Reading with Style discussion
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WI 20-21 Completed Tasks
20.7 LifetimePierre and Jean by Guy de Maupassant
pub. 1888
Review
Another book I started without reading the description and I think, if I knew what this was about, I probably would not even bothered. That would have been a big mistake. Pierre and Jean is a brilliantly written novella as I found myself completely engaged emotionally following these very human & flawed characters as they struggle to comprehend life & family. Even as I struggle with the story (especially the family secret - it's one of my pet peeve), I suffered with Pierre (whilst cheering him to rise above his bitterness) and annoyed with the rest of the family. And that ending... ah, bittersweet.
+20 Task
+10 LiT
+10 Review
Post Total: 40
Season Total: 845
15.1 Name of the GameFalse Value by Ben Aaronovitch
Square 4E - letter D – double A in author’s name
Square 1E - letter R – Series name includes letter R – Rivers of London
Square 14D - letter Y– MPG Mystery
Word = DRY
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 570
15.2 Name of the GameDragon Haven by Robin Hobb
Square 11C - letter H – author’s last name begins with H
Square 16E - letter E – novel has eight or more named characters
Square 1B - letter R– 10K plus ratings
Word = HER
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 585
15.3 Name of the GameThe Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Square 7B - letter G – author has no letter G
Square 16B - letter E – Author born in Europe (UK)
Square 10B - letter T– published in the teens
Word = GET
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 600
15.4 Name of the GameBlackwattle Creek by Geoffrey McGeachin
Square 11B - letter H – MPG historical fiction
Square 3B - letter A – set in country that begins with A - Australia
Square 10C - letter T– MPG Thriller
Word = HAT
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 615
10.6 NYT NoteableThe Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
#2 on 2016 list
This was a really good book and I see why it got so many awards. The playing with reality in the railroad being physical and in the social experiments in the Carolinas allowed the author to put a different and interesting spin on the running to freedom story. The social experiments were quite believable might have beens and unobtrusively highlighted philosophies because the focus stayed with the story. I was also struck by how getting to true freedom was a continual process, never completely met in the time period the book covered, not like what I have seen in other stories. I liked the writing style and the interstitial chapters that added depth from someone else's point of view.
+10 task
+5 combo (20.3)
+15 awards
+10 review
Task total: 40
Grand total: 530
Corrected with +5 so total 535
15.6Titan by John Varley
Square 12 E - letter S - mpg science fiction
Square 3 C - letter A - author born in August
Square 14 C - letter Y - author name ends in Y
Word - SAY
+20 task
+5 pub 1979
Task total: 25
Grand total: 560
10.7 - Gray: Part I by Lou Cadle - weather event is unspecified but involves nuclear winter type event caused by what seems to be asteroid impact and massive scale wildfires. Main character is trying to figure out what happened too. Gray pt. 1 was a fun little read from Kindle Unlimited, part of an episodic story about an as of yet unexplained apocalypse. It’s a bit trite, a bit formulaic – there’s at least one chapter that I *swear* I read in another book, almost in its entirety. I’m not sure if it’s lifted from the other book, which I can’t remember, or if it’s just that much a standardized trope in apocalyptic fiction. Other than being a bit repetitive in the genre, it’s actually a fast, fun little read – nothing deep, just a little bit of brain candy. I do however like that the main character is a med student who very quickly realizes her limitations and doesn’t let hubris get the better of her. That happens in a lot of PA/apocalypse fiction. Unfortunately, I can already see this falling into the apocalypse romance category. Probably something around a 7/10. I wouldn’t have *paid* for it by itself but as part of my Kindle Unlimited, it was definitely worth reading.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 220
Post 353 Anika wrote: "10.5 AuthorYour Voice in My Head by Emma Forrest
While this is a highly self-indulgent memoir ("boo hoo, I was dating this spectacularly popular Hollywood actor and..."
This is another novel only task. Have you used your square peg?
