Spring 2012 Reading w/Style Completed Tasks

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Welcome, JD!

(and anyone else who is new to Reading with Style and I who I may have failed to greet!)

[Silver]

10.7 Rebekah's task - Reading is Awarding

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Review:

This is a book that I have been wanting to read, and yet was a bit reluctant to do so, and needed the extra motivation. I was really glad to have this book recommended to me. I ended up liking it more than I would have thought. I found that it was beautifully written and an interesting story. I really enjoyed the characters. I loved the complexity of Wang Lung. At root he seemed to be a good man who wanted to do the right thing and was compassionate and well meaning, but seemed often to be led astray by the struggles of his life, and temptations. I did not always agree with the decisions he made in his life or some the things he did, but I still found him all in all a sympathetic character and though he may have done some bad things over all he was not a bad person. This was a very beautiful as well as a very true to life, and very human look into the lives of people from another time and another culture. There were some very touching moments.

+10 Task
+10 Combo ( 20.1 - In honor of The Tattered Cover: Banned in China: http://bannedbookschallenge.blogspot...., 20.4 - In honor of El Ateneo bookstore, a bookshop converted from an old theatre in downtown Buenos Aires, Read a Book that has been made into a movie.)
+10 Reveiw

Total Taks Points: 30

Grand Total: 30

[Kate S]

Carolyn wrote:"10.3 - Girls' Names

Annabel by Kathleen Winter
+10 Combo (20.2, nominee for the Orange Prize in 2011)"

Combo points are +5 per additional task for which a book qualifies. I only see 20.2 as a combo. Let me know if I missed something.

Otherwise, I have your total at 60 through post #319.

[Tien]

AtW - Circumnavigator

Task 15.5 (5th Itinerary Stop) South Korea (E 126 58)
The Ancient Garden: A Love Story by Hwang Sok-yong
South Korean author and book mostly (95%) set in South Korea

+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total = 25 points
Grand Total = 340 points

[Silver]

10.4 - It's Your Birthday,

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

+10 Task
+5 Combo (20.4 - In honor of El Ateneo bookstore, a bookshop converted from an old theatre in downtown Buenos Aires, Read a Book that has been made into a movie.)

Total Task Points: 15

Grand Total: 45

[Sarah (Bright & Bookish)]

20.6 Selexyz Bookstore

Magnificent Corpses: Searching Through Europe for St. Peter's Head, St. Claire's Heart, St. Stephen's Hand, and Other Saintly Relic by Anneli Rufus

When I was 16 years old I went to Europe on a school trip and we visited a number of churches, one of which is the final resting place of Saint Claire of Assisi. At that time staring at the wax figure I had no idea what relics were. I am not Catholic and so I hoped that this book would shed some light on relics and their significance. While I could have chosen a book on the subject written by a Catholic I chose this one as the author is Jewish and I thought it would provide a less biased point of view. I didn't want to read something fluffy, I wanted the truth of the matter. What I didn't bargain for was the fact that while the parts of the book that are written about the lives of the Saints discussed are to the point and for the most part respectful, the accounts of the author's travels through Europe seemed disrespectful to me. I was especially insulted by the way the author belittled the other visitors in the various churches and chapels visited for their belief that the relics have spiritual and sometimes seemingly magical significance. If it hadn't been for the stories of the Saints I would have probably put this book down. I would recommend that if you have an interest in the lives of the Saints chose a different book.

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.3 Girls Name : Claire, 20.8 It's Aphabetic : for St.)
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel

Task Total: 50

Grand Total: 250

[Sarah (Bright & Bookish)]

10.3 Girls Names

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

I was somewhat disappointed by this book as I thought it would more closely resemble the Disney movie that I saw so many times as a child. While I know that Carroll has always been lauded as one of, if not the first children's author to write a book without all of the moralizing usual for the genre, I don't agree with this assessment. The book follows the adventures of Alice as she explores the very unusual Wonderland, and while at first glance it appears there is no logic to her wanderings I noticed that many of the characters, and Alice herself comment on proper behaviour for young girls. When Alice angers the Mouse by talking about her cat Dinah, Alice comments how it is rude to walk away from a conversation. When Alice visits the Mad Hatter and the March Hare for tea she is angered by the fact that they do not conform to how one should behave at tea, constantly asking her riddles and questions. And when she meets the mock turtle she comments on how it is not proper to be so sad. So while this book does not preach proper behaviour the reader is bombarded at all times by what proper behaviour should be. All of the antics in Wonderland are examples of what not to do. Overall this is still a very enjoyable book and everyone should read it.

