Reading with Style discussion

Liz M wrote: "Deana wrote: "20.10 Play the numbers task

I read New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb. This book was written in 2011...."

+5 combo for 20.4, this series takes place mor..."

Thank you, Liz!

nsfancy wrote: "Task 10.1 The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

+10 Task
+10 Oldie (Pub 1928)

Task total 20

Total points 910


CiV
Task 15.9 Frenzied Fiction by [au..."

Pooh was published in 1928, so has a "1" and a "2" in the published date and qualifies for 20.10 Play the Numbers. It does not qualify for Square Peg. do you want to move it there?

20.10 - Sam’s Task - Play the numbers

I read Delirium by Lauren Oliver

+20 Task (pub 2011)

Task Total = 20

Grant Total = 385

15.8 I-J-K, 1977-1988, 461-500pgs - Dean Koontz - The Key to Midnight, 1979, 496 pgs

+65 Task

15.9 E-F, 1953-1964, 421-460pgs - William Faulkner - The Mansion, 1955, 448 pgs

+75 Task

15.10 L-M, 2001-2011, 780-820pgs - Steig Larson - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest, 2007, 820 pgs

+85 Task

Bonus +100

Points This Post: 325
Tasks Completed: 20
Total Points: 710
Books Read: 20

Norma wrote: "15.8 I-J-K, 1977-1988, 461-500pgs - Dean Koontz - The Key to Midnight, 1979, 496 pgs

+65 Task

15.9 E-F, 1953-1964, 421-460pgs - William Faulkner - The Mansion, 1955, 448 pgs

+75 Task

15.10 L-M,..."

Norma, could you please edit your task so that you provide links to the titles/editions? Thanks.

10.1 Square Peg
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

+10 Task
+10 Oldies (pub 1936)

20.4 In Honor of a Christmas Carol
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

+20 Task (historical)
+10 Combo (10.9-1st in a series, author has more than 11 published works; 20.2-UK and Israel)

20.6 Bleak House

Double Tap by Steve Martini

+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.5-715 ratings at time of posting)

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.3-Washington State; 20.4-historical)

Post Total: 105
Season Total: 2010

20.9 Take the High Road


Angels and Insects by A.S. Byatt



+20 Task
+15 Combo
-20.4 (set in the Victorian Era; pub. 1992)
-20.8 (The Swarming City is a novel written by two of the characters during the course of the first novella)
-20.10 (pub. 1992)

Task Total = 35
Completed all 20 RwS tasks (!)= 100

Grand Total = 1040

Congratulations Anika! I have one task left after this post...

10.10 Group Read

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

Review:
This is the story of a man born in the gutter in 18th-century Paris with two peculiarities: a hypersensitive sense of smell and a lack of personal odour that makes people distrust and avoid him without knowing why. I suppose he's also a psychopath. He develops the ability to create wonderful perfumes but never manages to become like other people.
This book took me by surprise. I expected a crime novel, and it really isn't. There is murder but it is just a means to an end for him.
The descriptions of the scents of the 18th century are spellbinding, and so are Grenouille’s early experiences. It just lost me at the end: there was a point where I suddenly couldn’t suspend disbelief any more ((view spoiler)[the execution scene (hide spoiler)]) and the ending felt rushed. Otherwise, remarkably evocative.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (20.4 pub.1985, set 18th century)
+10 Lost in Translation (from German)
+ 5 Oldie 1937-87

Task total = 40

20.9 Take the High Road

Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault

Review:
Historical fiction set in 4th century BC Greece, this is the story of the young Alexander the Great from early childhood to the age of 19 when he became King of Macedon. By that time he had already fought in a number of wars and negotiated the minefield of the deadly rivalry between his mother and his father. He had also forged a relationship with his male friend Hephaistion that would last for the rest of their lives. This was published in 1969 so the sex is not described explicitly, but it's definitely there. Probably one of the first M/M romances written by a woman! 5 stars from me.

