Reading with Style discussion

20.3 Ella Minnow Pea

Marta Oulie by Sigrid Undset

Thanks to Karen Michele, who unknowingly inspired this read.
I'd been trying to decide on a book for this category, but kept coming up with books I've already read and really wanted something different. I've also always wanted to read a book by Sigrid Undset after staying in the room named for her--a room which has since been renamed for a different author :-(--in the Sylvia Beach Hotel about fifteen years ago but Kristin Lavransdatter has always seemed rather intimidating. Then I saw Karen Michele post this book that I'd never heard of by the author who for so long has eluded me, and I knew what I'd be using for 20.3. This short book was a great introduction to her writing!
This book could have been set at any time and in any place...it's about the internal struggles of a woman, struggles I and my friends discuss over coffee or wine, that I've overheard my mother and aunts talk about late at night when everyone else has gone to bed...
This is Marta's journal that we are reading, where she writes about her deepest loves, her darkest sins, her fears and striving, spelling out her motivations behind her questionable actions, and where she spills the pain of her heartbreaking loss. The things that resonated with me most were about her and her husband's marriage--how much she loved him, yet resented being taken for granted and treated as a possession rather than a person; her desire to chase her own passions and interests and her husband's resentment at her being away from the home. Even the actions she takes that I could never imagine making in my own life are entirely understandable and realistic.
This was a quick read, beautifully and thoughtfully written. Five stars.

+20 Task
+10 LiT (translated from Norwegian)
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (pub. 1907)
+10 Combo (10.8, 20.1)

Task total: 60
Season total: 770

20.7- ANNA KARENINA

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Task: 20
Lost in Translation- Russian novel, I speak English
Oldies- 10 (published in 1879)
Jumbo- 796 pages- 10

Post total: 40
Season total: 170

10.4 Animal

Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov

This book is satire, of the wicked Russian variety. But it's also just entertaining. For reasons never really explained, a scientist decides to transplant a piece of the brain and the penis/testicles of a recently deceased human into an unfortunate dog. Somehow, this causes the dog to become mostly human, but with entertaining remaining dog traits. I read nearly the whole book on an airplane and it was completely absorbing--I hardly noticed the plane's takeoff or landing.

It's hard to believe that this was written in 1925--it's immediately readable and doesn't feel dated. It could be a cautionary tale for today just as much as it was a satire of the New Russian Man in its time.

Highly recommended.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Lost in Translation
+10 Oldies (1925)
+10 Combo (10.8, 20.10)

Task total: 50
Grand total: 480

Anika wrote: "20.3 Ella Minnow Pea

Marta Oulie by Sigrid Undset

Thanks to Karen Michele, who unknowingly inspired this read.
I'd been trying to decide on a book for this category..."

Thanks for adding this book to my TBR.... but more importantly thanks for reminding me of the Sylvia Beach Hotel! I loved that place!

10.10 Group Reads

The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand

This is Jodi Picoult for the beach -- multiple character perspectives (even the dog!) and family drama. No headline-grabbing stuff here, though. Just mildly unbelievable but entertaining enough family issues and irrational characters behaving in vaguely random ways, but everything wrapping up neatly at the end with all princesses matched with princes.

When I was a teenager, I read a Harlequin romance whose premise was that a twin sister was engaged to a blind man and she decides to switch places with her twin. I've always found the idea completely farcical, but also weirdly fascinating. Here again, this twister plot line had the same sort of completely unbelievable but still bizarrely gripping feel. Could a twin possibly seduce the other twin's beau? Would he really not realize that it was weird immediately? But how operatically wonderful.

I mostly enjoyed this for the descriptions of Nantucket (where I've never been) and Martha's Vineyard (where I have been several times). Hilderbrand has a sense of place--you feel the small town gossip-mongering, the salt air, the sandy beaches, and the summer ice cream season. She name-drops some of the famous people who visit these islands as well as some of the well-known restaurants and locations. This is enough to get me excited for summer vacation.

