The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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SPRING CHALLENGE 2010
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Spring Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks
Not sure if this posted the other day. I finished 15.6 by reading The Memory Keeper's Daughterand The Good Nearby.New point total: 155
Heather in KS
20.10 I read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I loved the book and made a post in the group discussion (number 22)
Finished 5.4 Goodreads NewlettersI read Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. I really enjoyed this book!
New total: 55 points
**Audrey Niffenegger is a Goodreads author.
25.1 - Michelleo's Task - Future AspirationsWhen the Wind Blows by James Patterson
There is a picture of a mountain lodge/mansion on the cover. I would love to own a place near a mountain. I could enjoy hiking, camping, skiing.
Tasks Completed:6
Points Earned:130
Books Read: 7
5.9 I think even lying on my bed.... Finished Me and Fat Glenda
I first read this book in grade school in the 70's and came across it at a Friends of the Library sale. Still not too bad of a book. This brings my total to a whopping 45!
5.9 Read a book of your choice while lying in bed.I read A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog , which was very sweet. I had an outpatient procedure on Friday and had to spend the rest of the day in bed, so this was the perfect book to bring up my spirits.
15.8 Read a book that features your favorite artist.
I read Girl with a Pearl Earring , as Johannes Vermeer is but one of my favorite artists. My favorite painting of his is entitled The Artist's Studio, which you can view here. It features a trumpet, which I used to play a long time ago and have always wanted to pick up again. *sigh* Someday...
Total points = 260
I completed task 15.3 (once in a lifetime) by reading Guns, Germs and Steel. It was on the third page of the list (#218 when I looked).I'm not sure I agree that everyone should read this book at least once. While Diamond has an admirable knowledge of different peoples, cultures, etc I felt that his argument was pretty weak. Especially when he starting manipulating geography to better fit his explanations.
I think this brings me up to 105 points
Finished a couple more tasks over the weekend:15.5 “A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom” – Poems by Emily Dickinson, 240 pages
My Haiku:
Reading in the sun
Warms my skin and soothes my mind
Here's my happy place
I'm truly no poet, but I did enjoy the poems by Emily Dickinson.
10.1 Books Really Do Grow on Trees – A Wind In the Door by Madeleine L’Engle, 240 pages (trees on bottom of cover)
Brings my new totals to:
185/980 points
Tasks Completed: 11/57
Tasks In Progress: 3
Books Read: 18
Pages Read: 4064
For 10.6 And the Oscar goes to....Read: Push: A Novel by Sapphire
POINTS FOR THIS TASK: 10
Total Points: 115/980
Tasks Complete: 7/57
Finished the Golden Compass (20.10), posted in discussion board
Just completed 5.3 S.P.R.I.N.G. with The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.Points: 5
Tasks Completed: 2
Total Points: 15
I've been meaning to post these two challenges for an age, and just haven't got around to it. I've finished 30.2 Texas-sized task and read A.The Hound of Rowanand B. Graceling, both books I would heartily recommend.
I also finished 30.5 Six Degrees of Separation. For A. I read Jasper Fforde's new book Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron and for B. I read Ian Fleming's Casino Royale to complete this challenge, here's the interesting (well, to me) 6 degrees of these two books. In Jasper Fforde's pre-authorial life he worked as a focus puller in the film industry. One of the films he worked on was GoldenEye, featuring Ian Fleming's hero James Bond! I think that looks liiiike two degrees.
Finished 15.5 (Poetry) I read The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. I read the poetry part only, which was 91 pages. Poe does have some great poems, but some are a bit rough. Poetry isn't usually my thing so this was hard to read at times. Glad I read it though.
Here is my haiku.
Spring! Finally here
Birds chirp, flowers bloom, kids play
A beautiful time.
New Total: 70 points
A couple more completed over weekend.25.3 Coralie's Task: Coming Out of Hibernation
Oh Danny Boy 4*
Spent a wonderful St. Patrick's Day evening with a bunch of friends eating traditional Irish food and drinking Guinness. Completed the evening singing Irish favorites - figured this book stayed in context of the day. Great mystery and really fun Irish heroine. Really enjoyed - wish I had started at the beginning of the series since I enjoyed this one so much.
