The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

Two completed tasks today - I finished Shutter Island for 20.3 and Ian Fleming's From Russia with Love for 10.1. I needed to knock off a couple of short ones after spending two weeks on Team of Rivals!

Current Total: 120 points

Cynthia wrote: "Claire wrote: "9. Coming Of Age Or All Grown Up (And Then Some) – Explore Stories Told From The Perspective Of A Character From One Of Two Opposite Ends Of The Age Spectrum By
• Reading A Coming O..."

Sorry, it doesn't. That is what happens when I change my plan too often and lose track of what the task was.

Let's change Peter and the Starcatchers to 5.8.

Then from 15.3, move The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp to 15.1.

So I think I have this figured out now.

5.8 Peter and the Starcatchers-I haven't read anything by Dave Barry or Ridley Pearson writing on their own, but this was an enjoyable reworking of Peter Pan (although this has never been one of my favorite stories). I would say that this collaboration was successful.

15.1 OF = My Preposition Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow AND The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp

15.3 (Already claimed points for) Privilege (subtraction) AND Into the Wildewood -336 pages(multiplication 15*24=360)

That brings my points to 345.

I just finished the cat task (10.10) by reading Dewey The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron.

It was so heavily promoted that I doubt any book could have lived up to those kinds of expectations (3 stars from me) but that didn't stop me from crying like a baby at the end, hehe.




TASKS COMPLETED: 15
TASKS PARTIALLY COMPLETED: 2
BOOKS READ: 19 (+4 kids books)
PAGES READ: 6,192
POINTS EARNED: 140
NUMBER OF BOOKS READ FROM MY 'OWNED AND UNREAD' SHELF: 15

20.3. GROUP READ
Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell-10/1 (359 pgs)

New Total: 175 points

Roseann wrote: "Finiashed--

5.6--PLUM SPOOKY by Janet Evanovich

I usually don't read the majory best-selling books out there, but this was a fun little mystery. Besides, it had a very cute monkey, and I am ..."


Roseann, You amaze me!! How do you read so fast?? What is your secret?

Finished:
15.7 [image error] That Summer in Sicily A Love Storyby Marlena de Blast.
I walked while listening to this. It was an interesting book but I really dislike listening to books while I'm trying to do other things.

Report #9

Completed Tasks
5.1 Children title - Letter to My Daughter 192pp 4 stars
25.6 President / Prime Minister - Franklin and Winston An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship 512pp 4 stars
Major accomplishments: New Deal and WWII victory
Scandal: Supreme Court packing scheme




Completed tasks - 43
Books read - 58
Pages read - 18.942
Total Points - 635

COMPLETED TASKS:

25.2 RELATED AUTHORS - *Cursed by Carol Higgins Clark (daughter) (pp 304) READ 10.1.09
25.2 RELATED AUTHORS - Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark (mother) (pp 416) READ 9.16.09

I used to love Mary Higgins Clark, but have found her recent work not as good and suspenseful as her earlier novels. I'll probably continue to read her, but I won't rush out to get her newest book anymore. This was my second attempt with her daughter's writing and it seems like a watered down version of her mothers. It's pleasant and quick, but rather flat.





TASKS COMPLETED: 9
TASKS IN PROGRESS: 5
BOOKS READ: 16/60
PAGES READ: 5014
TOTAL POINTS EARNED: 155

10.4 - Take No Prisoners by Cindy Gerard

Total Points: 255
Tasks Completed: 18

Wowsers! all those fast readers ahead of me - you're incredible! :D

My latest reads:

Task 10.9. Summer Has Gone With The Wind- A Dangerous Promise by Joan Lowery Nixon (9/22/09)
That book had me hungry for more in the end. :D

Task 25.3. WENDY'S TASK - Harvey Milk, The First Openly Gay Man To Be Elected To Public Office In California, Was Murdered On November 27, 1978. In Honor Of Him Read A Book With A Positive Gay Or Lesbian Character.
A Departure from the Script by Rochelle Hollander Schwab (9/30/09)
As much as I was dreading this topic, I feel good that I read this book!

Total Points: 105/690
Books Read: 11/60
Tasks Completed: 8/45
Tasks in progress: 2
Pages Read: 2990

Took me a minute to decide if I wanted to count this book for this task, but I do. :) I read The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, which was a bit depressing. Good, but awful. sigh, I hope the majority of us are not so heartless.

