Reading with Style discussion

Post your plans for Pick 'n' Mix here! (You do not need to post your plan prior to the start of the challenge, nor do you need to adhere to a posted plan).

Liz M's Pick 'n' Mix plan:
(subject to change)

A-3 - Setting, Europe: To Each His Own The Judge and His Hangman
B-2 - Publish Date, 1976-2000: The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman
B-3 - Publish Date, 1951-1975: The Year of the Hare
C-1 - Page Length, <125 pages: Chess Story
C-2 - Page Length, 100-200 pages: Tinkers
D-1 - Author, Male under 40: Hawksmoor or In Our Time
D-4 - Author, Female 40-60: The Gathering
E-6 - Genre, non-fiction (DD 500-999): How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character
F-5 - Translation, Italian: To Each His Own
F-6 - Translation, German: The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum

Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Pick 'n' Mix plan:
(also subject to change)

A-1, Setting North America - The Haunting Of L
B-4, Pub 1900-1950 - The Unvanquished
B-2, Publish Date 1976-2000 - Complicity
C-1, Page length <125 - The Death of Ivan Ilych
C-3, Page Length 200-300 - The Antelope Wife
D-2, Female Author under 40 - Purple Hibiscus
D-5, Male Author 60+ - The Daughters of Mars
E-3, Short Stories - The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter
F-5, Italian - The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
F-6, German - The Reader

Don't know what I was thinking here on my first list, changes made 8/13

Revision #2 10/5

Joanna's plan, subject to change:

A3, Europe [or D1, B1, C6, E1] The Amulet of Samarkand (800 lexile)
A5, Africa [or D1, B1, E6, C5] The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca
B1, pub. 2001+ [or A1, D1, E1, C6] Small Favor
B2, pub. 1976-2000 [or A1, D4, C5] Postcards
C1, <125 pgs. She Stoops to Conquer
C6, 400-500 pgs. [or A1, D2, B2] Caucasia
D3, Male auth. 40-60 [or A3, B1, C4] Saturday
D4, Female auth. 40-60 [or A3, B2, C3] Mary Reilly
E5, nonfiction 000-499 [or D4, B2, C3] The Obsession: Reflections on the Tyranny of Slenderness
F5, Trans., Spanish - [or A2, D3, B2, C4] Kiss of the Spider Woman
F6, Trans., Swedish - [or A3, D5, B1, E2] The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Second set:

A4, Setting Asia - The Flamboya Tree: Memories of a Family's War Time Courage
A6, Setting Australia - The Slap
B3, pub. 1951-1975 - Under the Net
C2, 100-200 pgs. - The First Hurt: Stories
C5, 325-425 pgs. - The Lover
2 of D1, D2, F1, F2, B5 - TBD
E1, Sci-Fi - The Golem's Eye (800 lexile)
E4, Bio/Memoir - Red Azalea
F3, Trans., Japanese - Sputnik Sweetheart

My plan so far, though it may change (especially if I made a mistake...):

A-3: Setting Europe -The End of Mr. Y
A-4: Setting Asia - Alif the Unseen
B-1: Publish Date 2001-2013 - Caliban's War
B-3: Publish Date 1951-1975 -
The Inheritors
C-4: Page Length, 250-350 pages - Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
C-5: Page Length, 325-425 pages - The Princess Bride
D-6: Female 60+ or posthumous - Lavinia
E-1: Genre, Sci-Fi - Double Star
F-2: Translation, Arabic - Utopia
F-5: Translation, Spanish - The Shadow of the Wind

For Joanna's D4, Female auth. 40-60 [or A3, B2, C3] Mary Reilly

I can't add the birth date to the author profile, but according to the internet, it is 1948:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_...

Jennifer Egan: born in 1962

My plan (first attempt):

A3 - Europe - Slavery and Society at Rome
A6 - Australia - Remembering Babylon
B1 - Pub 2012 - The Girl You Left Behind
B2 - Pub 1995 - Morvern Callar
C4 - 252 pages - Slavery in the Roman World
C5 - 374 pages - Ready Player One
D1 - Male <40 - The Red Badge of Courage
D5 - Male 60+ - Postcards from No Man's Land
F3 - Japanese - Kafka on the Shore
F4 - Greek - An Ethiopian Romance

My Tentative plan:

A1 - North America: The Big Killing
A4 - Asia: The Skull Mantra
B1 - Pub 2004: Poison Study
B3 - Pub 1963: The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
C5 - 371 pages: Escape the Night
D2 - Female <40 (born ): Garden Spells
D5 - Male 60+ (born 1935): Good Blood
E2 - Mystery - Murder in the White House
E4 - Biography: Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love
F5 - Italian: The Name of the Rose

Bea wrote: "My Tentative plan:..."

