Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion

I just finished one of our group reads for this month: A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (380 p.), and I contributed to the group discussion. Thanks to everyone who voted for it! I enjoyed it a lot.

Total Points: 225
Total Pages: 6261

I just finished Stargirl (188 pgs) for task 20.4. My youngest son was born in 2000, the year the book was published. Stargirl was good and I breezed through it quickly since it was so short. I'd like to read the sequel, Love, Stargirl.

New point total: 250
New page total: 4, 772

Tasks Completed (most recent in bold)

30 Point Tasks
3. Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine (GR Page Count: 240)

25 Point Tasks
1a. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer (Category: Romance) (GR Page count: 563 pages)

20 Point Tasks
2. The Tales of Beedle the Bard - JK Rowling (GR page count: 109 pages)
4. The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen (GR page count: 400 pages)
5. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things - Carolyn Mackler (GR page count: 256 pages)

10 Point Tasks
3. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin (GR page count: 192 pages)

5 Point Tasks
4. When You Wish - Kristin Harmel (GR page count: 288)

Just finished When You Wish last night. Both the mother/daughter and father/daughter relationships are central to the story -- a Britney/Miley-esque music star escapes her famous life (which is ruled by her mother) to go searching for the father that abandoned her as a child. But when she meets her dad, he's not quite as fatherly as she remembers.

This one was a cute, quick read. Not the best book ever, but it was a much-needed break from the heavier stuff I'm reading right now, so I enjoyed it.

Point Total: 105/350
Page Total: 2048

5.4 The Cloud Chamber 288 pages. The story gets going with the main character's dad attempting suicide and his mom refusing to talk about it. Quick, but not easy, read about a very difficult subject.

Total: 230 points 4553 pages

25.1
I read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Romance), Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan (Sci/Fi-Horror), Nancy Drew: Mystery At the Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene (Mystery).

I loved the first 2 books, I just couldn't put them down. But Nancy Drew, I figured, would be a revisit to my past. I used to love those books. Not so much now. I found it actually pretty humorous in sections. You could easily tell it was dated. Oh, well.

Points: 25/944 pages
Total: 110/ 2,486 pages

LEADER BOARD:

Amanda: 350 pts., 7011 pages.
Alisha: 265 pts., 7083 pages.
Beth: 250 pts., 4772 pages.
Jennifer W: 230 pts., 4553 pages.
Luann: 225 pts., 6261 pages.
Kristen: 220 pts., 5996 pages.
Misty: 205 pts., 4578 pages.
Allison: 190 pts., 2931 pages.
Natalee: 185 pts., 4038 pages.
Ashley: 185 pts., 3124 pages.
Jennifer: 175 pts., 3428 pages.
Alexis: 160 pts., 2602 pages.
Bird: 155 pts., 2875 pages.
C: 145 pts., 3759 pages.
Fiona (Titch): 135 pts., 3347 pages.
Leora: 135 pts., 2330 pages.
Heather: 125 pts., 1913 pages.
Jamie: 115 pts., 2291 pages.
Kathy: 110 pts., 2486 pages.
Jen B: 105 pts., 2048 pages.
Becky: 90 pts., 2117 pages.
Josie: 85 pts., 2881 pages.
Cheryl: 75 pts., 1789 pages.
Lynlee4: 70 pts., 946 pages.
Nirmala: 60 pts., 1168 pages.
Linda Grace: 50 pts., 1980 pages.
Katrina: 50 pts., 836 pages.
Fiona/Tweety: 45 pts., 1174 pages.
Michelle: 45 pts., 993 pages.
Kandice: 45 pts., 480 pages.
Camerandi: 40 pts., 682 pages.
Michelle (sunflowers): 35 pts., 416 pages.
Lisa Julianna: 30 pts., 312 pages.
Arynne: 30 pts., 256 pages.
Stephanie: 25 pts., 352 pages.
Liz: 20 pts., 192 pages.
Adam: 10 pts., 432 pages.

