Reading with Style discussion

Isabell wrote: "I'm still wondering whether Chinua Achebe qualifies for the non-western style points?..."

Still? it's the first time this was asked :P

Yes, I will accept Achebe and Christina Ching Tsao as non-Western.

Thanks, Liz. I realized that my first post was phrased badly because I forgot to add the question, that's why I posted again. I certainly didn't want to sound impatient or anything and I apologize, should it have sounded that way.

Here are some more authors I would like to know if qualify as non-western:

Vikram Seth
Vikram Chandra
J.M. Coetzee
Orhan Pamuk
Salman Rushdie

I think I'm missing someone I wanted to check, but that's it for now!

For Task 20.4 I am going to read The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace by H.W. Brands (born in 1953 according to Google). I have two questions:

1. Since the description for the task says "book" I am assuming that a non-fiction work of history qualifies. Am I correct in that assumption?

2. For style points, this book qualifies as Jumbo at over 700 pages. However, that is deceiving as the actual text is over 600 pages with the end notes and index pushing it over 700. Are we supposed to basically use the honor system when counting works of history for Jumbo points?

Thanks ahead of time!

Mike

Mike wrote: "For Task 20.4 I am going to read The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace by H.W. Brands (born in 1953 according to Google). I have two questions:

1. Since the description for ..."

Yes, when the task says "book" both fiction and non-fiction qualify.

We use the # pages in the most popular edition here at Goodreads. This should not include notes, indices, etc. that are not normally part of one's reading. Anytime you think the GR pagination should be changed, you can place a request in the librarian help thread. Thank you!

In fact the guidance for Goodreads librarians is that we include all numbered pages when entering page numbers, including notes and indices. So the number of pages in the most popular edition will normally include them and shouldn't be changed from that.
http://www.goodreads.com/help/librari...

Whether you count them for Jumbo points is another question - batting the ball back to you, Elizabeth... ;)

Rosemary wrote: "Whether you count them for Jumbo points is another question - batting the ball back to you, Elizabeth... ;) "

Yes. That was pointed out to me in our behind the scenes discussions. ;-)

I will continue to use the pagination provided in the GR book pages. I'm not going to be second-guessing which books have end matter that should/should not be counted. As you all might have noticed recently, I need rules without a lot of gray areas. So go ahead and read those books with extraneous material - we'll give you the jumbo points. After all, those points are available to everyone who reads that book, regardless of edition, just as are the jumbo points in fiction when your edition might be shorter.

Karen GHHS wrote: "Here are some more authors I would like to know if qualify as non-western..."

Non-Western: Vikram Seth - born in India, Indian citizenship, & resides in India part-time
Non-Western: Vikram Chandra - born in India, Indian citizenship, & resides in India part-time
Western: J.M. Coetzee - born in South Africa, dual South African, Australian citizneship, resides in Australia full-time.
Non-Western: Orhan Pamuk - born in turkey, citizen of Turkey, resides in NYC
Western: Salman Rushdie - born in India, citizen of the UK, resides in NYC

Re: Bloom's Canon - Does the specific book need to be listed or is it sufficient for the author to be listed?

Bea wrote: "Re: Bloom's Canon - Does the specific book need to be listed or is it sufficient for the author to be listed?"

Only the specific books on Bloom's canon receive canon points.

Liz M wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "Here are some more authors I would like to know if qualify as non-western..."

Non-Western: Vikram Seth - born in India, Indian citizenship, & resides in India part-time
Non-Wes..."

Thank you, Liz
I have another one I would like checked:

Tash Aw

Liz M wrote: "Bea wrote: "Re: Bloom's Canon - Does the specific book need to be listed or is it sufficient for the author to be listed?"

Only the specific books on Bloom's canon receive canon points."

Thanks.

Are Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez and Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn both OK for Non-Western points?

Rosemary wrote: "Are Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez and Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn both OK for Non-Western points?"

Yes, both are Non-Western

I was wondering I am reading "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" and I wanted to use it for this challenge. Is there anywhere I can fit it into this challenge?

Bloom's canon list can be found here:

http://www.interleaves.org/~rteeter/g...

Use your browser's find feature (it's what I do for checking posts).

