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Winter 14/15 RwS Completed Tasks - Winter 14/15
20.4 - 1001:Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Review:
After reading King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa for the Fall Challenge, I immediately wanted to try reading Heart of Darkness. Not only because it was set in Congo, but also because lots of people consider it a wonderful classic text, a novel that one absolutely must read. Thousands and thousands of students have had to review it and write essays on the book.
Unfortunately, while it was beautifully written with lots of symbolism, I found it very difficult to read. There were several moments when I wanted to just quit and be done with it. At times, the symbolism and the style made it really hard to actually tell what was going on! There was just so much ambiguity in the text that most of the time I couldn't really tell what Marlow thought of Kurtz, whether he was fascinated or repulsed, approved of him or disapproved. It's not very enjoyable to read a book which you find very difficult to follow.
+20 task
+10 oldies (first published 1899)
+10 review
+5 combos (20.8 - Exiles and Emmigrants, author approved on the task thread)
Task points: 45
Total points: 195
20.7 18th CenturyBenjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson
Review:
I was blown away by Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs. So knowing this would have to be different (no interviews of the subject or his contemporaries), I was excited when my book club selected this earlier work by Isaacson. I have been through the swings in how we in the US view Benjamin Franklin from childhood history classes that presented him as a hero to an adult perception of a cartoonish figure to amazement at becoming reacquainted with his many interests by the museum in Philadelphia. Isaacson's presentation of Franklin hit me with how much my 20th century middle-class American values echo Franklin's, including ones that I am still trying to adjust to 21st century realities. And maybe understanding why we are struggling--after 2 centuries we have elected a Congress that seemingly is no longer pragmatic and occasionally willing to compromise--is no longer humble enough to be open to other ideas.
Isaacson has written of a great man who helped set this country on course and still has lessons for us today.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 jumbo
Task total: 35
Grand total: 175
20.9 Respect Elders :The Lover by Marguerite Duras
+20 task (1914-1996)
+10 Combo (10.3, 10.5)
+5 Oldies (published 1984)
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 1250
20.5Mystery Women :Murder and Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood
+20 task (female protagonist)
+5 Combo (10.4 – set in Australia)
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 1275
20.7 18th Century PlusCatherine the Great by Henri Troyat
Review:
This biography of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, was written by Henri Troyat and published in 1977. I thought that the story was fascinating. It detailed how Princess Sophia, of Anhalt-Zerbst (born in 1729) who at 15 married Peter Ulrich of Holstein, who was the grandson of Peter the Great and possible heir to the throne of Russia. Sophia changed her name to Catherine and converted from the Lutheran church to the Russian Orthodox church. Peter did become Emperor Peter III, and Catherine eventually became Empress Catherine II of Russia, and ruled Russia for decades on her own. She became almost more Russian than the Russians themselves. Catherine lived from 1729-1796, and was the most renowned and the longest-ruling female leader of Russia. She ruled from 1762-1796.
I thought that Troyat’s book was a fair representation of Catherine’s life experiences. He also did a good job of describing the broader geo-political events going on around her in Europe, Asia and beyond. So I felt like I got to know Catherine better, but I also better understood her era and the events that influenced her decisions as her reign unfolded. Troyat was born in Moscow in 1911, but fled with his and travelled around Europe and Asia before setting in Paris in 1920.
Rating: 3 stars (Good solid biography)
+20 Task
+10 Review
+15 Combo (10.2, 20.8 approved in Task thread, 20.9 96 years)
+ 5 Oldies (Publ 1977)
Task Total = 50
+5 Kate's Post #707 -- City of Thieves Task 10.2, points claimed in Post 681 - also eligible for Combo points w/Task 20.3 - Historical. (Thanks Kate!)
Grand Total = 850
15.2 (round 2) D-VThe Duke of Snow and Apples by Elizabeth Vail
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 1260
20.8 Exiles and Emmigrants Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill
(Author approved in 20.8 task thread)
Review:
This is the fourth book in the Dr Siri Paiboun series by Colin Cotterill. The series is set in Laos in the late 1970’s, not long after Laos has won it’s independence from France and became the communist, Lao People's Democratic Republic. Dr Siri Paiboun is 74, and the country’s only coroner. In this book Siri and his friend Civilai set out to find the killer of a blind dentist. Their travels take them out to the countryside. While there they become reacquainted with an old friend from their revolutionary days, and stumble across a whole new mystery to solve.
