The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

35.1. 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).
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...
For A Listing Of The Dewey Decimal Classifications Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_... Or Go To Your Local Library!
367 pages Suite Francaise (Fall challenge book)
366-9 (Associations) We Are the Children: A Celebration of Unicef's First Forty Years
by Judith M. Spiegelman
618 Overcoming ADHD by Stanley Greenspan, M.D.
35 points
955 total

30.6 "Tales Of A Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World" Rita Golden Gelman. A large portion of this book takes place in Bali (in addition to Mexico, Vancouver, New Zealand, she is all over the place!). It is at the top of my places to travel list, as I've heard it's incredibly beautiful and I certainly wouldn't mind some sunshine!

15.1 "Thank you for Smoking" Christopher Buckley. I also watched "Heathers". I really enjoyed both.

5.5 "Dear John" By Nicholas Sparks. I didn't much care for this, but the librarian said it was one of her favorites. A simple, very quick read.

New Points: 50
Total Points: 245
Total Tasks: 13

I have been so slow with reading this challenge. Other life things have just gotten in the way and I've been trying to spend lots of extra time with my college friends since this is the last semester I'll get to see a lot of them :(

I completed DLM Rose's task 35.3 (read a book with a time word in the title) by reading The Yankee Years. I enjoyed the book but wish more of it had come from Torre instead of Verducci.

That should bring me up to 205 points

A few more tasks...

5.5 - Librarian - For a different look at librarian-ship (since I am one, tee hee!) I read Garth Nix's Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr, about Lirael, a half-Clayr girl who becomes a librarian, unlocks some secrets and learns her destiny. Unbeknownst to me, it is actually the second book in a trilogy, however, I don't feel that not reading the first book was too confusing, and I look forward to reading the last book next.

20.3 I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. Strange, but interesting, nonetheless.

25.2 Friendship - I read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. I actually saw the movie (and the second one) and never read the book series, so I enjoyed this one a lot. It has a lot to do with friendship (actually its about a sort of life long friendship.)Friendship to me means being there for someone, whenever they need it, with a open mind, but also with honesty, themes that I think are definitely shown in this book.

Previous score: 560
Current score: 610

I don't think I am going to finish, but I am going to get darn close!

I finished 30.3 by reading The 13th Hour: A Thriller (352 pages) and Assassin's Apprentice (480 pages) for a total of 832 pages.

Total Points: 405

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


For this task I part A read "All Together Dead" by Charlane Harris... lead character Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic barmaid. For part B I read "Agnes MacPhail: Champion of the Underdog" written by Rachel Wyatt. Agnes MacPhail was the first female Member of Parliament in Canada, as well as a champion of minority groups through out her time in office from 1921 - 1940.

This brings my new totals to:

15 new points
280 total points
17 books read
14 tasks compleated

One more for the count.

15.5 Readers Round the World Unite -
A. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (Julie - Macao)
B. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads author) (Frezanda - Singapore)


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30.9 The Midwife's Apprentice
Karen Cushman
and
The Watson's Go to Birmingham-1963
Christopher Paul Curtis

15.10 WE WILL REMEMBER YOU
A. Read A Book Written By An Author Who Died In 2009 - Brazil by John Updike
AND
B. Watch A Film Starring An Actor/Actress Or That Was Directed By A Director Who Died In 2009 - Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze.

Total Points: 775/1100
Tasks Completed: 46/58
Tasks in Progress: 3

5.8. BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE - I read Secondhand Spirits: A Witchcraft Mystery***. My first Cozy Mystery.

25.3. SARA NICOLE'S TASK - A GAME OF CLUE
A. Suspects - When She Flew*** goodreads author
B. Weapons - Poison Study***** Loved this one!
C. Rooms - both books were from my library.

Total points: 410

Hi,

I have finished two tasks. the first is Stephine's Island dreams task for which i read Sarah Walters - The little stranger which was set in the UK

And I also completed Jan the Gyphons task by reading Lauren Conrads - Sweet Little Lies, the two other takes it would have fitted were Emilys task don't judge a book by it's cover and Gina's friendship task

Kate.x.

