The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

Donna Jo wrote: "Teresa in Ohio wrote: "15.7 2005 Official Rules Of The Nfland watched I think 6 games of the Cleveland browns, ( might be 5) I know we only won 1 and have been pitiful on the fiel..."

At least none of you have Delhomme as a quarterback.

Stephanie wrote: " 4. Hispanic Heritage Month
Like Water for Chocolate

10 pts

7. Let's Get Physical
The Hobbit - listened while walking/using treadmill

15 pts

1. Nicole's OH Task - Fiction/Poet..."You still need to post a keepsake for the 3rd portion of this task before I can give credit

5 POINT TASKS
3. The Phantom of Manhattan
5. Bunnicula
8. The Forever King

25 POINT TASKS
7. CINDY'S TASK
Fool
Vampire Mountain
Tunnels of Blood
10. SAM'S TASK
The Vampire's Assistant

25 point task

7.)
Apocalipstick
Valentine's Night
A Sudden Engagement

I finished Task 20.2 Three Consecutive Letters of the Alphabet.

R: The Red Badge of Courage
S: Storm Glass
T: Treasure Island

50 point task

for senses Lips Touchthis is 3 short stories, with the subject being kissed and how it affects their lives, I enjoyed the first stoy a lot, it was all about first love and the first time lips touch for a kiss, the second story ( you could call this hearing) since the girl is mute and she chooses to accept a kiss but it comes with a price a curse, I didnt really get that story, the third one is about Mother and a daughter who were TOUCHED by demonic characters by a kiss Also the illustrations in here are outstanding.


for emotion I chose Black Fridaythis story brings up fear and being afraid, a terrorist attack occurs in the Mall of America the day after Thanksgiving, after reading this book, I get the creeps just thinking of going into a mall


The Birthing Housethis book, is not what it seems, I would NOT recommend it at all, I chose it for MEMORY for the birth of my child, the keepsake is their birth certificates and being with them daily, the book is suppose to be about a house used by woman for birth of children, it went off on a tangent that I didnt get and it never recovered

new total 610

Completed:

5.7 Giving Thanks: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

This was a wonderful essay of a man's life as he approaches death. The messages he left for his family and the way he lived his life were very inspiring. Within 24 months, I lost my sister, my father and my mother - I was with each of them during the last months of their lives and held their hands as they passed over. I am so thankful that I was part of their lives, able to be their caretaker at the end and help them with a peaceful passage into the next life.

10.4 Hispanic Heritage: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Mexico).

This was an inspirational book about the Toltec culture and life as they see it. It provides four agreements (guidelines) for how we can lead a better, more self-fulfilling life. Mr. Ruiz is a physician and a shaman so he bridges both cultures.

Points: 560
Books: 53
Pages: 14,402
Tasks: 40
In Proc: 4

I just finished 25.5 (Janice's fortune telling task)

Psychic Junkie: A Memoir by Sarah Lassez

+25
total 80

Finished 25.8 -
Person: The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy A Novel by Maya Slater
Place: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Thing: The Jewel Box by Anna Davis

Previous Score: 365
Current Score: 390

I have completed 5.8 with Last Go Round A Real Western. It is by Ken Kesey "with Ken Babbs". That makes my total 120.

Just finished 15.7 (Let's Get Physical). Read this book in the gym (took awhile since I haven't been to the gym much...haha).
Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes

New Total: 90

Just finished Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb for the self-help task, but I still need to read the non-fiction book.
Also watched He's Just Not Into You today, but need to read the book now. So no new points...

I completed Task 30.1 by reading Oxygen A Novel for my current job of hospital support worker (repair and calibrate equipment used on patients) and Amelia Peabody's Egypt for my dream job of archeologist.
Oxygen was an interesting look at malpractise within a large hospital when a patient dies on the operating table. It follows an anaesthesiologist through the details of the case, how the malpractise process moves along and the self-doubt that plagues her.

Amelia Peabody's Egypt is a fact-filled, easy & fun to read book just packed with details of the people of Victorian times and later in Egypt, their exploits, the tombs & artifacts they found, the fundamentals of Islam, architecture and even a chapter on Victorian childrearing. I really enjoyed this book and can see re-reading it at some point in time.

Thanks, Roseann, for this task. I enjoyed it and don't think I would have found Amelia Peabody without it.

Cynthia wrote: "Stephanie wrote: " 4. Hispanic Heritage Month
Like Water for Chocolate

10 pts

7. Let's Get Physical
The Hobbit - listened while walking/using treadmill

15 pts

1. Nicole's OH Task - Fict..."

Oops! I missed that part! And it is the best and most important. My keepsake: I remember VERY CLEARLY the day my mom took me to the library at the age of 7 to obtain my first library card. I also later had the chance to take a computer use class/session to receive a sticker to put on my card so I could play games on the old-old-school floppy disks. My mom and I went to the library together all of the time, and she is the reason why I love to read so much. I still have my first library card, and I will always have that memory! (and some of those librarians are still there and know me 22 years later!)

