The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

I have been quiet this time around and have been accumulating points vs. posting whenever I finish something. It is possible that I will finish more books this month but things are going to be pretty busy next week.

5.2 - An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
5.4 -
Looking for Alaska (Printz Award - 2006)
5.7 - The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson #3) - Rick Riordan (b. 1964--year of the dragon)
10.5 - The Cradle (popular March 2009)
15.8 -a) A Christmas Story - Jean Shephard (inspiration for movie) b) I also watched the movie A Christmas Story
20.2 - revisiting Spring 15.8 (getting to know the author) Secrets of Eden - Chris Bohjalian; there are several interesting interviews on his website
25.1 - War of the Worlds/The Invisible Man
25.8 a) SuperFreakonomics: Tales of Altruism, Terrorism and Poorly Paid Prostitutes
b) Lottery - Patricia Wood
30.1 a) Idiot America
b) Coraline
30.3 a) The Magicians (Lev Grossman) 402 pages
b) The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers (Thomas Mullen) 398 pages
c) The Wish List (Eoin Colfer) 256 pages
30.7 - Lowboy (fits 10.5 March 2009 popular, 15.9B and 25.8B)
30.9 - A Year Down Yonder (Newberry Winner), Hope Was Here (Newberry Honor)
I enjoyed A Year Down Yonder more as I was happy to revisit some of the characters from the first book in that series (A Long Way From Chicago). The stories were very funny, even for an old guy like me.
30.10 a) The Scarlet Letter
b) Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software

I believe that puts my total at 260. Yay!

10 point task
7.The Complete x-files:
Behind the series, the myths and The movies

15 POINT TASKS
1. MAKE ME LAUGH - In Honor Of Richard Pryor (Born December 2, 1940 – Died December 10, 2005) Famous African American Comedian….
A. Read A Black Comedy Or Satirical Novel (Ex. Infinite Jest A Novel Or Catch-22)
AND

B. Watch A Black Comedy Or Satirical Film (Ex. Burn After Reading Or Blazing Saddles)


Dear American Airline - Jonathan Miles

and

Burn After Reading - loved Brad Pitt

15 points

I've done some more rearranging and read a few books since I last updated so here goes.

5.4 Revealed - RITA Award in 2007
5.6 Size 14 Is Not Fat Either - Moved this from another task - I could never work in a college dorm - not as an adult past college age anyway
5.9 What I Did for Love
10.7 Dead to the World - I'm now officially hooked on the show and the books
15.9 Old (Hissy Fit: A Novel) and New (Rekindled)
25.4 Remembered in 19th Century Colorado and Velvet Song: Saga Montgomery in 16th Century England - this would be a hard decision as both have their appeals and downsizes but I think I would rather live in the 16th century (at least the one that exists in romances!)
25.6 This Charming Man - I moved this from the winning decade - it takes place in Ireland

I'm new to this group so this is my first update. Please let me know if I am doing this wrong!

5 Point Tasks

2. SHE WAS A GRAND OLD FLAG MAKER
United States Foreign Policy: Politics Beyond the Water's Edge (red, white, and blue cover)

4. A WINNING DECADE
Princess Academy Newbery Honor in 2006

8. BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE
Dead Until Dark

25 Point Tasks

5. ABIGAIL'S TASK - ODD MAN OUT
The Lost German Slave Girl: The Extraordinary True Story of Sally Miller and Her Fight for Freedom in Old New Orleans Nonfiction story about a girl from New Orleans' court battle for freedom from slavery

30.4 Sandra's Task - World Aids Day
Read - Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson (goodreads author) 4* - good YA historical fiction about the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. Fast Read.
Tasks Completed - 17
Books Read - 24
Pages Read - 7,332
TOTAL POINTS - 355

I finished another one: 30.7, I read Amsterdam by Ian McEwan. It fits 2 other tasks at least: 1001 list book and a book with a 1-word title. I liked it a lot, if I could I would have given it 4.5 stars.

