The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

Task 10.10 The Private Life of the Cat Who... by Lilian Jackson Braun

Thanks, everyone! I tossing around a bunch of ideas for my task, so who knows what it'll be... but hopefully you'll think it's fun. :)

And congrats, Kim, on meeting your goal!

Completed: Task 20.2, read three books whose titles begin with consecutive letters of the alphabet.

Read: The Art of Racing in the Rain , Baby Proof , and Cursed .

Total Points = 245

Thanks, Abigail and pjreads! And congratulations to you and all the other finishers! Originally, my goal was to finish the challenge, but I quickly realized it was a lot harder than I thought it would be! :) I am looking forward to trying to better my score in winter.

A few more tasks finished! yay!

For 15 point task #3, I read:
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (ADDITION-author with 14 letters in their name)
and A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore (SUBTRACTION-book with 9 letters in the title)

For 15 point task #4, I read Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson and watched March of the Penguins (aww!)

I also just figured out I have 5 tasks that are partially done. Ugh! I don't know if I can finish 5 more books before the end of the month, but I'm going to try!

Updated points: 155
Tasks completed: 14/45
Tasks in progress: 5
Books read: 26

Rachel wrote: "A few more tasks finished! yay!

For 15 point task #3, I read:
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (ADDITION-author with 14 letters in their name)
and A Dirty Job by Christ..."

Rachel - how did you like Snow Crash? I think that is next on my list to buy...

Hello me again, I completed some more tasks.

5points
5. Back to School Reread a book you were required to read in school I reread "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

10. Read a book where one or more characters go back in time-A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

15points
6. Creative Minds Think Alike
Music Appreciation Read a book about a type of Music then listen to the Cd of that type of Music.
I read "Phantom of the Opera" and i listened to the soundtrack.

Tasks Completed 6 (I think)
Total Points 70

I just finished two more tasks.

15.2 The Eyre Affair. I loved the little twists and turns. I also like the way that history was adjusted especially The Goliath company's role in the story. I think it filled the alternative History task well and since I have never read Jane Eyre, I am itching to read it now.

25.4 The Jane Austen Book Club(2004) and watched the Movie (2007).
Having seen the movie first, I picked up the book. It surprised me that the movie shaved off around 5-10 years off of each character. The characters did not have the same appeal in the book, nor did the book go into the details that the movie did. The story was flat and even dull at points. Having seen the movie, saved the story for me, but if I were to have read the story first I doubt I would have had any connection to the characters or events.
Skip the book and go rent the movie.

Total points: 440

Congrats to all Sandra and Abigail! Way to go!

Finished 5.9 (Age Spectrum Task).

I read the Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. Thought it was pretty good.

New Total: 125

Congrats to all of the finishers! Great job!

Finished 10.5 (German) The Reader - Bernard Schlink

Total Points - 640

Task 25.6 FDR by Jean Edward Smtih

FDR Accomplishments:
-Serveed as President for 4 terms
- Started the Civilian Conservation Corps which gave jobs to 3 million men
- Enacted the New Deal.
- Started Social Security
- Was the first President to fly while in office

FDR Scandals
- Had a long standing affair
- Elenaor was allegedly having an affair with another woman

Tara wrote: "I just finished two more tasks.

15.2 The Eyre Affair. I loved the little twists and turns. I also like the way that history was adjusted especially The Goliath company's role in the..."For 15.2 you do still need to say whether the author's version of history is better than what actually happened.

Abigail wrote: "Finished 50.1:

Senses:
[image error] T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte
Senses: The main character is a deaf girl in Nazi Germany who hides, away from her family, to escape Action T4 (aband..."

Congrats on finishing Abigail!!!!
Hopefully I will be joining you soon.

15.1 prepositions.
A Touch of Dead
and
A History of the World in 6 Glasses
Both share the preposition "of" and both were disappointing. At least History had some interesting moments, although it was (no pun intended) very dry.

I've been reading along all through the challenge, but this is my first post to claim points, so here I go...