I really like this intelligent series. There is some magic realism woven throughout the books, and a lot of wry observations about how the communist ideals that Siri and Civilai fought so long for haven’t materialized as they’d expected. I like the cast of supporting characters that continue from book to book. This book in particular had more surprises at the end than I anticipated. I can’t wait to start the next book in the series!
Rating: 4 stars
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 880
20.10 Goodreads FeatureFin & Lady: A Novel by Cathleen Schine
(Approved from The Goldfinch)
Review:
This book by Catherine Schine is the coming-of-age story of Fin Hadley and his older half-sister, Lady Hadley. (Yes, Lady is her first name.) Even though Lady is 24 when Fin becomes an orphan at the age of 11 and she becomes his legal guardian; this is as much as a coming-of-age story for Lady as it is for Fin. Fin moves from a bucolic dairy farm in Connecticut to a brownstone that Lady just bought in Greenwich Village. The book chronicles their lives together as they go through the tumultuous 1960’s and beyond. Fin is an old soul, and Lady is really flighty. They both inherited money, so Lady has the luxury of being self-centered and pretty unfocused without endangering Fin’s security. She has three suitors that she can’t choose between. She’s asked Fin’s help in picking out her husband. That request seemed strange to me since she kept insisting that she didn’t really want to get married.
I’m not going to describe too much more of the plot for fear of revealing a spoiler. This is a character driven book. I like Fin. He seemed so right. I didn’t like Lady so much, but I suppose that’s where the tension of the storyline comes in. The story is told from the 3rd person perspective, and the narrator isn’t revealed until almost the end of the book. I kept wondering who was telling Fin and Lady’s story as the book unfolded.
Rating: 4 stars
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 910
10.4 Island Dreams :Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick
+10 task (set in UK)
Task total: 10
Grand Total: 1285
15.10 Z to AThe Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman
+ 30 Task
+100 A to Z Completion Bonus (Yay me! LOL)
Grand Total = 1,040
10.2 Two for OneWhite Egrets by Derek Walcott (86 pages)
Human Chain by Seamus Heaney (85 pages)
Review: White Egrets I do not read poetry often nor am I knowledgable. I cannot tell you what the form of Derek Walcott's poems are in this book. But I can tell you that occasionally the words he put on paper in this book pierced to my soul. Why? I do not know by what combination of insight and magical phrasing he does this. For me the rappers aimed at colonialism and the fight against and then acceptance of the aging rang home most often. These are expressions of wisdom to read again and again.
Review: Human Chain Whenever I read poetry that is this dense, I think that I need an English Lit major to help me parse it out. After I read the book, I read the book description and only occasionally recognized ideas that I took from the book. One line that particularly struck me:
"As the memorable bottoms out
Into the irretrievable."
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.9 year 2010)
+10 Review
Task total: 25
Grand total: 200
10.9 - Economical - Tony's Task: Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
+10 Task: from 2013 Fiction list
+ 5 Combo: 20.8 Exiles and Emigrants (born in US, lives in Norway)
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 1375
20.6 Jewish :Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Lexile 670
+20 task (shelved 77 times as Jewish)
Task total: 20
Grand Total: 1305
10.8 Two for One :The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín (81 pages)
Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx (62 pages)
+10 task
Task total: 10
RwS Finish: 100 points
Grand Total: 1415
10.8 Two for OneThe Iggy Chronicles, Volume One by Spencer Quinn -- 64 ebook pages
Tail of Vengeance by Spencer Quinn -- 64 ebook pages
Review:
I found two short stories from the Chet and Bernie mystery series that just might tide me over until the next book is released later this year.
This series is told from the perspective of Chet (The Jet) who is Bernie Little's canine partner at the Little Detective Agency. Spencer Quinn brilliantly captures what I imagine a dog would be thinking as each of the scenes unfold. They are often laugh-out-loud funny. Chet often puzzles over the true meaning of our clichéd parts of speech that he takes literally. For example someone saying, "It's raining cats and dogs", sets Chet to looking skyward for incoming cats and dogs.
