Random Discussion

[Sophie]

So I thought I would start a convo about books by Lois Lowry, have any of you read her books?

[Dana, SuperMod]

I have read the whole Giver series, and we have a thread going for The Giver. Not the rest of the series though, although we have talked about them there some... Love those books for sure!! Such amazing writing and character building!

[Sophie]

I am reading the Giver now! I am in love with it!

[Dana, SuperMod]

It's a truly wonderful series! I read The Giver when I was in high school and then just recently re-read it and read the whole series. The movie looks terrible...but the books are GREAT!!!!

[Sophie]

Well I still have to see the trailer for the movie but I love the book so much! Could you tell me the order if the series please? I want to read them all!

[Dana, SuperMod]

Sure! It goes Giver then Gathering Blue then The Messenger and then finally Son. For sure wait to watch the trailer until you read the book the whole way through. Although the trailer will make you nothing but annoyed.... UGH!

[Rachel]

How's everyone doing on their 2014 reading challenge? I am 90 percent completed. I did a low number just to see if I could complete it, and it looks like I will be exceeding that number for sure. Only 2 books away from 20, which was my goal.

[Dana, SuperMod]

Good question!!

I made a goal of reading 52 this year, making time for one per week. Well...I met that goal after only 4 months! So, I doubled that goal and am now going for 104! I am currently at 73, but will finish #74 before bed tonight. I think in the end I might be closer to 150. :)

[Sam]

haha that is a good one! I'm currently 57% through my 120 books (so read 68). I thought for me 120 was a good number as I think I average 10 a month... but the thing is this total counts short stories... I'm talking the extras I read from Divergent series and Delirium series etc. I still wanted to put on goodreads that I have read them as its become my "register" for what I've read and to read etc. its a really good tool for this :D

[Dana, SuperMod]

Some of mine have been novellas and one or two short stories as well. For me in counts still, esp since I know people who can't even get though a CHILDS book in a year, let alone anywhere close to what I have/will do! haha

[Sam]

oh I like that! I know people with that mentality too. Not that they are impaired or anything just they don’t enjoy reading... blows my mind.

[Rachel]

For myself, it looks like I am averaging about 3 books a month if I only read at work on my breaks. I think the reading challenge feature is very entertaining, and a great way to obtain recommendations from others.

[Sam]

I was already keeping track of how many books I was reading as I'm always asked by family and friends how many books I read. I normally always have my nose in a book when I can get away with it :D love seeing what others are reading as gives me more to put on my to read!

[Dana, SuperMod]

One of my friend on FB read like 100 or 200 last year, and I started thinking, yeah...I read a lot...I should set a goal this year! I never used to really keep track, but I was usually reading.... I would go through times where I did not for a while, but then would find a series I liked or something and read like mad again. This year though I for sure have been reading more than ever before! I might slow down this summer some so I can have more "adventures" and such, but should still get a pretty high number overall!

[Sophie]

Yeah I'm doing that too!

[Kyara]

Sam wrote: "Not sure if anyone would be interested but I found a list of 50 Essential Young Adult books you must read...

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/books/featu...-..."

Wow this is really interesting actually! I do agree with most of those (the ones that I have read) But I haven't heard of quite a few of those.

I've been meaning to read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, it seems like such an interesting book! But I do think it would be strangely cool to read some of those older books on the list and see how YA has changed over the years!

[Kyara]

Rachel wrote: "How's everyone doing on their 2014 reading challenge? I am 90 percent completed. I did a low number just to see if I could complete it, and it looks like I will be exceeding that number for sure. O..."

Good question! I'm only currently 17% done and did only set myself a small goal (30 books)
I am at University this year so I lost a lot of time that I would've had to read which has made things difficult. I am still really determined to knock out 4 or 5 books before I go back in two weeks!
I'm really hoping I hit the target, I know I didn't last year but I had it set much higher than this year.

[Sophie]

My reading challenge is coming along!

[Dana, SuperMod]

Kyara wrote: "Rachel wrote: "How's everyone doing on their 2014 reading challenge? I am 90 percent completed. I did a low number just to see if I could complete it, and it looks like I will be exceeding that num..."

I think if I made a reading goal during college it would have been like 20 or so for the year... But now that I just have work full time and then community theater and little things like that, I have WAY more time to read. It means I am behind on my reading list thanks to all the books I was not reading during college, but now I have a good amount of free time to catch up! ;)

[Sophie]

Yay!

[Landen]

I have a question. I'm on the iPhone app and I want to leave a fan fiction group that I accidentally joined, can I leave it? If so how?

[Dana, SuperMod]

I am not sure how on the app, but if you go to the group there should be a place to view your notification settings and such, and there should be a place listed if you click on that to leave the group. Again, not sure if it the same for the app as on the web....

[Landen]

Ok, thanks none the less

[Dana, SuperMod]

I met someone last weekend that said they always saw the movie before reading the book.... I was appalled, but then they said it helps them like the movies more. They get to like the movie for what it is, and then go back and get the full story. I do not totally like the idea, but I think with some movies where the book and movie are TOTALLY different it could be good... Like Ella Enchanted and I Am Legend and such! Any thoughts?

