The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

I finished 15.6, season of gifting and giving with
a. gifting: Clara: The Early Years: The Story of the Pug Who Ruled My Life
b. giving: spent the morning preparing the Friends of the Library Annual Report, doing Friends banking, and donating 4 bags of clothes to the Mission that I edited from my closets (thanks to my resolution book Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life)

My favorite gift was the gift of our dog, Divot. My youngest child had started kindergarten and I was alone all day- That Mother's Day my husband brought home a pug- a dog as needy (needier) than any child. She is seldom more than 6 feet away from me. She was bred to be a companion animal- and she takes her job seriously.

Cynthia, Divot also thanks you for this challenge- the more time I spend reading the more quality lap time she gets.

+15
total 780

35.3 DLM Rose's Task - It's About Time
A Perfect Day by Richard Paul Evans

Total Points: 240

Finally found a couple of minutes to post about a completed challenge.

15.9. OUT WITH THE OLD & IN WITH THE NEW BOOKS
A. (Longest) The Black Dahlia– James Ellory (337) – 1/4/2010
B. (New 2 me author) – Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris (292) 12/23/09

I hadn't read Charlaine Harris and a friend at work suggested I try this one out. Loved it and am hooked on the series so I'll be reading the rest. Lucky for me she has all of them and is letting me borrow them.

So, that brings me to:

Completed Tasks: 2
Total Points: 30
Books read: 5
Pages Read 2,809

I've actually read some more books, that I can't figure out where I'm going to use them. I have a feeling they'll end up in the BJ Rose's task.

I finished BJ Rose's Task 30.3--Snowed in and Loving it

I read 851 pages total using the following 3 books:

Double Take: A Memoir by Kevin Michael Connolly (227 pages)

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo (272 pages)

The Space Between Us: A Novel by Thrity Umrigar (352 pages)

I've actually had all three of those read for a bit, but I forgot about this task and what I was doing for it until just now.

I've also finished task 25.5--Odd Man Out by reading:

Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner Julie Kenner is a Goodreads author

55 points for today!

Total: 315 points

just finished task 20.3 by reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass for the Classic portion. love them! and Tenniel's illustrations are just priceless. :)




Total Points: 515/1100
Books Read: 29/79+
Tasks Completed: 20/58
Tasks in Progress: 2

Finished task 5.5 by reading Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper. The main character, Jane Jameson, is a librarian who's turned into a vampire. Such a funny read, I can't wait to read the rest of this series!

190/1100 points
Tasks Completed: 9/60
Tasks In Progress: 6
Books Read: 15/79
Pages Read: 4,101

10.2 Five Senses - Deafening

855 points

I haven't updated in a long time. Completed tasks include:
5.8: Sins and Needles – Monica Ferris 12/06

30.1: The Morning Show Murders: A Novel – Al Roker 12/08 (book published in 2009) AND Julie and Julia – Julie Powell 12/13 (made into a movie in 2009)

10.9: Death in the Orchid Garden – Ann Ripley 12/13 (set in Kauai)

10.2: Homespun Bride – Jillian Hart 12/18 (The main character lost her sight after a carriage accident.) **Goodreads author**

15.8: Arthur's Christmas: An Arthur Adventure – Marc Brown 12/26 AND Olive, the Other Reindeer – J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh 12/26 AND If You Take a Mouse to the Movies – Laura Joffe Numeroff 12/26 AND Olivia Helps with Christmas – Ian Falconer 12/26 AND A Very Marley Christmas – John Grogan 12/26 (Total pages read = 209. Watched The Christmas Story)

30.6: Inge and Mira – Marianne Fredriksson 12/28 (I always wanted to travel to Sweden, especially in winter.)

25.7: As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner 12/31 AND Bad Twin – Gary Troup 01/02

5.6: Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession – Julie Powell 01/05 (I think it would be extremely difficult to be a butcher.)

10.5: Witch & Wizard – James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet 01/07 (Listed on the December 2009 list)

5.2: – Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark 01/09

5.9: The Big Love: A Novel – Sarah Dunn 01/10

30.9: Bridge to Terabithia – Katherine Peterson 01/11 AND Ramona and Her Father – Beverly Cleary 12/02 (1978 winner and honor)

New Points: 180
Previous Points: 60
Total Points: 240


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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. Ex. Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagarden Series or Murder at the Library of Congress
Good Harbor by Anita Diamant
5 points
305 total

10.4 Winner's Choice - I read The Elegance of the Hedgehog which was from pjreads list. I liked it a lot and it had been sitting around my house since May!

