Reading with Style discussion
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FA 19 Completed Tasks
20.3 AuthorExiles at Home: Australian Women Writers 1925-1945 by Drusilla Modjeska
approval
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.7 - U I A O E; 20.4 - 1946 as per GR page)
+10 Not-a-Novel
+5 Oldies (pub. 1981)
Post Total: 45
Season Total: 1,395
20.4 BoomerThe Redbreast by Jo Nesbø
Goodness, the Scandanavians seem to have a real knack for writing mystery – thrillers. This is the third instalment in the Harry Hole series. It is a very complex story which has it’s basis in WW2 and the complicated response the country (Norway) had to the situation (some Norwegians resisted, some left for safer havens, some collaborated).
The story seems well researched and well imagined. The WW2 parts seem realistic. Harry Hole continues to be an interesting character with many dimensions. In the previous two books, Harry seemed to be having a very difficult time overcoming his demons. In this book, he is working hard to rebuild his life and having some success. One of the aspects I like is that Hole isn’t a prescient genius – he’s good at what he does, but he has to think things through and/or get help from others.
I also like that Nesbo has crafted a plot that is like real life – in other words, not every loose end is tidily tied up (although most are). 4*
20 task
10 review
5 jumbo
5 combo 10.3
______
40
Running total: 990
10.1 Sub sandwichConvenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
This is an extremely interesting and readable novel about being an ‘outsider’ in the outsider’s voice. The story is told from the perspective of the ‘Convenience Store Woman’ (who I suspect in any other novel would be identified as someone on the autism spectrum or with Asperger’s). Here, she just needs to be ‘cured’ according to her family.
As a reader who is not on the spectrum (as far as I know) the observations are wry and on point. I did particularly enjoy her outsider’s views of societal norms and related to the uncomfortable situations she found herself in. I was pleased at the end when she made the realization of what made her happy and took control to achieve that. 4*
10 task
10 review
5 combo 20.8 Sm 62 Samarium
____
25
Running total: 1015
10.4 ReplayUsing 10.7 Summer Shorts from last season.
The Man Who Could Work Miracles by H.G. Wells 48 pages, pub 1898
The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs 32 pages, pub 1902
The Bet by Anton Chekhov 48 pages, pub 1889
The entertaining story, "The Man Who Could Work Miracles" is a reminder that we should remember the advice, "Be careful what you wish for." The miracles started out small, but eventually had the power to cause an apocalypse. It's human nature to want more and more, but more does not always make us happy if we make foolish wishes. It has a scientific fiction feel, especially at the end. "The Monkey's Paw" has a similar theme of wishes having unwanted results. It's a clever, chilling horror story that feeds our mind to imagine the worst.
In "The Bet", the intellectual party guests are discussing whether capital punishment or life imprisonment is the more merciful option. A banker bets two million rubles that a lawyer will not be able to withstand 15 years of imprisonment in a small lodge on the banker's property. The lawyer can have any item he desires, but no human contact. He starts by playing music, drinking wine, sleeping much of the day, and reading light books. He later progresses to studying foreign languages and the Scriptures. The short story is a fable that shows the lawyer making a surprising decision at the end, based on what he found was important.
+10 task
+10 not a novel
+10 review
+10 oldies
Task total: 40
Season total: 760
15.8 Pick 'n' Mix 2D5 Historical Fiction
The Long Flight Home by Alan Hlad
Task total: 20
Season total: 780
10.2 Book Lover's DayThe Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
In 1959 Florence Green, a war widow, decides to open a bookshop in the isolated Suffolk village where she's lived for ten years. Of course, ten years is nothing in these places - she's not a local and never will be. And she unwittingly arouses the opposition of the lady who pretty much runs the community, so a battle is inevitable.
This is a touching and funny book with some great characters, but it never seemed quite real to me - perhaps intentionally so. It would be too depressing if we had to believe that some of these people could really exist!
+10 Task
+10 Review
+20 Combo (10.3, 10.7, 10.8, 20.1)
+ 5 Oldies (1978)
Post total: 45
Season Total: 810
20.8 - Periodic TableRF - Rutherfordium
Silent Witness by Rebecca Forster
+20 task
+5 Combo (20.4)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 680
15.6 PnM2, Round 2I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections by Nora Ephron
+20 Task, C1
Task total: 20
Season total: 1930
Task 10.7 A, E, I, O, U, sometimes Y (Anika's Task)E, I, O, and sometimes Y
GwEndOlYn kIste
The Rust Maidens (2018) by Gwendolyn Kiste (Goodreads Author) (Paperback, 252 pages)
Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel (2018)
+10 Task
Grand Total: 490 + 10 = 500
Task 10.4 ReplayReplay of Summer Task
10.7 Summer Shorts (Mary's Task)
Read a book of short works (stories, essays, poems, plays etc) where no single work in the book is more than 100 pages
The Colossus of New York (2003) by Colson Whitehead [974.7]
Review: Colson Whitehead wrote all thirteen essays in this book. The first essay was published in The New York Times Magazine. That essay sets up the premise for the rest of the essays, namely, ‘I love New York City!’. The other essays are new to this book. They are written in a very impressionistic style – here’s a sample:
(p. 27) “Wear your totem item and everything will be okay. If only you’d done laundry, you wouldn’t be in this position. Regret, scavenge, assemble. The blessing of a secret stash of matching socks. The name of his cologne is Hamper, Recommended by Four Out of Five Whiffs.”
