Reading with Style discussion
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SU 22 Completed Tasks
10.1- N42-New ReleaseStrange Fruit & Other Plays by Harold Jaffe
This is a short book containing 9 short plays. If they were all performed together....an intermission might not be necessary. Many famous people make appearances... Billie Holiday, Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, Janis Joplin, et al. It took me a while, but with the work entitled "Bataille" after the French philosopher and auther who believed art to be a transgression, I realized that the odd structure WAS the point...or at least the vehicle to convey absurdity. These "plays" are just a step beyond Beckett's Waiting for Godot. My favorite was Jimi/Janis/JM featuring Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison...three people who had turbulent lives... that to some may make life seem absurd. Not sure how to rate this one...will have to sleep on it.
Task=10
Review=5
Task Total= 15
Grand Total=15
B
I
N42
G
O
10.1 B04 - Historical FictionOnce Upon A Dream by Mary Balogh
+10 Task
Task total = 10
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 10
10.2-N38 -First letter of title in "NICKEL"Kid Lobotomy, Vol. 1: A Lad Insane by Peter Milligan
Having just read a series of absurdist plays, it was an easy transition to this "insane" graphic novel series. The premise is that "Kid Lobotomy" is a member of a rock band whose father owns a strange hotel...The Suites. Kid is also....apparently...undergoing psychiatric procedures...or is he? The fun part of this work is that there are numerous references to other works of literature. Some of those references are clear.....Kid is a fan of Franz Kafka...and Kafka and his cockroaches are characters. King Lear is prominent. But other figures...such as Faulkner and Tennessee Williams are raised more deviously for the more discriminating reader. The artwork is weird yet wonderful. I particularly enjoyed the fake ads at the end...for such things as "neon laser drill-bit propane rayguns"...and "Can't Write? Can't Draw?LEARN TO EDIT!"
Task=10
Review=5
Task Total= 15
Grand Total=30
B
I
N38; N42
G
O
10.1 - I19 Author first name is IanAmsterdam by Ian McEwan
I am enjoying the Booker Prize Winners. Amsterdam made me think of how the personality quirks of my friends can be delightful and frustrating. Our story begins with an ending. Mary has died and her mourners are gathered. Vernon and Clive, a few of Mary’s ex-lovers, are appalled at the way her death has come about. They know Mary would have wanted it different. A pact is reached between the two friends guaranteeing that such an end-of-life experience will not befall them.
+10 task
+5 review
Post total: 15
Season Total: 15
10.2 - O75 75 years: Author is AgedThe Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
+10 task author born 1946
Post total: 10
Season total: 25
10.3 - N39 MPE page count 300-399One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This is the second title I have read by Reid and the third is waiting on my nightstand. Emma has a decision to make in One True Loves. She has to clarify who she is in the present moment; to envision what she wants in her future and to find a way to resolve her past. The story is rich in emotions and relationships. We may not have Emma’s same dilemma, but we are asking some of the same questions.
+10 task 331 pages
+5 review
Post total: 15
Season Total: 40
10.1 - O71 One: First book in a seriesMy Name Is Mary Sutter. Robin Oliveira
Mary Sutter is a midwife who lives in Albany, NY when the Civil War begins. She desperately wants to learn to be a doctor/surgeon, but can find no one to teach her, nor be admitted to a medical school. When her brother and brother-in-law go off to fight, she decides to follow, hoping to join the nursing corps headed up by Dorothea Dix. Though rejected by Miss Dix, she travels from hospital to hospital until she finds one who will take her. She develops quite a reputation for her skill and hard work. I enjoyed this book a lot, it was well researched and accurately portrayed the advances made in medicine as a result of the Civil War.
+10 - task
+ 5 - review
Post total: 15
Season total: 15
B:
I:
N:
G:
O: 71
10.1G47 - Gothic
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
This was a fast read and a solid book. The last few modern gothic I’ve read were very disappointing, because in order for the plot to happen the MC needed to ne incredibly stupid. This book does not suffer from the same problem - in fact quite the opposite. Jane is perhaps too much of a thinker, and trying to follow along was sometimes chaotic.