30.10 - Theresa's Task: Color by Numbers:
A. Bright Color in Title: Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas 1.11.10
B. Number in Title: One Man's Love: Book One of The Highland Lords by Karen Ranney 12.16.09

Total Pages = 9,023

Total Points = 385

30 point task
3. BJ ROSE'S TASK - SNOWED IN AND LOVING IT
When The Weather Keeps You Housebound, Make The Most Of It! Grab Books By Your Favorite Authors - Or Try Some New Ones - And Read 825 Pages Or More. Any Genre! No Re-Reads For This, But Audiobooks Are Fine. List The Books You Read & # Of Pages For Each When Claiming Your Points.
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, 973 pages

Current Point Total: 90
Jessica (MI)

15.2 ADVENTURES WITH ALICE AND LEWIS -
A. The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro
B. El Ultimo Elfo/the Last Elf by Silvana de Mari. The story in the Last Elf takes place near and in a fictional city named Daligar.


Points : 140
Points earned : 15
Current point total : 155

Thanks!

10.8. OH CANADA! - I read The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan. I liked this story a lot and recommend it to anyone who loves stories about the falls. I live in Rochester, NY and have visited Niagara many times and love the legends.

10 points!

20.3 GROUP READS-CLASSICS- I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. I definitely liked these stories much more as a child.

20 points!

Total Points: 225
Total Books Read: 18
Total Pages Read: 5,318
Tasks in Process: 4 (15.3; 30.1; 30.3; 35.3)

Another task bites the dust...

30.3 BJ ROSE'S TASK - SNOWED IN AND LOVING IT
When The Weather Keeps You Housebound, Make The Most Of It! Grab Books By Your Favorite Authors - Or Try Some New Ones - And Read 825 Pages Or More. Any Genre! No Re-Reads For This, But Audiobooks Are Fine. List The Books You Read & # Of Pages For Each When Claiming Your Points.

I read...
Master of Dragons 320 Pages 1/11 ****
Just Desserts 320 Pages 1/1 ***
Lord of the Highlands 336 Pages 1/5 ****

Total Points: 380/1100
Books Read: 30
Tasks Completed: 22/58

20.2 The Help by Kathryn Stockett

total - 295

Completed 10.6--LOCAL LITERATURE LOVERS using Kellee's shelf:

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/38...

My zip code is 84047. One of her 5* reads was Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding. For me, it was just a 3* read.

Total: 325 points

5.3 Royal Reading
A Year with the Queen by Robert Hardman

Total points: 245

For task 30.3

Always a Mother by Linda Warren 241 pages
His Brother's Secret by Debra Salonen 243 pages
Baby Bonanza by Maureen Child 192 pages
A Place Called Home by Margaret Watson 242 pages

total pages 918

For a long time, whenever I wanted to relax I read a Harlequin romance. Kinda go burned out on them but read them for this task. I had forgotten how nice it is to not have to think about a book, just enjoy.

I finished 25-5 Abigail's task-Odd Man Out. I read 'Letters of Jane Austen' by Jane Austen.

500 points

For Bonnie'e End of the Decade task, I decided to use Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein's Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (published in 2008) and Nick Hornby's High Fidelity (made into a movie in 2000). Definitely an odd pairing, but both were pretty good.

Current Total: 415 points

Finished 30.6: The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt

It takes place in Venice. I've spent all of 12 hours there as I was leaving Italy 5 years ago, and I would love to go back. It's like no other place I've ever been. There are no cars on the island; you either walk or take a gondola or water taxi. The streets are so maze-like that we spent most of our time just trying to find our way around. I'd love to go back and be able to really get to know the city better.

Total Points: 170

5.9 Isn't It Romantic: Chocolat by Joanne Harris - I love the setting in France and this book was really delicious in its descriptions of the scents, aromas, and flavors of the area (and of course, the chocolate!) But it was a much darker story than I expected. It may grow on me as I give it some distance.

