You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Robin - Hooray for being done with grad school! It sounds like now you'll have time to read books for fun and challenges :D

A quick question - can we include rereads?

And just to let you know, I am losing sleep over this challenge. Not the 500 pages since I enjoy and read lots of books over 400 this year for another challenge BUT it is the connections. The other day I came across the audio for The Poisonwood Bible and while I could never get into the book, I thought the audio might do it for me. And wonder of wonders it did. Now this is a formidable chunkster and since I preplanned my challenge I need to think hard as to how I can fit this title in hence the loss of last night's sleep.

jaxnsmom wrote: "Robin - Hooray for being done with grad school! It sounds like now you'll have time to read books for fun and challenges :D"

I should! It is the planning that will probably trip me up. I mean I planned but I'm not really a planner when it comes to my reading. :)

Yes, you may include re-reads. I'll pop over to your thread and see if I can help you with connections. Please don't stress and lose sleep. Let others here help you with connections if you are stumped. Sometimes others see possibilities you may not think of.

Nancy wrote: "A quick question - can we include rereads?

And just to let you know, I am losing sleep over this challenge. Not the 500 pages since I enjoy and read lots of books over 400 this year for another c..."

Try to google both books or both authors, or look them up on Wikipedia. It's best to have them open in two different windows and skim back and forth. Then you might stumble upon something.

Janice wrote: "Yes, you may include re-reads. I'll pop over to your thread and see if I can help you with connections. Please don't stress and lose sleep. Let others here help you with connections if you are s..."

Thanks Janice - I have planned on 25 titles and for the most part I'm OK. The real problem is that I want to read every chunkster and connect the dots.

Bryndís wrote: "Nancy wrote: "A quick question - can we include rereads?

And just to let you know, I am losing sleep over this challenge. Not the 500 pages since I enjoy and read lots of books over 400 this year..."

Great idea Bryndis. I sometimes think I over think these things and overlook the obvious.

Nancy wrote: "A quick question - can we include rereads?

And just to let you know, I am losing sleep over tthis challenge. Not the 500 pages since I enjoy and read lots of books over 400 this year for another c..."

I read and loved The Poisonwood Bible. So if you get really stuck, let me know what you want to read next/link it to and we can have a think. Sometimes you just need someone outside the situation to have a look. I overthink things then can't see the obvious. Yay for the Hive Mind!!

Thanks Rusalka. I'm Ok so far with linking The Poisinwood a Bible.

Btw - I was at the movies the other day and they were advertising a film of the opera Rusalka. Thought of you and then told my friend about Goodreads.

Sorry. I meant to say, I saw :) Problem with time delays.

Oh there's a film of it coming out? Awesome. I have always meant to check it out but operas and I don't go well together. Too many bad memories of having to sing arias and hating them, and not knowing what I was singing. But it would make me better!! Apparently. Hmph.

Hopefully they pop in and join us then ;)

I know what you meant about operas, Rusalka. My father loved them and would take me as young girl. He would often fall asleep and I never knew what was happening. I finally asked if instead we could go to Broadway shows and that's what we did then.

But I am impressed that you sang arias. I am lucky to croak out happy Birthday for those events.

See that's more up my alley. I grew up with 1950s MGM musicals in my house all the time. I wanted to sing jazz, modern music and showtunes and my singing teacher made me sing Italian/German/French etc arias. We compromised on showtunes.

That's actually where my internet pseudonym comes from. Rusalkii are, at the risk of oversimplification of peoples mythology, Slavic sirens. They were drowned beautiful maidens who lay at the bottom of water sources (ponds, rivers, etc) and lured hot, young men to their death with their singing. They (the men) would throw themselves in the water and the Rusalka would eat their face.

Started as a video game char name nearly 10 years ago and morphed into my internet name :)

What an interesting story about your Internet name. I know nothing about Slavic sirens so thanks for explaining. They sound wonderful except the part about eating faces.

Rusalka wrote: "See that's more up my alley. I grew up with 1950s MGM musicals in my house all the time. I wanted to sing jazz, modern music and showtunes and my singing teacher made me sing Italian/German/French ..."

