The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
READING WITH STYLE
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Summer 2010 'Style' Completed Tasks
15.2 - Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of Nonviolence by Arun Gandhi (144pp) (SRC task 15.7A)Task Total: 15
Also read...
A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms: Being an Account by the Chinese Monk Fa-Hsien of his Travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in Search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline by Fa-hsien 216pp (using for SRC 25.5B)
5 Combo (15.2) + 10 LiT (Chinese) + 15 Oldies (orig written 399-414AD) = 30 pts
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: (so far) 45pts
Kiri wrote: "15.2 - Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of Nonviolence by Arun Gandhi (144pp) (SRC task 15.7A)Task Total: 15
Also read...
[book:A Record of Buddhistic Kingdo..."
Wa-hoo! Kiri has the first points posted for this quarter's challenge.
i read the girl who kicked a hornet's nest
This qualitifes for task 10.310+ 10 (written in Swedish) + 5 (combo) = 25
I loved this series and am sorry to have finished the last one. If you had told me I would be addicted to books about a magazine devoted to business scandals, written in Swedish, I would have been very surprised. I am curious if any of the other 7 books outlined and planned for this series will ever come out. The battle between the coauthor and common law wife and the late SL's family will ultimatley determine who gets the royalties if these ever see the light of day.
10.5 - The Epic of Gilgamesh by Anonymous translation by N.K. Sanders 128pp (10.6 SRC) 10 + 5 Combo (10.4, 20.1) + 10 (Bloom) + 10 LiT (Akkadian) + 15 Oldies (???? BCE) = 50
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West 384pp (Retired WWII Veteran) (SRC 25.1A)
5 Combo (15.3, 15.1 (DC) ) + 5 Oldies = 10
Juliet by Anne Fortier 464pp (SRC 25.1B)
10 LiT (various - probably Dutch)
Total this post: 80
Total so far.. 115
20.3 - Great Minds Think Alike: Grimm's Grimmest by Brothers Grimm20 +5 Combo (15.4) +10 translation +10 Canon +15 oldies (1812)
Task Total: 60
20.3 - Great Minds Think Alike: Grimms' Fairy Tales, by Brothers Grimm
20 +5 Combo (15.4) +10 translation +10 Canon +15 oldies (1812)
Task Total: 60
Grand Total: 120
10.5 - The Epic of Gilgamesh by Anonymous translation by N.K. Sanders 128pp (10.6 SRC) 10 + 5 Combo (10.4, 20.1) + 10 (Bloom) + 10 LiT (Akkadian) + 15 Oldies (???? BCE) = 50..."
The way we're awarding Combo points this season has changed a bit. You get a 5 point Combo Bonus award for EACH alternate task that this book could have been used for. So, for this book the Combo Points = 10 (instead of the 5 you claimed) since two other tasks have been identified as alternate slots the book would have worked.
And for a little picky housekeeping note --- if you could use 'Canon' instead of 'Bloom' when showing that you're claiming the Canon Bonus, that would help avoid confusion. (I know --- I said it was picky.) :-)
Updated point score for this book = 55
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West 384pp (Retired WWII Veteran) (SRC 25.1A)
5 Combo (15.3, 15.1 (DC) ) + 5 Oldies = 10
Juliet by Anne Fortier 464pp (SRC 25.1B)
10 LiT (various - probably Dutch)
Which Reading with Style tasks are you claiming points for with the books shown above? (Please add the task number at the beginning of the line.) Also, please adjust your Combo point scores. I haven't added this to the Readerboard spreadsheet yet. I'll wait until the scores have been corrected and task info completed in your original post. Then we'll be able to trace the points easier if we have to refer back to what was awarded and why.
