The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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FALL CHALLENGE 2010
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Fall Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread)

I rolled One Heads and One Tails so I had to read a book or books totaling at least 500 pages.
Seven Up 337 pages
Hard Eight 326 pages
Points: 15
Total Points: 110
Tasks Completed: 8
Books Read: 10
Pages: 2,706
GoodReads Authors: 0
Big Books: 500+(0), 750+(0), 1000+(0)

Sisters
The central character, Annie, is an artist (painter) who is blinded in a car accident.
Points for this task: 15
Total points: 30

A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie
I used Peter Robinson as my starter author.
Total pages in book(s): 288
Total Tasks Completed: 7
Total Books Read: 7
Total Pages Read: 2434
Total Points: 65
Big Books: 500+(1)

I read Sybil: The True and Extraordinary Story of a Woman Possessed By Sixteen Separate Personalities by Flora Rheta Schreiber. This was on the "most depressing book" list, option D. Even though it involves abuse and mental illness, I still wouldn't call it the most depressing book. She does get better. ;)

I also read Rasputin's Daughter by Robert Alexander. This one technically met two of the requirements since it is historical fiction (A) and short (C) at 298 pages.

Total points earned: 60
Points this task: 25
5.4 - I'm Glad My Mother Didn't Name Me...
I read Legacies by Mercedes Lackey.
this one was a double - I would not want to be named Mercedes, and I would also not want to be named Spirit (the main character).
Total points: 125
I read Legacies by Mercedes Lackey.
this one was a double - I would not want to be named Mercedes, and I would also not want to be named Spirit (the main character).
Total points: 125

5.2 Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
5.8 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
10.1 Arranged Marriage: Stories by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
10.2 The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Correcting a previous task: I had a book that didn't really fit.... so,
10.8 My Life in France by Julia Child
15.8 The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo by Irving Stone
20.3 The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
20.5 Misery by Stephen King
20.9 Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
30.2 Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
Total: 355
Sorry for checking all of these all at once, but I haven't checked in in quite a while! I am on bedrest so I don't use a computer too frequently!

25.2 As her debut
Still Alice by Lisa Genova*
Before I Fall by Lauren OLiver*
30.5 Life lesson
lesson 4 : The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer .
Rated 4.13
Lesson 5 :I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Is on list of banned books.
*Lisa Genova and Lauren Oliver are GR authors
Points: 55
Total points : 130
Total tasks: 5
Total books : 9
GR authors : 5

Last Post - 540
10.10 GROUP HUG
Collision Course - Currently reading on the Kindle Smut Group Bookshelf
15.2 - RECOMMENDED BOOKS
I added two books to the recommended list that I had read for this challenge already (approved in the task help thread) and then read:
The Sugar Queen - Sarah Addison Allen (GR Author)
15.5 - LITERATURE MAP
True Love and Other Disasters - Rachel Gibson
I inputed the name Nora Roberts into Literature Map because she is a comfort read author to me. I enjoyed the book I read by Rachel Gibson, but she is definately a bit more of a Romantic Comedy writer, vice the Romantic Suspense that Roberts has been leaning towards recently. I would compare her works more to Susan Elizabeth Phillips than Nora Roberts, but I enjoyed the book and will look for more in the future.
15.10 - SECOND CHANCES
A. Cherry Bomb - J.A. Konrath (GR Author) - Also fulfilled the requirement for Task 10.2
B. The Cookbook Collector - Allegra Goodman
25.2 - Leigh Ann's task - AS HER DEBUT...
A Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen (GR Author)
B Countess of Scandal - Laurel McKee - This book was only ok, i'm tempted to read the next one by her due out in December, because I liked the character of the sister it is going to feature, but not sure
25.3 - Sandy’s Task As Suggested by Katy: Daylight Savings
A When the Duke Returns (Option A) - Eloisa James (GR Author)
B Strawberries for Dessert (Option C) -Marie Sexton (GR Author) - 242 pages
Total Points This Post:105
Total Points in Challenge: 285
Books Read: 24
Tasks Completed: 19
GR Authors: 13
Big Book Tickets: 500+(1); 750+(0); 1000+(0)
Previous Tasks Completed:
5.1; 5.5; 5.9
10.1; 10.2; 10.3; 10.6; 10.7
15.8
20.1; 20.8
30.1; 30.5

A Room With a View
Publication Date - 1908
A Room With a View
Points This Task: 30
Total Points: 40
Tasks Completed: 3
Books Read: 3
Pages This Task: 120.
Total Pages: 590
GoodReads Authors: 0
Big Books: 500+(0), 750+(0), 1000+(0)

30.2 Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner"
Has "bed" been approved as an inside word? That would help me find a book, if that's true! I didn't see it in the thread, so not sure?

