The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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FALL CHALLENGE 2009
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FALL CHALLENGE 2009 COMPLETED TASKS
Over the weekend I finished The Painted Drum A Novel for 10.6 and March for 10.9. These were both quite good, and I think I'll be reading more books by Louise Erdrich and Geraldine Brooks in the future.Total points: 150
25.3 Wendy's Task: Positive GL CharactersGeography Club by Brent Hartinger
For a young adult novel, this one surprised me with the positive messages despite peer and social pressures. I actually would recommend this novel to any teen or adult that's curious about glbt groups to show the regardless of sexuality under the surface we all experience similar worries, frustrations and emotions. The main character, Russel, does something extraordinary near the end of the novel which had me mentally applauding. He's a good kid and despite his sexuality, I understood the social pressures that he went through.
Total Points: 305
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?ke...
Finished 25.8 with the following books:Patience & Sarah (person)
Letters from America (place)
The City of Falling Angels (thing)
Which puts me at a slightly sad 40 points. :-D
Judith wrote: "Finished 25.8 with the following books:Patience & Sarah (person)
Letters from America (place)
The City of Falling Angels (thing)
Which puts me at a slightly sad 40 points. :-D
"
Judith--your 40 points is way better than no points at all. Yay, you.
Finished:15.1 The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman AND The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Total so far: 45 points
I have finished the 50 point task. Sense in the title I read The Scent of the Night by Andrea Camilleri an extract from the book regarding smells "I don't wear a watch. During the day I go by the sun; at night, I go by the scent of the night. I have my own sort of natural timekeeper, built into my body. The night changes scent, depending on the hour."Emotion in the title I read Even the Stars Look Lonesome Tonight by Maya Angelou Some extracts from the book about lonliness, "We need art to live fully and to grow healthy. Without it we are dry husks drifting aimlessly on every ill wind, our futures are without promise and our present without grace."
"I asked why she didn't go home. She said her relatives had died and no one else in town wanted her. In the biblical story, the prodigal son risked and for a time lost everything he had because of an uncontrollable hunger for company. First, he asked for and received his inheritance, not caring that his father, from whom he would normally inherit, was still alive; not considering that by demanding his portion, he might be endangering the family's financial position. The parable relates that after he took his fortune, he went off into a far country and there he found company. Wasterful living conquered his loneliness and riotous companions conquered his restlessness. For a while he was fulfilled, but he lost favor in the eyes of his friends. As his money begona to disappear he began to slip down that steep road to social oblivion. His condition became so reduced that he behan to have to feed the hogs. Then it further worsened until he began to eat with the hogs. It is necver lonesome in Babylon. Of course, one needs to examine who - or in the prodigal son's case, what - he has for company.
Many people remind me of the prodigal son. Many believe that they need company at any cost, and certainly if a thing is desired at any cost, it will be obtained at all costs. We need to remember and to teach our children that solitude can be a much-to-be-desired condition. not only is it acceptable to be alone, at times it is positively to be wished for. it is in the interludes bettween being in company that we talk to ourselvces. In the silence we listen to ourselves. then we ask questions of ourselves. We describe ourselves to ourselves, and in the quietude we may even hear the voice of God."
For memory I read The Great Divorce by Emily Martin The event that has been momentous in my life was my own divorce. This was a tough time in my life but one worth going through to get where I am today. :)
Previous reads
5.2 Apple a day - Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller
5.4 Adoption - Digging to America by Anne Tyler
10.1 Buddy Holly's lifetime - Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
10.4 Hispanic Heritage Month - The Forest of Pygmies by Isabel Allende Allende is chilean.
10.5 Oktober fest - The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman this book is set in Germany.
10.7 Faster than a Speeding Bullet - A Song Flung up to Heaven by Maya Angelou
10.10 The Cat's Meow - Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Marukami
15.3 Addition - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday (Alice Gould) Muliplication - Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (10x27=270, 276 pages)
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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25 point task7.a) Skin by Ted Dekker
b) Girl Interrupted Susanna Kaysen
c) Into The Wild Jon Krakauer
Alice wrote: "I have finished the 50 point task. Sense in the title I read The Scent of the Night by Andrea Camilleri an extract from the book regarding smells "I don't wear a watch. During the day I go by the s..."For part 3 you need to post a keepsake from that eventBunny wrote: "Finished:
15.1 The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman AND The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Total so far: 45 points"I'm not sure how this fulfills this task no same prepositions, no homophones, or participles that I can see.
