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SP 18 Completed Tasks
20.4 Night WatchIn Russian: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Review
Moll Flanders is not only a classic, but is is the tale of a strong, resourceful and resiliant woman from her youth until she is 70 (First person POV novel), and it became obvious fairly early on why the afterword of the edition I read was by a feminist author. I had no idea Defoe was such a proponent of strong women. Even as a child, she manages to get herself to stay in the home of a "good" family and to not be put into service, so she is raised like an upper class lady, and when push comes to shove, she manages many things to stay afloat, although much of it involves activities of nebulous moral character, including a dozen years as a rather accomplished thief. She lives in the colonies twice as well.
The reason this isn't 5 stars is because, quite frankly, the parts where Defoe details her belongings and wealth were boring to me as a contemporary reader, but given when it was written I am sure it makes sense. Also, like Robinson Crusoe, there are no chapters, so you just have to find your own stopping places if you're not going to read it in one sitting, but that might also be par for the course in 1722.
+20 Task
+20 Oldie (first published 1722)
+10 Review
+15 Combo, 20.2 (approved), 10.6 (approved), 20.10 (Daniel Defoe was born in London)
Task Total = 65
Season Total = 65
From Post 152Coralie wrote: "20.6 Dead souls
Alexander Pope Eman Poet Lib #05 by Alexander Pope
+20 Task PP)
+5 Combo 10.5
+10 Not a Novel (poetry)
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 350"
+5 Combo 20.8
From Post 165Karen Michele wrote: "20.6 Dead Souls
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
Jon McGregor’s Reservoir 13 is a slow tale of real life. Based on the disappearance of a young girl, it reminds us that..."
+5 Combo 10.9
From Post 177Ed wrote: "20.8 Silent Spring (Ed's Task)
The Go-Away Bird and Other Stories by Muriel Spark
Here are an eclectic collection of eleven stories by one of my favorite authors, Mu..."
+5 Combo 10.5
20.5 The Queen's NecklaceSous un ciel qui s'écaille by Goran Petrović
I couldn't find an english summary of this book as it is from a serbian author and it is not translated in english (I read it in french), but the novel revolves around a building in a serbian city, first a grand hotel after the 1st world war, and then a movie theater for a number of years up until the day the theater was closed in the 80's.
The book uses the building as a base for describing all the different bizarre and funny characters around it (the man who built the hotel, it's main customers, and then the cinema audience at the latest projection), it is written in a very picturesque way, it reminded me of a mix between a Kusturica movie and a Gabriel Garcia Marquez book.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.5 - 177 ratings ; 20.4 - edition not referenced in GR but mentioned in the author's russian wikipedia page)
+10 Review
Task total = 40
Points total = 120
10.8 Double ContinentBittersweet Candy Kisses by Jordan Castillo Price, Clare London, & Sean Kennedy
This is a series of stories about a sweet shop that mysteriously appears and disappears in different cities around the world and its owner, Chance, who has the task of finding and uniting two soulmates each time.
The stories are sweet and I enjoyed having them told by three different authors (one from the USA, one from the UK, and one from Australia), whose styles complemented each other well. As usual with this type of collection, I enjoyed some more than others. There's one section that covers the relationship of Chance with Hunter, another supernatural being who has a similar task except that he's bringing death instead of love. There are mini-stories of human love and death within that, but I didn't enjoy those so much.
I think these would be called linked novellas or novelettes rather than short stories, as they have been released separately. So I'm not claiming "not a novel" points.
No print edition, so no jumbo points. Length is 180,000 words according to http://jcpbooks.com/ (I can't seem to link to the specific page - you have to click on "By Series" under "Find a book", then scroll down to "Bittersweet Candy Kisses" and select the last entry, "Omnibus Edition".)
Continents: set approx 35% North America, 35% Europe, 20% Australia, and 10% in an unworldly realm.
+10 task
+15 combo (10.5, 10.7 Jordan, 20.5 - follows the sweet shop through time and space)
+10 review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 325
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 196 Rebekah wrote: "20.9 JumboRomola by George Eliot
+20 pts - Task
+20 pts - Combo (10.2,10.6,20.6, 20.10)
+15 pts - Oldies (1863)
+15 pts - Jumbo (840)
Task To..."
