You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
Challenges: Monthly
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November 2015 - Short Notice REPORTING
Opened early as I'm away the first 2 days of November. Only books read after 1 November will count, so don't try and sneak in an early read.
I read Third Time Lucky: And Other Stories of the Most Powerful Wizard in the World
by Tanya HuffScoring!
Author
3pts – has published 5 or more books
Genre
0pts
Cover
0pts
Pages
0pts
Bonus Points
2pts - Has a soldier in one of the stories/essays. A captain is the male lead in the title story
TOTAL: 5 points
Young Men in Spats by P.G. Wodehouse
Author
3pts – has published 5 or more books
1pt - is male
Genre
0
Cover
0
Pages
1pt
Total
5 points
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman3 pts more than 5 books
1 point male
2 pts 352 pgs.
6 points
Does not have alzheimers but does have a woman who can't remember her name because someone atole her name tag and anytime he steals a name tag he steals the persons memory of who they are. Freaking Murakami
Sam F:I read: Light Action in the Caribbean: Stories
Points:
Author
3 points for more than 5 books
1 point male
Bonus -
2 points - Father is a war pilot
2 points - has an explorer - who makes maps around the world
Total points - 8
I read Kiss Kiss by Roald Dahl. It had been some time since I had read any of Roald Dahl's stories. I am definitely still a fan. They are engaging and entertaining, with a little horror, an unexpected twist and an ending, which leaves you wondering. Not everything is explicitly written down and the reader has to guess and use his/her own imagination about what happened, but that makes the stories even more enthralling. Scoring:
Author: 4pts
3pts – has published 5 or more books
1pt – is male
Pages: 1pt
1pt - 200-299pp
Total: 5pts
I read Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives: Stories from the Trailblazers of Domestic SuspenseScoring!
Author (multiple authors use the first one named) Patricia Highsmith:
3pts – has published 5 or more books
Pages:
2pts - 300-399pp
Total: 5 points
I listened to Les Mille et une nuits - Tome premierScoring!
Author: 0 pts
Genre: 2 pts
Cover: 0 pts
Pages: 1 pt
Bonus: 0 pts
Total: 3 pts
Author (I believe with various authors, you use the first one named?)
3pts – has published 5 or more books
Genre - 0pts
Cover - 0pts
Pages
2pts - 300-399pp
Bonus Points - count once
2pts - Has a soilder in one of the stories/essays.
Total - 7 points
Lynn wrote: "Author (I believe with various authors, you use the first one named?)"Yes. Sorry. Will go make that more clear :)
I listened to The Demigod DiariesAuthor - 4 points (many books and male.)
Genre - 1 (maybe y.a.?)
Cover - 0
Pages - 1
Bonus Points - 2 points (one character served in an upraising against the Olympian gods.)
Total - 8?
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
{please correct me if I am wrong.}
Brenda wrote: "I listened to The Demigod DiariesI know nothing about it Brenda, but it is listed as a YA read by genre. So if you agree, take the points!
I read The Wonder Clock, Illustrated Edition for this challenge.Author
3pts – has published 5 or more books
1pt – is male
Genre
2pts - Classics
Cover
0 pts
Pages
3pts - 422pp
Bonus Points
2pts - Has a soilder in one of the stories.
The story about the soldier was one of the ones I liked.
Total points: 11
My review. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read In Our Time by Ernest HemingwayAuthor
3pts - Has published 5 or more books
1pt - is male
Genre
2pts classic
Bonus Points
2pts - Has a soilder in one of the stories/essays.
Total Points: 8
I read
Author
3pts – has published 5 or more books
Genre
0 points
Cover
0 points
Pages
1pt - 200-299pp (240 pages)
Bonus Points - count once
2pts - Has a soilder in one of the stories/essays. Has to be a substantial subject/character
Total: 6 points
I finished my choice for this challenge - The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories.Author:
3 pts - published more than 5 books
1 pts - male
Pages:
2 pts - 384 pgs
Total points: 6
Author (multiple authors use the first one named)
3pts – has published 5 or more books
1pt – is male
Genre
2pts - Classics
Cover
0 pts
Pages
1pt - 200-299pp
Bonus Points - count once
0 pts
Total: 7 points.