30.1 Roseann's Task - Spring Fling
A. Spring in title: Spring Moon: A Novel of China 4*
Excellent book of pre-WWI history of China. Depicts the lives of the traditional Chinese and the changes inflicted by western influence on the area. Good primer on the lead-up to WWI in this area. Beautifully written and well-developed characters.
Also a Big Book - 656 pages.
B. Title with Fling/Throw/Toss in title: Million-Dollar Throw 4*
A very good YA book that would appeal to both boys and girls. Lots of sports action, teenage emotions, and coming-of-age story.
POINTS: 215
TASKS: 14
BOOKS: 17
PAGES: 5898
10.10. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.TOTAL = 110 POINTS
5.10 - "The important thing is not what they think of me, but what I think of them." - Little Men by Louisa May Alcott (November 29, 1832 – March 6, 1888)Total Points: 100
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finished task 30.5 by reading I Know This Much Is True and The Road. they were both featured as Oprah's Book Club books...a separation of one degree (approved by tanja!) the road was stunning. 
Total Points: 65/260
Tasks Completed: 4/13
Books Read: 6/15+
Tasks in Progress: 1
15.2 Anzac Day Mister Pip and Shoulder the Sky: A Novel20.1 April Fool A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian I found this book more humorous when I stopped trying to find it funny. I think I would have preferred it if it hadn't been written in the first person. I'm still not sure whether you are supposed to agree with the narrater's point of view and sympathise (which I didn't) or find her assumtions amusing (which I also didn't).
25.2 Fabulous Firsts or Superior Seconds Eve Green: A Novel and Oystercatchers I preferred Oystercatchers to Eve Green. I doubt that I will read any more of her books.
Mod
I read
As always, any Charles De Lint, especially one involving Newford, is wonderful reading.
Points: 370
Books: 24
Books by Goodreads authors: 3
Pages: 6891
Tasks: 20
25.9 - Wendy's Task - Spring Break
Read a book written by an author who was popular when you were in high school or college. For me that would be the 1970’s; specifically, I was in college in 1976. I looked at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_... wherein there is the Publishers Weekly list of bestselling novels in the United States for each year of the 1970s. In 1976, #9 on the list was Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart (Hardcover, 336 pages). It’s a novel of “romantic suspense”. There are black cats, mysteriously appearing and disappearing in the novel, but the focus is on the heroine and her activities.
165 + 25 = 190
Tasks Completed: 12
Points for this task: 25
Points thus far: 190/980
Books read: 14
Pages Read: 3910
Read but not claimed: 9 books
20.7 - Time To Declutter - A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker I threw away a bunch of papers that I wrote in high school.
Total Points: 130/980
Books Read: 11
Tasks Completed: 7/57
Tasks in Progress: 3
Points:10Task:1
Title:So much to live for
Author:Lurlene Mcdanial
Total Points:10
15.3, found on page 3, Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryI love any book by Roald Dahl so of course it should be on the list. #1 spot, Matilda. I mean who doesn't feel like that sometime and wishes they could control things with their mind?
A few more tasks down....10.6 - And The Oscar Goes To...
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards Ceremony will be held on March 7th...in honor of this ceremony which celebrates excellence in film read either...
A. A book that relates to one of the films nominated for this years best picture...
I read The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis
15.7 - Beware The Seven Deadly Sins
Read a book with one of The Seven Deadly Sins in the title: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. When you post this task you also need to state if/how your book related to the sin that was in the title and why you think that particular sin is so deadly.
For this task I read Lust at First Bite a paranormal romance anthology. Wow, it definitely was full of lust! Not really any romance to be had! After reading this I can see lust being a deadly sin, emotionally and physically!
15.3 - At Least Once In A Lifetime
For this task read a book found on page 3, 4, or 5 of the following list: Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once. When posting this task explain why the book you read should or should not be on that list & what book you think should be at the top of the list.
For this task I read Lord of the Flies by William Golding. This was a really good book that shows us what happens when honor and rules are not followed. It is a great book for young adults. Everyone should absolutely read this book at least once.
Total Points: 230/980
Books Read: 23
Tasks Completed: 16/57
I completed task 5.10 The Important Thing Is Not What They Think of Me but What I think of Them. I read "The Golden Road" by L M Montgomery. She was born 1874 and died 1942. So she was definitely around when Queen Victoria was. I believe they even make a reference to her in the book. Tasks Completed: 6
Books Read: 7
Tasks In Progress 2
New Total Points: 65
I read The Titan's Curse for task 25.7. Total Points: 145
Tasks Completed: 11
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 15
Pages Read: 5394
5.9 I think even lying on my bed I can still do somethingThe Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
Total points: 305
5.10 Read a book written during Queen Victoria's LifetimeTess of the d'Urbervilles
10.2 Three/Four/Five
Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners
Rated @ 3.35 when I started it.