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 353 Anika wrote: "10.5 AuthorYour Voice in My Head by Emma Forrest
While this is a highly self-indulgent memoir ("boo hoo, I was dating this spectacularly popu..."
Oh no! How did I overlook that?! I have used my square peg, guess I’ll have to work it into my next NotG round :-( Sorry about that, will delete Post 353 straightaway!
15.9 Name of the GameThe Suitcases by Anne Hall Whitt
W - 8 b (Whitt)
E - 16c (1982)
T - 13c
WET
+30 pts - Task
+ 5 pts - Not a novel
+ 5 pts - published before 1996
Task Total - 40 pts
Season Total - 335 pts
Kate S wrote: "From Post 231Kim wrote: "15.7 - Name of the game
$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer
Square ..."
Sure, thanks. That shouldn't change my points, since I had four other 4 letter words, right?
20.2 JazzBlood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood-set n 1928
This is the sixth book in the Phryne Fisher series....and my least favorite so far. I felt that the author just relied on circus characters to add color and freakishness to an unnecessarily complicated story. Phyrne Fisher is a fun literary character...and I enjoy the series. Phyrne is a young, stylish, sexy private detective in 1920s Melbourne, Australia. Here she becomes an undercover member of a circus in order to discover a killer. I'll continue with the series and hope future reads return to the same sense of enjoyment I experienced with the earlier ones. I know my problems with the book are amorphous ....but I can't easily identify why this one just missed the mark. Two stars.
Task=20
combo 5 (10.5)
Review=10
Task Total=35
Grand Total= 255
....; ....; 10.3; ....;....; ....; 10.7; ....; .....; 10.10
15.1; 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5
....; 20.2; .....; .....; .....; .....; .....; 20.8; .....; .....;
15.2 Name of GameThe Woman and the Car: A Chatty Little Handbook for the Edwardian Motoriste by Dorothy Levitt
15 pts 15.2 Name of Game
5 pre 1995
5 pts Not a Novel
Y: C14 One of author's names ends in Y
E: B16 Author born in Europe: (See Links to the right)
A: E3 Book pub'd After 1865 but before 1914 (1866-1913)
Word: YEA
Task total: 25 pts
Season total: 235 pts
10.1 ... 10.3 10.4 ... ... ... 10.8 ... ...
... 20.2 ... 20.4 ... ... ... ... ... ...
15.1. 15.2 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1- Four Letter Word (NoG)
Post 324 Marie wrote: "15.2 – Name of the GameNightfall by Shannon Messenger
D2 - A book with an 8 (or better) word title
D5 - Author name has no letter I
E10 - Title has no "The"
TIE
..."
Marie - this title has only 1 word, not 8, so it doesn't work for that square. Do you have a book planned or already claimed for 2B - author name has 2 or more E's? It would work there. Or maybe you have another idea.
15.2 Name of the GameRound 2
Proof by Dick Francis
Square 10E - letter T - no 'the' in title
Square 9B - letter I - set on island (UK)
Square 15B - letter L - literature map: Agatha Christie
Square 16C - letter E - pub. 1984
Word: TILE
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 860
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 324 Marie wrote: "15.2 – Name of the GameNightfall by Shannon Messenger
D2 - A book with an 8 (or better) word title
D5 - Author name has no letter I
E10 - T..."
