Reading with Style discussion

Please post any general questions about the Winter challenge in this thread.

Planning space please?

This season we chose to honor authors who died in 2022. We lost many and, unfortuntately, we were unable to include all of them in tasks.

The range of their births is reflected in 20.1. Boris Pahor lived to be 108, and although we do not have a task for him, it is in his honor and many others that we have the Aged style this season.

I picked up on them having died recently but i didnt know about Hilary Mantel! She’s so young!

Rebekah wrote: "I picked up on them having died recently but i didnt know about Hilary Martel! She’s so young!"

Actually, it was her death that prompted us to look further.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "This season we chose to honor authors who died in 2022. We lost many and, unfortuntately, we were unable to include all of them in tasks.

The range of their births is reflected in 20.1. [author:Bo..."

Wow! That sure is the proper tribute for Pahor. I wonder how active he was?

I was fascinated reading about him. He was a Holocaust survivor and spent time in several camps.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_P...

Here are the aged authors in my planning list I have found so far

Alexander McCall Smith 75 in 2023
M. C. Beaton 83
Susan Wittig Albert 82
Arthur Hailey 84
Stephen King 75
Doctorow, E. L. 82
Oakley Hall 88
Elizabeth Berg 75
Edward L. Bernays 104
Lew Wallace 78
Terry Brooks 78
Noel Barber. 78
Anne Perry 84
Martha Grimes. 91
James Ellroy 75 in 2023
Andrea Camilleri 93
Ed McBain. 78
William F Buckley Jr. 82
David McCullough. 89 (also died in 2022)
Pearl S Buck. 80
Kathleen Winsor. 84
James M. Cain. 85
Thich Nhat Hanh. 95
Carolyn Wells. 80
José Saramago 87
Erich Fromm 79
Daphne du Maurier 82
Vera Caspary 88
Victor Hugo. 83
Barbara Neely. 79
Isabel Allende 80
Ray Bradbury 91
Edith Wharton 75
Margaret Atwood 83
Sue Grafton 77
James Patterson 75

I posted the list already. I put it in the Announcements thread, but here is the link again:

Quick Links

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I posted the list already. I put it in the Announcements thread, but here is the link again:

Quick Links"

I saw the birth and death dates so I went ahead and gave actual age for 2023.

The database will do the math and verify that an author fits the style.

Trying to clean up old books from my Kindle . . . And get them read! Could you help with this book?

Damn! by H.L. Mencken

1. Is the page count 118? The MPE doesn’t have any page count listed, but that is the number on the Amazon listing for this edition.

2. What is the correct publication date? Looks like 1918 per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._M...

3. Is the title just “Damn” with “A Book of Calumny “ being the subtitle?

Mary wrote: "Trying to clean up old books from my Kindle . . . And get them read! Could you help with this book?

Damn! by H.L. Mencken

1. Is the page count 118? The MPE doesn’t ha..."

I have fixed the MPEd to show 118 pages and original pub date of 1918.

Yes, we will show this title as just the one word Damn!

Thank you! Never read Mencken before. He is a serious cynic!

I can't believe Stephen King and James Patterson are 75.

Thanks Elizabeth for accommodating my 20.10 claim.

I had the new book page for a while and then it went back to the old format. Do you know if there's a setting I should change so it matches what others have?
I'm in Canada if it makes sense that my rollout is later?

Rachel wrote: "Thanks Elizabeth for accommodating my 20.10 claim.

I had the new book page for a while and then it went back to the old format. Do you know if there's a setting I should change so it matches what ..."

I'm sorry we didn't match up, but that is neither of our faults. There are problems with the new book page. Frankly, I'm envious of those of you who still have the old one!

I prefer the old one.

Rachel wrote: "Thanks Elizabeth for accommodating my 20.10 claim.

I had the new book page for a while and then it went back to the old format. Do you know if there's a setting I should change so it matches what ..."

I'm in Canada as well, and have been stuck with the new page for a little while now. Maybe you're just lucky!

