Weird kids, crazy narrator, possible ghosts--there's lots to like here. If I were to register a complaint, it would be with the endless chapter breaks. For such a short book, did it really need to be separated into 24 chapters? This really broke up the listening in particular as each section was a separate track that included header info (i.e., this is a LibriVox recording, in the public domain, etc.). I'm glad to have revisited this one.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (20.1, 20.4)
+10 Oldies (1898)
Task total: 40
Grand total: 625
Post 636 Heather wrote: "20.6 - 7 ratingsFork in the Road ... and Other Pointless Discussions by Linda M. Au
+20 task
+10 not a novel
+5 combo (10.4 - pointless, discussions)
task total..."
This has a 2013 publication date so doesn't qualify for 20.6 Underrated. We will score it for 10.4 9,10,11.
Post 637 Heather wrote: "20.6 - 774 ratingsFirst Activation: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller by D.A. Wearmouth
+20 task
+5 combo (10.4 - activation, apocalyptic)
task total: 25
grand total:..."
Sorry, Heather - another 2013 publication, but we'll score it for 10.4
20.8 - Middle EastThe Yellow Birds
+20 task
+10 review
+5 combo (20.10 - Higher Education; UNC-Charlotte: http://ucol.uncc.edu/information-and-...)
I don't like war novels. I understand that most people aren't supposed to enjoy novels about war, but in general, I'm not the right audience for military books. I don't have close family in the military; I'm one of five girls and didn't grow up playing with fake guns and toy soldiers; I get easily bored by detailed descriptions of battlefield strategy and the mechanisms of firing a rifle.
Considering the above, I was surprised by how much The Yellow Birds impacted me. Granted, it was pretty slow at times, and I did have to pull myself back to present more than once when my mind wandered during longer descriptions of battles and bombings. But Kevin Powers is a poet at heart, and any book that makes me stop what I'm doing to locate a pen so I can underline and mark passages that take my breath away has somehow transcended genre. Powers has written a book about the war in Iraq, yes. But more than that, he's written a book about the loss of childhood innocence, about depression and grief, about what it means to be human and to be good.
"To understand the world, one's place in it, is to be always at the risk of drowning." - Kevin Powers, The Yellow Birds
task total: 35
grand total: 195
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 612 Heather wrote: "20.6 - 185 ratingsZ-Burbia: A Zombie Novel by Jake Bible
+20 task
task total: 20
grand total: 1530"
Heather, this has a 2013 publicati..."
nope, already took my square peg. oh well. lol.
10.10 - Group ReadsThe Godfather by Mario Puzo
Review:
Don Vito Corleone is the head of New York's strongest Mafia family. He's known as the Godfather because he's generous with his favours to those of his fellow New York Sicilians who ask in a suitably humble and respectful manner - and understand that they will one day be called on to perform some small service for him. This is the story of the final years of his life, and of the young manhood of his sons, especially Michael, who is dating a non-Italian American girl when the story opens.
The movie is so well known that most people will immediately think of it. I saw it so long ago I can barely remember it, but I'm sure there's a lot more back story in this 500-page (in my edition) book than in the movie. There was actually less violence than I expected - it's certainly there, but it's not on every page. The story drew me along compulsively but I found it tailed off towards the end - so 4 stars rather than 5.
+10 task
+ 5 combo (10.4)
+10 review
+ 5 oldies (1969)
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 910 points
20.2 - BirthplaceThe Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell
Born in Ireland
+20 Task
+10 oldies (FP-1914 )
+5 jumbo (608 pages)
+10 combo (10.4; 20.4 )
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 635
10.4 - 9, 10, 11: Conversion by Katherine Howe, no lexile available, YA
My expectations were somewhat low for this book because some reviewers had reviewed it unfavorably and because sometimes authors who write for adults first have trouble with the YA voice. Since I read Conversion before any of Howe’s adult books and expected a YA story, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. I taught in a competitive high school and felt familiar with the girls competing for every tenth of a grade point and suffering emotionally for it. Coupling the story with the original Salem Witch Trials and linking it to The Crucible was effective as well, keeping the reader guessing about what was actually going on in Danvers, originally known as Salem Village, MA. The inclusion of Conversion Disorder was also interesting. I recommend it to those who enjoy YA.