Oops forgot to say, that was for 10.5 Oktoberfest (originally written in German)


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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...

I read 5 Berenstain books for this challenge, which added up to about 130 pages.

25.6 BJ Rose's Task - Curse of Tippecanoe. Neither of these books by themselves was long enough, so I had to read two.
1) The Defining Moment FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope by Jonathan Alter (432 pages)
2) The Kennedy Curse by Edward Klein (272 pages)

FDR Accomplishments:
- Helped stimulate the economy during the Depression with the New Deal.
- Started Social Security
- Improved working conditions and strength of unions
- Led the US through much of WWII

FDR Scandals
- Extramarital affairs, with one or two of which were long-term and not very well hidden.
- His wife, Eleanor was supposedly having an extramarital affair with another woman
- Unneccessary military brutality in Haiti
- Committed perjury by denying he conducted an investigation of homosexual activity within the Navy

JFK Accomplishments:
- The Space Program
- Began the decline of Communism
- Founded the peace Corps

JFK Scandals:
- An utterly UNBELIEVABLE amount of extramarital affairs, including one with Marilyn Monroe. A couple of the women he had affairs with died under suspicious circumstances. He suffered from satyriasis (sex addiction). He also suffered from chronic VD.
- The Bay of Pigs
- Possible mob ties
- A reckless attitude in regards to his security which may have cost him his life.
- And SOOOOOO many family scandals!

I found it intresting that JFK's father was one of FDR's cabinet members and was fired by FDR for undisclosed reasons.

Total Points: 525/690
Books Read: 50 (+ 8 Berenstain Bears books)
Tasks Completed: 36/45
Tasks in Progress: 2


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Sara☺ wrote: "Roseann wrote: "Finiashed--

5.6--PLUM SPOOKY by Janet Evanovich

I usually don't read the majory best-selling books out there, but this was a fun little mystery. Besides, it had a very cute monke..."

To be honest I was actually scaring myself today. I used to read about 100 pages an hour and now it's about 150 (with retention). I don't know how I do it, I just do.

Roseann wrote: "Sara☺ wrote: "Roseann wrote: "Finiashed--

5.6--PLUM SPOOKY by Janet Evanovich

I usually don't read the majory best-selling books out there, but this was a fun little mystery. Besides, it had..."

Wow, you like triple or quadrupled my pages per an hour... which is, admittedly, embarrassingly low.

I went on vacation for several weeks and managed to get some reading done that also ended up completing some tasks. I even managed to work 3 books of a 5 book series into the tasks. Here's what I've completed so far:

Task 5.4 - Adoption story - Forgiven this is actually one in a series where the main character was adopted and both he and his birth family are finding each other and dealing with what that means.

Task 5.7 - Giving Thanks - Family - I know it sounds cliche but I am most thankful for my family. I have been blessed with amazing parents that love me, support me, help me, and have forgiven me for the stupid mistakes I've made along the way. Not to mention we have a very large and very extended family who are amazing. During my vacation I was reminded that not everyone has the sort of family I grew up in and live in. We fight and fuss and sometimes we aren't happy with one another, but in the end we pull together and figure out how to move forward in life with each other and in our faith.

Task 20.1 - Christian Fiction - Fame - The first of 5 books in a series that I then have had to read right in a row. Thankfully my aunt had finished all of them and wanted my mom to take them home anyway!

I'm one book away from completing the 20.2 task and 2 away from the 25.7 task. I'll be working on getting those done next.

So that brings my totals to this:
Completed Tasks: 5
Total Points: 40
Books read: 8
Pages Read: 3,484

5.9 - Age Factor - Water for Elephants

5.10 - Time Travel - A Wrinkle in Time

10.6 - Native American - Walk Two Moons

25.3 - Positive Gay/Lesbian Character - Boy Meets Boy

Totals
Total Points: 50
Books Read: 6
Completed Tasks: 5
Tasks in Progress: 2

I just finished Angels & Demons, Special Illustrated Edition by Dan Brown, for task #25.4

I really enjoyed this version of the book, in that the illustrations really help me understand a whirlwind story. The book moves fast, and this really helped me "keep up" with what was going on.

The movie wasn't nearly as good. While I enjoyed Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon again, the movie moved a little fast in spots, making it difficult catch everything that was happening - not to mention see the beautiful scenery.

