30.6 (Donna Jo's Task - As Suggested By Liz Brooklyn - Character References)

[Julie J]

Anybody know what book(s) A Thousand Splendid Suns refers to? Or I know Why the Caged Bird Sings? Thx

[Liz M]

Julie wrote: "Anybody know what book(s) A Thousand Splendid Suns refers to? Or I know Why the Caged Bird Sings? Thx"

In a quick 15 minute search, I can't find any specific book/author references in A Thousand Splendid Suns.

However, the Maya Angelou book has literacy as a major theme: "Literacy, and seizing the power of words, help young Maya cope with her bewildering world; books become her refuge as she works through her trauma." It specifically mentions Edgar Allan Poe and William Shakespeare, and probably mentions quite a few more books/authors.

[Krista]

Jamie wrote: "I'm thinking that Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books would work..?

I haven't read it but I'm pretty Lolita and The Great Gatsby are mentioned. Also, I think Jane Austen is men..."

Hi Jamie: I read Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books as part of the Summer Challenge. She talks about three books:

The Great Gatsby
Lolita
Pride and Prejudice

For the summer challenge (Roseanne's 50 point task) I was thinking about reading Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman which I think mentions a ton of books. I'm going to have to check into that title for this current task.

Here some more titles of books that mention a lot of other books:
Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books
The Polysyllabic Spree
So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading

[Deedee]

Daniel Pool's books What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England and Dickens' Fur Coat and Charlotte's Unanswered Letters: The Rows and Romances of England's Great Victorian Novelists would have alot of references to other books.

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)]

Krista wrote: "Jamie wrote: "I'm thinking that Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books would work..?

I haven't read it but I'm pretty Lolita and The Great Gatsby are mentioned. Also, I think Ja..."

Thanks so much! :)

[Julie J]

Thanks Liz!

[Katie]

So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading by Sara Nelson mentions a ton of books, too. I've read it and I can't say it's a terrific read, but it's not that bad and it would work well for this task.

[Donna Jo]

The Wicked Duke Takes a Wife: A Novel by Jillian Hunter is a Regency romance that references Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
I'm not specifically recommending it--I'm only about a quarter through it and rating it about 2 or 2 1/2* so far. Part of the Boscastle series.

[Ashley FL]

Kathryn wrote: "Ashley wrote: "There is a cute series, "The Mother-Daughter Book Club" in which the book club is reading a different classic for each book in the series.

#1 [book:The Mother-Daughter Book Club|318..."I've only read part of it (then one of my other kids stole it from me!), but so far that was the only one.

[Dionisia]

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem : The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

[Cait]

The Cider House Rules by John Irving references David Copperfield, Little Dorrit, and Great Expectations by Dickens and Jane Eyre by Bronte.

[Rach]

I just finished reading The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt, and there a ton of references in it, mostly for literature from the Victorian age. Here are the ones I noted:

The Little White Bird - J.M. Barrie
Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie
Kim - Rudyard Kipling
Puck of Pook's Hill - Rudyard Kipling
Bevis - Richard Jefferies
Wood Magic: A Fable - Richard Jefferies
The Tale of Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny - Beatrix Potter
The Railway Children - E. Nesbit
Five Children and It - E. Nesbit
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
Pagan Papers - Kenneth Grahame
The Golden Age - Kenneth Grahame
Dream Days - Kenneth Grahame
Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality - Sigmund Freud
Salome - Oscar Wilde
A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales - Jacob Grimm & Wilhelm Grimm
Perrault's Fairy Tales - Charles Perrault
Spring Awakening: A Play - Frank Wedekind
The Lower Depths - Maxim Gorky
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum
Doctor Faustus and Other Plays - Christopher Marlowe
A Modern Utopia - H.G. Wells
News from Nowhere - William Morris
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

[Petra]

I just finished The Forbidden Daughter, which mentioned Brave New World.
There was also a direct reference to reading "Harry Potter" but not a mention of a specific HP Book. I'm not sure if this reference is strong enough for this task.

[Cindy AL]

Okay, a short clarification. 84 Charing Cross Road mentions a specific edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I don't have that edition, I have different one that is translated into modern English, but is a complete edition of the Tales. I can use that one because presumably 84 Charing Cross Roadmentions Chaucer by name???

[Valorie]

Ok, I'm coming out of the closet. I'm a romance junkie and I'm not afraid to admit it! I'm going to read Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels. Laugh all you want, I can take it! :)

[Liz M]

Cindy wrote: "Okay, a short clarification. 84 Charing Cross Road mentions a specific edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I don't have that edition, I have different one that is translated into m..."

