Posted May 6, 2020 (edited) Book Number: 22 Number Of Pages: 314 Book Title: Eye Spy Author: Mercedes Lackey Summary: The second novel in the Family Spies series follows Mags' and Amily's second oldest child, Abidela, as she finds her place in the world outside of her father's network of spies. Since she discovers she has a Gift that helps her spot weaknesses in structures, she trains as an Artificer. Where that leads her is the interesting part. Edited May 26, 2020 by purpledragonclaw Share this post Link to post
Posted May 9, 2020 Book Number: 185 Number Of Pages: 468 Book Title: Daughter of the Red Deer Author: Joan Wolf Summary: When the Tribe of the Horse loses most of its women to tainted water, the young men of the tribe decide to kidnap the women of the Red Deer Tribe. Because it's a matriarchal tribe, they believe that the men of the Red Deer are weaklings who won't fight since they willingly follow a woman leader. All their problems will be over, or so they think... until they discover that women led by a woman are just as competent and more subtle at fighting back than any man. Book Number: 186 Number Of Pages: 443 Book Title: The Horsemasters Author: Joan Wolf Summary: The Tribe of the Red Deer faces internal division, when it becomes apparent that the daughter of the tribal Mother is unfit to lead, but her son is. Adamant that a man will never rule the Red Deer, she exiles her son. He builds his own tribe from the outcasts and runaways of many other tribes. He is also the first to see the danger posed by the Horsemasters, strangers with the ability to ride horses, and who are invading the territory. But can he bring all of the tribes together in time to stand against them? Book Number: 187 Number Of Pages: 229 Book Title: Laura Author: Donald Zochert Summary: A biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of the Little House series of books based on her own childhood and young adulthood growing up in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota in the late 1800s. Book Number: 188 Number Of Pages:373 Book Title: Uhura's Song Author: Janet Kagan Summary: Years ago, Uhura made friends with a diplomat from Eeiauo, a planet of catlike beings, as the two women had a love and talent for music in common. The two traded taboo songs from their respective cultures, promising never to tell their secret. But now a plague is ravaging the Eeiauoans... and is spreading to other races as well. The taboo songs Uhura learned may hold a key to a cure. She and the rest of the Enterprise crew must decipher the clues before they too succumb to the deadly illness. Book Number: 189 Number Of Pages: 430 Book Title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Author: Betty Smith Summary: Francie Nolan grows up in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn in the 1910s, in a family poor in money but rich in love. She learns many valuable lessons of life, love, and family. Book Number: 190 Number Of Pages: 391 Book Title: Betrayed Author: Bertrice Small Summary: Penniless due to feuding between her father and grandfather, Fiona makes a desperate bargain with Angus Gordon... she would become his mistress if he would dower her four younger sisters. Angus falls in love with Fiona and brings her with him to the court of King James. But the king has other plans for Fiona, and threatens retaliation against her sisters unless she allows Colin MacDonald to kidnap her so that she may spy on his half-brother the Lord of the Isles. She submits, but when Colin falls in battle, she must fight the king for her children's future. Book Number: 191 Number Of Pages: 364 Book Title: The Dragon Lord’s Daughters Author: Bertrice Small Summary: Merin Pendragon, descendant of King Arthur’s secret first child, has three daughters to marry off. But that seemingly simple task is complicated by the sisters’ spirited and independent natures. Illegitimate Averil, oldest and most beautiful of the three, is kidnapped and forced into marriage by a nobleman’s by-blow seeking an heiress wife. Maia, the legitimate daughter, could have anyone she chooses… and picks a man who’s previous brides died in mysterious circumstances. And headstrong Junia meets and falls for the son of her father’s worst enemy. Book Number: 192 Number Of Pages: 396 Book Title: Black Tie Only Author: Julia Fenton Summary: Alexandra, Mary Lee, and Jette, the daughters of wealthy Americans, made friends with Lady Diana Spencer while they were all in school together at West Heath. Now married to hotelier Richard Fitzgerald, Alexandra has been asked by Princess Diana to host a special party for her and Prince Charles. She agrees, but labor issues threaten first the extravaganza and then her son. Book Number: 193 Number Of Pages: 375 Book Title: Love In Arms Author: Richelle LaFleur Summary: Narra disguised herself as a man and joined the army of Mennetis in a desperate attempt to find her missing brother. Assigned to the scouts, she tried to ignore her attraction to her duty partner. When physical contact during a skirmish revealed his new partner to be a woman, Scout-Sergeant Karsin's first thought was to have her sent home. But when he heard Narra's story, he agreed to help her in her quest. Their growing closeness brought them an enemy that continued to harass them as they worked to build a new life together after the war. Book Number: 194 Number Of Pages: 281 Book Title: To Kill a Mockingbird Author: Harper Lee Summary: Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, with brother Jem and friend Dill, grow up in Depression-era Alabama, where she learns about human nature, bigotry, compassion, and honor from her lawyer father. Share this post Link to post
Posted May 9, 2020 (edited) Book Number: 36 Number Of Pages: 332 Book Title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Author: J.K. Rowlings Summary: Harry Potter, on his 11th birthday discover that he is a wizard. This is his first year at Hogwarts where some one is trying to steal the philosopher stone. Book Number: 37 Number Of Pages: 219 Book Title: Les Guardiens du Temps: Les Perles du Passé (would translate as "Gaurdians of Time: The pearls of past) Author: Danny Rotondo Summary: Billy, Sara and Pierre receive three magic pearls to protect. Those pearls has the power to make them travel in history. They got send in various time while they protect the pearls from demons who are after them. Edited May 11, 2020 by Little-Star Share this post Link to post
