The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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WINTER CHALLENGE 2009-2010
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WINTER CHALLENGE 2009-2010 COMPLETED TASKS
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for 30.1 B- read
New Moon
Not a bad book, advanced the plot and introduced characters. I liked that Meyer has created her own mythology and avoided many of the cliches. I kept wondering where all the cell phones were- teens in 2006 without cell phones? But communication would have made most of the plot unnecessary.
total 285
25.8 Inane Answering Machine DayAnd My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You by Kathi Kamen Goldmark - A cute but silly book about a country music singer who starts out as a backup singer until her career takes off with a hit single from a half-forgotten movie soundtrack. While she negotiates the fleeting path of fame and fortune, she returns home to sort out the upheavals in her personal life, amidst an extended family embodying nearly every California cliche I can think of. A fast read, fully of cheesy country music lyrics, but ultimately a bubble-gum book.
Ghost by Alan Lightman - My first stinker of this challenge. Dry and dull, featuring the most boring main character I've come across in a while. I read Einstein's Dreams by the same author a few years back and enjoyed it, but this one just didn't work for me.
Total 120 points
I completed task 10.7. SMALL SCREEN STORIES by reading Escape by Carolyn Jessop which goes with Big Love on HBO.Total points = 10
Another one down: 10.3. Read
After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson The protagonist is very definitely African-American, as is the author. (It's also a Newbery Honor Book for 2009, if anyone is looking for a strong counterpoint to Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, which won the 2009 Newbery Award.)
Petra wrote: "Ashley wrote: "One Across, Two Down by Ruth Rendell (number in title). I was expecting a more traditional mystery, but once I got over that, I thought this book was delightfully creepy...."Ashl..."Thanks, Petra! I'll try one of those as well. I like creepy and non-creepy both :)
Yay! I finished my first challenge!For 25.2 I read, The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf. The story is about a seven year old girl named Callie who hasn't spoken in 4 years, and her best friend who speaks for her. They both end up missing in the forest one day. It's about what Callie has to do to pay Petra back for being such a great friend to her all those years.
To me, friendship is acceptance. My friends do not have to BE like me, they just have to like me for who I am. The way I like them, just as they are.
Ashley wrote: "Thanks, Petra! I'll try one of those as well. I like creepy and non-creepy both :)..."I hope you like them. I recommend The Brimstone Wedding and Anna's Book (published as Asta's Book in the UK).
Oh! And for 25.5 I read A Truth Universally Acknowledged 34 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen by Susannah Carson. I got this for my birthday and really, really, really wanted to read it, even though I couldn't find a spot for it. Lucky for me, along came Abigail's Task. Yay!
Finished another task5.5 A Librarian's Job Is Never Done
I read "The Body In The Library"
Completed Tasks 5
Books Read 6
total Points: 70
Completed:15.6 Gifting and Giving by reading The Angel Doll A Christmas Story by Jerry Bledsoe
Inspirational Christmas book about a doll that has become part of the Christmas tradition for a family. 3 stars
A. My favorite gift was from my mother – a doll made by my grandmother. It had a porcelain head/arms/feet and a stuffed body. The dress was made from material from a dress my grandmother had when she was a youngster of five. The doll represents a linkage of generations for me and I will be passing it on to my daughter when the time is right.
B. My volunteer effort for this task was to purge my extra Christmas ornaments and decorations and donate them to a local animal rescue shelter for a Christmas fundraising sale.
POINTS 125
TASKS 6
BOOKS 8
PAGES 2430
CHRISTMAS BOOKS 5
Just finished my first task in my first challenge! 15.8 - I read A Christmas Carol and watched Home Alone
I'll be completing the group reads next I believe.
Books Read: 2
Tasks Completed: 1 (and a half)
Pages Read: 511
Total Points: 15
Completed two more tasks:25.10 Emily - Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover
A: Cover - [image error] The Christmas Dog by Melody Carlson
This is a sweet, inspirational Christmas tale about a dog who brings love to three lonely people.
The cover of the book is the real grabber. Green background with an inset of a window surrounded by Christmas lights and a cute, terrior type dog looking out. Just draws you to pick it up. I got this book out of the library primarily because of the cover.
