The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

Flood by Stephen Baxter
Lavender Morning by Jude Deveraux
The Stonehenge Gate by Jack Williamson

for task 25.7

10.6-I read "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie. I liked it!

Brings me to 250.

Hello! I have finished a couple more tasks.

10.2 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).

Drinking A Love Story by Caroline Knapp

15.6 • Music Appreciation Class - Read A Book With A Type Of Music In The Title (Jazz, Country, Pop, Rap Etc.) And Listen To A CD Or Attend A Concert Of That Type Of Music.

Book: The Unicorn Sonata by Peter S. Beagle
CD : Beethoven, Ludwig van (2006) Piano sonata in D major, op. 10, no. 3 : Piano sonata in E flat major, op. 7 ; Piano sonata in F minor "Appassionata," op. 57

So ... 90 + 15 + 10 = 115

Oh dear, oh dear... Task 25.10 completed with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. What a disappointment. It could have so much better but in the end I was glad it was over.

25.10 Monsterfest – Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Total: 160/690 points
13/59 books
9/45 tasks
5310 pages

Have been out of town for a week but have been reading - so here is my catch-up list of completions.

10.5 Okterberfest: Night by Elie Wiesel
15.4 Sci-fi vs Sci-fact:
1. Fiction: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:Tertiary Phase by Douglas Adams
2. Fact: An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore
20.1 Christian Fiction: The Penney by Joyce Meyer
25.3 Harvey Milk: The Funny Thing Is... by Ellen DeGeneres

Night - Great classic about a holocaust survivor of the concentration camps. I have to read this once a year just to keep myself grounded about keeping vigilant that this can never happen again.

Hitchhiker's Guide - listened to on CD. Super job on this sci-fi classic. This is only one book of the total series. Hopefully can use other books for the next challenge.

An Inconvenient Truth - wonderful documentary about global warming. Most info is pretty well accepted now but unfortunately we are still not reacting to what is becoming a world disaster.

The Penney - very inspirational book emphasizing how important the small things in life can be - especially just a small amount of support to someone when needed can be life changing. Very glad Julie asked us to explore this genre.

The Funny Thing Is ... Since I had a lot of driving to do this week, I thought I would listen to this CD by Ellen DeGeneres. Was a little disappointed. The CD was merely her stand-up comedy routines which were very entertaining. But I had hoped for her to go into her life and homosexuality more. However, she is a very positive icon of the gay community.

Points: 395
Books: 37
Pages 9979
Tasks: 29
In Proc: 4

Finished another task late last night -

15.8 - Geography Lessons - my initials are J & L - The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama (Japan) and In The Country Of Men by Hisham Matar (Libya)

Total Books Read = 26
Tasks Completed = 17
Tasks In Progress = 7

Finished The White Tiger for Task 10.10 - The Cat's Meow.

That brings me to 70 points. If I ever get finishing some of the multi-book tasks that I'm in the middle of I'll finally start adding to my point total.

Total Points = 215

5 point tasks:
2. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
9. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
10. The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Nefenegger

10 point tasks:
3. A World of Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne and EH Shepard
6. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
15 point tasks:
3. • Multiplication: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz • Division: 3rd book is Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
9.Working on the Work by Philliip Schletcty HW assignment: design a page on my website that supports the concepts presented

20 point tasks:
3. GROUP READ -Julie and Julia 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen I loved this book!

25 point tasks:
1. The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost and The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
4. CANDACE'S TASK Harry Potter by JK Rowling I think the book was better. It is very hard to take a wonderful story that is full of developed characters with complex back-stories and convert it into a movie the book lovers will be happy with!
5. JANICE'S TASK - The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
7. Stiff by Mary Roach, Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer, The Innocent Man by John Grisham

30 point tasks:
Current: The Teaching Gap by Stigler and Hiebert & Dream: How to get into Law School by Susan Estrich

Cynthia wrote: "Marie-vicky wrote: "Hello, I completed 25 points tasks (*7 CINDY'S task: One,Two,Three books) One for the Money,Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
Next I finished another..."

thanks Cynthia. I ve just found out that some of these titles can fit in another task



One for the Money and Two for the Dough will fit in the 25.8 the noun task I 'm addind the The last Symbol by Dan Brown that I've just completed

1>The Last Symbol by Dan Brown
2 One For the Money by Erin Evanovich
3 Two for the Dough by Erin Evanovich

word: symbol, money, dough

points earned 25 points
total 45 points

Amanda wrote: "(sorta) Unrelated post--have a job interview to manage a new bookstore in my town on friday...would LOVE some good prayers and thoughts from my fellow book fanatics...the only people who would unde..."

