Reading with Style discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Archives
>
SU 2016 Completed Tasks
Post 493 Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Jayme(the ghostreader)10.9 It's Personal
Cinderby Marissa Meyer
Review
This is a retelling of the Cinderella story. This story takes place in the future. Cinderel..."
I'm sorry, Jayme. BPL has this a YA fiction and the Lexile is only 790. Task, but no review style.
20.8 Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
Lexile 940
Review: This book is lovely and quaint. The world building is excellent and the journey trope is well executed. I found some of the metaphors to be a bit heavy handed. For a short novel, there was quite a bit to the plot and although the ending was predictable, the middle bits were really creative. Some of the language was a bit odd i.e. they refer to people as Mister frequently. The addition of the Hindustani words worked really well, providing a cultural setting without being distracting as is often the case. This is the first of Rushdie's books that I have read. I would be interested in reading the sequel for sure.
+20 Task
+5 Combo 20.3 , Award in 1992
+5 Combo 20.10
+10 Review
Task Total: 40 pts
Grand Total: 235 pts
15.7 FYTS Traveler1965-2015 (skipped 1985)
The Shooting Party by Isabel Colegate
+25 Task
Grand Total = 265
20.5 LondonThe Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton
+20 Task (#68 on list)
+10 Canon
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 670
20.1 South AmericaThe Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
+20 Task
+10 Combo: 20.7 U.S. (IA) / 20.10 Meta fiction
+10 Lost in Translation
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 795
10.7 First LetterChronicle of a Last Summer: A Novel of Egypt by Yasmine El Rashidi
+10 Task
Grand Total: 805
20.7 - U.S.Reuben Sachs by Amy Levy
Reuben Sachs is a short novel written by a young British Jewish woman (she was in her 20s) in the 1880s, that consciously sets out to enlarge or correct the picture of the British Jewish community set out by George Eliot in Daniel Deronda. Amy Levy seems to have felt that George Eliot painted a picture that was at once too romantic and “eastern” and too homogeneous. Through the description of the various connections of Reuben Sachs, a young politician, Amy Levy shows us different attitudes and classes of British Jews according to their different ancestries – Sephardic, German, Polish, or long in Britain—how varied they were, although sharing certain attitudes, and how rooted some of them were in British society. There’s even a convert, an upper-class Englishman (the only character who seems interested in the religious side of being jewish).
Because of this agenda, the first half of the book is rather dry. Each character seems to be there to illustrate a role, and I found it hard to keep track of everybody. In the second half, the focus shifts to poor but aristocratic Judith Quixano and her love for Reuben. This made for a much more engaging story although it did need the first half as the backdrop.
+20 Task (AL)
+ 5 Combo (10.9)
+10 Review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 400
15.7 FYTS: Time Traveler2014-1969
1979
So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell
total = 25
grand total = 595
20.4 Go for the Gold! A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Takes place in Chechnya, Russia
+20 Task
+10 Lost in Translation (read the french translation)
Task total = 30
Points total = 105
20.1 South AmericaMy Invented Country: A Nostalgic Journey Through Chile by Isabel Allende
This is not a review, so no points.
I've never heard of this author, nor am I the least bit interested in Chile; I just read the book for this challenge and all the points. But I really like how this lady writes. I'm going to add her other books to my Overdrive wish lists.
+20 Task
+10 Lost in Translation
+5 10.6 Traveling the DDC Way (classified as "B" for biography, which I think is OK according to this message)
+5 10.7 First Letter
+5 20.7 U.S. (IA)
+5 20.10 Meta Fiction
Post Total: 50
Season Total: 395
20.1 South AmericaNews of a Kidnapping by Gabriel García Márquez
I really enjoyed this -- if enjoyed can be the right word to describe reading about the kidnapping and killing of many people! I learned a lot about the politics and recent history of Colombia and understand quite a bit more about Pablo Escobar, someone who previously I had only vaguely had a sense of who he was. I had only read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's fiction before, but if anything, I enjoyed his journalistic writing more. The writing flowed smoothly and the way he managed the multiple storylines of different hostages and the different political machinations worked for me. Definitely recommended, and a pleasant surprise!
