Su 2015 10-20 Questions & Answers

[Liz M]

10-20: Read books published in ten different years, by 10 different authors all of whom were born within the same 20-year time frame.

Post questions and book suggestions for 10-20 here!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I had ample opportunity to read this, and I did several times before constructing my lists. I made several mistakes in my thinking. First, the 10-year rule for differing publication does not have to be 10 consecutive years. Second, you can have duplicates in the author birth years. I know the rules say these things, and maybe you read them right the first time ...

[Krista]

Are there any tips or tricks (or lists) to show author's birth years? I'm hoping someone more clever than I appear to be has find a better way than 'hunt and peck' find the birth dates.

Thanks!
-Krista

[Liz M]

One source is wiki's ---- in literature pages:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_in_...

Once you've landed on a specific year, at the top of the page there are links for other years, or you can type-over the year in the web address in your browser's address bar.

[Krista]

Great! I knew there was a way to search for this in Wikipedia -- I just couldn't remember how to get there.

Thanks for the info, and all the time you spend keeping these challenges going!!

[Jenifer]

So, the author Courtney Milan is the pseudonym for Heidi Bond. She was born in 1976 but the only thing that I can find that actually states her age is on this site (it appears to be something she wrote while in grad school at UC Berkley). Is this enough to document her birth year?

http://www.qiken.org/heidi.html

[Liz M]

Jenifer wrote: "So, the author Courtney Milan is the pseudonym for Heidi Bond. She was born in 1976 but the only thing that I can find that actually states her age is on this site (it appears to ..."

Wow, that must have been quite the hunt. I'll take it.

And as a general note, if you have an author whose birth-year is not on goodreads OR wikipedia, please include a link to where you found the info!

One acceptable place may be to use their author listing in a library system, which occasionally will list the birth year:
Siegal, Nina, 1969-
Bachmann, Stefan, 1993-
McKinstry, Carolyn Maull, 1948-

[Liz M]

Karen,

FYI, goodreads & wiki think Kazuo Ishiguro was born in 1954 (not 1953).

Eleanor -- please edit your post to reflect Euphoria's 2014 publish date. Right now your plan (incorrectly) lists two books published 2011.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Christine wrote: "I need some help with Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson. GR says publishing date on the MPE is 1867, Wikipedia lists a long stretch of years. 1859-1885, actually. ..."

We'll be using the 1885 date, and I have restored it to the GR database. An edition was added to the GR database with a publication date of 1867, which date I have deleted. GR automatically takes the oldest edition pub date to mark as the original pub date. However, that edition had an ISBN, a system that wasn't instituted until the 1960s.

[Liz M]

Tanya,

FYI Sarah's Key was originally published (in French) in 2006, not 2007.

[Liz M]

Norma,

I can't find a birth-year for Monica Ferris. Please provide a link.

[El]

Liz M wrote: "
Eleanor -- please edit your post to reflect Euphoria's 2014 publish date. Right now y..."

Done - that was a weird typo seeing as i don't even have a number pad :/

[Liz M]

Eleanor wrote: "Done - that was a weird typo seeing as i don't even have a number pad :/"

Thanks! :)

[Tanya]

Liz M wrote: "Tanya,

FYI Sarah's Key was originally published (in French) in 2006, not 2007."

Thanks. I changed it in my plans. Luckily I did not have something for 2006!

[Liz M]

Tanya wrote: "Luckily I did not have something for 2006!"

:)

[Norma]

Liz

I will have to change my plan as I do not have a link to Monica Ferris birth-year. I had the year 1943 from a post Kate S sent me back in fall 2014.

Liz M wrote: "Norma,

I can't find a birth-year for Monica Ferris. Please provide a link."

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Norma, you don't have to change your plan. Monica Ferris is a pen name of Mary Monica Pulver, and her GR profile has the 1943 date.

[Norma]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Norma, you don't have to change your plan. Monica Ferris is a pen name of Mary Monica Pulver, and her GR profile has the 1943 date."

Thanks

[Liz M]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Norma, you don't have to change your plan. Monica Ferris is a pen name of Mary Monica Pulver, and her GR profile has the 1943 date."

D'oh! I looked at both wiki-pagers and didn't double back to her other goodreads profiles. Thanks, Elizabeth!

[Liz M]

Jenifer, FYI google/wiki have H. Fielding's birthyear as 1958, not 1960.

[Liz M]

Christine wrote: "I realize that Jane eyre has a low Lexile, but it's on bloom's canon so it still qualifies, correct?..."

Jane Eyre has a lexile score of 890, so it works.

[Liz M]

Katrina,

Unfortunately The Witch Of Portobello was originally published in 2006 (the first US, English translation was in 2007). Please update your plan post either by removing this book or adding another 11th book.

Also, FYI, Susanna Clarke's birth-year should be 1959, not 1957.

Thanks!

[Liz M]

Katrina,

And I have a few questions/corrections for your second chain:

In a quick search, I cannot confirm a birth-year for Paula Hawkins, can you provide a link?

Google says Mohammed Hanif was born in 1964, not 1965.

So, if Hawkins was really born in 1973, please adjust the year-span at the top of the post to include 1964-1973.

[Liz M]

Valerie,

FYI, The Eyre Affair was first published in 2001

Steven Galloway appears to have been born in 1975, not 1970.

[Joanna]

Can anyone find an age for Tamara Faith Berger?

I think she's about the right age for my list, but I can't find a year anywhere yet.

