The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
SPRING CHALLENGE 2010
>
Spring Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks


Total Points: 365
Tasks Completed: 20
Books by Goodreads authors: 3
Big Books: 2 (500+ and 750+)

This will bring my total to 415 points.


10.4 Reuse: To Desire A Devil - Elizabeth Hoyt*
15 points
15.3 The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
20 points
20.2 To Beguile A Beast - Elizabeth Hoyt*
20.6 Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
20.10 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
25 points
25.3 The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
25.4 Brighter Than the Sun - Julia Quinn
Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt
25.8 The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein*
To Seduce A Sinner - Elizabeth Hoyt*
30 points
30.5Book A: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Book B: In the Electric Eden: Stories by Nick Arvin
Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 which is being (re)made into a movie directed by Frank Darabont.
Frank Darabont also directed The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist, all written by Steven King.
Steven King was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in Feb 1999
Conan O'Brien also interviewed Fred Savage in Feb 1999
Fred Savage graduated from Stanford where Nick Arvin is also a grad.
50 points
3. (Romance) In Bed with the Duke - Christina Dodd
+6 (short stories) Scottish Brides - Christina Dodd, Julia Quinn, Stephanie Laurens and Karen Ranney
Totals
Points: 240
Books: 14
Challenges: 10

Thanks Donna Jo, I'm trying! I think I can, I think I can!

Completed A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute for 15.9 - pseudonym task. (Real name: Nevil Shute Norway). Really enjoyed this!
If I were to write a book my name would be Teresa Ley - derived from my real name and a shortening of my maiden name (though hardly anyone knows me by that name these days!

A. McKinley's Miracle by Mary Kate Holder - ★★★
AND
B. A Very Long Engagement by Sebastien Japrisot - ★★★★
25.3 - Coralie's Task - Coming Out Of Hibernation
I attended a live performance by a woman who’s just breaking onto the music scene and recording her first album at a studio in the area, so I read Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts in which the heroine is a singer and musician and is asked by the hero to record her first album with his recording studio. - ★★★
25.10 Melissa GA's Task - Deja Vu
A. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith - ★★
AND
B. Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Pride and Prejudice Continues by Linda Berdoll - ★★
C. Melissa OK’ed my use of “Zombies” for this challenge as so much of it is still the original book. Neither book lives up to the original. “Zombies” is funny at first and certainly does explain a few things about Charlotte Lucas () but it gets tedious and stupid pretty quickly. “Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife” is about all the horrible things that happen to your favorite characters from P&P after the wedding.
This Post: 65 points
Total so far: 780 points

