The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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SPRING CHALLENGE 2010
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Spring Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks
5.8 A.G.Bell words: phone, telephone, ... conversation ... -Conversation with Spinoza: A Cobweb Novel
965 points
Just finished listening to another one, thus finishing task 25.4. My middle name is Alexandra, so I read My Life in France, which was written by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme. I also read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which has name "Charlie" in title.Total Points: 345
Tasks Completed: 19
Tasks In Progress: 2
Books Read: 25
Pages Read: 8824
20.1-A Humorous BookI read "There's a (Slight) Chance I Might be Going to Hell" by Laurie Notaro.
Obviously, (at least to me) this is destined to be a funny book. A writer is transplanted from the metropolis of Phoenix to a small town in Oregon, home of Greenpeace and recyclers. She is trying to make new friends and in the process seems to make more enemies. Her thought process is a lot like mine and I found the book hysterical. That it actually had a mystery in it was a bonus.
Finished task 30.5 (A): Dry Store Room No. 1 by Richard Fortey and (B): Shakespeare by Bill Bryson - Richard Foretey was a paleaentologist at the Natural History Museum and took Bill Bryson on a tour around the Museum when Bill Bryson was researching for his book A Small History of Nearly Everything. Bill Bryson also wrote Shakespeare.TOTAL POINTS = 140
New to the group, so I hope I'm doing this right.5.3 - Coraline, by Neil Gaiman
5.9 - The Endearment, by LaVyrle Spencer
10.7 - A Northern Light, by Jennifer Donnelly
20.2 - Sink Reflections, by Marla Cilley
25.9 - A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray
30.6 - The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde & Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
50.1 - Years, by LaVyrle Spencer & A Reliable Wife, by Robert Goolrick (rolled a 3 & 4 - got to choose my own, but still ended up keeping the categories :)
TOTAL POINTS: 145
10.8 Gus Grissom: The Lost AstronautRay E. Boomhower
30.3 The Girl Who Fell From the Sky (Published 1/11/10)Heidi Durrow
and
Harlem Redux
Persia Walker
Both are Goodreads authors
5.8 -“Mr. Watson, Come Here, I Want To See You.” In Honor of Scottish-Canadian inventor - Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) most famous for his invention of the telephone...Read a book with one of the following words in the title (Phone, Telephone, Cell, Cellular, Call, Calling, Called, Communicate, Communication, Conversation, Talk, Talking, Talked...similar words may be acceptable check with me).
One Night at the Call Center by Bhagat
5 points
5.10 - "The important thing is not what they think of me, but what I think of them."
In honor of Queen Victoria, the longest reigning British Monarch, read a book written by an author who lived during her lifetime (May 24, 1819 – January 22, 1901).
After Dark by Wilkie Collins (1824-1889)
5 points
30.4 - DLM Rose's Task - One if by Land, Two if by Sea
Paul Revere’s ride took place on April 18-19, 1775.
Paul Revere
To commemorate his ride read two books:
A. One book with a natural landform or land feature in the title- mountain, valley, plain, volcano, cliff, cave, cape, canyon etc.
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (Moon)
And
B. One book with a natural body of water in the title: ocean, pond, lake, stream, river, bay, fjord, etc.
Iron River- T. Jefferson Parker
30 points
30.6 - Donna Jo's Task - As Suggested By Liz Brooklyn - Character References
A. For this task you need to read a book (fiction or non-fiction) AND A book or book written by an author that the first book references.
For example, in The Moonstone one of the characters refers to Robinson Crusoe, in The Inheritance of Loss two characters discuss V. S. Naipaul's novels, and in Northanger Abbey the protagonist is reading The Mysteries of Udolpho.
Inheritance of Loss by Desai
Naipaul, A Bend in the River
30 points
25.10 Melissa GA's Task - Deja Vu
A. Read an original work of fiction, 100 pages or longer... About McCarthy and McCarthyism
Red Chaser by Jon Spoelstra (Goodreads Author) AND
B. Read a published book of 100 pages or more that is based on the first book but written by a different author. The second book featuring characters from the original work.
Joseph McCarthy (Great Lives Observed) ~ Allen J. Matusow (Editor) same character
C. When claiming points for this task, tell us whether the second author's work lives up to the original.
Original was excellent, the non-fiction was dry.