+20 Task ('heaven')
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (20.4 pub.1969, set c.350 BC)
+ 5 Oldie 1937-87

Task total = 40

Grand total = 1805
+ 10 Combo points from Liz that I missed = 1815

10.10 Group Reads
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Review: Never having read Fahrenheit 451, this was my first brush with Bradbury, and I quite enjoyed it. The writing is energetic and the setting is intriguing - who doesn't like a carnival, and yet senses a hidden side?
The book more or less seemed to read itself, and felt almost like a rollercoaster in that you never know what comes next, but it'll be as exhilarating as frightening.
I found the characters believable to different degrees - they don't make boys like that anymore, I think, and Jim I found at times hard to understand, possibly because Will's thoughts are given more readily. I could relate to Mr. Halloway a lot, and understood his sorrows and wishes (but try telling anyone 54 today that they're old old old, you'll get an earful!), and his choices as well.
(view spoiler)[The only, though minor, letdown was the resolution of the book - there's something wicked, fight it with joy and laughter and goodness was just a bit too plain for the magnificent evilness conjured up by Bradbury. (hide spoiler)]

Task: 10
Review: +10
Combo (20.10, pub 1962): +5
Oldies: +5

Task total: 30

20.8 Fictional Fiction
Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut

Review: Vonnegut is one of my favourite writers. His voice is always compelling, concise and darkly funny, and I enjoy the satirism that is always present in his stories.
A million years from now, I'm not giving too much away here, humanity will be a lot different. The omniscient narrator tells the story of how it came to be like that, on a small island of Galapagos inhabited by blue footed boobies and vampire finches, with no mercy for the human follies, but a lot of compassion for them at the same time. He knows that we can't do any better, what with our too large brains, than make fools of ourselves and ruin what we have, unless something stops us. He knows, because he has been human once too.

Task: 20
Review: 10
Oldies: 5
Combo (20.4, book narrated from a million years in the future, looking back to around the publishing date.): 5

Task total: 40

Grand total: 565

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "nsfancy wrote: "Task 10.1 The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

+10 Task
+10 Oldie (Pub 1928)

Task total 20

Total points 910


CiV
Task 15.9 [book:Frenzied Fiction..."
Wow my scorekeeping leaves a lot to be desired this winter! Yes please. let's move it to 20.10 (It was a CiV reject that I wanted to put somewhere:) ). Should I just adjust the score going forward or do you want me to edit the original post?

20.10 Play the Numbers

How to Knit a Love Song by Rachael Herron (published in 2010)

My review:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Task 20 points
combo + 5 (10.5 underrated, 570 reviews)
review +10
= 35 task points

GRAND TOTAL 800 Points

Liz M wrote: "Erin wrote: 15.6 CiV

A-B | 101-140/501-540 | 1941-1952

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

128pp. p.1949 ..."

Oh boy, this edition is all sorts of unhappy. The linked edition has only 60 pages..."

Geez, you're right! I think I found this on a GR list while I was getting a little desperate filling books for my CiV list. I think this is why I avoid reading plays!

Tell you what...I read the paperback version which had 128pp., but I don't have a clue where I got that publishing date from. I appreciate you giving me the exception, but I'll just take it off my list. I don't think I'm going to finish for my bonus anyway, so that's Ok. Sorry that I sent you on a Samuel Beckett wild goose chase!

I think my Grand Total should be at 330 then, without this book, thanks!

Anika wrote: "Completed all 20 RwS tasks (!)= 100

Grand Total = 1040 "

Congratulations, Anika! Awesome reading!

nsfancy wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "nsfancy wrote: "Task 10.1 The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

+10 Task
+10 Oldie (Pub 1928)

Task total 20

Total points 910


CiV
Task ..."

I'll stick my neck out here and say that Liz can pick things up from here. If I'm wrong, (and I have a 50/50 chance), Liz will speak up.

