Reading with Style discussion
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FA 19 Completed Tasks
15.4 PnM A1The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (810 lexile)
+15 Task (set in North America - U.S. and Canada)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 250
10.8 Double OThe Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente
+10 Task (OO in moon)
Task Total: 10
Season Total: 1230
20.9 Shipwrecked! Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
I have enjoyed pretty much everything I've read by Erik Larson -- I find him engaging, well-researched, and well-written. This was no exception. This book, as the title suggests, tells the story of the sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat during World War I. I was intrigued and enjoyed the book for the storyline and I was amazed (and somewhat ashamed!) to realize how little I knew about the sinking of the Lusitania, what led up to it, and the fallout from that event (I had even forgotten the Zimmermann telegram from high school history!). I was fascinated to learn about Germany's approach to U-boat warfare, and the suggestions that potentially it was to the UK's benefit to have the ship sunk, as it drew the US into the war (eventually).
+20 task
+10 combo (10.7, 20.4 - born 1954)
+10 not-a-novel (nonfiction)
+10 review
Task Total: 50
Season Total: 300
10.2 Booklover’s DayThe Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
+10 pts - Task
Season Total -510 pts
From Post 657Ed wrote: "10.8 Double O (Ed's Task)
Stranger in the Forest: On Foot Across Borneo by Eric Hansen
I visited Borneo in the early 1990's and have wonderful memories of seeing orangu..."
+5 Combo 20.4
From Post 661Valerie wrote: "10.2 Book Lover's Day
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
This is the third book I've read in the "Cemetery of Forgotten Books" series. Ruiz Zafon notes at th..."
+5 Combo 20.4
Rosemary wrote: "Kate S wrote: "From Post 527Rosemary wrote: "10.7 A, E, I, O, U, sometimes Y
Girl with Green Eyes by Edna O'Brien
Ooh, as this qualifies for 10.1, could I please move it to 10.1?"
Done.
From Post 685Tien wrote: "10.2 Book Lover's Day
The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury
shelved 22x
Review
I don't think this is a book that I would've picked up on..."
+5 Combo 20.4
From Post 693Coralie wrote: "10.7 A, E, I, O, U, sometimes Y
Rules of Engagement by Elizabeth Moon
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
Season Total: 1135"
+5 Jumbo
Valerie wrote: "Thanks to Marie, I see that I missed a combo for Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch.I missed 5 pts for 10.8
My original post # is 385.
This brings ..."
Got it. Thanks for including the original post number.
Task 15.8 PnM2 E-6E-6. Title contains a Q, X, or Z
Kill the Queen (Crown of Shards #1) (2018) by Jennifer Estep (Goodreads Author) (Paperback, 443 pages)
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 535 + 20 = 555
20.8 Periodic TableThe Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson
I so much wanted to like this book: a treasure hunt, a bookshop and the quirky people you would expect to find there, a family secret--all things I would normally adore.
This, however, fell flat for me. The weak love story was annoyingly distracting; the book-based treasure hunt was irksome in that the girl who is figuring it out is inexplicably unfamiliar with books that are part of the modern lexicon (even if you haven't read them, you're familiar with them and their plot line from seeing movies/hearing references/encountering them in other references); I had figured out the family secret within the first couple of chapters so when the "big reveal" happens I just sighed and whispered, "DUH."
Perhaps I'm being too hard on it because I have read so many exceptional books this season. And it's the author's debut novel so some growing pains are to be expected. I give it 2.75 stars, rounded up to 3.
+20 Task (Am=Americium)
+10 Review
+20 Combo (10.2: shelved "books about books" by 191 readers; 10.7-A, Y, E, O; 10.8; 20.5)
Task total: 50
Season total: 2180
15.10 PnM2F6
Ever After: A Father's True Story by William Wharton
+30 task
+100 completion
Season total: 405
10.8 Double OThe Roominghouse Madrigals: Early Selected Poems, 1946-1966 by Charles Bukowski
+10 task
+ 5 combo (10.7)
+10 not-a-novel
+ 5 oldies (1988)
Task total=30
Grand total=735
20.9 Shipwrecked!The Odyssey by Homer
"The Odyssey" is an ancient Greek epic poem of journey, discovery, and homecoming. Odysseus has been away from Ithaca, his wife, and his son for twenty years. He fought in the Trojan War for ten years, and has been trying to return home for another ten years. I read the translation by Robert Fagles written in very readable free verse.
