The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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SPRING CHALLENGE 2010
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Spring Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks
20.1 Loser by Jerry SpinelliI enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. At times it would get a little boring, but it was also very funny and sweet. The ending, though, was absolutely perfect, and made me adore the book, and I would recommend it to everyone.
Total Points: 30
Total Tasks: 2
Hi,I completed the mid-way task by reading Addition by TOni Jordon (Romance = 2) and then The Armchair Enconomist by Stephen Landsburg (non-fiction 3) then that was a five and it meant one of the books had to be a five star book, Stephen Landsburg recieved 5 stars from Peterboh rated it: (review of isbn 0029177766) although i would have only give it four stars.
Total points = 150
Kate.x.
Julie McVey25.6 - A. Milkweed ~ Jerry Spinelli
B. Students on Strike ~ John A. Stokes
C. My birthday is July 13th. On my birthday in 1942, the SS shot 1500 Jews in Josefrovs, Poland and 5000 Jews in Rovno, Polish Ukraine were executed by Nazi's. I read Milkweed because it took place in Warsaw Poland during during WWII. I read Students on strike because it takes place after 1950 and it can be tied to Milkweed by the fact that both deal with extreme cases of prejudice and injustice.
Total Point = 305 points
Total Books = 19 books
Total Pages = 5185 pages
Another couple of tasks done...5.3 - S.P.R.I.N.G
For this task read a book written by an author whose initials are found in the word Spring. (Initials must be sequential i.e. SP, PR, RI, IN, NG, GS not PG)
For this task I read The Pleasure Slave by Gena Showalter.
15.1 - Independently Speaking
A.Read a fictional book set in one of those countries or a non-fiction book about one of those countries.
AND
B.Read a book written by an author from one of those countries.
For Part A of this task I read The Dream-Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon, which is set in Greece. For Part B I read Lilac Bus by Maeve Binchy, who hails from Ireland.
15.6 - Friends and Friends of Friends
A.For the first part of this task read a book that is popular among the lists of your Goodreads friends that you have never read...
AND
B.For the second part of this task click on this link (Friends Of Friends) and select the first person on this list and read a 5 star book from their list.
For Part A of this task I read Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. For Part B I read Rises The Night by Colleen Gleason, which was a five star book from Stacy~. (Colleen Gleason is a Goodreads author)
Total Points: 365/980
Books Read: 36
Tasks Completed: 25/57
10 points10.4 Reuse: To Desire A Devil - Elizabeth Hoyt*
15 points
15.3 The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
20 points
20.2 To Beguile A Beast - Elizabeth Hoyt*
20.10 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
25 points
25.3 The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
I saw a performance of the Vagina Monologues in early March. The way I would connect the two is through their strong focus on the lives of women, the play through modern women's struggles and the book through women of the past. It was a wonder to see how they were different, yet in essence the same.
25.4 Brighter Than the Sun - Julia Quinn
Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt
25.8 The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein*
To Seduce A Sinner - Elizabeth Hoyt*
Totals
Points: 140
Books: 10
Challenges: 7
30.5 OK, so... I read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez who is the father of Rodrigo Garcia Barcha who directed several episodes of The Sopranos written by David Chase who also wrote Northern Exposure starring Rob Morrow who was in the movie The Bucket List with Morgan Freeman who was in Shawshank Redemption that was based on a novel written by Stephen King who claimed that the author who influence his writing the most was Richard Matheson who wrote I Am Legendbwahahahaha. That was a fun challenge.
135 points
Mod
A. Read a book first published in 2010. For this part of the task, I read The Girl Who Chased the Moon, published in 2010, by Sarah Addison Allen (a Goodreads author).
B. Read a book (again, any genre is fine) with the prefix "re-" in the title or subtitle.
For part B, I read Rediscovery
Points: 605
Books: 40
Books by Goodreads authors: 8
Big Books - 1
Pages: 11802
Tasks: 30
For Task 5.4 I read Being Nikki by Meg Cabot which was in the March 2009 newsletter. It is the second in a series of at least three and stuck me as SERIOUS filler. The idea for the series is great, but this book was dull.For Task 10.3 I read What Are You Wearing To Die? by Patricia Sprinkle. If I weren't desperate for a Pat or Patricia book, I would have given up on this. It was, I guess, a cozy mystery. But the characters weren't very successful and the story was pretty boring.
