Reading with Style discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Archives
>
FA11 Reading w/Style Completed Tasks - Fall 2011
Karen GHHS wrote: "20.5 – They readForever by Maggie Stiefvater told by 4 narrators
Lexile: 770
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20.."
Oops, you only gave yourself 10 points for this 20 point task. As of post 68, I show your grand total as 300 points.
Kazza wrote: "Task 20.1 - I readMidnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo: Task 10.2
As of post 74, I have your grand total as 125 points.
+5 Oldies: first pub. 1980
+5 Jumbo: 500+ pages"
+15 combo points (10.3 meta-reading, 10.7 Muslim mindset, 10.8 seasons change)
So, as of post 74, I have your grand total as 125 points.
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I updated my score and took out the 20.6 combos."Thank you for letting me know about the adjustments. But, I think you took out a few too many points.
Post 63 your grand total was 40 points
Post 65 you added 25 points and should have a grand total of 65 (not 60 points).
Post 93 you added 10 points, your grand total should be 75 points.
I have not added the 10 review points from post 63, so I currently have your total as 65 points.
Deedee wrote: "Hi all! I thought I had 120 points but the readerboard shows 115 --- did I claim a combo +5 incorrectly?..."No, typo on my part. We should agree now.
20.3 S/he reads:The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
by Carson McCullers
+20 task
+15 combo (10.2-Highly rated, 10.8-Seasons change, 20.5-They read)
+5 oldies (pub. 1940)
Task Points: 40
Grand Total: 175 points
15.2 – ScienceThe Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
Task: 15
Non-fiction: 5
Task total: 20
Previous total: 60
New grand total: 80
Thanks, Liz!Oops, you only gave yourself 10 points for this 20 point ta..."
20.4 We Read I read
This story was told from a series of letters exchanged by the main character Juliet and her friend of the Guersmey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Task +20
Combo +5 (10.2 Highly rated). This book was rated 5 stars by Marie and many other group members.
Review + 10
I don't know why I took so long to read this book. At first, it was a little slow going but I soon fell in love with Juliet. I could identify easily with her because she was close to my own age. I really loved Sidney and was disappointed to find out his waffles flipped the opposite way. I also really loved Amelia, Elizabeth, Kit and Dawsey.
I cried when I read what happened to her and the way in which she died. It was so pointless and over the top cruel. I don't cry over books very often.
I was happy to see Juliet give that dreaded Mark Reynolds the boot. He was not right for her and being already jilt, I couldn't blame her. She would not be happily married to him. I am gladdened that she did marry the guy I wanted her to end up with. This book was so real and I felt like i was reading about real people.
Task Total 35
Grand Total: 100
RwS Tasks:10.1 – List Lovers
I am choosing from the Printz Honor Books List on Goodreads. My first roll was a 3 and the book was:
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
Revolver was quite different from what I expected when I first saw the cover. No matter which side of gun ownership issues you are on, this book will make you think. It is not set in the present day. In fact, it is set in two arctic mining communities: Giron, Sweden in 1910 and Nome, Alaska in 1899. Sig’s father, Einar, has taken a chance he’s always advised against. He’s frozen to death after trying to cross the lake when it wasn’t frozen solid and falling in the frigid water. Why did he take the chance and why has a stranger shown up threatening Sig and his sister? And the biggest question of all for Sig is whether he should use the revolver hidden in the pantry. The tension builds as Sig struggles with his decision. The only part of the book I didn’t like was the postscript, but that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
10.2 – Highly-rated
Soulless by Gail Carriger
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
20.2 – You read
You by Charles Benoit
If the book cover doesn’t grab you, the opening scene will:
You’re surprised at all the blood.
He Looks over at you, eyes wide, mouth dropping open, his face almost as white as his shirt.
