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Spring 2012 Reading w/Style Completed Tasks
message 901:
by
Kate S
(new)
May 29, 2012 02:25PM
Congrats on finishing your around the world tour, Liz!
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Kate S wrote: "Congrats on finishing your around the world tour, Liz!"And the same to you!
Ceraphina wrote: "Task 20.10 It's AcademicCatching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human by Richard W. Wrangham
I was very surprised by this book. It puts forward the idea that the reason modern humans are the way we a..."
Congrats on your RwS Finish, Ceraphina!
Way back in Post 361, Leigh claimed The Color of Magic.+5 Combo (20.4) Thank you for finding this, Don!
AtW CircumnavigatorTask 15.9 (9th Itinerary Stop) South America: Colombia W 074 04
The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel García Márquez
+15 Task
+10 Bonus Points
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 2000
I'm still hoping to finish AtW in the next two days and one other book on audio, but life might intervene - we'll see. It's been a great challenge!
20.4 El AteneoMansfield Park
link to movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0178737/
+20 task
+10 canon
+5 jumbo
Task Total = 35
Grand Total = 155
20.2 True Colors
Possession by A.S. Byatt (from 100 greatest books by women list)
This won the Man Booker Prize and I can see why. It is told through modern prose as well Victorian poetry, fairytales, letters and journal entries (each with different voices). It took some amazing skills to pull that off.
Unfortunately, my skill as a reader doesn’t match. It is not easy for me to read poetry and lengthy passages of faux-Victorian poetry with hidden meanings is well outside my comfort zone. Similarly, I could follow the letters and journals well enough, but would find the contrast with the modern prose jarring. I think I would have had an easier time reading an outright Victorian work in which I could settle in to a single style and single voices rather than switching around. I found myself counting pages to see how much I would have to plow through to get to something more accessible and then wonder if I’d missed important details (probably). I have to say I’m a bit relieved its finished.
+20 task
+5 Combo 20.4 El Ateneo (2002 Movie)
+5 jumbo 555 pages
task total=30
grand total=625 (includes +5 points found by Dan and Kate for one of my first posts of the season. Thanks!)
This is my last post for the season. Thank you, Moderators!
Possession by A.S. Byatt (from 100 greatest books by women list)
This won the Man Booker Prize and I can see why. It is told through modern prose as well Victorian poetry, fairytales, letters and journal entries (each with different voices). It took some amazing skills to pull that off.
Unfortunately, my skill as a reader doesn’t match. It is not easy for me to read poetry and lengthy passages of faux-Victorian poetry with hidden meanings is well outside my comfort zone. Similarly, I could follow the letters and journals well enough, but would find the contrast with the modern prose jarring. I think I would have had an easier time reading an outright Victorian work in which I could settle in to a single style and single voices rather than switching around. I found myself counting pages to see how much I would have to plow through to get to something more accessible and then wonder if I’d missed important details (probably). I have to say I’m a bit relieved its finished.
+20 task
+5 Combo 20.4 El Ateneo (2002 Movie)
+5 jumbo 555 pages
task total=30
grand total=625 (includes +5 points found by Dan and Kate for one of my first posts of the season. Thanks!)
This is my last post for the season. Thank you, Moderators!
Task 15.6 (6th Itinerary Stop) Norway (W 010 45)Broken by Karin Fossum
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 1040
10.10 Group ReadsThe Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Review
Being raised in a Christian household, I felt I probably had a fair comprehension of the Jewish religion since we share (or borrowed) our Old Testament from them. I was greatly surprised at how much magic was a part of the culture. Whereas we learn that angels are all good, in this book there seemed to be as many malignant angels as benign. Sometimes it was hard to tell a demon from an angel! I also was surprised how much the ancient Egyptian and Babylonian mother Goddess had been incorporated and even though the society was definitely patriarchal, even misogynist might be said, there still seemed to be the accepted feminine aspect of God. I appreciate Christin pointing out the female archetypes which I overlooked and then realized was the real core of the book. Like Christin, I listened to the audiobook which helped greatly with the pronunciations which I know I would never have gotten correct. However, it started with a slow paced monotonous reading, which I’m sure was to represent the despair and exhaustion the character was living through, but it did seem to drag and put me to sleep. I’m glad I persevered however. I have been interested in this time period for the early Christians, but have not found as much literature of the various Jewish sects who were the last to live in Zion. With the new discoveries of ancient texts left by some of these groups, it is a topic I’d like to learn more about.
