Connie ’s Comments (group member since Nov 11, 2013)

Connie ’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

15.1 Sweet Sixteen Bingo

G1 - Author's 1st, 6th, or 16th book

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Task total: 15 (author's 1st book)
Season total: 110

20.8 Touch of Magic

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

There is a Japanese myth where Yomotsu Hirasaka is a slope or liminal place at the boundary between the living and the dead. In "The Lantern of Lost Memories" that space is located in Mr Hirasaka's photography studio. People go there soon after death and get to view photographs of their lives. They also have the opportunity to go back invisibly to view and take a photo of a special moment in their life before they go to the afterlife.

There are three interlocking tales about three very different people in this charming book. Mr Hirasaka is a patient, thoughtful guide when his patrons recall their memories, prompted by the photographs of their lives. It's a book that makes the reader think about memories, preserving our recollections in photos, and how the past makes us what we are today.

Small Japanese translated books have become very popular lately. I've seen them labeled as cozy reads, comfort reads, sentimental books, healing fiction, inspirational books, and "feel-good" reads. "The Lantern of Lost Memories" is one of the more enjoyable books of the genre.

+20 task (MPG Magical Realism)
+ 5 combo 20.10 Fall Vacation (set 100% in Japan)
+ 5 combo 10.6 Nineteenth (pub 2019)
+10 female
+10 review

Task total: 50
Season total: 95

10.2 Bookshops of Melbourne

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"Half of a Yellow Sun" is a fascinating book about Nigeria before and during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-70). The early part of the book shows intellectuals discussing the ethnic, religious, cultural, economic, and political tensions in Biafra, a state in the southeastern part of the country where the Igbo lived. Missionaries came to the southern part of Nigeria so the more westernized people obtained administrative jobs from the British, especially in the southwest area around Lagos. The Igbo region in the southeast became the most educated with a large intellectual group. The British favored the ethnic groups in the northern region for the important military jobs. In very simple terms, after several coups d'etat, civil war broke out. During the war for Biafra's independence, there was a violent genocide of the Igbo population. Starvation was widespread especially for children suffering from kwashiorkor, severe protein deficiency.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie does not concentrate on the national and international forces involved in the civil war, but focuses on the effect of the war on the people. She grew up hearing about her own family's experiences during the war which prompted her research into this devastating time.

The book is mostly told from the points of view of three characters--Olanna, Richard, and Ugwu. Olanna and Kainene are twin sisters from a wealthy family. Olanna, an educator, is in love with a politically active professor, Odenigbo. Richard is a British writer who is attracted to Kainene, a businesswoman who knows how to take charge in challenging situations. Ugwu is a village boy who becomes a houseboy in Odenigbo's home. As Ugwu becomes educated and matures, he is able to see situations from the views of both the villagers and the privileged class. They are constantly moving to more rural areas to get away from the fighting, but food sources are scarce.

The flag of Biafra showed three wide strips of red, black, and green with half of a yellow sun in the center. The title of the book comes from the national symbol. "Half of a Yellow Sun" is not an easy book to read because it is truthful about colonialism, war, violence, and genocide. There are also tender moments of love, and people helping others that balance some of the sadness. One can also see the divide between the early intellectual discussions about politics, and the later reality of the genocide. Adichie is a good writer who created some memorable characters and situations. I'm glad I read the book since it was an informative experience.

+10 task (328X as Literary Fiction)
+10 female
+15 for 3 awards
+10 review

Task total: 45
Season total: 45

Thanks, Rosemary.

Books of poetry and plays have been considered nonfiction for some tasks in the past. Are they both OK for this task?

It's great to see you back and on the road to recovery, Ed.

15.30 FU 2023 Favorites

Read 10 books that fit your favorite 20-point tasks from prior seasons.

WI 2021-22 20.8 Dead Sea

Read a book in which the author's first and last initial can be found in "KHIRBAT QUMRAN"

Child of My Heart by Alice McDermott

+15 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1984)

Task total: 20
Third sub-challenge completer bonus: 150
Season total: 820

15.29 SU Favorites

Read 10 books that fit your favorite 20-point tasks from prior seasons.

FA 2024 20.10 Zalphabetical

Read a book whose title contains at least three words that appear in reverse alphabetical order.

Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick

Task total: 15
Season total: 650

15.28 SU 23 Favorites

Read 10 books that fit your favorite 20-point tasks from prior seasons.

SP 24 20.3 The Madonna of the Cat
Read a book where a character has a pet cat. Tell us the name of the character (and if you like, the name of the cat).

Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan

Christine and Billy Sinclaire have a cat named "Haiku."

Task total: 15
Season total: 635

Thanks, Elizabeth and Karen. The book was released in Europe last year as four separate books --Earth, Air, Water, and Fire--and the four interrelated novellas are combined for the American publication.

