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Spring 2013 Rws Completed Tasks - Spring 2013
That's Sooo 20th Century sample post:20th Century - Chronologician
15.4 - How Late It Was, How Late by James Kelman, pub. 1994
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task Total: 25 points
Grand Total: 460 points
(This assumes mid-challenge, and that you had previously posted 435 points)
20.5 EmmaWhere'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Bernadette has disappeared. Her daughter, Bee, is determined to find out where she is. Bee has a pile of "evidence" (emails, receipts, official reports, etc) that she's sorting through and trying to make sense of in order to create a trail that will eventually lead to her mother.
I adored this book! Couldn't put it down, devoured the whole thing in one red-eye flight. While many of the situations seem positively outlandish, the writer is so deft in her set-up that you accept everything as absolutely believable. I adored the characters, most of all Bernadette. I wish she was real and that I could be her friend. Two thumbs way, way up.
+20 Task (main character=Bernadette)
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 30
(I realize that not all of the tasks have been listed yet so there may be Combo points that I miss, but I'm not in front of a computer often and the review is so much easier to do on here than from my iphone that I couldn't pass up the chance to get this one posted.)
Task 20.5: Female Author with Single Female Main CharacterI read Unshaken by Francine Rivers
REVIEW: This is the third book in a five book series about women in the Bible. These women are all in the lineage of Jesus Christ. I'm enjoying these novellas and Rivers' writing. This is the first of hers I have read. The main thing that I enjoy is that these books are written from the woman's perspective. Ruth's explains her thoughts and feelings about Naomi, Boaz, and being grafted into the family of God. I've read this Bible story many times, but Rivers does a good job of putting the reader inside the mind of the character and explaining things from the inside out. I would certainly recommend these books to anyone seeking to know these women better and I have added some of her other works to my TBR shelf.
+20: task
+10: review
+30: TOTAL
RwS TOTAL: +45
Chronologician Task 15.1: 1964I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (Lexile score 810)
+15: task
RwS Total: 15
20th Century - Chronologician15.1 from 1990 / adult
The Dreaming Place by Charles de Lint
+15 Task
Grand Total: 15
20th Century - Chronologician15.1 Sunrise on the Mediterranean by Suzanne Frank � pub. 1999
+15 Task
Task Total = 15 points
Grand Total = 15 points
20th Century - Chronologician15.1 - A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle - pub. 1989
+15 Task
Task Total = 15 points
Grand Total = 15 points
20th Century - Chronologician15.1 - Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee published 1989
+15 task
Task Total: 15 points
Grand Total: 15 points
20th Century - Chronologician15.2 We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Published 1991 / Lexile 870
+15 Points
+10 Bonus
Task Total:25
Grand Total: 40
Karen GHHS wrote: "20th Century - ChronologicianWe All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Published 1991 / Lexile 870
+15 Points
+10 Bonus
Task Total:25
Grand Total: 40"
It looks like this is your 2nd task in 20th Century - 15.2
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "20th Century - ChronologicianWe All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Published 1991 / Lexile 870
+15 Points
+10 Bonus
Task Total:25
Grand Total: 40"
It looks like this is your 2..."
Oops! Fixed it. Thank you!
10.6 The Ides of MarchThe Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
I really liked The Postman Always Rings Twice and am surprised I've never read it. I think I had this book confused with an old Audrey Hepburn movie thriller that I couldn't remember the name of, so I thought I knew the story and so never read it( my husband has now told me the movie I was thinking of was "Wait Until Dark"). This book fit the Ides of March task so well because you definitely knew murder was going to occur and who the murderers were. The surprises were in the unraveling of the murderer's stories. I also enjoyed the cat theme that recurred throughout. There's actually a song "The Cat Came Back" which involves a cat being killed and coming back the very next day. I think I like the noir books because they don't spend too much time on the romance, Which is just not my favorite. I also enjoy courtroom drama, so I ended up really glad to have read this one!
