The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

30.6 - Vacation Dreams - I love traveling to Europe and the two countries I have wanted to visit the most and have yet to get to - Italy and Spain. I read Angels & Demons as it takes place mostly in Rome and the Vatican City. The book was a good read and held my interest with the richness of the history and details of the city.

Task Points:30
Total Points:175
Tasks:12
Books:9

Nicki - STL

Finished 30.10 The Big Four and The Golden Compass. Both were excellent.

Finished another task today.

Task 5.8. BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE – Living Dead in Dallas – Charlaine Harris (291) – 1/15/2010

TOTAL
Completed Tasks: 4
Total Points: 65
Books read: 8
Pages Read 3,791

Tasks Completed:

5.2 She Was a Grand Old Flag Maker
*Dead as a Doornail**** by Charlaine Harris - READ 1.13.10

The Sookie series continues to entertain me and makes me laugh.

10.10 From Russia With Love
The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar**** by Robert Alexander (Goodreads Author) - READ 1.15.10
I really liked this twist on the Romanov tale!

30.1 Celebrate the End of the Decade
A. Published - Her Fearful Symmetry***1/2 by Audrey Niffenegger (Goodreads Author) - READ 1.10.10
I liked this gothic ghost story throughout most of the book, but part of the ending made me drop my rating.
B. Made Into Movie - *Marley & Me: Love and Life with the World's Worst Dog**** by John Grogan - READ 1.12.09
Boy do I appreciate my dogs more now and all their misdeeds, which are minor compared to Marly.




Tasks Completed: 18/58
Points Completed: 320/1100
Books Read: 23
*Books Read From My Personal Library: 10

finished two tasks today.

for task 5.3 i read King Lear. wow. painful. i like shakespeare a lot, but this is my 2nd least favorite of his. super grim.

for task 30.2 i read Neuromancer and Under the Skin. neuromancer was a tough read for me, because i'm just not imaginative enough to "see" what they're describing to me. under the skin was a re-read and just as good as the first time. a very sad story, really.

the differences between the two? well, neuromancer felt very 'cold' to me, as i think it was supposed to. it was very 'hard metal and bright lights' in it's style, which of course fit for it's story. under the skin was much more accessible for me, and had really lovely prose and fabulous descriptions and insights, which also fit for it's story. i'm not sure my words are conveying how i'm feeling, i suck that way. neuromancer felt very rigid and harsh, under the skin was very warm and rich. so i think the difference in style was very much related to the choice of subject matter. not that under the skin was a "nice" book. (i will NOT be getting a ticket for best book review! :P)




Total Points: 550/1100
Books Read: 31/79+
Tasks Completed: 22/58
Tasks in Progress: 1

Melissa wrote: "Time to catch up with a few that I have just wrapped up...

15.3 What Women Want

Female character/female author: The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie King (a Goodreads Author) - A..."

Alright, you've got me curious. I was a HUGE Nancy Drew fan growing up.....what did they change in The Clue in the Diary?

I have completed task #5.2 by reading by Charlaine Harris. I gave this book 2 stars...fast read but rather dull.

For 10 point task #7, I read The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares from the Lost Lit List. Lost is my favorite tv show, and I can't wait for it to come back on! :D

Updated totals:
Points: 125
Tasks completed: 7/58
Tasks in progress: 8
Books read: 15
Pages read: 4,068

10.1 Circus Novel

I read A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan.

Total Points: 30+10 = 40

Natalie wrote: Alright, you've got me curious. I was a HUGE Nancy Drew fan growing up.....what did they change in The Clue in the Diary?..."

I don't know! I haven't read the original yet. According to the book I read, the first 15 or 20 books were re-written in the 50s and 60s mostly due to concerns of political correctness. My local used bookstore had an early edition of the Clue in the Diary but I keep forgetting to look at it while I am there.

30.1 - BONNIE'S TASK - CELEBRATE THE END OF THE DECADE

I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Coraline by Neil Gaiman. I enjoyed both books.

30 points

Total Points: 285
Total Books Read: 21
Total Pages Read: 6,188
Tasks in Process: 3 (15.3; 30.3; 35.3)

10.9. REMEMBERING PEARL HARBOR - In Honor Of Pearl Harbor Day (December 7th) Read A Book Written By An Author Who Was Born In Hawaii, A Book Set In Hawaii, Or A Non-Fiction Book About Hawaii.