I read Bobcat and Other Stories by Rebecca Lee. At 209 pages, it gets one point for page length. Otherwise. . . I seem to have found a one point book. It is a marvelous collection of short stories, and I am very glad to have read it, but it doesn't seem to really qualify for any of the other points. I suppose I could argue that there is an explorer (a woman who lost an arm as a result of being attacked by a bobcat while she was scaling a mountain in Nepal). I don't know that I would consider her an explorer though, just a recreational mountain climber.
Cherie wrote: "Silver - you left out your points for pages."I don't qualify for page points. My book is over the 150 minimum but still under 200 pages.
I finished reading Burning Chrome by William Gibson. I thought it started off very strong and I liked all the stories but then a couple of the ones towards the end weren't so great. So I've rated it 4 stars but perhaps it was ore a 3.75 stars. My favourites were the ones set in the Sprawl universe.Author:
3pts – has published 5 or more books
1pt – is male
Genre:
3pts - Sci-Fi
Pages:
1pt - 200-299pp
Bonus Points:
2pts - Has a soldier in one of the stories/essays. In the story Red Star, Winter Orbit, the setting was an armed Russian space station called Cosmic City 1. Many soldiers lived on the station but the story was centered on Colonel Korolev who was injured in an accident and his rank is now honorary. He was the first man on Mars and the last man in Space. I didn't really like the story that much.
Total = 10pts
I read Night Shift by Stephen KingAuthor
3pts – has published 5 or more books
1pt – is male
Genre
0pts
Cover
4pts – Has a vegetable on it- corn
Pages
3pts - 400-499pp
Bonus Points
2pts - Has a soilder in one of the stories/essays. One of the stories is about an army of little toy soldiers attacking a man.
Total 13 pts
I read Baltimore Noir by Laura LippmanScoring!
Author 3pts – has published 5 or more books
Genre 0
Cover 0
Pages 1pt - 200-299pp
4 points
I read
A Guide to Being Born: Stories by Ramona AusubelCover
None of the required items, but it should get credit for being so imaginative :)
No points!
I think I should look at the scoring points next time.
Gosh, Jmom. I thought I might finally get my first glue stick, for my one point book. But it sounds like you've beaten me to it, fair and square.
Who knows when I would have gotten around to this book if not for the challenge. It was worth it! The glue stick's a bonus. ☺
I read Just-So Stories
Author
3pts – has published 5 or more books
1pt – is male
Genre
2pts - Classics
1pt - Young Adult
Cover - NIL
Pages
1pt - 200-299pp (224 pages)
Bonus Points - NIL
Total : 9 pts
Finished It's So You: 35 Women Write About Personal Expression Through Fashion and Style this week:Author - 3 points - more than 5 books
Genre - 4 points - a philosophical exploration of the role fashion plays in self-expression and gender identity.
Pages - 2 points - 300 pgs
Total Points: 9
I read The Bloody Chamber
by Angela CarterAuthor:
Has published 5 or more books - 3 points
Genre: 0 points
Cover: 0 points
Pages: 0 points
TOTAL - 3 points
I thought that I was heading for the glue stick this month but Jmom has beaten me to it by the looks of it. Meanie! ;)
Nothing Gold Can Stay: Stories by Ron Rash
Author: 3pts. Has published 5 or more books
Genre: n/a
Cover: n/a
Pages: 1 pt. (256 pages)
Bonus points: 2 pts
Has a soldier in one of the stories
"Three A.M. and the Stars Were Out" - Carson and Darnell were in the Korean War together.
"Where the Map Ends" is about the American Civil War.
Total: 6 pts
I read Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances. It was excellent.Author (multiple authors use the first one named)
3pts – has published 5 or more books
1pt – is male
Genre
3pts - Sci-Fi (a couple of the stories were sci-fi, so I hope this counts.)
Pages
2pts - 300-399pp
Bonus Points - count once
2pts - A character has dementia, or it is discussed in detail (Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month). One story was about a older man forgetting things. I hope the counts.)
11 points
Finished: The Bazaar of Bad DreamsLoved the book
Author: 3pts- more than five books
1pt- male
Genre/Cover- 0
Pages: 3pts- 495
Bonus: 4pts- veteran with dementia in "Batman and Robin have an altercation"
2pts- main character in "Mile 81" is exploring a new area on his own (the rest stop) and stumbles into trouble
Total: 13pts
I may be mistaken on whether or not the bonus items count but either way, it was a lot of fun!
Modern Wicked Fairy Tales: The Complete CollectionA decent read, but I think I would have preferred reading it one story at a time, instead of back-to-back-to-back.