[Ed]

Liz M wrote: "Christine wrote: "I realize that Jane eyre has a low Lexile, but it's on bloom's canon so it still qualifies, correct?..."

Jane Eyre has a lexile score of 890, so it works."


I thought I saw that Jane Eyre was an assignment book though?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Here is the rule in the FAQ about the Canon, YA, and Lexile.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Basically, if a book is on the Canon, YA/Assignment and Lexile do not apply.

[Ed]

thanks...good to know.

[Liz M]

Ed wrote: "I thought I saw that Jane Eyre was an assignment book though?..."

Even if a book is YA/Assignment, as long as the Lexile score is above 800, it qualifies for this sub-challenge.

[Katrina]

Liz M wrote: "Katrina,

And I have a few questions/corrections for your second chain:

In a quick search, I cannot confirm a birth-year for Paula Hawkins, can you provide a link?

Google says [a..."

Thanks, I had to work it out from her age and star sign but I'll just change it, I found the same problem with quite a few new authors.

[Katrina]

A quick question, i have two 10-20 plans (when they are approved) I know it says that I can complete this challenge twice but do I have to complete one plan then move to the next, or can i be working on both plans at the same time?

[Liz M]

Katrina wrote: "A quick question, i have two 10-20 plans (when they are approved) I know it says that I can complete this challenge twice but do I have to complete one plan then move to the next, or can i be worki..."

Oh, good question! I am going to say one plan should be complete before you start a second.

[Liz M]

~General Announcement~

I haven't consistently checked your plans for possible ya/assignment books. Please make sure you do so. Please feel free to ask for confirmation on a specific title.

I have done some spot checking (I always get caught by forgetting to check "adult" classics -- some brave school in Brooklyn actually assigned Lady Chatterley's Lover, and I don't know about the library's copy but mine certainly contained language that is not allowed on commercial TV. And Lexile has never given it a score, because why would they?).

Christine & Kate, with their many classic titles, are good to go. Several posts had a fair amount of fiction that I could see being assigned -- all the titles in posts 5, 14, 15, & 18 are fine. Those of you that are reading mostly genre works (Norma's mysteries, for example) I assumed would be fine.

[Valerie]

Liz M wrote: "Valerie,

FYI, The Eyre Affair was first published in 2001

Steven Galloway appears to have been born in 1975, not 1970."

Thanks for keeping me on the straight and narrow, Liz! Duly noted, luckily it doesn't change my list!

[Katrina]

Thanks, that makes sense. I've finished my first book so I'm raring to go as soon as the plans are approved.

[Liz M]

Beth,

FYI, Silk Roads and Shadows was originally published in 1988, not 1990.

For Daniel Goleman, the wiki page you linked has his birthday as 1946, not 1940.

No need to re-post as these changes still work in your overall plan. But I do recommend editing your post in case later on in the challenge you need to change/adjust your plan.

[Liz M]

Louise,

FYI, Joshua Ferris has a birth-year of 1974 on his gr profile.

[Liz M]

Sam wrote: "Here's my list. I have a few spares in case I decide I don't feel like reading one or two of the ones on my list once I get to them!..."

A few spares? You have 20 books in your 10-book plan! I am creating a new rule just for you. ;)

I won't approve plans that contain more than 15 books. Part of the challenge for the 15-point tasks, and the reason for the bonus points, is sticking to a plan.

[Liz M]

Katrina,

Unfortunately a book in your first plan - Girl With a Pearl Earring - is shelved as YA and has a lexile score of 770. It does not qualify for the 15-point tasks.

[Liz M]

Joanna,

FYI, Wally Lamb has a 1950 birth-year on his profile (not 1956).

[Liz M]

D,

FYI: Gringos was first published in 1991, not 1992.

[Denise]

Liz M wrote: "D,

FYI: Gringos was first published in 1991, not 1992."

Thanks for catching this, Liz. I've edited the post. Very frustrating; I re-checked everything a million times but still messed up. Amazing how the old eyes, and everything else, let us down eventually.

[Liz M]

D wrote: "Liz M wrote: "D,

FYI: Gringos was first published in 1991, not 1992."

Thanks for catching this, Liz. I've edited the post. Very frustrating; I re-checked everything a million times..."

The VERY tiny very light grey text doesn't help any either!

[Liz M]

Katrina

I hate being the bearer of so many bad tidings :(

Sharp Objects is also YA and does does not have a lexile score. It does not qualify for this sub-challenge.

[Liz M]

Sarah,

The year span at the top of your plan is for 21 years. The first year is 1948 + 19 more years = 1967. Luckily, your authors are born from 1948-1966, so the actual plan is fine.

[Liz M]

Kath,

FYI, it looks like The Well of Lost Plots was first published in 2003, not 2002.

[Denise]

Liz M wrote: "The VERY tiny very light grey text doesn't help any either!"

That is exactly what I was blaming it on, old eyes + light grey text!

[Sam]

Whoops, I guess I went a little more overboard than I thought LOL! I'll take out a few titles and repost a more manageable list haha.

[Liz M]

Cory

FYI, The Dark Between the Stars has an original pub. date of 2014 and Archangel was first printed in 1996

[Liz M]

Lagullande,

Brooklyn Publi Library has a birth year of 1952 for Judith Claire Mitchell.

I'm afraid Dear Reader was first pub. in 2014, not 2012. Please add another book to your plan.

And thank you for making me see Jane Smiley's author page. She has the greatest author picture!