Reading with Style discussion

Post questions about the Winter 2014/15 Challenge here.

I am thinking of reading Paul Auster's The New York Trilogy, made up of 3 books, City of Glass, Ghosts and The Locked Room.

First I need to check these will count as 3 separate books. Ghosts is under 100 pages if counted separately, so I'd be claiming it for part of 10.8.

Then together, The New York Trilogy is on the 1001 books list, and the 1980s list. So can I count the two books that are over 100 pages for these tasks?

Great question. Also, Paul Auster won one of the awards linked in 10.5 (the Princess of Asturias Awards).

Rosemary wrote: "First I need to check these will count as 3 separate books. Ghosts is under 100 pages if counted separately, so I'd be claiming it for part of 10.8...."

Yes, they have each been published as individual books. I recommend Chess Story as another 20th Century 1001-book that is less than 100 pages.

Rosemary wrote: "Then together, The New York Trilogy is on the 1001 books list, and the 1980s list. So can I count the two books that are over 100 pages for these tasks?..."

Yes.

Liz M wrote: "Yes, they have each been published as individual books. I recommend Chess Story as another 20th Century 1001-book that is less than 100 pages."

Excellent, thank you! I don't have another <100 pages book so I'll see if that one's in the library.

Honest - Liz and I didn't discuss this, but Chess Story is exactly the book I would have suggested. I read that a few months back. I love the way Zweig writes.

Yes! I have reserved it. Should be in before Christmas :-)

They both should count for oldies 1940-90, too :-)

Joanna wrote: "Great question. Also, Paul Auster won one of the awards linked in 10.5 (the Princess of Asturias Awards)."

Thanks Joanna! I will put one of them there :-)

I feel guilty for even asking, but as I'm on vacation waiting for labor to start with my first child, I'm more antsy than normal. :) When do the rest of the challenges get posted for winter? I know everyone is super busy wrapping up one season and starting another; I'm just unfamiliar with timing. Thanks!

No need to feel guilty, but I'm surprised you don't have other things on your mind! ;-)

Normally, we would have things posted by today, tomorrow at the latest. There are 3 member tasks yet to be submitted/decided upon. When we know what those will be, we will post those and the remainder of the mods tasks. Soon, is the best we can answer.

Thanks for the quick answer! I think I'm just trying to get everything prepared; plus, I'm not sure what to do with myself during this waiting game!

Paula wrote: "Thanks for the quick answer! I think I'm just trying to get everything prepared; plus, I'm not sure what to do with myself during this waiting game!"

Read a book? Perhaps, City of Glass by Paul Auster? ;)

We will make sure any books posted before all the tasks are finalized get all the combo points due to them. And you can always move a book from one task to another if you'd rather claim it for 20.9 (for example).

Krista wrote: "Hi Liz: (Not to be a pest as I know how busy the transition from one challenge to the next is!)

When you have more time, will you post that master list somewhere we can review or copy it? (Or tell me how I can copy it to a spreadsheet from the Listopia list) as it's painful to page through all the pages on the Listopia list.

Thanks!
-Krista ..."

No, I would much prefer to not post the Master list. It is a list that is generated specifically to be uploaded to the database at the beginning of the season - a snapshot. After that all of the additions/changes/updates happen in the database. So, I do not want to post a static document that will become inaccurate within the first week of the challenge.

Ha! Yes, of course I'm reading, silly :) I just like complete lists. I will wait patiently!

@Paula
Congrats on your first child :)

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "@Paula
Congrats on your first child :)"

Thank you :) we're very excited!

Do poetry collections count for tasks where a certain country setting is required? I'm thinking specifically of the Nutcracker and Island Dreams tasks.

Karen Michele wrote: "Do poetry collections count for tasks where a certain country setting is required? I'm thinking specifically of the Nutcracker and Island Dreams tasks."

Yes, as long as the setting is clear, you can use poetry - or any book - for those tasks.

Okay folks -- I could use some help. I'm currently listening to All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

I had to wait *months* to get this CD audiobook from the library so I'm reading it while I have the chance. But I can't find a spot for it. :-( I know it can go into the Square Peg task -- but I'd like save that task for later in the challenge if I can.

