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SP 22 Completed Tasks
20.4 ReiversThe Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
A true crime story about a man who stole almost 300 Victorian era bird specimens from the British Natural History Museum because of their value for use in tying fishing (as in salmon) flies. This book was a total surprise. I didn’t know anything about fly tying and how expensive it is to purchase “authentic” materials. The hobby as described seems rather suspect with some support for trading in bird feathers from animals that cannot be legally sold. The thief id an expert fly tier whose crime is only discovered after the fact. The author decides to investigate what really happened and ends up receiving threats and hitting all sorts of obstacles as the fly tying community begins to close ranks.
Definitely worth a read!
20 pts 20.4 Reivers
5 pts 10.3 Name
10 pts Review
Task total: 35 pts
Total Season: 1190 pts
10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.8 10.8 10.9 10.10
15.1 15.2 15.3 … … 15.7 15.8 15.9 …
20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 … 20.6 20.7 20.8 20.9 20.10
Task 20.8 Texas Independence (Rebekah's Task)Katherine Howe was born in Houston, Texas
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (The Physick Book #1) (2009) by Katherine Howe
+20 Task
+20 Combo (#10.4 Howe, #10.9 Dual Timeline (17th Century and 1991), #10.10 Group Read, #20.3 (Marblehead, MA and Salem, MA))
Task Total: 20 + 20 = 40
Grand Total: 420 + 40 = 460
15.8 South AsiaPakistan
In the Orchard, the Swallows by Peter Hobbs
+15 Task
+20 Bonus
Task total: 35
Season Total: 1420
20.8- Texas Independence A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World’s Smartest Birds of Prey by Jonathan Meiburg
GR data shows Mr. Meiburg lives in Texas
Task: 20
Total: 20
Season total: 240
Post 759 +200 Mega Finish
Post Total: 215
Season Total: 1,245"
Congratulations! Well done!
(This must also complete a Halfway Finish?)
Post 762 Rebekah wrote: "20.8 Texas Independence Failure is Not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond by Gene Kranz
Lives in Houston area
+20 pts - Task
+15 pts - C..."
In case you keep track of these things, you might have made a typo for the combo with 10.3 where it doesn't fit. But it does fit for 10.2. Same score.
Post 777Coralie wrote: " Half-way finish: 50
Mega Finish: 200"
Congratulations! Well done!
Post 778 Rebekah wrote: "20.2 Pulitzer PrizeThe Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family by Joshua Cohen
2022 winner
R..."
I'm sorry. This doesn't work for 10.2 because the MPE does not include the subtitle.
Post 779 i>Rebekah wrote: "20.8 Texas Independence Stoner by John Williams
Born in Clarksville, TX
From one college and its politics to another only this one wasn’t funny. Sad! Made me cry at e..."
I'm sorry, this doesn't work for 20.3 as a combo. Columbia, Missouri isn't a small town.
10.5 DatabaseGirls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young
low lexile
My thirteen- and ten-year-old children adored this book. We listened to the audiobook together and they would actually seek each other out to find me to get me to turn the book on, which only happens with books that really engage them. So, highly recommended for middle-grade readers who can handle a book with a high creepiness factor.
The book does a great job of layering on creepiness one little bit at a time. Particularly for younger readers who haven't read broadly, this felt really compelling. For the adult reader, I found the twists slightly predictable. More importantly, I found the premise a bit goofy. I can't really discuss it without giving away a major plot twist, but it's as if the author has never read any science fiction and is completely not in dialogue with other stories.
Imagine if the author thought she'd made up the concept of immortal beings who drink blood, and had never heard of vampires. She might then call these beings bloodlusters, and assign them random characteristics like a love of garlic. Any reader who'd ever heard of vampires would just be scratching her head and wondering what is going on, and waiting for the tongue-in-cheek reference to show that the author is deliberately twisting the traditional story. Here, there was a similar feel, and it never became clear that the author had any idea that there's a whole narrative universe out there.
So, slightly baffling. But engaging enough anyway, and I'm always pleased to find something that truly holds the interest of my younger readers. So, onward to the next in the series.
