Spring Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks Showing 2,101-2,150 of 2,717

[Cindie]

I forgot to mention from my message 2129 that Jennifer Gilmore is a Goodreads author!

[Nicole]

I just completed task 5.8 by reading A Place Called Here by Cecilia Ahern. Not my favorite of hers. It was quirky but in a way that did not fully work for me. Nonetheless is was a quick read and entertaining enough to finish.

Tasks Completed: 40/57
Books Read: 56
Pages Read: 17,062


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[Lauren H.]

25.9 - One for the Money (Evanovich)

25.7 - The Lightning Thief (Riordan)

total pts = 180

[Tracyj]

25.4 Diane's Task - Name Game
A. Lost It by Kristen Tracy (my first name is Tracy)
C. Olive Kitteridge
Tasks Completed - 13
Books Read - 18
TOTAL POINTS - 245

[Petra]

Completed Task 25.6 (This Day In History) by reading Portrait of a Killer: Jack The Ripper - Case Closed and Evil at Heart to match with the event on my birthdate (Mar. 15) of "1975 Bundy victim Julie Cunningham disappears from Vail CO" (serial killer).

I have to laugh at Cornwell's statement of "case closed". Her book is interesting. What's not to like about an easy reading book about a Jack The Ripper theory? However, I would disagree with Patricia Cornwell's conclusion that the "case is closed". It's far from it. I'm no expert but peppering a "case closed" book with statements such as "it could have been that", "perhaps", "it's very likely that", "maybe", etc. isn't conclusive; it's speculative. Entertaining theories but not scientific or proved.

Loved the Gretchen Lowell series! Evil At Heart is the third and (so far) final book. All of them have been wonderful. Gruesome, sadistic, beautiful Serial Killer, intertwining relationships between the characters that are slowly revealed over the course of the 3 books, character growth, etc. I recommend this series.

[Leora]

2 more tasks done:

20-9 Cheese by Willem Elsschot and,

30-6 My Father As I Recall Him by Mamie Dickens, she mentions seeing her father Charles Dickens reading The Adventures of Roderick Random by Tobias Smollet.

[Brenda]

Finally finished a few multiple book tasks so I can post:
25.8a Animal Farm and b. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel
10.4A Mercy
25.2a The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
b The Girl Who Played with Fire - I liked both of these books, but perhaps the first the best. There are a lot of twists and turns in both novels. Since I read them back to back, I might have been ready for something different. Larsson did a good job of saving background information on the "girl with the dragon tatoo" for the second book, which helped to keep it moving. Both books were 500+ pages so I would like to claim 2 Big Book Tickets as well.
25.9 Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton who was popular when I was in high school & college
25.1It's Your Boat Too: A Womans Guide to Greater Enjoyment on the Water This is a book about sailing/cruising from a woman's perspective. My husband and I plan to spend a few years, if not more, sailing the Carribbean before we get too old.

This adds 110 points for a total of 255 points.

[Leigh]

Just finished task 25.4 Diane's Task - The Name Game. I read The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (Kelley is my middle name) and The Truth About Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jeffries. Lord Stoneville is a main character in the book. Brings me to:

350/980 points
Tasks Completed: 17/57
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 30/82
Pages Read: 7408

[Beth F]

I finished task 25.3 by taking a trip to the local zoo & conservatory where we watched a kids' musician. My daughter could have cared less for the musician but was fascinated by all the other little kids dancing around.

I paired that trip with Glass Houses by Rachel Caine. Now take a look at a picture of our local conservatory and tell me this isn't a glass house!

That brings my total to 215.

[Belinda]

15.3 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Díaz

This is a tough book to read at the beginning, because it's hard to see where it is going. The longer you read, the more you "get it" and it's definitely worth the read. Because of the history of the Dominican Republic and the dictator Trujillo, I think it should be on the list.

I believe the book on the top of the list should be:
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I still remember the first time I read this book and understanding what my parents meant when they talked about the sufferring of the Great Depression. I was shocked and heartbroken after reading this book.

[Helen]

Three more tasks completed:

15.3 List of Books Everyone Should Read: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin 5* (page 5 of list - #459)

An excellent Utopian society novel by one of the masters of sci-fi. Since the list is intended to make people think, I agree that To Kill a Mockingbird should be at the top of the list or close to it. I also think that The Book Thief should be in the top three.