Good luck on your interview on Friday, Amanda. I'll be sending good thoughts your way until then! Boy, managing a bookstore would be such a trial..... :-)

Krista wrote: "Amanda wrote: "(sorta) Unrelated post--have a job interview to manage a new bookstore in my town on friday...would LOVE some good prayers and thoughts from my fellow book fanatics...the only people..."

good luck!!!

Wow, this has been a slow quarter, I'm not sure if I have already posted this 5 point book or not, whatever you think I have on the leaderboard is OK Cynthia. The Red Wolf Conspiracy is a good book for the fantasy fans.


5.3 In 1492 Columbus Sailed The Ocean Blue The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert Redick,445pp, read 10/6/2009.

10.7 A Novel About Heroes/Heroines/Superheroes/Super-heroines The Fairy Godmother, by Mercedes Lackey, 496 pp, read 10/14/2009.

Total points: 190/690
Tasks completed: 12/45
Books read: 21/59
Total pages: 7420

Marie-vicky wrote: "Cynthia wrote: "Marie-vicky wrote: "Hello, I completed 25 points tasks (*7 CINDY'S task: One,Two,Three books) One for the Money,Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
Next I..."

Marie-vicky,

In Task 25.8 (the noun task or "person, place or thing"), you are required to read three books. The first has to have a person's name in the title, the second a place in the title and the third a thing or object in the title. All of your books fit in the thing or object category.

I would suggest you use One For the Money and Two For the Dough in Task 15.1 (grammar). Both books contain the preposition "for" in their titles. You could still use The Lost Symbol for the thing or object portion of Task 25.8.

I also looked at what you're currently reading. The Pat Conroy Cookbook Recipes of My Life would fit Task 25.8, the person part. You could check with Cait on the proper place portion to see if South of Broad would work. It is a real estate location in Charleston referring to Broad St.

I hope this helps.

For 15.6:
While I was visiting my family in Houston last September, I went to the Menil Museuem and Cy Twombly gallery. I've also (finally!) read Flash of the Spirit African & Afro-American Art & Philosophy: this has been in by to-read pile forever. I enjoyed it immensly; it is a really beautiful and poetic look forms of art I knew very little about, even though I have a BA in art history and work in an art gallery.

Total points: 110

For 15.1, I read A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb and The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares. So, that puts me at 60 points.

Finished 15.7:

Read Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives and Broken Hearts by Julian Rubenstein
AND played ice hockey, of course :)

TOTALS:
Points: 220
Books: 32
Tasks: 19
Pages: 7,123

Completed another task.

15 points
15.9. Your Homework Assignment (Should You Choose To Accept It) Is To Read A Book With The Word Home OR Work In The Title.
The War Comes Home Washington's Battle against America's Veterans by Aaron Glantz -- 254 pp (10.14.09)
I gave this book 5 stars. Very well written and brought tears to my eyes at times. I very much recommend reading it.

• After Reading The Book You Have To Design A Homework Assignment That Relates Somehow To That Book. Post The Details Of The Assignment When You Claim Points For This Task.

Homework Assignment:
This book documents the US government's neglect of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistant. Not only does it give us a personal connection to some of those brave men and women whose service has cost them so dearly in so many ways, physically and psychologically, it compels one to ask their self if what our nation has done to them (on the one hand it sings their praises, only to cast them off as damaged goods when they return home).

If you know someone still in the military or who has since been discharged, let them know how much you appreciate the sacrifices they have made. Write a letter to them or call them up on the phone and tell them. Or "adopt" a marine, soldier, etc. There are several organizations online (which can be looked up) involved in providing penpals to soldiers. Oftentimes, just having that connection to the everyday world that we feel might be boring, is what they need to "escape" the horrors that is their everyday way of living.