I have a book to lock in:

The Elements by John Boyne 4.65/225 ratings. I just won a Giveaway, and the number of ratings will be changing quickly. Thanks!

It's fun to plan, although I'll never have time to read them all.

10.1 Member Lotto - Nonfiction book that is not a biography, autobiography, memoir
Talking About Detective Fiction by P.D. James
How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster

10.2 Bookshops of Melbourne - Shelved at least 225 X as Lit Fiction
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 328 X

10.3 1925 Movies - Set at least 75% in France
A Paris Apartment by Michelle Gable

10.4 Fall Birthdays - Author initials in ELMORE LEONARD
The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

10.5 Leo Tolstoy - MPG Food
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

10.6 Ninetieth - 9 and 0 in the year of first pub
The Perfect Liar by Thomas Christopher Greene 2019
The Gift of Asher Lev by Chaim Potok 1990

10.7 Be Curious - Shelved at least 4X as "curiosity," or title contains "curious," "curiosity," or "wonder."
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 4X

10.8 Are You a Bookshop or Library Person? - Either "bookshop/bookstore" or "library" in the title
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

10.9 Cheese! - Character eats cheese or a specific kind of cheese is mentioned
The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

10.10 Group Reads
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout

20.1 Happy Birthday Elizabeth! - rating >3.74 and <1001 ratings
The Elements by John Boyne 4.65/225
Life Sentences by Billy O'Callaghan 4.03/814

20.2 War Babies - born in the years 1914-1918 or 1939-1945
Surfacing by Margaret Atwood (born 1939)
Selected Poems 1: 1965-1975 by Margaret Atwood

20.3 Debut - first novel of established author with at least 3 other books
If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler

20.4 Uncommon Letter - Q, X, Z
What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez
Ruined By Reading: A Life in Books by Lynne Sharon Schwartz

20.5 Elizabeth's Comfort Zone - published in 19th Century, born in France or UK
Northhanger Abbey by Jane Austen 1817
Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens 1844

20.6 Fall Equinox - AEIOU
Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

20.7 500 Great Books by Women - Read a book from the list
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

20.8 A Touch of Magic - MPG Magical Realism or book about witch/witchcraft
The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi (Japan) (Magical Realism)

20.9 Olivia Laing - author on her literature map
The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez
The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy

20.10 Fall Vacation - born in Japan or S Korea, or set >50% in Japan and/or S Korea
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata Japan
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami Japan
I Am the Clay by Chaim Potok South Korea

15.27 SU 2023 Favorites

Read 10 books that fit your favorite 20-point tasks from prior seasons.

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

WI 2021-22 20.5 Wheels

Read one of these British novels (on Wiki list) adapted into television shows.

+15 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1886)

Task total: 20
Season total: 620

15.26 SU 2023 Favorites

Read 10 books that fit your favorite 20-point tasks from prior seasons.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

WI 2024-25 20.10 The ___ of ___

Read a book with a title that takes the form of The Something of Something.

Task total: 15
Season total: 600

15.20 FA 2015 Travel the United States

Read 10 books, each set in a different US state.

They Came Like Swallows by William Maxwell

Set in IL.

+15 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1937)

Task total: 20
Second finisher bonus: 100
Season total: 585

15.25 SU 2023 Favorites

Read 10 books that fit your favorite 20-point tasks from prior seasons.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

SP 2024 20.4 The Fighting Temeraire

Read a book on the list of books about boats.

+15 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1719)

Task total: 20
Season total: 465

15.19 FA 2015 Travel the United States

Read 10 books with each set in a different state.

Evergreen by Rebecca Rasmussen

Set in MN.

Task total: 15
Season total: 445

Planning:

O1 - Single word title that contains at least 10 letters
Persuasion by Jane Austen
O2 - Author with a six letter last name
Cane by Jean Toomer
O3 - Set at least 51% in the tropics
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (Nigeria)
O4 - No E in title or author name
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
O5 - Alliterative title
Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult


B1 - Equal number of letters in first and last names
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson
I1 - Title and subtitle do not contain the word "The"
Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney
N1 - Winner or finalist of Neustadt International Prize
Dancing Girls and Other Stories by Margaret Atwood
G1 - Author's 1st, 6th, or 16th book
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
O1 - Single word title that contains at least 10 letters
Playground by Richard Powers

Extra:
B3 - Author's last or latest book
The Names by Florence Knapp

15.24 SU 2023 Favorites

Read 10 books that fit your favorite 20-point tasks from prior seasons.

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes

FA 2022 20.9 ABCs
Read a book where the author's initials appear in alphabetical order.

Task total: 15
Season total: 430

15.23 FU 2023 Favorites

Read 10 books that fit your favorite 20-point tasks from prior seasons.

My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

WI 2021-22 20.9 Madame Bovary

Read a book with a surname in the title.

+15 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1972)

Task total: 20
Season total: 415