Reading with Style discussion
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Rosemary wrote: "Post 418 Kim wrote: "20.10 LettersA Parchment of Leaves by Silas House
This was a new author to me, but I will look for more of his books, as I truly enjoyed this ..."
Thanks, it's been a while. I'll do an update to this.
Reposting 418 with longer reviewA Parchment of Leaves
This was a new author to me, but I will look for more of his books, as I truly enjoyed this story of a Cherokee woman, named Vine, who marries a white man who she meets when he is hired to drive her people off their land. After meeting her, he refuses to do that, and over time they fall in love and marry. She leaves her beloved family behind, moving to his mountain. She makes a life for herself, but never forgets her roots. Eventually, the developer does force her family off their land, and they move to Georgia. Vine and her mother keep in touch by writing to each other.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total 30
Season Total 120
20.1; 20.2.; 20.7; 20.10
20.3 DickensThe King of Diamonds by Louis Tracy
I had put off this 1904 Mysteries Challenge entry because, frankly, the Goodreads description made it sound just so-so. I'm happy to say what I read is so so much better than that description. In the beginning, Philip Anson's mother is dying from the effects of poverty. The family had once been affluent and so, at least, Philip was well-educated. A night or two after her death there was a huge electrical storm in London. In the midst of this storm a small (very small) meteor plunged into the yard behind #3 Johnson's Mews, where Philip still lived. What are all those pretty white things?
Unless one reads just absolute drivel, there is something to be learned even from fiction. Are meteoric diamonds a real thing? I had to do yet another Google search. Yes, meteoric diamonds are a real thing and Philip Anson was suddenly the possessor diamonds worth millions of £s. How he navigates the world to realize his fortune and keep this new found wealth secret even temporarily is a fun read. And then, of course, there is a man with a grudge and another with larceny in his soul.
I cannot rave about the writing, but neither am I going to stand on the corner and complain loudly. It isn't the polished style one can expect with books published 30 and more years later. I didn't expect - and didn't get - much in the way of characterization, but somehow I didn't mind. The plot is pretty simple and straighforward - I even thought a time or two that an old black and white movie would be fun.
I'm not going out on a limb with a 4th star. That said, I'll repeat that this is ever so much better than the Goodreads description would have you believe.
+20 Task (born 1863)
+10 Review
+10 Oldies
+ 5 Multiple (first post for 20.3 at #120)
Task total = 45
Season total = 620
20.8 Morrison In honor of Toni Morrison, read any book by a woman who is also a person of color.Sula by Toni Morrison
I keep plugging away at her canon, although half the time I'm not sure what the message is supposed to be.
+20 Task
Oldie - +5 (published in 1973)
Task Total 25
Season Total 145
20.1; 20.2.; 20.7; 20.8; 20.10
15.2 Celebration of StylesThey Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom by Ahed Tamimi
+15 pts - task (non western - Palestine)
Task Total - 15 pts
20.3 Dickens King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
Haggard's lifespan was 1856-1925)
Task=20
Oldie=10 (1885)
Task Total=30
Grand Total=235
Tasks Completed:
10.7 (6x)
20.1 (2x); 20.3; 20.6
15.3 Celebration of StylesTipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
+15 pts - Task (1001 Books)
Task Total - 15 pts
20.10 Letters Foe by J.M. Coetzee
Susan Barton has been washed up on a desert island where she met two other castaways, a white man called Cruso and a black man called Friday. Eventually they are rescued and Susan returns to London. Convinced that her story could be a bestseller, but feeling unequal to the task of writing it herself, she turns to a writer named Daniel Foe. What he makes of her story is not what she expected. But perhaps she has not been completely honest either.
This is a short work and a much easier read than its inspiration, Robinson Crusoe. I enjoyed its rambling circularities and even its vagueness as to the truth, if "truth" is the right word for a person's stories about their own life.
+20 Task (Susan writes letters to Foe)
+10 Review
+ 5 Multiple
+ 5 Oldies (1986)
Post Total = 40
Season Total = 740
10.3 Vowels Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman by Alan Rickman
This is really hard to review because so much depends on the reader and their expectations. At first I was disappointed because the diaries are not self-revelatory on the surface. They mostly concern his brief comments on the acting/directing roles that he had in theatre and film. And yet, as I continued to listen, I realised that they do add up to quite a deep revelation about Rickman's attitudes to life, friendship, acting, and politics.
