Reading with Style discussion
Fall 2025 Home
>
Completed Tasks
date
newest »
newest »
Sweet Sixteen BingoSample Post
15.5 SSB
Square B4 - Title starts and ends with the same letter
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
+15 Task
+ 5 Old (1850)
+ 5 Big (882 pages)
+50 First line finisher bonus (row 4)
Task total = 75
Season Total = 380 (assuming midseason, and squares I4, N4, G4, and O4 have been claimed earlier)
20.10 Fall VacationBefore We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
(my carry over book)
I quite enjoyed this instalment in the series. I think you have to be in the right frame of mind for these books; and not read them all in a row. The premise is generally the same – although in this book all of the time travellers had regrets that they wanted to try to correct.
I’ve rated all four of the books the same, but in my memory I think I liked the first and second ones the best – possibly because the premise was still fresh. In those books there is the character development of the café staff which is important to the stories. Here we are expected to remember their backstories with a few hints. Overall, a light enjoyable read that acts as a nice ‘palate cleanser’ from some disappointing August reads. 4*
20 task
10 review
5 combo 20.8
_______
35
Running total: 35
Hope you have a great vacation, Joanna! Maybe you'll find a magical cafe in Tokyo!
Bingo task 1 I 3 a book that has been nominated or won at least 6 awards
All Systems Red (Dagboek van een Moordbot Book 1)
Martha Wells
Points: 15 points
Total: 15 points
20.4 Uncommon Letter (Fall 2017)The Briar Club
Kate Quinn
15 points
+ 10 points female author
+5 points combo task 10.9 ( pecorino in Bea’s ragu)/
= 30 points
Total points:45 points
15.1 SSBSquare I-1 - No "The" in the title
On Copper Street by Chris Nickson
Task total = 15
Season Total = 15
10.2 Bookshops of MelbourneSea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
shelved 617 times as literary-fiction
+10 Task
+5 Combo (20.6 - S EA O f Tranq UI lity)
+10 Female
+10 Prize-Worthy (Premi Ictineu for Millor novel·la traduïda 2023, Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction 2022)
Task total = 35
Points total = 35
15.1 SSBSquare N2 - A book written by two authors
Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen
+15 Task
Task total = 15
Season Total = 15
Bingo: N2
15.1 Sweet Sixteen Bingo B1 diagonal: Author has an equal number of letters in their first name and last name
Italian Shoes by Henning Mankell
15 task
______
15
Running total: 50
15.2 SSBSquare O -3 - set in a tropical country.
St. Barts Breakdown: A Mick Sever Mystery by Don Bruns
set over 50% in Saint Barthelemy.
Task total = 15
Season Total = 30
20.4 - Uncommon LetterSuch Quiet Girls by Noelle W. Ihli
+20 task
+5 Female
Task total: 25
Grand total: 25
30.1 Countries of the WorldFinding Napoleon by Margaret Rodenberg
I enjoyed this piece of historical fiction set largely during Napoleon's exile on the island of St. Helena. Yes, I had to look at a map, too. St. Helena is out in the middle of the Aouth Atlantic. I didn't highlight the numbers, but it is said there was a sign: eastward 2100 miles was Africa; westward 2500 miles was the coast of South America; north 5200 miles was England; and Hell was to the south. Anyway, it was clear the British had no intention of Napoleon escaping as he did Elba.
With a minor exception at the end, there are three points of view, each given section all of the chapters. Albine de Moncholon was in the enterouge that accompanied Napoleon in his exile. Though married, she was also Napoleon's mistress. Her story is told in the first person. Napoleon's story is told in the third person, but still with very good characterization. Whether Napoleon was a hero to some and a complete threat for others. The last point of view was very interesting. It was Napoleon's unfinished novel told in the person of Clisson. As I understand it, the author did not bring forth Napoleon's actual unfinished novel, but presented one that might have been.
I enjoyed my time spent with this. I know little enough of the details of Napoleon's life to have cared little how accurate was this portrayal. It was easy enough to just go with the storyline. But this isn't literature and there is no way I'm finding a 5th star. A full four of them is sufficient.
+30 Task (St. Helena)
+15 Combo 10.4 - MR, 10.9 - "The wine was harsh, the stew meat unrecognizable, but a good meal could be had on bread and cheese.", 20.1 - 3.76/413
+10 Review
+10 Female
Task total = 65
15.1 SSBSquare B1 – author has an equal number of letters in their first and last name
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
+15 Task
Task total = 15
Season Total = 15
10.2 Bookshops of MelbourneHalf of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"Half of a Yellow Sun" is a fascinating book about Nigeria before and during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-70). The early part of the book shows intellectuals discussing the ethnic, religious, cultural, economic, and political tensions in Biafra, a state in the southeastern part of the country where the Igbo lived. Missionaries came to the southern part of Nigeria so the more westernized people obtained administrative jobs from the British, especially in the southwest area around Lagos. The Igbo region in the southeast became the most educated with a large intellectual group. The British favored the ethnic groups in the northern region for the important military jobs. In very simple terms, after several coups d'etat, civil war broke out. During the war for Biafra's independence, there was a violent genocide of the Igbo population. Starvation was widespread especially for children suffering from kwashiorkor, severe protein deficiency.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie does not concentrate on the national and international forces involved in the civil war, but focuses on the effect of the war on the people. She grew up hearing about her own family's experiences during the war which prompted her research into this devastating time.
