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FA11 Reading w/Style Completed Tasks - Fall 2011
20.4 We read:Herzog by Saul Bellow
+20 Task
+5 combo (20.1)
+5 Oldies (pub. 1962)
Task total: 30 points
Grand Total: 135 points
Jenna wrote: "Task 20.1 - I readThe Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
I very much enjoyed the book, even though I found it at times unsettling. It deals with the unreliability ..."
Technically, this review is too short to qualify for review points (it must be at least 100 words), but in post #38 you've added a couple of sentences that increase the word count enough to qualify.
Kazza wrote: "Task 20.5 - They readThe Postmistress by Sarah Blake
It's a lovely story on life at times of war for 3 different women whose lives intersected in a small town. Iris James came to ..."
+5 combo points for 10.2 Highly Rated
Leigh wrote: "Task 10.6 Fall FreebiesDead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris..."
+5 combo points for 10.2 Highly Rated
15.2 ScienceSequence by Adrian Dawson
*
I like science fiction. I like some extremely silly science fiction. I like some books with an obvious philosophical agenda. What I do not like is books which have no warnings or indications of their ideological stance or books that butcher science to their own ends. Unfortunately, falls into the latter category of books I do not like. I would have been willing to give this two stars, initially, because the writing was terrible in a way that amused me. Then we got to the scientist-bashing and victim mentality. Even the terrible science I could have forgiven, were it not for the "all science is based on disproving the existence of God" them.
This book was boring and an affront to scientists everywhere. It pretty much clinched my decision that First Reads is largely a waste of my time.
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy of this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program.
+15 Task (based on a scientific discovery utilized for time travel)
+5 Jumbo (546)
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 100
I completed 10.2 Highly Rated. I read "Hot Six" by Janet Evanovich. This book was rated 5 stars by Carey.Review-I enjoy these books. This is a mystery series where Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter. She works for her cousin Vinnie after she got laid off from her last job. The series is hilarious because Stephanie is an unconventional bounty hunter and she is usually flying by the seat of her pants. I do question her common sense sometimes.
In this installment, she has to go after a guy she knows-Ricardo Carlos Raconos aka Ranger her mentor. He is a very secretive man and no one knows much about him. Stephanie is torn between her mentor and her job. Some way, some how, she always gets her man.
Task: +10
Review +10
Grand Total: 30
10.6 – Fall FreebiesThe Gangster We Are All Looking For by Thi Diem Thuy Le
I was going to use this for 20.1 I read task but although it is mostly written in first person, stream of conscience form, the narrator injects some thoughts and experiences of her parents and others that she did directly experience.
Review: A lyrical and touching story of immigration and family. The narrator arrives in the US from Viet Nam as a six-year-old with her father. The book touches on their experiencing southern California and trying to understand the culture. The wife and mother joins them and they move through a number of immigrant enclaves. The father struggles with PTSD. The daughter runs away from the parents she can never understand and tries to make sense of her childhood memories of Viet Nam. There is much beautiful symbolism having to do with water.
This is a first novel and there are some rough edges. It does not look like Le has had another book published, yet.
Task: +10
Review: +10
Post Total: +20
Previous Total: +40
New Grand Total: 60
Hello,Here's my first completed tasks :
20.9 - Krista’s Task - Reading with IMPAC
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
+20 Task
+ 10 Combo (20.5 - They read ; 10.2 – Highly-rated)
Task Total = 30
20.5 - They read
La stagione della caccia by Andrea Camilleri
+20 Task
+10 Lost in translation (Italian)
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 60
Marie wrote: "20.5 - They readLa stagione della caccia by Andrea Camilleri
+20 Task
+10 Lost in translation (Italian)
Task Total = 30"
Great, Marie! Do you know the English name for this novel? It looks like most of his work has been translated into English and we could get a librarian to combine the English version of this one so that they are all together.
15.10 - Study Hall722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York by Clifton Hood
An enjoyable look at the early years of the New York City subway system. The author gives nice biographical sketches of the relevant political actors and does a decent job of explaining the interactions of different interest groups. The text got a bit dry sometimes and never quite came together as an overarching story instead of just a bunch of isolated historical decisions. Still, I learned quite a bit about how the lines developed and how the city's character was changed by the changing modes of transportation. Recommended for readers of history or those with an interest in New York or public transit history.