"The Odyssey" is a story of adventure with Odysseus using his strength, quick thinking, and disguises to reach home with the help of Athena. Other gods put obstacles in Odysseus' way as he travels. Hospitality was extended to Odysseus by many people, giving him an opportunity to talk about his adventures with them. His son, Telemachus, also went on a short journey searching for news of his father so there is a coming-of-age story inside the larger epic.
Some veterans groups are using "The Odyssey" in discussions since it is the story of a combat hero returning to his home after fighting in a war. "The Odyssey" shows how both the home front and the veteran have changed. It illustrates how Penelope suffers when her husband is missing in action, and their home is overrun with suitors. A town also suffers if it loses many young men in battle. The veterans have changed because of their experiences, and they don't know what to expect when they return home. They may feel remorse for things they did during the war, miss their friends who died in battle, and feel survivor's guilt. Although "The Odyssey" was composed around the 8th Century BCE, it has a timeless quality as it deals with human emotions.
+20 task
+15 combo 10.3 Andre Gide, 20.5 Non-Linear, 20.8 Periodic Table H=Hydrogen
+25 oldie 700 BCE
+ 5 jumbo
+10 not a novel
+10 review
Task total: 85
Season total: 865
15.6 PnM2 D6 - Genre: Literary Fiction
Hostages to Fortune by Elizabeth Cambridge
+20 Task
Post total: 20
Season Total: 850
20.8 - Periodic TableRF - Rutherfodium
Privileged Witness by Rebecca Forster
+20 task
+5 Combo (20.4)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 730
20.4 - BoomerDying for the Highlife by Dave Stanton
+20 task (1960)
+5 Combo (20.8 - DS - Darmstadtium)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 755
20.8 - Periodic TableRF - Rutherfodium
Expert Witness by Rebecca Forster
+20 task
+5 Combo (20.4)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 780
Jackie wrote: "10.8 Double O'sThe Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murderby Charles Graeber
Task total: 10
Grand total: 190"
I forgot to add the Bonus points for “Not A Novel” task total should be 20, grand total should be 200.
20.6 Monster ReduxGhost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides
When I saw this on the table at the Library Book Sale last spring, I knew the title looked familiar. I saw when I brought it home that Kate had posted it a couple of years ago (and thanks, Kate!). While I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, this is exactly the kind that suits me. Although the sub-title lets us know the rescue was likely successful, it was still a bit of an adventure.
I have complained my knowledge of history is woefully inadequate. In this case, I *had* at least heard of the Bataan death march, and in what pitiful condition the soldiers were in as they went on this forced march.
MacArthur had evacuated Manila to the Bataan peninsula so as to have a better vantage for the coming battle. This would have been fine had Pearl Harbor not been bombed and the US Navy almost nonexistent. Unfortunately, there was no way to resupply the men now penned on the peninsula, with their backs to salt water. While that was indeed unfortunate (!), the troops were promised supplies “any day” while Roosevelt decided to ignore the war in the Pacific and turned his attention to Europe.
Essentially, these men were abandoned. They were starving and eventually they surrendered. This is all to say that the condition of the men on the forced march was our fault, not that of the Japanese. But what came afterward was barbaric.
Hampton Sides does a great job of telling this story in alternating chapters of the POWs and the Rangers who were eventually sent to rescue them three years later. Also part of the rescue were Filipino guerrilla forces. In fact, it is quite likely the rescue would have failed without them.
While I’m happy to give this 5-stars, I think it just barely crosses over into that territory. I will be looking for more nonfiction titles from Hampton Sides.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+15 Combo (10.7, 20.4, 20.8 - Hassium #108)
+10 Not-a-Novel
Task total = 55
Season total = 550
20.5 The English PatientGateway to the Moon by Mary Morris
My bookclub picked this and I'm really sad I wasn't able to go to the meeting where it was discussed. I'm sure it led to an interesting discussion. This author has published lots of books, but I'd never heard of her.
