Reading with Style discussion
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SU 21 Completed Tasks
20.5 Riding the MetroLet The Dead Lie (Detective Emmanuel Cooper #2) by Malla Nunn
City: Durban
Country: South Africa
Continent: Africa
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 340
10.6 page CountDeath with a Double Edge by Anne Perry
This series is improving. While not a police procedural, Daniel Pitt and Toby Kitterage are lawyers, become involved in a murder when a colleague is killed. Several clever twists keep the action moving as they follow the clues and investigate things that might be better left alone. I enjoyed this read. Its a fairly standard mystery but enjoyable.
10 pts 10.6 Page Count 300-349 pages
5 pts Review
Total task: 15 pts
Total Season: 125 pts.
10.1 10.2 10.3 ... 10.5 10.6 ... ... ... ...
15.1 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
20.1 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Countries: England
Continents: Europe
15.3 TDoSCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
5* from Devin Murphy + Bucket
This is one of Vonnegut’s earlier novels, but it delivers his trademark writing in spades. It is cynical, absurd, funny, satirical and thought provoking. It is a surprisingly ‘easy’ read considering the complex themes of pure scientific research vs the human desire to weaponize discoveries, right vs wrong in the moral sense, religion, politics, and environmental degradation. I was already a fan of Vonnegut, and this novel is one I would definitely consider rereading. 4.5*
20 task
5 >1996
5 review
____
30
Running total: 195
20.2 Riding the MetroSeven Upby Janet Evanovich
City- Trenton
State-New Jersey
Country- USA
Task +20
Grand Total: 95
15.1- TDoSWith the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Rated 5* by Delitealex and Katy
Task: 15
Post: 15
Season total: 90
20.8 Riding the MetroWhat Darkness Brings by C.S. Harris
set in London
Country England
Continent: Europe
+25 Task
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 300
10.5 Page Count 250-299Butcher's Crossing by John Williams (273 pages, pub 1960)
I was surprised by the writing. I knew the story before I began, since the preface had basically discussed the story in full. However, the writing kept me more engaged than I expected. I gave it a 3* rating mainly because I could lay it down; but, each time I did, it was with the knowledge that I would continue this story. I think the part that grabbed me was the thoughts and introspection of the main character...and how he changed.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Before 1996 (published 1960)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 20
10.5 Page Count 300-349Grave Visions by Kalayna Price (331 pages, pub 2016)
I love this series. Back when I seldom read paranormal books, I would never have suspected how into this genre I would get. Now I find my genre choices often include paranormal.
In this book, Alex, a witch who can communicate with the dead, is faced with her own challenges to stay alive as her fairy essence is fading. This book includes fantasy, magic, fae...and so many other wonderful worlds! It is a real break from the constant harsh reality of the world today. I really like this kick-ass heroine.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 35
10.5 Page Count 400-449Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith (433 pages, pub 1981)
I was surprised by this book. It had been on my TBR since 2015. Sometimes when a book has lingered so long, it turns out to be only an interesting story, not great.
In this murder mystery, the story is as much about who the dead were and why they were murdered as it is a story about the chief investigator and the Russian society he lives within. I loved it. Arkady Renko's life (both professional and personal) is falling apart but he continues to try to do his best. Easily 4*.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Before 1996 (published 1981)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 55
10.9 Page Count454 pages
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Very, very good. World-building is excellent, the characters are intriguing, and the plot is well-paced. It’s a page-turner that I couldn’t put down. As the pages dwindled, I got concerned. There was not enough text left to wrap Book 1 up. And, yep, this is a true cliffhanger. The book ends in the middle of some important action. I guess it’s better to break-off there than have an 800 page doorstop though!
I read one prior book by the author, and I did not care for it because the characters made bigger problems by keeping dumb secrets, and the romance seemed forced. This book has secrets and some maybe-romance, but the secrecy makes sense and the maybe-romance is a delicious slow burn that has me rooting for the ship.