Posted May 15, 2020 Book Number: 19 Number Of Pages: 401 Book Title: Firestarter Author: Stephen King Summary: Two college students in need of money volunteer for a paid experiment, and are dosed with a drug that unlocks small psychic abilities in each of them (and, unbeknownst to them, kill the other participants in the study). When they fall in love and have a child, they discover that her powers far exceed anything they can do, and they also realize that the government agency that ran the initial experiment will stop at nothing to capture this child to study her powers, or to eliminate them, and her, if she can't be controlled. Book Number: 20 Number Of Pages: 170 Book Title: Rage Author: Stephen King (as Richard Bachman) Summary: A troubled high school student holds his classroom hostage as they discuss his problematic upbringing, and their own problems. Book Number: 21 Number Of Pages: 273 Book Title: Roadwork Author: Stephen King (as Richard Bachman) Summary: A man who's home, workplace, and entire life fall within the planned path of a highway expansion begins to take a stand, or to self destruct. This book was so miserable to read it took me over a month because I just didn't want to pick it up. I spent at least a week with only 50 pages to go and had to just make myself finish. There's something about King writing as Bachman that just doesn't work for me (I felt the same way about The Long Walk, although Rage was alright), so I'm definitely going to take a break from Bachman for a little while. Share this post Link to post
Posted May 17, 2020 Book Number: 195 Number Of Pages: 435 Book Title: Take a Thief Author: Mercedes Lackey Summary: Orphaned Skif, growing up in the slums of Haven, joins a gang of boy-thieves "apprenticed" to a kindly crippled man who teaches them the art. When his mentor dies in an arson fire, Skif vows revenge.In the process, he stumbles into some highly political plotting - and is Chosen by a Companion. Book Number: 196 Number Of Pages: 194 Book Title: Black Beauty Author: Anna Sewell Summary: The “autobiography” of a horse named Black Beauty and his life in 19th century England, starting from his early years as a colt and first job as a riding and carriage horse for Squire Gordon. Through the years he changes hands several times, eventually becoming a London cab-horse. When he collapses due to overwork, he thinks he's going to end up slaughtered, but a kindly farmer rehabs him instead, eventually finding him a good home where he can live out his life in peace. Book Number: 197 Number Of Pages: 250 Book Title: Candy Stripers Author: Lee Wyndham Summary: Fourteen-year-old Bonnie joined the Candy Stripers on a whim, and while she didn’t dislike the work, she sometimes wondered why she’d bothered, as she had no real interest in nursing. But when a tragedy struck the town, she discovered just how much the hospital and her work there meant to her. Book Number: 198 Number Of Pages: 419 Book Title: Bianca Author: Bertrice Small Summary: Bianca was considered the most beautiful maiden in Florence. A wicked Florentine lawyer blackmailed her family in order to marry her. She escaped her abusive husband, and while seeking an annulment to her marriage, met Prince Amir, the grandson of Mehmet the Conqueror. After her husband's death, Bianca's family tried to arrange a new marriage, but she fled Italy to be with her Turkish prince. Book Number: 199 Number Of Pages: 390 Book Title: Francesca Author: Bertrice Small Summary: Francesca, chosen by the Medici as a prospective bride for the future duke of Terreno Boscoso, thought she had no chance of being selected, but she was. She ran away, got lost, and spent the winter serving at an inn. She returned to town only to be hurried to her own wedding. She and her husband reconciled, but a French invasion soon threatened their happiness and their lives. Book Number: 200 Number Of Pages: 288 Book Title: Luciana Author: Bertrice Small Summary: Economic downturns reduced Luciana's dowry to a pittance, so she accepted marriage with a kindly merchant old enough to be her grandfather. After his death, the now-wealthy widow met an English earl visiting Florence seeking silk for Henry VII's queen, and directed him to her father's business. Her father noted an attraction between the two, so when the silk merchants collectively decided to send a representative to England, he convinced them to send Luciana. Book Number: 201 Number Of Pages: 213 Book Title: Theme Gardens Author: Barbara Damrosch Summary: A book of relatively easy to create designs for themed gardens of various types. The gardens range from a New England colonial-style garden to suit a colonial house, a garden filled with plants mentioned by Shakespeare, to gardens created to attract hummingbirds or butterflies. Book Number: 202 Number Of Pages: 150 Book Title: Magical Gardens Author: Patricia Monaghan Summary: A book of gardens and gardening from the perspective of a neo-pagan for whom working the earth honors the gods. Garden myths and stories from various cultures add flavor to the how-to chapters, while the garden plans themselves are delightfully magical, including a Fairy Garden full of miniature plants, a witch's herb garden, and a pair of sun-themed and sun-shaped flower beds. Book Number: 203 Number Of Pages: 199 Book Title: Brother Cadfael’s Herb Garden Author: Rob Talbot and Robin Whiteman Summary: An illustrated history of herbals and herb gardens, tracing a year of work in an herb garden. An A-Z plant section lists all the herbs mentioned in the Brother Cadfael chronicles, along with their uses in both the medieval and modern worlds. Share this post Link to post