Total points = 140

I completed task 15.9. OUT WITH THE OLD & IN WITH THE NEW BOOKS by reading:

A. A. Read The Book That Has Been On Your TBR Pile/Shelf The Longest - The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble

B. B. Read A Book Written By An Author You Have Never Read Before - Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig

Total points = 290

finished task 25.1 by reading Frankenstein and Ignorance: A Novel. frankenstein was amazing. kundera is my all-time favorite author, but i didn't love this one as much as some of his earlier works.




Total Points: 840/1100
Books Read: 51/81
Tasks Completed: 35/58
Tasks in Progress: 2

For task 30.7

Dead of Winter by Stuart M. Kaminsky

This fits task 10.7 - it is a novelized episode of CSI:NY (love those CSIs!!!) and Task 15.10 - the autor died in 2009.

20.1 I read Platform by Michel Houellebecq. Task 15.14 read a book that has been translated from its original language. The novel was written in French and Translated to English.

Here are my changes:
The Family Under the Bridge for task 15.4 and I played Bridge.
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey for task 25.5 (Instead of what I had them for before)
New total: 175 points
tasks: 8
total books: 8

30.6 - WENDY'S TASK - WINTER VACATION DREAMS
I read
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo. 4 stars

I seemed to like this book more then most people, but I tend to like books that are in any way related to Austen. I love London (one of my most favorite cities in the world), but have never had a chance to tour the rest of England yet. But it's on my list! I'm not sure why I love England so much, it might just be because there is so much history there. The accents don't hurt either.

30 points!

490 total points

25.5 ODD MAN OUT
Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

points this task: 25
tasks completed: 16
total points: 285

10.2 LOUIS LOUIS -In Honor Of Louis Braille
Eloquent Silence by Sandra Brown Jennifer is deaf
Books Read: 48
Pages Read: 16147
Tasks Completed: 36
Tasks in Progress: 3

So close, but I don't think I'm going to make it!

10.3: Novel about an African American written by an African American OR a non-fiction book about the Harlem Renaissance, can be biography: Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor, 288pp read 2/8/2010.

30.4 Read a book about an epidemic or with a character having an epidemic disease: In the Wake of the Plague, by Norman Cantor, 245pp, read 2/10/2010.


Books read 62/79
Tasks completed 40/58
Points 830/1100
Pages read 19445


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Completed Tasks:

I've had LOTS of reading time since my area has been blasted by record setting winter storms over the past two weeks, the last one a blizzard on Wednesday.

15.6 The Season of Gifting and Giving
A. The End of the Alphabet***1/2 by C.S. Richardson - READ 2.10.10
My favorite gifts are the intangible variety. For me, the alphabet is a gift that gives meaning to life. It gives us words to express ourselves and to share our thoughts with others. I'm most grateful for the invention of the alphabet, and those who were kind enough to give me the gift of deciphering the wonders of the letters from A to Z.
B. Give Back - Donated gifts to Salvation Army for needy family/donated furniture and clothing to a fundraising yard sale/volunteered many hours to run concessions for school athletic boosters

35.1 Fun with the Dewey Decimal System (Catching Fire - pp 391)
A. (391) Costume/Personal Appearance - *Snow Flower and the Secret Fan***** by Lisa See - READ 2.11.10
B. (641/642) Food/Drink/Meals/Table Service - Last Night at the Lobster**** by Stewart O'Nan - READ 2.10.10




Tasks Completed: 31/58
Points Completed: 645/1100
Books Read: 43
*Books Read From My Personal Library: 26

Melissa wrote: "a couple more...

5.2 She Was a Grand Old Flag Maker: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. Just finished this book this morning and it left me completely shaken. I certainly..."