+10 Task
+20 Combo (10.4 It's Your Birthday, 20.1 Tattered Cover http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_... , 20.3 Harvard Bookstore, 20.4 El Ateneo)
+10 Review
+10 Canon

Task Total: 50

Grand Total: 300

[Silver]

10.1 - Square Peg

Lost Discoveries: The Ancient Roots of Modern Science-From the Babylonians to the Maya by Dick Teresi


It was difficult to decide how to rate this book, because while on the one hand I did thoroughly enjoy reading the book as I found the subject matter to be truly fascinating, on the other hand I found that the way in which the content was presented left something to be desired.

While the content within the book is truly interesting the author presents it in a less than interesting way making the reading at points a bit dry and difficult to grind through. Teresi may be knowledgeable and a good researcher but I fear that he is not a good writer.

I did learn a great deal from this book and I was glad for having read it. I personally thought one of the most interesting, at least to read, chapters was the chapter on Cosmology, as I am fascinated by creation stories from different cultures. In addition because the subject dealt a lot more with myth rather than talking of science and math it did help make the reading a bit more interesting and easy going. It is also interesting to see the similarities between the different cultures.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel

Total Task Points: 30

Grand Total: 75

[Kathleen (itpdx)]

15.3 AtW Circumnavigator stop #3 Chile (W070 39)
Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende
+15 Task
+10 bonus

Previous Total: 205
New Total: 230

[Christin]

10.3 Girls' Names

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Last Gleaming by Joss Whedon

I liked a good portion of the Season 8 graphic novels that were released to continue the story of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer...until it got to these two final volumes. First there is cosmic sex (as in they actually create a universe through superhero-powered sex) which was just utterly ridiculous. That whole scene just made me wonder if it was a bad joke I wasn't getting. In this volume, though, I could see that Joss was trying to pull the Buffy-universe back from that ridiculousness. However it was still too much all crammed in to create an ending. Luckily Joss has said he will be focusing on a more grounded Season 9.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not-A-Novel

Task Total: 30


10.9 "Please Sir, I want some more..."

Moonheart by Charles de Lint

I listened to The Onion Girl earlier this winter and was really impressed with de Lint so I looked around and happened upon Moonheart, one of his few books outside of the Newford series. A good book but not quite as stellar as The Onion Girl with a mixture of magic from both Native American and Celtic folklore. The build-up was really good, the descriptions kept me intrigued, and I really liked the characters....but the ending just dragged out for what seemed forever. There were multiple "final" battles and suddenly it felt like the book was digressing to points of view that I didn't really care about (a cop outside of the action for instance). A good book but I definitely felt the ending could have used some condensing.

+10 Task
+10 Review

Task Total: 20


20.7 Kid's Republic

Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative by Anonymous (Transl. by Herbert Mason)

A beautiful story told in epic verse that is the epitome of the essential hero's journey. Gilgamesh is a god-king and lives his life in a carefree manner, defeating great beasts and dismissing the gods. Yet the poem is about his grief over the death of his friend Enkil and his subsequent journey to try and restore Enkil to life. What I find the most compelling about the story is that Gilgamesh finds the plant that grants immortal life...and then loses it. He does not succeed in his mission. Rather the story is all about his grief and pain told in a very realistic and touching manner.

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.6, 20.4)
+10 Review
+10 Not-A-Novel
+10 Canon

Task Total: 60


20.5 Shakespeare and Co.

Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw

It has been years since I last read Saint Joan and I had forgotten just how very much I liked it. One of my favorite monologues as a teenager was actually her last speech in the play about how being imprisoned is not a life. Joan of Arc is beautifully imagined in this play as a young, innocent, but impassioned and charismatic young woman. She leads by example and speaks her belief always. So many of the characters around her are disconcerted by her directness and her utter belief in her "voices." Proviso: Shaw definitely portrays her in such a way that it is obvious she IS a saint and not only shows her "miracles" but also the distinct effect her life had on those around her. Yet the play is also extremely witty and a joy to read.

