Awesome-Sauce Raiders Showing 1,351-1,400 of 4,677

[Virginie]

@Miche: I checked because I thought you did more BRs than me this month and was surprised to be ahead of you. Summing your April points, I find 65 :p You actually are ahead of me lol.

[Virginie]

Petrik wrote: "Yeah.. the BR point is really a massive boost. But yeah.. you know where I stand on this xD"

Out of curiosity... What do you dislike about buddy reads?

[Miche]

Am I? Ops... lol

I did that post at around 2am from my phone, so it is totally possible I checked the wrong cells when checking the sum. 😂😂😂 Or maybe the spreadsheet hadn't updated yet. It runs very slow at the phone.

[Miche]

I will correct my post later on.

[Petrik]

Virginie wrote: "Petrik wrote: "Yeah.. the BR point is really a massive boost. But yeah.. you know where I stand on this xD"

Out of curiosity... What do you dislike about buddy reads?"

Plenty of reasons, Virginie. I stated it several times already so just ignore this for those who have read it already xD Ever since the competition appeared, the buddy reads imo doesn't feel like buddy reads, it's more like a status update and whether you'll love/hate the book or not. Seems like buddy read in here feels more like "yeay point boost" rather than doing a buddy read.

Now, everyone may differ on this but before I joined this group, a standalone book like Warbreaker could grant me 100-300 total comments; just from 3 or 4 person. We had a lot of discussions and we mark literally everything with spoiler tag, even our opinion on whether we like it or not.

I know it's just opinion but I feel like buddy read influence our opinions on books way too much whether you realize it or not. IF one person say something like "Okay i don't like this book, the characters are bland, the story are shit" this will bring a negativity that will influence someone in the BR. If you really look at most BR here, almost everyone reading the same book always have very similar ratings, usually differ only by 1 star. Check out the BR for Age of Assassins, every person in the BR there gave it 2 stars; Negativity begets more negativity.

For me, going in blind on my own works so much better for my own reading experience, that's all. I don't care about these point thing anymore and most likely will not join next year, I'm just using it for tracking my progress only. I super love the book cover and bingo challenge though and will definitely do that again!

Anyway, this is just my opinion. I know this group is called Fantasy Buddy Reads and I joined from back when the member was only 200. I feel like buddy read discussions back then are much more high quality than it is now. The best thing out of this competition imo is how we get to talk with each other here. Look, this is post 1300ish within 4 months! I very rarely talk with people from the group before this competition! :D

This is just MY opinion, everyone could differ on this and I'm super duper happy everyone's enjoying the buddy read. I receive notifications from this group like insane, sometimes a day there will be 10-20 BR notification that I have to turn off the notification. xD

[Lena]

I can see that. The comments have been thin on many reads. But it’s also true that i wouldn’t usually buddy read a 300 page novel. Like I finished Burn For Me in a day. The trilogy in three days. I think I had four comments total chiming in that I liked it and that I had finished it and it’s sequels.
Longer books, short story collections, and harder books drive discussion.

[Kris]

I do like a buddy read, but I will only do them if I actually WANT to read the book. Not just for the sake of them.

I gave Golden Son 3 stars I think. I liked it... I just did not love it. I just wanted more from it. I always seem to have unpopular opinions! I was not a fan of The Name of The Wind either (shock! horror!) :D

[Petrik]

Lena wrote: "I can see that. The comments have been thin on many reads. But it’s also true that i wouldn’t usually buddy read a 300 page novel. Like I finished Burn For Me in a day. The trilogy in three days. I..."

"But it’s also true that i wouldn’t usually buddy read a 300 page novel"

precisely, Lena! well, this is just my thoughts though! I guess BR is just not for me anymore. xD

[Petrik]

Lola wrote: "I do like a buddy read, but I will only do them if I actually WANT to read the book. Not just for the sake of them.

I gave Golden Son 3 stars I think. I liked it... I just did not love it. I just..."

