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FA 21 Completed Tasks
20.7 ExophonicIgnorance by Milan Kundera
Either I missed a great deal or I wasn’t in the correct frame of mind for this novel. I can say it was ‘interesting’ (but not entirely in the positive sense). The best I can say is it is short. The characters are not people who live an examined life, instead they move through their lives in ignorance - of the basis of their own actions, of any real connection with their friends, and of happiness. All of the characters are unhappy. The only one that I could empathize with was Josef who did spend time reflecting on his past and how his emigration affected his family. 3*
20 task
10 review
10 1001 list
_____
40
Running total: 475
15.6 Butter: A Rich History by Elaine Khosrova
+15 task
+5 not a novel
Task total: 20
Season total: 395
10.1;..;10.3;10.4(x2);..;..;10.7;..;..;..
..;15.2;..;..;15.5;15.6;15.7;..;15.9;15.10
..;..;..;20.4;20.5;20.6;..;..;20.9;20.10
Task 15.5 13 LettersThe Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (2006) by Michael Pollan (Goodreads Author) (Paperback, 450 pages) [394.1]
+15 Task
+05 Not-a-Novel
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 410 + 20 = 430
15.1 CoA9 letters
Paradise Valley. Robyn Carr. 10.7.21
+15 - task
Total task: 15
Total Season: 270 pts.
… ... 10.3 10.4 10.5 ... ... ... ... 10.10
15.1 ... ... ... .... ... ... ... ... ...
... 20.2 ... ... ... ... ... ... 20.9 ...
10.3 Back to SchoolBitter Wash Road by Garry Disher, bio mentions he taught creative writing
+10 Task
Previous Total: 270
Task total = 10
Season total = 280
15.2 CoA10 letters
Mayhem at the Orient Express. Kylie Logan. 9.15.21
+15 - task
Total task: 15
Total Season: 285 pts.
… ... 10.3 10.4 10.5 ... ... ... ... 10.10
15.1 15.2 ... ... .... ... ... ... ... ...
... 20.2 ... ... ... ... ... ... 20.9 ...
15.3 CoA11 letters
The Marriage Bureau for Rich People. Farahad Zama. 9.10.21
+15 - task
Total task: 15
Total Season: 300 pts.
… ... 10.3 10.4 10.5 ... ... ... ... 10.10
15.1 15.2 15.3 ... .... ... ... ... ... ...
... 20.2 ... ... ... ... ... ... 20.9 ...
15.4 CoA12 letters
A Likely Story. Jenn McKinlay. 9.9.21
+15 - task
Total task: 15
Total Season: 315 pts.
… ... 10.3 10.4 10.5 ... ... ... ... 10.10
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 .... ... ... ... ... ...
... 20.2 ... ... ... ... ... ... 20.9 ...
15.5 CoA13 letters
Debt of Bones. Terry Goodkind. 9.22.21
+15 - task
Total task: 15
Total Season: 330 pts.
… ... 10.3 10.4 10.5 ... ... ... ... 10.10
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 ... ... ... ... ...
... 20.2 ... ... ... ... ... ... 20.9 ...
15.7 CoA15 letters
The Wright Brothers. David McCullough. 9.15.21
+15 - task
Total task: 15
Total Season: 345 pts.
… ... 10.3 10.4 10.5 ... ... ... ... 10.10
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 ... 15.7 ... ... ...
... 20.2 ... ... ... ... ... ... 20.9 ...
15.8 CoA17 letters
House Lessons: Renovating a Life. Erica Bauermeister. 9.1.21
+15 - task
Total task: 15
Total Season: 360 pts.
… ... 10.3 10.4 10.5 ... ... ... ... 10.10
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 ... 15.7 15.8 ... ...
... 20.2 ... ... ... ... ... ... 20.9 ...
10.5 ClassicsMuch Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
+ 10 Task
+ 10 Combo, 10.7 many of the characters are soldiers, 10.8 set in Mediterranean country of Italy.
+ 10 Not-a-novel, a play
Previous Total: 280
Task total = 30
Season total = 310
10.3 Back to School<Bitter Wash RoadBitter Wash Road by Garry DisherGarry Disher, bio mentions he taught creative writing -- already posted, but
+5 Combo 20.5 author b in 1949
Amended Season Total: 315
10.8 Mediterranean In the Shadow of Vesuvius by Tasha Alexander, set in Italy.
Previous Total: 315
Task total = 10
Season total = 325
10.9 OxfordThe Mystical Life of Jesus: An Uncommon Perspective on the Life of Christ by Sylvia Browne
+ 10 Task
+ 10 Not-a-novel, nonfiction
Previous Total: 325
Task total = 20
Season total = 345
15.4 Counting on Authors -- 12 letters The Sources of Shakespeare's Plays 1977 by Kenneth Muir
+ 15 Task Points
+ 5 not a novel, nonfiction
Previous Total: 345
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 365
Post 517 Nick wrote: "15.4 Counting on Authors -- 12 letters The Sources of Shakespeare's Plays 1977 by Kenneth Muir
+ 15 Task Points
+ 5 not a novel, nonfiction
Previous Total: 345
T..."