For me, I enjoyed the book the most (no surprise there).

Total Points: 100
Books Read: 9

Solargalaxy_6 wrote: "I just finished Angels & Demons, Special Illustrated Edition by Dan Brown, for task #25.4

I really enjoyed this version of the book, in that the illustrations really help me understa..."

I always see the special illustrated additions of the books and want them, but they are always so expensive! I am glad you like them. Maybe one of these days I will splurge and buy myself one.

Finished 10.9, read Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Lisa wrote: "COMPLETED TASKS:

25.2 RELATED AUTHORS - *Cursed by Carol Higgins Clark (daughter) (pp 304) READ 10.1.09
25.2 RELATED AUTHORS - Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark (mother) (pp 4..."

Lisa, I agree with your comment on Clark. I read Dashing Through the Snow last winter for the challenge, and I was really disappointed. The book was written by both mother and daughter. The plot was light, and I found the writing to be amatuerish. Pretty disappointing...

Finished Sam's task 25.10 by reading Speak of the Devil by Richard Hawke. It was a fast paced mystery and I really enjoyed it. So this brings my total to 155.

For 25.6 BJ Rose's task, I read: Mr. Lincoln Goes to War and Jack A Life Like No Other

Abe Lincoln:
Major Accomplishments: Saving the Union and Abolishing Slavery.
Scandals: Well, this author asserts Lincoln didn't take a stand on slavery soon enough. He thinks since the Civil War was bound to happen sooner or later, Lincoln should have come down harder on slavery in the beginning. I think it would be really distressing to lose a third or the country to secession just because you were elected president.

JFK:
Major Accomplishments: Getting Civil Rights Legislation passed. Bagging thousands of women (this writer actually used the term stud). Rescuing us from nuclear war.
Scandals: The Bay of Pigs (which this writer glossed over), and bagging thousands of women (although the author didn't see it as a scandal.

I finished the first half of Task 25.9 by reading Before Night Falls A Memoir.
This is the story of a man who rises from absolute poverty. Despite the poverty, lack of education and strange family dynamics, he rises to be a well-published author. Living in Communist Cuba for the majority of his life, he avoids the pitfalls of despair and lives in hope. I see his life taking a significant positive change in his continuing efforts to write, despite the Government's efforts to stop him, and live his life as free and as humane as possible under the conditions of his Country.

Also, I read Coraline (first published in 2002) as the first part of Task 25.4.
I quite enjoy Neil Gaiman's stories. His characters are enchanting and delightful. He does have a bend towards the supernatural, which I enjoy. Light, enjoyable reading.

I completed task 15.7 by listening to Incantation while walking when my oldest was in preschool. I managed to lose 4 and half of the 6 pounds I gained while on vacation!

Total points: 105

Kathleen wrote: "I completed task 15.7 by listening to Incantation while walking when my oldest was in preschool. I managed to lose 4 and half of the 6 pounds I gained while on vacation!

Total points..."

Congrats on the weight loss. That's the side benefit of exercizing while listening to your books.

Task 15.6 The Cross Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini. For the second part of this task I listened to Rascal Flatts Greatest Hits and Taylor Swifts self named album.


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Report #10

Completed Task
5.7 Thankful for family and art - Pictures at an Exhibition 256pp 3 stars




Completed tasks - 44
Books read - 59
Pages read - 19,198
Total points - 640

Wound up reading really late last night just so I could finish a task--even though I knew the ending :(

10 points
7. Can You Read Faster Than A Speeding Bullet? - Christopher Reeve, Famous For His Role As Superman, Was Born On September 25, 1952...
• In Honor Of Him Read A Novel About Heroes/Heroines/Superheroes/Super-heroines
OR
• An (Auto)Biography Of Your Personal Hero/Heroine

I read My Journey with Farrah What I've Learned about Life, Love, and Friendship by her best friend Alana Stewart -- 268 pages (and color/b&W photos)

At points, this biography seemed to be more about Alana, than Farrah Fawcett. Of course this was Alana's diary she started to document her travels and journeys (spirital as well as physical and emotional) with Farrah after being diagnosed with aggressive rectal cancer and a six-month prognosis.