New Point Total: 470
Task Completed: 21
Tasks in Progress: 5
Books Read: 36
Pages Read: 11655

Wendy wrote: "DONE
10.3 RENAISSANCE READING - In Honor Of Zora Neale Hurston (Born January 7, 1891– Died January 28, 1960) Famous Harlem Renaissance Author…
A. Read A Novel That Was Written By An African Americ..."

Way to go Wendy. Now give us a great task for Spring.

Finished 25.1 Leora's Task - 1001 Books. Read To Kill a Mockingbird and A Prayer for Owen Meany.

TOTALS:
Tasks Completed: 5/58
Books Read: 7/80
Points: 90/1100

Erin B.

Finished a couple more:
15.4: It's all about fun and games

One of my favorite video games is Oblivion (a fantasy RPG), so I read a fantasy book (A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony ) and played Oblivion. I started a new game and tried to create a character called Chameleon that looks like the title character in the book.

10.10 From Russia with love
Read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Hello all! Finished another task:
30.7 Read A Book That Will Fit Two Or More Other Tasks In The Winter 2009-2010 Challenge.

I read:

That would be The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky using two different translations. I read the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky as my primary text, with the David McDuff (Penguin edition) as a backup in case something wasn’t clear. It’s amazing how many differences there can be in two different translations of the same book. Here is one of many examples:
Pevear p. 546 “… heedless of all self-control…”
Penguin McDuff p. 698 “…disdaining all restraint…”

Anyways … The Brothers Karamazov fits the following tasks for me:
10.4 Read A 5-Star Book From One Of The Winners Of The Fall Challenge - (PJReads) has “The Brothers Karamazov” as a 5-star book.
10.5 FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE - “The Brothers Karamazov” is set in Russia, with Russian characters, written by a Russian.
15.5 READERS OF THE WORLD UNITE
My initials are DH;
Country: D: DENMARK; Person:Christian (on 02/20/10) has “The Brothers Karamazov” as a 5-star read
15.9 (A). Read The Book That Has Been On Your TBR Pile/Shelf The Longest == been on my TBR shelf since the 1970s
15.9 (B). Read A Book Written By An Author You Have Never Read Before. == my first Dostoevsky novel.
20.2 Choose Your Favorite Task From A Past Challenge.
Former Task From A Past Challenge : 15.14. Read A Book That Was Has Been Translated From Its Original Language: “The Brothers Karamazov” written originally in Russian
25.1. LEORA'S TASK - 1001 BOOKS -- Book #837 is “The Brothers Karamazov”
25.3 A GAME OF CLUE (A) Read A Book With A Cover That Very Predominantly Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, Or White. The Pevear edition of “The Brothers Karamazov” (the one that I claim as my primary edition) is mainly red (message #2 by message 2: by Sara ♥ in the Task Help for A GAME OF CLUE has the Pevear translation of “The Brothers Karamazov” listed for RED)
25.4 Read (2) Historical Books, Fiction Or Non-Fiction, From Different Time Periods Or Settings, Then Briefly Tell Which Time Period You Would Have Preferred To Live In
“The Brothers Karamazov” is 1870s Russia, fits this task.
25.7 (B) Read A Book Featured On The Show of Lost
“The Brothers Karamazov” is one of those books.
25.9 (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
The Pevear translation of “The Brothers Karamazov” has an Introduction, a List of Characters, and 18 pages of “Notes”)
And, if one stretches a bit:
30.3 Read 825 Pages Or More: the David McDuff edition of “The Brothers Karamazov” is 960 pages

Making a total of 9 additional tasks, 10 if you count McDuff’s translation for 30.3.

The Pevear translation of “The Brothers Karamazov” has 776 pages. Therefore, in the “I love Big Books”
[if then you read another book that is 750+ pages you will earn a second chance;:]

645 + 30 = 675




Tasks Completed: 33
Points for this task: 30
Points thus far: 675/1100
Books read: 45
Pages Read: 14.452
Read but not yet claimed: 4 books

7 more days!

