Reading with Style discussion
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FA 21 Completed Tasks
20.8 - GothicThe Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
+20 task
+10 combo (10.6 - born 9/24/1717, 10.8 - set in Italy)
Task total: 30
Season total: 465
10.1;..;10.3;10.4(x2);10.5;..;10.7;..;..;..
..;15.2;..;..;15.5;15.6;15.7;15.8;15.9;15.10
..;..;..;20.4;20.5;20.6;..;20.8;20.9;20.10
10.2 - extinction (ok per thread - book #3 in the Extinction Cycle series)Extinction Age by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
+10 task
+5 combo (10.7 - Master Sgt. Reed Beckham)
Task total: 15
Season total: 480
10.1;10.2;10.3;10.4(x2);10.5;..;10.7;..;..;..
..;15.2;..;..;15.5;15.6;15.7;15.8;15.9;15.10
..;..;..;20.4;20.5;20.6;..;20.8;20.9;20.10
15.7 CoA, 15 lettersMy Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates
+15 Task
+5 500+ pages (576 pages)
Post total: 20
Season total: 635
Claimed to date:
10.1 - 10.3 10.4 - 10.6 10.7 - 10.9 10.10
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 - 15.6 15.7 - - -
- 20.2 20.3(x2) 20.4 - 20.6 - - 20.9 -
10.2 HalloweenA Double Death on the Black Isle by A.D. Scott
The reporters on a weekly newspaper in 1950s northern Scotland were investigating two deaths on the Black Isle. One of the dead had been recently on a fishing boat that was destroyed by a suspicious fire. The book had a good sense of place and the various groups of people living on the Black Isle--the upper class, the farmers, the fishermen, and the Travelers (or tinkers who were similar to gypsies.) Prejudices existed so that people mostly socialized only with their own group.
The main character is Joanne, a mother with two children who left an abusive marriage, who is working a new job as a reporter for the Highland Gazette. The interactions between the people on the newspaper staff seemed very realistic--humorous banter, wanting the big scoop, and the pressure of deadlines. The author worked as an advertising agent on a newspaper so she was able to use her experiences in creating the atmosphere.
+10 task (death)
+ 5 combo 20.4 Non-linear (flashbacks to childhood and an abusive marriage)
+10 review
Task total: 25
Season total: 795
15.3 Counting on AuthorsHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
+15 11 letters
Points this post: 15
RwS total: 230
CoA total: 15
Season Total: 245
.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 10.9 ....
.... .... 15.3 .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
.... .... 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 .... .... 20.9 ....
15.10 CoA, 20+ lettersThe Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett
+15 Task
+5 Not-a-Novel
Post total: 20
Season total: 655
Claimed to date:
10.1 - 10.3 10.4 - 10.6 10.7 - 10.9 10.10
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 - 15.6 15.7 - - 15.10
- 20.2 20.3(x2) 20.4 - 20.6 - - 20.9 -
15.5 Counting on AuthorsThe Fancy by Monica Dickens
+15 Task (13 letters)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 1135
15.4 Counting on AuthorsOutback Secrets (Bunyip Bay #5) by Rachael Johns
+15 Task (12 letters)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 1,735
20.5 BoomerBlood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
+20 born 1952
+5 Combo 20.3 rating 4.16
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 1030
20.10 Musical MysteriesThe Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel
+20 born
+5 Combo 20.4
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 1055
20.7 ExophonicThe Emissary by Yōko Tawada
+20 born
+10 Combo 20.4, 20.5 born 1960
Task Total: 30
RwS Finish: 100
Season Total: 1185
I think that I have 5 points more on the readerboard than I should. My records show 600 points (through post 650) and the readerboard says 605.Sorry if I'm missing something! I don't see a post for additional combos I missed (except for the one for Brave New World, which I've already accounted for).
15.6 Counting on AuthorsBirds of a Feather by Tricia Stringer
+15 Task (14 letters)
+100 Completion
+50 All Female
Post Total: 165
Season Total: 1,900
15.6 Counting on AuthorsRoll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Lexile 910
+15 Task (14 letters)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 1200
20.4 Non-linearThe Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
It's hard to call this a sequel to Old Filth because it is much the same story but told from a different point of view. That said, I think this is a series when reading in order is pretty much required. There would be many sections of this that make no sense without having read the other beforehand.
This is Betty, the wife of Sir Edward Feathers. Now that I've written that, I think it isn't entirely true. There are some segments and the ending that are told from the point of view of Sir Edward. I will freely admit I liked Sir Edward better, and I liked Old Filth better. Here, however, we learn how Betty and Sir Edward came to be married. I think that was the best of this novel. There are other bits that were either glossed over or didn't appear in the prior novel. Here, there are also revelations toward the end that are worth a guffaw, and one so poignant as to moisten the eyes.
