The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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FALL CHALLENGE 2009
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FALL CHALLENGE 2009 COMPLETED TASKS
15.2. Rewriting History - Read an Alternative Historical Novel. Afterwards, Post A Review Where You State Whether You Think The World (Or A Particular) Country Would Be Better Today If The Author's Version Of History Is What Really Happened. Give Reasons Why.
Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
In Wrede's world, magic has been in play since before Christ, and obviously the world has developed differently. In her analog to the United States, the Secessionist War ended in 1838, only a few decades before the story starts. Magic pervades the way things are done. Yet, there are some who think of magic as a crutch and decide not to use it. I'm not certain that I would want to live in an industrialized United States that only extends a short distance west of the Mississippi River because of the saber-toothed cats, mastodons, swarming weasles and steam dragons. The people of North Columbia have come up with a number of interesting and sensible compromises between magic and physics. The climactic problem in the story, made me wonder what sort of pollution magic causes, and whether it would be as bad as the carbon-based pollution we have. Even so, I think I would like to live in a world where hurry-up spells, cleaning spells and magical bug repellents are common place.
Finished:5.9 All Grown UP The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson, the story of a nursing home resident, her care giver, and assorted others. Very Southern.
10.3 Children's books Minnie and Moo meet Frankenswine ; Minnie and Moo and the Musk of Zorro; Minnie and Moo and the Thanksgiving Tree; Minnie and Moo Wanted Dead or Alive all by Denys Cazet. Total of 192 pages
Minnie and Moo are my all time favorite cows. They know how to get the most out of every moment and they take everyone with them.
Katie wrote: "What did I like about this book? I liked the entry about going to a party and having to bring the gelatin salad. Teehee. My mom used to have an old Jell-O cookbook and I remember flipping through it and cracking up. Orange Jell-O mold with boiled cabbage and mini marshmallows. Yummy!"Gosh, that sounds so Mormon! (Green Jell-O is the official state dessert of Utah, after all!) Except it's usually green Jell-O with carrot shavings... blegh! Here's a lovely blog someone did about Mormon Jell-O Recipes... HA! (Ooohhh... Jell-O Popcorn Balls... I LOVE those! No, seriously... Except their recipe calls for marshmallows! GROSS! Message me if you want the REAL recipe... :) )
Janice wrote: "Katie wrote: "For 10.2 (addiction), I read Go Ask Alice by Anonymous (whatever!). What did I like about this book? I liked the entry about going to a party and having to bring the ..."
Sauerkraut and green olives in lemon Jello, I think. I don't remember that she ever made it though.
BJ Rose wrote: "Lacy wrote: "Did you know there is going to be a movie "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs" I'm very excited. I loved that book when I was younger ..."Did you also see that they've made a movie of..."
I can't wait for Where the Wild things are!! So excited! The trailer looks great!
For task 15.4, I read Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell, and watched Journey to the Center of the Earth (with Brendan Fraser). The film was tolerable. I like Fraser, but this wasn't his best movie. The book was amazing. I'm hooked on Gladwell now.Total Points: 60
twyls
A couple more down--5.10--MEMORY'S GATE by Paul McCusker
Apparently this was the third book in a trilogy, but I didn't have any trouble following the story, which takes place in a town called Fawlt Line, where there is a fault in the time/space continuum where one can travel to an alternate time and place. It was a fun read involving a young girl who has already travelled through time when she runs into some from her alternate past in the real world. And that person is up to no good.
and
25.2--
FREEDOM'S LANDING by Anne McCaffrey
A tale about a human woman soldier who finds herself dropped on an alien world and has to survive with other "dropees".
DRAGON'S KIN by Anne & Todd McCaffrey(mother and son)
Another in the Pern book, this one tells of a boy who longs to be a Harper, but is chosen to raise a watch-wher who is a misunderstood cousin of dragons. The watch-wher's difference from the dragons comes in handy when she has to save some miners in the village who have become trapped in a cave-in. While not what I normally read, I did enjoy this tale.
