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SPRING CHALLENGE 2010
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Spring Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks
I've been listening to Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore during my commute for the past couple months for task 20.1. Moore is one of those authors whose books I will someday read all of. He is absurd and insane and that very much appeals to me. I'm not especially religious (although spirituality is important to me) but I was slightly apprehensive about what Moore would do to the story of Christ's life. Aaaand, yeah, I squirmed a little bit the first time
I feel like there's more that could be said about this book as a "modern gospel" just like so many of the books of the Bible are arguably "signs of their times" but I won't. I'm too tired and even writing this wiped me out. :P
That brings my score to 190 points.
25.5 - Spring Cleaning: Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson
A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
At Home in Mitford, by Jan Karon
Total: 1,134 pages
30.5 - 6 Degrees of Separation
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Both authors' books are finalists for the 2009 Whitney Award.
TOTAL POINTS: 245
Completed:25.8 Talk to the Animals:
A.Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic by Bill Richardson 4*
B. Making the Rounds with Oscar: A Doctor, His Patients, and a Very Special Cat by David Dosa 4*
Waiting for Gertrude: A fun read about a famous cemetary in France where the famous people interred there are reincarnated as cats. Very interesting for people who are knowledgeable of the artists noted. Not recommended for just general interest reading.
Making Rounds With Oscar: A wonderful story of a cat in a nursing home which has a special abiity to determine when one of the residents is close to death. The cat provides company as the person passes away. Beautiful sentiment and lovely story. Also very good information on how to deal with family members suffering from dementia. Highly recommend.
Points: 705
Tasks: 42
Books: 57
Pages: 17281
Amy wrote: "20.8 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & ClayDon't recommend. Please don't put yourself through it. The Houdini references were interesting, but Chabon couldn't write characters in..."
Amy, I agree with you about Chabon. I've tried three of his books now (including Kavalier & Clay), and have decided he is just not my cup of tea.
Completed 25.8 Talk to the Animals. I read Animal Farm by George Orwell and Chalice by Robin McKinley which is about a beekeeper to some very unique bees.Total: 155
Finished 10.5 (journalist) I read The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. Really liked this book...a lot more than the first one. Many of the characters in the book are journalists.**This book was also 503 pages. Just made the cutoff!
New Total: 130 points
Completed task 5.2 by reading The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden by William Alexander. Very entertaining!Tasks Completed: 38/57
Books Read: 54
Pages Read: 16,182
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25.5-Spring CleaningI read "Secrets of Eden" by Chris Bohjalian (A GoodReads Author) (362 pages), "Somebody Else's Daughter" by Elizabeth Brundage (338 pages) and "A Fair Maiden" by Joyce Carol Oates. This is a total of 860 pages, and all books were from the library. I liked Elizabeth Brundage's book the best.
I think it's time to post some tasks:5.3 S.P.R.I.N.G.
I read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (NG)
20.8 A Magical Birthday
I read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and magic is indeed a prominent feature.
20.10 GroupReads
I read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and posted (it was like a month ago) in the discussion thread.
25.1 Future Aspirations
I read
by José Luís Peixoto. The cover of this book features a piano, and what I would really like is to learn how to play the piano again. I miss it! I used to practice for hours, but it's been several years since I quit the School of Arts and I don't remember a thing.30.5 Six Degrees of Separation
I read A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, who also wrote Flame into Being: The Life and Work of D.H. Lawrence. And D.H. Lawrence wrote the second book for this task, The Rainbow.
Total points: 100
Bonus:
GR authors x2: Neil Gaiman and Patrick Rothfuss
Big books x2: The Rainbow was 514 pages long and The Name of the Wind was 880 pages long.