LOL! Eating faces.... Meany 2... could be a connection? Hehehehe!

It's nice to learn a bit of your history, Rusalka!

Well, Drowning and devouring, eating faces. Same kinda thing really :P

Indeed Janice, wait until I unleash the full Meanie action lol!

Rusalka wrote: "Well, Drowning and devouring, eating faces. Same kinda thing really :P

Indeed Janice, wait until I unleash the full Meanie action lol!"

LOL!

Insanely, I've already read 2 chunksters! This challenge rocks!

Wow- 2 Chunksters, already, huh. I must admit my reading has fallen off since I began watching the beginning episodes of Scandal, Orange is the New Black and Breaking Bad and I have lots of these programs left. Good for Netflux, bad for my reading. LOL.

Great job Beth!

@Nancy: my boyfriend and I also started watching Breaking Bad. We were curious because it's such a hype. We watched the first 3 episodes and I like it, although I'm worried it might get too violent for my liking.

Peggy I already found Breaking Bad rather violent but so was Scandal and several movies I saw recently. I guess that and sex sell. Our daughter also suggested I watch Sons of Anarchy but I only saw one episode so far and thought that was enough. I do wonder what is compelling me to continue viewing a program about a mild mannered chem teacher who becomes a drug dealer and is often seen undressed? LOL.

Wow Beth! You're already losing weight!

My daughter was so hooked on Breaking Bad. Hubby and I prefer Downton Abbey (although Ashley likes that one too lol). I prefer books to TV for the past several years. The sex and violence isn't for me. I prefer the black and white movie version of both.

Anybody read any of these?

To Marry an English Lord: Or How Anglomania Really Got Started by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace.

Life Below Stairs: in the Victorian and Edwardian Country House by Sian Evans.

Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey" by Margaret Powell.

The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes.

The Real Life Downton Abbey: How Life Was Really Lived in Stately Homes a Century Ago by Jacky Hyams.

I'm more interested in perhaps reading one of these than of actually watching the show, but I know, I know, everyone and their dog are is enamored of the show.

I haven't read any of those, but many are on my TBR.

I can't really vouch for seasons three & four, but I thought season one of Downton was some of the best TV I've ever seen (and I'm over 40, lol).

I haven't read any of those either. Though I am one of those who don't care much for Downton Abbey, I'd rather read about the era than watch the show.

I was going to try The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
and
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear has been a good series about the era.

I have a question about the rules. I apologize if this has already been addressed somewhere - I've read many posts in this thread but not all. ;)

Is there anything I can do if I want to read a book super slowly... so slowly that it will cross over multiple "blocks" of my challenge?

I am asking because I have just started Les Misérables with a group that had discussions based on a pace of 50 p / week. This is very slow, and if I keep pace with the group, I will have completed the rest of "Marchers" long before I finish Les Mis. Would it be OK to still begin Block 2?

Wow, that makes it a about a half-year read, doesn't it?

Peggy wrote: "Wow, that makes it a about a half-year read, doesn't it?"

Yes! The reading schedule runs through the first week of June. It's pretty crazy. My life is changing a lot right now -- I'm starting a new job soon and my new husband and I are in the process of buying our first home. It's crazy to think that life will be so different in May / June, yet I may still be slowly plugging away at Les Mis.

I've never spread a novel out like this before, but I'd like to try it for something different (assuming it's OK for the challenge). My usual MO is to tear through books that capture my interest. I wonder if taking things more slowly, while setting time aside to savor the story and for pondering / discussion, will enhance to my reading experience. But who knows. I may not have the discipline to stick to the pace anyhow!

Oh, exciting times in your life! Good luck on your new job and enjoy everything with the new home!

I would worry with spreading it out over such a long time that I would have forgotten many things of the story by the time a few months have passed. I usually can't even remember details of a book I read a month ago!