There were a few threads that I wish were explored a little more and some a little less but overall this was effective in creating that gothic mood.
The Luminous Dead was a better, scarier book, but Starling has proven she can conjure the atmosphere I want and I look forward to more from her.
+10 task
+ 5 review
Task total = 15
Season total = 15
10.2B11 - #18 on the list
Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom by Tsugumi Ohba
That sped by. Vol.1 is just a taste, setting up a cat-and-mouse between teenage sociopath Light and mysterious detective L. Light is a gifted kid, #1 in academics, and he finds a little book with the power to kill people. Thanks to his superiority complex, Light sees this as an opportunity to create an utopia. In Vol 1 he’s offing criminals, but all signs to to him getting rid of anyone that displeases him in the future…. Along for the ride is the original owner of the Death Note, shinigami Ryuk. He’s loving this. For him, writing names in the Death Note was boring, but watching the human drama is a blast. I like Ryuk. Even though in Vol 1 he’s mainly a tool for exposition, he has personality.
+10 task
+5 review
Task total = 15
Season total = 30
B:11
I:
N:
G:47
O:
10.2 - I17 Title word ends in -ingFour Aunties and a Wedding. Jesse Q. Sutanto
2.5/5.0 - This wasn't as good as the first book, Dial A for Aunties, but was an acceptable quick read to start the summer. I thought the middle dragged too much and was overly complicated. I didn't see the plot twist coming at the end, and that redeemed it somewhat. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone, though.
+10 - task
+ 5 - review
Post total: 15
Season total: 30
B:
I: 17
N:
G:
O: 71
10.2 G51 - Glass SlipperThe Ghosts of Sherwood by Carrie Vaughn
+10 Task retelling of Robin Hood
Task total = 10
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 20
10.1. B4 Historical FictionThree Debts Paid by Anne Perry
10 pts 10.1 B4 Historical Fiction
5 pts Review
A good mystery even though it is not strictly fair play. Two unrelated cases are neatly resolved and a mystery reader can figure out which two characters are most likely to be the culprit. There are a few inconsistencies in the logic and facts that just appear. An enjoyable read, with a solid plot but not a must read. This series is good, with very likable characters and a slowly developing relationship between Daniel and Miriam that is not altogther expected.
Task Total: 15 pts
Season total: 15 pts
B4
I
N
G
O
10.3 I24Ladycastle by Delilah S. Dawson
Adventure listed on main page
Meh. The art was cute, I’ll give it that. But everything else fell very flat. It was vert pat, very shticky. The story was just the setup - literally nothing else. And that setup is: King Mancastle acts like an ass and gets himself and his men eaten by a dragon and the castle cursed. (yes, all the men went out crusading). The women have to defend the renamed Ladycastle from said curses.
That could have been fun but the execution was awkward. It seems almost deliberately bad, like “hur hur feminism is dumb”. And there was token racial/religious/disabled diversity. AND NO QUEERNESS. What the hell? Since this volume was very fond of old pop culture references… I feel punk’d
+10 task
+5 review
Task total = 12
Season total = 45
B:11
I: 24
N:
G:47
O:
10.4 - G50 Author Born in the 50s any centuryBring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
Another good Booker Prize winner off my list. I find history to be crueller than some horror stories. Power, picking your side and prejudice rule Bring Up the Bodies. I see the plot centered more on the people around the main characters. Cromwell moves his pawns in sacrifice to please his king. But in this game of life, the queen is also tumbled over in play.
+10 task b -1952
+5 review
Post total: 15
Season Total: 55
I22- 2 word titleCat Talk: What Your Cat Is Trying to Tell You by Carole C. Wilbourn
I found this book exasperating. I have two cats and thought this book might give me some insight into their peccadillos. To some degree that was true. BUT...for the most part this book is just replete with one or two paragraph anecdotes about some quirky cat behavior. I was expecting some scientific information. Not here. The author reminded me of some diet books..."Mary was over 200 pounds...and now, thanks to our product, she lost 20 pounds in one week". Only here it would be "Fluffy and Sherlock had traumatic kittenhoods...and now thanks to tranquilizers.... they are fine." The author relies a great deal on tranquilizers to deal with cat behavior! The names of the cats became increasingly bizarre and I hated the fact that she would always refer to the cat owner as the cat's person...never owner. Ok..I understand the point she is making...but there has to be a better term than the cat's "person". It just grated on me. One star.