He’s surprised, too. pg. 1
In You, Charles Benoit uses second person narrative to tell Kyle’s story. It’s a book about choices and cause and effect. As Kyle’s tale unfolds, the reader is pulled along on a roller coaster ride with Kyle as he struggles through the life of an ordinary teen that the reader knows is leading up to that gripping opening scene. Feeling powerless to stop Kyle and lead him away from the path he’s on, the reader keeps flipping the pages on a fast track to the inevitable conclusion. Benoit writes well and his choice of second person narrative is a good one. You will be entertained by You if you like your reading gritty and gripping, but you will learn from it as well.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Back to School Task:
15.1 – Math
Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet
Most of the book is about Daniel Tammet's savant abilities with mathematics. Fascinating!
+15 Task
+ 5 Nonfiction
Task Total: 20
Points This Post: 80
Grand Total: 380
15.5 (History- 9/11) Thunder Dog: A Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero+15 task
+5 nonfiction
task total = 20
15.6 (psychology) The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate
+15 task
+5 nonfiction
task total = 20
Grand total = 85 points
20.5 They ReadCries of Penance by Roxy Harte
The book is told from a variety of first-person narrative perspectives, mostly in present-tense stream of consciousness form.
I'm hesitant to review this book since it's a bit risque. Still, I think this series rises above pure erotica to a fairly interesting spy novel plot mixed with a pretty deep exploration of the reality of living an alternative lifestyle. This is the fifth book in this series that explores a committed menage relationship between a woman and two men. In this book, children are also involved and the book does a very nice job of mixing the sexy, erotic bits with the relationship story and the difficulty of living a complicated life with a family. Only recommended for open-minded readers of erotica, and probably only those who are at least passingly interested in or familiar with BDSM. (Edited to clarify that children are in no way involved in sexual encounters. But the protagonists are parents of children ranging in age from newborn to seven.)
+5 Combo (20.1)
+10 Review
Task total = 35
Grand total = 85
Joanna wrote: "20.5 They ReadCries of Penance by Roxy Harte
The book is told from a variety of first-person narrative perspectives, mostly in present-tense stream of consciousnes..."
Would you recommend the entire series, or just this book?
10.2 Highly RatedPretty Monsters: Stories by Kelly Link
Deedee rated it 5 stars
YA book-Lexile score 740
This book is delightful, imaginative, humorous, with just the perfect touch of creepy/scary (IMHO); and difficult to describe. It is a book of short stories running from very short to novella length aimed at young adults. Most of the protagonists are pre-teen or teen-agers. The stories brush against fantasy, horror and/or science fiction but are uniquely Kelly Link. As I read each story, I thought this will be my favorite. But at the end it is difficult to pick one. And some I will be turning over in my mind for awhile with the question of “what happened?” or “what came next?”
Task: 10
Review: 10
Task total: 20
Previous total: 80
New total: 100
Denae wrote: "Joanna wrote: "20.5 They ReadCries of Penance by Roxy Harte
The book is told from a variety of first-person narrative perspectives, mostly in present-tense stream ..."
I'd recommend the entire series, if you're a reader of BDSM erotica. For the genre, the series is top-notch. But the earlier books are more strongly erotica and, overall, a less complicated relationship/lifestyle exploration. The characters are interesting and their relationships explored, but because the earlier books take as a given that two of the main characters are professional dominants and owners of a fetish club, the question of how to run a parallel kinky life is less directly examined in the earlier books.
I can see that. I may have to check them out. It's not an area I've read much of, but I can see it being interesting.
Task 20.3 S/He readsJealousy by Alain Robbe-Grillet
This novel is an important work of literature, but it was only sort of fun to read. The book uses third-person limited viewpoint in the extreme -- the entire book is told from the perspective of an unnamed "objective" narrator as if the narrator is a video camera recording events by peering through windows. On the one hand, it's an interesting approach that stretches the narrative form. On the other hand, it's pretty distant and sometimes a little obsessively boring (e.g., counting the number of trees and how many rows of each are visible, reviewing the position of shadows over the veranda).
Despite moments of boredom, I still found the book to have a compelling rhythm -- the same events are reviewed over and over in the narrator's mind as he gets more and more jealous and obsessed with the idea that "A..." is involved with the neighbor. While the narrator is unnamed and undescribed, it seems likely that the narrator is A...'s husband.
