Reading with Style discussion
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SP 18 Completed Tasks
20.4 Night WatchThe Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch
I am quite a fan of books based on an unreliable narrator, especially one that emerges slowly like Charles. Even as he describes his simple life at his home on the sea with everything he is eating and doing in his journal, out of a seemingly realistic story comes a spooky sea monster that may portend a mystery story. As he continues to write and describe his former love affairs, my suspicions of his veracity grew. I loved Murdoch’s writing throughout and was glad to have chosen this book as my first experience reading her work. I have read through many reviews that describe the action of the story as the various characters from Charles’ past join the story and visit him at the sea. As I reflect on this unreliable narrator, though, I am still asking myself, (view spoiler) Regardless of how much of the story is “true”, the book delves into the greater truths of the human experience and I loved every minute of it!
+20 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Oldies
Task Total: 35
Season Total: 980
10.5 Green StoneSlipping: Stories, Essays, & Other Writing by Lauren Beukes
+10 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 1325
Task 10.8 Double Continent (Coralie's Task)Read a book set (at least 20% each) in more than one continent. For the purpose of this task, we will use this list to determine continents for each location. Please include relevant locations/continent in your completion post.
Locations: Europe (England) and Africa (Rhodesia & South Africa)
The Go-Away Bird and Other Stories (1958) by Muriel Spark (Hardback, 215 pages)
Review: One-third of this book is the novella “The Go-Away Bird”. The other two thirds of the book contains 1 novelette and 7 short stories. All stories were written by Muriel Spark. Some of the stories are set in Africa; some of the stories are set in England; most of the stories reference both continents in one way or another, so I believe that this book fits Task 10.8. The short stories all contain an unexpected but completely plausible twist. I found the stories very clever, very well done, and very entertaining to read. “The Go-Away Bird” was evenly split between England and South Africa. Overall, 5 stars, recommended for all readers.
+10 Task
+05 Combo (#10.5, #20.8)
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1943-1993)
+10 Not-a-Novel (short story collections)
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 + 05 + 10 + 10 = 45
Grand Total: 440 + 45 = 485
20.5 The Queen’s NecklaceThe Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich
+20 Task
+5 Combo 20.6
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 1360
20.10: My Comfort ZoneNorth and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
I will go ahead with the Goodreads rating of three stars for this one - 3 means I liked it.
I liked the journey of the protagonist, Margaret Hale's life in 19th century England. Margaret's father has a change in conviction of his belief and moves with his wife and only daughter from countryside Hellstone to the industrial town of Milton. The forced change brings Margaret in contact with the local mill owner, Thornton and has a turbulent relation with him along with a change in her convictions of industry, social justice and labour class.
I had many things I liked about the work - Margaret is a remarkably well rounded character for the time in which the novel was written. I also enjoyed understanding class divide and how the thoughts of the characters were well used to bring about a few relevant topics of socialism.
Margaret is a strong character - the way she handles loss, the way she goes about managing herself in difficult circumstances are all genuinely portrayed and the reader cannot help but root for her. I liked the fact that when her character was first introduced, she comes across as a plain Jane. However, why did the author have to make her a 'great beauty' half way through the novel? The idea that a simple parishioner's daughter could have independent thoughts without the idea of a man falling for her outward appearance would have been more hard hitting. Without throwing in any spoilers, I could not understand how such an independent of mind character has a change of heart at the end as well. I felt betrayed in the end as I felt that I was reading about a very different woman and in the end she turned out to be the same as many I have read before.
On the whole I have mixed feelings about the work. All the main characters have a mind of their own which is great for a Victorian era novel and the writing is good. At over 500 pages, the book is fairly well paced. The above mentioned points majorly influence my rating though, where I give it a 3.5 stars rounded to the lower number.