The narrator for the audiobook is fine. Nothing special, no complaints.
+10 Task
Task total: 10
+50 Halfway finish 10pt tasks
+200 Megafinish
Post total: 260
Grand total: 1535
20.3 Small TownHere the Whole Time by Vitor Martins
low lexile
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I'm so glad that someone picked this as a group read, because I'm not sure I'd have heard of this random young love book by a Brazilian author I'd never heard of. And my life would have been less full without this book.
The story, told in the first person by the teenage protagonist, gently but honestly addresses anxiety, body image, sexual orientation, and social pressure. Yes, things glide along relatively smoothly for these characters. But the internal dialogue felt spot-on and I think there are many young readers who would see themselves in this book.
+20 Task
Task total: 20
Grand total: 1555
Joanna wrote: "+50 Halfway finish 10pt tasks
+200 Megafinish"
Congratulations! Well done!
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 779 i>Rebekah wrote: "20.8 Texas Independence Stoner by John Williams
Born in Clarksville, TX
From one college and its politics to another only this one wasn’t f..."
I didn’t look up population. It just sounded small in book. Sorry
10.4 NameThe Sidekicks Initiative: A Comedy Superhero Adventure by Barry J. Hutchison
+10 - Task
+10 - combo (10.2, 10.5- a computer is one of the main characters)
Task Total - 20 pts
20.1 PulitzerBleak House by Charles Dickens
I've spent the last several months reading one chapter of "Bleak House" daily with a group. Although it's a long book with 67 chapters and multiple subplots, Dickens kept us interested and entertained.
The main plot centers around the legal suit of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce at the Chancery Court involving wills and trusts. The legalities are so complicated that they produce a mountain of paper. The lawyers' fees keep shrinking the inheritance until we wonder if there will be anything left to inherit. Dickens was a reformer so his humor had a serious purpose behind it.
Other subplots involved additional social concerns including poverty, the plight of orphans, bad parenting, and philanthropy. There is a large cast of characters, but Dickens makes them individually memorable with certain expressions, humorous mannerisms, or ways of dressing. Some characters are searching for love in their lives. Other characters take on parental roles such as John Jarndyce assuming a fatherly role as a guardian. Esther Summerson acts like a big sister or a mother figure to several characters. Dickens even includes a detective subplot in the book.
"Bleak House" is an impressive book with beautiful writing, humor, and lots of cliff hangers. Although the book was addressing 19th Century social problems, the ideas presented are relevant in today's world. "Bleak House" is considered to be one of Dickens' best novels.
+20 task (published 1853)
+10 review
+15 oldie 1853
+25 jumbo 1017 pages
Task total: 70
Season total: 670
15.4 East AfricaZimbabwe
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
+15 Task
+10 Non-Western
Task total: 25
Season Total: 1445
20.4 The ReiversThe Great Diamond Chase by Santa Montefiore
The plot revolving about diamond theft.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.4, 10.9 - we follow several character’s point of view in different timelines)
Task total = 30
Season total = 520
.... ; 10.2 (x2) ; .... ; 10.4 (x2) ; 10.5 ; 10.6 ; 10.7 ; .... ; 10.9 (x3) ; ....
.... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; 15.7 ; 15.8 ; 15.9 ; 15.10
.... ; 20.2 ; 20.3 ; 20.4 (x2) ; 20.5 ; .... ; 20.7 (x2) ; 20.8 ; 20.9 (x4) ; 20.10
20.6 The Color PurpleHabibi by Craig Thompson
+20 Task
No style points, graphic novel
Task total = 20
Season total = 540
.... ; 10.2 (x2) ; .... ; 10.4 (x2) ; 10.5 ; 10.6 ; 10.7 ; .... ; 10.9 (x3) ; ....
.... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; 15.7 ; 15.8 ; 15.9 ; 15.10
.... ; 20.2 ; 20.3 ; 20.4 (x2) ; 20.5 ; 20.6 ; 20.7 (x2) ; 20.8 ; 20.9 (x4) ; 20.10
10.8 Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished Le Bal by Irène Némirovsky
Irène Némirovsky was born in Kiev.
