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FA 2014 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2014
Many apologies, Theresa, I have removed the extra points. I forgot to check that thread before posting. :)
Kate S wrote: "Many apologies, Theresa, I have removed the extra points. I forgot to check that thread before posting. :)"No problem.
10.8 - Comfort Read - Cory Day's Task:The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
It’s rare to read one book with a variety of my favorite genres under the cover: coming of age, realism in a war story, fantasy battles and dystopian living all come into play. I just love the uniqueness of it! On top of that, there are characters from other books by David Mitchell appearing every so often, a technique that might have seemed self serving in a lesser author’s hands, but worked for me in The Bone Clocks, Mitchell’s most recent offering. Another feature of the book that I loved was the way I was moved through time. The book started in 1984 and ended in 2043 making the dystopian world feel all the more possible. Even though there were fantastical happenings all along, the basic setting was real world and Holly Sykes, the main protagonist, was a well drawn character who pulled me in from the start. Mitchell’s writing never wavered. I highly recommend this newest work from a top notch author!
+10 Task: I rated The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and Black Swan Green with 5 stars
+10 Review
+ 5 Jumbo (624)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 790
Kate S wrote: "Kath wrote: "10.10 Group ReadsThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
+ 10 task
Task total 10
Grand total 270"
+10 Oldies
+5 Combo (10.4-WONDERFUL)"
Thanks Kate! I never thought to check the lexile score, I just went with the JUV assignment and assumed no combo points.
10.6 Short StuffDrown by Junot Díaz
Review:
I can see why Diaz has become such a darling of literary circles. His stories are rippling with complex characters, describing clearly and authentically the lives of people who are rarely the focus of literary work. His characters are immigrants facing culture shift, anonymity, and overwork. But these are ultimately hopeful stories. Unlike in some collections about the downtrodden, these characters have not given up. They continue to believe there's something worth living for; something worth striving for. They go after success, however shimmery and elusive, with their whole being. The recurrent themes of fatherlessness, absent relatives, family, and culture run through all of these stories. A wonderful collection.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-novel (short stories)
Task total: 30
Grand total: 210
10.9 - Mythological The Island of Excess Love by Francesca Lia Block, 760 Lexile
+10 Task: based on the Aeneid - task description
Grand Total: 800
10.4 - 9, 10, 11Holy Hospitality: Worship and the Baptismal Covenant: A Practical Guide for Congregations by Clayton L. Morris
Review:
A must read for any who lead worship or participate in worship in the Episcopal church - particularly for those who've "always done it this way". Those from other denominations may also enjoy the suggestions for making every aspect of worship more open and inviting, more accessible to those who come through the church’s doors for the first-time; but, given the author’s position within the Episcopal tradition, some “translation” may be needed. The book is at once accessible and insightful. The real benefit comes in part 4 when the author ties the ongoing theme of holy hospitality with the centrality of baptism.
+10 task
+10 review
+10 not-a-novel
+5 combo (20.6 - Underrated)
Total: 35
Grand Total: 125
Task 10.2 - Halloween: Read one from the list:
50 Scariest Books of All Time
Incarnate (1983) Ramsey Campbell
British Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1985)
Review:Some things are dreams, some things are reality, and the difficulty for the characters in this horror novel: telling the difference between the two states of being. Five individuals living in and around London, England participated in a para-psychological study. The study ended suddenly. The novel begins eleven years later. The novel follows each of the five individuals involved in the study, detailing just how messed up their respective lives became as a result of the events from eleven years ago. (The author goes into this segment in exhaustive detail.) And then ….. something untoward happens (I won’t spoil the story by telling exactly what happens, but it does fit the narrative. Remember this is a HORROR novel.) Overall, this is a well-told genre novel. Recommended.
+10 Task (#10.2)
+10 Combo (#10.4 “incarnate”; #20.6 underrated)
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1939-1989)
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 05 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 360 + 35 = 395
20.2 BirthplaceEnds and Odds by Samuel Beckett
Review:
Samuel Beckett's work is always postmodern and strange. This book contains nine short pieces, two of which were radio programs rather than stage shows. I did find a video of "Not I" on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4LDw...). I can only imagine what the audience felt seeing this performance when they didn't know what to expect. I also watched a production of "Rough for Theatre I" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPqu.... It's great to see performances of these pieces after having read them. Especially the performance of "Not I" really brings the words on the page to life and shows just how powerful this play is. I don't read many plays, but I'm really glad I found this collection of less-known short works. Very interesting stuff.
