Reading with Style discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Archives
>
SU 21 Completed Tasks
10.6 Page CountWhat is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi (325 pages)
I so love Helen Oyeyemi. I feel like I'm barely holding on to reality when I read her work. It's smart and strange, modern and full of fairy tales, real and unreal. I can barely keep up with her twists and turns but I just can't stop reading either.
All of these stories (with several overlapping characters) hinge on keys and many are about books. All feature fluid interplay of gender, sexuality, and race. The first story, Books and Roses, is unforgettable. I also loved Is Your Blood as Red as This? and A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 145
15.10 TDoSHoles by Louis Sachar
Yet another enjoyable book. This is definitely a book an adult can read and enjoy. There is drama, an underdog, and a (dangerous) adventure. Along the way there is irony, real life adversity and unfairness, minor violence (but a lot of fear) as well as commentary about fitting in and the (sometimes intangible) rewards of kindness and compassion. Certainly the youths vs adults is pretty black and white, but the interactions of the boys at the camp are more complex. I am quite surprised to see this book is rated as 660 Lexile; it definitely did not read as such (normally I find <720 Lexile too ‘dumbed down’). 4*
5* from Anika
45 task
5 review
100 finisher bonus
_____
150
Running total: 660
20.9 RTMCity: Medellin
Country: Colombia
Continent: South America
Oblivion: A Memoir by Héctor Abad Faciolince
Task Total - 25 pts
20.6 Riding the MetroThe No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Gaborone, Botswana, Africa
+25 Task
Task total = 25
Season total = 185
10.1 ; 10.2 ; 10.3 ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; 10.9 ; …
… ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; …
20.1 ; 20.2 ; 20.3 ; 20.4 ; 20.5 ; 20.6 ; … ; … ; … ; …
20.6 RtMThe Missing American by Kwei Quartey
Murder mystery set in Ghana with all sorts of twists and turnd. The narrative includes a fair amount about Ghana and internet scams. Interesting but the mystery is solved by the usual set of coincidences that combine to result in the guilty parties incriminating themselves. Lots of bodies and corruption, but good eventually wins, sort of.
25 pts. 20.6 RtM Accra Ghana
5 pts Review
Total task: 30 pts
Total Season: 320 pts.
10.1 10.2 10.3 ... 10.5 10.6 ... ... ... ...
15.1 15.2 15.3 ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6. ... ... ... ...
Countries: England, United States, Australia, Japan, Germany, Ghana
5 Continents: Europe, North America, Oceania, Asia, Africa
15.1 TDoS Rd 2 Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
I thought this sounded like a worthwhile series when I first heard of it, and then when Anika came up with a plan it was time to move it off my TBR list. I got the first four volumes today, which caused my colleagues at the library to think that maybe I’d lost the plot! Ha, ha….
Vol. 1 down – SO good! I have to admit when I glanced at it at work I did wonder a little if I really would like it. But I really like it a lot. The story is fast paced sci-fi, the characters are interesting and relatable, the artwork is fantastic and I love the cliff hanger of the ending. 5*
5* from Delitealex + Cory Day
15 task
5 review
_____
20
Running total: 680
20.5 Riding the MetroWhen the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson
set in Baghdad
Country Iraq
Continent: Asia
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 950
Task 10.6 Page Count 300 – 349Ariadne (2021) by Jennifer Saint (Hardcover, 308 pages)
Review:This novel is the retelling of the story of Ariadne from Greek mythology. I checked my mythology books; the author stays very close to the actual myths. Ariadne was a princess of Crete, the daughter of King Minos. Her brother was the Minotaur (The Bull) who lived in the Labyrinth underneath the palace. We follow Ariadne from the time she was a teenager until her death. My main complaints about the novel are: (1) too much of the novel is “tell” rather than “show”; and, (2) the women are treated as badly in this novel, just like the women are treated badly in the original Greek myths. The author obviously wanted to stay close to the classical myths, no modernization, no feminist re-interpretations. Recommended for fans of Greek myths.