+10 Task
Grand Total: 1540
From Post 618Cory Day wrote: "10.9 Mythological
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Review: I’ve had this on my Kindle forever, and it’s such a classic of Fantasy (Urban Fantasy?) that I’ve been in a num..."
+5 Combo 20.3
From Post 638Don (The Book Guy) wrote: "20.6 Underrated
Brother to Dragons: A Tale in Verse and Voices: A New Version by Robert Penn Warren, pub. 1953, 66 ratings
I am partly at a loss of what to say about t..."
+5 Combo 10.7
From Post 635Heather wrote: "20.6 - 219 ratings
Don't Lick the Minivan: And Other Things I Never Thought I'd Say to My Kids by Leanne Shirtliffe
+20 task
+10 not a novel
task total: 30
grand..."
Sorry, Heather, this one looks like it was also published in 2013.
20.9 War BabiesAimless Love: New and Selected Poems
+20 task (Billy Collins was born in 1941)
+10 not-a-novel
+10 review
I was so excited to win this collection recently through a Goodreads giveaway. I absolutely love Picnic, Lightning, and Aimless Love didn't disappoint. Poetry can be so heavy at times, and I like how Collins treats the form with respect, but also with a playfulness not often seen from "serious" poets. His wordplay is part of the joy of reading his work, although I do think that some of it teeters on the edge of corny, which at times can become annoying.
Billy Collins is a poet for readers who don't consider themselves poetry readers (I would be included in this group), and I would recommend this collection to anyone who loves language and puns and wordplay.
task total: 40
grand total: 235
Kate S wrote: "From Post 635Heather wrote: "20.6 - 219 ratings
Don't Lick the Minivan: And Other Things I Never Thought I'd Say to My Kids by Leanne Shirtliffe
+20 task
+10 no..."
sorry about those... I misread the task. I read it as 2013 and earlier, not earlier than 2013. >.<
Task 20.5 - Politics Read a non-fiction book about politics or a politician.
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (2005) by H.W. Brands (Hardcover, 640 pages)
Review:The author is a history professor at the University of Texas. He writes in a clear and straightforward manner, easy for the educated layman to understand the topic he is writing about. The focus of this book is the seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson. He begins with the emigration of Jackson’s Scots-Irish parents to the Carolina area of America and ends with his death in 1847. Most of the book focuses on Jackson’s life from his teen years (where he fought the British during the Revolutionary War), the other frontier wars he fought as a general (against the British, against the Seminoles, and against the Spanish), and his election as President in 1828. The presidential years are covered in broad strokes. Other histories are available if the reader is interested in the detailed ins and outs of Jackson’s presidency. The book ends with Jackson's death and with a summary of the divisions in America that will lead to the Civil War a few years after Jackson's death. Recommended for anyone interested in American history post-Revolution pre-Civil War.
+20 Task (#20.5 Politics)
+05 Jumbo 500-699 Pages:
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 820 + 35 = 855
10.7 –Honored AuthorsRob Roy by Walter Scott
Walter Scott Prize
+ 10 Task
+15 oldies(FP -1817 )
+ 5 jumbo (501 pages (assuming I am looking at the correct edition))
+10 combo (20.1 – shelved 19 times; 20.3- 121 on thieves list)
Task Total: 40
Grand Total:675
20.10 Higher EducationThe New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Review: This is an important book. And I think this book is beginning to change the dialog of the civil rights movement. NPR author interview. Michelle Alexander tells about the impact of the War on Drugs on African American men in the United States. How the United States became the country that imprisons the largest percentage of its residents. How over half of the African American men in many of our large cities are in the control of the justice system--prison/probation/parole creating a racial underclass. Alexander goes back in history to show how the white elite used racial systems to split poor whites from African Americans any time it appeared that they would find common cause against the white power structure. See complete review
+20 Task Ursinus University Common Intellectual Experience
+10 Not a novel
+10 Review
Task total: 40
Grand Total: 450
10.4 9,10,11 An Unfinished Life by Mark Spragg
Unfinished is a 10 letter word
Review
This is the first book I read by this author. I wasn't sure how I would like this book. The story is told from a nine year old's point of view. She has never had a stable home. Her mother is living with a man that abuses them. She packs every day hoping they would leave. One day, they do leave and they run to Wyoming where the girl's grandfather lives. Where nowhere else to go, Griff, the girl and her mom live there just until her mother can find a job. What I like about this story is that Griff and her grandfather needed each other even though they didn't know it. He provided a secure home and they got to know each other and spend time with each other. Griff got to learn about her father who had died when she was very young. I ended up liking it more than I thought.
