Reading with Style discussion
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SP 2017 Completed Tasks
10.2 - 3, 4, or 5The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
10.2 - 3, 4, or 5Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
+ 10 Task
+ 5 Combo (10.3 - born in UK)
Task Total: 15
10.2 - 3, 4, or 5The Bloody Tower by Carola Dunn
+ 10 Task
+ 5 Combo (10.3 - born in UK)
Task Total: 15
10.8 AnthologyThe Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance by Trisha Telep
I’ve had this on my Kindle since I first got the Kindle. I think I downloaded it in that first rush of enthusiasm of new Kindle owners—free books! free books!—before I realised that there are thousands of free books in the library, and I don’t feel a need to grab them ALL. So it’s been sitting on my Kindle for however many years, and I probably never would have read it if it hadn’t been the only book on my whole TBR that fitted the Anthology task. I'm glad to have it out of the way at last.
Having said that, some of the stories were pretty good. I liked the one about the supernatural creature zoo, with a vampire and a selkie in an aquarium, and the one about the woman working at a psychiatric hospital who was visited by real angels and demons. After that they blended into one mass of vampires, werewolves and miscellaneous supernatural creatures.
+10 task
+10 review
+5 jumbo (519 pages)
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 905
10.2 3, 4, or 5To Catch a Treat by Linda O. Johnston
This should have been a book that I liked�.
It’s a mystery, it involves animals (dogs), and the main character, at least in theory, should have been interesting. However, as you probably guessed, I just didn’t warm up to this book. I found the writing stilted/awkward. The mystery (this is billed as a cozy mystery) was virtually nonexistent. There didn’t seem to be any clues, yet she had no problem jumping to (an incorrect) conclusion. As well, in the end I did find the main character annoying � she was critical of people for unknown (to the readers) reasons and she seemed to think that virtually every man she came in contact with was attracted to her (although we are never told why that would be either). Sadly, I can’t recommend this book.
10 task
10 review
____
20
Running total: 725
10.1 Square pegThe Great Northern Canada Bucket List: One-of-a-Kind Travel Experiences by Robin Esrock
This is a fun little book I picked up at an art exhibit on the Canadian North. I always enjoy reading books about travel � it’s nice to dream! This is a book that hits the highlights. Of course, any travel to the North is expensive but this book seems to include accessible ‘bucket list� items along with VERY expensive ones. Of course it goes without saying� I would like to do the most expensive trip!
I think this book is good if you are interested in the Canadian North. It covers the nature and animals you will find there (and history) while being grounded in the facts of vast distances, great cost, and A LOT of mosquitoes. If you were planning a ‘trip of a lifetime� this would be a good little book to start with enabling you to focus on what you really want to see.
10 task
10 review
___
20
Running total: 745
10.9 A Wrinkle in TimeThe House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier
Professor Magnus Lane wants his friend, Dick Young, to try a time-travel drug while he spends his summer at Lane's historic Cornwall home. The hallucinogenic drug takes Dick on a "trip" to 14th Century Cornwall where he observes the upper class feuding, committing crimes, brewing sinister potions, and indulging in clandestine romances. Dick finds the drug very addictive, partly because 14th Century life is so much more exciting than his real life. Dick's marriage is rocky, he has recently resigned from his London job, and feels pressured by his wife to take a job in her brother's American company.
Dick has no control over his location when he returns from his "trips" back into the 20th Century. The Cornwall landscape includes roads, railroads, cliffs, and the sea so each "trip" is very dangerous. Dick experiences increasing confusion, exhaustion, numbness, and nausea with each "trip". The professor doesn't know what effect the drug has on the brain. Dick is acting so strange that his wife wonders if he is seeing another woman.
After the initial introduction to a large group of 14th Century characters that drags a bit, the book builds in suspense especially in the 20th Century story. There is a good sense of place, and the author has added some Gothic touches to the atmosphere. While this is not my favorite Daphne du Maurier tale, it's still very imaginative and well worth reading.
+10 task
+10 combo 10.2, 10.3
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 800
Task 10.4 International Question DayRead a book with “who,� “what,� “when,� “where,� “why,� or “how� in the title.
