Team Wandering Bilbiophiles

[Drishti]

I started my yellow text book. Hopefully, I'll finish it till tomorrow. =)

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

haha Jess, I know ; yellow text seems more common than I would've thought!

Sounds like we may be able to move on to Russia over the next day or so then. Before we leave Japan we probably should learn something about the country. Anything you'd like to share Kazen?

[Kazen]

Oooo, I'll gladly share something about Japan!

I find that it's a country of many contrasts, especially where I live now in Kyoto. Downtown is completely modern but here and there you find mini-shrines to local gods, complete with fresh flowers and tiny statues. Everyone has the latest technology, but some houses still have fire brigade buckets full of water outside their front doors, just in case.

International media tends to focus on the "crazy" stuff (maid cafes, anime mega-fans, weird stuff you can get in vending machines) but I've found that it's a very small part of the culture. The way a shop lady will run down the street to return a single yen (=one cent), the way that the seasons are treasured with certain foods and sweets only available at specific times of year, and festivals that have been celebrated for hundreds of years - that's the Japan I know and love. I'll leave us with Mt. Fuji... though I hope we have 24 hours or so before we head to Russia, because I have an audiobook to finish! ^^;;

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Oh lovely, thanks Kazen! It is on our list to visit when the kids are a bit older :)

Yes, you certainly have time to finish your book. I think everyone will be finished in the next day or two, so we won't move on until we are all done.
We may want to start thinking about our next stop ; I think the detour is pretty easy so that may be the way to go if everyone can read a book shelved as "mystery"

[Delitealex]

Finally starting my yellow text book

[Lauri]

I finally finished my yellow text book! I think I added it successfully to the spreadsheet... Let me know if I screwed anything up!

Starting on my mystery tonite....

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Enjoy Delitealex!

Woohoo. Well done Lauri :)

[Cathy M.]

We're doing great! Keep it up team :D

I finished a couple more books - think I signed up for too games right now and am trying to fit everything in! I'll add them to the spreadsheet tomorrow. Next week will get busier for me at work so I'm enjoying this slow time :)

Am starting Luckiest Girl Alive tonight!

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Oh that book has me so conflicted Cathy! I really want to keep reading, but I'm trying to control myself and keep to the BOM schedule :o

[Cathy M.]

Karen wrote: "Oh that book has me so conflicted Cathy! I really want to keep reading, but I'm trying to control myself and keep to the BOM schedule :o"

I hope it's the good type of conflicted? I'm at 5% right now and the MC isn't very likable is she?! She's like those girls you just want to punch because they're so high and mighty. And the thing with the knife at the beginning just confused me (view spoiler)[talking about sinking into his stomach (hide spoiler)]. Should probably read the blurb again (it's been a while) because I have NO idea what this is about!

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Cathy M. wrote: "Karen wrote: "Oh that book has me so conflicted Cathy! I really want to keep reading, but I'm trying to control myself and keep to the BOM schedule :o"

I hope it's the good type of conflicted? I'm..."

After the Feb 2 section I felt like you, then the second day I started to get more intrigued, and now having read the third day I'm making myself read something else so I just don't devour the whole thing. I'm not "enjoying" it Per Se, but I'm totally impressed by the author's ability to write this incredibly complex character from a first person POV and all the emotions the story is evoking I me, many of them conflict and change from chapter to chapter.

[Cathy M.]

Karen wrote: "Cathy M. wrote: "Karen wrote: "Oh that book has me so conflicted Cathy! I really want to keep reading, but I'm trying to control myself and keep to the BOM schedule :o"

I hope it's the good type o..."

Well that sure sounds like it's a good read! Love ones that make you feel something - doesn't necessarily have to be positive! Can't wait to catch up and then we can rant/rave/bitch/complain/etc together :D

[Kazen]

I finished my yellow text book , yea! It was really good - my review is here if you're interested :)

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Absolutely Cathy!

Yay Kazen :) great review too

[Jess]

I finished my yellow text

I'll add it to the spreadsheet when my partner's off the computer, lol.

