The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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SUMMER CHALLENGE 2010
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Summer Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread)
20.8 - B&N Classics: The Red and the Black by StendhalA wonderful "trashy" read with a thin, subtle layer of social commentary.
Books read: 3
Tasks completed: 2
Total Points: 45
Liz (Bklyn)
25.1 Independence DayBook with a character that is in the military The Forever War
Book with blue cover
REPOST:15.7 - "You Must Be The Change You Want To See In The World." ~ The Jungle Books
The change that I would like to see is for people to take better care of the environment. Most people don't think twice about the things they do every day that negatively effect the earth. My family tries to do everything we can to offset the damage, we even cloth diapered our kids.
25.7 Non-fic about subject you are passionate about, and fic with passion in title: Used and Rare Travels in the Book World and The Bone Collector by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone and Jeffery Deaver, 741 pp, read 6/1/2010 and 6/7/2010.I had a hard time with this one, what is passion anyway? Finally I asked my DD, and she said that is easy you are a collector, you are passionate about collect things and being a collector. She's right, I collect trophies really, not things that are tangible, but achievements. I'm the person who has to find every chest in a video game, who really wants to finish the reading challenge. Yes, I'm probably not normal, but I swear I'm not dangerous. So I read a book about collecting, a type of collecting that would be very seductive for me, because I do have a passion for books, too, and a book with collector in the title.
This is going to be the serial killer/forensic science challenge for me! This is the first of about 4 serial killer books I have coming.
20.5 About libraries or librarians or with word "library or librarian" in title: Alexandria by Lindsay Davis, 338pp, read 6/10/2010.
This is a Marcus Didius Falco mystery about the murder of the Librarian at the Great Library of Alexandria, and the machinations to replace him. Not the best Falco I've read.
Books read: 14/71
Tasks completed: 8/56
Points: 130/950
Pages read: 4840
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25.5A Favorite genre = better world realistic fiction
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
A very human portrait of whites and blacks in 1960s Mississippi showing strengths and weaknesses in the major characters as they break through social and mental lines to create a book and much more.
I like realistic fiction because it explores how and why people feel, think and act as they do. In better world realistic fiction, people suffer a little less, try a little hard and succeed a little more than in the real world which makes hope a little stronger.
25.5B Second favorite genre = plays
Seven Guitars by August Wilson
The voices of blacks in 1948 Pittsburgh surviving poverty and prejudice with courage, dignity and love.
I like plays because language is the magic that makes them work.
350 points
5 POINT TASKS1.
2. Eclipse by Stephine Meyer
3.
4.
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by J.K. Rowling
6. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
7. Up in the Air by Walter Kirn
8. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
9. Death By Latte by Linda Gerber
10.
10 POINT TASKS
1.
2. The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium, #2) by Stieg Larsson
3. The Host By Stephine Meyer
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland (Translator) (rolled a 465)
5. True Believer by Nicholas Sparks
6.
7. The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson
8.
9. The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
10.
15 POINT TASKS
1. Cyrano de Bergerac (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)by Edmond Rostand and Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
2. Ghost Stories of Minnesota (Ghost Stories of) by Gina Teel and Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Stephanie Plum, #15) by Janet Evanovich
3. Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
4. Salem's Lot by Stephen King and Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye (A Psychic Eye Mystery, #1) by Victoria Laurie
5. Carrie by Spehen King and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Blindness by José Saramago, Giovanni Pontiero (Translator) and Breaking Dawn by Stephine Meyer
7. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
8.
9. A Hopeless Romantic by Harriet Evans
10. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
20 POINT TASKS
1. Throw Darts At A Cheesecake (Bernstein/Miller Mystery, #1) by Denise Dietz
2. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Anonymous, Seamus Heaney (Translator)
3. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
4. The Toaster Broke, So We're Getting Married: A Memoir by Pamela Holm
5.Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert
6. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
7. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
8. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
9. Catching Fire (Hunger Games, #2) by Suzanne Collins
10. The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins
25 POINT TASKS
1. Killing Floor (Jack Reacher Series, #1) by Lee Child and Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
2. When Lightning Strikes (1-800-Where-R-You, #1) by Meg Cabot and It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken: The Smart Girl's Break-Up Buddy by Greg Behrendt, Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt
3. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Anonymous Celebrity (Latin American Literature) by Ignácio de Loyola Brandão, Nelson Vieira (Translator)
4. Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, #1) by Dan Brown and The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood
5.