+20 Task
+20 Combo (10.3, 10.4, 20.4, 20.6)
+10 Review
+10 Not-A-Novel
+10 Canon

Task Total: 70


10.7 Reading is Awarding

Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches by Tony Kushner

Somehow I have completely missed ever reading or watching Angels in America so I knew I had to choose it for one of my challenges. Part I focuses on the rise of the AIDS epidemic from the viewpoint of four different gay men in New York in the eighties and nineties. The synopsis says three men but I found it more to be four: Roy, Joe, Louis, and Prior. There are some rather fantastical touches to the script (like the Angel and the previous Prior's) but the overall feel to the play is one of realism. The different attitudes and emotions felt true to each of the individual characters. You felt for each of them in their own way, their own approach to themselves and life - even though many times it was self-destructive. I look forward to reading the second part soon.

+10 Task
+20 Combo (10.10, 20.1, 20.4, 20.9)
+10 Review
+10 Not-A-Novel
+10 Canon

Task Total: 60

Grand Total: 750

[Phoebe]

20.4 made into a movie

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

Review:
I was positively surprised about how chilly and ghostly the atmosphere was while reading. Susan Hill has created a really likeable first-person-narrator with Arthur Kipps. Arthur is a solicitor who has to travel to a remote location in England to deal with the last paper-work of a recently deceased old woman. Already on arriving in the remote town Arthur finds the people's reaction to his business rather strange. And things turn quite turmoil and exciting when not only a ghostly figure appears to him during the funeral, but when he finally sets foot on the even more remote land his client had lived on. Strange happenings occur and Arthur has to decide how much action he can take...

+ 20 task (in cinemas 2012)
+ 10 review

Task total: 30 points

Grand Total: 110 points

[Silver]

10.5 - Rooting for the Bad Guy

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

+10 Taks
+5 Combo (20.4 - In honor of El Ateneo bookstore, a bookshop converted from an old theatre in downtown Buenos Aires, Read a Book that has been made into a movie.)

Total Task Points: 15

Grand Total: 90

[Liz M]

Phoebe wrote: "20.4 made into a movie

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill...."

Also an 1989 TV movie.

[Liz M]

In post 326: Silver wrote: "10.2 - Space Out

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells..."

I am not sure this book quite fits the task -- I thought the entire book took place on Earth (after the space ships have landed, thus no space travel)?

[Silver]

Liz M wrote: "Silver wrote: "10.2 - Space Out

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells..."

I am not sure this book quite fits the task -- I thought the entire book took place on Earth (a..."

I thought maybe it might have worked but I can see your point.

[Liz M]

Silver wrote: "I thought maybe it might have worked but I can see your point..."

It's nearly impossible to write tasks precisely enough (what does it mean to "feature" space travel?).

Do you want to claim it for 10.4 - Classic Kid's Lit or 20.4 - El Ateneo, book into movie?

[Silver]

Liz M wrote: "Silver wrote: "I thought maybe it might have worked but I can see your point..."

It's nearly impossible to write tasks precisely enough (what does it mean to "feature" space travel?).

Do you wa..."

I changed it to claim the Classic Kids Lit challenge

[Silver]

20.4 - In honor of El Ateneo bookstore, a bookshop converted from an old theatre in downtown Buenos Aires, Read a Book that has been made into a movie.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.4 - It's Your Birthday)
+5 Jumbo

Toal Task Points: 30

Grand Total: 120

[Norma]

AtW - Circumnavigator

Task 15.9 (9th Itinerary Stop) North America-Canada W075 41 - Still Life by Louise Penny
Still Life

+15 task
+10 bonus
Task total 25

Task 15.10 (10th Itinerary Stop) South America-Brazil W047 54 - Eleven Minutes

Eleven Minutes

+15 task
+10 bonus
Task total 25

Total points this post: 50
Total points: 240

[Silver]

20.4 - In honor of El Ateneo bookstore, a bookshop converted from an old theatre in downtown Buenos Aires, Read a Book that has been made into a movie.