Total Points:15
Tasks Completed: 2
Books Read:2
5.6 - May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month I read After Dark which was set in Japan. I really enjoyed this and couldn't put it down, 5 stars.
20.2 - Rookie Of The Season - Valorie - Clean Sweep
I read Organizing for Dummies which was alright, a lot of the tips and how tos were stuff I'd already read elsewhere.
25.3 - Coralie's Task - Coming Out Of Hibernation
For this I read Shallow Graves and went to a club called Shallow Nation.
25.5 - Leora's Task - Spring Cleaning
I read The Summoning which was 390 pages. I loved this book but it ended on a cliff hanger. Luckily the library has the second one.
AND Too Late to Say Goodbye: A True Story of Murder and Betrayal which was 480 pages for a total of 870 pages. I really like these true crime books and there a bunch more on my tbr list.
30.1 - Roseann's Task - Spring Fling
I read Spring and Fall
AND
The Bookwoman's Last Fling: A Cliff Janeway Novel. I liked this one better than the spring book and will try to read more from this series.
Total points: 440
Wow, has anyone heard from Cynthia? I hope she's ok!I've been traveling, so lots of reading time on planes.
For Task 10.4 I read To Love and To Perish by Laura Durham. This is the only books of hers I hadn't read and I'm sad she stopped writing this series! It is fluffy fun about a wedding planner who keeps getting caught up in murders.
For Task 10.7 I read Deadly Dose: The Untold Story of a Homicide Investigator's Crusade for Truth and Justice by Amanda Lamb, a true crime novel about the murder of a young man in North Carolina. The story was interesting, but the writer didn't really have enough to fill a 300 page book, so a lot of it is the same information repeated in a different way.
For Task 20.1 I read Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. I definitely laughed out loud in a few places and thought this was a funny, and fun, book. The main character is in a car accident and can't remember the past three years of her life. She spends the book trying to figure out how she got from low-level career, without much future, to rich and married and wildly successful in the three years. It's funnier than it sounds, and really rather sweet.
For Task 30.4 I read Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (which I loved!) and The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (which I thought was very cute).
For Task 30.3 I read Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House by Stacy Parker Aab (published in 2010 -- it was interesting but needed better editing) and The Italian Billionaire's Ruthless Revenge by Jacqueline Baird (I chose this solely for the title and I'm not really a fan of books where the hero is a sexist a$$hole and the heroine just can't help falling in love with him anyway).
This brings me to:
580 points
34/57 tasks
48 books
30.5 - PJ Reads' Task - As Suggested By Tanja - Six Degrees of SeparationDevil Bones by Kathy Reichs and Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
Kathy Reichs co wrote 'I'd Kill For That' with Gayle Lynds. She co wrote the 'Covert One' series with Robert Ludlum. His novel 'The Apocalypse Watch' was made into a TV series which John Shea starred in. John Shea also plays a character on the TV show Gossip Girl. Which is based on the novels by Cecily von Ziegesar.
Tasks Completed:7
Points Earned:160
Books Read:9
Completed Tasks
5 Point Tasks
1A. Birds & Bees Title: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (3/10/10)
4. Goodreads Newsletter (Jan 2009): Paper Towns by John Green (3/18/10)
5. Popular Pub yr ending 3/4/5 (2004): Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot (3/30/10)
6. Asian/Pacific American (Korean): A Step from Heaven by An Na (3/3/10)
10 Point Tasks
2. Book Rated 3/4/5 (3.53): Jinx by Jennifer Estep (3/21/10)
4B. Book I didn't get to from Last Challenge (15.3a): Airhead by Meg Cabot (3/19/10)
5A. Book about a Journalist: The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot (3/28/10)
15 Point Tasks
8. Favorite Artist*: Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944: The Journey to Abstraction by Ulrike Becks-Malorny (3/18/10)
I don't know if I can explain WHY Kandinsky is my favorite artist... I just love his abstract stuff... so geometric and colorful and lovely.... Before reading this book, my favorite painting of his was Composition VIII, but now I have a whole list of paintings of his that I love... The top three new ones... possibly: Several Circles, Two Green Points, and Unbroken Line. :)20 Point Tasks
7. Potjy – Throw Away Object (old audiobook on cassette tapes): Audiobook of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (3/12/10)
9. Rebecca – Cheese: The Cat Who Said Cheese by Lilian Jackson Braun (3/29/10)
25 Point Tasks
7. Ashley FL – Greek/Roman Gods: Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips (3/13/10)
9. Wendy – Popular 1997-2005: Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (3/15/10)
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CURRENT STATS
Tasks Completed: 12/57
Tasks Partially Completed: 5
Books Read: 17/79
Pages Read: 5003
Points Earned: 155/980
PS - Only 1 GR author (Jennifer Estep) in the bunch...