15.10 Personal Philosophy: Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel 3*

I am not generally a Danielle Steel fan but I loved the title of this book. It represents a key component of my personal philosophy - that one must be true to one's own beliefs and ethics. Too often we allow our personal principles to be overridden because of our need to please others. This is especially true of women who have been taught that their role is to serve others. The key is to be able to serve but not to give up on your own principles.

25.10 Melissa GA - Deja Vue:

A. Original Fiction: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 5*

B. Based on Original:And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer 4*

An excellent expansion of the original series. Colfer does a good job of following the style and content of Adam's work. He is a bit wordier and the book was longer. Not quite as good but kudos for keeping the Hitchhiker's Guide alive.

POINTS: 760
TASKS: 45
BOOKS: 61
PAGES: 18,565

[Jessica]

10.1 - Books Really Do Grow On Trees
In honor of Arbor Day(called different things in different countries), which is celebrated in many countries (Belgium, China, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea, Uganda, United States, and Venezuela) in the spring and the fact that without trees we wouldn't have books...Read a book with a picture of a tree(s) on the cover or the word tree/trees (not a type of tree) in the title.
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Current Point Total: 160
Jessica MI

[Donna Jo]

Finished:
30.4 One if by Land, Two if by Sea:
A Fire on the Plateau: Conflict And Endurance In The American Southwest by Charles Wilkinson
This was more interesting than I anticipated--lots of interesting details about the Indian lands in the Four Corners area (the Colorado Plateau).

B. The Golden Ocean by Patrick O'Brian. A stand alone novel by the author of the books that generated the movie Master and Commander.

[Beth F]

I'm looking at books I've read over the past couple months that weren't initially intended for challenges but fit so I have a few more to claim:

5.4 The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (mentioned in January 2010 newsletter)

10.4 The Awakening by L.J. Smith - I used option C and gave the book to a friend after I finished.

15.9 The Duke and I by Julia Quinn, pen name of Julie Pottinger. If I had to choose a pen name, I'd probably go with Ginny Wellington. I used to live on a Wellington Ave--it was mine and my husband's first shared address so it crops up randomly from time to time. No real reason for going with Ginny, aside from the fact that I think it sounds cool next to Wellington.

25.1 In the past year I bought my first home and gave birth to my first child so I feel very blessed and have been struggling to come up with something I could say that I really want in the future, so I'm going with something slightly frivolous. For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted a ridiculous, frou-frou gown to wear on Halloween. In fact, the reason I was drawn to this book to begin with was because of the pink frou-frou on the front cover:


25.9 Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton. This is the 18th book in a series--the first was published in 1993, which is the same year I entered high school.

This gives me an additional 80 points from my previous score of 215, which equals 295.

[Beth F]

I have a change I'd like to make also. I had previously claimed Dracula for 5.10. I'd like to move it to 25.10 because I also read Mina: The Dracula Story Continues by Marie Kiraly, which is a retelling of the Dracula story from Mina Harker's perspective.

Mina paled in comparison to the original. The premise was fantastic and it started out interesting enough but spiraled out of control as the novel progressed. I loved Dracula but Mina was a disappointment. Blech.

I believe that puts my adjusted points total at 315.

[Lost Planet Airman]

Fixing post 2113: I missed the part about 500 pages, but can fix it!


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 =====
15.3 (>=1/Lifetime) The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5) by Rick 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: 115

[Coralie]

15.9 What's in a name The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick which is a pen name for Jayne Ann Krentz. I would use the pen name of Susan Sommerville because Susan is my middle name and Sommerville is my mother's maiden name and it was my grandmother Sommerville who added the Susan to my name, and I think they together well.


50 Luck be a lady.
1st roll 1 - Fantasy or Science Fiction A Midsummer Tempest
2nd roll 5 - Historical Fiction A Splendid Defiance
Total 6 connection between the books - they were both set in the English Civil War.

25.1 Future Aspirations. Read A Village Dilemma because, for some unknown reason, my copy has children on the cover and I would like to have grandchildren.

