The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
FALL CHALLENGE 2010
>
Fall Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread)

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
I love atmospheric historical films filled with sex and seduction, deception and betrayal, and general yummy psychological moodiness between characters. I would totally watch this book if it were a film -- woman responds to an ad in the newspaper from a wealthy man looking for a wife, takes train to snow-buried middle-of-nowhere, add in plenty of shady history on both sides, a little arsenic poisoning, a little deceitful plotting, the contrast of the glitz of big city life (with all its opium dens and prostitution and glittering dresses and handsome men tinkling at pianos) with the quiet of a rural pace (with the limited order of the spending of a day, and the occasional madness, or peace, which can result of it), and you've got my sort of bon-bon.
Points for this task: 20
Total Points: 90
Tasks Completed: 6
Books Read: 6
Pages Read: 1933


The Cat Who Said Cheese by Lilian Jackson Braun
and
Murder With Peacocks by Donna Andrews
Points this task: 30
Total Points: 210
Tasks Completed: 13
Books Read: 18
GoodReads Authors: 3
Big Books: 500+ (3), 750+ (1), 1000+ (0)

15.1 - New Horizons. Choose a book from a shelf that is on the edge of your comfort zone. I chose from the the science fiction shelf because that's not usually my fortay.
The Host
I would also like to claim a big ticket as this bad boy was 619 pages, so I'd like to claim a 500 page Big Ticket.
Tasks completed: 1
Total Books Read: 1
Total Pages Read: 619
Total to Date: 15

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
*** I loved this book. The imagery was wonderful!***
Total Points- 35
Total Tasks- 4
Goodreads Authors- 0
Big Books- 0

10.7 City Lights
The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster
Points This Task: 10
Total Points: 140
Tasks Completed: 12
Books Read: 14
Pages Read: 5,639
GoodReads Authors: 2
Big Books: 500+(3), 750+(0), 1000+(0)

Go to The List Randomizer and enter:
- South America
- Europe
- Asia
- Australia
- Africa
(Note: Antarctica and North America are excluded.)
For the continent listed first in your random list, read a fiction OR non-fiction book:
- about any part of that continent, OR
- set any place on that continent, OR
- written by an author from that continent.
Your first shot on the randomizer is it for this task (no double-dipping).
I got Europe. I read Sarah;s Key

Points: 105
tasks completed: 5
books read: 10
pages read: 2413
Goodreads authors: 1

Task: 5.2 The Play Must Go On
Play: Jonah and Otto
Review: I gave this play 3 stars. I haven't read a play since leaving school! I don't to read them as I think they would be hard work to follow and not really a book to enjoy. I was glad this task was here though as I enjoyed the play a lot more than expecting. It was 80 pages so not to long and it was easy to follow. It was about two men who met as strangers on a bench and they started talking and getting to know each other just by meeting up with each other just a couple of times overy 24 hours. It highlights society's lonliness and how many people we are strangers too.
Task: 10.9 Under the Covers
Book: The Prestige
List: Great reads about the circus or magicians
I chose this list because one of my favourite books is Carter Kills the Devil but is the only book I've read about magicians. I thought it would be interesting to read another book based on magicians and see if I would enjoy it as much. I gave it 3 stars. I enjoyed it and it was set around the 1900s so aroudn the same time as Carter Kills the Devil. Of course that was the time that magicians were at their height of popularity. It was fun but I found it a little bit complicated to follow at times and also a little slow at other times to be able to have given it more stars.
Total points to date: 85
PREVIOUS READS
5.9 Comfort Read - The L Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks
10.6 In the Pink - A Rabbit's Eyes
15.6 One-hit wonders - The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison
20.1 Bookmarks Magazine - Solar by Ian McEwan
20.7 The Melting Pot - Small Island by Andrea Levy
[image error]

Task 20.2 Music Tells the Story
My favourite musical/opera is The goldoliers so I read a book set in Venice
Dirge for a Doge
Total points 295

20.10 Group Reads – Read one of the group reads books and make at least one post in the discussion thread.
Mockingjay by: Suzanne Collins
Task Points: 20
Completed Tasks: 2
Total Points: 30
Books Read: 2
GR Authors:
Big Ticket Books:

I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell
10.3 "Emancipation" movement
Catching Fire
20.8 Consecutive "arr" in title
H-ARR-y Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Big book: 750+ pages (759 pages)
Total points: 40
Big books: 1(750+)