This brings me to 440 points!!
Finally finished 30.1. For my current job (teacher) I read Letters to a Teacher which I absolutely loved and need to own a copy of for sure. Then today I finished The Book of Joe for my dream job (writer) but did not love it- it was interesting but nothing I got overly excited about.[image error]
For task 25.8, I read:Colonel Brandon's Diary
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
Mansfield Park
Colonel Brandon - Proper Noun Person
Mansfield Park - Proper Noun Place
Carnation - Common Noun Thing
5.6 Finished "A Little Bit Wicked" by Kristin Chenoweth. Fast read and I think her and I could be friends!
5.3 Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue - The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.Total Points: 410/690
Books Read: 44 (+ 8 Berenstain Bears books)
Tasks Completed: 30/45
Tasks in Progress: 5
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Woohoo!! Finished a task!10.2 My Booky Wook
This book has a trifecta of addictions! Russel Brand tells of his drug, alcohol, and sex addictions. The first half was OK, but the second half just got depressing and repetitive.
10 POINT TASK6. November Is Native American Heritage Month - Read A Book Written By A Native American Author, With A Main Character Who Is Native American, Or A Non-Fictional Book About Native Americans.
House Made of Dawn, N. Scott Momaday.
30 POINT TASK
1. ROSEANN'S TASK - Your Job/Dream Job Challenge - First Read A Book That Is Somehow Related To Your Current Profession (Students Count) AND Then Read A Book That Is Related To Either Your Current Or Childhood Dream Job. The Books Can Either Have A Character Or Setting That Relates To That Job.
The Doctor's Wife, Sawako Ariyoshi (Current job: Medical Secretary for a group of surgeons.)
The Information, Martin Amis (Dream job: Writer and/or book critic, both of which, coincidentally, are covered here.)
Finally finished another task...25.4 Candace's Task - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
This is a YA book about one long night in NYC for two music loving teens as they unexpectedly make an emotional connection. Both are coming out relationships with people who didn't respect or appreciate them.
I thought the book was pretty good and am sure I would have loved it during my teen years. The book is told in alternating chapters from Nick's perspective and then from Norah's, which I really liked and it seemed to add depth to the characters. A lot of the book was spent discussing music and while reading it I was wishing I could have a soundtrack.
I liked the movie much more than the book. It seemed to have a little more humor, the character Caroline was more interesting, and having the musical soundtrack put it over the top. In addition, both the book and movie rely heavily on the setting of NYC. This came across so much better in the movie - the visuals were great. But I'm not sure I would have liked the movie so much if I hadn't read the book first. It was nice knowing some of the character motivations.
My new point tally is 45.
Helen wrote: "Finished 20.2 - the alphabet challenge - used A, B, &CA - Adam by Ted Dekker (400 pages) A riveting psychological thriller about a serial killer. Included multiple near-death experiences and ..."
Yes - have read the other two and loved them. Also have Shadowbrook on my TBR list. Beverly Swerling is a terrific author - love the way she is able to merge history, characters and plotline.
5.8 Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List (Rachel Cohn & David Levithan)5.9 Gingerbread (coming of age)
10.8 Away Laughing on a Fast Camel Even More Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (my 11th word on the generator was "laughing"...i lucked out!)
