The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

30.7 JAN THE GRYPHON’S TASK - MULTI-TASKING Graceling This book fits both task 25.9 Bridgit's THE WORLD OF BOOKS (there is a map in the front) as well as 25.2 Gina's FEBRUARY IS FRIENDSHIP MONTH.

I finished two tasks over the weekend:

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 picked Year's:

The Year's Best Science Fiction Twenty-Sixth Annual Collection edited by Gardner R. Dozois (Hardcover, 688 pages) Excellent overview of shorter length science fiction published in 2008. I was on page 31 on December 1, 2009, and I finished it up today :0). And, since The Year's Best Science Fiction Twenty-Sixth Annual Collection is more than 500 pages,

[ If you read a book that is 500+ pages you will earn once chance for this task :]

The other task:

30.4. SANDRA'S TASK - WORLD AIDS DAY
December 1, 2009 Is World AIDS Day: Identified In 1981, It Is At Present Time A Worldwide Epidemic. Read A Book About An Epidemic (HIV/AIDS, Influenza, Plague, Smallpox, SARS, Superbug, Etc.) Or A Book Where The Character Is Suffering From Such A Disease

Sandra says: Epidemics, both real and fictional are acceptable for this task

I read the non-fiction book:

The Illustrious Dead: The Terrifying Story of How Typhus Killed Napoleon's Greatest Army by Stephan Talty (Hardcover, 336 pages)

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos... summarizes this book well with this comment: “When Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, typhus ravaged his army, killing hundreds of thousands and ensuring his defeat, according to this breathless combination of military and medical history.”

430 + 35 + 30 = 495





Tasks Completed: 24
Points for this task: 35+30=65
Points thus far: 495/1100
Books read: 33
Pages Read: 10,256
Read but not yet claimed: 2 books

10.5 Popularity Contest
I was born in October. I read True Blue, one of the hot books from that month. I enjoy most mysteries, but I really liked this one.

This brings me to 125 points.

15.7 Death Ala'orange
Nancy Fairbanks

I prepared a five course french meal for my wine club featuring the Duck L'orange recipe in the book.

5.1- The Wonderful World of Disney

My favorite Disney movie of all time is Beauty and the Beast (especially the library!), so I read Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley.

Total: 135 points

25.3. SARA NICOLE'S TASK - A GAME OF CLUE
A. Suspects - Scarlet, Peacock, Mustard, Green, Plum, Or White: Read A Book With A Cover That Very Predominantly Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, Or White. Post A Picture Of The Cover When You Claim Points, Please!
Examples: For Green Or For Blue.
U is for Undertow by Grafton (very blue cover)http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61...
B. Weapons - Candlestick, Wrench, Rope, Revolver, Knife, Or Lead Pipe: Read A Book With The Name Of A Weapon In The Title (Any Weapon, Not Just One Of Those Six).
Examples: The Subtle Knife Or Poison Study Or Season Of The Machete.
Sword of Water (Book 2) by Hilari Bell (Library Book)
25 points
590 total

Finished 10.4 (Winner's Choice). I read Prep: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld off of Wendy's shelf.

New Total: 105

5.2 Read A Book That Has A Red, White, And Blue Cover.
Housekeeping vs. The Dirt by Nick Hornby


15.3 WHAT WOMEN WANT (TO READ AND WRITE) -
A. Read A Novel Written By A Female Author From A Series That Has A Female Main Character.
Seven Up Stephanie Plum 7 by Janet Evanovich
AND
B. Read An Autobiography Or Biography Of A Woman You Admire
Wonderful Tonight An Autobiography by Pattie Boyd


current points: 155
new points : 20
total : 175

congrats, donnajo!!! :)

finished task 15.7 by perusing The Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook and making the "red onion and zucchini pizza" for my boyfriend and i. i did cheat just a little and bought a refrigerated pizza dough mix from trader joe's (i've NEVER been able to get yeast going, don't know why!) it was delish, but it could've been a bit more saucy for my taste. it was fun to do! :)




Total Points: 715/1100
Books Read: 42/81
Tasks Completed: 29/58
Tasks in Progress: 3

In January:

5.6 - Sippy Cups are Not for Chardonnay: and Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor (there is no way I could imagine being a mother!)

