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Task 20.4 Literature Map (Fall 2010, 10.2)
I used Nevil Shute

Legacy: A Novel by James A. Michener

The book opens with Major Norman Starr troubled with the thought of having to appear before a congressional committee about one of his covert actions in serving his country in the Army. For most the book, Major Norman Starr pondered on the history of his family, 5-6 generations back, on each individual who had taken it on to see that the Constitution of the United States is being held up rightly. This book has a very patriotic voice, of keeping true to the Constitution and unity of the states. It encourages for action to be taken, if something has veered off from the spirit of the Constitution but also to utilise these laws that were put in place as they were meant to.

+20 Task
+5 Oldies (pub. 1987)
Task total: 25 points
Grand Total: 25 points

10.2 Underrated

The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding

Review

+10 Task (51 ratings)
+ 5 Oldies 1937-87 (pub.1947)

Task total = 15

Grand total = 105

Yet another 'underrated'! But next on my pile is Frankenstein ...

20.10 - Modernly
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.7, 20.8 - appeared as a 3 part series in "Blackwood's Magazine" in 1899)
+10 LiT
+10 Oldie

Task Total: 50

Grand Total: 70

20.8: Serially (repeat)

The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

+20 Task (serialized from Sept 1914 to May 1915 in The Strand Magazine , )
+10 Combo (10.7, 20.9: father to Adrian Conan Doyle)
+10 Oldies (published 1915)

Task Total: 40

Grand Total: 125

Christin wrote: "20.10 - Modernly
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.7, 20.8 - appeared as a 3 part series in "Blackwood's Magazine" in 1899)
+10 LiT
+10 Oldie

Task Total: 50

Grand Total: 70"

+5 combo points for 20.9 - Fatherly

Sara Grace ('00-'05) wrote: "You can just add me to the board as Sara Grace. Realized that I haven't done one of these challenges since Winter 2011/12! Time to get back to it!

20.7 - A Poet's Non-Poetry

All the King’s Men..."

The most popular edition of this book only has 438 pages, so no jumbo points on this one.

Liz M wrote: "Christin wrote: "20.10 - Modernly
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.7, 20.8 - appeared as a 3 part series in "Blackwood's Magazine" in 1899)
+10 LiT
+10 Oldie

Task Total: ..."

Thanks for catching that Liz!

From our FAQ

Different editions of books have widely different number of pages, and ebooks and audiobooks may not have pages at all. How do you determine page count for the 100 page minimum and for awarding Jumbo points?
In the interest of fairness, members that read the same book should receive the same amount of jumbo style points, no matter which edition is used. We will use the most popular print edition to determine page count. For poetry collections, we will use the number of pages of the edition read. For ebooks that do not have a print edition, eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

20.4 Lit Map - Susan Wittig Albert
The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman

It was sad to read this. It was the last in the highly rated Lt Leaphorn, & Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police mysteries that was written before he passed.
RIP to a great author, war hero and honorary Navajo.

+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Combo (20.2 - won an Edgar for Best novel in 1974 & nominated for the award in 1971, 1972,1979, 1989, 20.6 - Alliteration)

Task Total - 30 pts
Grand Total - 55 pts

Don wrote: "TASK 10.1 Square Peg

Night by Elie Wiesel, published 1958, translated by Marion Wiesel

+10 Task, square peg
+5 Oldie, (1937-1987)
+10 Originally written in french
+10 Not a novel..."

Brooklyn Public Library classifies this as YA and it has a Lexile score of 590; it is not eligible for style points.

Task 20.3 We read - epistolary novel

The House I Loved (2012) by Tatiana de Rosnay

+ 20 Task

Task total: +20

Grand Total: 45 + 20 = 65

Review: I read this one because Tatiana de Rosnay other novel, Sarah’s Key got good reviews. Sarah’s Key sounded like it would be very depressing. This one sounded more upbeat, so I gave it a try to see how Tatiana de Rosnay tells a story. The overall concept was good: this is a novel about one elderly woman in the 1860s and her resistance to the building project of Napoleon III in Paris. Old houses (including hers) were to be bulldozed and replaced with broad, spacious boulevards.

The narrative is one long letter that the elderly woman writes to her deceased husband while she is waiting for her house to be flattened. (The first two words of the novel are: “My beloved, �..�. p. 21: “I am afraid. Not afraid of the end, my love. Afraid of all I need to tell you in this letter.�) Occasionally, the reader gets a different point of view as she re-reads a letter or two from him as well as from other family members.