+10 Task: Shelved murder more than 5 times and not mystery at BPL
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (1934)
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 70
20th Century - Chronologician15.2 Well-Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George, pub. 1990
+15 task
+10 bonus
Task Total = 25 points
Grand Total = 40 points
Task: 10.5 - In honor of April’s Global Youth Service Day, read a book by an author that has received a Common Wealth Award in the literature categoryFalling Man (�, 03 Mar '13) by Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo received this award in 2009
Review
I made it through this book but barely. The story set on September 11, the day of WTC attacks, and the days and years after, outlines the effects that the single day had on the lives of people who live with the burden of having survived that day.
A very promising premise but the story falls through like a dead weight. The characters are flat, the storyline fractured; in a span of two pages the author skips from one scene to another and then yet another one. At times I had to struggle to understand which characters the pronouns were referring to.
Keith is the survivor that day, having walked through the rubble and emerging from smoke and ash with a briefcase in his hand. Then follows a short fling with the woman to whom the briefcase belonged. Then there is Lianne, Keith’s wife, who struggles to come to terms with the feelings that the day has instilled in her heart. Finally there is Justin, the couple’s son, who scans the skies for more planes that may be coming in.
But none of these characters have any traits worth remembering. Their stories are disjointed. Perhaps that was the intention of the author; to convey chaos, confusion, dejection and despair, but such narrative never finds much favor with me and I couldn’t wait to put down this book so that I could read something else, anything else.
I have read White Noise by Don DeLillo before, and I remember enjoying the post-modern take on things. But this book was a disappointment. A major disappointment.
Would I recommend it to anyone? No. There are definitely other books vying for your attention. Choose one of them instead.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 20
10.8 Time for DinnerMrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Well, first of all, I thought this was about a Mrs. Dalloway. It isn't, although she is one of the several main characters. It is more about class in English society. Woolf doesn't hit us over the head with it, just shows us that perhaps class and "society" isn't what is needed. She doesn't quite sneer, but comes pretty close.
First published in 1925, this takes place on a day about 5 years after WWI. Woolf draws our attention to the (apparently) unconsidered delayed after effects of what was then called shell shock, now called PTSD. Woolf wants us to have a societal conscience. I want to read more Woolf, but especially more about Woolf.
My first Woolf was also her first. This is my second and hers a bit later. Still, I would not call her style stream of consciousness - at least not yet. Yes, it seems almost entirely interior dialogue, but there is still some structure. And, even though interior dialogue, told in the third person. I don't know about you, but my interior dialogue about myself and experiences is usually first person.
Lastly, for some reason this is #32 on the GR listopia, Food Related Fiction. Not sure how it got on that list, but as I missed this being about Mrs. Dalloway as the only main character for a task for this quarter's challenge, I'll take it.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Oldies
Task Total = 30
20th Century - Chronologician15.1 - An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender
published 2000
+15 Task
I know that reviews aren't needed for the 20th Century posts, but I loved this book. Recommended to anyone who likes whimsical, magical, oddball characters. But not to anyone who wants certainty and resolved endings.
Task total: 15
Grand total: 15
20th Century-Chronologician15.2 Looking for a Ship by John McPhee Published 1990
My Review
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 40
20.5 - In honor of Emma...The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 20
20.3 Pride and Prejudice- most beloved bookPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Review
What can one say in a review of Pride and Prejudice ? The name and description of this task tells you that not only is it a highly rated book but one of the most well-known books of all time and that has kept its place in the “best book ever� category two centuries despite the likes of Mark Twain and Charles Dickens� harsh criticism of Jane Austen’s novels.
So I will review the audio book I listened to for this task. For most books with a definite setting with definite accents, I prefer Audio books. It is a great enjoyment for me to listen to an excellent reader who can make the characters distinguishable by using different voices and to hear it in the accent the character s would actually have used. It is like chocolate cake for the ears. So Dickens, Austen and the Bronte sisters are always in the “Must get the audio� list.