Task +10
Style + 10 Review
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 125
20.6 Underrated: 9 ratingsGathered Before God: Worship-Centered Church Renewal by Jane Rogers Vann
Task + 20
Non-Fiction + 10
Book Total: 30
Grand Total: 125+30 = 155
20.6 - Underrated:Tales of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle (678 ratings)
Review: This book is a collection of 12 short stories by Conan Doyle, each of them about 15-20 pages long. The first 6 have been titled "Tales of Terror" and the last 6 "Tales of Mystery." I enjoyed both halves of the book, although they were somewhat different.
The first 6 stories have a quite strong Edgar Allan Poe-esque feel to them - dark maze-like catacombs, mysterious creatures living in complete darkness in an abandoned mine, medieval torture techniques, blood-thirsty big cats... the atmosphere he was able to create worked well. In some of them, notably "The Case of Lady Sannox," I saw what was coming miles away, but it was nevertheless enjoyable and creepy. The first story in the book, "The Horror of the Heights," can probably be considered sci-fi. A man in the dawn of the era of humans being able to fly has a very good plane and tries to break the height record, and encounters some very mystical creatures while up there in the sky.
"Tales of Mystery" are little stand-alone crime episodes. We're presented a case and in the end find out what happened. For example, a special train leaves a station with 2 passengers aboard, but never makes it to the other end of the line. No trace of it is ever found, except for the dead body of one of the crew. What happened? How can a train simply disappear? These were fun too, but there was no element of horror to them.
Great book for if you're in the mood for something short, something you can read in just under an hour and then move on to the next one when you feel like it.
+20 task
+10 review
+10 not-a-novel (collection of short stories)
+10 oldies (first published 1913)
+5 combo (10.7 - Honored Authors)
Task points: 55
Grand total: 270
20.2-BirthplaceA Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne
+20 Task (Born in Ireland)
+5 Combo (10.4-9,10,11--Sentimental)
+15 Oldies (p. 1768)
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 215
Task 10.9 - Mythological – Dreams Underfoot (Newford #1) (1993) by Charles de Lint
Review: This collection of 19 interconnected short stories serves as an introduction to deLint’s city of Newford. The stories were originally published in the late 1980s-early 1990s in various publications. Most of the stories involves some form of "faerie" interacting with individuals located in the slightly decaying, urban setting of present day late 1980s-early 1990s. Art, music and poetry are important, and the characters are mostly artists of some sort (even while earning money waiting tables or whatever). Magic is real, gentle, and usually a force for good. There are some gentle swipes against “yuppies” and the “regentrification” of rundown urban areas. I enjoyed reading these stories. (Warning: Two stories had heroines recovering from sexual assault. (view spoiler)) Recommended for readers of Fantasy.
+10 Task (#10.9 mythological (specifically approved post #48 of help topic)
+05 Combo (#10.4 “underfoot”=9)
+10 Not-a-Novel: short story collections.
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 10 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 855 + 35 = 890
10.10 - Group readsTenth of December by George Saunders
+10 Task
+10 Not-A-Novel
Task total = 20
Points total = 145
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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)
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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)
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The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins
+20 task
+5 combo (20.3 - Thieves & Mysteries)
+15 oldies
+5 jumbo
Task total: 45
Grand Total: 175