The execution of this novel doesn’t work. The woman has to put events and thoughts into her letter that is difficult to believe that a woman in her situation would write about. (However, unless she did that, the reader would not have a comprehensible story to read.) Not recommended --- though it would be an OK “waiting room� read, easy to pick up and put down, and no big deal if you don’t finish it.

10.2 Underrated

The Complete Book of Oscar Fashion: Variety's 75 Years of Glamour on the Red Carpet by Reeve Chace

19 ratings

+10 task
+10 Not a Novel

Task Total: 20 points
Grand Total: 35 points

20.2 - Scandinavian Noir

Vane Pursuit by Charlotte MacLeod

Charlotte MacLeod was an Edgar Nominee 1988.

+20 Task (Edgar Awards author)
+5 Combo (10.2 - Underrated) - 135 ratings

Task Total: 25 points

--------------

20.6 - Alliteration

A Pinch of Poison by Claudia Bishop

+20 Task (P's)
+5 Combo (10.2 Underrated) - 91 ratings

Task Total 25 points
Grand Total: 50

TDOS

15.5 The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
5-stars by Elizabeth (Alaska) & Anika

+30 task

Grand Total: 105 points

TdS Task

15.1 (1st Book) Rated 5 stars by Lisa Sokol & Sandy

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 65

15.1 1st Book five stars by Jayme VA and Joanna
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
I agree with the 5 star rating

+15 Task
Previous Total: 85
Grand Total: 100

TDoS

15.1 - 1st book 5-stars by Elizabeth George and Emilia
City of Thieves by David Benioff

Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 35

Christin wrote: "20.10 - Modernly
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.7, 20.8 - appeared as a 3 part series in "Blackwood's Magazine" in 1899)
+10 LiT
+10 Oldie

Task Total: 50

Grand Total: 70"

Did you read this in a language other than English? As far as I can tell it was originally written in English & LiT does not apply to the English edition.

Don wrote: "Ok, I will take it off my totals. I never even thought to check this as YA since it was obviously not written as a YA by the author. ..."

Don, you can use YA books for RwS 10 & 20 tasks for TASK points, they just don't earn the extra style points. So, you could use Night for 10.1 Square Peg & earn the 10 points if you like.

At the moment, I am not including this book/task in your totals, as indicated in the edited post 65. If you would like to use this book for 10 points for the Square Peg task, please make a new new post.

Thanks!

10.5 Teddy Bear's Picnic

+ 10 task
+5 combo Scandinavian Noir
+10 Lost In Translation

Task Total: 25 points
Grand Total: 60 points

Ps : Grrr my copy was 841 pages but noooo no jumbo points for me :P

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Rachelccameron wrote: "10.5 Teddy Bear's Picnic

+ 10 task
+5 combo Scandinavian Noir
+10 Lost In Translation

Task Total: 25 points
Grand Total: 60 points

Ps : Grrr my copy was 841 pages but noooo no jumbo points for ..."

For what book?

10.2 Underrated
Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider by Ellen Maze

+10 task

task total: 10 points
grand total: 25 points

Liz M wrote: "Christin wrote: "20.10 - Modernly
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.7, 20.8 - appeared as a 3 part series in "Blackwood's Magazine" in 1899)
+10 LiT
+10 Oldie

Task Total: ..."

Don't know how I made that mistake! Went back and looked at the wikipedia page and I guess I mixed up the fact that Conrad is not from Britain and when it talked about translations...Thanks for the catch!

20.3 - We Read

The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson
+20 Task

Task Total: 20

Grand Total: 85

10.4 Hot Summer Nights

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Had to give this 5 stars for imagination, excessively romantic language and all round bizarreness. Victor Frankenstein has to be one of the most self-centred anti-heroes ever created!

