Reading with Style discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Archives
>
WI 20-21 Completed Tasks
Sample Post15.2 Name of the Game
Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
Square 10C - letter T - MPG Thriller
Square 11C - letter H - author first or last name begins with H
Square 14D - letter Y - MPG Mystery
Word = THY
+15 Task
+5 Before 1996
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 385 (assumes a previous total of 365)
15.1What Kind of Woman: Poems by Kate Baer
Square 11C - letter H - pub 2020
Square 2A - letter E - author name has two or more Es
Square 8B - letter W - title has What
Word = HEW
+15 task
+5 not a novel
Task total: 20
Grand total: 20
15.1 Name of the GameWinter Brothers: A Season at the Edge of America by Ivan Doig
Square 13B-letter T- author born 1939
Square 16C-letter E-published 1980
Square 3D-letter A-MPG adventure
Spells TEA
+15 task
+5 oldie
+5 NAN
Task total 25
Season total: 25
15.1 Name of the GameAn American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew by Annejet van der Zijl
Square 10D - Letter T - Translated
Square 11E - Letter H - Highly Rated (Sally & Alexis)
Square 2D - Letter E - 8+ Words in title
Square 6B - Letter N - Not a Novel
Word = THEN
+15 Task
+ 5 Not a Novel
Task total = 20
15.1 - Name of the GameTrust by Jana Aston
Square 1C - letter R - romance
Square 16D - letter E - no "e" in title
Square 10B - letter T - published 2016
Word - RET
+15 task
Task total: 15
Grand total: 25
15.1 - Name of the GameAsk the Cards a Question by Marcia Muller
Square 4E-Letter D-muLLer
Square 14D-Letter Y-Mystery
Square 16C-Letter E-pub. 1982
word=DYE
Task=15
+5- <1996
Task Total=20
Grand Total= 20
10.7 La Nina (Valerie's Task)Outsider (Kate Burkholder #12) by Linda Castillo
snowstorm --> car crash then blizzard
Review
Another guaranteed enjoyable instalment to the Kate Burkholder series for the fans. This one isn't as violent as the other ones in terms of graphic descriptions of victims etc and... Kate managed to get to the end of the book without being bruised and battered from head to toe (must be a first!!) but it was still intense and gripping as we just don't know who to trust (aside from Kate, Tomasetti, and incidental Amish). Read this in a single-sitting and I'd highly recommend it to fans. If you haven't read any books of this series, please do so from #1, Sworn to Silence
+10 Task
+10 Review
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 20
10.1 Square PegFive Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders
Lexile 800
The characters of E. Nesbit's "Five Children and It" (the one with the Psammead) would have grown up just in time for the First World War. In this book, Kate Saunders imagines what might have happened.
Two of the characters are still children, because the youngest of the five (“the Lamb”) was only a baby in 1905, and Kate Saunders imagines a sixth having been born, Edie, who is the Psammead’s main caretaker now. The big change, though, is that the Psammead is less in control of its powers, and has to undertake an ethical journey of its own.
This book had me in floods of tears, which means it’s highly sentimental – you have been warned!
+10 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Prize Worthy (1)
Task total: 25
Season Total: 25
10.6 NotableA Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert
+10 Task (2017)
+5 Combo (10.4)
Task total = 15
Season Total: 15
10.5 AuthorHotel du Lac by Anita Brookner
Point of view character is a romance novel author
An odd little book that turns out to mostly be about being 39, unmarried, potentially unwise, rather overlooked and having a quiet woman's mid-life crisis, illuminated through her interaction with others at a quiet hotel. Although it seems to me strange there would be hotels or resorts like this, where people stay a length of time and guests talk to each other regularly and such things. But this was written in 1984 and set in Europe, so perhaps it was so.
The writing was accessible, occasionally quirky, with a nice blend of description, dialogue and interior life. I can see why it won a prize, but wasn't really my thing and I would probably have skimmed to the end and set it aside without the challenge. Although I would have likely missed the key moments if I did. A number of them are quite understated.