I've also started my mystery,

I love your passage on Japan, Kazen! :) It sounds lovely

[Lauri]

Kazen wrote: "I finished my yellow text book , yea! It was really good - my review is here if you're interested :)"

Excellent review! Love that non-concordance...Ha!

[Drishti]

I finished . It works for yellow text on the cover since it has a review in yellow at the bottom of the cover.

One thing that I must say is that this book has become one of my favorites. It was the second book I read about a character with cancer (the first being The Fault in Our Stars). It was way better than TFiOS. The Honest Truth was nominated for GR Choice Awards 2015 for the middle grade book category (I wonder why it didn't win?). But, it isn't for children only. I recommend it to everyone!

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Thanks Drishti, I'll check it out!

Well team I think we are ready to go to Russia! :D

DETOURS
◈ Completing a detour earns the team 25 points AND ✔
◈ If at least 7 members of the team read a book for the detour, that is an additional 15 points AND✔
◈ If ALL team members read a book for the time you are at the stop, that is an additional 10 points✔

7 x detour books:
Lauri -Insane City
Kazen -Come as You Are
Karen -Black Rabbit Hall
Laila Jane - Resolution
Drishti - The Honest Truth
Jess -The Prophecy of Bees
Cathy M -Wreckage

All team members read a book:
7 above and Delitealex read Scoring Wilder (started 31 Jan, finished Feb 2)

So that's the maximum of 50 points :D

Next question:
Stop 2 is Petropavlovsk (Russia)
Can 7 of us cover this detour: "Read a book with the main genre (listed on the first page on GR) as Mystery" ?
My current book is mystery so I'm good with this.
If not, I say we spell out Russia rather than the city as that is less books :)

[Jess]

Ooh you beat me to adding it Karen! ;) Thanks :)

Good job everyone! :)

I'm happy with mystery too. Also found a book published in December if we decide to go that route eventually, haha.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

No probs Jess, I got a bit excited checking that we had finished the stop :)

So we have a maximum of 4 more detours that we can do.
The list is:

2 Read a book with the main genre (listed on the first page on GR) as Mystery
3 Read a book first published in December
4"Read a book with the name of the tarot card ""The Hierophant"" in the text or title"
5Read a book where a character lives in a castle or palace
6Read a book where a character is a werewolf
7Read a book where a character is a politician
8Read a book where there is a rebellion or resistance to a regime

I think the ones I can cover the most easily are 2,5,6,8 (I could also find a 3, but seeing that is the US stop I think that is probably easier as a task, especially as we already have a few books read for it)
What are everyone's thoughts?

[Drishti]

I agree with Karen! We should go for detours #2, 5, 6 and 8 and do the tasks for the others.

[Jess]

Those are probably the easiest, yeah! I'm not sure if I have a werewolf book I haven't read (this year's goal = no re-reads!) but I can easily pick one up before then :)

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Jess wrote: "Those are probably the easiest, yeah! I'm not sure if I have a werewolf book I haven't read (this year's goal = no re-reads!) but I can easily pick one up before then :)"

I'd recommend

I got it for free on kindle based on some recommendations from other GR friends and I really enjoyed it. It has werewolves in it, amongst other supernaturals :)
I probably should read book 2 for that goal if my current book, Hexed, doesn't have a werewolf turn up soon!

[Jess]

Thanks, I'll check that one out! :)

[Delitealex]

2,5,6,8 sound good to me I have a mystery up next

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

A bit about Petropavlovsk



The city is situated on high hills and surrounded by volcanoes. The surrounding terrain is mountainous enough that the horizon cannot be seen clearly from any point in town. Across Avacha Bay from the city in Vilyuchinsk is Russia's largest submarine base, the Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base, established during the Soviet regime and still used by the Russian Navy. The city is located 6,766 kilometers (4,204 mi) from Moscow and about 2,220 kilometers (1,380 mi) from Vladivostok.

Current temperature is -19c! Hope you have your winter clothes out :o

[Jess]

Cold!! But it looks very pretty :) (in a freezing sort of way!)