The book tells the story of some crypto-Jews who ended up in New Mexico after fleeing Portugal and/or Spain during the Inquisition. The community in New Mexico maintains certain Jewish history without believing or consciously knowing of its Jewish roots--circumcision, no pork, candles on Fridays, etc. The town is Catholic, but somehow the traditions held.
Intertwined with the early 1990s story of the New Mexico community are the historical stories starting in the late 1490s with a Jewish explorer who travels with Columbus to the New World. The Inquisition comes alive in gory detail in these parts of the book. Often when books have this flip-flop structure, there's a part that I'm more interested in, but here, I was engaged with both storylines, so didn't mind switching between them.
I enjoyed the exploration of the ways in which history is passed from generation to generation. The striving of the residents of Entrada de Luna for a better life also felt real and powerful.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+15 Combo (10.7, 10.8, 20.4)
Task total: 45
Grand total: 560
15.9 Pick 'n' Mix 2F5 Author Name P-S
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Task total: 30
Season total: 895
20.9 Shipwrecked Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
(1726), 320 pages
20 task
5 Combo 20.7 Speculative fiction
20 Oldie
10 review
55 task
305 season total
This is the book I am most pleased to have finished this year, not to have read, but to have finished. It was miserably drawn out and unnecessarily redundant. It was opinionated and at times (bleeped out). I gave it a three because of its historical significance and influence on later works, but thank goodness it is over, and I never need do that again. Swift must have been the most unpleasant of all Yahoos. He forgot to mention judgmental in his list of odious vices (or perhaps he did not forget, but at this point who can remember after all the complaints he lodged against humanity). He literally wrote a book condemning all humanity. Talk about hubris. Sheesh.
PS. Thanks for the correction on post 509. My mistake.
20.6 Monster ReduxThe Vampire Armand by Anne Rice
I did enjoy this book, but I have mixed feelings about it.
The good…. Rice has a real knack for evoking compelling atmospheres. She also makes vampires complex and interesting beings. When Armand’s story takes place in Venice you really feel like you are there. The story is complex and imaginative, and her descriptions can be quite lush. I liked the references to the other characters she has devoted other novels to. I found it helpful that I had read another in the series about 1.5 years ago.
My quibbles…. I found the beginning convoluted and opaque, it took me a (short) while to get interested in the story. I don’t think Rice was at her best here. Once Armand (Amedeo) is made into a vampire the story became much more interesting. However, there was a significant set piece that I felt I had read before and was completely familiar with – have I read this book before??? I don’t recall it; or was it in the one I read most recently? Once that odd déjà vu was past the story seemed new to me and I quite liked it.
I can only give this 3.5*. I do think the problem may be with me. I haven’t read this series in order (at all) and there have been long (long) stretches between each one I’ve picked up. After this book I can see that is not a good way to approach this series – you need to start at the first book and read in order, in a more timely fashion.
20 task
10 review
5 combo 20.8 (Ar - Argon)
____
35
Running total: 1130
20.5 Non-LinearThe 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Task +20
Combo +5 (10.1)
Task total +25
Grand Total 245
10.4 Replay10.1 design your own task - read a non-fiction book
Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI by Robert K. Ressler
+10 pts - Task
+10 pts - Not a Novel
+5 pts - Oldies (1992)
Task Total - 25 pts
Season Total - 535 pts
15.8 PnM2B1 - Published 2001 or later
Plays Well in Groups: A Journey Through the World of Group Sex by Katherine Frank
This is a work of academic anthropology, not a book published for a popular audience. I have a work-related reason to want to know more about academic anthropology and the writing styles of professors who write about sexuality, so I borrowed this book through inter-library loan. The book is well researched, densely packed with information about other studies, and interspersed with the author's own interviews with research subjects.
I feel educated on the subject, but more importantly for my purposes, it helped me have a much clearer understanding of how the personal and the research are intertwined in an academic anthropology text of this sort.