Looks like you've got some good reading planned!* However, you've used "4" three times: A4, C4, E4. If you move Garden Spells to D2 - Female under 40 (SAA was in her 30s two years ago) - that should fix it.

*disclaimer: I haven't checked page numbers and publication dates, just saw the three 4's and figured out a solution for that.

Liz M wrote: "Bea wrote: "My Tentative plan:..."

Looks like you've got some good reading planned!* However, you've used "4" three times: A4, C4, E4. If you move Garden Spells to D2 - Female under 40 (SAA was ..."

Liz, thanks for the help. I focused on the letter and forgot to check the number. :)

Tentative Pick 'n' Mix #1

A3-Setting, Europe: Rival to the Queen by Carolly Erickson
B4-Publication Date, 1900-50: Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery YA1030
B6-Publication Date, pre-1800: The Golden Ass by Apuleius
C2-Page Count, 100-200p: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
C5-Page Count, 325-425p: Substitute Me by Lori L. Tharps
D6-Female >60: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
E1-Genre, Biography: Lawyer Lincoln by Albert A. Woldman
E5-Genre, non-fiction 000-499: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
F2-Translation, Hebrew: Scenes from Village Life by Amos Oz
F3-Translation, Japanese: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

My tentative plan:

A1-North America: The Devil's Highway: A True Story
A3-Europe: Pigeon English
B1-Pub 2013: Fever
C2-100-200 pgs: After Dark
C6-400-500 pages: Valley of the Dolls
D3-Male 40-60: A Storm of Swords
D2-Female Under 40:The Pregnancy Project
E4-Memoir: Man Up: Cracking the Code of Modern Manhood
E5-Non-fiction 000-499: Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools
F5- Translation-French: Swallows of Kabul

Bea wrote: "My Tentative plan:

A1 - North America: The Big Killing
A4 - Asia: The Skull Mantra
B1 - Pub 2004: Poison Study
B3 - Pub 1963: The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
C5 - 371 pages: Escape the Night
D2 ..."

You've also got 5 used 3 times in this plan. Maybe consider switching one of them out for a book that is the right length for C3 or C6.

Joanna wrote: "Bea wrote: "My Tentative plan:

A1 - North America: The Big Killing
A4 - Asia: The Skull Mantra
B1 - Pub 2004: Poison Study
B3 - Pub 1963: The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
C5 - 371 pages: Escape t..."

oh shoot! I think I will scrub this list.

My tentative plan

A1 North America High Country Fall by Margaret Maron
A6 Australia Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood
B1 2001 -2013 12th of Never by James Patterson
B2 1976 - 2000 One Step Behind by Henning Mankell
C4 pgs 250 - 350 Rituals of the Season by Margaret Maron
C5 325 - 425 Dead Famous by Dead Famous
D3 Male 40 - 60 Robert Crais The Watchman
D4 Female 40 - 60 Carol O'Connell Winter House
E2 - Genre Mystery - Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais
F6 Translation - Swedish - Firewallby Henning Mankell

Second tentative plan

A3 Europe - Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride
A 4 Asia - The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
B3 1951 - 1975 The Tin Can Tree by Anne Tyler
B4 1900 - 1950 Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh
C2 pgs 100-200 Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood
C6 pgs 400 - 500 To the Power of Three by Laura Lippman
D5 Male +60 James Patterson - born 1947 - NYPD Red
D6 - Female + 60 - born 1943 - Finger Lickin' Fifteen
E1 Genre - sci-fi/fantasy/graphic novel - Tea with the Black Dragon by R.A. MacAvoy
F5 Translation - Spanish - Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho

I'm currently looking at -

A6 Unnatural Habits
B2 The Postman
B3 The Rediscovery of Man
C4 Rollback
D1 Little Brother
D4 Remnant Population
E2 Medicus
E6 The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can: Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer
F1 Night Watch
F5 The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis

I'm just reserving my spot here. This challenge is lots of fun to plan!