+10 task
+ 5 combo (10.4)
+5 award
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 50
15.1 Name of the GameDaphnis and Chloe by Longus
Square 10D - letter T – Translated. Not originally pub’d in English
Square 9B - letter I – set on an island
Square 13E - letter T – Title includes the name of a character
Word = TIT
+15 Task
+5 Before 1996
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 35
15.2 Name of the GameMoon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
Square 16E - letter E – Novel has eight or more named characters
Square 6E - letter N – New to me author
Square 4C - letter D – MPG Dystopia
Word = END
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 50
20.9 NiecesThe Book Thief (shelved 936 times)
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.4)
+10 Lost in Translation (written in english, native tongue is french)
+15 Prize-worthy
+5 Jumbo (552 pages)
Task total = 55
Points total = 55
15.2 Name of the GameAgatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist by M.C. Beaton
Square 15 B- L- literature map-Agatha Christie
Square 5 E-I- two initials
Square 12 C- S- Series #6
Square 13 E- T- character name in title
word=LIST
Task Total=15
Grand Total= 35
15.3 Name of the GameThe Family Trade by Charles Stross
Square 1E - letter R – Series (the merchant princes) name includes the letter R
Square 3D - letter A – MPG Adventure
Square 7B - letter G – Author name has no G
Word = RAG
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 65
Task 15.01 Name of the GameOne For The Money (Stephanie Plum #1) (1994) by Janet Evanovich (Goodreads Author) (Paperback, 287 pages)
Square 7A – Letter G - Author name has no letter G
Square 15A – Letter L - Literature Map: Agatha Christie
Square 2A - Letter E - author name has two or more Es
Square 6C – Letter N - Title has a number (all forms)
Word = GLEN
+15 Task
+05 Pub'd 1996 and earlier
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 00 + 20 = 20
15.1 Name of the GameThe Two Lost Mountains (Jack West Jr #6) by Matthew Reilly
Square 11D - letter H - published 2020
Square 3D - letter A - MPG: Adventure
Square 15D - letter L - author's most recent novel
Square 13D - letter T - 'TWO' in title
Word: HALT
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 35
15.1 The Name of the GameReflex by Dick Francis
square 15B = L - lit map Christie
square 16C = E - pub in '80s
square 10E = T - title has no 'the'
'let'
15 task
5 pub 1980
____
20
Running total: 20
15.2 Name of the GameThe Veiled One by Ruth Rendell
Square 15B - Letter L - Lit Map Christie
Square 16C - Letter E - pub'd in the 80s
Square 13B - Letter T - author born in the 30s
Word = LET
+ 15 Task
+ 5 Before 1996 (pub'd 1988)
Task total = 20
Season total = 40
15.1 Name of the GameBoyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Square 2E - letter E - the word END contained in title or author
Square 11D - letter H - pub 2020 or 2021
Square 15E - letter L - MPG LGBT
Square 16E - letter E - novel with 8 or more named characters
Word = HEEL
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 40
20.3 JazzDownton Abbey - A Celebration: The Official Companion to All Six Seasons by Jessica Fellowes
5.0/5.0 - A beautiful (coffee table?) book to accompany one of my favorite tv series, which I am in the middle of rewatching again. The book is organized beautifully, as a well run house might be. Its major divisions include rooms/areas of the main house, upstairs and downstairs characters along with their actor's profile, locations beyond Downton including the village, London, and other great homes. The writing is interwoven so well so that it flows with the plot lines, and is supported by costume details and behind the scene photographs. Perhaps, if there were one criticism, it would be that it was written prior to the sixth season, so what you get is more of a foreshadowing than actual details.
Book 201 of 2020
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.3)
Post total: 35
Season total: 35
Post 23 Kim wrote: "20.3 JazzDownton Abbey - A Celebration: The Official Companion to All Six Seasons by Jessica Fellowes
5.0/5.0 - A beautiful (coffee table?) book to accompany one ..."
Perfectly formatted for your first post! However, 10.5 requires a novel, so no combo for that one. (And don't feel bad, we had a task last season that required a novel, and some members were still posting nonfiction for it to the last day!)
15.1 Name of the GamePiranesi by Susanna Clarke
The
T - 13E Title is the name of a character
H - 11D published 2020
E - 16B Author born in Europe
Task total - 15
Season total = 15
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 23 Kim wrote: "20.3 JazzDownton Abbey - A Celebration: The Official Companion to All Six Seasons by Jessica Fellowes
5.0/5.0 - A beautiful (coffee table?) bo..."
