Reading with Style discussion
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SP 2017 Completed Tasks
From Post 370Anika wrote: "20.5 Foundation
The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, a Daughter, and the People Who Raised Them by Amy Dickinson
I've known of Amy Dickinson mainly as a guest..."
+5 Combo 10.4
Denise wrote: "15.10 AotDFlannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, 1983-1992
Time Traveler reading from oldest to newest
The Consequences of Desire by Dennis Hathaway
+15 Task..."
Congratulations on completing you AotD plan! And so quickly!
10.2 3,4,or 5A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
Written in 1879, "A Doll's House" was a very modern look at marriage for its time. The play's name comes from the way Nora is treated like a doll or a young child by Torvald, her domineering husband. Nora has a problem since she had secretly forged a note for a loan to finance a trip to a warm climate when her husband was seriously ill. Although Nora seems flighty and silly at the beginning of the play, one senses that she is acting that way partly to please and manipulate her husband. She has imperfections, but there is a strong woman underneath who wants to experience the world. She needs to find herself as a human being outside the roles of wife and mother. This is a play that can be looked at from many points of view regarding a woman's moral obligations to her family as well as her obligations to herself. The play was entertaining with both comic and serious moments, and its ideas could generate a good discussion.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 300
20.6 My Name Is RedTinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
+20 task (47,284 ratings, 4.03 avg) - glad I thought to check that!
+15 combos (10.2, 10.3, 20.2)
Task Total = 35
Grand Total = 190
20.10 HesperusThe Confidential Agent by Graham Greene
+20 task
+20 combos (10.2, 10.3, 10.6, 20.1)
Task Total = 40
Grand Total = 230
10.3 English LanguageThe Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
+ 10 task
+10 combos (10.2, 20.2)
Task Total = 20
Grand Total = 250
Square PegLeft Neglected by Lisa Genova
Review:
I am a retired nurse, but I have not know of this condition. It was mesmerizing, intriguing, and incredibly sad - all at the same time.
I did not know that the author, Lisa Genova, wrote Still Alice, when I read this book. Now that I do know, I am even more interested in picking up Still Alice also.
This is the story of a high-powered woman who balances her family and her work on a thin, fine edge. Then she has a car accident and her world gets re-defined with a large piece missing...her whole left side.
It is not that she cannot use her left side...to her brain, it just does not exist. Cover your left eye. What you see is Sarah's world. But, you say, just turn your head left. Well, Sarah cannot. Her brain tells her she is seeing the whole of the world and refuses any direction to move left. It not only does not respond to the command, it does not know what it means. Now imagine resuming your current life never acknowledging what is on the left.
Not only would it mean that my reading ability would fly out the window...but I would miss so much of what I love. So did Sarah until she learned to look for it.
+ 10 Task
+10 Review
Task Points: 20
10.2 - 3, 4, or 5Although not planned, a lot of the books I read this month fell under this task!
The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild by Craig Childs
Review:
Craig Childs recommends that the reader read one story and then go out into nature and just be with nature a while. I did not do this.
I read about four different animals at a sitting. It is a bit like reading four short stories. Each encounter with an animal (from insects to fish to predator animals) left me with amazement.
I became a bit envious of his life...of living in the teepee...of his adventures into wilderness. Why? Because that was my dream when I was younger. Now that I am in the third stage of my life, I find venturing into the unknown world a bit scarier...particularly since I never developed the skills to survive there.
Yet, I love watching the nature that comes to my backyard, and I have a curiosity about it. Yet, trailing a mountain lion...ah! breath - robbing...I would be so very scared...and he was too, when he encountered one face to face. He definitely had me on the edge of my seat when reading about that episode!
Wonderful book...great writer...deep thinker. I will definitely read more of his works.
+ 10 Task (ignored subtitle)
+ 10 Review
Task Points: 20
20.2 RebeccaThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
I chose this book because it’s a twofer…on both the Boxall 1001 list and the 1001 Children’s Books list. And it deserves to be on both. The perspective was unique to me…. a story told by a 15 year old autistic boy. The boy wants to solve the mystery as to why a neighbor’s dog was murdered. His activities set off a series of mostly unfortunate events…but, the reader learns how this particular autistic kid thinks. I was drawn in immediately with the chapters enumerated by prime numbers only. The kid is a math genius…but also avoids the colors yellow and brown, has strategies to avoid being touched…even by his parents. He never lies. He has a pet rat. He doesn’t understand most colloquialisms. This novel is an insight to a world I have never even been near to experiencing…and that is always a big plus for me. Five stars.
task= 20
Review= 10
combo= 5 (10.3)
task total= 35
grand total= 535
10.2 - 3, 4, or 5Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
Review:
For some reason, I have been skipping over the books I own that are written by Maeve Binchy. What a mistake! (And, please do not think that the time it took me to read this book is indicative of the writing; it is not. It simply means that library books had preference because of due dates over books I own.)