It is getting close to the holidays, and many servicemen/women will not get to be home with their families. Try to organize something local in the community, or see if a local food restaurant is sponsoring a collection drive to send them some much needed items. Example, last winter, my local Whataburger restaurant was doing such a thing. It listed items that was in demand to bring into their store and were going to send overseas.

Note: Please let me know if this isn't the kind of "homework" assignment that was meant by this task and I'll see what I can come up with to change this.

Tasks Completed: 26/45
Partially Completed Tasks: 3
Points Earned: 360/690
Total Books: 32
Total Pages Read: 5,398
Total Hours listened: 46.75 (approx.)

10.2 Go Ask Alice by Anonymous Author

Total points: 375

Cynthia, I should be at 135 and am showing at 125 on the leaderboard. My last post was message 2152, and the leaderboard says it is updated through message 2200.

FINISHED:

10.1 - The Boxcar Children - Gertrude Warner Chandler(1942)

TOTAL POINTS = 145

So much has happened since I was here last! I managed to get a computer virus. Twice.

But since I wasn't computing, I was reading!

For task 15.9 I read Home by Marilynne Robinson. For my homework assignment: What is the definition of Home for Jack? Glory? Mr. Boughton? How much of their definitions are defined by the era in which they lived? What is your definition of Home?

For 25.1, I read Patrick Swayze One Last Dance by Wendy Leigh and Ants on the Melon a Collection of Poems by Virginia Adair.

Ants and Dance are my rhyming words.

Completed task 20.2

Fag Hag by Robert Rodi
Girl Meets Ape by Chris Manby
How To Be Good by Nick Hornby

I finished 15.8, Geography lessons (DR) with
Breath and Shadows by Ella Leffland set in Denmark and
Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin set in Rwanda, a really charming debut novel

+15
total 605

FINISHED:

10.6 - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian - Sherman Alexie

TOTAL POINTS = 155

I finished 25.1 (current and fantasy job) by reading Raising Jake for the student (reliant on parents) part and Paranoia for the dream job part. I'd love to be a spy, and actually considered joining the CIA for a couple years. Too many episodes of Alias made me really want to be a superspy :)

That brings my point total to 130 points

5.3. In 1492 Columbus Sailed The Ocean Blue - In Honor Of Columbus Day (October) - Read A Novel Where The Main Character Travels At Sea Or A Non-Fiction Book About Sea Travel.
Clive Cussler Medusa
5 points
545 total

I finished the first part of Donna Jo's task with I Heard That Song Before. Am now going to start Decked. No points yet, but hopefully in the next day or two.

Jennifer wrote: "Cynthia, I should be at 135 and am showing at 125 on the leaderboard. My last post was message 2152, and the leaderboard says it is updated through message 2200."Sorry I had it recorded in the spreadsheet but didn't adjust the leaderboard accordingly

Marie-vicky wrote: "Cynthia wrote: "Marie-vicky wrote: "Hello, I completed 25 points tasks (*7 CINDY'S task: One,Two,Three books) One for the Money,Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
Next I..."This doesn't fit the Person/Place/Thing task either - all of those are thing you have no place or person.

finished task 25.5 last night by reading Daughter of Fortune A Novel. felt like it took forever to finish that one!




Total Points: 190/690
Books Read: 17/62
Tasks Completed: 11/45
Tasks in Progress: 4

Thank you, Cynthia!

Lisa wrote: "Marie-vicky wrote: "Cynthia wrote: "Marie-vicky wrote: "Hello, I completed 25 points tasks (*7 CINDY'S task: One,Two,Three books) One for the Money,Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly by Jan..."

Lisa gave some very good suggestions, and I would accept South of Broad for the place portion if that helps you at all.

Completed Wendy's Task 25.3 by listening to Boy Meets Boy. It was ok, but I think a little too "YA" for me. I gave it three stars.