Erin B.
TOTAL POINTS: 45/980
BOOKS READ: 10/76
COMPLETED TASKS: 4/57
I sort of feel like the little engine that could this challenge. I finished a few more tasks.
10.8 - I read Laika by Nick Abadzis. This book is a graphic novel about Laika, the first dog to orbit the earth, and it also parallels the life of the man who headed the Russian space program, and who had spent time in a gulag, Sergei Korolyov. This story is so damn depressing, and I was almost crying at the end, thinking about that poor sweet dog dying alone up in space.
10.10 - I read Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot. It was a cute fun book about a girl who is dating two guys, and keeping up her Ms. Perfect-facade by being a habitual liar (hence the "pants on fire" title), and her world is rocked when a friend from the past, who she betrayed, re-enters her life.
15.10 - I don't know that I definitely prescribe myself to any particular philosophy (does this make me a nihilist), but I chose existentialism, and chose to read No Exit and Three Other Plays by Jean Paul Sartre.
ex·is·ten·tial·ism (ěg'zĭ-stěn'shə-lĭz'əm, ěk'sĭ-)
n. A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts. (American Heritage Dictionary).
Yes, I pretty much have to agree with most of those points. I tend to see the universe as indifferent or hostile, and don't worry or wonder about the "meaning" of life, and I definitely believe that we have control to make the choices in our lives, and that we should deal with the consequences of those choices.
All in all, it was a more enjoyable read than I expected (why don't I read plays more often?), a little heavy handed in trying to express its meanings, but good nonetheless.
Previous Score: 520
Current Score: 555
10.8 - I read Laika by Nick Abadzis. This book is a graphic novel about Laika, the first dog to orbit the earth, and it also parallels the life of the man who headed the Russian space program, and who had spent time in a gulag, Sergei Korolyov. This story is so damn depressing, and I was almost crying at the end, thinking about that poor sweet dog dying alone up in space.
10.10 - I read Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot. It was a cute fun book about a girl who is dating two guys, and keeping up her Ms. Perfect-facade by being a habitual liar (hence the "pants on fire" title), and her world is rocked when a friend from the past, who she betrayed, re-enters her life.
15.10 - I don't know that I definitely prescribe myself to any particular philosophy (does this make me a nihilist), but I chose existentialism, and chose to read No Exit and Three Other Plays by Jean Paul Sartre.
ex·is·ten·tial·ism (ěg'zĭ-stěn'shə-lĭz'əm, ěk'sĭ-)
n. A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts. (American Heritage Dictionary).
Yes, I pretty much have to agree with most of those points. I tend to see the universe as indifferent or hostile, and don't worry or wonder about the "meaning" of life, and I definitely believe that we have control to make the choices in our lives, and that we should deal with the consequences of those choices.
All in all, it was a more enjoyable read than I expected (why don't I read plays more often?), a little heavy handed in trying to express its meanings, but good nonetheless.
Previous Score: 520
Current Score: 555

A. Read a fictional book set in Norway
Kristin Lavransdatter 1: The Wreath by Sigrid Undset this has been on my bookshelf for 3 years, and now I don't know why I waited so long! May 21
B. Read a book written by an author from: Ireland
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Apr 21
Total Pages = 22,472
Total Tasks Completed = 50
Total Points = 895

Books Read - 21
Tasks Completed - 16
Total points - 310
Posted by comments on the discussion thread.

Numbers by Rachel Ward (4/23/10) 324 pages
I used the name generator and came up with the name Rachel.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (5/21/10) 309 pages
20.3 Mental Health Month Something Missing by Matthew Dicks
Our hero - Martin - has OCD. I know it wasn’t as severe as some cases of OCD I’ve heard of – still Martin had to follow his routines. I guess maybe some of the great, uncaught, thieves have OCD! Attention to detail keeps them from getting caught!
Previously Reported:
5.7 The Silent Boy by Lois Lowry
10.1 The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
10.6 Push by Sapphire
10.7 No One Would Listen by Harry Markopolos
20.6 Vendetta by Fern Michaels
30.2 Someone Named Eva Joan M. Wolf – Texas Bluebonnet Award
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
– Texas Lone Star Reading List
Tasks Completed: 8
Points Earned: 130
Books Read: 10

15.6A - The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)by Dan Brown (486 pp)
15.6B-1 The Most Wonderful Egg in the World by Helme Heine (Sarah Sammis) (32 pp)
15.6B-2 The Nine Lives of Aristotle by Dick King-Smith (Sarah Sammis) (80pp)
(15.6B now meets the 100+ page requirement)
-------
20.1-1A Green Eggs and Ham By: Dr. Seuss (62pp)
20.1-1B Review: A must read for everyone. I highly recommend perusing the other reviews which provide remarkable insight into this stellar and innocuous appearing book.
20.1-2A Thidwick the Big-hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (40 pp)
20.1-2B (A two second review!) A lesson in how to stand up for yourself with rude and inconsiderate people. Humourously done with great rhymes Thidwick learns to do the right thing and not be a door-moose.
---
20.3A Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
20.3B Dissociative disorder (Dissociative identity disorder or multiple personality disorder), Addiction
20.3C The loss of viable opportunities and avenues of outlet leads to the creation of the persona named Tyler (an Ubermensch akin to Nietzsche's concept) What I gathered from this novel was that when people lose - what appears to be to them - a means of productive outlet or a way to progress in life according to their own lights they (and their psyche) will create something to allow them to develop even if it isn't actually a good path and will destroy them. I"m not sure how to add in the factor of the narrator feeling separated form everything ad thus creating a way to feel (something..) by creating the fight club - other than as an illustrative display of the above. I also learned that I *really* don't like this writer, which since I've tried reading him before and couldn't hack it.. made this a painful task. =)
----
20.4D-1 Sonoma County California by Robert Janover (96 pp)
20.4D-2 Santa Rosa by Simone Wilson (128pp)
----
25.10A - Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz (271pp)
25.10B - Deryni Tales Katherine Kurtz (Editor) (288pp)
25.10C - I think it does live up to the standards set. These seven stories by new authors live up to the standards set by Ms. Kurtz and are a lively and entertaining addition to the canon.
-----
30.3A Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
30.3B-1 Camber the Heretic by Katherine Kurtz (Legends of the Camber of Culdi Vol. 3)
30.3B-2 Return of the Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley (96pp)
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
Updated stats
Points Avaliable: 980
Total Points: 915
Tasks Completed: 53/57
Books Read: 77
Pages Read: 23,719
Spreadsheet: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?ke...