I'll take it, even if Chaucer isn't mentioned by name -- the title is mentioned, so any edition works.

[Liz M]

Petra wrote: "I just finished The Forbidden Daughter, which mentioned Brave New World.
There was also a direct reference to reading "Harry Potter" but not a mention of a specific HP ..."

If this faint Harry Potter reference is the only option you have, we'll talk. For now I'd like to keep it to specific titles/authors.

[Sara ♥]

Valorie wrote: "Ok, I'm coming out of the closet. I'm a romance junkie and I'm not afraid to admit it! I'm going to read Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels. Laugh all you want, I can take it! :)"

Heehee... I've been meaning to read that. Oooh... and it's been out NEARLY long enough to ILL it! Do you ever read their blog? Hi-freaking-larious!

[Ashley FL]

Valorie wrote: "Ok, I'm coming out of the closet. I'm a romance junkie and I'm not afraid to admit it! I'm going to read Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels. Laugh all ..." I have GOT to read that! I love the blog!

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)]

Liz--Quick question. I plan on reading Reading Lolita in Tehran for this and I was learning more about it/skimming through the book to see what all she talks about..and there is a whole section on Austen. I believe that the main focus is on P&P but she does mention Emma and Mansfield Park. Could I use either of those?

[Valorie]

Sara ♥ wrote: "Valorie wrote: "Ok, I'm coming out of the closet. I'm a romance junkie and I'm not afraid to admit it! I'm going to read [book:Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels|566..."

I love their blog too!! Makes me laugh every time I visit the blog!

[Liz M]

Jamie wrote: "Liz--Quick question. I plan on reading Reading Lolita in Tehran for this and I was learning more about it/skimming through the book to see what all she talks about..and there is a whole section on ..."

Yes

[Nicole]

Rachel wrote: "I just finished reading The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt, and there a ton of references in it, mostly for literature from the Victorian age. Here are the ones I noted:

[book:The Li..."
Oh man! Wish I had thought of that before I bought the book I chose for this challenge since I already owned the Byatt (but I still want to read the other book too).

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)]

Liz wrote: "Jamie wrote: "Liz--Quick question. I plan on reading Reading Lolita in Tehran for this and I was learning more about it/skimming through the book to see what all she talks about..and there is a who..."

Thanks!

[Usako]

Valorie, yay for The Smart Bitches blog!

[Deedee]

Here's a suggestion: In Dean Koontz's book Brother Odd , a character make frequent references to The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane , both by Kate DiCamillo.

[Diane]

Here's another one: Mister Pip and Great Expectations.

[Cynthia]

Wanted to let everyone know this task is now worth 30 points!

[Manday]

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books also references Invitation to a Beheading, which is what made me read the latter in the first place, and it is one of my favorite books!!

I am reading Inkspell, it references plenty of books, i have not decided what my second one will be!

[Jay]

I'm a huge Nick Hornby fan and his series of books based on his essays in "The Believer" would work well for this task:

The Polysyllabic Spree
Housekeeping vs. The Dirt
Shakespeare Wrote for Money

They are all short compilations of articles where he detailed the books he bought and the books he read each month. They offer an entertaining, cute, and fun read for any bibliophile. It will also give you a very wide variety of books to choose from since the entire purpose of the book is to discuss Hornby's To Read list.

Additionally, I have not read this but have been hearing good buzz about The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession. I can only assume that it will offer a nice selection of classic titles to choose from and appeal to this audience of book lovers :)

[Kate]

Jay wrote: "I'm a huge Nick Hornby fan and his series of books based on his essays in "The Believer" would work well for this task:

The Polysyllabic Spree
Housekeeping vs. The Dirt
[bo..."


Jay, The Man Who Loved Books Too Much was sooo good, and totally made me want to get into book collecting. And it does mention many many books.

[kiki]

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex mentions Melville and Moby-Dick frequently.

[Liz M]

Tender Is the Night references Alexander Pushkin and Sigmund Freud

Crome Yellow mentions Shakespeare

[Rebecca NJ]

Would Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book would work for this task? Thanks!

[Liz M]

Rebecca wrote: "Would Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book would work for this task? Thanks!"

It might work for the first book, but for a 30 point task, I would prefer the second book to be at least a young adult book (roughly appropriate for age 12+?) and at least 100 pages.

I don't read children's books or YA literature, so I am not sure what/where the dividing line is.