This would be an interesting book to have read in a literature class where I'd be reading critiques and examinations of the form in parallel and perhaps contrasting the book directly with other efforts to play with narrative structure. In some ways, the narrative reminded me of Infinite Jest, but I have trouble articulating exactly why.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 LiT (French)
+5 Publication Date (1957)
Task total = 45
Grand total = 130
20.9 IMPAC AwardThe Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tóibín 3 stars
There were two stories here, but both were told from the viewpoint of Helen, a 30-something married mother of two boys. There is the story of the young homosexual brother, son, grandson, who is dying of AIDS. Everything we learn of Helen's brother Declan is through dialog with his friends. And we learn their stories, too, in the same way.
Then there is Helen's story and her many years estrangement from her family, now come together because of Declan. It is this part of the story that felt less well done to me. I wanted more tension, I think, as the women interacted with each other. Toibin tells us of the tension without making us feel it.
I like this author and wanted to like this more. It won't keep me from reading more of him, though.
+20 Task (2001 Nominee)
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 85
Liz M wrote: "...As of post 74, I have your grand total as 125 points.
+5 Oldies: first pub. 1980
+5 Jumbo: 500+ pages"
+15 combo points (10.3 meta-reading, 10.7 Muslim mindset, 10.8 seasons change)
So, as of post 74, I have your grand total as 125 points. "
Oops, I did it again! Sorry, Liz.
However... I'm not quite sure if I understand 'meta-reading' correctly so if you say it is then I'll accept ;)
10.7 --> India isn't on the list for predominantly Musim country and I didn't think Rushdie was really a Moslem, at least not according to what I read on Wikipeadia
10.8 --> I did check all 4 lists and it was #251 on the Coming-of-Age list but the task specified top 50 of this list only?
didn't mean to make it more difficult for you, maybe I should just accept your adjustments ;)
Kazza wrote: "However... I'm not quite sure if I understand 'meta-reading' correctly so if you say it is then I'll accept ;)10.7 --> India isn't on the list for predominantly Musim country and I didn't think Rushdie was really a Moslem, at least not according to what I read on Wikipeadia
10.8 --> I did check all 4 lists and it was #251 on the Coming-of-Age list but the task specified top 50 of this list only?..."
10.6 Meta-fiction: one of the devices of meta-fiction is, "A novel where the narrator intentionally exposes him or herself as the author of the story."
I believe the narrator of Midnight's Children tells the reader that he is writing his history for his son, so it qualifies for meta-fiction.
10.7 Muslim mindset: the task creator said you can claim combo points for this task.
10.8 Season's change: My bad. Someone said it was on the allowed list, but I didn't check its placement on the list.
So, without my spreadsheet handy, this means you should have 5 less points, for a grand total of 120?
Task 20.4 We read
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
This is told as a series of letters. Ironically, I only read this because it was selected by my local book club. Even then I might have skipped reading it if I could have found a good excuse to miss the meeting. (I wish I feel as much affection for them as the members of book’s literary club.) Despite many great reviews, this just didn’t appeal to me and I was worried that it would be either be saccharine or silly. I am happy to report that I loved it. It could be sweet and funny and at the same time tell the tales of Nazi-occupied Guernsey.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.2 Highly rated)
Task total=35
15.2 Science
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach
+15 Task
+5 Non-fiction
Task total=20
Grand total=150
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
This is told as a series of letters. Ironically, I only read this because it was selected by my local book club. Even then I might have skipped reading it if I could have found a good excuse to miss the meeting. (I wish I feel as much affection for them as the members of book’s literary club.) Despite many great reviews, this just didn’t appeal to me and I was worried that it would be either be saccharine or silly. I am happy to report that I loved it. It could be sweet and funny and at the same time tell the tales of Nazi-occupied Guernsey.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.2 Highly rated)
Task total=35
15.2 Science
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach
+15 Task
+5 Non-fiction
Task total=20
Grand total=150
Thanks, Liz! You are doing an amazingly thorough job!And it's 115 pts. Cheers!
