The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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FALL CHALLENGE 2009
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FALL CHALLENGE 2009 COMPLETED TASKS
kiki wrote: "finished task 25.3 by reading When You Are Engulfed in Flames."Hi Kiki.
I read that book this past summer and just laughed and laughed. The story about the 'thing' on his lower back nearly undid me.
25.9. Sam's Task - monsterfest: Interview With the Vampire. A fairly engrossing read that I read much faster than I should have.Pages read: 1442
Books read: 6
Tasks completed: 6
Total Points: 115
Liz (Bklyn)
For task 25.3 (LGBT), I read Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. What an incredibly clever little book. So much of it went over my head, though. I wish a had a lit class for discussion on this one! Total Points: 205
@pjreads: :-O <---That's me catching flies. I can't believe your in the 500s, already!
I completed 25.7 b) The Road - Cormac McCarthy.Total Points: 65 points
Task In Progess: 1
Books Reading: 1
I finished task 10.6 Native American bookI read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.
This brings me to a total of 255 points.
3 more tasks, 5 more books:10.10 The Cat's Meow: Lair of the Lion by Christine Feehan Sept. 27
this cat was a very special lion15.7 Let's Get Physical: audiobook: The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters Sept. 28
25.7 Cindy's Task: Read books w/a one word, a two word, and a 3 word title
One = Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (355 pp) Sept. 24 wonderful book!
Two = Dark Possession by Christine Feehan (304 pp) Sept. 16
Three = Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb (320 pp) Sept. 15
Total Pages = 9965
Total Points = 360
30.1 Roseann's Taska) Promoted Secretary To Bride! - Current Profession is a Secretary 9/1/2009
b) Walt Disney An American Original - Dream Job is Be as Creative/Inspiring as Disney himself! I love everything he created! 9/28/2009
Total Points: 105
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?ke...
5 POINT TASKS1. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
2.
3. Vanished at Sea: The True Story of a Child TV Actor and Double Murder by Tina Dirmann
4. The Face on the Milk Carton by Carolyn B. Cooney
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark by Alvin Schwartz, Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)
7. Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline B. Cooney
8.
9. Little Women by Louis May Alcott
10. Something Upstairs : A Tale Of Ghosts by Avi
10 POINT TASKS
1. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
2.
3.
4. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
5. The Book Thief by by Markus Zusak
6.
7. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
8. Breaking Dawn By Stephanie Meyer
9. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
10. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (Cat Who..., #1) by Lilian Jackson Braun
15 POINT TASKS
1. About a Boy by Nick Hornby and Don't You Forget About Me (Gossip Girl, #11) by Cecily von Ziegesar
2. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
3.
4. The Host by Stephanie Meyer
5. When Jonathan Died by Tony Duvert and The Tenant by Roland Topor
6. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Volume One in the Wicked Years) by Gregory Maguire
7. Adam Copeland On Edge by Adam Copeland
8. The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky and The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
9. No Place Like Home A Novel by Mary Higgins Clark
10. The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee and Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
20 POINT TASKS
1.The Shack by William P. Young
2.
3. Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
25 POINT TASKS
1. A Light In The Attic By Shel Silverstein And The Friday Night Knitting Club By Kate Jacobs
2. Carrie by Stephen King and Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
3.
4.
5. Daughter of Fortune: A Novel (P.S.) by Isabel Allende
6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer and
8. Heart and Soul of Nick Carter by Jane Carter and Around a Minnesota Campfire by Ruth Hein , Terry Fisk and Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
9. Knitting for Dummies by Pam Allen, Trisha Malcolm and Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb
10. Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1) by Richelle Mead
30 POINT TASKS
1. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber and Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
50 POINT TASKS
125/690 Points
3850/19889 Pages Read
Finished: 15.1 Grammar--Prepositions:The Girl Who Played with Fire by Larsson and
With This Ring by Quick
I may have already reported this, if so I'm sorry.