Christine wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Bloom's canon list can be found here:

http://www.interleaves.org/~rteeter/g...

Use your browser's find feature (it's what I do for checking posts)."

Haha! I'd..."

Ctrl-F gets a workout here. I don't know what the command is in the Mac.

It's Command F!

Wondering about George Orwell for Western/Non Western author?

Thanks,
Tobey

Tobey wrote: "Wondering about George Orwell for Western/Non Western author?

Thanks,
Tobey"

We consider George Orwell a Western author.

Just to clear up any confusion of mine on page counts I have a few questions.

1. I am reading Oliver Twist as an epub book on my Nook. The epub book (from Project Gutenberg) page count is 372. The first search result on Goodreads puts the book at 554 pages that would qualify it for jumbo points. I should use the Goodreads page number correct?

2. I am thinking of reading Julius Caesar by Shakespeare for one of the challenges. The top Goodreads search puts it at 160 pages. I imagine Shakespeare readings vary wildly for page numbers. As long at the top search is over 100 pages I am good?

3. I had asked about this before, but wanted to bring it up again. The U.S. Grant biography I am reading now has 617 pages of actual reading material. The Goodreads page number is 718 because of the 100 pages of notes and references. I know it was said to use the Goodreads number, but I do not want to do that because I am really only reading 617 pages.

Thoughts?

Mike,

1. Yes, use the most popular PRINT edition of Oliver Twist (it wouldn't be fair if I read a print version and you read an ebook version of the same book for the same task, but I got the jumbo points and you didn't).

2. Yes.

3. What Kate S has done in the past is linked to the most popular book and then told us the actual pages read. Do this for now & we'll sort it out later.

Non-Western: Tash Aw - born in Taipei, seems to be a Citizen of Malaysia, lives in the UK, but seems to work as a correspondent in South East Asia

Christine wrote: "So, I have a book that will qualify for jumbo points that I'll be ready to submit later today. But I no longer understand how we're handling jumbo points. Mine will get different points depending o..."

Mike wrote: "3. I had asked about this before, but wanted to bring it up again. The U.S. Grant biography I am reading now has 617 pages of actual reading material. The Goodreads page number is 718 because of the 100 pages of notes and references. I know it was said to use the Goodreads number, but I do not want to do that because I am really only reading 617 pages...."

Mike, It is too confusing to other members and too much of a hassle for score-keeping to ask members to post how many pages of a book they actually read. We must go by the number of pages as recorded in the goodreads database. Please accept the "extra" points.

Liz M wrote: "Christine wrote: "So, I have a book that will qualify for jumbo points that I'll be ready to submit later today. But I no longer understand how we're handling jumbo points. Mine will get different ..."

Sounds good. I just didn't want to take advantage of the point system, but understand the reasoning behind the decision.

I read The Novice: A Story of True Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

Can someone help me figure out if it fits in this Challenge? I'm stumped, but for some reason thought it did. HELP! :)

Camille wrote: "I read The Novice: A Story of True Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

Can someone help me figure out if it fits in this Challenge? I'm stumped, but for some reason thought it did. HELP! :)"

Can you borrow it from the library?

If you rented it from the library it would fit for 10.7 Buy Nothing Christams. If someone has read the book within this year on another challenge, you can use it for 10.1 A Year In Review. If the publisher is an independent press, you can use it for 10.9 Not A Penguin. Maybe for 20.1 a self reflective novel. 20.4 if the author is born between 1932-1963.

I'm sure I could have borrowed it, but I didn't. I already tried the other options and came up short with those. Thanks for your help!

I'm planning to read Animal's People this challenge. Does Indra Sinha qualify as non- western?

Thanks for your time.

Karen GHHS wrote: "I'm planning to read Animal's People this challenge. Does Indra Sinha qualify as non- western?

Thanks for your time."

No, after living in England for 4 decades, they now live in France.

Karen GHHS wrote: "I'm planning to read Animal's People this challenge. Does Indra Sinha qualify as non- western?"

No. Indra Sinha was born in India, is a British citizen and lives in England.

20.4 author was bortn in 1950 which is between 1932-1963. You can use the style points for non western. He was born in India.

ok, I need some help. I am trying to find a nonfiction book on friendship for a task on another reading challenge. I can't find the questions section on that group so I am asking on here. Can someone point me to a listopia. I tried on my own but couldn't find a nonfiction book and the task requires a nonfiction book.