+10 pts - Task
+10 pts - Review
+5 pts - Jumbo
Task Total - 25 pts
Grand Total - 1640 pts
Taks 20.3 Read a Harvard Top Seller.Watership Down (1972) by Richard Adams (Paperback, 476 pages)
#60 on the list.
Review: Wow. In the introduction, the author says that the story began as a tale to tell his children on long trips, and that, with encouragement from his family, he wrote it down and it became this novel. It does have an agreeable “once upon a time” feeling to it. A band of rabbits are forced by circumstance to leave their home and establish a new one. Several of the rabbits have distinct personalities which adds to the story. Values such as teamwork, personal bravery, and kindness to those less fortunate are demonstrated. I liked the ending. 5* Recommended for anyone interested in reading a good story.
Made into a movie:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078480/
+ 20 Task
+ 05 Combo (also fits: 20.4 made into a movie)
+ 10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 +10 = 35
+100 Reading With Style Finish (Yeah! I did it!)
Grand Total: 710 + 35 + 100 = 845
20.1 The Tattered CoverLeaves of Grass: The First (1855) Edition by the fabulously bearded Walt Whitman
Banned as "obscene literature"
Review: Poetry isn't something I should read at the end of a challenge - it definitely takes more patience than I am usually prepared to give to get into it, and to think about it. This is something I possibly would have enjoyed more if someone read it to me.
That said, there were things I liked very much - I Sing the Body Electric, To Think of Time, There was a child went forth, for example, and I felt the power of Whitman's eloquence and idea, but some of the poems just left me confused, and his Preface had me thinking I would have to deal with some obnoxious, egomaniacal bore.
Then again, I was quite struck by how modern some of his 100-odd years old ideas are, and that made me realize we may not have come as far as he (or I) would have liked in the meantime - equality for each and every one? How's that coming along exactly?
Task: 20
Review: 10
Canon: 10
Not-a-Novel: 10
Combo: 15 (10.6, 20.7, 20.3)
Task total: 65
Spring Challenge total: 1050
20.4 - In honor of El Ateneo bookstoreThe Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
+20 Task Points
+5 Combo (10.4 - It's Your Birthday)
Taks Total: 25
Grand Total: 415
Congratulations to everyone who finished AtW, RwS or both! And to everyone who met their goals, too!And thank you, Moderators, for all your hard work and time, and for the entertaining, great, challenges.
10.5 Rooting for the Bad GuyA Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
+10 Task
+10 Canon
+20 Combo (10.4, 10.7, 20.4-1951 movie, 20.1-http://classiclit.about.com/od/banned...)
+10 Not-a-Novel (play)
10.7 Reading is Awarding
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
+10 Task
20.1 The Tattered Book Cover
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
+20 Task http://www.banned-books.com/bbarticle...
+15 Combo (10.4, 20.4-1966 Movie, 20.5-pub 1950)
20.4 El Ateneo
The Motorcycle Diaries: A Journey Around South America by Che Guevara
+20 Task (2004 movie)
+10 Not-a-Novel
Tasks Total: 125
RwS Finish: 100
Mega Finish: 200
Post Total: 425
Season Total: 2310
20.4 book into movieMr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater (Lexile Score 910)
Review
This is a book that my children and I have been reading this spring for their homeschool curriculum. Now that we finished the book, they found the movie at the library for us to watch. A light bulb just went off! I book made into a movie! I have to say the movie isn’t much like the book.
