Spring 2010 Completed Tasks

[Sam]

Post 'em here...

[Liz M]

20.1 Author who lived during Queen Victoria's lifetime:
The Professor's House

40 pts: 20 task + 10 Canon + 10 oldies (published in 1925).

At the moment, I don't think it qualifies for combo points, but not all of the tasks are posted.

[Cait]

Liz - I'm going to follow your lead; your post looks nice and organized.

20.1 Queen Victoria 1819-1901:
The Painted Veil - W. Somerset Maugham

35 Pts: 20 Task + 10 Oldies (1921) + 5 Combo (also fits 15.6 - China)

[Krista]

I love this point posting format! If we could all use this format it would help with the point tracking. I'm doing the point tallying for Sam this quarter, so the easier it is for me to figure out, the better! Also, if you could include what you think your grand total to date in the challenge is too that would help ensure my totals match yours. :-)

I won't be posting a link to a Google spreadsheet. But I will try to update the Style Point Readerboard every few days. Like Cynthia, I'll put the last message number the points were counted for in the points update message.

[Krista]

Louise wrote: "What are these extra points - canon/oldies/combo etc?"

Hi Louise: If you check out the thread titled 'Rules and Style Points' there is a complete explanation about the Style points.

Bascially you are awarded extra credit for using books that are longer, older, or can be used for multiple tasks. It's a fun way to earn extra points!

[Melissa]

10.1 Poetry - Beowulf: A New Verse Translation

20 pts: 10 task + 10 canon

10.10 New Beginnings - Must've Done Something Good by Cheryl Cory

10 pts: 10 task

30 pts total

[Liz M]

Melissa wrote: "10.1 Poetry - Beowulf: A New Verse Translation

20 pts: 10 task + 10 canon"

Remember kids, almost all the books that qualify for Canon points will also qualify for Oldies style points!

-151+ years old: 15 points (1859 and older)

[Krista]

Wow, we are really going to rack up the points this season if we stick with the "Oldies, but Goodies" aren't we. :-)

[Melissa]

Liz wrote: "Melissa wrote: "10.1 Poetry - Beowulf: A New Verse Translation

20 pts: 10 task + 10 canon"

Remember kids, almost all the books that qualify for Canon points will also qualify for Old..."

See, I wasn't going to claim oldies for this one since, while Beowulf certainly qualifies as an oldie, the translation/edition I read was published in 2000 or 2001. BUT, if y'all want to give me oldies points, I'll take 'em! :)

[Liz M]

According to goodreads, it's the same book no matter who translates it. And personally, I'd hate the oldies points to be edition specific as I was planning to read a fair number of translated old, western canon books that probably have been re-published within the last 25 years. And accessing a 151 year-old edition of anything is going to be rather difficult.

[Sam]

Liz wrote: "According to goodreads, it's the same book no matter who translates it. And personally, I'd hate the oldies points to be edition specific as I was planning to read a fair number of translated old,..."

Exactly...when it comes to translation, it's the publication date of the original work not the translation. You get into issues with publication dates when the original author publishes the same book twice...like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, published in 1818 and then again in 1831. They're two completely books; the latter of the two should be avoided.

[Cait]

15.5 Anzac Day: The Ghost Writer (Australian author)

20 pts: 15 task + 5 combo (also fits 10.10 Debut Novel)

Total Points: 55

[Jayme(the ghost reader)]

Yay! I am on the board.

1o.9 Square Peg "The Princess Bride"
15 pts. 10 task + 5 olides (1973)

Total Points: 15

[Melissa]

okay then, you have talked me into it! ;-)

revised posting:
10.1 Poetry - Beowulf: A New Verse Translation

35 pts: 10 task + 10 canon + 15 oldies

revised total: 45 pts

[JenniferD]

Hello!

15.3 Mental Health: Fall (Main character is a sociopath.) No bonuses on this one though.

Total: 15 points

[Donna Jo]

20.5 B My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist by Sadanand Dhume. Could also be used for 15.6

10.10The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan.

15.6 Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwal.
takes place in India
and 15.6 The Girl from Foreign: A Search for Shipwrecked Ancestors, Lost Loves, and Forgotten Histories Sadia Shepardis by a Asian-American (Her grandmother was born in India, but married a Muslim who moved the family to Pakistan after the partition. The Author's mother married an American. One day Sadia discovers he grandmother's family had been Jewish... Extra pts for multiple finish.

[Donna Jo]

Donna Jo wrote: "20.5 B My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist by Sadanand Dhume. Could also be used for 15.6

10.10The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan.

1..."
Sorry, hit the wrong key. But I should have 70 pts (I think)

[Krista]

15.10 Group Read (Alternate Title):Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

No combo points as this is a YA book that only scored 690 on the Lexile scale.