10.10 Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers More Mad, Marvy Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
15.3 Boy Meets Boy (David Levithan & I both have 13 letters in our name) and Startled by His Furry Shorts (23[my age:]-18[total letter in name:]=5 words in the title)
25.8 Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
I'm not quite sure if I enjoyed the book more or the movie. I guess I'll call it a tie. I loved how in the book you knew exactly what the characters were thinking and how they felt. But the language was a little too much for me (way to many f-bombs). Yes, the movie did leave some parts out, but I still liked it. I guess I enjoyed one of the minor characters more in the movie, Caroline. I'll give both movie & book 3/5.
total points = 70
10 Points9. US Civil War: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.
I was planning to read this book for this task, but hadn't bought it yet when I stayed at a hostel and found it in the left-behind books pile! So I got to read it for free and then leave it behind a the next hostel. This was one of those books I didn't want to read for a while, because I knew it was sad. But it was pretty good. The lack of quotation marks is too post-modern and annoys me and makes the story seem more remote and has less of an impact. Ada I didn't care about at all and Inman was awesome, but his story was kind of like a roleplaying adventure; random encounter: old goat lady! next random encounter: evil raiders!, etc.
15 Points
3. Pick 2—Author w/13 letters OR Title w/4 letters OR 412-62 pages OR 6th/8th in series: The Poe Shadow A Novel by Matthew Pearl (416 pages) AND An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (author has 13 letters in name)
Poe Shadow was "meh", which is the same reaction I had to his first book. The protagonist in this one was a total tool and the mystery was lame, but the historical ficiton aspect was good; the author does bring 19th century Baltimore to life.
An Artist was surprisingly really, really good. I didn't think I'd like Ishiguro, but this was a very quiet but powerful book.
Total Points: 240
Donna Jo wrote: "Finished:5.9 All Grown UP The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson, the story of a nursing home resident, her care giver, and assorted others. Very Southern.
10.3 Children's books Minnie and Mo..."
LOL My 2nd grader tried Minnie and Moo the runaway bed last night and she wants me to get ALL of them
A couple of updates for this week. I read Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller for 5.2 as it has an apple on the cover. And for 15.3 Addition I read Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday (Alice Gould) and Multiplication Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (10 x 27 = 270, 276 pages). In total that is another 20 points.Previous reads
5.4 Adoption - Digging to America by Anne Tyler
20.3 Group Read - Shutter Island by Dennis LeHane
25.5 Fortune in the title - Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve
25.8 Nouns - person The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, thing Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, place Brick Lane by Monica Ali
30.1 current job and dream job - The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury(I work in a University) and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (I would love to own a bookshop).
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Teresa in Ohio wrote: "Donna Jo wrote: "Finished:5.9 All Grown UP The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson, the story of a nursing home resident, her care giver, and assorted others. Very Southern.
10.3 Children's book..."
Teresa, your 2nd grader has good taste in books! Minnie & Moo and the Arnold Lobel Frog and Toad books are my very favorite books to listen to kids read to me. They are really funny and have a lot to say about my life, too (well, aside from being kidnapped by aliens, which hasn't happened to me--yet).
I completed another task - 25.4 - CANDACE'S TASK - Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook (audiobook)
Published in 2002 and theatrical release in 2005
The story centres on Sarah who is 40-ish, divorced and childless. Her family forces Sarah back into the dating scene after her sister, unbeknownst to Sarah, places a singles ad in the local newspaper.
I have to say that this is one of those rare instances where I preferred the movie over the book. This was a re-read for me. I first read the book when it first came out and was on the fence about it – didn’t love it,and didn’t hate it. However, this time around, I listened to the audiobook and struggled to finish it – although this is no fault of the narrator, who was wonderful. The characters are more likeable in movie, whereas in the book, they all are very annoying, particularly the character Dolly. In the movie, Stockard Channing plays Dolly and portrays her as eccentric, but charming. On the other hand, Sarah’s sister Carol (played by Elizabeth Perkins), is a hoot in both the book and the movie. A number of characters were added in the movie, who were delightful (i.e. her gay co-worker and his partner, Jakes best friend, etc.) and added to the story.
The movie and book had the same basic premise and some integral scenes, but this is where they diverged. The book is told in first person from Sarah’s point of view, whereas the movie is told from both her and Jake’s point of view (played by John Cusak, and named John Anderson in the book). In my opinion, this added to the movie. The book also goes deeper into Sarah’s family relationships, especially with one of her teenage nieces, and this, unfortunately, is missing from the movie.