Thanks! -Krista
Krista wrote: "Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West 384pp (Retired WWII Veteran) (SRC 25.1A)5 Combo (15.3, 15.1 (DC) ) + 5 Oldies = 10
Juliet by Anne Fortier 464pp (SRC 25.1B)
10 LiT (various - probably Dutch)
Which Reading with Style tasks are you claiming points for with the books shown above? (Please add the task number at the beginning of the line.) Also, please adjust your Combo point scores. I haven't added this to the Readerboard spreadsheet yet. I'll wait until the scores have been corrected and task info completed in your original post. Then we'll be able to trace the points easier if we have to refer back to what was awarded and why. "
I'm not. they only qualify out on the combo, oldies, and LiT qualifications. The actual tasks will be taken up by other books. (See.. still confused out here)
Kiri wrote: "Krista wrote: "Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West 384pp (Retired WWII Veteran) (SRC 25.1A)5 Combo (15.3, 15.1 (DC) ) + 5 Oldies = 10
Juliet by Anne Fortier 46..."
I may be misreading your question but seeing as how I'm awake and online (not sure why!) thought I'd try to sort out the confusion - Krista/Sam please correct me if I'm wrong! Kiri, I think you're saying that your book Upstairs in the White House, for example, could fit for 15.3 and 15.1 - in which case I believe you'd assign it to, say, 15.3, then also claim combo points for the fact that it could also have fit 15.1. Then, you'd also claim oldies for it. Every book has to fit into a Reading with Style task, it's just that you can do the tasks more than once. So even if you have other books planned for 15.3, you could still count Upstairs at the White House, then later count whatever the other book is.
(I'm not sure that made it LESS confusing, but...I tried :)!!!)
For instance...
15.1 Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West 384pp (Retired WWII Veteran) (SRC 25.1A)
5 Combo (15.3) + 5 Oldies = 10
Katy wrote: "Kiri wrote: "Krista wrote: "Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West 384pp (Retired WWII Veteran) (SRC 25.1A)5 Combo (15.3, 15.1 (DC) ) + 5 Oldies = 10"
Katy..
Thank you for trying but it doesn't work out over here...I already have books selected for these tasks so they only count as a combo point option (or other ones - or in some cases don't fit any task at all not applicable this posting) so I can't use them for a task specifically.
ex.
15.3 book "x" (still unread)
15.1 book "x2" (still unread)
and then we'd have..
"Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West 384pp (Retired WWII Veteran) (SRC 25.1A)
5 Combo (15.3, 15.1 (DC) ) + 5 Oldies = 10
Unless I can't count this UNTIL I've used the task for the books I've not read yet .. ?
Kiri wrote: "I'm not. they only qualify out on the combo, oldies, and LiT qualifications. The actual tasks will be taken up by other books. (See.. still confused out here)"Kiri,
You can read 60 books for 20.3 and get the task points for each book, every time. You can read 60 books, claiming every single task twice, and get all the task points (twice) plus the complete finish bonus points twice! You can read 60 books, 15 for task 15.4 and the rest wherever they fit, and get the task points for every every single book. You can read a book you hadn't planned on at all & if it fits a task, get task points as soon as you've read it. The beauty of RWS is that, if you can fit it into a task, every book read qualifies for task points.
You can't, however, read a book that qualifies for task 20.2, 20.3, 20.10, 15.4, & 10.4 and claim 85 task points for it. In this case you pick one task, say 20.3, and then claim 20 task points and 20 combo points (5 points times the other 4 tasks).
I just thought I would throw my two cents in here...in order to claim combo points, you have to have completed the task first. I know Sam &/or Krista will clarify, but my understanding is combo points don't kick in until you have completed a given task once. Subsequent books that fall under the same given task will then be allowed the combo points bonus. So, in Kiri's post, using task 10.5, she can claim combo points if she has already finished tasks 10.4 and 20.1.I hope this makes sense.
Edit:
Ignore everything you just read! :D
Jennifer wrote: "I just thought I would throw my two cents in here...in order to claim combo points, you have to have completed the task first. I know Sam &/or Krista will clarify, but my understanding is combo poi..."Jennifer, combo points have nothing to do with how many times a given task is completed.