+10 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 10 + 05 = 15
Grand Total: 175 + 15 = 190
10.6 Page Count 300-349pRound 2
The Obsession (The Obsession #1) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
304 pages
Review
After Dial A for Aunties didn't turn out the way I expected it to, I wasn't too keen to try this one. But as it was a gift and I thought, juuust maybeeee I'd like it as I have read and enjoyed quite a few YA thrillers, so I picked it up...
The Obsession is told from 2 POVs, Logan and Delilah, and both broken in their own way. What follows are twists on twists as each character's secrets are revealed and they spiral into an abyss of their own making.
I have to admit that the book is actually very good but that it was not one for me. I enjoyed the first half very much but then it turned darker into a style very much like psychological thriller. Since, I'm not a fan of psychological thriller, it then became a chore to finish. I was curious to I finished but hm, again it's not the book for me but if you love psychological thriller & YA, you'd enjoy this one.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 675
20.4 Riding the Metro These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
City: Shanghai
Country: China
Continent: Asia
Thoroughly enjoyable retelling of Romeo & Juliet, set in 1920s Shanghai, which apparently was run by some pretty powerful gangs. That's the backstory of the book - the R&J characters are the heirs of 2 powerful opposing gangs, hence the doomed love part. There's a fantasy element here as well - the two gangs need to tentatively work together to battle a monster/disease that is killing people across the city - but I enjoyed just as much (or maybe even more) the historical setting, and learned a lot about historical Shanghai gangs and the sizable Russian community that lived there as well.
+20 Task
+5 review
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 135
20.5 Riding the Metro While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
City: Washington DC
Country: United States
Continent: North America
So Stacey Abrams is an amazing political leader, a successful romance novelist - AND now writes political thrillers???? Amazing. I did enjoy this though it may not crack my top few political thrillers. Her deep knowledge of how government works definitely shines through, and I found the characters, particularly the main character Avery, compelling and interesting. The central plot, which I won't spoil here, is interesting but almost a side note and less engaging than the day to day of how Avery tries to solve the problem of people around her trying to kill and discredit her. Nonetheless, it was worth reading!
+20 Task
+5 review
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 160
10.3 Page Count 150-199Last Breath by Karin Slaughter
176 pages
+10 task
Task Total: 10
Season Total: 170
20.10 Riding the MetroMelbourne, Australia
Raisins and Almonds by Kerry Greenwood
This is the 9th book in the Phryne Fisher series...and my least favorite so far. This was the first time that I listened to one of the books being read...and I think that detracted from my enjoyment somewhat. The mystery is solid enough....but the clues seem to involve Melbourne's Jewish immigrant community. Although I understood the author's need to throw light on Jewish customs...I just felt like I was being hit over the head with too much information that the average non-Jew (such as myself) would already know. It also did not add to my pleasure to have the reader using stereotypical Yiddish voices and dialects. In addition to all that, this volume failed to draw out the charisma of the main character. It just seemed flat. If I had been the editor, I would find it difficult to explain my frustrations and what suggestions to make because the story is sufficiently engaging and the solution clever.... but I was left mostly unsatisfied. Just 2 stars.
Task=35
review=5
Finisher bonus=100
10 different countries+50
at least 5 continents=100
Task total= 290
Season Total=665
10.1; .....; 10.3;10.4 .....; .....; 10.7; 10.8; .....; 10.10
✔20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4; 20.5; 20.6; 20.7; 20.8; 20.9; 20.10
15.7 TDoSPresumed Innocent by Scott Turow
Ava Catherine & Lyn LeJeune
Sometimes I find the Goodreads descriptions so infuriating. I know it isn't their fault. The descriptions, for the most part, come from the publishers. I'm too lazy to go figure out how to not tell readers what happens about 1/3 in and not just 'sort of' spoilerish. In any case, knowing who would end up accused did have me paying a mite closer attention, so I guess knowing that wasn't all bad.
