December 2014 - Measure Up (Reporting Thread)

[Kazen]

Janice wrote: "Looks like we have a gluestick contender."

Eeep! It all depends if my hold comes through - Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart should be at least 29 points. Hmmm, but if it arrives in January I can use it in the series challenge. Maybe I'll just chalk it up to fate either way. -_^

[Janice, Moderator]

Not to worry. The gluestick is a coveted prize, and to win it on your first challenge is a feat.

[Lisa]

I read The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu

TITLE:
7 words (including subtitle) - 7 points
If the main title without a subtitle is 7 words - 7 points

AUTHOR:
If the author's last name is 7 letters long - 7 points

PAGES: 0 points (176pp)

BONUS:
If someone has a bath - 3 points


TOTAL - 24 points

Janice, in this book a character tells another character "I got married" but the wedding is not shown at all. Does that count as 3 bonus points for a wedding taking place?

[Rebecca]

I read The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary and Sewing Circle


7 pts - 7 words (including subtitle)

Bonus title points:

main title without a subtitle
7 words - add 7 pts

6 pts - author's last name is Lois Battle6 letters long

3 pts - 358 pages
- In honour of Christmas, count 3 points if the book has a Christmas theme.
On page 234 it mentions a Christmas tree
- Sachertorte is one of my favourite desserts, and it has it's own day - December 5th. Count 3 pts if there is a cake in the story. P. 192 mentions a birthday cake

- December 5th is a great day apparently. You can eat cake and soak in a bath. In honour of Bathtub Party Day, count 3 pts if someone takes a bath in the story. Page 238, Bonnie takes a bath
Total-= 32 points

[Janice, Moderator]

Lisa wrote: "I read The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu

TITLE:
7 words (including subtitle) - 7 points
..."

Sorry, but no bonus points for the wedding. We need a bit more substance than "I got married."

[Janice, Moderator]

Rebecca wrote: "I read The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary and Sewing Circle "

No cake with all that tea?

[Lisa]

Janice wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I read The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu

TITLE:
7 words (including subtitle..."

No worries. I thought it probably wouldn't count :)

[Lori Z]

I read The Cat Who Could Read Backwards. It was a good little cozy, but added a 30 book series to my tbr pile. 1 down, 29 to go. Thank goodness for next years challenge, lol.

Title (including subtitle) - 8 points
Bonus points for title - 6 points
216 pages - 2 points

Need a ruling on if a character said she took a bath and changed clothes is enough for bonus, or if a cat bathing itself at different times throughout the book would count as a bath.
Yes from Janice - 3 bonus points.

Total points - 19 points.

[Janice, Moderator]

Lori Z wrote: "Need a ruling on if a character said she took a bath and changed clothes is enough for bonus, or if a cat bathing itself at different times throughout the book would count as a bath."

Yes, I'll accept the bath of both the human and the cat.

[AmyCynthia]

I read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente.

Title: 11 words= 10 points

Bonus title points: title is more than 10 words

Author's name: Last name is 7 letters=7 points

Pages: 264= 2 points

Bonus points:

3 points for cake in the story (poor September cannot turn down fairy food)

3 points for a bath in the story (probably my favorite chapter of the book!)

3 points for a wedding in the story (a fairy wedding that repeats itself every day)

Total points: 38

[Lori Z]

Janice wrote: "Lori Z wrote: "Need a ruling on if a character said she took a bath and changed clothes is enough for bonus, or if a cat bathing itself at different times throughout the book would count as a bath...."

Thanks, Janice! I'll edit my score.

[Rebecca]

Janice wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "I read The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary and Sewing Circle "

No cake with all that tea?" I forgot about the bonus points when I totaled mine. I'll have to look through the book again to make sure

[Tejas Janet]

I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Scoring Score all that apply:

8 pts for title - for title of 8 words including subtitle
8 pts title bonus - for title of 8 words without subtitle
7 pts for author - last name 7 letters long
2 pts - 200-299 pages long
0 pts for Christmas theme - several mentions but no actual Christmas theme
3 pts for cake
3 pts for someone taking a bath
0 pts for a wedding - various references but no actual wedding(s)

Total = 31 points

[Janice, Moderator]

That's a good score, TJ!

[Tejas Janet]

Thanks. I liked this book a lot. I think I hit upon reading it now because of some chat between you and Michael so thank you for that : )

[Janice, Moderator]

I don't recall the chat. I've never read it, so maybe Michael was talking about it.

[KimeyDiann]

The Wretched of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood #1) by Jeff Wheeler

7 points - Title
7 points - Author's last name
3 points - 300 pages
3 points - cake bonus
20 Points Total

Possible bonus points if approved by Janice. :)

-Cakes: There is a mention of selling cakes at an annual festival, does that count? approved
-Bath: There are several instances of "bathing" blood and/or dirt from faces and bodies but no one actually gets into a bathtub. There is a scene in which the two main characters wash each others hair in a fountain. rejected

[Cherie]

Tejas Janet wrote: "Thanks. I liked this book a lot. I think I hit upon reading it now because of some chat between you and Michael so thank you for that : )"

I have been wanting to read it for a long time. I am glad you liked it Janet. Makes me more hopeful that I will like it too. ☺

[Janice, Moderator]

KimeyDiann wrote: -Cakes: There is a mention of selling cakes at an annual festival, does that count?
-Bath: There are several instances of "bathing" blood and/or dirt from faces and bodies but no one actually gets into a bathtub. There is a scene in which the two main characters wash each others hair in a fountain. .."