When I buy an audible book, I’ve learned to listen to samples first. There is nothing as disappointing as buying and downloading a book and only to find the reader is as flat and dull as dry paper or of such an annoying pitch that you are reminded of a dentist’s drill. Having to take a breath after every few words is unacceptable to me as well. Two of my favorite readers for books of this genre are Nadia May and Juliet Stevenson but I took a listen to the sample read by Emma Messenger and liked it. I was very pleased with her rendition. She would never have had to read, “Elizabeth said,� “Mr. Darcy said�, “Mrs. Bennet said�, as I would have been able to tell from the great variety of voices she used, with a specific one for each character. Of course the British accent sounded perfect and I almost felt as if a friend of the Bennets was relating to me their story, if not the characters themselves.
It has been more than three decades since I last read this book and I was so delighted to hear the details again of what makes the book so special. I was reminded of Mr. Bennet’s unique view of his family, the supercilious Mr. Collins and peculiar personalities of the younger Bennet girls. The language is beauty in itself. Too bad we are too rushed nowadays to speak a thesaurus of 3- 4 syllable words. Happy Bicentennial, P & P!
+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Combo (20.1 - obviously!:-), 20.2 - made into movie)
+10 pts - Review
+15 pts - Oldies (1813)
Task Total - 55 pts
Grand Total - 55 pts
20.8 - PresidentiallyThe Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers by Harry Bernstein
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo (10.2 - memoir shelved in the biography section of BPL)
Task total=25
Grand total=25
20.5 - EmmaAt Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost
I love Cat and Bones when they're fighting together but this book is the start of them fighting each other all jealous-like. Bones' tiffs are reasonable but Cat gets huffy whenever she learns he had sex with this or that woman. He's 250 years old and you've only been together with him for a year... did you really think he would be chaste?
The plot was slow until about 40% in and then things picked up wonderfully. The fight scenes are well written, though I'd appreciate it if Cat had a little more trouble killing something once in a while, to add some variety if nothing else.
A solid but not amazing addition to the series.
+20 task (female author, female first person narrator)
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 30
10.1 Square PegPeace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh
+10 task
+10 Asian (Vietnamese) author
Task total: 20
Challenge total: 20
20.5 - In honor of EmmaRuby Red by Kerstin Gier
Written by female author Kerstin Gier, this book centers around Gwendolyn Shephard (and it is told from her point of view).
+ 20 Task
Grand Total: 20
20th Century - Chronologician15.1 - The Praise Singer by Mary Renault published 1978
+15 task
Task Total: 15 points
Grand Total: 00 + 15 = 15
10.1 Square PegReady Player One by Ernest Cline
Authour Ernest Cline takes the reader on a wild 'geeky' ride through 2044 where the Global Energy Crisis has made the world an awful place, but most people can escape, be educated and be employed in the virtual world - OASIS - created over decades by James Halliday. When Halliday dies, he leaves a will inviting anyone and everyone to join in a complex 'easter egg' hunt in OASIS. The first to find the 'egg' will be the new owner/controller of the OASIS virtual world. The clues to the hunt are all wrapped up in 80s pop culture references - movies, music, video games and TV shows. The young protagonist, Wade (aka Parzival), jumps into the hunt.
This book is a beach read for 'geeks' and fans of 80s pop culture. I thoroughly enjoyed the book while reading it and I found some of his pop culture references nostalgic, but ultimately it is a bit of fluff. One nitpick I have with the premise of the story: If the world has suffered a Global Energy Crisis, how can so many people be 'jacked in' to the sophisticated virtual world of OASIS which would be a HUGE energy draw to run?? Hmmmm.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task total: +20
Grand total : +35
20.5 In Honour of EmmaTrace by Patricia Cornwell
+20 task
+5 combo (10.6 For the Ides of March)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 25
20.9 HereticallyMeditations on First Philosophy: In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction of the Soul from the Body Are Demonstrated by René Descartes
+20 task
+20 oldies (first published 1641)
Task total: 40 points
Grand total: 40
10.4 Irish born authourSaint Joan: A Chronicle Play in Six Scenes & an Epilogue by George Bernard Shaw
REVIEW:
This is a fascinating play and very insightful into how Shaw thought. It is his only tragedy but by his own words: "There are no villains in this piece." Many call it his best work.