[Alice]

I have read The White Queen by Philippa Gregory for task 5.4. It was mentioned in September 2009's Newsletter.

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
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
25.9 Spring Break - The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend

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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[Shannon SA]

Finished task 10.4: On Beauty by Zadie Smith, and will pass it on the library.
TOTAL POINTS = 180

[Cindie]

20.2 - Rookie Of The Season - Valorie - Clean Sweep
A. Read a fiction book with a character that cleans or organizes in some capacity.
Or
B. Read a non-fiction book that helps you get a jump start on cleaning or organizing your home.


I read Throw out Fifty THings by Gail Blanke.

20.7 - I Like Big Books And I Cannot Lie - Potjy - Time To Declutter
Find a thing in your house/room that should be thrown/given/swapped away, and read a book that related in any way to that object. Just explain how you connect them when you post the task.
I read Yarn: Remembering the Way Home. I am a very on again, off again crafter (maybe because it interferes with my reading!), so I have a big cache of yarn as well as scrapbook materials (now I do that online -- so much easier, quicker and better, not to mention cheaper) and fabric. While I will never give up either sewing or knitting, I do need to cull the herd a bit, especially in the boxes I have sealed off and tried to ignore.

One thing about the book Yarn.



I picked it up on impulse at the library very recently, thinking it was a novel by an Asian and would work for that task. I was more than midway through when I realized it was a memoir and I was horrified (because some of the things this woman has lived through). Memoir or novel, it is a great book, complete with knitting tips (is it ironic that it gave me the fever to knit again?) and painful details of the author's life. I can't wait to read her novels!

points: 510/980
books: 36
tasks: 26
pages: 11,079


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[Leslie]

5.4 In the News: Every Last One by Anna Quindlen (in the April 2010 Newsletter)

POINTS FOR THIS TASK: 5


Total Points: 385/980
Tasks Complete: 23/57

[Judith]

I finished The Golden Compass and I posted on May 3.

Total points for the challenge is 50

[Rora]

30.5 The Line Between by Peter S. Beagle (5 stars) and Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin (3 stars)

Ursula K. Le Guin wrote a blurb on The Line Between..."Peter S. Beagle illuminates with his own particular magic. For years a loving readership has consulted him as an expert on those hearts reasons that reason does not know."

New total: 250 points

[Maggie]

Completed 5.1, 10.3 and 25.9.

Complete
5 Points
5.1 Murder With Peacocks, Donna Andrews
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
10.3 Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs
10.9 Half Broke Horses, Jennette Walls
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
25.9 Drums of Autumn, Diana Gabaldon

Totals
Points: 210
Tasks: 15
Books: 16
Pages: 5636

[Nicole]

Just completed task 20.2 by reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. LOVED IT!!!!!

Tasks Completed: 41/57
Books Read: 57
Pages Read: 17,513


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[Donna Jo]

Finished:
10.9 A Lovely Horse...
Read The Horsemasters by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles which was sort of Peyton Place (in the days of my youth, one of the racier books possible) amongst the show jumping set. While there was a lot of sex going on, not too much was graphic.

While I was waiting for my friend to loan me the Harrod-Eagles book I also read
The Horsemasters by Joan Wolf which was like reading Jean Auel without the repetitions and tool-making instructions.

[Cindy LooHoo]

Completed 5.9 - “I think even lying on my bed I can still do something” by reading Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. Bed is definitely my favorite place to read!

Total points: 100

[Kiri]

5 POINT TASKS
5.1 - Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
5.2 - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
5.3 -
5.4 - Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (May 10's Newsletter) OR The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (Sept 09's Newsletter)
5.5 - Dead as a Doornail (Sookie Stackhouse, #5) by Charlaine Harris
5.6 - Pearl of China: A Novel by Anchee Min
5.7 -
5.8 - Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
5.9 - Camber of Culdi by Katherine Kurtz
5.10 - The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain

10 POINT TASKS
10.1 - Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
10.2 - The Lives of Rachel by Joel Gross Rating: 4.33 (rating viewed 8 May 2010)
10.3 - Perfume: the Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
10.4 - C. Recycle - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg (see my swap list)
10.5 - The Quiet American by Graham Greene
10.6 - B. Me by Katherine Hepburn
10.7 - Coroner by by Thomas T. Noguchi, Joseph Dimona
10.8 - Contact by Carl Sagan
10.9 - Sunbonnet: Filly of the Year (Bonnie, #3) by Barbara Van Tuyl
10.10 - The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig

15 POINT TASKS
15.1 - B. Zlata's Diary
15.2 - A. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough AND B. Roses in Winter by Joan Dial
15.3 - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg (if ineligible) THEN Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Seuss
15.4 - The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig & The Courage Consort by Michel Faber
15.5 - A. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
B. Haiku:
Riding to the sea
so intense the daffodils
wet by darkened skies
15.6 - A. The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2) by Dan Brown AND B.The Most Wonderful Egg in the World by Helme Heine (Sarah Sammis)
15.7 - A. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith B. It didn't.
15.8 -
15.9 - Burmese Days by George Orwell (Essayist and poet Eric Blair adopted the pseudonym George Orwell)
B. Kiri (already using) because I've used it for years.

20 POINT TASKS
20.1 - Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss (review pending)
20.2 - B. Taming the Paper Tiger by Barbara Hemphill
20.3 - A. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
20.4 - B. North and South by John Jakes
D. Sonoma County
20.5 - Inkheart by Cornelia Funke 544 pp
20.6 - Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn (Otori #1)
A fascinating and grabbing look at a slightly alternate version of Japanese history and period. You will not regret picking this series up, nor not being able to put it down.
--
Bonus recommendation: The Books of Rachel and The Lives of Rachel by Joel Gross A dual set of books/stories that I have found excellent reading. The stories revolve around a family and in the first a diamond as they pass down through the ages, each one focussing upon a different Rachel and the events that she lived through. I'm not doing justice to these with my attempt at explanation...
20.7 - B. Taming the Paper Tiger by Barbara Hemphill
20.8 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
20.9 - Great Tales from English History: Cheddar Man to DNA by Robert Lacey
20.10 - C. Favorite Author - The Handmaid's Tale (message #52)

25 POINT TASKS
25.1 - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt - I'd like a full flower garden.
25.2 - Pearl of China: A Novel by Anchee Min | Katherine by Anchee Min
I preferred Katherine because it was better written and didn't have odd contrivances to complete the story.
25.3 -
25.4 -
B. Chosen name - SCOTT Kearns (#5) Book: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzerald
AND C. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone by J,K, Rowling
25.5 - Pearl of China by Anchee Min (review copy) (278pp) | Benji by Allison Thomas, Joe Camp (106pp) | Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (544pp)
25.6 - A. Crazy Horse (War Chiefs #3) by Bill Dugan
B. One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
C. 1862 Indian Wars
25.7 - The Bull from the Sea by Mary Renault
25.8 - A. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White | B. Benji by Allison Thomas, Joe Camp
25.9 - The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
25.10 A.-- Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz | B. Childe Morgan by Katherine Kurtz
C. I think it does live up to the standards set. After refining her skill Ms. Kurtz creates a more in depth world and likewise fleshes her characters out more while keeping the storyline moving and fresh.
30.1 - A.Spring Moon by Bette Bao Lord | B. Murder, She Wrote: Highland Fling Murders by Jessica Fletcher
30.2 -
30.3 - A. Pearl of China by Anchee Min | B. Camber the Heretic by Katherine Kurtz (Legends of the Camber of Culdi Vol. 3)
30.4 - A. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone And B. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
30.5 - A. Childe Morgan by Katherine Kurtz AND
B. "The Stonish Men" (1998) - On Crusade: More Tales of the Knights Templar by Katherine Kurtz
C. Andre Norton wrote "The Stonish Men" (1998) in an anthology revolving around the Knights Templar series by Katherine Kurtz (who edited and over saw this). Also they were good friends for years. =)
30.6 - Finding George Orwell in Burma, Burmese Days by George Orwell
========================
50 POINT MIDWAY TASK -
4 (Play) + 3 (Biography or Autobiography) = 7 (Lucky Sevens! Toss out the genres and read whatever you'd like!)
Whee!!!! Imperial Lady by Andre Norton + The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant = DONE!

