Reading with Style discussion
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FA11 Reading w/Style Completed Tasks - Fall 2011
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote:Is this book told from the viewpoint of more than one person? The description makes it sound as if you should get a combo for 20.5 Multiple Narrators.
Definitely more than one viewpoint so I'll take more points if someone wants to give them to me? :-)
Liz M wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "20.5 They ReadThe Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton..."
+5 combo points for 20.10 (#35 on Best Gothic Books list)"
Thanx!
Back to School 15.7Foreign Language
The Stranger by Albert Camus
+15 pts - Task (written in French which is foreign to me)
+ 5 pts - Published in 1942
20 pts =Task total
265 pts + Grand Total
Highly Rated 10.2"Ten Big Ones" by Janet Evanovich
Rach rated it 5 stars.
Review
In this installment, Stephanie is being stalked by a deadly gang. Does she run and hide or lay low? Of course not, she goes out and bags one of the top head guys of the gang in a rather compromising position. On top of that, she manages to find out where her mentor Ranger lives and bunks down there while he is out of town. I thought that was pretty smart of her. Then she gets the crazy idea to bail the sorry arsed guy out of jail so she can beat the crap out of him to get him to talk so she can learn why she is on the gang's hit list. Regardless to say that doesn't go to plan. I was hoping she beat the crap out of the guy. She manages to get kidnapped by the gang only to be saved by a surprising rescuer and that is all I will say.
Task +10
Review: +10
Grand Total: 215
10.10 - Group ReadsNip the Buds, Shoot the Kids
This book was just so... weird. It is very similar to Golding's "Lord of the Flies," but not as gruesome in certain ways. I think there are about a dozen boys involved, but other than a few primary characters, the rest act more as scenery than players. They are reformatory boys, sent to live and work in a village somewhere in rural Japan.
It isn't that clear, but it seems the boys are misfits, and they are treated as less than human. When the village housing the boys believes plague has set in, they evacuate the boys, and set up a guard to keep the isolated.
The book ends suddenly, and right in the middle of an exciting part. I think that what does occur is more realistic than what Golding depicted, but, being a girl, it still doesn't sit easily with me. I can't imagine a group of girls acting this way, under similar circumstances. It left me a little unsettled, which can be good, and motivated to read Camus' "Plague."
+10 task
+ 5 oldies (written in 1958)
+10 review
+10 translation
Task Total = 35
Grand Total = 380
RwS Completed Tasks10.2 Highly Rated
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Kathleen rated 5*
+10 Task
10.3 Meta-Reading
Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster
+10 Task
20.5 They Read
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2-Erin NY)
20.10 Monsterfest III
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2 Jayme VA)
+10 Oldies (1886)
BtS Task
15.9 Gym/Health
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
+15 Task
+5 Non-fiction
Post Total: 100
Season Total: 510
Task 20.7 � Elizabeth (Alaska’s) Task � The war to end all warsElsie and Mairi Go to War: Two Extraordinary Women on the Western Front by Diane Atkinson
Atkinson’s book is a non-fiction account of the only women allowed by the British, French and Belgian authorities to work near the front line (in Pervyse, Belgium) during World War I. Their mission: stabilize wounded soldiers and then transport them (by make shift ambulance) to field hospitals in the rear. Amazing women, very brave, very determined; however, in this book, the prose is very dry. My attention wandered. I think the problem with the book was that there were too many names of people, combined with too few details of their life during the War Years. The photos were nothing special, though the photos do prove that this is non-fiction, because here are the posed pictures of the people mentioned in the text. Recommended only for those who have an intense interest in the subject.
+ 20 Task
+ 10 Style: 2. Review (10 points):
Task Total: +30
Grand Total: 445 + 30 = 475
Task 15.6 Bts Sociology The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
Task points 15
+5 non-fiction
Task total 20
Total points 320
Task points 15
+5 non-fiction
Task total 20
Total points 320
Task 10.2 Highly Rated Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Kiri)
And it deserved every one of those 5 stars!
Task points 10
Total points 330
Task 10.3 Meta-reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Task points 10
+5 Jumbo (548 pp)
+10 translation
+10 combo(10.2 Isabell, 20.5 multiple POV)
Task total 35
Total points 365
And it deserved every one of those 5 stars!
