You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Oh, wow. I just read a book that I think will fit- "The Nose Knows" by Holly Lewitas (http://spunkymysterybooks.com)
OK- I have 5, 4, 3 and 2 points for the author section, 5 points for family, and 5 points for rating!

My score - 24!

Judy wrote: "Terry Pratchett was either very imaginative....or incredibly high ....when he wrote this.

LOL!

Emily, it sounds like you liked your book alot. Will you be reading more by this author?"

actually that was me :) And no, I don't think so. He's a bit too bizarre for me.

I just finished A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore, so here are my points.

Genre: Sci-fi/fantasy 5 points
Horror 3 points

Theme: I have to go with family because it drives
everything the main character does. 5 points

Location: 0 points

Author Born 1957 4 points
Not a personality 2 points
Born in same country I reside in 1 point

Title 0 points

Cover Author’s name is bigger than the title 5 points

Length 384 pages 3 points

Rating 4 stars 4 points

Total 32 points

This was one of the most bizarre books I've read, but so funny in a really irreverant way. I really have to read another one of his. I think I'll try
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal next.

My pick for this challenge was They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?, .

My points are:

Genre - Memoir 2 pts
Theme - Adventure 2 pts
Location - 0 pts
Author - born 1933 - 4 pts
Author - not TV/Movie personality - 2
Title - "C" word (Canoes) - 5 pts
Title - plus 4 words - 1 pt
Cover - 0 pts
Length - 218 words - 1 pt
Rating - 3 stars - 3 pt

Total points = 20

My book: Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Humorous Genre - Sci-fi/Fantasy - 5 pts
Theme - Romance - 3 pts
Location/Setting - United Kingdom - 5 pts
Author - not a TV/movie personality - 2 pts
Author - born in country you reside in - 1 pt
Title - four or more words - 1 pt
Cover - 0 pts
Length - 300-350 - 2 pts
Rating - 3 stars - 3 pts
Bonus - 0 pts

Total points = 22

One of the fun things about this book is that in another group we're reading Sense and Sensibility, and in the discussion I snuck in a few references to this one.

Heh-heh. Would it help much to have read Sense and Sensibility first?

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Heh-heh. Would it help much to have read Sense and Sensibility first?"

It had been a while since I read Sense and Sensibility, and I thought it was fun to know the parts that had been changed/added to. Unfortunately, not many people read it. A few said had, but thought they'd missed something. I ended up having to practically force people to go read my post and tell why :)

I read Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. My points were as follows,

Humorous Genres - 2
I could probably count this as a 'fictional' memoir or travel.

Themes - 3
Adventure - 2
Hardship/Recovery - 1

Location/Setting - 0

Author - 7
Born in 1957 - 4
Author is not a TV or movie personality - 2
Author was born in same country - 1 (He was actually born in the same state!)

Titles - 9
Word in title begins with the letter "C" - 5 (Christ's, Childhood)
A food is mentioned in the title - 3 (wasn't sure if I should count lamb)
There are more than four words in the title - 1

Cover - 11
Author's name is in larger print than (most of) the title - 5
Title is written in more than one color - 4
Cover has a yellow background - 2

Length - 4
400-499 - 4

Rating - 3
3 stars

Bonus - 0

Total - 39 pts

I'm off to start the Devil in the White City...

Yay Emily!

Good job, Emily!

Well I had hoped to read Chomp for this challenge, however I don't think that I will get to it in time. So I am using The Hot Rock.

True to the rumors that I had heard Donald E. Westlake delivers madcap capers with his Dortmunder series. This one involves the theft an emerald, which goes wrong during six (I think it was) attempts!

Judy wrote: "Ah, Almeta, another chance to read one of your Westlakes."

I am enjoying the idea of knocking these Westlake's from my shelf....only 16 more to go!

I've never read Westlake. I may have to look into it. Madcap capers would be right up my alley.

Janice wrote: "I've never read Westlake. I may have to look into it. Madcap capers would be right up my alley."

I think that you have to stick with the Dortmunder series, to get the madcap escapades.

His other works are more typically detective novels. (I have a little of each of his works. Thought that I was buying just one type of story...NOT SO!)

Judy wrote: "Madcap capers might give you some more great ideas for your challenges, Janice, and me for Topplers. If Cheryl joins in reading Westlake, there's no telling what YLTO could be...."

Madness and mayhem? LOL!

I think I'll try to keep myself & my book-club aloof... ;)

The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake

This book barely fit any of the point categories.

Author was born in 1933...4 pts
Author uses a pen name...3 pts Has 11 that I know of...but you mean for this particular book?
Author is not a TV or movie personality...2 pts
Author was born in the same country you reside in...1 pt
300-350...2 pts
4 stars...4 pts

Whoo Hoo...13 or 16 points! (More than I expected.)

It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet by James Herriot

Genre: Memoir: 2 points

Theme: Nothing: 0 points

Location: UK: 5 points

Author: Born 1916: 4 points
Uses Pen Name (James Alfred Wight): 3 points
Not TV/movie personality: 2 points

Title: 6 words: 1 point

Cover: None: 0 points

Length: 1 point

Rating: 5 stars, 5 points

10 points for being in workplace

Total points: 33 points

I loved Herriot's first couple of books, but then slowed down. I wonder if I should pick this one up - you gave it 5 stars...

I love animals and this time period-- though only certain aspects of it. Perhaps you might give it only three. I can't wait to find the other books he's written.