This is Where I Leave You (2009) by Jonathan Tropper (Hardcover, 339 pages)
Review: This novel is about a dysfunctional Jewish family living in New York State. The patriarch of the family has passed away after a long illness, and the remainder of the nuclear family is sitting shiva for a week of mourning. There is the widow, the three sons, and the daughter, together with spouses and children. The novel is told in first person by one of the three sons. A goodly amount of the humor in this book is “gross-out� humor, which I don’t particularly care for. The people seem like real people. Maybe because of that, by the end of the novel, though, the reader wants to sit each character down and solve their problems (since the characters don’t seem to be able to solve them for themselves). Recommended for readers who like to read about dysfunctional families, and either enjoy or don’t mind gross-out humor.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 10 + 10 = 20
Grand Total: 835 + 20 = 855
10.3 English LanguageDeadly Election by Lindsey Davis
+10 Task born in UK)
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 1355
15.9 AotD (2nd Round)1931
1923-1932
Time Traveler
All Pultizers for Drama:
Alison's House by Susan Glaspell
task = 15
oldie=5
not a novel (play)= 5
task total= 25
grand total= 1705
Post 829 Valerie wrote: "10.1 Square pegThe Great Northern Canada Bucket List: One-of-a-Kind Travel Experiences by Robin Esrock
This is a fun little book I picked up at an art exhibit on..."
This author was born in South Africa, so that this title fits 10.3, where we'll score it.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 829 Valerie wrote: "10.1 Square pegThe Great Northern Canada Bucket List: One-of-a-Kind Travel Experiences by Robin Esrock
This is a fun little book I picke..."
Oh..... darn. This task has been my hardest! Duly noted.
15.9 AotD Time Traveler/Different AwardsThrough Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
+15 Task ( Scotiabank Giller Prize 2008)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 1425
15.10 AotD Time Traveler/Different AwardsDivisadero by Michael Ondaatje
+15 Task ( Governor General's Literary Awards 2007)
Post Total: 15
AotD Finish: 100
Megafinish: 200
Season Total: 1740
Karen Michele wrote: "AotD Finish: 100
Megafinish: 200"
Well done!
10.7 Dead Poet's Society Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
Prior to this, I had only read Gaudy Night by Sayers, and yet I come across her all the time as an author suggested to me or that I might like. Having now read Strong Poison as well, I'd say I find her an author I'll always reliably like but perhaps not always love. I enjoyed the mystery in Strong Poison -- did Harriet Vane poison her ex, using the knowledge she had gained by writing mystery novels? -- and was carried right along by Sayers' craft. I thought the book really picked up towards the end when we saw how the crime was investigated by Peter Wimsey and his crew.
+10 task
+5 combo (10.3 - born in UK)
+10 review
Task Total: 25
New Total: 485
20.1 Lord of the Rings The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
This is one of those books that is always and forever on my Reading with Style plan and never quite gets read -- so I feel pretty accomplished for having finished it this time! I thoroughly enjoyed it, too -- it's a terrific mystery with plot twists I didn't see coming, it's an early example of the story-told-from-multiple-perspectives style, and it's a fascinating window into roles of men and women in the 1800s (though I very often wanted to shake Marian when she came out with yet another remark about how since she's a woman she's more or less useless, despite being one of the few useful characters in the tale!). As a side bonus, the top reviews on the ŷ page for the book are pretty entertaining as well.
+20 task
+20 combo (10.2, 10.3, 20.2, 20.10)
+10 review
+10 canon
+5 jumbo (672 pages)
Task Total: 65
Grand Total: 550
10.8 AnthologyAfter: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia by Ellen Datlow
810 Lexile
I'm currently working on a major work project on teaching dystopian literature, and so I was eager to dig into this collection. I had dipped in and out of it before, but sitting down to read all the stories was a real pleasure. All the stories are good, if you enjoy dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction, but some of my favorites were N.K. Jemisin's creepy "Valedictorian", the unexpected "The Segment" by Genevieve Valentine, the fairy-tale like "Faint Heart" by Sarah Rees Brennan, and "The Easthound" by Nalo Hopkinson which was just well-told. I don't read very much short fiction, and often lose interest in anthologies, so I'm glad I had the impetus to sit down and dive into these stories. Definitely worth reading!
+10 task
+10 review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 570
Connie wrote: "10.2 3,4, or 5The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion
After twenty-two years apart Adam Sharp gets an e-mail from a former lover. Their flirty e-mails become a ..."
+5 combo 10.3
Natalie *Amberjune* wrote: "20.6 My name is redThe Lost City of Z by David Grann
47,394 Ratings
Task +20
Combo + 5 (10.6)
Task Total 25
Season Total: 140"
+5 combo 10.2
Bea wrote: "10.2 - 3, 4, or 5The Traitor's Emblem by Juan Gomez-Jurado
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10"
+5 Combo 10.3
Bea wrote: "10.2 - 3, 4, or 5The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10"
+5 Combo 20.6
Bea wrote: "10.2 - 3, 4, or 5The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
+ 10 Task
..."