Pacific Vortex! by Clive Cussler


20.2 ROOKIE OF THE SEASON - CHERYL ME'S TASK - CIVIL RIGHTS
In Honor Of Rosa Parks Day And Martin Luther King Jr Day Both Of Which Take Place During This Challenge Read A Book That Is Related To The Civil Rights Movement. The Book Can Be A Fiction Book In Which The Main Character Fights For Civil Rights Or A Non-Fiction Book About Civil Rights, The Movement, Or A Biography/Auto-Biography About One Of Its Leaders.

What Manner of Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Lerone Bennett


Points: 75/550
Books: 6
Tasks: 6/58
Pages: 1,775

Jayme wrote: "Ashley wrote: "For task 30.3, I read:

“Missing in Death” by JD Robb (96 pages)
“Fairy Dust” Charlaine Harris (34 pages) 130 total
“Princess Mia” Meg Cabot (274 pages) 404 total
“Forever Blue” Suza..."
I went way over the total needed, so feel free to exclude those 34 pages. I was just keeping a running total as I read stuff that didn't fit elsewhere.

Melissa wrote: "Natalie wrote: Alright, you've got me curious. I was a HUGE Nancy Drew fan growing up.....what did they change in The Clue in the Diary?..."

I don't know! I haven't read the original yet. Accord..."

Interesting....I had no idea. (although I guess I'm not surprised.)

I'm going to have to give that Girl Sleuth book a second try. I borrowed it from the library a couple of months ago but just couldn't get into it.

I finished 10-6 Local Literature Lovers, I read 'Holidays on Ice' by David sedaris which is a 5 star read for Laura who lives within 5 miles of me.

605 points.

I have finished the following tasks:

5.8 One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
5.9 My Husband's Sweethearts by Bridget Asher

10.6 The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein Allison's List

25.3A Undone by Karin Slaughter THe Book is Bright Purple with a little White
25.3B One of the Survivors by Susan Shaw

35.3 The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer

Well that has the wrong total on it. Let's try again

When all else fails, reconfigure

almost there, cheryl! woo! :)

I just finished task 15.9 by reading Chronicle of a Death Foretold- Gabriel Garcia Marquez (as the author I've never read before), and Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer (as the first book on my tbr).

I probably should have started with something a little more well known by Marquez, if only to get used to his writing style. This book was blessedly very short-- but I felt like there could have been more to the story... I feel like maybe I missed something. This book was my book club read at work, so maybe next week when we have our discussion I'll appreciate the book a little better...

Into Thin Air was the first book on my TBR and I'm soooooooooo happy to have finally read it! A chilling account of the Mt Everest Disaster of 1996. I couldn't put the book down, particularly in the last 50 or so pages. I took this book out of the library, but I think I might want to re-read it in the future, so I'm going to buy it.

That should bring me to 185 pts.

Books Read: 13
Pages Read: 4,417
Total Points: 185

Newly Completed Tasks:

5.9 – ISN”T IT ROMANTIC
Read: Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
Blech! Only gave this 1 star. I usually really enjoy this author, but this book was heavily laden with way too many descriptions; and the story just plodded on and on. I didn’t particularly like the characters and ultimately didn’t like the ending which was a bit ambiguous.

10.7 – SCREEN STORIES - Read A Book Inspired By, OR Was The Inspiration For, OR Is In Some Way Related To Your Favorite Television Show
TV Show - True Blood
Read: Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
Another fun “Sookie” read. Darn, now I’ve read the whole series and will have to wait for the next one to be published. I gave this one 4 stars.

Total Points: 195
Books Read: 16
Completed Tasks: 13
Pages Read for Completed Tasks: 4,224
Other Tasks in Process: 2
Personal Goal: 400 Points

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Wa-hoo, halfway through the challenge I'm almost halfway to my goal score.

30.6 April in Paris
Michael Wallner

I am in Paris at the Louvre. In 2002 I visited London and one day we took the Chunnel to Paris. We saw all the usual tourist spots: The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Champs Elysee, and the Arc de Triomphe. Unfortunately, the Louvre was closed that day. My dream is to return to Paris to see the Louvre.

a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/counter/...

I've completed another task.

