The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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WINTER CHALLENGE 2009-2010
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WINTER CHALLENGE 2009-2010 COMPLETED TASKS

25.l LEORA'S TASK--1001 BOOKS
A. Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
B. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper
Both of these books were ponderous reads. Pynchon was all over the place and Cooper never met a sentence he couldn't stretch to mind-bending lengths. But I can say that I read them.

5 points tasks
9. ISN'T IT ROMANTIC - Read A Book With The Words: Love, Romance, Cupid, Sweetheart, Valentine, Heart, Kiss, Chocolate, Roses, Or Jewelry In The Title. (Alternate Forms Of These Words Are Acceptable I.E. Romantic Or Kissing Would Be Fine.)
Read Awakening the Beast: Return of the Beast\Mortal Enemy, Immortal Lover\Claws of the Lynx\Wilderness\Honor Calls (Silhouette Nocturne)
10 points tasks
5. POPULARITY CONTEST – Discovering The Hot Books Of 2009….
Read Evermore (The Immortals, #1)
7. 7. SMALL SCREEN STORIES - Read A Book Inspired By, OR Was The Inspiration For, OR Is In Some Way Related To Your Favorite Television Show (Past Or Present).
Read Dexter in the Dark (Dexter, #3) and of course watched the last season
15 points tasks
8. SILVER SCREEN CELEBRATIONS
A. 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 AND B. Watch A Film That Involves That Same Holiday.
Read Twelve Nights (Blaze Historicals #5) (Harlequin Blaze #512) and Watched the Disney A Christmas Carol in IMAX.
I know not creative but still good.
20 points tasks
5. ABIGAIL'S TASK - ODD MAN OUT
Read One Book That Doesn't Fit Any Of The 5/10/15 Point Tasks For You. Read Unclean Spirits (The Black Sun's Daughter, #1)
30 points tasks
3. BJ ROSE'S TASK - SNOWED IN AND LOVING IT – read 1,616 pages total
Pages read: 1,616
Books read: 8 but only 5 count
Tasks completed: 6
Total Points: 90
Morgan

Great start to the Challenge!


5.5 I read The Geographer's Library
Total points: 75
Pages: 2360
Books: 6
Tasks Completed: 5


I'd heard this book was really good but did not enjoy it at all.

I read the book out loud to my daughter while nursing her. She's not even 3 months old yet, so even though this book is geared towards a young audience it was way over her head, hehe. When she's old enough for "chapter books" I'd love to read another Peck book with her. :)
I also finished The Complete Book of Breastfeeding by Marvin S. Eiger & Sally Wendkos Olds for task 25.5. I actually started this book in November when Brigid was born but didn't have a lot of time to read it during those first few weeks so was less than halfway through when the Winter Challenge started. It's not the sort of book you just sit down and read so I've been reading a chapter here and there over the past couple months and finally finished it today. It was a very useful reference. I seldom keep books after I'm done with them but this one will be staying on the shelf of keeper books.

Points: 125
Books Read: 8
Tasks Completed: 7

total points: 100!

A. Jamaica/Joelle - Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
B. New Zealand/Sarah - An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris

Prey by Michael Crichton (502 pages)
The Venetian Betrayal: A Novel by Steve Berry (540 pages)
Total pages read: 1042
Total points: 545

10.2 - I read Homer's Odyssey: a Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper.
5.10 - I read Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi.
25.9 - I read Antiques Maul by Barbara Allan (for the map part) AND I read Cathy's Book: If Found Call (650)266-8233 by Jordan Weisman (for the extra part)
25.10 I read Dirty Bow Wow by Cheryl Katz (for the cover) AND I read Escape from "Special" by Miss Lasko-Gross (for the graphic novel part).
So all together that should bring me to the total points of : 105 points
30 POINTS- #6- TEXAS Debra White Smith
I love vacationing in Texas. So many people think of the dry, desolate Texas often painted by books like this one. When I think of Texas I think of Dallas, the city lights and constant activity. Although the weather may not be "warm" there, it is definitely warmer than where I am currently. Visiting my family while in the state wouldn't hurt either!
Pages read: 462
Books read: 1
Tasks completed: 1
Total Points: 30
Jen
I love vacationing in Texas. So many people think of the dry, desolate Texas often painted by books like this one. When I think of Texas I think of Dallas, the city lights and constant activity. Although the weather may not be "warm" there, it is definitely warmer than where I am currently. Visiting my family while in the state wouldn't hurt either!
Pages read: 462
Books read: 1
Tasks completed: 1
Total Points: 30
Jen