Thanks, I'll edit the post then.
10.8 LunarThe Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie
pub. 1925
This was an action-packed instalment from Dame Christie.
This is the first novel that Superintendent Battle appears, however the main character really is Anthony Cade. He is a man who has knocked around ‘in the colonies’, likes adventure, but is not really keen on regular work. We first meet him in Zimbabwe, where he agrees to help a friend out by delivering a manuscript of political memoirs to London. It seemed to be a slightly more complicated plot than usual for Christie (at least in her later books). There is political intrigue, governmental machinations, organized crime, and a romance. Overall, I liked this book a lot, the characters were fun and the mystery kept me guessing until quite near the end. 4*
Now, the downside. This was published in 1925; so, written in the early 1920s. That brings with it some cringe worthy racism. If you really can’t overlook that then I would advise skipping this.
10 task
10 review
10 combo 10.4, 20.10, 20.2
_____
35
Running total: 55
Post 15 Marie wrote: "20.9 NiecesThe Book Thief (shelved 936 times)
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.4)
+10 Lost in Translation (written in english, native tongue is french)
+15 Prize-worthy
+5 Jumbo (552 pages)
T..."
I'm so sorry, Marie. This title is shelved as YA at BPL and has an Lexile of just 730. Task, but no styles.
10.10 Group ReadsThe Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Review
I absolutely devoured this book. While not a quick read thriller or fast paced "action" novel, one is left turning pages compelled to find out the "end" of Elwood's journey.
To say end is a bit misleading as the reader knows some pieces of the end from the beginning of the book. More accurately, it is the end of the Nickel chapter of his life that we are missing and what occurs in the remaining years to lead us to the present.
As a Canadian, I do not have extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of the Jim Crow era and the 1960's America.
I remember watching a movie about Ruby Bridges as a young child and being shocked to learn this year that she is the same age as my mother.
I am sure many similar books could be written about the Residential Schools in Canada.
Shocking and sad but very necessary stories to tell. Nickel Boys does a great job of portraying the time without feeling bogged down by historic or contextual facts. The reader fully connects to Elwood and his perceptions of MLK Jr and the racial issues of his time.
Whitehead's writing is concise and well executed.
+10 Task
+ 5 Combo 10.6 Notable 2019
+5 Combo 20.3 Postmodern
+10 Review
+15 Awards (I think?)
Task Total: 45pts
Grand Total: 45pts
20.4 Science2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
4.0/5.0 - This famous 1968 science fiction classic was written concurrently with the Stanley Kubrick film of the same name, which is considered one of the greatest films ever made. The story opens with a primitive alien race who comes across a monolith which enables them to develop tools and changes their lives from one of a constant fight for survival. Fast forward to 1999, when a scientist discovers the monolith on the moon which sends a radio transmission to Saturn. A spaceship is sent to Saturn, containing two scientists who are awake and three more who are hibernating, and a sentient computer named HAL. Towards the end of the journey, HAL starts to malfunction and before Dave can stop him, he has killed Frank and the three sleeping scientists, saving himself just in the nick of time. He continues to travel by himself and finally reaches a monolith and is turned into an immortal star child.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this audiobook, science fiction is not my normal genre. The narrator is Dick Hill, who does an excellent job! This is the first of a four book series, on the 1000 books to read list, and book 202 of 2020.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo - 10.2
35 post total
70 season total
10.4 ValentineThe Recipe Box by Viola Shipman
"The smells of cinnamon, nutmeg, and apples baking in the oven, the taste of a homemade crust or streusel topping . . . those trigger memories of your mom and grandma baking in the kitchen, of the holidays, of summers at a beloved cabin. They remind us of a time when we were safe, warm, and loved."
Sam Mullins spent her childhood living in northern Michigan where her family owned an orchard and pie shop. The business had been in the family for generations, and recipes were passed down to the daughters on their thirteenth birthdays. After training as a pastry chef and working in New York City, Sam was at a crossroads. Should she return to her roots and the family business?