I listened to the audiobook, and it's hard because Rickman's voice was so iconic, and the narrator sounds nothing like him. I think to get anything out of this audiobook, we have to let go of the expectation that we will be hearing Rickman's voice (or, to take it a step further, Severus Snape's).
A lot of the names will mean nothing to some people. It will help if you were born before 1980 (maybe even before 1970) and are familiar with British actors of the Boomer generation. Readers only interested in hearing about the Harry Potter films will find they have to wade through a lot of other stuff for the occasional nugget.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Post Total = 20
Season Total = 760
20.3 DickensThe Confessions of Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc
This is a collection of 10 stories featuring Arsène Lupin. The title of the first in the series describes him as a Gentleman Thief. There is an introduction in this edition by Otto Penzler where he says Reading his fiction today, one is generally impressed with the fast pace and diversified action, although it borders on burlesque, and the incredible situations and coincidences may be a little difficult to accept. I'm glad he uses the word "burlesque" in this context. I had often thought burlesque meant a variety show wherein it was traditional to employ young women in striptease acts. Penzler uses the term to mean a comic exaggeration.
These stories fit that definition perfectly. I had no particular favorite, instead watching Lupin foil the police or, just as often, solve crimes for them. Lupin sometimes stole huge sums only to return them. Lupin is a thief for the pure joy of the challenge.
The series is numbered, but I can find no reason why one should read them in order. Not even the stories within the volumes are linked, although there is one story in this that refers to a previous one. If I give this 4-stars for enjoyment, would it imply a greater literary value than the 3-stars I'll give it? Too bad we don't have a 2-tier system where one set of stars is for enjoyment and the other for literary value.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (1912)
+ 5 Multiple (first post for this task at #120)
Task total = 45
Season total = 665
15.5Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea
For style non-western
Author pre-approved on spreadsheet
Task: 15
Grand total: 275
Task 15.2Aged
Peter Lovesey, who is still alive, was born in 1936
2023 – 1936 = 87
Abracadaver (Sergeant Cribb #3) (1972) by Peter Lovesey
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 235 + 15 = 250
20.3 DickensThe Black Box by E. Phillips Oppenheim
20 pts 20.3 Dickens
10 pts Review
10 pts Oldies
A scientific detective becomes involved in several interlinked crimes involving a pair of disembodied hands. Using novel technology (a phone that allows the caller to see what is going in the other party’s room!), Sanford Quest begins his investigation and narrows down the suspects to one that he then tracks around the world.
A prolonged chase through three continents until the big final reveal of the mystery’s solution. The solution is not a complete surprise but it is very convoluted. The edition I read was a tie in to the 1915 silent movie and included stills from the movie as illustrations.
Generally I recommend the book, but it is a bit tedious by the end as the series of chases ending in the “bad guy” getting away become a little repetitive.
Task Total: 40pts
Season Total: 130 pts
465
10.1… … … … … … … … …
… … 20.3 … … …20.7 20.8 … …
… … … … … … … … … …
20.3 DickensTo the South Seas: The Cruise of the Schooner Mary Pinchot by Gifford Pinchot
20 pts 20.3 Dickens
10 pts Review
10 pts Oldies
5 pts Multiple
This book recounts a 1929 sailing trip from New York through the Panama Canal to the Galapagos, Marquesas, Tuomotus and Tahiti. The crew are collecting natural history specimens for American museums and the book includes many descriptions of the flora and fauna of the islands
There is also a very extensive discussion of fishing in many different places in the South Pacific. If you aren’t an angler this can be a little tedious. Enjoyable read about places most haven’t visited. Description of culture and the islands is much more interesting. Recommended if you are interested in a travel memoir to places that are much different than they are today.
Task Total: 45 pts
Season Total: 175 pts
466
10.1… … … … … … … … …
… … 20.3 … … …20.7 20.8 … …
… … … … … … … … … …
20.10 LettersOn Borrowed Time by Lawrence Edward Watkin
20 pts 20.10 Letter. Gramp writes to the minidster
10 pts Review
10 pts Oldies
5 pts Award Winning National book award 1937
Gramp has care of his orphaned grandson and early in the book meets death and refuses to go. Instead he makes a wish and traps death for long enough for his grandson to grow up. The result is an oddly lighthearted meditation on human relationships and the role that death plays in our lives. Humor creeps in the oddest places.