10.9 Flashlight Worthy
Anno Dracula by Kim Newman, which was taken from the list 12 Classic Steampunk Books.
I like Steampunk, but I thought this was more just an alternate history. Still it was rivetting--if you can imagine Queen Victoria married to Vlad the Impaler and most of Victorian ruling class vampires.
20.8 Pirate Talk
Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
25.1 And the Story Continues
Steps to the Altar (vol 9) and Sunshine and Shadow (vol 10) by Earlene Fowler
Today's total: 55
Grand total: 305

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (fits 30.2 exterior of a house)
AND
Relic by Douglas Preston (came in #6 in Suspense)
30.3 - Dlmrose's task: SHIPWRECKED!
Harvest by Tess Gerritsen (Goodreads author)
Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs
Two new books by two of my favorite authors with plenty of uninterupted time, what's not to like!
Total Points - 365 Points
new Goodreads author - Tess Gerritsen

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Total points: 20/990
Tasks Completed: 2
Pages read: 550/25,355

30.5 Life Lessons.....
I rolled a 2 & 6.
2= Frequently misspelled words:
"Name" and "animals" appear on the list, so I read:
Name All the Animals: A Memoir by Alison Smith 4 stars
Smith's memoir, about the death of her eighteen year-old brother, when she was fifteen, received an extra star from me for the gripping honesty I found in her writing.
6= Non-fiction book about a new subject:
I can safely say that I didn't know a thing about the Island of Tarawa, in the Republic of Kiribati, until I read:
The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost 5 stars
This book had everything going for it. The author, like Bill Bryson, creates, for the reader, the most interesting sense of place. Through Troost's character studies, his coverage of the island's history and politics, and his own personal anecdotes, I feel I learned a great deal about this tiny nation. The writing kept me laughing most of the time even though there are also many profound and sad moments. I'll will be reading the rest of his work.
+30
total: 60
tasks: 3
books: 4
GR Authors: 1

I entered the name "Mary Doria Russell" into the Map.
I enjoyed this book by Anthony Bourdain and was somewhat surprised at how different his style and subject of writing was to Mary Doria Russell.
I've read a few Russell books and find her character developement and story lines much more defined and detailed than Anthony Bourdain's.
It appears that Bourdain is a professional cook and he writes books somehow based on cooks and cooking. I guess that's why he chose Typhoid Mary as a subject (she was a cook).
I enjoyed this book, despite it's being so different from Russell's writing style or depth and have written a review in the Review Forum.
New Point Total: 85


Finally time to get points for another task! I have been working on 2 very thick books and I am done with one, and very close to being done with the other! So.. without further ado:
10.10 Villette by Charlotte Brontë
This is read in a group I am in NYC Book Club: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/2...
I am claiming a big book ticket for this book (500+ pages), my copy had 657 pages, alothough the number of pages on Goodreads for my edition is wrong.
Total Points: 30
Tasks Completed: 2
Books Read: 2
Total Pages: 1047

book published before birth: A Room With a View- E.M. Forester (published in 1908)
book with human smile

Total challenge: 100 pts

Eragon

Christopher Paolini born November 17, 1983
Total Tasks Completed: 3
Total points: 20

10.1 Shorter Days

I Cannot Get You Close Enough: Three Novellas
Points For This Task - 10
Toatl Points For Challenge - 35

25.3 (Daylight Savings task)
I read for A (a historical fiction from before I was born) The Twentieth Wife set during the Mughal empire in India and for C (read a novel under 300 pages) My French Whore
New total: 25pts

I completed task 15.8 The Eye Under The Nose. I read "The Passion of Artemisia" by Susan Vreeland.
Task Completed 4/53
Books Read: 4/63
Big Books Read: 500+ (1), 750+ (0), 1000+ (0)
Goodreads Authors: 1 Rachel Simmons
Total Points: 30/890


10.6 Read a book with a pink cover (10 points)
Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore

Total points to date: 10

For this challenge I read Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath. I am claiming a ticket for a goodreads author.
Task Points: 10
Total Points: 50
Books Read: 7
Goodreads Author: 5
Big books: 1

The Old Wine Shades by Martha Grimes (Goodreads Author)
Total Points = 375 Points
New Goodreads Author = Martha Grimes

500 Cupcakes: The Only Cupcake Compendium You'll Ever Need by Fergal Connolly

Total points: 100

5.8 - Freedom to Read
September 25 - October 2 is Banned Book Week. Read a banned or challenged book. Listopia help: Best Banned and/or Censored Books, The Most Frequently Challenged Books, Banned Books, Banned Books 2007-2008
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling re-read 9-19-10
Challenges Completed: 4
Total Books Read: 4
Total Points: 45