[Heather]

OlFinished 20.2 by reading Flowers for Algernon. Charlie is a janitor at a bakery before his operation.

Total points: 255

Heather in KS

[Megan]

Donna Jo wrote: "Finished:
10.9 A Lovely Horse...
Read The Horsemasters by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles which was sort of Peyton Place (in the days of my youth, one of the racier books possib..."

I think Joan Wolf might've been my seventh-grade English teacher >_> she certainly looks like her, and I know my teacher was a writer...hmm.

[Leora]

25-3 is done, I read Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer by Maya Angelou. On April 26th I had the unbelievable experience of seeing her in person at UMA, my alma mater. It was truly a wonderful experience to hear her talk and read some of her work. She is AMAZING!

[BJ Rose]

#5.5 Read a popular book that was published in a year ending in 3/4/5:
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson May 7

#15.10 Read a book whose title relates to your personal philosophy. Share your personal philosophy of life.
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow

Life is full of unexpected possibilities: random things that happen by chance and can change our plans in positive ways, if we're open to taking advantage of them. I call it serendipity, which the dictionary describes as 'making fortunate discoveries by accident while looking for something else'. One example: we made a wrong turn on a trip and ended up driving down a very colorful tree-lined country road (it was autumn), and just when we thought we'd have to turn around and go back, we came to a crossroad with a worker beside the road, who told us to turn right and in about 3 miles we'd join back up with the highway. We continued our planned trip after that unplanned but lovely and serendipitous detour.

Total Pages = 19,190

Tasks Completed = 44

Total Points = 785

[Claire]

5.8 - How To Talk To A Widower by Jonathan Tropper

[Sandie]

10.10 Handbags and Halos by Bernadette Strachan

[Donna Jo]

Ms Anderson wrote: "Donna Jo wrote: "Finished:
10.9 A Lovely Horse...
Read The Horsemasters by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles which was sort of Peyton Place (in the days of my youth, one of the raci..."

That is so cool. It's always a treat to say, "But I knew so and so in a more mundane setting".
Years ago my mother had a science teacher named Illa Podendorf, who wrote a large number of books for children about different science subjects. Back in the 50s they were considered staples for school libraries.

[Ines]

5.5 - [Book: The Five People You Meet in Heaven] - Mitch Albom
Published in 2003

10.1 - [Book: Ford County] - John Grisham


30.05 - Six Degrees of Separation
Book 1: [Book: The Host] - Stephenie Meyer
Book 2: [Book: The Awakening] - L.J. Smith

Stephenie Meyer's book Twilight was adapted into a movie, in which Kristen Stewart stared as Bella Swan. Kristen Stewart was Catch That Kid with Meagan Fay, who was in Wake with Ian Somerhalder. Ian Somerhalder plays Damian Salvatore in the TV adaptation of L.J. Smith's Vampire Diaries series, of which the first is [Book: The Awakening].


Tasks Completed: 14
Pages Read: 5,151
Points: 215

[El]

10 POINT TASK
10.5 - Freedom Of The Press
In Honor of World Press Freedom Day (May 3rd)...
A. Read a novel with a main character who is a journalist.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson.


25 POINT TASKS
25.2 - Stephanie Anne's Task - Fabulous firsts or superior seconds?
Choose an author and read his/her first and second books published. When you post your completed task, state which book you preferred and why.
Debut: The Benefactor: A Novel, Susan Sontag (1963).
Second: Death Kit: A Novel, Susan Sontag (1967).
I preferred Sontag's second book, Death Kit more than her debut novel. While both books deal heavily in blurring the lines between dreams and reality, Death Kit manages to be a bit more accessible and less pretentious. Sontag's first book, while genius, seems to try to be more than it should be. I felt Sontag matured in the four years between books, and she realized she didn't need to overwrite quite that much any more.

25.5 - Leora's Task - Spring Cleaning
For this task you must read at least 850 pages from your TBR pile.
There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby: Scary Fairy Tales, Ludmilla Petrushevskaya (206 pp)
The Female Malady: Women, Madness, and English Culture, 1890-1980, Elaine Showalter (312 pp)
What Was Lost, Catherine O'Flynn (248 pp)
The Night Country : A Novel, Stewart O'Nan (229 pp)
Total pages = 995.