Task=10
Review=5
Task Total= 15
Grand Total=45
B
I22
N38; N42
G
O
10.3 - G56 Get the giggles: HumorFour Aunties and a Wedding. Jesse Q. Sutanto
4.0/5.0 - This is Janet Evanovich at her best (interesting to note, she is the single author listed). It is a new series featuring a well-to-do 30 year old woman who is a recovery agent, and travels all over the world as a freelancer. A hurricane has devastated the small town her family lives in, and her grandmother tells her the ancestral ghost "Annie" has a plan to get the money to rebuild the town. The plan reunites Gabriela with her ex-husband, Rafer, and they set off on an adventure that is zany, dangerous, and fun to read about. Sparks fly, as do the bullets. Worth seeing what the next book in the series brings.
+10 - task
+ 5 - review
Post total: 15
Season total: 45
B:
I: 17
N:
G: 56
O: 71
10.4 N31 New to me author I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After by Skottie Young
This is a muffin-fluffing ridiculous graphic novel, and I really enjoyed it! (Just like The Good Place, salty language gets altered in Fairyland). For the past 27 years, Gertrude has been stuck in an 8-year-old body, trying to get home. And she is pissed. This is brimming with candy-colored hyper-violence, which at times became a little tedious because it was the only thing going on. But Darketh Deaddeath is hilarious and the ending of vol 1 was great. I’ll probably pick up the other volumes as palette cleansers between heavier fare.
+10 task
+5 review
Task total = 15
Season total = 60
B:11
I: 24
N: 31
G:47
O:
10.1 B9, MPE page count 100-199ExtraOrdinary by V.E. Schwab
Charlotte died in a wreck but the doctors were able to bring her back. When she came back, she began having disturbing visions. These visions take her life in a direction she never could have imagined. I don't want to give too much away so I'll stop there.
I didn't realize this was a story based in a world established in the Villains book series--it made sense as a standalone story and piqued my interest in starting the series.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Season total: 15
B 9
I
N
G
O
10.1 - B4 - Before: Historical FictionIn the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy L. Sayers
A book of short stories containing two Lord Peter Wimsey, five Montague Egg, and ten or so with no particular detective. I actually enjoyed the later ones more, because they were less predictable. Some of them had a supernatural element, real or feigned, and in some there was not really a crime at all. I preferred this to Hangman's Holiday, another collection of Sayers' short stories that I read recently.
+10 Task (9 shelvings)
+ 5 Oldies
+ 5 Review
Post Total = 20
Season Total = 20
10.2 - G51 - Glass Slipper, any retellingVinegar Girl by Anne Tyler
A retelling of The Taming of the Shrew - not that close to the play, but had a lot of funny moments and certainly works better for our times. Anne Tyler's Kate is not shrewish, just outspoken, and justifiably annoyed with her father and his research assistant. Pyotr was so sweet that I could believe the ending.
+10 Task
+ 5 Review
Post Total = 15
Season Total = 35
10.2 I16, Author name does not contain an "I"Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne
I love novels in verse and was excited to find this one nominated for a Goodreads Award. I put it off because it's shelved YA at BPL with no Lexile listing, so thanks again to the mods for ditching the Lexile requirement this season!
This coming of age story was so relatable--fickle friendships, the constant insecurity that comes with being a teenager, first kisses and first heartbreaks. From the point of view of an African-American girl who loves basketball, it's written with some slang and an occasional internal hip hop beat...I loved how the final line of each poem bled into the title of the next poem. While I've had a stronger affinity for other novels in verse (One, Death Coming Up the Hill, Clap When You Land most notably), this was by no means a disappointment.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Season total: 30
B 9
I 16
N
G
O
10.3 N35, NoirThe Good Asian, Vol. 1 by Pornsak Pichetshote
Set in San Francisco 1936, Edison Hark is the only Chinese member of the police department. Strange and gruesome murders are happening in Chinatown and Edison finds himself in the middle of a mystery that's a little too close to home.
