College Students! discussion
Reading Goals/ Challenges
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general questions/updates/rules for School Year Challenge
Mod
For 15 points #8 (read that book you were supposed to read in high school but instead used SparkNotes for)what about those of us who actually read all the books we were assigned? Even books I hated I managed to get through (though the first half of a Tale of Two Cities was much helped by checking out Spark Notes, I did read the entire book).
Mod
Mod
Lauren--30 pts
Lynn-- 25 pts
Kelsey- 15 pts
Justine--10 pts
Ashley(co-mod)--5 pts
Franzz- 5 pts
Ashley- 5 pts
Please let me know if I missed anybody!
just finished Change of Heart by Jodi Picolt for 5 pts
Oh man I'd like to try this but I don't think it will happen for me... too much other things I need to read. I'll be cheering you guys on though! GO TEAM!
Bonnie: I had the same question! I was just a nerd and read everything! I think I'm just going to pick a classic that people would normally read in high school that I never read...
I'm glad I wasn't the only one! I couldn't not read an assigned book (although in college I started skimming a lot of my nonfiction texts for classes...). I'm probably going to read something like The Turn of the Screw (which was one of our summer reading options in high school) or The Great Gatsby (which I know the other English class in my school read one year).
So this list is likely to change, but here is my tentative reading plan.5 Points
1)For Valentines Day [heart/love in title:]: Love in the Time of Cholera
2) For Saint Patty’s day [Ireland:]: Dubliners
alternative: The Picture of Dorian Gray
3)Classic: Great Expectations
4)An author you've never read before: Life of Pi
5)Memoir: Marley & Me Love and Life with the World's Worst Dog
alternative: Reading Lolita in Tehran A Memoir in Books
6)March is National Women's History Month [female protagonist:]: Girl with a Pearl Earring
alternative: Mrs. Dalloway
7)CS group read (either past or present): TBD
8)Food/drink in title: Water for Elephants
9)Written in the last 5 years: The Queen's Fool A Novel
10)Already own: Year of Wonders A Novel of the Plague
10 Points
1)Name of a month in it: TBD
2)Author that has same birthday month as you: Master and Man and Other Stories [August:]
Alternative: Anything by Antonia Fraser, Tolstoy, Borges or H.P. Lovecraft
3)Word “school”,“class”, "college", "university" or "teacher" in title: Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
Alternative: Lies My Teacher Told Me Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
4)Read a book and then watch the movie adaptation: Master and Commander
Alternative: The Gangs of New York An Informal History of the Underworld
5)Involves a medical condition(physical, mental, emotional): Lolita
6)One word title: Othello
Alternative: Dracula
7)Name of a country, state, or city in it: Korea's Place in the Sun A Modern History, Updated Edition
8)Banned/challenged book: The Clan of the Cave Bear
9)Set in a place you've always wanted to visit/live: True History of the Kelly Gang A Novel [Australia:]
10)Written by someone of your same heritage: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency There Is No Such Thing as Free Food and the Best v. 7 [Scotland:]
15 Points1)College student as the main character/person that is near your age: The Rule of Four [characters in law school where I'm heading off to next year:]
2)Author from your state/geographical area: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian [Northwest:]
Alternative: The Worst Hard Time The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
3)About/relating to the particular field of study you are/were in: The British Abroad The Grand Tour in the Eighteenth Century
4)Written by a GoodReads author: Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch [Neil Gaiman:]
5)About a person you admire: Four Queens The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe [Eleanor of Aquitaine:]
6)About a subject you wish you could have studied in school: Rubicon The Last Years of the Roman Republic
Alternative: A Modern History of Japan From Tokugawa Times to the Present
7)Author you hate: The Sun Also Rises
Alternative: Anything else by Hemingway, Ian McEwan or Anne Rice (although it isn't even worth 15 points or ANYTHING to make me read another Anne Rice; at least Hemingway makes me feel smart)
8)High School Reading: The Great Gatsby
Alternative: The Turn of the Screw and The Aspern Papers
25 Points
1)700+ Page Book: The Historian
2)Your name in the title or is by an author with your same name: Pirate Spirit The Adventures of Anne Bonney
Alternative: Apparently the only people worth writing about with my name are a prince without a kingdom (Bonnie Prince Charlie), a female pirate (Anne Bonney), and a bank robber (Bonnie and Clyde). This is the most difficult task by far for someone with my naming luck.