20.1 - Bookmarks Magazine
From the May/June 2010 edition
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
and I am claiming a GR author ticket for Rebecca Skloot
Points this task: 20
Total Points: 230
Total Tasks: 11
Total Books: 12
Total Pages: 4796
GR Authors: Margaret Atwood, Chris Cleave, Rebecca Skloot
Big Books: 500 (0), 750 (1), 1000(0)

30.1 PJ Read's Task - It's in the Cards - The two cards that I got were the 9 club and the 9 diamond. I read The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong. It was released in 2009 and Kelley Armstrong is a goodreads authors. So I am also claiming a ***Goodreads Author Ticket***.
The second book was The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. It came out in 2009 and it was on the bestsellers list.
30.7 Donna Jo's Task - Good Spirits
A. I read Ransom by Lois Duncan. This book was published in 1966 which was before I was born. ** Also Lois Duncan is a goodreads author so I will claim a goodreads author ticket.**
B. You're the One That I Want by Cecily von Ziegesar.

Total Points: 105
Tasks Completed: 5
Tasks in Progress: 0
Books Read: 7
GoodReads Authors: 3
Pages Read: 2364

10.5 Main character is a religious leader
Pillars Of The Earth Tv Tie-in Edition by Ken Follet
This book is 1008 pages, therefore I am claiming the 1000+ pages big book ticket
Total Points: 40 points

20.2 Music Tells the Story - Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
My very favorite musical is Les Miserables, so I read the abridged version in French. I've read all the versions in English, but hadn't done it in French. Next challenge is to read the unabridged French version.
Total completed: 20
Total points: 250
Total books: 22
Total pages: 8139
Goodreads Authors: 4 (Neil Gaiman, Cassandra Clare, James Dashner, Julia Quinn)
Big Books: 3 (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 500+; The Red Pyramid 500+; & Paris: A Biography of a City 500+)

I entered this book knowing minimal about Aristotle and Alexander The Great. I now want to know more.
This is an interesting look at Aristotle's time of tutoring a teenage Alexander and his influendce on Alexander seems to have been considerate.
An interesting story. Not one of plot & action but of character development.
New Points: 100

Issue: July/August, 2010
The Invisible Bridge: A Novel by Julie Orringer602 pages.
1 Big Book Ticket
This task was a great fit for this book, because I read about it first in Bookmarks. I started it for the recommended "must read" list in the summer challenge and loved it, but put it down in favor of Catching Fire for the task after 75 pages. I put it down because I could tell it was the kind of saga that needed to be savored over time and the challenge was almost at an end. It is a fantastic book about the Holocaust and its effects on three Hungarian brothers. It is definitely a must read!
Points for this task: 20
1 Big Book Ticket
Grand Total: 80

Book that fits another task:
30.1 ~~ Ace of Hearts
Unwind by Neal Shusterman

(It shows that this is the first in a series, but the second has not been published yet. Lists the second as Unwholly due to be published in 2012.)
Nominated but not chosen for a group read:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Unwind is a seriously disturbing look at what our society could become if we are not careful. The idea that Pro-Choice and Pro-Life might actually start a war between themselves and that the solution might be even worse than the original issue they were fighting over is pretty darn scary.
I read Henrietta because of a non-fiction book club we started at my library. I don't normally read non-fiction. I think this book was well written and I think the story is worth telling. I just didn't find it very interesting personally. Too much biology for me, for one. Maybe interesting isn't the right word. I certainly found out some interesting things about medical research and the limits of my control over my discarded tissue. And it really does bring up a lot of issues about ethics and morality and even legality.
Rebecca Skloot is a GoodReads Author.
I should have 60 points now.

Task #15.9 - Coin Collector. I got 1 Do It! and 1 The Hell With It! so I had to read book(s)totaling 500 pages. So I read The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory which was exactly 500 pages long. I am claiming a Big Book ticket for this too.
Total to Date: 30

Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie

30.6 - KIRI's task: KIRI's task: Exploration & High Adventure
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
AND
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Total Points - 430 Points
new Goodreads Author = Jennifer Crusie

25.2 Leigh Ann's task - AS HER DEBUT...
Temeraire by Naomi Novik
Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn (2010 debut)
I'm very pleased to see there's a prequel and sequel to Mistress of Rome in the works - it really was good. Temeraire was brilliant. I loved it. Dragons fighting in the Napoleonic wars. It sounds odd but it's well worth a try. I will DEFINITELY be reading more by both these authors! :)
*Please may I have a Big Book ticket for Mistress of Rome (544pp)*
*Kate Quinn is a Goodreads author*
Total points: 165
Big Book tickets: 500+ (2), 750+ (1), 1000+ (0)
Goodread authors: 3
Books read: 13
Pages read: 5356