I wouldn't recommend this book to a general reader unless that reader has a particular academic interest in anthropology and sexuality.
+20 Task (pub. 2013)
Task total: 20
Grand total: 580
10.9 Science!Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski
How many times have I been told that the glass in old windows is thicker at the bottom than at the top because the glass is actually a liquid very slowly flowing downward? Turns out: not true. Thanks Ms. Czerski for putting that right for me.
This was a wonderful exploration of all manner of everyday objects and the way that those objects are explained by physics. Want to know how and why a toaster works? How the fluid in your ears works to help you figure out if you're moving? How electricity is created? All of this and more is explained in this book.
The narrator for the audiobook has a wonderful upbeat tone and a lovely British accent. I quite enjoyed listening to this as a blithely used all the modern-day marvels without question as to the magic that makes them function.
+10 Task (see BPL: https://borrow.bklynlibrary.org/iii/e...)
+10 Review
+10 Not a novel (nonfiction)
Task total: 30
Grand total: 610
20.9 ShipwreckedMotoring with Mohammed: Journeys to Yemen and the Red Sea by Eric Hansen
n amazing “travel” book. In 1978 the author, Eric Hansen, was shipwrecked on an uninhabited Yemeni island in the Red Sea. His description of the storm before the shipwreck and of his odd assortment of shipmates is very well written. At the time of their rescue, Hansen, buries his journals of seven years of travel. He recounts his first experiences in what was then North Yemen. and then negotiates a flight home.
Ten years later, 1988, Hansen wants to find a way to recover his buried journals and returns to Yemen. What he thinks will take a couple of weeks stretches into several months during which he learns much about Yemen and its inhabitants but does not get very close to the island where his journals may still be buried. His excellent descriptions give the reader a taste of Yemeni culture and attitudes. We are able to see a picture of this country long before the disastrous civil war currently ongoing there.
Does he retrieve his journals? We know from his introduction that in 1990 he has them in New York. Read the book to find out how and enjoy a journey through Yemen
+20 task
+10 not a novel
+10 review
+5 oldie
Task total: 45
Season total: 450
20.2 Wolf HallLes Indes fourbes by Alain Ayroles and Juanjo Guarnido
This graphic novel takes place during the 16th century (wikipedia link)
+20 Task
Task total = 20
Points total = 245
20.5 NonlinearThe Book of Secrets by M.G. Vassanji
This was completely unfamiliar territory for me. Set in what was then called British East Africa, now Kenya, the community is one of Indian immigrants. The premise of the novel is interesting. A retired schoolteacher, whose major was history, is presented with a partial diary written just before the outbreak of WWI. It was kept by the only white man in the village, the Assistant District Commissioner. The first part of the book follows the diary pretty closely, although some sections are expanded upon by the teacher. For the rest of the novel the teacher has researched the Indian characters of the village at the time, and extended their lives through both wars and to the present-day, that being when he first saw the diary in 1988.
I am not a storyteller and know nothing about constructing a story, most especially not how to write a novel. With as much reading as I do, I am somewhat struck that I really never thought about how a novelist goes about his craft nor especially considered where the ideas come from. But early in this was the idea that novelists must start with a germ of something like "What if ...". In this case, obviously, what if a man finds an old diary by someone who is unrelated to him.
I liked the story and the premise and it kept me reading. However, I was unable to related to any of the characters or the setting. I did learn something, I think, as I had not realized that East Africa might have a considerable Indian population. I thought: sometimes it's helpful to look at a map, Elizabeth. There are many places Indians might emigrate, and East Africa would certainly be one of them. And so, I reveal here two missing pieces in my thought processes. It's never too late in life to learn, I guess.
