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)
Finished:25.9 The Swimsuit Edition
C. Tankini
Making Haste from Babylon: The Mayflower Pilgrims and Their World: A New History by Nick Bunker 467 pages *
Roy & Lillie: A Love Story by Loren D. Estleman 270 pages *
Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions by G.W. Bernard 222 pages *
for a total of 959 pages.
Grand Total of 770
* in all three books the GR page count is off, plus in the Mayflower and Anne Boleyn books I did not count the index pages since I didn't read those.
Jayme (the ghost reader)I completed task 10.9 You can't open a book without learning something-I love History and I always wanted to learn more about Boudica so I read a nonfiction book called "Boudica: The Life of Britian's Legendary Warrior Queen" by Vanessa Collingridge
Task Points: 10
Completed Tasks: 14/53
Books Read 20/71
Goodreads Authors: 1
Grand Total: 205
I just completed task 15.10 - “Other Things May Change Us, But We Start And End With Family.” - Anthony Brandt: A. The book I read was, The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers.
B. What I love about my family is that we are all very close. Whenever we go on vacations, we usually all go together. I would be devastated to lose my mother and father at the same time and then wind up in an orphanage. I cherish the fact that I have a big family.
Time to post some tasks...5.1 - Heat Wave
I read Demon's Fire by Emma Holly
10.10 - Great Minds Think Alike
The last book I gave 5 stars to was Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian, Adrianne Sandoval gave Shades of Midnight by Lara Adrian 5 stars, so I chose to read it.
20.4 - Always The Bridesmaid, Never The Bride - Shelley's Task - Anniversary Gift
This is my 3rd challenge so my choice was Leather or Crystal/Glass. I read Through a Glass, Deadly by Sarah Atwell.
20.5 - Just Joined In - Amber GA's Task - Library Love
I read The Trouble With Witches by Shirley Damsgaard (Goodreads author). One of the characters is a librarian.
20.7 - I Like Big Books And I Cannot Lie - Dionisia's Task - For Those We Love To Hate
I read Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
25.5 - Helen's Task - Share the Summer Love
My favorite genre is paranormal romance. I love to read something that takes you out of the norm and lets you use your imagination. And who doesn't love a little romance!
I read Night Falls Darkly by Kim Lenox which is a historical paranormal romance. It was about an immortal guardian that fights against Jack the Ripper and falls in love with the woman he is protecting. I really enjoyed it. Great romance and plenty of action.
My second favorite genre is mystery or cozy mystery. I love to try and figure out who did it! I read Defending Angels by Mary Stanton (Goodreads author). It is a paranormal mystery series where the main character is a lawyer and inherits her uncles law practice. Little does she know he defends angels and souls in the court of heaven. It moved a little slow but I will probably try the next book to see if it gets better.
30.1 - Ms Anderson's Task - Birthdays and Birthmonths
I was born in January which is Architecture so I read Frank Lloyd Wright: The Masterworks by Michael Freeman. I was also born on a Wednesday which is Fanfiction so I read Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris.
Total Points: 585
Tasks Completed: 35
Books Read: 43
Goodreads Authors: 12
Good morning from sunny UKThis week I finished
15.7 A The Mango Season by Amullya Malladi
and B I live in small town in South Yorkshire and we recently moved to new area which one is totally different then last one. Honestly I wouldnt change anything here. Perhaps I`d love to see waste collection every week not every 2 weeks.
20.3 North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
30.2 Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
Total points: 420
Total tasks: 25
Books Read: 36
It is a lovely sunny morning in the UK :)I stayed up very late last night reading Catching Fire, which was absolutely amazing. Better than the first book and I'm so glad I read it.
20.9 Terri's Task - The Spirit of Independence
Read Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (the 2001 winner)
Total points: 240
Big Book tickets: 1 (500+)
Goodread authors: 1 (Sarah Addison Allen)
Tasks completed: 14
Books read: 22
Pages read: 9174
Linda S IL5.1 A Thousand Splendid Suns
5.10 Talking to Strange Men
10.7 Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir
10.9 The Quilter's Apprentice
10.10 V for Vendetta
15.2 Florida Roadkill Florida in title
Sizzling Sixteen takes place in New Jersey
15.3 Last Night in Twisted River
http://thenextbestbookblog.blogspot.c...
not sure how to link my review so I'll C&p it here:
Very interesting book. It spanned about 50 years and was pretty long, telling the story of a cook and his son. The son was 12 at the start of the book and then it ended with him in his 60s. All that time, the father and son were on the run from their local constable.
