Reading with Style discussion
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SP 2017 Completed Tasks
20.6 My Name is RedCommonwealth by Ann Patchett
+20 Task (46,682 ratings, avg 3.86)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 505
20.5 Foundations The Kitchen God's Wifeby Amy Tan
Born 1952
Review
This is the story of Winnie, a Chinese woman born Jiang Weili. She married a man who she thought was going to respect her. He was mean spirited and selfish. She gave birth to three children and lost all three. She wanted out of her marriage but he would not allow it. For eight years she suffered as his wife while he cheated and on her. Finally, he got out of influence. She was forced to tell her story because her friend Helen, (Chinese name Hulan) was dying and wanted to release her secrets before she passed into the next life.
I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the mother-daughter relationship between Winnie and her daughter Pearl. I was happy to see Winnie finally being free of her Chinese husband. She found happiness with her second husband. I hated Wen Fu, Winnie's husband in China. I don't think I ever hated a character as much as I hated him. I was wishing he die and I would have cheered.
Task Points: 20
Style +15 (Combo 10.2, Review)
Book Total: 35
Grand Total: 130
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Gabriel wrote: "(Contains minor spoilers, so I didn't post it here, should I?)Yes. You can hide spoilers behind the spoiler tag. and close with taking out the spaces."
nifty! thanks!
10.6 Spring EquinoxThe Thousand Names by Django Wexler
+10 Task (6 letters each)
+5 Combo 10.2
+5 Jumbo (513 pages)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 525
15.4 AotD Time TravelerThe Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
2003 Nebula Award Winner
Task total: 15
Grand total: 605
20.5 FoundationThe Very Best of Tad Williams by Tad Williams
+20 task
+5 combo (10.2)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 630
10.8 Anthology (Beth's Task)Five Glass Slippers ed by Elisabeth Brown
+10 task
+5 combo (10.2)
Task total: 15
Grand total: 645
10.2 3, 4, or 5Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands Iworkarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work N Your Way at Work
+10 task
+10 combos (10.4, 10.6)
Task total: 20
Grand total: 665
10.8 Anthology (Beth's Task)Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy ed by Ekaterina Sedia
+10 task
+10 non-Western
Task total: 20
Grand total: 685
15.5 AotDTime Traveller | 1 Award
Cold Case Files by Liz Porter
Winner of Davitt Award for True Crime 2012
+15 Task
+5 Not-a-Novel
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 580
10.2 - 3,4,5Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
This took me a long time to read but it was worth it. A compelling portrait of a marriage - not realistic, I think, but consciously modelled after Greek tragedy. Lotto (Lancelot) is a golden rich boy, charming, gifted and disarmingly innocent. Major events happen to Lotto apparently randomly or as if ordained by the whims of the gods. Mathilde is - well, she's not like Lotto. They are married within two weeks of meeting and somehow it lasts.
The book has two halves. The first is mostly (but not entirely) from Lotto's point of view, the second from Mathilde's. In the first half the reader is protected from the truth in much the way that Lotto is. The language is self-consciously ornate. It's slow. The second half is much more conventional, with simpler language and much more direct. We find out a lot of secrets, if we hadn't already guessed.
The second half is definitely easier to read but I think it's the first half that will stick in my memory.
+10 task
+10 review
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 605
10.3 English LanguageThe Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (not YA on BPL--I remembered to check this time!)
I've not read much Agatha Christie and this is the first Hercule Poirot mystery I've read (this book also being the first Hercule Poirot mystery written by Christie).
Poirot is a Belgian refugee (this is set at/near the end of WWI), staying near the home of a wealthy philanthropist, Emily Inglethorp, who is helping him get established in England. A friend of his, Hastings, ends up a visitor at the great house and he and Poirot become reacquainted. Next morning, the household is in an uproar as the good lady of the house is found dead. Originally, a weak heart is blamed. Soon, though, it is confirmed that she has been poisoned. (view spoiler)
I loved the dynamic between Poirot and his friend Hastings--Poirot is always ten steps ahead, though Hastings fancies himself quite the amateur detective, and when the time comes to explain everything, there's a whole lot of: "Well, clearly, you understood that [amazingly insightful explanation of an aspect of the mystery]..."/ "I had absolutely no idea..." going on (which was delightfully funny). Even though I'm not typically fond of mysteries, I think I'll be reading more Poirot in the future.