Sometimes impressionistic style essays work, sometimes it doesn’t. Maybe I’d be more impressed by this collection if I had ever lived in New York City? The essays are short so if an essay doesn’t connect, stay with it because the next essay will. I particularly enjoyed the 'overheard' portions of the essays -- supposedly conversations the author overheard while walking the streets of New York City. Recommended for fans of Colson Whitehead and for those with a positive opinion of New York City.
+10 Task
+05 Combo (#10.7 Vowels whItheEAd, cOlson)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel: Essays
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 10 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 500 + 35 = 535
I'd like to re-do Post #704Here's the replacement post:
Task 20.4 Boomer
Tessa Hadley is a Baby Boomer
Sunstroke and Other Stories (2007) by Tessa Hadley
+20 Task
+05 (#20.8 TH = Thorium (atomic number 90))
+10 Not-a-Novel: short story collections
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 10 = 35
That would add +05 to my grand total
Grand Total: 540
10.8 Double OAnother Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
As always, Robin Miles does an excellent job as narrator. This is a book that I wish the author had read herself, but Miles handles it beautifully and makes it easy to connect with these fragmented memories and vignettes.
I think I'd like this more if I hadn't just finished On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous which is also a prose poetry reflection on coming of age, but worked out to be much more powerful than Another Brooklyn. This book felt like weak tea to OEWBG's strong coffee.
There's a strong sense of place here--Brooklyn in the 1970s. Reminders of Times Square when it was the domain of porn and prostitutes rather than the tourist light show of today. Mentions of Son of Sam and jazz music and Vietnam veterans kept the time period rooted.
In the end, I just wanted more from this book. More plot. Or longer memories. Or something.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.7)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 515
10.4 ReplayThe Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner
Bo and Elsa Mason do not lead quiet lives, though Elsa would have been content to have done so. Others may think Bo was chasing the American Dream, but I disagree. Bo Mason was restless and always looking for a get rich quick scheme. I would never think of the American Dream as being fulfilled trying to find an angle, skirting the law, looking for a way to work outside the system. The title comes from the folk song of the same name. Stegner makes references, not to the folk song, but to its meaning.
There was somewhere, if you knew where to find it, some place where money could be made like drawing water from a well, some Big Rock Candy Mountain where life was effortless and rich and unrestricted and full of adventure and action, where something could be had for nothing.Bo was also a mercurial person. His sons learned not to trust him, and for good reason. Oh, sure, when things were going easy, he was easy-going. Let life get a bit tough and he darkened. His sons took the brunt of it then. Elsa tried standing up to him at these times. All I can say about that is you can't fault her for loyalty.
This is said to be semi-autobiographical. As such, it's hard to know what to take with a grain of salt, as it isn't an actual autobiography. Stegner's family did move around a lot and lived in the same places. I have not read Wolf Willow, which is often referred to as his autobiography, but is also fiction. I think the best authors draw on their own experiences. I see in my review of Crossing to Safety that I quote him as It takes a pedestrian and literal mind to be worried about which is true and which is not true. It's all of it not true, and it's all of it true.
This is one of Stegner's earlier works. I loved reading it, but I think it is definitely not as good as his Pulitzer winning Angle of Repose, one of my all time top-10 favorites. But how is it fair to compare them? I will continue to look forward to more by this author.
+10 Task (10.3, no letter I)
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (1943)
+ 5 Jumbo (563 pgs)
Task total = 35
Season total = 365
20.4 - BoomerMurder Passes the Buck by Deb Baker
+20 task
+5 Combo (20.8 - Dubnium - DB)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 705
10.8 Double OTooth of Crime by Sam Shepard
10 pts. 10.8 Double O
10 pts. Not a Novel
10 pts Review
5 ptsOldies
Play with the central character being both a musician and a gang leader. Despite his apparent top position in the hierarchy Hoss is uncomfortable with his role not understanding how he continues to fit in his world. A challenger pushes him to his limit and forces a change of a sort. Very impactful for Hoss but it seems to make little difference to those on the edges of the action.