3)Different religion than you: Shabanu Daughter of the Wind
Alternative: No god but God The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
4)Would normally never consider picking up: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (oof, it hurts just thinking about it)
OOOO, this looks like fun. I'll need to make up a list later though...
I'm at 35 points so far....5 points
#3 Alice in wonderland & through the looking glass (it's a children's classic, does it still count?)
#7 Book Thief
25 points
#3 Escape
i thought about trying to plan it out, but i think i'll just play it by ear!
I should be able to make a big dent in something tomorrow because school is probably canceled.
my classes got cancelled for tomorrow too! yay! But I do hate feeling stuck in one place
That's crazy Lynn! I got an email from KWC saying we were having class unless there was a state of emergency. This is bs. Not all students live on campus!!!!! ARRRGGG!
I hate feeling stuck too, especially when since I don't like my roommate. So, I might visit the bookish girls next door and get some quiet reading time. I'm also planning on updating my list today.
Like Jamie said..I'll be helping out as much as I can with this..Leader Board:
Emily--35 pts
Lauren--30 pts
Lynn-- 25 pts
Kelsey- 25 pts
Justine--10 pts
Ashley--10 pts
Ashley(co-mod)--5 pts
Franzz- 5 pts
Katerina- 5 pts
Why did your classes get cancelled? I love it when class is canceled, though it rarely ever happens. And Bree, I'm actually at 25 points. I've got Franny and Zooey for 15 and Neverwhere for 10. Both were awesome, so I'm glad I'm starting out my year with great books! =)
oops. my bad. i'll change that for you! sorry!
Kelsey, Mine got canceled for bad weather. The roads and sidewalks iced over yesterday and got worse last night (I guess). It's Oklahoma, so everyone flips out about cold weather, even though every single year we get one bad ice/snow storm. And every year, people act like this has never happened before. I do enjoy seeing the people from places like Texas where it really doesn't snow because they get really excited about it. I enjoy it because I'm like, "You will soon learn how much the snow sucks; it acts like it wants to be your friend, but it's not."
Lauren, are you going to go ahead and skip? I haven't been outside yet today but last night when I was walking back to my dorm at midnight, the roads were AWFUL. And that was even a sidewalk that had ben covered in road salt. There's no way I'm driving till it's all gone for sure. And ALL our offices and stuff are closed. The dean and president were like This is too dangerous. We don't want anyone risking it.Kelsey, we got freezing rain last night. That's all we ever get in winter it seems... rarely snow, always ice. You can't play in ice.
Finished:Memoir: Bitter is the New Black Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office - 5 pts
Place you'd like to visit: A Wild Sheep Chase - 10 pts
GoodReads Author: Coraline - 15 pts
Lynn.. thankfully, they cancelled classes today. I can't believe it! First time since I've been there! Haha. But I don't know if they will tomorrow. I don't have class tomorrow anyways, I've got to work all day. I'm SO bringing my hw cause I know people aren't going to come in.
I know! Brescia rarely cancels classes. Last year's big ice storm was the first time they cancelled them since I've been here and that was only after several days of super small class sizes. They cancelled them for tomorrow too. I ran into the president on my way to dinner and he said my county (Hopkins) is in a state of emergency. Crazy. Some people's cars here got hit by falling branches laden with ice. Thankfully I didn't park under any trees!