Surprisingly good book, but likely difficult to find. This is a very early winner of the National Book Award by a writer who became more known for screen and TV work.
Indicative of the time it was written, the book includes a few racial and ethnic slurs.
Task Total: 45 pts
Season Total: 220pts
467
10.1… … … … … … … … …
… … 20.3 … … …20.7 20.8 … 20.10
… … … … … … … … … …
20.10 LettersMiss Madelyn Mack, Detective by Hugh C. Weir
20 pts 20.10 Letter « Madelyn's fountain pen scratched a dozen lines across a sheet of her note-book, and she thrust it into an envelope and extended it to the stable lad. » Pg 127
10 pts Review
10 pts Oldies
5 pts Multiple
An early detective story which appears to be modelled on Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, but with a twist. The detective is a woman as is her sidekick Nora Noraker. In a series of short stories, Mack finds the murderer when neither the police or others invovled can.
Unfortunately this is not a fair play mystery. The reader is unlikely to be able to solve the mystery because the author routinely gives the detective information that is not shared with the reader. A little dated, but some creative “locked room” style mysteries. Fun read especially if you are looking for an early mystery for the Challenge.
Task Total: 45 pts
Season Total: 265 pts
468
10.1… … … … … … … … …
… … 20.3 … … …20.7 20.8 … 20.10
… … … … … … … … … …
10.7 ScrabbleThe Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius by George Orwell
10 pts 10.7 Scrabble 29 points
10 pts Review
10 pts Oldies
Written in 1940, this long essay describes the British political, economic and social structure at the beginning of World War II. Orwell sees Britain as potentially unable to survive the German threat in large part due to inherent cultural tensions leading to inefficiency and inability to adapt. The essay reflects the degree of pessimism about the ability of Britain to survive the bleakest period of World War II. In adition, Orwell places blame for this situation on the inability of Britian to change and move away from a sclerotric capitalist system.
He recommends a movement to a more socialist structure that would break the historical economic relationships and supplant them with a more effective and modern economic system
Very interesting read particularly given the historical context. I would recommend it.
Task Total: 30 pts
Season Total: 295 pts
469
10.1… … … … 10.7 … … …
… … 20.3 … … …20.7 20.8 … 20.10
… … … … … … … … … …
15.6-Celebration of Styles-YOUNGThe Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
Born December 31st, 1974
+15 Task
Season Total 365
20.9 Popular Science Nature Wants Us to Be Fat: The Surprising Science Behind Why We Gain Weight and How We Can Prevent--and Reverse--It by Richard J. Johnson
Rating=4.29
Task=20
Task Total=20
Grand Total=255
Tasks Completed:
10.7 (6x)
20.1 (2x); 20.3; 20.6; 20.9
Post 455 Kim wrote: "20.8 Morrison In honor of Toni Morrison, read any book by a woman who is also a person of color.Sula by Toni Morrison
I keep plugging away at her canon, although half..."
+5 Prize Worthy
20.7 Christie The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
Spans from June 1984 to October 2043 = 59 years
Task: 20
Prize Worthy: 15 World Fantasy Award for Novel 2015;Tähtifantasia Award 2018; Prix européen Utopiales des pays de la Loire 2018
Jumbo : 5 MPE 613
Post total : 40
Season total: 270
10.7 Scrabble (Anika's Task)The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan
37 points
I was excited to see that there was a new Percy Jackson books. It has been awhile, and I always enjoy Rick Riordan. As I make the way through the novel it becomes evident that this is going to be the first of three, as Percy is going to need 3 letters of recommendation to get into New Rome University, from various gods, obviously, and to get those letters he is going to need to go on quests.
This is a very pared down Percy Jackson. Less characters, less twists and turns, but still an enjoyable little romp. Less characters makes it easier to follow, the humour seems a little less than before, and the tensions are not so high as the longer novels, but if you are completionist you will read it and enjoy it.