Oops - i read too quickly, in my mind it was 8 letter words :)
So i'm changing for this if that's ok with you (i've used the "2 Es" later in the posts already) :
15.2 – Name of the Game
Nightfall by Shannon Messenger
D5 - Author name has no letter I
E10 - Title has no "The"
C15 - Page count 400+ (576 pages)
LIT
+15 Task
Task total = 15
20.4 ScienceEinstein : Le fantastique voyage d’une souris dans l’espace-temps by Torben Kuhlmann
+20 Task
No style as it is a children's book
Task total = 20
Points total = 200
15.7 – Name of the GameLibrary of Souls by Ransom Riggs
B9 - Set on an island (Britain)
B11 - MPG : Historical Fiction
E16 - Novel has 8+ named characters
HIE
+20 Task
Task total = 20
Points total = 220
10.2 ChristmasFor Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming
This book is the 8th volume in the James Bond series.... which I had not expected to like....but did. This book is different than the first seven because it is a set of short stories...at least two which have become the premise for Bond movies. I found these stories to be weaker than the novels... and Bond a bit more smug and misogynistic. The last story is less of a spy thriller and more of an anti-American screed featuring an awful character who hosts Bond on his luxurious yacht in the Indian Ocean....while collecting specimens of fauna illegally. All the other stories are basically set in the usual cold-war premise. Two stars.
Task=20
combo 5 (10.3)
Review=10
Task Total=35
Grand Total= 290
....; 10.2; 10.3; ....;....; ....; 10.7; ....; .....; 10.10
15.1; 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5
....; 20.2; .....; .....; .....; .....; .....; 20.8; .....; .....;
15.5 The Name of the GameThe Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
Square 10C - letter T = mpg: thriller
Square 3E - letter A = pub. 1902
Square 7D - letter G = Guardian list
word = TAG
20 task
5 pub. 1902
______
25
Running total: 435
10.2 ChristmasPractical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Three Stars
I watch the movie every Halloween and I never realised that it was based on a book until I was perusing this list. I was surprised at how the movie made changes to the locations and the ages of the characters, but I was happy that the very witchy feel was maintained. This story follows a family of women, two spinster aunts, the orphaned nieces they take in, and the daughters of one of the nieces, as all three generations try to understand how their differences give them strength. The majority of the story is set in the suburbs of New York which I found refreshingly different for a story about witches, especially since the inciting incident involves a dead body being buried. I also really loved how the story examined relationships between sisters and between mothers and daughters. The pacing of the story feels a little slow, but that’s probably because I am used to the movie which has a much tighter plot out of necessity. Also, I was disappointed that my favorite part of the movie (when the main character creates a spell as a child to try not to fall in love and lists a ridiculous list of qualities which her love interest ends up having) was not in the book. Overall, I can definitely see myself revisiting this book in the future.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: +20
Season Total: 105
20.9 NiecesThe Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman
(shelved 69 times as books about books)
Three Stars
This is the third book in the Invisible Library series by Cogman and I really enjoyed the first two. I am a huge fan of books that have librarians as the hero and this series really delivers. The Invisible Library is a mysterious extra-planar organisation that employs Librarians to travel through the multiverse collecting rare books to help maintain the balance between order and chaos. This installment of the story has the main character Irene facing off against her arch nemesis from the first book in a race to save the Library from destruction. I love that this series combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, and beloved literary characters, as well as dragons and fae. Describing it makes it sound like a mishmash of things but it is beautifully done. Are the plots deep and thought provoking? No. But these make great reads if you are looking for a quick, fun, diversion. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. I highly recommend it for fans of Doctor Who.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.4)
Task Total: +35
Season Total: 140
20.3 Post ModernThe Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Four Stars
I listened to this as an audiobook and I loved that it was narrated by Neil Gaiman himself. The story is a bit strange, it starts with a middle aged man who decides to visit his childhood home and ends up stopping by an old neighbour’s house for a visit. The story then proceeds to flash back to the man’s childhood. At first the story is very normal childhood type stuff, remembering his cat, the little girl at the end of the lane he used to play with, etc. But then things start to get a bit strange and we are transported into another world and monsters really do exist. Or do they? This story really made me think about how we perceive things as adults versus how children perceive them and makes me want to cling to as much childlike wonder as I can in my life. I also loved that the Hempstocks were the maiden, the mother, and the crone, or at least I think that is who they were meant to represent and I love when authors can work references like that into their stories in subtle ways. For any other author this would have been a five star read for me, it’s just that I love other Gaiman stories even more so I know what he is capable of.