Scoring!
Author: 3 Points
3pts – has published 5 or more books
Genre: 0 Points
Cover: 1 Point
1pt – Is mainly red (11 Nov - Remembrance Day)
Pages: 3 Points
3pts - 400-499pp
Bonus Points - 4 Points
2 pts - Has an explorer in one of the stories/essays. Has to be a substantial subject/character (In "Alice," she explores Wonderland, so I think it might count)
2pts - A character has dementia, or it is discussed in detail (Goldilocks' grandfather has dementia)
Total: 11 Points
I read I Do So Worry for All Those Lost at Sea. A bit too weird and surrealistic for my taste, gave it two stars.Scores:
Author male -> 1 point
Genre 0 p
Cover 0 p
Pages 221 -> 1 point
No bonus points
Wow, 2 points!
I finished The Curious Facts Preceding My Execution and Other Fictions by Donald E. Westlake.Short stories were perfect reading lengths for my stay in the hospital!☻
Author (multiple authors use the first one named)
3pts – has published 5 or more books
1pt – is male
4 whole points!
I just realised that I hadn't reported my November read... Oops! I eat Nurses of the Outback by Annabelle Brayley. I found it a really interesting read, and even living in Contry WA for most of my life, some of the logistics of rural and remote healthcare are just mind-boggling.
Not such a great point scorer....
1 point, for 200-299 pages, and that's it!
Sorry I did not post what I read sooner - I realize "NO BADGE FOR ME!" as fans of Seinfeld would say. I did read two great short story collections and my reviews are at these two sites:Dance of the Happy Shades by Alice Munro and
Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann
WOO-HOO Thirteen Ways of Looking gets me 6 points:
1 pt the author is male
2 pts it includes a story about a soldier on patrol in Afghanistan and missing her family at home
2 pts the main character of the title story is slipping into dementia
1 pt it is 256 pages long
TOTAL 6 pts! here in the states we give "Good Sport" Badges to those who come in last
I haven't posted badges yet as 1. I am lame, and 2. It's Christmas Season/Birthday Season/End of Financial Year/End of Academic Year chaos here in Rus land.So post your top scoring book, Deborah.
Books mentioned in this topic
Zoli (other topics)Thirteen Ways of Looking (other topics)
Birds of America: Stories (other topics)
Revenge (other topics)
Nurses of the Outback (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Donald E. Westlake (other topics)Ron Rash (other topics)
Angela Carter (other topics)
Ramona Ausubel (other topics)
Laura Lippman (other topics)
More...




For November, we're going to read a book (collection) of short stories or short essays.
I don't mind if they are fiction or non-fiction. Non-fiction though, please make sure they are separate essays/writings, not just chapters of a larger book. That won't count.
General Rules:
1. The book may be in any format - paperback, ebook, audiobook.
2. The book may be in any genre.
3. The book may NOT be combined with the Year Long Serial Killer Challenge.
4. The book must be read between 1 November and 30 November (based on your own time zone).
5. The book must be over 150pp in length. If you are reading an e-book or audiobook, please go by the most popular version on Goodreads, ie. The first one that comes up when you search for the book.
6. The challenge is for one book. You may read more books if you chose, but only the highest scoring book will apply.
Scoring!
Author (multiple authors use the first one named)
4pts – is Lebanese (22 Nov - Independence Day)
3pts – has published 5 or more books
2pts – is Scottish (30 Nov - St Andrews Day)
1pt – is male
Genre
4pts - Philosophy (it's International Philosophy Day third Thursday of the month)
3pts - Sci-Fi
2pts - Classics
1pt - Young Adult
Cover
4pts – Has a vegetable on it (Sweet Potato Awareness Month)
3pts – Has Indigenous art/artifacts on it (I may ask for some explanation for this one) (Native American Heritage Month)
2pts – Has a fruit on it (National Pomegranate Month)
1pt – Is mainly red (11 Nov - Remembrance Day)
Pages
4pts - 500+pp
3pts - 400-499pp
2pts - 300-399pp
1pt - 200-299pp
Bonus Points - count once
2pts - Has a soilder in one of the stories/essays. Has to be a substantial subject/character (For many different holidays/commemoration days)
2 pts - Has an explorer in one of the stories/essays. Has to be a substantial subject/character (19 Nov - Discovery of Puerto Rico by Christopher Columbus)
2pts - A character has dementia, or it is discussed in detail (Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month)