This is a very unusual play that includes music written by Sam Shepherd. As a result it is sometimes difficult to get a sense of the staging with just lyrics transcribed in the text,
Task total 35 pts
Season Total 970 pts
10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8
20.3 20.4 20.5 20.8
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 15.9 15.10
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8
Post 668 Deedee wrote: "Task 15.7 PnM2 A-1A-1. Canada, USA, Mexico, and the Caribbean (at least 75%)
Set entirely in California, USA
Tortilla Flat (1935) by John Steinbeck
+20 Task
Task ..."
Deedee, I'm so sorry. This is a YA Assignment at BPL and has no Lexile. It cannot be used for PickNMix2.
20.8 Periodic TableThe Brewer of Preston by Andrea Camilleri
I don’t remember why I bought this book at one of our library’s book sales, but potentially it was because of the amusing and colorful cover. In this case, that was a smart move!
This is a farcical novel that takes place in the fictional Sicilian town of Vigata. It recounts the events surrounding the mounting of the opera “The Brewer of Preston” in the 1870s. The author grew up in Sicily, so of course he has real insight into the Sicilian temperament and can skewer it well. As you would expect in a farce there are many characters, and many situations that allow for action and melodrama.
I didn’t understand, at first, that this novel is a farce but once I did, I particularly enjoyed it. In an afterword, the author notes that the chapter sequence he laid out is “merely a suggestion” – you can read it in any order you like! I can see that this would work. 4*
20 task
10 review
_____
30
Running total: 1065
20.6 Spec FicChildren of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Low Lexile
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 1190
15.5 PnM2 A1Humpty Dumpty in Oakland by Philip K. Dick
USA setting
Task total=20
Grand total=705
5 stars
15.9 PnM2F2
Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees by Harley Rustad
+30 task
Season total 255
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 668 Deedee wrote: "Task 15.7 PnM2 A-1A-1. Canada, USA, Mexico, and the Caribbean (at least 75%)
Set entirely in California, USA
Tortilla Flat (1935) by John Steinbeck
Oops! Well, OK then. I don't think Tortilla Flat fits anywhere else this season.
Task 10.2 Book Lover's Day
Read a book shelved at least 15 times as Books about Books.
Between the Lines (Between the Lines #1) (2012) by Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author) and her daughter, Samantha van Leer (Young Adult) (Hardcover, 353 pages)
Lexile 770L
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 520 + 10 = 530
15.3 PnM2 Round 3 A2Tierra del Fuego by Francisco Coloane
+15 Task (set in Chile)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 1205
20.3 AuthorCici's Journal: The Adventures of a Writer-In-Training by Joris Chamblain
The narrator is an aspiring writer, she's writing journals of her adventures.
+20 Task
(no combo as it is a graphic novel)
Task total = 20
Points total = 205
15.8 PnM2, Round 2City of Thieves by David Benioff
+20 Task, A4 (set in Russia)
Task total: 20
Season total: 1970
15.9 PnM, Round 2A Pocketful of Crows by Joanne M. Harris
+30 Task, F3
Task total: 30
Season total: 2000
15.8 PnM Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession
B.1. Publication Date: 2001 or later
Task Total: 20 points
Season Total: 280 points
10.3 Andre GideThe Danger by Dick Francis
Dick Francis’ books are go to comfort books for me. He writes well, there is adventure/mystery and his protagonists are extremely likeable; plus, there are horses! Rather than a lot of action, there is quite a bit of intrigue and ‘in the office’ or ‘time off’ scenes here. This is one of the strengths of this novel and allows the us to connect with the characters.
I hadn’t read this one before, so that made it extra fun. The horse element was tangential to this story, so if that isn’t your thing this may be the Francis novel to try. 4*
10 task
10 review
5 oldie
_____
25
Running total: 1090
20.9 ShipwreckedInto the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
(How it fits the task: A ship goes looking for mermaids. No one comes back. A few years later, another ship goes looking for answers. )
OK, first the bad - it takes too long to get going, too much time spent on character backstory that ultimately doesn’t mean much (I guess if there is a sequel it might matter?), and a lot of the descriptions get repetitive. I swear “lovely ladies of the sea” was written five times on the same page. You also know a few people are guaranteed fish food... the villains are unsubtle to say the least.
The good - heyyyyyyy neuro-atypical character that’s not the usual savant. Heeeeey people that just happen to be queer as opposed to that being their defining characteristic. HEEEEEEEYYYY smart intimidating beautiful fat lady! And I appreciated the education on ASL vs SEE.
Once the story really gets underway, it goes FAST, a bit too fast. I guess if there was more face-eating it would have gotten stale, but I wanted so much more, especially with the extra little creatures.
