Reading with Style discussion
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FA 20 Completed Tasks
20.10 Another BirthdayJoyland by Stephen King
This was a pleasure. This is one of King’s nostalgia stories, and it really works. I’ve been reading at a breakneck pace lately, and this one made me slow down. I still read it quickly (I did not want to put it down), but it was not my speediest clip because I was picturing everything so vividly.
This is ostensibly a murder mystery/ ghost story, at the book starts with a little spooky except, but it’s very much not that, at least in the typical King sense. It’s still his universe - some characters Shine (though it’s not called that), but this is not a scare-fest or really even a thriller. It’s a unexpectedly sweet story about young adulthood.
+20 Task (1947)
+ 10 review
+ 15 Combo (10.3, 20.3, 20.5)
Task total = 45
Season total = 280
10.4 PilgrimLast Rituals (Þóra Guðmundsdóttir #1) by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Review
A German student was found dead and mutilated, one morning, and within 3 days, the police had a suspect arrested and jailed. The victim's family, however, was not convinced and sent their representative to Iceland to review the investigation. As his Icelandic wasn't up to scratch, he needed an assistance and that's where Thóra Gudmundsdóttir comes in.
Thóra is a lawyer and a single mother of two trying to make ends meet. The promised payout from this case, despite it being completely out of her usual work, was too tempting to resist. Despite some horrific details, she found herself drawn in and intrigued by the mystery. Meanwhile, her own teenage son was facing his own problem.
I enjoyed both Scandinavian crime thrillers and archaeological mysteries and in Last Ritual, they're both covered. Even if the topic of history itself, witch burning and dark magic, isn't that great, I do like the way it was intertwined with the crime. I didn't pick the killer so that was a great ending for me plus I found Thóra to be refreshingly not broken as other crime novels protagonists. I'll definitely be looking into the rest of the series.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 80
20.3 ProlificLa rivière à l'envers by Jean-Claude Mourlevat
List of works (in french) in his wikipedia page
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.2 : LRALEJCM = RECALL ; 10.4)
Task total = 30
Points total = 30
20.5 WineHannah by Jean-Claude Mourlevat
Roughly translated from french: “the guests cheered with their wine cups for her more than 10 times”
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.3; 20.3)
Task total = 30
Points total = 60
10.3 SingleMalaterre by Pierre-Henry Gomont
+10 Task
(no style points, graphic novel)
Task total = 10
Points total = 70
Post #8Norma wrote: "20.3 - ProlificA Wicked Snow by Gregg Olsen
+20 task
+15 Combo (10.2 - swag, 10.4, 20.5)
Task total: 35
Grand total: 35"
Just to make sure there is no confusion - the 10.4 PILGRIM task applies only to the title, not to the author.
Post 15 Connie wrote: "15.1 Power of NineMigrations by Charlotte McConaghy
+15 task (272 pages)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 15"
I'm sorry, Connie. The MPE for this title is 256 pages and does not work for Power of 9. However, you can salvage your read. This is the same book listed for 10.10 Group Reads called The Last Migration. Also, it combos with 10.3 and 10.4.
Post 18 Nick wrote: "15.1 Power of NineWinter World by A.G. Riddle 472 pp
Power of Nine Chart:
09
18
27
36
45
54
63
72 Winter World 472 pp
81
90
Task Points: 15
Total Points So Fa..."
I'm sorry, Nick. The MPE for this title is 474 pages and doesn't work for Power of 9. It will work for 10.2 Scrabble. I don't see combos, but you might have more insight having read it.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 15 Connie wrote: "15.1 Power of NineMigrations by Charlotte McConaghy
+15 task (272 pages)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 15"
I'm sorry, Connie. The MPE for..."
Thank you, Elizabeth. I'll move the book from 15.1 to 10.10, and will repost in the next comment since I have a review.
10.10 Group ReadsMigrations by Charlotte McConaghy (same book as The Last Migration)
"The ice spreads wide and dazzling, edged by a black-and-white ocean and a distant gray horizon. Great shards of cerulean ice float languidly by, even now within the heart of summer. And dozens of Arctic terns fill the white of sky and earth. The last of them, perhaps in the world. If I were capable of staying any place, it might be here. But the birds won't stay, and neither will I."