I finished Bonnie's task 25.9 - The World of Books with: A. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce (goodreads author), which had a map of Tortall, the fictional country it was set in, and B. Seven Deadly Wonders by Matthew Reilly, a novel brimming with diagrams explaining the plethora of traps, caverns and impossibly mad situations described in this book.

Bringing my total to 225.

#10.10 From Russia With Love: Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky Feb 20

#35.4 Roseann: Read About Your Resolution
My resolution is to learn to group plants in my garden to grow healthier and better-producing plants
A. Fiction book with word in title that pertains to resolution: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler Feb 18 (5*)
B. Non-fiction book which talks about resolution: Great Garden Companions: A Companion-Planting System for a Beautiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden by Sally Jean Cunningham Feb 21

Total Pages = 23,124

Total Points = 1060

Helen wrote: "Wendy wrote: "DONE
10.3 RENAISSANCE READING - In Honor Of Zora Neale Hurston (Born January 7, 1891– Died January 28, 1960) Famous Harlem Renaissance Author…
A. Read A Novel That Was Written By A..."

Thanks.. Task is up!!

I finished task 5.6 by reading The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck. I can never imagine being a soldier.

Total points= 295

I finished 15.9 by reading The Forgotten Garden for an author I have never read before and Sea Glass for a book that has been on my TBR a long time (or at least since I started keeping track on Goodreads!).

Total Points 420

35.2 DONNA JO'S TASK - GOING ON A WINTER VACATION - I chose the tropical island. Tropical Fish: Tales From Entebbe by Doreen Baingana AND The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells.

Total Points: 970/1100
Tasks Completed: 53/58
Tasks in Progress: 2

Finished task 5.10 The Allure of Alliteration by reading Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper. Also, Molly Harper is a GR author. Brings my total to:

430/1100 points
Tasks Completed: 22/60
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 29/79
Pages Read: 8,075

I completed 30.10 THERESA IN OHIO'S TASK - COLOR BY NUMBERS with A. Coyote Blue*** by Christopher Moore and
B. Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure**** by Rachel Fershleiser.

and 15.8 SILVER SCREEN CELEBRATIONS by reading Christmas, 1940** by Eleanor Roosevelt (which I really wanted to like, but couldn't) and Christmas Sonata, A*** by Gary Paulsen.

B. We watched All Mine to Give*** and Holiday Affair *** (and a gazillion others).

Total points: 415
Total pages: 7174

Another task completed:

15.4 IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES
I like jigsaw puzzles with lots of pieces, so I read Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell. The cute cover shows a little girl chasing butterflies, which are actually puzzle pieces. Then my son and I put together some Cars puzzles.

Previously Completed Tasks
15.9 OUT WITH THE OLD...
Part A: Invisible Lives - Anjali Bannerjee
Part B: Truly, Madly - Heather Webber

25.10 EMILY'S TASK
PART A: Time of My Life - Allison Winn Scotch
PART B: The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

30.6 WENDY'S TASK - WINTER VACATION DREAMS The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes (Destination: Ireland) (02.14.10)

20.2 BETH MN'S TASK - REVISITING THE PAST It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh (revisiting task 15.7)

30.5 DIANE'S TASK - POSTHUMOUSLY SPEAKING
The Ten Best Days of My Life by Adena Halpern
AND The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

10.7 The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (read 01.01.10)

35.3 Some Days There's Pie: A Novel by Catherine Landis (01.22.10)

30.8 Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson (fits 5.8 and 5.10) (01.20.10)

15.7 PART A: All-new Complete Cooking Light Cookbook by Ann C. Cain
PART B: Made Spinach & Artichoke dip and Baked Feta Marinara

30.3 The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate
Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
(Total Pages = 841)(01.10.10)

5.1 Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon (01.05.10)