Amanda wrote: "Finished task 50.1:
Sense: I read Lessons I Learned in the Dark:Steps to Walking by Faith and Not by Sight by Jennifer Rothschild
Emotion: Ethan Fromme by Edith Wharton. This book is all about the..."You neglected to describe what the first book says about the sense and you need to be a bit more specific about the second part - once you post that I'll award you the points on this one - again I'm being strict with the task requirements on this one as it is worth 50 points.
Finished task 15.3 Addition 11 letters - Division 3rd book in seriesRead Long Time Coming by Sandra Brown and Milk and Honey by Faye Kellerman (3rd in Peter Decker series)
Finished 15.6: Read Our Town by Thornton Wilder and watched the PBS film version with Paul Newman playing the stage manager.Total Points: 235
I've been so busy with school that I haven't finished a book in quite a while...so I'm pretty happy to have completed one today!25 POINT TASK
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.
I read Trumpet by Jackie Kay, a novel about a transgendered (biologically female) jazz musician and his wife and son.
TOTAL: 105
COMPLETED TASKS:
5.2 APPLE COVER-
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (pp 270) READ 10.26.095.5 BACK-TO-SCHOOL - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury READ 10.25.09
I read this in high school, 30+ years ago, so my memory of the book is a little vague. I did enjoy reading it again, although dystopian fiction is not my favorite genre.
TASKS COMPLETED: 19
TASKS IN PROGRESS: 5
BOOKS READ: 28/62
PAGES READ: 8891
TOTAL POINTS EARNED: 305
*Books I Own
Completed 5.4 with Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I first read this years ago, as a child, so it was really interesting to read it now and see the random little bits of it that I had retained. I realized that there were several things that I stole directly from this book, like my reasoning behind my dislike of so-called green Christmases.Total points: 90
8 tasks complete - 7 tasks in progress
14 books read
4,326 pages read
FINISHED:5.10 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
15.9 - Shop Class as Soulcraft An Inquiry Into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford
Homework Assignment:
After reading this book, write a 3 page paper on your opinion of the book and the following:
1) What does the word "work" mean to you
2) Do you think college is for everyone?
3) What are your feelings on blue collar vs. white collar jobs?
TOTAL POINTS = 200
Finished a book on the commute over, then another during slow periods at work, NOW finished the children's task as I went to the library to pick up more books. And lo & behold they HAD The Elegance of the Hedgehog. YAY!10.3 Children's Book Task (100+ pages)
Happy Birthday To You and Are You My Mother (both) by Dr. Seuss
The first book was a gift on my 2nd birthday. It's a book that I'll always treasure and am happy through all my moves, it's stayed with me. The second was one of my first beginner books. I still remember my smile-giggle at the bird questioning Snort - Are You My Mother?
Total Points: 315
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?ke...
15.3 Discover The Equation For Good Books (Math) - Pick 2 Of The Following...Addition - Add Up The Number Of Letters Found In Your First and Last Names Then Read A Book Written By An Author Whose Name Contains The Same Number Of Letters
13 Letters = Wilkie Collins The Woman in White
Multiplication - Multiply Your Age By The Number Of Letters In Your Whole Name (First, Middle, Last) And Read A Book With Approximately That Number Of Pages (+/- 25 Pages). If Your Total Is Less Than 100 Pages You Would Need To Read A Book Between 100-125
pgs 510=The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Tasks copleted:5
Total points:70
I completed Task 15.7 (Let's Get Physical) by listening to Breaking Dawn while walking around the neighbourhood or on the treadmill, depending upon weather conditions. I enjoyed this series, although I did at times get a bit bored with the excessive teenage angst and insecurity. However, the books were written for the teenage reader and, with that in mind, I think Stephanie Meyer did a very good job in building a story.