Marie wrote: "15.3 Christmas in Vegas
Wonderboys by Michael Chabon
C-D - 141-180/541-580 (551 pages) - 1989-2000 (1995)"

Marie, the edition you linked to is unpaginated, but the ISBN is shown in several places as having only 383 pages. I'm assuming you read a different edition. Could you please give us the corrent link and/or the ISBN? Thank you.

Kazza wrote: "20.7 - Elizabeth (Alaska)’s Task - Baby it's cold outside
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Set in Russia and also USA (note: I've claimed task for USA).."

Kazza, the task is to be for the author's nationality, not the location of the novel; This would be a duplicate of a US claim. Do you want to move it to either 20.10 or 20.2 as you claimed in your combo?

Liz M wrote: "Kazza wrote: "20.1 - Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Pub. 1859..."

This book was posted twice -- post 613 & post 677. So the total I have for yo..."

Crap, this is what I get for keeping 2 sets of worksheets on different computers! Um, and also I claimed the wrong points in post 677 anyway, so it's actually 40 points less (not 45). I've left the post as is so you can check. I've also fixed my up to date total for post 754 (took out the 40).

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Kazza wrote: "20.7 - Elizabeth (Alaska)’s Task - Baby it's cold outside
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Set in Russia and also USA (note: I've claimed task for USA).."

Kazza, the task is to be for..."

Oomph, **guilty** I've fixed this to be 20.10 and recalculated my points too. Thanks, Elizabeth. :)

Task 10.5 Underrated (363 ratings as of today)

Scout, Atticus, and Boo: A Celebration of Fifty Years of "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Mary McDonagh Murphy

This is a companion book to a documentary of the same name which is now in my Netflix queue. I bought this book on an impulse during 2010 when To Kill a Mockingbird was celebrating its 50th anniversary and, as a resident of Alabama, it was difficult to escape that celebration. 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the movie so I found it only fitting that I remove this book from my shelf and actually read it. I suspect when I watch the documentary that what I read in this book will turn out to just be transcripts of the interviews from the documentary. With that said, I suspect I would have enjoyed this information in the documentary format versus book format but the content of those interviews is valuable and has made me want to read the book (and see the movie) for the third time in 10 years. I was especially intrigued by the comparison and contrast to Gone With the Wind which I'm currently reading. More than one interviewed subject mentioned both books in their discussion. I will likely recommend the documentary over this book to those who love To Kill a Mockingbird (book and/or movie) as much as me, but I guess I won't know that for sure until I see it.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (20.10 (Published in 2011)

Task Total = 25

Grand Total = 300

Task 10.1 - doesn't fit anywhere else


The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Review:


Renee may be the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building, housing some of the very wealthy and high profile citizens of the day, but she is no ordinary concierge. For years, she has masqueraded around as an uncultivated, poor, unsophisticated person, much in keeping with the opinion of the wealthy. But she is really well read, fond of art and movies alike.
In the same building lives Paloma, a 12 year-old, who is much more intelligent for her years. She observes her parents and sister, day in and day out, with their futile talks and useless existence, and she is overwhelmed by the farce that life really is. So she decides to end her life on her thirteenth birthday.
A sudden death of one the apartment’s occupants is going to introduce Renee and Paloma to a new neighbour, and it is this character that will change their life in an unexpected way.

I haven’t read many French books so I may not have much to compare this one with, but I enjoyed every page of it. There is humour, wit, philosophy, depth and truth in Barbery’s prose. Her characters are all spectacular. Renee who is just the opposite of your everyday heroine, in physical appearance, being 54 years, a widow and ugly (in her own words), she is one of the most beautiful characters I’ve met in a while.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Translation (original book in French)

Task Total = 30

Grand Total = 430

20.1 The Moonstone (published 1868)

+ 20 task
+10 oldies
+ 5 combo (20.2 - takes place in India and UK)
+5 jumbo

task total 40 points
grand total 335 points

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Norma wrote: "15.8 I-J-K, 1977-1988, 461-500pgs - Dean Koontz - The Key to Midnight, 1979, 496 pgs

+65 Task

15.9 E-F, 1953-1964, 421-460pgs - William Faulkner - The Mansion, 1955, 448 pgs

+75 Ta..."