+20 Task (b. Ireland)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-novel (plays)
+5 Combo (20.6 Underrated)
+5 Oldies (1976)
Task total: 50
Grand total: 260
20.6 - UnderratedSix Frames: For Thinking About Information by Edward De Bono
Review: ★★
De Bono largely phoned this one in. The central premise is that we pay insufficient attention to attention, generally letting lots of things grab it, rather than deliberately choosing where to direct it. This is certainly a valuable point, and one in keeping with his usual “thinking about thinking” motif, but his prescription for dealing with this is rather shallow. Operating primarily within a business context, he suggests focussing attention deliberately in six directions:
△ — for Purpose
◯ — for Accuracy
▢ — for Point of View
♡ — for Interest
♢ — for Value
▭ — for Outcome
These all have some merit, but I was unconvinced that this selection is either necessary or sufficient for his specific goal [… continued]
+20 task [69 ratings]
+5 combo [10.4: 9, 10, 11 (Information)]
+10 not-a-novel
+10 review
Task total: 45
Grand Total: 1535
20.6 - UnderratedNetflixed: The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs by Gina Keating
Review: ★★★★
It’s hard for me to review a book like this disinterestedly. After all, for the first three and a half years of Netflix’s existence, I was running Europe’s largest online video and DVD retailer. So the first half of this book is like a giant trip down memory lane for me — not necessarily in the specific details, as our story played out quite differently, but in terms of lots of the wider arguments and decisions, and in particular the constant struggle to convince investors, and the press etc that established off-line companies won’t simply be able to move on-line and dominate everything there too (Blockbuster and Walmart in Netflix’s case; Virgin in ours).
Although presented as the Netflix story, the book is just as much, if not more, about Blockbuster — how they staked everything on competing with Netflix, and then, just as they were on the verge of winning, threw it all away. … more:
+20 task [241 ratings]
+5 combo [10.4: 9, 10, 11 (Netflixed)]
+10 not-a-novel
+10 review
Task total: 45
Grand Total: 1580
15.6 BtW - Constant TravelerHer Privates We by Frederic Manning, 1929
+15 task
+15 bonus
Task total: 30
Grand Total: 795 points
10.1- Square Peg
Count to a Trillion by John C. WrightThe book was a little hard to get into, at first, because of all the mathematical speak. I though it was an interesting story. A future setting with a wild west flavor. The main character Menelaus Montrose is a genius mathematician/gunfighter who want the future seen in old space series- flying cars, space travel, and the good guy always wins. But humanity is still on earth, that changes a little when an alien artifact is found in space. Menelaus is one of the scientist included on the space trip to study the artifact and decipher the writing. Ordinary human minds aren't smart enough so Menelaus injects himself with drug to make him posthuman. It drives him crazy, so he is put in cryo-suspension and is awoken 200 years later.
+10- Task (space opera)
+10- Review
Total- 20
Grand Total- 30
Angela wrote: "10.1- Square Peg Count to a Trillion by John C. WrightHi Angela,
This one actually qualifies as 20.6 Underrated, as it only has 530 ratings.
10.4 - 9, 10, 11: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
I was quite impressed with Karen Joy Fowler’s book about families and how they shape us into adulthood. The story “starts in the middle” by design and the opening “break-up” scene pulled me in. There is quite an ah-ha moment coming along regarding that scene and our protagonist’s behavior and the story had me hooked. I listened to this one, and the narrator did an excellent job with the humor and the sadness embedded in the story. It is an insightful work and well told. In some ways, it is a lighter work, but beneath that surface is great depth as indicated by its Booker Prize nomination. Saying much more risks spoilers, so I will end with recommending the book to anyone who likes to read about the inner workings of family and friendship.