Just a note: This author has only 11 letters. Haven't reviewed your postings to know whether that matters in your plan.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 517 Nick wrote: "15.4 Counting on Authors -- 12 letters The Sources of Shakespeare's Plays 1977 by Kenneth Muir
+ 15 Task Points
+ 5 not a novel, nonfiction
..."
Yeah, it looks like I cannot count. Maybe I can use this somewhere else, or start a new Counting Authors after I've finished this one. For now I will take it away.
Amended season total: 345
Nick wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 517 Nick wrote: "15.4 Counting on Authors -- 12 letters The Sources of Shakespeare's Plays 1977 by Kenneth Muir
+ 15 Task Points
+..."
You're in luck! "He served as King Alfred Professor of English Literature at Liverpool University from 1951 to 1974" from the GR profile, so he works for 10.3. We'll score it there and you'll get not-a-novel points, too.
10.4 Truth and ReconciliationRabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time by Doris Pilkington
This is a book I have been wanting to read for a while. It tells the story of Doris Pilkington’s mother and two related girls, all half Aboriginal and half white, who in the 1930s were taken from their families and transported hundreds of miles down the Australian coast to a “school” that sounds more like a prison. The government’s idea in decreeing this was to assimilate mixed race children into white society so they could be employed as servants and labourers instead of living a nomadic life with their Aboriginal kin. But Molly, Daisy and Gracie escaped and set out to walk over 1000 miles to get back north to their families.
This is a great story, well told in a simple style intended for teens. It doesn’t play on the emotions (as I’ve heard the movie does). Ultimately it’s a story of great determination and courage.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not a novel (approved)
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 830
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Nick wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 517 Nick wrote: "15.4 Counting on Authors -- 12 letters The Sources of Shakespeare's Plays 1977 by Kenneth Muir
+ 15 ..."
Thank you!!!
Amended total: 365
10.8 MediterraneanThe Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak
+10 Task (Turkey)
+10 Combo: 20.3 Ratings (4.0) / 20.7 Exophonic
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 610
20.3 RatingsAristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
+20 Task (low lexile)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 630
15.2 CoA, 10 lettersGolden Age by Jane Smiley
+15 Task
Post total: 15
Season total: 530
Claimed to date:
10.1 - 10.3 10.4 - 10.6 10.7 - 10.9 10.10
15.1 15.2 15.3 - - 15.6 - - - -
- - 20.3(x2) 20.4 - 20.6 - - 20.9 -
10.5 Classics (Ed's Task)Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.3 - as per GR profile)
+10 Not-a-Novel
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 1,415
20.1 - SeriallyTender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
+20 task
+25 combo
10.5 - 3,885 users
10.6 - September (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._Scot...)
10.7 - "Fitzgerald enlisted in the United States Army amid World War I and received a commission as a second lieutenant" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._Scot...)
10.8 - 70% France & Italy
20.9 - "'That's wonderful,' agreed Rosemary, feeling the champagne." ~ p. 53
+10 1001
Task total: 55
Season total: 450
15.3 Counting on Authors11 letters
The Exile of Sara Stevenson by Darci Hannah
Task total: 15
Season total: 580
20.8 GothicThe Hound of the Baskervillesby Arthur Conan Doyle
Task +20
Combo +10 20.3 ratings 4.12
Total points:30
Grand total: 155
10.4 Truth and Reconciliation (Valerie's Task)Song of the Crocodile by Nardi Simpson
+10 Task
+10 Combo (10.3 - as per GR profile; 20.3 - avg. 4.14)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 1,435
10.2 HalloweenThe Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
In this follow-up to The Thursday Murder Club, the septuagenarian residents of Coopers Chase retirement village get mixed up with cocaine dealers, spies, and a broker of international arms deals after Elizabeth discovers a former colleague has moved in as a neighbour.
This book has the tone of a light, easy, cosy mystery, with lots of repetition, short sentences, and humour. But then there’s also a huge amount of violence, mostly involving guns, and some good people get hurt. I always thought it was a mistake when Agatha Christie tried to write spy thrillers, and I felt the same was true here. But I see lots of people have loved this as much as the first book, and certainly it was a good choice for a day when I was off work with a cold.
+10 Task (died)
+10 Combo (10.6, 20.3)
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 860
10.7 Service (Anika's Task)Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II by John W. Dower, most characters are military or diplomatic.