Amanda wrote: "reposting per Cynthia's request:50 point task
Sense: I read Lessons I Learned in the Dark Steps to Walking by Faith, Not by Sight by Jennifer Rothschild. The task says the sense needs to be in the title OR we need to talk about how it is discussed in the book. "Sight" is in the title."
Amanda, for pjreads's task, it also says "Post some highlights from what the book says about the sense." I think that's what Cynthia is referring to.
oops. ok, scratch that last one. i can use it to complete this task:15.8 The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (B = Botswana) AND God's Middle Finger by Richard Grant (M = Mexico)
total = 45 pts
2 more tasks down... 5.10 - First Among Sequels - Been waiting to get to this since Christmas when I received it as a gift. It was good but probably not up to the quality of the earlier books in the series. A good portion of the plot of this book has to do with the agency that polices time-travel... quite a few characters jump around in time although surprisingly not as often as in the earlier books.
10.3 Children's stories:
The Happy Man and His Dump Truck
Animal Gym
Scuffy the Tugboat
Tootle
The Taxi That Hurried
The Seven Sneezes
The Jolly Barnyard
Seven Little Postmen
Rupert the Rhinoceros
I believe these were all Little Golden books; at any rate these particular stories are all in Tibor Gergely's Great Big Book of Bedtime Stories, which was one of my favorite books as a kid. I loved reaing most of these to my kids when they were smaller. Heck, I still enjoy reading them myself. Just flipping through the illustrations is a real trip down memory lane for me.
So I think that is a total of 80 points now for me (woo-hoo for the newbie!) but I am not sure my ticker is working.... love technology...
5.10 The Eyre Affair by Jasper FfordePoints: 5
Total Points: 310
Total Pages: 8954
I previously read "40 Years Among the Indians" for task 10.6. I've decided to use this book for task 10.4 instead. The author travelled to Mexico for a majority of the book and lived with the natives there. My points will stay the same.Jeni
Newly Completed Tasks: 5.7 – Giving Thanks: Traveling with Pomegranates A Mother-Daughter Story
This was a really lovely book on so many levels. It’s a travel story; a story about a mother-daughter relationship; a story of a woman battling depression and self-doubt; a story about women entering into new phases of their lives, and the thoughtfulness that the new phases engenders in them.
I’m thankful for the relationship that I have with my mother. I’m also thankful for the many wonderful trips we’ve taken all over the world together. This past year has been a rough one in our relationship. This book has spurred me to reach out to her and try to recapture some of the magic of our shared journeys.
5.8 – Two Authors. Are two heads better than one? Marked
This is the first book in the ‘House of Night’ series written by PC Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast. This is billed as a young-adult vampire series. Not much of this story motivates me to read any more in the series. It was a quick read about a girl who is going to be turned into a vampire, but goes to a vampire boarding high-school until the actual Change occurs. I thought it really centered more around the pagan Goddess mythology and witchcraft than vampire lore.
There are some explicit sex scenes and sexual discussions that make me hesitant to give it to tweens or younger teens.
Total Points: 230
Completed Tasks: 14/45
Books Read for Completed Tasks: 20/62
Pages Read for Completed Tasks: 7,268
Other Tasks in Process: 6
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Ok, so I'm making another change. I'm moving "The Eyre Affair" from Task 5.10 to Task 15.2. This increases my points by 10. I should be at a total of 320.Now for my explanation about the alternative history (15.2):
I don't think I like this alternative. For instance, who could imagine World War 2 without Winston Churchill. And the fact that nobody wrote Shakespeare really threw me for a loop. The story was cool, but I'm glad I live where I do.
Jeni
Finished 5.8 (Find out if two heads are better than one) by reading Sister Chicas, a Novel by Lisa Alvarado, Ann Hagman Cardinal, and Jane Alberdeston Coralin. In this case, two heads were NOT better than one, by the way!
15.9 Blood Work by Michael ConnellyHomework
Choose one of the two topics below:
1. The main character receives a new heart through organ donation. Write an essay about the pros and cons about organ donation. Give 5 arguments for each side.
2. The main character was an FBI profiler. Write an essay explaining what an FBI profiler is and how this method is used to identify potential unknown subjects. Give examples of cases solved using profiling.
