Reading with Style discussion
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FA 21 Completed Tasks
20.5 - BoomerThe Woods by Harlan Coben
From Wiki page: born in 1962 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_...
Post: 20
Combo : 5 (20.3 - rating 4.02)
Total : 25
Season total: 275
10.9- Oxford The Queen of Bedlam by Robert R. McCammon
Task: 10
Combo: 10 (rating : 4.27; boomer - see GR data born in 1952)
Jumbo: MPE of 656 : 5 points
Post total : 25
Season total: 300
15.6 -Counting on authors The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
14 letters in author's name
Task: 15
Post: 15
Season total: 315
15.8 - Counting on authorsMusical Youth by Joanne C. Hillhouse
16 letters in author name
Post: 15
Season total: 330
15.8 Counting on AuthorsThe Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
Very happy to have discovered this Canadian author! I'll be looking out for more of her work.
+15 Task (16 letters)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 925
20.10 Musical MysteriesSwan Song by Edmund Crispin
Gervase Fen is consulted when a universally unpopular opera singer is found dead in his dressing room at Oxford's fictional opera house. Everyone hated Edwin Shorthouse so anyone might have hanged him given the chance, but nobody could have got into his room so it must have been suicide - or so the police think. But Professor Fen has other ideas, and it's not long before other members of the production begin to be attacked.
I've rarely read a mystery in which the murder was committed in such an improbable way, but overlooking that, I think this is one of Crispin's best. Plenty of humour, a little romance, and a few surprises along with the dastardly deeds.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.3, 10.6)
+10 Review
Task Total: 40
Season Total: 965
20.8 GothicThe Other by Thomas Tryon
# 130 on the ...Halloween list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Task Points: 20
Total Points So Far: 425
10.5 ClassicsBreakfast At Tiffany's by Truman Capote
+10 pts - task
+15 pts - Combo (10.6, 20.4, 20.9 - I listened as audiobook so I don’t have exact page of the champagne, however this article speaks of it in the 9th paragraph https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1834...)
+10 pts - 1001 books
Task Total - 35 pts
20.10 Musical MysteriesHonky Tonk Kat by Karen Kijewski
20.9 Pg. 322: "Are you drinking champagne?"
"Just one glass. Alma said I could, honest."
PI Kat Colorado helps her childhood friend, Dakota Jones, a country music star who is receiving threatening letters. The harassment escalates into violence so Dakota has to cancel concerts as while Kat investigates.
Kat questions Dakota about suspicious people in her past who might be holding a grudge, and also brings out their challenging childhoods. Both Kat and Dakota had absent parents, and were brought up by loving grandmothers. Even though Dakota is now a superstar, there is a part of her that still feels like an unwanted little girl.
There were several possible perpetrators of the crimes, and the book kept me guessing. I enjoyed the Nashville country music atmosphere for a change of pace in my reading. Kat's cynical humor regarding some of the lowlifes she encountered kept me laughing. Since the book was written in 1996, it was a little jarring when Kat kept stopping at pay phones, but otherwise the book could have been written in modern times.
+20 task (country music)
+10 combo 20.4 Non-linear; 20.9 Anniversary
+10 review
Task total: 40
Season total: 620
15.3 Counting on AuthorsRock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
+15 Task (11 letters)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 80
15.4 Counting on AuthorsGroup: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life by Christie Tate
+15 Task (12 letters)
+5 not a novel
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 100
15.5 Counting on AuthorsThe Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance by Laurie Garrett
+15 Task (13 letters)
+5 not a novel
+5 jumbo (750 pages)
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 125
From Post 461Beth wrote: "10.8
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard
Most of this book really is about Rome the city. Some reaches into the larger empire, but less than 30%. It's a ..."
+5 Combo 20.5
20.1 SeriallyThe Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.5)
+5 Jumbo (576p)
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 1,495
10.1 TBRLady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon I think I’ve had this book in 2 different formats since RWS was created.