25.7 - Ashley FL's Task - The Gods Must Be Crazy
Read a book involving Greek and/or Roman gods.
Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold, C.S. Lewis.

25.10 Melissa GA's Task - Deja Vu
A. Read an original work of fiction, 100 pages or longer...
AND
B. Read a published book of 100 pages or more that is based on the first book but written by a different author.
C. When claiming points for this task, tell us whether the second author's work lives up to the original.
A. Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf.
B. Mr. Dalloway: A Novella, Robin Lippincott.
C. Lippincott's novella does a pretty good job sticking with Woolf's original idea. I understand Lippincott spent many years studying Woolf, and I think his work paid off. For the most part he was able to maintain Woolf's Modernist writing style, and did a decent job telling Mr. Dalloway's version of basically the same story.


TOTAL POINTS: 450/980.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished task 10.9 by reading The Pale Horseby Agatha Christie.

Tasks Completed: 13/27
Books Read: 19/57
New Total: 160/980

[Madeline]

I've finished 25.5 Spring Cleaning with: Conrad's Fate (Chrestomanci, #5) by Diana Wynne Jones, Mixed Magics: Four Tales of Chrestomanci also by Diana Wynne Jones, and Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley. A total of 880 pgs.

Bringing my total to 180.

[Leigh]

I finished task 30.5 PJ Read’s Task – Six Degress of Separation by reading Club Dead by Charlaine Harris and You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister (a Goodreads Author). These authors share one degree of seperation as they both contributed short stories to the book Death’s Excellent Vacation. I chose to read something by Katie MacAlister since I'm enjoying the Sookie Stackhouse series so much, and while I enjoyed You Slay Me, it was no Sookie Stackhouse :) I gave it 3*. Brings my points total to:

380/980 points
Tasks Completed: 18/57
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 31/82
Pages Read: 7700

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished task 25.1 Future Aspirations. I read by Karen Joy Fowler. I want to open a home for dogs and make sure they get adopted. One of the characters, Jocalyn breed and showed dogs.

Completed Tasks: 14/27
Books Read: 20/57
New Total: 185

[Sandy, Moderator Emeritus]

5.5 - "Whatever is popular deserves attention."
I read Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrisonfrom the list of Popular Books published in 2003.

5.7 - March is Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

5.8 -“Mr. Watson, Come Here, I Want To See You.”
I read Dave Barry Talks Back by Dave Barry

10.2 - Three/Four/Five
Digging to America by Anne Tyler When I began, the rating was 3.44. When I finished, it was 3.45.

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.
I read Poison in the Pen by Patricia Wentworth

10.7 - Beware the Ides of March
I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

15.4 - "These gems have life in them: their colors speak, Say what words fail of."
The birthstones for Spring are April (Diamond, White Sapphire which mean Innocence):
I read Diamonds Are Forever by Ian Fleming and Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist by Dorothy Gilman

15.9 - What's in a name?
I read The Murders of Richard III by Elizabeth Peters, a pen name used by Barbara Mertz.
I think, if I were to choose a pen name, it would be Portia Aaron. Portia, because if I were to write, it would probably be something involving legal issues and Portia is associated with law. Aaron, because with both maiden and married names near the end of the alphabet, I’m ready for something that comes near the beginning.

20.4 - Always The Bridesmaid, Never The Bride - Heidi - Our Histories.
B. A fictional "family saga" book.
I read Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum (a Goodreads author) and
D. A non-fiction book about the history of your local area.
I read Ghosts of Richmond by L.B. Taylor Jr.. (I live in Richmond, VA) It was filled with rather lame stories of houses where “many people heard footsteps upstairs when no one else was in the house,” but, even if not terribly convincing as to ghosts, I did learn a lot about local history – I enjoyed it.

And, finally

25.5 - Leora's Task - Spring Cleaning
For this task you must read at least 850 pages from your TBR pile.
I read The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint (205 pages), Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges by Antonin Scalia (218 pages), The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life by Laurie Notaro (225 pages), With a Pinch of Salt: A Collection of Nautical Expressions And Other Stories by Nick Bates (111 pages), and Alaska's Totem Poles by Pat Kramer (95 pages). Total was 854 pages.
I was particularly glad to clear the last two from my TBR pile, since they were books I bought on a vacation several years ago, and hadn’t quite gotten around to reading.