25 points
total 755
Finished:30.5 Six Degrees of Separation
I try to reread some Georgette Heyer every year, so I started with
Arabella.
Heyer was a friend of Joanna Cannan, who was a sister to poet May Cannan. May was engaged to the son of Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch, who influenced John Mortimer's Rumpole of the the Bailey.
I read Mortimer's Where There's a Will: Thoughts on the Good Life (which was a delightfully funny look at Mortimer's philosophy of life.)
30.5 Nora Roberts- Blithe ImagesJanet Dailey- Fire and Ice
Degrees of seperation. In 1998 Dailey was taken to court for plagarism of Nora Roberts work.
20.2 - The Help - Kathryn StockettTotal Points: 480
Tasks Complete: 30
Books Read: 43
Pages Read: 14790
Tasks In Progress: 7
GOODREADS AUTHOR x
BIG BOOK (500) x
BIG BOOK (750)
BIG BOOK (1000) x
Percent Complete: 58.1%
Time Elapsed: 47.8%
20.1 - April FoolI read Doom Magnetic! by William Pauley III for this task. I gave the book 4 stars and the following is my review:
Won from first reads!! Short and to the point, I absolutely love that. Made me laugh out loud at times. I have never read anything like this but I really enjoyed it, I think it's time for me to branch out! The way it was narrated made me think of the voice narrating the movie Sin City, I am not sure why.
Total points: 140
Tasks complete: 6
20.2 Read a book in which someone cleans or organizes in some capacity.I read The Girl Who Played with Fire , in which there are many themes of 'cleaning' and 'organizing.' The Swedish police and a private investigation firm organize investigations into the whereabouts and doings of one of the novel's protagonists, Lisbeth Salander. Dag Svennson, an author, is organizing information to piece together into a book about sex trafficking in Sweden; he and his girlfriend plan to expose many names when the book is published and simultaneously file police reports on these johns, thereby 'cleaning' the world of these horrible people. And throughout the book, the other protagonist, Mikael Blomvkist, is organizing his thoughts about Salander and investigating on his own into her whereabouts and her past.
Total points = 375
20.7- Time to DeclutterMy husband and I have too many books, and I have been thinking about donating some to our county's library book sale, or maybe a small school library.
So for this task I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (about burning books).
25.10- Deja Vu
Read
A: The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
B: Dr Jekyll & Mr Holmes by Loren D. Estleman
I think I have some kind of an aversion to "fanfic" and I was actually going to skip this task until I came across "Dr Jekyll & Mr Holmes". I was intrigued (enough to read it), but I wasn't expecting much. Surprisingly, I thought the voices of Holmes and Watson were very successful and the way the story was interwoven with Stevenson's was clever. But I was disappointed with Holmes's role in the case. He was always one step behind (which is unusual for him) and made far too many mistakes and errors in judgment. He did not contribute greatly to our understanding of this "strange case".
15.1- Independently Speaking
A: Read Dracula by Bram Stoker (Romania)
B: Read Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (Irish author)
Oh, and Dracula is over 500 pages, so I hereby claim my "I like big books" ticket.
New completed tasks:5.2 - Dead Witch Walking. There's a huge garden in the back of the church the main characters live at. The witch uses this to get materials for her spells, and the pixy family tends the garden.
5.9 - I read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency on my dad's Nook in bed this weekend. My parents came for a visit and I really enjoyed the down time at the hotel every night.
Just completed 10.10!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
10 Points
10.10 Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office, Jen Lancaster
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 Notaro20.2 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: 175
Tasks: 13
Books: 14
Pages: 4274
10.7 True Crime I read The Rabbi and the Hitman by Arthur Magidatotal points: 275/980
books:23
tasks: 18
pages: 6849
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5.9 - "I think even lying on my bed I can still do something."I read Stand by Debbie Williamson for this task. I stayed in bed and read the whole thing last night in one sitting. She has a VERY powerful story to tell.