Migrations is set in the near future when many of the Earth's creatures are becoming extinct due to changes made by humans. In a fishing boat, Franny Stone follows the Arctic terns as they migrate from Greenland to Antarctica. In return for passage, she convinces the captain that the terns (with their tracking devices) will lead the crew to schools of fish which have greatly diminished in number. Like the birds, Franny has a bit of the "wild creature" in her with a lifelong desire to wander.
Franny narrates her story, moving back and forth in time. She has a dark history full of secrets and terrible loss. Franny is strong, but vulnerable. She also has a deep connection with nature, especially birds. As the fishing boat heads South from Greenland, Franny bonds with the crew who form a sort of family. She writes letter after letter to her husband, but never mails them. The voyage has both beautiful and terrifying moments. The story builds in suspense as Franny reveals pieces of her traumatic past without showing us all the pieces of the puzzle at first.
Migrations shows us a damaged world with much remaining beauty which is worth fighting to save. A glimmer of hope exists for both Mother Earth and the story's troubled protagonist. The book is written with lush, gorgeous prose which will be especially appreciated by lovers of literary fiction.
+10 task
+20 combos 10.3 Single, 10.4 Pilgrim, 10.8 Jetsetters (Greenland, Canada, South America, Antarctica), 20.5 Wine (pg 181 "Niall takes a sip of his wine.")
+10 review
Task total: 40
Season total: 80
20.2 JournalistCatch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow
I started this last night, after the pleasant respite of Joyland. I stayed up late, and despite today being a holiday, I woke up early to finish it.
What did it say about the gulf between the powerful and the powerless that wealthy individuals could intimidate, surveil, and conceal on such a vast scale?
This book was SO ANGRY-MAKING. Last night I rage-ate terrible old candy, and today I stomped around with my tablet in my hand, burning it off. My husband woke up and found me at the table, my leg drumming furiously, and asked how much coffee I downed... “Not coffee, this book!”
It’s very well written, captivating despite it being just the WOSRT.
Oh, this makes me indulge in rage fantasies, where I have a superpower - sometimes it’s the ability to quickly explode people’s heads, but other times it’s making them slowly implode.
It makes me wish for an afterlife, where these creatures will BURN. Let there be a god, and let her be an angry woman.
RAGE.
+ 20 task
+ 10 review
+ 10 not-a-novel
+ 5 Jumbo (MPE 608 pages)
+ 15 Combo (10.2 CAKLSAACTPPRF - Fractals, 10.7, 10.8 California, New York, London, Venice, Israel, Bosnia)
Task total = 60
Season total = 340
20.3 ProlificPnin by Vladimir Nabokov
Starting with mediocre, moving to very good and finally the big jump to Nabokov; that nicely describes my last three reads!
This novel is funny, touching and subtle. The story of Pnin is told to us by an unreliable narrator who has a very unclear relationship to Pnin, both of whom are Russian emigres. Nabokov wrote this (first as a serialization) in order to generate funds while he was shopping Lolita around. It was expanded, revised and edited to become this novel; and it was this novel that introduced him to America. It is interesting to think about both Pnin and Lolita being written at the same time. Pnin is the distaff of Humbert. Apparently, Pnin shares some characteristics (and experiences) of Nabokov.
I started off laughing at Pnin, but by the end of the book I just wanted the best for him. The story pokes fun at academia and emigres in general, but in a very loving way. 5*
20 task
10 review
10 oldie
10 combo 10.3, 20.3
______
50
Running total: 160
20.4 Similar (to Zone One and The Nickel Boys)The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
This woman is a wizard of words.
I never thought I'd be dazzled by a book about a Ponzi scheme and the shipping industry but there it is. It also has a bit of a ghost story going on, but I knew that part was right up my alley.