5.1: S.O.N. - Methuselah's Children

5.4: Adoption - Father Christmas

15.1: Grammar a) Prepositions - In Fury Born and Silent In The Grave

15.3: Maths a) Addition - Gale Force (11 letter author name -> Rachel Caine) and b) Subtraction - An Affair of Interest (18 letter title)

15.4: Science Fiction / Fact - Gabriel's Ghost and The Secret Life of Twins

15.10: Teacher-Student Relations - Miss Lockharte's Letters (Teacher) and Oh My Goth (Student)

25.3: Positive gay/lesbian character - Captain's Surrender

25.5: Fortune Telling - Succubus Heat (character: Dante)

Completed task 15.4

Read the science book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle A Year of Food Life

Viewed the indie sci-fi film: Primer

COMPLETED TASKS:

10.4 HISPANIC HERITAGE (MEXICO) - *Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan (pp 288) READ 11.23.09
I thought the story of Esperanza, whose family suffered so much loss and tragedy, was beautifully told. Fleeing Mexico to the United States, where she worked as a field laborer to help support her mother during the Great Depression, Esperanza was forced to leave a life of privilege in the past and rise above her circumstances. This read like a fairy tale.




TASKS COMPLETED: 35
TASKS IN PROGRESS: 3
BOOKS READ: 51/62
PAGES READ: 15,510
TOTAL POINTS EARNED: 570
*Books I Own

I finished Cait's Task, 25.8 (Nouns). I listened to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone which was very good :) It was my very first audiobook! The narrator was wonderful. Then The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd, also excellent. I really love the scope and generational aspect of his storytelling. Lastly I read A Rose in Winter by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, which though no Outlander was still a nice little adventure romance. I found only bits of it cheesy, and the beauty and the beast-ish plot was actually nicely put together. We'll see if I squeeze one more in this week :) Congrats to all the amazing reading done by everyone and especially to the finishers!


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Cynthia wrote: "Tara wrote: "I just finished two more tasks.

15.2 The Eyre Affair. I loved the little twists and turns. I also like the way that history was adjusted especially The Goliath company'..."

Thanks Cynthia! I always miss the extra things in the task!

15.2 The Eyre Affair

There were a lot of things I found a bit scary about the author's reality, but I did like that most of the big debates in that reality were literature based. I loved the idea of the little soliloquy machines. The idea of a corporation having so much control of a government and military efforts was definitely troubling. I also thought that although the dodos seemed like they were great pets, I thought the idea of so much cloning to be a bit scary as well (especially the pink dodo mixed with flamingo).

Total points:440

Another task finally done...

Task 15.7
ReadThe Grand Prix Saboteurs and watched the Formula One Italian Grand Prix on 9/13, along with the rest of the season. This book was quite an interesting account of the drivers who were British secret agents during WW2. I no idea this had occurred until my husband had picked up this book and I was glad to have a place to put it for this challenge.

Total points for this task: 15

Total points for challenge thus far: 410

Finished two books recently, and it's time to post.
5.1 - SON. I read Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
20.1 - Christian Fiction. I read The Voyage of the Dawn Treaderby CS Lewis.
Total Points:450
Total tasks:27
Total Books:38
Total Pages:12252

For Task 5.10 Viking Unchained by Sandra Hill

Stephanie wrote: "Congrats on finishing Abigail!!!!
Hopefully I will be joining you soon."

You can do it, Stephanie! I'm cheering for you! :)

A few more tasks down the drain...

5.4 The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
25.3 The Funny Thing Is... by Ellen DeGeneres

25.6 I finally finished Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship by Jon Meacham (512 pages).

I just can't imagine being president, especially during a crisis like WWII. I think that fact that he managed to hold himself together is a great accomplishment, let alone actually holding the county together successfully. That said, however, he did handle the ever important relationship with Britain very well by maintaining a close friendship with Churchill. That may not have been his overall greatest achievement, but that was the focus of this book.
Prior to Pearl Harbor, being involved with and supporting Churchill seemed to be extremely unpopular due to the isolationism felt by Americans. He wasn't always very nice to Churchill and was too forward with his wife (called her Clemy the first time they met, ha!).
My favorite couple of sentences in the book were at near the beginning where Cleveland Roosevelt (I think) told a very yound FDR to make sure that he never became president and the narrator said something about how no other piece of advice had gone less ingored in American history. :)

I hope that suffices to receive points for this task.






Tasks Completed: 41
Total Points: 645
Total Pages: 19414

YAY Michelle, only 45 more points to go! You can do it!!!

2 More down, yay!

15-5 I read 'King Lear of the Steppes' by Ivan Turgenev and 'Eugene Onegin' by Alexander Pushkin. I went with Russian as my language.

and:

20-3 'Julie and Julia' by Julie Powell

520 points

Come on, Michelle, you can do it!!