15.4 - Fall Equinox
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison
Bluebeard's Egg by Margaret Atwood
*Both John Elder Robison and Margaret Atwood are GoodReads Authors*
Task Points: 15
Tasks Completed: 5
Total Points Earned: 50
Total Books Read: 6
Pages Read: 2484
GoodReads Authors: 2 (John Elder Robison; Margaret Atwood)
Big Book Tickets: 500+(2), 750+(), 1000+()

30.3 Shipwrecked!
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and WAR
I am claiming a Big Book ticket for Harry Potter. 734 pages, so that qualifies me for a 500+.
I am also claiming a Goodreads Author ticket for Sebastian Junger.
I chose these two books for the following reasons. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is an alltime favorite of mine, and I think this book is what got me into reading so much. Such a comfort to me that being stranded alone with this would almost be like being stranded with an old friend. WAR is something I've wanted to read for a long time as nonfiction about the War in Afghanistan and Iraq are uber-fascinating and insightful to me. I would revel in having something new to read as well as my old favorite while sunbathing and waiting for rescue.
Points This Task: 30
Total Points: 75
Tasks Completed: 5
Tasks in Progress: 1
Books Read: 6
GoodReads Authors: 3
Big Books: 500+(1), 750+(1), 1000+(0)
Pages Read: 1002 (2576 total)

This was the very first book I started for this challenge. I had to read some and then put it down for awhile and read something else. A very difficult story to hear, but completely fascinating.
Total Points: 125/870
Tasks Completed: 9
Books Read: 10/64
Books by Goodreads authors: 0
Big Books: 0 (500+), 0 (750+), 0 (1000+)

A. Animal plays a main part in the story.
B. Animal (other than dog or cat) in the title.
A. Dog Day, Alicia Gimenez-Bartlett.
B. The Hummingbird Wizard, Meredith Blevins.
TOTAL POINTS: 105/890.

10.5 10.5 THE FIRST ESTATE-- Read a book with a a significant character who is a religious leader/has a religious vocation.
Dalai Lama: Man, Monk, Mystic by Mayank Chhaya
*** This book is written by a Goodreads Author.
Total Points: 20
Tasks Completed: 2
Books Read: 2
Books by Goodreads authors: 1
Big Books: 0 (500+), 0 (750+), 0 (1000+)

5.9 - Comfort Read - For this task, you should reread an old favorite, revisit a beloved author, or pick up your favorite genre .
An Affair Before Christmas by Goodreads author Eloisa James
Previous Points: 25
Points this task: 5
Tasks Completed: 3
Books read: 4
Books by Goodreads authors: 3
Total Points: 30

5.4 - I'm Glad My Mother Didn't Name Me That...
Gunpowder Green - Laura Childs
The main character's name is Theodosia Brown
15.5 - Literature Map
Thyme of Death - Susan Wittig Albert (GOODREADS AUTHOR)
Author entered in - Laura Childs
25.4 - Stay Tuned For Your Regularly Scheduled Program
Numbers rolled = 6 & 5
Avalon High - Meg Cabot (6 = Glee - High School)
Murder 101 - Maggie Barbieri (5 = 77 Sunset Strip - Number in Title)
Previous Points = 30
New Points = 5+15+25 = 45
GRAND TOTAL = 75
Goodreads Author = 1

I read Mistress of Rome.
Points this task: 10
Total Points: 45
Tasks Completed: 3
Books Read: 3
GoodReads Authors: 1 Kate Quinn
Big Books: 500+ (0), 750+ (0), 1000+ (0)
Completed task 20.4: The Plot Line Thickens
I read The Perfect Royal Mistress.
Points this task: 20
Total Points: 65
Tasks Completed: 4
Books Read: 4
GoodReads Authors: 1 Kate Quinn
Big Books: 500+ (0), 750+ (0), 1000+ (0)
Completed task 20.10: Group Reads
I read Little Bee.
Points this task: 20
Total Points: 85
Tasks Completed: 5
Books Read: 5
GoodReads Authors: 2 Kate Quinn Chris Cleave
Big Books: 500+ (0), 750+ (0), 1000+ (0)

Specials
High Five
Points: 15
Total Points: 125
Tasks Completed: 9
Books Read: 12
Pages: 3,395
GoodReads Authors: 0
Big Books: 500+(0), 750+(0), 1000+(0)

5.10 Name that car
I read The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid for this.
10.1 Shorter Days
I read Chick Ink: 40 Stories of Tattoos--And the Women Who Wear Them for this.
10.4 Leaving Civilization behind
I read Manhunt for this. Was approved in help thread.
10.5 The First Estate
I read The Wine of Angels. Also approved in help thread. It's about a female vicar.
25.1 And the story continues
I read Sticks and Scones by Diane Mott Davidson which is the 10th in series.
And read Reaper Manby Terry Pratchett which is 11th in series.
Total Points: 60
Total Books Read: 6
Tasks completed: 5


10.6 IN THE PINK

Total to date: 55
A very cute novel, I loved it, and the style in which it was written was very refreshing..!