Posted May 17, 2020 10 hours ago, catstaff said: Book Number: 201 Number Of Pages: 213 Book Title: Theme Gardens Author: Barbara Damrosch Summary: A book of relatively easy to create designs for themed gardens of various types. The gardens range from a New England colonial-style garden to suit a colonial house, a garden filled with plants mentioned by Shakespeare, to gardens created to attract hummingbirds or butterflies. Book Number: 202 Number Of Pages: 150 Book Title: Magical Gardens Author: Patricia Monaghan Summary: A book of gardens and gardening from the perspective of a neo-pagan for whom working the earth honors the gods. Garden myths and stories from various cultures add flavor to the how-to chapters, while the garden plans themselves are delightfully magical, including a Fairy Garden full of miniature plants, a witch's herb garden, and a pair of sun-themed and sun-shaped flower beds. Book Number: 203 Number Of Pages: 199 Book Title: Brother Cadfael’s Herb Garden Author: Rob Talbot and Robin Whiteman Summary: An illustrated history of herbals and herb gardens, tracing a year of work in an herb garden. An A-Z plant section lists all the herbs mentioned in the Brother Cadfael chronicles, along with their uses in both the medieval and modern worlds. I feel like those three belong into the text book category Share this post Link to post
Posted May 19, 2020 On 5/17/2020 at 7:21 PM, Little-Star said: I feel like those three belong into the text book category I feel like you need to define "textbook" a little more closely, then. Two books that I read earlier in the challenge have as much how-to in them as these three, probably more in the case of Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden. You counted them and didn't say anything about them, so why did you decide to question these three? (Not to mention the book you questioned that water_angel posted.) None of the books you questioned are likely to be used in a classroom anywhere, and that's what I think of when someone says textbook - something like The Elements of Style or Human Anatomy and Physiology. By the criteria you seem to be using, if it's nonfiction and has the slightest bit of how-to in it, it's a textbook. Would you consider The Art of War (Sun Tzu) or The Prince (Machiavelli) to be textbooks? I mean, both of those tell you how to do things - not to mention, are likely to be read in a classroom; I read both for English Lit back in high school. Is Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time a textbook? Or something like the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson? What about religious books? The Bible, the Quran, the Vedas, even the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda? (Just to name a few.) I understand you're the one running the challenge this year and you can run it as you wish. I'm not going to argue that. However, you seem to be using the "I know it when I see it" method of deciding what is or isn't a textbook. Problem is, not everyone agrees on what does or doesn't constitute a textbook, and apparently I'm not the only one who's on a different page from you on that, This is why I think you need to define what you mean by textbooks, so that if you run this challenge again for the 2020-2021 year, no one will waste challenge reading time with books that won't count. Share this post Link to post
Posted May 19, 2020 (edited) The definition of textbook I found : a textbook is a book used as a standard work for the study of a particular subject. Therefore they aren't only school books. If I am wrong maybe someone can correct me, as I am not a native english speaker. I mostly check title/summaries, I don't always have the time to google every books to be sure but I can do mistakes sometime. I would also like to know what other people think about it so I can have a better idea on the subject. Edited May 19, 2020 by Little-Star Share this post Link to post
Posted May 20, 2020 (edited) I personally agree with catstaff. A textbook to me is something that has info and questions about what youre reading contained in it. I think a textbook is something that you study information contained in it for long periods of time in the hopes of passing an exam. Books that you learn things from but aren't written "for a student" should be clarified. Such as the history of a person, civilization, science etc. The three other books I showed you (technology used to scan mummies, Illustrated history of the Incan Empire and Welcome to your brain) would to me be a non-fiction account of some event or topic and could be argued to be a book. I also came across my book of "useless" trivia, would that count? (I don't find it useless, it has some interesting stuff in it that I've actually used ) all books teach you something and everyone does interpret differently. Short of saying "only fiction books are allowed" It's hard to define it in a way that everyone agrees with and sees eye to eye on. Edited May 20, 2020 by water_angel Share this post Link to post
Posted May 20, 2020 17 hours ago, Little-Star said: The definition of textbook I found : a textbook is a book used as a standard work for the study of a particular subject. Therefore they aren't only school books. If I am wrong maybe someone can correct me, as I am not a native english speaker. I mostly check title/summaries, I don't always have the time to google every books to be sure but I can do mistakes sometime. I would also like to know what other people think about it so I can have a better idea on the subject. (Bolding mine for emphasis) This is the problem I have with that definition - what constitutes "used as a standard work for the study of a particular subject"? School textbooks, obviously, would be considered standard works for the study of a particular subject, as they're used by everyone who takes the class they're used for. Study guides for particular exams, workplace training manuals, or health and safety guidelines for a particular job, definitely textbooks. Something like cookbooks, they should probably be considered textbooks. Yes, some cookbooks have cute anecdotes along with the recipes, and I've actually read some for fun, but overall they are instruction manuals. I could even accept books from the "For Dummies" and the "Idiots' Guide" lines