B: Graphic Novel- Maus I A Survivor's Tale My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
Outstanding pictoral representation of the story of a holocaust survivor. The Jews are depicted as mice and the Germans as cats. The story is teased out of the survivor by his son who is a budding cartoonist. The book depicts the building of the story taking the survivor from his life in Poland to his internment in Auschwitz. Well done and a super introduction to the world of graphic novels. (4 stars)
25.5 Abigail - Odd Man Out -- Maus II A Survivor's Tale And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman
A followup graphic novel to Maus I:My Father Bleeds History. This novel takes the holocaust survivor through his experiences in Auswitz to the end of his life in the United States. The story is told through his son who is a cartoonist. This book also depicts the Jews as mice and the Germans as cats. Both books are extremely intense and provoke deep emotions. 4 stars
POINTS 175
TASKS 8
BOOKS 11
PAGES 2904
CHRISTMAS BOOKS 6
25.6 Island Dreams I just finished Jane Eyre which takes place in Great Britain.
pp. 576
Total points: 65
I now finished task 15.1. MAKE ME LAUGH.A- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
B- Burn After Reading
Total points = 25
Completed: 5.6 (Dirty Job)Tales from a Dog Catcher by Lisa Duffy-Korpics (5 stars)
(Goodreads Author)
Ever since I was a kid, I've disliked Animal Control Officers (dog catchers). Every time I saw one of their vans, I always wondered how anyone could bear to have a job that entails hauling animals to an almost certain death. I felt that they must enjoy serving as judge, jury, and executioner of helpless creatures. Therefore, I chose this book with some trepidation, but the challenge was to read about a job I dreaded. I went for it, and I'm so glad I did. Ms. Duffy helped me see ACO's duties in a different light. Their jobs have as much to do with life and love as with death and abuse. Sometimes, animals are rescued from unhealthy home lives. Other times, pets are reunited with their families or adopted out to new ones. They solve disputes and even protect the public in different ways. Each of the stories in this book is unique, fascinating, heartfelt, and informative. Loved it.
+5
Total: 30
Books: 3
Tasks: 3
I finished Task 10.6 (Local Literature Lovers) by reading At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie. It was a 5* book of a Goodreads member who lives very close to me in Coquitlam, BC, Canada. I gave the book 3*, mainly because of it's ending. Throughout the book, I found this story to be charming, old-world, warm and....cozy. I think I'm getting the idea of what "cozy mystery" means.
This is my first Miss Marple story and I'm surprised that Miss Marple plays such a small role. She's a charming character, she's sweet, she's kind and she's observant but, at least in this book, she's a secondary character to the story and she plays very little role in the solution of the mystery.
All in all, I enjoyed this story about a very charming hotel and it's guests. The ending, however, didn't really ring true for me and seemed rather rushed and hurried.
35-3 DLM ROSE'S TASK - IT'S ABOUT TIME: Book with one of these words... Weeks I read Three Weeks to Say Goodbye by C.J. Box.
This is the first book by this author that I read. For some reasons, I found the openning chapters very boring and put it down several times. Fortunately, things picked up and I finished 2/3 of the book in one sitting.
It was a pleasant read, which I usually gave 3* for this kind of books, but I gave only 2* for this book. I didn't enjoy it as much as my other 3-star books.
+35
Total points: 35
Hello!
I have completed Task 30.3 ~ BJ Rose's Task. I read the following books:
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón ~ 544 Pages
Galore by Michael Crummey ~ 336 Pages
# pages read: 1175/25936
# points accrued: 65/1100
# tasks completed: 2/58
# books read: 3/78
I just finished reading Ender's Game for the second book in Helen's challenge and I want to say a huge thank you to Helen for the task - one of the best books I've read for ages. I absolutely loved it and was quite emotional when it ended.It seems unfair to compare the two books I read. My other author was Catherine Asaro and she has a very different style. It was far more romantic and was just OK to me. I'm not sure if the difference is due to the author styles or the fact that sci-fi has got 'softer' over the years, but I very much prefered the cleaner, classic but harsher style of the older story. 5 stars and 3 stars respectively.