+15 Task
+5 Nonfiction
Task total = 20
Grand total = 20
Task 10.6 Fall Freebies - Lost Souls by Dean KoontzWhile I’ve been enjoying this Frankenstein series immensely, I’d have to say that this fourth installment is the least enjoyable one for me so far. When the third one ended, you knew there was a continuing story just waiting to be told and while I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it, it just wasn’t as good as the previous 3. I found some of the new characters to be highly irritating while I found other parts hilariously funny. I couldn’t seem to quite get a good balance between being slightly annoyed and entertained. But still, Koontz did a good enough job with the story to grab me and look forward to the next one.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total=20
Grand Total=75
10.6 Fall Freebies "High Five" by Janet Evanovich+10
Added to TBR list on 9/9/11-9/11/11.
Grand Total: 40
10.2 Highly RatedWise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
Denae rated 5 stars
+10 Task
+5 Oldies (1952)
10.6 Fall Freebies
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.2-Krista)
20.5 They Read
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
+20 Task
+20 Jumbo (978pages)
+5 Combo (10.2-Chad)
20.6 Unreliable Narration
Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
+20 Task
20.8 It Ain't Over. . .
Beloved by Toni Morrison
+20 Task
+20 Combo (10.2-Dave; 10.8; 20.5; 20.10-#48 Best Gothic Books)
Post Total: 135
Season Total: 135
I completed task 10.2 High;y Rated by reading "Beezus and Ramona" by Beverly Cleary. Cait and four others rated it 5 stars.Review I read this book long ago in elementary school and I enjoyed it at the time. I reread it over 20 years later and still enjoyed it. Being a big sister, I sympathize with Beezus and having a little sister as a pest. My little sister was a pest too. Unlike Beezus, there was 10 years between my sister and I so when my sister was four, I was fourteen. We also shared a room. Many of Ramona's antics do remind me of my suster's behavior at that age.
Oldies: originally published 1955 +5
Task total: 10+10+5=25
Grand Total: 60
Task 10.3 Meta-Reading
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie (Lexile 940)
Before bed, we read aloud to my seven year old son. I must have added this to my “To-Read” list to pre-read since I find the YA designation can cover wide range of content. Though the lexile level is quite high, this would be fine to read to my son. His reading level is no where near this, but I’m sure he would follow and enjoy it. In fact, I think it would be more enjoyable read aloud than silently--there are rhymes, slogans, songs, and names like “Plentimaw Fishes”. The story is absurd and fantastic in a way that I think would appeal to an older child as well. And, there are references to stories that would probably be missed by a seven year old, but picked up by a middle schooler--though my particular boy would know some of them as well. As an adult, I found it a bit childish, but I would have no problem being the parent that reads this one and get to hear it a second time.
+10 Task
+10 Review
10 Combo (10.2 Highly rated, 20.3 S/he reads (third person limited))
Task total= 30
Grand total=95
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie (Lexile 940)
Before bed, we read aloud to my seven year old son. I must have added this to my “To-Read” list to pre-read since I find the YA designation can cover wide range of content. Though the lexile level is quite high, this would be fine to read to my son. His reading level is no where near this, but I’m sure he would follow and enjoy it. In fact, I think it would be more enjoyable read aloud than silently--there are rhymes, slogans, songs, and names like “Plentimaw Fishes”. The story is absurd and fantastic in a way that I think would appeal to an older child as well. And, there are references to stories that would probably be missed by a seven year old, but picked up by a middle schooler--though my particular boy would know some of them as well. As an adult, I found it a bit childish, but I would have no problem being the parent that reads this one and get to hear it a second time.
+10 Task
+10 Review
10 Combo (10.2 Highly rated, 20.3 S/he reads (third person limited))
Task total= 30
Grand total=95
Task 20.2 You ReadThe Portrait by Iain Pears
First, I'd listen to Simon Vance reading just about anything. He's a wonderful narrator and does a fabulous job with the audiobook version of this short novel. The book lends itself perfectly to audio format because the entire book is written as a monologue of a painter talking to his old friend, an art critic, who is sitting for a portrait.