I feel Farrah was a real hero (heroine) in her fight and life with the disease as she sought out alternative medicines in Germany because she wasn't afraid to show the world what it was like for her through the good and a lot of the bad. The one thing that I really hated reading, were the parts when they had to dodge paparazzi, but I cheered when Alana would confront them right back and protected her friend from their ruthless disregard for Farrah's privacy traveling back and forth from clinics/hospitals/airports. The black and white photos with short stories behind the pictures that lead off the chapters were very sweet and touching and also helped to show a side of Farrah that just made her even more real as a person, just like anyone else and not just a "famous actress," etc.

I would recommend this book as well as watching the documentary that was made if you want to see how heoric Farrah was during some of the darkest days of the last few years of her life. It's hard not to admire this woman.

Almost forgot:

Total Points: 115
Total Books: 13 (includes 1 for all the kids' books)
Total Tasks: 11
Total Pages Read: 1466 (not including kids' books)
Total Hours listened: 29.25 (approx.)

I completed task 25.10 by reading Zombie.

It wasn't great, wasn't bad. I don't think I am a big fan of "perspective" books where the point of the book is who (what type of person) the narrator is (in this case a serial killer).

Point Total: 235
Page Total: 4932

5.10 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Always a favourite!

6/57 books
1762 pages

I finished 15.5, 2 foreign language books with
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and
The Sun Over Breda by Arturo Perez-Reverte

Angel's Game is much darker than The Shadow of the Wind but still a good read.
The Sun Over Breda is the third of the Captain Alatriste books- an exciting story, but this one focused too heavily on battle scenes without a character-driven story arc.

both translated from Spanish
+15
total 435

10 point task
2.Beautiful Boy : A father's journey through his son's addiction.

Finished Julie/Julia for task 20.3. I liked it & am excited to see the movie!
Brings me to 95 points.

Read The Great Gatsby for 5.5. I don't remember being a big fan in school, and I wasn't this time around. However, I am glad I re-read it, because I only remembered elements, like the blinking green light, not the whole story.

Total points: 115

Finished
5.7 Giving Thanks--for Family
The Touch by Colleen McCullough.
Set during the last half of Victoria's reign, this family-centered drama takes place mainly in the gold fields of Australia. During the course of the book the concept of family changes to encompass more than imagined.
Come to think of it, I'm also thankful for the opportunity to visit Australia a year ago.

5 POINT TASKS
1. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
2. Twilight By Stephanie Meyer 9/3/09
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) 10/2/09
7. Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline B. Cooney
8. The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance 9/15/09
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. A Child Called it By David Pelzer 9/10/09
3. Cat and the Hat/ Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss 9/1/09
4. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
5. The Book Thief by by Markus Zusak
6. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell 9/11/09
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. The Ex Games (Romantic Comedies) by Jennifer Echols 9/26/09 and Hot Six By Janet Evanovich 9/20/09
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 10/1/09
8. The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky and The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
9. No Place Like Home A Novel by Mary Higgins Clark
10. Treacherous Love: The Diary of an Anonymous Teenager by Beatrice Sparks (Editor ) 9/30/09 and Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez 9/28/09

20 POINT TASKS
1.The Shack by William P. Young
2.Jessi's Wish (Baby-Sitters Club, 48) by Ann M. Martin and Kristy's Great Idea (The Baby-Sitter's Club #1) by Ann M. Martin and Logan's Story (Baby-Sitters Club Special Edition) by Ann M. Martin 9/2/09
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. Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez 9/21/09
4. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 9/7/09
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 New Moon by Stephanie Meyer 9/4/09 and Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
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


160/690 Points
4682/19897 Pages Read

Lisa wrote: "pjreads wrote: "Report #8 Completed Tasks
10.1 Buddy Holly 1948 - Cry, the Beloved Country 320pp 5 stars
15.6 Drama Play & ...

I gotta ask you how you do it! I spend A LOT of time reading, but I don't seem to be able to match your pace. What's your secret? I'd love to be able to read books as fast as I buy them! ;D"

I've always read all the time -- while vacuuming, cooking, eating, walking, brushing my teeth, doing anything / everything (not driving). Now I'm retired, living by myself and reading, reading, reading. If one book starts to drag, I leave it for a while and start another. The secret may be that I prefer reading to everything else.

Hello.

I have completed Task 25.8 - Nouns.

My person was: Little Bee (her proper name).
My place was: Gilead A Novel (the town's name).
My thing was: A Case of Exploding Mangoes (case).