For 15.9 I read Too Hot to Handle by Elizabeth Lowell aka Ann Maxwell.
Total points: 400

Completed Tasks:
5.9. Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
10.6 Push by Sapphire
15.4. The Emerald Swan by Jane Feather
Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward
15.9 Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
20.6 Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
30.3 Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough by Lori Gottlieb
Lover Revealed 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: 8
Total Points: 175
Total Books Read: 12

The first part of The Forsyte Saga was written by John Galsworthy in the early 1900s and is composed of three novels & two "interludes". The saga was later continued with two more trilogies & various "interludes" and short stories. And what a saga! Family & relationship complications to equal any daytime soap, with a grand historical setting that shifts from Victorian England to post-WWI, encompassing the changing outlook of the characters regarding wealth, class, and individualism.
Books read: 21
Tasks completed: 16
Total Points: 395
Liz (Bklyn)

a) 15.1 - Independence: The Sea by John Banville (The novel is set in Ireland.) & To Siberia by Per Petterson (Petterson is from Norway.)
b) 20.7 - Big Books: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. I really need to clear out some of my 'already read' books that I don't plan on reading again (to make room for new ones). I chose Reading Lolita... because it is one woman's account of teaching a group of other women classic Western novels, forbidden in Iran at the time - Pride & Prejudice, Lolita, Daisy Miller, Washington Square, The Great Gatsby - books I have loved and value and can't imagine living without having read.
# of Pages Read: 8443
# of Books Read: 28
# of Tasks Completed: 21
# of Points Accrued: 365

Thanks, Cynthia!

Total Points: 375
Tasks Completed: 21
Books by Goodreads authors: 3
Big Books: 2 (500+ and 750+)

A brief summary of the series:
Sookie Stackhouse is a barmaid and telepath living in Bon Temps, Louisiana during a time when vampires have become an open part of society (some are mainstreaming and some are not). She discovers that she can not hear the thoughts of vampires when she meets Bill Compton (the vampire that she eventually falls in love with) and she finds it very relaxing and refreshing to be around vampires because there isn't a constant buzz of thoughts that she has to block out. Obviously, having vampires around can pose many problems and a lot of action, adventure, violence and death ensues throughout the series.
I hope that is enough since I don't want to ruin anything for people who might just be starting to read the series. I am now up to book 8, which I cannot wait to read for the Summer Challenge!
Tasks Completed: 49/57
Books Read: 70
Pages Read: 21,250
[image error]

405/980 points
Tasks Completed: 20/57
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 33/82
Pages Read: 8189


Tasks Completed: 50/57
Books Read: 71
Pages Read: 21,522
[image error]

I read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie which was on page 3 of the list. Yes, this book belongs on the list as it is a classic locked room mystery. I would put Phule's Company at the top of the list. The book shows you the power of believing in yourself in a fun, interglactic romp.
previous points - 260
new points - 15
total points - 275