Just finished 10.2 (addiction task) by reading Beautiful Boy by David Sheff. I enjoyed this book a lot. I have grown tired of memoirs lately, but this one agreed with me for whatever reason.New point total: 25
I just completed task 15.7 by reading Playing the Moldovans at Tennis by Tony Hawks. It was pretty funny! I also watched some of the U.S. Open, the match between Oudin and Petrova. Point Total: 210
Page Total: 4650
COMPLETED TASKS:
20.3 GROUP READ CHOICE - Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (pp 369) READ 9.28.09
What a page turner! I thought I was smart to figure out some clues early on, but I couldn't put them together to come up with this outstanding ending.
TASKS COMPLETED: 8
TASKS IN PROGRESS: 6
BOOKS READ: 15/60
PAGES READ: 4711
TOTAL POINTS EARNED: 130
I'm SO excited to finally be claiming more points.Today I completed task 10.6, November is Native American Heritage Month, with "One Thousand White Women" by Jim Fergus.
just finished task 30.1 by finishing up Gorillas in the Mist for my "dream job." what an inspiration that woman was. sigh.... i finished The Dying Animal last week for "current job = teacher." 
Total Points: 115/690
Books Read: 11/60
Tasks Completed: 8/45
Tasks in Progress: 1
Finished two more--5.8--THE NANNY DIARIES by McLaughlin & Kraus
I agree with many others on this site when they say the movie was MUCH better than the novel! I actually did not like the movie that much, but it was fun so I figured the book would be too, but I found it predictable and boring. I also found little to like in any of the characters. Stay away from this one if you can!
and
25.4--ATONEMENT by Ian McEwan (saw movie also)
I was very suprised to find that the novel did not have that much more than the movie did storywise. I fully expected to have some subplots, but there were only a few scenes which were not integral to the story. I liked the fact that the book got more into the minds of the characters. While I didn't like Briony very much in the film, I understood her better from the novel, and could somewhat understand her decision (without condoning it). The book is beautifully written and is well worth the read even if you have seen the film.
This brings me to 490 points!!
Gina wrote: "Task 5.9 Coming of Age--Forever by Judy Blume"
Oh, I love Forever... maybe now I can fit it into the challenge.
5.9 Coming of AgeThe Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend
15.1 Prepositions
Map of Bones by James Rollins
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares
Total points: 165
For my study abroad this Fall I went to France (15.5) and read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and The Little Prince. They were both great - The Little Prince was a re-read from a long time ago - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was good yet also one rare example of a book that I like less than the movie adaptation (the movie was so well done!). Total points: 270
10.1 Buddy Holly - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (first published in 1958).Total Points: 435/690
Books Read: 46 (+ 8 Berenstain Bears books)
Tasks Completed: 32/45
Tasks in Progress: 6
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I know someone asked if Forever would work for the coming of age task and Cynthia said it would not work. I was going to use this one too. Just an FYI...
Finished another task20 1 Most Improved Player - Christian Fiction
The Shack by William P. Young
I found this book to be disappointing, even though I was very interested in the author's perspective on God.
Total Points: 120 + 20 = 140
Total Books: 8
Total Pages: 3071
Gina wrote: "Task 5.9 Coming of Age--Forever by Judy Blume"This is not a coming of age story so I can't count this.
Kathryn wrote: "Rachel Lee wrote: "Finished:5.5 Maniac Magee I loved this book when I read it in 3 or 4th grade right after it won the Newberry. I still really enjoyed it and I caught more politic..."
Yes, I have read both series. Privilege was good but darker than the Private series. Ariana is creepy.
Finished 5.2 - Apple Task -
This book had a LOT of potential, but it really lost its way. I was very disappointed with the last half of the book.
New total - 190
FINALLY I finished task 15.5 (Foreign Language). For this one, I read two books by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (originally published in Spanish). I read The Shadow of the Wind (which I really liked!) and The Angel's Game (which was just okay). Angel's took me forever to get through, I just couldn't get into it until the last 150 or so pages.Total points = 255
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20 Points1. Christian Fiction: Angels Watching Over Me by Michael Phillips.
Decent book, but not particularly memorable. I have no desire to read the sequels, but I didn't mind reading this one. It wasn't preachy, which I appreciated and it wasn't poorly written, but it just didn't hold my interest well.