Not really my cup of tea, but fine enough for what it is -- cotton candy for the eyes.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.8, 10.9)

Task total: 30
Grand total: 510

15.2 AbC 2nd Round

Spain - Princess of Asturias Awards

The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas

+15 Task

Season total = 515

From Post 435

Beth wrote: "665 870

10.2 Decade

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Lexile 870

I am not quite sure how this one passed the Lexile, because it was easy to read and diges..."

+5 Oldies

Task 10.4 Animal
Read a book with the name of an animal in the title.

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival (2010) by John Vaillant (Hardcover, 352 pages) [599.756]
Review:: John Vaillant wrote this non-fiction book about the Siberian / Amur Tigers living in the Far East of Russia. There’s a piece of land in eastern Russia called Primorsky, bound on the south by North Korea, on the west by China, on the East by the Sea of Japan, and on the North by the Eastern part of Russia. This is where the Amur Tigers live. In 1900, there were 75,000 tigers; a century later, there are 350 tigers. Vaillant explains the history of tiger hunting, the local mythology of Amur Tigers, the history of the Russians living in Primorsky (and why they turn to poaching tigers for financial rewards). I found it very interesting.

Vaillant focuses on one particular tiger. This 500 lb. tiger killed and ate Vladimir Markov in early December, 1997. He dissects the reasons why the tiger killed, and the reactions of the locals, and the reactions of the officials of the area. He follows through the events of December 1997, who did what and why, until the inevitable death of the man-eating tiger. He closes with a plea for humans to prevent the extinction of the Amur tigers.

The style of writing is aimed at the general reader, not the biologist nor the historian. (And …. There are photographs!) Recommended.

+10 Task
+05 Combo (#20.10 – Far East Russia & North East China)
+10 Review

Task Total: 10 + 05 + 10 = 25

Grand Total: 265 + 25 = 290

From Post 403

Lalitha wrote: "20.3 Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters
The Letters of Vincent van Gogh by Vincent van Gogh

Review:
In a letter to his mother, van Gogh writes "For me, life may well ..."

+5 Combo 10.3

From Post 410April wrote: "10.6 Public Domain


The Girl from Hollywood by Edgar Rice Burroughs

+10 Task"

+5 Combo 10.8

From Post 415

itpdx wrote: "20.10 Asia
Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China by Evan Osnos

Osnos developed an interesting way to share his insights into China. ..."

+5 Combo 10.8

From Post 420

Valerie wrote: "10.4 Animal

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley

The back cover describes it as ‘part ghost story, part romance’, which does sum it up. I bought this at one of the..."

+5 Combo 10.8

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "15.10 AbC

+150 Completion bonus - 10 countries"

Congratulations! Well done, Elizabeth!

From Post 459

Lalitha wrote: "20.10 Asia (Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Task)

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

I frankly expected a lot more from this book after reading the rave reviews that the book has garner..."

Sorry, Lalitha, the MPE of this title has only 489 pages, not enough for Jumbo.

ETA: but it does qualify for 10.5, so +5 Combo (no change in score)

10.8 Megafinish

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

Reporter Ellis Reed was working on a society page feature when he was shocked to see a sign on a farmhouse porch. It said "2 Children for Sale". His photograph of the sign was the start of a succession of events that led a mother, newly diagnosed with a terminal disease, selling her two children. It was 1931 during the Great Depression, a desperate time for many people who had trouble putting a meal on the table. When the mother finds out she has been misdiagnosed, Ellis and his friend Lily investigate the situation and try to reunite the mother with her daughter and son.

This is really more of a story about Ellis and Lily who are trying to prove their worth working for the press. They each have family issues which act as an extra push to get ahead in their careers, but also gives them more empathy for children. Truth in journalism and photojournalism--and the consequences of deception--are important elements in the book. The story incorporates many historical details from the Prohibition era of the 1930s.