The book is mostly told from the points of view of three characters--Olanna, Richard, and Ugwu. Olanna and Kainene are twin sisters from a wealthy family. Olanna, an educator, is in love with a politically active professor, Odenigbo. Richard is a British writer who is attracted to Kainene, a businesswoman who knows how to take charge in challenging situations. Ugwu is a village boy who becomes a houseboy in Odenigbo's home. As Ugwu becomes educated and matures, he is able to see situations from the views of both the villagers and the privileged class. They are constantly moving to more rural areas to get away from the fighting, but food sources are scarce.
The flag of Biafra showed three wide strips of red, black, and green with half of a yellow sun in the center. The title of the book comes from the national symbol. "Half of a Yellow Sun" is not an easy book to read because it is truthful about colonialism, war, violence, and genocide. There are also tender moments of love, and people helping others that balance some of the sadness. One can also see the divide between the early intellectual discussions about politics, and the later reality of the genocide. Adichie is a good writer who created some memorable characters and situations. I'm glad I read the book since it was an informative experience.
+10 task (328X as Literary Fiction)
+10 female
+15 for 3 awards
+10 review
Task total: 45
Season total: 45
20.8 A Touch of Magic The Breath of Things: The Mist-Walker, Volume 1 by Stéphane Fert
Main characters are a group of witches
+20 Task
No style points = graphic novel
Task total = 20
Points total = 55
20.1 Happy Birthday Elizabeth!Les Chimères by Stéphane Fert
3,94 / 79 ratings
+20 Task
No style points = graphic novel
Task total = 20
Points total = 75
20.1 - Happy Birthday ElizabethShe Knew Too Much by Jemma Stark
+20 task - 4.31/42
+5 Female
Task total: 25
Grand total: 50
Sweet sixteen BingoO2 Author with a six-letter last name or with a total of 16 letters in their name
Layla
Colleen Hoover
15 points
Total points: 60 points
Bingo
📚📚📚📚📚
📚📚📚📚✔️
📚✔️📚📚📚
📚📚📚📚📚
📚📚📚📚📚
20.8 A Touch of Magic (Anika's task)The Wolf's Eye (The Order of the Seven Stars #2) by Luanne G. Smith
+20 Task
+10 Female
Post total: 30
Season total: 30
10.9 Cheese!Lost and Fondue by Avery Aames
This was a very enjoyable cozy mystery. The main characters were fairly well established in the first book of the series, so this carries on from there – which I have to say was kind of refreshing…. no covering old ground. Once again, we have a small town which has more than it’s fair share of murders (a staple of cozies). There is a lot of action in the cheese shop, owned by the MC, which is fun (well, if you like cheese and wine!). I quite enjoy the quirky characters that populate this series. The MC meddles in the investigation and occasionally gets in some sticky situations, but overall you know it will end well. There is also a romantic angle which, so far, is minor and mysterious. 4*
SO MUCH cheese in this book:
pg. 93: '"I agree, Pepere. Appenzeller." Most people aren't familiar with the cheese, but I adore it. Appenzeller is a semi-hard Alpine Cow's mile that looks liek Gruyere but has a mor epungetn, farmlike aroma.'.....
10 task
10 review
______
20
Running total: 70
15.1 SSBSquare I 5 - a book without chapter numbers
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 15
20.8 Touch of MagicThe Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi
There is a Japanese myth where Yomotsu Hirasaka is a slope or liminal place at the boundary between the living and the dead. In "The Lantern of Lost Memories" that space is located in Mr Hirasaka's photography studio. People go there soon after death and get to view photographs of their lives. They also have the opportunity to go back invisibly to view and take a photo of a special moment in their life before they go to the afterlife.
There are three interlocking tales about three very different people in this charming book. Mr Hirasaka is a patient, thoughtful guide when his patrons recall their memories, prompted by the photographs of their lives. It's a book that makes the reader think about memories, preserving our recollections in photos, and how the past makes us what we are today.
Small Japanese translated books have become very popular lately. I've seen them labeled as cozy reads, comfort reads, sentimental books, healing fiction, inspirational books, and "feel-good" reads. "The Lantern of Lost Memories" is one of the more enjoyable books of the genre.
+20 task (MPG Magical Realism)
+ 5 combo 20.10 Fall Vacation (set 100% in Japan)
+ 5 combo 10.6 Nineteenth (pub 2019)
+10 female
+10 review
Task total: 50
Season total: 95
10.4 - Elmore LeonardSomeone Else's Daughter by Linsey Lanier
+10 task - LL
+5 Female
Task total: 15
Grand total: 65
Sweet sixteen Bingo i2 a book set more than 200 years before it was written
The Other Miss Bridgerton
Julia Quinn
Set end of the 18 th century
15 points
Total points: 75 points
📚📚📚📚📚
📚✔️📚📚✔️
📚✔️📚📚📚
📚📚📚📚📚
📚📚📚📚📚
Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
The Other Miss Bridgerton (other topics)Someone Else's Daughter (other topics)
The Lantern of Lost Memories (other topics)
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra (other topics)
Lost and Fondue (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Julia Quinn (other topics)Linsey Lanier (other topics)
Sanaka Hiiragi (other topics)
Vaseem Khan (other topics)
Avery Aames (other topics)
More...
Please use the add book/author link for the book titles and include a link to both title and author in your post.
If using an outside source to qualify a book for points, please be sure to post in the appropriate task thread prior to posting in this thread.
Sample Post
10.2 Bookshops of Melbourne
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
[insert 100+ word review here]
+10 task (399 shelvings as Literary Fiction)
+ 5 Combo (10.6)
+10 Review
+10 Female
+15 Prize-Worthy (5 prizes)
+ 5 Jumbo (653 pages)
Task total = 55
Season Total = 255 (assuming mid-season with 200 pts claimed earlier)