Liz M wrote: "Kazza wrote: "However... I'm not quite sure if I understand 'meta-reading' correctly so if you say it is then I'll accept ;)10.7 --> India isn't on the list for predominantly Musim country and I d..."
Midnight's Children is #19 on the Bildungsroman list. I believe it qualifies for Seasons Change based on that.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "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 Engli..."
I looked up when I posted and didn't find a translated version as well
20.6 - Unreliable NarrationEndless Night by Agatha Christie
+20 Task
+10 Combo (20.1 - I read, 10.3 – Meta-reading)
+5 Oldies (1967)
Task Total = 35
Grand Total = 95
15.6 Psychology You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know by Heather Sellers
This book is a memoir of the author's prosopagnosia (face-blindness), a neurological condition that makes her unable to reliably identify faces. Thus, she often walks right past people she knows (even her own husband) without seeing them and mistakes strangers for friends.
+15 Task
+5 Nonfiction
Task total = 20
Grand total = 150
15.9 Gymn, HealthBorn to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
Task: 15
Non-fiction: 5
Previous total: 100
New total: 120
15.6 Sociology/AnthropologyMother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
This novel seriously discusses social issues like race in the American south, as well as talking about definitions of families, which should fall under sociology (race) and cultural anthropology!
+15 task
Grand Total: 40
Liz M wrote: "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?"
Hi Liz, sorry for the late reply, it's on the "1001 books to read before you die" list.
Hi Liz, a query please -I have my score at 65, not 50 (posts 70 and 71) - did I get something wrong?
Thank you :)
Time to get started on the paperwork :)
Back to school
15.2 Science A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
Task points 15
Total points 15
15.4 World literature The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Task points 15
+5 pre 1980
Task total 20
Total points 35
15.8 Dance Stardance by Spider Robinson
Task points 15
+5 pre 1980 (1977)
Task total 20
Total points 55
Back to school
15.2 Science A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
Task points 15
Total points 15
15.4 World literature The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Task points 15
+5 pre 1980
Task total 20
Total points 35
15.8 Dance Stardance by Spider Robinson
Task points 15
+5 pre 1980 (1977)
Task total 20
Total points 55
Task 10.1 I picked off of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award list, rolling #30, which gave me
Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip
And what a gift it was. I have never read McKillip before but I will certainly be reading more. The book starts out in a very straight ahead mythic fantasy kind of way - death of a king, underage heir, nasty regent. There is a legend about a city that is the shadow of the capital Ombria. We meet a sorceress, living in the depths of the city and providing spells and potions to the evil regent. And then the author starts toying with both time and space and the story takes off in anything but a straight ahead way. It is a beautifully written book, with a bit of the feel of Neverwhere and of The Gormenghast Novels.
Task points 10
+10 review
Task total 20
Total points 75
Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip
And what a gift it was. I have never read McKillip before but I will certainly be reading more. The book starts out in a very straight ahead mythic fantasy kind of way - death of a king, underage heir, nasty regent. There is a legend about a city that is the shadow of the capital Ombria. We meet a sorceress, living in the depths of the city and providing spells and potions to the evil regent. And then the author starts toying with both time and space and the story takes off in anything but a straight ahead way. It is a beautifully written book, with a bit of the feel of Neverwhere and of The Gormenghast Novels.
Task points 10
+10 review
Task total 20
Total points 75
15.6 – Psychology, Economics, Sociology, AnthropologyI read a book on economics:
Pinched: How the Great Recession Has Narrowed Our Futures and What We Can Do About It by Don Peck
+ 15 Task
+ 05 A Non-fiction Book
Task Total: + 20
20.3 - S/he reads
I read:
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Told in 3rd person following the perspective of Doctor Marina Singh, a forty-ish pharmaceutical researcher.