I think this is a great idea!!! Esp. because it'll get me to read books I'm not so big on lol.. SO here's my list & let me know if any changes need to be made :D5 Points:
1. For Valentines Day: Read a book with the word heart or love in it. Love Walked In
2. For Saint Patty's Day: Read a book set in Ireland, is by an Irish author, or whose main character is Irish. PS, I Love You
3. Read a classic. The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer
4. Read a book by an author you've never read before. In the Woods
5. Read a memoir. Angela's Ashes
6. March is National Women's History Month: Read a book where a woman is the main character. The Secret Life of Bees
8. Read a book with any kind of food/drink in the title. Water for Elephants
9. Read a book written in the last 5 years. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
10. Read a book that you already own. The Lovely Bones
10 Points:
1. Read a book with the name of a month in it. A Wedding in December
2. Read a book with an author that has same birthday month as you. One Hundred Years of Solitude
3. Read a book with either the word "school", "class", "college", "university" or "teacher" in it. How I Paid for College A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater
4. Read a book and then watch the movie adaptation. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5. Read a book that involves a medical condition (physical, mental, emotional). The Last Lecture
6. Read a book with a one word title. Catch-22
7. Read a book with the name of a country, state, or city in it. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan
8. Read a banned/challenged book (http://deletecensorship.org/downloads...). Slaughterhouse Five
9. Read a book set in a place you've always wanted to visit or live. Memoirs of a Geisha
10. Read a book written by someone of your same heritage. The Hooligan's Return A Memoir
15 Points:
1. Read a book that has a college student as the main character or is a person that is near your age. Confessions of a Shopaholic
2. Read a book from an author that was born or had lived in your state/geographical area. The Darkest Evening of the Year
3. Read a book about or relating to the particular field of study you are/were in. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
4. Read a book written by a GoodReads author. Coraline
5. Read a book about a person you admire. Angelina Jolie's Notes from My Travels
6. Read a book about a subject you wish you could have studied in school. In the Eye of the Sun
7. Read a book by an author you hate. The Catcher in the Rye
8. Read that book you were supposed to read in high school but instead used SparkNotes for. Anthem
25 Points:
1. Read a book with over 700 pages. The Fountainhead
2. Read a book with your name in the title or is by an author with your same name. Heart's Desire A Novel
3. Read a book about a different religion than you are. Unsure
4. Read a book that you would normally never consider picking up. The Road
Hey Laura, I saw your 10 points, #9 (book set in a place you've always wanted to visit or live). Japan, huh? I'm living in Japan right now and it looks like I'll be here for another year. Definitely a good place to visit and an interesting place to live! Oh, and it's fun to watch the movie version of Memoirs of a Geisha after visiting Kyoto! In one scene the little girl version of Sayuri is running through some very picturesque orange tori gates supposedly in the middle of the city. I've been to the shrine with those gates and it's several train stops south of the main city! It does make for lovely cinematography, if not accuracy.
Finished 'Persuasion' for 5 points (read a classic.)
Hey Bonnie! Are you there for school? I've always wanted to go to a new country and start over -- either Spain or Italy -- but it's not going to happen any time soon.Japan is somewhere I'd like to visit because of it's culture and landscapes. It's always great when movies are accurate in their portrayals, because not too many are. I haven't seen the movie yet -- I won't let myself see a movie before I read a book -- but I'll let you know what I think when I get to it! :)
Mod
Total Points: 5
I'm actually here working. I'm an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) teaching English. If you ever visit, definitely come in the fall or spring (the prettiest seasons by far). In the summer it get so hot and sticky I feel gross all the time and all I want to do is lie under a fan and never move. I read both the book and saw the movie so it will be interesting to hear what you think!
Mod
Finished Northanger Abbey for my classic, so 5 pts there.
Mod
Bonnie - I'll be sure to keep that in mind because me and sticky weather just don't go together very well lol. That's pretty cool to work there! I took an ESL class my senior year of high school and that was really fun. The kids were so sweet and one of my favorite "students" drew me into an anime picture and bought me a singing birthday card :) . It was really rewarding when they retained what they learned! I hope you get to stay there for a while :)
What do you guys think about using The Time Traveler's Wife as 5)Involves a medical condition(physical, mental, emotional)Apparently he has a "genetic disorder", but it's a fictional disease, does it still count? If so I am at 45 points....ahh my school work is slipping, lol
Laura--Some days my kids are so sweet and so much fun to teach and some days I just want to go back to bed. I will definitely be ready to leave next year but I think it will be a good experience in the meantime. I also have a question for the mod. Can I use Lost Empires of Faerûn for the 25-pointer: 2)read a book with your name in the title or is by an author with your same name? One of the authors is named Ed Bonny (an alternative spelling to Bonnie; in fact, one of my friends still writes my name Bonny as a joke between us). This reveals me to be a gigantic geek, but I've read things like Lost Empires before and even own a few. I know it's not a traditional "book," but it's listed on goodreads and I promise to read it cover to cover!