Sorry. I forgot it was just surname. I was thinking George. Also again don’t know how I did the double entry post either.
I did go back and correct post
20.6 - Dead SoulsMurder in the South of France by Susan Kiernan-Lewis
Non-consecutive N's
+20 task
Task total: 20
Season total: 175
20.4 Night watchWar with the Newts by Karel Čapek
Война с саламандрами. Рассказы
One of the benefits of being part of GR and GR groups is the books you discover that you definitely would not have found with out a little ‘push’. This book is part of my A-Z classic author challenge for 2018, in which I decided to try for as many classic sci-fi as possible. I found this book on a list of ‘classic/must read’ science fiction (via google).
Capek was highly regarded during his short lifetime (nominated 7 times for the Nobel prize!); as well as after his death. That said, sci-fi from the 30s, never mind Czech sci fi from the 30s, is not really well known at present. This book was an 1985 translation by Ewald Osers. I actually had little hope that I would be able to access the book through the inter-library loan system, but after a two month wait (!) it arrived.
I have to admit after getting it, I was slightly hesitant to start it. Would it be dull or overwrought? Or just plain silly? Dogmatic? No, to all of those worries. The description on the back calls it ‘one of the great anti-utopian satires of the twentieth century….’. The book is very readable (probably the excellent translation helps), funny and gut wrenching at the same time.
Giant, intelligent newts are discovered that live in the ocean. Not surprisingly humans exploit them. However, they do it in such a naïve, avaricious, and plain stupid way that frankly is completely believable and within keeping of our general behaviour in such circumstances. There is no ‘Hollywood’ ending in this book, instead we are left to draw our own conclusions.
This quote, also from the back of the book, summarizes the book well: ‘Along the way, Karel Capek satirizes science, runaway capitalism, fascism, militarism, journalism, even Hollywood, yet he presents all the events on a comically human rather than spectacular scale”. Recommended, especially if you like sharp satire. 4.5*
20 task
10 review
10 oldie (1936)
_____
40
Running total: 285
20.6 Dead SoulsSeveral Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg
This book is a particularly stylized* examination of How Sentences Work, focusing on the weight of good prose (or of weak prose) on a reading experience as a whole. It's very much about the act of writing, about retraining yourself to notice, about training yourself to think sentences and write sentences. I was struck by how much like meditation this pre-requisite of noticing is: "Is it possible to practice noticing? I think so. But I also think it requires a suspension of yearning and a pause in the desire to be pouring something out of yourself. Noticing is about letting yourself out into the world, rather than siphoning the world into you in order to transmute it into words."
It was revolutionary for me to think about composition and revision as one act, to collapse the distinction between thinking and writing via the structural unit of a sentence.
I picked up this book hoping for insights into how prose enhances meaning and meaning guides prose. That's been on my mind recently following my annual binge of contemporary litfic (thanks, Tournament of Books and this year's disagreements regarding Pachinko's prose). And so there was a severe mismatch of reader and book, because Klinkenborg very definitely and intentionally de-prioritizes meaning and the pursuit of it during the process of writing, and that's what I was interested in learning right now--how prose works in context for a reader and for its writer, the purpose it serves. But the book was still interesting for what it was, and Klinkenborg's vision of writing and reading was challenging and enlightening.
* The book is stylized like verse, and I found it both effective (I had to re-tune my attentiveness in a way that kept me engaged with the text) and super annoying. Also super annoying was the section critiquing student sentences, which boiled down to just banging on about grammar basics.
+20 Task -- K and N both
+5 Combo (10.5 -- 963 ratings)
+10 Not-a-Novel (non-fiction)
+10 Review
Task Total: 45
Season Total: 230
20.4 Night Watch:The Kill Order by James Dashner (in Russian: Тотальная угроза)
Lexile score 810, so eligible for style points.