As in Station Eleven (my Emily St. John Mandel gateway drug), the book isn't really about what is listed on the book flap as plot-points: it's about human experience and the mobius strip-nature of how we're all connected. I should not have chosen this as my Kindle-read-before-bed book...let's just say, I haven't been getting much sleep because I can't put the book down.
I think my favorite theme in the book was: what do you do when the rug is pulled out from under you? You've planned your whole life and think you're doing all the right things and then you're left with nothing: now what?
I know I'm not doing it justice, but I'm still a bit stunned in the aftermath...
+20 Task
+10 Review
+20 Combo (10.2: TGHESM: THEM; 10.4; 10.8: Canada, U.S., Germany, U.K., Dubai and many others; 20.5: "Lenny paused to sip his wine" and so much more wine drinking)
Task total: 50
Season total: 320
10.8 JetsetterLady Clementine by Marie Benedict
Set from 1908-1945, "Lady Clementine" is a first-person fictional narrative of the wife of Winston Churchill. In addition to being a sounding board and helpmate to her husband, Clementine was involved in women's suffrage, job initiatives for women during World War II, and improving air-raid shelters during the Blitz. She reached out personally to everyday British people during World War II, similar to how Eleanore Roosevelt helped in the United States. She also entertained diplomats from other countries, smoothing the way for her brusque husband.
The one area of her life where she had regrets was that she spent so little time in the care of her five children. The Churchills' children were mostly brought up by the hired help. Clementine was constantly moving from house to house, and having to entertain on a small budget. She devoted her time to her husband's needs, helping him with speeches and sitting in on political meetings while he was Prime Minister. She also had to deal with Winston's bouts of depression. Although she was a strong woman, there were times when Clementine had to get away from all the demands for months due to nervous exhaustion. In spite of the challenges, there was a strong love between Winston and Clementine.
While Winston Churchill is a historical figure familiar to almost everyone, Clementine has remained more in the background. It was interesting to read about her achievements set against an important time in British history. 3.5 stars.
+10 task (England, Greece, Egypt, New Zealand, USA, Russia, etc)
+10 combo 10.4 Pilgrim, 20.5 Wine (pg 81 "Without lifting her eyes from her cards, Violet lifts up her empty wine glass for the crew member to fill.")
+10 review
Task total: 30
Season total: 110
10.6 BannedLysistrata by Aristophanes
Well, that was fun. I don’t know that I would say that for most ancient plays, but the translation was excellent and of course so is the play! I can see why this would have been banned. Gasp! – woman taking matters into their own hands and affecting a political outcome! Gasp! – frank and funny allusions to sex (although all of it seemed to be within the confines of marriage)! I have to admit there were probably some allusions that passed me by. But still, what fun. What great (acting) roles for women. I also enjoyed the rhythm of the verse. The translator praised a couple of his other plays: ‘The Birds’ and ‘The Frogs’ in particular and based on this play I would like to read them as well. 4*
10 task (#77 on list)
10 review
10 not a novel
25 oldie
15 combo 10.3, 10.4, 10.7
______
70
Running total: 230
10.4 PilgrimLeviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Some reviewers call this a space opera. And that fits well. We have a washed-up detective and a good-looking, righteous, smart second officer on an ice transport in a solar system that is divided along origin and class lines. Although the characters make their divisions between origin lines—Earthers, Martians and belters, much of the conflict is class-based—workers vs. corporations. A threat from outside the solar system shows up and war starts within the system. The detective and the now-captain end up working together to try to save humanity.
Characters are well-developed and their moral dilemmas are clear. The action and suspense are well written.
I have been watching the Amazon series called Expanse based on the book. The first season follows this book fairly closely, although the series has a group of characters on Earth that never show up in the book.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
+10 task L
+10 review
+5 jumbo
Task total: 25
Season total: 25
This author might qualify for a combo with 20.3 Prolific. I have a hard time telling how many of their books count.
Post 67 Kathleen (itpdx) wrote: "10.4 PilgrimLeviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
This author might qualify for a combo with 20.3 Prolific. I have a hard time telling how many of their books count."
When I look at the Wikipedia bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_S...
there are not enough full-length titles.