"Combo (5 points): Read a book for one task that could have applied to another task as well. If a book applies to one other task, you will receive 5 style points. If it applies to two other tasks, you will receive 10 points...and so on."
I am reading The Red and the Black for task 20.3, but I could also use it for 20.2 (it's on the WSJ list for books about ambition), 20.10 (It's 500+ pages and intimidating to me), or 15.4 (It's on J. Lethem's favorite books list). So, without having completed any other task, I could receive 20 task points +15 combo points (five points for each alternative task the book fits).
Liz wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I just thought I would throw my two cents in here...in order to claim combo points, you have to have completed the task first. I know Sam &/or Krista will clarify, but my understan..."Ack...Multiple vs. Combo brings me down. Busted! LOL
I swear I will keep my hands under my butt before proffering any further advice!
Thanks Liz!!
So I can do this and reuse the tasks ?? *trying to absorb Liz's post*Reworks previous entries:
15.2 - Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of Nonviolence by Arun Gandhi (144pp) (SRC task 15.7A)
Task Total: 15
15.2 A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms: Being an Account by the Chinese Monk Fa-Hsien of his Travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in Search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline by Fa-hsien 216pp (using for SRC 25.5B)
15 + 10 LiT (Chinese) + 15 Oldies (orig written 399-414AD) = 40 pts
Task Total: 40
10.5 - The Epic of Gilgamesh by Anonymous translation by N.K. Sanders 128pp (10.6 SRC)
10 + 10 Combo (10.4, 20.1) + 10 (Bloom) + 10 LiT (Akkadian) + 15 Oldies (???? BCE) = 55
15.1 Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West 384pp (DC) (SRC 25.1A)
15 + 5 Combo (15.3) + 5 Oldies = 25
Task Total: 25
20.3 - Juliet by Anne Fortier 464pp (SRC 25.1B)
20 + 10 LiT (various - probably Dutch) = 30
Grand Total: (so far) 165
and because this made me bust out laughing..
in my post 4, for task 10.3 I forgot to claim junbo points because The Girl who kicked a hornet's nest is over 500 pages. So I am up to 30 points, yes?
Kiri wrote: "So I can do this and reuse the tasks ?? *trying to absorb Liz's post*"By george, I think she's got it! Your post looks about right to me; Krista (and others) will double-check to see if you missed any bonus points or ask for clarifications, as needed.
Now I must go get ready for today's Housing Works Used Book Store semi-annual street fair with thousands and thousands of $1 books!
Kiri wrote: "So I can do this and reuse the tasks ?? *trying to absorb Liz's post*Reworks previous entries:
15.2 - Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of Nonviolence by [author:Arun Gandhi..."
YEP!! This post looks right.
Completed 20.1 "Me Talk Pretty Some Day" by David SedarisTask Points: 20
Style Points: No style points
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 20
Task 20.3- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle20 + 5 Combo [10.6 (it's a children's classic), 10.8 (magic # 6):] + 5 Oldies (publ: 1968)
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 30
I hope I did that right. I don't have a Lexile score because the only book by Peter S. Beagle on the Lexile website was Tamsin with a 1080. If The Last Unicorn isn't okay just don't give me any points and I'll figure it out.
Laura wrote: "Task 20.3- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle20 + 5 Combo (10.6) + 5 Oldies (publ: 1968)
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 30
I hope I did that right. I don't have a Lex..."
Welcome to the Reading with Style Challenge Laura!!
Yep, this point posting format is great. I'll allow the Style points even though the Lexile score is unknown based on the Lexile score of the other book. If the Lexile score had been too low, you would still have been able to claim the TASK points. You just wouldn't have earned any STYLE points.
After the last portion of the Season's tasks are posted; those of you who have claimed points already may be able to add some more COMBO Style points for the books you've read.Just post another message detailing the new Combo points when you get them figured out.