Total points: 145
Tasks complete: 7
5.2 - Morning Glory, by LaVyrle Spencer25.1 - The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton: I have always wanted a garden to grow my own fruit & vegetables in & to have flowers blooming everywhere. It sounds like a complete fantasy to me. After reading this book, I want a garden that much more! This book made me believe in fairies - I would love to have a place for them to come visit & where I could point them out to my son & teach him about their beautiful & secret lives ;)
TOTAL POINTS: 175
I had such high hopes for this challenge but alas, life (and my two little ones) had other plans for me! I was able to find a spot for most everything I've read so far in March and April so here is my list of completed tasks. Better late than never I guess!5.4 Read Testimony by Anita Shreve which was featured in the November, 2008 newsletter.
5.7 Read House Rules by Jodi Picoult about a boy with Asperger's
5.9 Read Stitches by David Small while lying in bed (and I read it all at once, something I never thought would happen!)
10.2 Read American Widow by Alissa Torres which has an average rating of 3.34
10.4 Read The Help by Kathryn Stockett and then passed it on to my sister to "recycle" it.
20.3 Read The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry. The main character Towner has a history of delusions and hallucinations and was hospitalized after a suicide attempt. My initial thought was that she might have schizophrenia but after finishing the book I would say it is more PTSD and Dissociative Identity Disorder (which used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder) The author did a great job of portraying her as damaged but not all together crazy.
Total Points-55
15.10 As Luck Would Have ItJoshua Piven
I am a strong believer in luck in life. I'm not talking about lottery winner kind of luck. I'm talking about when you're looking for a job and someone calls and asks you if you're interested in a job. That's happened to me several times. Or when your car breaks down and a friend happens by. I believe that if you are prepared, opportunities that many would call luck will present themselves at the right time.
20.1 - The Most Improved Player - Cindy AL - April FoolBitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster
Total Points = 245
Completed task 10.1 by reading Our Town
Lovely red tree on the cover, ironic since the play itself is void of most scenery and props. It was an OK read, but made much more interesting with the contextual information, original broadway critiques, authors comments, etc that put it into perspective in dramatic history. Three Stars.
Books Read: 17
Pages Read: 5542
Points: 205
10.5-- Freedom of the Press Read a non-fictional book written by or about a famous journalist.Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
The author, Christopher McDougall, is an American author and journalist best known for his 2009 best-selling book Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. He has also written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Outside, Men's Journal, and New York, and is currently a contributing editor for Men's Health. (taken from Wikipedia)
Total: 400
For Task 25.2 (Fabulous Firsts or Superior Seconds) I read Jodi Picoult's first and second books: Songs of the Humpback Whale and Harvesting the HeartThey were very similar, actually. Novels about marriages in crisis, involving a separation. They ended, I thought, similarly: a crisis provokes a resolution after a long period of stagnation. Interestingly, the first novel was in five voices, different type-sets. The second was in only two voices (fewer than I am used to with her work), one of which was first person and one third.
All in all I think I preferred the second. While neither one was as good as a "great" novel by this author, in the second one the author seemed more on the road to her particular, wonderful niche: seeing inside people and finding something extraordinary in ordinary lives. In the first novel I found most of the characters pretty unsympathetic.
This brings me to 795 points.
46/57 tasks
66 books
I need to move some things around, but I think I'll wait until my next post for that.
ETA: Ack, PJ, you are so close!! Way to go!
Mod
A. I read Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey - set in New Zealand, by a New Zealand author, who is also a Goodreads author.
AND
B. Regeneration
Points: 635
Books: 43
Books by Goodreads authors: 9
Big Books - 1
Pages: 12793
Tasks: 32
25.4 The Name Game: My Father's Daughter by Hannah Poole (same first name as me) and Coraline by Neil GaimanGOODREADS AUTHOR *Neil Gaiman
Total Points: 135
Tasks Completed: 8
(I think I had my points counted incorrectly last time! Sorry!)
15.10 Face the Facts of Being What you are...This Time Together: Laughter and Reflections by Carol BurnettI believe that a sense of humor helps make life more livable, and no one has helped bring humor into American homes like Carol Burnett. 4*
25.5 Leora's Task--Read 850 pages from TBR list
A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire by Amy Butler Greenfield 3.5*
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin 2*
Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder 3.5*
25.10 - Deja Vu - original book Mrs. Dallowayand book made based on original The HoursTask Points: 25
Total Points: 245
Tasks: 14
Books: 19
Nicki STL
I just realized I haven't updated in awhile. Here's the latest batch of completed tasks.5.2: Black Rose – Nora Roberts 03/23
15.10: Everything Happens for a Reason – Mira Kirshenbaum 03/23 I have always believed in the philosophy of everything happens for a reason.
