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Spring 2012 Reading w/Style Completed Tasks
Rebekah wrote: "Hey I just posted my 15th book on the 15th of April, both being half-way marks for this challenge! I'm glad it looks like I'm right on time. (smile)"That is very exciting Rebekah! Congrats and hope you can keep it up! (smile)
Don wrote: "AtW Frequent FlierTask 15.10 10th Stop, Burma
Letters from Burma by Aung San Suu Kyi
+ 15 Task, 10th stop
+ 10 Bonus, stops 6-10
+ 50 Sightseer Bonus for completing all 10 stops
Total 75
..."
Congrats, Don!
20.4 In Honor of El AteneoCranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
Review:
Cranford is a small town in northern England in the first half of the 19th century, whose 'quality' class is made up of a lot of widows and unmarried ladies of a certain age, and very few men. For the most part they get on well, adhering to their own idiosyncrasies and the fashions of their youth. They are observed through the eyes of a younger woman visitor. The result is touching and very funny.
Cranford was serialised in 'Household Words' and its episodic style lends itself to this. The plot meanders like a soap opera. For a Victorian novel it is short, less than 200 pages. I liked it a lot and I can imagine enjoying it just as much on a second reading.
+20 Task http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974077/
+10 Review
+10 Canon
Task total = 40
Grand total = 870
RwS Task10.1 – Square Peg
No Orange Prize Short List for:
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The imagery in this book is enticing. I wish I could walk into The Night Circus and engage my senses in its delights. For me, that was the highlight of the book. I listened to Jim Dale read and was in love with the atmosphere. I wasn’t as drawn in by the plot. The book’s major plot of the contest between the two magicians struck me as quite familiar and I realized it was similar to the action in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, another book in which two magicians are up against each other. I felt that the twist about their contest was fairly obvious and I already knew where the plot was heading when it was revealed. I still enjoyed the book a lot, but I felt that the expectations I had were too high and I was perhaps let down because of that.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
And that's a RwS finish for me!
Task Points This Post: 20
RwS Finish: 100
Grand Total: 1095
Around the World: CircumnavigatorI'm on Spring Break so I'm starting my trip!
Task 15.1(1st Itinerary Stop)Europe: France(E 002 21)
The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay
+15 Points
Post Total: 15
Grand Total: 1110
RwS Tasks20.4 In honor of El Ateneo bookstore
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith
http://www.hbo.com/the-no-1-ladies-de...
I really enjoyed Book 8 of The #1 Ladies Detective series. I had left a little space between 7 and 8, and so I was definitely ready to revisit Botswana, but I also liked the theme that ran through this installment: "be careful what you wish for". Many of the main characters try out different jobs than those we all know they are simply meant to be doing! My only disappointment was that one of the mysteries in this one was a part of the HBO miniseries as it was not sequential, so I knew the ending of that mystery, but I was engaged enough in the rest of the outcomes of the book that it was not ruined by that. If you haven't read this series, you should get started!
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo: 20.10 It’s Academic (Professor Emeritus, University of Edinburgh)http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/staff/alexand...
+10 Review
Task Total: 35
20.4 In honor of El Ateneo bookstore
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_39_S...
I've been meaning to read this one for awhile. It is a part of a series of classics published with the male reader in mind that I bought for our library a couple of years ago. There's plenty of suspense and action and it's a quick and enjoyable read. I was drawn in to the story right away and especially liked the development of the beginning of the story. I found the main character engaging and the villains stereotypical, but no less menacing for that. With its early publication date of 1915, it is an example of the beginnings of the popularity of the mystery /adventure series. I want to try some later books in the series now, too.
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo: 10.4 It’s Your Birthday
+10 Review
Task Total: 35
Post Total: 70
Grand Total: 1180
Karen GHHS wrote: "And that's a RwS finish for me!"Congrats, Karen!
AtW Circumnavigator15.10 Tenth Stop
Brazil (W 047 54)
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
+100 Well-Traveled Completion Bonus
Post Total: 125
Season Total: 945
Kate S wrote: "AtW Circumnavigator15.10 Tenth Stop
Brazil (W 047
And congrats to you, Kate, and to Don, too!