Total Points: 275
1. NICOLE OH'S TASK - Rhyme Time - Read ONE Fiction Book And ONE Poetry Book That Have A Word That Rhymes From Each Of The Titles. It Must Be An Exact Rhyme! The Poetry Must Be At Least 50 Pages And The Fiction Book Must Be At Least 300 Pages In Length. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein-9/13 (169 pgs)
Right Behind You by Gail Giles-9/29 (304 pgs)
Right and Light are my rhymes
Total: 155 points
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. (*To Enhance Your Reading You May Choose To Eat Some German Food Or Drink A German Beer But It's Not Required). Eli Wiesel A Mad Desire to Dance
10 points
total 355
Sorry, I thought somebody else used it for that. I will try to put it in somewhere else.
Cynthia wrote: "Gina wrote: "Task 5.9 Coming of Age--Forever by Judy Blume
"This is not a coming of age story so I can't count this.
"
Cynthia wrote: "Gina wrote: "Task 5.9 Coming of Age--Forever by Judy Blume
"This is not a coming of age story so I can't count this.
"
I'm very behind these 3 months because of lots of things going on in my life right now, but I did finish one more task. Haunted Gound is a great book I recommend it.I always wanted tobe an archaeologist, and I am a pathologist (although not a forensic path, but I've done some forensic work in training)
30.1 Your Job/Dream Job Challenge: Haunted Ground by Erin Hart 352pp, read 9/25/2009 and Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters, read 9/27/2009 320pp
Total points: 165/690
Tasks completed: 9/45
Books read: 15/59
Total pages: 5113
Hello.I have completed Task 5.10 - Time Travel
I read the book Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. It was mostly lame. Parts were entertaining but parts were inconsistent.
# of Tasks Completed - 12
# of Books Read - 21
# of Pages Read - 6137
# of points accrued - 200
Jennifer D. (Canada)
Cynthia wrote: "Gina wrote: "Task 5.9 Coming of Age--Forever by Judy Blume"This is not a coming of age story so I can't count this."
Have you read your 1-word-titled book yet (25.7a)? It would work there. Or maybe for the student task (15.10a)? You could check your math options, as well (15.3). Or the A-B-C task (20.2) - You could do DEF, EFG, or FGH. Is "forever" a thing (25.8c)? I dunno.
I hope you can fit it in somewhere else! (I had the same problem with another task...)
I finished another task this morning - I read A Change in Altitude A Novel Anita Shreve's newest book for the second half of 15.1 to go with Fireflies in December. It was a very good book set in Kenya during the 1970's - it's about an American couple living there (the husband is doing medical research) and the hardships they go through before but mostly after a tragic accident. I gave it 5 stars but I the ending left me wanting a bit - she leaves us wondering what is to become of them although you might it infer it's not stated conclusively which is a little irritating. 14 TASKS COMPLETE - 4 PARTIALLY DONE
26 BOOK READ
9,882 PAGES READ
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I completed 25.7 by reading (1)Fool A Novel, (2) Perfect Fifths A Novel, and (3) The White Tiger.My total is now 90 points.
Wendy wrote: "8. CAIT'S TASK - Nouns - The Most Basic Definitions State That A Noun Is A Person, Place, Or Thing. Read 3 Books:• With The Name Of A Person In The Title. Proper Nouns Only (David Copperfield, Odd..."
Silly of me, but it would have been neat if you could have found a book titled eponymously Wind. Then you would have had Earth, Wind and Fire ;^D
Finished:15.4 Science Fact vs. Science Fiction
Read nonfiction
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. A very interesting and readable book about what would probably happen to Earth if all the humans disappeared. A thought provoking book, even if a little repetitive in places.Watched The Flight of the Navigator. Some people are into "Gentle Reads"; I'm into "Gentle Movies".
5.5 Required Reading - A Wrinkle in TimeI never got to finish A Wrinkle in Time in grade school. I sorta danced around the plot and was able to make my book review believable. So reading it NOW was WONDERFUL! I can fully appreciate the differences in reading from a child (annoyed b/c it was required) to an adult (estatic to read a classic)!! Adored this task!