Total points: 115

Finished 5.2 Apple with The Giver by Lois Lowry. My version has an apple onit, but I cannot find a picture anywhere! (ISBN:0395775299)

Finished 5.4 Adoption with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by Joanne Rowling

NEW POINTS:10
OLD POINTS:230
TOTAL POINTS:240

TASKS COMPLETED:17
TASKS IN PROGRESS:3
BOOKS READ:22
PAGES READ:7474

Matthew wrote: "Finished 5.2 Apple with The Giver by Lois Lowry. My version has an apple onit, but I cannot find a picture anywhere! (ISBN:0395775299)

Finished 5.4 Adoption with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's ..."

Matthew, I found a copy of The Giver with an apple on it.

10.7. 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.

super hero Protectors vs. super villain Outcasts
Aphrodite's Flame by Julie Kenner

15.5. Time To Study Abroad (Foreign Language)
• Read 2 Books That Were Originally Published In The Same Foreign Language (One You Don't Speak Fluently).
Spanish -- Once upon a time, I knew how to ask the way to the restroom, but not enough to understand the directions. (My then 3-yr-old son said he did not want us to move to Puerto Rico because he did "not want to learn Japanese.")


Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez

Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter A Novel by Mario Vargas Llosa

One more done.

10 points
10.6. 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.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie -- 230 pp (10.14.09)
What a wonderfully written book, even if it made me tear up a couple times involving his grandmother and sister and their friend Eugene. I would definitely read more of this author's books in the future. The drawings were very cute too and helped add to the appeal of the book.

Tasks Completed: 27/45
Partially Completed Tasks: 3
Points Earned: 370/690
Total Books: 33
Total Pages Read: 5,628
Total Hours listened: 46.75 (approx.)

I just finished Candace's task (25.4) by watching the film for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (I finished the book earlier today). I HATE reading Holocaust literature but I thought that it being a juvenile book it wouldn't be as bad (in fact it made it worse I think)...and up until nearly the end I was doing ok - the end was just awful. This was one time when I REALLY hoped they would change the movie's ending so it was different from book but no such luck.

I've been to a concentration camp before (Dachau not Auschwitz where the book takes place); and I've been to the Holocaust museum in DC - reading this book and watching the film made my skin crawl nearly as bad as those two experiences. Having partial Jewish heritage (on my father's mothers side - my great grandparents came here from Russia) and having seen these things makes books of this time period somewhat more personal I think. I don't practice the religion myself but it's part of my heritage all the same.

The only thing I could think about when I read the ending is how this book truly personifies the quote "The sins of the father are visited upon the son" in the worst possible and most literal of ways.

21 TASKS COMPLETE - 4 PARTIALLY DONE
36 BOOK READ
12,915 PAGES READ


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5.6: The Haunted Hotelby Wilkie Collins

Points: 5

Total Points: 235
Total Pages: 7087

Completed Cindy's Task - One, Two, Three
Read - Superfudge by Judy Blume 166 pages
Never Change by Elizabeth Berg 214 pages
Bones to Pick by Carolyn Haines 300 pages

I finished Storm Cycle by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen (mother and son) for 10.8
I thought it was a good book--very fast paced, but also presented some interesting ideas about technology.

That puts me at 255 points
6732 pages read

10.6 Talking God by Tony Hillerman

Total points: 385

Completed Tasks
5 Point Tasks
#3 The Old Man and the Sea

10 Point Tasks
#3 The Complete Adventures of Curious George
#6 Walk Two Moons
#7 Wonder Woman Love and Murder

25 Point Tasks
#8 Person: Madame Bovary; Place: Sundays at Tiffany's; Thing: The Lost Symbol

Total Points Earned: 60
Total Books Read: 8
Total Pages Read for Completed Tasks: 2057


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Finished 15.3 Math Task. For Addition: I have 15 letters in my name so I read The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly. For the subtraction part my book have to be 7 letters so I read Rampant by Diana Peterfreund.

Tasks Completed: 9
Partially Completed Tasks: 1
Points Earned: 120
Total Books: 15
Total Pages Read: 5155

15.3 I read "The Language of Sycamores" for a 22 letter title (subtraction) and "The House on Tradd Street" by Karen White, a 10 letter author (addition).