I quite enjoy unfolding unreliable narrator stories, and this book certainly leaves the reader to question the reliability of the narrator (though it doesn't appear on the list for 20.6, it should). The book also uses the second-person narration well, though since it's contained in a direct narration to a character, it's not as directly "you" as a book that speaks right to the reader.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task total = 30
Grand total = 50
RwS Tasks:10.4 – Native Reading
First Indian on the Moon by Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie is a master of the short story who I have enjoyed reading for many years. His ability to speak for the concerns of the Native American community with humor and sensitivity is well known by his readers and to those of us who have been lucky enough to see him in person. After reading all of Alexie’s prose, I have become a fan of his poetry, too. I just finished First Indian on the Moon, one of his poetry collections. His voice comes through loud and clear. Some of the poems in the book are similar in form to a “crown of sonnets” in which the last line of the sonnet becomes the first line of the next sonnet. These were my favorites among the many forms Alexie uses to great effect in this collection.
+10 Task
+10 review
Task Total: 20
10.9 – Kate’s Task – In fourteen hundred ninety-two…
A Stolen Tongue by Sheri Holman
Father Felix Fabri, a historical figure from the late 15th Century, sets out on a voyage to the Holy Land on a quest to find the relics of Saint Katherine, his spiritual spouse:
"I will take you with me, then, a little ways, at least until my hand cramps up and I am forced to set aside my pen."
The journey is even more challenging than the reader would imagine, because "pieces" of the Saint have gone missing from their final resting place and one woman claiming to speak as Saint Katherine's tongue may be responsible. Holman's writing is intelligent and accessible and the reader faces many moral dilemmas with Father Felix as he writes of the events he encounters and the decisions he must make. The intrigue goes beyond mystery to betrayal and murder, and the book keeps its secrets until the end of the story.
+10 Task
+ 5 Combo: 20.4 – We read (journal)
+10 Review
Task Total: 25
20.5 – They read
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater told by 4 narrators
Lexile: 770
Forever ends the werewolf trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater: Shiver, Linger and Forever. This werewolf story has some interesting twists, though. Wolves & people go through metamorphosis according to the seasons and so spend the summers human and the winters as wolves. Also, there may be a cure for the change and the search for that possibility drives the stories forward. Grace and Sam fall in love in Shiver when Grace unveils the person that her “yellow-eyed wolf” becomes when winter ends. There is no question that they belong together, but it is a terrible challenge for them to find ways to stay together. In Forever, the pack is threatened by the community as well as by the natural challenges of survival in the wild. As for the ending, I wanted more, but it was a satisfying end to the trilogy none the less.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Points this Post: 65
Grand Total: 240
Task 10.1 List LoversThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
+10 Task
+ 5 Oldie (published 1963)
Task Total = 15
Grand Total = 35
Task 20.4 We read - epistolatory novelDaddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
+20 Task
+10 Oldie (published 1912)
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 65
Shannon wrote: "Task 10.1 List LoversThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré"
Oooh, good book. What list did you find it on?
Back to School Tasks15.3 – Literature (your country)
From Bloom's Canon List:
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: And Other Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
+15 Task
+ 5 Oldie (1841)
Task Total: 20
15.8 – Art, Music, Dance
The main character is a musician during the Harlem Renaissance and Fats Waller, a famous musician of the time, is a secondary character.
Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers
+ 15 Task
Task Total: 15
15.9 – Gym, Health
This one is about football and depression:
Damage by A.M. Jenkins
I did a review on this one for school so I'll share it. It is in second person, so it could be used on that task as well:
In Damage by A. M. Jenkins you not only get the chance to get inside the head of a football player during play, but off the field as well. Damage is written in second person, a narrative voice that brings the reader into the character’s world.
“You sprint forward and cut inside. You can feel Curtis shadowing you, but the ball is spiraling toward you. You stretch out your hands, ready to feel the clean smack of the catch.” p. 12
Unfortunately, depression is also a factor in the “Pride of the Panther’s” life. Austin’s struggle with the disease is heart wrenching. If you suffer from depression or know someone who does, this book will give you insight into how it actually feels and how to get a handle on the illness. Jenkins’ writing draws you in from the first page and you will be rooting for Austin both on the field and off.