Completed 5.9 with Christopher Fowler's The Water Room - the protagonists, Bryant and May, are octogenarian sleuths with a quirky approach, and I love this series.

Current Total: 300 points

15.6. Creative Minds (The Arts) - Choose ONE Of The Following Tasks… • Learn Your Art History - Read A Book (Fictional Or Non-Fiction) About An Artist Or Art History AND Either Go To A Museum To View Art Or Create Art (Paint/Sculpt/Crafts/Photography Etc.). • Become A Member Of The Drama Club - Read A Play And See A Production Of It Live Or On Film. . • 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.


Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Since it took so long to get to the top of the reserved list for this book, I thought it fitting that I had started the Fall Challenge with the action part of the task and completed the challenge by reading the book. A friend and I visited the Wichita Art Museum for a showing of Maxfield Parrish paintings. Bravely, I walked out over Dale Chihuly's Seaform Ceiling, a fascinating - if somewhat unnerving - grouping of vibrantly colored blown-glass pieces that can be viewed from below or from the see-through floor above.

Congrats on finishing Jan! Way to go!!!

Earlier this week I watched the film Mystic River based on the book of the same title by Dennis LeHane. I finished reading the book last night. I preferred the film but I think that was mainly because I watched it before reading it. I normally prefer to read a book first as I get more enjoyment out of reading than watching films but in this instance I thought I would do it the other way round. When reading the book because I knew what was going to happen I didn't get the sense of anticipation or thrill I got when watching the film. The film was very true to the book so far as even using the same script in what people were saying.

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).

50.1 Sense - The Scent of the Night by Andrea Camilleri Emotion - Even the Stars Look Lonesome Tonight by Maya Angelou Memory The Great Divorce by Valerie Martin


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Completed The Heretic's Daughterby Kathleen Kent for Task 5.1

This is what I started this challenge for. I would never have read this book if not for trying to find a book that fit the task and I am really glad that I found this!

Good for you, Jan. You had a busy night last night.

Awesome Job Jan!

Only one more book to go for me and I hope to finish it tonight after I get off work.

Finished:

15.2 Fatherland

I definitely do not think that the world would have been a better place if Nazis ruled the world. That is a completely scary thought. Experiencing that level of indoctrination would be extremely dangerous.

Total Points 680/690
Total Books 61/62
Total Tasks Completed 44/45
Total Pages 20163

Finished 20.3, Julie & Julia, which puts me at 65 points.

For 25.7 (1,2,3), I read:

Utopia by Thomas More
Interesting, and a little funny. I think the translator did a good job of using the intro and endnotes to encourage the reader to understand More in the context of his own time.

Burning Bright by John Steinbeck
I know I'm channeling my sixth grade self here, but this book is just stupid. Not recommended.

The Opposite House A Novel by Helen Oyeyemi
This book has two different stories, with two different sets of characters told alternately within each chapter: one story is of a Cuban family living in London, the other is the story of Santeria orisha living in a mysterious "somewherehouse." It's a brilliant concept and Oyeyemi's writing is incredible, but she doesn't weave the stories very well. The resulting novel makes me want to bite my fist. It just doesn't work, but I know Oyeyemi has the potential to be a great writer.

Total Points: 340


Oh, and congratulations to Jan!

Congrats, Jan!

Newly Completed Tasks:

10.1 – Buddy Holly, book published between 1936-1959: Too Many Cooks by Rex Stout

Published in 1938. I gave it 3 stars. I listened to this on audio, and there were tons of characters to keep track of. I found it a bit distracting. I think I would have been more fully engaged in this story if I was reading it and could get the various names imprinted on my brain better.  This is the second Nero Wolfe book that I’ve read, and I like the series. I’ll keep on reading them every once in awhile.

“Congrats” to Jan for finishing the Challenge so quickly. I LOVE Dale Chihuly’s work. His glass is awe inspiring to me.. I only live a couple of hours from the Tacoma Art Museum which has a permanent installation of Chihuly glass. I try to stop by there whenever I can when I’m driving up to Seattle.

Go Rachel Lee go! You’re almost to the finish line too. Wa-hoo!

Total Points: 240
Completed Tasks: 15/45
Books Read for Completed Tasks: 21/62
Pages Read for Completed Tasks: 7,571
Other Tasks in Process: 5

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20.3 Julie/Julia
To be honest I didn't really like the book as much as I thought I would.

Total points
105/690

For 25.7: Blink, Case Histories , and On Chesil Beach

Case Histories is my favorite book of the challenge so far-great read!