+10 Task
+5 review
Task total = 15
Season total = 310
20.8 Riding the MetroMoonstone: The Boy Who Never Was by Sjón
Having recently read a book that used magic realism that didn’t work for me ( Untold Night and Day )…I was not really ready to have another go at a non-linear storyline. But this novella starts with a bang! Then I was confused as to what was happening…. but having visited Reykjavik where it is set, I did recognize several of the locales and kept reading…. and I’m glad I did. The story centers on Mani Stein (Moonstone)…a teenage orphaned boy during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. (That was interesting in and of itself.) I don’t want to give anything away…but as the story went along…my rating went from a 2 to a 5. I know, if you read this novel, you will say to yourself, what was Ed thinking? Well…for one thing…I will remember this passage whenever I am presented with a confusing text which, here, in the context of characters who promote experimental film…also works for literature…”They believe that with focused and audacious cinematography- scratching and drawing directly onto film, irrational montages, superimposition, changes of speed, close-ups of objects and body parts, intercuts between images of animals and people, the subversion of the linear plot- it is possible to re-create the complex life of the unconscious and free the individual from obsolete ethical norms and psychological inhibitions.” Take that Gabriel Garcia Marquez! I like subversion…at least as a literary tool....I just had never thought about it in those terms before. And the ending is a pithy slab of icing on the cake.
set entirely in Reykjavik, Iceland (Europe)* see note below
Task=25
review=5
Task Total=30
Season Total=265
10.1; .....; 10.3;.....; .....; .....; .....; .....; .....; .....
20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4; 20.5; 20.6; 20.7; 20.8
*** We often have some discussion as to whether Russia, Turkey and Egypt will count for either or both of the continents they straddle. I'm not challenging those discussions...just sharing something I learned when I was in Iceland a few years ago...... It is the only place on Earth where you can see above ground two tectonic plates meet. In Iceland you can visit the rocky formations where the Eurasian Tectonic Plate rubs against the North American plate. So technically Iceland is both European and North American. see-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=546Ov...
10.1 two or three short works adding up to 75-150 pages*I read The Pleasure of the Text by Roland Barthes 67 pp. 1st pub'd 1973.
and
Asian shade by Larry Ketron 70 pp. 1st pub'd 1983.
Total pp = 137
Task Points = 10
Before 1995 = 5
Total Points So Far: 15
20.1 Tellinn, Estonia. Europe.I read Treading Air by Jaan Kross.
Previous Points = 15
Task Points = 20
Total Points So Far: 35
10.5 Page Count 250-299The Bird's Nest by Shirley Jackson
This early novel by Jackson is not of the horror genre. The GR description tells us that it is about (view spoiler). Having that information ahead of starting the book is somewhat of a spoiler, but by the second chapter the cat is out of the bag, so it hardly matters. The first chapter is really promising. The MC is a timid, single young woman who lives with her feisty aunt and works at a dull clerical job in a museum. She is suffering from headaches and backaches, someone is sending her threatening letters, and there is a huge hole in the wall to the left of her desk that reaches all the way to the basement... Such an interesting setup, but it falls apart in chapter two when the reader is subjected to the lengthy, tedious notes of Dr. Wright, who is consulted about her situation. There are other chapters told from the viewpoint of other characters, but they were difficult for me to follow or to be interested in. Two stars at most.
+10 Task (276 pages)
+5 Review
+5 Before 1996 (1954)
Post Total=20
Season Total=80
15.4 TDoS The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
5* from Bucket + Ed
This is hard proof that graphic novels are not ‘for kids’. This is a raw and real memoir. I felt like I was listening in on the conversations that Art and his Dad, Vladek, had. Spiegelman was very effective in capturing his Dad’s voice (in some ways literally). I really liked that Spiegelman doesn’t try to make himself look good either (eg. as an adoring son) – this is real life, warts and all. The art is exactly right for the story, all done as black and white line work. It was incredible and in some ways chilling just how lucky Vladek Spiegelman was moving from an ordinary life to living through some of the most horrific situations and places that affected Polish Jews. 5*
20 task
5 > 1996
5 review
_____
30
Running total: 225
10.7 - Page Count - 350-399 - Round 2The Grave Between Us by Tal Bauer
+10 task - 376pgs
Task total: 10
Grand total: 220
10.3 - Page Count - 150-199 - Round 2Apple Die by Chelsea Thomas
+10 task - 178pgs
Task total: 10
Grand total: 230
10.6 - Page Count - 300-399 - Round 2Dangerous Lover by Lisa Marie Rice
+10 task - 337pgs
Task total: 10
Grand total: 240
10.2 - Page Count - 100-149 - Round 2Strictly Off Limits: A Forbidden Romance Novella by Jessica Hawkins
+10 task - 120pgs
Task total: 10
Grand total: 250
20.1 - Riding the MetroMurder in the Painted Lady by M.L. Hamilton
+20 task
Set in San Francisco
Country - USA
Continent - North America
Task total: 20
Grand total: 270
20.7. RtMFrom Hell by Alan Moore
London, England
I hated this. Sigh. I had such high hopes, and NOPE. Not for me, not even a little.