+10 Task (I think it's on all three lists)
+10 Combo (20.3 told in letters from Captain Walton to his sister ; 20.9 Mary Shelley's father was William Godwin )
+15 Oldies 1762-1861 (pub.1818)

Task total = 35

Grand total = 140

10.5 -- Teddy Bear's Picnic


God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater or Pearls Before Swine by Kurt Vonnegut

+10 task (Retro Summer Reading list)
+5 combo (20.9 Fatherly Kurt Vonnegut father of Mark Vonnegut)
+5 Oldies (published 1965)

Task total=20
Grand total=60

20.4 Literature Map
(original author: Alexander McCall Smith)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

+20 task
+5 combo (10.9 I Scream, You Scream)

Task Total = 25 pts

Grand Total = 40 pts

15.6 TDoS

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak



5-star rated by Best and Jayme VA

Task Total = 30

Grand Total = 135

10.3 On the Road!

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

+10 task
+5 Combo (20.9-father of Christopher Tolkien)
+5 Oldies (pub 1955)

20.2 Edgar Award-winning Authors

Rat Race by Dick Francis

+20 Task-Dick Francis won the award in 1970
+10 Combo (20.6, 20.9-father of Felix Francis

Post Total: 50
Season Total: 95

Kate S wrote: "10.3 On the Road!

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

+10 Task (10.7-British, died in 1973..."

They have to have died before 1962, Kate! Sorry.

ETA: I bet you are thinking of the first draft of the task that only the moderators saw! ;-)

10.2 Underrated

Das Vermächtnis der Amazonen by Birgit Fiolka

+10 Task (1 rating)
+5 Jumbo (524 pages)

Post Total: 15
Grand Total: 30

Liz M wrote: "Rachelccameron wrote: "10.5 Teddy Bear's Picnic

Oops my bad sorry I fixed it.
The book and author is just added to the bottom of the post

RwS Task

10.3 - Road trip!

Travel by car, foot and bike all over Maui with the young hero searching for his family's roots:

The Maui Quest by D.W.M. Beck

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of reading The Maui Quest by D. V. M. Beck which actually stands for two of our very own GHHS students and their mom, Dirk, Wolfgang and Mimmi Beck. The book is described as a "thriller-travelogue, and that was one of my favorite things about the book. It was a genre of it's own. The plot and fictional characters were enjoyable and everything flowed along to a logical conclusion with plenty of action and tension. The background story was interwoven, but was written more like nonfiction, hence the "travelogue" part of the description comes into play. I really enjoyed the way this technique gave the reader the facts about Maui's history, religions, culture and geography just at the points where those facts were needed without taking too much time away from the plot and the young hero Kai and his journey of discovery. I've never been to Hawaii and yet I could picture everything. I'm eager to go like the Facebook page and see the actual pictures of the locations! The writing is solid and enjoyable and I recommend you take this journey to Maui!

+10 Task (no lexile available)
Task Total: 10 points
Grand Total: 75

Ten Degrees of Separation

15.4 - 4th book
5 stars by Jayme VA and Jayme (the ghost reader)
Marley and Me by John Grogan

Made me laugh and cry. There is no way I could handle life with this kind of dog but it was lovely to meet him within the pages of a book.

+20 task

Grand total = 160

Anika wrote: "15.6 TDoS

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak



5-star rated by Best and Jayme VA

Task Total = 30

Grand Total = 135"

Unfortunately, The Book Thief is a YA book with a Lexile score of 730 and does not qualify for the TDoS subchallenge.

20.2 Edgar Award

This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart
+20 Task
+5 Oldie (1964)

Task Total: 25

Grand Total: 110

TDoS

15.6 Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
5-stars by Anika & Joanna

+30 task

Grand Total: 135 points

Task 10.3 Road trip!

Three Men in a Boat (1889) by Jerome K. Jerome
Review: Three young British men take a break from their life in London by taking a boat trip on the River Thames from Kingston to Oxford (map provided at the front of the book in my edition). During the first couple of chapters, they prepare for the trip; during the rest of the novel, they take their boat up the Thames, seeing the sights and having unusual comedic mishaps. I found it to be mildly amusing. I’m planning to read Connie Willis� novel To Say Nothing of the Dog starting this week, which supposedly references Three Men in a Boat, so I decided to read Three Men in a Boat first. Recommended for those who are planning to read Connie Willis� novel To Say Nothing of the Dog; and, recommended for those who enjoy wry British humor.

