Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion
YA Reading Challenge
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YA Reading Challenge #1: Tasks & Discussion
I just finished Emperors of the Ice A True Story of Disaster and Survival in the Antarctic, 1910-13 for my new book by a new author and absolutely loved it. It also is based on a true event. By the end of it I felt like I knew the people involved and felt for their sacrifices in the name of science and exploration. Highly recommended!
I finished reading and watching Where the Red Fern Grows. I much prefered the book, but only for 1 major reason. The movie drastically changed the way the hunting competition turned out. I have to wonder if they did it because times were different when the movie came out... I don't know and I don't want to say too much and spoil it for people. However, other than that change I felt the movie did a good job following the book.

Total GR Pages: 1737 of 9392
Actual Pages: 1938 Total
30.1-
b)Watership Down by Richard Adams (Carnegie Award UK) 496 pg
25.1- a) Airman by Eoin Colfer (Action/Adventure) 432 pg
b) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (Classic) 240 pg
c) Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz (Fantasy) 283 pg
25.2- a) Sold by Patricia McCormick 263 pg
b) Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody 256 pg
25.3- A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray 416 pg
25.4- a)Rebel Angels by Libba Bray 592 pg
b)The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray 832 pg
20.1- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 336 pg
20.2- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 552 pg
20.3- Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer (Set in Ireland, which I've always wanted to visit) 400 pg
20.4- Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden (Born in 1982) 234 pg
20.5- The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly 339 pg
10.1- Graceling by Kristin Cashore (New YA author, pub 2008) 471 pg
10.3- The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan 377 pg
5.1- Coraline by Neil Gaiman (#8 Added by Beth) 192 pg
5.3- The Wakefields of Sweet Valley (Sweet Valley Saga) by Francine Pascal 352 pg
5.4- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 592 pg




***My first task completed!
30 POINT TASKS:
1. The Golden Compass/The Graveyard Book
2. Anne of Green Gables
3. Ella Enchanted
25 POINT TASKS:
1.
I Capture the Castle
5/11/09/Eldest/The Book Thief
***2.
Ink Exchange
5/21/09/
The Au Pairs
5/28/09***
3. A Great and Terrible Beauty
4. The Subtle Knife/ The Amber Spyglass
20 POINT TASKS:
1. The Fellowship of the Ring
2. Homecoming
3. Evermore
4. Beyond the Chocolate War
5. The Book of Lost Things
10 POINT TASKS:
1. Graceling
2. Pride and Prejudice (Laura)
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
4. The Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
5 POINT TASKS:
1. City of Bones
2. Little Women
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. A Little Princess
Total Points: 25/350
Total Pages: 997
30 POINT TASKS:
1. The Golden Compass/The Graveyard Book
2. Anne of Green Gables
3. Ella Enchanted
25 POINT TASKS:
1.
***2.
3. A Great and Terrible Beauty
4. The Subtle Knife/ The Amber Spyglass
20 POINT TASKS:
1. The Fellowship of the Ring
2. Homecoming
3. Evermore
4. Beyond the Chocolate War
5. The Book of Lost Things
10 POINT TASKS:
1. Graceling
2. Pride and Prejudice (Laura)
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
4. The Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
5 POINT TASKS:
1. City of Bones
2. Little Women
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. A Little Princess
Total Points: 25/350
Total Pages: 997

Ashley, I'm pretty much the same way. I have seen all of the movies, and I think they are crap. The first one is the best, but after that, it just went downhill for me. Dobby looked ridiculous, and how are they going to explain his role in #7 when they've left him out of EVERY MOVIE SINCE CHAMBER OF SECRETS??
Anyway. /End Rant/ I see the movies, but only once. And really, only because at this point I'm curious as to how bad they can get. After Michael Gambon's Dumbledore practically attacked Harry when his name came out of the Goblet, that was pretty much it for me. I knew that they weren't running in the same league with the books anymore.