+10 task
+10 review
+5 multiple
Post Total = 25
Season Total = 965
10.1; ...; 10.3 (x3); ...; ...; 10.6; 10.7 (x5); ...; ...; ...
15.1 (x2); 15.2; 15.3; 15.4; 15.5; 15.6; 15.7; 15.8; 15.9;15.10
20.1 (x4); ... ; ...; 20.4 (x2); 20.5; ....; ....; 20.8 (x2); 20.9; 20.10 (x2)
15.2 Celebration of Styles x 2Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
Not a Novel
+15 task
Post Total = 15
Season Total = 980
10.1; ...; 10.3 (x3); ...; ...; 10.6; 10.7 (x5); ...; ...; ...
15.1 (x2); 15.2 (x2); 15.3; 15.4; 15.5; 15.6; 15.7; 15.8; 15.9;15.10
20.1 (x4); ... ; ...; 20.4 (x2); 20.5; ....; ....; 20.8 (x2); 20.9; 20.10 (x2)
15.7 Celebration of StylesTranslated (from French to English)
The Man on the Bench in the Barn by Georges Simenon
Task total: 15
Season total: 390
15.1 Celebration of StylesBefore the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
+15 Task (Non Western)
Season total: 240 + 15 = 255
15.2 Celebration of StylesThe Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu
+15 Task (Not a Novel)
Season total: 255 + 15 = 270
15.5 Celebration of StylesHow Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them—A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide by Howard Mittelmark
+15 Task (Not a Novel)
Points this post: 15
RwS total: 10
CoS total: 75
Season Total: 85
.... .... .... .... 10.5 .... .... .... .... ....
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 .... .... .... .... ....
.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
20.10 LettersThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
A story about an autistic teenage boy named Christopher, told from his POV, as he attempts to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog. I think everyone should know going into this book not to expect a great mystery or an unconventional detective story, because this book isn't that - it is a book that shows you Christopher's life, his thoughts, and how he perceives the world as an autistic person. The rest of the characters in the book interact with Christopher with varying levels of empathy and awareness, and I think it is a good reflection for allistic readers to think about how these characters might have communicated differently. I think it is an extremely important book to read for every allistic person to read.
+20 Task (Christopher's mother has written him several letters)
+10 Review
+5 Multiple
+15 Prize worthy
Task total: 50
Season total: 270 + 50 = 320
10.3 Vowels The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie-
Task=10
Prize worthy= 5 ( Anthony Award Nominee for Best Novel of the Century (2000), CWA Best Ever for Crime Novel (2013))
Oldie= 10 (1926)
Task Total=25
Grand Total=280
Tasks Completed:
10.3; 10.7 (6x)
20.1 (2x); 20.3; 20.6; 20.9
20.2 WarGreenmantle by John Buchan
20 pts 20.2 War
10 pts Review
10 pts Oldies
A rip-roaring spy mystery set during Workd War I. Buchan’s hero is recuperating from his injuries on the western front when he is recruited to solve a mystery and stop a unknown enemy in Turkey. The adventure requires a trip through Germany without being detected as a British national, undertaking several disguises, and more than a few chases through uncharted territory.
Interestingly. Even though this book was written during the heart of World War I, the German military as a whole is not demonized. There is also recognition of the British losses in Belgium and France but not the degree of carnage of trench warfare
Once you start this book, it is hard to put down
Task Total: 40 pts
Season Total: 335 pts
482
10.1… … … … 10.7 … … …
…20.2 20.3 … … …20.7 20.8 … 20.10
… … … … … … … … … …
10.6 September (Valerie's Task)The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie
Born 15 September, 1890
I am a little confused in checking the details, this is certainly not the first Superintendent Battle story I have read, but I also felt like it was not the first one I had read featuring Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent (which means I must have read The Secret of Chimneys and just not marked it).
This is more Bundle's story than Battle's, he is a minor character, only popping up at moments of revelation, and explores the deaths of several young men linked, somehow, with a club called The Seven Dials, and Bundle, with a couple of friends, is out to discover the how and why.
The story takes on several twists, including some obviously misleading finger pointing, as all good mysteries should, and I definitely wasn't expecting things to turn out the way they did, which makes for a better read than in most mystery cases.
