Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion
YA Reading Challenge
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YA Reading Challenge #4: Tasks and Discussion
Hi Misty- My points and page numbers are incorrect on the last scoreboard. I have 50 points and read 1461 pages.
Oops. You're right, I somehow missed your post. But you have 1467 pages -- the first listing for Ties that Bind is 160 pages, not 154.It's fixed now.
Misty wrote: "Oops. You're right, I somehow missed your post. But you have 1467 pages -- the first listing for Ties that Bind is 160 pages, not 154.It's fixed now."
No problem :) Thanks for fixing it.
I am just putting the number of pages in the actual book I read.
That's fine, I always check the books for the first listing to keep it fair.
Misty wrote: "That's fine, I always check the books for the first listing to keep it fair."Okay :)
1.25 Read 2 books from a series or by the same author. I just finished Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen and it was a companion to Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy. These books fall into the early YA range of about 6 to 7th grade, a bit younger for the Sammy Keyes book. I'm treating them as YA due to the subject matter of Runaway and that those who are interested in Sammy Keyes will probably pick it up as well.
I think Middle Grade books are often treated as YA, especially as there is a range of reading skills throughout middle/high school. So what did you think of them?
And make sure you report your points! :D
Just as a real quick question:How are you guys enjoying the slant so far? I know it's early, but for those of you playing along, you seem to have read a fair amount of books so far -- have you come across anything that really made you think, or that you didn't expect to like the way you did?
At any point, any time this happens, let us know!
^_^
Misty wrote: "I think Middle Grade books are often treated as YA, especially as there is a range of reading skills throughout middle/high school. So what did you think of them?
And make sure you report your po..."
Middle School books are in that fuzzy crossover area. A good example of this is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. It's marketed to 6-8th graders but I have plenty of HS students who like them too. It's also really difficult to classify some of these books so they tend to get shelved in multiple areas. A good example of that is the Harry Potter series, in my library they are shelved in Juvenile (children's room), YA section and in some cases the Adult Fiction section.
I just read the Runaway book, and I gave it 3 stars (I think). The voice seemed a bit too old for the main character, but it had a lot of adventure and action in it with a nice, warm, fuzzy ending. Very appropriate for the age group (6-8 graders) particularly for those who want some grit but happy ending. Sammy Keyes is more marketed for 4-6 graders but I do see a lot of 7-8 graders reading them, too.
Mic wrote: "Kellee wrote: "Mic wrote: "Does someone want to be so kind as to "push" a book to me for task 1.10? Most books that have been pushed to me are in my typical reading genre (Fantasy) or in the adult..."Mic, I have a copy of The Devil's Arithmetic on the GR swap right now. (I mistakenly ordered two copies!) Just in case you wanted to get it!
Misty wrote: "Just as a real quick question:How are you guys enjoying the slant so far? I know it's early, but for those of you playing along, you seem to have read a fair amount of books so far -- have you co..."
I am really enjoying the challenge right now.
I haven't been reading as much this week (baseball season started), but I have loved being forced to read books I was putting off or have never heard of.
Misty, How'd you like How I Live Now?
It was really interesting. I was slightly let down by the end, but for the most part, I really liked the choices Rosoff made in the writing. It's stream-of-consciousness, and it gets more and more normal as the situation gets crazier and crazier. I think some of the things that happen will put some people off, but I liked it and think the characters and story will stick with me for awhile.
Oh, I see you've read it. Well, I guess you didn't really need my explanation, just: Yes, I quite liked it. :D
I just finished This World We Live In, the third book in the series that started with Life As We Knew It. The diary format worked very well, especially because Miranda keeping a diary was part of the storyline-- she was often the only one who knew what day it was, she was worried about someone finding them, etc. This book tied up the loose ends from the first two, which I was happy to see.
I have the first one, but I haven't read it yet. Wanted to work it into this challenge somehow, but I don't think that's going to happen, so maybe sometime this summer...