+20 Task
+10 Awards (Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel 2014, Specsavers National Book Award for Book of the Year 2013)
+10 Review
Task Total: +40
Season Total: 180
10.8 Lunar (Tien's Task)Things We Didn't See Coming by Steven Amsterdam
published 2009
Review
I didn't hate this but neither did I like it very much. It was mostly okay as stories go but as usual, short stories can be rather incomprehensible to me. There are 9 stories and I do feel that the protagonist is the same for all and these stories are snapshots of his different ages/phases in life as it begins with his boyhood (pre-apocalyptic) and ends with him as a sick older man (of uncertain age). Some stories explore different type of disasters (technology failure, weather, etc) and others explore society during and post apocalyptic events. These people are proving to be quite selfish, corrupt, and complete liars (to themselves & others) -so, pretty close to reality then... (toilet paper, anyone?).
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.7 - draught, flood)
+10 Review
+5 Prize-worthy (The Age Book of the Year (2009))
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 890
10.7 La NinaFive Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink
Review
Five Days at Memorial
This book is another perspective on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on the people of New Orleans. Based on a true event and subsequent court case, this book raises the ethical dilemmas health professionals must make in practicing patient care under extreme conditions. As the city was abandoned after the hurricane and the flooding aftermath, hospitals still had patients to care for. Evacuation of near a thousand patients who were too unstable to have been released ahead of the storm was a daunting and maybe even impossible task with the resources, aid and equipment that was never provided. We know that during this time, chaos ruled. Many first responders had left or had taken their own families to safety either with or without permissions. The communications were down, no one knew who was in charge or who was even there while thousands of people stood on rooftops, floated on debris, trapped in jail cells, crammed into designated shelters without enough supplies or herded onto buses, boats and helicopters without record of who went where. As food, fresh water, medical supplies, electricity, oxygen and other survival needs were rapidly being depleted, and when rescue efforts were so disorganized that there was no way to know when and if it arrive, these professionals had to allocate resources and resort to battlefield triage. No air conditioning in scorching heat of more than 90 degrees put extra strain on said resources. Not only the material resources but the added stress on the patients’ ability to maintain a stable condition and the actual physical and mental fatigue of the caretakers themselves. That these people running a hospital were able to cope at all and still provide the standard of care we have come to expect seems miraculous while also having to make critical life and death decisions when their own safety was in jeopardy seems above and beyond what their profession should demand of them. It must have been hell and when each patient had to be physically carried several flights of stairs to get to the roof where a helicopter might land, having virtually no sleep and having patients cry out as the heat overtook them, medicines ran out and not being sure how long before being rescued, some professionals came to the conclusion that the ones who were terminal would be better off to be given large amounts of Morphine so they could die without the stress and total lack of comfort they were being exposed to. Later when the bodies were found, an ambitious DA and distraught family members demanded justice. Then the courts had to decide, was this a bona fide mercy-killing or was it trying to keep terminal patients pain free in their last few hours of life? While this book is based on Memorial Hospital, there were other hospitals in New Orleans that had the same conflict and solutions and were also investigated.
As a nurse in Galveston in 1983, we had to go on Storm Warning status during Hurricane Alicia. While the emergency plan was only in place for a couple of days and though we only had minimal electricity with generators, it was an experience I never wanted to repeat. The patients became sicker and we became frazzled from the heat, no sleep and stressful conditions. We had all the supplies we needed and water wasn’t flooding the lower floors and we had no gangs of survivors using violence to obtain the things we had, but it was bad enough that I know I wasn’t at the top of my critical thinking.
I certainly understand the grief of those who had loved ones die, but even the rescued ones died, sometimes in worse surroundings than the hospital. I know I’d never want to be in their shoes and had I been a jury member, I would have considered them heroes not only for working under these conditions but for also for the fact they stayed and did their jobs, sometimes having no idea what was happening to their own loved ones. How could civilians have the capacity to judge them?