Another two down.10.10 Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
15.5 A Pizza the Size of the Sun by Jack Prelutsky
here is my poor attempt at a Haiku
My day is always going
Here there and everywhere i run amuck
My day is always going.
95/980
5.2 Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers5.4 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
10.4 The Host by Stephenie Meyer
10.6 Evensong by M.L. St. Sure (I also watched Inglourious B's to complete the task - both WW2 related...both great stories!)
20.2 Wench: A Novel by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Total Points: 50/980
Books Read: 5
Tasks Completed: 5/57
Ashley wrote: "Wow, has anyone heard from Cynthia? I hope she's ok!I've been traveling, so lots of reading time on planes.
For Task 10.4 I read To Love and To Perish by Laura Durham. This is th..."
I sent her a message last week, as I am worried about her too? Maybe she is on vacation??
I don't know, I would think she would have told us if she was on vacation and usually you can get to a computer even if you are on vacation.
A few weeks ago she sent out a message saying that she was really busy and had just picked up a second job, so maybe that's keeping her away.
Cindie wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Wow, has anyone heard from Cynthia? I hope she's ok!... I sent her a message last week, as I am worried about her too? Maybe she is on vacation?? "
After she said she is now working two jobs, I tried to figure out how to help with the Readerboard, but kept getting stuck trying to work out how some of the posts fit with Cynthia's list.
Yeah, I remember she was having internet problems also. It just seems like a *really* long time?!? Poor thing. I hop everything is ok.PJ, I can't tell when she asks for clarification and when she doesn't. It seems like the page limit tasks this Challenge are sometimes followed and sometimes not. Maybe she could give you a set of guidelines or something?? It does seem like a huge job for just one person to keep up with!
I have finished the following tasks:5.3 Disturbing the Dead by Sandra Parshall
15.10A Philosophy for Dummies by Tom Morris
15.10B I am torn between my psychology background and other parts of Philosophy but here is what I believe is my Philosophy:::
I believe that Humanism is a basic part of all of us and it states that anything a person thinks or does is interesting, important and valuable to that person. I also believe that Lao-tze and the Tao principle of wu-wei is important. That principle is translated to mean "receptivity". To live by wu-wei is to accept things as they come, go with the flow, and try not to assert yourself or change the natural course of things. This part is very hard for me because I am extremely aggressive and believe God helps those who help themselves. I want to have everything go my way and am getting better at just riding things out.
20.2 Other People's DirtLouise Rafkin
20.10 - The Handmaid's TaleMy comments have been posted to the discussion board.
I have participated in several challenges, but this is the first time that I have actually completed the group read task. I am feeling pretty good about that.
Total Points: 120
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Mod
I read The Catcher in the Rye, The Borrowers and Kristy's Great Idea (a Babysitters Club book) from the NEA booklists, for a total of 610 pages.
Points: 390
Books: 27
Books by Goodreads authors: 3
Pages: 7501
Tasks: 21
For 5.6 I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. The main characters are Asian-Americans. One is of Chinese descent and the other is of Japanese descent. I think that makes 65 points?
I sent Cynthia a message as well, but it was through Goodreads, and if for whatever reason she is not on the site, she won't get it. I wonder if anyone is in touch with Cynthia off the site or are we all just cyber people? I was worried about her and hope that everything is Ok (and I know that eventually she will read this, which may be kind of strange--listening in on other people's conversations about you), but I've been thinking about her for a while.
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
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Willa Cather
and
The Giver
Lois Lowry 240 pages