Don't know what I was thinking about, here are the links

The Key To Midnight
The Mansion
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Anika wrote: "Completed all 20 RwS tasks (!)= 100 "

Congratulations!

Congratulations on completing CiV, Norma!

10.7 What’s Your Type (INTJ)
Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

+10 task
+5 jumbo (528 pages)
+5 combo 20.2 (takes place in US and Canada)

grand total=610

20.10 Play the numbers
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson originally published 2010

Review:This is an amazing look at the migration of southern blacks to the north from 1915 to the 70's. Wilkerson presents the stories of three people who lived the migration--from different circumstances, from different areas to different places and different decades. She gives us overviews but then gives us an in depth look at people who actually lived the history. She has gathered and researched and interpreted the oral histories of a vast movement that has changed our nation.
One quibble--she has stopped half a step short of a classic by not filling in the background of some incidents like the Rodney King beating and riots that while part of the knowledge of most people who were aware at the time may not familiar to younger readers.
I am hoping that her next book takes on the next era 70's to 10's to get a better understanding of the more recent history of race relations both in the north and south.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo >500 pages <700
Task Total: 35
Previous Total: 760
New Total: 795
Task total

Christmast in Vegas 15.3

Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon

L-M, 421-460/821-860, 2001-2012

+25 Task

Total Task Points: 25

Grand Total: 515

15.6 CiV

L-M | 461-500/861-900 | 1929-1940

Independent People by Halldór Laxness

482pp. p.1935

+45 Task

15.7 CiV

G-H | 181-220/581-620 | 1965-1976

Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

208pp. p.1971

+55 Task

Points this Post: 100
Grand Total: 430

20.1 - Dickens Lifetime
The Black Sheep by Honoré de Balzac

+20 pts - Task
+15 pts - Combo (10.5 225 ratings, 10.6 Balzac, 20.10 pub 1842)
+10 Lit - French
+15 Oldies - first pub in 1842
+10 pts - Review

Review
An interesting story loosely based on the parable of the Prodigal Son. A woman, who is deprived of her father’s inheritance because of his belief that he wasn’t her father, had two sons. Philippe, the Eldest, is handsome, charming and dashing, an officer in the army and Aide-de Camp to Napoleon. Despite this, he is heartless but his mother doesn’t see it, always making excuses for him although he gambles drinks and womanizes away all her money and more. The second son is Joseph, who is not handsome, who is dreamy and chooses to be an artist which his mother considers a waste of time. Even though Philippe becomes more depraved, leaving his family to suffer, Joseph is always at his mother’s side, supporting her and giving her all he can from the money he makes at painting. It isn’t until the mother’s death bed scene that she realizes how much she has wronged the good son while idolizing the bad one and repents. Meanwhile Philippe who has managed to obtain a fortune at his family’s expense gets his just rewards and after his death, Joseph inherits all his wealth. There were several twists and turns in the story which made it more suspenseful. All the time you think the mother is bound to see which son she should lavish her devotion on. Well written with great insights into the turmoil France and her people suffered after the Revolution, Anarchy, Napoleon and Restoration of the Bourbons on the throne. a book I gave 5 stars.

70 pts - Task Total
1265 pts - Grand Total

20.2 A Tale of Two Cities- by Scott Westfield. Book took place in England and part of Austria.

Task +20
Style: +15 (Review), 10.9 (11 in 11)
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

This book scored 790L on the Lexile score.