20.3 ProlificRilke on Black by Ken Bruen
Review
Nick is a big white guy in his forties working as a bouncer for a club and life was okay up to the point where he begins to get involved Lisa, a black young woman in her mid twenties. Nick sounds like the average guy but Lisa sounds a little bit like a whimsical whirlwind with malintent. Combined with a somewhat crazy neighbour, Dex, and we have ourselves a trifecta of crims. Alcohol, drugs, and the constant need for money can only end one way...
I'm not sure how to rate or review this one because it's just not the one for me?! I never liked protagonists who are just on the downward spiral (eg. American Psycho etc). I don't mind sad endings but I do not like hopeless ones. I didn't mind Nick so much except that he seems too naive for this story. It's a short fast read but never again.
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo (10.2 - ROB)
+10 Review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 115
20.5 WineBenediction by Kent Haruf
+20 Task p167 The women drank some of the chilled wine And made a toast
+5 Combo 10.3
Task total = 25
Season Total: 75
10.8 Jetsetters (Anika's Task)Music City by Leona Bryant
North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, Florida, and I think a couple more that I missed
Review
Music City is a story about family. The one you grow up with. The ones who shared their DNAs with you. The ones you love and chose to be with. Shelley Shepard ran away from home in her teens because if she didn't, she was pretty sure her mother would have killed her in one of her drunken bouts. The time has come for her to find some closure for this part of her past and where it took her is one heck of a surprise for all.
The book itself didn't blow my mind but it was a lovely feel-good sort of read. I reckon if you're after a book that doesn't require too much thinking and leave you with a warm heart, this is IT.
+10 Task
+5 (20.5 - "Shelly took her first sip of win and sighed." @87%)
+10 Review
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 140
10.4 PilgrimPeau d'homme by Hubert
+10 Task
(no style points, graphic novel)
Task total = 10
Points total = 80
10.2 Scrabble! Seules à berlin by Nicolas Juncker
SABNJ : BANS
+10 Task
(no style points, graphic novel)
Task total = 10
Points total = 90
10.2 Scrabble!Oz: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Eric Shanower
+10 Task
(no style points, graphic novel)
Task total = 10
Points total = 100
20.4 SimilarThe Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Nickel boys recommendations
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.2, TTMA = MAT ; 20.3)
Task total = 30
Points total = 130
20.3 ProlificBanshee by Margaret Millar
Review:
When I started reading this book, the GR description field was empty. (I've fixed that.) All I knew, from skimming a few reader reviews, was that the victim was a child. Depending on what direction the story took, I was prepared to abandon the book at any time, as I cannot bear to read about violence to children. Happily I was rewarded by a very good story that I could hardly put down. No violence, nothing graphic, no sleaze.
In the first chapter we meet the victim, Annamay, a whimsical and charming eight-year-old. Her funeral takes place in the second chapter. The police are unable to find a suspect or even a cause of death, as her remains were found several months after her disappearance. Her father and the preacher team up to try to find the perpetrator. Millar kept me off balance guessing who had done it. I was sure it was one character, then another. In the end I was wrong about the whole thing! The clues were there, but my assumptions kept me from piecing it together.
This is only my second book by Millar, but I am quickly becoming a fan. Her characterization and dialogue are very good, and I love her writing style. One GR reviewer said that this is a mainstream novel masquerading as a mystery, and I agree. It's just too bad that her popularity has faded.
+20 task (at least 27 titles - Bibliography)
+10 combo (10.3 Single; 20.5 wine quote: "She took a sip of the wine, then returned to her notebook.")