Misty, I really loved the audio of The Looking Glass Wars. It gave the book a whole different personality than just reading it. The narrator, Gerard Doyle, was fabulous and brings the characters to life. It does help, though, that the story is FANTASTIC in the first place :)
See, I was a bit indifferent to the book -- I wanted more and felt it lacked polish. But it was so action filled that I think if it's read right, I might like it more.
Misty wrote: "See, I was a bit indifferent to the book -- I wanted more and felt it lacked polish. But it was so action filled that I think if it's read right, I might like it more."If you want to try it- it is a fabulous audiobook. I think sometimes audiobooks can get addictive and you forget about some of the flaws because you just want to know what happens next.
Kellee wrote: I think sometimes audiobooks can get addictive and you forget about some of the flaws because you just want to know what happens next. Kellee, I agree, I used to make fun of my mom for listening to books on tape, but I'm a total convert. Now that I actually drive to work, it's a great way to pass the time.
Alright, made a few more changes and shuffles, and got all of my empty spots sussed out, so I think this is the final edit (fingers crossed).I still likely won't make it all the way through, though...
Guess I just love me a list.
^_^
1.5 A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
1.10
1.15 Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (on the DCPL Teen Faith and Spirituality list)
1.20 Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdoch (on JOSIE's shelves)
1.25
Buddy Bonus: tbd
2.5 tbd (debating Brave Story, Eidi: The Children of Crow Cove or The Thief Lord, all translated Batchelder winners) <-- ok, this one I'm still undecided on
2.10 Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn (set in JAPAN)
2.15 The Beguilers (IRELAND'S BISTO AWARD) +
2.20 Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson + An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy (disclosure: Fever is a reread)
2.25
Buddy Bonus: [book:Wildwood Dancing|13929] by Juliet Marillier + the tale of The 12 Dancing Princesses (disclosure: Wildwood Dancing is a reread for me, not for Lydia)
3.5 Linda Grace challenge pick: June Summerland by Michael Chabon
3.10 Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (book and audio)
3.15 genre #17: LGBT - The Bermudez Triangle
3.20 The Last Exit to Normal by Michael Harmon (LGBT) + All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg (NONFICTION)
3.25
Buddy Bonus: Gather Together in My Name by Maya Angelou
4.5
4.10 Demons of the Ocean (Vampirates - series recommended to me quite enthusiastically by friend's son)
4.15 If I Stay by Gayle Foreman (one of my librarians' picks)
4.25Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
Buddy Bonus: Foxfire by Joyce Carol Oates (Lydia's task 4.20 pick. Need to check the YAness of it, though, as I didn't know Oates ever wrote YA)
My two books for 2.20 were about the Hitler Youth and they were FABULOUS! Here are links to my reviews: Historical Fiction: The Boy who Dared
Nonfiction: The Hitler Youth
I bought the book Hitler Youth awhile back for my mom (it was 25¢!), but I don't think she's read it yet. I might have to nab it back at some point.
Misty wrote: "I bought the book Hitler Youth awhile back for my mom (it was 25¢!), but I don't think she's read it yet. I might have to nab it back at some point."It is one of my favorite nonfiction books that I've read. It taught me so much and was so easy to read! I really recommend it and it is an easy (and disturbing, but interesting) read.
Mod
Task 3.25 Audiobook--I listened to Born Confused. It was 12 discs, so it was long, but it did worked on audiobook. The Indian words were easier to understand when they were pronounced correctly, and the characters were distinct entities. (Apparently in the print version the dialogue does not always clearly distinguish who is speaking.)
For the challenge I have been reading a TON of multicultural books and most have been from Asia/The Middle East. If anyone else has read or is interested in reading multicultural books that fall under that region, I started a thread: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...
Here's my playlist for One Wish to complete task 4.25:-what makes you different makes you beautiful by the Backstreet Boys
-look at me, I'm Sandra Dee from Grease
-miss popularity by jordan pruitt
-mean girls by sugarland
-help by the Beatles
-courage by superchick
-it's gonna be me by N SYNC
Great!How did you choose your songs? Were they all ones you knew, or did you do a little research?