When this play was published in 1924, Shaw added an extensive, dense 50 page preface in which he spells out his rationalization for how he came about creating his character of Joan and her detractors and other elements in the play. It is a marvelous insight into his thinking and philosophy and is filled with his sarcasm and wit. However, I recommend reading the play first and then returning to the 'meaty' preface afterwards.
The play itself is lengthy and somber, but not with out Shaw's trademark humour, especially in the first Act. Shaw's Joan is a stubborn, determined young woman who's deep religious faith confounds her detractors. There are plenty of detractors - Earl of Warwick, the Bishop of Beauvais (Cauchon), and the Inquisitor to name a few. Shaw omits the staging of any action packed set pieces - there are no battle scenes; nor the coronation of the Dauphin to King Charles VII; nor do we see the burning of Joan at the stake. However it is a lengthy play as it's running time is 3 1/2 hours according to the Preface. Some have tried to shorten the play by removing the Epilogue in which Joan and her detractors appear before King Charles VII in a dream and it is revealed to her critics that she is now St. Joan. Shaw condemns the omission of the Epilogue in his preface. I do see how the omission of the Epilogue may seem logical to some, however the act of canonizing Joan spurred Shaw to write this play; so to omit his Epilogue is to strip much of Shaw's message from it.
I enjoyed the play and hope some day to see it performed.
+10 Task
+10 Reveiw
+10 Oldie (published 1924)
Task total: 30
Grand total: 60
20th Century - Chronologician15.1 - The South by Colm TóibÃn, pub. 1990
+15 task
Task Total=15
Grand Total=40
Task 20.5 - In honor of Emma, read a book written by a woman with a single female narrator/main character.The Alchemy of Murder (Nellie Bly #1) (2010) by Carol McCleary
Review: This is the first in a series of mysteries starring Nellie Bly. Nellie is the first-person narrator for 98% of the novel, so it fits this task.
What I liked: There are several historical characters in this novel, acting more or less the way the real life characters would have acted. These include: Jules Verne, Oscar Wilde, Louie Pasteur, and, of course, Nellie Bly. The book is set in Paris, France, during the 1890 International Exhibition (the one the Eiffel Tower was built for). The author includes numerous info-dumps on the real-life historical characters and on life in 1890 Paris. And, at the end, (view spoiler).
The problems in the novel: The author tells you everything � she very rarely even tries to “show�. The underlying mystery was weak. The ending felt rushed because the majority of action occurred in the last 50 pages.
Overall: I liked the novel. The info dumps were interesting. And, I liked reading about Jules Verne and Oscar Wilde walking around and interacting with Parisian life. I’d pick up #2 in the series “one of these days�.
+ 20 Task
+10 Style:3. Review (10 points)
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 15 + 30 = 45
20.5 - In honor of Emma...Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 40
10.2 Memory DayThe Orchard: A Memoir by Theresa Weir
Between this and the other memoir I'm reading for a different task, I'm reminded how real life can be far more wondrous than fiction. The things that this woman goes through reminded me in parts of The Glass Castle and other parts a twisted version of Snow White, with a Prince on a horse, a sinister and cruel "mother" figure (in this case, it's both birth mother and mother-in-law that fit the bill), and a poisoned apple.
I don't think I would have picked this book up based on the jacket (the blurbs on the back were written by two authors I don't particularly care for and I wasn't drawn in by the front jacket summary), but my sister had gotten a huge stack from the library and told me to take one. This was the only one that fit any of the tasks. So glad I chose to read it! Couldn't put it down. Read it all in one sitting.