30.2 Science fiction – Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Sunrise Alley by Catherine Asaro
TOTALS:
45 points
5 books
3 tasks
1970 pages
1 task in progress
Nicki, "Enders Game" is one of my very favorite books!I completed 15.8 by reading A Capital Holiday by Janet Dailey (very cute, but no substance at all!) and watching "Santa Buddies" (multiple times -- I have a 5 year old obsessed with dogs. . .).
I also completed 5.10 by reading The Princess Present by Meg Cabot. This is my favorite one so far, which is surprising because I usually don't like the half-numbers in a series. I think that I liked that it took place in Genovia.
This brings me to 180.
4. SANDRA'S TASK - WORLD AIDS DAY: Veronica A Novel an okay novel narrated by Allison, a former model suffering from hepatitis c, reminiscing about her friendship with Veronica, an older, "ugly" woman who died from AIDS. Pages read: 717
Books read: 4+
Tasks completed: 4
Total Points: 110
Liz (Bklyn)
30.3 B J ROSE TASKI finished
The Accidental Mother- Rowan Coleman 353 pages
Susannah's Garden- Debbie Macomber 400 pages
Saturday Night Peter- Peter Kaye 258 pages
I completed Jan The Gryphon's task 30.7 (Multi-task) by reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel which I absolutely loved. The scene where Richard Parker is swimming for the boat will be a literary moment that will stick with me for a long time. This task is multi-tasking because it fits tasks 5.4 (A Winning Decade - it won the Man Booker Prize), possibly task 10.2 (Louis Louis) as the main character goes blind for part of the story, 10.4 (Winners Choice) since it was a 5 star book on PJ Reads' list, 10.8 (Oh Canada) as Yann Martel is Canadian, 25.1 (Leora's task), 25.2b (Gina's task), and 30.1 (Bonnie's Task). It would possibly fit the vacation task (30.6) since I would choose to go to India which is where the majority of the first third of the book takes place and it would probably also fit the former task challenge (though I don't feel like going that far in my search!). Depending on what you choose to believe, this could potentially also fit the fictional lands task (15.2b) for the algae island portion of the story, but I choose to believe in the algae island. My guess is that someone who lives near me and someone in a country beginning with E or B also loved this book; what's not to love? Total Points: 65
Total Pages: 1515
I completed task 25.2 Gina's task by reading The Christmas Cookie Club A Novel and give it 4 stars. What a great book about friendships through the years and one special day they all share. Friendship is one of the most important ways to communicate that we all have. My true friends have been with me through all the good and the bad and I appreciate them all for that. If anyone is looking for other task fits, this has recipes in it and a character named Alice too. All twelve cookie recipes are included and some great insert chapters with origins of ingredients in most cookies. I can't wait until next weekend when I will start making cookies for Christmas.
Tasks Completed: 9
Points for this task: 25
Points thus far: 130/1100
Books read: 15
Pages read: 4538 (updated 12/13)
Nicki wrote: "I just finished reading Ender's Game for the second book in Helen's challenge and I want to say a huge thank you to Helen for the task - one of the best books I've read for ages. I ab..."So glad you liked Ender's Game - it is my favorite sci-fi book and one of my top ten overall favorites. You picked up on a key point - sci-fi has gotten a little softer over the decades.
I just finished a newer book in the Ender series - A Gift of Wars - the author has kept the series just as edgy. Was glad to see that. Now I may have to reread Ender's Game - you have sparked my interest again.
Glad you enjoyed the task.
Just finished the group read challenge20.3 - Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass
Alice in Wonderland was delightful to read, but I liked Through the Looking Glass even more. It's all quite wonky, but it really lets you escape for a while and I love when a book can do that.
Books Read: 4
Tasks Completed: 2 (and a half)
Pages Read: 751
Total Points: 35
Finished: 25.2[image error] [[bookcover:Bed of Roses|6729192] by Nora Roberts.
The quartet of lifelong friends who have formed a business creating the perfect wedding for Connecticut brides are now in the process of finding romance for themselves. This is the second in the series.
Friendship can be anything from the "Hi, I'm here if you need me." to "We now know each other's deepest secrets--and we'll never tell." It may shift from day to day because the needs of a friend shifts. It's not always about 50-50, but about the people in the friendship. I've been very blessed with my friends.