5.4 The Borrowers by Mary Norton, won the Carnegie Medal for Literature in 1952. I've been reading this out loud to my 2nd grader. It is a great book, but I'd forgotten how dated it is -- there were a lot of words that I had to explain to her because they just don't get used any more!
25.1 I read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie and Thank You, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse. These are two of my very favorite authors, but I didn't think either of these books were among the author's best. I suppose each was chosen as being representative of that author, but I would have chosen different books.
1030 points.

Points: 5
Total Points: 70
Tasks Completed: 7

Task Points:25
Total Points:220
Tasks:12
Books:15
Nicki - STL


To Honor The Authors That Go Beyond Just The Written Word In Order To Fully Realize The World They Have Created, Lets Read…
A. Any Book That Has A Map Included (Real Or Imaginary).
The Diamond of Darkhold (The Ember Series, #4) by Jeanne DuPrau,. AND
B. Any Book That Has Extra Content, Such As: A Timeline, Family Tree, Glossary Of Terms, List Of Characters, Drawings Or Symbols Within The Text (NOT ILLUSTRATIONS), OR Unusual Text Layouts/Formatting (Ex. House Of Leaves).
Misty of Chincoteague Deluxe Edition by Henry (Timeline Photo Album and a map of the two islands).
25 points
535 total

10.4 Winner's Choice - PJReads Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
A wonderful book that I have read many times over my life. PJReads reminded me of it and I had to have another reread. Thanks PJ
30.1 Bonnie - End of Decade
A. Published in 2000's - The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Wonderfully written - intense - very moving look at future America after the apocolypse. A Pulitzer winner from 2007. Highly deserving of 5-star designation. Not for the squeamish.
B. Made into film in 2000's - Timeline by Michael Crichton
551 pages so qualifies for big book credit
An excellent book using time travel to go into the past to the 1300's. Much better than movie made in 2000. 4 stars
POINTS 850
TASKS 44
BOOKS 65
PAGES 15801

Total Points: 460/1100
Tasks Completed: 27/58
Tasks in Progress: 4

Read The Dark of Day by Barbara Parker and watched "Uptown Girls" with Brittney Murphy who died in 2009.
My new total is 1045 points.

For 20.3, I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll and posted in the group discussion thread.
For 25.1 (Leora's Task), I read The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Updated totals:
Points: 190
Tasks completed: 10/58
Tasks in progress: 7
Books read: 19
Pages read: 5,076

Task 10.6 - Local Literature (Sharmilee, 77801): Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (1/18/10)
Task 15.4 - Favorite Game (pinochle): The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (1/22/10)
CURRENT STATS
Tasks Completed: 16/58
Tasks Partially Complete: 9
Books Read: 28/81
Pages Read: 8207
Points Earned: 280/1100

I give this book 5 stars, there was a lot of insight into the lives of the romantic poets Bryon, Shelley and Keats, and the women who loved them, and they really did live and love with passion.
This book also fits the 500+ pages category, being 536 pages.
TOTAL POINTS = 190