+10 pts - Task
+25 pts - Combo - (10.5, 10.7-Lieutenant Maldon + George Talboy was a Dragoon, 10.9, 20.1 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Au..., 20.8-#37 on BGOAT list)
Task Total - 35 pts
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, Kate sees that this appears to fit 10.7 with a character having been a Navy SEAL. Unless you think otherwise, we can score it there.
20.2 Anti-heroThe Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
This was a stellar debut for Banks. I’ve owned this book a long time, but I always hesitated to start it because I thought it would be too much – horror isn’t my thing.
This novel falls into the category of Gothic horror, there is a lot of atmosphere and some minor harkening back to the action in Frankenstein. You are thrown off kilter right from the beginning of the book, with the deadpan narration of an unreliable narrator. Is this person a psychopath or is this in their imagination? You have no idea until the end (which I did have an inking about, but still was a major twist). There are definitely horrific events in the novel, but most of them are reported to us by the narrator (except for one awful one perpetrated by the narrator which was very hard to read). Banks wrote a real page turner that I couldn’t wait to get back to when I was forced to put it down. 4.5*
20 task
10 review
10 combo 20.5, 10.5
10 1001 book
--------
50
Running total: 570
20.3 ratingsThe Lucky Oneby Nicholas Sparks
Task +20
Combo +5 10.7 character is in the Army
Grand Total: 180
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 527 Kristina Simon wrote: "20.1 - SeriallyTender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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."
Yes, you're right. Thank you for catching that!
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/tender...
"...when America entered the war, [he] was sent to France with a neurological unit."
"...we learn that Dick had met Nicole Warren as he was leaving for France in his military uniform..."
10.9 OxfordAcross the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
+10 Task green
Task Total: 10
Season Total: 880
10.9 OxfordThe Social Principles of Jesus by Walter Rauschenbusch
+10 pts - Task
+20 pts - Combo ( 10.3-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_..., 10.6-same article says Oct 4, 10.8 - Jesus lived in Judea which is part of Palestine and Israel, 20.3)
+10 pts - Not a Novel
Task Total - 40
Task 20.1 SeriallyRead a novel originally published serially.
Dune Messiah (Dune #2) (1969) by Frank Herbert (Mass Market Paperback, 331 pages)
+20 Task
+10 Combo (#10.5: >100 MPG “classics”; #10.6: male w/birthday October)
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 430 + 30 = 460
20.3 RatingsIn the Garden of the North American Martyrs by Tobias Wolff
+20 Task (4.15 rating)
+10 Combo (10.3-in GR bio, 10.7-Two stories had MC's that were veterans; another was about men in boot camp)
+10 Not-a-Novel (short stories)
Task total=40
Season total=375
I would like to add a combo to my post 470 for 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay'. I didn't check the 'classic' standing at the time and I see 116 users rated it as such. This brings my running total to: 575
Sorry for being so disorganized with my combos.
Task 15.2 10 lettersIsaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History (1999) by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) (Paperback, 336 pages) [976.413]
+15 Task
+05 Not-a-Novel
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 460 + 20 = 480
20.7 ExophonicThe Attack by Yasmina Khadra
+20 pts - Task
+25 pts - Combo(10.7- central to the book is the fight between militant Palestinians and Israeli army. The protagonist’s wife and several family members are involved in the fighting, 10.8 - Palestine/Israel, 20.4, 20.5-1955, 20.6)
Task Total - 45 pts
20.5 BoomerHunter's Moon by Dana Stabenow
+20 Task born 1961
+5 Combo 20.3 rating 4.22
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 905
20.9 - Anniversary (Kate S's Task)Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie
🍁 "A glass of poisoned champagne was about the only thing that would keep Rosemary quiet." ~ 1:52:25 into audiobook 🍁
+20 task
+15 combo:
{10.5 - 179 users
10.7 - detective Johnnie Race is an ex-Army colonel (https://www.goodreads.com/series/7639...)