This is the story of two childhood friends from a small Irish town who go to college in Dublin. Eve and Benny both wanted to escape from Knockglen and experience the world outside of their small town.
In Dublin, they meet Nan, Aiden, Jack, and others who soon grow into their group of friends. All are young, idealistic about their futures, and destined to clash as they seek what they thought was most important for themselves, taking for granted the value of the friendships they had.
A wonderfully written coming-of-age story. I will definitely pick up another Maeve Binchy novel.
+ 10 Task
+ 10 Review
+ 5 Jumbo (596 pages)
(Note: I did not check for Dead Poet's memorial as Waymark now requires log-in for searches.)
Task Points: 25
10.2 - 3, 4, or 5Step into the Light by Donna B. MacDonald
Review:
I was surprised by this book. First, because it was so much better than I expected. Second, because its cover just did not draw me and so I missed out on a nicely written story of awakening to true values in life.
This is another story of someone who was obsessed with work and lifestyle, when it suddenly came to an end with a crashing accident. (Do you ever find common themes in books you are reading?)
In this story, Joanna must find a new identity - and new friends. She ends up doing both by recuperating on Cape Cod and getting outside of the hustle and bustle of life in NYC.
+ 10 Task
+10 Review
Task Points: 20
15.3 AotD Time TravelerAgatha Award Best First Novel (1988-1997)
The Body in the Belfry by Katherine Hall Page
Won the award in 1990.
+15 Task
+ 5 Oldie (1990)
Task Total: 20
20.3 EvictedI Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Review:
I did not except to learn as much as I did about life in Pakistan by reading this book. I am not sure exactly what I did expect - maybe a more political book. Anyway, it took me awhile to pick it up.
This book is the story of how Malala got to be MALALA. It is another coming-of-age story in a way...as Malala matured into the political person she was meant to be. She is an amazing young woman, who has accomplished so much more than I ever dreamed of doing at her young age.
I am glad that I finally read this book as I now have a better understanding of ordinary life in Pakistan. It is a bit of a wonder how Malala and her family lived through the Taliban rule without being crushed by that rule. Her love of her land, though, resonates deeply with me. I wish her, and her family, the chance to return.
+ 20 Task (current events listed 31 times)
+ 10 Review
+ 5 Combo (10.2 without subtitle)
+ 10 Non-Western (Pakistani)
Task Points: 45
20.6 My Name is RedThe Secret Place by Tana French
Review:
I have thoroughly enjoyed Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. This is book #5.
In this story, Detective Stephen Moran is not on the Murder Squad. He is in Cold Cases, but yearns to get onto the Murder Squad, a position he feels will advance his career. Detective Antoinette Conway is on the Murder Squad and is hanging on by her fingernails.
So, when Holly Mackey brings Detective Moran a photo and a story of its finding that links to a previously unsolved murder case, he takes it to the Murder Squad. There he finds the lead on the case is Detective Conway, whose partner has retired. He manages to team up with her for one day of investigation. And that begins this story.
Tana French tells this story in two parts - as it was happening last year and as it is unfolding on this investigative day. Sometimes that device of jumping back and forward in time is disruptive to the story or at least confusing. Not so in this story. It felt rather natural to me and allowed Tana French to develop the characters of the young people. And, she keeps the reader oriented by telling him/her how long the young man (who was killed) has yet to live.
The reader also sees both detectives working through their own ambitions while investigating together. It should be no surprise that they make a good partnership, although it seems to surprise both of them.
Now on to book #6.
+ 20 Task (35,457 ratings, 3.83)
+ 10 Review
Task Points: 30
20.10 Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Task: HesperusThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
Review:
I previously read Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, which took me 3 years and 1 day! Partly that was because it was a library book (with due dates and limited renewal) and partly it was because it was so very thick with small print (mass market edition). Yet, I was determined to read it and just kept at it. I finally succeeded when I got the Kindle edition.
So, although I very much liked Les Miserables, it was a chore to read. The story was great but the history and background was hard for me, since I am so deficient in knowledge of French history. I think I expected the same with this book. Instead I was pleasantly surprised that the majority of this book was actual story and not history. (The author did detour a bit into architectural history.)