+10 task (born Torquay, Devon, England)
+10 review
+15 Combo (10.2; 10.7; 20.2--#27 on the list)
Task total: 35
Season total: 790
10.5 CircusThe Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
+10 Task
+5 Combo 10.2
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 540
10.7 Dead Poet's Society (Ed's Task)In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower by Marcel Proust
Ok...first thing I want to say is that I am giving 5 stars to this second volume of Proust's Remembrance of Things Past. His style is so clear,melodic and poetic...even through the wonderful translation. I'm amazed at how descriptive he can be of things that would normally escape my notice. And he touches a nerve. You probably have had the experience of hearing a song from long ago...and recalling where you were or what you were doing when you first heard the song. Here, Proust attaches emotions and smells to long-gone experiences...and the reader can connect with the moment.
Having said all that...here are my quibbles. The stream of consciousness style at times got on my nerves... it's not easy (for me) to read a 500+ page book without chapters.... with paragraph-long sentences. Another problem...and this is MY problem I think...not Proust's, is that although everyone recognizes that the main character is really Proust himself and that he has reversed the gender of many other characters to disguise his homosexuality, his gushing over a band of young girls doesn't ring true. I had to keep reversing the character's sex in order to guess at what the more likely truth was.
Another quibble: After reading the first two volumes. At times, Proust seems to be the Perez Hilton of mid-19th century France. Almost all the characters engage in gossip mongering and are so aware of others' class status and the hidden meanings in each other's communications. Proust, at times goes on for pages about such minor things.
And of course, not very much happens. I think Jerry Seinfeld may have gotten the idea for his show from Proust. The novel isn't so much a story...but a drifting cloud through time with glimpses of certain people and places that have left an impression.
So onward to the next volume, The Guermantes Way.
Task= 10
Review= 10
Canon- 10
Jumbo= 5
Combo= 10 (10.6; 20.10)
Task Total= 45
Grand Total= 670
15.3 AotD Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent
+15 2011 Alfred J. Beveridge Award
+5 not-a-novel
Task total: 20
Season total: 220
Task 10.07 Dead Poet's SocietyBuried Alive (1908) by Arnold Bennett
Review:Buried Alive is a short lighthearted Edwardian novel set in London around 1908 (the year it was published). Our hero is the painfully shy gifted painter. Through happenstance, our hero trades places with his valet. The gentle humor results from the tradeoff. I liked reading a calm, pleasant, well-told novel. I also greatly enjoyed the descriptions Arnold Bennett includes to signal just how modern London is in 1908. Why there are “electric lights� and gramophones and telephones and even those peculiar horse-free vehicles! The description of how a housewife makes toast was interesting --- I appreciate my electric toaster more now! The author has disdain for what we would call ‘celebrity culture� and he satirizes it mightily. The negative comment about ‘the Hebrew tribe� was unnecessary to the story but is consistent with how people thought and wrote in Edwardian times. Recommended.
+10 Task
+05 Combo (#10.3)
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 10 = 25
Grand Total: 385 + 25 = 410
10.4 International Question Day Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
I love Mindy Kaling. I loved her on The Office, love The Mindy Project, loved her first book...she's just got this quirky wittiness that speaks to my funny bone and brain in equal measure.
In this book, Mindy starts out small (exposing Hollywood beauty lies; shooting sex scenes; hatred of weddings and why we put ourselves through it; juice cleanses and the insanity that they spawn) and works her way up to the bigger stuff (meeting President and Michelle Obama and eventually dating someone in his detail; being the only Indian-American woman at a very white college; false friends and how to get over the hurt that brings). Along the way, we get glimpses into The Office (namely: her "soup snake" relationship with BJ Novak and a word from her mentor, Greg Daniels), we get to sit in on her address to the Harvard Law graduates of (I can't remember which year), and we are treated to a story about the Mindy she would have been if she had become a Latin teacher at a private school in New York rather than the Hollywood writer/actress that she is.
I love how real this lady is. She would be an awesome friend--but I think I couldn't stop laughing long enough to actually contribute anything to the conversation or friendship, so never mind.