This novel is the prequel to the Maze Runner YA series that has also been recently made into a movie trilogy. The prequel appears to have received lots of negative reviews on Goodreads simply because it was set 13 years before the original series, and featured a completely different set of characters. I don't quite know why people expect a prequel to have the same characters, but there you go. I did enjoy the fast paced action, but the story was also quite depressing. The deadly Flare virus had just started to kill off people, and it is not a nice way to go. The Flare destroys your brain, essentially making people less than humans. Memories, manners, inhibitions, the ability to control your behaviour, empathy, it all goes, leaving you with acting like a crazy person and being extremely violent. Insert yourself into a world where most people are like that, and you can imagine how gruesome it can be. Combine this with main characters who all know that they've been infected and only have a few days at the most before the succumb to the virus, and you have a depressing story. But there is hope there, for in those few days the characters have to find a way to let authorities know about a small girl who is mysteriously immune to the virus, and can thus be the key to finding a cure. This is a YA book and certainly won't win prizes for how elegantly it was written, but it was hard to put it down nevertheless and kept me entertained.
+20 task
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 50
20.1 The doubleThe Diver's Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida
+20 Task (MC has a twin sister)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 730
10.9 - history/mysteryThe Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy The Shocking Inside Story by Ann Rule
The story of Ted Bundy is a fascinating one, especially from the point of view of someone who knew him personally. It’s honestly astounding and quite frankly terrifying to realize just how well some of these serial killers hide in plain sight. I listened to the audiobook and I don’t think I’d recommend it – the reader’s voice made instant oatmeal seem exciting in comparison. The book was fascinating but the reader did not do it justice in the least. Definitely something I’d recommend to true crime fans, especially those who are particularly interested in serial killers, but do yourselves a favor and read it yourself.
+10 task
+10 not a novel
+10 review
+5 oldies (1980)
+5 jumbo (560pg)
Task total: 40
Grand total: 285
10.5 Green StoneRestless City and Christmas Gold, with Other Stories by Cyprian Ekwensi
This is a collection of thirteen stories...almost all set in Nigeria. One story begins just as Nigeria is gaining its independence...and that change presents a problem for the relationship of a Nigerian woman with her French lover who will now be forced to leave the country,
Other stories are less political and present more mundane depictions of post-colonial Nigeria. Two Christmas stories depict a family that make do with little...yet remain happy. In one story, a man who wants to squeeze out a little more money from a debtor before he leaves the country....takes too much time. The ship has already set sail with his family. He takes desperate actions to get on board. Perhaps for Nigerians these stories are just ordinary sketches, but for me they present a world I'll never experience and can savor in my imagination. 4 stars
Task=10
Review=10
NaN=10
Oldie=5 (1975)
task=35
grand total=420
Task 20.2 The Blazing WorldThe Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe (2010) by Glynis Ridley (Hardcover, 288 pages) [921/Biography]
Review: This book is about Jeanne Baret (July 27, 1740 – August 5, 1807), the first woman known to have circumnavigate the globe. She was born to a peasant family in France. She became a “herb woman”, knowledgeable about the medicinal uses of plants and herbs. She met aristocratic Philibert Commerson, a man seriously interested in botany. He leveraged his connections to be appointed the naturalist on the first French attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Jeanne, as his botanist assistant/housekeeper/sometime lover joined him on the ship, disguised as a man. The ship sailed December 1766. The author uses every scrap of verified information available to document the next 10 years of Jeanne’s life (including 4 on-ship journals kept by the officier/scientists on board ship). When there is no verified information, the author speculates and assumes, based on 18th century attitudes and human nature. The reader has to pay attention to differentiate fact from informed speculation. The intended audience is the general reader, not fellow professional historians.
This book fits Task 20.2 because it restores from obscurity a female scientist who circumnavigated the world. Other male scientists have more fame having done less than Jeanne Baret did.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (#10.5(fewer than 1000 ratings), #10.8(Europe/France, South America/Brazil, Oceania/Tahiti&Mauritius)
+10 Not-a-Novel (non-fiction)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 + 10 +10 = 50
Grand Total: 120 + 50 = 170
10.8 Double Continent (Coralie's Task)Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman
I think this graphic novel is acceptable for a task (but not styles) but apologies if I’ve misread the rules and it’s not allowed.
The book is set partly in North America (United States) and partly in Europe (Poland and Germany). I would say about 75% is in Europe and 25% in North America.