Task points 10
Total points 330
Task 10.3 Meta-reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Task points 10
+5 Jumbo (548 pp)
+10 translation
+10 combo(10.2 Isabell, 20.5 multiple POV)
Task total 35
Total points 365
Task 10.5 Bedtime A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Dean Koontz)
Task points 10
+15 Oldie (1843)
+10 Combo( 10.2 Jayme, 20.10 Best gothic list)
Task total 35
Total points 400
Task 10.8 Season's change Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Task points 10
+10 Combo ( 10.2 Rebekah, 20.6 Unreliable)
Task total 20
Total points 420
Task points 10
+15 Oldie (1843)
+10 Combo( 10.2 Jayme, 20.10 Best gothic list)
Task total 35
Total points 400
Task 10.8 Season's change Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Task points 10
+10 Combo ( 10.2 Rebekah, 20.6 Unreliable)
Task total 20
Total points 420
Task 20.3 S/he reads The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Task points 20
+10 Oldie (1930)
+5 Combo (10.2 Harold)
Task total 35
Total points 455
Task points 20
+10 Oldie (1930)
+5 Combo (10.2 Harold)
Task total 35
Total points 455
10.10 Group ReadsA Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
**
If you've ever watched Archer and heard Lana say "Nope," you can understand when I say that my reaction upon finishing A Visit from the Goon Squad was pretty much that. It's not a bad book, in a lot of ways it's probably a good book. There was just one giant problem for me--I didn't enjoy it. Not in the way of a book that is uncomfortable for its honesty or its tragedy or the humanity it depicts. In fact, all of those elements are present, although too many slip by frustratingly neglected. Rather, it was unenjoyable because it lacked substance. The characters had all been through heartbreaks, but something still felt off. There was something lacking. I truly do not understand the reaction to this book. Maybe it's just me.
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.2 Highly-rated)
+5 Combo (20.5 They Read)
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
20.6 Unreliable Narration
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
It would be difficult to overstate the creepiness of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Shirley Jackson brilliantly weaves a story of three recluses who are all frightening in their own way. The book begins with the knowledge that something terrible has happened and something terrible is going to happen. The steady pacing and consistent revelation of just how terrible the lives of the Blackwoods are is countered by the arrival of a greedy, disruptive cousin. Despite knowing that the reclusive way the characters Mary Katherine, Constance, and Julian live is extremely unhealthy, I could not help hating their cousin for the way he behaves. The event for which you wait is traumatic to read, particularly for someone (view spoiler) Overall, while The Lottery is also excellent, I found this to be more powerful.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2 Highly-rated)
+5 Combo (20.10 Monsterfest III: # 20 on Best Gothic Books of All Time)
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (1962)
Task Total: 45
Post Total: 75
Grand Total: 580
Task 10. 2 Highly Rated
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
In the near future the founder of the biggest on-line platform, The Oasis, dies leaving his company to first person to find an easter egg hidden in the system and the race begins. I had this in my queue and started listening to it on my ipod just before Steve Jobs died. It seemed very appropriate especially since some of the details of the founder were clearly inspired by Steve Jobs and his friendship with Steve Wozniak. I’m a child of the �80s and though I consider myself to be something of a geek, I am not a gamer. I still found this very engaging. Wil Wheaton did a great job with the narration. He seemed genuinely enthusiastic and pleased to be reading it.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task total=20
15.6 Psychology
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Task total=15
Grand total=330
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
In the near future the founder of the biggest on-line platform, The Oasis, dies leaving his company to first person to find an easter egg hidden in the system and the race begins. I had this in my queue and started listening to it on my ipod just before Steve Jobs died. It seemed very appropriate especially since some of the details of the founder were clearly inspired by Steve Jobs and his friendship with Steve Wozniak. I’m a child of the �80s and though I consider myself to be something of a geek, I am not a gamer. I still found this very engaging. Wil Wheaton did a great job with the narration. He seemed genuinely enthusiastic and pleased to be reading it.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task total=20
15.6 Psychology
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Task total=15
Grand total=330
Liz M wrote: "Caroline wrote: "For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway (10.1 List Lovers, 10.2 Highly Rated)"Carolyn, glad to see you are participating again! The fall challenge..."
