The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

5.5 A LIBRARIANS JOB IS NEVER DONE - In Honor Of February Being Library Lovers Month…
A. Visit Your Local Library And Ask One Of The Librarians To Recommend Their Favorite Book And Then Read That Book.
OR
B. Read A Book Where The Main Character Is A Librarian Or A Library Plays An Important Role In The Plot.

I read Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men and loved it!! The female character was a librarian that was fired and now is working at an occult bookstore in her small hometown. Hilarious paranormal romance.

Total Points: 340/1100
Books Read: 26
Tasks Completed: 20/58

I completed Task 5.10 by reading Beside a Burning Sea by John Shors.
This is a touching War story of a group of survivors on a desert island with a traitor in their midst. Despite their circumstances, every member of this group, except the traitor, experiences a personal growth and awareness.

I finished The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, Version 2.0 by Christopher Moore for the group read task a few days ago and posted a comment to the discussion thread earlier today.




Points: 55
Pages Read: 1,398
Books Read: 4
Tasks Completed: 3

Finished 15.6
the Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry the best gift ever given to me came from my mother a few years ago. It was a few crocheted "lace" scarves (doilies) that she made knowing that they would probably be the last she would be able to make. In her 70's her eyesight was just getting too bad to do them much longer, but she wanted me to have this piece of her to keep.though the type of lace in this book is made much differently the two are similar in my mind because you can see the pattern, but also a background, negative space pattern( in the book the negative space is where the lace reader characters will see their visions.) I live 6 hours away from my mom so the scarves are a hug from my mom whenever I see them displayed on the dresser and nightstand in my bedroom.

Giving back for me was going through my children's clothes and toys to give outgrown items to a local charity which distributes to head start programs, homeless shelters, and red cross.

Giving back

35.4 read about your resolution.
My resolution was to learn Latin so I read Roman Blood for the fiction and Latin Demystified which helped somewhat in keeping my resolution.

I read The Family Under the Bridge for half of 30.9.

Total: Still 80 points

Hello all! Finished another couple of tasks:

20.1 MOST IMPROVED PLAYER - BETH MN'S TASK - REVISITING THE PAST Choose Your Favorite Task From A Past Challenge. I picked:
Former 25.8. Sara's Task - Read A Book With A 12+ Word Title
and the book I read for it was:

Waiting for Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Three Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, an Oscar, an Atomic Bomb, a Romantic Night, and One Woman's Quest to Become a Mother by Peggy Orenstein (Hardcover, 240 pages)

A 5* book, a fascinating memoir by Ms. Orenstein. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the problems of infertility.

I've also finished:
15.3. WHAT WOMEN WANT (TO READ AND WRITE) - In Honor Of Betty Friedan (Born February 4, 1921 - Died February 4, 2006) Famous Feminist…
(A) Read A Novel Written By A Female Author From A Series That Has A Female Main Character.

What's a Ghoul to Do? by Victoria Laurie (Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages)

Paranormal mystery/romance. Very predictible. This is the start of a series starring D.J. (female), ghost hunter. The most interesting character in the novel was the gay business partner, and he wasn't around enough to save the story. Overall, a disappointing read.

(B). Read An Autobiography Or Biography Of A Woman You Admire (Book Must Also Have Been Written By A Woman).

The Muse of the Revolution The Secret Pen of Mercy Otis Warren and the Founding of a Nation by Nancy Rubin Stuart (Hardcover, 314 pages)

Fascinating subject, tedious delivery. Additionally, Mercy Otis Warren was not a central individual in the revolution the way her friends John and Abigail Adams were. Letters between Mercy and Abigail were included; it was like watching the Revolution happen from a distance. Recommended only for those really into history books about the American Revolution.

That makes

280 + 20 + 15 = 315





Tasks Completed: 16
Points for this task: 20+15
Points thus far: 315/1100
Books read: 22
Pages Read: 5679+240+304+314= 6537


READ BUT NOT YET CLAIMED

1 Nebula Awards Showcase 2009 edited by Ellen Datlow (Paperback, 384 pages) 30.10 (B)
2 Strange Brew edited by P. N. Elrod (Paperback, 384 pages) 25.3 (A)BLUE
3 Yesterday We Saw Mermaids by Esther M. Friesner (Paperback, 160 pages) ????
4 Warm Springs Traces of a Childhood at FDR's Polio Haven by Susan Richards Shreve (Hardcover, 224 pages) 35.2

5.10 The Allure of Alliteration
I read Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke. I love this series, it's cute and good to read before bed, 4 stars.