Post total: 10
Season total: 175
20.4 Night WatchImperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris
The first in a trilogy narrated by Cicero's secretary slave Tiro, fictionalising the great Roman statesman's life from his rise as a lawyer and Roman senator. This book covers the time until Cicero was elected consul in 63 BCE. “Consul” may not sound like much of a title these days, but it was the highest office in the Roman republic in that time before the first emperor took power, so it was kind of like being president of the USA today.
I didn’t know much about this period, but the story is fascinating, with the republic being challenged on various legal grounds including by Cicero, who to stay on top plays a dangerous part in the undermining of the republic. Although Cicero opposed the young Julius Caesar and his allies, he still ushered in some of the measures that made it possible for Caesar and then his heir Augustus to overthrow the republic and replace it with a dictatorship. But that’s in the future at this stage.
I'm not a big reader of political fiction, but I enjoyed this one more than most. I was given the first two in the trilogy and I plan to read the next one later this season.
+20 task https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
+ 5 combo (10.2 set 100% in Italy)
+10 review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 360
20.6 Dead SoulsEmmeline by Judith Rossner
Thirteen-year-old Emmeline Mosher is sent away from her large, impoverished family to work in the cotton mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, in the late 1830s. Friendless, innocent, and lonely, she is easy prey for a seducer.
This is a harrowing tale of a life that comes full circle twice in the most painful circumstances. The conditions at the mill are tough, but they are nothing to the emotional pain that Emmeline must go through at different times of her life.
She’s perhaps a little too passive to completely win our sympathy, but her story is a powerful one all the same.
+20 task - letter R
+10 combo
+10 review
+ 5 oldies (1980)
Post Total: 45
Season Total: 405
20.6 Dead SoulsSimon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Low lexile
+20 task - letter L
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 425
20.6 Dead SoulsThe Little Book of Feminist Saints by Julia Pierpont
I loved the format of this book: "The idea came from the Catholic saint-of-the-day book, the kind one might read as a source of daily inspiration throughout the calendar year." I wish that there had been a full complement of "matron saints" to fill the entire year; there are only 99 women included (leaving one day for you to fill in with your own personal "matron saint") and I was left hungry for more. On each "feast day" assigned to the women (whether that date be their birthday, the day they did something notable, a holiday date that corresponds to their essence, etc.), you are treated to a brief history or anecdote to get you to the essence of what made them notable. In addition to well-known scientists/athletes/performers/writers/politicians/activists, I met so many inspiring ladies whom I never knew existed! I can't wait to read more about the "Night Witches"--the pilots of the all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Air Force whose rickety crop dusters made of plywood and canvas sounded like broomsticks knocking together, thus the nickname given to them by the Germans: "Nachthexen". They dropped more than 23,000 tons of bombs on Nazi invaders from planes that were so old, they couldn't bear the added weight of parachutes, radios, or radar. And Mary Edwards Walker, surgeon during the Civil War and the only woman to this day to have received the Medal of Honor for her service. And the list could go on and on, but I'll just let you read it for yourselves ;-) 5*
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
+10 Combo (10.5--94 ratings, just came out at the beginning of this month!; 20.2)
Task total: 50
Season total: 240
20.3 SanctuaryOlive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Review: This book has been standing untouched on my bookshelf for at least 6 years after I bought it by accident from a bookclub I was a member of. I was ignoring it, because it looked like Everyday Noir, by which I mean books that recount the tristesse of the everyday, often concluding that life is but a cry of silent desperation. I tend to avoid books like this, because they drain the soul out of me.
And yes, Olive Kitteridge does have more than a touch of Everyday Noir, but it also has humour and a bit of hope, and in short it is a brilliant book.
It is not so much a novel as a series of interconnected short stories, some of them center on Olive Kitteridge, while others tell the stories of other members of the community in the small Maine town they live in. Olive Kitteridge is a very interesting and complicated. She has a keen eye for other people's emotional issues, but is totally blind to herself, her husband and especially her son Christopher.
One of the strength of this book, is its subtlety. There is a lot of silent or not so silent desperation in this novel, but Strout doesn't dwell on it, more often that not it is hinted at, which is both more effective and much less depressing.