5.10 Vegan Virgin Valentine by Carolyn Mackler (12.23.09)

10.9 Swimsuit by James Patterson (12.19.09)

25.5 This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen (12.17.09)

20.3 The Stupidest Angel A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, Version 2.0 by Christopher Moore. (12.15.09)

25.6 Behaving Badly by Isabel Wolff (12.09.09)

Total Points: 345
Tasks Completed: 17
Books Read: 22

Kay wrote:
B. [book:Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by ..." Kay, I love those 6 word memoirs! I haven't read any of the books (not sure if I would still enjoy them as much if I read that many at one time!), but think they are great. They are fun to do about friends, also!

5.10 The Allure of Alliteration: Plenty Porter by Brandon Noonan - a pleasing coming-of-age story set in 1950s rural IL. I am always wary of books from the Dollar store (where I bought this one) but this one was a nice surprise. If you enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird you might like this.

15.10 We Will Remember You: Mildred Pierced: A Toby Peters Mystery by Stuart Kaminsky (d. Oct 2009) I have never read Kaminsky before and this was a typical hard-boiled detective story. Not bad, not great - the gimmick to this series, mysteries surrounding golden age Hollywood movie stars, is pretty neat.

I also watched Sixteen Candles (directed by John Hughes).

really, am I not done YET???? four more books to go... and I refuse to even start looking for spring challenge books until I am finished!

1055 pts

I was pretty surprised to see Lolita by Vladamir Nabakov on the list of Satirical novels but I went for it! I read this for task 15-1.

875 points

Oops, I also watched Blazing Saddles!

Finished 15.4: Strange Things Happen: A Life with The Police, Polo, and Pygmies by Stewart Copeland of The Police

And I played Rock Band, on which there are several Police songs, with my brother over the Christmas holiday.

Total Points: 340

I completed 25.3 by reading The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #4) and . I actually liked Catching Fire better than the Hunger Games. Both books were hard to put down.

My total is now 430.

Task 25.2 Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky---about four best friends who rely on their friendships to for a pregnancy pact.

My best friend is my cousin. We have been partners in crime since as long as I can remember. We have been there for eachother through thick and thin. She is always there when I need her, whether it be a shoulder to cry on or a joke to put a smile on my face.

15.4: The Clue in the Diary (CLUE) Love the game, and the movie!

Midway Challenge: The Mystery at the Ski Jump and The Golden Compass

ONE TASK LEFT!

30.7 Jan the Gryphon's task - Multi-tasking:
Brooklyn: A Novel

Fits tasks:

10.5 Popularity Contest (on 2009 list)
15.9 b Out with the old and in with the new books - author I haven't read
25.8b Inane Ansering Machine Day: One word title
30.1a Celebrate the End of the Decade - published this decade

Total points: 150
Books: 10
Tasks Completed: 8

go stephanie! :)

Stephanie wrote: "15.4: The Clue in the Diary (CLUE) Love the game, and the movie!

Midway Challenge: The Mystery at the Ski Jump and The Golden Compass

ONE TASK LEFT!


"

Way to go!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Finished 25.8
Read
Engleby - Sebastian Faulks
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House - Kate Summerscale

Nr of points 425
Nr of books 24
Nr of tasks 16

I finished the following challenges :
- for 35.3, DLM Rose's task - It's about time, I read The Hours by Michael Cunningham
- for 15.8, silver screen celebration, I chose Christmas, and read Houppeland by Tronchet (a very good comic book about a dictatorship where everyday is Christmas) and watched Polar Express.

Books read: 15
Challenges accomplished: 10/58
Points : 225

Finished Tasks...

15.3: An Unsuitable Job For A Woman by P.D. James 3* and
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller 3*

25.8: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows 3* and
Specials by Scott Westerfeld 4*

30.10: Redwall by Brian Jacques 3* and
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne 3*

50: Golden: A Retelling of "Rapunzel" by Cameron Dokey 4* and
The Hockey Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner 3*

New tasks are in bold. Points total should be 520. Thanks!