The stories were fun little romps back in the world of Chet and Bernie. Both were set in the Phoenix area. One story involves Iggy, the dog who lives next door, and I thought it was the better of the two stories.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total = 20
Grand Total = 1060
10.9 Economical(2014 List)
+10 task
+10 review
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
Review:
This was an impressive book, and one that I would absolutely recommend to anyone, at any stage of life - old, young, healthy or infirm. Atul Gawande's book Being Mortal is about what happens to us when we become too old or too ill to take care of ourselves on our own. How is our society structured to care for this group of people? And are we actually caring for them in a way that supports life, or are we simply giving them a place to stay alive?
Gawande, a doctor himself, spends a lot of time exploring alternatives to nursing homes for the elderly and hospitals for the terminally ill. One of my favorite parts of the book tells the story of an incredibly independent, kooky doctor whose ideas to reform his nursing home include bringing in 4 dogs, 2 cats, and 100 parakeets in order to give his patients something to take care of, and something to live for. I loved reading about Green Houses, or "pods", which revolutionize care for the elderly by providing a balance between competing needs - looking out for their safety while at the same time providing privacy, independence, and the ability to choose what risks they are willing to take and those that they're not.
Much of this book focused on palliative care and hospice, both of which are becoming increasingly more popular in our society. A few years after my own father passed away at 62 from a long, debilitating bout with Multiple Systems Atrophy (a Parkinson's like disease), I found myself wanting to learn more about death and dying and how we deal with these topics in our culture. I went through hospice training when I was 25 - about two years after my father passed away - with every intention of becoming a volunteer, but the grief of losing my dad was still too raw and I pulled away after completing the course. However, learning about hospice care and hearing a nurse talk about the "beautiful death" that she had been a witness to the night before was worth every bit of time I poured into the lengthy training. I'm not grateful that I lost my dad at such a young age, but I am so glad that it allowed me to start thinking and learning about alternatives to traditional medical options and nursing homes early in life. While much of what Gawande wrote about in his book wasn't exactly new information to me, it did confirm my desire to live (and die) in a way that is more aligned with increasing the quality of my life, not extending the quantity of days I have left.
Something I really appreciated about this book was Gawande's willingness to be vulnerable, to admit that as a physician and a surgeon, it is so much easier to try to offer solutions that "fix" patients. That it's much easier to provide "safe" options - aggressive chemo for cancer, experimental drugs for disease, invasive surgery to remove tumors - than to have a frank discussion with patients about whether or not these options make sense for what they want for their lives. Is it always best to take the aggressive route - to keep fighting even when the side effects or time and expense are substantial - or is there a beauty in putting aside the aggression to make way for comfort, closure, and peace while the disease that will inevitably end our life take its natural course? I appreciated that Gawande showed us how he struggled - and struggles still - with talking to patients about how they want to die. I learned so much from his own battle to do what's best, even when it's not always easy, that I know I will apply to my own life and the lives of those I love when the time comes to have these difficult conversations.
I gave this one four stars rather than five only because I came into this already knowing a good bit about hospice and palliative care. For those who know little about this topic, I can see this book being revolutionary. I absolutely suggest that this book become required reading, especially as our elderly population increases and as health care reform changes our national conversations about affordability of our medical care. Truly a fantastic read.
task total: 20
grand total: 530 (adjusted points for combo points for The Lover)
10.9 Econonmical Decoded by Mai Jia
Review: This is a character study set against international intrigue (in the form of cryptography). The main character is an autistic mathematical genius. Much of the theme of the book is an attempt to understand genius--how it works, what can support or detract from its functioning especially in an isolated individual. As I undertstand it, high functioning autistic savants strongly focus on one interest, which in a sense Jenzhin does but I also sensed that to be successful at decrypting code, he had to have a broad understanding of literature, at least. For me, the beginning of the book about the family history was interesting then it just got too philosophical.
I am curious about the translation at least in one area, a number of cities and institutions are identified by a letter, for example N University. As I understand there is no direct translation from a Chinese character to a phonetic letter, so I wonder what the author's intention was for these institutions, cities, countries etc.