I finished task 25.9 by reading Say You're One of Them, for part A....it has a map in the beginning of the book to tell you where the stories take place, and House of Leaves, for part B...interesting layout(s) throughout the book.Say You're One Of Them is one of the most depressing and most beautifully written books I've read in many years. Wow. Still trying to decide whether I liked House of Leaves...super ambitious, well-thought out, but...I dunno, still waiting for it to sink in.
Total Points: 110/1100
Books Read: 6/79+
Tasks Completed: 4 /58
Tasks in Progress: 3
5.8- Cosy mystery- Death of an Outsider- M C Beaton. I am not as fond of this series as Agatha Raisin- but they are still a nice comfy read. We had Cadburys hot chocolate whilst I was finishing this one this afternoon.
I wrapped up 30.6 (Wendy's Vacation Dreams task) with Nevada Barr's High Country, which is set in Yosemite National Park. I visited Yellowstone over the summer as I was moving out to Oregon and I've been spending a lot more time in the outdoors ever since, so Yosemite's climbed pretty high on my list of places to visit. I've discovered that I love hiking, and Half Dome would make an awesome one to do one day.Current Total: 125 points
Finished 30.7Read Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The book could have fitted tasks 30.10, 15.9, 25.2, 30.1
Total points 145
Total books 6
Total tasks 5
I finished my first task with 30.7 - Multi-tasking. I read The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman, which also fits task 15.9b, as I've never read anything by Dorothy Gilman before, task 15.3, as it's the first book in a series about a female main character, written by a female author, task 5.8 as the Mrs. Pollifax books are considered cozy mysteries, and task 5.6 since I could never imagine being a spy or even a courier for the CIA. Total points: 30
1 task complete - 6 tasks in progress
1 book read
205 pages read
I finished my first task - 10.8 "Oh Canada!" I finished The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, a Canadian author!Total points: 10/1100
Books: 1/78
Tasks: 1/58
Erin B.
Yay, more points - I've been listening to Suzanne Collins's Catching Fire on audio and finished it while doing some holiday baking. When I started I thought I'd use this for a different task, but as I got further into it I realized it's really a pretty good fit for 25.2 (Gina's friendship task) - so much of the plot hinges on Katniss's relationships with her friends, since her love for them is ultimately what drives the choices she makes.Current Total: 150 points
Finished 30.7 Multitasking by reading Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. This book fits Helen's Science Fiction task (30.2) and Donna Jo's "Cozy" "fire" task (35.2).Total points: 70
Tasks completed: 3
Two Tasks Completed:
10.5 POPULARITY CONTEST: Since I'm born in April, I read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
30.1. BONNIE'S TASK- CELEBRATE THE END OF THE DECADE (2000-2009)!
A. Book Published in the past decade - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins [image error]
B. One Book Made into a Movie in the Past Decade: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
30.10. THERESA IN OHIO'S TASK - COLOR BY NUMBERSA. Winter Can Be Drab, Cold, And Bleak. Read A Book With A Bright Or Happy COLOR Word In The Title. ACCEPTABLE WORDS: Red, Green, Purple, Yellow Etc., NOT ACCEPTABLE: Black, White, Gray Or Brown Tones.
The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet by Arturo Perez-Reverte AND
B. At The End Of The Year, Many Lists Appeared, From Best Of To Worst Of Biggest Seller Of Years, Most Money Made By Celebrities, Etc. So Read A Book With A NUMBER In The Title. It Can Be Written (Thirteen) Or An Actual Number (13).
Braun Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers by Braun
30 points
total 135
5.8. BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE - While Outside It May Be Cold And Blustery; Inside You Can Cozy Up To A Cozy Mystery. Visit http://www.cozy-mystery.com/ If You Need Help Picking A Book/Author. (*It's Not Required But Feel Free To Enjoy This Book Curled Up In Front Of A Fire Or Wrapped Up In A Comfy Blanket With A Hot Beverage Of Your Choice!) The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner
5 points
total 140
Sam's task: the lost generations: I read Short Stories by Sherwood Anderson and for books from the series, Lost, I read Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonegut.points: 25
total points:90/1100
books read: 5
pages read:1665
15.8 - SILVER SCREEN CELEBRATIONSA. Read A Book That Relates To Any Holiday That Occurs During This Challenge (December, January, Or February) Such As (Christmas, Hanukah, Valentine's Day, New Years Etc.)…It Can Either Be A Novel, A Non-Fiction Book About The Holiday, Or Several Children's Books (100+ Pages Worth) About The Holiday.