For Task 30.5 (Six Degrees) I read One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. She was on "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me", which is hosted by Peter Segal. One of the panelists on "Wait, Wait" (I can't tell if they were on the same show, but they were certainly both on with Peter Segal at one point) is Roy Blount, Jr. He is the President of the Writer's Guild, and the current Vice-President is Judy Blume who wrote Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
This brings me to 770 points.
45/57 tasks
64 books
25.3 - Coralie's Task - Coming Out Of HibernationAttend a live sporting event or musical or drama event and read a book that is somehow connected to the event. I don't care how major or minor the event is as long as it is outside your home and involves a live performance.
"I Don't Believe It!": Memories of a Detroit Lions Fan by Barry Schumer
The Lions play their home games at Ford Field and I attended the Frozen Four hockey tournament at Ford Field last weekend.
Current Point Total: 75
Jessica MI
10.2 (Rating with 3,4, 5) I read The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian. The rating was 3.53 when I started it. This book was just ok for me. I was expecting it to be a lot better.
New Total: 105 points
30.6 Character References: A character in The Midwich Cuckoos compares their present dilemma to the alien invasion plots of H.G. Wells who also wrote The Island of Dr. Moreau. (I should have read War of the Worlds to see how one author influenced the other, but I prefer not to re-read).20.10 Group Reads: The Handmaid's Tale
Pages read: 3336
Books read: 12
Tasks completed: 10
Total Points: 260
Liz (Bklyn)
30.4 DLM Rose’s Task – One if by Land, Two if by Sea, I read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes. I really enjoyed both of them.
215/980 points
Tasks Completed: 12/57
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 21/82
Pages Read: 5082
5.9 (read in bed) I read The Absent Author and The Bald Bandit both by Rob Roy. I read them with my 4 year old. Both from the A to Z mysteries. (I know there is no page limit for 5 point tasks, but it felt cheesy to claim points for these. I feel a little better if at least I read two of them!)30.1 (spring and fling/toss in title).
The Toss of a Lemon and Endymion Spring I enjoyed The Toss of a Lemon. I listend to Endymion Spring on CD and I think I would have liked it better if I had read it. It was too easy to tune out so I feel like I missed some important parts. And I wasn't invested enough to go back and listen again (and then again and again)
10.1 (tree in title)Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree
5.7 (Character with developmental disorder) Al Capone Does My Shirts The main character's sister Natalie has autism. She is a central character to the book.
Gennifer Cholodenko is a Goodreads author
The Toss of a Lemon is 640 pages long (big book)
That puts me at
265 points
5720 pages read
A few more to add to the list: 5.3 Suite Francais - Irene Nemirovsky
10.8 So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish - Douglas Adams
20.9 - The Swiss Family Robinson - Johann Wyss
25.3 - A Pocket Full of Rye - Agatha Christie. I went to a bourbon and rye tasting class at the Brandy Library in NYC.
30.5 - Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - Both were AWESOME.
Total Points: 460
Tasks Complete: 29
Books Read: 42
Pages Read: 13286
Tasks In Progress: 7
GOODREADS AUTHOR x
BIG BOOK (500) x
BIG BOOK (750)
BIG BOOK (1000) x
Just finished The Outsiders by SE Hinton for 15.9. Loved this book in high school and still found it enjoyable. Can't believe the author was only 15/16 when she wrote it. New total:
Jamie(24)-75 points
Completed 20.2 Clean Sweep - Mint Juleps, Mayhem, and Murder. The protagonist is the wife of a military officer but is also a part time professional organizer, which she does throughout the book.
5.6 May is Asian American Pacific Heritage MonthHalf Life by Roopa Farooki
This book takes place in Singapore and Malaysia.
Number of Pages in Book(s): 260
Challenges Completed: 3
Books Read: 3
Total Pages Read: 965
Total Points: 20
(Cynthia, just FYI, I don't think I received points for my last entry on April 3rd: I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for 5.5 "Whatever is popular deserves attention." It was originally published and on the popular list for 2005.
So far I've completed tasks 5.5, 5.6, and 10.10, so I should have 20 points now. Thanks!)