+10 task (2014 list)
+5 combo (10.6 Chinese)
+10 Non-western (Chinese)
+10 review
Task total: 35
Grand total: 235
10.1 - Square PegThe Wicca Cookbook: Recipes, Ritual, and Lore by Jamie Martinez Wood & Tara Seefeldt
+10 Task
Task Total= 10
Grand Total= 65
20.2 - PersephoneThe Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield
+20 Task
+20 Combo (20.8 - born in New Zealand and settled in UK and France ; 20.4 ; 20.1 - published 1922 ; 10.4 - New Zealand)
+10 Oldies (1922)
Task total = 50
Points total = 265
20.7 - 18th Century PlusFanny Hill, or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland
Ok....I'm not a prude...far from it.....BUT, I think the only reason Fanny Hill is on the 1001 Books You Must Read List is because of its historical status as one of the most banned books since it is really just pornography.....18th-century porn...but still porn. I don't think the novel is a good fit for pornography. Usually a short story will suffice. ; )
Fanny is a poor country girl who accidentally finds herself as a prostitute...but she has no real objections...in fact, everything goes fairly well and she becomes a kept woman...until the keeper is impressed on a ship leaving Fanny stranded. She lands on her back again and prospers even more than before. Interestingly, there is a male gay scene in the book...and that is the only time that there is any moralizing...Fanny finds it disgusting and wants to report the perverts until calmed down by the madam. I guess that was still taboo in 1748 porn. As one would expect with porn, there is very little reality here. Perhaps in 1748 it was probably just shocking to be faced with the reality that sex amongst British people happened so often. Snark!
task +20
review +10
oldie +25 (1749)
combo +10 (10.4, 20.9)
total= 65
grand total= 835
20.2 PersephoneMiss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson
Review: I have slated this book for challenge after challenge and always returned it to the library unread. I finally picked it up today and finished it easily over the course of the day. It’s delightful, sweet, charming – all of those kinds of things. Miss Pettigrew ends up helping the people she meets by injecting some down-to-earth conservatism, but she ends up gaining much more by expanding her world and allowing herself to have some fun. Aside from the occasional racist remark, it could easily have been written as historical fiction rather than contemporarily in the 1930s. Miss Pettigrew is so fun and the people she ends up getting involved with are so eccentric that I just wish I could continue her story. I’ll have to settle for watching the movie and imagining all the best for her and her new friends.
+20 Task
+20 Combo (10.4, 20.1, 20.4, 20.9)
+10 Review
+10 Oldies
Task Total: 60
Grand Total: 1320
20.7 18th CenturyMansfield Park by Jane Austen
Review: Mansfield Park is different from the Austen novels I’m more familiar with, like Emma and Pride and Prejudice. Instead of a really strong personality at the center in the form of someone like Lizzy Bennett or Emma Woodhouse, Fanny Price almost disappears on the page most of the time. This does allow for the side characters to really shine through, and it turns out Fanny is maybe manipulating the situations from behind the scenes more than it might seem at the time, but I have to say I prefer the more outspoken protagonists. It’s not my favorite Austen novel of all time, but Austen at her least entertaining is still witty and insightful, so I’m glad I read it. I think I’ve only got one of her books left to read, and that’s sort of sad.
+20 Task (published 1814)
+15 Oldies
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo (507 pages)
+5 Combo (10.4 – set in UK)
Task Total: 55
Grand Total: 1390
20.4 - 1001A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
Naipaul succeeds in transporting the reader to a place and time that few have probably experienced. He brings us to post-colonial Africa (the country is never named), with the main character, Salim, being of Indian-descent. Danger and intrigue lurk everywhere while most people just try to lead their normal lives. I have read a few other Naipaul works (only because my favorite travel writer Paul Theroux is always praising him.) and I have always been disappointed. Unfortunately that happened again...but not to the same degree here. I really enjoyed most of the book and felt it true.....until Salim begins an affair with Yvette, the wife of an older man, a white man and writer who was formally in high regard with the President. Now the country is to be Africanized and Yvette's husband is ignored...and a potential target for violence. Instead of delving into that story, we are presented with two people who I felt would never have gotten together....or if they would, we need to know more to understand why. I thought this was headed for five stars, but I just gave it three.
task +20
review +10
combo +10 (20.8, 20.9)
non-western +10
oldie +5 (1979)
total= 55
Grand Total= 890
20.8 - Exiles and Emigrants:Family Life by Akhil Sharma
+20 task (author born in Delhi, emigrated to US aged 8)
+10 non-Western
Task total: 30
RwS total: 1135
AtoZ total: 15
Grand Total: 1150
Post 726 Karen Michele wrote: "10.9 - Economical - Tony's Task: Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
+10 Task: from 2013 Fiction list
+ 5 Combo: 20.8 Exiles and Emigrants (born in US, lives i..."