Total points: 510
For Task 5.2 I read SuperFreakonomics Tales of Altruism, Terrorism, and Poorly Paid Prostitutes. The apple on the cover is exploding, but nonetheless is an apple.
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. Some Good Authors Are Neta Jackson, Karen Kingsbury, And Jeanette Oakes. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe C.S. Lewis 10-26-09 86 PagesCurrent Pages Read: 7310
Books Read: 20
Challenges Completed: 14
Total Points: 225
Wanted to get this in before I go on vacation (though I'm still bringing reading material) and since I'll be busy the next few days getting ready. I really wanted to finish up by the end of this month, but probably will be able to by the first week of November.25 points
25.7. CINDY'S TASK - One, Two, Three - Read Three Books...
• One With A One Word Title
• The Second With A Two Word Title
• And The Third With A Three Word Title.
1.Impressions by Doranna Durgin -- An Angel TV-show novelization. It wasn't too bad and was an interesting story.
2.Death Masks by Jim Butcher -- Book 5 of the Dresden Files. Realized I'd only read part of this book (a little less than half luckily) and so decided it would be good to finish. As always for me, being a big Dresden fan, I enjoyed this story, though it was a little sad. But I think that's what I like so much about these books. It's a dark world full of bad things that lurk in the dark/night. Good reading just before Halloween.
3.A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan -- The first book in the Cirque du Freak series. Definitely picked up in the second half of the book but I really enjoyed the character development of the two friends.
Tasks Completed: 41/45
Partially Completed Tasks: 0
Points Earned: 645/690
Total Books: 57
Total Pages Read: 12,711
Total Hours listened: 66 (approx.)
25.8. 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 Thomas, Still Alice Would Work; Titles With Nouns Like Woman, Teacher, Doctor Would Not) • With The Name Of A Place In The Title. Again, Proper Nouns Only (Gods In Alabama Or Motherless Brooklyn Would Work; Titles With Nouns Like School, Country, City Would Not) • With A Thing/Object In The Title, Such As Tree, Key, Car, Book, Etc.
Person: Faith (Lockhart )Saving Faith by David Baldacci
Place: Karres (a planet)The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz
Thing: Elm (a tree)Face Down Under The Wych Elm by Kathy Lynn Emerson
Finished Task 15.10 - Teacher/Student: * The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell (10/16/09) - About a teacher, Erin Gruwell, and her students
* Love Off-Limits by Whitney Lyles (10/26/09) - About a high school girl, Natalie, who is on the school paper, has high school drama, etc.
CURRENT STATS
Tasks Completed: 30/45
Tasks Partially Completed: 2
Books Read: 43/62
Pages Read: 14,457
Points Earned: 465/690
I completed another task today. Hoping to be in triple digits by the end of the week!15.3
Addition - Add Up The Number Of Letters Found In Your First and Last Names Then Read A Book Written By An Author Whose Name Contains The Same Number Of Letters (12 Letters): The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
and
Divide The Year You Were Born By Your Age (Round That Number To The Nearest Whole Number) And Then Read A Book That Is That Number In A Series (6th or 7th book in a series): Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Tasks Currently in Progress: 6
Tasks Completed: 9
Total Books: 19
Total Points: 80
Erin's task, a,b,c storm front
through violet eyes
uglies
(s,t,u)
new total 535
I have completed task 5.4 Adoption task by reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman for 3.5 stars.Total points for this task: 5
Tasks completed: 15
Many in progress, doing as get from library
Total points for challenge thus far: 205
I completed task 15.5 by reading The Book of Sand and Memories of My Melancholy Whores, both translated from Spanish. They were both good reads. I especially liked the Book of Sand.
Point Total: 285
Page Total: 6117
Cynthia,I claimed points in post 2710 for task 15.9 (Homework) but the leaderboard does not reflect my new score.
10.4 (Hispanic Heritage Month)I've read Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo, from Mexico.