+10 pts - Task
+10 pts - Review
+15 pts - Prizeworthy (J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize (2014), PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction (2015), Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest (2013), Ridenhour Book Prize (2014), National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction (2013) )
+ 5 pts - Jumbo (558 pgs)
Task total - 40 pts
Season Total - 375 pts
15.6 Name of the GameLord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories by Oscar Wilde
Square 3E - letter A - pub 1866-1913 (1891)
Square 8B - letter W - author last name starts with W
Square 9E - letter I - author born in Ireland
Square 13E - letter T - title includes the name of a character
Word = WAIT
+20 task
+ 5 not-a-novel
+ 5 pub'd 1891
Task total=30
Season total=160
15.7 Name of the GameHow to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff
Square 9D - letter I - "Lie" in title
Square 11E - letter H - rated 5 stars by Misericordia
Square 13D - letter T - title word "to"
Word = HIT
+20 task
+ 5 not-a-novel
+ 5 pub'd 1954
Task total=30
Season total=190
15.8 Name of the GameThe Exiled by Kati Hiekkapelto
Square 7C - Letter G - GR Author
Square 2C - Letter E - "Ex" in title
Square 6C - Letter N - Nordic Noir
Square 13C - Letter T - The Plus
Word = GENT
+30 Task
Season total = 365
Special Note: As a Finnish author, I expected this to take place in Finland. (And don't tell me about reading the GR description!!!). Anyway, I was delighted to find it takes place in Serbia and can add it to our Group Project listings.
10.3 WinterThe Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey
Goodness, this was good. This is my favorite Tey so far (although Brat Farrar isn’t far behind). I liked everything about it: the characters and more importantly how Tey draws them; and the mystery and how it is finally solved – this seemed quite realistic (ie. It took a lot of work and time to dig up evidence). I also thought the small English town (village?) and it’s denizens in post war England seemed nuanced and finely drawn. Tey had a real knack for understanding (and conveying) how the public would think about the alleged crime and the victims, witnesses and accused. This is part of the Inspector Grant series, but he hardly has any role in it not that that mattered at all. 4.5*
10 task
10 review
_____
20
Running total: 455
20.9 NiecesOn Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
I seem to be almost alone in not being totally wowed by this. I did like it rather than dislike it, but no more than that - perhaps because there are so many other books with writing advice around these days, some of them more easily applicable. For example, there’s a lot here about how he relies on his wife for criticism, and nothing to suggest what you might do if you don’t have the ideal (or any) spouse.
Almost half of this book has nothing to do with how to write, but is a history of King's own writing life. Which is interesting, and fair enough as he does describe the book as a memoir, but if I'm going to read something by Stephen King, I would prefer to read or re-read one of his best novels.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (20.10)
+15 Prizeworthy x 3
Task total: 50
Season Total: 410
15.6 Name of the GameAround the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell
A- 3D- Adventure
I- 5C- "IN"
G- 7A-no G
G- 7B- GR Author
Word (Giga) (if this word is not acceptable, I'll just use "GIG")
Task=20
NaN=5
Task Total=25
Grand Total= 315
....; 10.2; 10.3; ....;....; ....; 10.7; ....; .....; 10.10
15.1; 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5; 15.6
....; 20.2; .....; .....; .....; .....; .....; 20.8; .....; .....;
10.3 Winter Knife by Jo Nesbø
I got back into the Harry Hole series recently and once I read #11 (which was crazy!) I was eager to get onto this one. Harry Hole is a recovering alcoholic police detective who, through the 12 books in the series, has been through a whole range of personal tragedies and traumas - including working on many wild serial killings, as he's a top detective in Oslo. In this installment, Harry wakes up with blood on his hands, and the story proceeds as he tries to determine if he, in fact, committed the murder he seems to have done. The story is a thriller and as always, Jo Nesbo's plotting kept me on the edge of my seat.