I'll admit, that part did bother me. And yeah, the movies are never going to be able to match the books. They can't. Regardless, I'm just happy to see scenes from the books played out on screen. I like the casting, they're well made, and they're exciting. They could just act out of a bunch of random scenes and I'd be happy. (That's kind of what they did with OotP, but I still liked watching it!) For those kinds of movies, I don't go into them expecting to see everything played out to the extent of the books. I accept them for what they are and enjoy them. And every time a new one comes out it's a big event, and I go with 15 other people opening weekend.
Also, having seen Daniel Radcliffe in Equus on Broadway, I think he's a great actor.

I can normally separate the book from the movie, but with HP it just doesn't work. I mean, I have LIVED these books for so long that when I see someone else's half-shot attempt at portraying it, it just annoys me. I would have preferred for them to be animated so that they could be accurate, or at least decent adaptations, but the extent of the changes that have been made in the movies just really make me crazy!!

Here's how I look at it: They had the perfect Dumbledore in Richard Harris, but he died and Ian McKellan was probably busy. I still picture Richard Harris as Dumbledore in my head.
I actually think it would be worse if they animated them. The changes would still be there, too. It's just literally impossible to transfer the books accurately into a visual format that will make everyone happy. When I read the books I visualize them with the actors and I hear their voices in my head as a I read. It works for me. I understand that it doesn't work for everyone, but the movies of an epic series like that will never live up to what the books give, and we can't expect them to. Also, they can't just make the movies for the fans, so the filmmakers are put in a difficult position of making it accessible for everyone while trying to remain faithful. I think these movies are much more successful than other book-to-movie adaptations.
(Is there an HP thread we should be taking this to?)

This is how I feel too. I have mental images of what things are supposed to be like in my head from reading the book, and they're never the same as the movies. It's worst when I can't separate my own images from movie images anymore, like with HP now. I think I was most annoyed that the castle and grounds were nothing like I imagined. And that the Harry in my mind looked nothing like Dan, but now it's all running together :(
And I think the acting is still unbearably bad. But I do keep hoping things will get better.

I didn't and most likely won't ever, watch Twilight, and if there is a book made into a movie I want to see, I will make sure I watch the movie before I read the book or I will hate the movie.
I recognize that I am unable to seperate them if I read the book first, so I just don't watch the movies any more.

2. Anne of Green Gables
25 Point Tasks
2. TBD
3. Secret Keeper
4.
20 Point Tasks
2. TBD
3. The Thief Lord
5. The Sweet Far Thing
10 Point Tasks
1. The Forest of Hands and Teeth
3. The Book Thief
4. A Curse Dark as Gold
5 Point Tasks
2. To Kill a Mockingbird
3. Eragon (recommended by 15 year old cousin)
4. Donorboy A Novel
I just finished The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (Carnegie Medal; 1995; UK) and Stardust by Neil Gaiman (Alex Awards; 2000; US) for task 30.1. And while I thought both books were great and deserving of the awards they received, I loved Stardust more than The Golden Compass. Which I was really surprised by seeing that I read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman back in January and thought it was just okay (although I was going through a bit of a reading slump during that time, so that's probably why I wasn't that into it). I had also heard about people not being able to get into it, but I got into it rather easily. So, I definitely recommend it (and the movie which I saw last year and loved even though it is quite different than the book).
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Use the book for the series task and then use another book that I pulled form the shelf at random for the task.


Oddly enough, one of my random picks is a series book, and I only narrowly escaped from being in the same situation -- the first book of the series was shelved where the 3rd was supposed to go! That would have been interesting. ;)

Total Points: 85 of 350
Total GR Pages: 1737 of 8422
Actual Pages: 1938 Total
30.1-
b)Watership Down by Richard Adams (Carnegie Award UK) 496 pg
25.1- a) Airman by Eoin Colfer (Action/Adventure) 432 pg
b) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (Classic) 240 pg
c) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan (Fantasy) 304 pg
25.2- a) Sold by Patricia McCormick 263 pg
b) Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody 256 pg
25.3- A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray 416 pg
25.4- a)The Battle Of The Labyrinth by Rick Riordan 362 pg
b)The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan 384 pg
20.1- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 336 pg
20.2- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 552 pg
20.3- Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer (Set in Ireland, which I've always wanted to visit) 400 pg
20.4- Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden (Born in 1982) 234 pg
20.5- The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly 339 pg
10.1- Graceling by Kristin Cashore (New YA author, pub 2008) 471 pg
10.3- The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan 279 pg
5.1- Coraline by Neil Gaiman (#8 Added by Beth) 192 pg
5.3- The Wakefields of Sweet Valley (Sweet Valley Saga) by Francine Pascal 352 pg
5.4- The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 377 pg
Brought my total page count down a little, but I'm not trying to win the prize. I just love challenges!

