Reading with Style discussion
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SP 2017 Completed Tasks
10.9 A Wrinkle in TimeThe Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
+10 Task (#24 on list)
+5 Combo 10.2
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 35
15.4 AotDAll Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, 1983-1992
Time Traveler reading from oldest to newest
The Piano Tuner by Peter Meinke
+15 Task (1986 winner)
+ 5 Not-a-Novel
+ 5 Oldies (pub. 1986)
Task total=25
Grand total=160
10.8 Anthology (Beth's Task)Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy by Ekaterina Sedia
Review
Is it terrible to say that I found the Foreword the most interesting piece in this book? I like that it set out the history of urban fantasy especially ones with a 'city' as central to the works. I actually added about 7 books onto my tbr from the foreword (mostly classics!). I found, however, that I only liked about 1/3 of the stories in this anthology. The rest I found to be either confusing or just plain dislike. Then again, it usually takes me a bit of time to get used to an author's voice/pacing and I find short-stories rather tough to chew. Therefore, when I just got used to or starting liking the story, it's over :(
I found the idea of this anthology fascinating which is why I picked it up but I didn't find the stories that captivating.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 155
10.4 International Question DaySing Me Who You Are by Elizabeth Berridge
Harriet, an unmarried librarian in her 30s, inherits an old bus in the wilds of Cambridgeshire that has been made habitable, and she gives up her job to go and live in it with her two cats. However, she hasn't inherited the land it stands on. The land belongs to her rich cousin Magda, who lives with her husband in the local big house.
This is the slow-burning story of relationships that have roots in childhood rivalries and adolescent crushes. Harriet, Magda and Gregg may seem to make a triangle, but all are closely tied to a dead man who remains a shadowy figure because they all saw him differently.
I much enjoyed this book with its meandering plot and its slowly revealed secrets.
+10 task
+10 review
+10 combo (10.2, 10.3)
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 150
20.7 #AWW2017 (Tien's Task)Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2)
Points this post: 25
RwS total: 105
AotD total: -
Season Total: 105
20.6 My name is RedOne Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson
Review: In the summer of 1927, Lindbergh flew the Atlantic and Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs; the most technically advanced silent film was being shown as the first sound films were hitting the screens. And a farmer blew up a school killing 37 children and 7 adults; Al Capone was at the height of his reign in Chicago; the Missippi flooded making over 600,000 people homeless.
Bill Bryson gives us a marvelous understanding for the America of this time including the background of the people who were making the headlines. We get a sense of what it was like to be there and context for the changes taking place in the country and the world. Bryson's humor shows through. His profile of Henry Ford was laugh-out-loud funny for me.
I recommend this book for anyone who has even a passing interest in US history or culture.
+20 task
+10 combo (20.5, 10.2)
+10 review
Task total: 40
Season total: 65
Post 93 Ashley wrote: "20.6 My Name is RedOrlando by Virginia Woolf
+20 Task
+15 Combo (10.2,--Orlando: A Biography; 10.3-UK; 20.10)
+10 Canon
Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 60"
I'm sorry, Ashley. "A biography" is a generic subtitle and is not used as a subtitle in RwS. As such, this will not qualify for the combo with 10.2 - 3, 4, 5.
Post 102 Valerie wrote: "20.4 My Family + other animalsNights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
I’ll tell you from the outset that I am a fan of Maeve Binchy’s so that you know this won’t be a..."
I'm sorry, Valerie, Binchy was born in Ireland and doesn't qualify for 10.3.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 102 Valerie wrote: "20.4 My Family + other animalsNights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
I’ll tell you from the outset that I am a fan of Maeve Binchy’s so that..."
Right, of course. Noted!
20.8 Yours, Mine and OursLost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
(Book #2 in the Thursday Next series, all of which were approved in the help thread)
Review: Welcome to the slightly bonkers world of Thursday Next, where dodos are kept as pets, Winston Churchill was eradicated before his time and the Crimean War is still ongoing.
Following "The Eyre Affair", Thursday Next has become quite famous and is marched about at different events as a publicity stunt for SpecOps. But when a new Shakespeare play surfaces, the Goliath Corporation kidnaps her husband by killing him when he was a toddler, and someone attempts to kill Thursday by decreasing the local entropy, our heroine must take a deep dive into literature.