I admit that I have aged enough that I could have done with fewer explicit sex scenes which I'd put in the category of gratuitous. There aren't enough of them, however, to have cut this from 430 pages to even 375. Yeah, I've aged that much.
It has been years since I read Scott Turow and I wondered if this was going to be a reread. I decided not because absolutely nothing, not one word, seemed famliar. And I was very happy being in front of this legal thriller. The courtroom scenes and the pre- and post-trial lawyer/client discussions had my undivided attention. (Except once, when the word venire caught my eye and I knew it would play immediately in an online word game.)
There were clues that had me pretty sure I knew who the perpetrator was, but because I am so often wrong about such things, I would not have placed any bets on my being right. I was right after all, and that was satisfying, but it didn't spoil the novel for me. This is a very good 4-stars and that, for me, is high praise in the genre.
+30 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Before 1996 (1987)
Task total = 40
Season total = 395
10.8 PC Shadowlands: Fear and Freedom at the Oregon Standoff by Anthony McCann
This was a challenging read for me. The author, Anthony McCann, takes the reader through the Bundy family’s philosophy, theology, and mindset from the Nevada ranch standoff to the dismissal of the case against Cliven. Being an Oregonian, I had followed most of this in the news. The story of Ammon’s incarceration in a CoreCivic private prison and the protest about it had somehow escaped me.
What is the history of public lands in the west? What does the Constitution say? What did the writers of it mean at the time? What do the Native people who had their lands taken from them think about this?
One quibble I have is that McCann writes as though High Desert Partnership was the first such organization of stakeholders to work together on the management of public lands. I am aware of a number of such partnerships in the Northwest that go back at least several decades.
The best takeaway is an historian saying never settle into one point of view.
+10 task
+5 review
Season total: 175
15.7 TDoSTell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta
Rated 5* by Tien and Katy
+30 Task
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 980
20.1 Riding the Metro (Round 2)Double Blank by Yasmina Khadra
set in Algiers, Algeria (Africa)
This is the second volume in the Inspector Llob series...and I liked it. Set in Algiers, Inspector Llob is a battle-scarred officer who doesn't much care for proper procedures anymore since he is otherwise a man of principle and the rest of society is an utter mess. I'm actually surprised that I enjoy this series because it is written in a "hard-boiled" style...which I did not appreciate with the likes of Dashiell Hammett. Perhaps it is because the story seems more realistic...and maybe it seems more realistic because I have no idea what Algiers is or was like. 3 1/2 stars
Task=20
review=5
Task total= 25
Season Total=690
10.1; .....; 10.3;10.4 .....; .....; 10.7; 10.8; .....; 10.10
✔20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4; 20.5; 20.6; 20.7; 20.8; 20.9; 20.10
2nd round: 20.1;
15.2 TDoS Rd 2Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
5* from Cory Day + Burke Burke
20 task
____
20
Running total: 700
15.3 TDoS Rd 2Saga, Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan
5* from Burke Burke + Lindsay
20 task
_____
20
Running total: 720
15.4 TDoS Rd 2 Saga, Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan
I know I’ve already said this – but goodness this series is good. This time I’d like to focus on the artwork. I haven’t read a lot of graphic novels, but I’ve seen a lot of them at work. As well, I was able to see a very interesting exhibit about Southwestern Ontario ‘cartoonists’; which included top level graphic artists such as Jeff Lemire and Seth. So, that is the lead in to say… it is such a pleasure AND adds so much to the story to have an award-winning graphic artist working on this series. Most graphic novels that I’ve seen are ok/average when it comes to the art; but this series is head and shoulders above. When I finished this instalment I thought reading these is like watching a Quentin Tarantino movie. 5*
5* from Lindsay + Sara Grace
20 task
5 review
_____
25
Running total: 745
15.1 TDoSInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison (published 1952)
Rated 5* by Jama and Sara Grace.
Ellison captures the surreality of racism in a gut-punching way. This novel made me sit, as much as I can without living it, with the one-quarter humor and three-quarters utter despair required to survive in a completely unfair world.