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Total this Post: 50
Grand Total: 290
Task 20.1 - I readMidnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
A very strange book. I first tried to read it about 3 years ago and gave up at around page 100 (good effort, don't you think?). This time around, I picked it up for my f2f bookclub and was determined to finish it. I did it but still did not appreciate it.
At first it was very hard to adjust to the way the book is written. It was written in a sort of autobiographical way; Saleem Sinai spoke of his personal history starting from his grandfather to the present time and there were so many time shifts without warning that it was, to begin with, just confused me and made the story hard to get into.
There were also many shifts between personal history to the political history of India as the 'writer' believes himself (& others) to be directly affecting the tumultuous political situations.
Overall: strange, interesting, annoying, confusing and to quote my fellow bookclubber, "trippy".
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo: Task 10.2
+5 Combo: Task 10.1 (I’m using the BBC Top 100 list)
+5 Oldies: first pub. 1980
+5 Jumbo: 500+ pages
Task 10.6 – Fall Frebbies:
Command Decision: Vatta’s War 4 by Elizabeth Moon
Beg for Mercy: Mercy Hollings 1 by Toni Andrews
Angel of Mercy: Mercy Hollings 2 by Toni Andrews
+30 Task x3
Total this post:80 points
Total to date: 115 points
Kazza wrote: "Task 20.1 - I readMidnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
+5 Combo: Task 10.1 (I’m using the BBC Top 100 list)..."
Unfortunately, 10.1 cannot be used for combo points.
Sorry, I didn't think so but... My word doc only has the task from the beginning (didn't include the amended 'no combo points') and I didn't re-check. My bad!
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "MGreat, Marie! Do you know the English name for this novel? ..."I don't think this particualr work has been translated; Worldcat.org doesn't list an English translation.
Liz M wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "MGreat, Marie! Do you know the English name for this novel? ..."I don't think this particualr work has been translated; Worldcat.org doesn't list an English translation."
Thanks, Liz.
20.10 Best Gothic BooksUncle Silas- by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
As I began this novel, the only thing that I knew was that it was one of the first gothic novels written. The only other exposure I've had to a gothic novel is Dracula, which I found to be a total snooze fest. I had an open mind going into this novel, which must've helped my overall reading experience.
Suspense was bulit gradually in this novel. REALLY gradual at some points. However, I still was intrigued and interested in what was to happen to Maud. Our dear ole' Maud....heiress extraordinaire! Not really. More like isolated cry-baby. I didn't really connect with her, but I was interested to find out what would happen to her. I was a bit disappointed that she was our narrator because I knew she'd turn out okay. I mean, she's telling the story....there has to be somewhat of a happy ending, right? While nothing really scary happens within the book, it definitely has a creep factor and sense of impending doom that kept me reading. If I could give half stars, I would. 3.5. Well-written and fairly easy to read compared to other novels of its time.
+20 task
+10 review
+10 pub 1864
+5 528 pages
= 45 points
Challenge total= 45 points
Hi all! I thought I had 120 points but the readerboard shows 115 --- did I claim a combo +5 incorrectly?Anyhow, I have 2 more to claim:
20.5 - They read
Read a book that has multiple narrators, a narrative mode in which parts of the story are told from the points of view of different characters.
I read:
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
+ 20 Task
Task Total: + 20
and
15.8 – Art, Music, Dance
C) Read a non-fiction book, receive 5 bonus points.
I read Gelsey Kirkland's autobiography:
Dancing on My Grave by Gelsey Kirkland
+ 15 Task
+ 05 A Non-fiction Book
Task Total: + 20
Grand total: 120 + 20 + 20 = 160
(or: 115 + 20 + 20 = 155)
Liz M wrote: "Kazza wrote: "Task 20.1 - I readMidnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
+5 Combo: Task 10.1 (I’m using the BBC Top 100 list)..."
Unfortunately, 10.1 cannot be used for combo points."
It does qualify for 10.7. Half the story takes place in Pakistan and the author is a Moslem.
Wouldn't also qualify for 10.3, the meta devices. there is magical realism throughout the book
and for 10.8 (seasons change), it is #18 on the Bildungsroman list!
Magical realism counts as a meta device? That task just got easier...
Rebekah wrote: "...for 10.8 (seasons change), it is #18 on the Bildungsroman list!..."Nice catch!