You guys are lucky that your classes are canceled! I love it when that happens, but in California, it usually only happens for crazy fires. On a different note, I finished Jessica Z last night for 5 points! I liked it, but I'm not sure I liked it as much as everyone else seems to.
Hey Lori, I'm not sure about the first two but I know that the school-related words isn't really school-related words. It's a book containing either the word "school" "class" "college" "university" or "teacher" in the title. Hope that helped with that one :)
5 points-1)For Valentines Day: read a book with the word heart or love in it. – Of Love and Other Demons – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2)For Saint Patty’s day: read a book set in Ireland, is by an Irish author, or whose main character is Irish. – Angela’s Ashes – Frank McCourt
3)read a classic – The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway
4)Read a book by an author you've never read before – Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
5)Read a memoir – A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier – Ishmael Beah
6)March is National Women's History Month so read a book where a woman is the main character – Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone – Mary Morris
7)read a CS group read (either past or present) - Jessica Z by Shawn Klomparens
8)read a book with any kind of food/drink in the title – Five Quarters of the Orange – Joann Harris
9) read a book written in the last 5 years – The Host – Stephanie Meyer
10) Read a book that you already own – Wicked – Gregory MaGuire
10 points
1)read a book with the name of a month in it. – Broken April – Ismail Kadare
2) read a book with an author that has same birthday month as you – The Circular Staircase – Mary Roberts Rhinehart
3)read a book with either the word “school”,“class”, "college", "university" or "teacher" in it. Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time – Greg Mortenson
4)read a book and then watch the movie adaptation – The Cider House Rules – John Irving
5) read a book that involves a medical condition(physical, mental, emotional) The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
6)read a book with a one word title – Eden – Olympia Vernon
7)read a book with the name of a country, state, or city in it. – Pagan Spain – Richard Wright
8) read a banned/challenged book – 1984 – George Orwell
9)read a book set in a place you've always wanted to visit/live – Bridge to Terabithia – Katherine Paterson
10)read a book written by someone of your same heritage –Shame - Bergljot Hobaek Haff
15 points
1)read a book that has a college student as the main character or is a person that is near your age Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason – Helen Fielding
2) read a book from an author that was born/or had lived in your state/geographical area – Windfall - James Magnuson
3) read a book about/relating to the particular field of study you are in/were in – The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich – Timothy Ferriss
4) Read a book written by a GoodReads author - By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept – Paulo Coelho
5) Read a book about a person you admire – The Diary of Anne Frank
6) Read a book about a subject you wish you could have studied in school –The Well of Loneliness: A 1920s Classic of Lesbian Fiction – Radclyffe Hall
7) read a book by an author you hate (Maybe you just got turned off by one book and he/she is actually a good author... you might have just read the one bad book? Or maybe your hatred is waranted.. either way you'll know for sure) – East of Eden – John Steinbeck
8) read that book you were supposed to read in high school but instead used SparkNotes for – A Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
25 points
1)book with over 700 pages – Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2)read a book with your name in the title or is by an author with your same name. – Three Little Words: A Memoir – Ashley Rhodes-Courter
3)read a book about a different religion than you are – Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind – Suzanne Fischer Staples
4) read a book that you would normally never consider picking up (something daunting, something that is a genre you hate. Etc.) – Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
I'm working on a list! Ashley, I also chose A Long Way Gone for my memoir book!
