March 2015 Reporting - Always Take the Weather with You

[Elinaly]

Liz wrote: "Hahah. It was good, a Japanese classic, I guess.
The author is a Japanese male, with multiple books published.
The genre is general fiction and it was only 175 pages. I did drink a beer while..."

LOL!!
But yeah, this challenge is difficult.
Looks like Connie is nailing it :)

[Lilisa]

Foot binding was definitely torture - the toe bones were deliberately broken and other foot bones were as well. Then I read that sometimes shards of glass or pieces of broken tiles were inserted between the toes within the footbinding to deliberately cause infection so the bones would soften and the toes fall off resulting in even smaller feet - OMG. Here's a link:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_b...

[Sandra, Moderator]

I liked Snow Flower and the Secret Fan but it was really disturbing.

[Lilisa]

And forgot to say I read the book a few years ago and liked it too.

[Berit]

That was definitely an amazing book! The foot binding was, very inhumane I thought. And then the results, if your feet were so small that you couldn't stand up you are more attractive, really? I always remember something one of my professors said along time ago, never judge another person's culture based on the standards of your own, I always keep that in mind when reading books like this.

[Elsbeth]

I read:
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Even though it is written from the viewpoint of a dog and is, partly, about racing, I really loved it! Some people behaved in ways that wanted me to hit them (especially since I have a 5/6 year old daughter myself), but it was a very good book! Maybe the racing and the dog made it somewhat 'lighter' than what it would have been like, otherwise! I gave it 4 stars.
And I believe it will get me 4 points:
2 pts for yellow title and 2 points for the 321 pages.

[Sharon]

Not at all, Rusalka!

And I can't imagine why any culture would ever tolerate, much less invent, a practice as awful as foot binding. It definitely made me feel less antagonistic towards my bra!

[Berit]

LOL :-)

[Canadian Dragon]

Foot binding sounds incredibly painful - ouch

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Sharon wrote: "Not at all, Rusalka!

And I can't imagine why any culture would ever tolerate, much less invent, a practice as awful as foot binding. It definitely made me feel less antagonistic towards my bra!"

*snicker* good point.

[Janice, Moderator]

Sharon wrote: "It definitely made me feel less antagonistic towards my bra!"

Ha! Good point, Sharon.

[Tejas Janet]

Elsbeth wrote: "I read:
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Even though it is written from the viewpoint of a dog and is, partly, about racing, I really loved it! Some peop..."

Glad you liked it, too, Elsbeth. I liked the concept a bit more than the reality. Hence 3 stars instead of 4 from me.

It's dear but I didn't think the dog narrator voice sounded authentic. Voice was too complex.

Dogs, in my opinion, really think more simply. They have wisdom, but their wisdom doesn't sound exactly like humans in my opinion, which is what this book portrays. That aspect didn't work for me.

I think dogs think more like... "smells frisky happy sunny green soft grass good smells no leash mama happy no worries." Except more complex than that in their own dog language.

[Esther]

Snow Falling on Cedars
Scoring

Author - 0 pts

Genre
3pts - Crime

Cover - 0 pts

Pages
3pts - 400-499pp

total: 6 points

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Esther wrote: "Scoring "

What book Esther?

[Janice, Moderator]

Rusalka wrote: "Esther wrote: "Scoring "

What book Esther?"

It's hiding in the fog, invisible.

[Sandra, Moderator]

lol, Janice!

[Esther]

Oupsy...

I knew this title would be easily forgotten, but I did not expect it to be so soon.

Post edited.

[Mariab]

I Read Lightning

Scoring

Author 0 pts

Genre
1pt - Sci-fi

Cover 0 pts

Pages
2pts - 300-399pp

Bonus Points - count once
2pts - has two or three hollidays (Xmas, Thanks Giving)
2pts - Ch gives up political affiliation, because sees how dreadful it really is, putting his life in danger

7 points (IF the last bonus counts... Rusalka?)