Sarah - you can either go back and get the 1st book in that series, read the 2nd book if you don't mind reading them out of order, or go back and pick another one - it's your choice.
We're into easy here at Wild Things.





30 POINT TASKS:
1. The Giver by Lois Lowry (USA, The John Newbery Medal) and
Just In Case by Meg Rossoff (UK, The Carnegie Medal)
2. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
3. Beauty by Robin McKinley
25 POINT TASKS:
1. Classical: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Christian Lit: Thr3e by Ted Dekker
Children's: Redwall (Redwall, Book 1) by Brian Jacques
2. Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott
Crimes of the Sarahs by Kristen Tracy
3. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (one of the girls is in another country) and another girl shares a different ethnicity than me so that would be culture.
4. Chicks with sticks (It's a Purl Thing) Book 1 by Elizabeth Lenhard and Chicks with Sticks (Knit Two Togeter) Book 2 by Elizabeth Lenhard
20 POINT TASKS:
1. The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
2. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
3. Holes by Louis Sachar
4. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
5. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
10 POINT TASKS:
1. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (my cousin is pushing me to read this book and it happens to fit here).
2. The Loop by Nicholas Evans
3. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
4. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
5 POINT TASKS:
1. What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
2. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
3. Jelly Belly by Robert Kimmel Smith
Sorry it's late and the pages should be added later.

Completed Tasks:
30.1 A Northern Light by Donnelly
Looking for Alaska
30.2 Anne of Green Gables
30.3 The Goose Girl
20.2 Wintergirls
10.1 Wicked Lovely
5.1 Stargirl
Partial Tasks:
25.1 Speak (Contemporary)
25.4 Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants


Total Points: 85 of 350
Total GR Pages: 1737 of 8610
Actual Pages: 1938 Total
Books Read: 7/26
Tasks Complete: 5/20
30.1-
b)Watership Down by Richard Adams (Carnegie Award UK) 496 pg
25.1- a) Airman by Eoin Colfer (Action/Adventure) 432 pg
b) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (Classic) 240 pg
c) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan (Fantasy) 304 pg
25.2- a) Sold by Patricia McCormick 263 pg
b) Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody 256 pg
25.3- A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray 416 pg
25.4- a)The Battle Of The Labyrinth by Rick Riordan 362 pg
b)The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan 384 pg
20.1- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 336 pg
20.2- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 552 pg
20.3- Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer (Set in Ireland, which I've always wanted to visit) 400 pg
20.4- Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden (Born in 1982) 234 pg
20.5- The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly 339 pg
10.1- Graceling by Kristin Cashore (New YA author, pub 2008) 471 pg
10.3- The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan 279 pg
5.1- A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (#40) 380 pg
5.3- The Wakefields of Sweet Valley (Sweet Valley Saga) by Francine Pascal 352 pg
5.4- The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 377 pg

Total GR Pages: 2117 of 8610
Actual Pages: 2318 Total
Books Read: 8/26
Tasks Complete: 6/20
30.1-
b)Watership Down by Richard Adams (Carnegie Award UK) 496 pg
25.1- a) Airman by Eoin Colfer (Action/Adventure) 432 pg
b) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (Classic) 240 pg
c) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan (Fantasy) 304 pg
25.2- a) Sold by Patricia McCormick 263 pg
b) Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody 256 pg
25.3- A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray 416 pg
25.4- a)The Battle Of The Labyrinth by Rick Riordan 362 pg
b)The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan 384 pg
20.1- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 336 pg
20.2- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 552 pg
20.3- Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer (Set in Ireland, which I've always wanted to visit) 400 pg
20.4- Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden (Born in 1982) 234 pg
20.5- The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly 339 pg
10.1- Graceling by Kristin Cashore (New YA author, pub 2008) 471 pg
10.3- The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan 279 pg
5.3- The Wakefields of Sweet Valley (Sweet Valley Saga) by Francine Pascal 352 pg
5.4- The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 377 pg

I enjoyed reading it, and am glad that I could get it in for the challenge.