AND
B. Watch A Film That Involves That Same Holiday.
I read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever(128 pgs) and watched Elf. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever was like re-visiting my childhood all over again. So much fun! And I loved Elf. I'm a big Will Ferrell fan but I'd never watched this one. I giggled the whole way through it!
Total Points Now: 75/1100
Tasks Completed: 6
Newly Completed Task: 5.2 - SHE WAS A GRAND OLD FLAG MAKER - In Honor Of Betsy Ross
A. Read A Book That Has A Red, White, And Blue Cover: From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
This wasn’t one of my favorite Sookie Stackhouse books. I think the author is setting up some storylines for future books, but I missed the touch of romance the earlier books all had. This one involved a lot of different fights between the ‘supes’ which Sookie was of course dragged into. I hope the next one is a bit lighter.
I gave it 3 stars.
Total Points: 40
Books Read: 4
Completed Tasks: 3
Pages Read for Completed Tasks: 1,063
Other Tasks in Process: 2
Personal Goal: 400 Points
[image error]
FINISHED:10.5 - Popularity Contest
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County - Tiffany Baker
2009 Year List and January 2009 List (by birthday is in January)
TOTAL POINTS = 40
Erin MN
Completed task 30.9 - Rachel Lee's Task - The Newbery Award - Read the winner and honor books for 2008 -Winner - Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz & Robert Byrd
Honor - The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
I can understand why Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! won based on the originality and creativity of the book itself, but I much preferred reading The Wednesday Wars. I fell in love with the Wednesday Wars at first glance, it made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions. Holling is such a wonderful character, and you really see him grow up over the course of the book. There is also such an undercurrent of emotion throughout, and the reader is given glimpses of the man Holling will one day become. An excellent book, and in my opinion, deserving of the Newbery Award, and not just an honor.
80/1100 points
Tasks Completed: 3/60
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 6
Pages Read: 1,494
10.2 Louis Braille: Deaf Child CrossingOne of my students actually recommended this to me. It was okay, but not brilliant. I think I was expecting more from it because the author herself is deaf.
30.8 Lewis and Clark: Sacagawea of the Lewis-Clark Expedition and Prairie Songs
I don't know if I'd have the stamina to live on the prairie (or the wilderness in general). I'm not afraid of snakes or wolves or anything, but I'd hate living on a farm out in the middle of nowhere and not being able to go to school and not having a library nearby. Especially not having a library nearby. I'd miss my air conditioner, too.
30.9 Newbery Award: Julie of the Wolves (winner, 1973) and The Upstairs Room (honor, 1973)
I liked The Upstairs Room better than Julie of the Wolves, but I can see why Julie won based on the political climate of the time and all of that. I've never been a big "animal book" person, so it wasn't the most interesting book to me. It was a little too far-fetched. To be honest, though, I'm not really ecstatic about either of them...but 9/10 times I disagree with the Newbery commitee anyway!
Total: 70 + 410 (from earlier) = 480 points
30 point task6. WENDY'S TASK - WINTER VACATION DREAMS
With The Economy So Very Tight This Winter My Vacation Will Be Imaginary. Read A Book That Takes Place In Your Dream Vacation Spot Then Take A Moment To Imagine That You Are There. Tell Us Where And Why.
Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes
Takes place in London...was my dream vacation spot before I went there and then I traveled there in 2006 and ever since, I have wanted nothing more than to go back and spend more time there
Current Point Total: 60
Jessica (MI)
FINISHED:5.7 - Eying the Year of the Tiger
I Am the New Black - Tracy Morgan
We are both year of the Monkey :)
TOTAL POINTS = 45
Erin MN
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Bloodshed Of The Betrayed (other topics)Winter's Child (other topics)
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World's Most Famous Cooking School (other topics)
Don't Try This At Home: Culinary Catastrophes from the World's Greatest Chefs (other topics)
Magic Study (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Kate Mosse (other topics)Louise Rennison (other topics)
Robert Louis Stevenson (other topics)
William Golding (other topics)
Laura Childs (other topics)
More...
Total points: 35
Total pages: 1035