[Mariab]

Jijijiji.
I made the same mistake/omission, Esther. I just saw it (and edited) quickly

[Lori Z]

I read Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History. Very sad story but makes me thankful for the technology for weather forecasting that we have today.

Score:
Author - 0 pts.
Genre - 2 pts. non-fiction
Cover - 0 pts.
Pages - 2 pts. 323 pages

Total points - 4

[Elinaly]

I read Jäine hirm by Kay Hooper
(it's a translation into Estonian of the book Chill of Fear)

Points:
weather event in the title: chill = jäine (more translated as frost)
2 pts: Author is female
3 pts: Genre is crime (and paranormal, but paranormal isn't sci-fi I guess - depends if you belive in paranormal phenomen)
Cover has a tree on it, but there are also a bridge and face of a child:

1 pts: 288 pages
Bonus Points:
2 pts - has a day off work: the FBI agent was on a vacation; one worker at the motel had a day off.
2 pts - mentions a spider of some kind: there were many-many paintings, she looked at the paintings and saw there the symbols of the fear and realistic shapes: spiders, snakes, fly in the spiderweb ... (quote). Also the word "spidersense" was mentioned several times. No real running spiders, though.
2 pts - a character chooses to give up something to make themselves a better person: (view spoiler)[the hotel manager decides to help the police and FBI despite to the direct orders from the hotel owners not to show old documents, and risks to loose her job by helping to solve the crimes. OR Diana quits her treatment with antidepressants to try a different kind of treatment - therapy painting class and discovers her powers as a medium (hide spoiler)]

Total: 12 points - if I have honestly earned the bonus points :)

But the story was really creepy (aren't the dead children always?). Some parts of the story were abit annoying (endless persuasion of someone beeing medium - psychic), but the story in whole was bloody enthralling.

[Poongothai]

I finished Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

Author
2pts - is Female

Genre
0 pt

Cover
o pt

Pages : 384
2pts - 300-399pp

Bonus Points - count once
2pts - has a day off work for some sort of holiday, in honour of the fact I have a day off work for Canberra Day this month. The heroine’s colleagues have a day off for Christmas.
2pts - a character chooses to give up something to make themselves a better person (all of March is Lent) The heroine gives up her promotion to become vice-president to become a better person by having fun and enjoying the family life

Total : 8 pts

[Thing Two]

I read Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson for this challenge and earned a whopping

4 points

Genre
1pt - Sci-fi

Pages
3pts - 400-499pp

[Lilisa]

I read Land Below the Wind

Authors
2pts - is Female

Genre
2pts - Non-fiction

Pages
2pts - 300-399 pages

Total = 6 points
There were so many insects, birds and animals mentioned but unfortunately I cannot recall there being mention of spiders at all!

[Casceil]

I read Look What the Wind Blew In.

The author is female - 2 pts.
400+ pages 3 pts.
mentions spiders 2 pts.

Total 7 points.

I really enjoyed this book. Here is a link to my review. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lisa]

I read Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

AUTHOR: 0 points

GENRE: 0 points

COVER: 0 points

PAGES:
400-499pp (430pp) - 3 points

BONUS:
Has a day off work for some sort of holiday (Christmas, a man also takes time off to go on holiday with his family) - 2 points

Mentions a spider of some kind - 2 points

A character chooses to give something up to make themselves a better person (a couple give up their dream of independence and owning their own home by moving back in with their family which gives them a better/happier life) - 2 points

TOTAL - 9 points

[Sandra, Moderator]

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard

Scoring

Author: 2pts - is Female

Genre: 3pts - Crime

Cover: 0pts

Pages: 2pts - 300-399pp

Bonus Points: 0pts

Total: 7pts

This was a 5 stars for me. I'm not even sure why. There's a crime, and you don't really have to much clue about what happened until the last 30 pages. The strongest thing about the book was all the emotional stuff going on when something like that happens; and how many people has their lives changed for ever. I liked the way the author touched topics like doing wrong even when you are trying hard to do right, and doing right even when so much wrong has been done to you.
I liked Jody's character, but I loved Annabelle, Jody's grandmother. She is such an incredible woman.
The crime-mystery was engaging, but the emotional part was the best about this story.

