The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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SPRING CHALLENGE 2010
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Spring Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks
15.2 - Anzac DayFor part A I read The Darkest Hour by Katherine Howe which was set in Sydney.
AND
for part B I read Shoulder the Sky: A Novel which was awesome and I really want to read the rest of her WWI series.
25.10 Melissa GA's Task - Deja Vu
For part A I read The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
AND
for part B I read Justice Hall which was about Sherlock and Mary Holmes and was written from Mary's perspective.
I really liked Justice Hall but I don't think it really lived up to the original Holmes. The way Holmes is presented in both is similar, but the original is much more focused on Holmes and how he deduces everything, whereas Justice Hall has the emphasis more on Mary. It didn't really seem as quirky or delightful as the original.
30.3 - Ms. Anderson's Task - Birth and Renewal
For part A I read Horns which I loved. Hill never disappoints.
AND
part B I read Refuge which was an interesting read. It's about a child who kills a baby but is told from the point of view of the offender's mother.
30.4 - DLM Rose's Task - One if by Land, Two if by Sea
For the land option I read The Killings At Badger's Drift (drift was okayed in the thread for this task). It was ok but I prefer the tv show.
AND
for the water option I read The Bay of Silence which was a really ridiculous book and I dislike it the more I think about it.
Total Points: 695
5.7 March is Mental Retardation and Developmental Disablilities Awareness Month The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time25.3 Coming out of Hibernation - Watched Melbourne Victory soccer team fail to live up to their name and read The Tide of Victory
30.3 Birth and Renewal
Book first published in 2010 Stillwater Creek
Book with prefix "re-" Return to Coolami
Just finished another one. I just read Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward for Task 15.9. (J.R. Ward's real name is Jessica Rowley Pell Bird, acc. to Wikipedia).If I had to choose a pen-name I might choose R. Tuesdale. The R stands for my first initial. The "Tues" of the last name comes from the Rolling Stones song "Ruby Tuesday" and the "dale" comes from "TeesDALE," the street I grew up on.
This brings me up to 120!
Completed Tasks:
5.9. Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
15.9 Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
20.6 Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
30.6. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
50.1 King Lear by William Shakespeare
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Total Tasks Completed: 5
Total Points: 120
Total Books Read: 7
I completed Task 20.9 by reading Gathering Blue (blue cheese).I want to thank whoever suggested that I read the rest of the trilogy started by The Giver. I was rather disappointed at such a depressing ending.
However, this book, in a way, continues the story from a completely different angle. It wasn't until the end that I realized that the two stories could be combined.....possibly.
I look forward to reading the third of the trilogy. I've forgotten the name, though. If anyone knows it, please let me know. Thanks.
Now I've got to hunker down and finish some multi-book tasks. I think I have 6 underway. Oy!
Petra wrote: "I completed Task 20.9 by reading Gathering Blue (blue cheese).I want to thank whoever suggested that I read the rest of the trilogy started by The Giver. I was rather disappointed ..."
Messenger ^_^
My first contest entry, yay!For 30.4:
30.4A (land) Brin, Infinity's Shore
30.4B (sea) Riordan, (Percy Jackson) The Sea of Monsters
For 25.3 (coming out of hibernation) I saw Wicked--which was even more amazing than the first time I saw it and read Black Magic Sanction (Connection--both witches designated wicked or black, but not really so--at least by some reckonings)That gives me
310 points
6473 pages read
Now, if I could only finish all of the part way done tasks, I'd be golden.
I just started Garden Spells and I really love it. I can't wait to finish it and check out The Sugar Queen!Nicole wrote: "I just completed 20.8 by reading
1. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen- found this utterly charming and can't wait to read her other books! Looking to fit them into the Summer ..."
update to post 1965 - for 15.3, forgot to say what books I think should be on the list: As a former librarian, I'm very picky about saying ANY book is something everyone should read since reading choices are so personal, but I personally think The Bible and Speaker for the Dead are books that everyone can get something from .
