You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Wow...new blood! You are showing us some fresh choices, ThingTwo.

A - 2666 by Roberto Bolaño read August 3 - 898 pages

A - The Art of War, Special Edition by Sun Tzu read August 3 - 268 pages

A - Rabbit, Run by John Updike finished August 9 - 264 pages

A - Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson finished August 9 - 770 pages

A - The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel finished October 17 - 271 pages

A - The Writing Life by Annie Dillard finished October 17 - 113 pages

A - Looking For Alaska by John Green - finished December 8, 272 pages, Young Adult genre

A - Bastard Out Of Carolina - Dorothy Allison finished December 19, 309 pages, Young Adult genre

A - The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams finished December 21, 70 pages, Young Adult genre

2666 - 30 points (20 + 10)
Art - 32 points (30 + 2)
Rabbit - 32 points (30 + 2)
Complete - 35 points (30 + 5)
Case - 32 points (30 + 2)
Writing - 32 points (30 + 2)
Looking - 32 points (30 + 2)
Bastard - 33 points (30 + 3)
Glass - 32 points (30 + 2)

ORANGE RAINBOW CHALLENGE TOTAL - 290

I - The Day Laid on the Altar by Adria Bernardi set in Italy - 224 pages

I - One Day by David Nicholls set in Great Britain - 435 pages

I - Bleak House by Charles Dickens set in Great Britain - 1017 pages

I - The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro set in Great Britain - 298 pages

I - Loving Frank by Nancy Horan set in Illinois - 384 pages

I - Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri set in India - 198 pages

Day Laid - 25 points (20 + 2 + 3)
One Day - 36 points (30 + 4 + 2)
Bleak House - 41 points (30 + 10 + 1)
Remains - 34 points (30 + 2 + 2)
Loving - 34 points (30 + 3 + 1)
Interpreter - 36 points (30 + 2 + 4)

YELLOW RAINBOW CHALLENGE TOTAL - 206

N - Zoobiquity: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health and the Science of Healing by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz - 320 pages

N - Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden - 205 pages

N - Battle Cry Of Freedom by James M. McPherson - 928 pages

N - Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty by John M. Barry - 464 pages

N - I'd Rather Teach Peace by Colman McCarthy - 140 pages

N - The Message Dark Green Leather-Look by Eugene Peterson - 416 pages

Zoobiquity - 23 points (20 + 3)
Escape - 37 points (30 + 2 + 5)
Battle - 40 points (30 + 10)
Roger - 34 points (30 + 4)
I'd Rather - 32 points (30 + 2)
Message - 34 points (30 + 4)

GREEN RAINBOW CHALLENGE TOTAL - 200

B - Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper - 295 pages

B - War Dances by Sherman Alexie - 209 pages

B - Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell - 193 pages

B - Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner - 322 pages

B - And Venus Is Blue by Mary Hood - 304 pages

B - Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day by Ben Loory - 210 pages

B - The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta - 384 pages

B - Saturday by Ian McEwan - 289 pages

B - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - 231 pages

B - Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks - 300 pages

B - Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer - 309 pages

B - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: A Novel by Ben Fountain 320 pages

B - Horoscopes for the Dead by Billy Collins 128 pages

B - Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan 343 pages (BETRAYAL!)

B - On Being Blue by William H. Gass 91 pages

Out - 22 points (20 + 2)
War - 32 points (30 + 2)
Winter's - 37 points (30 + 2 + 5)
Telex - 33 points (30 + 3)
Venus - 33 points (30 + 3)
Stories - 32 points (30 + 2)
Leftovers - 33 points (30 + 3)
Saturday - 32 points (30 + 2)
Perks - 32 points (30 + 2)
Caleb's - 33 points (30 + 3)
Shine - 33 points (30 + 3)
Billy Lynn's - 33 points (30 + 3)
Horoscopes - 32 points (30 + 2)
Half-Blood - 43 points (30 + 5 + 5 + 3)
On Being - 37 (30 + 2 + 5)

BLUE RAINBOW CHALLENGE TOTAL - 497

I read Rabbit, Run in June and had a very similar reaction. Yes, I read your review. I didn't write a review bEcause I really didn't know how to write one for that book. I do plan to read the next book in the series in hopes that Rabbit will grow up! How about you? Will you be reading the next book?

O - The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster published 1961 - 256 pages

O - All the King's Men 2006 Movie Tie-In Edition by Robert Penn Warren published in 1947 - 672 pages

O - The Moviegoer by Walker Percy Published in 1961 - 242 pages.

O - Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka published 1915 - 201 pages

O - Mansfield Park by Jane Austen published 1814 - 384 pages

O - Middlemarch by George Eliot published 1872 - 827 pages

Phantom - 27 points (20 + 2 + 5)
All - 45 points (30 + 5 + 10)
Moviegoer - 37 points (30 + 2 + 5)
Metamorphosis - 42 points (30 + 2 + 10)
Mansfield - 43 points (30 + 3 + 10)
Middlemarch - 50 points (30 + 10 + 10)

INDIGO RAINBOW CHALLENGE TOTAL - 244

W - Folded Leaf by William Maxwell - 304 pages

W - 520 The Madonnas of Echo Park: A Novel by Brando Skyhorse - 240 pages

W - The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell - 360 pages

W - Sula by Toni Morrison - 214 pages

W - Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Breathnach - 528 pages


W - The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War by Howard Bahr - 266 pages

Folded - 23 (20 + 3)
Madonnas - 42 (30 + 2 + 10)
Hand - 33 (30 + 3)
Sula - 32 (30 + 2)
Simple - 35 (30 + 5)
Black - 37 (30 + 2 + 5)

VIOLET RAINBOW CHALLENGE TOTAL - 202

RAINBOWS COMPLETED - 6

GRAND TOTAL - 2139

April wrote: "I read Rabbit, Run in June and had a very similar reaction. Yes, I read your review. I didn't write a review bEcause I really didn't know how to write one for that book. I do plan to read the nex..."

I'm on the fence. Curious enough to know if he does, in fact, mature. I'm of the belief that men of a certain age don't really ever "mature". If they haven't learned how to play by the rules by high school/early college, chances are they never will.
So, I don't have very high hopes for Mr. Angstrum (and too bad I couldn't count his last name as that "a" I needed!), but I do believe it is a prize winner - Pulitzer or NBCC - and I do tend to gravitate towards those.

BTW, my husband says I do NOT need any more motivation to read. He's not talking to you right now ... LOL!

LOL tell your hubby I'm sorry but I met a new friend and we are having fun!

or......you could buy a treat and read something on the order ofnFifty Shades of Grey. He would probably love that!

Oh no! Another spouse/partner upset with us :) We'll have to get them together in a GR support group.

Wow Thing Two - you've almost got a rainbow. Great going!

Are your points including all the qualifiers? Eg - Red books get 1 point for each R in the title and author's name. In your first book, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, you would have 2 points.

It would help me if you itemize your points. Take a peak at how others have scored their books. Thanks - I hate to be a pain.

@ April - Grey is NOT a color in the rainbow.
@jaxnsmom - thanks!
@Janice - I'll update these today. I think I counted the R in Balzac.

Judy wrote: "LOL, Thing Two, tell your hubby we would love to have him read with us TOO! He can be Thing Three. hehe

I like your choices for the books you've read. I had forgotten about Balzac and the Little C..."

My hubby woke me up early to remind me this was the last day of the toppler challenge and I HAD SOME READING TO DO!!! I guess I'll keep him around for another day, at least.

Here's my review for War Dances . It was a very interesting collection. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Your hubby sounds like a keeper! :)

LOL. Tell Mr. Thing Two to join us. We would love to have him with us for our challenes and the next toppler!

Janice wrote: "Your hubby sounds like a keeper! :)"

I've kept him around for 22 years now!

Congratulations! Fantastic reading! ; )

Oops! I deleted all of my Rs!

R - Perla by Carolina De Robertis - 256 pages

R - Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie translated by Ina Rilke - 184 pages

R - Lectures on Art by John Ruskin - 96 pages

R - The Hatfields and the McCoys by Otis K. Rice - 160 pages

R - Straight Man by Richard Russo - 416 pages

R - Lectures on Landscape by John Ruskin 60 pages

Perla 26 points (20 + 2 + 4)
Balzac 34 points (30 + 2 + 2)
Lectures 35 points (30 + 2 + 3)
Hatfields 33 points (30 + 2 + 1)
Straight 38 points (30 + 4 + 4)
Lectures 34 points (30 + 2 + 2)

RED RAINBOW CHALLENGE TOTAL - 200

R-A-I-N-B-O-W results:

Red - 6 books, 200 points
Orange - 9 books, 290 pointes
Yellow - 6 books, 206 points
Green - 6 books, 200 points
Blue - 15 books, 497 points
Indigo - 6 books, 202 points
Violet - 6 books, 202 points

6 completed challenges, 300 points
54 books
2139 total points

cya next year!

Great job Thing Two!

Judy wrote: "Wow! this was a productive challenge for you, Thing Two. Wishes for happy reading next year."

Yeah, I pretty much suck at following the rules with those monthly challenges; I'm not a jewel-y/fairy tale reader, but this one was even flexible enough for my tbr list.

Janice wrote: "Great job Thing Two!"

Thanks!

Thing Two wrote: "Yeah, I pretty much suck at following the rules with those monthly challenges; I'm not a jewel-y/fairy tale reader, but this one was even flexible enough for my tbr list."

Then the alphabet challenge should fit right in to your style.

Janice wrote: "Then the alphabet challenge should fit right in to your style. ..."

You've seen my lists, right? Already have "A" loaded on my ipad for tomorrow.

Yes, I sure have. I have to finish the book I'm currently reading before I can start my A book. So what am I doing here? :)

Love your lists, Thing Two!

Congrats on your Rainbow Challenge!

Thanks, Connie!