10.7 - The Bro Code by Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)
10.9 - Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama

15.10 - Witches of Eastwick by John Updike; Uncle Buck directed by John Hughes (hysterical movie!)

25.10 - Cover that drew me in: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Graphic Novel: Artemis Fowl the Graphic Novel by Eoin Colfer

30.3 - Rosie Dunne by Cecelia Ahern (448 pages) and The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult (416 pages)
30.7 - Hands of My Father: a Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love by Myron Uhlberg (fits both task 10.2 (Louis, Louis) and 25.8 (Insane Answering Machine Day))

Total for January: 125
Total from December: 90

Grand Total: 215
Yay! :)

10.4. WINNERS CHOICE
A. Read A 5-Star Book From One Of The Winners Of The Fall Challenge (If You Are A Winner You Can't Use Your Own List)

I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett
(Abigail gave it 5 stars)

******* She is a Goodreads author*************

Total Books: 14
Total Pages: 2902
Total Points: 155

25.6 Stephanie US' Task - Island Dreams

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

This book takes place in England.

Total points: 615

kiki wrote: "congrats, donnajo!!! :)

finished task 15.7 by perusing The Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook and making the "red onion and zucchini pizza" for my boyfriend and i. i did cheat just a lit..."

Kiki, I have that book! I really like it and enjoy the recipes I've tried from it.

For 15.9 (Out with the Old and In with the New Books), I chose Leigh Richards's (aka Laurie R. King) Califia's Daughters for "old" and Josh Bazell's Beat the Reaper: A Novel for "new" - totally different ends of the spectrum, but both highly enjoyable.

Current Total: 490 points

I read North of Beautiful for half of 35.2. So many half finished tasks...!

Points: still 105
Books: 8
Tasks: 5

20.8 (long + short title)

Population: 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time
by Michael Perry (Goodreads Author)
(5 stars)

This book was an unexpected gem. I found an autographed copy for 50 cents at a library sale. I like emergency personnel autobiographies and, it looked like it had been read quite a bit - a good sign. I expected a simple story of small town life. It turned out to be anything but simple. Instead, Mr. Perry's language, philosophies, and experiences with life and death left a lasting impression.

Dry by Augusten Burroughs
(3 stars)
Mr. Burrough's insights into alcoholism are, at times, witty and profound. Yet, in the storyline, itself, I didn't discover anything distinguishable from other books about addiction.

+20
Points: 140
Books: 12
Tasks: 11

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.


It was a great weekend. Thanks for the snow. lol

Rotten to the Core - Sheila Connolly 248
Little Dracula Goes to School - MArtin Waddell 32
The Last Innocent Man - Phillip Margolin 334
A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale - Teri Windling 54
Shooting Stars and Other Deadly Things - Nancy Tesler 244

Total pages 962

Points = 30

5.1 Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a continuation of "Cinderella" which, to me, is the classic animated Disney movie. I just love it!

25.4 I read Free Love by Annette Meyers which is a mystery taking place in Greenwich Village in the 1920s. (and yes, there is a fair amount of "free love" in the story, though it wouldn't be a big deal these days), and I read

How to Marry a Marquis by Julia Quinn which takes place in England in 1815. I freely admit that I adore Julia Quinn and would LOVE to inhabit the world of her books. But I'm not sure how realistic it is ;)

On balance it is hard for me to decide. England in 1815 is a world for women which is difficult for me to imagine: women had so few choices (as actually highlighted in this book) and so little self-determination. But for the upper classes, it was certainly a time which holds some appeal: house parties and balls and all of that stuff which from 2010 sounds pretty romantic.

I think that though I much preferred the Quinn book, I would have to say I'd rather have lived in 1920s Greenwich Village. This was an exciting time for women. Still tough for oh so many of them, but full of opportunity as well.

I *think* this brings me to 1075. And my last book is in at the library, so two more books and I'm finished!