Grand Total: 545

10.4 Love is in the Air

Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Evelyn Waugh

Review:
I put this book on my Favourites shelf when I joined Goodreads although I hadn't read it for decades. Rereading it now, I enjoyed it as much as ever and saw much more in it, I think.
The narrator is Charles Ryder, looking back from his second world war military service to a time in the 20s and 30s when he fell in love first with Sebastian Flyte and then with his sister Julia, two of the children of the Marquis of Marchmain, and with their whole way of life at the lush and beautiful stately home of Brideshead.
Sebastian and his siblings and parents are charming, if sometimes manipulative. It is hard to like Charles, about whom we learn more telling details from the comments of others (especially his 'pansy' friend Anthony Blanche) than we do from his own narration. He frames the Flytes in the same way that the destruction and austerity of the war frame the thoughtlessly luxurious lives of the aristocracy in the 1920s.
Charles is a commoner and agnostic; the Flytes are aristocratic and Catholic. Charles betrays Sebastian in the same way that England turns her back on the aristocracy and the army takes over Brideshead: ruthlessly, for the sake of his own survival. But the Catholic Church holds the trump card.

+10 Task (#21 on the Illicit Love list)
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (20.2 England and Italy)
+ 5 Oldie 1937-87 (pub.1945)

Task total = 30

20.5 In Honor of David Copperfield

A London Child of the 1870s by Molly Hughes

Review:
A charming memoir. Molly was the youngest of five children and the only girl, growing up in north London with her parents, brothers and two servants. Her parents seem quite unusual, although it’s hard to be sure – much more ‘modern’ than one would think from reading about the families in Victorian novels. As a girl, there was a lot that Molly wasn’t allowed to do, but her brothers sneaked her out to take her on the top of a horse-drawn omnibus, sitting up with the driver, and they had a lot of fun, especially on the annual visits to her mother's large family on a farm in Cornwall. I'm now looking for the sequel.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.3 set in London; 10.5 Under-rated)
+10 Oldie 1862-1936 (pub.1934)

Task total = 50

RWS Completion bonus = 100 (yay!)

Grand total = 1985
+ 10 Combo points from Liz that I missed = 1995

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "20.2 A Tale of Two Cities- by Scott Westfield. Book took place in England and part of Austria.

Task +20
Style: +10 (Review)
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/......"

plus 5 combo for 10.9 11 in 11, first in series by an author who has published more than 11 books

Rosemary wrote: "RWS Completion bonus = 100 (yay!)"

Yay! is right! Congratulations!

10.5 Underrated - book that has fewer than 1,000 ratings - Christmas Wedding by James Patterson - 892 rating
The Christmas Wedding

+10

20.7 ead a book where the author is from a country of which at least part is above the arctic circle: - The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson
The Girl Who Played With Fire

+20
+10 combo lost in translation

20.9 Take the high road - read a book with one of the following words in the title (plurals are okay): Saint, Saintly; Angel, Angelic; Cherub; Seraph, Seraphim; Heaven, Heavenly; or Nirvana - Death Angel by Linda Howard
Death Angel

+20

Points This Post: 60
Tasks Completed: 23
Total Points: 770
Books Read: 23

Norma wrote: "10.5 Underrated - book that has fewer than 1,000 ratings - Christmas Wedding by James Patterson - 892 rating
The Christmas Wedding

+10

"

Norma, did you mean to link to another book? This book has over 3,000 ratings. Published in 2011, it fits 20.10, though - do you want to switch?

20.10 Play the numbers
East of Eden by John Steinbeck First Pub in 1952

+20 pts - Task
+15 pts - Combo (10.4 #12 on Unrequited Love, 10.10 Group Reads,20.4 begins just after Civil War and ends during WW I)
+5 pts - Jumbo (602 pgs)
+10 pts - Review
+5 pts - Oldies (1952)