Karen, will you check with Jama on the 20.8 Exiles thread? This author has traveled from place to place on assignment rather than living in a single place outside the US.
Post 741 Lagullande wrote: "20.8 - Exiles and Emigrants:Family Life by Akhil Sharma
+20 task (author born in Delhi, emigrated to US aged 8)
+10 non-Western
Task total: 30
RwS total: 1135
At..."
Though Sharma was born in India, he is now an American and does not qualify for non-western points.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Though Sharma was born in India, he is now an American and does not qualify for non-western points. Apologies. I thought I had read that he has dual-nationality, although I can't find the reference now.
So, revised totals:
Task total: 20
RwS total: 1125
AtoZ total: 15
Grand Total: 1140
20.8 Exiles and EmmigrantsStation Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
If it hadn't been for seeing others saying wonderful things about this book, i would not have picked it up. Surely I have read enough dystopian fiction over the last 12 months? Surely there couldn't be anything new to offer?
I must admit, my expectation was probably a little different. With the references to Shakespeare I had expected it to be a bit like the film My Own Private Idaho, and break out into Shakespearean episodes.
Instead, Shakespeare is just kind of there, performed within the story, but not really part of the text. The text is more about a group of people, linked in a six degrees of separation way to an actor who was performing King Lear at the start of the novel. Each are well written, and their stories and engaging and well told. Only the story of Jeevan is possibly a little disappointing, as it seems to disappear and not really offer all that much after the initial parts.
A highly recommended read.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 combo (20.10)
Task total 35
Grand Total 230
I would like to replace my square peg (previous here).10.1 - Square Peg
An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't by Judy Jones
A guide to all the little things that bugged you but you never bothered googling. Which is higher ranking, a baron or a marquess? What's the difference between i.e. and e.g.? And what was the deal with World War I, anyway?
I learned a bunch and am glad I read it, but I'd love to see an updated edition. The section on commonly misspelled words feels out of date (huzzah spell check!), and the bit on international affairs is missing ten years of news. And let's just erase the joke about coveting your neighbor's VCR, okay?
Which reminds me - this book is very funny in places. The irreverent tone keeps you interested and giggling even though the topic is British poets, say, or string theory. That being said I kinda wish I had this as a reference on my shelf - reading it as a library ebook with a deadline killed some of the joy. Don't worry about memorizing every little fact; let the knowledge wash over you. Soak it in.
+10 task
+10 review
+5 oldie (pub. 1987)
+10 jumbo (720 pages)
Task total: 35 pts
Adjusted grand total: 185 pts
10.4 - Island DreamsEverything Forbidden by Jess Michaels
+10 task (England)
Task total: 10 pts
Grand total: 195 pts
10.10 Group ReadsThe New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Review:
I'm torn about how to rate this book. On the one hand, it's well researched, engaging to read, and highlights an important social issue: mass incarceration and the way that underlying racism impacts the criminal justice system, particularly with regard to the "War on Drugs". On the other hand, as critics have pointed out, the book seems to ignore major economic and social factors in making its argument. The book almost entirely ignores the violence associated with mass incarceration and with drug crime as well. Alexander focuses on nonviolent offenders, but ignores the fact that nonviolent drug offenders are actually less than 25% of the prison population.
While I understand that Alexander wants to focus not only on prisoners but also on those under prison supervision (probation and parole), it's still a misleading presentation. Moreover, the economic realities (and the racist/colonialist underpinnings of these realities) that feed into the system of mass incarceration and criminal justice cannot be ignored.
The book did lead me to read some of its reviews and also critiques. In particular, I enjoyed this article in the New York University Law Review.
I'm glad to have read this book, I'm glad that it seems to be causing even people who ideologically disagree with Alexander to think about these issues, but I'm also sad to see a book with this many flaws be the one that is the breakout success story in this way.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 510
20.8 Exiles and EmigrantsMadame Curie: A Biography by Eve Curie
Review:
What a wonderful tribute to her mother! This biography of Madame Curie, written soon after her death by her youngest daughter, is lively, highly engaging, and a lovely book. The collection of personal letters used to give voice to Madame Curie's personal thoughts combined with all the personal stories that family and friends were willing to share make this extremely readable. I knew little of Madame Curie's personal story and had forgotten that her husband died so early in their lives (and with such tragedy). I have no idea if this book has much to add to general knowledge of the scientists, but I found it both enlightening and heartwarming. Highly recommended for readers of biographies.