Overall, I found the movie more enjoyable, funnier and less annoying than the book. Had I rated the book when I first read it, I would have given it a 3 out of 5. Now, I’d only give it a 2.
Total Books Read = 21
Tasks Completed = 15
Tasks In Progress = 6
I was reorganizing my list recently, so I have a some changes to make.I moved Wicked by Gragary Maguire fron 5.6 and Truancy origins by Isamu Fukui from 5.4 to 25.7 and read Marley and Me by John grogan to claim 25.7.
NEW POINTS:25
POINTS LOST FROM OLD TASKS:10
NET POINT GAIN:15
OLD POINTS:170
TOTAL POINTS:185
TASKS COMPLETED:11
BOOKS READ:15
PAGES READ:5288
Completed 2:25.4 Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn
Review for task:
The book has a lot of edge to it. It makes it hard to compare to the film, so much changed from the book to the movie. I also think that Michael Cera as Nick was a bad choice...
If I had to choose I liked the book more than the film, just because you knew exactly what they were thinking and also because the film changed some of my favorite parts of the book.
Overall cute movie, edgy book. I think that sums it up well.
15.5 Dark Water by Koji Suzuki and Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto
Total Points: 235
Tasks Completed: 15
This weeks update is only one but I have a few books in the list that are on reserve in the library. I read Kaleidoscope by Dorothy Gilman. I really like all her books. They are not the unusual that they are patternlike but are always exciting as you don't know what the charater is going to do. This was 25.2.
For 30 points...5-6. Terrifying Titles - Read A Novel That Has An Adjective In The Title That Relates To Halloween...I.E. Spooky, Creepy, Crawly, Scary etc
An Evil Guest by Gene Wolfe (3 stars)
5-8. Let's Find Out If Two Heads Really Better Than One - Read A Book That Has More Than One Author.
Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (5 stars)
10-5. Oktoberfest Is A Sixteen-Day Festival Held Each Year In Munich, Germany During Late September (And Running To Early October). - Read A Book Written By A German Author, Set In Germany, Or A Non-Fictional Book About Germany.
The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Blue Bear by Walter Moers (re-read, 4 stars)
10-9. Summer Has Gone With The Wind- On November 5, 2009, The Actress Vivien Leigh, Who Portrayed Scarlett O'Hara In The Film Adaptation Of GWTW, Would Have Been 96 Years Old - In Honor Of Her Most Famous Role - Read A Novel Set During The U.S. Civil War.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (re-read, 5 stars)
New total: 50 points
25.5. JANICE'S TASK - Fortune Telling: Fools of Fortune. It's a story involving several generations of an Irish family and how one incident radically influenced their lives. It was told from a variety of viewpoints, with each section getting shorter. I wish the ending had been as fleshed-out as the beginning.and
10.6. November Is Native American Heritage Month: Two Old Women An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival. A sweet, and extremely fast, read.
Pages read: 1100
Books read: 5
Tasks completed: 5
Total Points: 90
Liz (Bklyn)
i completed task 5.7 by (finally) finishing Glue. what am i thankful for? well, for starters, for finally finishing the book! but seriously folks....the story is about 4 friends and their relationship with each other spanning 3 decades. they have troubled relationships, they battle alcoholism and drug addiction, and they finally drift apart after one of them dies. they reconnect 9 years later when one of their fathers die. just this past summer i reconnected with my 3 best friends from high-school after 15 years of silence. we, too, battled alcoholism and drug addiction through our teens and twenties. luckily, we're all still alive. i'm so thankful to have found them all again and to have them back in my life. i'm thankful that i fought my demons and won, i'm thankful that i'm still alive, and i'm thankful that 15 years hasn't erased 3 very meaningful relationships in my life!