I find it interesting that this one has a higher average rating than either of the other two of the series. I have the third and will read it, but I don't expect to be thrilled to be reading the story told from the viewpoint of Terry Veneering. I have been surprised before. This is certainly 4-stars, but not five.
+20 Task (not as much back and forth as in the prior novel, but a couple of chapters do so)
+10 Review
+10 Combo (20.3, 20.9 "Ross who commanded Filth’s jacket to be put on a hanger in a cupboard, declined to take off his hat and who demanded an immediate refill of the complimentary champagne.")
Task total = 40
Season total = 450
20.5 BoomerEmily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan
+20 Task (1961)
+10 Combo (10.3-msg #11 in task thread), 20.9-"Henry wrote the check and we opened a bottle of champagne.")
Task total=30
Season total=470
20.2 Anti-heroIn honor of F. Scott Fitzgerald, read a book from
List of fictional antiheroes at wikipedia.com:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
I read Macbeth
Task points: 20
Combo: 10.5, 10.7, 20.8 Halloween list # 30) = 15
Not a novel: 10
Point Total for Post: 45
Season Total: 595
20.3 - 4.24 starsAkata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor
+20 task (YA listing, low lexile - no styles)
Task total: 20
Season total: 500
10.1;10.2;10.3;10.4(x2);10.5;..;10.7;..;..;..
..;15.2;..;..;15.5;15.6;15.7;15.8;15.9;15.10
..;..;20.3;20.4;20.5;20.6;..;20.8;20.9;20.10
From Post 322Bucket wrote: "10.10 Group Reads
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
I'm of two minds on this one.
First, the negative. My main complaint is the ways the plot feels forced. The most egregi..."
+5 Combo 20.6
From Post 464Coralie wrote: "20.1 Serially
Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope
+20 Task
+10 Combo 10.5 (shelved 279 times), 20.3 (rating 4.04)
+5 Jumbo 573 pages
Task Total: 35
Season Total: 795"
+5 Combo 10.3
From Post 618Bucket wrote: "20.2 Anti-hero
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (#90 on Best Anti-heroes in Books list)
It took me a while to get into this one, and I'm not one who needs a bracin..."
+5 Combo 10.3
From Post 649Kathleen (itpdx) wrote: "10.7 Service
Under the Dome by Stephen King
A mysterious dome descends on a small Maine town one October, locking it away from the rest of the world. I expected the s..."
+5 Combo 20.8
From Post 682Mary wrote: "20.6 Awarded
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
20 pts 20.6 Awarded
5 pts 10.2 Halloween
5 pts 10.3 Back to School
5 pts 10.5 Classics
5 pts 10.6 Birthday
5 pts 20...."
I do not see this on Boxall's 1001 list, sorry.
Edited to say: 5 Combo 20.2
From Post 699Denise wrote: "20.3 Ratings
Ship Fever: Stories by Andrea Barrett
+20 Task (4.05)
+10 Combo (10.3, 20.5, both in GR bio)
Task total=30
Season total=440"
+10 Not a Novel
10.9 OxfordThe New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins
I was uncertain what I would read for my own task until I decided to get this book, which has both ‘New’ and ‘Magdalen’ in the title - two colleges that I know better than most of the others.
Mercy Merrick, a ‘fallen woman’ who has become a nurse, and Grace Roseberry, a respectable young lady travelling to England to find a home with a distant relative, meet in a European war zone. Grace is injured, apparently fatally, and Mercy takes on her identity to seek a life of ease and respectability in England. Then Grace reappears…
This is a common enough trope, but Collins turns it on its head – unusual in the Victorian era – by championing Mercy. There’s a certain amount of melodrama, as always with his books, but I found it a real page-turner, and I’m surprised it hasn’t received more attention.
+10 Task
+ 5 Combo (20.1 posted in help thread)
+10 Review
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 1160
20.3 RatingsMake Me Rain: Poems & Prose by Nikki Giovanni
+20 Task:
+10 Combo:10.3 Back to School / 20.9 Anniversary (p80 ...a good bottle of Champagne was popped when he arrived)
+10 Not a Novel
Task Total: 40
Season Total: 950
15.8 Counting on AuthorsThe Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
+15 Task: (16-17 letters)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 965
15.10 Counting on AuthorsThe Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
+15 Task: (20 or more letters)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 980
Kate S wrote: "From Post 682Mary wrote: "20.6 Awarded
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
20 pts 20.6 Awarded
5 pts 10.2 Halloween
5 pts 10.3 Back to School
5 pts 10.5 Classics
5..."
Sorry for the errors. So is the correct total: 70 pts?
No 1001 (-10pts)
+ 5 Antihero.