Damn, those two are books that I super love! xD

[Diana Stormblessed]

Good job guys!


My April stats: 14 books, 6,448 pages, 114 points

I basically only do buddy reads. There are so many good ones I have enough trouble selecting between those. Def no time for anything else. And yeah, buddy reads really do help the points.

[Lena]

If it’s alright I’ll start updating my finished reads here similar to Miche. If some else could input them into the tracker please. I’ve had a wave of negativity over not researching acceptable page numbers and that’s not why I joined. The Challenges have helped me read more than ever so I don’t want to quit but I don’t want to fight either.

[Virginie]

Lena wrote: "If it’s alright I’ll start updating my finished reads here similar to Miche. If some else could input them into the tracker please. I’ve had a wave of negativity over not researching acceptable pag..."

I'll do it, no problem.

[Kris]

Petrik wrote: "Lola wrote: "I do like a buddy read, but I will only do them if I actually WANT to read the book. Not just for the sake of them.

I gave Golden Son 3 stars I think. I liked it... I just did not lo..."

Ha! There you go! I think most people do, but for some reason they were just ok for me.

[Lena]

Thank you Virginie!

[Lena]

Lola I have a whole shelf labeled Everybody Loved It But Me
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

[Virginie]

Petrik wrote: "Virginie wrote: "Petrik wrote: "Yeah.. the BR point is really a massive boost. But yeah.. you know where I stand on this xD"

Out of curiosity... What do you dislike about buddy reads?"

Plenty of ..."

I joined this group in January just when the competition started so I don't know how it was before. I've also never done buddy reads before :p

But it's true that some conversations are pretty... shallow? Nothing more than 'I liked it because ...'

I used to do only BRs in the beginning of the year but that left me no time for impulse reads. I found that doing 2 series (epic fantasy usually) in BRs, and maybe two lighter reads works well for me.

I'm also doing a buddy read with Zaara with a schedule (2 chapters a day, week-ends free) and we have some great discussions going on with each chapter. We're considering doing the Long Price Quartet once we finish our Marl Lawrence... Re-read, join us, re-read, join us! :p

Same as you Petrik, I don't really care about the points anymore. I mean... I'm reading mangas. That has to be the most inefficient way of getting points xD I enjoy the challenges (I went crazy with the Cover with Laura :p) and I love this thread :)

[Virginie]

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "Good job guys!


My April stats: 14 books, 6,448 pages, 114 points

I basically only do buddy reads. There are so many good ones I have enough trouble selecting between those. Def no time for anyth..."

Way to go Diana!

It doesn't help the selecting the BRs when someone goes specifically to your tracker and tempt you with more reads. Thankfully, no one does that. I know I wouldn't. No no no.

[Virginie]

Lena wrote: "Lola I have a whole shelf labeled Everybody Loved It But Me
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list..."

Oooh, someone else disliked The Ocean at the End of the Lane! Yay! High five, Lena :p

[Lena]

We are a rare breed Virginie.

[Lena]

Virginie just as an example of the Buddy reads Petrik and I are talking about here are two from Spells, Space, & Screams

Guardian Angels and Other Monsters - Book of the Month with Author Participation
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The Measurements of Decay Buddy Read - philosophical science fiction discussed chapter by chapters helped along by someone who already finished. I’d be lost without them!
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Diana Stormblessed]

Virginie wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "Good job guys!


My April stats: 14 books, 6,448 pages, 114 points

I basically only do buddy reads. There are so many good ones I have enough trouble selecting between t..."

Yes, that is not at all helpful. Lol, such evil in this group.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Nice updates everyone!! :D

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Lena, I'm sorry people have been giving you grief over the point values. The group has a tendency to take this too seriously - it's supposed to be fun!! It's not like a difference of 50 points here or there is going to make a difference for our team's standing anyway lol. Updating your books here is totally fine. (Thanks Virginie for lookin out!)