Melissa - I have seen such mixed reviews about Striped Pajamas. Would you recommend reading it, if you go into it knowing it will be an emotional read? Also, would you say this is sort of a literary equivalent of Life is Beautiful? Thats what it sounds like from the description.

Closing in on the end!

5.7 Eyeing the Year of the Tiger - Year of the Sheep - Caleb Carr - Italian Secretary

10.5 Popularity Contest - July - Notes From The Underwire - Quinn Cummings

5.9 Isn't It Romantic - Friends, Lovers, Chocolate - Alexander McCall Smith


Books 26
Pages 6450
Tasks 22
Points 245/1100
Goal 350

I have completed task 25.3. I read Tender Buttons and Picasso by Gertrude Stein and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

I cannot say I particularly liked Gertrude Stein. Tender Buttons was a strange sort of poetry that I could not decide about and Picasso was not enjoyable or enlightening.

Point Total: 200
Page Total: 6853
Book Total: 21

Finished tasks...

15.9: Tomato Rhapsody: A Novel of Love, Lust, and Forbidden Fruit by Adam Schell has been on my TBR shelf the longest 3* and
Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks (new author) 4*

20.1: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor 3*

25.9: Anne of Ingleside (Anne of Green Gables, #6) by L.M. Montgomery (my version has a map of PEI in it) 3* and
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn (has a page of terms and definitions) 5*

30.9: Bridge to Terabithia by Katerine Paterson (winner 1978) 4* and
Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary (honor) 4*
I really liked both of these books and I agree with the outcome because Bridge to Terabithia just seemed deeper than Ramona.

25.9 Bridget's task - The World of Books
The Templar Legacy: A Novel by Steve Berry (map)
The Hunters by Jason Pinter (cast of characters)

Jason Pinter is a Goodreads author.

Total points: 670

30.10 I read Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella and A Thousand Splendid Sunsby Khaled Hosseini
A Thousand Splendid Suns is pretty intense. I think I'll pick up something a little lighter next and go donate some money to the refugee fund the author works with...

255 points.

Completed:
25.10 by reading A. by Jamie Ford. For some reason I am totally drawn in by pictures of umbrellas. Loved the cover & the title of this book. Very good story, too! and...
B. . I was not really inerested in reading a graphic novel & this did nothing to change my mind. Probably won't try another one.

My Total: 230

Birish wrote: "Completed:
25.10 by reading A. by Jamie Ford. For some reason I am totally drawn in by pictures of umbrellas. Loved the cover & the tit..."

Sorry... I forgot to mention that Jamie Ford is a Goodreads Author!!!

10 Point Task: OH CANADA
The Handmaiden's Tale by Margaret Atwood
10 Point Task: RENAISSANCE READING
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
25 Point Task ISLAND DREAMS
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat

Not bad for someone with time management issues 45 Points and its my first challenge! Yay me!

Finished another one!


50 Olympic Games, one book with gold, silver or bronze in title:
The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis (Paperback, 318 pages)
and
50 read one book with a sport in the Winter Olympics: BIATHLON, SKATING, SKIING, LUGE, ICE HOCKEY, CURLING, BOBSLED. (CURLING)
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts by Julian Rubinstein (Goodreads Author) (Paperback, 352 pages)

It was interesting looking at the posts to see that

Feb 03, 2010 03:04PM message 2358: by Coralie:
Feb. 08, 2010 message 2504: by Cindy

also read the exact same 2 books for this task.

Julian Rubinstein is a (Goodreads Author)

545+50=595




Tasks Completed: 29
Points for this task: 50
Points thus far: 595/1100
Books read: 40
Pages Read: 12,468

Kim wrote: "30.6 - WENDY'S TASK - WINTER VACATION DREAMS
I read
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo. 4 stars

I seemed to like this book more then most people, bu..."

I went to England Too!!!

Newly Completed Tasks:

30.1 – BONNIE'S TASK - CELEBRATE THE END OF THE DECADE (2000-9)!
A. Read One Book That Was Published In the Past Decade
Read: Small Wonder: Essays by Barbara Kingsolver
Published in 2002. A really interesting book of essays on many subjects.