This is a sad story in that the characters are all robbed of living lives of peace and satisfaction and love. Dom Claude Frollo actually seems evil in parts, although he also was a sad figure. The gypsy Esmeralda, the mother pining for her baby, the deformed figure of the hunchback Quasimodo, even the philosopher/playwright figure of Gringoire - all turned out to be people who never found the love and nurture of another who cared for them. Wonderfully written! Definitely a classic read.
+ 20 Task
+ 10 Review
+ 10 Combo (10.2, 10.7 - http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM...)
+ 10 Canon
+ 5 Jumbo (510 pages)
Task Points: 55
Season Total: 440
20.3 EvictedIn Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
First, a bit of RwS honesty – I picked this book of the 5 I tentatively penciled in for this task because it is the shortest. I enjoy non-fiction, but current event nf isn’t generally my first choice.
That said, I did enjoy this book. Pollan is a good writer and I felt he brought together a lot of information in a cohesive manner. I really do think that the majority of the populace should read this book (and heed what it says). However, I wonder if the likely reader of this book is someone like myself who is relatively well informed on this topic. If that is you (as well), you won’t be learning anything particularly new here. I also wish he opined more strongly on certain issues (eg. factory farming); but I understand why he didn’t (to make the book more digestible – pun intended). Overall a worthwhile read, in this age of North American obesity.
20 task
10 review
5 combo 20.5
____
35
Running total: 445
Posted in error. corrected below.15.8 AotD
Different Prizes
The Doubleman by Christopher J. Koch
+15 Task -- 2001 Miles Franklin Literary Prize
Post total: 15
Season total: 140
completed:
2008 The White Tiger Man Booker Prize
2007 The Missing Bram Stoker Best Novel
2006
2005 Camouflage Nebula Award
2004 Out There National Outdoor Book Award
2003 Perma Red Spur Award Best Novel of the West
2002 That They May Face The Rising Sun Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award
2001 The Doubleman Miles Franklin Literary Prize
2000 The Mighty Walzer Bollinger Wodehouse Comedy Award
1999 A Small Death in Lisbon CWA Golden Dagger Award
Post 394 Karen Michele wrote: "20.10 Hesperus Wessex Tales by Thomas Hardy
+20 Task
+20 Combo: 10.2 3, 4, or 5 / 10.3 English Language / 10.7 Dead Poet's Society / 20.1 Lord of the Rings
Task Tot..."
This title is two words so doesn't fit 10.2 - 3, 4, 5 - did you mean another task?
I'm not sure what I did. I might have done a copy paste of combos for another hardy on my blog page. Anyway, I'll subtract the mistake.
Post 398 Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne FlukeReview can be found here : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Task +10
Review +10
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 95"
Jayme, we need to have the review included in your post to qualify for the review style points.
Repost from Post 398Banana Cream Pie Murderby Joanne Fluke
Review
In this installment, Hannah got married and went on her honeymoon. She gets back from her honeymoon and back to her life in Lake Eden. It isn't long before there is another murder to solve. Tori Beascomb, director of the local acting group is found dead in her condo after a gun shot is heard. Hannah investigates the murder but is not coming up with many suspects. In the mean time, her sister Michelle has come to direct the local acting group for the Thanksgiving play. Hannah does figure out the murder at the end. What was strange is Ross, her new husband is gone. Clothes are scattered everywhere. His phone, identification, and wallet are still there. Her cop friend, Mike thinks Ross has left Hannah. I think he may be kidnapped. Looks like there is another book coming soon.
Task +10
Review +10
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 95
Nick wrote: "15.8 AotDDifferent Prizes
The Doubleman by Christopher J. Koch
+15 Task -- 2001 Miles Franklin Literary Prize
Post total: 15
Season total: 140
completed:
200..."
O.K. I really made a mistake here. Somehow I got the date confused. It's a 1985 book, not a 2001. So my total remains at
Total Points So Far: 125.
10.5 CircusSomething Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Lexile 820
+10 task
+ 5 combo (10.2)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 540
Task 15.4 Spur Award for Best Novel (1975)
(note: I'm going to be doing all Spur Award, sequentially, 1972-1981)
The Shootist (1975) by Glendon Swarthout (Paperback, 248 pages)
This novel was the basis for the film The Shootist (1976) starring John Wayne
+15 Task
+05 Oldies (published before 1992)
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 285 + 20 = 305
10.3 English LanguageLost Horizon by James Hilton
Hugh Conway, a veteran of the Great War and a British diplomat, told a novelist friend an incredible story. He and three other people were being evacuated from a rebellion in Baskul when their plane was hijacked and flown to Tibet. After they crash landed in the frigid, windy mountains, their dying pilot told them to go to the lamasery of Shangri-La. The four passengers were guided there by porters and a postulant from the lamasery. After winding through dangerous mountain passes for hours, they arrived at the lamasery overlooking a protected fertile valley. It's a place of peace and contemplation where everyone is satisfied by practicing the ethic of moderation.