30.1 A Northern Light by Donnelly
Looking for Alaska
30.2 Anne of Green Gables
30.3 The Goose Girl
20.2 Wintergirls
10.1 Wicked Lovely
5.1 Stargirl
Partial Tasks:
25.1 Speak (Contemporary)
25.2 Confessions of Georgia Nicholson
25.4 Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Another partially completed task...
*Finished Tasks
30 POINT TASKS:
1. The Golden Compass/
The Graveyard Book
5/2/09
2. Anne of Green Gables
3. Ella Enchanted
25 POINT TASKS:
1.
I Capture the Castle
5/11/09/Eldest/The Book Thief
*2.
Ink Exchange
5/21/09/
The Au Pairs
5/28/09
3. A Great and Terrible Beauty
4. The Subtle Knife/ The Amber Spyglass
20 POINT TASKS:
1. The Fellowship of the Ring
2. Homecoming
3. Evermore
4. Beyond the Chocolate War
5. The Book of Lost Things
10 POINT TASKS:
1. Graceling
2. Pride and Prejudice (Laura)
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
4. The Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
5 POINT TASKS:
1. City of Bones
2. Little Women
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. A Little Princess
Total Points: 25/350
Total Pages: 1,309
*Finished Tasks
30 POINT TASKS:
1. The Golden Compass/
2. Anne of Green Gables
3. Ella Enchanted
25 POINT TASKS:
1.
*2.
3. A Great and Terrible Beauty
4. The Subtle Knife/ The Amber Spyglass
20 POINT TASKS:
1. The Fellowship of the Ring
2. Homecoming
3. Evermore
4. Beyond the Chocolate War
5. The Book of Lost Things
10 POINT TASKS:
1. Graceling
2. Pride and Prejudice (Laura)
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
4. The Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
5 POINT TASKS:
1. City of Bones
2. Little Women
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. A Little Princess
Total Points: 25/350
Total Pages: 1,309

2. Anne of Green Gables
25 Point Tasks
2. TBD
3. Secret Keeper
4.
20 Point Tasks
2. TBD
3. The Thief Lord
5. The Sweet Far Thing
10 Point Tasks
3. The Book Thief
4. A Curse Dark as Gold
5 Point Tasks
2. To Kill a Mockingbird
3. Eragon (recommended by 15 year old cousin)
4. Donorboy A Novel
I just finished The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan for task 10.1 and I loved it. Although, I do have to say that I am completely exhausted from reading it. Not because I stood up late to read it (that's only a small part of it), but because of all the emotions I went through reading this book. I was so invested in these characters, that I was terrified for them since they were living in a world surrounded by zombies. Hell, this made me feel like I was right there with them. And I have to say that if zombies were ever to infect this world, I'd be one of the first dead. Anyway, this was my first zombie book and I definitely can't wait to pick up more. I also can't wait to read Carrie Ryan's sequel to this book, although, I do have quite a wait ahead of me...It doesn't come out until next Spring. I don't think I can wait that long!
Total Points so far: 175
Total Pages read so far: 5,034
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Becky, what are you waiting for? :p

I swear I am going to make a Library Wishlist shelf right now!

Kathy Lette's first novel, written with her surfie chick friend Gabrielle Carey, when they were eighteen. Written twenty years ago, PUBERTY BLUES is the bestselling account of growing up in the 1970s that took Australia by storm and spawned an eponymous cult movie. PUBERTY BLUES is about 'top chicks' and 'surfie spunks' and the kids who don't quite make the cut: it recreates with fascinating honesty a world where only the gang and the surf count. It's a hilarious and horrifying account of the way many teenagers live...and some of them die. Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey's insightful novel is as painfully true today as it ever was.