15.10 Game for a Lifetime by Edwin "Bud" Shrake (died May 8, 2009) and Harvey Penick and watched Point Break with Patrick Swayze.

Total Points - 145
Books Read - 9
Tasks Completed - 8

Also finishing books for two other tasks.

And then there were none...

50.1--

THE GOLDEN BULL by Marjorie Cowley

This YA novel tells about a brother who is sent to the city of Ur (now Iraq) in ancient Mesopotamia to work as an apprentice for the temple's goldsmith. At the last moment, his sister is sent along with him to find her way; unfortunately, without a job a girl's life in the big city can be rough. This story tells of both the good and the bad of living in the ancient world. A VG read.

and

SKATE CRIME by Alina Adams
This books talks about the politics and soap operas that go on behind the scenes of Olympic level figure skating.
Lucian Pryce is a renowned Oympic medal winner and coach to many other Olympic winners and hopefulls. On the day before a tribute to his life in skating he takes a fall and dies. What appears to be a very sad accident looks like murder to Bex Levy and as she starts looking into it, she finds that almost everyone associated with Julian has motives to kill him. A pretty good mystery. I found the background in the skating world very interesting, albeit a little extreme. I knew the skaters has many injuries, but I did not know that skull fractures were not uncommon.

This brings me to 1100 points and the end of this challenge. I'll list my "reads" in another post.

Another task done!

20.3 GROUP READS
Read One Of The Following Group Read Selections And Make At Least One Post In The Discussion Thread.
A. Classic - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
B. Winter - The Stupidest Angel A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, Version 2.0
C. Romance - The Princess Bride

I read The Princess Bride and really enjoyed it.

Total Points: 410/1100
Books Read: 32
Tasks Completed: 24/58

Here's my final completed list--

WINTER 2009 CHALLENGE--COMPLETED 1/16/10

5 POINT CHALLENGES--COMPLETED!!--

5.1--BE A DOG WITH A BONE:ALWAYS GO FOR YOUR DREAMS
by Peggy McColl--COMPLETED!!--

5.2--JIMMY’S STARS by Mary Ann Rodman--COMPLETED!!--

5.3--DOOMED QUEENS:ROYAL MONARCHS WHO MET BAD ENDS
by Kris Waldherr--COMPLETED!!--

5.4--THE BOTTOMS by Joe R Lansdale (Edgar A. Poe Award 2001)--COMPLETED!!--

5.5--THREE BEDROOMS, ONE CORPSE by Charlaine Harris--COMPLETED!!--

5.6--THE CORONER’S LUNCH by Colin Cotterill--COMPLETED!!--

5.7--THE INCANTATION OF FRIDA K by Kate Braverman (Tiger, 1950)--COMPLETED!!--

5.8 AGATHA RAISIN & THE FAIRIES OF FRYFAM by M C Beaton--COMPLETED!!--

5.9--SWEETHEART:THE STORY OF MARY PICKFORD by Robert Windeler--COMPLETED!!--

5.10--BROTHERS, BOYFRIENDS & OTHER CRIMINAL MINDS by April Lurie--COMPLETED!!--

10 POINT CHALLENGES--COMPLETED!!--

10.1--SERPENT GIRL by Matthew Carnahan--COMPLETED!!--

10.2--TOUCH THE TOP OF THE WORLD:A BLIND MAN’S JOURNEY TO CLIMB FARTHER THAN THE EYE CAN SEE by Erik Weih--COMPLETED!!--

10.3--INFANTS OF THE SPRING by Wallace Thurman--COMPLETED!!--

10.4--CAKE WRECKS by Jen Yates (Donna Jo’s list)--COMPLETED!!--

10.5--WINTERGIRLS by Laurie H. Anderson (Full list:December baby)--COMPLETED!!--

10.6--DANGEROUS DAYS OF DANIEL X by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge(Kandice’s list)--COMPLETED!!--

10.7--THE WILLOW FILES VOL. 1:BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER by Yvonne Navarro (Fave show and fave character)--COMPLETED!!--

10.8--THE END OF EAST by Jen Sookfong Lee--COMPLETED!!--

10.9--THE FLAMING LUAU OF DEATH by Jerrilyn Farmer--COMPLETED!!--

10.10--OLGA’S STORY by Stephanie Williams--COMPLETED!!--

15 POINT CHALLENGES--COMPLETED!!--

15.1--THIS IS YOUR LIFE:A NOVEL by John O’Farrell & watch Burn After Reading--COMPLETED!!--