The recipes for apple and berry desserts that were sprinkled throughout the story sounded delicious. Vivid descriptions of Michigan brought back childhood memories of visiting with relatives who had a cottage close to beautiful Lake Michigan. While the ideas of family love and traditions are heartwarming, the story itself was overly sweet and sugary. Readers who love baking or watching Hallmark movies would especially enjoy this book.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 20
Connie wrote: "10.4 ValentineThe Recipe Box by Viola Shipman
I discovered this author this summer and I love his books. I haven't read this one yet, but I look forward to it.
15.2 Name of the GameThe Critical Path by D.J. Johnson
Square 4B - letter D - debut novel
Square 5E - letter I - author publishes with initials
Square 15D - letter L - author's last novel (it's his only book)
Word = LID
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 55
20.9 Nieces The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
+20 pts -Task
+10 pts - Combo (10.4,10.5
+ 5 pts- Prizeworthy ( southern-california-independent-booksellers-award)
Task total - 35 pts
Rachel wrote: "10.10 Group ReadsThe Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Review
I absolutely devoured this book. While not a quick read thriller or fast paced "action" novel, one is ..."
Rachel, being from Canada, you may not know this book is based on a real place in Florida, the Dozier School for Boys. Although through the years, it would be reported on from time to time, the outraged public would demand something be done. What would happen is that the school would be revamped with a new name and tout all the changes when in fact it was business as usual. It was finally closed in 2011. There is currently an ongoing archeological team who are working at the site to determine just how many were buried in unmarked graves.
https://www.tampabay.com/investigatio...
https://youtu.be/gIWaBmFA2Ws
15.2 Name of the GameThe Vivisector by Patrick White
Square 15C - letter L - 567 pages
Square 3B - letter A - set in Australia (95%)
Square 8B - letter W - author's last name starts with W for White
Word: LAW
+15 Task
+5 Pub 1970
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 55
10.3 MonthsJesus Land: A Memoir by Julia Scheeres
It's clear that this book was important to the author to write, and seems to have had the beneficial effect of bringing to light (and ultimately, the closure of) the abusive "reform" school to which the author was sent. I'm glad the author wrote the book; I'm glad the school is now closed.
All that said, I didn't find this a particularly enjoyable book to read. It seems to have relatively accurately tracked a difficult childhood. But there was little reflection either in the moment or in the end. The conclusion of the book seems to be that everyone in Indiana is a backward hick and thank heavens the author has escaped to Berkeley.
I'm not sorry to have read this, but I'm glad to be done with it and I can't say that I'll be rushing to recommend it.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Prize worthy (ALA Alex Award)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 25
15.1 Name of the GameEva Luna by Isabel Allende
12D - Letter S - auth b. S. America
3C - Letter A - auth b. in August
13E - Letter T - character name in title
16C - Letter E - published 1980s
Word = SATE
+15 Task
+5 pub. before 1996
Task total: 20
Grand total: 45
Post 28 Valerie wrote: "10.8 LunarThe Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie
pub. 1925
This was an action-packed instalment from Dame Christie.
This is the first novel that Superintendent..."
Is there any reason to think this takes place prior to the 1920s so would not count for 20.2 Jazz?
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 28 Valerie wrote: "10.8 LunarThe Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie
pub. 1925
This was an action-packed instalment from Dame Christie.
This is the first n..."
I can't think of a single reason.... other than I totally forgot about that task for a combo.
>now added.
15.2 Name of the GameDeath in Holy Orders by P.D. James
Square 10C - Letter T- MPG Thriller
Square 3 C - Letter A - author born in August
Square 4 D - Letter D - “death” in title
TAD
+15 task
Season total: 40
Task 20.09 Nieces (Kate S's Task)Read a book shelved as "books about books" at least 60 times.