The book deals superficially with three women who lost their children in various ways, the feelings of the two children who were sold, as well as some romantic relationships. With so much going on, I never felt a strong emotional connection to any of the characters. While the plot held my interest, the story didn't touch my heart as much as I would have expected.

+10 task
+10 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 425

20.8 poetry
Flora, Fauna, Fairies and Other Favourite Things by Ann Perry

+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Combo (10.3, 10.8)

Task total - 30 pts
Season Total - 470 pts

20.9 True Crime (Kate S's Task)

The Map Thief by Michael Blanding

For a book lover, this account is infuriating. The chief villain is E. Forbes Smiley who works himself into a situation that he perceives the only alternative is to steal maps. And where does he find these maps? Well, in libraries....libraries which unbelievably don't have much of a security system. Smiley brings a straight razor to hallowed university libraries (mostly) and cuts out ancient valuable maps from old books. Since the maps are usually not catalogued separately and the books returned.... it takes an accident and years before Smiley is detected. And he, of course, was not the first. And the infuriating part is how lenient judges have been with the people who do this...even after tougher laws are enacted. Then there are the cowardly universities...some of which do not admit that they are missing any maps or decide not to pursue the matter in fear that their benefactors will react negatively.
The author does a good job in showing how Smiley devolved from the guy you might enjoy sharing a bottle of wine with to someone willing to rip up unique books and atlases for profit.
Having said that, true crime is not my favorite genre. Just 3 stars.

Task = 20
Review=10
Combo= 5 (10.8)

Task Total=35
Grand Total= 610

10.8 Megafinish

The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher

This is the sequel to Dear Committee Members (which is epistolary, FYI! And hilarious!). In the first book we meet Jason Fitger, a professor of English and creative writing at a small college. Through his letters of recommendation for students, emails and notes to his ex-wife, memos to and from colleagues, and so forth, we learn about the endless construction in his building (by his nemesis, the Economics department), the absurdities of his job, and his mid-life woes. In this second book, which isn't epistolary, Jason is now the chair of the department, the construction is finished, and his ex-wife continues to be a presence in his life. What I loved about the first book, the strong voice and side-splitting humor, is still there in the second one although to a slightly smaller degree. I understand why the author may have felt she wanted to try a different style, or that the epistolary style would have worn thin, but I did love it. However, despite that, this book was a fun, lighthearted read -- and for anyone who works in academia (or quite frankly, any slightly-dysfunctional, bureaucratic environment) the story will ring hilariously true.

+10 task
+10 review

Task Total: 20
Season Total: 140

15.1 AbC

U.S. - Printz Award

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (800 Lexile)

Post Total: 15
Season Total: 155

15.7

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
France - Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire Roman Etranger 1997

Task total: 20
Grand total: 705

20.9 True Crime


Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule

Task - 20 points
Combo - 15 points (10.2 Decade (1987), 10.8 Megafinish, Oldies)
Total - 35 points

10.10 Groupreads

Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively

This book is told from multiple perspectives with the main character being a woman (Claudia) on her deathbed. The contrast between her viewpoint and those of her family and acquaintances provides a more full perspective on the events of her life. After having made many nonconforming choices through her life, Claudia reflects on her life.

The changing perspectives are somewhat difficult to follow initially however as the narrative develops it becomes an interesting device to provide insight into Claudia’s choices and life.