The noir mood and gorgeous animation made this one of the best graphic novels I've read in a while...I'm dying to get my hands on Volume Two to see what happens next!
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Season total: 45
B 9
I 16
N 35
G
O
10.4 G52, Goodreads Choice Award winners and nomineesLook Mom I’m a Poet by Andrew Shaffer
This is "for fans of SNL’S DEEP THOUGHTS BY JACK HANDEY" which I adore--that kind of humor is right up my alley! This was a quick read that had me cracking up left and right. Sometimes humor books start to becoming a little grating after a while but this one never does...it could have gone longer and I wouldn't have been sad about it.
+10 Task, 2021 Poetry Nominee
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Season total: 60
B 9
I 16
N 35
G 52
O
10.5 O61, Opposite words in titleThe Wicked & the Divine, Vol. 4 by Kieron Gillen
I loved the idea of this series: we meet the pantheon in volume one; volume two gets a little murdery; volume three...jumped the shark. It was confusing and boring and the art was awful and I was ready to quit right there.
When researching which graphic novels I've missed out on this past year, I happened upon a review of volume four which made me think I'd give it a chance. So glad I did--this volume, while still a bit confusing (as the whole series has been), was far more enjoyable and moved the story along at a decent pace. Might actually stick around to see how this story wraps up.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+50 Bingo: B9, I16, N35, G52, O61
Task total: 65
Season total: 125
B 9
I 16
N 35
G 52
O 61
10.6 B12, Banned BooksThis One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
At first I was having a hard time choosing a book for this task--I've read most of the books on the first page of the "Banned Books" list and didn't really want to reread a book so was excited to run across this one. I was curious what in the world could be objectionable about a coming-of-age Caldecott winner. I guess teenagers having sex and getting pregnant (though it's all told in rumors and we never SEE anything) and the mention that lesbians exist is just too much for some very delicate sensibilities/overzealous censors. Maybe it was the kids watching R-rated horror movies *shrug*--there's no accounting for what's going to push the buttons of those crazy censors.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Season total: 140
B 9, 12
I 16
N 35
G 52
O 61
10.7 I17, Title word ends in -ingSleeping Beauties, Vol. 1 by Rio Youers
This is the graphic novel version of the Stephen King novel.
I've read another Stephen King graphic novel which was *fantastic* so I thought I'd give this one a go. Nope. Didn't work for me. The art was fine, but the story was so confusing! And yet--the misogyny that I've seen in pretty much every King book was still present. While I'm curious to see how this ends in volume two, I don't think I'm there for it--I just need to read the book because the premise is interesting enough but it did not work in this form for me.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Season total: 155
B 9, 12
I 16, 17
N 35
G 52
O 61
10. 8 N38, "NICKEL"Norse Mythology, Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman
I read this book when it first came out and thought it would have been so great as a graphic novel, then lo and behold! Here it is!
While some of the art succeeded better than others (there were several different artists for this series), it was great fun seeing the visual interpretation of the antics of the Norse gods told in the witty voice of Neil Gaiman.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Season total: 170
B 9, 12
I 16, 17
N 35, 38
G 52
O 61
10.9 G56, Get the giggles: humorDumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse by John Lithgow
I've had this on my TBR for a while because I love John Lithgow and now that the antics of the previous administration are no longer grabbing daily headlines I felt emotionally distanced enough from that dumpster fire to read this. It was smart. It was funny. Each poem focused on a different member of the administration and exposed their ugly underbelly. It retraumatized me a little and at times got bogged down by the subject matter, but overall I thought it was a success. Bonus: each poem has an illustration by the author and, who knew!?, Lithgow is a great cartoonist!