This is supposed to be a masterpiece, an achievement of the form. And… I guess if I try really hard I can understand some of those arguments. But honestly? This is overhyped. So. Much.
It’s long, convoluted, and boring more often than not. But worst of all, the art is terrible. The pages (so many pages) are densely packed with dark, inky sketches and jittery lettering that does not let the eye rest. It’s all a spiky jumble, and while in moderation that could have been effective, the result was relentless sensory assault. I mean OK, that’s what they were going for, but I hated it.
+25 task
+5 review
Task total = 30
Season total = 340
10.9 Page Count (450-499 pages)She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
"She's Come Undone" is the story of a troubled woman's journey through a difficult life. Dolores Price felt that she was caught in the middle of her parents' abusive marriage. Her father was a womanizer and her mother was emotionally fragile. After their divorce, Dolores moved to her grandmother's home in Rhode Island where she was friendless at her new school. Dolores went through some heartbreaking times, and comforted herself with overeating junk food. She had to deal with trauma, obesity, low self-esteem, guilt, and grief through her teens. Dolores had a wicked sense of humor, but she often turned hurtful and foul-mouthed. After years of therapy, life was not perfect, but she was able to cope better when life knocked her down again. Dolores met some interesting, unusual people who interacted with her, and some of the best parts of the book involved Dolores helping someone who was going through a bad time.
Wally Lamb wrote the character of a traumatized, depressed girl very well. The Connecticut author set the book in New England at the time he was growing up, so its sense of time and place rang true. However, a few of the situations seemed a little over the top.
+10 task (465 pages)
+ 5 review
+ 5 before 1996 (pub 1992)
Task 20.2 Riding the MetroSetting - Haarlem
Country - Netherlands
Continent – Europe
Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins–and WWII Heroes (2021) by Tim Brady (Hardcover, 298 pages) [940.53]
Review: This non-fiction book is about three teenaged girls living in Haarlem, The Netherlands, during World War II. The Germans completely conquered The Netherlands in five days, May 10-15, 1940. The author, Tim Brady, first gives the background of each of the three teenaged girls; next, the motivation (witnessed atrocities by Nazis against Jews, including the callous murder of a Jewish baby); how each teenaged girl came to join the Resistance; some of their actions; and, finally, a coda at the end, of what happened post-war to the people discussed in the book. The book is obviously well-researched, relying on postwar interviews with Resistance members, German paperwork referencing their activities, diaries and memoirs, and physical evidence. Occasionally two primary sources disagree about what happened; in those cases, the author presents both sources, side by side, with the comment that at the end of the day, the bridge was bombed / the Nazi was assassinated / the classified information was relayed to British Intelligence, even if the exact particulars as to HOW cannot be determined.
I picked this book up partially because of the 7 episode BBC series “World On Fire” (2020). The BBC series is set in Poland during World War II. There is a heroine living in Poland who is part of the Resistance. The fictional Polish heroine is shown as doing the activities in Poland that the Historical Real Life "Three Dutch Teenagers" actually did in The Netherlands.
Overall, recommended for anyone with interest in Espionage and/or living life in wartime.
+20 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 = 25
Grand Total: 25 + 25 = 50
10.1 Page Count 75-100Rain by W. Somerset Maugham (64 pages)
AND
A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark (43 pages)
+10 Task
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 310
20.5 Riding the MetroA Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint
Set in Kuala Lumpur
Country: Malaysia
Continent: Asia
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 75
20.8 RtMAya: Life in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet
Yopougon, Ivory Coast, Africa
Reading this immediately after From Hell about gave me whiplash. This is the extreme opposite and a much needed break.