as textbooks, as they are definitely books created to teach novices about whatever subject each book is about. That being said, feel free to knock one off my total, as one of the books I posted back last August is an Idiots' Guide book: Quote Book Number: 21 Number Of Pages: 303 Book Title: Tiny House Designing, Building, and Living (an Idiot's Guides book) Author: Gabriella and Andrew Morrison Summary: A handy guide for anyone considering joining the tiny home movement. Covers all sorts of practicalities including insurance for mobile tiny houses, design and building, plumbing and electrical systems, and more. Other nonfiction books, though, that gets way more subjective. As water_angel said, any nonfiction book can impart useful information. But I have trouble calling most nonfiction books textbooks, particularly with regards to the "used as a standard work" part of the definition. Let's take neopaganism, specifically Wicca and witchcraft as the subject, just as an example. Some people swear by Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner as their go-to book for basic information. Others rely on Ray Buckland's Wicca for One. Still more prefer Laurie Cabot's Power of the Witch, or Silver RavenWolf's To Ride a Silver Broomstick, or A Witches' Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar. (This is not an exhaustive list by any means, just some examples off the top of my head.) All of these books contain a lot of the same information within them, just coming from differing viewpoints and traditions. The point being, there really isn't a "standard work" used by everyone or even almost everyone. For that matter, fiction books can also impart useful information. Little House in the Big Woods has a chapter which describes Ma Ingalls making cheese - and the description is pretty much spot on, in that a person can follow what's done in the chapter and actually end up with cheese. Jean Auel's Earth's Children series (Clan of the Cave Bear, etc.) contains good descriptions of gathering wild edibles, tanning leather, and even making flint knives and spear points. While I haven't tried the latter two activities, I have gathered and eaten wild foods based on the knowledge I gained from the books. A historical romance I know of is set in Elizabethan England at the time of the Spanish Armada and includes Queen Elizabeth's speech to the troops at Tilbury - yes, actual, real history in a bodice-ripper! Share this post Link to post
Posted May 21, 2020 (edited) I kind of agree that this description is a bit vague, as I understood it, that would be books that are meant to teach you about a specific subject (more or less precise depending if it's more general (sciences) or something specific (planets). Before looking for a definition I would have said that a textbook's containt will often and not exclusively have texts, images, graphics, diagrams, etc. (I think we can all agree about it). Or it could be a collection of texts on various subject for quick learning (I would class water_angel's trivia book in this category). Now I'm kind of a bit confused at how much more at how it can be exactly. Quote I think a textbook is something that you study information contained in it for long periods of time in the hopes of passing an exam. That part I don't really agree with. If you are interested in a subject and learn about it just for fun. The textbook you read will still be a textbook even if you never do an exam on the subject, as some other people might pass exam for it. I'm not saying that the second you learn something from a book, it's automatically a textbook (seeing catstaff exemple on cheese) as it isn't the main purpose of it. If you read the biographie of someone, it's the story of it's life, yes you will lesrn something but it's still a story even if not fiction. About historic events, it's a bit more tricky as most history books are in fact textbooks. I guess it will depend on the way the book is constructed. Catstafg, I've taken out the one on tiny house from your count, I haven't added the three others yet. I will wait as the thing is clarified to come to a final conclusion on it. Edited May 21, 2020 by Little-Star Share this post Link to post
Posted May 21, 2020 Book Number: 38 Number Of Pages: 360 Book Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Author: J.K. Rowling Summary: In their second year, someone opened the chamber of secrets and a monster is attacking muggle-born students. Share this post Link to post
Posted May 22, 2020 (edited) Maybe we can define it as textbooks being a work that presents the information contained in it to the reader in a "factual voice" instead of a "narrative voice"? Edited May 22, 2020 by water_angel Share this post Link to post
Posted May 25, 2020 Book Number: 200 Number Of Pages: 197 Book Title: A Morbid Taste for Bones Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In 1137, Brother Cadfael is a Welsh monk and herbalist in the Benedictine Abbey in Shrewsbury near the Welsh border. A Crusader in his youth, he came late to the cloistered life. When the Prior leads a party into Wales to exhume the bones of a local saint and bring them to rest in state within the abbey, Cadfael happily goes along as an interpreter. The villagers where the saint is buried don't want her taken elsewhere. When the leader of those opposing the exhumation is murdered, Cadfael must call upon all his skills to find the killer. Book Number: 201 Number Of Pages: 214 Book Title: One Corpse Too Many Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In 1138, civil war touches Shrewsbury when the castle, held by Maud's adherents, falls to King Stephen's forces. In anger, Stephen hangs the men-at-arms who stood in defense of the castle. Brother Cadfael is called upon to prepare the hanged men for burial. He finds one more dead man than ought to have been there, this one garroted rather than hanged. Cadfael must find the killer as well as help the daughter of one of Maud's nobles escape Shrewsbury. Book Number: 202 Number Of Pages: 210 Book Title: Monk’s Hood Author: Ellis Peters Summary: When a guest of the abbey is taken ill, Brother