[Drishti]

I found a book for the mystery detour! =)

[Kazen]

I'm not a big mystery reader so I'll see what I can hunt up. :) The books I thought of right away are 500+ pages, eep!

[Kazen]

Jess wrote: "Cold!! But it looks very pretty :) (in a freezing sort of way!)"

I'm with you - bleakly beautiful!

[Laila Jane]

I stay away for a day and I come back to 25+ new comments. I love chatty groups!

Thank you Kazen for sharing all that information about Japan. I would really love to visit one day. So far I've only made it to their airport during a connecting flight.

And thank you Karen for sharing info about Russia too. Gorgeous pics, but definitely way too cold to make a visit anytime soon.

I'm up for any detour that isn't the Hierophant one. The timing for this stop's mystery detour actually worked out perfectly for me, since I actually have to read a mystery book for another challenge I'm doing and mysteries are definitely not a genre I read too often. Perfect that I can knock both out at the same time!

[Cathy M.]

Yay great job everyone! Maximum points too :D

I can find a book for pretty much any of them except Hierophant so I'll go wherever the team needs me!

And wow does that look cold! I shivered just looking at it. Can't even image that!!

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

@Kazen
We "only" need 7 of us to read mystery so if everyone else has one I think you can feel free to read whatever you like. It is only Lauri we haven't heard from yet so if she can read a mystery you're "off the hook"!

[Lauri]

I started my mystery this morning! It's

I'm up for all detours -- except Heirophant. I mean, seriously?
I think I read that we can only do 5 detours, though....
I got the Dec. publication & werewolf, also politician & I have a palace book, too. Just lemme know...

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Yay! Thanks Lauri. Yes, we can only do a max of 5 detours so we are thinking of doing (apart from 1,2) detours and stops 5,6,8.
I'm happy to do whatever too ; I'm a pretty eclectic reader so I can always find something

[Lauri]

Does everyone on our team have an e-reader? Sometimes I think I'm the only person left in the world who still goes old school and reads only traditional books. Not only that, but I borrow them all from the library...

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

I'm at the library at least twice a week so I don't mind "old school", but I love my kindle and I also listen to lots of books and use my iPad for overdrive ebooks. Basically, I don't discriminate! :)
Kindle is awesome for convenience and when traveling. I read a lot more since I got it because I can read a few pages here and there while waiting for a coffee, or for friends, appointments etc. the highlight and dictionary feature I also use A LOT while reading.
I pretty much never by a book. I am a member of five library systems here so between that and netgalley I'm basically all set :)

[Laila Jane]

I've got a Kindle. I like the convenience of carrying my books around everywhere with me. I've also got the Kindle app on my iphone, ipad, and computer so I can read whenever I get the chance. But I will say there is nothing like having a physical book in your hands. I can spend hours at the book store and library looking for books to read.

[Delitealex]

I mostly read ebooks more convenient for me. Also amazon has lots of sales on kindle books to keep my kindle full.

[Jess]

I read mainly physical books and audiobooks! I used to have an e-book going on my phone so I could read a few pages when I got to class early, etc, but I'll probably do that on my iPad now :) audiobooks I find are good when I'm commuting to uni and doing random things around the house, when I couldn't be reading a physical book anyway. Also when I'm exhausted at the end of a long day and holding up a book sounds like all too much effort! Lol

I used to borrow from the library a lot, but a combination of unnecessary book purchases and the discovery of local charity book sales has meant I'm pretty well stocked at the moment :)

[Lauri]

I admit I am intrigued by the e-reader concept, but I really like feel and smell of a real live book in my hands. Also I'm poor :( and I am always slow to get new tech gadgets, even phones, etc. I love my iPad, but always have to fight off my family to take possession of one. My apartment is too small to keep books, so I only own about 10 special ones which I have in storage...
I may have to break down & get a Kindle or something soon.

[Cathy M.]

I love my ereaders! I have a Nook & a Kindle, and also have the apps on my iPad, iPhone & computer. So I am NEVER without a book! I have Kindle Unlimited and Scribd subscriptions (mainly for the audiobooks), borrow a lot of books, and purchase a bit too - for holidays I always request gift cards to support my habit :P I rarely read a hard copy though I do have a bookshelf full of some old ones that I probably should get to one of these days...