30.6 Winter Vacation Dreams: Runner in the Sun by D'Arcy McNickle - this book is about a pre-columbian indian village, and a young man who goes on a quest to save the village. It is set among the pueblo Indians of the American southwest - Salt, the main character, is from a village near Chaco Canyon, which is square in the middle of a trip we have planned twice now to the southwest and the Four Corners region and have not yet taken. We visited southern Utah a few years ago and drove through the area in northern New Mexico and Arizona, and have wanted to go back and spend more time exploring ever since. Maybe our next big trip. This book is an interesting story and captures the landscape well; but it is fairly simplistic and doesn't go into much detail of the culture.

total 545 points, almost to the halfway mark!

All right. I already need to do some switching...

Previously, I claimed points for Task 25.4 (Historical Fiction) using: Midnight Eyes (middle ages) and His Lady Midnight (early 1800s).

I need to switch the latter with Dame Fortune by Meredith Bond (also early 1800s) (1/6/10).

Task 25.5 (Odd Book Out) - His Lady Midnight by Sarah Brophy (1/1/10).

Not 5.1, 2, 3 (there were no guest appearances by any royalty, fiction or non), 4, 5, 6 (if I had more guts, I could do that...), 7 (according to fantastic fiction she was born in 1953, which means she's either a snake or a dragon, and I'm a pig), 8, 9, or 10.

Not 10.1, 2, 3, 4/5/6 (it's only been rated by me and one other person... and we both rated it 4 stars), 7, or 8/9/10 (takes place in England).

Not 15.1, 2, 3 (it's part of a series written by a woman, but the series is about these 4 GUY friends and how they fall in love, etc.), 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (I've read 3 or 4 of her books), or 10.

Task 30.7 (Multitasking) - A Debt to Delia by Barbara Metzger (1/9/10)

This book would also work for Tasks 5.10 (alliteration), 15.9b (new to me author), 25.4 (historical fiction), and 25.6 (island country (England)).

Current Stats:
Total Points: 235
Tasks Done: 13
Tasks Partially Done: 4
Books Read: 19
Pages Read: 5200



NOTE: Also, I forgot to say that two of the books I've read were by goodreads authors: Gennifer Choldenko's If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period (Task 25.2) and Maureen Johnson, who wrote 1/3 of Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances (Task 15.8)

I finished Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson this morning for task 10.5. I was born in March, and it was one of the popular books for that month. I can really see why too. It's a heart-breaking look inside the world of anorexia, and I think that everyone should read it to get some kind of idea of what a debilitating disease anorexia is.

Laurie Halse Anderson is a Goodreads author.

Total points: 90
5 tasks complete - 10 tasks in progress
11 books read
3,063 pages read

For Task no. 15.5 Readers Unite Around The World

My initials are KC
A five star book of BETH IN KOREA
I read The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde

A five star book of LISA BENDER IN CONGO, The Dominican Replublic of
I read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

points this task: 15
tasks completed: 9
total points: 160

I have finished the following tasks:

15.5A Sunset Embrace by Sandra Brown Cayman Islands Jayme's List
15.5B The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls El Salvador Janet's List

25.1A Summer by Edith Wharton
25.1B Saturday by Ian McEwan

25.5 A Christmas Guest by Anne Perry

25.6 Barbados Heat by Don Bruns


30.3 Gossip Girl The Carlyles You Just Can't Get Enough by Annabelle Vestry 208 Pages

The Legend of the Chrismas Prayer by Brian Mrogan 51 Pages

Devious An It Girl Novel by Cecily von Ziegesar 232 Pages

Gossip Girl The Carlyles Take a Chance on Me by Cecily von Ziegesar 240 Pages

Gossip Girl The Carlyles Love the One You're With by Annabelle Vestry

I completed task 30.7
The Goose Girl
This book qualified for tasks 5.10 illiteration 15.9 b a book by an autor I've never read and a third that I don't remember the numbers to, the friendship task.
I really liked this Goose Girl.

That's a total of 45 pts for me.

Finished:

SILVER SCREEN CELEBRATIONS
A. Read A Book That Relates To Any Holiday That Occurs During This Challenge
AND
B. Watch A Film That Involves That Same Holiday.

Read:
A. You Better Not Cry: Stories For Christmas by Augusten Burroughs

Watched:
B. Last Holiday (2006)

New Point Total: 105
Tasks Completed: 5
Books Read: 6
Pages Read: 2271

Finished:
25.5 ABIGAIL'S TASK--ODD MAN OUT
Family Pictures: A Novel by Sue Miller.