Amanda wrote: "In January:

5.6 - Sippy Cups are Not for Chardonnay: and Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor (there is no way I could imagine being a mother!)

10.7 - The Bro Co..."This title made me laugh! My friends and I joke that those "to-go" coffee cups with lids that you can buy are "adult sippy cups" -- makes you wonder when you see harried looking moms at the park with those, especially on a Friday afternoon ;)

CONGRATULATIONS to Donna Jo!

Finished...

15.4: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick 3* and played Hearts
15.6: My favorite gift is from my in-laws (before they were my in-laws)...they left me and my husband live with them before and during grad school...
Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts 4* and donated clothing
15.7: Under the Tuscan Sun by Francis Mayes 3* and made Bruschette with Pecorino and Proscuitto (p222) 4*

25.2: I'm Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers by Tim Madigan 4*
To me, friendship means having a reciprocal relationship in which one can confide without fear of judgement.
25.3 by Helen Fielding 4* and
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen 3*
(both were from the county library)

30.8:Sacagawea: Westward With Lewis and Clark by Alana J. White 2* and
Little House in the Big Woods bu Laura Ingalls Wilder 3*
I don't think I would have liked living during this time. Everything was much more difficult and there wasn't much choice for women as to what they could do with their lives. While I love my husband, I would not want to be so dependent on him.

Finished 25.5: In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien

This book doesn't fit any of the 5-15 tasks. Tim O'Brien is not a Year of the Rooster, and this is the third book I've read by him.

Total Points: 275

Task 20.1--The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Petra wrote: "kiki wrote: "congrats, donnajo!!! :)

finished task 15.7 by perusing The Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook and making the "red onion and zucchini pizza" for my boyfriend and i. i did c..."

i'm really excited to try some of the others. especially the soups! :)

Michelle wrote: "Finished...

15.4: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick 3* and played Hearts
15.6: My favorite gift is from my in-laws (before they wer..."


hehehe, i'm doing the exact same thing for 15.4. i've already beat the hour at Hearts...and am really looking forward to this read, i've heard great things! :)

50.1 GO FOR THE GOLD--THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPIC CHALLENGE
Irish Gold and Murder on Ice
Books Read: 40
Pages Read: 12925
Tasks Completed: 31
Tasks in Progress: 6

15.2. ADVENTURES WITH ALICE AND LEWIS - In Honor Of Lewis Carroll (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898) Author Most Famous For Alice's Adventure's In Wonderland…
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.
Still Alice by Genova and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #5)
by C.S. Lewis
15 points
605 total

35.2 Tropical Night Falling
Manuel Puig
and
The Island of Doctor Moreau
HG Wells

15.7- "The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food & Friendship" Andrea Israel. I also cooked the Chocolate Dipped Heart Cookies from the book. I didn't really care for either!

25.2- Gina's Task. "Best Friends Forever" Jennifer Weiner. To me friendship means being able to tell someone anything.

New Points: 40
Total Points: 195
Total tasks completed: 10

I've finished: 10.10 - The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy.

Total points: 185.

kiki wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Finished...

15.4: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick 3* and played Hearts
15.6: My favorite gift is from my in-laws (b..."

It was interesting!

Completed 10 point challenge number 10 Read a book set in Russia. I read Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. Found out a lot I didn't know. A good book.

Another 2 tasks down....

35.4 ROSEANN'S TASK - READ ABOUT YOUR RESOLUTION
Figure Out What Your New Year's Resolution Will Be (Make One Up If You Don't "Do" Resolutions) Then…
A. Read A Fiction Book With A Word In The Title That Pertains To The Resolution
AND
B. Read A Non-Fiction Book Which Talks About Your Resolution

My resolution is to loose some weight and be a healthier person. So I started to take Yoga classes. For this task I read Corpse Pose for my fiction book and Yoga for my non-fiction book.

30.1 BONNIE'S TASK - CELEBRATE THE END OF THE DECADE (2000-9)!
A. Read One Book That Was Published In The Past Decade.
AND
B. One Book That Was Made Into A Movie In The Past Decade.
I read Undying and Casino Royale both really great reads.