[Lena]

Thank you for saying so Niki, that makes me feel better. Here to read, here for fun, not going to catch up with Choko or Iain but I can cheer them on!

[Virginie]

Oh, I just saw the competition rules thread... Scary :o Run, Lena, ruuuuun!
I agree with Niki, we're doing this for fun! It's not worth stressing over the points. To be honest, I think the page count of some of my mangas is off but... I read more than 70 of those. I'm NOT going back and checking ;)

[Lena]

Yep, retreat seemed wise.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Yw :) I mean, if we were anywhere near contention, then I could see it being worth discussing, but come on! Lol we're in a world all our own over here (and I kind of like it).

Maybe I'll come up with a couple of mini challenges for Tome Raiders so we can have some competition feels.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Side note, a few weeks ago I added 50000 pages to my tracker just to be funny, and it was deleted in the first 20 minutes. Clearly, anything that throws off the leader board is to be taken very seriously. ;P I thought it was hysterical.

[Virginie]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Side note, a few weeks ago I added 50000 pages to my tracker just to be funny, and it was deleted in the first 20 minutes. Clearly, anything that throws off the leader board is to be taken very ser..."

I saw, that made me laugh so much!

[Chris]

The thing that I like about the group competing reading thing is that I'm doing buddy reads with people in the group that I've never read with before. Plus another bonus is that it has made our overall group into a smaller groups where is easier to discuss our reads.
Personally, I haven't been able to read much as a result of my wife's work schedule. I only get a couple of hours a day. So I've been prioritizing books that I want to read instead of the have tos unless I initiated the buddy read of course!

[Miche]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Yw :) I mean, if we were anywhere near contention, then I could see it being worth discussing, but come on! Lol we're in a world all our own over here (and I kind of like it).

Maybe I'll come up ..."

I am glad to be at this group. I love our chitchat and the "whatever" attitude. We should keep the thread goind even after the competition is over. 😉

Like Petrik I don't think I will enroll next year for this challenge. I will keep the individual ones only.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Virginie wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Side note, a few weeks ago I added 50000 pages to my tracker just to be funny, and it was deleted in the first 20 minutes. Clearly, anything that throws off the leader board is ..."

I saw you see it - I'm thrilled someone did lol.

[Virginie]

Completely off topic: Do you guys take notes when reading? For a review or a BR? I did it for the first time with Succubus Blues and ended up losing the notes xD
(Found those later, in the fridge...)

[Miche]

I only take notes when I use the kindle. If I do audio I normally don't take any.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Chris wrote: "The thing that I like about the group competing reading thing is that I'm doing buddy reads with people in the group that I've never read with before. Plus another bonus is that it has made our ove..."

Those are some great positive points about it. I also like that I've been BRing with new peeps. And actually it has been really nice getting to know people in our group so much better. :)

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Miche wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Yw :) I mean, if we were anywhere near contention, then I could see it being worth discussing, but come on! Lol we're in a world all our own over here (and I kind of like it).
..."

TOME RAIDERS FOREVER!! booya

[Lena]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Side note, a few weeks ago I added 50000 pages to my tracker just to be funny, and it was deleted in the first 20 minutes. Clearly, anything that throws off the leader board is to be taken very ser..."

Oh man really?!?! Sheesh!

Just finished a book from my Classics Group.
The House on Mango Street
I’ve used it for my Diversity Challenge

[Diana Stormblessed]

Virginie wrote: "Completely off topic: Do you guys take notes when reading? For a review or a BR? I did it for the first time with Succubus Blues and ended up loosing the notes xD
(Found those later, ..."

Only if I have strong feelings about something, and my notes are more like mini bullet points to rant about later.

[Diana Stormblessed]

I agree that I really love our little group here. Since we don't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning, I feel like our buddy reads and discussions are much more chill.


Group hug

[Virginie]

@Lena: Spreadsheet updated!

[Lena]

I feel the 🤗 hugs 🤗
Thanks Virginie - no one can question your accountability! Virginie is above board!