Points for this post: 15
Total Points for Spring Style: 15

[Krista]

Readerboard Scores (Tallied through Msg #18)


Donna Jo - 70
Cait - 55
Melissa - 45
Liz - 40
Jayme - 15
Jennifer - 15
Krista - 15

[Katy]

15.2 Magic/Escape task - The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Throughout the book the main problem is to figure out a way to escape from the massive maze the characters are trapped within.

Total points:15

[Liz M]

20.5 Freedom of the Press:
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut -- Narrator is a journalist that is researching a book and also writing for a magazine.

40 pts: 20 task + 10 Canon + 5 oldies (1963) + 5 combo (20.8)

Total Points: 80

[Erin]

10.10 Debut Novel
Wench: A Novel - Dolen Perkins-Valdez

(No additional Style Points)
10 Points

[Jenny]

15.6 - May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
The Joy Luck Club and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

25 pts: 15 task + 5 multiple + 5 combo (10.7)
Total Points: 25

[Jenny]

20.1 - "The important thing is not what they think of me, but what I think of them."
A Tale of Two Cities

50 pts: 20 task + canon 10 + oldies +15 (1859) +5 jumbo
Total Points: 75

[Jayme(the ghost reader)]

Well i think I will just claim the points and see what happens.

I am claiming points for 15.3B Mental Health
I read "Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger's by John Elder Robison. This was a biography/memoir book. He had Asperger's Syndrome. I found it really interesting.

15+15(previous points)=30
No style points claimed.

Total Points: 30

[Rachel Lee]

First post this challenge:

10.10 The Seven Rays

=10 points (no style since I couldn't locate a lexile score)

10.10 Toss the Bride

=15 points: 10 point task + 5 pts for multiple finish

20.2A eye of the god

=20 pts

20.6 Wit'ch Fire

=25 points: 20 point task + combo with debut author

20.8A Swimming with the Sharks

=20 points: (no style as could not find a lexile score)

20.8C Diamond Star

=25 points: 20 point taks and combo with 10.6

110 points (I think)

[JenniferD]

Hello!

I have finished:

Task 10.3 (tree cover) : .

Points: 10 regular + 5 combo = 15 points for this task. Both main characters are newspaper journalists.

Total points to date: 30

[Krista]

Jenilyn wrote: "15.6 - May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
The Joy Luck Club and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

25 pts: 15 task + 5 multiple + 5 combo (10.7)
Total Points: 25"

Hi Jenilyn: I'm not sure how you're counting points for these books.

You should get 15 task points for each book read for this task, and one 5-point Multiple finish style point bonus for the 2nd book finished for the task.

If you could let me know which of the books you used to earn the combo points, and the task that qualified it for combo points(I now see that you gave me that info...) that would be great. I'll need that before I can award those points.

So currently for these 2 books I have recorded 35 points for you.

Thanks!

[Krista]

Jayme wrote: "Well i think I will just claim the points and see what happens.

I am claiming points for 15.3B Mental Health
I read "Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger's by John Elder Robison. This was a b..."

Sam okayed Asperger's for this task. I've added the points to your total. Wa-hoo! :-)

[Krista]

Jennifer wrote: "Hello!

I have finished:

Task 10.3 (tree cover) : .

Points: 10 regular + 5 combo = 15 points for this task. Both main characters are newspaper j..."

Hi Jennifer: For the Reading with Style task, the word 'Tree' or a specific type of tree needs to be in the title. Sam didn't want us using just a book with a picture of a tree on the cover. Since the main characters are journalists, let me know if you'd like to use this for the Freedom of the Press task (20.5).

I haven't recorded any points for this book yet.

Thanks! -Krista

[Krista]

Rachel Lee wrote: "First post this challenge:

10.10 The Seven Rays

=10 points (no style since I couldn't locate a lexile score)

10.10 Toss the Bride

=15 points: 10 point task..."

I came up with 110 pionts also. I did find the Lexile score for the first book on the list, but it was only 660, so no Style points allowed. I couldn't find the Lexile score for the other book you were looking for either.

[Jayme(the ghost reader)]

What's the lexile score? Did I miss something?

[JenniferD]

Krista wrote: "Since the main characters are journalists, let me know if you'd like to use this for the Freedom of the Press task (20.5). I haven't recorded any points for this book yet. ..."

D-OH!! I am so sorry about that Krista! Yes, please count this task towards 20.5. Apologies on being a dunderhead! LOL

[Krista]

Jayme wrote: "What's the lexile score? Did I miss something?"