Tasks Completed: 3
Total Points: 40
Completed:25.9 - Raising a Defiant Child A Sanity-saving Guide to Finally Stopping the Bad Behavior- not very helpful for me, I have a defiant teen, this was geared towards younger children & The Alchemist
Total - 185
COMPLETED TASKS:
15.10 TEACHER - *The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (pp 160) READ 10.27.09
15.10 STUDENT - The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (pp 272) READ 10.17.09
TASKS COMPLETED: 20
TASKS IN PROGRESS: 4
BOOKS READ: 29/62
PAGES READ: 9051
TOTAL POINTS EARNED: 320
*Books I Own
Jan (the Gryphon) wrote: "25.8. 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, ..."Go Jan -- GO! You're almost done with this challenge. Hurray for you!! :-) Will you finish today? -Krista
Finished the random Word generator task - 10.8. Word: Bible. From Eden to Exile Unraveling Mysteries of the Bible. Not such a great read, but I am glad I read it because it has been calling to me from my bookshelf for 3 years. New total: 375
I've been a bad contestant since this is my first post for this Fall Challenge. I however have been updating it on my blog - Layers of Thought, link for the post is here http://www.layersofthought.net/2009/0...All books have been reviewed and are linked in my blog and posted here on Goodreads.
5 Point
8. Book with two authors: Soul Survivor by Bruce and Andrea Leninger (read 10/1)
10 Point
2. River Phoenix Overdose - A Character with an Addiction: Playing House by Fredrica Wagman; (completed 10/1)
15 Point
4. Science Fiction/Fact: Read a Science Book watch Sci Fi Film: The Superstress Solution by Roberta Lee MD – fact book; Sci Fi movie was Sleep Factory (read and watched by 10/20)
7. P.E. listen to a book while exercising: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (10/9/09)
25 Point
9. Self Improvement Month - Read one Nonfiction on self help, Read one where the character self improves: Now What: 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman and Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker (finished 9/10)
Total Points: 70 /690
Tasks in Process: 10
Completed Tasks: 5/45
Books Read for Completed Tasks: 10/60
Books Read within tasks in progress 4 - total 14
Books in Progress 9
Pages Read for Completed Tasks: 1555 completed challenge pages plus 1300 pages of tasks in progress - total pages 2855
5.1 Children's TitleThe Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey
Total Points: 320
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?ke...
20.3 READ: Shutter Island by Denise LehaneTotal Seasonal Challenge points-25
Completed:25.9 Diane's Self Improvement tasks:
Non-Fiction: How to Get Organized When You Don't Have the Time by Stephanie Culp - very good book giving lots of good pointers for home and personal organization for our busy lifestyles. I particularly liked the discussions of "want" versus "need" in our handling of stuff. Good result: a couple of my closets are much better and I donated 4 boxes of clothes to a charity. Still have more to do but this task was a great jumping off point for getting some things organized. Thanks Diane.
Fiction: The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo - this was a reread of one of my favorite books. The young shepherd in the story leaves his Spanish pastures to go and find his fortune. All along the way through northern Africa he learns more about the world and himself. When he meets the alchemist, he learns that his true fortune is within himself. He returns to Spain with the knowledge of his true self and finds the fortune he was seeking. Very inspirational.
Points 545
Books 51
Pages 14057
Tasks 38
In Proc 4
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).
The Werewolf Principle by Clifford D. Simak
Thanks, Krista. ONE MORE BOOK TO READ. Depending on the usual stuff life throws at me, I'll be finished this week for certain. <|;^D
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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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One more done.
20 points
20.2. ROOKIE OF THE SEASON - ERIN - Learn Your ABC's - Read 3 Books That Begin With A,B,C Or Any Three Consecutive Letters In The Alphabet. "The" Does Not Count, Unless You Are Using T As One Of Your Letters. Books Must Be Over 100 Pages.
Doctor Who Ghosts Of India by Mark Morris The library has it cataloged as Ghosts of India, not as Dr. Who, so I was using "G" for my letter here.
Heat Wave by Max Allan Collins
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
All were pretty good books. Island of the Blue Dolphins will always be one of my favorites no matter how many times I read it. Heat Wave (CSI Miami) was really fascinating since the book describes things that you don't see from the TV show and how some of the procedures are done.
Tasks Completed: 40/45
Partially Completed Tasks: 1
Points Earned: 620/690
Total Books: 54
Total Pages Read: 11,767
Total Hours listened: 66 (approx.)