+10 Task
+15 Combo (10.4; 20.7 - she immigrated and spent her life in France ; 20.10 - set in 1928 according to the french wikipedia page - https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Bal_...)
+10 Oldies (published 1930)
Task total = 35
Season total = 575
.... ; 10.2 (x2) ; .... ; 10.4 (x2) ; 10.5 ; 10.6 ; 10.7 ; 10.8 ; 10.9 (x3) ; ....
.... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; 15.7 ; 15.8 ; 15.9 ; 15.10
.... ; 20.2 ; 20.3 ; 20.4 (x2) ; 20.5 ; 20.6 ; 20.7 (x2) ; 20.8 ; 20.9 (x4) ; 20.10
20.7The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
This is an interesting novel, told wholly in one voice. The focus is very narrow because of the one perspective, and it was hard for me to decide if he (Changez) was an unreliable narrator or not. Also because of this perspective I found it hard to be completely invested in Changez and his story. He seemed to be an emotionally naive young man, which is potentially to be expected given the age(s) he is in this story. I did find his relationship with Erica to be odd and his embracing of the fantasy of a life with Erica even stranger. Hamid does make some good points about American influence/interference in the world in general but these are very small parts of the story. 3.5*
20 task
10 review
———————
30
**sorry for the half-assed post; I didn’t bring my laptop so don’t have the usual info.
From Post 357Rosemary wrote: "10.4 Name
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler
This story of a mismatched couple begins with their meeting just after Pearl Harbor and continues into the twenty-first cent..."
+5 Combo 10.7
From Post 759Tien wrote: "10.9 Dual (Tien's Task)
The Island House by Posie Graeme-Evans
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.4 - POSIE)
+200 Mega Finish
Post Total: 215
Season Total: 1,245"
+5 Combo 20.9
From Post 773Norma wrote: "20.9 - Birthday's
Informed Risk by Robyn Carr
+20 task - ... throughout the meal, through cakes and pies and ice cream and coffee...
+5 Combo - 10.4
+5 oldies - 19..."
+5 Combo 20.2
From Post 776Valerie wrote: "20.5 The Killer Angels
Hadji Murád by Leo Tolstoy
I am a fan of Tolstoy’s work. Here he brings to life the story of Hadji Murat, a real life (what we would call) fre..."
+10 Oldies
From Post 788Rosemary wrote: "10.8 Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished
Solaris by Stanisław Lem
Kris Kelvin arrives on the planet Solaris where three men have been studying a possibly sentient ocean, to f..."
+10 Non-Western
+5 Oldies
From Post 789Rosemary wrote: "20.9 Birthdays
Venus in Copper by Lindsey Davis
Third in the series featuring Marcus Didius Falco, a private investigator in ancient Rome. Marcus is hired by a 'famil..."
+5 Oldies
10.10 Group ReadsNatural Histories: Stories by Guadalupe Nettel
This is a collection of five short stories. Although the stories are very different, they each demonstrate a connection between their human protagonists and some natural element. In one story. a young couple adopt a pair of Siamese fighting fish. As the couple and the reader learn more about the fish, the marriage of the couple becomes similarly complicated. In another, the acquisition of a poisonous snake parallels the development of poisonous relationship in another marriage. I'm not sure I yet understand the parables....but the stories do make one think...and they are enjoyable to read. 4 stars Thanks Coralie!
task =10
Review=10
NW=10
* I'm not sure if the author qualifies for NW status or for 20.7 immigrant status. Seems she is still a Mexican citizen living in Spain.
task total= 30
Grand Total=930
10.1; 10.2; 10.3; 10.4 (2x); 10.5; -----; 10.7; -----; -----;10.10;
-----; 15.2; 15.3; -----; 15.5; 15.6; 15.7; -----; 15.9; 15.10;
20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4; ----; 20.6; 20.7; 20.8; 20.9; -----;
Ed wrote: "10.10 Group ReadsNatural Histories: Stories by Guadalupe Nettel
* I'm not sure if the author qualifies for NW status or for 20.7 immigrant status. Seems she is still a Mexican citizen living in Spain."