For Combo 10.7: Author: 1. Died before 1-June-1962 2. Born non-USA 3. Male
Jerome K. Jerome
Born: May 02, 1859 in Walsall, Staffordshire, The United Kingdom
Died: June 14, 1927

+ 10 Task
+ 05 Style: 1. Combo (5 points): 10.7
+ 10 Style: 4. Oldies - 76 to 150 years old: 10 points (1862-1936)

Task Total: 10 + 05 + 10 = 25

Grand Total: 65 + 25 = 90

20.9 Fatherly (repeat)

His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle

+20 Task (father to Adrian Conan Doyle)
+5 Combo (10.7)
+10 Not-A-Novel (short stories)
+10 (published 1917)

Task Total: 45

Grand Total: 170

Task 20.8 - originally published in a serialized format

Triggers(2012) by Robert J. Sawyer (Hardcover, 352 pages)


Scroll down to “serials�. Triggers was originally published in four parts:
January/February; March; April; May 2012 issues of Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine.

+ 20 Task
+ 05 Style: 1. Combo (5 points): 10.2 Underrated (174 ratings on 06-09-12)

Task Total: 20 + 05 = 25

Grand Total: 90 + 25 = 115

Review: Wow! The premise: Dr. Ranjip Singh is experimenting with a device that can erase traumatic memories. An electromagnetic pulse generated by a terrorist bomb has amplified and scrambled Dr. Singh's equipment, allowing a random group of people to access one another's minds, including the President of the United States (who was in the hospital recovering from an assassin’s bullet). The execution: every person has access to one mind in the group; and, a different person has access to his/her mind. Sawyer explores the consequences of this, spread out over different people with their own goals and outlooks on life. The ending makes sense and is a satisfactory conclusion for the novel. Recommended for anyone who likes science fiction.

15.1 - TDoS 1st Book
5-stars by Cheli and Kathleen

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

+15 Task

Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 35

20.4 Literature Map (I used Charles Finch)

Payment In Blood by Elizabeth George

Second book in the series. I had a hard time warming up to this book, as I did the first book in the series. For both, it is about half-way through that I become addicted and can't stop reading.

I think it is the relationship between Lynley and Havers that I find so interesting as it is not what one normally finds in standard mystery books. The actual mystery is almost secondary.

Task Total = 20
Grand Total = 40

At this rate, I may win for least avg. points per completed task! :D

20.4 Literature Map (Michael Crichton)

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

+20 Task
+5 Combo (20.8)
+10 Oldies (1930)

20.8 Serially

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

+20 Task
+5 Jumbo (528 pages)
+5 Combo (10.7-male, died 1901, from UK)
+10 Oldies (1868)

20.9 Fatherly

The Green Man by Kingsley Amis

+20 Task (father of Martin Amis)
+5 Oldies (1969)

Post Total: 100
Season Total:

TDoS

15.1 Feed by Mira Grant
5 Stars by Amy W and Katy Wischow

+15 task


15.2 Pirate King by Laurie R. King
5 Stars by Katy Wischow and Lisa Sokol

+20 task

Total points 35

RwS

10.2 Underrated Truth and Bright Water: A Novel by Thomas King 232 ratings

+10 task

10.6 O Canada! The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt Shortlisted for the 2011 Giller

+10 task

Total this post 20

Total points 55

RwS

20.8 Serially Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente
First published in three parts in Clarkesworld Magazine

+20 task
+10 combo (20.7 has published 5 books of poetry, 10.2 119 ratings)

Task total 30

Total points 85

Deedee wrote: "Task 10.3 Road trip!

Three Men in a Boat (1889) by Jerome K. Jerome
Review: Three young British men take a break from their life in London by taking a boat trip on the River Thames from Kingston..."

I'm sorry, Deedee, this doesn't qualify for Road Trip. Over in the task thread, Liz addressed the issue of the journey needing to be by road. See: Liz's comments on "journey" . Fortunately you have posted combo points. Let us know if you would like to move this to 10.7 Past is a Different Country.

nsfancy wrote: "RwS

20.8 Serially Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente
First published in three parts in Clarkesworld Magazine

+20 task
+5 combo (20.7 ..."

+5 combo for Underrated (for one of my favorite books by her!)

10.7 The Past is a Foreign Country

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

+10 Task (Scottish man, died 7/7/1930)
+5 Combo (20.9 father to Adrian Conan Doyle)
+10 Not-a-Novel (short stories)
+10 Oldies (published 1921)

Task Total: 35
Total Points: 205

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Deedee wrote: "Task 10.3 Road trip!

Three Men in a Boat (1889) by Jerome K. Jerome
Review: Three young British men take a break from their life in London by taking a boat trip on the River Thame..."

Oops, sorry! Please move Three Men in a Boat to 10.7; and my adjusted total is now:

115 - 05 = 110