+5 Combo 20.6
From Post 822Bea wrote: "10.2 - 3, 4, or 5
Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
+ 10 Task
+ 5 Combo (10.3 - born in UK)
Task Total: 15"
+10 Combo 20.2, 10.7
From Post 823Bea wrote: "10.2 - 3, 4, or 5
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10"
+15 Jumbo
Kate S wrote: "Bea wrote: "10.2 - 3, 4, or 5The Traitor's Emblem by Juan Gomez-Jurado
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10"
+5 Combo 10.3"
Huh? 10.3 is for authors born in UK, South Africa or New Zealand and this author was born in Spain.
Thanks for the points, Kate. Due to my husband's health, I have been a little distracted and forgot to check for some of those combos. I appreciate your diligence.
15.10 AotD (2nd Round)1932
1923-1932
Time Traveler
All Pultizers for Drama:
Of Thee I Sing by George S. Kaufman
task = 15
oldie=5
not a novel (play)= 5
task total= 25
AotD completion bonus= 100
grand total= 1830
Post 853 Bea wrote: "Huh? 10.3 is for authors born in UK, South Africa or New Zealand and this author was born in Spain."Probably my fault. Will go look to see what I meant.
15.2 AotD Time LeaperThe Road by Cormac McCarthy
+15 Task (Tähtivaeltaja Award 2009)
Points this post: 15
RwS total: 440
AotD total: 30
Season Total: 470
Task 20.6 My Name is Red Read a book with 25,000-49,999 ratings with an average of 3.75 or higher.
Lock In (Lock In #1) (2014) by John Scalzi (ŷ Author) (Hardcover, 336 pages)
Review:John Scalzi is an established science fiction writer who has won numerous awards for his writings (See: href= of John Scalzi’s Science Fiction Awards) Lock In is set in the “near future�. Our heroes are FBI agents based in Washington, D. C., investigating a mysterious death. The first half of the novel is a standard police procedural mystery novel with added science fiction elements. The second half reverses the emphasis, giving more emphasis on the science fiction elements and less emphasis on the police procedural plotline. The writing was clear and easy to follow. I gave the novel 3 stars � it was an OK novel, not as entertaining as Scalzi’s other novels that I’ve read (The Android's Dream and Old Man's War (military science fiction with a twist) and Redshirts (wherein Scalzi attempts meta-fiction)). John Scalzi is currently working on a stand-alone novel in the same universe as Lock In, due out sometime in 2018.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 855 + 30 = 885
15.3 AotD Time LeaperDo Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
+15 Task (Scotiabank Giller Prize 2016)
Points this post: 15
RwS total: 440
AotD total: 45
Season Total: 485
20.9 National Doctor's DayThe Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Ernesto Che Guevara
+20 task (I posted about this in the help thread)
+10 combo (10.2, 10.6)
+10 non-western (on the spreadsheet)
Task Total: 40
Season Total: 945
15.5 AotDThe Lazarus Project by Aleksandar Hemon
+ 15 task 2009 Society of Midland Authors Award for Adult Fiction
Task total: 15
Season total: 420
20.6 My Name is Red Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
WOW! I am really tempted to say that everyone should read this book...that's such a broad statement, but feels true. Certainly if you have an interest in criminal justice reform, race, policing, the death penalty, etc. - but I do think that all Americans would benefit from reading this book. (I imagine people in other countries will find some similarities but in many places, a lot more differences with their home justice systems). Bryan Stevenson is a lawyer who became involved with defending the underdogs, and quickly, at a young age, founded the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama. This practice defended people on death row, challenging unjust convictions as well as fighting to abolish the death penalty. They also fight death-sentence and life-in-prison sentences for children, take on cases of the wrongly convicted, etc. Stevenson frames the book around one case, Walter McMillian, who was wrongfully convicted and spent years on death row before being exonerated. Every other chapter continues his story, and the alternating chapters add context. I couldn't put the book down. It was well written, but more importantly, I was learning new things on every page (horrifying, stomach-churning new things, but new). I finished the book wishing I had become a lawyer (a feeling I rarely have!) so I could join in this fight.
+20 task (28,432 ratings, 4.58 avg rating)
+10 combo (20.3 - current events 18x, 20.5 - born Delaware 1959)
+10 review
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 610
10.6 Spring Equinox An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris
I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction or history. The book tells the story of the Dreyfus Affair in 1890s Paris, from the perspective of Georges Picquart, an officer who was just promoted to lead the division that convicted Dreyfus. He comes across evidence that throws some doubt on the conviction and begins investigating -- only to find growing, dangerous obstacles in his way. Before reading, I had only a hazy understanding of the Dreyfus Affair, but enjoyed the book nonetheless (and found myself doing some additional research to round out the book). The sheer magnitude of the corruption in this case was astonishing, as was the anti-Semitism. I listened to this as an audiobook and found the narration engaging, though it was long and I often had to rewind to check something.
+10 task
+10 combo (10.2, 10.3)
+10 review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 640
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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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Journey to the Heart by Valerie Diker
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10