Cadfael is called upon to help. Arriving at the guest's bedside, he discovers that the man's wife is the lady to whom he was once informally betrothed, and the man has been poisoned... by monk's hood oil of Cadfael's own making! The sheriff assumes the lady's son is to blame, as enmity existed between him and his stepfather. But several people had both motive and opportunity to do the deed, and it is only Cadfael's knowledge of herbs that lets him spot the clues to decipher the mystery. Book Number: 203 Number Of Pages: 217 Book Title: St. Peter’s Fair Author: Ellis Peters Summary: Summer, 1139. The abbey's annual merchants' fair takes place, drawing sellers from all over England and beyond. When a wealthy Bristol merchant is found murdered, his niece accepts the aid of the abbey. But then his booth and his barge are both ransacked, and two more men are killed. Brother Cadfael comes to believe that the merchant planned on delivering something other than his usual trade goods to someone, and that his niece knows more than she is telling. Can he unravel the mystery before the girl becomes the next victim? Book Number: 204 Number Of Pages: 201 Book Title: The Leper of St. Giles Author: Ellis Peters Summary: A wedding is to take place at the abbey, although Brother Cadfael ignored the preparations. But his regular journey to St. Giles leper colony to restock the medicines lets him see both the bride's and groom's parties ride past. The girl seemed more prisoner than eager bride, her demeanor explained by the appearance of the groom, a stern aristocrat three times her age. When the groom is found murdered, Cadfael must identify the killer lest an innocent man be hanged. The newest resident of St. Giles holds both a key piece of evidence, and a secret of his own. Book Number: 205 Number Of Pages: 201 Book Title: The Virgin in the Ice Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In winter 1139, refugees flee Worcester for Shrewsbury. Among them, two noble orphans traveling with a Benedictine nun. However, it's learned that the trio never came to Shrewsbury. Soon afterward, Brother Cadfael is summoned to Bromfield Priory, to tend a monk found wounded by the roadside. The man's delirious ranting suggests where the missing trio went. Cadfael finds the boy... and a woman frozen in the ice of a stream. When she is identified as the nun who'd accompanied the siblings out of Worcester, he renews his search for the boy's sister... and discovers a secret from his own past. Book Number: 206 Number Of Pages: 212 Book Title: The Sanctuary Sparrow Author: Ellis Peters Summary: Matins in the abbey church is disrupted by a mob chasing a terrified young man, who pleads for sanctuary. A wandering minstrel hired to play at the wedding of the goldsmith's son, he stands accused of killing the goldsmith and stealing the contents of his strongbox. Morning proves the goldsmith still living, and no sign of his treasure in the minstrel's possession. Brother Cadfael believes the young man innocent, and seeks for proof before the period of sanctuary ends. What he finds is a mix of desperate love and hatred that would stop at nothing including murder. Book Number: 207 Number Of Pages: 276 Book Title: The Devil’s Novice Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In the fall of 1140, an emissary to King Stephen is reported missing. Not long afterwards, a new novice enters the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul in Shrewsbury. Willing and eager to embrace the monastic life by day, the young man's sleep is troubled by such violent nightmares that he becomes feared by the other novices. Before long, he becomes linked with the fate of the missing man. Brother Cadfael must uncover the truth before an innocent man is hanged for the murder. Book Number: 208 Number Of Pages: 275 Book Title: Dead Man’s Ransom Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In February 1141, the men of Shrewsbury return from battle, without the sheriff, but with a prisoner of their own, who they hope to exchange for their lawman. As negotiations drag on, the prisoner and the sheriff's daughter become enamored of one another. His return will mean their parting, as the man wouldn't allow his daughter's betrothal to one of the enemy. On the eve of the exchange, the wounded sheriff is murdered within the abbey's infirmary. The prisoner is only one of several people with both motive and opportunity, giving Brother Cadfael a most complex mystery to solve. Book Number: 209 Number Of Pages: 247 Book Title: The Pilgrim of Hate Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In the spring of 1141, word reaches the abbey of the death of a knight slain by stealth during peace negotiations. Soon after, pilgrims flock to the abbey for the festival of St. Winifred. Brother Cadfael particularly takes note of a lame boy and his sister, and a dying young man on a penitential journey and the friend who accompanies him everywhere. A miraculous cure and a hasty departure give Cadfael the key to the knight's murder... but can he move quickly enough to prevent another death? Book Number: 210 Number Of Pages: 214 Book Title: An Excellent Mystery Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In August 1141, Brother Cadfael meets two unfamiliar Benedictine monks riding for the abbey, bringing a tale of the destruction of Winchester and of their priory there, burned in the ongoing civil war. One is in his middle years, a former Crusader now ill and dying. The other is young, devoted to his comrade, and totally mute. From the first, Cadfael senses a bond deeper than their shared brotherhood between the two, but what is it? Book Number: 211 Number Of Pages: 228 Book Title: The Raven in the Foregate Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In December of 1141, a new priest comes to the parish church of the Foregate, bringing his housekeeper and her nephew. But while the new priest is book-learned, he is not people-smart, and his dealings with his new parishioners quickly cause tension and resentment. Shortly after word gets out that the nephew is actually a scout for the Empress Maud, the priest is