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)
I've finished task 20.10 -- Group Reads by reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and commenting in the discussion thread (post #60). Very good, but disturbing, book.Points for this task: 20
Total Points: 85/950
Tasks Completed: 6/56
Tasks in Progress: 25.1, 25.9, 30.1, 30.3, 30.5
Books Read: 11
Books by Goodreads authors: 2 (Sarah Addison Allen, Kathryn Stockett)
Big Books: 0 (500+), 0 (750+), 0 (1000+)
15.10 The Time Traveler's Wife The thing I love about our family is that even though we are spread across the country, we still feel really close. Technology sure helps with that, but it still takes thoughtful, well-timed conversations/texts, etc. to stay involved in a loving way.10.8 The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless OrganizationsI was just googling to find a book with starfish in it and this is what I came up with. Not something I would normally read, but reinforced my ideas about top down vs bottom up organizations.
25 points today + 85 previous = 110 points total
I'd like to claim:5.3 S.U.M.M.E.R. - M.M.
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Fantastic fantasy with all the best elements of Arthurian legend!
and
25.1 Independence Day
Soldier:
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers is told from the point of view of one soldier caught up in the horrific violence of the Vietnam War. It is not for the faint of heart. The brutality of this war has been well documented and reading one soldier’s story adds the human component to the historical facts. I recommend the book to anyone interested in the effects of war on the soldiers who fight them, but be prepared to read some brutal descriptions. The soldiers’ depicted here each have their own issues to conquer along with the day to day struggles of war and you will get to know and care about some interesting young men.
White Cover:
Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde
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Jasper Fforde creates a new world where the colors you can see determine your status. His sense of humor is still present, but this new series is a little darker than the Thursday Next and Nursery Crime books.
Points for this Claim: 30
Points So Far: 75
Finished 25.5 - Summer Love 1. My favorite Genre is fantasy novels. I chose The Wizard's Dilemma by Diane Duane.
2. Second Favorite is definately Sci-Fi. I chose Acid Bath by Vaseleos Garson.
The wizard's dilemma is a fantasy novel that is almost science fantasy, set in our world, where magic has to obey the laws of physics to work. It is the fifth novel in a series, and it really is a good read. In this novel, Nita tries to use magic to save her mom's life from cancer.
Acid Bath is one of those classic 1950's era scifi novellas filled with everything a scifi novel needs: robots, ray-guns, space travel, asteroids, you name it it has it. It's so classic sci-fi that it is almost corny, but it still is worth a read (even though I listened to it.)
I like both of these genres because they make us answer those classic "What if ...?" questions.
I completed 20.6 by reading The Clan of the Cave Bear. I would definitely say this is a must read and I am surprised I never picked it up before. A great depiction of what it may have been like when both the Neanderthal and Cro-magnon shared the earth. I found it to be a real page turner!That brings my total to 35 points.
5 point tasks: 2. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Blockbuster Books - looking forward to Eclipse)
7. Blaze : A Novel by Stephen King ("I Confess That In 1901 I Said To My Brother Orville That Man Would Not Fly For Fifty Years" - picture of a car)
9. Knit Two by Kate Jacobs (Get Caught Reading - on a plane and in airports from Florida to Kansas)
Total points: 15
Completed tasks: 3
I finished 20.6 by reading Double Minds. Although I rated the book 4 stars, I wouldn't say it was a MUST read. The mystery in the book was a little predictable.
Just finished 10.9 by reading Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives. I minored in psychology in college, and am interested in learning different therapy techniques. The idea of helping someone by discovering what they did in a past life intrigues me.Total Points: 80
Total Books: 7
Total Tasks: 7
Total Pages: 2832
20.8 B&N classic
The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
Rhiannon okayed this book.
25.9 Tankini 850pp published in last 5 years
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 2006 335pp
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly 2006 339pp
The Surrendered by Chang-rae Lee 2010 469pp
475 points
Tanja wrote: "Went on a Katie MacAlister reading spree. Only have 2 more "dragon" books left. Likely to use those in this challenge somewhere. All of them are quite humorous, steamy, and very quick n' easy to re..."So glad you used dragon books to fulfill my task. I have about 50 of the critters lurking around various spots in my house. (That's 50 dragons--I've got WAAAAY more books.)
pjreads wrote: "20.8 B&N classic
The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
Rhiannon okayed this book.