Task +20
Combo +10 (20.4, 20.9)
Review +10
Oldies +15 (pub. 1855)
Jumbo +5
Task Total = 60
Season Total = 610+60 = 670
20.4 Night WatchA Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
+20 Task (Волшебник Земноморья)
+5 Oldies (pub 1968)
Points this post: 25
RwS total: 280
RtD total: -
Season Total: 280
20.7 The Red QueenThe White Queen by Philippa Gregory
The greater majority of the time that I was reading this novel, I felt it was ‘ok’ but I didn’t feel like it really ‘grabbed me’. However, towards the end of the book I did think it would be interesting to continue following the characters along.
I read “The Other Boleyn Girl” as my first Gregory novel. I liked it quite a bit (4*). Then I read 2/3 of “Wideacre” which, 5 years later, I still recall it as complete crap. So, the whole time I was reading this novel I was judging where it falls in the spectrum. It is a 3.5 for my records, which will be rounded down to 3 for GR. I picked this novel up at the library book sale, and if I happen to come across the next one at the next sale I would buy it – but I’m not sure I would search it out at the library. We’ll see.
20 task
10 review
5 combo 20.6
____
35
Running total: 695
20.7 The Red QueenKing Edward III by William Shakespeare
Review
This play was published anonymously about 1592. Only until the 1990’s has it been accepted as likely to have been an early work of Shakespeare although it may have been written with collaborators. Because it was not included in the First Folio, scholars excluded it as a possible Shakespeare work but now it is believed that due to the portrayal of Scots in an unfavorable light, it may have been excluded from the Folio since at the time of its publishing, James Stuart, who was a born Scot was on the English throne. The play includes actual quotes from Shakespeare’s own sonnets and the simpler style is more in keeping with King John and other of his earlier plays. The story line starts in France where Edward III of England and his son, the Black Prince, are in the midst of a war to claim France as his own hereditary right away from the crowned King John at the beginning of the Hundred Years Wars.
Act I seems to follow an unnecessary rabbit trail. The King has seen the wife of the Earl of Salisbury who is away fighting for Edward. Now he is so mesmerized that he would do anything to have her, including forcing her own father to command her to give herself to the King. Until this moment he is supposed to be happily married to Queen Phillipa who happens to be in pregnant in England but holding the line from Scottish invaders. The Countess of Salisbury goes reluctantly to King Edward but states he would have to execute her loyal husband and his beloved wife so their union would not be cursed as adultery. When he agrees to this, she instead says she will stab herself as she is being taken by the King. This seems to suddenly snap him back to reality and fidelity and he lets her go. Afterwards it is the challenges and taunts between kings and princes, a near slaughter of the English, a French town made to surrender to the English, a prophecy, some crazy black birds and then against all odds, The Black Prince is victorious. He brings the French King and his sons; all bound, to his father, King Edward, as captives. Queen Phillipa arrives to France just in time to see this and has brought her captive, the King of Scotland, and everything is “All’s well that ends well”. If it is Shakespeare, it was definitely when he was still working out what it takes to be a great playwright.
Task - 20 pts
Combo - 15 pts (10.5, 20.6,20.8)
Oldies - 25 pts - (c 1592)
Review - 10 pts
Not a Novel - 10 pts
Task Total - 80 pts
Season Total - 520 pts
20.8 - originally published in 1235One Hundred Leaves: A new annotated translation of the Hyakunin Isshu by Fujiwara no Teika
Well, if this doesn’t qualify for ‘not a novel’ and before 1962, I don’t know what would. It’s a book of Japanese poetry – one hundred poems, each by a different author written in the 7th to 13th centuries. It’s not very well known outside of Japan and is actually the basis for a card game in Japan. Beautiful imagery, although *most* of them were about unrequited love or being separated from a lover. That said, it’s given me a *lot* of ideas for practicing Japanese calligraphy. Each poem is followed by the artwork related, the original Japanese, the literal translation, and any necessary notes for comprehension, like usage of pillow words and pivot words. I’d definitely recommend this one for anyone who enjoys poetry and is looking for something a little off the beaten path.