Denae wrote: "Magical realism counts as a meta device? That task just got easier..."
<
a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_...
Magical realism does not automatically equal metafiction.
20.5 They Read Multiple NarratorsThe Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri 4 stars
Lahiri is very good, though I didn't care for this as much as her collections of short stories. Still, the length of this gave her an opportunity to say something not possible in the short story. It gave her the opportunity to more fully share the Bengali culture, to tell us more completely of the relationships between generations, to express the respect that comes in an arranged marriage in a way that does not occur in present day American marriages.
This book was also unsettling to the reader. I was about halfway through when I identified myself as discomfited. Where in the heck did I get that word I asked myself. I can't ever remember using it, and yet it seemed such a perfect way to describe my thoughts. And then about 40 pages later, there was Lahiri using that same word. Her main character was discomfited. No wonder I was feeling that way. (Her main character is The Namesake of the title, and I am avoiding naming him here as it would constitute somewhat of a spoiler.)
But I can tell you my concluding thought without spoiling the story, I think, because it is a not uncommon theme.
You often don't appreciate what you have until you've lost it.
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo (5 star reads)
+10 Review
Task Total = 35
Grand total = 55
But does Midnight's Children work? I'm sorry. I can't really differentiate between the two, but then I'm still trying to figure out the differences between science fiction, cyber punk, steam punk and why Ray Chandler fits into Steampunk!
Rebekah wrote: "But does Midnight's Children work? I'm sorry. I can't really differentiate between the two, but then I'm still trying to figure out the differences between science fiction, cyber punk,..."One of the devices of meta-fiction is:
"An autobiographical fiction in which the main character, by the last parts of the book, has written the first parts and is reading some form of it to an audience"
The summary of Midnight's Children states, "...and there is little left for Saleem to do but pick up the few pieces of his life he may still find and write the chronicle that encompasses both his personal history and that of his still-young nation; a chronicle written for his son, who, like his father, is both chained and supernaturally endowed by history."
So, yes, it qualifies as meta-fiction.
Liz M wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "But does Midnight's Children work? I'm sorry. I can't really differentiate between the two, but then I'm still trying to figure out the differences between science fict..."Yeah, Denae!
I'm just not good at teasing out the points that makes the sub-category of a sub-category what it is. If it had been a book I never read, I wouldn't have even spoken up! I'm not an English Major though. BS in nursing, but I've thought about taking some on-line courses or at least continuing education courses to help me learn the subtleties, symbolisms, etc...
itpdx wrote: "10.7 - Rebekah’s Task – Muslim Mind Set Playing with Fire: Pakistan at War with Itself by Pamela Constable
Review: To me Pakistan is a confusing country. Sixty yea..."
itpdx wrote: "10.7 - Rebekah’s Task – Muslim Mind Set
Playing with Fire: Pakistan at War with Itself by Pamela Constable
Review: To me Pakistan is a confusing country. Sixty yea..."
I always thought Pakistan was two-faced. Before we even went to war in Iraq, I believed Pakistan was hiding Osama and alQeda. I was more afraid of what was going on there than i ever was in Iraq.of course, living in India where there is no love lost between the countries, seeing a lot of the terrorism invoked from Pakistan, about retaliation by the Hindu Fundamentalist Party and the poor Indian Moslems who take the heat from both sides, you get a whole different picture. i was there when benazir Bhutto and her family was brought out of exile, allowed to run and then the assasination. ironically she died indirectly from the assassination attempt, or so the story was. It was a scary time to have that going on just over out heads! Musharaff wrote a pretty misleading biography that was pretty arrogant and outraged the Indians.If you aren't totally burned out on the subject, it might be interesting to read his perspective.
Just curious, who is scorekeeper this round? The readerboard hasn't been updated yet.
Liz is doing the scorekeeping. I know she has the spreadsheet started, but not sure how far along she is. The weekend is when you can expect to see updates I believe.
Rebekah wrote: "Liz M wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "But does Midnight's Children work? I'm sorry. I can't really differentiate between the two, but then I'm still trying to figure out the differences betwee..."I'm confused. I've read the book, it's one of my favorites in fact, but mostly I was just gonna take advantage of the task being broadly interpreted in that way in terms of combo points.
10.2 Highly RatedSeven Up by Janet Evanovich
This was rated 5 stars on Carey's list.