Also, there are two sections where we get non-human perspectives and... what happened? Why were those bits not expanded and explored? I would have liked a bit more of that and less about Theo’s back...Still, it was a fun way to pass the time and I’d read more.
Small note, despite actual eating-of-faces, this is adventure and not horror. Think Jurassic Park, not Cujo.
+20 task
+10 Combo (20.7, Spec-Fic by 27 users; 20.8 Magnesium)
+10 review
Task total = 40
Season total = (corrected) 495
20.2Macbeth by William Shakespeare
I, a former English lit major, never read Macbeth before. Worse? I never saw it performed. Not even adaptations. I know. How can I have read Timon of Athens and not this?
And honestly, reading this was not very fun. It’s all me - plays are a lot more work than novels and I’m rusty. Thankfully, the play is short, so afterwards I listened to Alan Cumming’s fantastic interpretation.
What a rich reading, what an excellent play. I’m actually pleased that it took me this long to experience it, because I could appreciate it more. Of course the plot is engaging, but how delightful was it to hear familiar phrases (sound and fury, be-all end-all, etc) in original context.
Because it is such a fast play, I gave a few other performances a shot. Neither was as good as Cumming. One version was very old school, dusty, more focus on enunciation than performance. The other was the opposite, with broad performances that did not serve the language (cartoon witchiness and such).
Enjoyment of this will be very influenced by performance. If you’ve read/seen Macbeth and hated it, try again with a different cast.
+20 task
+10 Not a Novel
+20 Oldie (1623)
+10 review
Task total = 60
Season total = (corrected) 555
15.10 PickNMix2C4 - Third Person Narrator
Written In Blood by Caroline Graham
+ 30 Task
+100 Completion Bonus
Season total = 495
10.5The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler
So. The Vagina Monologues.
This was something I felt like I grew up with, even though I never saw a full performance or read it. It was always there as a background thing, like Seinfeld. Everyone had a base understanding of it as a Thing. It seemed like something that blew the minds of our moms and aunts, but my Xennial cohort was more like “okay, why is this a revelation?” We took knowledge and ownership of our bodies for granted. And it’s things like this that made that possible.
That said... the book itself is problematic. 20+ years ago, I can see why this was such a big deal, but it does not age well. There is a lot of white feminism on display. And honestly, the writing isn’t great either.
There are better, more thoughtful, more impactful writers that use their own authentic voices rather than appropriating others.
As a cultural artifact, this is interesting. For content, skip it and read something more modern.
+10 task
+ 5 combo (20.4 born 1953)
+10 not a novel
+10 review
Task total = 35
Season total = 590
15.10 PnM2, Round 2The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
+30 Task, B5
+100 Completion Bonus
Task total: 130
Season total: 2130
20.9 Shipwreck!When the Dancing Stopped: The Real Story of the Morro Castle Disaster and Its Deadly Wake by Brian Hicks
+20 pts - Task
+5 Pts - 20.4 Bohrium
+10 pts - Not a Novel
Task Total - 35 pts
Season Total - 580 pts
15.4 PnM2 Round 3 D2The Dragon Man by Garry Disher
+15 Task (genre mystery)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 1220
PnM #215.2 D3 short stories, poetry
Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat
+15 Task (genre: short stories, poetry)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 1565
PnM #215.3 F1 Author A-D
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray
+15 Task (Author A-D)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 1580
10.7 A, E, I, O, U, sometimes Y (Anika's Task)Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
+10 Task
+10 Not a Novel
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 1600
20.1 InauguralNight Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry
+20 Task
+10 Combo: 10.7 A, E, I, O, U, sometimes Y / 20.5 Non-Linear
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 1630
20.1 InauguralFrankissstein: A Love Story by Jeanette Winterson
+20 Task
+15 Combo: 10.7 A, E, I, O, U, sometimes Y / 20.4 Boomer / 20.5 Non-Linear
Task Total: 35
Season Total: 1665
20.2 Wolf HallThe Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
+20 Task
+10 Not a Novel
+25 Oldies
Task Total: 55
Season Total: 1720
20.3 AuthorThe Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa
+20 Task (main character is an author)
+10 Combo: 20.4 Boomer / 20.5 Non-Linear (2 stories)
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 1750
20.6 Monster Redux20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
+20 Task
+10 Not a Novel
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 1780
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
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Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II (other topics)
Arsenic and Old Lace (other topics)
Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Penelope Lively (other topics)Tom Wolfe (other topics)
Mitchell Zuckoff (other topics)
Joseph Kesselring (other topics)
Mitchell Zuckoff (other topics)
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TH = Thorium (atomic number 90)
Sunstroke and Other Stories (2007) by Tessa Hadley
+20 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel: short story collections
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 460 + 30 = 490
replacement post for this book is post #0718 below