Total Points: 60/690
Books Read: 9/60
Tasks Completed: 6/45
Tasks in Progress: 2
20.1. MOST IMPROVED PLAYER – JULIE KS - I Am Very Faithful In My Christian Beliefs. Read A Christian Fiction Book. The Book Has To Demonstrate The Importance Of Living A Faith Centered Life.For this task I read The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, which was way more appropriate than I had anticipated.
Total points 140
Finished10.8 You'll find it in the dictionary: my words were corner, advent, allowance
A Fatal Advent by Isabelle Holland, a mystery set in an Espiscopal parrish during Advent. A pretty blah story.
25.8 Cait's taskname: Carry On, Jeeves
place: The New York Trilogy
thing: The Gun Seller
Total points: 140
10.2. On October 31st, 1993, River Phoenix Dies From A Drug Overdose - In Memory Of This Actor Who Died Before His Time; Read A Novel With A Character Who Suffers From An Addiction Or A Non-Fiction Book About Addiction (Such As A Memoir Of A Recovering Addict).Blackout Girl: Growing Up and Drying Out in America by Jennifer Storm-9/27 (246 pgs)
New Total: 105 points
I completed the science/science fiction task 15.4 by reading Slaughterhouse-Five and watching A Brief History of Time about the life and work of the physicist Stephen Hawking. It was interesting to read/watch these back to back since they both talk about the idea of imaginary time. Total points: 255
25.8 (Nouns):Anne's House of Dreams, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery
Anne is the person, Ingleside is the place and Rainbow is the thing.
30.1. ROSEANN'S TASK - Your Job/Dream Job Challenge - First Read A Book That Is Somehow Related To Your Current Profession (Students Count) AND Then Read A Book That Is Related To Either Your Current Or Childhood Dream Job. The Books Can Either Have A Character Or Setting That Relates To That Job.
Current Job: Design Technician and Configuration Control Analyst (a drafter and HOLE collector)Holes by Louis Sachar
This is a stretch, I know. Still, I am in charge of the floors hole configuration of the airplanes my company builds, as well as drawing blueprints for the floor panels.
Best-selling author in multiple genres.The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Jane Aiken Hodge
Ms. Heyer's work was/is often dismissed as froth by the critics, yet her books sold like hotcakes even during WWII paper rationing. Her thriller/detective novels were not as popular as her historicals, but they provided a very comfortable income for her extended family. Her research for her historicals was impeccable--so much so that her An Infamous Army was used at Sandhurst (the British West Point) as a text on the Battle of Waterloo.
Just finished Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, for task 10.9. Didn't enjoy the book, mostly because I felt it was just a "preach-fest". Total points: 75
Books read: 8
I just finished Julie and Julia for 20.3 - group reads task. I was kind of disappointed in the book. It was fluff with an annoying narrator.That brings me up to 65 points.
10 POINT TASK5. Oktoberfest Is A Sixteen-Day Festival Held Each Year In Munich, Germany During Late September (And Running To Early October). - Read A Book Written By A German Author, Set In Germany, Or A Non-Fictional Book About Germany.
How German Is It = Wie Deutsch Ist Es A Novel, Walter Abish.
25 POINT TASK
5. JANICE'S TASK - Fortune Telling Has Long Been A Halloween Tradition: Read A Book With "Fortune" Or "Prophecy" In The Title, OR That Features Fortune-Telling, Prophecy Or Prediction(s) As The Main Theme Or Has A Fortune Teller As A Main Character.
Oracle Night, Paul Auster.
Donna Jo wrote: "Teresa in Ohio wrote: "Donna Jo wrote: "Finished:5.9 All Grown UP The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson, the story of a nursing home resident, her care giver, and assorted others. Very Southern...."
Hear that twilight movie music playing? She read frog and toad last week in school and i have 4 on her shelf for reading this week : )
Finished 2 more tasks today. 5.3 Ocean Voyage by listening to Life of Pi. I could not wait for this book to end. I thought that it was very wordy and very disturbing in parts. Also read 5 childrens books for 10.3 - Stan Berenstain - The Berenstain Bears In the Dark, The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule, Clifford Visits the Hospital, When I get Bigger and Just go to Bed. This will bring my total to 130 points.