Good Question. I wasn't planning on having a book last quite that long but I was going to have a couple take awhile.
I was just going to use my finish date and slot the books into whatever section I was in at the time but it will be good to get an official ruling. :)

E :) Congratulations on everything. What an exciting and busy time you are having!
Reading a book over that long of time would be challenging for me. But I'm betting after getting a PHD ( if my memory is correct) it will seem like a cake walk to you.

Congratulations, E! Wow, so many nice things happening with you. Savor the moments! :)

Thank you so much Peggy, Marnie, and Laura! I've been having a good time lately. Less busy than I had been, too, so am taking advantage of it to make some dents in these chunksters. :)

E :) wrote: "I have a question about the rules. I apologize if this has already been addressed somewhere - I've read many posts in this thread but not all. ;)

Is there anything I can do if I want to read a boo..."

The idea of the challenge is too complete 6 chunksters. In order to move on to Mickey Mouse's Marchers, you need to have completed the 6 chunksters in Slick's Slugs.

Unfortunately, my answer to your question is "no".

You may want to read Les Miz as a "just because" read and not include it in the challenge.

Congratulations on your new job, new husband, and new house! Lots of changes in your life.

Thank you Janice for the congratulations!!

I understand what you mean about completing six books before moving to the next section. Logging Les Mis early would perhaps be going against this spirit of the challenge. I was wondering, though, if I could instead link Les Mis when I complete it? This way I'll be completing six books before I move onto Marchers, 12 books before I pass to the next section, etc, which seems to go along with the spirit of the challenge. Could that work?

I do hope to log Les Misérables since it is such a monumental chunkster that I will be reading entirely in 2014. Part of the reason that the novel's reading schedule is so spread out is that the novel is HUGE -- both in length and scope -- a true chunkster! When I read the title for this challenge, this was the first book that came to mind, and then I nominated this for the other group read. :)

Les Mis is a monster chunkster, E!! But it seems your request puts Janice in a bit of a tight spot. As a fellow challenge participant, your request is basically okay by me.

But if Janice says okay, then that will involve revising the stated challenge rules because others in the group will need to be allowed the opportunity to use a similar approach for the sake of fair play. This opens the door to more requests for other allowances and revisions. I don't think that's really fair to Janice imo. Just my 2 cents worth. Thanks.

Tejas Janet wrote: "Les Mis is a monster chunkster, E!! But it seems your request puts Janice in a bit of a tight spot. As a fellow challenge participant, your request is basically okay by me.

But if Janice says okay..."

Actually, as far as I can tell, the initially laid out challenge rules are agnostic to this. I don't see anything that would need to be modified.

Edit: I do see a line that states each milestone must be read in order. This is open to interpretation, and I don't think it's clear about the specific question that I raised. Personally I don't consider a book to be read until it is completed. So yes I will be completing the milestones in order. :) In 2014, I will read 6 chunksters with a 7th one on the back burner. Milestone #1 will be completed when I finish the 6th book. I'll log the back burner book with milestone #2 and hope to count it toward that total. :)

Laura wrote: "I haven't read any of those, but many are on my TBR.

I can't really vouch for seasons three & four, but I thought season one of Downton was some of the best TV I've ever seen (and I'm over 40, lol)."

Season 3 is a bit lame. I haven't seen 4 and was debating not bothering.

And add my grats in E. All very exciting

E :) wrote: "Peggy wrote: "Wow, that makes it a about a half-year read, doesn't it?"

Yes! The reading schedule runs through the first week of June. It's pretty crazy. My life is changing a lot right now -- I'm..."

Congrats to you on all these good things in your life.

I must say you mentioning tearing through books and I do this too, often leaves me wondering if I lost something by not savor ins the pages. I do think a book like Les Mis or some of these other Chunksters should encourage thought which takes time.

Rusalka wrote: "Laura wrote: "I haven't read any of those, but many are on my TBR.

I can't really vouch for seasons three & four, but I thought season one of Downton was some of the best TV I've ever seen (and I'..."

I wonder how many of us are out there. I do want to finish 3 since I bought it, and then see if 4 is worth buying too.