Valerie wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Thanks Elizabeth for accommodating my 20.10 claim.

I had the new book page for a while and then it went back to the old format. Do you know if there's a setting I should change so i..."

I’ve noticed that i have the old one on my phone and new one on my computer…while i kinda hate doing RwS posts from my phone, i’ve been doing EVERYTHING else GR-related on it just to access the “old” format. :-(

Would you please confirm that An Anthology of Modern Malaysian Chinese Stories by Ly Singko qualifies for the aged style

See: http://viaf.org/viaf/3615806651970843...
And https://viaf.org/processed/SUDOC|1583...

Mary wrote: "Would you please confirm that An Anthology of Modern Malaysian Chinese Stories by Ly Singko qualifies for the aged style

See: http://viaf.org/viaf/361580665197084..."

Yes

This is the same author GR shows as Singko Ly and the author of The Fall of Madam Mao.

As such, he also qualifies for 20.9 Translator.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Mary wrote: "Would you please confirm that An Anthology of Modern Malaysian Chinese Stories by Ly Singko qualifies for the aged style

See: http://viaf.org/viaf/36..."

Thanks!

One more question

I just finished The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel

Listed at BPL as “Assignment”. Lexile listed as “NP”. Will it qualify for the Subchallenge?

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Thanks Elizabeth for accommodating my 20.10 claim.

I had the new book page for a while and then it went back to the old format. Do you know if there's a setting I should change so i..."

Okay thanks!

Yes I very much prefer the old one. Happy I still have it! :)

Mary wrote: "One more question

I just finished The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel

Listed at BPL as “Assignment”. Lexile listed as “NP”. Will it ..."

Thank you for asking. Yes we will allow this.

About this book: Birth: A Guide for Prayer by Jacqueline Syrup Bergan and Sister Marie Schwan:

1) Are aged points for the first author only? If so, I found an online piece stating that the first author recently celebrated her 80th birthday. Her co-author died in 2014 at the age of 81 per page 149 of the book. http://www.lovedandloving.net/The-Aut...

2) I don't see the book's page numbers in the GR record. I have the September 2022 edition; it has 150 pages.

Owlette wrote: "About this book: Birth: A Guide for Prayer by Jacqueline Syrup Bergan and Sister Marie Schwan:

1) Are aged points for the first author only? If so, I found an online..."

It's only the first named author. I found a 1938 birth year for her, so she works for aged. I have combined the editions, and the MPE has 192 pages. I assume you have the edition you linked and have added page count. It may take a bit for it to display.

Could you take a look at the publication date for Average Jones by Samuel Hopkins Adams?

The MPE has 1912, there are several reprints with various years, and what looks like the original Bobbs Merrill edition with 1911 as the publication date. Worldcat has this edition with date of 1911 https://www.worldcat.org/title/32269914

Thanks for adding the page count. My edition says 19 September 2022 on the last page and the first page says “Revised and Updated Edition.” It reads like it wasn’t really proofread, so maybe put together in a hurry? The cover looks like one on GR with the pink flower.

Mary wrote: "Could you take a look at the publication date for Average Jones by Samuel Hopkins Adams?

The MPE has 1912, there are several reprints with various years, and what lo..."

We don't use the pub date of the MPE (which is 2007), we use the original publication date on the GR book record. The new book page may have that wrong (there is a bug in the display), but the Other Editions page has 1911 for first published. Unless you have other documentation that is what we'd use.

Owlette wrote: "Thanks for adding the page count. My edition says 19 September 2022 on the last page and the first page says “Revised and Updated Edition.” It reads like it wasn’t really proofread, so maybe put to..."

We have to match page counts to ISBNs.

I see. The ISBN on my book matches GR’s (978…).

Owlette wrote: "I see. The ISBN on my book matches GR’s (978…)."

All ISBN 13s start with either 978 or 979. Look at the last 5 or 6 digits. They are unlikely to be duplicated on the same title.

The last six ISBN digits on my copy are 989336.