Sorry it took so long for me to get back, but I'm claiming For Whom the Bell Tolls for 10.1. And, yes, you are correct about how I want to claim the combo points.
20.1 - I read
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2 - Highly Rated)
10.6 - Fall Freebies
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.2 - Highly Rated)
+5 Oldies (pub. 1959)
Post total - 45
Grand Total - 90 points
Caroline wrote: "20.1 - I read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2 - Highly Rated) "
This is written in first person, but isn't really stream of conscious. She is telling the story, but without internal dialogue. Do you want to use it for Task 10.2 Highly Rated?
Just an FYI - I'm about to finish For Whom the Bell Tolls and it's on Sebastian Junger's "in Bed with" list (spell check wanted to make "list" "lust" lol). I don't think that's been claimed by those who have already posted it.
15.4 World LiteratureBurger's Daughter by Nadine Gordimer
+15 Task
+5 (p. 1979)
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 130
10.7 Muslim Mindset I read "Bookseller of Kabul" by Asne Seierstad
This book takes place in a Muslim country(Afghanastan)
and Islam plays a big part in the book.
Review
Where do I start? First, I felt the title of this book was misleading. The patriarch figure is a bookseller. He has three bookshops but the story is more about his family and extended family than books. In fact, for someone who values books so much, he doesn't put much emphasis on education for his children. Only his eldest sons are educated. He speaks up for a modern Afghanastan but doesn't practice what he preaches and falls back on his traditional ways. The only things I liked about this book was the stories of the younger women. I would not want to live there and I am glad I live in the US.
Task +10
Review +10
Combo +5 (Highly Rated 10.2 Miki gave it 5 stars)
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 240
20.4 We ReadWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin
***
Yevgeny Zamyatin described We as "my most jesting and most serious work." Having read nothing else by the author I cannot completely concur with the statement, but serious and jesting it certainly is. We describes a supposedly utopian society based on mathematics and a petroleum based food substance. (If the latter seems an odd choice, keep in mind that the book was written in 1920.) This society is the result of a two hundred year war in which all but 0.2% of humanity is wiped out and the remainder go to live in a city surrounded by a glass wall where even the weather is rigidly controlled. Schedules are king, they have a Benefactor who is unanimously elected each year, and every aspect of life is controlled. We is the story of a mathematician who begins to realize, with the help of a woman he falls in love with, that perhaps all is not well in this alleged Eden.
Ultimately, while I enjoyed this book, I had some problems with the writing. It ended up being highly disjointed and frequently confusing. This is partially explained by the fact that it is written as a series of journal entries. Nevertheless, it could have been executed more skillfully, in my opinion.
+20 Task (written as journal entries)
+5 Combo (10.3 Meta-reading: repeatedly addresses the reader)
+5 Combo (20.6 Unreliable Narration: on wikipedia page)
+10 Review
+10 Translation (Russian)
+10 Oldies (1920)
Task Total: 60
Grand Total: 640
10.2 Highly RatedEating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
+10 task
20.8 It ain’t over...
Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
+20 task
+10 combo (10.2-Highly rated, 20.10-Monsterfest III)
+10 translation
+15 oldies (pub. 1832)
Task Points: 55
Grand Total: 290 points
Arow wrote: "15.10 � Study HallThe Story of the Coco Palms Hotel: The Grace Buscher Guslander Years 1953-1985 by David P. Penhallow..."
Arow, welcome back!
For 15.10, you should also get the +5 non-fiction bonus. I show your grand total as 140 points as of post 250.
Tobey wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote:Is this book told from the viewpoint of more than one person? The description makes it sound as if you should get a combo for 20.5 Multiple Narrators.
Definitely mo..."
Done. As of post 253, I have your grand total as 115 points.
20.5 They Read - The Dead Town by Dean KoontzThis fifth and final book in Koontz’s Frankenstein series left me satisfied, for the most part. The biggest disappointment in this last book would be the somewhat anti-climactic ending. Koontz leads you to believe what’s going to happen and then when it does, it’s so sudden that I believe I said out loud “That’s it?� Having said that, don’t let that fool you. I enjoyed this series immensely and love how it put a different spin on the Frankenstein idea. The villains, although creepy, were villainous and the heroes were true heroes who embraced the spirit of hope in mankind!