+10 Task: ourselves
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 820
10.10Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
+10 task
+15 combo (10.4 – 9,10,11 d'Urbervilles, 20.1 - 18 times; 20.4 – Realism author)
+10 oldies (1891)
+ 5 jumbo (518 pages)
task total: 40
grand total: 625
20.6 - UnderratedBrother to Dragons: A Tale in Verse and Voices: A New Version by Robert Penn Warren
I came across Robert Penn Warren’s Brother to Dragons by happy accident. A friend and colleague has often recommended All the King’s Men and while looking into that book, I checked out the author’s other works and decided to give this extended poem a try. It was a rewarding experience. The poem tells the story of the nephews of Thomas Jefferson and is based firmly on the historical records of the sad events in Kentucky which are cited in the forward and notes for the poem provided by RPW. The poetry itself was masterful and worth the read, but I was also fascinated by a story I knew nothing about coupled with the imagined views of Thomas Jefferson, the author as narrator and parts of the more famous travels of Meriwether Lewis, another relative of Jefferson’s. It is a unique and somewhat obscure work, but recommended to others who enjoy something “off the beaten path” in their reading selections.
+20 Task: 1953, 64 ratings
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel? (would this be considered poetry or a novel in verse?)
+ 5 Oldies: 1953
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 865
10.8 Comfort ReadLandline by Rainbow Rowell
+10 Task (Rated Eleanor & Park 5 stars prior to challenge start)
Task Total = 10
Grand Total = 45
10.8 Comfort Read Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
+10 Task (Rated Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm 5 stars prior to challenge start)
Task Total = 10
Grand Total = 55
20.9 - War Babies - Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Task:Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood
I am a fan of short stories, but I rarely assign them 5 star ratings. Usually a few stories just don’t hit the mark. Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood included nine stories, every one of which was stellar in both writing and content and earned every one of those 5 stars I gave the collection. I am impressed with Atwood’s ability to accurately represent characters across age groups and the last story, “Torching the Dusties” set in a home for the elderly was among my favorites. The title story also stood out with its dark and riveting plot. Atwood is a master storyteller at the top of her craft and a writer who shows no sign of slowing down in the areas of imagination, humor, intrigue and spot on characterizations. If you are already a fan of the short story, don’t miss this collection and if you are not, try these tales and become one!
+20 Task: Atwood was born in 1939
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 905
20.9 - War BabiesMore Tales Of The Unexpected by Roald Dahl
Review: ★★
I'm not sure what the criteria were for inclusion in this collection, but for the most part it seems to have been "let's take the ones that weren't quite good enough for the first volume, and then, so that it's not completely bad, let's include a few half-decent ones from there for a second time.” The title is also slightly misleading. Many of the stories were certainly turned into episodes for the “Tales of the Unexpected” TV show, but the stories themselves, which pre-date the show, generally don't have the “starling end”, promised in the blurb: those were generally added when the stories were rewritten to meet the TV format. These versions are generally simpler and more whimsical.
+20 task (b. 1916)
+10 combo [10.4 9, 10, 11 (Unexpected), 20.6 Underrated (531 ratings)]
+10 not-a-novel (short-stories)
+10 review
+5 oldies (1980)
Task total: 55
Grand total: 1635
20.9 - War BabiesThe Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Born 1939
+20 Task
+10 Combo (20.7 ; 10.5)
+5 Jumbo (637 pages)
Task total = 35
Points total = 70
10.4What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
+10 task
task total: 10
grand total: 685
20.3 - Thieves & Mysteries:Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle, #25 on the list of Victorian mysteries
+20 task
+10 oldies (published 1914)
+5 combo (20.1 - 19th Century)
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 100
20.6 - UnderratedReview: ★★★★★
Although listed as twenty-first in the series, the stories in this collection date from significantly earlier, and were a perfect reminder of why I much prefer the Saint of that era. Here we have Templar at his best — pre-Hoppy, and even sans-Patricia — when the artistry of the adventure was much more pronounced, but still fell mostly on the correct side of the outlandish / preposterous divide.
The final story, “The Man Who Liked Ants” can safely be skipped (it's so out of character that it's often thought to have been ghost-written; either way it has all the characteristics of having been written as a non-Saint story with Templar grafted on later, similar to those in Alias the Saint), and “The Mug's Game” rather oddly gets the winning order of poker hands wrong (view spoiler). But even with these flaws this is definitely my favourite so far.