Finished:15.3 At Least Once in a Lifetime Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. I didn't care too much for the other books I've read by Larry McMurtry, but I loved this one. While it was a good book, an enjoyable read, I'm not convince it's an "Everyone Must Read" book. I will agree to To Kill a Mockingbird in first place.
25.9 Wendy's Task--Spring Break Since I was in school in the late 1950s-early 1960s, I choose to read The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré, which was first published in 1963.
30.1 Roseann's Task--Spring Fling:
A. Prairie Spring: A Journey Into the Heart of a Season by Peter Dunne
B. The Bookwoman's Last Fling: A Cliff Janeway Novel by John Dunning
5.5 - "Whatever is popular deserves attention." Using the following link (Popular Books) read a popular book that was published in a year ending in 3/4/5.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - 2005
Mrs.soule wrote: "update to post 1965 - for 15.3, forgot to say what books I think should be on the list: As a former librarian, I'm very picky about saying ANY book is something everyone should read since reading c..."OOH. I'm glad you said that! Starting Speaker in a few minutes!
20.9 - Luck Of The Draw - Rebecca - A Really Cheesy TaskBlue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
Total Points = 360
Finished two more last night: 10.3 - Mad Dash: A Novel - Patricia Gaffney
30.6 - Spunk & Bite: A writer's guide to punchier, more engaging language & style which referenced John Updike and Rabbit, Run
Total Points: 740
Tasks Complete: 43
Books Read: 58
Pages Read: 20028
Tasks In Progress: 3
GOODREADS AUTHOR x
BIG BOOK (500) x
BIG BOOK (750)
BIG BOOK (1000) x
Percent Complete: 78.4%
Time Elapsed: 70.7%
10.4 (Reuse)The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins by Dean Jensen (4 stars)
Thanks for this task. I had wanted to read this book for the circus/carnival task during our last challenge. However, it was still on order at my library. Luckily, I was the first on the list when it arrived.
The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton is a very well researched and engagingly written account about the triumphs and struggles of the famous Siamese twins who starred in the movie, Freaks. As infants, they were "adopted" by the midwife, whom delivered them, and turned into a sideshow act, at the age of three. Later, due to their musical and dance talents and their friendship with Harry Houdini, they became Vaudeville stars, making $4,000 per week, in the 1920s. Unfortunately, fame is fickle and they struggled, to say the least, in their older years.
+10
total points: 115
tasks: 7
Books: 9
task 30.5 I totally copied this task from someone else, whom I forget, so thank you, whomever you are!I read The Titan Seas by Rick Riordan
Uma thurman was in the movie Lightening Thief
Uma was in Kill Bill with Daryl Hannah
who was in Splash with Tom Hanks
who starred in Charlie Wilson’s War with Julia Roberts
who has The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs in development. I did not think I would like The Friday Night knitting club but I really did!
points: 450/980
pages: 10,286
books: 33
tasks: 25
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25.1 - Michelleo's Task - Future Aspirations read
The Girl On Legare Street by Karen White -- cover has a historic Charleston home on the cover -- I would love to own a historic home somewhere on the east coast or Pacific NorthwestBooks Read: 32
Pages Read: 9712
Tasks Completed: 23
Tasks in Progress: 3
20.6Sanctuary (1-800-Where-R-You, #4)
by Meg Cabot
this series iw fantastic. the main chareter is hit by lightning and gains a phenominal power. this power the government wants to use for their benifit and she dose not want to help them becuase when she does the results are bad. i will not divulge the opower as the first book' synopisis does not.
55 points total
I had posted these before, but it seems that they got overlooked:20.7 Time to Declutter: Blackout by Connie Willis
I have a massive amount of clothes I'm trying to donate or consign right now, and in Blackout many victims of the air raids in London benefit from donated clothes. (Update! I managed to give away about two trash bags full so far!)
25.1 Future Aspirations: Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde
There's a house on the cover, and my husband and I would really like to buy a house in the next couple of years.