+20 task
+5 combo (10.5 - 317 reviews)
+10 not a novel
+10 review
+25 oldies (1235)
Task total: 70
Grand total: 765
10.4 Book RiotCandide by Voltaire
+10 Task
+15 Combo 10.8 (Europe & South America), 10.9 (Cultural & Historical), 20.4
+20 Oldies (published 1759)
Post Total: 45
Season Total: 1405
20.8 Silent Spring (Ed's Task)Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare
I’ve been intending to re-read Othello for a while and I’m glad I finally made time to. It’s one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. Each time I read it or see a performance I seem to change my opinion on the character of Othello. Is he a proud and insecure man who is mistrustful of women and takes little persuasion to believe the worst of Desdemona? Or is his main failing that he’s too naive to see that he’s being manipulated by a skilled liar? Although, regardless of Othello’s vulnerability or otherwise to Iago’s scheming, I struggle a little to understand how some people see the play and feel a great amount of sympathy for a character who ultimately decides that killing someone is a reasonable response to a perceived betrayal.
+20 task
+10 combo (20.4 - Russian edition - and 20.6)
+10 review
+10 not a novel
+25 oldies (first published 1603)
Task total: 75
Season total: 480
20.4 - The Night WatchThe Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Russian edition
I really wanted to like this book. The plot (involving characters jumping into and out of novels) seemed interesting and original. And I’d heard this series described as perfect for those who love reading because of its many clever literary references. Unfortunately I found the references annoying rather than clever, it seemed like the author’s main motivation for them was to show how intelligent and well-read he is. The book also seemed far longer than necessary, I thought the story could have easily been told in 200 pages (instead of almost 400) and would have been better for it.
I’m tempted to try one more book from this series, if only because I’ve heard so many positive reviews of it. Unless it’s a big improvement on the first instalment though I doubt I’ll read any more.
+20 task
+5 combo (10.9, mystery - 1660, contemporary - 111)
+10 review
Task total: 35
Season total: 515
10.3 SeriesThe Red Box by Rex Stout
This is another enjoyable instalment in the Nero Wolfe series (novel #4). This is a definite 4* in the series. The mystery, while completely mysterious (to me anyways), was more straightforward than instalment #3. There are beautiful young women involved and relatives and hangers-on who you can’t be too sure about.
I liked this novel because Archie (the narrator and Wolfe’s right hand man) was involved in more action. He’s the point man driving here and there as Wolfe’s representative. I particularly enjoy the 1930s pace and setting, it adds a lot to the story.
I found this book at the library book sale, and am so glad I picked it up. I will definitely be continuing with the series (and looking hard through the books at the book sale again!).
10 task
10 oldie
5 combo 20.6
10 review
_______
35
Running total: 730
Post 543 Valerie wrote: "10.10 Group readsTies by Domenico Starnone
This is a short, intense and insular book about one family’s relationship. It is told in three sections, first the (be..."
This has too many ratings for a combo with 10.5 - did you mean a different task?
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 543 Valerie wrote: "10.10 Group readsTies by Domenico Starnone
This is a short, intense and insular book about one family’s relationship. It is told in thre..."
I don't know what I meant, so I've subtracted the five points from my current total.
15.10 Reading the DecadesDumb Witness by Agatha Christie
+40 Task (37)
+50 Completion
+50 Different Decades and Years
+50 Decades read in order
Task Total = 190
Season total = 780
20.4 Night WatchMuch Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Link to Russian edition https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Review
Well, I'd forgotten just how funny some of the scenes are in this play! Act 4, Scene 2 with Dogberry et al is funny completely, but one can't help enjoying this part (and this is referred to later)
CONRADE
Away! you are an ass, you are an ass.
DOGBERRY
Dost thou not suspect my place? dost thou not
suspect my years? O that he were here to write me
down an ass! But, masters, remember that I am an
ass; though it be not written down, yet forget not
that I am an ass. No, thou villain, thou art full of
piety, as shall be proved upon thee by good witness.
I am a wise fellow, and, which is more, an officer,
and, which is more, a householder, and, which is
more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any is in
Messina, and one that knows the law, go to; and a
rich fellow enough, go to; and a fellow that hath
had losses, and one that hath two gowns and every
thing handsome about him. Bring him away. O that
I had been writ down an ass!