Sorry, I've been out to lunch, I think. Congrats to Don and Karen!
and Kate!
RwS Tasks20.3 Harvard Best Sellers
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
+20 Task
+10 Canon
+10 Combo (10.4, 20.4-1968 movie)
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.1-banned book http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/fr...)
+5 Jumbo (543 pages)
Post Total: 70
Season Total: 1015
20.4 - El Ateneo (book into movie)King Solomon's Mines by by H. Rider Haggard
I enjoyed this book, but one should keep in mind when it was written and in order to not be offended by out-dated attitudes. Set in Africa, with most of the action taking place in a fictional country, it is the story of a big-game hunter and guide who is persuaded to help a fellow-Englishman track down his estranged brother. The brother disappeared, as had many others, in search of the legendary diamond mines of King Solomon. If the plot sounds at all familiar, it is for good reason -- this book is the book that started the whole "Lost World" genre. Apparently, it was written on a dare, and well, it reads like that. It's not great literature and has it's silly moments (some on purpose and entertaining) and it has the most ridiculous deus-ex-machina moment ever. All in all, it was a rollicking good read.
+20 Task points (several movies)
+5 Combo (10.4 - Classic Kids Lit)
+10 Review
Task total: 35 points
Grand Total: 260
20.4 - El Ateneo (book into movie)The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore
+20 Task (2003 movie)
20.6 - Selexyz Bookstore (Religious figure)
The Nun by by Denis Diderot
+20 Task
+5 Combo (1966 movie)
Grand Total: 305
20.4 El Ateneo
Task +20 http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Under-th...
Review +10
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Total: 35
Grand Total: 185
20.6 Selexyz BookstoreThe Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
I bought this book years ago when it was recommended to me while studying Medieval Literature. Sadly I probably don't understand half of the references as well as I would have back then as throughout much of the book there is intense spiritual discussions on the nature of various heresies and saintly behavior as well as much quoted Latin, which I am sorely rusty on. However, that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the book - it just would have probably added another layer to analyze.
The Name of the Rose is a fascinating book in that it combines a good, in-depth, Medieval historical fiction with the stirring questioning of a murder mystery...and entwines the two throughout. Also, I kept wishing the abbey's library truly existed simply for the huge collection of wondrous books it was listed to behold. Any book lover would definitely get starry eyed in that collection.
If you like Medieval/theological history or, even, just a good murder mystery with a Sherlockian sleuth then I would definitely recommend this book.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (20.4, 20.10)
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 970
AtW - CircumnavigatorTask 15.10 (10th Itinerary Stop) Brazil (W 047 54)
Brida by Paulo Coelho
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total = 25 points
+100 Well-Traveled bonus (yay!!)
Grand Total = 750 points
20.6 In honor of Selexyz BookstoreCrazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan
DDC: 248
When I first started to read this book, I felt it. The intensity, the passion, the affirmation of faith in The One Absolutely Awesome God. And... it scared me a bit. Why? It scares me that I might be challenged to change my life and that I will (out of love of God) not be able to say, 'no'.
I felt that I have been in a 'plateau' for a while now and just recently, I have been remembering that passion I used to have and am now searching for. This book came just at the right time for me for it reminds me that it's not about me. It's never about me. And I pray that God will give me the courage to follow Him ever more faithfully. Amen.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel
Task Toal = 40 points
Grand Total = 790 points
Christin wrote: "20.6 Selexyz BookstoreThe Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
+20 Task
+10 Combo (20.4, 20.9)
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo..."
Did you mean combo points for 20.10 - Academic, rather than 20.9 - Epidemic?
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "20.4 El AteneoTask +20 http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Under-th...
Review +5..."
Nice, your review is exactly 100 words!
+10 for reviews
Congrats, Karen, on your RwS finish!Well done, Kazza!
Oh heck, I've missed all the recent finishes. Excellent reading, Don and Kate!
20.1 - In honor of The Tattered CoverPortnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
+20 task (http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/collect... and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portnoy%...)
+10 combo (10.5 - Rooting for the Bad Guy and 20.4 - In honor of El Ateneo bookstore http://www.imdb.com/search/title?sort...