+10 Task
+ 15 Combo (10.3 MIT professor, 20.3 rating 4.13, 20.6 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (2000), National Book Award for Non-Fiction (1999), Bancroft Prize (2000), Laurence L. & Thomas Winship/PEN New England Award (2000), Mark Lynton History Prize (2000)
+10 not-a-novel, nonfiction
+ 5 Jumbo (676 pp)
Post Total: 40
Season Total: 405
20.6 AwardedThe Plot Against America by Philip Roth
This book reimagines America and life for Philip Roth’s Jewish family in the 1940s if the Nazi sympathizer Charles Lindbergh had run for and won the 1940 presidential election against Franklin D Roosevelt. It isn’t long before programs targeting Jews begin to roll out. Some leave for Canada, some collaborate with the programs (including some members of Roth’s own family), and some dig their heels in, believing in American democracy to make things come right.
In a way this is autobiographical fiction, using the real names of Roth’s family members and many historical figures. But none of the events in the book actually happened (unless he wove in some real events from his family life). Roth was seven years old in 1940, so it’s told from a child’s point of view, but a very intelligent and aware child, as Roth no doubt was.
I think if I had read this ten years ago I would have seen Lindbergh’s election as a wild flight of fantasy, but the 2016 election showed that a nationally known figure can come from nowhere politically to run for president and win. So it now seems a scarily possible alternative history. I thought it got a little lost at the end, but perhaps I was missing what Roth was trying to do there.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.3 posted in help thread, 10.7 Alvin is a soldier then a veteran)
+10 Review
+10 1001 list
Task Total: 50
Season Total: 910
10.1 TBRPractical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore
I had a tooth pulled yesterday, and I thought a fun, light book would be a good choice. Moore has only written three instalments in the Pine Cove series, and I started with the third one two years ago. I enjoy his novels and humor, but for some reason his books sit on my TBR for years before I think to get to them. Finally, this task and dentistry was the push I needed!
In this novel we are introduced to Pine Cove and it’s inhabitants. Pine Cove is a (very) quirky small town on the coast of California and this setting is perfect for a man and his demon to show up in. This is a very light hearted, zippy read that is very fun and contains ‘laugh out loud’ moments. This is a tale that requires you to completely suspend disbelief, and spot the gentle skewering of everything from cultural ‘fads’ to bible stories. 4*
10 task
10 review
5 combo 20.5
_____
25
Running total: 500
20.9 AnniversaryThe Haunting of Gad's Hall by Norah Lofts
p299 - “Tim remembered his wedding day; the three Gad’s Hall girls in yards and yards of white satin, in lace by the lily decorated altar. All the worldly people drinking champagne at Gad’s afterwards.”
p335 - “His good luck had been properly celebrated with champagne, a drink that always left him thirsty.”
+20 pts - Task
+20 pts - Combo ( 10.3-https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/no..., 10.9, 20.4 - goes from Victorian times and then skips to modern times. While in Victorian times, jumps to different characters at different times, 20.8 - #111 on Best Gothic of All Time List)
Task Total - 40 pts
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "20.2 Anti-HeroBreakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
#92 on The Best AntiHeros List
+20 pts - task
+30 pts - Combo(10.3- taught at Harvard and Ci..."
Elizabeth, I’m sorry but I missed this before. Yes. There are at least 3 veterans in the book. Not least of which is Vonnegut himself who interjects himself into the book. Also Eliot Rosewater appears who was also a fellow soldier in the Veteran’s Psychiatric Ward in WWII in Slaughterhouse-Five. Another character is an Armenian artist named Rabo who is a veteran of WWII where he lost an eye
Rebekah wrote: "10.3 Back to SchoolThe Ghost Writer by John Harwood
See his response to the first question interviewer asks - http://www.societynineteenjournal.com......"
Correction
Task - 10 pts
Combo - 10 pts ( 20.5, 20.8)
Task Total - 20 pts
15.9 - Counting on AuthorsMaverick ville magique - Mystères et boules d'ampoules by Églantine Ceulemans
18 letters
Task total = 15
Season total = 345
10.1 ; 10.2 ; 10.3 ; … ; … ; 10.6 ; 10.7 ; 10.8 ; 10.9 ; …
… ; … ; … ; 15.4 ; … ; 15.6 ; … ; … ; 15.9 ; …
20.1 ; … ; 20.3 (x2) ; 20.4 ; 20.5 ; 20.6 ; … ; … ; 20.9 ; 20.10
10.6 Birthday Chroniques de la Vigne : Conversations avec mon Grand-Père by Fred Bernard
Born Sept 1, 1969
+10 Task
No style, graphic novel
Task total = 10
Season total = 355
10.1 ; 10.2 ; 10.3 ; … ; … ; 10.6 (x2) ; 10.7 ; 10.8 ; 10.9 ; …
… ; … ; … ; 15.4 ; … ; 15.6 ; … ; … ; 15.9 ; …
20.1 ; … ; 20.3 (x2) ; 20.4 ; 20.5 ; 20.6 ; … ; … ; 20.9 ; 20.10
20.9 AnniversaryNight. Sleep. Death. The Stars. by Joyce Carol Oates
+20 Task ("So friendly, the deputy chief insists upon taking the newly married couple, and the gorgeous Margarita, around the corner to an outdoor restaurant for champagne. ... Champagne!--a second round of toasts. ...Even before the champagne Jessalyn has been feeling light-headed." pgs. 758-759)
+15 Combo (10.2, 10.3-in GR bio, 20.4 lots of back and forth in time)
+15 Jumbo
Task total=50
Season total=335
(Last season I read 3% of this book, then put it aside. I had to restart it from the beginning because I forgot so much of it. Not sure if that counts as a carryover.)
