The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

So I finished another book - I read Brother and Sister A Novel for the adoption task (5.4). It was a very interesting story about a brother and a sister (duh) who were both adopted by the same couple but had different birth parents. She decides after years of trying to convince herself that being adopted is better because she was chosen into a family rather than born to one that she needed to know the truth about her birth mother and forces her brother to go on the journey with her. It basically opens up a big can of worms as all family members are involved/effected greatly by her decision and basically tells the story of the fallout of that decision.

33 TASKS COMPLETED
49/62 BOOKS FINISHED
17,460 PAGES READ


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Been reading like crazy, so will prob have to take a break!
I finished the Heretic's Daughter (which displays a number of emotions: jealousy within family, anger in community), Such a Long Journey (which was a keepsake from a special aunt the lives in Canada), and Hunger Games (which displays heightened senses in order to survive - Katniss can hear everything while hunting) all for task 50.1.
I also finished The REader for the second half of 15.5 (orig. in German - other book - The Trial). AND (!!) Three Cups of Tea while biking at the gym for task 15.7.
Total: 215 points
Books: 19
Tasks: 14

I finished task 20.2 by reading Beastly by Alex Finn, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, and Digging to America by Anne Tyler.

That brings my total to 385 points.

25.3 Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison

points: 220

15.1. Brush Up On Your Grammar (English) - Select One Of The Following...
• Prepositions - Read 2 Books That Contain The Same Preposition In Their Titles.

The Book of Knights by Yves Meynard
The Best of Gene Wolfe by Gene Wolfe

Total points 250
Tasks complete 17

Congrats to all of you who are reaching your goals! For those of you so close to finishing, keep reading. You can do it!!

For task 25.2 (blood or marriage), I read books by Alice Walker and Rebecca Walker, who are mother and daughter:

Possessing the Secret of Joy by A. Walker
Full disclosure: Alice Walker has been a favorite of mine since I was a teenager. Her writing has this divine matriarchal tone that makes me feel accepted, bolstered, and richer in my female-ness. (And yes, I know how corny that sounds!! It's true, though.) Possessing is about torturous FGM practices that will make your stomach turn, but also about the choices we make as women to either be tools of our mutual oppression or to be tools of resistance.

and

Black, White & Jewish Autobiography of a Shifting Self by R. Walker
It was soo interesting to read this book in tandem with one of her mother's (thanks, Donna Jo). Alice wrote the question, "Why does the child cry?" and seemed completely incapable (or unwilling) to answer it with regard to her own daughter. It was sad to read how un-mothered Rebecca felt as an adolescent, given how mothered I felt through Alice's writing. Primarily, though, this book offers a great study of how a bi-racial child is forced to navigate worlds with very different cultural expectations.

Total points: 490

I have completed 20.2 with
L-Losing the News The Future of the News That Feeds Democracy
M-Mountains Beyond Mountains The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World, and
N-Not Without My Daughter
This brings my total to 205

Cynthia wrote: ""Abigail wrote: "Another one down!
Finished 15.6:
The Man Who Loved Jane Austen by Sally Smith O'Rourke"
I'm not seeing the connection on this with the task - which of the 3 options is this supposed to be..."


Oh, I'm so sorry. I left all that out, didn't I?

I did the Art History version. The main character is an artist. From the inside panel: "New York artist Eliza Knight certainly didn't realize it at the time, but her life changed when . . . " She paints from time to time in the book, and it actually even plays a (small) role in the plot development. I think that works, right?

For my own art, I've done a number of crafts with my preschooler (just today, we painted leaves which we will turn into a Thanksgiving wreath), begun the wonders of scribbling with my toddler, and worked on a number of yarn projects (ex: homemade and self-designed Christmas stocking). I think I've got that part covered no problem. ;)

15.2 The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

This was a great book, although a little scary. I definately do not think that America (or for that matter the World) would have been place with Lindbergh as president. I am from Canada, but lived many years in Eastern Europe and America is for me trully the land of the free, where everyone has the chance at reaching their dreams. I couldn't, and wouldn't want to imagine America any other way.

Total points: 680

One more book to go! Thanks to everyone for their encouragement!