I listened to this on a audio recording, which naturally helps. Otherwise I'd have had to read it aloud as it cannot be properly enjoyed by silent reading even by imagining it spoken in your head. It's a play and not designed for silent reading.
I'm not sure exactly how I should review this, but Beatrice is a delightful character--you have to love her. The juxtaposition of the common British battle between the sexes of the time is juxtaposed with the Italian romantic story type wonderfully, and I could listen to this all over again, but I had to return it to the library. Sure, I could read it in the print copy I have, but it's not nearly as fun.
+20 Task
+25 Oldie
+10 Review
+ 10 Not a Novel
+10 Combo, 10.2 set in Sicily, Italy; 20.6 (Shakespeare)
Task Total = 75
Season Total = 135
Karin wrote: "20.4 Night WatchLink to Russian edition https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Review
Well, I'd forgotten just how funny some of the scenes are in this play! Act 4, Scene 2 with Dogberry et ..."
Still need the book/author added in your post.
20.6 Dead SoulsTake Me Out: A Play by Richard Greenberg
So, a more modern play for a change. I did see this play performed when it was new...and shocking....for its unabashed presentation of locker room nudity (at San Diego's staid Old Globe Theatre no less!) The play is now 16 years old...and hasn't held up completely over the time. No one could have predicted that societal values concerning gay people would have changed as quickly as they did. In this play, a gay superstar baseball player is outed. A new teammate, in an interview, insults half the world in a racist homophobic rant which stirs up additional problems. The play is narrated by one of the more intelligent players with the actors playing out their roles as their part of the story is told. I do not mean to suggest that the play is without merit...important subjects are raised.... but I just remember it being so much more poignant to me when I saw the play..probably in 2003. 3 stars.
task=20
Combo=5 (10.5)
Review=10
NaN=10 (play)
task total= 45
grand total= 1390
20.10 My Comfort Zone (Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Task)The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
+20 Task
+10 Combo (20.4 Посмертные Записки Пиквикского Клуба, 20.9)
+15 Jumbo (801pp)
+15 Oldies (pub 1837)
Points this post: 60
RwS total: 340
RtD total: -
Season Total: 340
20.9 - JumboThe City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
Nahri lives in 18th century Cairo and ekes out a meager living as a con artist, diagnosing mysterious aliments and driving out spirits. She doesn't believe in spirits but her marks do, so no harm, right? That is, until one day she inadvertently calls a djinn warrior to her side and they are forced to go to the titular city of brass, Daevabad, while being chased by nasties of every description.
The story is epic and has everything - fights, political intrigue, a varied cast of characters, and a touch of romance. There are discussions of religion, colonialism, poverty, and governance. What sway does your past hold over you, even when you can't remember it? Can the cost of standing up for your beliefs run too high?
It's nuanced and absorbing. There are no heroes or villains - nearly every character has made choices both admirable and abominable. There's so much that I may have to reread The City of Brass before moving on to the next book, scheduled to be published later in 2018, but I'm very much looking forward to it.
+20 task (533 pages)
+10 combo (10.7, 20.6)
+10 review
+5 jumbo
Task total: 45 points
Grand total: 520 points
10.1 - Square PegDirty by Kylie Scott
Dirty does what is does wonderfully - a small town romance with rocker types and people in need of second chances. Unfortunately, in general that is not my thing. I do like the characters (especially the hero and heroine), and the tropes were stacked in my favor (banter, relationship of convenience, a bar that needs saving). And the meet cute is something else! I was able to get through this book thanks to all that, but I'm not sure I'll be reading the next one. It's a shame, really, because it's well written and a heck of a lot of fun. Maybe I'll have more luck with Scott's other series.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20 points
Grand total: 540 points
10.3 - SeriesMine to Possess by Nalini Singh
I'm getting far enough into this series that I don't know what to say anymore without giving things away. I liked this one much better than the last - the second chance romance is well done and we get to see the continuation of the overarching plot. The heroine is the first human we've gotten to know, bringing another layer of politics and intrigue to the story. Humans act, well, pretty human, compared to the borg-esque Psy and the shifter Changelings, and it adds another layer. It's a popular series for a reason. I'm looking forward to continuing on and seeing how the overall plot develops from here.