Review: The novel was big on atmospherics –sights and sounds of the Amazon – however, the plot was preposterous and ridiculous. The you-are-there descriptions of the rainforest are successful. The problem with the novel is the plot.
I’m willing to suspend disbelief about elements of the plot, but not about the whole plot. At the beginning, a researcher disappears into the Amazon jungle. A letter is received by his employers stating that he is dead. Who goes to find out where his body is? Why, it is Doctor Marina Singh, a forty-ish pharmaceutical researcher – someone who has never gone camping, let alone gone somewhere like the rainforest! Of course! Because, you know, a major corporation would not hire people who either (1) specialize in finding people or (2) have experience in the rainforest. I won’t spoil the rest of the plot, but I will say that almost every event that occurs in the Amazon rainforest requires the reader to suspend that part of themselves that says: THAT would NEVER happen! The author tells her improbable story in a very smooth and involving style; so if the reader can overlook the unlikeness of the events, and just go along for the ride, it is a moody, readable tale.
+ 20 Task
+ 05 Style: 1. Combo (5 points) (also fits10.2– Highly-rated - 5* by members: Christine, Kathleen, Sally)
+ 10 Style: 2. Review (10 points):
Task Total: + 20 + 05 + 10 = 35
Grand Total: 160 + 20 + 35 = 215
Liz Vegas wrote: "15.5 (History- 9/11) Thunder Dog: A Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero+15 task
+5 nonfiction
task total = 20
15.6 (psychology) [book:The Five Lov..."
Gosh, it's so hard to believe 9/11 is alread history! Seems like it happened yesterday! My twins were born exactly a month after and I can't believe they will be a whole decade come Oct.!
Kazza wrote: "Liz M wrote: "...As of post 74, I have your grand total as 125 points.
+5 Oldies: first pub. 1980
+5 Jumbo: 500+ pages"
+15 combo points (10.3 meta-reading, 10.7 Muslim mindset, 10.8 seasons cha..."
Pakistan is a Moslem country and half the story takes place there. I once read something that Rushdie still considers himself a Moslem, that was a couple of years after the Satanic Verses uproar but it doesn't matter anyway because of the Pakistan setting. The protaginist was even in the Pakistani army.
Liz M wrote: "Kazza wrote: "However... I'm not quite sure if I understand 'meta-reading' correctly so if you say it is then I'll accept ;)10.7 --> India isn't on the list for predominantly Musim country and I d..."
Liz and Kazza... This is what I wrote in post #82-
"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!"
I just checked again and it is now #19 but still within the first 50.
Rebekah wrote: "Liz M wrote: "Kazza wrote: "However... I'm not quite sure if I understand 'meta-reading' correctly so if you say it is then I'll accept ;)10.7 --> India isn't on the list for predominantly Musim ..."
Thanks for double-checking! (Especially since I was clearly in a state of confusion).
Shannon wrote: "Hi Liz, a query please -I have my score at 65, not 50 (posts 70 and 71) - did I get something wrong?
Thank you :)"
I was waiting for the list you used for 10.1 before adding the points to your score. So, as of post 130 I have your grand total as 65 points.
nsfancy wrote: "15.8 Dance Stardance by Spider Robinson..."Wow, that has an amazing classic 1970s cover.
Task 10.6 Freebie The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Task points 10
+5 Combo (10.2 - Erin(NY))
+5 Jumbo (664pp)
Task total 20
Total points 95
Task 20.4 We read Affinity by Sarah Waters
A dark book set in the late 19th century. The story is told through the diaries of two women; one an inmate of a women's prison and the other a 30ish spinster who takes up the position of Lady Visitor to the inmates. Another stellar book by Sarah Waters.
Task points 20
+15 Combo (10.2 - Bobbie, 20.5 2 POVs, 20.10 "Best Gothic Books)
Task total 35
Total points 130
Task points 10
+5 Combo (10.2 - Erin(NY))
+5 Jumbo (664pp)
Task total 20
Total points 95
Task 20.4 We read Affinity by Sarah Waters
A dark book set in the late 19th century. The story is told through the diaries of two women; one an inmate of a women's prison and the other a 30ish spinster who takes up the position of Lady Visitor to the inmates. Another stellar book by Sarah Waters.