I wasn't familiar with this score either. Here's the blurb that Sam posted about it on the Style Points thread:

"A note on YA: Last season, the decision was made that YA books would be excluded from style point eligibility. This season, that policy will be changed. Indeed, some YA is just as well-written (or more so) than adult fiction. So, if you want to claim style points for a YA novel, you can do so--with one catch: You must have read a YA novel with a Lexile score of at least 700. Not familiar with Lexile? Want to find out if your book has a high enough score... go here

(www.lexile.com)

[Krista]

Jennifer wrote: "Krista wrote: "Since the main characters are journalists, let me know if you'd like to use this for the Freedom of the Press task (20.5). I haven't recorded any points for this book yet. ..."

D-OH..."

No worries. I can be really confusing to keep the nuances of the two challenges straight. I've added this book to Task 20.5 I'm in the process of updating the Readerboard totals.

Cheers!

[Jayme(the ghost reader)]

So Krista is the Lexile score just for YA?

[Jayme(the ghost reader)]

I checked out the website but I am still confused on how you check the lexile score.

[Cindie]

I read The Golden COmpass for task 15.10 B and I read "Heat Wave" for task 20.6 "Heat Wave" was supposedly written by Richard Castle, the character in the ABC show "Castle." Because RC is a fictional character, this name is obviously a pen name for the real author, whom I am guessing works at ABC.

total: 15 (the sea of monsters) + 15.10 + 20.6=50

[Krista]

Jayme wrote: "I checked out the website but I am still confused on how you check the lexile score."

Yep, you just need to check the Lexile score for a YA book. (Although it's been kind of fun to check other books as well...)

I've been using the 'Quick Book Search' box for most of my searches. It's the upper right hand corner of the main page when the website opens. Simply enter the book title, or an author's name in the field and click the 'Search' button.

For example entering: "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" in the search field brings up a display in the lower portion of the screen that shows this book rates a 940 score. More advanced searches can be done.

Not all books are ranked on this scale though. That's why Rachel Lee couldn't claim Style points for the YA books she read that weren't shown in the system. Whew! I hope that helps. Let me know if you need more info....

[Jayme(the ghost reader)]

thanks Krista

[Krista]

Jayme wrote: "thanks Krista"

No problem. Glad I could help. (Could you tell I was a technical writer in an earlier life?) :-)

[Jayme(the ghost reader)]

No not at all :)

[Jenny]

Krista wrote: "Jenilyn wrote: "15.6 - May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
The Joy Luck Club and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

25 pts: 15 task + 5 multiple + 5 combo (10.7)
..."

ahh, I didn't realize I got to count the task points twice for doing the task twice. Sorry to be confusing. As for the combo points, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan would also work for task 10.7 friends of Friends. Does that make sense? Thank you Krista!

[Erin]

15.9 - Pulitzer Prize
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 1953

+ Oldies = 5

New Points = 20
Total Points = 30

[Donna Jo]

Finished 10.3 Books do Grow on Trees:
The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring by Richard Preston No extra points.

10.4 Seven Deadly Sins: Unholy Business: A True Tale of Faith, Greed and Forgery in the Holy Land by Nina Burleigh. No extra points


10.5 MagicWizard of the Crow by Nguwi wa Thiong'o. 5 pts Combo finish--15.2
10 pts Jumbo finish--(768 pgs.)

New Points=45
Total Points = 115

[Krista]

Jenilyn wrote: "Krista wrote: "Jenilyn wrote: "15.6 - May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
The Joy Luck Club and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

25 pts: 15 task + 5 multiple + 5 co..."

It does, I'll get your score updated with the combo bonus.

[Jayme(the ghost reader)]

I completed 15.3B again by reading "The Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult. The main character had loads of problems. She was doing casual drugs as well as being a cutter. Also this book had a Lexile score of 890 if that entitled me to extra points. I am claiming 5pts(multiple task)+5pts(jumbo book 560 pages large print edition)+15 task points. So 30+5+5+15=55pts

Total Points: 55

[Krista]

Jayme wrote: "I completed 15.3B again by reading "The Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult. The main character had loads of problems. She was doing casual drugs as well as being a cutter. Also this book had a Lexile sc..."

Hi Jayme: If the main character is a cutter then I think it's fine to use this for the Mental Health task. The Lexile score really only needs to be checked for YA books. But it's nice to know what that score is for the book. :-)

Book editions printed in regular size print for this title average around 400 pages. I don't think that it is fair to award the Jumbo points for this book just because it was printed in a larger print type. I'm going to disallow the Jumbo points unless Sam has a different opinion.

[Jayme(the ghost reader)]

okay, I will go by Sam's judgment.

[Sam]

Krista wrote: "Jayme wrote: "I completed 15.3B again by reading "The Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult. The main character had loads of problems. She was doing casual drugs as well as being a cutter. Also this book h..."

I agree regarding the large-print issue.

In other news, I've finished 20.6: Horns - Joe Hill (aka Joseph Hillstrom King). No style points, though.

New Points - 20
Total Points - 20