Invisibility is weapon, symptom, safe haven, and punishment, all at once. Ellison shows over and over that there is no right answer, no success, when your skin is black. He deftly makes the reader feel it. To me, that's why this is such an important book.
+15 Task
+5 Review
+5 Before 1996
Post total: 25
Season total: 170
15.2 TDoSSing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Rated 5* by Sara Grace and Karen Michele Burns.
This is wonderfully-written and very lyrical. There are three characters whose perspectives we enter, and each voice is realistic and distinct. The balance created by having the voices of both Leonie and Jojo is the heart of the novel.
The theme of providing food (or hunger when food is not provided) as a metaphor for love is fascinating throughout. Leonie cannot provide either (love or food) for her kids in any way -- she can't think beyond her own needs -- and also withholds both to feel in control.
+20 Task
+5 Review
Post total: 25
Season total: 195
10.9 Page Count 450-499pRound 2
The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World #1) by Jodi Taylor
481p
+10 Task
+100 Completion
Post Total: 110
Season Total: 785
20.6 Riding the MetroNext Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
set in Havana
Country Cuba
Continent: South America
+25 Task
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 1015
20.3 Riding the MetroMy Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
City: Lagos
Country: Nigeria
Continent: Africa
"My Sister, the Serial Killer" is a dark comedy, set in Nigeria, that is hard to put down. Korede, the practical plain older sister, has been told since childhood that she must help and protect her beautiful younger sister, Ayoola. The problem is that Ayoola is a sociopath who kills her suitors when she tires of them. Kolede has felt an obligation to help Ayoola clean up the crime sites and dispose of the bodies.
Korede has been secretly in love with Tade, a personable doctor who works at the hospital where she is a nurse. When he falls for her gorgeous sister, Ayoola, she can see the writing on the wall--Tade's life will be in danger. What is stronger--Korede's family loyalty, or her concern for Tade?
The book also tells the backstory about the childhood of the two women as they grew up with an abusive father, and a mother who catered to Ayoola's every wish. Life in Nigeria is also worked into the story, especially the corruption of the Lagos police.
This is a riveting tale that can be read in one sitting. It's an entertaining book if you're in the mood for a book that's a little different and filled with offbeat, dark humor.
+20 task
+ 5 review
Task total: 25
Season total: 450
15.1 TDoSAnxious People by Fredrik Backman
Linda & Katy
I love the quirky characters that populate Fredrik Backman's books. I didn't love this quite as much as A Man Called Ove, but I still really enjoyed this book. These characters were less likeable, but I was rooting for them anyway.
The set up for this book--a bank robbery gone sideways, where the robber takes a few hostages who were at an apartment showing--was a little forced, but not enough to ruin the book. The humor is strong enough to carry off the absurdity of the setting, and there's enough heart to make emotions feel real.
Overall a lovely book. I started with the audiobook, but ended up reading the hardcover instead. The narrator for the audiobook just didn't do it for me.
+15 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 115
10.1 Page CountBeauty Salon by Mario Bellatin
63 pages
A short, creepy short story/novella about a beauty salon that turns into "The Terminal" where men come to die. It's never specified what they're dying of--some sort of plague? a version of HIV/AIDS? The owner of the salon wants the Terminal to be a place where people die with dignity, but yet sets rules against visitors, and provides little comfort to the dying.
I found myself equally horrified and enthralled by this story.
I want to read more by this author.
+
The Plagiarist by Hugh Howey
57 pages
It's turtles all the way down in this strange short story about metaverses and virtual reality. I have enjoyed the Wool universe by this author, and had heard that he was also a masterful short story writer. I think this story might have benefited from a bit more depth of treatment. I understood where this was going from the beginning, but because of the short length, I wasn't particularly invested in the protagonist, so didn't feel much for him and his plight.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Grand total: 130
10.3 Page CountThe Keenan Law Firm Policy & Procedure Manual Focus Group by Andrew Gold
160pp
This is a how to book on running focus groups for civil legal cases. It focuses primarily on medical malpractice and personal injury, but has enough information for me to adapt it for my civil rights practice. I read the book, then ran our first set of focus groups the next day. I'm impressed with how much we were able to learn at relatively low cost and short time investment. I'm definitely planning to run more focus groups for future cases, and I'm glad to have this resource to help me with the details of how to make it work.