15.2--INCANTATION by Alice Hoffman & OZMA OF OZ by L Frank Baum--COMPLETED!!--

15.3--A CAT NAMED BRAT by Lydia Adamson & MICHELLE OBAMA by Elizabeth Lightfoot--COMPLETED!!--

15.4--CHEATING AT SOLITAIRE: A NOVEL by Ally Carter (also play game for an hour) --COMPLETED!!--

15.5--THE KILLER INSIDE ME by Jim Thompson (from Max Nemtsov’s list “Russia”) & LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE by Nancy Mitford (From Selena in the Bahamas)--COMPLETED!!--

15.6--FINAL PAYMENT by Steven Havill (bicycle) & give yearly toys to Toys for Tots--COMPLETED!!--

15.7--THE BODY IN THE BONFIRE by Katherine Page--COMPLETED!!--

15.8--THE GIFT by Nora Roberts (also watch Christmas movie)--COMPLETED!!--

15.9--SOUL OF THE BRIDE by Constance M Burge & FANGS BUT NO FANGS by Kathy Love--COMPLETED!!--

15.10--RUNNING WILD by J G Ballard--COMPLETED!!--

20 POINT CHALLENGES--COMPLETED!!--

20.1--CELTIC ART by Miranda Green/Fall 2009--Creative Minds challenge/Learn Your Art History (Also go to Art Gallery)--COMPLETED!!--

20.2--ROSA PARKS by Douglas Brinkley--COMPLETED!!--

20.3--THE STUPIDEST ANGEL by Christopher Moore--COMPLETED!!--

25 POINT CHALLENGES--COMPLETED!!--

25.1--Leora/SLOW MAN by J M Coetzee & THE SEA by John Banville--COMPLETED!!--

25.2--Gina/FRIENDSHIP CAKE by Lynne Hinton--COMPLETED!!--

25.3--Sara Nicole/LONDON IN CHAINS by Gillian Bradshaw (predominantly blue) & A KNIFE AT THE OPERA by Susannah Stacey---both from library--COMPLETED!!--

25.4--Lisa MD/THE ASH GARDEN by Dennis Bock /WWII & WOMEN OF THE RENAISSANCE by Melissa Thompson /Renaissance (Also tell which time peiord I would have wanted to live in)--COMPLETED!!--

25.5--ABIGAIL/ DANCING SHOES by Noel Streatfeild--COMPLETED!!--

25.6--Stephanie US/BREATH by Tim Winton (Australia)--COMPLETED!!--

25.7--Sam/THE LOVE OF THE LAST TYCOON by F. Scott Fitzgerald & ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME MARGARET by Judy Blume--COMPLETED!!--

25.8--Michelle US/THE AGE OF MIRACLES, EMBRACING THE NEW MIDLIFE by Marianne Williamson & REMAKE by Connie Willis--COMPLETED!!--

25.9--Bridgit/THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norton Juster (map) & A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgiss (Glossary of terms)--COMPLETED!!---

25.10--Emily/MASQUERADE by Melissa De La Cruz (Describe cover or post photo) & RUN, BONG-GU, RUN by Byun Byuing-Jun--COMPLETED!!--


30 POINT CHALLENGES--COMPLETED!!--

30.1--Bonnie/ALL TOGETHER DEAD by Charlaine Harris & UP IN THE AIR by Walter Kirn--COMPLETED!!--

30.2--BEGGARS IN SPAIN by Nancy Kress (1993-won Nebula 1992) & THE BIG EMPTY by J. B. Stephens (2004) Also state differences/reasons--COMPLETED!!--

30.3--THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak (552 pgs.) and BEADS OF DOUBT by Barbara Burnett Smith (306 pgs)--COMPLETED!!--

30.4--SANDRA/ YEAR OF WONDERS by Geraldine Brooks--COMPLETED!!--

30.5--Diane/ELSEWHERE by Gabrielle Zevin & THE SALMON OF DOUBT by Douglas Adams--COMPLETED!!--

30.6--Wendy/AUNT DIMITY AND THE NEXT OF KIN by Nancy Atherton (also imagine where set and why you want to be there)--COMPLETED!!--