The Wings of the Dove by Henry James

+20 Task
+10 Canon
+10 Jumbo

Total Task Points: 40

Grand Total: 160

[Liz M]

Norma wrote: "AtW - Circumnavigator

Task 15.9 (9th Itinerary Stop) North America-Canada W075 41 - Still Life by Louise Penny

Task 15.10 (10th Itinerary Stop) South America-Brazil W047 54 - Eleven Minutes..."

Congrats on your AtW finish! And, more importantly, don't forget your 100 point Well-Traveled bonus!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Oooohh, I missed that in your post. Big congrats, Norma!

[Silver]

20.2 - In honor of True Colors, the oldest independent feminist bookstore in North America, Read a Book that was nominated for the Orange Prize or one of the 100 Great 20th Century Works of Fiction by Women.


The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht

Review:

I have to say that I felt a bit disappointed in this book. I was on the fence about weather or not I wanted to read it, but there were some aspects which intrigued me about it, and I saw it was considered Magic Realism which I generally quite enjoy.

But reading the story I felt that it was a bit mediocre. The magical part of it did not go quite far enough, and came off as being very muted, and the story itself was not strong enough on its own accord. I feel as if in a way the book did not push the envelop far enough, and that nether the realistic elements of the story nor more fantastical parts were strong enough. It felt like the author did not really fully commit to the story but held back.

I enjoyed the parts of the story which dealt with the Tiger and the Tiger's wife the most, and I loved the character of Darisa. In a way I feel as if the book would have been stronger if it focused more upon telling the story of the village where her grandfather grew up, instead of revealing it through flashbacks.

Part of the problem I have is that I feel as if the narrator did not really do anything for the story. Her own little story didn't seem to go anywhere and it seemed that her purpose was only to tell her grandfather's story. Though parts about the Deathless man were interesting.

I had trouble with the narrative voice, as at times it seemed a bit awkward, and the way the flashbacks were presented it was difficult to keep track as to what events were happening when.

+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.8 Rosemary's task - It's a Family Affair)
+10 Review

Total Task Points: 35

Grand Total: 195

[Karen Michele]

Congratulations, Norma! I haven't even started my trip yet but I plan to take off in early April ;)

[Silver]

20.1 - In honor of The Tattered Cover, a Denver store that refused to turn over sales information to the police and won a case in the Colorado Supreme Court on first amendment grounds, Read a Banned Book

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/dangero...

Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

+20 Task
+10 Combo (In honor of El Ateneo bookstore, a bookshop converted from an old theatre in downtown Buenos Aires, Read a Book that has been made into a movie, 10.5 - Rooting for the Bad Guy)
+10 Cannon

Total Task Points: 40

Grand Total: 235

[Silver]

20.7 - In honor of Kid’s Republic book store in Beijing, which carries over 4000 titles from Europe, America, Japan and China and is devoted to the development of international citizens, Read an internationally acclaimed book from this list.

Tales from the Thousand and One Nights

+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.6 - In honor of Selexyz Bookstore, a dutch bookstore located inside a refurbished Dominican church dating from 1294, Read a Novel that has a religious figure as the main character OR a non-fiction book about religion (Dewey decimal numbers: 200-299).)
+10 Not a Novel

Total Task Points: 35

Grand Total: 270

[Amy W]

20.3 Harvard Bookstore

Drown by Junot Díaz

+20 Task
+10 Combo (20.1 – Banned in Tuscon, AZ in 2012: http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/0... 20.10 - Diaz is a creative writing professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
+10 Not a Novel

Task Total = 40 points

Grand Total = 190 points

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Don wrote: "ATW Frequent Flier

Task 15.9 9th stop

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi,

+15 Task 15.9 9th stop, Iran
+10 Bonus, (6th-10th stops)

Total 25

Gr..."

This book has a Lexile of NC380L and is not eligible for the 10 point bonus.