Completed Tasks:5.8 Catherine, Called Birdy
5.10 Alice in Wonderland
10.9 The Horse and His Boy
15.5 Impulse
20.3 Wintergirls
20.6 Scandal
30.2 Someone Named Eva; Graceling
30.3 Heist Society; A Walk to Remember
Total Points: 135
Total Books Read: 10
Tasks Completed: 8
Pages Read: 2966
25.3 I attended a Shrimp Festival in Fernandina Beach, FL. One of its main themes is Pirates, including The Invasion of the Pirates so I read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
30.4 DLM Rose's Task - One if by Land, Two if by SeaTyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas Preston
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
Total points: 455
Finished 10.6 - Oscar Goes to...with Speaker for the Dead. This very closely relates to District 9 in that humans are scientifically investigating an alien species that they encounter and the rest of human society is fascinated by them. Also, it has the same fear/love of the aliens that you find in District 9. Very parallel stories. I liked SotD, but not nearly as much as Enders. In actuality, it was probably the better book, with better character development, more depth, focused on more global issues, but Enders Game was just plain FUN. Its like when you watch a serious historical drama and an action flick. Even if both are good, you are probably going to enjoy the one that gets your adrenaline going a bit more.
Total Points: 750
Tasks Complete: 44
Books Read: 59
Pages Read: 20509
Tasks In Progress: 3
GOODREADS AUTHOR x
BIG BOOK (500) x
BIG BOOK (750)
BIG BOOK (1000) x
Percent Complete: 79.7%
Time Elapsed: 72.8%
30.6 - Donna Jo's Task - As Suggested By Liz Brooklyn - Character References
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.
I read The Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong (Hardcover, 463 pages) (Winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Novel (2001). I really liked this novel. The Chinese author was born in Shanghai but has lived in the USA since 1989. The descriptions of a China in transition from Mao communism to a more market-based economy were fascinating. The story takes awhile to get going but once it does, it really holds your attention. 5 stars.
The Shanghai Chief Inspector from The Death of a Red Heroine translates mysteries from English into Chinese as a way to make extra money in the “new economy” of China in 1990. (Inspector Chen is also a big fan of mystery writer Ruth Rendell.) He was contemplating a purchase of jewelry in Chapter 18. While rationalizing his purchase, Chief Inspector Chen muses: (chapter 18 P. 196): “Besides, he had to give himself some additional motivation to complete his next translation, Speaker of Mandarin.” Aha! So, for my second book I read: Speaker of Mandarin by Ruth Rendell (Mass Market Paperback, 224 pages) [finalist 1983 Gold Dagger Awards:] The first third of this novel followed a British Chief Inspector on a tour around China; the rest of the novel is back in England. A murder occurs, and our Chief Inspector eventually uncovers the guilty (after a few red herrings, of course). 4 stars.
460 + 30 = 490
Tasks Completed: 24
Points for this task: 30
Points thus far: 490/980
Books read: 37
Pages Read: 10,416
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 30.5A)
50 Point Task - I rolled a 3 (Romance) and a 4 (20th or 21st century literature) which meant I ended up with 7 = Lucky Sevens! Toss out the genres and read whatever you'd like! This worked out great for me because there were two books I really wanted to read:Babyville: A Novel by Jane Green 3* and From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris 4*. I liked this one much more then the one before it!
Total Points: 335
Tasks Completed: 15
Books Read: 21
Pages Read: 8,368
Donna Jo wrote: "Amy, I agree with you about Chabon. I've tried three of his books now (including Kavalier & Clay), and have decided he is just not my cup of tea. "I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't. I may have to take some of his other books off my TBR
A few to add:Read 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. My pseudonym would be Piper Arabella.
Read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez for 20.4 (family saga). LOVED this book. I definitely want to reread it!
Read The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan for 10.4 (Recycle). I'm giving it to my younger sister. I think she'd really the series.
New Total:
Jamie (24)- 105 points
Finished:25.4 - Diane's Task - The Name Game
A. Read a book written by an author that shares your first, middle, OR last name.
AND
C. Read a book with a character’s name in the title
Read:
A. Open Season by Linda Howard
AND
C. Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life By Bryan Lee O'Malley
New Point Total: 90
Tasks Completed: 6
Books Read: 7
Pages Read: 1913
5.5 The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak 552 pages published in 2005Total Points: 70
Total Tasks: 5
Total Books Read: 6
Amy wrote: "20.8 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & ClayDon't recommend. Please don't put yourself through it. The Houdini references were interesting, but Chabon couldn't write characters in..."
Sorry, Amy, but I have to disagree with you. I ADORE Kavalier and Clay-- the book won the Pulitzer for a reason. I haven't yet had a chance to read more Chabon, but I will sometime because this book is both intimate and epic, and I had to recognize that even my least favorite parts were written well.
