The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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SPRING CHALLENGE 2010
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Spring Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks
Here is my second completed task25.7
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
total points 50 (long way to go)
Can someone direct me to directions for posting with a link for the book? I know I saw it earlier, but can't seem to find it now.
20.1 Cindy AL April Fools. Finished Undead and Unwed. The main character (Elizabeth Taylor) has the worst day when she was fired from her job and then run over by a truck. But it gets a little worse when she wakes up undead in the mortuary. This is a light read and I really liked it. If you like vampires and humor this is a series for you!
5.4 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pietotal 55
5.7 - House Rules - The main character has Asperger's Syndrome. I found the book hard to put down but at the same time there were some nagging issues I had with it and I wondered how true to life it might feel for someone who knows a person with AS. This also qualifies for the Big Book drawing at 532 pages.10.5 - Sweetheart - One of the main characters is a newspaper journalist. Gruesome series but very addictive!
20.5 - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (491 pages) and Bud, Not Buddy (243 pages). Love both - Bud Not Buddy is a major reread because I am a fifth grade teacher :)
25.4 - Here If You Need Me: A True Story - by Kate Braestrup (like my name, Katy) and The Spellmans Strike Again (The Spellmans are characters in this HILARIOUS book).
New total: 140
A few more tasks done.
5.3 Spring Challenge - I read M Is for Magic by Neil Gaiman. ***
5.7 I read Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork. This book is about a teen with Asperger's, who is forced by his father to work at his law firm for the summer, in order to get more in touch with the "real world." It was incredible. The author's voice as someone with autism is very authentic, and the story is very compelling. I highly recommend. *****
5.10 I read Villette by Charlotte Bronte(1816-1855). It's not my favorite Bronte sisters book, but it was quite good, and I'm mad that there is no BBC or PBS adaptation yet. It would make a great movie/miniseries. ****
Previous Score: 200
Current Score: 215
5.3 Spring Challenge - I read M Is for Magic by Neil Gaiman. ***
5.7 I read Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork. This book is about a teen with Asperger's, who is forced by his father to work at his law firm for the summer, in order to get more in touch with the "real world." It was incredible. The author's voice as someone with autism is very authentic, and the story is very compelling. I highly recommend. *****
5.10 I read Villette by Charlotte Bronte(1816-1855). It's not my favorite Bronte sisters book, but it was quite good, and I'm mad that there is no BBC or PBS adaptation yet. It would make a great movie/miniseries. ****
Previous Score: 200
Current Score: 215
Brenda, while you are writing your comment notice above the box there is a link that says add book/author. If you click on it, a search box will pop up so you can search for the book you are trying to hot link, either by title or author. Once you enter your search term, the book you are looking for will have a box that says add to the right of it. If you click that, it will return to your comment with the html coding necessary to make the book pop up linked once you post your comment.
Hopefully that helped and was not super confusing.
Brenda wrote: "Here is my second completed task
25.7
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
total points 50 (long way to go)
Can someone direct me to directions for posting with a link for the book? I kn..."
Hopefully that helped and was not super confusing.
Brenda wrote: "Here is my second completed task
25.7
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
total points 50 (long way to go)
Can someone direct me to directions for posting with a link for the book? I kn..."
25.3 - Coralie's Task - Coming Out Of HibernationTook my kids to Kite Day at our church and read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Total Points = 225
20.3-- Mental HealthGirl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen is her memoir about her almost 2 years spent in a mental institution. Kaysen was diagnosed with Borderline Personality. She was 18 when she was admitted to McLean. When she described her indications of her illness, they did not seem any different from an angsty/rebellious/outspoken teenager except for one thing: she was a wrist banger (meaning: to feel pain, to make her feel like a real person, she inflicted pain upon herself). It's scary to realize that anyone with dark moods and hurtful behavior might be diagnosed this way, but what if that person isn't really "crazy"?
Total points: 355
Thanks for the help Sara. Let's see if it works.I would like to add The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child as my task for 15.10. This book mirrors my philosophy of teaching reading - getting kids to read more by getting them excited about reading. This includes lots of conversation about what they are reading and not so many comprehension check worksheets.
55 previous + 15 = 70 total
30.4 - One if by land, two if by sea...A. However Tall the Mountain: A Dream, Eight Girls, and a Journey Home by Awista Ayub
B. A Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon
POINTS FOR THIS TASK: 30
Total Points: 210/980
Tasks Complete: 13/57
Finished 20.7: Love Walked In by Marisa de los SantosSo one thing I am horrible about keeping is shoes. I just can't get rid of them even if I never wear them or they don't even fit. This book fits in two ways: Shoes are on the cover, and you 'walk' in shoes.