=)
I wanted to make the songs plot-related. So I went through the songs I had and did a little research for the others. I didn't know any songs about eating disorders, but I really liked the song "courage" that I found, I think it described the mood near the end of the book pretty well. I also wanted to incorporate the main character's fascination with the popular crowd, which is where "Miss popularity" and "Mean girls" came in. It was an interesting experience making a playlist for a book, I've never done something like that before.
Misty, would a bookmark work for 4.25 by any chance??
Sure, why not? It's creating something based on the book, after all.
Ok, good. Since I'm in bookmark mode anyhow. Hmm, how to portray a Spackle.. haha
A bookmark might actually work pretty nicely for mine, too (Eyes Like Stars). I think I might make a few things for it, actually (rather than just 2), because I sort of wanted to do a playlist, and I am in the process right now of making cinnamon rolls, and I'm going to make a couple of fairy-sized ones. :)
I really liked doing the playlist. I hadn't intended to choose that task, but Never Let You Down by the Verve Pipe is one of my favorite songs and when I heard it last it said Todd to me.
A steampunk/zombie playlist. That has the makings of greatness...
It's the Kellee Challenge now (she took it over).I suppose we could expand to the monthly group reads. I mean, there's only a handful of us, so if none of the rest of you mind, I don't.
I'd been wanting to read it, too, and couldn't fit it in. I have it, and it's just sitting there, waiting patiently for me.
(Same with Boneshaker)
I don't mind although we need more monthly challenge participants too :)
I will say this: do which ever makes you happy. If you want to make it more challenging, stick with the task as written. If one of the monthly picks looks too good to pass up, might as well get points, so count it. I'm easy.
;p
Hey, this is about having fun. And you guys are troopers, so bonus points for you.
Oh just hold hands and sing Kumbaya already! ;)
I have a question for you guys. I have decided I am going to put off being productive a little longer (or at least squeeze another challenge book or two in), and I have decided to go with the fairy tale Buddy Bonus because I'm in the mood for it.Since we have to read the fairy tale it was based on, and those are of varying lengths that are hard to get a page count on, as most of us will be reading them online so that the versions match up between buddies, does anyone mind if we count the fairy tale itself as 20 pages? I figure it's a nice round number, probably higher than most people's fairy tale will be, but it make allowance for those longer ones, or annotated ones like on Sur La Lune.
If there are objections, let me know, but this just seemed like it'd be easier to start everyone at a base of 20.
Also, Angela (and Lydia, if you ever read this), this means that I will be available for the discussing of our tale if/when you read it.)
:)
Misty wrote: "I have a question for you guys. I have decided I am going to put off being productive a little longer (or at least squeeze another challenge book or two in), and I have decided to go with the fair..."Works for me!
Last book of task 3.25-- short story collection Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd. I don't read very many short stories, but I liked this one because I knew some of the authors and the subject was fun. A full length story would not have been able to encompass the full range of geekdom that this book did-- from Star Wars to Star Trek to comics to online role playing games to Buffy and all sorts of associated conventions and get-togethers.
4.20 Such a Pretty Girl by Laura WiessThis is a horrifyingly realistic story about a 15 yr old girl trying to deal with her father who was released from jail after only 3 yrs for molesting her and others, and her mother who's determined to stay with him.
Discussion questions:
1. Why does Sharon seem so indifferent to Meredith's feelings about her father?
2. How does Meredith's OCD manifest itself, and what are the reasons she feels certain numbers are "safe"?
3. How does Mrs. Mues's obsession with Charles both help and hinder her relationship with others?
Wild Things: YA Grown-Up
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I've read Walk Two Moons: excellent read! I would recommend that one as well. Hope was Here was also a great read. Might try a different Joan Bauer.
The Devil's Arithmatic also sounds really good. Thanks for the suggestions!