30.7--Jan the Gryphon/SWEET REVENGE by Diana Mott Davidson (fits 15.7 & 15.8)--COMPLETED!!--

30.8--Kari/SACAGEWEA SPEAKS by Joyce B Hunsaker & BLACK PIONEERS:AN UNTOLD STORY by William Loren Katz (also tell whether you would like to have lived in the time and why)--COMPLETED!!--

30.9--Rachel Lee/GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES! VOICES FROM A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE by Laura Amy Schlitz (Newbery) & FEATHERS by Jacqueline Woodson (Honor Book) both 2008--COMPLETED!!--

30.10--Theresa In Ohio/GREEN THUMB by Ralph McInerny & THIRTEEN AT DINNER by Agatha Christie--COMPLETED!!--

35 POINT CHALLENGES--COMPLETED!!--

35.1--PJ Reads/BIOMEDICAL ETHICS by Terry O’Neil (174.2) and WHAT IN THE WORD by Charles Harrington Elster (422)--COMPLETED!!--

35.2--DonnaJo/COZY:A STANLEY HASTINGS MYSTERY by Parnell Hall & THE FIRE BABY by Jim Kelly--COMPLETED!!--

35.3--DLM Rose/DAY OF THE IGUANA by Henry Winkler--COMPLETED!!--

35.4--Roseann/THIN WOOD WALLS by David Patneaude & THE SKINNY by Melissa Clark--COMPLETED!!--

50 POINT CHALLENGE--COMPLETED!!

THE GOLDEN BULL by Marjorie Cowley and SKATE CRIME by Alina Adams--COMPLETED!!--


My "most fun, laugh out loud" read was CAKE WRECKS.
My least favorite read was THE KILLER INSIDE ME.
My favorite read was THE BOOK THIEF--I have already recommended it four times!

Well, it's off to online grad school for me in a couple weeks, wish me luck on my MLIS! See everyone in the next challenge!!

15.6 - THE SEASON OF GIFTING & GIVING
A. Read A Book That Relates To Best Gift You've Ever Been Given (It Doesn't Have To Have Been A Holiday Present). Please State Who Gave You The Gift & Why It's Your Favorite Gift When Claiming Points For This Task)
AND
B. This Is Also The Season For Giving Back - You Can Spend Some Time Volunteering Or Donate Money/Clothing/Food To A Local Charity. Post How You Gave Back When Claiming Points For This Task.

My favorite gift of all time was a beautiful antique box given to me by my Grandmother just before she passed away. It's very ornate and beautiful. I smile everytime I see it!

I read Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel for this task. Very dark mix of mystery and horror. I enjoyed it and gave it 4 stars.

For the volunteer part of the task, I organized an Adopt a Family event for our department at work where we gathered items for a specific family in crisis.

35.3 - DLM ROSE'S TASK - IT'S ABOUT TIME
Read A Book With One Of These Words In The Title: Second(S), Minute(S), Hour(S), Day(S), Week(s), Month(S), Season(S), Year(S).

I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life for this task. I really enjoyed the book much more than I expected to. Gave it 4 stars.

25.8- MICHELLE US' TASK - JANUARY 30TH IS INANE ANSWERING MACHINE DAY
The Day Where We Try To Bring An End To All Of Those Mindless, Endlessly Long, Beeping And Otherwise Inane Answering Machine Messages That Annoy, Waste Time And Try The Patience Of Poor Unfortunate Callers.

In Honor Of This Silly Holiday...

A. Read A Book With An Unnecessarily Long Title (At Least 7 Words)
And To Make Up For It...
B. Read A Book With A Very Short Title (1 Word).

For A, I read Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace which I gave 4 stars. I enjoyed the author's perspective quite a bit.

For B, I read Pushwhich was a very disturbing book. I gave it 3 stars. I'm glad I read it but wow it was very disturbing!


Totals as of 1/16/10:
465/1100 Points
24/58 Tasks Completed
36/58 Tasks Remaining
10985/23806 Pages Read
33/79 Books Read
46/79 Books Outstanding

Congrats Roseann!

I finished task 35.3. DLM ROSE'S TASK - IT'S ABOUT TIME by reading The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion.

Total points = 195

Congrats on finishing, and good luck - you'll do fine!