Liz wrote: "20.3 - Great Minds Think Alike: Grimm's Grimmest by Brothers Grimm20 +5 Combo (15.4) +10 translation +10 Canon +15 oldies (1812)
Task Total: 60
20.3 - Great Minds T..."
I'd like to add combo points, now that the final tasks are up. Both Grimm books also qualify for
New Grand Total:
Now that the task list has been finalized, I'll finish setting up my Readerbosrd spreadsheet and get your points entered into it. I have to go in to work for at least half a day today. I'll try to get the first Readerboard scores posted no later than tomorrow night. In case you haven't seen it yet, the Readerboard has it's very own thread this season! :-)
10.8 - Numerology (11): Blockade Billy - Stephen King(Takes place in New Jersey, in 1st person)
10 + 10 (Combo 15.1, 20.8) = 20
15.3 - Family: Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris
(Discrimination against weres, in 1st person)
15 + 10 (Combo 10.5, 20.8) = 25
Total Points:45
Grand Total: 45
20.8 First Person The Memory of RunningNothing extra for this one, but it was a terrific read and I gave it 5 stars.
20
15.4 Author's Top Ten That Night on Anita Shreve's list. Takes place on Long Island. This book was OK, but it won't make my top ten, a high 3 stars.
15 + 5 (combo 15.1)
First post of the season: 40 accumulated points
10.3 - "The (Fill In The Blank) Who..."The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Task Points + Style points = 10+10 translation + 5 jumbo(503 pages) + 5 combo(20.10)
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 30
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "LOL Forgot one10.4 The 39 Steps, pub 1915
15 = 10 + 5 oldies
accumulated total 55"
The 39 Steps was on WSJ's five best books about espionage on 12/9/06, which should get you 5 combo points.
Thanks for looking out for me, Liz. Krista - I'll repost that one entirely and move it to the 20 point task.20.2 Take a Walk on Wall Street
The 39 Steps, pub 1915, combo with 10.4 "Only one life to lose" spy
20 +5 combo + 10 oldies = 35 for this task
accumulated total = 75
Task 20.8 (first person narrative) - When You Reach Me by Rebecca SteadTask 20 + 15 Combo (10.6 protagonist is a child, 10.8 author is a 5 like me, 15.1 book is set in NYC)
Task Total: 35
Task 15.10 Group Reads - The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie
Task 15 + 5 Oldies (published 1936)
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 55
Task 15.5 - The Stranger by Albert Camus+15 pts Combo (10.8, 15.4, 20.8)
+10 Canon
+10 Lost in Translation (French)
+5 Oldies (publ: 1942)
So my total is...55 for this book? We still get 15 for the initial task, right?
Task Total: 55
Tasks Completed: 1
Books Read: 1
Pages Read: 129
Grand Total: 55
10.2 Shadrach in the Furnace by Robert Silverberg10 + 5 Oldies (1976) = 15
10.6 Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
No style points
20.8 The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
20 + 10 LiT (Japanese) = 30
15 + 10 + 30 = 55 points
First time participating in Reading With Style. I lurked around a little bit last season and decided to join in this time.Task 20.8 - It's All About Me: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
20 task points + 5 combo [task 10.5 - Stand Up For Your Rights:] + 5 oldies [published in 1985:]
= 30 total points...I think. Let me know if I did this right!
*The Handmaid's Tale does appear on two authors top 10 book lists but I have not read anything by either, so I don't think I can claim the combo style points, right?
Jen wrote: "...Task 20.8 - It's All About Me: The Handmaid's Tale"FYI, The Handmaid's Tale is on the top ten lists of Chitra Divakaruni & Jennifer Weiner. If you've read a book by either of these authors, you can add +5 combo points for 15.4.