She is inducted into Jurisfiction, an agency that deals with keeping order in literature so plots stay the same and grammacites are at a minimum. Thursday is apprenticed to the no-nonsense Miss Havisham (who is still not fond of men), and together they brave a book sale showdown with The Red Queen and a daring escape through the most overlooked of literature.
The book is fun, well-paced and makes a good beach read.
+20 Task
+30 Combo (10.2, 10.3 (Fforde was born in England), 10.6, 10.9 (#29), 20.2, 20.6 (avg. rating 4,13; 40.767 ratings)
+10 Review
Task total: 60 pts
Grand total: 150 pts
10.5 CircusA Son of the Circus by John Irving
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.2)
+5 Jumbo (680 pages in MPE)
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 70
10.2 3, 4, or 5The Weaver Fish by Robert Edeson
+10 Task
+10 Combo 10.6, 20.9
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 55
20.5 - FoundationThe Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly
+20 task
+5 Combo (10.2)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 55
10.10 Group ReadsBig Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Little lies with big consequences. Jane is a young, struggling single mother who recently moved to an Australian beach suburb with her five-year-old son, Ziggy. On their way to the local primary school for kindergarten orientation day (what? my jaw is already dropping) she meets a much more glittery and popular parent, Madeline, who introduces her to the beautiful Celeste, and for once it seems that Jane is destined to be one of the "in" crowd. But then things start to go wrong ...
This is a wonderful black comedy of a novel. It's sometimes laugh-out-loud hilarious, but the dark side is dark indeed.
+10 task
+10 review
+10 combo (10.2, 20.7)
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 180
10.2 3, 4 or 5Bittergirl : Getting Over Getting Dumped by Annabel Griffiths
Review:
This book was originally a play that has now turned into a musical. A musical that I am music directing, band leading, playing keyboard for and singing in at the large regional theatre in my city! So I decided to read the book to do a little research. It was really neat to see what parts of the book that made it into the script. The show is based off the three authors own personal experiences with breakups. The book is labelled as self-help but is funny to read by anyone who has been through heartbreak. Due to the nature of the source material, the book exclusively looks at heterosexual relationships. I think that some people might have a problem with it but I don't think the book takes itself too seriously. There are some elements they touch on that could definitely be helpful in dealing with a breakup. It was a bit long winded in parts and repetitive but a fun read!
+10 Task
+ 10 Review
Task Total: 20pts
Grand Total: 30 pts
20. 5 FoundationA Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston
Born 1956
+20 Task
+5 Combo 10.2
Task Total: 25 pts
Grand Total: 55 pts
Kate S wrote: "From post 32Cory Day wrote: "15.1 AotD
Adios to My Old Life by Barbara Caridad Ferrer
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 15"
Which award are you claiming here?"
Sorry, I just realized I didn't specify. RITA Award 2007. I've gone ahead and updated the post.
10.9 A Wrinkle in TimeA Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
Review: When I started reading this book, I almost quit before finishing the first chapter. It’s been a while since I’ve read a [partially] contemporary book set as far back as 1989, and there are some glaring things that stood out to me. The main character is in a horrible relationship with her boyfriend and hates his child. That’s kind of bad enough, but she harps on the teenager’s weight, a theme that reappears later on. She’s super judgmental for someone who is supposed to be kind-hearted to the point of being a doormat. Once I got past that, I did enjoy it, but not because of the heroine. Deveraux just wrote a loveable enough hero that it redeemed the whole book, although the ending was also not a favorite of mine. I guess what I’ve determined here is that I liked the middle of the book but not the beginning or end. I’m not sure when or how I’ll return to this author in the future, but I’m not opposed to doing so.
+10 Task
+5 Combo (20.6)
+10 Review
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 100
10.9 A Wrinkle in Time Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
I was so excited to see this task, because I love time travel fiction. I've loved it ever since I was a kid and first encountered A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court -- and I was definitely not above trying to "accidentally" bump my head in school so I could potentially get sent back to some other time period. As an adult, one of my perennial favorite authors is Connie Willis -- and this book is in that mold. In the first 100 pages or so, I felt like Jodi Taylor's work was derivative of Connie Willis's - but that that was okay with me. By the end, there were more stark differences. This book is like Willis's Oxford Time Travel series plus some good-versus-evil, a lot more battle scenes and a lot more romance, and a much snarkier heroine. I think no one can displace Connie Willis in my top ten list, but this book was a definite good read that I didn't want to put down, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!