Aya is the main character, a 19 year old girl that wants to become a doctor… and that’s really all we get to know of her. She’s a loyal friend, studious and hard-working… and NOT about to participate in the soap-opera messiness of other people’s lives. The majority of the story is centered on other people’s love lives.
Some heavy topics are touched on, but oh-so-lightly, and everything is resolved in a very lighthearted sitcom way. The artwork is colorful and had a great sense of movement and life.
+25 task
+5 review
Task total = 30
Season total = 370
15.4 Ten Degrees of SeparationDoc by Mary Doria Russell
rated 5* by Rebekah & Lisa
Appropriately titled, this book is about John Henry Holliday, better known as Doc Holliday. However, that 'better known' is probably incorrect and what most of us think we know about Doc Holliday is inaccurate at best - more likely downright false. For me, Doc Holliday was a just a name I associated with Wyatt Earp, Tombstone, Arizona and the Shootout at the OK Corral. Yes, apparently there are great parts of my life where I've been living under a rock.
The book opens in Georgia and John Holliday is a child. He was born with a harelip and cleft pallette. His uncle Robert Holliday told his mother to do what she could to keep him alive for a couple of months, that he thought the baby could be helped with surgery. Russell purports that Doc Holliday was the first person in the US to have had his harelip and cleft pallette surgically repaired. John Holliday lived, obviously, but only to watch his mother died of tuberculosis. And so, when he became tubercular himself, he knew what life - and death - had in store for him.
Yes, you'll also find Wyatt Earp here together with some of his brothers. The dandy Bat Masterson is a character as are a few of the whores of Dodge City, Kansas - and others. I was struck not once but repeatedly how well each of the voices of the characters was portrayed. I don't listen to audio books. I find it an extraordinary talent when an author allows me "hear" these voices via the written word. Russell was able to contrast the soft spoken Georgian accent of Holliday against the man of few words Wyatt Earp or even Wyatt's well-read brother Morgan Earp.
Thank you to members of my challenge group who gave this 5-stars and helped propel me to finally read this. I quite agree with their rating.
+20 Task
+ 5 Review
Task total = 25
Season total = 165
20.9 RtMYear of the Rabbit by Tian Veasna
Phnom Pehn (and labor camps outside the city), Cambodia
Oof. This was a hard one. Pretty much every page had me holding my breath, wondering when luck would run out. This is absolutely harrowing. It’s terrifying. When I was younger and read Maus, it was upsetting, but at a remove. These things were in the past, and we’d learned. Humanity is better….
And then I read this as an adult, and no, humanity never seems to learn. It’s devastating.
But, while this book could have been non-stop misery and violence, it’s not. It’s a family doing everything they can to survive together. I was sick with fear through most of this book, but it was well worth the read.
+25 task
+5 review
Task total = 30
Season total = 400
20.9 Riding the MetroAge of Iron by J.M. Coetzee
set in Cape Town
Country South Africa
Continent: Africa
+25 Task
+5 before 1995 (published 1990)
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 340
20.10 Riding the MetroThe Missing American by Kwei Quartey
set in Accra
Country Ghana
Continent: Africa
+35 Task
Post Total: 35
Finisher bonus 100
10 different countries 50
5 plus continents 100
Season Total: 625
20.2Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger Jr.
Surprisingly good story. This is one of the boys books that made Horatio Alger famous. As expected, it is a rags to respectability stire where the heo learn that he can improve through a chance meeting and then does so with lots of hard work. The two main characters are engaging and the moral lesson is told within a framework of adventures that a boy might enjoy. The preaching about the way to a good life through hard work and diligently improving oneself is not too overwhelming.
20 pts 20.2 Riding the Metro New York
5 pts Review
5 pts pre 1996
Total task: 30 pts
Total Season: 155 pts.
10.1 10.2 10.3 ... 10.5 10.6 ... ... ... ...