+20 Task
+15 Combo (10.6, 20.4, 20.6)
+10 Not-a-Novel
+10 Review
Task total: 55 pts
Grand total: 55 pts
Task total: 20 pts
20.4 Night WatchDespair by Vladimir Nabokov
Originally published and written in Russian, revised and translated by the author
I sometimes forget how unsettling Nabakov’s writing can be. He writes so beautifully about unpleasant things. His first person narrators can be disgusting or pathetic and yet the way they are written makes us care for and like them. This kind of dissonance feels even stronger than normal in Despair. Our narrator is Hermann, a Russian living in Germany during the 30’s. Hermann tells his own story: how he finds and becomes obsessed over a homeless man who is his exact double. Without giving the plot away, I think I can safely say Despair could easily be a crime thriller if it weren’t told by a narrator who keeps interupting flow of his own story with odd asides, a narrator who tells us his essential trait is “light-hearted, inspired lying.” As you read this, you are constantly reminded you are reading, and that you must question everything twice over. Despair does not let you slip into a comfortable story, but forces you to actively engage the text.
I feel like my first reading of this book only skimmed the surface. If I returned to it, I think I would have a lot more insight into the doubling running through the entire book. Unlike other books by Nabakov, though (Lolita, Pale Fire, Pnin, Speak, Memory), I don’t really have much desire to return to it. It just didn’t engage me the way other later works did. Maybe I was just in a lazy mood . . .
+20 task
+10 review
+5 oldies (1965)
+5 (20.1)
Task total: 40
Grand Total: 125
20.4 Night WatchThe Dark Room by Rachel Seiffert
Russian edition: Темная комната
The Dark Room is a series of three stories about the experiences of three “ordinary” Germans in the wake of WWII. Each story looks at a different generation: the boy who couldn’t be a Nazi Soldier because of a physical impairment, whose patriotic fervor tries to make up for it; the girl who takes her siblings on a dangerous cross country journey at the end of the war, after her Nazi parents are imprisioned by the Americans; and the obsessed adult grandchild who, after learning his grandfather was in the Waffen SS, can’t let sleeping dogs lie. Sieffert’s writing is beautiful and immersive. Her characters are well drawn and sympathetic. And the focus on complex people, all of whom struggle to deal with the reality of German crimes in different ways and to varying degrees, is something that interests me greatly. Somehow, though, I wanted the book to be larger: to make more of a statement, or to tie the tales together in some way. I feel like it could have been great. Either way, though, it was worth reading.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 (10.9 - Historical, Contemporary)
Task total 35
Grand Total: 160
20.6 Dead SoulsThe Sebastopol Sketches by Leo Tolstoy
What I know about Russian history, you could probably put in a thimble and cover it up with dirt. It's not that I had not heard of the Crimean War, because I had. However, I apparently lacked enough curiosity about it to have even bothered to glance at a Wikipedia article. I did, however, skim through the article on the Siege of Sebastopol - and I did so because the soldiers in this volume referenced the French. 1855 and they were fighting the French and this has never come up in all of my reading of 19th Century France? I guess the French authors were a bit less concerned that they had an alliance with the UK (another surprise) and the Ottoman Empire.
When I read "about" this book, it is called short stories. But the third section, August 1855, is long enough that I'd consider it a novella. As a whole, the volume is easily classed as anti-war. The first story, written (interestingly) in the second person present tense, is the shortest of the three, but sets this anti-war tone for the others.
On leaving this house of pain you will certainly experience a feeling of relief, you will take deep breaths of the fresh air and rejoice in the consciousness of our own sound health; but the contemplation of those sufferings will make you aware of your own insignificance, and you will proceed calmly and unhesitatingly to the bastion.Having read so many WWI novels, I am not unaccustomed to reading about horrific war scenes. As much as Tolstoy wanted this to be anti-war, he did not do a good job of making the horrors of this war real enough. He did do a good job of showing how many personalities make up a fighting force and this was the strongest element of this title. Still, that wasn't enough to endear me. It did add to my knowledge, which is always a good thing, and for that I'm glad I read it. However, there were several sections when I questioned my choice, so that I cannot give it more than 3 stars.
"What are the sufferings and death of an insignificant worm like myself compared with so many deaths and so much suffering?"
Note: I did not read this edition. I read Tales of Sevastopol: The Cossacks, which is what was available from my library. It includes many illustrations.