Task # 15.10 - Group Read - THE ABC MURDERS by Agatha Christie15 Task Points + 5 Style Points (Oldies, 1936)
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 20
Thank you so much for explaining!Task 20.3 Shogun by James Clavell
20 + 10 Combo [10.4 (The main character isn't a spy, but the book's plot is dependent on spying), 10.5 (Discrimination based on sex, race, class, age, rank, religion, and lots of xenophobia):] + 5 Oldies (1975) + 25 Jumbo (1152)
Task Total: 60
The Last Unicorn also works for 10.8 since my magic number is 6. I missed that, so my task total for that book should be 35 instead of 30.
Grand Total: 95
For my post #19, I was wondering if I could claim combo points for the task 20.8 first person perspective since the story was in first person.
Task # 10.6 - PJ Reads 'For the Children' - Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos which features 11 year old Clare as a main character.10 Task Points + 15 Style Points (Combo: 10.8 (author is also a 6, like me),15.1 (takes place in Pennsylvania) & 20.8 (first person narrative)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 45
Jennifer wrote: "Task # 10.6 - PJ Reads 'For the Children' - Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos which features 11 year old Clare as a main character.10 Task Points + 15 Style Points (Combo: 10.8 (author is also a 6, like me),15.1 (takes place in Pennsylvania) & 20.8 (first person narrative)..."
Jennifer -- I really like that you and Sam both spelled out how your books qualified for the other the Combo points. You gave more details about the tasks it also would have worked for. This helps make adding up the scores easier for me.
If the everyone could try to follow Jennifer's example when claiming Combo points that would be helpful!
Jayme wrote: "For my post #19, I was wondering if I could claim combo points for the task 20.8 first person perspective since the story was in first person."Yep, I'll add them in.
Task 20.4b The River runs through it. I read "Baking Cakes In Kigali by Gaile Parkin.No style points
Previous Points:25
New Points: 45
Task 10.4 I read Manhunt
which I think would cover espionage, not just for John Wilkes Booth but also most of the characters who acted against the Union during the Civil War.I read The Immortal Life of Henrietta lacks
for task 10.5. I can,t believe how much I enjoyed this book! I have to say, the science was interesting but i much prefered reading about Henrietta,s life and that of her family, especially her children. I would love to know how much of their issues were caused by syphilis while in utero, how much was the difficult lives they led as children and what was innate. I did not expect the spiritual component from the author. I don,t think she did, either. It is amazing that the author researched and wrote this book in her 20's. I think that brings me up to 50 points
Task # 20.8 - Liz's 'All About Me' - Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson20 Task Points (1st person narration) + 10 Style Points (combo 10.6 (main character is a child) and 20.2 (#5 on WSJ list of Best Books About Sisters)
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 75
Heat Wave by Richard Castle (2009) (198pp) (SRC 5.1-Heat Wave)Task Total: 15 (15.1 - Stars And Stripes Forever (original 13 colonies -- New York)) + 10 Combo (10.2, 20.3) = 25
Library Mascot Cage Match: An Unshelved Collection by Gene Ambaum (2005) (120pp) (SRC 5.9-Public)
Task Total: 20 (20.8) + 5 Combo (10.5) = 25
Unshelved, Vol. 1 by Gene Ambaum (2004) (128pp) (SRC 20.5-Library)
Task Total: 20 (20.8) + 5 Combo (10.5) = 25
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (1936) (72pp) (SRC 20.9A-1 - Indie Choice Pick)
Task Total: 10 (20.8) + 5 Combo (10.5) + 10 LiT (Spanish) + 10 Oldies (1936) = 45
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963) (48pp) ((SRC 20.9A-2)
Task Total: 10 (10.6 - For the Children (page count shared with A to make 100)) + 5 Combo (10.5) + 5 Oldies (1963) = 25
A Lady, First: My Life in the Kennedy White House and the American Embassies of Paris and Rome by Letitia Baldrige (2002) (304pp) (SRC 25.3A-Visit)
Task Total: 20 (20.8) + 15 Combo (15.1, 15.3, 15.6) = 35
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems Caldecott Honor (2004) (40pp) (SRC #5.4)
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans Caldecott Honor (1940) (64pp) (SRC #5.4)
Frederick by Leo Lionni Caldecott Honor(1968) (36pp) (SRC #5.4)
Task Total: 10 (10.6 - For the Children (page count shared with B & C to make 100pp Also no style points as under 700 Lexile)) = 10
Updating these items:
Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of Nonviolence 15 (15.2) + 10 Combo (20.8, 15.3) = 25
A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms: (...) 20.8 main points + 5 Combo (15.2) + 10 LiT (Chinese) + 15 Oldies (399-414AD) = 50
Upstairs at the White House 20 (20.8 1st person) + 15 Combo (15.1, 15.3, 15.6) + 5 Oldies (1983) = 40
----------
Task points this post: 25 + 25 + 25 + 45 + 25 + 35 + 10 = 190 (not including update points)
Total Points: 385
Task 20.3 - Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín(My great mind person is Susan Helegeson. Our connector is Midnight's Children. She has excellent taste!)