Both! And thanks for having me look at it twice!
Kate S wrote: "From Post 788Rosemary wrote: "10.8 Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished
Solaris by Stanisław Lem
"
Kate, I don't think he qualifies as Non-western because he was Polish and lived most of his life in current Poland even though he was born in what is now Ukraine. Poland is in Europe and was not part of the USSR.
But thank you for all the other points!
Rosemary wrote: "Kate S wrote: "From Post 788Rosemary wrote: "Kate, I don't think he qualifies as Non-western because he was Polish and lived most of his life in current Poland even though he was born in what is now Ukraine. ."
Thanks, Rosemary. This was on me and I'll fix it.
10.4 NameThe Adventures Of Brian by Eric Thompson
The Magic Roundabout BBC television programme was a feature of the lives of most British children of the 1960s and early 70s and remained in our lives through catchphrases as we grew up because of the dry and often adult-focused humour of the scriptwriter, Eric Thompson (father of the actor Emma Thompson). You had to reach a certain age before you understood the double meaning of Zebedee's "Time for bed" or why the hippy rabbit was called Dylan and the spider was called Penelope.
I might have preferred The Adventures Of Dylan, but I happened on this one and loved revisiting this rather wacky show in book form.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Post Total = 20
Season Total = 1785
20.3 Small TownRosshalde by Hermann Hesse
This novella examines the plight of successful painter Johann Veraguth who has settled with his family in a large country house called Rosshalde, but is estranged from his wife and rooted only by his love for his younger son, a child of seven. A visiting friend tries to persuade him to enlarge his horizons by travelling to Asia, but he would have to leave little Pierre behind.
Family life is not often seen as being in conflict with success/fulfillment in the lives of men but much more frequently in the lives of women. In fact Veraguth has virtually no time-consuming responsibilities and only pays attention to little Pierre when it suits him, so it is really love rather than duty that holds him back.
Either way, I found this a very readable and powerful novella and it's my favourite of Hesse's work that I've read so far, although there is a lot of sadness. There seems to be no reason for the emotional distance between husband and wife, which is then the cause of other rifts in the family.
+20 Task (set entirely at Rosshalde and the nearby small town)
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (20.7 Germany to Switzerland, I have posted on the help thread)
+10 Oldies (1914)
Post Total = 45
Season Total = 1830
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ed wrote: "10.10 Group ReadsNatural Histories: Stories by Guadalupe Nettel
* I'm not sure if the author qualifies for NW status or for 20.7 immigrant status. See..."
Yay
10.2 EasterEnferme-moi si tu peux by Anne-Caroline Pandolfo
+10 Task
No style points, graphic novel
Task total = 10
Season total = 585
.... ; 10.2 (x3) ; .... ; 10.4 (x2) ; 10.5 ; 10.6 ; 10.7 ; 10.8 ; 10.9 (x3) ; ....
.... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; .... ; 15.7 ; 15.8 ; 15.9 ; 15.10
.... ; 20.2 ; 20.3 ; 20.4 (x2) ; 20.5 ; 20.6 ; 20.7 (x2) ; 20.8 ; 20.9 (x4) ; 20.10
10.4 NameRead any book by an author whose given name is 3, 4, or 5 letters long.
A Deadly Row by Casey Mayes
Casey = 5 letters
Review:
OK...I'll admit to finding a new cozy mystery series.
Savannah is a puzzle maker...the crossword type but with numbers. And, because I love Sudoku and other logic puzzles, I was hooked.
Then her partner is a retired chief of police who was shot, which injury resulted in his retirement. Now he consults with police departments on hard cases.
The two of them have moved to the mountains to live, but a case calls them back to Charlotte...and friends.
I loved the romance and interaction between Savannah and her spouse, the relationships with friends and family and her saucy attitude.
This most definitely is a series to continue.
Task Points: 10
Review Points: 10
Season Points: 95
Dual (Tien's Task)Read a book with dual timeline.