found murdered. And while suspicion falls on the nephew, many of the parishioners also had cause to want the priest dead. Book Number: 212 Number Of Pages: 230 Book Title: The Rose Rent Author: Ellis Peters Summary: A woman widowed tragically young leased the house - where she had been happy with her man - to the abbey after his death; the rental price is a single white rose from her favorite rosebush each June. A lingering winter and a chill spring in 1142 puts the rent in doubt for a time, but when the roses finally begin to bloom, a monk is found murdered beneath the hacked and damaged rosebush. Brother Cadfael must discover who is so desperate to void the lease that they would kill, and why. Book Number: 213 Number Of Pages: 224 Book Title: The Hermit of Eyton Forest Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In October of 1142, the lord of Eaton Manor dies; his heir is a boy of ten being educated at the abbey. His father's last wish is that he stay and complete his education. The boy's grandmother wants the boy to immediately marry the much-older heiress of two neighboring properties, and she has the support of a religious hermit newly settled nearby. But the hermit's servant hides a secret, and soon the young heir vanishes as a man is found dead within the forest. Brother Cadfael must sort out the mysteries and save a young boy from an unwanted bride. Share this post Link to post
Posted May 26, 2020 (edited) Book Number: 23 Number Of Pages: 351 Book Title: The Shadow's Heir Author: K.J. Taylor Summary: The first novel in K.J. Taylor's second griffin series follows the story of Laela Redguard and her journey to discover the Northern side of her heritage after her adopted father died. With nowhere to go in the south, she heads northward and befriends the Northern king, Arenadd, without realizing who he is. She becomes his right-hand woman and helps lead the kingdom, including fighting off his murderous cousin who wants to invade the South and journeying to a faraway kingdom to free more of their brethren who are still enslaved. Edited May 26, 2020 by purpledragonclaw Share this post Link to post
Posted May 26, 2020 On 5/22/2020 at 12:46 PM, water_angel said: Maybe we can define it as textbooks being a work that presents the information contained in it to the reader in a "factual voice" instead of a "narrative voice"? That would be a good description I guess Share this post Link to post
Posted May 27, 2020 Book Number: 39 Number Of Pages: 337 Book Title: Malphas: Le cas des casiers Carnassiers (would translate as Malphas: the case of the carnivorous lockers) Author: Patrick Sénécal Summary: Julien start teaching a new college in a small town in the middle of nowhere. On the first day of school, a student open her locker and the destroyed cadaver of her ex boyfriend fell out of it. From then, a lot of strange things starts to happen. Share this post Link to post
Posted June 1, 2020 Book Number: 214 Number Of Pages: 196 Book Title: The Confession of Brother Haluin Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In winter of 1142, heavy snowfall damages the roof of the abbey's guest hall badly enough that repairs must be undertaken immediately. Brother Haluin suffers terrible injuries in a fall while taking his turn at the work; serious enough that he makes what he thinks is his dying confession, witnessed by Brother Cadfael and the abbot. However, Haluin recovers although he is left crippled. He is determined to make a penitential journey to expiate the sin confessed, so the abbot sends Cadfael to aid him along the way. What they discover at their destination is deceit, betrayal, revenge, and murder. Book Number: 215 Number Of Pages: 250 Book Title: The Heretic’s Apprentice Author: Ellis Peters Summary: Seven years ago, a Shrewsbury merchant set out on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, accompanied by his young clerk. Now in the summer of 1143, the young man returns with his master's coffin and the man's dying request to be buried at the abbey. This is granted despite the merchant having once been reproved for "heretical" ideas. When the young man admits during the wake that he agreed with some of his master's views, two members of the household who do not welcome his return report such to the abbot. Less than a day later, one of them is found murdered. Book Number: 216 Number Of Pages: 217 Book Title: The Potter’s Field Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In fall of 1143, workers plowing a field recently given to the abbey uncover the body of a young woman. The field in question was once tenanted by a potter who abandoned his wife to take monastic vows. It was said she ran away with a lover, but now it appears she was murdered instead. And when a novice from another Benedictine abbey and with family nearby seeks shelter in Shrewsbury due to the war, he brings yet more mystery to add to that which already surrounds the body. Book Number: 217 Number Of Pages: 245 Book Title: The Summer of the Danes Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In the summer of 1144, Brother Cadfael is chosen to accompany a friend from the cloister on a mission of churchly diplomacy into Wales. But the two are quickly caught up in a dispute between two Welsh princes, one of whom has hired Danish mercenaries in an effort to force his brother into giving him what he feels is his due. Cadfael is captured along with a young woman who sought to flee an arranged marriage... or possibly involvement in the murder that took place the night before word came of the invasion. Book Number: 218 Number Of Pages: 237 Book Title: The Holy Thief Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In a stormy fall of 1144, two groups of travelers shelter in the abbey: two Benedictines seeking donations to rebuild their abbey destroyed in the civil war, and a French troubadour traveling with a slave girl. All are called upon to help when the Severn floods and threatens the valuables within the abbey church. But when the floodwaters recede, the abbey's most sacred relic turns up missing. Not long after, a dead body is found. In an age that believes