I completed Task 30.3 (Birth and Renewal) by reading Birthright: The True Story of the Kidnapping of Jemmy Annesley (published in January 2010) and "Relativity: From Einstein to Black Holes" by Gerald E. Tauber. This is one of the Venture series books mentioned (but not named) here: Relativity.
Birthright is an interesting story of a family torn apart by greed, title, inheritance and in-fighting. This real-life case was the basis for Robert Louis Stevenson's book, Kidnapped.
There's a lot of detail in the beginning of this book on family inheritance laws of the 1700s in England and Ireland but all of the information is needed to understand the legal fight that occurs later.
I gave it 4*.
Relativity: From Einstein to Black Holes was interesting and did start from the basics in the explanations.
Although this is more of a "beginner" book in learning about the Theory of Relativity and is, in that context, a decent book, I think it could have been explained in a simpler and more straight forward way.
That said, this was an interesting look at Einstein's theory of Relativity and how it relates to Physics, where Physics hopes to go in the future, etc.
I particularly liked the concept of the expanding universe one day perhaps reversing and starting to shrink back to its small, dense roots (pre-Big Bang). What if the Universe makes that cyclical rotation (Big Bang to fully expanded to small, dense and another Big Bang) over and over again? This concept has not been proved but is a theoretical concept in the Physics World of scientists.
20.1- Stupid Cupid- Arabella WeirI've had this book on the tbr pile for ages - but I'm really glad I read it for this challenge.
Shortly before their wedding - Jimmy tells Hat that he doesn't want to get married. She has already arranged everything and her parents are flying in from abroad to finalise all the plans with her. She has always felt in her older sisters shadow- and is convinced that Jimmy will come to his senses and be at the church on their wedding day.
Her group of friends find someone who 'stands in' for her husband to be at a rehearsal dinner and they find each other attractive. It follows the wedding plans hurtling along at an ever increasing pace up until Hat arrives at the church. Is Jimmy there, will they get married, could she live happily ever after with Sam who is married to the exotic Gloria??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just completed the midway task 50.1!I rolled a 5 (poetry) and a 6 (short stories). That adds up to 11 which means one of my books needed to be children's or YA. I love YA so that was good news! For the poetry book, I chose to read a book of poems my mom recommended to me The Mind-Body Problem: And Other Poems by Katha Pollitt. Some of the poems really spoke to me and others were really good, but did not WOW me on the personal level. For the short stories I read a YA collection put out by PUSH publishing, called Push Anthology. I do not recommend this collection since I personally found nothing in it that moved me, but I highly recommend You Remind Me Of You which is a poetry memoir by one of the contributers in this collection. THAT was an amazing book.
Tasks Completed: 25/57
Books Read: 36
Pages Read: 10,728
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Julie McVey25.8 - A. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane ~ Kate DiCamillo
B. Because of Winn-Dixie ~ Kate DiCamillo
Total Points = 330 points
Total Books = 21 books
Total Pages = 5527 pages
I completed 20.9 by reading Blue Moon. It wasn't my favorite of the series but it was still entertaining.My total is now 120.
15.7 I read More Book Lust by Nancy Pearl. I would not classify book lust as a deadly sin itself, although I think lust in general is. Sadly, we have been particularly inundated with reports of celebrities allegedly caught up in this sin lately. I think any sin (or anything for that matter) that serve as emotional tranquilizers that numb as to the world outside ourselves is probably both bad for us and the world. That notwithstanding, books are my drug of choice and I have no intention of giving them up, nor my obsession with themtotal points: 265/980
books: 22
tasks: 17
total pages: 6562
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Task 25.7 Ashley FL's Task - The Gods Must Be Crazy is complete. I read The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28...
Points earned for this task :25 points
My total points:40 points
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It's been a long time, and I took back one post, so here goes:5.7 Developmental disorders: Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet, 240pp, read 3/27/2010.
Very interesting book written by a young autistic man who is both high functioning and a mathmatical savant. Unlike many memoirs, this book reads as if it was all the voice of Daniel Tammet, with very little editing. This means that sometimes the writing is very amateurish, but it also gives a distinct flavor of how autism affects and colors his outlook, it also depicts a clearer picture of the challenges people with this disorder face, and how they are the different, yet much the same as the rest of us.