Task +10
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 70
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "10.2 High;y Rated by reading "Beezus and Ramona" by Beverly Cleary....Combo: +5 20.6 Unreliable Narration"
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "10.2 Highly Rated
Seven Up by Janet Evanovich
Como +5 20.6 Unreliable Narrative..."
For 20.6 Unreliable Narration, books claimed for task points and combo points must be on the specified list.
I updated my score and took out the 20.6 combos.
15.5 HistoryUnbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
****
My father recommended this book, having apparently been so drawn in that he had to double check and confirm it was in fact non-fiction. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption is perhaps not so well written as I would like, but it is a deeply moving story. I was unfamiliar with Louis Zamperini before the story, despite his apparent fame, but that in no way changed my enjoyment of the book. He had an extraordinary life, in part by coincidence, but in larger part because of who he was. There was some unevenness to Laura Hillenbrand's narration, but the book seemed well-researched and the story was compelling. The only real complaint I have is (view spoiler)
+15 Task
+5 Non-fiction
Task Total: 20
20.10 Monsterfest III
Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett
I really do absolutely adore Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. While in some ways, due to the weak start that was Equal Rites, the witches are not my favorite books in the series, I have to say I utterly adore the way they play with stories. Witches Abroad takes the concept of fairy tales, particularly that of Cinderella, and plays with them in ways one would never expect, weaving in most every other fairy tale one could think of including some I had forgotten. As always, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg are almost impossibly hilarious and Death makes an appearance, sealing the delightful nature of the book. I highly recommend this book.
+20 Task
+5 Combo: 10.2 Highly-rated
+5 Combo 10.3 Meta-reading
+5 Combo 20.5 They Read
+10 Review
Task Total: 45
Post Total: 60
Grand Total: 165
Ok, I'm finally getting started...it's been a busy fall!20.5 They Read
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
This story is narrated from the main character's pov, her father's pov, and her best friend/fiance's pov.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2, Rebekah rated it 5 stars)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 25
Erin wrote: "Ok, I'm finally getting started...it's been a busy fall!20.5 They Read
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
This story is narrated from the mai..."
I think you all should check out my lists. I've compared my books with a lot of people, and I think I'm more giving! (smile)
Marie wrote: "Hello,Here's my first completed tasks :
20.9 - Krista’s Task - Reading with IMPAC
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
+20 Task
+ 10 Combo (20.5 - They read ; 10.2 – Highly-rate..."
Doesn't Bel Canto count for Liz's Opera task?
Task 15.6 Back to School - EconomicsNickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
+15 pts - Task
+5 pts Bonus for Non-fiction
20 pts - Task Total
65 pts - Grand Total
Liz,
I didn't see this one added to my Readerboard score. Did I mess up again?
Rebekah wrote: "Marie wrote: "Hello,Here's my first completed tasks :
20.9 - Krista’s Task - Reading with IMPAC
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
+20 Task
+ 10 Combo (20.5 - They read..."
No, Bel Canto does not work for the opera task. There is no opera based on Bel Canto, and it is not a non-fiction book related to opera.
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Reading with Style
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Playing with Fire: Pakistan at War with Itself by Pamela Constable
Review: To me Pakistan is a confusing country. Sixty years ago Pakistan was founded as an Islamic Democracy, but it has been ruled off and on by military dictators. As I hear news from Pakistan I have a hard time putting it in context. This book helps--from the assault on the Red Mosque; the assasination of Benazir Bhutto; the lawyer's revolution-both getting the head of the Supreme Court re-instated and pressuring the military dictator, Musharaff to step down; US drone attacks; bombing of shrines; the military offensives in Swat, North and South Waziristan; the author, Pamela Constable, gives us some background to help us understand what has happened. She is an American foreign correspondent and definitely has a pro-Western slant to her reporting. For instance, she brushes over the Pakistanis' worry over Xe Services' (Blackwater) operatives working for the US CIA in their country. But that has been shown to be true.
But she has explored a lot of areas and interviewed a broad range of Pakistanis and is able to give us a pretty good view of the country. She gives us some good background on why US/Pakistani relations have been so difficult.
Task: +10
Review: +10
Total this post: 20
Previous Total: 20
Grand Total: 40