And you'll be happy to know that I did put aside a few pairs of shoes last weekend to give away.
Total Points: 225
I finished 20.6 by reading The Battle of the Labyrinth, which is book 4 in Percy Jackson Series. I like the series because it uses the Greek Mythology, and the main characters are funny. The story lines are kind of exciting too. I didn't like the 1st book, but the series has grown on my since. Overall a very pleasant read!Total Points: 255
Tasks Completed: 16
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 22
Pages Read: 8288
Finished:10.8B Eyes on the Skies: 400 Years of Telescopic Discovery by Govert Schilling, a nonfiction account of telescopes and the way they opened the universe to humans. Because it was so short, and was mostly full page photos (and they were gorgeous), I also read a science fiction with space travel:
10.8A Torch of Freedom by David Weber and Eric Flint, which takes place in the worlds of Honor Harrington. She doesn't play a major role in this one, but it is interesting anyway.
Completed one more task:20.6 - Supporting Goodreads Authors - Bridgit - Favorite Series: The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag
This is only the 2nd book in the Flavia De Luce series and I am anxiously awaiting additional installments. Flavia is a precocious eleven-year-old girl with an obsession with poisons. She is intelligent beyond her years and her adventures make for a very interesting read. I listened to
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag as audio books and the narration by Jane Entwistle added to my enjoyment of the stories.
Total points: 140
15.2A Set in Australia/ New Zealand -A Town Like Alice
Couldn't put this one down, either ... highly recommended
15.2B WWI -
Regeneration
940 points
Just finished The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan for 25.7. I LOVED it! I honestly wasn't thrilled with this task in the beginning but I am SO glad that I ended up reading this!New Total:
Jamie(24)--60 points
10.1 The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart 485 pages
Total Points: 10
Tasks Completed: 1
Just finished Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham for task 5.10. The author lived and wrote between 1819 and 1901. This book was 704 pages for a big book ticket.10.1
by Lauren Kate a Goodreads Author. My edition of the book has a tree on the front.
30.6 Death at Bishop's KeepRobin Paige
and
The Code of the Woosters
P.G. Wodehouse
The Code of the Woosters is mentioned on page 172
of Death at Bishop's Keep
For Task 20.8 I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and book:Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban|224926] (which total more than 500 pages)For Task 5.6 I read Kristy's Great Idea (main character is Japanese)
I'm not in high school yet, but a popular author right now is Ally Carter and I read Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover and that fits Task 25.9 (Spring Break)
For Task 10.10 I read The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger.
For Task 25.7 I read The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan.
I read Exile by Grace Cavendish for Task 5.9
I read Assassin by Grace Cavendish for task 20.2 (main character is a handmaiden for Queen Elizabeth)
I read Grace Cavendish Betrayal for Task 15.9 (Grace Cavendish is a pseudonym for several authors including Patricia Finney) My Pen Name would be Talie Roberts (my nickname plus mom's maiden name).
Task 15.3 I read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets which is on page 4 of the list. I agree that it should be on the list. I think the book at the top of the list should be From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg. In fact, I think I'll re-read it!
I think I had 35 points before, so this brings me to 175 points.
Struggling with this season's challenge. Only finished three tasks so far.15.9 The Eighth Day by John Case (pseudonym for Jim & Carolyn Hougan). I wouldn't use a pseudonym since my first name is fairly unusual so that might make it more memorable.
Points = 55
Tasks = 3
Books = 3
I completed...--30.5: A. Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde
B. Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange
Here are the connections:
Shades of Grey was written by Jasper Fforde, who was a focus puller for the film Quills starring...
Kate Winslet, who also starred in Sense and Sensibility which was based on the novel by...
Jane Austen, whose novel Pride and Prejudice inspired...
Amanda Grange to write Mr. Darcy's Diary
That's four degrees of separation for the task and Shades of Grey was the book on my TBR pile.
TOTAL POINTS: 85
BOOKS READ: 6
TASKS COMPLETED: 5
Time to catch up! I have been reading - much more slowly, but still reading - but I have not updated my points in a while. 5.1 All About the Birds and the Bees - The Truth About Sparrows by Marian Hale. Very good YA novel about a girl who's family flees the dust bowl during the Depression. Really will make you count your blessings, but is not a depressing story.