25.3 Wendy's (GLBT): Almost Like Being in Love A Novel - Steve KlugerI really like Steve Kluger - his books make me happy. My one (minor) complaint is that all of the characters voices sounded kind of the same, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. I'm looking forward to reading Last Days of Summer for the coming of age task.
Total Points: 135/690
Books Read: 21/60
Tasks Completed: 11/45
Pages Read: 6,901
Playing some catch up here on points to claim. Have been busy trying to get finished before some books are due back at the library. Most of what I have been doing has been audiobooks. I find it helps me keep track more of what I read since I am a fast reader and sometimes can skip a little as I read (don't mean to do it, really!)To make it easier and for shorter posts, I'm dividing the posts up by point value.
Here goes:
5 pts
5.7. Giving Thanks - In Honor Of Thanksgiving (November 26th) Read A Book That Relates To The Thing You Are Most Thankful For.
• Please Tell Us What That Is When You Claim Points.
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch--Audiobook (4 hrs. 13 mins.)
First off, I am going to say that this book really hit home for me having recently dealt with the death of my dad from cancer. Hearing Randy's book definitely had me crying a lot more than I'd like to. But it was really good. It was very inspiring to me. I still feel the sadness from his loss, but after hearing this book and the words, it did make me very thankful for the time I got to spend with my dad, the memories I will always have and knowing that he was very proud of me that I went back to become a teacher--even if he didn't get to see me finish it up. Randy's book definitely gave me focus back on that goal and just how important teachers are and why I know I will be a great teacher after I finish school. I'm also thankful for my great husband who has been my rock through all this and who is my soulmate. I'm very glad I did this task and had to reflect. Something I wouldn't have done otherwise.
Moving on from all the mushiness....
5 pts
10. Fall Back In Time For Daylight Savings Time – Read A Novel Where One Or More Character(s) Travel Back In Time.
Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo--Audiobook (6.75 hrs)
Cute book and certainly enjoyed hearing the development of the characters continued from the first book. And with the idea of time travel, it certainly offers hope and a possible solution from book 1 with Charlie's missing dad.
Cynthia,I would not call it a travel movie...it's more like a nature sort of movie. Below is the text from the IMAX website. Just let me know what you think! Thanks.
The world has a big backyard!
Take an educational and entertaining journey to seven of the most geographically dynamic locations on Earth. Travel to the Amazon, the world’s longest and largest river, and to Greenland, the world’s largest island and northernmost country, where 84 percent of the island is covered by the Greenland Ice Cap.
Audiences then journey to Iguazu Falls in Brazil, where the film reveals how these incredible waterfalls—four times wider than Niagara Falls—were formed by volcanic cataclysms.
The Greatest Places also showcases Madagascar, home to the mystical baobab tree and more than 400 species of amphibians and reptiles; the Namib Desert, one of the world’s driest deserts with the world’s highest sand dunes; the Okavango Delta, the world’s largest oasis where more than 1,060 plant species live in the delta’s three primary habitats; and to the Tibetan Plateau, the world’s largest uplifted area covering two million square miles and where temperatures drop as much as 80 degrees in a day.
For 15.7 Listen to an audio book whilst exercisingI listened to She by H Rider Haggard
Found it another interesting member of the Victorian gothic/horror/fantasy genre that is still popular today. Couldn't get over quite how much the Victorian explorers of deepest darkest Africa spent either eating or sleeping!!!!
Lots of familiar literary devices though it seemed as if the author tired of the book and the journey home was accomplished with barely a description or a thought.
Points this book: 15
Points so far: 170
Kristina UK
Here are the next group of books:10 pts
10.3. This Year Thanksgiving Falls On November 26th - Famous Children's Author Stanley "Stan" Berenstain (The Berenstain Bears) Died On That Day In 2005 (He Was Born September 29, 1923) - In Memory Of Him...