The Midnight Library (2020) by Matt Haig (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 288 pages)
Review: The Midnight Library is a ‘literary fiction’ novel that uses a fantastical element to frame its story. We learn in the first sentence of the novel that our heroine, Nora Seed, is contemplating suicide. That night, she maybe yes / maybe no made the attempt. To her surprise, she wakes up in a library, with her high school librarian standing there, waiting for her. Nora learns that each and every book in the library records how different her life would have been if she had made different decisions at various stages of her life. The journey through the books held my attention. The ending was satisfying, and fit the rest of the novel. I’d recommend this novel for those who like literary fiction, with one proviso: mental health issues (including suicide – see the first sentence of novel) are frankly discussed, and readers should be aware of that fact before beginning to read the novel.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 20 + 30 = 50
15.2Selected Poems by D.H. Lawrence
Square 6B - letter N - not a novel
Square 16B - letter E - born in Europe
Square 10E - letter T - title does not have "the"
Square 5D - letter I - author name 2 initials
Word - TINE
+15 task
+5 not a novel
+5 pub 1950
Task total: 25
Grand total: 75
20.3 Post-ModernWelcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A very enjoyable collection of short stories of varying quality. A host of narrators reads the different stories, making for a good listening experience with the stories being clearly distinguished by having different readers. Though these stories are more than fifty years old, I found that they remained relevant and readable today.
The stories have some dystopian flair (Ethical Suicide Parlors, handicaps to make everyone equal, food made from seaweed and sawdust), but there's hope and humor here too. Even the dystopian snippets are laced with humanity and heart. One of the most endearing stories is that of a boy in an orphanage in Germany with blue eyes and brown skin, presumed to be the child of an American soldier. When an American soldier is in town who has brown skin, the child latches on to the adult who must be his father.
I highly recommend this collection.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 75
10.1 Square PegThe Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths
Griffiths really delivers with this, her latest, instalment in the Ruth Galloway series. Her books seem to go from strength to strength.
This story takes place two years after the last novel (The Stone Circle) and Ruth is now teaching at Cambridge. Academically, this is worlds away from the University she taught at in Norfolk. However, luckily for mystery fans it is just down the road from her old stomping grounds.
The mystery unfolds in Norfolk with a murderer in prison, and with DCI Nelson convinced that more missing women can be attributed to the same killer. Of course, time has moved on for all of the (continuing) characters, yet they are so familiar. Griffiths has written them all so well that it is like visiting with familiar friends. There are new characters as well, some of them decidedly odd. There is an archeological element of course, and Ruth discovers key evidence regarding the deaths of three women. The mystery is well told, and is resolved in a satisfying manner. The book ends in a personal cliff hanger for Ruth though! 5*
10 task
10 review
____
20
Running total: 75
15.3 Name of the GameIn Pale Battalions by Robert Goddard
Square 10C - Letter T - MPG Thriller
Square 5C - Letter I - "In" in title
Square 6E - Letter N - New to me author
Square 14D - Letter Y - MPG Mystery
Word = TINY
+15 Task
+5 Before 1996 (pub'd 1988)
Task total = 20
Season total = 60
15.2 - Name of the GameThe Red Room by M.S. Morris
Square D8 - letter W - wild card (M - author name)
Square 5E - letter I - author publishes initials
Square 10C - letter T - thriller
Word - WIT
+15 task
Task total: 15
Grand total: 40
15.1 Name of the GameThrough the Safety Net by Charles Baxter
Square 5D - letter I - author name has no I
Square 6E - letter N - new to you author
Square 15B - letter L - Richard Russo literature map
Square 16C - letter E - pub'd in the 80's (1985)
Word = LINE
+15 Task
+ 5 Not a Novel (short stories)
+ 5 Pub'd 1996 and earlier
Task total=25
Season total=25
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Gods of Jade and Shadow (other topics)The Inn (other topics)
Rogue Protocol (other topics)
The Inn (other topics)
The Escape (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia (other topics)James Patterson (other topics)
Martha Wells (other topics)
James Patterson (other topics)
David Baldacci (other topics)
More...
Please use the add book/author link for the book titles. When claiming combo points, tell how the book qualifies, and provide a link if requested in the task description.
If using an outside source to qualify a book for points or combo, please be sure to post in the appropriate task thread prior to posting in this thread.
Sample Post
20.3 Post Modern
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño
100+ word review
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.4, 10.5)
+10 Lost in Translation (Spanish)
+10 Prize Worthy (2 prizes)
+ 5 Jumbo (577 pgs)
Task total = 65
Season Total: 365 (assumes a previous total of 300)