+20 task (author born in Colombia)
+5 combo (20.10)
+10 Lost in Translation
+10 Review
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 275
20.7 U.S.Present Darkness by Malla Nunn
This is book 4 in a series following Detective Emmanuel Cooper and his colleague Samuel Shabalala, detectives in a South Africa newly divided by apartheid. It's a fascinating time period to read about, because while I've read a lot about South Africa during the major years of apartheid, this series provides a historical fiction window into the years when apartheid rules were being put into place and people were facing the new realities of racial segregation. In this installment, a white family is attacked and the surviving daughter identifies Shabalala's son as the attacker. Malla Nunn does a great job bringing up fascinating historical issues while crafting a fast-paced and intriguing story.
+20 task (MN = Minnesota)
+5 combo (10.7)
+10 review
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 310
20.4 - Go for the Gold!Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Not a "who-done-it" but a "he-done-it, what happens next?" Gripped by poverty, envy, and a belief in his own superiority, Raskolnikov commits a double crime--which then becomes pointless because he fails to profit from it. The book tracks the consequences, which are often ironic, and lead him to question redemption and the nature of suffering.
This was one of those books I thought I read as a student, but knew as soon as I began it that I've never read it before. It was gripping from the outset and not at all "difficult" in the way I expect Dostoyevsky to be. I should have made a character list as I went, because I kept forgetting who was who in terms of which first name/patronymic went with with last name. The characters weren't flashed out, but seen entirely in their effect on Raskolnikov, highlighting his egotism. In that sense it didn't matter who was who.
+20 Task (set entirely in Russia)
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.4 dark list, 10.7)
+10 Canon
+10 LiT from Russian
+ 5 Jumbo (545 pages)
Post Total: 65
Season Total: 465
20.4 Go for the Gold!Tigers on the Run by Sean Kennedy
Review: This third book in the series is my favorite so far. Dec and Simon have been together for eight years, and would probably already be married if it weren’t illegal in Australia (I still can’t get over the fact that the USA is ahead of Australia on that). There are two points of conflict in the story, and neither really causes much of an upheaval in their relationship, which is nice. Dec ran a lot in the last two books, and this time he gets his act together pretty quickly. He’s dealing with a teenaged sports star who’s participating in Dec’s charity helping gay teens, and Simon’s dealing with his assistant’s supposed betrayal by dating his nemesis. There is a spinoff dealing with the kid, but I hope there’s a fourth in the series so I can see where the rest of it goes.
+20 Task (set entirely in Australia)
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Team 1 Bingo Bonus: 5
Grand Total: 915
10.7 First Letter Sins of Arrogance by India Harper
Review: I put this book on my TBR because it was set in Pittsburgh, my hometown, and having lived away from there for nearly a decade I read all the books I can set in the city. Unfortunately, the setting meant next to nothing to the plot of the book, and it wasn’t really my thing. Carver is a bad cop – like, seriously, he beats up the suspects regularly – and David is his lieutenant. David decides he needs to help Carver channel his anger and focus, and the way he ends up doing that is by establishing a dominant sexual relationship with him. There were just so many problems with the whole setup when I really considered it that I just couldn’t get into the book. Looking at reviews of the next few books, the relationship gets into ménage and cheating territory, so I don’t think I’ll be tracking down any more of them. Just not my cup of tea.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 930
Task 10.7 First Letter (Tien's Task)Read a book with a title that starts with a letter found in OLYMPICS.
Children of Earth and Sky (2016) by Guy Gavriel Kay (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 571 pages)
Review: Guy Gavriel Kay calls his recent novels (including this one) “history with a quarter turn to the fantastic”. In this novel, the author takes the real history of medieval Venice, of Mediterranean pirates, and of the Ottoman Empire, as his starting point. It’s not necessary but it is definitely helpful if the reader knows the real history of those times. The prose is clear and straightforward, easy to read and easy to understand. (Maybe because Guy Gavriel Kay is a fan of “tell, don’t show” school of storytelling?) There is a lot of action and a lot of intrigue. Kay’s problems with women characters continues. (Women are either indistinguishable from men or are obsessed with having no strings attached sexual encounters.) And, lastly, there is the touch of magic affecting everything, including the characters who don’t believe in magic. Recommended for readers of fantasy.