6.
7. A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines by Anthony Bourdain and Cooking Up Murder (A Cooking Class Mystery, #1) by Miranda Bliss
8. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
9. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
10.Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1) by Charlaine Harris and Chocolat by Joanne Harris
30 POINT TASKS
1.Body Art by Kym Menzies and Uglies (Uglies, #1) by Scott Westerfeld
2. Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr., Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
3. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith and Deep End of the Ocean (Oprah's Book Club) by Jacquelyn Mitchard
4.Postmortem (Kay Scarpetta, #1) by Patricia Cornwell and Beat the Reaper: A Novel by Josh Bazell
5.
50 POINT TASK
4267/26371 Pages Read
140/950 Total Points
14/71 Books Completed
Books by Goodreads authors: 1
Big Books: 0 (500+), 0 (750+), 0 (1000+)
I just completed my first task for this challenge - 25.9, I did A. Read a Book of at least 850 pages. I read The Pillars of the Earth - 973 pages. I have to say I was a little disappointed. It wasn't bad, but with everything I'd heard about it I was expecting more. It could have been about 200 pages shorter too.
15.4- Learn Your NumbersA. My number is 4, and so is Rebecca James. I read Beautiful Malice: A Novel Rebecca James is a Goodreads author.
B. Some of the characteristics of a 4 are being responsible, serious, sincere, honest, and faithful. I felt that the main character, Claire in Garden Spells had all of these qualities. (LOVED this book, by the way.) Claire has a successful catering business and takes very few risks. When she finally falls in love, she is forever faithful to him. Sarah Addison Allen is a Goodreads author.
If it's not too late, I also noticed that two other authors I used in other tasks and claimed points for already are also Goodreads authors. They are Bryan Davis (for task 25.5) and Melissa Marr (for task 5.3).
I completed task 15.6 Eventually All Things Merge Into One. I chose option B. Baking Cakes in Kagali by Gaile Parkin and C I read "The Vile Village by Lemony Snickett. Almost all the books were around the same page numbers. Tasks Completed: 3
Books Read: 5
Total Points: 35
Alright. Now that I have completed a few let's get my name up on the board.10 points
10.1Ten Things I Love About You - Julia Quinn*
10.4Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo - Beth Whitman
My number was 262 this book has 272 pages
25 points
25.3 a) The Taming of the Duke - Eloisa James*
This takes place in England, where I would hope a plane and go to tomorrow if I could
b)Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - Patrick Süskind
Originally written in German
Totals
Points:45
Challenge Completed: 3
Books Read: 10
Goodreads Authors: 2
5 Point Tasks5.9 - Get Caught Reading
Injustice for All by J.A. Jance
I've spent a lot of hours at the ball diamond this summer at baseball practices and games and always have my book with me.
5.10 - "If One Cannot Enjoy Reading A Book Over And Over Again, There Is No Use In Reading It At All." - Oscar Wilde
Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson
(One of my all time favorites!)
10 Point Tasks
10.1 - Stormy Weather
Wake by Lisa McMann
Current Posting Total = 20
5.7 "I confess that in 1901 I said to my brother Orville that man would not fly for fifty years."
Among the Mad by Jacqueline WinspearI have just finished this Maisie Dobbs book which has Maisie's red MG car on the cover. Also a bus.
20.9 Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. This was a fantastic sequel; and I gave it 5*.I watched Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Excellent documentary on this complicated financial topic. It won the 2006 Indie Spirit Award for Best Documentary. I would also give it 5*.
Total Points: 20 + 20 = 40
20.9 - Luck Of The Draw - Terri's Task - The Spirit of Independence ~
and I watched (500) Days of Summer.**Maggie is a goodreads author**
20.6 - Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books by Francesca Lia Block (4 stars)478 pages. While I enjoyed the book, I wouldn't say it's a "must-read". I liked the fantasy/magical realism aspects of it, but sometimes the writing style seemed disjointed, especially in the beginning.