+10 task (#135 on the list)
+5 combo (10.3)
+10 review
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 50
15.2 AotD 1991-1982 Time TravelerDifferent Prizes
Source of Trouble by Debra Monroe- 1990 Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
task=15
not a novel=5 (short stories)
oldie=5
task total =25
grand total= 200
15.2 AotDMythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
+15 Task (British Science Fiction Association 1984)
+5 Oldies
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 75
15.5 AotDGreat House by Nicole Krauss
+15 Task (Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Fiction, 2011)
Post total: 15
Season total: 265
15.1 AotDTime Traveller | 1 Award
Wild Man by Alecia Simmonds
Winner of Davitt Award for True Crime 2016
+15 Task
+5 Not-a-Novel
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 185
15.2 AotD - Time TravelerNebula 2001
The Quantum Rose by Catherine Asaro
Note: I incorrectly wrote that Darwin's Radio for 10.1 was the 2001 winner. The ŷ entry clearly says it was the 2000 winner, so this is still moving forward one year at a time.
Task total: 15
Grand total: 235
20.10 HesperusNorse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
This was something a bit different for Gaiman, but his style is still seen in the selection of what he chose to tell and the turn of phrase he used as he told it. It's very readable and definitely feels more grounded than some other mythology books I've read by authors with more prosaic writing backgrounds.
The myths themselves are very interesting. I'd read a little from this culture in the past, and one story was very familiar, but I think I read the children's version because what happens in some of these was so much more twisted and evil. The idea of what is honorable and generous and what is not is rather different than what we might expect today.
+20 Task (styles allowed, from Anika's post of book)
+10 Combo (10.3, 10.7)
+10 Review
Task total: 40
Grand total: 275
20.5 FoundationThe Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich
When I stopped reading last night with just 30 or so pages to go, my eyelids refusing to stay open a moment longer, I thought this was divided into three parts. I thought how fitting: the story of the drum's reappearance, the story of the drum's creation, the story of the drum's power. So I was surprised this morning to find a Part Four. I had, perhaps erroneously, believed that the third part was also the story of the drum's purpose, but Erdrich gives me another glimpse and I think that purpose reaches further than I was able to see by page 240.
I want to thank my GR friend who encouraged me to read Erdrich in publication order. I might not have appreciated this novel without the foundation of her earlier works. I started just now to write "fully appreciated" but I suspect this nearly 100% Scots descent woman will never be able to "fully" appreciate Erdrich. Still, I am more open to her and her heritage than I could possibly have been 40 years ago, when I still lived with what I think of as somewhat Scots rigidity. Then, I would have thought almost disparagingly of people who could understand the wolves.
"And the wolf answered, not in words, but with a continuation of that stare. 'We live because we live.' He did not ask questions. He did not give reasons. And I understood him then. The wolves accept the life they are given. They do not look around them and wish for a different life, or shorten their lives resenting the humans, or even fear them anymore than is appropriate. They are efficient. They deal with what they encounter and then go on. Minute by minute. One day to the next. ..."Humans could take a lesson.
My time reading Erdrich is so special, I suspect my ratings are not a good barometer. Or maybe I read this at just the right spot in my life. Or maybe I've been reading some real junk lately. I might not have continued reading her if this were my first encounter with her, but it wasn't. Still, a very strong 4-star read (maybe even 5-stars, but I'm not stretching it today).
+20 Task (b. 1954)
+ 5 Combo (10.2)
+10 Review
Task Total = 35
Grand Total = 170
From Post 68Beth wrote: "20.1 Lord of the Rings
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
I really enjoyed this book, although the first part perhaps more than the last, when Kim was a bundle of energy and survi..."