4. Hispanic Heritage Month Begins On September 15 Which Commemorates The Anniversary Of Independence For Five Latin American Countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, And Nicaragua)/ In Addition, Mexico Declared Its Independence On September 16, And Chile On September 18. Read A Book Written By An Author From One Of Those Countries Or That Takes Place In One Of Those Countries Or A Non-Fiction Book About One Of Them.
Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies
by Laura Esquivel-11/24 (246 pgs)

New Total: 510

Stephanie Anne wrote: "Completed task 15.4

Read the science book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle A Year of Food Life

Viewed the indie sci-fi film: Primer


"

Hey Stephanie Anne: What did you think of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle A Year of Food Life?

My Newly Completed Tasks:

20.3 - Group Reads -- Shutter Island

This was the first of Lehane's books that I've read, and it's been quite awhile since I've read a thriller. I loved the fact that I was seemingly SPEEDING through a book. I also found it to be strangely satisfying on some level. I’m not going to say anything else for fear of spoiling it for those that haven’t read it yet. I gave it 4 stars.


Total Points: 420
Completed Tasks: 25/45
Books Read for Completed Tasks: 3y/62
Pages Read for Completed Tasks: 13,500
Other Tasks in Process: 1

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Finished 10.3 I read a collection of children's stories World's Best Fairy Tales at 800+ pages it was sort of overkill for the task, but it ended up being just 1 or 2 tales per night.

Completed: task 10.6, read a book written by a Native American, with a Native American main character, or a nonfiction book about Native Americans.

Read: Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison . I gave this book 4 stars; it was a really good account of Mary Jemison's life with her Indian kidnappers. See my review for more.

Total Points = 255

i'm changing my 5.9 to Push by Sapphire.

i completed 25.8:

25.8
name:Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
place:84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
thing: The Book of Ballads by Charles Vess

which brings my total ponts to: 245

Completed 15.4 (science and science fiction)

Book : Science
My Lobotomy by Howard Duffy (4 stars)

In 1960, at the age of 12, Howard Duffy was the youngest patient to receive an ice pick lobotomy. His stepmother disliked him, although he was never violent. Walter Freeman, his doctor, and the pioneer of the procedure was looking for any reason to give lobotomies. He wanted to become famous. There were, at that time, very little checks and balances in the medical field. The combination of these factors paved the way to Howard's suffering. Forty-two years later, Mr. Duffy goes in search for the answers as to how this could have happened to him.

Movie: Science Fiction
Time After Time (4 stars)

Honestly, I thought I would dislike this part of the task. I'm not a fan of science fiction. I ended up really enjoying this movie in which Jack the Ripper steals H.G. Wells's time machine. Of course, Wells must follow him to the future to get his machine back. In 1979, Jack is up to his old tricks, and Wells must spring into action. I couldn't believe how much wit and insight this movie contained. I'll definitely watch some more science fiction.

+15
total 130
11 books

Just finished 10.9 (Civil War) Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Total Points - 650

I finished the group read, the related authors task and the monsterfest task! This will probably be my last post and I think I'm taking a few months off from the challenges! I love them, but have recently decided it would be fun to take a few months and read what I want with out worrying about points, and I think I'm going to do a bunch of rereads! Thanks so much, Cynthia, for all your hard work!! Happy Holidays to everyone!

Read:
5 Points
2 Apple Cover or Title: Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen
5. Halloween Adjective: Plum Spooky, Janet Evanovich
10 Points
3. Children’s Books: Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Bernard Waber 48pgs
Katie and the Sunflowers, James Mayhew 32pgs
Katie Meets the Impressionists, James Mayhew 32 Pages
4. Hispanic Heritage Month: Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Exquivel

15 Points
15. Math:
Addition – Author with 15 letters: Curse of the Pharaoh, Elizabeth Peters
Division – 1981/27=73.4 3rd in a series, Lover Awakened, J.R. Ward
4.Science Fact vs. Science Fiction: Read: Specials, Scott Westerfield and watched The Greatest Places, an IMAX film about different amazing places all over the world.
6. Creative Minds (The Arts) - • Learn Your Art History - Read A Book About An Artist Or Art History AND Go To A Museum To View Art Read: The Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone and went to Fernbank Museam, Atlanta, GA
7. Let's Get Physical Read: Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town, Warren St. John and played soccer