I completed...25.3-- Daddy Long Legs
The related event I attended was a musical version of the book produced at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. I attended on April 10. The production utilized only the two actors playing Jerusha and Jervis, as the book almost entirely consists of letters, but you didn't really notice that because the story is so wonderful and the songs were amazing.
TOTALS
POINTS: 190
TASKS: 9
BOOKS: 13 [big books: 1; GoodReads author books: 2]
25.2 Read an author's first and second books.I read PS, I Love You and Love, Rosie (which is also called Where Rainbows End and Rosie Dunne). I did enjoy both books somewhat, giving them each a 3-star rating. I know I will continue reading Ahern in the future because I think her stories become much more imaginative as she grows up (first book written at 24) and writes more. I have read A Place Called Here before, and it was fantastic, a 5-star read for me, so I look forward to Ahern's other books getting better and better.
Total points = 540
Finished:25.8 Helen's Task--Talk to the Animals:
A. Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders. I first read this book when I received it as a birthday gift when I was in third or fourth grade. It was old then, but I had a passion for old books full of sentimental stories--and in this case, there are much worse stories for kids to read. Hurrah for people like Joe's Miss Laura.
B. Wolf And Iron by Gordon R. Dickson, a good post-apocalyptic story.
5.4 In the News The Lacuna mentioned in the November 2009 newsletter.15.5 A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom
Read The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses by A. B. (Andrew Barton) Paterson and wrote this haiku in his honour
Ballads of drovers
shearing sheds, rigged horse races
Banjo Paterson
15.7 Beware the Seven Deadly Sins
Read Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason which didn't really relate to the sin at all. I think all the seven deadly sins are so bad because they concentrate on the self's desires to the total exclusion of anyone else's consideration.
For task 25.2, I read Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers. Cracked up to Be is her first book, and I felt like the second book (Some Girls Are) was better. I thought the main character was a lot more interesting in terms of her issues. The second book was very powerful, in a sense that it invokes very strong feelings in you.
Total Points: 585
Tasks Completed: 30
Tasks In Progress: 1
Books Read: 41
Pages Read: 13480
Courtney Summers is a goodreads author
Completed task 20.1 by reading My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict's Attempt to Discover If Not Being A Dumb Ass Is the New Black; Or, A Culture-Up Manifesto by Jen Lancaster. I am a huge fan of her books and they have yet to fail to make me laugh out loud. My students were looking at me like I had three heads because I kept bursting into laughter. I really enjoyed the premise of this book (her latest). She really is quite self-reflective underneath all of the humor. She embarks on a project to "culture-up" and she actually finds that she appreciates many cultural things and becomes more confident in social situations (while still being her hilariously funny self). I highly recommend this and all of her other books!This was not a very stunning review, but it fits the task. I hope. (sorry- I am brain dead from exhaustion).
Tasks Completed: 39/57
Books Read: 55
Pages Read: 16,566
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50.1 Luck be a Lady: I rolled a 3 and a 2, which meant I needed to read a romance/love story and a non-fiction book, and one of them had to be rated 5 stars by a friend or fellow group member.For my love story I read The Pact by Jodi Picoult, which has been rated 5 stars by several TNBBC members. Quite an unconventional love story and the type of controversy Picoult seems to enjoy writing so much.
For my non-fiction selection I read Readings on Jane Austen which is a collection of scholarly essays on Austen's life and novels.
Total Points: 270
Tasks Completed: 14
Books by Goodreads authors: 1
Big Books: 2 (500+ and 750+)
Mike wrote: "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 Graf..."
25.7 The Gods must be Crazy- The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson,audio) by Rick Riordan
points: 25
Total Points: 50?
A few more tasks done...10.8 - "I could have gone on flying through space forever."
Read a novel featuring space exploration/travel/astronauts.
For this task I read Finders Keepers by Linnea Sinclair (Goodreads author) which is a space travel romance.
25.1 - Michelleo's Task - Future Aspirations
For this task I read Murder 101 by Maggie Barbieri which is about college professor that is trying to solve a murder. I read this because I would love to go back to school and finish getting my degree.
25.2 - Stephanie Anne's Task - Fabulous firsts or superior seconds?