I need to read more on facilitation of these groups--this book is really just an introduction.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Grand total: 145
10.6 Page CountReptile: The 2009 Manual Of The Plantiff's Revolution by David A. Ball
337pp
An important book for plaintiff's side trial attorneys. These concepts were considered revolutionary when they were first published in 2009. Now they're more commonly known and have been refined for different types of cases, but it's important to understand the beginning of the "Reptile" theory of case presentation. I enjoyed the war stories from veteran trial attorney David Ball and it's great to have bits of real transcripts. The chapter on preparing witnesses for deposition is also fantastic and worth the price of the book just for that.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Grand total: 160
10.8 Page CountImpostors by Scott Westerfeld
407pp
I always enjoy Scott Westerfeld and remember thinking the Uglies series was just so cool. I didn't realize he'd written a whole new trilogy in the same universe as the Uglies books until I was browsing in a bookstore and came across this one.
These books are set after the fall of the Uglies world, so there are some references to that world as recent past history for these books, but I think these can stand alone without having read the others (but, really, the Uglies books are great, so you should go read those instead of picking up with this set). This book is full of action, teen heroes saving the world, and cool gadgets and tech.
Westerfeld always has the pulse of coolness and is able to capture salient points. Here, there's a bit of a sendup of social media and celebrity, some winks toward fashion and coolness, and lots of fighting and chase scenes. Really, it's everything you want from one of his books.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Grand total: 175
15.2 TDoSExit Strategy by Martha Wells
Katy & Chinook
I have loved all of the Murderbot books. The narrator for the audiobooks does a great job capturing the unique voice of Murderbot and makes a convincing humanistic robot. These books must be read in order to have any understanding of what's happening, so if you're here at book 4, you either already like Murderbot or you belong back at All Systems Red.
+20 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 25
Grand total: 200
20.4 Riding the MetroTwenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo
Set in Beijing
Country: China
Continent: Asia
I read this entire book on the plane on the way to start my first post-Covid lockdown vacation. Hooray for vaccines! I loved the format of this book--it's told in "fragments" of the life of Fenfang. This young woman has moved from a rural village to Beijing to seek out a new life--she's working as an extra as well as in other odd jobs trying to figure out the big city and to figure out herself.
There's a very interesting author's note at the back of the edition I read where she talks about rewriting this book as it was translated into English ten years after it was first published and finding that she wanted to change some of the work that she'd written, wanted to give the young character more perspective--perhaps the perspective the author herself has gained over the intervening decade.
Highly recommended.
+20 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 25
Grand total: 225
10.7 Page Count 350-399pRound 3
The Hit (Will Robie #2) by David Baldacci
392p
+10 Task
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 795
10.5 Page Count 250-299pRound 3
The Track of Sand (Commissario Montalbano #12) by Andrea Camilleri
264p
+10 Task
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 805
10.8 Page Count 400-449pRound 3
Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss
416 pages
+10 Task
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 815
20.2 Riding the Metro (Round 2)The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht
set in London, UK (Europe)
Imagine my surprise as I started this musical play....only to discover that the character from Bobby Darin's song Mack the Knife....originated here. I had no idea. I always liked that song even though I didn't like much of the other music from that era. Mack is surely a disreputable and dangerous person....juggling several relationships. He gets married here...although he may already be married. He is the leader of a criminal gang that transfers wealth from those more well-off...and in the process, endangering the business of his wife's family's own criminal enterprise. The playwright, Brecht, was a Marxist and no doubt intended the play to be a commentary on London's capitalistic horrors. I've never seen a production...and I wonder if the play is always directed as a drama because I think it would probably work better as a farce or comedy on stage.