Yes to the cakes. No to the bathing. I was thinking more along the lines of taking a bath.

[Tejas Janet]

Cherie wrote: "Tejas Janet wrote: "Thanks. I liked this book a lot. I think I hit upon reading it now because of some chat between you and Michael so thank you for that : )"

I have been wanting to read it for a ..."

Think you would like it, Cherie.

I was skimming thread over at Off topic/Watcha doin, where Michael and others recommended it.

Was available immediately from my local library so it was kismet - meaning it was meant to be : )

[Lilisa]

Edited per Janice - thanks!

Finished Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance: A Mystery by Gyles Brandreth (the subtitle is The Oscar Wilde Mysteries #1)

10 points - title + subtitle
8 points - if main title without subtitle is 10 or more
9 points - author's name 9 letters
3 points - 368 pages

30 points - Total

[Janice, Moderator]

Lilisa wrote: "Finished Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance: A Mystery by Gyles Brandreth (the subtitle is The Oscar Wilde Mysteries #1)

10 points - title + subtitle
10 points..."

The words "A Mystery" would be considered a subtitle, so just 8 points for the main title without subtitle. :(

How was it, btw? I have it on my wishlist.

[Lilisa]

Janice wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Finished Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance: A Mystery by Gyles Brandreth (the subtitle is The Oscar Wilde Mysteries #1)

10 points - title + sub..."

Would you mind taking another look at the title/subtitle thing Janice - it seems to me that "A Mystery" is part of the title and the Mysteries#1 is part of the subtitle like others have listed theirs? But mods reign supreme and I will go with your ruling if you think so :-). I enjoyed it - love Oscar Wilde's character, although I think I liked #5 a bit better than #1. I'm reading them out of order and #6 will be my next one. Hope you enjoy #1 when you read it - I think Gyles Brandreth has done a nice job - they're fun.

[Janice, Moderator]

Sorry, Lilisa, but anything after a colon is a subtitle. It's giving additional information. If you look at the cover, the title is listed "Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance". Then dropped down a couple of lines lower it reads, "A Mystery".

From Dictionary.com: "a secondary or explanatory title. Such titles can explain the form of the work, as in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Remorse: A Tragedy, in Five Acts; they can give an idea of the theme or contents of the book, as in George Eliot's Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life; or they can simply be an alternate title, which may or may not be a comment on the work, such as Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson and Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. "

[Lilisa]

Janice wrote: "Sorry, Lilisa, but anything after a colon is a subtitle. It's giving additional information. If you look at the cover, the title is listed "Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance". Then droppe..."

Thanks for verifying Janice and for the citation - I learned something new about the colon and titles/subtitles. I'll edit my reporting thread. Thanks a ton and mods reign supreme!

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished my choice for this challenge:

Just One Damned Thing After Another.

10 pts - Title
6 pts - Title Bonus
6 pts - Author (Taylor)
3 pts - 332 pages
3 pts - Cake (Treacle Tart)
3 pts - Bath
0 pts - There were a few orgasms, but no wedding.

Total - 31 points

[jaxnsmom]

I read The Nightingales of Troy: Stories of One Family's Century by Alice Fulton.

TITLE:
9 pts - 9 words (including subtitle)

AUTHOR: If the author's last name is:
6 pts - 6 letters long

PAGES:
2 pts - 200-299 pages long

Total Points: 17

[Esther]

So I listen to : Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

TITLE: 8 pts

Bonus title points: 8 pts

AUTHOR: 8 pts

PAGES: 4 pts

total : 28 points

[Janice, Moderator]

Esther wrote: "So I listen to : Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

TITLE: 8 pts"

Add 2 points - title including the subtitle is 10 points

[Poongothai]

TITLE:
If title is - How to Dance with a Duke (Ugly Ducklings, #1) by Manda Collins


8 pts - 8 words (including subtitle)

Bonus title points:
If the main title without a subtitle is:

6 words - add 6 pts

AUTHOR: If the author's last name is:
7 pts - 7 letters long

PAGES: 333 pages
3 pts - 300-399 pages long

Bonus Points: Each Bonus is worth 3 points.

- December 5th is a great day apparently. You can eat cake and soak in a bath. In honour of Bathtub Party Day, count 3 pts if someone takes a bath in the story. Here is a recap of the challenge:
The heroine takes a bath

- December would indeed be a great day if this holiday was also observed, but it's delayed until December 21 - Global Orgasm Day! Count 3 points if there is a wedding in the story.

Total : 30

[Cherie]

Poongothai wrote: "TITLE:
If title is - How to Dance with a Duke (Ugly Ducklings, #1) by Manda Collins


8 pts - 8 words (including subt..."

No cake at the wedding?