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
5.7 Eyeing the Year of the Tiger - Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
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
25.1 1001 Books - What a Carve up by Jonathan Coe and Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan
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
30.1 Celebrate the End of the Decade - The Girl who Played with Fire by Steig Larrson and Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
30.7 Multitasking - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carrol
35.2 Going on a Winter Vacation - The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher and Sixty Lights by Gail Jones
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5.9 Romance: Love, romance, Cupid, sweetheart,Valentine, heart, kiss, chocolate, roses or jewelry in title: Love in Infant Monkeys by Lydia Millet, 175pps read 1/27/2010.
This book was not exactly what the task had in mind, LOL, but some of the stories were very well written.
10.7 Read a book inspired by OR was the inspiration for OR is in some way related to your favorite TV show: Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, 306pps read 1/27/2010.
No, my favorite TV is NOT True Blood, I actually thought it was ridiculous. My favorite is from long ago - Dark Shadows - equally ridiculous, but that show recognized it's ridiculousness. And it was a soap opera, what more could you want
30.3 Read a total of 825 pp of any book, no re-reads: The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club and Gentleman Takes a Chance by Gil McNeil and Sarah Hoyt, 878pps read 12/24/2010 and 1/27/2010.
Books read 50/79
Tasks completed 30/58
Points 615/1100
Pages read 16320
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15.2. ADVENTURES WITH ALICE AND LEWIS
A. Read A Book Featuring A Character Or Person Who Is Named Alice/Lewis (First Or Last) OR Was Written By An Author With The Name Alice/Lewis (First Or Last).
AND
B. Read A Novel That Takes Place In A Fictional Land Such As Narnia Or Oz.
A. Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey - the protagonist's murdered girlfriend is named Alice, and appears in several flashbacks in the book.
B. The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman - takes place in a fantasy world loosely resembling the Earth, except the geography is all mixed up
15.4. IT'S ALL ABOUT FUN AND GAMES
A. Read A Book That Has Your Favorite Game (Card, Board, Video, Computer Etc.) In The Title Or Relates In Some Way To That Game .
AND
B. Spend An Hour Or More Playing That Game.
A. This Is Not a Game by Jon Williams is about various kinds of gaming communities but focuses primarily on Alternative Roleplaying Games (ARGs)
B. Spent an evening playing a nice little single player ARG called Project B6
30.3. 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).
The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford
Task Points:60
Completed tasks: 3
Books read: 4

..."
Cindy, I loved Dark Shadows when I was a kid. I used to watch it everyday after school. I was too young to see the ridiculousness of it at the time but I loved the spookiness.

10.5 (Popularity Contest) I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
25.1 (1001 books) I read Fingersmith and American Pastoral. I really enjoyed both books, with American Pastoral being a 5 star read for me.
New point total:
65 points

A. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
B. 1000 Best Wedding Bargains by Sharon Naylor.
I'm hoping part B counts. I read the task carefully and it didn't specifically say the book had to be a novel. And the book is more than just a list, each "bargain" is at least a paragraph or two of text and believe it or not, I did read all 1000 tips (yup, I'm planning my wedding!) Anyway, I can always sub in something else if I have to, just let me know.
Pages in book(s): 745
Tasks Completed: 11
Books Read: 18
Total Pages Read: 4,517
Total Points: 250

25.10 Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover: (Goodreads Author) The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Watchmen I have always loved this GN. Very real and very gritty. 5*
30.6 Winter Vacation DreamsHeart-Shaped Box: A Novel I picked this book because it mainly takes place in the New York area and partially along the east coast. My travel along the east coast has been very limited and I have always wanted to see New York.
I did not know this was a horror book until I was a few pages into it. Very scary and very well written. I didn't know Joe Hill was Stephen Kings son which makes alot of sense because he is almost as a good an author. I gave it 4*.
Pages Read: 5121
Total Points earned: 260

The Andromeda Strain byMichael Crichton
This is one of my all-time favorite books. I haven't read it since college in 1980, but it was still as exciting as the first time. It also made me want to see the movie again




30.10 COLOR BY NUMBERS
30.10 (A) Read A Book With A Bright Or Happy COLOR Word In The Title.
The color GREEN: The Green Man by Kate Sedley (Hardcover, 256 pages)
30.10 (B) Read A Book With A NUMBER In The Title.
The number 2009: Nebula Awards Showcase 2009 (Editor) by Ellen Datlow (Paperback, 384 pages)
400 + 30 = 430

Tasks Completed: 22
Points for this task: 30
Points thus far: 430/1100
Books read: 31
Pages Read: 9232
Read but not yet claimed: 2

yeah, Petra, I wrote Dark Shadows fan fiction for our elementary school newspaper before "fan fiction" was invented.

I started it during Brigid's naptime yesterday and finished it during naptime today. I neglected my chores to do it but I needed a book to escape into as my maternity leave draws to an end and I'm faced with the reality of returning to work on Monday morning (I've been a basketcase the past couple days thinking about leaving her at daycare - sob!)
Evidently a werewolf DJ was just what the doctor ordered because I had a hard time setting this book down when she woke up yesterday and have been positively twitchy in anticipation for today's nap so I could finish it up.