5.2 SHE WAS A GRAND OLD FLAG MAKER
A. Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews
B. Stars and Stripes Forever: A Novel of Alternate History by Harry Harrison

10.4 WINNERS CHOICE
The Color Purple by Alice Walker ( I loved this 5*)

Finished
5.10 Alliteration The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

30.8 One fiction and one non-fiction book related to Lewis and Clark and westward expansion 1800 to 1880: Undaunted Courageand Boone's Lick by Stephen Ambrose and Larry McMurtry, 888pp, read 1/8/2010 and 1/11/2010

I would really like to recommend Boone's Lick to anyone who is having trouble finding a fiction Western. It is a short book, and certainly not McMurty's best, but it is very approachable and readable. It is the story of a fed-up Mom who packs up her extended family and heads off to the Territories to locate her wayward husband. It reads as if the author was sketching out a longer book, moved onto to other projects, and just published this short version - or perhaps a backstory to another novel?? Anyway, it was fun and quick.

Books read 33/77+
Tasks completed 18/58
Points 340/1100
Pages read 10488

I just finished The Help for 20.2, the Civil Rights tasks, and though I don't generally go for books with a lot of publicity around them this book was amazing and well worth it. For those that enjoy audio, I highly recommend the audio version. They had several narrators that did a fabulous job giving unique voices to the different characters.

Total points: 365

I just finished task 25.8, Michelle Us' Task. Part A was Three Cups of Tea: One man's mission to Promote Peace....One school at a Time by Greg Mortenson. Part B was Rekindled by Tamera Alexander.

Total Points: 120

I completed 30.6 - Winter Vacation Dreams by reading Touched by Angels by Debbie Macomber. It takes place in NYC. I live in the desert and would have loved to have been in New York for the holidays... the Rockefeller Center, tons of holiday decor/lights, snow.... need I say more?

That brings me to 150 points.

Another task down...
Finished task 25.8 Michelle US
part A: Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace and part B: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (which Michelle approved as a a one word title as all copies don't have the subtitle)

Tasks Completed: 19
Points for this task: 25
Points thus far: 315/1100
Books read: 30
Pages read: 8600 (updated 1/12)

5.4 A Prizewinning Decade: Coraline. It won the Hugo and Nebula Award for Best Novella in 2003.

Neil Gaiman is a Goodreads Author

10.4 Winners Choice: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalad Hosseini from PJreads shelf.

Neither one was a five-star read for me, but I enjoyed them both and would definately recommend them.

Finally, another completed task to report:

5.5 A LIBRARIANS JOB IS NEVER DONE: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein who is a Goodreads author. (1/11)

I give this book 5 stars.

One of the librarians at my local library recommended listening to the audiobook version of The Art of Racing in the Rain. At first I was not going to listen to it because I wasn’t interested in the book when she told me what it was about (A dog narrator?) and I really believe that listening to audiobooks counts as reading. But I am so glad I did listen to it. I listened to it on a long drive from Florida to Virginia. This is the second time I have listened to an audiobook on a long drive (the first was The Alchemist on the drive to Florida from the Northeast) and both made me cry. I have to remember to listen to books that will make cry while I am driving. I didn’t know either would make me cry until I was already listening. I really liked the book, but I am a sucker for any book that makes me cry.

Previous completed tasks:

10.4 WINNERS CHOICE: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Sam’s bookshelf)

20.1 MOST IMPROVED PLAYER - BETH MN'S TASK - REVISITING THE PAST: The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening

30.4 SANDRA'S TASK - WORLD AIDS DAY: The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

30.7 JAN THE GRYPHON’S TASK - MULTI-TASKING: The Road

Total Points: 95
Pages read: 1131
Books read: 5
Tasks completed: 5

30.3 "Snowed In" (sunny & 85 in AZ) - Death and the King's Horseman 254 pp
Interpreter of Maladies 198 pp
The Master and Margarita 448 pp
Total - 900 pp

885 points

Haven't been here in awhile. And I'm kind of ashamed of posting under PJreads, who is a superstar.