Some incidents that struck me for example, he talks of his birth and early life, and points out that obviously he got reminsces from his parents and well as his own earliest memories to write those chapters, but there is no discussion of how his parents felt about his diagnosis, or what they thought about some of his more odd behaviors or how he was finally diagnosed - he is truly oblivious and uncaring. Also, his whole family is a little unusual in many ways, but he doesn't acknowledge that at all, shows very little insight into that aspect of his upbringing. On the other hand, after meeting another American savant who is much older (middle aged) but still cannot live independently because of the severity of his disorder, Daniel has a very normal 'there but the grace of God goes me' type reaction. He also is very thankful for his family and friends and partner, that they support him so he can live as normally as possible. All in all a thought provoking book.
15.5 Poem and original Haiku: Sound the Deep Waters Women's Romantic Poetry in the Victorian Age by Pamela Norris, 120pp read 4/2/2010.
There's a definite reason why I don't write poetry for a living...
Grancy graybeard blooms
Make sweet white memory trails…
I run away home
20.8 500 pages of magic, magician or and escape: Heart's Blood and Young Man without Magic by Juliet Marillier and Lawrence Watt-Evans, 750pp read 4/3/2010.
25.2 Costa book Awards, best first novel AND second novel by that author: Soulless and Changeless by Gail Carriger, 731pp read 3/31/2010 and 4/10/2010.
Ms Carriger is a Goodreads author.
This has got to be two of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long, long time. I wrote a longer review, but in short this book is extremely witty, funny and reads like a steam engine. It crosses several genres - romance, vampires, steampunk, Jane Austen rewrites - many of these are way overdone these days, with lots of junk out there, I hope Ms Carriger doesn't get lost in the crowd, because her book is much more fun to read than many of the others. One note, it is grouped with YA in some places, and there is a scene toward the end that is a little more explicit than I would expect in a true YA book - not offensive, just a bit more steamy than I would want my 13 year old to read - 5 stars though.
25.3 Live event and connected book:Buried Strangers by Leighton Gage, 308pp read 4/3/2010.
This mystery is set in Brazil, and I participated in a live musical performance of the Brazilian Aleluia as a connection.
25.6 Date in history AND related book set in modern times: The Last Pope and Galileo's Daughter by Luis Miguel Rocho and Dana Sobel, 751pp, read 4/5/2010 and 3/5/2010.
Finally finished this task! On my birthday, 6/22/1633, Galileo received his conviction from the Inquisition, the second book is set in the Vatican in modern times.
Books read 28
Tasks completed 18/57
Points 325/980
Pages read 9708
Mod
A.I read The Devil's Arithmetic, a five star book for both of my daughters (goodreads friends). I'm a little surprised that I hadn't read it before, but I'm glad I have now.
AND
B. I read The Year of Magical Thinking, which at the time I began was a 5 star book on the list of Bekah, a friend of my daughter, who came up first on the "friends of friends" list (although that has since changed).
To say that I "enjoyed" them would be odd, since I found that I was crying a good bit through each book - not exactly a rollicking good time. Very powerful books, and I'm glad I read them both. I'm just glad I didn't read them right in a row!
Points: 620
Books: 42
Books by Goodreads authors: 8
Big Books - 1
Pages: 12199
Tasks: 31
5.9 - “I think even lying on my bed I can still do something.” In honor of Dorothea Dix (April 4, 1802 – July 17, 1887), an American activist on behalf of the indigent insane whose quote inspired this task...Spend a day in bed reading the book of your choice.
SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes And Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner-4/11
10.9 - "A lovely horse is always an experience.... It is an emotional experience of the kind that is spoiled by words."
In honor of the Kentucky Derby (May 1st)...Read a book with the word Horse or Horses in the title OR a book that features Horses in the storyline. (I hope you will find that the words in the book you choose for this task enhance rather than ruin the experience.)
Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls-4/10
20.5 - Just Joined In - Melaine - Read Across America (and the rest of the world)
In honor of Read Across America Day 2010, which falls on Dr. Suess's birthday, read any book(s)from one of the NEA's booklists and/or by Dr. Seuss, for a total of at least 500 pages.
*Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar-4/5 (118pgs)
*Wayside School gets a little stranger by Louis Sachar-4/6 (168 pgs)
Kid's Top 100 Books list
*Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Love & Friendship by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger-4/11 (284 pgs)
Total 570 pages
New Total:140
25. 9 - Spring Break - Postmortem Patricia Cornwell was listed as a popular author during my high school years - late 90's!Task Points: 25
Total Points: 220
Tasks: 13
Books: 17
Nicki STL
5 POINT TASK5.1 - All About The Birds And The Bees
A. Read a book with a type of bird in the title.
According To Crow, E. Sedia.
10 POINT TASK
10.3 - The Luck Of The Irish
In Honor of St. Patrick's Day (March 17) read a book with...
A.An Author by the name of Patrick, Pat, or Patricia.
The Butcher Boy, Patrick McCabe.
25 POINT TASK
25.3 - Coralie's Task - Coming Out Of Hibernation
Attend a live sporting event or musical or drama event and read a book that is somehow connected to the event.
Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track, Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan.
I went to the Steel City Derby Demon's season home opener on March 20th. The B-Unit beat the Rideau Valley Vixens (from CA), 95-67. The main Pittsburgh team, Steel Hurtin', kicked the crap out of the team from Maine with a final score of 182-58. Looking forward to going again this coming Saturday when Steel Hurtin' skates against the Dutchland Rollers and the Blitzburgh Bombers go up against the Dutch Blitz.
TOTAL POINTS: 305/980.
I finished 3 books yesterday and they were all the first book of 2-part challenges. Grr! I really have to plan better! I did manager to finish Beast for 20.7, which is a retelling of Beauty & the Beast with the Beast being a price from Persia turned into a lion. It was just okay.
As far as cleaning, I had a big box of Disney movies (including Beauty & the Beast) that have sat around forever and just went to charity!
Total points: 265
10.5 freedom of the Press - Read The Distinguished Guest which had a main character (Linnett) who was a journalist.15.8 A beautiful thing never gives so much pain as does failing to hear and see it.
Read Russell Drysdale: A biographical and critical study. I love Russell Drysdale's depictions of the Australian outback - the rich colours he uses and the stark shapes. My favourite of his paintings is 'The Cricketers'. I have a print of this picture just inside our front door.
I finished 15.9 with Moonrise by Erin Hunter. If I ever wrote a book I'd let my publisher choose the pen name since they'd be more knowledgeable about what kind of names sell. Just picking one right now- Elaine Hansson. I like the name Elaine and Hansson is my last name misspelled. I also finished 20.9 with American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. I'm sorry I read it.
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COMPLETED TASKS:
10.8 Space Exploration/Travel/Astronauts
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - READ 4.10.10
My Rating: 4 stars
I'm not normally a sci-fi reader, but this was engaging and thought provoking.
25.3 Coming Out of Hibernation
A. Attend Live Performance - Went to the Maryland vs. Duke basketball game at College Park on March 3rd. Always an exciting match-up. The game was electric. What a let down when Maryland got knocked out of the first round of the NCAA tournament and Duke went on to win.
B. Book any way related to performance
*My Losing Season Pat Conroy - READ 4.11.10
My Rating: 4 stars
Fantastic book!
TASKS COMPLETED: 18/57
POINTS COMPLETED: 370/980
BOOKS READ: 24/73
*BOOKS READ FROM MY PERSONAL LIBRARY: 14
10.10-- "Fashions fade-style is eternal."Pants on Fire
I <3 Meg Cabot. This is just a really cute story that I would love to see as a movie someday.
Total: 390
After all the reading I've been doing, it's nice to finish up some of these multi-book tasks and finally claim some points!25.8 Helen’s Task – Talk to the Animals
A. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
B. A Cat Abroad by Peter Gethers (A story about a man and his cat, who is no ordinary cat)
*Also, Garth Stein is a GR author
240/980 points
Tasks Completed: 13/57
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 22/82
Pages Read: 5325
Ugh. This month... well, let's just start April over, huh? No one with me? OK.I managed to finish 25.10 with
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
AND
Good Night, Mr. Holmes
Good Night, Mr. Holmes was an good enough book. I didn't particularly like Irene Adler, but I loved Nell, so I enjoyed the book. It did not live up to the joy I had upon reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for the first time, though. Good Night, Mr. Holmes read like a modern novel, with all the good and bad that involves. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, on the other hand, had a timelessness and intrigue I loved.