I can see why Battle is not as successful or as memorable as Poirot or Marple, and perhaps Christie should have stuck with Bundle, who is very much paid tribute to in the guise of the Australian sleuth Phrynne Fisher, both being "It" girls driving Hispanos.
+10 task
+5 multiple
+10 oldies
+10 review
Post Total = 35
Season Total = 1015
10.1; ...; 10.3 (x3); ...; ...; 10.6 (x2); 10.7 (x5); ...; ...; ...
15.1 (x2); 15.2 (x2); 15.3; 15.4; 15.5; 15.6; 15.7; 15.8; 15.9;15.10
20.1 (x4); ... ; ...; 20.4 (x2); 20.5; ....; ....; 20.8 (x2); 20.9; 20.10 (x2)
10.9 GeorgiaSweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper
I took a small break from reading “Eyeless in Gaza” to read this book. As a result, I feel slightly bad because Harper is no Huxley, in the level of writing. The first half of the novel was the set up, so it was a bit of a drag – I didn’t really like the MC and rest of characters were nothing to write home about either. However, I liked the second half of the novel much better (and the characters improved). Harper has a knack for writing small town (very small town) interactions; and the romance ended up being very nice and believable. The MC also grew on me, I think Harper allowed her to be more of an open person rather than a one trick big city cynical pony. This worked. If I needed a book for a future task, I would consider reading #2 in the series. 3.5*
10 task
10 review
____
20
Running total: 675
10.10 Group ReadsThe Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
This is shelved variously as Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Thriller. I spent a lot of pages waiting for any of those. It was really only in the last maybe 50 pages that it became thrillerish. By that time, it was obvious the women would prevail so there was really no fear for them.
Instead, this was much more a feminist novel than many I’ve read. Stand up for yourself, learn to be independent, don’t let society define you by your gender are the messages to take from this. I think that is all well and good. I’m not sure that killing husbands is the proper way to achieve those goals, even in a culture where such messages are far from acceptable.
And so, I am definitely an outlier on this. I think the messages important and that every female child across the globe (OK, every child, male children included) should be told them from an early age. They should be demonstrated when possible, that mothers and fathers both should look to raising offspring to look to be independent while still able to make good partnerships. But I think the message shouldn’t come with killing those who deprive one of that independence. Did I take this too seriously? Some will think so.
The writing style was just OK. I wasn’t buying the characterizations. Plot? Meh. That all said, I’ll find a 3rd star and don’t ask me why.
+10 Task
Seaso total = 675
Task 15.3Young
Christina Henry’s birthday is not on her goodreads biography. It is, however, listed in the ISFDB database (AKA Internet Speculative Fiction Data Base). Here’s the link to her ISFDB listing:
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?...
Her birthday is:
13 August 1974
Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow (2021) by Christina Henry
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 250 + 15 = 265
20.1 Author! Author!Selfish and Perverse by Bob Smith
The MC is Nelson Kunker...a television writer working on his novel (hope that works?)
Task=20
Multiple=5
Task Total=25
Grand Total=305
Tasks Completed:
10.3; 10.7 (6x)
20.1 (3x); 20.3; 20.6; 20.9
15.10 Celebration of StylesEyeless in Gaza by Aldous Huxley
1001 list book
15 task
50 all 7 styles
100 finisher bonus
_____
165
Running total: 840
20.7 ChristieHorse by Geraldine Brooks
I was reluctant to read this and kept putting it off, but had to get to it because it's the selection for my bookclub for November. And I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. It was only the modern-day section that kept this from being a five-star read.
The book traces the stories of multiple characters in different timelines connected by Lexington--an amazing race horse who went on to be one of the most important thoroughbred sires. The story covers his enslaved Black groom, a painter who paints several portraits, one of the horse's owners, an art dealer who buys one of the paintings many years later, and a modern-day scientist who is doing research on the horse's skeleton when one of the paintings turns up. Geraldine Brooks manages to weave all of these timelines and characters together quite nicely.
I especially appreciated that the book didn't fall into a white-savior trap for the storyline involving the Black groom. Various white people offered him assistance, which he took when he wanted and refused frequently. That character's sections were the highlight of the book for me.
By having a modern day section, Brooks also could shove her opinions about race and racial justice into those sections instead of giving historical characters modern thoughts. Unfortunately, I thought the modern characters were weak and the sections rushed. Where she was able to write a Black historical character with interesting thoughts and agency, her modern Black character felt stilted and whiny.