My second attempt:

A1 - North A Garden Spells
A4 - Asia The Skull Mantra
B1 - 2005 Poison Study
B3 - 1963 The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
D2 - 38 F Beans of Egypt, Maine
D3 - 57 M Icebreaker
E4 - Bio Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love
E5 - 002.075 The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession
F2 - Hebrew The Blue Mountain
F5 - Italian The Name of the Rose

I am excited to get back into the challenge this Fall after a crazy summer! Will post my list on this spot when I am ready. Thanks again for all of the hard work you put into creating and managing this group!

Here is my list:

A1 - (North America) Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger
A3 - (Europe) The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva
B1 - (Published 2006) Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
B2 - (Published 1993) Shinju by Laura Rowland
C6 - (455 Pages) The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison
D3 - (40 Years Old) The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King
D4 - (43 Years Old) Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
E4 - (Biography) Young Stalin by Simon Montefiore
E6 - (History) To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 by Adam Hochschild
F5 - (Spanish Translation) Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende

E1 - (graphic novel) V for Vendetta
E6 - (Dewey decimal 500-999 - non fiction)Cosmos
E5 - (Dewey Decimal 000-499 - non fiction) Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief
F1 - (translated from Russian) Solaris
B5 - (published from 1800-1899) Poems and Ballads and Atalanta in Calydon
C3 - (241 pages)The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
D1 - (author Male under 40) The Great God Pan
D5 - (author Male over 60)The Road
A1 - (set in North America)Damnation Alley
B1 - (publish date 2001-2013) The Hunger Games and Philosophy: A Critique of Pure Treason

Heather wrote: "E1 - (graphic novel) V for Vendetta
E6 - (Dewey decimal 500-999 - non fiction)Cosmos
E5 - (Dewey Decimal 000-499 - non fiction) Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief
F1 - (..."

Heather, you have 3 E choices, 3 #5 and 5 #1 choices. You need to limit the choices to no more than 2 of any letter and no more than 2 of any number.

ETA: I didn't look to see how you might move some of these around, but I suspect you can do it with most of them.

oops. i guess i didn't understand that part. juggling ahoy!

ok then... i THINK i fixed this. i had to choose a couple of new books, but that's ok with me!

A3 (Europe) - V for Vendetta
A6 (Australia) - On The Beach
B1 (2012) - The Hunger Games and Philosophy: a Critique of Pure Treason
B3 (1696) - Damnation Alley
C2 (144 pages) - Batman: Year One
D4 (female author 40-60)- The Handmaid's Tale
D5 (male author 60+) - The Road
E5 (000-499 non-fiction) - Why Won't God Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief
E6 (500-999 non-fiction) - Cosmos
F1 (translated from Polish) - Solaris

If V for Vendetta is a graphic novel, it can be used only for E1. I didn't look at the others.

may i ask why? i'm not trying to be a pain, but that just doesn't follow. it's set in London so it would be A3, the author was under 40 so it would be D1, it was published in 1982 so it would be B2, and at 296 pages, it would be a C4. i'm just a bit confused as to the reasoning for that. and yes, now that i go back, i see that's in the rules. i didn't see it before. i have to change this one and the Batman one as well.

Heather wrote: "may i ask why? i'm not trying to be a pain, but that just doesn't follow. it's set in London so it would be A3, the author was under 40 so it would be D1, it was published in 1982 so it would be B..."

We usually don't allow any graphic novels in the sub-challenge, and books less than 100 pages in none of the tasks. There are small exceptions in this challenge.

ok, i was just curious. V for Vendetta is larger than a lot of regular novels, so i was a bit stuck. it's almost 300 pages and the batman one is 144. but i'll just find something else for those spots.

Heather, relying on the info you provided above (I didn't check author ages, page numbers or publication dates) I think this will work:

A6 (Australia) - On The Beach
B2 (1980) - Cosmos
B3 (1696) - Damnation Alley
C3 - (241 pages)The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
C4 - (320 pages) The Hunger Games and Philosophy: a Critique of Pure Treason
D4 (female author 40-60)- The Handmaid's Tale
D5 (male author 60+) - The Road
E1 - graphic Novel - V for Vendetta or Batman: Year One
E5 (000-499 non-fiction) - Why Won't God Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief
F1 (translated from Polish) - Solaris

ok, we'll try this again!