[Chris]

Virginie wrote: "Completely off topic: Do you guys take notes when reading? For a review or a BR? I did it for the first time with Succubus Blues and ended up loosing the notes xD
(Found those later, ..."

I've been writing down quotes or passages that I like on a notepad. But I don't write notes about the story because when I review a book I try to tell you what it was that kept me reading it. I don't discuss the plot because that's the golden secret that the author wants you to discover. It would be like me telling you that your favorite sports game went into overtime but didn't last long... You're not going to enjoy it as much. So mostly i try to talk about the mood or feel of the story, or the author's strengths and weaknesses so that as a new reader you'll be able to know what you're getting into. That way you still get to decide if it works for you!

[Virginie]

YAY GROUP HUG!

[Chris]

Now for group buddy read discussions, because we typically go into deeper conversations regarding character building or plot setting, then yes I'll make notes if I realize something significant to chat with folks that are at our through those parts. Spoiler making still sucks though. Just sayin! 😤

[Diana Stormblessed]

Chris wrote: "Virginie wrote: "Completely off topic: Do you guys take notes when reading? For a review or a BR? I did it for the first time with Succubus Blues and ended up loosing the notes xD
(Fo..."

I mostly list plot holes or issues I had.

[Zaara]

*hugs*
VERY CUTE GIF, REGINA FILANGEEEEEE...ok mine isnt moving...😜😜😜

@Niki...read and enjoyed couple your long-ish posts on writing...question abt your process, if you don't mind....
I can get very diffuse and rambly so I like how you are able to be succinct. Do you work directly from brainstorms or from outline/drafts? Other than reviews, do you write mostly non-fiction?

@Virginie...I have a reading log/journal with trackers and BuJo kinda sh!t but also notes + random thoughts n stuff...kinda like the Mark Lawrence PMs we have going...If you think the essays I post here are all there is...😂😂😂
Oh and I like making lisssssts. Movies to watch someday, series to try, places to go, recipes to chk out, yeah. Lists.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Good group hug. I felt it. :)

[Zaara]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Side note, a few weeks ago I added 50000 pages to my tracker just to be funny, and it was deleted in the first 20 minutes. Clearly, anything that throws off the leader board is to be taken very ser..."

Ok stuff like this I am always going to miss bcuz I am never on that thread or the spreadsheet. Heh, wish I'd seen.

[Petrik]

Virginie wrote: "Petrik wrote: "Virginie wrote: "Petrik wrote: "Yeah.. the BR point is really a massive boost. But yeah.. you know where I stand on this xD"

Out of curiosity... What do you dislike about buddy read..."

Damn what did I just miss. This thread blew up xD Anywayy, I love manga too. A HUGE fan of them actually, I just don't put them on Goodreads. If you ever need any recommendation just let me know. I read manga since I was 5 and still do until now. :D

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Zaara wrote: "*hugs*
VERY CUTE GIF, REGINA FILANGEEEEEE...ok mine isnt moving...😜😜😜

@Niki...read and enjoyed couple your long-ish posts on writing...question abt your process, if you don't mind....
I can get ve..."

Thanks Zaara! I work mostly from outlines. I start with a loose outline for each scene then I go full ramble doing what Anne Lamott would call a "shitty first draft" just to get all my thoughts on paper. I find when I do it this way I stick to the main points of the scene while still getting that organic "flow" that comes from shooting from the hip. Then I go back and revise the shit out of it, going through several drafts. Then I take my "polished" draft and send that to my writing group (or at least, I used to when I was writing with regularity) for peer review and make changes as needed. Then I polish that once again before moving on. It's an exhausting process, but I get the best results when I follow that formula. I write only fiction (YA fantasy at the moment), and have two main dragon projects I'm working on (or will be working on, if I can get it together).

I think rambly is totally okay, it just takes practice learning how to go back and par it down to the best bits. Having a clear outline on what you want to happen, and maybe giving yourself a word count limit per scene might help. :)