10.6 And the Oscar Goes To - Up in the Air by Walter Kirn. I have not seen the movie so I can't compare, but I did enjoy this book and hope to see the movie soon. Sort of sad, sort of hopeful, sort of amusing... a nice combination.
10.10 Fashions Fade, Style Is Eternal - Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (a Goodreads author). Another very well done YA book - will serve a younger audience I think than The Truth About Sparrows, but set in the same time period. Funny and sweet family story.
20.6 Favorite Series - Black Powder War by Naomi Novik. This series of five books (so far; I am not sure if more are in the works or not) is part fantasy and part historical fiction. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the series follows a British Navy captain who captures a dragon egg from a French frigate and unexpectedly becomes bonded to the dragon. The pair then transfer to Britain's Aerial Corps and continue to fight Napoleon for Britain, and eventually find themselves in other international intrigues. Novik is a good historian and has a smart, literate prose style and captures the tone of the era well. This book is not my favorite of the series so far, however, I think it suffers a bit too much from being 'the middle book.' But I intend to keep reading.
Well, it seemed like I read more than that. Definitely not finishing this challenge! It might be time to choose the tasks I really want to finish.
Mod
A. A book that relates to one of the films nominated for this years best picture...
I read Old Man's War. It related to Avatar, in that the characters' minds were put into new bodies, constructed from their own DNA (only here, they were green instead of blue!)
Great example of how this reading challenge has brought new books to my attention - I had never heard of this book until someone mentioned it in the help thread for this task as one that would work for Avatar. I enjoyed it tremendously, and plan to read his others - I think there are at least two more in this series.
Points: 525
Books: 36
Books by Goodreads authors: 5
Pages: 10216
Tasks: 28
Mod
So, revised totals:
Points: 525
Books: 36
Books by Goodreads authors: 6
Pages: 10216
Tasks: 28
I finally have a moment to post my completed tasks:Completed Tasks:
5.9. Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
30.6. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Total Tasks Completed: 2
Total Points: 35
Total Books Read: 3
Inkheart has a total of 563 pages.
Just completed...5.3 - S.P.R.I.N.G
Fire in the Blood by Irène Némirovsky
Previously Completed Tasks
5.1 Little Bee by Cleave, Chris*
5.2 -The Spare-Time Gardener: Tips and Tricks for Those on the Go by Barbara Hill Freeman
5.9 - Impossible by Nancy Werlin
10.2 - July July by Tim O'brien
10.4 - God Behind Bars: A Prison Chaplain Reflects on the Lord's Prayer by Pierre Raphael
10.5 - The Informers by Juan Gabriel Vasquez
20.7 - The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
30.5 -
A. The Renegades by T. Jefferson Parker
B. Blue Heaven by C.J. Box
Total Points: 100
Tasks Completed: 9
Books Read: 10
10.4 - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Bachelor Boys by Kate SaundersI reused. I was going to read this for Cindy's Task (25.7 One, Two, Three) in the Fall Challenge.
Total Points: 180/980
Books Read: 16
Tasks Completed: 10/57
Tasks in Progress: 3
I just finished task 5.9 by reading Bed in a Tree and Other Amazing Hotels from Around the World, a unique travel book I picked up at the library and needed somewhere to fit. It was an OK read, but a bit repetitive in the authors style and attempt to make everything more meaningful. Two Stars.Books Read: 16
Pages Read: 5334
Points: 195
Three more completed:5.3 SPRING: Coraline by Neil Gaiman 5*
15.9 Novel Under a Pen Name: Middlemarch by George Elliot (pen name for Mary Ann Evans) 5*
For my pen name, I would use my initials (HS) combined with my philosophy of life which would be Hope Springs.
20.1 Cindy - April Fool: Plum Lucky 3*
Coraline - excellent Gaiman book in the YA classification
Middlemarch - Outstanding Victorian classic - BIG BOOK 912 pages
Plum Lucky - fluffy but funny Stephanie Plum
POINTS: 305
TASKS: 20
BOOKS: 27
PAGES: 8126
I noticed I forgot to mention my Goodreads authors in a few posts...Post #750 - Judi Fennell
Post #959 - Julie Kenner
Post #1346 - Heather Webber & Jacquelyn Frank
Thanks!
25.7-- The Gods Must Be CrazyThe Sea of Monsters
These books are just too much fun! I just devour them when I read them. And now things are getting really interesting. Can't wait to see what happens next!