+20 task: 59 ratings
+10 not-a-novel (short stories)
+10 review
+5 combo [10.4 9, 10, 11 (Highwayman)]
+5 oldies (1939)
Task total: 50
Grand total: 1685
20.4 RealismThe Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Review:
Edith Wharton shows us the world of the upper class in 1870's New York. This elite group had very rigid rules of behavior, social rituals, fashion, and entertaining. There is an element of hypocrisy that existed in some of its members behind their conservative moral exterior.
Newland Archer, a wealthy young lawyer, is engaged to May, an innocent young woman who follows society's moral code. But Newland is very attracted to May's cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, who has separated from her philandering husband. Ellen, who has spent many years in Europe, has a more artistic sensibility and shocks her staid relatives with her bohemian ways. Society, as well as these three main characters, plays a part in the resolution of this love triangle.
Very detailed descriptions are given of the homes, manners, and lifestyles of the upper class New Yorkers during the time that Wharton was a young woman herself. While this makes the book important historically, it weighed down the first half of the novel. The second half of the book picked up the pace of the plot.
Each of the two women, especially May, seemed more complex than Newland realized. He was dealing with his own feelings of being constrained by society, but also had a strong sense of duty. Society was changing by the time Newland's children were adults with many more opportunities for freedom and self-expression.
+20 task
+10 combo (10.4 innocence; 20.1 shelved 32x as 19th Cent)
+10 oldie (pub 1920)
+10 review
Task total: 50
Grand total: 400
Task 20.6 - - UnderratedRead a book published prior to 2013 that has fewer than 1000 ratings.
Combo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selden_E...
Selden Edwards (born 1941)
The Lost Prince (2012) by Selden Edwards
Review:The Lost Prince is a sequel to The Little Book, beginning shortly after the conclusion of The Little Book. I loved The Little Book – it is a time travel story wherein our hero is transported back to fin de siècle Vienna and meets (among other people) Dr. Sigmund Freud. The Lost Prince follows a close associate of the hero from the first book. This close associate, a woman named Eleanor, has the journal written by the hero of the first book. She uses the information in the journal to make a lot of money and to protect her loved ones from harmful events (minor spoiler (view spoiler)). The sense of wonder present in the first novel is missing from this one. Fin de siècle Vienna, which was uber-present in the first novel, is also missing from this one. (1900s Boston just isn’t the same!) Overall, I’d say that this novel was OK, and I would pick up another novel by this author if he were to have another novel published. Recommended only for those who have read and liked The Little Book.
+20 Task (#20.6 underrated)
+05 Combo (#20.9 war babies)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 395 + 35 = 430
20.1 19th CenturyThe Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
Review:
Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators. He does a great job with everything he reads and this book is no exception. This book tells two basically unrelated stories: a serial killer who was in Chicago at the time and the story of the building and running of the World's Fair of 1893. I loved the way these two stories were told in parallel and found much of the story fascinating. I knew little about the Fair, little about the time period, and nothing about the murders. The writing is a little dramatic for nonfiction, but I didn't find it overly distracting. Highly recommended, especially in audio format.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-novel (nonfiction)
Task total: 40
Grand total: 300
20.5 - PoliticsWhy Nudge?: The Politics of Libertarian Paternalism by Cass R. Sunstein
Review: ★★
It seems a little churlish to complain that this book is dense — after all it’s based on lectures given to Yale Law students, not the general public. But still, the whole thing reads as a giant counter-example to everything in Steven Pinker’s recent book on how to present this sort of argument. Throughout, I found myself never quite sure whether I’m actually disagreeing with the author, or simply not quite understanding him.
This starts right at the very beginning, where he gives an example to which he’ll keep returning: that of The Daily Grill, a restaurant with a special menu highlighting 600-calorie meals. … more
+20 task
+10 not-a-novel (non-fiction)
+10 review
+5 combo [10.4 9, 10, 11 (Libertarian/Paternalism)]
Task total: 45
Grand total: 1730
17,304 points? Tony, please say that's a typo. I'm so far behind this season, but keep reminding myself I'm finally reading my really long books and not obsessing on points.
Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "17,304 points? Tony, please say that's a typo."Hah! Oops. I'm not sure where that final 4 came from, but I've sent it packing again. Even at my current reading rate I suspect I couldn't quite get to the 17,000 mark by the end of November...
Post 374 Heather wrote: "10.10Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
+10 task
+15 combo (10.4 – 9,10,11 d'Urbervilles, 20.1 - 18 times; 20.4 – Realism author)
+10 oldies (1891)
+ 5 jumbo ..."
Unfortunately, d'Urbervilles is 12 letters, so doesn't qualify for the 10.4 combo.
Heather wrote: "10.4What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
+10 task
task total: 10
grand total: 685"
+10 Not a Novel
From Post 341Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "10.4 - 9, 10, 11
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote 9/30/14
Breakfast has 9 letters.
Review:
Breakfast at Tiffany's by [author:Truman Capote|431..."
Sorry, Theresa, upon further inspection, this book as a Young Adult assignment classification at BPL and no lexile score. It works for the task, but no style points.
Coralie wrote: "10.1 Square Peg1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
+10 task
+25 jumbo (1318 pages)
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 240"
Unfortunately the pagination in the most popular edition of this book was incorrect. It has been corrected and is scored as 925 pages (20 points). Sorry.
Angela wrote: "10.1- Square Peg Count to a Trillion by John C. WrightThe book was a little hard to get into, at first, because of all the..."
Angela, Tony is correct, this book qualifies for 20.6 (and therefore does not work for 10.1). I have scored it as 30 points (20 for task, 10 for review). Thanks
Karen Michele wrote: "20.6 - UnderratedBrother to Dragons: A Tale in Verse and Voices: A New Version by Robert Penn Warren
I came across Robert Penn Warren’s Brother to Dragons by happy ac..."
+5 Combo 10.7 the Fellowship of Southern Writers has an award named for Robert Penn Warren. (From Wikipedia)
Kate S wrote: "From Post 341Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "10.4 - 9, 10, 11
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote 9/30/14
Breakfast has 9 letters.
Review:
[book:Breakfast at Ti..."
Sometimes the BPL is so frustrating! I had checked the book I read, the most often rated, and that has no YA Assignment. I had not checked to see if other books might have had the same story collections, but it appears there is one, and that has the YA. If they're going to deem a book as YA assignment, I wish they'd be consistent.
Anyway, I've deducted the 30 points from my spreadsheet.
10.5 Dr SalkTruth and Beauty by Ann Patchett
+10 task (#98 on list)
+10 Not-a Novel (biography/memoir)
Task total: 20
Grand Total: 255
20.1 19th CenturyLittle Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Lexile 1070
+20 task (shelved 18 times as 19th century)
+5 combo (10.4)
+10 Oldies (published 1877)
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 290
10.4 9, 10, 11Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
Lexile 870
+10 task
+10 Oldies (1913)
Task total: 20
Grand Total: 310
10.8 Comfort ReadsBlue Bloodsby Melissa de la Cruz
I rated "Witches of East End 5 stars.
This book had a Lexile score of 820.
Task +10
Review +10
I liked this book. I first came across this author when I read "Witches of East End" and some of the characters from this book made an appearance in "Witches of East End". What I liked about this book was the author reinvented vampires so they weren't cliche. I really liked the main character Schuyler. I never came across a name that was so unique. I liked the idea that vampires came over to America from England to Plymouth. The vampires came from well off, affluent families. That was different. I also liked how she tied it in with angels. I also enjoyed the story. I like to finish the series.
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 65
Kate S wrote: "Karen Michele wrote: "20.6 - UnderratedBrother to Dragons: A Tale in Verse and Voices: A New Version by Robert Penn Warren
I came across Robert Penn Warren’s Brother ..."
Thanks, Kate!
15.4 1925 -1926 Constant TravelerThe Cabala by Thornton Wilder pub 1926
+15 pts - Task
+15 pts - Bonus
Task total - 30 pts
Grand Total - 290 pts
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Reading with Style
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Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "10.4 - 9, 10, 11
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote 9/30/14
Breakfast has 9 letters.
Review:
[book:Breakfast at Ti..."
Thanks, Kate. I had not included that because Elizabeth said it would not qualify because the book included the novella in addition to the short stories. Are you sure it counts?