+10 review
+ 5 oldies (1983)
Task total=45
Season total=135
(15/122 Mysteries Challenge)
15.1 Power of 9The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty
+15 Task (auth. b. 1909)
Task total: 15
Grand total: 15
15.2 Power of 9Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark
+15 Task (auth. b. 1918)
Task total: 15
Grand total: 30
15.3 Power of 9Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark
+15 Task (auth. b. 1927)
Task total: 15
Grand total: 45
10.8 JetsettersThe Siren by Tiffany Reisz
I'm afraid I'm down a rabbit hole with this series. This is erotica with literary flair. Popcorn for the sexy soul, but not for the feint of heart. I loved how sex-positive this book was and how the female protagonist is a fully functional person in charge of her own sexuality rather than a wilting violet or an abuse sufferer in need of saving. This is also a book about books--the protagonist here is an erotica writer trying to break into more literary fiction by changing editors/publishers and her new (handsome, naturally) editor is helping her rewrite her novel. I'm destined to read the whole series.
+10 Task (London, England, Connecticut, and New York)
+5 Combo (20.5 - ch.6 "Or stay," she said, as she took a deliberate sip of her wine before setting the glass down on the table next to her.")
+10 Review
Task total: 25
Grand total: 70
20.5 WineThe Angel by Tiffany Reisz
I'm blushing to claim this series here, in this literary challenge. These books are well written for what they are - highbrow erotica. But really, this is reading for pure escape. This is the sequel to The Siren and should be read only after reading the first book. This book is less literary but maybe more fun than the first. In this book, there's lots of sex, in various combinations of people all generally having a good time and not taking themselves too seriously. There's no happily ever after for the protagonist here, but there's lots of suspense and revelations about these characters. Anyone who liked the first book will find this a satisfying follow up. Anyone who didn't like the first one has no business reading this one.
+20 Task (Ch 8 "Still shaken from her meeting work the ungodly handsome priest, Suzanne poured a glass of wine to calm her nerves.")
+10 Combo (10.2 - TATR = TART; 10.8 - Kentucky, Connecticut, New York, London)
+10 Review
Task total: 40
Grand total: 110
20.3 ProlificEtiquette and Entertaining: To Help You On Your Social Way by Laura Troubridge
I'm not sure how I came to have this book. I think I must have saved it from pulping when it failed to sell in the shop. But when I needed a book containing the word "frontispiece" for another challenge, it was the obvious choice.
I suspect the rules laid out here were already becoming old-fashioned when the book was published in 1939. Here you will learn exactly what to do with your visiting cards, how to give a sherry party, how to run a house with only one maid (Lady Troubridge assumes you also have a cook, however...), what to do in every role at a wedding, who holds the baby at christenings, and how to address the wreath you send to a funeral.
It is rather fun, but not exactly unputdownable. Would be very useful for anyone writing a novel set in the 1930s. Otherwise, best taken in small chunks.
* Scrabble: Tiles EAETHYOYSWLT, Word STEALTHY
+20 Task (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_T... )
+10 Combo (10.2, 10.7)
+10 Review
+10 Not a novel
+10 Oldies (1939)
Task total: 60
Season Total: 185
10.10 Group ReadsTrent's Last Case by E.C. Bentley
This is a bit too early to be a ‘Golden Age’ mystery, but it falls firmly into that category. It is considered the ‘first truly modern mystery’ (to quote Wikipedia), and had admirers who were Golden Age authors.
This novel is rip roaring fun. There isn’t action per se, it is Trent sniffing around for clues and jumping to conclusions, but the whole premise and the characters are great. Although I did find the heroine a bit too good to be true. We get to follow Trent through a very complex plot, as he comes to conclusions (see above!), falls in love, runs away from love, rethinks his conclusions and finally is astounded at the denouement (as we are!).
I think Bentley created a very interesting and well-rounded character in Trent. Bentley’s style is very readable and has humor. I would be interested in reading the other two Trent novels he wrote. 4.5*
10 task
10 review
10 oldie
15 combo 10.2 ecbtlc = belt, 20.2, 20.5 'And Mr Cupples took a very small sip of the wine.' (at 92%)
_____
45
Running total: 275
20.6 Civil WarThe Beguiled by Thomas Cullinan
SIGH
Tiresome. Extremely tiresome.
If you’re going to have eight rotating POVs, they need to be distinct. I can handle books with a lot of characters, but they have to actually be different. I kept having to check the bottom of my ebook to see who the hell’s POV I was on this time.