Total: 380
Mod
1. Roll the die once. The number you roll corresponds to one of these genres:
I rolled a 1 = Fantasy or Science Fiction. I read Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder (a Goodreads author).
2. Roll again for the second genre:
I rolled a 4 = 20th or 21st century literature - and read Special Topics in Calamity Physics. Special Topics was 514 pages, so a Big Book.
3. Add the values of the numbers you rolled for the supplement to your reading:
5 = One of your books must be a 5-star book from someone's list. Special Topics was a 5 star book from my daughter Katy's list and Katy is a member of this group.
Points: 575
Books: 38
Books by Goodreads authors: 7
Big Books - 1
Pages: 11171
Tasks: 29
20.1 April Fool - I read Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander
Very funny, very true book which lists the various ways we white folk try to be cool and unique and in the end wind up being all the same. This is a quick funny read not meant to be taken too seriously and not as politically incorrect as it sounds. It's broken into short chapters with plenty of pictures and graphics and plenty of giggle worthy tidbits. Great to keep by your bedside or to pick up when you just have a few minutes and need a quick laugh.
Tasks completed - 7
Books Read - 10
Pages read - 2,840
Total points - 140
I finished task 15.3 by reading The Last Olympian.This book is quite good but I am not sure it deserves to be on the list of the books everyone should read at least once. I think the book that should be on that list is War and Peace. There is just so much in that book, a little bit for everyone, amazing characters, lots of history, etc.
Total Points: 270
Tasks Completed: 17
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 23
Pages Read: 8288
My first task posting! After finishing the winter challenge, I am taking the spring challenge in a more leisurely fashion. :) 5.1 Little Bee
5.2 Exiles in the Garden
5.5 A Great and Terrible Beauty
5.9 Last Night at the Lobster
20.6 Gunpowder Green This is not my favorite series, but it is a series I just started.
Review: Ahh, the sweet little cozy mystery. I keep them separated from general mysteries on my shelves because in a real mystery, the owner of a tea shop would not put herself smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation. It is laughable to see this happen in the series, but I really like the books for the background in tea. I am really getting an education, and would be happy if the books were only about a little tea shop. I like the recipes that are included in the back of the book.
Cozy mysteries are a breed all their own, but they are sometimes just perfect for a light patio read. This series is fun, and the characters are generally likable (although I am still hung up on the shop owner's forensics capabilities), so I will continue with book three.
25.1 The Wednesday Sisters
- I want a published book!25.5 The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, Commencement: A Novel and The Financial Lives of the Poets
5.10 - "The important thing is not what they think of me, but what I think of them."I read Hard Times by Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
5.2 A Book is like a garden... 5 pointsThe Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
2 more tasks completed.20.8 Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris (321 pgs)
The Bag of Bones by Vivian French (256 pgs)
25.9 Loves Music, Loves to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark. Popular in 1985 when I was at Secondary school.
25.2 - Stephanie Anne's Task - Fabulous firsts or superior seconds? Read The Thomas Berryman Number (Edgar award winning 1st book) and Season of the Machete (second book) by James Patterson. Definitely preferred the 2nd book to the first although I'd only give the second a 3.5 (1st got a 2.8). Not sure how the 1st won its award the author improved with experience. AND
5.9 - “I think even lying on my bed I can still do something.” Read Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain AND
10.3 - The Luck Of The Irish -- Read Short Change by Patricia Smiley
Books Read: 18
Pages Read: 5927
Tasks Completed: 15
Tasks in Progress: 4
Just finished Italian Shoes: A Novel
This novel is actually about a 3 1/2 stars. Written by the same man who penned the Wallender series, this one is about a disgraced doctor who retreats to the island where he lived with his family during childhood. Now, it's just home to him, his ageing dog and cat, and a growing anthill in the dining room. This book is about stasis, and the second chances that sometimes come to us if we're brave enough to take them. Pulled reluctantly, but hopefully, from his reclusive existence, he meets several people from his past who figure prominently in how he got where he is in the present. Surely one of the more unusual novels I've read; which is saying alot, and is meant complimentarily. This book does a bang-up job of describing those times of transition between phases of life and states of mind. We even begin to care about the main character, despite his curmudgeonly attitude, which is not easy to do. Well done!