Total Points: 530/1100
Books Read: 40
Tasks Completed: 29/58

Completed Tasks:

10.7 Small Screen Stories (The Tudors)
*Wolf Hall: A Novel***** by Hilary Mantel - READ 2.1.10
An impressive novel about the Tudor court told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell.

25.8 Inane Answering Machine Day
A. 7+ Word Title - *Shelf Life: Romance, Mystery, Drama, and Other Page-Turning Adventures from a Year in a Bookstore**** by Suzanne Strempek Shea - READ 1.25.10
This made me want to fill out an application at my local bookstore.
B. 1 Word Title - *Push***1/2 by Sapphire - READ 1.18.10
A graphic portrayal of a black, teenaged girl that is shocking and inspiring.





Tasks Completed: 22/58
Points Completed: 400/1100
Books Read: 32
*Books Read From My Personal Library: 18

Finished:

15.6 THE SEASON OF GIFTING & GIVING

A. Read A Book That Relates To Best Gift You've Ever Been Given. 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.

A. One of the best gifts I was given this Christmas was a beautiful handmade scarf (see pic on my profile). It was made for me by my sister Kathryn (who is also participating in the Winter Challenge). I have no idea how long it took her to knit it. It is one of the best gifts I have ever received because I know that it was made with love and lots of perseverance.

Read: The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

B. I gave back by participating in a local toy drive at Christmas.

New Point Total: 245
Tasks Completed: 11
Books Read: 15
Audio Books: 1
Pages Read: 4845

50 POINT MIDWAY TASK - ROSEANN: GO FOR THE GOLD--THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPIC CHALLENGE

Read one book with either GOLD, SILVER, or BRONZE in the title - The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
Read one book with a sport in the Winter Olympics - Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine A. Dettwyler

Total Points: 585/1100
Tasks Completed: 32/58
Tasks in Progress: 4

(Yay! I'm finally past the half-way point!)

Finished Divining Women for 30.4.
This book was about a women who had been so emotionally beaten down by her husband and was learning to crawl back into life during the time of the Spanish Influenza. It was a decent read, but could have been better if the author hadn't gone into tangents that didn't always make sense.

Total points: 525

I just finished TASK 30.1

For the book written since 1999, I read Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella.

For the book made into a movie since 1999, I readThe Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

This brings my TOTAL POINT COUNT TO 110

35 points
1. PJ READS TASK - FUN WITH THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM –Read 2 Books...
A. Read A Book Related to The Dewey Decimal Subject That Matches (+/-2) The Number Of Pages Of One Of The Books You Rated Highest From The 2009 Fall Challenge (Or Your GR Read List).
EX. If One Of Your Highest Rated Books From The Fall Challenge Was 183 Pages Your Choices For The First Book Are…

My Five Star Book: Blackout Girl: Growing Up and Drying Out in America by Jennifer Storm 304 pg
Giving me these choices:
302 Social interaction
303 Social processes
304 Factors affecting social behavior
305 Social groups
306 Culture & institutions

Ask Me About My Divorce: Women Open Up About Moving On by Candace Walsh (306.89)-1/30

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 (OR Forward Or Backward From Your Original Page Count Number.).
EX. If You Decided To Read A Book About Oriental Philosophy (181) Then 250 Decimals Forward = 431, 250 Decimals Backward = 931 So Your Choices Would Be...
My choices are 052 - 056.
Read numerous magazines such as Glamour, Psychology Today and US Weekly totaling over 300 pages.

New Total: 275 points

Task 25.10
For A:


If the title wasn't already intriguing enough, there's a lacy red bra, a couple of martini glasses - one broken, one upright - and Facebook written in red ink, all on a stark white background. My love/hate relationship with facebook definitely helped in choosing this book to find out how facebook started. Very compelling read.

B:

Not one of my favorite 'super heroes' by DC but an interesting read nonetheless.