in signs from God, Brother Cadfael prays for divine guidance to solve the mysteries. Book Number: 219 Number Of Pages: 255 Book Title: Brother Cadfael’s Penance Author: Ellis Peters Summary: In November of 1145, the civil was that's wracked England for years suddenly touches Brother Cadfael in a most personal way. Following the sack of Worcester several years back, he'd learned to his surprise that he'd fathered a son while on Crusade. As a man, that son had, through chance, become known to him, although Cadfael had not revealed his own identity. Now, though, his secret son is being held prisoner. Cadfael is determined to find and free him, even if it means forsaking the Benedictine Order. Book Number: 220 Number Of Pages: 150 Book Title: A Rare Benedictine Author: Ellis Peters Summary: A trio of short stories of Brother Cadfael and his talent for solving mysteries, including his retirement as a man-at-arms and choice to embrace the monastic life at the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul in Shrewsbury. Book Number: 221 Number Of Pages: 223 Book Title: The Pride of Chanur Author: C.J. Cherryh Summary: Hani captain Pyanfar Chanur, mistress of the Pride, generally preferred to avoid trouble, which was bad for profit. But then at Meetpoint Station, an unusual creature of a race she didn’t recognize bolted out of hiding on the dock and into her ship. Determined to solve the mystery of the unknown being, she refuses to hand him over to the treacherous Kif who demand his return, putting the peace of the entire space Compact in jeopardy. Book Number: 222 Number Of Pages: 299 Book Title: A Widow’s Hope Author: Mary Ellis Summary: After her husband's death, Hannah moves to Ohio, bringing along the sheep for her wool business, to live with her married sister. Her deacon brother-in-law disapproves of the outspoken young widow, and is dismayed when his widower brother Seth seems interested in her. Hannah herself does not believe Seth is interested in courting, but does develop a soft spot for his electively mute daughter Phoebe. Book Number: 223 Number Of Pages: 298 Book Title: Never Far from Home Author: Mary Ellis Summary: Done with school and starting her own wool business with help from her Aunt Hannah, Emma also hopes to find a boyfriend. But the only man to attract her attention is an Englischer, James, who meets her at the store where she sells her wool and crafts. Cultural misunderstandings abound, while personal difficulties with her parents only add to the strain. But when Emma’s buggy is hit by a car, his obvious devotion to her wins the respect of her family, aided by his choice to give up his modern life and become Amish for her sake. Book Number: 224 Number Of Pages: 290 Book Title: The Way to a Man’s Heart Author: Mary Ellis Summary: Naïve Leah thinks her dreams have come true when her Mennonite boss at the local diner offers her a partnership. Several young Amishmen quickly become regulars. But when Leah shows no interest in courting any of them, she unknowingly damages her reputation in the community. Worse, she discovers that her partner in the diner has been writing bad checks and failing to pay the taxes for the business. But with the support of her family and the son of the diner’s source of artisan cheeses, she works to regain her standing within the community. Book Number: 225 Number Of Pages: 299 Book Title: An Amish Family Reunion Author: Mary Ellis Summary: Hannah's stepdaughter Phoebe goes on a Rumschpringe trip to Niagara Falls with other youth from the area, and meets a young man named Eli with a gift for telling stories. A budding artist, Phoebe sketches illustrations for some of his tales, leading the pair to collaborate on a grand endeavor: to write and illustrate a children's book. But Eli is an only son, and when his father suffers a heart attack, he must give up his writing to assume responsibility for the family farm… and hopes he won’t also have to give up Phoebe in the process. Share this post Link to post
Posted June 2, 2020 Just a thought if we maybe wanted to allow "text books" maybe for the 2020 - 2021 round we can have a separate category for it? Reading things to learn still counts as reading. As long as it's not for an official class, just something you're learning about purely for your own enjoyment? Book Number: 22 Number Of Pages: 218 Book Title: The clue in the Old Album Author: Carolyn Keene Summary: When a neighbor's daughter passed away her last words were to find a specific doll so that her daughter will have what is rightfully hers. Nancy sets out to find that doll and discovers more about the family's past than she bargained for. Book Number: 23 Number Of Pages: 178 Book Title: The Ghost of Blackwood Hall Author: Carolyn Keene Summary: Mrs. Putney seeks Nancy's help in recovering stolen jewelry and says she has been seeing the ghost of her husband and taking the advice given to her. Nancy finds that she's not the only one seeing spirits and sets out to find who is behind them. Book Number: 24 Number Of Pages: 176 Book Title: The Clue of the Leaning Chimney Author: Carolyn Keene Summary: A cousin of Bess's overhears a conversation about a rare china clay pit around River heights that he wants to find to help his pottery business and asks Nancy to investigate. Nancy and her father also take on a chinese merchant client who is in search of his long time friend who was supposed to visit him and disappeared years ago. Share this post Link to post