The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor
This book deals with events from 1917 and 2017. It presents the events of 1917 as diary entries from information found in Olivia's grandfather's book store and leads to finding her own family history.
The story moves between the two times.
Review:
I seem to be reading books that move back and forth between a previous time and the current time. This one does it in the form of a diary, which made it all the more interesting to me.
The backstory is set in 1917, war time. It is about two cousins. One (the younger one who has returned with her mother to Cottingley England while her father goes to war) repeatedly visits a stream that her mother wants her to stay away from. Needless to say, she doesn't. It is a place for her to go and think about her father and her old home and to enjoy the beauty. Of course she plays too near the stream and often comes home with evidence of that on her clothes. The other cousin joins in some of the visits to the stream and tries to help her cousin avoid trouble with the parents.
The present day story is set a hundred years later. It is the story of Olivia who has come to her grandfather's bookstore to decide what to do with it as she has now inherited it. In going through the desk, she finds an old manuscript and lots of memories of her grandparents. Contrasted with the memories, visiting her grandmother who has Alzheimer's, reading the manuscript, is the life she left behind her. Will she return to her old life or stay and run the bookstore? How does the interesting man fit into her life? What about her fiance?
LOVED this story.
Task Points: 10
Review Points: 10
Season Points: 115
15.7 East AsiaChina
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
Review:
What a wonderful story of China! Lisa See's writing allows me to experience, vicariously, a life I would otherwise never know. My heritage is European and early American colonial. So far from this story. Yet I am left with feelings and yearnings stirred by this book.
It is at the same time the story of Li-yan and of her daughter, Haley, adopted from China as a baby. It is the story of family...of coincidence or fate or spirit led life. It is full of knowledge and teaching about Chinese adoptions and tea. It is heartrending and heart-filling at the same time. So much.
Task Points: 15
Review Points: 10
Season Points: 140
10.4 NameSlade House by David Mitchell
A really well done haunted house story, but also a fun entry in the overall David Mitchell universe. If you've read The Bone Clocks, this book will feel like a companion story with some of the same creepy elements happening here as appear there. If you haven't, the story works fine as a standalone book.
Unlike Mitchell's other more complicated stories, this book stays firmly grounded in a single location and interconnected stories. Every nine years, a mysterious door appears in an alleyway, and behind the door is Slade House. The book details several stories of people finding their way to Slade House and never being seen again. Mitchell does a bang up job of interconnecting these stories and layering on the creepiness of the tale.
The narrators for the audiobook were excellent. They had the perfect tone for the story and made the listener care about each characters. I can see why this won an Earphones Award.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 1575
Bea wrote: "15.7 East AsiaChina
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
Review:
What a wonderful story of China! Lisa See's writing allows me to experience, vicariously, a..."
Sorry, Bea. No combo points for the 15-pointers.
20.2 PrizeRead a book that has won the Pulitzer Prize in the following categories: Fiction/Novel, Poetry, Drama, General Nonfiction, History, Biography
March by Geraldine Brooks
This book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2006.
Review:
It never fails to amaze me how, at times, in my reading choice I seem to select several books set in the same time or the same place.
I recently finished My Name Is Mary Sutter, which is set around Washington DC at the start of the Civil War. It focused on the medical care of those wounded both on the battlefield and their care in DC hospitals.
This book is in the same time but carries the story into the South as the federal troops move from the battles around Washington through Virginia and further south. Yet the protagonist, Mr. March, is a chaplain, abolitionist, teacher and part of the Underground Railroad. The story moves from his idealistic vision of freedom for slaves to his troubled conscience of the evil all men do. He is burdened with a sense of failure to serve those he would have helped.
Through his thoughts and letters we learn of his family of LITTLE WOMEN fame. Yep, the same. And how he would spare them the realities of life he is seeing and facing.
Then, in the second half of the book, we learn of his wife's fears and thoughts and are given to understand how little she knew of him or he of her.
It is a well-written story of hard times, of hard lives and choices, and yet so very much the same issues that all relationships must face in their own times.