Mr. Popper is an eccentric who paints houses for a living but has a deep interest in the continent of Antarctica. After corresponding with an explorer who was stationed there, he receives a gift of a Penguin. The madcap adventures begin with the family doing all they can to accommodate the penguin. First the icebox is converted for his personal use, then he gets a mate to cure his loneliness, then the babies come and the basement is flooded and frozen for their own Antarctic like environment. He has children delighted with the situation and an understanding wife. The penguins go on tour doing a show to help pay their way. A delightful classic of a book that hilariously explains how imagination can meet each unusual challenge.
+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Review
Task Total - 30 pts
Grand Total - 1670 pts
20.3 Harvard BookstoreGood Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Review
I know this one is a cult classic and I have had a copy for a long time. So why only 3 stars?? I just couldn't get into it. Maybe I have been reading too much YA stuff and this is way off my current reading list. I picked it up for a reading challenge and kept hoping I would get hooked. There are so many characters and it took awhile for me to know who was who-witches, demons, angels, antichrist, witch hunters, etc. It is an original story and possibly too British for me to entirely get everything. I am glad I read it and I usually enjoy Gaiman's work. I have Discworld books, but have not read any yet. I think I will probably read this one again later and I may change my rating.
Previous Total=155
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total= 185
20.9 May I have more?Cousin Bette by Honoré de Balzac
Review
First of all, what was most disappointing about this book was that it was 496 pages. Four pages short of Jumbo points! : ( It tooke me forever to read! A classic of Balzac’s Human Comedy series, this book reeks of backstabbing, betrayal, treachery to the utmost…and this is within a family! After Napoleon’s final exile, his supporters and officers were scrambling to not only remain free of political charges, but also to retain what power they had, in a new regime, which oftentimes was only temporarily. That sets up a culture of everyone for themselves that seems to be prevalent in most literature about France during this time period. The excesses of the men, the greed of the mistresses, the tyranny of the dejected suitor, and the jealousy of the poor relation all combine to become a saga. With typical Balzac convolutions, of what people can do to one another. This book is a cautionary tale for those who neglect the Golden Rule.
+10 pts - Task
+20 pts - Combo(10.3 - Bette, 10.8 - cousin, 20.1 - complete works banned by Catholic Church http://www.jahsonic.com/IndexProhibit... , 20.4 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118894/ )
+10 pts - Canon
+10 pts - Review
Task total - 50 pts
Grand Total - 1720 pts
Connie wrote: "Congratulations to everyone who finished AtW, RwS or both! And to everyone who met their goals, too!And thank you, Moderators, for all your hard work and time, and for the entertaining, great, ch..."
Hey, It's Not over yet! I'm one of those always reading til the deadline! (smile) I still have FOUR more to finish although I doubt I will finish them all.
10.9 Please sir The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers (I read Strong Poison last challenge)
+10 task
+5 combo (10.4 It's your birthday)
task total 15
Total points 1230
20.6 Selexyz Bookstore The Warden by Anthony Trollope
+20 task
+5 combo (20.4 part of the miniseries based on the Barchester Series http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1771933/p...)
+10 canon
Task total 35
Total points 1265
20.4 El Ateneo bookstore They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0712600/
+20 task
+5 combo (20.5 pub 1951)
Task total 25
Total points 1290
This is my final post for this challenge. Congratulations to all who met or exceeded their goals for this challenge, and thank you to all who have contributed to another great season of reading.
As always, special thanks to the mods, I can't imagine where you find the time and energy to keep us all straight.
+10 task
+5 combo (10.4 It's your birthday)
task total 15
Total points 1230
20.6 Selexyz Bookstore The Warden by Anthony Trollope
+20 task
+5 combo (20.4 part of the miniseries based on the Barchester Series http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1771933/p...)
+10 canon
Task total 35
Total points 1265
20.4 El Ateneo bookstore They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0712600/
+20 task
+5 combo (20.5 pub 1951)
Task total 25
Total points 1290
This is my final post for this challenge. Congratulations to all who met or exceeded their goals for this challenge, and thank you to all who have contributed to another great season of reading.