E :) wrote: "I understand what you mean about completing six books before moving to the next section. Logging Les Mis early would perhaps be going against this spiri..."

The spirit of all of our challenges have always been to start and finish the books within the allotted time frames, and that was how I conceptualized the various sections of this challenge - that you would start and finish each section before moving on to the next section. True, it is not stated in the rules, but if we made sure every possibility was addressed, the rules would be miles long.

TJ is right. This does put me in a difficult position. You both make good arguments, and would be great on a debate team. I purposely did not answer this last night because I needed time to think about this.

My decision stands as in msg 439. Sometimes, as much as we want to shoehorn a book into a challenge, it just doesn't fit. It may fit all the criteria, but the timing isn't right, which is what you are up against.

I'm sorry. I hope you see that you are still getting the benefit of reading a great book with a group of people who are going to savour it. Plus, you'll get to substitute hopefully another great book to fill its place in the chunkster challenge.

Thank you Rus and Nancy for your kind words! I've been in a whirlwind lately and nothing has really sunk in yet. :)

Janice, I must say I'm disappointed that the rules for the "chunkster" challenge are more accommodating to those who dink and dunk shorties than to me when I plan to read an actual, challenging chunkster.

E :) wrote: "Janice, I must say I'm disappointed that the rules for the "chunkster" challenge are more accommodating to those who dink and dunk shorties than to me when I plan to read an actual, challenging chunkster."

I didn't make this decision lightly and without due consideration.

I have tried to make this challenge accommodating and flexible to as many people as possible. Unfortunately, I can't accommodate every single request.

Actually, it was completely within your discretion to accommodate my request. This would have made great sense, considering that this is, at least nominally, a chunkster challenge. However I will respect your decision not to accommodate my chunkster read, as well as your decision to accommodate TJ's list of 300 p. reads. (I'm confused about why she stepped into the conversation in an attempt to bias your decision, but she did, and so I feel comfortable using this example.)

You are right though, I will be reading and enjoying a great work of literature! Nothing will be lost. I really am just beyond shocked that you were unwilling to let my read be count.

Working within the rules of the challenge is part of the game. I found it very hard to wait until midnight New Year's Eve to start reading The Goldfinch, when I had bought the book days earlier. I would love to be able to count Freedom, a definite chunkster, but I started listening to the audiobook back in mid-December. I assume that if I really wanted to count it, I could start rereading from the beginning. If you really want to count Les Mis, you could either read ahead of your other group, or re-read from the beginning when you get to whatever group of six you plan to finish it in. But don't take it out on Janice that she is enforcing the rules of the game. That's how games work.

Casceil,

This is a 2014 chunkster challenge. The rules are explicitly clear in stating that the books should be read in 2014. Your situation and mine are not the same.

Casceil,

I know what you mean about finding it difficult to wait until New Years, though! I started my first read right after midnight too. :) After all of the list planning, acquire books for my first block, etc, I was really anxious to jump in.

I agree too. It must be a LOT of work hosting a challenge and I'm sure it's not always fun to say 'no' to people's request. Janice is doing the most amazing job and I don't think it's fair to 'attack' (for lack of a better word) her on this.

Like Casceil said, many people have had to work around the challenge. For example, I started Wise Man's Fear as a buddy read on December 21. I could also have waited 10 more days to count it toward my challenge, but I chose not to. I would also have liked to read Burial Rites this month with many others, but I liked the link I created in the challenge in the second milestone, so I made the decision not to read it now.

As for the thinner books: you still have to read more than 1 book, so it's not as if people who pick non-chunksters too get off easier. Two small books = one chunkster.

E:), I think maybe you didn't get the point I was trying to make. I am not saying the rules should be flexible enough to allow counting what I read in 2013. I'm saying that the rules are what they are, and we have to accommodate ourselves to the rules. You are in a different spot, because you made plans based on what you thought the rules were, and then the rules were tighter than you expected. It is to your credit that you recognized an ambiguity and sought clarification. Once you get the clarification, though, you have to abide by the referee's decision. It's part of the game.