I enjoyed it and will be checking out more John Irving books. I've only read "Setting Free the Bears" before, many years ago, and liked it.
15.4 Lily White
My number is 9 and Susan Isaacs is also a 9.
Promise Me
Characteristics of 9 are Humanitarian, giving nature, selflessness, obligations, creative expression
Throughout this book, Myron Bolitar is bound by obligations to his childhood friend and her daughter. He shows selflessness by how he handles his promises to both the girl and her mother.
20.1 Dying for Chocolate
My favorite ice cream flavor is chocoltate.
20.4 The Book Thief
This was my first challenge; therefore my number was 1. This is the paper or clocks anniversary and a book would be an appropriate gift for a paper anniversary.
25.10 Well-Schooled in Murder Elizabeth George
Scenes of Clerical Life George Eliot
30.4 No Certain Rest Jim Lehrer
Harvest Tess Gerritsen
180 points this post
270 points previous posts
450 total
10.2 - "The (Fill In The Blank) Who..." For this task find and read a book whose title follows the formula "The (insert noun here) Who (insert verb here)..." The Cat Who Could Read Backwards +10Points: 10
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Total Points: 205
Completed Tasks: 14
30.3 Ode to Illinois. I just finished The Emancipator's Wife by Barbara Hambly. I picked this book jsut so I could finish the task, and once again, I was treated to a great book. Barbara has a way of making history, and politics, interesting. She connected the dots on several issues from the civil war era. I will be looking for more of her books. For the other part of this task I read The Deep End of the Ocean: A Novel This was Oprah's first Book Club pick and the author is from Madison, WI which is 20 miles from where I live.
30 points for this task + 275 prev = 305
Jayme (the ghost reader)I completed task 5.5 Dropping Names by reading "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks
Completed Tasks: 15/53
Books Read 22/71
Goodreads Authors: 1
Grand Total: 210
Jennifer US50.1 - Beth NC's Task - Let the Tarot Decide
The most common tarot spread is the three card Past/Present/Future. Building on that,
Pick a book that is in a friends Read Bookshelf(Past),
AND
a Book that is in a friends Currently Reading Bookshelf(Present),
AND
a Book that is in a friends To-Read shelf(Future).
They do not have to all be from the same friend.
This is a total of 3 books.
Past- (Lana) Dark Lover by JR Ward read 8-8-10
Present- (Suzanne) Marked by PC Cast re-read 8-4-10
Future- (Nancy) Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster read 8-6-10
Points- 205
#books read- 26
#challenges completed- 13
15.7 You Must Be the Change...An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
I participate in letter- and email-writing campaigns for the causes I support, as well as sign petitions for and donate money to those causes. More locally, I try to create a "safe space" within the classroom when I'm working--a place where any student can come in and feel welcome, without worrying about being picked on or degraded. It may not seem like much, but if my students aren't worried about other kids messing with them, they'll pay more attention to the lesson. What I'd really like to see is everyone becoming more understanding of other opinions, whether there is consensus on those views or not, and a world where people don't even need to fight for equal rights and treatment, since that won't be an issue at all--it just is.
15.10 Other Things May Change Us...
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
My favorite family member is probably my brother. When we were kids we fought all the time, but now that we're older, we've grown really close. That's not to say we don't still argue or get annoyed from time to time, but we're siblings, so that's normal. I love how we can argue and have different opinions without hating each other in the end. We look out for each other.
25.8 Once Upon a Time
The Fairy-Tale Detectives and The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley
Both of these were on the http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/96... list from the help thread.
Total: 55 + 815 (from earlier) = 870 pts
Elizabeth NC15.2 (Stars and Stripes)
The Last King of Texas by Rick Riordan. (State in the title)
Can't Never Tell by Cathy Pickens (takes place in SC) Neither one was great, but good mindless mysteries which is what I need right now.
20.6 (must read list) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, 406 pages. There are very few books that I think everyone should read at some point. To Kill a Mockingbird tops by own list. I thought this was a good book--good mystery and very well written. I would highly recommend it, but would not included it on a MUST read list.