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo (20.4)
+10 Review
+15 Oldies (pub'd 1856)
Task total = 50
Season total = 195
10.9 Double TroubleWe Were Liars by E. Lockhart
2000+ as mystery
2700+ as contemporary
low lexile no style
Task Total: 10 pts
Grand Total: 245 pts
20.1 The doubleRevelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
+20 Task (MC is a clone)
+10 Combos 20.4, 20.9
+5 Jumbo (585 pages)
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 765
20.2 The Blazing WorldPersepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
Task Total: 20
Grand Total = 130
20.1 The DoubleOne by Sarah Crossan
890 L
Review
I've just had to wipe off the dry tear stains on my glasses after a session of sob-cry over this book last night! I thought I'd wipe my glasses dry but was obviously not seeing clearly enough (still over teary eyes) to dry them off completely. I knew the book wasn't going to end with HEA but you know, I always have hope against all hopelessness. Nevertheless, I still do love the ending despite my swollen eyes this morning.
This is my very first Sarah Crossan's and truthfully, I haven't heard of her previously. It has very interesting concepts both in story's premise and structure. I'm not even sure what you call this structure, narrative poetry? Is there such a thing? In any case, it is amazing! To be able to tell a story with so little words and still send strong messages; Crossan is a maestro of words. Poetry really isn't my usual cup of tea so I can't comment on how well they're formed except that they spoke to me and that's all that really matters.
One is told from the perspective of Grace, one of the conjoined twin. Grace and Tippi are 15 and due to circumstances, will no longer be homeschooled but will have to attend school outside their home. We hear Grace's thoughts of her family and as they go out in public, her and Tippi's response to others' reaction to them. In essence, this book really is like all YA novels as main protagonists face coming-of-age issues but with one distinguishing feature (conjoined twins).
This is a book that will stay with me a very long time. As someone in her late 30s though, I do find that I contemplate being the girls' mother than being one of the conjoined twins! Even if we do not hear very much of their mother, she sounded to be a very good mother to them and I could only aspire to be like her (to my own little terrors). I'm going to look for Crossan's other books!
+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.4 - Одно целое
+10 Not-a-Novel (poetry)
+10 Review
Post Total: 45
Season Total: 275
10.1 Square PegA Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe
I've just finished A Journal of the Plague Year and though it wasn't the greatest reading experience ever, it was interesting to read about the plague through the perspective of the time period. Also, the cross between a real journal and fictional memoir fascinated me. Defoe's work is constructed on facts, but has to be considered fiction because of his unnamed narrator and the fact that Defoe’s real age was 5 at the time of the plague. It read more like a nonfiction book, so I decided to read it with that in mind and that made the book more enjoyable. There was a scene in the recent TV series, Will (about Shakespeare), where one of the characters chooses to enter a plague house that is being closed up to take care of a friend. That scene stuck with me and enhanced my visualization of the book’s events. It has been many years since I read his more famous Robinson Crusoe and I’m planning a re-read of that book and Moll Flanders to compare the prose style of these three early novels. I am reading The Novel: A Biography with the Roundtable group in which Defoe is featured and I am learning a lot about the history of the novel form!
+10 Task
+10 Review
+20 Oldies (1722)
Task Total: 40
Season Total: 335
Post 207 Karin wrote: "20.4 Night WatchIn Russian: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Review
Moll Flanders is not only a classic, but is is the tale ..."
This doesn't qualify for 20.10 as it was published before the 1801-1900 time frame for the task.
Post 211 Marie wrote: "20.5 The Queen's NecklaceSous un ciel qui s'écaille by Goran Petrović
I couldn't find an english summary of this book as it is from a serbian author and it is no..."
I'm sorry, Marie. This doesn't qualify for 20.4 because it hasn't been published in English.
Post 219 Heather wrote: "10.9 - history/mysteryThe Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy The Shocking Inside Story by Ann Rule
The story of Ted Bundy is a fascinating one, especially from the point of..."
I'm sorry, Heather. The genre for this task is historical rather than history. The good news is that it qualifies for 20.9 and we'll score it there, which raises your point total for the book by 10 points.