David Boring by Daniel Clowes
I chose from the Graphic Novels section.
Total pages in book(s): 136
Total Tasks Completed: 8
Total Books Read: 8
Total Pages Read: 2570
Total Points: 75
Big Books: 500+(1)

Finished:
15.4 Fall Equinox:
Don't Tempt Me by Loretta Chase
Small But Ours: Images and Stories from a Nineteenth Century Bohemian Neighborhood by Marybeth Slonneger
30.7 Good Spirits
A.The Book of the Courtier by author:Baldassare Castiglione|180973], first pub 1528
B.

This book is not for everyone--including me. I am not a particularly squeamish reader, but the language and situations in this book were so unremitting that they were outside my realm of comfort.
Today's total: 45
Grand Total: 350

20.1 Bookmarks Magazine - From the September/October 2010 issue of Bookmarks Magazine, I read Anthony Bourdain's Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook. It was pretty interesting to see the path food has taken over the years.
5.7 - The Circle of Life - Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien, who died in September 1973.
5.8 - Freedom to Read - read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Interesting.
10.2 - We Need a Drink - Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.
30.1 - Card Generator - I drew a 7 of Spades, so I had to read one book published before 1960 in a year ending in an odd number - The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer. Originally published in 1959.
I also drew a 2 of Hearts, so I had to read another book published after January 2000 and ending in an even number. I read When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn (Goodreads Author), which was published in July 2004.
Total completed: 25
Total points: 310
Total books: 28
Total pages: 10006
Goodreads Authors: 4 (Neil Gaiman, Cassandra Clare, James Dashner, Julia Quinn x 2)
Big Books: 3 (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 500+; The Red Pyramid 500+; & Paris: A Biography of a City 500+)

25.2 Read a debut novel by any author: The Lover's Knot by Clare O'Donohue
AND
Read a book by an author that made their debut in 2010: Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
15.2 Add or vote for a book on the Recommeded Books list. AND Read a book from the list. Read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.
Voted for The Girl with the Dragon.
Total Points: 45
Goodreads Authors: Chevy Stevens

I read Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Points for this task-10
Total Points- 175
Books Read- 16
Goodreads Authors-5
Total Pages Read- 4821

10.9 - Under the Covers - I chose the list "10 Great Books for Mother-Daughter Book Clubs" and read The Paper Bag Princess. It's a children's book, but very relevant.
Total completed: 26
Total points: 320
Total books: 29
Total pages: 10038
Goodreads Authors: 4 (Neil Gaiman, Cassandra Clare, James Dashner, Julia Quinn x 2)
Big Books: 3 (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 500+; The Red Pyramid 500+; & Paris: A Biography of a City 500+)

Part B I read

Points this task: 30
Total points: 70


The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
Points this task: 10
Total Points: 220
Tasks Completed: 14
Books Read: 19
GoodReads Authors: 3
Big Books: 500+ (3), 750+ (1), 1000+ (0)


Molly Harper is a Goodreads author. This is a comfort read for me because I love this series, and this is the last book in the trilogy. I love the characters, and it's always a pleasure to step back into their world.
45/890 points
Tasks Completed: 3/53
Books Read: 5
Books by Goodreads authors: 1
Big Books: 0(500+), 0(750+), 0(1000+)


Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Total points: 40/990
Tasks Completed: 4
Pages read: 812/25,355

I rolled a 5 and a 3.
5. Sometimes We Have to Choose the Lesser of Two Evils: Read a book that's controversial to you.
Crank
This book is controversial to me because of the blatant drug use in it.
3. Mind Your P’s and Q’s: Read a book where the author has a P or Q in his or her name.
Untamed
Author P.C. Cast
Task Points: 30
Total Points: 105



Points this Task:10
Total Points: 50
Tasks: 5
Books: 5
Pages this Book: 322
Total Pages: 1996 pages
Big Books: 500+(1), 750+(0), 1000+(0

REPOST: 10.9 - Flashlight Worthy - Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (Goodreads Author).
I didn't remember the rule about picture books, so I'm using this book instead. Finished it today, and not so flashlight worthy. Didn't care for it at all. It's from the Postively, Absolutely the Best Young Adult Books of 2009. Guaranteed List on Flashlight Worthy.
Total completed: 26
Total points: 330
Total books: 29
Total pages: 10397
Goodreads Authors: 6 (Becca Fitzpatrick, Neil Gaiman, Cassandra Clare, James Dashner, Julia Quinn x 2)
Big Books: 3 (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 500+; The Red Pyramid 500+; & Paris: A Biography of a City 500+)