Review
East of Eden is an allegory of the Cain & Abe story in the Bible. In the story, they are the first two children of the first two people on earth. Cain plows the fields and Abel tends sheep. When they make their sacrifices to God, God rejects Cain’s gift of grain harvest while pleased with Abel’s lamb. This causes resentment in Cain so that he commits the first murder against his brother. God then punishes him by driving him away from his home. Cain is worried he will be attacked if anyone ever finds him, so God puts a mark on him to let people know he is protected by God. This part about the mark is crucial to the story. Most people think the mark is a curse, yet in fact it is protection.
In the book this motif is repeated again and again. Steinbeck cleverly gives the principals in this book names that begin with a C or an A. The C’s usually having a violent or evil streak whereas the A’s are usually goodness itself, although naïve, but they are loved for their innocence. C’s are usually farmers, the manual workers while the A’s go on to bigger things they make their fathers proud. However it is learned that the original Hebrew word about the mark or curse God put on Cain did not mean that he was beyond redemption but that God has given him the opportunity to redeem himself. This is the difference this story is based on.
Of course, Steinbeck is known for his descriptions and the Salinas valley of California is perfectly painted for the reader. The setting is the years as the West was becoming tamed. The period just post Civil War until World War I. Although I love Steinbeck’s books, I had never read this one but I will put it on my favorite’s bookshelf alongside Grapes of Wrath

55 pts - Task
1320 pts - Grand Total

Task 20.1 - Charles Dickens: published from 1812 to 1870

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848) by Anne Brontë (Paperback, 512 pages)
Review: This is the second of the two novels Anne Brontë wrote before her death at age 29 of tuberculosis. This novel is superior to Wuthering Heights. The ‘framing’ of the novel of journals and letters is clumsy; but the story is compelling. At center, the novel concerns a pious young woman who marries the ‘bad boy’ in her circle. Marry in haste, repent in leisure -- that axiom is well-illustrated in this novel. The details of the ‘bad boy’’s life has a realistic feel; and, indeed, critics have noted the similiarity with Anne’s brother Bramwell’s life and that of the ‘bad boy’ in the novel. The ending (no spoilers here) is very Victorian in the destinies of all of the characters. Recommended for when you’re looking for a Victorian novel.

+ 20 Task
+ 10 Style: 2. Review (10 points):
+ 15 Style: 4. Oldies (5 to 25 points): -151 to 250 years old: 15 points (1761-1860)
+ 05 Style: 5. Jumbo (5 to 25 points): -500 Pages: 5 Points

Task Total: 20 + 10 + 15 + 05 = 50

Grand Total: 1345 + 50 = 1395

Well, I did it! I am finished with and loved:

20.6 – In honor of Bleak House:

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

I really do like Dickens. Bleak House was definitely long and involved, but it had a lot of the features that I’ve enjoyed in other Dickens books: wealthy people that actually help the poor directly and aren’t afraid to come in direct contact with them, decisions about moral priorities and relationships, interesting if stereotypical characters, and an English setting. That said, I did like the sections narrated by and about Esther the best. I enjoyed her voice and her outlook on life. Of course, in typical Dickens style, all of the disparate parts start to come together into a cohesive whole as the book moves on toward a satisfying conclusion. It’s clear why Bleak House has stood the test of time and is thought to be one of Dickens’ strongest works. I was lucky to have the chance to visit Dickens’ home in London a few years ago and that made it easy to picture the homes and the atmosphere and setting of this master’s novel!

+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo: 20.1 Charles Dickens / 20.3 Great Expectations(#91 Exceeded Expectations List)
+15 Oldies (1853)
+25 Jumbo (1024 pages)

Task Total: 80
RwS Finish: 100

20.10 – Sam’s Task – Play the numbers

The Vision by Jen Nadol, 2011 (low lexile)

+20 Task
Task Total: 20

20.10 – Sam’s Task – Play the numbers

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan 2011

When She Woke is a futuristic retelling of The Scarlet Letter. It addresses human nature in a world where abortion is illegal and criminals are chromes; their skin has been colored to indicate the nature of their crime against society. In Hannah's case, the color is red. Hannah had an affair with her pastor and did not turn him in as the father. She must go through the consequences alone and face incarceration, a strange boarding house for women like her, and life on the outside as a Chrome. The book is well written and the plot moves right along. I enjoyed it, but didn't find it as deep or well written as similar books like The Handmaid's Tale. That said, I still recommend When She Woke highly.