Total Points: 195
Tasks Completed: 12
Books by Goodreads authors: 1
Big Books: 2 (500+ and 750+)
25.1 Future Aspirations - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. There's a dog on the cover & I would like to get a puppy. My dog got out last year & never found him him. :(My total - 270 points
5.2 All New Square Foot Garden Book by Mel Bartholomew
5.9 The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Sutterfield
10.1 Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
10.4 (c) Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. After reading I donated to the library where I work since our copy had been absconded with :D
10.9 SeaBiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand (hoping there will be a book about Noble's Promise by Derby time next year!)
15.3 Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. I'm a huge fan of Krakauer and have followed his outdoor writing for some time but this books just wasn't engaging. Perhaps it does portray something not depicted in most books so it provides a foundation for readers but I just didn't particularly likely and wouldn't ever put it on my "must read" list.
15.5 Committed to Memory: 100 Best Poems to Memorize (196 pages). My sad little haiku:
books take us flying
imaginations soar wild
only dreams bring more
15.9 Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene. My name would be what it is here at goodreads: Elizabeth Blair. Elizabeth is an extension of my own name and Blair is a family surname.
20.10 Finished up the Historian and will post over in that thread this week.
25.3 Attended a minor league baseball game: Travs vs. Rough Riders. Still need to read a corresponding book.
30.4 - DLM Rose's Task - One if by Land, Two if by Sealand - Desert Heat by J. A. Jance
sea - Iron Lake by W. K. Krueger
20.2 - Rookie Of The Season - Valorie - Clean Sweep
A. Read a fiction book with a character that cleans or organizes in some capacity.
I read: Terror on Tuesday by Ann Purser (Hardcover, 288 pages). This is the second book in a mystery series starring Lois Meade, housecleaner. Her unique position inside people’s houses enables her to uncover facts that help the Chief Inspector solve a couple of murders in their sleepy English countryside town. I like this series (so far). I particularly like it when Lois gets into a jam she calls the cops. Duh! It is so irritating in other novels when the heroine acts stupid when cornered. I gave this one 4 stars.
440 + 20 = 460
Tasks Completed: 23
Points for this task: 20
Points thus far: 460/980
Books read: 35
Pages Read: 9727
Books by Goodreads authors: 2
Read but not claimed: 7 books
(Parts of the following 2-book tasks: 15.2B, 20.8, 25.2, 25.4C, 30.1B, 30.5A, and 30.6A)
Finished task 30.3 Birth and Renewal. I read Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin who is a good reads author (3*) The story was ok not earth shattering but interesting. I also read Resistance: A Novel by Owen Sheers (3*). This book is set during WWII in an isolated British valley near Wales. The Germans after successfully invading Russia decide to invade Britian. The book had an interesting premise but there were alot of loose ends in my opinion.This brings my total to 295 points.
Melanie Benjamin
finished the 50 pointer! i rolled a 2 (graphic novel) and a 5 (historical novel). i read City of Thieves for the 5 and was going to read persepolis II for the graphic novel, but realized i could chuck the genres since i totaled a 7. since i was already reading The Shadow of the Wind i used that for this task. both are two of the best books i've read in a long time! wow.thanks for a fabulous task, ms. anderson, that was fun! :)
Total Points: 155/260
Tasks Completed: 7/13
Books Read: 10/15+
Tasks in Progress: 1
20.6 Bridgit's Task - Memorial Day. This is the 5th in a series. Mitch Rapp is a Kiefer Sutherland-like (in 24) character who must stop a possible nuclear attack on the United States. This is a good action/thriller series but I felt in this particular book there was a little too much editorializing about why torture is good and why we people not in the know can never understand that. Kind of annoying when the real world intrudes on your fast and easy fiction.Total points 115 with 6 tasks halfway completed.
5.4 In The News - Feb 2010 NewsletterThe Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - 5/4/10
5.9 “I think even lying on my bed I can still do something.”