25.9 Tankini 850pp published in last 5 years
[book:Water f..."
Oooo PJ, How'd you like The Book of Lost Things?
10.6 - STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS - I changed my book for this. I was planning on reading The Help, but then read this Para/UF book and thought it really showed discrimination and how people deal with it. (see my review) so.....Pride Mates by Jennifer Ashley *GR Author*
30.2 - SOUTH AFRICA FOR CHILDREN -
a. - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett which I gave to my 8yr old granddaughter to read.
b.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold which has a child as the main character but I didn't like it as much as everyone else seems to
Points: 40
Tasks: 2
Books: 3
Pages: 920
Total Points: 230
Total Tasks: 14
Total Books: 20
Total Pages: 7735
25.2 done:Where the God of Love Hangs Out and
Last Night in Montreal
Emily St. John Mandel who wrote "Montreal" is a Goodreads Author
New total: 60
Heather in KS
Task 5.2Midnight Sun
by Stephanie Meyer
I'm very excited for "Eclipse"!!!
Task 30.4
Carved in Bone
by Jefferson Bass (male)
The Killing Game
by Iris Johansen
Both main characters work with forensics in their job and used it to solve the mysteries in the plot.
Tasks Completed: 8
Books read: 10
Points earned:120
Goodreads author tickets: 1
I've completed some more tasks.20 Point Tasks
20.1 - The Most Improved Player - Deirdre's Task - Sweltering Summer Days
My very favorite flavor of ice cream is Mint Chocolate Chip so I read Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
20.8 - Happy Birthday To You - Rhiannon's Task (July 21st) - B&N Classics
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
20.10 - Group Reads
The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie
I got fooled by the red herrings in this one. I posted a comment in the group reads
25 Point Tasks
25.5 - Helen's Task - Share the Summer Love
My favorite genre is mystery/police procedural books.
I like this type of fiction for the logic that is required to figure out who, what and why and always try to figure out those questions before the final page. I usually prefer those that have strong female protagonists.
I read Shoot/Don't Shoot by J.A. Jance
This is the 3rd in J.A. Jance's Joanna Brady series set in Arizona. Joanna is thrust into being sheriff following the death of the former sheriff (her husband) after his death. While attending training school for her new job she is caught up into campus killings. I've read several books in this series and give them all ★★★★★'s.
My second favorite genre is what I would call historical romance/fantasy/time travel. My reason why I like this genre is that I think it would be really neat to be able to travel to another time. If I traveled to the past though I would require indoor plumbing, internet and my iPod. Is that too much to ask?
For this I read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.
This book was nothing like I expected. I had an expectation that it was a futuristic story. What I think happened in my mind was I was thinking of Outland which was an early Sean Connery space movie which I really enjoyed. Instead this book takes you back in time to a new love. I really enjoyed this one and also give it ★★★★★'s and can't wait to continue the series.
Total Points this Posting = 85
5.5 Uglies by Scott WesterfeldTasks Completed: 5
Total Points: 60
15.10 Family in title
The Family Markowitz by Allegra Goodman
One thing I love about my family -- we enjoy sharing books together.
490 points
Felina wrote: "...Oooo PJ, How'd you like The Book of Lost Things?..."
It was readable, but not one of my favorite books.
5.3 - S.U.M.M.E.RFor this task read a book written by an author whose initials are found in the word Summer. (Initials must be sequential i.e. SU, UM, MM, ME, ER, and RS not SM).
I read Bootlegger's Daughter by Margret Maron, it was pretty good
points for this task 5
total points 70
Tasks done 6
pages 2091
books read 8
task 10-6Belle
by Beverly Jenkins
points total 45
10.8 The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse
10.4 Roll the Dice - I was very excited to roll such a small number (113) until I realized how hard it is to find such a short book. So I read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a classic I've actually never read, and is only 108 pages.Points for this task: 10
Total Points: 75
Tasks Completed: 5
Books Read: 7
Pages Read: 1748
Finished:20.5 Library Love
In the Stormy Red Sky by David Drake. Adele Mundy is a librarian, serving as a signals operator.