If anyone can figure out what other task this book might work for, that would be wonderful. It's set in France and Germany during WWII. It's fiction, released this year. Short listed for the National Book Award.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through it, and I'm really enjoying it so far. Thanks for the help!

I'm pretty sure I saw that on the Readers also enjoyed feature while looking for books for the 20.10 task. The newer books like the Goldfinch seem to quickly cycle other popular recently published books, so I would keep an eye out.

Jama wrote: "I'm pretty sure I saw that on the Readers also enjoyed feature while looking for books for the 20.10 task. The newer books like the Goldfinch seem to quickly cycle other popular recently published..."

Hi Jama:
Good idea! I'll keep watching that The Goldfinch to see if All the Light We Cannot See comes up on 'Readers Also Enjoyed' section.

Thanks!
-Krista

Question re Combo points. It would seem by definition the Two for One task would not be eligible for combo points? Page minimum = 100 points for all books except the Two for One task? Or did I miss an exception somewhere?

The Two for One task cannot be claimed as combo points. That is, when posting for another task, you cannot claim 5 points because it also could be used for that one, as you observe the 100 page limit applies. However, when posting for the Two for One, if both books would otherwise qualify for another task, you can have a combo. Karen's post #3 is a good example where both of the books take place in Russia and therefore are a combo with 10.2 Nutcracker.

I started to read Moominvalley in November in October. The author, Tove Jansson, died when she was 86 and thus fits the Respect Elders category (she's on the pre-approved list too). Lexile score for the book is 810.
The problem is that I was at 52% in early November, when I temporarily abandoned the book for other stuff I wanted to finish for the Fall Challenge. So technically, I was 2% too far with it to use it as my one book that I've started before the Winter Challenge began. I would like a ruling as to whether I can still use it or not.

I am looking to fit The Rosie Project into a task this season. Would it fit anywhere? I am thinking Island dreams.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I am looking to fit The Rosie Project into a task this season. Would it fit anywhere? I am thinking Island dreams."

It's possible it will fit there, but the settings on the GR book page show that it takes place in Australia (fits Island Dreams) but also in New York City. I haven't read it, so don't know whether less than a quarter of it takes place in NYC.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I am looking to fit The Rosie Project into a task this season. Would it fit anywhere? I am thinking Island dreams."

It's possible it will fit there, but the setting..."

I've read it, and I'd say that about 10% (or so) takes place in NYC. Hope that helps! I know I'm not a moderator though... :-) -Krista

It helps so as long as I can use it for somewhere.

It looks as though The Rosie Project might work for the exiles task too - the author's Goodreads profile says he's a New Zealand born Australian...

cool, combo points.

Cory Day wrote: "It looks as though The Rosie Project might work for the exiles task too - the author's Goodreads profile says he's a New Zealand born Australian..."

You should double check with Jama in the 20.8 thread. It looked to me as if he was an Australian born in New Zealand, but I might have read that wrong.

Krista wrote: "I've read it, and I'd say that about 10% (or so) takes place in NYC. Hope that helps! I know I'm not a moderator though... :-) -Krista
"

As long as it complies with the task, you're good Jaymie.

Kätlin wrote: "The problem is that I was at 52% in early November, when I temporarily abandoned the book for other stuff I wanted to finish for the Fall Challenge. So technically, I was 2% too far with it to use it as my one book that I've started before the Winter Challenge began. I would like a ruling as to whether I can still use it or not. ...."

Unfortunately, I am going to say no to this. I hope it does not seem arbitrary and unfair, but I feel it it would be unfair to the other members, including myself, that have faithfully abided by this rule if I allowed the exception.

How do I determine how frequently a book has been shelved as "Jewish" (or any other shelf, for that matter). I can click on the link in the task (10.8) but that just seems to give me a list of Popular Jewish books.. . as opposed to being able to quickly ascertain whether a book I've chosen has been so tagged. Thanks.

In the list, to the right of the author's name, it says (208 times as jewish).