+10 Task
+05 Jumbo 500-699 Pages:
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 05 +10 = 25
Grand Total: 330 + 25 =355
15.7 FYTS-Traveler1965-2015
Private Screening by Richard North Patterson
+15 Task (1985)
+10 Bonus
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 730
15.8 FYTS-TravelerDeath in April by Andrew M. Greeley
+15 Task (1980)
+10 Bonus
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 765
20.4 Go for the GoldEugene Onegin and Other Poems
+20 Task (Russia)
+10 Canon
+10 LiT
Post Total: 40
Season Total: 805
20.10 Meta fiction (Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Task)Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges
Review
I’m not a huge fan of South American lit; I just found them too strange for my taste and usually too depressing. I’ve read Márquez, Allende, Esquivel, and a few others so it’s not like I’ve only tried one. However, Borges proves to be outside of this league of authors. I’ve actually really enjoyed this collection (I must admit, the narrator also did a good job). There are, of course, some strange occurrences but overall, the collection is full of interesting thoughts/theories. He seemed a little obsessed about betrayal/revenge though and often, with violent consequences. If you’re like me, not a fan of South American lit, you should read Borges instead. I’m going to try his other works too!
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.7 - oLympics; 20.1 - born in Buenos Aires, Argentina)
+10 Canon
+10 LiT
+10 Review
Post Total: 60
Season Total: 690
20.2 The Gods!Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
Review
Greek gods. I abhor their fickleness. I despise their condescending treatment of mortals. Hence, I do not read many books featuring Greek gods/goddesses. As always, I cannot decline a challenge so I picked one I thought I could handle. Gods Behaving Badly looks like an easy fun read. It was easy but, unfortunately, I didn’t find it funny at all; not even a snort escaped. I thought the author as has transplanted the gods/goddesses into modern times very well (e.g. Aphrodite’s earning money via phone sex). With an unlikely hero and a fairly sweet romance, I found the book to be an average read. This may be a case of unmet expectation (where’s the laughter?!)
+20 Task
+10 Review
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 720
20.4 Go for the Gold!The Twisted Knot (Constable Sammi Willis #2) by J.M. Peace
set in Australia
Review
I think I’m still on a high from A Time to Run which was such an amazing thriller. I knew book 2, The Twisted Knot won’t be in the same boat because really, she cannot be a victim year after year! However, this was still a very good read in a somewhat different way. It’s still a mystery/crime book but Sammi Willis is now a Constable doing the investigation rather than a victim on the run.
I love the Australian flavour of this novel; set in a small town in the state of sunny Queensland. You would’ve thought a small town to be a safe place for everyone and for the children to run free but the reality is, it’s not that safe anywhere. In Angel’s Crossing, a devastating secret is about to be unearthed and the public is demanding justice to be served. The police aren’t able to act on baseless rumours though and as the people are getting restless, they cannot just sit on the by-lines. Nevertheless, it seems justice will be served one way or another.
The ending was fascinating especially noting the author, J.M. Peace is currently serving as a police officer. Despite this fact, however, she is also a natural person and a mother with her own private views. We have to appreciate the fact that police officers may have different personal views but are there to enforce and uphold the laws which sometimes fail the public.
I’d recommend this book to all crime/mystery lovers. The author definitely knows this world professionally and have brought it, realistically, into fiction for readers to enjoy. I’d love to see what Sammi will get up to in the next book!
If you’ve interested, you can find an extract for chapter 1, here.
Thanks to Macmillan Australia for copy of book in exchange of honest review
+20 Task
+10 Review
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 750
10.5 Mod TaskI Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
Although this book is a chunkster at 897 pages, it was so engaging that I didn't want to put it down. Thomas and Dominick Birdsey are identical twins with very different personalities. The book opens in 1990 with Thomas, a paranoid schizophrenic, cutting off his hand as a protest against the Gulf War as he chants the Biblical verse "...and if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee...". After Thomas is put into a maximum security ward at the state mental hospital, Dominick tries to have his brother moved to a different environment.
Dominick loves his disturbed brother, but feels that Thomas has been a heavy anchor tied to him, holding Dominick down so he's barely able to breathe. He's had to protect the gentle Thomas his whole life. Meanwhile Dominick is trying to cope with his own life falling apart, and is holding a lot of hurt and anger inside. They both are trying to make sense of a childhood with an abusive stepfather and a passive mother. The book goes back to a third generation in the form of a rather melodramatic journal about the life of the men's grandfather, an immigrant from Sicily. The twins' parents are products of poor parenting, and problems continue to the next generation.