As always, special thanks to the mods, I can't imagine where you find the time and energy to keep us all straight.
10.1 Square Peg The Drop by Michael Connelly
+10 task
20.4 In honor of El Ateneo bookstore
One For The Money by Janet Evanovich
+20 task
Post Total 30
Total Points 440
20.1 Tattered CoverThe Country Girls by Edna O'Brien
This is an enjoyable book written as if it were an autobiography. It is a debut novel and the first of The Country Girls Trilogy.
The descriptions focus on the girls going to convent school. The story is so much more than that. A small portion of the book takes place at the convent, but only a small portion. Sometimes I wonder if those who write the descriptions ever read the book.
Unlike a book I read a week or so ago, I would classify this as a coming of age story. Caithleen is young at the beginning, and very innocent despite of living in the country on a farm. Her friend Baba is far less innocent.
The Country Girls was banned by the Irish censorship board for its sexual content in 1960. These days, I think most would find it tame indeed.
+20 Task (from wikipedia: "First published in 1960, the book has been variously banned."
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 810
Managed to get this last short one in - last post of the season.
20.1 In Honor of The Tattered Cover Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
+20 Task (withdrawn from publication)
+15 Combo: 10.3 - Girl’s Names, 10.4 - It’s Your Birthday, 20.4 - El Ateneo -http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044486/)
+10 Canon
+ 5 Jumbo (659 pages)
Task Total: 50
Grand total: 970 points
Rebekah wrote: "Hey, It's Not over yet! I'm one of those always reading til the deadline! (smile) I still have FOUR more to finish although I doubt I will finish them all."
It was kind of my personal goodbye to this challenge and congratulations in anticipation :)
Keeping my fingers crossed though for all still going strong - good luck and happy reading!
10.8 It's a Family AffairThe Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers
I heard Randy Susan Meyers speak about and read from her book at the book festival I attended in Tucson back in March...she was so engaging and entertaining, I knew I had to read this book. It's the story of Lulu and Merry who are 11 and 6 respectively when their father kills their mother in front of them. I've seen enough Law & Order in my day to know what happens to the perpetrator, but what happens to the kids? This book follows the girls for the next 30+ years and shows how they each respond to this life-altering moment.
Meyers career prior to the writing of this book was working with men who abused, beat, battered, and--in a few cases--murdered women. It was infinitely believable as a result of her understanding and experience with similar cases. Though it was positively gut-wrenching at points, I enjoyed this book a great deal.
+10 Task ("daughters")
+10 Review
Task Total = 20
Grand Total = 1560
I would also like to sound my barbaric yawp in the direction of the moderators...thank you for all you do!!!
Connie wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "Hey, It's Not over yet! I'm one of those always reading til the deadline! (smile) I still have FOUR more to finish although I doubt I will finish them all."
It was kind of my pers..."
Connie, I'll be very sorry if this means you won't be participating this summer or in future challenges. Your contributions are much appreciated.
(or is it just too early in the morning and you just meant goodbye to the spring challenge. )
Oh, nonono! I'll still be participating, I'm just done with the Spring challenge - I have reached my goal of finishing AtW and the 20-point tasks, so good old Walt's were my last points to claim :)Sorry if my post sounded more final than that - the joys and hazards of communicating in a second language :)
Anika wrote: "I would also like to sound my barbaric yawp in the direction of the moderators" - nice one, Anika! :)
Connie wrote: "Sorry if my post sounded more final than that - the joys and hazards of communicating in a second language :)"One would scarcely know English isn't your first language. I'm fairly certain that the problem was with the early hour here - you're some 10 hours different - and I didn't yet have my few wits about me.
10.8 It's A Family AffairWitch Child by Celia Rees
Review:
England, 1659. When Mary's grandmother is hanged for witchcraft, Mary is rescued by a mysterious lady and sent to America with a shipload of Puritans. But she's no safer there...