20.1}
Task total: 35
Season total: 485
20.6 - Awarded The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
🍁 Hugo Award for Best Novel (2019), Nebula Award for Best Novel (2018), Locus Award for Science Fiction Novel (2019) 🍁
+20 task
+10 combo
10.7 - main character was a WASP - WASPs granted veteran status in 1977 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_A...)
20.9 - "I waved it away and picked up my champagne glass. This party must have cost them a fortune." ~ 6:23:00 into audiobook (chapter 23)
Task total: 30
Season total: 515
20.5 BoomerMercy (Atlee Pine #4) by David Baldacci
born 1960 - as per GR profile
Review
Fans all over the world have been waiting for this moment! The moment when Special Agent Atlee Pine finally finds out what happened to her twin sister, Mercy, when they were separated as children. Mercy is a thrilling conclusion to this mystery as well as a spellbinding story of women's resilience and strength.
Pine and Blum travelled the country in tracing those involved with Mercy's kidnapping. As always, things never go smoothly as there are many other external factor that come to play. Slowly, complexity and tension build up until the explosive ending that is typical of Baldacci's novels. I really don't know whether this is a final Atlee Pine novel because all 4 books have been about her and Mercy. That's pretty much done now and that last scene in the book sounds like a farewell to me. Either way, I'm very happy with this finale.
Honestly, this is a tough review to write without spoilers! So please forgive me for being more vague than ever but just believe me when I say that this is an unmissable finale though if you haven't been following the series, you very much need to read them starting from book 1, Long Road to Mercy.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.3 - 4.31 avg)
+10 Review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1,530
10.3 Back to SchoolCry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
"Cry, the Beloved Country" is an important story set in 1940s South Africa with its tensions between the various ethnic and racial groups, and between urban and rural life. Reverend Kumalo leaves his rural village to bring back his sister and his son from Johannesburg. Both of them have been influenced by bad company and the corruption in the lawless city. His son has been involved in a terrible crime.
The story later tells of the kindness of a white plantation owner, inspired by his son's work for social justice, who helps Reverend Kumalo's Zulu village. Kumalo feels that a strong family life and a strong village community are very necessary, but the young people often move away for financial reasons. The author's love for beautiful South Africa, his deep compassion, and his dismay over racial injustice act as a backdrop for this moving story.
+10 task (Taught school in Ixopo per Goodreads)
+ 5 combo 10.5 Classic
+10 1001 book
+10 review
Task total: 35
Season total: 655
15.10 Counting on AuthorsThe Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
+15 Task (21 letters)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 1,545
10.10 Group ReadsFive Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City by Wes Moore
+10 pts - Task
+15 pts - Combo (10.6- Oct 15, 20.3, 20.4- told from different POV’s, )
+10 pts - Not a Novel
Task Total - 35 pts
Thanks, Katy for suggesting this book. I stayed up half the night to finish it. It was one of those incidents that I vaguely remember in the background as we lived overseas at the time and the results of trial I didn’t remember hearing about. I’m glad this moment in history was brought into my focus. I see the author is now running for governor. I wish him the best.
20.3 RatingsOh William! by Elizabeth Strout
+20 Task (4.12 rating)
+15 Combo (10.3-in GR bio, 20.4 narrative is very back and forth in time, 20.5-1956)
Task total=35
Season total=410
Mary wrote: "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 scie..."