20.7 (told from villans point of view) Darkly Dreaming Dexter I have been looking forward to reading this book, but I'm not sure if I will continue the series. It was very well told--maybe too well--I think I got into Dexter's head more than I wanted to. I'm still going to look at the series--I think. I just finished it today so I may need to sit with it for a little bit.
Points: 215
Books Read: 19
Challenges Completed: 13
Pages Read: 6933
I'm thinking I'm probably not going to make it to 500 points this time. I think this is my worst showing yet--oh well, now I can say for sure, "At least there is the fall challenge coming up!"
Rebecca MANot too bad...2 tasks finished on vacation this week! :)
5.9 - Get Caught Reading
Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson
I read this book in a whole bunch of places...sitting at the Cape Cod canal, at gas stations, at Subway, and at my campsite!
25.3 - Jennifer N'S Task - Virtual Foreign Vacation
Part A: Mr. Monk Goes to Germany by Lee Goldberg (I've always wanted to go to Germany!)
Part B: The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (originally written in Japanese)
New points: 30
Total points: 195
Tasks completed: 8
Total books read: 14
Just finished one of the group reads for the challenge, and I'm still emotionally drained!Task 20.10: Read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, posted to the Discussion Thread for The Book Thief (Post #40)
Previous Points: 155 New Points: 175
15.7 You must be the change you want to see in the world.A. Read a novel that takes place in India: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
B. I live in a small seaside town in a rural area. It is a beautiful place to live, but for 15 years tesco have been persistently applying for permission to build a supermarket in the town. I believe this would be detrimental to the town centre and to the community and have written to the planning committee to say this. Nevertheless I think it is inevitable that we will eventually have a supermarket - I try to support the local economy by shopping daily in the High Street at the local butcher, baker, greengrocer, fishmonger, and of course the independent book shop! I am resolved to continue doing this should a supermarket be built, in the hope of preventing the closure of these shops.
Total points to date 265
Finished:15.4 Learn your numbers---mine is 9
A.The Scent of Rain and Lightning: A Novel by Nancy Pickard
B. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt,
The traits for 9's include Humanitarian, giving nature, selflessness, obligations and creative expression. Two of the characters express the creative expression part; Olive Wellwood writes children's books, and Philip (and his family) create pottery. Philip's is the more giving nature. The Winwood's are seen as humanitrian, given their political views, but it is a very casual doing.
Total points to date 785
wendyma5.4 - Lesser Known Awards
We all know the big names in book awards (Pulitzer, Man Booker, Hugo, Newbery etc.) but there are a lot of lesser known book awards out there and lucky for us Goodreads has a list of them. Go to this link (Awards) and: Read a book found on the list of winners and nominees for an award you had previously never heard of. (From the foreign language awards you may read a translation if it is available).
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
Quill Book Award for General Fiction (2006)
5 points
30.1 Ms. Anderson’s task
August
I read- Book of Shadows by Curott (Occult)
Thursday
I read- Little Brother By Doctorow
30 points
total 825
Newly completed tasks:Tess
5.5 Dropping Names: A Separate Peace by John Knowles
15.2 Stars and Stripes Forever
A. Stars: Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson
B. Stripes: The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine (Goodreads Author)
20.5 Just Joined In-Amber GA's Task-Library Love
Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert
Total Points This Task: 40
Total Points: 60
Tasks Completed-5
August 8 - Task completed: 10.10 - Great Minds Think Alike - I gave Best Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoyevsky 5 stars and I found a person (on page 6 of the 5 star ratings) that gave Sound and the Fury by Faulkner 5 stars as well. I listened to the audio book on my commmute.
Total Points: 155
Books Read so Far:13
Mike in MA
10.7 Truth Day - The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser (1993) 482ppPoints this task: 10
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20.2 ~ The Court of the Lion: A Novel of the T'Ang Dynasty by Eleanor Cooney (1990) 1006pp
Points this task: 20
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25.4A Cancer Auth (Zod) ~ The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce (1881) 139pp
25.4B Noun on pg 31 in A ~ On Beauty by Zadie Smith (2005) 464pp
Points this task: 25
25.5A Fav Genre ~ Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson (2004) 378pp
25.5B 2nd Fav Genre ~ The Pleasure Palace by Kate Emerson (2009) 372pp
25.5C Expl ~ 25-5A Shadow Divers -- A nonfiction story about the recovery by deep sea diver/treasure hunters of a sunken WWII U-Boat. I enjoyed this for the sense of adventure, the diving and discovery of a relic, and information about the tradition of these types of people. Why do I like non-fiction? Great question. I'm not sure I can explain that but I do enjoy it.