Task Points: 20
Review: 10
Combo: 5 (20.5 - American Civil War)
Season Points: 190
20.5 The Killer AngelsIn honor of the 1975 winner, read any book having to do with a Civil War.
My Name Is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira
Review:
This is the story of a woman, who wants to be a surgeon, but finds that the traditional medical school route is closed to her. It takes the Civil War to help her achieve her dream, but it costs her much ~ a twin sister, a love, and estrangement from her mother.
It is a story with many facets of a strong woman who dared to dream of the impossible and the choices she had to make over and over to achieve her dream. It feels real. It describes the reality of war and death without glorifying it. It is a gritty story that finds a way to triumph despite it all. Was it worth it?
Task Points: 20
Review: 10
Combo: 5 (10.4 - 5 letters)
Season Points: 225
Kate S wrote: "From Post 773Norma wrote: "20.9 - Birthday's
Informed Risk by Robyn Carr
+20 task - ... throughout the meal, through cakes and pies and ice cream and coffee...
+..."
Thanks for catching this, I didn't see anything on the site regarding it winning a Pulitzer prize.
10.5 DatabaseThe Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
How many times I have said I am not a reader of science fiction, that I need my reading to be more reality-based. I am still surprised that I even picked this up!
The year is 2075 and Terra has established a penal colony on Luna. Some of the people living on Luna were never convicts, but were born there and free. Manuel O'Kelley, the first person narrator, is one of these. Despite its origins, Luna is peaceful and law-abiding yet Warden finds it increasingly necessary to tighten security and make movement between "warrens" harder. A Revolution is brewing!
Normally I would comment on the writing style. This is a first person narrative and Manuel uses the articles a, an, the sparingly. Often the verb "is" must be assumed. I was surprised to have adapted to this so easily, and also found it perfect for the story. Manuel is both serious and humorous, but I think matter-of-fact is the best description of him. Don't explain computers to laymen. Simpler to explain sex to a virgin. The other primary character (also well-developed) is Mycroft Holmes, better known as Mike. Mike is a super computer and considers Manuel his first and best friend. They have conversations, but we also learn much about Mike's personality from Manuel.
I used to question Mike's endless reading of fiction, wondering what notions he was getting. But turned out he got a better feeling for human life from stories than he had been able to garner from facts; fiction gave him a gestalt of life, one taken for granted by a human; he lives it. Besides this "humanizing" effect, Mike's substitute for experience, he got ideas from "not-true data" as he called fiction. How to hide a catapult he got from Edgar Allan Poe.Telling more strays way into spoiler territory, but I loved this book! I know I am not ever going to be a big consumer of science fiction - maybe not even a small consumer - but I find I no longer have a closed mind about it. A full 5-stars.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (10.6)
+ 5 Oldies (1966)
Task total = 30
Season total = 1060
Norma wrote: "Kate S wrote: "From Post 773Norma wrote: "20.9 - Birthday's
Informed Risk by Robyn Carr
Thanks for catching this, I didn't see anything on the site regarding it winning a Pulitzer prize.
"
I'm sorry, this is my fault and no, it doesn't fit 20.2. I don't know what I was thinking.
20.9 CakeFive Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney
+20 pts - Task (story begins with children making a birthday cake for their mother, later the bake little cakes for other people in neighborhood)
+5 pts - Combo (20.1 pun 1881)
+10 pts - Oldies
Task Total- 35 pts
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Reading with Style
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Sidney Chambers and the Perils of the Night by James Runcie
I always think it's a mistake when cosy mystery writers try to put their amateur detectives into spy thrillers, and this book is no exception. Like the first in the series, it contains several linked but separate stories which are not great mysteries, but the problem I had with this was that it seemed to lack the charm of the first book. Plus of course the spies. (view spoiler)[And I missed Amanda. Sidney’s choice of the plodding Hildegard over the feisty Amanda may be good for the parish, but it was a big disappointment for this reader. (hide spoiler)]
I gave this two stars, which means just okay: boring but not actually offensive.
Cake: "Sidney took up his slice of cake. It was a Victoria sponge as he had never known it before: light, melting and moist."
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.2, 10.4)
Post Total = 40
Season Total = 1750