Completed:
25.4 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (309 pages) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (341 pages) - J.K. Rowling
10.4 - The Giver - Lois Lowry (208 pages) - 1994 Newberry Award winner
5.2 - The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery (96 pages)

Points to Date: 65
Pages to Date: 1306

EDIT: I forgot to say I definitely think The Giver deserved to win the Newberry. What an amazing book! I can't believe I made it this far in life without reading it.

Well I'm finally getting around to posting some points. Couldn't get too much reading done until my school year ended (homeschooling) So far I have:
25.3 Ten Things I Hate about Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah (about a Lebanese-Muslim girl trying to gain acceptance in anglo Australia), 320pp
20.2 The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, 128pp; I am going to have my 15 yo daughter read it so she can gain an appreciation for how others live and also because I like the poetic style it is written in.
20.4 I Never Promised you a Rose Garden by Hannah Greenberg, 288pp; (published in 1964, the year my brother was born)
5.3 Messenger by Lois Lowry, 192 pp; after teaching The Giver in a Jr. High lit. class, some of the students went on to read the Gathering Blue and Messenger and recommended that I do the same, which I did! (The other two were good, but just not quite as good as The Giver IMO.)

Actually I just made a switch: I am counting The House on Mango Street for my 10.3 Point Task. I found another book to read for the 20.2 Task.
Sorry for any confusion.

I completed reading 'Journey to the centre of the earth' by Jules verne for task 5.2

I thought that this was a YA Classic but not so sure once I completed it.

Total points: 65 (60 + 5)
Total Pages: 1,506(1,168 + 338)

Last night I finished the Lightning Thief (great group read!) and contributed to the discussion (I hope it was adequate).

Total Points: 35+30=65
Total Pagest: 416+375=791

Tonight I finished task 10.4. I read Godless by Pete Hautman which won a National Book Award in 2004. While I'm not sure what I thought of it generally, I see why it got an award. It's a very blunt and interesting take on religion and is creative in it's use of the water tower god. It's a good book for anyone who likes to read different points of view on religion, especially those who might be questioning.

Total Points: 65+10=75
Total Pages: 791+208=999

Today I finished up two books which means I've finally completed two more tasks.
Task 25.1 I read Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce (fantasy, 551pg), Hood by Stephen Lawhead (historical, 512 pg), and Party Shoes by Noel Streatfeild (classic, 256 pg). My favourite of the three was probably Party Shoes, and I'll start up a discussion thread in the classical section...
Task 25.2 I read Sovay by Celia Rees (416 pg), and Seeker Book One of the Noble Warriors by William Nicholson (448 pg).
Total: 135 points, 5064 pages.

I finished task 20.5 today by reading Wildwood Dancing. Right now, I would say that I really liked it, although it was a little strange.

Total- 185 points and 3531 pages
I got my totals mixed up somewhere, and I somehow added an extra 20 points... So, these are the right numbers now.

Finally read The Golden Compass(399 pages) for the other half of task 30.1. I read it with The Graveyard Book(312 pages), which won the Newbery. GC won the Carengie Medal, among other things. It's hard to judge whether either deserve their awards without knowing what they were up against, but I think both were great candidates. GB gets the win from me, as I thought GC needed some editing. I didn't like either book in the beginning, but I ended up loving GB, and liking GC.
My review of The Graveyard Book is here, and I will post my Golden Compass review when I do it.


TOTAL: 235 points, 5289 pages

LEADER BOARD:

Amanda: 350 pts., 7011 pages.
Alisha: 265 pts., 7083 pages.
Beth: 250 pts., 4772 pages.
Misty: 235 pts., 5289 pages.
Jennifer W: 230 pts., 4553 pages.
Luann: 225 pts., 6261 pages.
Kristen: 220 pts., 5996 pages.
Allison: 190 pts., 2931 pages.
Natalee: 185 pts., 4038 pages.
Ashley: 185 pts., 3531 pages.
Jennifer: 175 pts., 3428 pages.
Alexis: 160 pts., 2602 pages.
Bird: 155 pts., 2875 pages.
C: 145 pts., 3759 pages.
Josie: 135 pts., 5064 pages.
Fiona (Titch): 135 pts., 3347 pages.
Leora: 135 pts., 2330 pages.
Heather: 125 pts., 1913 pages.
Jamie: 115 pts., 2291 pages.
Kathy: 110 pts., 2486 pages.
Jen B: 105 pts., 2048 pages.
Becky: 90 pts., 2117 pages.
Cheryl: 75 pts., 1789 pages.
Michelle (sunflowers): 75 pts., 999 pages.
Lynlee4: 70 pts., 946 pages.
Nirmala: 65 pts., 1506 pages.
Stephanie: 65 pts., 1306 pages.
Linda Grace: 50 pts., 1980 pages.
Katrina: 50 pts., 836 pages.
Fiona/Tweety: 45 pts., 1174 pages.
Michelle: 45 pts., 993 pages.
Kandice: 45 pts., 480 pages.
Camerandi: 40 pts., 682 pages.
Lisa Julianna: 30 pts., 312 pages.
Arynne: 30 pts., 256 pages.
Liz: 20 pts., 192 pages.
Adam: 10 pts., 432 pages.

Hi Linda - Please post your Total Points and Pages, and I'll update yours in the Leader Board as well. Thanks.

30.3 Just finished Ella Enchanted as my fairytale retelling for 30 points (task #3).

Total Points: 80/350
Total Pages: 2,220

For task 20.1, I read Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull, 535 pages. I'll discuss why I would like a young person in my life to read this in the discussion thread.

Total Points: 245
Total Pages: 6796

I finally finished another task:

20.4 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (309 pages) - daughter born in 1997

Total Points: 135
Total Pages: 2600

I finally finished another task. I don't know why it took me so long. I think it's because my kids are out of school and I don't have as much time to read as before. Anyways, task 20.5 The Book of Lost Things. I loved it... five stars and a keeper for me!

Updated Points: 205 (Yay! I broke 200!!)
Updated Pages: 4377

I just read Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery for task 30.2 and am going to post in the discussion after this.

Total Points so far: 295
Pages Read so far: 7,403

30.2 Just finished Anne of Green Gables as a Wild Things Group Read for 30 points (task #2). Discussion contribution in the Anne of Green Gables folder.

Points: 110/350
Pages: 2,540

30.2 The Lightning Thief (375 pages)

30.3 East (516 pages)

20.2 A Great and Terrible Beauty (416 pages)
When I read the summary and saw that this was set in the Victorian era, I thought it would be something my little sister would like to read. Now that I've read through it, I am definitely pushing her to read it. It reminds me of Charmed (the TV show) because of the darkish feeling, and she loves Charmed. Anything to keep her reading!

5.1 The Book Thief (562 pages)



C: 230 pts., 5628 pages.

10.2 Little Women- Becky's (and many others I'm sure) 5 stars. 592 pages. I'd say I liked it, not quite loved it.

Total: 240 points 5145 pages

Read:
5.4 The Lightning Thief
10.3 The Sea of Monsters
25.4a The Battle of the Labyrinth
25.4b The Last Olympian

New point total: 130
New page total: 3823

I finished reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for task 20.3.

Total Points so far: 315
Number of Pages read so far: 7,744

LEADER BOARD:

Amanda: 350 pts., 7011 pages.
Alisha: 315 pts., 7744 pages.
Kristen: 250 pts., 6376 pages.
Beth: 250 pts., 4772 pages.
Luann: 245 pts., 6796 pages.
Jennifer W: 240 pts., 5145 pages.
Misty: 235 pts., 5289 pages.
C: 230 pts., 5628 pages.
Natalee: 205 pts., 4377 pages.
Allison: 190 pts., 2931 pages.
Ashley: 185 pts., 3531 pages.
Jennifer: 175 pts., 3428 pages.
Alexis: 160 pts., 2602 pages.
Bird: 155 pts., 2875 pages.
Josie: 135 pts., 5064 pages.
Fiona (Titch): 135 pts., 3347 pages.
Jamie: 135 pts., 2600 pages.
Heather: 135 pts., 2384 pages.
Leora: 135 pts., 2330 pages.
Becky: 130 pts., 3823 pages.
Linda Grace: 110 pts., 2540 pages.
Kathy: 110 pts., 2486 pages.
Jen B: 105 pts., 2048 pages.
Cheryl: 75 pts., 1789 pages.
Michelle (sunflowers): 75 pts., 999 pages.
Lynlee4: 70 pts., 946 pages.
Nirmala: 65 pts., 1506 pages.
Stephanie: 65 pts., 1306 pages.
Katrina: 50 pts., 836 pages.
Fiona/Tweety: 45 pts., 1174 pages.
Michelle: 45 pts., 993 pages.
Kandice: 45 pts., 480 pages.
Camerandi: 40 pts., 682 pages.
Lisa Julianna: 30 pts., 312 pages.
Arynne: 30 pts., 256 pages.
Liz: 20 pts., 192 pages.
Adam: 10 pts., 432 pages.

I just finished 30.2 - I listened to A Northern Light on audiobook and absolutely loved it, I'll be heading over to the discussion area to add more.

Total points: 250
Total pages: 6376

I just finished reading Wildwood Dancing (407 pgs) for task 20.5.

New point total: 270
New page total: 5, 179

I finished task 30.1 reading a book from the American Newberry list, and the UK Award list.

For the UK Award, I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.
and A Wrinkle in Time for the Newberry Award. I'll post my thoughts in the discussion area.

Total- 215 points and 4014 pages.

I made a mistake on my page total. As reported on msg #90 I had a total of 995 pages read and then on msg. 101 I reported having read The Graveyard Book, which was 312 pgs. 995 + 312 = 1307 and I had written the total as only 1025. I shorted myself by 282 pages. Here's all the books I've read so far and the page amounts per Goodreads:

1. What I saw and How I Lied: 281 pgs
2. Tamar: A Novel of Espionage , Passion and Betrayal: 432 pgs
3. Wintergirls: 282 pgs
4. The Graveyard Book: 312 pgs
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Pert-Time Indian: 230 pgs
6. Ella Enchanted: 240 pgs
7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower: 213 pgs
8. Shift: 256 pgs
9. Looking for Alaska: 256 pgs
10. The secret Garden: 288 pgs
11. Graceling: 471 pgs
12. (On the) Jellicoe Road: 300 pgs
13. Purple Hibiscus: 320 pgs
14. I capture the Castle: 352 pgs
15. Howl's Moving Castle: 329 pgs
16. Castle in the Air: 304 pgs
17. Stargirl: 188 pgs
18. Wildwood Dancing: 407 pgs

So my point total is still 270 as last reported and my most recent page total is 5, 461

Sorry, Laura, about the mistake.

Just finished task 20.5 by reading Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements...very entertaining!

Total points: 75+20=95
Total pages: 999+251=1250

20.4 Let the Circle Be Unbroken 384 pages. It was published in 1981, the year I was born. Good, but not as good as Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

Total: 260 points 5529 pages

Just finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for task 5.3.

Total Points so far: 320
Number of Pages Read so far: 8,179

20.3 Strawberry Hill 272 pages. It was set in coastal Maine, where I went to college, but I didn't get the feeling the author had any idea what Maine was like. Still, an enjoyable story.

Total: 280 points 5801 pages

I just finished task 10.1 by reading Savvy by Ingrid Law.
Great book, I loved it!