[Sam]

I agree with liking the movie more if I see it first. Though it really does take away a lot from the book. I mean not only knowing where the book will generally take you but also giving u the pictures that the movie has in place of character descriptions as well as surroundings! I don't know... I'm a bit on the fence with this one haha I like the worlds through a camera lens but it's not always what I have made up myself. Then again sometimes I'm rushing through a book as I'm so excited to see where we go I miss little things. So if I saw the movie first I will take the time to really take in the differences made... All in all I agree but don't like doing that all the time :D

[Dana, SuperMod]

I like how you said that! I also tend to fly through books and miss little things. I have found that if I have seen the movie first I often read slower since I am seeing the movie in the head. I have a real visual(or idedic) memory, so I see all the images from the movie in my head clearly as I read the book. It was really hard for me when I read Narnia after the first movie.... I can see the benefit of both, but I think I kind of prefer to read it first...usually...if I can! hahaha

[Kyara]

I prefer to read the book first and then watch the movie. However I do agree that when I watch the movie first, I tend to actually like it.
I watched mortal instruments before I read the book (I still have about a quarter to go) and I really liked it. But then I went back and watched it last night after reading majority of the book and I was just extremely disappointed.
Maybe I should've just left it at one watch?

[Sophie]

I haven't tried that technique yet... I'll have to look into it !

[Sam]

I think I did that too with Mortal Instruments movie!! And like u I watched again when I shouldn't have haha

[Landen]

This is for anything random right? So I can talk about the U.S. in the World Cup, right? Well anyway, IM SO ****ING ANGRY ABOUT TODAY'S PERFORMANCE. The defense was sloppy, our offense was lazy and didn't care, and worst of all Portugal scored in the last freaking five seconds of the game, and we could have stopped it if the goal keeper put his hand out!!!

[Dana, SuperMod]

I was for sure bummed, but took it in stride. We are still going to make it to top 16, and considering all the injuries we seem to get during the game I was just glad it was a draw. I about died at the last goal! I thought we for sure had it... But, at the same time, Portugal was playing dirty it seemed like, and the one goal we scored their goalie literally shrugged after! I mean...he didn't even try for it!! Does the guy know how important that game was for them? haha All in all I was sad they did not win, but I think we are doing good all things considered. Dempsey delt with a lot of crap the first game, and played strong today, so I was pleased. That one shot by Bradley was a bummer for sure since it more of less cost us the game, but as long as we advance I am one happy soccer lover!! :D

[Landen]

I on one side of me agree and the other disagree. Dempsey's performance was amazing even though they took him out when we probably needed him most. On other terms of my brain wishes we had a other goalie who could do his job! The goalie on my amateur soccer team could deflect that!

[Sophie]

Hey fellow group members! I have a divergent fanfic on wattpad if you would please check it out! My username is darkhorse17 and the fic is named Jackie! Please vote and comment about what you think of it on wattpad! Thanks

[Dana, SuperMod]

For me any goalie that can stop a ball ever is awesome! I played soccer for 11 years and hated so much when I was on goal!!! I rarely stopped balls, and was always a little too concerned I was going to get hurt.....

[Landen]

Ha, whenever I'm in ( due to my size/weight/stature) no one passes to me and when they do there is always some 6 foot person with stubble. The safest part though is that I'm the second best player on the team, and the best player hates me!

[Dana, SuperMod]

I have not played soccer since freshman year of high school, but when I did I was usually sweeper. Not the best by any means, but good enough for high school. haha I miss it some times, but I work at a kids camp so I get to play kick ball and ultimate Frisbee all the time so that for sure makes up for it!! :D

[Landen]

That sounds awesome! I usually play Mid- Fielder or defense. when we are despret I go up front to Forward.

[Dana, SuperMod]

I always loved playing forward, but in high school I never really got the chance... Well, one game and I got one shot at goal in but it was in the heat of the moment and poorly directed.

Watching the US/Germany match right now. Makes me miss playing soccer in bad weather so much right now! haha

[Rachel]

Seriously my office is dead right now. Everyone skipped out to take a long lunch to watch the game.

[Dana, SuperMod]

Haha nice! My boss let me work from home this morning so I would watch the game. I have not gotten any work done at all though! But, I think she will be okay with that.... Not sure if I will get the next game off as well or not though! That's going to be the one that counts, so fingers crossed!

[Dana, SuperMod]

Has anyone else been bit by the summer bug? I don't know if I'm just reading the wrong books or what, but I can't bring myself to pick up and finish a book right now..... I'm hoping j just need the right book to get me back on track cuz the three I'm working on are just not doing the trick...... Ugh!

[Lawrence]

I don't if it's season-related, but sometimes I get in this mood where no novel seems to do it for me - even novels I think are well-written and that have reasonable story lines. I'm actually in one of those moods now. Maybe the sky is too beautiful outside right now - telling me "You need to be outside, preferably in a swimsuit, not burying your head in a book!" ;-$

[Landen]

Dana, trust me that you aren't alone

[Sam]

Man I wish I had the summer bug... but I'm way too cold :( haha

[Ariana]

Can just anyone in this group start a discussion or is it only for the Mod?

[Kyara]

Anyone can start a discussion. But make sure it doesn't already exist, if it does your discussion will probably be deleted...

[Ariana]

Okay thanks.

[Kyara]

That's okay :)

[Dana, SuperMod]

We need to also make sure the topic is not already covered too. Things like "how old are you?" are covered in the "introduce yourself" thread. Also, topics about a book should just be talked about in that books thread, rather than starting a new one about a thing from the book. That keeps the threads from being way too numerous! :)

[Rachel]

Are we reading two books for August or just one? I only see The Giver is the upcoming section.