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total=30
10.6 Fall Freebies - The Dark at the End by F. Paul Wilson
The Dark at the End is the last “true� Repairman Jack story and I cannot say enough good things about this series! I often tell people I am having an affair with someone named Jack and now it’s just a running joke. Wilson, or “The Man� as he is often referred as, weaves yet a great culminating tale to this magnificent saga of good and evil, light and dark though the light is somewhat darker in this novel. Many questions were answered and things revealed but I was left wanting more as I always am with Repairman Jack. Highly, highly recommend this series, even though you know there is an end in sight!
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total=20
Task Total=50
Grand Total=155
20.5 They ReadA Suitable Vengeance by Elizabeth George
**
A Suitable Vengeance is the fourth book in Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley series, but chronologically it occurs years before the first three. In it we see the main characters much younger and gain far more insight into the tangled relationships of Lynley, Deborah, and St. James. Given how much those relationships make me want to shake each one of the players hard, this was my least favorite so far. The mystery itself was interesting, but bizarre in a way that did not redeem the book. I did enjoy the revelations regarding Lynley's relationship with his family, but again, those did not do enough to redeem the book. Not weak enough to put me off the series, but not what I would call good.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
20.7 The War to End All Wars
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
***
Given how many of Agatha Christie's works I read as an adolescent, I was somewhat astounded to realize as I read that I had not read The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Written in 1916 and set during the first World War, it introduces us to both Hastings and Hercule Poirot. Like the first Miss Marple book, it is primarily fascinating because of the "origin story" aspect. Both characters became more fascinating over time as Christie developed them. That being said, this was a delightful read filled with the red herrings and twists that made Dame Agatha a master of the genre. I highly recommend this for any aficionado of English mysteries.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2 Highly-rated)
+5 Combo (10.3 Meta-reading: narrator repeatedly references it as a work for the benefit of future readers)
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (1916)
Task Total: 50
Post Total: 80
Grand Total: 720
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Caroline wrote: "20.1 - I read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2 - Highly Rated) "
This is written in first person, but isn't really stream of conscious. She is tell..."
Ok, that works
Liz M wrote: "Arow wrote: "15.10 � Study HallThe Story of the Coco Palms Hotel: The Grace Buscher Guslander Years 1953-1985 by David P. Penhallow..."
Arow, welcome back!
For 15.10, you should also get the +5 ..."
Thanks! I had missed that part about the non-fiction points :-)
Task 15.5 � History, Government, Philosophy, Religion: Out of the Black Land by Kerry Greenwood
book is historical fiction set in Ancient Egypt � touches on all of 4 topics: bits of history intermingled in the story, revolves around government as one main character is the Great Royal Scribe, mentioned quite a bit of Egyptian sayings (philosophy), and of course, you cannot have ancient Egypt without their gods and goddesses.
+15 Task
Task 10.3� Meta-reading
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco � 3.5 stars
I'm not really sure what I really think about the book. I am blaming my not ranting & raving about this book to my lack of knowledge about medieval times and also, my confusion in differentiating of the "strands" (not sure exactly what you call them) of monks / abbeys (I am referring to what's the differences between Fransiscan / Benedictine / etc).
Found the whole superstitions mixed in with gossips / rumours and some truth to be slightly incongruous. Whilst, I don't think I should be shocked at what they get up to in Medieval times (am referring to the inquisitions & other rumours on what other 'cults' did), I do anyway but yet think it's not completely impossibly close to the real truth. What this book made me truly glad of is that I'm NOT living in medieval time! Thanks be to God, amen! ;)
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Lost in Translation
+5 Oldies
+5 Jumbo
Task 10.7 - Rebekah’s Task � Muslim Mind Set
Palace Walk: Cairo Trilogy 1 by Naguib Mahfouz � 3.5 stars
What interest me most in this book is the totally completely difference in culture (including religion / set of belief) from me, myself, and mine. In some ways, it's a little bit shocking when I am reading it through a character's perspective. I know these beliefs of certain standards in culture / religion is not uncommon but somehow it still shocks me and makes it more real to me after I "heard" it from a "person".