30.4 Shutter Island and The Old Man and the Seatasks completed: 8
Tasks in progress 2
Total Points: 160
For 40 points...10.6 Lilith's Brood by Octavia E. Butler (4 stars) Movie- District 9, Theme- humans vs. aliens
10.8 Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis (re-read, 5 stars)
10.9 The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (re-read, 4 stars)
10.10 Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier (5 stars)
New total: 125 points
I've started a bunch of tasks, but haven't yet finished one!Nineteen Minutes for half of 30.6, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier for half of 15.1 (Sierra Leone), Sarah's Key for half of 25.4 also a GOODREADS author, and Keeping Faith for half of 25.6. I will post anything I'm supposed to say when I've finished the second half of the task.
15.03 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (627 pages)In my opinion, great works of fiction/non-fiction should be on this list: books that make you think, change how you view the world, move you, etc. Unfortunately, Outlander is not one of these books. It’s a 600-page love story about a woman who travels back in time. I found the book was mediocre, the time travel aspect was poorly thought out and explained, there were few historical aspects. I reiterate, it’s a love story. That being said, I want to see if the series gets better (though I cringe at the thought of reading another 600-pager full of filler scenes), and I can understand why people like this book (even if I can’t agree with them). I'd vote for [Book: The Alchemist] to be at the top of the list.
Tasks completed: 5
Pages read: 2360
Points: 105
20.6 Bridget - Favorite Series: Murder at Monticello by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown The "Mrs. Murphy" mysteries is a fun series written by Rita Mae Brown and her cat Sneaky Pie Brown. The key characters are a feisty female heroine and her animals - Mrs Murphy, a verbal, highly intuitive cat who loves mysteries; Tee Tucker, a male Welsh Corgi and confidant of Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, a rotund gray cat who is always complaining about life in general. The fun part of this book is that when in human or narrator voice, the text is normal - when the animals are talking, the text is in italics. Seeing many of the same scenes from both points of view can be very entertaining. This series is light, funny, and easy-to-read. A cup of tea, afghan, and feet on the sofa cozy.
50.1 Ms Anderson- Luck Be A Lady
1st Roll: 3 = Romance: The Carousel Painter
Good blend of mystery, romance, historical fiction and Christian plot. Definitely not "bodice-ripping" but a fun read. 3*
2nd Roll: 5 = Historical Fiction: Bud, Not Buddy
Total: 8 = Award: Bud, Not Buddy won the Newbery Award in 2000
A pretty good YA novel - set during 1936 in Michigan during the end of the depression era. Not my favorite Newbery however. But obviously good enough for that year to win the award. 4*
POINTS 375
TASKS 22
BOOKS 30
PAGES 8990
5.10 - Queen Victoria: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963)20.1 - April Fool: Wishful Drinking
Carrie Fisher, the actress who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, writes about her struggles with drugs, family...
Some of her lines had me laughing hysterically. By line one I was hooked, and as the book was rather short I had it read in one day. For one who doesn't usually read humorous books (except by accident) I think this may be a good starting place; perhaps I'll read some others soon; still, with her humor I'd rather have seen her show.
20.6 - Favorite Series: I Walk in Dread.
It's not easy to pinpoint what really got me hooked on reading--but the Dear America series certainly helped. Covering a wide range of American history, Scholastic published fictional diaries of young girls living though events such as the Salem Witch trials, the attack on Pearl Harbor, and my personal favorite, the trek west--such as the Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell. The books are always interesting and informational, as much as a childrens' book can be.
30.6 - Character Reference: Ballet Shoes referenced The Secret Garden.
Total task points: 75
Total tasks completed: 4
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Frankenstein (other topics)Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang (other topics)
Loving Frank (other topics)
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began (other topics)
Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Nancy Horan (other topics)Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (other topics)
Elizabeth Gilbert (other topics)
Chelsea Handler (other topics)
Eric Puchner (other topics)
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Marquez's book One Hundred Years of Solitude was one of Oprah's Book Club Selections, as was Cormac McCarthy's The Road. McCarthy was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts-Fiction, as was Margaret Atwood.
Soo.. Marquez -> Oprah -> McCarthy -> Guggenheim Fellowship -> Atwood
5 =)
This task is pending confirmation, so if the six-degrees aren't okay, I'll think of something else! For now I'm counting it towards my score.
30.06 - [Book: Knots and Crosses] - Ian Rankin, [Book: A Clockwork Orange] - Anthony Burgess
Within the book [Book: Knots and Crosses], Ian Rankin makes reference to Anthony Burgess.
Tasks completed: 5
Pages read: 2360
Points: 105