+10 task (#4 in series)
+10 review
Task total: 20 points
Grand total: 560 points
10.5 - Green StoneTreating People Well: The Extraordinary Power of Civility at Work and in Life by Lea Berman and Jeremy Bernard
Social secretaries plan all kinds of events, from state dinners and the Easter egg roll to Congressional picnics and private lunches. The authors speak from their own experience about how it's done while dispensing advice on, as the title suggests, treating people well.
Berman and Bernard talk about their time at the White House under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, respectively. The tips they give aren't groundbreaking (begin with confidence, be consistent, listen first and talk later) but they're things we should all be reminded of. I learned some new things, too, like good ways to start a thank you note. (Hint: it's not "Thank you for...")
What I enjoyed most were the anecdotes about working in the White House. Both authors have a glowing admiration for the presidents and first ladies they served and it shows.There are tales of near disaster, like Berman who, when an interpreter refused to move to their proper seat, tipped them out of their chair (!).
While I wouldn't say it's an authoritative volume about being your best at work nor the best White House memoir, it is an enjoyable combination of the two.
+10 task
+5 combo (10.7, Lea)
+10 review
+10 not-a-novel
Task total: 35 points
Grand total: 595 points
15.1 - Reading the Decades (2010s)Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag
+15 task (published 2013)
Task total: 15 points
Grand total: 610 points
15.2 - Reading the Decades (2000s)Colters' Woman by Maya Banks
+15 task (published 2006)
Task total: 15 points
Grand total: 625 points
20.2 The Blazing WorldSpeaking Out: A 21st-Century Handbook for Women and Girls by Tara Moss
review
This topic is not particularly something that interested me but author Tara Moss did a fabulous job in actually keeping me interested in the book. It’s a very encouraging and positive about speaking out; not only about public speaking but also generally is speaking up with your opinions whether in speech or writing or any type of media. It’s also quite a practical book, filled with tips on breathing, caution on researching and how to deal with ‘trolls’. The author is speaking from a deep well of experience which therefore made this book sounds very sincere and authentic. If you’re looking to do a lot of public speaking or even just to speak out on a social media platform, I’d highly recommend that you read this book.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.5 - 220 ratings)
+10 Not-a-Novel
+10 Review
Post Total: 45
Season Total: 680
20.2 The Blazing WorldA Woman's Place: 1910-1975 by Ruth Adam
This book takes a look at women’s place in British society from the suffragette days of the 1910s to 1975 when the Equal Pay Act requiring equal pay for equal work came into force. The writer stopped there (the book was first published in 1975) and didn’t consider how much more there was to do—which with hindsight was a lot. But I do just about remember this happening in 1975 and what a victory it was felt to be at the time, so I can understand her not wanting to complain at that point.
As well as looking at women’s employment opportunities, the book considers the changing attitudes to marriage and sex, with developments in contraception, adoption, abortion, and divorce, and the impact these had on women. All of these of course are viewed with 1970s eyes.
It’s a book for the general reader that doesn’t go deeply into any topic, but I enjoyed it and there were some new perspectives for me.
+20 task (approved)
+ 5 combo (10.5)
+10 not a novel
+10 review
+ 5 oldies (1975)
Post Total: 50
Season Total: 1195
20.8 Silent Spring Journey's End by R.C. Sherriff
A very poignant play set in the trenches of the First World War. A new young officer, Raleigh, arrives at the front line in 1918, straight from school. He’s managed to get himself posted under the command of Dennis Stanhope, who was a family friend, a few years older, and Raleigh’s hero growing up. But Stanhope is crumbling under the pressure of long years of war, and the last thing he wants is someone whose innocence and inevitable disillusionment will tug at his heart in the way Raleigh does.