5.1 Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi(12/17)
5.8: The House in the Mist by Anna Katharine Green 1/4/10

10.1: The Ringmaster's Secret by Carolyn Keene 12/3
10.5: Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom 12/27

15.2: Alice Sit-By-The-Fire by JM Barrie and The Marvellous Land of Oz 12/29
15.8 I read Charles Kuralt's Christmas and watched The Flinstone's Christmas. completed 1/4
15.9: Superstitious by R.L. Stine and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (**Goodreads author) 12/10

20.1: Old task 20.3: Christian Fiction: Dinner with a Perfect Stranger An Invitation Worth Considering by David Gregory 12/28

25.1 The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West and Where Angels Fear To Tread by EM Forester completed 1/1
25.2: A Prayer for Owen Meany. (637 pages)
25.4 The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent and The Man Without a Country and Its History by Edward Everett Hale completed 1/4/10

25.10: Shutter Island Graphic Novel and The Hidden Life of Dogs
I miss my dog a lot and love this book cover. I'm very glad I had already read Shutter Island before reading the graphic novel- you miss a lot without the rest of the story!

30.1 Marley & Me: Love and Life with the World's Worst Dog (movie) Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife (published)

30.2 A. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson and B. State of Fear by Michael Crichton (688 pgs)

Richard Matheson won a Hugo in the 50's and Crichton won a Nebula for the screen play of Jurassic Park. State of Fear was not my favorite Crichton to date, but I really enjoyed I am Legend and the accompanying stories.

30.3: Hideaway by Dean Koontz (400 pgs) and The King of Torts by John Grisham (432 pgs) completed 1/3
30.4 The Scarlet Plague by Jack London
30.5 Elsewhere by G. Zevin (***Goodreads Author) and The Amateur Emigrant by R.L. Stevenson
30.7: Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus by James Otis 12/7 Counts for 35.3 and 10.1.
30.8 A. First Across the Continent. The Story of The Exploring Expedition of Lewis and Clark in 1804-5-6 by Noah Brooks and Sacajawea by Anna Lee Waldo (1424 pages)
30.10: A. The Red House Mystery by AA Milne B. The 39 Steps by John Buchan

35.3: Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham 1/10

50.1: Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle (1/25) and The Outdoor Girls in a Winter Camp, Or, Glorious Days on Skates and Ice Boats by Laura Lee Hope (1/26)

5.3 ROYAL READING The Prince and the Pauper

15.9 OUT WITH THE OLD & IN WITH THE NEW BOOKS
A. Read The Book That Has Been On Your TBR Pile/Shelf The Longest - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith.
B. Read A Book Written By An Author You Have Never Read Before - Salvador by Joan Didion.

Total Points: 985/1100
Tasks Completed: 54/58
Tasks in Progress: 2

Finished 2 more tasks in the last few days.

First, I'd read the book but hadn't had a chance to make anything from it until this weekend.
15.7 FOOD + FAMILY AND/OR FRIENDS = READING FUN
A. Tough Cookie – Diane Mott Davidson (336) – 12/19/2009
B. Marmalade Mogul Muffins - I love orange marmalade so this was a great choice, plus we've been watching tons of Olympic coverage so the "mogul" addition seems perfect for brunch while watching some coverage. They were yummy!

30.6. WENDY'S TASK - WINTER VACATION DREAMS –
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (288) – 2/22/2010
I realize it sounds odd dream of visiting an island in the UK in winter, but I live in the southern US so getting away to somewhere that is cold is actually high on my list. Guernsey has always been somewhere I wanted to visit but have never been. As a child we lived in the UK and went all over England, Scotland and Wales, but we never made it to Guernsey. Now I REALLY want to go.