I got 2 Do It:read a book or books totalling at least 300 pages
Eureka Street by Robert McLiam Wilson (544 pages)
Task points : 15
Total Points: 20
Total Tasks Complete: 2
Total Tasks in Progress: 2
Total Books Read: 2
Total Big Book Tickets 1
Total Goodreads Authors 0


5.3 THANKSGIVING--The Help byKathryn Stockett. Excellent--finally glad I read it.
20.4 (movie plot) I love a good romantic comedy, where you know they are going to end up together in the end, but I still cry when it happens (Notting Hill for example) so I read Dumping Billy by Olivia Goldsmith and thought it was horrible--might have made an OK movie, but reading it was not very much fun at all.
Kathryn Stockett is a Goodreads author so I would like a ticket please
That gives me:
Points: 45
Books Read: 3
Challenges Completed: 3
Pages Read: 1177

Task 5.3 - T.H.A.N.K.S.G.I.V.I.N.G
Alyson Noel Dark Flame (The Immortals #4)
** Alyson Noel
** 320 pgs claiming Big Book ticket
Total to Date = 5 points
Total Challenges Completed: 1
Total Books Read: 1
Total Pages Read: 320

20.10 Group Reads – Read one of the group reads books and make at least one post in the discussion thread.
Mockingjay by: Suzanne Collins
Task Points: 20
Completed Tasks: 2
Total Points: 25
Books Read: 2

- For 15.6 - ONE-HIT WONDERS, I read Der Geschmack von Apfelkernen by Katharina Hagena (1st novel)
- For 15.9 - COIN COLLECTOR! - 1 Do It! and 1 The Hell With It!, I read Les yeux jaunes des crocodiles by Katherine Pancol (667 pages)
- For 20.1 Stephanie Anne’s Task (Most Improved Player) - Bookmarks Magazine, I read Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell (Bookmarks march/april 2009 issue)
Books read: 3
Challenges accomplished: 3
Points : 50
Stacey
I've been away on vacation reading up a storm...
First, a fix to the problem post you guys caught while I was away (post #116). Reposting for task 15.4:
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
and
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.
She's a Goodreads author, and City of Glass is a Big Book at 541 pages.
And then new tasks completed while I was away:
15.5 Literature Map
I plugged in Margaret Atwood and got back Haruki Murakami, so I read
Norwegian Wood.
20.6 Seeing Yourself in a Book
My middle name is Catherine. I read
Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew
20.9 Babies!
The Compound by S. A. Bodeen.
20.13 Group Reads
The Passage by Justin Cronin
Big Book at 769 pages. I've posted in the discussion thread as well.
New points in this post: 90
Total points: 140
Completed tasks: 9
Books read: 13
Books read:
I've been away on vacation reading up a storm...
First, a fix to the problem post you guys caught while I was away (post #116). Reposting for task 15.4:
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
and
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.
She's a Goodreads author, and City of Glass is a Big Book at 541 pages.
And then new tasks completed while I was away:
15.5 Literature Map
I plugged in Margaret Atwood and got back Haruki Murakami, so I read
Norwegian Wood.
20.6 Seeing Yourself in a Book
My middle name is Catherine. I read
Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew
20.9 Babies!
The Compound by S. A. Bodeen.
20.13 Group Reads
The Passage by Justin Cronin
Big Book at 769 pages. I've posted in the discussion thread as well.
New points in this post: 90
Total points: 140
Completed tasks: 9
Books read: 13
Books read:

The Alchemist by **Paulo Coelho**
30.8 BETH NC's task: FALL BACK INTO READING
10/15/2009: The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber (#39 on the list)
9/15/2000: Ashes to Ashes by Tami Hoag (#76 on the list)
**I'm claiming 1 Big Book ticket for Ashes to Ashes - 592 pages.**
**Paulo Coelho is a Goodreads author!**
Points: 40
------------------
Total Points: 135
Completed Tasks: 9
GR Authors Tickets: 3
Big Book Tickets: 1


5.9-Comfort Read
I read In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner. I have read other books by Jennifer Weiner and really like her writing and stories. I just fall into them and they are so easy and fun to read.
Total Challenges Completed: 3
Total Books Read: 4
Total Points: 45

20.4: Similar plot line to a fave movie scene.
I read The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen. The book was a suspense/thriller/murder/who's the killer type of book. I love these type of movies and am always trying to figure out "who-done-it".
Points: 20
Goodreads Authors: 1