[Rosemary]

AtW - Circumnavigator

Task 15.4 (4th Itinerary Stop) South Africa (E 028 11)
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

+15 Task
+10 Bonus

Task 15.5 (5th Itinerary Stop) Afghanistan (E 069 09)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

+15 Task
+10 Bonus

Total this post = 50

Grand Total: 510

[Erin]

20.3 Harvard Bookstore

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.4 1990 )

Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 110

[Kate S]

Silver wrote: "20.4 - In honor of El Ateneo bookstore, a bookshop converted from an old theatre in downtown Buenos Aires, Read a Book that has been made into a movie.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by [..."

At 528 pages, this qualifies for +5 Jumbo points.

[Kate S]

Silver wrote: "20.4 - In honor of El Ateneo bookstore, a bookshop converted from an old theatre in downtown Buenos Aires, Read a Book that has been made into a movie.

The Wings of the Dove by [au..."

+10 Jumbo for over 700 pages

[Silver]

Kate S wrote: "Silver wrote: "20.4 - In honor of El Ateneo bookstore, a bookshop converted from an old theatre in downtown Buenos Aires, Read a Book that has been made into a movie.

[book:The Wings of the Dove..."

Oh thank you, I overlooked that and forgot to check the page numbers.

[Rosemary]

20.7 In Honor of Kid's Republic

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Review:
Winston Smith is living under the dictatorship of the Party in 1984. The world is divided into three main powers and some disputed areas that are the reason - or excuse - for constant conflict between the powers. Winston's job is to alter historical records, newspaper articles, etc to eliminate all trace of people or events that the Party wants to pretend never existed. This is the story of his rebellion and its consequences.
Orwell goes a little bit too much into the pseudo-historical details in places, with long quotes from a 'forbidden book', but it's a great and frightening study of how people can be controlled.

+20 Task
+20 Combo (10.4; 10.5 wikipedia list; 20.1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_... ; 20.4 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087803/ )
+10 Review
+10 Canon

Task total = 60

Grand total = 570

[Tien]

10.5 Rooting for the Bad Guy
The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
#25 of Best Antihereos in Books

This is one of those books where I just had too high an expectation for:
The first part of the book which basically sets out the whole premise / background is sooo very slow. And took up half the book!! Did not enjoy this part at all and would have rated the book 2 stars at most but...

This is one of those books where I am torn between 2 characters and just can't decide who should win!
Okay, so morally, I know which side I should be on but still... it was just so tense & suspenful! I love the second & third parts of this book which is basically the second half of the novel. This is where the excitement of a thriller lies and I have to admit, yes, it was fantastic. So don't give up in the first half, keep going!

+10 Task
+5 Combo (20.4 - movie adaptations)
+10 Review


Task Total = 25 points
Grand Total = 365 points

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Don wrote: "???? In msg 43 under AtW Questions and Answers discussions, it says that lexile didn't matter since you can't earn style points for this challenge. Are bonus and style points the same? I am confused. "


I was right the first time, Don. My apologies for this, but sort of glad it came up - I won't forget it!

No, the Lexile doesn't matter on the sub-challenge, and your score will be credited for
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood.

[[deleted user]]

10.9 Karen's task - "Please Sir, I want some more"

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett (I read Good Omens during the winter challenge).

I went through a big fantasy reading phase when I was young. At some point, I seem to have blended Terry Prachett and Piers Anthony into one person. It was Piers Anthony that I read in late middle school/ early high school--absurd and full of puns. I sort of liked it initially but it grew stale quickly. Unfortunately, I had a friend who thought he was the greatest thing ever, talked about Xanth endlessly and convinced me to read more of the series than I would have done otherwise. It ended up putting me off the humorous side of fantasy books almost entirely.

I’ve only recently realized two things: First, Terry Prachett is not Piers Anthony (nor Terry Goodkind). Second, sometimes I enjoy a well-told silly story. This has much in common with Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (which I re-read earlier in the challenge). Its basically fueled by absurdity, but done in such a way that I found it entertaining rather than annoying or insulting. I can’t quite put my finger on what makes me like this book, and be so appalled by others. Maybe I have something against puns or maybe it was that the first Prachett book that I read was co-written with Neil Gaiman and the humor quite a bit darker than the pure-Prachett seems to be. I’m sure I’ll read some more in this giant series of series (39?! books). I may try out one his officially labeled “young adult” books with my son next or just go on to the second in the series.