New total: 100 points
Oddly enough, I was called in for Grand Jury duty on June 1st and brought in Brave New World Revisited by Aldous Huxley (268 pages) to read while waiting. Points: 5
(I have Push (5.2) The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (15.6A) and The God of Small Things: A Novel (15.7A) coming from Booksfree.)
20.6 List MakerI read Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
I really enjoyed it, although I don't think I'd count it a must read, if it fits a task then I recommend it!
I've also finished I Did Tell, I Did for 15.8A
Points for this task: 20
Total Points: 30
Tasks Completed: 2
Tasks in Progress: 3
Books Read: 4
25.5 - Helen's Task - Share the Summer LoveFor all us booklovers, summer is a great time of year to relax with our favorite reads. In this task, share your love of your favorites with us. Read two (2) books:
A. One from your favorite genre/type.
B. One from your second favorite genre/type.
C. Write a short review for each and an explanation of why your like that genre/type.
Note: This is free form. You can define the genre/type however you want. Just share it with us when you post. For example:
A- Young Adult City of Ashes Read 6-3-10
B- Romantic Fantasy Night Pleasures Re-read 6-10-10
a- This is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series. It follows Clary as she deals with the truth of who she is as well as her relationships with Jace and Simon, who has undergone a major change. I love YA books because they are so unique, are easy to get rapped up in, and because they give you a break from being a grown up! (well, i'm not really that grown since i'm 24, but still)
b- This is the second in the Dark Hunter series. It is about Kyrian and Amanda who must work together to save the world from a demi-god damon and must save each other from themselves. I love living vicariously through the characters in these books!
Points- 50
#books read- 7
#pages read- 2144
#challenges completed- 5
5.2 Blockbuster BooksI am most looking forward to Eclipse this summer, so I read
by Charlaine Harris. This series includes several elements in common with the Twilight storyline: vampires, werewolves (well, technically, they are not strictly werewolves in either series), telepathy, vampire social/power structure, and human/vampire relationships. I don't enjoy the Sookie series anywhere near as much as the Twilight books, but they are entertaining enough to continue.Points for this task: 5
Total Points: 10
Tasks Completed: 2
5.1 Heat WaveThe Burn Journals by Brent Runyon(2 stars)
This memoir is about a 14 year old boy who purposely sets himself on fire. He is burned over 85% of his body. The story takes place during his recovery. I usually love lived-to-tell stories, but I didn't feel connected to the storyteller. He came across as disrespectful to the people trying to help him. I didn't find one self-realization or epiphany presented even though he wrote the book 10 years after the fact. I couldn't understand how a situation so inherently imbued with feelings could feel so monotone.
+5
points: 30
books: 2
tasks: 2
30.2 PJ Read's Task - For the ChildrenA. Read a children's classic and pass it on or recommend it to a child:
Read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle my all time favorite series - recommended it to my friend's daughter Bianca who I hope will love the series as much as I do.
B. Any book where a child is the main character:
Read The Richest Kids in America by Mark Victor Hansen, a 150 pg book all about kids who have become millionaires putting their ideas to work in the marketplace. Very interesting reading! I am so amazed at what young folks can do when they set their mind to it...
Points this task: 30
Total points: 70
Total books: 6
ttl pg: 1719
I just joined the Challenge and I'm hoping I'm not toom late. Should I send a PM to Cynthia to let her know? And I was wondering how often the reader board is updated. Sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong spot.
Grace, you can jump in anytime. Just start posting your completed tasks in this thread and Cynthia will get you on the Readerboard next time she updates.ETA: I'm not sure how frequently she updates the Readerboard - probably whenever she has time which would probably vary depending on her outside life and job and all.
20.10 Group ReadsA. Books about Books - The Book Thief
Task Points: 20
Total Points: 35
Books Read: 3
Pages Read: 1277
Tasks Completed: 2
15.5A Book by author on list
Woman Hollering Creek: And Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros
15.5B Book on Sandra Cisneros' top ten list
The Time of the Doves by Mercè Rodoreda
365 points
El wrote: "Grace, you can jump in anytime. Just start posting your completed tasks in this thread and Cynthia will get you on the Readerboard next time she updates.ETA: I'm not sure how frequently she up..."
Ok, thanks!