It was a light, quick, enjoyable read (or, listen--it was great to listen to while I was doing my yard work...made it MUCH more enjoyable).
+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.2)
Task total: 25
Season total: 815
20.10 HesperusLetter from an Unknown Woman and Other Stories by Stefan Zweig
These four stories all center on first love. In each, it produces a sort of melancholy. The title story is indeed, almost entirely a letter recounting a love that began at age 13. The love becomes almost an obsession and lasts a lifetime, though the love is unrequited. The second, A Story told in Twilight, begins and ends in youth. The story itself covers just a few nights. The third, A Debt Paid Late is probably my favorite. This involves a letter to a childhood friend recounting a love they both had for an actor. The final story, Forgotten Dreams is very short. The youthful love isn't clear and one must read between the lines, but it is my impression.
Stefan Zweig's prose is a delight to read. Authors most certainly work at their craft, and work hard. We rarely read first drafts. To me, this makes me appreciate good prose even more. Short stories are usually about characterization and these stories are no exception.
I haven't had a lot of good reads lately, and this was a refreshing change. I have some others by Zweig I hope to get to some day. This is not as good as his Chess Story, but perhaps only because it is so entirely different from that offering. Still, this sits just at the line between 4- and 5-stars, but I did enjoy it enough to bump it up.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 485
10.2 3, 4 or 5 The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Once again H G Wells has surprised me. I expected this story to be more of what I consider science fiction, rather than a morality tale. However, this made it even more interesting.
Griffin is a young physicist who in the course of his research determines he can make visible things invisible. He is an extremely arrogant egoist, and this leads him to build his own lab (in his room) and experiment on his own. Of course, he uses the ‘perfected� technique on himself and becomes the invisible man.
This explanation comes later in the story. At first we are told of the villagers (where he stays for a few days) reaction to him and his subsequent behaviour. Generally, the people are fearful of him. I found this part of the story very interesting because I felt that it related directly to current times and difficulties people face when confronted with someone who isn’t like them. I doubt that was Wells� point at the time, but it seemed quite glaring to me.
From Wells� description I found it plausible to believe that Griffin was a brilliant scientist. However, his megalomania caused him to forsake any humanity he may have had in his pursuit of science and power. Griffin’s major downfall is his complete inability to imagine the consequences of his actions. I thought Wells overplayed this a bit. Griffin also goes from a ‘bad� person to completely amoral because his invisibility allows him to behave any way he likes without social mores to stop him.
Overall, a short and interesting novel. 4*
10 task
10 canon
10 review
10 combo 10.3, 10.7
______
40
Running total: 560
15.6 AotDThe Invisibles by Hugh Sheehy
+15 Task (Flannery O'Connor Award, 2012)
+5 Not-a-Novel (short stories)
Post total: 20
Season total: 835
From Post 471Norma wrote: "20.5 - Foundations
The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen
+20 task
+10 Combo (10.2, 20.9)
Task total: 30
Grand total: 325"
+5 Combo 20.2
From Post 510Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "20.5 Foundations
The Kitchen God's Wifeby Amy Tan
Born 1952
Review
This is the story of Winnie, a Chinese woman born Jiang Weili. She married a man who she thought was ..."
+5 Combo 10.6
From Post 470Norma wrote: "20.9 - National Doctor's Day
Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen
+20 task
+5 Combo (20.5)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 295"
+5 Jumbo 512 pages in MPE
10.2 3, 4, or 5 Air, Volume 1: Letters from Lost Countries by G. Willow Wilson (Graphic Novel, so no styles)
+10 Task (I'm hoping this will count somehow! "Air, Volume One" being 3 words...or if "vol. 1" doesn't count as title words--since they weren't on the book and I didn't realize that's how it'd be listed on GR--then "Air: Letters from Lost Countries" is 5...)
Task total: 10
Season total: 845
20.10 Hesperus (Elizabeth(Alaska)'s Task)The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Of course, most of this story is familiar to most readers (and movie watchers)…but the reader also finds several episodes which are not captured by the iconic film…such as the killing of a giant spider…or the appearance of the Witch of the North who never makes it to the movie. There is also a scene where wolves, crows and bees are successively sent to destroy Dorothy. The strangest part however is the abrupt ending. Unlike the film…Dorothy upon returning home..barely has enough time to explain to her Aunt where she has been and the book ends. I had expected the book to be a bit more cryptic…having heard that Baum supposedly based the tale on economic conditions at the time…for example…”OZ� was a symbol for an ounce of gold. I’m dubious about that now. The book seems too straightforward of a children’s tale. 3 stars.