+10 task
+5 Combo 10.5 (Rincewind is on the wikipedia anti-hero list.)
+10 review
total=25

grand total=290

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

High school students are masters at getting out of anything they don't want to do. i work in a high school too.

[Tobey]

RwS

20.8 It's Alphabetic - The Hunt For Atlantis by Andy McDermott (CDE in author's last name)

Nina wined, she cried, she moaned, she bit**ed, she complained and for me, she wasn’t the strong and brave heroine you normally root for. For those of you that like the adventure novels of Rollins and Brown, the premise of this one sounds fantastic but it really wasn’t – at least it wasn’t for me. It was a slogging and finally, finally picked up at about the 400 page mark and started to get really interesting. But it was too long gone by then and I finished it because I was over halfway through it by then. I cleared another one off my TBR and maybe even two as I’m on the fence about reading the second one…

+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo (I hope I've listed the right edition, mine had 514 pages)

Task Total=35
Grand Total=170

[Kate S]

10.9 Please Sir, I want some more

Christietown by Susan Kandel

I read Kandel's Not a Girl Detective for the Winter Challenge

+10 Task

20.1 Tattered Corner
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

+20 Task (http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/boo...)
+15 Combo (10.3, 10.4, 20.4)
+10 Canon

20.4 El Ateneo (Book made into a movie)

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.10-professor of public law and the philosophy of law at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany)

20.10 It's Academic

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

+20 Task (teaches at the Master of Fine Arts program at Queens University of Charlotte)
+10 Combo (10.3, 10.7)

Post Total: 110
Season Total: 665

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

15.6 (6th Itinerary Stop) Trinidad and Tobago (W 061 31)


The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey

+15 Task
+10 Bonus

Task Total = 25

Grand Total = 160

my review

[JD]

20.4 In Honor of El Ateneo bookstore

The Girl with the Dragon Tattooby Stieg Larsson

+20 Task
+5 Combo 10.5

Task total =25

Grand total= 120

[Kate S]

Rosemary wrote: "20.7 In Honor of Kid's Republic

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Review:
Winston Smith is living under the dictatorship of the Party in 1984. The world is divid..."

+5 Also qualifies for 10.5-on the wikipedia list of anti-heroes

[Connie]

20.2 True Colors
The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht, winner of the 2011 Orange Prize

Review: The Tiger's Wife tells the story of Natalia, a young doctor, as she retraces her grandfather's life. Set in the former Yugoslavia, her and her grandfather's story is not only about them, but about a region that has been ravaged by war over and over, where, in fact, war is a constant of life - if it's not there yet, it's just around the corner. Everywhere she and he go, there is a sense of hostility and uprootedness - there's the wrong dialect, the wrong religion, the wrong look, that will get you in trouble, there's borders everywhere.
But this is all almost given as a fact of life, and serves as a backdrop to the magical realism that unfolds in her grandfather's life - there's the man who cannot die, and the tiger that lives in the woods around his village. There's the deaf-mute girl that has no name but becomes the Tiger's Wife, and the man who may or may not have transformed into a bear.
I enjoyed the book, but there is something timid about the stories, a stopping short of their full potential.

Task: 20
Combo: +5 (10.8 "Wife")
Review: +10

Task Total: 35

Grand Total: 250

[Rosemary]

Kate S wrote: "+5 Also qualifies for 10.5-on the wikipedia list of anti-heroes "

Thank you! I have edited my post #358.

[[deleted user]]

ATW - Circumnavigator

15.1 (1st stop) New Zealand (E17446)
Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox

Task total = 15 points

15.2 (2nd stop) U.S. (W07702)
All Clear by Connie Willis

Task points 15
Bonus points 10

task total 25

Grand total 40

[[deleted user]]

ATW - Circumnavigator

15.3 (3rd stop) Canada (W07541)
Survival by Julie E. Czerneda

Task points 15
Bonus points 10

Task total 25

Total points 65

[[deleted user]]

Task 10.1 Square peg
The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King

Task points 10

Total points 75


Task 10.5 Bad Guy
Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett (features Rincewind)

Task points 10

Total points 85

[[deleted user]]

Task 20.1 Banned book
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/books/sto...

