Sunday 27 September 2009

Fall Reading Challenge: Listen to an audio book whilst exercising

She by H. Rider Haggard


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Listened to this rather than read it but found it another interesting member of the Victorian gothic/horror/fantasy genre that is still popular today. Couldn't get over quite how much the Victorian explorers of deepest darkest Africa spent either eating or sleeping!!!!

Lots of familiar literary devices though it seemed as if the author tired of the book and the journey home was accomplished with barely a description or a thought.

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Points this book: 15
Points so far: 170



Fall Reading Challenge: Read an Alternate History Novel

Fatherland by Robert Harris


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As an alternative Europe goes, I preferred the one we got in which Hitler did commit suicide in a bunker in Berlin when he realised there was no escape. I like the way Robert Harris created an alternate cold war and thought this book very subtle in that it didn't diversify from the real historical events in a traumatic way just gently changed direction. The images of a Germany in the 1960s still under National Socialism were disturbing: The quantity and variety of uniforms, the control of the media, the control of the people using the methods of a police state.

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Points this book: 15
Points to date: 155


Saturday 19 September 2009

Fall Reading Challenge: Read a Christian Fiction Book

The Shack by William P. Young


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I'm not sure what to make of this book, I thought the story was contrived and not that well written but it certainly tugged at emotional heartstrings. I don't think it added to my knowledge of Christianity in anyway, nor did it encourage me to explore my faith any further.

I am sure there are much better books out there for the purpose this book suggests itself.

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Points from this book: 20
Total points to date: 140


Wednesday 16 September 2009

Fall Reading Challenge: Read one of the Seasonal Book Challenge Group Reads

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The book is funny, and having just seen the movie adaptation which is in places very different, I have to say this is one movie of a book that didn't disappoint me. Julia Child fascinated me when I saw her cooking show even though I was too young (and not living in the US) to see it when it originally aired - she was a heroine for quirky women and as i grow older i want to be quirkier too!

Read this if you love food...

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And the pearls were my "car bomb when you least it expect it in a movie because that wasn't in the book" moment ;)

Points for this book: 20
Points to date: 120

Monday 14 September 2009

Fall Reading Challenge: Read a book about a democratically elected leader and write a review of their administration (500+ pages)

John Major The Autobiography by John Major


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a long read but fascinating for me to go back over the Major government as it was the first one I could have voted for and so I was more politically aware than I was previously.

I do remember that John Major had a very bad press often, and reading the autobiography I sometimes struggled to work out why. He was never a dramatic politician, normally conciliatory and forced to be more so by the Euro-sceptic faction in the Conservative party.

I have greater respect for him as a Prime Minister now than I did at the time.

Though it is said to be a revealing autobiography he conveniently does not mention the four year affair with Edwina Currie that came to light in her memoirs later in 2002

Achievements of John Major's Ministry

Highest popular vote ever recorded by a political party in a British General Election (though this resulted in a lower majority)
Citizen's Charter
Ratification of the Maastricht Treaty with opt-outs on the single currency and the social chapter
The National Lottery
Worked towards peace in Bosnia
Much of the groundwork for the Good Friday Agreement was done under the Major government
Economic recovery following the recession of 1989

Biggest Scandal of John Major's Ministry

Cash for questions which took down several prominent MPs including the now infamous Neil Hamilton

total 785 pages

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Points for this book: 25
Points to date: 100


Sunday 6 September 2009

Fall Reading Challenge: Read a book with prophecy in the title or as a theme

The Prophecy of the Gems: Three Girls, Three Stones, One Destiny by Flavia Bujor


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Really this deserves to be a 3½ but it's isn't a 4 star book so I've left it at 3. It was written when the author was 12 and published when she was 14! There was much about this book I liked but I think it needed a little polishing, the world she created didn't seem complete (or perhaps that parts of it didn't emerge until it was convenient for the story) however it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more of her work.

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Points earned with this book: 25
Points to date: 75


Saturday 5 September 2009

Fall Reading Challenge: Read a book written in the last ten years and made into a movie in the last five. Compare the book & movie.

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I read this for the 2009 Fall Challenge here on Goodreads. The task was to compare the book to the movie and I have to say that the movie missed out some key facts/plot devices that were critical to the ending of the book. So whilst the movie was a predictable suspense/action movie (I knew there was going to a be a car bomb and that doesn't appear in the book) but despite the flat characterization in the book that gave the actors little to play with it was a watchable movie that cracked on at a pace.

I was disappointed that we didn't find out who the Camarlengo's father was (we do in the book) and that the man who becomes Pope is different to the book.

All in all I preferred the book to the movie but it was a close call

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Points earned with this book: 25
Points to date: 50


Fall Reading Challenge: Read a book with a positive gay or lesbian character

Task 25.3

The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book though I found the style of writing unusual. It wasn't quite a stream of consciousness novel but it seemed to be written from the perspective of "the voice in your head"

The ending was an unexpected twist but a fascinating story. I have learnt much about the 1920s and the beginnings of the emancipation of women in Europe.