25.5B Pleasure Palace - a historical fiction novel based around a more minor member of the early Tudor court. I enjoyed this for the change of pace of not focusing on the major Tudor figures (we don't really need another novel on the queens right now - or Henry) and showing the other facets of how someone might experience that period. While I wasn't pleased with the ending (it felt like we were abruptly left hanging) it was an enjoyable summertime read. The author (a Tudor historian) has shown her expertise of the period and portrayed it very well. Why do I like Historical Fiction? I like it because it gives a lighter review of the texts I d and have read. Sometimes it is nice to delve into an area where I'm not terribly versed and ramble about a bit without having to stumble over the technical details. =) I do however prefer novels of this genre to stay reasonably in line with the facts not take off into obvious "things that didn't happen" areas. Those should be in a different genre imo.
Points this task: 25
25.6C Summer Song ~ A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins (1982) 320pp
25.6E Expl ~ Song: Me and You and a dog named Boo Connection: they both are about someone traveling the country on foot. Why: I associate this song with summer, probably because that's when I'd hear it on the radio as a child.
Points this task: 25
25.7A Passion /NF ~ Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham (2005) 352pp
25.7B Passion /F ~ I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 by Robert Graves (1934) 468pp
25.7C History / Cooking - Expl ~ Passion: I am passionate about both History and apparently cooking. Curry combines both, and I Claudius does feature food.
Points this task: 25
25.8A-1 Toothfairy ~ Great Swedish Fairy Tales by Elsa Olenius (Editor), Holger Lundberg (Translator), John Bauer (Illustrator) (1973) 239pp
25.8A-2 Toothfairy ~ Kiss Sleeping Beauty Goodbye: Breaking the Spell of Feminine Myths and Models by Madonna Kolbenschlag (1979) 256pp 256
Points this task: 25
25.9C-1 (Tankini) Swimsuit (1078/850pp) ~ The Betrayal of the Blood Lily (Pink Carnation, #6) by Lauren Willig (Goodreads Author) (2010) 406pp
25.9C-2 ~ The Night of the Mi'raj (Nayir al-Sharqi, #1) by Zoë Ferraris (2007) 368pp
25.9C-3 ~ The Fire Kimono (Sano Ichiro, #13) by Laura Joh Rowland (2008) 304pp
Points this task: 25
25.10A david (name 1st/last) ~ Q-In-Law (Star Trek: The Next Generation, #18) by Peter David (1991) 252pp
25.10B ~ Chrysalis (Star Trek Voyager, No 12) by David Niall Wilson (Goodreads Author (1997) 279pp
Points this task: 25
Points this section: 175
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50.1A - Past - Cynthia ~ The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers by Margaret George (1987) 969pp
50.1B - Present - Sara Grace Hood ~ The Odyssey by Homer (750BC) 560pp
50.1C - Future - Gategypsy ~ The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (2006) 464pp
Points for this task: 50
===
Task points this post: 255 (10+20+175+50)
Total Points: 855
Tasks Completed: 49/55
Books by Goodreads authors: 5
Big Books: 4 (500+), 2 (750+), 1 (1000+)
JACKIE NMJust finished 25.4 Happy B-day to Me. For part A of the challenge I read Look Again by Lisa Schottoline, a Cancer author. For part B I read Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.
Loved Sarah's Key! It wasn't like the normal concentration camp books that have a first person account of what it's like. Instead, this book was about how the Holocaust affected the families of the deceased.
Task Points: 25
Total Points: 270
Pages: 352 & 304
Tasks Completed: 16
Books Read: 27
Books by Goodreads authors: 1
Big Books: 2 (500+), 0(750+), 0(1000+)
Liz (Brooklyn)50.1 - Let the Tarot Decide:
1) Past: The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan was on the "read" shelf of Dottie
2) Present: The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis is on Dan Porter's "currently reading" shelf
3) Future: Candide or Optimism by Voltaire is on the "to-read" shelf of A D
Books read: 14
Tasks completed: 10
Total Points: 245
Liz (Bklyn)
RE-POST from message #2303.30.1 - Ms Anderson's Task - Birthdays and Birth months
I was born in January which is Architecture so I read Frank Lloyd Wright: The Masterworks by Michael Freeman. I was also born on a Wednesday which is Fanfiction so I read Family Unions by Jannie Kennedy from fanfiction.net. Here is the link... http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6185095/1...