15.1 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
20.1 20.2 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Countries: England, United States
Continents: Europe, North America
10.6 Page Count 300-349The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
Vish Puri is the boss of Most Private Investigators Ltd of Delhi, and he's hired by a businessman who has been accused of murdering one of his servants. In an unrelated matter, someone is shooting at Vish while he waters the cacti on the roof of his house.
I enjoyed this more for the descriptions of Delhi and its inhabitants than for the mystery. There's too much comedy to build up any suspense.
Given the Indian English dialect plus a sprinkling of Hindi words, it helps to have a nodding acquaintance with Indian culture, food, etc. There is a glossary, but if you have to look up everything from aloo to yaar, it might be a tiring read.
I was disappointed that this turned out to be set about 60:40 in Delhi and Jaipur, so I couldn't use it for Riding the Metro as I had planned. But I have not let that affect my rating ;)
+10 Task (311 pages)
+ 5 Review
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 210
10.2 Page Count 100 - 149In the Blast Zone: Catastrophe and Renewal on Mt. St. Helens Ed. By Charles Goodrich
“Cataclysmic volcanic events profoundly change cultures and ecosystems, testing our emotional reactions and our language.” Mount St. Helens erupted in May 1980. Twenty-five years later a group of scientists and writers camped in the blast zone for a few days and explored and shared their experiences. This book is a collection of their written reflections. Many of the authors had been to the mountain pre-blast and a few had helicoptered in within days of the blast. All express a profound reaction to what they find 25 years later.
Some of the essays speak to my heart, some to my brain. A few seem a little strained, like the authors were completing a school assignment but most have left me with much to think about.
+10 task
+5 review
Task total 15
Season total 80
10.3 - Page countThe Story of Helen Keller by Lorena A. Hickok
159 pages
+10 Task
+5 Before 1996 (1958)
Task total = 15
Season total = 35
20.9 Riding the MetroThe Bells of Nagasaki by Takashi Nagai
I remember reading John Hersey's Hiroshima while in high school. It made a huge impact on me as I was about to be a number in the draft lottery upon graduation. This book is a personal account of the second atom bomb ever dropped....written by a Catholic Japanese man who was a teaching doctor (His specialty was radiology!). In fact, he was at his teaching hospital when the bomb dropped. He was badly injured...but somehow tunneled his way out of the rubble and immediately did what he could to help others. One can imagine the awful things that he describes....but he also discusses the amazing bravery of others...especially the young nurses who survived. And they WERE able to help many people...at least to give some comfort if nothing else. There were a few points that bothered me however. The author was shocked that the Emperor surrendered to the Americans. After seeing the destruction first hand, how could he imagine the Emperor could do otherwise? Secondly, with the exception of one tiny mention of his son, he never mentions his own family. I imagine this is Japanese humility...but on a human level, he must have been concerned...but we never know how they were affected...even if they survived. Thirdly, at a commemoration, the author is asked to represent the Catholic population. (His speech is included verbatim.) He speaks only about the 8,000 Catholics lost.... not all the others. He also never mentions Hiroshima...not once!- not in the speech and not in the book.
Despite these flaws (at least I perceive them to be flaws), the book is an important read that will probably stick with me as long as Hersey's book did.
set in Nagasaki, Japan (Asia)
Task=25
review=5
pre-1996=5 (1949)
Task Total=35
Season Total=300
10.1; .....; 10.3;.....; .....; .....; .....; .....; .....; .....
20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4; 20.5; 20.6; 20.7; 20.8; 20.9
20.1 - Riding the metroMarie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France by Évelyne Lever
Paris, France - Europe
+20 Task
+5 Before 1996 (1991)
Task total = 25
Season total = 60
20.10 RtMAngelitos: A Graphic Novel by Ilan Stavans
Mexico City, Mexico
Right, this book left me a bit baffled - what was the point? What was it trying to say? So I goggled Padre Chinchachoma, and UGH.
First of all… the book says “Chinchachoma” means “Lunatic” (pg 36)… but it really means “bald”. OK, minor issue. But Padre Chincha died in 1999 in Bogotá , Colombia. NOT in 1985 in the aftermath of the Mexico City earthquake. So that was a gratuitous invention for the novel, to manipulate emotion? (view spoiler). And there was nothing I could find that even hinted that Padre was an abuser of the children himself. In fact, I read that the street kids held a multi-day funeral for him (and then the paywall hit so I lack details). Perhaps though, that was all local rumor and since the author is from Mexico City, I’ll take his word. The other plot line is that Padre is hated by the corrupt police for protecting the children that they prey upon. They repeatedly frame the priest so they can have easier access to the kids.