+10 Task ()
+10 Combo (10.3: The+Orchard; 20.5: written by a woman, main character/narrator is a woman)
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 70
10.2 Memory DayEx Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
+10 Task (Biography at BPL)
+5 Combo (20.5 written & narrated by a woman)
Task Total = 15
Grand Total = 15
10.6 Ides of March-
by Patrick SuskindTask +10
Review +10
Style +5 Oldies-published 1986
Total: 25
10.8 Spell it outAlias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Review
It is the dawning of society’s change in view of mental health and the criminal mind. New ideas such as Alienists, Mesmerism and Psychoanalyst are making a debut. Dr. Jordan attempts to delve into the psyche of Grace Marks, an accused murderess at the age of 16. Grace is an Irish immigrant who has lost all of her family and has made her way as a household servant. Allegedly with the help of a fellow servant who was enamored with her, she killed the housekeeper and the master of the household in which she was employed. Grace has absolutely no memory of such crucial moments , supported by a following that staunchly hold she is innocent. In the course of his psychoanalysis of Grace, Dr Jordan himself descends into his own perverse sub conscious thoughts. The story is based on a true case that transpired in Canada in the mid 19th century. The story is fascinating, the characters complex and the archetypes of Freudian’s sex, regression, violence and amnesia fill the plot with substance.
+10 Task (Margaret Atwood)
+ 5 Combo (10.6)
+ 10 Review
+ 5 Jumbo (636 pgs)
Task Total - 30 pts
Grand Total - 85 pts
20.5 - In honor of EmmaLet the Northern Lights Erase Your Nameby Vendela Vida
Clarissa has grown up with a father who turns out not to be her birth father, so she is devastated by two losses when he dies. She loses him and her "name" and feels totally adrift. Her mother had already abandoned them when she was fourteen. So begins Clarissa's journey; a search for her mother and the truth of her birth which is poignantly written and beautifully set in Scandanavia in view of the Northern Lights. I learned of the Sami people, the native people who have had to work to preserve their way of life. The title, in fact, is credited by Vida to a Sami poet, Marry Ailoniedia Somby. Clarissa's journey broke my heart, but was also ultimately uplifting.
+20 Task: written by Vendela Vida and narrated by Clarissa
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 100
20.1 Jane Austen's LifetimeMemoirs of an Egotist by Stendhal
This little book ended much better than it began. That may be only because as I got to know the man better the more I wanted to know. And, unfortunately, this is an unfinished memoir. Stendhal intended to give an account of his life in Paris between 1821 and 1831. There were a few references to the later years, but most of the commentary focused on the very early years of 1821-1824.
This edition has a very good introduction by the translator. I learned some background of Stendhal that was not revealed in the memoir. Stendhal's first cousin was Pierre Daru, one of Napoleon's most trusted administrator's and head of his War Department. Because of this relationship, in 1799, young 17-year old Stendhal was given a position in that department. He was acquainted with Bonaparte and much of French society.
Stendhal writes of that French society. By the time of the memoir the Bourbons were back in power, but somehow Stendhal manages not to be on the complete fringe looking in. However, he admits to hating Paris. Ah, but he loves women so, and much of this memoir is about his love life - or lack thereof.
I'm impetuous, passionate, unpredictable, excessively devoted in friendship and love until the first signs of coolness. Then, from the madness of a sixteen year old I move, in a twinkling, to the Machiavellianism of a man of fifty and, after a week, there's nothing left but melting ice, a perfect coolness. (This has just happened to me again the last few days 'with Lady' Angelica, May 1832).
I have yet to read my first Stendhal novel. Ellis says this memoir is written in a much freer style than his fiction. Stendhal has penciled a note in the margin of the original 'Made' fourteen pages on 2 July from five to seven. I couldn't have worked like this on an imaginative work like The Scarlet and the Black. Looking forward to that one!
+20 Task (1783-1843)
+ 5 Combo (10.2, Memoir)
+10 Review
+10 Oldie (pub 1892)
Task Total = 45
Grand Total = 75
20th Century - Chronologician15.1 Children of God by Mary Doria Russell published 1998
+15 Task
Task Total = 15
Grand Total = 30
20th Century - Chronologician15.1 Saving Faith by David Baldacci published 1991
+15
Task total: 15
Grand total: 40
10.6 - The Ides of MarchStorm Front by Jim Butcher
Harry is a wizard. No, not that wizard. This one is tall and lank, carries a staff, and shorts out any electronics he comes near. His business as a paranormal consultant ("No love potions, endless purses, parties, or other entertainment") brings him to the scene of a double murder. While helping the police Harry runs into the mob, demons, and a mentor who believes his job is to kill him. All in a day's work....