+10 task
+10 Lost in Translation (translated from Norwegian)
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 115
20.9 Nieces Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
I got the idea for this book (that it would fit the task) from another member of the group and it absolutely fits - great shelving! I enjoyed, but didn't love, this mystery. The story centers on Malcolm, a bookstore owner who had once published a blog post about "eight perfect murders" in literature -- and now, someone is recreating those murders in real life. Naturally this draws the attention of the FBI, and Malcolm begins to investigate as well. I had read one other Peter Swanson book and I felt similarly - interesting, good plotting, but characters I didn't care about or connect with quite enough to feel strongly. They just didn't feel as well rounded as I might have hoped. However, the plot was enough to keep me reading, if not ready to put it on my top ten list!
+20 task (shelved 90x as books about books)
+5 combo (10.4)
+10 review
Task Total: 35
Season Total: 150
10.8 LunarThe Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
This isn't the first time I've read this book, but it's been a while. However, I really wanted to read The Testaments, and wanted to remind myself of the book. I've watched part of the TV series that came out a few years ago, and thought it was really well done, and that also renewed my interest in revisiting this book. It really holds up - despite it being an older dystopian novel, the society portrayed is still chilling. It made me imagine how a dystopian society (any dystopia!) begins -- what has to take place to set this society in motion?
+10 (pub 1985)
+10 combo (10.4, 20.3)
+10 review
+15 prize-worthy (Arthur C. Clarke Award, Audie Award, LA Times Book Prize, Gov General's Award)
Task Total: 45
Season Total: 195
20.3 Post Modern The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
This is the follow-up novel to the Handmaid's Tale - 30 years later! I have read mixed reviews but I loved it. It's told from 3 perspectives - Aunt Lydia (one of the antagonists in the original book), a young woman inside Gilead, and a young woman in Canada where Gilead is unpopular and protested-against. Even more so than the first book, this is a fast-paced ride. I especially enjoyed reading Aunt Lydia's perspective, as it added a really unexpected and fresh dimension to her character and also to the full story of Gilead. It answered (partially, at least) one big question I had - what happened to all the women? Clearly some were killed but what were the different pathways? What led to the formation of this society? If you read or liked Handmaid's Tale, I definitely recommend this follow-up.
+20 task
+5 combo (10.6)
+10 review
+15 prize-worthy (Booker, Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis, GR Choice Award)
Task Total: 50
Season Total: 245
15.3 Name of the GameRound 2
Echo Burning (Jack Reacher #5) by Lee Child
Square 12C - letter S - #5 of series
Square 8D - letter A - wildcard
Square 15C - letter L - MPE: 432 pages
Square 10C - letter T -MPG: Thriller
Word: SALT
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 905
10.9 Lunar Things We Didn't See Coming by Steven Amsterdam
+10 Task published 2009
+5 Combo 10.7
+5 Prizeworthy
Task total = 20
Season Total: 635
15.8 Name of the GameWill You Always Love Me? and Other Stories by Joyce Carol Oates
Square 8D - letter O - wildcard
Square 10E - letter T - T title has no "the"
Square 14E - letter Y - title word "you"
Word = TOY
+30 task
+ 5 not-a-novel
+ 5 pub'd 1996
Task total=40
Season total=230
20.3 PostmodernThe Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde
20 pts 20.3 Postmodern
5 pts 10.3 Winter
5 pts 10.4 Cherubs
10 pts Review
An satire of modern day social prejudices and marginalizing those who are not part of the dominant group. In some ways reminiscent of Animal Farm, the Britain of the 2020s is populated not only by humans but also by rabbits who were transformed during the Great Anthropomorphization of 1965.
Social tensions and inequities are highlighted in the interactions of a very flawed narrator and his new rabbit neighbors. Issues of belonging, civic, civic, social and judicial discrimination group are explored throughout the book. Fforde takes a humorous approach to a serious subject. Unfortunately the ending suggests a solution to the issue that is somehow inappropriate.