570/980
total books: 40
total tasks: 31
total pages 12,279
[image error]

I have a solar system model that I made when I was in elementary school, and it's in pretty bad shape. I think it's time to go! In honor of this, I read The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes.
New points: 20
Total points: 120

20.6 - Supporting Goodreads Authors - Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. This is the 10th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Sookie is a telepathic human who has becomes involving in a world where humans, vampires and werewolves live side by side. Of course, crazy things always happen to Sookie.
10.3 Luck of the Irish - A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane. The main character's name is Patrick Kenzie.
5.5 Whatever is Popular Deserves Attention - Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz.
10.4 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty. I planned to use this in the Winter Challenge 2010.
25.5 Spring Cleaning - The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan. I borrowed them all from a friend.
25.9 Wendy's Task - Spring Break - I went to High School from 1995-1999. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks.
Books Read: 9
Tasks Completed: 7
Total Points: 120

Read Oh.My.Gods by Tera Lynn Childs
**Goodreads Author**
Tasks Completed - 17
Books Read - 22
Total Points - 335

I read:
The Last Town on Earth: A Novel by Thomas Mullen (394 pages); 4 stars
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (304 pages); 4 stars
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom (368 pages); 4.5 stars
Total pages for task: 1060
Total Points: 165 +25 = 190

Previous Reads
5.2 A Book is Like a Garden in the Pocket - The Girl's Guide to Growing your Own by Alex Mitchell
5.4 In the News - The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
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
20.1 April Fool - The Audacity of Hopy by Armando Iannuchi
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
20.6 Best Series - The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
20.8 A Magical Birthday - The Novice by Trudi Canavan
25.2 Fabulous Firsts or Superior Seconds - The Outcast by Sadie Jones and Small Wars by Sadie Jones
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
25.7 The Gods Must be Crazy - The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
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
30.4 One if by Land, Two if by Sea - Brixton Beach by Roma Tearne and Down River by John Hart
30.6 Character References - American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield and Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H.Lawrence
[image error]

+20
Total points: 40


A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
(4.5 stars)
I currently live in the city, but grew-up in Oregon. Sometimes, I feel a great need to get back to the quietude and wonderment of nature. Therefore, my boyfriend and I are planning on taking a month or so to travel to a few national parks for some hiking and camping.
This is my first book by Bill Bryson, and I loved it. I figured he would have many funny tales of walking the Appalachian Trail, because most people do have good stories when they find the courage to step out of their element. However, I was also impressed to find a solid and well-told history of the trail. He also provided, in great detail, the scientific impact of humans on our natural world, which at times, made me feel helpless because each fact got more depressing and there were no ideas for solutions presented. Otherwise, the book was a great read.
+25
points: 155
books: 12
tasks: 10

New total: 295 points


Finished and reused by passing it along to someone else!
NOTE: Claire Cook is a Goodreads author.
25.5:
Both from the piles of books I've had in the house already:


30.2:
From the Texas Bluebonnet Award list:



(These add up to 148 pages)
From the Texas Lone Star Reading List:

TOTALS
======
Points: 475
Books: 29
Pages: 10,489
Tasks: 21

b. "family saga": As I Lay Dying
c. local area or region: The Lonely Polygamist I live in Utah, and this takes place in Utah. This book was 608 pages. Please enter me for the 500 page big book ticket.
Total points: 605



30.5 - PJ Reads' Task - As Suggested By Tanja - Six Degrees of Separation
In honor of Six Degrees of Separation (play premiered on May 16, 1990) and Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon (headlined on April 7, 1994, do the following:
A. Read any book off your TBR
AND
B. Read a book that the author is at a maximum of six degrees of separation from the author in Part A. In your post for this task you must explain the connection in order to get credit.
I read True Colors (Star Wars: Republic Commando, #3) by Karen Traviss (Mass Market Paperback, 448 pages);
ONE: Karen Traviss was a finalist for the 2008 Philip K. Dick Award for her novel Ally
Gradisil by Adam Roberts was also a finalist for the 2008 Philip K. Dick
TWO: Adam Roberts was a finalist for the 2009 Sidewise Awards for his novel Swiftly
And, George Mann was also a finalist for the 2009 Sidewise Awards for his novel The Affinity Bridge (Hardcover, 336 pages)
Which I read.
The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were conceived in late 1995 to honor the best allohistorical genre publications of the year.
The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. The award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society.
540 + 30 = 570