This was my first taste of M.G. Vassanji. I have his The In-Between World of Vikram Lall, his other Scotiabank Giller winner, on my wishlist shelf. While I won't be rushing out to buy it, I will be glad to read it eventually. I think this one just skims the 3-/4-star line, but doesn't quite make the leap over.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.8, 20.4)
+ 5 Oldies (1994)
Task total = 45
Season total = 595
10.8 Ed's TaskFiddler on the Roof by Joseph Stein
I enjoyed READING this play. I was very familiar with the story and music...although I don't remember ever having seen it performed on the stage. As I read the songs....the music and memories played automatically in my head. The story takes place before the Russian Revolution in the Ukranian part of Imperialist Russia. Focus is on the family of Tevye...who has four daughters. The beginning of the story cements the concepts and importance of tradition in their Jewish community. But the changes that are to come are foreshadowed by how Tevye must confront that he no longer has the ability to have his daughters marry his choice of husbands. The Emperor begins ordering progroms that force the community to disperse... and certainly the end of traditions in this small part of Ukraine. Four Stars.
Task=10
Review=10
NaN=10
Oldie=5 (1964)
Grand Total= 2080
Tasks Completed: 30
Books read=43
✔10.1 (40); 10.2(30); 10.3 (35); 10.4 (35); 10.5 (30); 10.6 (30); 10.7 (35); 10.8 (35); 10.8(2x)(35); 10.8 (3x)(25); 10.8 (4x)(35); 10.9 (40); 10.10 (35)
✔15.1(E3)(15); 15.2(B2)(15); 15.3(F6)(15); 15.4(D4)(15); 15.5(F2)(20); 15.6(C4)(20); 15.7(D6)(20); 15.8 (E5)(20); 15.9(C3)(30); 15.10 (B1)(130)
✔20.1 (35); 20.2 (65); 20.2 (2x)(55); 20.2(3x)(60); 20.2 (4x)(75); 20.2(5x)(65); 20.2 (6x)(60); 20.2 (7x)(70); 20.2 (8x)(65); 20.3 (35); 20.4 (50); 20.4(2x)(35); 20.5 (45); 20.6 (70); 20.7 (35);20.7(2x)(30); 20.8 (45); 20.9 (40); 20.10 (340)
20.6 Monster ReduxGood Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett
20 pts 20.6 Monster Redux
5 pts 10.5 Banned
5 pts. 20.4 Boomer
5 pts Speculative Fiction
10 pts Review
5 pts Oldies
A very over the top book that incorporates religious and folk beliefs about the end of the world, good and evil. The characters are propelled through actions they do not understand. Clearly something is going to happen but the characters are not in on the joke.
This book is unfortunately too clever to be a good read. It is as of the authors are sharing an inside joke and trying to force as much of it as possible into the book. There is a sense that the authors are demonstrating how clever they can be. It becomes tiring to read and a little boring. Not a book I would recommend
Task total 50 pts
Season Total 1020 pts
10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 .... ....
.... .... 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 .... 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
Task 15.9 PnM2 A-1A-1. Canada, USA, Mexico, and the Caribbean (at least 75%)
Foul Play at the Fair (Celebration Bay #1) (2012) by Shelley Freydont
Setting: Upstate New York
+30 Task
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 555 + 30 = 585
10.3 Andre GideThe Wildlands by Abby Geni
"The Wildlands" is a suspenseful novel about eco-terrorism and sibling bonds. A Category 5 tornado destroys the Oklahoma farm of the McCloud family, and leaves four siblings orphaned. Eighteen-year-old Darlene gives up her dreams of college so she can provide for her siblings. The brother, Tucker, leaves his sisters and becomes involved in eco-terrorism. He returns to town three years later to bomb a cosmetics factory that uses animals to test their products. He kidnaps his nine-year-old sister, Cora, so she can help care for his wounds from the bombing and act as an accomplice. Cora willingly goes at first since Tucker is charismatic, but grows uneasy as the violence escalates. Much of the book is a first person account by Cora as she and Tucker travel, leaving a trail of destruction behind. Cora has identity issues as Tucker cuts her hair and dresses her as a boy so she can pass as his brother. Her initial admiration of her brother turns to confusion and fear.