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Season total: 185
B 9, 12
I 16, 17
N 35, 38
G 52, 56
O 61
10.10 O74, Title has On, Off, Out, Over, OnlyThe One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Another novel in verse, this is told from the point of view of Ivan, a Silverback gorilla. Ivan is the main attraction at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, with shows at two, four, and seven, 365 days a year. Stella the elephant and Bob the dog are his best friends. Julia, the janitor's daughter, is an artist and so is Ivan. She sneaks crayons and paper to him so he can draw bananas. One day, Ruby, a baby elephant, joins the show and everything changes.
I loved this. It was a great story, made me tear up, highly recommended.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+50 Second Bingo: B12, I17, N38, G56, O74
Task total: 65
Season total: 250
B 9, 12
I 16, 17
N 35,38
G 52, 56
O 61, 74
10.1 O75 AgedThe Jesuits: A History from Ignatius to the Present by John W. O'Malley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W....
This is a brief but readable history of Jesuits. The history is long and complex. O’Malley is a sympathetic historian and makes it understandable for a general reader. I would have liked English translations of some of the Latin titles.
He includes a timeline and suggestions for further reading. Recommended for anyone curious about the Jesuits.
+10 task
+5 review
Task total: 15
Season total: 15
10.3 I17 - Title in word ends in -ingA Calamitous Chinese Killing by Shamini Flint
+10 Task
Task total = 10
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 30
10. 5 072 - Book set in Ontario (verified in General Q thread post 44)Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
This was a fast read for such a slow burn. I expected a lot more, but I’m not mad. This was a very quiet, slow book with surprisingly little conflict, given that the whole plot is a small community trying to survive a harsh winter. As horror or thriller, this doesn’t really work. There are a few bad dreams, a sense of foreboding, and then some quick drama, but there’s no rising tension, no suspense. It did however succeed in creating a sense of place, and communicating a deep love of family and community. The characters themselves are thin, but written with love. There are lots of little poignant domestic scenes.
+ 10 task
+ 5 review
+50 B11, I24, N31, G47, O72
Task total = 65
Season total = 125
B:11
I: 24
N: 31
G:47
O:72
10.4- B7 rating 4.0+The Ministry of Flowers by Andrea Witzke Slot
I've never been good at appreciating most poetry. Of course, I can admire the more popular verses and rhymes. But if the poems contain obscure references...to say, mythology, I'm lost. Here, the author does not make reference to mythology...but I still felt lost. I certainly came away respecting the sentiments of hope and impermanence. Several poems focus on how the human body functions...blood vessels, neurons and such. Caring for and losing an aged aunt is a theme of a few poems. Some very nice imagery...but, I can't say that I loved the experience. 3 stars
Task=10
Review=5
Task Total= 15
Grand Total=60
B7
I22
N38; N42
G
O
10.2 N42 New ReleaseNowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Cheryl Diamond
An amazing, hard-to-believe story of a life lived on the run. Cheryl grows up in a family that changes identities and countries for reasons the child does not understand. The family is isolated and cautious with outsiders. This is the story of a person emerging into the world and coming to understand it and herself and finding the courage to move forward.
The reader, Eileen Stevens, of the audio is excellent.
+10 task
+5 review
Task total: 15
Season total: 30
10.5 G47 GothicThe Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker
+ 10 task - on GR Best Gothic Novels list
+5 1997 or older - orginal publicattion date 1911
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 70
10.6 I21 INFLOW: first letter of title found in InflowFamily of Liars by E. Lockhart
+10 Task
Post total: 10
Season total: 80
10.1 - B10 Author born in the 10sJohn Caldigate by Anthony Trollope
This was much better than I expected, having left it to one of the last group of Trollope's novels I have not read. Two things are missing from this that I have come to expect in his better novels: a fox-hunting scene and multiple plot lines. Nope, no one goes hunting (although there is a short reference as to whether it is fair when the fox gets back to his covert) and there is but one plot.
John Caldigate misspent his youth during his college years and redeemed his inheritance to go to Australia and mine for gold. Much happened on the way and in Australia. But he had seen a young woman in Cambridge before he left and he kept her lovely vision with him while there, hoping to return home to marry her. I'll just say that the Australian gold fields weren't the best place for him to keep his eyes on that prize and his life there complicated his life when he returned to England.