Total Points: 585
Tasks Completed: 35
Books Read: 43
Goodreads Authors: 12
15.1 - Wedding Bells Are RingingRead a book I borrowed: Checked out from library and read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Read a book with a blue cover or the word blue: Sex and the Single Earl
Points for this task: 15
Total points: 70
Total tasks: 5
Task 25.2 SwimSuitCHRISTINE US
Tankini
Demon Ex Machina: Tales of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner, published 2009, 336 pages
Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard, published 2007, 352 pages
Deadly Harvest by Heather Graham, published 2008, 400 pages
Julie Kenner is a GR Author
Tasks Completed: 26
Books read: 33
Points earned:400
Goodreads author tickets: 4
This is my required repost - Also, Cynthia had me listed as Stephanie Anne on the previous boards. Task Updates:
5.4 Magic for Beginners (won Nebulla Award for Best Novella, Locus Award for Best Collection)
10.1 JULIA: My Life in France by Julia Child
15.6 Africa: Brazzaville Beach Second Longest Book by Author: Gone by Lisa McMann
20.5 Miss Zukas and the Library Murders
20.7 Dearly Devoted Dexter
25.1 Military: Child 44 Blue Cover: The Map of True Places
25.5 Favorite Genre: general fiction The Lacuna Second Favorite Genre (more like a new favorite): YA fiction Burned This is what I needed to correct...adding in my reviews...
Kingsolver has written two of the greatest general fiction reads I have ever picked up: The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer. Because I lived in Mexico and have studied the history extensively, I was really excited to dive into The Lacuna. However, I thought that the pacing was overwhelmingly slow and the plot not too interesting. I was really disappointed, but will continue to read anything Kingsolver publishes. I love general fiction because it is such a broad genre!
I recently started reading YA fiction so I could promote literacy in my high school classroom. I was never really a fan of the genre, and still find many of the books to be too fluffy, cheesy, or have too many vampires in the plots. Ellen Hopkins' books, however, really tap into some serious issues that today's teens face and she uses a really unique page format to convey these stories. She is fantastic.
10.4 The Summoning
10.8 Island of the Blue Dolphins
10.10 Olive Kitteridge
15.2 state in title: Gods in Alabama state from original thirteen colonies (NY): Shopaholic Takes Manhattan
20.6 The Secret Life Of CeeCee Wilkes 5 stars - must read summer book! I really enjoyed this story about a young girl faced with many tough decisions and the effect they may or may not have in her life. CeeCee's life brings up many questions about morals and responsibility; the interesting thing is that you will find yourself constantly thinking what you would do in her position. It seems like an easy answer, but is everything so cut and dry? Ultimately, do you side with CeeCee or against CeeCee? This was a great page-turning summer read, a mystery you know the general ending to, and an incredible adventure in getting there.
25.7 passion: reading for book clubs - #1NF
The Book Club Bible: The Definitive Guide That Every Book Club Member Needs #2FIC Summer Reading
30.2 The Little Prince and The Lightning Thief
Previous Total = 215
New Total = 335
335 is my current total as of 8/8/2010
THANK YOU FOR TAKING OVER! I love this challenge group!
5.5 - Dropping NamesRead Shiver by: Maggie Stiefvater
Total points this task: 5
Total points overall: 65
Maggie Stiefvater is a Goodreads Author
This is a biggie, so I apologize -- and thank you, PJReads and Sandy, for making this still happen!!!ABIGAIL:
10.4: Roll of the dice: I got 316; this book is 312 pages.
Death of a Cozy Writer
NOTE: G.M. Malliett is a GR Author.