+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 30

20.10 – Sam’s Task – Play the numbers

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler 980 Lexile

Daniel Handler, better known to many of us as Lemony Snicket, has written his first book for young adults and captured a Printz Honor. Why We Broke Up is the story of a high school romance told in a unique manner. Min has collected memorabilia in a box and in order to talk herself through how her breakup happened, she writes to her ex about each item that is now on his doorstep. Each chapter is illustrated with artwork by Maira Kalman depicting the contents of the box. It’s a book about relationships and it is cleverly told. I am way past that time in my life, but there were some moments in this book, both good and bad, that took me back and set me down on the floors of my high school! Recommended to anyone who wants a little romance told in an interesting voice.

+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 30

Task Points This Post: 160
RwS Finish: 100
Megafinish: 200
Grand Total: 2455

Congratulations to everyone that's been finishing up the challenges!

Karen GHHS wrote: "Well, I did it! I am finished with and loved:

20.6 – In honor of Bleak House:

AND

RwS Finish: 100
Megafinish: 200
Grand Total: 2455

Congratulations to everyone that's been finishing up the challenges! "

Well done on both fronts! I, too, loved Bleak House. I am always in awe when you complete a challenge, maneuvering your various school choices into our pigeonhole tasks!

Congrats Karen!! Way to go!

10.6 The Uncommon Letter
Lion boy by Zizou Corder

+10 pts - Task
+5 pts - Combo (20.2 France, England and somewhere in the Alps)
+10 pts - Review

Review
I’m going to cheat a little with this review. This book has been my twins’ bed time story and tonight we completed the last chapter so I’m getting their help to write this review. Actually it is apt since the book is written by a school child and her mother, Corder being their actual last name and Zizou the name of their pet lizard. My son says it is awesome. Of course it is about a brave and clever boy, whose parents have been kidnapped and it is up to him to rescue them. The twins identify with his feelings of helplessness but also having the main character, Charlie, personify that powerlessness can be overcome. The book is futuristic and very much fantasy. Big companies even own their own country, Petrol is almost non-existence so transportation is returning to sail ships and trains. Most of the children suffer from allergies from the massive pollution of the twentieth century that has contaminated so much.
But aside from that, Charlie has a very special gift, he can speak Cat. Therefore he can use cats to help him get information and after joining a circus ship, the lions help him find his parents as he helps them escape the circus. Charlie keeps his gift a secret as he feels it could be exploited if people knew.
This book also addresses the topic of bi-racial children and some of the prejudices they often endure. Many references are made to his brown color being a mix of the white and black skin of his parents and he is the one that completes the rainbow of different cultures and different race. In the time when our president is known as the black president, (his mom doesn’t count?) this celebration of a merging of two separate cultures makes him twice as lucky for belonging to two races.
My children are upset because it ends as a near cliff hanger. Charlie is stuck in s blizzard on the Orient Express somewhere in the Alps with seven lions hiding in a bathroom in a friendly king’s private suite of cars. Not realizing this was a trilogy, we didn’t get the next in the series and the children are pretty anxious about what happens next.

25 pts - Task
1345 pts - Grand Total

10.2 NYE Countdown

Split Second by David Baldacci

+10 Task (second in title)
+5 Combo (10.9-1st in series by an author with more than 11 published works)

10.5 Underrated
The Plot to Save the Planet: How Visionary Entrepreneurs and Corporate Titans Are Creating Real Solutions to Global Warming by Brian Dumaine

+10 Task (18 ratings at time of posting)

20.10 Play the Numbers

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

+20 Task (pub 2010)
+5 Combo (20.2-Italy-France-Egypt)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

+20 Task (pub 2010)

Post Total: 70
Season Total: 2080

Congrats Karen!

Congratulations Karen! :-)

Great job Karen!!