This is a family saga, of sort. It's telling the story of the family of Ahmad Abd al-Jawad; it alternates between the views of Ahmad Abd al-Jawad to that of his wife's (Amina) and his children (Yasin, Khadija, Fahmy, Aisha, and Kamal). As a devout Moslem, Ahmad runs a very strict and conservative household where complete obedience & submission to his will from all is excpected and none of the women are allowed outside at any time. However, for himself he allowed a wide margin of "fun" where at night, he will be out about town drinking forbidden wine and seeking sexual pleasures in other women. Yes, a debauched hypocrite whom I feel quite violent towards!
His wife, Amina, in the meanwhile is a picture of a model Moslem wife. Her will of steel, mostly, kept her in full obedience and submission to the will of her husband (ironic, a bit, not?) She limits herself in her thoughts and took pleasures in her family (her children, specifically).
The children themselves, whilst terrified of their father's temper, kept mostly obedient until such times that forbidden desires overflowed, followed by automatic compliance then consequences to be faced as secrets are never meant to be kept in this household.
+10 Task
+5 Combo (20.5)
+10 Review
+10 Lost in Translation
+5 Oldies (first pub. 1956)
+5 Jumbo
Total this post: 100 points
Total to date: 285 points
20.5 They ReadLovers by Roxy Harte
This book is told through shifting first-person narratives. The narratives are probably sufficiently stream-of-conscious to count for "I Read," but I'm not sure, so I'm leaving off the combo points for it.
I picked this up because I tremendously enjoyed the Chronicles of Surrender series by this author and found her to do a great job exploring the realities of alternative relationships. Here, the characters ran the gamut of alternative sexual preferences and relationships, but the book never quite came together. There were too many characters without enough detail about any particular character or relationship to really give much in the way of serious consideration.
For example, one of the male leads leaves his wife and three sons to go live with his girlfriend. Then he moves back in with his now-pregnant wife. Then he divorces the wife. But there wasn't enough thought or emotion described to really understand or empathize with these decisions and it all ended up feeling rushed and unfinished. Another interesting androgynous sexually-curious-but-resistant-to-labels character is quite suddenly written out of the plot when she marries another woman.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task total = 30
Grand total = 325
Tobey wrote: "Task Total=50
Grand Total=155 ..."
Ok, so in post 221 your total was 110 points. We gave you 5 overlooked combo points, and then in in post 275 you claimed 50 points:
110 + 5 + 50 = 165 points.
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "10.7 Muslim Mindset Task +10
Review +5
Combo +5 (Highly Rated 10.2 Miki gave it 5 stars)
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 235 ..."
Review is +10 points, so your grand total is 240 points.
Kate S wrote: "RwS Completed Tasks10.2 Highly Rated
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Kathleen rated 5*
+10 Task..."
+5 oldies points, published in 1971. As of post 258 I have your grand total as 515.
Erin wrote: "10.2 Highly RatedThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
+10 Task
+5 Oldie (p. 1980)
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 110 ..."
+5 combo points for 20.3 S/he reads. (Let me know if you want to switch this to task 20.3).
Paula wrote: "10.10 - Group ReadsNip the Buds, Shoot the Kids
Grand Total = 380 ..."
Paula, I have your grand total as 385, but I can't find the discrepancy right now (my eyes are tired of the computer). I am going to assume the spreadsheet is correct (if/when I find a typo I'll adjust as needed).
Caroline wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Caroline wrote: "20.1 - I read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2 - Highly Rated) "
This is written in first person, but isn't really strea..."
Caroline, thanks! So, with this change and the additional +5 combo points (10.5) for For Whom the Bell Tolls, I now have your grand total as 85 points. Let me know if it doesn't make sense.
Task 20.6 Unreliable NarrationThe Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
+20 - Task
+10 combo - (20.1 I Read, 20.7 War to end Wars)
+10 oldies - (pub 1914)
+40 - Task Total
Task 20.7 The War to End All Wars
The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
+20 - Task
+ 5 - Combo (20.3 Third person)
+10 - Oldies (pub n 1918)
+35 - Task Total
340 pts - Grand Total
Task 20.1 - I readThe Midsummer Crown (Roger the chapman #20) by Kate Sedley
Historical mystery told in first person by Roger the chapman. The novel takes place during the summer of 1483, so it also fits Task 10.9 “Set during the 15th century.�
+ 20 Task
+ 05 Style: 1. Combo (5 points) each: (10.9)
Task Total: +20 + 05 = 25
Task 20.5 - They read
I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive by Steve Earle
+ 20 Task
Task Total: +20
Grand Total: 475 + 20 + 25 = 520
Liz M wrote: "Tobey wrote: "Task Total=50
Grand Total=155 ..."