Karen I'm now at Chpt 6 and I can see what you were saying...I don't really know how to feel about what's going on in this book! (view spoiler)[I just knew something bad was about to happen when she went to Dean's. *smh* She is just so naive and dumb! And is popularity really worth that? And the next day not saying anything?!?!?! Granted she is supposed to be 14, but with how everyone treats her at school, how can she still want their approval?! I'm so frustrated with her... And I thought Liam was going to be a good guy when he was first introduced. Well hoping more like. These kids suck! *need to take a deep breath and read on* (hide spoiler)]

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Cathy that is the really hard part to read! Unfortunately I think she acted like many 14 year old girls would. It's one of the things I 'like' about the book - these tough themes are being explored head on and it creates important conversations. (view spoiler)[ I also thought Liam would be a nice guy. Sigh. (hide spoiler)]

[Jess]

Lauri, I definitely feel you on the lack of space for physical books! It's a nightmare when most places are so small. I also feel you on the expensive gadget things, being an unemployed student, haha. That's annoying your family is always trying to use the iPad, or you could just use that, lol. I have iBooks and the kindle app and even just with free books I've managed to acquire a few.

Cathy, I like the gift card thing haha!

[Cathy M.]

Lauri wrote: "I admit I am intrigued by the e-reader concept, but I really like feel and smell of a real live book in my hands. Also I'm poor :( and I am always slow to get new tech gadgets, even phones, etc. I ..."

Around the major holidays the price of the Kindle goes down a bit - the cheapest model (which is the 1 I have) is like $59! And depending on the types of books you read, there are times you can get some really good deals (99 cents) or even freebies (like the book Karen mentioned earlier). One of the ladies at my office building always saw me with my Kindle and kept asking me questions about it. I told her that it was worth it! If not for the convenience, then for all the free books I get. Her husband just bought one for her for her birthday and she loves it!

[Cathy M.]

Karen wrote: "Cathy that is the really hard part to read! Unfortunately I think she acted like many 14 year old girls would. It's one of the things I 'like' about the book - these tough themes are being explored..."

Yea you are right. I am so glad I didn't have to deal with these types of issues when I was in high school! We were bad (I went to high school in Seoul, Korea so we partied a lot!) but we didn't have to deal with the popular cliques or anything like that since the US kids were a small enough group. It's funny though, reading this because I keep thinking - god was I ever this young and naive?!?! I'm a sucker for the underdog but I'm a little scared to see where this goes next!

[Kazen]

Lauri - I'm with you on the space thing! Also English language books are all imports here in Japan, often doubling the price. :/ I'm lucky in that my hometown library has a great elending system so that's where I get pretty much all of my English books. :)

Cathy M. - I don't think I've bought a single book from Amazon since I've gotten my kindle! The e-library, Project Gutenberg, and NetGalley keep me well supplied. ^^v

eta: Also, it's impossible to knit when I'm reading a paperback! The ereader never flops over or loses its place, hehe.

[Kazen]

Karen wrote: "@Kazen
We "only" need 7 of us to read mystery so if everyone else has one I think you can feel free to read whatever you like. It is only Lauri we haven't heard from yet so if she can read a myster..."

Phew, safe! ;)

[Drishti]

Like Lauri, I don't have an ereader. I have begged and begged my parents for it. My father is totally ready, but I have got a strict mother here. She is one of those people who don't understand why we (booklovers) even like books. It's ironic that I, her own daughter, am an avid reader. She even hates Goodreads! Enough of my mum now. I usually borrow books from three of my friends who share my love for books. Or, the school library which has a very kind and understanding librarian. With a lot of pleading (which finally succeeded!), I order a book a month from Amazon. Or, if I'm fortunate enough to be in another city (since my city doesn't have a good enough bookshop), I go to a bookshop.

[Delitealex]

Finished I was reading it for yellow text on cover but maybe it will fit elsewhere.