Here are some of mine that are done:
5.2. She was a grand flag maker - Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

5.10. The allure of alliteration - The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau

10.9. Remembering Pearl Harbor - Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (borin in Hawaii)

25.2. Gina's Task - The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau , friendship, to me, is caring about a person, taking the time to know what they are doing, knowing their past and present, and being there for one another when needed.

30.7. Jan the Gryphon's Task - The Cat Who Yalked Turkey (Audio CD) by Lilian Jackson Braun and narrated by George Guidall (could be in 5.8 and 5.10)

35.3. DLM Rose's Task - The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty

Making my total 155 points.

I have not been on in a long time...here are my completed tasks since my last posting.

5.3 The Constant Princess

15.2 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass and The Neverending Story (I had a hard time finding the link!)

20.2 Rosa Parks: Tired of Giving In

25.2Talk Before Sleep: A Novel To me, friendship is being there through good and bad, tears of happiness and sadness, and health and sickness. Friendship through an illness was a major theme in this book and has been a major theme in my life. I was to return to work on Tuesday after medical leave, but will not be able to return to teaching this year. Looks like I will finish the challenge after all.

25.5 Have a Little Faith: The Story of a Last Request

25.6 The Housekeeper and the Professor

30.4 Fever 1793

30.5 Everlost and Northanger Abbey

30.6 Annie John: A Novel I live in cold Ohio, so this setting of Antigua is sounding pretty good right now.

30.7 Murder is Binding fits tasks 5.8, 15.3, and 15.7

My new total should be:

For 15.5, READERS ROUND THE WORLD UNITE -
A. First name begins with A, first person on list for Austria is Fiordiligi and a 5* book is “Flirting with Danger” by Suzanne Enoch (thought this was great)
B. Last name begins with I, first person on list for Iceland is Charlane Brady and a 5* book is Jane Goodall 40 Years at Gombe (I'm fascinated with chimps and saw Jane Goodall speak once -- this was a really interesting history of her work)

This brings me to 725 points.

I completed task 30.9. the Newberry Award task by reading the 2009 winner The Graveyard Book and runner up Savvy. I enjoyed both books but I do thing that Gaiman's book deserved the top prize. It was such a great story about growing up. I also enjoyed Savvy which had a great message in having confidence in yourself. Both of these authors are Goodread Authors!

My current total is 295.

25.5 ABIGAIL'S TASK - ODD MAN OUT The Devil's Advocate by Morris West
Books Read: 32
Pages Read: 10310
Tasks Completed: 25
Tasks in Progress: 6

I finished 15.9, Old/New with
a. Field of Blood and
b. The Hunger Games


+15
total 880

Two more to report - both outstanding:

5.4 Prize Winner: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo - Newbury Award Winner

A wonderful young adult book. Beautiful writing and very meaningful. Well deserving of its award. 5 stars

10.8 Canada - Too Much Happiness: Stories by Alice Munro

A extremely good book of short stories by one of the best short story writers ever. A frequent contributor to the New Yorker - Alice Munro is amazingly prolific with consistantly high quality. I really liked all ten stories in this collection. Highly recommend for those who like the short story genre. 5 stars

Points: 660
Tasks: 35
Books: 45
Pages: 12023

Another one down...
Task 25.6 Stephanie US by reading Lost in a Good Book for the island of Great Britain. 4 stars. I am falling in love with the Thursday Next series.

Tasks Completed: 20
Points for this task: 25
Points thus far: 340/1100
Books read: 31
Pages read: 8999

congratulations, roseann! good luck with school! :)

10.5 (Popular Books - January 2009)

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
by Tiffany Baker(Goodreads Author)

3.5 stars

I love stories told from the perspective of "odd" or unusual characters. Giants, dwarves, Siamese twins, and etc.. always seem to have a lyrical tale to tell. The plot was nicely paced and interesting.

+10
Points: 105
Books: 8
Tasks: 8

30.9 Rachel Lee's task - the Newbery award
Read Bridge to Terabithia (winner) and Ramona and Her Father (honor). I really enjoyed both books. They both had realistic characters, relevant situations and thoughtful outcomes. I think Bridge to Terabithia is one of the best children's books I have ever read.

Bridge to Teribithia is my favorite book.

Roseann you're crazy, I haven't even seen the 50 point task yet and you're finished!! :) Congrats!