Post 492 Norma wrote: "Counting on Authors - 15.5Dangerous Secrets by Lisa Renee Jones
+15 task - 13 letters
Task total: 15
Grand total: 595"
Norma, this author has 14 letters and should be counted for 15.6. I hope that doesn't mess up your plan.
EDIT: Well, I see you have Janet Evanovich for 15.6. Let us know if there is any champagne drinking in this, or maybe some musicians in the Janet Evanovich title. Or maybe you have another idea!
Post 527 Kristina Simon wrote: "20.1 - SeriallyTender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
+20 task
+25 combo
10.5 - 3,885 users
10.6 - September (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._Scot...)
10..."
It has been some time since I read this. The Wikipedia entry for this refers to the character Captain Dick Diver. I will assume the Captain comes from his prior military service which would qualify this for 10.7.
20.5 BoomerTypical: Stories by Padgett Powell (born 1952)
Ok...this is one of those books that I can not conceive how it merits being on the 1001 Books list. This is a set of short stories which seep with misogyny and grit. But most of the stories are a strange stream of consciousness that eluded me. I detected no theme. Most of the settings were grim....such as a woman who continually sets fire to the dump next to her home to get the attention of the sheriff with whom she had an affair. I rarely abandon books....and, but for this task, I would have done so here. One black star.
BTW, here is what one of the other GR reviewers said-"Profoundly disappointing. While the first story was sort of ok, afterward it started looking like some helplessly untalented students' writing assignments. Utter dreck, incomprehensibly bad. The occasional aphoristic wit was still disconnected from anything resembling coherence or thought. Gave up 60% through."
Task=20
Combo= 5 (10.3-Powell is a "WRITING!" professor at the Univ. of Florida)
NaN =10 (stories)
1001=10
Review=10
Task Total=55
Grand Total= 185
10.1 TBRDjinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
+10 Task (since March 2, 2020)
Task Total: 10
RwS Finish: 100
Season Total: 740
20.3 RatingsThe Dark Forest by Liu Cixin
20 pts 20.3 Ratings
5 pts 20.5 Boomer
5 pts 10.7 Service Wu Yue is in the PLA
5 pts Jumbo
10 pts Review
Excellent science fiction novel written as a sequel toThe Three-Body Problem. This has all of the characteristics of a thriller or a suspense novel but is set in the near future with an ongoing battle with an invading alien force. With out giving away ant spoilers, humanity’s biggest strength and weaknesses are similar and balancing them drives much of the plot.
I am not a science fiction fan butthisseries is excellent and highly recommended.
Total task: 45 pts
Total Season: 530 pts.
… 10.2 ... ... ... ... 10.7 ... ... ...
20.1 ... 20.3 ... 20.5 ... 20.7 ... 20.9 20.10
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
delete
I would like to add a 5 pt combo to post 483 for 10.7. I confirmed this under General Questions post 41.
15.4 Counting on Authors To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey
15 task
_____
15
Running total(including above): 520
20.3 RatingsThe Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
+20 Task rating 4.39
+5 combo 10.2
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 860
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Beyond This Point Are Monsters (other topics)Justified Secrets (other topics)
Merciful Secrets (other topics)
Silent Secrets (other topics)
Veiled Secrets (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Margaret Millar (other topics)Shawn McGuire (other topics)
Shawn McGuire (other topics)
Shawn McGuire (other topics)
Shawn McGuire (other topics)
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The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel
The story revolves around members of a then-jazz quartet from the time they were in High School, plus other jazz musicians.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.4 - alternance of events that takes place in the present and 10 years before)
Task total = 25
Season total = 330
10.1 ; 10.2 ; 10.3 ; … ; … ; 10.6 ; 10.7 ; 10.8 ; 10.9 ; …
… ; … ; … ; 15.4 ; … ; 15.6 ; … ; … ; … ; …
20.1 ; … ; 20.3 (x2) ; 20.4 ; 20.5 ; 20.6 ; … ; … ; 20.9 ; 20.10