Task points 20
+5 Combo (20.3 Harvard list)

Task total 25

Total points 110

[Carolyn]

20.6 - Selexyz Bookstore (religious)

Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith by Martha N. Beck

I had mixed feelings throughout this book. Which is probably the only sane reaction to such a narrative.

This is the author's story of her life in the LDS community, from her tumultuous upbringing through her apostacy and her reconciliation with her own beliefs and values outside of the church. It is surely an interesting story and perspective, but there were things about this book that bothered me more than a little. I'll get those out of the way first.

The author contradicts herself fairly often, which can be a bit aggravating. For example, she waxes poetic a number of times about being of "Mormon nobility" as far as her lineage goes, with random strangers constantly recognizing her because of her father's fame. However, she also describes her childhood home as being basically a chaotic band of ragamuffins living in poverty with uninvolved, distant parental units. I am not especially familiar with the LDS social heirarchy, as it were, but it seems to me you can't call yourself nobility and impoverished simultaneously.

I was not especially endeared by the author's tone, which I found at times to be snarky and disdainful. I suppose that if her experiences were as she recounts, that she is entitled to have whatever tone she pleases. However, it irked me when she would go off on flowery philosophical meanderings about all paths to god being of equal value, but would then verbally thumb her nose at the Mormon community. I think she could have gotten some of her points across more credibly if she had skipped the attempts to be amusing, which came off like the comments of a snotty teenager.

That being said, Beck does make some important overtures in this book that apply well beyond the scope of LDS society. I appreciated the message of individuality that she demonstrates throughout her life. Faced with a push to conform in multiple situations, she generally ended up on the path less traveled. For example, as a graduate student on the east coast, she becomes pregnant with her second child, who is diagnosed in vitro as having Downs Syndrome. The medical community as well as her academic peers push heavily towards a "therapeutic abortion," but Beck holds true to her own values and chooses to continue the pregnancy and raise a special needs child rather than treat him as an inconvenience. On the other hand, when she is back in the predominantly Mormon Utah community, as a mother of three she is expected to stay at home baking bread, changing diapers, tatting doilies, etc. While she does fulfill her maternal role, she also takes the unexpected path of pursuing a teaching career at BYU.

I also respect her choice to come forward about her alleged childhood sexual abuse. Having read a few scathing reviews of this book before, I half expected her story to be a crock of well, you know. I think describing her experience as "recovered memories" is misleading, however. Her recollections occurred gradually and spontaneously, not in a guided therapy session, which seems to be how the rash of "false memories" in the 80s and 90s were generated. Personally I was not surprised that she would have repressed the experiences she had as a young child. Number one, she was between the ages of five and seven. How many people remember that time period with perfect clarity? Number two, it is not at all unusual to divert the mind after a painful or traumatic experience. It is a coping method, if a maladaptive one, that temporarily protects the mind and allows the person to continue functioning on some level. I greatly respect her decision to turn her experience around and try to help other women in her (former) community. Once again, I cannot speak specifically about how the Mormon church handles abuse and rape, because I have no experience with them. But I do have experience with how our society at large responds to rape and sexual abuse, and there is one perfect word to describe it: shameful. Our society is obsessed with blaming the victims. I think I actually had flames coming from my ears a few months ago when I read a recent book on the history of violence in which that (male) author asserted that sexual assault is grossly overreported and that women's services/support sources inflate rape statistics to further their own agenda. I'm sorry, but what rock has THAT man been living under?

Sorry about the tangent, but I guess I've reinforced the point that while I didn't necessarlily love this book or the way it was written, the core issue is very important to me and I do respect Martha Beck's outspoken mission and I hope she will continue to help others who have been through abusive situations.

+20 Task (Dewey Decimal 289.3092)
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel

Task Total = 40

Grand Total = 100