Ack, same here! I'm rationing my romances out depending on the number of other books I finish-- otherwise I'll read all the romances and forget all the others. Kudos, Gaeta!

I made it just under the wire. I read Get Thee to a Punnery: An Anthology of Intentional Assaults Upon the English Language, finished 4/26/12.

Humorous Genres
4 points, Essays

Themes
0 points

Location/Setting
0 points

Author
4 points, Author was born in 1962 or earlier (1938)
2 points, Author is not a TV or movie personality (author and radio commentator)
1 point, Author was born in the same country you reside in (USA)

Titles
1 point, There are four or more words in the title

Cover
3 points, Title is written in an unusual font
1 points, There is only writing on the cover

Length
0 points, 192 pages (revised, Kindle version)

Your Rating
3 points, 3 stars

Grand total, 19 points.

A good read. Have pencil and paper handy as you read it; there are many word games included, that illustrate the different types of puns described in the book.

Nothing like a deadline! Glad you made it, Jane. :)

Happy reading Judy!

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal



This book was hysterical!

Humorous Genres
Fantasy...5 pts

Author
Author was born in 1962 or earlier: author was born in 1957...4 pts
Author was born in the same country you reside in, born in Ohio...1 pt

Titles
Word in title begins with the letter "C": "Christ"...5 pts
A food is mentioned in the title: "lamb"...3 pts
There are four or more words in the title...1 pt

Cover
Title is written in more than one color: blue and beige...4 pts
Title is written in an unusual font: see "L" in "Lamb" and other text...3 pts

Length
400-499...4 pts

Your Rating
4 stars...4 pts

Total 34 points

Glad you liked it Debra - I'll have to tell my husband, as it's one that he recommends to lots of people.

whew!

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Glad you liked it Debra - I'll have to tell my husband, as it's one that he recommends to lots of people."

Cool! I really had a lot of fun reading it.

Add me in for under the wire too. Just finished in time yesterday night.

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging


Themes
Family...5 pts


Location/Setting
United Kingdom...5 pts

Author
Author's first name begins with L,A,U,G or H...5 pts
Author was born in 1962 or earlier...4 pts

Titles
There are four or more words in the title...1 pt

Cover
Title is written in an unusual font...3 pts
(script, handwritten, etc)
Cover has a yellow background...2 pts

Length
200-299...1 pt

Your Rating
3 stars...3 pts

Total: 29

Oops I almost forgot. I also read One for the Money

Author
Author was born in 1962 or earlier...4 pts
Author is not a TV or movie personality...2 pts

Titles
There is a number in the title...2 pts
There are four or more words in the title...1 pt

Cover
Title is written in more than one color...4 pts
There is only writing on the cover...1 pts

Length
300-350...2 pts

Your Rating
3 stars...3 pts


Bonus:
*Fun at Work Day --Add 10 extra points if the humor revolves around the workplace.

Total: 29

Wow, there should be an award for those who finished just under the wire. Good job Debra, Judy and Pragya!

Congratulations everyone - what a fun month!

I haven't done my points. Bad group member. But I'll be somewhere near the bottom. I like holding you all up :-)

Not to sorry Suzie, I haven't done up the badges yet, so you're safe.

Janice, don't do the badges until you can type/ spell. First it was away for awake, and now it's sorry for worry. Take care of your self first, whether you need to get sleep or take a break or whatever! We love you and don't want you to get too frazzled!

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Janice, don't do the badges until you can type/ spell. First it was away for awake, and now it's sorry for worry. Take care of your self first, whether you need to get sleep or take a break or wh..."

LOL! Apparenlty I'm trying to create a new language. I'm not sure which is scarier - my typo's or that everyone seems to understand what I'm trying to say.

heh-heh

I can only do this by app tonight, for some reason I can't get onto t'interweb, so I can't link here but my previous post has the book linked (near start of thread).

Diary of a Menopausal Woman
Genre: Memoir 2
Theme: Family 5
Location: UK 5
Author: Not TV/movie 2
Born in same country I live 1
One of the named authors first names starts with L (Lizzie Easyburn)
Title: 4 or more words 1
Cover: ebook that has no cover
Pages: ebook so I don't know
Star rating: 2
Bonus: Workplace 10
TOTAL 28

Not as bad as I thought, especially as I can't get points for two categories.

Too bad it was only 2 stars. :(

I just found it a nothing out of the ordinary diary. Which prompts me off to the theme suggestions...

The results are in!

I had some adjustments to do, specifically where people read the same book. Generally, the points should be the same except in the star rating and if a different edition was read (as was the case in Emily/Debra with Lamb.

The winner is Emily with Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal totalling 42 points!

The participants were:

39 points: Debra - Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
38 points: Sam - Equal Rites
33 points: Maria - It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet
32 points: Roz - A Dirty Job
30 points: Judy - Every Living Thing
29 points: Pragya - Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging
28 points: Snoozie Suzie - Diary of a Menopausal Woman
27 points: Kimberly & Sally - Explosive Eighteen
26 points: Cheryl - Large Print: An Unshelved collection
24 points: Emily W - The Nose Knows
23 points: Kim M - The Color of Magic
22 points: janxsmom - Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
20 points: Janice - They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?
19 points: Jane in SC - Get Thee to a Punnery: An Anthology of Intentional Assaults Upon the English Language
16 points: Almeta - The Hot Rock

Okay - I just realized that I haven't finished the badges yet. Be watching for your badge on your Wall of Fame.