Task points 20
+15 Combo (10.2 - Bobbie, 20.5 2 POVs, 20.10 "Best Gothic Books)
Task total 35
Total points 130
Task 20.5 They read The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
The story of Henry VIII's 4th and 5th wife as told through their eyes (Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard) as well as that of Lady Jane Boleyn.
Task points 20
+5 combo (10.2 Jayme)
+5 Jumbo (518 pp)
Task total 30
Total points 160
Task 20.6 Unreliable The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Task points 20
+5 Combo (10.2 Deedee)
+10 Oldie (1926)
Task total 35
Total points 195
The story of Henry VIII's 4th and 5th wife as told through their eyes (Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard) as well as that of Lady Jane Boleyn.
Task points 20
+5 combo (10.2 Jayme)
+5 Jumbo (518 pp)
Task total 30
Total points 160
Task 20.6 Unreliable The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Task points 20
+5 Combo (10.2 Deedee)
+10 Oldie (1926)
Task total 35
Total points 195
Liz M wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "Liz M wrote: "Kazza wrote: "However... I'm not quite sure if I understand 'meta-reading' correctly so if you say it is then I'll accept ;)10.7 --> India isn't on the list for predo..."
Ha-ha Did you ever have to work so hard to make someone take points?
Liz,I have that i should have 65 points on the readerboard. 45 for Out Stealing Horses, Post #10 and then 20 more for Nickel And Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America in Post #100. I haven't posted any more completed tasks because i want to make sure that is right first.
Completed 10.6 Fall Freebies "Wizard of London" by Mercedes Lackey+10 Task
Review+ 10
Overall, I liked the story. I loved the two young girls. I even loved the eagle and the crow. I had to search because it said in a review, this book was a retelling of the Snow Queen. I have not read the original story. I also liked that they had Robin Goodfellow and they used a "Midsummer Night's Dream into the story. That is one of my favorite plays.
I did not like David Alderscroft. I thought him arrogant, British prick. I did not agree with his Victorian age views on women. I also didn't like his mentor Cordelia. I thought she was a whiny brat and I also didn't like how she played God by necromancy.
In the end David saw his wrong doing which is predictable. I am not sure if he is truly changed. I think he lead a very lonely life but he was the cause of his own loneliness.
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 120
10.2 Highly RatedOscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey (Christy)
+10 Task
+5 Jumbo (515 p)
20.2 You Read
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2-Amy W)
20.5 They Read
The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2-Dugger)
The Amber Room by Steve Berry
+20 Task
Iron House by John Hart
+20 Task
20.8 It Ain't Over. . .
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
+20 Task
+15 Oldies (1847)
+20 Combo (10.2-sam; 10.5-betty white; 20.5; 20.10-#9 on Early Horror 1764-1937)
Post Total: 160
Season Total: 295
RwS Tasks10.7 – Rebekah’s Task – Muslim Mind Set
Palestine by Joe Sacco
I was so impressed with Palestine by Joe Sacco takes the reader to the Palestinian refugee camps and tells and shows the realities there with his drawings and words. The forward material in the book explains how Sacco used his photographs to guide the cartoons and impact the emotions while showing the facts behind the images. The hardships, especially for the children living in the camps, are heartbreaking. I know that I did not have a thorough understanding of the Palestinian side of the conflict and am glad to have read this work to balance my knowledge about this long, unresolved and complicated conflict. The book did not leave me with a great deal of hope for a peaceful solution. It did leave me with increased empathy for both sides of this terrible struggle. It was certainly a timely book as Palestine again asks for statehood.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
20.5 – They read
The Apprentice's Masterpiece: A Story of Medieval Spain by Melanie Little
The Apprentice's Masterpiece, a book in verse, is told in three sections; two from the point of view of Ramon and one by the Muslim, Amir. The book is set in 15th Century Spain and I originally chose it for the 1492 task. The religious triangle of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths during the Inquisition forms the backbone of this historical fiction story focusing on Ramon, a converso (former Jew now Christian) scribe and Amir, a slave of the household. The subject is sophisticated and the writing is strong, but there are no Lexile scores available, so I opted for the 20 point claim. It could be used by others for 1492 or Muslim Mind Set.