In his autobiography, Trollope insists that novels should certainly have a plot, but that they be filled with characters you can recognize is of prime importance. He keeps to that belief here - John Caldigate himself and others. Also in his autobiography, he denies being a feminist and it is just as true that one would never believe in the possibility of his being one based on this novel alone. One woman is from the dance halls but who feeds a lust for gold in Australia, another is a very strong woman, but a goody-two-shoes at the same time, and the third woman is a religious fanatic who speaks of love but you can be assured she has no personal knowledge of what the word love means.
I can't believe I haven't read Trollope in two years! I have so very few of his novels remaining I almost think I might read his Palliser series again and maybe one or two others. We'll see. As much as I loved being back with Mr. Trollope, this isn't in his top tier. But neither is it the bottom of the barrel and I'm not ashamed of finding a 4th star.
+10 Task (born 1815)
+ 5 Big - 656 pgs
+ 5 Before 1997 (1879)
+ 5 Review
Task total = 25
EDIT: No title author, too funny! I added them. ;-)
10.4 N31 New to me authorThe Cartographers. Peng Shepherd
4.5/5.0 - Loved this book that takes place in the NYPL, and a tiny town in upstate NY. A group of cartographic students meet their freshman year at the UW, form a tiny friendship that lasts throughout their academic career, and spend the summer after their PhDs in a small town in the Catskills, after which their lives are never the same. Highly recommend!
+10 - task
+ 5 - review
Post total: 15
Season total: 60
B:
I: 17
N: 31
G: 56
O: 71
10.1 G-52 Goodreads Choice Award nomineeThe Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
Partly a lively 1950s road trip and partly a sensitive coming-of-age novel, "The Lincoln Highway" was always entertaining. 18-year-old Emmett has just been released from a juvenile work farm, and was driven back to his Nebraska home by the warden. His father recently died and the bank foreclosed on the farm. Emmett and his younger brother, Billy, are planning to make a fresh start by driving the Lincoln Highway to California to search for their mother who abandoned their family. Emmett gets a surprise when two of his bunkmates from the work farm show up. Duchess and Woolly had escaped by hitching a ride in the trunk of the warden's car, and they want to travel to New York to retrieve Woolly's trust fund. When they "borrow" Emmett's car, Emmett and Billy pursue them by hopping a freight train heading to New York - and their adventures begin!
Precocious eight-year-old Billy has packed his favorite book, "Professor Abacus Abernathe's Compendium of Heroes, Adventurers, and Other Intrepid Travelers." The book tells about both mythical and real heroes with some pages to write about your own adventure story. The four boys are thrust into a series of dangerous situations so Billy won't be lacking for story ideas.
The boys have had difficult childhoods partly due to parental failings or abandonment. They also had special people come into their young lives when they really needed help. A motley group of minor characters populates the novel - misfits, villains, and heroes on a smaller scale. The hope of a fresh start and the American dream of success (rags to riches) is on the boys' minds.
There is a strong sense of wonder and amazement, especially for Billy, as he has exciting new experiences and reads about thrilling adventures in his "Compendium." I had to occasionally suspend disbelief during this fast-paced adventure, but the excellent storytelling kept me quickly turning the pages. The nostalgic look at 1950s America, especially New York City, was also very enjoyable.
+10 task
+ 5 jumbo (576 pages)
+ 5 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 20
10.4 O66 - Title has a repeated wordSun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden
+10 Task
Task total = 10
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 40
10.1 - N36 Not a NovelThe Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben
+10 Task
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 10
10.1 I 22 Two word titleAcorna's Quest by Anne McCaffrey
Task +10
Oldies +5
Task total +15
B
I-I 22
N-
G-
O-
10.7 B15- Boxall's 1001 BooksThe Gathering by Anne Enright
+10 task
+50 first Bingo: B15, I19, N39, G50, O75
Post total: 60
Season total: 140
10.2 B7 Best BooksTiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by B.J. Fogg
10 pts 10.2 B7 Best Books
5 pts Review
Fogg presents a sensible way to create new habits by identifying the smallest step or change that can be made (flossing ONE tooth) and then tying that behavior to something else that you currently do. AFTER I . . ., I will (do habit). This seems like a good way to begin to
move towards goals without biting off more than can be accomplished.