10 pts 10.10 Groupreads
5 pts 10.2 Decades
5 pts 10.4 Animals
5 pts 10.8 Megafinish
10 pts Review
5 pts Oldies

Total task. 40pts
Season total 660 pts

20.8 Poetry

The Romantic Dogs by Roberto Bolaño

I was reminded it is National Poetry Month here in the U.S. when I went to pick up some holds from the library and saw a display. I decided to read some more new-to-me poets to celebrate.
The first book I grabbed was this one. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a brief "about the author" section, as I'm completely unfamiliar with this poet's background and am curious how it manifests in his art.
The poems reminded me of Day of the Dead parades I've been to: darkness that sets off colorful skeletons, celebrations of grungy drunkenness, unexpected flashes of light revealing true art and beauty making its way down the street to a distinctly Latin beat. The modern and dark (detectives/guns/blood/prostitutes/suicides/poison/bombs) are abutted with the elevated (art/poetry/philosophy/activism/Poe/Satie/Shakespeare/Catullus).
After all of the life and action that is mashed up in the collection, we are reminded that "Our affairs/Are finite (charming, yes, ferocious,/But finite)" and it ends with this epitaph:

"With the Flies"

Poets of Troy
Nothing that could have been yours
Exists anymore

Not temples not gardens
Not poetry

You are free
Admirable poets of Troy

+20 Task (b. 1953)
+10 LiT (translated from Spanish)
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.4)

Task total: 45
Season total: 815

10.8 Megafinish

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

I like books that look at something differently from the commonly accepted point of view. Harari does this with human history. He claims that what has made homo sapiens “successful” is our ability to imagine, tell stories, collectively believe in things that don’t objectively exist. He argues that three of these things are money, nations and ideologies. He says that because Sapiens can function with these constructs we are able to cooperate in very large groups (essentially world-wide, at this point). And that our near relatives, other homo species and apes, were not able to do this.
I don’t necessarily agree with his look into the future of Sapiens but he does say this pure speculation.
It was fun to read him wrestle with how to explain that we have ended up with a dominance of patriarchal societies.

+10 task
+5 combo 10.3
+10 review
Task total: 25

Season total: 270

20.8 Poetry
Voyage of the Sable Venus and Other Poems by Robin Coste Lewis

+20 task

Season total: 290

20.8 Poetry

District and Circle and
Human Chain by Seamus Heaney

I am not a poetry reader but I enjoyed these two books of poetry by Seamus Heaney. Heaney poetry draws vivid pictures of places, and people in an accessible way that I didn’t expect. For example, the title poem of District and Circle describes a ride in a subway in a way that allows the reader to feel as if they are experiencing the sights and sounds. In other poems, Heaney describes aging, old friends and places he has lived/known.

I appreciate exploring a new genre, there may be more poetry in my future?

20 pts. Poetry
10 pts Review

Task total. 30 pts
Season total. 690 pts

10.10 Group Read

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

This book is part biography of a life, part catalog of works done, in whatever degree of completion, and part paeon of praise and respect for a genius. It is easily read, in clear language with helpful chapter theming in addition to moving chronologically but, like many long books, still a relief to complete. I think the things that surprised me most were the anatomical studies and how detailed Leonardo really was in comparison to others of his time - and how much he might have changed science in multiple areas if his work had been appropriately published by a collaborator of some sort. I liked how the author combined refering to sources, presenting information, and occasionally adding opinion relevant to interpretation.

+10 task
+10 review
+5 jumbo (600 pages)
+5 combo (20.5)

Task total: 30
Grand total: 735

10.1 Square Peg

The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

Fun little novella by the always-full-of-cool-ideas John Scalzi. I picked this up as an audible exclusive freebie and listened to it as a palette cleanser between longer books. I loved the premise here--suddenly, and inexplicable, people who are murdered start coming back to life. This creates an industry of "dispatchers" whose job is to step in and murder someone just before they might otherwise die from some other cause to give them another chance. There's just enough explanation to hold the story together without getting overly bogged down in details.

The reader for the audible version did a great job. There's a mystery unfolding here within the created science fiction universe that keeps the story chugging along and gives the characters something to do and talk about, which worked quite well for this short book, but would probably not have been rich enough to support a longer story.

I'd love to see Scalzi explore this universe a bit more.