+20 Task
Task Total:20
20.6 – Unreliable Narration
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
A Clockwork Orange and the movie of the same name had quite a reputation for violence and horror when I was a young adult; one that has continued to be tied to the story into the present day. It has taken this long for me to decide to read the book. Although it was violent and sometimes sadistic, I am glad that I have finally read what was more than just a horror story. First of all, I am a fan of the unreliable narrator in fiction and Alex fit the bill. Although the reader can't trust Alex, he still has a voice that rings true to his character. One of the most powerful devices Burgess incorporates in the story is a language unique to the gangs in this future world. My favorite word from the slang language spoken in A Clockwork Orange was "viddy". I thought it was prescient of our video oriented world of media today. "Chai" as tea was another word that struck me. I got that one immediately in our "Starbucks" world, but I would not have known the word so quickly in 1962 (of course, I was 9 years old, so I wouldn't have even been reading much but the Nancy Drew books I loved back then). In the future world of A Clockwork Orange, this language is used by the criminal element to create a sense of belonging and as a communication of power. After committing some horrific crimes, Alex is put through rehabilitation by those in power and the reader is left to question the implications of what could be defined as torture as a way of changing Alex' behaviors. All in all, A Clockwork Orange was a powerful book and I found it thought provoking and intense.
+20 Task
+10 Combo: 10.3 Highly Rated (5 people)/20.1 I Read
+10 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1962)
Task Total: 45
20.7 – Elizabeth (Alaska’s) Task – The war to end all wars
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Lexile: 1090
War Horse is the kind of book I consider ageless when it comes to its appeal to readers. It follows in the tradition of Black Beauty and Watership Down, as the wonderful horse, Joey, tells his own story and feels the ranges of human emotions as he works for the World War I effort. From farm life to the trenches of the war, Joey trades his life with Alex, the farm boy, for a life of fear and danger charging the enemy and dragging heavy war machinery for the soldiers. I got a new perspective on World War I and the type of battles that were fought and challenges that had to be met. Joey longs to see Alex again and I was rooting for him every step of the way. There is a lot of action, emotion and a satisfying ending all wrapped up in 165 pages that fly by.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1982)
Task Total: 35
Points This Post: 120
Grand Total: 420
Liz M wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Hi Liz, a query please -I have my score at 65, not 50 (posts 70 and 71) - did I get something wrong?
Thank you :)"
I was waiting for the list you used for 10.1 before adding the p..."
Ah, my apologies! Thank you very much Liz! :)
Rebekah wrote: "Liz,I have that i should have 65 points on the readerboard. 45 for Out Stealing Horses, Post #10 and then 20 more for Nickel And Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America..."
Darn heck. I was so enchanted by your pencil ticker that I completely forgot to add the points to the spreadsheet. You do have 65 points (& don't post anymore until after 10 am so I can finish this week's entries without messing your score up again :P ).
Kate S wrote: "20.2 You ReadA Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2-Amy W)..."
+5 combo points for 10.10.
As of post 146, I have your grand total as 300 points.
In post 147, Karen GHHS wrote: "Points This Post: 120
Grand Total: 420 ..."
Your previous Grand total was 380, so your grand total, as of post 147, should be 500.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Self-Help (other topics)The Good Soldier: A Tale of Passion (other topics)
Deep Rivers (other topics)
Deep Rivers (other topics)
A Clash of Kings (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Ford Madox Ford (other topics)José María Arguedas (other topics)
José María Arguedas (other topics)
Thomas E. Ricks (other topics)
José María Arguedas (other topics)
More...
Unfortunately, this review is one sentence short of the 100 word minimum
(current word count is 89).