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 11^th 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

Summer Reading Challenge: Do the Goodreads Trivia Quiz and read the first book you come to but haven't yet read.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There was lots about this book that I didn't like in the characters and their actions but the book itself is a wonderfully written epic of unrequited love spanning more than 50 years. I didn't relate particularly to either of the main protagonists, Fermina Daza or Florentino Ariza. Fermina was spoilt and stubborn, often at her own expense, Florentino was insipid and pathetic, a mummy's boy.

That being said I was transported to turn of the century Columbia by the atmospheric writing and the emotions were portrayed in a believable way.

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This brings my final total to 405 points, I just scraped past my personal target of 400 points. The new challenge starts tomorrow and I am raring to go!

Hunting Dragon...

flies.

An afternoon stroll in Pamber Forest Nature reserve proved rewarding with glimpses of three dragonflies.

The first two were probably Emperor Dragonflies based on their size - approx 3" or so long and colouring. The first one was bright blue with a clearly green thorax, and a few feet away was another large dragon fly which seemed greener but was just as large (these were a male and female)



These are not my pics, i wouldn't even get a blur using my phone camera, but they do show a male Emperor dragonfly (top) and female (below)



The third dragonfly of the day was seen at a dried up pond deep into the forest, was smaller than the first two and green and black. It was identified as a Southern Hawker, mostly by it's curious character, it came right up to us, flew around us even touching us at some point and this is apparently common for this species!