B: One Book That Was Made Into A Movie In The Past Decade
Read: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
What an amazing book! I watched the movie in 2008. The book was just as memorable as the movie.

30.6 - WENDY'S TASK - WINTER VACATION DREAMS – I want to go to ITALY!! Until I get there, this will help keep it fresh in my mind. This is the 3rd book in De Blasi’s stories about living in Italy. Lots of food descriptions, yummy!
Read: The Lady in the Palazzo: At Home in Umbria by Marlena De Blasi

Total Points: 435
Books Read: 28
Completed Tasks: 22
Pages Read for Completed Tasks: 8,025
Other Tasks in Process: 2
Personal Goal: 400 Points

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20.3 GROUP READS - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. I posted under the discussion thread as well.

Total Points: 795/1100 (I feel like I have been in the 700's forever!)
Tasks Completed: 47/58
Tasks in Progress: 2

25.3 - SARA NICOLE'S TASK - A GAME OF CLUE

I read Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. 4 stars. The ending depressed me.

And

by Maria V. Snyder. 4 stars It took me awhile to get into the story, but once I did I was sold!

25 points!

Total Points: 515
Total Books Read: 34
Total Pages Read: 10,921
Tasks in Process: None, not sure which to start!

This season I've been sending out individual notes about task problems but since I sent out the mass note to the group earlier today I've reached my limit of messages for the day and I didn't want to forget...

Krista wrote: "25.5 ODD MAN OUT
Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

points this task: 25
tasks completed: 16
total points: 285"
That book won't work for odd man out because it would for task 5.9 (Isn't it Romantic - lover).

Manday wrote: "I have completed task 25.3. I read Tender Buttons and Picasso by Gertrude Stein and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

I cannot say I particularly li..."
I think you must be thinking of another task not 25.3 which is A Game Of Clue - since none of those titles has a weapon - please repost with the correct number

Josalyn wrote: "30.10 I read Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella and A Thousand Splendid Sunsby Khaled Hosseini
A Thousand Splendid Suns is pretty intense. I think I'll pick up something ..."
You must also have the wrong task number - task 30.10 is color by number and there is no color or number in either of those titles - please repost with the correct number

Tasks I've Finished Since I Last Posted

10.4 - Agnes and the Hitman from Donna Jo's list - LOVED IT

15.5 - C (Croatia - Liz) Crazy For You & S (Singapore - Frezanda) Welcome to Temptation - LOVED BOTH OF THEM

35.4 - As always my Resolution is to shave off a few pounds so I read Size 12 Is Not Fat (which is fiction but true) and EatingWell 500 Calorie Dinners Cookbook (for the non-fiction element).

That brings me too...
27 Books
9129 Pages
17 Tasks
315 Points
For the season - way behind last season but not bad since I've been super busy.

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) Please State Which Person You Selected When You Claim Points For This Task
LISA MD
Nine Dragons by Connolly
10 poimts
965 total

I finally finished 30.5. I read The Lovely Bones and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I gave The lovely bone 3* and Guernsey 4*. The lovely bones deals with a very important topic and the way it is told is interesting, but the second half of the book was just not very good.

New Point Total: 355
Task Completed: 17
Tasks in Progress: 6
Books Read: 32
Pages Read: 10157

Finished 25.8 (Inane Answering Machine Day)

I read Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster and Naked by David Sedaris.

New Total: 135

A Midsummer Night's Dream for task 30.7. It fits 10.4 from Wendy's list and 25.9.
total points 205

Task 15.3 - What Women Want -

Richelle Mead - Thorn Queen and
Agnes Humbert - Resistance: A Frenchwoman's Journal of the War

Total: 270

I think this post got lost in the shuffle so I am going to re post: I finished task 10.6 "Where The Wild Things Are" I would give it 3 *s. I also read "The Giver" and I didn't have a place to put it but it was on someone else's list for a total of 248 pages.