I enjoyed this historical YA novel. Mary is an interesting character and I liked that the usual girl-meets-boy cliché was almost absent. The plot didn't turn out quite the way that I expected after seeing them land at Salem, but that's the fault of my ignorance, not knowing that the trials happened 30 years later. It was an interesting and vivid depiction of the extremely insecure lives of the early settlers in Massachussetts.
Lexile: 760
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task total = 20
Grand total = 2005
That's my last post for Spring! Many many thanks to the moderators and all the other readers too. It's been a great challenge and I'm looking forward to Summer!
10.8 It's a Family AffairMothers and Sons: Stories by Colm Tóibín
+10 task
+5 combo (20.10 It's academic - (Princeton University and the University of Manchester) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colm_Toibin
+10 Not-A-Novel (short Stories)
Task total=25
Grand total=425
20.3 - Harvard BookstoreMoby-Dick by Herman Melville
+20 task
+25 combo (10.4 - Classic Kid's lit, 10.5 - Anti-hero, 20.1 - Banned, 20.4 - movie, 20.7 - Int'l acclaimed)
+10 Canon
+5 Jumbo (625 pages)
Task total: 60
Grand Total: 1030 points
RwS TaskI finished my audio book. I'm still working on Ines of My Soul to finish AtW.
20.4 In honor of El Ateneo bookstore
The Preacher by Camilla Läckberg
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024913/
I have definitely become a fan of Scandinavian Noir through the RwS Challenge. I was a couple of CDs into The Preacher when the summer tasks were announced, so I'm looking forward to continuing this series and/or the Henning Mankell series. I like the characters, but also the psychological thriller aspects of the books. I also find that I get insight into another culture that has similarities to mine (US), but also has differences that keep me on my toes and aware of the subtle differences in culture and politics. I was also totally baffled by the mystery in The Preacher, and thought I knew what the outcome would be, but found out I hadn't figured it out at all! If you haven't had a chance to read her work, try a Camilla Lackberg book in the summer challenge!
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 2030
AtW - CircumnavigatorRound Two
15.8 (8th stop) - Trinidad & Tobago (W 061 31)
Butterfly in the Wind by Lakshmi Persaud
+15 Task
+10 Bonus Points
Task Total: 25
15.9 (9th stop) - Spain (W003 43)
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
+15 Task
+10 Bonus Points
Task Total: 25
15.10 (10th stop) - France (W 002 21)
The Dream by Émile Zola
+15 Task
+10 Bonus Points
Task Total: 25
Well-Traveled Bonus: 100
Grand Total: 2070
20.3 In honor of Harvard BookstoreThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
+20 Task
+15 combo 10.4, 20.4, 20.6
+10 Canon
Task Total = 45
Grand Total = 355
20.6 - In honor of Selexyz Bookstore.American Gods by Neil Gaiman
+20 Task
+5 Jumbo
Total Task Points: 25
Grand Total 440
20.8 It's AlphabeticChiefs by Stuart Woods
Review
Again I must give credit to this group for helping discover an author who I hope to read more of.
Chiefs won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, the year it published and well deserved the honor. The author first got into publishing because of his sailing experiences while living as an ex-pat in Ireland. Although he was originally from Georgia, he first wrote nautical books in Ireland before deciding to write his first novel when he came up with the idea based on an incident in his own life. As a boy he had found a policeman’s badge with old bloodstains on it. He was told the story of his grandfather having worn it and had been shot in the line of duty. From there he came up with an imaginative premise based on the police force of a small Georgia town.