+10 pts Combo - 10.7 (Fiction nominee 2010), 10.8 (Tóibín is also a 7)
Task Total: 30
Tasks Completed: 2
Books Read: 2
Pages Read: 391
Grand Total: 85
Question...half or more of this novel takes place in New York, does that count for the 13 original colonies category?
Also, if Susan has ranked some of my other books for this challenge as 5 stars, can I use that as a combo or primary submission (if it doesn't fit anywhere else in this challenge?
15.1 Breakable You by Brain Morton(Takes place in New York.)
Task Total: 15
Tasks Completed: 3
Books Read: 3
Pages Read: 759
Grand Total: 100
10.8 The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
(Sarah Waters is a 7. Like me.)
Task Total: 10
Tasks Completed: 4
Books Read: 4
Pages Read: 1225
Grand Total: 110
Sara Grace wrote: "Task 20.3 - Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín(My great mind person is Susan Helegeson. Our connector is Midnight's Children. She has excellent taste!)
+10 pts Combo - 10.7 (Fiction nominee 2010), 10.8 (Tói..."
Yes to the 5-star question...for the colony task, the book should ultimately be set in one location.
Kiri wrote: "Heat Wave by Richard Castle (2009) (198pp) (SRC 5.1-Heat Wave)Task Total: 15 (15.1 - Stars And Stripes Forever (original 13 colonies -- New York)) + 10 Combo (10.2..."
Hi Kiri:
When you post your points, it would be helpful to me if you lead with the Reading w/Style task number that you're claiming points for. I do see that you show it when detailing the actual points, but visually for me it's easier to pick out if you use the standard format. You don't need to include the SRC task number if you don't want to. I don't used it for anything.
Any may I say --- you read faster than a speeding bullet! :-)
Thanks! -Krista
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (other topics)Anna Karenina (other topics)
One Hundred Years of Solitude (other topics)
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (other topics)
Digging to America (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Douglas Adams (other topics)Madeleine L'Engle (other topics)
Henry James (other topics)
Don DeLillo (other topics)
William Golding (other topics)
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Preferred Point Posting Format
Task # - Brief Task Description: ‘Book Title (Link)’, by ‘Book Author (Link)’
Task Points + Style Points
Task Total:
Grand Total: (your points to date in the challenge)
--------------------------
Format Sample
Task 10.1 - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
10 +10 Combo (15.4, 20.1), +5 Oldies (publ: 1943)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 60
------------------
Hints & Tips:
1) Young Adult (YA) Books: If you're using a YA book and want to claim Style Points for the book, give the Lexile score after the the book and author links.
Claiming Style points -- (Please state as clearly as possible how the Style points were earned)
1) Combo Style Points: List all the tasks the book could have be used for, not just the Combo point total.
2) Oldies Style Points: Show the original publication year.
3) Lost in Translation Style Points: Show the original language the book was written in.
I always love to see a brief review of the books. Feel free to throw that in too if you'd like.