And it’s allllllll dialogue. It’s like one long monologue though, because all the women are written the same. And how is that? Catty, jealous, and vapid. Manipulative and easily manipulated. What little can be used to tell them apart are tiresome stereotypes - bitter spinster, drunk spinster, underage temptress....
Some of the confusion is my own fault - I was really bored by this so I kept setting it down and reading other books and forcing myself to pick it back up and plug along. Perhaps if I read it in one go it would have been easier to tell who was who. But, BORING. Would have been a DNF if not for a challenge.
+20 Task
+10 review
+5 oldie (1966)
+5 combo (20.5)
Task total = 40
Season total = 380
20.3 ProlificEssential Bukowski: Poetry by Charles Bukowski
In his novels, short stories, and poems, Bukowsi wrote about everything, from childhood to earning a living to facing illness and death. His poetry is excellent. He distills his view of life into a few terse lines which say a lot more than their brevity would indicate. He is philosophical and contemplative, no matter the mood of the poem.
Since the poems in this collection are from the late 1950's onward, it is useful for getting a sampling of his work over time. I prefer his later work, so this was a 3-star book for me. The poems he wrote near the end of his life are some of his best.
+20 task (I have 37 Bukowski titles on my shelves, and that isn't nearly all there are. They range from 128 to 557 pages.)
+10 combo (10.2 tiles: EBPCB word: EBB; 10.7 Non-Fiction)
+10 review
Task total=40
Season total=175
10.3 SinglePew by Catherine Lacey
+10 - task
+ 5 - combo (10.4)
Task total - 15 pts
Season Total - 80 pts
10.2 Scrabble!Wings of the Storm (The Rise of Sigurd #3) by Giles Kristian
first letters: W O T S G K
word: TWO
Review
The third and final book in this trilogy, Sigurd found himself a prisoner but being Odin-blessed, he instead got together a war band to finally challenged the Oathbreaker and take his revenge.
I started watching American Gods on Amazon Prime last week and had to turn that off after the first 10 minutes because of the violence. These first few minutes told the story of the arrival of old gods at a new land and featured vikings... It was gory with limbs and heads flying about unattached. I just couldn't! And yet, I did enjoyed this book despite it being just as violent, if not more. I think I probably wouldn't be able to watch it if it was adapted onto screen but listening to this on audiobook, I got as excited as the narrator.
Wings of the Storm brought to close Sigurd's quest to avenge his father and brothers. While it was an interesting and exciting adventure in gathering his war band and then the battles themselves, I did find the ending rather anti-climatic.
PS: I did continue on with watching American Gods after I sped forward a bit through the vikings...
+10 Task
+10 Review
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 160
10.8 JetsettersWhat I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman
(The very definition of jet-setting; she was on her 3rd passport by the end. First 3 I think were France, Holland, Russia)
OOF.
I was looking forward to this one. I thought I’d love it - a sitcom writer’s memoir of her travel adventures. It should be hilarious! And exciting!
And it was SO NOT.
It was completely insufferable. After I finished it I saw a review that merely shouted “GET OVER YOURSELF” and, yep.
So much of this was meant to be funny, and perhaps if this was not the hellscape of 2020 it would have hit differently, but most of it was super-privileged snarky rich girl bullshit. It was not just unfunny, but squirm-inducing. There’s so many causal “-isms”, such a ridiculous lack of awareness despite this supposedly leading to personal growth.
And it’s just not good writing...I’m sure there’s a way to tell the story of a death in the family with poignant humor, but girl,, you did not manage it.
Wow, I really hated this.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel
+10 Combo (10.2 WIWDWYWBKN - windy,
Task total =
Season total =
Post 28 Rebekah wrote: "30.1 Go for the Green! Guinea- BissauThe Ultimate Tragedy by Abdulai Sila
+30 pts - Task
+5 Pts - combo (10.2-Sat)
Season Total - 65 pts"
+30 bonus points for unread country
Post 29 Mary wrote: "20.3 ProlificThree Vassar Girls Abroad: Rambles of Three College Girls on a Vacation Trip Through France and Spain for Amusement and Instruction by [author:Elizabeth W. Champney|15..."