Total Points: 55 points
Amanda R. in Louisville
More tasks finished15.1 - Independently Speaking
Murder in Mykonos by Jeffrey M. Siger takes place in Greece AND
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Irish author
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15.2 Anzac Day
Girl Underground by Morris Gleitzman (Australian Author) AND
The Zimmermann Telegram by author:Barbara W. Tuchman|137261] (WWI)
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15.4 Gems
Diamond In The Rough by Diana Palmer AND
I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton
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15.5 A Poem begins in delight
Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton
This was a beautiful book of poetry collected by Julie Andrews and her daughter. Not only were the poems wonderful but the book itself was high quality. The illustrations were fabulous. Even the quality of the paper itself was excellent. This is a book that I could definitely see myself owning. It included a cd of Julie reading many of the poems.
My Haiku:
The Hills Come Alive
When Julie Sings Edelweiss
Lovely Flowers Grow
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15.10 Philosophy of Life
The Golden Rule by Elizabeth Palmer
Jesus said it best "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Or treat your neighbor as you would like to be treated. This has always how I have tried to live my life.
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25.1 Future Aspirations
Fitness for Seniors: Amazing Body Breakthroughs for Super Health by Frank K. Wood
I just turned 59, retired as a respiratory therapist for 37 years and have now made getting healthier by losing weight and exercising more Job # 1. It was hard to find a cover that pictured "healthy". What does healthy look like anyway?
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25.6 - BJ Rose's Task - This Day In History (April 7)
1949 The Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein musical classic of love and war," South Pacific", unfolded on a lush tropical island swarming with Seabees, nurses, natives and coconut trees on this night in 1949.
Beautiful Mornin': The Broadway Musical in the 1940's by Ethan Mordden AND
Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener
25.9 Wendy's Task - Spring BreakThe Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
I was in high school from '85 to '90 and Dean Koontz was quite popular at the that time.
Total points: 355
10.1 - Books Really Do Grow On Trees: The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: Mary, Katherine, and Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Tragedy Deckle Edge
It may be hard to see in this little picture of the cover. There are trees in the background in the lower left corner. 30.6 - Donna Jo's Task - As Suggested By Liz Brooklyn - Character References: The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon & The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle. Arthur Conan Doyle was mentioned several times in the Lost City of Z and in particular The Lost World.
Total: 180 points
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Mod
20.10, Group Read, with
The Handmaid's Tale
post 32 in discussion thread
30.1, Roseanne's Spring Fling, with
A. Spring: Chasing Spring: An American Journey Through a Changing Season and
B. Fling: The Bookwoman's Last Fling: A Cliff Janeway Novel
I really enjoyed Chasing Spring. It had some of my favorite elements- an entertaining travel memoir, a scientific perspective, and a real point of view. I read this book outside to take in as much of Spring as possible
I enjoy the Cliff Janeway books, but thought this one strayed too far from the book trade.
30.5, pjreads' six degrees, with
A. Death Without Company by Craig Johnson and
B.Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger
Craig Johnson interviewed William Kent Krueger for Mystery Readers International
Interview
+80
total 635
I completed 15.6, 15.10 and 20.1.For 15.10 I'm supposed to share a little of my personal philosophy. I read Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan. I think it's very important for us to know where our food comes from and what we are eating. Not only so as a whole, we can become a healthier country, but also so that we can help keep the world's environment safer. This book is sort of like a set of rules that you can use to help do these things. I love the way he has it set up, so that you can take baby steps and adapt one rules from each of the three sections of the book and actually make a difference. Some of my favorite rules were, "dont eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food" and "spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it."