The play was first performed in 1928 with a then-unknown Laurence Olivier as Stanhope.
+20 task
+ 5 combo (10.7)
+10 not a novel
+10 review
+10 oldies (1929)
Post Total: 55
Season Total: 1250
10.1 Square PegLet the Dead Speak by Jane Casey
A ritzy house drenched in an obviously lethal loss of blood. The adult resident of that house missing. Suspiciously behaving neighbors connected to an equally suspicious evangelical church. A traumatized, secretive teenage girl, the daughter of the missing woman. A smirking young charmer down the street with prior dropped charges for stabbing. And, of course, there are also Maeve, Derwent, Una Burt, and the rest of the team, who need to untangle truth from all the games of deception being played.
I love this series, and I enjoyed this book. My giving it three stars rating is a reflection that I'm very much judging the Maeve Kerrigan books against one another, and while this is a solid entry in the series, it's not as exceptional as the whole The Stranger You Know / The Kill / After the Fire run we just finished with. On the other hand, I think other readers might appreciate that this book's focus is far less personal than those three books were.
I thought both the bones and the meat of the mystery at hand were strong, and there were so many small flashes of insight--about Maeve, about Una Burt, about the Maeve & Josh partnership/dynamic, about human nature, about the case--that it was a rewarding read. But the ending left me a little unsatisfied, hence the "I liked it" rating rather than "I really liked it." (view spoiler)
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 745
15.5 Reading the DecadesThe Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
+15 Task -- published in '88
Total: 15
Season Total: 760
10.5 Green StoneBorn on Third Base: A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good by Chuck Collins
Chuck Collins is an heir to the Oscar Meyer family. He decided to give away his inherited money. He has been working at getting the 1% to understand the support they have received from the "commonwealth" of the United States--business structure, public investment in infrastructure, the education system, etc. He has been bringing them to the discussion of wealth inequality that has been increasing dramatically in the US.
There is a lot of good information and wisdom in the pages. But it doesn't seem to hang together. This book is definitely worth reading but do not expect to come away with a plan of action.
+10 task
+10 review
+10 NAN
Task total 30
Season total: 425
20.4 Night watchDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
This is a famous science fiction classic due to the film ‘Blade Runner’ being inspired by it. It is set in a dystopian future after a nuclear war, where most of the humans have abandoned Earth for other colonized planets. The book was published in 1968, so the ‘future’ is essentially the time we are living in now. You just have to gloss over that.
The story is short and tight. The main character is a bounty hunter, who under the auspices of the San Francisco police, hunts androids. The androids are a danger to the humans. Some of the technology that Dick uses has come to be – such as a ‘video’ phone; others have not – such as the hover car.
Interestingly, despite the continuing degradation of the environment and humans (due to radioactive fall out) people still organize themselves into constructs and institutions that are believable and recognizable. Dick touches on interesting ideas in this novel, specifically about what makes one human (belief?, religion?, empathy?) and our relationship with other species (on Earth).
I liked this novel quite a bit. The story is interesting and the main character is someone you can empathize with. As I mentioned, Dick includes interesting ideas and he does it without beating you over the head with them or making them simplistic. 4*
20 task
10 review
5 oldie
___
35
Running total: 760
Task 15.5 Reading the DecadesYear: 1972
The Clock Winder (1972) by Anne Tyler
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 485 + 15 = 500
20.6 Dead SoulsH(A)PPY by Nicola Barker
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.5 304 ratings )
Points this post: 25
RwS total: 365
RtD total: -
Season Total: 365
10.10 - Group ReadsThe Day of the Owl by Leonardo Sciascia
I hadn’t heard of Leonardo Sciascia until I saw this book listed as one of the group reads for this season. I’m very glad to have been introduced to Sciascia’s writing and I’m sure I will read more of his work in the future.