A3 (Europe) - The Great God Pan
A6 (Australia) - On The Beach
B3 (1696) - Damnation Alley
C4 (320 pages) The Hunger Games and Philosophy: a Critique of Pure Treason
D4 (female author 40-60)- The Handmaid's Tale
D5 (male author 60+) - The Road
E1 (graphic novel) - V for Vendetta
E6 (500-999 non-fiction) - Cosmos
F1 (translated from Polish) - Solaris
F5 (translated from Italian) - Foucault's Pendulum

Heather wrote: "ok, we'll try this again!

A3 (Europe) - The Great God Pan
A6 (Australia) - On The Beach
B3 (1696) - Damnation Alley
C4 (320 pages) The Hunger Games and Philosophy: a Critique of Pure Treason
D4 ..."

I'm sorry to be such a pain, but On the Beach has a Lexile of 780 and cannot be used for this sub-challenge.

i have a question about that, though. On The Beach may have a lexile of 780, but it is not a young adult novel. the rules in bold state *YA books* with a Lexile score less than 800 are not allowed. ONLY young adult. this was written in 1956 for an adult audience. just for reference, quite a few Agatha Christie novels have a lexile of 700, The Running Man by Stephen King has a 740, The Handmaid's Tale, which everyone seems to rave about and i know has been used many times, is a 750, and a good handful of Isaac Asimov's earlier works are under 800. so, would none of those be acceptable either?

Heather wrote: "i have a question about that, though. On The Beach may have a lexile of 780, but it is not a young adult novel. the rules in bold state *YA books* with a Lexile score less than 800 are not allowed...."

We cover these questions in our FAQ.

how about this?

A3 (Europe) - The Great God Pan
B2 (1995) - This Is The Way The World Ends
B3 (1969) - Damnation Alley
C4 (320 pages) The Hunger Games and Philosophy: a Critique of Pure Treason
D4 (female author 40-60)- The Handmaid's Tale
D5 (male author 60+) - The Road
E1 (graphic novel) - V for Vendetta
E6 (500-999 non-fiction) - Cosmos
F1 (translated from Polish) - Solaris
F5 (translated from Italian) - Foucault's Pendulum

:-)

I didn't check everything, but you've got the letters/numbers things working and I don't recognize any YA. Hope you enjoy the reading!

I may be missing something here.

I thought that we check the books for this challenge against BPL. Only if the book is labelled as YA at BPL do we have to check the Lexile. Am I wrong?

if any of that is classified as young adult, *someone* needs to reassess what they consider appropriate for children... >.<

Bea wrote: "I may be missing something here.

I thought that we check the books for this challenge against BPL. Only if the book is labelled as YA at BPL do we have to check the Lexile. Am I wrong?"

That is correct.

Bea wrote: "I may be missing something here.

I thought that we check the books for this challenge against BPL. Only if the book is labelled as YA at BPL do we have to check the Lexile. Am I wrong?"

You are correct, Bea. Heather is new(ish) and asking for clarification on why & how RwS classifies books as YA.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Bea wrote: "I may be missing something here.

I thought that we check the books for this challenge against BPL. Only if the book is labelled as YA at BPL do we have to check the Lexile. Am I wron..."

i wasn't aware that they classified it as YA. that was where the confusion came in. i never thought to look it up, because i didn't consider it a YA book.

Ah, I see the source of some of the confusion, and I apologize. In my Post #30 above, referencing On the Beach Lexile 780, I omitted that it is YA with a Lexile of 780. Sometimes, having had the thought, I apparently think I've typed it.

you're not the only one that does that. i end up starting in the middle of conversations because i guess i think my conversational partners can read my mind. :-)

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ah, I see the source of some of the confusion, and I apologize. In my Post #30 above, referencing On the Beach Lexile 780, I omitted that it is YA with a Lexile of 780. Sometimes, having had the th..."

That's just it, Elizabeth. I looked that book up at BPL, and it is not listed as YA. Pretty sure I got the right book...but I do have the old BPL and not the new one. Would that make a difference?

OOPS: Nevermind the above comment. I re-looked and found that, although it is labelled as Fic Shute, it is located in some YA areas. Going back to bed until my head wakes up.

I've taken out a couple of books that I want to use for RwS tasks. This is my amended plan with the new books in bold:

A3 - Europe - Slavery and Society at Rome
B1 - Pub 2012 - The Girl You Left Behind
B2 - Pub 1995 - Morvern Callar
C4 - 252 pages - Slavery in the Roman World
C5 - 374 pages - Ready Player One
D1 - Male <40 - The Red Badge of Courage
D5 - Male 60+ - Postcards from No Man's Land
E2 - Mystery - The Floating Admiral
E4 - Biography - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
F3 - Japanese - Kafka on the Shore

I already have to fix my mix!