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - 5/4/10
20.2 Rookie Of The Season - Valorie - Clean Sweep
Magical Moments by Donna Fletcher (she is a maid in his castle) - 4/1/10
25.9 Wendy's Task - Spring Break (late 80s)
Wielding a Red Sword by Piers Anthony - 3/4/10
previous points - 170
points in this post - 55
new total points - 225
Reposting 20.6I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Summary of the series: Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired to help find long lost Harriet Vanger. Along the way, he enlists the help of Lisbeth Salenger. More than finding Harriet, they uncover many Vanger family secrets along the way. In the series, we continue to see Mikael and Lisbeth create great suspensful story lines.
Point total: 235
Heather in KS
For 10 points I have just finished Up In The Air by Walter Kirn for the Oscars task.Previous Reads
5.2 A Book is Like a Garden in the Pocket - The Girl's Guide to Growing your Own by Alex Mitchell
5.8 Dr Watson Calling - The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith
5.9 I can Still do Something Lying in Bed - Magicians Guild by Judi Canavan
10.2 Three/Four/Five - The Rapture by Liz Jensen
10.4 Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - We are all Made of Glue by Marina Lewycka
10.5 Freedom of the Press - The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larrson
15.2 Anzac Day - The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville and An Ice-cream War by William Boyd
15.6 Friends and Friends of Friends - Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell and American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
15.9 What's in a Name - A Town Like Alice by Neville Shute
20.2 Clean Sweep - Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga
20.3 Best Review Contest, Mental Health - The Silver Linings Play Book by Matthew Quick
20.8 A Magical Birthday - The Novice by Trudi Canavan
25.3 Coming out of Hibernation - Wicked by Gregory Maguire
25.6 This Day in History - The Judgement of Nuremberg 1947 and Red Dust by Gillian Slovo
30.3 Birth and Renewal - Blacklands by Belinder Bauer and Restoration by Rose Tremain
30.6 Character References - American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield and Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H.Lawrence
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Hi,I've just finished Charlaine Harris Dead as a Doornail, for the 20.1 task April fool.
Although some may not find this book funny, i really do, Sookie the main character finds herself in a lot of difficult and deadly situations and yet is always quick witted. Her internal monoaloge is very amusing. I would recommend this book to people with a dark sense of humour who realise this world may not be as nice as everyone thinks, but that is ok!
Total points = 205
Kate.x.
Hi! Backtracking to April for 25.9 - Wendy's Task - Spring BreakRead a book written by an author who was popular when you were in high school or college. (oh, for me that was 1979-1987.)
Sue Grafton U is for Undertow (audio)
25.2 - Any Author/First and Second NovelWake and Fade by Lisa McMann. These are the first and second books by this author and they are the beginning of a series called Dream Catcher. The main character is drawn into dreams when she is close to a person sleeping and dreaming. These are young adult novels, well-written with interesting characters. I think I liked the second one better, as I knew the characters more and I liked the story line more. But they are both good.
POINTS FOR THIS TASK: 25
Total Points: 330/980
Tasks Complete: 20/57
25.3 Coming Out Of Hibernation: The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick HornbyI went to see Ben Folds in concert last month, and he sang a few new songs for which Nick Hornby had written the lyrics. So I picked up The Polysyllabic Spree when I saw it at a book swap a couple weeks later!
Total Points: 220
Tasks Completed: 13
Books by Goodreads authors: 1
Big Books: 2 (500+ and 750+)
Finished:5.9 - “I think even lying on my bed I can still do something.” Spend a day in bed reading the book of your choice.
Read: Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim vs The World by Bryan Lee O'Malley
Finished:
15.5 - "A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom."
April is National Poetry Month. For this task read a collection of poetry (Must be at least 75 pages). When posting this write and share with the group an original Haiku.
Read: Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry for Your...brains by Ryan Mecum
Original Haiku:
Once upon a time
there was a clever woman.
She rescued herself.
New Point Total: 65
Tasks Completed: 5
Books Read: 5
Pages Read: 1425
25.7 The Gods must be Crazy- I read: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordanpoints: 25
Total Points: 95
in progress: 2
I finished 10.7 by reading Columbine.Total Points: 560
Tasks Completed: 29
Tasks In Progress: 2
Books Read: 40
Pages Read: 12896
Dave Cullen is a goodreads author.