10.5: Bring the beach:
Dune Road by Jane Green
10.9: Learning something:
I wanted to learn more about Japan (where we just got back from vacation). I don't know if I could find a way to claim credit for the language tapes I listened to, but I hope this still works:
Kids' Trips in Tokyo: A Family Guide to One-Day Outings by Ivy Maeda, Kitty Kobe, Cynthia Ozeki, and Lyn Sato
15.1: Wedding Bells
New & Blue:
by Lisa KleypasOld & Borrowed: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF HOMEMADE ICE CREAM, MILK SHERBET AND SHERBET
(I was born in 1975; this was published in 1972. I borrowed it from the library.)
15.4: Numerology
My number is 3, which is associated with expression, verbalization, socialization, the arts, and the joy of living.
Author who's a 3: Nicholas Sparks, for whom I read The Last Song
Character with those attributes: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
More than one character fit these attributes, but I'll focus on the main character, Juliet. She was a writer (the arts/verbalization) and I believe the joy of living was a big theme in her development throughout the book.
15.8: Double, Double...
Similar covers:
and
25.2: Q&A
Question (who):
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Answer (name):
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
NOTE: The Girl Who... qualifies for Big Books.
25.9: Swimsuit Edition
I chose "tankini" (850 pages of books published in the last 5 years):
James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing (405 pages)
High Country (336 pages)
Hard Truth (336 pages)
25.10: Name Game
Both have the last name Letts
Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
30.1: Birthdays/Birthmonths
My birthday was a Monday in September. I read:
Nonfiction about everyday objects:
On the Grid: A Plot of Land, An Average Neighborhood, and the Systems that Make Our World Work
(I hope this works? It's about the infrastructure behind our everyday objects, which to me felt like everyday objects -- things like faucets, toilets, light switches...)
Novel in verse: I Heart You, You Haunt Me
30.2: For the Children
A: I did one better than recommend a classic: I read it at night a few pages at a time with my four-year-old daughter:
Little House in the Big Woods
B:
Drizzle
TOTALS
======
Points: 245
Books: 25
Pages: 7,934
Tasks: 13
Mod
I read
by Julie Kenner. Julie Kenner is a GR author.Not bad, nothing memorable. It made a good airplane read.
Points: 510
Books: 43
Books by Goodreads authors: 6
Big Books - 1 (Over 500), 1 (over 750)
Tasks: 33
Julie Kenner
I have completed task #5.8 "Take A Walk On Wall Street" by reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.This book was No. 3 on WSJ's Five Best list of Books on Guilt.
JACKIE NM **REPSOST****I forgot to claim my GR author ticket. Both Lisa Scottoline and Tatiana de Rosnay are GR authors. Sorry for the confusion!**
Just finished 25.4 Happy B-day to Me. For part A of the challenge I read Look Again by Lisa Schottoline, a Cancer author. For part B I read Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.
Loved Sarah's Key! It wasn't like the normal concentration camp books that have a first person account of what it's like. Instead, this book was about how the Holocaust affected the families of the deceased.
Task Points: 25
Total Points: 270
Pages: 352 & 304
Tasks Completed: 16
Books Read: 27
Books by Goodreads authors: 3
Big Books: 2 (500+), 0(750+), 0(1000+)
Jackie NM I finished 20.6 "List Maker" by reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I think Eat, Pray, Love is definitely a must read! Gilbert writes a memoir of human faults in a humorous way while taking the reader on a year long travel. It's funny, inspirational, heartbreaking, and tear jerking.
Task Points: 20
Total Points: 290
Pages: 480
Tasks Completed: 17
Books Read: 28
Books by Goodreads Authors: 3
Big Books: 2 (500+), 0(750+), 0(1000+)
10.1 -- Stormy WeatherI read The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (for Richard).
Because this book was 516, I'd like to claim my first Big Book ticket!
Total Points: 35
Tasks Completed: 4
Tasks in Progress: 1
Books Read: 5
Pages Read: 1746
Goodreads Authors: 1
Big Book Tickets: 500 (1), 750, 1000
For 10.10 - Great Minds Think Alike : the last 5 rated book I read (when I did my list) was The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, so from Neha Surana's list, I read The History of Love by Nicole KraussBooks read: 15
Challenges accomplished: 12/58
Points : 205
I finished 20.4Picture Perfect by Jodie Picoult. This is my first challenge.