The book incorporates religion, mental illness, abuse, divorce, death, parenting, and infidelity into the story. Written in the late 1990s, it also explores issues of that time such as the war, racism, and Native American casinos. Some of the best parts of the book are the conversations between Dominick and Dr Patel. Dr Patel had been counseling Thomas, but soon realized that "there are two young men lost in the woods" and added Dominick to her private practice. Wally Lamb writes great dialogue in a conversational tone, giving the reader the feeling they are having a heart-to-heart talk with the character. Incidents involving Dominick's best friend, fast-talking car salesman Leo, add humor to the book. "I Know This Much Is True" is a page-turner, and is highly recommended.
+10 task
+15 combo (10.4 light list, 10.7 first letter, 20.3 winner of Audie Award for Fiction 2000)
+15 jumbo (897 pages)
+10 review
Task total: 50
Grand total: 540
20.2Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
Review: Liked it but didn't love it. I have always been super interested in Greek mythology and anything related to it so was pleased to see this task appear! I enjoyed the story line and some of the conventions imposed upon the world. The plot was well constructed. However, the Greek gods and goddesses while ridiculous and in some ways humourous lacked features that made them likeable and relatable. If Greek Gods in modern times are what a reader is looking for I would recommend any of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books over this one. I also think the author needed to have a clearer vision whether this book was to be a comedy or an allegory or a drama. It had elements of many genres that didn't always gel together.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 30 pts
Grand Total: 265 pts
20.4 Go for the Gold!One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Review: I think there is something wrong with me. Several times while reading this book, I would stop and think: "Hmm, that doesn't seem so horrible conditions. I bet Ivan Denisovich will even make it through his captivity alive."
I think this is part of the trick of the book. Instead of harping on about how awful and unjust and inhuman the Gulag prison system was, Solzhenitsyn portrays the camp on a day that doesn't seem so bad to sneek the point of its abject horror in under the radar.
Sure, they have to lay bricks in minus 27 degrees Celcius whether, but they seem to enjoy it. Sure, they are normally kept on the border of starvation, but our hero manages to get double portions for two of the meal and can go to bed fairly full. Sure, one of his barracks mates are sentenced to ten days of isolation with reduced food in tuberculosis inducing conditions, but our hero is save for the day. Sure there's rime on the ceiling of the barracks, but Ivan Denisovich is almost warm when he tucks in for bed.
There's definitely something wrong with me, but there's nothing wrong with the book. It might be short and a quick read, but it packs a punch.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.7)
+10 Canon
+10 LiT (Read in Danish)
+10 Review
+15 Bingo
Task total: 70 pts
Grand total: 565 pts
20.1 South AmericaLost City Radio by Daniel Alarcón
Author born in Lima, Peru
Review: Lost City Radio takes place in an unnamed South American country ravaged by a civil war that ended 10 years ago with the government more or less eradicating the rebels.
Norma hosts the radio program "Lost City Radio", where she attempts to connect lost family members and friends, by reading out name of the lost on live air. Though it is not mentioned for fear of retaliation from the any of the lost were members of the revelution forces a decade ago.
When a boy arrives at the station with a new list of names for Norma to read, old wounds are ripped open, leading Norma to remember the past and wonder what really went on during the civil war and what happened to her husband when he went into the jungle 10 years ago and never came back.
The novel portrays the pervading sense of dread and fear very well, but it lacks urgency and even though it is fairly short and easy to read, I had to force myself to pay attention from time to time.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.7, 20.3 (Alabama Author Award - Fiction 2008))
+10 Review
Task total: 40 pts
Grand total: 605 pts
10.8 Come to the fairSwamplandia! by Karen Russell
Review:
I was enjoying this book for the setting and the discussions of alligators and even for the side story of Kiwi moving to the mainland and trying to find work and send money home. The swamp descriptions really created a sense of place and the Swamplandia amusement park was great. But the way the book went off the rails toward the end really didn't fit with the rest of the story. There was a lot of potential here, but it never quite filled out. The readers for the audiobook did a fine job with the story, particularly the male reader. I'd definitely read more by this author; I have a feeling she'll improve over time.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (20.3 - 2012 NYPL Young Lions)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 655
10.7 First Letter On Solid Ground by Melissa Collins
Review: I really enjoyed most of this book, and the parts I didn’t enjoy hit just a little too close to home for me, so it wasn’t a flaw in the book but simply a question of circumstance. Dax has recently been discharge from the Army with PTSD, and when he meets Beck they feel an instant connection. It turns out Beck has plenty of his own problems, and the couple’s combined issues would be hard to believe if I hadn’t lived through a year of bad news piled on bad news myself. The overall message of hope and healing shone through, although I’m glad there’s a second book to show how far they still have to go in their relationship.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 950
20.3 WinnersJack Glass by Adam Roberts
+20 Task (Winner British Science Fiction Association Award 2012)
+10 Combo (10.9, 20.7)
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 700
15.8 FYTS: Time Traveler1965-2015
The Steep Approach to Garbadale by Iain Banks
+25 Task
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 725
10.8 Come to the FairThe Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett
Lexile 990
+10 Task (features a zoo)
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 735
15.7 FYTS Time Traveler2014-1969
The Creep by John T. Foster
Published 1984
+25 Task
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 440
20.4 Go For The Gold!Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama
A fortune teller made the prediction that eight-year-old Pei would never marry, convincing her silent father that the young Chinese girl would only be a drain on the impoverished family's resources. She was sent to work in a silk factory with her wages returning to her family each month. Motherly Auntie Yee ran a home for the young girls working in the silk factory, and a sisterhood developed among the lonely girls. In the early 20th Century, marriage often included long hours farming, beatings from husbands, and supervision by unfair mother-in-laws in the patriarchal society. So while the hours were long at the silk factory, many women chose to remain unmarried and employed there because they had some independence and money. The Japanese invasion of China caused an upheaval in the lives of Pei and the other silk workers, and forced them to run to safety.