Tasks 19
Books Read 28
New Point Total 325

20.2 - ROOKIE OF THE SEASON - CHERYL ME'S TASK - CIVIL RIGHTS

I read We Are All Welcome Here which I gave 4 stars.

35.2 - DONNA JO'S TASK - GOING ON A WINTER VACATION
A. Pick One Of The Following: 1)Ski Trip, 2)Warm Beach, 3)Cozy Fire, 4)Sleigh Ride, 5)Tropical Island, OR 6) Northern Lights.
B. Read Two Books For This Task; Each Must Have A Word In The Title Of The Vacation You Chose (I.E., Ski Trip Might Be Ski Weekend By R.L. Stine And A Trip With A Tycoon By Nicola Marsh).

I chose Northern Lights and read 1.Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name: A Novel - 2 stars and 2. A Northern Light - 4 stars.

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--For Losing Weight Examples Would Be: Fat, Thin, Skinny, Weight, Scale--You Get The Point.
AND
B. Read A Non-Fiction Book Which Talks About Your Resolution i.e.-A Diet Book, A Money Management Book, Etc.

My resolution is to lose weight. I read The Weight of Silence & gave it 4 stars. I also read Weight Watchers Start Living, Start Losing: Inspirational Stories That Will Motivate You Now and gave it 3 stars.

NOTE: Heather Gudenkauf who wrote The Weight of Silence is a Goodreads author.

Totals as of 2/12/10:
755/1150 Points
53/81 Books Read
28/81 Books Outstanding

I completed Task 35.3 (It's About Time) by reading The Year of the Flood, which I highly recommend reading.
I listened to the book on tape and the audio version has the hymns of God's Gardeners sung at the end of each of Adam One's sermons. They're very nicely done, in a folksy manner. They added to the mood and feeling of the story.
The story is a fleshing out...or a rounding out....of the story told in Oryx & Crake. It's a different perspective of events, with an overlap of people and places. Very well done.
I hear this series will end as a trilogy. If so, I'm already looking forward to the third book.

2 more tasks done!

For 5 point task #2, I read Housekeeping vs. The Dirt by Nick Hornby.

For 30 point task #9, I read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg, which one the Newbery 1968, and The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, which was nominated the same year.

Updated totals:
Points: 250
Tasks completed: 13/58
Tasks in progress: 7
Books read: 24
Pages read: 6,565

30.6. WENDY'S TASK - WINTER VACATION DREAMS
With The Economy So Very Tight This Winter My Vacation Will Be Imaginary. Read A Book That Takes Place In Your Dream Vacation Spot Then Take A Moment To Imagine That You Are There. Tell Us Where And Why.

Charlemagne Pursuit by Steve Berry (big book with 509 pages)

I'm always in love with Europe in general. And I've found many pictures of the Aachen Cathedral, a setting in the book. It's just wonderful.

Points: 105/550
Books: 7
Tasks: 7/58
Pages: 2,284

Finished 35.1 PJReads Dewey Decimal Task. My 5* book was The Bone Doll's Twin (525 pages). 525 is Earth so I read Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology which I found very repetitive and not really informative (2*). Subtracting 250 is 275 so I used 274 Christian Church in Europe and read A Season for the Dead which was a 38 read for me. There is quite a bit of early Catholic history mostly about the martyrs. This also partially takes place in the Vatican and alludes to the corruption of the clergy that lives there.

This brings my total to 415 points.

I completed task 10.8 (Canada theme) by reading Déjà Dead. It was a good read, but not nearly as good as the TV show.

That should bring me up to 215 points

Can she finish????

25.1 Two books from the 1001 to read before you die:The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and North and South by Agatha Christie and Elizabeth Gaskell, 876pp read 2/4/2010 and 2/12/2010.


Books read 63/79
Tasks completed 41/58
Points 855/1100
Pages read 20033


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