Task=20
review=5
pre-1996=5 (1928)
Task total= 30
Season Total=720
10.1; .....; 10.3;10.4 .....; .....; 10.7; 10.8; .....; 10.10
✔20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4; 20.5; 20.6; 20.7; 20.8; 20.9; 20.10
2nd round: 20.1; 20.2
20.4 Riding the MetroWhen Red Is Black by Qiu Xiaolong
City: Shanghai
Country: China
Continent: Asia
This is the third instalment in the Chief Inspector Chen series. I’ve listened to the first three of the series on Hoopla narrated by David Shin, which I highly recommend. Unfortunately, it seems the rest of the series hasn’t been made into the audio format. These are mysteries that take place in 1990s Shanghai. Of course, the mysteries are interesting, but it is the background and insight into the culture of Communist China at that time (and earlier, as the mysteries often are as a result of something that happened in prior years) that is the most interesting. The novels are slow moving, with lots of time for philosophizing and poetry (the author is a poet). Once you realize that and get to know the on-going characters the series is like visiting with an old friend. 4*
20 task
5 review
_____
25
Running total: 770
20.4 Riding the MetroThe Life Lucy Knew by Karma Brown
City: Toronto
Country: Canada
Continent: North America
Lucy woke up from a coma after falling on the ice and hitting her head. Not only had she lost some real memories, but Lucy also had fantastical made-up memories after her accident. She remembered events that never happened with an ex-boyfriend who she had not seen in four years. She only remembered her current boyfriend as a work buddy, although they had been living together.
Lucy had a condition called confabulated memory disorder where false memories seem totally real. As she narrates the story, we witness the confusion and frustration she feels in her mind. It's a difficult emotional journey for this Toronto woman to learn who she is, and what she wants in her future. The author writes with empathy for Lucy and the people who love her. The ending was a bit rushed, but it was a compelling fictional story overall.
+20 task
+ 5 review
Task total: 25
Season total: 475
20.3 Riding the Metro (Round 2)The Judge and His Hangman by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
set in Bern, Switzerland (Europe)
I recently read this author's The Visit...which was good...but this was so much better. The first in the Inspector Barlach duology, be prepared for some clever plot twists. Inspector Barlach discovers the body of a colleague who has been murdered. An aspiring officer assists Barlach in his investigation. I almost can't say much more without giving away the plot(s). Once again, even though I don't necessarily seek these stories out ...but I seem to enjoy revenge plots disproportionately. (The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite books!) That probably says something about me. But, really, I'm a nice guy....really. I will most definitely be reading the next in the series. By the way, this short novel is justifiably on Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List. Five stars.
Task=20
review=5
pre-1996=5 (1951)
Task total= 30
Season Total=750
10.1; .....; 10.3;10.4 .....; .....; 10.7; 10.8; .....; 10.10
✔20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4; 20.5; 20.6; 20.7; 20.8; 20.9; 20.10
2nd round: 20.1; 20.2; 20.3
Riding the Metro - 20.8Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Philip K. Dick
San Francisco, CA
North America
4.0/5.0 - Wow, this was so good! I'm am not normally a fan of science fiction, but Philip K. Dick writes books that really intrigue me. There are so many layers, so much to think about, and such great detail. One thing that makes it especially interesting is that it was written in 1968, but takes place in 2021!
Task: 25
Review: 5
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 320
10.3;10.4;10.5;10.6;10.7;10.8;10.9
20.1;20.2;20.3;20.4;20.5;20.6;20.7;20.8
Riding the Metro - 20.9The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba. Chanel Cleeton. 7.16.21
Havana, Cuba
South America
4.0/5.0 - By the author of Next Year in Havana, this book sets the stage for it. It takes place during the late 1890s, while Cuba is fighting against Spanish rule. There are three main characters, in the US - Grace is a young woman trying to make a name for herself as a reporter. In Cuba, we have Evangelina Cisneros, a real person, who is imprisoned after being accused of insurrection, and Marina, a young wife, also imprisoned, who works as a courier and helps to free Evangelina. Evangelina is very beautiful, and attracts the attention of some American journalists, including William Randolph Hearst, who uses the power of his paper to raise support to get her released. This book gave me a glimpse into a culture and time that I was unfamiliar with, and is sure to interest historical fiction buffs.