Points earned with this book: 25
Points to date: 25

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Fall Reading Challenge

This one runs from Sept 1st to Nov 30th

5 POINT TASKS
1. Read a book that has the word son, daughter, kid(s), child or children the title
2. Read a book that has an apple on the cover OR in the title
3. Read a novel where the main character is at sea OR a non-fiction book about sea travel
4. Read a book where the main character is adopted OR adopts OR a non-fiction book related to adoption
5. Re-read a book you were required to read at school and compare notes
6. Read a novel that has an adjective in the title that relates to Halloween
7. Read a book that relates to the thing you are most thankful for
8. Read a book that has more than two authors, not a compilation of short stories
9. Read a coming of age novel OR a novel where the main character is a senior citizen
10. Read a novel where one or more characters travel back in time

10 POINT TASKS
1. Read a book first published between 1936 and 1959
2. Read a novel with a character who suffers from an addiction OR a non-fiction book about addiction
3. Read a book with the word bear or bears in the title OR a collection of children's stories OR several children's books (not YA)
4. Read a book written by an author from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico or Chile OR a book that takes place in one of those countries OR a non-fiction book about them
5. Read a book written by a German author OR set in Germany OR a non-fiction book about Germany
6. Read a book written by a Native American author OR with a main character who is Native American OR a non-fiction book about Native Americans
7. Read a novel about heroes, heroines, superheroes, superheroines, OR an auto/biography of your personal hero/heroine
8. Visit the Random Word Generator website and then read a book whose title contains the 9th, 10th, or 11th word you come to pedestrian, have, transit.
9. Read a novel set in the US Civil War
10. Read a book that has the word cat(s) in the title OR a picture of a cat(s) on the cover

15 POINT TASKS
1. Pick 1 of these 3 tasks
  • Read two books that contain the same preposition in their title
  • Read two book that contain words that are homophones
  • Read a book whose title contains a verb and another with it's participle.

2. Read an Alternative Historical Novel and post a review stating if you think things would be better with the author's version of history and why
3. Pick 2 of these 4 tasks

  • Add up the number of letters in your first and last names and read a book written by an author whose name contains the same number of letters (12)
  • Subtract the number of letters found in your whole name (18) from your age (37) and read a book with that many letters or words in the title (19)
  • Multiply your age by the number of letters in your whole name (37 * 18) and read a book with +/- 25 pages (641-691)
  • Divide the year you were born by your age and then read a book that is that number in a series (1972/37 = 53)

4. Read a science fiction novel and watch a film about science OR read a non-fiction book about science and watch a science fiction film
5. Read two books that were originally published in the same foreign language

6. Pick 1 of 3 tasks

  • Read a book about an artist or art history and go to a museum to view or create art
  • Read a play and see a production of it live or on film
  • Read a book with a type of music in the title and listen to a CD or attend a concert of that type.

7. Listen to an audiobook while exercising OR read a book written by or about an athlete and participate or watch the same type of sporting event
8. Read two books that take place in countries that correspond to your initials

9. Read a book with the word home or work in the title and design a homework assignment that relates to that book
10. Read a book with a teacher as the main character OR a word with the root “teach” in the title AND a book with a student as the main character or with a word with root “study” in the title

20 POINT TASKS

1. MOST IMPROVED PLAYER – JULIE KS – Read a Christian fiction book.

2. ROOKIE OF THE SEASON - ERIN - Read 3 Books That Begin With A,B,C Or Any Three Consecutive Letters In The Alphabet (each book 100+)
3. GROUP READ - Read One Of The 3 Group Reads

25 POINT TASKS

1. NICOLE'S TASK – NICOLE OH'S TASK - Read ONE fiction book and ONE poetry book that have a word that rhymes in each title. (350+ pages of which 50+ poetry)
2. DONNA JO'S TASK – Find two authors who are related by blood or marriage and read a book by each
3. WENDY'S TASK – Read a book with a positive gay or lesbian character.
4. CANDACE'S TASK – Read a book that was written within the last ten years and made into a movie in the last five. Compare the book and movie

5. JANICE'S TASK – Read a book with fortune or prophecy in the title OR that features fortune telling, prophecy or predictions OR has a fortune teller as a main character

6. BJ ROSE'S TASK – Read a book about a democratically elected President or Prime Minister (500+ pages), post a short review of major accomplishments and biggest scandal of the administration (include number of pages read)

7. CINDY'S TASK - Read Three Books

  • One With A One Word Title
  • The Second With A Two Word Title
  • And The Third With A Three Word Title.

8. CAIT'S TASK – Read 3 books

  • A name of a person in the title
  • A name of a place in the title
  • An object in the title

9. DIANE'S TASK – Read a self-improvement or self-help book AND read a book in which the main character undergoes a significant positive change in his or her life as a result of self-improvement
10. SAM'S TASK – Read a book with one of the following in the title: devil, witch, vampire, zombie or werewolf

30 POINT TASK
1. ROSEANN'S TASK – Read a book that is related to your current profession AND a book that is related to your dream job


50 POINT TASK

1. TBD


For this challenge there are a total of 690 points available and I'd like to see if I can get more than 400 again

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