[Poongothai]

Cherie wrote: "No cake at the wedding? "

Nope.. The wedding itself was explained in a small paragraph and there was no mention of a cake

[Erica]

I've finished The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared and here are the points:

Title: 10 points (more than 10 words)
Bonus title points: 10 points (the main title is more than 10 words)
Author points: 8 points (Jonasson=8 letters long)
Pages: 3 points (300-399 pages long)
Bonus points:
Cake 3 points: The main character Allan Carlsson is worried about his birthday party where he will be fed birthday cake (with a spoon) by the nurses at the elderly home (like an animal in a cage). - therefore he is, among other things, running away by climbing out the window...
Wedding 3 points: Without saying too much of the story, I will just say that there are two weddings in the book.

Total: 37 points!

[Janice, Moderator]

That was a good scoring book!

[Debra]

A Big Boy Did It and Ran Away (Angelique De Xavier #1) by Christopher Brookmyre

TITLE:

10 pts - 10 words or more (including subtitle)

Bonus title points:

If the main title without a subtitle is:

8 words - add 8 pts

AUTHOR: If the author's last name is:

10 pts - 10 or more letters long

PAGES:

5 pts -500-599 pages long

Bonus Points: Each Bonus is worth 3 points.

3 pts - December 5th is a great day apparently. You can eat cake and soak in a bath. In honour of Bathtub Party Day, count 3 pts if someone takes a bath in the story.

36 pts

[Janice, Moderator]

Sounds like an interesting book, Debra. I had to add it.

[Mariab]

I read "The Perks of being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
Main title 6 pts
plus 6 pts (6 words without subtit.)
Author's name 7 pts
Total 19 points

[Camilla]

I read What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us by Laura van den Berg

Main title 10 points
Bonus title points 10
Author's last name 10 letters -> 10 points
The copy I read actually has 207 pages, but no such edition exists in GR. So either 1 or 2 points.
Bonus points: in one story the MC takes several baths. Sadly no weddings, cakes or Christmases.

Total 32 or 33 points.

[Janice, Moderator]

Mariab wrote: "I read "The Perks of being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
Main title 6 pts
plus 6 pts (6 words without subtit.)
Author's name 7 pts
Total 19 points"

You seem to be missing some points - pages numbers, for one. What about bonus points?

[Janice, Moderator]

Camilla wrote: "I read What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us by Laura van den Berg

Main title 10 points
Bonus title points 10
Author's last name 10 letters -> ..."

Go with the edition you read, so 33 points.

[Mariab]

@Janice
No pages or bonus points
No cake no baths no marriage

[Janice, Moderator]

Mariab wrote: "@Janice
No pages or bonus points
No cake no baths no marriage"

How are there no pages? When I do a search, it says 213 pages. If you are reading an audiobook or ebook, you count the pages as reported on the first book that comes up on the search page.

[Mariab]

@Janice It was an ebook. And under 200 (in the ebook format). Because of that, I haven't claimed the points. But if the pages number of GR rules it, then I will add 2 more points
Then, total: 21 points

[Janice, Moderator]

Mariab wrote: "@Janice It was an ebook. And under 200 (in the ebook format). Because of that, I haven't claimed the points. But if the pages number of GR rules it, then I will add 2 more points
Then, total: 21 po..."

Phew! That was like pulling teeth, Mariab. The rules clearly state: "6. The book must be 150 pages or more determined by the issue you read. If reading eBook or audiobook page numbers will be determined by the issue that comes up on a Goodreads search." You may as well take all the points you are entitled to.

[Mariab]

Thanks Janice!

[Casceil]

I have been reading books with long titles all month, partly because I discovered an entertaining series that starts with How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf. I've read three or four books by that author that would qualify, but now I have confused myself as to which books have cakes (nearly all of them), baths (only one of them), and weddings (at least one, maybe two). None of them are going to get a winning level of points, however, so I am just going with the one I remember best, How to Run with a Naked Werewolf.

Title (with subtitle) 9 points
main title, 7 words 7 points
author's name, Harper 6 points
352 pages 3 points
cake, yes 3 points
bath, yes 3 points
wedding, no
Total points: 31.

Now, I am off to finish reading 2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas.

[Mariab]

Casceil wrote: "I have been reading books with long titles all month, partly because I discovered an entertaining series that starts with How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf"

I had to check it right away!

[Thing Two]

I read The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Apt. 3W: Fiction by Gabriel Brownstein.

32 points

TITLE:
9 pts - 9 words (including subtitle)
Bonus title points:
8 words - add 8 pts

AUTHOR:
10 pts - 10 or more letters long

PAGES:
2 pts - 200-299 pages long

Bonus Points:
Count 3 pts if there is a cake in the story. Pg 218

[Rebecca]

Rebecca wrote: "Janice wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "I read The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary and Sewing Circle "

No cake with all that tea?" I forgot about the bonus points when I totaled mine. I'll have t..."
I found some bonus points whe I re-checked the book. I updated my post.

[Janice, Moderator]

Thanks.

Normally, I track as I go, but this month has been a little crazy. So, please do go back and update your points if you need to. One day left to read your brains out.