Posted June 3, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, water_angel said: Just a thought if we maybe wanted to allow "text books" maybe for the 2020 - 2021 round we can have a separate category for it? Reading things to learn still counts as reading. As long as it's not for an official class, just something you're learning about purely for your own enjoyment? Honestly, I don't even see why it should be a separate category, as long as it's not being read for a class. But right now, I've gotten the impression that for this challenge, if it's not fiction or biography, it isn't supposed to be read for the fun of it. I don't know, maybe it's just because I've been out of school for decades, and I read informative books for fun. Mark books as being fiction or nonfiction if whoever runs this wants to keep track, but I agree, if you're reading for your own enjoyment, it should count. I mean, I think I was about 12 the first time I picked up a book about the six wives of Henry VIII for pleasure-reading - I'd seen a couple of Shakespeare plays and was very interested in Elizabethan times, which led to wondering about her predecessors. And who knows? Maybe we'll get more people signing up if they know they can read books about their hobbies or whatever whatever else floats their boat without being told that their choice of reading counts as a text book and so doesn't count for the challenge. Edited to add, water_angel, are you trying to go through the whole Nancy Drew series? I used to love them! My two favorites were The Secret of Red Gate Farm and The Secret of the Golden Pavilion. There was another teen-girl-sleuth series, the Kay Tracey series, that I used to have one of, The Green Cameo Mystery, which wasn't bad either. Never did find any others of that set... although this was back in the 1980s, before most people even had computers, so it wasn't like I could Google it or hunt through Amazon to find more. Edited June 3, 2020 by catstaff Share this post Link to post
Posted June 3, 2020 Book Number: 24 Number Of Pages: 447 Book Title: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Eerie and Fantastic Chinese Stories of the Supernatural Author: Pu Songling Summary: This collection of supernatural stories from the 15th century is a great collection of Chinese folklore. It's a classic in Chinese literature. Share this post Link to post
Posted June 3, 2020 5 hours ago, catstaff said: Edited to add, water_angel, are you trying to go through the whole Nancy Drew series? I used to love them! My two favorites were The Secret of Red Gate Farm and The Secret of the Golden Pavilion. There was another teen-girl-sleuth series, the Kay Tracey series, that I used to have one of, The Green Cameo Mystery, which wasn't bad either. Never did find any others of that set... although this was back in the 1980s, before most people even had computers, so it wasn't like I could Google it or hunt through Amazon to find more. I am. I'm starting to find some of the books that the videogame series are based off of so I wanted to read through the original set and also any of the newer books that the games are based off of to compare them. I definitely see the resemblances and understand why the games are the way they are much better. Share this post Link to post
Posted June 3, 2020 (edited) I took the rules as they always been, I don't know the reason the OP decided textbooks were out. I'm not against including them, I just kept it as it was first. But if we add them, they should have a minimum of pages higher than 100 like it is for manga and comics. Edited June 3, 2020 by Little-Star Share this post Link to post
Posted June 4, 2020 23 hours ago, Little-Star said: I took the rules as they always been, I don't know the reason the OP decided textbooks were out. I'm not against including them, I just kept it as it was first. But if we add them, they should have a minimum of pages higher than 100 like it is for manga and comics. Oh, I know textbooks have never counted for the challenge. However, the OP didn't look at nonfiction books and judge whether or not they should count as textbooks either. As nearly as I can tell, the OP went with "read for class or training purposes" as their criteria for what did or didn't constitute a textbook and so long as no one was trying to count something like Biotechnology Foundations - 2nd Edition as a read, they left it as the readers' choice. Here's a few I read for the 2013-14 challenge: Quote Book Title: Dancing the Fire Author: Marian Singer Summary: A comprehensive guide for people attending pagan festivals and gatherings across the US and Canada, this book offers advice on choosing an event to attend, etiquette guidelines for drum circles and sacred fires, checklists of things you’ll need to be comfortable and safe at anything from a camping festival to an indoor symposium, and much more. It does include a list of annual events, but as this edition of the book was published in 2005, the list may not be completely accurate anymore. Book Title: Big Yoga Author: Meera Patricia Kerr Summary: This book is a guide for the practice of yoga, especially tailored for larger people or those with mobility and/or flexibility issues. Book Title: Circles, Groves, and Sanctuaries Author: Dan and Pauline Campanelli Summary: This book gives descriptions and examples of various kinds of sacred spaces as created by practitioners of various pagan religions, ranging from a prison inmate’s makeshift altar setup to outdoor sanctuaries complete with planted labyrinths. They're all instructional, but the OP didn't disqualify them as being textbooks. I can recall the OP saying certain books didn't count, yes, but for reasons other than "I think this ought to count as a textbook." I saw a book disqualified because the poster signed up and posted their first read on 31 July when the challenge starts 1 August. I saw two books disqualified because they weren't 100 pages. And I saw a fanfiction disqualified because the reader had interpreted "original online fiction" as including fanfic, whereas the OP use of the word "original" meant it to be only non-derivative works. (Pity, really, some of my favorite fanfics are well over 100K words and I'd love to be able to count them.) That was when the explicitly stated "not fanfiction" got added into the rules. Share this post Link to post
Posted June 7, 2020 Book Number: 25 Number Of Pages: 209 Book Title: To The Lighthouse Author: Virgina Woolf Summary: This story follows a Scottish family through three phases of life living on the coasts of Scotland. The novel-long quest to visit the eponymous lighthouse truly captures what the human spirit is capable of accomplishing as long as it can tolerate change. Share this post Link to post
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