30.3 Shipwrecked!
I selected Alice Hoffman's The Third Angel because I just discovered her past works & am really enjoying them, and Clive Cussler’s Lost Empire: A Fargo Adventure because his books are light & would take my mind off being stuck on an island (plus, there might be some MacGuyver-ish tricks to pick up)!
Points this Task: 30
Total Points: 30
Tasks Completed: 1
Books Read: 2
Pages Read: 680
GoodReads Authors: 0
Big Books: 500+ (0), 750+ (0), 1000+ (0)

Tasks Completed-5
Books Read-5
Pages for this task-192
Total pages read-983
Points for this task-10
Total Points-50

15.9 - COIN COLLECTOR!
Do It! and The Hell With It! - read a books totalling at least 500 pages
Covet by J.R. Ward = 474 pages
Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas = 328 pages
30.1- pjreads's task as suggested by Jen B: IT'S IN THE CARDS
6Diamonds-Bestseller published in even number Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich published in 2010 - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/books...
7Hearts-published since 1/1/00 and in an odd year
Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas published in 2009
Total Points = 85

The Cloud Chamber
My friend's car is named "Cloud."
15.1 New Horizons
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated
This was shelved as "Memoir," a genre I tend to avoid at all costs. This one was amazing--Arngrim has a wonderful, conversational voice and her humor makes even the dreariest parts of her life seem like they aren't that bad. Strangely, this season I'm slated to read more bio/autobio/memoir books than ever before...but I still prefer to read fiction :P
15.7 Solve the Mystery
Watchmen
I chose option A and picked this book from the Modern Classics list. I think it should definitely be on the list for everything it meant to making Graphic Novels a viable literary format, and it's interesting to read with the history of the mid-80s in mind. I had seen the movie and heard the book was much better, but I actually didn't find too many differences regarding plot, characterization, or even the philosophies involved. Granted, I'd probably need to see the movie again for a true comparison, but from what I recall, I'd say both were as good as the other. As for the novel itself, it's not my favorite thing I've read, but I enjoyed it.
25.3 Falling Back
Out of My Mind (C: 295pgs) and Endgame (D: on the depressing books list)
Out of My Mind probably won't win the Newbery, but I think it should get an Honor Medal. The protagonist's voice got a little obnoxious partway through, but the message and the characterization was great. Endgame, on the other hand, was brutal to get through. Not only do I have a difficult time reading about bullying and its effects, but this book just seemed to drag on forever. I've read several books by Garden that I enjoyed immensely, which is probably why this particular book was such a let-down.
Total: 60 + 290 (from earlier) = 350 points
10.5 THE FIRST ESTATE
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
One of the main characters in this book is a priest.
Points This Task: 10
Total Points: 65
Tasks Completed: 5
Books Read: 7
GoodReads Authors: 2
Big Books: 500+(0), 750+(0), 1000+(0)
Total Pages Read: 1888
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
One of the main characters in this book is a priest.
Points This Task: 10
Total Points: 65
Tasks Completed: 5
Books Read: 7
GoodReads Authors: 2
Big Books: 500+(0), 750+(0), 1000+(0)
Total Pages Read: 1888

COMPLETED TASKS
5.2 - The Play Must Go On (70pp min/Opt review)
The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman(128pp) - READ 9.16.19
My Rating: 3 stars
15.1 NEW HORIZONS (Top Shelves/outside comfort zone) - "War Shelf"
Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer (344pp) - READ 9.23.10
My Rating: 4 stars
15.7 SOLVE THE MYSTERY - "Best Crime & Mystery Books"
The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen (368pp) GOODREADS AUTHOR - READ 9.14.10
My Rating: 4 stars
25.1 - Wendy MA's Task - And the Story Continues...(2 books 9,10 or 11 in series)
A. *The Forgotten Man by Robert Crais (352pp) - Elvis Cole #10 - READ 9.19.10
My Rating: 4 stars
B. Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais (272pp) - Elvis Cole #11- READ 9.22.10
My Rating: 4 stars

TOTAL TASKS COMPLETED: 7/53
TOTAL POINTS: 55/890
TOTAL BOOKS READ: 9/69
BIG BOOKS CLAIMED: [ ]500+ [ ]750+ [ ]1000+
GOODREAD AUTHORS CLAIMED: 2
*Books I Own: 4
Previous Messages Posted: #465
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
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 15.2 Recommended books - voted on favourites and read
Dreamsnake
Total points 275