Brings me to 265.

I completed task 10.10 by reading by Kurt Vonnegut. Cat's Cradle.

If I had read this book at the right point in my life, when I was in high school for example, I would have been obsessed. As it is, I just found it to be quite good.

Point Total: 265
Page Total: 5493

5 Points:

2. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Cruise – funny and steamy
5. Slaughterhouse-5 by Kurt Vonnegut – One of the few classic must-read high school books I’ve ever really been impressed with
6. Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich – entertaining and the first I’d heard of the Pine Barrens

10 Points:

3. Edward & the Pirates by David McPhail – 32 pages – I really enjoyed this one and was delighted that my son’s favorite part was when Mommy and Daddy come swooping in to rescue him and they are…Joan of Arc and Robin Hood!
Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney – 40 pages – my son LOVES this one and it is great fun, especially the line “Please STOP all this llama drama, and be patient for your mama!”
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown – 32 pages – this one is excellent and lulls both reader and child to sleep (don’t read while lying down)
Corduroy by Don Freedman – 32 pages – I know this is a classic but neither my son nor I was particularly entertained

15 POINT TASKS

3. Subtraction – 12 - Touch the Dark by Karen Chance – Wow! Fascinating characters and great writing style, can’t wait to read the next one.
Division – (7 or 1) - 1st in series - Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon – just ok, glad I kept reading the series though so I could get to Dance with the Devil
7. Lady Killer by Lisa Scottaline – listed to this one on CD at work (I’m a data tech which is going to make Roseann’s task next to impossible) and loved the narrator’s treatment of everyone’s Philly accents
8. (R)Romania - The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter & (S)Switzerland – The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter – Both good paranormal romance, as with J.R. Ward’s series it’s the secondary characters I find the most interesting as their stories develop through the series – can’t wait for Gideon’s book
10. Good-bye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton (teacher) & The Secret History by Donna Tart (student)

25 POINT TASKS

3. Hot Pursuit by Suzanne Brockmann – Jules & Robin are a gay couple, I love Brockmann’s treatment of homosexual characters, especially her note to her gay son at the beginning of Hot Target
7. Amsterdam by Ian McEwan – a rather disturbing read but the ending is satisfying poetic justice; Dark Lover by J.R.Ward – even though this isn’t one of my favorites, all her characters are gripping and I can’t wait to see what happens to them in the series; Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon – not great but at least these two reoccurring characters get their HEA
10. Dance with the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon – my favorite Dark Hunter book so far, love the tortured hero

TOTAL CHALLENGE POINTS: 160 points

Have had trouble with computer so while it is working am going to post some points!
5.8 Two heads are better thatn one:The Piano Teacher by Robert Taenbaum and Peter s. Greenburg. Not too bad a book if you like true crime.
10.6 Read a bool about Native American: Hunting Badger by Tony Hillerman. Never read anything by him but really enjoyed all the descriptions of the land and the ledgends that were in the book.
20.1 Christian Fiction Book: A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke. Love all her books!
20.3 Group Read: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. This was a reread for me but I picked up things that I missed in my first reading that was very interesting. Really loved the book!
Total: 55 more points! Yeah

Finished 2 tasks:

For 10.10 (A book with a cat on the cover) I read M Is for Magic which of course I loved, since it's Neil Gaiman.

For 5.6 (Halloween 1) I read A Touch of Dead which was a lot of fun, but not as good as I was hoping for.

So that's 15 more points...Slowly but surely!

Finished another one for points! 10.7 No Ordinary Heroes 8 Doctors, 30 Nurses, 7,000 Prisoners and a Category 5 Hurricane which is about the doctors and nurses that worked in the new orleans prison system during Hurricane Katrina and how they managed to save thousands of lives during those few miserable days/weeks. The story is remarkable and I have gained so much admiration for these people.

new total: 260

Bridgit wrote: "Finished another one for points! 10.7 No Ordinary Heroes 8 Doctors, 30 Nurses, 7,000 Prisoners and a Category 5 Hurricane which is about the doctors and nurses that worked in the ne..."

Definitely adding this to my to-read list!