Task total: 40 pts
Season total: 275 pts
10.1 ... 10.3 10.4 ... ... ... 10.8 ... ...
... 20.2 20.3 20.4 ... ... ... ... ... ...
15.1. 15.2 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1- Four Letter Word (NoG)
15.1 Name of the GameDriftwood by Marie Brennan
Square 12E - Letter S - MPG: Science Fiction
Square 16D - Letter E - Title has no letter E
Square 6E - Letter N - New to you author
Square 4E - Letter D - Author name has consecutive letters that are the same
Word: SEND
+15 task
Post Total: +15
Season Total: 195
15.2 Name of the GameBitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett
Square 10E - Letter T - Title has no “The”
Square 11B - Letter H - MPG: Historical Fiction
Square 2B - Letter E - Author’s name has two or more Es
Word: THE
+15 task
Post Total: +15
Season Total: 210
15.3 Name of the GameTight Rope by Amanda Quick
Square 7C - Letter G - Goodreads Author
Square 14D - Letter Y - MPG Mystery
Square 1E - Letter R - Series Name has the letter R (Burning Cove #3)
Word: GYR
+15 task
Post Total: +15
Season Total: 225
15.4 Name of the GameGrim Shadows by Jenn Bennett
Square 7B - Letter G - Author Names has no letter G
Square 1C - Letter R - MPG Romance
Square 9C - Letter I - Character is an Instructor (the female lead is a university professor)
Square 10B - Letter T - Published in the teens (2014)
Word: GRIT
+15 task
Post Total: +15
Season Total: 240
15.5 Name of the GameNo Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox
Square 11D - Letter H - Hot of the Press (2020)
Square 2D - Letter E - Eight or better word title
Square 6B - Letter N - Not a Novel
Word: HEN
+20 task
+5 not a novel (memoir)
Post Total: +25
Season Total: 265
15.6 Name of the GameThe Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman
Square 12C - Letter S - Series #4-7 (#4)
Square 11E - Letter H - Highly Rated (A. rated 5 stars on April 13 2020)
Square 16B - Letter E - Author Born in Europe (UK)
Word: SHE
+20 task
Post Total: +20
Season Total: 285
From Post 303Kim wrote: "20.7 Lifetime
A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
Published in 1890
These are the first two stories in The Complete Sherlock Holmes collecti..."
+5 Combo 10.4
20.3 Post ModernPortnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
I can't believe it took me so long to get around to reading this classic. I think I put it off because I had the impression that it was famous mostly for its sexual explicitness. But what was perhaps shocking in 1969 when this novel was written is not so much today. No, this novel is more about the title character's angst and struggle to understand the meaning of his life. The premise is that Alex Portnoy is spewing out his entire life while on his psychiatrist's couch. Portnoy dwells on his upbringing as a non-believing Jewish boy with an overbearing mother and focuses on his adolescent obsession with masturbation. It is going to take me some time, I think, to ruminate over Portnoy's life....and what t take away from it. I don't think it would be fair to say that Portnoy is an Everyman....but his foibles are probably shared by many of us. Four stars....maybe more.
Task=20
Review=10
Prize (1)=5
Task Total=35
Grand Total= 350
....; 10.2; 10.3; ....;....; ....; 10.7; ....; .....; 10.10
15.1; 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5; 15.6
....; 20.2; 20.3 ; .....; .....; .....; .....; 20.8; .....; .....;
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Gods of Jade and Shadow (other topics)The Inn (other topics)
Rogue Protocol (other topics)
The Inn (other topics)
The Escape (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia (other topics)James Patterson (other topics)
Martha Wells (other topics)
James Patterson (other topics)
David Baldacci (other topics)
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Kim wrote: "15.7 - Name of the game
$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer
Square 13D - Letter T - Title word..."
Kim, this unfortunately does not work for 11C. When dealing with multiple authors, we use only the primary or first listed author to determine eligibility.
Do you want me to score it as a three letter word using 13d, 2d and 6d?