Total: 180 points

15.10 Teacher/Student Relations:

Teacher man: A Memoir by Frank McCourt
Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

Total points: 545

Two more tasks down...

20.1 Christian Fiction - The Fisherman's Lady - not too bad; very much a Victorian novel, plenty of melodrama, but a little slow to get going. The short chapters really helped! I might have enjoyed a more modern novel better, but this was a good change of pace. There is a sequel, which is good since many questions were left unanswered at the end of this book, but I am not sure when or if I will read it.

25.4 Book and Movie - The Memory Keeper's Daughter - I liked the book well enough, but by the end I was starting to feel like the author had run out of new things to say. I caught the movie on Lifetime and I definitely liked the book better. Emily Watson was very good as Caroline, she tried I think to give her some of the depth that the character in the book had. However, I think the portrayal of Dr. Henry was much colder... he seemed to be way less sympathetic in the movie, not helped of course by the creepy melodramatic music. I gave the book 3 stars, I'd give the movie 2.

I am now reading Sign of the Cross to finish up 15.3 (Math) and I will warn you right now... not thinking very highly of this book! :( I am pushing through, and am almost to the point where I think it is so bad I might actually enjoy it! (But I am not quite there yet!)

So I guess the ticker thing does update, just takes a while?

15-9 is done! I read 'Home To Holly Springs' by Jan Karon.

Homework assignment:
Answer the following questions in complete sentences:
1. What does the word HOME mean to you?

2. Describe your ideal home with a minimum of 5 adjectives.

3. Draw a picture or do a collage of what home means to you.

340 points

Finished 20.2:

Letters: E, F, G

Read:
E: Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

F: Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

G: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

TOTALS:
Points: 320
Books: 42
Pages: 11,753
Tasks: 24

Jan (the Gryphon) wrote: "15.6. Creative Minds (The Arts) - Choose ONE Of The Following Tasks… • Learn Your Art History - Read A Book (Fictional Or Non-Fiction) About An Artist Or Art History AND Either Go To A Museum To Vi..."

Congratulations, Jan!!

@ PJREADS, DONNA JO, DLM ROSE, ROSEANN, DIANE, WENDY, JAN (THE GRYPHON)




You guys are awesome!

Hello all! I've finished a couple of tasks:

10.1 Rock And Roll Pioneer Buddy Holly Was Born On That Day In 1936 - Read A Book First Published During His Lifetime (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959). I read The Space Merchants by Cyril M. Kornbluth and Frederik Pohl; originally serialized in 1952 in the Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, and then published in book form in 1953. Surprisingly fresh and modern, with only a few slight technological clunkers in it.

25.2 Find Two Authors Who Are Related By Blood Or Marriage And Read A Book By Each.
Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman are married
I read Werewolves in Their Youth Stories by Michael Chabon -- most of the stories were about the ramifications of divorce, the first story was the best one; and, I also read
A Playdate with Death a mystery by Ayelet Waldman.

So, that makes 190 + 10 + 25 = 225




I've finished 7 other books, but I'm waiting to post on those because they are involved in multi-book tasks.
Later!

Congratulations to everyone who has finished so far!

I've finished another task -

5.7 - Giving Thanks - A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery

The book is about a large clan, consisting of the Darks and the Penhallows, in which "no fewer than sixty Darks and sixty Penhallows have married one another". The clan is called together by the elderly matriarch, Aunt Becky, who is to bequeth the cherished family heirloom, a brown jug that has been passed down through generations.

I really enjoyed the book and gave it 4 stars.

I'm thankful for my family, which is a large family like the clan's - my grandmother was the eldest of 10 children and there are now four generations, and too many of us to count! ;)

Total Books Read = 43
Tasks Completed = 30
Tasks In Progress = 4

Lisa wrote: "@ PJREADS, DONNA JO, DLM ROSE, ROSEANN, DIANE, WENDY, JAN (THE GRYPHON)




You guys are awesome!"

Lisa, that is so cute! Thanks.

Congratulations to all the Finishers!!! Awesome!!

I completed Task 5.8 (two authors) by reading Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves.
An interesting tale incorporating the idea of different planes of our existence, a new plane "splitting off" from our current reality when a major decision is made, leading to multiple-multiple worlds all alike in some way but different due to the different choices and each seperated by the Interworld so that they don't collide/meld with each other.
I was introduced to this concept (different planes; not the Interworld) many years ago in a non-fiction book (the name evades me) and found it interesting to read a novel that incorporates that theme.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE FINISHED!!!

I just completed task 20.1 christian fiction. I read The Shack by William P. Young and gave it 4 1/2 stars. I really surprised myself in liking this book...amazing and uplifting!

Total points for this task: 20
Tasks completed: 16
Many in progress, doing as get from library

Total points for challenge thus far: 225

10.1 Just finished I Capture the Castle(1948)
Great little book and loved the characters and the romantic feel of the book. I did not like the ending as much as the rest of the book, it was disappointing after being so captivated by the story.