Task 30.6 Exploration and High Adventure
A. Life And Explorations Of Fridtjof Nansen
B. Eat, Pray, Love
Total points 260
My copy of Life of Nansen is over 100 years old.

Task #10.9 - Under the Covers
Edwin of the Iron Shoes, by Marcia Muller
I chose from the list called, "First of the Best: American Female P.I. novels." Yes, I found this one flashlight worthy. I love cozy mysteries. I finished this in one night. I had a fitful sleep and every time I woke up I'd read more of the book, until I was done.
Points this Task: 10
Total Challenges Completed: 2
Total Books Read: 2
Total Points to Date: 25


10.1 - Shorter Days - The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy
15.3 - Continental Divide - the list randomizer gave me Africa and I read The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith which takes place in Botswana
Claiming Goodreads Author ticket with Alexander McCall Smith
TOTAL CHALLENGE POINTS = 75

I chose B. Best Crime and Mystery List
I read Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris- #223 on that list.
Points for this task-15
Total Points- 160
Books Read- 14
Goodreads Authors-5
Total Pages Read- 4322

20.3 - "El’s Task (Best Review Contest) – Feminist Literature" - Read A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. I have been wanting to read this one for a while, even having it on the list for the Summer challenge but didn't get to it. My hands were shaking as I finished it. It was no doubt that I was in the presence of a great writer!
20.10 - Group Reads - Read Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I posted my comments in the Little Bee thread in post 12.
Chris Cleave and Margaret Atwood are both Goodreads authors.
Points for above tasks: 45
Tasks above completed: 3
Total tasks completed: 6/53
Points completed: 100
Books read & claimed: 8
Books by Goodreads authors: 2
Big Books: 1 (500+), 0 (750+), 0 (1000+)


I forgot to claim a GR author ticket for task 20.10 Group Read
Little Bee by Chris Cleave (post #634)
Thanks,
Kristina

20.6 The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
**GOODREADS AUTHOR**
Last Name: CARTER
Points this task: 20
Tasks completed: 3
Books read: 4
Total points: 65

2 new tasks
#10.10 Group Hug: Currently Reading on We Love Lisa Kleypas shelf
Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare
#25.4 Lisa MD's Task: Stay Tuned
Random Dice Generator: I rolled a 4 & a 5, so I read
Paranormal: Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole
AND
Book with # in the title: One Sinful Night by Kaitlin O'Riley
Total Points = 145
Tasks Completed = 14
Total Pages = 5,303
GR authors = 3

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
from Wild Things: YA grown-up. (Hope I type their name right. I'm quite sure about the words, but not the typo.)
Total Points: 35
Total Tasks: 3
Total Books: 3
Total Pages: 783


20.6 - Seeing yourself in a title - The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (STEPHANIE). I gave this book 3*. I felt it dragged in parts.
30.4 - Mysteries and Animals
A. The Telltale Turtle (3*)
B. In Sheep's Clothing (4*)
30.8 - Fall back into reading
A. 92 Pacific Boulevard from Sept 2009
B. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets from Sept 2000
Lauren Willig is a Goodreads Author.
This will give me 185 points.

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Books mentioned in this topic
A View from the Bridge (other topics)A Scandalous History of the Roman Emperors (other topics)
21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey (other topics)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (other topics)
I Only Say This Because I Love You: How the Way We Talk Can Make or Break Family Relationships Throughout Our Lives (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Wallace Stegner (other topics)Patrick O'Brian (other topics)
Deborah Tannen (other topics)
Jeff Kinney (other topics)
Noel Streatfeild (other topics)
More...
Task 25.2 ~ As Her Debut ~ Leigh Ann's Task:
i) The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry - Barry's debut; published in 2006
ii) Annabel by Kathleen Winter - Winter's debut; published in 2010
I am claiming one GR Author ticket for Kathleen Winter.
Task Points: 25
New Total Points: 105
Tasks Completed: 6
Books Read: 8
Pages Read: 3078
Big Books: 500+ (1) 750+ (0) 1000+ (0)
GR Authors: 2 ~ Chris Cleave; Kathleen Winter
Thanks!!