Congratulations to all who are reaching your goals!

My curiosity made me look at the goals posted in September … I’m impressed enough to pass this on (with apologies if I mixed people up or messed up some way).

Abigail: set bar - 600 points so far
Alice: beat 350 points - 375 points so far
Amanda VA: most improved (from 305) – 500 points so far
Amy TX: 10 books – 11 books so far
Christine: set bar – 30 points so far
Christy: set bar – 30 points so far
Emily: finish books wanted to read for long time – 595 points so far
Jennifer L: beat 470 points – 580 points so far
Katie MD: 21 books – more than 38 books so far
kiki: 10 books – 32 books so far
Kim D: half picked books – 27 books so far
Kim UK: beat 250 points – 285 points so far
Kristina NJ: set bar – 170 points so far
L: set bar – 155 points so far
Lyn: set bar – 75 points so far
Natasha: as many as can – 500 points so far
Nicole CA: 100 points – 115 points so far
Sara☺: set bar – 370 points so far
Sherrie Y: 200 points – 205 points so far
Susan: 39 books – 31 books so far

Andrea Canada: own books
Beth (MN): own books
Jennifer UT: own books
Katie OH: own books
Melissa MD: pages read
Nicole OH: should read

Finally finished another 3 book task:

25.8. Person - Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Place - The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
Thing - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

TOTAL = 105 POINTS

Wrapped up 25.8 (Person/Place/Thing) with Dan Simmons's Drood, Sara Paretsky's Bleeding Kansas, and Tana French's The Likeness. I just finished this last one, and it was fantastic - I thought In the Woods was great, but this one might even be better.

Current Total: 470 points

go sandra! almost there!

that's so neat that you put that list together, pjreads! i'm so impressed with everything that everyone has done with this challenge!

25 POINT TASK
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.
The Diary of Dawid Sierakowiak Five Notebooks from the Lodz Ghetto, Dawid Sierakowiak.
• With The Name Of A Place In The Title.
Malgudi Days, R.K. Narayan.
• With A Thing/Object In The Title.
The Tin Flute, Gabrielle Roy.

I have just finished reading Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing for the ten point task - can you read fasting than a speeding bullet? well no considering how long it's taken me to read this book!!

Kate.x.

Hi,

Just realised my points are now 125.

Kate.x.

I just finished a couple tasks...
10.2 Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

20.2 (R) Roadside Crosses
(S) Samaritan
(T) A Time Apart

:) I enjoyed Wintergirls a lot although some of it was hard (emotionally) to read. Samaritan was the best of the bunch up there, but definitely not everyone's cup of tea - I love Richard Price's writing.

Finished another one! Probably the last big task I'll get done for this challenge. We have the week off but I am hoping to get some stuff done around the house.

20.2 ABC's (well, in this case, EFG's)

The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie. Very good but I didn't give it the reading it deserved. I tried to keep it for bedside reading for a few days but would have done better to sit down and devote a few straight hours to it. A multi-faceted story that works on many levels, it's primarily about a young European traveler/con artist who comes to the court of a near-eastern king supposedly to deliver a message. If you haven't read Rushdie and are thinking about giving him a try, I'd recommend this one.

The Food of Love A Novel by Anthony Capella. The opposite end of the spectrum from Rushdie. A light, fluffy romance about an Italian waiter who tries to woo an American art student with his friend's cooking. Think Cyrano de Bergerac with food. Fun, light, sexy, yummy.

The Geographer's Library by Jon Fasman. Of the three this was the disappointment. A lonely eccentric professor dies and the young reporter writing his obit stumbles on to evidence of a centuries-old conspiracy. In alternating chapters the story of ancient artifacts once owned by a mid-eastern court geographer (and alchemist) is told. These stories were more interesting to me than the main plot and the end was really a let-down.

20 more points for me. I had hoped to break 300 but it doesn't look likely at this point. Oh well, very excited about the winter challenge, already have a bunch of books picked out!

I finished 5.4 Adoption task by reading Anne of Green Gables (4*) by L.M. Montgomery. I have never read this and I found it quite enjoyable.

This will bring my total to 645 points.

Just an update.