Ok, so in post 221 your total was 110 points. We gave you 5 overlooked combo points, and then in in post 275 you claimed 50 points:
110 + 5 + 50..."
Thanks Liz! Wasn't sure if I was being awarded those extra 5 points or not!
Deedee wrote: "Task 20.1 - I readThe Midsummer Crown (Roger the chapman #20) by Kate Sedley
Historical mystery told in first person by Roger the chapman. The novel takes place du..."
I'm sorry, this doesn't really fit the requirements of the task. Yes, it's first person, but not stream of conscious. But since it fits for 10.9 you can still use it there.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Deedee wrote: "Task 20.1 - I readThe Midsummer Crown (Roger the chapman #20) by Kate Sedley
Historical mystery told in first person by Roger the chapman. The novel..."
OK .... so The Midsummer Crown (Roger the chapman #20) by Kate Sedley would be 10 points (for 10.9) instead of 25; making the new Grand Total:
505
However ... that means there isn't really any task for the novels that are told in first person. The conceit of The Midsummer Crown is that of a grandfatherly Roger telling his listeners about the mysteries he solved as a young man, with alot of "I did", "I thought", "I went", "I was hungry", etc.
What characterizes stream of consciousness is the interior dialogue. I think this article says it better than I could.moving to the Topic thread
Thanks Elizabeth -- I have a long question but I put it into Topic 20.1 "I read" --
RwS Tasks10.4 � Native Reading
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Lexile 970
Written in the same time period as the Little House on the Prairie books, Louise Erdrich takes the Ojibwe people’s point of view to tell the story of the lives of the native people in the 1800s in The Birchbark House. Louise Erdrich is an accomplished writer of adult fiction and her writing here is poignant and accessible for young people, but not too simplistic for adult readers. I loved the way I could feel the atmosphere of the environment of the forest and the connection to the animal inhabitants of that world. The losses to the family from the smallpox epidemic are gripping and tragic, yet written in a way a young person could cope with and understand. The Birchbark House is a wonderful book for people of all ages.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
10.4 � Native Reading
Tantalize: Kieren's Story by Cynthia Leitich Smith, a Native American Author
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
20.3 He/She Reads
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
The story of American Robert Jordan’s time with the anti-fascist guerrillas in Spain during the Spanish Civil War is a compelling one. I was particularly interested in the narrative style of For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway and I found that I liked it a lot. I liked following some of the secondary characters for a while and then going back inside Robert Jordan’s head and reconnecting with him. Some of the stereotypes often found in classic literature existed here, but I can ignore that when I know the point of view of the time period was different from our views today. I did occasionally lose interest, but then I would be drawn back into the action. The ending was excellent. If you don’t know the story already, avoid reading the back cover of the book!
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo 10.2 Highly Rated/10.5 Bedtime Stories ”In Bed With� Sebastian Junger
+ 5 Oldies published 1940
Task Total: 35
Points this Post: 65
Grand Total: 755
Back to School15.2 � Science
A budding chemist solving mysteries through her knowledge of chemistry:
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Task Total: 15
15.7 � Foreign Languages
The story of a translator working with the warlords of the Congo on an undisclosed island. His ability to translate and how he worked as a translator is a major focus of the book.
The Mission Song by John le Carré the winner of the Diamond Dagger Award for lifetime achievement in crime writing in 1988.
Task Total: 15
And that finishes the Back to School Challenge for me!
Task Points this Post: 30
Back to School Finish: 150
Grand Total: 935
Karen, you amaze me. I want to be like you!
Oh, thank you, Denae. I just love this challenge and the variety of reading I get to do. I also have the advantage of being a high school librarian with a big variety right at my fingertips and reading is part of my job, so I just do my best to choose what I want to read.I really don't plan much for the points- they just add up as they happen, so mostly I just have fun and read!