Points: 160
Books Read: 9
Tasks Completed: 8

35.1 PJ READS TASK - FUN WITH THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM
A. Read A Book Written About The Dewey Decimal Subject That Matches (+/-2) The Number Of Pages Of One Of The Books You Rated Highest From The 2009 Fall Challenge - One of my 5-Star favoriates from fall challenge was The Undomestic Goddess (400 pp).
Ended up with:
399 - Customs of War and Diplomacy - The Art of War by Sun Tzu
B. For The Second Book, Imagining The Dewey Decimal Numbers As A Circle With 000 Following 999, Move Forward Or Backward 250 Numbers (+/-2) From The Subject Chosen For The First Book. Went up 250:
649 - Child Rearing - Loving Your Child Is Not Enough: Positive Discipline That Works by Nancy Samalin
Total Points: 495/1100
Tasks Completed: 28/58
Tasks in Progress: 4

Task 10.7 - Favorite TV Show (Alias): A Secret Life by Laura Peyton Roberts (1/29/10)
Task 35.1 - pjreads – Dewey Decimal Fun (Catching Fire - 391 pp - 391, 641):
391 KELLY: Dress Your Best by Clinton Kelly and Stacy London (12/15/09) AND
641.34 GORMAN Fruit the Ripe Pick: Fruit Selection Made Easy! by T.M. Gorman (1/29/10)
CURRENT STATS
Tasks Completed: 18/58
Tasks Partially Complete: 8
Books Read: 30/81
Pages Read: 8525
Points Earned: 325/1100



Year of Wonders takes place in 1666 and
These Is My Words takes place 1881-1901. I would never choose to live in the 17th century for one reason, the witch hunt. That was a dark and scary time to be a woman! If I had to choose a time to travel back to, it would be in the time of "These Is My Words". Although it was a hard and dangerous time, it was also a simpler time, not to mention real life in-the-flesh cowboys and indians, be still my heart.

325/1100 points
Tasks Completed: 16/60
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 23/79
Pages Read: 6,672


That should bring me up to 140 points

Total points = 275

50.1 Olympics
A. Title with Award - Golden: A Retelling of "Rapunzel" by Cameron Dokey
B. Title with Event - The Mystery at the Ski Jump by Carolyn Keene
Golden was a nicely written novel of a retelling of a common fairy tale. Quite interesting and easy to read. 3 stars
Mystery at the Ski Lodge was a Nancy Drew novel. This choice was spurred by several comments on the board about visiting old series from our past. I was reminded how refreshing and fun the Nancy Drew series was. Great read. 3 stars
Points 900
Tasks 45
Books 67
Pages 16156

Total Points: 505/1100
Tasks Completed: 29/58
Tasks in Progress: 4

I read The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat. It won the 2004 Story Prize.
The Dew Breaker is a collection of short stories about Haiti and Haitian-Americans. Although the stories could stand on their own, they are more powerful as pieces of the life of the Dew Breaker, a former soldier/torturer in the service of the dictator who tries to hide from his past and build a new life in New York City. Danticat writes beautifully. She tells these stories with a heart and passion that leaves no doubt of her connection to her homeland and the people of Haiti. I was hoping I could learn a little about Haiti thru fiction and I feel like I did. I have another of Danticat's book that is more about everyday life on Haiti that I am looking forward to reading soon.
5 points
total points:85

They were both kind of nostalgic for me. I haven't read either author since high school so it was fun.
150 points total. bwahahaha

a.) Bright Color Title
Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts
b.) Number Title
1st to Die by James Patterson
Total Points: 40+30 = 70

20.3 GROUP READS
Read One Of The Group Reads And Make At Least One Post In The Discussion Thread:
C. Romance - The Princess Bride
Total points: 105

Katheryn Stockett is a GR author.
That should bring me to 190 pts.
My reading has slowed down considerably- it's been very busy for the past two weeks- but hopefully I could pick up where I left off, at least make some sort of DENT in this challenge!
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Books mentioned in this topic
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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)
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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)
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A. Read One Book That Was Published In The Past Decade - Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
B. One Book That Was Made Into A Movie In The Past Decade - Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Total Points: 450/1100
Tasks Completed: 26/58
Tasks in Progress: 4