Owlette wrote: "The last six ISBN digits on my copy are 989336."

Thanks for confirming. That is the edition I added the page count to.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Mary wrote: "Could you take a look at the publication date for Average Jones by Samuel Hopkins Adams?

The MPE has 1912, there are several reprints with various years..."

Thank you!

For the Aged style . . . The Saguaro Cactus: A Natural History by David Yetman. Please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Y...

Mary wrote: "For the Aged style . . . The Saguaro Cactus: A Natural History by David Yetman. Please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Y..."

Yes.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Mary wrote: "For the Aged style . . . The Saguaro Cactus: A Natural History by David Yetman. Please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Y..."

Yes."

Thank you

Wow! Ambrose Bierce is 180 years old! ; )

Rebekah wrote: "Wow! Ambrose Bierce is 180 years old! ; )"

His profile says he was 72 at his death. It doesn’t appear above because the exact date of death isn’t known.

Perhaps the Halfway Bonus needs clarifying.

We used to have a 100-point RwS finish for completing all of the 10- and 20-point tasks. We changed that for those who cannot read 20 books and give the opportunity to those who read fewer.

But in doing so, we didn't do you out of the 100 points and, in fact, give you an extra 50-points each and every time you complete one of the halves. Yes, there is usually a restriction on the 10-pointers where one of the tasks can be completed only one time, so that you get it only one time for those 10 tasks. However, there is no restriction on the number of times you can be awarded the 50-point Halfway Bonus for the 20-pointers should you be a reading rabbit and able to read through those 10 tasks a 2nd or even a 3rd time.

I was just perusing the Readerboard to gauge about where I'm at and saw that my total there was higher than I should have according to my records. By my tally, as of Jan 12/Post 460 (my last post before today's) I should only be at 990. While the point boost looks lovely, I don't want to cheat by not mentioning the discrepancy!

Anika wrote: "I was just perusing the Readerboard to gauge about where I'm at and saw that my total there was higher than I should have according to my records. By my tally, as of Jan 12/Post 460 (my last post b..."

In post 440, you claimed a total of 985. In post 447, you claimed a new book and a season total of 960. I think the Readerboard total is accurate.

Kate S wrote: "Anika wrote: "I was just perusing the Readerboard to gauge about where I'm at and saw that my total there was higher than I should have according to my records. By my tally, as of Jan 12/Post 460 (..."

Thank you for clearing that up for me! It was making me crazy that my numbers weren't adding up right <3

Could you explain what these numbers represent? Thank you!

Valerie 13/13 (100.0%)
Joanne 11/11 (100.0%)
Kathleen (itpdx) 10/10 (100.0%)
Bucket 6/6 (100.0%)
Connie 5/5 (100.0%)
Rosemary 20/22 (90.9%)
Joanna 10/11 (90.9%)
Ann 4/5 (80.0%)
Anika 12/20 (60.0%)
Katy 3/5 (60.0%)

Nancy wrote: "Could you explain what these numbers represent? Thank you!

Valerie 13/13 (100.0%)
Joanne 11/11 (100.0%)
Kathleen (itpdx) 10/10 (100.0%)
Bucket 6/6 (100.0%)
Connie 5/5 (100.0%)
Rosemary 20/22 (90.9..."

Those are the Group Reads leaders. Each season there are members who choose books for a season's Task 10.10 Group Reads. The criteria each season is outlined in the Styles and Bonuses post. Kate usually appends the requirement for the current season below the scoring, as she has this season:

the Spring 2023 "group reads" books will be chosen by a combination of moderators, mega-finishers, and members that read at least 5 books and earn the highest percentage of Review points in the Winter 22-23 Challenge.

So in that section of the Readerboard, Valerie has posted 13 reviews for 13 books, or 100%; Joanne has posted 11 reviews for 11 books, or 100%; etc.

Thank you Elizabeth. I kept reading the explanation but the word “review” wasn’t registering. It’s all clear now!

Thank you for asking that question Nancy! I have been trying to decipher it for the entire challenge -LoL