25.1: Family Tree – Barbara Delinsky 03/28 **Goodreads Author** My husband and I are planning to start a family in the near future.
10.5: The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society – Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows 03/28 Main character is a journalist
30.5: The Boyfriend List: Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver – E. Lockhart 03/15 AND Names My Sisters Call Me – Megan Crane 03/29 ** Goodreads Author** Megan Crane interviewed E. Lockhart. During this interview (posted at Beatrice.com) the two authors discussed their experiences at Vassar and writing in general.
20.9: Autumn Blue – Karen Harter 04/01
25.7: Gods Behaving Badly – Marie Phillps 04/01
50: The Big Shuffle – Laura Pedersen 04/06 AND Whispers of the Bayou – Mindy Starns Clark 04/11 First roll was a 4 (Play) and the second role was a 3 (Biography or Autobiography). Adding the two together, the sum is 7 and the genres were tossed out and I could read whatever I wanted. This was a great task!
New Points: 180
Previous Points: 155
Total Points: 335
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5.6 Asian/ Pacific setting (Japan), character (Japanese) or Asian/ Pacific American author -An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
975 points
I just completed task 15.4 by reading Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise and Innocence (Sapphires represent Innocence!)I really loved the Ruth Reichl book- she writes about food in such a sumptuous way that if I were eating with her, I would try all of the things she ate even though at least half of it scares me (frog legs, venison, sweetbreads, etc). The Mendelsohn book was a little...bizarre. I got that it was intentionally so, but I am not really sure how successful the message was in the end. I was more freaked out than enlightened.
Tasks Completed: 26/57
Books Read: 38
Pages Read: 11,264
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20.10 Group Reads C - The Historian25.4 The Name Game A - World Below by Sue Miller (My middle name is Susan.)
C - Bronwyn's Bane
10.4 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle C- read
The Inverted World: A Novel then handed it on to my husband for him to be as amazed and bemused as I was.
Mod
I read Coraline by Neil Gaiman (also a Goodreads author)
Points: 640
Books: 44
Books by Goodreads authors: 10
Big Books - 1
Pages: 12955
Tasks: 33
Task 30.2 Written in Bone
and What to do about Alice
total points: 305/980
books:25
tasks: 19
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5.3 S.P.R.I.N.G. Layers: Uncovering and Celebrating God's Original Idea of Me by Sandi PattyPOINTS FOR THIS TASK: 5
15.7 Deadly Sin: Venus Envy by Shannon McKelden. The main character portrayed envy by always comparing herself and her love life to those around her. In her eyes, she saw everyone else as having perfect relationships and by comparison hers were not. She learned that nothing is as it seems on the outside and that there was imperfection in all of the relationships of others. Envy is a deadly sin because it causes a person to fixate on and desire what others have instead of working on and being grateful for your own situation.
GOODREADS AUTHOR *Shannon McKelden
POINTS FOR THIS TASK: 15
Total Points: 230/980
Tasks Complete: 15/57
10.4 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle A. The Seventh Witch*** by Shirley Damsgaard. It was a bit slower than the rest of the series so far, but still enjoyable.15.10 "Face the facts of being what you are..." Weird U.S.: Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets** by Mark Moran. We are explorers and historians, always looking for a new place, new experience, new idea... This was a fun book about local myths and folk lore, part travelogue, part ghost story.
Total points: 200
Total pages: 3162
I read The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma for 25.1 b/c it has 4 children on the cover and I would really like to have children (hopefully 4) sometime soon. Total points: 25
Total books: 5
Tasks completed: 1
Goodreads Authors: 1
It's been a while since I posted, so here are the tasks I have completed recently:15.9 - The Preacher Man by hamingbyrd9. This is an ebook found on Literotica.com
20.6 - High Wizardry by Diane Duane (Goodreads Author)
This Series is about wizardry, but not in the way you think of it. It's more of a high tech science version of wizardry, and is a very good series.
20.8 - So You want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane (Goodreads Author)
Deep Wizardry by Diane Diane (Goodreads Author)
25.4 - Name Game
My middle name is James, so I read JAmes Patterson's The Midnight Club.