Task=20
Review=10
Combo= 5 (10.2)
task total= 35
grand total= 705
20.7 #AWW2017The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Tom is a lighthouse keeper stationed on a tiny island off the coast of Western Australia. On a shore leave he meets a girl, and they marry. But her longed-for pregnancies end in miscarriage, until one day a baby is washed up in a boat, along with a dead man. Couldn't they keep the baby? Nobody would know it wasn't theirs...
I didn't like this at all at first. The narrative switches between past and present tense in what seemed to me a pointless way, and the wife was just annoying. But I did enjoy the details about the lighthouse and the small town Australian life. It was an interesting dilemma, but the middle part of the story was the best, I thought.
+20 task
+ 5 combo (10.2)
+10 review
Task Total: 35
Season Total: 640
20.6 My Name is RedBring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
+20 Task (approved in help thread)
+15 Combo (10.2, 10.3, 10.6)
Points this post: 35
RwS total: 250
AotD total: 15
Season Total: 265
Task 10.2 3, 4, or 5Louisiana Saves the Library (2016) by Emily Beck Cogburn
Review: Louisiana Saves the Library is a gentle contemporary romance novel. The first third of the novel introduces our heroine, a young woman named Louisiana. She is having a very bad time. She loses her job as a college professor; her ex is preparing to marry the woman he left her for; and her two preschool children are unmanageable. (I blamed Louisiana, though. Most parents are better at taking care of their children than the novel’s Louisiana.) The only thing Louisiana has going for her is her friendship with the very pregnant Sylvia. I think the novel would have been better if the first third were shortened � it’s depressing to read about life defeat after life defeat landing on our heroine! The second third of the novel is when life starts to get better for Louisiana. In the third third of the novel, the author pursues a happy ending for our heroine, even if it requires a stiff dose of never would happen in real life “wishing-makes-it-so�. Overall, the novel was OK, but there are plenty of better books out there.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 410 + 20 = 430
10.6 Spring EquinoxThe Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
The four Plumb siblings were just months away from inheriting a joint trust fund set up by their deceased father and controlled by their mother. They were spending more than they could afford, counting on the money from "The Nest". Melody needs the money to pay down her expensive mortgage, and send her twin daughters to private colleges. Jack has secretly taken out a home equity line of credit on the cottage jointly owned by him and his husband. Bea has writer's block, has not published in years, and is working at a low paying job.
Their plans were destroyed when their older brother Leo, high on alcohol and cocaine, goes off in a speeding car with a young waitress he met at a wedding. The car crashes, the waitress is seriously injured, and Leo's mother takes most of the money out of "The Nest" to use as a settlement. Leo's three siblings are in a panic. Will Leo ever be able to replace the money?
The book has a strong sense of place with scenes in various neighborhoods in New York City as well as famous spots like Central Park, Grand Central Station, the Museum of Natural History, and the site of the 9-11 destruction. The high cost of housing in New York is one of the financial pressures on the siblings and their friends. The tale is a humorous and satirical look at modern life, including the New York literary world. The Plumbs are not a very likable bunch, but there are some warm, likable secondary characters. The story is about family dynamics, sibling bonds, the importance of friends, the influence of money, making smart choices, and that magical ingredient called luck. I felt that the ending was more rosy than I would expect realistically, but that's why it's called fiction. "The Nest" is an entertaining story and an impressive first novel.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 410
Post 534 Anika wrote: "10.2 3, 4, or 5 Air, Volume 1: Letters from Lost Countries by G. Willow Wilson (Graphic Novel, so no styles)
+10 Task (I'm hoping this will count somehow! "Air, Vo..."
Yes, the correct title does not include the "vol. 1", so this qualifies.