5.2
The Year of Pleasures A Novel

10.3
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Peanuts A Charlie Brown Christmas

25.7
Neverwhere A Novel
Still Life A Novel
My Sister's Keeper

pjreads wrote: "Congratulations to all who are reaching your goals!

My curiosity made me look at the goals posted in September … I’m impressed enough to pass this on (with apologies if I mixed people up or mess..."

Thanks for the reminder pjreads! I can't believe I have gotten as far as I have ! Guess we will see what happens next challenge ;-)

I finished another book today - School of Fortune by the creator of Legally Blonde one of my favorite films. It was one of those ridiculously absurd stories that are just so over the top you have to laugh at them - it was like reading the plot to a crazy romantic comedy film. But I actually enjoyed it a lot.

34/45 TASKS COMPLETED
50/62 BOOKS FINISHED
17,802 PAGES READ



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For 50.1 I read A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris (senses), A Gracious Plenty by Sheri Reynolds (emotions) and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for my keepsake book.

I decided my keepsakes were the letters my girlfriends in England and I used to send back and forth which often contained elaborately exaggerated versions of our lives to make each other laugh. Juliet's letters in the book reminded me so much of way my friend writes, that it made me realize we HAVE to stop texting each other and get back to letters. Much more fun...and cost effective!

Just finished 25.4.
I read and watched Nights in Rodanthe.
(Book version: Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks, published 2003. The movie came out in 2008.)

I definitely liked the book better. Usually I'm a big fan of Nicholas Sparks' particular brand of tearjerker. This one didn't capture me as much as some of his others, but I still enjoyed it enough. The movie, however, I was just waiting for it to END. The book required a certain intensity of the two main characters' interactions over a few days. I don't think this translated well into the abbreviated requirements of film. I just never bought into their grand love, which means I never bought into the movie overall. The book, I wouldn't recommend against. The movie, I would.

TOTALS:
Points: 640
Books: 65
Pages: 16,540
Tasks: 44

BJ Rose wrote: "Hurray! I Made it!!

10.8 Find It in the Dictionary (girl, flight, rough): This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart Nov. 16

25.6 BJ Rose's Task: Curse of Tippecanoe: [book:Counterpoint: Tecum..."

Sorry to chime in so late.... Go BJ Go BJ Go BJ Great job!!!

Kristina wrote: "For 50.1 I read A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris (senses), A Gracious Plenty by Sheri Reynolds (emotions) and [book:The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society|..."

Before I can give points on this you need to post a few words about what the first two books say about the sense & emotion.

15 point task
3. Discover The Equation For Good Books (Math) - Pick 2 Of The Following...
• Subtraction - Subtract The Number Of Letters Found In Your Whole Name (First, Middle, Last) From Your Age And Read A Book With That Many Letters Or Words In The Title.
The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer
3 words

• 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 Pages.
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
460 pages

Current Point Total: 120
Jessica (MI)

10.10 Cat Title/Cover
Reserved for the Cat
Wonderful book!

Total Points:380
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?ke...

Another book done to finish another multi-task. Two more tasks started that I need to finish and that'll probably be it for me :)

20.2 ABCs – North By Northanger, or The Shades of Pemberley A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery by Carrie Bebris, The Other Side of the Story A Novel by Marian Keyes, The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts

Total: 335/690 points
27/59 books
17/45 tasks
10,622 pages

Finished task 5.9 Coming of Age by reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mith Albom (4*). I really liked this book. It was an interesting take on even by one simple gesture you can change someone's life without even knowing it.

This will bring my total to 650 points.

I completed task 10.4 Hispanic Heritage by reading I, Rigoberta Menchu An Indian Woman in Guatemala which is a non-fiction book, written by a woman from Guatemala, that takes place in Guatemala (so I covered all those bases even though only one was necessary). In general, I enjoyed this story and learned a lot about the history of Indians in Guatemala during the mid-to-late 20th century. Her story is sad yet inspiring. The one thing that didn't work for me was that it was hard to figure out the linearity of the story at times because she jumped around and didn't always mention when time leaps occurred.

Total points: 605

Stephanie, you are so close to finishing. Good reading!

Just finished reading Shadow of the Wind for 20.3.