For this task I read Witch Way to Murder and Charmed to Death by Shirley Damsgaard (Goodreads author). I liked the 2nd book better because the first book had quite a bit of character building and story background, which is usually what happens in book one of a series. The second book just seemed to really jump into the storyline.
Total Points: 790/980
Books Read: 63
Tasks Completed: 45/57
Fixing 15.3 - At Least Once In A Lifetime -- a book on page 3/4/5 of "Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once".
Near the bottom of those 300 choices I finally found something I had finished this spring: The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5) by Rick Riordan. It's a fun YA romp of adventure, and certainly popular, but I'm not convinced it should be on the list -- there's a lot of stuff more powerful than this that I'd rate in my own top 2000. My top-of-the list book? The Bible.
I also finished The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3) by Rick Riordan, at 304 pages, and The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) at 375 pages
that would qualify for 20.8 (magic)
===== Been Here, Done This =====
25.7 [Gods...:] The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson,audio) by Rick Riordan
25.9 [HS/coll:](1979-1987) Sue Grafton U is for Undertow (audio)
30.4A (land) Brin, Infinity's Shore
B (sea) Riordan, (Percy Jackson) The Sea of Monsters
Total Points: 115
Rachel wrote: "Amy wrote: "20.8 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & ClayDon't recommend. Please don't put yourself through it. The Houdini references were interesting, but Chabon couldn't write..."
Thanks, Rachel, I was beginning to think I was his only fan. If you are on the hunt for another Chabon, I would go to Wonder Boys. It was a great book and was actually made into a creditable movie, which is seldom the case when books go to Hollywood
25.6 - A. Event: August 18, 1938: FDR dedicated the Thousand Island Bridge which connects Canada to the US.Book A.A Daughter's Inheritance (Broadmoor Legacy Book 1) by Tracie Peterson takes place in 1897 in the Thousand
Islands region in upper NY state.
Book B. The Wife's Tale: A Novel by Lori Lansens is about a woman who lives in Canada and travels to the US to find her husband who has left her.
*Lori Lansens is a Goodreads Author.
POINTS FOR THIS TASK: 25
Total Points: 355/980
Tasks Complete: 21/57
I finished Roseann's Spring Fling task!30-1 Spring Flowers, Spring Frost by Ismail Kadare and Murder, She Wrote: Highland Fling Murders by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain.
350 points
For the 50 point taskI rolled two 1s
1 = Fantasy or Science Fiction
1 = Pre-20th century literature
2 = Snake Eyes! Both your books must be over 300 pages
Prey by Michael Crichton
504 pages
Wuthering Heights by Emily
Brontë
400 pages
I'm excited, because out of 3 challenges, this is the first 50 point task I even attemped. Yay
Cindie wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Amy wrote: "20.8 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & ClayDon't recommend. Please don't put yourself through it. The Houdini references were interesting, but Chabon c..."
Thank you, Cindie! I will probably make Wonder Boys my next Chabon. I haven't had a chance to see the film but now I'll try to read the book first. I know that Kavalier and Clay has been in development forever-- I hope it makes it to the screen someday. With the right director, that would be an amazing film. (I would LOVE to play Rosa-- I'm a short brunette, just like she is!)
15.10 - "Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are." -- Read Candide by Voltaire. Mostly my belief and philosophy are pretty conservative, but I do believe we have to learn and understand the beliefs of others before we denounce or disagree with them.Books Read: 33
Pages Read: 9833
Tasks Completed: 24
Tasks in Progress: 3
I completed 25.4 by reading The Last American Man (my middle name is Elizabeth) and Olive Kitteridge.My total is now 175.
25.4 - Diane's Task - The Name GameI chose to use my middle name for the first part of the task which is Ann. I read 3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows by Ann Brashares. 3*
For the 2nd part, a book with a character's name in the title I read James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing by G. Norman Lippert. 4* Did I think it was as good as J.K. Rowling books? No, but for what it was, it was very entertaining.