And, I believe that's it - finished!


Points: 980
Books: 80
Books by Goodreads authors: 15
Big Books - 1
Pages: 22,232
Tasks: 57

[Jensownzoo]

Whew! I slowed down considerably with the planting season. This is my first post in ages.

TOTAL POINTS: 340 + 5 = 345

5.7 Making the Rounds with Oscar: A Doctor, His Patients, and a Very Special Cat by David Dosa

This is less a book about a cat and more a book about dementia. The author is a doctor in a nursing home dedicated to dementia and self-professes to have very little knowledge of cats, so this is not surprising.


Completed Tasks
5.1 Still Life with Chickens by Catherine Goldhammer
5.2 Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart
5.6 Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
5.9 Walking Dead by C. E. Murphy
10.1 Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles de Lint
10.4 Kitty’s House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn
10.5 At Home in France by Ann Barry
10.8 Spin State by Chris Moriarty
10.9 Moving Target by Mercedes Lackey et al
10.10 Angus Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
15.9 Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
20.1 Dave Barry Does Japan by Dave Barry
20.3 The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
20.5 The Giver by Lois Lowry, Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
20.6 Roadkill by Rob Thurman
20.7 The Pleasure of Cooking for One by Judith Jones
20.8 Shalador’s Lady by Anne Bishop
25.1 Recipes from a American Herb Garden by Maggie Oster
25.4 (a) Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster (b) Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
25.9 Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
50 Crazy Salad by Nora Ephron and The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny by Simon R. Green

[Kate]

Finished 20.3: A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

This book featured the mental health disorder of addiction. I had no idea that even at the best treatment centers in the world, the success rate is less than 20% for addicts to stay off their addictions of choice for a year. That doesn't give much hope for those with the disease.

Total Points: 295

[Jennifer N.]

20.1 I read The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. I found the book to be quite humorous. Quirky character names, dodos as pets, and overzealous classical book enthusiasts make this book unique, entertaining and funny.

25.9 I read Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. Charlaine Harris was popular in 2001 & 2002 which covered some of the years I was in college.

[Belinda]

20.8
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen 290 pages

and

The Trouble With Magic byMadelyn Alt 272 pages

Addison Allen is a Goodreads author

[Liz]

Completed 50.1
I rolled a (3) and (4), total = 7 so i was able to throw out the genres and read whatever i liked

Read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream and Promise Not to Tell: A Novel

**Jennifer McMahon is a goodreads author**

New Total- 210 points

[Erin (NY)]

I finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas for 10.10. It was quite good.

Total Points: 595
Tasks Completed: 31
Tasks In Progress: 1
Books Read: 42
Pages Read: 13480

[Janice]

5.1 (bird species in title)

Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found
by Jennifer Lauck
(Goodreads Author - 5 stars)

This was a sad, yet, captivating memoir about becoming an orphan at a very young age. It took place in the early 70s, before there were services designed to try and monitor and protect a child's well being after the loss of their parents. Ms. Lauck is a poignant story teller, and I felt connected to the story throughout the book. If you liked The Glass Castle, you'll also enjoy this one.

+5
total points: 120
books: 10
tasks: 8

[Lyn (Readinghearts)]

I finished Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell for Task 15.8 - Your Favorite Artist and I am giving it 4 stars. The book was a telling of the relationship between the Impressionist painter Claude Monet and his wife, Camille Denacroix. I picked up this book because my youngest son, Joe, is a painter, loves Impressionism, and his famous painter is Monet. Due to this I have come to love Impressionism, also, and Monet in specific. That said, even though this book was about his relationship with Camille, I learned a lot about Monet and the other Impressionist, and the tribulations they went through trying to get their paintings recognized as art. In addition, I learned a lot about the life of Monet. It was also a pretty easy read. I would definitely recommend this to people who are interested in the Impressionist movement in France.

Total pages - 400

Books Read: 11
Pages Read: 4512
Tasks Completed: 7
Total Points: 90