Total points: 225

There books are always great, although this one was not as good as some of the others. It is the second book in a duology, that was part of the problem, I'm looking for the first book.

15.4 • Read A Science Fiction Novel And Watch A Film Related To Science Or Scientific Discovery. Novel - The Crystal Dragon by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller 376 pp. Film - two episodes of Planet Earth - Plains and Jungle


Total points: 270/690
Tasks completed: 17/45
Books read: 30/59
Total pages: 10424

gosh, i feel like i haven't completed a task in ages. i just did! whew!

finished task 15.2 by reading The Man in the High Castle. so do i think the world would be a better place if dick's version really happened? HELL NO! in his book, germany and japan won world war II, and took over the united states, dividing it into several areas. that part i'm not too worried about. however, germany continues to persecute and massacre jewish people, and have wiped out the entire continent of africa during an experiment. disgusting thought! we are much better off the way things are!




Total Points: 280/690
Books Read: 21/62
Tasks Completed: 14/45
Tasks in Progress: 2

Lisa wrote: "@ PJREADS, DONNA JO, DLM ROSE, ROSEANN, DIANE, WENDY, JAN (THE GRYPHON)




You guys are awesome!"

Thanks for the congratulations from everyone and Lisa! What a great congratulation animation.

Completed:

Task 20.1 (most improved player): The Preservationist - David Maine (10/28)
Wonderful retelling of Noah and the Ark. I can't wait to read more of his books!

Total Points: 425/690
Books Read: 41/62
Tasks Completed: 27/45
Pages Read: 12,824

Also, thank you to everyone for your kind words, and congratulations to all of the finishers! The Winter Challenge is gonna be a big one. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment because this excites me. :o) I still have 21 more books left to read - I think I can do it!

Cait wrote: "Completed:

Task 20.1 (most improved player): The Preservationist - David Maine (10/28)
Wonderful retelling of Noah and the Ark. I can't wait to read more of his books!..."

Cait, I really enjoyed Fallen, my first Maine book, and intend on reading his others, too. The Preservationist is at the top of my list.

Cait wrote: "Completed:

Task 20.1 (most improved player): The Preservationist - David Maine (10/28)
Wonderful retelling of Noah and the Ark. I can't wait to read more of his books!

Total Point..."

Cait, I know you are going to make it.
I have confidence that everyone with over 400 points will get all their reading done and I have a feeling some of those with high 300s are going to be in at the finish too. (Cue the tension-inducing music--doodle doodle doo, doodle doodle doo from the old 1950s quiz shows)

Congrats to those that have completed the challenge!

Here's a task to add to my total...hopefully I can be one to finish too!

Task 2 A,B,C
Books read: About a Boy, The Beach, Catalyst

20 points

This should bring me to 385.

Today I completed Task 15.2 Read an alternative historical novel. Post a review where you state whether you think the world (or a particular country) would be better today if the author's version of history is what really happened, and say why.

I read Fatherland by Robert Harris. In this book, Germany won WWII and Hitler was still alive. The New Germany expanded over several countries and the "Final Solution" as it was called was carried out in full force. Joseph Kennedy was the President of the US in the 1960's and Germany and the US were allies. I absolutely do not think that this would have been better for Germany or the world for that matter. It was scary to read about the subject matter dealt with in this book (concentration camps and the Final Solution put into place by the SS). It made me very sad in the end to realize that although this was a science fiction book, many of the characters and situations the author drew upon really did happen. All in all, I enjoyed this book even though it took me 2 weeks to finish!

Total Points: 130

Cynthia wrote: "I think you must have meant these for task 10.3 the childrens book task so you have an extra 5 points coming your way.
..."

Whoops! Yes I did. Thanks, always good to have extra points!

TOTAL POINTS: 75 + 10 = 85

New Tasks:

10.5 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Past Tasks:

5.2 Apple of My Eye by Helene Hanff
5.7 Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg
10.3 Dolores Meets Her Match (32p) by Barbara Samuels
Dolores On Her Toes (40p) by Barbara Samuels
Duncan and Dolores (20p) by Barbara Samuels
Cosmo Zooms (32p) by Arthur Howard
My Cat Likes Milk (14p) by Nancy Prasad
10.10 Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper
20.3 Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
25.7 ONE: Doubleblind by Ann Aguirre, TWO: Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs, THREE: The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

25-1 is done-phew, finally!

I read 'Dead Souls' by Nickolai Gogol (from the 1001 list and extremely boring!)

and

'The Red Line' by Betsy Sholl-this is my poetry selection.

So the words I rhymed are dead and red.

365 points-finally over 1/2 way. I am going to finish this thing no matter how tired I am from sleep deprivation! :)