The lamasery is also a repository of great books, knowledge, wisdom, culture, and art. The High Lama "foresaw a time when men, excultant in the technique of homicide, would rage so hotly over the world that every precious thing would be in danger...."(144) Conway has never been the same since living through a horrible experience in the Great War, and is drawn to a peaceful, scholarly life in Shangri-La. But another member of his party feels differently and tries to convince Conway that he is losing his mind.
Published in 1933, the book points out how the world is in turmoil and foresees another huge war in the future. The story is a wonderful fantasy set in a beautiful utopia. The epilogue gives hints about what might have happened to Conway, but leaves a lot to the reader's imagination. It left me hoping that Shangri-La is real, hidden and protected by the mountains of Tibet.
+10 task (born in Lancashire, England)
+ 5 combo 10.7
+10 review
Task total: 25
Grand total: 325
20.3 EvictedSalt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
+20 task (current-events 14 people)
+15 combo (10.2 ignoring subtitle; 10.4 using subtitle; 20.5 born in California in 1955)
Task total=35
Grand total=635
20.5 FoundationThe Oracle's Queen by Lynn Flewelling
+20 Task
+5 Combo 10.2
+5 Jumbo 557 pages
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 420
10.3 English LanguageMothering Sunday by Graham Swift
+10 Task (born in London, UK)
Points this post: 10
RwS total: 210
AotD total: -
Season Total: 200
15.7 AotD 1991-1982 Time TravelerDifferent Prizes
Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee
Prix Femina
task = 15
oldie=5
task total=20
grand total= 555
10.5 Circus Caraval by Stephanie Garber
830 Lexile
I was really looking forward to this after reading a ton of good buzz around it. Not my absolute favorite of the genre but worth a read. Caraval is a game (ish) that the mysterious Legend stages once a year somewhere throughout this kingdom. Dark rumors circulate about Caraval, including the stories of a woman who died during the performance years ago. Scarlett and her sister are finally invited, but must first escape the clutches of their abusive father. This was definitely a plot-junkie book - I read wanting to find out what happened next, not for any particular depth or theme. I had a few quibbles, like the vague world-building (Where is this place? Why can't they leave their island? Why is the whole world made of islands?) Setting that aside, though, if you like fantasy and/or romance it's worth checking out.
+10 task (shelved 20x as "circus")
+10 review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 225
20.7 #AWW2017 Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
I always enjoy a Liane Moriarty book but this one wasn't my favorite. It was a page turner -- the setup is that 3 couples and 3 children are at a BBQ and something terrible happens. The book goes back and forth between the day of the barbecue and the present day (about 3 months later) as we see the effects of the "terrible thing" on all the players. Much of the book is a tease leading up to the question of what happened at the barbecue already??? And I was pretty confident in what it was 100 pages before the reveal. That disappointed me, but it was still worth reading to find out the nitty gritty -- and because no one builds domestic tension like Liane Moriarty!
+20 task
+5 combo (10.2)
+10 review
Task total: 35
Grand Total: 260
20.10 HesperusA Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
As I work my way through the Sherlock Holmes canon (which will be GREAT for when I get to 20.8 and read something based on Sherlock Holmes!), I realized I had never actually read this one, his first Holmes story. We meet Watson, see how they connect, and see the earliest Holmes, before all of his quirks and characteristics are fully established in print. In this tale, an American visiting London is murdered in a house with no apparent reason or clue. While two detectives chase the wrong leads, Holmes works quietly in the background -- until a second man, the first's secretary, dies. Here, like in The Sign of Four, includes some interesting backstory to the main crime, and you can see Conan Doyle's adventure writing roots in the backstory section. Like all Sherlock stories, well worth the time!
+20 task
+25 combo (10.2, 10.3, 10.7, 20.2, 20.9)
+10 review
Task Total: 55
Grand Total: 315
20.8 Yours, Mine, and OursBlood of Wonderland by Colleen Oakes
+20 Task (shelved as YA on BPL; no Lexile measure available)
Task total: 20
Season total: 665
20.3 EvictedSo You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
In this book Jon Ronson turns his attention to victims of internet shaming. Some of the people he focuses on were relatively well known and others not. One way or another they'd done something stupid - often a joke that was misinterpreted - and got crucified for it on social media. Careers, lives and marriages were destroyed as a result. He compares it to being publicly whipped and put in the stocks, which societies stopped doing a couple of hundred years ago because it was too cruel!