Although the book is classified as a mystery, it is much more. Covering a fictional history of a small town that sprung up out of the wilderness in the 1890’s until days before the assassination of President Kennedy. With much research, even small nuances read realistically, primarily relating to the second class treatment of African Americans, and is better understood after having read the group read book, The Warmth of Other Suns. The book opens with a victim running from his torturer and falling off a cliff to his death. This occurs shortly after the town of Delano hires it’s very first and only police officer in the 1920’s. Later another body is found, another young, drifting white man this time found shot but in the general area. More deaths occur until the end of the book when 43 victims are found. From the first of the book, the reader knows exactly who the sadistic murderer is. Every time the police chief comes near to cracking the case wide open, he is hindered by events that all began with an issue of whites mistreating blacks. SPOILER ALERT Two chiefs end up murdered decades apart, before anyone can figure what they was up to. Ironically it is the state’s first Black police Chief who finally solves the case after many tribulations of his own and everyone is surprised when the perpetrator is a supposedly benign town character who is white.SPOILER END There is so much history, plot and puzzle pieces that book keeps one glued to it until the end. I stayed up until 3:30am to finish!
+20 pts - Task
+5 pts - Combo(20.4 made into a TV miniseries http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_W...)
+10 pts - Review
(wah! another >400 page book that doesn't get jumbo points. smile)
Task Total - 35 pts
Grand Total - 1755 pts
maybe I can finish one more before bedtime?.
10.8 Rosemary's task - It's a Family AffairFamily word: nephew
The Well-Favored Man: The Tale of the Sorcerer's Nephew (Argylle #1) (1993) by Elizabeth Willey
Review: Online reviews say this novel is similar to Roger Zelazny’s Amber novels. I don’t know about that, as I haven’t read them. This novel is a fantasy novel. The main characters are all members of an extended royal family. Magic is real, as are dragons and gryphons. There was a lot of “telling” and not a lot of “showing”. I think she was aiming at telling about an affectionate but eccentric magically gifted extended wealthy family. She had some hits, and a lot of misses. I suspect this was a first novel. Recommended only for fantasy fans.
+ 10 Task
+ 10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 845 + 20 = 865
And, with that I'm done with this challenge. It was fun! Thanks to the moderators for all that they do, and I'll see ya in the summer challenge.
20.4 In Honor of El AteneoThe Road by Cormac McCarthy
As I started this book, I immediately felt the sense that I was rereading The Gunslinger and that wasn't such a good thing since I did not particularly enjoy that book. As the book progressed, however, I settled into McCarthy's sparse prose. His story is simple but quite compelling and the setting is truly the protagonist of this book. The post-devastation wasteland is horrific and fundamental questions of quality of life, human existance, spirituality float in and out of the dialogue between father and son that is central to the book. I had so many questions that were left unanswered like HOW? WHY? WHEN? WHO? WHERE? But then it was clear that none of this really mattered to the characters - only survival and keeping on keeping on down the road were what mattered.
+20 Task (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/)
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.7 Reading is Rewarding)
Task Total = 35
Grand Total = 545
Christin wrote: "AtW - CircumnavigatorRound Two
15.8 (8th stop) - Trinidad & Tobago (W 061 31)
Butterfly in the Wind by Lakshmi Persaud
+15 Task
+10 Bonus Points
Task Total: 25
15.9 (9th stop) - Spain (W003 43..."
Congratulations for your 'Round the World' in 92 days!
20.3 Harvard Top SellerHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
+ 20 Task
+ 15 Combo (10.5, 20.1, 20.4)
Task total = 35
Grand total : 180
10.3 - Girls’ NamesMarie-Blanche by Jim Fergus
+10 Task
+10 Jumbo (736 pages)
Task Total = 20
Grand total : 200
nsfancy wrote: "10.8 Family affair Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett+10 task
Total points 1215"
+5 Combo (10.5 All the Discworld novels are included on the wikipedia list)
Deedee wrote: "Taks 20.3 Read a Harvard Top Seller.Watership Down (1972) by Richard Adams (Paperback, 476 pages)
#60 on the list.
Review: Wow. In the introduction, the author says that the story began as a t..."
Way to go! Congrats, Deedee! Good luck this summer!
Don wrote: "TASK 10.7 Reading is AwardingPart Of Nature, Part Of Us: Modern American Poets by Helen Vendler
This is a collection of essays about modern American poets written by a now Harvard professor, ..."