Okay, so I wanted to use this challenge to read books that are different than the ones I'm using for The Next Best Book Club's challenge so I can get through more on my TBR list. But that ain't gonna happen. So I might as well start now.For 5 points:
10) Read a book that you already own: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkein
Total Points: 5
5 points1) For Valentines Day: read a book with the word heart or love in it: Eat, Pray, Love One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
2) For Saint Patty’s day: read a book set in Ireland, is by an Irish author, or whose main character is Irish: The Vicar of Wakefield
3) Read a classic: Anna Karenina
4) Read a book by an author you've never read before: The Luxe
5) Read a memoir: Sickened The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood
7) Read a CS group read (either past or present): Uglies
8) Read a book with any kind of food/drink in the title: Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies
9) Read a book written in the last 5 years: A Short History of Nearly Everything
10 points
1) Read a book with the name of a month in it: The Warmest December
2) Read a book with an author that has same birthday month as you: Interview With the Vampire
3) Read a book with either the word “school”, “class”, "college", "university" or "teacher" in it: The Abstinence Teacher
4) Read a book and then watch the movie adaptation: PS, I Love You
5) Read a book that involves a medical condition (physical, mental, emotional): Divided Minds Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia
7) Read a book with the name of a country, state, or city in it: Blackout Girl Growing Up and Drying Out in America
9) Read a book set in a place you've always wanted to visit/live: Down and Out in Paris and London
10) Read a book written by someone of your same heritage (i.e. Belgian, Swiss, whatever): The Picture of Dorian Gray
15 points
1) Read a book that has a college student as the main character or is a person that is near your age: Confessions of a Shopaholic
2) Read a book from an author that was born/or had lived in your state/geographical area: To Kill a Mockingbird
3) Read a book about/relating to the particular field of study you are in/were in: The Lolita Effect (Women's Studies)
4) Read a book written by a GoodReads author: Coraline
5) Read a book about a person you admire: Dreams from My Father (First thing that came to mind...and I still over-thought it.)
6) Read a book about a subject you wish you could have studied in school: Freakonomics Rev Ed A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
7) Read a book by an author you hate: Mein Kampf (Does this count? If not, Godless The Church of Liberalism... either way, I'll be sick at my stomach.)
8) Read that book you were supposed to read in high school but instead used SparkNotes for: Three Junes
25 points
2) Read a book with your name in the title or is by an author with your same name: Bert & Lori The Autobiography of a Crossdresser (I typically go by "Lori" instead of my full name. Thus, this book! Besides, looking up "Lorianne" gave me a bunch of big children's books, and that feels like cheating.) *Subject to change
3) Read a book about a different religion than you are: Mecca and Main Street Muslim Life in America after 9/11 *Subject to change
4) Read a book that you would normally never consider picking up (something daunting, something that is a genre you hate, etc): War and Peace *Subject to change
Total: 55
message 96:
by
Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm
(last edited Feb 01, 2009 07:42AM)
(new)
Mod
Justine 35 pts
Emily--35 pts
Lauren--30 pts
Kelsey--30 pts
Ashley--30 pts
Lynn-- 25 pts
Ashley(co-mod)--5 pts
Franzz- 5 pts
Katerina- 5 pts
Amanda--5 pts
Bonnie-- 5 pts
Brianna-- 5 pts
Jamie-- 5 pts
Tami-- 5 pts
make sure you all check the points to make sure i'm right! :) i'm not the best at math! lol
and good job everyone..looks like you all have been busy reading like crazy!!
Jamie, I have 35 points (that includes the five points being added with this update).5 points: Read a book by an author you've never read: Nineteen Minutes A novel
Mod
Emily..I'm not familiar with the disease in The Time Traveler's wife as i've never read it..but i'm going to say let's stick with real ones. unless anyone else thinks that it is legit to use..someone who might be more familiar with it.
Bonnie..yeah it will be fine to use the Bonny one. different spellings are def fine!
Laura--you are correct about the school words challenge..i thought i saw a post about someone asking..but now its gone. lol..or else im going crazy. also..i was looking at your list and for the "religion" challenge..i was looking more for something really about religion.
Hello everyone! I just found and joined this group today...is it too late to join in on this challenge?
Mod
College Students!
Books mentioned in this topic
I Capture the Castle (other topics)Good in Bed (other topics)
The New Policeman (other topics)
May Bird and the Ever After (other topics)
The Writing Class (other topics)
More...
1) I'm reading Breaking Dawn as a PDF file. The automatic edition that comes up on GR says it has 756 pages.. but my PDF only lists it as 505. Can that still count as the 700+ page book?
2) Can we read a book with a title containing our middle name instead of first or last name?