Othello appears in Shakespeare's othello, so I used that play as the second half of this challenge.
25.10 - Deja Vu
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J K Rowling
James Potter and the Vault of Destiny by G. Norman Lippert (Goodreads Author)
In this case the copy is just as good as the original, I liked the spin-off just as well as I liked the original series.
30.4 - Paul Revere
By Land:
The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher
By Sea:
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
30.6 - Character References
On Writing by Steven King references The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce in Steven's list of good books to read.
All together, I think I have the following new totals:
Points: 240
Books: 18
Tasks: 10
Pages: 6112
50.1 Luck Be a Lady!I rolled a 3 and then a 2, so I was tasked to read a romance novel and a nonfiction book, neither of which usually attract me. On top of that, one of my books had to be a 5-star book from someone's list since my numbers added up to 5.
I read Lawman , which was a 5-star book from my friend Krystle's list, and Steve & Me , which was one of the few nonfiction books I've wanted to read for a while now. Slogged through Lawman but loved Steve & Me. =)
Total points = 425
I finished 30.5 by reading Her Fearful Symmetry and The Last Song. 1. Audrey Niffenager - Rachel McAdams (played Claire in Time Traveler's Wife which was written by Niffenager
2. Rachel McAdams - Nicholas Sparks (McAdams played Allie Hamilton in The Notebook, written by Sparks)
Total Points: 370
Tasks Completed: 20
Tasks In Progress: 2
Books Read: 27
Pages Read: 8824
Audrey Niffenager is a goodreads author
5.4 Mentioned in JAN 09 Goodreads Newsletter - Miles from Nowhere by Nami Mun* Goodreads Author
980 points
76 books
22,611 pages
4 Goodreads authors
8 Big Books over 500 pp
1 Big Book over 750 pp
1 star = 5
2 stars = 12
3 stars = 19
4 stars = 30
5 stars = 10
Hello!I have completed Task 20.6 ~ Favourite Series. I read:
[image error] by Alan Bradley
This novel is the second book in "The Buckshaw Chronicles" series. I enjoyed it more than the first book (The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie)though both novels are fun, interesting and not wholly predictable.
Here is a brief summary, as required of the task:
Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce didn’t intend to investigate another murder — but then, Rupert Porson didn’t intend to die. When the master puppeteer’s van breaks down in the village of Bishop’s Lacey, Flavia is front and centre to help Rupert and his charming assistant, Nialla, put together a performance in the local church to help pay the repair bill. But even as the newcomers set up camp and set the stage for Jack and the Beanstalk, there are signs that something just isn’t right: Nialla’s strange bruises and solitary cries in the churchyard, Rupert’s unexplained disappearances and a violent argument with his BBC producer, the disturbing atmosphere at Culverhouse Farm, and the peculiar goings-on in nearby Gibbet Wood — where young Robin Ingleby was found hanging just five years before. I rated this novel 3.5 stars.
Total # of Page Read: 5032
Total # of Points Accrued: 185
Total # of Tasks Completed: 10
Total # of Books Read: 16
CONGRATULATIONS, PJ!!! You did it!!!Now go relax and watch some tv or something ;)
I completed the 50 point task. I rolled: 6 (mystery) and read Two for the Dough by Janet Evoanovich (a series that I am totally in love with now!) and
4 (20th-21st Century Lit) and read Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner (classified by publisher as "novel" and in the general fiction section of my library). This is the first in a series and while I liked it, I'm not sure if I will read on.
These totaled 10, requiring a Goodreads author. Julie Kenner is a Goodreads author.
For Task 5.5 I read Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot. This book was on the Popular List for 2004. I LOVED it - super cute and very funny.
850 Points
48/57 tasks
69 books
Hi,I completed task 20.3 Mental Health.
I read Human Traces by Sebastian Faulks The disorder was schizopheria. I currently work in Mental Health, so it taught me a little bit about what it was like to work in the early stages of the disapline.
Total points = 150
Kate.x.
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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)
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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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25.3 - Miracle on 49th Street ~ Mike Lupica
I went to a Chicago Bulls game March 5th and then I read this book which is about a Celtic's basketball player and the daughter he didn't know he had. Great YA book! :)
Total Points = 355 points
Total Books = 22 books
Total Pages = 5773 pages