I did finish the odd man out task, 25.5 with The Patron Saint of Liars. I actually really enjoy Ann Patchett's books despite the fact that I'm always a little let down at the ending. Despite this, she takes unusual situations and creates complex characters and relationships out of it.

Total points: 395

15.6 Season of Gifting and Giving

I think this has been my favorite task so far. My best gift ever has been the joy of books and reading from my mother. So many memories of walking to the public library together in what would become my elementary school and choosing Madeline almost every other trip. You didn't own books when I was young, just Little Goldens till you got to the chapter series like Bobbsey Twins (my favorites or Nancy Drew) but I have become a hoarder!
So my book was The Man Who Loved Books Too Much - Allison Hoover Bartlett.

As to giving, I can think of no greater gift than books, so as I unpacked boxes and boxes of books this past month, I culled all the duplicates that I just had to purchase because my copies were packed up and donated them to our Libraries book sale. There were many, but who can resist Pride and Prejudice or Othello?

Books Read - 16
Pages Read - 4779
Tasks Completed 13
Points - 195/1100

5.7 Eying the Year of the Tiger: Love is the Higher Law (David Levithan was born in September of 1972, so he's a Rat like me ^_^)

Total: 5 + 880 (from earlier) = 885 points

Completed Task 25.2

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith

Friends come and go throughout your lifetime, but true friends are the people who are there for the bad times as well as the good. You can laugh with them, cry with them, be brutally honest with them (even when they don't want to hear it) and then pick up the pieces when things go wrong (without saying 'I told you so').

I finished task 20.2. I chose this former task: "Ros' Task - Read A Book That’s On The Big Reads List. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100..."
And I read A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute.

I also completed task 30.6. I read The Winter of Frankie Machine by Don Winslow and dreamt myself away to a warm and sunny San Diego, California...

Total points: 145.

I finished 15.4, fun and games, with
The Sudoku Murder: A Katie McDonald Mystery and completed a pile of sudoku puzzles. I really like the mega sudoku (4X4 grid) and samurai sudoku (5 connected puzzles)

+15
total 895

Completed two more tasks, and read three books. One book was by a Goodreads author. Long post!

25.2 Book with friend(s)(ship) in title or with a theme of friendship,post what friendship means to you: The Magicians by Lev Grossman(GoodReads author) 402pps read 1/14/2010.
This is my Goodreads author book, and is also about friendship, or at least one youg man's inability to recognize or understand friendship and love. On one level this book is a parody or perhaps an elaborate homnage to both Narnia and Harry Potter, but in this telling the characters are much too human and flawed. The children who do magic are also the "best and brightest" nerdy kids with amazing powers and nothing to do. The magic gets out of hand. Quentin, the protagonistdoes learn the value of true friendship and love, and that these things have importance that transcends reality.
Friendship for mea has always been about having someone who knows you as well as you do yourself, someone to be comfortable with, who can forgive the flaws. My family are some of my best friends, but I also have always wanted good GFs outside the family, maybe that's a female thing?

25.9 Book containing a map AND a book with extra content:First Lord's Fury and The Unkindest Cut by Jim Butcher and Honor Hartman , 705pps read 1/16/2010 and 12/25/2009.

All good fantasy books have to have maps, and The Codex Alera series is no exception. Butcher is a fun writer and the Alera series doesn't disappoint. The first book is a little slow, setting up the story, and this book (the last) has a feeling of tying up loose ends, but the middle books particularly are great.
The Unkindest Cut is another cozy mystery, but its extra content is bridge tips with hands and bridge diagrams.


Books read 37/77+
Tasks completed 22/58
Points 445/1100
Pages read 11597


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25.5 The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
Maggie O'Farrell

Thanks to a rainy afternoon and an inability to fall asleep, I completed:

10.1 Under the Big Top with The Ringmaster's Secret by Carolyn Keene. This is an old-school Nancy Drew (I was inspired by the poster up-thread) and boy was it a hoot to read! Nancy (age 18) is the emergency fill in for the equestrian stunt rider (somersaults, etc. on the moving horse). She ends up traveling with the circus while she solves the crime. My daughter has about 50 of them and I will have to read more!

10.2 Love Is Blind by Lynsay Sands. I *loved* this -- reminiscent of Julia Quinn Bridgerton books. The main character is effectively blind.

This brings me to 745 points.