5.10. THE ALLURE OF ALLITERATION – The Whitest Wall – Jodee Kulp (241) - 2/17/2010

That takes my totals to:

Completed Tasks: 11
Total Points: 210
Books read: 15
Pages Read 6,743


I might even manage to finish another 2 book challenge that I've got 1/2 way finished. I think this is the best I've done in a challenge point wise.

Completed 15.6 The season of gifting and giving by reading Knit Two and giving blood.
This is a two-way best gift. When I was seven or eight and my aunt gave me a pair of knitting needles and some left-over scraps of wool. My mother was horrified and took me aside to apologize for my aunt, saying that she couldn't afford a proper present. I thought it was a great present!
The skill of knitting (which I have been doing since I was four) is a gift rivally the ability to read. Over the years it has provided me with hours of enjoyment, an income and plenty of unique garments and gifts for others.

I finished 10.7 - Small Screen Stories today. My favorite televison show to date is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I read Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, which is about an "animator" (necromancer) slash vampire slayer. It was decent, It felt a bit like a combine of Buffy and True Blood.

Current total would be 235.

10.9 Remembering Pearl Harbor: Distant Echoes: Book One in The Aloha Reef Series by Colleen Coble (a Goodreads author). Formulaic Christian romantic/suspense set in Hawaii. Bleah.

only two more tasks to go!

20.3 Group Reads - I chose to read The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I posted #52 on the discussion board.

450/1100 points
Tasks Completed: 23/60
Tasks In Progress: 4
Books Read: 30/79
Pages Read: 8,525

30.5 - Posthumously Speaking - Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer (Edward is a vampire) and Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton, who died in 2008 and the book was published in 2009.

Total Points = 195

15.9. OUT WITH THE OLD & IN WITH THE NEW BOOKS
A. Read The Book That Has Been On Your TBR Pile/Shelf The Longest.
Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie
AND
B. Read A Book Written By An Author You Have Never Read Before.
The Lacemakers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri

TOTAL = 95

Two more tasks down.

15.3 What Women Want - Infidel and The Keepsake. I highly recommend Infidel. The author's life from childhood to now has certainly changed.

25.2 Sarah Nicole A Game of Clue - and . Fire & Brimstone is from my personal library.

25.10


I read this one for part A. It reminded me of when my kids were little and we would go swimming in the summer and how I would hang on tight to them. Unfortunately, the storyline was sort of the opposite of that theory. It was written by Kate Veitch (A Good Reads Author)

B. For the graphic novel: I read "Fun Home" A Family Tragicomic" by Alison Bechtel. I normally avoid "comic strip" type books, but actually had this on my bookshelf at home. Unfortunately, it was just "okay" in my opinion.

15.10. WE WILL REMEMBER YOU The Xibalba Murders: An Archeological Mystery by Lyn Hamilton and the movie The White Countess with Natasha Richardson
Books Read: 58
Pages Read: 19071
Tasks Completed: 42
Tasks in Progress: 2

Unfortunately business trips don't allow for a lot of reading, but I did manage to finish a few things off:
10.10 Moscow Rules
25.3 Cyanide Wells and (mustard) both were from my local library.

All were decent reads but nothing stood out as fabulous.

Total points: 700

35.4 My husband speaks fluent German and is likely to be transferred overseas sometime in the next couple years, so my goal this year was to learn some conversational German. I read The German Bride: A Novel by Joanna Hershon and a basic German book called Communicating in German by Schaum's Foreign Language series. My husband is pretty entertained by my horrible accent.

290 points

30.9 RACHEL LEE'S TASK - THE NEWBERRY AWARD

A. 1980 Newbery Winner - A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32 by Joan W. Blos.

B. 1980 Newbery Honor Book - The Road From Home: A True Story of Courage, Survival and Hope by David Kherdian.

I thought the Honor book was MUCH better than the Medal book. There was no comparison. I thought Gathering of Days was a little on the boring side, and could have done more in the way of character development. The Road from Home was very richly detailed and immersing.

Total Points: 1015/1100
Tasks Completed: 55/58
Tasks in Progress: 2