Complete
5 Points
5.2 Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver
5.5 Metro Girl, Janet Evanovich first published in 2004
5.6 The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
5.8 Moon Called, Patricia Briggs
15 Points
15.6 A:: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen B: The Turning, Jennifer Armintrout
15.10 Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, Michael Pollan
20 Points
20.1 The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life, Laurie Notaro
20.2 The Help, Kathryn Stockett
20.3 The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
25 Points
25.1 The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
25.3 Front and Center, Katherine Gilbert Murdock
Totals
Points: 165
Tasks: 12
Books: 13
Pages: 3874
30.6 Read a book and read another book that the first book references.I read The Last Dickens: A Novel and The Mystery of Edwin Drood . Most of Dickens's novels were mentioned in The Last Dickens, but I chose to read The Mystery of Edwin Drood since it's the book to which the mystery in The Last Dickens relates.
Total points = 355
#15.6 Friends and Friends of FriendsA. Read a book that is popular among the lists of your Goodreads friends that you have never read: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris March 7
B. Select the first person on Friends of Friends link and read a 5* book from that list: Anne Whitfield gave 5* to Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, and I agree with that rating! April 6
#25.7 The Gods Must be Crazy: Read a book involving Greek or Roman gods. Half-bloods are fine.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan April 12 Percy *Perseus* Jackson is the half-blood son of Poseidon
Total Pages = 10,859
Total Points = 490
Three More Tasks Completed10.1 Trees: The Greatest Player Who Never Lived: A Golf Story 3*
A beautiful scene of a hole on a golf course with trees encompassing the fairway and greens. Was a super book to read over the Master's tournament weekend. Good story of former golf greats, an interesting mystery and a feel-good ending. Not high literature but a fun read.
15.2 ANZAC DAY
A. Author from New Zealand: I Am the Messenger by Markus Zuzak 5*
Wonderful book. Not as good as The Book Thief but still a super book. Zuzak is special.
B. WWI Book: Water Song: A Retelling of "The Frog Prince" 3*
I got this for a different task but as I read it, it was more about WWI along the Belgian border than a fairy tale. It was very engrossing. I gave it only 3* because it was short and the characters were not very in-depth. The story about the German occupation etc however was excellent.
25.9 Wendy's Spring Break: Cat's Cradle CD 5 *
Since I was in college in the early 60's, Kurt Vonnegut was one of the group of avant-garde writers that had to be read by all college students. It was a wonderful "blast from the past" to listen to this special book again in audio form. Tony Roberts is an excellent reader. Wendy, thanks for taking back to my college years.
POINTS: 425
TASKS: 25
BOOKS: 33
PAGES:10,007
25.8 Helen’s Task – Talk to the AnimalsA) Animal Farm by George Orwell
B) The Choice by Nicholas Sparks (both the lead characters have pets, Moby and Molly who help their owners get through everyday life and help bring the couple together)
Tasks Completed: 8
Points Earned: 185
Books Read: 11
20.7 i needed to thro away some old leftover fortune cookies. i had got a really big bag a while ago and i mean a while ago. Seeing Emily by Joyce Lee Wong
55points
20.4 - Always The Bridesmaid, Never The Bride - Heidi - Our Histories: B. A fictional "family saga" book - The Girl Who Ate Kalamazoo (this could also work for C. A fictional book about your local area or region.)
D. non-fiction book about the history of your local area. – Sterling Township: 1875-1968
Total: 200 points
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I finished the 50-pointer!! I roller 3 & 4, which totals 7. So I got to pick my books! I read: Hex Hall and The Tipping Point.Total Points: 320
Tasks Completed: 18
Tasks In Progress: 3
Books Read: 24
Pages Read: 8669
Rachel Hawkins (who wrote Hex Hall) is a goodreads author.
25.7 - Ashley Tasks - Greek/Roman Gods - I read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. 4* Can't wait to read the next one!Total Points: 210
Tasks Completed: 11
Books Read: 15
Pages Read: 6,642
Tasks in Process: 25.4, 25.6, 50
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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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Greed, Lust and Gender: A History of Economic Ideas
This book examines economic/ political theories since the beginning of the industrial revolution. The influential theories institutionalized male greed and lust on the requirement for female altruism. Early theories expected men to self-regulate. History has shown repeatedly the inadequacy of self-regulation against the pull of greed and lust.
I agree that greed has dreadful consequences for everybody plus the environment. Unbridled lust is equally deadly -- especially as described here where men get all the "happiness" and punish women & children for the negative consequences. The callous erasure of women and children by economic theorists is egregious.
960 points