Net -5 for this task
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
20 pts 20.6 Awarded
5 pts 10.2 Halloween
5 pts 10.3 Back to School post 44 in 10.3 thread
5 pts 10.5 Classics
5 pts 10.6 Birthday
5 pts 20.2 Antihero
5 pts 20.9 Anniversary I sell champagne and I’d like you to try my brand. Bring her a champagne Stanley. P 138
10 pts Review
10 pts Not a Novel
15.7 Counting on AuthorsRound 3
The Anthill by Julianne Pachico
+15 Task (15 letters)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 1,915
Task 15.3 11 lettersStar-Crossed (2019) by Minnie Darke
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 510 + 15 = 525
15.7 - 15 lettersIndustrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong
+15 task
+ 5 Jumbo (528 pages)
Task total: 20
Season total: 590
20.3 RatingsMoving Target by J.A. Jance
20 pts 20.3 Ratings
5 pts 10.3 Back to School
5 pts 10.7 Service Leland was a Royal Marine
5 pts 20.9 Anniversary p 17 she has fussed and fawned over him the whole trip plying him first with champagne . . .
10 pts Review
This installment of the Ali Reynolds is better than some of the earlier books. There are two mysteries to be solved and Leland has a much more central role. That is a welcome addition. The characters seem to be much more engaging abd while there are still alot of coincidences the plot moves along at a good pace. It appears that High Noon may have found a new employee to help Stu out with his not quite legit computer activities. Definitely enjoyed the book and the characters are beginning to be more well rounded.
Total task: 45 pts
Correction to post 682: -5 pts
Total Season: 780 pts.
10.1 10.2 10.3 ... ... ... 10.7 ... ... ...
20.1 ... 20.3 …20.5 20.6 20.7 20.8 20.9 20.10
15.1 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 15.10
15.10The Early Conundrums: A Spade/Paladin Collection by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
+15 task
+5 not a novel
Task total: 20
Grand total: 755
15.5 Counting on Authors13 Letters
The Color Of Lightning by Paulette Jiles
Task total: 15
Season total: 810
15.2 Counting on AuthorsLeave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
+15 10 letters
Points this post: 15
RwS total: 230
CoA total: 30
Season Total: 260
.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 10.9 ....
.... 15.2 15.3 .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
.... .... 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 .... .... 20.9 ....
15.3 Counting on AuthorsBad Intentions by Karin Fossum
+15 Task: (11 letters)
Task Total: 15
Counting on Authors Finish: 100
+50 All Female Authors
Megafinish: 200
Season Total: 1345 (I'm 5 points off, so it may be 1350?)
10.3 Back to SchoolFathoms: The World in the Whale by Rebecca Giggs
+10 Task
+10 Not a Novel
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 1365 / 1370?
Congratulations on your mega finish, Karen!15.9 Counting on Authors
Tales from Bective Bridge by Mary Josephine Lavin
+15 Task (18 letters)
+ 5 Not a novel (short stories)
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 1180
Karen Michele wrote: "Counting on Authors Finish: 100+50 All Female Authors
Megafinish: 200"
Yes, indeed - Congratulations, Well done!
10.3Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi
This was a fascinating book, with a different author writing each section, which covered something relevant from a five year period of history, stretching from when enslaved Africans were first brought to the colonies until now. There were also some complementary poems. Many of the small sections were from authors who had personal ties to the story they were telling. But the personal experiences always circled into the more historically significant topic. I highly recommend it as being informative and easy to digest, although some of the subject matter is harder of course. I think the piece I found the hardest hitting was the one on Anita Hill. I was old enough I remember it being on the news but young enough I don't recall realizing even just the misogynist weight of it and the article also covers both that and the racist part, of courss.
+10 task
+5 combo 10.9 - Souls, as in example.
+5 combo 20.3
+10 not a novel
Task total: 30
Grand total: 785
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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 Given Day by Dennis Lehane
“Twelve in the afternoon and people were guzzling champagne and guzzling rye….”
Lehane sets this book in Boston at the end of WWI. Many Irish immigrants have gotten a half step up, they seem to make up the majority of the Boston Police Department and some have risen through the ranks. Though Lehane doesn’t make it part of the story line, they are being turned against the next wave of immigrants—the Russians, Jews, Italians, Poles, etc.
The story focuses on the Coughlin family headed by immigrant Thomas who has risen to Captain in the police force and who has accumulated some wealth by tapping into political graft. His son, Danny, is trying to earn his detective shield.
The story also follows Luther Laurence, a talented young black man from Ohio, trying to find his way in the very racist United States in the early 20th century.
The story reaches its climax in the Boston police strike of 1919. Lehane masterfully weaves in many historical threads-baseball, the red scare, labor unrest, race riots, and the coming of prohibition.
But the main theme is Luther and Danny finding their moral footings.
+10 task
+10 combo 20.3, 20.9
+10 review
+10 jumbo
Task total: 40
Season total: 445