20.7 The Night Circusby Erin Morgenstern

The observational tone of the book is excellent to start as it adds an air of mystery, but sometimes it is a bit too cold and distant from the subjects. I got excellent visuals and could clearly picture everything, but in the end I didn't feel anything other than curiosity.
This is not a character driven novel at all, and those are the kind I prefer. I want to care about the characters and be invested in what happens. Even in the climatic moments of The Night Circus, I was merely curious.
To compare to Harry Potter: imagine a whole book about Diagon Alley, with all the Boy-Who-Lived drama tangential, playing a secondary role to fabulous set pieces. A book that is all about the secret twists and turns of a small, magical area. That's The Night Circus, in a nutshell. It's a book for readers who like the world better than the people that populate it.
Still, I really enjoyed the book. It even merits 4 stars. How is that possible? Simple: I am a sucker for period costume drama. This is an opulent BBC production in book form. The circus is wonderfully rendered, utterly fantastic, yet believable. It's a delightful escape, even if it did make me a little sad that it was not more. With fully fleshed-out characters, this would be an amazing 5 star book. Without, it is still very worthwile and successful.
As a bonus, I felt a little shiver of excitement at the end, when the author thanks Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. I have been a devotee since 2004, so it's no wonder the Circus was exactly the type of thing I enjoy. I felt like a rêveur - part of a particular group of afficianados. If you already adore the lab and their imagination, you will most likely be pleasantly diverted by the book, and vice versa.

+20 Task (20.7)
+10 Review
+15 Combo (20.2 England, US; 20.4 late 1800s; 20.10 2011)
Task Total = 45
Grand Total = 210

20.10

Congrats, Karen, that's an amazing grand total!

20.8 Fictional Fiction Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Thomas Stone's textbook The Expedient Operator: A Short Practice of Tropical Medicine plays a number of roles in the story

Review: An unusual and moving tale of twin boys born in Ethiopia as their mother, a beloved nurse and nun, dies while she is attended by the boys' fathers. A tale of medicine, family, faith and love. A tale of a global village as Indian, Ethiopian, English and American beliefs and culture swirl through the lives of doctors as modern medicine evolves.
I resisted this book because the premise seemed so unbelievable. But somehow Verghese has woven a tale that had me caring for the characters and let me believe in the magic, whether it was faith, coincidence, skill, guilt or love that brought it about.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo 667 pgs
+5 Combo 20.2 India, Ethiopia and US

Total task: 40
Previous total: 795
New grand total: 835

nsfancy wrote: "Task 10.1 The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

+10 Task
+10 Oldie (Pub 1928)

Task total 20...

As discussed with Elizabeth, I have moved this book to to 20.10, with points as follows:

+10 task
+10 oldies

Task Total: 30
Total points: 995 (as of post 788)

20.10 Play the Numbers

Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

I did not know when I initially selected this book to read that it was a Romance novel. When I checked it out at the library I was very surprised to see it was a Harlequin Romance book. I was even further surprised when it defied the rote stereotypes of most Romance novels and actually had a great story and interesting characters. The main female, Ai Li, was not a wilting flower but rather a swordsman in her own right who was not shown as significantly weaker than her love interest. In fact many of the women were shown as strong characters. I enjoyed it quite a bit and I'll definitely pick up the next book in the series.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.8 Chinese New Year, 10.5 Underrated)

Task Total: 40
Total Points: 415

20.10 Play the Numbers

Divergent by Veronica Roth

This is definitely a book for lovers of such dystopian series as The Hunger Games. Centered around another strong young female protagonist, Tris defies the expectations of those around her with her strength and her bravery. Yet the world that Roth built is quite different than the one in the Hunger Games. Rather than a society hinged on separate areas divided by locale, the society in Divergent is based on choosing a faction based on a particular virtue: Candor (honesty), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (peaceful), and Erudite (intelligent). The conflict between the factions comes from their inherent strengths and weaknesses. Abnegation can be Dauntless in their selflessness; Erudite can lack emotions in their pursuit of the intellectual; the Dauntless can be brutal in their pursuit of bravery or lack of fear. The book definitely focuses on these three factions so that we do not see much of Candor or Amity and I hope that we do so in the next book a bit more. Tris is an incredibly likable character who makes me want to continue reading the series.

+20 Task
+10 Review

Task Total: 30
Total Points: 445