But, an indictment of corrupt cops did not seem to be the point either. Honestly, this seems to be a diary of a well-off person’s summer of slumming. Misery tourism. With a little sprinkle of white savior at the end (The author describes himself as white in the text, and he (view spoiler)
+35 task
+5 review
+100 completion
+50 10 cities
+100 6 continents
Task total = 290
Season total =690
Africa
Aya: Life in Yop City , Yopougon Ivory Coast
South America
Angelitos: A Graphic Novel Mexico City, Mexico
Growing Up In Public, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Oceania
Bottled, Greater Melbourne area, Australia
North America
Abbott Detroit, USA
Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, Toronto Canada
Asia
My Brother's Husband, Volume 1 Tokyo, Japan
Year of the Rabbit , Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Europe
Girl in Dior Paris, France
From Hell London, England
15.1 -- Mexican Gothic rated 5 *s by both Katy and Tanya.Previous Points: 35
Points This Post: 15
Total Points So Far: 50
10.10 Page Count 500+I read The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination by Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar 768 pp.
This study of certain literature tropes mainly from the nineteenth century embraces so much more than simply literary theory. By investigating how female authors were impacted by female tropes in literature, specifically gothic tropes such as "The Madwoman in the Attic," Gilbert and Gubar show how gender discrimination was and is, rampant in the categorization of how women fit into a patriarchal society. The female author of the nineteenth century was "The Madwoman in the Attic," shunned and imprisoned in the attic of being ignored, supposedly because of her own madness (affrontery?), supposedly for her own good as well as the good of keeping societal norms. Gothic literature, especially, addressed this concept head on, as it had heroines who survived through the use of their own wits -- usually surviving a patriarchal figure who could be conceived of as evil. (Not necessarily true -- the evil of Rochester, for instance in Jane Eyre, is that he is imprisoned by the societal norms which force him to treat women in the way he does -- or, rather, which he feels forces him into treating them that way. I always felt he could have risen above those societal norms rather easily, bugt then I did not grow up in nineteenth century Britain.)
Previous Points: 50
Task Points: 10
1st pub'd before 1995: 5 (1st pub'd 1980).
Review: 5
Total Points So Far: 70
15.5 TDoSThe History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Joanna > Devin Murphy
For most of this book, I was wondering why there were so many glowing 5 star reviews. I just was not getting it. The parts with Leo were wonderful, but Alma was an annoying interruption of his story. And honestly, I never came around on her passages, nor Bird’s. I understand what those were aiming for, but they did not make me feel anything (other than impatience).
So why did I end up giving this 5 stars? Because when it all comes together at the very end, ALL THE FEELS. Started with glassy eyes, then a few slowly rolling tears, finally a snotty ugly-cry.
4 stars for me is a very good book, 5 stars made me feel something. And this is a moving book. Not perfect, but moving.
+30 task
+5 review
Task total = 35
Season total = 725
15.5 TDoS Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
5* from Ed + Ava Catherine
I listened to the audio version of this, and it was presented as a straight narration (as opposed to the plays that are read as if they were acting it). This was interesting because the stage direction was included, which really helped with imagining the setting. I also found it interesting that this recording included the original version of the third act as well as the rewritten one. I preferred the original. Now, I would like to see the movie! 4*
30 task
5 review
5 >1996
_____
40
Running total: 265
15.7 TDoSThe Girl in the Tower (The Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden
Rated 5-stars by Leigh and Amanda
+30 Task
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 370
20.2 RtMHere Comes the Sun by Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn
Set in Montego Bay
Country: Jamaica
Continent: South America
Task: 20
Post total : 20
Season total: 110
10.2 Page Count 100-150The Lake of the Bees by Theodor Storm
104 pages (pub 1848)
+10 Task
+ 5 Before 1996
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 640
10.6 Page Count (300-349 pages)The Woman I Was Born to Be: My Story by Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle was an unknown woman from a small village in West Lothian, Scotland, when she auditioned for "Britain's Got Talent." The television viewers were impressed with her gorgeous voice, and she achieved overnight fame.