+10 Canon
Task total=40
Grand total=130
Liz M wrote: "Christin wrote: "20.6 Selexyz BookstoreThe Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
+20 Task
+10 Combo (20.4, 20.9)
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo..."
Did you mean combo points for 20.10 - Academic, rather than 20..."
whoops! yep, I did! Fixed the original post, thanks!
Congratulations everybody who has finished RWS or ATW already!
AtW - CircumnavigatorTask 15.6 (6th Itinerary Stop) People's Republic of China (E 116 23)
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task 15.7 (7th Itinerary Stop) Australia (E 149 07)
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Total this post = 50
Grand Total: 920
15.7 AtW CircumnavigatorSeventh stop Africa Ethiopia E038 44
Notes from the Hyena's Belly: An Ethiopian Boyhood by Nega Mezlekia
+15 Task
+10 bonus
Task Total: 25
Previous total: 410
Grand Total: 435
Liz M wrote: "20.4 - El Ateneo (book into movie)The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore
+20 Task (2003 movie)
Doesn't that also get "not-a-novel" style points?
Ann wrote: "Liz M wrote: "20.4 - El Ateneo (book into movie)The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore
+20 Task (2003 movie)
Doesn't that also get "not-a-novel" style points?"
I wasn't going to claim any style points; most graphic novels (85% of those listed on the Lexile site) do not meet the minimum Lexile Score.
@Liz, I sit and count out my words to make sure there are at least 100. :)
AtW Circumnavigator15.9 (9th Itinerary Stop) South Africa (E 028 11)
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 235
my review
Kazza wrote: "AtW - CircumnavigatorTask 15.10 (10th Itinerary Stop) Brazil (W 047 54)
Brida by Paulo Coelho
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total = 25 points
+100 Well-Traveled bonus (yay!!)
Grand Total = 750 points"
Congrats Kazza!
Another great finish, Kazza, congrats!
Thanks, Liz, Kate & Elizabeth.Loved AtW :)
10.7 Reading is AwardingNetherland by Joseph O'Neill
I tried so hard to like this book. I tried to find meaning in the explanation of cricket and its history and forgotten historical significance in America. I tried to feel some sort of emotional or psychological connection with the narrator. I tried to care about the people in this book. I failed.
The story bored me to death (and I don't mind a story that goes nowhere. I enjoy Proust, for heaven's sake, and he certainly goes nowhere at all...except, perhaps, to the shop for madeleines).
The writing was intelligent and well-executed. The way the time line popped all over without ever losing you was artful. The description of New York and the psychological climate of its denizens from 2001-2003 was spot-on. It made me think about the nature of belonging--not only to a country, but to another person.
So, it did make me think.
But mostly made me think: how in the world did this win the Pen/Faulkner award?!
+10 Task (Won Pen/Faulkner 2009)
+10 Review
Task Total = 20
Grand Total = 510
15.8 AtW CircumnavigatorNorth America: USA (W 077 02): At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
Task: 15
Bonus: 10
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 350
10.6 Music of the SoulThe Waste Land and Other Poems by T.S. Eliot
Review: I'm really bad at reading poetry, especially one so dense as Eliot's. I constantly feel like I'm missing everything that would be important, so thanks Internet for supplying me with more better annotations, so I don't feel as out of the loop. "The Waste Land" is, of course, beautiful, but also at points ridiculously pompous, and funny and bleak. Its multitude of voices and stories spin a captivating net.
His other poems convinced me that Eliot possesses a still remarkable gift of writing about things that can't be written off, and a profound musicality and he infuses both in every subject that he takes on.
Task: 10
Review: 10
Canon: 10
Not a Novel: 10
Combo: 20.5 (published 1922)
Task total: 45
Grand Total: 395
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "@Liz, I sit and count out my words to make sure there are at least 100. :)"
LoL! I'm too lazy for that -- I copy & paste the short-looking reviews into Word & use the word count tools to do it for me. :D
20.7 In Honor of Kid's RepublicGreat Expectations by Charles Dickens
+20 Task
+15 Combo 20.4, 10.4, 20.3
+10 Canon
Task Total=45
Grand Total=195
AtW Circumnavigator15.2 (2nd Itinerary Stop) :Europe: Norway (E 010 45)
In the Wake by Per Petterson
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 1205
And Congratulations, Kazza!