Liz M wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "I'm planning to read Animal's People this challenge. Does Indra Sinha qualify as non- western?"

No. Indra Sinha was born in India, is a British citizen and lives in England."

Thanks, Elizabeth and Liz. Just doing a double check;)

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "20.4 author was bortn in 1950 which is between 1932-1963. You can use the style points for non western. He was born in India."

Thanks, Jayme. I have it placed for 20.4, but for non-western points the author has to still live in a non- western country or keep two residences, so since he didn't appear to do that from what I read, I was just double checking.

Maybe one of these works:
Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer S. Holland
Friendship by James O. Grunebaum
Friendship by Hugh Black
or
The Politics of Friendship by Jacques Derrida

Phoebe wrote: "Maybe one of these works:
Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer S. Holland
Friendship by James O. Grunebaum
Friendship by Hugh Black
or
The Politics of Fri..."
Or
MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For A New Best Friend?

thanks guys, I will look into those.

Christine wrote: "On the readerboard, I have 130 points, but I only have myself as 125? I don't see a note or anything telling me I missed points somewhere. Is this an error?"

Please see post 163 in the completed tasks thread.

Christine wrote: "I missed that message.

However, on some editions Simon Rae is listed first. I couldn't find a birth date for Simon Rae anywhere I looked online.

Does it still count? "

Kate has added points for you in Post 163. I don't quite understand the question.

Christine wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Christine wrote: "I missed that message.

However, on some editions Simon Rae is listed first. I couldn't find a birth date for Simon Rae anywhere I looked online.

Does..."

You got these points originally because the rule is with multiple authors, only the primary author (first one listed on the most popular edition) needs to qualify for the task. However, after further discussion, we have decided authors and editors are different and are going to score this under the anthology "all or nothing" rule. Seeing as there are many authors included in this work and it only takes one to not qualify, we will remove the 5 point bonus. This change will be reflected in the next Readerboard update.

Christine wrote: " But it sounds like with your new rule this book no longer fits."

I think its not a new rule, but I haven't been paying attention to the editor status. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. I'm sorry.

Did you borrow it from the library? (Pub JANUARY 2008)

Hi, I was wondering about some style categories...
I'm thinking of reading Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" next.
Does Conrad qualify for Non-Western and/or Canon?
He was born in Russia and had the Russian citizenship until he was 28.
Furthermore, some of his novels are on the Canon-list, but "Heart of Darkness" is not.
Does "Heart of Darkness" qualifies for any Style Points then?
Thanks in advance for clearing this up!

Phoebe wrote: "Hi, I was wondering about some style categories...
I'm thinking of reading Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" next.
Does Conrad qualify for Non-Western and/or Canon?
He was born in Russia and had ..."

Joseph Conrad does not qualify for the Non-Western style, and, as you have noted, Heart of Darkness is not on the Canon.

This book does qualify for tasks: 10.1, 10.3, 10.5, and 20.6, so there are either 10 or 15 combo points, depending on which task you claim it for.

Ok, thanks! I just wanted to check. :)

Sorry for asking something (maybe stupid) again...but I thought I just try...

Jorge Luis Borges' "La Biblioteca de Babel" is only a small novella, but I read a German edition with an attached epilog. Since it's originally written in Spanish it would qualify for 20.5, but only has 83 pages (in a small font however).
Any chance of counting it? (maybe under the constraint that no extra style points can be claimed?)

Phoebe wrote: "Sorry for asking something (maybe stupid) again...but I thought I just try...

Jorge Luis Borges' "La Biblioteca de Babel" is only a small novella, but I read a German edition with an attached epil..."

Sorry, Phoebe, we use the page count of the most popular English edition. In this case, that is only 39 pages, so it cannot qualify.

I have a question that's (kind of) similar to the one that was posted earlier about In Search of Lost Time being broken up...I'm reading Les Misérables, but it seems like the French version is only available in 2 volumes, not as a single book. Would I be able to claim each volume as a separate book, or would I have to read both volumes and claim it as one book? If it helps, they're sold separately, not as a set with both volumes.