When you look at a book on the book page, in the right hand column, is a section called "genres". For many books, the shelf "jewish" will be listed there, though really popular books may not. Night does not, for instance, though it is the first in our list, because the most popular shelves for that book have more than the 208 Jewish shelvings. You can click "see top shelves" just below the genres section which will bring up all of the ways that book is shelved. Those shelves are in numerical order, rather than alphabetical order which can make finding the specific shelf more challenging. The easiest way for me, at that point, is to use my browser's find feature, ctrl-f for Windows.

Liz M wrote: "Kätlin wrote: "The problem is that I was at 52% in early November, when I temporarily abandoned the book for other stuff I wanted to finish for the Fall Challenge. So technically, I was 2% too far ..."

No, it's fine. I just wanted to make sure. I'm not going to play the book.

I forgot how we treat a book that is not found in the BPL?
I want to see about using Towards Yesterday by Paul Antony Jones in the A-Z sub challenge.

Rebekah wrote: "I forgot how we treat a book that is not found in the BPL?"

You can read any book within the general rules of the challenge (length, for instance). Only when a book that is not on the Canon and is shelved at BPL as one of the YA/Juvenile designations will a Lexile be checked.

Is that what you mean?

ok, so not on canon, not on BPL shelves, >100 pages, No Lexile and fits task is ok?

Rebekah wrote: "ok, so not on canon, not on BPL shelves, >100 pages, No Lexile and fits task is ok?"

If it's not on the Canon and BPL doesn't shelve it, you don't even have to check the Lexile.

Happy, Happy

How do I find the most popular version of a book? I'd like to read Enid Bagnold's book, A Diary Without Dates. But some versions are under 100 pages. I want to make sure that this will qualify for the Persephone task.

Thanks!
-Krista

When you look at the other editions page, and the sort is by "num ratings" (menu upper right, but it is the default), the most popular edition will be listed first. In most cases, this is the English language print edition. If it is not, we will look for the first appearance in the list of an English language print edition..

Krista wrote: "How do I find the most popular version of a book? I'd like to read Enid Bagnold's book, A Diary Without Dates. But some versions are under 100 pages. I want to m..."

FAQ - Most Popular edition

This book is good -- the MPE is 127 pages.

Thanks for the education, Elizabeth and Liz. You are both so on the ball! Glad to know this book will work.

Cheers!

Hi --- It's me again. :-)

I have a question about the Non-Western Style points.

My reading of the Non-Western Style points rules seems to indicate that this is awarded all based on the author's country of origin, and current (or final) country of origin. Is that correct?

Specifically, I'm almost done reading Catherine the Great by Henri Troyat. The non-fiction book certainly qualifies as Non-Western since it's about Russia in the mid to late 1700's. But Troyat was born in Russia and was eventually exiled to France. He's been approved for the Exiles and Emmigrants task.

I'm thinking that the book doesn't qualify for Non-Western Style points, but I may be splitting hairs here.

The same question would apply to works by Isabel Allende since she was born and raised in Chile, but now lives in the US. Would The House of the Spirits qualify for Non-Western Style points?

Non-western applies only to the author. When an author is designated non-western, all of his/her books qualify for the non-western style points.

In deciding if an author is designated non-western we look at both his country of birth and his citizenship/residency. Many people emigrate but never adopt the citizenship of the new country. We try to err on the side of the member, so that even when an author emigrates, if he does not acquire new citizenship in a "western" country, then we will allow him to retain the non-western status.

The works of neither Henri Troyat nor Isabel Allende receive non-western style points. Troyat is identified as a French author. The line for Allende is somewhat blurred, but as she has adopted US citizenship and has lived here for many years, we have designated her as western rather than non-western.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Non-western applies only to the author. When an author is designated non-western, all of his/her books qualify for the non-western style points.

In deciding if an author is designated non-western ..."

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for the quick answer. I appreciate the expanded explanation. I'll have to look for authors who don't have such wandering feet next. :-)

-Krista

Have you seen the list in the Quick Links thread? We will continue to add to the list, but those are authors we have already designated non-western.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Have you seen the list in the Quick Links thread? We will continue to add to the list, but those are authors we have already designated non-western."

No, I haven't seen that yet. I'll check it out.

Thanks!