AtW - CircumnavigatorTask 15.5 (5th Itinerary Stop) Australia, Australasia (E 149 07)
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
+15 Task
+10 Bonus Points
Task Total = 25
Grand Total: 115
20.4 In Honor of El AteneoSilas Marner by George Eliot
Review:
This is a story of redemption. Silas Marner is a poor man who is tricked and deceived as a young man, but settles in an isolated area as a weaver. He becomes a miser, delighting in his hoarded gold, until the day that his savings are stolen, soon to be replaced by a more real treasure - a child.
I enjoyed rereading this classic, which I first read unwillingly at school. It's a quick and easy read compared with most Victorian novels. It jumps about a bit but I had the feeling that it would only be longer if it didn't, without adding much of significance.
+20 Task (various movies: http://www.imdb.com/find?q=silas+marn... )
+ 5 Combo (10.4)
+10 Review
+10 Canon
Task total = 45
Grand total = 965
10.8 It's A Family AffairA Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
Lexile: 850
Review:
This was not for me. Of course I feel shocked and horrified that a mother could treat her child this way, and it must have been a cathartic and courageous step for him to write this at the time when such memoirs were almost unknown, starting the 'misery memoir' genre. I admire him for that. But it seemed to me that there was no story except for the abuse, so I did not get any sense of Dave as a person. It just defined him as a victim. I want a little more than that from any book that I read.
+10 Task ('child')
+10 Review
+10 Not a novel
Task total = 30
Grand total = 995
15.9 atw CircumnavigatorSouth America: Peru (W 077 01): Who Killed Palomino Molero?: A Novel by Mario Vargas Llosa
Task: 15
Bonus: 10
Task total: 25
Grand total: 420
10.1 Square PegTimeless by Gail Carriger
This entire series has been so much fun to read so I'm really sad this is the last volume in the series (though thankfully not in the universe). I itch to read these books as soon as they are released because of just how cute, funny, and fresh they are. If you like your steampunk/supernatural/mystery-adventure/romance rife with witticisms and fun characters who are each extremely distinctive then I highly recommend this series. I can't wait for the next two series that are to take place in this world!
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 990
20.3 In Honor Of Harvard BookstoreA Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Lexile: 740
Review:
I didn't read this as a child but came to it as an adult with high expectations and was rather disappointed. I liked the beginning a lot, but it went wrong for me as soon as they left earth. The struggle with the forces of evil didn't seem convincing - there was too much that seemed random and was never explained - and I thought Meg needed a good slap at times. It's a pity that a girl who is a heroine to her family has to have so many tantrums. Strong doesn’t have to mean permanently angry. But I might have forgiven that if I'd read it as a child.
+20 Task
+15 Combo (10.2; 20.1 http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/fr... ; 20.4 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290382/)
+10 Review
Task total = 45
Grand total = 1040
AtW Circumnavigator15.10 (10th Itinerary stop) Mauritius (E 057 31)
The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total = 25
+100 Well-Traveled Bonus
Grand Total = 360
my review
15.7 AtW--Circumnavigator 7th Stop Sweden (E 018 04)
The Abominable Man by Maj Sjöwall
+15 task
+10 bonus
grand total=340
The Abominable Man by Maj Sjöwall
+15 task
+10 bonus
grand total=340
20.8 It's alphabeticHow to read the Bible for all Its worth by Gordon D Fee and Douglas Stuart
+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.6 - DDC:220)
+10 Not a Novel
Task Total = 35 points
Grand Total = 825 points
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
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The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd (other topics)
BoneMan's Daughters (other topics)
Marie-Blanche (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Charles Dickens (other topics)Jane Smiley (other topics)
Mary Rose O'Reilley (other topics)
Ted Dekker (other topics)
Jim Fergus (other topics)
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The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Author is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhart...)
..."
+5 Combo for 10.7-Pulitzer Winner for General Non-fiction 2011