Loved it Loved it LOVED IT!!! I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone. The english translation is fantastic!

Just wondering now how long it is going to take them to turn this book into a movie... lol

Should be at 170 pts.

Books Read: 18
Pages Read: 7,281
Total Points: 170

Finished 15.5 Sweden
The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' nest Stieg Larsson

I did 15 point Equations on Math number 3,
multiplication I read A Magician Apprentice by Raymond E Feist, 475pages, my range was 470-520.

Division-my year by my age 1976/33 is approximately 59 so I read the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Book 5 is Dead As a Doornail and book 9 is Dead and Gone.

I finished The 19th Wife A Novel for 20.1. It was an interesting look into polygamy and the history of the Mormon church, but I can't say I loved the book.

Cynthia, I'm also going to swap a couple of books around as I won't finish all the multi-book tasks I started. I had already claimed 15.1, but with the swap, I'm now getting 15.3. Let me know if this makes sensS!

15.1: Prepositions using "with::
Love the One You’re With – Emily Giffin
A Room with a View – E.M. Forrester
15.3: Math
(Addition: 10)Tuesdays With Morrie – Mitch Albom
(Division 3rd in series) Grave Peril – Jim Butcher

Total points: 255

Jennifer Wrote: Jennifer wrote: "Place I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell Tucker Max 11-19-09 326 Pages"

Hi Jennifer. How was this book? I have it on my bookshelf and have read good things about it but never encountered anyone who has actually read it. :)

jennifer, I thought it was funny. He's a womanizing asshole, but like most things since it wasn't happening to me i was able to appreciate the humor of it. He is hilarious!

20.2 Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

TOTAL POINTS: 95

10.5 Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian

Total points: 690

Yeah! I'm finished! When I started out in September, didn't think I'd actually finish. It's been a lot of fun! Looking forward to the next challenge.

I finished a couple more. May get one or two more done before the end.

I read Shadow of the Wind for 20.3 I wanted to like this book more than I did. I loved the last 200 pages, but felt like the middle 200 really dragged for me.

I also read Sixth Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman (re-read) and How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls by Zoey Dean for 15.10

and Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks for 5.4 (adoption)

I should get a few more points, but I don't think I'll reach my goal of 500 points. Oh well, that's what the winter challenge is for!

That should put me at
430 points
12150 pages read.

yeay, Sandra, congratulations!!! :)

Here are some more for me:
25.8: Proper Noun (Name) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Audio CD) by J.K. Rowling and narrated by Jim Dale
Proper Noun (Place)The Onts Secrets of Dripping Fang (The name of the foresst is Dripping Fang.)
Noun (Thing/Object) The Cat Who Moved a Mountain by Lilian Jackson Braun and narrated by George Guidall.

25 points, making my total 75 points. Thank you!

@ Sandra

I completed 15.3:

Addition: My first and last name equal 14 so I read Hot, Flat, and Crowded Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America by Thomas Friedman.

Division: My birth year (1968) divided by my age (40) equals 49. I chose to read the 9th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series Dead and Gone.

My total is now 380 points.

Good on you, Sandra!

Sandra wrote: "10.5 Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian

Total points: 690

Yeah! I'm finished! When I started out in September, didn't think I'd actually finish. It's been a lot of fun! Looking forward to the next challenge"

Yay!!! Sandra!!
Looking forward to seeing what challenging task you're going to give us!

Congratulations, Sandra!! Way to go!!!

Recently Finished Tasks:
5.2 (Apple) What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal - Zoe Heller

10.1 (1936-59) Farmer Boy - Laura Ingalls Wilder
10.7 (Heroes) Beowulf - Seamus Heaney (trans.)
15.8 (Scotland/Mexico) Kiss Her Goodbye - Allan Guthrie / Branded Woman - Wade Miller

Total Points - 630

Congratulations, Sandra!

Donna Jo wrote: "Stephanie, you are so close to finishing. Good reading!"

Thanks Donna Jo. I have 2 audio books, one paper back and a CD to listen to in order to finish. I have next Friday off as well as the following Monday so I should finish. Well gotta go read that paperback.


Congrats to all the other finishers!!!!!!