#5.1 Read a book with a type of bird in the title:The Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi May 1
#10.5 Read a novel with a main character who is a journalist:
To the Edge by Cindy Gerard *Jillian Kincaid is a journalist May 3
#10.8 Read a novel featuring space exploration/travel:
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card May 2
Total Pages Read = 18,427
Tasks Completed = 42
Total Points = 760
Lynda wrote: "Finished:5.9 - “I think even lying on my bed I can still do something.” Spend a day in bed reading the book of your choice.
Read: Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim vs The World b..."
I love your haiku sooooooo much!
Ok, I am going to post a whole bunch of completed tasks!15-4 The Age of InnocenceBy Edith Wharton
and Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Scott Andrew Selby.
15-5 Poems Every Child Should Know by Mary Burt
and my Haiku:
Blue water roaring
down the gray granite rock walls
beautiful view
15-8 Diary of a Genius: An Autobiography by Salvador Dali
My favorite pieces of his are the time portraits, with the melting clock! I feel like that is my life, with time melting away!
15-10 Candide by Voltaire
I guess my personal philosophy of life is to try to do the most good with what I have been given, and to work hard to achieve my goals!
This brings me to 210 points, I think.
Here are some more:20-1 Hero at Large by Janet Evanovich. Another hilarious book by one of my favorite authors. Important to take it for what it is, a light, fluffy romance in the most rudimentary form with a huge dash of humor. Very likeable characters and a great read for a rainy day!
20-3 Rules by Cynthis Lord. This is about a younge girl growing up with a younger brother who has Asperger's syndrome. It was fantastic and is now part of my classroom library and I am considering doing it for read aloud for my class. A great message about how we all have something to offer, even if we have a diagnosis to labor under!
20-5 I read 6 Junie B. Jones books to complete this task:
69 pages
68 pagesJunie B., First Grader 76 pages
Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch 77 pages
Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman
Smells! 118 pages
Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny 119 pages.
Barbara Park is the author of this series and I read a total of 527 pages of fun!
Still not done yet! :)20-6 The Honor of Spies by W.E.B. Griffin. I love all of Griffin's series, but this is the latest addition in my favorite the Badge of Honor series. It is historical fiction, about South America's involvement in WWII.
30-5 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte and Shirley by Charlotte Bronte. The connection between the authors is that they are sisters!
I think this puts me at 300 points
5.5 - "Whatever is popular deserves attention." Using the following link (Popular Books) read a popular book that was published in a year ending in 3/4/5.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - 2005
I was in high school 1994 - 1998. Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole books were popular while I was there and I seem to remember having to read The Diary of Adrian Mole aged 12 and three quarters in my English Class and then watch the film. After watchinig it me and some friends wore red socks to school because of the red sock story line in the book! Oh the naievity of high school! Anyway for Wendy's 25 point task Spring Break I read The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole 1999-2001 by Sue TownsendPrevious Reads
5.2 A Book is Like a Garden in the Pocket - The Girl's Guide to Growing your Own by Alex Mitchell
5.8 Dr Watson Calling - The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith
5.9 I can Still do Something Lying in Bed - Magicians Guild by Judi Canavan
10.2 Three/Four/Five - The Rapture by Liz Jensen
10.4 Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - We are all Made of Glue by Marina Lewycka
10.5 Freedom of the Press - The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larrson
10.6 And the Oscar Goes to... - Up in the Air by Walter Kirn
15.2 Anzac Day - The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville and An Ice-cream War by William Boyd
15.6 Friends and Friends of Friends - Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell and American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
15.9 What's in a Name - A Town Like Alice by Neville Shute
20.2 Clean Sweep - Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga
20.3 Best Review Contest, Mental Health - The Silver Linings Play Book by Matthew Quick
20.8 A Magical Birthday - The Novice by Trudi Canavan
25.3 Coming out of Hibernation - Wicked by Gregory Maguire
25.6 This Day in History - The Judgement of Nuremberg 1947 and Red Dust by Gillian Slovo
30.3 Birth and Renewal - Blacklands by Belinder Bauer and Restoration by Rose Tremain
30.6 Character References - American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield and Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H.Lawrence
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Finished:10.3 Luck of the Irish
South of Broad by Pat Conroy
25.10 Melissa's Task--Deja vu
A. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (didn't click on right edition--This one had 1037 pages.)
B. Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig
Rhett Butler's People wavered a bit between the tone of the original and something else, as if it really wanted to stray off and be its own kind of book. It was interesting, but certainly not GWTW. But then, Rhett was no Scarlett O'Hara. And the ending was really bad. Okay, it wasn't all THAT interesting.
5.1 Bird of Insect in title:"Little Bee" By Chris Cleave
5.2 Non fiction about a gardener "Farm City:The Education of An Urban Farmer" Novella Carpenter
5.9 Spend the day in bed reading the book of your choice. "Tales of the City" Armistead Maupin
10.4 Reduce reuse recycle "Game Change" Mark Halperin. I planned to use this for the Red White and Blue cover in the winter challenge.
10.10 Clothing in the title
"Shoe Addicts Anonymous" Elizabeth Harbison
15.10 Title that relates to a personal philosophy
"Hello I'm Special: How individuality is the New conformity" Hal Niedviecki My personal philosophy is that the harder be try to be different, the more that they create a new conformity.
20.1 Humorous book of any type.
"Chore Whore: Adventures of a Celebrity Personal Assistant" Heather Howard. Well, what to say. This book simply wasn't that funny. In fact, I thought it was a little sad and trite.
20.2 Book about organization
"It's all Too Much: an Easy Plan for living a Richer Life with Less Stuff" Peter Walsh. This book had some great ideas.
20.6 A book from your favorite series
"Living Dead in Dallas" Charlaine Harris, Sookie Stackhouse #2. A telepathic who dates a vampire? What's not to love! Fun, easy and entertaining reads.
30.2 A texas sized task
"Savvy" Ingrid Law
"Graceling" Kristin Cashore
New Points: 140
Total Points: 140
Total Tasks: 10
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
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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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I finished another task !
25.10 Melissa GA's Task - Deja Vu
A. Read an original work of fiction, 100 pages or longer...
I read Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes (Scholastic Classics) (1892) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages). It is a collection of 12 Sherlock Holmes mysteries, the first collection. Each “tale” is told by Dr. Watson. The first of the 12 stories is "A Scandal in Bohemia". “ The Blue Carbuncle” is a typical story, wherein Holmes unravels how a blue diamond ended up inside a goose. Most of the stories do not involve murder, and several of the stories do not involve a crime.
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 may be a sequel, a prequel, a re-telling, or featuring characters from the original work.
I read: Sherlock Holmes: The American Years edited by Michael Kurland (Hardcover, 368 pages) This is a new (published 2010) collection of 10 new original stories by 10 different authors. The premise: Sherlock Holmes came to America prior to the time Dr. Watson knew him in London. Each tale concerns a mystery that young Mr. Holmes solves. Each tale is told by a different person about his/her encounter with Mr. Holmes.
C. When claiming points for this task, tell us whether the second author's work lives up to the original.
I think that the stories in Sherlock Holmes: The American Years do live up to the original ones. The sensibility is modern: For example, there are more women than in the original Holmes stories, and the women are more sympathetically portrayed. There are also cameos of famous Americans, including P. T. Barnum and Mark Twain. I found them very entertaining.
415 + 25 = 440
Tasks Completed: 22
Points for this task: 25
Points thus far: 440/980
Books read: 34
Pages Read: 9439
Books by Goodreads authors: 2
Read but not claimed: 6 books
(Parts of the following 2-book tasks: 15.2B, 20.8, 25.2, 25.4C, 30.1B, and 30.6A)