Points: 110
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?ke...
I’ve decided to post about every two weeks for this challenge. Here are my most recently completed tasks:5.6: The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil – George Saunders 09/17
30.1: Hoot – Carl Hiaasen 09/12 (currently working in environmental protection) AND Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story – Carolyn Turgeon 09/19 (dream job of working in a bookstore)
5.2: Candy Apple Red – Nancy Bush 09/21
15.7: The Family Man – Elinor Lipman 09/23 (listened on ipod while working out and walking to and from the library)
25.10: Where There’s a Witch – Madelyn Alt (PB, 304 pages) 09/29
New Points: 80
Previous Points: 35
Total Points: 115
8 Tasks Completed (5.2, 5.6, 10.2, 10.3, 15.6, 15.7, 25.10, 30.1)
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I have finally completed my first task, I was a little late in joining the challenge, but I figure I will just do as much as I can!Completed task 10.3, read 3 children's books: The Stinky Cheese Man (Jon Scieszka), Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak) & Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? (Bill Martin, Jr.) total of 131 pages. What a fun task!
10/690 points
Tasks Completed: 1
Tasks In Progress: 3
Books Read: 5
Pages Read:627
I finished Wendy's Task 25.3 (Harvey Milk) by reading Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters.Total points = 75
Mod
Rock, Paper, Scissors Game Theory in Everyday Life by Len Fisher and
AI: Artificial Intelligence (Spielberg)
+15
total 405
Leigh wrote: "I have finally completed my first task, I was a little late in joining the challenge, but I figure I will just do as much as I can!Completed task 10.3, read 3 children's books: The Stinky Chees..."
Welcome, Leigh. Don't worry about starting late. However much you read is good.
Hey Cynthia, I just checked the leaderboard and didn't see my points added for "1000 White Women".
Leigh wrote: "I have finally completed my first task, I was a little late in joining the challenge, but I figure I will just do as much as I can!Completed task 10.3, read 3 children's books: The Stinky Chees..."
Don't be too worried about starting late, Leigh. It doesn't seem all that late really since it's still September :) Welcome to the group!
Amanda wrote: "Finished task 30.1 by reading Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery (dream job: writer). I previously finished the Devil Wears Prada for the other half of this task (current job: secretary)...."
Hi Amanda, how do you strikethrough titles? Thanks for your help!
5.2 Twilight5.3 Voyager
5.7 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
5.8 Marathoning for Mortals Jenny Hadfield is co-author on this book. Doesn't say that on the link.
5.10 Outlander
10.6 Love Medicine A Novel
15.7 Marathon You Can Do It! Activity: Running. I'm currently training for a half-marathon.
25.4 Atonement I actually prefer the movie. The book is beautiful, tragic, and poignant, but the movie is all that and visually stimulating as well. I love Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.
Total: 75 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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Completed Tasks
10.4 Hispanic heritage - Silence On The Mountain Stories Of Terror, Betrayal, And Forgetting In Guatemala 384pp 3 stars
15.2 Alternate history - One Thousand White Women The Journals of May Dodd 320pp 0 stars (5 skull/crossbones)
Would world/USA be better if this version of history happened? no
The actual history of the American Great Plains in the 1870s in a cruel and ugly page in the annals of man's inhumanity to man. This version changes one event in order to wallow in violence, racial stereotypes and misogyny.
20.3 Group read - The Shadow of the Wind 487pp 4 stars
25.1 Rhyme poetry - The Waste Land and Other Poems 96 pages 5 stars
fiction - The Bitter Taste of Time 256pp 3 stars
(plus listened to Paul Robeson read The Wasteland & Four Quartets 5 stars)
25.9 Self-improvement non-fiction - Bird by Bird Some Instructions on Writing and Life 272pp 4 stars
Main character improves - Julia's Chocolates 400pp 1 star
Completed tasks - 36
Partially completed tasks - 3
Books read - 49
Pages read - 16,181
Total points - 520