[Beth]

PhillyBeth

Spring Flowers, Spring Frost by Ismail Kadare

2 points cover yellow letters,
2 points character wants to surrender life to state to resolve blood feud (but state does not accept offer, so you may not give me these points.

Interesting introduction for me to Kanun--Albanian traditional law.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Spring Flowers, Spring Frost, just because I went and looked it up straight away. Sure someone else will want to too.

[Lara]

I read a second book: Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch.

Author
2pts - is Female
1pt - has only published one book (so the one you are reading)

Genre
0pts - YA fantasy

Cover
0pts

Pages
3pts - 400-499pp

Bonus Points - count once
0pts

TOTAL: 6 points (again!)

[Beth]

Rusalka wrote: "Spring Flowers, Spring Frost, just because I went and looked it up straight away. Sure someone else will want to too."

Thanks. I can't add the links on my phone!

[Berit]

I learned how to add links on your phone, I still need to practice. But here it istitle The ocean at the end of the lane, Okay now I'm going to try this :-) fingers crossed :-)

[Berit]

It worked!! Unbelievable!

[Peggy]

Please explain Berit! :D

I never knew that was possible.

[Cherie]

Mmm, I don't know where it links to, Berit but it locks up my iPod and throws me out of GR. I tried it twice. :0(

[Sandra, Moderator]

The link worked for me, Cherie. It doesn't lead to the book page itself, but to the page with all the different editions of the book.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Sandra wrote: "The link worked for me, Cherie. It doesn't lead to the book page itself, but to the page with all the different editions of the book."

Same.

[Berit]

Well, it is a work in progress a :-) you can also link the author as well, I will try that later when I am more awake. Didn't mean to put a link on the word title, maybe that is what screwed you up?

[Tejas Janet]

Sandra wrote: "The link worked for me, Cherie. It doesn't lead to the book page itself, but to the page with all the different editions of the book."

That's where it took me as well. Pretty cool.

[Janice, Moderator]

I think the problem is the link for "title". There are two links there and you need to make sure you click on "The Ocean...." The link for title goes nowhere.

EDA - ahh the link for title takes you to the search page.

[Berit]

That was my fault I was trying to demonstrate how to do it and then it ended up linking the word title, sorry! I was just so proud of myself :-) I'll try to link book and author, and then show you how to do it adding punctuation somewhere and then having you take it out, I'm just in the middle of dealing with all this Financial Aid stuff right now.

[Berit]

Okay I'm going to try this, I need a break from Financial Aid :-)the ocean at the end of the lane by,Neil gaiman okay let's test this, testing.

[Berit]

I feel as though I've hijacked the thread, so I will just demonstrate, then enough already :-) [*book:Title**] remove the*

[Canadian Dragon]

@Berit sorry still doesn't work goes to blank topic page and boots me out

[Berit]

I think what it is it does not work in the app, but it will work on the website. You still can't link up from the app. Does that make sense?

[Berit]

Well not sure why it will work for some but not everyone. Also I am probably the last person that should try to explain anything technical :-)

[Peggy]

For me it works on the app and on the pc. Both go to the page with all versions of the book.


I read Cold Sassy Tree

Author
2pts - is Female
1pt - has only published one book (so the one you are reading)

Pages
2pts - 300-399pp

Bonus Points - count once
2pts - has a day off work for some sort of holiday, in honour of the fact I have a day off work for Canberra Day this month. - 4th of July


Total: 7 points.

[Cherie]

The links work when I am in the on-line version on my laptop, Berit. Everything but the "title" link from your first post sent my iPod to neverland. iPod=mobile app. Cant'link and can't see spoilers.
I think that is enough reporting in this thread on this issue. ☺

[Berit]

This will be my last comment on this issue, you can add the links on the app, you can also add spoilers, but as stated above, the app has it's problems :-)

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Heh keep discussing it in the discussion thread if you wish. But yes, please move it there. (PS. still takes to search screen not book).