+5 Combo 20.10
20.4 My Family and Other AnimalsThe Magus by John Fowles
+20 task
+15 combo (10.3, 20.2, 20.6)
+ 5 jumbo (656 pages)
Task total=40
Grand total=200
15.1 AotDThe Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley
+15 task (Costa Book Award for First Novel, 2014)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 195
20.3 EvictedThe Revenge Of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate by Robert D. Kaplan
review The title is enticing and makes it sound like this book is going to be as interesting as it could be had it been better written and less political (I read it for current events and because I find the geographical importance interesting, but this book was very political). Also, I listened to some of this on audiobook, and the reader's voice combined with his style of reading and cadence I found irritating.
Kaplan spends a great deal of time discussing history of the areas as it pertains to geography and politics, economics, etc, which is helpful. He also references and discusses the works of others over the past 100 years or so that relate to this topic. Had he taken his political views (it hardly matters which party, it just nauseates this for me, although it clearly shows his biases) out of it and handled the main topic and had he written in a more interesting way (which can be done without dumbing it down), I would have enjoyed this book. There certainly is a lot to learn. Rest assured, the only way I'll pick up another book by this author is if I forget he's the same author that wrote this one, Kaplan being a common enough name. One star
+20 Task
+10 Review
+20 Combo (10.2 four word main title, 10.4 "what" in the subtitle, 10.6 Spring Equinox-six letters in both first and last names, 20.5 author born in New York, New York, The United States June 23, 1952 )
Task total=50 points
Season Total=145
Coralie wrote: "10.9 A Wrinkle in TimeThe Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
+10 Task (#24 on list)
+5 Combo 10.2
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 35"
+5 Combo 20.5
Louise Bro wrote: "20.8 Yours, Mine and OursLost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
(Book #2 in the Thursday Next series, all of which were approved in the help thread)
Review: Welcome to ..."
Louise, I don't see this in the Top 300 books on the 20.2 list. Did I miss it?
From Post 85Anika wrote: "10.10 Group Read
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
"Straightway after the meal she'd [the woman throwing the dinner party] apologize for having to leave so soon, but she had ..."
+10 Canon
Tien wrote: "10.8 Anthology (Beth's Task)Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy by Ekaterina Sedia
Review
Is it terrible to say that I found the Foreword the most interesti..."
+10 Non-Western
Kate S wrote: "Coralie wrote: "10.9 A Wrinkle in TimeThe Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
+10 Task (#24 on list)
+5 Combo 10.2
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 35"
It didn't take me long to miss something this season.
+5 Combo 20.5"
From Post 34Andrea wrote: "10.4 International Question Day
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt
Review: /review/..."
Sorry, Andrea. We use the Most Popular English edition (MPE) to determine Jumbo points. For this book it is this edition: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion with 318 pages which does not qualify for Jumbo points.
From Post 99Beth wrote: "10.8 Anthology (Beth's Task)
Tempest: All-New Tales of Valdemar edited by Mercedes Lackey (not authored by, so 20.5 does not apply)
Task total: 10
Grand total: 205"
As a contributing author and editor, we are counting her as the primary author as opposed to an editor. Take the 5 Combo points for 20.5. :)
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 31 Karin wrote: "10.5 CircusOrphans of the Carnival by Carol Birch
Review: Although I had no idea until after I read it that this was based on a real woman, ..."
Thanks, I realized that tonight and so came back to see if you'd caught that already. The book I posted tonight does fit, though :) (for a combo).
Coralie wrote: "Kate S wrote: "Coralie wrote: "10.9 A Wrinkle in TimeThe Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
+10 Task (#24 on list)
+5 Combo 10.2
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 35"
It didn't..."
Haha. It's early, still called the learning curve?
Cory Day wrote: "Sorry, I just realized I didn't specify. RITA Award 2007. I've gone ahead and updated the post. "Thanks, Cory. Got it!
Kate, could you re-check my point total? I show that I have 160 points through post 112, but the Readerboard has me at 140. I wonder if the Oldies points for AotD are not showing up? (To add to the confusion, starting at Post 60 I had picked up the wrong total and was off 15 points, but I've corrected all the affected posts.)post 7 =20
post 20 =25
post 29 =25
post 60 = 15
post 78 =25
post 91 =25
post 104 =25
Thanks.