The cast of narrators for the audiobook version were good and provided a nice contrast for the different sections of the book. None of them stood out as a narrator to follow, but none detracted either.
I'm looking forward to the discussion with my bookclub.
+20 Task
+10 Prize-worthy
+10 Review
Task total: 40
Grand total: 430
10.7 ScrabbleLast Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
Scrabble score = 30
I'm so glad to have stumbled upon this book and this author. I listened to the whole (short) book on one cold and rainy afternoon, which felt very appropriate given that the book takes place entirely on a single day--the last day that a Red Lobster is open.
The characters in the book are regular food service people. Some of them work hard, others less so. They have layered lives with happy parts and problems and all the things. The author captures them here in this slice of life novella with care and tenderness and loving detail.
The narrator for the audiobook was great at bringing this book to life.
I'll be looking for more by this author for sure.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 450
10.5 OctoberLost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
Note: Seanan McGuire is a pen name for Mira Grant, who appears on the author list for this task. Approved in help thread.
This is a solid addition to this lovely series. I adore these books, with their connecting premise of finding a world where you belong even if it isn't the world you came from. This book is perhaps the most dark real-world book. The child here is subjected to real abuse, and there's a sense that it would have been worse if she hadn't managed to run away when she did.
Minus one star for making a five to seven year old character much more mature and worldly than seems at all realistic. This precociousness helps the reader understand the story, but it would have worked better to have an outside narrative voice instead of forcing everything to be from the child's perspective.
As always, these novels translate very well to audiobook format.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 470
20.9 Popular Science The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
+20 task
+5 prize-worthy [Society of Midland Authors Award for Adult Nonfiction (2011)]
Task total = 25
Season Total = 285
20.2 WarConqueror: A Novel of Kublai Khan byConn Iggulden
The final book in a five book series. I do not think I have binged on a series in very long time. I started book 1 in mid July and never let up. Conn's storytelling is some of the best out there for HF and war.
The series starts with Genghis Khan at about the age of 10 and finishes here with the adult years of Kublai, his grandson. Of all the children and grandchildren Kublai was the only one to embrace the Chin (Chinese) culture. Kublai began as a scholar but in the end the warrior blood of the Mongols caught up with him and he completed his grandfather's dream of conquering and uniting the Chin as one nation.
A fantastic story, told by a stellar writer.
+Task 20
+ Review 10
+ Multiple 5
Task Total 35
Season Total 400
15.7 Celebration of StylesThe White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey
+15 Task - Aged
Task total: 15
Grand total: 485
10.2 Moon and SunGinny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig
Author Benjamin Ludwig is the adoptive father of an autistic teenager. In interviews he said that he developed the voice of Ginny Moon, an autistic character, from conversations he heard at Special Olympics, and from his experience teaching school. Ginny's voice is very obsessive, often humorous, and very believable. It's her obsession - and her unusual way of stating it - that causes a big misunderstanding between her and her "Forever Parents," and drives the plot.
Ginny's "Forever Parents" are having their first biological child soon, and Ginny is practicing being a big sister with a plastic electronic doll which cries. This brings back memories of Ginny's early years with her abusive birth mother. The book is narrated by Ginny and her inner thoughts are revealed to the reader. We recognize her distress when the fourteen-year-old autistic girl has trouble communicating her concerns to other people.
It's best not to know too much about the storyline before reading the book. Ginny is a wonderful complex character that we can care about. It's also easy to understand the pressures felt by her adoptive parents. The book is told in short chapters and is hard to put down. Highly recommended!
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 410
20.10 LettersThe Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America by John Putnam Demos
This is an interesting book that traces a family that was captured by Indians in a raid and massacre of Deerfield in 1704. The wife/mother is killed but the father and several of the children are taken to Canada. All except one are eventually “redeemed” and return to New England. One girl grows up in an Indian family, looses her English language, and converts to Catholicism. She refuses on several occasions to return to her original family.
The book is written somewhere between narrative nonfiction and an academic history paper. There were too many quotes with unfamiliar spelling and phrases followed by the author’s explanation. I would have been happier with just the explanation.
