I'm New (Well...uh...kinda) :)

[Jessika]

Hey everyone :) My name is Jess and I've been a member of this group for quite a while now, but unfortunately I haven't really had a chance to participate all that much. I figure I sort of owe you all a formal introduction :) I'm 19 and a college sophomore, so needless to say, my schedule is usually too busy to read for pleasure. I'm looking to change that with this upcoming semester and I'm looking forward to hopefully joining you all with the February read. (Emma is something I've been wanting to read for a while!)

I joined this group because GG holds a lot of dear memories for me and as I love reading, I thought this would be the perfect place to go!

I love making friends and comparing books on this site, so if you want, feel free to add me (unless you're a author who likes to spam or a "friend collector"--you know what I'm talking about! haha)

Anyway, as I said, I'm looking forward to chatting with all of you in the upcoming months :)

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

Hey, welcome Jess - glad you're here & jump right in!

[Stella]

Hi Jess! Welcome to the group! I just recently joined the group, but with all these interesting and exciting discussion threads and all the very friendly people I can already see that I'll love it here :-D

I understand how it is when you simply can't find the time to read beside all the university papers and things to do (especially during exam period!). Graduated this summer, and it is so weird to ahve my first exam period-time and not having any exams, and being able to read!! :-) (during university, I used to compile a list of everything I wanted to read during the exam period, and then when exams were over I took my list went to the library, and started groing through my list :-D)

[Hannah]

Hey Jess. Welcome to the active part of the group. :) I understand the college busy thing. I'm a college junior, but have made it one of my goals to keep reading throughout the semester so that I don't go crazy. I hope you can continue to be active as well. :) Good luck with school and reading Emma. I hope you can find the time to enjoy it.

Stella, I love your idea of an exam list. I am going to have to start doing that. :)

[Jessika]

Thanks everyone :) And I'm so glad that some of you know where I'm coming from being a college student and all! I'm trying to maintain my sanity this semester by taking some time to myself each day and reading something for fun!

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

The first time I went away to college I eventually lost the joy of reading because I had to do so excessively much, particularly as a Lit. Major, for school that I did read for pleasure for a couple years after that.

When I went away to college the second time I swore I wouldn't let that happen again, so I committed to reading something for pleasure every day. Now some days all I could manage was a paragraph or two (sometimes just a line or two), and because my state of mind and my stress levels were always so varied at times I had up to a couple dozen books of which I was in the middle. But it was worth it, for sure.

Most of the time I even managed to keep up that commitment to pleasure reading with all-nighters... Though I do remember a couple of multiple-all-nighters (3 & 4 day stints without sleep) where there was no way I could do it. Those seriously mess with your head!

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

Not to mention your body!!!

[Jessika]

That's interesting that you say that about your second time going to college--I swore to myself that no matter what this semester (which starts on Monday), I'm going to take a little time to myself every day to read something...whether it's a chapter or even just a paragraph. I just know that I need something to maintain my sanity!

And yeah, those all-nighters are definitely really rough. I've taken 3 or 4 hour exams after pulling all-nighters and somehow miraculously pulled A's. Don't ask me how I did it, though, because I still have no clue--hehe :)

[Lori]

Jess, I'm one of those people who will go to bed around the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. Therefore, I shut down homework every night around 9 and read for me for an hour before going to bed. (Unless, of course, I'm studying for a test, then I'll get in maybe 30 minutes) Another way of getting in some reading time is to show up to class 30 (or more) minutes early and sit in the hall and read. It take some time to get used to the semester and find a routine that will work for you. But making time to read has been the best decision I've made in a while.

[Jessika]

Thanks for the tips, Lori! I'll have to try them out! I totally understand what you mean about a sleeping schedule. I work much better in the morning than late at night, so I'll go to sleep around 11:30 and then wake up early to get work done. I'll have to try reading for a half hour before I go to bed. And it's weird that I never thought of reading in the hallway before class because I'm also the type of person to show up early for class, so I'll have to give it a try. Thanks again! :)

[Lori]

Jess, no problem. Good luck with figuring out what works for you.

[Alison, the guru of grace]

Welcome, Jess!

[Svati]

Hi everyone! I just found the goodreads site and am so happy to have found this group. I'm a senior in high school and my mom and I have been renting all the GG shows on DVD (I am a longtime fan but my mom is just getting into it - so we're watching season 1 right now).
So right now I'm trying to deal with getting into college rather than manage my college work done haha.
Can't wait to start Emma and discuss it :)

[[deleted user]]

Hey Svati,

I am also a senior and trying to get into college : )
If you want to you can send me a message what schools you are applying to, would be interested to know : )
By the way, I just got my first acceptance today and a great scholarship. Don't know yet if I'll attend that college, though, I am waiting for the other decisions : )

[Svati]

Marion,

Congrats on your acceptance! I don't hear from any schools until March 31/early April.

Go ahead and send me a message with your list of schools, and I'll reply with mine :)