Samanta's 2022 "Not giving up on Blackout" Bingo Challenge

[Samanta]

[Samanta]

Challenge Levels

Level One Bingo
Four Corners: Mark off the four outside corners of the Bingo board.
Five-in-a-Row: Mark off five squares in a row. This can be done horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Level Two Bingo
Small Box: Mark off all the 9 inner squares of the board (including the free square), leaving blank the 16 outside border squares.

Level Three Bingo
Outside Box: Mark off all 16 of the outer squares, leaving blank the 9 inner squares.

Level Four Bingo
Blackout! Mark off all the squares of the board.

[Samanta]

B1: Book Published 1950 - 1999 - FINISHED 21.02.2022.
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
B2: Classic written in your native language
B3: Classic Science or Philosophy
B4: Classic Banned Book
B5: A Classic NOT on Our Bookshelf that Should be There - FINISHED 16.02.2022.
La novia de Lázaro by Dulce María Loynaz

I1: Book from the Group’s Bookshelf Prior to 2022
I2: New-To-You Classic Author
I3: Classic Drama or Play
I4: Classic Over 500 pages
I5: Literary Prize or Your Country or Region

N1: Classic Involving Music
N2: Classic Mythology or Folklore
N3: Free Space - FINISHED 01.02.2022.
Autobiografia de Los Espanoles: Asi Nos Vemos: Asi Somos? by A. Miguel
N4: Classic Poetry or Essay Collection
N5: Classic by an Author from a Country you didn’t Read in 2021

G1: Winner of a Foreign Literary Prize
G2: Book from a group poll during your birthday month
G3: Classic Tragedy
G4: Group Bingo Participant Pick
G5: Book from the Group’s 2022 Bookshelf

O1: Book Published before 1900
O2: Children’s Classic
O3: Classic Short Story Collection
O4: Classic in translation
O5: Book Published 1900 - 1949

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Good to see you doing the bingo challenge, Samanta. Have a great year reading.

[Samanta]

Thank you, Katy! :)

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Samanta wrote: "Thank you, Katy! :)"

And I hope you get a tourist season this year.

[Cynda]

Samantha do you work in the tourism industry? I worked as sales person at a large hotel with about 7775 rooms, meeting rooms, a convention center along with one restaurant and two bars. Just about too large a hotel.

[Cynda]

Looking forward to seeing how you fill your card. Enjoy!

[Samanta]

Katy wrote: "Samanta wrote: "Thank you, Katy! :)"

And I hope you get a tourist season this year."

Thank you, Katy! I'm hoping for a better season, too.

[Samanta]

Cynda wrote: "Samantha do you work in the tourism industry? I worked as sales person at a large hotel with about 7775 rooms, meeting rooms, a convention center along with one restaurant and two bars. Just about ..."

I'm a certified tour guide in Zagreb, Cynda. I am also now trying to make a career as a translator. I really hope that tourism will get back on its feet in 2022.

[Samanta]

Cynda wrote: "Looking forward to seeing how you fill your card. Enjoy!"

Thank you! You, too! :)

[Samanta]

Jillian ❀‿❀ wrote: "Best wishes selecting titles, Samanta! :-)"

Thank you! :)

[Samanta]

N3: Free Space - FINISHED 01.02.2022.

by A. Miguel
Finish Date: 01.02.2021.
Genre: Autobiography
Rating: C
Review: The Autobiography of the Spanish was written by the famous 20th century Spanish sociologist Amando de Miguel. It gives us an overview of all the characteristics of the Spanish as a nation. The book is divided into chapters that bear the name of a certain characteristic with ample examples from auto(biographies) and memoirs written by famous Spaniards of the 19th and the 20th centuries. The idea is pretty good, but the execution is a bit lacking as the book is, at times, quite tedious and methinks that the author likes to express his (sarcastic) opinions rather freely.

[Samanta]

B5: A Classic NOT on Our Bookshelf that Should be There - FINISHED 16.02.2022.

by Dulce María Loynaz
Finish Date: 16.02.2021.
Genre: Prose Poetry, Biblical
Rating: A
Review: Lazarus' Fiancée is a beautiful poem in prose written by the Cuban poetess Dulce Maria Loynaz. It tells the story of Lazarus' fiancée and her feelings upon his coming back from the dead. The poem is written in first person point of view and is full of very intense emotion expressed with beautiful and sometimes very difficult to understand words. But even if you do not understand a particular word, you can feel the emotion behind it.

Goodreads says this is my third time reading this story, but I know it won't be my last.

[Samanta]

B1: Book Published 1950 - 1999 - FINISHED 21.02.2022.

by Andre Dubus III
Finish Date: 21.02.2021.
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: C
Review: I am not sure what to think of House of Sand and Fog. It was supposed to be a huge hit and one of the most sold book that even Oprah chose for her book club. But I just trudged trough it. I couldn't connect to any of the characters, at least not on a level to look forward to reading their story. I though Colonel Bahrani a self-righteous and greedy man who couldn't cope with his fall from grace and used providing for his family as an excuse to feel important again. His wife, although a good woman, was constantly whining and lamenting marrying him, but enjoyed all the luxuries a marriage to a Colonel gave her while she was still in her native county. On the other hand, Kathy, the self- destructive woman, who acts like a girl although she is 36 and expects other people to fight her battles, the ones she doesn't want to fight. I feel anxious after reading this book, because my faith in people diminishes with every story like this that I read (with ample example in my real-life circle) and it's the only thing I refuse to lose, despite life giving its best to "teach me a lesson".

I hate that I still have trouble DNF-ing a book.