15.4 LEARN YOUR NUMBERS - My number was a 7 which has the attributes of understanding, knowledge, awareness and analysis. a. - City of Souls by Vicki Pettersson who is also a 7
b. - True Evil by Greg Iles. The main character is a DR. He has to analyze, and understand symptoms and he must have the knowledge and awareness. In this case he also uses these characteristics to help solve a crime *over 500 pages*
20.2 TRIP TO THE PAST - Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish by Morgan Llywelyn This book was set before 1450, it is the story of the beginning of the Irish.
Points: 35
Tasks: 2
Books: 3
Pages: 1376
Total Points: 130
Total Tasks: 9
Total Books: 13
Total Pages 5437
Just completed task 25.5A. Literary Fiction: Every Last One by Anna Quindlen
B. Fantasy: A Touch of Dead
C. I love literary fiction because it's usually realistic, but told in a poetic way. The writing style moves me and I feel I can connect to the story lines. Every Last One was intriguing to me because I kept waiting for what would "happen". Once the pivotal moment happened, I was extremely disturbed. I don't want to ruin it for anyone so I will leave it at that. I still feel like Quindlen's earlier work was much more vibrant and unique.
I love fantasy for the pure fun and escapism of it. I like magic and the mysteriousness of it. I think the story lines are exciting and the reading is usually fast paced! A Touch of Dead was a fun, breezy read. I liked that the stories filled in some Sookie gaps!
Total pages: 3494
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Mod
30.1 - Ms Anderson's Task - Birthdays and Birthmonths
For your first book, pick out your birthday month from this list and read a NONFICTION book about that topic.
August: Occultism
I read Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner
For your second book, find out what day of the week on which you were born (if you don't know already) and read a FICTION book from that genre.
Friday: Western (EXAMPLE: A Century of Great Western Stories)
I read Shane
Points: 65
Books: 4
Pages: 897
Tasks: 23
Finished:'25.2E Coralie's Task- Q & A:
Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman by Lisa Scottoline (This is a series of essays cataloged in the 800's at the library. As such it would also work for 10.7 I Think We can Handle the Truth.)
and
Because I Loved Him: The Life and Loves of Lillie Langtry, by Noel B. Gerson
30.2 A. Charlotte's Web which takes me back to my childhood. I remember reading this when I was young. I will be giving this to my neices to read. I am always encouraging them to read and they do seem to enjoy what I recommend or give to them as gifts. For Part B I read Iggie's House by Judy Blume about an 11 year old girl and how she and the neighborhood reacts when a black family move to a white neighborhood. It was written from the point of view of the 11 year old so the ideas were simplistic yet thought provoking about discrimination.
Tasks Completed:5.3 Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCaffrey
10.1 How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
10.3 Push by Sapphire
10.4 I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak (357 pages, I rolled a 353)
15.1 The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (old and borrowed) AND Joe Jones by Ann Lamott (new and blue)
15.5 Bel Canto by Ann Patchett AND Persuasion by Jane Austen
Total Points: 65
Tasks Completed: 6
Tasks in Progress: 4
Books Read: 12
Pages Read: 2,904
5.7 Transportation on CoverStorm Warning
(has a pirate ship on the cover)Books read: 5
Pages read: 1501
Tasks complete: 5
Tasks in progress: 3
Points: 40
Yay yay yay! I finally got on the board!I've got several books read for multi-book tasks, but no points til now.
5.10 Literacy and Longing in L.A.
25.6 - Summer LovinI read There but for Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs for this task. Phil is my favorite musician and his song "The Heat of the Summer" is one of my favorite songs (not only about summer but just in general). It should be clear why this song reminds me of summer ;D
10.6 - Stand Up For Your Rights
For this one I read Black Like Me, in which a white man changes his pigmentation & goes to the Deep South in 1959. The whole book is about the discrimination he faces.
25.5 - Share Summer Love
A. For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts Advice to Women
B. Gossip Girl
C. My favorite genre is nonfiction, specifically historical nonfiction or feminist nonfiction, which For Her Own Good combines both of! And my second favorite is young adult fiction, the really fluffy kind. It is just like the reality TV of reading (and I love reality TV...or laughing at it anyway).
I really enjoyed For Her Own Good. It was good to see Barbara Ehrenreich being so academic. It had a lot of information that I put sticky notes by to copy out and it was well presented. Also the subject matter was excellent and all the arguments were well made.