+10 Task
+10 Review

Task total: 20
Grand total: 530

10.6 Public Domain

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

I've heard so many of the lines from this as quotes before without knowing the origin. I was not in a contemplative enough mood to really sit and think hard about the aphorisms here, but I enjoyed having them read aloud by the narrator of the audiobook that was available from my library.

These fables or poems or stories are all short and none of them make any real effort to fully flesh out a philosophy. They're more a light gloss on how to think about life, love, children, power, etc. While I enjoyed the quotable tidbits, I wanted more from this than just little dabbles of wisdom quotes. Another reviewer called it "philosophical porn" which sums it up nicely.

The book does highlight how similar different religious beliefs are at heart--be good to each other, find ways to live that don't interfere with other people living, think about the effect of your actions on others, etc.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (1923)
+5 Combo (10.3)

Task total: 35
Grand total: 565

15.8 AbC

Ireland - Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Award

Holding by Graham Norton

+30 Task

Post Total: 30
Season Total: 515

10.8 - Megafinish

I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson

+10 task
+5 Combo (10.3)

Task total: 15
Grand total: 210

10.8 - Megafinish

Gone by James Patterson

+10 task

Task total: 10
Grand total: 220

15.6 AbC

Finland: J. A. Hollon palkinto

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

+20 Task

Task total: 20
Season total: 835

15.7 AbC

Spain: Prince of Asturias Award for Literature, 2011

The Flame by Leonard Cohen

+20 Task

Task total: 20
Season total: 855

20.7 Anna Karenina

Dracula by Bram Stoker

A classic horror story that I have never read. When it was first written, it is easy to see how it would have captivated the reader and pulled him/her into the story -- much of the vampire lore that we now know was probably invented and popularized by Bram Stocker. As a modern reader, the steps taken to defeat a vampire are well know as a result of the movies based on this book.

Even so, Dracula is a good read. You know that good will triumph but it is not clear how the story will resolve itself. Interestingly, the book has a strong female heroine in Mina Harker and she contributes to the defeat of Dracula along with the five men.

The language is a bit dated and can seem stilted -- however, it is consistent with the age of the book. A bit distracting, but the language does not take away from the adventure.

20 pts 20.7 Anna Karenina
5 pts 10.3 Scrabble
5 pts 10.7 Olive Kitteridge (see post #9 in the discussion thread)
5 pts 20.3 Ella Minnow Pea
10 pts Oldie
10 pts Review

Task total: 55 pts
Season Total: 745 pts

10.4 Animal

Hounds of Autumn by Heather Blackwood

This was a steampunk mystery in a country setting. It was nicely put together and rather sweet in many ways, although horrid in others as violent murder is the problem to be solved. The protagonist is married and she has some freedoms as a result and it is a solid loving marriage, although not without some tension, and felt real. There are the types of secrets common to a Victorian era. The science and steampunkish "science" were consistent. It got a bit exciting at the end and had that "summed up" feeling of a Christie novel. I enjoyed the read.

+10 task
+10 review
+5 combo (10.8)

Task total: 25
Grand total: 760

20.10 Asia

GO by Kazuki Kaneshiro

Task=20 points
Combo = 5 points (Megafinish)
Style = 10 LiT

Total = 35 Points

10.3 Scrabble

Untwine by Edwidge Danticat

+10 Task: 920 Lexile
+ 5 Combo: 10.9 Sisters (predominantly told through backflashes)

Task Total: 15
Season Total: 595

10.5 Civil War

Everything Under by Daisy Johnson

+10 Task
+ 5 Combo: 10.8 Megafinish

Task Total: 15
Season Total: 610

20.1 Moll Flanders

Varina by Charles Frazier

+20 Task
+10 Combo: 10.10 Group Reads / 20.4 Nefertiti

Task Total: 30
Season Total: 640

20.5 Myra Breckinridge

Murmur by Will Eaves

+20 Task
+ 5 Combo: 10.8 Megafinish
+10 LiT

Task Total: 35
Season Total: 675

20.7 Anna Karenina

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

+20 Task
+ 5 Combo: 10.8 Megafinish
+ 5 Oldies-25 to 75 years old: 5 points (1944-1994)