Books: 5
Tasks: 3
Points: 50

Finished one more. Task 30.10 - Theresa in Ohio's task Color by Numbers. For this I read Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz and The Street of Seven Stars by Mary Roberts Rinehart.


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I managed to complete a few tasks while I was away on vacation...

I read The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin for task 35.3 (it has the word Year in the title). I also read Fancy Pants by Susan Elizabeth Phillips for task 25.2 (while this is a romance it also has a lot to do with friendship).

Friendship means a lot to me - it means always having someone who will listen even if all you want is to vent; it means being there when things are bad or good. My life would be completely different without the friendships I've made.

Finished a few more:

5-6. The Green Mile by Stephen King. I would definitely not enjoy being a prison guard of any kind.

15-6. I read The Last Suppers by Diane Mott Davidson. This was about a wedding and reminded me of the gift of my engagement ring; by far the best gift I ever received! To complete the second part of this challenge I donated to Adopt a Family and Giving Tree back before Christmas.

15-10. I read Bullet for a Star by Stuart Kaminsky who passed away in 2009 and I watched Son of the Dragon with David Carradine who also passed away in 2009.

Altogether, this is an additional 35 points for a total of 295.

finished task 15.10 by reading Villages: A Novel and watching Sixteen Candles (directed by John Hughes.) this was my first Updike book...possibly my last. he's a fine writer, really lovely prose, but just not my cup of tea. i've seen Sixteen Candles eleventy billion times and could watch it eleventy billion more. Jake Ryan is THE ultimate teen heart-throb. i STILL want to go out with him! :)




Total Points: 730/1100
Books Read: 43/81
Tasks Completed: 30/58
Tasks in Progress: 2

I have saved up a few tasks...

15.9 Out with the old... The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks - I am glad I finally made a point to read this, not sure why I let it sit for so long.

... and in with the new: The Brontë Project: A Novel of Passion, Desire, and Good PR by Jennifer Vandever - meh. Not really sure what poor Charlotte Bronte had to do with this book, or what she did to get all wrapped up in this.

10.7 Small Screen Stories: Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii by Lee Goldberg - Monk was one of my favorite shows and while I was sad to see the series come to an end, it was probably time. A fun book and very true to the series.

5.8 Baby It's Cold Outside: She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb - She is on the 'cozy mystery' site, but I don't think of this as a particularly cozy mystery. But I am happy to have an excuse to fit in this, by one of my favorite authors.

27 days to go... I think I can, I think I can....

congrats pjreads!

25.9 - Under the Banner of Heaven which contains many maps, and Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz which was approved as it contains all kinds of footnotes, appendices, lists, transcripts of conversations, etc. It is also my new favorite mystery series and I can't wait for the fourth book to come out in March!
* Lisa Lutz is a Goodreads author.

10.9 - I read Moloka'i which is set in Hawaii and which I liked a lot.

5.7 - I read Mississippi Sissy by Kevin Sessums - he was born in March 1956 making him a Monkey like me. I read this for a book club and wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did - it was really beautifully written and interesting.

That's a total of 40 new points which should bring me to 285!

5.4 A Winning Decade
Read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss who is a Goodreads author.
This book won the Quill Book Award in 2007 and has 722 pages.

Jake Ryan is still my ultimate crush too. If I had a son I wanted to name him Jake since my last name is Ryan but to my husband's joy that never happened!

kiki wrote: "finished task 15.10 by reading Villages: A Novel and watching Sixteen Candles (directed by John Hughes.) this was my first Updike book...possibly my last. he's a fine writer, really ..."

Finished task 35.3 It's About Time by reading The Hours by Michael Cunningham. This is the first book I've read by him, and I adored it.

360/1100 points
Tasks Completed: 17/60
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 24/79
Pages Read: 6,902

35.2: I did Cozy Fire. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and Cozy by Parnell Hall. Catching Fire wasn't as good as The Hunger Games, but I'm still excited for the next book to come out. Cozy was random. I didn't really like any of the characters and so it was hard to really like the book.

220 points!

15.3.A

Waaaaaay better than the movie!!

15.3.B


books:7
tasks:4
points:65