I wish I could say that Gossip Girl was any good, but it wasn't. I shoulda stuck with Meg Cabot or a YA fantasy because...it was just...bad. This is part of what I wrote about it in my review for it on my Goodreads site: "At first I was like, is this supposed to be satire? I thought maybe it was sarcastic. But as time went on, I realized that it was not. And that's just sad."
10.3 - Same Place, Same Time...Same Books
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time. Had this book on my to-read list for years and fortunately a ton of people read it so :D
20.10 - Group Reads
I read The Hunger Games for this one. My post is #70 in the discussion for it.
Total points: 90
Oh wait! I found some places for more reads!!25.3 - A. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea because I have a sick desire to witness first hand the human rights violations happening in North Korea.
- B. The Prince of Mist which was originally written in Spanish.
20.6 -
Jane Slayre: The Literary Classic... With a Blood-Sucking Twist Man oh Man is this a Must-read!!! It's so funny. The thing I love about these "re-writes" of the classics is seeing how they take the most famous lines of the books and twist them to fit the new premise. This one? Awesome!
I completed Task 10.4 (Roll of the Dice). I had rolled a 355 and read The Blue Zone: A Novel by Andrew Gross, which has 352 pages. I rather enjoyed this thriller although it is flawed.
I cringed each time one character called another character "Baby". Ugh! It seemed to happen a lot.
Kate, the main character, seemed rather naive throughout the book and didn't seem to catch on to the seriousness of her situation and her diabetes, which was mentioned often, didn't seem to cause her any problems, despite some blood levels that required attention.
This book won't rock your world and some of the main points are obvious but it's still pretty good.
15.3 - Books & blogs: American on Purpose Link to blog: http://bookstove.com/autobiography/bo...
My review: Really, really enjoyable! Made me love Craigy Fergs even more. Hearing about his out of control years in Scotland, London and the U.S. from his POV was really enlightening and entertaining. He manages to inject a lot of humor with the harsh truth of his addiction problems. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys his late night tv show.
Points: 15
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Total Points: 60
Completed Tasks: 5
20.6 List MakerRevealed 400pages
Kate Noble
I give this book an eh, all right, not a must read. I had to push myself to finish it, the plot was sloooow for me.
20.6 Wench by Dolen Perkins-ValdezThis is a NOT. Though taking on the difficult subject of rape of female slaves is admirable, I just didn't like most of the characters, in the end, I really didn't have a stake in what happened to them or how their stories turn out.
a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/counter/...
Kristen wrote: "15.3 - Books & blogs: American on Purpose Link to blog: http://bookstove.com/autobiography/bo...
My review: Really, really enjoyable! Made me love C..."
I felt the same way. I read it when I had swine flu and it cheered me up (oddly) I love his show -- I just can't always stay awake for the whole thing!
20.6 Must read?
The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc by Loraine Despres* GR author (343 pp)
A relaxing summer read by not deep enough, funny enough, anything enough to be a must read. I do recommend the rules in The Southern Belle's Handbook though.
385 pp
30.3 Ode to IllinoisAbraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and The Good Earth (Oprah's pick, September 2004)
AL:VH is amazing. TGE is still enjoyable, but more repetitive than I remember it being (though, the last time I read it all the way through was in tenth grade, so...)
Total: 30 + 200 (from earlier) = 230pts
Completed my first task!5.2 Blockbuster Books - The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer
Total Points: 5
Tasks Completed: 1
Tasks in Progress: 1
Books Read: 1
Pages Read: 178
5.3I read "Point Deception" by Marcia Muller. I had never read any of her books, and I liked this one.
Total Points: 30
Tasks Completed: 4
Tasks in Progress: 3
Books Read: 7
Pages Read: 2,384
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Daughters of the North (other topics)At the Sign of the Golden Pineapple (other topics)
The Catcher in the Rye (other topics)
Every Man Dies Alone (other topics)
Sepulchre (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Elise Broach (other topics)Virginia Woolf (other topics)
Roald Dahl (other topics)
Shel Silverstein (other topics)
J.K. Rowling (other topics)
More...
A. OLD (pub. 1940)/BORROWED (from my Grandmother's house)- The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
AND
B. NEW (author I've never read)/BLUE (blue cover) - The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
Total points = 30