10.10 Group Reads Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande
I generally love Gawande's work and for some reason hadn't read this one. It doesn't disappoint! I like his work because it is a nice mix of intriguing medical details, honest reflection, and thoughtful takeaways. I am a bit of a hypochondriac, so reading medical books is usually not the best life choice I could make, but Gawande's work always leave me interested (not terrified) and feeling more positive about the medical profession. As a teacher, I also find his work has a lot of parallels with the kinds of thinking I do in my profession, like thinking about how we communicate options and choices to our "patients."
+10 task
+10 combo (20.6, 20.9)
+10 review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 345
From Post 515Beth wrote: "20.5 Foundation
The Very Best of Tad Williams by Tad Williams
+20 task
+5 combo (10.2)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 630"
This title has 6 words, did you mean to combo this with a different task?
From Post 517Beth wrote: "10.2 3, 4, or 5
Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands Iworkarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work N Your Way at Work
+10 ta..."
This does not work for 10.6: Russell (8) Bishop (6)
Task 10.6 Spring EquinoxThe Imjin War: Japan's Sixteenth-Century Invasion of Korea and Attempt to Conquer China (2005) by Samuel Hawley (ŷ Author) (Paperback, 2nd, 682 pages) [951.902]
Review:Statues of Yi Sun-sin are in nearly every big city in Korea. (Here’s one on the Internet you can look at if you want to: ) Wikipedia says: Military historians have placed General Yi Sun-Sin on par with Admiral Horatio Nelson as arguably the greatest naval commander in history for his undefeated record against seemingly insurmountable odds despite no background in naval training. Yet, before I read this book, I had never heard of Yi Sun-sin or of Japan's Sixteenth-Century invasion of Korea. It is estimated that over one million “soldiers and civilians� died during the war.
The writing of this book is aimed at the “educated lay reader�. From the notes, it appears the author went to primary sources for material, and he states that he’s re-translated many of the documents. He has a pro-Korea bias, which makes sense as the author is a Canadian who lived and worked for many years in South Korea. (Maybe it is an anti-invader bias instead of a pro-Korean bias?) The prose is easy to follow and the author has included maps. Recommended for those interested in Japanese history, Korean history, naval history, and/or medieval warfare history.
+10 Task
+05 Combo (#10.2)
+10 Review
+05 Jumbo 500-699 Pages
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 10 + 05 = 30
Grand Total: 430 + 30 = 460
20.7 #AWW2017The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham
This is another one I listened to (I've had A LOT of house and yard work which cuts into my actual eye-on-a-page reading so have been exploring/exploiting my library's audiobook library).
This book felt like reading a Baz Luhrmann film, crossed with a touch of Edward Scissorhands...strange townspeople, crazy situations, over-the-top colorful scenes, and a character who can create something everyone in town wants yet they still never find acceptance in said town.
I was confused by the large cast of characters and the flipping back and forth in time with no warning or explanation, but think that reading the book rather than listening to it would have eliminated much of that confusion.
Tilly Dunnage returns to the small town of Dungatar after years away with nothing but a suitcase and a sewing machine. You don't know why she left in the first place, but she's back to take care of her mother, "Mad" Molly. To support the two of them, Tilly begins sewing couture dresses for the ladies (horrible, awful, nasty women) of the town. There are very few people in the book that are sympathetic (view spoiler). It was a fun world to visit, even if it did make me feel claustrophobic at times, angry and impotent at other times, and definitely made me cry more than I was expecting to.
+20 Task (author born and raised in Jerilderie, NSW, Australia)
+10 Review
Task total: 30
Season total: 875
10.1 Square Peg Unpaid Debts by Antonio Jiménez Barca
I picked up this book because I wanted some Spanish fiction to read on my recent trip to Madrid and Barcelona -- just got back! It was a work trip, so I had less time to read than I might have, but I always like traveling with a book set in the place I'm going. This was an interesting choice. It absolutely captured the flavor of Madrid, but invited me into a seedier side of Madrid than I was seeing. The story was well-plotted and tight and I was invested in reading on. It wasn't a "WOW 5 stars" kind of a book, but a solid, engaging 4 star read.