10.5 Popularity Contest
I read Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger which was in the popular list for 2009. I enjoyed this book although the last quarter of the book annoyed me, 4 stars.

15.2 Adventures with Alice and Lewis
I read Vampalicious! by Sienna Mercer, one of the characters was named Alice. Cute little book, 3 stars.
AND
Space Cowboy by Justin Stanchfield which was set on a fictional planet. This book was ok, not fantastic but not totally boring either, 3 stars.

15.10 We Will Remember You
I read Demon Crossing by Louise Cooper, 3 stars.
AND
I watched Sixteen Candles, love that movie!

30.9 The Newberry Award
I read Missing May by Cynthia Rylant which was the winner for 1993
AND
The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural: by Patricia C. McKissack which was an honor book for that year.
I preferred The Dark Thirty, it was more interesting to me but Missing May was a good book as well.

30.10 Colour by Numbers
I read Funeral in Blue by Anne Perry.
AND
Zero by Diane Tullson.

Total Points: 625
Total Pages: 14437
Total Books: 50
Total Tasks: 32

L wrote: "Finished 15.6
the Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry the best gift ever given to me came from my mother a few years ago. It was a few crocheted "lace" scarves (doilies) that she made knowing that they ..."

Did you like The Lace Reader? I just picked it up at the library for the challenge.

For the 5 point eye of the tiger task I read Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby. He was born in 1957 and I was born in 1981 which are both year of the Rooster.

Previous Reads

5.2 She was a Grand Old Flag Maker - The Little White Car by Danuta de Rhodes
5.4 A Winning Decade - The Road by Cormac McCarthy
5.5 A Librarians Job is Never Done - Mr Dixon Disappears by Ian Sansom
5.8 Baby It's Cold Outside - Chords and Discords by Roz Southey
5.9 Isn't it Romantic - Flights of Love by Bernhard Shlink

10.1 Under the Big Top - Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
10.4 The Winners Choice - PJReads list Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin
10.7 Small Screen Stories - My Favourite People and Me by Alan Davies

15.8 Silver Screen Celebrations - A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg and ELF

20.3 Group Reads - The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore

25.5 Odd Task Out - American Tabloid by James Ellroy
25.7 The Lost Generations - The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald and Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
25.9 The World of Books - The Principessa by Christie Dickason and The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson
25.10 Don't Judge a Book by a Cover - The Househunter by Henry Sutton and Gear by Doug Tennapel

30.7 Multitasking - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carrol



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I finished 5.10 alliteration with Six Suspects by Vikus Swarup. I liked the concept of this book, but not so much the final product. I am still interested in reading Q & A.

I also read Nine Dragons for 5.6 (a dirty job) Harry Bosch is a homicide detective and while I love reading and watching TV about them, I could never do this job myself.

That puts me at
145 points
3700 pages read

25.6 Island Dreams: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. This book is set in Guernsey, which while not itself an independent country, is part of the UK. I really liked this book, much more so than I thought I would. Anyone who liked 84, Charing Cross Road I think would like this also. Uncomplicated and in many ways a sweet story.

total of 510 points

Finished another task -

5.4 - A Winning Decade - Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, which won an Anthony Award in 2002 for Best Paperback Original. The Anthony Award is named after Anthony Boucher, who was one of the founding members of The Mystery Writers of America.

I gave the book 4 stars.




Books Read = 8
Tasks In Progress = 5
Tasks Completed = 4

10.7 SMALL SCREEN STORIES True Stories of Law & Order: The Real Crimes Behind the Best Episodes of the Hit TV Show
Books Read: 26
Pages Read: 7705
Tasks Completed: 21
Tasks in Progress: 7

5.5 A LIBRARIANS JOB IS NEVER DONE
Killing Floor by Lee Child. This is our January Mystery Discusssion Group read. Not my ususal end of the genre, but very well done.

5.10 THE ALLURE OF ALLITERATION
An Army of Angels: A Novel of Joan of Arc Pamela Marcantel. Quite well written and researched. Charles VII didn't deserve what God and Jehanne la Pucelle did for him.

25.9 BRIDGIT'S TASK - THE WORLD OF BOOKS
A: with maps The Orion Nebula: Where Stars Are Born by C. Robert O'Dell
B: with extra content Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture & the Faiths We Never Knew by Bart D. Ehrman

Both were excellent. The Orion Nebula had star maps of the Orion Sector, the nebula and our place in the universe with photos and charts; Lost Christianities had bibliographies, an index and footnotes. The footnotes were more than sorce citations, so Lost Christianities wins by a nose (knows - pun intended).