10.3 SeriesAllegiant by Veronica Roth (830 Lexile)
I bought this book the week it came out (back in 2013). I knew I was heading to work and didn't want to haul that massive book with me, so I lent it to my sister--she, her husband, and two of her three daughters read it before I ended up getting it back. By then, I was several books deep into my TBR and this book just kept getting shoved to the back of the pile.
Flash forward five years and I've finally gotten around to reading it. It was a giant "meh." I loved the first books and was so intrigued by the world Roth had created, I couldn't wait to see how it unfolded. Having waited so long, though, I constantly felt like I was playing catch-up: trying to remember characters and their relationships, trying to piece together the drama that had been lain in Insurgent, trying to feel anything for the characters and their plight. I failed--and that is entirely on me. If I had gone back and read the first two books, I'm sure I would have like this so much better!
I will say that I appreciated that the ending felt more authentic than I was expecting. Dystopian genre aside, if it's YA I'm anticipating a "happily ever after." I was pleased that this was not the case. It would have been disingenuous. 3.5*
+10 Task (Book 3 of the Divergent series)
+10 Review
+10 Combo (20.4 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ; 20.9, 526 pages)
+5 Jumbo (526 pages)
Task total: 35
Season total: 275
10.7 Neutral nameThe Worshipful Lucia by E.F. Benson
This is instalment #5 in the original series by E. F. Benson. It was originally titled ‘Lucia’s Progress”, which I think is a more apt title.
As with the first four books, we are following the lives/adventures of Lucia + Mapp (Elizabeth Mapp), in the town of Tilling. Benson is satirizing the middle class (and upper middle class) in Britain of the time – and he does such a good job. As I have noted previously, Benson is such a keen observer of this class of people and he portrays and skewers them keenly but not meanly.
In this instalment, Lucia is making money hand over fist via taking an active interest in her investments. Because of this she can become the town’s benefactor, which causes jealousies and intrigues. Mapp has married the Major which leads to it’s own set of intrigues (often involving alcohol and tigers). Obviously, I’m being deliberately obscure (I don’t want to ruin it for you!).
I’ve been spreading this series out because it gives me such enjoyment and I don’t want it to end. They are well written, on point satires that are funny and not mean spirited. When I started this series the characters got on my nerves, but now I know I will miss them when it is done. 4*
10 task
15 combo 10.3, 10.5, 20.6
10 oldie
10 review
_____
45
Running total: 330
From Post 198Karen Michele wrote: "20.6 Dead Souls
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
At the beginning, The Great Alone had me turning the pages and absorbed in the story. I find Hannah’s writing a bi..."
+5 Combo 10.9
From Post 200itpdx wrote: "20.7 The Red Queen
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Review:
I am probably not the last person to read the opening book of The Song of Ice and Fire series, but ..."
+5 Combo 10.4
From Post 203Norma wrote: "20.6 - Dead Souls
Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich
Non-consecutive V's
+20 task
Task total: 20
Season total: 110"
+5 Oldies
From post 212Rosemary wrote: "10.8 Double Continent
Bittersweet Candy Kisses by Jordan Castillo Price, Clare London, & Sean Kennedy
This is a series of stories about a sweet shop that mysteriou..."
We're going to count these as Not-A-Novel, also when there is no print available, we will use an ebook pagination (at our discretion). So, for this title, I show:
+10 NaN
+5 Jumbo
+5 Combo 20.9
From Post 229Jama wrote: "20.4 Night Watch
Despair by Vladimir Nabokov
Originally published and written in Russian, revised and translated by the author
I sometimes forget how unsettling Nabakov..."
I show an original publication date of 1934, so this is +10 for Oldies.
10.5 Green StoneThe Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals—and Other Forgotten Skills by Tristan Gooley
After a long, cold winter, I have found myself gravitating toward nature books. this one was an impulse pick at the library. I liked the title and am so looking forward to more warm outdoor playing time. There is a wealth of knowledge in this book and I am certainly not going to remember all the hints and guidelines from a single reading. I was most intrigued by the section on weather. It is good to be able to recognize when a storm is coming and if you need to head home or if you can play for another 15 minutes. Overall, I found this to be an informative book with plenty of ideas to incorporate into my experiences.