Tasks Completed: 28
Points for this task: 30
Points thus far: 570/980
Books read: 44
Pages Read: 12,960
Books by Goodreads authors: 2
Read but not claimed: 4 books
(Parts of the following 2-book tasks: 25.2, and 30.1B); and (5.5 or 20.1) and (5.4 or 20.8)


My total is now 195.

15.9 Cheese by Willem Elsschot, pseudonym of Alfons-Jozef De Ridder (previously claimed for 20.9)
My pen name would be Camilla Reese, which is almost an anagram derived from my names and Reese is a name in my family.
20.9 To Let: The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. (Saga is a type of cheese made in Denmark.)
Books read: 22
Tasks completed: 17
Total Points: 410
Liz (Bklyn)
15.4 Diamond Trap by Bethany Campbell and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Volume 1: After the Long Goodbye by Masaki Yamada
Points: 30
Tasks: 3
Books: 4
Points: 30
Tasks: 3
Books: 4


That should bring me to 50 points. The Historian is 676 pages, which should give me a Big Books ticket (500+ pages).

I was not impressed very much.
Tasks Completed: 52/57
Books Read: 72
Pages Read: 21,730
[image error]

A. The Diamond Secret: A Retelling of "Anastasia"
B. Innocence
Total points: 620

20.7 Potjy's Task Time to Declutter: The Girl in the Green Sweater: A Life in Holocaust's Shadow
I cleaned out my closet and actually donated a green sweater.
20.9 Rebecca's Cheese Task: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I didn't do a great job of managing my tasks this time :( and am trying to rearrange books

Goodnight, Irene by Jan Burke about reporter Irene Kelly -- 1st in mystery series
Books Read: 41
Pages Read: 12039
Tasks Completed: 29
Tasks in Progress: 3


I think I would have liked these if I had read them at 16, but both were just kind of blah for me. I guess I liked the first one better because the story seemed more original. The second seemed very similar (body possession by dead people trying to find love).
That gives me at
395 points
8864 pages read
If can finish some of my books in progress, I might still hit 500!

15.4 These gems have life in them... Diamond Dust: Stories and An Innocent Gentleman
20.4 Heidi's task
B fictional family saga Payment for the Piper
C. fictional book about local area or region Death at Victoria Dock I live where Victoria dock was at the time this book was set.
25.5 Spring cleaning
The Female Man 214 pages
A Funeral for the Eyes of Fire 294 pages
The Stochastic Man 229 pages
The Tombs of Atuan 155 pages
total pages 892.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Books mentioned in this topic
Frankenstein (other topics)Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang (other topics)
Loving Frank (other topics)
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began (other topics)
Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage (other topics)
More...
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)
More...
10.9 - "A lovely horse is always an experience.... It is an emotional experience of the kind that is spoiled by words."
In honor of the Kentucky Derby (May 1st)...Read a book with the word Horse or Horses in the title OR a book that features Horses in the storyline.
For this task I read Saddled with Trouble by Michele Scott (Goodreads author).
15.2 - Anzac Day
In Honor of Anzac Day
A. A novel that takes place in Australia or New Zealand, written by an author from one of those countries, or a non-fictional book about one of the two countries.
AND
B. A novel or non-fictional account of World War I.
For Part A of this task I read Bound to Shadows by Keri Arthur, who is Australian. For Part B I read Water Song: A Retelling of "The Frog Prince" by Suzanne Weyn, which is set during WWI.
Total Points: 950/980
Books Read: 76
Tasks Completed: 54/57