[Rebecca NJ]

Liz wrote: "It might work for the first book, but for a 30 point task, I wou..."

I'll see what else is out there. Thanks.

[Rebecca NJ]

Would this one work: The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop. It mentions Don Quixote and The Waves just to name a few.

[Liz M]

Rebecca wrote: "Would this one work: The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop. It mentions Don Quixote and The Waves just to name a few."

Yes

[Rebecca NJ]

Thanks.

[Liz M]

Cat's Cradle mentions Spoon River Anthology

I will be out of town and (mostly) away from the computer from today until March 14th.

[Ashley FL]

I have to put in a plug for Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels. If you have any interest in romance of any variety (traditional or more modern), this book is a lot of fun and references hundreds of books and authors. It's a pretty easy read. It's actually taking me quite a while because I have a library copy so I can't mark it up, leaving me to sticky note and take pages of notes on books to read.

[Melissa]

Hi Everyone, just finished reading Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End Of The World, which I plan to use for this task. The book mentions:

Authors:
Marcel Proust
Shakespeare
Ernest Hemingway
H.G. Wells
Jorge Luis Borges (Book of Imaginary Beings)
Arthur Conan Doyle (Lost World)
Turgenev (Rudin and Spring Torrents)
Stendhal (The Red and the Black and Charterhouse of Parma)
Dostoyevsky (The Brothers Karamazov)
Joseph Conrad (Lord Jim)
Thomas Hardy
W. Somerset Maugham (The Razor's Edge)
J.G. Ballard
Balzac (Chouans)
J.D. Salinger
John Updike

Books:

The Time Traveller (bio of H.G. Wells)
2001: A Space Odyssey
El Cid
Alice in Wonderland
The Wizard of Oz
The Greening of America
The Stranger by Albert Camus

I tried to keep track but I may have missed a few.

The book was not what I expected but I did like it:)

-Melissa

[Felina]

Here's another one!

In Rose Madder the main character gets a job as a reader for audiobooks. Her boss mentions a few outstanding readers and their audiobooks and most notably he mentions Cathy Bates and her take on The Silence of the Lambs. So essentially Stephen King thinks Cathy Bates rocked out Silence and since I think Stephen King is awesome I'm going to listen to Silence of the Lambs for this task.

[Coralie]

Just finished Dying Inside which references a number of books including
Malone Dies
Ulysses
The Trial
The Castle
Swann's Way
Couples
Myra Breckinridge
To Kill a Mockingbird
Dubliners

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)]

Just finished The Curious Incident of Dog in the Night time and I saw that The Hound of the Baskervilles was mentioned in it a few times and a few other Sherlock Holmes books.

[Jennifer]

I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. In the book, he mentions Sue Grafton, Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (which is what I'll be reading for this task) and several other Swedish authors I've never heard of before.

[Literally]

I just got my box of ARCs to review, and was bummed that none of them seemed like they would fit into the challenge. I started the first one on the list tonight, and BAM! It fits this task! Woooo!

I am reading Making Toast: A Family Story and he is reading The Accidental Tourist. Score for me!!!

BTW, "Making Toast" is fairly short; it is 176 pages. Not sure about "The Accidental Tourist", but Anne Tyler is an author I have been meaning to read since high school. I have 2 of her books, sadly not the one I'd need to read for this task, but I will soon fix that with a trip to the library or an order on PBS.

[Liz M]

Jennifer wrote: "I just got my box of ARCs to review, and was bummed that none of them seemed like they would fit into the challenge. I started the first one on the list tonight, and BAM! It fits this task! Woooo!..."

And that's exactly how I perceived this task, sort of a literary treasure hunt with a little fissure of surprise when you find a character reading a favorite author.

[Usako]

The Thirteenth Tale references

* Jane Eyre
* Wuthering Heights
* The Woman in White
* The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes
* Sense and Sensibility
* Emma

[Sara ♥]

All right. So if I'm reading the task correctly, the first book should reference a book or an author, and then you could read that specific book or a book by the referenced author, right?

Okay, so Teen Idol (because I'm a huge YA junkie...) I've been flipping through, and so far I've found references to:

Little House on the Prairie
The Andromeda Strain
The Martian Chronicles
Fantastic Voyage
Dreamcatcher
H.G. Wells
Isaac Asimov
Philip K. Dick
Stephen King
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Stand
Jurassic Park
Lucifer's Hammer

I think that's everything. There are a lot of movie references, too, but those don't count... ;)