10.1 - Square PegSea Change by Aimee Friedman (Lexile 840)
I wanted to see what all the fuss about mer-romance is about but this wasn't the best place to start. The writing is at the low end of YA and there's a lot of telling instead of showing. It's the like of 'Miranda is smart because science!' and 'Mom is a surgeon, so you know what that means!'. The plot is okay but weak, and the characters are more stereotypes than anything. Shallow rich girls and the boys they hook up with, oh my! Oh, sigh.
It's painful because I like the basic idea and world that's built but it's rather unsatisfying in execution. The end is nice but bittersweet, and I found myself wishing this was the beginning of a series so the story could actually go somewhere.
Not awful, but it could have been so much more.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20 points
Grand total: 50 points
20.2 - RebeccaThe Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry
The good:
- I have a thing for historical mysteries, and is there any better time or place for them than Jack the Ripper's London?
- Perry doesn't assume that the reader knows all the history and social mores of the time and weaves in explanations unobtrusively. We learn about Victorian gender roles, class, marriage, crime, and more.
- All of the characters, from our heroine on down to the maid, are well developed. Everyone has strengths and flaws without being too over the top. This allows the narrative to be carried by the polite conversations of the time without bogging down or getting boring.
- Feminism, we haz it. Charlotte questions of the ways of the world and tries to point out flaws and contradictions to the people around her. It feels good. But...
The so-so:
- Holy crap, there's a lot of . It's for the most part women being told their wrong, they didn't see what they thought they saw, they overreacted, that things aren't really that bad. It's true to the time period, I'm sure, and Inspector Pitt balances it out a tad, but that doesn't make it any less depressing.
The not-so-good:
- The book does take some time to get into. It doesn't bother me so much, especially at the beginning of a long series like this one, but if you like to be gripped from the first page you may want to look elsewhere.
I'm looking forward to continuing Charlotte and Pitt's adventures and watching them develop over, lessee... ~searches~ ...30+ books. Woah.
+20 task (#182 on list)
+10 combo (10.2, 10.3)
+10 review
Task total: 40 points
Grand total: 90 points
10.10 Group ReadsThe Lover by Marguerite Duras
I am not one who likes a string of declarative sentences. If I am to be interested in either the plot or the characters, there must be interesting prose. This is classed as fiction. It is assumed to be largely autobiographical with the line blurred between fiction and reality. As it was written in the author's declining years, she is removed from the story. Unfortunately, this means the reader is also removed from the story.
The sex scenes are not graphic by today's standards, but there is certainly no mistaking them. Despite the relationship of a young French girl with a Chinese man, the story is primary about the family, and more particularly about the older brother. Duras seemed to be conflicted about whether her story was about the deflowering of the young girl or about the despotic brother. In such a short novel, I would rather she have chosen one or the other. They both would make a terrific story, but together they both fall flat.
I gave 4-stars to The War, where her more journalistic style seemed apt. I'm not sorry I read this, but I can't mark it more than an average 3-stars.
+10 Task
+10 Canon
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand total = 200
15.2 Awards of the DecadeTime traveler, different awards
2007 Hammett Prize
The Outlander by Gil Adamson
BTW -definitely recommend this book.
15 task
____
15
Running total: 180
15.2 AotDKetchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher
Lexile 890
+15 task (Waterstones Children's Book Prize, 2013)
Task Total: 15
Season Total: 210
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
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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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Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
I’ll tell you from the outset that I am a fan of Maeve Binchy’s so that you know this won’t be an unbiased review.
I enjoyed the book, but it is a light, fast read. One thing I really like about Maeve is her ability to write about ‘ordinary� people in such a way that you are interested in them and this ‘slice of life� story. As well, you get a real sense of this Greek Isle while following the characters through their stories.
There are flaws in the story, but Maeve still made me emotional about the parts I was supposed to be emotional about and interested in the characters. Maeve’s books are probably classified as ‘chick lit�; but in my mind they aren’t vacuous (as most) and I wouldn’t be embarrassed to read it on the subway. So, maybe not her best but definitely a worthy entry into her catalogue. 3.5*
20 task
10 review
10 combo 10.2, 10.3
______
40
Running total: 170