I liked the novel and found it to be an easy, fun read. The world is explained in the tiniest drips and drabs, and while normally I love that I was dying for a little more info. I plan to chip away at this series (14+ novels and counting) in the future... but not right now.
+10 task (listed ten times as murder, )
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 50
20.7 PersuasionAn Unfortunate Woman: A Journey by Richard Brautigan
After poet and novelist Brautigan committed suicide in 1984, his daughter found this book among his remaining possessions. It wasn't until years later (after completing a memoir about her father's life and death) that she was able to revisit it and eventually have it published.
The book itself seems like a journal of sorts, recounting the events of his life from January to June, 1982. Time is not linear in this tale, constantly jumping from a shoe in the middle of the street in Honolulu to crows eating a hotdog in Ketchikan; from a Japanese Cemetery in Maui to a hanged woman in San Francisco. On every page there is an allusion or outright reference to death, but he is so funny and interesting that it's not really depressing. I rather enjoyed this book, despite its inherent dark cloud.
+20 Task (author died in 1984; book first published in 1994) (**Note: just noticed that the GR listing is incorrect...it has a published date of 2001, first published in 1982--but everything I've found on the subject states it wasn't first published til .)
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 100
20.6 - In honor of Northanger AbbeyBored of the Rings: A Parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings by Harvard Lampoon
+20 Task
+ 5 Oldies (1969)
Task total=25
Grand total=65
20th Century - Chronologician15.2 Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman
published 1997
+15 Task
+ 10 Bonus
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 55
Task 20.2: BBC TV series or MovieI read Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
+20: task
+5: combo 20.3
+10: review
+15: oldies (GR pub. date as 1811)
+50: task total
RwS Total: +95
REVIEW: I'm not sure this will even be allowed and I may never live this down, but I didn't really like this book. I realize I am of the minority among women in the world. I did find some humor in the book and it seems that the basic idea is that Elinor has too much sense and sensibility and Marianne is lacking in both. The men don't fair much better. Willoughby has none which makes him the wrong match for Marianne and Edward is just too spineless for me. I like my men to be men-in life and in books. Colonel Brandon seemed to be the most sensible to me for a while until he went and fell for a girl who was half his age. Not much sense in that to me either. Oh, well. I know I'm less popular now, but I'm glad I gave this novel a try. It took forever for me to finish. I may try another Jane Austen, does that make me sensible?
15.1 So 20th CenturyChronologician - Book 1
Joshua and the Children by Joseph F. Girzone pub 1989
Task Total - 15 pts
Grand Total - 100 pts
20th Century - Chronologician15.2 The Coffin Dancer (Lincoln Rhyme #2) by Jeffery Deaver � pub. 1998
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total = 25 points
Grand Total = 40 points
Camille wrote: "Task 20.2: BBC TV series or MovieI read Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
+20: task
+5: combo 20.3
+10: review
+15: oldies (GR pub. date as 1811)
+15: task total
RwS Total: +95
REVIEW: I'm ..."
I am in the minority too. I really don't like Jane Austen.
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
The Betrothed (other topics)Brighton Rock (other topics)
The Princess Diaries (other topics)
Insatiable (other topics)
The Storyteller (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Alessandro Manzoni (other topics)Graham Greene (other topics)
Meg Cabot (other topics)
Tess Gerritsen (other topics)
Elizabeth Bowen (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, if requested in the task description, provide a link.
Reading w/Style (RwS) Sample Completed Tasks Post:
20.1 - Jane Austen's lifetime
The Collected Stories by Alexander Pushkin
insert 100+ word review here
+20 task
+5 combo (10.8 � A lexander P ushkin)
+10 non-Western
+10 review
+5 jumbo (616 pages)
Task total: 50 points
Grand total: 435
(This assumes mid-challenge, and that you had previously posted 385 points)