I'm changing from C1 to A1:

A1 North America (Manhattan)
Night Film by Marisha Pessl

A4 Japan South of the Border, West of the Sun
A5 Africa The Miracle at Speedy Motors
B2 1991 Such a Long Journey
C1 80 pages Raven Girl
C3 240 pages Love in the Time of Global Warming, 850 Lexile
D4 female 40-60 The Goldfinch
D5 male 60+ We Are Water: A Novel
E1 graphic novel March
E3 short stories Vampires in the Lemon Grove: Stories
F6 Swedish The Stranger

A1-North America-Half Broke Horses
C1-72 pgs.-Mother Desert: Poems
B2-pub 1999 -A Clearing in the Distance: Frederick Law Olmsted and America in the 19th Century
F2-Arabic-The Yacoubian Building
A3-Europe-Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love, and Death in Renaissance Italy
E3-Short Stories-The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003
B4-Pub. 1945-The Egg and I
D4-Female age 52-A Covert Affair: Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS
D5-Male 65 Masters of the Word: How Media Shaped History
E6-974.71-The Village: 400 Years of Beats and Bohemians, Radicals and Rogues

A1 A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson
A3 Code Name Verity (Lexile 1020) by Elizabeth Wein
B1 When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice by Terry Tempest Williams
C4 Paper Valentine (Lexile 970) by Brenna Yovanoff
C5 The Scorpio Races (Lexile 840) by Maggie Stiefvater or Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
D3 To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal
D6 How It All Began by Penelope Lively
E2 A Test Of Wills by Charles Todd
E4 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby or His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis
F5 Blindness by José Saramago

Round 2

A2-Setting, South America: Of Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende
A4-Setting, Asia: The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima
B1-Published 2001-2013: The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
B3-Published 1951-1975: Giles Goat-Boy by John Barth
C1-<125 pages: Candide by Voltaire CANON
C6-400-500 pages: The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans
D4-Female Author 40-60: The Awakening by Kate Chopin CANON
E2-Mystery Genre: Neuropath by R. Scott Bakker
E6-Non-fiction 500-999: Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford
F5-Translated, Portuguese: The History of the Siege of Lisbon by José Saramago

My plan for Pick'n'Mix so far:
(subject to change)

A.3 - Saphirblau by Kerstin Gier (set in London, Europe) (Lexile 810)
A.4 - Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup
B.2 - The Stand by Stephen King (published 1978)
C.1 - Zombicorns by John Green (72 pages)
C.6 - Dust by Hugh Howey (470 pages)
D.3 - Haut by Michael Wallner (published 2002, Wallner was 44)
D.4 - Smaragdgrün by Kerstin Gier (44 years old) (Lexile: 810)
E.1 - Rising Stars: Born in Fire by J. Michael Straczynski
E.5 - The Essential Child: Origins of Essentialism in Everyday Thought by Susan A. Gelman
F.5 - Das Labyrinth der Wörter by Marie-Sabine Roger (French)

A 1 - (Texas) Nightshade by Susan Wittig Albert
A 3 - Many European cities The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
B 1 (2010) Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
B 2 (1991) Dead on the Island by Bill Crider
C 4 256 pgs The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout
C 6 (496 pgs )Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible by David Plotz
D 5 (born 1938 pub 2013 age 74-48) Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Bra...
E 5 (305.31) The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert
E 6 (614.13) The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deb
orah Blum
F D 3 (Chinese) Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu
Xiaolong

1 A (Texas) Nightshade
1 B (2010) Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
2 B (1991) Dead on the Island
3 A (many European Cities) The Night Circus
3 D F (Chinese) Death of a Red Heroine
4 C (256 pgs) The Sociopath Next Door
5 D (male,age 74-75) Speaking from Among the Bones
5 E (305.31) The Last American Man
6 C (496 pgs) Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible
6 E ( 614.13) The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

A's - 2, B's - 2, C's - 2, D's - 1, E's - 2, F's - 1
1's - 2, 2's - 1, 3's - 2, 4's - 1 , 5's - 2. 6's - 2

Your Death of a Red Heroine does not work for F3 because it was written in English.