There is a lot to think about here—the racism, religious animosity, and wars.
+20 much of the book is based on letters the family wrote that have survived. John Williams often wrote to his children. Since this was before the invention of the typewriter they must have been hand written.
+10 review
+5 oldies (1994)
+5 prize worthy (Francis Parkman Prize)
Task total: 40
Season total: 275
10.5 October (Karen's Task)Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
I am never sure when listening to an audiobook how much the narrator makes a text special, although I do know they can make a big difference when it is not enjoyable.
This was poetry. I had only thought of Bradbury as being a sci fi writer, and I guess fantasy, but during this time period (and I suppose even now) there was a lot of crossover. I am never sure when I pick up something by Ursula K. Le Guin which way it might go.
This is a little like reading Olive Kitteridge, but where the main recurring characters are two young brothers, Doug and Tom Spalding, and their relationship to the people in the town of Green Town, Illinois, over the summer of 1928, with other stories from other characters interspersed.
This is more beautiful than Kitteridge, even the story about being pursued by the serial killer, The Lonely One, was a lush listen, the joy of the boys listening to the Colonel and his time machine, and the poignancy of the Colonel telephoning New Mexico just to hear the street sounds! If you like Bradbury, definitely give this one a go.
+10 task
+5 oldies
+10 review
Post Total = 25
Season Total = 1040
10.1; ...; 10.3 (x3); ...; 10.5; 10.6 (x2); 10.7 (x5); ...; ...; ...
15.1 (x2); 15.2 (x2); 15.3; 15.4; 15.5; 15.6; 15.7; 15.8; 15.9;15.10
20.1 (x4); ... ; ...; 20.4 (x2); 20.5; ....; ....; 20.8 (x2); 20.9; 20.10 (x2)
20.10 Letters (Owlette's Task) The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman
Just prior to Chapter 19 is the letter that Claire wrote to Paul to tell her about her pregnancy. In Chapter 19, Caitlin tells us that Claire has added the letter to her memory book, and has brought it to Manchester with her to show Paul
This was the October read for my RL book group, so we will be discussing it (probably for about 15 minutes out of the 2 hours), in a couple of nights. I am never sure how book club books will go, they are hit and miss, but I have enjoyed the fiction more than the non-fiction.
The Memory Book is about early onset Alzheimers Disease, heartbreaking because it is genetic, and Claire and her mum had lost her father to the disease, so they know what lies ahead. He husband Greg, and her two daughters Caitlin, 20, and Esther, 3, don't know what is ahead, and the book shows them all having to navigate their way through this new world, where sometimes Claire is mum, and sometimes she is someone else who doesn't recognise them.
What the novel does that I find interesting, and I wonder how much this is true, is show Claire's awareness of when she is in the fog and losing parts of herself and her awareness, and those times when she is her fully lucid self. At all times, she has an awareness of the disease, which seems to be impacting her so very quickly.
Poignant, but not distressing (and I have had two grandparents with either dementia or alzheimers, so I am not unfamiliar with it), this was quite beautifully told.
+20 task
+5 multiple
+10 review
Post Total = 35
Season Total = 1075
10.1; ...; 10.3 (x3); ...; 10.5; 10.6 (x2); 10.7 (x5); ...; ...; ...
15.1 (x2); 15.2 (x2); 15.3; 15.4; 15.5; 15.6; 15.7; 15.8; 15.9;15.10
20.1 (x4); ... ; ...; 20.4 (x2); 20.5; ....; ....; 20.8 (x2); 20.9; 20.10 (x3)
In Post 494, Joanne wrote: "20.2 WarConqueror: A Novel of Kublai Khan byConn Iggulden
The final book in a five book series. I do not think I have binged on a series in very long time. I star..."
+5 Jumbo (546pp)
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
The Hank Show: How a House-Painting, Drug-Running DEA Informant Built the Machine That Rules Our Lives (other topics)Dialogues and Essays (other topics)
Behold the Dreamers (other topics)
End of Watch (other topics)
Quite Frankly: Dilf Mania (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
McKenzie Funk (other topics)Seneca (other topics)
Imbolo Mbue (other topics)
Stephen King (other topics)
Mayra Statham (other topics)
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The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide
Non-western
15 task
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15
Running total: 655