20 Points
3. GROUP READ - Julie and Julia 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, Julie Powell

25 Points
1. NICOLE OH'S TASK - Rhyme Time :
•Poetry Book: A Light in the Attic, Shel Silverstein, 176 pages
•Fiction Book: Night Pleasures, Sherrilyn Kenyon, 336 pages
2. DONNA JO'S TASK - Find Two Authors Who Are Related By Blood Or Marriage Elizabeth Gilbert and Catherine Gilbert Murdock, they are sisters.
I read Eat, Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia, Elizabeth Gilbert and Dairy Queen, Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
3. WENDY'S TASK – Positive GL Character: The Funny Thing Is, Ellen DeGeneres
7. CINDY'S TASK - One, Two, Three - Read Three Books...
• One With A One Word Title: Netherland, Josepth O’Neill
• The Second With A Two Word Title: Lover Eternal, J.R. Ward
• And The Third With A Three Word Title: Green Grass Grace, Shawn McBride
10. SAM'S TASK - Halloween Part III: Monsterfest – My Wicked Vampire, Nina Bangs



Totals
Points: 260
Tasks: 14
Books: 21
Pages: 6293

Sam wrote: "Just finished 10.9 (Civil War) Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Total Points - 650"

You're going to make it, Sam!!

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. Ex. For Me That Would Be 14 Letters So I Could Read A Book Written By Tracy Chevalier

The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro (16 letters)-I gave this book 4 stars! But then again I'm a sucker for anything vampire related. It was a plus that these vampires were not cute and lovable.


• Division - 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.Ex. 1982/27 Is Equal To Approximately 73 Therefore I Would Need To Read A Book That Is The 3rd Or 7th In A Series.

Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich (3rd Book)-Pretty much the same as all the others. A quick enjoyable read.

15 more points


Total Points: 290
Tasks Completed: 16
Total Books: 28
Total Pages: 9,325

BJ Rose wrote: "Sam wrote: "Just finished 10.9 (Civil War) Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Total Points - 650"

You're going to make it, Sam!!
"

I ought to be finished with my next-to-last book if I can manage to stay awake for a few more hours. Now, my last book does happen to be Stephen King's newest 1000+ opus...

FINISHED:

5.2 - Ghost a la Mode: A Granny Apples Mystery - Sue Ann Jaffarian

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This was a fun read! It was set in Julian, CA which I have been to a couple of times. Julian is about an hour or so east of San Diego up in the mountains and is known for its apple pie. The author uses actual locations in Julian, so it was fun to read about a store or restaurant and know that I have been there! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

TOTAL POINTS = 325

25.8
Cait's Task
Noun Alice Upside Down by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Place: Basrayatha by Muhamed Khudayyir
Thing: Feast of Crows by George RR Martin

Points: 100
Tasks 7

5 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. (20-23)
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. (23*20)=460
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
465 pages

Current Point Total: 120
Jessica (MI)

Wow, its been awhile but I finally completed a task.

Donna Jo's task - find two authors who are related by blood or marriage and read a book by each (in post be sure to state the relationship between the authors)

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte.

I enjoyed both and gave each book 3 stars.

Total Points: 190 + 25 = 220

Sam wrote: "BJ Rose wrote: "Sam wrote: "Just finished 10.9 (Civil War) Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Total Points - 650"

You're going to make it, Sam!!
"

I ought to be finished with my next-to-last book ..."

You should do it--although if you are cooking all of Thanksgiving Day, you might have to hustle.

I have completed 15.4 with Zero The Biography of a Dangerous Idea. The science fiction movie that I watched was Surrogates.
This brings my total to 220.
Nothing like reading about calculus to make my simple adding inaccurate!

Finished 2 books today;
10.6 - Native American Heratige I read Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card.
5.10 - Time Travel I read Imagining the Tenth Dimension A New Way of Thinking About Time and Space by Rob Bryanton. If this book doesn't work for 5.10, please Message me. Thanks!

Points:465
Tasks:29
Books read:40
Pages read:12791

20.1 Julie's Task: Read a Christian Fiction
Fireflies in December is an excellent read and currently Kindle offers it for free! I'm glad to have selected this Christian Award novel. 4 Stars.

Total Points: 400
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?ke...

Sam wrote: "I ought to be finished with my next-to-last book if I can manage to stay awake for a few more hours. Now, my last book does happen to be Stephen King's newest 1000+ opus...."

Oooh, that's going out with a Bang! You can do it, Sam!!! Are you reading Under The Dome? If so, I look forward to your review. This one is on my TBR list.

Go, Sam, Go!

Sam you're almost there!! Good luck!!