15.5 (Religion) The Mists of Avalon+15 task
+5 pub 1982
+15 pts 876pg
task total = 35 points
Total points- 120 points
15.10 Study HallYou Don't Look Like a Librarian: Shattering Stereotypes and Creating Positive New Images in the Internet Age by Ruth Kneale
***
I stumbled across You Don't Look Like a Librarian: Shattering Stereotypes and Creating Positive New Images in the Internet Age while randomly browsing at a library today. Shocking, right? Given the title, length and terrible choice of font, I did not have high expectations, but it seemed worth checking out. I'm glad I did. Not so much because the book said anything particularly profound, but because it is a trove of other books and media I now want to find. It was rather irking to see just how terrible a survey the author conducted and cited was, but Ruth Kneale did acknowledge its shortcomings. Overall, I'm glad I read this. Even though I could probably have found the resources elsewhere, I'm fine with doing it the lazy way.
+15 Task (library & information sciences)
+5 Non-fiction
Task Total: 20
20.8 It ain't over...
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
****
Forget cabins in remote wooded places or suspicious small towns; I am convinced that English country houses, particularly in cloudy areas, are the most dangerous places to live or visit. At best, you'll be robbed of something valuable. Maybe something you own will turn out to be cursed. Most likely you or someone else in the house will be brutally murdered. If you're lucky, that is. The characters in The Turn of the Screw do not get off so lightly. The book is narrated from the point of view of a governess who may or may not be insane and includes such staples as precocious and creepy orphans, possible ghosts, mysterious pasts, and a handsome but distant master. A very good book to read for Halloween and one which will likely be argued over until the end of humanity.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.2 Highly-rated)
+5 Combo (10.5 Bedtime Stories: Dean Koontz)
+5 Combo (20.6 Unreliable Narrator)
+5 Combo (20.10 Monsterfest III)
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (1898)
Task Total: 60
Post Total: 80
Grand Total: 800
Wow! Way to rack up those combo points, Denae!
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Reading with Style
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10.2 � Highly-rated
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
I read Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran during the last challenge and I was so impressed by the depth of the research. Cleopatra's Daughter is just as well researched and tells the story of Octavian's capture of the twin children of Cleopatra and Antony after their tragic deaths. Selene and Alexander grow up in the court and must struggle with their memories and the conflicts in Rome, especially the impending slave rebellion. Moran brings this history to life and tells the story of a feisty young heroine with style.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
10.2 � Highly-rated
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Lexile 890
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is a good story and worth the time, but it’s one of those books that didn’t quite live up to its potential as you get to the second half of the story. The combination of prose and strange real photographs from the past sets a creepy tone and although that atmosphere is maintained throughout the book, I was disappointed in the way the plot developed. The writing is solid, though, if a little simplistic in style. Even though it wasn’t my favorite, it was entertaining reading and I can still recommend it as a good mystery and adventure story. There will be a sequel, too, and I am interested enough in the story to look forward to reading it.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
10.5 � Bedtime Stories
"In Bed" with Felicia Day:
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Nimura
I love the way comics give you a visual depiction of the characters and setting of a story. Even though I enjoy creating these images in my mind when I’m reading a novel, there is something special about the comic format for some stories that just gives the story an extra edge and that’s what happens in I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and Ken Nimura. The black and white drawings show such a range of emotion as the young hero suffers from fear, anger and the threat of monsters in her life. One of those monsters is the central mystery of the story, so I won’t reveal it here, but Barbara is also a victim of some serious bullying and her new friendship is at risk due to her own angry behaviors. If you love comics or are new to them, I Kill Giants is the comic for you.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
10.5 � Bedtime Stories
"In Bed" with Felicia Day:
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1: Gifted by Joss Whedon
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
20.5 � They read
Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
No Lexile Available
Like Ellen Hopkins� other books, Perfect tells the story of multiple characters in moving verse. From addiction to steroids to enhance sports performance to elective plastic surgery, Perfect explores the lives of teens troubled by the expectations put upon them. This book lets you inside the minds of young people trying to achieve perfection at all costs. If you’ve ever worried or been told that you weren’t good enough, this book will help you see that you are and help you explore the feelings that keep you from believing in yourself. Hopkins� masterful use of free verse is gripping and keeps you engaged as you flip the 600 plus pages at top speed. I highly recommend all of Ellen Hopkins riveting books.
+20 Task
Task Total:20
Points this Post: 90
Grand Total: 690