Total points: 440
Total tasks: 26
Total books:37
Leslie NJ20.6 Must Read List: I read Still Alice by Lisa Genova. It is an excellent book told from the perspective of Alice, a 50 year old woman diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. The story includes before and after the diagnosis, from the first episodes of forgetfulness and disorientation to understanding the disease and what will become of her mind. It is a realistic, heartbreaking story that gives you a lot of insight into the disease. The author also captures the feelings of Alice's husband and adult children.
I would put this on the must read list, especially to people who know someone with the disease.
Please add Lisa Genova to my Goodreads Author list.
Points for this post: 20
Total Points: 195/950
Books by Goodreads authors so far: 4 (Lisa McMann, Kate Quinn, Jennifer Brown, Tatiana de Rosnay, Lisa Genova)
Big Books: 0 (500+), 0 (750+), 0 (1000+)
Tasks Completed: 14
Books Read: 19
Finished 20.8 - Read a B&N classic novel.I read Persuasion by Jane Austen. Typical Austen, I gave it 3*.
Total Points: 255 + 20 = 275
20.5 ANNIVERSARY GIFT - This is my 3rd Challenge. The anniversary gift for 3 years is crystal. Crystal by V.C. Andrews
20.9 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and I watched the movie Crazy Heart
25.4 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME
a. Book written by a Cancer - The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
b. The word Blood was on page 31 of The Lost Symbol so I read:
Blood Memory by Greg Iles
25.6 SUMMER LOVING - Scars of Sweet Paradise : The Life and Times of Janis Joplin by Alice Echols
My favorite summer song is Summertime by Janis Joplin. This book is her biography.
Points: 90
Tasks: 4
Books: 5
Pages: 2002
Total Points: 885
Total Tasks: 52
Total Books: 74
Total Pages: 29874
GR Authors: 12
Completed20.5 - Library Love
Listened to The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman on Audiobook. The main character was a Librarian.
My total - 190
Repost of 2176 Share the Summer Love - Task 25.5 - i am posting before I get caught!I read 2 books in 2 of my favorite genres, Historical Fiction and Cozy Mysteries
I read THE COFFEE TRADER by DAVID LISS. I love coffee and drink it all day, hot, cold, ice cream (my ice cream flavor choice also!!!), candy, I am obsessed. Liss gives us a story of how coffee came to be such a powerful commodity and explained the markets of 17th century Amsterdam. I had read about the growth of the Tulip market in Holland and England a year or so ago (in a non-fiction format) and this was the same type of cut throat dealing that is so fascinating. Wall Street investing today has NOTHING NEW on conniving and corruption, its just done now with a computer! Liss wanted to write a book about the journey of an unknown product to hot commodity, he thought about chocolate, but the coffee story was so much more fascinating. The main character was a Jew from Portugal, I cannot say that I really liked him but I could understand why I did not and that is important to me, he was well defined, but flawed, with a certain set of morals that he was able to hold on to, may not have been mine but they were to him.
I also love cozy mysteries. I read the graphic style of Patricia Cornwell and David Baldacci but there are times that I am more interested in the character then the grusome details. ELLEN CROSBY'S MERLOT MURDER gave that to me. This is a new series, taking place in Loudoun County, Virginia. The series takes place near where I live and ithe central character, Lucie, is a wine maker (one of our favorite pastimes is winerying!). Local history is important to the story line and Crosby shows that she has done her homework. I can "see" these books they are so well drawn! Loved it and will read the entire series!
10.2 - "The (Fill In The Blank) Who..."The Cat Who Saw Red by Lilian Jackson Braun
I loved this series, though these early books aren't so great, If you haven't read any others, I would start after he moves to Moose County. The last two books were terrible, either they were done by a ghost writer or her editor needs a smack. The woman is almost 100 years old and the last book read like it.
10.6 - Stand Up For Your Rights
Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
In this book, the main character comes from a town where she was shunned because her father was not known and her mother refused to tell. She also had an incident later that I won't reveal, but it made her even more ostracized. I love Tamora Pierce's books and I recommend them to anyone that likes YA.
185 points
Sharon wrote: "10.2 - "The (Fill In The Blank) Who..."The Cat Who Saw Red by Lilian Jackson Braun
I loved this series, though these early books aren't so great, If you haven't read any others, I would start aft..."
It is funny you should say that -- I have been on a quest to see if she died for a couple years (since that last hellacious book came out, I guess) She can't be writing them still can she? The last 2 were horrible AND she is 100. Why can't we find out?