Congratulations on your Mega Finish, Don! Hope you enjoyed it!
Christin wrote: "AtW - CircumnavigatorRound Two
15.8 (8th stop) - Trinidad & Tobago (W 061 31)
Butterfly in the Wind by Lakshmi Persaud
+15 Task
+10 Bonus Points
Task Total: 25
15.9 (9th stop) - Spain (W003 43..."
Wow! Around the World twice! Did you prefer one trip over the other?
10.8 Rosemary's Task: It's a Family AffairBoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker
I had downloaded the audio version of "Boneman's Daughters" from my library long ago, and relegated it to the category of "to be read (someday)." I was scrolling through my iPod looking for a quick and exciting read, so I settled on this book.
The first chapter threw me off a bit. It had been a long time since I read the description of the book, and all I remembered was that it was about a serial killer. I had completely forgotten that Ryan (the main character) was in the Navy, so it took me a little while to settle into the military setting. There were a few minutes of listening where I thought I had somehow gotten the wrong audiobook.
Once I acclimated to what was going on, however, the story really picked up and quickly became quite interesting. Naval intelligence offcier barely escapes with his life and sanity intact after being abducted by an Iraqi insurgent with a particularly cruel kind of revenge on his mind. Ryan basically makes it home just in time to find his worst fears being realized--his daughter has been taken captive by a brutal serial killer, and the clock is ticking. But, after being out of her life for so long, will Ryan be able to make any difference? The plot is tense and Dekker is constantly raising the stakes for the main characters. He changes viewpoints, only to switch again just when the reader is begging for more information. His style definitely keeps you reading.
On a side note, I didn't find out until after the fact that this book is shelved by many as a work of "Christian fiction." Which is probably a good thing, because I doubt I would have read it if that was how I came upon it. I wouldn't consider the book to be overwrought with religious themes. The Biblical references are there, but I suppose it's how you look at it--I was reading this book as a suspense novel and simply took the allusions as literary references rather than as the author driving home a moral message. If you wanted to read it for a religious interpretation, you could certainly do that, but there are also much less violent and creepy books that you could get that from!
If your idea of a good summer read is a fast-paced suspense novel that will give you the willies at times, take this one to the beach with you. It will not disappoint.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total = 20
Grand Total = 455
20.2 True ColorsThe Age of Grief by Jane Smiley
+20 Task (on 100 novels list)
+5 Combo (20.4 - movie made in 2003)
+10 Not a Novel
Task Total = 35 points
20.6 Selexyz Bookstore
The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd by Mary Rose O'Reilley
+20 Task (294.3092)
+5 (20.10 – O’Reilley teaches at the University of St. Thomas)
+10 Not a Novel
Task Total = 35 points
RwS Bonus = 100 points
Grand Total = 665 points
So happy to have reached my goal of finishing all the RwS tasks for this challenge!
10.4 - It's Your Birthday Hard Times by Charles Dickens
+10 task (On Classic children's literature list- Grades 9 through 12)
+5 combo (20.4 adaptations) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109985/
+10 canon
Task total=25
Grand total=450
Kate S wrote: "Christin wrote: "AtW - CircumnavigatorRound Two
15.8 (8th stop) - Trinidad & Tobago (W 061 31)
Butterfly in the Wind by Lakshmi Persaud
+15 Task
+10 Bonus Points
Task Total: 25
15.9 (9th stop)..."
I just loved this sub-challenge! I think I enjoyed the second round more because I really opened myself to finding new authors and choosing books that exposed me to the different countries (versus the first round where I read more fluff style of books) ^_^
Don wrote: "Kate S wrote: "Don wrote: "TASK 10.7 Reading is AwardingPart Of Nature, Part Of Us: Modern American Poets by Helen Vendler
This is a collection of essays about modern American poets written b..."
I'm glad you enjoyed the challenge! A goal of not reading a book like a text book at the end of the season is fantastic one for the summer challenge!
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Hard Times: For These Times (other topics)The Age of Grief (other topics)
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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