Task: 25
Review: 5
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 350
10.3;10.4;10.5;10.6;10.7;10.8;10.9
20.1;20.2;20.3;20.4;20.5;20.6;20.7;20.8;20.9
Riding the Metro - 20.10The Rosie Project. Graeme Simsion
Melbourne, Australia
Oceania
3.0/5.0 - Don wants to find a life mate, and Rosie her true father. They get together and impact each other's life, growing as individuals in the process. The book had some funny parts, but mostly, it fell flat for me. It was okay, but it doesn't inspire me to go out and read the rest of the series.
Task: 35
Review: 5
Task Total: 40
Finisher bonus: 100
4 Continents: 50
Season Total: 540
10.3;10.4;10.5;10.6;10.7;10.8;10.9
20.1;20.2;20.3;20.4;20.5;20.6;20.7;20.8;20.9;20.10
20.9 RtMThat Time I Loved You: Stories by Carrianne Leung
Set in Toronto
Country: Canada
Continent: North America
This series of connected stories, set in a Toronto suburb in the late '70s/early '80s, was fantastic. There are secrets behind every door of this sleepy subdivision and we get a peek inside--both into the homes and into the heads of the residents. This particular subdivision has had a rash of suicides and a murder so there is a lot going on in the collective psyche. The writing was lovely and it was hard to put this one down. Highly recommend.
+25 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 30
Season total: 1085
10.7 Page Count 350-399Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man by Siegfried Sassoon
This novel follows George Sherston through an awkward childhood at the end of the 19th century, growing up in the Edwardian years, and into the army at the beginning of the First World War. But rather than covering all aspects of his character's life, Sassoon concentrates on sporting episodes - mostly fox-hunting (although, I'm glad to say, without any graphic descriptions of kills) and other riding exploits, but also a bit of cricket and golf.
While I was reading, I found some of this tedious ("not another description of horses jumping hedges"), but looking at the thing as a whole, I can appreciate the way it allowed Sassoon to describe many different characters and show rather than tell Sherston's slow maturing. It also would have allowed the intense male friendships (or more) in the novel to go unremarked by most people at the time, because Sherston is in such a male-dominated environment. Women did hunt, but the few he mentions are middle-aged; and there were no girls at his school, no female soldiers in the army. So if he shows no interest in women... well, it's just because he never meets any, right?
+10 Task (395 pages)
+ 5 Review
+ 5 pre-1996
+100 Page Count completion
Post Total: 120
Season Total: 540
20.6 Riding the MetroMiss Phryne Fisher Investigates by Kerry Greenwood
set 95% in Melbourne
Country: Australia
Continent: Oceania
Miss Phryne Fisher is a 1920s socialite born in relative poverty in Australia but whisked off to England when her father unexpectedly inherits a title and a fortune. As the novel opens she is asked by acquaintances to find out what has happened to their daughter who married an Australian who seems to be treating her badly.
So Phryne jumps on the next boat to Melbourne, where she has adventures in every sense of the word and wears a lot of interesting clothes. At least I suppose they're interesting, because they are all described at length. That was the only aspect that dragged for me in an otherwise fun novel.
+25 Task
+ 5 Review
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 570
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
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)
More...
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)
More...
Salvador by Joan Didion (112 pages, published 1983)
I only occasionally found a reading groove here. This reads like a New Yorker article (sprawling, reporting and literary at once) but it's not one of the timeless ones -- it's one of the current events/politics ones that is good reading when timely and less so later. And this is 40 years old.
For someone particularly interested in El Salvador and its recent history, though, then I think this would be a great choice. The writing is impeccable.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Before 1996
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 130