The Day of the Owl begins with a man being shot dead on the street in a town in Sicily. However, it’s soon clear that this won’t be a typical murder mystery as all of the many eyewitnesses immediately claim not to have seen anything. The police captain assigned to investigate the crime is determined to find the perpetrator but he faces resistance at every turn from fellow officers, politicians and civilians who are all determined to deny that the mafia exists at all, let alone that the crime could have been linked to it.
Sciascia does a wonderful job at describing the culture of fear and silence that existed at this time. One of the most memorable characters for me was a police informer whose terror at being caught between the threat of being imprisoned by the state or killed by the mafia is vividly described.
I rated this five stars and I look forward to reading more by the author.
+10 task
+10 combo (10.2, 20.6)
+10 review
+5 oldies
Task total: 35
Season total: 550
Task 20.9 Jumbo (Kate S's Task)Demons (1872) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; translated by Robert A. Maguire (Paperback, Penguin Classics, 880 pages)
AND
Demons (1872) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky; (Paperback, 768 pages) (This is the MPE version)
Review: I listed both translations of Demons because I read Russian novels with 2-4 translations, flipping back and forth between all versions of the novel as I read. Sometimes a passage is not very understandable to me in one translation, and a different translation makes it understandable to me. Of the two above, I prefer the Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translation, and if the reader only wanted one translation, that is the one to choose. I found the notes to be very helpful, as Dostoyevsky references contemporary Russian events and contemporary Russian authors (including Ivan Turgenev, whom Dostoyevsky strongly disliked). The first half centered on the elite families of a mid-sized Russian town a couple of days journey from Moscow. To this 21st century reader, the novel dwells on insignificant details, and glosses over the interesting bits – very frustrating. The second half has more plot so it is quicker to read. There is a group of young men in the story who are atheists / nihilists / anarchists / “revolutionaries”, the forerunners of Marxists / communists. Dostoevsky skewers them mercilessly for being hypocrites, for using unsavory methods, and for their interest in fighting with each other instead of fighting for their “cause”. Interesting to me is that these young men are forerunners of the men who later successfully overthrow the czar (though of course Dostoyevsky didn’t know that when he wrote this novel). Overall – recommended, though I would start reading Dostoevsky with The Brothers Karamazov or Crime and Punishment instead of Demons, and reading the Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translations.
+20 Task
+15 Combo (#10.9 (Cultural-Russia, Historical), #20.4, #20.6(2 S))
+10 Jumbo 700-799 Pages:
+10 Oldies -76 to 150 years old: (1868-1942)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 15 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 65
Grand Total: 500 + 65 = 565
20.6 - Dead SoulsBut for the Grace by Peter Grainger
Non consecutive R's
+20 task
+5 Combo (10.5 - 360 rating)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 620
In message 88 I claimed Heart of Darkness for task 10.8. Please could I change this to task 10.4. I had already claimed combo style points for 10.4 so I think my points total for the task should be unchanged.
Thank you!
15.6 Reading the DecadesPractically Perfect by Caroline Anderson
+25 Task -- published in '99
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 785
15.5 Reading the DecadesThe Bottle Factory Outing by Beryl Bainbridge
+15 Task (published 1974)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 995
20.2 The Blazing WorldThe Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo: 20.6 Dead Souls
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 1020
20.8 Silent Spring (Ed's Task)The Living Room by Graham Greene
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo: 10.5 Green Stone
+10 Not a Novel
+ 5 Oldies (1954)
Task Total: 40
Season Total: 1085
10.1 Square PegThe Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux
+10 Task
+5 Oldies (published 1981)
Post Total: 15
RwS Finish: 100
Mega Finish: 200
Season Total: 1730
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Final Girls (other topics)The Picture of Dorian Gray (other topics)
Потрет Дориана Грея (other topics)
An American Marriage (other topics)
Generation Loss (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Riley Sager (other topics)Oscar Wilde (other topics)
Tayari Jones (other topics)
Elizabeth Hand (other topics)
Connie Willis (other topics)
More...
The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
+20 task
+15 combo (10.7, 20.4, 20.5 - the puma, the dinghy)
+10 oldies (1896)
Task total: 45
Grand total: 695