This appears to be nonfiction and combos with 10.7. Let us know if this is wrong.
10.2 Scrabble!A Christmas Escape (Christmas Stories #13) by Anne Perry
first letters: A C E A P
word: PACE
Review
Charles Latterly went on a holiday for Christmas to the island of Stromboli for something different and, hopefully, lively especially it's an island with a rather non-sleeping volcano. The guests at his hotel are rather interesting and diverse in characters as well. What they all do not expect is a murder and an explosion.
I haven't read all the books in the series nor do I intend to as this one feels like ones I can pick up willy nilly so I don't even know if the protagonist here is the MC throughout the series, it feels like he's not. He didn't seem that interested in the mystery to solving it plus I'm not at all convinced with the mystery at all. Maybe I'm expecting too much of a novella...
+10 Task
+10 Review
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 180
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 29 Mary wrote: "20.3 ProlificThree Vassar Girls Abroad: Rambles of Three College Girls on a Vacation Trip Through France and Spain for Amusement and Instruction by [author:Eli..."
This is definitely fiction and not a real travelogue. So no combo with 10.7. Thanks for keeping an eye out for missed combos!
20.3 ProlificBarchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
+20 Task
+10 Combo 10.2 BTAT -> BAT, 20.5 (She therefore sipped her wine and finished her chicken)
+15 Oldies (published 1857)
Task total = 45
Season Total: 120
From Post 4Anika wrote: "30.1 Go for the Green
Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho
I've read quite a few books by this author and tend to like his books which actually have a plot far m..."
+5 Combo 20.2
Post 51 Heather wrote: "10.1 - compilationHer Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr.
+10 task
+10 not-a-novel
+5 combo (10.2-FURS)
Task total: 25
Season total: 35"
For technical reasons, 10.1 is not eligible for combos. But the MPE for this title is 508 pages, so eligible for jumbo points. The task score is the same, but getting to it differently in case you keep track of such things.
Post 62 Ann wrote: "20.2 JournalistCatch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow
I started this last night, after the pleasant respite of Joyla..."
I'm sorry, Ann. The MPE for this title is this edition: Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators at just 448 pages, so no jumbo score. (And I did everything I could to make it be your 600+: looked at it 3 times and then checked worldcat for the edition, it just wouldn't pump up for you.)
Post 63 Valerie wrote: "20.3 ProlificPnin by Vladimir Nabokov
Starting with mediocre, moving to very good and finally the big jump to Nabokov; that nicely describes my last three reads!
This..."
You're claiming a combo for the same task as the task claim (20.3). Is there a typo in this?
20.4 SimilarEducated by Tara Westover
Tara Westover was born into a fundamentalist Mormon family in rural Idaho. This is her memoir of her childhood and coming of age. As well as her coming to her own terms with her family. There are many themes to think about here—mental health, insularity, toxic paternalism, education, family. It is even interesting to explore her areas of study even though she only mentions them—how history is shaped by who writes (and teaches) it, history of American philosophy. Westover is an interesting woman and expresses her personal journey well.
+20 task similar to The Underground Railroad
+15 combos 10.3, 10.2 (etw WET), 10.8 Idaho, Utah, Arizona, UK, Italy
+10 NAN
+10 review
Task total: 55
Season total: 80
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 63 Valerie wrote: "20.3 ProlificPnin by Vladimir Nabokov
Starting with mediocre, moving to very good and finally the big jump to Nabokov; that nicely describes my..."
What you mean, I can't do that?! ha, ha....
It was a typo. It should have been 10.4. Thanks.
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (other topics)Animal Dreams (other topics)
The Willows (other topics)
This Mournable Body (other topics)
This Mournable Body (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
John Berendt (other topics)Barbara Kingsolver (other topics)
Algernon Blackwood (other topics)
Tsitsi Dangarembga (other topics)
Tsitsi Dangarembga (other topics)
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Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr.
+10 task
+10 not-a-novel
+5 combo (10.2-FURS)
Task total: 25
Season total: 35