Task Total: 30
Season Total: 695
RwS Finish: 100
Season Total: 795 (adjusted for taking off LIT claim for post 500)

Post 500 Karen Michele wrote: "20.5 Myra Breckinridge

Murmur by Will Eaves

+20 Task
+ 5 Combo: 10.8 Megafinish
+10 LiT

Task Total: 35
Season Total: 675"

Karen, this was originally published in English. Did you mean a different style than LiT?

Post 475 Rebekah wrote: "20.8 poetry
Flora, Fauna, Fairies and Other Favourite Things by Ann Perry

+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Combo (10.3, 10.8)

Task total - 30 pts
Season Total - 470 pts"

I'm sorry, Rebekah. This does not qualify for 20.8 because we do not have a birth year for this Ann Perry. I could find nothing. She is not Anne Perry. We will score it for 10.3 unless you indicate differently.

20.9 True Crime

Chase Darkness with Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders by Billy Jensen

This is my second book for this task and I enjoyed this one SOOOO much more than the first!
For those of you who read I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, by Michelle McNamara--this is one of the writers who helped finish the book based on Michelle's research after her passing.
I heard Billy Jensen speak at a book festival in March and he spoke a little about this book (which has only been released in audiobook form--the printed version is slated to be released in August) and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! I finished listening to this a while ago, just had to wait for enough people to shelve it as "true-crime" :-)
Billy has always been interested in true crime--an interest instilled by his father when he was young. The interest in cold cases developed later and his frustration at the cold cases that he thought were solvable in addition to the families reaching out for his help spurred him on to try to dig up new leads which eventually led to finding several perpetrators.
I really enjoyed the audiobook (which is read by the author) and would definitely recommend it to any true-crime fans.

+20 Task (shelved as "true-crime" 51 times)
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.3--"Started," "Solving," and "Murders" all fit the bill)

Task total: 35
Season total: 890

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 500 Karen Michele wrote: "20.5 Myra Breckinridge

Murmur by Will Eaves

+20 Task
+ 5 Combo: 10.8 Megafinish
+10 LiT

Task Total: 35
Season Total: 675"

Karen, ..."

Oh gosh ---- no, I just goofed and got it mixed up with a book that won a translation prize. Sorry.

10.6 Public Domain

A Lost Lady by Willa Cather

Twelve-year-old Neil Herbert is charmed by Mrs Marian Forrester, the wife of the older Captain who was instrumental in bringing the railroad to the West. Set in a Nebraska town in the late 19th Century, Neil has his idealized view of the beautiful, gracious Mrs Forrester changed as he discovers some indiscretions. But Mrs Forrester is not the only lost lady. The American pioneering spirit is being replaced by exploitation by the bankers, industrialists, and other capitalists at the turn of the century. The bonds between people and the land, the passing of time, and the symbol of roses also are important in this delightful novella.

+10 task
+ 5 combo 10.8 Megafinish
+10 review
+10 oldie

Task total: 35
Season total: 460

10.8 Megafinish

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

+10 Task

Post Total: 10
Season Total: 775

10.5 Civil War

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

10 task
10 review
5 Oldie (1959)
15 Combo 10.3, 10.7, 10.8

40 task
735 Season total

The Haunting of Hill House is a psychological thriller. I really liked Shirley Jackson's book We Have Always Lived in the Castle, so I had high expectations for this book. I think of it as a solid 4 star read. There is enough ambiguity in the closing chapter to provide room for people to happily argue over varying interpretations. There have been several movie versions of this story, and I suppose that ambiguity allows directors and actors some room for their own creative interpretations.

15.3 AbC 2nd Round

Canada - Scotiabank Giller Prize

Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden

+15 Task

Season total = 530