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I completed task 30.4. SANDRA'S TASK - WORLD AIDS DAY by reading Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.

Total points = 135

finished task 30.4 by reading Year of Wonders. i had read someone's earlier review saying they didn't like the ending, it felt forced, etc. i concur! it didn't really even feel connected to the rest of the book, there was something very false about it. i should've quit about 20 pages before the end. but up until then, an enjoyable read.




Total Points: 495/1100
Books Read: 28/79+
Tasks Completed: 19/58
Tasks in Progress: 1

Elizabeth (NC) wrote: "I finished 5.10 alliteration with Six Suspects by Vikus Swarup. I liked the concept of this book, but not so much the final product. I am still interested in reading Q & A."

I didn't know about Six Suspects, I'm going to check that one out, but I loved Q&A. It was really different from the movie and you should definitely add it to your list!

I read Night for 10.4 off of Diane's shelf. It was very good, but I was listening to it in my car, and often had to sit for a few minutes in the cold to stop crying before I went into work. :)

Also finished 15.2 with The Screwtape Letters written by C.S. Lewis and Beauty which jumps all over the place in settings but includes the fictional lands of Chininga and Feary. Both were just "eh" for me.

Total points: 315

Finished 10.1 Book about the circus by reading Geek Love: A Novel- Katherine Dunn

This book was oddly fascinating.

New point total: 125

10.3 - RENAISSANCE READING - In Honor Of Zora Neale Hurston (Born January 7, 1891– Died January 28, 1960) Famous Harlem Renaissance Author…
A. Read A Novel That Was Written By An African American That Also Has An African American Protagonist.
OR
B. Read A Non-Fictional Account Of The Harlem Renaissance Or A Biography/Autobiography Of An Important African American Figure From That Time Period. Ex. Langston Hughes Or Billie Holiday

I read Song Yet Sung for this task and it was a wonderful book. Gave it 4 stars. Excellent story, captivating writing. Can't recommend it enough!

Totals as of 1/9/10:
345/1100 Points
19/58 Tasks Completed
39/58 Tasks Remaining
9455/23806 Pages Read
26/79 Books Read
53/79 Books Outstanding

5.10 Alliteration - The Mirror Maker: Stories and Essays

10.8 Canada - The Forest Lover
Fascinating story about Canadian artist, Emily Carr.

810 points

Liz wrote: "Finished 10.1 Book about the circus by reading Geek Love: A Novel- Katherine Dunn

This book was oddly fascinating.

New point total: 125"


I am glad you liked it. I really related to thee twins after they gave birth, particularly. It always felt to me I was dragging around a body on me, I was so tired!!

Jayme wrote: "Erin wrote: "Another update! I just finished 15.9: The Memory Keeper's Daughter for the book longest on my TBR shelf and [book:Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History|15196..."

Ditto. I was seriously dissapointed with Memory Keeper's Daughter. The premise was really interesting and I expected much more from the book...

I was too nice and gave it 3 stars.

Just finished task 15.10 by reading Rabbit, Run by John Updike (who died in 2009). I also watched Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze(One of my fav actors and fav movies of all time).

I really couldn't stand Rabbit Run. Honestly, if I could give this book negative stars, I would. It was sort of like Catcher in the Rye, but much, MUCH worse. And it took me FOREVER to get through its 300 pgs

This should bring me to 140 pts.

Books Read: 10
Pages Read: 3,751
Total Points: 140

I haven't claimed ANY points yet! I'm such a slacker! So here I go....

Task 5.1 - Favorite Disney Movie (Sleeping Beauty): Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey (1/6/10)

Task 5.9 - Romance Word (love): Love on Cue by Catherine Hapka (12/2/09)

Task 10.2 - Braille: Love Is Blind by Lynsay Sands (12/20/09)

Task 15.8 - Winter Holiday Book & Movie: Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle (12/7/09) AND While You Were Sleeping

Task 20.3 - Group Read: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (12/10/09)

Task 25.2 - Gina - Friendship: If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko (12/2/09)

What friendship means to me... Oh, gosh. I don't know what I would do without my friends! I'm a naturally outgoing and talkative person, and there are a LOT of people I would consider friends. But there is a smaller group of very dear friends that I feel I can share everything and anything with without worrying that they'll judge me or think badly of me. I love that feeling of comfort and safety I have when I'm with those "best" friends.