I'm a huge fan of zombie horror movies (and just horror movies in general), but I never picked up a zombie book before since I didn't think that I would get into it since I'm not actually seeing the goriness actually happening. I was so wrong. Like I said, I love zombie movies and I think they're enjoyable, but I was never really terrified (excluding of course those times when I was about 11 and watching them scared out of my mind) of them since in my mind that could never happen. So, now I have the author to blame for my new-founded zombie phobia. This is going right under my phobia of possession (I blame The Exorcist for that one).
Finished another task!
*Finished Tasks
30 POINT TASKS:
1. The Golden Compass/
The Graveyard Book
5/2/09
2. Anne of Green Gables
3. Ella Enchanted
25 POINT TASKS:
1.
I Capture the Castle
5/11/09/Eldest/The Book Thief
*2.
Ink Exchange
5/21/09/
The Au Pairs
5/28/09
3. A Great and Terrible Beauty
4. The Subtle Knife/ The Amber Spyglass
20 POINT TASKS
1. The Fellowship of the Ring
2. Homecoming
3. Evermore
4. Beyond the Chocolate War
5. The Book of Lost Things
10 POINT TASKS:
1. Graceling
2. Pride and Prejudice (Laura)
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
4. The Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
5 POINT TASKS:
1. City of Bones
*2.Little Women6/5/09
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. A Little Princess
Total Points: 30/350
Total Pages: 1,901
*Finished Tasks
30 POINT TASKS:
1. The Golden Compass/
2. Anne of Green Gables
3. Ella Enchanted
25 POINT TASKS:
1.
*2.
3. A Great and Terrible Beauty
4. The Subtle Knife/ The Amber Spyglass
20 POINT TASKS
1. The Fellowship of the Ring
2. Homecoming
3. Evermore
4. Beyond the Chocolate War
5. The Book of Lost Things
10 POINT TASKS:
1. Graceling
2. Pride and Prejudice (Laura)
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
4. The Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
5 POINT TASKS:
1. City of Bones
*2.
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. A Little Princess
Total Points: 30/350
Total Pages: 1,901
Books mentioned in this topic
The Name of the Wind (other topics)Wondrous Strange (other topics)
Airman (other topics)
Fool Moon (other topics)
The Fairy Godmother (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Brandon Mull (other topics)Kristin Cashore (other topics)
Ingrid Law (other topics)
Ingrid Law (other topics)
Ingrid Law (other topics)
1. The Golden Compass and Stardust
2. Anne of Green Gables
3. Beastly (Beauty and the Beast Retelling)25 Point Tasks
1. What Happened to Cass McBride? (Mystery); Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (Contemporary); School's Out - Forever (Action/Adventure)2. TBD
3. Secret Keeper
4.
Abarat, Book 1 Abarat; Abarat Days of Magic, Nights of War20 Point Tasks
1. The Princess Diaries2. TBD
3. The Thief Lord
4. The Truth About Forever (younger sis born in 2004)5. The Sweet Far Thing
10 Point Tasks
1. The Forest of Hands and Teeth
2. Rebel Angels (5 star book from (G)Emma's Bookshelf)3. The Book Thief
4. A Curse Dark as Gold
5 Point Tasks
1. Graceling2. To Kill a Mockingbird
3. Eragon (recommended by 15 year old cousin)
4. Donorboy A Novel
I just finished Abarat, Book 1 Abarat and Abarat Days of Magic, Nights of War for the 25.4 task and I have to say that I liked the second Abarat more than the first. The first was too bogged down with the descriptions of what the world of Abarat looked like that after a while I was thinking "O' plot where art thou!". But I still thought it was a solid three star book. The second Abarat was a bit more dark than the first one (which I liked) and had more kick-a** villains. So, this one was three and a half stars. Though, I do have to say, the drawings in both books were amazing!
So, now I'm up to 135 points and 4,075 pages read.
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