Total- 225 points and 4356 pages

LEADER BOARD:

Amanda: 350 pts., 7011 pages.
Alisha: 320 pts., 8179 pages.
Jennifer W: 280 pts., 5801 pages.
Beth: 270 pts., 5461 pages.
Kristen: 250 pts., 6376 pages.
Luann: 245 pts., 6796 pages.
Misty: 235 pts., 5289 pages.
C: 230 pts., 5628 pages.
Ashley: 215 pts., 4014 pages.
Natalee: 205 pts., 4377 pages.
Allison: 190 pts., 2931 pages.
Jennifer: 175 pts., 3428 pages.
Alexis: 160 pts., 2602 pages.
Bird: 155 pts., 2875 pages.
Josie: 135 pts., 5064 pages.
Fiona (Titch): 135 pts., 3347 pages.
Jamie: 135 pts., 2600 pages.
Heather: 135 pts., 2384 pages.
Leora: 135 pts., 2330 pages.
Becky: 130 pts., 3823 pages.
Linda Grace: 110 pts., 2540 pages.
Kathy: 110 pts., 2486 pages.
Jen B: 105 pts., 2048 pages.
Michelle (sunflowers): 95 pts., 1250 pages.
Cheryl: 75 pts., 1789 pages.
Lynlee4: 70 pts., 946 pages.
Nirmala: 65 pts., 1506 pages.
Stephanie: 65 pts., 1306 pages.
Katrina: 50 pts., 836 pages.
Fiona/Tweety: 45 pts., 1174 pages.
Michelle: 45 pts., 993 pages.
Kandice: 45 pts., 480 pages.
Camerandi: 40 pts., 682 pages.
Lisa Julianna: 30 pts., 312 pages.
Arynne: 30 pts., 256 pages.
Liz: 20 pts., 192 pages.
Adam: 10 pts., 432 pages.

I just finished Donorboy A Novel by Brendan Halpin for task 5.4.

Total Points so far: 325
Total Pages Read so far: 8,403

20.1 I just finished The Fellowship of the Ring as my book that was made into a movie and watch the movie for 20 points (task #1). I have yet to find a movie that is better than the book. I loved the details in this book and found it much better than the movie for that reason. I also loved Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took's characters, which were much further developed in the book.

Total Points: 130/350
Total Pages: 2,938

I just finished The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo for task 10.4.

Total Points so far: 335
Total Number of Pages so far: 8,675

Finished Belle and the Beau for task 20.3. It's set in southeastern Michigan (my geo region), and my hometown is even mentioned (a whopping one time ;p ). At 296 pages, that makes:

TOTAL: 255 points, 5585 pages .

I just finished task 25.3 by reading Esperanza Rising...great book!

Total Points: 95+25=120
Total Pages: 1250+262=1512

Michelle wrote: "I just finished task 25.3 by reading Esperanza Rising...great book!

Total Points: 95+25=120
Total Pages: 1250+262=1512"

Ooh, great! Make sure you give us your take in the thread.

I finished The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray for task 25.1. It doesn't update my point total, but does it increase my page total.

Points: 20
Pages: 538

5.3 I just finished To Kill a Mockingbird as a re-read I enjoyed when I was younger (this was one of the only books I enjoyed reading in school) for 5 points (task #3).

Total Points: 135/350
Total Pages: 3,274

I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for task 10.3.

Total Points so far: 345
Total Number of Pages read so far: 9,409

30.1 The Tale of Despereaux (USA), Just in Case (UK)
30.2 The Graveyard Book
30.3 Midnight Pearls: A Retelling of "The Little Mermaid"
25.1 Wicked Lovely (Fantasy/Sci-Fi), The Book Thief (Historical), A Countess Below Stairs (Romantic)
25.3 Sold
20.1 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
10.2 I Capture the Castle
10.3 To Kill a Mockingbird
5.4 Gingerbread

Total Points = 185
Total Pages = 3764

10.2 I just finished Pride and Prejudice, which Laura gave 5 stars to (and I also gave 5 stars!) for 10 points (task #2).

Total Points: 145/350
Total Pages: 3,594

Linda Grace wrote: "10.2 I just finished Pride and Prejudice, which Laura gave 5 stars to (and I also gave 5 stars!) for 10 points (task #2).

Total Points: 145/350
Total Pages: 3,594"


YAY!!!!!!!!! This is one of my comfort books. I have read it I don't even know how many times.