+10 Task (424 ratings)
+10 Not a Novel
+10 Review
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 30
20.6 Dead SoulsThe Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
I liked this story. Four sibling go to a fortune teller who tells each one the date of their death. The author than follows each of the siblings through their lives. I liked the implied ideas that knowing when your life will end can change the way you approach each day. I can see it another way, though. From an early age, do we present the characteristics and personality that will later determine our destinies? I found a lot of humanity in Chloe Benjamin's characters and would like to read more about each of them. Varya's story and aging studies would be most interesting to me.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.9, 20.4 Бессмертники)
+10 Review
Post Total: 40
Season Total: 70
20.6 Dead SoulsShe Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper
This was recommended to me by a fellow UNO player. After it had been recommended, I noticed it at the library and decided to pick it up. There was far more plot here than characterization, but for the most part I enjoyed the ride.
There was a bit of violence in this book. But I found it offset a little by the inclusion of a stuffed bear. The bear provided a softness to the book and for me, it took the edge off of the more violent scenes. While, I sometimes forgot how young Polly was, the presence of her stuffed animal would remind me.
I do not count this in my favorite reads of the year (so far), I did think it was well done and I would read more works by this author.
Several reviewers mentioned that this would make a good movie, and there were parts of the book that reminded me of a movie I have seen. I cannot recall what movie it is, but it's tickling my memory.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 100
20.6 Dead SoulsThe Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
I typically enjoy this type of story. College kid needs to interview an older adult/family member, ends up working on an old crime and growing up a little bit in the process.
I struggle with a lot of violence, and this one had it's fair share, but I found it workded in the flow of the story. My favorite parts were the interactions between Joe, Lila and Jeremy. The chemistry between the three felt authentic.
I did find Joe's character somewhat inconsistent. At times he was a naive kid from a small town, being manipulated by is mom and other times he was a tough bouncer who was ready to fight the world. Perhaps this is just a forgotten (by me) truth about very young men.
The series is named for the police detective who had a rather small role in this book. I may see out book 2 to see if Detective Rupert gets a larger story line.
+20 Task
+5 Combo 10.9
+10 Review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 135
20.3 SanctuaryManhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
A historical novel from Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan. This was very different from A Visit from the Goon Squad ***spoiler alert***there was not even one chapter told through Power Point.***
While not a linear novel, this one was more or less a straightforward work of historical fiction. The Depression-era leading up to WWII in NYC is clearly well-researched. The Naval Yard and it's importance to the war effort are on display. There were plenty of pieces here, but Idid not connect with the characters.
I have read a fair amount of WWII fiction and for me, this was not great. Anna should have been a character I admired and loved, but instead I found her lacking depth and uninteresting. The other story line about Eddie could have been interesting, but it felt forced and contrived.
I may be too harsh as I think of Egan as a more stylistic writer than this. I will continue to read her books.
+20 Task
+5 Combo 10.9
+10 Review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 170
20.4 Night WatchMidnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
Exuberant and full of excesses. I liked the first two books well enough but found the third book too much of a slog to really enjoy (I missed everyone who was already dead by that point, basically). I admired a lot about Rushdie's playful use of language, the metafictional and historical games going on, and there's no doubt that the imagery of this book will stick with me for a long time. (Though if I hear about noses one more time….) There's a fine line between history and fantasy--and probably between state-making/nation-building and fantasy as well--and Rushie doesn't walk that line so much as dance back and forth across it and use it as a lasso for his characters all at once.
+20 Task (Дети полуночи)
+15 Combo (10.4, 10.9, 20.9)
+5 Oldies
+5 Jumbo
+10 Review
Task Total: 55
Season Total: 285
Kate S wrote: "From post 212Rosemary wrote: "10.8 Double Continent
Bittersweet Candy Kisses by Jordan Castillo Price, Clare London, & Sean Kennedy
We're going to count these as Not-A-Novel, also when there is no print available, we will use an ebook pagination (at our discretion). So, for this title, I show:"
Oh, thank you! So I think my new total is 460.
10.5 - Green StoneThe Submission Gift by Solace Ames
(Erotic romance review under the spoiler)
(view spoiler)
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20 points
Grand total: 265 points
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Reading with Style
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The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
+20 Task
+ 5 Oldies (published 1968)
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 705