The author has a Chinese mother and a Japanese-American father (from Hawaii), and she was raised culturally Chinese. She wrote a quiet book with Chinese culture, history, and the details of silk thread production woven into the plot. Pei and her friends are endearing characters, and I cared about their outcomes as I read the story.
+20 task (China)
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 570
10.7 First Letter Lessons in Love by Charlie Cochrane
Review: I’m never sure what to expect when reading a historical m/m romance, since I know there have to be so many impediments to a happy ending. This one is the first in a series, so it only starts off the romance, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. I was a kind of delighted by Orlando’s personality – he was so sweet and awkward, and he and Jonty are super cute together. I think if the characters hadn’t gotten under my skin I might have found the plot and dialogue a little stilted, but it didn’t bother me. I put the next one in the series onto my TBR, and will probably read it when I need a comfort read and hope it lives up to my expectation.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 970
15.9 FYTS: Time Traveler2014-1969
1969
The Lemon by Mohammed Mrabet
task= 40
grand total=660
(my database shows 665 but I think 660 is now the correct number...don't know where the discrepancy lies.)
15.1 FYTS - Time Leaper1951-1996
Regeneration by Pat Barker (1991)
+15 task
Task Total = 15
Grand Total - 435
20.4 Go for the Gold!Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather by Gao Xingjian
+20 Task: China
+10 Lost in Translation
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 835
10.9 It's PersonalLaRose by Louise Erdrich
+10 Task: Name: LaRose
+ 5 Combo: 10.7 First Letter
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 850
From Post 534Tien wrote: "20.10 Meta fiction (Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Task)
Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges
Review
I’m not a huge fan of South American lit; I jus..."
+5 Combo 10.2
From Post 542Joanna wrote: "10.8 Come to the fair
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
Review:
I was enjoying this book for the setting and the discussions of alligators and even for the side story of..."
+5 Combo 10.7
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
My Name Is Red (other topics)Pop Goes the Weasel (other topics)
Generation Chef: Risking It All for a New American Dream (other topics)
Signs of Attraction (other topics)
In Our Own Hands: Essays in Deaf History, 1780–1970 (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Orhan Pamuk (other topics)James Patterson (other topics)
Karen Stabiner (other topics)
Laura Brown (other topics)
Sara Nović (other topics)
More...
Adder by Ally Blue
Review: Adder is a rock star. Or maybe he just wants to be. He’s also flamboyantly bisexual in the best ways, although I can’t really imagine actually meeting him in real life. He has dyed green hair, a snake tattoo on his… snake… a tendency to hit on everyone and everyone around, and a desire to share his music with the world and be famous. When he meets Kalil, things change for Adder a little, but it takes a while for him to come to terms with it. Kalil is the band’s new drummer and initially says no to Adder’s sexual advances. In fact, their first time together could pretty easily be construed as non-consensual, since Kalil was drunk and didn’t want to sleep with a bandmate. Still, their romance is pretty hot and sweet, and my only real complaint with the book is that I wish it’d been longer and more fleshed out (ahem, not THAT way), although I do think it’d have been nice not to have to forgive the lack of consent.
+10 Task (Adder is one of the two narrators/main characters – it’s his only legal name)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 880