Susan had some slight brain damage due to lack of oxygen at birth. Her years at school were not happy because her classmates bullied her and she had trouble learning. Her large family of eight brothers and sisters were very supportive. Her father was protective, and her mother was encouraging and loving. Her Catholic faith sustained Susan during difficult times.
Susan had a high level of anxiety, and the hounding from the press was almost unbearable. It was often hard for her to step on the stage, but the music took over when she started singing with her sweet powerful voice.
Susan hoped that her accomplishments would make it a little easier for other people with a disability. She wrote, "You should always focus on what you can do, not on what you can't do--and remember, there's no rush." Those are inspirational words for people of all abilities. (It wasn't in the book, but Susan was later diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.) 3.5 stars
+10 task (336 pages)
+ 5 review
Task total: 15
Season total: 155
20.1 Riding the MetroA Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint
set in Kuala Lumpur
Country Malaysia
Continent: Asia
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 660
10.5 Page CountParable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation adapted by Damian Duffy
266 pages
I read the novel back in 2018, when this was all very believable but not as flat-out terrifying as it is in 2021. Now? Well, I already have a lot of anxiety and this pushed me a bit over the edge. Pretty much had a panic attack mid-book the other night. But this morning I picked it up again, if only to get it over with. And… well my day isn’t ruined so there’s that. I’m trying to focus on the Change aspect and not the it’s-circling-the-drain parts.
The novel was better overall. There hyperempathy does not really have the same impact in graphic form, and the pacing is a little too fast compared to the novel. The philosophy of Earthseed doesn’t sink in as much, or at least for me it did not. However, the rather frantic art is excellent at expressing the terror and desperation of the final collapse of society.
I need to watch some fluffy TV though. DESPERATELY need a rom-com palette cleanser.
+10 task
+5 review
Task total = 15
Season total = 740
15.2 TDoSHawkeye, Volume 1: My Life as a Weapon by Matt Fraction
Andres Santiago => Maksym Karpovets
The Marvel Universe seems a bit of a cancer lately: you can't turn around without a new movie/tv series popping up, it begins to dull the senses and become a bit of a drag. Which is unfortunate, in my opinion, as there is a lot of good content to be found on the pages themselves.
For example: I first encountered the character of Hawkeye in the Avengers movies. I felt pretty meh about the character...he was pretty vanilla, didn't play much of a role on the "team," or have a well-defined character. Enter this reading challenge and this turned out to be a crucial link in the chain so I thought I'd bite the bullet and pick this up. SO GLAD! It was fantastic: I *get* his character now: funny, wry, normal guy with no super powers who happens to have one well-honed skill and is unafraid to put his life on the line for a Cause...I think he might be my favorite Marvel hero on the page. The writing is great and I liked most of the art (one episode was inked by a different artist who was not my favorite).
+20 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 25
Season total: 640
15.3 TDoSMonstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu
Maksym Karpovets => Shaina
The story in this one was not my favorite...I can't quite put my finger on it, but no. I don't think I'll continue with this series.
It mixes Egyptian symbology and "Eastern elements" (according to one reviewer, I can only imagine they're referencing manga--with which I have no experience) and has stunning art (art deco/steam punk with a little Studio Ghibli thrown in for good measure), but the fact that there is a lot of world-building, twisty plot, and treasonous activity going on at the same time makes you feel very unbalanced and like you never quite understand what's going on.
This won a boatload of prizes and the author is an attorney who also teaches comic book writing at MIT so certainly it's my own failing, not seeing how "great" this was, but it was not my cup of tea.
+20 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 25
Season total: 665
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
The House of the Scorpion (other topics)5 Centimeters per Second (other topics)
Some Kids I Taught & What They Taught Me (other topics)
The World That We Knew (other topics)
A Poem for Every Summer Day (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Nancy Farmer (other topics)Makoto Shinkai (other topics)
Kate Clanchy (other topics)
Alice Hoffman (other topics)
Allie Esiri (other topics)
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A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Rated 5* by Kate and Ali
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 275