Hi - I have basically taken the summer off from the challenge, but I have been reading! A lot of my books don't count, but here are the ones that do: 5.5 Dropping Names - Arthur Conan Doyle - The Lost World
5.9 Get Caught Reading - True Grit - Charles Portis - read on Beach
10.2 - "The (Fill In The Blank) Who..."
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
10.6 - Stand Up For Your Rights - The Dragon Keeper
10.9 - You Cannot Open A Book Without Learning Something - Dreadnought - The main character is a nurse. I am very interested in medicine/first aid/EMT training
15.9 - Know Yourself - Almost Perfect -(hee hee) The character had a much harder life than I, abused as a child, single mother. She also seems to be a great mom, yet really stupid when it comes to relationships. I think I have a pretty good head on my shoulders when it comes to that kind of stuff.
15.10 - End with Family - The Earl Claims His Wife - The best thing about my family is that I know they will always be there for me, especially when times get rough.
20.2 - Trip to the Past - The Red Tent
20.4 - Anniversary Gift - This is my 6th challenge, so I got Candy/Wood/Iron. I would give a keepsake box made of pretty wood. Book: Heart-Shaped Box
20.5 - Libraries - The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - takes place in numerous libraries as the main character does her research
20.6 - List Make - The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore - This book is a must read if you enjoyed Lolita. Some of the most stellar writing and imagery I have ever been exposed to, even though many of the character situations can be uncomfortable and awkward, they really make you think.
BIG BOOK TICKET - 592 pages
25.5 - Summer Love A) - Fantasy - Storm Front Great intro to a series about a wizard detective. Very pulp noir, but with a magical twist.
B) Mystery - Strangers in Death - a great addition to JD Robb's futuristic detective series taking place 40+ years in the future.
I really like the fantasy genre because it tickles the imagination and helps you go beyond the ordinary, every day life. Mysteries also fascinate me because I love puzzles. I have a secret desire to be a cop, so that helps.
25.9 - Swim Suit - C)Tankini - The Exiled Queen 586 pages and The Enemy 385 pages, both published in 2010.
Total Points: 200
1 BIG BOOK TICKET
5.9 - Get Caught ReadingThe Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios by Yann Martel
I began this book on the beach and finished it on a train.
Points total to date 270
10.10 Great Minds Think AlikeI read Little Bee by Chris Cleave **Goodreads Author**
My last five star book I read was One Day by David Nicholls. Angela (pg 8 of the five star ratings) also rated this book with five stars and gave Litte Bee five stars.
Tasks completed - 11
Books Read - 13
Total Points - 175
Finished:15.6 All Things Merge
A. The Maias by Eça de Queirós
B. The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
25.10 Let's Play the Name Game
A. A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James
B. Freedom Is Not Enough: The Moynihan Report and America's Struggle over Black Family Life--from LBJ to Obama by James T. Patterson
30.4 The Science of Crime
A. Male author: Where Death Delights by Bernard Knight
B. Female author: Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin
Grand total 855
Readerboard Name: Emily IN5.6 - "I Only Regret - Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy.
Points: 5
Total Points: 555
Tasks Completed: 34
Books Read: 47
Pages: 13723
Good Reads Authors: 8
Big Books: 1 (500) 0 (750) 0 (1000)
5.9 Bite Me by Christopher Moore (read more than 150 pages on planes from New York to Kansas City and Dallas to Kansas City) Points = 180
Tasks = 9
Books = 12
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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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Kathleen FL
25.5-Share the Summer Love- First favorite genre: Literary Fiction:The Lacuna and Second favorite genre Apocalyptic/Distopian: Extras.
Total: 90 points.
I absolutely loved The Lacuna! I found myself rereading several sentences and passages because they were so beautifully written. This is probably the reason I like literary fiction, I love when someone can write a sentence that just makes you fill awestruck. I love a book that has beautiful language. I also enjoyed the historical aspect of this novel. I gave this book 5 stars.
I usually really enjoy apocalyptic and Distopian novels. For this challenge I chose Distopian and read the last of the Uglies series. I was underwhelmed! I gave it two stars. It just didn't have much of an impact on me. It did not really ring true for me. I am not really sure why I enjoy this genre. I guess it is because it makes you think about society and what we might be heading for.