+10 task
+10 review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 365
20.5 FoundationRoman Blood by Steven Saylor
I listened to this book while driving…and normally that enhances both my driving and “reading� experiences. Here, the reader’s voice just grated against me…especially with Tiro, a slave boy. The novel is a mystery in 1st century Rome during the dictatorship of Sulla. Cicero, a yet- unknown citizen is the lawyer for a man who is accused of murdering his father. Cicero hires a detective (a finder) Gordianus. I did appreciate the history lesson that goes along with the story…and the further explanations in the afterwards about what certain events were historically based upon. However, the story did seem to have too many twists…and was more complicated than it had to be. At the end…there were at least three times when I thought the novel ended…only to hear the narrator start another chapter! I’m giving it 3 stars only because I can’t give it 2 1/2.
Task= 20
Review=10
Combo= 10 (10.6; 20.2-#279)
task total=40
Grand Total= 745
10.5 CircusChurch of Marvels by Leslie Parry
The touchstone circus in this novel is “The Church of Marvels� on Coney Island. The story starts after it has burned to the ground (that’s not a spoiler btw).
There are many characters in this novel, but it is about the (eventual) intersection of four of them � two sisters from the circus and two non-circus folk. Ultimately, they are all trying to find their way in the world. And what a world it is! The world Parry builds and shows us is the turn of the century New York, specifically Coney Island and the extremely seamy Lower East side.
Occasionally, the story slowed down a bit, but not enough to be really bothersome. I soon forgot about this due to the twists and turns that I totally did not see coming. Due to the way Parry built the story, I was really invested in the characters and hoping it would end well for all of them. To me that means the author did a good job. I would recommend this book, as long as you don’t mind extreme grittiness. 4*
10 task
10 review
5 combo 10.2
_____
25
Running total: 585
Wow, Kate, apparently I just couldn't count that morning. Your corrections are accurate.So I have 675 points through post 548 above.
20.8 Yours, Mine, and OursThe House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
It's 1915, and an older Dr John Watson is setting down his memories about another Sherlock Holmes adventure. In the preface Watson tells us that he did not write about this case earlier because "the events which I am about to describe were simply too monstrous, too shocking to appear in print. They still are. It is no exaggeration to suggest that they would tear apart the entire fabric of society and, particularly at a time of war, this is something I cannot risk."(6) Watson arranged for the story to be locked up in his solicitor's vaults for one hundred years. Now, a century later, we are reading "The House of Silk".
Anthony Horowitz did a stellar job of replicating the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing. He included all the usual secondary characters--the landlady Mrs Hudson, the boys in the Baker Street Irregulars, Mycroft Holmes, and Inspector Lestrade. Sherlock Holmes, with his incredible powers of deduction, and his trusty sidekick Watson start with a case involving the destruction of some famous paintings during a train robbery. A dark mystery involving the House of Silk is also being investigated. The reader finds out the link between the two cases in a good twist at the end. The story is riveting with good characterizations and an exciting plot. Kudos to Anthony Horowitz for an excellent Sherlock Holmes novel.
+20 task
+15 combos 10.2, 10.3, 20.6
+10 review
Task total: 45
Grand total: 455
Question for Mods,I saw the readerboard was updated through post 469. I had reposted from Post 298 originally and I was wondering if that repost got added. I should have 95 points instead of 75.
10.6 Spring EquinoxStay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.2)
+10 Non-Western (Nigerian born and citizen)
Points this post: 25
RwS total: 275
AotD total: 15
Season Total: 290
Please may I also move The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True in post 16 from task 10.6 to task 10.4. This doesn't affect my points total.
20.9 Doctor's DayThe Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
The cover of this edition quotes Theodore Dreiser: Maugham is a great artist. ... A genius. As to this novel, that is certainly true. Maugham opens with a statement regarding how he came to know the people of the novel, but explains the names and some of the situations have been changed so they would not be immediately recognized. Maugham himself is the first person narrator. I found this an interesting device, as most first person stories are told by one of the characters, but Maugham is simply an observer.
The prose is beautiful in a comfortable way, not in a way that made me swoon over it. There is not much plot, but plenty of great characterization. There are two primary male characters: Elliot Templeton, a snob extraordinaire, and Larry Darrell, a young man returned from WWI who questions the meaning of life. Elliot is so ridiculous about keeping up with society he made me laugh. Larry is engaged to Isabel who wants him to get a job so that he can support her in a manner even greater than that to which she has become accustomed.