Task 25.4 - Lisa MD - Historical Fiction: Midnight Eyes by Sarah Brophy (12/27/09) (England, middle ages) and His Lady Midnight by Jo Ann Ferguson (1/1/10) (England, early 1800s)

I would DEFINITELY rather live in the early 1800s. There's NO CONTEST there! I mean... blegh... I'd pick today over either one, but the middle ages were just SO DIRTY, you know? Gross. Plus, women may not have had many rights in the early 1800s, but they CERTAINLY had more freedom then than in the middle ages. Of course, both books were romance novels and just skim over the bad parts of the time period, but they can't trick me! ;)

Task 25.6 - Stephanie US - Island Country (England/UK): The Duke And I by Julia Quinn (1/3/10)

Task 30.2 - Helen - Sci-Fi Past vs Present: I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (1/8/10) and The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer (12/1/09)

The differences... Well, I, Robot was about robots, but it was also about humanity and ethics and philosophy and psychology. The Supernaturalist was about little blue creatures that are living among us and humanity and ethics... Other than being completely different, they were actually quite similar, in that their main focus wasn't space travel or aliens or whatever "stereotypical" sci-fi books are about. The tone, level of language, and voice of the books were very different, as one was written in 1950 for an adult (I presume) audience, and the other was written in 2004 for a young adult audience, so that's not really surprising.

Current Stats
Tasks Completed: 9/58
Points: 160/1100
Books Read: 15/80+
Pages Read: 4090

I have completed the following:

5.7- Eying the Year of the Tiger: Every Dead Thing by John Connolly, born in 1968, Year of the Monkey

10.1- Under the Big Top: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

10.6- Local Lit: Sickened by Julie Gregory. I picked Nicole Papa from Gadsden, AL

10.7- Small Screen Stories: Atlas, Babylon by Pat Frank. The series "Jericho" is based loosely upon this novel.




Tasks Completed: 4
Total Task Completed: 7
Points for this task: 35
Points thus far: 60/1100
Books read: 7
Pages read: 884

25.6 STEPHANIE US' TASK - ISLAND DREAMS The Lambs of London: A Novel It takes place in the United Kingdom
Books Read: 27
Pages Read: 8098
Tasks Completed: 22
Tasks in Progress: 7

I have been reading tons of books for two-book tasks but sadly never both parts of the same task! So it's been a while, but finally here's an update!

I finished 25.10 - I read which has a GORGEOUS cover - I love the way the words drip down the front and the back of the girl's head. It was a great YA book too. I also read a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi who also wrote Persepolis - Embroideries. I had never before thought so much about sexual practices in Iran!

I also finished 5.8 by reading Dead Until Dark - my first Sookie Stackhouse foray! Mostly because so many people in this group seem to like her. I enjoyed it a lot, actually, and intend to get the next one.

So that's 30 more points, should bring me to 190! :)

5.2 SHE WAS A GRAND OLD FLAG MAKER - In Honor Of Betsy Ross (Born January 1, 1752 – Died January 30, 1836) Famously Credited With Sewing The First American Flag…
A. Read A Book That Has A Red, White, And Blue Cover. (Other Colors May Appear But R/W/B Should Be The Primary Colors Of The Book)



Polly - Freya North

35.4-Resolution

My resolution this year is to get in shape by learning to run.

I read "The Courage to Start" by John Bingham. He is a 40 something writer that teaches how to begin running and not be intimidated.

For the fiction portion of the task, I read "The Memory of Running" by Ron McLarty. It actually had nothing to do with running, but the guy biked across the US. It was a very good story.

That puts me past the 200 mark!

Hello Readers! I finished In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel tonight for task 10.2 Louis Louis. I loved the book and rated it four stars!

30 Points
10. THERESA IN OHIO'S TASK - COLOR BY NUMBERS
A. 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.
AND
Red by Erica Spindler-1/9
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).
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher-1/6

New Total: 115 points

35.1 Fun with the dewey decimal system
The book I chose was Dark Universe by Daniel Galouye. My copy has 175 pages. So I read Half Past Human for 173 Ethics of family relationships (approved by PJreads), and The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary which was 423.09 (in my public library).

5.8 I just finished Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. A reread -- I think I last read it 25 years ago (oh, dear who said that??)

285/1100
total pages: 5501
books read: 18
tasks: 12 completed

3 in progress

Well I'm tired of seeing my name last on the readerboard so here are a few finished tasks:

25.8 Michelle's task
Long title Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World and
Short title: Identical

30.6 Wendy's Task - Winter Vacation
The Merchant of Venice
My parents went to Venice last year and loved it. I'd like to do some of the typical touristy stuff like see the Bridge of Sighs, ride in a gondola, and visit a lot of the museums. Oh and then there's St. Mark's Bascilica and Piazza San Marco. For the most part though, I'd just like to wander around and see where my feet take me.