• Several Children's Books (The Number Of Pages Should Add Up To At Least 100).
No Juvenile Or YA Books For This Task.
I still read probably what would be called Juvenile books (they were nonfiction, so I'm including them to share but didn't include them for the number of pages). I read quite a few because even though the book count number said one thing, with all the illustrations and sometimes very few words on a page, I wanted to be sure I really read about 100 pages worth of stories. It will take too long to link, so I'm just including names, authors and page numbers as well as including these all as 1 book in my total book count:
Marley Goes to School by John Grogan (40 pp)
Hero Cat by Eileen Spinelli (32 pp) **Sad story based on real life heoric cat (made me tear up)Henry's Night by Donald B. Johnson (32 pp)
The Moon Might be Milk by Lisa Shulman (32 pp)
The King's Stilts by Dr. Seuss (48 pp)
My extras:
Marvelous Mattie How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor by Emily Arnold McCarty (32 pp) -- excellent book/5 stars (used in my classroom and kids really enjoyed it)
Leonardo's Horse H by Jean Fritz (48 pp) -- excellent book/5 stars (used in my classroom and kids really enjoyed it)
and
10 points
10.8. You'll Find It In The Dictionary - Noah Webster Was Born October 16, 1758 - In Honor Of Him Visit The Random Word Generator Website And Then Read A Book Whose Title Contains The 9th, 10th, or 11th Word You Come To.
My words were: bind, enjoy, cut. This was lucky and gave me a great place for me to use the book
Cut by Patricia McCormick--Audiobook (4 hours)
Kind of scary though with that grouping of words. Not sure I would enjoy getting binded (or bound up) and cut :)
The book was really good. I wasn't sure if I could get through the way it was told in first person present tense, but after awhile, I was more interested in the story and why ST (Silent Treatment)/Callie was at Sea Pines/Sick Minds (rehab center) than the tense of the text.
Here is my final completed task for now. 25 points
25.10. SAM'S TASK - Halloween Part III: Monsterfest - Read A Book With One Of The Following In The Title: Devil, Witch, Vampire, Zombie, Or Werewolf. Variations Of The Words Are Fine (E.G., The Witching Hour Or The Witches Are Okay), But They Must Appear In The Title (E.G., Queen Of The Damned Or Dead Until Dark Are Not Okay).
I went with a re-read of The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare--Audiobook (6.5 hours)
Loved this book as a child. But as an adult, certain parts of it dragged on a little longer than I would have wanted. Still, I gave it 3 stars and consider it a classic.
Thus, so far, here are my tallies. Yay for Excel spreadsheet to make keeping track of these so much easier.
Total Points: 100
Total Books: 11 (includes 1 for all the kids' books)
Total Pages Read: 1017 (not including kids' books)
Total Hours listened: 29.25 (approx.)
25.71 word-"Prep" by Curtis Sittenfield
2 words- "Sufficient Grace" by Darnell Arnout
3 words- "The Sugar Queen" by Sarah Addison Allen
I like "Sufficient Grace" the best of the 3.
Brings me to 160 points
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Tempt Me at Twilight (other topics)Patterns in the Sand (other topics)
The Shadow of the Wind (other topics)
My Grandfather's Son (other topics)
Soul of a Dog: Reflections on the Spirits of the Animals of Bedlam Farm (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lisa Kleypas (other topics)Sally Goldenbaum (other topics)
Clarence Thomas (other topics)
Audrey Niffenegger (other topics)
Neil Gaiman (other topics)
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What did I like about this book? I liked the entry about going to a party and having to bring the gelatin salad. T..."
boiled cabbage? w/marshmallows? what were they thinking?
NOTE TO DJ: Wasn't it olives in lemon Jell-O we are including in THE FORCE OF NATURE COOKBOOK?