5.6 - Dirty Job - I don't know if you will accept this, but I read L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad. The job I would NEVER take is Reality TV star. I think its one of those new-fangled sort of jobs and besides dear LC herself, I can think of several people who have and will continue to have this as a career (Kim Kardashian, those Jersey Shore kids, Jon&Kate plus 8, Tila Tequila, etc.) No amount of money in the world could get me to become a reality tv star. Not even a trillion dollars, and reading this book just cemented that fact for me.

5.10 - Alliteration - I read Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos. This was pretty good. It's about a Cuban American teen growing up in Harlem during the late 60's early 70's, and it explored a lot of issues about race, ethnicity, etc. and I actually found the voice to be very authentic.

15.8 Holiday - XMAS! Of course. I read Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle. All three stories are intertwined, but Johnson's was my favorite, with both Green's and Myracle's just ok. I watched Love Actually, which is a great Christmas movie/romantic comedy. I was actually introduced to this movie by my husband (who is really more of a explosion/car crash moviegoer). It is British, and very cute, a bunch of different stories intertwined, some sad, some happy, just a wonderful movie.

Previous: 325
Current: 350

For 25.8 I read Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix (recommended by my 4th grader; cute time travel book; 3 stars), and

Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? by Jen Lancaster. These books continue to amuse me, though I'm a bit ashamed of that fact.

This brings me to 640.

30.1 Celebrate the end of the decade
Read Alexandria (published in 2009) and Coraline by Neil Gaiman (a Goodreads author).

30.1 Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson (12/11/09) and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (1/12/10)

Inkheart has 534 pages. It was just okay for me. I think I took too long to read it and had a hard time staying IN the story because of it (I started it the day after finishing Shadow Divers--yikes!)

Speaking of Shadow Divers, I really, really enjoyed this book! My short review is here.




Points: 85
Books Read: 5
Tasks Completed: 4

Task 10.1

The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum

by Candace Fleming

Total Books Read: 11
Total Pages Read: 2017
Total Points: 110

I am terribly behind in posting my points, and in completing tasks... so, for my first points of the season...

10.1. UNDER THE BIG TOP - In Honor Of Charles Ringling (Born December 2, 1863 – Died December 3, 1926) One Of Seven Brothers Who Formed Ringling Brothers Circus - Read A Book About The Circus, Circus Performers, or Circus Animals.
Ex. Water for Elephants Or A Son of the Circus
Water for Elephants Sara Gruen 12-28-09 331 Pages

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
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
The Awakening L.A. Banks L.A. Banks and her main character, Damali, are both African American 1-7-10 258 Pages

10.5. POPULARITY CONTEST – Discovering The Hot Books Of 2009….
A. Go To http://www.goodreads.com/book/popular_by...
Click On The By Month Tab, Select The Month You Were Born In And Read One Of The Books From That List.
I was born in July, so I picked Blue Moon Alyson Noel 12-31-09 284 Pages

15.7. FOOD + FAMILY AND/OR FRIENDS = READING FUN
A. Read A Novel With Recipes Or A Cookbook.
AND
Prepare One Or More Of The Recipes From The Book And Share It With Others (Family/Friends/Co-Workers Etc.).
Carrot Cake MurderJoanne Fluke re-read 1-2-10
I baked Red Velvet Cookies with my mom, aunts and cousins 12-13-09 331 Pages

Total Points: 45
Total Pages Read: 1214
Total Books Read: 4
Number of Challenges Completed: 4

15.8 Silver Screen Celebrations
A. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
B. Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon

Total points: 260

For task 35.4 Reading about your resolution, I read The Weight of Silence (this is the best book I have read in a long time, I HIGHLY recommend it) and Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous! as my resolution again this year for 2010 as it is every year is to drop a few pounds. Skinny B could be majorly offensive obviously to some people, but I thought the facts presented in the book were very interesting. It will definitely make you think twice about what your putting into your mouth.

15.3 WHAT WOMEN WANT (TO READ AND WRITE)

A. A Novel Written By A Female Author From A Series That Has A Female Main Character - Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer by Dorothy Gilman

B. An Autobiography Or Biography Of A Woman You Admire (Book Must Also Have Been Written By A Woman) - Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom by Zoya Pirzad

Total Points: 225/1100
Tasks Completed: 15/58
Tasks in Progress: 8

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Completed task 15.8--Silver Screen Celebrations

A. Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark

B. I watched "The Holiday" starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black which also takes place during the Christmas holiday