The only thing I thought he could have improved was that he didn't really find a solution to how to deal with it. He put forward a couple of theories but didn't fix on an answer.
However, it's a well written book about a scary subject, and a gripping read.
+20 task
+10 combo (10.2, 10.3)
+10 review
Task Total: 40
Season Total: 580
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne FlukeReview can be found here : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Task +10
Review +10
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 95"
Which task are you claiming?
From Post 418Bea wrote: "20.3 Evicted
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Review:
I did not except to learn as mu..."
+5 Combo 10.4
Kate S wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne FlukeReview can be found here : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Task +10
Review ..."
I am claiming 10.2
From Post 419Bea wrote: "20.6 My Name is Red
The Secret Place by Tana French
Review:
I have thoroughly enjoyed Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. This is book #5.
In this story, De..."
+5 Combo 10.2
From Post 421Valerie wrote: "20.3 Evicted
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
First, a bit of RwS honesty – I picked this book of the 5 I tentatively penciled in for this ta..."
+5 Combo 10.2
From Post 394Karen Michele wrote: "20.10 Hesperus
Wessex Tales by Thomas Hardy
+20 Task
+20 Combo: 10.2 3, 4, or 5 / 10.3 English Language / 10.7 Dead Poet's Society / 20.1 Lord of the Rings
Task Tot..."
+10 Canon
From Post 415Bea wrote: "10.2 - 3, 4, or 5
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
+ 10 Task
+ 10 Review
+ 5 Jumbo (596 pages)"
This should be +10 Jumbo (722 pages in MPE)
From Post 389Karen Michele wrote: "10.7 Dead Poet's Society (Ed's Task)
Selected Poems of Christina Rossetti by Christina Rossetti
+10 Task
+10 Combo: 10.2 3, 4, or 5 / 10.3 English Language
+10 Canon..."
+5 Combo 20.10
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Kate S wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne FlukeReview can be found here : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
T..."
Thank you.
20.3 EvictedA Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
+20 Task
+5 Combo 10.2
+10 Non-Western
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 455
Kate S wrote: "From Post 418Bea wrote: "20.3 Evicted
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Review:
I di..."
Kate, I looked at 10.4 but the task required the "who" in the title only. For this book, it occurs in the subtitle. I do not think I earned those points.
And, thanks for the other extra points; I missed the 10.2 on task 20.6 and the extra jumbo points on task 10.2. My corrected total is now 450.
15.6 AotD Time Traveler/Different AwardsKraken by China Miéville
+15 Task (Locus Award 2011)
+ 5 Jumbo (509)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 665
Bea wrote: "Kate, I looked at 10.4 but the task required the "who" in the title only. For this book, it occurs in the subtitle. I do not think I earned those points."We have been allowing the word in either, as per Kate's answer in the help thread:
Sub-titles can be counted or ignored. Whichever benefits the reader.
10.3 English LanguageLove in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford
This is the second Mitford novel I’ve read. It is the companion novel to “The Pursuit of Love”. It is helpful to read them in order, since the first book describes the characters and their relationship to each other.
This novel is about the upper class between the wars. Apparently Mitford was of this class, and these novels are considered semi-biographical. The narrator (Fanny), who narrated both books, finds her husband and is subsequently married off. The main story though is Lady Montdore’s effort to get her daughter, Polly, married off. Fanny is a distant cousin and Polly’s only friend, so she is the fly on the wall to the proceedings.
I think these novels are interesting period pieces, however I have mixed feelings about them. This novel wasn’t as good as it could have been. I didn’t feel like it flowed well. Even though there was only about 6 weeks between my reading of the first novel and this one, it took me quite a while to sort out who was who. In other words, the first one wasn’t that memorable, however I did like it a bit better than this novel. The ending in this novel was very abrupt and too ‘pat’.
I don’t think I wasted my time reading these novels, but equally I can’t recommend them. (Goodness, I feel bad writing that...).
10 task
10 review
10 combo 10.2, 10.7
_____
30
(corrected) Running total: 480
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Letters to the End of Love (other topics)Made in the U.S.A. (other topics)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (other topics)
The Goldfinch (other topics)
The Boy on the Bridge (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Yvette Walker (other topics)Billie Letts (other topics)
Arthur Conan Doyle (other topics)
Donna Tartt (other topics)
M.R. Carey (other topics)
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Deedee wrote: "Task 10.8 Anthology
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Second Annual Collection (1985) edited by Gardner R. Dozois (Kindle Edition, 577 pages)
Review: Beginning in 198..."
+5 Combo 10.2