30.2 - PJ Read's Task - Part A: I read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. 3* It was a library book so I couldn't pass the book on, but I told me brother Walter about it (he is 13). He thinks he will take it out from the library next time he goes.
Part B: I read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. 3* The main character is Flavia who is 11 years old.
Total Points: 75
Tasks Completed: 4
Books Read: 8
Pages Read: 2,007
Tasks in Process: 15.6, 20.9, 25.9, 30.3
To get myself on the Readerboard, I have read:20.6 List Maker - The Tears of Sheba: Tales of Survival and Intrigue in Arabia by Khadija Al-Salami. This was a book of history, culture and personal experience in Yemen. While it was an interesting book to get a taste of Yemen, I would not consider it a must read.
Total points: 20
I made some changes because I really wanted to fit in all the books I could from what I'm reading into the tasks.So far I have completed:
5.1 The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
5.2 The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer (related to Eclipse the movie coming out June 29th)
5.10 A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
25.9 Tankini: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon (815 pages, 2009) and The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (390 pages, 2008)
Total points: 40
Finished 15.10 -The Florist's Daughter by Patricia Hampl.I am one of 4 daughters (and 4 sons) of my parents who have now both passed. I loved growing up in a large family, and I now have 5 daughters of my own (and 2 sons!). The line from the book that resonated with me is that no matter how old you are, you are always a daughter. And now that I can see all of these relationships with a bit of distance, I am fascinated by how it all plays out.
Finished a little one:5.2. I'm looking forward to seeing Eclipse, so I read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer.
UPDATED TOTALS:
Points: 40
Tasks completed: 3
Tasks in progress: 1
Books read: 4
Pages read: 1,186
I feel like I've read the first half of six different challenges, this is my first posting here! lol. Anyways I just finished 30.2 I read The Secret Gardenby Frances Hodgson Burnett which I decided I am going to read out loud with my little daughters. I loved it. and then I read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Hurray! 30 points for me!
Task 15.2 - two by Nora Roberts Montana Sky and Carolina Moon which takes place entirely in South Carolina.Points this task: 15
Total Points: 55
Tasks Completed:6
Books Read:8
I completed Task 20.4 (Anniversary Gift) by reading Dr. Margaret's Sea Chest by Waheed Rabbani. (Waheed Rabbani is a Goodreads Author)This is my 5th Challenge (wood). In searching for a unique anniversary gift of wood, I came across a wooden chest filled with chocolates. I think that would make a wonderful gift: chocolates for now & a chest as a keepsake.
The story in Dr. Margaret's Sea Chest is told in 2 timelines. The present (1960s), when Margaret's sea chest & diaries are found, and 1850s, when Margaret is living.
Dr. Margaret’s story is fascinating, while the present is interesting. The two are tied together in ways that the reader is left to contemplate.
This is the first book of a trilogy that is yet to be published. The mysteries at the end of this book will be resolved (I hope/think) in the upcoming 2 books.
Hi,I've finished the Lesser known awards task 5.4. I read Stephienie Meyer the Host, which won the 2009 British Fantasy award. Who knew?
Total points = 30
Kate.x.
20.4 Anniversary. This is my 2nd Challenge, so cotton or china.The Lace Makers of Glenmara and Heather Barbieri is a Goodreads author.
My gift would be monogramed sheets and pillowcases trimmed in hand made Irish lace.
Accumulated total: 65
I've finished 25.2 Q&AWho:
Alison, Who Went Away by Vivian Vande Velde
Person's Name:
Pedro and Me by Judd Winick
Points This Claim: 25
Total so far: 100
Ok, I think I might have gotten buried in there somewhere so here is my finished task:25.6 finished Summer Lovin'
My favorite summer song is Welcome Home (Sanitarium) by Metallica because I love to listen to it loudly in the car with the windows down. The book I chose was
Shadows in the Asylum: The Case Files of Dr. Charles Marsh by D.A. Stern because they are about the same thing.