Tucker's motives were initially good since he can see how humans have hurt animals and damaged the environment. But he becomes very violent, and does not consider whether the domesticated animals can survive on their own after they are released. I enjoyed Tucker's conversations about nature during their road trip, and the family drama in the story. Cora was an especially lovable, precocious nine-year-old--a wonderful character! "The Wildlands" is a well-written book of literary fiction that kept my interest.
+10 task
+15 combo 10.7 A,Y,E,I, 20.5 Non-linear, 20.8 Periodic Table AG= Silver
+10 review
Task total: 35
Season total: 930
10.6 World War IIWinter Gardenby Kristin Hannah
#96 on the list
Review
I really liked this story because of the fairy tale. I love fairy tales. However, the fairy tale the mother told her daughters wasn't a fairy tale after all. This reminded me of a book called Briar Rose which is also a book about World War II and told as a fairy tale. Both stories had similarities. "Briar Rose" centered around the "Sleeping Beauty" tale.
Task +10
Review +10
Total: 20
Grand Total: 120
20.8 Owlette’s Task Periodic TableBless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Ra - Radium
+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Combo( 10.5, 10.7)
+ 5 pts - Oldies (1972)
Task Total - 35 pts
Season Total - 570 Pts
20.3 AuthorLe Detection Club by Jean Harambat
The main characters are all writers members of the Detection Club, the 2 main ones being Agatha Christie and G.K. Chesterton.
+20 Task
Task total = 20
Points total = 265
15.9 PnM2 Round 2C5 Unreliable Narrator
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
30 pts 15.9 PnM2 Round 2
Task total 30 pts
Season Total 1050 pts
10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 .... ....
.... .... 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 .... 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 15.9
15.3 PnM2, Round 3The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
+15 Task, F6
Task total: 15
Season total: 2225
20.1 Inaugural The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan
20 pts 20.1 Inaugural
5 pts 20.4 Boomer
5 pts Oldies
10 pts Review
Task total 40 pts
Season Total 1090 pts
A suspenseful book that questions how good our judgement about other people is. It is difficult to review without spoilers, but the suspense in the book grows and while you expect something to happen it is not clear what it will be. Very well written with solid character descriptions for the central two characters and a true sense that something is off, but we don’t know what with the second, less central couple. After reading this you will be taking your Mother’s advice not to talk to strangers.
10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 .... ....
20.1 .... 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 .... 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 15.9
Task 20.5 Non-LinearAlternates present day action with passages from the past events showing ‘how we got here’.
Shatter War (Time Shards #2) (2019) by Dana Fredsti and David Fitzgerald (Paperback, 496 pages)
Review: Shatter War is a sequel to Time Shards. The premise (from goodreads): An unimaginable cataclysm in the 23rd century shatters years of the Earth's timeline into jumbled fragments. In Book #1, the reader is introduced to a half dozen or so protagonists from various periods of time. The locations didn’t shift; only the time periods; hence the protagonists were all in London when time shattered. Book #1 was all about the survival of a small number of characters, including plenty of action. (view spoiler) Book #2 begins with the ‘unimaginable cataclysm’ from Book#1 and segues into the survivors of Book #1 talking. This informs the reader of the ‘cataclysm’ and the rules of the new reality that our survivors must deal with. Usually in trilogies, the reader loses needed information if Book #1 is skipped and reading begins with Book #2. Not this series! The important plot points from Book #1 are introduced in the first 20 pages of Book #2. The characters can each be described in 1 sentence stereotypes – including – a ‘James Bond’ type British male from WW2, a 21st Century American fresh from the California beaches, a young Celtic warrior from the Dark Ages, the historical figure ‘Nellie Bly’ from Edwardian times, etc. Like Book #1, Book #2 has plenty of action. The novel ends with “to be continued”. I enjoyed this book better than its predecessor because it included why things were happening. Recommended only for fans of action-packed science fiction.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 585 + 30 = 615
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Moon Tiger (other topics)I Am Charlotte Simmons (other topics)
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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The Warden by Anthony Trollope
+20 Task: Astatine
+10 Combo: 10.3 Andre Gide / 10.7 A, E, I, O, U, sometimes Y
+15 Oldies
Task Total: 45
Season Total: 1825