+20 Task (b. France; eventually settled in US)
+10 Review
+10 Combo (20.1 - pub. 1936; 20.9 - lived to be almost 103!)
+10 Oldies
Task total: 50
Grand total: 560
20.2 Persephone :Smouldering Fire by D.E. Stevenson
+20 task
+15 Combo (10.4 – UK, 20.1, 20.9 – 1892-1973)
+10 Oldies (published 1935)
Task total: 45
Grand Total: 1475
Don (The Book Guy) wrote: "I would like to change my post 43 from 10.1 Square Peg to 15.1 A to Z. I will be submitting a different book for the square peg spot. Thanks."Got it.
From Post 740Ed wrote: "20.4 - 1001
A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
Naipaul succeeds in transporting the reader to a place and time that few have probably experienced. He brings us to post-..."
Sorry, Ed, Naipaul is considered Western for the purpose of this challenge.
Ed wrote: "20.7 - 18th Century PlusFanny Hill, or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland
Ok....I'm not a prude...far from it.....BUT, I think the only reason Fanny Hil...
oldie +25 (1749)"
1749 is 20 oldies points, not 25
10.4 Sovereign StatesWhat a Wallflower Wants by Maya Rodale
Review: The third book in the Badboys and Wallflowers series was cute, but I almost wish I’d read it much closer to the others. Most of the historical romances I’ve been reading seem to be blurring together in my mind, so it took a while to figure out what world I was back in. This book is fine, but the plot is kind of lacking. The character development is good, and I’m kind of becoming fond of footman heroes, but this one really was just a piece of the trilogy rather than a book that had a really defining storyline of its own, outside of the characters’ learning about themselves and each other.
+10 Task (set entirely in UK)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 1410
From Post 699Jama wrote: "20.1 1906-1950
Blood on the Forge by William Attaway (published 1941)
I hadn't even heard of this book until I saw it on the 1001 list, and I am so glad I learned abo..."
I'm sorry, Jama, I do not see this on the 1001 list.
From Post 714Coralie wrote: "20.9 Respect Elders :
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
+20 task (1914-1996)
+10 Combo (10.3, 10.5)
+5 Oldies (published 1984)
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 1250"
+5 Combo 20.4
From Post 739Cory Day wrote: "20.7 18th Century
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Review: Mansfield Park is different from the Austen novels I’m more familiar with, like Emma and Pride and Prejudice. I..."
As this was published in 1813, it does not qualify for 20.4.
Kate S wrote: "From Post 739Cory Day wrote: "20.7 18th Century
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Review: Mansfield Park is different from the Austen novels I’m more familiar with, like ..."
I literally JUST edited that post and my subsequent post's grand total because I remembered that ;)
From Post 365Rosemary wrote: "20.8 - Exiles and Emigrants
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Heart of Darkness is actually a novella of around 100 pages, but it's often printed with other works by Co..."
+5 Combo 20.4
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (other topics)Dirty Cop (other topics)
Ghosts (other topics)
One Con Glory (other topics)
The Winner (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Milan Kundera (other topics)Kyle Adams (other topics)
Paul Auster (other topics)
Sarah Kuhn (other topics)
David Baldacci (other topics)
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Tenth of December recommends Bobcat and Other Stories
Bobcat and Other Stories (2013) by Rebecca Lee (Paperback, 209 pages)
Review:This book has seven stories, all by Rebecca Lee, 5 stories published previously, and 2 stories published here for the first time. All the stories are told in first person; 6 of the 7 the “first person” is a New York City gal aged 25-40; 1 is “first person” male pursuing such a New York City gal. All 7 contain main characters who are either college professors, published writers or college students. Write what you know – I’d guess Rebecca Lee is a college educated white woman, aged 25-40, living in New York City for most of her life, and, obviously, a published writer. These stories are all slice-of-life stories about people like her (and, extrapolating, her friends). The writing is clear and solid, the events believable, and it really does read like the New York City gal at the neighboring table is talking about her life to a friend. Recommended.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total : 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 565 + 30 = 595