30.10Theresa in Ohio's Color by Numbers
Yellow Star and
Code to Zero

35.2Donna Jo's Task Winter Vacation. I chose Cozy Fire and read
Death of a Cozy Writer: A St. Just Mystery and
Catching Fire

35.3DLM Rose's Task - It's About Time
The Killing Hour

New Total: 160 Points

Cindie wrote: "5.8 I just finished Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. A reread -- I think I last read it 25 years ago (oh, dear who said that??)

285/1100
total pages: 5501
books read: 18
tasks: 12 com..."
"Who said that?" Someone who started reading Agatha Christie at the tender age of 4!

5.1 THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY - Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. Peter Pan is my favorite animated film EVER!

Total Points: 210/1100
Tasks Completed: 14/58
Tasks in Progress: 7

5.3 Royal - A Year with the Queen

10.7 Small Screen - Prime Times: Writers on Their Favorite TV Shows
Includes essays on Big Valley, The Twilight Zone and Star Trek which I liked.

825 points

No new points to add but I thought I'd mention that I'm also in the camp of those who thought The Memory Keeper's Daughter fell far below their expectations. I really disliked it - I understand you have to put the father's reaction into the context of the time period of the story but it was still just wrong. The version in the movie was a wee bit better but overall definitely not worth the read in my opinion.

5.2 When you look like your passport photo it's time to go home- Erma Bombeck (Love her!)

25.5 A Comfortable Wife

10.4 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 766 pages from Wendy's shelf

TOTAL POINTS: 65
TASKS COMPLETED: 6

25.9 The World of Books

For a book with a map: Sabriel by Garth Nix

For a book with a unique layout: Griffin and Sabine by Nick Bantock. I liked this one a lot--it revolves around a series of epistolary exchanges, and some of the letters themselves are presented in real, tangible form. A number of the letters must actually be removed from their envelopes (which are attached to the book's pages) to be read.


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COMPLETED TASKS:

30.9 The Newbery Award (1979)
Winner: * The Westing Game**** by Ellen Raskin - READ 1.9.10
Honor: The Great Gilly Hopkins**** by Katherine Paterson - READ 1.8.10
I chose to go back in time to the year I graduated high school. I enjoyed both books immensely. The first was a real puzzler of a mystery, and the second had a plucky character who made me laugh and cry.

30.5 Posthumously Speaking
A. Narrator - Elsewhere**** by Gabrielle Zevin (Goodreads Author) - READ 12.27.09
This was a very reassuring look at life, death, afterlife, and rebirth. It made me smile, laugh, and have good thoughts about passing on. It also was touching and sentimental at times. This is a young adult novel, but I believe it is appropriate for all ages.
B. Published - *Northanger Abbey**** by Jane Austen - READ 1.7.10
I enjoyed this satirical coming of age story, about a naive girl who sees her life as a heroine in a gothic novel.




Tasks Completed: 15/58
Points Completed: 275/1100
Books Read: 18
*Books Read From My Personal Library: 8

30.3 BJ ROSE'S TASK - SNOWED IN AND LOVING IT
Read: Under the Dome by Stephen King
(number of pages: 1074)

I decided to knock this off in one book (also, it was a Christmas gift, so this task was as good an excuse as any to read it, since I would have anyway!) :)

Point Total: 100
Task Completed: 7
Books Read: 8
Pages Read: 3282

10.6 -The Hunger Games

Totals:
Books: 6
Tasks (Completed): 1
Points: 10

One more down--

30.3--THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak (552 pgs.)
I have been thinking about reading this book for some time now and boy am I glad I did. Even if you do not read YA novels I would say try this one. The story of a small town in Germany circa 1942 is told by death. It is at times, funny, haunting, and very sad. I loved this novel.

and

BEADS OF DOUBT by Barbara Burnett Smith (306 pgs)
I actually just found this book recently at the library as I was shelving some books. I caught the beading bug a little over and year ago and when I saw a mystery with beaders in it I was hooked! While it is is a typical mystery story, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the sometimes very silly situations they became involved in. I will look for others in the series.

This brings me to 1035 points!!

OMG, Roseann, that is unbelievable. I can't believe you got through so many books and so many tasks so fast! Incredible!!!

I finished 15.2 The Adventures of Alice and Lewis.
For par A. I read "The Magician's Nephew" by C.S. Lewis.
For Part B. I read "The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis because is takes place in Narnia.

Tasks Completed: 15
Books Read 20
Total Points 240