TOTAL: 25
Grace wrote: "Ok, I think I might have gotten buried in there somewhere so here is my finished task"Actually, Cynthia may not have gotten to your first post yet. The Readerboard has only been updated through post 392, or not since June 9th.
5.10- Re-readGo Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks. Very disturbing...again!
Task Points: 5
Total Points: 80
Pages: 185
Tasks Completed: 6
Books Read: 9 (working on 2 tasks)
Total Pages Read: 2257
Books by Goodreads authors: 0
Big Books: 0(500+), 0(750+), 0(1000+)
10.2 The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest" Stieg Larson20.1 "The Lemon Meringue Pie Murder" Joanne Fluke. My favorite ice cream is lemon!
Points: 30
Tasks Completed: 2
Total Points: 30
Finished:10.3 - The Lonely Polygamist - Brady Udall
(Picked book June 11 @ 4:52pm - page 7)
*Qualifies for Big Book - 608 pages
Total Points = 20
Just completed task 15.4I am a 9 (and I feel it really fits me). I lucked out and Charlaine Harris is also a 9, so I was able to go on to my next Sookie book which was From Dead to Worse. It was my least favorite so far although I still totally love Sookie!
The characteristics of a 9 are:Humanitarian, giving nature, selflessness, obligations, creative expression, so I read Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath. Sylvia Plath fits at least one characteristic which is creative expression being that she is a poet. I would say at least in this book she had a giving nature towards her children but I am not sure I would describe her as having any of the other characteristics. I, however, do fit them at least some of the time. I don't think anyone is completely selfless (except maybe Mother Teresa).
Total pages: 5351
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5.10 - All Jacked Up - Lorelei James - I re-read this book in preparation for the new one coming out in two weeks10.5 -
- kelly jamieson - The cover shows a couple walking on the beach15.9 - Just One Of The Guys - Kristin Higgins - This book is me because for so long I have been "one of the guys" - from high school to college to my current job, I've been in a male dominated society and had to become one of them in order to succeed. Although like Chastity in the novel, I hope to one day find that guy for me
20.2 - The Silver Pigs - Lindsey Davis - set in ancient rome and approved by Kiri
20.8 - Persuasion - Jane Austen - book is on B&N's Classics list
Total Points This post: 70
Total Points: 210/ 950
Tasks Completed: 15
Books Read: 16
Books by Goodreads authors: 4
Big Books: 0 (500+), 0 (750+), 0 (1000+)
Tasks Already Completed
5.1; 5.7; 5.9;
10.1; 10.4;
15.3;
20.3; 20.6;
25.6; 25.10
Okay this is my first time posting points so please bare with me if I'm doing this wrong.5.1 Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
5.2 Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
5.9 The Short Second life of Bree Tanner-Stephenie Meyer
5.10 Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
20 points
4 tasks completed
4 books read
I am currently half done with 'The Book Thief' and loving every minute!
5.9 Read in public = local library
Power Plays: Three One-Act Plays by Elaine May & Alan Arkin
495 points
10.7 Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston Points = 35
Tasks = 2
Books = 3
30.5 Virtual Block PartySignature dish - Fuzzy Navel drinks
1 and 1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
3 oz orange juice
pour over ice
(my secret is to use frozen peach slices for some of the
ice). Makes for a great summer drink!
A. Fiction book - Fuzzy Navel by J.A. Konrath and
B. Cookbook related to dish - Bartender's Pocket Guide by Kathy Hamlin
Points this task: 30
Total Points: 120
Total Books: 11
Total Pages: 2987
Tot
5.9 Motif for Murder by Laura ChildsI read this is the breakroom and lunchroom at work.
20.8 O Pioneers by Willa Cather
I think she is one of the most overlooked American authors. If you enjoyed Laura Ingalls Wilder books like i did as a child you will enjoy Willa's stories.
Added 25
Previous Points 65
Total 90
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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)
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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)
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25.9C - It's Time for the Swimsuit Edtion - TANKINI: Graceling, Kristin Cashore (2008) and The Summoning, Kelley Armstrong* (2008)
Points Claimed in this Post: 30
Total Points Claimed: 30
GoodReads Authors: 1