UPDATE TO CORRECT ARITHMETIC
Total as of post #488 and Readerboard: 515 pts
Task total for this book (post # 547): 45 pts
Total Season (Corrected): 560 pts
15.10 Counting Authors 20+ lettersA Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
Task Points: 15
Season Total : 440
20.6 AwardedThe Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers
Mythopoetic Fant Award 1990, Premio Ignotus por Novela 1992
Task Points: 20
Season Total: 480
15.1 Counting on AuthorsThe Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story by Ann Rule
+15 Task (7 letters)
+ 5 Jumbo
+ 5 Nonfiction
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 990
15.7 Counting on AuthorsThe Hills is Lonely by Lillian Beckwith
+15 Task (15 letters)
+ 5 Nonfiction (memoir)
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 1010
20.8 GothicThe Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
This novel has SO much atmosphere that I can see why it is considered a ‘gothic’ work. The atmosphere really is another character. Setterfield has a knack for descriptive writing, and she is able to craft characters you are very interested in even if they slightly repel you. We spend a lot of time in the past as the story unfolds, as well as in the ‘present’ (an ambiguous present) as the stories intertwine. I enjoyed this novel immensely – there is madness, ghosts, ivy choked windows, fog, a cat (there has to be a cat), strong (!) female characters, two houses and gardens that also stand as characters, and so much more. I felt off balance a lot of the time (there’s gothic for you!), but it was so very worth it when it wrapped up in a very enjoyable ending. 5*
20 task
10 review
20 combo: 10.5, 20.4, 20.5, 20.6
_____
50
Running total: 625
20.5 - BoomerThe Black Ice by Michael Connelly
Personal website: https://www.michaelconnelly.com/about/
Born July 1956
Task: 10
Combo : 10 ( 20.3, 10.7)
Post total: 20
Season total: 350
10.1- TBRThe Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
On TBR as part of box set since June 2015
Task: 10
Jumbo : 10 using MPE of 781 pages
Post total: 20
Season total: 360
10.3 Back to SchoolThe Mathematics of Love: Patterns, Proofs, and the Search for the Ultimate Equation by Hannah Fry
10 pts 10.3 Back to School
10 pts Not a Novel
10 pts Review
Fun application of mathematics to our love life. Includes mathematically derived strategies for dating (be the asker, ask early and fail often), choosing a partner, and planning a wedding seating chart. Some of the insights are intuitive but others are less practical in real life. The strength of the book is that it places math concepts in a context where they are not expected and develops reasonable insights into our love life. You are led to wonder about whether mathematicians really do all this or if they just muddle through finding love like the rest of us.
Total task: 30 pts
Total Season: 590 pts.
10.1 10.2 10.3 ... ... ... 10.7 ... ... ...
20.1 ... 20.3 ... 20.5 ... 20.7 ... 20.9 20.10
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
10.4 Truth & Reconciliation Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Really engrossing book with a few different levels going on! It tells the story of Virgil Wounded Horse, an "enforcer" on the Rosebud reservation who is caring for his teenage nephew and working but is kind of at loose ends. He winds up trying to track down the source of drugs coming onto the reservation (especially as they have impacted his nephew's life directly) and uncovers secrets and corruption on different levels. Beyond the mystery/thriller aspect, the book also paints a fascinating picture of life on the Rosebud reservation, and an equally fascinating but also depressing and grim picture of some of the ways that the government and law enforcement operate that seem completely unjust.
+10 task
+5 combo (10.3 - bio lists him as a professor)
+10 review
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 150
20.1 SeriallyAgatha Christie by The Murder on the Links
+20 task
+15 combo (10.2, 10.5, 10.8 - set almost entirely in France)
Task Total: 35
Season total: 185
15.10 over 20 lettersVignettes from Finland: Or Twelve Months in Strawberry Land by Annie Margaret Clive Bayley
15 pts 15.10 CoA over 20 letters
5 pts Not a novel
Female author
Published pre 1996
Total task: 20 pts
Total Season: 610 pts.
10.1 10.2 10.3 ... ... ... 10.7 ... ... ...
20.1 ... 20.3 ... 20.5 ... 20.7 ... 20.9 20.10
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 15.10
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Reading with Style
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My Patients and Other Animals: A Veterinarian's Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope by Suzy Fincham-Gray
+15 Task (15 letters)
+5 Not-a-Novel
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 1,465