Task Total: 15 pts
Season total: 30 pts
B4 B7
I
N
G
O
10.6 N45 set in NorwayThe Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn
Like other reviews say, this is a can’t-put-down read. It’s very atmospheric, and well written… stark and evocative. Allis is the insecure, unreliable narrator, ashamed of her recent past. She takes a job as live-in domestic help for a hot-but-brooding man with a sickly wife. She is constantly in her head, afraid of him but drawn to him. Sometimes the remote Norwegian setting is idyllic, sometimes the isolation is menacing. This book is mostly described as mystery and thriller, but I don’t think that quite fits. This is really Norwegian Gothic. It hits all the classic gothic beats in a modern way.
+10 task
+5 review
Task total = 15
Season total= 140
B:
I:
N: 45
G:
O:
10.5- B8- BrianDancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel
This is a wonderful musical play I saw performed many years ago and loved. I was surprised that a reading was just as good. It helped that I could recall the music and dancing from the performed version. Five sisters in their 30s and 20s barely surviving in Ballybeg Ireland in 1936. An aged uncle who has been a missionary in Africa has returned... but he's gone a bit batty and has adopted African beliefs. A wireless set brings music to the family...when its working. Add in the visiting Gerry... the rogue father of the son of one of the unwedded sisters. The son, now an adult, is the narrator as he remembers a magical time. Beautiful play. Five stars.
Task=10
Review=5
<1997= 5(1990)
Task Total= 20
Grand Total=80
+5.... just realized I forgot to give myself 5 points for post 16 being pre-1997
Grand total=85
B7; B8
I22
N38; N42
G
O
Post 17Kim wrote: "10.3 - G56 Get the giggles: HumorFour Aunties and a Wedding. Jesse Q. Sutanto
4.0/5.0 - This is Janet Evanovich at her best (interesting to note, she is the sin..."
This is the same book as your post 11, so I think a copy/paste error. Let us know what you meant here.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 17Kim wrote: "10.3 - G56 Get the giggles: HumorFour Aunties and a Wedding. Jesse Q. Sutanto
4.0/5.0 - This is Janet Evanovich at her best (interesting to n..."
So sorry, this should be The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich
10.1 B9 (MPE is 136 pages)Nightmare Alley by Spain Rodriguez
Review - After seeing the recent Oscar nominated movie and really enjoying it, I decided to seek out both the original novel and the graphic novel. This graphic novelization is interesting, but I can't say I enjoyed it. It's graphically sexual in a really unpleasant way, and it's hard to sympathize with any of the characters. But the biggest problem I had with this one was that there were sections that were almost incomprehensible - or would have been if I didn't already have familiarity with the plot from having seen the movie adaptation. I did really like the style of the art. Note : this graphic novelization is based on the original novel, not the movie which came out recently.
+10 task
+5 review
Task total = 15
Grand total = 15
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
When Bad Things Happen to Good People (other topics)The Lord Is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-third Psalm (other topics)
The Fairy Caravan (other topics)
Before the Coffee Gets Cold (other topics)
Fascination In France (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Harold S. Kushner (other topics)Beatrix Potter (other topics)
Toshikazu Kawaguchi (other topics)
Barbara Cartland (other topics)
C.J. Sansom (other topics)
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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
15.11 G60 - Book pub'd in the 60s
Long Summer Day by R.F. Delderfield
Short Review
+15 Task (pub'd 1966)
+ 5 Jumbo (576 pgs)
+ 5 Oldies
+ 5 Review
Task total = 30
+50 Bingo: First Bingo; N43, B2, I16, O75, G60
Post Total: 80
Season Total: 200 (assuming a previous total of 120)