Total Points: 360
Tasks Completed: 16
Books Read: 20
Pages Read: 8,759
Tasks in Process: 20.4
25.9 - Spring Break: Won't say the year but Danielle Steel is a good pick because her writing covers MANY years!Big Girl by Danielle Steel
POINTS FOR THIS TASK: 25
Total Points: 380/980
Tasks Complete: 22/57
Finished:15.1 Independently Speaking:
A. The Deaf-Mute Boy by Joseph Geraci about Tunisia
B. Sister Pelagia and the Black Monk by Boris Akunin, who is from Georgia
I completed task 25.4 - Diane's Task - The Name Game by reading:A - The Saving Graces: A Novel by Patricia Gaffney
and
B - Sophie's Choice by William Styron
Total points = 120
Finished Brigit's task 20.6 by reading Enna Burning (4*). This is the second book of the Bayern series started in The Goose Girl. This is my favorite series at the moment as it is the one that I am reading. I loved The Goose Girl and had to find out what happened next. I like the books as they are about friendship and learning to trust and accept help from your friends. They take place in the fictional land of Bayern and deal with finding out who you are and who your real friends are.This brings my total to 315 points.
Another task done...5.7 - March is Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon, features a character with mental retardation.
-and-
10.8 - "I could have gone on flying through space forever." My non-fiction book about space is... The Conquest of Space, Willy Ley & Chesley Bonestell
===== Been Here, Done This =====
15.3 (1/life 3/4/5) The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson #5), Riordan
20.8 (magic) The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson #3), Riordan
25.7 [Gods...:] The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson,audio) by Rick Riordan
25.9 [HS/coll:](1979-1987) Sue Grafton U is for Undertow (audio)
30.4A (land) Brin, Infinity's Shore
B (sea) Riordan, (Percy Jackson) The Sea of Monsters
Total Points: 130
I finished task 20.3 by reading Something Red by Jennifer Gilmore. There are definitely more than one major character with a mental disability in this book (it's a lot like life that way) but the most emphasized is Vanessa, the bulimic daughter who arguably sets off the greatest tragedies of the book with her purging. The book actually portrays her as the most sympathetic character, in my opinion, as she is emotionally tossed about by her parents', grandparents' and older brother's behaviors. I have read a lot about this disorder, as it has received a lot of press over the last 20 years, and that is a good thing. As a mother, this book reminded me to look at my children as individuals with their own agendas, rather than as a part of my plans. While I try to do this anyway, Vanessa's bulimia served as an overt reminder how children and teens can internalize their lack of perceived control. In addition, Vanessa's bingeing on foods that she did not like or even feel morally at ease with eating illustrated the self-loathing that women in our culture are in danger of experiencing. Despite this, it was a good read and reminded me of the book "Crossing California" as an accurate "slice of life" of late 70's/early 80's America.points: 470
books: 34
tasks: 25
pages:10,592
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30.5 Six Degrees of Separation: Stardust by Neil Gaiman and House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones.Only one degree of separation! Neil Gaiman (a Goodreads author) thanks Diana Wynne Jones in the acknowledgments of Stardust. Very kind of him considering House of Many Ways has been on my TBR for quite some time.
Total Points: 300
Tasks Completed: 15
Books by Goodreads authors: 2
Big Books: 2 (500+ and 750+)
10.4 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
In honor of Earth Day which falls on April 22 complete one of the following options….
B. Reuse – For this option: read a book that you planned to read in a previous challenge but didn’t get a chance to
I read: The Road from Ruin by Matthew Bishop, Michael Green (Hardcover, 384 pages) (published January 26th 2010) which fits:
(Winter Task 5.2. SHE WAS A GRAND OLD FLAG MAKER – (A) Read A Book That Has A Red, White, And Blue Cover) During the winter challenge, I must have picked up dozens of books for this task, and ultimately ran out of time before I read any of them. The Road from Ruin was one of the dozens. I began reading it in March. It is not light reading, but after I finished it, I felt that I understood modern economics better than when I started. I think some of the proposals are too optimistic/idealistic, but recovery starts with the first step, so we shall see.
490 + 10 = 500
Tasks Completed: 25
Points for this task: 10
Points thus far: 500/980
Books read: 38
Pages Read: 10,800
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 30.5A)
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
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Don't recommend. Please don't put yourself through it. The Houdini references were interesting, but Chabon couldn't write characters interesting enough to clean Houdini's shoes.