"What I can't make out is why he should have turned out like this. Before the war he was just like everybody else. You wouldn't think it, but he plays a very good game of tennis and he's quite a decent golfer. He used to do all the things the rest of us did. He was a perfectly normal boy and there was no reason to suppose he wouldn't become a perfectly normal man. After all you're a novelist, you ought to be able to explain it."Late in the novel Maugham says:
I feel it right to warn the reader that he can very well skip this chapter without losing the thread of such story as I have to tell, since for the most part it is nothing more than the account of a conversation that I had with Larry. I should add, however, that except for this conversation I should perhaps not have thought it worthwhile to write this book.I don't think I've ever read where an author tells his readers that what he is about to say doesn't apply to his story, but that it is the very reason to tell his story. I'm glad I didn't take the suggestion that I might skip it, though I admit there were paragraphs in that section that I found tedious. And though they explain Maugham's purpose, for me they also dropped this from being toward the top of my 5-star reads, to toward the bottom of that group.
My only other by this author was his The Magician, following which I wasn't particularly excited about reading more. But after this, The Razor's Edge, I hope to get to more by him sooner rather than later.
+20 Task
+25 Combo (10.2, 10.3, 10.7, 20.1, 20.6)
+10 Review
Task Total = 55
Grand Total = 540
10.9 A Wrinkle in Time (Coralie's Task)The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Science Fiction, as many RwS folks recall, is not my genre� but I read this because it is short, on Boxall’s 1001 list, satisfies this challenge as well as categories in my Pop Sugar and 52 Weeks challenges.. Having said that, I appreciate Wells' turns of phrase in spite of the implausibility of the novel’s premise: pull a lever and sit in the saddle of the miraculous Time Machine and whooosh!- you are 800,000 years in the future. So much better than reading about the 6-foot tall blind albino penguins in Lovecraft’s ridiculous “In the Mountains of Madness� that I read last season. I was hoping for something a bit humorous or meaningful though…perhaps going back in time and potentially shaping the future�.instead, the reader gets a future not to be envied. And a bit disappointing that the “genius� Time Traveler didn’t plan to bring along food or a “Kodak� (as he readily admits)…or have a plan on what he wanted to do on his journey�.other than to get back. 3 stars.
task =10
review=10
Canon=10
Combo= 15 (10.2; 10.3; 10.7)
task total=45
grand total= 790
10.2 3,4,5The Bear and the Nightingaleby Katherine Arden
Review
I am not an expert in Russian fairy tales and folklore. I do like fairy tales. I loved this story and I am always interested in learning about folklore from around the world. I really enjoyed this story. Vasya is a brave, strong woman who has the gift of sight and she can see for lack of better word fae folk. Her mother had the sight and died in childbirth bringing Vasya into the world. She is one of my favorite characters. I also liked her brother Aylosha. I learned a great deal about Russian folklore and I had to look up some things about the fantasy aspect of the lore. I did figure out who the Bear and the Nightingale are in the story. I think you will be surprised. Vasya is the only character I read who can befriend Death. The ending is not what you expect. I didn't want the book to end. I am looking forward to reading the next book. It is going to be a trilogy.
Task +10
Style: +10 Review
Book Total: 20
Grand Total: 155
20.4 My Family & Other AnimalsMy Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
Review: When the author, known to his family as Gerry, was about 10, his very unconventional English family moved to Corfu. Seemingly because the weather was better, which is a good enough reason. This was during the inter-war period, the 1930's. It was a gentle time and Gerry picked up Greek and often explored on his own with guidance from a local scientist. With love and humor, Durrell, relates his studies of the local fauna including collecting live birds and reptiles, and the antics of his family and friends.
There were many laugh out loud moments and I very much enjoyed this book.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 combo 10.7
Task total: 35
Season total: 255
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Letters to the End of Love (other topics)Made in the U.S.A. (other topics)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (other topics)
The Goldfinch (other topics)
The Boy on the Bridge (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Yvette Walker (other topics)Billie Letts (other topics)
Arthur Conan Doyle (other topics)
Donna Tartt (other topics)
M.R. Carey (other topics)
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Time Traveller | 1 Award
The Waterlow Killings: A Portrait of a Family Tragedy by Pamela Burton
Winner of Davitt Award for True Crime 2013
+15 Task
+5 Not-a-Novel
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 560