# of Tasks Completed - 14
# of Books Read - 23
# of Pages Read - 6610
# of points accrued - 250

Jennifer D. (Canada)

15.4. CANDACE'S TASK – I read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd for this task. Unfortunately, I saw the movie first when they played it a couple weeks ago on HBO. I hate seeing the movie first because then I can’t create my own characters in my head, they always end up looking like the actors from the movie. In this situation though, I liked both the book and the movie. It’s a great story and read super fast. I would recommend both to everyone, but def. read the book first. The movie cut out quite a bit of side-story, but overall did a good job.



Total points: 45/690
Tasks completed: 2
Books read: 5/59
Total pages: 1609

Finished:

15.10 – The Last Lecture – Randy Pausch & Eclipse – Stephanie Meyer

TOTAL POINTS = 115

Finished 25.1 Rhyme Time (Nicole) - past and last

Poetry: The Past by Galway Kinnell
Fiction: The Last Pope by Luis Miguel Rocha

Nicole - Thanks for this task - I am not a poetry fan but loved the selection of poems from Galway Kinnell and will be looking into reading more poetry in the future.

The Past - a selection of poems by Pulitzer Prize winner Galway Kinnell. Beaufiful sentiments and loved the flow of the language.

The Last Pope - super mystery about the possible murder of Pope John Paul I - the author has researched the topic and puts forth a very strong case for his murder. Written as fiction to draw more interest and wider audience scope. Very interesting discussion of the scandals within the Vatican from WWII through the 1980's.

Points: 280
Books: 27
Pages: 8009
Tasks: 20
In Proc: 5

Finished 10.9

The Red Badge of Courage

Total Points 355/690
Total Books 38/59
Total Tasks Completed 27/45
Total Pages 11849

Janice wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "I completed task 15.7 by listening to Incantation while walking when my oldest was in preschool. I managed to lose 4 and half of the 6 pounds I gained while on vacati..."


Definitely! I plan to keep up the walking and listening!

I finished 5.7, Thankful with
You Were Always Mom's Favorite! Sisters in Conversation Throughout Their Lives by Deborah Tannen

..."A sister is the person you might have been but aren't, by choice or by chance."

With apologies to my brother, I am most thankful for my sisters. As the eldest of three girls born in three years, I never would have believed that my sisters would have become my closest friends. My sisters were at the core of many of my childhood scars- physically, psychologically, and emotionally, but now they are a source of joy, connection, and understanding. We still have complicated relationships- often falling into our familiar family roles: the smart one, the tomboy, the pretty one. No one can turn me into my immature 14-year-old self quicker than my sisters. They are my rivals, but they are also my confidantes and my partners-in-crime. There is a rhythm to our relationship that has developed from a shared past and genetics. Very few other people can complete my sentences or make me dissolve into hysterics (good and bad) with a single look or phrase.

+5
total 440

Dlmrose wrote: "I finished 5.7, Thankful with
You Were Always Mom's Favorite! Sisters in Conversation Throughout Their Lives by Deborah Tannen

..."A sister is the person you might have been but..."

What a wonderful tribute to sisters. While I have a great sister myself that I'd like to keep, could I join your family?

re post 1692:
We might not have survived our teen years with another sister- but it might have helped the ever shifting two against one alliances!

We're all heading to our parent's 50th anniversary this weekend. Let's see if the 4 siblings and their families survive the weekend back home with Mom and Dad. I may not be so generous by Monday!

Completed Tasks:
5.6 Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
10.3 The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel
25.5 The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Total points - 40
Total pages - 1,267

Task 5.1: Change Me into Zeus's Daughter A Memoir by Barbara Robinette Moss

5 Pts means new grand total of 60.

For 24.4 I've read Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix and watched the movie.

The book was quite good. Like the other books in the series, it is at turns funny, exciting, and tragic. The characters are all beautifully developed and Rowling creates a very imaginative and detailed magical world.

The movie, unfortunately, did not live up to the book; it suffered from trying to cram in so much plot (the book is 500+ pgs.) into a two hour window. The story was a tad disjointed, and I don't think I would have been able to understand what was happening without having read the book first. That being said, the sets were quite wonderful and it was cast beautifully. Imelda Staunton and Alan Rickman in particular stood out.

Total points: 45